S36. SURAH YASEEN

NAME: The surah begins with two letters, Ya and Seen, and therefore it is named Yaseen.
TIME OF REVELATION: From the topics it is surmised that it might have been revealed in the last part of the middle Meccan period, and it is also felt that it might have been revealed after the Surah Fatir, for in that surah the mention of the warner (Nazeer) was made in the outline, while in this surah it is done with more detailed clarification.
CENTRAL THEME: To warn against the consequence of the Hereafter in such a way that the negligent people may wake up, and they may worry about their future and their salvation. The Prophet has been sent for performing this very duty.
ORDER OF VERSES: In Ayat Nos. 1 to 12 the testimony of Quran is given on the coming of the Prophet and it has been clarified that the Prophet has been sent to warn the negligent people. In Ayat Nos. 13 to 32 the example of a township has been presented which shows that the township was destroyed because it had rejected its messenger from Allah. Ayat Nos. 33 to 50 guide to the sign of monotheism and provide answers to the objections of the deniers. In Ayat Nos. 51 to 65, the scenes of the Day of Resurrection have been presented in such a way that the reader feels that the day of Resurrection has actually occurred and he is witnessing it.
Ayat Nos. 66 to 68 carry a warning to the deniers. In Ayat Nos. 69 to 83 answers are given to the doubts of the deniers about monotheism, prophethood, and the life in the Hereafter. Narratives About Importance: About the importance and greatness of this surah, Tirmizi has quoted this hadith from Anas (R) that the Messenger of Allah stated that Yaseen is the heart of Quran. Along with this it is also stated that this hadith is ‘hasan, gharib’, and one of its narrators is Haroon Abu Mohammad, who is unreliable. (See Tirmizi, Abwab-i-Fazailul Quran).
The other hadith is of Abu Dawood, in which he has quoted a hadith narrated by Maqil bin Yasar that the Messenger of Allah had stated: “Read Yaseen on those who are dying.” -(Abu Dawood -Kitabul Janaiz). This narrative has been stated by Abu Uthman who has done this through the agency of his father to Maqil bin Yasar. But Imam Zahbi writes about Abu Uthman that neither his father is known nor he. (See Meezanul E’tidal Vol.4 page 550).
Narratives of this theme have been quoted in Musnad Ahmed and other books of hadith, but from the viewpoint of sources they cannot be relied upon, therefore, they cannot be considered as the sayings of the Messenger of Allah. And it is also not proved that the companions of the Prophet used to read this surah at the time of the dying moments of anybody.

36. SURAH YASEEN Ayah: 83

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. Ya seen.1

2. By the Quran full of wisdom.

3. Verily, you are of those sent (as messengers).2

4. On a straight path,3

5. A dispatch from the above (revelation) of the Mighty, the Merciful. 4

6. So that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, and therefore, they are heedless. 5

7. Already Our word has proved true in the case of most of them,6 that is why they do not believe.

8. Verily, We have put round their necks shackles reaching to their chins, so that their heads are forced up.7

9. And We have set a barrier before them and a barrier behind them, and (thus) have covered them, so that they do not see.8

1. Some commentators have stated the meaning of Yaseen to be ‘O Man! ‘and according to some it stands for the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. But these are neither proved by the dictionary nor by the hadith.
Separate alphabetical letters, as we have stated, refer to some important topics of the surahs (See Surah Baqarah Note No.1 and Surah Yunus Note No.1 ). In this Surah, Ya hints at the words ‘Ya hasratan alal ibadah’ (Alas, for the slaves! Ayah No.30). And Seen points to the words ‘Salamun Qaulam mir Rabbi Raheem’ (In the Paradise for them there would be the greeting of their Merciful Lord, Peace! -ayah No.58). In other words in this surah there is an expression of sorrow on the condition of those slaves who do not believe in the truth of the Prophet, but ridicule him, and on the other hand there is glad tidings for the believers that their Merciful Lord will greet them with Salaam.

2. In Arabic on such occasions oath signifies witness or testimony, that is the thing which is used as the medium of oath, it is presented as an argument and proof. Here also Quran which is full of wisdom is being presented as a proof of the prophethood of Muhammad, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.
Whosoever studies Quran with an open mind will definitely feel that :-
Firstly the level of knowledge in Quran is very high. It makes great addition to the knowledge of man, and solves for him the mysteries of the universe and unveils the realities about the human life.
Secondly it takes man to unimagined heights and grants it sublimity.
Thirdly it stimulates the capabilities of thinking and contemplation and sharpens the intellect.
Fourthly its teaching are very exalted and quiet in harmony with the human nature.
Fifthly it establishes the balance of justice and teaches to be just even with the enemies.
Sixthly it presents the lost pages of history in which there is a great moral for humanity and it informs about what is going to happen in the future.
Seventhly it grants purity to man’s outward appearance and his innerself and breathes such a spirit in him that he tastes the reality of life.
Suchwise words which totally change a man’s life and take him to the pinnacle of progress must necessarily be the divine revelation. And when it is a divine revelation, then naturally its presenter must be a messenger from Allah. In short, Quran’s being a Book of wisdom to the extent of being a miracle is an open proof of the fact that the unlettered person who presented it was a messenger from Allah. And it is such a proof which will last till the last day of the world, so that people of every age may accept him as the true messenger of Allah.

3. Straight path means that path which straightway takes to Allah and that is the path of Tawheed,(monotheism), which is Islam.
In the Surah Fatiha slaves’ prayer sought for the straight path of guidance, it is this very straight path on which the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, walked.

4. That is: The Being who revealed this Quran is Mighty and also Merciful. To refer to these two attributes is to clarify that Quran is the decree of that Being whose power covers everything, therefore, rejecting it or not caring for it is not an ordinary thing, but it will be a very great disobedience, which would call for His severe punishment; and if you accept His decree then you can deserve to receive His mercy.

