S43. SURAH AZ-ZUKHRUF (Gold Adornment)

NAME: In the ayah No.35(Zukhruf) has been mentioned as the worldly provision or asset, which gives the Surah its name.
TIME OF REVELATION : From the topics it is surmised that this surah might have been revealed in the middle Meccan period.
CENTRAL THEME: Clarifying the unreasonableness of polytheism, to create belief about the truth of monotheism.
ORDER OF THE VERSES: Ayah Nos.1 to 4 are introductory ayah, which explain the utility of Quran and its greatness. Ayat Nos.5 to 14 invite attention to those signs contemplating which a belief in the oneness of Allah is created. In Ayah Nos.15 to 25, the unreasonableness of the polytheistic beliefs has been presented, especially of the angels’ being associates of God. Ayat Nos.26 to 32 present the historic declaration of Prophet Ibrahim, about his unconcern with the worship of other beings than God, and which has survived as a memorable kalima. But Quraish who are from his progeny had ignored this historic fact and have stood up for supporting polytheism and idolatry, and they are opposing Allah and His messenger, because he is inviting them to accept monotheism. Ayah Nos.33 to 45 state the consequences of ignoring the Hereafter for the sake of worldly benefits of paltry nature, and also the result of denying the revelation and the prophethood. In the ayah Nos.46 to 65 some events of the life of Prophet Moosa and Prophet Eesa have been stated, which show that their dawah was also a call to monotheism and their opponents were rebels and they received what they deserved. Ayah Nos.66 to 89 are the concluding ayah of the Surah, in which there is a warning to the deniers and glad tidings to the God-fearing, and the guilty have also been informed of the adverse consequences in store for them. Some doubts have also been cleared in these ayah.

43. SURAH AZ-ZUKHRUF (Gold Adornment) Ayat : 89

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

1. Ha. Meem.1

2. By the Book that is illuminating.2

3. Verily, We have revealed it in Arabic that you may understand.3

4. ,And verily (It is) in the original Book with Us, sublime and full of wisdom.4

5. Should We ignore you by withholding Our message because you are a transgressing people?5 6.

6. How many a prophet did We send forth to the ancients ! 6

7. There never came to them a prophet that they did not scoff at him.

8. Then We utterly destroyed (nations) mightier than these,7 and their examples has gone before them.

9. And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth they will surely answer the Almighty, the All-Knowing created them.8

1. These are separate letters, which have been explained in earlier pages. In this Surah Ha Meem hints at the attribute of ‘Hikmat’ (Wisdom) of Allah, which is mentioned in the ayah No.84. It also refers to the quality of Quran, which is Wise.

2. Quran’s being an illuminating Book (clear book) has been explained in Surah Yusuf, Note No.2, and Surah Naml, Note No.2. Here the meaning of swearing by the clear Book is that this Book that lifts the veil from the unseen realities and presents the teaching which appeals to the heart and mind, and does it with such clarity, that it is a clear proof of the fact that it is revealed by Allah only, and that it has opened up the path of right guidance.

3. Please see Surah Yusuf Note No.3, for explanation.

4. Ummul Kitab means (Mother or original Book) means ‘Loh-e-Mahfuz’ (protected board) as is mentioned in Surah Burooj:
“But this is the majestic Quran, which is recorded in’ Loh-e-Mahfuz.’
That is: The arrangement made by Allah in the heavens for recording His words includes this word (Quran) of Allah, and there it is of grand and exalted nature. With this characteristic it is a treasure of wisdom and knowledge. If you do not appreciate it, then it will be your own worthlessness. Otherwise in the heavens it has great value and considered to be the most respected and honoured book. The diamond like Quran is considered to be a stone by those who are stone-minded. Quran is free from any interference by Satan and also safe from any human distortion.Its source is so high that none can reach it. There is also a hint that those who will appreciate this highly exalted word, their status will be raised and they will fill their coffers with pearls of wisdom and knowledge.

5. The address is to the deniers of Quran. They are being told that on account of their straying they want that the words of advice and warning should not be intimated to them, but Allah wants to give a chance to reform and to present to them convincing proof of the truth of His religion. That is why He is reminding them of this by revealing Quran to the messenger. This connection cannot be cut off on account of their wrong desires.

6. That is: He is not the first messenger who has come from Allah with a Reminder. Before him came quite a large number of prophets who had brought counsel and good advice from Allah.

7. Tyrants like Firaun who were more powerful and strong compared to the chiefs of the Quraish of Makkah.

8.This is an argument in favour of monotheism, that when you admit such a big reality that it is Allah only who has created the heavens and the earth, and in whose control is the entire universe and who possesses all knowledge, then where is question of any other being to be considered a deity or worthy of worship? In what contradictory things you believe! On the one hand there is the admission of the reality, and on the other there is its negation. Accepting Allah and also denying His being the only God!

10. Who 9 has made the earth a resting place for you and made paths 10 in it for you that you may find your way.

11. Who sent down water from the sky in due measure and thereby We revived the dead land. Like this you will be brought forth (from the grave).

12 And who created all (living) things in pairs 13 and made for you the ships and beasts on which you ride.

13. So that you mount upon their backs, and may remember your Lord’s favour when you mount thereon,14 and may say: ‘Immaculate is He who has subdued these to us, and we were not capable of subduing them.

