13- AR -RA’D (THE THUNDER)

NAME: In the ayah No. 13 the thunder is mentioned to be reciting the praises of Allah along with His Immaculate Purity. This reference to thunder gives the Surah its name.

TIME OF REVELATION: It is a Makkan Surah and from the context it appears that it was revealed after Surah Yusuf. At the end of Surah Yusuf, it was stated:

“Say (O Prophet!): ‘This is my path: I invite towards Allah with sure knowledge-and also whosoever follow me...’ “. In fact, this Surah is its elaboration.

CENTRAL THEME: This holy Book is revealed to the Prophet from the heaven and the Da’wah (Message) that has been presented in it is absolutely true. If you contemplate: over the signs scattered around in the universe you will hear the same call which is the call of the Prophet and of this Book.

ORDER OF THE AYAT: Ayah No. 1 is introductory which says that the revelation of this Book from God is an absolute truth.

Verses Nos. 2 to 4 invite our attention to the signs which create in us a belief in the Hereafter.

In the ayat Nos. 5 to 7 explanation is given to remove the doubts of the rejecters of faith.

Ayat Nos. 8 to 16 contain topics relating to monotheism.

In the ayah No. 17 evidence is provided on the differing consequences of following the truth and falsehood in the light of the events.

In Ayat Nos. 18 to 25 the attributes of the acceptors of faith and their final fate have been mentioned. Similarly, the evil conduct of the rejectors of faith and their adverse consequences have been presented.

Verses Nos. 26 to 29 warn the rejectors of their adverse consequences and give glad tidings to the people of faith.

From the Ayah No.30 till the end of the Surah the rejectors of the prophethood have been warned of the adverse consequences, and the happy end of the God-fearing Muslims has been presented, so that the rejectors may adopt the God-fearing attitude.

13 SURAH AR-RAD (THE THUNDER) Verses (aayat) 43

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

1. Alif Laam. Meem. Raa¹ These are the (Verses) ayaat² of the Book.³And that which is sent down to you from your Lord is the Truth, but most men do not believe.⁴

2. Allah is He who raised the heavens without pillars⁵ as you see them, then established Himself on Arsh⁶ (the throan) and subjected the sun and the moon (to be of service)⁷ each running to an appointed term;⁸ He ordains all things; He explains the signs in detail so that you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord.⁹

3. And it is He who spread out the earth¹⁰ and placed therein mountains¹¹ and rivers,¹² and of all fruits he placed therein, two in pairs¹³ (male and female). He covers the night with the day. Verily in these are signs for the people who contemplate.

4. And in the earth there are adjoining plots,¹⁴ and Vineyards, ploughed lands, and date palms the single and the clustered,¹⁵ which are watered with one water. And We make some of them excel than others to eat (in taste). Verily in these are signs for the people who understand.¹⁶

5. And if you want to hear a wonder thing, strange is this saying of theirs: “When we are dust, shall we indeed then be created anew?”¹⁷ They are those who deny their Lord. They are those round whose necks will be yokes,¹⁸ They will be companions of Fire, abiding therein forever.

6. And they ask you to hasten¹⁹ on the evil rather than the good, when exemplary punishments have indeed occurred before them. Verily your Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind in spite of their wrongdoing; and verily your Lord is severe in punishment.²⁰

(COMMENTARY)

1. For the explanation of these separate letters or abbreviations Note No. 1, Surah Baqarah and Note No.1 Surah Yunus may be seen.

In the Surah Alif points to Allah (monotheism), Lam to La Ilaha Illallah (negation of polytheism), and Meem hints at Mut’al (of the Most Highly Exalted Rank). This attribute of Allah has been mentioned in the ayah No.9. As for Ra, it points to Rab (Lordship of Allah), and also to Ra’d (Thunder), which is particularly mentioned in the ayah No. l3, and in which the veil has been lifted from the reality that behind the apparent thundering outbursts of the clouds there is also the thundering recitation of Allah’s praises.... ..and the real meaning of Allah’s words is known to Allah only.

2. The literal meaning of the word ayah in Arabic is sign or symbol. The short and big sentences occurring in the Quranic Surahs are called ayat (verses). Sometimes an ayah is a complete sentence, sometimes it is a part of a sentence, and sometimes it consists of a few sentences. Their fixation and their order has been arranged in accordance with the Divine revelation. Since every ayah of Qur’an is a sign of the fact that it consists of Allah’s words, it has been termed as an ayah, (sign).

3.Al-Kitab means the Divine Book, that is Qur’an.

4. It means that these verses of Surah Ra’d and all other ayat which have been revealed to the Prophet their having been revealed from Allah, is a fact and a reality, however, it is another matter that many people do not accept it as such inspite of it being a reality. But a reality remains a reality, anybody’s accepting it or rejecting it does not change its nature.

5. In the wide open space the heavenly bodies are spread out and scattered far and wide. According to the scientific discoveries some stars are away at a distance of millions of light years. It gives an idea of the height (vastness) of the skies. This vastness cannot be measured by any parameter. The creation of this vast system of heavens like a roof or a dome without any pillars is an open sign of the greatness of the Creator of this universe.

It should be noted that the appearance of the heavens as standing without any pillars is a thing of common observation. It does not negate the fact that the heavenly bodies are governed by the law of gravity. This law of gravity is also the marvel of Allah’s creation.

As regards the question whether the sky or heaven has any material existence, we have discussed this question in Note No.1, Surah Inshiqaq. On this occasion that note should be kept in mind.

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

7. That is: The sun and the moon do not have power of their own. They are bound by the Divine Law, and the service they have been asked to render is being rendered by them.

