Surah No. 42

Surah No. 42

Merits of the Surah

(42:1) Ha. Mim.

(42:2) `Ayn. Sin. Qaf.

(42:3) Thus reveals to you² and to those before you - Allah, the All-mighty, the All-wise.³

(42:4) To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth;⁴ and He is the Exalted, the Great.

(42:5) The heavens would almost burst forth from above them;⁵ the angels celebrate the praises of their Lord and seek forgiveness for those on earth. Lo! Allah is indeed the All-forgiving, the All-merciful.

(42:6) As for those who took protectors other than Him, Allah is a Watcher over them; you are not a guardian over them.

(42:7) And thus have We revealed to you an Arabic Qur’ān,⁶ that you may warn the Mother of the Towns⁷ and those around it,⁸ and warn of the Day of gathering, wherein is no doubt: a group in Paradise and a group in the Blaze.⁹

(42:8) And, had Allah willed, He could surely have made them one community but He admits into His mercy whomsoever He will.¹⁰ As for the transgressors,¹¹ they have neither a protector nor a helper.

(42:9) Or, have they taken protectors besides Him? But it is Allah who is the (true) Protector; He quickens the dead and He has power over all things.

(42:10) And whatever it is that you differ amongst yourselves but the judgment thereof belongs to Allah.¹² Such is Allah, my Lord, in whom I have placed the trust and to Him I turn repentant.

(42:11) Splitter of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you, of yourselves, mates, as (also) of the cattle mates: multiplying you thereby.¹³ There is nothing like unto Him;¹⁴ He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing.

(42:12) To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. He extends the providence to whom He will, or restricts. Verily, He is knowing of all things.¹⁵

(42:13) He has laid down for you as religion¹⁶ what He enjoined upon Nuh, and that which We have revealed unto you and that which We enjoined therewith Ibrahim, Musa and `Isa: that you establish the religion¹⁷ and differ not therein.¹⁸ Hard is upon the polytheists what you call them to.¹⁹ Allah chooses for Himself whomsoever He will and guides to Himself whosoever turns (repentant).²⁰

(42:14) And they differed not but after knowledge had come to them,²¹ out of contentious envy between them. Had it not been for a word that preceded from your Lord (about) a slated term,²² it would have been decided between them. Surely, those who have been given the Book after them as inheritance are in suspicion thereof, dubitating.²³

(42:15) To this then,²⁴ invite (them). And remain steadfast as you have been ordered,²⁵ and follow not their base desires. And say, ‘I believe in what Allah has sent down of the Book and I have been ordered that I should judge between you justly;²⁶ Allah is our Lord, and your Lord; we have our deeds and you have your deeds; there is no argument between us and you. Allah will gather us together and to Him is the return.’²⁷

(42:16) As for those who dispute concerning Allah after He has been responded to, their argument is void in the sight of their Lord;²⁸ upon them rests anger, and for them is a severe chastisement.

(42:17) Allah it is who sent down the Book with Truth, and the Balance.²⁹ And, what will make you know that perhaps the Hour is close.³⁰

(42:18) Those who do not believe in it seek to hasten it; but those who have believed, they are in fear of it and know that it is the truth. Lo, those who dispute concerning the Hour are surely in a distant error.

(42:19) Allah is All-subtle³¹ with His slaves and provides whomsoever He will (abundantly); He is the Powerful, the Mighty.

(42:20) Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We grant him increase in his harvest;³² and whoever desires the harvest of this world, We grant him out of it,³³ but he has no share in the Hereafter.

(42:21) Or, have they associates (in Divinity)³⁴ who have laid down as religion for them that for which Allah gave no leave?³⁵ Were it not for the word of decision, it would have been decided between them.³⁶ Surely, the transgressors will have a severe chastisement.

(42:22) You will see the transgressors fearful on account of what they have earned,³⁷ but it will (inevitably) fall upon them. As for those who believed and worked righteousness, they will be in meadows³⁸ of the gardens. For them will be, with their Lord, what they desire.³⁹ That indeed is the great bounty.

(42:23) This is wherewith Allah gives the glad tiding to (such of) His slaves who believe and do righteous deeds.⁴⁰ Say, ‘I do not ask you any wage for this except for love of kinship.’⁴¹ And, whoever earns a good, We shall cause him increase in good therein. Indeed, Allah is All-forgiving, All-appreciative.⁴²

(42:24) Or do they say he has forged a lie against Allah? But if Allah willed, He could set a seal on your heart.⁴³ Allah blots out falsehood and establishes the truth with His words. Surely, He is knowing of that which is within the breasts.

(42:25) It is He who accepts repentance from His slaves and forgives sins.⁴⁴ And He knows what you do.

(42:26) He responds to those who have believed and work righteousness and grants them increase out of His grace. As for the unbelievers, there awaits them a terrible chastisement.

(42:27) And, if Allah were to enlarge upon the providence for His slaves, they would certainly rebel in the land;⁴⁵ but He sends down in measure whatsoever He will.⁴⁶ Surely He is Aware of His slaves, Seeing.⁴⁷

(42:28) He it is who sends down the rain after they have despaired⁴⁸ and spreads His mercy (far and wide).⁴⁹ And He is the Protector, the Praiseworthy.

(42:29) And of His signs is creation of the heavens and the earth and what He has scattered abroad of living creatures therein.⁵⁰ And He is Able to collect them together whenever He will.

(42:30) And, whatever affliction strikes you is because of what your own hands have earned,⁵¹ although He forgives much.⁵²

(42:31) And you are not such as those to frustrate (Him) in the earth, nor do you have, besides Allah, a Protector or a Helper.

(42:32) And, among His signs are the ships in the sea like landmarks.⁵³

(42:33) If He willed, He could still the wind; then they would remain motionless on its back.⁵⁴ In that there surely are signs for every stoutly patient, thanksgiving (person).

(42:34) Or He could wreck them on account of what they earn, but He forgives much.

(42:35) And let those who dispute in Our signs know that they have no place to escape.

(42:36) Whatsoever thing you are given is for the enjoyment of the life of this world, while what is with Allah is better and longer lasting for those who believe,⁵⁵ and place (their) trust in their Lord.⁵⁶

(42:37) And those who avoid the great sins⁵⁷ and the obscene, and, when they get angry, they are forgiving.⁵⁸

(42:38) And those who responded to their Lord, prayed (regularly and assiduously), and whose affair between themselves is by mutual consultation, ⁵⁹ and, out of what We have bestowed on them, they expend.⁶⁰

(42:39) And those who, when oppression strikes them, avenge themselves.⁶¹

(42:40) And, recompense for an evil is an evil like thereof.⁶² However, he who forgave, brought about a reconciliation, then, His reward is upon Allah. Indeed, He does not approve of the wrongdoers.

(42:41) And, whoever avenged himself after he was wronged, then those, upon them there is no way.⁶³

(42:42) The way is open only against those who wrong the people and act rebelliously in the earth without right. They, for them there is a painful chastisement.

(42:43) Yet, he who bore in patience, and forgave, surely, that is of the matters of great resolution.

(42:44) And, whomsoever Allah led astray, He has no protector after Him. And you will see the wrongdoers, when they will see the Chastisement, saying, ‘Is there any way to return?’⁶⁴

(42:45) You will see them as they are exposed to it, humbled in disgrace, looking with a stealthy glance;⁶⁵ when the believers will say, ‘Surely, losers are those who ruined themselves and their families on the Day of Judgment.’⁶⁶ Lo! The wrongdoers will be in a lasting Chastisement.

(42:46) They have no protectors, besides Allah, who could help them. Indeed, he who is led astray by Allah, has no way (of escape).

(42:47) Respond (therefore) to your Lord before there comes a day when there will be no putting back against Allah; that day, you shall have no place of refuge, nor will you have any (room) for denial.

(42:48) But if they turn away, then, We have not sent you a guard upon them. No more is there upon you but the conveyance. Indeed, when We bestow a mercy upon man, he exults therein. But when an evil strikes them, because of what their hands have forwarded, truly then is man ungrateful.⁶⁷

(42:49) To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He will. He bestows on whomsoever He will females, and bestows on whomsoever He will males.⁶⁸

(42:50) Or He couples them as males and females; and, He renders whomsoever He will, barren; He is indeed All-knowing, All-powerful.⁶⁹

(42:51) It was not for any mortal that Allah should speak to him (directly) except by revelation, or from behind a veil, ⁷⁰ or should send a Messenger to reveal by His leave what He will.⁷¹ He is indeed the Most High, the Most Wise.⁷²

(42:52) And thus have We revealed to you a lifeforce⁷³ of Our bidding. You were not knowing what a Book is, nor faith;⁷⁴ but rather We made it a Light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our slaves. You are surely guiding to a straight path.

(42:53) The path of Him to whom belongs what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. Lo! To Allah return the affairs

1. Ibn `Abbas and Qatadah are reported to have thought that except for four verses 23-24 the rest of the Surah is Makkan (Qurtubi, Shawkani). But there are other exceptions too to the effect that a few other verses of the Surah are Madinan (Alusi).

2. Ibn Kathir presents at this point the well-known hadīth from the Sahihayn: `A’isha reports that Harith b. Hisham asked the Prophet, “Messenger of Allah, how does the revelation come to you?” He replied, “Sometimes it comes to me like the ringing of a bell.

This one is the most difficult of its kind. Then, as it is drawn to a close I would have retained in memory all that he (the angel) would have said. At other times the angel appears to me in the form of a man. He speaks to me and I am able to retain in memory what he said.” `A’isha - Allah be pleased with her - said, “I have seen him on a chillingly cold day, the revelation coming down upon him. By the time it stopped sweat would be dropping down his forehead.”

3. “I.e.,” writes Asad, “the basic truths propounded in the Qur’ānic revelation – some of which are summarized in the sequence – are the same as those revealed to all the earlier prophets.”

Some commentators have pointed out however, that by the use of the past-present tense in “yuhi”, a hint is hidden that this revelation is not a new or odd phenomenon, but rather, your Lord has been revealing His messages throughout human history.

4. Commenting on, “To Him belongs what is in the heavens and the earth,” Sayyid writes: “Quite some people, deceived by the fact that they find things in their hands subjected to them, benefitting them and which they can use as they wish, are led to believe that they own those things. Of course they do not. Allah is the real owner. It is He who creates and destroys, who gives life and deals death, who has the power to let people own what He wishes, or take away from their possession what He will, to place them in the hands of some others when He will. True ownership remains in His hands who dispenses with them in a manner that suits His Grand Plan. Things respond to Him and transform themselves following His Scheme. In this latter sense, none has the ownership of the heavens and the earth but He.

Once a people become fully cognizant of this fact, they know where and how to seek them and how to deal with them.”

5. “From above them”: i.e., owing to the Greatness and Majesty of the Lord of the worlds above them – an opinion attributed to Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah and Suddi (Ibn Jarir); wherein, “above” is not for indicating the direction (Au.).