14. ‘And verily, to Our Lord we are to return.’15

15. And they have made some of His slaves His part.16 Verily, man is obviously ungrateful.17

16. Or did He choose for Himself daughters from those whom He created and reserved sons for you?18

17. And if one of them is given (for himself) the tidings of what he had proposed for the Most Gracious, his face darkens and he is filled with gloom.19

18. That (species) which is bred up in ornaments and cannot make itself plain in disputation!20

9. This is further clarification of monotheism from Allah, so that belief in it may be strengthened.

10. Refers to natural paths which pass through mountains, etc.

11. That is: By these natural paths you may reach your destination; moreover by seeing these pathways your mind may turn to Allah and you may be rightly guided.

12. This is an argument in support of being raised from the graves on the Day of Resurrection. As the dead earth gets life after receiving rain water, and becomes green and fruit-yielding, in the same way Allah will give life to the humans and they will rise from their graves on the Day of Resurrection.

13. For explanation, please see Surah Yasin, Note No.39.

14. Allah has provided means of travel for mankind on land and on the surface of water, on the backs of the beasts, and in ships, respectively. In those days these were the only means of travel, that is why they have been mentioned. In the present times new means of travels have been invented, e.g. cars, trains, aeroplanes, etc. Although these are invented by men, but in reality they also are a blessing from Allah only, because the energy with which these vehicles move is created by Allah, and Allah has made it agreeable and workable for men. Therefore, whatever may be the vehicle which one may be riding, one may not always remember that it is a great favour of Allah that He has granted us this blessing.

15. In these two ayah, Nos. 13 and 14, a few important things have been stated in connection with the means of travel: First man should consciously feel while riding any of the means of travel that it is the favour of Allah that He has subdued this vehicle or means of travel for mankind; and that Secondly he should also express Allah’s immaculateness and his own gratitude for Him by repeating these words: ‘Immaculate is He who has subdued these to us and we were not capable (of subduing them). Reciting of this prayer is necessary at the time of embarking on any vehicle or riding any kind of mount. Its being a tradition of the Prophet (S.A.W.) is confirmed by an authentic hadith. Thirdly on riding in any vehicle there should not be any trace of pride but one should express one’s status of being Allah’s slave, for these words of prayer create the feeling of being a slave (of Allah). At the time of traveling man should not forget his journey to the second world and should remember that he has to appear before his Lord. Any means of travel, whether ship or beast, is not free from danger. Who knows what accident may occur. Therefore, man set on travel, should remember Allah and keep in view the final journey to the next world. The tragic accidents that occur), daily are sufficient to open men’s eyes.

16. Refers to the special slaves of Allah, like angels and prophets, etc. Making them a part of Allah means to consider them a part of His Being, while His Being is indivisible. Nothing goes out of His Being, nor can anything enter His Being. He is unique and peerless. (For explanation, please see Surah Ikhlas, Notes Nos.3,4, and7). The polytheists of Arabia considered angels to be Allah’s daughters and thus made them a part of Allah. Similarly Christians also imagined Prophet Eesa to be Allah’s son. Sons and daughters are parts of the father, but the fact is that angels and prophets are created by Allah and are His slaves and not born out of Him. How could they then be His part? As for Hinduism, it terms the entire universe to be part of God: “He both is and is not the Created Universe, for while the created universe, is a part of his being, it is not the whole of it.” -(Spiritual Heritage of India by Swami Prabhavanands P.32). How contradictory, involved and misleading, are these points, that have been presented in the form of a philosophy.(We seek Allah’s refuge from this.) It is this influence of Hinduism that some Sufis have adopted the philosophy of ‘Wahdatul Wujud’ (Unitary Existence). They have done away with the difference between the Creator and the created, and termed God and the universe only one existence. This false notion came among Muslims through Sufism. If Muslims were to study Quran carefully they would have found pure monotheism in the Quran and would not have fallen a prey to the Sufis’ misguidance.

17. This is open ungratefulness that man takes benefits of Allah’s favours and blessings and worships others.

18. The polytheists of Makkah used to say that the angels are Allah’s daughters. The folly of this claim has been made clear in this ayah. They took pride in their sons and considered daughters to be a cause for shame. In view of this mentality of theirs, the folly of their claim is being made clear to them. The purpose is to stress that first of all to think that Allah has children is absurd. Moreover they have imagined angels to be Allah’s daughters, when they themselves do not like to have daughters considering them to be a means of shame. So what they consider dishourable for themselves, how far is it reasonable to consider it honourable for Allah? If they consider only this one aspect, then they would realise that such thinking is foolish on their point.

19. for explanation please see Surah Nahl, Note No.8.

