بِحَمْدِ

20:131; 50:40; 110:4.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that inasmuch as the main purpose of the Holy Prophet’s advent, viz. the establishment of the Unity of God, was now going to be fulfilled, he should in joyous thanksgiving extol the praise of God and bow down to Him in devoted prostration. The verse also hints that the Holy Prophet should now busy himself all the more in the moral and spiritual training of the Faithful and thus provide practical means of establishing the glory of God. How in these few brief words God has so beautifully taken the burden from the mind of His Prophet!

17:79-80; 30:18-19; 50:40-41.

Important Words:

آناء (hours) is the plural of إنی (inyun) and إنی (inan) and أنی (anyun). All these are derived from أنی (ana) which means, its time came; it was or became or drew near; it attained to its full state. إنی (inyun) means, an hour or a short portion of time, or an indefinite time; a time of the night; any hour of the night. مضی إنو من اللیل means, a time of the night passed (Lane & Aqrab).

اطراف is the plural of طرف and means, sides of the day; parts of the day (Aqrab).

Commentary:

Some commentators of the Quran are of the view that by the glorification of God at the hours mentioned in the verse are meant the hours of the five daily Prayers; the words "before the rising of the sun" signifying the morning Prayer; and the words "before its setting" the late afternoon (‘Asr) Prayer; and the expression "and glorify Him in the hours of the night" signifying the evening (Maghrib) and night Prayer (‘Isha), while the words "at the sides of the day" signifying afternoon (Zuhr) Prayer. But whatever the words of the verse may mean it is quite clear that in order to obtain success in life and satisfaction of the mind it is very essential to remember God and glorify Him. God’s constant remembrance is specifically suited to illumine the soul and to bring about peace of mind.

17:108, 110; 19:59.

40:8; 69:18.

Commentary:

God’s attributes will see their most complete manifestation on the Judgement Day and the cherubs will be on duty singing alleluias to the Divine Being. "The angels" in the verse may also refer to the Companions of the Holy Prophet who seeing God’s promises being fulfilled before their very eyes sang praises to Divine glory, majesty and holiness as no people had ever done before, and never was judgement made so clear between right and wrong as was made in the time of the Holy Prophet. This seems to be the significance of the verse.

The word عرش(Throne), for which see 10:4, represents the transcendent attributes of God such as His glory, majesty, holiness and power. These attributes have an intimate connection with Unity, as is clear from 23:117, where we read: There is no God but He, the Lord of the Exalted Throne, for it is the transcendent attributes of God which constitute the real proof of His Unity, as His other attributes are shared by man. In this sense of the word عرش (Throne), the verse would mean that the Unity of God will become established in Arabia, and God’s true servants in the world together with the angels in heavens, will celebrate His praises.

The words, "Thou wilt see the angels going round the Throne," may mean that angels will sing God’s praises continuously and in unison.

39:76; 69:18.

Commentary:

As عرش (Throne) signifies Divine attributes (see 10:4 & 39:76), "the bearers of the Throne" would, therefore, mean those beings or persons through whom those attributes are manifested. The laws of nature work through the angels, and the Prophets are the instruments through whom God’s Word is preached to mankind. Thus the words "those who bear the Throne" may signify both the angels and Divine Messengers. The four principal Divine attributes being رب (the Lord), الرحمن (the Gracious), الرحیم (the Merciful) and مالك یوم الدین (Master of the Day of Judgement), the most important bearers of the Throne are those angels through whom these four attributes find their manifestation and expression; and the words "those who are around it" may signify subordinate angels who assist the principal angels in executing the affairs of the world.

God’s attributes of 'mercy' and 'knowledge,' according to this verse, are among the most important and all-comprehensive of Divine attributes.

Asking of forgiveness by angels for believers consists in the fact that they help the believers in preaching the Word of God and spreading righteousness on earth.

30:61.

Important Words:

استـغـفر (ask forgiveness) is derived from غـفر. They say غـفر الشیء i.e. he covered or concealed the thing. غـفر الله ذنبه means, God covered up his sins and forgave him. مـغـفرة and غـفران which are both infinitives, signify God’s forgiveness or His protection of a person against the punishment of his sins and protection against future lapses (Mufradat, Aqrab & Lane). استـغـفر would thus signify, "ask God for مـغـفرة " i.e. covering up of, and for-giveness for, past lapses, and pro-tection from future stumbling. استـغـفار (Istighfar), therefore, is not only needed by ordinary believers but also by holy men of God—even by God’s great Prophets. While the former offer Istighfar to seek protection against future sins as well as from the evil consequences of past lapses, the latter seek protection from human shortcomings and weaknesses that may hinder the progress of their cause. The Prophets also are human and though they are immune to sin, yet they, too, are heir to human failings and frailties and so they too need offering Istighfar to seek Divine help and assistance against these. See also 2:59 & 14:42

ذنب (frailty) is derived from ذنب (dhanaba). ذنبه (dhanaba-hu) means, he followed his tail, not quitting his track. ذنب, therefore, signifies such natural failings or frailties as adhere to human nature. ذنب also means, a fault, an imperfection, a shortcoming, natural weakness, frailty, a misdeed, an offence or error for which one is liable to be called to account or which produces harmful results (Mufradat). Four words i.e. جناح, جرم, إثم and ذنب (all signifying a lapse) have been used in the Quran, but whereas all the four have been used in relation to human beings generally, the first three have not been used with regard to Prophets of God. This shows the great difference between ذنب and other words. See also 3:17.