If it is asked, writes Zamakhshari, why “from above them?” then the answer is: Because the greatest of signs and evidences with reference to the Exaltedness and Majesty are above the heavens viz., the `Arsh, the Kursiyy, rows of angels, their glories of their Lord, their praises ringing around the `Arsh, and various other holy manifestations of His stupendous Power and Kingdom. These are all above the heavens (under the force of which they could burst forth).

Another opinion as attributed to Ibn `Abbas preserved by Hakim is that the heavens could collapse because of the weight (of the angels above them) – Alusi. This is supported by a hadīth in Musnad Ahmad which says, “The heaven creaks, and it is right of it that it should creak for there is not a four-finger space but an angel is there in prostration.”

Thanwi tries to answer a doubt raised by the materialists concerning weight of the angels. But for today’s Muslim it should offer no difficulty to imagine that billions upon billions of angels, each loaded with immense energy (being made of “nur”), the heaven below them could well collapse if not for Allah’s holding Power.

A third opinion is that the heavens could burst forth because of attribution of a son to Allah. The following verse supports this (19: 90-91): “The heavens could well-nigh explode thereby, the earth split asunder, and the mountains collapse into ruins, that they should attribute to the Most Merciful a son.”

6. The objective of the statement that this is an Arabic Qur’ān is to impress on its being plain, simple, and, communicating its message in clear terms (Ibn Kathir, reworded).

`Araba is to express oneself clearly, plainly, distinctly and precisely, in chaste language (Au.).

7. That is, Makkah, because, according to one opinion, it has been the spiritual center throughout human history, and, according to another, because the earth was stretched from below it. As for being the spiritual center throughout human history, this might sound a little strange, but we need to recall the ahadīth that speak of the ancient Prophets visiting Makkah for pilgrimage. Abu Ya`la has a report in his collection narrated by Ibn `Abbas that, “When the Prophet arrived at the `Usfan valley during his Hajj, he asked Abu Bakr, what valley it was? Abu Bakr replied that it was the `Usfan valley. The Prophet said, ‘Nuh, Hud and Ibrahim have passed by this valley on their red camels led by coiled halters, wearing a lower garment and an upper striped cloak.

They had come to perform the pilgrimage of the Ancient House.’”

The Musnad of Ahmad has another report of Ibn `Abbas who said, “When the Prophet passed by the `Usfan valley during his pilgrimage, he asked, ‘Abu Bakr, what valley is this?’ He told him that it was the `Usfan valley. The Prophet said, ‘Hud and Saleh passed by this valley on red camels, coiled halters, wearing lower garments and striped cloaks, uttering the Supplicatory words of pilgrimage of the Ancient House.’”

Haythami said about the report of Ahmad that one of the narrators was a controversial person; while he was considered weak by some, a few others treated him as trustworthy (Au.).

Writes Ibn Kathir: Makkah has been so called because it is the holiest of lands in the sight of Allah as several ahadīth tell us. One of them is as follows: `Abdullah ibn `Adiyy says, “I have seen the Prophet standing on (a mound of earth called) Hazwarah and saying, ‘Surely, you are the best of Allah’s lands, and the most pleasing to Allah. If I was not forced out, I would not have left.’”

This version is in Tirmidhi who judged it Hasan-Gharib-Sahih. Similar reports are in Nasa’i and Ibn Majah (Ibn Kathir).

Some Orientalists have used this Ayah to argue that the Prophet was sent only to the Arabs. It is a strange case of seeking evidence from the Qur’ān while disbelieving in it. If the Qur’ān is trustworthy in its statement that the Prophet’s mission was restricted to the Arabs, then, why is it not trustworthy in its statement that there is no god but One? Or, as Imām Razi has pointed out, why is it not trustworthy in its other statement (34: 28): “We have not sent you (O Muhammad) but to the whole of the mankind.”

8. “Those around it” could include the settlements around Makkah as well as all those living around it in every direction (right up to where the human population ends) – Shafi`.

See Surah Anfal, note 153 for a fuller discussion.

Sayyid Qutb presents a somewhat detailed, although not a fully comprehensive, discussion as to why Allah chose Makkah and its surroundings as the first choice for sending down and addressing the final Message in the Arabic language. He writes in effect, “Obviously, Allah knows where to place His Message. Nonetheless, when we look back at the events and occurrences behind us, beyond the conditions and demands of our times, and, considering all that this mission has been through, yielding the results and consequences that have been, we begin to realize some of the wisdom that could have been there for choosing this place as the center for a message whose universality had been decided from day one.

“At the time of the birth of this final message, this earth was ruled principally by four empires: (i) Roman, covering Europe and parts of Asia and Africa; (ii) Persian, extended over parts of Asia and Africa; (iii) Indian and, (iv) Chinese. The last two were more or less confined to themselves, locked in, politically, religiously, and culturally, within their boundaries. It were the first two that had far reaching influence on the humans and their developments.

“Two revealed religions, Jewish and Christian, were confined in their influence to within these two great empires. They were, of course, under the subjugation of these two empires, having failed to win them over to their causes, in addition to themselves having suffered (moral and spiritual) corruptions and degeneration.

“Judaism had suffered ravages, sometimes at the hands of the Persians and at others at the hands of the Roman imperialism. It could not find any quarter in the lands worthy of consideration where it could rule the people and their hearts. It ended up becoming, for a variety of reasons, a closed religion, reserved for the Israelites, without any wish on the part of its followers to accommodate people other than those of their race.

“As for Christianity, it took birth within the shades of the Roman imperialism.

It ruled all those areas: Palestine, Syria, Egypt and others, where this new religion was being spread secretly. It used to conceal itself from the reaches of the ruling power which was persecuting it resulting in the death of thousands of Christians. But when the era of persecution ended, and the rulers themselves came into Christianity, they brought in with them all the superstitions and practices that were part of the pagan religion. They even brought in with them the issues that were being hotly debated among the pagan Greeks. Christianity took a new form, one which had nothing to do with the revealed religion that it was at birth. The imperial state too, which had accepted this new faith, was in no way influenced by it. The state in fact ruled the religion. It was not the other way round. Over and above this, Christianity itself broke into countless sects, of such severity, that the divisions all but divided the empire itself.

“It was in this situation that Islam appeared. It came to rid human ity of all that it was suffering from: corruption, degeneration, tyranny, and ignorance that filled every place.

It came to rule over humanity and guide it to light. In view of the above, it was necessary for Islam to begin its work in an area untouched by occupation; a place which had remained free of slavery to imperialism of the sort that surrounded it. It had to take root and grow free of all the corruptions and degenerations that previous religious systems had suffered.

The Mother of the Towns, therefore, was most suited as a starting point before it spread over the globe.

“At the time Islam appeared, there was no government of any sort in Arabia. This geographical patch was free of rules and regulations, police and armies, system of government and its overwhelming dominance over life and society. It imposed no state religion, no set of beliefs upon a subdued people, as it happens to be the state of affairs in oppressive states. Nor was there a systematized religion with clear-cut beliefs and practices. But rather, it was a disorganized house of pagan pantheons, disunited in beliefs and disunited in practices. Consequently, there was no united religious force to stand up and face Islam. If not for the material and economic interests attached to the old system, the Quraysh would not have in fact opposed Islam as vehemently as they did.

“On the political front, things were not better organized than on the religious front which of course was a favorable point since that left no organized political system to take a stand against Islam.

“Within the chaos, there were values that were upheld by all. They came to Islam’s aid. For example, the social system was tribal-based. Family had a strong appeal. Therefore, when the Prophet stood up with his message, he found Banu Hashim – although by and large unbelievers - supporting him with their drawn swords for no reason other than that he was a Hashimi. In fact, the tribes withheld their hands from every one of the earliest Muslims who had the most insignificant connection with one or the other tribe, leaving those tribes to discipline or torture them themselves.

Those slaves that had embraced Islam were tortured by their own masters. None else could touch them. When Abu Bakr purchased them and freed them, once again no one could dare stretch his hand at them. This of course was a favorable factor for Islam.

“In addition, there were certain Arab characteristics, specific to them, such as, courage, fortitude, pride, etc., that were necessary traits for taking a new mission forward and bearing the hardships that it demanded.

“Again, the Arab Peninsula was then carrying as seeds personalities of such extraordinary qualities that proved useful later. They were also well experienced in the affairs of the world, and had good knowledge of the surrounding world by virtue of their travel to the north and the south every now and then entering into the territories of the two notable empires of the time, Roman and Persian. After Islam had taken good roots, these seeds became trees and Islam was able to make good use of them for the propagation of its message. Presence of extraordinary figures in such large numbers had surely a hidden Hand. Personalities such as: Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthman, `Ali, Hamza, `Abbas, Abu `Ubaydah, Sa`d b. Waqqas, Khalid b. Walid, Sa`d b. Mu`adh, Abu Ayyub Ansari and numerous other figures (of such stature as only appear as singles among nations over centuries: Au.) welcomed Islam, bore its message, took it forward, and spread it around. No doubt, they were the products of Islam, but the potential was there.

“This is not the place to deal with this issue in a thorough fashion. It might require a whole work for a better understanding.

Enough should be the few points we have placed above, for a common reader to get some idea of the causes that made the spread of Islam possible, the reasons why Allah chose the Mother of the Towns and its surroundings as the area to be first addressed.”

9. In connection with the statement, “a party in Paradise and a party in the Blaze,” the following Hasan-Gharib- Sahih hadīth could be quoted. (Ibn Jarir presents it at Ayah 7): `Abdullah b. `Amr narrated, “The Prophet came out with two books in his hand. He asked, ‘Do you know what these two books are?’ We said, ‘No, O Messenger of Allah. Will you not tell us?’ So pointing to his right hand he said, ‘This is the book of the Lord of the worlds. Herein are names of the inhabitants of Paradise complete with the names of their fathers and tribes. The list ends with the last of them so that there will never be any addition or deletion.’ Then he said about what was in the left hand, ‘This is the Book of the Lord of the worlds.

Herein are names of the inhabitants of the Fire, complete with the names of their fathers and tribes. The list ends with the last of them so that there will never be any addition or deletion.’ At that his Companions said, ‘Then for what end the deeds, O Messenger of Allah, if the affair has already been decided?’ He answered, ‘Be steadfast and try to be (as) close (to the ideal as possible).

As for the man of Paradise, (his life) will be terminated in accordance with the deeds of the inhabitants of Paradise no matter what he did (during the life). As for the man of Hellfire, (his life) will be terminated in accordance with the deeds of the inhabitants of Paradise no matter what he did (during the life).’ Then the Prophet tossed away the two books and said, ‘Allah is done with (His) slaves, a group in Paradise and a group in the Fire.’” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Tirmidhi remarked that this is a Hasan-Gharib-Sahih report. A similar report is in Nasa’i.