20. This was the way of thinking of the polytheists and they have been confronted with this question. They considered birth of a daughter shameful for them, for in the tribal system numerical strength was a very important factor, and this strength depended on the number of males in a tribe. Male members used to fight against the enemy but not the female. And in a dispute men could express their viewpoint clearly, but not women. On such occasions women generally are carried away by emotions, and therefore, cannot express their viewpoint clearly and convincingly. Therefore, on hearing the news of the birth of a daughter the question that arose before them was how far this child would be useful in the future for them for resisting the enemy, and for putting across their viewpoint. A member of the species that would be brought up in ornaments and trinkets is not welcome as against a son who belongs to the stronger sex and who is brought up under the shadow of swords, who has the strength to fight against the enemy and has the power to face him squarely. They judged a child’s worth from its capability to fight in the tribal war either with weapons or with words. This mentality of theirs has been presented before them and they have been asked as to when they consider females unacceptable to themselves, then how could they propose them for Allah. First of all to think that Allah has children is very foolish. And a further folly was to think that He has daughters, as if Allah has chosen the weaker sex to help Him run His administration and govern over His universe. It is such a claim that its absurdity and folly is quite obvious. How is it that they do not feel any shame in suggesting such an absurd and foolish thing about Allah! There is nothing in the ayah which suggests any insult or derision of the weaker sex. Allah has created females, like males, in the best form, therefore, there is nothing defective in their nature. However, there are differences in the attributes and characteristics of men and women. Men are the symbol of strength while women are the token of adornment. And so far as the running of the system of godhood is concerned, neither men nor women have anything to do with it. And the concept of anybody helping Allah in managing His kingdom is absolutely wrong. In Surah Najm this very thing has been mentioned: “What! For you sons, and for Allah daughters? Such a distribution is very clumsy.” - (Surah Najm 21-22).
And when Ibrahim said to his father and his people: “I am innocent of what you worsihp.”(AL-Quran)

19. And they have made the angles, who are the slaves of the Most Gracious, females. Did they witness their creation?21 Their testimony will be recorded and they will be questioned.

20. And they say: “If the Most Gracious had (so) willed, we would not have worshipped them.”22 They have no knowledge whatsoever of that. They do but conjecture.23

21. Or have We given them holding Scripture before this that they are holding so fast thereto?24

22. Nay, they say: “Verily we found our fathers following a certain religion, and we are on the right path following their footprints.25

23. We did not send before you a warner into any city but its wealthy people said: “Verily we found our forefathers following a religion, and we are following their footprints.”

24. (And the warner) said: “What if I bring you a better guidance than what you found your fathers following?” They replied: “We deny the message that you have brought.”26

25. So We requited them. Then see the consequence of the rejecters!

26. And when Ibrahim said to his father and his people: “I am innocent of what you worsihp.”

27. “Except Him who created me, so He will: surely guide me.”

21. How did they come to know that the angels are females? Angels belong to the U nseen world , a nd the only mea ns of knowing the Unseen is through divine revelation, of which they are denier. Were they then present at the time of the birth of the angels that they know their sex? The idea is to clarify that their claim about the sex of the angels is absolutely false. Secondly they are not the part of God that they should be considered, Allah’s daughters. The fact is that they are the special slaves of the Most Merciful, Allah, and they cannot be classified into any sex.

22.This is a wrong argument. When a man determines to enter into an argumentation, he puts the whole responsibility on Allah’s will as if he is helpless due to his luck and has no control over what he does. But man does not adopt this attitude in the matter of dealing with other persons. If a person steals some thing f rom him, or bea ts him or oppresses him, then why does he not think that he is compelled to do so because of his luck, and therefore he is not liable to be punished.

23. The matters of belief and worship should be based on knowledge and not on conjecture. The belief held by the polytheists that the angels were partners of Allah and worthy of worship was not based on any research, but it was merely an absurd imaginary guess, which is a matter of great waywardness.

24. It means that they have no authoritative argument based on divine scripture in support of the angels’ being deities, worthy of worship, because among the Arabs (Bani Ismail) Allah had not revealed any Divine Book before Quran. Then what is the basis on which they are making such a claim? It may be noted that the Messengers of Allah had been coming in different countries to different peoples, but Allah did not send down a divine book to every messenger, for in those days, for want of knowledge of reading and writing, every nation could not benefit from it. Arabs as a nation were unlettered, and whatever instructions were left behind by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (p.b.u.t.) were their main guidelines. Similar would have been the case with the other nations of the world. For them prophetic guid a nce might ha ve been somehow provided. For Bani Israil divine messengers were sent and also divine books.

25. They have no convincing proof for indulging in their polytheism and idolatry. They are following blindly their forefathers and they are under the wrong impression that f ollowing the f ootprints of their own forefathers is the right guidance. In the matter of belief and religion man’s greatest waywardness is blindly following the footprints of others in preference to Allah’s message. Then it may be the footprints of their forefathers or other religious leaders or other guides. But Quran cuts at the roots of all following and illumines the path of revelation, which is the path of knowledge. Imam Razi writes clarifying the straying of following: “If in the Book of Allah only these ayah were there, they were sufficient to render false (blind) following, for Allah has clarified that these deniers neither have any intellectual argument nor any documentary proof in support of their religion, which they are holding fast. They are merely following their forefathers and the people who have passed away.’ (At-Tafseerul-Kabeer, Vol.27, p.206).
And Allama Shaukani has criticized the tendency found among Muslims of blindly following and has written in connection with this ayah: “This is a great argument in proving that blind following is false and very ba d,while rema ining in Islam they follow the instructions of their past elders, pursue their footprints, and follow them. When a follower of truth wants to bring them out of this straying, or to save them from this innovation, which they have held fast, and which they have received in their legacy from their elders without any clear or convincing proof, and which being ba sed on wrong d oubts, wea k arguments, and false quotations, are nothing but mere sayings, then they give the same answer, which the rich people of those religions had given that they found their forefathers on this religion and they are following their footprints, and are on the right guidance. Or they say something with this meaning,” -(Fathul Qadeer, Vol.4 page 552).