8. Running or walking here means to keep on moving, regardless of the fact as to what is the nature of their movement. This ayah states that it is not only the moon but the sun is also moving, and the modern astronomy also believes that sun also moves:

“The sun rotates on its axis in a period of about 25 1/3 days” (The Marvels and Mysteries of Science-p. 15).

And Science says that the sun not only rotates round its axis but it moves, with its planets, round its center of gravity at a speed of 200 miles a second:

“Our own star, the sun, is no exception to the general rule, for with its attendant planets it is moving through space at a speed of 200 miles a second, travelling around the center of gravity of its cosmic system. At this speed it requires 250,000,000 years to complete a revolution in its gigantic orbit.” -(do-p.82)

Qur’an also explains that this revolution or movement of the sun and the moon is not without a time limit, but that it is for a fixed period only. Their term will end on the Day of Resurrection when the existing system of universe will be wound up and a new universe will be created.

9. That is: On giving a careful thought or on contemplating over these scattered signs in the heavens, the purpose and the wise scheme that lies behind the creation of this universe can be understood easily, and which Qur’an presents with full explanation. And these matters are not only easily understood, but we also acquire a certain and definite belief that one day we will meet our Lord and receive the fruit of what we have earned here.

10. God has spread out the earth in such a way that it has become able to provide living room to millions and trillions of creatures. Looking at this great might of the Creator man should have spontaneously bowed down before His greatness and should have believed in His being the one and the only God. But a very large number of men have turned away from Him, and among them are also those who, instead of worshipping the Creator of the earth, feel proud in worshipping the earth, and they have made ‘Bhoomi Puja’ as their religious rite and custom. They are unable to understand as to what is the meaning of worshipping that thing. These ignorant people first carve their own ‘god’ and then trample it under their own feet. Strange is their god and strange is their worship.

11. What are mountains? Signs of the greatness of God that have been placed all over the world so that seeing them man may admit the greatness of his Creator, but where is that flash of genius in every man that he should search for reality. If in the past man had made mountains his gods looking to their great heights, then in the present day he is so absorbed in finding out mountains’ types, their layers, their geologica1 components and the fossils found therein that he has no inclination to turn his mind towards the Creator. As a result, in spite of all the treasures of information and knowledge the modern man is fully drowned in materialism.

12. Allah has created flowing rivers on the earth so that man may see them and rivers of praises and gratefulness for God may flow from his lips. But instead he regarded rivers as holy and started worshipping them, and offering presents to them. Or else he achieved progress by constructing dams over the rivers and making full use of the latent energies in their waters. Beyond this, modern man is not prepared to give a thought to the marvel of creation and the greatness of their Creator.

13. The word ‘thamarat’ is used for fruits as well as for the produce. It includes fruits, grains and vegetables. It means that in the vegetab1e kingdom Allah created these plants, etc. in such a way that there are two different sexes, male and female, in them, so that the chain of production may go on. Knowledge about sexes in the vegetable kingdom is common, but the modern science of botany has presented it with such details that its marvellous system comes out clearly, for example, in the plants cells are found, which contain chromosomes, which possess hereditary traits or qualities and which can be observed with the help of the microscope, or the stamens that are found in the flowers have male and female classifications. When the flowers blossom, bees and other insects are attracted towards them by their scent, they transfer pollens from one flower to another and this way fertilization takes place, and thus the flower is converted into fruit.

Does not this system of nature prove the existence of an Absolute Master of the universe?

14. That is: On the earth the vast area is not undivided, but that it is divided in various tracts, plots, etc. or there are different zones. These zones, in spite of being close and adjacent to one another, are different in their characteristics. Some are red and some are black. Some are fertile and some are barren. Some are fit to produce only a particular kind of grain and fruits and some for other kinds of grains and fruits. Some plots of land produce oil and some are mined for gold. What treasures of provision have been placed in the earth for the upkeep of man! Has this system of provision come into being automatically or was there some one Creator who caused it to be created?

15. There are two kinds of date-palms: one is that in which one stem comes out from its root and the other is that in which two or more stems come out from the root, although the same water is given to both kinds of trees. Is not this difference, this variety sufficient to refute the idea that this universe has come into existence as an accident and it is running without a Manager or an Administrator? In the case of an accidental existence, this difference, this variety, this diversity could not have been there.

16. Although all the fruit trees are watered by same water, but the fruits of these trees taste differently, some are sweet, some sour, some are tasteless and some bitter. This variation invites man to think. If man uses his common sense and intellect, it would not be difficult for him to get at the reality which Qur’an is inviting him to grab.

17. These rejectors of faith consider it strange that man will be revived after his death, as Qur’an is preaching. But in fact strange is what they are saying: that how can man be resurrected after he is dead and has become dust! According to them this whole turmoil, this to-do of the universe was merely for man to die and become dust and the chain of life be cut off after a man breathes his last; there is no question of appearing before God, nor is there any Hereafter, no reward and no punishment. This is their concept of life, which means that life is purposeless and the universe is meaningless. However, intellect does not agree with this decision. This is the decision of the blind desires. Therefore, every intelligent man, every intellectual will consider this concept of life of the rejectors of faith as strange-and not the concept of life which Qur’an presents.

18. These deniers of the Hereafter had put on, around their necks, the yokes, the chains of ignorance, prejudice against the Truth, and blind following of falsehood in this world, therefore on the Day of Judgment these yokes, chains will squeeze their necks in the form of yokes and chains of fire.

