ہٰذَا
Appears 155 times in Quran
Occurrences in Quran
Found 50 verses containing "ہٰذَا".
وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ اَنَّ لَہُمۡ جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِیۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِہَا الۡاَنۡہٰرُ ۖ کُلَّمَا رُزِقُوۡا مِنۡہَا مِنۡ ثَمَرَۃٍ رِّزۡقًا ۙ قَالُوۡا ہٰذَا الَّذِیۡ رُزِقۡنَا مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ۖ وَاُتُوۡا بِہٖ مُتَشٰبِہًا ۖ وَّلَہُمۡ فِیۡہَاۤ اَزۡوٰجٌ مُّطَہَّرَۃٌ ۖ وَّہُمۡ فِیۡہَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ
3:16, 134, 196, 199; 4:14, 58, 123; 5:13, 86; 7:44; 9:72, 89, 100; 10:10; 13:36; 22:15, 24; 25:11; 2:18; 47:16; 58:23; 61:13; 64:10.
3:16; 4:58.
古兰经» 教导说, 每一种被创造出来的东西, 为了它充分的发展都需要一个配偶。天园中, 正直的男女将有纯洁的配偶来完成他们的精神发展, 成全他们的幸福。他们将成为哪种配偶, 只是在后世才能真正认识。
这节经文简单描绘了信教者后世将受得的酬报。批评伊斯兰教的人对这一描绘提出了各种各样的异议。这种批评的基础是, 完全误解了伊斯兰教对后世赐福的教导。«古兰经» 着重地声言人们是无法知道那些赐福的性质的 (32:18)。相传穆圣曾经说过: “没有眼睛看到过它们, 也没有耳朵听到过它们, 也没有人们的头脑能想象它们” (布哈里)。自然会产生这样一个问题:为什么后世赐福的名称要用这个世界的物质东西来称呼?这是因为 «古兰经» 中的话不是仅对智力高的人们说的, 因此要用大家都能懂得的简单的语言。在描绘后世赐福时, «古兰经» 中用的一般都是这个世界上看来是好的东西的名称, 并告诉信教者他们将在后世以较好的形式来得到所有这些东西。为了显示这种重要对照, 才使用熟悉的用词, 否则, 在今世欢乐与来生赐福之间就会没有共同的东西。而且, 根据伊斯兰教教义, 将来的生命在这种意义上并不是精神的, 即:并不只是由内心状态组成的, 即使在将来的生命, 人的灵魂也还有一个身体, 不过那个身体不是物质的。人们可由梦境形成一些这种观念。一个人在梦中见到的许多景象不能称为内心的或纯精神的, 因为在那种状态下他也有身体。有时发现他自己在流着河水的天园中, 吃着果实、喝着牛奶。很难说梦中的情况只是内心的状态。在梦中快活地喝着牛奶, 无疑是一种经验, 但没有人能说这是他在这个世界上喝的物质的牛奶。来生的精神幸福不会只是我们今世享受的主的馈赠的主观现实。我们今生有的东西仅是人们在来生将看到的主的真实馈赐的一种表现。此外,”天园” 代表信仰,”河流” 代表善行。天园无河流则不能旺盛, 信仰也不可无善行。因此, 为达到灵魂的拯救, 信仰与善行不可分离。在后世, 天园将提醒信教者们今生的信仰而河流将提醒他们的善行。他们会知道, 信仰与善行不是徒劳的。如果从 “这是我们以前受赐的” 这句话中得出结论说: 在天园中信教者将会得到他们在今生享受的这样的果实, 那是错误的。因为, 正如已说明了的那样, 这两种赏赐并不是等同的。后世的果实, 实际上是他们自身信仰品质的形象。当他们在吃这些果实时, 他们立刻认识到也记起这是他们今生信仰的果实; 他们为了感激这种情况, 就说: “这是我们以前受赐的。” 这句话也可意味着,”这是过去答应给我们的东西。”
تَجْرِیْ مِنْ تَحْتِھَا الْاَنْھٰرُ سے مراد یہ ہے کہ وہ نہریں ان باغوں سے تعلق رکھتی ہیں اور یہ ظاہر ہے کہ جس شخص کا باغ ہوگا اس میں بہنے والی نہر بھی اسی کی ملکیت ہوگی۔ پس تَجْرِیْ مِنْ تَحْتِھَا الْاَنْھٰرُ کے الفاظ رکھ کر یہ بتانا مقصود ہے کہ جنت میں بہنے والی نہریں مومنوں کی ملکیت ہوں گی۔
اَزْوَاجٌ جوڑے یعنی ایسے وجود جن کے ساتھ مل کر ان کی تمام ترقیات اور تمام آرام مکمل ہوں گے۔ قرآن کریم سے معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ سوائے ذات باری کے ہر چیز ایک جوڑے کی محتاج ہے۔ اس قاعدہ کے تحت جنتی بھی جوڑے کے محتاج ہوں گے خواہ مرد ہوں خواہ عورتیں۔ باقی رہا یہ سوال کہ وہ جوڑے کس قسم کے ہوں گے یہ تفصیل اللہ تعالیٰ کے علم میں ہے انسان اس کو تفصیلاً اسی وقت معلوم کرے گا جب وہ جنت میں جائے گا۔
3:16, 134, 196, 199; 4:14, 58, 123; 5:13, 86; 7:44; 9:72, 89, 100; 10:10; 13:36; 22:15, 24; 25:11; 2:18; 47:16; 58:23; 61:13; 64:10.
3:16; 4:58.
The Qur’an teaches that every created thing stands in need of a mate for its full development. In Paradise righteous men and women will have pure mates for perfecting their spiritual development and completing their happiness. What kind of mates these will be, will be realized only in the Hereafter.
This verse gives a brief description of the rewards which the believers will have in the next world. Critics of Islam have raised all sorts of objections to this description. The criticism is based upon a complete misunderstanding of the Islamic teaching about heavenly blessings. The Qur’an emphatically declares that it is beyond human mind to comprehend their nature (32:18). The Holy Prophet is reported to have said: "No eye has seen them, nor has any ear heard of them, nor can the mind of man conceive of them" (Bukhari). The question naturally arises, why have the blessings of Heaven been given the names used for material things in this world? This is because the address of the Qur’an is not merely to those people who are intellectually advanced. Therefore, it has used simple words which can be understood by all. While describing the heavenly blessings, the Qur’an has used the names of things generally looked upon as good in this world, and believers are told that they would get all these thi
3:16, 134, 196, 199; 4:14, 58, 123; 5:13, 86; 7:44; 9:72, 89, 100; 10:10; 13:36; 22:15, 24; 25:11; 32:20; 47:16; 58:23; 61:13; 64:10.
3:16; 4:58.
Important Words:
بشر (give glad tidings) is derived from بشر (bashshara), i.e. he gave glad tidings, which again is derived from بشر(bashara). They say بشر i.e. he laid bare its skin. Thus البشرة means, the outer and visible part of the skin. So بشر(bashshara) means, he gave or imparted news which changed the colour of the listener. The word has generally come to be used in connection with good or happy news. But it is also sometimes used in connection with bad news (e.g. 3:22). بشیر means, one who announces good news to a people or a person. All Prophets are spoken of as بشیر and نذیر i.e. givers of good news to those who believe in them and givers of bad news to those who reject them (Aqrab & Mufradat).
الصالحات (good works) is the plural of الصالحة which is derived from the verb صلح (the opposite of فسد) meaning, he or it became good or suitable and proper. ھذا الشیء یصلح لك means, this thing is suitable to you or is fit or meet for you (Aqrab). So الصالحات would be used about all those deeds and actions which are not only good intrinsically but are also meet and suitable. See also under 2:12.
جنات (gardens) which is the plural of جنة (a garden) is derived from جن meaning, it veiled, concealed, or covered a thing. So جنة means, any garden having trees by which the ground is covered or concealed; an orchard or garden having luxuriousness and denseness of verdure (Aqrab & Lane). Heaven has been called جنة or garden, because: (1) the mercy of God will 'cover' its dwellers just as trees in an orchard cover the ground thereof; or (2) because the blessings of Heaven are 'hidden' from the eyes of man"; or again (3) because Heaven is like a garden in which the trees represent good faith and the streams good actions.
الانھار (streams) is the plural of نھر (nahr) or نھر (nahar). They say نھرالماء i.e. the water flowed on the earth and cut out a channel for itself. Thus نھر (nahr) or نھر (nahar) means, a channel through which a stream or a river flows; a stream or river itself. نھر (nahar) also means, abundance (Aqrab).
ازواج (mates) is the plural of زوج which signifies, anything that is one of a pair or couple; it does not mean a pair but only one of a pair, whether male or female (Aqrab). The word زوج also means, a comrade (Lane).
خالدون (shall abide) is derived fromخلد which means, he remained and lived on. خلدبمکان means, he stayed or abided in a place. خلود means, staying on, or living without change or deterioration for a long time but not necessarily forever (Aqrab & Mufradat).
Commentary:
This verse gives a brief description of the rewards which the believers will have in the next world.
Critics of Islam have raised all sorts of objections to this description. They say that: (1) The promise of such rewards is only an appeal to greed and a faith based upon greed is not worth the name. (2) The Quran promises material rewards to the believers and this is objectionable. (3) If the rewards of the next world are going to be material, then it must be supposed that the same body which one has in this life will be resurrected after death and this is against all reason, because this body perishes and the particles of one body are used in the making of several other bodies. To whom and to how many will then the same body be given in the next world? (4) Believers are promised wives in Heaven which shows that sex relations will continue in the next world. An appeal to sex is very objectionable for spiritual ends. Sex relations are necessary only for the continuation of the race in this world. Why should there be such a thing in the next? (5) The Quranic Paradise appears to be a place of luxury and sensual pleasures. There is thus nothing spiritual about the Islamic conception of the next life.
This criticism is based on a failure to understand the real Islamic teaching. The Quran has made it clear that in this life it is not possible for man to comprehend the nature of the rewards of the next. It says: No soul knows what joy of the eyes is kept hidden for them, as a reward for their actions (32:18). That is to say, whatever the Quran says about Heaven and Hell is only metaphorical. The descriptions are not to be taken in the sense in which they are ordinarily taken in this world. The Holy Prophet says of the blessings of the next world: "No eye has seen them, nor has any ear heard of them; nor can the mind of man form any conception of them" (Bukhari). If the blessings of the next life are to be like the joys of this life, we should be able to form some idea of them, no matter how remote they may be. The blessings of the next life, therefore, must be quite different from the blessings of this life.
At another place in the Quran we read: The similitude of the Heaven promised to the God-fearing is that through it flow streams; its fruit is everlasting, and so is its shade. That is the reward of those who are righteous, and the reward of the disbelievers is Fire (13:36). Now the fruit of this world is not everlasting, so in order to be everlasting the fruit of the next world as well as its streams will have to be taken as something other than material. Again we read: A similitude of the Paradise promised to the righteous: Therein are rivers of water which corrupts not; and rivers of milk of which the taste changes not; and rivers of wine, a delight to those who drink; and rivers of clarified honey (47:16). There is nothing material in this. About the wine of Heaven we read: Wherein there will be no intoxication, nor will they be exhausted thereby (37:48). Again, And their Lord will give them to drink a beverage that is pure (76:22). Thus, wine in Heaven will not only be pure itself but will purify the drinkers as well. Elsewhere the Quran says that the pure wine of Paradise will be tempered with Tasnim (83:28), which means 'abundance' and 'height '. In the cup of wine that will pass from hand to hand in Heaven God says there will be neither vanity nor sin (52:24). As against this, the wine of this world is described in the Quran as: Wine and the game of hazard and idols and divining arrows are only an abomination of Satan’s handiwork. So shun each one of them that you may prosper. Satan desires only to create enmity and hatred among you by means of wine and the game of hazard and to keep you back from the remembrance of Allah and from Prayer (5:91, 92). This proves that the wine of the next world is quite different; it is pure and purifying and nothing material.
The blessings of Heaven have indeed nothing in common with their counterparts of this world except the name. Ibn ‘Abbas, the Prophet’s cousin, also says the same thing (Jarir).
Now the question arises: Why have the blessings of Heaven been given the names used of material things in this world? This is so because Islam is meant for all kinds of people. It does not address only the intellectually advanced but also all others. Therefore it uses simple words which can be understood by all. The disbelievers used to say that the Prophet disallowed the good things of the world, and his followers were thus deprived of all blessings. Therefore, while describing the blessings in store for the Muslims, God used the names of things generally looked upon as good in this world and told the believers that they would get all these things in a better form. The water of this world spoils, but believers would have water in the next which will not spoil. Gardens are blessings but they decay; so believers will have gardens which will last forever. The unbelievers drank intoxicating wine which made them drunk and which dulled their senses; but the wine which the believers will get in Heaven will be pure and purifying. It is to bring out this important contrast that familiar words are used; otherwise there is nothing common between the delights of this world and the blessings of the next.
It may be added here that, according to Islam, the next life is not spiritual in the sense that it will just consist of a mental state and nothing else. Even in the next life the human soul will have a kind of body; only, it will not be material. One can glean some idea of this from the phenomenon of dreams. The Quran says: Allah takes the souls of human beings at the time of their death; and (He also takes the souls of), those that have not died, during their sleep. Then He retains those against which He has decreed death, and sends (back) the others till an appointed term. In that surely are signs for a people who reflect (39:43). Death and sleep resemble each other, the difference being that whereas in death the human soul is completely and permanently severed from the body, in sleep the severance is only temporary and partial. Now the scenes which a man witnesses in a dream cannot be called purely mental or spiritual, because he has a body also in his dreams and finds himself sometimes in gardens and streams, and eats fruits and drinks milk. It is hard to say that the contents of dreams are only mental states. The milk enjoyed in a dream is no doubt a real experience, but no one can say that it is the material milk found in this world. Dreams have a meaning of their own. For instance, eating mangoes in a dream symbolizes a righteous child or a righteous heart; eating grapes signifies love and fear of God; and eating bananas, a good and lawful subsistence which is also easy of attainment. In short, the spiritual blessings of the next life will not be a mere subjective realization of the gifts of God with which we become familiar in this world. As a matter of fact, what we enjoy here is just a representation of the real and true gifts of God which man will find in the next world.
Again, gardens represent faith; and streams, good actions. Gardens cannot prosper without streams, nor faith without good actions. Therefore faith and actions are inseparable for the attainment of salvation. In the next world, gardens will remind the believers of their faith in this life and streams will remind them of their good works. They will know, then, that their faith and good works have not gone in vain.
The flowing of streams or rivers beneath the gardens also implies that every person in Heaven will have a free and unrestricted enjoyment of his portion. In this world, a single stream often serves several gardens and there is the possibility of a quarrel over it; but in Heaven each garden will have its own stream exclusively meant for itself. See also 10:10.
It is wrong to conclude from the words, This is what was given us before, that in Heaven the believers will be given such fruit as they will have enjoyed in this world, because, as already explained, the two are not the same. The fruit of the next world will, in fact, be the image of the quality of their own faith. When they will eat it, they will at once recognize and remember that it is the fruit of the faith they had in this world; and it will be out of gratitude for this that they will say: This is what was given us before.
The expression rendered as, was given us, may also mean, 'was promised us'; and in this sense it would mean, this is what was promised to us in the world.
The word متشابھا (mutually resembling) refers to the resemblance between the acts of worship performed by believers in this world and the fruits thereof in Heaven. The acts of worship performed in this life will appear to believers as fruit in the next. The more sincere and the more appropriate a man’s worship, the more will he enjoy his portion of the fruit in Paradise and the better in quality will it be. It, therefore, lies in one’s own power to improve the quality of one’s fruit as one likes.
The expression, mutually resembling, also implies that in Paradise one spiritual food will completely harmonize with the other, so that the possibility of spiritual disease will be eliminated altogether. It also means that the food in Heaven will be suited to each and every individual and to his stage of progress and degree of development.
The words, they will abide, signify that the believers will go on abiding in Heaven and will not be subject to any change or decay. Man dies only when he cannot assimilate food or when someone kills him. But since the food of Paradise will be perfectly suited to every individual and since man will have pure and peaceful companions, death and decay will automatically disappear.
The Faithful will also have pure mates in Heaven. A good wife is a joy and a comfort. The Faithful try to have good wives in this world, and they will have good and virtuous company in the next. Yet these joys of Heaven are not physical.
A typical Christian comment on this subject is made by Sir William Muir: "It is very remarkable that the notices in the Coran of this voluptuous paradise are almost entirely confined to a time when, whatever the tendency of his desires, Mohammad was living chaste and temperate with a single wife of three score years of age. It is noteworthy that in the Medina Surahs, that is, in all the voluminous revelations of the ten years following the Hegira women are only twice referred to as constituting one of the delights of paradise and on both occasions in these simple words: 'And to them (believers) there shall be therein pure wives'. Was it that the soul of Mohammad had at that period no longings after what he had then to satiety the enjoyment of? Or that a closer contact with Jewish principles and morality repressed the budding pruriency of the revelation, and covered with merited confusion the picture of his sensual paradise which had been drawn at Mecca?" (Muir, page 76).
It is amazing how these Christian critics with pretensions to culture and learning will draw on sheer speculation to attack the honour of a Teacher who is held in the deepest reverence and devotion by many millions of men and women all over the world. They seem emboldened to do so, because Christians today hold political sway over the Muslims. A few centuries of power have made them forget that Muslims ruled over Christendom for a full 1,000 years, and during this time they never said anything unbecoming about Jesus. They respected Christian susceptibilities when Christians were quite unprotected and were much weaker than Muslims are today. Would to God Christians did not feel so elated!
Sir William conveniently ignores the fact that there are other things besides women which are mentioned in the Meccan chapters and to which there is no reference in the Medinite chapters. We read in the Meccan chapters that there will be wine, honey and rivers of milk in Paradise. Was the Holy Prophet deprived even of these things at Mecca that he should have compensated himself by imagining them in Paradise? Nothing could be more absurd than this. Personally the Holy Prophet was much better off at Mecca than he was at Medina. His rich wife Khadijah was then alive and she had placed all her wealth at his disposal. By the time he reached Medina, most of this wealth had been spent in good works and the Holy Prophet was left a poor man with little to live on. If the picture of Paradise was an imaged compensation for his wants, it should have emerged at Medina instead of at Mecca.
Supposing Sir William is right, cannot critics of Christianity say justifiably that Jesus imagined himself the king of the Jews because he was persecuted everywhere? Could they not also say that as Jesus saw nothing of sex life in this world, he remained obsessed with the idea of a second advent and imagined himself a bridegroom taking no less than five virgins for wives? In the words of the New Testament, he is reported to have said: "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps…And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut" (Matt. 25:1-10). A bridegroom surrounded by a bevy of virgins—is not this the Heaven of Jesus’ imagination?
But to revert to the subject; the disbelievers at Mecca used to taunt the Muslims about their poverty, saying they had nothing of the good things which they had, so God took over their own phrases and said that the rewards which believers would have in Paradise would be even better. When Islam was established at Medina, the disbelievers gave up their taunts. So God also dropped the earlier descriptions of Paradise. The descriptions in their deep significance, however, hold for all time.
At Mecca, moreover, it was necessary to explain and emphasize the basic belief of Islam. Therefore, greater detail of doctrine is found in the Meccan chapters, and as Paradise, the abode of believers in the afterlife, is an important item of belief, it is dealt with in detail in them. At Medina, on the contrary, practical matters like personal ethics and social legislation became more important. Therefore, greater attention was given to them in the Medinite chapters. The Meccan Surahs also abound in descriptions of Hell. What are they a compensation for?
Sir William Muir also suggests that the Holy Prophet changed his views about Paradise under the influence of the Jews and the Christians of Medina. But he forgets that the stock criticism made by Christian writers is that some Christian slaves had taught the Holy Prophet the Christian scriptures, the substance of which was incorporated in the Quran. Sir William himself alleges that the Holy Prophetlearnt Christianity from Suhaib, a Roman slave at Mecca (The Life of Mahomet, p.67). If the Holy Prophet at Mecca already knew the Christian teachings, he need not have waited for their influence until his arrival at Medina. In point of fact, in the Jewish and the Christian scriptures, there are no descriptions of Paradise. The Jews and the Christians have remained so engrossed in the affairs of this life that their Books do not say much about the life to come. The promises made by their Prophets about the next life have always been taken by them to pertain only to this life. It cannot be imagined that anybody could be influenced by such a teaching.
b
3:16, 134, 196, 199; 4:14, 58, 123; 5:13, 86; 7:44; 9:72, 89, 100; 10:10; 13:36; 22:15, 24; 25:11; 2:18; 47:16; 58:23; 61:13; 64:10.
c
3:16; 4:58.
29T
古兰经» 教导说, 每一种被创造出来的东西, 为了它充分的发展都需要一个配偶。天园中, 正直的男女将有纯洁的配偶来完成他们的精神发展, 成全他们的幸福。他们将成为哪种配偶, 只是在后世才能真正认识。
29U
这节经文简单描绘了信教者后世将受得的酬报。批评伊斯兰教的人对这一描绘提出了各种各样的异议。这种批评的基础是, 完全误解了伊斯兰教对后世赐福的教导。«古兰经» 着重地声言人们是无法知道那些赐福的性质的 (32:18)。相传穆圣曾经说过: “没有眼睛看到过它们, 也没有耳朵听到过它们, 也没有人们的头脑能想象它们” (布哈里)。自然会产生这样一个问题:为什么后世赐福的名称要用这个世界的物质东西来称呼?这是因为 «古兰经» 中的话不是仅对智力高的人们说的, 因此要用大家都能懂得的简单的语言。在描绘后世赐福时, «古兰经» 中用的一般都是这个世界上看来是好的东西的名称, 并告诉信教者他们将在后世以较好的形式来得到所有这些东西。为了显示这种重要对照, 才使用熟悉的用词, 否则, 在今世欢乐与来生赐福之间就会没有共同的东西。而且, 根据伊斯兰教教义, 将来的生命在这种意义上并不是精神的, 即:并不只是由内心状态组成的, 即使在将来的生命, 人的灵魂也还有一个身体, 不过那个身体不是物质的。人们可由梦境形成一些这种观念。一个人在梦中见到的许多景象不能称为内心的或纯精神的, 因为在那种状态下他也有身体。有时发现他自己在流着河水的天园中, 吃着果实、喝着牛奶。很难说梦中的情况只是内心的状态。在梦中快活地喝着牛奶, 无疑是一种经验, 但没有人能说这是他在这个世界上喝的物质的牛奶。来生的精神幸福不会只是我们今世享受的主的馈赠的主观现实。我们今生有的东西仅是人们在来生将看到的主的真实馈赐的一种表现。此外,”天园” 代表信仰,”河流” 代表善行。天园无河流则不能旺盛, 信仰也不可无善行。因此, 为达到灵魂的拯救, 信仰与善行不可分离。在后世, 天园将提醒信教者们今生的信仰而河流将提醒他们的善行。他们会知道, 信仰与善行不是徒劳的。如果从 “这是我们以前受赐的” 这句话中得出结论说: 在天园中信教者将会得到他们在今生享受的这样的果实, 那是错误的。因为, 正如已说明了的那样, 这两种赏赐并不是等同的。后世的果实, 实际上是他们自身信仰品质的形象。当他们在吃这些果实时, 他们立刻认识到也记起这是他们今生信仰的果实; 他们为了感激这种情况, 就说: “这是我们以前受赐的。” 这句话也可意味着,”这是过去答应给我们的东西。”
2
تَجْرِیْ مِنْ تَحْتِھَا الْاَنْھٰرُ سے مراد یہ ہے کہ وہ نہریں ان باغوں سے تعلق رکھتی ہیں اور یہ ظاہر ہے کہ جس شخص کا باغ ہوگا اس میں بہنے والی نہر بھی اسی کی ملکیت ہوگی۔ پس تَجْرِیْ مِنْ تَحْتِھَا الْاَنْھٰرُ کے الفاظ رکھ کر یہ بتانا مقصود ہے کہ جنت میں بہنے والی نہریں مومنوں کی ملکیت ہوں گی۔
3
اَزْوَاجٌ جوڑے یعنی ایسے وجود جن کے ساتھ مل کر ان کی تمام ترقیات اور تمام آرام مکمل ہوں گے۔ قرآن کریم سے معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ سوائے ذات باری کے ہر چیز ایک جوڑے کی محتاج ہے۔ اس قاعدہ کے تحت جنتی بھی جوڑے کے محتاج ہوں گے خواہ مرد ہوں خواہ عورتیں۔ باقی رہا یہ سوال کہ وہ جوڑے کس قسم کے ہوں گے یہ تفصیل اللہ تعالیٰ کے علم میں ہے انسان اس کو تفصیلاً اسی وقت معلوم کرے گا جب وہ جنت میں جائے گا۔
a
3:16, 134, 196, 199; 4:14, 58, 123; 5:13, 86; 7:44; 9:72, 89, 100; 10:10; 13:36; 22:15, 24; 25:11; 32:20; 47:16; 58:23; 61:13; 64:10.
b
3:16; 4:58.
32
Important Words:
بشر (give glad tidings) is derived from بشر (bashshara), i.e. he gave glad tidings, which again is derived from بشر(bashara). They say بشر i.e. he laid bare its skin. Thus البشرة means, the outer and visible part of the skin. So بشر(bashshara) means, he gave or imparted news which changed the colour of the listener. The word has generally come to be used in connection with good or happy news. But it is also sometimes used in connection with bad news (e.g. 3:22). بشیر means, one who announces good news to a people or a person. All Prophets are spoken of as بشیر and نذیر i.e. givers of good news to those who believe in them and givers of bad news to those who reject them (Aqrab & Mufradat).
الصالحات (good works) is the plural of الصالحة which is derived from the verb صلح (the opposite of فسد) meaning, he or it became good or suitable and proper. ھذا الشیء یصلح لك means, this thing is suitable to you or is fit or meet for you (Aqrab). So الصالحات would be used about all those deeds and actions which are not only good intrinsically but are also meet and suitable. See also under 2:12.
جنات (gardens) which is the plural of جنة (a garden) is derived from جن meaning, it veiled, concealed, or covered a thing. So جنة means, any garden having trees by which the ground is covered or concealed; an orchard or garden having luxuriousness and denseness of verdure (Aqrab & Lane). Heaven has been called جنة or garden, because: (1) the mercy of God will 'cover' its dwellers just as trees in an orchard cover the ground thereof; or (2) because the blessings of Heaven are 'hidden' from the eyes of man"; or again (3) because Heaven is like a garden in which the trees represent good faith and the streams good actions.
الانھار (streams) is the plural of نھر (nahr) or نھر (nahar). They say نھرالماء i.e. the water flowed on the earth and cut out a channel for itself. Thus نھر (nahr) or نھر (nahar) means, a channel through which a stream or a river flows; a stream or river itself. نھر (nahar) also means, abundance (Aqrab).
ازواج (mates) is the plural of زوج which signifies, anything that is one of a pair or couple; it does not mean a pair but only one of a pair, whether male or female (Aqrab). The word زوج also means, a comrade (Lane).
خالدون (shall abide) is derived fromخلد which means, he remained and lived on. خلدبمکان means, he stayed or abided in a place. خلود means, staying on, or living without change or deterioration for a long time but not necessarily forever (Aqrab & Mufradat).
Commentary:
This verse gives a brief description of the rewards which the believers will have in the next world.
Critics of Islam have raised all sorts of objections to this description. They say that: (1) The promise of such rewards is only an appeal to greed and a faith based upon greed is not worth the name. (2) The Quran promises material rewards to the believers and this is objectionable. (3) If the rewards of the next world are going to be material, then it must be supposed that the same body which one has in this life will be resurrected after death and this is against all reason, because this body perishes and the particles of one body are used in the making of several other bodies. To whom and to how many will then the same body be given in the next world? (4) Believers are promised wives in Heaven which shows that sex relations will continue in the next world. An appeal to sex is very objectionable for spiritual ends. Sex relations are necessary only for the continuation of the race in this world. Why should there be such a thing in the next? (5) The Quranic Paradise appears to be a place of luxury and sensual pleasures. There is thus nothing spiritual about the Islamic conception of the next life.
