الۡبَحۡرِ
Appears 14 times in Quran
Occurrences in Quran
Found 14 verses containing "الۡبَحۡرِ".
اِنَّ فِیۡ خَلۡقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ وَاخۡتِلٰفِ الَّیۡلِ وَالنَّہَارِ وَالۡفُلۡکِ الَّتِیۡ تَجۡرِیۡ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا یَنۡفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مِنۡ مَّآءٍ فَاَحۡیَا بِہِ الۡاَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِہَا وَبَثَّ فِیۡہَا مِنۡ کُلِّ دَآبَّۃٍ وَّتَصۡرِیۡفِ الرِّیٰحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الۡمُسَخَّرِ بَیۡنَ السَّمَآءِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ لَاٰیٰتٍ لِّقَوۡمٍ یَّعۡقِلُوۡنَ
3:191; 10:7; 30:23; 45:6.
3:191; 10:7; 30:23; 45:6.
The Qur’an takes the universe as a whole to prove its theme. The objects of nature taken individually do not furnish such conclusive evidence of the existence of God as the whole universe taken collectively. The earth may be said to owe its existence to a fortuitous concourse of atoms, and a similar reason may be given for the origin of the sun and the moon and so on. But when the universe as one united whole and the deep order that permeates it are taken into consideration, it becomes impossible for one to escape the conclusion, that this universe has not come into existence accidentally. Indeed, the consummate harmony that pervades it forcefully points to the fact that the whole system has been created and is being directed by One Intelligent Being Who is All-Powerful and All-Knowing. Moreover, by laying special emphasis on the study of the phenomena of nature, the attention of disbelievers is also drawn to the fact that they could not possibly hope to succeed in their designs against the Holy Prophet,
3:191; 10:7; 30:23; 45:6.
Important Words:
اختلاف (alternation) is derived from خلف. They say خلفه i.e. he or it was or became his or its successor. خلف الرجل means, he came after or remained after the man and stood in his place. اختلفه means, he followed him as his successor. اختلفوا means (1) they came one after another by turn; (2) they differed or disagreed (Aqrab).
الفلك (ships) is derived from the verb فلك meaning, it became round or circular. الفلك (al-fulk) means a ship, or a boat, probably because it looks round and shapeless when seen at sea from a distance. The word is both singular and plural. الفلك (al-falak) means, the vault of heaven or the firmament in which the stars move. This is also probably owing to the apparently round shape of the sky (Aqrab, Mufradat & Lane).
دابة (beast) is the active participle from دب which means, he or it crept or crawled or walked slowly like an ant or a reptile or a child or a weak or sickly person. دابة means, all such animals or insects as creep or crawl or walk slowly (Aqrab). The word is used about all moving animals, whether big or small, whether walking on two legs or on four legs or creeping on the belly, etc. (24:46). It is also used about beasts used for riding or for carrying burden, like the horse, the mule, the donkey, etc. (Lane).
المسخر (pressed into service) is the passive participle from سخر sakhkhara. They say سخره (sakhkhara-hu or سخره sakhara-hu, not سخر sakhira which gives a different meaning), i.e. (1) he employed him or imposed on him a task without compensation; (2) he subjugated him and made him subservient to himself. Thus مسخر is that who or which has been made subservient to another, being unable to free himself or itself from constraint (Aqrab).
Commentary:
This verse gives a twofold meaning, one literal and the other metaphorical. In the former sense, it supplies an argument in support of the existence of God referred to in the preceding verse. A careful study of the universe unfailingly points to a Creator on the one hand and to man being created with a definite object on the other. It also proves that, having created the world, God did not leave it alone but continues to watch over and control its affairs and is the First Cause of all change and every working in the universe. Heaven and earth, night and day (with alternating light and darkness), the supply of provisions, rainfall with its power of quickening and devastating, the means of communications, the blowing of winds, and shade and sunshine, all point to one controlling agency, God, the Maker of heavens and earth. And if God has done so much for the material requirements of man, He cannot be imagined to have neglected his spiritual needs which are much more important. Let all thinking men think and ponder and again think and ponder.
The Quran takes the universe as a whole to prove its theme. The objects of nature taken individually do not furnish such conclusive evidence of the existence of God as the whole universe taken together. The earth may be said to owe its existence to a fortuitous concourse of atoms, or a similar reason may be given for the origin of the sun and the moon and so on. But when the universe as one united whole and the deep order that permeates it are taken into consideration, it becomes impossible to escape the conclusion that this universe has not come into existence accidentally. Indeed, the consummate harmony that prevails throughout the universe, forcefully points to the fact that the whole system has been created and is being directed by one Intelligent Being Who is All-Powerful and All-Knowing.
Taken in the metaphorical sense, the ship mentioned in the verse will be taken to stand for Prophets who help men to cross the gulfs of carnal desires and materialistic concepts of things which separate men from God, rain being likened to God’s revelation which comes down like rain and gives life to the world after it has become dead. The clouds send down no new water. Water already exists in the vast oceans of the earth but, as it is impure, men cannot make use of it. God purifies it and changes it into clouds and then sends it back to earth in the form of pure rainwater. Similarly, by sending a new revelation God purifies beliefs, which, with the passage of time, get mixed up with false notions and superstitious ideas. It is inconceivable that God Who supplies man with fresh rainwater for the maintenance of his physical life should have omitted to supply him with heavenly water which is so necessary for the preservation of his spiritual life. Similarly, night and day stand for the alternating periods of light and darkness, it being hinted that the coming of the Holy Prophet heralds the dawn of a new day.
Moreover, by laying special emphasis on the study of the phenomena of nature in the verse under comment, the attention of disbelievers is also drawn to the fact that they could not possibly hope to succeed in their designs against the Holy Prophet, because the whole universe is controlled by God and is working in favour of His Prophet and in furthering his cause.
f
3:191; 10:7; 30:23; 45:6.
a
3:191; 10:7; 30:23; 45:6.
171
Important Words:
اختلاف (alternation) is derived from خلف. They say خلفه i.e. he or it was or became his or its successor. خلف الرجل means, he came after or remained after the man and stood in his place. اختلفه means, he followed him as his successor. اختلفوا means (1) they came one after another by turn; (2) they differed or disagreed (Aqrab).
الفلك (ships) is derived from the verb فلك meaning, it became round or circular. الفلك (al-fulk) means a ship, or a boat, probably because it looks round and shapeless when seen at sea from a distance. The word is both singular and plural. الفلك (al-falak) means, the vault of heaven or the firmament in which the stars move. This is also probably owing to the apparently round shape of the sky (Aqrab, Mufradat & Lane).
دابة (beast) is the active participle from دب which means, he or it crept or crawled or walked slowly like an ant or a reptile or a child or a weak or sickly person. دابة means, all such animals or insects as creep or crawl or walk slowly (Aqrab). The word is used about all moving animals, whether big or small, whether walking on two legs or on four legs or creeping on the belly, etc. (24:46). It is also used about beasts used for riding or for carrying burden, like the horse, the mule, the donkey, etc. (Lane).
المسخر (pressed into service) is the passive participle from سخر sakhkhara. They say سخره (sakhkhara-hu or سخره sakhara-hu, not سخر sakhira which gives a different meaning), i.e. (1) he employed him or imposed on him a task without compensation; (2) he subjugated him and made him subservient to himself. Thus مسخر is that who or which has been made subservient to another, being unable to free himself or itself from constraint (Aqrab).
Commentary:
This verse gives a twofold meaning, one literal and the other metaphorical. In the former sense, it supplies an argument in support of the existence of God referred to in the preceding verse. A careful study of the universe unfailingly points to a Creator on the one hand and to man being created with a definite object on the other. It also proves that, having created the world, God did not leave it alone but continues to watch over and control its affairs and is the First Cause of all change and every working in the universe. Heaven and earth, night and day (with alternating light and darkness), the supply of provisions, rainfall with its power of quickening and devastating, the means of communications, the blowing of winds, and shade and sunshine, all point to one controlling agency, God, the Maker of heavens and earth. And if God has done so much for the material requirements of man, He cannot be imagined to have neglected his spiritual needs which are much more important. Let all thinking men think and ponder and again think and ponder.
The Quran takes the universe as a whole to prove its theme. The objects of nature taken individually do not furnish such conclusive evidence of the existence of God as the whole universe taken together. The earth may be said to owe its existence to a fortuitous concourse of atoms, or a similar reason may be given for the origin of the sun and the moon and so on. But when the universe as one united whole and the deep order that permeates it are taken into consideration, it becomes impossible to escape the conclusion that this universe has not come into existence accidentally. Indeed, the consummate harmony that prevails throughout the universe, forcefully points to the fact that the whole system has been created and is being directed by one Intelligent Being Who is All-Powerful and All-Knowing.