10. One possible connotation is, Allah (swt) could have made the people a single community of either believers or unbelievers – Qurtubi.

That is, had Allah willed, He could have forced them all to belief, or, could have left them all to themselves and they would all have cho- sen disbelief. But He opens the gates of mercy and guides some to belief to admit them in (Au.).

11. The words, “He admits into His mercy whomsoever He will; as for the transgressors ..” are plain in their meaning that it is Allah who admits people into belief and obedience: by His mercy, but it is humans who leave themselves out of the range of mercy by adopting transgression (based on Razi).

12. That is, ultimately it is Allah who will judge between the humankind differing between themselves (Ibn Jarir).

13. (The obvious meaning is that humans and animals were created in pairs in order that they may multiply in numbers: Au.), however, another possible meaning is that the animals are there in pairs in order for humans to consume them and multiply themselves thereby (Ibn Jarir).

14. To be closer to a literal rendition one could state, “There is not aught the like of Him. This is one of the most powerful of Qur’ānic statements, but little explained by the commentators. What Imām Razi writes, in harsh refutation of Ibn Khuzaymah’s views regarding the Deity’s features in his “Kitab al- Tawhid”, and vigorously, but unconvincingly expounded later by others, might not make, as Alusi remarks, one feel fully comfortable at heart.

Yet the Imām falls short of an elucidation deserving the important issue.

One has the same feeling of discomfort at quoting Gibbon (instead of one of our own scholars), but is done here, presently, in hope that someone will pick up the lead and attempt a fuller exposition. As quoted by Majid, Gibbon said about the Islamic concept of Godhead: “A creed too sublime perhaps for our present faculties. What object remains for the fancy, or even the understanding, when we have abstracted from the unknown substance all ideas of time and space, of motion and matter, of sensation and reflection?” (Au.).

The above said, Asad could be quoted for further explanation: “The phrase, ‘there is nothing like unto Him’ implies that He is fundamentally – and not merely in His attributes – ‘different’ from anything that exists or could exist, or anything that man can conceive or imagine or define; and since ‘there is nothing that could be compared with Him’ (112: 4), even the ‘how’ of His being ‘different’ from everything else is beyond the categories of human thought.”

Sayyid’s statement paraphrases the passage in the following manner: “It is binding (upon the humans) that they should refer to their Creator on matters they differ between themselves.

It is He who created them, fashioned their forms, and made their mates out of them. He organized life and knows what suits it best and what gives it firm grounds.

Following the same principles, as in the creation of the humans, He has also created the animals. They multiply themselves following the pattern and the system set in place by Him.

However, He is apart from all His creation, different from them, away and out of the systems governing the created cosmos and its contents, living and non-living: ‘there is nothing like unto Him.’ A sound mind accepts this. How can the created be like the Creator in any way? Following the theme above, it should be obvious that when the creations differ between themselves, the judgment should be His, none else’s. Why? Because, there is none else besides Him who enjoys a true existence.

“The fact stated, viz., there is nothing like unto Him, the relationship between Him and His creations remains, despite the great difference: He hears and He sees all; when He judges or commands, it is that of One who hears and who sees (in a way the creations cannot comprehend).”

The above noted, we might point out that the ‘reality’ of the created world, let alone that of Him who described Himself as, “there is none like unto Him,’ has become so murky as to be described in an intelligible language.

Tens of thousands of experiments are leading to the undeniable??? conclusion that ‘matter’ seems to be intelligent; that every atom seems to be carrying a complete information of the universe; and that ???

15. “I.e., He knows not only what every human being ‘deserves,’ but what is intrinsically – though not always perceptibly – good and necessary in the context of His plan of creation. Moreover, all that exists belongs to Him alone, and man is allowed no more than the usufruct of what is commonly regarded as ‘property’”

(Asad).

16. What is the definition of “din” as used here? The answer given by various commentators is as follows: Din: In the opinion of Qatadah, “din” at this point pertains to treating the lawful as lawful and unlawful as unlawful (Ibn Jarir).

Zamakhshari states: The “din” of “Iqamatu al-din” stands for Islam which in turn stands for: Tawhid, Allah’s obedience, belief in His Messengers, His Books and in the Day of Resurrection, as well as belief in all the rest wherewith a man can be legitimately referred to as a Muslim.

This does not include the religions as promulgated by the previous Prophets, in all their details, which have differed from each other in accordance with the situations prevalent in those times; Allah (swt) said (5: 48), “For every one of you We have prescribed a Law and a Way.” (That is to say, every nation of the past in which a Prophet was raised, received a set of Laws that were specifically for it, and suitable to it: Au.).

Razi wrote: Of necessity, this “din”

has to be different from the obligations and commandments, for, they have been different (in different religions).

Allah said, “For every one of you We have prescribed a Law and a Way.” It has to be something which remained common throughout the ages such as, belief in Allah, in His angels, His Books, His Messengers and in the Hereafter. Belief (in the above) demands shunning this world and turning towards the Hereafter, a hastening towards good morals and a dislike of the low morals.

Qurtubi: “din” is (belief in) Allah’s oneness and His obedience, belief in His Messengers and Books, belief in the Day of Reckoning and in all that by virtue of which a man is declared a Muslim. Allah did not mean to include the details of religion which have been different in different religions.

He expands: It has been one “din”, that is, the fundamental principles that have remained common throughout the times such as Tawhid, Prayers, zakah, Fasts, pilgrimage, seeking closeness to Allah by means of virtuous deeds, honoring the trusts and promises, joining the kin, forbiddance of disbelief, murder, adultery, avoiding any harm to the creations, torture of animals, and avoidance of all sorts of low morals.

These are all fundamentals of Islam and the common elements between our religion and those of the past Prophets.

Ibn Kathir: The “din” that every Prophet brought was: devotion to Allah alone who has no associates and hence the words, “that you establish the religion and differ not therein”.

Alusi: The allusion by “din” is to Islam which in turn is: Allah’s oneness, His obedience, belief in His Books, in His Messengers, the Hereafter, and all the rest which make a man Muslim.

Shawkani: “Laid down the ‘din’: that is, Tawhid, the religion of Islam and those fundamental elements in which the messages of the previous Messengers did not differ, and which are the common points amongst the Scriptures. Mujahid has said, “Allah did not send a Messenger but enjoined Prayers and zakah, and obedience to Allah. This is the “din” that He laid down for them.”

Asad could be quoted for a summary: “Since, as the sequence shows, the term din cannot apply in this context to ‘religion’ in its widest connotation, including religious laws – which, by their very nature, have been different in each successive dispensation – it obviously denotes here only the ethical and spiritual contents of religion, i.e., ‘faith’ in its most general sense. With this verse, the discussion returns to the theme sounded at the beginning of this Surah, namely, the unchanging sameness of the spiritual and moral principles underlying all revealed religions.”

17. Now, what does “Iqamatu aldin”

imply? Since the meaning was obvious to most commentators, they paid scant attention to it. At all events, the following are opinions of a few authorities: Suddi said: It means: put it to practice (Ibn Jarir). Iqamah is in the same sense as used when enjoining the Prayers, (that is, when it was said, “aqimu al-salah” it meant, “do it regularly and properly”: Au.) - Ibn Jarir.

Imām Razi says that the Prophets of past were charged that they should establish the “din” in such a manner as to remove all differences and disputations (in matters of religion).

Qurtubi: By saying “aqimu” the allusion is to consistency, continuity, well-guarded performance (against error), without controversies and dubitations thereof.

Alusi: By “Iqamah” the allusion is to do well and thoroughly all its constituents, and safeguarding it (the “din”) from twists and corruptions finding their way in, and, subjecting it to good practice.

In view of changed meanings of “din”

and “Iqamah” current among some non-Arab Muslims, it would be appropriate to add a few lines of clarification here: Referring to the views stated above in connection with what the term “din” stands for and, what the implication of “Iqamah” of this “din” is, a contemporary commentator writes that “this is a superficial view”, in fact, “a dangerous view.” He compares the understanding of the above authorities to the view held by “Saint Paul who presented the doctrine of the separation of the din (religion) and Shari`ah (law) and corrupted the community of the Prophet Jesus!!” He goes on to explain the two terms “din” and “Iqamah”, categorically stating that the Ummah of the past centuries failed to establish a proper meaning to these terms.

It is obvious that he was influenced by the connotation that the word “Iqamah” carries in the Urdu language.

He writes: “The word iqamat (to establish)... when used in respect of a thing which is not material but spiritual in nature does not merely imply preaching it but also acting according to it as best as one can, introducing it and enforcing it practically..

When the Qur’ān enjoins the establishment of the Prayer (salat ), it does not imply that one should merely preach and exhort others to the Prayer but that one should not only perform it oneself, observing all its conditions, but should also strive to make arrangements so that it becomes a regular practice among the believers. There should be mosques, there should be arrangements for offering the Prayer collectively and for the Friday congregational Prayer, and for making calls to the Prayer punctually; give sermons, and the people should visit the mosques regularly and punctually and make offering the Prayer an essential part of their daily routine.”

He goes on to devote a few pages to expound the two terms under discussion.

A detailed refutation might not be necessary after the quotations from the classical scholars presented above. But, in contrast to the detailed study that he alleges was lacking on part of the scholars of the past, a cursory look into the Qur’ānic usage of the terms would demonstrate that the meaning and implication as given by him do not find support, e.g.: أَقِمِ الصلاَّةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ “Establish the Prayer at the sun’s decline until the darkness of the night” (17: 78). “Establish the Prayer (O womenfolk of the Prophet’s house) and give out in charity” (33: 33).

And, “And, if you happen to be among them (O Prophet), and are establishing the Prayer, then, let a group stand.” (4: 102). “Then, when you are in peace (after the situation of fear), establish the Prayer” (4: 103).

(Unable to set up Prayer houses because of the fear of Fir`awn, the Israelites were told), and establish the Prayer” (10:87).

It should be obvious from the above usages that the definition of “Iqamah”

as “acting according to it as best as one can, introducing it and enforcing it practically, preaching and exhorting...” does not fit into the contexts. The following Qur’ānic usage clarifies it further: “Say, ‘My Lord has ordered justice and (that) you should set your faces at every Prayer and call upon Him making the religion sincerely His. Even as He began you, you shall return’” (7: 29).

Thus, Iqamah has the connotations of doing a thing well, and aqimu aldin primarily means to live by the Shari`ah punctiliously, rather than enforcing it upon others, althoug, the nature of the Din is such that that establishing it in the society and community of Muslims at large, is ‘part’ of its demand; but it is not the primary demand (Au.).