This criticism is based on a failure to understand the real Islamic teaching. The Quran has made it clear that in this life it is not possible for man to comprehend the nature of the rewards of the next. It says: No soul knows what joy of the eyes is kept hidden for them, as a reward for their actions (32:18). That is to say, whatever the Quran says about Heaven and Hell is only metaphorical. The descriptions are not to be taken in the sense in which they are ordinarily taken in this world. The Holy Prophet says of the blessings of the next world: "No eye has seen them, nor has any ear heard of them; nor can the mind of man form any conception of them" (Bukhari). If the blessings of the next life are to be like the joys of this life, we should be able to form some idea of them, no matter how remote they may be. The blessings of the next life, therefore, must be quite different from the blessings of this life.
At another place in the Quran we read: The similitude of the Heaven promised to the God-fearing is that through it flow streams; its fruit is everlasting, and so is its shade. That is the reward of those who are righteous, and the reward of the disbelievers is Fire (13:36). Now the fruit of this world is not everlasting, so in order to be everlasting the fruit of the next world as well as its streams will have to be taken as something other than material. Again we read: A similitude of the Paradise promised to the righteous: Therein are rivers of water which corrupts not; and rivers of milk of which the taste changes not; and rivers of wine, a delight to those who drink; and rivers of clarified honey (47:16). There is nothing material in this. About the wine of Heaven we read: Wherein there will be no intoxication, nor will they be exhausted thereby (37:48). Again, And their Lord will give them to drink a beverage that is pure (76:22). Thus, wine in Heaven will not only be pure itself but will purify the drinkers as well. Elsewhere the Quran says that the pure wine of Paradise will be tempered with Tasnim (83:28), which means 'abundance' and 'height '. In the cup of wine that will pass from hand to hand in Heaven God says there will be neither vanity nor sin (52:24). As against this, the wine of this world is described in the Quran as: Wine and the game of hazard and idols and divining arrows are only an abomination of Satan’s handiwork. So shun each one of them that you may prosper. Satan desires only to create enmity and hatred among you by means of wine and the game of hazard and to keep you back from the remembrance of Allah and from Prayer (5:91, 92). This proves that the wine of the next world is quite different; it is pure and purifying and nothing material.
The blessings of Heaven have indeed nothing in common with their counterparts of this world except the name. Ibn ‘Abbas, the Prophet’s cousin, also says the same thing (Jarir).
Now the question arises: Why have the blessings of Heaven been given the names used of material things in this world? This is so because Islam is meant for all kinds of people. It does not address only the intellectually advanced but also all others. Therefore it uses simple words which can be understood by all. The disbelievers used to say that the Prophet disallowed the good things of the world, and his followers were thus deprived of all blessings. Therefore, while describing the blessings in store for the Muslims, God used the names of things generally looked upon as good in this world and told the believers that they would get all these things in a better form. The water of this world spoils, but believers would have water in the next which will not spoil. Gardens are blessings but they decay; so believers will have gardens which will last forever. The unbelievers drank intoxicating wine which made them drunk and which dulled their senses; but the wine which the believers will get in Heaven will be pure and purifying. It is to bring out this important contrast that familiar words are used; otherwise there is nothing common between the delights of this world and the blessings of the next.
It may be added here that, according to Islam, the next life is not spiritual in the sense that it will just consist of a mental state and nothing else. Even in the next life the human soul will have a kind of body; only, it will not be material. One can glean some idea of this from the phenomenon of dreams. The Quran says: Allah takes the souls of human beings at the time of their death; and (He also takes the souls of), those that have not died, during their sleep. Then He retains those against which He has decreed death, and sends (back) the others till an appointed term. In that surely are signs for a people who reflect (39:43). Death and sleep resemble each other, the difference being that whereas in death the human soul is completely and permanently severed from the body, in sleep the severance is only temporary and partial. Now the scenes which a man witnesses in a dream cannot be called purely mental or spiritual, because he has a body also in his dreams and finds himself sometimes in gardens and streams, and eats fruits and drinks milk. It is hard to say that the contents of dreams are only mental states. The milk enjoyed in a dream is no doubt a real experience, but no one can say that it is the material milk found in this world. Dreams have a meaning of their own. For instance, eating mangoes in a dream symbolizes a righteous child or a righteous heart; eating grapes signifies love and fear of God; and eating bananas, a good and lawful subsistence which is also easy of attainment. In short, the spiritual blessings of the next life will not be a mere subjective realization of the gifts of God with which we become familiar in this world. As a matter of fact, what we enjoy here is just a representation of the real and true gifts of God which man will find in the next world.
Again, gardens represent faith; and streams, good actions. Gardens cannot prosper without streams, nor faith without good actions. Therefore faith and actions are inseparable for the attainment of salvation. In the next world, gardens will remind the believers of their faith in this life and streams will remind them of their good works. They will know, then, that their faith and good works have not gone in vain.
The flowing of streams or rivers beneath the gardens also implies that every person in Heaven will have a free and unrestricted enjoyment of his portion. In this world, a single stream often serves several gardens and there is the possibility of a quarrel over it; but in Heaven each garden will have its own stream exclusively meant for itself. See also 10:10.
It is wrong to conclude from the words, This is what was given us before, that in Heaven the believers will be given such fruit as they will have enjoyed in this world, because, as already explained, the two are not the same. The fruit of the next world will, in fact, be the image of the quality of their own faith. When they will eat it, they will at once recognize and remember that it is the fruit of the faith they had in this world; and it will be out of gratitude for this that they will say: This is what was given us before.
The expression rendered as, was given us, may also mean, 'was promised us'; and in this sense it would mean, this is what was promised to us in the world.
The word متشابھا (mutually resembling) refers to the resemblance between the acts of worship performed by believers in this world and the fruits thereof in Heaven. The acts of worship performed in this life will appear to believers as fruit in the next. The more sincere and the more appropriate a man’s worship, the more will he enjoy his portion of the fruit in Paradise and the better in quality will it be. It, therefore, lies in one’s own power to improve the quality of one’s fruit as one likes.
The expression, mutually resembling, also implies that in Paradise one spiritual food will completely harmonize with the other, so that the possibility of spiritual disease will be eliminated altogether. It also means that the food in Heaven will be suited to each and every individual and to his stage of progress and degree of development.
The words, they will abide, signify that the believers will go on abiding in Heaven and will not be subject to any change or decay. Man dies only when he cannot assimilate food or when someone kills him. But since the food of Paradise will be perfectly suited to every individual and since man will have pure and peaceful companions, death and decay will automatically disappear.
The Faithful will also have pure mates in Heaven. A good wife is a joy and a comfort. The Faithful try to have good wives in this world, and they will have good and virtuous company in the next. Yet these joys of Heaven are not physical.
A typical Christian comment on this subject is made by Sir William Muir: "It is very remarkable that the notices in the Coran of this voluptuous paradise are almost entirely confined to a time when, whatever the tendency of his desires, Mohammad was living chaste and temperate with a single wife of three score years of age. It is noteworthy that in the Medina Surahs, that is, in all the voluminous revelations of the ten years following the Hegira women are only twice referred to as constituting one of the delights of paradise and on both occasions in these simple words: 'And to them (believers) there shall be therein pure wives'. Was it that the soul of Mohammad had at that period no longings after what he had then to satiety the enjoyment of? Or that a closer contact with Jewish principles and morality repressed the budding pruriency of the revelation, and covered with merited confusion the picture of his sensual paradise which had been drawn at Mecca?" (Muir, page 76).
It is amazing how these Christian critics with pretensions to culture and learning will draw on sheer speculation to attack the honour of a Teacher who is held in the deepest reverence and devotion by many millions of men and women all over the world. They seem emboldened to do so, because Christians today hold political sway over the Muslims. A few centuries of power have made them forget that Muslims ruled over Christendom for a full 1,000 years, and during this time they never said anything unbecoming about Jesus. They respected Christian susceptibilities when Christians were quite unprotected and were much weaker than Muslims are today. Would to God Christians did not feel so elated!
Sir William conveniently ignores the fact that there are other things besides women which are mentioned in the Meccan chapters and to which there is no reference in the Medinite chapters. We read in the Meccan chapters that there will be wine, honey and rivers of milk in Paradise. Was the Holy Prophet deprived even of these things at Mecca that he should have compensated himself by imagining them in Paradise? Nothing could be more absurd than this. Personally the Holy Prophet was much better off at Mecca than he was at Medina. His rich wife Khadijah was then alive and she had placed all her wealth at his disposal. By the time he reached Medina, most of this wealth had been spent in good works and the Holy Prophet was left a poor man with little to live on. If the picture of Paradise was an imaged compensation for his wants, it should have emerged at Medina instead of at Mecca.
Supposing Sir William is right, cannot critics of Christianity say justifiably that Jesus imagined himself the king of the Jews because he was persecuted everywhere? Could they not also say that as Jesus saw nothing of sex life in this world, he remained obsessed with the idea of a second advent and imagined himself a bridegroom taking no less than five virgins for wives? In the words of the New Testament, he is reported to have said: "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps…And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut" (Matt. 25:1-10). A bridegroom surrounded by a bevy of virgins—is not this the Heaven of Jesus’ imagination?
But to revert to the subject; the disbelievers at Mecca used to taunt the Muslims about their poverty, saying they had nothing of the good things which they had, so God took over their own phrases and said that the rewards which believers would have in Paradise would be even better. When Islam was established at Medina, the disbelievers gave up their taunts. So God also dropped the earlier descriptions of Paradise. The descriptions in their deep significance, however, hold for all time.
At Mecca, moreover, it was necessary to explain and emphasize the basic belief of Islam. Therefore, greater detail of doctrine is found in the Meccan chapters, and as Paradise, the abode of believers in the afterlife, is an important item of belief, it is dealt with in detail in them. At Medina, on the contrary, practical matters like personal ethics and social legislation became more important. Therefore, greater attention was given to them in the Medinite chapters. The Meccan Surahs also abound in descriptions of Hell. What are they a compensation for?
Sir William Muir also suggests that the Holy Prophet changed his views about Paradise under the influence of the Jews and the Christians of Medina. But he forgets that the stock criticism made by Christian writers is that some Christian slaves had taught the Holy Prophet the Christian scriptures, the substance of which was incorporated in the Quran. Sir William himself alleges that the Holy Prophetlearnt Christianity from Suhaib, a Roman slave at Mecca (The Life of Mahomet, p.67). If the Holy Prophet at Mecca already knew the Christian teachings, he need not have waited for their influence until his arrival at Medina. In point of fact, in the Jewish and the Christian scriptures, there are no descriptions of Paradise. The Jews and the Christians have remained so engrossed in the affairs of this life that their Books do not say much about the life to come. The promises made by their Prophets about the next life have always been taken by them to pertain only to this life. It cannot be imagined that anybody could be influenced by such a teaching.
a
3:16, 134, 196, 199; 4:14, 58, 123; 5:13, 86; 7:44; 9:72, 89, 100; 10:10; 13:36; 22:15, 24; 25:11; 2:18; 47:16; 58:23; 61:13; 64:10.
b
3:16; 4:58.
46A
The Qur’an teaches that every created thing stands in need of a mate for its full development. In Paradise righteous men and women will have pure mates for perfecting their spiritual development and completing their happiness. What kind of mates these will be, will be realized only in the Hereafter.
47
This verse gives a brief description of the rewards which the believers will have in the next world. Critics of Islam have raised all sorts of objections to this description. The criticism is based upon a complete misunderstanding of the Islamic teaching about heavenly blessings. The Qur’an emphatically declares that it is beyond human mind to comprehend their nature (32:18). The Holy Prophet is reported to have said: "No eye has seen them, nor has any ear heard of them, nor can the mind of man conceive of them" (Bukhari). The question naturally arises, why have the blessings of Heaven been given the names used for material things in this world? This is because the address of the Qur’an is not merely to those people who are intellectually advanced. Therefore, it has used simple words which can be understood by all. While describing the heavenly blessings, the Qur’an has used the names of things generally looked upon as good in this world, and believers are told that they would get all these thi
فَوَیۡلٌ لِّلَّذِیۡنَ یَکۡتُبُوۡنَ الۡکِتٰبَ بِاَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ ثُمَّ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ ہٰذَا مِنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰہِ لِیَشۡتَرُوۡا بِہٖ ثَمَنًا قَلِیۡلًا ۖ فَوَیۡلٌ لَّہُمۡ مِّمَّا کَتَبَتۡ اَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ وَوَیۡلٌ لَّہُمۡ مِّمَّا یَکۡسِبُوۡنَ
2:175; 3:200.
2:175; 3:200.
There were Jews who composed books or parts thereof and then gave them out as the Word of God. This malpractice was common among the Jews. In addition, therefore, to the canonical Books of the Bible, there are a number of books which are supposed by the Jews to have been revealed, so that it has now become impossible to distinguish the revealed Books from those not revealed.
2:175; 3:200; 13:27.
Important Words:
ویل (woe) means: (1) the coming or befalling of some calamity, misfortune or sorrow; (2) punishment; (3) perdition. The expression ویل له or ویله or ویل لك or ویلك etc. is used as a warning for some coming sorrow or misfortune (Aqrab & Lane).
Commentary:
There were Jews who composed books or parts thereof and then gave them out as the word of God. This malpractice was common among the Jews and other peoples. Therefore, in addition to the canonical Books of the Bible, there are a number of books which are supposed to be revealed, so that it has now become impossible to distinguish the revealed Books from those not revealed. Another mal-practice of the Jews was that they distorted the meaning of the Divine Word. They themselves wrote a whole book or part thereof and declared it to be based on Biblical evidence; while, as a matter of fact, it was opposed to this evidence. Those responsible for this were responsible not only for their own misdeeds, namely, fabricating and distorting the Word of God, but also for the misdeeds of their followers who were led by their example to commit one or all of the following acts (1) tampering with the Word of God (2:76); (2) preferring worldliness to religion (2:77); and (3) following their own vain desires and false notions (2:79). Hence, while speaking of them, the Quran uses the word ویل (woe) in order to warn them and remind them of the seriousness of their offence.
Some Christian writers have argued that the verse under comment proves that the Jewish and Christian scriptures were intact at the time of the Holy Prophet. This inference is absolutely unjustified. For tampering with the text does not necessarily mean tampering with a genuine text. One who tampers with a version of a false book which he believes to be true is as liable to blame as the one who tampers with a genuine scripture. Hence, the warning to the People of the Book against tampering with the Bible cannot be cited as proof of the existence of the true Bible at the time of the Holy Prophet.
The words, paltry price, do not mean that the taking of a good price would be lawful. The words have been used to point out that whatever price they may take would be paltry in view of the great loss they would be suffering thereby. Elsewhere, the Quran says: the benefit of this world is little (4:78).
In the last clause the Quran repeats the words, Woe to them, twice, saying: Woe, then, to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn. This is to point out that by so doing the Israelites are committing two offences: (1) writing down a thing falsely and (2) doing it with the intention of earning some worldly benefit. As the offence is double, the punishment also will be double.
d
2:175; 3:200.
a
2:175; 3:200; 13:27.
86
Important Words:
ویل (woe) means: (1) the coming or befalling of some calamity, misfortune or sorrow; (2) punishment; (3) perdition. The expression ویل له or ویله or ویل لك or ویلك etc. is used as a warning for some coming sorrow or misfortune (Aqrab & Lane).
Commentary:
There were Jews who composed books or parts thereof and then gave them out as the word of God. This malpractice was common among the Jews and other peoples. Therefore, in addition to the canonical Books of the Bible, there are a number of books which are supposed to be revealed, so that it has now become impossible to distinguish the revealed Books from those not revealed. Another mal-practice of the Jews was that they distorted the meaning of the Divine Word. They themselves wrote a whole book or part thereof and declared it to be based on Biblical evidence; while, as a matter of fact, it was opposed to this evidence. Those responsible for this were responsible not only for their own misdeeds, namely, fabricating and distorting the Word of God, but also for the misdeeds of their followers who were led by their example to commit one or all of the following acts (1) tampering with the Word of God (2:76); (2) preferring worldliness to religion (2:77); and (3) following their own vain desires and false notions (2:79). Hence, while speaking of them, the Quran uses the word ویل (woe) in order to warn them and remind them of the seriousness of their offence.
Some Christian writers have argued that the verse under comment proves that the Jewish and Christian scriptures were intact at the time of the Holy Prophet. This inference is absolutely unjustified. For tampering with the text does not necessarily mean tampering with a genuine text. One who tampers with a version of a false book which he believes to be true is as liable to blame as the one who tampers with a genuine scripture. Hence, the warning to the People of the Book against tampering with the Bible cannot be cited as proof of the existence of the true Bible at the time of the Holy Prophet.
The words, paltry price, do not mean that the taking of a good price would be lawful. The words have been used to point out that whatever price they may take would be paltry in view of the great loss they would be suffering thereby. Elsewhere, the Quran says: the benefit of this world is little (4:78).
In the last clause the Quran repeats the words, Woe to them, twice, saying: Woe, then, to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn. This is to point out that by so doing the Israelites are committing two offences: (1) writing down a thing falsely and (2) doing it with the intention of earning some worldly benefit. As the offence is double, the punishment also will be double.
a
2:175; 3:200.
114
There were Jews who composed books or parts thereof and then gave them out as the Word of God. This malpractice was common among the Jews. In addition, therefore, to the canonical Books of the Bible, there are a number of books which are supposed by the Jews to have been revealed, so that it has now become impossible to distinguish the revealed Books from those not revealed.
وَاِذۡ قَالَ اِبۡرٰہٖمُ رَبِّ اجۡعَلۡ ہٰذَا بَلَدًا اٰمِنًا وَّارۡزُقۡ اَہۡلَہٗ مِنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ مِنۡہُمۡ بِاللّٰہِ وَالۡیَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ ۖ قَالَ وَمَنۡ کَفَرَ فَاُمَتِّعُہٗ قَلِیۡلًا ثُمَّ اَضۡطَرُّہٗۤ اِلٰی عَذَابِ النَّارِ ۖ وَبِئۡسَ الۡمَصِیۡرُ
3:98; 14:36; 27:92; 28:58.
3:98; 14:36; 27:92; 28:58.
3:98; 14:36; 27:92: 28:58; 29:68; 106:5.
Important Words:
مصیر (destination) is derived from صار meaning, he returned, or he became. مصیر is thus a place or condition to which a person or thing comes or returns; a destination (Aqrab).
Commentary:
When Abraham offered the prayer, there was no town existing near the Ka‘bah. There existed only the House of God. So Abraham prayed that in that wildest of wildernesses there might grow up a town, and that that town might become a place of security, affording peace to mankind. In fulfilment of this prayer, there grew up the town of Mecca which has remained a place of peace and security for thousands of years. The prayer also implied that the Baitullah, would be the means of bringing peace and security to mankind. This was destined to come about in two ways: Firstly, those who accepted and followed Islam were to become secure from all evils and to become recipients of God’s blessings. Secondly, Islam was to be the means of bringing about peace and concord among the different nations of the world.
While praying to God to grant sustenance to the dwellers of Mecca, Abraham restricted his prayer only to its good and righteous dwellers. The reason for this was that when Abraham had previously prayed to God to raise Reformers and Religious Leaders from his progeny, God had replied that such men would be raised from among the righteous only (2:125). So when he prayed a second time to God to grant sustenance to the people of Mecca, he was more careful and confined his prayer to the righteous only. This shows how submissive and careful God’s Prophets are. But Abraham had now evidently become overly cautious, for this time God answered, saying, that He would grant sustenance to all men, irrespective of whether they were righteous or not, because He was the Provider for the whole universe, not for the righteous only. The wicked, however, shall be duly punished for their crimes.
Another reason why Abraham restricted his prayer to the righteous was that he wished Mecca to be the abode of the righteous alone; but God knew that even that sacred town was not going to remain untarnished throughout the long centuries of history.
a
3:98; 14:36; 27:92; 28:58.
a
3:98; 14:36; 27:92: 28:58; 29:68; 106:5.
133
Important Words:
مصیر (destination) is derived from صار meaning, he returned, or he became. مصیر is thus a place or condition to which a person or thing comes or returns; a destination (Aqrab).
Commentary:
When Abraham offered the prayer, there was no town existing near the Ka‘bah. There existed only the House of God. So Abraham prayed that in that wildest of wildernesses there might grow up a town, and that that town might become a place of security, affording peace to mankind. In fulfilment of this prayer, there grew up the town of Mecca which has remained a place of peace and security for thousands of years. The prayer also implied that the Baitullah, would be the means of bringing peace and security to mankind. This was destined to come about in two ways: Firstly, those who accepted and followed Islam were to become secure from all evils and to become recipients of God’s blessings. Secondly, Islam was to be the means of bringing about peace and concord among the different nations of the world.
While praying to God to grant sustenance to the dwellers of Mecca, Abraham restricted his prayer only to its good and righteous dwellers. The reason for this was that when Abraham had previously prayed to God to raise Reformers and Religious Leaders from his progeny, God had replied that such men would be raised from among the righteous only (2:125). So when he prayed a second time to God to grant sustenance to the people of Mecca, he was more careful and confined his prayer to the righteous only. This shows how submissive and careful God’s Prophets are. But Abraham had now evidently become overly cautious, for this time God answered, saying, that He would grant sustenance to all men, irrespective of whether they were righteous or not, because He was the Provider for the whole universe, not for the righteous only. The wicked, however, shall be duly punished for their crimes.
Another reason why Abraham restricted his prayer to the righteous was that he wished Mecca to be the abode of the righteous alone; but God knew that even that sacred town was not going to remain untarnished throughout the long centuries of history.
b
3:98; 14:36; 27:92; 28:58.
فَبَعَثَ اللّٰہُ غُرَابًا یَّبۡحَثُ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ لِیُرِیَہٗ کَیۡفَ یُوٰرِیۡ سَوۡءَۃَ اَخِیۡہِ ۚ قَالَ یٰوَیۡلَتٰۤی اَعَجَزۡتُ اَنۡ اَکُوۡنَ مِثۡلَ ہٰذَا الۡغُرَابِ فَاُوٰرِیَ سَوۡءَۃَ اَخِیۡ ۖ فَاَصۡبَحَ مِنَ النّٰدِمِیۡنَ
یعنی اتفاقاً ایک کوّا آگیا اور اس نے دوسرے کوّے کی لاش دیکھی اور پنجوں اور چونچ سے مٹی کرید کر اس پر ڈال دی اس پر قاتل بھائی کے دل میں جوش محبت پیدا ہوا اور اس نے یہ کہا۔ خداتعالیٰ کے کوّا بھیجنے سے مراد یہی ہے کہ اس کے عام قانون کے ماتحت ایک کوّا اڑتا ہوا وہاں پہنچ گیا۔
عربی کا محاورہ ہے کہ حسرت اور افسوس کے وقت یہ الفاظ کہتے ہیں۔
Commentators differ as to whether the incident of the raven did actually happen or it is only a parable. It is not improbable that an incident of this nature might have actually occurred. Study of the ways and habits of birds has led to many useful discoveries. See Gen. 4:1-15; and 'The Jerusalem Targum.'
Commentary:
Commentators differ as to whether the incident of the raven mentioned in the present verse was an actual fact or whether it is merely meant as a parable. It is not at all improbable that an incident of this nature might have actually occurred. The study of the ways and habits of birds has led to many useful discoveries. For the Biblical story of the two sons of Adam see Gen. 4:1-15 also the Jerusalem Targum.
4
یعنی اتفاقاً ایک کوّا آگیا اور اس نے دوسرے کوّے کی لاش دیکھی اور پنجوں اور چونچ سے مٹی کرید کر اس پر ڈال دی اس پر قاتل بھائی کے دل میں جوش محبت پیدا ہوا اور اس نے یہ کہا۔ خداتعالیٰ کے کوّا بھیجنے سے مراد یہی ہے کہ اس کے عام قانون کے ماتحت ایک کوّا اڑتا ہوا وہاں پہنچ گیا۔
5
عربی کا محاورہ ہے کہ حسرت اور افسوس کے وقت یہ الفاظ کہتے ہیں۔
667
Commentary:
Commentators differ as to whether the incident of the raven mentioned in the present verse was an actual fact or whether it is merely meant as a parable. It is not at all improbable that an incident of this nature might have actually occurred. The study of the ways and habits of birds has led to many useful discoveries. For the Biblical story of the two sons of Adam see Gen. 4:1-15 also the Jerusalem Targum.
739
Commentators differ as to whether the incident of the raven did actually happen or it is only a parable. It is not improbable that an incident of this nature might have actually occurred. Study of the ways and habits of birds has led to many useful discoveries. See Gen. 4:1-15; and 'The Jerusalem Targum.'
فَتَقَبَّلَہَا رَبُّہَا بِقَبُوۡلٍ حَسَنٍ وَّاَنۡۢبَتَہَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا وَّکَفَّلَہَا زَکَرِیَّا ۖ کُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَیۡہَا زَکَرِیَّا الۡمِحۡرَابَ وَجَدَ عِنۡدَہَا رِزۡقًا ۖ قَالَ یٰمَرۡیَمُ اَنّٰی لَکِ ہٰذَا ۖ قَالَتۡ ہُوَ مِنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰہِ ۖ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَرۡزُقُ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ بِغَیۡرِ حِسَابٍ
’’بہترین حصہ‘‘ یہ ترجمہ محراب کا ہے جو لغت کے مطابق ہے (دیکھو اقرب الموارد) معنوں کے لحاظ سے یہ مطلب ہے کہ مریم کو اس کے وقف ہونے کے سبب سے اور زکریاؑ کی محبت کی وجہ سے گھر کے بہترین حصہ میں رکھا گیا تھا۔
Zachariah or Zacharias was the name of an Israelite holy person whom the Qur’an presents as a Prophet (6:86) but of whom the Bible speaks only as a priest (Luke, 1: 5). The person presented as a Prophet by the Bible is Zechariah (mark the difference in spelling) of whom the Qur’an, however, makes no mention. Zachariah of the Qur’an was the father of Yahya, (John) who was a cousin of Jesus.
The gifts were evidently brought by worshippers visiting the place and there was nothing extraordinary in Mary’s reply that the gifts were from Allah, for every good thing that comes to man is really from God, He being the Final Giver. In fact, from a girl of Mary’s religious upbringing any other reply would have been rather surprising.
Important Words:
کفلھا (made him her guardian) is derived from کفل. They say کفله i.e. he was or became responsible for him; he became his guardian. کفل خالدا زیدا means, he made Zaid the guardian of Khalid; he gave Khalid in the guardianship of Zaid (Aqrab).
زکریا (Zachariah or Zacharias) was the name of an Israelite holy person whom the Quran presents as a Prophet (6:86-90) but of whom the Bible speaks only as a priest (Luke 1:5). The person presented as a Prophet by the Bible is Zechariah (Zech. 1:1; mark the difference in spelling) of whom the Quran, however, makes no mention. زکریا of the Quran was the father of Yahya (John) who was a cousin of Jesus.
المحراب (chamber) is derived from حرب for which see 2:280. محرابmeans, a room in the uppermost story of a house; a chamber to which one ascends by stairs; the chief sitting place in a room or a house; the place or niche where the Imam stands while leading the Prayers in a mosque; a mosque or a place of worship (Aqrab & Lane). محراب (chamber of Prayer or the place of the Imam in a mosque) is probably so called because it is a place where one fights the forces of evil or where one gets divorced from the affairs and concerns of the world, the word حرب meaning fighting as well as being despoiled or deprived of all possessions (Mufradat).
Commentary:
Many fantastic stories have been woven round Mary’s reply to Zachariah’s question as to whence she got the gifts he found lying about her. The gifts were evidently brought by worshippers visiting the place and there was also nothing extraordinary in her reply that the gifts were from Allah, for every good thing that comes to man is really from God, He being the final agency. In fact, from a girl of Mary’s religious upbringing any other reply would rather have been surprising. The accounts of Mary having been provided with heavenly fruits by angels are, therefore, nothing but the figment of the commentators’ own minds and find no support whatsoever from the Quran or the sayings of the Holy Prophet. The pious reply of the child, however, made a deep impression on the mind of Zachariah and awakened in the depths of his soul the latent and natural desire of possessing a similarly virtuous child of his own.
The words, Surely Allah gives to whomsoever He pleases without measure, are most probably the words of God and not those of Mary. But if they are Mary’s words, they make her reply all the more impressive and Zachariah’s earnest prayer, referred to in the following verse, all the more justified.
