PT.

AL- ;MA:IDA

CH.5

84. And when they hear what has ~~;~ "J~'t .~t.~.~1t t:!~. r~'" been revealed to this Messenger, thou r ~'~..i ,A"IMY~"u~\ ;J ~ ~,-' .. seest their eyes overflow with tears, "J.,.J"~.",,,,1' 7..,'" . ... "'''/r~'''' . '1 ", "..A.lt~ I. because of the truth which they have '=J-,,~ ~ . ~ ,,~~,rt 4.0 JJt ~~ , . recognized. They say, a'Our Lord, we /.I' r/".9~~ r''''' fV~/ believe, so write us down among those "", \ ",:'1 \ @~d~ ~ t,; ~ \ t,;; u~" \ .~ """ who bear witness.7u
'

~J

85. 'And why should we not believe in Allah and in the truth which has come to UB, while Owe earnestly wish that our Lord should include us aroong

-' ~
V'

...

~~ ~q ~ r~(,,~~"

)-"

~I..I~. ~

:.'~LI Q~\

the righteous people 1 '715

a3 : 54, 194. the epistles of the Holy Propbet were treated hy the King of Persia, wbo was a heatben, and by HeracHus, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, who was a Christ-ian. The former tore the letter to pieces, while the latter received it respectfully and even evinced some incli. nation towards Islam. So long as the above qualities formed distinctive features of the Christian character, Muslims generalJy met with fairer treatment at their hands. But as time passed, these qualities gradually took leave of them l'nd now there are very f~w among Christian divines and religious lea.derg who are engaged in real and honest religious research, withdrawing from the cares of the world and taking an active and living interest in spiritual mutters. ChristilJn scholars began to meddle in politics in the 13tb or 14th century, witl, the result .that they became hostile to Islam. 714. Commentary: The description given in this verse of some of _t~e Christians. of the tillie of the Holy Prophet applies to an those wpo have a real hankering after truth and are ready to Booept it wherever thoy find it, The verse bas a180 been appJied

It;"

,n '''~ ~,- .-~ \ v'." \::i

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J1 !. 0r~1 f"o' ct.L~ --'.. ;.~3J 0 \,;J\.4-,

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,

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26 : 52. to Na.jiishi in particu!ar. ~\'hen Ja'f'ar, a cousin of the Holy Prophet :md the spokesman of Muslim reful~ees to Abyssinia, tried to ma.ke clear their attitude towards Jasus and to dispel the suspicion caused by the Mecean emissaries about the allei~ed derogatory language used by tbe Quran cOl'cerning Jesus and read to Naja.shi t1e oji>ening versE'S of the chapter Maryam, the latter, along with such of his companions as feared Ood, W&Svisibly m~lVed and tears rolled down his cheekA and he said in a voice full of pathos that that exactly was llis belief about Jesus, and that he did not look upon him by even a twig more thall that (Hisham, i. 305,306). 715. Commentary: The verse may be regarded as constituting the substance of the words, referred to in the preceding 'V'ersc, which Najishi spoke to those of his courtiers who remonstrated with him, saying !bat Jesus was God, and not a human being as reprel'ented in the Quran, and urged him to deliver tbe Muslim refugees to the MeceanB. At this Najiisbi is reported to have said tha.t nothing could prevel\t bim from accepting the trntb,

~l

CH.5

AL-MA'IDA

PT.1

I 9 '?",,, I ..I.: ,,~ w/ ./ 86. So aAllah rewarded them, for "',,' ~f/ ".",." . '", ,'/ ,.~~~~ ~ @\ ~.. . \ ',".:J " \",// ,. ~ . W ~ ~ what they said, with gardena beneath .r :" "" "" ,,which stJ;eams flow. There.in shall they ::':'~"...:!"\'\:'/~! /i.~:; ':"" ~ e.,-,,~,.~ ~.J abide; and that is the reward of those " "'~~ /~ '" who do good.

87. And bthose who have disbelieved and rejected Our Signs, these are they ~~ who are the inmates of Hell.
R.12 88.
.

~ '~i~~~,I~G \,'2t:\'Hr~'jJ\" . L~ "..;..~ )~~~,..J G 9 ,

D

' . O ye who beheve I cmake not ~~,~ ~.nr/_.'.'''

,.
~

unlawful the good things which Allah ("'4UI~'

has made lawful for YOU, and do not transgress. Surely, Allah loves not the transgressors. 716 89. And "eat of that which Allah has provided for you of what is lawful and good.. And fear Allah in whom you believe.

"'.I" V!.:r,:" \'''''''' \..O~ ~~~~, ~~\ ~~

",..:,
J>

"'''7' ~;''' ,';'9"'", e~.~'~~4L\~~6~,;

...,

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~,

~'. ,~ J~t~'~;]~j.\;~t~j~~~;

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""", 'J'" @CJ-*jo~~,

expiation, then, is the feeding of ten " '" poor persons with such average food ''';.~'''' ''''../'('''/ );.l.i I I
as you feed your families with, or the /~ ~ rv~

90. eAllah will not call you to account !5! ...~,~, ,-(:'f""/~ 'J,r ". ,~.t ",1", \ for such of your oaths as are vain, but \~~~)~'"t\ ~~~~~\~.~ He will call you to account for the aJ. ( .. ~ . ", I /.'" . ... io!' . "r"." ~ 7 ".. f/. Jf ",' -" "~~ oaths whICh you ta k e III earnest. Its. " i~ '" ~~I . :t...). CI~~~~ ~;. .."

-'

.."

l '='~

", "_l~

clothing of them or the freeing of a !.."(~7~1I! J.I:"'':I~:~ VI..A> ~.)41t1 ~ ~'(;'~ neck. But whoso finds not the 'f!"OOn&
shal.l f~st for three days. That IS the",.

., r '" I "''' lA ~--' ~ ,.I'/.,,-/:,:,,' ''''",. ~ ~j ~~

1

expIatIon of your oaths when you have sworn them. And do keep your oaths.'"

'''', ", ~ ~...:"~~ ~~t",,/~I-,~ ..

'.

.1

"')"'"

/ .9. ,,, Ijt~~1 ,. ..

Thus does Allah explain to you His

Signs that you may be grateful,rt17
asee 2 : 26. b5: 87; 6: 50; 7 : 37; 22 : 58. clO: 60.

CD~'~

.r~-''''

1.

C>J

/~

~, ,~ '~t 41J
''''''

"

~..-',

d2: 169 ; 8 : 70; 16: 115.

82: 226.

716. ~ommentary: Just as the making of a forbidden thing lawful is an act of excess and tra.nsgres!\ion, simi,larJy the dec1aril\g of a good and lawful thing to be unlawful, or practically treating it as such, is an act of sin. Both these acts are acts of transgression. 'l'he versc m.ay ltave a fignrative sense also. In this case the expression,

make not unlawful the good things v)/tich Allah has made lawful for you, would mean" do not shut the door of Hod's favours on yourselves by rejecting the F'rophet of Islam."

717. ~ommentary: The verb ~ ('lllJfada) is the inten~ive form of oW ('agada) for which see 5 : 2. It conveY3

648

PT.7

AL-;MA"IDA

CH.s

game of hazard and idols and bdivining ~~~ ",.. ~-~ ~~,~ , ctcJtl~.~ a.rrows are only an abomina tion of, /. tJ .. ~" I "'1 ,, .{~L.,::t ... fJ.. 7 . ~" ~., ,\"'~ " So h I Satan's hand1wofk. 8. un eae lone" ~~\j~\~~~J~~j~H-,

91. Oye who believe t awine and the Jr"'~i.l~i""'~"tr-'"

{!" ''''':'

r"'~f,:"

of thtnn that you may prosper.?!8

: 220 ; 5 : 92.

.,.,

'"

<9~~.
G2

65: 4.

the idea of greater deliberation and solemniiy. Hence the expreBsion ~I&.~I fJM.~. (oaths which you take in earnest) would really mean, oaths which you swear so]enuuy and deliberately. The use of the word J " 1 (average) means both' middle' (i.e. averagp) and' best' (see 2 : 14:4) and is thus Dleant to imply that an oath may be regarded as expiated if ten poor men are fed with food the expiator ordinarily prov~des for bis family, but that it is better to feed them with the best food with which he feOOs his own family. (their) in ~Jf (their The pronoun t.. clothing) may refer either to families or to poor persons. In the former c...se, the sentence would read, "the clothing (of ten poor men) with the average (or the best) kind of clothing which you provide for your families." In the latter case, it would simply mean, "the clothing of ten poor men." The verse should not be taken as' describing three different ways by which a person can expiate a broken oath. The different ways are intendp-d to represent three progressive stages of expiation, the third alternative being better than the second, an.d the second better than the first. The ill.jnnct\on to expiate oaths does not mean that they may be broken with impunity and then exp\ated. The prescription of penaltieil is merely meant to meet a possible eventuality. But oaths contrary to Islamic Law are no

oaths. They JUust be broken. Then there are oaths that pertain to the rights of individuals. 'l'hese cannot bla expiated even by adopting any of the above.mentioned three courses. If, for instance, a man promises on oath to give to a person a certain sum of money, and then breaks his oath, and makes the prescribed expiation, tIte expiation will not absolve him from his obligation to make the promised payment. He must pay the man the promised sum, Dotwithstnnding the expiation. The expiation wi!J only atone for the sin he committed a~lIjnd God by brer.Jdng his oath. 718. Importanlt Words: AI,,?I (wine and gaInes of huard). See note on 2: 220. (i j ~ I" "':'\,.;I (idols and divining arrows). See note on 5 : 4. rJ': J (abomination) is derived from c.J"":.J whicb means, it was or became unclean or di;rty or filthy or disHked or hated; he performed a bad or evil or abominable action. ~ J means, it made a sound or noise. ~ J means, dirt or filth; or a dirty or filthy thing; anything or any action tha.t is disliked or hated for its uncleanness 01 filthiness; a sin or crime; an action that leads 1~0punishment; punishment; unbelief and infidelity; suggestiOl\ of the devil (I.ane & Aqrah). (::ommentary

See 2: 220 & 5: 4. Almost all the meanings of ~ J are applicable here.

649

CfJ.s

I\L-)fA'IDA

t>.T.' 7

92. Sata,11 desires only to create <'/.""''''' ''';;~;''''''~ . '~ ""''' ""' ~ 't. .t ~~ -.., /.,\ ~..\..:I! .. \ I.A.J.J ..~.. t:;;iI enmity and. hatred among you by ~ -' \~ means of wine and the game of hazard, . ""' ~"'{I'" ,"', ~C;::j and to keep you back from the re- ~ ~ ..-'"".. ~"":"'I'~" '. ..J I" J~~; membrance of Allah and from Prayer. ,.' k ""'''''''~~''''''.i-:~'C:.'\~, But will you keep back 1719 ...\ ~ i~1 ~ ."dI>I..i) ~~~ ~ 7 t",.

\~ . ' ~, ~

~ "'

93. And aobey Allah and obey the ~~ ,I. :~\'!{ '\ ''' /.' J:", ~, L\, /~ '!L\ '" ) 4ijI \ ~J' ~ Messenger, and be on your guard. But ,-:lie) l')~JI ~-'
.

"''''

if you turn away, then know that bon Our Messenger" lies only the clear oonveyance of the message.720

e>.~.~"il 1\1, (;J 'J'" 'I~ ~ C7 ;~)~

CS,~ij

a3 : 133; 4: 70; 64: 13. b5: 100; 16: 83; 36: 18; 64: 1:3. 719. Commentary: After stating that the four things men.tioned in the previous verse.. are an ~J (abomination) in one sense or another, the present verse confines itself to two of the four mentioned things-wine an<1games of hazard-and gives additional reasons against tl.em. These reason8 are, as stated in the veri!e, four in number and rest on political, social, spiritual and liocio. religious grounds, this being hinted in. the words "enmity ana hatred and keeping back from the remembran.c6 of Allah and from Prayer." The i.n.terrogation in the clause, But will you keep emhod.ies a strong admonition. not to back " do the thing, the use of the i,nterrogative form being the most effective fortn of exhortation. See also 2 : 220. 720. Commentary: The words, be on YO'llrguard, may either mean, U you should be on your guard agaicst evils " or they may si~~nify that if you obey Allah and obey tIle Prophet. the resQlt will be that you will he able to guard yourselves against evi1. The concluding part of the verse means that the duty of al\Iessenger of God i,sonly to convey to men His comTuanrlments. It forms no parr; of his work to force them to follow IJ;m. This exposes the absurdity of the objection. that la!am enjoins the use of force for its propagation. Elsewhere the Quran says: Thet'e .hould be no compulsion in religiun (2 : 257). Bot]] these verses and many similar others were revealed at Medina when a state of war existed between disbelievers and helievers, which dearly shows that the Holy Pmphettook up arms only to ddend himself a.lId Ilia followers and not to propagate hia religion at the. point of tlle sword, as is often maliciomJy aHeged . by the opponents of }s];m\.

650

PT.7

AL-]\fNIDA

ClI.S

94. On those who believe and do & (!t,.., t ~I' I'hl "..:'- 1::- """ II -,~I~JjI~, .... good works there shall be no sin for L.~ ~.", "1fII "" what they eat, provided they fear God I If ,-I ;' ",and believe and do good works, and ~Il#"" ,,'-'~.J~ I'/t 'I''':' l4,ot (J_~~~ J,.~.., again fear God and believe, yet again I "~I,,, 9""",,1 J'J.. j,"J~""~ .. if III .. .., ~'. .' f III t"~'''' feai' God and do good. And Allah ~ .." I. ,.. I ","\' \ I ~..A-J . ,...'4U;)~ ,) ~ ~ JF -' ,721 loves thQse wlw do good

~"

'

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e.

,J'

'" ~ I'

721. Commentary:
The yerse does not mean, a.s may be wrongly inferred,that if a person believes and doe~ goQd works, he can take any food. On the contra.ry, it purports to lay down a C'ondition the observanC'e of which can secnre a person a~ain8t using a forbidden food, i.e., a food which is calculated to do him physical or spiritual harm. 'l'he condition is that he should fear God and believe and do good works; and it is evi,dent tllat those who really fellf God and believe in Hi;In and do good works can never think of eating forbidden food. Indeed, a person may eat anything, if }Jig partaking of it leads. to his becoming pious and God-fearipg; and it is clear that such food, the eating of wh~ch makes a person pious and God-fearing, cannot but be pure al\d clean, for it is only clean food. whi~h can bring a.bout such a. result. l'wo important pr~nciples enterge from this verse: (a) that the things of this world having been made for t}-!euse and benefit of man are, as. a rule, pure and clean; the forbidden thing5 be~g only exceptions; (b) that clean al\d pure food exercises a benefic~al ~n.fluence on man's spiritual development, wh}le unclean and impure food produces &n~oveJ'8e effect upon it.

:Moreover, the verse lays down. three stages of spiritual progress for believers. In the first stage, believers fear God and believe and do good works, while in the second etage they fear God and believe, their belief being at this sta.ge so strong as to become a natural and constant sonrce of good works wbich become as it were part and parcel of their belief, and i,n the third and final stage they fear G<>dani! do good to others which is not possible without perfect belief and good' works, the mention of both of which has consequently been here left out as being under. stood. Thus the words" and do good works" have been omitted in the description of the second stage, while the words" and believe" ha\o-e been replaced with the words" an<}do good" in the description of the third stage. It should be noted that the expression \.JAiI (fear God) whiph has been repeated three times ill tb.(j verse under COUlll~ent1.<; pecu.liar to the Arabiplanguage and gives a very VII-stmeaning, the root idea underlying the word being "to be ever watchful and to be ever taking God for shelter" (see 2: 3). Similarly the e,xpression \.J:'-\ (do good) is very vast in i~s significance . foJ' which see 2 ; 1!3,

~~

CH.5 R. 13
95.

AL~~A'IDA

PT.1

~ '->;. surely try you in a little matter: the ",.. game which your hands and your lances can reach, so that aAllah may ...~ ~ ..~ distinguish those who fear Him in L ." L ".I' ( {1' ~ . "-: <It! '" secret. Whoso, therefore, will transgress @ Iu& ~)~~~I~ \ ,,' ..I" . after this shall have a grievous punishment. 722

0 ye who believe!

Allah will

~,

~(1 :""l\;:t:Jft~ ~ ~~..

r;!:(r -:. t~ ~\~)~~)(!"i ~'J1\ ." ~~... ~.. ;,t; v:;j1Jc:s

I...,

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. u~ ~~r
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,,,, ...

'!~f/ J~~t"~"'!'!/I~~;tlr;!:~ .. ~ !J4oO I:/."Jj NhIle you are III a state of pIlgrImage. /OJ> ~.> And. whoso amongst you kills it /oN {I'''' F' (.-" -: ;.: ""J ,f; intentionally, its compensation is a quadruped like unto that which he has killed, as determined by two just men from among you, the same to be brought as an offering to the Ka'ba; or as an expiation he shall have to feed
a n!l'mber of poor persons, or fast an

9~. Oyewh~ believe! bkill.no~game j,r,,~

",.

~J;;~J.::r~~\J~~:t~~~J """ .,t'ZItJJ;~j a~I~\~!'\f~

~...
/

t ~~.~~I\
,-"

r~r ~\tl '''/ "/hr., ,r;,;~'rf?'; . ~~.~.) ~.>I ~:/'\Jtb r.J\.A)"t

/ f" " -'''/1.-: eqUIvalent number of day~, so that he .)\p~) ~

..

..

may taste the penalty of hIS deed. cAs.' for the past, Allah forgives it; but whoso reverts to it, Allah will punish

r..;' b ''' '''v'' ~"1.I'\' " ~~.9 J ~J "'J~ ~I ~ f~1

It
.

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~~ ~'fi ./. Y;,F .." ~I'"'>." to

.

j,'

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him for his offence. And Allah

is
b5 : 2, 97. 2 : 276. Words:

Mighty, Lord of retribution. 723

a57 : 26.

722. ~ommentaJ:Y:
As hunt~ng is ordinarily done in a jungle where one is generally alone and where there is none beside God to observe one's breaking divine commandments, tbe verse fittingly mentipns hunting to illustrate 15)'Ai or God-fearingness. While engaged in hunting, ma.n's abstention from violating divine commandn\ents would show tbat he has really done so ~nt of the fear of God. It is thus that, by an outward act, the inner condition of a man's heart may become revealed. The verse also se;rves as an introduction to the commandment that fonows in the next verse and prepares believers for the acceptance

723. Important

I (retribution) is derived from r IA:i i.e. he exa?ted venge_a~~: They 8a! ~ .

~.

upon hIm; he pUlllshed hIm. "..:...A:i' means, I took vengeance on him; I inflicted penal retribution on him or I punished him. rIA:; I thus means, vengeance, punishment or penal retribution (Lane & Aqrab). See also ~\: 5 and 5 : 60.

~ommentary

of an injunction which ran counter to the prevalent practice.

If a man kills game, when he is in the state of r\.rl (pilgrimage), he should give as compensation a like animal to be taken to Meeu for sacrifice. For instance, if the game killed bv him is a. deer. he ehould offer a goat. Ii the like of the game killed cannot be founo

652

P,T.7

AL-~A~IDA

~H.5

97. The game of the sea and t1;Le '" ~~~~~/, .~t,J:~ !~~ '.J~ ...;NJ eating thereof have been made .lawful J '. '" . for you as a provisio;u for you an~ the ~ JJ'!.'!r/.~i' , '." "".''''~''''[!;.j .': t.ravell~8; but aforbldden to you 18t~e \.8? f"")\A-:J:' ~ .. ~-l?'J J) .. game of the .lan.d as long as you are m "~,, ,... t't' & state of pIlgrImage. And fear Allah "

~~
"'..

'

'

tQ whom you shall be gathere~.

7U

@Q'~

cl.:Jt ...~J.1, "; 4' ydt.J .

jM.' . 98: hAllahhas made the Ka'ba, the" t~t .' ~~. ...",~"'~\C::j\ InvIOlable House, as a means of support .J. u:~~'J ~I . . ." and uplift for mankind, a 8.a18 0 the ~f~t.~\\~V~-;;t ,.", ",,,,' ",,1 "' "" t""""
sacred. Month .and the o~erUlg8.and ~~)
.
.

the cammals w~th collars. Tha.t IS so may know that Allah k~'Y8 that , what J:~ 18In the heavens and what 18 In

w~ .,.

~ (')~\.J

!PJ\~'
"

S\;~lf'<.i~.JQ>~j\J~ '1~i,$i. . .." ~

'"
0 rr ~ ~~
..

the earth, and that Allah knows all things well. 72&
a5 : 2, 96.

~. 1.
.

T/I.

1 @, "' .

62; 126; 3: 97-98.

c5: 3.

then an animal costing approximately as much as the gatne killed should be offered, or failing that, the pilgrinl should spend the eatim&ted price of the game in feeding tbe poor, which

is two J.. per head according to som{'tbeohr

gians and one according to otbers,a J.. t."" being roughly two handfuls of corn, while a t'"' is four times as much as a J.o. If, however, tbe pilgrim is unable to do even that, he should fast for as many days as the number of the poor he could f{'ed with the estimated price Df the game ki1l{'d. The faRting and the feeding of the poor, a8 the case may be, should preferably be done at Mecca.

725. Important Words: \.1; (m.ea~Bof support and uplift) ii the nouD,~infin.itivefrom (I; D;leaning, he ~OOQ up, or he stood still. They say ~JOJ,tf~ i.e. he (the husband) sqppo.rted or DJaino tained the woman. t.~!.1.; ~rli mef,na, he managed it (an atTair, etc.) perfectly. l..Y therefQre signifie8, n~eans of suppnft aDd uplift (Lan{', Aqrab & Zamakhshari). See also 4 : 6.
",

~ommentary : God hr-s mt-de PjJgrimage to the Ka'ba. sign for the progress and prosperity of Muslims. So long a8 th~y will continue 100 perform Pilgrimage, God's grace wit! t6f1unuc '124. . Comtuentary : to attend them. But it is regrettable that The word ~ (sea) he,e indudes rivers, wealthy Muslims have now generally.grown streams, lakes, ponds, etc. See 7 : 139. negligent in this respect, with the result that tbeir glory has departed. As, duriDgthe time of Pilgrimage, hunting OJ1 J.nd is likely to prove inconvenient and even Pilgrimage is a means of support for men in dangerous to pilgrims visiting the Ka'ba, a material sense also. Muslims froul. aJ} parts whereas the catching of sea-game does not of tbe world visit the Ka'ba and this serve8 interfere with traffic, so the former has been as a. means of support for the people of H~c.. prohibited and the latter allowed. Abral>aru left his wjfe Hagar and his~n
G53

CH.5

AL-~A'IDA

P.T. i ~ J ~~'~~dL\
f"-

99. aKnow that Allah is severe in 19'''' I punishment and that Allah is also .JP~\~\ "''''
726 Most Forgiving and Merciful.

,.,

,,~I

""'~'''',

d\~t

J. tj., ". @~j

100. bOn the Messenger lies only the .. 9 !r" .9""""',~ '" conveying of the message. And cAllah (':')J~\A~4U\ knows" what you reveal and what you hide.727
a15 : 50-51.

-'

I' J.'~J

""..\ . \ j\ ~I'J )Y'Y '.

f...

\A

b16:83;

36:18;

64:13.

c2:78;6:4;

11:6;

~'" j~&; r" 0(.:,) \..0'" -' 16:20.

Ishmael in the wilderness of PiIoraIJ, near Mecca, appinently to die from starvation. But God made provision Dot only for Hagar and Ishmael in that barren and bleak des{'rt but also for their posterity for all time to come. See also eh. 106. But to say that the promise that the Pilgrimage will continue to prove a means of subsistence for Meccans only is to limit its vast scope and application. It certainly is llot confined to the people of Mecca but encompasses all mankind. It is clear from the verse that not only will the Pilgrimage to Mecca with its attendant rites continue till the end of time, but that the world itself will last only gO10Dg as the Pilgrimage to the Ka'ba continues and that it will come to an end when tbe Pilgrimage ceases to be performed. This is indeed a great prophecy; for there have beeD maI\Y places in the world which were the resorts of pilgrims in their OWl\. time but which have long ceased to be so and are now deserted and forgotten. But the Ka~ba is mea.nt to remain for all time" an inviolable houRe and a means of support and uplift for tru\nkind."

MeIeY are given great prominence in the Quran My merC'gencompasses all things, says the Hol: Book (7: 157). Therefore. whenever Go! warns people of His punishment in the Quran He makes it a point to remind them of Hi attributes of Forgiven.ess and Mercy also, thu show~ng that these attributes predominat over His other attributes and only await gesture of goodn.ess On the part of man t show thelnselves. 727. Commentary: . This verse sheds Borne ligbt on the responsj bility al~d duty of a Prophet. With th deliverance of the message entrusted to Prophet his duty ends, and he is not respol sible if, in spite of his cleeI' wiJ,rnings. th people reject his mission. He has Dot bee giV{,Ilthe power to fOfce them to believe. I fact, rach divine message serves as a guidanc for the people to whom it is given. If the live up to it and repent of their evil way: they find God Forgiving aDd Merciful; bt if they persist in their wicked practices. the are punished and God makes another peopJ take their place.

726. (;ommentary: The divine attributes

.

of Forgiveness

and

6S4

PT.7

AL-MA>lbA

Ctt.5

, '

",,,,, ".,,,, ~ ., 9 /,1 "'..,, 101. Say, '2'The bad and the good 'M:'"~ 1--:\'\,1~,'" (~ ~\<s.~.,.\~ W: ~ . y~ .. '", ~ ..:,. -r-: ~ are not alike', even though the abun- a " dance of the bad may cause thee to '''''.. r",~"" 'f."" '~r~'r-"""" N_~ ~\ wonder. So fear Allah, 0 men of ~'c- I \J41\ \ ...;; ,.,J.. ~ ,. ..~

understanding, that you may prosper 0 ye who believe!

p2S

,~w"lt J :"
,

t.".. ." ", ~C)~ v ,.

,,..

~
,

I"

4: 102.

about things which, if revealed to you, ;o>J ~ ~~:;~ \ ~ ,,. a., would cause you trouble; though if you , .. .."1 ' ""-,'..i. ~. \J~ ask about' them while the Quran is /OIl being sent down, they will be revealed to you. Allah has left them out. And AIJah is Most Forgiving and Forbear-. jng.729
T
,

bask not

;.~ "." , f'/!.:"'''''''~''''

V~ " @~,~#-:&\1~~I~~~
b2 : 109.

""' "'''~ ~ r ". ~ !.;.ol ~~ \ ~. ., 'Z!!. ..a/. ., ~T''t ' .. ~; \~, \ " }Sj ,." d J .
V{'fi'
,

&

9.;.."

,-

a2 : 268. 728. Commentary: B::~ingnaturally influC1\ccd by his environment, maD is prone to fol1ow and imitate what others QO,particularly when they happen to be in the majority. This verse, however, is a warning agaiust ul1thinking an{1 blind following of the majority. l'he real criterion by which the worth of a thing is to be judged is not how many people do it but what good it contains; and, God being the source of all good, t,he only true and unfailing test is, as the verse puts it, cj';; or God-fearingness.

assisted by his own God-given intellectual powers and faculties. It is to matters relating to minor details that the present verse refers and God warns the Faithful that the habit of asking questions about such matters will do them more harm than good.

As a matter of fact, God, in His infinite wisdom, leaves sufficien.t room. for individuals to exercise Elud develop their power of judgement and tbeir reasoning faculty. When man is c;.onfronted with situations and circumstan.ces about which he finds no definite and clear-cut guidance ~I\ the Quran, or in the practice or 729. Commentary: sayh\gs of the Holy Prophet, he has to 'fhe v'~rse is important, as it shedg light on :find a way fOl himse! in order to meet them the principle underlying the Shari'at i.e. as best he, can, keeping a1ways in view the code of divine Jaws. The bases of the guiding and unalterable l)ri,nciple that the Islamic l3hari'at are threefold: (1) the nothing is to be 'done which runs counter to Law embodied in the Quran, (2) Bunnah any Quranic injunction or to the established or the practice of the Holy Prophet~ and practice and the authentic sayings of the Roly (3) the il:Jjunctions and precepts contaiJ\ed in Prophet. Islam is tbus not a bard and fast his sayings. These three sources of Islamic code of laws, for it does not lay down Law deal with all the fundamental problem/! rigid injunctions regarding minor and ever~ of man, but minor details are left to be thought changing details. On the contrary, it a1rords out by wan himself in the light of the above. 811fficiclltscope for individuals to exercisc t.hMr

three torch-bearers of guidance. aided and

judgement in order to adapt an 'injunction of

655

CH.S

AL-;MNIDA

P,T.7
, ~ 'I. ,t",,~ ""'''''

103. aA people before' you asked about such things, but then they

r~

became disbelievers therein. 730

~ t'" ~

~ ~

~",P~ Ww ~
.'t' Q"" \b<.:l~
",'"

,... t1'::=f-:~f""

,~

104. bAllah has not ordained any . 'Bahira' or 'Sa'iba' or 'Wasila' or ~ .."iJ~.J~.~ , I /. , ... ,,.,'" lJami'; but those who di~believe '\~-" .' \ forge a lie against Allah, and most of ~ ~C)~~.!'them do not make use of their under", standing. 731 @c>
.J

~ ",,~~~~~ "". ~~\J;;~ , \' "\ ~ ~ ~"," " ~ ~~';.J,~..;J~ J,;.ff ' ~f ~ :::; 0 ' \.J y~' ~ Q~
." ~

"

"'/.

""'~\

))

",,,,

1M

", ..

a2: 109.
,

bl); 137.

a general na.ture to meet a new and changed situation. The basic principles, however, are unchangeable. But as details continue to change, 1s1an1 has not resorted to rigid legislation with regard to minor details and has forbidden Muslims to ask for legislation regarding them. Indeed, it was about filling up these very details to meet new and altered conditions that 'the Holy Prophet said ~J ~..I ~~I . i.e. "the differel1.ce of opinion among my followers is, indeed, a source of mercy." 'I'his badith meant that as it had been left to Muslims to chalk out a way for themselves with regard to such minor details about which no definite pronouncement is to be foun.d in the Shari'at, there was bound to be a difference of opinion among Muslim theologians about them, but that this difference would prove a blessing for them, becauae it would afford opportunities for the exer~ise and cultivation of their rea.'$on~I1g faculties as well as a suitabJe and flexible law about ever-changing details. The reader will see that this verse also incidentally refutes the allegations of those who 8ay that the laws of Islam, being rigid and unchangeable, afford DO room for the exercise of individual judgement, and that they fetter humanity Cor all t.ime to hard anci fast rules and are thus calcul~ted to impede the intellectual advancement of man rather than help it.