19. That is: The Prophet has been sent by Allah so that people should accept his message and should rush towards good and virtue, or in other words Allah has sent the Prophet for the good of the ‘people, but the condition of these rejectors is this that instead of collecting good and virtue they are inviting evil. They say that the punishment about which the Prophet is warning them why does it not visit them. Thus they are depriving themselves of good and are waiting for the evil (destruction) to come to them. Here they are being reproached for this wrong mentality of theirs.

20. Allah does not punish people for their wrong-doing and for their excess immediately in this world, but overlooks their faults, in order that they may get a chance to reform themselves and they may take care. But it does not mean that even if they do not improve themselves, He would not punish them. If Allah is a Forgiver, He is also a Severe Punisher.

7. And those who disbelieve say: “Why not a single sign sent down to him from his Lord.?”²¹ ( O Prophet ! ) Verily You are a warner only, and for every people there was a guide.²²

8. Allah knows what every woman bears, and also that which decreases and increases in the wombs.²³ And everything with Him is measured.²⁴

9. He is the all Knower of the unseen and the visible, the Most Great, the Most High Exalted.²⁵

10. It is alike (for Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or declare it openly, whether (any of you) lie hid in the (darkness of) night or walk freely by the (light of) day.

11. For him are guards in succession before and behind him; they guard him by Allah’s command.²⁶Verily Allah does not change the condition of a people until they (first) change what is with themselves.²⁷ And if Allah wills a torment for a people, there is no warding it off nor will there be, beside Him, any protector.

12. It is He who shows you lightning, creating fear and hope,²⁸ and raises the heavy clouds.²⁹

13. And the thunder of clouds glorifies and praises him ³⁰ and the angels do so for the awe of Him.³¹ And He sends thunder-bolts and strikes with them whom He will;³² but they (people) dispute concerning Allah, and (the fact is) He is the Mighty Powerful.³³

14. Invoking Him (in prayer) is the truth;³⁴ and those others whom they invoke beside Allah do not respond to them at all;³⁵ but it (their invoking) is like a person stretching forth his hands towards water so that it may come to his mouth, and it will never reach it.³⁶ And the invoking (in prayer) of the disbelievers is in vain.³⁷

21. For explanation Notes Nos. 64 and 65 of Surah An’am may be seen.

22. That is: As in the past Allah’s messengers were sent to the previous nations, in the same way, you, O Prophet! have: been sent now for the guidance of these people. Therefore, your task is to shake the negligent people and to guide them to the path of God. It is not your responsibility to meet their demands, therefore, do not pay any attention to their demand of performing a perceptible miracle.

It should be noted that the prophethood of Muhammad was not limited to the people of Arabia only, but as is mentioned in Qur’an in clear terms, that his message was for all the nations of the world, therefore, the question of coming down of a prophet for some nation after him does not arise.

23. Allah alone knows of what nature the unborn child is in the mother’s womb and what are his qualities, etc., and whether the mother will give birth to her child at the end of nine months or earlier. Similarly, the detailed knowledge of the birth of the off springs of the animals is also possessed by Allah alone.

24. That is: Whether it is the case of the termination of pregnancy or any other matter, Allah has fixed the time of every event according to His own plan, and His knowledge covers every part and detail of the event. It is also essentially within His knowledge when a nation will be visited by the divine punishment. Therefore, if no punishment is cracking down on you even after rejecting the message of the Prophet just now, it does not mean that no punishment will overtake you in future. Punishment—in the wake of your rejecting the message of the Prophet ----- will surely come, but it will come at the appointed hour, which is known to Allah only.

25. In the verse a few attributes of Allah have been mentioned. First He is the knower of what is hidden and what is open, and all perceptible and imperceptible things. Secondly, He is the Greatest of all (Kabir), that is in His attributes and might He is perfect and above everybody. Thirdly, He is Most High and Exalted in honour, that is: it will not be proper to judge Him by the standards applicable to His creatures, He is above all these parameters.

The purpose is to give here the right concept of Allah’s greatness, consequent upon which the feelings of worshipping Him and being accountable to Him are spontaneously generated in man’s heart, and he shudders from the very thought of receiving His punishment.

26. Means angels who are attached to every person for guarding him/her. Their duties are so arranged that they attend on a person one after another continually. A man’s life is surrounded by all kinds of dangers and there is every likelihood of his falling a prey to one danger or another, but Allah has made this provision for guarding man from all these dangers that He has appointed angels in front and in the rear of man who give him protection, and a man is harmed by some danger only when it has been destined so by Allah.

27. Where Allah has made provision for guarding an individual there he has also made provision for guarding the safety of nations too. Accordingly, when Allah grants a nation the blessed gifts of peace and security, this gift is snatched away from that nation only when it does not appreciate this great gift and is bent on straying away from God’s path, for it is not Allah’s law that He should snatch away the blessed gift from a nation without any rhyme or reason. Here the purpose is to especially hint at the eventuality that the peace and security being enjoyed at present by the rejectors of faith will not last long, because they have proved themselves to be unworthy of it. Now this gift will be essentially snatched away from them. Accordingly only a few years after this it had become difficult for the infidels to hide anywhere in the land of Arabs. Thus Allah’s law was made applicable to them.

28. If on the one hand lightning creates fear in the human heart, on the other it also creates a hope for the rain, as if lightning simultaneously reminds the people that Allah’s punishment can overtake them and that they can also hope to receive rain or His blessings by His favour only.

29. That is: The clouds heavily laden with rainwater are lifted by Allah only. In other words this system is created by Allah only, under which the rain laden clouds rise high and spread out in the sky and shower rain in far and wide places.