5. Means Arabs that is Bani Ismail, among whom after Ismail there was no prophet and no warner. The time of Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail is about two thousand years before the Christian Era. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) declared his prophethood in 610 Christian Era, i.e. there was a prophet among the Arabs after about two and a half thousand years. No prophet was sent in Arabia for a very long time because Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail had left very deep marks in Makkah by building the House of Ka’ba and by introducing the system of salat and the Hajj pilgrimage, and what was necessary for a small and uncultured society, commands of Shariah, which were there in the form of the Sunnah of Ibrahim. And the arrangements for reminder and reorientation could be made through Prophet, Shuaib (Peace be upon him) who lived in the north Arabia and especially through Prophets Moosa and Eesa (Peace be upon them.) That is, their followers settled in the nearby townships, and the teachings of religion was reaching them all right. Therefore, it will not be correct to think that for such a very long time they were in darkness and no arrangement was made for them for getting guidance. Here actually what is proposed to convey to the Arabs is that when after such a long time a prophet is coming to them, they should appreciate and pay due respects to him that Allah has bestowed His great favours on them, arranged for them awakening from their sleep of negligence, and the light of guidance which had become dim, He had arranged to brighten. But they are not appreciating the Prophet, as if they do not need a messenger from Allah nor do they need any guidance.

6. Means Allah’s words, when He had addressed Iblees and had said:
“With you and with those who will follow you, I will fill in, with all these, the Hell” -(Surah Saad -85)
It means that many of these people had chosen to follow Satan and thus made themselves liable to go to Hell. Here particularly are meant those polytheists of Makkah to whom the message of Allah had been convincingly conveyed. Inspite of these many of them did not accept faith and died in the state of disbelief or were destroyed in battle. In Makkah there were very few people who embraced Islam sooner or later.

7. By shackles are meant the blind following of the customs of their forefathers. When they chose to wear these shackles round their necks, then Allah’s law of misguidance allowed them to do so. These shackles reached their chins, so their heads were forced up, i.e. in their ignorance and misguidance they were so proud that they did not want to bow down before Allah. Thus it has become clear that in the matter of belief and religion, blind following of the customs of forefathers creates pride and vanity in men and it makes them transgressors. It is the duty of every individual that he should seek truth and should use his intelligence in a proper way.

8. This is the picture of those misguided people to whom the signs that would lead to truth spread over all around them are not visible, and it is not visible because between them and the truth there is the wall of prejudice. Similarly they do not learn any lesson from the terrible end of the past nations, because there is also a wall between them. The curtains of prejudice are lying so heavily on their eyes that they are unable to see the truth.
They replied: “But you are only men like us. The Merciful has revealed nothing. You are surely lying.” They said: “Our Lord knows that we have been sent to you as messengers,” “And our duty is to convey the message plainly.”(AL-Quran)

10. It is alike for them whether you warn them or do not warn them, for they will not believe.9

11. You can warn only him who follows the Reminder and fears the Merciful, though he cannot see Him.10 To him give the news of forgiveness and a rich reward.

12. It is We who will bring back the dead to life,11 and We record what they send before them and the marks that they leave behind. And all things We have noted in a clear book.12

13. Relate for them an example of the people of the township when to them came messenger (from Allah);13

14. When We sent to them two messengers, and they denied them both, then We reinforced, them with a third (messenger), and they all said to them: “Verily, we have been sent to you as Allah’s messengers.” 14

15. They replied: ‘But you are only men like us. The Merciful has revealed nothing. You are surely lying.”15

16. They said: “Our Lord knows that we have been sent to you as messengers,”16

17. “And our duty is to convey the message plainly.”17

18. The people said: “We forebode evil from you.18 If you desist not, we will stone you and a painful punishment will be inflicted on you at our hands.”

9. Such obstinate people will not at all take any heed of the warnings of the Prophet.

10. Only such people will be ready to take heed of the warnings of the Prophet who would like to listen to the admonition and advice of the Prophet and would be afraid of the greatness of the Merciful Lord. For the explanation of fearing Allah without seeing Him, see Surah Anbiya, Note No. 68

11. On the Day of Resurrection all the dead people will be revived so that they may account for what they did in this world and may get their reward or punishment according to their nature of deeds.

12. That is: We are not only recording what they did, but We are also recording what impressions they have left behind. Allah has made arrangements to prepare such a record of every individual as to what he did in this world and what impressions and influences he has left behind, so that on the Day of Judgment he should see what was his account, good or bad, whether he had left good impressions or bad, and whether he had reaped good harvest or bad.
In those days this statement of Quran appeared to be strange that how such a record could be prepared, but today when video and audio cassette recorders, and computers and CD and DVD storage devices for recording and storing data and voice, and movies have been invented, it is not difficult to believe in this statement, and Allah has power over everything and knows everything.
“Ma qaddamu” whatever they have sent ahead, means whatever they did in the world will come before them, for explanation See Surah Infitar Note No.5

13. In these ayat a historical event has been presented, so that the deniers of the Prophet may take a lesson from it. Only those parts of the event are related which are useful for providing a moral. Which was this township? Who were the messengers who were sent there? And when did this event take place? All these questions are not answered by Quran, and probably the reason for this is that this event might have taken place at a very ancient time, even before Prophet Ibrahim’s age, and since its historical marks were obliterated, the necessity of providing relevant names was not felt.
Many commentators have taken this township to be Antioch, which was Syrian city near the border of Turkey. It was a big commercial city. They (the commentators) have taken the companions of Christ to be the messengers who worked for the propagation of religion in Antioch. But Allama Ibn Katheer has rejected such a presumption for various reasons (See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Vol.3, page 569). We feel that these ayaat do not apply to Antioch and the missionaries of that place:
First of all Antioch is not that township which was destroyed out of existence by any divine punishment, when further on Quran states that this township was ultimately destroyed by the divine punishment (Ayah No.29). According to Bible’s statement Christian missionaries were exceedingly successful in Antioch (See Bible’s book Acts Chapter 11 ).
Secondly the three men about whom Quran says that they were sent to the township were Allah’s messengers (Ayat Nos. 14, 16), when Prophet Eesa’s disciples and companions cannot be considered Allah’s messengers according to Quranic terminology. As stated by Quran they were Prophet Eesa’s companions and assistants (Surah Saf Ayah No.14).
Thirdly, the objection of the township’s people that they were people like them and Allah (Merciful) has not revealed anything (Ayah No. 15) could only be said about the prophets, who said that they had received revelations from God. The companions of Prophet Eesa had gone to Antioch as missionaries, and when a missionary does not claim to be messenger from Allah nobody can raise the objection that he is a man like them. The author of ‘Tadabbur-e-Quran’ has given a different opinion, stating that the township is Egypt, and the two messengers are Prophets Moosa and Haroon, and the third person who is said to have been sent for reinforcing their strength is from Firaun’s court who had embraced the faith. But this opinion is not correct because Quran says that all the three persons were messengers. (Ayah No.16). And interpretation given by him of the ayah is rather far fetched. Besides there is also no proof that Egypt was destroyed by a terrific sound therefore, in the ayah No.29 the punishment cannot be taken to mean the same one which visited Egypt. In short, by the clarifications of Quran this opinion is refuted. According to us, as we have stated above, it is better to be satisfied with the broad points of the outlines as given by the Quran, instead of unleashing our imagination and stating what is not stated by Quran.

