6 – SURAH AL–AN’AM. (THE CATTLE)

NAME : In verses Nos. 136 to 145 that innovation of the idolaters has been refuted which they had adopted in relation to the cattle.This allusion gives the Surah its name.

TIME OF REVELATION: It is Maccan and from the theme it is surmised that it was revealed in the middle period of the prophet’s era.

CENTRAL THEME: Refutation of polytheism, and removing the doubts of the disbelievers concerning the Unity of Allah, the Hereafter and the prophethood, and an invitation to them to accept faith. In the previous three surahs, the arguments were directed to the people of the book, in this Surah the argument is directed to the polytheists.

ORDER OF THE VERSES: Verses Nos. 1 to 3 are a sort of preamble in which the correct recognition of the Creator of the universe has been given.

In verses Nos. 4 to 21, the rejectors of faith are criticised for their irresponsible utterances and their doubts are removed.

In verses Nos. 22 to 32, that condition of the people, who are polytheists, who reject His signs and who deny the life in the Hereafter, is mentioned in which they will find themselves when the Doomsday will occur and they will be standing in the presence of their Creator.

Verses Nos. 33 to 55 answer the objections of the rejectors of prophethood, and they are also warned of the adverse consequences of this denial Moreover, the people of Faith are also given the glad tidings of their salvation and the immense favours and blessings from God.

In Verses Nos. 56 to 67, directions are given to declare displeasure and abhorrence of worshipping beings other than Allah, and the teaching of Oneness of Allah has been presented.

Verses Nos. 68 to 70 direct the believers to let alone the false argumentations.

Verses Nos. 71 to 73 are in refutation of polytheism and an assertion of the unity of Allah.

In Verses Nos. 74 to 83, that argument of prophet Ibrahim has been presented which he had advanced before these countrymen in refutation of idolatry and in support of Truth.

Verses Nos. 84 to 90 relate the examples of the great prophet that they believed in the Oneness of Allah and that they had no concern whatsoever with idolatry and polytheism. Their path was the path of guidance.

In Verses Nos. 91 to 94, the objections against the revelation from Allah have been answered, and that situation has been presented which the rejectors of Faith will face at the time of their death and again on the Day of Resurrection.

Verses Nos. 95 to 108 invite attention to those signs which are scattered in the heavens and the earth and are also present in the human soul, from which the proof of Allah’s being the only God without any partner is gathered, and every kind of given. polytheism is refuted.

In Verses Nos. 109 to 115, the disbelievers have been reproached for their undue demands.

Verses Nos. 116 to 121 emphasize that in matters of religion man should not be influenced by the irresponsible talk of the people and that he should keep away from superstitions.

In Verse No.122 to Verse No.135, those who oppose the prophet have been warned of their fate.

In Verses Nos. 136 to 150, the polytheists are criticised for this waywardness of theirs that they have declared certain cattle haram out of sheer superstition, and that they offer the sacrifices of even their own children to propitiate their gods, and also keep a share for their idols in their farm produce and cattle.

Verses Nos. 151 to 158 state in outline what things have been really declared haram by Allah, and invite men to believe in Quran and to follow it.

Verses Nos. 159 to 165 mark the end of the Surah, in which it is declared that those who formed separate religions for themselves have absolutely no relation with Allah’s religion, and everybody is responsible for his own acts.

6. SURAH AL–AN’AM (THE CATTLE) Verses: 165 (Translation of the Text)

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

1. Praise¹. be to Allah, who created the heavens and the earth,² and made the darkness and the light.³ Yet those, who reject Faith, hold (others) as equal with their Lord. ⁴

2. He it is who created you from clay,⁵ and then decreed a fixed term ⁶ (for life). And there is also a term fixed with Him.⁷ Yet you are the people who doubt.⁸

3. And He is Allah in the heavens and on the earth.⁹ He knows your secrets and your open (acts), and He knows what you earn.¹⁰ (good or bad)

4. Never did a single one of the signs of their Lord reach them, but they turned away from that.¹¹

5. So they denied the truth when it came to them;¹² but soon there shall come to them the tidings of what they used to mock at.¹³

6. Do not they see how many a community we destroyed before them, whom we had established on the earth more firmly than we have established you,¹⁴ and we sent down on them abundant showers from the sky, and made the rivers flow beneath them.¹⁵ Yet for their sins, we destroyed them, and raised in their wake other generations.

COMMENTARY

1. The explanation of the Praise has been given in Note No.2 of Surah Fatiha.

2. That Allah is the Creator of the heavens and the earth is so obvious a reality that needs no proof. Not only the Jews and the Christians believed in this reality, but the polytheists of Arabia also did not deny it. So far as the divine books are concerned, the oldest of them all, Torah, begins with these words:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

Only the atheists have dared to deny this accepted truth, or those people who do not think wisely and have involved themselves in useless philosophical argumentation. This is the reason why in the Hindu religion the concept of the Creator of the universe is very much involved and complicated. In the Rig Veda nowhere it is mentioned that the world was created by an Exalted Being. The achievements of the various deities that have been mentioned refer only to their having given a particular form or shape to the world, they do not mention about their having brought the world into existence from non-existence:

“It has not been said anywhere in the Rig Veda that there was a creation of the world, the bringing into being of what was not existing, by some Superior power. The various gods are related to the formation of the world. But not one of them ‘created’ the world. They gave the world a form and a position.” – (The Quintessence of the Rig Veda, P.103).

However, in the Upanishad it is mentioned that in the beginning there was Atma, and it created the worlds:

“In the beginning all this was, verily, the Atman alone, there was nothing else living He created these worlds.” – (The Essence of Principal Upanishads by Swami Sivananda, P.136).

On the one side there are these involved and complicated statements. while on the other there is that clear, unambiguous and the most reasonable statement of the Quran about the Creator of the universe. which straightaway appeals to the heart!

3. This refutes the belief of the Zoroastrians that there are separate deities for the light and the darkness. They have named these separate gods as ‘Yazdan’and ‘Ahriman’. Yazdan is the god of light and goodness, while Ahriman is that of darkness and of evil. This concept led them to worship fire. The meaning of believing in the dualism of god is to accept that two antagonistic gods rule over this world. But had it been so, how the working of this world would have gone so harmoniously’? In such a case this world would have become the battlefield of two hostile powers. Only this one argument is sufficient to clinch the issue against this false belief.

4. That is: When this is an undeniable fact that this whole universe has been created by Allah. then where does the question of anyone else’s being a god, a devi or devta arise?

5. That is: Adam was created from clay, and the human race began from Adam.

6. Respite for action, which ends with death.

7. That is: That time which is fixed for raising up again all the humans from their graves, that is the Doomsday, or The Day of Resurrection.

8. That is: Man is unnecessarily in doubt about being revived after death. The Being that has created man from clay, how can that Being find it all difficult for resurrecting man after death’? Why is it not possible for the Being who has fixed the time of the death of every human, which is unavoidable, to fix the time of the occurrence of the Doomsday? When man cannot avert the time of his death; then how can he avert the time of the Doomsday? As man is helpless in the matter of dying at the fixed hour, similarly he is helpless in the matter of being raised up again at the fixed hour.

9. The simple meaning of this verse is the same which a common reader understands and which is supported by the following verse also that is Allah is present everywhere and He can see everything. His power is operative in every part every nook and corner of the earth.

As regards the philosophy of dissolution (‘Hulool’), that is the idea that the spirit of God has dissolved into everything or the concept of ‘Hama Oust’ (All is He) or whatever is, is God. then such a concept is totally polytheistic and is the result of imagining the Creator to be like His creation.

10. And the demand of His knowledge is that He should establish the Day of Judgement and should give everyone what he has earned. The Being who knows all the good and bad deeds of every one of the humans, how is it that He would not settle the accounts of all?

11. Every verse of the Quran is a sign of Allah, because from it the path of Allah becomes clear, and because it is a talking miracle. But the people are so mindless that they disregard these signs.

12. In the beginning people paid no attention to the divine verses, but when through them the Truth was revealed to them clearly, they decided to refute it.

13. That is: They mock at the things which the Quran invites people to believe in. But when the consequence of their action would come before them,they would realise what was the reality.

14. The address is to the community of Quraish. that is the idolaters of Makkah to shake them out of their pride. If they prided on their national power, then they should know that before them many more powerful nations existed. whose might and power was acknowledged in their time; but when they belied the messengers of Allah and rebelled against Him, then Allah destroyed them. The same fate awaits the polytheists of Makkah. if they did not reform.

The chronicles of the communities which were destroyed because of their sins have been related in Surah A’raf.

15. That is: In addition to abundance of power these nations were granted by Allah abundance of provisions and food.

And (O prophet !) had We sent to you a book written on parchment so that they could touch it with their hands, the disbelievers would have been sure to say: “This is nothing but obvious magic.” And they say: “why has not an angel been sent down to him?” Had we sent down an angel, the matter would have been settled at once, and no respite would have been granted them. (Al-Quran)

7. And (O prophet!) had We sent to you a book written on parchment so that they could touch it with their hands, the disbelievers would have been sure to say: “This is nothing but obvious magic.”

8. And they say: “why has not an angel been sent down to him?” Had we sent down an angel, the matter would have been settled at once, and no respite would have been granted them. (Al-Quran)

⁹. And (O prophet!) had We sent to you a book written on parchment so that they could touch it with their hands, the disbelievers would have been sure to say: “This is nothing but obvious magic.”¹⁶ And they say: “why has not an angel been sent down to him?” Had we sent down an angel, the matter would have been settled at once, and no respite would have been granted them.¹⁷ And had We sent down an angel as a messenger, we should have sent him as a man, and we should have certainly made obscure for them that which is already obscure for them.¹⁸

10. And (O prophet!) messengers before you were also mocked but the scoffers were overtaken by the thing that they mocked at.”

11. Say: “Travel in the land and see what was the fate of those who rejected Truth.’’

12. Ask them: “To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth?” Say: “To Allah.²¹ He has prescribed mercy for Himself.

22 He will gather you together on the Day of Judgement, there is no doubt about it.²³ Those, who have ruined their own souls, do not believe.²⁴

13. “And to Him belongs all that rests in the night and the day.²⁵ And He is the One who hears and knows all things.”

14. Say: “Shall I take as a benefactor any other being than Allah, the Maker of the heavens and the earth? And He is that feeds but is not fed.”²⁶,²⁷ Say: “I am commanded to be the first to surrender to Him.²⁸ And (O prophet!) be not of the company of the polytheists”.

16. Those, who have decided not to believe in truth, would not believe in it, whatever signs may be shown to them. If this Qur’an were to be sent down from the heaven in the form of an already written book, even then these obstinate people would not have accepted it as a book from Allah. and would have advanced some excuse for their disbelief. And if no excuse were possible for them to offer, they would have termed it as magic. Therefore, the objections of people of this kind should not be taken into consideration at all.

17. Another objection of the rejectors was this that: if this man is a prophet then why an angel does not come to him from heaven so that they should also see him, and that the angel should have declared that he is the prophet of Allah. This objection is answered in this way that if the’angel would have been sent down as demanded by them, then they would not be given the respite the time for doing good deeds, as it is given now, but that it would be the time for giving the final judgement. because the respite for action is till there is time for giving the test. But when the angels begin to descend openly, then the Unseen would not remain unseen. Then the question of accepting faith would not arise as the matter would have become quite obvious. Therefore, the sending down of the angel is contrary to the divine plan under which Allah has decided to test the humans.

18. The other alternative to sending down an angel would have been to send him as the Messenger or prophet in the shape of man. In such a case also the same doubt and confusion would have arisen for them which they already had, that is they would have said he is a man, how can he be a Messenger of God.

19. That is: The punishment which they were mocking at had overtaken them.

20. That is: The nations or the communities to whom the prophets were sent and who had rejected their teachings were overtaken by the punishment from Allah and they were destroyed. The traces of their destruction can be seen in the ruins that still exist in the various parts of the earth, e.g. the ruins in the Valley of Qura of the Thamud. and also in those signs which are imprinted in the pages of history, e.g. the fate of Firaun (Pharaoh) in Egypt (his dead body also exists today as a lesson for the world).

Qur’an exhorts people to travel through these historical places and to observe them, not with a view to seeking pleasure or gaining knowledge. but to learn a lesson. Today man undertakes journey for various purposes, and not the purpose of learning a lesson!

21. That is: You should necessarily ask them this question: Who is the real owner of all that exists in the heavens and the earth? so that they may contemplate and may get to the reality. However, you may also let them hear your answer to this question that everything belongs to Allah and Allah only, so that the reality may be made clear to them.

22. That is: None has compelled Him to be merciful. He Himself has decided to treat His slaves mercifully.

23. To gather all together on the Day of Resurrection is the demand of His favours and blessings. Although the Doomsday will occur in the most terrifying manner and the rejectors of faith will receive the wrath of God, but this is only one aspect of the Day of Resurrection. Another aspect, which is more important and bears positive consequences, is that Allah will shower His limitless favours and blessings on His loyal slaves and these slaves will be recipients of these blessings forever.

24. Those people who are not interested in deriving benefit from showers of blessings of Allah on the Day of Resurrection will eventually be deprived of the blessings, and the, deprivation from the Divine blessings is the greatest deprivation, which amounts to everlasting ruin and condemnation.

25. He is the Master of Time and Space. The state of the night and the day is the same for Him. Nothing, in any condition whatsoever, is beyond His power.

26. Eating and drinking is the property and need of the creatures and not of the Creator Allah is the Creator and He has no need to eat or drink. Contrary to this, the idolaters believe that their idols or gods eat and drink. Accordingly the polytheists of India believe that their gods live by drinking a special kind of drink, Soma, and it is also surprising that the idolaters present articles of , food, etc., before their idols.

27. That is: When Allah is the only Being who has brought into existence the heavens and the earth, and He alone provides food and drink to all and looks after their growth. and that He himself is not at all in the need of any food or drink, then where does the question of treating anyone else as God arise? When it is He alone who meets the needs of all, and everyone is indebted to Him then what prudence is there in treating the needy as the provider?

28. prophet himself worships God first before inviting others to do that. ‘He begins the work of his mission, as ordained by God, with his own self, that is he surrenders himself totally to Allah that he will worship only Allah and he will obey whatever command will be given to him by Allah.

In this command of Allah and this example of the career of a prophet, there is a guidance for every truth loving person that in the matter of the religion of truth he should first of all fulfil his own responsibility concerning his own self, irrespective of the fact whether others fulfil their responsibilities or not, because he will have to answer for himself before God.

29. This makes the difference between a Muslim and a polytheist clear. A Muslim surrenders or submits himself totally to Allah or His cause. As against this an idolater or a polytheist does not submit himself to Allah. If he at all believes in god, then it is with some reservations, because his loyalty is divided among various gods.

He from whom such torment is averted on that day, had in truth His mercy on him. That is a clear triumph. “If Allah touch you with affliction, none can remove it but He; and if He touch you with good (fortune), He has power over all things.” (Al--Quran)

15. Say: “If I disobeyed my Lord I fear, the torment of an awful day.”³⁰

16. He from whom such torment is averted on that day, had in truth His mercy on him. That is a clear triumph.³¹

17. “If Allah touch you with affliction, none can remove it but He; and if He touch you with good (fortune), He has power over all things.”³²

18. “He is supreme over His slaves.³³ He is the Wise and the Aware.” ³⁴

19. Ask (them): “What thing is most weighty in testimony?” Say: “Allah is witness between you and me;³⁵ and this Quran has been revealed to me that I may thereby warn³⁶ you and whomsoever it may reach.³⁷ Do you bear witness that there are gods besides Allah?” Say: “Nay, I bear no such witness.” Say: “He is the only One God.³⁸ Verily, I am innocent of that which you associate with Him.”

20. Those to whom We have given the Book recognize him as they recognize their own children.³⁹ (But) those who have lost themselves do not believe.

21. And who can be more wrong-doer then he who invents a lie against Allah or denies His revelations⁴⁰? Verily, the wrong-doers never shall succeed.

22. And on the day⁴¹ when we gather them all together, we shall say to those who ascribed partners (to Us): “Where are your partners whom you have been asserting?”

23. There will then be (left) no subterfuge for them but to say: “By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists.” ⁴²

24. See how they lie against themselves! And what they had invented will leave them in the lurch.⁴³

30. That is: The fear of the punishment of the Doomsday. Every slave of God should have this fear. Even a prophet is no exception.

31. That is: The real success is this that on the Day of Judgement a person should be spared the Divine punishment. If today the people do not realise this, then on the Day of Resurrection they will surely realise it.

32. It is within Allah’s power to cause pleasure or grief. It is quite baseless and without any foundation to believe that any other being can cause pleasure or grief to the creatures. The titles like “Mushkil-Kusha” (Reliever of trouble), Ghaus (helper), etc., are hollow, and the ignorant people have coined them for others besides Allah in their ignorance, which has no relevance to reality.

33. His creatures or His slaves are totally under Allah’s power and control. He can keep any of His slave in any condition He likes, and none has the power to obstruct Him from doing so.

34. The purpose of mentioning these attributes is to show that as Allah has these attributes, His being the Supreme God is as it should be. As for the gods of the idolaters, since they have none of these attributes, how can they be considered as gods and worthy of being worshipped?

35. It means that when Allah Himself is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, He can only tell us whether He had taken any partner in His godhood. Without His telling, the claim of the idolaters that God has taken such and such persons or idols as His partners is baseless. In the matter of godhood, the evidence of the Creator of the universe only can be considered as most reliable and decisive, and the prophet is presenting this very evidence, and His evidence, as is explained later on, is before them in the form of the holy Quran.