The expression, which if re'vealed to you would

cause you trouble, means that if God or Hie Prophet had legislated about minor dctail~ and had 110t left such matters to individul~) discretion so that people might fonnuli\te laws concerning them. accorc1ing to their own judge. ment and their own circumstances, the} would have found it troublesome and thE development of man.'s intellect would hav become seriously hampered. 730. Commentary: Unnecessary questioning about minor detail! amI seeking legislation on them is always t< the detriIMnt of the questioner himself. II limits his discretion and fetters his judgement besides bindillg lain1 and hilt co-religionists tl unnecessary and hksome h.>gislation. Th. ISl'aclite~ are repo!ted in the Quran to hBV' put unnecessary questions to 1\loses in reglLrl to minor details with the result that the~ created difficulties for thems~lve8 a.nd becam more and more perplexed and confounotJ' a.nd entled with breaking the commandment of God and drawing His displeasure 0 tbt'IJ\selves (e.g. 2 : 109). 731. Important
8.J<!: (Babira) is

Words:
derived from

means, be cut or slit lengthwiBc; cla\'c. JJalrira was a

whic he split c by t1

name given

656

PT. 7

AL-MA'IDA
whose offspring's (Lane). Commentary: offspring has

CR. 5
conceived

pagan Arabs to a camel (or a goat) which they let loose to feed, after slitting its ears. The word may be applied both to males and females, but in practice it was only the females that were thus let loose to pasture where they liked. T;hey were dedicated. to some god and their milk was not used, nor their back. The description of Babira varied among different tribes. ~/... (Sii'iba) is derived from -,../... which means, it or he went away at random or went wherever it or he liked. ~ I,.. was a name

Mter having said that minor matters and details should be left to man to legislate as he thinks proper, the Quran, in the present verse, fittingly draws our attention to the fact that such freedom and discretion cannot be allowed to man in fundamentals and things of import'" ance, because in such matters unanimity is essential and divergence of opinion may prove immensely harmful. The verse under comment given to a she-camel sot free to go wherever gives an illustration to show that human intellect she pleased. She was generally let loose as cannot be trusted with the making of la ws on an offering to the gods when one recovered fundamental matters, for, if left to itself, it is from ,a sickne~s or returned safe from a journey. likely to make laws that would lead man to Often a she-camel having given birth to 10 perdition.' .An instanoe of such laws is given female young. ones was let loose to pasture in this verse. It is really Christians for whom where she would, and she was not ridden nor the address in this 'verse is meant; but instead was her milk. drunk except by her young. of drawing attention to the laws devised and : (Waila) is derived from ~.J which invented by Christians, theQuran ~.J very wisely means, he connected or joined. ':to/.J was refers here to certain practices of the pagan the name given to a Iilie-camel that was let Arabs, for one canmore easily see a mote in loose in the ll8I)"}eof a god after she had given another man's eye1;han a beam in one's own. birth to seven female young ones consecutively. The Arabs used to let loose the animals If, at the seventh birth, she bore.a pair, male . mentioned in the verse in honour of their idols. and female, each of the latter was ~lso let 10086. Besides being based on disbelief and They say superstition, the practice was also highly foolish. rl.- (Qami) is derived from r.? ~, ..? I i.e. he prohibited the thing; The animals thus let loose wrought great havoc or he protected it; or' defended' it against wherever they went. They devastated field . encroachment, invasion or attack. r ~ which crops and gardens and killed children. The is re&lly c.fl- -therefore, means' a stallion Quran refers to the letting loose of these animals camel that has hiS backprobibited or inte~- as an example of man-made laws and warns dicted to be used for bearing a rider or carrying Christians who question the wisdom and blessing a burden; such camel was neither ridden nor of a revealed Law to learn a lesson from the shorn of fur ; he was left at liberty and was degrading practices to which tho pagan Arabs not debarred from pasturage or from water. had fallen victim because they had no revealed . The word is also used about a stallion camel Law to guide them.
.

65Z

.CH.5

AL-MA'IDA

PT. 7 1~~" '.~.\ Q.UUJ' l~

105. And awhen it is said to them 'Come to what Allah has revealed,
and to the Messenger,' they' say,

J"-\" "J

i,: vJ \t~ ~ ~~~ ~

~
.

'Sufficient for us is that wherein'y-,\\iJo~I~~~~\.o.. !;\i)~~ "'''\ we found our fathers.' What! even ,~~~"" .; """",;, ,,~I c.:.>e "f~ though their fathers had no knowledge 8C);~~j~d~~~J~\

~l"'r~/f;,' .;"r~"""'r,,~~~~,~r~

'
.

~I" )"J

'

and no guidance

1732 .'

106. 0 ye who believe! be heedful '~'r'.9""'~"Q~"~ .. \., "'''I,,~:t,r~{; '.. ~\ ~~ ~... of your own selves. bHe who goes ~ ~ ~j ".
astray cannot harni you when you yourselves are rightly gUided. To Allah

will you all return; then will He disclose to YOUwhat YOU used to do.733
.

f.~ ~L~'''' \ :18.. =:0

.:,>A ~ ... ...

J'

fu:\ ~CJ~~\' .~:

""'cjJD \J';'I.1.'~'~\\'t\ ~ ,tI" '

",

# ~

,~ ~ ",~ ~..' ". " .."

,

;;

'.'

a2: 171;

31: 22.

b2: 138.

732. CommentM'Y: It is indeed strange that when science and knowledge advance and new discoveries and new inventions are made, people are quick to throw overboard worn-out ideas and theories tenaciously held by their forefathers and hasten to accept and benefit by the new inventions and disc,overies ; but when a Prophet brings to them a. new guida.nce from God, they refuse to accept it on the ground tha.t it does not agree with the beliefs and ideas held by their ancel;!tors and with their own timehonoured notions and theorieEl. How foolish is this attitude and how lame and absurd the excuse for the rejection of divine truths 1 This is how the Quran exposes the untenability of the position of the rejectors of truth. 733. Commentary: This verse tells us that though man can sacrifice his worldly interests for the sake of others, yet he cannot so sacrifice bis beliefs and religious principles. In religious matters our duty is only to show people the right path and exhort them to follow it; but we should not ruin or wrong oUr souls for their sake. It ca~not profit mankind nor ourselves if we lose our own soul in trying to save others. The body

may be sacrificed but not the soul. Christians abandoned some of the fundamental principles of their religion, hoping to win over certain heathen nations to Christianity. But in doing so they lost the truth and struck ~ very bad bargain. The verse, however, should not be understood to mean that we should not preach the truth to others, and should confine our attention to saving our own souls only and have no thought for others. In fact, the Quran enjoins' upon every Muslim to try bis utmost to make others see the truth, because firstly, it is our duty to propagate the truth; and secondly, placed as we are, we cannot properly save ourselves unless we also save those among whom we live. What the verse, therefore, means is that our duty is only to preach the truth to others. If they accept it, well and good; but if in spite of our efforts, they refuse to be weaned from their evil course, their rejection of the truth will do us no harm. But in no circumstances should we compromise our principles in order to win others over to our way of thinking. That would be ruining our own souls to save others.

There is an Qadith to the effect that once thl!

~ -, "

PT. 7

AL-MA' IDA

(:H.5

?~,,~ "!~\ ,~ ?thers ~ot from among you, if you .be ~?-;" ~ iF.;J ";,/,o'.P ~ 6'~.;#.. Journeymg m the land and the calamIty'" of death befall you. You shall detain '.,;(, \:,~;:,~.Jt~~' ' ~.,
them both after Prayer for giving ~ ~ evidence; and, if you doubt, they shall. ",,,
both swear by Allah, saying: 'We
take not in exchange for this any price, even though he be a near re~ation,
.

, evidence among you, when death r~\..Jb>bl ~..,IS') ~t cf..1.!: presents tself to one of you, at the; ; 1. II ., h~ t"..., . . 0" . .,~ /(! . :. /","", , \ ~ , "'" -<',.;" ~Ime 0f ma kmg a b eques,t IS 0 f two ~~ ,. J&,~) ~""" ~~.-"'" '? Just men from among you; or of two. "

107. 0 ye who believe!. the right 15-:# "'1" 1 ~-!."~

"!;';'~,

V9.:'U

~..

I ~ C)I-: ~

. ~ 9.)'

.~.""fJA
....

'~~li ".
."" ,,,

and ((we conceal not the testImony"

enjoined by Allah; surely, in that case,
we shall be among the sinners.'734

r1,~i"4~~j;~'\~~~~3~ ~
-'
c'"
\!:;1~

"." " 0\ dL~ CJ ' 'q.ij~}\ ~ <.S~jAj, . ...",. ~., I~ "

:'~il -'.
;I ~

J \~\~\ ~, . ,

a2 : 141,284.
Holy Prophet explained this verse as meaning that you should preach the truth nnder all circumstances but when you see that the person to whom. you preach the truth persists in following his own evil inclinations and does not listen to you, then your duty will ha.ve eaded by your having duly preached to hi,m the truth. and in this case his evil practices would do you no harm, if only you YDurselves scrupulously follow the truth (Tirrnidhi, ch. Dn TaJlir). 'I'h{' words, lie UJltO goes a~tray cannot Itarm you when YOIlyourselves are rightly guidecl. may also. mean that if you do. the right sort of preaching and try to find the right way of apprDach to a perSDn and even then he dDes not accept the truth, then his going astray will not harm you and you will not be held respDnsible for it. In this case the words. 1Dhen you yourselves are rightly guided, would mean, "if you succeed in finding out the right way of preaching and put in the right sort of effort."

734. Commentary: See collective nDte o.n {}: 109 below.

659

CH.5

AL-;MA'IDA
I

n.7
,~/.
&

108. But if it be discovered that the two witnesses are guilty of sin, then two others shall take their place from among those against whom the former two witnesses-who were in a better position to give true evidencesinfully deposed, and the two latter witnesses shall swear by Allah, saying, 'Surely, our testimony is truer than the testimony of the former two, and we have not been unfair in any way; for then, indeed, we should be of the unjust.'735 109. Thus it is more likely that they will give evidence according to facts or that they will fear that other oaths will be taken after their oaths. And fear Allah and hearken. And Allah guides not the disobedient people.736

~,,~.)j> ~
III

I~r~

\)

~,/~, I 7.9:'. !I~"" ' .:~\ /' -'" '" ~~r(.'" ..~~..,I' "wJJ\ ..~ \.Q..4 '-f;",~-..i ",..'/JJ ~. it' V" "," ~ ~j . 'J f/,f.; ~.(/ """' ~r r;''''/'' -'~"l"~:;" , r/9'~:1 ..

n. .. \~ ~ '"
,,!

\ (~~",\"

~
~

"... 'J .' "r-: ~ ~ ~C)...

j'",

w~ ..

\~)~

,"

~ ;I' ~
/"

\:.,;~
~

8~\~

4Uu ;, -" ,/ ~ 1- '"'/

\,)J~J

~~~~~

;;~f~~~~ ~ J~ ~j
f"'" ~ ~~.I , ,/(fJ /,/,

1>,9,1'",;,~9" '" J.., . r," \~~ $\ yi)!-,~",~.\

3.i ~\

'/

,., ,/' ,,,, /0' t/, , \ /"'\ ", \ t;:qI~\ '" -;;\\ \S. a..U ( ~ u '" ..". ", ~ -'"'" -' ~.
I

735. Important

Words:

.j\}J' (the two who were in a better position) is derived from J being the dual of J J \ which means. One more worthy or more com.petent or more entitled or m.ore deserving or better fitted or having a better claim to do a thing, etc. (Lane). See also 4: 136.

meaning" against." ~;:.JI ~ ~I m.eans, he has a right to it in preference to the purchaser. i.e., he has a better claim to
it as against the buyer. The words

therl'fore, would mean. they (the two

witI1.e~es who were in a. better position to wve true evidence) gave false evidence aga.inst their just rights, seeking to deprive them (heirs of the deceased) of theit rights by giving false evidence against them. Commentary: See collective note On 5 : 109 below.

~ ~,

WI ~, r~ ~I deposed).

(the two are guilty

of ",in) and

(against whom they ~infully The word ~\ is derived from

means, it was or became suitable

which

to the requirements of wisdom, justice, right and truth; it was or becaroe right, proper, correct or true; it became established as a truth. ~\ means) he o.emanded it as his right or due; he had a right or title or claim to it; he deserved or merited it. 'l'hey say WI J...A...Ii.e. he did what necessitated sin; or he was guilty of a s1n and deserved it beivg said of him that he was a sinner. 'rhe

736. Commentary: The Arabie words ~I&-, ~ .jl&) ~i rendered as "otber oaths will be taken after
their oaths

t. literally

mea.n: (1) "oaths

win

be repea.ted i.e. taken again. after their oaths"; or (2) II their oaths will be rejected after their (other witnesses') oaths:' the expression added to the word J~ I mean!! significance iu both cases being practically .. against them," the particle ~ sometimes the same. i.e.. the oaths of the first two

660

PT. 7

AL- MA'IDA

CH.S

witnesses will be rejected and two other witnesses caned in to give true evidence on oath. l'he purport of this and the preceding two verses is that when a person is about to make his will at the time of his death, he sbould bave as witnesscs to his statement two just men, who should .estify to the valirlity of his wiJI after his dcath. But if death comeB upon a person suddenly when he is away from home and no Muslim witnesses are 8t hand, then two trustworthy non-Muslims may be asked to serve as witnesseR. If, however, the veracity of the witncsses is c:alled into question by the heirs of the deceased, the former should be asked to prove their truthfulness by a statement on oath nlade after the time of Prayer. But if the persons in wh08e fe,vour the wi!! was made have goorJ reason to belie\'e that the witnesses have been guilty ')f perjury, then they can state on oath thuttheir statement is trner than that of thc two witnesses, and in that care the Qa~i or judge, if sati!lfied, wiU give his d~cree in their favour. An incident is reported to have occurred in the days of the Holy Prophet which throws 80m~ light on the verses under comment. A Muslim who died away from home entrusted his goods to two men before his death and asked them to deliver the same to his heirs at Medina. On receiving the goods the heirs Cound that a silver bowl was missing. The two lUcn were thereupon called upon to explain the los8 of the bowl, but they denied aU knowledge of it on oath. La.ter, the heirs of the deceased person happened to see the bowl with some persons at Mecca who told them t.l1ntit had been sold to them by the two men to whom the deceased had entrusted his property. Thereupon the two men were again summoned, a.nd in their presen('e the heirs of the deceased

stated on oath that the bowl was theirs, whereupon it was handed over to them (Manthfir). The Prayer meIltioned in 5 : 107 above may be any Prayer but preferably it should be tbe
<

Af' or late afternoon Prayer, because it was

after this Prayer that the Holy Prophet sununoned the two witnesses to whom reference has been made above and who were believed to have stolen the silver bowl. The time after Prayer has been chosen with a view to inspiring witneBBes with ideas of piety and God-fearing. nessand inclining their minds totruth!u}ness. If the witnesses be non-Muslims, then they may be called upon to swear after the tim.e of their own worshi!), so that the solemnity of the hour may incline them to make a true statement, becausc the worship of God is calculated to exercise a purifying influence on t1e human lliind and m.en fresh from Prayer ere exppcted

to fear God and make a true statement.

. .

The word cJV.J1 (the two who were in a better position) occurring in 5 : 108 above is the dual of JJI which mAans more competent or more worthy. It refers to the first two witnesses and signifies that these two were in a better position to give true evidence, being the persons who were with the deceased at the time of his death and in WhOS8 presence tbe will was made and to whom the property was entrusted to be handed over to the heirs of the deceased. The expression also serves as a sort of veiled reproach to them tl1at, in spite of being in a better position and more competpnt to give true evidence, they stumbled and drifted away from truth. The second two witnesses should be from among the deceased person's heirs whom thp. first two witnesses deprived of their right by bearing faIse witness regarding the wiIJ of the deceased.

661

CH.S

AL- MA'IDA

PT. 7

R. 15 110. Think of the day when aAllah ,!\r~;! .J~r.l '''!/{ t'~\\'~ ?n" n". J Ij>"y 4!1\~..PX will assemble the Messengers and say, ~'0~\\J "'~ 'What reply was made to you 1 ' They ""., ,~/ ",,,,,,"'" t~-:''''' ... will say, 'We have no knowledge, it @~~I,..o~~' ~} J.'..:.J~~ , is only Thou Who art the Knower of hidden things' ;737 a7 : 7 ; 28: 66.
737. ~ommentary: The words, We ha1le no knowledge; it is only Thou Who art the Knower oj hidden thi'YI9., consti tute both a 'Jort of veiled recommendation and a glorification of God. The l~rophets will, in efl'ect, say, " The people did indeed reject 113; but Tholl art the Knower of secrets. We do not know wbat was in their minds and whether they rejected ns frOID their hearts or only expreBsed disbelief out of the fear of others. It is, therefore, for l'hee to decide what their real attitude was and what treatment should be meted out to them." This recommendation seems to run counter to 4:: 42, which shows that the Prophets wiU bear witness against their people. The study of the relevant verses, however, shows that the occasions are different. The a.bove-mentioned reply of the Prophets wiH be made when in the beginning God will question them in a genera] Wi! Y; wbereas t;he tendering of evidence wiH come at a later stage when God will call upon them definitely to come forward and give the required evidence about those who rejected them. There is, thus, no real conflict between the two Yers~s. The answer giv.en by the Pro!,hets is also in harmony with tIle dignity of God and consti. tutcs an act. of His glorification on the part of the Prophets. God perfectly knows what reply the l)co})le made to the Prophet!:', but, in spite of this, He will a~k the Prophets to say what answer they were giyen by the people, ae if He Himself was not aware of that answer. The Prophets, therefore, will yeryappropriately remove this apparent implication of ignorance on the p:ut of God, by attributing all knowledge to Him. The answer of the Prophets also implies that the object of God's ql1~stion was not to elicit information from them or to supplem.ent His own knowledge. for He knew wha.t answer they were given. In fa.ct, there was some other purpose behind His question which was that they shonhlgive their testimony agaipst tlle disbelievcrs, as iF! clear from 4: 42, a.nd thus carry ont the clivil'e cODlTIIarulrcferred to in the latter verse.

662

PT.?

AL-;MA' IDA

CH.S
'It'''

Ill. ,When Allah will say, "0 Jesus, Bon of Mary, remember My favour
.

upon thee and upon thy mother; when

aI strengthened thee with the spirit of holiness so that bthou didst speak to the people in the cradle and when of middle age; and when cI taught thee the Book and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and when rlthou didst fashion out a creation out of clay, in the likeness of a bird, by My command; then thou didst breathe into it a new spirit and it became a soaring being by My command; and thou didst heal the night-blind and the leprous by My command; and when thou didst raise the dead by My command; and when eI restrained the children of Israel from putting thee to death when thou didst come to them with clear Signs; and those who disbelieved from among them said, , 'This is nothing but clear deception; "738
a2 : 88; 2: 254. 738. Commentary: b3: 47.

J .. I ~.,. ,'" 7-:''' .,,~\: .,..." .. ,,0... 't7~ ~ lt~1 ~Jt~~I.)t ~~~.~ ~
""'r(.
.

~~.):I .. ..."

~\;I/

.) ~Y' """"..,,-I ~. ,

",,,'1..,

4\.)1 (; 31 ,

~ ~I . ..
~~~)".J ,

~It"?

., ...r:~.1': ,..." . 'f::" \ cl9~ ~;--'~-'~, ,;... J U"'\:JI

!; M"

."~\\~ ~~~~I"'~'.,-~~(t'''~q ~, ~ ~-"",.J ~"~, \

"

'.~~:'~"'1~;Sn4~ "'~L't~t' :~~ ..;~ ~.)...:-~ d ~ ""';',.. ~

!.,,," ''I!., ,,'~~ ~,."r ,...",;.,

J~I c!f.)~-' ~';x~~~H.J ~.)J

"" ~)J1 r.5jJ ~

,"'~" ~

-;:... (', ? -:;l~"'" f.;~ V' "\ ~r~\"'",),.><J.)...~ ~~p.:.>-',,~

';11=' ~,,~~;~

:, ?~~

\'9~-r-:"c3I ~~~,

""'~~G::::, J
f\ij\,...l ... .::a...
'.:.;:/"WtI'!~ ..r-::

{j'~(j.,

C3: 49.

d3: 50.

85: 12.

Protection similar to that alluded to in the latter part of this verse in the words, 1 restrained In the clanse, thou didst speak to tke peQple in lhe children of Israel from putting thee to death. tke cradle and wkf/n of middle age, the act of was promised to the Holy Prophet as wen speaking in the cradle signifies speaking words (5: 6S). This promise met with a remarkable of wisdom and piety in childhood. This sort fulfilment. Though even at Mecca his ]ife of speaking on the part of J esns reBected grea.t was in consta.nt danger, at Medina that danger credit on his mother, who, herself being wise very much increased. The Holy Prophet led and pious, brought him up as a wise and pious m.3.nyexpeditionsin person and several 3tteItlpts child. And the speaking of good words in were made on his life. At {71)udhe was severely roiddle age shows that not only was Mary a wounded and at I:IUl1ain he was left alone pious woman, but Jesus too was a righteous among a large host of blood-thirsty archers. man so that even when he was of middle age Yet amidst all these dangNfi he remained safe, and was no lon.ger under tbe direct influence and after having triumphed over his eueroies of his !nother, he spoke words of piety aud passed away peacefuHy in his house at Medina. wisdom to men. See also 3~:47 &:,3 : 49, 50 The reference in the present verse is to the where similar works of Jesus i.e. the creation attempts of the Jews t.o kill Jesus on th'e Cross, of birds and the quickening of the dead, etc. from which accursed death Ood delivered him. havo been discussed. The word!'!. I restrainecl the children of 1 sraet,

663

CH.5

AL- ~A'IDA

PT. 7

"r.:"I""9.r~ r"'''f believe and bear Thou witness that we @~~ ci't~1 J~' !;\~ have submitted.'739 9 ".,,,,,, . ,,,,,' /r::: ~ I ~.,~ 113. When the disciples said, '0 .~'j.;:::.J\~"",,,, ~~: "'? ~.~y.)'-9J\ ..", ~)I Jesus, son of Mary, is thy Lord able to ~~~y4~J " send down to us a table spread with food from heaven 1 " he said, 'Fear Allah, if you are believers' ;740 j ",., L III ""9. .' . ~"l' " @ ~~~ 0 , ~ ..",;'J~~

,,,,, 112. And when aI in~pired the ~ , ,,~ ~, I ,,, , .. I"'" ~" ~.l " disciples of J esU8 to believe in Me ~~~-'~~'C)' ~J~~ J~~-,\ j}~ and in My Messenger, they said,' We ~,," .. ~

J
."

~,j~f~\~i*~j~~~; ~
.

114. They said, 'We desire that we li~~ ~4~ ~.."'\~~'" r~ ?"'IZU ?\ &.;J. \A~ may eat of it, and that our hearts be ~J .~~J~~ ~ ..~~ \ at rest and that we may know that "'-:: "",~ ~ t " 'f',, I;:"(0"" Q\~' thou hast spoken truth to U8, and 'WCl: . 'o~ U.N:> ~ ,0,1 ..., ~ tI~4I \wi'" .. c).) that we may be witnesses thereto.'T41

~ ~

Q3:53-5.1; should not, however, be understood to mean that Jesus Buffered even no persecution. ::.t the hands of his enemies. A similar exprel'sioll has bet>n used with regard to eady Muslims in the QUTan (5: 12) but it is a. well-known fact that thl:'Y had to p888 through grievous trials and tribulatioDs. The expression thlJS only means that the enemy will fail to kill JesuE', whom God will protect from being destroyed. 739. Important Words: The verb ~.J\ (inspired) does not. aiways meaD verbal revelation. It sometimes simply means to mapire a persoIl. with an idea, or to suggest it to him; and it is in this sense that the word is used here. The word has also been used with reference to the bee (16 : (9). b\A,l.1 (di'Jciples). See 3: 63.

61 :15. might be had without any trouble or hardship. The words" from helJ.vcn" denote a thing that ie obtained without trouble and is sure and lasting. 741. Commentary: The disciples of Jesus have, in this verse, mentioned four objects which the fulfilment of the prayer of .Jesus about the food asked for was meant to serve: (1) that they might eat thereof and their hunger might be sstisfi.d; (2) that their minds might be at rest. This al80 shows that they d('eired a permanent provision of sustenance because a single meal could not put their miDds at rest or relieve them of anxiety about tbeir livelihood in futnre so that they might be able to preach the messafe of God free from all care and devote themselves fully to the service of .religiou; (3) that the prophecy of .JAsuscontained in 3 : 50 might be fulfilled; and <{) that they migH become witnesses to the fulfilment of his prayer and of the truth of their religion, and people might know that God helps and favouJ1I those who

740. Commentary: The word'!, 8end down '0 us a table ,preaa uith /ood lro,,& beaven, show that it was Dot a single me&t that the disciples of Jesue asked for, but a permanent provision of BUetena-ncewhich

664

------

PT. 7

AL- ;MA'IDA

CH.5

'; ~,I'V:::,/ //~-", ". 115. Said Jesus, son of Mary, '0 ~/ 'f(. .. ~yoO~ I, ~-;.-.. J 14" "''':':'' \~ ~" ~ -.~, Allah, our Lord, send down to us a &'.Vt .. ~. \ table from heaven spread with food ~ I r~ I ~ '/ ~ V( ~ ':'10 -that it may be to us a festival, to the ~\"'G 'l/tr~,~\,;J ." ..~ ~ .J,.J." ..; <.:) ~ ~I ~ first of us and to the last of us, and a 1 $. Sign from Thee; and provide sustenance ' \ 9"//";"r~~''''''C-J;; @Wj;~~I-,~j}., .. for us, for Thou art the best of "" sustainers.'742
.
.

r:~

,I ~

,~

.,,;

JI'

116. Allah said, ' Surely, I will send it down to you; but whosoever of you disbelieves afterwards,-I will surely punish them with a punishment wherewith I will not punish any other of the peoples.'743

~
t

O.,/ ., ? ~,.;;.. ..

""

~ ~
"" ~//'1..9

., ~,,-: .,9. // ~...,

..

(~~,:,~9 ..~

\ "O"P4,,4U ",

""'r~. '~ I J

'"

@~\~\~,

~~\ ~.&

~,,'--7..~(/

~ .~1~;

:',I'':;'~~

Ij)

are devoted to the sen-ice of His religion. The prosperity and gralldeur in such measure as has history of tbe early Ohristian Church shows that no parallel in the history of any other religion. God did a.ctually make extraordinary provision But with the advent of the like of Jesns in the for the 8llstenance of those who devoted their person of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, in lives to the preaehing of the message of Jesus. Islam, the snn is indeed nearing its setting OD Na.y, even now Christiau8, tllOugh they have "th~ laqt of the Christians," who can DOW drifted far away from the truth, are enjoying save tbemselves only by identifying tbemselves with him wbo has con!e in the spirit and an extra good table spread witb food.
power of their Master. 742. Commentary: This verse shows that Jesus approved of the wi~h of his disciples and therefore, while praying, he included him.'!elf among them. The words, that it may be to us afestlttal, to the first of 118and to the last of us, embody 8 great prophecy. Tbere were to be two periods of prosperity and progress for the Christian peoples, as the word ~ (featival) literally meaning" a . ay which returns," RhfJwf:I. The first, ,vas to be in the time immediately after Jesus, while the s~coDcl was to be in the Latter Days; and the period between these two was to be marked by decay and decline. And this is exactly what is more clearly referred to in the words, to the first of us and to tIle last (If us. Ohristian peoples were granted worldly good in abundance in the early ages i.e. before the rise of Islam, and now in the Latter Days i.e. after 743. CommentarJT: This verse also makes it clear that the ;.11"1.. (the table spread with food) did not mean a meal that was actua.l1y to descend from heaven, for such miracles are never shown, it being impossible to disbeliieve after one has witn'C\8sed the wonderful phenomenou~of a table Bet out with food aetllalty descending from on high. The punishment. referred to in the verse is ~be same as is mentioned in 19 : 91. Ohristians did "disbelieve afterwards" and the threatened punishment has already made its appearance. The last and the present World War, along with their repercussions, constitute one pb"e of the fulfilment of this prophecy, and God knows what dreadful forms the fulfilment of this great prophecy is decreed to take in future and what dire visits.tions are yet in store for Ohristians in this world

the decline of IsI~IU, ~hey h~ve had material

and in the next. 665

CH.S

AL-MA'IDA f"" ~~" ", ~/,...'''/'','''''''''

PT. 7 ~\~ ,--: ~~d.

R. 16 117. And when Allah will say, "0 Jesus, son of Mary, didst thou say to men, 'Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah,''' he will answer, "Holy art Thou. I could never say that to which I had no right. If I had said it, Thou wouldst have surely known it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Thy mind. aIt is only Thou 'Who art the Knower of hidden things.744
---"---~-"-----

'" ..~ ~\, """ ,.,J. -:. ~\~I~!.'/'r-::J.~ "., ~ . \i @\ ~ ");..0 ~ \..>""" Lb~' ,,'" v/ ",.. ~"\, "" '" "" " r.... ", , j,~""~" '/"z [/ "'-!" "" '"

,I '':' \ ~..:W ...,

'J~)...,
'''{~~\''
.9.

~"\\

"-'"",~,

~-=~. U'

#t'

~ J
~
"','"

.. "I~\ '7

~ d , '-' It'

~,~~~

'

~./,, \

:-

'~"
,II'

~\.4~

r"" ,./,/J,~J;.

" @~~'/,~\.:..i\
'-'---'

'. "" Wi,; d..:$

.1/

.,/'" ( .,
''',.

' ~ l.o
""

..

"" ~l
~

'-!~

...

'-------

U5:1l0; 744. Important Words:

9:78;34;49. men to take me and my mother as gods besid~ Thee, for if I had done so, that would have been a reflection on Thee that Thou didst choose as Thy .Messenger a person who turned faithless to Thee and asked his followers to take him a.nd his motber as gods beside Thee. But Thy choice, 0 God, cannot be wrong; hence it was impossible that T, a Messenger of Thine, should have bidden men take me and my mother as gods, and Thine own all-embracing knowledge, 0 God, is a teRtimony of my innocence." God implies U intention." Tbus the last sentence of the: verse would mea.n, "I do not know what Thou meanest by this queRtion. Thou, being All-Knowing, well knowest tbat I did not say so; hence, I fail to understand th(~ object or purpose of Thy question." This reply of Je!lus show!! that in his hea.rt he wa.s afraid that Borne shortcoming in the executiou of his duty migbt have displc:'\'led the Almi,~hty.
The word

iJJ~ t. (1 could not) may be interpreted in various ways, such as, it was not fittiug or proper for me to do so; or it did not bebove me; or it was beyond my power or positi.on ; or it was impossible for me; or I had no right to do so, etc. See also 3: 80.

The words

knowledge; purpose or intention (I,ane). See also 3: 29. Commentary : 1'he expression, Holy art Thou, besi,deshinting that it is only God Who is free from error, (~mbodiesa beautiful reply on the part of Jesus to the question put to him by God \n the words, didst thou say to men, Take me andmy mother for two gods, which seemed to imply a sort. of reproach :1.ndan expression of displeasure. The rCJ}lyof Jesus appears to be s01l1ethinglike this: "I was only Thy humble Messenger, 0 God, UH'reforc I couId not. aRk

(mind)

means,

am.ong other

things,

(mind)

when

used

about

666

PT. 7 US. "I s3:id nothi~g

AL-MA!IDA

CH.5 ", ~41

to. them .,,,,,,,,'

except ~hat w~lCh Thou dIdst command me- a WorshIp Allah, my Lord and

~
#
.

clL\

~\

"..., ,.:::,"""'; ~ "J;""!.

.-I

~ ~Jt ~ ~1;&J CJ; ~

~y ~I"

your Lord.' And I was a witness over ~);~~L:~(f~~~1;~~~"';' -,,--::- J ~~-' ",,"" \ them as long as I remained among "" them, but since bThou ,didst cause me t".".::,,,~ tl ~--::~r" """":'11/~"
to die, Thou hast been the watcher over them; and Thou art witness over

y: ~I.;;J.J

r;,

"u

~ ~~
.

all things. 745

@>~

tj

.. ~ ,.. :.
f$M

"",

119. "If Thou punish them, they are Thy servants; and if TJlOu forgive th~m, Thou surely art the Mighty, the \VIse."746
a5:73; 19:37.

',':~ ",,,:,,!,, ~ clJ~~"'~~ "I""''G~'~ (;)...J 50.) .,,~... ~~ <.:J1 .. rJ~ . ,,?i' ,,/' ,,,

8~'.J~\ .." '" ~\

b3:56;

19:16.

745. Important Words: t.Hj(Thou didst cause me to die). See 2 : 235 & :3: 56. Commentary: j'or the corroboration of the first sentence of this verse i.e. the teaching of Jesus about the worship of God alone see Matt. 4: 10 & Luke 4 : 8. Tile latter portion of the verde conclusively proves two things: (1) that Jesus is dead and not alive, as supposed by most of present-day Muslims; (2) that he is not to retnrn to this earth a. second time in his own person. The inference is beyond any shadow of doubt. From the verse it is clear that no interval intervened between Jesus' life on this earth and his death. As long as he was alive, he kept a careful wateh over his followers and saw to it that thy did not deviate from the right path, but he did not know what occurred to them after his death. l'his shows: (1) that it was by death and not by his supposed ascension to heaven that Jesns became separated from his people, and (2) that it was only after his death that his people deified him. Now, as his followers have already gone

astray, it dcfin.itcly follows tllat Jesus is dead, for, as t!1e verse po~nts out, it was after his death that he began to be worshipped as God. Similarly, the fact, that th~ verse speaks of .Jesns as f-xpressing ignorance of his followers having taken him and his mother for go(J1\after he had left them, proves that he is not to come back to this e~rth. For, if he were to come back to this earth and sce with his own eyes the corruption of his followers, he couhJ not express ignorance of his deification by 1is people. . In that case the answer of Jesus pleading hie ignol1lDcc ,volt1d amount to a veritable lie. 'rhus the verse definitely and cleady proves that Jesus is dead and that he ,viJI never come back to this world. For deb~iled discus~ion of the q,uestion of the death of Jesus and his non-ascension to heavens with his physical body see, 3: 56 &,4: ]59. 746. Commentary: appeal . This verse corlgt.itutt~8 a most pathetic by Jesus to God on behalf of his followers; and the succeeding verse provides tbe divine answer tG that appeal.