18. Asad very nicely presents earlier opinions: “Most of the great commentators (e.g. Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir) understand this as an unequivocal reference to the ecumenical unity of all religions based on belief in one God, notwithstanding all the differences with regard to ‘the [specific] statutes and practices enjoined for the benefit of the various communities in accordance with their [time-bound] conditions (`ala hasab ahwaliha)’ as expressed by Zamakhshari in his comments on the verse under discussion.”

19. “Hard it was for the pagans that from among them it was Muhammad who was marked out for receiving the Revelation. They wanted it to be sent down upon a man of great reputation and honor. Muhammad had no special qualities, that is, by their standards, except that he was trustworthy. He belonged to a tribe of average status. They wanted him to be leader of a powerful tribe.

“It was also hard upon them that with the coming of the new mission, their old religious system – of deities, idols, myths and superstitions - that promised them privileges should collapse and they reduced to the status of common men. Pure monotheism was hard upon them and so they clung hard to their ancient religion.

“It was also hard upon them that they should hear people say that their fathers and grand fathers who died on paganism were wrongly guided.

In their idiocy they accepted to end up in Hell because they did not wish to hear criticism of their ancestors”

(Sayyid Qutub).

20. “Guides to Himself ”: i.e., induces them to piety, live a goodly life following Prophetic teachings, and avoid His disobedience (Ibn Jarir).

This Ayah is similar to that of Al- Ahzab, numbered 7, which also named the same five Messengers, starting from Nuh, ending with Muhammad, and three in between: Ibrahim, Musa and `Isa, the five otherwise known as “Messengers of Strong Will” (Ibn Kathir). However, there is no hadīth to this effect.

Shafi` adds: Adam (asws) was not mentioned perhaps because there was no corruption (of doctrinal or moral nature) during his time.

21. Asad explains, “Lit., ‘they did not break up their unity until after knowledge had come to them’ – i.e., the knowledge that God is one, and that the teachings of all of His Prophets were essentially the same.”

22. The word that preceded was to the effect that they would not be punished for their disbelief and transgression but at an appointed time.

23. That is, those who differed in such primary tenets as Allah’s oneness or other such basic principles, and corrupted their Scriptures, did not do it out of ignorance or misunderstanding.

There could not have been any confusion or obfuscation in issues of fundamental importance.

They did it out of obstinacy, envy, hatred for each other and in order to make worldly gains. However, after they had achieved their objectives, and different sects and parties had firmly pitched their tents, there came their progenies who were led into doubts and such debutant theories that would not give them peace of mind. All this happened because Allah (swt) gave freedom to His slaves.

Had He wished, He could have restrained them and removed all their differences. But He decided to allow them respite and reserve the judgment until the next life (Shabbir).

Sayyid quotes J.H.Denison from his “Emotion as the Basis of Civilization”: “In the fourth and fifth centuries the human civilization was on the borders of a pit about to fall into it. The values that help in the establishment of the civilization had collapsed without the availability of an alternative. It looked as though the Great City which had taken four thousand years of hard labor to build, was about to cave in and collapse, and the humans were very doubtful that it would ever return to what it was a second time because of the savagery that had visited it. Tribes were fiercely fighting and eliminating each other in a world in which neither there was any law nor any order.

As for the order that Christianity had newly brought, it was indeed working to disunite and disintegrate rather than unite and build… It was in this situation of universal anarchy that there appeared a man who was to unite the world..” (That is, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him).

24. This rendering is following an understanding viz., “to this Qur’ān then, invite the people.” Another possible meaning is, it is to this religion – upon which Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa and `Isa were – that you should invite the people (Ibn Jarir).

25. That is, when such is the situation that the people around you are in grave confusion over the religions they have inherited, which is the cause of the present anarchy, you should, O Prophet, in this scenario remain steadfast on your part, not paying any attention to this one or that one in the least.

26. Given the context and the period of revelation, it is not clear what exactly is meant by judging between the unbelievers justly. Most commentators have passed over it. Asad’s comment could be thought over. He writes: “I.e., ‘to induce you to be more tolerant of one another’: evidently an allusion to the bitterness which stands in the way of understanding between the various sects and schools of thought in all revealed religions.”

However, one is tempted to believe that the Ayah is announcing the emergence of a new leadership after the test period has elapsed at the oncoming point of Emigration (Au.).

27. It might be noted that this verse consists of ten complete sentences.

From this angle it resembles – though briefer – Ayah al-Kursiyy which also consists of ten sentences (Ibn Kathir).

Shabbir paraphrases the Ayah: Whether it is words or deeds, you should, O Prophet, stay firm with the mission and the guidance that you have been bestowed, unmindful of criticism that surrounds you. You should announce that so far as I am concerned, I believe in the truth that Torah, Njīl and other Books of Allah contain. I have been ordered to judge equitably between you in matters in which you have been differing.

But if you disagree and continue to go your way, then, I am not here to enforce my guidance on you. Our Lord is, after all, one Lord God to whom all will return. He will reward everyone according to his deeds. So, to you your deeds, and to us, ours.

Let everyone be ready to face the consequences of his choices. There is no point in quarreling, nor any use in polemics.

28. At the first instance, the reference seems to have been to the Jews and Christians who had begun their polemics with Muslims although the Prophet was still in Makkah, where they were not represented, and who never ended their argumentation and disputations thereonward over the truth of Islam. The Jews, for instance, claimed that theirs was the most ancient revealed religion, and hence the best! Although believers in God, the Jews and Christians could not reconcile themselves to absolute and pure monotheism, the coming down of a fresh revelation, the raising of a new Prophet among the non-Israelites, and the submission of some people to the Islamic way of life. Since its inception Islam has remained, whether in their neighborhood, or far away in the distant Arab world, a little bone struck in their throats that they can neither gulp down nor cast out: a perpetual cause of acute discomfort (Au.).

29. Allah (swt) has sent down a material, physical, balance wherewith physical substances are measured.

He has sent down another, incorporeal balance which is known as “the sound intellect” (`aqlu salim). There is yet another balance (criterion) which is known as the moral balance that functions with the help of “sound intellect.” However, the most important of balances (criterion) is the true religion which helps judge the rights of Allah against the rights of His creations (Shabbir).

30. What’s the connection between these three: sending down of the Book, the balance, and closeness of the Hour? The answer is that the revelation of the Book demands that justice be rendered which can be achieved with the help of the balance.

Now, just as there has to be rendering of justice in the world, there has to be another, final judgment of deeds. This will happen when the Hour is struck. So, an unbeliever may ask, “When is the Hour going to be?” (meaning, when will that Final Judgment be?), the answer is, “It is close at hand” (based on Zamakhshari).

Ibn Kathir writes: It has been reported through so many chains of narration that the report reaches mutawatir status; and is found in Sahih collections (such as Bukhari and Muslim), as well as in several other collections, that during a journey a man addressed the Prophet in a pretty loud voice, “O Muhammad!” The Prophet (saws) replied to him in the same pitch, “Here I am.” He asked, “When will the Hour be?” The Prophet answered him, “Woe unto you. It has to be.

But what have you prepared for it?”

He answered, “Love of Allah and His Messenger.” The Prophet told him, “You will be with those you love.”

31. The textual “Latif ” in its present form indicates superabundance both in quantity as well as in quality and is a noun that applies to Him who knows infinitesimally minute details of people’s needs and, (ignoring the people’s disbelief: Shabbir), administers His blessings in a most subtle and concealed manner (finely suited to the needs of the recipients: Yusuf Ali). In its ultimate sense it is applicable to Allah alone (Alusi).

32. Ibn `Abbas and Suddi interpreted the textual word harvest (of the first occurrence) as meaning, deeds (Ibn Jarir). That is, whoever desired the deeds that will benefit him in the Hereafter, Allah grants him increase in his deeds (Ibn Kathir), meaning, Razi points out, that the person is able to do and achieve much more than what he could ordinarily have hoped within his limits (Au.).

Imām Razi explains the word “harvest”

(of the second occurrence) as meaning “rewards,” which signals that both this as well as the next world are obtained through hard work alone, as any harvest can be reaped only after prolonged efforts, although, the rewards of this world are bound to be of a lower order.

This is indicated by the insertion of the term “harth“ at both the points.

As for increase in the harvest, continues Razi, it is best explained by the following hadīth: “Whoever had the next world as his main concern will have Allah organizing his affairs. He places self-satisfaction in his heart and the world comes to him willynilly, submitted. While he who aimed at this world, will have Allah disorder his affairs. He places his poverty between his two eyes while, of this world nothing comes to him but what is destined for him.”

The report is in Ahmad and Tabarani, treated by Haythami in his “Majma`”

as trustworthy (Au.).

And the rule is, adds Qurtubi, Allah (swt) grants what He will of this world also to those who intend the Hereafter, but grants nothing of the Hereafter to those who choose to work for this world alone.

We might remind ourselves of a better illustrative passage of the Qur’ān (17: 18-21): “Whosoever coveted the immediate (reward), We hasten whatsoever of it We will, unto whomsoever We will, and then We appoint for him Jahannum wherein he will rest, blamed and rejected. (Whereas) Those who coveted the Hereafter, and strove for it in the manner of its striving - and he is a believer - those, their striving is appreciated (by Allah). (Unto) everyone - these as well as those - We extend (freely) the bounties of your Lord - and the bounties of your Lord are not such as to be denied (to anyone).

See then how We give preference to some over others. But surely, the Hereafter is greater in rank and greater in excellence” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

We may also make note of a pertinent hadīth which Haythami treated as trustworthy. (It is in Baghawi’s Sharh al-Sunnah: Sami). It says, Ubayy b. Ka`b reports the Prophet (saws) as having said, “Give glad tidings to this Ummah of sublimity, exaltedness, religion, (Allah’s) help, and establishment in the earth” – but of the sixth the narrator was not sure. He also said, “But whoever of them did a deed of the Hereafter for the sake of this world, will have no share in the Hereafter” (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

In this connection, the following could also be quoted. It is in Hakim which he declared trustworthy. It says, The Prophet reported Allah (swt) as saying, “Son of Adam. Free yourself for My worship, I will fill your breast with wealth and block your poverty; if you did not, I will fill your two hands with work and will not block your poverty.”

Tirmidhi declared the above hadīth as weak, but Albani treated as trustworthy (S. Ibrahim).

33. That is, he is not granted all that he desires, (nor all that he works for: Au.) but only that which is his share in the Divine scheme (Tabari).

34. The direct meaning of the term sharik (pl. shuraka’) is quite well known. But few people realize the wider implications. Mawdudi writes: “(The term shuraka’) inevitably refers to those men whom the people regard as associates in the authority and sovereignty of Allah, whose thoughts, creeds, ideologies and philosophies they believe in, whose values they admit, whose moral precepts and norms of civilization and culture they accept, and whose laws and rules and regulations they adopt in their rituals and rites of worship, in their personal and collective lives, in their trade and business dealings, in their politics and governments, as if they constituted the Shari`ah that they had to follow faithfully.”