36. That is: Quran is Allah’s word, therefore, its being Allah’s evidence is clear, and its evidence is that there is no partner or associate in Allah’s godhood. Quran has been revealed to warn those who ascribe partners to God that they will have to face heavy punishment for this crime.

37. That is: Quran is not merely for the people of Makkah or the Arabs only. It is for Arabs and Non- Arabs – for all. To whatever men and to whatever community or nation it reaches, to them the truth with its authentic proof has been communicated that the prophet of Islam has conveyed the message of Allah to them, and that they have been informed of the adverse consequences of polytheism, idolatry and rebellion against Allah.

38. The truth is that it is Allah only who is God, and He is the real, true and undebatable God. Besides Him there is no other god, and none other is worthy of worship.

39. As people have no hesitation or doubt in recognizing their own children, similarly the people of the Divine Scriptures have no difficulty or doubt in recognizing their prophet, since they well know what are the attributes of a prophet. They also know that this unlettered prophet (Peace be upon him) fits perfectly the prophecies made in the Divine Books (Torah and Injeel).

This verse alludes to the right-loving group among the people of the Book, and the purpose is to bring it home to the idolater that the prophet and Quran have not appeared in some vacuum, but that they have a solid foundation and they are connected with that series of Divine guidance which has been in existence from the earlier days.

40. This is an invitation to the rejecters of faith to ponder: If this accusation of theirs is correct that this man (prophet) has made a false claim of his prophethood, then he has ascribed a great falsehood to God, therefore, he is a great wrong- doer. But do you really think that this man is of such a type? Can a personality that is an epitome of truth invent such a great lie? Can false claims and invented untruths go with the purity and excellence of character? If the reply to all this is in the negative, then you should ponder over your own position. Are you not then proving yourselves to be the great wrong-doers by denying and rejecting the verses and signs of Allah?

Another aspect of the meaning of this verse is that a person who ascribes falsehood to God that He has associated such and such others in His godhood is the greatest wrong—doer. Similarly, the person who belies the true signs of Allah is the greatest criminal and sinner.

41. That is on the day of Resurrection.

42. That is: Today these idolaters are not prepared to give up their gods, but tomorrow when they will find themselves in the Court of Allah, they will not be able to find any excuses for their polytheistic acts, and they will be so much frightened of the punishment for their idolatry and will be nervous that to show their innocence of polytheism, they will tell lies. But this lie of theirs would be thrown back to their faces.

43. All those whom they had made their gods would disappear, and none of their gods will come for their help.

25. And of them there are some who listen to you, but We have cast veils on their hearts so that they may not understand, and have made their ears hard of hearing; ⁴⁴ and even if they see every sign, they will not believe in them, so much so that when they come to you to argue, these disbelievers say: “This is nothing else but the fables of the ancients.”

26. And they forbid (others) from it and (themselves) avoid it. They ruin none but themselves, but they perceive it not.

27. And if you could see them when they will be made to stand before the fire of Hell! They will say: “Would that we were sent back! Then we would not deny the revelations of our Lord and would be among the true believers.”⁴⁶

28. (This wishful thinking would not be the result of the truth not having been dawned on them), but (because) what they concealed before, will become manifest to them.⁴⁷ And if they were returned (to the world) they will repeat the same things which they were forbidden to do ⁴⁸ And indeed they are absolute liars.

29. And they say: “There is nothing except our life on this earth, and never shall we be raised up again.⁴⁹

30. And if you could only see when they will be held before their Lord. He will ask: “Is not this the reality?”⁵⁰ They will say: “Yes, by our Lord!” He will say: “Then taste the punishment for rejecting faith.”

31. Lost indeed are those who deny that they will meet Allah, until on a sudden the Hour⁵¹ is on them,⁵² and they will say: “Alas for us that we neglected it.” And they will bear upon their backs their burdens.⁵³ Lo! Vile is that which they will bear!

44. Some people hear the talk of prophet, not for accepting the truth but for arguing with him. And it is a rule of Allah that a person who is not ready to listen to and grasp the words of truth with an open mind, he is not granted the guidance to accept the truth, and the veils of desires so cover his heart that however hard the missionary may try, the truth does not enter his (the listener’s) heart. Since this result accrues according to a rule fixed by Allah, that is under the law of nature, Allah terms it as casting veils on their heart and making their ears hard of hearing.

For further explanation, see Note No.15. Surah Baqarah.

45. The history of the past nations and the events of the destruction of those who belied the prophets related in the Quran are absolutely based on truth. They have been related so that the people may take a lesson from them. and may know what are the real causes of the rise and fall of the nations. But the rejecters of the Quran used to mock and jeer at it and used to say that these are the fictitious tales of the ancient peoples. Even today’s rejecters say the same thing that these are the tales of yore.

46. The distressing picture of the polytheists and the idolaters on the Day of Judgment has been shown in the form of words today so that those who are polytheists or idolaters should come to their senses and should reform their ways to avoid feeling sorry on the Day of Judgment.

47. That is: On the day of Judgment their grief and wish to go back to the world will not be on account of the fact that the reality had become manifest to them on that day and it was to clear to them in their worldly life. but because the evil purposes and the wrong motivations under the pressure of which they had not accepted the truth and which they had been concealing had come out in the open. No excuse was now left for them.

48. That is: If they are again sent to this world, where the environment will be the same as before, i.e. that of temptations and testing: and when they will again be put to test. they will adopt the same attitude and will act in the same way under their carnal desires in which they had acted earlier.

49. The idolaters of Makkah did not believe in the life after death. They believed that Allah was the Creator of man, but they said that the life of man on this earth is first and the last, no other life’ would be given to man after this. The idolaters of India are also in the footsteps of the idolaters of Makkah, the only difference being that Indians believe in re-birth, i.e. a man’s taking rebirth in the form of an animal, a tree, etc. and that this re-birth occurs in this world only. This belief denies the belief of resurrection of man. There is no concept in this belief of the Day of Resurrection or of the people answering before God for what they did in this world, and of God’s awarding reward and punishment according to men’s deeds.

As for the modern men who are fed up with religion, they are so much immersed in their materialistic pursuits that they have no time to think for the life of the Hereafter. The amusements for this life have made them totally unserious and casual about the Hereafter. According to an Urdu poet: How a drinker can be interested in the promise of tomorrow’s (Hereafter’s) pleasures; he should drink the wine today, because that tomorrow will never come. etc. etc.

50. Those who are not prepared to accept the belief in the Day of Judgement in the light of the arguments, will accept it only when they are made to observe it. This opportunity to observe cannot be provided in this life. However, when the Day of Resurrection will occur they will surely observe it. and at that time they will also admit that the Day of Judgement is a reality. But the acceptance of this belief on that day will not save them from their punishment.

51. For the Day of Resurrection or the Dooms day, the word “As-Sa’ah’ has been used in the Quran at various places, which means the fixed hour and appointed time.

52. The Day of Resurrection will be an occurrence that will occur suddenly. Even a few moments before this occurrence nobody will know that it will be occurring in a few moments.

53. Means burdens of sins.

32. And the life of this world is nothing but a pastime and a sport.⁵⁴ But the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allah. Will you then not understand? ⁵⁵

33. We know that their talk grieves you. But it is not you that they belie, it is the revelations of Allah that these evil-doers deny.⁵⁶

34. And before you, Messengers were denied, but they bore patiently their denial and persecution until Our help reached them. And there is none that can alter the words of Allah.

57 And you have already received the accounts of the prophets.⁵⁸

35. And if their aversion is hard to bear for you, then seek, if you can, a tunnel in the ground or a ladder to the sky so that you may bring to them a sign.⁵⁹ Had Allah willed, He could have brought them all together to the guidance. So do not be among the ignorant ones.⁶⁰

36. Only those can accept (truth) who hear.⁶¹ As to the dead, Allah will raise them up,⁶² then will they be turned to Him.⁶³

37. And they say: “Why has no sign come down to him from his Lord?⁶⁴ Say: “Allah is certainly able to send down a sign.” But most of them know not.⁶⁵

38. And there is no animal on the earth, nor a bird that flies with its wings, but are communities (species) like you.⁶⁶ Nothing have we omitted from the Book.⁶⁷ Then They are all gathered before their Lord.⁶⁸

39. And those who deny our revelations are deaf and dumb,–in the midst of darkness.⁶⁹ Whom Allah wills misguides, and whom He wills guides to the right path.⁷⁰

54. That is: If the Hereafter: is ignored, then the life of this world is reduced to a pastime or a sport. That is why the rejectors of the Hereafter have not been able to point out any serious purpose behind the creation of this world.

55. Denial of Hereafter is not wise. It is the result of not thinking intelligently.

56. Quraish knew the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wasallam) to be truthful and trustworthy but when he commenced his Dawah work, they began to belie him. In other words, that main target of their denial was not the person of the prophet, but the revelations or verses of the Quran, which he was placing before them.

57. Refers to that Sunnah (tradition) of Allah, according to which Allah’s help is provided. The promise which Allah has made to His Messengers and the people of faith will essentially be fulfilled, irrespective of the intensity of the opposition. But this help does not come before its time. Accordingly, it has never happened that the call to accept the truth has been given and the missionaries have not had to pass through trials and tribulations before overcoming their opponents.

It is not possible to effect any change in the words of Allah, that His decrees, decisions and promises are immutable and sure of execution. There is no power on earth that can change them. Every decision of His is unchangeable.

58. That is: From the accounts of the prophets that have been related in the Quran, this tradition of Allah becomes clear that Allah’s help to the followers ‘of truth comes after their passing through the fires of trials and after manifestation of the truth. Therefore, the followers of truth should not grieve.

59. The idolaters were asking the prophet to perform such miracles as would unveil the unseen, for example, the angels should appear before them in their original form, etc. This verse is in reply to such a demand, in order to console the prophet, and also to show that the performance of a miracle is not within the power of the prophet and that only Allah helps the prophet to do so. And so far as the demand for the miracles made by the idolaters is concerned, if they are performed, then there will be no chance for men to think and use their intelligence. conscience and will. Manifestation of such miracles is against the divine scheme of things.

Another aspect of this verse which comes to the fore is the point that when a prophet cannot perform any miracle without the help and consent of Allah, then how can any saint or sage perform any preternatural act without His aid and consent’! Physical and natural laws are governed by Allah alone, and it is not possible for any man to perform any act which is outside or not governed by the natural laws, whether that man may be a prophet, or a saint. However, when Allah wills. a prophet is able to perform some miracle. And when He wills He provides support to a saint or a righteous man in some extraordinary way. Otherwise no saint or righteous man has power. in his own right, to perform any preternatural act. nor does a saint claim to be able to do so. For this very reason, as We see, none of the honorable companions of the prophet did ever claim to have performed a preternatural act.

60. That is: It is not the plan or will of Allah that all people should inevitably follow the right guidance, and no opportunity be given to them to test their intelligence and conscience. If such were the plan or the will of Allah, then no man could have deviated from the path of guidance. But His plan was that man should be given an opportunity to think for himself and to act in the light of his intelligence and conscience. Therefore, to arrange for the performance of a miracle after which the opportunity for the intelligence of man to think and for his conscience and will to act does not remain, is contrary to the scheme of things devised by Allah for this world. Those who do not try to reflect on this scheme of Allah indulge in unreasonable talking.

61. By hearing is meant the hearing which is done for the purpose of accepting the truth, that is the heart should be ready to accept the truth if what is heard is the truth, and that no personal likes or dislikes or desires would come in the way of accepting it.

62. Those persons are called dead who are not prepared to hear and understand what the prophet is saying. It is the result of their hearts being dead; and when a man’s heart has died, then where is his existence! Such a man is nothing more than a dead body. When such persons will be raised up from the graves on the Day of Resurrection, then the truth will be seen by them.

63. That is : for appearing before the Lord for giving an account of their good and bad deeds in this world.

64. That is: a sign or a miracle which should be palpable and. which should tear the veil of the unseen and show to them that truly this man has been sent as a Messenger by Allah.

65. Not causing such a miracle to be performed is not on account of Allah’s being unable to do so,but its reason is different which the people do not know. The reason is this that they are demanding to see such a miracle which, if arranged to be shown, would remove the difference between the seen and the unseen (ghaib).

As to the question: How other prophets were given palpable miracles by God? the answer is: First of all, the idolaters of Makkah did not demand a palpable miracle of that kind but what they wanted was that such signs should be shown to them by which they should be able to observe the realities of the Unseen, e.g. seeing an angel in his original form, sending down a written book from the sky, prophet’s climbing a ladder into the sky, falling of a piece of the sky on to the earth. etc. It is obvious that the miracles that were performed by the earlier prophets were not of this nature. Secondly the palpable miracles which the earlier prophets had performed were of two kinds: first were those which were performed without any demand being made for them, like the staff of prophet Moosa (Moses) turning into a python or snake, secondly those miracles which were performed on the demand of the infidels, like the miracle of the she-camel of prophet Saleh. So far as the first kind of miracles are concerned, the Last prophet (Sallal lahu Alaihi Wasallam) has been given an everlasting miracle superior to all temporary miracles, and that is the holy Quran. For this reason, a challenge is thrown to the polytheists of Makkah that if to them Quran is not a miracle, then they should bring a Quran authored by them like it. As for the second kind of miracle. it is a miracle as demanded by the infidels and when arrangement for the performance of such a miracle is made, and then after that the infidels do not accept faith, then their respite for action comes to an end, and Allah’s punishment overtakes them. Therefore, the Divine wisdom did not consider it fit to arrange to show the demanded miracle. so that the respite of the infidels of Makkah for action may not end. The subsequent events have shown that the non-arrangement of the performance of the miracle as demanded by the infidels of Makkah proved beneficial in their case. because gradually many people from amongst them realized the truth of the prophet’s Dawah and they were fortunate to receive the right guidance and embraced Islam.

66. That is: They may be animals or birds, animals of the land or the sea, ants or butterflies, all are of different kinds (species) and as mankind has its own social environment and unity and there is a system behind its growth and development, similarly there is a social environment and unity for every kind of animal and there is also a system behind its growth and development. As an example the system of the ants’ life and that of the honey bee can be seen, how they live in co-operation and co-ordinate their work with one another of their group, and in what a systematic way they follow the line that has been set for their way of life.

If man observes these different kinds of living beings carefully, he will see amazing signs pointing to the Creator of the universe, and these signs will lead him to those very realities towards which Quran and the prophet. are guiding.

67. That is: The Book of Destiny which Allah has prepared for His creatures contains all big and small things. There is nothing that has been left out from this book. It means that whatever is happening in this universe is according to a set plan, and behind this plan there is the active will and administration of a Being who has perfect knowledge.

68. The souls of all the living creatures are gathered to God after their death, because He is the Creator of all and to Him all have to return.

69. When the signs which Allah has placed in the universe for leading men to the reality are misinterpreted by man, and when he does not Dawatul Qur’an 405 S.6 follow the teachings of the prophet, then his condition becomes like that of a deaf and dumb person. He can neither hear truth, nor can he speak truth. Such a person wanders in the darkness of ignorance, though he may be proud of his learning.

70. Going astray or following the right path depends on the will of Allah. None can interfere in this matter. This will of Allah is in accordance with His scheme of not compelling anyone to go astray or to follow the right path, but that the person who desires to have guidance gets it and the person who wants to go astray is allowed to do so. In other words, a person’s being on the right path or going astray is in accordance with Allah’s law’ of guidance. and misguidance.

40. Say: Did you reflect on this that if there come upon you the wrath of Allah or the Hour (Doomsday), would you then call (for help) any other than Allah? (Reply) if you are men of truth.

41. Nay, (in adversity) Him alone you call, and if it pleases Him, He removes (the adversity) for which you had called Him, and you forget whatever partners you had ascribed for Him.⁷¹

42. And before you, We had sent (messengers) to many nations, and we afflicted the nations with distress and adversity so that they might humble themselves.⁷²

43. Why then, when the affliction from us came upon them, did they not feel humbled? But their hearts were hardened, and Satan made the (evil) acts that they were doing alluring to them.⁷³

44. So when they had forgotten the admonition given to them, we opened to them the gates of all (pleasurable) things, until they boasted of that which they were given; we suddenly seized them and they were in despair .⁷⁴

45. So of the people who did wrong the last remnant was cut off. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.⁷⁵

46. Say: “Did you (ever) contemplate, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight and set a seal upon your hearts,⁷⁶ who –a god other than Allah–could restore them to you? See how We explain the signs (in various ways),⁷⁷ yet they turn away.”

47. Say: “Did you (ever) contemplate, if the punishment of Allah overtook you suddenly or openly, would any perish but the wrong doers?”⁷⁸

71. It is that sign of monotheism which exists in man’s own self. when a man is surrounded by extraordinary adversities or is confronted with extreme dangers, he remembers God at that time. and he forgets all false deities. Even the atheists remember God at such a critical moment. It is the proof of the fact that the evidence of God’s existence exists in man’s own inner self.

The polytheists of Makkah were idolaters, yet whenever they faced adverse circumstances, they called or remembered Allah.

With an allusion to this evidence, man is being invited to contemplate this possibility that if Allah’s punishment comes or if the explosion of the Doomsday shakes the world, then whom man would call for help? If man just thinks about it, it would be sufficient to lead him to God.

72. The straitened circumstances and the physical suffering which nations are made to pass through are not without purpose. There is a divine scheme behind it, that such nations may be given a chance to reform themselves. Straitened circumstances and suffering shake man’s conscience and turn him towards his Lord, and prepare his heart to bow down before Allah.

73. If the intensity of suffering also does not soften the hearts of the people of a nation, it means that their hearts have become so hard that no advice or admonition would influence them. The magic spell of Satan has become so active and effective for them, that their evil acts also appear to be good and alluring to them. They consider their sinful acts as their proud achievements, and in their eyes the value of acts and things undergo a see change.