6
’’بہترین حصہ‘‘ یہ ترجمہ محراب کا ہے جو لغت کے مطابق ہے (دیکھو اقرب الموارد) معنوں کے لحاظ سے یہ مطلب ہے کہ مریم کو اس کے وقف ہونے کے سبب سے اور زکریاؑ کی محبت کی وجہ سے گھر کے بہترین حصہ میں رکھا گیا تھا۔
328
Important Words:
کفلھا (made him her guardian) is derived from کفل. They say کفله i.e. he was or became responsible for him; he became his guardian. کفل خالدا زیدا means, he made Zaid the guardian of Khalid; he gave Khalid in the guardianship of Zaid (Aqrab).
زکریا (Zachariah or Zacharias) was the name of an Israelite holy person whom the Quran presents as a Prophet (6:86-90) but of whom the Bible speaks only as a priest (Luke 1:5). The person presented as a Prophet by the Bible is Zechariah (Zech. 1:1; mark the difference in spelling) of whom the Quran, however, makes no mention. زکریا of the Quran was the father of Yahya (John) who was a cousin of Jesus.
المحراب (chamber) is derived from حرب for which see 2:280. محرابmeans, a room in the uppermost story of a house; a chamber to which one ascends by stairs; the chief sitting place in a room or a house; the place or niche where the Imam stands while leading the Prayers in a mosque; a mosque or a place of worship (Aqrab & Lane). محراب (chamber of Prayer or the place of the Imam in a mosque) is probably so called because it is a place where one fights the forces of evil or where one gets divorced from the affairs and concerns of the world, the word حرب meaning fighting as well as being despoiled or deprived of all possessions (Mufradat).
Commentary:
Many fantastic stories have been woven round Mary’s reply to Zachariah’s question as to whence she got the gifts he found lying about her. The gifts were evidently brought by worshippers visiting the place and there was also nothing extraordinary in her reply that the gifts were from Allah, for every good thing that comes to man is really from God, He being the final agency. In fact, from a girl of Mary’s religious upbringing any other reply would rather have been surprising. The accounts of Mary having been provided with heavenly fruits by angels are, therefore, nothing but the figment of the commentators’ own minds and find no support whatsoever from the Quran or the sayings of the Holy Prophet. The pious reply of the child, however, made a deep impression on the mind of Zachariah and awakened in the depths of his soul the latent and natural desire of possessing a similarly virtuous child of his own.
The words, Surely Allah gives to whomsoever He pleases without measure, are most probably the words of God and not those of Mary. But if they are Mary’s words, they make her reply all the more impressive and Zachariah’s earnest prayer, referred to in the following verse, all the more justified.
403
Zachariah or Zacharias was the name of an Israelite holy person whom the Qur’an presents as a Prophet (6:86) but of whom the Bible speaks only as a priest (Luke, 1: 5). The person presented as a Prophet by the Bible is Zechariah (mark the difference in spelling) of whom the Qur’an, however, makes no mention. Zachariah of the Qur’an was the father of Yahya, (John) who was a cousin of Jesus.
404
The gifts were evidently brought by worshippers visiting the place and there was nothing extraordinary in Mary’s reply that the gifts were from Allah, for every good thing that comes to man is really from God, He being the Final Giver. In fact, from a girl of Mary’s religious upbringing any other reply would have been rather surprising.
اِنَّ اللّٰہَ رَبِّیۡ وَرَبُّکُمۡ فَاعۡبُدُوۡہُ ۗ ہٰذَا صِرٰطٌ مُّسۡتَقِیۡمٌ
5:73, 118; 19:37; 43:65.
5:73, 118; 19:37; 43:65.
5:73, 118; 19:37; 43:65.
Commentary:
This verse clearly refutes the later Christian doctrine of the Trinity and the Sonship of Jesus ascribed to him. Jesus looks upon himself to be as human and as subservient to God as any other mortal.
b
5:73, 118; 19:37; 43:65.
a
5:73, 118; 19:37; 43:65.
341
Commentary:
This verse clearly refutes the later Christian doctrine of the Trinity and the Sonship of Jesus ascribed to him. Jesus looks upon himself to be as human and as subservient to God as any other mortal.
b
5:73, 118; 19:37; 43:65.
اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَہُوَ الۡقَصَصُ الۡحَقُّ ۚ وَمَا مِنۡ اِلٰہٍ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ ۚ وَاِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ
عربی میں ایک اِنَّ کا حرف ہے اور ایک لام ہے۔ دونوں تاکید کے لئے ہیں۔ ہم نے ایک حرف کا ترجمہ یقیناً کر دیا ہے اور دوسرے کا ’’یہی۔‘‘ اس سے ترجمہ لفظی ہو جاتا ہے۔
Important Words:
القصص (account) is the noun-infinitive from قص. They say قص الشعر i.e. he cut or clipped the hair. قص علیه الخبر means, he related or narrated the news to him. قص اثرہ means, he followed after his track, or he followed him step by step. قصص (qisas) means, the act of narrating; narration or account; track or footsteps. قصص (qisas) with different vowel point, is the plural of قصةmeaning, a story, a narrative, etc. (Aqrab & Lane).
Commentary:
This verse partially repeats the sense of verse 3:61 above in order to impress upon the reader that the discomfiture of the Christian deputation in the challenge of مباھلة mentioned in 3:62 sets the seal upon the conclusion that Islam has truly triumphed over Christianity, and that there is no god but Allah Who, being "Mighty and Wise", needs no son or helper.
As stated in the verse, the facts narrated in the above verses constitute "the true account" about Jesus and not impossible things which his followers out of excessive love, or his enemies out of inveterate hatred, have attributed to him.
3
عربی میں ایک اِنَّ کا حرف ہے اور ایک لام ہے۔ دونوں تاکید کے لئے ہیں۔ ہم نے ایک حرف کا ترجمہ یقیناً کر دیا ہے اور دوسرے کا ’’یہی۔‘‘ اس سے ترجمہ لفظی ہو جاتا ہے۔
351
Important Words:
القصص (account) is the noun-infinitive from قص. They say قص الشعر i.e. he cut or clipped the hair. قص علیه الخبر means, he related or narrated the news to him. قص اثرہ means, he followed after his track, or he followed him step by step. قصص (qisas) means, the act of narrating; narration or account; track or footsteps. قصص (qisas) with different vowel point, is the plural of قصةmeaning, a story, a narrative, etc. (Aqrab & Lane).
Commentary:
This verse partially repeats the sense of verse 3:61 above in order to impress upon the reader that the discomfiture of the Christian deputation in the challenge of مباھلة mentioned in 3:62 sets the seal upon the conclusion that Islam has truly triumphed over Christianity, and that there is no god but Allah Who, being "Mighty and Wise", needs no son or helper.
As stated in the verse, the facts narrated in the above verses constitute "the true account" about Jesus and not impossible things which his followers out of excessive love, or his enemies out of inveterate hatred, have attributed to him.
بَلٰۤی ۚ اِنۡ تَصۡبِرُوۡا وَتَتَّقُوۡا وَیَاۡتُوۡکُمۡ مِّنۡ فَوۡرِہِمۡ ہٰذَا یُمۡدِدۡکُمۡ رَبُّکُمۡ بِخَمۡسَۃِ اٰلٰفٍ مِّنَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ مُسَوِّمِیۡنَ
这句话的意思是: 如果不信者又立即来攻击而不给予穆斯林有任何时间恢复, 养主将以五千个天使援助他们。天使数目的不同--------前节经文提到的数目为三干--------是由于穆斯林以后大为削弱的状况。当时他们疲惫不堪, 伤亡惨重, 因而极需援助。古来西人朝麦加走了一段距离以后, 决定重新攻击穆斯林。穆圣知道这事后, 在战斗发生的第二天就发出紧急进军令, 并且指令只有那些参加过吴候德 (اُحُدْ, Uhud) 战役的追随者可以跟他去。他们一直到了遥远的哈姆拉艾尔•阿萨德 (حَمْراءُالْاَسَدْ, Hamra’ul-Asad), 离麦地那约八英里远的一个地方。然而, 麦加人吓倒了, 没有料到穆圣和他的追随者会如此勇敢而神速地出现, 所以决定仓促退回麦加。这是由于天使在他们心中引起了恐惧。否则, 就没有理由说明为什么逃离穆斯林, 而仅在一天之前他们使穆斯林蒙受极大的损失, 使他们人数大为减少外, 更由於一天的战役而疲惫不堪及严重受伤。
سَوَّمَ عَلَیْھِمْ: اَغَارَ عَلَیْھِمْ یعنی سَوَّمَ کے معنے حملہ کرنے کے ہوتے ہیں (اقرب) پس مُسَوِّمِیْنَ کے معنے ہوں گے سخت حملہ کرنے والے۔
The word bala also denotes a connection between the verses and supplies the answer to the question in 3:125, viz. Will it not suffice you? Thus the meaning would be: "Yes, it will suffice us, and so will suffice a force of 5,000 angels if the enemy were to return to the attack at this very moment."
The words signify that if the disbelievers returned to the attack at once, without giving the Muslims any time to recoup themselves, God would help them with 5,000 angels. The difference in the number of angels—in the preceding verse the number mentioned being 3,000—was due to the later greatly weakened condition of the Muslims. They were at that time exhausted and badly mauled and, therefore, needed greater help. After having gone to some distance towards Mecca the Quraish decided to return and attack the Muslims again. When the Holy Prophet came to know of this, on the day following the battle, he gave immediate orders to march and directed that only those of his followers who had taken part in the Battle of Uhud should go with him. The Muslims went as far as Hamra’ul-Asad, a place about eight miles from Medina. The Meccans were, however, so overawed by this unexpectedly bold and prompt appearance of the Holy Prophet and his followers that they decided to retreat hastily to Mecca. This was due to t
Musawwimin is derived from Sawwama. They say Sawwama ‘Alaihim, i.e. he suddenly and vehemently attacked them and wrought havoc among them (Aqrab).
Important Words:
فور (immediately) is derived from فار. They say فار الماء i.e. the water gushed forth from the earth. فارت القدر means, the contents of the cooking pot vehemently boiled and rose high in it. فورة means, the intensity of heat or anger or the like. فورة النھار means, the first part of the day. فور signifies the state or condition that comes without delay. The Arabs say رجع من فوره he returned or turned back immediately without tarrying (Arab).
مسومین (attacking vehemently) is derived from سوم. They say سوم الفرس i.e. he branded the horse with a brand. سوم الخیل means, he let loose the horses for grazing. سوم علیھمmeans, he suddenly and vehemently attacked them and wrought havoc among them (Aqrab). In the verse under comment the word is used in the last-mentioned sense.
Commentary:
The verse signifies that if the disbelievers returned to the attack at once, without giving the Muslims any opportunity to recoup themselves, God would help the latter with five thousand angels. The difference in the number of angels,—in the preceding verse the number mentioned being 3,000—was due to the difference in the condition of the Muslims. They were at that time exhausted and wounded and, therefore, needed greater help than they would have needed, if the enemy attack had been delayed.
The enemy did indeed think of returning, but God prevented them from doing so. Briefly stated, the facts are that when the Quraish were retracing their steps towards Mecca, members of the Arab tribes living in the vicinity of Medina asked them about the results of the battle, and when they declared that they were victorious, these men put them to shame by saying, "If you have been really victorious, where are the spoils? What have you brought from the battlefield?" Touched to the quick by this taunt, the Quraish decided to retrieve their shame by attacking the Muslims once more. When the Holy Prophet came to know of this, on the day following the battle, he gave immediate orders to march and directed that only those of his followers who had taken part in the Battle of Uhud should join him. The Muslims went as far as Hamra’ul-Asad, a place about eight miles from Medina. The Meccans were, however, so overawed by this unexpectedly bold and prompt appearance of the Holy Prophet and his followers that they decided to retreat hastily to Mecca. This was due to the fear which the angels had inspired in their hearts. Otherwise there was no reason for them to flee from an enemy upon whom they had inflicted so heavy a loss only a day before and who, besides being very much reduced in number, were utterly exhausted and were suffering from grievous wounds as a result of the previous day’s fighting.
A recent commentator, having translated the words, من فورھم ھذا as "in headlong manner", has applied them to the Battle of Ahzab. This is not right. The fact is that verses 125 and 126, as already explained, are both connected with the Battle of Uhud and relate to the time immediately following it. The word بلی (yea) occurring in the beginning of the verse also denotes a connection between the verses and supplies the answer to the question in 3:125, viz: will it not suffice you? Thus the word بلی would here mean "yes, it will suffice, and so will suffice a force of 5,000 angels if the enemy were to return to the attack at this very moment."
276
这句话的意思是: 如果不信者又立即来攻击而不给予穆斯林有任何时间恢复, 养主将以五千个天使援助他们。天使数目的不同--------前节经文提到的数目为三干--------是由于穆斯林以后大为削弱的状况。当时他们疲惫不堪, 伤亡惨重, 因而极需援助。古来西人朝麦加走了一段距离以后, 决定重新攻击穆斯林。穆圣知道这事后, 在战斗发生的第二天就发出紧急进军令, 并且指令只有那些参加过吴候德 (اُحُدْ, Uhud) 战役的追随者可以跟他去。他们一直到了遥远的哈姆拉艾尔•阿萨德 (حَمْراءُالْاَسَدْ, Hamra’ul-Asad), 离麦地那约八英里远的一个地方。然而, 麦加人吓倒了, 没有料到穆圣和他的追随者会如此勇敢而神速地出现, 所以决定仓促退回麦加。这是由于天使在他们心中引起了恐惧。否则, 就没有理由说明为什么逃离穆斯林, 而仅在一天之前他们使穆斯林蒙受极大的损失, 使他们人数大为减少外, 更由於一天的战役而疲惫不堪及严重受伤。
4
سَوَّمَ عَلَیْھِمْ: اَغَارَ عَلَیْھِمْ یعنی سَوَّمَ کے معنے حملہ کرنے کے ہوتے ہیں (اقرب) پس مُسَوِّمِیْنَ کے معنے ہوں گے سخت حملہ کرنے والے۔
410
Important Words:
فور (immediately) is derived from فار. They say فار الماء i.e. the water gushed forth from the earth. فارت القدر means, the contents of the cooking pot vehemently boiled and rose high in it. فورة means, the intensity of heat or anger or the like. فورة النھار means, the first part of the day. فور signifies the state or condition that comes without delay. The Arabs say رجع من فوره he returned or turned back immediately without tarrying (Arab).
مسومین (attacking vehemently) is derived from سوم. They say سوم الفرس i.e. he branded the horse with a brand. سوم الخیل means, he let loose the horses for grazing. سوم علیھمmeans, he suddenly and vehemently attacked them and wrought havoc among them (Aqrab). In the verse under comment the word is used in the last-mentioned sense.
Commentary:
The verse signifies that if the disbelievers returned to the attack at once, without giving the Muslims any opportunity to recoup themselves, God would help the latter with five thousand angels. The difference in the number of angels,—in the preceding verse the number mentioned being 3,000—was due to the difference in the condition of the Muslims. They were at that time exhausted and wounded and, therefore, needed greater help than they would have needed, if the enemy attack had been delayed.
The enemy did indeed think of returning, but God prevented them from doing so. Briefly stated, the facts are that when the Quraish were retracing their steps towards Mecca, members of the Arab tribes living in the vicinity of Medina asked them about the results of the battle, and when they declared that they were victorious, these men put them to shame by saying, "If you have been really victorious, where are the spoils? What have you brought from the battlefield?" Touched to the quick by this taunt, the Quraish decided to retrieve their shame by attacking the Muslims once more. When the Holy Prophet came to know of this, on the day following the battle, he gave immediate orders to march and directed that only those of his followers who had taken part in the Battle of Uhud should join him. The Muslims went as far as Hamra’ul-Asad, a place about eight miles from Medina. The Meccans were, however, so overawed by this unexpectedly bold and prompt appearance of the Holy Prophet and his followers that they decided to retreat hastily to Mecca. This was due to the fear which the angels had inspired in their hearts. Otherwise there was no reason for them to flee from an enemy upon whom they had inflicted so heavy a loss only a day before and who, besides being very much reduced in number, were utterly exhausted and were suffering from grievous wounds as a result of the previous day’s fighting.
A recent commentator, having translated the words, من فورھم ھذا as "in headlong manner", has applied them to the Battle of Ahzab. This is not right. The fact is that verses 125 and 126, as already explained, are both connected with the Battle of Uhud and relate to the time immediately following it. The word بلی (yea) occurring in the beginning of the verse also denotes a connection between the verses and supplies the answer to the question in 3:125, viz: will it not suffice you? Thus the word بلی would here mean "yes, it will suffice, and so will suffice a force of 5,000 angels if the enemy were to return to the attack at this very moment."
471
The word bala also denotes a connection between the verses and supplies the answer to the question in 3:125, viz. Will it not suffice you? Thus the meaning would be: "Yes, it will suffice us, and so will suffice a force of 5,000 angels if the enemy were to return to the attack at this very moment."
472
The words signify that if the disbelievers returned to the attack at once, without giving the Muslims any time to recoup themselves, God would help them with 5,000 angels. The difference in the number of angels—in the preceding verse the number mentioned being 3,000—was due to the later greatly weakened condition of the Muslims. They were at that time exhausted and badly mauled and, therefore, needed greater help. After having gone to some distance towards Mecca the Quraish decided to return and attack the Muslims again. When the Holy Prophet came to know of this, on the day following the battle, he gave immediate orders to march and directed that only those of his followers who had taken part in the Battle of Uhud should go with him. The Muslims went as far as Hamra’ul-Asad, a place about eight miles from Medina. The Meccans were, however, so overawed by this unexpectedly bold and prompt appearance of the Holy Prophet and his followers that they decided to retreat hastily to Mecca. This was due to t
473
Musawwimin is derived from Sawwama. They say Sawwama ‘Alaihim, i.e. he suddenly and vehemently attacked them and wrought havoc among them (Aqrab).
ہٰذَا بَیَانٌ لِّلنَّاسِ وَہُدًی وَّمَوۡعِظَۃٌ لِّلۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ
5:16; 36:70.
2:3, 186; 31:4.
24:35.
Commentary:
The pronoun ھذا (this) may be taken to refer to (1) the Quran, or (2) the verse immediately preceding, or (3) the subject of repentance discussed in the foregoing verses.
The word متقین (God-fearing or righteous) does not here necessarily apply to Muslims only. It extends to all persons who earnestly desire to guard against things that are fraught with danger to their souls and who take heed of their spiritual good. It is only such persons as are likely to benefit by admonition.
d
5:16; 36:70.
e
2:3, 186; 31:4.
f
24:35.
a
5:16; 36:70.
b
2:3, 186; 31:4.
c
24:35.
422
Commentary:
The pronoun ھذا (this) may be taken to refer to (1) the Quran, or (2) the verse immediately preceding, or (3) the subject of repentance discussed in the foregoing verses.
The word متقین (God-fearing or righteous) does not here necessarily apply to Muslims only. It extends to all persons who earnestly desire to guard against things that are fraught with danger to their souls and who take heed of their spiritual good. It is only such persons as are likely to benefit by admonition.
a
2:3, 186; 31:4.
b
24:35.
f
5:16; 36:70.
485
The pronoun Hadha may refer to the Qur’an, or the verse immediately preceding, or to the subject of repentance discussed in the foregoing verses.
اَوَلَمَّاۤ اَصٰبَتۡکُمۡ مُّصِیۡبَۃٌ قَدۡ اَصَبۡتُمۡ مِّثۡلَیۡہَا قُلۡتُمۡ اَنّٰی ہٰذَا ۖ قُلۡ ہُوَ مِنۡ عِنۡدِ اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ ۗ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرٌ
4:80.
4:80.
The words refer to the Battle of Badr, when 70 Meccans were killed and 70 taken prisoner. At Uhud, 70 Muslims were killed, none being taken prisoner. Thus the Muslims had already inflicted a double loss on the Meccans.
As for the real cause of man’s actions, both the good and evil ones are said to emanate from him, because he is their author, but as it is God Who, as the final Judge, brings about the results of those actions, whether good or bad, they can equally be said to proceed from Him (4:79). In this sense, both the good and evil results of man’s actions would be attributed to God.
4:80.
Commentary:
The words, and you had inflicted the double of that, refer to the Battle of Badr, when 70 Meccans were killed and 70 taken captive. At Uhud, 70 Muslims were killed, none being taken prisoner. Thus the Muslims had inflicted a double loss on the Meccans.
The fact that no Muslim was taken prisoner at Uhud demonstrates their high sense of honour. They preferred death to dishonour. They would die fighting rather than lay down their arms. Some of them were found killed on the battlefield with as many as eighty wounds on their bodies. How could such men allow themselves to be taken prisoner by the enemy? It is most significant that in all the different battles that were fought by Muslims till the time of ‘Uthman—and they were many and hundreds of thousands of men took part in them—the number of Muslim prisoners did not exceed a few hundred.
The expression, It is from your own selves, seems to contradict the succeeding verse where it is said, And that which befell you on the day when two parties met was by Allah’s command, and also 4:79, 80 where it is said: And if some good befalls them, they say, ‘this is from Allah’ and if evil befall them, they say, ‘this is from thee’. Say, All is from Allah. What has happened to these people that they come not near understanding anything? Whatever of good comes to thee is from Allah, and whatever of evil befalls thee is from thyself. On deeper reflection, however, no conflict or contradiction is found to exist for the different statements, apparently contradictory, have been made from different viewpoints. As for the real cause of man’s actions, both the good and evil actions are said to emanate from him, because he is their doer; but as it is God Who, as the final Judge, brings about the results of man’s actions, whether good or bad, they can equally be said to proceed from Him. In this sense, both the good and evil results of man’s actions would be attributed to God. Again, as God has created all things for our good and it is through their misuse that we suffer, therefore the evil that befalls us can legitimately be said to proceed from our ownselves. But when that evil is removed by the right use of the things provided by God and good results ensues, then that good must be attributed to God, for it is He Who had endowed things with the properties by the right use of which we benefit. In this sense, good results will be attributed to God and evil ones to man. Thus all the three assertions, though apparently contradicting one another, prove to be true.
b
4:80.
b
4:80.
448
Commentary:
The words, and you had inflicted the double of that, refer to the Battle of Badr, when 70 Meccans were killed and 70 taken captive. At Uhud, 70 Muslims were killed, none being taken prisoner. Thus the Muslims had inflicted a double loss on the Meccans.
The fact that no Muslim was taken prisoner at Uhud demonstrates their high sense of honour. They preferred death to dishonour. They would die fighting rather than lay down their arms. Some of them were found killed on the battlefield with as many as eighty wounds on their bodies. How could such men allow themselves to be taken prisoner by the enemy? It is most significant that in all the different battles that were fought by Muslims till the time of ‘Uthman—and they were many and hundreds of thousands of men took part in them—the number of Muslim prisoners did not exceed a few hundred.
The expression, It is from your own selves, seems to contradict the succeeding verse where it is said, And that which befell you on the day when two parties met was by Allah’s command, and also 4:79, 80 where it is said: And if some good befalls them, they say, ‘this is from Allah’ and if evil befall them, they say, ‘this is from thee’. Say, All is from Allah. What has happened to these people that they come not near understanding anything? Whatever of good comes to thee is from Allah, and whatever of evil befalls thee is from thyself. On deeper reflection, however, no conflict or contradiction is found to exist for the different statements, apparently contradictory, have been made from different viewpoints. As for the real cause of man’s actions, both the good and evil actions are said to emanate from him, because he is their doer; but as it is God Who, as the final Judge, brings about the results of man’s actions, whether good or bad, they can equally be said to proceed from Him. In this sense, both the good and evil results of man’s actions would be attributed to God. Again, as God has created all things for our good and it is through their misuse that we suffer, therefore the evil that befalls us can legitimately be said to proceed from our ownselves. But when that evil is removed by the right use of the things provided by God and good results ensues, then that good must be attributed to God, for it is He Who had endowed things with the properties by the right use of which we benefit. In this sense, good results will be attributed to God and evil ones to man. Thus all the three assertions, though apparently contradicting one another, prove to be true.
b
4:80.
521
The words refer to the Battle of Badr, when 70 Meccans were killed and 70 taken prisoner. At Uhud, 70 Muslims were killed, none being taken prisoner. Thus the Muslims had already inflicted a double loss on the Meccans.
522
As for the real cause of man’s actions, both the good and evil ones are said to emanate from him, because he is their author, but as it is God Who, as the final Judge, brings about the results of those actions, whether good or bad, they can equally be said to proceed from Him (4:79). In this sense, both the good and evil results of man’s actions would be attributed to God.
اَلَّذِیۡنَ یَذۡکُرُوۡنَ اللّٰہَ قِیٰمًا وَّقُعُوۡدًا وَّعَلٰی جُنُوۡبِہِمۡ وَیَتَفَکَّرُوۡنَ فِیۡ خَلۡقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقۡتَ ہٰذَا بٰطِلًا سُبۡحٰنَکَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
4:104; 10:13; 39:10; 62:11.
38:28.
如果没有明确的目的, 前节经文所提及的宏大体系当然不能存在。由于创造整个宇宙是为人效劳, 所以人本身的创造就必须具有宏大的目的。当人在思考创造宇宙这一自然现象含有精神方面的意思以及支配这种自然现象的完美的秩序时, 他深为创造者的智慧所感动, 并从内心深处惊叹: “我们的养主啊！你没有徒劳无益地创造了天地。”
38:28.
4:104; 10:13; 39:10; 62:11.
The grand system to which an allusion has been made in the previous verse could certainly not have been brought into being without a definite purpose. The whole universe having been created to serve man, the creation of man himself must have a great purpose. When man ponders over the spiritual implication of the physical phenomenon of the creation of the universe and the consummate order that pervades it, he is deeply impressed by the great wisdom of the Creator, and from the inmost depths of his being rises the cry: Our Lord, Thou hast not created this universe in vain.
4:104; 10:13; 39:10; 62:11.
38:28.
Important Words:
باطلا (in vain) is derived from بطل meaning, it was or became false or vain, or void or futile or devoid of virtue or of no account. They say ذھب دمه باطلا meaning his blood went for nothing, i.e. went unretaliated. بطل فی حدیثه means, he jested or was not serious in his discourse. باطل therefore, means: false, spurious, vain, useless, void and of no account (Lane).
Commentary:
Such a grand system to which an allusion has been made in the previous verse could certainly not have been brought into being without a definite purpose. The phenomenon of day and night referred to in the preceding verse affords an illustration of how this purpose is served. With the rising of the sun the whole world is illuminated, and men begin to work. Then night falls and the light of the sun is hidden from our view and men go to sleep, but even then some heavenly bodies are busy doing their allotted task. Thus both during day and night heavenly bodies perform their appointed functions and loyally serve man. The whole universe having been created to serve man, the creation of man must also have a great purpose. Of men, some are bright in themselves like the sun, and there are others who possess no intrinsic light of their own but borrow it from others. Such men as place themselves in right relation to the Sun of the spiritual realm become enlightened, while those that keep away from it are left in the dark.
When man ponders over the spiritual implication of the physical phenomenon of the creation of heavens and earth, the alteration of day, and night and the consummate order that pervades the universe, he is deeply impressed by the great wisdom of the Creator, and from the inmost depths of his being rises the cry: Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain. Then apprehension takes hold of him lest he should become deprived of the light of the spiritual Sun and he cries out: Save us from the punishment of Fire, which is nothing but being overtaken by spiritual darkness and moral degradation.
e
4:104; 10:13; 39:10; 62:11.
f
38:28.
301
如果没有明确的目的, 前节经文所提及的宏大体系当然不能存在。由于创造整个宇宙是为人效劳, 所以人本身的创造就必须具有宏大的目的。当人在思考创造宇宙这一自然现象含有精神方面的意思以及支配这种自然现象的完美的秩序时, 他深为创造者的智慧所感动, 并从内心深处惊叹: “我们的养主啊！你没有徒劳无益地创造了天地。”
c
4:104; 10:13; 39:10; 62:11.
d
38:28.
474
Important Words:
باطلا (in vain) is derived from بطل meaning, it was or became false or vain, or void or futile or devoid of virtue or of no account. They say ذھب دمه باطلا meaning his blood went for nothing, i.e. went unretaliated. بطل فی حدیثه means, he jested or was not serious in his discourse. باطل therefore, means: false, spurious, vain, useless, void and of no account (Lane).
