تَعْبُدُونَ

4:155; 5:13.

2:44; 4:78; 6:73; 22:79; 24:57; 30:32.

Important Words:

میثاق (a covenant). See 2:64.

Commentary:

After setting forth the attitude of the Israelites of the Holy Prophet’s time towards the Prophets of God and their own Scriptures, the Quran draws their attention to the teachings which they had been required to follow but which they ignored.

The verse under comment does not refer to any particular covenant, but to the vices which were rife among the Jews at the time and which were forbidden them in the Bible. Worship of any object other than God is repeatedly forbidden in the Jewish scriptures (Exod. 20:3-6). Again, kindness to parents is also among the injunctions (Exod. 20:12). Similarly, for the kind treatment of kinsmen, clear injunctions have been given (Lev. 19:17, 18; Exod. 21:9, and Prov. 3:27, 28). For care of orphans, an injunction is to be met with in Deut. 14:29. Sympathy for the poor is enjoined in Deut. 15:11. The injunction to deal gently with mankind is found in Prov. 3:30. The commandment to observe Prayer is given in Deut. 6:13. The injunction for alms-giving may be seen in Exod. 23:10, 11.

The Jews openly disregarded these clear injunctions. They set up equals to God, some believing in Ezra as the son of God, others taking the word of their divines as revelation and setting aside the dictates of the Holy Writ. Their treatment of their own kinsmen and others was cruel. Their attitude towards orphans and the indigent was unsympathetic. They were quite devoid of fellow feeling and were lax in worship and alms-giving. It should, however, be noted that God has not condemned the whole Jewish nation, but has made an exception in the case of the righteous few among them.

In this verse, as everywhere else in the Quran, the sequence of words follows the natural order of importance. The worship of the One God is mentioned first. Then mention is made of mankind, who have been divided into two classes: (1) those who deserve good treatment as a right; (2) those to whom kindness is shown as an act of charity. The first class is mentioned first, because in their case there is a sort of obligation, a debt to be paid. Those who are to be treated kindly out of charity are mentioned afterwards, the degree of need in each case determining the sequence. Last of all, acts of obedience to God are mentioned; and out of them the most important ones pertaining to the purification of the soul and the payment of religious taxes are selected; and these are placed after fellow feeling, because fellow feeling is the first step towards the moral elevation of man, who often feels impelled to it from within without reference to any law.

It is noteworthy that the injunctions that are found scattered in the Bible have been placed together in a most beautiful order in the Quran.

Important Words:

اله (God) is derived from اله (alaha) which means, he worshipped. So اله means, a thing or person or being worshipped, whether true or false; a deity (Aqrab).

Commentary:

Jacob or Israel was the son of Isaac who was a son of Abraham. Thus Ishmael was the uncle of Jacob, and yet the children of Jacob here include Ishmael among their "fathers" which proves two things: firstly, that the word اب (father) is also used of uncle; and secondly, that up to the time of Jacob’s sons, Ishmael was held in due respect by the Israelites. Nay, the children of Israel mention the name of Ishmael even before that of their own grandfather, Isaac, and do not mention any other son of Abraham.

The words, were you present when death came to Jacob, signify that the principle of submission to the will of God is not an innovation introduced by Islam, but has been recognized by good and righteous people in all times and even Israel, the founder of the Jewish tribes, acted upon that principle, so much so, that the only thought that came to his mind when death approached him was to enjoin the same noble principle upon his children. Israel wished his sons to become pious Muslims; will not the Jews of the Holy Prophet’s day act upon that principle?

In corroboration of what the Quran says about Jacob’s will to his sons, Rodwell quotes the following from Midrash Rabbah: "At the time when our father Jacob quitted this world, he summoned his twelve sons and said to them, Hearken to your father Israel (Gen. 49:2). Have you any doubts in your hearts concerning the Holy One, blessed be He. They said, Hear, o Israel, our father, as there is no doubt in thy heart, so neither is there in ours. For the Lord is our God, and He is One" (Midr. Rabbah on Gen. par. 98, and on Deut. par. 2). Compare also Targ. Jer. on Deut. 6:4.

5:6; 16:115; 23:52; 40:65.