26. Their answer was an exhibition of their obduracy.
Nay, but I gave them and their fathers provisions to live in comfort until there came to them the Truth and a clear messengers. And now that the Truth Has come to them, they say: “This is mere magic, and verily we are deniers of it.”(Al-Quran)

28. And He left it as an enduring statement (for his children), so that they might turn (to Allah).27

29. Nay, but I gave them and their fathers provisions to live in comfort until there came to them the Truth and a clear messengers. 28

30. And now that the Truth Has come to them, they say: “This is mere magic, and verily we are deniers of it.”29

31. And they said: “why was this Quran not revealed to some great man from the two towns ?”30

32. Is it they who apportion your Lord’s mercy? 31 It is We who have apportioned to them their livelihood in this world,32 exalting some in rank above others, so that the one may take the other into service,33 and the mercy of your Lord is better than the wealth that they amass.34

33. And for the possibility that all mankind might have become one community, We would have made, for those who deny the Most ! Gracious Lord, the roof of their houses of silver and stairs of silver on which to go up,

34. And for their houses door of silver and couches of silver whereon to recline,

35. And adornments of gold. All this is the provision of the life of this world. And (the life of) the Hereafter with your Lord is for those who fear God.35

27. By presenting an event from prophet Ibrahim’s life before the polytheists, they are being told that in following the footprints of their forefathers they were in the wrong as their revered grandfather Prophet Ibrahim had left for them clear cut lessons for worshipping Allah. The example to be followed should be of the messenger of Allah and not of the misguided forefathers. Prophet Ibrahim had not followed the practice of his forefathers and his community, but had expressed his innocence and disconcern f rom their polytheistic and idolatrous beliefs and practices. He had adopted the belief in monotheism on the basis of nature’s calling and sound arguments. This Kalima of monotheism he had left among his children as his legacy, so that if any straying occurs in the society, the people may turn towards this historical kalima. This kalima is considered as his legacy and memorial, because there was a history of sacrifices behind it. He then made history, and it was the effect of this kalima that when idolatry became common among the Arabs, those who were of healthy mind kept themselves away from this objectionable trend, and continued to pray before Allah following the footprints of Prophet Ibrahim. Accordingly the fact of Prophet Muhammad, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, worshipping Allah in the cave of Hira is confirmed.

28. That is: The Arabs were absorbed in the wealth and comforts that Allah had provided to them, caring nothing for their salvation in the Hereafter and forgetting God. For a long period they continued in this condition till one day the Truth appeared. There appeared among them a Divine Messenger, whose having been sent by Allah is quite clear.

29. When Truth appeared through Quran, they saw its impressive effects and declared it to be magic and refused to accept its divinity.

30. By two cities or townships is meant Makkah and Taif . These were central townships. The objection of the polytheists of Makkah was that if Quran were revealed from Allah, it should have been revealed on a rich person from Makkah or Taif; how could a person who was neither rich nor had any important status be suitable for such an honour?

31. This is the answer to their objection. Prophethood is the mercy of Allah. Then the award of this prophethood is the work of Allah or of these people? If it is the work of Allah, then He only knows who is best suitable for prophethood. What right have they to decide who is suitable for this honour?

32. That is: Let alone prophethood, even ‘one’s livelihood is also distributed according to the will of Allah. Whomsoever He wills, He makes him wealthy, and whomsoever He wills, He makes poor. Nobody has the right to object as to why this man has been made wealthy and that man poor. Allah knows best what is good for His slaves, and as His wisdom demands He deals with Them accordingly.

33. There is a difference of ranks between two kinds of people in matters of distribution of livelihood: Some have been provided more resources and others less, some have been born in rich households and received lot of wealth in legacy, while others have been born in poor households and received only poverty, some people have farms which yield very rich harvests while others have no farms at all; some have all resources for trade and commerce, and others have only to take up work as labourers. This difference in ranks has no relation with honour or dishonour, nor on account of this a man’s importance increases or decreases with Allah. Therefore, to judge a prophet’s worth on the basis of his richness or means of livelihood, and because of his poor means of livelihood, to consider him to be unfit for prophethood, is nothing but abject ignorance. When the point about ranks in difference of livelihood came up, its necessity has also been explained that it was necessary so that people may be able to take service from others. If people were given equal ranks and if all of them would have come with equal capability, then they would not have cared for one another and the human society would not have learnt to work on the basis of co-operation. If all were born with Plato’s brain, then all would have Dawatul Quran 391 S. 43 become philosophers. Where from one could get a farmer, trader and house builder? If on the basis of birth all people were rich or all people were poor, then the rich would not have needed any co-operation from the poor and would have had nothing to do with them. Thus in the social order of mankind the spirit of mutual co-operation would have been absent. It does not at all mean that the difference of riches between the masses and classes should not be attempted to be removed, by lawful and justifiable means, and they should be divided in various classes. The clear commands of Quran refute this openly, e.g. the command that (wealth) let not be circulated among your rich people (Surah Hashr 7),similarly the system of legacy and the command for paying Zakat, etc.

34. That is: The wealth which these people are amassing is much less than the wealth with which Allah has blessed you from every aspect, because this wealth (prophethood) is Allah’s special mercy, with which He blesses only His special slaves.

