10-SURAH YUNUS (JONAH)

NAME: The name of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) appears in the Ayah (Verse) No.98. Which gives the Surah its name.

TIME OF REVELATION: It is a Makkan Surah and from the topics discussed in it, appears that it must have been revealed in the middle of the Makkan period.

CENTRAL THEME: Removing the doubts of the rejecters of prophethood and divine revelation. The real message of Qur’an and the Prophet has been clarified and it is explained why it is true.

This Surah contains both the aspects-of warning and that of glad tidings.

ORDER OF THE VERSES: The Surah begins (Verses Nos. 1 and 2) with the point that the Qur’an is a Book of wisdom which has been revealed to man in order that he should inform them of the consequences that would accrue in the next world.

In Verses Nos. 3 to 70 the dawah of Qur’an has been clearly presented: that attention has been drawn towards those signs showing Allah as the one and only God and Lord which not only rightly guide the intellect but also touch the heart, and pondering over these signs the concept of the Hereafter also develops. Besides there is confirmation of the statement of the Qur’an and the divine revelation.

Along with presenting the positive aspect of the dawah, it also refutes the negative aspect, that is polytheism, denial of the Hereafter and denial of prophethood in a forcefully convincing way.

In Verses Nos. 71 to 93. the historical facts mentioned in the earlier Verses have been presented as an evidence of truth of the Quranic message, and a moral is drawn from the extremely adverse consequences of the rejecters of faith.

In Verses Nos. 94 to 103, the idolators are warned in the light of these events and realities, that the revelation of Qur’an is absolutely free from any doubt, therefore, before the respite for good behaviour granted to them expires, they should accept faith, else on its expiry and on the appearance of the Divine punishment, accepting faith at that time will be of no avail.

Verses Nos. 104 to 109; are the concluding part of the Surah, in which through the Prophet (Sallal lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) an unambiguous declaration is made that his religion is the religion of Monotheism and that only is the right path of truth and reality, those who will tread this path will benefit their own selves and those who will deviate from it will be doing so at their own cost.

10-SURAH YUNUS-(JONAH) Verses (aayat) 109

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

1. Alif. ¹ Laam. Raa. These are Ayaat (Verses) of the Book full of Wisdom².

2. Does it seem strange to the people that We have revealed³ to a man from among them that he should warn mankind and give good tidings to the believers that they have a true (sure) footing with their Lord? (On this) the unbelievers say: ”Surely, this is an obvious magician”.⁴

3. Verily your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days,⁵ then established Himself on the Arsh⁶ (Throne), administrating all matters. There is no intercessor (with Him) save after His permission⁷. This very Allah is your Lord⁸, so worship only Him⁹. Will you not then receive admonition?

4. To Him only you all shall return; This is Allah’s firm promise. Verily it is He who begins the process of creation, then will create again, so that He may justly reward¹⁰ those who believed in Him and performed Virtuous acts. As for those who rejected faith¹¹, there will be boiling drink and painful punishment for them, because of their disbelief.

5. It is He, who made the sun bright and the moon light¹², and fixed stages (phases) for it¹³, in order that you may learn the count of the years and calculation (computation)¹⁴. Allah did not create but in truth (with a purpose)¹⁵. He states in detail His revelation for the people who know¹⁶.

6. Verily in the alternation of night and day, and what Allah has created in the heavens and the earth, there are signs for the people who fear ALLAH¹⁷.

These are letters of the Arabic alphabets, and as we have explained in Note No.1 of Surah Baqarah, they hint at the special topics of the Surah. In this Surah, Alif points to Allah, or in other words towards the topics of monotheism which have occurred in various verses. Lam points to La Ilaha Il-Lallahu, that is towards those topics which negate polytheism. Similarly ‘Ra’ points to Rububiyat i.e. Lordliness (Godliness) that is towards the topics which deal with Allah being the supreme Lord, for example in Ayah No. 3 it is stated:

”That is Allah is your Lord”.

And in Ayah No. 32- it says: “That is Allah is your real Lord” When we say that these letters point towards special topics or specific topics of the Surah, we have not fixed any special or specific meaning of these letters, but that we only mean that they are mere pointers and that too in the context of the Surah only. This opinion about these letters is a safe proposition in as much as by adopting this line of thinking we are spared their wrong interpretations or saved from calling them some sort of a puzzle.

In the modern times of technological progress, some people having declared these letters as puzzle have given certain values to them according to Abjad and with the help of the computers have produced some startling mathematical results. Accordingly they have built up their argument, considering the figure 19 as very important on account of its occurring in Surah Al- Muddaththir:

“Over the Hell nineteen angels are appointed”, But this argument is thrown overboard when we consider that this figure nineteen has occurred in connection with the angels of Hell, therefore it is for consideration whether it is a means of blessing or a warning of doom. At another place in the Qur’an it is stated:

“That day eight angels will bear over them. Throne of your Lord” (Surah Al-Haqqah)

Then why the figure 8 should not be considered most important? The fact of the matter is that the figure 19 has some important significance in the Bahai religion. Accordingly the Bahais have only 19 days in a month and their year has 19 months. Therefore, to revolve the Quranic Ayaat around the figure 19 or to argue on the importance of figure 19 with the help of these letters is not only a far-fetched conclusion but also to provide support to strengthen the Bahai mischief. Furthermore this fad for mathematical calculation has led to the fixing of a specific date for the occurrence of the Doomsday. This exercise started with the attempt to prove Qur’an to be a miracle with the help of computer and eventually it led to fixing the date of the Doomsday while the Qur’an very categorically states that the date of the Doomsday is not known to anybody and that it will suddenly occur.

2. The meaning of Quran’s being a Book of Wisdom is that its message, the creed presented by it, and its interpretation of the historical events, besides its teachings, all have their roots deep into the human nature, and a healthy intellect accepts them.

This reality presented by Qur’an refutes the claim of the Godless people that the foundation of beliefs is based on intellectual backwardness or superstitions. Such an opinion can be true about other religious books but it cannot hold good in respect of Qur’an, but those whose intellect is sealed cannot distinguish between right and wrong.

3. In those days people thought it strange as to how Allah’s revelation could descend on a man, and for the people of the modern times the very concept of divine revelation is unacceptable. But Quran’s lifting of the veil from the secrets of the universe, its solving of those complicated problems of life which great intellectuals and philosophers could not tackle, and its providing perfect guidance to man and its presenting such teachings as are reasonable and based on moderation is an unambiguous proof of its being a revelation from God. The rejectors of faith have vexed eloquent in denying the divine revelation and have unreeled very lengthy philosophical discourses, but they have neither been able to lift the veils from the secrets of the universe nor have they succeeded in solving the problems of life. They have also not been able to provide guidance to mankind in its long sojourn on this planet. This is the reason why every theory refutes every other theory and every philosopher contradicts every other philosopher; But the divine revelation is altogether a different matter. It is based on eternal truths and those who presented it (Prophets) always presented only one reality, and the presenter of Qur’an is the last link in the same chain.

4. When the idolaters saw that even the best literary efforts of the most celebrated poets appeared to be lusterless in comparison to the wordings and teachings of Qur’an, and that it was continuing its conquests of hearts of the people, they could find no other argument but to say that it was merely a magic of words and this man (Prophet) is merely displaying wizardry of speech.

5. This has been explained in Note No.82, Surah A’raf.

6. This has been explained in Note No.83, Surah A’raf.

7. That is: There is no being that can interfere with the decisions that God takes or who can essentially obtain something from Him for some one, or who can intercede on behalf of some one with God without His prior permission.

It also refutes the false belief that has gained popularity among ignorant Muslims that a particular saint would solve their problem of salvation. Therefore, appeal for help should be made to that saint, and that a certain saint would get their sins pardoned, therefore, they should shout, till they get hoarse, their popular slogan about ‘not leaving the edge of the saint’s skirt.

8. When Allah is the Creator of the universe and its Ruler, then who else can be your Lord beside Him?

(For the explanation of the word ‘Rabb’ (Lord)’ please see Note No.4, Surah Fatiha.

9. That is: When Allah alone is your Lord, then He alone is worthy of being worshipped by you; believe in Him as your God and worship Him and remain His slave till the last. (For the explanation of worship, please see Note No.7, Surah Fatiha).

10. This is the positive aspect of the purpose for which man will be given the second life, and it is the main reason, that is: Allah should so reward His loyal slaves that they may have no want whatsoever.

11. That is: Those who rejected the dawah of Qur’an to worship Allah, as the one and only Lord.

12. In the text the word ‘Zia’ (brightness) is used for the sun and the word ‘Noor’ (light) for the moon, which bring out the difference between the two, that the sun has more powerful bright light while the moon has a soft illumination.

13. By the stages of the moon are meant the phases which are commonly observed by men. The moon appears to be revolving, and by her decreasing and regaining shape, she presents varying shapes which are called the moon’s phases. In other words the moon traverses one stage daily and completes her one round. The Quranic argument is based on these phases of the moon which are commonly observed.

14. These phases of the moon help in fixing or calculating the dates. (For further clarification. please see Note No.258, Surah Baqarah and Note No.70, Surah Taubah).

15. This organised system of the universe provides the evidence that this grand factory has been brought into existence by a Being who is Most Wise and the Best Administrator, because from every corner of the universe the perfection of wisdom and excellence of management is manifested, and it proves the purposefulness of this universe. The purpose which Qur’an attributes for the creation of the universe is harmonious with the wisdom which is evident everywhere in this universe. In short this system of the universe proves that its Master and Ruler will one day establish a court of justice and reward His loyal slaves handsomely and punish suitably the disobedient ones.

