22 -AL-HAJJ (THE PILGRIMAGE)

NAME: A reference to Hajj in the ayah No.27 as a general declaration gives the surah its name.

TIME OF REVELATION : It is revealed in Madina and from the topics it appears that it might have been revealed in 01 A.H. about the time of the Hajj.

CENTRAL THEME: To revive the campaign for realising the objective for which the House of Ka’ba was built and the Hajj was made conditionally compulsory, and to present this center of Monotheism to Muslims after freeing it from the control of the unbelievers.

ORDER OF THE VERSES: Ayat Nos. 1 to 4 are the preamble in which the general people are addressed and shaken about the oncoming severe shock of the Doomsday, and they are informed that very many people get themselves involved, being prompted by Satan, in baseless and misleading discussions about God. As a consequence of this, they will fall into the fire of Hell on the Day of Resurrection.

In ayat Nos.5 to 10 arguments are presented in support of the life in the next world, and information is given about the consequences of misleading talks about God.

Ayat Nos. 11 to 24 declare that insincere worship is worthless and polytheism is refuted; the painful end of the deniers of the faith and the ultimate glory of the sincere people of faith is related in a very effective way.

In Verses No. 25 to 37, in view of the fact that the polytheists have barred the path of the holy Mosque and the Annual Pilgrimage, this reality is brought to the fore that the Builder of the Holy Place had built it for the worship of the one and only God and had made a general declaration of the Annual Pilgrimage. Along with it the rituals of the Hajj and their spirit are presented.

In Ayat Nos. 38 to 41 the Muslims of Madina are, permitted to wage a war (Jihad) against the idolaters to free the Holy Mosque from the control of the polytheists, and that Allah will help them and will grant them power.

Ayat Nos. 42 to 48 invite the attention of those who are clamouring for hastening their punishment towards the events of the destruction of the evil acting nations.

In Verses Nos. 49 to 57 it has been clarified that the task of the messenger is to warn, but against his missionary efforts Satan has busied himself in the same way in which he used to carry on the propaganda campaign against every messenger of God. Only those people are influenced by this propaganda whose hearts are afflicted by a disease while Allah’s loyal slaves experience an increase in their knowledge and belief from this false propaganda.

In Verses Nos. 58 to 62 glad tidings are given to those people who had left their homes in the way of Allah.

Ayat Nos. 63 to 66, draw the attention to Allah’s Lordship and His favours.

In Ayat Nos. 67 to 76 the doubts of the objectors are removed and the unreality of polytheism is explained, and creating a sense of greatness of Allah and the significance of the series of prophet hood are brought into focus.

Ayat Nos. 77 and 78 are the concluding verses, in which the people of faith are also insisted upon to fulfill those responsibilities which relate to making efforts in the way of Allah and for presenting the evidence about His religion. i.e. conveying His message.

22 .SURAH AL-HAJJ (THE PILGRIMAGE)

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

1. O Mankind¹! Fear your Lord.² The earthquake of the Hour (of Doom) is a tremendous thing.³

2. On the day when you will see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursing and every pregnant will be delivered of her burden and you will see mankind as drunken, yet they will not be drunken, but the punishment of Allah will be severe.⁴

3. Among men there are some who dispute ⁵ about Allah without knowledge and follow every rebellious satan; ⁶

4. It is decreed for him that whoever takes him for friend, he will surely mislead him and will guide him to the punishment of the Flame.

5. O Mankind! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then (remember) We surely first created you from dust,⁷ then from a drop of water,⁸ then from a clot,⁹ and then from a lump of flesh,¹⁰ formed and unformed.¹¹ so that We may manifest to you (Our might).¹² And We cause to remain in the womb whatever We will for an appointed term, and then We bring you forth as infants,¹³ (then nourish you) that you may grow up and reach your prime. And there are among you some who die (young) and some live on to abject old age, when all that they knew once will know no more.¹⁴ And you see the earth barren, but when We send down water thereon, it does stir and swell and put forth every kind of radiant bloom.¹⁵

1.The address is to the general people, mankind, and this generality of the address is the proof that this Surah is Medinite, revealed in Madina. It is addressed to all people up to the Day of Resurrection.

2. The first lesson of this surah is that man should fear his Creator and Master. The existence of the one and only God is an obvious fact, and His might demands that man should not dare challenge His authority, should not establish worshipful relation with any other creature except his own Creator, and should fearfully desist from disobeying His commands, for the punishment by Him for such a behaviour is very severe and on the Day of Resurrection everyone will have to account for his every action before Him.

3.The earthquake of the Doomsday will be so severe that it will affect the entire world, and man will not find any shelter from it.

4. This is a picture of the terrible happening of the Doomsday. The earth will be shaking with tremors in such a way that the entire mankind will be shocked, wondering what is going on. Everyone will be frightened for his life, so much so that mothers holding their suckling babies in their arms will forget them, and pregnant women will abort. People will be so much terrified that they would appear to be in a drunken state. They will be dazed. In other words this will be the last punishment of Allah on the face of the earth, that will appear in the form of the Doomsday. This will be the condition at the time when the trumpet will be sounded for the first time. And it also shows that time the world will be inhabited by bad people. In the hadith also it is stated that the Doomsday will occur when there will be evil people: “The Doomsday will not occur except when there will be the most evil people.” -(Muslim - Kitabul Fitan).

5. That is: They form an opinion about God and indulge into discussions thereon on the basis of mere conjectures, presumptions, theo- (COMMENTARY) ries, etc., while actually it is such a delicate issue that to open one’s mouth without having any knowledge is to prove one’s irresponsibility; and by knowledge is meant to know a thing as it actually is. The primary means of recognizing God is human nature only, then those signs which are spread over the whole of the universe, and thereafter it is that knowledge, in clear and perfect form which is revealed to the prophets (peace be upon them).

6. It is learnt that by every rebel satan is meant Iblees and his army.

Although devils are also found among men, but their leader is Satan or Iblees only. Therefore, people are warned about the evil of that being who is the leader of all evils.

7. People doubt about the information that Qur’an is imparting regarding the revival of the dead because men’s physical body is totally destroyed, and to raise it again, alive is mentioning a thing which was never observed before. To remove this doubt, here people are invited to reflect on certain phenomena which are hard realities. Accordingly it is a fact that man is created from dust. Adam was created from dust only. This statement of Qur’an is supported by the common observation: our food is created from dust and man keeps himself alive by eating food. Besides, everything tends to turn to its original ingredients, and man after death mixes with dust. Therefore, for the Being for whom it was possible to put life in a lifeless thing for the first time it would not be difficult to raise alive the dead man mixed in the dust. Now when we get the information through the most reliable source that the Creator of man has decided to revive the dead man on the Day of Resurrection, why should we not believe in that?

8. The way in which man’s race is being continuously created, after first creating man from dust, is being presented as an important argument. It is a known fact that man is created by sperm called ‘Nutfa’ drop of water, and the Quranic argument is based on this general known fact. However, in the modern times the discoveries made by the Science of Embryology are such realities as invite men to ponder over the miraculous might of the Almighty, Allah. Accordingly the amount of semen that is discharged at one time contains two hundred million sperms, while only one single sperm is sufficient to fertilise an ovum secreted by a woman. Only one ovum is expelled from the female ovary every month, which travels slowly from the womb through the Fallopian tube attached to the womb. If the sperm combines with this female ovum, fertilization takes place, which is the beginning of the pregnancy.

9. The ovum after fertilization takes the shape of a blood clot.

10. Then this clot of blood becomes a lump of flesh in a few days. This action takes place in the fourth week of conception.

11. That is: This lump of flesh which was without a shape enters a new stage when it acquires a definite shape, and sometimes miscarriage takes place even before this stage.

In view of the discoveries of the Science of Embryology, the realities presented by The Qur’an and the hadith are dealt with in a very clear way by Dr. Mohammad Ali Albar, who has highlighted the Qur’an’s greatness in the realms of scientific knowledge. in his Arabic book:

‘Khalqal Insan Bainit Tibb wal Qur’an’:

“Now we know that many time miscarriage takes place before the foetus takes shape, and in Embryology this process is known as Organo Genesis. It begins in the fourth week of conception and continues up to the eighth week” (pages 407).

12. As if the mother’s womb is a natural factory, in which man is formed into shape and it is done in such a way that the hand of the worker is not seen. But the process through which a drop of fluid passes and attains shape is a very amazing process, which invites a serious thinker to contemplate and it creates belief in their hearts that behind all these processes there surely is an All-knowing and All-Powerful Being, and man’s being born is a clear proof of the miracle of His might.

13. That is: Embryo. A child is born after completion of the period of pregnancy. This is the beginning of his infancy. It is a hint of the fact that the world of the embryo was a narrow and dark one, from which it has entered a vast and bright world. Now if its Creator is informing him that after this world he has to pass on to another more vast world (Hereafter), what is the reason to doubt it? Does man want to confine himself to this cocoon only ?

14. That is: After coming into this world, man has to pass through different stages: from childhood to adulthood and from that to old age, that is: from the highest to the lowest point, from knowledge to ignorance (forgetfulness). Then if the intimation about post-death happenings is being given, why is it not acceptable to man ?