But of course, the above is true with the added condition that there is a contradiction between the Islamic requirements of the obligatory nature, and the various demands of the shuraka’ (Au.).

35. That is, have their associates legalized in religion what Allah has not legalized? (Ibn Jarir).

Those were the devils who dictated the religion of association with Allah, and denial of Resurrection that led them to live and die for this world alone (Zamakhshari).

Ibn Kathir writes: They follow not but the religion of those they have declared partners to Allah who have made lawful to them what Allah made unlawful and made unlawful what Allah declared unlawful. The Prophet has informed us of the fate of those who introduced religious practices not sanctioned by Allah.

He said to us, as in Bukhari: “I saw `Amr b. `Amir b. Luhayy al-Khuza`i dragging his intestines in the Fire. He was the first to institute the Sa’ibah.”

It was `Amr b. Luhayy, a chieftain of the Quraysh who had introduced idol-worship among them (Ibn Kathir).

The verse also carries, adds Thanwi, invalidation of all kinds and varieties of innovations (bid`ah).

Sayyid adds: “There is none among the creations who has the right to legalize or prohibit against what Allah dictates, no matter who he is. Allah alone dictates the Law; for the simple reason that He is the Originator of the world, the whole of it, and is its Administrator, employing a set of laws that He chooses to employ. Human life in this vast world is nothing but a tiny gear in the immensely massive wheel that turns around. It is the requirement of reason then that the laws the human follow must agree with the Laws that turn this massive wheel. This will not happen unless the Turner Himself dictates the laws to them. It is also an apparent fact that there is none who has any part in the Turning of the universal wheel. There is none who can be relied upon for dictating laws, so long as He is denied any role in the massive Turning.

“Yet, and despite the explicitness of this point, there are many who dispute with it, or, are not pleased with it, and, therefore, are headstrong enough to assume law-making role for themselves, professing that they have made a good choice for the good of their people, trying to harmonize between the circumstances in which they find themselves and the laws they make; as if they know better than Allah Himself; as if they have associates in Allah who legitimatize for them what Allah has not legitimatized. There cannot be any greater misadventure than this nor any other more reckless attitude.

“Allah has enacted laws which are in perfect harmony with the laws of nature, that is, the laws that govern man and govern the rest of the universe.

He has left for the humans only those details to fill as the situation of their life requires in various times and climes. Yet, while doing so, they are to remain within the boundaries of the Divine law promulgated by Him, so that, whenever there is any difference between the humans, they are to refer back to the set of revealed laws which act as the criteria and the ultimate paradigm.

“In this manner, the source of Law remains one, and in its origin, Divine, so that the Command is for Allah alone - and He is the best to Command. Whatever else is there, apart from this, is rebellion against Allah, His Command, and His Law, the Law that He dictated to Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, `Isa and Muhammad, peace be upon them all.”

36. That is, between believers and unbelievers (Zamakhshari, Alusi).

37. They will then be in the Field of Judgment (Ibn Kathir).

38. “Rawdah” is for a well-watered piece of land, full of vegetation (Alusi).

39. Abu Tayba is reported to have said that a patch of cloud will overshadow a group of people in Paradise and say, “What shall I rain down on you?” No one will ask for anything but it will rain down that particular thing, to the extent that one of them will say, “Rain down on us high-bosomed damsels of our age”

(Ibn Kathir [quoting Ibn Jarir as the source], Alusi).

It may be noted that this is not a hadīth.

40. The reference could be to the “nearness of Allah” mentioned in the previous verse. True, material blessings will be there, but the best of them is closeness to Allah. What other blessing can compare with this? To quote the Qur’ān: “This is wherewith Allah gives the glad tiding to (such of ) His slaves who believe and do righteous deeds”

(Au., with a hint from Shabbir’s note placed at an earlier verse).

41. It is reported that Ibn `Abbas was asked to identify the “al-qurba”

of this occurrence. His pupil Sa`id b. Jubayr spoke out saying, “they are the Prophet’s immediate kinsfolk.”

Ibn `Abbas interjected, “You have been hasty. To be sure, there was not a clan in Makkah but was related to the Prophet.” The Quraysh were thus told that if they would not accept the Prophet’s message, they should in the least respect the ties of kinship (and treat him well). He was not asking for wages for his preaching, so why should they resort to persecuting him? Doesn’t kinship demand a better treatment? `Ikrimah, Ibn Malik, Qatadah, Suddi and others have expressed the same opinion (Ibn Jarir, Alusi).

The report is in Bukhari (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

Ibn Jarir also presents two other minority opinions: (1) I do not ask for wages except that you – O my followers – love my kinsfolk and (2) “..

except that you seek Allah’s closeness (qurba),” but rejects both as incorrect interpretations, as do most commentators including Mufti Shafi`, Shabbir and others.

Nonetheless, since the topic has come, Ibn Kathir quotes a few ahadīth. The following is in Muslim and Nasa’i. Yezid b. Hayyan reported, “Myself, Hussayn b. Sabrah and `Umar b. Muslim went to see Zayd b. Arqam. When we were seated Hussayn said, ‘O Zayd, you certainly achieved great virtues. You saw the Prophet, heard his talk, participated in Jihad with him and Prayed behind him. Indeed you achieved great good O Zayd.

Now, tell us (something) that you heard from the Prophet (himself).’ He replied, ‘Dear nephew, by Allah my age is well advanced and have almost spent my term. I have begun to forget some of the things I had preserved well from the Prophet. Therefore, accept whatever I narrate. As for what I do not, then do not force me do it.’ Then he said, ‘One day the Prophet stood up to deliver a sermon near a water-station called Khumm – between Makkah and Madinah. He said, “After Praises.

O people, I am but a man. It is possible that My Lord’s messenger comes to me and I have to respond. I am leaving behind me for you two weighty things: first, Allah’s Book. It has guidance and Light. Therefore, hold fast unto the Book of Allah and adhere to it.” He encouraged us to hold on to the Book. Then he added, “(Secondly) the people of my house. I remind you in Allah about the people of my house.

I remind you in Allah about the people of my house. I remind you in Allah about the people of my house.” At that Hussayn interrupted, ‘But who are the people of his house? Are not his wives the people of his house?’ He replied, ‘His women are of course of the people of the house. But the people of the house are all those who were denied charity after him.’ He asked, ‘Who are they?’ He replied, ‘The families of `Ali, `Aqil, Ja`far and `Abbas.’ He asked, ‘Are they all forbidden charity?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’”

Not surprisingly, it is reported of Abu Bakr, as in Bukhari, that he said, “Be mindful of Muhammad in reference to his kinsfolk.”

The above reports not denied, the Imāmiyyah (the Twelvers of the Shi`ah) claim that it is `Ali, Fatimah, and their progeny alone who are the “al-qurba” of this and other contexts. They cite a report according to which when Ibn `Abbas was asked who the “al-qurba” were who deserve the love of the believers, he is alleged to have said that it were `Ali, Fatimah and their progeny alone.”

The report, as Suyuti declared in Durr al-Manthur, is weak. Ibn Hajr also judged it weak. Nonetheless, the Shi`ah have argued that love of `Ali is obligatory on all Muslims. They argue that he who is loved must be obeyed. Consequently, he who has to be obeyed has to be the Khalifah.

So, `Ali should have been the first Khalifah.

But, Alusi comments, such logic, not to speak of its weakness, also contradicts the Qur’ān. Look at the context. It says, “Say, ‘I do not ask you any wage for this except for love of kinship.’” Now, if what the verse is saying is that the Prophet did not seek any wage for his mission except that `Ali should be appointed his heir, then he has already sought a wage. (The unbelievers could have said, not unjustly, that perhaps all that Muhammad was scheming to win is political leadership for his kith and kin: Au.) The right meaning then is that all that the Prophet expected from his adversaries was that if the Message was not acceptable to them, they should in that case at least treat him well in view of the fact that they were all of the same family, and not, as they were planning, kill him, or, by removing the tribal immunity, allow the surrounding tribes to kill him if they so willed.

Further, apart from other spiritual or moral reasons, it is possible that the Prophet had been informed by the shoddy manner in which `Ali was to be treated after him by the newly arising sects, the treacherous manner in which the Shi`ah treated Hussain b. `Ali at Kufah, and others of `Ali’s progeny later in history, again by the Shi`ah, he might have thought it best to warn the Ummah about ‘the people of his house’ (Au.).

42. That is, He is forgiving of those who do evil and All-appreciative of those who do good (Qatadah: Ibn Jarir).

43. That is, seal the Prophet’s heart so that he would forget the Qur’ān that had been revealed so far (Qatadah and Suddi: Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Alusi); where would he then bring a new Revelation from? (Au.).

44. We might remind ourselves once again of the oft-quoted hadīth of Muslim that Ibn Kathir quotes here: The Prophet said, “Allah is more pleased with His servant’s repentance – when he repents – than when one of you is on his riding beast in a desert. It gets free of him with his food and drink upon it. He loses all hope, goes to a tree and lies down under its shade despaired of finding his riding beast. While he is in such a state when, lo, it is by his side! He seizes it by its halter and then in his great joy utters, ‘O Allah. You are my slave and I am your Lord.’ He errs because of his great joy.”

Harith b. al-Humam says that he and a few friends went to see `Abdullah (ibn Mas`ud) to ask him about this Ayah. They found a few men with him who asked him about a man who fornicated with a woman and then married her. `Abdullah recited this verse in reply (Ibn Jarir).

Ibn Kathir presents a slightly different version of this report from Ibn Abi Hatim.

45. What’s the connection between this verse and the previous one? Imām Razi answers that the previous verse said that Allah responds to the virtuous.

The question that then arises is, do we not observe that the virtuous appear badly off, suffer economic deprivation and face hardships? How does Allah respond to them? The answer is in this verse. There are people whom poverty alone suits. If they are granted prosperity, they might indulge in sins. So, in His kindness Allah does not respond to them with exactly what they supplicate for.

It used to be said in our times, said Qatadah, that the best of provision is that which neither leads to rebellion nor to heedlessness (Ibn Jarir).

Ibn Jarir also quotes a relevant hadīth whose equivalent is to be found in Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad and others: Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri: One day the Prophet sat on the pulpit and we gathered around him. He said, “The thing I am afraid of most concerning you after me is the splendors of the world and its ornaments that will be opened up for you.” Someone said, “Messenger of Allah! Does good bring forth evil?”

The Prophet remained silent for a while. It was said to that person, “What is the matter with you? You speak to the Prophet but he does not speak to you.”

Then we noticed that he was being inspired. Shortly the Prophet wiped his sweat and said, “Where is the questioner?” It seemed as if the Prophet had approved of his question. Then he said, “Good never brings forth evil. Indeed it is like what grows on the banks of a stream which either kills or makes the animals sick, except if an animal eats the unhealthy foliage to its fill and then faces the sun, defecates and urinates, then goes back to its grazing.