74. When a nation does not learn its lesson from the intensity of adverse circumstances and interprets it as an accidental happening, and considers it as the usual happening of the time, then Allah opens for them another chapter of trial. He provides them with every opportunity to enjoy life, so that a feeling of gratitude towards their Lord may develop in their hearts. But when they, instead of being grateful to their Lord indulge in conceit and pride, then their days are numbered and Allah’s punishment then overtakes them. Then nothing is left for them except disappointment and despair.

These were the circumstances through which the nations of prophets had particularly to pass, so that the veracity of the prophets might be confirmed, However, other nations had also to pass through such circumstances so that they might come to their senses.

75. To destroy the rebel nations is quite in keeping with the demands of justice as well as it is in the interest of the world of humanity, for it signifies the defeat of disbelief and the clearance of the environment from the evil and polluted matter. Therefore, for the treatment meted out to such nations, Allah deserves our praises and thanks.

76. That is: If Allah deprived them of their faculties of understanding and taking the right decision.

77. That is: In the Quran the arguments for monotheism are being presented in different and varying ways and styles so that those who have an inclination to understand may be able to do so.

78. Here punishment means that punishment which visits those nations that deny and reject their prophets, after the well-argued proofs of their truth had been conveyed to them. Since this punishment is sent down to distinguish between truth and falsehood, only followers of falsehood are affected by it and people of faith are spared. Accordingly, the punishment which overtook the nations of Thamud and Aa’d, etc., struck the infidels only, and the people of faith were saved.

48. And we send the messengers only to give good news and to warn;⁷⁹ so those who believe and reform (their conduct), for them there shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.

49. And those who deny our revelations, the punishment shall afflict them for their misdeeds.⁸⁰

50. Say: “I do not tell you that I possess the treasures of Allah nor do I know what is unseen, nor do I claim that I am an angel. I follow only that which is revealed to me.”⁸¹ Say: “Can the blind and the seeing be alike?” will you not then think?

51. And hereby⁸² warn⁸³ those who fear that they will be brought before their Lord, beside whom they have no guardian or intercessor; So that they may become God-fearing. ⁸⁴

52. And do not drive away those who call their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His pleasure.⁸⁵ You are not accountable for them in anything, nor are they accountable for you in anything; that you should drive them away and thus yourself become a wrongdoer.

53. And thus have we made some of them a means of testing others, and that is why they say: “Are these the men from amongst us whom Allah has favoured?”⁸⁶ Does not Allah know best who are thankful?⁸⁷

54. And (O prophet!) When those who believe in our signs come to you, say: “Peace be upon you. Your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself. If any one of you commits evil through ignorance and then repents and mends his ways, verily, (he will find) Allah is Oft - Forgiving, Most Merciful.”⁸⁸

79. That is: The main purpose of sending down messengers is not to show them performing miracles but to present Dawah of faith, to give glad tidings of eternal bliss to those who would accept their call and to warn those who would reject it of eternal condemnation. Miracles are performed merely to clinch the argument, when Allah’s wisdom and will so desire. Therefore, it is not correct to expect every prophet to perform miracles.

80. This is the thing about which the prophets had been warning their respective communities.

81. The disbelievers were demanding of the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wasallam) to perform strange and preter-natural feats. In answer to this demand the prophet has been made to say that he had never claimed that he would show them preternatural feats as they were demanding, that he has presented only the message of truth before them, which Allah had sent down to him through an agency which was unseen by them, that they should examine this message by the touchstone of reasoning, that they wanted to judge the truth, not by their hearts, but as a manifestation of preter-natural feat, to show which was not within his powers, and that it was only within the powers of Allah to cause such feats to be shown. The prophet further said that he had only claimed to be a messenger of God, that he had not claimed that Allah’s treasures were in his possession enabling him to use them as he liked, nor did he know the things which were hidden and unseen, and that he had also not claimed that he was not a man but an angel, his position was nothing more than this that he was given the office of a divine messenger, and one who is given the office of a messenger remains a human being, he does not develop in himself any qualities of godhood nor does he become an angel. The prophet continued to say that only that person can observe the truth of his message who has not blind-folded himself, for the reality, however bright it may be, can be seen only by a person whose eyes are open.

The open declaration by the prophet that he does not know what is hidden and unseen is such a clear statement which does not admit of any difference of opinion, but those who have a crooked mind have created differences even about this straight and clear statement. Accordingly, they have made it a debateable issue among the Muslims as to whether the prophet had the knowledge of the Unseen or not. Those who indulge in excesses and innovations claim that the prophet had the knowledge of unseen things, inspite of the fact that this verse very clearly refutes this claim, and ,in the whole Quran nowhere it is mentioned that the prophet was given the knowledge of the unseen. On the contrary it has been stated in clear terms that only Allah has the knowledge of the unseen, and that he imparts that knowledge of the unseen to His prophets which are connected with the duties of prophethood. On account of this consideration a prophet has this distinction compared to the generality of mankind that he knows those realities of the unseen which are not known by the general people, and receives that knowledge, receiving of which is not possible for any other human being. But all these things are connected with the revelation from God, and this distinction of the prophets concerning the knowledge of the unseen is not a matter of dispute, but unnecessarily a problem for dispute has been created. As the people of the Book had become a prey to disputation even after the receipt of the clear teachings, similarly Muslims also indulged in useless disputation concerning the knowledge of the unseen after the receipt of clear teachings.

82. The word “Wahi” (revelation) literally means to hint or to point. The covert means through which Allah sends his message to his messengers is called “Wahi” in Quranic terminology. Here this (hereby) refers to Quran.

83. Warning by means of Quran means that for purpose of warning the people and for propagating the message of religion, the teachings of Quran should be presented directly, because nothing is more effective than the words of Allah. And the convincing proof by reasoning can be given through the means of His own words. This command was given to prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi wasallam) when the language of the people who were addressed by him was Arabic. For putting into practice this command in the present circumstances it is necessary that the believers in Quran should present the translation of Quran in the languages of their addressees, particularly the translation of the verses dealing with warning, in which the people are warned to beware of the terrible fate awaiting those who disbelieve and transgress.

84. That is: Those who are careless of their fate in the next world and who are so insensitive that they are not prepared to hear the admonition of their warner with solemnity, should be left alone, and attention should be paid to those whose hearts are still alive and who are anxious about their salvation.

It should be noted that the fear of accountability before God is inherent in man’s nature. It is another matter, however, if this fear is suppressed by the overwhelming carnal desires. The warnings given by Quran strengthen and activate this fear, as a result of which it helps man to lead a righteous life.

85. In Makkah there were quite a few people who had responded to the dawah of Quran, but who did not enjoy any high social position and who were poor. Some of them were even slaves, But they had a loving heart in their breasts for their Lord, which had gathered them round the prophet. These people used to attend the meetings of the prophet. The sardars of Quraish looked at them with disdain, and their pride did not allow them to attend the meetings of the prophet which were frequented by these lowly people, and in which the rich and the poor were considered equal. Therefore, it was their demand that the prophet should remove and drive away these lowly people from his presence so that they (the Quraish) should be able to come. This demand of theirs is being , rejected forcefully, and the sincere people of faith are being appreciated and honoured even though they are poor and helpless.

86. That is: By providing guidance of faith to the poor and have-nots of the land we have put the wealthy and the haves to a test and have made them to think that if they use their intelligence they can also be appreciative of the wealth of faith, and if they still want to persist in their pride, then they may refuse to appreciate the value of faith. They are failing in this test, with the result that they do not approve of the poor people and mock at them and remark that God could not find better people than these to bestow his favours upon.

87. In the matter of receiving guidance of faith the main thing is not a man’s worldly position but that sense of gratitude which a man has in his heart for his Lord. The Lord therefore, bestows His favours on his grateful slaves only by providing them with the wealth of faith, however poor they may be from the material point of view.

88. The infidels look down upon the poor people of faith with contempt and always try to disparage them. But Allah has given them in this verse such a heartwarming message that it is sufficient to drive away all their sorrows. Allah has favoured them with such honour and elevation that the materialists cannot even imagine.

And he reigns Supreme over His slaves, and He sends forth guardians over you till death comes to one of you, when Our messengers (angels) seize his soul, and they never fail in this duty. Then are all restored to Allah, their true Master. Beware! His is the Judgement, and He is swiftest in taking account. (Al-Quran)

55. And thus do we explain our signs in detail, so that the path of the wicked may be laid bare.

56. Say: “I am forbidden to worship those - other than Allah-whom you invoke.’’⁸⁹ Say: “I will not follow your wishes;⁹⁰ if I did, I would stray from the path, and will not be of the company of the rightly guided.”

57. Say: “I stand on a clear proof from my Lord,⁹¹ and you have denied it. What you are in haste is not in my power⁹², the decision rests with none but Allah. He declares the truth, and He is the Best of Deciders.’’

58. Say: “Had I power to hasten that for which you are clamouring, the dispute would have been decided between me and you. And Allah knows best who are evil-doers. ⁹³

59. And with Him are the keys of the Unseen, none knows it but He.⁹⁴ He knows whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf does fall but with His knowledge.⁹⁵ There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth,⁹⁶ nor anything wet or dry, but is recorded in a clear Book.⁹⁷

60. And it is He who takes your souls⁹⁸ by night, and knows all that you have done by day. Then rouses you up, so that the allotted term may be completed.⁹⁹ Then to Him you all shall return, then He will show you what you have been doing.

61. And he reigns Supreme over His slaves¹⁰⁰, and He sends forth guardians¹⁰¹ over you till death comes to one of you, when Our messengers (angels) seize his soul, and they never fail in this duty¹⁰².

62. Then are all restored to Allah, their true Master¹⁰³. Beware! His is the Judgement¹⁰⁴, and He is most swift in taking account¹⁰⁵.

89. By invoking or calling means invoking for help, reciting the name, and praying for assistance. This invocation is synonymous with worshipping, and Allah alone deserves to be invoked for help. But the polytheists invoke their imaginary gods, leaving Allah. They recite their names, they call them for assistance in prayers and they read their names on rosaries.

90. Polytheism and idolatry have nothing to do with the Divine Guidance. These are the evil and false desires of man that have prompted him to present them in the name of religion and faith to misguide the simple slaves of God.

91. Means Quran, which is the absolute reasoned proof from Allah. The dawah of the prophet for accepting monotheism is based on this reasoned proof. It is such a reasonable thing which would be understood by every reasonable and justice loving person. It is the voice of the nature and the call of the internal self. As against this, the thing towards which the polytheists call the people is not based on any reasoning, but it is merely a quirk of their imagination and is based on their personal wish.

92. That is: the punishment, the doom.

93. Here evil-doers mean the Polytheists and idolaters. They have been called ‘zalim’ because they have suppressed their voice of nature by adopting the path of polytheism and denial, because they covered their intelligence with the veils of ignorance, and because they have become disloyal to their Lord. In this way by surrendering themselves to the impending bad consequences they have become the tyrants of their own selves.

94. That is: He is the Owner and Master of the hidden treasures of the Unseen, and He alone can open their gates. Everything, that appears into this’ world from the Unseen world, does so under His command. And only He knows all the secrets of the universe and all the shrouded mysteries.

95. That is: Allah’s knowledge covers everything. He not only knows the big things. but all the small and minute things also. He not only knows the main and principal problems and things but also their subsidiary and the minute and intricate details.

96. Means the inner parts of the earth and their layers.

97. That is: Allah has the detailed record of all the events with their details and chronology in a clear form. When the Being who possesses the chronological record of the entire world from the beginning till the last; how can He then not have the record of the human acts?

98. Here sleep has been likened to death, because in the state of sleep man becomes equally unmindful of the world as in death.

99. That is: The God who sends you sleep during the night knows all that you do during the day. And it is He alone who rouses you up from sleep after the passing away of the night. This process of sleeping and waking goes on, till your allotted term or time is up and you are carried away by death. In other words, you witness the drama of being raised up again after dying daily. Then, does it not make clear the truth about the life after death? And does this observation not prompt you to believe in the belief of being revived again after death?

100. That is: All the slaves are under His rule and power, and all the evil beings and Satans are under His control.

101. Means those angels whose duty it is to record the acts of all humans. For further explanation, please see Surah Infitar, Note No.10.

102. Man’s death is in Allah’s control. None, not even angels, can interfere in this. Angels merely take away the souls of humans by the command of God.

103. That is: After death man’s career does not end; after death he goes into the presence of Allah.

104. That is: Be alert that after your death your fate is to be decided by Him only, and you should not be under this wrong impression that by attaching yourself to someone else you will be achieving salvation.

105. That is: Allah will not at all find it lengthy or delaying to take the account of billions and billions of humans.

63. “Who delivers you from the darkness¹⁰⁶ of land and sea when you call out to Him humbly and in secret, saying: If He delivers us from these, we will truly be thankful’?”

64. Say: “Allah delivers you from that and from all afflictions, and yet you ascribe partners to Allah.¹⁰⁷”

65. Say: “He has power to send punishment on you from above, or from beneath your feet, or to divide you into discordant factions making you taste the violence of one another¹⁰⁸.” See how We explain our signs in different ways that they may understand¹⁰⁹.

66. Your people have rejected this ¹¹⁰, although it is the very truth. Say: “I am not over you a keeper¹¹¹.

67. “There is a fixed time¹¹² for every prophecy to take place, and soon shall you know it.”

68. And when you see people engaged in playful discourse about our revelations, withdraw from them till they engage themselves in other talk. And if Satan causes you to forget this, sit not, after the remembrance, with the evil-doers¹¹³.

69. Those who fear Allah are not accountable for anything for them, but there is need to remind so that they may also fear Allah¹¹⁴.

70. Leave alone those that take their religion as a play and a pastime¹¹⁵, and are deceived by the life of this world¹¹⁶. Remind them hereby lest no person’s soul be damned by his own earnings (sins); he will have beside Allah, no friend or intercessor; and if he offered every ransom, none will be accepted from him¹¹⁷. Such are those that are damned by their own sinful acts. For their drink they will get boiling water, and they will have to suffer painful punishment for the unbelief in which they persisted.

106. By darkness is meant that darkness which assumes the shape of calamities, e.g. when there is blinding darkness, caused by the black clouds and stormy winds, or there are the ravages of hurricanes in the desert, or when the mountainous waves of the sea engulf man in their fathomless embrace.

107. That is: What was required was that utter deliverance from the afflictions and calamities, you should have shown gratitude to Allah, but instead you are thanking your false deities that were invented by you.

108. When those who disobey God see that even after indulging into evil and sinful acts, Allah’s punishment does not overtake them, they feel assured that no punishment would come. Such people are being warned here that the bell signaling danger is ringing. But those who have purposely blocked their ears, cannot hear this ringing. But they should realize that it does not take very long for the punishment of God to overtake anybody. A sudden cyclone can destroy you in no time. A flash flood can wash you away with your ready crops in minutes. A slight shaking of the earthquake can turn your cities into ruins in the twinkling of an eye. And it is also not impossible that there may occur some disagreement and discord among you and you may fall a prey to infighting, or as a result of the enmity of the nations you may be made to taste the bitterness of the wrath of the other nations.

109. These realities which have been related in the verses of the Quran have been presented in different styles and from varying aspects, so that people may find it easy to understand.

110. That is: Quran.

111. The work that has been assigned to me is to propagate and convey to the people the message from God. I have not been made responsible for pressurizing others to accept faith.

112. That is: The information which the Quran is giving you, e.g. punishment in the event of denying the prophet, the information about the Day of Resurrection, about the awaiting Hell-fire for the infidels, etc. A time is fixed for the occurrence of every one of these items of information or prophecy, and each one of it will definitely occur at the appointed time.

113. This is an important direction in connection with dawah and recitation that has been given to people of faith. To participate or to sit in a meeting where the holy Qur’an or its verses are being made fun of or where playful and blasphemous discourse about Qur’an is being indulged into is against the honour of a faithful person. No sincere Muslim can tolerate sitting with such people who engage themselves in insulting his religion. With this direction, it is also being instructed that if you forget it, having been duped by Satan, then act on it and leave the meeting as soon as you remember it.

On the one hand is this emphatic direction for Muslims and on the other hand we find the present day’s ‘secularist Muslims’ who invite non-Muslims to their meetings to make fun of the Islamic Shariah, and whenever they themselves get a chance they also attack their own religion, in order that they may appear to be sincere secularists.

A reference to the instruction given in this verse has been made in Verse No.140 of Surah Nisa.

114. That is: No responsibility has been placed on the people of the faith about the act of the rejectors of faith. They have only been made responsible for reminding them. Then why should they worry about undue tolerance? Their duty is merely to remind and advise whenever there is an opportunity to do so, and if they see that their addressee is acting in a slovenly manner and is insulting their religion, then they should get away from him and leave him to his own fate.

115. By religion here is meant Islam. It has been referred here in the general terms, referring to all peoples, because Allah had sent down Islam for the guidance of the entire humanity. Therefore, this religion is the religion of every single human individual. But these detractors have made it a matter of play and amusement, instead of making it a guiding star of their life.

people of such a mentality are found in every age. Today’s ‘modern’ man also makes fun of the teachings of Islam and thinks that it is Dawatul Qur’an 415 S.6 uuuu S.6 416 Dawatul Qur’an progressive thinking.

116. That is: They are unable to appreciate the religion of Allah because they have been so much fascinated with the life of this world that they are not prepared to even conceive any other life higher in value than this life.

117. First of all he will have nothing’to offer as ransom on that day, but supposing that he had the entire riches of the world with him, then he would have willingly given all those riches to be spared on that day from receiving his due punishment, although during his worldly life he had followed the wrong path in order to amass wealth, and had not cared for the adverse consequences in the world after death.