This is a very clear argument in favour of the occurrence of the Day of Judgment when reward and punishment will be declared and executed. Qur’an presents these arguments with a view to helping people understand the facts so that it may become easier for them to reach the right conclusion. In spite of this, the present day, materialists do not distinguish between Islam and other religions, and think the belief in the Hereafter is merely a belief (theory), which is not supported by any rational argument. If these people study the Qur’an with an open mind, they would realise that whenever Qur’an presents basic beliefs, its treatment and approach is argumentative and appealing to the heart and mind, therefore, its path is the path of intelligence and right thinking.

16. That is: Only those people can benefit from these signs who do not stick to their ignorant creeds but in the light of this knowledge try to search and find out truth in accordance with the spirit of research ingrained in man by nature.

17. Only those people receive guidance from these signs spread over in the universe who fear their Creator, because the recognition of the Creator is ingrained in men by nature, and having a concept of the ‘Creator’ definately creates His fear. But those who have mutilated their natures to such an extent that they do not realise that there is a Creator who has created them, such people have neither any fear of the Creator nor have they any capability left in them of receiving any guidance.

7. Verily those who do not expect the meeting with Us, and are pleased with the life of the world and satisfied with it,¹⁸ and who are neglectful of our Signs.

8. Their abode will be Hell-fire, because of what they had been earning.¹⁹

9. Verily, those who believed and performed righteous deeds, on account of their faith their Lord will guide them (to the abode)²⁰, beneath them rivers will flow in the Gardens of Bliss.

10. There their prayer will be “Subhanakalla humma “(Immaculate are you, O Allah!), and there their (mutual) greetings will be: “Salam” (Peace), and The end of their prayer will be: Alhamdu Lillahi Rabbil Aa’lameen” (Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds)²¹.

11. If Allah had hastened for mankind the ill as He hastens for them the good, their respite would already have expired. But We leave those who do not expect the meeting with Us to wander blindly in their rebellion²².

12. And when misfortune were to touch a man, he invokes Us (while reclining) on his side, or sitting, or standing (in all postures), but when We relieve his distress he goes his way as though he had not invoked Us in the trouble that had confronted him. Thus the deeds of the transgressors have been made to look fair in their eyes. ²³

13. We destroyed many generations (races) before you when they did wrong²⁴; their messengers (from Allah) had come to them with clear signs, but they would not believe. Thus do We recompense the guilty people.

14. Then We made you Khalifa (giving discretionary power ) on the earth after them so that We might see how do you conduct yourselves. ²⁵

18. The present-day Godless and heretic people seem to be quite satisfied with the pleasures available in the world. They do not believe in the Hereafter. They believe in living for today. They are not pleased with moral progress. They seek pleasure from material progress. Their brain is a computer for the general knowledge about the worldly matters, but their heart is nothing more than a rusted machine for the matters concerning the Hereafter. Such people are very happy about their pleasant but misconstrued ideas. But how long?

19. Whatever work a man does, surely has its effect. A man may do good work or he may do evil work, its effect would essentially cling to him, as if it is his own earning. And this earning would appear before him in the form of the consequences.

20. What is stated is the fruit that faith (Eeman) will yield, and not that of mere creed (Aqeeda), because a creed is adopted by a man by dint of his being born in a Muslim household and on this account he remains a member of the Muslim society, while faith is an intellectual and conscious decision taken by man. As an electric bulb gives out light only when an electric current runs through it, in the same way creed manifests its effect when there is a spirit of faith in it.

Creed is the name of asserting the unseen realities while faith is that state of right belief which is heart-felt and is of firm conviction, which beautifies his inner self and gives him a special power to think and decide.

21. That is: The people of faith will not be so much absorbed in the pleasures of the Paradise that they would forget their Lord, but that they would be found praising and thanking their Lord for the blessings bestowed on them” Similarly when they would meet one another, they would not indulge in using foul language or back-biting as people in this world do, they would be desirous of each other’s well being, and they would greet each other with the prayerful greetings of ‘Peace’.

In sum the atmosphere in the Paradise will reverberate with the beautiful sounds of Allah’s praises and thanksgiving, and prayers for the well-being of the people. What an excellent atmosphere for the heart-felt inner peace and spiritual joys!

22. This is the reply to the question which the deniers of the Final Reckoning ask, that is: if the denial of the Truth or commitment of sins is to be punished by God, then why this punishment is not meted out immediately? The reply is given here that Allah does not employ the same haste in punishing mankind which he employs in giving them good rewards. If such were not the tradition of Allah, then the respite which He has given to mankind would have ended long back. And those who take undue advantage of this respite, Allah leaves them to wander in their contumacy so that their cup of sins may become full.

23. Those who transgress the limits set by Allah and want that they should lead unrestricted lives, do not take a lesson from the accidents and events which take place in everyday life and in which there is ample material for waking them up from the slumber. But they account for and interpret their ill deeds in such a beautiful way that not even the slightest willingness is evoked in their hearts for reforming.

24. By wrong (Zulm) is meant that wrong line of action which a man adopts by belying Allah’s revelations, His messenger and His guidance.

25. When one community departs from this earth, another community takes its place. The purpose behind continuing this chain of communities or nations is not letting them show how much material progress they can achieve in comparison to others, but the object is to examine which people remain loyal slaves to God and which people turn transgressors, which nation creates a God-loving civilisation and promotes virtues and which nation promotes vices, which community follows and adheres to moral and Shariah restrictions and which one jumps over these restrictions.

15. And when our clear Ayaat (verses)are recited to those who do not expect the meeting with Us, say: “Bring a Qur’an other than this one, or change it²⁶.” Say: “It is not for me to change it of my own accord; I only follow what is revealed to me²⁷. Verily if I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a Great Day²⁸.”

16. Say: “If Allah had so willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. I lived among you for a whole life-time before it. Do not you understand²⁹?”

17. Then who can be a greater wrong-doer than one, who invents a lie concerning Allah or belies His Ayaat³⁰ (verses)! Verily, the criminals will never succeed.

18. They worship beside Allah such things that neither they hurt them nor benefit them and say: These are our intercessors with Allah³¹. Say: “Do you inform Allah of (something) that He knows not in the heavens and in the earth³²? Immaculate is He and High above that which they associate with Him.

19. And mankind were but one community, then they differed³³. Had the decision not been taken earlier by your Lord, judgment in the matter in which they differed would have been given³⁴.

20. And they (people) say : “Why no sign³⁵ has been sent down to him from his Lord?” So say: “The unseen is known by Allah alone³⁶, therefore, wait³⁷, surely I too will wait with” you.

21. And when We cause mankind to taste of some mercy after adversity has touched them, they indulge in plotting against our signs³⁸. Say: “Allah is more swift in planning³⁹.” Verily, Our messengers record all that you are plotting⁴⁰.

26. The idolaters wanted that if there is to be a book from God, then it should be such a book in which nothing contrary or derogatory has been said against the idols, or they wanted the existing Qur’an to be so changed that it should have a pleasant reference to the polytheistic civilization also.

27. People suggest changing or amending Qur’an, thinking that it is authored by Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). They overlook the fact that its author is Allah alone, and in the book from Allah no mortal has a right to make any changes, even if he is Allah’s own messenger.

28. That is: Of the punishment of the Day of Judgment.

29. The prophet (Peace be upon him) became the recipient of the revelation from God when he was forty years old. This long period of his life he had passed among the people of Makkah.

During this period his character had been blameless, and nobody ever expressed any doubt about his truthfulness or honesty; actually he was called Amin (honest keeper of trusts). So if all along this long period he had remained honest and trustworthy, then how can it be possible for a person like him to start telling lies and that too concerning God.

Then again in this period of forty years he did not indulge into any act which might lead any one to doubt that he was trying to rise as a religious reformer or that he wanted to be the leader of the community.

There is also no possibility of doubting that he was trying to impress the people that he was an extraordinary man, a genius. How can such a person lay false claim to prophethood, when at the age of forty the human intellect is already moulded into a set pattern and a man’s temperament and way of thinking is already settled?

His detractors have not been able to answer these questions till this date.

30. This has been explained in Note No.40, Surah Al-An’am.

31. “These are our intercessors with Allah “ means that they would convey their appeal to God and they were their ‘wasilah’ or means or agency to get for them livelihood, children, wealth, etc., from Him. These ‘wasilah’ or means or agencies hear our invocation and get a lot of things granted for us from God.

This was the concept of the polytheists of Makkah concerning their idols, and for this reason they worshipped them and offered presents to them. A similar concept concerning saints and pious men is held by a very large section of the Muslims, who have fallen a prey to exaggerated ‘faith’ in them. On account of this exaggerated influence which the ‘peers’ and saints have on the misguided Muslims, they are considered as the ‘wasilah’ or agencies to reach God, and therefore, they appeal to them for help in their prayers, make elaborate arrangements for their ‘nazr’ and ‘niyaz’ and place offerings on their graves. Inspite of doing all this which is akin to the obeisance of a slave to his God, they think and claim that they do not worship them. As the renowned Urdu poet Hali has rightly stated:

“If others worship an idol, they are infidels, “If they make someone God’s son, they are infidels, “If they declare fire as worship-worthy, they are infidels. If they consider stars as miracle performing, they are infidels, “But for the Muslims, the avenues are open “They may worship anyone they like with pleasure.”

And Allama Razi has very rightly remarked in his commentary:

“The polytheists shaped these idols on the models of prophets and pious men, and were under the wrong impression that if they worshipped them, these pious men would intercede with Allah on their behalf.

These days an illustration of this is found in very many people’s indulging in paying extreme respect to the graves of pious men, with the belief that on account of their paying respect to their graves, they would be their intercessors with Allah.”-( At-Tafsirul Kabeer. Vol. XVII. page 60).