Commentary:
Such a grand system to which an allusion has been made in the previous verse could certainly not have been brought into being without a definite purpose. The phenomenon of day and night referred to in the preceding verse affords an illustration of how this purpose is served. With the rising of the sun the whole world is illuminated, and men begin to work. Then night falls and the light of the sun is hidden from our view and men go to sleep, but even then some heavenly bodies are busy doing their allotted task. Thus both during day and night heavenly bodies perform their appointed functions and loyally serve man. The whole universe having been created to serve man, the creation of man must also have a great purpose. Of men, some are bright in themselves like the sun, and there are others who possess no intrinsic light of their own but borrow it from others. Such men as place themselves in right relation to the Sun of the spiritual realm become enlightened, while those that keep away from it are left in the dark.
When man ponders over the spiritual implication of the physical phenomenon of the creation of heavens and earth, the alteration of day, and night and the consummate order that pervades the universe, he is deeply impressed by the great wisdom of the Creator, and from the inmost depths of his being rises the cry: Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain. Then apprehension takes hold of him lest he should become deprived of the light of the spiritual Sun and he cries out: Save us from the punishment of Fire, which is nothing but being overtaken by spiritual darkness and moral degradation.
a
38:28.
d
4:104; 10:13; 39:10; 62:11.
547
The grand system to which an allusion has been made in the previous verse could certainly not have been brought into being without a definite purpose. The whole universe having been created to serve man, the creation of man himself must have a great purpose. When man ponders over the spiritual implication of the physical phenomenon of the creation of the universe and the consummate order that pervades it, he is deeply impressed by the great wisdom of the Creator, and from the inmost depths of his being rises the cry: Our Lord, Thou hast not created this universe in vain.
۞ یٰۤاَیُّہَا الرَّسُوۡلُ لَا یَحۡزُنۡکَ الَّذِیۡنَ یُسٰرِعُوۡنَ فِی الۡکُفۡرِ مِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ قَالُوۡۤا اٰمَنَّا بِاَفۡوٰہِہِمۡ وَلَمۡ تُؤۡمِنۡ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ ۛ وَمِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ ہَادُوۡا ۛ سَمّٰعُوۡنَ لِلۡکَذِبِ سَمّٰعُوۡنَ لِقَوۡمٍ اٰخَرِیۡنَ لَمۡ یَاۡتُوۡکَ ۖ یُحَرِّفُوۡنَ الۡکَلِمَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَوَاضِعِہٖ ۖ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ اِنۡ اُوۡتِیۡتُمۡ ہٰذَا فَخُذُوۡہُ وَاِنۡ لَّمۡ تُؤۡتَوۡہُ فَاحۡذَرُوۡا ۚ وَمَنۡ یُّرِدِ اللّٰہُ فِتۡنَتَہٗ فَلَنۡ تَمۡلِکَ لَہٗ مِنَ اللّٰہِ شَیۡـًٔا ۚ اُولٰٓئِکَ الَّذِیۡنَ لَمۡ یُرِدِ اللّٰہُ اَنۡ یُّطَہِّرَ قُلُوۡبَہُمۡ ۚ لَہُمۡ فِی الدُّنۡیَا خِزۡیٌ ۖ وَّلَہُمۡ فِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ عَذَابٌ عَظِیۡمٌ
یعنی قرآن کریم آکر سنتے ہیں۔ پھر اس کا غلط مفہوم لوگوں میں پھیلاتے ہیں تا لوگ مسلمانوں پر اعتراض کریں۔
9:47.
2:76; 3:79; 4:47.
The expression may also mean, (1) they listen in order to lie; (2) they accept as true the lies which others utter about the Holy Prophet.
9:47.
2:76; 3:79; 4:47.
Commentary:
The expression سماعون للکذب (who would fondly listen to any lie) is capable of bearing two meanings: (1) they listen to you in order to lie, i.e. they come to you so that they may listen to your words, and then go out and distort and twist your words and their meanings before their own people and ascribe to you things which you did not say or mean; (2) they hearken to lies and accept them, i.e. they believe the lies which others utter about you and accept them as true. Similarly, the clause سماعون لقوم آخرین (who listen for conveying it to another people) means: (1) they listen (to you) for the sake of another people; i.e. they come and listen to what you say in order to report it to another people; (2) they believe what others say about you and take it as true.
c
9:47.
d
2:76; 3:79; 4:47.
1
یعنی قرآن کریم آکر سنتے ہیں۔ پھر اس کا غلط مفہوم لوگوں میں پھیلاتے ہیں تا لوگ مسلمانوں پر اعتراض کریں۔
a
9:47.
b
2:76; 3:79; 4:47.
673
Commentary:
The expression سماعون للکذب (who would fondly listen to any lie) is capable of bearing two meanings: (1) they listen to you in order to lie, i.e. they come to you so that they may listen to your words, and then go out and distort and twist your words and their meanings before their own people and ascribe to you things which you did not say or mean; (2) they hearken to lies and accept them, i.e. they believe the lies which others utter about you and accept them as true. Similarly, the clause سماعون لقوم آخرین (who listen for conveying it to another people) means: (1) they listen (to you) for the sake of another people; i.e. they come and listen to what you say in order to report it to another people; (2) they believe what others say about you and take it as true.
a
9:47.
b
2:76; 3:79; 4:47.
746
The expression may also mean, (1) they listen in order to lie; (2) they accept as true the lies which others utter about the Holy Prophet.
قَالَ اللّٰہُ ہٰذَا یَوۡمُ یَنۡفَعُ الصّٰدِقِیۡنَ صِدۡقُہُمۡ ۚ لَہُمۡ جَنّٰتٌ تَجۡرِیۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِہَا الۡاَنۡہٰرُ خٰلِدِیۡنَ فِیۡہَاۤ اَبَدًا ۚ رَّضِیَ اللّٰہُ عَنۡہُمۡ وَرَضُوۡا عَنۡہُ ۚ ذٰلِکَ الۡفَوۡزُ الۡعَظِیۡمُ
9:100; 58:23; 98:9.
9:100; 58:23; 98:9.
9:100; 58:23; 98:9.
Commentary:
The words, This is a day, refer to the Day of Judgement, which shows that the question mentioned in 5:117 above will be put to Jesus on the Day of Judgement, i.e. after he will have paid his supposed second visit to the earth, as is alleged by those who believe in his ascension to, and descent from, heaven.
The word "truthful" used in the verse hints that as the followers of Jesus did not prove truthful, they could not hope to benefit from Divine mercy. The word really refers to Muslims, who were true to the teachings of their Prophet. They believed as he taught them to believe, and acted as he taught them to act, and were true to their God. The word may also refer to the followers of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, who was raised as the مثیل, or likeness, of Jesus. God, as it were, says, "We sent two Messiahs, the followers of the one drifted away from his teachings and began to look upon him as God, but the followers of the other Messiah were true to his teachings. So this day only the truth of the truthful shall profit them."
a
9:100; 58:23; 98:9.
a
9:100; 58:23; 98:9.
747
Commentary:
The words, This is a day, refer to the Day of Judgement, which shows that the question mentioned in 5:117 above will be put to Jesus on the Day of Judgement, i.e. after he will have paid his supposed second visit to the earth, as is alleged by those who believe in his ascension to, and descent from, heaven.
The word "truthful" used in the verse hints that as the followers of Jesus did not prove truthful, they could not hope to benefit from Divine mercy. The word really refers to Muslims, who were true to the teachings of their Prophet. They believed as he taught them to believe, and acted as he taught them to act, and were true to their God. The word may also refer to the followers of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, who was raised as the مثیل, or likeness, of Jesus. God, as it were, says, "We sent two Messiahs, the followers of the one drifted away from his teachings and began to look upon him as God, but the followers of the other Messiah were true to his teachings. So this day only the truth of the truthful shall profit them."
b
9:100; 58:23; 98:9.
قُلۡ اَیُّ شَیۡءٍ اَکۡبَرُ شَہٰدَۃً ۖ قُلِ اللّٰہُ ۖ شَہِیۡدٌۢ بَیۡنِیۡ وَبَیۡنَکُمۡ ۚ وَاُوۡحِیَ اِلَیَّ ہٰذَا الۡقُرۡاٰنُ لِاُنۡذِرَکُمۡ بِہٖ وَمَنۡۢ بَلَغَ ۚ اَئِنَّکُمۡ لَتَشۡہَدُوۡنَ اَنَّ مَعَ اللّٰہِ اٰلِہَۃً اُخۡرٰی ۚ قُل لَّاۤ اَشۡہَدُ ۚ قُلۡ اِنَّمَا ہُوَ اِلٰہٌ وّٰحِدٌ وَّاِنَّنِیۡ بَرِیۡٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشۡرِکُوۡنَ
4:167; 13:44; 29:53.
安拉以三种不同方式作证--------以 «古兰经» 的启示作证。这是第一种作证方式。第二种和第三种作证方式将在以下的经文中谈及。
4:167; 13:44; 29:53.
God bears witness in three different ways,—by the revelation of the Qur’an. This is the first witness. The second and the third witnesses are mentioned in the following verses.
4:167; 13:44; 29:53.
Commentary:
God Himself answers the question which He has put in the beginning of the verse; for the disbelievers did not know how to answer. They could not think that God also could bear witness. The answer has been given by God in order to instruct and teach believers.
Now the question is, how does God bear witness? This verse and the next two mention three ways by which God bears witness to the truth of the Holy Prophet. The first is by means of the Quran. This Quran has been revealed to me, the verse calls upon the Holy Prophet to say, so that with it I may warn you and whomsoever it reaches. These words signify that whosoever opposes the Quran and obstructs it will be visited by Divine punishment. This punishment will constitute God’s testimony to the truth of the Holy Prophet. The second and the third ways by which God bears witness are mentioned in the verses that follow.
g
4:167; 13:44; 29:53.
419
安拉以三种不同方式作证--------以 «古兰经» 的启示作证。这是第一种作证方式。第二种和第三种作证方式将在以下的经文中谈及。
a
4:167; 13:44; 29:53.
767
Commentary:
God Himself answers the question which He has put in the beginning of the verse; for the disbelievers did not know how to answer. They could not think that God also could bear witness. The answer has been given by God in order to instruct and teach believers.
Now the question is, how does God bear witness? This verse and the next two mention three ways by which God bears witness to the truth of the Holy Prophet. The first is by means of the Quran. This Quran has been revealed to me, the verse calls upon the Holy Prophet to say, so that with it I may warn you and whomsoever it reaches. These words signify that whosoever opposes the Quran and obstructs it will be visited by Divine punishment. This punishment will constitute God’s testimony to the truth of the Holy Prophet. The second and the third ways by which God bears witness are mentioned in the verses that follow.
d
4:167; 13:44; 29:53.
833
God bears witness in three different ways,—by the revelation of the Qur’an. This is the first witness. The second and the third witnesses are mentioned in the following verses.
وَلَوۡ تَرٰۤی اِذۡ وُقِفُوۡا عَلٰی رَبِّہِمۡ ۚ قَالَ اَلَیۡسَ ہٰذَا بِالۡحَقِّ ۚ قَالُوۡا بَلٰی وَرَبِّنَا ۚ قَالَ فَذُوۡقُوا الۡعَذَابَ بِمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَکۡفُرُوۡنَ
46:35.
46:35.
46:35.
Commentary:
The words بلی و ربنا (Yea, by our Lord) speak of deeply stirred feelings and embody a pathetic, though veiled, appeal for mercy. But the time for mercy is past and nothing but the grim reality of God’s judgement now awaits them.
b
46:35.
b
46:35.
778
Commentary:
The words بلی و ربنا (Yea, by our Lord) speak of deeply stirred feelings and embody a pathetic, though veiled, appeal for mercy. But the time for mercy is past and nothing but the grim reality of God’s judgement now awaits them.
d
46:35.
فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَیۡہِ الَّیۡلُ رَاٰ کَوۡکَبًا ۖ قَالَ ہٰذَا رَبِّیۡ ۖ فَلَمَّاۤ اَفَلَ قَالَ لَاۤ اُحِبُّ الۡاٰفِلِیۡنَ
Important Words:
جن (darkened) means, it covered up. They say جن اللیل الشیء or جن اللیل علی الشیء i.e. the night covered the thing up; or the night threw its covering of darkness over the thing. جن اللیل means, the night grew dark. See also 2:26 & 6:129.
Commentary:
See collective note under 6:80 below.
822
Important Words:
جن (darkened) means, it covered up. They say جن اللیل الشیء or جن اللیل علی الشیء i.e. the night covered the thing up; or the night threw its covering of darkness over the thing. جن اللیل means, the night grew dark. See also 2:26 & 6:129.
Commentary:
See collective note under 6:80 below.
فَلَمَّا رَاَ الۡقَمَرَ بَازِغًا قَالَ ہٰذَا رَبِّیۡ ۖ فَلَمَّاۤ اَفَلَ قَالَ لَئِنۡ لَّمۡ یَہۡدِنِیۡ رَبِّیۡ لَاَکُوۡنَنَّ مِنَ الۡقَوۡمِ الضَّآلِّیۡنَ
درحقیقت مفہوم یہ ہے کہ ہر سیّارہ کو دیکھ کر ابراہیمؑ نے اس کے خدا ہونے سے انکار کیا۔ چنانچہ آیت میں صاف لکھا ہے کہ اگر خداتعالیٰ مجھے پہلے سے ہدایت نہ دیتا تو میں گمراہ ہو جاتا۔ پس اس آیت نے شرک کا خیال آنے کی بھی نفی کر دی ہے اور ثابت کر دیا ہے کہ ابراہیمؑ کا کلام طنزیہ کلام تھا۔
Commentary:
See collective note under 6:80 below.
1
درحقیقت مفہوم یہ ہے کہ ہر سیّارہ کو دیکھ کر ابراہیمؑ نے اس کے خدا ہونے سے انکار کیا۔ چنانچہ آیت میں صاف لکھا ہے کہ اگر خداتعالیٰ مجھے پہلے سے ہدایت نہ دیتا تو میں گمراہ ہو جاتا۔ پس اس آیت نے شرک کا خیال آنے کی بھی نفی کر دی ہے اور ثابت کر دیا ہے کہ ابراہیمؑ کا کلام طنزیہ کلام تھا۔
823
Commentary:
See collective note under 6:80 below.
فَلَمَّا رَاَ الشَّمۡسَ بَازِغَۃً قَالَ ہٰذَا رَبِّیۡ ہٰذَاۤ اَکۡبَرُ ۖ فَلَمَّاۤ اَفَلَتۡ قَالَ یٰقَوۡمِ اِنِّیۡ بَرِیۡٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشۡرِکُوۡنَ
第77到79节经文中具有一个论证, 伊布拉欣用它来使他的多神教民族清楚地看到, 他们相信太阳、月亮和星星是他们崇拜的如此多的众神灵是何等的荒谬 (犹太百科全书)。如果从这些经文中得出推断, 说伊布拉欣自己也在黑暗中摸索而不知道谁是他的安拉, 说他把夜间的星星、月亮和太阳当作一个一个神, 然后在它们轮流落下时, 才放弃了他对它们神性的信仰, 转而归信唯一的安拉--------天地的创造者--------的话, 那么, 这种推断是错误的。事实上, 这段经文含有几个论证来说明伊布拉欣绝对没有把这些天体当作众神灵, 而是竭力想一步一步显示给他的民族看, 他们的种种信念是空虚无用的。经文75-76节表明, 伊布拉欣坚定信仰唯一的安拉。因此他不可能被认为是在暗中摸索而徘徊於神与神之间。“这能是我的养主吗?” 这些字是反对崇拜太阳的论证。他讲这句话意在揭露他的民族相信太阳是他们的养主。而且他已经知道太阳一定会落下。因此他的论证中含有 “我不喜爱没落者” 这句话, 肯定早已存在他的思想中。实际上, 他想以一种最有效的方式来使用这一论证。因此他先假设太阳为他的养主, 等它消失后, 他立即宣称 “我不喜爱没落者”。月亮与太阳落下的情况是相似的。他用 “较大” 或 “最大” 来讽刺太阳, 为了刺激他的民族的愚蠢。这清楚表明, 伊布拉欣想用他所采取的种种论证逐渐把他的民族引到安拉那里去。只要看一看经文80-82就能非常清楚地看出, 伊布拉欣不但坚定地相信安拉, 而且深深知晓安拉的常德。
Verses 77 to 79 contain an argument which Abraham employed to bring home to his idolatrous people the absurdity of their belief that the sun, the moon and the stars were so many gods which they worshipped (Jew. Enc.). It is wrong to infer from these verses that Abraham was himself groping in the dark and did not know Who his God was, and that he took the evening star, the moon, and the sun for God one after the other and, when each of them set in its turn, he gave up his belief in their divinity and turned to the One God, the Creator of heavens and earth. In fact, the passage contains several arguments to show that Abraham, far from taking these heavenly bodies for gods, sought to demonstrate to his people the vanity of their beliefs step by step. Verses 75, 76 show that Abraham was a firm believer in One God. He could not, therefore, be considered as groping in the dark and wandering from one deity to another. The words, "can this be my Lord" constituted an argument against star-worship. He said these wor
Commentary:
See collective note under 6:80 below.
433
第77到79节经文中具有一个论证, 伊布拉欣用它来使他的多神教民族清楚地看到, 他们相信太阳、月亮和星星是他们崇拜的如此多的众神灵是何等的荒谬 (犹太百科全书)。如果从这些经文中得出推断, 说伊布拉欣自己也在黑暗中摸索而不知道谁是他的安拉, 说他把夜间的星星、月亮和太阳当作一个一个神, 然后在它们轮流落下时, 才放弃了他对它们神性的信仰, 转而归信唯一的安拉--------天地的创造者--------的话, 那么, 这种推断是错误的。事实上, 这段经文含有几个论证来说明伊布拉欣绝对没有把这些天体当作众神灵, 而是竭力想一步一步显示给他的民族看, 他们的种种信念是空虚无用的。经文75-76节表明, 伊布拉欣坚定信仰唯一的安拉。因此他不可能被认为是在暗中摸索而徘徊於神与神之间。“这能是我的养主吗?” 这些字是反对崇拜太阳的论证。他讲这句话意在揭露他的民族相信太阳是他们的养主。而且他已经知道太阳一定会落下。因此他的论证中含有 “我不喜爱没落者” 这句话, 肯定早已存在他的思想中。实际上, 他想以一种最有效的方式来使用这一论证。因此他先假设太阳为他的养主, 等它消失后, 他立即宣称 “我不喜爱没落者”。月亮与太阳落下的情况是相似的。他用 “较大” 或 “最大” 来讽刺太阳, 为了刺激他的民族的愚蠢。这清楚表明, 伊布拉欣想用他所采取的种种论证逐渐把他的民族引到安拉那里去。只要看一看经文80-82就能非常清楚地看出, 伊布拉欣不但坚定地相信安拉, 而且深深知晓安拉的常德。
824
Commentary:
See collective note under 6:80 below.
866
Verses 77 to 79 contain an argument which Abraham employed to bring home to his idolatrous people the absurdity of their belief that the sun, the moon and the stars were so many gods which they worshipped (Jew. Enc.). It is wrong to infer from these verses that Abraham was himself groping in the dark and did not know Who his God was, and that he took the evening star, the moon, and the sun for God one after the other and, when each of them set in its turn, he gave up his belief in their divinity and turned to the One God, the Creator of heavens and earth. In fact, the passage contains several arguments to show that Abraham, far from taking these heavenly bodies for gods, sought to demonstrate to his people the vanity of their beliefs step by step. Verses 75, 76 show that Abraham was a firm believer in One God. He could not, therefore, be considered as groping in the dark and wandering from one deity to another. The words, "can this be my Lord" constituted an argument against star-worship. He said these wor
یٰمَعۡشَرَ الۡجِنِّ وَالۡاِنۡسِ اَلَمۡ یَاۡتِکُمۡ رُسُلٌ مِّنۡکُمۡ یَقُصُّوۡنَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ اٰیٰتِیۡ وَیُنۡذِرُوۡنَکُمۡ لِقَآءَ یَوۡمِکُمۡ ہٰذَا ۚ قَالُوۡا شَہِدۡنَا عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِنَا ۖ وَغَرَّتۡہُمُ الۡحَیٰوۃُ الدُّنۡیَا وَشَہِدُوۡا عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ اَنَّہُمۡ کَانُوۡا کٰفِرِیۡنَ
39:72; 40:51; 67:9, 10.
7:38.
39:72; 40:51; 67:9-10.
7:38.
Commentary:
The words, Messengers from among yourselves, supply further evidence of the fact that the word jinn does not here refer to a separate creation but to only a section of human beings. We learn from the Quran that Moses and the Holy Prophet were sent as Messengers to jinn also (46:30-33; 72:2-16) and we find no trace of any separate Messengers having ever been raised from among jinn, which shows that the word jinn here refers only to a special class of men. It may also be noted here that this word when applied to the great and powerful persons from among men is generally used in a bad sense, being applied to the wicked among them.
a
39:72; 40:51; 67:9, 10.
b
7:38.
a
39:72; 40:51; 67:9-10.
b
7:38.
871
Commentary:
The words, Messengers from among yourselves, supply further evidence of the fact that the word jinn does not here refer to a separate creation but to only a section of human beings. We learn from the Quran that Moses and the Holy Prophet were sent as Messengers to jinn also (46:30-33; 72:2-16) and we find no trace of any separate Messengers having ever been raised from among jinn, which shows that the word jinn here refers only to a special class of men. It may also be noted here that this word when applied to the great and powerful persons from among men is generally used in a bad sense, being applied to the wicked among them.
a
39:72; 40:51; 67:9, 10.
b
7:38.
وَجَعَلُوۡا لِلّٰہِ مِمَّا ذَرَاَ مِنَ الۡحَرۡثِ وَالۡاَنۡعٰمِ نَصِیۡبًا فَقَالُوۡا ہٰذَا لِلّٰہِ بِزَعۡمِہِمۡ وَہٰذَا لِشُرَکَآئِنَا ۖ فَمَا کَانَ لِشُرَکَآئِہِمۡ فَلَا یَصِلُ اِلَی اللّٰہِ ۖ وَمَا کَانَ لِلّٰہِ فَہُوَ یَصِلُ اِلٰی شُرَکَآئِہِمۡ ۗ سَآءَ مَا یَحۡکُمُوۡنَ
16:57.
16:57.
The reference is to an idolatrous custom of the Arabs. They would divide the produce of their lands between God and their deities. If the portion which they set apart for their deities was spent for other purposes, then the portion which they had reserved for God was given away as charity in the name of their deities, but if the portion set apart for God was spent for other ends, then the portion set aside for the deities was not transferred to God.
16:57.
Commentary:
Note the point and the force in the words, He has produced. By using these words, the Quran exposes the folly of disbelievers who are presumptuous enough to divide the produce of the earth and cattle between their deities and God, as if they were the owners; while the fact is that God is the owner of all these things and it is He Who has brought them into existence. They are God’s things, and it is strange that disbelievers should presume to divide God’s things according to their own choice, setting apart only a portion for God, the True Owner, and allotting the rest to their false deities.
Disbelievers gave two kinds of alms; firstly, in the name of God, and secondly, in the name of their deities. If the portion which they set apart for their deities was spent for other purposes, then the portion which they had reserved for God was also given away as charity in the name of their deities, but if the portion set apart for God was spent for other ends, then the portion set aside for the deities was not transferred to God. That is what is meant by the words, that which is for their idols reaches not Allah, while that which is for Allah reaches their idols. This is another instance of how men blunder, making laws with the sole aid of reason.
The expression, as they imagine, signifies that God does not accept a charity which false gods are made to share with Him. Disbelievers suppose that they have set apart a portion for God, but that is not really the portion of God, for the jealous God disdainfully rejects such allotment.
e
16:57.
a
16:57.
876
Commentary:
Note the point and the force in the words, He has produced. By using these words, the Quran exposes the folly of disbelievers who are presumptuous enough to divide the produce of the earth and cattle between their deities and God, as if they were the owners; while the fact is that God is the owner of all these things and it is He Who has brought them into existence. They are God’s things, and it is strange that disbelievers should presume to divide God’s things according to their own choice, setting apart only a portion for God, the True Owner, and allotting the rest to their false deities.
Disbelievers gave two kinds of alms; firstly, in the name of God, and secondly, in the name of their deities. If the portion which they set apart for their deities was spent for other purposes, then the portion which they had reserved for God was also given away as charity in the name of their deities, but if the portion set apart for God was spent for other ends, then the portion set aside for the deities was not transferred to God. That is what is meant by the words, that which is for their idols reaches not Allah, while that which is for Allah reaches their idols. This is another instance of how men blunder, making laws with the sole aid of reason.
The expression, as they imagine, signifies that God does not accept a charity which false gods are made to share with Him. Disbelievers suppose that they have set apart a portion for God, but that is not really the portion of God, for the jealous God disdainfully rejects such allotment.
d
16:57.
914
The reference is to an idolatrous custom of the Arabs. They would divide the produce of their lands between God and their deities. If the portion which they set apart for their deities was spent for other purposes, then the portion which they had reserved for God was given away as charity in the name of their deities, but if the portion set apart for God was spent for other ends, then the portion set aside for the deities was not transferred to God.
قُلۡ ہَلُمَّ شُہَدَآءَکُمُ الَّذِیۡنَ یَشۡہَدُوۡنَ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ حَرَّمَ ہٰذَا ۖ فَاِنۡ شَہِدُوۡا فَلَا تَشۡہَدۡ مَعَہُمۡ ۚ وَلَا تَتَّبِعۡ اَہۡوَآءَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَا وَالَّذِیۡنَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِالۡاٰخِرَۃِ وَہُمۡ بِرَبِّہِمۡ یَعۡدِلُوۡنَ
5:49; 45:19.
6:2; 27:61.
4:37; 17:24.
5:49; 45:19.
6:2; 27:61.
Important Words:
ھلم (bring forward) is both intransitive and transitive, meaning (1) come; or (2) cause to come, i.e. bring forth or produce (Lane). ھلم (halumma) is, according to the people of the Hijaz, one of the words known as اسماء الفعل and is thus used by them in the fixed form whether the number is singular or plural and whether the gender is masculine or feminine; but others differ from this view (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The Quran now returns to the subject of man-made laws about prohibitions. The verse signifies that disbelievers should declare that they do not agree with the Quran and find its teachings inferior to their own and then God Himself will decide between the two parties. Indirectly the words also hint that everybody should express his opinion freely when he disagrees with others and should refrain from dissimulation.
b
6:2; 27:61.
c
5:49; 45:19.
a
5:49; 45:19.
b
6:2; 27:61.
890
Important Words:
ھلم (bring forward) is both intransitive and transitive, meaning (1) come; or (2) cause to come, i.e. bring forth or produce (Lane). ھلم (halumma) is, according to the people of the Hijaz, one of the words known as اسماء الفعل and is thus used by them in the fixed form whether the number is singular or plural and whether the gender is masculine or feminine; but others differ from this view (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The Quran now returns to the subject of man-made laws about prohibitions. The verse signifies that disbelievers should declare that they do not agree with the Quran and find its teachings inferior to their own and then God Himself will decide between the two parties. Indirectly the words also hint that everybody should express his opinion freely when he disagrees with others and should refrain from dissimulation.
b
5:49; 45:19.
c
6:2; 27:61.
d
4:37; 17:24.
وَاَنَّ ہٰذَا صِرٰطِیۡ مُسۡتَقِیۡمًا فَاتَّبِعُوۡہُ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِکُمۡ عَنۡ سَبِیۡلِہٖ ۚ ذٰلِکُمۡ وَصّٰٮکُمۡ بِہٖ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَتَّقُوۡنَ
6:127.
6:127.
6:127.
Commentary:
All the above injunctions have been jointly referred to here and we are told that if we act upon these teachings, we shall come under the protection of God, Who will enable us to guard ourselves against all evil.
e
6:127.
a
6:127.
893
Commentary:
All the above injunctions have been jointly referred to here and we are told that if we act upon these teachings, we shall come under the protection of God, Who will enable us to guard ourselves against all evil.
f
6:127.