When night drew its shadow over him, he saw a star. He said; “This is my Lord.” But when it set, he said: “I do not like those that set.” Then when he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: “This is my Lord.” But when it set, he said: “If my Lord does not guide me, I shall surely be of those who go astray.” (Al-Quran)

71. Say: “Are we to invoke others, beside Allah, that can do us neither good nor harm¹¹⁸, and turn upon our heels after receiving guidance from Allah, like the one whom the devils be fooled in the wilderness, wandering bewildered¹¹⁹, his companions calling him to the right path, saying: ‘Come to us’¹²⁰? Say: “The guidance of Allah is the only guidance¹²¹. And we have been commanded to surrender ourselves to the Lord of the worlds.¹²²

72. “And to establish salat, and to fear Allah¹²³, and before Him you all shall be assembled.”

73. It is He who created the heavens and the earth in truth (with a purpose)¹²⁴. And on the day He will say: “Be”, it shall be¹²⁵. His word is the truth¹²⁶. His shall be the kingdom on the day when the trumpet is sounded. He knows of the visible and the unseen. He is Wise and All-knowing.

74. And (recall) when Ibrahim said to his father, Azar ;¹²⁷ “Do you take idols for gods? Verily I see you and your people in manifest error.’’

75. ¹²⁸ And in this way we showed Ibrahim the (order of the) kingdom of the heavens and the earth so that he might become a firm believer .¹²⁹

76. When night drew its shadow over him, he saw a star. He said; “This is my Lord.” But when it set, he said: “I do not like those that set.”

77. Then when he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: “This is my Lord.” But when it set, he said: “If my Lord does not guide me, I shall surely be of those who go astray.”

118. Means idols, which are pieces of stone or mounds of clay. What power have they to benefit or harm anybody! The concept of the devis and devtas (deities) is merely imaginary. There is neither a devi of wealth that would enrich a man nor a goddess of adversity and sickness that would afflict some man with small pox, etc. This is mere superstition. These gods and goddesses have no existence at all.

119. The devil’s misguiding man in the wilderness means the same thing as devil’s causing man to forget his responsibilities, etc.

120. This is an example of those who wander aimlessly under the influence of Satan. This is the condition of the rejectors of Truth. Such people are so much bewildered that they are not willing to pay any attention to their companions who are calling them to the right path.

By this example it would appear that the people of faith are saying that the disbelievers themselves are wandering aimlessly and they want the faithful people to follow suit, while actually what was required was that the people who are astray should have joined the company of the people of faith and followed the right path.

121. The paths leading to God are not those which the people have devised according to the dictates of their wishes, or due to superstitions and imagination, or religious inventions, or philosophical interpretations, but the only path leading to God is the same that has been pointed out by Himself, and which is known as Islam.

122. And the reality of Islam is this that one should submit and surrender oneself entirely and without reservation to Allah.

123. The foremost manifestation of surrendering oneself to Allah is prayer (salat). So long as man does not establish salat, does not offer prayer, surrender to God has no meaning. And the practical proof of fearing Him can be given by man by following His Command of the Shariah.

124. That is: Allah has not created this universe without any purpose or aimlessly. It has a purpose and an objective, and that is the matter of reward and punishment, for which are required a new earth, a new heaven and a new order. This new order will emerge from the womb of this earth, and the Day of Resurrection is the name of this universal change.

125. That is: For Allah there will be no difficulty at all in causing to bring forth the Doomsday, the Day of Resurrection or the world of the Hereafter. As he brought into being this universe by merely saying “Be” in the same way he can cause the Doomsday to occur.

126. That is: His word will essentially prove to be truthful. Therefore, with regard to the Day of Resurrection His word will also prove truthful.

127. prophet Ibrahim lived in (circa) 2000 B.C. He lived in the city of ’Ur’ in Iraq, on the bank of the river Euphrates.

Azar is the name of prophet Ibrahim’s father. He was an idolater. In the Bible his name appears as ‘Tareh’. It appears that this name was recorded by a mistake of some editor or translator, and Quran has expressly mentioned his name, probably to correct this mistake so that the correct parentage of prophet Ibrahim be recorded.

128. The community to which prophet Ibrahim belonged was of the idol worshippers. when he set to raise his voice against idolatry, he started his mission with his home. Accordingly, in the beginning he pointed out the wrong beliefs of his father to him and invited him to accept the faith of monotheism. The words used here show that this dawah was presented without any reservations and with full courage of a faithful, in such a way that the unreasonableness and the falsehood of the polytheism and idolatry became quite obvious. Idolatry has been termed as manifest error, because common sense is not prepared to accept as god a thing which man himself has made.

129. Though prophet Ibrahim was. born in an idolatrous family and community, the falsehood of idolatry became manifest to him on account of his using his God-given intelligence. In the same way he came to believe firmly in the oneness of God by pondering over the system of working of the heavens and the earth, because this universal system testifies that here there is rule of only one and one Being, who has bound all the things of the universe in His Law. prophet Ibrahim did not follow blindly the practice of his forefathers in the matter of religion and belief in God, but he used his intelligence and tried to reach the right conclusion by observing the system of this universe. Therefore, Allah blessed him with insight and guided him. At another place in the Quran it is stated:

“And verily We had bestowed guidance on Ibrahim aforetime,” (Al-Anbiya-5 1).

A prophet has normal, healthy nature, and prophet Ibrahim also enjoyed these gifts from God. He believed in Allah to be his Lord. He was never in doubt about this fact. However, by observing God’s handiwork and complete order in nature, his concept of monotheism became more firm and his belief in God became absolute, Quran calls people to observe nature in the same manner. whoever will ponder on the order and smooth working of the universal system and then think whether it has a creator or not, and whether it is ruled by one Being or more, will surely come to the inevitable conclusion that there is only one God, Creator of the entire universe.

Since the scientists and astronomers of the modern times do not observe the universe from this aspect, and their observation in this regard is not objective, and since their observation is tinged with prejudice and without giving due thought to God, they are deprived of attaining the right guided conclusion, and they do not achieve the guidance and the belief leading to God.

And we gave him Ishaq and Yaqub, and guided all of them; and We had guided Nooh earlier, and among his progeny Dawood, Sulaiman, Ayub, Yusuf, Moosa and Haroon. In this way We reward the virtuous. (Al-Quran)

78. Then when he saw the sun shining brightly, he said: “This is my Lord. This is the greatest. “But when it set, he said: “O my people! I am free from all that you associate with Him.¹³⁰

79. “I have turned my face towards Him, who created the heavens and the earth, in total submission, and I am not among those who ascribe partners to Allah.’’¹³¹

80. And his people disputed with him. He said: “Do you dispute with me concerning Allah when He has guided me.¹³² And I do not fear those whom you associate with Him, however, if my Lord wills¹³³ to do some harm (it is another matter). My Lord has , knowledge of all things.¹³⁴ Will you not be then reminded?

81. “And how should I fear those whom you associate with Him, while you do not fear to ascribe partners to Allah, for which no sanction (authority) has been sent down to you?¹³⁵ Which of us two groups is more deserving¹³⁶ of peace (salvation)? Tell me, if you know. ⁸². “Those who believed and did not tarnish their faith by wrongdoing¹³⁷ – theirs is peace (salvation), and they are rightly guided.”

83. And that was our argument with which We furnished Ibrahim against his people¹³⁸. We raise whom We will to an exalted rank¹³⁹. Verily, your Lord is Wise and All- Knowing¹⁴⁰.

84. And we gave him Ishaq and Yaqub¹⁴¹, and guided all of them¹⁴²; and We had guided Nooh earlier¹⁴³, and among his progeny¹⁴⁴ Dawood, Sulaiman, Ayub, Yusuf, Moosa and Haroon¹⁴⁵. In this way We reward the virtuous.

130. For understanding this event it is necessary to keep the following points in view:

(A) prophet Ibrahim’s community was star worshipper. planet Venus, which was called ‘Ashtra’ “was the goddess of love and beauty. The moon was Nannar and was the god of prosperity. Sun (Shams) was according to them the greatest god. They had made a number of idols and named them after the various planets and stars. These idols represented the gods after which they were named. To propitiate these gods, they used to worship these idols. They treated these idols as their gods and offered presents before them. Thus they had manufactured their own gods.

(B) Since idolatry was connected with starworship, prophet Ibrahim proffered an argument which referred to the setting of all the heavenly gods, and with that the earthly gods were also compelled to set.

(C) This observation by prophet Ibrahim of the star, the moon and the sun might not have taken place in one day and night. It is likely that some time might have elapsed between the observation of the star and then the moon, and after some days the sun.

(D) The event narrated here was in the nature of a debate as is clear from a reference to the context. It would be therefore wrong to consider it as an evolution of the thinking of prophet Ibrahim, and to treat his observation about the star, the moon and the sun that they were his Lord and his proceeding step by step to the true Lord would be faulty. It is a pity that some commentators have also been victims of this misunderstanding. But as is explained by Allama Ibn Katheer, this event was in the nature of a debate between prophet Ibrahim and his community, and not his personal observation. prophet Ibrahim had uttered the words “This is my Lord” during the debate, which meant: “Is it really my Lord?” To declare the star, moon, etc. as the Lord was to express amazement and also to question the community whether these things are really worth treating as Lord.

From the context it will be seen that before this there is a mention of prophet Ibrahim’s presenting dawah before his father, and immediately thereafter in Verse No.80 his disputation with his community is mentioned. Then after his observing the moon, when he says “This is my Lord”, he also says: “If my Lord does not guide me, I shall surely be of those who go astray.” This only means that he considered Allah only as his real Lord, and for guidance one should turn to him only, otherwise nothing but misguidance would result. This remark reflects the monotheistic trend of prophet Ibrahim’s mind. Therefore, subsequently his calling the sun as his Lord is to reverse the opponent’s argument against him (the opponent). During the debate what a man states as a presumption is not necessarily his own statement or proposition, and here the context is proof enough that prophet Ibrahim had uttered these words to silence his opponents, in the same way in which he, on another occasion had attributed the act of breaking the idols to the larger idol while he himself had broken them.

(E) The summary of the arguments put forth by prophet Ibrahim against star-worshipping is that whether they are stars or planets, moon or sun, people are deceived by their brightness and consider them to be gods and goddesses and start worshipping them. But if people would consider their setting along with their rising, they would clearly see that none of them is a deity and that all of them are bound in a fixed and appointed system. They can neither rise before their scheduled time nor they can set before their allotted hour. And what kind of god is that who is bound bya law? This physical helplessness of theirs is a proof of the fact that a Being higher than them is ruling over them, by whose law they are bound and cannot shake themselves off it. Therefore, the only Being that is worthy of worship is that Higher Being who is a Creator of all these and who rules supreme over them, and not these heavenly bodies that are totally without any power or authority.

(F) The rejection of the planets and stars as deities by prophet Ibrahim is supported by the present day Science also, as science has in a very detailed manner placed before us the facts as to how these heavenly bodies are bound by the various solar systems, and that the planets whose brightness has misled men to treat them as deities are dependent on the sun for their light, and that the sun is nothing else but a place where constant fire is burning and every now and then explosions take place. Can a being in whose belly explosions occur so often be a god? Similarly the surface of the moon has also been trampled by man’s feet. Can the being who can be trampled by the feet of man be a god?

131. This is the proclamation of the Unity of God, in which there is a total repudiation of polytheism and an argument for oneness of Allah, who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

He alone is worthy of worship. Therefore, I have repudiated all the false gods and turned to Him and have made Him my objective. On account of their being so richly meaningful, these words have been prescribed for being recited at the beginning of every prayer (salat).

132. It shows that this event of disputation and debate took place after prophet Ibrahim was blessed with the honourable office of prophethood.

133. When people heard prophet Ibrahim talking against their deities, they frightened him with some impending calamity and with the threat of his being unlucky. In reply to this, prophet Ibrahim said that he was not afraid of their invented gods; to cause harm is within the powers of Allah only; he will be harmed only if Allah wills, otherwise there is nothing in these false gods.

134. For godhood expansive knowledge is required, and this attribute belongs to Allah only. Then what sense is there in making other being as god, instead of Allah? Are these idols aware of the condition of the people that they may benefit or harm any man?

135. That is: The books which Allah revealed to His prophets do not at all mention anything about Allah’s making any person or thing as His partner. Similarly no argument or proof can be proffered in support of polytheism. Then without any authority or any argument, how have you given the rank of gods to others?

136. That is: ponder upon the point whether the danger of punishment is lurking for those who believe in God or for those who attribute others as Allah’s partners without any proof or reason.

137. Here by ‘zulm’ or wrongdoing is meant polytheism, as is mentioned in a hadith: when this verse was revealed the companions of the prophet felt very uneasy and said: “Who is amongst us that has not tarnished himself with wrongdoing?” Thereupon the prophet said that the meaning of this verse was not so,”You have not thought over what Luqman had said, he had said: polytheism is the greatest wrongdoing.”– (Bukhari-Kitab Istitabatil Murtaddeen).

This verse explains that before Allah only that faith is acceptable which is free from polytheism of belief and action. There is a great warning in this for those Muslims who have contaminated their faith with polytheism. (Shirk.)

138. That ‘is: This argument was put into prophet Ibrahim’s mind by Allah so that he might put forth his case with sound reasoning before his people and convince them.

It shows that the event that was related above was the event of the debate between prophet Ibrahim and his community and not concerning his search for truth. Therefore to call the star as the Lord was to question the people about the absurdity of their belief that whether he should also accept the setting star as his god. After this clarification there is no need to fall back on the absurd stories, in which this event has been referred to as a happening of prophet Ibrahim’s childhood. In This story an imaginary tale has been woven stating that the childhood of prophet Ibrahim was spent in a closed cave, and when for the first time he came out of the cave, he saw the star and considered it to be his god. what a pity that such bogus Israeli tales have found a place in the commentaries of the holy Quran.

139. That is: By giving him this argument, this understanding, this insight and this spirit to invite a polytheist nation to accept the belief of monotheism, we have exalted his rank very high, and in this way We raise high the ranks of those whom we please.

140. Refers to the fact that the exaltation of the ranks of His selected slaves is a manifestation of Allah‘s wisdom and knowledge.

141. Ishaq (Issac) is the son of prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), and yaqub (Jacob) is his grandson. Both of them were prophets. Yaqub (Jacob) was also called Israel, whose progeny was called Bani Israil. Dawatul Qur’an 425 S.6

142. That is: They were also given the guidance to believe in the oneness of Allah.

143. Prophet Nooh (Noah) had lived much earlier than prophet Ibrahim. By mentioning his name here the idea is to explain that the guidance for following monotheism (Tawheed) which was given to prophet Ibrahim and his descendents was given much earlier to prophet Nooh also. In other words, the religion sent down or revealed by Allah is one and the same, which came down in a continuous process from the first prophet to the last. No other religion was revealed to any prophet, and Quran is the standard- bearer of that religion which alone is the common religion of all the true prophets.

144. That is: the progeny of Ibrahim.

145. These are the well-known, great prophets of Bani Israil. prophets Dawood (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Ayub (Job) Yusuf (Joseph), Moosa (Moses) and Haroon (Aaron) belong to that group of prophets who had achieved political power.

85. And Zakaria and Yahya and Eesa and¹⁴⁶ Ilyas also; all of them were righteous. ¹⁴⁷

86. And Ismail and Alyasa¹⁴⁸, and Yunus and Loot¹⁴⁹. All these we exalted above the peoples of the world.

87. And We gave guidance to many of their forefathers, their children and their brothers, we chose¹⁵⁰ them and directed them to the straight path¹⁵¹.

88. This is the guidance¹⁵² of Allah, He bestows it on whom He pleases of His slaves. Had they associated other gods with Allah, their labours would indeed have been in vain¹⁵³.

89. These are the men on whom we bestowed the Book, and the authority¹⁵⁴ and prophethood. Now if these people¹⁵⁵ reject them, (does not matter), We have entrusted this (blessed gift of religion) to such people as do not reject it . ¹⁵⁶

90. These are they whom Allah guided. Follow then their guidance¹⁵⁷ (and) say: “I demand of you no reward for this¹⁵⁸. It is merely a reminder to all the peoples of the world”.¹⁵⁹

91. They have not appreciated Allah as He deserves to be appreciated, when they say: “Allah has not revealed anything to any man.” Say: “Who then sent down the Book which Moosa brought ¹⁶⁰ -a light and guidance for mankind? The Book which you make into separate parchments for show and conceal much of it; and (by which) you were taught what neither you nor your forefathers knew before.” Say: “Allah (sent it down).” Then leave them playing in their vain discourse.¹⁶¹

146. These are also great prophets of Bani Israil, whose religion was also the religion of monotheism, that is Islam. The name of Ilyas appears as Elijah in Bible. He had taken exception to the polytheistic activities of the Israilites and insisted on their following the practice of monotheism. He is mentioned in the Bible:

‘‘And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Eli’jah the prophet came near and said, O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that thou, O LORD, art God, and that thou hast turned their hearts back.” (1-King 18: 36, 37)

Zakaria (Zacharia), Yahya (John), Eesa (Jesus) and Ilyas (Elias) belong to that group of prophets who ruled over the hearts of people without attaining any political power.”

147. That is: These were very respectable personalities, but none of them was a god, and all were virtuous slaves of Allah.

148. Alyasa is mentioned in the Bible as Elisha a Deputy of prophet Elias. (See l-Kings 19:16)

149. prophet Loot (Lot) was not a descendent of prophet Ibrahim, but was his nephew, who had embraced his religion, and Allah had favoured him with prophethood. For this reason his name is mentioned here as a prophet belonging to the family of prophet Ibrahim.