Commentary:

As against the Bible which has imputed all sorts of heinous crimes and sins to God’s Prophets (Gen. 9:21-22; 19: 30-36 & 2 Sam. 11:2-5), Islam regards them as completely free from all moral lapses. They are born sinless and they remain sinless throughout life. "They are God’s honoured servants and fully carry out His commandments" (21:21, 28). Christian writers have vainly sought to infer from 48:3 and from the verse under comment that as the Holy Prophet was enjoined to ask forgiveness for his ذنب, he must have been guilty of moral lapses. Apart from the fact that a casual study of the context at both the places belies this baseless inference, the argument only exposes ignorance of Arabic idiom on the part of Christian critics. استـغـفر لذنبک is quite a harmless expression, particularly when used about a Prophet of God; and in view of the meanings of the words ذنب and استـغـفار, as given under "Important Words" above, it does not at all bear this sinister construction. The expression only means that the Holy Prophet was enjoined to invoke God’s protection against his human weaknesses standing in the way of the realization of his noble object which was the advance and spread of Islam and the complete and final victory of truth over falsehood. The expression may also mean, "ask forgiveness for them (thine enemies) for the wrongs they have done thee," ذنبک meaning, the wrong done to thee. The Quran regards the Holy Prophet, as indeed all other Divine Messengers, as above any imputation of committing a sin. The Quran has shed some light on the very high stature of the Holy Prophet. It says:

(1) He it is who has raised among the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and Wisdom (2:130; 3:165 & 62:3).

(2) Your Companion has neither erred, nor has he gone astray. Nor does he speak out of his own desire. It is nothing but pure revelation that has been revealed by God (53:3-5).

(3) Verily, those who swear allegiance to thee indeed swear allegiance to God (48:11).

(4) Say, 'If you love Allah, follow me: Then Allah will love you and forgive you your faults' (3:32).

(5) Whoso obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah indeed (4:81).

It is ignorance of Arabic language or misrepresentation of the text of the Quran to say that it regards the great and noble Prophet, who had raised to the highest pinnacles of spiritual glory a whole people, sunk deep in the depths of moral turpitude, and had purified them, liable to commit sins!

13:14; 16:50-51.

Commentary:

The verse may mean that man’s sins and his ingratitude are so great that their enormity might cause the heavens to rend asunder but God’s mercy and forgiveness are greater than man’s sins. These Divine attributes demanded the revelation of the Quran in order that mankind might be delivered from sin. Besides this, angels beg of God forgiveness and mercy for His erring creatures. The reference in the verse may also be to the blasphemous dogma of the Sonship of Jesus, which is so heinous a doctrine that in spite of God’s grace and mercy and of the fact that angels beg of God forgiveness for His sinful creatures, God will destroy those people who hold this belief. But to those who repent God is Most Forgiving and Merciful.

15:99; 17:79; 20:131; 40:56; 110:4.

5:68.

Commentary:

'The judgement of thy Lord' may signify the punishment that was soon to overtake disbelievers, and the words ‘thou art before Our eyes’ mean that the Holy Prophet was under Divine protection and plotting of the enemies could do him no harm. The reference is to the promise of protection given to him in the words: "And Allah will protect thee from men"(5:68).

15:99; 20:131; 50:40.

Commentary:

The Holy Prophet is here enjoined that since God’s promise has been fulfilled and large masses of people have begun to enter the fold of Islam, he should give thanks to his Lord for fulfilling His promise about victory, sing His praises and seek His protection and forgiveness.

The expression استغفرہ has a very wide significance. The Holy Prophet is here told that since victory has come to him and Islam has become predominant in the land and his erstwhile enemies have become his devoted servants, he should ask God to forgive them the grave wrongs they had done to him in the past. This seems to be the meaning and significance of the injunction to the Holy Prophet to seek God’s forgiveness. Or the Holy Prophet might have been enjoined to ask God’s protection against weaknesses and shortcomings that might find their way into the Muslim Community on account of lack of adequate training or education for the new converts. It is significant that whenever mention is made in the Quran of a destined victory or some great success falling to the Holy Prophet, he is generally told to ask God’s forgiveness and to seek His protection. This clearly shows that he is enjoined here to ask for God’s forgiveness and to seek His protection not for himself but for others; he is asked to pray that whenever there was any danger of his followers deviating from Islamic principles or precepts, God may save them from such a crisis. Thus there is no question here of the Prophet’s asking forgiveness for any of his own actions. According to the Quran, he enjoyed complete immunity from every moral lapse or deviation from the right course (53:3). For a detailed treatment, however, of the word استغفار see 40:56 & 48:3.

The expression, "He is Oft-Returning with compassion," holds a message of hope for the Holy Prophet. He is told that whenever there was any danger of his followers deviating from the path of Islam and falling victims to moral decay on a large scale, God will return to them with compassion and will raise from among them a Reformer who will lead them to the right path.