CH.5

AL-~NIDA

PT. 7

,~~... .,6'-' \~I,~ 120. Allah will say, 'This is a day J." j ~.~ ""'C' '":'~,/,~&@I ~ when only the truthful shall profit by ~ "'~; , their truthfulness. For them are ... ~I , "I'''''' "", "'.. ~,:"'" .,,'" ""'''~7 Gardens beneath which streams flow; ~...;# ''''11 ~~ ;# ~LS"~~A therein shall they abide for ever. aAllah ",.J.~N~.,~ is well pleased with them, and they are ~",H~.I.'''''''' (~."""", ".,...,~ ~~ ~~.J.J~ ciUl C $j'..J Iwl... . .. well pleased with Him; that indeed fI,,,,. is the great triumph.'747 ' ."',

~I

e~
6f-.ij
,

..".

\~~~ -';1\

121. bTo Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever is in them; and He has power over all things.748
a9 : 100; 58: 23 ; 98: 9.
747. Commentary: The words, This i3 a day, refer to the Day of Judgement, which shows that tIle question mentioned in 5: 117 above will be put to Jesus on the Day of Judgement i.e. after he will have paid his supposed I!eoond visit to the earth, as is alleged by thos> who believe in his ascension to, and desoent from, heaven. used in the verse The word cctruthful" hints that as the followers of Jesus did not ,,,prove truthful they could not hope to benefit by divine mercy. The word really refers to M11!ilims, who were true to the teachings of their Prophet. They b'.}1ieved as he taught them to believe. and acted as he taught them to act, and were trne to their God. The word may also refer to tbe followers of Ahmad.

~~.J~~w-'U:)/,)9

'l~""

"'.b~ ".r"'...

",i

!li9.."" t" ;~~.'I ~~

t:.tj.
.." b5 : 18, 41 ; 42: 150; 48: 15.

... ,&.'t

'f~ ..",

.1.

the Promised Messiah, who was raised as the J;.o or like of ,Te~us. God. as it were, says, " We sent two Messiahs, the followers of the one drifted away from his teachings and began to look upon him as God. but the followers of the other Messiah were trne to his teachings. So this day only the truth of the truthful shall profit them." 748. Commentary: The verse forms a. fitting sequel to a SOra in which the errors of be Christian people a.re effectively exposed and demolished. It alsocontains a veiled declaration that as Christiana will set a very ba.d example of Ie belief" and will finally transfer His II kingdom"
whQ a.re more desen'illg of it. " action," so their glory will not last and God
to those

CHAPTER
AL-AN'AM
(Revealed before H,ijra)
Title and Date of Revelation

This Sura belongs to the Meccan period. According to most accounts, the whole of it was revealed in one portion; and as reported by some traditionists, as many as 70,000 angels stood guard when it was being revealed, which points to the high position it holds among the Quranic Buras and the special protection which was afforded to its subject-matter. The Sura probably derives its title from the subject dealt with in vv. 137-139 where cattle (the word An'iim meaning cattle) have been condemned as one of the main causes of idolatry. At another place the Quran says that idolatry makes idolaters sink so low a8 to render them, as it were, like mere cattle (25 : 45). Subject.~atter In this Sura there is a change in' the trea tment of the subject-matter from that of the previous Suras. It contains a refutation of religions other than the Israelite. It starts with the refutation of the Zoroastri~n faith, which believes in the duality of godheadin two separate gods of good and evil. The Quran exposes this doctrine by declaring that both the powers of doing good and evil are in reality two links of the same chain, one remaining incomplete without the other; so they cannot be said to ha Ve been creB,ted by two different gods. Light and darkness are indeed the creation of the same God and, instead of pointing to the duality of the godhead, they really constitute a I!trong argument in favour oof its oneness and possel!l! a peculiar affinity with the creation of man and his natural powerl! and faculties. The Bura proceeds to discuss the important I!ubject that evil is born of the wrong use of God-given facultiel!; and whenever men cease to make a right use of thero, God raises a Prophet to teach them their right Use. :But, instead of receiving a patient and reYerent hearing, he receive!! mockery and derision, in spite of the fact that such mockery has alwaYI! led to disastro~; results. Further on, in the second section (Ruku'), the Sura says that delay in divine punishment oyertaking disbelievers often makes them all the more intrepid, though this delay is alway!! due to God's mercy and not to His inability to call them to account as and when He likes. Then it proceeds to say that the seVere persecution to which the Prophet and Ius followers are Bubjected can neYer result in a weakening of their connection with God, becauBe their belief in God ie based on true realization of His attributes which they impart to other!! by means of the Signs that God shows at their hands. In view of these Signs, how can those gifted with sight follow those who are deprived of it 1 In the third Ruku' it is said that disbeliever!! should not worry as to whether the Prophet is true or false, because God has taken it upon Himself to

detltroya false prophet. The patent fact, however,is that whereas the faith of believers is 669

unflinching and steadfast, disbelievers never hesitate to disown their idolatrous beliefs whenever they are overtaken by misfortunes. The absurdity of their position is further exposed when it is noticed that while they say to the Prophet that they cannot give up the ways and usages of their forefathers, they base their own rejection of the Prophets on the plea that the latter merely imitate their forefathers, forgetting the plain logic that if idolatry is the result of following in the footsteps of forefathers, belief in the. Oneness of God cannot be the result of similar imitation. In the fourth RuM!" light is thrown on the subject that irreligiousness is born of lack of faith in life after death or in the possibility of the establishment of real connection with God. This dual lack of faith makes the disbeliever bold in his rejection of truth. But believers are admonished not to be disheartened by this attitude of disbelievers, because all Prophets of God have been treated like that. The opposition to the Prophets on the part of disbelievers is in fact bnt natural, because only those people seek God who possess some natural kinship with spiritual matters, for the deaf in spirit cannot hear the voice of God. These people witness Sign after Sign and yet disbelieve and reject them and continue to repeat, parrot-like, that no Sign has been shown to them. Such disbelievers are warned that now only the Sign of punishment remains for them to witness and when that Sign comes, they will forget all their boastful rejection of truth. In the fifth Ruku' it is stated that in the time of the former Prophets disbelievers adopted a similar attitude till punishment overtook them. But God is not quick in sending punishment. Disbelievers were granted respite in the past; similarly respite is being granted to them now. Messengers of God are both bearers of glad tidings and warners. They first seek to bring the people to the right path by giving them glad tidings. It is only when the latter wilfully shut the door of guidance upon themselves that warning comes into operation. The Stira further proceeds to say in the 6th Ruku' that only those who have fear of God in their hearts can accept the truth, and the Prophet is told to address his appeal to them. For the others, it is necessary that fear of God be first created in their hearts so that arguments and reasons may benefit them. Further, it is most essential for the progress of Islam that special attention be paid to the spiritual training of believers, whether rich or poor, because since the Prophet is mortal and must die, only the community of the believers remains behind to preach and propagate the divine message. In the 7th and 8th Ruku's the Holy Prophet is asked to tell disbelievers that they are foolish to find fault with him merely because the promised punishment does not speedily overtake them. The sending of punishment is outside his province and lies entirely in the hand of God Who sends it whenever He thinks fit and opportune. Moreover, the sender of the punishment should also be the knower of the unseen. He should know fully the future of man, because he who does not possess the knowledge of what the future holds in its bosom is likely to punish a person who, being at present the enemy of truth, may be deserving of punishment today, but may be destined to effect a true reformation in himself tomorrow. So the sending of the punishment or the deferring thereof is God's own work. Towards the end of the Ruku' it i:s sta.ted that when God alone knows the unseen, it is unwise not to preach the truth to a person who may appear to be an enemy of truth, because in the unlimited knowledge of God he may ,be destined to accept the truth at some future time.

670

--

In the ninth RuM' the falsity of ploytheilltic {loctrines has been exposed by means of Iln rgument which the Plltriarch Abraham had with his people and which has been dealt with at Bome length in this Ruku'. The next two sections d,escribe how God bestowed favours and blessings on Abraha.m and his descendants because they.believed in God's Oneness and strove hard to establish it in the world. In the twelfth Ruku' we are told that the mission ~f God's Messengers never fails. Like ram-water, it gives fertility and freshness to a soil spiritually bleak and barren. The thirteenth Ruku' deals with the supreme subject that it is impossible to attain to God and have His true realization unless He reveals Himself to men. It is therefore necessary that divine Messengers should appear time after time, because it is through them that God reveals Himself to the world. Believers are further admonished that though the beliefs and ideals of idolaters are false, they should have due regard for their susceptibilities when holding a discourse with them about their beliefs and doctrines. In the 14th Ruku', however, we are told that for the .attainment of true faith, a corresponding wholesome change of heart is a sine qua non. Without such a change, even Signs and miracles prove of no avail. In this connection some objections of disbelievers have been mentioned and refuted. The same subject is continued and developed in the next four sections (15-18) and the attention of believers is drawn to yet more foolish objections of disbelievers. In the 19th section a contrast is .drawn between Islamic teaching, which answers and satisfies the demands of reason and justice, and the doctrines ~nd practices of idolaters, which are based on neither reason nor lugument. The latter are told that, in view of this contrast, they cannot legitimately deny the necessity of divine revelation. In the last section we are told that the Quran has been revealed to raise and honour even those nations to whom no revealed Book has so far been sent so that they may not {eel low and debased before the People of the Book. The Message of the Quran, unlike that of former revealed Scriptures, is for the whole of mankind and it seeks to establish a real and permanent peace between different sections of humanity as well as between man and his Creator.

671

CH.6
<1'-;.

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7
~..,,~. ~

'J" -:~~... ... ~~. the

~~I

tU~

Gracious, the Merciful. 749

1.

aIn

the name of Allah,

~ ...'
~-'w")~lj9~1
,'1 """" OJ" 0Y ~yJ.,.l ;;. \ ~'
/ 1"""" / / ,/~

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.~ I ~,.
.

. '~~\, ~\ ~jl,-~
I

,\

2. All praise belongs to Allah Who created'the heavens and the earth and brought into being darkness and light; yet bthose who disbelieve, set up equals to their Lord. 749A
aSee 1: 1.

~Jf ~.~ ~,~/", w($'~t ~ ~t

/ 9. 9

","""

~
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", J," '':\ /' '"' .. ''' \~ ~ tJ.J~ ~V<J

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",

'

b6: 151 ; 27 : 61. refutes the first..mentioned class of 1neh. When God has created all things and when He Himself can do everything and to Him belongs all praise, what need is there for Him to entrust part of His work to other beings One entrusts one's work to others when one cannot do it single-handed or when one desires to pass one's time in idleness, which is an act of dispraise. But God, being above all this, has no need of transferring His powers to other beings. These words also refute the Christian doctrine of Trinity; for if each of the three persons of Trinity is equally omnipotent and worthy of perfect praise, what need is there for the other two On the contrary, if only all the three combinedl can do the work and none can do it singly, God cannot be considered to be worthy of :tll praise. By saying, and brought into being darkness and light, the Quran refute!J the second class of men. The words, All praise belongs to Alla:h, must be read with this part of the verse also, thus hinting that even "darkness," i.e., things which are generally looked upon as evil, such as death, disease, misery and afHiction, are also things for which praisel is due to God. In fact, every kind of "darkness" has its uses. Directly or indirectly it is meant for the good of man and for his general advancement. Now when even apparently evil things are meant for the

749. Commentary: See' under 1 : 1.

749A. ImporlantWords: J-:, (brought into being) is sometimes used synonymously with J.l>. i.e. he created, but whereas J.l>. gives the sense of creating a thing after measuring and designing it, J-:signifies the making of a thing in a particular state or condition, or constituting or appointing it for a definite purpose (Lane). Commentary: The practice of attributing co-partners to God is based on two different theories. One class of people hold that God has delegated His power8 to certain beings. Among the people of this class the most prominent are the Hindus. Another class of men who ascribe co-partners to God think that evil cannot proceed from God and, therefore, there must be some other source of evil. So they seek a separate god whom they look upon as a source of evil or of darkness. This class of people is represented by Zoroastrians, who believe in a spirit of evil or darkness called Ahriman, a deity regarded as the equal of the creator Ormuzd, the spirit of good or light. The verse refutes both these doctrines. Who created the heaveM ani/, the earth, the Quran
~

By saying, All prai~e belong~ to Allah

672

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM

CB. 6 ..~t..?" !~.1~ '~(' ;i>J~~~cSfJJyb 9

"""9,(."~ .".,,,, ,~ (...,

3.' ciRe it is Who created you from clay, and then He decreed a term. And -there is banother term fixed with Him., Yet you doubt !750

~.J"'b~;; .

-;:!~.

ec>-,...~~,~

ZS~ ~ ""..

-?

'"

4. And cHe is Allah, the God, both .,'~ .'l~.b. ",i1:. ~ ,. ..~~~.\\ ~I-:'l '" ,.,..:r-~ in the heavens and in the earth. He ~>-::~.~.J.;; ~-'9 knows your inside and your outside. ,., .~~..~r'" ~""0"'" \..0 ..,,~k-, And He knows what you earn.751 0~."
,

a15 : 27 ; 23: 13; 32: 8; 37: 12 ; 38: 72.

ultimate good of man, the natural conclusion would be that half of the things meant for ,the good of men are created by one god and the other half byan.other, which is simply absurd. As for the good underlying appan'ntly evil thing!!, it may be hinted tbat the difficulties and troubles which beset man serve as a means of turning him to virtue, and of his attaining divine favours and bounties. ']'ake death for instance. If a man should not di.e but should remain alive Jor ever, he could not achieve the blessings of Heaven, which embody the n:t,ost perfect favours of God. On the other band, these favours cannot be giyen to man in this lift' ; for, if they were given to him here, they would become apparent to all; in that case there would remain no veil and no secrecy and consequently there would remain DO merit in faith. A perRon deserves credit for his faith only when there is some secrecy about the thing in which he is called upon to believe.

b71 : 5.

c:13:85.

Him. refer to the Day of Judgement or of Resurrection when men, after passing through the gate of death, will recehTetheh rewards from their I.ord.
'

751. Commcn1ary:
The words, both in the heavens and in the earl/i, do not mean that God's person pervades the heavens and the eluth. What is meant is that the knowledge and power of God compreht'nd the entire universe. The Quranitself explains this by the words that follow i.e., He knows your insdeand your out.~ide. The latter part of the verse points out that a being cannot be looked upon as perfect if his knowledge or power is defective. But. such is not the case with God. Both His knowledge and power are perfect. This is what is hinted in the words, lie know.~ 1J.lhat you earn, which convey a twofold i,dea; (i) that God is ..;\.ll-Knowing, and (2) that He wiJJ requite men according to their deeds which. ill other words, mClms that He is AlI.Powerful. Hence, as both the knowledge and power of God are perfect, it; follows that 110d is perfect, knowing everything and possessing the power of doing everything. So He does Dot stand in need of entrusting any part of His work to other beings :md taking them as His helpers or co-partnerE'. Again, the above.jlluoted words also show that it is God Who punishes evil. Now, when the

750. Commentary:
The creation of man rcf<.>rredto in the words~ Who created yov, is meant as an illustration of the light mentioned in the previous verse, while the decreeing cf a term, i.c., the ordaining of death, is meant as an illustration of "darknesl)." 1'he verse ascribes both these acts ,to God, as acts of mercy, thus refuting those who believe in two separate gods, one of evil and the other of good. The word!!. there is another
t6rm

Fd

with
673

punishment of evil is from God, it is foolish to

CH.6 5. And athere

AL-AN' AM

PT. '1

comes not to them

any Sign of the Signs of their Lord, ~!.9~;Jl\'~;) but the y turn awa y from it.752

r~?"\~r~.:"

'" ..II,.

., lit ., ~\ ~.I~~.. ~~)J

':r~ r... '"

"".
""

\A.J
."

@~~
.

::""r "''-;1' ,,,,:". .~. So bthey rejected the truth when., "..f" ~ ,,"~:"", "-r,,f~( \,;iJ ~~ ~~ ~ It came to them; but soon shall come ~)~ u~ ~,~ ... " to them the tidings of that at which'" ~';'l.'" ,~r~r" they mocked.753 r.j\ :''' ~~.:J 4J I tU..o \~ \2/ C).J ~;; .. I;.:;r r 7. See they not how many a generation We have destroyed before them? eWe had establjshed them in the earth . ,"" :("::;'1 ,,,, . ~~ f", . I) . as We have established you not, and ' ,," >'CW\ (;_L:,n \.:.0 ~.J JJ:J '\ ~I..J ."J>I ,,~ ~\, ". dWe sent the clouds over them, pouring , ,"., ,,/ . 1 "/' ~ ' '" (",~"'l.Ph.l.. down abundant rain; and We ,caused ". ''''f-:'' I";~~ IS." 'II' '" ~~..;J ':.JJ).~ r"" streams to flow beneath them; then p" " did We destroy them because of their ~.'rt'~., '/(., t~k~N, ,~J. 0-:' ,,,,,( d~ Iu>, ~~ ~ v I.;J!.J ~'yw;. sins' and raised up after them another generation.764
,;0;,

~~)~~~~~;:;J' )J ~ . ~
~-' ~_.__.._--_..
~~

~~---

+~

a21 : 3; 26: 6; :!6: H.

b26 : 7.

C46 :27.

dll:5:);71:12.
~_._-

thi.n.k tbat the god of evil must be some other being. 752. Comn\entary: An in!portant evidence of the knowledge and power of God are the prophecies which He reveals to His Messengers and the aid and help wbich He vouchsafes them against overwhelming odrls. These are called Signs l:ere. Thus, in order to prove the perfect knowledge and power of God, the verse refers to the powerful SignR which God was showing to delhonstrate the truth of the Holy Prophet and the wonderful way in which He was helping him. 753. "Important _1;;1(tidings) is DewRor tidings. the Qnran about SOlDegreat event Commentary: The words, .1thall come, imply that the imrx>rtant "tidings" referred to in the versc Words: the plural of \; which means, The word is generaUy nsed in important news relating to (Aqrab & Kulliyat).

were ordained to come to the .Meccans from outs~de. The words, which were revealed at l\fec~a, thus contain a veiled prophecy to the etIect that the Holy Prophet will have to flee from Mecca and that, after his flight, the Meccans will go out and fight hi.m but that they will be routed, and the news of tllc great success of the Holy Prophet or, to quote the expression of the Quran, the tiding$ oj that at ~I)hich tltey 'rlocked, will reach the Meccans from outside. This prophecy was fulfilled in a wonderful way at the famous Battle of Boor, thus showing that God possesses hoth perfect knowledge and perfect power. 754. Important Words: ~v-i (gcueratioll). The verb form of the word, i.e., ~v-i (qarant~) means, he connected or linked or coupled or joineo. ~~ means, one's equal in a.ge, i.e., connected with the saDle age; a generation of men succeeding or preceding another generation, as if both were conjoined ; l)eople of one time; peol)Ie of a time among

674

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM

CH.6

8. And if We a writing upon had felt it with the disbelievers said, 'This is sorcery.'755

, "''' Jlad sent down to thee "';, r~' /. '" ~~. ~',;\~U"!l!:;"'" '" ~t" ~ ~ parchment and they ~~~ 'f~ .J \'"..~..;. ~ ~ ~ their hands, even then ""f(.~ ?' 'c 1~ ~, f I : t'i"'.91t'~~;r, J would have surely 0~ ,J-;'.;J,,~ o,,>~ ~"!) w nothing but manifest

~ ." -

9. And they say, a'Why has not an angel been sent down to him l' And if We had sent down an angel, the matter would have been settled, and then they would not have been granted a respite.756 ------~ ~-~ ~-

~
...

"...

,.,

r~~;

't,;'t'; ",' Lri."" "",,, ,,~'" .1ro::; J'O\.)r,,'I~" &'8",f~.,~I, ~d ~ -.. 'JI ~!.)' .J .....

;' , '~:~..:i "':. 9,,,, G)~-,~.~..-OJ .>O~t

a2 : 211 ; 25: 8. fortre:;~es Ollt of rocks. Thus every pC1'i(; that ever attained to the heights of civili~atiOl.J, enjoyed a certain, distinction which is not shared by other nlttions. By using tnis expression, the Quran. means to say: When these powerful people were destroyed in spite of their .mastery of .certain branches of knowledge, how can your arts save you from destruction?

whom there appears a Prophet. CJ.j means an associate, comrade or companion (I.ane & Aqrab). Commentary : 'fhe vers{' predicts that the enemies of the Holy }}rophet shaH be destroyed like the enemies of the former Prophets. Even within the confines of Arabia there had been people who were visited with divine punishment in con:<equence of their opposition to their respe(,tive Prophets who appeared in by-gone times. Among them were the tribes, Tubbac, 'Ad, Thamtid and others whose stories were current among tbe Arabs. The words, as We have establislted you not, do uot mean that the world is retrogressing. 'be fact is that although the world is progressing as a whol{', yet some of the older nations which rose to the heights of civilization ill their time were so advanced in certain br;i.nc}'es of art and science that in these specific branches they have so far not been l'qualled by the generations that followed. '11ake, for instance, the ancient F gyptians. The modern age, in spite of the marvels it has wrought in the domain of science, still gazes with wonder at some of t}Je works of ancient Egyptian civi1ization. Similarly, there w{'rc people among the Arabs who ct\rved wonderful

755. Important Words: \yu.. j (parchmen.t) means, paper; a roll or scroll of paper; anything one writes upon; a writing or hook;; a butt or target (Lane). Commentary:
The words, and thE~y !,ail feZt it 'with t!leir kandB, mean, " and they had n~ade sure that it was a heavenly thing aud not an eal:thIy ODe." The words also embody a beautiful allusion to the spiritual blindness of the people. B",iDg blind, they cannot see; !~Othey have to feel with their hands. The verse aignifies tl}at when a man gives hims('lf up to doubting, nothing, however clear and manifest, can convince him.

756. Commentary: The queation, Whl1 has not an anger.been &,3nt

doum to him,

implies a desire on ihepart

of the

67S

CR. 6

At-AN'AM
-:.~,;' ,I'N{, . . -'~..>~ ;o~ ~.. ~~~J'

PT. 1

10. And if We had appointed as Messenger an angel, We would have made him appear as a man; and thus We would have made confused to them th'l t which they are themselves making confused.'i57 II. And surely aha ve the Messengers been mocked at before thee, but that which they mocked at encompassed those of them who scoffed.758 R. 2 12. Say, b'Go about in the earth, and see what was the end of thoee who treated the Prophets as liars.'759

~l: ~;J-, "" "-" ""

,. ~ ;~~"G (0<.:) . ..U "

, ',~ <. " ~YJ ~ ;.~

~ ~,,' ~'
I

.,

..~.'!." J1.' ~ ~(>.r" h,W -'

f:."':.j~".f,l \"1.r9r;..,,~ , "." QD~J?r-:.;'t , , ~o \A~~~

';, ~ ':'..~ , ,.."!. ..M .'''' . " , 'I \:.: f" 'l.;.~' I" ~.., .J>J UJ);; "\\<.3 \J~ ., <;> ~ ..!.'~ ~

k ~ 4

'"

'fr\~ \!!.J .. ~
"--'

"..

. ~ "

a21 : J2.
-_,_,--'--'~-~-~'-'

b3 : 138; 22: 17 ; 27 : 70"

"_. ~

'

'--'

' "'-'-'.'--~----

..-------

--

~------------

disbelievers to be visit'd by an angel whom been mocked a' before thee, imply a hin,t that they might see and he thus convinced of the the demand of disbelievers regarding the coming of an angel i,S: really nothing but a mockery. divine mission of the Prophet. The Quran exposes their folly by replying that although 'I'he verse also contain.s a prophecy about the the angels of God do come to tbe Prophet, yet destruction of the enemies of the Holy Prophet. when they visit disbelievers and are seen by The en.euries of the former Prophets laughed them, t,lwy invariably come with divine them to scorn. an,d, were consequently pUJ1ished punishment. Such angels appeareti at the by God, the very object of their mockery becoming the mea.ns of their destruction. The Battle of Badr, when, to quote the expression of the Quran, the matter was decided (2: 211). eneInies of the Holy Prophet were also scoOing See also the succeeding VE.'rse. at him an.d so they too would m.eet with the S3-me fate which befell their predecessors. 757. Commettlary: Another possiblt form of the appemanee of an angel is tha.t he be sent to tILis world ItS a Messenger. But this could not improve thiu"s; for in that case, to make his mission to mankind worth anything, he should appea.r in the form of a man; hut if he were to appear to them in tDe form of a man, then the people would entertain the same doubts about his ]Jeavcn]y mission as thpy were now doir\g about that of the Holy l'rophet. 758. Commentary:
.Arullt 81J'rely have tlw Messengers

759. Commentary:
When the disbdievers were told, in reply to their dem.and for the com~ng of an angpl,that disbelievers saw angels only whPI\ they came with pnnishmen1~ from God, the disbelievers arrogantly sai(l, " Let thE.'fficome with it then." 'fhe verse tells them that such foolhardy dema.nds were made by their predecessors also; so lE.'tthem go ahout in the land and see wha.i

rl'he wurds,

was the end of such people. 676

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM

CH.6

13. Say,' To whom belongs what is 'I~""~' t~,. .))\" c.:J~~~",;~~:~, .'~to:: . h'~~"> .>" ~ ~~ in the heavens and the earth l' Say, ~\.:J~ ., .,,, 'To Allah.' aHe has taken upon Himself ".. " "I~)\~ 'f/ JI" -:,,'""""I.'a~\\~ ~~., to show mercy. bHe will certainly con- C )..,;1;1' .." \"'~.", ." tinue to assemble you till the Day of ".,,, Jo., Resurrection. There is no doubt in " " "'v"'/' 'J"',!'''-';, "" 0~~~.6~~\h~~\~ it. Those who ruin their souls will not believe.760 14. To Him belongs whatever dwells ~~r.it~~1"9" ~r".f,( (;'i . ~~ r" ( "" \ \..0 qJ" in the night and the day. And He is \!!Jr: (?;- ~.JJ~ ~

.,,( .,,,,,

the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.761

~._--_._--

~~

a6:55; 760. Important Words:

(who ruin

7: 157.

b3:IO;

4:88;

.15:2'7.

---'-.-.----

~ I)

1 1)",.>-

their

souls).

to bring out the disbelievers' extreme weD.kness of faith and make them rea1izl\it. All that is ~n tht' heavens and the earth belongs to Allah; so the enemies of Faith also belong to God. No one wonld like to destroy that which belongs to him, much less would God like to do so, for He is Merciful and has made mercy binding on Himself. So He is giving the enemies of the Holy Prophet time to repent. He is putting off punishment so that they may turn to Him aud repent of their sins. Hence, instead of demanding punishment, let them ask forgiveness and benefit by His mercy. It should be noted that disbelief &lone does not bring punishment upon men in this life. So fa.r as sim.ple disbelief is concerned, the case of the believers a.nd the disbelievers will be decided on the Day of Judgement when an will be assembled together and God's judgement will be pronounced. It is only the ex~reme wickedn 'os of men. and their active opposition to the Prophets of God that hastens punishment for them in this life. So the verse exhorts disbelievers not to demand puu\shm('ut but ~ather to repent, so that God may have mercy on them. 761. Commentary:

is derived from ",.>- which means, he

lost; he suffered 3. lOBs; he went astray; he became lost; he perished (Lane). From the above it is clear that the word . ~is really intransitive. The transitive use of the word in the verse is merely apparent. In fact when
the Quran says

they m:tde their souls suffer, but, that they suffered with rega.rd to themselves, i.e., they themsdves suffered. The correct transitive form of the word is r> (khasara), i.e., he
cau3ed to perish, and not ~ (khasira).,i.e., he suffered or he was lost, which the Quran ha.s used. 'I'his peculiar use of the word is intended to inten.sify the meaning. Thus the I I) ~ words tJ}11 would really read !"f-iill) r> J IJr> tJ}II,i.e.,thosewhosuffered a loss and caused their souls to perish. For tIle sake of cOfi\'~nience, however, the expression has b~en rend~red in the text as. those who ,"it& their 80ul8. For a somewhat similar expression, i.e., ~ ~ see Lisan where that expression ha.s been fully dealt with.

II),... it docs not mea.n,

Commentary: Here God first puts a question, and then Himself answers it. Thi3 form has also beeh emplQyed elsewhere in the Quran. It iRmeant 6'17

Not only have darknp.88 and light been m_de

CR. 6

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7
."', II"'. U~ r~,' 9. "';"
,--'II" ." I

15. Say, 'Shall I take any protector other than Allah, athe Maker of the heavens and the earth, bWho feeds and is not fed l' Say, c'I have been eommanded to he tJ{e first of those who submit'. And be thou not of those who associate partners with God.762

"',"'" J' " t.t'~~\~ 9~\~\i~, ~, ;&\#'

~y'c>\~~I~:HJ;%
~"'~r' ' ~~~..
.

")~ ,,"'

~;~~.J
n,

:..'j \

'~"1''''''''' ' ~a~~.J~'~Jj\

h',,~

disobey my I,ord, the punishment of ""f;~t~~

an awful day.'763
--.

16. Say, 'Of a truth, dI fear, if I ~

'''',-:'''j'

:1'~

!.",;';"

C)l"",~\ U! ,i' Ji

~r.-::';': ,~

a12 : 102; 14: 11; 35: 2; 39: 47. b20: 133; 51: 58-[,9. dlO: ]6; 39: 14. by God (6: 2), but, as the present verse puts it. all that dwells in. tllem also helongs to HiJn. 'fhis shows that both darkness and light have been made with a purpose. Now when God is the Master of all that dw'ells in darkn.esf\ and light, how could He ent.rust His own possessior~ to other beings t As pointed out under 6: 2 above, ev('n darkness and aftlictions. have their advantages. God involves lien in darkness and sends down afRictiOJ~s so tbat their character may be perfected and they may pray to God and He lnu.y hear them, for He is All-Hearing. And if there is nO time for men to pray or they do not know or do not realize the danger and consequently do not pray, even then God is All-Knowing and may come to thei;r help without their praying for it. 762. Important Words:

C6 : 164; 39: 13.

God, means the. Originator the Maker (Taj). Commentary:

or the Creator or

The question in the first part of the verse implies that. as God alone is the Maker of the heavens and the earth and a.<;it is He alone Who feeds all without being fed by anybody, therefore there is none worthy of being taken as protector bU'~He. None else is worthy of being worshipped as God. 'rhe words, WhoJeeds, refutal' the godhea.d of those lifeless objects which men have taken for gods. They a.dmittedly feed none, but God feeds all; hence these objects are not worthy of he~ng taken as gods.
.

)-tt (Maker) is derived from They 763. Commentary: say.;'; ,i.e.. he clove or split or rent it; he This verse is a.n expression of the supreme created it or brought it into existence; or he originated it. ~')J means, he ma.de the independence of God. 1'he Holy Prophet is dough into bread without If>svening it. )J I made to say, " 0 men,it is indeed strange that you should not fear the punishment of God means, he broke the fast. ).Ail and,)aA mean, it. became cleft, or split or rent. . I while I, who am a Prophet of God, fear His

~.