14. It may be noted that the third person was also a messenger from Allah, and all these three were divine messengers, therefore, it is not correct to consider them Prophet Eesa’s envoys or messengers. The necessity of sending three messengers in one township is probably to complete all the requirements of fully convincing the people or conveying the message to the people concerned convincingly, and the world should see that when the people become obstinate even three messengers cannot bring them to the right path.

15. These were the objections which the people of Makkah were also raising in the case of the Last Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

16. That is: If you are not prepared to accept me as a Divine messenger in the light of these arguments, then let it be so; now we call Allah as our witness and state that we are His messenger.

17. Our duty is merely to convey Allah’s message to the people, after this it is their responsibility. It is not his responsibility that the Prophet should compel them to accept faith.
It may be noted that whatever is stated here is in connection with those who had not embraced Islam. From this it is not correct to conclude that the responsibility of the Prophet in connection with people of Faith is not more than mere conveying the message. Prophet Moosa had to fulfill a number of responsibilities in connection with Bani Israil, Prophet Dawood was given the responsibility of Khilafat (government), Prophet Sulaiman, having established a government performed the duties of dispensing justice; and the Arabian Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, imparted moral teaching and training, teachings of the Book and the wisdom and also gave judgments in court cases. Besides, he did full justice to his responsibilities as a fighter in the cause of Islam. In short he provided explanation and clarification of the whole religion by means of his words and deeds, which is necessary to be followed by the people of faith.

18. It appears that Allah had subjected them to the suffering of starvation or some other trouble so that they might turn towards Allah, but they declared their Prophet to be a man of ill omen.
And from the far side of the township came a man running, He said: “O my people! Follow the messengers, ”Follow those who ask of you no recompense, and who are rightly guided.”(AL-Quran)

19. The messenger replied: “The evil you forebode can come only from yourselves. 19 Is this (punishment) because you have been admonished?20 Nay, but you are a people who have crossed the limites.”21

20. And from the far side of the township came a man running,22 He said: “O my people! Follow the messengers,23

21. ”Follow those who ask of you no recompense, and who are rightly guided.”24

22. Why should I not worship Him who has created 25 me and to whom you all shall be returned? 26

23. Should I take (other) gods in place of Him? If it is the will of the Merciful to afflict me, their intercession will avail me nothing, nor will they save me.27

24. Then truly I should be in error manifest.

25. Verily, I have believed in your Lord,28 so hear me! 29

26. It was said (to him): “Enter Paradise.” And he exclaimed: “Would that my people know.

27. That my Lord has pardoned me and made me of the honoured ones. 30

28. After him 31, We did not send any army from heaven against his people, nor do We ever send.

19. That is: Ill omen does not exist outside, but it is inside you. The result of bad acts is bad, and you cannot declare others responsible for your own evil acts.

20. That is: What crime have we committed that we are being given such a punishment? Is the work of giving admonition and advice a crime?

21. You have thrown by the wayside all the demands of justice, fairplay and morality and are bent on mischief and corruption.

22. That is: In this whole township only one person came out to be a man of faith, otherwise the whole nation had rejected the message of the Prophet. This person was at the far side of the city and when he heard the message of the prophets, he came running at the place where there was a clash the between the people and the prophets.

23. Reaching the people of the township he declared the call of the truth, and invited his people to follow the messengers of Allah. Faith created such a spirit in him that in no time he became a missionary of truth and a mujahid.

24. Prophets according to their character are without any interest and are honest guides, and they are rightly guided and invite people to the straight path of right guidance.

25. That is: Worship is the due of the Creator, then why should I not worship my Creator?

26. In these words, this person expressed his belief in the Hereafter, and also warned his community that ultimately they all have to appear before Allah, then why should they not worry about their end and the life in the Hereafter.

27. On this occasion the mention of Allah, the Merciful, by him expresses his heartfelt attachment to Allah and also this acknowledgment that He is very kind and gracious. What is the use of neglecting such a kind God and worshipping other deities in whose power there is nothing. If God, Merciful, wills to hurt or afflict someone, then their intercession will not be of any avail nor would they be able to save anyone from any hurt or affliction. Then what is the significance of these Wasilas and means.

28. That is: Allah who is the real Lord of all of you.

29. That is: After accepting faith, the advice that I am giving you to follow the messengers should be accepted by you.

30. From the style of the wordings it appears that the plain talk of this man of faith was unpleasant for them and they killed him. He had proved the strength of his faith, and proving himself to be really a brave man, became a martyr in the path of Allah. Immediately the glad tidings of Paradise was given to him.
According to the clarifications of Quran, the People of faith will enter Paradise with the physical bodies only on the Day of Resurrection. However, before this the virtuous spirits are shown great favours in the world of Barzakh, and the martyrs get a special kind of life and also receive provision (food) (Surah Baqarah Ayah 154, and Surah Aal-e-Imran Ayah 169). This man of faith expressed his delight on reaching the world of Barzakh, stating that his Lord has pardoned him and included him in the group of his favoured and honoured slaves, and expressed the wish: would that his community had known that and would have accepted faith. Allah conveyed this desire of this man of faith to the people reading Quran, and now it is up to them to survey their acts in the light of this information.
This ayah is the proof of the fact that after death spirits go to the world of Barzakh, which has been termed as grave in the hadith. There they are treated according to their acts. As for the question, how is punishment or reward given before the Day of Resurrection’? The fact is that on the Day of Resurrection man will be raised with his physical body and after taking an account of his deeds, his account will be settled and whatever is his due will be given him fully. But before the Day of Resurrection, only a part of punishment or reward is given, and that too to the spirit. And there is nothing so strange in this, for in the world also the problem of reward and punishment confronts us.Those disbelieving nations who were destroyed by Allah before the Day of Resurrection, also received a part of the punishment before the Day of Resurrection.