15. This is the second argument to remove the doubt. In this world changes always take place, The earth was dry just now, but no sooner had it received rainfall, it became green and productive, and it gave forth treasure troves of its produce, as if the dead earth received life. Does not this observation produce belief in the human heart about the existence of an Almighty Lord, and if the divine revelation intimates man about the revival of the dead on the Day of Resurrection, what prevents man to believe in that? If the world presents a scene of ever changing, then is not another great change possible in the world ? And if the earth expels its treasures outwards, why is it not possible for it to expel out the dead bodies on the Day of Resurrection ?

6. That is because Allah is the Truth.¹⁶ He gives life¹⁷ to the dead and has power over all things.¹⁸

7. And the Hour of Doom is sure to come-in this there is no doubt. And Allah will raise up those who are in the graves.¹⁹

8. Among men there are some who dispute concerning Allah without knowledge, or guidance or an illuminating (divine) book. ²⁰

9. Turning away in pride in order to lead others astray from the path of Allah.²¹ For them in this world is ignominy,²² and on the Day of Resurrection We will make him taste the punishment of burning.

10. ’This is for that which your two hands had sent before,’²³ and (because) Allah is no oppressor of His slaves.

11. And among men there are Some who worship Allah, remaining on the very fringe (of true faith), so that when they are blessed with good fortune they are content, but when a ordeal befalls them, they turn around. They lose both the world and the Hereafter. This is the open loss.²⁴

12. They invoke, besides Allah, others which neither hurt them nor profit them . That is straying far.²⁵

13. They invoke him whose harm is nearer than his benefit ; ²⁶ verily an evil master and an evil companion ! ²⁷

14. Verily Allah will admit those, who believe and do good acts,²⁸ to Gardens underneath which rivers flow. Verily Allah does what He intends.

15. Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him in this world and in the world to come, let him stretch a rope to the sky and cut it off. Then let him see if his wiles have done away with that which had enraged him. ²⁹

16. That is: Creation of a higher kind of creature like man (Adam) from dust, and thereafter the continuous creation of the human species from a drop of fluid, then its reaching to adolescence from childhood, and after reaching this perfection to become old; similarly the process of the dry land becoming green and productive-all these processes cannot take place without there being a Creator. If this world were an unplanned accident, then these stages in the creation and development of the human being, the changes in his circumstances, and man’s existence on this earth without a chart and planning were not possible. Therefore Allah’s existence is an undeniable fact, and the denial of His existence or His oneness is nothing but obstinacy.

17. The examples given above also show that Allah puts life in lifeless matters.

18.These happenings which are observeable in everyday life, which have been mentioned above, manifest this reality that Allah is a Mighty Being, All Powerful, and there is nothing that He cannot do.

19. The creative acts of Allah which were mentioned above also support the fact that the occurrence of the Day of Resurrection and the revival of the dead is true and definite.

By ‘who are in the graves’ are meant dead bodies, whether they have been buried in the graves or not.

In fact the mystery about human life can be solved only after accepting as right the belief in the Day of Resurrection and the life in the next world, otherwise it is not possible for any thinker or philosopher to solve this mystery. Without such a belief it has not been possible to present a serious purpose nor a chart of planning that is behind human creation could be prepared. For example the theory of Reincarnation is absolutely helpless in the matter of answering these basic questions. It is unable to solve any problem of human life, on the contrary it creates new problems and the life becomes more confusing.

20. Knowledge has been explained in Note No.5. Guidance means that argument which common sense may readily accept, and by the Illuminating book is meant the divine scriptures. Knowledge includes both these things, but in view of their importance they have been particularly mentioned here.

21. This is the description of those leaders who lead the people astray about God. Their attitude is haughty.

22. Those who adopt a haughty attitude in relation to God, have to face disgrace in this world itself. It means that ignominy at the level of morality can be felt only by those who have a sharp sense of morality, even if the disgraced person may be very respectable in the eyes of the world.

23. Every act of man produces a result in future, and it will be man’s acts only which will make him liable to receive the punishment of Hell in the Hereafter.

24. This is the picture of those who not only claim to believe in Allah but also worship him; but they do so without sincerity and with mental reservations. If pleasant conditions are available, then they wil1 sing the praises of God and will also worship Him. But if adversity strike them, then they are averse to Him and complain against Him. Such people are deprived of those blessings which are available to men in consequence of their belief in Allah, in this world, and in the Hereafter also they will not be glorious.

It becomes clear that only that belief in God is reliable which is based on loyalty and to which man clings in all kinds of circumstances.

25. That is: Idolatry in place of belief in God is totally and absolutely wrong. But if a man wants to act against the reality then his straying from the right path is certain.

26. ‘The reality of the idols is nothing more than that they are bricks and stones which can neither benefit any one nor can harm any one. But their worshippers think that they have their godly existence too. This insensibility of theirs is being shown here that any expectation of benefit from them is a far cry, but there is an immediate and definite harm in worshipping them, which is the breaking up of relation between God and His slave, for regarding some one else as Relief- Giver is to deny that Allah is one and only Relief- Giver. In other words loyalty to the idols is disloyalty to Allah, and this is the biggest and obvious loss.

27. By giving undue veneration to the idols they have created for them very evil masters and friends, who are the cause of their doom.

28.The context shows that having faith and doing acts include the fact that such people practice this with sincerity believing Allah only to be their Relief-Giver and they attach themselves to Allah in all circumstances-good or adverse.

29. This is a warning for a person who becomes pessimistic about Allah’s help in the event of some adverse conditions. He thinks that when Allah does not help him in this world, He will not help in the next world also. Thus such a disappointment from God creates a sense of rebellion in his mind. In the modern times lot of people can be found who are not prepared to regard God as kind and Gracious because they have undergone some hardships, and they therefore, rebel against God. This is nothing but pessimism concerning God’s kindness and His help which has produced an irritation in their minds. Such people are being told that if they can do something against Divine planning, let them do it. If they can throw a rope and stretch it to the sky and reach it, and then cut off the rope so that their relation with the world is severed. Let them find out if by doing this their irritation and anger is removed. It means that if by experiencing delay in Allah’s help if man becomes pessimistic and expresses his anger against him, it is absolutely of no use at all. For he cannot act in a way which would ensure his freedom from the divine planning or he cannot escape from this world of trials to other world. Therefore, the correct line of action is that he should be hopeful of the real help coming from Allah. He should consider Him alone as the Ultimate Help-Giver and should rely on Him only even in adverse circumstances that He alone would come to his rescue.

It may be noted that as stretching the rope to the sky is stated in this ayah similarly in Surah Saad climbing on to the sky has been mentioned: “ Is theirs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them? ‘Then let them climb up to the sky by ropes !” -(Saad-10)

It is obvious that in this ayah climbing up to the sky is meant to reflect the helplessness of the idolaters. Similarly in the ayah under explanation the stretching of the rope to sky, etc. is also to express the helplessness of the infidels. Do you not see that to Allah bow (in Sajdah) whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth, and the sun and the moon, and the stars and the mountains, and the trees and the beasts, and many men? And there are many to whom the punishment is justly due. He who is humbled by Allah, there is none to honour him. Verily Allah does what He pleases. (Al-Quran)

16. And thus We have revealed it (Qur’an) as clear arguments, and verily Allah guides whom He will.³⁰

17. Verily, those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Sabieens and the Christians and the Magians and the Polytheists, verily Allah will decide between them on the Day of Resurrection.³¹ Verily Allah is witness over all things.

18. Do you not see that to Allah bow (in Sajdah) whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth, and the sun and the moon, and the stars and the mountains, and the trees and the beasts, and many men? And there are many to whom the punishment is justly due.³² He who is humbled by Allah, there is none to honour him. Verily Allah does what He pleases.

19. Here are two opponents³³ who contended about their Lord. So those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them; scalding water will be poured over their heads.

20. Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted;

21. And for them are hooked rods of iron.

22. Whenever they would desire to get out from it, out of anguish, they will be driven back therein: ‘Taste the torment of burning. ! ³⁴

23. Verily, Allah will cause those who believe and do good acts to enter Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls and their raiments will be of silk. ³⁵

24. They are guided to gentle speech,³⁶ and they have been guided to the path of the Being for whom there is praise and praise.³⁷

30. Here the guidance of Qur’an is quite clear and supported by arguments, but from this light is derived only by him whom Allah grants the sight to see it.

31. Here the six religious groups are mentioned who were found in Arabia and the lands surrounding it, viz. Muslims, Jews, Sabieens, christians, Magians and polytheists.

“Sabieens has been explained in Note No.86, Surah Baqarah.

Magians are Fire-worshippers, who call themselves followers of Zoroaster. At that time that was the religion of Iran. For further explanation, see Surah An’am Note No.3.

By polytheists are meant worshippers of various gods, worshippers of deities other than Allah, and idolaters. Other religions outside Arabia, whatever their names, are categorised under these heads only.

Every one of this group claims that in the matter of religion and god the path adopted by them is the right one. Declaring false these claims and complicated arguments of the religious people, Quran explained that the path of right is the path adopted by the people of Faith (Islam), i.e. of those people who accepted the call of the Qur’an, or in other words sincere Muslims whose religion is Islam. If inspite of this people want to stick to their own religions then on the Day of Resurrection they will see the result of their obstinacy, when Allah will deliver His judgment in this dispute.