The words. is of those living by men. They needs no food;

no' fed, negative tI,e godhead beings who have beel\ d.eified stand in need of food, but God. hence they cannot be go~.

means, the natural conatitution with whioh a child i8 created. ;'~when used about

punishment if I disobey Him." This is an emphatic way of exhottiDg men to avoid

W~

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM

CH.6

18. And aif Allah touch thee with J.~ "', ~,~ .~.~- ~!~ t ~ ~~'~ ":r:.--, . affliction, there is none that can remove ;- ~"..;J ". ~-;.. " it but He; and if He touch thee with 'W{~~ ~~~ ~,I~-:~ -: .~\:.~.~ .. ~~; happiness, then He has power to do e; ~ ~ f.,F' .:n;r, ~ _ ii'

17. He from whom it is averted on -!f.i, ~It'. ",Jo~ '-::<. \ "'./ j~". Z""'.'" ~' ;.>I..W~~-~u~c.:ro that day, GOd indeed has had mercy J~ ~,).J on him. And that indeed is a manifest triumplI. 764 -':0, ;-0: ~

@Mt

"

aU that He wills. 766

""-~

19. And bHe is Supreme over His servants; and He is the Wise, the All-Aware. 766
GIG ; 108.

, j. f., , .". r::~ ,d" GY~~-.j\" " ( J' "~.)~.. ""'"'~\iJ\~-, , ~ .." ~J I" .,,~~

b6; 62.

disobedience of GOll. The expression does not do all that lJ e wiUs. ,imply that the Holy Prophet islik~Jyto disobey 766. Important Words: Ged or even that it is possible for him to do so.' 'l'hey ~Ii (Supreme) i" derived from It issimply meant to conv~ncedisbelievers that say .~, .:.e., he overcame, conquered or God is a.bove a.Il and none call dare disobey subjected him; or he became superior in power Him with impunity. or force to him. It also means, he oppressed him; or he forced or compelled him. So ~Ii 764. ,Gommentary: means, Ol!e who overcomes, cOI,quers or The word ~I~ (that) may either refer to subdues. the" averting of punishment" or to "mercy", ~ iiiI and J ItAII are attributes of God, meaning, the Subduer of Hia creatures for both" meroy" anf! the" averting of by His sovereign Iluthority and power, and p\mishment" are ID.anifesttriumphs. the Disposer of themal! He pleases (Lane). 765. Commentary: Commentarl; It is his own aotions tha.t are the cause of aU 'I'be attribute ~,!All (Supreme) docs rot harm tha.t befalls a man. The words, if JUah imply any injustice 011the part of God. All touch,,!Ieewith aj/U,ctilm.therefore do not mean things being His servants, He does not that God "is the ca.use of affliction. TIley are subdue anything which does not belong to meant to convey the idea that God being the H~m and is not His creation. This refutes first cause of all things, everything that happens those who allege that matter and soul are co. in the universe is in a way attributable to existent with God fmd are not His creation. Him. l'he expression is also intended to hint If they were not th{~creation of God, He had that it is God alone Who can remove mltn's no right to subdue or rule over them. Hence, afflictions. those who allege that matter and soul are not H8ppinctIS indeed comeI' from God, Who the creation of God, attribute to Him an act is the real source of an good. 1'his is why, of injustice; for in that case we would hllove when speaking of happiness coming" to man, to assume that God has subdued such things . the <luran uses tbe expression, lIe has power to as are not Ilia creation.

~.

679

CH. 6

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7

, ,,,~ J.."~~ ", 20. Say, What thing is most .,. "/ ~,,~~, ~ .. .. It"~ .. fl\ ($i' fS i~ weighty as a witness.' Say, a'Allah is ~. ..-' ~t . -, ""2S) ,.~,., a witness between me and you. And .-: I "''' ., "..,' ."...~". " , '" \.a. j ,. .~, ~J v.:.'-", \, :\ ~ this Quran has been revealed to me ~ \;. ~ / ~~ ~ ~-' -' so that with it I may warn you ~ ..,,'",; ., ,,,. .,,;'" 1(",-""~(. "., ,'''''' and whomsoever it reaches. What! '~I;tL\ \:~ do you really bear witness that there ,,~ ~ ;... ." 10 ." ." ~ j".'''' . I~~\ are .other gods beside Allah l' Say, ,.. ~\ '" fi' ~t\ ~At.lt'j\ I..)W \': ~,,, ~ ~'.\';~ ..y:.\ 'I bear not witness thereto.' Say,' He '" -' 'V"'.:J- '" is the One God, and certainly I am far "..,f- ~!.. ,.~, ~ \!:i~~? -,""~" ~... removed from that which you associate with Him.'767

~ ~

~' , n

,~

II

~ a\

1M

~'Dc. ~;
~ tr
.9 ,t'::'

2L

bThose to whom

'We gave the -:.,!

,,,

their s~ns. But ~hose who ruin their t",! l' ,./-: ,?"'."t ";'! --: ,;" ~'t"~.9j(~.; souls wIll not beheve.'768 @~~~)'f'\'~I1.t~q~\~J.~\
4.1: 167 ; 13: 44 ; 29: 53. 767, Commentary: God Himself a.nswers the question which He has put in the beginning of the verse; forthe disbelievers d.id not know hoW'to answer. They could not thinktbat God also could hear witnes~. The answer has been given by God in order t.o instruct and teach believers. Now the question is, how does God bear witness! This verse and the next two mention three ways by which God bears witness to the truth of the Holy Prophet. The first is by mean.s of thl} (~uran. This Quran has been revealed to me, the verse calls upon the Holy Prophet to say, 80 t.~at with it 1 may warn you and whomsoever it reaches. These words signi.fy that whosoever opposes the Quran an.d ob!ltructs it will be visited by divine punishment. This punishment will constitute God's testimony to the truth of the Holy Prophet. The second and the thjrd ways by which God bears witness are mentioned in the ver.;;es that follow.

Book recognize him as they recognize<:>~~.~

, f"'-',... r.~~'! Q,.j "

~~.

~, . ,,~\

"" ~~,

~;...
I

62: 147.

God bears testimony to the truth of the Holy Prophet, i.e., through the previous Scriptures. The previous 1300ks contain prophecies which clearly apply to lihe Holy Prophet a.nd definitely point him out as the Promised One, and it is by mean3 of these prop1ecies that God bears witness to the truth of tIle Holy Prophet. It m.ay be asked, if the People of the Book recognize the Holy Propbet as having come in fulfilment of t.he prophecies contained in their Scripture8, why do they not accept him? 1'bis qut'stiort the Quran answers ill the words, But those who ruin their souls will not believe, meaning that the People of the Book will not believe because their sonls arc lost and they have no sen.se of honesty and faith left in them. The words, Those to whom We gave the Book recognize kim as they recognize their sons, are basecl on a very deep spiritual tntth. A Prophet, or for tbat matter any object of'faith, is not recognized in the beginningt as one recognizes the SUll 01' the moon. He is recognized only as a father recognizes his 8onwith great prohability but not with dead

768. Commentary: This verse describes tbe second way by which

680

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM

CR. 6

.,,.,, ,. ': 1-"...r~..7' 1~ I~ ., &. 3 22. And awho is more unjust than he " 'I'~'" ~y..;, ~~I ~" ';1 J~ 4L\IJ" . ." ", -" who forges a lie against Allah or gives uJ..> I .,.,,.,. 1> ' the lie to His' Signs 1 Surely the 1\1 ~\ ~.(. r2 -: ' ':' , @I.:) .. .:J ~... J'",,, . unjust shall not prosper.769 ... '" 23. And bthink of the day when We ;;;'(,.1" ". ~ ' ,!.~ -:: ~ (t: ~ ...9'~.''": , '" ,~~~~.-, shall gather them all together; then ''y;-w'~~ ... J~~ 9 shall We say to those who associated .." ;'::,!. ?1-',' :'w t'~ ':. ,.'" I " partners with God, 'Where are the @~~ y ~ c.r.~ ~ -'~..>-M' ~J partners you spoke of, those whom yon used to assert 1'770 24. Then the end of their mischief will ,be naught save that they shall say, By Allah, our Lord, we were not
idolaters.'771 /16: 94; 7 : ::38; 10: Is; 11 :'19; 61 : 8. certainty. Faith must always begin in the region of the unseen.
769. Commentary: Th~s verse mentions the third wn.y by means of which God bears witness. ~r}tigkind of testimony is based on human reason. Every sane man will testify that if a person claims to speak in the name of God while God has not spoken to him, and he forges lies again.c;t Him, such a person is one of the grea.test culprits and God must bring him to naught; for if impostors are allowed to prosper like true Prophets, there will remain no criterion to distinguish the true from the false, and the truth will be lost. 80, in order to distinguish between the true and the false, God must bring to naught the false claimant. 1'hus the hard fact that C'n>dis helping the Prophet of Ic;lam and causing him to prosper in the teeth of all opposition and against heavy odds is 11clear testimony from God to I,is bcing a true Prophet. On the other ha.nd, those who reject true Prophets all.d treat them as impostors are also among the greatest culprits who, hy reltson 681 f::: w'..' r" ;" "/ ''''' ~\" \...0 r",.." .. I"" I I.:) ;J ",.-0 e~'

~ ~

.,/~
1

'!.J;U-' :Y '"

, " ~
~~

1.iM " ..~~ t" &~~

.

'.

~ -~-' r~ ~
.

"

~
'~

I..;.)

blO : 29.

of their opposing God's Messengers and leaving no stone unturned to bring to naught the movement set on foot by them, must incur God's anger; and, instead of being permitted to destroy the heayenly movement, must themselves be destroyed. Thus, not only by granting suce:ess to the Holy Prophet hut also by bringing about the destruction of his enemies God is bearing witness to his truth. 770. Commentary: The verb i.J.,..o j- (you used to assert) has always been used in the Quran with regard to falsehood. It sig.nifies an assertion of which

one is not

sure"

ThuR i.J.,..o'/

used to assert) would mean, ":rou asserted wit.h your tOllgues, while you had doubts in your minda." 771. Commentary: The verse means that on the Day ofJ udgement aU the mischief which dishliavers worked in their life on earth will f"nd and nothing will be left to them save to deny their having 6ver attributed partners to God. Tbis denial will really be a. confession oftheir helplessness and a form of petitioIi. ,for divine mercy.

r'

(you

CH.6

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7

25. See how they lie against ~(jt(1'~"":T1." ,~~""i\~ ~~~~UoQ.J~I~\ themselves. And athat which they.. \ ,,!i... \ .. fabricated has' failed them.772 26. And among them are some bwho give ear to thee; but eWe have put veils on their heartf!, that they should not understand, and deafness in their ears. And even if they see every Sign, they would not believe therein, so much so that when they come to thee, disputing with thee, those who dis, believe say, This is nothing but fables of the ancients.'773 2'1. And they forbid others [0 believe it and themselves too they keep away from it. And they ruin none but their own selves; only"they perceive not.774
~ ~- ----

~'-1r~;.h'~~:, v.,)1" ~t @C)-'~

,;I"""''''''

:.",\Jr" , H.1:!.".. . .... ' . ., 5~ -~... "" ~ ..v-~.J , -' ..' ~.; It&., ,.,""'-. ,. '''~.-.::t:: :,,,,, ,~, ...w (M ., .,. \,~j ,"'," \ ~-'21'~ !J~ \:>,,-,~.J~) , c> . .)

.,

"' ~ ~~~~ ~ ' ~

":. .,-:, .,

:I~, '" "' "'" ~~.M ~;. ~ ~d"b.'I(\

"'.. N",

"! ~"'ltr~'1 )",L::ii!:: "iJ ~~

,

"'(

!)

'" Il' ~7:Gt ~.. \.P

,. ~,
I

~;1 J~. crY~J~\~~\~)~~l """'-:f' ~~ ~~1

V"""'{.~'

~""

CJ~c:)1~-~C)~-'

...~..!!'.,

-c..",. "''''',
, , ,'.

~C).m~-'

,,,,,, ~~

'"

(r9CJ,~
CI7:47'; 41 :6.

'" r'"

\,.o.J~e.,.a)\~~
~ ~.-

,. .,,,,. -!~"'--?"

---~--------

U7 : 54; 11 : 22.
~ -~_.

blO : 4:1; 17 : 48.

-----------------

--,"---,'---'

'-'--"---"--'-

772. Commentary: Thfl words, they lie agatnst themselves, mean that by denying that they ascribed co-partners to God they will utter a lie which will prove their guilt. By mal,ing t,his sta.tement they wiU, in other words, admit that a':\cribing co-partners to God is an evil deed. Thus their very denial will be a confession of their guilt. The word'!, see how, express astonishment at the way in whieh they, while trying to deny thE" clJarg(', wiH be led into a con.fession of gl1iIt. 773. Commentary: For an explanation sce 2: 8. of H veils" and" dMfucss"

Quran are not meant as " tales" or " stories" but aG "Signs,'" being prophecies of future ev(,nts which, wh(,11 fulfilled, will serve as " Signs." 774. Commentary: 'fhe order in which the words have been put in this verse is worth notilJg. Disbelievers' forbidding others to listen to the Quran or to the words of the Hol y Propbet implied 1hat t lIey too wcrl' keeping away from the Holy Prophet and the Quran. In spite of tJlis, their own keeping away has beenexpre9sly amI separately mentioned ill the verse in order to show that they werl} afraid of beil!g influenced by the words of the Quran or t,be discourses of the Hol.v Prophet. So great was their fear that they not onlY'forba.de others to go near the Holy.Prophet but thewelves took special care to remain alooffrom him, lest his words should ca.ptivate their h~arts. 'rhis shows that they were aware of tbe grea.t inlluence which the

What tIle Qura.n calls U Signs" are described

by dil!QeHevers as mere "fables of the ancien.ts," wbfch saying of theirs is condemned by Hod. 'fhis shows that in the sight of God the stn1@s of past Prophets ~I\d past na.tions given in the

~2

PT. 7

AL-AN<AM

CH.6

28. And if. thou couldst only see "t.'" 1''' '''.I, '-r~~ r'. "-".,-, -. ..., , I' " 'I ,.to'" awhen they are made to stand before the -',}~.." JI W \A,; y \.tJ1 ~ I~fti "J~~-".J Fire! bThey will say, 'Oh, would that ., r ':11. ,\1 ", , -''' .-:~ " .. ". '" r~.. '" we might be sent back! And then we ~~~-. "" ~1 ~\,t \!j' ..,,,,,., U'i:c.::J ~;, ;..~ wJJ;:j .-, ...; would not treat the Signs of our J.Jord as lies and we would be of the believers. '775

t'~

'I

to them.

29. Nay, that which they used to 'J":t"J"" conceal before has now become clear bb;'J

And if they were sent back,

'9 """, ~ ~ ~~

~r~f;" ~~

\..O.".O.eJ

,,,,,,

't j" "", i~ \~ U-!

they would surely return to that wllich they are forbidden. And they are certainly liars. 776
a4.6 : 35.

6Gjo:st;~'\'\J ,,,,'"
,39 : 59.

~'r"" ~~ ~."t,JbJ

bZ: 168; 23: 100-101 ; 26:] 03 ;

Qllran and the discourses of the Holy Prophet exercised on the minds of llearers. No wonder that tIle disbelievers lookerl upon the Quran a~

Fire to abide therein for long, or when tltey will be made to know or realize the nature of the Fire."

manifest magic" (34: 44.) Words:

775. Important

776. Commentary: The words, has now become clerlf tQtkem, signify

1.,Ai.J (made to stand) iR derived from ...:M.J that evrn the cnemies of God's Prophets have which is both transitive aud intransitive, in t,heir minds a. c~Ttain consciollsltess of the t,ruth of the divine Messengers; but owing to meaning, he or it paused or stood still or became stutionary; or he made him or .it pause or stand their bigotry, they try to suppress buch thoughts still or becom(' stationary. ~...:M.J means, and do uot make them known to anyone. On hp. comprehended or understood it. <CAi.l the Day of .Judgement, however, these latent 4:i'; means, I made him know or made bim thoughts which they tried to conceal would acquainted with his o:fi"enceor I"in. ,)IJ/ I...:M.J become appa.rent, and the truthfulness of tbe means, he dedicated the nouse jrl the cause of Prophets, of which they }.ad dim consciousness, Allah; or he set it apart jnaliel~abJy for a wfluld become manifest. definite purpose. ~ :uJ (in the passive The word "liars" at 'the rnd of the verse voice) means, he was made to pause or stand implies that, althougl. disbelievers would desire. at or before it ; he was introduced into it and to be sent back to this wodd so that they might kne.w what was in jt; he was made to know it believe .in the Prophets and not reject them, RurE'Iyand dE'finit.cly fl'iij). yet if they were act,ually sent back to it, and Commentary: the same circumstances in which they Jived before were createrl a,gain, even then they would l'he words ,)Ulj1.,Ai.J.)1 (WhI}D tbey are made to sta.nd before the Fire) may also again act as they had acted before, rej~ctiDg mean, " when tile)' will bE' made to enter Ole the Prophets as they had rejeoted them beforr.

J.