35. Here this doubt is being removed which is created in the superficial minds when they see the disbelievers in comfortable and wealthy conditions. They think that when Allah has made them wealthy, then He surely must have been pleased with them, and in the Hereafter, if it occurs, they will be recipients of all favours. Here this idea is being refuted that Allah is pleased with the wealthy disbelievers by starting that their being wealthy is not the symptom of Allah’s being pleased with them, and that they will be happy in the Hereafter also; whatever is being given to them is limited to this world only. And whatever is being given to them in this world, it is because it would take them far away in their path of misguidance and let them have their fill of the sins, after which they will have no share in the blessings of the next world. With Allah the wealth and comforts of the world are of no value. The uncontrolled way in which the wealth has been given to the disbelievers, in more liberal way than that it would be given to others so much so that they would be able to decorate their houses with silver and gold. In such a case people would have been influenced by the glitter of the precious metals and would have followed the path of disbelief. Every person would have tried to collect riches and the whole mankind would have gathered in the camp of disbelief. It would have been such a trying test that only a very few people would have remained on their sound and healthy nature, and not caring for the riches of the world would have accepted the message of Allah and would have led the life, fearing God. But Allah was merciful to mankind and did not subject it to such a trying test.From this divine statement it becomes automatically clear that Allah provides the provision for comfort and luxuries in abundance and generally grants them more liberally. But these things should not be envied by the people of faith, for these provisions are for a very short life of few days and are mean in value. The blessings of the Hereafter which are the best and everlasting are to be awarded to the God-fearing people only. There are few people among Muslims who have accepted this reality with a clear mind and who. Not caring for the world of jewellery and gold, consider the God-fearing life a thing or good luck for themselves.
He that becomes negligent About the remembrance of the Most Gracious, We assign on to him a satan for his companion. And they surely obstruct them from reaching the path of Allah yet they deem that they are rightly guided. Till when he comes to Us, he says: “Ah! Would that between you and me there were distance of two horizons. 37 What an evil companion!”(Al-Quran)

36. He that becomes negligent About the remembrance of the Most Gracious, We assign on to him a satan for his companion.36

37. And they surely obstruct them from reaching the path of Allah yet they deem that they are rightly guided.

38. Till when he comes to Us, he says: “Ah! Would that between you and me there were distance of two horizons. 37 What an evil companion!”

39. And it will not profit you this Day because you did wrong and that you will be sharers in the punishment.38

40. (O Prophet !) Can you make the deaf hear and guide the blind of those who are in manifest error?39

41. Even if We take you away, We surely will take vengeance on them.40

42. Or We will show you what We have promised them,41 verily We have absolute power over them.

43. So hold fast to what has been revealed to you.42 Verily you are on the straight path.

44. And verily it is an admonition to you and your people. You will be quetioned all.43

45. And ask those of Our messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious?44

36. From the reference to context it is clear that those who go after achieving the worldly gains and become desirous of having a luxurious life, become negligent of remembering Allah. It results in Satan gaining control over them, and he becomes their companion and misguides them. Here Allah’s remembrance means to remember Him with full consciousness, i.e. to have one’s mind attentive to Allah. Remembering Allah by reciting His name and words is very important from this aspect. In this connection, Note No.152 of Surah Taha should be kept in view. To be under the control of Satan and being his companion may not be seen by physical eyes, but its effects can be felt in ideas, thoughts, views and practical life and in morality. Quran informs us about these. These are hidden from our eyes, but they are influencing our beliefs and practices.

37. Actually the words used are “Ba’dal Mashriqain” which literally means distance between two casts (horizons), but in the Arabic idiom for east and west the word mashriqain is used, as for the ‘Shams’ and ‘Qamar’ the idiom used is ‘Qamran’ (two Qamar - two moons).That is why we have translated it as two horizous a distance between the east and the west. The ayah means that today these disbelievers have made Satan their companion, but on the Day of Judgment they will hate their companion and would openly tell him: would it that there were a great distance between them and him.

38. That is: When you have come here after doing wrong to your own self, then you should share punishment with your satan companions, and your sharing this will not result in reducing your punishment, that is, these satans will not help in reducing the severity of your punishment and your gathering in the Hell cannot be the means of reducing the sense of pain.

39. Those who have lost the capability of listening to and seeing the truth, for them no counsel or admonition will be effective nor can they be guided.

40. That is: O Prophet! These people are waiting for your death. But even if We took you away from the world, they will not be spared from getting their deserving punishment from Allah. On this occasion Note No.75, Surah Yunus may be kept in view.

41. And the second alternative took place. The adverse consequences that the disbelievers were subjected to were seen by the Prophet in his lifetime.

42. Means Quran, which holding firmly signifies that it should be believed in from the depths of the heart and whatever it teaches should be followed sincerely.

43. Questioning regarding what they did with Quran.

44. Asking the messengers of Allah means to seek from their books and their teachings whether they had really given instructions that their followers may pray to other than the Most Merciful, Allah. To prove this no reliable document can be presented. And when the fact is this that when the prophets had not given any command for worshipping the other deities, then what is the basis and ground for polytheism and idolatry? This style is an effective figure of speech, similar to the style employed in Surah Nisa, ayah No.59. (If you dispute about any matter, refer it to Allah and the messenger). It is obvious that here books are meant to be referred to and not actually approaching Allah and His messenger, when he is not amongst us.

46. And We sent Moosa 45 with Our signs to Firaun and his nobles, and he said: “I am a messenger of the Lord of the Worlds.”