30. So far as the science is concerned, thunder is the result of electrical discharge. On account of the interaction of the vapours positive charge is generated in the upper portion of the clouds and negative charge is generated in the lower portion. When the quantum of the electrical charge is sufficiently increased, then electricity is discharged, and the electric current with tremendous heat spreads out in the air and the electric wave becomes the sound wave, which is called thunder. This is the physical reality about thunder, which has the informative aspect. But Qur’an invites man’s attention to the spiritual meaning of this reality, which is of real importance, and it is this: The thunder of the clouds declares that there is a God of this universe, who has not turned unconcerned after creating it, but is actually managing its affairs and demonstrates the marvels of His might: and He is powerful to bring down His cracking whip of punishment on His rebellious slaves. In short, those whose ears have not become deaf can hear in the thunder of the clouds the declaration of the greatness of Allah.

31. That is: He is such a great Being that even angels tremble with awe, then what impression should man get from hearing the outburst of the thundering clouds?

32. When a thundering lightning falls on somebody it instantly kills him. This is man’s common observation, and nobody can say who will be its next victim and when.

33. That is: these thundering clouds and cracking lightnings are declaring and demonstrating that the Lord of this universe has tremendous power. Men should have shuddered on hearing this declaration, but the condition of men is such that they have the temerity of involving themselves in discussions about God, some say that this is not the work of God but of devtas (imagined gods), others argue that God cannot revive dead persons, and the present day ‘intellectuals’ put forth the theory of a godless universe, so that they may be free from God forever!

34. Calling or invoking God means praying to God for seeking His help. It is the attribute of Allah alone. That He hears the call of every invoker and fulfills their needs and reaches to them in their hours of need. Therefore, invoking Him is quite right and proper and in accordance with reality, and since besides Allah there is no one who has this attribute, invoking anybody besides Allah, whether an idol, a jinn, an angel, a saint, or a prophet, is absolutely wrong and contrary to realism.

35. What a large number of Muslims turn towards durgahs, and mazars for seeking help in their hours of need, on account of their ignorance! They think that the pious people buried in these graves hear their prayers and fulfil their needs, but such a thought is as false and wrong as the thought of the polytheists about their gods.

36. In the ayah it has been very clearly and unambiguously stated that nobody but nobody besides Allah can hear and answer anybody’s prayer and invoking.

That is: As a person may stretch his hands towards water and request it to reach his mouth, the water will neither hear this request nor will it reach his mouth to quench his thirst, similarly the deities before whom the polytheists stretch their hands and pray for help neither hear their prayer nor do they come to their aid.

It should be noted that ‘to stretch hand before the water so that it may reach the mouth’ is an idiom of Arabic, which means requesting the unattainable or the useless request, and the meaning of the ayah is the same.

37. That is: Calling or invoking others besides Allah as the infidels do is useless.

For those who responded to their Lord is bliss, and for those who did not respond to Him, if they had all that is in the earth, and together with its like (in vain) they would proffer it in ransom. For them will be the woeful reckoning; their abode will be Hell, a dismal resting place! (Al-Quran)

15. And before Allah prostrates himself whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening.³⁸

16. Ask them: “Who is Lord of the heavens and the earth?” Say: “Allah.” Ask (them): “Have you then taken others beside Him for protectors, which, even to themselves, can do neither good nor harm ?”³⁹ Say: “ Are the blind and the seeing alike ?⁴⁰ Or is darkness equal to light?⁴¹ Or have the partners assigned to Allah by them created the like of His creation that it seemed alike to them ?”⁴² Say: “ Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Subduer.”⁴³

17. He sent down water (rain) from the sky, so that valleys flowed according to their measure, then the flood bears (on its surface) swelling foam-and from what they smelt in the fire to make ornaments or other things a foam like it rises-thus does Allah express the truth and falsehood. So the foam passes away as the scum upon the banks, while what is of use to mankind remains in the earth. Thus does Allah present parables.⁴⁴

18. For those who responded to their Lord is bliss, and for those who did not respond to Him, if they had all that is in the earth, and together with its like (in vain) they would proffer it in ransom.⁴⁵ For them will be the woeful reckoning;⁴⁶ their abode will be Hell, a dismal resting place!

19. Can he who knows that what is revealed to you from your Lord is the truth be like him who is blind? Verily men with understanding will only heed admonition.⁴⁷

20. Those who fulfil the covenant of Allah and do not break the pledge;⁴⁸

21. And those who join that (relationship) which Allah has commanded to be joined,⁴⁹ and fear their Lord and dread terrible reckoning;

38. All the creatures in the heavens and the earth, whether angels or jinns or others, all prostrate themselves before Allah in one way or the other. Some bow their heads before Him willingly, but others, though not intentionally, are compelled by the natural law to bow before their Creator. For a disbeliever to breathe in order to live, or to eat food, or his moving his limbs to walk is his following Allah’s law, and this following by the infidels of the laws made by Allah is nothing but their bowing before Him, though it may be a bowing which is done under compulsion, and that is why such a bowing does not entitle them to be called Momin or faithful slaves of Allah.

The clear sign of everything prostrating itself before God is its shadow, which increases and decreases in shape. No denier of God has the power to prevent his shadow falling on the ground. He refuses to obey Allah in his voluntary life, but in his involuntary living his whole existence, his being, is bowed down before God. Would that he contemplates this fact! This is an ‘ayat-i-sajdah, therefore, on reciting it one should at once prostrate oneself before Allah.