32. for explanation see Surah Ra’d Note No. 38, and Surah Nahl Note. No.71.

In this ayah contemplation is invited on the fact that all the creatures, whether animate or inanimate, vegetable or minerals, are in bowing position before their Creator, and they bow in sajdah before Him in their own ways. In various symbols their bowing down before their Creator is manifest, and so far as men are concerned many men bow before Allah, but there still are many who are not willing to bow before Him. On such men the whip of Allah’s wrath and punishment is definite to crack. Inspite of this wrong attitude of theirs this reality is unassailable that this universe is paying obeisance to Allah, and when this is the reality, then why do you not change your attitude?

This is the ayat-e-sajdah. therefore. it is essential that sajdah (prostration) be performed whenever it is recited.

33. That is: One group is of the Momins. people of the faith who believe in Qur’an and the other group is that of the infidels, who do not believe in Qur’an, however divided it may be in various religious sects.

34.The very thought of this painful punishment is spine-chilling and blood-curdling. But those whose sensibility has become dead, how can they be expected to take a lesson from this?

35.From the above ayat it is clear that here two things are included in the sense of having faith : one is belief in the unity of God and the other is being raised on the Day of Resurrection. Those who accept faith in this way that have belief in these two things and their lives are also mirrors of virtues then the honour and splendour with which they will be blessed on the Day of Resurrection has been mentioned in this ayah. This comparison is also worth considering that for the idolaters raiments of fire will be prepared, while people of faith will be clothed in silk. The life of this world is that of trial and temporary, therefore, there are Shariah restrictions on enjoying these worldly pleasures, but the life of the Paradise will be a reward, therefore, there will not only be no restriction whatsoever in enjoying the blessings but provision will be made for the blessed ones to live in imperial magnificence. The people of the Paradise will be decked and adorned with beautiful clothes and ornaments in such a way as if every man of faith will be a bridegroom and every woman of faith will be a bride.

36. Means the Kalima of Tawheed (monotheism).

37. That is: the path of Allah for whom there is all goodness, and He deserves to be praised unsparingly.

25. Verily, those who disbelieve and bar (men) from the way of Allah³⁸ and from the Sacred Mosque,³⁹ which We made for all mankind, therein are equal the dwellers and the outsiders;⁴⁰ and whoever seeks therein wrongful deviation, him We will cause to taste painful punishment.⁴¹

26. And when We fixed for Ibrahim the site of the (Sacred) House,⁴² (saying) : “Ascribe nothing as partner to Me, and keep My House clean for those who make the round thereof, and those who stand upright and those who bow and prostrate themselves.”⁴³

27. And proclaim to mankind ‘Hajj’ (the pilgrimage)⁴⁴ -They will come to you on foot, and also on lean she-camels; they will come from every distant quarter.⁴⁵

28. So that they may witness things that are of benefit ⁴⁶ to them, and invoke the name of Allah over the cattle He has given them, on the appointed days,⁴⁷,⁴⁸ Eat of their flesh yourselves and feed the distressed poor.⁴⁹

29. Then let them remove their uncleanliness,⁵⁰ fulfill their vows,⁵¹ and go round the Ancient House.⁵²

30. That (are the rituals of the Hajj). And whoever reveres the sacred rites of Allah, it will be well for him in the sight of his Lord.⁵³ The (flesh of) cattle is lawful to you except what has been revealed to you⁵⁴ (to avoid). So shun the filth of idols,⁵⁵ and shun lying speech.⁵⁶

31. (Be) true (in faith) to Allah, associating none with Him;⁵⁷ and he who associates others with Him, it is as if he has fallen from the sky and the birds have snatched him or the wind has blown him to a far off place.⁵⁸

38. That is: They prevent men from accepting the true Faith of Allah, Islam.

39. This is an allusion to the situation wherein the entry of those Muslims, who had migrated to Madina, was debarred by the polytheists of Makkah. Those Muslims could neither perform the Hajj pilgrimage nor Umrah.

40. That is: It is not proper for anybody to have monopolistic rights over the Sacred Mosque, that they may allow some persons whom they like and forbid the entry of some whom they dislike. This is the center of Monotheism and it is the right of every monotheist, in whatever corner of the earth he may be residing, that he may come here and worship the one and only God. The gates of this Mosque are not closed for anybody, and in this matter there is no distinction between the people of Makkah and outsiders. Therefore, none from the people believing in one Allah can be debarred from performing Hajj or Umrah.

In view of this position of the Sacred Mosque, no government in any part of the world, whether of Muslims or Non-Muslims, has a right to impose unjust legal restrictions nor has the government, ruling over this land, the right to impose such restrictions concerning visa, etc., that it may create difficulties for the intending pilgrims. This also demands that such rules and regulations should not be enforced in the land by which the difficulties of the pilgrims be increased. And unjustifiable exploitation in this place is a severe crime.

41.That is: He who would deviate from the objectives for which the Mosque was constructed while living in Makkah, in a wrongful and excessive way, will be liable to receive painful punishment from Allah.

By ‘Zulm’ or wrong is meant the acts of open sins, in which polytheism is also included, and ‘Ilhad’ (deviation) also includes the acts of using the Sacred Mosque for wrong purposes. The open hint of this ayah is at the polytheists of Makkah, who had deviated from the real purpose of the House of Allah (Tawheed). and had introduced idolatry therein. But the statement is of a general nature, therefore, it is applicable to any person who may try to introduce polytheism and innovation in that place. From this it can also be concluded that those so-called Muslims who come to Makkah with evil designs or for some destructive purpose can be restricted from entering the holy City.

42. That is: The land of Makkah was selected by God for the construction of the House of Ka’ba, and the selection of the actual site was also done by Him only. What Prophet Ibrahim did was in obedience of the command of Allah.

It may be noted that Qur’an declares Prophet Ibrahim to be the builder of the House of Ka’ba, and it does not make any reference to its having been built by Prophet Adam, and subsequently it had been struck by the deluge of Nooh’s period, and that Prophet Ibrahim had only re-built it. No authentic hadith supports these presumptions. Therefore, those narratives on the basis of which some commentators make such statements are not worthy to find a place in a commentary as they are not commensurate with the statements in the Qur’an.

(For further explanation, see Surah Aal-i- Imran, Note No.117)

43. This direction was given to Prophet Ibrahim so that from the very first day the very purpose of building of the House of Allah might become quite clear, and his followers might make this direction an inviolable rule of their life. To keep the house clean means to keep it clean from the idols particularly, and also from other impurities of evil acts.

44. When the House of Ka’ba was built. Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to make a general proclamation of Pilgrimage. The meaning of this proclamation was : Firstly, this House is not reserved for any particular tribe, community, nation or residents of a specific locality, but that it is a place of worship for all people. Let the people come here and worship Allah alone.

Secondly the speciality of this House is that the Hajj pilgrimage is linked and related with this House only. The distinctive feature of the Hajj pilgrimage is that here a slave’s presence has to be in a particular way and it is a worship that creates a deep attachment and love with Allah and which imprints a regard for tawheed.

Thirdly the general proclamation for Hajj was in reality a general call for the people to accept monotheism and to worship the one and only God. In other words it was a declaration that the people should rush to their Lord and should make this House a retreat for worshipping Him.

45. That is: They will come for the pilgrimage from so far off that by traversing the long distances their camels would have become lean. In the time of Prophet Ibrahim the means of travel in the desert was camel only, that is why a mention of this animal has been made here. And today people use all media of travels, motor-cars, buses, ships, steamers, aeroplanes, etc. for coming to Makkah from far off places, and every year in the Sacred Mosque a gathering of more than two million monotheists takes place.

46. It does not mean that the people should see their material and social benefits in this, for the command to perform this pilgrimage has not been given for material benefits, but the objective is religious benefit, because Hajj is a worship of high quality. The well known commentator, Allama Jussas,writes :

“By benefits and profits the worldly benefits cannot be meant, for in that case the call for Hajj will be a call that has been given for seeking worldly benefits, though the meaning of Hajj is tawaf, (going round), sa’i (running), wuquf-e- Arfah and Muzdalfah (staying in Arfah and Muzdalfah), sacrifice, and other rituals. Material benefits accrue from it incidentally, but they are not the main objectives.” -(AhkamulQur’an -Vol III, p. 237).

The greatest religious benefit from the Hajj is the concept of one’s being in Allah’s presence. For this reason, the pilgrims chant “Labbaik”, (O Allah ! I am present ). Then the observation of the House of Allah, and other divine symbols creates a sense of strength in one’s faith, in love for Allah and attachment to Him. It also develops and nourishes pious feeling, patience in hardships and zeal for striving in His path, and also of obedience, submission and sacrifice. It makes the outlines of the history of Islam to come out in relief before one’s mind. Respect and regard is increased for Prophets, Ibrahim, Ismail and Muhammad (May Allah’ blessings and peace be upon them), whose great deeds have illuminated the history of the House of Ka’ba. This soul-nourishing universal gathering presents the objective of the Muslim Ummah’s existence in a perceptible form, and the most important fact is that the sense of expressing humility in the presence of Allah, His worship and of meeting Him creates in man a spirit which is a great strength and valuable blessing for a Muslim to pass a God-fearing and faithful life in this world. As for the material and worldly benefits, they are incidental gifts of the Hajj.