32. A thing which Allah does not know is a thing which has no existence at all. And when Allah does not know that there are such ‘intercessors’ in the heavens and the earth, then the reality about them is that they do not exist at all. There are no such intercessors in reality, except that they are the creation of the imagination of the polytheists.

The strange thing is that Allah Himself is saying that there are no intercessors with Him, and He Himself decides about the fates of His slaves. But those who are polytheists to the core persist in their belief that certain pious persons are their intercessors with God, as if their knowledge is better than that of Allah, and that they want to inform him of a thing which He does not know (We seek Allah’s refuge from that).

33. For explanation please see Surah Baqarah Note Nos. 308 and 309 and Surah An’am Note No.295).

34. Looking to the differences of religions in this world, a question arises: Why does not God set up His court in this world and finish these differences once and for all with His judgment? This question is answered in this verse, that Allah has fixed a Day for this judgment. In the world man is to be tested to see whether by using his intellect properly a midst these religious differences, and by listening to the voice of his innate nature, and taking guidance from the signs and arguments that Allah has sent down, accepts the religion of Truth or not. If the decision about the differences of religions were to be given in the world, then how could man have been tested, and on what acts of his he could have been rewarded or punished?

35. Means some perceptible miracle.

36. It means that the knowledge of the unseen is possessed by Allah alone, and He alone can bring out anything from out of the unseen. The Prophet has neither the knowledge of the unseen, nor can he produce anything from out of the unseen, and therefore he could not meet their demand.

It shows that even a prophet is unable to perform any miracle on his own, so how can a saint perform a preternatural act? In fact, none can do anything without the will of God.

37. Wait to see what would be the result of the improper insistence on this demand to show some miracle.

38. The catastrophic happenings and the disastrous events that take place in the world on the social and national levels possess in themselves such warnings and signs that have the quality of awakening men’s conscience, of guiding them to the reality of this world and of driving men’s attention towards God, but those who are hell-bent on not heeding God and His guidance interpret these events and happenings in such a way that human mind is not attracted towards God. If they had remembered God in adverse circumstances. then they try to suppress that remembrance in better days, so that no responsibility should fall on them in relation to God and the Hereafter. Such reprehensible and guilty activities have been termed here as indulging in plotting.

39. That Is: He is successfully counteracting against all the scheming, plotting and intrigues being indulged into by them, but His planning and scheming is hidden, which leads people to think that Allah is not taking any notice of their doings.

40. That is: All your activities are being written down by the angels so that on the Day of Judgment prosecution may be launched against you.

For those who do good is the best (reward) and more; and neither blackness nor ignominy shall cover their faces; they are the people of the Paradise, they will abide therein forever. (Al-Quran)

22. It is He who enables you to travel by land and by sea⁴¹, till, when you are in the ships and they sail with them with a favourable wind and they rejoice thereat; (suddenly) a stormy wind blows and waves come to them from all sides and they think they are encompassed by them; (then) they invoke to Allah, in humility making their faith pure for Him alone⁴², saying: “If you deliver us from this, we will truly be grateful.”

23. But when He delivers them, they transgress in the earth unjustly43.O Mankind! Your transgression is against yourselves only. Enjoy the life of the world! Then to Us is your return, then We will show you what you have been doing.²⁴. The example of the life of the world is as the rain which We sent down from the skies, by its mingling with it (earth) grows the produce of the earth, which men and cattle eat, till the earth took her ornaments and was embellished⁴⁴; and its people thought that they are her master; then (suddenly) Our (Command came by night or by day⁴⁵ and made it like a harvest clean-mown, as if it had not flourished yesterday⁴⁶, Thus do We explain Our signs in detail for those who reflect⁴⁷.

25. And Allah invites to the Home of Peace⁴⁸ and guides whom He will to the straight path⁴⁹.

26. For those who do good is the best (reward) and more⁵⁰; and neither blackness nor ignominy shall cover their faces; they are the people of the Paradise, they will abide therein forever.

27. And those who have earned evil, their reward will be evil like it: and ignominy will cover them. For them there will be no protector from Allah, as if their faces had been covered with the veils of the night’s black darkness⁵¹; they are the people of the Hell-fire, they will abide therein forever.

41. It is only Allah who enabled you or caused you to undertake journeys by sea or by land. In modern times, air travel is also the result of the qualities and capabilities given by God.

42. That is: In such a condition they pray to God in all humility and forget their false, invented gods. The idolaters of Makkah behaved in this manner. And calling or invoking God or crying to God in the circumstances of extreme adversity is the proof of the fact that man’s nature recognizes God.

43. This is an example of the fact that in adversity man remembers God and on passing away of the adverse circumstances forgets Him.

44. When the corn is ready to be harvested and the bushes dance in the lightly blowing breeze, the scene creates unspeakable. joy in the heart of the farmer. He eyes his produce with great expectations.

45. Means some disastrous happening that takes place with the will of Allah

46. That is: Suddenly in no time, the farm is swept away by stormy winds in such a way that it becomes non-existent. Such accidents or tragedies take place every now and then. Sometimes these devastations take place through flooding, sometimes through storms, and sometimes through other natural disasters. The idea in presenting this example is to show that as the joy or beauty of the ready-to-harvest farm is temporary so also the joy and beauty of this colourful and resplendent world is also temporary, and as the farm is made to disappear as soon as the command is given by God, so also this world will one day become extinct when God’s command will come. And when this world is destined to meet this fate, then wisdom demands that making the next world (Hereafter) as his goal and ideal. Man should live his life within the lawful religious limits, so that he may become worthy of the eternal blessings.

47. After presenting the reality of this world, Qur’an invites men to reflect and contemplate, in other words its approach in this matter is rational and argumentative and not dogmatic. And it is this basic fact which distinguishes Islam from other religions.

48. Means Paradise. It is called the Home of Peace because in Paradise man will be safe from all kinds of troubles, adversities, pains, etc. Furthermore, there will neither be any kind of dispute nor any fighting. There the society will be a peace-loving society and peace will reign supreme therein.

49. That is: So far as the invitation to the Home of Peace is concerned it is general, but to follow the path which directly and straightway leads to Paradise is available to only those who are rightly guided by Allah.

50. That is: They will get their reward for their virtuous acts as their recompense, but in addition Allah will further bless them with His favours. At another place in Qur’an it is stated: “So that He may reward them for their virtuous acts, and may bestow on them more of His blessings.” -(Fatir-30).

51. Face is the mirror of man’s actions. Virtue makes a man’s face glow beautifully, while evil makes it dull and unattractive. For this reason a sort of blackness appears on the faces of the sinners and criminals. In the world only a glimpse of the effect of virtue or evil can be seen on the face of a man, but on the Day of Judgment a man’s face will reflect his inner self and his acts.

28. And the Day when We will gather them all together, then We will say to those who ascribed partners to Us: “Keep to your place, you and your (imagined) partners (of Allah).” Then We will cause separation between thems52, and their (imagined) partner” will say: “It was not us that you worshipped.

29. Allah is sufficient as witness between us and you that we were unaware of your worships⁵³.

30. There will every soul experience that which it did before, and everyone will be returned to his Rightful, Lord ⁵⁴, and that which they had invented will fail them.

31. Ask (them): “who provides for you from the heavens and the earth, or who has power over hearing and sight, and who brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living ⁵⁵, and who administrates everything?” They will soon say: Allah. So say: Are you not afraid⁵⁶!”

32. Such then is Allah, your true Lord⁵⁷. After the truth, what remain” except misguidance⁵⁸? How then are you being turned away (from truth) ⁵⁹?

33. Thus the Word of your Lord was corroborated concerning those who do wrong that they would not believe⁶⁰.

34. Ask them: Can any of your partners (you ascribe to Allah) begin the process of creation and then repeat it⁶¹? Say: It is Allah that begins the process of creation and then repeats it. How are you then misled?

35. Ask them: Can any of your partners (you ascribe to Allah guides you to the Truth? Say: Allah guides to the Truth⁶². Is He who guides to the Truth more worthy to be followed or he who does not find the way unless he (himself) is guided⁶³? What has come over you? How do you judge?

52. Polytheists regard their gods as their supporters, helpers and intercessors with God, but in the gathering on the Day of Judgment they will declare their aversion to their worshippers. Thus the relationship of devotion that they had established with their imaginary gods would be broken, and they will find themselves in a totally helpless condition.

53. From this reply it appears that here by partners is meant those persons, who, on account of the excess devotion of their followers, had been held as partners with God. They had passed away from the world, but their devotees called them as if they could hear their calls and could help them. Under this false impression they worshipped them; they took pledges in their name for wish fulfillment, and gave presents and offerings in their names. But in the Gathering of Hashr they will proclaim in the presence of their worshippers their total ignorance of all these activities, which will be the proof of the fact that they were unable to hear the calls of their followers, that they had no say in the affairs managed by God, and neither the worship which their worshippers offered reached them nor their offerings and presents. They were totally ignorant of these things;

some commentators have taken partners to mean idols, but this interpretation does not seem to be correct for these reasons:

First, this statement of the partners that –“Allah is sufficient as witness between us and you that we were unaware of your worship,” can be true of persons and not of the idols.

Secondly, it is not correct to say that the polytheists of Makkah worshipped only idols: they worshipped jinns, angels and dead persons also, and as such they worshipped the idol of a man, named” Asyaf” and of a woman, named “Nailah”.

“Thirdly, in the Qur’an it is further stated (in Ayah No.35) that they cannot guide but are themselves in need of guidance, which proves that the reference is to persons, for only persons are in need of guidance and not idols.

Fourthly, Qur’an strikes at every kind of polytheism, at some place at idol-worship and at other places at angel-worship. At some places it refutes jinn-worship at other places it criticises personality- worship, therefore, there is no reason why everywhere it should be taken to mean only idolworship, and polytheism should be confined to mean only worshipping of idols.