39. The polytheism that has been decried here is that which envisages a being other than God as “wali” or the being who comes to one’s rescue, or in other words to hold the belief that although that being is not seen by us but he/she has the power to benefit or harm us and he/she can help us in an unseen way. Such a concept is totally false and such a belief is absolutely polytheistic, for there is no one beside Allah who can benefit or harm us in reality. whether it is in relation to an idol or a tree, a spirit or an angel, and a prophet or a saint. And it is also not necessary that the being be addressed as a god or lord, but the very belief of considering him/her as ‘the unseen rescuer’ is considering him/her as a god. Therefore, any person who deals with another being in a manner which is reserved for God alone, is committing polytheism.

Qur’an asks such people: When the Lord of the universe is Allah, then how these beings have become rescuers or wali ?

40. Here blind means intellectually incapable to judge and the seeing means those who can see or judge with their intelligence.

41. Darknesses means darknesses of ignorance and light means light of the knowledge of the truth.

42. That is: When there is no proof of any other being creating anything, then how can there be more than one god? Anything beside God is the created thing or a creature. Then what is the meaning of granting the rank of a Creator to the creature? How can the attribute of creation come in a creature?

43. After creation nothing has gone out of control of Allah, everything is in and under His control. Therefore, how can a thing or person that is under His control become god?

44. This is an example of the struggle between truth and falsehood. Causing rainwater to fall from the heavens means sending down Divine revelation. Flowing of the valleys according to their measure means deriving benefit by the people who have the capability to accept the truth according to their capacity, the flood is the flood of truth, and the foam signifies the foam of falsehood, which comes out during the struggle of truth and falsehood. In the second example the ornaments of gold and silver stand for the first rank sincere faithful people and other things stands for the common righteous people. Smelting them in the fire means subjecting them to trials. It means that when the struggle between truth and falsehood takes place, falsehood comes out prominently but its reality is nothing more than that of foam; it subsides and disappears in a short time. However, the truth remains in the same way in which water remains in the earth. Similarly, when the gold, silver and other metals are smelted in the fire the dirt and impurities come out prominently and are soon done away with, and what is pure gold or silver or other metal remains. In other words, the natural law is that whatever is really beneficial to the people should survive and whatever is harmful should disappear. After the revelation of the Qur’an, the struggle that ensued between truth and falsehood caused falsehood to come out prominently for a short time like the foam, but the final result was that the truth endured and remained supreme while falsehood was destroyed and disappeared.

45. For explanation, see Note No. 124, Surah Maidah.

46. That is: When they would appear before Allah for giving account of their deeds or misdeeds, their reckoning will be very strict and severe and they will have to account for every small bit of their action.

47. The facts which have been disclosed here are enough to make a person a truth lover, but only those people prove to be wise who use their intelligence without prejudices and who try to see. No advice or admonition impresses the blind of intellect and heart.

48. When a man uses his intelligence rightly he becomes God-conscious and self-understanding, which creates in him a sense of responsibility, and as a result he is blessed with excellent attributes. The best of these attributes is keeping the covenant with Allah. This covenant is that pledge which the human race had given to Allah before coming to this world, and which is ingrained in the human nature in such a way that man easily recognizes his Lord. (See Surah A’raf Note No.264 & 265), and it also includes that pledge which a man gives to Allah after accepting this faith.

49. Refers to familial relationships, and joining or uniting them means treating one’s kinsmen kindly and justly, and paying their dues. Man is put to severe test in connection with his treatment of his relatives, and kind and just treatment of relatives is an excellent moral trait, while ill-treatment of relatives is a very bad moral conduct.

50. That is: Inspite of living a righteous life they fear lest they may be questioned strictly on the Day of Judgment. This fear makes their lives or their way of living cautious and the paths of virtue open up for them.

And those who kept patience for seeking the pleasure of their Lord,and established salat, (namaz) and spent openly and secretly from what (provision) We granted them, and warded off evil with good; for such is the Eternal Homes of Hereafter. (Al-Quran)

22. And those who kept patience for seeking the pleasure of their Lord,⁵¹and established salat, (namaz) and spent openly and secretly from what (provision) We granted them,⁵² and warded off evil with good;⁵³ for such is the Eternal Homes⁵⁴ of Hereafter.

23. Gardens of Eden (Everlasting) which they will enter, and also the righteous among their fathers, and their spouses and their off springs, ⁵⁵ and angels shall enter unto them from every gate.

24. (Saying): Peace be up on you because you kept patience.⁵⁶ So excellent is the Home of Hereafter!

25. And those who break the covenant of Allah after firmly making it, and sever that (relationship) which Allah has commanded to be joined, and make mischief in the earth:⁵⁷ for such is the curse on them and is the un happy (Evil) Home.

26. Allah enlarges the livelihood for whom He will, and gives sparingly⁵⁸ to whom He will; and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of the world is but brief comfort in comparison with the Hereafter.⁵⁹

27. Those who disbelieved say: “Why was not a sign sent down to him from his Lord !⁶⁰ Say: “Verily Allah lets stray whom He will, and guides to Himself who turns to Him in repentance.⁶¹

28. “Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah. Lo! In the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction!⁶²

²⁹. “Those who believed and performed good acts, for them are greetings⁶³ and an excellent end!”

30. Thus We have sent you amongst a nation, before whom many nations have passed away, so that you might recite to them what We have revealed to you⁶⁴ while they disbelieve in Rahman (Most Gracious).⁶⁵ Say: “He is my Lord, there is no God but He. In Him I put my trust and to Him I turn.

51. It shows that for Allah the patience and forbearance which a man shows to seek His pleasure has considerable value. If Allah’s pleasure is not the objective of any patient forbearance or perseverance, then expectation of any reward from Him is futile.