No doubt wealth is sweet and green. But blessed is that wealth of a Muslim from which he gives to the poor, the orphans and to the traveler. (Or the Prophet said something similar to it). No doubt, whoever takes it unlawfully will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied, while his wealth will be a witness against him on the Day of Resurrection.”

To explain the above hadīth: There are both kinds of grass in a field: healthy as well as unhealthy. If an animal eats the healthy alone, it does not suffer. This is the example of the lawful of this world. But, there are some, like animals. They gulp down to their full, only to defecate, and then begin eating again, just like the animal which eats and defecates, to the end of its life. What good can there be in them, and how different are they from animals? In our times, the above contemptible way of life has been given another name. It is called consumerism and is considered good for economy. So, more of what the Prophet warned (Au.).

A hadīth can be quoted in support of Imām Razi’s explanation. It tells us that there is wisdom behind the unequal distribution of wealth. Allah says in a Qudsi hadīth: “Surely, among believers in Me is one whom nothing suits but wealth. If I were to make him suffer poverty, it would corrupt him. And, among believers in Me is one whom nothing suits but poverty. If I were to enrich him, it would corrupt him.”

The report is in Ibn Abi Dunya and Ibn `Asakir but whose authenticityjudgment could not be traced (Au.).

At all events, adds Qurtubi, it is reported of Anas that he used to say, “O Allah, I believe I am one of those whom poverty does not suit. Therefore, deny me not Your mercy.”

46. The questions arising out of the distribution of wealth are many. The topic is vast and a fuller explanation will require a volume. Asad merely offers a point: “This passage connects with, and elucidates, the statement in the preceding verse that God ‘responds unto all who attain to faith and do righteous deeds’ – a statement which, at first glance, seems to be contrary to the fact that whereas many wrongdoers prosper and are happy, many righteous people suffer hurt and deprivation. In reply to this objection, the above verse points elliptically to man’s innate ‘greed for more and more’ (see 102: 1), which often causes him to become ‘grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient’ (96: 6). To counteract this tendency, the Qur’ān stresses again and again that God’s ‘responds’ to the righteous – as well as the wrongdoers – will become fully evident only in the life to come, and not necessarily in this world, which, after all, is only the first, short stage of man’s existence.”

47. A word of further elucidation deserves to be placed here: “It may be objected that all prayers, even of good people, are not answered. The reply is: (1) Not every good person necessarily knows what is best for him, for the values in this life are curiously distorted; and (2) on account of their want of knowledge, if everyone got all that he asked for, there would be chaos and confusion, and ‘transgression and injustice throughout the earth’, for the different interests are so intermingled and interdependent that some measure must be observed in granting people’s wishes.

This measure is best supplied by the watchful care of Allah and His perfect knowledge of all our real needs”

(Yusuf Ali).

48. (Allah’s mercy is evoked when people enter into a phase of despair.

Accordingly: Au.), it is reported that when, during a dry spell, people went to `Umar and complained, “Leader of the Faithful. Drought is on them and the people are despaired.” He said, “If so, the rain should be coming.

Allah has said, ‘And He it is who sends down the rain after they have despaired.’” (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

What `Umar meant was that people’s despair was a sign that Allah’s mercy had been stirred and rains should follow (Au.).

49. Asad sees a deeper meaning: “This reference to the symbol of lifegiving rain connects with the preceding statement that ‘He bestows [His grace] in due measure, as He wills’, and is a preamble, as it were, to the statement in the next verse that all creation is but a visible ‘sign’ or ‘revelation’ of God’s existence and purposeful activity, as well as of the God-willed continuation of all life in the hereafter.”

50. “Therein,” i.e., both in the earth and in the heavens. Mujahid thought that by the words “living creatures” it is humans and angels that are meant (Ibn Jarir). Ibn Kathir thinks that Jinn and animals are included by default.

But Alusi objects to the above interpretations since “dabbah” is primarily for creeping creatures which could be extended to include all kinds of animals, but not humans, Jinn or angels. It could be concluded therefore, that apart from the earth, there can be some kind of animals and other living creatures in other parts of the universe.

With reference to Alusi’s opinion above, one should appreciate how little Muslim scholars were influenced by the Jewish and Christian literatures despite consulting them so often. Rationalism, and freedom from superstition and influences of folklore, have yet remained the hallmark of Islamic mind. In this instance, it was not but three hundred years before Islam that Saint Augustine, the greatest man ever in Christianity after St. Paul, believed that on this earth (not in the atmosphere where, according to the Christians, more weird creatures existed) such beings lived as, e.g., “Sciopodes who could shelter themselves from the sun in the shade of one foot, or the Cynocephali, who had dogs’ heads and barked” (although otherwise, both were thought to be human: Au.). According to Saint Augustine both Sciopodes and Cynocephali, would have to be included as equal citizens when God’s own city is established in the lands following the teachings of Jesus Christ. The source of this information is no less than Saint Augustine’s own book: The City of God. Refer its abridged edition, Image Books, USA, 1958.

In fact, life in places other than the earth has been an agonizing thought for the orthodox Jews and Christians.

Every time the scientists announce that there is evidence of life elsewhere in the universe, they have anxious moments, to regain their self only when they retract their statements.

Although there have been stray opinions (see We are Not Alone by Walter Sullivan, Plume Books), what bothers the Jews is, if there is intelligent life elsewhere, then, how can the earthian Jews remain the chosen people of God; and what is excruiating for the Christians is that if there is intelligent life elsewhere, then, how can God’s salvation work there taking into consideration the fact that He has sent his ‘only begotten Son,’ and the ‘only means of salvation’ - Jesus Christ - to the earth? (Au.).

51. “This oft-recurring phrase is a Qur’ānic metonym for man’s doings and conscious attitudes in this world, meant to bring out the fact that these doings or attitudes are the ‘harvest’ of a person’s spiritual character and have, therefore, a definite influence on the quality of his life in the hereafter” (Asad).

52. As Allah said elsewhere (35: 45): “If Allah were to seize the people for what they earn, He would not have left a living creature on its back.”

And the Prophet said as in a hadīth of the Sahihayn, “There is no affliction that strikes a Muslim - neither fatigue, disease, worry, grief, harm, nor anguish, including a thorn that pricks him - but Allah expiates (a sin) thereby.”

Another report elucidates further. It is in Ahmad which says, `Ali said, “May I not inform you about the best of verses in Allah’s Book that the Prophet told us about? It is: ‘And, whatever affliction strikes you is because of what your own hands have earned, although He forgives much,’ And I shall explain to you presently O `Ali (said the Prophet): No disease strikes you, nor a scourge or a tribulation of this world, but it is because of what your hands have earned. And, Allah is more generous than that He should repeat the punishment upon you in the Hereafter and, Allah is more clement than that He should return (to punishment) after having forgiven (Qurtubi, Alusi).”

The report is also in Ibn Abi Hatim (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani); but its authenticity could not be traced (Au.).

After stating the above narrative, Imām Razi reports Wahidi as explaining why this verse is the best of verses. Allah (swt) divided the sins of the believers into two categories: first, those that are forgiven through expiations, and second, those that He forgives in this world itself; and He is the Noble who will not return to punishment. Thus, the believer will rise on the Day of Judgment sinless, and thus this is the most hopegiving Ayah of the Qur’ān.

It is also reported, continue Ibn Kathir and Shawkani, that some people entered upon `Imran b. Hussayn who was suffering from some bodily ailment. Somebody remarked, “We feel sorry to see you in this state.” He replied, “Do not be sorry. What you see is nothing but the result of sins; although what Allah forgives is much.”

And, Alusi adds, Asma` bint Abi Bakr would place her hand on her head when she experienced headache and say, “This is because of my sins although Allah forgives much.”

As for Prophets and pious men, the tribulations they undergo are for raising their status in the Hereafter (Thanwi and others).

53. It might be remembered that the Prophet had neither seen a boat nor a sea, far from ships of enormous size standing tall on water resembling landmarks. Nor can it be said that he could have heard the apt description from someone. In view of the fact that this Surah is Makkan, where his opponents found fault with everything he said or did, had the Prophet reproduced the description of another person, that person would have immediately claimed that the Prophet had taken the beautiful expression from him (Au.).

54. “On its back” i.e., on the back of the sea (Au.).

55. We present a summary of the summary that Sayyid Qutb places here of the passage that follows from this Ayah onward: These verses depict the qualities of the community of Muslims that was raised in Makkah and before the establishment of an Islamic state in Madinah. We need to ponder over them, in view of the fact that they are the qualities of a people who were to take up the leadership of mankind. They are: Faith, trust in Allah, avoidance of the major sins and the obscene, forgiveness in the state of anger, responding to Allah’s calls, establishment of the Prayer, extensive consultation, expending in the way of Allah, avenging the oppressor, forgiveness, reformation and patience. These are the criteria by which the Muslim community is measured. These should always remain before the sight of the people.

Thereafter Sayyid presents extracts on “faith” from Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi’s well-known master-piece of its time, “Ma dha khasira al-`alam binhitat al-Muslimin”? (What did the World Lose from the Decline of the Muslims?). We drop out the last three paragraphs here: “The major knot was unentangled – the knot of Association and disbelief - and the rest of the knots automatically uncoiled.

The Prophet fought against this first, after which he did not need to fight for the sake of every command and every prohibition. Islam overcame the Jahiliyyah in its first concerted attack. Thereafter, (Divine) help was his ally in every battle that was fought. They had entered into Islam wholeheartedly, wholly and completely: with their bodies, minds, hearts and souls: not disputing with the Prophet after what of the Guidance had become apparent to them; not finding any resistance in their hearts to what the Prophet decided about them, leaving no other choice nor alternatives after what he had commanded or prohibited but to obey (p.73, second print).

“Until, when Shaytan’s share had left their hearts – but rather, when their selves had renounced their share – and had done justice to their inner selves, the way they would do to others, and, while living in this world they became men of the other world, living out today as men of tomorrow, no infliction frightening them, nor any blessing affecting them with vanity; no want busying them, no wealth leading them to arrogance, no trade making them unheeding, no power weakening them, neither seeking dominance in the land nor corruption, but rather became standards of judgment for the people: those who stood by justice being witnesses against themselves, even if it happened to be against their own souls, or their parents and kin.

The east and west were subdued for them and they became guardians of humanity, preservers of the worlds, callers to the religion of Allah...”

(page 74).

Discussing the effects of true faith on human character and behavior, he (Abul Hasan Ali) wrote: “People, whether Arabs or non-Arabs, were living in Jahiliyyah; prostrating themselves to every thing that was created to serve them. That was a life in which neither the one obedient to the law was rewarded nor one discarding it was punished. An individual neither enjoined the good nor prevented the evil. Religiousness was something superficial in their lives.