150. That is: Chosen for presenting the dawah and serving the religion.

151. Means the religion of Islam.

152. Guidance of Allah means the religion of monotheism, that is Islam.

153. That is: If these exalted persons also had been guilty of committing polytheistic acts, then they would also have lost their exalted position and all their labours would have been in vain, because polytheism is an unforgivable crime. whoever commits this crime would be liable to get punished, and when exalted persons are not exempted, then how the smaller fry can hope to escape.

154. The word ‘Hukm’ used here means authority to take decision, and authority of giving commands of Shariah according to the divine guidance.

155. Means the people of Makkah.

156. It means that as we had favoured those prophets, mentioned above, with the Book, the authority and the prophethood, we have today favoured prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wasallam) with the same and this is a great blessing, through him, for the people of Makkah. However, if these people deny this, let them do so, they will deprive only themselves from the benefits of this blessing. we have granted this gift of religion to such persons as do not ignore and deprecate it. It is an allusion to those of the prophet’s companions who had accepted his call and embraced Islam, and thus became the real appreciators of this gift.

157. That is Follow the religion which is the common religion of all the prophets of God. This religion is the religion of monotheism, that is Islam.

158. That is: I do not demand or expect any recompense or reward from you for this service which I am rendering to you and which is the greatest service to humanity. I am doing it for your own good only. If you accept it, it will be to your own advantage, and if you reject it, then you will harm yourself only.

159. That is: Quran is a Reminder and a good counsel for the entire humanity. Its ‘message is general, for all and everlasting. It is neither reserved nor limited to any period, age or time, or meant only for any single nation or community.

160. It is an allusion to the Jews who had said this absurd thing referred to in these verses. Although they believed in the series of the prophets, and also believed in Moosa to be a prophet and the Torah to be a divine Scripture, they were not prepared to believe in the fact that any prophet could be from outside the family or progeny of prophet Moosa. For this reason, according to their traditional obstinacy, they refused to accept this reality that Allah had revealed His word to any human being. Taking an exception to this attitude of theirs, Quran has mentioned two points: first that the denier of the divine revelation is in reality the denier of the divine wisdom, because how can it be possible that God who looks after every need of man should not provide for his spiritual guidance; and secondly they make two contradictory statements on the one hand they deny totally that there was any revelation from God to any man, and on the other hand they believe that prophet Moosa was prophet of God and the Torah was a revealed book.

161. That is: After pointing out to them that Allah had revealed His word to prophet Moosa and He also revealed His message to this prophet today, you may leave them alone. Those who refuse to see reason, it is futile to argue with them.

⁹². And this is a Book that We have sent down¹⁶², blessed¹⁶³ and confirming what (Books) came before¹⁶⁴ it, and so that you may warn the (residents of) Ummul Qura¹⁶⁵ and those around her¹⁶⁶.Those who believe in the Hereafter also believe in this ¹⁶⁷, and they are watchful about their prayers.¹⁶⁸

93. And who is more wicked than the one who attributes a lie¹⁶⁹ to Allah, or claims: ”A revelation has come to me,” when nothing has been revealed to him¹⁷⁰? or the man who says: “I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed¹⁷¹ “? Could you but see the wrongdoers when they suffer the pangs of death, the angels with outstretched hands, saying: “Deliver your souls; this day you shall be rewarded with a shameful punishment, for you used to say about Allah what is untrue and in your pride scorned His revelations¹⁷².”

94. (Then Allah will say:) “And now you have come to Us, alone¹⁷³, as we had created you for the first time, and you have left behind what we had bestowed on you. Nor do we see with you your intercessors whom you considered to be Allah’s partners¹⁷⁴ concerning your affairs. Your ties are, broken¹⁷⁵ and which you had presumed has failed you.”

95. Verily, it is Allah who splits the seed and the fruit-stone¹⁷⁶. He brings forth the living from the dead, and the dead from the living¹⁷⁷. That is Allah. Then, where are you being misled?

96. He is the Cleaver (of darkness) bringing forth dawn¹⁷⁸. He made the night for the rest and the sun and the moon for reckoning¹⁷⁹. This is the planning of the Mighty and All- Knowing.¹⁸⁰

162. That is: This book is not a product of the human efforts, but it is revealed by the Ruler of the Universe, and on this account enjoys a unique distinction.

163. This book is the source of blessings and auspiciousness, from which the nations of the world will be receiving benefits, and from whose brilliance and illumination all the corners of human life will be illuminated.

164. Means the Torah.

165. Ummul Qura means the centre of dwellings and colonies, that is Makkah. It is called Ummul Qura because there is the House of Allah here, where universal gathering of Hajj takes place. On account of this distinction it has been made a religious and spiritual centre for the whole world.

166. That is: Convey the message of Quran first to the citizens of Makkah, then to the people dwelling in the surrounding areas, so that your sphere of dawah may be widened. For the propagation of the prophet’s message the city of Makkah has been selected because the voice that would be raised from the centre would resound in the mountains and the valleys of the world, and its echo will be heard in every nook and cranny of the earth.

167. That is: It is not possible that the man who believes in the Hereafter and has in his heart the fear of accounting before God may refuse to accept this Book as the Book revealed by Allah. If such a man studies a little of this Book, he will recognise that these are the words of Allah, and after this he would not feel any hesitation in embracing Islam. Here the allusion is to those righteous persons of the people of the Book who believed in the Hereafter. About such people it is said that they would also believe in Quran.

168. That is: A person who really believes in the Hereafter is bound to reflect from his manner of living some signs of God-worship, and the first symbol of God worship is offering prayers (salat).

169. To invent a religion or to give a religious colour to some invented thing is to invent a lie against or to attribute falsehood to Allah, and one who is guilty of this act is the greatest criminal. His crime is like the crime of a person who makes and gives currency to counterfeit coins. Since this insolent act is committed against God, one who commits it commits the greatest crime.

170. It shows that the false claimants of prophethood are the greatest criminals, because they commit deception against both, God and His creatures.

171. When a man, in response to the call for accepting truth, adopts an attitude of opposition for the sake of opposition, then seriousness and solemnity leave him and he comes down to the level of making insensible statements. The statement of the opponents quoted in the verse is an example of this.

172. This is a reply to the absurd objections and foolish claims of the rejectors of Quran, that when they do not want to comprehend a thing through reasoning, let them not comprehend it. They will come to their senses when death will overtake them and the angels will be slapping their faces.

From the verse this thing also becomes clear that at the time of death those realities, in which the people are asked to believe, become manifest, and also that death is merely the name of the soul passing out of the body, and that the souls of the rejectors of faith undergo punishment during their stay in the world of ‘Barzakh.’

173. That is: Allah will speak these words on the Day of Resurrection.

174. That is: In the world you had believed that your affairs were not being settled by what Allah decides but that those beings for whom you had regard also had a say in the matter. You thought that they had some importance in the eyes of God and that by pleasing them God will also be pleased. But where these partners invented by you have gone today, as none is present to help you?

175. That is: The tie, the relationship of love and regard that you had established with the false gods has been cut off.

176. The idea is to invite our attention to the wonders of God’s creation, nature. who is that splits the seed and the fruit-stone and causes them to sprout, and then makes them to grow into green plants and huge trees? Is there any other being who has a say in these things or who can interfere in these matters? If not, then how can any other being have a say in the matter of deciding your fate or causing you harm or benefit?

177. It is also the working of Allah’s created nature that the living comes out of the dead and the dead comes forth from the living. Man observes this phenomenon every day. In the vegetable kingdom, the example can be seen in the fruit-stone developing into a tree and the tree giving out the fruit-stone. In the animal kingdom, we can see live bird coming out of the egg and the bird laying egg. Similarly, from the matter, man and from man, the matter. A clear example in this connection will be the birth of a still-born child from the womb of a living mother.

178. In the foregoing verses there was the mention of the marvellous phenomena which were visible on the earth. In this verse are mentioned the marvellous phenomena that appear in the sky. The light of the dawn appears on the horizon after tearing the veil of the darkness of the night and awakens man from his sleep of negligence, that he may begin his dawn of life with the acknowledgement of his Lord’s marvellous creative powers.

179. The sun and the moon are the means of reckoning time. The fixation of the limits of day and night is done by the rising and setting of the sun. The dates are reckoned by the various shapes or the phases of the moon. From these then are calculated the months and years. How marvellous is this set up for reckoning of time and dates that the nature or the Divine power has created, and what a great need of humans is met by this set up!

180. That is: This order and this system in the heavens and the earth is neither haphazard nor is it influenced or affected by anybody else’s godhood, but this is the planning of that Great Being Who is the Mightiest Being and whose knowledge is all grasping and all-covering.

And it is He that created for you the stars, so that you may be guided, thereby in the darkness of the land and the sea. We have explained in detail our signs for the people of knowledge. And it is He that created you from one soul ; then for everyone there is a place for dwelling and a depository. We have explained our signs in detail for the people of understanding. (Al-Quran)

97. And it is He that created for you the stars, so that you may be guided, thereby in the darkness of the land and the sea¹⁸¹. We have explained in detail our signs for the people of knowledge¹⁸².

98. And it is He that created you from one soul

183; then for everyone there is a place for dwelling and a depository¹⁸⁴. We have explained our signs in detail for the people of understanding¹⁸⁵.

99. And it is He who sent down water ¹⁸⁶ from the sky. with it we bring forth¹⁸⁷ vegetation of every kind: from it we grow green foliage out of which we produce close-growing grains, and from blossoms of the palm trees. we bring forth clusters of dates low hanging, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, alike and unlike¹⁸⁸. Behold their fruits when they begin to bear fruit and ripen.¹⁸⁹ In these are signs for those who believe.

100. And they have set up jinns as partners with Allah, though He has created them¹⁹⁰, and have, invented for Him sons and daughters without any knowledge¹⁹¹. He is Holy and above their imputations.

101. He is the Originator¹⁹² of the heavens and the earth. How can there be a son for Him when He has no consort¹⁹³? And He created all things and has knowledge of all things.

102. Only that is Allah, your Lord. There is no god but He, Creator of all things. So worship Him.¹⁹⁴ And He takes care of all things.¹⁹⁵

103. Sights cannot grasp Him,¹⁹⁶ but He grasps all sights. He is Minute-Observer, the Aware.

181. Stars provide light to the travellers on land and in the sea. with their help direction is also ascertained. Before the induction of modern equipments as a result of scientific progress, people used to travel with the help of stars. Even today they are a source of guidance in navigation. In other words stars have been created by Allah to serve mankind, but man, in his foolishness, took his servants to be his masters and began to worship them.

182. That is: Those who use their common sense and intelligence and ponder upon these signs come to know the reality.

183. It has been explained in Notes Nos. 2 and 3 of Surah An-Nisa.

184. By place for dwelling is meant the world and by the resting place is meant the place where man is made to rest after death. It means that man dwells on the earth created by Allah and is buried in the same earth created by Allah. When man has to live from his cradle to his grave, in the kingdom of Allah only, then how is it that he dare defy Him and rebel against Him?

185. That is: Those who are sensible and think properly, they are able to reach the right conclusion– rightness of the belief in the Unity of Allah, and that is the dawah of the holy Quran.

186. That is: Since the water is seen to be coming from the sky, in the common parlance it is said that the water is coming from the sky. This meaning should not be taken literally.

187. In the first verse Allah has used the pronoun in the third person, and in the second verse the pronoun used is in the first person. This change in the person of the pronouns is made in accordance with the style of speaking and according to other aspects also. Here the change of pronouns has been made as the direction of the speech turns from the power of Allah to His Lordship.

188. That is: Alike in shapes but different in tastes.

189. The foods for man’s sustenance provided by Allah have all kinds of grains and all varieties of fruits. If man contemplates over how these foods and their plants grow, bear fruit and ripen, he will see in every thing marvellous examples of creative powers of the Lord of the worlds. If his eyes are open and his conscience is awake, then his mind would turn from this creativity to the Creator, and he will be blessed with the right recognition of the Creator of the Universe.

Today the knowledge of botanical science has illuminated the world of botany to such an extent that countless marvels of creativity in nature are known to man Since the study of this science is being done with a prejudiced mind, without trying to think whether there is a Creator of these things, they have no interest in trying to recognise such a Creator Therefore, in the great store of knowledge, this reality remains hidden, and the beauty of the Creator and the hand of the Craftsman cannot be seen by these researchers and scientists in the craftsmanship of the things in nature and they are deprived of getting at the reality that really matters.

190. Superstitious people believe that the jinns can bring calamities on them, can influence their destinies, and can make them suffer from diseases. etc. The idolaters of Arabia also believed in these superstitions. To avert these supposed calamities they used to worship them, and to offer presents to them. The idolaters of India are not far behind the idolaters of Arabia of the past. Nay, they are much ahead of them. They have the concept of jinns as ghosts and rakshasas. To be safe from their damaging influences. they worship them. offer presents to them and shout their glories.

Quran declares all these things as absurd and meaningless, and expresses this reality about the jinns that they are the creatures, created by Allah, therefore, treating them as equal to the Creator is most absurd and unreasonable act. Jinns are as helpless as humans. They have no powers to inflict harm or give benefit. They can neither make any one sick nor can they influence anybody’s destiny, Therefore, to fear them and to worship them is wrong and foolish.

191. The polytheists of Makkah regarded the angels to be the daughters,of Allah. The Christians consider prophet Eesa (Jesus) to be the son of God. There is no reasonable and sound argument for such a belief. people have invented these concepts in their ignorance.

192. That is: One who brings into existence something from non-existence and without having any sample or example before him.

193. Neither the idolaters of Makkah nor the people of the Book believed that God has any consort. Yet they ascribed children for Him, as if they felt that it would not be appropriate to ascribe a wife for God. and that it is a lowly concept that does not suit the greatness of God. But this feeling left them when they ascribed children to God... This contradiction of their mentality is shown here.

This was the concept of God of the Arab idolaters. But the concept of the idolaters of India is much more strange. The gods that they have invented have been given a number of wives. In this way they have made every effort to bring god to the level of man. The fact is that when man indulges in polytheism, he not only depreciates the value of god. but he also renders proof of his own foolishness.

194. The substance of this argument is this: When Allah is your Creator and the Creator of all things, then He alone is the Lord of all. When no other being is the creator, how can any other being be the Lord? And how can any other being be considered worthy of worship? Therefore, the correct line of thinking for man is that he should consider Allah to be his Lord and God, and the correct line of conduct for him is to worship Him alone.

195. Allah takes care of everything and looks after everything, therefore, everybody should have faith and hope in Him.

196. That is: You cannot see God with your eyes, but He is seeing you clearly. Therefore, let no one think that because God is not visible, He is non-existent. The fact of the matter ‘is that the human eyes are not capable of seeing God. The human sight is unable. to see so many things in the material world, e.g. soul, which is always present in the body but is not visible to man, the air, the electric current, which can be felt but cannot be seen. The universe that exists beyond the skies cannot be seen with the human eyes. Then how these weak and imperfect eyes can see the Lord and Creator of the universe? Therefore, any attempt to see God with the physical eyes is futile, however hard man may try. However, by observing the creations in the cosmos, man can come to recognize God, and if man opens. the vision of his heart, he can see the glimpses of His beauty in every flower and in every tree.

Date- Palm Trees Laden with bunches of dates.

104. Eye-opening proofs have come to you from your Lord. So whoever sees, it is for his own good, and whoever becomes blind, it will be to his own disadvantage. And I am not a keeper over you.¹⁹⁷

105. And thus do we explain the revelations in different ways so that they may say: “You have (correctly) taught,” and so that we may clearly state the matter to those who know.¹⁹⁸

106. Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord. There is no god, but He. And avoid the polytheists.¹⁹⁹

107. And had Allah wished, they would not have associated partners with Him.²⁰⁰ And We have not made you to watch over them, nor are you responsible for them.²⁰¹

108. And revile not those whom they invoke besides Allah, lest they spitefully revile Allah, in their ignorance.²⁰² Thus have We made alluring to each community its own acts.²⁰³ Then they have to return to their Lord, and then He will let them know what they had been doing.

109. And they swear solemnly by Allah that if a sign²⁰⁴ came to them, they would believe, say: “Certainly signs are with Allah,²⁰⁵ and what do you know! ²⁰⁶ (even) if a sign comes to them, they will not believe.”

110. And We turn their hearts and eyes as they refused to believe at first.²⁰⁷ And We leave them to stumble blindly in their rebellion.

197. These are the words of Allah, but spoken by the prophet. I am not a keeper or guardian over you means that I have not been made responsible for your acts.

198. That is: These arguments in favour of monotheism stated above have been related in Quran in varying styles and from different aspects. They have two purposes in view: First, the message of truth might be conveyed to the people, so that they might one’day admit that the prophet had conveyed to them the truth about Oneness of God, and that he had done it convincingly; secondly, those who can think on the right lines and use their common sense, might see the reality and rightness of the belief in monotheism.

199. Here avoiding polytheists means that if even after presenting these clear arguments in favour of monotheism, they persist in their false beliefs and wrong acts, then leave them to their conditions.

200. That is; If Allah wanted to compel people in the matter of religion, then nobody would have been a polytheist Allah’s planning did not want this. He desired that man should be tested, and for him the paths of truth and falsehood may be clearly shown, and he should be given freedom to chose whatever he thought fit. Therefore, if anybody wants to make wrong use of the freedom granted by God, and does not want to listen to your advice, leave him to his fate. He will reap what he is sowing. You need not worry about him.

201. That is: We have made you a messenger. We have not made you responsible for the acts of others that you might be asked about them.

202. The people of faith have been directed that in their enthusiasm for the dawah work they should not use disrespectful language for the deities of idolaters for it is likely that in return they may also use disrespectfull language for Allah. Although the idolaters of Arabia believed in Allah, it was not unlikely that under provocation they would use abusive language for Allah.