In view of this wide sense of the verse. the saint-worship of the uneducated section of the present day Muslims tantamount to polytheism in the same way as the personality-worship of polytheists of Makkah.

54. That is: All these will have to appear before Allah. who alone is the Master of all.

55. For explanation please see Note No.177. of Surah Al-An’am.

56. When the Provider of everything is Allah alone, when Allah alone has power over hearing and sight, when He alone ordains life and death of His creatures, and He alone is managing the affairs of the universe, and the polytheists of Makkah held such a belief-then what is the basis for considering anybody else as worthy of worship! And are you not afraid of joining others with Him in your prayers which would attract His punishment!

57. When Allah is nourishing you and this system of Lordship has been established by Him only, then how can regarding someone else as the master of your destiny and calling that someone else for help be right?

58. That is: To consider one Allah as Lord is’ right and just, and all else as straying and misguided acts.

59. That is: Are you aware who is turning you away from the clear truth and where he is taking you! Beware! He is Satan, who is holding your lead and misguiding you to the wrong path and you are blindly following him.

60. Corroboration of Allah’s word here means to be liable to be punished under that law (divine tradition) which has been ordained for straying away from the path of truth, according to which those who consider obedience to their Lord as something that interferes with their freedom and who live unrestricted lives like animals, are deprived of receiving guidance.

61. This is another rational argument which shows that the gods of the polytheists are without any substance or reality. They admit that their gods have played no part in bringing them into existence, and similarly they have no power to give them life after their death, yet they do not realise how such gods can be regarded worthy of worship and how can they be regarded as gods and Lords?

It may be noted that the polytheists of Arabia believed that their Creator and that of the universe was Allah only, and if in any polytheistic religion the concept of there being someone other than one God who has created man and others, then such a concept is absolutely false as it is not based on any rational or academic argument.

62. Here Truth means the universal truth, that is, those basic realities which govern the human life and the universe, and without knowing which man cannot follow the right path. It is obvious that these realities are known to Allah alone, and therefore, He alone can give right guidance to man. For this guidance He has arranged for sending down His revelations, and these revelations are today available in the form of the holy Qur’an. Contrary to this none of the partners that have been falsely ascribed to Him can guide man to the Truth, because it is not within anybody’s power. Then what is the meaning of calling them gods?

63. Points to those personalities who were worshipped as gods by the polytheists. These personalities, being human. were themselves in need of receiving guidance, How then can they be equal to God, who is the rightful Guide?

Do they say that he has invented it? Say: then bring a surah like this, and for help call anybody beside Allah, whom you can. If you are truthful.(Al-Quran)

36. And most of them follow nothing but conjecture⁶⁴. Verily, conjecture by no means can replace the truth⁶⁵. Surely Allah knows well what they are doing.

37. And this Qur’an is not such as can be invented by any other beside Allah⁶⁶, but it is a confirmation of that (teaching) which is existing from before⁶⁷, and is a detailed exposition of Al-Kitab(the Book)⁶⁸. There is no doubt that it is from the Lord of the worlds.

38. Do they say that he has invented it? Say: then bring a surah like this, and for help call anybody beside Allah, whom you can⁶⁹. If you are truthful.

39. Nay, but (the fact is) they belied what their knowledge could not compass and whose ultimate interpretation has not come to them⁷⁰. Similarly those also who passed before them belied. Then see what was the fate of the wrong-doers!

40. And some of them believe therein and some of them do not believe therein. and your Lord knows who are the mischief-makers.

41. And if they belie you, say: “To me my work, and to you your work. You are free from responsibility for what I do and I am free from responsibility for what you do “.

42. And some of them listen to you. But can you make the deaf hear you, even though they understand not⁷¹?

43. And some of them look at you. But can you show the way to the blind, even though they see not⁷²?

44. In fact, Allah does not in any way wrong mankind, but they wrong themselves⁷³.

64. That is: It was merely the superstition of the polytheists that was responsible for their turning their religion into mythology.

65. All the religions that man has invented are based on conjecture, superstition and imaginary ideas. That is the reason why there are basic differences among all of them, while Islam is the original religion which is based on truthful knowledge, and this fact makes it distinguishable from all the other religions. It is obvious that in religious matters imaginary ideas are useless, and they cannot take the place of truthful knowledge. Inspite of this undeniable fact a majority of the people in the world today follow imaginary ideas in matters of religion.

66. There is a vast’ difference between the Divine Word and the human word. This basic difference between the two is like the difference between the divine creation and the human creation, and as man cannot create anything like anything created by God, in the same way man cannot compose any scripture like the divine scripture. This is the special characteristic of the Divine Word (Qur’an) which is in Arabic. As for its translation, it is merely communicating its sense and that too within the human capability which is limited. Therefore, from the translations of Qur’an, one can merely get a rough idea of this special characteristic of the Divine Word .

67. That is: Qur’an has not come with any new religion, but that it has come with the same teaching which was existing and had earlier come with the revealed books (The Torah and the Injeel) in broad outlines. A comparative study of these books will reveal that the source of Qur’an is the same from which the spring of these two revealed books had spurted.

68. Al-Kitab (The Book) means all those revealed books which were sent down before the Qur’an, which has not only included their teachings in its message but also has presented them with elaborate details. In other words, Qur’an is the perfection of this chain of guidance, and it is a proof of the fact that it is not humanly composed.

69. This has been explained in Note No.30, Surah Baqarah.

70. That is: they belie the revelation (wahi) because it being concealed, is beyond the area of their knowledge, and another reason is that the divine revelation is imparting information particularly about the occurrence of the Doomsday which event is yet to occur, but our inability to grasp the truth about revelation does not mean that it is unreal and it should be denied, when it is supported by strong and undeniable arguments. Furthermore, the subject matter of the divine revelation itself testifies that it cannot be the word of any man. Similarly, the events which will take place in the future, as prophesied by the revelation, are such as must occur in accordance with the demands of intelligence, nature and justice. A child cannot comprehend all the things which a man of mature age can comprehend, and a lay man cannot comprehend all the things which a scientist, an astronomer and a thinker can comprehend. Then, how can a thing, merely because it cannot be comprehended by someone, be denied on such grounds? If the answer is in the negative, then how can it be right to deny the teachings imparted by the prophets about the hidden and unseen things merely on the grounds that the layman has not understood them? The personalities who imparted these teachings about the hidden realities were exalted and sublime and were most trustworthy and the veracity of their teachings is confirmed by the Innumerable signs that are found in the world all around us, in the universe and in the living beings.

71. That is: They try to listen to what the Prophet says, not because they want to follow his teachings but in order to pick holes in what he says.

72. They do not look at the Prophet with the eye of a truth-finder. If their eye had been in search of truth, they could have readily realised that he was the true Prophet.

73. This deprivation of their sight and understanding was the result of their own wrong acts and wrong attitude, otherwise they all had ordinarily healthy and normal faculties of hearing, seeing and understanding.

45. And on the day when He will gather them together, (it will be) as if they had stayed (in the world) but an hour of the day, recognizing one another⁷⁴. (Then they will realize that). Assuredly losers are those who belied the meeting with Allah and did not follow the right path.

46. Whether We let you witness some part of what We promised them, or (before it) cause your time to be terminated⁷⁵: anyway to Us they will return, and Allah is witness over what they do.

47. And for every nation there is a messenger⁷⁶. When their messenger comes to them, justice is done among them and they are not wronged⁷⁷.

48. And they say: “When will this promise⁷⁸ be fulfilled, if you are truthful?”

49. Say: “I have no power to hurt or benefit myself, except as Allah wills⁷⁹. For every nation there is a fixed time. When their time comes, then they cannot stay an hour, behind nor they can advance it.”⁸⁰

50. Say: “Have you thought: when His punishment comes to you (suddenly) by night or by day, (where is the escape?), then why the guilty desire to hasten it⁸¹?” “Will you believe it when it occurs? Now (you believe)⁸²! and before this you were asking for hastening it!”

51. Then the wrong-doers⁸³ will be told: Taste the punishment of eternity! Are you rewarded anything else except what you have earned?

52. And they ask you: “Is it true⁸⁴?” say: “Yes, by my Lord⁸⁵, verily it is true, and you cannot escape.”

74. That is: At this time, they feel that the life span in the world is substantially long, but on the Day of Reckoning, when the life in the Hereafter would begin, they will realise that compared to that life the life span of the world was only that of an hour, and that their social relationships with other humans were not of a long duration but of a very short time. (See Surah Nazi’at, Note No.32).

75. The promise of punishment that has been made with the infidels will essentially be kept. As to when this promise would be fulfilled, it depends on the will of Allah; an installment of the punishment may possibly be inflicted on them during the life of the Prophet, or if God so wills it, even after his death. However, in the Hereafter they will taste it in full.

From this ayah this fact is made clear that in the beginning the task of the Prophet was to communicate the Divine Message, and what was that message has been clearly shown in this Surah. Here it has neither been stated that the Prophet has been charged with the task of establishing the social system of Islam, nor the aspect of the supremacy of the religion has been made prominent. with the exposition of the main message, but it has been stated that it is possible that Allah may terminate his life-span before the adverse end of the infidels.

In other words until the revelation of Surah Yunus Allah had not revealed, even to the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) himself, that He will cause Islam to outshine all other religions through this Prophet, unlike what is stated in Surah Saf, Ayah No.9 and Surah Taubah, Ayah No.33. This was done after the Prophet’s historic hijrat (migration) when the conflict between Islam and unbelief entered the stage of jihad; then it was declared that Allah will cause the religion to be victorious over all other false religions. It means that for the religion, supremacy and power are desired, but they pertain to the stage of jihad or to the stage when it is possible to establish and enforce the Islamic system in the society. As for the stage of Dawah (message), the main emphasis should be on the basic points, and not on efforts to achieve supremacy and power, otherwise the right religious ideology would not be developed, nor the way for the supremacy of the religion would be cleared.