اَلَّذِیۡنَ اتَّخَذُوۡا دِیۡنَہُمۡ لَہۡوًا وَّلَعِبًا وَّغَرَّتۡہُمُ الۡحَیٰوۃُ الدُّنۡیَا ۚ فَالۡیَوۡمَ نَنۡسٰٮہُمۡ کَمَا نَسُوۡا لِقَآءَ یَوۡمِہِمۡ ہٰذَا وَمَا کَانُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَا یَجۡحَدُوۡنَ
نَسِیَ کے معنے عربی زبان میں بھول جانے کے علاوہ تَرَکَ کے بھی ہوتے ہیں یعنی چھوڑ دیا۔ (اقرب)
یعنی اس کے لئے کوئی تیاری نہ کرتے تھے۔
5:58; 6:71.
45:35.
The disbelievers were convinced in their heart of hearts of the truth of Islam but, as they took their religion for a pastime, they refused to listen to the dictates of reason and to the voice of their conscience. So God will ignore them as they refused to believe that they will ever meet their Creator and they will have to render account of their deeds to Him.
5:58; 6:71.
45:35.
Commentary:
This verse qualifies the word "disbelievers" occurring in the preceding verse. The disbelievers spoken of at the end of that verse were convinced in their hearts of the truth of Islam but, as they took their religion as a pastime, they refused to listen to the dictates of reason and the voice of their conscience. So God forgot them even as they had forgotten the meeting of their Lord.
b
5:58; 6:71.
c
45:35.
2
نَسِیَ کے معنے عربی زبان میں بھول جانے کے علاوہ تَرَکَ کے بھی ہوتے ہیں یعنی چھوڑ دیا۔ (اقرب)
3
یعنی اس کے لئے کوئی تیاری نہ کرتے تھے۔
a
5:58; 6:71.
b
45:35.
951
Commentary:
This verse qualifies the word "disbelievers" occurring in the preceding verse. The disbelievers spoken of at the end of that verse were convinced in their hearts of the truth of Islam but, as they took their religion as a pastime, they refused to listen to the dictates of reason and the voice of their conscience. So God forgot them even as they had forgotten the meeting of their Lord.
a
5:58; 6:71.
b
45:35.
982
The disbelievers were convinced in their heart of hearts of the truth of Islam but, as they took their religion for a pastime, they refused to listen to the dictates of reason and to the voice of their conscience. So God will ignore them as they refused to believe that they will ever meet their Creator and they will have to render account of their deeds to Him.
قَالَ الۡمَلَاُ مِنۡ قَوۡمِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَسٰحِرٌ عَلِیۡمٌ
20:64; 26:35.
The word Sahir does not necessarily mean, a magician. It also means, a fascinator: one skilful and intelligent; one able to make a thing look other than what it is: a deceiver, deluder or beguiler, etc. (Lane). See also {128}.
20:64; 26:35.
Important Words:
The word ساحر (magician) does not necessarily mean a magician. It also means, an enchanter; fascinator; one knowing, or one skilful and intelligent; one able to make a thing look other than what it is; a deceiver, deluder or beguiler, etc. (Lane). See also 2:103.
a
20:64; 26:35.
513
سَاحِرْ (Sahir) 这个单词的意思并不一定是魔术师。它的意思也可以是: 迷人者; 灵巧和聪明的人; 能把一件事物做得好像另外一件事物的人; 欺骗者; 诈骗者或哄骗者等等 (Lane)。
a
20:64; 26:35.
1003
Important Words:
The word ساحر (magician) does not necessarily mean a magician. It also means, an enchanter; fascinator; one knowing, or one skilful and intelligent; one able to make a thing look other than what it is; a deceiver, deluder or beguiler, etc. (Lane). See also 2:103.
b
20:64; 26:35.
1025
The word Sahir does not necessarily mean, a magician. It also means, a fascinator: one skilful and intelligent; one able to make a thing look other than what it is: a deceiver, deluder or beguiler, etc. (Lane). See also {128}.
قَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ اٰمَنۡتُمۡ بِہٖ قَبۡلَ اَنۡ اٰذَنَ لَکُمۡ ۖ اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَمَکۡرٌ مَّکَرۡتُمُوۡہُ فِی الۡمَدِیۡنَۃِ لِتُخۡرِجُوۡا مِنۡہَاۤ اَہۡلَہَا ۖ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ
20:72; 26:50.
20:72; 26:50.
The words "its inhabitants" here signify Pharaoh’s own people, who, however, were not the real inhabitants of Egypt, having wrested the country from the sons of the soil.
20:72; 26:50.
Commentary:
The sudden change in the magicians, brought about by the powerful hand of God, gave rise to doubts and misgivings in the mind of Pharaoh; or it may be, he simply used it as an excuse to hide his own discomfiture.
By the words "its inhabitants" are here meant Pharaoh’s people, who, however, were not the real inhabitants of Egypt, having wrested the country from the sons of the soil.
The Bible also agrees with the Quran in saying that the magicians became believers in Moses (Exod. 8:19), with the difference that whereas, according to the Quran, the magicians became believers on the spot immediately after witnessing this miracle of Moses, according to the Bible, they believed in Moses sometime later. The Quranic account is certainly more natural.
e
20:72; 26:50.
d
20:72; 26:50.
1013
Commentary:
The sudden change in the magicians, brought about by the powerful hand of God, gave rise to doubts and misgivings in the mind of Pharaoh; or it may be, he simply used it as an excuse to hide his own discomfiture.
By the words "its inhabitants" are here meant Pharaoh’s people, who, however, were not the real inhabitants of Egypt, having wrested the country from the sons of the soil.
The Bible also agrees with the Quran in saying that the magicians became believers in Moses (Exod. 8:19), with the difference that whereas, according to the Quran, the magicians became believers on the spot immediately after witnessing this miracle of Moses, according to the Bible, they believed in Moses sometime later. The Quranic account is certainly more natural.
a
20:72; 26:50.
1032
The words "its inhabitants" here signify Pharaoh’s own people, who, however, were not the real inhabitants of Egypt, having wrested the country from the sons of the soil.
فَخَلَفَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہِمۡ خَلۡفٌ وَّرِثُوا الۡکِتٰبَ یَاۡخُذُوۡنَ عَرَضَ ہٰذَا الۡاَدۡنٰی وَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ سَیُغۡفَرُ لَنَا وَاِنۡ یَّاۡتِہِمۡ عَرَضٌ مِّثۡلُہٗ یَاۡخُذُوۡہُ ۚ اَلَمۡ یُؤۡخَذۡ عَلَیۡہِمۡ مِّیۡثٰقُ الۡکِتٰبِ اَنۡ لَّا یَقُوۡلُوۡا عَلَی اللّٰہِ اِلَّا الۡحَقَّ وَدَرَسُوۡا مَا فِیۡہِ ۗ وَالدَّارُ الۡاٰخِرَۃُ خَیۡرٌ لِّلَّذِیۡنَ یَتَّقُوۡنَ ۗ اَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ
19:60.
6:33; 12:110.
‘Arad means, a thing that is not permanent; the paltry goods of the present world; worldly goods or commodities; an object of desire; (Lane).
Darasa means, (1) he read or studied a book; (2) he effaced, erased or obliterated something (Lane).
19:60.
6:33; 12:110.
Important Words:
خلف (an evil generation) is a substantive from خلف (khalafa) meaning, he came after, succeeded or remained after another. خلف means, the location or quarter that is behind; the time past; the side corresponding to the front; one who remains after another, or persons remaining after others; a remnant of people; a generation after a generation; a bad son; an evil generation; one or more persons in whom there is no good; a thing in which there is no good (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:31; 7:70.
عرض (paltry goods) is derived from عرض. They say عرض له الشیء i.e. he presented, showed or offered the thing to him. عرضmeans, a thing that befalls or happens to a man, such as disease, misfortune and the like; a thing that is not permanent; the paltry goods of the present world; worldly goods or commodities; booty or spoil; an object of desire; an eager desire or covetousness (Lane & Aqrab).
درسوا (they have studied) is from درس i.e. (1) he read or studied a book; (2) it became effaced, erased or obliterated; (3) he effaced, erased or obliterated something (Lane). See also 6:106.
Commentary:
The Book spoken of in this verse is the Bible and the expression, who inherited the Book, means who received the Book as a sacred trust from God through the Prophets, or through those gone before them.
The words درسوا ما فیه (they have studied what is therein) may also be rendered as "they have obliterated or effaced what is therein", meaning that they were taught the Divine Book, but they forgot it and rendered it as something effaced and obliterated.
a
6:33; 12:110.
e
19:60.
b
19:60.
c
6:33; 12:110.
1059
Important Words:
خلف (an evil generation) is a substantive from خلف (khalafa) meaning, he came after, succeeded or remained after another. خلف means, the location or quarter that is behind; the time past; the side corresponding to the front; one who remains after another, or persons remaining after others; a remnant of people; a generation after a generation; a bad son; an evil generation; one or more persons in whom there is no good; a thing in which there is no good (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:31; 7:70.
عرض (paltry goods) is derived from عرض. They say عرض له الشیء i.e. he presented, showed or offered the thing to him. عرضmeans, a thing that befalls or happens to a man, such as disease, misfortune and the like; a thing that is not permanent; the paltry goods of the present world; worldly goods or commodities; booty or spoil; an object of desire; an eager desire or covetousness (Lane & Aqrab).
درسوا (they have studied) is from درس i.e. (1) he read or studied a book; (2) it became effaced, erased or obliterated; (3) he effaced, erased or obliterated something (Lane). See also 6:106.
Commentary:
The Book spoken of in this verse is the Bible and the expression, who inherited the Book, means who received the Book as a sacred trust from God through the Prophets, or through those gone before them.
The words درسوا ما فیه (they have studied what is therein) may also be rendered as "they have obliterated or effaced what is therein", meaning that they were taught the Divine Book, but they forgot it and rendered it as something effaced and obliterated.
b
19:60.
c
6:33; 12:110.
1067
‘Arad means, a thing that is not permanent; the paltry goods of the present world; worldly goods or commodities; an object of desire; (Lane).
1068
Darasa means, (1) he read or studied a book; (2) he effaced, erased or obliterated something (Lane).
وَاِذۡ اَخَذَ رَبُّکَ مِنۡۢ بَنِیۡۤ اٰدَمَ مِنۡ ظُہُوۡرِہِمۡ ذُرِّیَّتَہُمۡ وَاَشۡہَدَہُمۡ عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ اَلَسۡتُ بِرَبِّکُمۡ ۖ قَالُوۡا بَلٰی ۛ شَہِدۡنَآ ۛ اَنۡ تَقُوۡلُوۡا یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ اِنَّا کُنَّا عَنۡ ہٰذَا غٰفِلِیۡنَ
43:38.
这节经文可能论到, 创造并控制宇宙的安拉的存在的明证是埋置在人类本性中的; (30:31) 或者它可能意指安拉使者的降现, 那些使者向人们指出通往安拉的道路。“阿丹子孙的后代” 这句话, 意指安拉派遣天使到他们那里去的每一个时代的人们。实际上, 正是每一个新先知的降临才引起安拉的质问, “我不是你们的养主?” 这个质问意旨, 当安拉为人类提供粮食时, 也给他们的道德和精神发展提供条件。他们如何能否定他是他们的养主呢? 人们确实由于反对他们的先知而做反对他们自己的证明; 因为在这种情况下, 他们不能以推托作为掩护来说自己不知道有安拉, 或者不知道他的经典或赏罚时候。
43:38.
The verse may refer to the evidence embedded in the very nature of man about the existence of the Supreme Being Who has created the universe and controls it (30:31). Or it may refer to the appearance of Divine Prophets who show the way to God, the expression 'offspring from the children of Adam,' signifying the people of every age to whom a Messenger of God is sent. It is, in fact, the advent of every new Messenger which prompts the Divine query, Am I not your Lord? The query signifies that when God has made provision for the physical sustenance of man as well as for his moral and spiritual development, how can he deny His Lordship. It is indeed by rejecting their Prophet that men bear witness against themselves; for in that case they cannot take shelter behind the excuse that they did not know God or His Law or the Day of Judgment.
43:83.
Important Words:
ظھور (loins) is the plural of ظھر (back) which is derived from ظھر which means, it was or became apparent, open, plain or evident. ظھر means, among other things, the back; the part extending from the lower portion of the neck to the nearest part of the buttocks. Elsewhere the Quran uses the more familiar word اصلاب (4:24), i.e. loins. So in the text the word has been rightly translated as "loins".
Commentary:
The verse may be interpreted in two ways. It may either be taken to refer to the inborn idea in man about the existence of a Supreme Being Who has created and Who governs the universe. God has embedded this idea in the very nature of man so that he may be admonished thereby and seek a way towards his Maker. The expression, out of their loins, supports this interpretation. It should not, however, be supposed that the dialogue actually took place. The words are simply meant to express a state of affairs.
The second interpretation relates to the appearance of Prophets whom God sends to show people His way. In this case it is worthy of note that when speaking about "making them witnesses against their ownselves", the verse does not mention Adam but the children of Adam, which points to the fact that the expression, "offspring from the children of Adam", means the people of every new age or era to whom a Messenger of God is sent. It is, in fact, the advent of every new Messenger that prompts the Divine query, Am I not your Lord? The query asserts that when God has made a provision for the physical sustenance of mankind as well as for their moral and spiritual development, they cannot deny His lordship. To this question the only possible reply can be, Yea, we do bear witness. It is indeed only through the rejection of their Prophet that the people of an age become witnesses against themselves; for in that case they cannot take shelter behind the excuse that they did not know God or His Law or the Day of Judgement.
d
43:38.
527
这节经文可能论到, 创造并控制宇宙的安拉的存在的明证是埋置在人类本性中的; (30:31) 或者它可能意指安拉使者的降现, 那些使者向人们指出通往安拉的道路。“阿丹子孙的后代” 这句话, 意指安拉派遣天使到他们那里去的每一个时代的人们。实际上, 正是每一个新先知的降临才引起安拉的质问, “我不是你们的养主?” 这个质问意旨, 当安拉为人类提供粮食时, 也给他们的道德和精神发展提供条件。他们如何能否定他是他们的养主呢? 人们确实由于反对他们的先知而做反对他们自己的证明; 因为在这种情况下, 他们不能以推托作为掩护来说自己不知道有安拉, 或者不知道他的经典或赏罚时候。
a
43:83.
1061
Important Words:
ظھور (loins) is the plural of ظھر (back) which is derived from ظھر which means, it was or became apparent, open, plain or evident. ظھر means, among other things, the back; the part extending from the lower portion of the neck to the nearest part of the buttocks. Elsewhere the Quran uses the more familiar word اصلاب (4:24), i.e. loins. So in the text the word has been rightly translated as "loins".
Commentary:
The verse may be interpreted in two ways. It may either be taken to refer to the inborn idea in man about the existence of a Supreme Being Who has created and Who governs the universe. God has embedded this idea in the very nature of man so that he may be admonished thereby and seek a way towards his Maker. The expression, out of their loins, supports this interpretation. It should not, however, be supposed that the dialogue actually took place. The words are simply meant to express a state of affairs.
The second interpretation relates to the appearance of Prophets whom God sends to show people His way. In this case it is worthy of note that when speaking about "making them witnesses against their ownselves", the verse does not mention Adam but the children of Adam, which points to the fact that the expression, "offspring from the children of Adam", means the people of every new age or era to whom a Messenger of God is sent. It is, in fact, the advent of every new Messenger that prompts the Divine query, Am I not your Lord? The query asserts that when God has made a provision for the physical sustenance of mankind as well as for their moral and spiritual development, they cannot deny His lordship. To this question the only possible reply can be, Yea, we do bear witness. It is indeed only through the rejection of their Prophet that the people of an age become witnesses against themselves; for in that case they cannot take shelter behind the excuse that they did not know God or His Law or the Day of Judgement.
c
43:38.
1070
The verse may refer to the evidence embedded in the very nature of man about the existence of the Supreme Being Who has created the universe and controls it (30:31). Or it may refer to the appearance of Divine Prophets who show the way to God, the expression 'offspring from the children of Adam,' signifying the people of every age to whom a Messenger of God is sent. It is, in fact, the advent of every new Messenger which prompts the Divine query, Am I not your Lord? The query signifies that when God has made provision for the physical sustenance of man as well as for his moral and spiritual development, how can he deny His Lordship. It is indeed by rejecting their Prophet that men bear witness against themselves; for in that case they cannot take shelter behind the excuse that they did not know God or His Law or the Day of Judgment.
وَاِذَا لَمۡ تَاۡتِہِمۡ بِاٰیَۃٍ قَالُوۡا لَوۡلَا اجۡتَبَیۡتَہَا ۚ قُلۡ اِنَّمَاۤ اَتَّبِعُ مَا یُوۡحٰۤی اِلَیَّ مِنۡ رَّبِّیۡ ۚ ہٰذَا بَصَآئِرُ مِنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ وَہُدًی وَّرَحۡمَۃٌ لِّقَوۡمٍ یُّؤۡمِنُوۡنَ
مطلب یہ کہ تھوڑے تھوڑے وقفہ پر کھلی نشانیاں آتی ہیں۔ جب بھی ذرا وقفہ پڑے مخالف لوگ شور مچا دیتے ہیں۔
بَصِیْرَۃٌ کے معنے دلیل کے ہیں۔ چونکہ جمع آیا ہے اس لئے دلائل سے پُر ترجمہ کیا گیا ہے۔
6:51.
6:105; 17:103.
Basa’ir is the plural of Basirah which means, perceptive faculty of the mind; understanding; firm belief of the heart; constancy or firmness in religion; a testimony; argument; a witness; an example by which one is admonished; a shield (Lane).
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.
b
6:51.
c
6:105; 17:103.
2
مطلب یہ کہ تھوڑے تھوڑے وقفہ پر کھلی نشانیاں آتی ہیں۔ جب بھی ذرا وقفہ پڑے مخالف لوگ شور مچا دیتے ہیں۔
3
بَصِیْرَۃٌ کے معنے دلیل کے ہیں۔ چونکہ جمع آیا ہے اس لئے دلائل سے پُر ترجمہ کیا گیا ہے۔
a
6:5.
b
6:105; 17:103.
1088
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.
d
6:51.
e
6:105; 17:103.
1089
Basa’ir is the plural of Basirah which means, perceptive faculty of the mind; understanding; firm belief of the heart; constancy or firmness in religion; a testimony; argument; a witness; an example by which one is admonished; a shield (Lane).
وَاِذۡ قَالُوا اللّٰہُمَّ اِنۡ کَانَ ہٰذَا ہُوَ الۡحَقَّ مِنۡ عِنۡدِکَ فَاَمۡطِرۡ عَلَیۡنَا حِجَارَۃً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ اَوِ ائۡتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ اَلِیۡمٍ
阿布•贾赫耳 (اَبُوْجَهْل) 在白德尔بَدْر) ) 战地上祈祷的几乎就是这些话 (بُخَارِی كِتابُ التَّفْسِيْر, Bukhari, Kitabut Tafsir)。这一祈祷确实是实现了。阿布·贾赫耳连同古来西的其他首领都被杀死, 他们的尸体被抛入一个土坑内。
It was almost in these words that Abu Jahl prayed in the battlefield of Badr (Bukhari, ch. on Tafsir). The prayer was literally fulfilled. Abu Jahl along with many other leaders of the Quraish was killed and their bodies were thrown into a pit.
Commentary:
This was the prayer which Abu Jahl, the leader of the disbelievers, offered to God at Badr and it was accepted. He prayed on that memorable day that God might destroy him and his party if the Prophet was in the right (Bukhari, ch. on Tafsir). Strange to say, not only were Abu Jahl and his companions punished at Badr by God but, as prayed for by Abu Jahl, even stones were rained down upon them; for, when at the throwing of a handful of pebbles by the Holy Prophet (8:18), there arose a strong wind, it literally rained upon the disbelieving host hard pebbles from the desert.
545
阿布•贾赫耳 (اَبُوْجَهْل) 在白德尔بَدْر) ) 战地上祈祷的几乎就是这些话 (بُخَارِی كِتابُ التَّفْسِيْر, Bukhari, Kitabut Tafsir)。这一祈祷确实是实现了。阿布·贾赫耳连同古来西的其他首领都被杀死, 他们的尸体被抛入一个土坑内。
1121
Commentary:
This was the prayer which Abu Jahl, the leader of the disbelievers, offered to God at Badr and it was accepted. He prayed on that memorable day that God might destroy him and his party if the Prophet was in the right (Bukhari, ch. on Tafsir). Strange to say, not only were Abu Jahl and his companions punished at Badr by God but, as prayed for by Abu Jahl, even stones were rained down upon them; for, when at the throwing of a handful of pebbles by the Holy Prophet (8:18), there arose a strong wind, it literally rained upon the disbelieving host hard pebbles from the desert.
1117
It was almost in these words that Abu Jahl prayed in the battlefield of Badr (Bukhari, ch. on Tafsir). The prayer was literally fulfilled. Abu Jahl along with many other leaders of the Quraish was killed and their bodies were thrown into a pit.
نَحۡنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَیۡکَ اَحۡسَنَ الۡقَصَصِ بِمَاۤ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡکَ ہٰذَا الۡقُرۡاٰنَ وَاِنۡ کُنۡتَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہٖ لَمِنَ الۡغٰفِلِیۡنَ
The reason why the story of Joseph was revealed to the Holy Prophet in such detail is that it contains many prophetic allusions to his own life. The whole story was to be, as it were, re-enacted in the person of the Holy Prophet himself and his brethren, the Quraish.
Important Words:
نقص (We narrate). They say قص اثرہ i.e. he followed his tracks or footsteps in pursuit. قص علیه الحدیث means, he related to him the story in its proper manner i.e. rightly, as though he followed its traces in pursuit and related it accordingly (Lane). See also 7:177.
Commentary:
As the expression نقص (which literally means, we narrate rightly or properly) indicates, the verse shows that some differences existed about the life story of Joseph. The Quran here claims to act as judge between the upholders of different views and to lift the veil of obscurity from the face of the true story. This is why it says, We relate to thee the narration rightly or properly as though following its very traces (see Important Words). It is strange that some European critics of the Quran have not taken into consideration the existence of differences about the life of Joseph, but have only thought fit to take exception to the narrative of the Quran, merely because it differs from that of the Bible in certain details. In fact, the very objection has established the truth of the Quran, inasmuch as the claim that it relates the incidents rightly shows that the Revealer of the Quran knew that at some future time people would object to the Quranic version. Brinckman is one of these critics. In his "Notes on Islam" he says, "In the Koran a beautiful and touching tale is mangled and spoiled." The following pages will show whether it is in the Quran or the Bible, that a "beautiful and touching tale" has been "mangled and spoiled."
One of the reasons why the story of Joseph was revealed to the Holy Prophet in such detail is that it contains many prophetic allusions to his own life. The whole story was to be, as it were, re-enacted in the person of the Holy Prophethimself and his brethren, the Quraish, and was thus to serve as evidence of his truth. Another reason is that, as the Holy Prophet was the like of Joseph it was necessary that he himself should know the latter’s life history.
The Holy Prophet has been referred to here as of those not possessed of requisite knowledge. His lack of requisite knowledge about Joseph was intended to hint that, firstly, the whole truth about Joseph was to be found neither in the Bible nor in the Talmud; and, secondly, that the Holy Prophet was not aware that events similar to those which happened to Joseph were to occur in his own life. The account of the Quran differs from that of the Bible in many respects but, as will appear from the following pages, wherever the two accounts differ, it is the Bible that has erred.
1508
Important Words:
نقص (We narrate). They say قص اثرہ i.e. he followed his tracks or footsteps in pursuit. قص علیه الحدیث means, he related to him the story in its proper manner i.e. rightly, as though he followed its traces in pursuit and related it accordingly (Lane). See also 7:177.
Commentary:
As the expression نقص (which literally means, we narrate rightly or properly) indicates, the verse shows that some differences existed about the life story of Joseph. The Quran here claims to act as judge between the upholders of different views and to lift the veil of obscurity from the face of the true story. This is why it says, We relate to thee the narration rightly or properly as though following its very traces (see Important Words). It is strange that some European critics of the Quran have not taken into consideration the existence of differences about the life of Joseph, but have only thought fit to take exception to the narrative of the Quran, merely because it differs from that of the Bible in certain details. In fact, the very objection has established the truth of the Quran, inasmuch as the claim that it relates the incidents rightly shows that the Revealer of the Quran knew that at some future time people would object to the Quranic version. Brinckman is one of these critics. In his "Notes on Islam" he says, "In the Koran a beautiful and touching tale is mangled and spoiled." The following pages will show whether it is in the Quran or the Bible, that a "beautiful and touching tale" has been "mangled and spoiled."
One of the reasons why the story of Joseph was revealed to the Holy Prophet in such detail is that it contains many prophetic allusions to his own life. The whole story was to be, as it were, re-enacted in the person of the Holy Prophethimself and his brethren, the Quraish, and was thus to serve as evidence of his truth. Another reason is that, as the Holy Prophet was the like of Joseph it was necessary that he himself should know the latter’s life history.
The Holy Prophet has been referred to here as of those not possessed of requisite knowledge. His lack of requisite knowledge about Joseph was intended to hint that, firstly, the whole truth about Joseph was to be found neither in the Bible nor in the Talmud; and, secondly, that the Holy Prophet was not aware that events similar to those which happened to Joseph were to occur in his own life. The account of the Quran differs from that of the Bible in many respects but, as will appear from the following pages, wherever the two accounts differ, it is the Bible that has erred.
1358
The reason why the story of Joseph was revealed to the Holy Prophet in such detail is that it contains many prophetic allusions to his own life. The whole story was to be, as it were, re-enacted in the person of the Holy Prophet himself and his brethren, the Quraish.
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اِنَّمَا الۡمُشۡرِکُوۡنَ نَجَسٌ فَلَا یَقۡرَبُوا الۡمَسۡجِدَ الۡحَرَامَ بَعۡدَ عَامِہِمۡ ہٰذَا ۚ وَاِنۡ خِفۡتُمۡ عَیۡلَۃً فَسَوۡفَ یُغۡنِیۡکُمُ اللّٰہُ مِنۡ فَضۡلِہٖۤ اِنۡ شَآءَ ۚ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلِیۡمٌ حَکِیۡمٌ
یعنی ذہنی پاکیزگی ان میں نہیں پائی جاتی۔
یعنی کفار کے نکل جانے کی وجہ سے تجارتیں ٹوٹ جانے کا خیال ہو اور یہ کہ اس سے آمدن کم ہو جائے گی۔
Mecca was a great commercial centre and the pilgrimage season was an occasion of great commercial activity and a source of great income for the Meccans. The prohibition might have given rise to apprehension that it might adversely affect their income.
Important Words:
نجس (unclean) is derived from نجس which means, it was or became unclean, filthy or impure. نجس therefore, means unclean, filthy or impure; it also signifies, a man having an incurable disease (Lane). نجاسة (uncleanness) is of two kinds; one kind of نجاسة is perceived by the physical senses and the other is perceived by the mind. In the present verse, it is the latter kind of uncleanness that is meant (Mufradat).
سوف (will) is a particle denoting amplification because it changes the aorist from the strait time which is the present to the ample time which is the future and is used with respect to that which has not yet happened; it is a word used to denote promising or threatening. According to some, it is synonymous with س but according to others it has a larger meaning than that letter and is distinct from it by its sometimes having ل prefixed to it. You say ولسوف یعطیک ربک فترضی meaning, And thy Lord will give thee, and thou wilt be well pleased (Lane).
Commentary:
The word نجس(unclean), as shown under Important Words, either means "one who is spiritually unclean", or "one having an incurable disease." Idolaters are, thus, described here as: (1) being spiritually unclean or (2) having become so inured to idolatry that it is almost impossible for them to rid themselves of it. But since Mecca was the birthplace of Islam and a monument of Abraham’s great faith in the One God, it was necessary that the place should be kept spiritually pure; hence the prohibition to idolaters to approach the Sacred Mosque.
The coming of pilgrims to Mecca was a source of great income for Meccans and the prohibition might have given rise to fear in the hearts of some Muslims that their income would thereby be considerably lessened. They are, therefore, told here not to fear poverty, for God would make abundant provision for them out of His bounty.