It does not mean that this tolerance should be extended to such an extent that their deities may not be called false, for to show what is truth it is necessary to call falsehood what it is. If the poison is not called fatal, then it is not known how many people will become a prey to that and meet their death. If a child is not kept away from the fire, it is likely that being impressed by its light he will put his hand in it. If the people are to be saved from destruction, then what is destructive will have to be called destructive, without yielding to undue tolerance and improper concessions. That is why in Quran the helplessness of the idols and the adverse consequences of idolatry have been very clearly and unambiguously stated.

203. That is: As We have made alluring the acts of the idolaters in their own eyes, similarly We have also made the acts of other groups and communities alluring to their eyes.

It means that every community thinks that its own beliefs and acts are good, though in reality they may not be so. Therefore by unduly criticising the acts and customs of other communities. the desired reform of those communities or groups cannot be effected. One can hope to effect reform in the belief and conduct of a community by explaining to its members their falsehood and wrongness in a solemn. suitable. decent and wise manner.

It should be noted that the appearance of the beliefs and acts of a community as alluring to itself is in accordance with the law of nature, and this law of nature is also made by Allah, for Allah has stated that He has done so.

204. Here sign means a tangible, palpable sign, that is a miracle.

205. This has been explained in Note No.65

206. The addressees are Muslims who wanted that a miracle might be performed so that the disbelievers might embrace Islam.

207. That is: As in the first instance their prejudices and short sightedness came in the way of their accepting faith. in the same way they are obstructing it now. and it is a Divine tradition (law of nature) that a person who is perverse in his thinking sees other objects as perverted to show miracles to such persons would be of no use. However, if they adopt the way of right thinking. Then in the light of the arguments that have already been presented. they can find the right path.

111. And even if we sent down the angels to them and caused the dead to speak with them, and ranged all things before them, they would still not believe, unless Allah willed it ²⁰⁸. But most of them speak ignorantly²⁰⁹

112. And in this way we have appointed for every prophet an enemy ²¹⁰, devils among men and jinns, who inspire one another with flowery discourses²¹¹, by way of deception. But had your Lord willed, they could not have done so. So leave them to their imputations.

113. And (this respite is being given to them) so that the hearts of those who have no faith in the Hereafter may incline towards it ²¹², and they may delight in it, and that they may earn what they wish to earn.

114. Should I seek a judge other than Allah when it is He who has sent down to you the Book, explaining matters in detail²¹³? And those to whom we gave the Book²¹⁴ (before this) know that it has been sent down in truth from your Lord. Never be then of those who doubt.²¹⁵

115. And the words of your Lord are perfected in truth and justice.²¹⁶ None can change His words. And He hears all and knows all²¹⁷.

116. And were you to obey most of those who inhabit the earth, they will lead you away from the path of Allah. They follow nothing but doubts, and speak nothing but conjecture²¹⁸.

208. Those who have already decided not to accept the truth, on account of their obstinacy or prejudices cannot be made to come round to accept it, even by showing them one miracle after another. when they have already decided not to accept the truth, they would try to interpret every miracle in one way or the other. However, if Allah wanted to compel them to embrace faith, then no person would have remained a non-believer. But such an arrangement is against the scheme of Allah, as His planning envisages that every person should have the freedom of making his own choice with regard to his faith.

209. That is: By ignoring this scheme of Allah. what they speak is mere sentimental stuff, not based on knowledge and reality, but on ignorance.

210. The storm of opposition, that was raging against the Last prophet (Sallal lahu Alaihi wa sallam), in fomenting which trouble the devils among men and the jinns were in the forefront, is not a new thing. Every prophet had to face this kind of opposition.

The devils get a chance to foment trouble against the prophet only as a result of the respite given to the people by Allah. For this reason such a situation has been described as appointing an enemy for every prophet. It means that the devils could not have created any trouble, had they not got this respite from Allah, and Allah has given them this respite in order that in the battle of the truth and falsehood, the reality should come out clearly.

211. ‘Zukhrufal Qaul’ (flowery discourse) signifies those false statements which have been made alluring. For example, in the Quran when the command prohibiting the eating of the flesh of the naturally dead animals was revealed, the disbelievers tried to misguide the people by saying: “How funny the command was! The animal killed by man is lawful, while the animal killed by God is forbidden!”

In the present day misguiding propaganda is garbed in attractive language, like: ‘All religions are true,’ or ‘The paths leading to God are different. but the destination of all is one,’ or for limiting the growth of the family. this fascinating .slogan: we two and our two: the third not now. and after that never.’ Similarly shibboleths like: ‘Religion is concerned with private life.’ or ‘Equality for men and women:’ or ‘Religion is opiate:’ etc. etc. are the inventions of the imaginative but mischief- making persons.

212. It is a fact that the fascinating talk of the mischief makers against religion appeal and misguide only those persons whose minds are empty of the concept of the Hereafter.

213. That is: what is Truth and what is Falsehood can he decided by Allah alone. He is the Creator and also the Lord. He has sent down His decision in the form of Quran. Therefore. in all disputes this Book is the deciding factor. and enjoys the status of divine sanction. But you want me to accept some other thing as a judge beside Allah, and that in the matter of what is lawful and forbidden you want me to turn to things which have no divine sanction, e.g. the things which have become customary in the name of religion. or the culture that has come down as the heritage of the forefathers, or the superstitions which are the products of the pre-Islamic days.

214. Refers to those truthful and honest persons who belong to the people of the Book.

215. Although the direct addressee is the Last prophet (Peace be upon him) the message is for every reader of Quran. The purpose is to explain that the revelation of the Quran is not a unique thing, for before the revelation of Quran. Allah had revealed other scriptures to other prophets, the witnesses of which fact are the people of the Book, and among these, those who are truth loving, recognise the voice of the Quran to be the divine voice. Therefore, there is not even an iota of doubt about the Quran’s being a Divine Scripture.

216. That is: The promise that Allah had made to the people of the Book, before the coming of the Last prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi wa sallam), and whose mention can be found in the Torah and Injeel, that promise has been fulfilled. Thus the truth of the word of Allah has been proved and the demand of justice has also been met, that is by the revelation of Quran Allah’s message has been convincingly conveyed to the people.

217. That is: Allah knows who denies the truth of His words and who believes in them.

218. In the matter of Truth and Falsehood, the deciding factor can be the argument or reason-, and not the majority of the supporters. In the matter of basic importance like the belief in God and religion, the majority of the people of the world had always been in ignorance, and has been acting by mere conjecture. This is the reason why the history of humanity has been the history of the decline of human morality and conduct. In modern times there is no evil that has not attained the form of an epidemic. In such a condition the majority of the people cannot provide leadership to the general people. This majority can, however, add to their waywardness. Therefore, Quran says that in the matter of truth and falsehood, people or ‘the public opinion’ cannot be the deciding factor, but the deciding factor can be those signs which are scattered in the cosmos and in the hearts of the people (i.e. system of the universe and man’s own nature) or it can be the Book of Allah, which enjoys the status of the Divine Sanction.

And when there comes to them a revelation, they say: “We shall not believe until we are given the like of what has been given to the messengers of Allah.” Allah knows best whom to appoint for His message. Soon the guilty will be overtaken by humiliation and severe punishment before Allah, for their plotting. (Al - Quran)

117. Verily Allah knows best who have strayed from His path, and those who are rightly guided²¹⁹.

118. So eat of (such flesh) on which Allah’s name has been pronounced, if you believe in His revelations²²⁰.

119. And why should you not eat of (such flesh) on which Allah’s name has been pronounced, when He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except when you are compelled to²²¹ ? And indeed there are many that mislead (others) by their desires, through ignorance. Verily, your Lord best knows the transgressors.

120. And forsake the open sin and the secret²²². Those who earn sin, will get due recompense for their earnings.

121. And do not eat (the flesh) of that on which Allah’s name has not been pronounced. It is sinful²²³. And the satans inspire their votaries to dispute with you. And if you obey them, you would indeed be polytheists²²⁴.

122. Can he who was dead and then We gave to him life and light whereby he walks amongst the people be like him who is in darkness from which he cannot emerge²²⁵? Thus to the disbelievers their acts have been made pleasing²²⁶.

123. And thus We have placed in every township arch-criminals so that they may plot therein,²²⁷ and they plot not but against themselves, and they do not perceive it²²⁸.

124. And when there comes to them a revelation, they say: “We shall not believe until we are given the like of what has been given to the messengers of Allah.” Allah knows best whom to appoint²²⁹ for His message. Soon the guilty will be overtaken by humiliation and severe punishment before Allah, for their plotting²³⁰.

219. Therefore, accept the guidance of your, Lord, and do not be deceived by what is followed by the majority.

220. That is: The new methods and inventions which the people have introduced as customs also include methods which place irrelevant restrictions on eating and drinking, e.g. the idolaters of Arabia had declared a particular kind of animal as forbidden a she-camel which had given birth to a certain number of offsprings was forbidden. If while slaughtering such a she-camel even if the name of Allah is pronounced on it, its flesh was considered haram by these people. Therefore, Quran says that there should be no hesitation for the people of faith in eating the flesh of the animals which have been declared lawful by Allah and on whom the name of Allah has been pronounced while slaughtering them. Any hesitation in eating the flesh of such animals signifies that our hearts are still ruled by the polytheistic superstitions.

In the matter of food, the polytheists: of India are so superstitious that they have declared not only the eating of the flesh of certain animals as forbidden but also the eating of flesh itself has been outlawed.

221. Refers toVerse No.115 of SurahNahl,in which the following commandment was revealed:

“He has forbidden for you only the dead, blood, flesh of swine, and (the flesh of) that animal on which the name of other being than Allah has been pronounced, except for the person who is compelled to and who was neither desirous nor a transgressor: then Allah is Forgiver and Kind.”

It also shows that the Surah Nahl was revealed before the Surah Al-Ana‘m.

222. That is: Eschewing the external aspect of sin only’ is not sufficient but its internal effects should also be avoided. This is a general direction, which holds good for all kinds of sin. But taking into consideration the occasion, it refers to the sin which has been mentioned above, that is not eating the flesh of animals which have been declared lawful, on account of superstitions. Here it is emphasised that not only these polytheistic superstitions be discarded but along with it the mind and the heart should also be cleaned of its bad effects. Inclination of the heart towards the polytheistic superstitions or some of its effects that may be found in the heart is sin, though it may be hidden.

223. If while slaughtering an animal, the name of Allah is not pronounced on it, then eating its flesh is forbidden. Great emphasis has been placed in this command and it has been made clear that eating of such flesh would amount to’disobeying Allah.

Pronouncing the name of Allah while slaughtering the animal has been made necessary for this reason that men should realise that depriving a living being of life is not an ordinary matter, This right has been given to us by Allah who is the Creator of life. It is an expression of gratitude and also a strengthening factor for the belief in monotheism (Tawheed). Moreoever, it shuts the door of polytheism (Shirk), because idolaters slaughter their animals pronouncing the names of beings other than Allah and offer sacrifices to them, as if this method is among the rites of worship. Therefore, Quran has reserved this method only for Allah and declared it as a symbol of Allah’s worship.

224. When pronouncing the name of Allah while slaughtering the animal is considered a symbol of monotheism and not to do so a symbol of polytheism, then the question of showing any concession or compromise by the people of faith in this matter does not arise at all. But if they would be negligent in this matter, then it would be a sinful negligence. If they know that a particular animal has been slaughtered without Allah ‘s name being pronounced on it, or that those who have slaughtered that particular animal do not follow this practice, then they should necessarily avoid eating the flesh of such an animal. For a Muslim to be lenient in this matter would mean being lenient in a matter which touches the borders of polytheism. That is why a warning is given here that if you would obey the dictates of the devils, you would also be polytheists and idolaters.

225. In this simile death signifies ignorance and negligence and life symbolizes knowledge, insight and recognition of God. Light represents the light of guidance and darkness straying.

The purpose of presenting this example is to make it clear that the people of faith for whom the message of Islam is a life-giving message cannot abandon it and accept the non-Islamic teachings which are a message of death for them.

226. For the people who are not prepared to accept the Truth after it has been made clear to them, the divine law is to make their own acts pleasing for them. In other words, after rejecting truth, the psychology of man so changes that he considers his wrong acts as the achievements of his life.

227. When in a township or locality the call of truth is raised, the people with criminal mentality, finding it against their interests, try to oppose it, and their leaders engage themselves in plotting against the people of faith. Since this situation arises in accordance with the law of respite which Allah has laid down for this world, this reality has been stated by Allah in these words: “We have placed in every township arch–criminals so that they may plot therein.”

228. That is: By indulging in these acts they are preparing measures for their own destruction. But since they did not have their eyes on the consequences, they cannot realise towards what adverse end they are moving.

229. what the idolaters said was that as the words of Allah ‘were revealed to the prophets, so also they should be revealed to them, and that they would believe in the divine words only when they would be directly revealed to them. This remark of the idolaters was replied to by saying that prophethood or the office of the messenger of God was not a thing which could be bestowed on every one. God alone knows best who deserves this high office, and He bestows it on the most deserving person.

Incidentally, it is also learnt that prophethood is not an office or honour that can be attained by human efforts, but that it is granted by the will of Allah, to whomsoever He may grant it.

230. That is: Persons making such demands are guilty and they will be punished for their guilt.

Whom Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whom He wills to mislead, He makes his breast small and narrow as if he is climbing sky-high. Thus does Allah heap filth on those who do not believe. And this is the path of your Lord, straight. We have given in detail our revelations for the people who receive admonition. (Al-Quran)

125. Whom Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam²³¹; and whom He wills to mislead, He makes his breast small and narrow as if he is climbing sky-high²³². Thus does Allah heap filth on those who do not believe²³³.

126. And this is the path of your Lord, straight. We have given in detail our revelations for the people who receive admonition²³⁴.

127. For them is the abode of peace²³⁵ with their Lord, and He will be their Friend for their (good) deeds.

128. And on the day when He will assemble them all together, He will say: “O you assembly of Jinns²³⁶! You have seduced mankind in great numbers.” Their friends amongst men will say: “Our Lord! We used each other profitably²³⁷ (in misleading), and (finally) we have reached the (end of the) term appointed for us ²³⁸.” He will say: “The Fire shall be your abode, you will dwell therein for ever, except as Allah may will²³⁹.” Verily, Your Lord is Wise, All-Knowing.

129. “And thus We will make the wrong-doers friends of each other, because of what they have been earning²⁴⁰.

130. “O You assembly of Jinns and men! Did there not come to you messengers from amongst you²⁴¹ who recounted to you my revelations, and warned you of the meeting of this Day?” They will say: “We bear witness against ourselves.” In fact, the life of this world deceived them, and they will testify against themselves that they were disbelievers.

231. Opening the breast to Islam means to convince them of Islam’s being the religion of truth, so that no doubt about its rightness remains and one accepts it without any hesitation,

232. That is: Such people consider the path of Islam as a steep climbing on a high mountain, the very concept of which constricts their breast and they feel suffocated.

233. Here filth means the filth of idolatry and disbelief. It means that the real reason for their refusing to believe is the filth of disbelief which has made their mind and heart filthy, and for this reason the pure and clean religion of Allah cannot enter their mind and heart.

234. That is: The path of Islam is quite straight. There are no twists and tangles in this path. This fact has been related in Quran in great detail, but only those can benefit from it who want to understand the arguments and to be admonished from it.

235. Abode of peace means Paradise where there will be peace and tranquility and man will be able to pass his days in complete peace. He will neither have to face any trouble, nor will he have any danger. He will be safe from every kind of danger and trouble.

236. The address will be to the devils from amongst the Jinns.

237. Rebel Jinns make humans their Instruments in spreading misguidance, and for this work they have adopted the method of beguiling the mind by doubt-raising and deceiving talks. As for men, they have, by associating Jinns with God and by offering sacrifices and presents to the Jinns, increased the pride of the Jinns. Moreover, they have been turning to them in connection with fortune-telling, necromancy, omen-finding, black magic, etc., and they have been deceiving the people as prompted by the jinns.

238. That is: The Doomsday.

239. This exception is to express the authority of Allah, that although the transgressing jinns and men will be thrown into the Hell-fire forever, the last word in this matter would however rest with Allah, and His every decision is based on knowledge and wisdom.

240. As these wicked wrong-doers have been companions of each other in the wrongful acts, so also they will be companions of each other in undergoing punishment for these acts.

241. This will be addressed to the combined group of men and jinns. Therefore, the meaning of the words: “Did there not come to you messengers from amongst you” –(the reality is known to Allah only)–is that though the messengers were from the human race, but they were sent for both the races of men and jinns, because the jinns are subordinate to men in this matter. This contention is supported by various verses in the Quran, e.g. the statement of the jinns: “We heard that Book which was revealed after Moosa,” (Al-Ahqaf-30), the jinns’ being subordinate to prophet Sulaiman (An- Naml-17), their hearing Quran and believing in it (Surah Jinn). There is no mention either in Quran or in the authentic Ahadith that any messengers from amongst the jinns were sent for the jinns. However, some commentators have opined otherwise, but they are in a poor minority.

131. This is because your Lord would not destroy townships unjustly while their residents were unwarned.²⁴²

132. And for all there are ranks according to their deeds,²⁴³ and your Lord is not unaware of what they do.

133. And your Lord is Self-sufficient, Merciful. If He will, He can take you away and appoint in your place whom He will, just as He raised you from the offsprings of other people.²⁴⁴

134. Verily, what is promised to you will surely come,²⁴⁵ and you cannot escape.

135. Say: “O my people !²⁴⁶ Act in your way, I am acting in my way. Soon will you know whose end will be happy in the Hereafter. Verily , the wrong-doers will never succeed.