It had no power over their souls, their selves, or their hearts, nor did it influence their character or their environment. Their belief in God was in a Person who had created to perfection but had abandoned the kingdom to mankind placing the mantle of Lordship on them. In consequence, they took upon themselves, the running of the affairs, distribution of wealth and property, and various other affairs that a kingdom attempts to organize. Their faith in God was something that can be termed as historical. It was similar to that which is obtained when students ask their history teacher in reference to God, and about creation of the heavens and the earth. They ask the teacher, ‘Who got this palace constructed?’ The teacher answers, ‘It was built by such and such a historical personality.’ The teacher need not show any respect to that king of the past, nor should he feel any fear.

That was the nature of replies they received when they inquired about God. In consequence, their religion was free of any fear of God and of hope when they addressed their supplications to Him. They knew nothing about God that would endear Him to them. Their knowledge in this respect was vague, puzzling, incomplete and brief. It created neither love in their hearts nor fear…”

“… The Arabs, and those who entered into Islam, stepped up, from this sick, obscure and spiritless understanding into clear, profound and spiritual understanding that exercised influence on the body, heart and soul, affecting the morals and the society. They believed in someone ‘whose are the best of Names and the best of examples: the Merciful, the Compassionate, the Master of the Day of Judgment, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Granter of Peace, the Preserver, the Mighty, the Enforcer, the Proud, the Creator, the Originator, the Shaper, the Wise, the Forgiving, the Loving, the Kind: He to whom belongs the creation and whose is the Command, who has the sovereignty over all, and over everything, who gives refuge against whom no one can provide refuge …’ to the end of the description of Him given in the Qur’ān. He rewards with Paradise and tortures with Fire.

He extends provision unto whomsoever He will or restricts, who knows the hidden in the heavens and the earth, who knows the treachery of the eye and what the breasts conceal ... to the end of what has come in the Qur’ān describing His knowledge, power and ability.

“With this kind of clear, all-comprehensive and profound faith, the believers underwent an amazing alteration in their personalities. When one of them entered into belief and testified that there is no deity but Him, his life underwent a massive change, inside and outside. Faith entered into the inside of him and then spread thereon into every artery, pervading every perception. It ran through his body like blood through the veins, pulling out the germs of the Jahiliyyah, root and branch. It inundated the mind and soul with its outpourings to convert the man into an altogether different person. There appeared in him dazzling qualities of faith, trust, patience and courage and such deeds flowed out of him as which puzzled the minds, psychology, and the science of behavior. It has remained a puzzling and inexplicable phenomenon to this day. The way the personalities changed, have left no room for any other interpretation but that the factor of influence was none other than their faith” (p. 75- 76).

56. When Allah had presented a few evidences of His oneness, He followed it up with the denigration of this world, since it is the love of this world that leads to the denial of truth (Razi).

57. See Surah al-Nisa’, note 119 and 120 for identification of the Major Sins.

58. If a Muslim forgives a wrong done to him, then, he might remember that he has the example of his Prophet before him.

It is reported in Sahih collections that the Prophet never took revenge for a wrong done to him, but he reacted strongly when one of Allah’s commandment was violated. In that situation he was acting on behalf of Allah. According to another report (as in Bukhari), he would say when angry, “What’s wrong with him?” or, “May he have dust on his forehead,”

or the like words. His Companions followed him in good suit. Ibn Abi Hatim has reported about them that they did not like to be ridiculed. But when they got the better of their adversary, they forgave (Ibn Kathir).

59. Consequently, the Prophet consulted his Companions in matters concerning war and peace (Ibn Kathir).

Mawdudi expands: A few reasons why Islam has given consultation such importance: In matters involving rights of other people (in addition to one’s own), not consulting those others is to do them injustice and usurp their right apart from the fact that it involves grave responsibility in terms of accountability in the Hereafter.

Accordingly, Islamic way of life requires that consultation should be resorted to in all matters of common interest. In domestic life, one must consult his wife. When children grow up, they must be involved. If the matter concerns a whole tribe or the population of a city, then consultation must take place at that level.

In matters involving the interests of a nation, the head of the government should be appointed by common consent of the people, and he ought to consult the men of opinion – who in turn enjoy people’s confidence - in all matters of national importance.

Conversely, those whose interests are involved should have the right to freely express their opinion. They must have the right to check, voice protest, and change the rulers. Finally, the advisory committee should not be a mere stamping authority. Its recommendations must be accepted and implemented. Allah (swt) did not say, “They consult each other in their affairs,” but rather, “They conduct their affairs by mutual consultation.”

Finally, there is no consultation in matters already decided by Allah, nor any advice is acceptable if it violates any of the Shari`ah principles.

If there is any dispute the matter should be referred to the Qur’ān and Sunnah (Condensed).

This last point has been stressed by most commentators. Consultation is restricted to affairs where Islam has not pronounced a ruling. There is no changing the Shari`ah law even if it has the consent of the entire mankind.

On the other hand, consultation is a requirement in affairs of some importance. There is no point in consulting over minor affairs. Finally, if an affair happens to be of the kind where Islamic law is unclear, it is to be referred to scholars of high caliber to work out the ruling in the light of the texts and Law sources.

Sayyid adds: The fact that the Ayah stipulating consultation is Makkan, much before an Islamic state was set up, tells us that it is a part of Muslim culture, it is the way of their life.

Indeed, the characteristics of an Islamic state are no more than the projection of the character of its Muslim citizens. It is the Muslim society in general which creates it, projects it, and activates it. A Muslim society lives by the injunctions of Islam, and gives them the priority and preference over everything else. Thus, consultation is older than the state, has wider context and has profound implications, while it happens to be the distinguishing mark of the individuals, society and state. As for the form consultation will take, it has neither been concretized nor frozen.

Every society or state is free to work out its own manner of conducting the affairs through consultation. In fact, the principles and methods of the organization of the state and its machinery are not molded in steel.

There are no texts requiring literal application. But rather, and before anything else, it is the spirit - which is generated by the faith residing in the hearts – that has to be there. This spirit, the outcome of firm faith, has its deep and profound effect on everything that Muslims do. Without this spirit, generated by faith, the best consultative or administrative systems will fail to generate any noticeable benefit. It is true spirit in fact, which generates the “form.” The texts help to systematize, and not to “create” the “forms.” So that, whatever form an Islamic system adopts for itself, it is essential that there exist believers and there exists a proactive faith. Otherwise, none of the systems devised by them would do them any good nor would such a system deserve to be called Islamic.

Consequently, whensoever it happened that there were true Muslims, and faith resided in their hearts, the Islamic system grew out by itself, manifesting itself in a form which suited those Muslims, their environment and their situation best.

60. “And, out of what We have provided them, they expend”: This is an early text that speaks of expending in Allah’s path. This is because, there is no recourse to Da`wah but through charity. There is no recourse but to cleansing of the hearts, removal of parsimony, getting over the love of wealth, and dependence on what is with Allah. And all these are necessary requirements for what we refer to as faith, as they are necessary for the creation of a healthy society.

Da`wah after all, is a struggle. There is no other way but total co-operation for Da`wah to be successful.

Sometimes this community liability will require absolute economic leveling of all the members of the society, as it happened early after Hijrah, until, (when the situation became normal), the standard zakah practices were adopted. At all events, expending is one of the essential characteristics of those burdened with leadership of the people (Sayyid).

61. (That is, Islam is not the religion of the weak, and the Muslims are not such weaklings as to be unable to defend themselves, or tolerate every tyrant without a squirm, a demand constantly made on them by their adversaries: Au.). They have the will and the power to strike back (so that the evil ones might not take advantage of them: Razi).

Majid adds: “This (provision of revenge) negatives all-sufficiency of the doctrine of non-violence. Non-resistance does not necessarily prove a protection and melt the heart of the aggressor. Consider the classical example of the attempted, and almost accomplished, crucification of Jesus Christ – perfect non-violence on one side and wanton aggressiveness on the other.”

Sayyid writes: “Mention of this quality in a Makkan revelation has special significance. It is being mentioned as the inherent quality of the Muslim community: that of facing up a tyrant and refusal to bend down to oppression. This is a natural quality of a community raised up for the purposes of enjoining the virtuous and preventing the wrong and who is duty-bound to establish peace and justice on the earth. This community seeks its strength from Allah. It is another thing that there once was, in Makkah, a situation that did not allow for retaliation, when the ear- lier stages in the making of a Muslim personality required patience. They were then to establish the Prayer, expend in charity and bear the hardships in patience. But that was specific to a community passing through those conditions. It was not to be a permanent quality.

There were several reasons why an attitude of non-retaliation was adopted at Makkah. Firstly, that was a tribal society with all its trappings and complications. The torturous treatment of the early Muslims was at the hands of their own masters.

Any other of any other tribe, could not dare harm them in any way without inviting tribal vengeance.

Hence we see that when a Muslim purchased a slave and set him free, he could no more be tortured by his former master, or any person of any tribe. Had retaliation been allowed during that early phase, slaves would have attacked their masters and every home which registered a Muslim would have turned into a battle-field. Secondly, the social system then was tribal and its sense of honor was high. Muslim patience in the face of persecution was very likely to provoke the sense of honor. To be sure, this is what happened when the Muslims were socially boycotted for three years. Ultimately, the sense of honor and pride worked in their favor, and the agreement was torn away. Thirdly, the Arab culture of that time was a warring culture, one where small pretexts led them to draw swords. The personality that Islam wished to create had to be a balanced one, not one which rushed to arms at every lean pretext. It had to learn to be patient while equally ready to take vengeance if the situation so demanded. In that phase, the ability to observe patience was a necessary tool for training (Sayyid, reworded).

It is another thing, writes Ibn Kathir, that when they overcome an oppressor, they forgive like the Prophet forgave those eighty who had tried to attack him in treachery at Hudaybiyyah.

Although he was able to overpower them, he forgave them all.

On the personal level, he forgave the man who had intended to kill him while he rested under a tree. Displaying extreme calm he was able to disarm him, but, after that, he forgave him. Similarly, he forgave Labid b. al-A`sam who cast magical spell on him, as he also forgave the Jewish woman at Khaybar who admitted to having poisoned him; although later, when one of his Companions, Bishr b. al-Bara’, died out of the effects of that poisoning, he got her executed in retaliation. His life is full of such examples from which we have chosen but a few to narrate.

In sum, writes Sayyid, apart from the several objectives viz., the ability to forgive for the sake of Allah, reformation of the individual, and free the society of the emotions of hatred, forgiveness is only effective when it comes from someone able to avenge. When someone has the power, and then forgives, then it leads the wrongdoer to remorse and shame and to the recognition that the person who forgave is a man of higher virtue. In fact, the power that leads to forgiveness, leads to a higher mode of existence. In contrast, forgiveness out of weakness and inability to do anything is an evil which leads the oppressor to greater wrong, and spreads corruption in the land.