Remaining steadfast on truth is patience. Man should undergo willingly sufferings and misfortunes in the path of worshipping and obeying Allah, should forbear with rectitude penury and sickness, should be steadfast and unyielding in facing difficulties, attempting reforms of his fellow beings and striving in the path of Allah. In this way the whole life of a Momin (faithful) is the life of patience.

52. That is: Spending for seeking Allah’s pleasure, and spending for good causes. For further elucidation please see Note No.452, Surah Baqarah.

53. Filth cannot be removed by filth. To wash it away, water is required. Similarly, evil cannot be removed by counter-evil, but it can be removed by good and by kind treatment. Therefore, in a corrupt environment the weapon used by the reformers is virtue and goodness.

54. That is: The abode of the Hereafter, Whose blessed gifts will be received by such virtuous people.

55. This is an additional glad tiding for the people of faith that in the Paradise there will be with them those of their parents, spouses and children who will be righteous, so that their enjoyment be increased. This glad tiding prompts the people of faith to make efforts to persuade their family folk to be righteous so that all the members of the family may become deserving of Paradise.

56. That is: The life of patience which you lived in the world has made you eligible to get Paradise, where there is absolute peace for you. This very thought provides spiritual pleasure for the people of faith that in Paradise angels will be coming to specifically meet them and will congratulate them on their achievement.

57. This is the condition of those who do not want to remain as slaves of the one and only God. They break the covenant of worship which is a natural covenant. Besides, they also break the promise of worship that they make to God in all awareness when they are placed in adverse circumstances. After they are released from that adversity, they follow the path of disbelief and polytheism, and commit every kind of corruption in the world.

58. By seeing abundance of wealth of the disbelievers and the polytheists and their economic ‘progress’ people carry a wrong impression that if they deserved to receive divine curses, how is it that the world has offered them so much of its bounties. To remove this wrong impression, it is stated that the abundance of means of livelihood and its scarcity is dependent on Allah ‘s will, and in this matter man is put to test to see whether he makes success in the Hereafter as his objective or this world as his goal. Therefore, abundance of wealth and economic progress is no argument to prove that it is provided on account of Allah’s being pleased with that person.

59. To ignore the life in the Hereafter and to consider the worldly life as the only important thing is that basic error which has put men on a wrong track. Just now they are absorbed in building up their world, but their eyes will open when the Hereafter will occur. At that time, they will realize that the worldly wealth was not the real wealth nor the worldly progress was the real progress, and that by going on the wrong track in their lives they have deprived themselves of the eternal wealth and everlasting blessings of the Hereafter.

60. Means perceptible sign, that is a miracle. For further explanation, see Note No.64 and No.65 of Surah An’am.

61. There has been such a collection of signs of being a prophet in the person of Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) that there remained no need of any perceptible miracle. If even after seeing all these signs, those people who still reject him as a prophet and do not accept his message, how can they be guided to find the path of truth. Allah guides only those to the path of truth who turn towards Him and who pray to Him to show the right path.

62. That is: Those who turn to Allah only embrace faith. And when they accept faith, remembrance of Allah brings satisfaction to their hearts, for accepting faith is finding God. When a Momin finds God, he is relieved of all mental tensions and his desires and feelings get aligned to Allah, which creates a state of tranquility and satisfaction in his heart.

This ayat lavishly enriches the people of faith with the spiritual riches. The more a Momin remembers Allah the greater is his spiritual satisfaction and contentment, and this wealth is so enormously satisfying that all the wealth of the world is nothing before it.

63. In this greeting is a world of happiness and fulfilled desires, because this greeting is from Allah, and when a Momin realises this, lie is restless to meet his Creator even before his death.

64. In this ayat a command is given to make the polytheists hear the recitation of Qur’an, which proves that Qur’an is meant to be understood by both Muslims and Non-Muslims. If they do not know Arabic, then they should be made to understand it with the help of its translations.

65. Rejectors of prophethood are in reality deniers of godhood of the Most Gracious (Allah), for if they believe in Allah to be the Most Gracious and the Most Kind, then they should have no wonder or reservation at the coming of the Prophet or the revelation of the Qur’an, thinking that Allah is kind towards His slaves and therefore, has sent down His messenger and message for them, as His blessings.

The description of the Paradise which has been promised to the God-fearing. Underneath it rivers flow, its provision (fruits) are everlasting, so also its shades. This is the end (final destination) of those who fear Allah, and the end of the disbelievers is Fire. (Al- Quran)

31. And if there had been a Qur’an with which mountains could be moved, (from their places) or the earth could be torn asunder, or the dead could be speak⁶⁶ (even then they would not have believed, nor is it in your power to do this); nay, but the command of all things is with Allah only⁶⁷ Have not those who believe, knowing that if Allah willed He would have guided all mankind, been disappointed ?⁶⁸ As for those who disbelieve, disaster will not cease to strike them because of what they do, or to descend close to their homes, until the promise of Allah comes to pass.⁶⁹ Verily, Allah never fails in His promise.

32. And verily messengers (of Allah) were mocked before you, but I granted respite to those who disbelieved, then ultimately I seized them. And how (terrible) was My punishment!

33. Is then He who stands (watching) over every soul as to what it has earned (will leave it unscathed? They have denied this reality) and ascribed partners to Allah,⁷⁰ Say: “Name them.⁷¹ Is it that you are informing Him of something which He knows not in the earth? ⁷² Or is it merely a superficial talk ?⁷³” Nay, to the disbelievers their trickery has been made to appear fair,⁷⁴ and they have been kept away from the (right) path.⁷⁵ And He whom Allah lets go stray, for him there is no guide.⁷⁶

34. For them is the punishment in the life of the world,⁷⁷ and verily the punishment of the Hereafter is more hard. And they have no defender (to save them) from (the punishment of) Allah.