683

ClI.6 30. And they say, a'There

AL-AN'AM is nothing ~ ,~. r/'r~."'i~!rn W':L~".:.'*1

PT. 7

except this our present life, and we shall not be raised again.'777

~~~"J~JJh':~~~1[tC)~~\i-,

"

"~~rt....

31. And if thoucouldstonly see when J.~r \~t ~~I"" ""'r~.h It~ , '!'" ! , i't;.... they are made to stand before their ~~~~ \:j~)~ ~J ),.1$.; ~J , Lord! bHe will say, Is not this second, ,9 ~;" ;..1. 9. " life the truth ~' They will say, 'Yea, ~\~\ ti.'~ J~~(;z),~~~. ,. by our Lord.' He will say, 'Then

'J

~~

:..

taste the punishment because you disbelieved.'778

R.4

J.. ,.,~
\uc>.,

,,, ..... ,~ 'i' 32. cThose indeed are the losers who 1..~~ I""" ::; ~.. ~ ~~ I~\ deny the meeting with Allah, so much \ ~Ci1 t ' ~-:'q~ ''-:''\~v.; ),~~? ~ so, that when the Hour shall come on them unawares, they will say, d'O our ~C6;;, (:J;~ ~ ~ c:s; '~ ~~ ~~~ ~(:J, grief for our neglecting this Hour!' And they shall bear their burdens on their r/ 1.: dI "~\1 I~ "9""\~'i' -:'~; .,-, ,. t~\ ~}o ;J ~}...~~~)~J d "..~J backs. Surely, evil is that which they bear.779 ....

;.

~ .

"" @c.:>J.J.t..-

a23 : 38; 44: 36; 45 : 25.

--'---'-""-.-- ~ _._' ~-'~---'.._'-~-------

bJ6: 35.

CIO : 4[6.

d2 : 168.

777. Cmnmentary:
The thiugs of this world and the enjoyments ofthe present life are, in the sight of most men, so engrossing that they never pause to think of death or of the Hereafter. Would that man could realize the object of his creation and see the everlasting life beyon.d the grave! 778. Commentary: The words ~.J J J! (Yea, by our Lord) Rpeak of deeply stirred feelinrs and em.body :\ pathetic, tbongh veiled, appeal for merey. But; the time for mercy is past and nothing but tIJe grim reality of God's judgement nOW' awaits them.

reflection. ~ 1) means, he acted hastily aDd unjustly towards him. d,j (farra!a-ku) means, he ll1ad,~him to precede; or he made him to be before, or beforehand or first -or foremost. ,j,,) also means, he sent it before; him.self remaining beh~Jld it. .a j,) means, he left or forRook him; or he abstained or desisted from it. .; j,) means, he neglected it or he was rem.isswith respect to it; or he preferred backwardness in it; or he failed to do, or fell shOJrtof doing, what he ought to have done wi1';hrespect to it. 61"'/1 j,~' mea.ng, he exceeded due bounds or just'" limits
in the matter. Thus..bt

generally come to mean, faIling sbort of" and 1t)I (from j,)I) "exceeding proper \:J,) (our neglecting) is derived from J,) limits" (Lane & Aqrab). (farrala) which again is derived from J,) '/1 (surely) originally denotes an inteno(farala) which means, he went before or gation respecting a negative, or &.wish or preceded. (if), 4i. j,j means, the Rpcech reproof, or the asking for or requiring a. thing. or the words issuea from him pasti1y before It ie al110used as an inceptive particle giving 779. Important Words:
~

~ ..

(from j,)

has

PT. 7

At.:-AN'AM

ctt.6

33. And aworldlyl~fe is nothing but .-!.~.\~, "")'~:I'~i~~r;:~H !~ a sport and a pastime. And surely a$j~'J-,~...,'.,; ~1~~1 ~..
bthe abode of the Hereafter is better for

\ r"''' \A-'
"

those who are righteous. Will you not

then understand ~780'

"" "''''/# ~G.;\r~'G~:

1.

,,'"

'" ~Jlj~ "-1;""

,:,,{ '/9'" ,,; r~ ','."'" , ::; -::\~ 34. We know full well that verily ~/",~~~\j~'I~~\(5vJ\~. , '-L~.l': " .. ct "~..,.,,., cwhat they say grieves thee; for surely ~ ~", , ~''''' 1 I it is not thee that they charge with (~" ~\:''' .1 .," 1\' ~~ II! I ""''''''.. .\ ~ fals~hood but it is the Signs of Allah @1.:J'~cLUl~v~ ~ ~ Jr!",.. "... ~ ..;'" " , " that the evil-doers reject.7S1

a29 : 65 ; 47 : 37 ; 57 : 21.

b7 : 170; ]2: 110.

"

c15:98;
' "

]6:104.
""~-------------

the sense of" now" or" why." It also means, verily. truly or surely (Lane). Commentary:
The pronoun in t.; (this) may refer to Ue "Honr" mentioned above. In that case " neglecting this Hour" would mean that disbelievers never believed that the Hour would come and never gave it a tbonght ; or it may refer to ~..\II (the earth) or to 1;.11 I I:i~ (our present life) occurring in 6: 30 above. In this case the sentence would m'-'an that thp.y acted negligently during their life en this earth.
'

So ~ meanilt diversioD. pastime or sport; what. occupies a man so as to divert him from that wl,ich would render him ~<ador serious; relief of the mind by such means as wisdom doeR not reqnire (Lane & Li8iin). Commentary: The words, .And worldly life is "otlting but a sport a.nil a pastime. d.o not IIlean tl'at life on this earth i.s only a sport. What is meant is that worldly life, i.e.. life engrossed in t]!C things of this world and passed in neglcd of the HereafteJt is nothing but a sport. :ElsewllCre (21 : l'7. 18) the Quran says that God has net created this world as ~ (sport)
or

The wordil, tlley shall bear their burdens on their backs. are intended to hint that their btlr(!ens would be exceedingly heavy. 780. Important Words:
The verb form ~.J means

(pastime).

Both

annoUJlcements

a,re

(sport).

lie pla.yedt sportp.d or jested; or he did all act with the object of amusement or recreation or by way of jesting. It iEt often thp. opposite of h: which means. he was serious or in earnest. So ~ means. play. sport or jest; amusement or recreation (Aqrab & J~ane).
~. (pastime) is derived from

equally correct. 'The words, .And u;orldly life is nothing bat a sport anci a l1astime. may also n~ean tbut the environments of this world arc such that, unless one is particularly watchful, one is liable to become negligent about the next world. just as sports and pastimes often make man negligent of his duties on earth. 781. Commenta:ry: The verse signifies that tbp. Holy Prophet was grieved at ihe a.ttitude of disbf'lievers, not because they accused hinl of falsehood but because their denial of bim mcant the denial of the Signs of God. Tnus tb' grief of the Holy Prophet was not ~rsonal. the cause of

U.

They

say u U i.e.. he becam.e diverted fron! it so as to forget it. J-:)I~... JI ;,v.fI.: L means. the woman became chf'erl!d witb, and

was diverted by1 the wscourBe of the man. his grief being that God was being denied. It 685

CH.6

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7 ,,,~~,,,,,, ~~~:; ,,,T ,"

they remained patient unti.l aOur help

came to them. bThere IS none that can change the words of Allah. And there have already come to thee tidings of past Messengers. 782

35. And Messengers indeed have \'9,:f"r"'II~\,,'/"~ ~\I':; , II been rejected before thee; but notwith- ~~..~!.'~ ~~U""'.J ~" standing their rejection and persecution t: /. . 't:.,,, , '""

~I~J~~

\).PJ~I ~ !,';;t~
"':If. ~ .;.

@~"",tc8~~~~" .." ~
I'\\~
9/,~"1"'(."
1 .

36. And if their aversion is grievous to thee, then, if thou art able to seek a passage into the earth ora ladder unto heaven and bring them a Sign, thou canst do so. And chad Allah enforced .. His will, He could surely have brought them together into the guidance. So be thou not of those who lack knowledge.783
--~ ~

r~ "'- \"" \ ~:I''" "'~f"'r9' " \ ~'-' ~~~ ~'" ~fl .. . do C)...) '-' ., /'" .;' ,>;' . , ,... f~!.~ . . '>"",t) r~;'f' ,. 4)"11 """" '" (~~~ "".~ /.""'" .
~~ \ -,,'"
~

~ "I'~ ~

.J v;- .;J ~

\,;1;;--.

~ ~,\r.5V'J(:' ~i\ ~ '\~ ~e "'-::"~ f\:.

~
~' '._~'~-,"---

9~ \ dJ,)

4'...J.~t rl1i~ J ~.. ~

, .. ., -:. ,~ l ~.! I " 't I" "" " O~-. ~ t:J.l

U2 : 215;

4.,./; 52.
~

b6 : 116.

C5:49;
~------

0:150;11:

119; ]3:32;

16:10.

pamed him to see people denying God. He did Hot mind denial ofhimseJf, but he could not bp-ar to see men rejecting God and His Sign.,. 782. Commentary: In ~.his verse God lovingly addresses the Holy Prophet with word.s of comfort and solace, as ,. We know that thou art indeed if saying: pained to see people denying God, but the law of God cannot be changed. We never compel men to become helievers." 1he words, 1'here i.$ nQne tll.at can change the words oj Allah, refer to this Yf>:ry Jaw of God, whieh is unalterable. The law is twofoM: firltJy, tbat whenever a. Prophet of God appears, there are always men wl!O deny and opp~se him; lecorully, t;hat God never compels such men to accept the truth. See 2 :257; 3: 21; 36 ~31. 783. Important Words: Ii4i (passage). JAi means, a hole or a pa.ssage bored into or through the earth

w.. (ladder) is derived from (saUama). They say ."J.., i.e., he made him safe and secure. ~ I ."J.. ]I!.eans, he gave or delivl'red it to him. t- (8ullam) means, a ladder or series of stairs or steps meant for ascending. It is so ealled because it delivers one to the 1)lace to which one desi:re;.: to go. The word also signifies, a means to a thing (Lane).

----------

Commentary:.
The word~, to seek a 11w~8age into the earth, signify using worldly means, i.e., preaching and propag~ting the truth in the earth in order to strengtheu the ]iraith; and the word~, a ladder unto hea,:en, iml~ly using spiritual means, i.e., offrring up prayers to God for the guidllonce of disbelievE-rs, etc. Prayer is indeed the ladder by which a mal1 can mount to heaven, The Holy Prophet has bren told here tbat God is not going to compel men to embrace Islam; if he desires their wltolesale conversion he should assiduously follow the two prescribed courS8S, one earthly and tlle other heavenly. He should, on the one hand, devote himsf'lf

and having an open.ing at tbe other end (Aqrab). See also 9 : 67.
686

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM

CH.6

37. Only those can accept who ~~/~./ .b~' ",./"./ ~' .-; ,,, "".,~ ., , ~ listen. And as for the dead, Allah "'':../'''', ~~~~ ,-w ~~i:JIJJ .. will raise them to life, then to Him -"" ..." ..."", ,~~" shall they be brought back.784 cdl ~~~~9~, ~G ~~ \'.;y dJ.I.

\2

38. And they say, a'Why has not a Sign been sent down to him from llis Lord ~' Say,' Surely, Allah has power to send down a Sign, but most of them do not lmow.'785

"'j, /..",1' ~/""'/~' I..\f~/ ~, <.:> :-\ J; ~.. ".~ 'WId J"'-:! ~!, I ."~ \J;; ..".. '.Y.!Y~ -'

1/

:, If~ r, y~J-c..:t~"t~; .. j~~! ~ c> IJ"' V- ~ (;

/.)

'"

~""~ \!3 \:J

..
upon,

ale: 2] ; 2fl :51. vigorously to preaching and propagating the truth; and, on the other, he should fervent,Iy pray to God that He may guide mankind and help the caUS6 of Islam. It goes without saying that the Holy Prophet acted upon beth these methods to the fullest extent, as a rt'sult of which God ht'lped the caust' of Islam, 80 much so that withil1 a small space of time the wI-ole of Arabia was converted. The word J"\..; (one lacking knowledgt:') is here used only in the sense of one not knowing or unacquaintt'd, and Iwt in the stronger sense of ignorant. It 1as he en used in this sense in other verses of the Qur:m also. For inst/.nce, we read in 2 : 27-1: "One who does not know them (the needy) thinks them to he free from want ", i.e., those who' are unacquainted with the real condition of the poor think ihem to be well oft'. In the verse under comment the Holy Prophet Jlas been exhorted not to remain unacquainted with the law of Go1 in this respect. It should also be noted that, it was not by way of rebuke, &8BOlli.e have thought, that the Holy Prcphet was asked to set'k a passage !nto the earth or a ladder into the sky. The words become m.eaningless. if taken in that light. What is meant is simply the suggestion of two way& of success. which, when proved wonderfully effective. 784. Commentury: ~I'heverse signifies that t.}wse who are good of heart and are willing to listen wiIheadily accept the trUth as the result of preaching. As for those who are }JotentiaUy dead but. are fit for rejuvenation, God will quicken them with a Sign and then they will listen and embrace Islam. Thus it w~s that when God showed His Sign at the fan of Mecca, the whole of Arabia embraced Islam, and the word of Go(l \Vas fulfilled. 785. Commentary: acted

The words, Alla,'fJ has liofl'er to send rlcyu;na 8igft, do not meau tJlat th~ugh God has the power to send down a Sign, yet He will not aetuaHy do so. The w())'d ,).,)~ (having pow!'r) used as active participle is intended to denote readiness to show the rt'quired power and the clof'ing words of the verse support tbat inference. The word ,).,)1;also embodies the sense of
measuring and determining (Lane). In this s(>use the clause would mean that God is devising means for the Buccess of Islam, for people are already joining Islam and swelling the number of Muslims. This is a clear

68'l

CH.6

AL-AN'AM.

PT. 1 .;J::9.:~
>'

39. aThere is not an animal that crawls in the earth, nor a bird that flies on its two wings, but they are communities like you. bWe have left, outnQthing in the Book. Then to their Lord shall they be gathered together.786
all : 7,57.

~~9;~:if
/':.~~~, ;+J ,"L\II~
,

. '~\\ . 8": ;} ~") ~I,I -,,) Uf);; ~ ~~.

r""t'''''~r;' <J ~
""

I~'

'J

",

~\

~-"

IJ.'

JJJ ~t

J.'.r~~''''

~t\ ~ \ ~;'
,,,,, "'"

(j,l'~

@G;~::.~~jJ\ ..
616 : 90.

~ndication. of the will of God, but disbelievers would n.ot ponder over it. The Quran makes this po~t clear by suitable illustrations in. the following verae.

to the animals that move on. the earth and to the birds that fly in the air., Even animals and birds can understand by means of signs that a ohange has taken place in the season, but disbelievers are worse than t,hese; for the)' 786. Important Words: do not see the signs "hich indicate that (, (communities), which is derived from Islam is triUin.phin~ while disbelief is beating ,I i.c., he betook himself to or aimed at a retreat. Even a dog can see whether its or sought, is the plural of ~ I which meam, master is angry or pleased; but disbelievers a way, course or JXlan.nerof acting or of conduct cannot see whether their IJord is clispleas('d or of life; religion, which is a course that men with them. 'rhus both the birds that fly in follow; tbe followers of a reHgion; or a people the !1ir and the anim.als th~t movc on the earth to whom a PIOphet is sent, whether unbelievers are in. this respect better than disbelievers. or believers; a generation; a nation, a people, Incidentally, the verse also hints that even birds a race, a tribe or a family; a collective body of men. or of other living beings; a kind, genus and animals will be resurrected and requitecl for or gen.erical dass; creatures of God. It fllso their actions like men. The resemblan.ce bemean.s, a righteous man. who is an ohject of tween the requital of men and animals may not imitation, being a model for others; or one he perfect, but it is still there. Some of the who follows the true religion; or a learned man sayings of the Holy I'rophet also lend support to this conc1u~ion ; for it is said ~n a 1}adith that who lIas no equal in his time (Lane). Jlt.1 (like) is the plural of ,,\:.. (mathal) and J.o the horned goat shall be made to pay penalty (mitltl), both being derived from the verb J:.o for to the goat without horns which it kills or injures (Muslim, eh. on Tabrim al-:;ulm). whicb see2:107. J:- (mathal) means, description, The last word.s of th~ verse i.e., We ha1)~leJt condition, state Or case; II.description. by way of compariliion; similitude; argument or sign, o.,t nothing in aiC Book. Then to their Lord shall etc. The word is also used in the sense of J.o they be gathered together, may aJso refer to disbe(mithl) which means, a like; one similar to; the lievers. In that case, this plU.'tof the verse, would mean that all the works of disbelievers will be thing itself i.e., the same as (Aqrab &,I..ane). preserved and nothing will be Jeft out, and that Commentary: they will finally be requited for their actions on The Qura!! draws the attention of disbeliveJ8 the Day of Resurredion.

688

PT., 7

AIrANCAM'

-CH.6

~o. aThose who have .rejected Our '~I~t SIgnsare deaf and dumb, In utter dark- '..-~,~~..;,
ness. Whom Allah wills He causes,

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.
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-

,to perish and whom He wills He places.b~&

on the right path.

~ '"

" ~ ." (~; ~ ~, 8 ~

@~j; 41. Say, b'What think ye ~ If the punishment of Allah come upon you or there come upon you the Hour, will ")'oucall upon any other than Allah, if you ~re truthful '787 42. Nay, cbut on Him alone will you call; then will He remove that which 'you call on Him to remove, if He please, and you will forget what you associate
with Him. 788 5

., ...",
~

,tJ"'"

".
l~

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.",,,

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~,~,

",~, '~ "", "1-:' .. ~.\.Na\.>...~ 'l:::., " ,. "'''' .,..' r,.. J~~J "\Z"'\cCJ~~\'~" ~ till ~ '-'" ""..:;;r .. """'""...

...,,.. c:. ",' L",,"Y .-r' "''''''''''' @~,;.? ~ \,.oC)~.J

. ~
.t

43. And indeed We sent Messengers ~r:~V'!:~1~~ ?w ~ J;1"..~;.fY~~ ..." ~~ u" to peoples before thee; then awe aftlicted them with poverty and ",,,, "''':''.:'' "':r"~ ~I \'-' ~\ adyersity. that they might humble @C'-""~~
themselves. 789 a2:19,172; 787. Commentary: 27: 81-82 ; 30 : 53-04.
,

"i",tt'l ~J

b6 : 48; 12:]08;

43: 67.

C]O: 23-24.

d7 : 95.

you are free" (Zurqani, ii. 328).

The word "Hour" refers to the Hour of the decisive. victory of Islam, or, in other words, .the fall of Mecca. Thus whereas "punishment" r&fers to ,ordinary affiictions, "Hour" refers tothefu1al arid decisive event of the struggle. The question put in this verse is answered in the next.

The words, you 'Wiltforget what you associate witlt Him, were also signally fulfilled on that day. At the fall of Mecca, the Meccans lost all faith in their gods, as Abii Sufyan and his wife, Hind, and others frankly admitted in the presence of the Holy Prophet. Ultimately, idolatry disappeared from Arabia. 789. Commentary:
.

788. Connnentary:
The opening words of the verse. contain the answer to the question put in the previous verse. The words, then will He remove that which 1/fJU call.on Him to remove,.were fulfilled by the general pardon which the Holy Prophet granted to d~believers' at the fall of Mecca. The

The previous verses referred to divine punishment in general. In this' verse its . various forms have been mentioned~ Many

have an

erroneous idea

of divine punish-

ment, which not unoften comes veil~ in the form of ordinary afllictionS. In fact,

~morable

occasion were:

words spoken by him on ,that "Go, I forgive' you all.Qo,

aU financial and bodily misfortunes, e.g., . poverty, disease, etc. are in one sense or

689

CH.,

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7 ~/;.;J~
.

44. Why, then, when Our punish- ,,~!t~.~/~;((/t',~~<.~t;-:~~, .~;. ment came upon them, did they not ~~~~-'--~~ grow humble? But atheir hearts were '9.r~r ..- It~I ~;' hardened. and bSa.tan made all' that .. {V~ ;1"~~~ .. ~t>~~~.~~, they did -seem fair to' them.79O
.

~:[:

I ~~,

'

/{.,-:..-

45. Then, when cthey forgot that t11 ~ G1j (:;, with which they had been admonished, ... ;I' ".. " -1../ We ,open~d unto them the gates of all ~ ,,/ ., 9'. t// --.,.., If.." --" I" ~ I~ ::/ J.~:. , , I things, until, when they' became ~~~ ~)I~~-t".)...t2 ~ -exultant at what they were given, dWe ,~ -:r-= / sejzed ,them suddenly, and lo! they @'=J ,. ~ ' ~'J were plunged in despair.7fH

Jb ~~I~

~ \it

~~

'who did wrong was cut off; and all yJJ,~'_~J~~d~I-~~I';'I; ... "... '" praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. 792 ,~_.,-~._----

46.

eSothe last remnant of the people

1-:

;,

;:L~~ ~

...,. ,",' '" @~I .. ....

a2:75;

57: 17. b6 :123; 8: 49; 16:64; 29:39. e7:73; 15:67.

c5:14;

7:166.

d7 : 96; 39 :56.

the gates of all things, signify that God let them stray away and advance further and further into the evil deeds in which they were engaged. 790. Commentary: Sometilnes the afllictions were removed from The words 'JJ (why not) are here used not them for a time and they rejoiced to think -that to express mere interrogation but also to they were right in thinking that the afflictions 'express feelings of pity. Thus the "verse were not due to their sins. Then the punishsignifies, "They ought to have humbled them- mentof God suddenly seized them, and they selves before God; btit it is a pity that they gave themselves up to despair. Thus there are 'did not." two kinds of ajiHictions that visit disbelieving The aftlictions were reany a mercy from God, people in the days of divine Messengers: afllictions that - come 3S but, instead of turning to God, the people (1) temporary warnings and then pass away; (2) general became hard-hearted. When misfortunes befell disaster which finally over~akes and destroys them, they ascribed them not to their own the wicked. iniquitiea but to the Prophets. 792. Important Woms,: ,The words, all that they did, refer to the hostile J.I,) (last remnant) is derived from J.,)' ~ctivities of disbelievers. They say . J.,), i.e., he followed behind his 791. Commentary: back; or he followed him with respect to place, When disbe1ievers became hardened and time or rank. J.,)I means, he went turning tfooted divine admonition as a thipg forgotten, his back, or he turned. back. J.,) means, the God Jetthpm wander in their blind" traI\s- back or the hinder part; latter- or-the last part.

another, punishments from God. They are not generally meant to destroy men but to make them reform themselves and turn to God.

gression. The words, We opened -unto them

690

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM.
~~"'~~9
.

CH:.6

'4'(. Say, 'What think ye? aIf Allah should take away your hearing and your sight, and seal up your hearts, who is the god other than Allah who could bring it back to you'? See how We vary the Signs, yet they turn away. 793
a2:
-~-~~

\ "..""" v:J If. '':' r-'r">~ \~~ :> di)\ J.Q.\ ~,A~J\ I (01 / '9 " J,~ ,..t ~\},-: ~\:;,' ~. ~h ~ ~
~

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,,~;y

-':"'./

!z

~
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,

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,

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~,

~
"

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.

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u~

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-

8;

16:

109; 45:
_._~ ,--

24.

------------

J 1~ means, person or thing following behind th~ back; last remains of a people; the root, stock, race, or the like (Lane). Commentary':

793. Commentar-y: The preceding verse spoke of the punishment that cuts at the root. But there is a stage when only a part is affected, or even if the whole body is affected the disease is not deep-rooted and there is yet time t() prevent the total loss of the body. In its early stages a disease is generally curable; but if it is not attended to in time, it may be aggravated and become incurable. It is against such nt!'gligence that men are Apparently, there is vooccasion here for warned in the present verse. Some men delay sayingr All praise belongs to Allah, for these acceptance of divine Messengers. They wait words are spoken on an occasion when one for more and more Signs, and go on postponing receives a favour from God and is thankful to the tendering of allegiance to the heavenly Him. When, however, one is afflicted with a Messengers until it :istoo late. The punishment misfonU1le, then the words. which suit the of God descends on the enemies of the Prophets; occasion and which Muslims are bidden and those who do not make use of their inward to recite are ~ J""':l J .J I ~I .J .us~I i.e. Surely to light and prefer to wait for more and more Allah we belong and to Hi~. shall we return evidence of the truth of the divine Messengers . r.z: 157)~ The apparent incongruity is, how- also perish with their enemies. So this verse eve~, easily explained. The words .iiIJJ..I W'arns those who are in the habit of delaying (",11 prai.se belongs to Allah) have been used and postponing, and exhorts them to use their here in order to point out that .the cutting-()ff inward light for the recognition of the divine of what is injurious is in fact a thing to feel Messenger, and expedite their acceptance of total grateful for, and not a matter of regret. When him lest delay should result in the extinction of their God-given faculties and a limb becomes diseased and is incurable, we get it amputated and cheerfully pay the fee to they should perish with the re.st. They should the surgeon for the operation, and also express be prompt to make use of their hearing, and our thanks to him. JU5t as a diseasedlim.b their eyes, and their hearts; for if they fail to
'

The words ~ I J.I~ r!:i (the last remnant of the people was cut off) mean: (1) the people were cut off to the last man, i.e., the whole people were cut off; (2) the leaders of the people were cut off just as a tree is cut down to its roots, the leaders occupying the position of the roots ;(3) the leaders' followers were cut off, i.e., the leaders were deprived of their political power, for it is on the strength .of their followers that the political power of the leaders depends.

is amputated to save the rest of the body, it sometimes becomes necessary to cut off that section of mankind which has become corrupt, so that the infection may not spoil entire humanity.

~l

CH.6

AL-AN'AM

PT. 1
I ..

48. Say, 'What think ye 1 alf the punishment of Allah come upon you suddenly or openly, will any be destroyed save the wrongdoing people 1'794

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9

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_ ',,9 ..'" J ;, .=J"~' :/!,il~"\"~\'~.~'" r ... 49. And bWe send not the Messengers 1: d;>~--'~~~,,~~ ,.'-" -' but as bearers of glad tidings and as "''' " warners. So (:those who believe and , 4. ". .~:3 "'~ ~~ \ '" / / V-" .4~ reform themselves, on them shall come .~ J v/ o.~~,,-,y/,,,~.>~ " no fear nor shall they grieve.795 / ,1./

~~.Y~
50. And dthose who reject Our Signs, \!'16~~~\ punishment will touch them, because Ijf ; . they disobeyed.
.~ ~

"/

'

$>

.. ;'.. ~ t/~r~'J1\" !~~~ ~.~ <.1.. ,,'

'" @~~. .,!. ??'"

a6: 41; 10: 51; 12: 108; 43: 67. b4: 166; 5: 20; 18: 57. c5: 70; 7: 36. d3.: 12; 5: 11; 7: 37, 73; 10: 74 ; 22: 58. make use of these faculties in time, will gradually become impaired and finally be lost; then no power will be to restore these faculties to them after have been completely lost. they will able they beforehand so that such people as still retain inward light ana. have a desire to follow the guidance may become warned and may accept the truth without further delay, lest they should also perish along with the wrongdoers. 795. Commentary: All divine Messengers have a sort of dual personality-a twofold misMion. They bring glad tidings for one daMMof men and warn~gli for otherl:!. Those who accept them receive tidings of blessmgs and those who reject them receive warnings of punishments. Those who are weak should hasten to join the class of men :ror whom glad tidings are meant. '1'hey llavc no reason to fear ; for, &8 the verse makes it clear, if they accept the Prophets, "no fear shall come on them, nor shall they grie'l"eI"

The words, how We vary the Signs, signify that in order to make things perfectly clear, God brings the different aspects of Signs before the people, sometimes showing one kind of Sign and sometimes another, so that all kinds of people may be satisfied. 794. Commentary:

The word "suddenly" signifies the coming of the divine punishment without warning or previous indication. The fall of Mecca belonged to this class of Signs. The word "openly" implies giving a warning

692

PT. 7

AL-AN' AM

Cli.6
\

51. Say: a"I do not say to you: 'I possess the treasures of Allah,' nor do I know the unseen; nor do I say to you: '1 am an angel,' bI follow only that which is revealed to me." Say: 'Can a blind man and one who sees be alike l' Will you not then reflect 1796

fJl\~;~\ ~~~J'~~ ~
"'-'",

P t-o':,,,,

J~' ~J;

9 "!1"'~

,9

~r~~~~il~Jf~'~;~ ~ J ~dl J:,f

~/'&~~ ~~~

~ g,~\c>'\t:~jt!~ , ~ j~~;~\ . .. \ '" '" "

'"

&
II

52. And fear that their Lord friend nor that they

warn thereby those who ~ "/ ?\~~!.~ ...;.jtjJ -:":tl~ ,.~,'" I~CJ-:2' ",...)W.J they shall be gathered to ~.),,-"" J ",:" ".~ i.:J~ ..."" "'" '" that they shall have no , ,~,; ",,'" '~:t ""'-;'';~'!I'"~'',''' intercessor beside Him, so ~.~}>~.)I,~.)~~~ may become righteous. 797 / ,~ ":,;'
@~~.
all : 32. blO: 16 ; 46 : 10.
.-'-----

796. Commental'y: The words, 1 do not say to you, I posse.,s tIle treasures oj A.llah, imply that when the Quran says that the Messengers of God are the announcers of glad tidings, this should not be construed to mean that as soon as a person believes in a Prophet of God, he acquires wealth. He will have to wait for the favours of God to come at their appointed time. The words, nM do angel, here imply that the Prophet to bring is not "an angel of 1 say to you, 1 am an it is not in the power of down punishment, for he punishment."

who rejected it were like one who had no eyes and the blind and the seeing could never be alike. These are ]tnatters to lie reflected upon and pondered over. 797. Commentary: A warning can benefit only those who believe in the danger theY' are warned against. If a people do not belij~ve in the existence of that which they a.re ask;ed to guard against, the exhortation will do no good. Hence, in this verse, where the warning relates to the dangers of the Day of Resurrection, the Holy Prophet is bidden to warn not all mankind but only those who believe in the Day of Resurrection that they will have no friend or intercessor on that awful day. As for those who do not believe in Resurrec'~ion, the way. of preaching will be different-they will be first convinced of Resurrection and. then warned against its dangers. Thus incidentally -the verse also teaches us how to ]preach. We should always base our arguments on things which the persons addre88ed believe to be true so that our preach. ing may have the desired effect,

After the above declarations it might be ask~d what good there was in following the Prophet when worldly favours took time in coming and when the Prophet was 80 powerle88 against his enemies. The Quran answers this implied question by saying that the getting of a treasure was not the only boon which one could desire. The perfect guidance which was received through the Prophet was a great blessing in itself; for those who accepted the guidance "~l'e qke one who p086esBed eres, whilethoBe

69~

CH.6
~------

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7

/",,1.. I,"r 'J~//" "/,,1'.-: !L~"'/ adrive not away those who ~~)S)~~~..> ~.r~ q~';~~.> their Lord morning and bseeking His countenance. ~"1. '''" r"l " ,~\.:\"~.J:,~~""'''' . .~I.:>-'~~ not at all accountable for {9"~~;.~i~~' are they at all accountable /!~" ":1L~::~"1. 'Ow ~1. that thou shouldst drive ~~-'~.>~~~ .. ~~" ~) -r...,. 798 them away and be of the unjust. , @~\~ ..,,-, ~

53. And call upon evening, Thou art them nor for thee,

~~ .

--------------.

all : 30.
----------

bI8 : 29. countenance) may also mean, "seekiDgGQd. Himself," for the expression b;:J also meaDS, "the thing itself". In that case, the claUSe would mean "they seek nothing but God, i.e. they seek God alone."

798. I~portant VVords:

;.JIJAlI (morning), which is often written as ; \.Ii>the letter (.J) being silent, is derived from '.l~ which means, he went forth or went away in the early part of the morning, i:e., between daybreak and sunrise. So. ;.J I~ early part or ; ,~ or ..J.l~ or ~ ~ means, of the morning; the period between daybreak and sunrise; morning; first part of the day; forenoon (Lane).

The words, thou 8hould,~tbe of the unjust, hint that there are some men who look upon themselves as being too great and disdain to join a movement set on' foot by ~ Prophet, because its adherents are mostly poor and do not belong to what is called higher society. ..f,J I (evening) is derived from ~ They would join it only if the poorer adherents which means, he ate the ~vening meal; he repaired to (him, etc.) at night. ..f6- means, were expelled. So, in order to demolish such hopes on their part, God bids the Holy late part of the evening; evening; afternoon; time between sunset and nightfall. It also Prophet decla]re that he would not drive his poor followers so that the means the time between the declining of the away sun and sunset; also the time from the declin- so-called great might join his fold. The prohibition does not mean that the Holy ing of the sun to morning; night (Lane). Prophet actually used to drive away his poorer <IV:' J (His countenance). The word J.>; J also means J~ \ u-Ai i.e. the thing itself (see followers. It is only meant' asa reply and a rebuff to the desires of the proud and the 2 : 113). haughty. They'are told that the bumble followers of the Holy Prophet who remember God CommentaTY : morning and evening or day and night cannot The words ..f.J IJ ;.J lJA! ~ (morning and evening) be turned out for their sake.. The .Quran has taken in their wider significance cover, already made the Holy Prophet say. I folknil as shown under Important Words, practically only that whick is rerealed to me (6: 51).. So all the 24 hours, excluding only the time in now when the prohibition, drive not away those which the offering of Prayers is prohibited. who call upon their Lord morning ana ecening, Thus in one sense the two words taken together has 80 forcibly been revealed, the so~caned comprise both day and night, and in another great should despair of the ,hUmble being ~riven they indicate only morning and evening. away. So these words were revealed not .a8 a The words ~~J 0J~.J(seeking His reflection on the Holy Prophet whose kindnesS

.PT.. 7

AL-AN~AM
~. ;;1""' ...

ClI.6
",J "9.

54. And in like manner have We tried some of them by others, that they may say, a'Is it these whom Allah has favoured from among us~' Does not Allah know best those who . are grateful ~799 55. And when those who believe in Our Signs come to thee, say: 'Peace be unto you, t bY our Lord has taken it upon Himself to show mercy, so that cwhoso among you does evil ignorantly, and repents thereafter and amenqs, then He is Most Forgiving and Mercjf'ul.'8oo
all : 28. to the poor is so well: known but to shatter the hopes of the proud. jn

""-~ ~,J;~

~ ~G ,~:,fb~?: ~~ ~ 4'blu-: """'~ "A1;J~ ".. a.u' ~

"
,

'~

." "L-;t\ t~~~e~"'.

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b6: 13 ; 7: 157. order

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c-

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C4: 18; 16: 120.

hindered the more haughty among them from entering into the fellowship of Islam. The rich and the great ask whether God had chosen those poor men for His favours, as if saying, "Weare wea.lthy and rich, but God has preferred the poor to us and has bestowed His favour upon them r~!1.ther than upon us." God answerS the question by saying, "I gave them little but they have been thankful to Me even for that and have accepted My Messenger. I gave you much, but you have not been grateful and have rejected My Messenger. Do not the poor then deserve to be chosen for My favour in preference to you t' See also the preceding verse. 800~ Commentary: The message conve~yed in the words. Peace be unto you, is the message of God which the Holy Prophet is bidden to convey to believers; the "peace" spoken of Jis to come from God Himself. It is with reference to this "peace" promised to believers in the present verse that they are enjoined to' greet one another

The wor~, Thou art not at all accountable for them nor are they at aU accountable for thee, are also meant to point to the same great truth. ~ough the Prophet could not turn the poor out on account of. the humbleness of their position yet it might be thought that he might turn them out on ~ccount of some weakness on their part in respect of actions, but, besides the fact that in this respect the poor and the rich stand on the same footing, the Law does not hold the Pr~phet responsible for their actions, hence be cannot turn them out on this score either, unless of course when some serious offence is committed by them.
.

799. Commentary:
The words.
'.

We hat'e tried some oj them by

others, refer to God's trying..the rich and the

great by admitting the poor and the humble into the society of the followers of the Holy 'Prophet~ The presence of the poor in the served as a ",COmintI~ty ()f the believers &ltuInbling~blook in the way of the rich and

with the words

r')U I i.e., "may the

69$

CH.6

AL-AN'AM

n.1
~

/: ill't,/ . ~'~:j'" ..' I SIgns that. you may seek forgiveness~..t: ~ ~ ..~ ,.,-' ~~,
And thus do We expound the t
.

?6.

and that the way of the sinners may become manifest.80l