Alusi places a note: The Prophet has added to the Qur’ānic recommendation.

He said, as in a Sahih hadīth in Tirmidhi, “There are three about which I could swear. And, I shall narrate to you something, that you ought to remember.” Then he said, “A slave’s wealth does not decrease because of charitable expending, nor was a man wronged yet observed patience but Allah granted increase in his repute, and, a slave did not resort to begging but Allah opened a door of poverty on him.”

62. Although retaliation of an evil is justice, it hurts the original perpetrator as evil does, and, therefore, the justification for the words, “recompense for an evil is an evil like of it.”

Another question is, should those who avenge themselves be praised? The answer is, yes: so long as they retaliate in equal measure. Retaliation is administration of justice, and, justice is a praiseworthy quality (Zamakhshari).

This Ayah has its equivalents in several places. E.g., (2: 194), “Therefore, whosoever does you wrong, you might also do him wrong in equal measure.”

Or, (16: 126), “If you seek revenge, you might avenge with something similar to the wrong committed against you.

But if you forgave, then that is best for the patient” (Ibn Kathir).

At all events, Imām Shafe`i has used this verse to deduce that a Muslim may not be killed in retaliation of a “dhimmi” killed at his hand, for, the Ayah is demanding equality. A “dhimmi” is not equal to a Muslim, and therefore, only blood-wit will be demanded of him in retaliation of a murdered “dhimmi” (Razi). Imām Abu Hanifah has differed over this issue and has ruled that a Muslim should pay with his life for taking the life of a “dhimmi.” He has his own points of argument (Au.).

63. That is, there are situations in which forgiving is not the best course.

It is reported that in the presence of Hasan al-Basri a man began to chide and scold another. The other man remained silent, but the chiding and scolding so disturbed the man that he began to sweat. Then he stood up (to go) and recited this Ayah. But Hasan al-Basri admonished him, saying “Man, think (over the passage) and ponder. Ignorant people imagine that forgiving is obligatory.”

That is, Zamakhshari and Qurtubi add, in certain situations avenging is obligatory. The Prophet himself allowed for defense. On one occasion, as the report goes, and as narrated by `A’isha, once Zaynab entered into her house without seeking permission, in an agitated condition and said to the Prophet, “Beware of Abu Bakr’s daughter that she should get the better of you.” Then she turned to `A’isha and began to scold her.

But `A’isha did not say a word in reply until the Prophet said, “Defend yourself.” “So I began to speak out,”

says `A’isha, “until her mouth was dry, unable to reply me with a word.”

The Prophet’s face brightened up.

Ibn Kathir traces the above report (also quoted by Ibn Jarir) as in Nasa’i and Ibn Majah and declares it Sahih.

As a final word, one might say that it will all depend on the persons involved, the situation, and the issue (Au.).

We have a report in Abu Da’ud, although “mursal ” which says, Sa`id ibn al-Musayyib reports: While the Prophet was sitting with a few of his Companions, a man began to abuse Abu Bakr.

But Abu Bakr remained silent.

The man abused him a second time. But Abu Bakr remained silent. Then he abused him a third time. At that Abu Bakr replied to him. The Prophet arose when Abu Bakr began to defend himself. Abu Bark asked, “Messenger of Allah, did you find anything wrong with me?” He replied, “An angel had come down refuting his lying against you. But when you spoke defending yourself, Shaytan came in. And I am not one to sit in a place visited by Shaytan” (Ibn Kathir).

64. That is, writes Ibn Jarir, a return to the previous world, the Ayah being a replica in meaning of several others such as (32: 12), “And, if you could but see when the criminals will be in the presence of their Lord, their heads lowered (saying), ‘O our Lord! We have seen and we have heard. So, send us back that we may do righteous deeds. We are now indeed convinced.’”

65. This is in the same way in which a criminal about to be slaughtered looks at the sword of the executioner (Zamakhshari).

66. So the believers will be masters of the situation at that time (Sayyid).

67. “I.e., instead of remembering his past happiness with gratitude, he calls the very existence of God in question, arguing that if God did really exist, He ‘could not possibly have permitted’ so much misfortune and unhappiness to prevail in the world’ – a fallacious argument inasmuch as it does not take the reality of the hereafter into account and is, moreover, based on a concept of God in terms of purely human feelings and expressions” (Asad).

The above in any case, is the attitude of most people. The Prophet said when he addressed women (in a gathering for `Eid Prayers): “O womenfolk, expend in charity for I saw you as most of the inhabitants of the Fire.” One of the intelligent women asked, “What is wrong with us that we are the most in Hellfire?” He replied, “Because you curse a lot and are unthankful to the family (that supports you).” But of course, a true believer’s attitude is different. He is obedient in all situations: of ease or discomforts, as in a hadīth of Muslim: “The believer’s affair is amazing.

All of his affairs are good for him – and this is not for anyone but for a believer: if good fortune strikes him, he is thankful, which of course is good for him; but if evil strikes him he bears it with patience and fortitude, thus it is good for him” (Ibn Kathir).

The hadīth that Ibn Kathir quotes about women is from Ahmad but we have taken from Muslim (Au.).

68. Several reasons have been forwarded by the commentators for mentioning the female first. Imām Razi for instance states that since woman is weak, Allah mentioned her first to demonstrate His concern for them.

But perhaps it is also because human regeneration is not possible without a female: males can never conceive, while females can conceive without the co-operation of the males (as is the case with some animals which can reproduce without the male’s contribution). Also, in great majority of cases, the first child is female, perhaps, once again, following the above biological truth (Au.).

Qurtubi notes that in view of this verse, it is considered good omen that a woman should bring forth a female child first. This is reported, adds Alusi, of Qatadah also.

69. Most commentators have quoted the examples of Prophets themselves: Prophets Lut and Shu`ayb (who had only female children), Ibrahim (who had only sons), Muhammad (who was bestowed both females as well as male progenies), and `Isa and Yahya (who were childless). Imām Razi and Qurtubi attribute the above to Ibn `Abbas, but the authenticity could not be confirmed.

Qurtubi adds that in view of this verse which speaks of only two sexes, some scholars have thought that there is no third sex, i.e., hermaphrodites.

Qurtubi, goes on to say that he is with those who believe there have been hermaphrodites in history, although, he could not confirm through his personal experience.

Those few who have believed that there are no more than two sexes, have modern scientific evidence to their credit. There are, in fact, no hermaphrodites.

Those who are thought to be in between, are either males or females, and, perhaps need some physical and psychological treatment to behave and live like males or females.

Nature does not produce any hermaphrodites (Au.).

70. That is, the angel remains concealed, invisible, while delivering the Message. Or, Allah remains concealed even the while speaking directly to one of His slaves. This is how Musa (asws) was addressed.

Those in our times who believe that the term “hijab” (when used in reference to a woman’s covering), allows for uncovering of the face, may make note of the usage here (Au.).

71. That is, as Suddi said, “it was not for any mortal that Allah should speak to him (directly) except by revelation,”

i.e., inspire the message in his heart, “or from behind a veil,” as Allah did with Musa, “or should send a Messenger,” i.e., Jibril, to reveal the message (in person) – Ibn Jarir.

72. “As described by the Prophet, there were,” Sayyid quotes Ibn al- Qayyim, “four kinds of revelations.

The first: that which the angel used to inspire in the heart without the Prophet being able to see him. For example, he said, ‘Verily, the Holy Ghost blew it into my heart that no soul will die until it has completed its share of providence.

Therefore, fear Allah, and adopt goodly ways in seeking it.’ Second: the angel would arrive in a human form and address him until he knew what he was saying. Third: his??? arrival sounded like ringing of a bell. That was the toughest on him so that his forehead sweated on an extreme cold day; and his mount would kneel down if he was on one.

Once a revelation of this nature came to him when his thigh happened to be on that of Zayd b. Thabit. The latter felt the weight until he thought his thigh would break. Fourth: He would see the angel in the form in which he has been created to inspire in him what he would. This happened to the Prophet twice, as Allah mentioned in Surah al-Najm.”

To the above of course, we might add another kind mentioned in the Ayah under discussion: “It was not for any mortal that Allah should speak to him (directly) except … from behind a veil.” An example of this is described in the Qur’ān (4: 164), “And Allah spoke to Musa, directly.”

That is, without the medium of an angel, although He Himself remained behind the veil of light (Au.).

73. Although Suddi thought the reference by “ruh” is to revelation, Hasan (al-Basri) said that the allusion is to “rahmah”, i.e. mercy (Ibn Jarir). Another interpretation is that the allusion by “ruh” is to the Qur’ān (Ibn Kathir), because, adds Zamakhshari, it gives life to the soul just as the spirit gives life to the body.

74. The term “imān” here alludes to the detailed belief in Allah, His Messengers, angels, etc., and not to mere belief in Allah’s existence or His oneness.

Qadi (`Iyad) has said that “we have received no report about any Prophet that he committed disbelief or declared partners to Allah during his pre-Prophetic life.” In fact, many of them displayed signs of being on the right path, although if asked, they would not have been able to define it. They were given understanding and wisdom, and prevented from adopting any pagan practice, as preparatory qualities (and practices), before they became Messengers. Allah said about Yahya (19: 12), “We gave him wisdom in childhood;”

He said about Sulayman (21: 79), “And We gave the understanding to Sulayman. And to all (of them) We gave wisdom and knowledge.”

He also said about Ibrahim (21: 51), “We had certainly granted Ibrahim his rectitude earlier.”

It is said that when he was thrown into the fire, he was sixteen years old.

(When Isma’il was consulted over the slaughter, he was perhaps less than ten: Au.).

Similarly, Allah said about Yusuf (12: 15), “And We revealed to him that you will surely inform them about this affair of theirs.”

(Our own Prophet sought recluse in caves to meditate over the truth, thus revealing his dissatisfaction with the pagan religion: Alusi, in different words).

Biographers tell us that twice the Prophet thought of taking part in pagan functions but Allah saved him both the times. Qadi `Iyad has also pointed out that the Quraysh threw all sorts of allegations against him but never said, “Are you not the one who was worshiping our deities until recently?” Had the Prophet once evoked them, surely they would have used it against him. Did they not say (2: 142), “What has turned them from the Qiblah on which they were?” In short, even before revelations are sent to them, Prophets are saved by Allah from worshiping idols or taking part in pagan rituals. It is in the light of these details that this Ayah, “You were not knowing what a Book was, nor what faith was,” is to be understood.

Although the Prophet did not know the details of faith, or what exactly Revealed literature was, he never prostrated himself to an idol, did not ascribe partners unto Allah, never went to a soothsayer and never drank wine. In fact, a hadīth to the effect that the Prophet participated in a pagan function, has been declared fabricated by Imām Ahmed and Dara Qutni (Qurtubi – shortened).