35. The description of the Paradise which has been promised to the God-fearing. Underneath it rivers flow, its provision (fruits) are everlasting, so also its shades.⁷⁸ This is the end (final destination) of those who fear Allah, ⁷⁹ and the end of the disbelievers is Fire.

66. The answer to this conditional sentence has been omitted, as it is quite obvious. It is a style in Arabic that on such occasions the answer is Omitted and the reader understands the sense of the omitted part. We have put the answer into bracket.

67. It means that if such a Qur’an had been sent down to them as would have caused the movements of the mountains, tearing asunder of the earth and the dead to talk, even these miracles would not have influenced these obstinate people to accept the faith, nay, they would have termed it as magic, etc. Secondly performance of miracles is not within the power of a Prophet, but it is only Allah who has the power to manifest it through His messengers. If He wills He will manifest it through them, if He does not, then no miracle can be shown.

68. On account of the persistent demand of the idolaters for a miracle, some Muslims were thinking that perhaps after the manifestation of a miracle they would embrace Islam. Their wrong impression is being corrected here. They are being told that faith is not dependent on miracle. It depends on intelligence and the inner light (basirat), and those who use their intelligence and inner light, for them Qu’ran is a great miracle by itself. But those who do not use their intelligence and have no inner light, for them even the showing of a miracle would not result in acceptance of faith. Certainly, if Allah wanted, He could have made everyone follow the right path, and since He has not done so and has given men the authority to choose guidance or otherwise. Therefore, how can we expect those who have taken the path of obstinacy to follow the right path after seeing a perceptible miracle?

69. That is: Until the Day of Resurrection one adversity or other would be befalling the disbelievers: sometimes on one nation and at other times on another nation, one time on one township at another time on another township, sometimes in one country and other times in another country , so that they may taste the fruits of their misdeeds in the world itself, and so that they may get a warning. These adversities or disasters can be from natural causes like earthquakes, etc., or inflicted by men, like wars, etc.

In the modern times these disasters are taking place with such rapid regularities that there is not a single day when the news of some small or big disaster is not reported in the papers. Storms, floods, famines, and earthquakes and other such natural disasters and calamities besides them like riots. accidents and warfare have taken a very tragic turn.

70. That is: The God who is watching over every action of theirs, how is it possible that He would not question them about their misdeeds! But by ascribing partners to Him, they have apparently secured deliverance from the final reckoning, because they think that these protectors and supporters would be their safeguard everywhere; if any difficulty arises after death, these deities would be their means of deliverance in the next world too.

71. This is a taunt on the unreality of their invented partners of God. They are being told that Allah is that great Being who watches the acts and behaviour of every person, therefore, worshipping Him is justifiable and proper, so also is justifiable our being afraid of His reckoning. But which of your gods has such an absolute power? Can you name your gods and goddesses, with appropriate details that such and such of them have such unparalleled attributes and power?

72. If such is your claim, then it means that you are informing Allah about the existence of various gods, when Allah does not know there is any other god beside Him, and what is not known by Allah has no existence at all.

73. To make a claim about a thing which has no reality is a thoughtless and nonsensical proposition, but you do not realize that how senseless and absurd your propositions are. People should be most serious when thinking about God, but the fact is that many of them are casual and irresponsible in this matter and they utter any nonsense that comes to their lips.

74. That is: People are not prepared to give up their polytheism even after its falsehood and unreality are exposed, because giving up would result in adversely affecting their interests, the position which they enjoy in society would be lost, and their power and authority would be endangered. They try to prove that their polytheistic religion is right in order to veil their improper and illegal personal interests. These are all their tricks.

75. That is: Allah’s law of misguidance or letting men to go astray has been made applicable to them.

76. The law of nature is: that whoever closes his eyes is unable to see the path of guidance, nor is it in anybody’s power to show him light.

77. The punishment that visits the disbelievers, atheists and polytheists in this world appears in different forms and it, also varies according to degrees. The punishment that comes after a Prophet has convincingly conveyed the Divine message is a decisive punishment, but besides this, punishments of big and small kinds do appear in the world every now and then. And the fact is that a disbeliever receives such punishment from God in this world that he is in great mental anguish and spiritual distress, however luxurious life he may be leading. As against this the suffering through which a sincere Momin has to pass is as a test for him and bearing it gives him spiritual reward, therefore, this suffering does not cause any lessening or reduction in his spiritual equilibrium, on the contrary it only increases his spiritual pleasure. Such sufferings for a Momin are, therefore, not the cause of distress but the means of comfort and tranquility:

78. That is: It is an ever green garden, whose fruits are not seasonal but everlasting, and whose shades also remain unaltered.

It shows how different the world of Paradise will be from the earthly world and of what superior quality and excellence everything in the Paradise will be!

79. Here the word ‘taqwa’ (fear of God) has been used as against disbelief and polytheism, which shows that the basic sense of ‘taqwa’ is that men should keep away from disbelief and polytheism, while in its wider sense it means keeping away from all kinds of sins.

Those to whom We had given the Scripture rejoice at what has been sent down to you. And among the groups there are some who deny some part of it. Say: “I have been commanded to only worship Allah, and ascribe to Him no partners. I call towards Him and to Him is my return.” (Al-Quran)

36. Those to whom We had given the Scripture rejoice at what has been sent down to you.⁸⁰ And among the groups there are some who deny some part of it.⁸¹ Say: “I have been commanded to only worship Allah, and ascribe to Him no partners. I call towards Him and to Him is my return.”