j~ ",

~1

Of 'jh ! ~',.
~VJ,)

IY

R.7

., . \': .,""~ 57. Say: 'I am forbidden to wor"., "' "',., /\ ' "' """"'", \:jl,)J' ~'t \ U.:J d..)~~~J:) ~\ d \ ~ U", ship those on whom you call beside // ..", '" "",. '" I Allah.' Say: a'l will not follow your ~ j.~ 9 ",t /'"10'0 ,,/~~~/'/ ~ r-:. 1-- 9''''", evil inclinations. In that case, I shall I"'''' \,..oj\.H~V:;~j.~\~\ l) IJ1 ~I become lost and I shall not be of the
.

guided.'802

/" "","... @~.~\~~\

...

r~'"
"" [J1Jc; r \... ,

58. Say: b'l take my stand on a c~ear evidence from my Lord and you reject 'it. That which you desire to be hastened is not in my power. cThe decision rests with non~ but Allah. He explains the truth, and He is Best of judges.'BOO
a5 : 50; 42: ] 6 bll : 64; -----(promised) peace be on yon." The reader will have noted that whereas the verse uses the word salam (peace), the word used in the formula of mutual greeting is al-saliim (the peace). This is to point out that the greeting of peace oft'ered is in conformity with the peace promised in the verse under comment. 801. Commentary: There is an ellipsis here, the words I) (that you may seek forgiveness) or the words Ip jU (that you may believe) may be taken

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@~~9~"~~;
12: 109. tl2: 41, 68.

join Islam, it will receive strength and support from you. But, the truth is that if I follow your wishes, tIle result will be that I shall become lost and my movement will be ruined rather than strengthened. Again, my mission is that men ma.y accept and follow guidance; but if I act upon your wishes, the result will be that I myself will go astray. Then there will be no Islam Imd no guidance. What then shall I gain from your support 1" 803. Commentary : The verse calls upon the Holy Prophet to say to disbelie'Vers what may' be expreSsed as follows: "Y ouare perversely sticking to your errors while I have clear evidence with me. You say, 'If Wf\are in error, why does not God visit us with punishment!' You must remember that it does not lie in my power to bring down punishment. ][t is God alone Who sends down punishment ou whomsoever and at whatever time He wills and He is the Best of judges. He will justly decide the matter between rou and me!'

to be understood before the words

(and may become manifest).

~~

802. Co~entary: This verse is connected with 6 : 53 above. The Holy Prophet is here bidden to say to ~believers what may be described as follows: "I have nothing to do with your gods and I therefore cannot, for yonr sake, drive away my poor fo\lowers. They believe In One God, while you are idolaters. How can I then drive

away the believersin One God for the sake of tbose who disbelieve! You say that if you
696

PT,7
----

AL-ANiA1\{

lL6
($~

59. Say: a'If that which you desire to be hastened were in my power, surely the matter would be decided between me and you. And Allah knows best the unjust.'8M 60. And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them but He. And He knows whatsoever is in the land and in the sea. And there falls not a leaf but He knows it; nor is there a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything green or dry, but is recorded in a clear Book. 805
.

.".. ~

"~il '->,,-. ,"_:.'~~ ~A~~" I;. ~~) ..,,/

~~

"; , ':';'" ;;v., >~ ~\ @ .J '<.:1~.;. ..' -'

/

, ;,,,~, I 7... \;
.

~ ~ W"'

~\~.'g

' ~

~
~
~..
;;

/";;1:,, --:. ";' .A>. '\' \r~~~'" "I ~,?U .. J ~..;J" ...;J :".. L"/
/ ..;/;.,

"...~ a'~-',
(

"

"

f; -,,:-, \ "':'i """;" "',..A ~\,t}\.O .J;" ~'f' ""I~ .. ~,,? ~'" \,;,I; "'''" .J~

~~
.

[...;

"H1U~

,J ~ !>-'J ~)J

OIl ,';";,\1 ". ~

,,;,

1 .: IH~ ,\1\ ~'I\

9 , ," ";';~' ~? ~.~.. .J

..

~.~"
~

~./,'

"'"

~," ~' ~ ;~/,

a6: 9; 10: ]2. 804. Commentary: This verse gives one of the reasons why it has not been placed in the power of Prophets to bring down punishment; The reason lies in the fact that God alone knows who are just and who are unjust. Therefore, if the work of punishment be entrusted to human beings, who do not know the inner secrets of the heart, they may punish many who are not really unjust. 'Umar, for instance, was in the beginning bitterly opposed to the Holy Prophet. But God knew that he would one day become a zealous champion of Islam, so much so that he would finally become the Second Successor of the Holy Prophet. Now, if the work of punishment had been entrusted to the Holy Prophet, he might have ~lected 'Umar for punishment during the period of his bitter opposition to the new' Faith~ to the great loss to Islam. So only a Being Who knows the hidden secrets of man's heart can award punishment, for He alone knows who is really deserving of punishment and who not. There are many men who are outwardly very meek, but in their hearts they are not better than ravenous wolYes. Similarly, there are many who are outwardly very harsh it had been left to ,~he Prophets to punish their enemies, they might have punished them much sooner than God punishes them. 805. Commentar3r: This verse gives a further reason why the work of punishment mU8t remain in the hands of God; it is God alone: with Whom are the keys of the unseen, i.e., it is He alone Who knows the unseen. None but He knows the secrets of men's hearts and therefore He alone is in a position to punish. The expressions" land," "sea", "falling of a leaf", " grain in the darkness of the earth," and" green or dry" are all descriptive of the various conditions of man. . The "sea", according to the Arab conception, is typical of hardships, whereas" land" symbolizes. ease and comfort. Similarly, "the falling of a leaf" represents th.~ actions of man that are rendered vain and fruitless; whereas the" grain in the darkness of the earth," if left unprotected, may become lost just as virtue, if left uncaI'ed for, may become lost. Again, "the green or the dry" is also known to God. A tree appears to U8 to be dry, but

*DdI'tubbom, but they are good at heart. If

fI11.

when it is watered hy rain, it beco1Il6s pea.

tlI.6

AL-AN'AM
'M"'''' ~~, ~

PT. 7

61. And aHe it is Who takes your &>uls by Right and knows that which you do by day; then He raises you up again therein, that the appointed term may be completed. Then to Him is your return. Then will He inform you of what you used to do. 806

~~ ..-'~~~.C>~\.~J " \:;~)j"j' ,~t..d',

,

;I~:' ~' ",oj ~ ~

~

IJ.,;;I '.~ u .:;.t;;' ':. r"~,r \J~jA ~.,..:...,..)~

tt
. .

f.ii\ ,.\ ~\J

rJ

J.",."

,. ~~.. '~" r"'_., 1." /, "'1. '" "..-,.,..-; . '"". ;.J . ,-", ;. -

.."''''''11'

.~ ~'-"

"

"

~
------

, , , ., IJ A" t - ~ ~:.; " .. "

a39 : 43.
-..---

Similarly, a man sometimes appears to us to be devoid of all spirituality, but when he is . watered with the water of divine mercy, he becomes full of spiritual life. signifies The word ";"'tJ" (Book) also knowledge. Other instances of this use may be seen in 30: 57 and 68: 48 where the words ":,,IAS" (lit. book) and;,; (lit. they write) respectively mean "knowledge" and" they know". The Holy Prophet is also reported to have written to the people of ..Ii: "I Yemen, saying, ~I.:e' ~ ~~ fl.' ~ have sent to you a writer, i.e., a man of knowledge, from among my Companions" (Bil)ar, iii. 193). So the Arabic words rendered as "is recorded in a clear Book" may also be translated as "is preserved in sure divine knowledge."

supplied with beavenly water or whether he is dead beyond revival. In short, God alone has true knowledge of all things and aU conditions and all possibilities and all potentialities, aud therefore He alone can say whether a mau deserves to be punished or not. 806. Important
t,;.J.~ (who

Words:
takes your souls). The

learned author of theill-Babr al-Mubi! says: "The word J,j (tawaffi), as is well known, meanS, to cause to die,' but in this verse it has been metaphorically used in the sense of 'causing to sleep' ou account of the close resemblance between sleep and death." See a]lso 2: ~35 & 3: 56.
;.~.r: (you do) is derived from C. v"=

Thus, as God alone possesses the keys of the unseen and as all the conditions and actions of man are known to Him alone, it is He only Who can punish him. No one who is devoid of perfect knowledge is qualified to punish. Again, God alone knows how far hardship or ease influences the actions of a man. He alone knows whether or not the good works done by a man have been rendered null and void through the operation of other causes. He alone knows the grains of virtue that lie embedded in the heart of man and whether or not these grains will sprout forth and grow and thrive and bring forth fruit. He alone can tell whether a person wh~,. to all appearances, is "dry" and devoid of all spiritual life, will turn" green" when

They say 9-1/'''= i.e. he wounded him. c.~ also means, he acquired, earned, worked or did (Lane). CommentaTY : The subject that none but God is entitled to Pllnish is continued in this verse, which says that God alone knows the condition of man by night and his actions by day, and all times are subject to His control, and therefore it is He alone Who knows the true character of the pious and the wicked, and consequently none but He is ina position to punish. Again, it is He aloue Who knows the time most suited for the death of 3. person aud therefore .He has' not entrusted tbe work of punishment to others. The words, tbat the appointed term may be completed, do not refer to any te.rmarbitrarily

we

PT. 7

AL-AN' AM And
a

"

CH.6

.8

-t "-:~~\';: ~' , ~~ -: .:;r ~..1"::~ ~. ~."" servants, and bHe sends guardians to ~ '" watch over you, until, when death " ,"t' ~... ;::/~: ~,."t "o1'-.J.:> ;~ I~' .)/~ "~"', r.~ ~ c:wy 0.)41'l'.1t''''''''' comes to' apyone of you, Our ~~ t'f'' messengers 'take his soul, and they .. t ..-:' , fail not.S07 @C);b~~

'62.

He is Supreme over His ~ JoAt;~ , "'~"'

"9,r~.)~ - ~?" . . ~... ,~' II"'..*"', -, .'"

II
,

,,,,

,,.

"

63. Then are they returned to Allah, their true Lord. ,Surely, His is the juqgement. And" He is the quickest .
of 'reckoners. 808

.~. ,T,..;/,

""~

tcU~' ~--"
,

"'~';"'J. .:'.~.l "4J":"" ~~,

~
'
"

~I
",.'

'

",

J 1.",)~'
"'I..-! ~~'

!'

I.

<9~.t~t
'

I"

,"'....

64. Say, c"Who delivers you from the calamities of the land and the sea, when you call upon Him in humility and in secret,' saying" 'If He deliver us from this, we will surely be of those who' are grateful '1"809
a6: 19; 13: 17. b13 : 12; 82: 11.

""" ~I ~ 'l;,-:h)J~ "'tt.J,.,

(;":19 ,... ..,t

". ...:", "-' " "'. ~ ,,, I"" ~

...' "', "'''' ,,01 .

.'

'" ... 9 . "'-'. tJ. "'...,.. ..." .' 1''' . '~ ' '" ~ II. . ... Cr.J ~
,

..

~..,
...""'~

' ..,..." :' 1= ...~...,p

.. ",,1 ,''''''

~'..

I ..., ~~, ". ~~~I ,...0 \V ~ ~.

:-._~~--------

."

c1Q: 23; 17: 68; 29: 66 ; 31 : 33. God finally issues a decree, nothing can delay it or' set it aside. 808. Commentary: The reader should note that when speaking of death, the Quran uses the expression "When death comes to anJone of you" (see the preceding verse which uses the singular number), while in the present verse it refers to the Resurrection of aUt men together by saying, "Then are they returned to Allah." This is because whereas death comes to men individually and not to all men together, the Resurrection of mankind will be simultaneous and universal. 809. Commentary: I.;:.i (in humility) is derived from t,,; which means, he was or. became lowl)., humble, or submissive; or he lowered, humbled or abased himself and petitioned for a gift; or he was weak, slender or em,aciated. e."; also means, it (a kid, etc.) took with its mouth the teat or dug of its mother. t;at means, he

fixed by God. The" term" spoken of here is determined by the fac'Q.lties and powers with which man is endowed from the time of his birth, and is liable to be increased or decreased according as a right or wrong use is made of the faculties granted to him. There' is no reference here to the eternal knowledge of God. 807. Co:nunentary: This verse provides another reason why God alone is entitled to punish. He is v"~ (Supreme), i.e., Powerful and Mighty over aU, therefore He can , punish any of His creatures whenever He thmks it proper. The powerful are never in a "hurry to punish, for they know that they can punish whenever they will. Again, it is God Himself Who 'guards His creatures and supports them, and it is through His grace that they enjoy security. So destruction can befall them only when -He withdrnws His grace, and He does 80 when He thinks it proper. The words, tkev fail n~, signify that when

fl:1!J

CH:d

AL-AN'AM'
,,

PT; '7'

60. Say; 'Allah delivers you from ~ ",; ':. ..., "' ~} them and from every distress, yet you ~ ~ U ~ associate partners with Him.'810 66. Say, 'He has power to send punishment upon you from above you or from beneath your feet, or to confound you by 'splitting you irtto sects and make you taste the violence of one another.' See how We expound the Signs in various ways that they may understand t811
lowered, humbled or abased himself; or he addressed himself with earnest or energetic supplication. It also means, he writhed and called for aid (Lane).

~~
.-.:

..~'
,tI

,...0

V""

~ ~~: ",

,;

,,.. ~

~I J ~
dJ.11 "',
'

..;;,.

J;!

JjJt1'

,~ ~-!.
~

@~y~

~ ~ ~ .,",I \;t;.,~ ' ,"" II" '''''' I~~-, ~"''''',; j,' tJI'.. M, . .. J ".~.." ~~ "" ' '" ~,,"1. ~\i:"J. .'''' -,-"(:~ ~JJ~ )'iU1 ~U". . ..",...J ~
'
,

~ulJ..." ". . ~( .. ~.I ...\oJ ~ ->~

-:"
, ,

..

f~

;;"'

,,"' i',;

J' r~~ wi "."

,9
I:.

'

.,,,.,,,, '" e<.:)~~ "..:1'-:"

I" ~~I

Allah may deliver you not only from the afflictions from which you pray to be rescued but also from other troubles for the removal of which you do not pray. This and the preceding verse give the third reason why none beside God is in a position to send down punishment. We are told that none but God Jl1earsthe prayers of men and delivers them from the affiictions which befall them. Now the Being Wbo hea'rs prayers and removes afflictions should also be the Being Who can send down punishment; for if there be two different beings, then there is sure to be opposition and conflict between them. 811. Commentary: This verse gives the fourth reason why no mortal possesses the power to bring down punishment upon men for their sins, and that it is God alone Wbo possesses that power. This reason consists in the fact that the punishments which mortals inflict ul.on others are merely external and are limited in their character; while. the punishments tha1&come from God,. are varied and far-extending. For instance, man can at most kill another man and end his life, but the punishment whi(:h God inflicts sometimes grows in the very heart of man and causes

~.

(secretly) is derived from

which

means, it was or became unperceived, concealed, hidden, low or faint. They say ~ J:i i.e. he was slain secretly (Lane). Commentary:

The word ..:...\.JI.; (calamities), literally meaning" darkness," here signifies afflictions, calamities and misfortunes; for, with the Arabs, darkness is a symbol of misfortune. Thus, a day of great misfortune is called "a starry day," because it is considered so dark as to make even stars visible in the firmament. The reader should note that instead of saying '< openly" and" secretly", the Quran here uses the words" humbly" and" secretly", substituting the word "humbly" for "openly", thus indicating that a prayer said openly is useful only when it is offered in humility. Open" prayers may sometimes be offered " from a motive of display and show. Such prayers are of no value. Prayers are efficacious only when offered with due humility.

810. COmmentary : The words, from every distress, signify that

700

him great be~rt-buming and uneasme83 9f

.PT.~7

AI;.AN'~

CH.6

67. And athy people have rejected it, though it is the truth. Say, b'l am not a guardian over yoU.'8U
68. For every prophecy there is a fixed time; and soon win you come to jplo~.813 69. And cwhen thou seestthose who engage in vain discOurse c()'1'I,OOffling Our

/(.'I~ ~~J; '

-:..f {." ", A" ":?~\~-'!o " '~ ~~~VJ:" @~~

.!.l"~"'"

",,"""':: .-: ,""-:; .~-::::, 'J., c;'~ f.t, e~;.w~~J.)~~~

~ "t~ <..:P-ffC-:.

"-! ' -!" ", ~".. r~ ~~~~C!.~

""

~ 1"" \-:'1 ~rl ~!) " )".J

,

Signs, then turn thou away from them until they engage in a discourse other than that. And if Satan cause thee to forget, then sit not, after recollection, with the unjust people. 814
a6 : 6.

"/ '._~ .."'" .. ~I"- J b~.'/:f " "'" '~~~I +.." "'~~.~~ ,., ""'/ I ..""..1("" OJ ",,, ~

.,,',,'/~

\ ~~$. ~~..iJJ . '--"",

. .

", ~:v..#1"'. '" ~ ..'to t ,~

"'
,---tIJ

."!~ 11~ t @~~>ill

&39: 42; 42: 7. c4: 141.

mind. Such punishments, which ar& often greater than inere killing, cannot be inflicted by man. The Quran here refers to some of the kinds of punishment which God may send down on men. Punishments" from above" signify famines, eart.hquakes, Hoods, hurricanes, the oppression of the weak by the powerful, mental agony, etc. And punishments" from beneath" signify diseases, pel'tilences, revolt by subject peoples, et{'. Then there is the punishment of discord, disunity and dissension which sometimes end in civil war. This is hinted in the words, ,ooke you taste the violence of one another. All t,hese different, forms of punishment are under the control of God and none other; henc.e it is God alone Who has the real power of sending down punishment upon men. 812. Commentary : The pronoun" it " in the word8 "rejected it " refers either (1) to the matter under discussion i.e. it i8 God alone Who can send down puni8hment, or (2) to the Quran, or (3) to
pUllishment.

word8 "it i8 the truth" would mean that the promised puni8hment is 8ure to come. The words,. I am not a guardian over you, imply that if now, when I have conveyed to you the divine Message, the puni8hment of God come8, I cannot help it. I will not be able to protect you from it. It is worthy of note that whereas disbelievers are demanding punishment, the Holy Prophet is expressing sympathy for them. 813. Commentary: 'fhe verse signifies that God, in His infinite wisdom, has fixed a time for the fulfilment of every prophecy. So the punishment that has been promised to the rejectors of truth will also come to pass in due time. Then will they know that it was not a false prophecy. Dis. believers demand that the divine punishment should come upon them at once. That canr.ot be ; for nothing that has a fixed time can come before its time. 814. Important Wards: ~ (recollection) is ~

Taking

the last meaning, the

.r

the

noun.infinitive

'701

..CH~'6

AL-AN'AM

"

cPT; 7

70. And not at all their duty they may

athose who are .righteous are accountable for them, but is to admonish them, that fear GOd.815

.W~~~~~~~dJjI1~ ~_. - ,,-"

"-

.."1111'

~ .~.~
JI'

.e~~~;~ ~~~j
It has even been applied to" anger" and in some of the sayings of " jealousy" the Holy Prophet. Here also it is used in . the Sense of "anger" and the sentence would thus mean, "if anger or wrath should cause you to forget the injunction to leave the .company of such persons and to quit

a6: 53. from) ~ i.e. "he remembered, etc." for which see 2 : 41, 153, 201. (,$) ~ means, remembering o~ recollecting; remembrance; the presence of a thing in the mind; mentioning or relating a thing; accepting of an exhortation; reminding or causing to remember; admonition. Thus the word is used both intransitively and transitively (Lane & Aqrab). CommentaTY : When the disbelievers, in reply to their demand for punishment, were told that there was a time fixed for every. prophecy and that the punishment of God could .not come before its time, they began to laugh -at the prophecy. So the Quran calls upon the Holy Prophet and, through him, the believers to turn away from them, i.e., to quit their company and d.epart from the place, so that they might not provoke the further wrath of God by indulging in their vain and insolent discourse. Believers are told not to afford disbelievers an occasion to commit further excesses by sitting in their company but to leave them at once on such occasions, so that they maybe induced to turn to other talk. The words, turn thou away from them, may also be taken figuratively, signifying that you should overlook and treat as unnoticed their action of ridiculing and should not dispute with them about it, so that they might drop the subject

the

place

".

This

interpretation,

however, will hold good only i the case of men who stand on a high level of righteousness. In the case of ordinary men, the word would be taken to mean" evil suggestion" or " negligence." The word (,$)~ (recollection), as shown under Important Words, means both recollection", i.e. remembering, and " "reminding." Taking. it in the intransitive sense, the sentence would mean that when you recollect the injunction to quit the place, you should do so forthwith. Taking the the sense of "reminding," the word (,$) ~ in. sentence would mean that before quitting the place, you should remind the scoffers of their mischievous conduct and tell them that it is an evil and dishonourable course which they follow and that it is calculated to excite against them the wrath of God. It should also be remembered that really it is not the Holy Prophet but every believer that is addressed in this verse.

and turn to some other topic.

." Satan," .. for which see 2: 15, doe.s not always mean the Evil .Spirit; the word is also applied to other harmful things.

815. Impo'l'tant Words.: .(,$); (to admonish). .see. verse.

the

preceding

100

PT."7

AL-AN'AM

CH.:~

71. And let alone athose who take their religion to oe a sport and a pastime, and whom worldly life has beguiled.. And admonish people thereby lest a soul be consigned to perdition for what it has wrought. It shall have no helper nor intercessor. beside Allah; and even if jt offer every ransom, it shall not be accepted from it. These are they who have been delivered over to destruction for their own acts. bThey will have a drink of boiling water' and a grievous punishment, because they disbelieved.8u

';:-::~-='

j:~ t::r~ . . ';'~

rr,?-:

'~' ..r~

9'''''~r~

-: ~ ~~.) ~:

.,7-;..

':' "' "''''''''w .\L~ "' ' \ .1 ct. l.'~ '..w I), .)J
.

.....

~I CJ I~~.)'>

!., ,,' ~ ..('~ '" (:l!JJI~~,

.. ,"" f""'1, ~'\'

C> J

r:,,, ~ .", ~ '''''' t.6'.1.~-:: ~..J-,~,,9JJ19.J.)~~~

"", ~rl ~I~ , C;,)'VoJ ..", ~-'~

.

,'

. " I>

", -:; ,., I.J~ ~ ", vo;y)) .. ~

., .

iJ' ~"""'" .J.:ij ,

"'t'J.

~t'~

'I " .'. "( 't. 'I'''''~~~r .l!)..-,~~~y~~ . ~I \ ? ~ !iJ ~.

@G;~ ~~~~J
blO :5. Commentary: The context and the sense of the passage required the use of the words" thy religion,"

&
II"

a5 : 58; 7: fi2 ; 8: 36. 816. Im.portant Words:

J4(be consigned to perdition) is derived from ~ i.e. he prevented or prohibited or

debaned.

'

J-!'

besides giving the above-

but theQuran uses the words" their religion

;,

mentioned meaning, also means, he gave in pledge; or gave in exchange. ~ I also means, he gave him up to or he delivered him over to or he consigned him to destruction or :perdition or punishment (Lane & Aqrab). ~'.J"~(drink) is derived from~.r i.e. he drank. ~I.r mean!), a drink or -beverage; any liquid which is drunk and not eaten or chewed. This is the original significance. Post-classical writers, however, sometimes use the word in the sense of ~,: (wine) also (Lane). . I g wa te r ) IS d'enve d fr om (!" (bo'lin
. .

instead of "thy religion". This is to point out that it was for their own good that the religion of Islam had been sent and that thev were injuring themselves by rejecting it.' The words, admonish people thereby, signify that if disbelievers are in a state of excitement and it is found that admonition will provoke them all the more, then one should" let them alone"; but if there is no fear of their being provoked, then one should first admonish tht\m and then quit their company. The pronoun in ~ (thereby) re fers to the Quran.
.

i.e. it (water, etc.) became hot or very hot. The 'w-ordis also used transitively, meaning, he . ~ea~ water, etc., or he heated .it fully. ,r ~lme8ns, he melted the fat. .,...means,
he wasli~ him with "hot water or~ conversely, with cold water. ,(?' means, hot water or,

. . Th . e verse also contams an exhortatIOn to believers not. to .get enraged at the scornful re~arks ofdisbehe~ers. As it 'is t~ed~ty -of believers to admoDlsh and warn dISbelievers,
.

therefore

the former should ' patiently'

endure

the taunts of the latter; . conve1'8ely,cold water; sweat orperspiratioD. . As show~ under Important Words, .the The word al80 means a friend or a beloved word ,,!-i (consigned to perdition) may Pel8onroane). The last significance isprobably,_~also ~ean, "be given uP. or sunendered.~' based on-"""armth of feeling. Taking the word in the latter Bense,.'the ,703

CH.

AL-AN'AM'

n.-~

R.9

72. Say; a"Shall we call, beside '':'' i~ : /' Allah, upon that which can neither \$t!/~/t;Z~~~\d;; ~ ~ .. ~ c.t' ~wt V"1 " , , profit us nor harm us, and shall we be ~,;,; ! "'" f" tt'" W " 'H.?'? "' , f" \;y~ I" ~ "'. turned back on our heels after Allah \,,;J \ ~ . \.:..J" t "- )f ,., 0 d,1) ,., ~ J has guided us, like one whom the evil (, ,~/--'l~ /~,., ,,~, ., -:.!., ones entice awayleavi'f)!Jkimbewildered ~t~v~~..>JJI ~ ~I 'U~t in the land, and who has companion~ , , -(, ,,9; "9 ., who call him to guidance, saying, ~ I ~j,~I\~ \I "", 't5""::: V'W\~~ i,;,)" ,., t$~ 'Come to us' 1" Say: 'Surely, the J ~J..!. " guidance of - Allah is the only guidance " J~I~"1 ""~qri/j, 'J" ~ /~ and we have been commanded to 'eI .." :.~~ ~.J ~~H 817

~ ~

submit to the Lord of all the worlds.

a21 : 67; 22: 74. I!entence would mean, "admonish the people lest a soul be surrendered to what it has wrought," i.e., admonish them lest they be given over to the evil works they are now evil condition. See also 2: 16. Taking the word in the former sense, i.e., as rendered in the text, the sentence would mean, "admonish them lest they be consigned to destruction or punishment on account of the evil deeds which they have wrought." The verse is addressed to believers and points out to them the urgent need of preaching the truth to disbelievers. It calls upon believers to. picture to themselves the dire consequences of their failure to preach the truth to disbelieving people. If they do not show disbelievers the right path, the result will be that the latter will continue in their error and will be delivered over to destruction on account of their sins, being reduced to a condition when they will_have no helper and no intercessor and when no compensation or ransom will be accepted from them. The" boiling water" mentioned in the verse will serve as a medicine to bring about a cure, while the" grievous. p~8hment" will. be.. in

817. Important Words:

..;-.;:..\ (entice away) is derived from
They say

IS~.

J~

11S,jA i.e. the

thing

fell down

engaged in. viz., lest they continue in - their or came down (from a higher
place).
the man

Conversely
climbed the

to a lower J~J;' J.:-.) I I.S.J'> means,

hill.

~)

I':".J'> means,

the wind blew. ~ J'" means, he loved and desired it. 1 means, love of good or IS""" evil; desire; inclination; evil inclination or desire. .1';:"1 means, he took away all his desire and reason leaving him confounded; he made his evil desires look fair in his eyes (Aqrab). .s.",..i also means, inclination of the soul or the mind to a thing; an object of love; the inclination ofthe soul to that in which the animal appetites take delight, without any lawful invitation thereto; opinion swerving from the right way or from the truth (Lane). .JI~ (bewildered) is derived from J t.. which means, he was or became dauled by a thing at which he -looked so that he turned away his eyes from it; he wail or became confounded or perplexed and unable to see his right course; he erred or lost his way. ..J I~

the

nature of

an operation.

means, in a state of confusion or perplexity. being unable to see his right course;, erring: having lost his :way (Lane).

704

PT. 7

AL-AN' AM

ClI.6

73. "And we have been given the command: a'Observe Prayer and fear , Him; and He it is to Whom you shan be gathered."818

\~.J ~... ~i.f;J

r1 ~I

'

";'

..1

1.' /..1:

:S.,.oJ., <~ ~
1

~ , ~1!"""' ~ t "
.. ",
1
1

/'1<'~ @(,:).J~
li

-'

.. ", 74. And bHe it is WhQ created the ~ "nJ.:'.Jf -:~I~ ., . /J ~ "'. ~-;"i -' l \ ~'~.I heavens and the earth in accordance ~~.J '-f"~(.P.J)., -' 9 ~l>~ t-~ -' with the requirements of wisdom; and ~ ~/ , ~ '''" J!~~i\ '1"~ ~ C).. the day He says, Be,' it .will. be. His \~.~t:l~': dJ--, ~ ~ w--" word is the truth, and IlIs wIll be the /~.. .. I 9 j1 ",.,'J ", f1 ~.D~'" r-:"zil/ 7\' \ b ~\.~... kingdom on the day .~when the trumpet ~\ ~ -' ...'>"b-' -' ~..~.J ~~ will be blown. He ~s dthe Knower of the unseen and the seen. And He is t,he 'Wise, the All-Aware. 819

~j:~

/)

@~\~I
~-,

".~

a4-:78;
~--~-'

'

-'-'

'--~

'

"-

-~

~-~

?2:79;
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24:57. d9 :91;
~--'--

b14:2o; 16:4; 29:-15. 13: 10; 23: 93; 39 :'J7; 59:

~-

c27:S~; 23.

39:69.
--.-----------

""'--"~--'-'

Commentary:
'['he opening clausi~ of tbe verse teaches by rueal1S of an f.\xample how to preach the trl1th. It I)oints out that. the best way to preach is to begin by exposing the errors of the opposiDg party 801'1 hinted in the words, neither profit tl<l nor harm tt~, and then to proceed to point out the truth as hinted in the words, after Allah
1'~18 gu.ideil 'Us.

has been continueil in the pres<,nt one. 819. Commentary: (be) really denotes a simple '!be word command intel\ded to bring about a. change. When the word is used con.cerning a tIling wbich does not exist, it naturally signifies the bringing into beiug something which God hl!s w.illed. When, however, the word is used concf'rning a tbing which already exists, tben it generally means that the thing will come to nought when God so wills. 'rbus the sentencf',

The verse then gives an apt illustration to expose the futility of !J.;:. i.e. attributing co-partners to God. It compares the C1t,se of IIn idol-worshipper to that of a distraeted person who has no fixed COUl'flC to pursue. Buch a person first gOt)Sto one idol or to t!le tomb of one saint and thf'n to anothf'r and has no ~ertain.tv or conviction. But a true believf'1' haR, a fixed -purpOSQ and a fixed goal. lIe always prays to the One God with It deeprooted conviction and does not wander about distracted like an idolatf'r. ~~he reader will note that, true to its own principle, the verse first exposes thp. error of i,tolaters and then gives the teachings of Islam. 818. Commentary: The concluding theme of the preceding verse

lle say... . Be'. it will be, signifies that {'very thing is in the power of God; 80 when Go<1issucs a command- cODcerrung the breaking-up of the power of disbelievers, it will surely come to nought. The exprl'SSiOll, lIis word i.~ the truth, mea.ns tIlat tbe prophecy mentioned above is a true one and must come to paRS and nothing can stop it. See the meaning of ~ uDder 2:148&3:4 The words, His will be the kingdom on the day when the trumpet will be blown, mean that the visible kingdom of God will be estahliRhed when Islam triumphs and fah'e anu idolatrous

lle it is WIlD created.

. . . . and tI,e day

705

CR. 6

AL-AN'AM
"-

PT. 7
9 ~;" \ ~~" \ '.''''\
\

75. And remember the time awhen Abraham said to his father, Azar: , Dost thou take idols for gods ~ Surely, I see thee amI thy people in manifest error.'820
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a19 : 43. beliefs and practices vani~p. A Prophet of verseR and they revered Abraham as t.lwir Hence, by giving God is i.ndeed a trumpet, throul!;h wl10m tlIP progenitor and patriarch. vo;ce of Gou i1' hearn, and the s(ll11l(Jin~of the an account of Abraham, God wants to tell the trumpet is a symhol for t.he wide puh1icativn Quraish that their great ancestor Abraham and est.ablishment of the tf'arhings hrOUg}lt was also, like the Holy Prophet, opposed to by him. Thus the versf' meaps thn,t; wlwn i(lolatry, which shows that idol-worship is a the te3ch\ngs of the Holy Prophet are widely later innovation. Secondly, hy means of this publiRbed and acceptf'u in the world and when account, God wants to impress upon idolaters Islam flourishes and triumphR, then thnkingrlom the hollow and unsound foundation on. which of God will be visibly established on thc earth stands the helief and practice of idol-worship and on that day will idols be broken to pieces. and the absurd ideas which give rise to idolatry. 820. Important Words:

,,:,,' (father) which is originall~ .1.' givse In, the present verse Abraham is rl'presented the following meanings: a father; an ancestor; as arguing with his ,,:,,' (father) on the subject, a paternal uncle. .t}, .1.' means, the- woman's of idolatry. This ,,:,,' (father) is here named husband. IS)I.\ .1.' means, master or owner lzar. Now we have to see in what relation of theuweHing (Lane). See also 4: 12. this man stood to Abraham and what was his .)jT (.lzar). For the discuss;on of the true 11am,e. Christian writers havf> criticize(l word and the relationship of Azar with the Quran on the ground that it calls Abraham's Abraham see under Commentary below. The father by the name .lzar while his true name word ill considered by some to be of non-Arabic was Terah. It is true that in Gen. 11: 26 origin, though in Arabic too it has a root. Thus Abraham's father iR named Terah. But it is .::. \ J jT means. the vegetation grew thick equally true that in I.uke 3: 34 Abraham is and strong. t')l. J jT means, he Rtrengthencalled the SOn of Thara and not Teralt. TIll' ed such and such a person. J jT means, he readl'r should note the chan.ge not only in the sympathized with and helped him (Aqrah). first consonant hut also in the vowel that The name, which thus appears to bf' attrihutive, follows. The Talmull also givl's the n,l.me of was given to lzarprobably because hc hf>lpc(} Ahraham'R fatlwr as Tharn. Eusehius, tbe his people in establishing idol-worship. great Chnrcl1 historian, who has lwen rigbtly According to Mujahid, .1;r was originally stylpfl the Father of Ecclesiastical History, the name of an idol (Qadir). giveR, in spite of Gen. 11 : 26 and Luke: 3 :34-, Commentary: which could not hf> nnknown to him, Athar With this verge the Quran turns to an account as the name of Abraham.'s father (Sale). Thi8 of Abraham, which is givf>n hue for two clearly shows that evf'n am.ong tbe .Tews there reasons: Firstly, because it, is: the idolatrous I'xist.ed no nnanimity as to the name of Quraish t.hat are chiefly addressed in thl'se Abraha.m's father. The fact that EuaebiuB

706

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM
~
I ~\ \~ >+I
.

CH.6
~

76. And th llS did We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the oarth that he might be rightly guided and that he might he of those who have certainty of faith.821
followed neith{'r Gen. 1] : 26, nor Lukr 3: 34 Rhows that hI' had strong reaRons to difft'r from thef;e two ,.!ell-kiwwn sources. Thr correct form. thus :J.I)pears to be Alltar, which later becamr changrd into Tltarn or Temlt. Now the form. adoptrd by EusrbiUR is alm.ost, if not rxactly, tllf' same as giwn by the Qllran. If thrre is any difff'rrl~cr, it is only that of prollunciat.ion; othf'rwisr hoth form~, i.e. AZIH and Athar, arf' identical. ChristianR have ther('fore no rrason to quarrf'l with the QUr31l for calling Abraham'R fathf'r by thf' name Azu. It may also hI' noted that Abraham'R fathrr iR also called Zarah in the Talm.ud (Sale) and Zarah is appro1.imately the s:\m.e as Azar. All this goes to prove not only that the Qnran iRnot wronr, in palling the father of Abraham by the nanw Azar but also that the Quranic version is much more reliable than that of the Bible.

",.

, , ~ ~ ~II ! 7 ,; 45y ~~ ;~~ ,..o..\.Cb~ ~

..
\ -", , .fII' ,

..,,' @ "", ~>Jt

i.:fiC>~)~J~IJ "

~ ,~.

'"

.,~.. /

he offf'rerl in the last days of his life, after he had built the Ka'ba. in company with his son, IRhmael. In this prayer, Abraham praYR for his father and is not forhidden to pray for him; hut hpre Ahraham rloes not nse for him tht' word ,,:,,1 hut ..lIIJ (14: 42). Now, as has alrearly hrrn Rtaterl, the word ,-:,,1 may be applircl to a person other than the real fath{'r, hut the word ..lI1 J (wiilid) which means" tIll' begetter" is applied to none but the actual fathrr. This clearly shows that .:{zar who has been called th{' ,-:,,' Cab) of Abraham was a differrnt person from the .\11.1 (wiilid) of Ahraham. He was prohably his uncle.