1
یعنی ذہنی پاکیزگی ان میں نہیں پائی جاتی۔
2
یعنی کفار کے نکل جانے کی وجہ سے تجارتیں ٹوٹ جانے کا خیال ہو اور یہ کہ اس سے آمدن کم ہو جائے گی۔
1188
Important Words:
نجس (unclean) is derived from نجس which means, it was or became unclean, filthy or impure. نجس therefore, means unclean, filthy or impure; it also signifies, a man having an incurable disease (Lane). نجاسة (uncleanness) is of two kinds; one kind of نجاسة is perceived by the physical senses and the other is perceived by the mind. In the present verse, it is the latter kind of uncleanness that is meant (Mufradat).
سوف (will) is a particle denoting amplification because it changes the aorist from the strait time which is the present to the ample time which is the future and is used with respect to that which has not yet happened; it is a word used to denote promising or threatening. According to some, it is synonymous with س but according to others it has a larger meaning than that letter and is distinct from it by its sometimes having ل prefixed to it. You say ولسوف یعطیک ربک فترضی meaning, And thy Lord will give thee, and thou wilt be well pleased (Lane).
Commentary:
The word نجس(unclean), as shown under Important Words, either means "one who is spiritually unclean", or "one having an incurable disease." Idolaters are, thus, described here as: (1) being spiritually unclean or (2) having become so inured to idolatry that it is almost impossible for them to rid themselves of it. But since Mecca was the birthplace of Islam and a monument of Abraham’s great faith in the One God, it was necessary that the place should be kept spiritually pure; hence the prohibition to idolaters to approach the Sacred Mosque.
The coming of pilgrims to Mecca was a source of great income for Meccans and the prohibition might have given rise to fear in the hearts of some Muslims that their income would thereby be considerably lessened. They are, therefore, told here not to fear poverty, for God would make abundant provision for them out of His bounty.
1174
Mecca was a great commercial centre and the pilgrimage season was an occasion of great commercial activity and a source of great income for the Meccans. The prohibition might have given rise to apprehension that it might adversely affect their income.
یَوۡمَ یُحۡمٰی عَلَیۡہَا فِیۡ نَارِ جَہَنَّمَ فَتُکۡوٰی بِہَا جِبَاہُہُمۡ وَجُنُوۡبُہُمۡ وَظُہُوۡرُہُمۡ ۖ ہٰذَا مَا کَنَزۡتُمۡ لِاَنۡفُسِکُمۡ فَذُوۡقُوۡا مَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَکۡنِزُوۡنَ
The expression seems to be figurative. When a rich man, out of miserliness or pride, refuses to help a needy person, his forehead becomes contracted into a frown. Then he turns aside and finally disdainfully shows his back to the man seeking his help. Quite appropriately, it is mentioned that the foreheads, the sides and the backs will be branded.
Important Words:
تکوی (branded) is formed from کوی. They say کواہ i.e. he cauterized him or it; he burnt his or its skin with a piece of iron or the like (Lane). کویت الدابة means, I cauterized or branded the beast with a piece of hot iron (Mufradat). کوت العقرب فلانا means, the scorpion stung such a one. الکی which is the noun-infinitive from کوی means, the act of cauterizing or branding with a piece of hot iron (whether for the purpose of putting a mark or for curing a disease). The Arabs say آخر الدواء الکی i.e. the last remedy (in certain diseases) is cauterizing (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The reward and punishment of the life to come will not be of a physical nature, but will be the spiritual representation of the actions of man in the present life. This is clear from the verse under comment, which states that only three parts of the body—the forehead, the side and the back—will be branded.
The expression is clearly figurative. When a rich man, out of miserliness or pride, refuses to help a beggar, the first sign that appears on his person is that his forehead contracts into a frown. Then he turns on his side, and finally he disdainfully shows his back to the man seeking his help. Fittingly, therefore, the forehead, the side and the back have been spoken of here as being branded, i.e. in the afterlife these parts will appear to be branded with a hot iron, as if bearing testimony against themselves.
The verse also signifies that even in the present life the hoarded treasures of Jews and Christians will become a source of grievous punishment for them. In this case, the threatened punishment might be taken to refer to devastating wars such as the present one, in which hot metal in various forms is destroying the western peoples. They receive it on their foreheads, sides and backs, i.e. whether facing the enemy or making a flank movement or turning their backs; and, curiously enough, Jews are as much hit by these wars as are Christians.
1195
Important Words:
تکوی (branded) is formed from کوی. They say کواہ i.e. he cauterized him or it; he burnt his or its skin with a piece of iron or the like (Lane). کویت الدابة means, I cauterized or branded the beast with a piece of hot iron (Mufradat). کوت العقرب فلانا means, the scorpion stung such a one. الکی which is the noun-infinitive from کوی means, the act of cauterizing or branding with a piece of hot iron (whether for the purpose of putting a mark or for curing a disease). The Arabs say آخر الدواء الکی i.e. the last remedy (in certain diseases) is cauterizing (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The reward and punishment of the life to come will not be of a physical nature, but will be the spiritual representation of the actions of man in the present life. This is clear from the verse under comment, which states that only three parts of the body—the forehead, the side and the back—will be branded.
The expression is clearly figurative. When a rich man, out of miserliness or pride, refuses to help a beggar, the first sign that appears on his person is that his forehead contracts into a frown. Then he turns on his side, and finally he disdainfully shows his back to the man seeking his help. Fittingly, therefore, the forehead, the side and the back have been spoken of here as being branded, i.e. in the afterlife these parts will appear to be branded with a hot iron, as if bearing testimony against themselves.
The verse also signifies that even in the present life the hoarded treasures of Jews and Christians will become a source of grievous punishment for them. In this case, the threatened punishment might be taken to refer to devastating wars such as the present one, in which hot metal in various forms is destroying the western peoples. They receive it on their foreheads, sides and backs, i.e. whether facing the enemy or making a flank movement or turning their backs; and, curiously enough, Jews are as much hit by these wars as are Christians.
1180
The expression seems to be figurative. When a rich man, out of miserliness or pride, refuses to help a needy person, his forehead becomes contracted into a frown. Then he turns aside and finally disdainfully shows his back to the man seeking his help. Quite appropriately, it is mentioned that the foreheads, the sides and the backs will be branded.
اَکَانَ لِلنَّاسِ عَجَبًا اَنۡ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلٰی رَجُلٍ مِّنۡہُمۡ اَنۡ اَنۡذِرِ النَّاسَ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَنَّ لَہُمۡ قَدَمَ صِدۡقٍ عِنۡدَ رَبِّہِمۡ ۗ قَالَ الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَسٰحِرٌ مُّبِیۡنٌ
7:64, 70; 50:3.
7:64, 70; 50:3.
Qadam means, preference; rank; footing. They say la-hu ‘indi Qadamun, i.e. there is strength or rank for him with me (Lane).
The verse brings to light the important fact that those, who become morally depraved, lose all sense of self-respect as well as all confidence in themselves, for here the disbelievers are represented as so degenerate that they could not imagine that anyone from among themselves could come and rescue them from the morass of degradation into which they had fallen, and that only someone from outside could improve their condition.
7:64, 70; 50:3
Important Words:
قدم (rank) is the substantive noun from قدم. They say قدم القوم (qadama) i.e. he went before the people or he preceded them; or he took precedence of them; or he led them so as to set an example; قدم البلد (qadima) means, he came to or arrived at the town. قدمه علی غیرہ (qaddama-hu) means, he gave him precedence over another in time, place or rank; he preferred him to another or honoured or esteemed him above another. The expression لزید عند بکر قدم means, there is strength or rank or good footing for Zaid, with Bakr. They say فلان علی قدم عظیم i.e. such a one is on an excellent footing or foundation. فلان علی قدم فلان means, such a one is the successor of such a one (literally, such a one treads in the footsteps of such a one). قدم means, the human foot; precedence, or preference; rank, footing or foundation (Aqrab & Lane).
Commentary:
It is generally believed that the occasion for the revelation of this verse was when disbelievers taunted that God could find no one better to act as His Messenger than the orphan boy of Abu Talib. Though no great value can be attached to this or that incident as being the cause of the revelation of a particular verse, the incident referred to above at least throws some light on the treatment which the Meccans meted out to the Holy Prophet and the contempt in which he was held by them after he had laid claim to prophethood. To call the Holy Prophet the orphan boy of Abu Talib, who was his uncle and guardian, and not to call him after his own father, was intended to insinuate that a man who was the son of an unnamable person and who had been brought up by another could not be worthy of a Messenger of God.
The verse also brings to light the important fact that those who become morally depraved lose all sense of self-respect as well as all confidence in themselves, for here the disbelievers are represented as looking upon themselves as being so degenerate that they could not think that anyone from among them could come and rescue them from the morass of degradation into which they had fallen and that only someone from outside could reform them. This tragic fact also holds good in the case of present-day Muslims. They, too, are anxiously waiting for Jesus to come down from the heaven to take them out of the slough of despair and degradation and are refusing to accept the heavenly Reformer whom God raised from among themselves to lead them to moral perfection and spiritual glory.
The words, give glad tidings to those who believe that they have a true rank of honour with their Lord, embody a promise that whoever acts upon the teachings of the Holy Prophet will achieve all kinds of prosperity and glory. This was another cause of surprise for disbelievers. According to them, the followers of the Holy Prophet lacked those qualities that go to make a people great and prosperous. They, therefore, wondered how Muslims dared hope to succeed in their great aim of destroying the old order of things and building on its ashes a new and better order. The words, with their Lord, signify that Muslims would make not only moral and spiritual but also material progress. By referring to their connection with a Being Who has the power to bestow all forms of advancement, the Quran alludes to the complete glory and many-sided success of Muslims.
The words, Surely, this is a manifest enchanter, signify that when disbelievers heard the above announcement, they said that Muhammad had succeeded in representing falsehood as truth, because he knew how to take advantage of the weakness of man. He had inspired the cowardly with fear and had held out false hopes to the greedy, and had thus managed to bring people over to his side. This is the very criticism which is levelled at the Holy Prophet by modern Christian writers. They also allege that Muhammad converted the ignorant Arabs to his faith by threatening with punishment those of them who disbelieved and tempting those who were credulous and greedy with promises of bliss and happiness. If that was indeed a stratagem, where is the religion which does not promise Heaven to its believers
and Hell to disbelievers? If speaking of blessings—which are the inevitable result of accepting truth—be called tempting a people with false promises, then no religion is safe from the charge of holding out such temptation. And what will Christian critics say of Jesus, who promised the keys of Paradise to Peter and to his other followers and threatened disbelievers with deprivation of the kingdom of God? (Matt. 16:15-19; 18:3 & 19:28, 29).
d
7:64, 70; 50:3.
a
7:64, 70; 50:3
1278
Important Words:
قدم (rank) is the substantive noun from قدم. They say قدم القوم (qadama) i.e. he went before the people or he preceded them; or he took precedence of them; or he led them so as to set an example; قدم البلد (qadima) means, he came to or arrived at the town. قدمه علی غیرہ (qaddama-hu) means, he gave him precedence over another in time, place or rank; he preferred him to another or honoured or esteemed him above another. The expression لزید عند بکر قدم means, there is strength or rank or good footing for Zaid, with Bakr. They say فلان علی قدم عظیم i.e. such a one is on an excellent footing or foundation. فلان علی قدم فلان means, such a one is the successor of such a one (literally, such a one treads in the footsteps of such a one). قدم means, the human foot; precedence, or preference; rank, footing or foundation (Aqrab & Lane).
Commentary:
It is generally believed that the occasion for the revelation of this verse was when disbelievers taunted that God could find no one better to act as His Messenger than the orphan boy of Abu Talib. Though no great value can be attached to this or that incident as being the cause of the revelation of a particular verse, the incident referred to above at least throws some light on the treatment which the Meccans meted out to the Holy Prophet and the contempt in which he was held by them after he had laid claim to prophethood. To call the Holy Prophet the orphan boy of Abu Talib, who was his uncle and guardian, and not to call him after his own father, was intended to insinuate that a man who was the son of an unnamable person and who had been brought up by another could not be worthy of a Messenger of God.
The verse also brings to light the important fact that those who become morally depraved lose all sense of self-respect as well as all confidence in themselves, for here the disbelievers are represented as looking upon themselves as being so degenerate that they could not think that anyone from among them could come and rescue them from the morass of degradation into which they had fallen and that only someone from outside could reform them. This tragic fact also holds good in the case of present-day Muslims. They, too, are anxiously waiting for Jesus to come down from the heaven to take them out of the slough of despair and degradation and are refusing to accept the heavenly Reformer whom God raised from among themselves to lead them to moral perfection and spiritual glory.
The words, give glad tidings to those who believe that they have a true rank of honour with their Lord, embody a promise that whoever acts upon the teachings of the Holy Prophet will achieve all kinds of prosperity and glory. This was another cause of surprise for disbelievers. According to them, the followers of the Holy Prophet lacked those qualities that go to make a people great and prosperous. They, therefore, wondered how Muslims dared hope to succeed in their great aim of destroying the old order of things and building on its ashes a new and better order. The words, with their Lord, signify that Muslims would make not only moral and spiritual but also material progress. By referring to their connection with a Being Who has the power to bestow all forms of advancement, the Quran alludes to the complete glory and many-sided success of Muslims.
The words, Surely, this is a manifest enchanter, signify that when disbelievers heard the above announcement, they said that Muhammad had succeeded in representing falsehood as truth, because he knew how to take advantage of the weakness of man. He had inspired the cowardly with fear and had held out false hopes to the greedy, and had thus managed to bring people over to his side. This is the very criticism which is levelled at the Holy Prophet by modern Christian writers. They also allege that Muhammad converted the ignorant Arabs to his faith by threatening with punishment those of them who disbelieved and tempting those who were credulous and greedy with promises of bliss and happiness. If that was indeed a stratagem, where is the religion which does not promise Heaven to its believers
and Hell to disbelievers? If speaking of blessings—which are the inevitable result of accepting truth—be called tempting a people with false promises, then no religion is safe from the charge of holding out such temptation. And what will Christian critics say of Jesus, who promised the keys of Paradise to Peter and to his other followers and threatened disbelievers with deprivation of the kingdom of God? (Matt. 16:15-19; 18:3 & 19:28, 29).
d
7:64, 70; 50:3.
1231
Qadam means, preference; rank; footing. They say la-hu ‘indi Qadamun, i.e. there is strength or rank for him with me (Lane).
1231A
The verse brings to light the important fact that those, who become morally depraved, lose all sense of self-respect as well as all confidence in themselves, for here the disbelievers are represented as so degenerate that they could not imagine that anyone from among themselves could come and rescue them from the morass of degradation into which they had fallen, and that only someone from outside could improve their condition.
وَمَا کَانَ ہٰذَا الۡقُرۡاٰنُ اَنۡ یُّفۡتَرٰی مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ وَلٰکِنۡ تَصۡدِیۡقَ الَّذِیۡ بَیۡنَ یَدَیۡہِ وَتَفۡصِیۡلَ الۡکِتٰبِ لَا رَیۡبَ فِیۡہِ مِنۡ رَّبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ
12:112; 16:90.
这节经文举出五个非常有说服力的理由来表明 «古兰经» 是安拉降示的言语: (a) 它述及非人力能知道的、只有安拉能降示的这样的论题。(b) 过去许多先知的预言都源自安拉的启示。(c) 它解说并阐明过去各种经典的教义, 其清楚和全面程度非其他经典所能及。(d) 它包含可以证明它源出安拉启示的所有理由和论据, 毋需任何人或书藉的有关帮助和证明。(e) 它不像过去的经典, 它可以满足全人类在所有情况之下的精神需要和要求。
یعنی تبھی اس تمام مخلوقات کے لئے ضروری تعلیم موجود ہے۔
12:112; 16:90.
The verse gives five very cogent reasons to show that the Qur’an is the revealed Word of God: (a) It deals with such themes as are beyond the power of man to know and as can be revealed by God alone. (b) The prophecies of the previous Prophets establish its Divine origin. (c) It explains and expounds the teachings of previous Scriptures in such a clear and comprehensive manner as no other Scripture has done. (d) It contains all the reasons and arguments needed to prove its Divine origin and does not require the help or support of any outside person or book for this purpose. (e) Unlike former Scriptures it satisfies the moral needs and requirements of all mankind under all circumstances.
12:112; 16:90.
Commentary:
The previous verse dealt with the subject that it was necessary for God to have sent down revelation for the guidance of mankind and that it is not in the power of anyone else to provide such spiritual guidance. From a discussion of the subject in principle, the Quran in this verse turns to the particular question, whether the Quran could be the word of man. It answers this question in the negative and gives five very cogent reasons to show that it is indeed the revealed word of God.
The first argument hinted at in the words, except Allah, is that the Quran comprises such subjects as are beyond the power of man to know and as can be revealed by God alone. Now among the things which are known to God alone are matters which pertain to the unseen, viz. prophecies about great events of the future; and there can be no doubt about the Divine origin of a book which contains things which are known to God alone.
The second argument given here to prove the Divine origin of the Quran is that not only do its own prophecies contradict the idea of its having been forged and fabricated by a man but the prophecies of the previous Prophets also establish its Divine origin. This is hinted at in the words, it fulfils that which is before it; and obviously no man-made book has the power to fulfil in itself prophecies foretold in previous Scriptures.
It is a peculiar characteristic of the Quran that, instead of speaking of former Prophets as bearing witness to the truth of the latter Prophets, it represents the latter as fulfilling what the former Prophets have said, the reason being that whereas former Prophets do indeed predict the advent of the Prophets that are to come after them, the latter Prophets establish the truth of the former Prophets by making their appearance exactly at the time and in the manner foretold. The best way of expressing this idea is the one that has been followed by the Quran. For, to say that the former Prophets bear testimony to the truth of such and such a Prophet or of such and such a revelation, is not so effective as to say that it is only by means of the present revelation or the present Prophet that the truth of the former Prophets can now become established. This is a line of reasoning which the followers of the former Prophets dare not reject.
The third argument embodied in this verse is hinted at in the words, an exposition of the Law, i.e. the Quran explains and expounds the teachings of previous Scriptures. This also constitutes a very strong proof of the truth of the Quran. The previous Scriptures require the help of the Quran for the exposition and elucidation of their teachings. The Torah, the Gospels, the Vedas, the Zend-Avesta, all discuss such great spiritual problems as the Unity of God, revelation, Divine attributes, prophethood, life after death, moral and spiritual conditions, etc., but none of these books deals with these questions in such a manner as to make them perfectly clear and understandable, and their ambiguities and obscurities have to be explained with the help of the Quran. So in the verse under comment the claim is made that the Quran explains and clarifies those parts of previous Scriptures about which so much vagueness and obscurity exists and disbelievers are told that, if they deny the Divine origin of the Quran, they will have to admit that the All-Knowing God Himself was unable to put so much spiritual knowledge in all the former revealed books as this human being (the Prophet of Islam) has succeeded in placing in this small Book, the Quran. So the followers of other faiths will have either to admit the Divine origin of the Quran or deny previous Scriptures also.
The fourth argument given in this verse is contained in the words, There is no doubt about it, which means that the Quran contains all the reasons and arguments needed to prove its Divine origin and does not require the help or support of any outside person or book for that purpose. It deals with various social, moral and spiritual problems in such a perfect and exhaustive manner that he who ponders over it dispassionately can readily see that the Quran makes no claim which it does not support with cogent reasons and powerful arguments. This constitutes irrefutable evidence of the fact that this Book has indeed proceeded from God; for the Quran demands our belief in many unseen things and it is not in the power of man to prove unseen things by intellectual reasoning alone without the help of observation and experience. But obviously man cannot provide bases of observation and experience for things unseen. Only God can do it.
The fifth argument of the Divine origin of the Quran as given in this verse is contained in the words, It is from the Lord of all the worlds. This is to hint that by means of the Quran the Divine attribute of Rabbul ‘Alamin (Lord of all the worlds) has been made manifest to all mankind. The Quran is not meant to satisfy the need and requirements of a particular people or a particular period only, as were the previous Scriptures, but is meant for all nations and all ages. Now it is impossible for a human being to produce a book which should satisfy the requirements of all mankind for all time. Man is naturally influenced by his environment and ordinarily foresees and seeks to meet his immediate needs only. It is God alone Who can give such teachings as are equally useful for all times and all peoples and as are unaffected by changes in time and in the conditions and circumstances of man. The Quran embodies such teachings.
b
12:112; 16:90.
591
这节经文举出五个非常有说服力的理由来表明 «古兰经» 是安拉降示的言语: (a) 它述及非人力能知道的、只有安拉能降示的这样的论题。(b) 过去许多先知的预言都源自安拉的启示。(c) 它解说并阐明过去各种经典的教义, 其清楚和全面程度非其他经典所能及。(d) 它包含可以证明它源出安拉启示的所有理由和论据, 毋需任何人或书藉的有关帮助和证明。(e) 它不像过去的经典, 它可以满足全人类在所有情况之下的精神需要和要求。
1
یعنی تبھی اس تمام مخلوقات کے لئے ضروری تعلیم موجود ہے۔
a
12:112; 16:90.
1313
Commentary:
The previous verse dealt with the subject that it was necessary for God to have sent down revelation for the guidance of mankind and that it is not in the power of anyone else to provide such spiritual guidance. From a discussion of the subject in principle, the Quran in this verse turns to the particular question, whether the Quran could be the word of man. It answers this question in the negative and gives five very cogent reasons to show that it is indeed the revealed word of God.
The first argument hinted at in the words, except Allah, is that the Quran comprises such subjects as are beyond the power of man to know and as can be revealed by God alone. Now among the things which are known to God alone are matters which pertain to the unseen, viz. prophecies about great events of the future; and there can be no doubt about the Divine origin of a book which contains things which are known to God alone.
The second argument given here to prove the Divine origin of the Quran is that not only do its own prophecies contradict the idea of its having been forged and fabricated by a man but the prophecies of the previous Prophets also establish its Divine origin. This is hinted at in the words, it fulfils that which is before it; and obviously no man-made book has the power to fulfil in itself prophecies foretold in previous Scriptures.
It is a peculiar characteristic of the Quran that, instead of speaking of former Prophets as bearing witness to the truth of the latter Prophets, it represents the latter as fulfilling what the former Prophets have said, the reason being that whereas former Prophets do indeed predict the advent of the Prophets that are to come after them, the latter Prophets establish the truth of the former Prophets by making their appearance exactly at the time and in the manner foretold. The best way of expressing this idea is the one that has been followed by the Quran. For, to say that the former Prophets bear testimony to the truth of such and such a Prophet or of such and such a revelation, is not so effective as to say that it is only by means of the present revelation or the present Prophet that the truth of the former Prophets can now become established. This is a line of reasoning which the followers of the former Prophets dare not reject.
The third argument embodied in this verse is hinted at in the words, an exposition of the Law, i.e. the Quran explains and expounds the teachings of previous Scriptures. This also constitutes a very strong proof of the truth of the Quran. The previous Scriptures require the help of the Quran for the exposition and elucidation of their teachings. The Torah, the Gospels, the Vedas, the Zend-Avesta, all discuss such great spiritual problems as the Unity of God, revelation, Divine attributes, prophethood, life after death, moral and spiritual conditions, etc., but none of these books deals with these questions in such a manner as to make them perfectly clear and understandable, and their ambiguities and obscurities have to be explained with the help of the Quran. So in the verse under comment the claim is made that the Quran explains and clarifies those parts of previous Scriptures about which so much vagueness and obscurity exists and disbelievers are told that, if they deny the Divine origin of the Quran, they will have to admit that the All-Knowing God Himself was unable to put so much spiritual knowledge in all the former revealed books as this human being (the Prophet of Islam) has succeeded in placing in this small Book, the Quran. So the followers of other faiths will have either to admit the Divine origin of the Quran or deny previous Scriptures also.
The fourth argument given in this verse is contained in the words, There is no doubt about it, which means that the Quran contains all the reasons and arguments needed to prove its Divine origin and does not require the help or support of any outside person or book for that purpose. It deals with various social, moral and spiritual problems in such a perfect and exhaustive manner that he who ponders over it dispassionately can readily see that the Quran makes no claim which it does not support with cogent reasons and powerful arguments. This constitutes irrefutable evidence of the fact that this Book has indeed proceeded from God; for the Quran demands our belief in many unseen things and it is not in the power of man to prove unseen things by intellectual reasoning alone without the help of observation and experience. But obviously man cannot provide bases of observation and experience for things unseen. Only God can do it.
The fifth argument of the Divine origin of the Quran as given in this verse is contained in the words, It is from the Lord of all the worlds. This is to hint that by means of the Quran the Divine attribute of Rabbul ‘Alamin (Lord of all the worlds) has been made manifest to all mankind. The Quran is not meant to satisfy the need and requirements of a particular people or a particular period only, as were the previous Scriptures, but is meant for all nations and all ages. Now it is impossible for a human being to produce a book which should satisfy the requirements of all mankind for all time. Man is naturally influenced by his environment and ordinarily foresees and seeks to meet his immediate needs only. It is God alone Who can give such teachings as are equally useful for all times and all peoples and as are unaffected by changes in time and in the conditions and circumstances of man. The Quran embodies such teachings.
a
12:112; 16:90.
1261
The verse gives five very cogent reasons to show that the Qur’an is the revealed Word of God: (a) It deals with such themes as are beyond the power of man to know and as can be revealed by God alone. (b) The prophecies of the previous Prophets establish its Divine origin. (c) It explains and expounds the teachings of previous Scriptures in such a clear and comprehensive manner as no other Scripture has done. (d) It contains all the reasons and arguments needed to prove its Divine origin and does not require the help or support of any outside person or book for this purpose. (e) Unlike former Scriptures it satisfies the moral needs and requirements of all mankind under all circumstances.
وَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰی ہٰذَا الۡوَعۡدُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
Commentary:
Strange, indeed, are the ways of disbelievers! In the preceding verse it was indirectly stated that rejection of, and separation from, a Prophet of God lead to ruin, while those who accept a Prophet are saved. At this disbelievers, instead of seeking God’s mercy, at once begin to ask when the threatened punishment will come. They do not seem to be satisfied with anything except punishment.
b
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
b
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
1324
Commentary:
Strange, indeed, are the ways of disbelievers! In the preceding verse it was indirectly stated that rejection of, and separation from, a Prophet of God lead to ruin, while those who accept a Prophet are saved. At this disbelievers, instead of seeking God’s mercy, at once begin to ask when the threatened punishment will come. They do not seem to be satisfied with anything except punishment.
b
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
فَلَمَّا جَآءَہُمُ الۡحَقُّ مِنۡ عِنۡدِنَا قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَسِحۡرٌ مُّبِیۡنٌ
40:26.
在 سِحْر (Sihr) 和 مُبِيْن (Mubin) 这两个简单的单词下, 隐藏着安拉的敌人想用来击败他们的一切策略和诡计。想要信仰伊斯兰教的人们听到真理的敌人说, 那些新的教义不过是 سِحْر (Sihr) 即欺诈, 它们会腐蚀这个国家的宗教。而那些民族主义者, 心中承认他们国家的物质利益, 听到接受新教义会引起这个国家不同社团之间的分歧和不和并因此会给国家的团结一个致命的打击后, 就害怕而不敢信仰新教义; مُبِيْن (Mubin) 的意思是: 引起不团结的或分散……的事物(Lane)。
40:26.
In the two simple words Sihr and Mubin lie hidden almost all the stratagems and machinations that the enemies of the Prophets of God employ to defeat and discomfit them. People with a religious bent of mind are told by the enemies of Truth that the new teaching is nothing but Sihr or fraud which would corrupt the religion of the land, whereas those nationalists, who profess to have the material good of their country at heart, are frightened away from it by being told that acceptance of the new teaching would create dissension and discord among the different communities in the land and would thus give a death-blow to the national unity; Mubin meaning that which disunites or separates (Lane).
40:26.
Important Words:
سحر (enchantment) means, producing what is false in the form of truth; embellishment by falsification and deceit; enchantment or fascination (Lane). See also 2:103 & 7:110.
مبین (manifest) has three meanings: (1) manifest, apparent or clear; (2) that which makes a thing clear or manifest; (3) that which separates, disunites or severs (Lane). See also 2:169.