47. Means the appointed days for the sacrifice and ‘Ayyam-i-Tashreeq.’ These are the 10th,11th, 12th and 13th day of the month of Zil-Hajj. In the hadith, it is stated that-

“All the days of Tashreeq are the days for sacrifice.”

This is a hadith from Musnad-i-Ahmed, and quoting it in the ‘Manasikul Hajj wal Umrah’, Allama Nasiruddin has stated that according to him this hadith is authentic by all methods of checking. -(Page -34)

48. Means that sacrifice (hadi) which is one of the rites of the Hajj. This sacrifice is lawful of only those animals which are domestic, viz. camel, cow, sheep, goat, whether male or female. (This is clear from Surah An’am, ayat Nos. 143-144 and also from the hadith. And the editor of Fiqhus Sunnah, Sayed Sabiq, has written that there is consensus on this point. (Ibid Vol. I, p.737).

49.It explains that there is no Shariah restriction in the matter of eating and feeding the flesh of the sacrificed animal (hadi), that is its command is not like that of ‘sokhti’ (whose flesh may be devoured by fire), which was for the Jews, as is clear from the Bible. But it is an easy and simple shariah, which is exactly like the ways of Prophet Ibrahim.

The feeding of the needy by the flesh of the sacrificed animals is specifically recommended, but it has not been laid down as the main purpose of the sacrifice, but the main objective of the sacrifice, as has been stated above, is to sacrifice the domestic animals in the name of Allah, i.e. it is an act of worship and other benefits that accrue from it are of secondary importance.

The polytheists sacrifice domestic animals in the name of idols and gods and goddesses, but Islam has reserved and specified this worship for the sake of Allah only, by adopting which man becomes a follower of monotheism. Therefore, if on account of certain circumstances, it is not possible to distribute the flesh among the needy and poor or it is not possible to utilise the flesh in any way, even then offering sacrifice is necessary. By offering the sacrifice of a domestic animal in the name of Allah the objective of the sacrifice is achieved, and the utilisation of the sacrificed animal is not conditional with this offer of sacrifice. In the hadith also the shedding of the blood of the animal has been declared to be a virtuous act. The real appreciation of this act can be realised when the importance of tawheed is understood by man, and when the appreciation of the worship is recognised by him. If the real importance of the sacrifice were to be that of the flesh, then in the previous shariah there would not have been the command to burn the flesh, but those who do not have the real importance of the sacrifice in their view, they, in conditions where arrangements for utilisation of the flesh may not be possible, consider the actual sacrifice as useless and try to seek other alternative measures in the form of charity, although man has no authority to seek alternative for an act which is expressly of the nature of worship. And if we seek innovations by using our intellect in the matters of worship then the entire system of the religion will be adversely affected.

50. That is : The dirt, etc., that is collected on account of the restrictions of the ‘ahram’ should be removed, The condition of ‘ahram’ is a special condition, in which cutting of hair, nail cutting and applying scent, etc. are forbidden. That is why cleanliness’ cannot be maintained as in the ordinary circumstances. But after the sacrifices haircutting is undertaken and ‘ahram’ is removed.

51. The word ‘Nazr’ used here is explained in Surah Baqarah, Note No.450. Here the mention of the ‘Nazr’ is specifically made so that if anybody has taken a pledge (Nazr) about the sacrifice, he should fulfill it.

52. In view of the addressees of the Qur’an, the House of Ka’ba is termed as the Ancient House, for two and a half thousand years before the revelation of the Qur’an, it was built by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (Peace be upon them). Its being ancient manifests its being historic.

After shaving the head or cutting the hair, it is necessary to reach Makkah from Mina and to go round the House of Ka’ba (tawaf). It is called the ‘tawaf-i-Ifadah (or ‘tawaf-i-Ziyarah’). It is an item of the ritual of the Hajj pilgrimage.

53. The things to be venerated comprise of divine symbols as well as divine rituals. Symbols comprise of Ka’ba, the Sacred Mosque, Safa, Marwah and the sacrifice, and they are to be shown due veneration as desired by the Shariah. For example, the respect to be offered to Safa and Marwah is to be “sa’i” (running) between them. During this running, a man puts his foot on these grounds but that is not considered disrespectful. Similarly while coming out from the sacred Mosque, a man turns his back towards the House of Ka’ba, but it is not considered disrespectful. But if a man considering turning the back towards Ka’ba to be disrespectful and for this reason he walks backward, then it will be a bida’ (innovation). Similarly the cover that is to be placed on the House of Ka’ba is brought in a procession, that also would amount to be introducing a bid’at, for this kind of respect in the religion is a new method.

54.Points to Surah Nahl, ayah No. 115, in which the flesh of unslaughtered animals being unlawful, etc., has been mentioned.

Here the mention of the domestic animals being lawful has been made with reference to what is stated above. The idea is to clarify that Allah has definitely given command to show respects to His rites and symbols, but that He has not given command to show respect to these things on the basis of polytheism and superstition. This is also a pointer to the practice of the polytheists of Makkah who had declared the cattle named as ‘Bahira’ and ‘Saibah’ -that it was a wrong practice. The veneration of the cow also comes under this category.

55. The filth of idols means that filth of belief and action which accrues from believing in idolatry. Such people indulge in superstitious and absurd acts and ideas and have a filthy mentality.

56. On account of idolatry and polytheism man utters such falsehoods against God which are absolutely untrue. Such people indulge in self invented religious rites, and declare certain animals as sacred, and when these people come into power they make laws declaring unlawful that which Allah had made lawful and declaring lawful which Allah had forbidden. In the hadith the evidence in favour of falsehood has been termed as a great sin:

“The Messenger of Allah (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) stated: “May I not tell you what are the greatest sins among the major sins ?” We said: “Sure, O Messenger of Allah!” He said: “To join partners with Allah, and to cut off relations with the parents.” He was resting, so he sat up and said: “Listen! False speech and false evidence (witness).”

57. That is: Adopt the belief of monotheism, and stick to it, without mixing it with any kind of polytheism.

58. This is the example of the consequence of polytheism. When a man commits the sin of polytheism, he falls from the height of nature, Immediately on his falling he is picked up by the birds who tear him to shreds. Another example is that when he falls from the height, he is carried away by the winds and thrown into a pit. And is a fact that as a consequence of polytheism man becomes a victim of his carnal desires, and these desires carry him to lowly depths and throw him into the pit of destruction. Therefore, a polytheist cannot achieve the height of serious thinking and that his thinking takes him intellectually and morally to the lowly depths of ideas.

And the sacrificial camels, We have appointed them among the symbols of Allah. There is much good for you in them. So pronounce the name of Allah over them when they are drawn up in lines, and when they have fallen down on their sides, eat of their flesh and feed with it the contented and the beggar.Thus We have subjected them to you so that you may give thanks. (Al-Quran)

32. That is (the reality). And whoever reveres the symbols of Allah, it is surely from the devotion of the hearts.⁵⁹

33. In them (animals for sacrifice) are benefits for you for an appointed term, and then their place of sacrifice is at the ancient House.⁶⁰

34. And for every community we have ordained a ritual, that they may pronounce the name of Allah over the animals which He has given them (for food),⁶¹ and your God is one God, therefore, surrender to Him. And (O Prophet!) give good tidings to the humble,⁶²

35. Whose hearts are filled with awe⁶³ when Allah is mentioned; and who are patient in whatever (misfortune) befalls them and offer salat (prayer) and give in charity of what We have bestowed on them.

36. And the sacrificial camels, We have appointed them among the symbols⁶⁴ of Allah. There is much good for you in them. So pronounce the name of Allah⁶⁵over them when they are drawn up in lines, and when they have fallen down on their sides, eat⁶⁶ of their flesh and feed with it the contented and the beggar.⁶⁷Thus We have subjected them to you so that you may give thanks.

37. Their flesh and their blood reach not Allah, but the piety from you reaches Him.⁶⁸ Thus have We made them subject to you, so that you may glorify Him⁶⁹ for having guided you. And (O Prophet !) give good tidings to the those who do good.

38. Verily⁷⁰ Allah will defend those who are believers. Verily Allah does not like any treacherous and ungrateful person ! ⁷¹

39. Permission (to take up arms) is given to those who are being attacked, because they have been oppressed,⁷² and Allah has power to provide them help;

59. Paying respects to the divine symbols and rites is not merely a formality, but it is connected with the piety of the heart. By seeing the divine ceremonies a sense of greatness of Allah is created in the hearts, and the concept of Allah’s greatness creates awe and piety.

60. Milk of the animals for sacrifice (hadi) can be drunk and they can also be utilised for riding and transportation. Then their place of sacrifice is near the House of Allah. In the hadith there is a clarification that sacrifice can be performed in Mina and also in Makkah :

“Mina is a full sacrificial place, and all roads of Makkah are sacrificial places. -(Abu Dawood- Kitabus Siyam).

In other words the sacrificial place or the slaughter house is wide, from the place near Baitullah to Mina, but since the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) had performed the sacrifice in Mina on the occasion of the Hajj, to perform sacrifice in Mina is ‘masnoon’ (traditional), and looking to the cleanliness of the Sacred Mosque, it is proper to follow this example.