31. That is: After the departure of this man of faith from the world.

29. It was only one Shout, and verily, they were extinct.32

30. Alas for the slaves! Never came a messenger to them, but they mocked him!33

31. Have they not seen34 how many generations We destroyed before them, and they will never return to them.35

32. And verily all, without exception, will be brought before Us. 36

33. The dead-earth is a big sign to them. We gave it life,37 and from it brought forth grain so that they eat thereof.

34. And We have provided therein gardens of date-palm and grapes and We have caused water springs to gush from there,

35. So that they may eat its fruit; and it was not the work of their hands. Will they not then, give thanks?38

36. Immaculate is He who created pairs of all the things,39 which the earth grows,40 and of their own kind,41 and of which they have no knowledge.42

37. A sign for them is the night. We draw out from it the day, and they are in darkness.43

38. The sun proceeding to its resting place; 44 that is the decree of the Mighty One, All-Knowing.45

32. Allah had not to make any special efforts to destroy this nation that a big army was required to be sent down to exterminate it, nor was Allah ever required in the past to make any special effort to destroy any nation before this, because the slightest hint from Allah suffices to destroy any nation, however big it may be. So only a loud sound was sufficient to finish this nation. Possibly it might have been the sound of the thunderbolt, or of the earthquake or volcano or some other terribly frightening sound. God alone knows what actually happened. Any way, one terrible sound finished the entire nation in such a way that there only remained their ashes.

33. And this is not a case of the past. Even today there are many persons who become casual when the topics of prophethood and the Hereafter are broached before them and they make it a butt of their jokes. But a time will come when they will be sorry for what they did.
Regrets on the condition of the slaves means that the condition of the slaves has reached such a nadir of depravity that there is nothing left for them except regret.

34. Have they not seen, this idiom is used in the Arabic to say: have they not contemplated. In Urdu also such a use is common.

35. That is: A nation which was destroyed once, did not return to the world second time. It is a fact which cannot be denied.
It also negates the theory of transmigration of soul.

36. That is: These nations have been wiped out from the world, but their spirits exist in the world of Barzakh, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be raised with their physical bodies, and they will be placed before Allah for accounting for their deeds. This is not limited to these nations only, but to every individual, everyone will be answerable to Allah on the day of Resurrection for his or her deeds.

37. Giving life to the dead-earth means that the dry land which was lying dry and unproductive became crop-yielding and green after it received the life-giving rainwater. It is a matter of observation for everybody that after the rains the dry land produces crops. Is it not the proof that there is a hand behind this process, the hand of a great and mighty Being, and does it not lead us to think that such a Being has the power to revive the dead men also?

38. Crop and fruit, etc. are food for the humans and none of these things are created by men. Man sows the seeds created by Allah, which finally produce the crops and the fruits. Thus man only does the farming or gardening, and Allah it is who produces the plants, trees and the crops and the fruits, etc. But how strange it is that inspite of taking benefit of the blessings and bounties created by Allah man does not become grateful to Allah.
Mention of dates and grapes has been made because the land in which the Quran was revealed had around it trees and creepers of these two fruits, and besides they were very tasty and also full of food values.

39. To be in pairs is the characteristic of the created living beings, for the members are similar and also complementary. But the Creator cannot be presumed to be like the creatures, for He is free from all defects, therefore, there is none equal to Him. He is quite unique.

40. In the vegetable world pairs are found in different forms. Some are fruit-bearing and others do not bear any fruits. Some products are of two parts as commonly observed, like gram, pulses, seeds of different kinds, almonds, cashew nuts, pistachio, etc. Their two parts can be easily separated. Some plants are such as have pollens are having male and female characteristics only:
“Most forest trees in fact, have separate flowers for each sex (some for pollen others for ovules) but have both types of flowers on every tree.” -(Hugh Johnsons.-Ency. of Trees London, p.15).
And they bear fruit after a process of fertilization, splitting the seed and dividing it into two parts. According to Botany this Fragmentation is the process of reproduction (See Encyclopedia Britannica, under the heading ‘Reproductive System, Plant cells). And modern Science has discovered that plants have cells and every cell has pairs of chromosomes (Please keep in view Note No.13 of Surah Ra’d too).

41. That is: Male and Female.

42. That is: Allah has created the opposite sex of everything, but there are quite a few things about which man does not know what is the nature of their opposite sexes. About inanimate things nobody knew that they had opposite sexes, but the modern science has discovered that every Atom consist of a nucleus, and the nucleus is Made up of neutron and protons. Protons are the Positive Charged particles. Revolving around the nucleus are electrons which have the Negative charge. Mc. Grow Hill Ency. of Science and Technology, New York, Vol. 1 P. 844).
Although the realities presented by the Quran are not dependent for their authenticity on the academic discoveries, for they are presented by an All- Knowing and All Aware Being, in which there is no possibility of any error, but from the discoveries of the modern science the truthfulness of Quran becomes more forceful.

43. That is: When we draw away the white sheet of the day, then only darkness remains. It means that the light of day is a great favour and blessing of Allah for mankind. If man may contemplate over this phenomenon which occurs daily, then it is very likely that a belief in the one and only God will develop in his mind and he will become thankful to Him who has provided such blessings for him.