Commentary:
In the two simple words سحر and مبین lie hidden almost all the stratagems and machinations that the enemies of the Prophets of God employ to defeat and discomfit them. People with a religious bent of mind are told by them that the new teaching is nothing but a سحر or a fraud which would corrupt the religion of the land, whereas those nationalists who profess to have the material good of their country at heart are frightened away from it by being told that the new teaching is مبین i.e. the acceptance of it would create dissension and discord among the different communities in the land and would thus give a death-blow to the national cause. (For the meaning of the word مبین see Important Words). This double weapon has always been used against heavenly Messengers—from Moses right up to the Holy Prophet—and it was employed in our own times against Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. His opponents accused him of misleading people by deceitful teachings and of creating discord among Muslims, naively forgetting that discord had already eaten into the national entity of Islam and the efforts of Ahmad were all directed to uniting the broken threads of the Faith.
e
40:26.
600
在 سِحْر (Sihr) 和 مُبِيْن (Mubin) 这两个简单的单词下, 隐藏着安拉的敌人想用来击败他们的一切策略和诡计。想要信仰伊斯兰教的人们听到真理的敌人说, 那些新的教义不过是 سِحْر (Sihr) 即欺诈, 它们会腐蚀这个国家的宗教。而那些民族主义者, 心中承认他们国家的物质利益, 听到接受新教义会引起这个国家不同社团之间的分歧和不和并因此会给国家的团结一个致命的打击后, 就害怕而不敢信仰新教义; مُبِيْن (Mubin) 的意思是: 引起不团结的或分散……的事物(Lane)。
a
40:26.
1350
Important Words:
سحر (enchantment) means, producing what is false in the form of truth; embellishment by falsification and deceit; enchantment or fascination (Lane). See also 2:103 & 7:110.
مبین (manifest) has three meanings: (1) manifest, apparent or clear; (2) that which makes a thing clear or manifest; (3) that which separates, disunites or severs (Lane). See also 2:169.
Commentary:
In the two simple words سحر and مبین lie hidden almost all the stratagems and machinations that the enemies of the Prophets of God employ to defeat and discomfit them. People with a religious bent of mind are told by them that the new teaching is nothing but a سحر or a fraud which would corrupt the religion of the land, whereas those nationalists who profess to have the material good of their country at heart are frightened away from it by being told that the new teaching is مبین i.e. the acceptance of it would create dissension and discord among the different communities in the land and would thus give a death-blow to the national cause. (For the meaning of the word مبین see Important Words). This double weapon has always been used against heavenly Messengers—from Moses right up to the Holy Prophet—and it was employed in our own times against Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. His opponents accused him of misleading people by deceitful teachings and of creating discord among Muslims, naively forgetting that discord had already eaten into the national entity of Islam and the efforts of Ahmad were all directed to uniting the broken threads of the Faith.
c
40:26.
1281
In the two simple words Sihr and Mubin lie hidden almost all the stratagems and machinations that the enemies of the Prophets of God employ to defeat and discomfit them. People with a religious bent of mind are told by the enemies of Truth that the new teaching is nothing but Sihr or fraud which would corrupt the religion of the land, whereas those nationalists, who profess to have the material good of their country at heart, are frightened away from it by being told that acceptance of the new teaching would create dissension and discord among the different communities in the land and would thus give a death-blow to the national unity; Mubin meaning that which disunites or separates (Lane).
قَالَ مُوۡسٰۤی اَتَقُوۡلُوۡنَ لِلۡحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَکُمۡ ۖ اَسِحۡرٌ ہٰذَا وَلَا یُفۡلِحُ السّٰحِرُوۡنَ
20:70.
20:70.
20:70.
Commentary:
The expression, Is this enchantment?, constitutes an effective refutation of the charge implied in the words سحر مبین (manifest enchantment) in the preceding verse. Moses is described here as asking his people how his teaching could be called an enchantment when it crushed all falsehood, deceit and trickery. The words, And the enchanters never prosper, provide the second refutation of the same charge. Enchanters, the verse purports to say, merely practise deception and propagate falsehood. They can never attain the success that comes to the Prophets, who have a great mission. The Prophets come to bring about a complete change in the lives of their followers and they succeed in this great and difficult mission despite all obstacles and impediments. In the face of this undeniable fact, how could the Prophets be called enchanters and spreaders of falsehood?
a
20:70.
a
20:70.
1351
Commentary:
The expression, Is this enchantment?, constitutes an effective refutation of the charge implied in the words سحر مبین (manifest enchantment) in the preceding verse. Moses is described here as asking his people how his teaching could be called an enchantment when it crushed all falsehood, deceit and trickery. The words, And the enchanters never prosper, provide the second refutation of the same charge. Enchanters, the verse purports to say, merely practise deception and propagate falsehood. They can never attain the success that comes to the Prophets, who have a great mission. The Prophets come to bring about a complete change in the lives of their followers and they succeed in this great and difficult mission despite all obstacles and impediments. In the face of this undeniable fact, how could the Prophets be called enchanters and spreaders of falsehood?
d
20:70.
تِلۡکَ مِنۡ اَنۡۢبَآءِ الۡغَیۡبِ نُوۡحِیۡہَاۤ اِلَیۡکَ ۖ مَا کُنۡتَ تَعۡلَمُہَاۤ اَنۡتَ وَلَا قَوۡمُکَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِ ہٰذَا ۖ فَاصۡبِرۡ ۖ اِنَّ الۡعٰقِبَۃَ لِلۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ
«古兰经» 叙述各个先知, 并不是只谈他们的生平事迹。«古兰经» 谈到他们, 因为他们含有先知的隐喻, 他们的许多类似的大事, 在穆圣本人的生活中也都发生了。
یعنی یہ نوحؑ کا قصہ بیان نہیں ہو رہا بلکہ محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی قوم پر آنے والے عذاب کی خبر دی جا رہی ہے۔
The Quranic accounts of the various Prophets are not meant as mere stories. They are given in the Qur’an because they contain a prophetic allusion to the analogous events that were to occur in the life of the Holy Prophet himself.
Commentary:
The words, This is of the tidings of the unseen, are intended to hint that the Quranic accounts of the various Prophets are not meant as mere stories of the ancient peoples. They are given in the Quran because they contain a prophetic allusion to the analogous events that were to occur in the life of the Holy Prophet himself. This is what is implied in the words "the tidings of the unseen". The concluding words of the verse, i.e. "the end is for the God-fearing," lend further support to this inference. These accounts also serve to warn Muslims that they too will have to pass through the experiences of the followers of former Prophets and they warn disbelievers that they too shall meet a fate similar to that of the rejecters of past Prophets.
The words, So be thou patient, mean that just as the people of Noah were destroyed, so will a section of the Holy Prophet’s people be destroyed; and then of their seed and of the seed of their companions God will raise a people who will bear the standard of piety and righteousness in every age.
The story of the Deluge with some variations is to be found in the traditions and literature of various countries (see Enc. Rel. & Eth. Enc. Bib. & Enc. Brit. under Deluge). The importance which is attached to it and the widespread credence it commands points to its being an historical event of very great importance. It cannot be denied that a great flood did take place sometime in the remote past, that it was of an extraordinary nature and that it affected many nations of the earth. Its description as given in the Quran, however, shows that there was nothing unnatural about it.
The catastrophe seems to have taken place somewhere at the dawn of human civilization. The Holy Prophet of Islam spoke of Noah as the first Messenger of God, i.e. the first organizer of a religious community (Bukhari, ch. on Anbiya’).The Bible also represents him as such (Gen. 6:8). Hindu traditions, too, corroborate this fact, for they speak of Manu (who is the same as Noah), the Hindu hero of the Deluge, as the first man (Enc. Brit. under Manu). But they add that seven others were saved with him, which points to the fact that he was not the first man absolutely but only the first man of the first cycle of human civilization. These statements made in the Scriptures of three great religions of the world leave no doubt about the fact that Noah laid the foundations of human civilization and culture. In fact, with the progress and advance of a people in civilization, their numbers also begin to grow with a corresponding decrease taking place in the numbers of less civilized communities living with them in the same land. It is a well-known historical fact that whenever a people, comparatively more advanced in culture and civilization, have come to settle in a country, they have either blotted out of existence the less civilized inhabitants of the land or have greatly weakened them. Thus it appears that when the descendants of Noah and those of his companions, who were the founders of human civilization, spread to other lands, because they were more powerful than the people already living there, they either exterminated them or absorbed them by breaking their power. In this way they must have introduced into all the countries they subjugated their own traditions and customs; and consequently the tradition about the Deluge which naturally impressed the subjugated people must also have come to be introduced into other lands. With the lapse of time, however, the immigrants ceased to have any connection with their original home and the catastrophe consequently came to be regarded as a local occurrence, with the result that local names of persons and places came to be substituted for the original names.
In short, the Deluge was not a universal visitation, nor should the traditions of different lands be taken to point to separate floods. It was confined to one land, but owing to the immigration of the descendants of Noah and his companions to other lands, the story spread far and wide and finally the Flood came to be regarded as a local occurrence in every country.
As for the place where the Deluge occurred see note on al-Judi in v. 45.
615
«古兰经» 叙述各个先知, 并不是只谈他们的生平事迹。«古兰经» 谈到他们, 因为他们含有先知的隐喻, 他们的许多类似的大事, 在穆圣本人的生活中也都发生了。
3
یعنی یہ نوحؑ کا قصہ بیان نہیں ہو رہا بلکہ محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی قوم پر آنے والے عذاب کی خبر دی جا رہی ہے۔
1430
Commentary:
The words, This is of the tidings of the unseen, are intended to hint that the Quranic accounts of the various Prophets are not meant as mere stories of the ancient peoples. They are given in the Quran because they contain a prophetic allusion to the analogous events that were to occur in the life of the Holy Prophet himself. This is what is implied in the words "the tidings of the unseen". The concluding words of the verse, i.e. "the end is for the God-fearing," lend further support to this inference. These accounts also serve to warn Muslims that they too will have to pass through the experiences of the followers of former Prophets and they warn disbelievers that they too shall meet a fate similar to that of the rejecters of past Prophets.
The words, So be thou patient, mean that just as the people of Noah were destroyed, so will a section of the Holy Prophet’s people be destroyed; and then of their seed and of the seed of their companions God will raise a people who will bear the standard of piety and righteousness in every age.
The story of the Deluge with some variations is to be found in the traditions and literature of various countries (see Enc. Rel. & Eth. Enc. Bib. & Enc. Brit. under Deluge). The importance which is attached to it and the widespread credence it commands points to its being an historical event of very great importance. It cannot be denied that a great flood did take place sometime in the remote past, that it was of an extraordinary nature and that it affected many nations of the earth. Its description as given in the Quran, however, shows that there was nothing unnatural about it.
The catastrophe seems to have taken place somewhere at the dawn of human civilization. The Holy Prophet of Islam spoke of Noah as the first Messenger of God, i.e. the first organizer of a religious community (Bukhari, ch. on Anbiya’).The Bible also represents him as such (Gen. 6:8). Hindu traditions, too, corroborate this fact, for they speak of Manu (who is the same as Noah), the Hindu hero of the Deluge, as the first man (Enc. Brit. under Manu). But they add that seven others were saved with him, which points to the fact that he was not the first man absolutely but only the first man of the first cycle of human civilization. These statements made in the Scriptures of three great religions of the world leave no doubt about the fact that Noah laid the foundations of human civilization and culture. In fact, with the progress and advance of a people in civilization, their numbers also begin to grow with a corresponding decrease taking place in the numbers of less civilized communities living with them in the same land. It is a well-known historical fact that whenever a people, comparatively more advanced in culture and civilization, have come to settle in a country, they have either blotted out of existence the less civilized inhabitants of the land or have greatly weakened them. Thus it appears that when the descendants of Noah and those of his companions, who were the founders of human civilization, spread to other lands, because they were more powerful than the people already living there, they either exterminated them or absorbed them by breaking their power. In this way they must have introduced into all the countries they subjugated their own traditions and customs; and consequently the tradition about the Deluge which naturally impressed the subjugated people must also have come to be introduced into other lands. With the lapse of time, however, the immigrants ceased to have any connection with their original home and the catastrophe consequently came to be regarded as a local occurrence, with the result that local names of persons and places came to be substituted for the original names.
In short, the Deluge was not a universal visitation, nor should the traditions of different lands be taken to point to separate floods. It was confined to one land, but owing to the immigration of the descendants of Noah and his companions to other lands, the story spread far and wide and finally the Flood came to be regarded as a local occurrence in every country.
As for the place where the Deluge occurred see note on al-Judi in v. 45.
1322
The Quranic accounts of the various Prophets are not meant as mere stories. They are given in the Qur’an because they contain a prophetic allusion to the analogous events that were to occur in the life of the Holy Prophet himself.
قَالَتۡ یٰوَیۡلَتٰۤی ءَاَلِدُ وَاَنَا۠ عَجُوۡزٌ وَّہٰذَا بَعۡلِیۡ شَیۡخًا ۖ اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَشَیۡءٌ عَجِیۡبٌ
51:30.
51:30.
51:30.
Important Words:
عجوز (old woman) is derived from عجز which means, he lacked strength or power or ability. عجز عن العمل means, he was unable to do the work; he was too old to do it. عجزت المرأة means, the woman became old. The word عجوز has a variety of meanings, some of which are, an old and aged woman; a woman old and weak; a man’s wife whether old or young; also a woman’s husband; an old or aged man; a man old and weak (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The verse does not mean that the expression of surprise on the part of Abraham’s wife implied that she doubted the truth of the news that had been communicated to her by God. It is far from an ordinary believing woman to express doubt with regard to the great and wonderful powers of God, much further from the wife of a Prophet who had already witnessed many signs of the power of God. In fact, she wondered at the unusual news that a son would be born to her at such an advanced age. Her surprise was, therefore, at the magnitude of the boon that was about to be conferred on her. Abraham himself had expressed similar surprise when the glad tidings about the birth of a son in his extreme old age was given to him (see 15:55-57).
c
51:30.
a
51:30.
1453
Important Words:
عجوز (old woman) is derived from عجز which means, he lacked strength or power or ability. عجز عن العمل means, he was unable to do the work; he was too old to do it. عجزت المرأة means, the woman became old. The word عجوز has a variety of meanings, some of which are, an old and aged woman; a woman old and weak; a man’s wife whether old or young; also a woman’s husband; an old or aged man; a man old and weak (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The verse does not mean that the expression of surprise on the part of Abraham’s wife implied that she doubted the truth of the news that had been communicated to her by God. It is far from an ordinary believing woman to express doubt with regard to the great and wonderful powers of God, much further from the wife of a Prophet who had already witnessed many signs of the power of God. In fact, she wondered at the unusual news that a son would be born to her at such an advanced age. Her surprise was, therefore, at the magnitude of the boon that was about to be conferred on her. Abraham himself had expressed similar surprise when the glad tidings about the birth of a son in his extreme old age was given to him (see 15:55-57).
c
51:30.
وَلَمَّا جَآءَتۡ رُسُلُنَا لُوۡطًا سِیۡٓءَ بِہِمۡ وَضَاقَ بِہِمۡ ذَرۡعًا وَّقَالَ ہٰذَا یَوۡمٌ عَصِیۡبٌ
29:34.
حضرت لوط علیہ السلام حضرت ابراہیم علیہ السلام کے بھتیجے تھے اور پہلے عراق کے رہنے والے تھے اب جس جگہ وہ رہ رہے تھے وہ فلسطین تھا اور اس میں وہ اجنبی تھے ان کی قوم نے ان کو روکا ہوا تھا کہ اجانب کو نہ لایا کریں (سورۃ حجر آیت۷۱) مگر وہ مہمان نوازی کی عادت سے مجبور تھے جب انہوں نے مہمان دیکھے اور سمجھا کہ ان کو گھر لے گیا تو قوم ناراض ہو گئی تو اس پر وہ غمگین ہو گئے۔
29:34.
The expression, Daqa bil-Amri Dhar‘an, means, he lacked ability, power or strength to do the thing, Dhar‘ meaning power or ability: or the expression means, the thing or affair was rendered difficult or distressing to him (Lane). The words in the text mean, he found himself helpless or unable to protect them.
29:34.
Important Words:
ضاق بھم ذرعا (felt helpless on their behalf) is a peculiar Arabic expression. The Arabs say ضاق بالامر ذرعا which literally means, he stretched forth his arm to it but his arm did not reach it and he was unable to do or accomplish the thing or affair; or he lacked the strength or power to do the thing; or he found no way of escape from what was disagreeable in the affair (Lane).
Commentary:
Some commentators hold the view that Lot’s trouble was due to the visitors having stayed with him against his will, refusing to leave his house. The truth, however, seems to be quite the reverse; for, as the Bible clearly states, when the strangers reached near Lot’s residence, he himself invited them to it as his guests, but, probably fearing lest by their stay he might be inconvenienced, they asked to be excused. This naturally pained Lot (Gen. ch. 19).
a
29:34.
2
حضرت لوط علیہ السلام حضرت ابراہیم علیہ السلام کے بھتیجے تھے اور پہلے عراق کے رہنے والے تھے اب جس جگہ وہ رہ رہے تھے وہ فلسطین تھا اور اس میں وہ اجنبی تھے ان کی قوم نے ان کو روکا ہوا تھا کہ اجانب کو نہ لایا کریں (سورۃ حجر آیت۷۱) مگر وہ مہمان نوازی کی عادت سے مجبور تھے جب انہوں نے مہمان دیکھے اور سمجھا کہ ان کو گھر لے گیا تو قوم ناراض ہو گئی تو اس پر وہ غمگین ہو گئے۔
a
29:34.
1458
Important Words:
ضاق بھم ذرعا (felt helpless on their behalf) is a peculiar Arabic expression. The Arabs say ضاق بالامر ذرعا which literally means, he stretched forth his arm to it but his arm did not reach it and he was unable to do or accomplish the thing or affair; or he lacked the strength or power to do the thing; or he found no way of escape from what was disagreeable in the affair (Lane).
Commentary:
Some commentators hold the view that Lot’s trouble was due to the visitors having stayed with him against his will, refusing to leave his house. The truth, however, seems to be quite the reverse; for, as the Bible clearly states, when the strangers reached near Lot’s residence, he himself invited them to it as his guests, but, probably fearing lest by their stay he might be inconvenienced, they asked to be excused. This naturally pained Lot (Gen. ch. 19).
b
29:34.
1335
The expression, Daqa bil-Amri Dhar‘an, means, he lacked ability, power or strength to do the thing, Dhar‘ meaning power or ability: or the expression means, the thing or affair was rendered difficult or distressing to him (Lane). The words in the text mean, he found himself helpless or unable to protect them.
فَلَمَّا ذَہَبُوۡا بِہٖ وَاَجۡمَعُوۡۤا اَنۡ یَّجۡعَلُوۡہُ فِیۡ غَیٰبَتِ الۡجُبِّ ۚ وَاَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡہِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّہُمۡ بِاَمۡرِہِمۡ ہٰذَا وَہُمۡ لَا یَشۡعُرُوۡنَ
Commentary:
The words, they shall not know, hint that so helpless was Joseph’s condition at that time that his brothers could not even imagine that he would ever rise to any greatness afterwards.
This verse points to two more resemblances between Joseph and the Holy Prophet. Joseph was cast into a deep well by his brothers and the Holy Prophet had to take shelter in a cave (which is like a well) from the persecution of his brethren, the Quraish. The confinement of the Holy Prophet along with the Muslims in شعب ابی طالب (the low-lying depressed valley which belonged to the tribe of Abu Talib), in consequence of the boycott compact agreed upon by the people of Mecca, also provides a point of resemblance with Joseph’s having been cast into a well. Secondly, just as this verse tells us that Joseph was informed through revelation that there would come a time when God would bestow upon him power and glory and he would then inform his brothers of the bad treatment they had meted out to him, similarly the Holy Prophet was informed by revelation that though his enemies would compel him to flee from Mecca, yet he would return home victorious (28:86).
1519
Commentary:
The words, they shall not know, hint that so helpless was Joseph’s condition at that time that his brothers could not even imagine that he would ever rise to any greatness afterwards.
This verse points to two more resemblances between Joseph and the Holy Prophet. Joseph was cast into a deep well by his brothers and the Holy Prophet had to take shelter in a cave (which is like a well) from the persecution of his brethren, the Quraish. The confinement of the Holy Prophet along with the Muslims in شعب ابی طالب (the low-lying depressed valley which belonged to the tribe of Abu Talib), in consequence of the boycott compact agreed upon by the people of Mecca, also provides a point of resemblance with Joseph’s having been cast into a well. Secondly, just as this verse tells us that Joseph was informed through revelation that there would come a time when God would bestow upon him power and glory and he would then inform his brothers of the bad treatment they had meted out to him, similarly the Holy Prophet was informed by revelation that though his enemies would compel him to flee from Mecca, yet he would return home victorious (28:86).
وَجَآءَتۡ سَیَّارَۃٌ فَاَرۡسَلُوۡا وَارِدَہُمۡ فَاَدۡلٰی دَلۡوَہٗ ۖ قَالَ یٰبُشۡرٰی ہٰذَا غُلٰمٌ ۚ وَاَسَرُّوۡہُ بِضٰعَۃً ۚ وَاللّٰہُ عَلِیۡمٌۢ بِمَا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ
The members of the caravan looked upon Joseph as a precious asset.
Commentary:
It is noteworthy how God takes care of His faithful servants. Joseph’s brothers cast him into a deep well in the wilderness but God so arranged that immediately afterwards a caravan arrived there. A man sent to fetch water from a well happened to go to the very well into which Joseph had been cast and this led to his being taken out alive.
The words, And they concealed him as a piece of merchandise, show that the members of the caravan looked upon Joseph as treasure and saw in him a youth of promise.
1523
Commentary:
It is noteworthy how God takes care of His faithful servants. Joseph’s brothers cast him into a deep well in the wilderness but God so arranged that immediately afterwards a caravan arrived there. A man sent to fetch water from a well happened to go to the very well into which Joseph had been cast and this led to his being taken out alive.
The words, And they concealed him as a piece of merchandise, show that the members of the caravan looked upon Joseph as treasure and saw in him a youth of promise.
1368
The members of the caravan looked upon Joseph as a precious asset.
یُوۡسُفُ اَعۡرِضۡ عَنۡ ہٰذَا ۚ وَاسۡتَغۡفِرِیۡ لِذَنۡۢبِکِ ۖ اِنَّکِ کُنۡتِ مِنَ الۡخَاطِئِیۡنَ
Commentary:
Here again there is a difference between the Bible and the Quran. According to the Bible Joseph’s master believed the allegation of his wife to be true and held Joseph to be guilty and was angry with him (Gen. 39:19). But other verses of the Bible itself contradict this statement and support the Quran. In Genesis it is stated that when Joseph was sent to prison, its keeper committed all the prisoners to his care. The prison was under the charge of Potiphar, captain of the guard (Joseph’s master), nay, it was in Potiphar’s own house, as the following Biblical verses show: And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound (Gen. 40:2,3). Now it does not stand to reason that the keeper of the prison who was subordinate to Potiphar, Joseph’s master, should have given the latter a position of honour in the prison when his superior looked upon him as one who sought to commit an outrage upon his wife. Not only that but we find that Potiphar himself put two of Pharaoh’s officers, the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers in charge of Joseph while the former were sent to the same prison (Gen. 40:4). These facts clearly show that Joseph’s master believed him to be innocent of the heinous charge brought against him by his wife.
1533
Commentary:
Here again there is a difference between the Bible and the Quran. According to the Bible Joseph’s master believed the allegation of his wife to be true and held Joseph to be guilty and was angry with him (Gen. 39:19). But other verses of the Bible itself contradict this statement and support the Quran. In Genesis it is stated that when Joseph was sent to prison, its keeper committed all the prisoners to his care. The prison was under the charge of Potiphar, captain of the guard (Joseph’s master), nay, it was in Potiphar’s own house, as the following Biblical verses show: And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound (Gen. 40:2,3). Now it does not stand to reason that the keeper of the prison who was subordinate to Potiphar, Joseph’s master, should have given the latter a position of honour in the prison when his superior looked upon him as one who sought to commit an outrage upon his wife. Not only that but we find that Potiphar himself put two of Pharaoh’s officers, the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers in charge of Joseph while the former were sent to the same prison (Gen. 40:4). These facts clearly show that Joseph’s master believed him to be innocent of the heinous charge brought against him by his wife.
فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتۡ بِمَکۡرِہِنَّ اَرۡسَلَتۡ اِلَیۡہِنَّ وَاَعۡتَدَتۡ لَہُنَّ مُتَّکَـًٔا وَّاٰتَتۡ کُلَّ وٰحِدَۃٍ مِّنۡہُنَّ سِکِّیۡنًا وَّقَالَتِ اخۡرُجۡ عَلَیۡہِنَّ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَاَیۡنَہٗۤ اَکۡبَرۡنَہٗ وَقَطَّعۡنَ اَیۡدِیَہُنَّ وَقُلۡنَ حٰشَ لِلّٰہِ مَا ہٰذَا بَشَرًا اِنۡ ہٰذَاۤ اِلَّا مَلَکٌ کَرِیۡمٌ
یعنی انگلیاں دانتوں میں دبالیں۔
12:51.
12:52.
They thought very highly of him.
The expression, cut their hands, may signify that when the women looked at Joseph, they were so struck with his saintly and handsome visage that in a state of forgetfulness some of them happened to cut their hands with the knives they were holding in their hands. Or the sentence may be taken as figuratively expressing their wonder and amazement. The Arabic expression, ‘Addul Anamili, i.e. biting the finger-ends is also used to express surprise, and because sometimes the whole of a thing is used for a part, the word 'hands' may be said to have been here used for 'finger-ends.' According to the Talmud, oranges were served to the guests and the women inadvertently cut their hands owing to their being engrossed in looking at Joseph (Jew. Enc. & Talmud).
12:51.
12:52.
Important Words:
متکا (repast) is derived from وکأ. They say, واکأعلی یدیه i.e. he leaned upon his hands or arms. اوکأه means, he set up for him a thing upon which to recline. اتکأ means, he sat leaning upon one of his sides; he leaned or rested his back or his side against a thing; he leaned or reclined upon a thing; he reclined upon a cushion. They say اتکأنا عند فلان i.e. we ate a repast with such a one. متکأ means, a place in which one reclines: a chamber or sitting room; that upon which one leans or reclines in eating, drinking or talking; food or repast, so called because high people used to recline when they sat to eat (Lane & Aqrab).
حاش لله (Allah be glorified). حاش is derived from حشی which means, he breathed short or he panted for breath or was out of breath. حاشاه منھم means, he set him aside as excluded from the description of the company or party; he excluded him from them, i.e. made an exception in regard to him. حاش لك means, far art thou from being included among those of whom I speak. حاش لله means, I ascribe unto God remoteness from every imperfection or freedom therefrom; generally implying wonder or admiration. The expression may be rendered as "How far or how free is God from every imperfection!" It is also used in the sense of معاذ الله i.e. I seek protection by God (Lane).
Commentary:
The verse purports to say that when Potiphar’s wife heard of what the women in the city were saying about her infatuation for Joseph, she thought they really believed her to be guilty though outwardly they talked in such a manner as to show that they sought to exculpate her. So in order to remove their suspicions, she invited them to a feast. Tables were laid and a knife was provided for each of them. When all the guests were assembled, she asked Joseph to come out and serve them, but hardly had they cast a glance over his face when his innocent look and angelic appearance made them convinced of the purity of his conduct and all their suspicions so far as Joseph was concerned were dissipated.
The expression, cut their hands, may mean that when the women looked at Joseph, they were so struck with his saintly appearance that in a state of forgetfulness some of them happened to cut their hands with the knives they had. Or the sentence may be taken as figuratively expressing their wonder and amazement. The Arabic expression عض الانامل (biting the finger ends) is also used to express surprise, and, as sometimes the whole is used for a part, therefore the word "hands" may be said to have been here used for "finger-ends." According to the Talmud, oranges were served to the guests and the women inadvertently cut their hands owing to their being engrossed in looking at Joseph (Jew. Enc. & Talmud).
Incidentally, the verse shows that the word "angel" can also be used for a righteous and holy man. The verse also throws interesting light on the social customs of those days—the laying of cushioned seats and the use of knives, etc.
a
12:51.
b
12:52.
2
یعنی انگلیاں دانتوں میں دبالیں۔
a
12:51.
b
12:52.