37. And thus have We sent it down, a Decree in Arabic.⁸² And if you followed their desires after what has come to you of knowledge,⁸³,⁸⁴ then you will not have any protector and any defender against Allah.

38. And verily We had sent messengers before you, and had provided for them wives off spring ,⁸⁵ and it was not (possible) for a messenger to bring forth a sign, except with the permission of Allah. For every period there is a book⁸⁶ (decree).

39. Allah effaces what He wills and confirms⁸⁷ (what He wills) and with Him is the Ummul Kitab⁸⁸ (Mother of the Book).

40. And whether. We let you see some part of what We had promised them, or (before that happening) cause you to die.⁸⁹ Your duty is to convey (the message), and on us is the reckoning.

41. Do they not see how We advance in the land, reducing its borders?⁹⁰ And (when) Allah commands, there is none to put back His command, and He is swift at reckoning.

42.And those who were before them had (also) plotted, but Allah is the master of all planning. He knows what every soul earns, and soon the disbelievers will know for whom is the Home of Hereafter.

43. And the disbelievers say that you are not a messenger (from Allah). Say: “Allah is sufficient witness between me and you, and also those with whom is the knowledge of the Book.”⁹¹

80. Refers to those sincere persons from amongst the people of the Book who sincerely believed in Allah, and were not victims of groupism and religious prejudice. When Qur’an came before them, they were happy that an arrangement has been made by God for their guidance. Probably it refers to the Christian king of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) to which country the Muslims had first migrated, and the king had embraced Islam.

81. Refers to those sects of the people of the Book who had some reservations in the matter of accepting some parts of Qur’an, particularly its teachings of pure monotheism.

82.That is: As We have sent you as a messenger to the Arab nation-which has been mentioned in the foregoing ayah No. 30 -- in the same way We have sent down in their own tongue which is Arabic Qur’an in the form of a Decree, so that they may understand it, and since the Divine Messenger has been directly sent to that nation, it was necessary that the communication of Allah’s message to it should have been perfectly accomplished.

83. Knowledge means the right knowledge of religion, which has been sent down in the form of Quran.

84. By desire is meant those beliefs and customs and rituals which are not based on the knowledge of truth but are based on the personal desires, likes and dislikes of individuals. This principle also applies to those innovations which some Muslims have wrongfully adopted and which has disfigured the shape of the original religion.

85. This is a reply to the objection of the detractors that how can this man, being a Prophet, have wives and children. They thought that a prophet should be above the necessities of manhood or human needs. The reply is that the messengers who were sent earlier were also men and they had all the needs of a man. It is not against the dignity of a prophet to be a man.

86. That is: In the age in which Allah sent down a prophet, He sent down His signs which were suitable to that age, and which were the proofs of the prophet’s being Allah’s messenger. The manifestation of these signs occurred in accordance with the wise decision which He had taken for that age. And all these decisions for every age are significant like a written decree (Book).

It means that the age of Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) is different from the past ages, therefore, to demand a perceptible miracle from him as was done in the past is not right. In the times of Moosa (Alaihis-salam) magic was rampant, so he was given the miracle of converting his staff into a python, so that it may be victorious over the magic and may prove his prophethood.

Similarly, in the times of Prophet Eesa, medical practice had taken large strides, therefore, he was given the miracle of curing the blind and the leper. The age of Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was the age of elegant speech and literary excellence, therefore, he was given such an excellent literary masterpiece that the great poets and the literary giants of the period had to admit its superiority. Besides, the Arabian Prophet’s age extends to the end of the world, therefore, only a miracle which could remain permanent would only have been suitable. Such a miracle should be able to be seen by the people of the subsequent ages also. Accordingly, Qur’an is a miracle that will last forever. For this period this only is the decision of Allah, which has the authority of a written decree.

87. In view of what has been stated in the foregoing ayah in connection with the sign (miracle), the meaning of this ayah is: Allah makes a sign (miracle) temporary, if He pleases, and He makes it permanent as and if He pleases. The miracles which were given to the earlier prophets, were time-bound and temporary, but the miracle in the form of Qur’an which has been given to Prophet Muhammad is a miracle which is living and will abide till the end of the world.

88. That is: He has that Book in which all the decisions of Allah are written. What prophet should be given which miracle in which age is a decided thing, which is written in the Ummul Kitab. It means that there is a decided scheme of Allah about sending down of the messengers and about the performance of miracles by them, which is with Him in an orderly way, and events occur as mentioned therein. Therefore, instead of demanding absurd things, contemplate over this scheme and the wisdom according to which the Prophet has been sent down.

89. This has been explained in Note No.75, Surah Yunus.

90. The influence of Islam is increasing in places around Makkah, Madina, etc., and the number of persons embracing Islam in various tribes is increasing. It is a sign of the fact that Islam is advancing towards victory, and the land of Makkah is becoming more and more harrow day by day for the disbelievers and the polytheists, This prophecy of Qur’an proved to be true, and within a few years Islam not only came to power in Madina but also conquered Makkah and spread over the whole of Arabia.

91. Means those persons from the people of the Book who had the knowledge of the Divine Scripture, and were truth loving. Their witness in support of the prophethood of Muhammad has been presented because the prophecies which were made in the earlier divine scriptures about the coming of a prophet were seen to be most appropriately fitting to him, and his dawah was exactly the same which the earlier prophets had been making. Therefore, from amongst the Christians, the embracing of Islam by the king of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia), Najashi (Negus) was quite significant. Since the polytheists of Makkah were ignorant of what prophet hood is and the people of the Book knew that, the polytheists of Makkah were asked to find out from the people of the Book that previously also Divine messengers had been coming or not and whether they were men or something else.