76. That is: There was no nation or community that has lived in the past in which Allah had not sent a prophet. In Surah Fatir, it is stated:

“And there is not a nation but a Warner has passed among them.” -(Fatir.24).

The series of prophets continued from Prophet Nooh (Noah) onwards till finally Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was sent to the world as the Last Prophet:

77. Whenever a Messenger was sent among a nation, the judgment about the fate of that nation was given in the world itself. And it never happened that the people had turned down the guidance offered by the Prophet. and no punishment from Allah was meted out to them. It is another matter if Allah gives a reprieve to some nation for a little longer time.

78. Means the promise of inflicting punishment.

79. That is: When did I say that I would cause the punishment to be visited on you, but had said that if you transgress there is a fear that Allah’s punishment would surely overtake you. To fix a date for such a punishment is not my task, but it depends on the divine tradition. In this ayah the words of the Prophet: “I have no power to hurt or benefit myself” refute the claim of the bid’atis (innovators) that the Prophet can benefit or hurt someone in an unseen way. When even the Prophet is powerless in this regard, how do people attribute the power to the saints?

80. Here those nations are meant among whom Allah’s messengers were sent directly. Each of these nations was given an opportunity to understand the divine message and to reform itself, but when it belied the messenger and his message and rebelled against God and as soon as ‘the reprieve granted to reform ended, Allah gave the judgment of its destruction in the world itself.

81. That is: Have they made any provision to escape from the punishment that on its strength they are calling for hastening it.

82. That is: After seeing the punishment.

83. Here by ‘Zalim’ (wrong-doers) are meant those persons who have been unheeding the warnings of the Prophet and have been refusing to plan their activities in the world on the basis of their being accountable in the Hereafter.

84. That is: Will such an eventuality really come to pass that Allah will punish men for their evil acts?

85. The oath is to express the event’s certainty and definiteness.

54. And if every soul, that had committed evil, had all that is on the earth, it would like to pay it as ransom to escape⁸⁶; and they will feel remorse within them, when they will see the punishment. And justice will be dispensed among them, and they will not be wronged.

55. Lo! All that is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah Lo! Verily, Allah’s promise is true, but most of them do not know.

56. It is He who gives life and death, and to Him you have to return.

57. O Mankind! An exhortation⁸⁷ has come to you from your Lord, a healing ⁸⁸ for what is (ailing) in hearts, a guidance⁸⁹ and a mercy for believers⁹⁰.

58. Say: This (Book) is with the grace and mercy of Allah, so let them rejoice therein. It is better than all (the riches) that they are hoarding⁹¹.

59. Say: Have you considered what provision Allah has sent down for you and how you have made of it unlawful (Haram) and lawful (Halal)? Ask them: Has Allah allowed you to do this, or do you invent a lie concerning Allah?⁹²

60. And what have those who invent a lie concerning Allah thought of the Day of Resurrection? Verily Allah is truly Bountiful towards mankind⁹³, but most of them are ungrateful.

61. And (O Prophet!) In whatever condition you may be, and whatever part you may be reciting from the Qur’an, and whatever work you people may be doing, we are a witness to all when you are engaged therein. And the smallest thing in the earth and in the heaven is not hidden from your Lord, nor what is less than that or greater than that, but it is (written) in a clear Book⁹⁴.

86. For explanation please see Note No.124, Surah Maidah.

87. In this ayah four special characteristics of Qur’an have been mentioned. The first one is that it is ‘exhortation’, which means that it is an advice which creates an awakening and extreme humbleness in the heart.

88. This is the second special characteristic of the Qur’an, that it is a remedy for the sickness of the heart or the internal or spiritual sickness. As man falls a prey to the visible and physical diseases. so also he is afflicted by internal or spiritual diseases, for example disbelief is an internal cancer. Sinning is a tuberculosis for the heart. Greed for money is a madness of the mind, and shamelessness and carnal desires are the diseases which blind the soul.

For all these internal diseases of man Quran’s being a prescription of sure cure is a fact undeniable. At the time when the Qur’an was in the process of being revealed, mortally sick humanity received the much desired cure and history is witness that in every age whenever men turned to Qur’an they became the bearers of healthy and enviable character. Even in the modern times, when the moral degradation has reached its nadir, those who live their life in accordance with the teachings of Qur’an possess the golden quality of moral purity. Thus the experience has proved that the real cure for all the internal and spiritual ills of man is in Qur’an.

89. The third special characteristic of Qur’an is that it is a Divine Guidance by which the people of faith get their lead as to the direction they should adopt at every turn of their life-journey.

90. The fourth special characteristic of Qur’an is that it is a mercy from God. The people of faith are blessed with the Divine Mercy at every stage of their journey under the Divine Guidance.

91. That is: Compared to this spiritual wealth the material riches which the people are hoarding are insignificant, and it is their overactive involvement in hoarding money which does not allow them to come near the Qur’an.

92. In this verse by provision is meant all those pure edible and potable things which Allah has created, but the polytheists have, owing to their superstitions, declared quite a number of them as haram or unlawful for people to eat or drink. Eating or drinking of which would amount to sinning. Calling such an act as sinful shows that they consider that Allah has declared them unlawful. Qur’an asks such persons: how have you come to know that God has declared them unlawful, and if it is their claim that God has permitted them to declare whatever they like as: lawful or unlawful, then bring some proof in support of their claim. And if there is no proof, then your claim is nothing more than inventing a lie concerning God. The polytheists of Arabia had declared some specific kinds of camels and she camels and the young of some animals as unlawful, and the polytheists of India have declared eating of the cow-flesh as unlawful and certain castes have totally banned the eating of animal flesh. For further details, please see Notes Nos. 262 and 263, Surah Al-An’am.

93. Since Allah is kind to His slaves, He does not want that you should be liable for punishment in the Hereafter and for this reason He has informed you about His likes and dislikes. But if you decide to carry on regardless of His likes and dislikes, and declare a thing lawful or unlawful according to your sweet will, then on the Day of judgement you will have essentially to answer for such an irresponsible behaviour, and you will not escape punishment for your rebellious acts.

94. The Clear Book means that Book of Allah in which all the record of the entire universe is written in detail. Allah has caused this record to be written on the basis of His knowledge. This Book in religious terminology is called ‘Lauh-imahfuz’ (The Preserved Tablet) and its reality is known to Allah only. Here the idea is to show that the detail and the minutest information about a thing is known to Him. even the tiniest possible thing equal to an atom’s weight and size is also within the range of His knowledge. When His knowledge is so vast and all-encompassing, then how can He be unaware of the acts and deeds of His slaves’? And when He possesses the record of even the tiniest imaginable thing, then why should there not be a record of the doings of man, who has been granted the caliphate of the earth? Therefore, a man should do well to consider that Allah is watching whatever he is doing and nothing can escape His notice or being noted down in His record. It is this concept and it is this belief which prepares man for following the path of God.

62. Verily, for the friends⁹⁵ of Allah there will be no fear, nor will they grieve.⁹⁶

63. Those who believe, and fear Allah.

64. For them are glad tidings in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. There is no change for the words of Allah⁹⁷ that is the greatest-achievement.

65. And let not their speech grieve you⁹⁸(O Prophet!) Verily ⁹⁹honour belongs wholly to Allah. He hears all, knows all.

66. Lo! Verily whoever is in the heavens and whoever is in the earth belongs to Allah¹⁰⁰. And those, who call the Imagined partners other than Allah, do not follow anything but follow merely a conjecture¹⁰¹, and indulge in nothing but guessing¹⁰².

67. It is He who has created for you night so that you may find comfort therein, and the day illumined. In this are signs for the people who listen¹⁰³.

68. They say: Allah has taken (for Himself) a Son¹⁰⁴. Immaculate is He! He is Needless! His is all that is in the heaven and that is in the earth. Have you any authority for this? Do you say concerning Allah what you do not know ?¹⁰⁵

69. Say: Verily those who invent a lie concerning Allah will not succeed.¹⁰⁶

70. For them is this world’s pleasures only, then they have to return to Us,¹⁰⁷ then We shall make them taste very severe punishment because they disbelieved.

71. And recite to them the chronicle of Nooh¹⁰⁸ (Noah), when he said to his people: “O my people! If my stay (here) and my reminding you of Allah’s revelations¹⁰⁹ are hard upon you, I have put my trust In Allah, then make your plans and gather your partners, and let not your plan of action be dubious to you. Then have it decreed against me and do not give me respite¹¹⁰.

95. In the text the word ‘Auliya’ (Friends) is used, which is the plural of the word ‘wali’(Friend). Who are really meant by the friends of Allah, Qur’an itself has explained it. Accordingly, in the immediately following verse it is stated that they are: ‘Those who believe and fear Allah “that is, those people who, after embracing the true faith, adopt a God-fearing and righteous life. Such people are in reality the friends of Allah. In other words, every true and righteous Muslim is Allah’s friend.

After this explanation and clarification by Qur’an, nobody has any right to interpret it in any other way, but it is a pity that a section of Muslims have totally changed the sense and meaning of this verse. According to them a ‘wali’ or ‘Allah’s friend is that person who has led a life like a ‘sufi’ or in an ascetic way, and their concept about ‘wali’ is that he has power to effect changes in the affairs of the world. Accordingly, in relation to their power to change the working of this world they have graded the ‘aulia’ into various ranks like ‘Ghaus’, ‘Qutub’, and ‘Abdal’ etc., and they have ascribed such super-natural powers to them that have no basis in reality. The thing which has further strengthened this wrong concept is their Pukka and strongly constructed graves or mausoleums. This has resulted in the personality cult gaining ground among a section of the Muslims in the garb of devotion to the saintly and pious men and polytheism creeping in the garb of nazr-o-niyaz’ or offerings to them.