Some passages of the Bible also support this conclusion. We are told that Abraham married Sarah, the daughter df Terah (Gen. 20 : 12). This shows that Terah was not hiB real father, for in that case he could not Dlarry Terah's daughter, his own sister. It appears The next question we have to consider is that, that his father being dead, he was brought of the r{'lationship in which Azar Rtood to up by his uncle, .A.zar or Atha'f, who gave Abraham. In the Quran he has been called him his dau~hter Sarah in marriag{'. As Abraham'R ,:-,1 (ab), a word appli{'d, aR shown .A.7.arbrought up Abraham and was in the under Importal\t Word~, not only to father hut position of a fathrr to him, the latter came also to nnr:lr, grandfather,rtc. who stand in the to be ascribprl to him as a son, and this It'd position of a father. Froll\ the Qnran it appears to the error of .Azar or Athar being taken t,lw.t Azar, though callen. t.J)(' ,:-,1 (fib) of as the real fathrr of Ahmham. A~ain, from Ahraham, waR not rrally hiR father. In 9 : 114 the Talmud it appears that A7.ar prosffutf'rl we are told that Abraham han. marlr a Ahraham and prpsented him befoff~ the king promisr to .A.zar, his ,-:,,1 Cab), to pray to God for tltp offf>nce of brraking idols. HAzar for hiR forgiveness hut when he came to harl bprn the real father of Abraham, hI' know that he was an etwmy of God, IJr woulrl not havp folJowprl Ruch a eonrse against ahstainprl from praying for him and wa,<; his own son. :wtuaJly . forbidden to 110 so (~ep also 26: P-7 Words: wItprp again A7.ar is Rpoken as thp ,-:,,1of 821. Important ..:., )~]. (ki ngrlmn) is dprivN\ from .!.J.l.i.e. Abraharn). EJRPwhf'rp, howpvrr, t.hp Quran itself records a prayer of Abraham which he possessed complete ownership of, an.d power 707

CH.6

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7

77. And when the .night darkened -r..",,, ~, "'-r~",rq~ '/ ~" A:\." ,,/ ~ ~. \~ ,~~ ~V' ,~ ~CW~ \ upon him, he saw a star. He said: v-. ;I' . ~ ..".. , This is my Lord!' But when it set, ,'"""'" (-:'. ""/'-/ ... /" o.. .o\~\V he said: 'I like not those that set.'822' 0 .."" ." 0 I" ~ ~\:.\ \.ill

.~,

lJ;

~(, 78. And when he saw the moon rise """'&:,c,"'/ .. . .. . .f" "",,~ "" rJ; V; \i,J~~"V~v'"~ " r~r~ with spreading light, he said, 'This is " my Lord.' But when it set, he said, 'If my I.Jord guide me not, I shall ~~\ ~v:,... surely be of the people who go " -,. astray.' 823 ""*r : t

J:;\

~~1~

~~) ~ j~
e~~\ .."

,J. ~.. ~ 79. And when he saw the sun rise 9/'"/ 9/~ , :. \ " '" ," ~. " r~?." (;~jG r", :~.\ ~ with spreading light, he said: 'This ~~I~(Jj\~~ ,. . is my Lord, this is the greatest.' But ~ ~!r~..~"': /r~ ~'" .. . .., when it set, he said, '0 my people, IW~ \ ~. " ~ ~..J. ~ ~ ~~~ ~.., \ ~ ,,"\'~ 'VI ~ It' surely I am clear of that which you associate with God.824
. ""

8;

J j;~

over. ':"J(l. means, sovereignty; dominion; great kingdom; power to deal with a thing as one likes; the place of holy spirits in the heavens (Aqrab). The word .:..,.,(1.. is specifically used about the kingdom or dominion of God (Mufradiit). See also 1 : 4.

of God until he has attained this however, a man has attained certainty and conviction, doubt his mind, for then he lives presence of God. 822.

stage. When, this stage of cannot enter in the very

Commentary

The word';'.J0.. (kingdom), as shown above, is peculiar to the dominion of God. Thus the words, And thus did We show Abmham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, mean, We showed Abraham the power and control which We exercise over every part of the universe. Shihiib al~Din Suhrwardi, a great Muslim divine, says in his famous work, the 'Awarif aZ-Ma'arif, that when a spiritual wayfarer reaches this stage, i.e., when he is made to witness the sovereignty of God, he is, as it were, spiritually re-born and that no person can be admitted into the presence

Important Words: tY= (darkened) means, it covered up. They say ~1J:II1tY= or ~'~J:IIItY= i.e. the night covered the thing up; or the night threw its covering of darkness over .the thing. J:III tY= m~ans, the night grew dark. See also 2 : 26 & 6: 129.

Commentary: S~e collective note under 6 : 80 below. 823. Commentary: S(Jecollective note under 6 : 80 below. 824. Commentary: See collective note ur.d~r 6: 80 below.

7M

PT. 7

AL-AN' AM

CR. 6
9 ",-:,,, , '" '\ ~~

80. a' I have turned my face toward Him Who created the heavens and the earth, being ever inclined to God, and I am not of those who associate gods with God.' 825
--_U" ' ~ 0-" ~----_._--------

~ I;';\,,\,'~ ' ~ "i, "~-'" "'\ 0' ~--p($~~.J~.J I.P.)..)~

",,,,,~

I\~ :" Q;J\ ': \:: t~ 0~~ ~,~

""

,."..

a3 : 21. 825. Commentary: Verses 77 to 80 contain an argument which Abraham employed to bring home to his idolatrous people the ab~urdity of their belief in the godhead of the sun, the moon and the stars, which they worshipped (Jew. Ene.). It is an error to infer from these verses that Abraham was himself groping in the dark and did not know who his God was, that he took the evening star, the moon, and the sun for God one after another and, when each of them set in its turn, he gave up his belief in their divinity and turned to the One God, the Creator of heavens an.d earth. 'fhe passage contains no less than eleven clear evidences to show that Abraham was not really taking these heavenly bodies for gods, but that his object was to demonstrate to his people the vanity of their beliefs, step by step. Some of these evidences may be summed up as below:Abraham to have seen the star or the moon for the first time that night. He belonged to a conununity which used to worship stars and he m.ust have seen the stars many tim.es before. If he was really a star-worshipper, he ought to have first imbibed the idea from what he had heard from his father and others and not by seeing a star himself, and reflecting over it. Star-worship was not at all a new idea discovered by him by looking at a star. Thus there is no doubt that Abraham's words, This is rYIi!J Ldrd, were not meant as an expression of faith but simply as an argument against star-worship. He assumed the star he saw to be his Lord merely to expose its lordship afterwards on the basis of its setting and thereby to tell his people that they were wrong in taking the star for their Lord.

Thirdly, when the star disappeared, Abraham is reported to have said, I l'ike not tho.se that Firstly, the opening part of this passage. i.e. set. Now Abraham certainly knew already the first part of 6: 77 is connected with the that the star must set; he must have already IJrevious verses with the double particle Wi seen it disappear times without number. So (and when) which denotes close sequence i.e. the argument, I loike not those that set, must that which has been said in this passage is have already been familiar to his mind and he connected with, and occurred immediately could not take to worshipping the star in view after, what is related in the preceding verses. of this argument. In fact, what he wanted was Now the preceding verses, i.e. vv. 75 and 76, to use the argument against star-worshippers clearly show Abraham as having attainfd in a way that might prove effective. So certainty and conviction of faith and as being a he first assumed or supposed the star to be firm believer in one God and being advanced Lis Lord and, when it disappeared, he hastened in spirituality. Thus placed and protected, to declare, I like not those that set. Similar was he cannot be considered as groping in the the case with the setting of the moon and the dark like a blind man and wandering frem one SUD. Of the sun he spoke the word" greater" deity to another. or U grf'atest" ironically in ord('r to taunt his Secondly, there is no sense in supposing people for their foUy. It should be incidcntally 700

CH.6

AL-AN'AM

PT. i

"\,;j,~"~(-:E." ~ a.:;. He said, 'Do you argue with me v..., ~;W ~ ;;~~ , concerning Allah when He has guided '1~:-.~,,~ :I ("~;.. r" ? r-:'" -" ,. j, I,. me aright1 And.l fear .not that which ~~. c>'~1 ~ ~~? \,,0u\Qo. \ -' \:.t~ wIth . HIm, unless my".. 10 ~~/, /,. YOU associate . (1 ""~Qr""/"//I~,~ -" \2""""""" ~"j, h M L Lord WIlls anyt mg:. J.;:"4..> ~ or~ @0~~~, ~ V'<J.Vcomprehends all thmgs m HIS "',. '" knowledge. Will you not then be

81. Amlhiapeople

argued with him. ~.-:." ~\;j"'..r:-!.\

"

..

admonished

1826

,,,-') ",,, /".((" ? ",,,,, '?t.:: 82. 'And why should I fear that /~ ~~~~ ~~;zl ~ u[' ~ :; which you associate with God, when .. ~ ",'),. f you fear not bto associate with Allah ~r~,' i9 ~ ,"" '.. ':'~", I'..l. ~ '\~aLL that for which He has sent down to ~ ..' ';, ~~ ,,-;; 'j-M' you no authority l' Which, then, of ~,,. -P ,/..,,~!?(: 'l:~"~r '..",,, ,/~ the two parties has greater right to @e>.;w~~~Jg.o)J~~,~~\ ~~ security, if indeed you know 1

~,

83. Those who believe and cmix not up their belief with injustice-it is they who shall have peace, ami who are rightly guided.
a7 : 90.

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t

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C31: 14.

.91)"q

b7 : 34; 22: 72.

lloted here that Abraham did not use the word ...r I (greater or greatest) for the mOOll which was also greater than the evening star. 'fhe omission is significant, as it clearly shows, that he was already intending to refer to the I!un a.fter disposing of the case of the moon. Fourthly, if Abraham was really searching for God and had sincerely taken the star, the moon and the sun, in turn, for his Lord, then the conclusion at which he ought to have naturally arrived, after gradually rejecting the godhead of these three heavenly bodies, should have been that there was no God at all, but instead of declaring that there was no God, Abraham forthwith turned to his people sayi,ng, 0 my people, surely I am clear of that which YOlU associate with God. I have turned my face toward

Him Who created the heavens and the ev,r~, being ever inclined to God. This shows that Abraham already knew the true God and believ. ed in Him and was ::!imply trying gradually to draw his people towards Him. Lt:t the reader only read the whole reply of Abraham (vv. 81-83) and it will become crystal clear to him that Abraham was not only familiar with the name of Allah and believed in Him but 0.180 possessed a deep kl~owledge of His attributcs. 826. Commentary: This and the following two versc8 dt:finitcly show that the incident related in vv. 77-80 above was purposely med by Abraham by way of argument; otherwise he himself was a staunch mOl\Qtheist and had dived deep into the depths of divine love and knowledge.

7.10

PT. 7
,

AL-AN'AM
-~-----

CH.6

10 84.

And that is Our argument

which

We ga ve to Abraham against his people.

aWe exalt in degrees of rank whomso We please. Thy Lord is indeed Wise, All-Knowing.827 85. And bWe gave him Isaac and Jacob; each did We guide aright, and Noah did We guide aright aforetime, and of his progeny, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaroll. ~rhus do We reward those W]lO do good.828

,. J" , ,,.yJ ',. . b ~.. "",. .., . ~.Y./.. r ~\~." '"\.~'~~~, ,,~ ,-' ~. ~ ~ t:

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~~~~ '<;.!!I .., a12:77.

b29 : 28.

~;'~.

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into 30 Paras (parts) and the division of tbe 827. Commentary: This verse forms the concluding portion of Buras (Chapters) into Ruku's (sections) was. not made by the Holy Prophet nor by his the passage (beginning with 6: 77 above) containing Abraham's argument with his Companions, but was effected long a.fterwards by Muslim scribes for providing facilit,y in people. It definitely settles the question whether Abraham gradually came to have a reading, and for the convenience of referencc. III the time of the Holy Prophet there were faith in God by taking one heavenly body after another for his Lord or whether it was a skiI- only Buras and verses and nothing else. fully graduated argument by means of which 828. Important Words: he sought to demonstrate the error of his people (Ayyiib or Job), who is the hero of the ":"...1.1 in worshipping these heavenly bodies as gods. Book of Job, is mentioned in, the Bible as living Says God, That is Oural'gument which We gave in the land of Uz. Some authorities say tha.t to AlJraliam against /rtispeople. Thus, the Quran this is Idumea or Arabia Deserta; others fix refers to what has gone above as an "argument" Mesopotamia as his country. It appears that which God Himself taught Abraham and Uz was somewhere in the north of Arabia. which Abraham used with such great effect It is said that Job lived there before the against Ilis people. This declaration by the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. He Quran leaves not the slightest doubt that thus lived before Moses or, as some say, he was Abraham was n,ot wandering about after false a compatriot of Moses, having received his gods but was trying to convince his people of prophetic mission about 20 year.~ before him. their error by means of a very effective process Job was not an Israelite, having been descended of reasoning. This is why it is referred to in from E8all, the elder brother of Il"raeI. He ha.d the present verse in the light of a favour by a very chequered career, being" tried" by the Wise and AII-kn.owing God. God in diverse ways; but he proved most This verse, though. put in Rukr~' 10, really faithful and righteous and was patient and forms part of the preceding passage. It must steadfast in the extreme. He still lives in the be remembered that the division of the Quran memQry of mankind a.s a. paragon of pat~ence

711

,CH.6

AL-AN'AM

PT.?

(Jew. Ene. &, Encyclopaedia. of Islam). .) J'~ (David or Diiwud) has been taken to mean: (1) beloved 01' friend; or (2) paternal nncle; or (3) beat of aU. King of Judah and Israel, David, who was of hraeIite origin being from the tribe of Judah, was founder of the Judean dynasty at Jerusalem. The date of his reign is generally fix.ed at about 1010-970 B.C. He was a great warrior and a great statesman. His importance as the real builder of the Hebrew Kingdom can hardly be over-estimated. Through him all the tribes of Israel from Da.n to Beersheba became united and organized into a powerful nation whose kingdom ex.tended from the Euphrates to the Nile. Towards the end of his life David had to buffer much at the hands of scheming slanderers, which deeply grieved him. He has poured out his grief in his celebrated Psalms (Ene. Brit. & Enc. Bib.). The Quran, howev~r. absolves him from the charges imputed to him in the Bible (38: 19-26). .;,l.J.. (Solomon) wa, the second son of David ,& Bath-Sheba and the third king of Israel. He reigned from ab:mt 971 to 93] B.C. He was called Jedidiah (beloved of Yehovah) by Nathan, the Prophet. But David was told by Yehovah that his son's n'tme should be Solomon (peaceful). These two names are predictive (;f the character of hi> reign. whic:} was bJth highly prosperous and peaceful. Besides his principal names, Jedidiah and Solomon, various others are assigned to him
,

such as A!fUr (he who girt

his loins), Bin

(he who built the temple), Jakeh (he who "feigned over the world), ltkiel (he who understood the signs of God), aud Veal (he who could withstand them). The word .;,l.J.. may have been derived from the root which means, he was or became safe , secure or in peace, or free from evils of any kind. The fact that he ruled for the

must have consolidated firmly the kingdom he inherited from his father. He was a great monarch and a wise judge. He greatly e:}..'tended and developed the trade and commerce of his country and contracted friendly alliances with foreign rulers. He was the master-builder among the Israelite kings and is best known for his building of the Temple at J~rusalem, which is known as the Temple of Solomon and which became the Qibla of the Ismelites for all time. In spite of the prosperity of his kingdom. SJlomon's reign was not altogether happy. Plots were hatched against him by secret societies to bring about his downfall. The Society of the Free Masons is also believed to have dated from his reign. He was followed by a worthless son (Ene. Eri. ; Enc. Bib. & Jew. Enc.). Like his fsther, David, SJlomon was the victim of much calumny and blander from which the Quran has exonerated him (2 : 103). .;,J)I. (Aaron) who belonged to the tribe of Levi, was the son of Amram and the cider brother of Moset'. who was three years younger than him, their sister Miriam being the eldest of the thr~e. Aaron was the traditional founder and head of the Jewi8h priesthood and, in company with Mo~es. he led the Israelites out of Egypt. Aaron and Moses were jointly connnisl!ioned to deliver the Israelit,es from the clutches of Pharaoll and to preach to them th~ message of the Oneness of God, though Moses was the senior Prophet and Aaron suboJdinate to him. While Moses was both the religious and secular head, Al,rol1 rl'presented o}Jly the priestly functions of his tnbe. His duties were generally ministerial alld IJot directivE'. Aaron Was known for his eloquence and peri'uasi\'e speech and was of a mild. amiable disposition (Enc. Bib.; Ene. Bri. & Jew. Enc.). Commentary: This and the succeeding verses ten us that not

long period of forty years shows that he

712

PT. 7
86. And tV e guided Zachariah

AL-AN'AM and each one

CH.6
r" i. j,
~ ~

John

and Jesus an? Elias; of them was of the vIrtuous.829

~ J.b u.l;11~~J

, '"

"'::: ~ -' ~j
I

@~\
' ""

~ ",,,

only .Abraham but other Prophets also preached against ;1r i.e. setting up associates with God. The present verse mentions the dcsctJudant& of Abraham to the second generation, naming a son (Isaac) and a grandson {Jacob or Israel}. The name of Ishmael, the eldest son of Abraham, has been included in a sel.arate group (6 : 8j below), and not in a subordin.ate position under Abraham.

three comprising the Becond group were contemporaries; while Elias, thougb not a contemporary, bore a striking resemblan.ce to ,John, who ca.-me in his spirit a.nd I)ower; so he also has been classed with this grot.p.

The third group (meltt.ioned in 6: 87) consists of Ishmael, Elisha, Jonah &ud Lot. 'fhey had no worldly power, but God granted them graee and excellence. It has been alleC1ed about <:) them that they cO'y-etedpower and riches. Of Ishmael, we rend in the Bible: "He will be The reader should note that the Prophets a wild man; .bis hano will be against every descended from Noah have been divided in t1~ man, and every man's hand against bim" (Gen. present and the succeeding two Verse.. into 16 : 12). In the Talmud, Ishmael is r(:presented three diJTerent ~roups and to each group has been added a separate description. The first as baving followed his father Abrah&m when group referred to in the present verse comprises the Jatter took Isaac out for sacrifice, rejoicing David, Solomon, Job, Josepb, Moses and at the thougl:t that Ite would inllerit all the Aaron-Prophets who were given power and lands and herds. Of Elisha it is said that he prosl)erity, and who consequentlJ' were able caused a king, who di,d not obey him, to be to do good to hUlnan beingf'!. Hence :members slain so that lie might trus gain political Jonah was ilispleased with God, I power. of tbis group have been designated as because he was disgraced by the Ilon-fu1filmellt or doers of good, for througll the,r temporal power and prosperity they were able to do of hiB prophecy, which, it is alleged, showed Of I.ot it is material good to humanity. David and that he sought power for himsdf. alleged that he coveted fertile pasture-lands S'.>lomon were kin~s; Josepb and Job were blessed with prosperity after they had been :md was always quarrelling' with bis kinsman, Thus all these Prophtts have been tried with afHictions which ther both bore wit.h Abraham. accused of coveting wealth and power. But, extraordinary pa.tience. Mosl's lwd Aaron the Quran dtclares all t.hese charges to be enjoYt~d supreme authorit;r among their false. These Prophets were a group of heavenly pel'lc. l)eople enjoying sJ}iritual communion with The second group (for which see (j : 86) consists God. They had 110 nef>d to be covetous or of Zacharial1, John, Jesus a11l1Elias. None of seekers of power;- for, as stated in (j : 87, God tht>,se pORscHsed temporal rower or worldly ha.d " exalted" them above the people. goods; each Ii \-ed a humble and lowly life, so much 80 that of mias it is said that he 829. Important Words: was rarqly seen and generally livt'd in the U" ~ I"(Elias or Elijah) who lived about 900 B.C. woods. Hence thev have been di:ff'rel1Hated was a native of Gilead, a country on the eastern in 6:86 as bf-t..n' i.e. virtuous. The first bank of the Jordan. Accordingto the Bible,

713

CH. 6

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7
'1'-' ~,,) "
;"

/ "'."" t-;.}t" 87. And We also guidd Ishmael and ~~ fI~'~ u--> Eli::;ha and Jonah and Lot: and (leach ~--' " 1.\.0';.. -' ~-' one did We exalt above the people.83O /

I"

@~\

88. And We exalted some of their '9: ::" c , . : , ..1 ... ~ / , f,,'., .\" \" \" fathers and their children and their ~~~~")~IC))r.;~~I~ J brethren, and We chose them and We ,~ t ~,;"... guided them in the straight path. GI '..:: IoMAbl~ l" " ~J \..10. ..
dA~ ?J'."" -~"..;I~ '/

~ l1JJ "

JI

;~;.~.J

"

a2 : 48; 3: 34-35; 45 : 17. he was translated to heaven (II Kings 2). We read in Malachi : "Behold, I will send you Elijah, the Prophet, before the com.ing of the great an.d dreadful day of the Lord" (4: 5). This prophecy, as interpreted by Jesus (Matt. 11 : l4), was fulfilled in the person of John the Baptist, who was his forerunner and who came " ill the spirit :\l~d power of Elijah." Similarly, the prophecy about the secOl~dadvent of Jesus himscIf has been fulfilled in the person of Ahn\ad of QadiaI~, the Proll~ised Messiah, who came il~ the spirit and power of Jesus. Commentary: See 6: 85 above. lived either before or during the reign of Jeroboam lIor in the reign of Jehoahaz about 850 B.C. He was an Israelite Prophet with a InissiOl~ to the people of Nineveh. J ollah prophesied the destruction of his people within 40 days. But they repented and turntd to God with humble supp1icatioI~, whereupon they were saved. This, however, upset Jonah who, being ashamed to face his peol)le, ran away and, while crossing a sea, was thrown into the water and swallowed by a fish (;1" oDah 1 : 17). Jonah reulained in the belly of the fish for three days and was then disgorged by it and saved. It is to this incident that Jesus referred when he said that no miracle would be shown to his people except that of Jonah (Matt. 16 : 4), meaniug that he would be put 011the Cross but would be taken down alive and would then be placed in the womb of the earth for three days after which he would escape therefrom, just as Jonah had escaped from the bell y of the fish. Commentary: See 6 : 85 above. The verse speaks of Lot as being" exalted above the people." Now if the word uJ,1.I1 (lit. the peoples) be taken to signify" "all the peoples," it would be evidently wrong; for Lot lived in the time of Abraham and was admittedly not superior to
the Pahiarch. Thus the word

830. Important

Words:

I (Elisha) was the sou of Shaphat, the disciple and successor of Elijah. He was a native of Abehneholah, a village in GaIilee. He was taken from the plough and anointed by Elijah to be his successor. Directed by God, Elijah found him. in the field and threw his Inantle over him. Many miracles are attributed to Elisha. But neither the sanctity of his life nor the miracles he wrought had the effect of reforming the natiOl~at large. At length, worn out by his public al~d private labour, he breathed his last at the age of rollety in 838 B.C. ~j. (Jonah), son of Amittai, Ga.th-hepher, in the tribe of was born in Zebulun. He 714

~W I

cannot

here signify even"

the people of the age"

as

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM

CR. 6

?/ 89. That is the guidance of Allah. ~/ ~ (:s.: ~... He guides t.hereby those of His servants I~'''a'} ..~ '" whom He pleases. And aif they had worshipped aught beside Him, surely 00~L!;~~*};~;J all they did would have been of no avail to them.831

fw

~~

~\ <S~~1
"

~;.t~

90. It is these to l'whom We gave the Hook and dominion and prophethood. But if these people are ungrateful for them, it matters not, for We have now entrusted them to a people who are not ungrateful for them.832
~ ._~

~(!~I\//(9;I/ cliS\ .9j!f:~'\GJJ\ ~;\ ~~~-' ... ~ .,... ?k ,~ ., / .-:. /./ ~9" 9" . ~ C)~ 9" ~~..r~. (;$'" \ .~;. ~~~~ ~ -'~ ~ ~

~-

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:::r

'"

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~

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b45 : 17.

""J.

~ .~
#11''' -"

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",

a39 : 66.
~ ~-_.-

it has beel~ rendered

Of

elsewhere

but

simply

the people," i.e. a section thereof.

In fact,

the exaltation spoken of here refers only to the people to whom the Prophets mentioned ill the verse were sent. 831. Commentary: The verse siglufies that real aud true guidance is that which was given to the Prophets named in the above verses; they all preached against !J~ (idol-worship). The latter part of the verse hints that these Prophets did not associate anything with God even before they were sent as Prophets; otherwise they would uot have been raised to that high spiritual rallk.

832. Commentary:

..

The giving of a Book by God generaHy occurs in two ways: Firstly, directly, as in the case of Moses and the Holy Prophet of Islam. Secondly, il~directly, as in the case of those l>rophets to whom no new Book was revealed and who only followed a Book that had been revealed to a previous Prophet. Thus of the Torah we are told in the Quran, Surely, We sent down the Torah wherein was guidance and light. By it did the Prophets who were obedient to Us. judge for tke .Jews (5: 45). The above

quoted verse proves that there appeared many Prophets anwng the Israelites to whom no new Book was revealed and who only followed the Torah. This statement of the Quran is also borne out by history, whiuh tells us that there were many Prophets among the Israelites to whom no Book was revealed. Hence, when the verse under comment says: It is these to whom We gave the Book, it does not mean that a Book waS given to every Prophet separately but only that every Prophet received knowledge of the divine Book. Another consideration which lends support to the above conclusion is that the word" these" put in the begil~ning of the verse not only refers to the Prophets named in the foregoing verSCI:5, bu t also to some of their fathers and their children and their brethren (6: 88), and it is evident that the latter did not receive any new Book. 'fhere are also other verses of the Quran ill which the expression. " We gave the Book" has been used in the sense of giving the Book indirectly. Among others the reader is referred to 2:122; 2:147; 29:48 &45:17. It is of interest that in the last-mentioned verse, i.e. 45 : 17, not only the Book but all the three things mentioned in th" verse under comment have been spoken of as having been given to

715

CR. 6

AL-AN'AM r'-:; .,!.J.., -:.: , J I

PT. 7

91. These it is whom Allah guided aright, so follow thou their guidance. Say: 'I ask not of you any reward for it. This is naught but an

~ J,::~~\ fY~

--:

" 4.U\ c$J.Jb~~, ~Jt

,;

, , .::.

- 9
I

admonition for all mankind.

'833

"~''''' \ I"".. ~I @~L)'y:)..~C)~~

t ~ I~~. -,(1.:1 ,,' .,

&

!(1,~.:

(
I

~ ' , , R. 11 92. And athey do not make a just J' ",I" -- 'r:'.' ,.., v1LIJj\ ~\j~)l~~~~~\~)~~) estimate of Allah, when bthey say: 'Allah has not revealed anything to ~ ." ,,'''; ....... ' t1: .""." any man.' Say: 'Who revealed the ~~J'jJ\"" ~I JJI ... ? Book which Moses brought, a light and { , ," 7 99""~' guidance for the people-though you r ' I""" ''' ''''~ f-:'\~ ~ "'," ..,!yd.; .W; ' 1.5~.J~!J~~,. 'l> treat it as scraps of paper which you .... show while you conceal much; and you ~9"""" ,,,,,{'~ .!..t?..~ ". /, ,9,9 ,.9 \~( " :. "' have been taught that which neither l;.l:.j" d~j~-'~ ~ ''..Ok.,,' , ..",,' you nor your fathers knew? '-Say: , Allah '. Then leave t.hem to amuse ~;~~;~jj~~,~~j~;)f;~1 themselves with their vain discourse.834

J; J; brsz~? ~

@\:) . ..
~,-~---~-~ ~.__.

;~~

a22 : 75; 39 : 68.

r~
~--~ ',_~_.~-

b36 : 16; 67 : 10. The word" people" in the latter portion of the verse refers to Muslims; and the pronoun at the end refers to the Book, " thcm" dom;nion and prophethood m.en.tioned in the opening clause of the ver!;e. 833. Commentary: The word!>, so follow tl,ou tlteir guidance, !Hay be taken to be addre!;sed either to the Holy Prophet or to every Mu~lim. The fundamental teaching of all Prophets is the saml'. 834. Commentary : In. this verse the Quran give!; the reason why there are differences in religion. Differen<;es spring from ignorance, from a lack of true c!;tima.tion or true understanding, as indicated by the words, tltey do not make ajust estimate oj Allah. Indeed, those who say that Allah has not revealed an,ytMng to any man make a very poor estimate of His attributes. To hold such a view about God is highly derogatory to His glory and most inconsistent with His attributes.

the children of IsraeL The verse runs thus: And We gave the children of Israel the Book, and sovereignty, and prophethood, and We provided them with good things, and exalted them over the people of the time (45 : 17). In short, when on the One hand we learn not only from the Quean but also from lu!;tory tlu~t there have been numy Prophets who did not receive any new Book directly, and on thc other hand, we see that the cxpression, " 'We gave the Book" has also been used in the Quran in the sense of giving a Book indirectly, the verse un.der comment camwt be interpreted to mean that every Prophet was given a Book directly from God. Ml1s1imCommentators are agrced in holding that every Propht~t was not given a Book directly by God, and that in the case of those Prophets to whom no Book was given directly, the words, "We gave the Book", simply mean, "We gave them kn.owledge or understanding of the Book", or

" We made them inherit the Book."

716

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM ., . -:. !.~ ", ~ .. '",; L>VJ\ "'~ /1"

CR. 6
~\'(,' 9 I~"" f9I,t' ~ I ",. , ~ y,..o ., i VJ.~ ~ . d.;J. ~.,
.

93. And athis is a Book which We h~ve revealed, fun of blessings, to fulfil that which preceded it, and to enable thee bto warn the Mother of towns and those around her. And those who believe in the Hereafter believe therein and rthey strictly ohserve their Prayers.835
,~-~

";,,,. A9...' .'~i \ -;.''''", "" .J1.SY'l -",I)~.. ~~."~~ ~'-! ;' ;"'.~i~ ~"~ ~J " "~t~,""" ~ ~... ~~) I :-i.:)~~)~-, ;, cJ~)?

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t.:)..""'t:.r/! ~~~~
---~--~

--~

~._-_.-

(/6
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: 156; 21 : 51;
."'..-,~--"--------

38: 30.

bi2: 8.

C23-1O;

70: 24.

A'! regards religious beliefs, there were two classes of men in the days of the Holy Prophet. Firstly, there were those who denied revelation in toto. According to them, there had never been any revelation in any age. Secondly, there were those who believed that there had been revelation in the past, but that God had sent no revelation in their own age. To the first-mentioned class belonged t,he i.ff.r(idolaters) i.e. those who ascribed co-partners to God and worshipped idols. To the second class belonged the People of the Book. As the words, Allah has not 1'ewaZed anything to any man, may mean, (l) that God has. never re\'ealed anything to any man; or (2) that He has not revealed anything to any man'in the present age, so they may be ascribed to both idol-worshippers and tIle People of the Book. In the foregoing verses only the former were addressed, but now the latter have also bren included in the address. As regards the People of the Book, the Qura,n specificaHy states: Say, Who rfflJealed the Book which Moses brought, a light and guidance for the people, though you treat it as scraps of paper which you show while you conceal much, i.e., you have split up the Book of Moses into parta, disclosing one part and concealing the other which contains prophecies and signs of the n.dvent of the Holy Prophet. You deny the Quranic revelation, but your own Book contains evidence of its truth which you suppress. If~e above reply, however, could not satisfy

._-~-the idol-worshippers who did not believe in the Book of Moses or, for that matter, In any revealed Book. The Quran, therefore, gives them a rational answer. It says, And you have been taught that which neither you nor YOU'T fathers knew. This is an argument which is meant to prove the divine origil1 of the Quran rationally and is meant not merely for the People of the Book bui also for idol-worshippers. The argument may be put thus: "If this Book (the Quran) has not been revealed by God, then who embodied in it such wise and comprehensive teachings as were known neither to you nor to your forefatherE-teachiugs which it was beyond your power to produce? Such teachings could not proceed from a man. On1y God could give such teachings. " The last words of the verse, i.e., leave them to amuse themselves with thei1' vain discourse, do not mean that you should abal1don preaching to disbelievers. The meaning is, "Tell them and make clear to thf:'m that the Quran is the word of God, for it is superhuman and fn}] 0 f wisdom; but if they still IpeJsist in ridiculing it, then leave them alone while they thus amuse themsf'lves." This injunction is similar to the one given in 6 : 69 above. 835. Important Words:

~.I~ (full of blessings) is derived from !J.r. They say J..J:I !JJ. i.e. the camel kneeled and lay down on his chest with his legs folded.

~J. also II\pans,he or it was or became firm, 717

CH.6
steady or steadfast. means. he prayed that

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7
~_._~--~

~-:n J- ~J. (ban'aka) taught that which neither .you nor your father8 such a one might be knew (see note on the preceding verse), and makes it clear that it is the Qllran that the blessed. ~ ~)~ mean,s, he kept or apphed him.words quoted above refer to. The present verse self cOUfltantly to it. ~. I ~ J~ or 4i ., ~J~ mentions four features of the Quran: (1) it means, may God bless thee and make thee prosperous, or ma.y He continue to shower haA been sent by God; (2) it is fuB of blessings as the word ~JI:- indicates, i.e., it is a Boak blessings on thee. . I ~.)'l means, blessed in which, like a ~">J. (a place where water is God; or hallowed is He; or far rem,oved collects), are collected all the blessi)lgs of God; is H~ from every imperfection; or highly (3) it fulfils that which preceded it, i.e., it fulfils exalted is He. U J. (barakat) means, a blessing; any good bestowed by God, particularly that the prophecies contained in the previous Scriptures; and (4) it has been revealed so which continues and goes on increasing. It, also m~an'l, increa'le, abundance or plenty. that the Holy Prophet may warn thereby the ~..> J. (birka) mealH~, a tan.k dug in the ground; Mother of towns and those around her. The place where a Prophet of God appears is called a lake or pond; a place where water remains and collects. ~J~ means, blessed; gifted " the mother of towns," for it is out of it that men drink Rpiritual milk, even as II.child sucks with ble~sing; aboun,ding in good (Lane). milk from the breast of its mother. The words, rl (m.other), apart from its primary meaning, those around her, are intended to include the also signifies: sour!)e, origin, foundation whole earth. The earth being round, all parts or basis; support or cause of subsistence; of it lie around the place where the Holy the main or chief part of a thing; anything to i.e. Mecca. whicb other things are collected .together Or Propbet made bis appearance Thus this verse also proves the universal joined; place of collection or comprehension mission of the Holy Propbet. or cOlubination of a thing. The. word is also applied to inal\imate things, as the Arabs say i.e. the mother of the tree; or ;J~I i' i.J~lil i.e. the Milky Way, viz. the place where the stars are collected together in a great signifies, the mother multitud.e. lS}l1 i' of the towns; the luetropolis; Mecca, becauRe, being tile Qibla, it is the gathering-place of men, or beca.use of all towns it possesses the greatest dignity. In fact, every city is thl' of the smalllr t,owns a.round it (Lane). i' Mf'cca is called lS}l1 i' alf!o hecansl' it is thl' Aource of spiritual foofl for mankind. The words, those who believe in the Heretafter believe therein, signify that II. true believrr in the life to come cannot but believe in the Quranic teaching. In fact, he who has real faith in the life to come will always be anxious to find out the truth in order to ensure his salvation, and he who earnestly seeks after truth will necessarily be led to believe in the Quran, for as the Quran says: those who strive in Our cause-We will surely guide them in OU1 ways (29: 70). Thus belief in the Quran is really a criterion of true faith in the Day of Resurrection. Again, when a man comf'S to have faith in the QnraD, be will naturally try to mould IUiIactiollR accofrling to its teaching'! anJ will be constant in his Prayers.