61.That is: Before this in other shariah the methods of sacrifice were different, e.g. among the people of the Book the sacrifice by fire was customary (Levrticius 22: 17 to 33) But in all Shariah the principle of sacrifice was only that sacrifice should be offered only for Allah. To Sacrifice animals given by Allah in the name of others or to slaughter them pronouncing names of others was never considered proper in any shariah. Therefore in any religion in which sacrifice for any being other than Allah is allowed is polytheistic innovation. It has no relation with Allah’s religion and its Shariah.

62. This is the real spirit behind the sacrifice that man may acknowledge Allah’s oneness, may submit himself totally to Him, and create an attribute in himself of humility and meekness. To fell the animal on the ground in reality means that man has felled himself to the ground.

63.This is the most important speciality of the people of faith that when Allah’s name is mentioned their hearts shake in awe. They are very sensitive where Allah is concerned. Their hearts beat faster whenever Allah’s name is mentioned in their presence.

64.The Jews did not consider the Sacrifice of camels as proper, and the idolaters used to assign camels to other deities: As against this Quran declared lawful the sacrifice of the camels in the name of Allah and termed its sacrifice as the divine rite.

65. The method of sacrificing camel is like this: ‘The camel is made to stand and its throat is pricked by a lance. This method is called ‘Nahr’. In this way the camel bleeds and it falls down on its side by itself. If the camel were to be slaughtered by making it first lie down, then it would have presented a lot of difficulties. By making them stand in a row, there is manifestation of divine worship.

66. That is: When after slaughtering them, they are dead, then their flesh be utilised for eating.

67. The flesh of the sacrificed animal (hadi) can be utilised for eating by the sacrificer and also for feeding others. Directions are given to feed the needy, whether they be contented or beggars.

68. This is the real spirit of sacrifice and its objective : that its blood and flesh are not desired by Allah. But what is desired is a sense of God-fearing and piety. And the worship of sacrifice is desired in the Shariah for it develops the spirit of piety.The reason for not accepting the sacrifice of Cain was that behind that sacrifice the spirit of piety was not there (Surah Maidah. ayah No.27).

69. In obeying this command, the words ‘Bismillah. Allahu Akbar’ (In the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest) are pronounced while slaughtering the animal.

70. The narrative concerning Hajj ended above. Now it turns to Jihad, which is necessary to halt the wrong-doing, and also for freeing the Sacred Mosque from the control of the polytheists.

71. Before giving the command for jihad,Allah gives good tidings to the people of faith that he will provide help in their defence, that is: in the battle of Kufr and Islam (belief and unbelief) Allah’s support and help will be available to the people of faith only. It will be so because Allah does not like those who are treacherous and thankless. The Quraish and their companions were dishonest and treacherous, because the maintenance of the House of Ka’ba which was entrusted to them, had been subjected to treachery and idols were installed in it, and instead of appreciating the blessings of Allah and thanking him for that they became ungrateful.

72. This is the first ayah in which permission is given for jihad (fighting for Allah). This occurred by the end of the year 01 A. H. In this ayah the reasons given for taking up arms are two. One is that the idolaters of Makkah themselves had started a war against the Muslims, and the situation was that whenever the infidels got an opportunity they assaulted some people of faith, i.e. they were not allowed to live peacefully even in Madina, and a series of assaults were launched on Muslims. (These details can be found in books on Prophet’s life). The second reason given is that the people of faith are a community of wronged people. Muslims being unjustly wronged is obvious, because they were compelled to leave their homes in Makkah. If in these circumstances Muslims take up swords to defend themselves, they are absolutely justified. Those who have been unjustly driven from their homes, only because they said: “Our Lord is Allah’. Had Allah not repelled some men by (the might of) others, the monasteries and churches, the synagogues and mosques, in which Allah’s name is frequently remembered, would have been totally destroyed. Allah will surely help one who helps His. Verily Allah is Strong. (Al-Quran)

40. Those who have been unjustly driven from their homes, only because they said: “Our Lord is Allah’.⁷³ Had Allah not repelled some men by (the might of) others, the monasteries and churches, the synagogues and mosques, in which Allah’s name is frequently remembered, would have been totally destroyed.⁷⁴ Allah will surely help one who helps His.⁷⁵ Verily Allah is Strong.

41. Those who, if We give them power in the land, will establish salat (Prayer) and will pay Zakat, will enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.⁷⁶ And the results of all matters is in Allah’s control.⁷⁷

42. And if they belie you (O Prophet!), before you the community of Nooh, and (the tribes of) A’d and Thamud, belied (Our messengers);⁷⁸

43. And the community of Ibrahim and the community of Loot;

44. And the residents of Madian (had also denied).⁷⁹ And Moosa was also belied,⁸⁰ but I bore a while with the unbelievers, then I seized them, so how terrible was My rejection (punishment)!

45. And how many a city have we destroyed while it was sinful, so that it lies upside down in ruins, and how many a deserted well and lofty palace ! ⁸¹

46. Have they not travelled through the land that they would have hearts to understand with and ears to hear with?⁸² For indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts within the bosoms, that grow blind.⁸³

47. O Prophet ! ) They ask you to hasten the punishment, although Allah does not break His promise. And a day with your Lord is like a thousand years in your reckoning.⁸⁴

73.That is: The only reason for which the idolaters had driven the Muslims from their homes in Makkah was that they had declared their belief in one God, and they hated polytheism and idolatry. The polytheists of Makkah considered this quality of Muslims as a defect, as well as a crime, and denied the loyal slaves of Allah, the right to live in the land of Allah.

74. This is the declaration of that tradition (rule) of Allah according to which Allah raises some other nation to crush the nation which has become exceedingly corrupt and tyrannical. And the history of the world is a witness that whenever any nation or group had indulged in tyranny and utmost corruption, provision was made to remove that nation or group by some other nation or group. Its reasonableness has been made clear here that if it were not so, then the places of worship in which the name of Allah is remembered frequently, whether belonging to Christians or Jews or Muslims, would have been utterly destroyed by the tyrants.

The idea for clarifying this divine tradition here is that the people of Quraish had not maintained the holiness of the Sacred Mosque, and closed its doors to the Muslims from Madina. To terminate this wrong-doing and tyranny of the Quraish, Allah had brought out the group of people of faith into the battle-field.

It may be noted that the worship-places that have been mentioned in the ayah belong to either the people of the Book or to the Muslims, because in them Allah’s name is mentioned often and remembered frequently, and for this reason they are worthy of respect. As for the temple of the idolaters, in them Allah’s name is not mentioned but idols are worshipped therein. Their nature is different from the worship-places of the Muslims and the people of the Book.

75.To help Allah means to help His religion, and to undertake jihad to raise the word of Allah, but actually Allah is not dependent or in need of help from anybody. On the contrary His slaves need His help. Further on two attributes are mentioned : one is that He has power and second He is Mighty, Victorious. After this there remains no room for any misunderstanding.

76. This is a declaration of the fact that a group has now come up, who if given power by Allah, will establish the important pillars of faith like Salat and Zakat. It will work for the reform of the society instead of corrupting it. It will spread good and put an end to evil.

It is learnt that people who have these qualities are worthy of receiving power and qualified to rule in the land.

This ayah clarifies that as a result of the leaching and training of the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) a group of people had been raised, who was qualified to hold power and rule as khalifa. Accordingly when the Prophet came in to power, his companions became worthy of this description, and when after the death of the Prophet when the caliphate (khilafat) was established, they became the practical example of these qualities. But a sect of Muslims in its love for Ali (R) indulges into excess and utters insults and abuses against all the companions of the Prophet except a few. It considers the three khalifas to be the usurpers. This cult of theirs is an open deviation from what is stated in this ayah, and only this argument is sufficient to show that they have gone astray.

77. That is: The final decision of my matter is with Allah only. Therefore, whatever may be the conditions, whatever He will desire will surely come to pass. This was a hint of the fact that ultimately the people of faith will come into power.

78. That is: If they are denying you, then there is nothing strange in this. Before this, a number of nations had denied their prophets, e.g. the nation of Prophet Nooh (Noah) had belied him, similarly the tribe of A’d had denied its Prophet Hood, and the tribe of Thamud had denied its Prophet Salih.

79.The people of Madian had denied their Prophet Shuaib.

80.Prophet Moosa was not denied by his own community, but by the community of Firaun (pharaoh). For this reason the verb used here is in the passive voice “Moosa was denied”.

81. At the time when the Qur’an was being revealed, the ruins of the destroyed nations could be found in different parts of Arabia, and it was the historical proof of the fact that these nations became the target of Allah’s punishment as a result of their denial of their Prophets.

Wells were of great importance in deserts, and when the townships were destroyed, the wells had become useless. In the same way the magnificent palaces had also become deserted.

82. That is: These people travel through different lands and witness the ruins of many townships, but they fail to take a lesson from them.