96. Such a thing will occur in the Paradise, where there will be no danger of the future nor any grief of the past.

97. That is: All the promises of Allah are inevitable to be fulfilled. Nobody and nothing can change them.

98. Do not pay heed to the hurtful talk of the opponents.

99. The Arabic word used here is ‘Izzat’ which means power and glory. Besides, it also means honour. Honour belongs wholly to Allah means that power, victory and honour are within Allah’s power and none can prevent Him from bestowing these blessings on anybody He may like, therefore the opponents may strive as much as they wish they will not succeed.

100. it is: All the creatures in the heavens and on the earth, whether jinn or angels, are on the basis of their birth, slaves and created beings of Allah, and when nobody is in a position to be the master or creator, then how can anybody be a partner to Allah?

101. There is no argument in favour of polytheism, and the people following different religions have ascribed partners to Allah on the basis of mere conjecture and guessing.

102. The pundits of the polytheistic religions have given a philosophical colour to their religions in order to prove them to be true faiths, so that the points and facts that cannot be accepted. Healthy minds may be passed on in the form of philosophy to impress and over-awe the intellect. The Hindu philosophy of Vedanta is an example of this, in which it is said that the Creator of the universe in the beginning was alone, then He decided to turn into many, therefore, He created many from his own self:

“The Vedanta says that the Supreme Being was alone, one without a second. He desired to become the many. But as there was nothing beside Himself. He had to create Many out of Himself alone.”

(Outline of Vedanta by R. Krishna Swamy Aiyar, page 71).

What a shameful lie that has been invented concerning God! Similar claims have been made concerning gods and goddesses (devis and devtas) that there are as many gods as there are qualities:

There are as many Devas or Spiritual Entities as there are qualities in the world.” (Ibid p. 131).

At the same time a claim is also made that the existence of the gods is not born out of superstition or merely a theoretical concept, but it is a reality:

“We must mention that these are not mythical entities or mere theoretical conceptions, but are actual facts.” (Ibid p. 139).

The foundation of polytheism and polytheistic religions is based on such imaginary and guess work stories which have been given a philosophical form. These philosophies contradict each other, which is the proof of the fact that their foundation is not based on rightful and true knowledge but on mere imagination and conjecture.

103. That is: For gaining ability to recognizing God, it is not necessary to get entangled into the intricacies of the philosophy. The signs of universe which Qur’an is presenting in support of monotheism is a simple reality and it is a sufficient argument for a person who is ready to listen and understand. It has been possible for man to exist on this earth because the night is dark, quiet and therefore fit for rest. and the day is bright for humans to see things. This is a clear sign of the over lordship of Allah.

104. In the text the word used is ‘walad’ (child). which is used in Arabic both for singular and plural, and for masculine and feminine. The discourse is carried on, refuting the ideas of the polytheists of Makkah, and here also the idea is to contradict their belief that the angels are the daughters of God.

105. Here five things have been stated concerning Allah’s begetting a child. The first is that there is purity and immaculateness for Allah, i.e. to ascribe children to Allah is to consider the Creator and the created equal, and it is obvious that it cannot be in accordance with the status of the Creator. He is above all such lowly relationships. The second point is that He is without any needs. Why would He need to have a son’! A man likes to have a son because he wants to have a helper or he wants an heir after him. But none of this thing can be true in respect of God. The third point is that whatever animate object is there in the skies and on the earth, it all belongs to Allah, that is, all the creatures in the universe are His slaves and His property. Then how can anybody be so elevated as to be His partner in godhood’! The fourth point is that those who believe in God’s having a son, can offer no proof and have no argument in support of their claim. Nothing can be found in the words of Allah that would suggest that Allah has any child or any son, or that He has adopted a son. And fifthly to put forth such a claim is mere manifestation of absolute ignorance. Because to say a thing concerning Allah without first ascertaining its truth by acquiring true knowledge is an act of great folly and shameless audacity.

106. A man must be very cautious in saying anything about God. Ascribing something false to God totally mars a man’s success in the Hereafter.

107. That is: They have to present themselves before Allah on the Day of Judgment.

108. The full chronicle of Prophet Nooh (Noah) has been related in detail in Surah Nooh and Surah Hood. Here only that aspect of the chronicle is mentioned which throws light on the extraordinary courage of Prophet Nooh and his extreme determination and trust in God in the matter of presenting the message of Truth.

It also shows the adverse consequences which await the rejecters of the message of Truth. For information about the time of Prophet Nooh and other details please refer to Surah A’raf, Note No.95.

109. Refers to those signs which prove the veracity of the Prophet’s message, or which prove what the Prophet says is true.

110. This was the challenge which Prophet Nooh gave to his people when he found them busy in hostile activities. It gives an idea as to how certain and definite a prophet is about the truth of his dawah, and how strong is a prophet’s determination.

“Then if you turn away (it is your loss). I have demanded no recompense of you. My reward is with Allah only, and I have been commanded to be of those who submit (to Allah)”. (Al-Quran)

72. “Then if you turn away (it is your loss). I have demanded no recompense of you. My reward is with Allah only, and I have been commanded to be of those who submit (to Allah)”¹¹¹.

73. But they belied him. So we saved him and those with him in the Ark (boat)¹¹², and made them rulers (on the earth), and we drowned those who belied our revelations¹¹³. See then what was the end of those who were warned.

74. Then after him we sent many messengers to their peoples,¹¹⁴ and they brought for them clear signs, but they were not to believe¹¹⁵ what they had belied before. Thus do We seal the hearts of the transgressors¹¹⁶.

75. Then after them, We sent Moosa and Haroon (Moses and Aron) to Fir’aun (Pharaoh) and his nobles with Our revelations, but they were arrogant and were a guilty people.

76. And when truth came to them from Us, they said: “Verily this is clear magic¹¹⁷.”

77. Moosa said: “Do you say about the truth when it came to you: ‘Is it magic?’ But the magicians do not succeed¹¹⁸.”

78. They said: “Have you come to us to turn us away from that (faith) which we found our fathers following, so that you two may gain greatness in the land?¹¹⁹ We will not believe you too.”

79. And Firaun said: “Bring every skilled magician to my presence.”

80And when the magicians came, Moosa said to them: “Cast down what you want to cast”

81. So when they had thrown down (their staff and ropes), Moosa said: “What you have brought is magic. Assuredly Allah will soon make it vain. Verily Allah will not let the work of mischief- makers succeed.¹²⁰

111. This ayah clearly shows that Prophet Nooh, who was the first Divine messenger to be sent to a human settlement, was a Muslim (surrenderer to Allah), i.e. his religion was Islam and he was an obedient slave of a Single God.

112. In the Ark or boat only those people had taken shelter who had accepted the faith preached by Prophet Nooh.

113. Prophet Nooh’s community or people had been the ruler of the land they were inhabiting, When on account of their disbelief they were drowned by Allah, the group of the people of faith, who were saved by Allah from drowning, took over the rule of the land. This was the first conflict between truth and falsehood on the earth, in which truth came victorious, and the people of faith triumphed against the disbelievers.

114. That is: After Prophet Nooh, Divine messengers were sent to different nations. The mention of these messengers was made in Surah A’raf and their mention was again made in the Surah Hood which followed.

115. This is a psychological weakness of man that when he rejects a thing once, he is not ordinarily prepared to accept it thereafter. To retrace his steps after proceeding in the wrong direction becomes difficult for him.

116. The detail regarding sealing of the hearts has been explained in Note No. 15, Surah Baqarah.

117. The specific purpose of referring to this event is to point out that as the courtiers of Firaun had dubbed Prophet Moosa’s message of truth as magic, similarly the idolaters of Makkah had called the message of truth preached by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as magic.

118. Whenever there is a competition between a prophet’s miracles any sorcery and magical tricks of the magicians, the ‘magicians have to face ignominious defeat. This is their unsavoury fate in this world. As for the success in the Hereafter, the magicians will be absolutely deprived of that, because they have been responsible for misleading the people by their trickery.

119. That is: The reins of kingdom of Egypt may pass into your hands. This allegation against Prophets Moosa and Haroon by Firaun was similar to his other allegation against them about their causing disturbances in the country (Surah A’raf, ayah 127); because they had not yet touched the problem of political power, as it was the stage of presenting the message and not the stage of actively establishing the Islamic system of government. In the dawah of the prophets, the problem of political power is also included among its latent factors, and in practice it is openly expressed when their communities or peoples accept their faith. Prophets Moosa and Haroon were inviting Firaun and his people to embrace their faith. They had not prepared any political plan to remove Firaun from power. Therefore, the allegation regarding their trying to grab power was totally baseless.

120. To hope for good results after an evil act is like hoping for coolness after kindling fire. It is the Divine law that no constructive result can accrue after indulging in destructive work. Then how can profitable results be obtained from magic which is nothing but deceit? What guidance can the magicians provide compared to the guidance given by the prophets.

82. “And Allah vindicates the truth by His words,¹²¹ however much the criminals may dislike it.”

83. But none believed in Moosa except a few youths of his people,¹²² for fear of Firaun and their nobles¹²³ that they would persecute them,¹²⁴ and surely Firaun was rebellious in the land, and verily he was a transgressor.¹²⁵

84. And Moosa said: “O my people, if you have believed in Allah, then put your trust in Him, if you are Muslims. “¹²⁶

85. They said: “In Allah we put trust. Our Lord! Do not make us a target of the tyranny of the wrong-doing people.¹²⁷

86. “And deliver us by your mercy, from the disbelieving people.”