44. That is: The sun is moving, and it is moving towards its abode or resting place. It means that whatever path has been appointed for it, it is moving or proceeding or running along that path only and it is moving towards its ultimate destination. Its ultimate destination is the mansion of the Doomsday, where its movement will stop.
In Bukhari this explanation of the ayah is quoted from the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, that when the sun sets it goes below the divine Arsh for offering sajdah (Bukhari-Kitabut Tafseer). Here a metaphor is used to turn the minds towards religion, the idea is to explain that when the sun, after providing daylight, disappears from sight, it remains under the power of Allah only, obeying the divine law which has been fixed or appointed for it. It shows that the sun is bowing before Allah or is obedient to Allah. Those people who do not look at the matter in the right perspective or in the right context, they go after literal meaning of the words and start unnecessary discussions and on account of lack of understanding deny the hadith.
So far as the modern science is concerned it accepts that the sun is moving, according to which the sun completes its rotation in 27 day:
“The sun is a slow rotator,... period of rotation is 26.9 days.” -(The New Ency. Britannica Vol. 17, p. 799 and 801).
So far as the Orbital rotation of the sun is concerned, till now nothing definite has been discovered. However scientists estimate that it moves with the system at the rate of 250 kilometers per second:
“Earth’s sun moves with the system at a speed of about 250 kilometers (160 miles) per second.” - (The New Ency. Britannica Vol. 17, P.833 15th, Edn.).
These explanations of science conform with the statement of the Quran to the extent that the sun is moving, but the explanations of science have an element of conjecture in them, and therefore, a question arises that if the sun moves on its orbit, then there must be some increase or decrease in the distance between the sun and the earth. However it is possible that the sun is moving with the whole solar system, and this possibility appears to be in accordance with the statement of Quran, for Quran clearly states that the sun is moving towards its resting place. And the statement of Quran is the expression of reality. But it is another matter that our knowledge and understanding are not so far-reaching as to be able to fully grasp the nature of the whole matter.

45. This movement of the sun is not an accidental thing. It is the planning of a great Being. This plan is so strong that the sun cannot deviate from it to the extent of even a hair. If the sun were to be a deity, as some polytheists think, then it would not have been bound to a fixed programe; and if it had been created as an accident, as the atheists think, then it would not have moved with this regularity and unfailing punctuality. Then why this regular system of the sun does not create a belief in man’s heart that all this is going on under a well planned system, and this planning is by a Being who is the Mightiest and the Most Powerful?
And as regards moon, We have appointed for it mansions till it becomes as an old dry palmbranch. It is not (possible) for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outpace the day. They move each in an orbit. (AL-Quran)

39. And as regards moon, We have appointed for it mansions till it becomes as an old dry palm-branch. 46

40. It is not (possible) for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outpace the day. They move each in an orbit. 47

41. And a big sign for them is that We carried their offspring in the laden Ark. 48

42. And We have created for them similar (vessels) in which they sail. 49

43. And if We will, We drown them, and there is no help for them, nor can they be saved; 50

44. Unless by mercy from Us and as comfort for a while.

45. And when it is said to them: “Have fear of that which is before you and that which is behind you,51 so that mercy be shown to you” (they do not heed).

46. There comes to them no sign of their Lord’s signs, but they turn away from it.

47. And when it is said to them: “Spend (in charity) from what Allah has provided you,” those who disbelieve say to those who believe: “Shall we feed them whom Allah, if He willed, would feed? 52 You are in error manifest.”

46. The moon completes its rotation in a month. Its form changes daily. From the new moon it become full moon, and then diminishing it comes back to the original shape of the new moon, as if it is a dried old branch of a palm tree, shrivelled and curved. These phases of the moon are the result of the orbital motion, that is why its movement has been termed as a journey in the mansions, as if the moon completes one phase of the journey daily, manifesting its changing forms and completes its rotation.

47. The sun cannot come out of its orbit and enter the moon’s orbit nor can the night appear in day time. The circle or the orbit which has been appointed for everyone, they have to move in that only (For further explanation, please see Surah Anbia Note No.42).

48. This refers to Prophet Nooh’s Boat (Noah’s Ark) which carried all people of faith and their domestic animals, and sailed safely through the deluge which destroyed the entire human population.
“Then We saved him and those who were with him in the laden Ark.” -(Surah Ash-Shua’ra -119).
Those who sailed in the Ark were the total savings of the human race, and later on from their offspring’s this world was re-populated. If Allah had not saved them, then there would have not been any trace of man on the surface of the earth. This important historic event is the manifest sign of the fact that it is Allah who safely saw the Ark through this storm and it is His mercy that saved the human race.

49. The first boat that was built of Prophet Nooh, which he had built according to Allah’s guidance. After this people made other boats, and the modern huge ships are derived from these models which man had built as guided by Allah in the beginning. Therefore, these boats and ships, though are the handiwork of men, in reality they are vessels created by Allah.

50. That is: Why do these people not contemplate that when they are sailing by the boats, if Allah were pleased to drown them, none would be able to come to their help, nor can they be saved by anyone else.
In the ayah the word’ Sarikh ‘ is used, which means ‘coming to help.’ The word ‘Ghauth’ has also the same meaning. This ayah openly declares that there is none ‘Ghauth’ besides Allah nor there is anyone who can help the boat to cross the stormy seas. Therefore, it is wrong of the polytheists to think that their deities are able to come to their help, so also it is wrong of the Muslims to consider that their ‘peers’ and saints are their ‘Ghauth’ (helpers), and it is polytheistic thinking.

51. What is before you means the punishment in the world, and what is behind you means the punishment which will be given in the Hereafter. It means that you should have fear that the divine punishment may not overtake you from before and behind.

52. In this ayah the condition of those disbelievers is mentioned whose love for wealth had reached the stage of stone-heartedness. They felt no compassion for the condition of the poor. And when the people of faith used to say to them to spend for the poor they used to ridicule them and say that those whom Allah did not feed, how could they feed such people, and that is why they are needy and poor.
The unreasonableness of this argument of theirs is quite obvious. Therefore, it has not been answered. Human nature prompts men to feed the hungry, and it is natural for feelings of sympathy to be created in human hearts seeing people in difficulties. Moreover, there is also a test for man whether he fulfills this demand of the religion and nature or not. But senseless people instead of realising their wrong attitude, raise objections against Allah and His religion.