136. And they set aside a share for Allah from the crops and the cattle, created by Allah, saying: ‘This is for Allah’– according to their fancies – ’and this for our associated gods., Then the share of their associated gods never reaches Allah, but the share of Allah can reach their associated gods. Evil is the decision that they take !²⁴⁷

137. And thus the partners (of Allah ), fancied by them made the killing of their children seem to be alluring²⁴⁸ to many of the idolaters so that they may ruin them²⁴⁹ and may cause confusion in their faith.²⁵⁰ Had Allah willed it (otherwise), they would not have done so. So leave them to their false inventions.

242. That is: The Messengers were sent so that Allah’s message may by communicated to the people. If even after this the people do not improve, then they themselves will be responsible for their own destruction. It is not Allah’s method that without communicating his message to the people, He may destroy them without justice, when the people are not aware of the right path.

243. That is: The success or failure will be according to the nature and degree of goodness or otherwise of the acts.

244. Men should not think that Allah is dependent on them, that if they do not exist in His kingdom, there will be any kind of deficiency. He is Self-sufficient and free from all wants, and it is His mercy that inspite of men’s evil deeds He is giving them respite to improve. He can bring in other peoples and other nations by destroying this generation. Its telling example is your own national existence which has come down from the human race. One group goes and another takes its place. Therefore, no one should feel proud for one’s national existence. People should realise that the Being who has brought them into existence can, with just one move, remove them from the face of the earth.

245. That is: The Day of Resurrection when everyone will have to appear before God.

246. The nation or the people in whom a prophet is born are addressed by him as ‘My people’, which reflects his concern for them, his human sympathy and nearness to them. On such occasions the words ‘My nation’ are used to mean simply ‘O my people.’ Therefore, to consider these words to refer to the terminology’ nationalism’ and to argue in favour of the religious or political nationalism would be wrong.

247. Charity was an important part of the idolaters’ shariah. which they had invented for performing their religious rites. For this purpose they used to set aside a share of their produce and animals, as fixed by them, for God. The share fixed for God was distributed among the beggars, while the presents offered to the idols used to be received by the professional worshippers and purohits. If due to some accident the share set aside for the idols were to become less, they used to make it good by providing from the share of God. But the deficiency in God’s share was not made good by providing from the share of the idols, that is, in their eyes the right of the idols had precedence over the right of God. This method of theirs was polytheistic as well as foolish. How could their deities, the product of their imagination, get a share from the produce created by God? And then, who had given them this right of making religious laws? And how arbitrary was this distribution!

This is an example of the polytheists of Makkah. Such examples of ignorance can be seen in the case of other idolaters and polytheists also, and what is happening in the Muslim families in the name of nazr and niyaz is also due to this wrong mentality, and it has been made popular among the Muslims by labelling the “sage -worship”, “saint-worship” and “grave-worship” with the beautiful label of Islam.

248. That is: As the Satans have inspired them to set aside a portion of their produce, etc., as offerings for their deities, in the same way they have induced their votaries to sacrifice their children as an offering to them.

In the verse the partners refer to the devils at whose bidding the idolaters indulge into every kind of improper activity, to such an extent that they do not hesitate even to kill their children. They put this thought in their minds that to escape the wrath of a particular jinn or devi they would have to offer the sacrifice of their child. Among the Arabs along with the custom of burying their daughters alive in the graves under the influence of the devils, there was the custom of men pledging to sacrifice one child for the deity if they got a particular number of children. Accordingly, there is this incident reported in the Seerat Ibn Ishaq that Abdul Muttalib had pledged before the idol of Hubal in a similar fashion, and when he got many children he was about to sacrifice his son, Abdullah, who was the father of the last prophet (P.b.u.h.); but when Quraish restrained him and he agreed to pay compensation, and in this way the life of Abdullah was saved. (Seeratun-Nabi, by Ibn Hasham,Vol. I. page 166). Even today such tragic incidents take place. Superstitious people kill innocent children either to propitiate a particular jinn or devi, or to avert some disaster or in connection with black magic, etc. They are prepared to commit. this barbaric act because the devil gives it a religious colour or interprets it in an alluring manner to make this act seem desirable.

These satans are called partners (shuraka) because the idolaters worship them, under their false beliefs, with the same zeal with which Allah should be worshipped. Under their influence they do not hesitate in committing the greatest crime like sacrificing children or burying children alive.

249. What else would be the result of killing children except that man may be deprived of the blessed gift like children and may become liable for receiving the wrath of God.

250. The religion which the polytheists of Makkah had inherited was the religion of prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, that is Islam. But being misguided by the devils they introduced various kinds of innovations (bid’at) in their faith, with the result that the religion of Allah did not exist in its original form, but mixed up with false practices.

And of the cattle He created some for burden and some of low height. Eat what Allah has provided for you, and follow not the footsteps of Satan, for he is an open foe to you. (Al-Quran)

138. And they say: “These animals and these crops are forbidden. None may eat of them save those whom we may allow.”– This they have done according to their fancy.²⁵¹–And there are cattle forbidden to yoke or burden, and cattle on which the name of Allah is not pronounced (when slaughtering);–All these are false inventions ascribed to Him.²⁵²–‘Soon will Allah punish them for invented lies.

139. And they say: “That which is in the womb of such and such (alive) cattle is reserved for our men and is forbidden to our wives; and if it is stillborn, then all have shares therein.²⁵³” Soon will Allah punish them for that which they impute to Him. Verily Allah is wise, All- knowing.²⁵⁴

140. Lost are those who in their ignorance have wantonly slain their children and made unlawful what Allah has given them, inventing falsehood about Allah. They went astray and did not become guided ones.

141. And it is He who produced gardens, with creepers²⁵⁵ and upright plants,²⁵⁶ and date palms and farms with different crops, and olive and pomegranate similar to one another and dissimilar²⁵⁷ (in taste). Eat of their fruits when they ripen and pay the dues thereof on the harvest day,²⁵⁸ And do not spend prodigally. Verily Allah does not like the prodigals.²⁵⁹

142. And of the cattle He created some for burden and some of low height.²⁶⁰ Eat what Allah has provided for you, and follow not the footsteps of Satan, for he is an open foe to you.

251. The Arab idolaters practised certain customary rites concerning the presents and offerings made to their deities, while other rites were born out of their superstitions. They had made a rule about the share of the produce which they used to set aside for their deities, as to which persons could eat and which could not. There was a similar rule about the flesh of the animal, the details about which are given in the following verses. These were mere products of imagination, which had no connection whatsoever with the religion of Allah. This point makes this principle clear that all the rites and customs that have been given religious or Shariah colour unauthorizedly are rejectable, when they are not supported by the divine Shariah.

252. That is: These things are self-invented, but by giving them a religious colour they are being followed in such a way that the people may believe that these belong to Allah’s Shariah.

253. The offspring of some cattle was lawful for men if born alive, that is they could eat of its flesh, but its flesh was forbidden to women. But if the offspring were to be still-born, then both men and women could eat of its flesh.

254. That is: It is the demand of Allah’s wisdom that He should punish the makers of unauthorized shariah, and He knows those who have dared to do this.

255. That is: Creepers like grapes, etc. which are grown on trelisses.

256. Upright plants which are not required to be grown on trelisses, which can be huge trees or small plants of cucumber or watermelon, etc.

257. The idea is to invite attention to the fact that on the earth various kinds of foods and fruits have been provided for man, which not only meet his basic needs but also give pleasure and satisfaction, otherwise for living just a piece of bread was enough. The high taste and the sense of refinement given to man has been satisfied by God by providing extremely enjoyable fruits and varieties of food. It is Allah’s great favours that He has granted all these delicacies to man, so that he may be grateful to Him. But man is a strange being. He en- prophet (Sal- Lal-Lahu Alaihi Wa-sallam) as under: “That which was irrigated by the rain-water or that springs or that which has been irrigated by the water from floods, etc. for them is the Ushr,i.e. the tenth part, and for that which has been irrigated artificially, in them is nisf- Ushr, i.e. half of the tenth part.” -(Bukhari) Ushr means one-tenth of the total produce (ten ‘percent) and Nisf-Ushr means twentieth part (five per cent) of the total produce – to be paid as zakat. The second principle which has been made clear is that the zakat of the fruits and farm produce becomes due on the harvest day. As many times in the year Zakat will have to be paid as there would be harvests in the year. The third principle is that immediately on harvesting the crop, zakat should be paid without delay.

258. The idea is to bring home to man that it is absolutely wrong for him to think that the right of enjoying these gifts and favours of Allah are for him alone and that there is no share for Allah in them. All these gifts have been given to man in order to test him, and Allah has fixed His share in them so that He may see who pays His dues and who does not.

Allah’s dues or share in the produce have been shown in detail by the prophet (P.b.u.h.) in ahadith. Here the command about paying the dues is given in the outline, so that man should first realize that he has to pay dues of Allah. After this realisation, he can turn to the Shariah for finding out the details.

This is a Maccan Surah, in which the command of paying Allah’s dues is given, which shows that the command of paying zakat from the produce of fruits and crops was revealed in Makkah only. It shows how important this form of worship – Zakat–is in Islam.

In the verse the farm produce and fruits have been mentioned. with this command there is this instruction that the dues there of should be paid on the harvest day itself. The one principle of Shariah which clearly emerged from this is that in every kind of food produce, crops and every kind of fruits there is Allah’s share and due. This due has been explained by the prophet (Sal- Lal-Lahu Alaihi Wa-sallam) as under :

“That which was irrigated by the rain-water or that springs or that which has been irrigated by the water from floods, etc. for them is the Ushr,i.e. the tenth part, and for that which has been irrigated artificially, in them is nisf- Ushr, i.e. half of the tenth part.” -(Bukhari)

Ushr means one-tenth of the total produce (ten ‘percent) and Nisf-Ushr means twentieth part (five per cent) of the total produce – to be paid as zakat. The second principle which has been made clear is that the zakat of the fruits and farm produce becomes due on the harvest day. As many times in the year Zakat will have to be paid as there would be harvests in the year.

The third principle is that immediately on Harvesting the crop. Zakat should be paid without delay.

259. The word “Israf” used here means crossing the limit in spending. A man who spends unduly is unable to satisfy his own desires, how can he be expected to pay the dues of others?

260. Among the cattle’s there are some that are tall, like camels, bullocks, etc., which are used as beasts of burden and for riding, etc., and there are some that are of low height as if they walk touching the ground, like sheep, goats, etc. whose flesh and milk is used by men as food.

There are eight pairs: of the sheep two and of the goats two. Ask them: “Has He forbidden the two males or the two females, or the young ones contained in the wombs of the two females? Tell me with knowledge, if you are truthful” (Al-Quran)

¹⁴³. There are eight²⁶¹ pairs: of the sheep two and of the goats two. Ask them: “Has He forbidden the two males or the two females, or the young ones contained in the wombs of the two females? Tell me with knowledge, if you are truthful”. ²⁶²

144. And (Similarly) of the camels two and of oxen two. Ask them: “Has He forbidden the two males or the two females, or the young ones contained in their wombs? Were you present when Allah commanded such a thing?”²⁶³ Then who is more wicked than a person who invents a lie concerning Allah to lead men astray without knowledge? Verily Allah does not guide people who do wrong.

145. Say: “I do find nothing in what has been revealed to me that forbids men to eat what they eat, except carrion, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine–which indeed is filthy– or transgression that is the animal on slaughtering which the name of a being other than Allah has been pronounced.”²⁶⁴ But if a person is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, not transgressing due limits then indeed your Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.²⁶⁵

146. And for those who became Jews, we forbade every (animal) with nails (undivided hoofs) and the fat of the oxen and the sheep, except what adheres to their backs and intestines or is mixed with their bones. That is the punishment we gave them for their rebellion.²⁶⁶ And indeed we are true.²⁶⁷

147. So if they give the lie to you, say; “Your Lord is a Lord of vast mercy,²⁶⁸ but from the guilty people His punishment cannot be warded off.

261. The animals which are domesticated by Arabs for their milk and flesh supply are’Al- An’am’ (cattle) and are of four kinds: sheep, goat, camel and cow–buffalo included in the cow category, but it is not found in Arabia. The pairs of these four animals make eight.

The Arabs considered these eight animals lawful as food, but owing to polytheistic considerations they declared some of them as forbidden in certain conditions, for example if an offspring of an animal was, born alive its flesh was considered lawful for men but forbidden to women, but if the offspring were to be still-born, then its flesh was lawful for both men and women. Similarly, the milk of certain animals and riding on their back was forbidden to them in certain conditions. (See Surah Maidah, Verse No.103 and Note No.249). Here this very superstition of theirs is described.

262. That is: It is not right to consider a thing lawful or forbidden merely on the basis of conjecture or superstition, because considering a thing forbidden. would mean that Allah has declared it as forbidden, and to attribute a thing to Allah on the basis of mere conjecture is absolutely false. Only that thing can be attributed to Allah which is supported by an evidence based on knowledge. It is obvious that such an evidence can only be a revelation from God. Therefore, if this evidence can be found in the teachings of prophet Ibrahim or in any command in previous Divine Scriptures, provided it is authentic, then produce it.

This demand or challenge of producing evidence based on knowledge is not for the Arabs only but for all the nations of the world, who have declared the flesh of certain animals as forbidden owing to their superstitions, e.g. the flesh of the cow or the flesh of all animals.

263. That is: How did you come to know that the flesh of this particular kind of she-camel or cow or their off springs has been forbidden to you by Allah? You cannot point out any support for this contention in the Shariah of any prophet, then were you given this command directly by God, and did you hear this command ‘directly with your ears? And when both these things are not true, then what other meaning can be given to this command that you have invented a Shariah of your customs, and which you are falsely ascribing to God?

264. To understand the meaning of this verse it is necessary to keep in view what has been stated in the foregoing verses. The Arabs ate as food the flesh of the animals mentioned in verses Nos. 143 and 144, but in certain circumstances the flesh of these things and it is stated that in the commands given to the prophet not a single thing declared as lawful, which were carrion, blood that was poured forth, flesh of the swine and the flesh of the animal on whom the name of some one else was pronounced while slaughtering. Here a reference is made to these things and stated that in the commands given to the prophet not a single thing declared as forbidden by you is included, except these four things, carrion, etc. etc. Therefore, it would not be correct to interpret. That in Islam besides these four things nothing is forbidden. This principle has been made clear by Quran at another place:

“This prophet declares clean things as lawful for them and filthy things as forbidden.” —(Al-A’raf-157).

Its details are given in the hadith, for example in a hadith of Sahih Muslim, the prophet (Sallal lahu Alaihi wasallam) has said:

“Forbidden is the flesh of any carnivore having canine tooth.”

“The Prophet has forbidden to eat the flesh of every carnivore which has canine tooth and every bird which has claws.” – (Sahih Muslim-Kitabus Said waz-zabaih.)

During the period when Quran was being revealed no queries were raised as to what would happen if the flesh of the carnivores is eaten by man, or whether the flesh of rats, snakes, scorpions and insects should be eaten by man or not, because human nature considers these animals and their flesh as filthy and temperamentally man hates to eat the flesh of these animals. Then none of these creatures were among the animals whose sacrifice was offered to the idols. Therefore, it was not necessary to include the mention of their being forbidden with such elaboration as has been done in the case of forbidding the eating of blood, or the flesh of the animal on whom Allah’s name has not been pronounced, etc. This is the reason why Quran has stated the forbidding of these four things laying such great emphasis, and besides it has repeated it several times so that there should be an intellectual and practical reform of the people. As regards other filthy animals, the mention of forbidding their flesh was left to the prophet (P.b.u.h.) as is mentioned in Surah Al-A’raf: ‘This prophet declares clean things as lawful and filthy things as forbidden. “Accordingly we find details of the things that are forbidden for Muslims in the authentic traditions” of the prophet.

265. Its explanation, and also that of carrion, etc. has been given in Surah Baqarah, Notes Nos.209 to 214.

266. The point which was to be brought to the fore by mentioning that except the four things, the flesh of all other animals was lawful, that was in the religion of prophet Ibrahim only these four things were forbidden. Whatever changes that have been brought into these are the innovations of the Arabs themselves. The divine Shariah has nothing to do with it. From this statement of Quran, the question that comes up is When these four things were forbidden from the beginning, then how come they were decreed as forbidden for the jews, who were the people of the Book? The answer is given in this verse that besides these four things, some other things were also decreed forbidden for the Jews, not because these things in themselves were filthy, (they were quite clean)–but because of the transgression and rebellion of the Jews the laws of the Shariah were made stricter for them, as a punishment. This was a temporary command, which was given in view of their corrupt nature, in the same way in which a physician restricts a sick person from eating even the clean and healthy food in view of the seriousness of the illness. Therefore, now that a permanent Shariah is being revealed, in the form of the holy Quran, all these temporary restrictions are being withdrawn. Therefore, in this Shariah all clean things are lawful and only filthy things are forbidden.

The Jews were forbidden, as has been stated, two clean things, one: all animals and birds, having claws (nails), and the fat of the cow and goat except which adheres to the back, entrails and the bones, as it cannot be separated easily.

It is also learnt from this verse that these two things were decreed to be haram for the Bani Israil, when they had rebelled against God and had adopted Judaism as their religion, otherwise these things were not taboo for them.

267. It signifies that if anything contrary to this is found in the existing Torah, then it is wrong and attributing it to God is not correct.

268. That is why He is not sending His punishment to you immediately, but granting you respite and chance to improve and reform yourselves.

148. These polytheists (idolaters) will say: “Had Allah wished, neither we nor our fathers. would have ascribed partners to Allah, nor would we have forbidden anything (unauthorized).” In the same way those who have gone before them had denied (the truth) until they tasted our scourge. Say: “Have you any knowledge²⁶⁹ that you can adduce for us? You follow in nothing but conjecture²⁷⁰, and you do nothing but guess.”