47. And when he brought to them Our signs, they laughed at them.

48. And every sign that We showed them was greater than its sister sign,46 and We seized them with punishment so that they might turn again (to the right path).47

49. And they said: “O Magician! pray to your Lord for us in accordance with the promise He has made you; we will surely follow the right path.”48

50. And when We gave them relief from their punishment, they broke their pledge.

51. And Firaun proclaimed among his people: “O My people! Is the kingdom of ‘Misr’ (Egypt) not mine’? And are these rivers that flow under me not mine? Can you not see?49

52. “Am I not better than this lowly person,50 who can scarcely make his meaning plain.51

53. “Why then, bracelets of gold had not been sent to him, or angels sent down with him’?”52

54. He fooled his people, and they obeyed him. Verily, they were evil people.53

45. The chronicle of Prophet Moosa is given in a number of Surahs before this. Here a few aspects of this chronicle have been made prominent. The idea is to clarify that the one who is chosen by Allah for the honour of prophethood is not a wealthy or a prominent personality, but is a person who is great on account of his character. Moosa, who was sent to Firaun, emperor of a great kingdom, had no worldly grandeur. Therefore, if the Prophet of Islam had not worldly wealth and grandeur, it does not reflect on his quality as a prophet.

46. Means miracles.

47.Means punishments which were warnings, that is such punishments or afflictions and travails which pointed to the fact that Moosa was a prophet of Allah. And these punishments were sent to them so that they should realise their errors and waywardness, and return to the right path. For details please see Surah A’raf, Notes Nos.187 to 192.

48. It shows how casual and irresponsible were these people. They request Moosa to pray for them and at the same time they call him a magician. In their eyes, the miracles of Prophet Moosa were merely a manifestation of his magic. But the divine afflictions which were seizing them, to escape from them they thought that his prayer was effective. Thus they had collected two contradictory things. On the one hand they considered Prophet Moosa virtuous and Allah’s favourite slave, and on the other hand they thought him to be a magician.

49. This was the claim of Firaun about his greatness. He thought that when he was the king of Egypt and was the master of such a kingdom in which canal turned the land green, then who is greater than him? This pride of kingdom was so great that he forgot his Lord.

50. Firaun considered Prophet Moosa lowly, only because he had neither kingdom, nor wealth. Quraish also looked at the Arabian prophet with the same jaundiced view. When they had lost their sense, how could they know how lofty was the honour and status of prophethood.

51. This was the accusation of Firaun and not a reality, because that prayer of Prophet Moosa, which he had made on being blessed with prophethood, had been answered in connection with enabling him to talk clearly. The speeches of Prophet Moosa which the Quran has quoted are quite clear in their substance. It appears that Firaun by trying to remind others of Moosa’s old impediment in speech repeated it before others to create a defective image of the prophet.

52. In those days the kings used to wear golden bracelets and they had armies in their service. In view of this Firaun’s objection was that if Prophet Moosa had really been sent by Allah, then why did He not give him majestic splendour? He should have been given golden bracelets direct from heaven and he should have angels as armies in his service. Firaun compared the status of prophethood with that of the kings, although it is much higher than that.

53. That is: Firaun considered his community as worthless and fooled them. They were so impressed by him that they could not think properly and were deceived by him. He could fool them because they themselves were evil people. And evil people like evil leadership.

55. So when they provoked Us, We punished them and drowned every one of them. 54

56. So We made them things of the past and an example for those who succeeded them. 55

57. And when the case of the son of Maryam is cited your people make noises. 56

58. And they say : “Who is better, our gods or He?” They do not raise the objection, except for the sake of disputation.57 In fact they are a contentious people.

59. He was nothing but a slave (of Ours), on whom We bestowed favour, and made him an ideal for Bani Israil.58

60. Had We willed, We would Have made from amongst you angels as rulers on the earth. 59

61. And He (Eesa) is verily a proof of the Day of Resurrection.60 So Have no doubt about its coming, and follow Me.61 This is the straight path.

62. And let Satan not prevent you. Verily he is for you an open enemy.

63. And when Eesa came with clear signs, he said: “I have come to you with wisdom 62 and to make plain to you some of the things about which you differr.63 So fear Allah and obey me.

54. For explanation please see Surah Taha Note No.93.

55. Things of past (salfan) that is they were made a story of the past and for the coming generations they provided and example (maslan)so that sensible people may take lesson from them.

56. Son of Maryam means Prophet Eesa (Jesus). To quote his mother, instead of his father, as his parent signifies that he was born without a father, and also that he was not the son of God but of Maryam. In the Quran Prophet Eesa has been shown as Allah’s slave and His messenger. Accordingly in the Surah Maryam, which was revealed before this Surah, the event of his birth has been narrated in detail, so that his being the son of God and a deity may be negated totally. But the polytheists of Makkah were trying in vain to hide the truth and misguide the people that the Christians believe him to be the son of God, therefore, if they (Arabs) believed that the angels are the daughters of God, then what is wrong in that.

57. We have made angels as our deities, whereas the Christians have made Eesa as their deity, who was only a man. Therefore, our gods are better than theirs. This point they were presenting only for the sake of argument, otherwise it was quite clear to them that Quran does not declare Eesa either a son of God nor a deity. It clarifies that Prophet Eesa is also a slave of Allah and the angels are also His slaves.

58. Eesa was a slave of God, no doubt, but Allah had blessed him with a special favour, therefore, various kinds of miracles were performed by him, and his coming in Bani Israil was the appearance of an ideal man, so that in comparison to their hypocritical religiosity the real religiosity’s lofty example may come up before them.

59. It is not proper to consider angels deities because they are a different species from mankind. Inspite of their being a different species they are the creatures of God, and if Allah wills He can create angels from amongst men, who may be made to rule over the earth. Nothing is beyond Allah’s power. Therefore there is no justification for deifying any of His creations, only because of their extraordinary qualities.