1535
Important Words:
متکا (repast) is derived from وکأ. They say, واکأعلی یدیه i.e. he leaned upon his hands or arms. اوکأه means, he set up for him a thing upon which to recline. اتکأ means, he sat leaning upon one of his sides; he leaned or rested his back or his side against a thing; he leaned or reclined upon a thing; he reclined upon a cushion. They say اتکأنا عند فلان i.e. we ate a repast with such a one. متکأ means, a place in which one reclines: a chamber or sitting room; that upon which one leans or reclines in eating, drinking or talking; food or repast, so called because high people used to recline when they sat to eat (Lane & Aqrab).
حاش لله (Allah be glorified). حاش is derived from حشی which means, he breathed short or he panted for breath or was out of breath. حاشاه منھم means, he set him aside as excluded from the description of the company or party; he excluded him from them, i.e. made an exception in regard to him. حاش لك means, far art thou from being included among those of whom I speak. حاش لله means, I ascribe unto God remoteness from every imperfection or freedom therefrom; generally implying wonder or admiration. The expression may be rendered as "How far or how free is God from every imperfection!" It is also used in the sense of معاذ الله i.e. I seek protection by God (Lane).
Commentary:
The verse purports to say that when Potiphar’s wife heard of what the women in the city were saying about her infatuation for Joseph, she thought they really believed her to be guilty though outwardly they talked in such a manner as to show that they sought to exculpate her. So in order to remove their suspicions, she invited them to a feast. Tables were laid and a knife was provided for each of them. When all the guests were assembled, she asked Joseph to come out and serve them, but hardly had they cast a glance over his face when his innocent look and angelic appearance made them convinced of the purity of his conduct and all their suspicions so far as Joseph was concerned were dissipated.
The expression, cut their hands, may mean that when the women looked at Joseph, they were so struck with his saintly appearance that in a state of forgetfulness some of them happened to cut their hands with the knives they had. Or the sentence may be taken as figuratively expressing their wonder and amazement. The Arabic expression عض الانامل (biting the finger ends) is also used to express surprise, and, as sometimes the whole is used for a part, therefore the word "hands" may be said to have been here used for "finger-ends." According to the Talmud, oranges were served to the guests and the women inadvertently cut their hands owing to their being engrossed in looking at Joseph (Jew. Enc. & Talmud).
Incidentally, the verse shows that the word "angel" can also be used for a righteous and holy man. The verse also throws interesting light on the social customs of those days—the laying of cushioned seats and the use of knives, etc.
a
12:51.
b
12:52.
1379A
They thought very highly of him.
1380
The expression, cut their hands, may signify that when the women looked at Joseph, they were so struck with his saintly and handsome visage that in a state of forgetfulness some of them happened to cut their hands with the knives they were holding in their hands. Or the sentence may be taken as figuratively expressing their wonder and amazement. The Arabic expression, ‘Addul Anamili, i.e. biting the finger-ends is also used to express surprise, and because sometimes the whole of a thing is used for a part, the word 'hands' may be said to have been here used for 'finger-ends.' According to the Talmud, oranges were served to the guests and the women inadvertently cut their hands owing to their being engrossed in looking at Joseph (Jew. Enc. & Talmud).
اِذۡہَبُوۡا بِقَمِیۡصِیۡ ہٰذَا فَاَلۡقُوۡہُ عَلٰی وَجۡہِ اَبِیۡ یَاۡتِ بَصِیۡرًا وَّاۡتُوۡنِیۡ بِاَہۡلِکُمۡ اَجۡمَعِیۡنَ
مفسرین لکھتے ہیں کہ انہوں نے کرتہ یعقوبؑ کے منہ پر ڈال دیا۔ جس سے وہ دیکھنے لگ گئے۔ مگر اصل بات یہ ہے کہ یوسفؑ کو یقین تھا کہ اب تک میرے باپ نے وہ کرتہ یاد رکھا ہوگا جو میں نے گم شدگی کے وقت پہنا ہوا تھا۔ جب یہ کرتہ اس کے سامنے رکھا جائے گا تو وہ سمجھ جائے گا کہ یوسفؑ زندہ ہے اور یہ اسی کا پرانا کرتہ ہے۔ اس موقعہ پر مثنوی رومیؒ کی وہ حکایت پڑھ لینی چاہیے جس میں ایاز کا ذکر ہے جب اس نے خزانہ میں رات کو جاکر نماز پڑھی۔ اس سے معلوم ہو جائے گا کہ نیک آدمی بُرے وقتوں کے کپڑے اس لئے سنبھال کے رکھتے ہیں تا ان کو خداتعالیٰ کا فضل یاد دلاتے رہیں۔
Important Words:
وجه (before) gives a number of meanings, e.g. face; the part of a thing facing one; direction etc., القی الشیء علی وجھه means, he put or placed the thing before or in front of him.
یات بصیرا (will come to know). بصیر means, seeing; endowed with mental perception; knowing (Lane).
Commentary:
Joseph gave his brothers his shirt to lay before their father, so that the sight of it might please him, as the sight of the first shirt had grieved him, and he might be induced to pray for his brothers and extend to them his pardon.
The words, he will come to know, mean that formerly Jacob had known only by Divine revelation that Joseph was alive and his knowledge was then only a matter of belief. Now, by actually seeing the shirt the belief would become converted into factual knowledge.
2
مفسرین لکھتے ہیں کہ انہوں نے کرتہ یعقوبؑ کے منہ پر ڈال دیا۔ جس سے وہ دیکھنے لگ گئے۔ مگر اصل بات یہ ہے کہ یوسفؑ کو یقین تھا کہ اب تک میرے باپ نے وہ کرتہ یاد رکھا ہوگا جو میں نے گم شدگی کے وقت پہنا ہوا تھا۔ جب یہ کرتہ اس کے سامنے رکھا جائے گا تو وہ سمجھ جائے گا کہ یوسفؑ زندہ ہے اور یہ اسی کا پرانا کرتہ ہے۔ اس موقعہ پر مثنوی رومیؒ کی وہ حکایت پڑھ لینی چاہیے جس میں ایاز کا ذکر ہے جب اس نے خزانہ میں رات کو جاکر نماز پڑھی۔ اس سے معلوم ہو جائے گا کہ نیک آدمی بُرے وقتوں کے کپڑے اس لئے سنبھال کے رکھتے ہیں تا ان کو خداتعالیٰ کا فضل یاد دلاتے رہیں۔
1593
Important Words:
وجه (before) gives a number of meanings, e.g. face; the part of a thing facing one; direction etc., القی الشیء علی وجھه means, he put or placed the thing before or in front of him.
یات بصیرا (will come to know). بصیر means, seeing; endowed with mental perception; knowing (Lane).
Commentary:
Joseph gave his brothers his shirt to lay before their father, so that the sight of it might please him, as the sight of the first shirt had grieved him, and he might be induced to pray for his brothers and extend to them his pardon.
The words, he will come to know, mean that formerly Jacob had known only by Divine revelation that Joseph was alive and his knowledge was then only a matter of belief. Now, by actually seeing the shirt the belief would become converted into factual knowledge.
وَرَفَعَ اَبَوَیۡہِ عَلَی الۡعَرۡشِ وَخَرُّوۡا لَہٗ سُجَّدًا ۖ وَّقَالَ یٰۤاَبَتِ ہٰذَا تَاۡوِیۡلُ رُءۡیٰیَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ قَدۡ جَعَلَہَا رَبِّیۡ حَقًّا ۖ وَّقَدۡ اَحۡسَنَ بِیۡۤ اِذۡ اَخۡرَجَنِیۡ مِنَ السِّجۡنِ وَجَآءَ بِکُمۡ مِّنَ الۡبَدۡوِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اَنۡ نَّزَغَ الشَّیۡطٰنُ بَیۡنِیۡ وَبَیۡنَ اِخۡوَتِیۡۤ ۚ اِنَّ رَبِّیۡ لَطِیۡفٌ لِّمَا یَشَآءُ ۚ اِنَّہٗ ہُوَ الۡعَلِیۡمُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ
یعنی جو خواب میں دیکھا تھا کہ چاند‘ سورج اور ستارے میری وجہ سے سجدہ کر رہے ہیں۔ وہ بات پوری ہوگئی۔ اور آج آپ لوگ میرے مل جانے کی خوشی میں اللہ تعالیٰ کو سجدہ کر رہے ہیں۔
The words may mean that Joseph presented his parents to the King (Gen. 47: 2, 7) or that he made them sit on his own throne with the King’s permission. In olden times the ministers and deputies of kings also had their own thrones.
Joseph’s brothers and parents fell prostrate and thanked God for raising Joseph to such an eminent position. Thus Joseph was the cause, and not the object, of their prostration.
While mentioning God’s favours Joseph refers only to his being taken out of prison and makes no mention of being rescued from the well, lest his brothers should feel ashamed.
Commentary:
As the word رفع (raised) also means, "to present one to a person of high rank" (3:56), the verse is capable of two interpretations: Firstly, that Joseph presented his parents to the King, for in this case العرش (the throne) would signify the King. According to the Bible, Joseph presented his father and some of his brethren to Pharaoh (Gen. 47:2, 7). Secondly, it may mean that Joseph made his parents sit on his own throne, for in ancient times the deputies of kings also used to have their own thrones. Hence it is possible that Joseph made his parents and his brethren sit on his throne with Pharaoh’s permission.
The words خروا له سجدا do not mean that Joseph’s brothers and his parents fell prostrate before him. They only mean that they fell prostrate before God for Joseph i.e. they thanked God for raising Joseph to such an eminent position. Thus, Joseph was the cause and not the object of their prostration. See also 2:35.
The verse also throws some light on the sublime morals of God’s noble Prophets. Joseph’s brothers had left their home in search of food, but he speaks of their coming to him as a special favour of God to himself.
Again, while mentioning God’s favours he refers only to his being taken out of prison and makes no mention of being rescued from the well, lest his brothers might feel ashamed.
The word لطیف (Benignant) when applied to God, means, He Who takes care of His creatures through love or benevolence or Who benefits others with His love and kindness; He Who knows hidden things. See also 6:104.
2
یعنی جو خواب میں دیکھا تھا کہ چاند‘ سورج اور ستارے میری وجہ سے سجدہ کر رہے ہیں۔ وہ بات پوری ہوگئی۔ اور آج آپ لوگ میرے مل جانے کی خوشی میں اللہ تعالیٰ کو سجدہ کر رہے ہیں۔
1600
Commentary:
As the word رفع (raised) also means, "to present one to a person of high rank" (3:56), the verse is capable of two interpretations: Firstly, that Joseph presented his parents to the King, for in this case العرش (the throne) would signify the King. According to the Bible, Joseph presented his father and some of his brethren to Pharaoh (Gen. 47:2, 7). Secondly, it may mean that Joseph made his parents sit on his own throne, for in ancient times the deputies of kings also used to have their own thrones. Hence it is possible that Joseph made his parents and his brethren sit on his throne with Pharaoh’s permission.
The words خروا له سجدا do not mean that Joseph’s brothers and his parents fell prostrate before him. They only mean that they fell prostrate before God for Joseph i.e. they thanked God for raising Joseph to such an eminent position. Thus, Joseph was the cause and not the object of their prostration. See also 2:35.
The verse also throws some light on the sublime morals of God’s noble Prophets. Joseph’s brothers had left their home in search of food, but he speaks of their coming to him as a special favour of God to himself.
Again, while mentioning God’s favours he refers only to his being taken out of prison and makes no mention of being rescued from the well, lest his brothers might feel ashamed.
The word لطیف (Benignant) when applied to God, means, He Who takes care of His creatures through love or benevolence or Who benefits others with His love and kindness; He Who knows hidden things. See also 6:104.
1411
The words may mean that Joseph presented his parents to the King (Gen. 47: 2, 7) or that he made them sit on his own throne with the King’s permission. In olden times the ministers and deputies of kings also had their own thrones.
1412
Joseph’s brothers and parents fell prostrate and thanked God for raising Joseph to such an eminent position. Thus Joseph was the cause, and not the object, of their prostration.
1413
While mentioning God’s favours Joseph refers only to his being taken out of prison and makes no mention of being rescued from the well, lest his brothers should feel ashamed.
وَاِذۡ قَالَ اِبۡرٰہِیۡمُ رَبِّ اجۡعَلۡ ہٰذَا الۡبَلَدَ اٰمِنًا وَّاجۡنُبۡنِیۡ وَبَنِیَّ اَنۡ نَّعۡبُدَ الۡاَصۡنَامَ
2:127.
2:129.
Abraham’s prayer, referred to in the present verse, shows that he knew that idolatry would one day prevail in Mecca and the country around it. Hence his anxiety for the protection of his progeny against idol-worship when the prayer was offered many hundred years ago.
2:127.
2:129.
Important Words:
الاصنام (idols) is the plural of صنم which means: (1) an idol; (2) an image of a human being or an animal that is worshipped; (3) anything that is worshipped beside God. صنم is said to be an Arabicized word, but the root from which it is formed is found and used in the Arabic language, which dispenses with the necessity of treating it as a word of foreign origin. The Arabs say صنمت الرائحة i.e. the smell became foul. صنم العبد (sanama) means, the slave became strong. صنم الرجل (sanuma) means, the man gave out a sound. As idols or statues generally represented strongly-built men, they were called اصنام.
The proper grammatical form would be صنم (sanim) but the word in actual use is صنم (sanam). There is, however, nothing strange about this, for such exceptional uses are not rare in the Arabic language, e.g. instead of Masjad, the Arabs use the form Masjid (Lane & Aqrab.)
Commentary:
After having dealt with the fact that all the Prophets of antiquity succeeded in their mission without the aid and assistance of material means, the Quran proceeds in this verse to deal with the success of the Holy Prophet’s mission in similar circumstances. The subject is introduced with an account of Abraham, the great ancestor of the Holy Prophet, in order to point out that the foundations for the success of the Prophet of Islam were laid thousands of years back. This is what is intended by making reference to the prayer of Abraham while he was settling Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, in the valley of Mecca. The verse points out that it was necessary that the people of Mecca should have been favoured with a revealed Book and should not have been left in darkness, for a promise to that effect had been made to Abraham long ago and God does not fail in His promises.
Abraham’s prayer, referred to in the present verse, shows that he knew that idolatry would one day prevail in Mecca and the country around it. Hence his anxiety for the protection of his progeny against idol-worship. When the prayer was offered, there was no trace of idolatry in Mecca, which at that time consisted only of the house of Ishmael and his followers.
The verse also hints that idolatry and worship of the One God prevail in the world in cycles. Worshippers of God gradually take to idolatry while those addicted to idolatry become transformed into worshippers of the One God. Even a people who adore God in the fullest and the truest sense of the word cannot be said to become proof against idol-worship; for, by and by, the shades of idol-worship advance and the light of day gives place to the darkness of night. This state of affairs contradicts the theory advanced by students of Comparative Religion, viz. that belief in One God has evolved from belief in, and worship of, many deities. It appears from the Quran that alternate cycles of God-worship and idol-worship come on the world and that the former always precedes the latter. According to this view, belief in the Unity of God is founded on Divine revelation, while idolatry must be regarded as a perverted form of it. As opposed to it, students of Comparative Religion hold that the idea of God is only the outcome of fear and bewilderment and that out of polytheism belief in One God has evolved. There is a basic and interesting difference between these two points of view. According to the one, it is God Who created man; while, according to the other, it was man who created God, i.e. the idea of God originated in the human brain. The truth undoubtedly lies with the first-mentioned point of view.
Another interesting question requires to be answered here viz. why did Abraham pray for personal protection against idol-worship? Says he, keep me and my children away from worshipping idols. Was it at all possible for him to stoop to shirk? The answer to this question is that man has been endowed with two kinds of powers. First, there are powers which are embodied in the nature of man. With regard to these, he offers no prayers to God. For instance, man never prays that his head may ever remain one and may never be transformed into two. Secondly, there are powers which he acquires by his own exertion or which he receives as a special gift from God and which distinguish him from his fellow beings. As these favours are subject to degeneration or diminution, he has to pray to God for their preservation, even though he may have received a promise from God that they will remain intact, for the prayer is also intended to signify that these gifts are not his personal possession but are God’s special favours. It is for this reason that the Prophets never cease to pray to God even with regard to matters pertaining to their position or their function as God’s Messengers. The prayer of the Holy Prophet asking for increase in knowledge (20:115) is a case in point. The prayers of the Prophets for استغفار (forgiveness) or their توبة (repentance) also belong to this class of prayers. These prayers do not show, as has been erroneously supposed, that the Prophets who offered these prayers were sinners. On the contrary, the prayers are offered so that the favours of God may continue to be conferred on them, for it is on the mercy and grace of God that their continuance depends. This is why the Quran repeatedly bids believers to repose their trust in God, for to whatever spiritual heights a man may attain, he must always rely on the help of God and not on his own powers, for there is always the possibility of his fall. Indeed, it is through their trust in God that the Faithful attain to perfection, and the constant confession of their own weaknesses combined with their dependence on God’s help serves to protect them from backsliding.
a
2:127.
b
2:129.
a
2:127.
b
2:129.
1690
Important Words:
الاصنام (idols) is the plural of صنم which means: (1) an idol; (2) an image of a human being or an animal that is worshipped; (3) anything that is worshipped beside God. صنم is said to be an Arabicized word, but the root from which it is formed is found and used in the Arabic language, which dispenses with the necessity of treating it as a word of foreign origin. The Arabs say صنمت الرائحة i.e. the smell became foul. صنم العبد (sanama) means, the slave became strong. صنم الرجل (sanuma) means, the man gave out a sound. As idols or statues generally represented strongly-built men, they were called اصنام.
The proper grammatical form would be صنم (sanim) but the word in actual use is صنم (sanam). There is, however, nothing strange about this, for such exceptional uses are not rare in the Arabic language, e.g. instead of Masjad, the Arabs use the form Masjid (Lane & Aqrab.)
Commentary:
After having dealt with the fact that all the Prophets of antiquity succeeded in their mission without the aid and assistance of material means, the Quran proceeds in this verse to deal with the success of the Holy Prophet’s mission in similar circumstances. The subject is introduced with an account of Abraham, the great ancestor of the Holy Prophet, in order to point out that the foundations for the success of the Prophet of Islam were laid thousands of years back. This is what is intended by making reference to the prayer of Abraham while he was settling Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, in the valley of Mecca. The verse points out that it was necessary that the people of Mecca should have been favoured with a revealed Book and should not have been left in darkness, for a promise to that effect had been made to Abraham long ago and God does not fail in His promises.
Abraham’s prayer, referred to in the present verse, shows that he knew that idolatry would one day prevail in Mecca and the country around it. Hence his anxiety for the protection of his progeny against idol-worship. When the prayer was offered, there was no trace of idolatry in Mecca, which at that time consisted only of the house of Ishmael and his followers.
The verse also hints that idolatry and worship of the One God prevail in the world in cycles. Worshippers of God gradually take to idolatry while those addicted to idolatry become transformed into worshippers of the One God. Even a people who adore God in the fullest and the truest sense of the word cannot be said to become proof against idol-worship; for, by and by, the shades of idol-worship advance and the light of day gives place to the darkness of night. This state of affairs contradicts the theory advanced by students of Comparative Religion, viz. that belief in One God has evolved from belief in, and worship of, many deities. It appears from the Quran that alternate cycles of God-worship and idol-worship come on the world and that the former always precedes the latter. According to this view, belief in the Unity of God is founded on Divine revelation, while idolatry must be regarded as a perverted form of it. As opposed to it, students of Comparative Religion hold that the idea of God is only the outcome of fear and bewilderment and that out of polytheism belief in One God has evolved. There is a basic and interesting difference between these two points of view. According to the one, it is God Who created man; while, according to the other, it was man who created God, i.e. the idea of God originated in the human brain. The truth undoubtedly lies with the first-mentioned point of view.
Another interesting question requires to be answered here viz. why did Abraham pray for personal protection against idol-worship? Says he, keep me and my children away from worshipping idols. Was it at all possible for him to stoop to shirk? The answer to this question is that man has been endowed with two kinds of powers. First, there are powers which are embodied in the nature of man. With regard to these, he offers no prayers to God. For instance, man never prays that his head may ever remain one and may never be transformed into two. Secondly, there are powers which he acquires by his own exertion or which he receives as a special gift from God and which distinguish him from his fellow beings. As these favours are subject to degeneration or diminution, he has to pray to God for their preservation, even though he may have received a promise from God that they will remain intact, for the prayer is also intended to signify that these gifts are not his personal possession but are God’s special favours. It is for this reason that the Prophets never cease to pray to God even with regard to matters pertaining to their position or their function as God’s Messengers. The prayer of the Holy Prophet asking for increase in knowledge (20:115) is a case in point. The prayers of the Prophets for استغفار (forgiveness) or their توبة (repentance) also belong to this class of prayers. These prayers do not show, as has been erroneously supposed, that the Prophets who offered these prayers were sinners. On the contrary, the prayers are offered so that the favours of God may continue to be conferred on them, for it is on the mercy and grace of God that their continuance depends. This is why the Quran repeatedly bids believers to repose their trust in God, for to whatever spiritual heights a man may attain, he must always rely on the help of God and not on his own powers, for there is always the possibility of his fall. Indeed, it is through their trust in God that the Faithful attain to perfection, and the constant confession of their own weaknesses combined with their dependence on God’s help serves to protect them from backsliding.
c
2:127.
d
2:129.
1468
Abraham’s prayer, referred to in the present verse, shows that he knew that idolatry would one day prevail in Mecca and the country around it. Hence his anxiety for the protection of his progeny against idol-worship when the prayer was offered many hundred years ago.
ہٰذَا بَلٰغٌ لِّلنَّاسِ وَلِیُنۡذَرُوۡا بِہٖ وَلِیَعۡلَمُوۡۤا اَنَّمَا ہُوَ اِلٰہٌ وّٰحِدٌ وَّلِیَذَّکَّرَ اُولُوا الۡاَلۡبٰبِ
5:68; 6:20.
ترجمہ میں ھُوَ کی ضمیر کی بجائے ظاہر اسم کا استعمال کیا گیا ہے تا کہ مفہوم واضح ہو جائے۔
5:68; 6:20.
5:68; 6:20.
Important Words:
بلاغ (a sufficient admonition) is derived from بلغ. They say بلغ المکان i.e. he reached, or arrived at the place. بلاغ signifies the reaching, attaining, arriving at or coming to a thing. Being a substantive from تبلیغ and ابلاغ it also means, the conveyance, delivery or communication of a message. It often occurs in the Quran as meaning the communication or announcement of what is revealed. بلاغ also means that which is conveyed (i.e. message, etc.); also what suffices of sustenance. The words ھذا بلاغ للناس mean, this Quran contains a sufficient exposition or demonstration for men (Lane).
Commentary:
The sentence, This is a sufficient admonition for mankind, means that the truth has been properly communicated and brought home to men by means of this Book, and now it rests with them to accept or reject it.
The words, that they may know that He is the only One God, refer to those who are groping in error. The Quran has been revealed that it may warn such people of their error and that they may know that there is no God other than Allah. The words, that those possessed of understanding may ponder, refer to those who have accepted guidance. For such the Quran has been revealed that they may make further progress in their knowledge and in guidance. The Quran thus serves the twofold purpose of destruction and construction, both of which go hand in hand. On the one hand, it warns erring people of their errors; and, on the other, it exhorts those who have been shown the right path to make further progress in wisdom and knowledge. It does not only abrogate previous Laws but also lays down a complete and constructive programme of life for mankind.
b
5:68; 6:20.
2
ترجمہ میں ھُوَ کی ضمیر کی بجائے ظاہر اسم کا استعمال کیا گیا ہے تا کہ مفہوم واضح ہو جائے۔
b
5:68; 6:20.
1707
Important Words:
بلاغ (a sufficient admonition) is derived from بلغ. They say بلغ المکان i.e. he reached, or arrived at the place. بلاغ signifies the reaching, attaining, arriving at or coming to a thing. Being a substantive from تبلیغ and ابلاغ it also means, the conveyance, delivery or communication of a message. It often occurs in the Quran as meaning the communication or announcement of what is revealed. بلاغ also means that which is conveyed (i.e. message, etc.); also what suffices of sustenance. The words ھذا بلاغ للناس mean, this Quran contains a sufficient exposition or demonstration for men (Lane).
Commentary:
The sentence, This is a sufficient admonition for mankind, means that the truth has been properly communicated and brought home to men by means of this Book, and now it rests with them to accept or reject it.
The words, that they may know that He is the only One God, refer to those who are groping in error. The Quran has been revealed that it may warn such people of their error and that they may know that there is no God other than Allah. The words, that those possessed of understanding may ponder, refer to those who have accepted guidance. For such the Quran has been revealed that they may make further progress in their knowledge and in guidance. The Quran thus serves the twofold purpose of destruction and construction, both of which go hand in hand. On the one hand, it warns erring people of their errors; and, on the other, it exhorts those who have been shown the right path to make further progress in wisdom and knowledge. It does not only abrogate previous Laws but also lays down a complete and constructive programme of life for mankind.
d
5:68; 6:20.
قَالَ ہٰذَا صِرٰطٌ عَلَیَّ مُسۡتَقِیۡمٌ
Commentary:
The present verse explains the preceding verse in which it is said that Satan would not succeed in seducing God’s chosen servants. It tells us how men can become God’s "chosen servants" spoken of in the preceding verse and thereby become safe from satanic seduction. It lies on God, the verse purports to say, to show to men "His path" by revelation, and when they have seen this path, they proceed straight to God by treading it and Satan can then have no access to them. According to this sense of the verse the words صراط علی rendered in the text as, "a path to Me," would mean صراط بیانه علی i.e. a path the showing of which lies on Me. Indeed the chosen servants of God do not seek to find God’s path by the help of their intellect alone, but invoke His help at every step. He then comes to their aid and, consequently, they become safe against the seduction of Satan. The second meaning of the verse is obtained when the word علی (to Me) is read with the word مستقیم (straight) as rendered in the text. In this case, the verse would mean that the chosen servants of God proceed straight to God, i.e. they have immediate access to Him. They have not to spend their lives in bootless search after God. Their search for Him meets with immediate success and they spend the remainder of their lives in comprehending and realizing His attributes and in traversing the path that leads to that highest stage of spiritual development where they are wholly lost in God and become united with Him. Indeed, it is not possible for Satan to have access to the chosen servants of God because the risk of the holy pilgrim’s being misled by Satan remains only so long as he is in search of God. Once he has found access to Him, he is free from dangers and there remains for him only the gradual realization of God’s infinite attributes, at the end of which lies the stage when he sees God face to face and becomes His manifestation.
1745
Commentary:
The present verse explains the preceding verse in which it is said that Satan would not succeed in seducing God’s chosen servants. It tells us how men can become God’s "chosen servants" spoken of in the preceding verse and thereby become safe from satanic seduction. It lies on God, the verse purports to say, to show to men "His path" by revelation, and when they have seen this path, they proceed straight to God by treading it and Satan can then have no access to them. According to this sense of the verse the words صراط علی rendered in the text as, "a path to Me," would mean صراط بیانه علی i.e. a path the showing of which lies on Me. Indeed the chosen servants of God do not seek to find God’s path by the help of their intellect alone, but invoke His help at every step. He then comes to their aid and, consequently, they become safe against the seduction of Satan. The second meaning of the verse is obtained when the word علی (to Me) is read with the word مستقیم (straight) as rendered in the text. In this case, the verse would mean that the chosen servants of God proceed straight to God, i.e. they have immediate access to Him. They have not to spend their lives in bootless search after God. Their search for Him meets with immediate success and they spend the remainder of their lives in comprehending and realizing His attributes and in traversing the path that leads to that highest stage of spiritual development where they are wholly lost in God and become united with Him. Indeed, it is not possible for Satan to have access to the chosen servants of God because the risk of the holy pilgrim’s being misled by Satan remains only so long as he is in search of God. Once he has found access to Him, he is free from dangers and there remains for him only the gradual realization of God’s infinite attributes, at the end of which lies the stage when he sees God face to face and becomes His manifestation.
وَاِنَّ اللّٰہَ رَبِّیۡ وَرَبُّکُمۡ فَاعۡبُدُوۡہُ ۚ ہٰذَا صِرٰطٌ مُّسۡتَقِیۡمٌ
3:52; 5:73; 43:65.
3:52; 5:73; 43:65.
3:52; 5:73; 43:65.
a
3:52; 5:73; 43:65.
a
3:52; 5:73; 43:65.
b
3:52; 5:73; 43:65.