Taken in the metaphorical sense, the ship mentioned in the verse will be taken to stand for Prophets who help men to cross the gulfs of carnal desires and materialistic concepts of things which separate men from God, rain being likened to God’s revelation which comes down like rain and gives life to the world after it has become dead. The clouds send down no new water. Water already exists in the vast oceans of the earth but, as it is impure, men cannot make use of it. God purifies it and changes it into clouds and then sends it back to earth in the form of pure rainwater. Similarly, by sending a new revelation God purifies beliefs, which, with the passage of time, get mixed up with false notions and superstitious ideas. It is inconceivable that God Who supplies man with fresh rainwater for the maintenance of his physical life should have omitted to supply him with heavenly water which is so necessary for the preservation of his spiritual life. Similarly, night and day stand for the alternating periods of light and darkness, it being hinted that the coming of the Holy Prophet heralds the dawn of a new day.
Moreover, by laying special emphasis on the study of the phenomena of nature in the verse under comment, the attention of disbelievers is also drawn to the fact that they could not possibly hope to succeed in their designs against the Holy Prophet, because the whole universe is controlled by God and is working in favour of His Prophet and in furthering his cause.
e
3:191; 10:7; 30:23; 45:6.
188
The Qur’an takes the universe as a whole to prove its theme. The objects of nature taken individually do not furnish such conclusive evidence of the existence of God as the whole universe taken collectively. The earth may be said to owe its existence to a fortuitous concourse of atoms, and a similar reason may be given for the origin of the sun and the moon and so on. But when the universe as one united whole and the deep order that permeates it are taken into consideration, it becomes impossible for one to escape the conclusion, that this universe has not come into existence accidentally. Indeed, the consummate harmony that pervades it forcefully points to the fact that the whole system has been created and is being directed by One Intelligent Being Who is All-Powerful and All-Knowing. Moreover, by laying special emphasis on the study of the phenomena of nature, the attention of disbelievers is also drawn to the fact that they could not possibly hope to succeed in their designs against the Holy Prophet,
اُحِلَّ لَکُمۡ صَیۡدُ الۡبَحۡرِ وَطَعَامُہٗ مَتٰعًا لَّکُمۡ وَلِلسَّیَّارَۃِ ۖ وَحُرِّمَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ صَیۡدُ الۡبَرِّ مَا دُمۡتُمۡ حُرُمًا ۗ وَاتَّقُوا اللّٰہَ الَّذِیۡۤ اِلَیۡہِ تُحۡشَرُوۡنَ
5:2, 96.
واؤ کے معنے عربی زبان میں ’’لیکن‘‘ کے بھی ہوتے ہیں۔ (مُغْنی اللَّبِیب)
5:2, 96.
The word "sea" includes rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, etc. See 7:139.
5:2, 96.
Commentary:
The word بحر (sea) here includes rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, etc. See 7:139.
As during the time of Pilgrimage, hunting on land is likely to prove inconvenient and even dangerous to pilgrims visiting the Ka‘bah, whereas the catching of sea-game does not interfere with traffic, so the former has been prohibited and the latter allowed.
b
5:2, 96.
1
واؤ کے معنے عربی زبان میں ’’لیکن‘‘ کے بھی ہوتے ہیں۔ (مُغْنی اللَّبِیب)
a
5:2, 96.
724
Commentary:
The word بحر (sea) here includes rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, etc. See 7:139.
As during the time of Pilgrimage, hunting on land is likely to prove inconvenient and even dangerous to pilgrims visiting the Ka‘bah, whereas the catching of sea-game does not interfere with traffic, so the former has been prohibited and the latter allowed.
b
5:2, 96.
793
The word "sea" includes rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, etc. See 7:139.
وَسۡـَٔلۡہُمۡ عَنِ الۡقَرۡیَۃِ الَّتِیۡ کَانَتۡ حَاضِرَۃَ الۡبَحۡرِ اِذۡ یَعۡدُوۡنَ فِی السَّبۡتِ اِذۡ تَاۡتِیۡہِمۡ حِیۡتَانُہُمۡ یَوۡمَ سَبۡتِہِمۡ شُرَّعًا وَّیَوۡمَ لَا یَسۡبِتُوۡنَ ۙ لَا تَاۡتِیۡہِمۡ ۚ کَذٰلِکَ نَبۡلُوۡہُمۡ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَفۡسُقُوۡنَ
جانور بھی دنوں کو پہچانتے ہیں۔ ہندوؤں کے چشمہ پر جس دن عورتیں آٹا ڈالتی ہیں مچھلیاں کثرت سے آتی ہیں۔
2:66; 4:155.
7:169.
The Qaryah referred to in this verse is said to be Aila (Elath) on the Red Sea. It was situated on the N.E. arm of the Red Sea, in the Aelanitic Gulf (which has derived its name from the place itself) and is mentioned as one of the last stages of the Israelites during their wanderings (1 Kings, 9: 26 & 2 Chron. 8: 17). In Solomon’s time the town came into the possession of the Israelites but afterwards it was probably taken from them. Later Uzziah reconquered it, but under Ahaz it was again lost (Enc. Bib. & Jew. Enc.).
Shurra‘an also means, they came in shoals.
As no fish were caught on the Sabbath day, they had instinctively come to know the time when they were safe and therefore this instinctive feeling of security made them appear on the surface or approach near the coast in large numbers on the Sabbath day. This fact proved too strong a temptation for the Jews and they made arrangements to catch them on the Sabbath day and thus profaned it.
2:66; 4:14, 155
7:169.
Important Words:
شرعا (appearing on the surface) is the plural of شارع which is active participle from شرع. They say شرع فی الامر i.e. he entered upon or began or commenced the affair. شرع المنزل means, the dwelling had its door opening upon a thoroughfare, or the door of the house opened on the road. شرع الشیء means, he raised or elevated the thing much. شارع of which the plural is شرع(shurra‘un) means, entering into water or entering into an affair; appearing on the surface of water; situated on a main road; having its door opening on a road; a main road or thoroughfare; a legislator or announcer of the law. حیتان شرع means, fishes raising their heads above water; or fishes directing themselves from the deep water to the bank; or fishes appearing upon the surface of the water (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The قریة (town) referred to in this verse is said to be Aila (Elath) on the Red Sea. It was situated on the N. E. arm of the Red Sea, in the Atlantic Gulf (which has derived its name from the place itself) and is mentioned as one of the last stages of the Israelites during their wanderings. It is mentioned also in 1 Kings 9:26 and 2 Chron. 8:17. In Solomon’s time the city came into the possession of the Israelites but afterward it was probably taken from them. Later Uzziah reconquered it, but under Ahaz it was again lost (Enc. Bib. and Jew. Enc.).
As no fish were caught on the Sabbath day, they had instinctively come to know the time when they were safe and, therefore, this instinctive feeling of security made them appear on the surface or approach near the coast in great numbers on the Sabbath day. This fact proved too strong a temptation for the Jews, and they began to make arrangements to catch them on the Sabbath day. The cause of evasion was not far to seek. The Israelites had the fish caught by the non-Israelite people and then purchased them from the latter and in this way sought to evade the commandment, although it was forbidden to them even to make purchases on that day. It was to stop this mean practice that Nehemiah stationed his servants at the gates of Jerusalem to see that no loads were brought in on the Sabbath day (Neh. 13:19).
c
2:66; 4:155.
d
7:169.
1
جانور بھی دنوں کو پہچانتے ہیں۔ ہندوؤں کے چشمہ پر جس دن عورتیں آٹا ڈالتی ہیں مچھلیاں کثرت سے آتی ہیں۔
a
2:66; 4:14, 155
b
7:169.
1053
Important Words:
شرعا (appearing on the surface) is the plural of شارع which is active participle from شرع. They say شرع فی الامر i.e. he entered upon or began or commenced the affair. شرع المنزل means, the dwelling had its door opening upon a thoroughfare, or the door of the house opened on the road. شرع الشیء means, he raised or elevated the thing much. شارع of which the plural is شرع(shurra‘un) means, entering into water or entering into an affair; appearing on the surface of water; situated on a main road; having its door opening on a road; a main road or thoroughfare; a legislator or announcer of the law. حیتان شرع means, fishes raising their heads above water; or fishes directing themselves from the deep water to the bank; or fishes appearing upon the surface of the water (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The قریة (town) referred to in this verse is said to be Aila (Elath) on the Red Sea. It was situated on the N. E. arm of the Red Sea, in the Atlantic Gulf (which has derived its name from the place itself) and is mentioned as one of the last stages of the Israelites during their wanderings. It is mentioned also in 1 Kings 9:26 and 2 Chron. 8:17. In Solomon’s time the city came into the possession of the Israelites but afterward it was probably taken from them. Later Uzziah reconquered it, but under Ahaz it was again lost (Enc. Bib. and Jew. Enc.).