Commentary:

The injunction contained in the words, "eat of طیبات i.e. good, pure and wholesome things", indicates that Muslims are not allowed to use things which may, in any way, injure their physical or moral or spiritual health, though they may be حلال i.e. allowed by Law. The injunction is thus very important and far-reaching in its effect. The words, We have provided for you, further imply that Muslims are also not allowed to make use of things acquired by unfair and unlawful means. Only the things bestowed by God, i.e. those lawfully earned, are to be used.

6:23; 46:7.

16:87; 28:64.

Important Words:

مکانکم (Stand back in your places). See 6:136. شرکاءکم (your partners). This expression does not mean, "those who share your attributes or your power or wealth." It simply means, "the partners or deities you associate with God." So is the case with the expression شرکاء ھم (their partners).

زیلنا (We shall separate them widely) is from زال. They say زاله or ازاله i.e. he put it or set it apart or away; he removed or separated it. ما زال زید قائما means, Zaid ceased not or continued to be standing. زیل (zayyala) gives the same meaning as زالbut in a more intensified sense. زیله means, he separated it (a party or company of men, etc.) much or greatly or widely (Lane).

Commentary:

The verse speaks of those alleged "partners" whom people set up as equals to God without their knowledge or desire or sanction, e.g., the angels, or Prophets or saints such as Rama, Jesus, etc. The next verse supports this inference in which it is clearly stated that these "partners" will call God to witness that they were utterly ignorant of the fact that they had been set up as equals to, or co-partners with Him. The verse further points out that idolaters possessed no evidence for the allegation that the Prophets and saints of the past favoured their deification.

109:3.

6:164.

Commentary:

The Holy Prophet is here made to say to disbelievers, "You say you have doubts concerning my religion, whereas my acting on this very religion has given me an invincible conviction of faith. I wonder why this religion should give rise to doubts in your minds?"

The expression, causes you to die, has been employed here to hint that the God of Islam was in the end going to punish disbelievers.

7:72; 53:24.

6:58; 12:68.

2:84; 17:24; 41:15.

30:31; 98:6.

Commentary:

The verse draws attention to the great principle that the things which claim to be from God must be accompanied by some evidence of Divine authority and power. It is by this criterion that the claim of different religions to be of Divine origin must be tested. The religion which claims to be from God must show on what Divine authority it bases its claim. It does not stand to reason that a divine religion should depend on human and purely rational arguments for the demonstration of its truth. That religion which claims to come from Heaven must have heavenly evidence to support its claim. This is what is hinted at in the words, Allah has sent down no authority for that.

In the expression الدین القیم meaning "the right religion" i.e. a religion which puts into a right state the affairs of this world and of the next, the principle has been laid down that only that religion can be said to be a true religion which satisfies both the physical and the spiritual needs of man. It also points out that only that religion can be called "the right religion" which saves men from shirk or setting up equals to God. There is no doubt that shirk has proved a great hindrance in the way of human progress. How can a people who look upon elements which God has created for their service as objects of worship, examine and analyse them and put them to their service?

2:169; 5:89; 8:70.

Commentary:

In the preceding two verses the disbelievers of Mecca were threatened with hunger and fear and in the present verse the Faithful are promised security and plenty. The verse further points out that whereas disbelievers used all sorts of means—good or bad—to earn wealth, the earnings of the Faithful would be good and lawful, and because their lives would be free from fear and anxiety, the food they eat would help their physical and mental growth.

Important Words:

For أف (fie) see 17:24.

Commentary:

Abraham denounced the false beliefs of his idolatrous people with a courage and boldness which is the special characteristic of God’s Prophets.

'Abraham', says Dr. F. M. T. Bohl, D.D., Ph.D. in Enc. Brit. 'is no leader of a Bedouin tribe seeking plunder and conquest; his significance lies rather in the field of religion. He is not, in the first instance, the progenitor of a people but the founder and leader of a religious movement. Like Muhammad many centuries later, he stood at the head of a great movement among the Semitic peoples and tribes...While Abraham’s forefathers served other gods (Josh. 24:2), 'the God who redeemed Abraham was the same as the God of Moses and Elijah'. See also 6:75.

19:72.