48. And they say: “When will this promise (of Doomsday) be fulfilled,53 if you are truthful’?

49. They are just waiting for a terrible shout which will overtake 54 them while they are disputing.

50. Then they will neither be able to make a will, nor can they return to their own people. 55

51. And the trumpet will be blown, and suddenly from their graves they rush forth to their Lord, 56

52. Crying: “Woe to us! Who has roused us from our sleeping place?57 This is what Rahman (Merciful) had promised, and the messengers spoke truth.”58

53. It is but one Shout and they all will be gathered before Us.59

54. This day no soul will suffer the least injustice. You will be requited according to your deeds.60

55. Verily, this day the people of Paradise will be happily engaged,61

56. They and their wives, in shades, will be on thrones reclining ; 62

57. They will have fruits and all that they call for.63

53. Means the promise of the Day of Resurrection.

54. That is: They want to see their own adverse fate. The Doomsday about which they are being informed will occur in the form of a terrible Shout and it will occur at such a time when the people will be unaware and will be indulging in disputing whether the Doomsday will occur or not.
It is learnt that the discussion about the Doomsday will go on and the deniers will go on denying it till the Doomsday will occur with its terrific consequences, and will end the discussion and disputes once and for all.

55. That is: The Doomsday will come so suddenly that people will not get any reprieve. They will get no time to make a will or no leave to go back home. Wherever they may be they will crumple there only.

56. That is: When the second Trumpet of the Day of Resurrection will be sounded, all the dead persons will come out of their graves (from the earth), and will proceed to the place where they have to appear for accountability of their deeds. Allah will not require much time for reviving such a great number of humans.

57. The people who are today denying the life after death, when they will be roused from their graves, they will be wonderstruck and regretful as to in which world they have come and in what condition they are.
‘Marqad’ the word used here means sleepingplace. Before the second trumpet of the Day of Resurrection is sounded, in the last stage of the world of ‘Barzakh’, their spirits will be in a state of slumber, and on the sounding of the second trumpet they will wake up and rise with their physical bodies. Therefore, they will be wondering as to who has woken them up.
It does not negate the punishment in the world of Barzakh (in the graves), because their state of slumber will be during the last stage of the world of Barzakh.

58. This reply, as is clear from its spirit, will be given by the people of faith. They will remind these deniers that the promise of revival which the Merciful Lord had made is now being fulfilled and the information of the Day of Resurrection which the divine messengers had given was absolutely true, and this day is the proof of their truthfulness. The event of the people of faith giving a reply to the deniers has been mentioned in Surah Room:
“And those to whom knowledge and faith are given will say: ‘The truth is,you have tarried by Allah’s decree, until the Day of Resurrection. This is the Day of Resurrection, but you used not to know.” -(Surah Room -56).

59. At another place this terrifying sound has been termed as a reproaching shout:
“It will only be a reproaching shout.”-(Naziat- 13)
That is: The second trumpet of the Day of Resurrection will be a terrible shout, which will be a reproachful shout, signifying an order to rise and appear before the Master for accounting for their deeds.

60. When all the dead humans will be raised, then it will be declared that this is the Day of Judgment and every person will get the fruit of his or her act.

61. On the Day of Judgment people who had been performing good deeds will be awarded Paradise, where they will have all sorts of pleasing and entertaining things for them.

62. This is just a glimpse of the luxurious and kingly life of Paradise. In Paradise there will not be a life of bachelorhood, but conjugal life, which is a life of peace and comfort. There will be no discomforting heat of the sun, but an invigorating cool atmosphere and pleasant shadowy environment. For sitting people will be provided royal thrones with all the necessary comforts.

63. For food all kinds of fruits will be available, and what ever people will ask for according to their taste. Everything will be provided.

58. The word of greeting from the Merciful Lord for them will be ‘Peace’ (Salam).64

59. “And Stand aside, O you Guilty! this day.65

60. “Did I not enjoin you, O you children of Adam! not to worship Satan. Verily he is your open enemy.66

61. “And that you should obey Me. This is the straight path.67

62. “Yet he has led many of you astray.68 Had you no sense?69

63. “This is the Hell which you were promised.

64. “Burn therein this day for your unbelief.”

65. This day will seal their mouths. Their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify to what they have been earning.70

66. Had We willed, We could have put out their eyes and let them proceed towards the way, but how would they see?71

67. Had We willed, We could have distorted them where they were, then they would neither go forward nor turn back.72

68. He whom We bring to old age, We reverse him in Creation. Then do they not understand ?73

64. Greeting of Salam (Peace) will be the means of their honour and also of their satisfaction, for it is a guarantee of the fact that they will always be secure and safe.

65. In the world believers and disbelievers mix up with one another on the basis of their race, country, nationality, etc. but on the Day of Resurrection they will be completely differentiated. On that day humans will be divided on the basis of their belief and deeds. Therefore, the disbelievers will be told to segregate from the believers as they have nothing to do with them, even if they are of their kith and kin. They have to separate from them and go to their (disbelievers,) ultimate destination (Hell).