As no fish were caught on the Sabbath day, they had instinctively come to know the time when they were safe and, therefore, this instinctive feeling of security made them appear on the surface or approach near the coast in great numbers on the Sabbath day. This fact proved too strong a temptation for the Jews, and they began to make arrangements to catch them on the Sabbath day. The cause of evasion was not far to seek. The Israelites had the fish caught by the non-Israelite people and then purchased them from the latter and in this way sought to evade the commandment, although it was forbidden to them even to make purchases on that day. It was to stop this mean practice that Nehemiah stationed his servants at the gates of Jerusalem to see that no loads were brought in on the Sabbath day (Neh. 13:19).
b
2:66; 4:155.
c
7:169.
1063
The Qaryah referred to in this verse is said to be Aila (Elath) on the Red Sea. It was situated on the N.E. arm of the Red Sea, in the Aelanitic Gulf (which has derived its name from the place itself) and is mentioned as one of the last stages of the Israelites during their wanderings (1 Kings, 9: 26 & 2 Chron. 8: 17). In Solomon’s time the town came into the possession of the Israelites but afterwards it was probably taken from them. Later Uzziah reconquered it, but under Ahaz it was again lost (Enc. Bib. & Jew. Enc.).
1064
Shurra‘an also means, they came in shoals.
1064A
As no fish were caught on the Sabbath day, they had instinctively come to know the time when they were safe and therefore this instinctive feeling of security made them appear on the surface or approach near the coast in large numbers on the Sabbath day. This fact proved too strong a temptation for the Jews and they made arrangements to catch them on the Sabbath day and thus profaned it.
اَللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ وَاَنۡزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَاَخۡرَجَ بِہٖ مِنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ رِزۡقًا لَّکُمۡ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَکُمُ الۡفُلۡکَ لِتَجۡرِیَ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ بِاَمۡرِہٖ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَکُمُ الۡاَنۡہٰرَ
2:23; 20:54; 22:64; 35:28.
22:66; 43:14; 45:13.
2:23; 13:18; 20:54; 22:64; 35:28.
22:66; 43:14; 45:13.
Commentary:
See under next verse.
f
2:23; 20:54; 22:64; 35:28.
g
22:66; 43:14; 45:13.
c
2:23; 13:18; 20:54; 22:64; 35:28.
d
22:66; 43:14; 45:13.
1687
Commentary:
See under next verse.
f
2:23; 20:54; 22:64; 35:28.
g
22:66; 43:14; 45:13.
رَّبُّکُمُ الَّذِیۡ یُزۡجِیۡ لَکُمُ الۡفُلۡکَ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ لِتَبۡتَغُوۡا مِنۡ فَضۡلِہٖۤ ۚ اِنَّہٗ کَانَ بِکُمۡ رَحِیۡمًا
14:33; 22:66; 45:13.
14:33; 22:66; 45:13.
14:33; 22:66; 45:13.
Commentary:
The verse points out that all amenities of life are God’s gifts bestowed upon man, although they are not always recognized or appreciated by man as such. For example, the use of ships has made interaction possible between the dwellers of the main lands and the islands, who would have remained permanently isolated from each other without them.
There is also in the verse an implied reference to the fact that Islam will spread throughout the world on land and sea and for this purpose sea-going vessels, which are a great Divine blessing, will play a most important part. It is worthy of note that Muslims in the heyday of their glory were great sailors and navigators. The discovery of the sea-route to India was due to the good offices of an Arab sailor who guided some wandering Portuguese ships from the coast of Africa to the shores of India.
a
14:33; 22:66; 45:13.
b
14:33; 22:66; 45:13.
1996
Commentary:
The verse points out that all amenities of life are God’s gifts bestowed upon man, although they are not always recognized or appreciated by man as such. For example, the use of ships has made interaction possible between the dwellers of the main lands and the islands, who would have remained permanently isolated from each other without them.
There is also in the verse an implied reference to the fact that Islam will spread throughout the world on land and sea and for this purpose sea-going vessels, which are a great Divine blessing, will play a most important part. It is worthy of note that Muslims in the heyday of their glory were great sailors and navigators. The discovery of the sea-route to India was due to the good offices of an Arab sailor who guided some wandering Portuguese ships from the coast of Africa to the shores of India.
c
14:33; 22:66; 45:13.
وَاِذَا مَسَّکُمُ الضُّرُّ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ ضَلَّ مَنۡ تَدۡعُوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اِیَّاہُ ۖ فَلَمَّا نَجّٰٮکُمۡ اِلَی الۡبَرِّ اَعۡرَضۡتُمۡ ۚ وَکَانَ الۡاِنۡسٰنُ کَفُوۡرًا
10:13; 11:10, 11; 23:65; 30:34; 39:9; 41:50-52; 70:21, 22.
10:13; 11:10, 11; 23:65; 30:34; 39:9; 41:50-52; 70:21, 22.
Such is the nature of man that when he is in distress he becomes humble and prays to God and promises and vows to lead a virtuous life. But once he is out of danger he is as arrogant and boastful as ever.
10:13; 11:10-11; 23:65; 30:34; 39:9; 41:50-52; 70:21-22.
Commentary:
Such is the nature of man that when he is in distress, he becomes humble and prays to God and promises and vows to lead a virtuous life if he were to regain his lost peace of mind. But when the danger is over, he is as arrogant and boastful as ever. The verse, in fact, embodies a warning for Muslims that they should not forget God in their days of prosperity so that He may not forget them in their time of adversity.
b
10:13; 11:10, 11; 23:65; 30:34; 39:9; 41:50-52; 70:21, 22.
a
10:13; 11:10-11; 23:65; 30:34; 39:9; 41:50-52; 70:21-22.
1997
Commentary:
Such is the nature of man that when he is in distress, he becomes humble and prays to God and promises and vows to lead a virtuous life if he were to regain his lost peace of mind. But when the danger is over, he is as arrogant and boastful as ever. The verse, in fact, embodies a warning for Muslims that they should not forget God in their days of prosperity so that He may not forget them in their time of adversity.
d
10:13; 11:10, 11; 23:65; 30:34; 39:9; 41:50-52; 70:21, 22.
1634
Such is the nature of man that when he is in distress he becomes humble and prays to God and promises and vows to lead a virtuous life. But once he is out of danger he is as arrogant and boastful as ever.
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَا مَجۡمَعَ بَیۡنِہِمَا نَسِیَا حُوۡتَہُمَا فَاتَّخَذَ سَبِیۡلَہٗ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ سَرَبًا
یعنی جب موسوی مسیحی زمانہ آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے زمانہ سے ملا تو موسوی قوم اور عیسوی قوم نے اپنی عبادت گاہوں کی اصل غرض کو بھلا دیا اور جب مسیحی قوم سے عبادت کی غرض کھوئی گئی تو آسمان کے فرشتوں نے سمجھ لیا کہ اب آخری موعود کا زمانہ آگیا ہے اور وہ خداتعالیٰ کے حکم سے محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم پر نازل ہونے لگ گئے۔
عبادت گاہ کا مفہوم ہم نے حُوْت سے نکالا ہے جسے اگر خواب یا کشف میں دیکھا جائے تو اس کے معنے نیک لوگوں کی عبادت گاہ کے ہوتے ہیں۔
مچھلی حُوْت کا ترجمہ ہے جس کی تعبیر ہم اوپر لکھ آئے ہیں۔
Hut when seen in a vision denotes houses of worship of the righteous people (Ta‘tirul-Anam). In this sense of the word the expression, when they reached the place where the two seas met, they forgot their fish, signifies that at the time when the Mosaic and the Islamic Dispensations would meet, i.e. when Mosaic Dispensation would cease to function and the Islamic Dispensation would come into force, true righteousness would depart from among the followers of Moses and Jesus, and would henceforward become the special mark of the followers of the new Dispensation (48:30).