87. And We revealed to Moosa and his brother¹²⁸ (saying): Provide a few houses¹²⁹ in Egypt for your people, and make your houses Qiblah ¹³⁰, and establish prayers¹³¹ and give glad tidings to the believers.¹³²

88. And Moosa prayed: “Our Lord! You have given Firaun and his nobles splendour and riches in the life of the world, Our Lord! so that they may lead people astray from your way.¹³³ Our Lord! Destroy their riches and harden their hearts so that they may not believe till they see the painful punishment.¹³⁴ (Allah) said: The prayer of you two is answered;¹³⁵ you two remain steadfast, and do not follow the path of those who do not know.¹³⁶ And We led Bani Israil to cross the sea,¹³⁷ Then Firaun and his army pursued¹³⁸ them with transgression and enmity till, when he was overtaken by drowning, he exclaimed: I believe that there is no God except Him in whom the Bani Israil believe, and I am of the Muslims.¹³⁹

121. Accordingly by His Command Prophet Moosa’s staff turned into a real python, which devoured the false snakes of the magicians. Thus Prophet Moosa came out victorious in the competition against the magicians, and in this way the fact of his being a prophet was confirmed convincingly. (for further explanation please refer to Notes Nos.167.168 and 169. Surah A’raf).

122. His people means Firaun’s community, because the description about Firaun, his nobles and his magicians is continued.

123. That is: The truth that Prophet Moosa presented was accepted by a few courageous youths only. These youths belonged to the Copt nationality of Egypt, for so far as the Bani Israil were concerned, they were already Muslims and they had believed in the prophethood of Prophet Moosa and had accepted him as their leader. If it were not so, then how could Prophets Moosa and Haroon demand for the deliverance or freedom of Bani Israil. “Therefore the opinion of some commentators who have taken it to mean the youths of the Bani Israil community cannot be accepted.

124. It gives an idea as to what an oppressive and tyrannical policy was adopted by Firaun and his nobles against those who had embraced Islam. Firaun was not prepared to give freedom of belief and conscience to his people. Because of this his people were reluctant to accept the truth even after it was clearly manifested to them, except for a group of few youths. Who embraced Islam despite all the dangers.

125. Firaun was rebellious and a tyrant. Because of his rebellion against God, he had become so arrogant that he had crossed all the ethical limits and indulged in barbarous and brutal behaviour.

126. That is: The demand” of your being a Momin and surrendering yourself to Allah is that you must have complete trust in Him. Without caring for Firaun’s tyrannical activities you should be firm on truth and you must have faith that ultimately people of faith are bound to he blessed with success. When a man’s mind really decides to put trust in God without reservations. he feels reassured and his heart takes courage, which is a great weapon for true faithful in his defence.

127. Prophet Moosa’s community expressed their feeling of trust in God and they prayed to Him that He may not make these tyrants so powerful as to subject the Muslims to their tyrannies.

128. That is: Prophet Haroon ( Aron).

129. That is: Reserve some houses to be used as mosques. Probably at that time there were no mosques in Egypt. which must have been due to Firaun’s not allowing them in his country. And since Bani Israil were to migrate from Egypt after the attaining of prophethood by Moosa, it was not necessary to construct mosques in Egypt on a permanent basis. Therefore, the command was given to reserve some houses as mosques to enable Muslims to offer prayers in congregation.

It provides the guiding point that at a place where a mosque may not be available, a house or a school can be used as a mosque temporarily for offering prayer.

130. The address is to the community of Moosa and by Qiblah is meant the center of worship. This is the sense-and Allah knows best the meaning of His own words-that make these houses as center of worship and use them as temporary mosques.

131. It is clear that establishment of prayer was all important item of Prophet Moosa’s Shariah, and despite the’ fact that Bani Israil were the slaves of Firaun, they were commanded to say the prayer regularly. But in the existing Torah it is not clearly stated, however there is a mention of Bani Israil prostrating themselves before God:

“And the people bowed their heads and worshipped” (Exodus: 12:27)

132. The addressee is Prophet Moosa, who has been directed to give glad tidings to the people of faith. Who have put their trust in Allah and have stood up to firaun and who are establishing prayer, so that they may be reassured.

133. This statement is similar to the one in which it is said that a teacher has been teaching his pupils with a view to letting them fail in the examination. It is obvious that such a statement is made looking to the result of an act and not to indicate its purpose. The meaning of Prophet Moosa’s statement is also the same, that is, O God! You had not granted these material resources to the Pharaoh and his nobles in order that they might use them to lead the people astray, but they are making such wrong and undue use of these favours and blessings from You as if these things were granted them for this very purpose.

134. This prayer was uttered by Prophet Moosa after the message of truth was convincingly conveyed to Firaun and his nobles, and they did not accept the truth because of their obduracy. When a nation reaches the last stage of transgression, its condition becomes that of a decomposed dead body, to smother whose stink it is necessary to bury the dead body deep into the ground as quickly as possible. And it is the tradition of Allah that He sends down His punishment on such a nation and purifies the earth by removing the existence of that nation. The prayer of Prophet Moosa was for the manifestation of such a Divine tradition.

135. Since this prayer was for the manifestation of the Divine tradition and it was said at an appropriate time, it was immediately heard and answered. This prayer was uttered by Prophet Moosa and Prophet Haroon had also joined him in this prayer.

136. That is: They do not know that the path which they have taken is going to lead them to the Hell.

137. The event of Bani Israil crossing the sea has been recorded in the Bible also. Its summary is: One night the people of Firaun had to undergo great suffering as their first-born children died and there was great mourning in Egypt. In fright, Firaun called for Prophets Moosa and Haroon, and permitted them to go out of Egypt with the Bani Israil. Prophet Moosa set out from Rameses where the Jews had their colonies, with Bani Israil and travelled on foot up to Sukkat. From Suk’kat they reached Eetam, and from Eetam turned to Fi-Haiharoot which is opposite Ba’al Safwan, and after staying in Majdal Marched in front of Fihaiharoot, and crossing the sea entered the Sinai Desert. There is also a clarification in the Bible that God did not take them from Egypt to Palestine by means of the nearest route, but took them in a roundabout way through the route of the desert of the Red sea. This roundabout route was purposely taken.

This event has been described in detail in Exodus, chapters 12, 13, 14, 15 and Numbers, chapter 33. In the English translation of the Bible the name of the sea crossed by Prophet Moosa and his followers is given as the Red Sea and in the Arabic version it is mentioned as ‘Bahre-Soof’. This is a translation of the original Hebrew name ‘Yam soof. In Hebrew Yam means Sea. In those days there was a small sea in the north of Suez Gulf known as Bitter Lakes. It was linked with the Suez Gulf. Probably Bani Israil entered the Sinai desert by crossing this very sea. The various names that have Occurred in the Bible are not now familiar, that is why the commentators of the Bible also have not been able to clearly pinpoint this place, from where the Bani Israil had crossed the sea. The editor of the Dictionary of the Bible writes:

“The general opinion, however based on Constant Scripture representation, is that the sea crossed by the Israelites was the Gulf of Suez, probably at a point immediately north or just south of the Bitter Lakes. “

(A Dictionary of the Bible, by John D. Davis, London Edition, IV. p. 647-648) Anyway the crossing of the sea by Bani Israil was a clear and open miracle caused by Allah. Further details occur is Surah Sho’ra (Poets).

138. First Firaun permitted Bani Israil to leave his country, but later on when he realized that in this way he has released them from his servitude, he pursued them with his army. This was a hostile and tyrannical step of Firaun.

139. This declaration of his belief is not mentioned in the Bible, but Qur’an has presented this important aspect of this event in such a way that the image of the helplessness of Firaun comes out very clearly before our eyes. This admission of Firaun was that voice of his nature which he had kept suppressed and thus had wronged his own self. But when he saw death staring him in the face, his nature could not keep quiet and blurted out the truth, which cannot be suppressed indefinitely. In the final run a tyrant and rebellious king like Firaun also had to admit the truth and veracity of monotheism and Islam.

91. Now (you believe )¹⁴⁰! Whereas before this you have been disobeying and were of evildoers.

92. So today We will save your (dead) body so that you may be a sign (Lesson) for those who come after you.¹⁴¹ And most of mankind are heedless of Our signs.

93. We settled the Bani Israil in good settlement¹⁴² and provided for them clean sustenance.¹⁴³ Then despite knowledge having come to them they disagreed themselves.¹⁴⁴ Verily , your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Judgment in what they have been differing.

94. And if you are in doubt concerning what We have sent down to you, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before you.¹⁴⁵ Indeed the Truth has come to you from your Lord. So do not be of the waverers.

95. And nor be of those who belied the revelations of Allah, otherwise you will be of those who are the losers.

96. Verily, those concerning whom the word of your Lord has been vindicated, will not believe.¹⁴⁶

97. And even if all the signs come to them, unless they see the painful punishment.

98. Then why was there not a single township, which believed, and its faith profited it, except the people of Yunus? When they believed We removed from them the punishment of disgrace¹⁴⁷ in the life of the world, and let them enjoy (life) for a period.

99. And had your Lord willed all the people or the earth would have believed in Him. Would you then compel mankind until they become Believers?¹⁴⁸

100. And no person can believe except by the will of Allah. He casts uncleanness on those who do not understand.¹⁴⁹

140. That is: When Firaun was drowning he was told that at that time it was no use his accepting the faith, for the time for the examination was over and it was the time to face the consequences. Allah has stated this to be the Divine tradition that to accept faith on seeing the punishment does not help anyone:

“But their faith could not avail them when they saw Our punishment.” (Al-Mumin- 85.)