66. All humans are the children of Prophet Adam. What transpired between Adam and Satan held a lesson for them that they should not follow the dictates of Satan. Their nature also prompted them to keep away from evil, and through the Prophets (peace be upon them) Allah had enjoined upon them not to follow Satan, as he was an open enemy to mankind.
‘Do not worship Satan’ means not to obey Satan. In obeying Satan man places the reins of his self in the hands of Satan and follows his orders. In other words man puts the yoke of Satan’s obedience around his neck, and his obedience takes the place of Allah’s obedience. Thus man becomes the slave of Satan instead of a slave of Allah. For this reason his obedience is termed as his worship. It is similar to the saying in the hadith where the wealth-loving person has been termed as the slave of dirham and dinar:
“May the slave of Dirham and Dinar be dead.”
And it has been explained in another hadith in this way:
“If he is given he is happy and if not given, he is unhappy” -(Bukhari Kitabur Riqaq).
That is: On getting money he is happy with God, and not getting it he is displeased with God, such an attitude is not Allah’s worship but the worship of dinar and dirham or wealth. In this hadith also he has been termed as the slave of dirham and dinar because of his deep heart-felt relationship with wealth, that is: a relationship which takes the place of Allah’s relationship and man is totally absorbed in it.
The reason why Satan’s obedience is termed as his worship is that man at his bidding only worships beings other than Allah, therefore, in reality it is the worship of Satan only.
Allama Aloosi has offered a very apt explanation of this :
“By Satan’s obedience is meant Satan’s worship. The things about which he creates doubts in their minds, and which he presents to them in an attractive way this has been termed as worship, so that distance from him and his hatred may be increased. And also for this reason that it is opposed to Allah’s worship, and it may also mean worship of beings other than Allah. It has been said to be related to Satan, because he orders it and he makes it seem beautiful to the eye. Therefore, terming worship is on account of this.” - (Roohul Ma’ani, part 13, p.40).
It may be noted that by terming obedience as worship, the two words are not meant to be one and the same thing, and that there is no difference between them. To think so is to reduce the dignity of the worship of God and is like suggesting a lower place to it in religion than it actually has. The prominent difference between obedience and worship is this :
1. Worship is a special feature of the human nature, which is a manifestation of feelings of belief, love, and conditions of humility and concentration, while obedience is related to will and action.
2. The foremost manifestation of belief and faith is worship and after that comes obedience, that is obeying the orders.
3. In worship a special condition of the heart is needed, while for obedience it is sufficient if the intention is right.
4. Although in the sense of worship obedience is also included, for worship is also done in obedience of the order. Inspite of this worship has one sphere and obedience has another sphere. Jurists have fixed separate spheres for worship and obedience.
5. Worship is reserved for Allah only, and in this are demanded humility, concentration, fear of Allah in the heart, sense of being Allah’s slave, giving up sinning and remembering God, while through obedience are demanded acts like fulfillment of the rights of the fellow beings, reform of the society and establishment of social justice.
6. Worship, as commanded, is to be only for Allah, while obedience is for the Prophet also, as per the command, and also of the Muslim ruler. This makes quite clear the difference between worship and obedience.
7. Obeying non-Shariah commands and rules under compulsion can be an excuse, but compulsion is not an excuse for the worship of any other being than Allah, except that there is a danger to life and temporarily one has to adopt such a posture out-Wardly only.
8. In the matter of manner and methods of worship there is no room for reason and ‘inventiveness’ (Ijtihad), they are followed and adopted as they are, and as they were fixed by the divine revelation. But the commands that have been given in connection with obedience divine revelation itself has given their reasons and necessities.Therefore, in new circumstances and to meet new problems they are made applicable keeping in view the necessity with the help of invented methods (Ijtihad).
9. A Muslim can fall a prey to the deceit of Satan temporarily and commit a sin, but this act of his is not termed as worship of Satan, but constant obedience of Satan has been termed as worship of Satan.
10. Obedience to Allah is related to the point as to what commands Allah has given, but worship is that inner feeling of man which naturally spurts out.

67. The worship of a single God has been termed as the straight path, for this path directly leads to Allah. This is the destination of success. And the name of this path is Islam.

68. That is: Inspite of this divine emphasis a large number of people have followed Satan, and on his bidding have made other beings as their deities.
Thus they have lost the path of guidance and they have become transgressors.

69. Allah had not given you power of reasoning to keep it unused and suspended, and not to use it in matters pertaining to God and religion; it was given so that it could be used for providing the right answers to the most important questions arising out of matters pertaining to God and religion. If man does not follow his desires and passions, and uses the thinking faculty, then he will get the same answer to these questions that there is only one God of this universe and He alone is worthy of worship. But the condition of many people is that they follow their desire and remain attached to their ancestral religion, regardless of the fact that they have to worship thousands of deities, and even if they are required to bow before bricks and stones. The unreasonableness of these acts is manifest. When they refused to proceed on this path in the light of reason, then their artificial gods appeared to them to be true.
Quran invites mankind to contemplate over the question of God and religion in the light of their reason and to take help from the prophetic guidance.
It may be noted that atheism is not reasonable, but it is also as unreasonable as accepting innumerable gods.

70. On the Day of Resurrection the disbelievers will have to pass through various stages. One stage will come when their tongue will not speak according to their wish, and their parts, hand and feet, etc., will speak for them and will testify what they were doing.

71. That is: Why are they not afraid of Allah that as an example if He removed their eyes, what would be their condition. Will they be able to proceed towards the path? When there will be no eyes, how will they see? There can be various ways of removing the eyes: Allah may cause them to meet with an accident and they may lose their eyesight.And it is also likely that Divine punishment causing blindness may seize them as the eyesight of persons attacking Prophet Loot’s house (Lot) was removed. If ponders over the point that his Creator and Master, if He wills, can take away his faculties and energies at any time, then he would tremble with fear. And when he would tremble with His fear, he would follow His path which is the path of Taqwa, path of God’s fear.

72. That is : One form of Allah’s punishment can be that at the time when disbelievers are walking their faces may be disfigured, not only that but even their bodies may be totally distorted, then it would not be possible for them either to proceed further or to return to their homes. They would crumple wherever they may be on the roads. This form of the divine punishment could be of natural catastrophe, in which people’s dead bodies are found in such conditions that their hands and feet are missing while faces are disfigured. In modern times tragic accidents of motor cars, trains and air planes are taking place almost every day and providing sufficient material for the people to learn a lesson. But is there anyone who will fear God on learning of these tragedies?

73. For further explanation please see Surah Nahl, Note No.104.
Here it may be noted that the God who diminishes the energy and faculties of man in old age can take away these faculties from men at any time at any stage. If man contemplates on his capabilities from this aspect then he cannot feel proud over his strength, capabilities or achievement, and he would bow before God.