Important Words:
سربا (going away swiftly) is derived from سرب. They say سرب الماء i.e. the water flowed. سرب الرجل means, the man went at random. سرب فی الارض means, he went away in the land. سرب (sarabun) means, going away swiftly, a subterranean excavation; a habitation beneath the earth having a passage through it; the burrow or hole of a wild animal; the den of a lion. The Quranic expression فاتخذ سبیله فی البحر سربا means, it (the fish) took its way into the sea swiftly, etc. (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
حوت (fish) when seen in a vision denotes the houses of worship of righteous people (Ta‘tirul-Anam). In this sense of the word the expression, when they reached the place where the two seas met, they forgot their fish, means that at the time when the Mosaic and the Islamic Dispensations met, i.e. when Mosaic Dispensation ceased to function and the Islamic Dispensation came into force, true righteousness would depart from among the followers of Moses and Jesus and would henceforward become the special mark of the followers of the new Dispensation (48:30). The verse under comment also shows that the Islamic Dispensation was, in fact, a continuation of the Mosaic Dispensation. Being two consecutive parts of God’s eternal guidance, no such thing as the "junction of two seas" existed in the time of Moses.
1
یعنی جب موسوی مسیحی زمانہ آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے زمانہ سے ملا تو موسوی قوم اور عیسوی قوم نے اپنی عبادت گاہوں کی اصل غرض کو بھلا دیا اور جب مسیحی قوم سے عبادت کی غرض کھوئی گئی تو آسمان کے فرشتوں نے سمجھ لیا کہ اب آخری موعود کا زمانہ آگیا ہے اور وہ خداتعالیٰ کے حکم سے محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم پر نازل ہونے لگ گئے۔
عبادت گاہ کا مفہوم ہم نے حُوْت سے نکالا ہے جسے اگر خواب یا کشف میں دیکھا جائے تو اس کے معنے نیک لوگوں کی عبادت گاہ کے ہوتے ہیں۔
2
مچھلی حُوْت کا ترجمہ ہے جس کی تعبیر ہم اوپر لکھ آئے ہیں۔
2102
Important Words:
سربا (going away swiftly) is derived from سرب. They say سرب الماء i.e. the water flowed. سرب الرجل means, the man went at random. سرب فی الارض means, he went away in the land. سرب (sarabun) means, going away swiftly, a subterranean excavation; a habitation beneath the earth having a passage through it; the burrow or hole of a wild animal; the den of a lion. The Quranic expression فاتخذ سبیله فی البحر سربا means, it (the fish) took its way into the sea swiftly, etc. (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
حوت (fish) when seen in a vision denotes the houses of worship of righteous people (Ta‘tirul-Anam). In this sense of the word the expression, when they reached the place where the two seas met, they forgot their fish, means that at the time when the Mosaic and the Islamic Dispensations met, i.e. when Mosaic Dispensation ceased to function and the Islamic Dispensation came into force, true righteousness would depart from among the followers of Moses and Jesus and would henceforward become the special mark of the followers of the new Dispensation (48:30). The verse under comment also shows that the Islamic Dispensation was, in fact, a continuation of the Mosaic Dispensation. Being two consecutive parts of God’s eternal guidance, no such thing as the "junction of two seas" existed in the time of Moses.
1705
Hut when seen in a vision denotes houses of worship of the righteous people (Ta‘tirul-Anam). In this sense of the word the expression, when they reached the place where the two seas met, they forgot their fish, signifies that at the time when the Mosaic and the Islamic Dispensations would meet, i.e. when Mosaic Dispensation would cease to function and the Islamic Dispensation would come into force, true righteousness would depart from among the followers of Moses and Jesus, and would henceforward become the special mark of the followers of the new Dispensation (48:30).
قَالَ اَرَءَیۡتَ اِذۡ اَوَیۡنَاۤ اِلَی الصَّخۡرَۃِ فَاِنِّیۡ نَسِیۡتُ الۡحُوۡتَ وَمَاۤ اَنۡسٰٮنِیۡہُ اِلَّا الشَّیۡطٰنُ اَنۡ اَذۡکُرَہٗ ۚ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِیۡلَہٗ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ عَجَبًا
یعنی جب ترقی کے سامان پیدا ہونے پر قوم عیش و آرام میں مشغول ہوئی تو عبادت گاہ کی حقیقی غرض ہاتھ سے جاتی رہی۔
Sakhrah in the language of dreams and visions denotes 'a life of vice and sin.' So the expression, when we betook ourselves to the rock, signifies that when the two seas would meet, i.e. when the Mosaic Dispensation would come to an end and a new Prophet and a new Dispensation would appear, the Jews and Christians would be sunk into a life of sin and iniquity. The words, it took its way into the sea in a marvellous manner signify that true piety and worship of God would take leave of these peoples.
Commentary:
The pronouns in the expressions, "their fish" (v. 62), "they had gone further" (v. 63) and "we betook ourselves" obviously do not refer to Moses and Jesus because they did not live in the time of the Holy Prophet but to their respective peoples.
صخرة (rock) in the language of dreams and visions denotes "a life of vice and sin." So the expression, when we betook ourselves to the rock, means that when the two seas met i.e. when the Mosaic Dispensation came to an end and a new Prophet and a new Dispensation appeared, then Jews and Christians would be sunk in a life of sin and iniquity.
The words, it took its way into the sea in a marvellous manner, signify that true piety and worship of God would take leave of these people and would become the special mark of another people (the followers of Islam) who would become heirs to Divine favours.
The incident of the fish unmistakably points to the whole affair being a vision because when Moses and his young companion were pursuing their journey with the fish as their guide it was not possible for them to forget it.
4
یعنی جب ترقی کے سامان پیدا ہونے پر قوم عیش و آرام میں مشغول ہوئی تو عبادت گاہ کی حقیقی غرض ہاتھ سے جاتی رہی۔
2104
Commentary:
The pronouns in the expressions, "their fish" (v. 62), "they had gone further" (v. 63) and "we betook ourselves" obviously do not refer to Moses and Jesus because they did not live in the time of the Holy Prophet but to their respective peoples.
صخرة (rock) in the language of dreams and visions denotes "a life of vice and sin." So the expression, when we betook ourselves to the rock, means that when the two seas met i.e. when the Mosaic Dispensation came to an end and a new Prophet and a new Dispensation appeared, then Jews and Christians would be sunk in a life of sin and iniquity.
The words, it took its way into the sea in a marvellous manner, signify that true piety and worship of God would take leave of these people and would become the special mark of another people (the followers of Islam) who would become heirs to Divine favours.
The incident of the fish unmistakably points to the whole affair being a vision because when Moses and his young companion were pursuing their journey with the fish as their guide it was not possible for them to forget it.
1707
Sakhrah in the language of dreams and visions denotes 'a life of vice and sin.' So the expression, when we betook ourselves to the rock, signifies that when the two seas would meet, i.e. when the Mosaic Dispensation would come to an end and a new Prophet and a new Dispensation would appear, the Jews and Christians would be sunk into a life of sin and iniquity. The words, it took its way into the sea in a marvellous manner signify that true piety and worship of God would take leave of these peoples.
اَمَّا السَّفِیۡنَۃُ فَکَانَتۡ لِمَسٰکِیۡنَ یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ فَاَرَدتُّ اَنۡ اَعِیۡبَہَا وَکَانَ وَرَآءَہُمۡ مَّلِکٌ یَّاۡخُذُ کُلَّ سَفِیۡنَۃٍ غَصۡبًا
کشتی کے مالکوں سے مراد مسلمان ہیں جو مسکین دل تھے اور اس میں سوراخ کرنے سے مراد یہ تھی کہ وہ اپنے مال غرباء پر زکٰوۃ وغیرہ کے ذریعہ سے خرچ کریں گے۔
اس سے مراد قیصر و کسریٰ تھے جو عرب پر صرف اس لئے حملہ نہیں کرتے تھے کہ وہ ایک غریب اور بے آب و گیاہ ملک تھا۔ خداتعالیٰ نے اسے اس ترکیب سے محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے لئے محفوظ رکھا تھا۔ تفسیر کبیر جلد چہارم صفحہ ۴۸۶۔ ۴۸۷ میں ان معنوں کے سوا ایک اور معنے کیے گئے ہیں کیوں کہ قرآن مجید کے کئی بطن ہیں اور ہر بطن کے ماتحت ایک تفسیر ہو سکتی ہے۔
The words, "poor people," here may represent "the Muslims." Making a hole in the boat meant that Islam would exhort Muslims to spend their money in the cause of Allah, by way of Zakat and charity. This would appear to be a source of economic weakness rather than of strength and true prosperity, which in fact it would not be. The tyrant king of the Isra’ were the Byzantine and Iranian Empires which would have swallowed up Arabia had it not seemed to them a poor and barren land, not worth the trouble of conquering. It was thus preserved intact for the Holy Prophet.
Commentary:
With this verse begins an explanation of the foregoing incidents as given by the holy man of Moses’ vision.