60. Eesa’s birth had taken place in an extra ordinary manner, i.e. without a father, which was a great miracle from Allah. Moreover, Allah had granted to him wonderful miracles, e.g. to make birds from clay and to blow his breath into them so that they become real birds, to cure lepers and blind persons from birth, to revive dead persons, etc. This life of his which was full of miracles was only a manifestation of Allah’s great powers. It strengthens the belief that the intimation which Allah gave about reviving the dead on the Day of Resurrection is true. The main thing is Allah’s command and not natural and physical laws. Whenever He may desire He can change the laws of nature and can render the system of cause and effect inoperative. This is the apparent sense of this ayah which is an argument for the satisfaction of the disbelievers. But in its sense it also included a hint at the reappearance of Prophet Eesa near the time of occurrence of the Day of Resurrection, which has been further clarified in the hadith. His re-appearance in the world, and that too with the same body in which he was raised above long ago, his fighting against the onslaught of the enemies of Islam on the entire Islamic world, to kill Dajjal who, with his extra ordinary power will be plunging the world into the fire of mischief and evil, to wipe out the Jews from the face of the earth, and to be accepted by the Christians as a messenger of Allah by breaking their cross, to help Islam to become a united millat and its becoming the greatest power and ruler over the world—-this will be the greatest revolution of the world and this revolution will be a precursor of the Doomsday, because this miraculous achievement of Prophet Eesa will be the last argument from Allah for mankind. If even after this those who will indulge in mischief, they will be the worst people and will face the onslaught of the Doomsday. On this occasion, Note No.261 of Surah Nisa may be kept in view.

61. This thing has been made to be uttered by the Arabian Prophet that whatever facts that have been stated in the Quran are beyond and above any doubt. Therefore, may should believe in them and obey him sincerely.

62. Bani Israil had lost the spirit of religion, Dawatul Quran 399 S. 43 and had kept merely the formal religiosity. Prophet Eesa explained to them the wisdom of religion, that he made the spirit of religion prominent so that they might know as to what is the real religiosity. In the present Bible a glimpse of that can be seen.

63. A lot of differences had crept up among Bani Israil. But those differences which were basic and on whose basis they were divided into different sects, their reality was explained to them by Prophet Eesa. And the method of prophets has always been the same, that is they firmly hold the end of the string and the knots thereof are automatically unwound.
O My slaves! For you there is no fear this day, nor will you grieve. Those who believed in Our revelations and were Muslims, Enter the Paradise, you and your spouse, delightfully. To them will be passed dishes of Gold and cups. There will be all that souls desire and all that eyes delight in There you shall abide forever.(Al-Quran)

64. “Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is the right path.64

65. But the faction among them differed.65 Then woe to those who do wrong 66 from the punishment of the grievous day.

66. Do they wait for the Hour of the Doomsday to overtake them of a sudden while they perceive not? 67

67. On that Day friends will become enemies, one to another, except the Godfearing.

68. O My slaves! For you there is no fear this day, nor will you grieve.

69. Those who believed in Our revelations and were Muslims,69

70. Enter the Paradise, you and your spouse,70 delightfully.

71. To them will be passed dishes of Gold and cups.71 There will be all that souls desire and all that eyes delight in 72 There you shall abide forever.

72. This is the Paradise which you are made to inherit because of what you used to do.73

73. For you there will be plenty of fruits from which to eat.74

74. Verily the guilty 75 will be under punishment in Hell for ever.

64. For explanation please see Surah Aal-e- Imran Note No.76.

65. For explanation please see Surah Maryam Note No.55.

66. “That is: Committed polytheism and denial, (kufr). The Christian’s belief about Prophet Eesa that he is the son of God is not only polytheism but also disbelief and a very great wrongful act as well.

67. For explanation, please see Surah A’raf, Note No.287.

68. In the world disbelievers make misguided people their friends, but on the Day of Resurrection they will be enemies to one another, because they will realise that their friendship was the cause of their misguidance. However the mutual friendship of the God-fearing on the Day of Resurrection will continue, for they will realise that they had been persuading each other to follow the truth. This ayah of Quran warns every body that he should see with whom he has struck. friendship and where he is taking him.

69. This ayah clarifies that the glad tidings of Paradise is for those who believed in Allah and surrendered themselves to Him (lived as Muslims), that is whose life was fully governed by Islam.

70. Means believing (Momin) wives. There is a glad tidings for the people of faith that with them their Momin wives will also enter the Paradise.

71. The utensils in the Paradise will be of very high quality. There is no dearth of gold in Allah’s treasures, therefore He will provide golden utensils for the people of Paradise, When the cups of (holy) wine will be of gold, one can imagine what kind of wine will be served to them.

72. The beauty of Paradise will please the hearts and cool the eyes. Everything in paradise will be such a piece of beautiful art that it will be a permanent satisfying experience for the taste.

73. The people of faith will be told that they have been made to inherit Paradise (i.e. they will own it), in recompense for their acts, so that they may feel happy that their efforts have borne fruit.

74. A special mention has been made of the fruits of Paradise because they are very tasty and invigorating.

75. Means disbelievers and polytheists.

75. There will be no relaxation in their punishment, and they will remain there with despair.

76. And We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves.76

77. They will call out: “O Malik (Keeper), Let your Lord put an end to us.”77 But he will answer: “Here you will remain.”