The same is the condition of the present day archaeologists, surveyors and the tourists of the places of the archaeological importance that they see these ruins and articles only to admire the beautiful and artistic creations people have left behind and how advanced their civilization was. As for the points: whether they had worked for the moral upliftment of world, or corruption, whether they had adopted the attitude of gratitude towards their Lord or of ingratitude, whether the creations left behind them are artistic or they are the example of excesses, whether their civilization was worldly and materialistic or idealistic with the next world as their objective,—they do not care to ponder over these points and answer them, because they have no interest in this kind of enquiry, with the result that they are unable to reach the reality.

83.The meaning of hearts being blind is not having insight. Man sees external conditions by his external or physical eyes, but the provision for reaching to the reality hidden in external manifestations requires insight or the eyes of the heart to discern them, that is with the sight there is the necessity of insight also, otherwise man while seeing everything is unable to see anything. This is the blindness of heart. The hint at the important reality given in this ayah throws light on the fact that the center of all internal or spiritual parts of man is heart, which is inside the chest, that is his internal self. In a hadith of the Prophet this reality has been stated thus:

“Beware, there is a lump of flesh in the body; If it is in good condition, then the whole body is in , good condition.

And if it is in disorder, then the whole body is in disorder, Beware, that it is heart.” -(Bukhari. Kitabul Eeman).

And it is a fact that the center of man’s feelings and sensibilities is his heart, while the position of mind is that of a thinking instrument and an assistant. Love and hate, friendship and enmity, sincerity and opportunism, sympathy and unkindness, moralgrasping and insensitivity-all these are connected with heart. If Qur’an has considered heart to be the real motivator in the matter of belief and acts, then in reality it has guided to a great reality.

84. Do not be under wrong impression that your measurement of time on the basis of which you decide what is sooner or later is not the same with which Allah reckons time. Nay, but in dealing with the nations his measurement of time is quite different from that of your reckoning. For Him your one thousand years are equal to only one day. In other words a reprieve of a few years for a nation is reprieve of a few minutes according to the chronometer of the universe.

It has not been realised for certain that in different planets the duration of a day is different from the duration of a day on this earth. Therefore, when Qur’an informs us that if in dealing with the nations of the world the measurement of time with Allah is different, what is strange in that ?

And to how many a township did I give respite though it was sinful! Then I seized it. To Me is the return. (O Prophet ! ) Say: “O mankind! I am a plain warner to you. ”So those who believe and do good acts, for them is pardon and provision with honour,And those who strive to denigrate Our revelations, such will be the people of Fire.(Al-Quran)

48. And to how many a township did I give respite though it was sinful! Then I seized it. To Me is the return.

49. (O Prophet ! ) Say: “O mankind! I am a plain warner to you.⁸⁵

50. ”So those who believe and do good acts, for them is pardon and provision with honour,⁸⁶

51. And those who strive to denigrate Our revelations, such will be the people of Fire. ⁸⁷

52. Never have We sent a messenger or prophet ⁸⁸ before you, but when he desired (good), Satan tampered with His desire.⁸⁹ But Allah abolishes that which Satan casts forth. Then Allah confirms⁹⁰ His revelations. And Allah is All-Knowing, Wise;⁹¹

53. So that He may make that which Satan casts forth a temptation for those whose hearts are diseased and hardened”⁹²— verily the wrong-doers have gone far in opposition.

54. And so that those to whom knowledge has been given may know that this is the truth from your Lord, so they should believe in it and their hearts should submit humbly to Him:⁹³ Verily Allah guides the faithful to the straight path.

55. And those Who disbelieve will never cease to doubt it until the Hour of Doom overtakes them on a sudden, or the punishment of the Woeful Day descends upon them.⁹⁴

56. The sovereignty on that day⁹⁵ will be Allah’s. He will judge between them. So those who believed and performed good acts will be in Gardens of Delight.

57. While those who disbelieved and belied our revelation, for them will be a shameful punishment.

85.That is: My task is only to warn you of the adverse consequence of disobeying Allah. “Thereafter it is your job to accept it or reject it.

86. That is: In the Hereafter the provision for eating and drinking, etc. which mankind will get in the Paradise will not only be very nice and good, but it will be served with honour.

87. This statement was made concerning the idolaters of that time, but there is no dearth of Muslims in the present day who, in view of their worldly and political benefits, strive their every nerve to denigrate the Quranic commands and teachings. It is not right to say that whatever is said in Qur’an concerning the idolaters, etc., should be considered to be reserved specifically for them only, but those are statements of principle, and it is equally reprehensible for a Muslim to adopt an idolatrous practice as it is for a Non-Muslim.

88.There is no difference between a prophet and a messenger from the viewpoint of office, however there is some difference from the viewpoint of responsibility. Every prophet is a messenger, but his responsibilities are greater than that of a prophet. Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was a messenger as well as a prophet. For further explanation see Surah Maryam, Note No.71.

89. Every messenger and prophet desires that the truth which he has received from God should be accepted by the people, but when he presents his dawah, Satan by his interjections creates misgivings and doubts in the hearts of the people about this dawah, and prompts them to oppose it. In this way Satan thwarts the desire of the prophet and puts spokes in the wheel of his plan. Something like this also happened with the last prophet. Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). On the one hand it was his heartfelt desire that his nation should embrace his faith and by accepting the dawah of truth be worthy of Allah’s blessings, and on the other hand the attitude of his nation was that it was not at all ready to tolerate his dawah, so much so that it forced the prophet to migrate from Makkah. On this occasion the Prophet is being comforted and he is being informed that what happened with him was not a new thing; every prophet was treated in the like manner.

90.That is: Allah creates such situations that the interjections made by Satan are eliminated and truth comes out as clean as the moon that comes out from behind the clouds, bright and shining. This statement of Qur’an proved to be true in every word. The doubts that were created as a result of Satanic interjections were removed, and the true religion appeared so clear and shining that there was no dust and dirt of doubt over it.

91. The idea behind stating these two attributes of Allah is to hint at the point that whatever happened with the prophet was not without a redeeming feature. In whatever way Allah deals with His prophet, it is based on knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, be sure that Allah will raise good against the evil created by Satan.

The meaning of the ayah which we have stated above is not only in accordance with the reference to context but it is also in consonance with other similar references found at other places in Qur’an. But some commentators, relying on an invented hadith, explained the meaning of this ayah thus: when Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was reciting Surah An-Najm before the idolaters, in which idolatry is decried, Satan at that time caused complimentary words in favour of the idols to be uttered by him. This was Satan’s interjections, which were later on cancelled, as mentioned in the subsequent ayah.

This narrative has been made by Ibn Jarir Tabari in his well known and oldest commentary, “Al-bayan” without screening the narrative. After this other commentators, hadith-narrators, and scholars took strong exception to this and declared it invented and false. Accordingly Imam Razi has dealt with this topic in detail in his commentary and has stated that this story is invented (Tafseer Kabir , Vol.23,p.5l).

Allama Ibn Katheer writes :

“ All the narratives of this story are ‘mursal’ (disconnected) and I have not seen that anywhere it has been narrated with continuity of the narrators.” -(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Vol. 3, page 229)

And Allama Aloosi writes in his Tafseer Roohul Ma’ani :

“Many researchers have declared this story as unacceptable. Baihaqi writes that this story is not proved by judging from the intellectual point of view. And Qazi Ayaz writes in his Ash-Shifa that it is sufficient to consider this story unreliable by the very fact that none of the authentic people -Sihah Sitta - (the six authentic hadith narrators) has narrated it, nor has any reliable narrator narrated it with an authentic, sound and continued source. On the contrary it interested only those commentators and historians who have interest in every unusual and sensational narrative and who extract every authentic and unauthentic narrative from the books and it is in ‘tune’. When Imam Muhammad bin Ishaq, editor, As- Siratun Nabaviyah, was asked about this story, he replied that it was invented by the zindiq (disbelievers).” -(Roohul Ma’ani, Vol. VI, P. 177).

Allama Aloosi, after dealing with this story in a comprehensive manner, and refuting it, has written that it is easier for us to accept that the devil had interjected these words on the tongue of a few narrators than to believe that he had interjected the complimentary words in favour of idols (gharaneeq) on the tongue of the Prophet. -(Roohul Ma’ani, Vol. II, page 182).

Allama Shibli, in his Urdu book of research on the life of the Prophet, Siratun Nabi, writes :

“ Although this story is totally absurd and unspeakable, and many worthy narrators of hadith like Baihaqi, Qazi A’yaz. Allama. Aini, Hafiz Munziri, Allama Navavi, have termed it false and invented, yet it is a pity that a number of narrators have quoted this narrative with sources.” -(Siratun Nabi -Vol. I, page 224).

And Maulana Maududi, in his prestigious commentary, Tafheem-ul-Quran, has dealt with it comprehensively and argumentatively, and has completely smashed this narrative, and in the end he writes :

“God’s refuge from this tradition-worship, which tries to prepare a Muslim to accept such unkind points about Allah’s Book and His prophet merely on the basis of the abundance of the continuity of sources, reliability of the narrators or the tradition.” - (Tafheemul Quran, Vol. III, Page 244).