The words, 'poor people' here represent the meek of heart whom material prosperity and abundance of wealth do not prevent from taking care of and sympathizing with the needy and the destitute and from associating with them. The expression 'a king' denotes love of the world and attachment for material things. The verse thus means to say that those proud and conceited sons of darkness who disdain to spend their money on philanthropic purposes are wholly lost in the love of this world and fall easy victims to Satan. This is why the Holy Prophet sought to make a hole in the boat of his people—he laid down such laws as should render their love of this world pierced with the love of the next world so that they should spend their money in the service of the oppressed and the down-trodden and instead of tyrannizing over them they should serve them and sympathize with them.
It is worthy of note that whereas in the Holy Prophet’s Vision the love of the world took the form of an old woman, in Moses’ vision it was represented by a cruel king. This signified that the love of the world and its pleasures would exercise much less influence over the followers of the Holy Prophet than over those of Moses.
1
کشتی کے مالکوں سے مراد مسلمان ہیں جو مسکین دل تھے اور اس میں سوراخ کرنے سے مراد یہ تھی کہ وہ اپنے مال غرباء پر زکٰوۃ وغیرہ کے ذریعہ سے خرچ کریں گے۔
2
اس سے مراد قیصر و کسریٰ تھے جو عرب پر صرف اس لئے حملہ نہیں کرتے تھے کہ وہ ایک غریب اور بے آب و گیاہ ملک تھا۔ خداتعالیٰ نے اسے اس ترکیب سے محمد رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے لئے محفوظ رکھا تھا۔ تفسیر کبیر جلد چہارم صفحہ ۴۸۶۔ ۴۸۷ میں ان معنوں کے سوا ایک اور معنے کیے گئے ہیں کیوں کہ قرآن مجید کے کئی بطن ہیں اور ہر بطن کے ماتحت ایک تفسیر ہو سکتی ہے۔
2118
Commentary:
With this verse begins an explanation of the foregoing incidents as given by the holy man of Moses’ vision.
The words, 'poor people' here represent the meek of heart whom material prosperity and abundance of wealth do not prevent from taking care of and sympathizing with the needy and the destitute and from associating with them. The expression 'a king' denotes love of the world and attachment for material things. The verse thus means to say that those proud and conceited sons of darkness who disdain to spend their money on philanthropic purposes are wholly lost in the love of this world and fall easy victims to Satan. This is why the Holy Prophet sought to make a hole in the boat of his people—he laid down such laws as should render their love of this world pierced with the love of the next world so that they should spend their money in the service of the oppressed and the down-trodden and instead of tyrannizing over them they should serve them and sympathize with them.
It is worthy of note that whereas in the Holy Prophet’s Vision the love of the world took the form of an old woman, in Moses’ vision it was represented by a cruel king. This signified that the love of the world and its pleasures would exercise much less influence over the followers of the Holy Prophet than over those of Moses.
1715
The words, "poor people," here may represent "the Muslims." Making a hole in the boat meant that Islam would exhort Muslims to spend their money in the cause of Allah, by way of Zakat and charity. This would appear to be a source of economic weakness rather than of strength and true prosperity, which in fact it would not be. The tyrant king of the Isra’ were the Byzantine and Iranian Empires which would have swallowed up Arabia had it not seemed to them a poor and barren land, not worth the trouble of conquering. It was thus preserved intact for the Holy Prophet.
وَلَقَدۡ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلٰی مُوۡسٰۤی اَنۡ اَسۡرِ بِعِبَادِیۡ فَاضۡرِبۡ لَہُمۡ طَرِیۡقًا فِی الۡبَحۡرِ یَبَسًا لَّا تَخٰفُ دَرَکًا وَّلَا تَخۡشٰی
26:53.
26:64.
Against all unimpeachable historical data, most extraordinary theories have been propounded about the Israelites, viz. (a) they never lived in Egypt; because no reference to them is to be found in the old Egyptian historical records. (b) In the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Meneptah (or Merenptah) when Moses is said to have taken the Israelites out of Egypt, some Israelite tribes were actually living in Canaan, therefore the theory that Moses had taken the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan during his reign and that they settled there some fifty years later is all wrong.
The propounders of these strange theories seem to forget that the Israelites were foreigners in Egypt and were a subject race and had lived the miserable life of serfs and slaves under their cruel rulers. How could such people be considered worthy of any notice being taken of them by historians? When even in this 20th century historians cannot find it easy to prepare a well- connected and harmonious narrative about a people from
26:53.
26:64.
Important Words:
لا تخشی (nor wilt thou have fear) is formed from خشیwhich means, he feared or dreaded or feared with reverence, veneration, respect, or awe. We have in the Quran وھم من خشیته مشفقون i.e. they fear their Lord, holding Him in reverence (21:29). خشی منه means, he feared or dreaded what might happen to him from him or it. خشیة is the dread, fear or awe resulting from the knowledge which one possesses about a thing or person. The Quranic expression انما یخشی اللّٰه من عبادہ العلماء(35:29) means, only those of His servants who possess knowledge fear Allah (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat). The reference to the fear mentioned in the words لا تخشی is to the dangers of the sea and other hardships that lay ahead of the Israelites.
Commentary:
The incident mentioned in this verse relates to the time when, under God’s command, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan. The Israelites left secretly by night, and when Pharaoh learnt of their flight, he pursued them with his hosts and was drowned in the Red Sea.
In order to appreciate fully the nature and significance of this incident which indeed constituted a great divine sign, it is necessary to read the verse under comment along with other relevant verses such as vv. 2:51, 26:62-64 & 44:25. The Quran says:
And remember the time when We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh’s people while you looked on (2:51).
And when the two hosts came in sight of each other the companions of Moses said, 'We are surely overtaken.'…Then We revealed to Moses, saying, 'Strike the sea with thy rod.' Whereupon it parted and every part was like a huge sandhill (26:62-64). When the Israelites were passing they had the sea on one side and the small lake son the other, which conformably to the natural laws of perspective appeared raised above the level of the land.
And leave the sea at a time when it is motionless. Surely, they are a host which is doomed to be drowned (44:25). i.e. pass through the sea quickly at a time when the tide has receded.
The Bible also refers to this incident in the following verses:
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea…And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Stretch out thine hand over the sea'…And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea and the sea returned to its strength…And the waters returned and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them (Exod. 14:21-28).
The following facts emerge from the above account of this incident as given in the Quran and the Bible;
(a) that Moses was commanded by God to take away the Israelites out of Egypt by night;
(b) that Pharaoh pursued the Israelites with his mighty hosts;
(c) that when the Israelites reached the arm of the Red Sea which lay across their route, they were greatly dismayed because Pharaoh was close behind with his hosts;
(d) that when on seeing Pharaoh’s hosts the Israelites exclaimed in fright that they were overtaken, God commanded Moses to strike the water of the sea with his rod;
(e) that when Moses struck the sea with his rod as the Quran says or stretched out his hand over the sea as the Bible says, it was the time of the ebb-tide and the sea was receding, leaving a dry bed;
(f) that Moses was commanded by God to cross quickly the dry bed to the opposite bank, which he did;
(g) that when the hosts of Pharaoh reached the sea, it was the time of high tide and that in their zeal to overtake the Israelites they took no notice of it and at once jumped into the sea behind them; and
(h) that, as it appears, being heavily equipped with big chariots and other heavy armaments the progress of the army of Pharaoh was greatly retarded so that while they were yet in the midst of the sea, the high tide returned and they were all drowned.
Historians differ as to the exact place from where Moses crossed the Red Sea from Egypt into Canaan. Some are of the view that on his way from the territory of Goshen, which is also called the valley of Al-Tamthilat or Wadi Tumilat and where the capital of the Pharaohs was situated (Enc. Bib. vol. 4, col. 4012, under "Rameses"), Moses passed by the Gulf of Timsah (Enc. Bib., cols. 1438 & 1439). Others think that he went much further to the north and going round Zoan crossed over to Canaan near the Mediterranean Sea (Enc. Bib., col. 1438). But what is most probable is the fact that from Tal Abi Sulaiman which was the capital of the Pharaohs in Moses’ time, the Israelites at first went to north-east to the Gulf of Timsah but finding that a net of gulfs barred their way, they turned south and crossed the Red Sea near the town of Suez where it is hardly more than 2/3 mile wide, and started for Qadas (Enc. Bib., col. 1437).