78. Verily, We had brought the Truth to you, but most of you were averse to the truth.78

79. Or have they taken a final decision? (If so) then We will also take a final decision.

80. Do they think We cannot hear their secret talks and private conversation?80 Oh Yes, Our messengers (angels) who are at their side, record it all.81

81. Say: “If the Most Gracious (Rahman) had a son, I am the first of the worshippers.” 82

82. Immaculate is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the Throne (Arsh), above what they ascribe.83

83. So let them be involved in debates and play till they face the day which are they promised.84

84. And it is He who is God in heaven and God on earth. He is the Wise, the All- Knowing.

76. Such a severe punishment for the disbelievers is not an injustice to them, but it will be quite in keeping with His sense of justice. The law of nature requires that whoever jumps in the fire must burn, and whoever takes poison must die.

77. That is: It would be better if we do not exist at all.

78. This will be an answer to those in the Hell: when We had presented the truth before you through our messengers, you did not like to hear it. Now face the punishment for denying the truth.

79. If they have decided finally to reject the truth, then let them know that We will also finally decide to punish them.

80. Hints at the secret conspiracies that were being hatched against Islam and its Prophet.

81. Allah knows the most secret and hidden things and hears everything, and He has also arranged to get recorded by the angels these machinations so that on the Day of Judgment they may be produced as evidence.

82. That is: Presuming that God had a son, then how could I have denied it when I am the first and the foremost in worshipping God. You should try to ponder over the fact that a person who is sincere in worshipping Allah as well as who is most active is denying that God has a son. The clause I am the first of the worshippers, has been used to emphasise the negation of the absurd suggestion that Allah has a son. The sincerity of the Prophet’s devotion to and obedience of Allah was well known, and therefore, an allusion to it in bringing home the point is very effective. The words: How could I deny it, are understood. Another example of such use can be found in Surah Yunus: “Say: ‘O people! if you are in doubt of my religion then (know that) I do not worship those whom you worship instead of Allah, but I worship Allah who causes you to die. (Surah Yunus -104) Here also the words ‘know that’ are understood, but the context makes it clear that they are meant to be included. In short in the ayah under discussion the presumption that Allah could have a son has been refuted in a very effective and wise way. If for the sake of argument anything is presumed, it does not mean that it could be a possibility, and an argument for it. Its example is found in surah Anbia: “Had there been other gods in these (heaven. and earth) besides Allah, both would have been disordered, gone to ruin.” -(Surah Anbia- 22) In this ayah also what has been presumed has been merely to refute the argument of the polytheists, and from it the existence of more than one God cannot be proved.

83. Allah is free and above all things that are not according to what His greatness demands. And the concept of a child for Him is not at all in accordance with His greatness.

84. When these people are not prepared to listen to reason and understand right things and merely want to indulge in debates and discussion and playfulness, then leave them to their condition. On the Day of Resurrection they will realise as to what a wrong stance they had taken, and what adverse consequences await them.

85. Blessed is He to whom belongs the sovereignty in the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. With Him is the knowledge of the Hour of Doomsday, and to Him you will return.

86. Those whom they invoke besides Him have no power to intercede for them, excepting he who bears witness to the truth knowingly.85

87. And if you ask them who created them, they will reply: Allah. Then how can they turn away from Him?86

88. And his (prophet’s) appeal: “O my Lord! These are the people who do not believe.”87

89. So bear with them and say Peace.88 They will soon come to know.89

85. Nobody has the authority to intercede on behalf of anyone. However those whom Allah will allow they will intercede, and their intercession will not be haphazard, but will be based on knowledge and they will only present the true cases. So far as the polytheists and the disbelievers are concerned, none will intercede on their behalf, neither the angels nor the prophets, for in their case intercession is prohibited. As for the other sinful slaves, about them also they will first inquire whether they deserve to get the intercession or not. If they deserve it, then they will intercede, otherwise not. Therefore, the reliance of the wrong doing people on intercession is not right. The real thing is one’s own acts, the recompense for which every one will get. Therefore, every one should try to correct his own conduct and practice and live a righteous life. For further explanation please see Surah Maryam Note No.111.

86. How easily they become a prey to Satan’s misguidance that angels are the means of intercession with Allah, so worship them and being pleased with their worship they will intercede with Allah on their behalf, and will deliver them from every kind of trouble and punishment. This very concept of intercession has created, the belief in the angles’ being worthy of worship. Otherwise the reality is quite clear: the Creator is Allah and when Creator is Allah then worthy of worship is Allah only. When angels are not the creator, then how could they be deities?

87. This is the appeal of the Prophet (S.A.W.) to Allah about the obstinate people that they have gone so far in their misguidance that the clear arguments of Quran also do not impress them. And they still persist in not accepting the Truth. From the context it appears that Allah has answered the appeal of His messenger and now they will be dealt with accordingly about which the directions are being given further on. According to us here ‘We have heard your appeal’ is understood.

88. The word ‘Salam’ (Peace) used here is not by way of a greeting which is exchanged between two Muslims when they meet each other, But it is a beautiful manner of taking leave of a person who does not listen to reason and is bent on arguing for the sake of argument only. The meaning of the ayah is Allah says “ O Prophet! We have heard your appeal. If they do not listen to you, let them be, leave them alone, get away from them saying ‘Salam’ in a decent way.”

89. That is: Very soon they will see their adverse end.