In fact this narrative is so absurd that to relate it is a burden on our sensibility. For this reason we have not quoted it in full, but considered it sufficient to quote it summarily. This narrative is contrary to the clarifications given in the Qur’an and is an obvious false charge on the Prophet. Therefore, only this point is sufficient to refute it, but those who are traditionworshippers accept even a point ,contrary to the teachings of the Qur’an under one interpretation or the other; they do not like that their favourite narrators be put to blame, even if the personality of the Prophet is being tarnished. Acceptance of the hadith under this standard is absolutely wrong, even if a great expert of the art of hadith narration may strive hard to prove it to be correct., Qur’an is Furqan, the touchstone to judge the purity of authenticity, therefore, any narrative which is proved to be unauthentic by this standard is false and unacceptable. Such narratives cannot be proven right by mixing them in the discussions of the art of hadith-narrating.

And so far as the ayah under commentary is concerned, this point has been mentioned in a general way as to how Satan thwarts the desires of a prophet. It is like the statement which has been mentioned in Surah An’am, ayat Nos.113 and 114, therefore, there is no reason to consider it specific with the Last Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam), nor is it necessary to take the work ‘tamanna’ to mean something else than its usual meaning (desire), as different commentators have taken it. Furthermore, the story that has been narrated pertains to the period in Makkah and its time of revelation is supposed to be some time after the migration to Ethiopia, while the Surah Hajj was revealed in Madina as is clear from the topics dealt in it, like the commands concerning migration, jihad, and the narration about the Muslims being barred from Hajj. For this reason this ayah has no connection with the theme contained in the said story (complimentary remarks about idols.)

92. Allah causes His prophets to pass through such circumstances so that the doubts which arise in those persons whose hearts have a disease and which have grown hard might put them to a test. By disease is meant the prejudiced and criminal mentality, and hearts being hardened means their inability to accept good counselling and advice. This is the consequence of the criminal mentality. When such persons are tempted due to the doubt created by Satan, they become a prey to his scheming, and the deceit of their heart comes out in the open, and their opposition becomes more severe.

93. That is: Those who do not live in the darkness of ignorance, but walk in the light of knowledge, and see that the atmosphere has become contaminated with doubts and misgiving, realise that it is the mischief and scheming of Satan and that the message of the prophet is truthful. This conflict of truth and falsehood is not unexpected for them, and by seeing this conflict their faith becomes stronger, and their hearts bow down before Allah for they realise that behind this test Allah’s great wisdom is active.

94.Those who are obstinate and firm in their obduracy, are not prepared to accept the message of the Prophet, even if it is supported by a foolproof argument. They will stick to their denial, and their eyes will open only when they will see the Day of Resurrection or the punishment which will be meted out to them for their denial and disbelief. By Woeful Day or the Day of Deprivation is meant the day when they will be deprived of good, i.e. the day of doom.

95. That is: The Doomsday.

58. Those that have migrated⁹⁶ from their homes for the cause of Allah and afterwards were slain or died, Allah verily will provide for them a generous provision.⁹⁷ And surely Allah is the Best Provider.

59. Assuredly He will admit them to a place with which they will be well pleased⁹⁸! Verily Allah is All-Knowing, Forbearing.⁹⁹

60. That is (their recompense).And whoever has retaliated with the like of that which he was made to suffer, and has again been wronged, Allah will surely help him.¹⁰⁰ Verily Allah is pardoning, Forgiving.¹⁰¹

61. That is because Allah makes the night to pass into the day and makes the day to pass into the night, and (because) Allah hears all and sees all.¹⁰²

62. That is (also) because Allah - He is the Truth and that all that they invoke beside Him¹⁰³ is false, and Allah is Most High, Great.¹⁰⁴

63. Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky and thereupon the earth becomes green? Verily Allah is Seer of finest things, Aware.¹⁰⁵

64. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Verily Allah is Free of all wants and Worthy of Praise.¹⁰⁶

65. Do you not see that Allah has made all that is in the earth subservient¹⁰⁷ to you? And the boat runs upon the sea by His command, and He holds back the heavens from falling on the earth, except by His leave. Verily Allah is, for mankind, Compassionate, Most Merciful.¹⁰⁸

66. And it is He who has given you life, and He causes you to die and will make you live again. Surely man is ungrateful.¹⁰⁹

96. Only that ‘Hijrat’ (migration) is recognised in Islam which is undertaken purely and absolutely for the sake of Allah and for fulfilling the demands of His religion. In the hadith it is stated:

“Acts are dependent on intentions, for man is what he intends. So whoever migrates towards Allah and His messenger, his migration will be towards them, and whoever migrates for the sake of achieving the world or for nikah, his migration will be towards those things only.” - (Bukhari, Kitabul Eeman wan Nazr) For further explanation, see Surah An-Nisa Note No.177.)

97. Means the provision in the Hereafter.

98. Means Paradise.

99. Indicates that Allah knows who are worthy of this reward, and He will deal with them with utmost magnanimity.

100. The meaning of this ayah is that those who left their homes for the sake of Allah will be in receipt of this reward. As for their life of oppression in this world, Allah will help in this life too.

After the migration, the polytheists of Makkah had started aggressive activities against the Muslims of Madina, as is clear from the ayah No.39. Risk from them to the Muslims travelling outside Madina was increasing. On this occasion Muslims are directed by this ayah that every excess against themselves should be countered by an excess of equal force, and if after this the series of excesses is not stopped, then Allah will help the oppressed with His special help. Accordingly when their aggression did not stop and they proceeded to attack the Muslims with an army, the Divine help came to the aid of the people of faith in the battle-field of Badr.

101. This is a comforting gesture for the oppressed people of faith that Allah will forgive their sins and will give them salvation.

102. That is: The Being who has power to change the day into the night and vice versa, the same Being also has power to remove the dark clouds of oppression and cause the breeze of justice to blow. Why will He then not help His loyal and oppressed slaves, when He is hearing everything and seeing everything.

103. That is: When polytheists invoke their deities, who are false, they cannot come to their help, but Allah is the real God and He has power to help anybody most assuredly, then why will He not help the people of faith in this conflict of disbelief and Islam.

104. Here two attributes of Allah are mentioned : Ali (Most High) and kabir (Great). The first one connotes His position, and the second one signifies the greatness of His power and might.

Polytheists impute such things to Allah which are contrary to His magnificence and denier of His power. In other words they believe in Allah but in such a way that they simultaneously deny His being Most High and Great, while only that belief in Allah is acceptable which does not deny these attributes which are mentioned in the Qur’an.

105. That is: People see the scenes of rain causing the dry land becoming green and fruitbearing, but they do not ponder over them. If they would ponder, they would succeed in recognising God correctly. The dry land’s becoming green on receiving water from rain is the sign of the fact that it is the doing of a Being who is a planner of a very fine kind and who has knowledge of everything. Therefore, there is no scope for having a concept of God which states that although God has created this world once, however now He does not know what is going on with His world and that He has nothing to do with it.

106. How can the Master and Owner of the entire universe be in need of anything? Therefore, this attribute of Allah that He is free from all wants is an obvious fact, and that this fact is most clear that He has most excellent attributes and He is worthy of praises.

107. That is: They have been appointed to give you service.

108. Hanging of the heavenly bodies in the wide space and of the sky remaining intact in the form of a roof, in such a way that no piece of the heavenly bodies falls on the earth are not these things sufficient to create a belief in man’s mind that the Lord of the universe is a very kind Being for mankind.

109. Life is a great blessing which Allah has bestowed on man, and the life in the second world is in reality a perfect blessing, provided man appreciates this blessing and fulfills his responsibility. As for death, it is a temporary phase between the temporary life of this world and the eternal life of the next world. By overlooking this reality and ignoring it, man wastes the blessing of life and becomes an ungrateful slave of his Lord. To each community We have given a rite of worship, which they observe, so let them not dispute with you concerning this. Invite them towards your Lord. Verily you follow the right guidance. And if they wrangle with you, say: Allah is best aware of what you do. “Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection concerning that in which you differ.” (Al-Quran)

67. To each community We have given a rite of worship, which they observe,¹¹⁰ so let them not dispute¹¹¹ with you concerning this. Invite them towards your Lord.¹¹² Verily you follow the right guidance.¹¹³

68. And if they wrangle with you, say: Allah is best aware of what you do.

69. “Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection concerning that in which you differ.”

70. Are you not aware that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and the earth ? Verily it is recorded in a Book. Surely that is easy for Allah.¹¹⁴

71. (Yet) they worship besides Allah that for which no sanction has been sent down and of which they have no knowledge.¹¹⁵ For the wrongdoers there will be no helper.

72. And when Our clear revelations are recited to them, you notice (the unpleasantness of) denial on the faces of the disbelievers,¹¹⁶ as if they will assault those who recite our revelations to them . Say : “Shall I tell you what is worse than that? The Fire! Allah has promised it for those who disbelieve,¹¹⁷ A very bad destination !”

73. O mankind! An example is given, listen to it carefully: Those whom you invoke besides Allah can never create even a single fly though they combine together for the purpose.¹¹⁸ And if a fly carried away anything from them, they could never retrieve it.¹¹⁹ Weak is the seeker and the sought ! ¹²⁰

74. They did not appreciate Allah as He rightfully deserves to he appreciated. Verily Allah is Strong Mighty.¹²¹

75. Allah chooses messengers from angels, and also from men.¹²²Verily Allah hears all, sees all.¹²³

110. The rites of Hajj pilgrimage mentioned in this surah might have been subjected to some sort of objections by certain quarters, particularly the Jews of Madina that if this is the form of worship fixed by Allah, then how different form and rites are being followed by the followers of other prophets, for example, in the Shariah of the Jews sacrifice of animals is lawful, but sacrifice of camel is not made a divine symbol, Similarly for sacrifice the days of Hajj have not been specified, or that the Jews are to observe Sabbath, but in the Shariah of the Qur’an this command is not given. To remove this doubt it is stated here that for every ummah a specific method of worship was appointed, which was followed by that ummah.