Important Words:

حصب (fuel) is noun-infinitive from حصب (hasaba). They say حصبه i.e. he threw at him, or pelted him with pebbles. حصب به النارmeans, he threw it into the fire. حصب means, stones, pebbles, firewood or firewood prepared for fuel (Lane).

Commentary:

Compare this verse with 18:101:"And on that day We shall present Hell, face to face, to the disbelievers."

The words that which you worship refer both to the idols which the idolaters worship beside God (2:24) and to those persons who allow themselves to be worshipped as God (2:167, 168).

6:75; 19:43; 21:53; 37:86-87.

Commentary:

Throughout the Quran the name of Abraham has been associated with a vigorous campaign against idolatry. He seems to be the first uncompromising iconoclast of whose activities history has kept a record.

He preached against idolatry, even at the peril of his life and preached the Unity of God to his father, to his people and to the king of his country.

21:67; 37:86-87.

10:19; 16:72; 22:72.

Important Words:

تخلقون أفکا (you forge lies). تخلقون is formed from خلق. They say خلقه i.e. he measured it, or he determined its measure, or proportion, he designed, or fashioned, or planned it; he made it according to a certain measure, or design; He (God) created it; He originated it; he forged a story or lie; he fabricated a saying. An Arab would say حدثنا فلان بأحادیث الخلق i.e. such a one related to us fictitious stories (Lane & Aqrab). See also 3:50 & 26:138.

19:43; 26:71.

Commentary:

For Abraham’s account and his oration against idolatry, see also 21:52-68.

17:13; 36:38; 40:62.

Commentary:

The present and the next two verses furnish an argument in support of God’s Unity and Almightiness—two most important Divine attributes related to creation.

6:79; 9:114; 60:5.

Commentary:

By citing the example of Abraham, the great progenitor of the Arabs, the verse seeks to drive home to them the untenability of the plea of ancestral beliefs and customs. It appears to say to them, "If you do not accept the Message of Islam because by so doing you have to renounce the beliefs of your forefathers, then at least follow Abraham, your own great ancestor who was a strict and sincere believer in the Unity of God."

60:7.

6:79; 43:27.

9:114; 19:48; 26:87.

Commentary:

Abraham, as elsewhere stated in the Quran (11:76), was a model of forbearance and tender-heartedness. His example has been mentioned here to emphasize the fact that whenever it becomes clear that a certain person or people are inimically disposed towards Truth and are bent upon extirpating it, all friendly relations with them are to be given up. The verse also implies that when God has brought into being a better brotherhood—the Brotherhood of Faith—than blood relationships, then why should Muslims be anxious to have friendly relations with those who are the enemies of God and His Prophet?

The expression کفرنا بکم which is generally translated as, "we disbelieve all that you believe" may also mean, "we have nothing to do with you;" the words کفر بکذا meaning, he declared himself to be clear or quit of such a thing (Lane).

10:105; 39:15-16.

Commentary:

Various explanations have been given to the present and the next three verses by commentators. Some say that as the pagan Meccans had put their question in two forms, therefore two forms have been adopted in answer to their question. Others say that the repetition is for the sake of emphasis. Yet some others like Zajjaj are of the opinion that the first two sentences signify denial of worship in the present time and the last two sentences denial of it in future. As against this, Zamakhshari says that the first two sentences stand for denial of worship in future while the last two for that in the past. Be that as it may, when لا (no, not) governs مضارع, it signifies future tense. According to this usage of the particle the expression would mean: "I will never worship."

Moreover, the particle ما is used in two ways; as مصدریه transforming into infinitive the verb which it governs, and as موصوله meaning الذی i.e. "that which." Sometimes it is also used for rational beings and means من i.e. "he who." According to the various uses of the particle the verses would mean: I will not adopt your way of worship, or, I will not worship those that you worship, whether rational beings or irrational inanimate things. But the verses have a better and more appropriate translation if ما is taken as مصدریه in the former two verses and as موصوله in the latter two. Thus, the four verses would be interpreted something like this "I will never adopt your mode or manner of worship, nor will you adopt the manner in which I worship. And I shall not worship those things (idols) or rational or irrational beings whom you worship, nor will you worship Him Whom I worship."