141. The dead body of Firaun did not dissolve or dismember in the sea, but it floated up to the bank so that people should see it and take a lesson from it, as to how Allah punishes His rebel slaves and tyrants, and what end awaits those who walk arrogantly on His earth. This event is recorded in the Bible thus:

“Then the LORD said to Moses Stretch out your hand over the sea that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. So Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its wonted flow when the morning appeared: and the Egyptians fled into it, and the LORD routed the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea: not so much as one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea. the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians: and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did against the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD: and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.” (Exodus 14:26 to 31)

The commentators of the Bible opine that the exodus took place before the thirteenth century Before Christ, and they have stated that this particular Pharaoh was Rameses II.

(Peake’s Commentary on the Bible. New York. P. 115).

And the mummy of Rameses II is even today kept for exhibition in the Cairo Museum, inviting the people of the world to see it and take a lesson from it, if they have the will.

“His mummy is now in the museum at Bulak.”

(A Dictionary of the Bible. Word Pharaoh page 600).

142. By good settlement here is meant the lands of Syria and Palestine, and also the position of honour. For further explanation, please see Note Nos. 196 and 197, Surah A’raf.

143. Refers to those blessings and good things which they got in the land of Palestine. In the Bible at many places Palestine has been alluded to be the land of milk and honey. e.g. see Exodus —3:8.

144. Knowledge means knowledge of religion and the Shariah. The purpose is to clarify that there were disagreements and disputes among the Bani Israil, not because they were not imparted the correct knowledge of religious principles and practices. They were properly guided by the Torah and a number of prophets as to what was real religion, what were the Divine commandments, and on what thing their salvation depended. But inspite of this knowledge and the right teachings that they received they took the path of disputes and disagreements among themselves.

(For further explanation please refer to Note No. 137- A, Surah Al-i-Imran and Note No.7 Surah Bayyinah).

145. When this Surah was revealed, very few people were believing in Qur’an, and quite a large number of people were in a state of hesitancy. Since they belonged to a nation, which was not blessed with a revealed Book, they had their doubts as to whether Allah did really reveal a holy Book to the humans and that this Book. Qur’an is the word of Allah. To remove this doubt of theirs it is stated here that Qur’an is not the first Divine Book that has been revealed, before it other Books had also been revealed to people, and amidst them there were people of the Book who had been reading the Torah. The fact can be confirmed from them that Allah had been sending down His revealed Book to His slaves to guide them, and among the people of the Book. who may be truthful, would also testify to the Qur’an being a Divine Book, for those who are acquainted with the words of Allah can immediately recognise Qur’an to be that, on hearing it.

146. Means that command of Allah which appears in Ayah No.33 of this Surah, and which has been explained in Note No.60.

147. That is: In whatever settlement or township a divine messenger preached his divine message that township as a whole did not embrace his faith until it did not see the appearance of the divine punishment. But embracing the faith on the appearance of the punishment was useless, because at that time the respite given to do good acts had expired. However, in the whole history there is only one example, and that is of the community of Prophet Yunus that it embraced the divine faith before the appearance of the divine punishment, and therefore, it was spared the disgraceful punishment by Allah.

The name of prophet Yunus appears in the Bible as Prophet Jonah. He was an Israili Prophet and he was sent to Nineveh, which is situated near Mosul in Iraq on the side of the river Dajlah, and which was the capital of the Assyrians. This nation had gone astray, and to present before them the message of Truth, Prophet Yunus was sent among them. All this probably happened in the eighth century B.C.

148. For explanation, please see Note No.200, and No.201, Surah An’am, and Note No.159, Surah Maidah, and Note No.417 , Surah Baqarah.

149. That is: Faith is dependent on the guidance provided by God, and this guidance is made available to only those who use their common sense and try to understand. But those who do not use their intelligence, Allah throws filth (misguidance) on their heart and mind, and therefore, they give birth to filthy and wrong ideas. For this reason they do not feel any qualms in ascribing mean things to God or suggesting filthy ideas to their fellow human beings. The mythological concepts of the polytheistic religions, the immoral culture of the standard-bearers of modern civilization, the theory of the materialists about man being an economical animal, and the theory of sex of the promiscuous people are some clear examples of filthy and wrong mentality.

101. Say (to them): Behold what is in the heavens and the earth.¹⁵⁰ But signs and warnings do not profit those who do not believe.

102. What are they waiting for except the like of the days of those who passed away before them?¹⁵¹ Say: “Wait then! I am too waiting with you.”

103. Then do We save our messengers and those who believe. (We have been doing) like this. It is incumbent on Us to save the believers.¹⁵²

104. Say: “O people! If you are in doubt of my religion, then (know that) I do not worship those whom you worship instead of Allah,¹⁵³ but I worship Allah who causes you to die,¹⁵⁴ and I have been commanded to be of the believers.¹⁵⁵

105. And set your attention to the religion upright¹⁵⁶ and do not be of the polytheists.

106. And do not invoke,¹⁵⁷ beside Allah, anyone who can neither profit you nor harm you. If you do that, then surely you are of the wrong-doers.”¹⁵⁸

107. If Allah inflicts you with a misfortune, none can remove it but He, and if He bestows on you a favour, none can withhold His bounty. He bestows His favours on anybody among His Slaves He will. He is the oft Forgiver, the Most Merciful.¹⁵⁹

108. Say: “O mankind! The Truth has come to you from your Lord. Then whoever follows this guidance follows it to his own advantage, and whoever goes astray does so at his own cost. And I am not over you as a (wakeel) keeper.”¹⁶⁰

109. And (O Messenger!) Follow the revelation that is sent down to you, and have patience till Allah delivers His judgment.¹⁶¹ And He is the best of Judges.

150. Qur’an invites everybody to observe the star-filled skies and the earth full of blessings and sunshine. This observation should not be with a view to acquiring mere knowledge but to acquiring the knowledge of truth, that is, basically its purpose should be to achieve a recognition of the Creator of the universe, and also to finding out whether the object of the creation of the world as stated by Qur’an and the message to which it invites mankind are confirmed by the manifestations in the universe or not. In this scientific time the scientists and the astronomers have discovered most astonishing things and placed heaps of information before the world, but they are totally ignorant of the Truth, because their approach to the study of the universe is not right.

151. That is: When in the past the previous nations refused to embrace the faith even after the message of Truth was duly conveyed to them by the Divine messengers, they were subjected to total destruction. Similarly, to these people also the Truth has been duly conveyed. If now they do not accept the true faith, then the natural result will be their destruction only.

152. Means to save them from the decisive punishment, that is: when a nation is duly conveyed the Divine message fully and clearly and the said nation is not prepared to give up its disbelief and transgression, then the punishment of Allah envelopes it in this very world. On such occasions Allah saves His messengers and those who believe in them from such a punishment. In the case of the previous nations Allah had commanded His messengers to go out of their townships and settlements. Thus He has been saving His messengers and their companions who were believers on every occasion of decisive punishment, because Allah has made it incumbent upon Himself to save them. Therefore, if the punishment were to visit the people of Makkah, then the messenger and the people of faith would essentially be spared. It should be noted that the polytheists of Arabia kept on embracing Islam gradually, therefore, they had not been confronted with the Divine punishment like the nations of A’d and Thamud, but those of them that had persisted in their disbelief were made to face destruction by means of the swords of the people of faith in the Battles of Badr and Hunain.

153. Here the Prophet has been commanded to present his dawah and express his stand relating to religion in clear terms and openly. This command is as much for the Prophet’s followers as it is for the Prophet himself. Therefore. a Muslim must express his religious stand and policy unambiguously and unhesitatingly. To present one’s faith in false colours to please the people of other religions, to hesitate to present pure monotheism for fear of dislike of polytheists, and to be unduly tolerant with the polytheistic customs are practices that are against the direction given in this ayah.

154. That is: I worship only that God who takes away your life. In this statement is hidden the argument in support of Allah’s being the one and only worship-worthy Being. When it is an undeniable fact that death is not within the power of anybody except Allah, then how anybody can be god, worthy of worship.

155. The point in making the Prophet say these words is to show that the Prophet’s being a faithful and his being among the believers is in obedience of the Divine command. Therefore, the idea that the Prophet himself of his own accord, started the dispute of belief and disbelief and divided mankind into two groups and two sects of believers and non-believers is wrong.

156. That is: Keep your attention riveted to Islam, concentrate on following it, leaving aside other faiths, there should be not even the slightest leaning towards any other faith or faithlessness, and let there be not even the minutest impurity of polytheism in your belief and acts.

157. Invoking means calling for fulfilling the needs as in prayer or to call for help or to appeal for aid (as a matter of belief). To invoke or call someone, whether it may be an idol or a grave, or a jinn, or a prophet, or a Saint, for fulfilling one’s needs, thinking him to be having some say or control in the functioning of this universe and provision of sustenance, etc, and that he can hear the call in absence and comes to the help, is a polytheistic practice of the first degree, whether it may be committed by a non-Muslim or a Muslim.

158. These harsh words have been spoken, addressing the Prophet, to make it clear that the firm stand taken by the Prophet against polytheism is quite in accordance with the directives given by God, and in The Law of Allah one who commits polytheism is a wrong-doer however big a personage he may be The purpose of addressing the Prophet to state this fact is to make clear this point of principle.

159. He is the Forgiver, so seek forgiveness from Him alone. And He is Merciful, so pray for mercy from Him alone.

160. That is: I have not been made responsible to force you to follow the right path.

161. And a little after this the judgment of Allah was delivered. Accordingly, the roots of polytheism were cut down by the Prophet, and the standard of monotheism was raised high falsehood was defeated and truth came out glorious. If even by this historic judgment which is the clear1 proof of the truth of the Prophet’s message the nations of the world do not want to learn their lesson, then they should wait for that Divine judgment which will be delivered on the Day of Resurrection.