It means that in fixing the methods of worshipping Allah, there have been differences according to the conditions obtaining at the particular time and place. And if how Allah’s wisdom demanded that the ummah of His last prophet should follow a particular method of worship, who has the authority to question that ? In fixing the method of worshipping Allah should the people have their choice or should it be the prerogative of Allah alone that He may fix it as He pleases ?

111. This principled reality should be presented before these people, which should be sufficient. There is no necessity of entering into further discussion on this subject.

112. That is: Instead of prolonging the discussion on the differences in the methods of worshipping Allah, attempts should be made to present the main dawah.

113.That is: O Prophet! the method of worship which you have adopted is according to the revelation which has been sent down to you. Therefore, you are rightly guided, and this is the path of guidance which is straightway reaching to Allah.

114. This is the preamble for rebutting polytheism which is to follow, that Allah, who has the knowledge of every particle and who has made arrangements for recording and preserving records of every individual and action, has no knowledge of there being any other god. If there were any other god or goddess, how is it possible that Allah would have not known it.

115. That is: there is no argument or proof about there being any other person or thing worthy of worship according to the divine revelation, nor any intellectual or natural argument in its favour, which would be considered true knowledge.

116. Since in the revelations of Allah mention is made of pure monotheism and the deities of others are being declared false in them, when these are heard by them a feeling of unpleasant reaction becomes manifest from their faces.

117. That is: A thing worse than their unpleasantness. The worst kind of unpleasant feeling will be experienced by you when you will be thrown into the Hell.

118. Fly is the meanest of the insects, and when all the gods of the polytheists combined together cannot create so mean an insect as a fly, then what can they create? when they cannot create anything how they became God?

119. The idolaters of Makkah used to apply honey and saffron on their idols, while the idolaters of India present sweets before their idols. Presenting food to the gods is nothing but foolishness. The helplessness of these deities is such that when a fly carries away anything of their food, they are unable to retrieve it.

120. That is the worshipper is weak, so also is the worshipped. By worshipping such deities what good will be derived by their worshippers ?

By this easy simple example the refutation of polytheism and idolatry has been done so effectively that there remains no doubt about their being false. But the greatest weakness of man is that he is carried away by blind following, and he refuses to use his common sense and intelligence. This is the reason why in the modern times when the flight of intellect has carried man to the skies and the space, he has not been able to get to his real Lord, and what a number of nations have made brick and stone their god.

121. Allah is the Mightiest Being and Victorious over all. Whoever has this concept of Allah in his mind, he cannot admit anyone else to be god, for there is none beside Allah, mighty and victorious. Polytheists believe in a number of gods because their concept of god is not correct. They do not believe in the greatness of Allah, but think Him to be less mighty.

122.Polytheists do not believe in prophethood, but they believe in god’s having sons and daughters or God’s reincarnation, because they do not know that the highest position which Allah bestows on His favourite slave is different. He said that position is of a Rasool (messenger), who is a slave of God and not god.

Allah’s method is that for the guidance of His slaves He selects from among His slaves those who are capable of carrying the heavy burden of this responsibility of conveying His message to His slaves. And for carrying his message to these selected messengers He selects angels who reveal it to the selected men-Allah’s prophets. Exactly in this way was made the selection of Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) as Allah’s messenger.

123. That is: He does not remain unaware of the manner in which these messengers fulfill their responsibilities. He hears every talk of theirs and sees every act of theirs.

He knows what is before them and what behind them. And to Him will return all matters. O you who believe! bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good so that you may triumph. (Al-Quran)

76. He knows what is before them and what behind them. And to Him will return all matters.¹²⁴

77. O you who believe!¹²⁵ bow down and prostrate yourselves,¹²⁶ and worship your Lord,¹²⁷ and do good¹²⁸ so that you may triumph.

78. Fight (strive) for the cause of Allah as striving in His cause deserves.¹²⁹ He has chosen you ¹³⁰ and has laid in religion no narrowness,¹³¹ the faith of Ibrahim, your father.¹³² He has given you the name Muslim before and in this (Qur’an) also,¹³³ so that the messenger may be a witness for you, and that you may be witness for mankind.¹³⁴ So establish salat (prayer), pay zakat, and hold fast to Allah.¹³⁵ He is your Guardian. What an excellent Guardian and what an excellent Helper !

124. That is : Being a messenger of God, does not give him the position of God that people should approach him or invoke him for meeting their needs. To be invoked in times of need is only Allah. Before him are placed all matters and He gives judgment in all matters.

125. These are the concluding ayat which are addressed to the people of faith.

126. Bowing down (Ruku’) and prostrating oneself (Sajda) signify salat.

127. That is: Worship either in the form of salat or in the form of Hajj or in any other form is only for Allah and should be reserved for Him alone as He is your real Lord.

128. In the good acts are included all that work which depends on Allah’s obedience, and whose benefit reaches the slaves of God.

129. Here jihad means that striving in which force is used, and in which the force of the opponents is broken. In the cause of Allah or for the sake of Allah means that its objective should be to raise the word of Allah to spread His religion, and arms should be taken up against those who prevent people from following the path of Allah, so that they may not be able to accept His faith or may not be able to fulfill its important demands. In this surah it has been mentioned how they thwarted the progress of Allah’s faith and how they were using force against Muslims. In this background, the people of faith are being commanded not only to fight but to fight in a way that would satisfy the occasion and the cause for which the jihad is to be undertaken, i.e. they should put their whole heart, might, everything in this fight. This principled directive with its conditions, is operative till the last day. In the hadith it is stated-

“A party from my ummah will be on truth and will be fighting for it till the Day of Resurrection, and will be victorious.” -(Muslim- Kitabul Eeman).

130. That is: You have been given this good luck that you should be the standard bearer of His religion and be a tower of guidance for humanity.

It is thus made clear that the group of the companions of the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam)which was the first addressees of these ayat, was the favourite and approved group of Allah. Therefore, those sects among Muslims, who utter curses against this entire group of the companions barring a few individuals, on the basis of unreliable narratives and misquoted events recorded in history books openly deviate from the clarifications given in the Qur’an. If these people study Qur’an with an open mind, and give precedence to Qur’an over the unreliable narratives, they will become true admirers of the group whom Allah had chosen for His special blessing.

131. In this Shariah there are no harsh commandments which were found in the earlier Shariahs, e.g. the command for observing Sabbath, which was given to the Jews and which was very hard. These harsh commandments were given them on account of their rebellious attitude. But the Shariah which was given to the last prophet was not for a particular nation or for a particular period of time, but it is for the entire Muslim Ummah which in its formation is universal in nature and will last till the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, it has been made easy and concessions have been given in its observance. But it does not mean that no command has been given following which will be difficult for Muslims. In the above ayat command for jihad has been given, which demands sacrifice of life and property. Therefore, the correct meaning of the ayah is the same which is commensurate with the other clarifications given in the Qur’an.

132. That is: This is the same religion of monotheism which was the religion of Prophet Ibrahim. This Shariah is also basically the same which was given to Ibrahim, i.e. simple Shariah- Al-Hanifiyatus Sumhah, and in which are in cluded Hajj and other rituals.

133. That is: Allah had named you people of faith- Muslims among the other nations also, and in this Book also your name is Muslim. It is not correct to say that this name was given by Prophet Ibrahim, and that before him this name was not given. Prophet Nooh, who lived much earlier than Prophet Ibrahim, had declared himself to be a Muslim

“And I have been commanded to be a Muslim.” (Surah Yunus-72).

This name expresses those qualities which are hidden in its meaning, i.e. he who has accepted the faith of Islam, and offered himself in service of Allah and who is submissive to Him. After this Muslims have no right to name themselves in any other manner instead of their own name given by Allah, or to put some additional name to it. But when Muslims were divided into different sects, every sect named himself differently, and today generally Muslims put some suffix with their names, which shows their school of Fiqh. It needs to be reformed urgently. It should suffice for them to name themselves as Muslims, the name given to them by Allah.

134. You have been raised as an ummah bearing these attributes so that you may give witness before the people about this religion, for giving a witness about which Allah’s messengers were sent among you.

This command places a responsibility on the Muslim Ummah that it should present the message of Islam before the world, and for this purpose it should bring into play all its resources. Dawah, tabligh and propagation of religion is the most important duty, for performing which this ummah was raised, but today there is very insignificant realisation of this fact among the Muslims. Therefore, they have resigned to the fate of being only a nation. There are very few people who care about giving witness about the religion, that is who may be presenting the dawah of Islam before non- Muslims.

135. Holding fast Allah means strengthening strong relationship with Allah and this relationship gets strong by having an awareness of His attributes, by His worship and obedience, love with Him and trust in Him.