The following passage from Peake’s "Commentary on the Bible" (p. 64) may also be read with interest:
The Israelites fled with him (Moses) across the Goshen marshes into the Sinaitic Peninsula. The crossing of the "Red Sea" (yam suph, "sea" or "lake of reeds") was probably the crossing of the southern end of a lake a few miles N.W. of what is now called the Red Sea. A wind laid bare a wide stretch of shore, and when an Egyptian force pursued the fugitives, their chariot wheels stuck fast in the wet soil, and the water returned upon them when the wind shifted. Writers differ as to the route taken by the Israelites. Some think that they moved southward to the mountainous range of (the modern) Sinai, and then along the eastern arm of the Red Sea, now known as the Gulf of ‘Akabah, to its northernmost point at Ezion Geber. Others think that the evidence points to the route still taken by Mecca pilgrims, nearly due E. to Ezion Geber, and that thence they moved N.W. to the region of Kadesh (Barnea), to Mt. Sinai or southward along the E. side of the Gulf of ‘Akabah to Mt. Horeb. The traditions differ and certainty is impossible.
There are people who against all canons of history take particular delight in propounding most extraordinary theories that the Israelites never lived in Egypt. Some such theories are:
(a) No reference to the Israelites is to be found in the old Egyptian historical records.
(b) In the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah (or Mereneptah) when Moses is said to have taken the Israelites out of Egypt, some Israelite tribes were actually living in Canaan, therefore the theory of Moses having taken the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan during his reign and their having settled in that country some fifty years later is all wrong.
(c) Though some trace is found of a few tribes having crossed over from Asia into Egypt but there is no proof that these were the Israelite tribes.
The propounders of these strange theories seem to ignore the patent fact that the Israelites were foreigners in Egypt and were a subject race and lived the miserable life of slaves under their cruel rulers. How could such people be considered worthy of any notice being taken of them by historians? Apart from this the fact may also be taken into consideration that when it is not quite possible for historians even in this 20th century to prepare a well-connected and harmonious narrative about a people from the remnants of its ruined civilization, it was much more difficult for historians in the past to reconstruct a consistent record from the fragmentary accounts of a people who lived in the hoary past and who were treated like beasts of burden by their rulers. This is why no reference to the Israelites is to be found in the old historical records of Egypt.
Secondly, the doubtful theory that certain Israelite tribes were found to be living in Canaan in the 5th year of the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah cannot disprove the fact that other Israelite tribes had remained behind in Egypt. Is it not possible that some of these tribes might have left Egypt for Canaan sometime before all of them were taken out of it by Moses. It is very strange that on the one hand these very writers say that Moses is an Egyptian name and that some of the companions of Moses also had Egyptian names, and on the other that the Israelites never went to Egypt. Moreover, the Bible gives a detailed and well-connected story of the Israelites having lived in Egypt. There was no compelling reason for the writers of the Bible to have done so, especially when the Israelites had lived there only as slaves and worse than beasts of burden. No people would feel any urge or pride in forging and falsely inventing such a miserable record of shame and sorrow of themselves. Last but not least, the Biblical details with regard to the customs, culture and mode of life of the Pharaohs of that time is another proof of the fact that the Israelites had lived under them. The Bible had no interest in the Pharaoh dynasty of Egypt apart from their being rulers of the Israelites. Besides, as stated by old Greek historians, the Egyptians themselves admitted that the Israelites had lived in Egypt for a long time and later on had left this country. The present Egypt, however, should not be confused with a territory which in ancient times was also known as Egypt but which formed a part of northern Syria or northern Arabia.
The date of the Exodus has also been much contested and there seems to be considerable difficulty in determining its exact date from the Biblical records alone. Neither the name of the reigning Pharaoh nor the place where he held his court is mentioned; the account given is not contemporary, but has been condensed and annotated by later editors, and fused by them into a general narrative; and the Biblical chronology of the period, though containing trustworthy material, is known to be largely artificial. Apart from the Biblical records any historical information on the subject is meagre. Various theories, however, are held about the Exodus. Some of these are as follows:
1. The view that the Israelites left Egypt with the Hyksos (1580 B.C.) at the beginning of the XVIIIth Dynasty, or shortly afterwards, and lived a nomadic life of about 200 years in the desert previous to entering Canaan. But evidently this view seems to do violence to genuine Hebrew tradition.
2. The theory which dates the Exodus in the XVIIIth Dynasty, but about 1445 B.C. just after the long despotic reign of Thutmose III and during that of his son Amenhotep II (1447-1420 B.C.). This theory too lacks the support of trustworthy historical material and Hebrew tradition.
3. The hypothesis which connects the Exodus with the religion’s revolution attempted by Amenhotep IV, otherwise known as Akhenaten (1383-1366 B.C.) This view would place the Exodus about 1350 or 1345 B.C. This seems to be more plausible than the first two views.
4. But the theory, largely prevalent which receives much support from historical data, archaeological research and Hebrew tradition is that the Exodus occurred in the Nineteenth Dynasty (1328-1202 B.C.), in the reign of Merneptah II or Mereneptah II (1234-1214) and still seems the most probable. It appears to have taken place about 1230 B.C. According to this view the Pharaoh of the oppression would be Rameses II and his successor Merneptah II, the Pharaoh of the Exodus (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, pp. 119, 955 & 956).
Incidentally, it may be stated here that the striking of the water of the sea with his rod by Moses had no cause and effect connection with the actual parting of the sea. It was merely a sign or a Divine intimation that it was the time of the ebb tide and that the Israelites should hasten to cross. God had so arranged that when Moses reached the sea the tide was about to go back, so that as soon as he struck the sea with his rod in obedience to Divine command, it began to recede and a dry path was made for the Israelites. The striking of the water with his rod by Moses and the recession of the sea coincided. This constituted a miracle because God alone knew when the sea would recede and He had commanded Moses to strike its waters at the time of its recession.
a
26:53.
b
26:64.
c
26:53.
d
26:64.
2293A
Important Words:
لا تخشی (nor wilt thou have fear) is formed from خشیwhich means, he feared or dreaded or feared with reverence, veneration, respect, or awe. We have in the Quran وھم من خشیته مشفقون i.e. they fear their Lord, holding Him in reverence (21:29). خشی منه means, he feared or dreaded what might happen to him from him or it. خشیة is the dread, fear or awe resulting from the knowledge which one possesses about a thing or person. The Quranic expression انما یخشی اللّٰه من عبادہ العلماء(35:29) means, only those of His servants who possess knowledge fear Allah (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat). The reference to the fear mentioned in the words لا تخشی is to the dangers of the sea and other hardships that lay ahead of the Israelites.
Commentary:
The incident mentioned in this verse relates to the time when, under God’s command, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan. The Israelites left secretly by night, and when Pharaoh learnt of their flight, he pursued them with his hosts and was drowned in the Red Sea.
In order to appreciate fully the nature and significance of this incident which indeed constituted a great divine sign, it is necessary to read the verse under comment along with other relevant verses such as vv. 2:51, 26:62-64 & 44:25. The Quran says:
And remember the time when We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh’s people while you looked on (2:51).
And when the two hosts came in sight of each other the companions of Moses said, 'We are surely overtaken.'…Then We revealed to Moses, saying, 'Strike the sea with thy rod.' Whereupon it parted and every part was like a huge sandhill (26:62-64). When the Israelites were passing they had the sea on one side and the small lake son the other, which conformably to the natural laws of perspective appeared raised above the level of the land.
And leave the sea at a time when it is motionless. Surely, they are a host which is doomed to be drowned (44:25). i.e. pass through the sea quickly at a time when the tide has receded.
The Bible also refers to this incident in the following verses:
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea…And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Stretch out thine hand over the sea'…And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea and the sea returned to its strength…And the waters returned and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them (Exod. 14:21-28).
The following facts emerge from the above account of this incident as given in the Quran and the Bible;
(a) that Moses was commanded by God to take away the Israelites out of Egypt by night;
(b) that Pharaoh pursued the Israelites with his mighty hosts;
(c) that when the Israelites reached the arm of the Red Sea which lay across their route, they were greatly dismayed because Pharaoh was close behind with his hosts;
(d) that when on seeing Pharaoh’s hosts the Israelites exclaimed in fright that they were overtaken, God commanded Moses to strike the water of the sea with his rod;
(e) that when Moses struck the sea with his rod as the Quran says or stretched out his hand over the sea as the Bible says, it was the time of the ebb-tide and the sea was receding, leaving a dry bed;
(f) that Moses was commanded by God to cross quickly the dry bed to the opposite bank, which he did;
(g) that when the hosts of Pharaoh reached the sea, it was the time of high tide and that in their zeal to overtake the Israelites they took no notice of it and at once jumped into the sea behind them; and
(h) that, as it appears, being heavily equipped with big chariots and other heavy armaments the progress of the army of Pharaoh was greatly retarded so that while they were yet in the midst of the sea, the high tide returned and they were all drowned.