149. Say: “Allah alone has the convincing argument. If it had been His will, He could indeed, have guided you all.”²⁷¹

¹⁵⁰. Say: “Bring forward your witnesses who can testify that Allah has forbidden this.” If they testify, do not testify with them, nor follow the wishes of those who deny our revelations, and of those who do not believe in the Hereafter, and those who hold (others) as equal with their Lord.

151. Say: “Come, I will tell you what your Lord has made binding on you:²⁷³ that you shall ascribe nothing as partner to Him,²⁷⁴ that you shall show kindness to your parents,²⁷⁵ that you shall not kill your children because of want,– we provide for you and for them²⁷⁶ –that you shall not go near obscene things, whether they be open or hidden;²⁷⁷ and that you shall not kill anyone whom Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause.²⁷⁸ In this way does Allah command you that you may act wisely.”²⁷⁹

269. To declare a thing haram (forbidden, means that it is not liked by Allah and therefore He has forbidden to use it. If a person or a nation entertains a belief that a particular thing is forbidden for mankind or for a certain group of people, then that person or that nation should show what is the basis of their contention, that is how did they come to know that this particular thing is forbidden. If there is no authority ‘or no’sound argument behind this contention, then what is it, if not superstition or mere conjecture? If anything is to be stated concerning God, it must be based on sound knowledge, otherwise it will be an extremely irresponsible statement.

270. That is: Your beliefs are not based on knowledge or facts, but are based on conjecture, because there is no means by which you can ascertain the will of God.

271. That is: If God wanted, He would have caused every one to follow the right path. But He willed otherwise. He gave a chance to man to choose either the path of guidance or the path which led him astray. And for clearly pointing to man what is the right path, He has revealed such sound arguments that appeal directly to the heart. As opposed to this clear-cut and sound argument; your reasoning that had Allah wanted, you would not have become idolaters and all such arguments are quite useless, ineffective and unfruitful.

272. That is: Evidence or testimony should be given on the basis of knowledge. If they do not understand this responsibility, and are prepared to give false evidence, then you should not confirm and second their testimony, for compared to the argument proffered by Allah their argument is false and unworthy. In fact, they have been asked to testify so that they may question their own selves and realize how daringly they are making this false claim that God has declared certain things forbidden while in actuality they have no proof for such an absurd claim.

273. That is: Instead of following imaginary and superstitious innovations and living within the strait-jacket of baseless customs, you should accept those restrictions which have been really ordained by Allah, and for their being from Allah the certificate given by Quran is sufficient. These restrictions are not merely in the matter of food and drinks but they pertain to the entire intellectual and practical life, so that man’s thoughts may be clean and he should be able to pass a clean and disciplined life governed by a clean system of laws.

The commands that have been given here are not addressed to Muslims but to the idol-worshippers, therefore the demand for following them is not only for Muslims but also for the Non Muslims. In other words this demand of Quran is from every man that he should accept these command of his Lord and should become his obedient slave.

274. That is: ‘Shirk’ or polytheism is the first among the, haram or forbidden things, which gives an idea of the seriousness of this sin. For an explanation of Shirk, please see, Surah An-Nisa Note No.111.

275. The command for the kind treatment of the parents has been given in a positive way, so that it should be effective. It automatically signifies that ill-treatment of parents is forbidden.

276. One form of killing children among the Arabs was that they used to indulge in it on account of poverty. They thought that they were responsible for providing food to their children though the position of a father is nothing more than this that he is merely a guardian of the child, he is not a provider. provider is Allah alone. As for the state of being well of or other wise, it is also in Allah’s power, and in both the states a man is put to test.

Those, who have no faith in Allah’s power of making provision for every one, become panicky and indulge in trying to limit the number of children by wrong methods. The fact is that a child does not come to this world only with a belly to be filled, but he also brings with him two hands and two feet. This is the reason why we see that with the increase in the population the food resources and job opportunities also increase. Is this not an open proof of Allah’s power of providing for every one?

277. In the obscene things are included illegal sex, fornication, nudism, seeing nude pictures or films, indulging in romance, to hear or sing songs that provoke sexual excitement, singing and dancing by women, and smutty talk, and things like these. Among these, illegal sex is the most shameless act.

Merely committing the obscene act is not forbidden, but the restriction is even on going near it, that is to avoid things which provoke and promote obscenity. Man should be so much careful about it that not only outwardly but inwardly also he should avoid it. One should have so much control over. one’s self that wicked thoughts are not allowed to be generated, and the mind is not , allowed to take pleasure in fantasizing about it. This is the secret aspect of obscenity about which a warning has been given in the verse.

Imam Razi has mentioned a very important point in explaining this verse. Says he “When a man avoids sinning in the open, but does not avoid it in privacy or in secret, it means that his avoidance is not with a view to Allah’s obedience and worship, but because he is afraid of the reproaches of the people, and this thing is false, because for a person, who fears the reproaches of the people more than the punishment from Allah, there is a danger of his committing an act of disbelief. But a man who gives up sinning openly and secretly also, he provides a proof of the fact that he has given up sin only on account of his respect for Allah’s command, for fear of His punishment and for his love for His obedience;” – (At- Tafseerul Kabeer-Razi- Vol.13. P.233).

278. That is: Every human life is respectable. A person can be killed only when the Shariah has given the permission.

279. That is: If you use your intelligence, you will find these commands to be very reasonable, and you would understand that these are really the best guidance that can be given to mankind.

And do not approach the property (wealth) of an orphan, except to improve it until he attain the age of full maturity; give full measure and full weight, justly. We do not burden a soul more than what it can bear. And whenever you speak, speak justly, even if a near relative is concerned, and fulfil the covenant of Allah. In this way does Allah command you so that you may be reminded. (Al-Quran)

152. And do not approach the property (wealth) of an orphan, except to improve it until he attain the age of full maturity;²⁸⁰ give full measure and full weight, justly.²⁸¹ We do not burden a soul more than what it can bear.²⁸² And whenever you speak, speak justly, even if a near relative is concerned,

283 and fulfil the covenant of Allah. In this way does Allah command you so that you may be reminded.²⁸⁴

153. And verily this is My path, straight, so follow it; and do not follow other paths, lest you may be separated from His path²⁸⁵ in this way does Allah command you so that you may fear Him.²⁸⁶

154. Then to Moosa we gave a Book,²⁸⁷ perfect blessing for the righteous, an explanation for everything,²⁸⁸ a guidance and mercy so that they might believe in the meeting with their Lord.

155. And (now) We have sent down this Book, auspicious.²⁸⁹ So follow it so that you may be shown mercy.

156 (And it has been sent down) so that you may not say: “The Book was sent down to two groups²⁹⁰ before us, and we were totally unaware of what they read. ’’²⁹¹

157. Or you may not say: “Had the Book been sent down to us, we would have been better guided than they.” So indeed has come to you from your Lord a clear proof, guidance and a mercy. Then who can be more wicked than the man who denies the revelations of Allah and turns away from them? Soon shall We punish severely those who turn away from our revelations.

280. For explanation, please see Surah An- Nisa, Note No.17.

281. For explanation, please see Surah Mutaffafeen, Note No.1.

282. It is an important thing and a point of principle that has been mentioned here, which concerns the weights and measures, and also all other responsibilities. In the matter of weighing and measuring, the responsibility that has been placed is that man should use the correct measure and balance and should not weigh or measure less than what is right. However, if unwillingly some error occurs, then it is not objectionable. The same principle applies in the case of other responsibilities. Man should as far as possible try to fulfill his responsibilities in the right way. If inspite of his honest efforts, there is any deficiency, he will not be answerable. In other words, in the case of every responsibility, a man’s honesty of effort and his intention would be seen.

This is a guiding principle, for following which in the present day great obstructions are experienced by the followers of Islam on account of the non- Islamic society; and the restrictions of manmade laws are thwarting Muslims from following the laws of the Shariah. This guiding principle provides that if a man honestly tries to follow Allah’s commands, then to the extent to which he is unable to do on account of the circumstances, he will not be answerable to Allah, because every person is burdened to the extent of his strength.

283. Whatever words may emanate from the mouth, they should be truthful and just. Even if a near relative is concerned. one should not show partiality, but speak the truth, as demanded by justice.

284. That is: This is not a new lesson. Human nature knows this lesson from earlier times, and in the teachings of the prophets these things were included as basic principles. Therefore, these commands of Quran are a reminder of the lessons already learnt.

285. Straight path means the religion of Islam, which is the right path of Allah’s worship, and the invitation to follow which is being given by the prophet (Peace be upon him). Other paths mean paths that lead to disobeying Allah. whether they may be the paths of a religion or of secularism. either of disbelief or apostasy. Any path that would be Allah’s path. and the essential consequences of leaving the high way is to fall a prey to differences. We have seen that by refusing to follow the path of Islam the caravan of humanity has been divided and countless sects have come into existence. Therefore, the persons who have disrupted the humanity are these ‘communalists’ only and not the true followers of Islam, because the people who separate from the original human caravan which has been following the path of Islam from the beginning of humanity, and who form their own separate sects are those who have carved out new paths.

(For further explanation, please see Surah Baqarah Note No.309.)

286. The path of righteousness is that man should avoid the things which have been forbidden in these verses and should act on the things stressed upon for being followed.

The commands that ‘have been given above are ten and their position is that of the basic commands, without obeying which a man cannot be righteous.

The Bani Israil were also given ten commandments, mentioned in the Torah as under:

‘You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image;...you shall not bow down to them or serve them;. ..You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain;.. Remember the sabath day to keep it holy.... ‘Honour your father and your mother,... You shall not kill...You shall not commit adultery...You shall not steal... You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour!’ (Exo-dus 20)

Many of the commandments are common to both, but those given in Quran are more pervasive and clear cut.

287. The right way of finding what is lawful and what is forbidden for man is only the divine revelation, and with this revelation God has always been guiding mankind. Accordingly Allah had guided mankind through the faith of Ibrahim, and again He had given a detailed Book to Moosa, in which all the necessary instruction about religion were clearly mentioned.

Therefore, it is not correct to think that no provision was made by Allah to guide mankind in the matter of what is lawful and forbidden to him.

288. That is: All the instructions concerning religion and Shariah were presented clearly.

289. Its explanation has been given in Note No.163.

290. By the two groups or communities are meant the Jews and the Christians. At the time of the revelation of Quran, these two communities only were the people who had their divine Scriptures. For this reason they have been called the people of the Book. As for the other nations of the world, they might or might not have had religious books, but no part of the Divine Book was with them, and for this reason none of them is declared as the people of the Book, e.g. Majus (fire - worshippers) who had a religious book, and the Arabs, who called themselves as followers of prophet Ibrahim, but they were not considered as the people of the Book.

291. That is: After the revelation of Quran, this excuse has ended. Quran has not only dropped a curtain on the excuse of the Arabs but on the excuse of all other nations of the world. None can now present this excuse, because Allah has blessed this Book with such a fame and reputation, and has made such an arrangement of conveying its message to the nations of the world that no nation is unaware of it, and He has created such resources and means that people of any nation can, if they want to, understand its teachings.

He that brings (the record of ) a good deed, shall be repaid tenfold; and he that brings (the record of ) an evil, shall be repaid the like thereof. And no wrong shall be done to the people. Say: “Verily, my Lord has guided me to a straight path, an upright religion, faith of Ibrahim, the upright and who was not among thepolytheists.” (Al-Quran)

158. Are they waiting for the angels to come down to them, or your Lord Himself or certain signs of His to come down to them !²⁹² The day certain signs of your Lord come down, no good a person’s faith will do him if he had no faith before, or had not earned any good²⁹³ by his faith (before). Say: “Wait, indeed, We too are waiting”.

159. Those²⁹⁴ who have split up their religion and have become sects –you have nothing to do with them.²⁹⁵ Their matter is with Allah, then He will tell them what they have been doing.²⁹⁶

160. He that brings (the record of ) a good deed, shall be repaid tenfold; and he that brings (the record of ) an evil, shall be repaid the like thereof. And no wrong shall be done to the people.²⁹⁷

161. Say: “Verily, my Lord has guided me to a straight path, an upright religion,²⁹⁸ faith of Ibrahim, the upright and who was not among the polytheists.” ²⁹⁹

162. Say: “Verily, my prayer, and my sacrifice, and my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds”.³⁰⁰

163. “He has no partner. Thus I have been commanded. And I am the first of the Muslims. ’’³⁰¹

164. Say: “Should I seek a Lord other than Allah, when He is the Lord of everything? Every person earns the recompense for his own soul. No bearer of burden will bear another’s burden.³⁰² Then you shall have to return to your Lord. Then will He tell you the truth of the things wherein you were disputing.”

165. And it is he who has placed you as.³⁰³ Khalifa of the earth, and has raised some of you in rank above others, so that He may try you by that which He has given you.³⁰⁴ Verily, your Lord is quick in punishment, and yet He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

292. Means such signs which may unveil the unseen realities, so that man may be able to see them with his physical eyes.

293. That is: The day on which these special signs of God would appear, which would be revealing the unseen realities, from that day there will be no chance for mankind to be tested. Therefore, neither the acceptance of faith by any disbeliever would be recognised, nor the claim of a person who had posed as a faithful without trying to be righteous would be of any use.

At another place in the Quran it is stated that it was of no use for the nations who accepted faith after the punishment of Allah was unleashed on them (Surah Momin, Verses Nos.84-85).

In a tradition the prophet (P.b.u.h.) has, with reference to this verse, warned the people that when the Doomsday would be drawing near, the sun would rise from the west, and for anyone who would embrace Islam after seeing such a clear and great sign, it would be of no avail. The prophet has said:

“The Doomsday will not occur until the sun rises from the west. When the sun would rise from the west, the people would see it and would embrace Islam, but at that time embracing the faith would be of no avail for anyone:” -(Bukhari, Kitabur Reqaq).

294. The discussion with the idolater which began with the beginning of the surah is ended here by stating a few points of principle. These principles bring into prominence the pathway of religion, and which explain what religion is and what it is not.

295. That is: The religion which was sent down by Allah for the guidance of man was purely a direction for monotheism, but some people invented new and separate ways, which resulted in their division into different sects, Be it Judaism.or Christianity, be it the polytheistic faith of the Arabs or the religion of any other country or nation. the reality of all these faiths is that the people of religion made new by-lanes and pathways, separate from the highway of the Divine religion. Consequently worship was replaced by innovative practices, and the Divine Shariah had to give way to manmade Shariah, so much so that in the place of one God, a number of gods were invented. Now the divisions that are found under different names of different religions are not based on truth, therefore, the prophet of Allah has nothing to do with all these by lanes and divisions and everyone who wants to follow the path of Truth will have nothing to do with all these religions and sectarianism.

296. That is: The task of the Messenger is to clearly show the path of Truth. If even after this, the people of the religions do not give up their sectarianism, then leave them alone. Their case will be dealt with by Allah. They will see their fate on the Day of Resurrection.

297. On the Day of Resurrection every person will get the reward or punishment for his good or bad deed. The principle for this recompense will be that for every good deed the reward will be at least tenfold, but the punishment for a bad deed will be equivalent, and the purpose is to show that in the matter of reward and punishment no injustice will be done to anyone, however for the gift of a good deed that a slave will offer to his Lord, the Almighty, Most Merciful Lord will show His appreciation of His slave’s conduct by granting him a reward that would be at least ten times more than his deed.

It should be noted that the good deed that would be considered for reward would be only that which was done, believing Allah to be the one and only God and for seeking His pleasure.

298. The religion which was sent down to prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is, in the true sense of the word, the religion of Allah. This religion is free from every kind of defect, the religion which was defaced and mutilated by the jews Christians and the idolaters, has been cleansed and purified and presented in its original form. Now it can be recognised by merely casting a glance at it.

299. It refers to the point that the idolaters of Arabia used to ascribe the origin of their religion to prophet Ibrahim, but prophet Ibrahim was not at all a polytheist, but was haneef, a believer in monotheism with honesty and sincerity, and the religion of prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi wasallam) is the same religion which was that of prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him).

It should be noted that prophet Ibrahim was not the religious leader of Arabs alone, but that he was, the religious leader of the world. Allah had made him the Imam (leader) of the peoples, and for this reason his religion had reached, through his followers, various countries and nations. It is another matter if these nations introduced innovations in this religion and defaced it and gave it another name.

300. It has become clear that this religion does not believe in dualism or polytheism, but it believes in monotheism, pure and unstinted belief in one and only one God, which belief should influence the whole gamut of human life. Worship which is a very noble emotion should be only for Allah. Life should be spent according to the commands of Allah, and it should be spent making His pleasure the very purpose of life. And if this life is to be put at stake, then it should be only for His cause. The religion should not be followed as a formality, but it should be followed with deep conviction and making it the very purpose of life.

301. That is: Let anybody obey or disobey His command, and let anybody accept or reject His faith, I have, before all, accepted His command. “and I am the first acceptor of His religion, Islam (Muslim).

302. That is: The burden of sins.

303. Khalifa, that is man of authority. Man has been created as a creature of authority and power. These powers are a trust from Allah and he is responsible for using this authority and these powers according to His guidance For further explanation. please see surah Baqarah, Note No.41

304. That is: According to ability, capability and resources, there are degrees and ranks among men, and this difference has been kept so that they may be tested, with a view to finding out who is a grateful slave of Allah and who is ungrateful, who acts patiently and who becomes impatient, who pays the rights and dues of his fellowmen and who usurps them, who delivers justice and who tyrannises. In short, without these differences in the ranks the good and finer qualities of humanity would not have been manifested, nor its baseness known.