Commentary:
This vprse fnrt.ller f'xplains thf' rational :1fgllment contained in the words, you hal'e been

il~

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM
~ ~ ~ ~---~-

CH.6
"9 I
Ir." 7"'"

94. And awho is more unj lIst than he who forges a lie against AlJah, or Rays,. 'It has been revealed to me,' while nothing has been revealed to him; and who says, 'I will send down the like of that which A]J~h l)3,s sent down?' And if thou couldst only see, when the wrongdoers are in the agonies of death, and the angels streteh forth their hands, saying, 'Yield up your souls. hThis day shaH you be awarded the punishment of disgrace, hecause of that which you spoke against AUah falsely and because you turned away from His Signs with disdain.'836
~ '-~-~

"'rt""r~ ,1' 1~ "', 'Ill'" '" ~I J ~J\~~~\~(S~'~~ld.J

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.

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.

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b46 : 21.

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~---~--~-

a6 : 22; 7 : 38; 10: 18; 11 : 19; 61 : 8.

~-_._-836. Commentary:
This verse gives another reason of the fact that the Quran is the revealed word of God. If this Book, saye the verse, is not the word of God, then he who has forged this lie agai))st God is the most guilty of men and cannot escape divine punishment. But the verse also reminds deniers or Jejectors that if the Quran is not a. forged Book but the word of God, as it actuaUy is, then they are as .great offenders as the one who forges a lie against God. In this caRe, it will be they who will be visited with divine punishment. The second sentence, i.e., orsays, It has been revealed to me while notMng ltas been revealed to hi'm, may he taken as an exrlanation or elaboration of the first sentence, i.e. wlwforges a lie ago,inst Allah; or the first sentence is general, while the second is particular. For instance, fa]';!>ly to ascribe any teachin~ to God will come under the first category, and to claim falRely that God has Rpoken to him particular wordR wiJ] COlnr under the second. By Raying, I 1lJill,yend d01lJnthe like of tllat which Allah lla,y sent dO'uJn,a disbeliever only borrows the phraseology of those whom he addresses, viz., believerR. Being a disbelif'Vrr in divine revelation. he does not be]jcvr that God sends down anything, so he only quotes thr expression made use of by believers concrrp)ng divine rrvcJation. Another instance of such usage is to be met with in 5 : 44. The word,'!, if thou couldst only see, signify that if anyone should witness the tornwnt,which the deniers of Prophets undergo whrn their souls leave their bodies, he would at once realize how severe is the torment of those who reject a divine Messenger. This torment if; not to be identified with the ordinary agonirs of death, which are shared, undrr thr general Jaw of naturp, hy rightl'ous and :unrighf,r.ous alike, but to the specific punishment, that clingB to the rrjectors of Prophets from thp very monwnt of their rlp:1.th. Thr "punishment of il.isgrace " mentioneil. in thl' latter part of the versr rl'fers, as thl' words" thiR day" indicatl', not to the pun.ishment of He]! hut to thr punishment which sinners hegin to undergo immediately after death aT}i[ heforr the Day of Resurrection. This is known as AJI ,,:,IJ. ('Adhab al-Qrthr) i.e. punis1nnent in the grave, in l,glamic religious terminology.

719

cn.6

A!--AN'AM

PT. 7

95. And now ayou come to Us one by one even as We created you at first, an~ you have left behind you that whICh \Ve bestowed upon you, and We see not with you your interwere partners 1.V~th God m your affaIrs. Now you have been cut off from one
.

"~/ 1yA

\'/(i;'I-:Vf' J --'~~
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, l>.)i>'U~~~

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:~~ l~r//'r."y.,9 9 ~// .,-('!\// r\S.J'\J~ .~~-*;!>--'~~~~;;; /

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cessors of whom .you ass~rted that t~ey j,'~\~~\~dJj,;J~~!~ ~..,

t /'H""'!~".9(f~~ .

";

another and tl)at which you presumed '~I.:J~;~";"

has failed yoU.837

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II

~\f~f I..\AI~

I.

~9 ;t"~I\/ R. 12. 96. V~rily, it is Al1ah Who causes ~ ~..., ~~\,; \.:.~.\;;1.Y"1.) tIle gram and the date-stones to ~ sprout. bHe brings forth the living 1//,' ~t,), ","

~\ ~

!.\~ ~\ -:, \:)...

., '" ~\ ~
.,1

from the dead, and He is the hringer forth of the dead from the living. That
is Allah;
back

j~ ~\ b) ~\ ~ ~\\ ~~
""'"

., , ~,

wherefore,
1838

,then,

are

you
b3 : 28; 10: 32; 30: 20.

turned

, ~ ;;~y

(lI8: 49.

~ or grave being the name given to the place purpose of setting thing8 right or bettering the where souls are kept after death but before con(lition of the recipient. Thus, the sentence. Resurrection. Says the Holy Prophet: "When you have left beh'ind you that which We bestowed anyone dies, a window is opep.ed out for him upon you, means, "We gave you certain things in the grave facing Heaven or Hell as the case so that you might thereby improve your may be" (M1i.jah, ch. On Qab1'). This is of spiritual condition, but you have left theln course not the final retribution but only pre. behind, i.e. you made no use of them, a.nd now paratory to it. the time for their U8e has passed away."
837. Important Words: ~\:.JJ':' (bestowed on you) is derived from . J!,.:. which m~a.ns. he became possessed of whom you supposed to be co-partners with servants, slaves and other depender.ts as well God and who, you imagined, would help you; as gifts, after having been without them. but your connection with them is now com~t. .il1,Jy:- means, God conferred upon him pletely cut off and they are not here with you to render you ar1.Yhelp; they have failed you property as a. favour. The noun J ~I means, slaves, servants and other dependents, or cattle, and become entirely lost to you. camels, etc. gifts (Lane). things meant of the person given to one by God; a gift or The word signifies the bestowal of for the betterment and progress receiving the-m (Mufrad1i.t). Important Words, 838. Commentary: The Quran now proceeds to give arguments from nature to prove the need of revelation an.d divine guidance. Firstly, the attention of man is drawn to the seeds and stones from which trees sprout. How insignificant is the seed, but how it grows and develops The words, We see not with you your intercessors, illl.ply that your hop:\ lay in your mediators,

Commentary: As shown under

.

J y:(bestowal) implies the givingof a thin~for the

nO

p~

'1

AL-AN'AM

CR. 6

97. aIle ca uses the br,eak o,f day; :;il~ 1,1, '\~~,. ~fn,," ~\f{ and bHe made the mght for rest ~'.) ~I-:'~ -' u-:! ~.J?2~~I(..)/\J , , ...' II., '/... I and cthe sun and the moon for fq reckoning time. That is the decree of @> '\"'q.J~17 ~~. J.~t.:; Y:..; ...) . " ~ ..." the Mighty, the Wise,839
.

98. And He it is 1Whohas made the ;~ r~ . I"j;(1 ~ stars for you that you may follow the ~,.
right direction with their help. amidthe darknesses of the land and the sea, ~ \Va have explained the Signs in detail '7"
for a people who pOSSBSSknowlcdge.84O a113 : 2 ;
b25 : 48; 78: 11 ; c 36 : 39-40 ;

D~>J

"!~I\i~ j~

". ~1\..-1 . tS~~.-'

...'

,.

..-

I'" f"r "..~ ~~\~~~\.)~\

.". j, .,,,.,..,

~
...

. 9,

@~~
55: 6. d16 : 17. brings men from. spiritual darkness into light. He takes them out of the darkness of disbelief and sin into the light of faith and virtue. The words, He made the night jor rest, /:lignify that just as a n~an who works during the day gets tired an,d goes to sleep at night and thell gets refreshed, similarly the people among whom the Holy Prophet made his appearance had had a long llight of rest, and so their powers had been, renewed. The Holy Prophet had made his appearance when the time was ripe for it and when the people, with their powers refreshed, were best fitted for work and coUId benefit most by his advent. They were now full of energy and well able to ascend the heights of spirituality under his lead; and so it actually happened.

into a. big tree. Sim.ilarly, you look upon man as a contemptible thing and say, Allah has not revealed anything to any man (6: 92). But man also, whom you imagine to be so despicable, is like a seed and is capable of growing into something great. 'j'he words, He brings fortlt tlte living from the dead, signify that not unoften noble and great men are born of low and iII-bred parents. WIlY then do you wonder and think it impossible tl;1at a righteous man should rise spiritually al\d become recipient of divine favours! Your God has made man after the manner of a seed. He has endowed him with many faculties and has made him capable of great progress. Why do you not then understand and see the truth! 839. Important Words:

By referring to the sun and the moon in this verse, the Quran draws the attention of the t~ (reckoning) is the noun-infinitive deniers of revelation to the fact that, just as froln ~. They say ~ i.e. he in the physical world the SUn and the mOOll llull~bered or counted or reckoned it. i.I\.are indispensable, being measures of time and means, numbering, counting or reckoning; alflo sources of light, so are the ProphetH of God punishlnent, calamity or affiiction with which indispensable in the spiritual world. 0. :man is tried; the revolving firmament (Lane). Commentary: The words, He causes the break of day, signify that just as God causes the dawn to break i.e. the night to change into day, similady He

840. Commentary: The argument embodied in this verse rUllS like this: !' When God has made stars for guidance during the hours of night in the 721

CH.6-

AL-AN'fi..M

PT. .,

, .~ .. 99. And He it is aWho has produced t9",,~9" " j;;-'~~J-:>~ ~~~ you from a single person and there is ?"'~ for you ba home and a lodging. We ,,,7~'-:' . w' I'~\ II~~"" have explained the Signs in detail for ~~~~~~~\ a people who understand.841
a4 : 3; 7 : 190; 39 : 7 ;
~~ ,---,-,--'~"-'~' ~ ,~---~

?"'''''/.-'"

ft

8!J'JJ'~~)".::r}.<9" '" ..9"

u~j

bll : 7.

physical world, would He make no sta.rs for the guidal~ce of man in the spiritual world? The spiritual welfare of man is much m.ore important tha.n his physical welfare; so when God has crea.ted means of guidance for the temporal welfare of man, does it not ::;tand to reason that He should have also provided means for the spiritual guidance of crring humanity? " 811. Important Words: ~)kil (1w.::;produced you). The word kil is derived from ~ which means, he lived; he rose or became high or elevated; he grew up; it became produced or originated. ~, means, he created, produced or originated; he ra.ised or lifted (Lane). he or it settled or became fiCIn or fixed or established; or he or it remained or continued in .L place; or he or it re..ted; or he or it became still or quiet or stationary. ~I gives the same meaning as above. It also means, it subsisted. m.ea.ns;-place or time of settledness; or of permanence and continuance i.e. home; also a resting place (Lane). (lodging) is derived from t:.1 (wada'a) t:';or t..).1 (wadu'a) which means, he or it became still, quiet or at rest. ~~I t.:.1 (wada'a) means, he left off the thing. )It..~ t:.1 means, he left the property with him as a deposit. ~.).J (wadda'a-hu) means, he bade him farewell; hz f;}rsook or de~erted him. )'1. ~.);"I IIleans, he entrusted him with property for safe custody. t:J.me aIl8, a depository; a ,place of safety or security;

child lies before its birth (Lane & Aqrab). Commentary: The cxpfi-'ssiollS }i.- (home) amI t.) J.(lodging) besides giving distinct and indepclIdent meanings are also sometimc!:' use(l to give identical meanings, being interclJangcable. The Quran says _l:.i\. r~J)l1 t.i }>J i.e. And We cause what We will to remain in the wombs (22 : 6). Again it says.}:- ,/ J~IJ IJ.1 i.e. and for yOU there is an abode in the lJarth (2: 37). From these two verses it appears t.hat according to the Qura1), "the womb" of the mother and" the enth," though places of t('mporary residence, arc each a JU- i.e. a resting-place or a home for men. Corresponding to these, "the womb" may be called a ~J.- i.e. a 10Clging or a depository. 'rhe next world is truly a }i.i.e. a home for man. In faot these are really relative terms, the same place being hoth a

(home)

is derived

from vi which means,

t.

}i.- and a t..)J-

in reference to different

things. Agail}, a place mr.y he called a }i.(home) because one stays therein, and it may be called a }i.- (lodging) hecause it provides security. The verse signifies that wht'll God has multiplied humanity out of one individual, it Gould not be without a purpose. 'I'hc great object for which He }las oreated and multiplied humall beings is that He has !tPpointed for them not only a period of residence on this earth but also an everla::;ting life beyond the grave where the righteous will meet the Lord-a. lofty goal to which they can rise under the guidance of divine . Messengers. 7~

womb or the parlof

the body in which the

PT. 7

AL':'AN'AM
.------_.-

tH.6
\~.,,"

100. And it is aHe Who sends down water from the cloud; and We bring forth therewith every kind of growth; then We bring forth with that green foliage wherefrom We produce clustered grain. And from the datepalm. out of its sheaths, come forth bunches hanging low. And We produce therewith bgardens of grapes, an~ ~he olive and. the pomegranate-smlll~r and dissimilar. Look at the fnut t,]lercof when it bears fruit, and the ripening thereof. Surely, in this are Signs for a people who believe;842
-'

" ,,9,:, 9 c-: """f{~'-:' . i." '" " '" r \ "~~'~7 ~: ~ ;~~ cJ o. ... .:Y' {y;,o . , ~ ,;(,,,,, ... ,'" 1~\ . \ ~M'" ~ \..:~\I ~j ~ 'l'Wr~~"'''? \ ~ ."p. .."')C)~ ~~
.

~4;'\j ~

z:~~~(:~I\~ J';I cSJJ\~,;

'-",

,,,,,,,--,,

~/

" ,!,'<. ; \ {, ~.9 ""r~ ~ I "'... . u \.:.>\ ...A ~"''''.. . . A (.;)\..0 (.:) --.I .J -~ V --' ~ .~j' \~ ~ r"""'""v" ~ :,.. ~ .

,;:.'~ -""/:~ b,..\ ~,; ~ II' \ ~ I .. ...J~ .~'" I~"'~

. \ "\) :." . J II' ~9'9J,Ac:;.~""""'~ ~-'

"T
~~

e~~~~-~\~;1' ~~.:;;. \~~

u -_. ,' "-'------

"",.,9

,,,,.-

11"
~u -----

j)
""

' " ,)u,='d / \willi'

._, , -_.-

,.

- -

-~-~----

a14:33;
--. ' -----------

16:11;

22:61;

35:2~.

be;

: 142; I a : 5.

Commentary: 842. Important Words: III this verse revelatiou is likened to mil~-water' If';. (clustered) is derived from ~)J. and the verse al~swers the question why there They say ~).J i.e. he rode it or nwuuted it ; is discord and strife at the advent of ProphetS, it got upon it or it became sU}Jerincumbellt jf revelatioI~ is indeed a blessing. The ver::;e lUeans, it layonc part UpOIl UPOll it. ~'j S!~ys that just as by min-water a.1I kinds of another; it was or became hea.ped or piled up. vegetation grow up, both bad and good, accordSo I;' n~eans, piled or clustered together ing to the seeds lying concealed in the earth, one above another (Aqrab). sim.ilarly at the advent of divine revelation, Cb (sheaths) is froID. the verb tt. (lala'a) i.e. he men, sofar remaining mixed up, become divided or it rose or appeared or camc forth. into good and bad. The good ones accept the is what comes forth from the pa.lm tree and Messenger of God, help him and become pious oecomes da.tes; the spathe or flowers of the and holy, like trees wJ1ichbear good fruit or palm tree (Lal\C). like shrubs which bring forth beautiful flowers or like herbs which give out a sweet odour; iJl.."u (bunches) is the plural of p which bad oneH-who ill. derived from 1:.;. They say JII.II:.; i.e, but there arc others-the he acquired and amassed property for himself. oppose the Prophet, persecute his followers ;; means, a bunch of dates (Aqrab). and act corruptly in the earth. 'rhese are like trees which bear bitter fruit or like flowerlesl> .~ (the ripening thereof). is from the aI~d thorny bushes or like plant.s and herbs verb e... (yaM'a). 'l'hey say ~I t!- i.e. the which give out a bad smell. fruit became ripened a.nd fit for gathering; (similar and 'fhe words ~~ it (fruit, etc.) bechme red. ~~ means, the ..I'.f J ~ is both the noun-ill.1initive from dissimilar) imply that whereas some fruita ripe fruit. (yana'a) in which case it means resemble each other, SOlnediffer frOIll others. the verb the ripening of a fruit, and the plural of ~~ This may apply either to fruits of different in which case it means the ripe frUlts kinds, which resemble one another in certain respects and differ in others, or to fruits of the (Aqrab).

e e

723

CH.6

At-AN' AM

PT. 7

101. And athey hold the Jinn to be ~'\ ' !./~"~~.~.;('i'-'~. .;. \ )~ ~..J I .J.o~~~-, I J ~ partners with Allah, although He '\.J~'.) created them; and they falsely ascribe r k''-.- -,,, I~ l... .'~ '.:; ~ -' ~ ~ . ~",,,,,,;, " to Him sons and daughters without' ~-Cc- ~ -.:...s.~ ~\:.,-' ~ . ~~ any knowledge. Holy is He and t...,~ .exalted far above what they attribute @t)~ to Him !8;i3

~":'

a2:1l7;

9:31;

10:19.

:;a.me kind which, although rescmbling one verse points out that ill the beginning there a.nother il\ the main points, differ from one are bound to be weaknesses and shortcomings another in minor details, some tasting sweeter even in believers just as there is bound to than others and some varying in colour or be sourness in the taste of an unripe or size. The same i:; the case with those who uudeveloped fruit. So it is not just to deny believe in the Prophets and follow divine the usefuh\ess of revelation on the basis of guidance. Although they bear great resemblance weaknesses that are to be met .with in to one another, yet there are differences believers whose spiritual condition is Dot yet uetwecn them, some heing morally and fully developed. spiritually more ad.vanccd than others. Again, The verse must beautifully thaw:s attentioll sollIC are advanced in on.e phase of spiritual to three impurtan.t points that can be deduccd growth, while others are advanced in another. from the analogy of the various kinds of Among the Companions of the Holy Prophet, vegetation that grow as a rClmlt of rain: too, we see that one uecame an Abii Bilkr, (1) that rain brings forth both gOOtl and bad anuther an 'Dmar, and an.other an 'Dthma.n and vegetation (believers and disbelievcrs) ; (2) that yet another an 'AU and so on. Th~y attained even in good fruits (believers) some variety to different stages of spirituality and developed is to be found i.e. poin.ts of sim.ilarity different phases, according to their respective and dis-similarity; and (3) that in the early natural capacities and dispositions. stage of development even good fruits arc 'fhe words, the ripening thereof, refer to an not sweet and may even be I;our. implicd obj~tion that might be raised by the deniers ofrevelation.-namely, that even. those who accept divine revelation do I\ot all become purc a.nd holy. 'fhe above-quoted words answcr this objection by pointing to the analogy of the ripening of fruit. The people are asked first to note the condition offruits when they are yet unripe and then see how sweet and delicious they become after becoming ripe. Just as it is UI\a.ir to judge a fruit by an un ripe specimen, :similarly, it is unfair to find fault with the fruits of revelation on the basis of such individuals as are. yet in the process of develop. ment and have not attained to perfection. The 843. Important Words: (the linn) is derived from the verL iY: '*' i.e. he covered up or concealed. 1'he word here signifies such beings as remain aloof from the people, a:; if remaining concealed, e.g., kings and other potentates. In its wider signi.ficance the word extends tu angels and other hidden creatures. See also 2 : 26; 6: 77 & 6: ]29. (they falsely ascribe) is derived frolll 'fhey say'; i.e. he made a hole il\ it, or he cut it or tore it. ~J~I':;?, means, he traversed or crossed the land by journeying

.:;r.

I"';

so as to reach the furthest part thereof.

724

FT. 7

AL-AN'AM

CH.6

. 13

~,~ ~\ 1..~~\,; 102. 'lThe Originator of the heavens ~ ~\" (0,\ ~~ '..o";~~\1 ~. and the earth! How can He have a ~w.) 'U(:)~ <.JUf ". J. ,;J c}:,~ Ron when He has no consort, and when 1." [/ {' ~.. -='9 """,; .. ," ..' '. I .9"" 'd.::>~ aj ::P He )las created everything a,nd }WR .,.,~J" ~ J... ~ .$-.,-, knowledge of an things ?844 10

~~
~"",;J.

't!J~

''1'1'" ~ :.

~
J.

103. bSnch is A]}ah, your JJord. There J.:'/' ... , is no ow) bllt He, cthc Creator of :111 ~Jb ~
thingF;, so worship Him. And Guardian ovor everything.84f'
-~ ,~-~ ~~'

'J '" ,,9';. :~\~z.."'jl

~t'l ' ~J~I

-+ --"-, - -,---

,~

H(~ is
~ ...

'"

.,

e ~J
"--,------

~I ,(-:; ~"1. L1- Il~. ,d'; 1::1' 'J ,., f~

'"

($' ~ U-~.J
-.

~.J4-"

,--~

a2:lJS.
--.

'

bW: I)~.
-~---~'--'---~ "' ~'

t: 13 :

J7 ; 39: 63.
'---

,,:,AJI J.r means, he forged t\e lie. Sometimes

the word J.r even when used without a qualifying word means, he forged a lie, or he lied, or he falsely ascribed something to l'Iomebody (Tiij). Commentary: 'l'his ver,;e draw~ attention to the way in which man stumbles when he rejects divine revelation and follows his own judgement and reason. It calls upon the reader to mark the difference hetween divine and man-made teachinb 1. Men. unguided by divine light and following their own reason, have strayed so far away from the path of rectitude that some suppose the linn (kings, etc.) to be co-partners with God, as did the Egyptians in the time of Moses; while others attribute sons and daughters to Him, as do the Christians, who have deified Jesus an.d believe him to be the son of Gocl. A cOlnparison of these man-made teachings with those revealed by God definitely proves the n('('a of Ilivine revelation.

plural, extending even to remotr off.~pring. Thus the word mrans, a child, a son, a daughter, or any young one; childrf'n, sons, daughters, or young 0)1(>1"; also CJffsprint.{ (Lanf'). Commentary: After making a rf'ferenee to J)1un-madl' teachings, the Qurnn proc('rds to givl' divin!' teachings. There are only two ways by which one can have a son, either by a wife or by adoption. As for the first way, God has no spouse, so He cannot have a son. Christians call Jrsus the son of God, but they do not caJl Mary the consort of God. If, however, Jesus was thf\ son of God by adoption, then that does not entitle him to a higher spiritual status than other human being.'!, for any other man might as well have brrn adopted by God aR His son. Again, as God is the Crf'ator of everything and posl!essf's J*rfN,t knowlf'dgl', He does not stand in neN} of R.I';on. 845. Commentary: God, being the Crf>ntor of all things ann heing Guardi:m over them, can alone be t.})e true Deity. If there is anything whjth He bas not crf>atl'cl or of whirl] HI' is not. the lUardian, thfHl He cannot be perff'ct.

844. Important

Words:
lJ(' or

JJ" (soli) is fr01l\ the Vl'rh JJ" mr:min~,

slJ(' hrt.{ot. or hrought. forth a dlild or a youn~ OIl(>. The word .t1" (waladun) or .t1" (wuldun) or J1" (toaldun) is Vf':ry comprf'l]f'nsiYf> in it$ nwaninJt. It not only si~nifies malt' fema}l' but is also l1srd as singular IInd or

725

CH. 6

AL-AN'AM

PT. 7
~( "9 j'~'" . ~, ~ " ~ yb -'...) CUJJ.j ~ ~~~
.

104. Eyes can not reach Him but He reach's the eyes. And aHe is the Incomprehensible, t})CAll-Aware.846

", ;,~r;"~i ,

~ ,))~

""

'"

".

@~\~I I.."

'.'"

a22 : 64 ; G7 : 15. 846. Important Words ~ 4j. 'i (cannot. rf>acn Him). !oJ JJi is derived from ~J,)I whir.h again i!'! de:rivPcl from !1J,). They say O'"J,)I i.e. }w or it, attained, reached or overtook it. Jt, also means, he perceived it.; or he at.tained knowIpdge of it; or hl\ attained perfect knowledge of it; or he comprehended. it.. TIle word also mean!'!, he or it. attained pubrrty or maturity or ripeness (Lane). J~I (eyrs) is the plural of J"""! which means. eye or sight, or understanding or perspicacjty ('Aqrab). God. It. is God Himself Who reaches the r.ye!'! (viI. human understanding) and reveals Himself t.o man, i.e., God has. on the one hand. placed in lmman mind a power to search after and know Him. and, on the other , He 8rnds down revelation to man, tht>rf>by making Himsf'1f known to him. Revdation also helps to kindle inhuman reason a light by mean!.' of which man is enabled to know God: The two dIvine attribute!" ~I (Iilcom. prehem.ible) and J':~I (All-Aware) JurniBh in .a most bl'autiful ma~ner the reas()n of the two claims mad~ in the opening words of the verse. The first claim is that Eyes cannQt reach Him, the corresponding reason being sta1.f>dto hr that He is Subtle 'and IncomprehRnsible and, being so, He cannot bt>comprehended by h1nnlm reason alone. The second. claim i8 t,hat He reache,~the eye,~, the corresponding reason being stated to be that He is All-AtDare and, being i'0. He knows tbat mankind stands in need of knowing Him without which there can be no spiritual life, so He Himself approacl1es man and reveals Himself to him. The two claims have thus been followed. in a perfect natural, order. by two corresponding reasoD'!. The reader gJlould note what. wise orr]f>rgovern!'! the arrangf'ment oftbe wordsofthr Quran. They have not been put together at random, but each word haR been put in the most appropriate place and is meant t.o fulfil a gr{>atpurpoSt\.

~
~.

(Incomprehensible)
~.. They say J~I~

is derived from (laJuJa) i.e., the

thing wag or became smaH, thin or fine. .~ ~ i.e. lalafa (with different vowel point on t1w central letter) means, he was kind, gent.Je awl affectionate to him. ...AJ.1meanR : (1) gf>ntlf>, gracious, and kind; (2) subtle, abstruse or racondit~; (3) knower of the RubtletieR and obscurities of things. It is one of the attribute~ of God (Taj. Lisan & Aqrah).

Commentary:

Some' persons may claim tlHlt t.}\(.y can know or reach God by mean!'! of rea'lon or Ulifrr'rstanding alone. 'I'he Quran forcefully ref rites this idea by sayin~, Byes CGntu>treach Him.. i.e.. human reason alont', unaided by divine help, is incapable of knowing or reaching

'l'lf}

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM
'':i ?_-:\~ h'V ~"'~ ~.."~. '" ~ ...'J'D! I~ ;.t.)~.Y~ ' I
.

CH::6'

105. uproofs have indeed come to you from your Lord; so whoever sees, it is for his own good; and whoever becomes bJind, it is to his own harm. And I am not a guardian over yoU.847 106. And bthusdo We vary the SignR that the truth may become established, but the result is that they say, 'Thou hast learnt well;' and We vary the Signs that We may explain it to a people who have knowledge.818 107. cFollow that which lIas been revealed to thee from thy Lord; there i~ no god but He; and turn aside from the idolaters.
"7 : 204. 847. Commentary:
The word j~ (proofs) also helps to explain the words, He reaches the eyes, occurring in the preceding verse and signi1is that God reveals proofs by means of which man becomes able to know Hhn. By 'I proofs" is llere meant the divine Signs and evidences sent by God.
.

'"

@A'.';;~

,.~~.
'"

" :~'\"

t\ \;' .J~~ '" r-~" "': """. ~;

,.. 9,...9

,...,

1. ~..-\>~ V'"'''' T~ . ffi.s-. J.

~I-:'.."~I' '"
-;'" ."

/'

..'", \ '-'.).bJ -:-:I~' ~.) ~ ~..., '-J;; ~ M: .. ",.. -' -' ", ",
"" ,...

,...~ ,

,.\-.:.\,

? 7!)"

.w .

/.

8C)~~~
,... I

, ,/,,,

~"

,,'J ~ ~ ~,""" , ~ c":"lou'" 7 ":I~ " " ~~~~!4J!;J ~;~~)~-"~&l

"'~(" 8~~!,.~, .. ..p7 ,...

6'

v--~

.o~1

.. ,.....

hI: 59.

cw : 110; 33: 3.

----------

Commentary: The verse purports to say, " We have explaint'o Our teachings in variouR ways with the result that believerA have acquired pt'rfect beHef in them, while disbeJievf'TA have rejected t,henl, The duty of the Holy Prophet deRCribrrl in saying, . You have learnt these teaching.'J from the words, 1 Ufn not a guardian over you, is Jews and ChristiIH1Aand are now repeating them only to convey what is revealed by God; to us.''' The verb ':'-.1,) (thou hast leanlt weU) Taking it is not his business to compel people to lIas thus been used here ironically. be!ieve in God. Thus tIle Vf>rsealso provides the transitive meaning of ':'-.1,) the clause would a refutation of the baAeJrss chargf' that. Islam mean that disbelievers reject the t.eachings, countenancpscompulRionin the propagation of sayjng, "You have read or recited the Signs religion. and teacbings you claim to have brought. to us and we have heard them. That is t'Jjough; a48. lmportant Words: do not bother us any Ipore." ':'-.1,) (t.hou hast leamt Wf>JI)is derived from \/".1,)which means, it became etraced, erased In fad, wl1PreSI!the teaehings be!lefit those who acceptthemt oftha Quran they aerVe-

The words, whoever sees, mean, whoever makes use of his reason after proofs have been revealed to him by God. Similarly the words, whoever becomes blind, refer to such pers0)1s as shut their .eyes to aU truth and virtnaHy make themselves blind.

or obliterated; or transitively, it effaced, erased or obliterated. '-;I.JJI cJ"J,)means, the cloth became old and worn out. Similarly, '-;I.JJIU"J,)means, he rendered the cloth old anti worn out. '-;It3\)11)".1,) means, he read the book or he read it repeatedly so as to remember it; or he made it easy to remember hy 1)111cb reading; or he learnt. or studied it (Lane).

7'!l

CR. 6

AL-AN'AM
.

PT. 7

108. And if Allah had enforced His will, tb.ey would not have set up gods with God. And aWe have not made thee a keeper over them nor art thou over them a guardian.849

,.~ ~ ,.. I't:: ,,.- "I -,.,. ~~~;b~~\~~\;lZi~; ..,

I "t":. '. ~..~ @ ~ ~~ ' ,a.'l:'~, ~"'t;~ ~.... ",
~ ",,/

1-

'9",,. ,,9., /. 109. And revile not those whom they 9 ,N .. .. """ "'~Jj"" ~ ~ )" call npon beside Allah, lest they, out ~~\~).>~t)~~ct" . . \ 1/ ..9 of spite, revile Allah in their ignorance. "/9 /AI :1"1. " \. "'-: f. ~.,/~.. w ILt r~~/ Thus bunto every people have We ~w ~~ ~W- c:ti1t ,. .." ;.,\ \ ~ ~ ..J.. ~ caused their doing to seem fair. Then /J. ~y/// ,,-;,., " "" JI .." unto their Lord is their return; and ~'J~':-9{.", ~j-4",c~].J ...~ ;~ He will inform them of what they ", used to do.85O 'fr~
.

@(.:)~~~ .. !.,.Jt>
"-

~~.

a39

: 42: 42: 7 ; 88 : 23.

b6 : 123; 9: 37; 10: 13; 27: 5; 40: 38; 49: 8.

the purpose of establighing the guilt of those who reject them so that they become
answerable to God for their rejection.

accept the truth, the Holy Prophet also cannot compel anybody, for he is only a Me~senger
of God. The words

(keeper)

and

J(.J

849. Commentary: The Arabic' words rendered' as, if .Allah had ~f()1fced His will, they would not have set up
gods with God, do not, and indeed cannot,

mean, as SOme may suppose, that the idolaters commit sins because God so wiHs. They only mean that God has made man a free agent in matters of faith and has not forced His will on him. If He had enforced His will and compE'lled man to believe and act rightly, man could not have gone against His will. But in His infinite wisdom, He has made man a free agent in this respect. The verse thus makes it clear that Allah does not compel any person to accept the truth but leaves it to his option. If He had thought of compelling tIle people, He would certainly have compelled them to follow the truth; but in the interests of man himself it has not plf'asNl God to use compulsion. The conduding words, We have,wt made tkee a keepe.y over them, nor..an thOtS over them a guardian, are also intended to echo th(' same truth, i.e., just as God does not compel man to

(guardian or disposer of affairs) aie intrnded to signify that the Prophet is neither responsible for the actions of disbeJievers lJOr is he the disposer of their affairs. For a funer discussion ofthe words ~ and J(.J see 3: 174 & 11 : 58. 850. Commentary: In the foregoing verses, the Quran has spoken rather contemptuously of the utter helplessness of the false deities whom people associate with God. This might lead some Muslims to revile 011' false deities of the polytheist.f\; thE' present veJs!' warns them against following such a course. God has denounced the idols in His rapacity as II judg(', and the denunciation of a jud~(' is not considered as abuse, but as a necessary expression of opinion. This does not give oth('rs tlw right to abuse the persons condemJwd by th(' H('avE'nly Judge and ther('by offend tbeir f('elings, or the feeHngs of thos(' who love and respect them. The verse provid('s yet another reason for this noble teaching. It purports to say, if you, 0 Muslims, revile disbelievers' false gods whom they treat with love aDd reverencl', the result wiUbe tbat tbey

72

PT. 7

AL-AN'AM

CR. 6
~

llO. And they swear their strongest oaths by Allah that if there came to them a Sign, they would surely believe therein. Say,' Surely, Signs are with Allah. But what should make yon understa.nd tha.t when the Signs come, they wjJl not believe? '851 lll. And We hearts and their not therein at (JWe shall leave
~ '

r, t .., .. ~ ~;' r {'" " .,( "' f "~~ciJ ., '~t " jz. aLv .~\ .. ~ . ~~".. ',;. ~

-'

., "", ~ 1 1'r;; Jjj ~\1.J~I~~~I4J1 ."",..

~!.".,.9V"'" "".'" "",~

@(:>~~~ ~~~ Ijl~1

'" ..~;'

J;

.. "91~.""9 ~~.

- ,f:o::'
../!,..
~

,,~~

..,~ ,~,I

shall eyes, the them

'

confound their as they believed first time, and in tl}eir trans852

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.-

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. ;' I"

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--. -""n -

t "".9""".,

't.ig,.
..

gression to wander in distraction.

,-'..-----

~~">W,-,~'6yo tt ~ ~
, ~

"J~-;-:'''-::;'

It"

a2: 16.
- ~-~... '--- ~~----~
.

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--- - .--

~ -.

-'

"-.

will be excited by your abuse and wjJl retaliate by reviling God in return. The verse thu8 not only inculcates respect for the feelings of others but also assures amity between nations and commuDities.
.

Commentary: The latter part of the verse may also be rendered thus: Say," Surely, Sign~ are with A]]ah, and that (too is with AUah) whic]) will make you know that when it comes, they will not believe." In this rendering, the partide to rendered in the text as "what" wou1c1 be taken as a relative pronoun, in the srnse of ($.ij' i.e. " tl)at" and not as an interrogative pronoun. According to this rendering, the words" and that (too is with AJJah) which wiH make you know that whrn it comeR, they will not believe" would r{'fer to the punislmwnt of God and the dause would mean t]Jat not only arc oHJer Signs with God, but t}w Sign of punis)mwnt, iR nlso wid) Him and t))at whr)] that. Sign C01\Ors, you will Sf'r that, it. will
do t]}('J}) )]0 gooo.

The expression ~j (have We caused to seem fair) signifies not that God has actua]]y beautified pvil actions but that He ha~ so created the nature of man (and in this law of God lies the secret of man's progress) that when he goes on doing a thing for some length of time1 he acquires a liking for it, and his action be~ns to appear good in hi:::sight. So, in accordance with this general law of Go(l, idolaters ]Jave also come to ]ike dleir worf/hip of idols, which appears to them to he good and meritorions. 851. Important Words: Ii I (8nrdy) is considered
of cJl and

to he a compound
ff'f4rirtionof that

to.

It

imports

which it precedf's to that which fo]]ows it" givin'g the sense of " oll]Y." The QUfan says:

852. Commentary: Thr vcrse Hignifies that. w]len th<' Signs of Goo comr; tlH'Y will do the disbe]ievrrs no good; God wi]] turn away t]wir hearts and their r}"f'Rfrom t}!~ Signs so that they wjJJ not bdiev(>. Thill turniJIg away of their ]iearts and t}Jeir eyl's from t]le Signs of Ged wiJ] be th' rf'su1t of their hasty d(>Jlial of the Signs of God at t}H~very ont~<;f't,wbieh will have bardeh(>d thf'ir hearts and dl'priVl'd them of tbf.>power

.,~ ..:.~.L.aI1 Ie'l i.e.

the

~ada'qat

(the

Ilhn8)

are

mea.nt only for t.])f' poor, etc. But the word does not always import, rf'stricf.ioJl but sometimes only corroboration of aIJ affirmation, giving tIle sense of" verily" or " surely," as in tbe tradition ~I.;~)I iii i.e. vnj]y, (one form of) usury is in the deJay of payml'Jlt (Lane & Aqrab).

7~