69. We have not taught him (the Prophet) poetry, nor does it behave him. This is nothing less than a Reminder, and a clear Quran. 74

70. To warn the living, and the sentence may be justified on the disbelievers. 75

71. Do they not see how among the things Our hands have made We have created for them the cattle of which they are masters? 76

72. And We subjugated these to them so that they may ride on some and eat the flesh of others.

73. And for them there are (other) benefits77 and drinks 78 from them. Will they not then give thanks?79

74. And they have taken (other) gods beside Allah in order that they may be helped.

75. They cannot help them, but they will be hauled up as their army.80

76. Let their speech not grieve you.81 We know what they conceal and what they proclaim.

77. Does man not realise that We created him from a drop of human seed? Yet he is an open disputer.82

78. He invents similarities 83 for Us and forgets his own creation.84 He says: “Who will give life to rotten bones?”

74. This is the refutation of this charge of the disbelievers that the Prophet is a poet and the Quran is a collection of verses. It states that We did not teach Our Prophet to compose poetry nor does anyone become a Prophet by writing poetry. These words are nothing but reminders and admonition and a plain book worthy of reading. In poetry there is rhyming and balancing, therefore, a poet in order to rhyme and balance his words brings in far off ideas and imaginative things. Instead of presenting any well-knit idea he presents scattered views and disparate thoughts. In other words the characteristic of poetry is mere imaginative writing. Therefore, it is very much below dignity for a prophet. Whatever a prophet says, it is solid, unchangeable and based on reality. For this reason Allah did not teach the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, to write poetry. The Quran which was revealed to the Prophet has no relation with poetry. Any person who has studied it can feel that there is no room for conjecture or imaginative statements. There has not been any balancing of words in this for merely rhyming, but this Book reminds man of his forgotten lesson, and it is out and out a counsel and such a clear word that everybody can understand it and can achieve guidance and piety.

75. That is: Those whose hearts are not dead but are living, they will accept the influence of the Prophet’s warning that is being given through the Quran. As for those whose hearts are totally dead, they cannot take any benefit and advice from it. However for them Allah’s message has been convincingly conveyed to them and on the Day of Judgment they will not be able to put up this excuse that they did not know about this adverse consequence.

76. It means that these cattle which man possesses are the creation of Allah only and not of any other being. From these cattle man derives immense benefit.
The meaning and sense of the ayah is fully clear, and it is not at all necessary to go into the discussion as to what is the reality of Allah’s hands. It is sufficient for us to know that there is nothing like Him. Therefore, Allah’s hands cannot be imagined to be on the lines of the hands of His creatures.

77. Benefits like hide (skin), wool, etc. and farm work with the oxen.

78. That is: Various kinds of milk from goats, cows and she-camels.

79. When these delectable things are provided by Allah, then it is obligatory that He should be given His due thanks, and these thanks will be acceptable only when He will be recognized as the only God and will be worshipped and obeyed sincerely.

80. That is : How will these deities of theirs help them, when the devotees will be hauled up before God as the army of their deities for the punishment. In the world they shouted slogans of their gods’ victories, they made the idols of their deities and built their temples and harassed and quarreled with the worshippers of the One and Only God, so much so that they fought battles in support of their deities. Thus they lived as the army of their deities. Therefore, on the Day of Judgment they will be hauled up before Allah as the sena (army) of these deities.

81. These are the comforting words for the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, that when his opponents are not ready to accept his reasonable suggestions and points, then he need not grieve, for they will get what is coming to them, their due punishment.

82. Although man is created from a little drop of sperm, which is very lowly, yet he is so conceited with his greatness that he is not prepared to listen to the words of His Lord and standsup as an opponent. Had he contemplated his insignificance, he would have developed in himself a sense of worship for the Lord, and of humility and indebtedness, but he forgets his own reality and says such things which are contrary to truth, and to utter such words does not become man.

83. That is: Imagining Allah to be like other creatures, he says such things about Him which amount to there being defects and deficiencies in the being and attributes of Allah, when Allah is absolutely free of every kind of defect and deficiency.

84. That is: Thinks that Allah cannot revive dead humans, and he forgets about his own creation that Allah created him from a little drop of sperm (semen) and made him into a living human being. The Being who can do this, how can His power be limited?

79. Say : “He will give them life again who created them at the first time, and He has knowledge of every creation.85

80. ”Who produced for you fire from the green tree, and from that you kindle (your fuel).”86

81. Is He Who has created the heavens and the earth not able to create their like?87 He surely is! for He is the All-Knowing, Great Creator.88

82. His command, When He intends, is only that He says: “Be”! and it is.89

83. Immaculate is He in whose hands is the control of everything ! To Him you all will be returned.90

85. He knows fully well every minute detail about His creatures. He is also aware about the components of every creature and of every quality and attribute of every creature. Then is if difficult for him to create again all mankind?

86. In the ancient times when the matches and the lighter were not invented, branches of particular trees were used for kindling fire by rubbing them against each other. In those days in Arabia two kinds of trees were found which were known as ‘Markh’; and A ‘far’.One was supposed to be male other female. The wellknown Arabic Dictionary, Lisanul Arab, gives the following clarification about them :
“These are Markh and A ‘far, and both these trees have fire in them, which is not found in other trees. From their branches ‘striking’ or ‘rubbing’ pieces are made and by their friction fire is kindled. Azhari says that he has seen these trees in the desert.” -(Lisanul Arab Vol.4, page 589).
To produce fire from green trees is a great wonderful phenomenon, and it is also God’s wonderful power that the wood that is used for burning also comes from the green trees. Water is also a compound of oxygen and hydrogen gases, and oxygen is highly inflammable. These discoveries of Science has presented to us various amazing examples of Allah’s great power.

87. That is: To create human beings similar to those that were created on this earth.

88. He is not tired after creating such a huge number of humans, He has unimaginable power, and nothing is going to be reduced from the power house at His command. He has knowledge of everything and there is no likelihood of there being any mistake by Him.

89. For creating a thing, He has not to take any trouble or make any efforts, He has merely to desire or wish a thing and say ‘Be’ and instantly that thing comes into existence.
This is absolutely the most correct knowledge about Allah’s creative power that Quran has given to mankind. After this there remains no room for those philosophical discussions in which the people of religions have engaged themselves.

90. This is the last ayah of this surah in which in a few words three important points have been stated, and they have been stated in such a way that they strike the right chords in our heart: First is this that Allah’s being is free of every kind of defect and deficiency, secondly everything is under His control, and He rules over everything. In this universe all authority vests in Him. And thirdly this that ultimately everybody has to go back to appear before Him so that he may give an account of what good or evil he has done to get the reward or the punishment, as the case may be. Thus the topics of Tawheed (monotheism) and the Hereafter both have been collected in this ayah, and from these the topic of Prophethood automatically emerges. This is an obvious example of Quranic brevity and miracle of speech.