Historians differ as to the exact place from where Moses crossed the Red Sea from Egypt into Canaan. Some are of the view that on his way from the territory of Goshen, which is also called the valley of Al-Tamthilat or Wadi Tumilat and where the capital of the Pharaohs was situated (Enc. Bib. vol. 4, col. 4012, under "Rameses"), Moses passed by the Gulf of Timsah (Enc. Bib., cols. 1438 & 1439). Others think that he went much further to the north and going round Zoan crossed over to Canaan near the Mediterranean Sea (Enc. Bib., col. 1438). But what is most probable is the fact that from Tal Abi Sulaiman which was the capital of the Pharaohs in Moses’ time, the Israelites at first went to north-east to the Gulf of Timsah but finding that a net of gulfs barred their way, they turned south and crossed the Red Sea near the town of Suez where it is hardly more than 2/3 mile wide, and started for Qadas (Enc. Bib., col. 1437).
The following passage from Peake’s "Commentary on the Bible" (p. 64) may also be read with interest:
The Israelites fled with him (Moses) across the Goshen marshes into the Sinaitic Peninsula. The crossing of the "Red Sea" (yam suph, "sea" or "lake of reeds") was probably the crossing of the southern end of a lake a few miles N.W. of what is now called the Red Sea. A wind laid bare a wide stretch of shore, and when an Egyptian force pursued the fugitives, their chariot wheels stuck fast in the wet soil, and the water returned upon them when the wind shifted. Writers differ as to the route taken by the Israelites. Some think that they moved southward to the mountainous range of (the modern) Sinai, and then along the eastern arm of the Red Sea, now known as the Gulf of ‘Akabah, to its northernmost point at Ezion Geber. Others think that the evidence points to the route still taken by Mecca pilgrims, nearly due E. to Ezion Geber, and that thence they moved N.W. to the region of Kadesh (Barnea), to Mt. Sinai or southward along the E. side of the Gulf of ‘Akabah to Mt. Horeb. The traditions differ and certainty is impossible.
There are people who against all canons of history take particular delight in propounding most extraordinary theories that the Israelites never lived in Egypt. Some such theories are:
(a) No reference to the Israelites is to be found in the old Egyptian historical records.
(b) In the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah (or Mereneptah) when Moses is said to have taken the Israelites out of Egypt, some Israelite tribes were actually living in Canaan, therefore the theory of Moses having taken the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan during his reign and their having settled in that country some fifty years later is all wrong.
(c) Though some trace is found of a few tribes having crossed over from Asia into Egypt but there is no proof that these were the Israelite tribes.
The propounders of these strange theories seem to ignore the patent fact that the Israelites were foreigners in Egypt and were a subject race and lived the miserable life of slaves under their cruel rulers. How could such people be considered worthy of any notice being taken of them by historians? Apart from this the fact may also be taken into consideration that when it is not quite possible for historians even in this 20th century to prepare a well-connected and harmonious narrative about a people from the remnants of its ruined civilization, it was much more difficult for historians in the past to reconstruct a consistent record from the fragmentary accounts of a people who lived in the hoary past and who were treated like beasts of burden by their rulers. This is why no reference to the Israelites is to be found in the old historical records of Egypt.
Secondly, the doubtful theory that certain Israelite tribes were found to be living in Canaan in the 5th year of the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah cannot disprove the fact that other Israelite tribes had remained behind in Egypt. Is it not possible that some of these tribes might have left Egypt for Canaan sometime before all of them were taken out of it by Moses. It is very strange that on the one hand these very writers say that Moses is an Egyptian name and that some of the companions of Moses also had Egyptian names, and on the other that the Israelites never went to Egypt. Moreover, the Bible gives a detailed and well-connected story of the Israelites having lived in Egypt. There was no compelling reason for the writers of the Bible to have done so, especially when the Israelites had lived there only as slaves and worse than beasts of burden. No people would feel any urge or pride in forging and falsely inventing such a miserable record of shame and sorrow of themselves. Last but not least, the Biblical details with regard to the customs, culture and mode of life of the Pharaohs of that time is another proof of the fact that the Israelites had lived under them. The Bible had no interest in the Pharaoh dynasty of Egypt apart from their being rulers of the Israelites. Besides, as stated by old Greek historians, the Egyptians themselves admitted that the Israelites had lived in Egypt for a long time and later on had left this country. The present Egypt, however, should not be confused with a territory which in ancient times was also known as Egypt but which formed a part of northern Syria or northern Arabia.
The date of the Exodus has also been much contested and there seems to be considerable difficulty in determining its exact date from the Biblical records alone. Neither the name of the reigning Pharaoh nor the place where he held his court is mentioned; the account given is not contemporary, but has been condensed and annotated by later editors, and fused by them into a general narrative; and the Biblical chronology of the period, though containing trustworthy material, is known to be largely artificial. Apart from the Biblical records any historical information on the subject is meagre. Various theories, however, are held about the Exodus. Some of these are as follows:
1. The view that the Israelites left Egypt with the Hyksos (1580 B.C.) at the beginning of the XVIIIth Dynasty, or shortly afterwards, and lived a nomadic life of about 200 years in the desert previous to entering Canaan. But evidently this view seems to do violence to genuine Hebrew tradition.
2. The theory which dates the Exodus in the XVIIIth Dynasty, but about 1445 B.C. just after the long despotic reign of Thutmose III and during that of his son Amenhotep II (1447-1420 B.C.). This theory too lacks the support of trustworthy historical material and Hebrew tradition.
3. The hypothesis which connects the Exodus with the religion’s revolution attempted by Amenhotep IV, otherwise known as Akhenaten (1383-1366 B.C.) This view would place the Exodus about 1350 or 1345 B.C. This seems to be more plausible than the first two views.
4. But the theory, largely prevalent which receives much support from historical data, archaeological research and Hebrew tradition is that the Exodus occurred in the Nineteenth Dynasty (1328-1202 B.C.), in the reign of Merneptah II or Mereneptah II (1234-1214) and still seems the most probable. It appears to have taken place about 1230 B.C. According to this view the Pharaoh of the oppression would be Rameses II and his successor Merneptah II, the Pharaoh of the Exodus (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, pp. 119, 955 & 956).
Incidentally, it may be stated here that the striking of the water of the sea with his rod by Moses had no cause and effect connection with the actual parting of the sea. It was merely a sign or a Divine intimation that it was the time of the ebb tide and that the Israelites should hasten to cross. God had so arranged that when Moses reached the sea the tide was about to go back, so that as soon as he struck the sea with his rod in obedience to Divine command, it began to recede and a dry path was made for the Israelites. The striking of the water with his rod by Moses and the recession of the sea coincided. This constituted a miracle because God alone knew when the sea would recede and He had commanded Moses to strike its waters at the time of its recession.
c
26:53.
d
26:64.
1838
Against all unimpeachable historical data, most extraordinary theories have been propounded about the Israelites, viz. (a) they never lived in Egypt; because no reference to them is to be found in the old Egyptian historical records. (b) In the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Meneptah (or Merenptah) when Moses is said to have taken the Israelites out of Egypt, some Israelite tribes were actually living in Canaan, therefore the theory that Moses had taken the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan during his reign and that they settled there some fifty years later is all wrong.
The propounders of these strange theories seem to forget that the Israelites were foreigners in Egypt and were a subject race and had lived the miserable life of serfs and slaves under their cruel rulers. How could such people be considered worthy of any notice being taken of them by historians? When even in this 20th century historians cannot find it easy to prepare a well- connected and harmonious narrative about a people from
اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ سَخَّرَ لَکُمۡ مَّا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَالۡفُلۡکَ تَجۡرِیۡ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ بِاَمۡرِہٖ وَیُمۡسِکُ السَّمَآءَ اَنۡ تَقَعَ عَلَی الۡاَرۡضِ اِلَّا بِاِذۡنِہٖۤ ۗ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوۡفٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ
16:15.
یعنی عذاب کے لئے قیدیں لگا دی ہیں کہ اس کے خاص حکم کے بغیر دنیا پر عذاب نہ آئے۔
16:15.
16:15; 35:13.
Commentary:
The verse constitutes a beautiful commentary on the futility of idol-worship and gives two very strong arguments against it. First, God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has subjected all that is in the earth, in the sea and even in the air to the service of man. It is this Lord of all life Who is entitled to our worship and not the idols of wood and stone or those of man’s own fancy. Secondly, when God has pressed the whole universe into the service of man and has made him the lord of the whole creation and His own chief handiwork, it is foolish on his part to degrade himself so low as to worship anything besides God.
The verse possesses another significance. The realization that all things are created for the service of man draws our attention to the uses and properties of different objects and urges us to study them and then turn them to our benefit. It is this study of natural objects that led to new discoveries and inventions and consequently to the great material progress which the early Muslims made in the heyday of their intellectual glory.
b
16:15.
1
یعنی عذاب کے لئے قیدیں لگا دی ہیں کہ اس کے خاص حکم کے بغیر دنیا پر عذاب نہ آئے۔
b
16:15; 35:13.
2495
Commentary:
The verse constitutes a beautiful commentary on the futility of idol-worship and gives two very strong arguments against it. First, God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has subjected all that is in the earth, in the sea and even in the air to the service of man. It is this Lord of all life Who is entitled to our worship and not the idols of wood and stone or those of man’s own fancy. Secondly, when God has pressed the whole universe into the service of man and has made him the lord of the whole creation and His own chief handiwork, it is foolish on his part to degrade himself so low as to worship anything besides God.
The verse possesses another significance. The realization that all things are created for the service of man draws our attention to the uses and properties of different objects and urges us to study them and then turn them to our benefit. It is this study of natural objects that led to new discoveries and inventions and consequently to the great material progress which the early Muslims made in the heyday of their intellectual glory.
b
16:15.
اَلَمۡ تَرَ اَنَّ الۡفُلۡکَ تَجۡرِیۡ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ بِنِعۡمَتِ اللّٰہِ لِیُرِیَکُمۡ مِّنۡ اٰیٰتِہٖۤ ۚ اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَاٰیٰتٍ لِّکُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَکُوۡرٍ
17:67; 30:47; 45:13.
نعمت سے مراد انسانوں کے کام آنے والا وہ سامان ہے جس کو لے کر جہاز مختلف ملکوں کی طرف جاتے رہتے ہیں۔
صَبَّار صَابِر سے مبالغہ کا صیغہ ہے اور شَکُوْر شَاکِر سے مبالغہ کا صیغہ ہے۔
17:67; 30:47; 45:13.
The sailing of ships is indeed a great Divine boon. Much of the prosperity of mankind depends on it. The greatest sea-power is generally the richest and the most powerful country in the world.
17:67; 30:47; 45:13.
Commentary:
The sailing of ships, as is mentioned in the present verse, is indeed a great Divine boon. Much of the prosperity of mankind depends on it. The greatest sea power is generally the richest and the most powerful nation in the world.
d
17:67; 30:47; 45:13.
3
نعمت سے مراد انسانوں کے کام آنے والا وہ سامان ہے جس کو لے کر جہاز مختلف ملکوں کی طرف جاتے رہتے ہیں۔
4
صَبَّار صَابِر سے مبالغہ کا صیغہ ہے اور شَکُوْر شَاکِر سے مبالغہ کا صیغہ ہے۔
a
17:67; 30:47; 45:13.
3055
Commentary:
The sailing of ships, as is mentioned in the present verse, is indeed a great Divine boon. Much of the prosperity of mankind depends on it. The greatest sea power is generally the richest and the most powerful nation in the world.
a
17:67; 30:47; 45:13.
2317
The sailing of ships is indeed a great Divine boon. Much of the prosperity of mankind depends on it. The greatest sea-power is generally the richest and the most powerful country in the world.
وَمِنۡ اٰیٰتِہِ الۡجَوَارِ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ کَالۡاَعۡلٰمِ
31:32; 55:25.
In this and several other verses the Qur’an points to the great part that ships were to play in international intercourse. This truth, revealed to a son of the desert, as far back as fourteen hundred years ago, speaks volumes for the Divine origin of the Qur’an.
31:32; 55:25.
Important Words:
جوار (sailing ships) is the plural of جاریة which is derived from جری. They say جرت السفینة i.e. the ship floated or sailed. جرت الشمس means, the sun pursued its course. جرت الامر means, the thing happened. جاریة means, a ship, because of its running upon the sea; a girl or young woman; a female slave; the wind, etc. (Lane & Aqrab).
اعلام (mountain-tops) is the plural of علم (‘alam) which is derived from علم (‘alama). علمه means, he marked it. علم شفته means, he slit his lip. علم (‘alam) means, an impression or impress; a trace; a thing set up on the way for guiding people; a minaret; a mountain or mountain-top or a long mountain; a banner or standard; the chief of a people (Lane & Aqrab).
b
31:32; 55:25.
1208
在这一节和其他几节经文中, «古兰经» 指出了船舶在国际交往中所起的巨大作用。远在1400年以前, 即启示给沙漠之子的这个真理, 充份说明了«古兰经» 的神圣来源。
b
31:32; 55:25.
3625
Important Words:
جوار (sailing ships) is the plural of جاریة which is derived from جری. They say جرت السفینة i.e. the ship floated or sailed. جرت الشمس means, the sun pursued its course. جرت الامر means, the thing happened. جاریة means, a ship, because of its running upon the sea; a girl or young woman; a female slave; the wind, etc. (Lane & Aqrab).
اعلام (mountain-tops) is the plural of علم (‘alam) which is derived from علم (‘alama). علمه means, he marked it. علم شفته means, he slit his lip. علم (‘alam) means, an impression or impress; a trace; a thing set up on the way for guiding people; a minaret; a mountain or mountain-top or a long mountain; a banner or standard; the chief of a people (Lane & Aqrab).
c
31:32; 55:25.
2658
In this and several other verses the Qur’an points to the great part that ships were to play in international intercourse. This truth, revealed to a son of the desert, as far back as fourteen hundred years ago, speaks volumes for the Divine origin of the Qur’an.
وَلَہُ الۡجَوَارِ الۡمُنۡشَاٰتُ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ کَالۡاَعۡلٰمِ
ان بلند پہاڑوں جیسے جہازوں سے مراد وہ دُخانی جہاز ہیں جو ہمارے زمانہ میں نکلے ہیں۔ یہ ایک پیشگوئی تھی جو پوری ہوگئی۔ آج کل سمندری سفر کرنے والے اس پیشگوئی کی سچائی کے گواہ ہیں۔
42:33.
The reference seems to be to modern "leviathans," which ride the seas like mountains. The Surah may be dealing with the progress and prosperity of the Western nations which are the result of their making proper use of the great sea-routes for extending their commerce and trade.
16:15; 35:13; 42:33.
Important Words:
الجوار (ships) is the plural of جاریة which is fem. act. part. from جری which means, it flowed. جاریة means, a ship because of its running upon the sea; the sun; a girl or young woman; a boon or blessing bestowed by God upon His servants, etc. (Lane & Aqrab).
الاعلام is the plural of علم (‘alamun) which is derived from علم (‘alama). علمه means, he marked it. علم means, an impression or impress; a footstep, track or trace of thing erected on the way for guidance; a banner, flag or standard; a minaret; a mountain or long mountain; the chief of a people (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The verse contains a reference to modern "leviathans", which ride the seas like mountains. The Surah seems to deal with the progress and prosperity of the western nations which is the result of their making use of the great sea routes for extending their commerce and trade.
a
42:33.
1349
这里似指航行在海上高大如山的现代巨轮。这一经章正是论述西方国家的进步和繁荣, 这是恰当利用了海洋航线扩大商业和贸易的结果。
1
ان بلند پہاڑوں جیسے جہازوں سے مراد وہ دُخانی جہاز ہیں جو ہمارے زمانہ میں نکلے ہیں۔ یہ ایک پیشگوئی تھی جو پوری ہوگئی۔ آج کل سمندری سفر کرنے والے اس پیشگوئی کی سچائی کے گواہ ہیں۔
a
16:15; 35:13; 42:33.
4062
Important Words:
الجوار (ships) is the plural of جاریة which is fem. act. part. from جری which means, it flowed. جاریة means, a ship because of its running upon the sea; the sun; a girl or young woman; a boon or blessing bestowed by God upon His servants, etc. (Lane & Aqrab).
الاعلام is the plural of علم (‘alamun) which is derived from علم (‘alama). علمه means, he marked it. علم means, an impression or impress; a footstep, track or trace of thing erected on the way for guidance; a banner, flag or standard; a minaret; a mountain or long mountain; the chief of a people (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The verse contains a reference to modern "leviathans", which ride the seas like mountains. The Surah seems to deal with the progress and prosperity of the western nations which is the result of their making use of the great sea routes for extending their commerce and trade.
b
42:33.
2929
The reference seems to be to modern "leviathans," which ride the seas like mountains. The Surah may be dealing with the progress and prosperity of the Western nations which are the result of their making proper use of the great sea-routes for extending their commerce and trade.