1. If this statement is read in conjunction with the previous one, the purpose of it becomes quite clear. What is emphasized here is that God did not reveal the Qur'an in order that the Prophet (peace be on him) might accomplish something that is impossible to achieve. The Prophet (peace be on him) is not required to make those who had consciously decided not to accept the truth believe in it. Nor is he required to imbue faith in people whose hearts have been sealed against acceptance of that faith. The Qur'an was revealed simply as a reminder and as an admonition so that those who feared God might take heed. The Prophet (peace be on him) need not pursue those who have no fear of God and who are not the least bit concerned with distinguishing between right and wrong.

2. The Lord of the universe did not retreat into retirement once the universe was created. Far from it: He continues to govern the universe and to exercise control over His seemingly infinite dominion. In short, He is not only the Creator of the universe, but also its Sovereign, and its actual Ruler.

3. It is not necessary for the believers to always bemoan their sufferings to God; He is well aware of the acts of wickedness and mischief which their opponents employ against them. He is even aware of those grievances which lay concealed in their hearts, unarticulated.

4. To say that God has the best names amounts to saying that God has the best attributes.

5. This happened when the Prophet Moses (peace be on him), after his years of exile in Midian, was on his way back to Egypt with his wife whom he had married there. (The events which took place prior to this are described in Surah al-Qaşaş 28: 3-38 - Ed.) In its bare outline, the story narrated there runs thus: after Moses killed a Copt, he feared that he would be arrested. Hence his departure from Egypt and his taking refuge in Midian. (See al-Qasas, verse 15 ff. -- Ed.)

6. It appears that this occurred on a wintry night. Moses (peace be on him) was crossing the southern part of the Sinaitic peninsula when he saw a fire in the distance. He decided to venture over to the place where he saw the fire in the hope that he would either be able to obtain some fire that would keep his family warm during the night, or at least gain directions for the journey ahead. Ironically, he went to that spot expecting to find the way to his destination in this world, only to find a way that was far more valuable - the way to success and felicity in the Hereafter.

7. These words uttered by God, probably led the Jews to believe that it was unlawful to perform this Prayer with their shoes on. It was in order to remove this misunderstanding that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) said: 'Act in ways contrary to those of the Jews for they do not offer the Prayer with shoes and leather socks on.' (Abū Dā'ūd, Sunan, K. al-Ṣalāh, ‘Bāb al-Ṣalāh fi al-Na'l'Ed.) This does not mean that one must necessarily offer the Prayer with one's shoes on. What is meant by the ḥadīth is that it is lawful to pray with one's shoes on. Hence, the Islamic position on the question is that Muslims may pray in both ways: either with their shoes on or off. A tradition has been reported by 'Amr ibn al-'As to the effect that he saw the Prophet (peace be on him) offering Prayers in both manners, i.e. on one occasion with his shoes on and on another with his shoes off. (See Abū Dā'ūd, Sunan, K. al-Ṣalāh, 'Bab al-Şalah fi al-Na'l' - Ed.)* It has also been reported both in the Musnad of Aḥmad ibn Hanbal and in the Sunan of Abū Dā'ūd on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudrī that the Prophet (peace be on him) said: 'When any of you comes to the mosque he should have a look at his shoes and clean them by rubbing them against the earth if they are soiled with filth, and offer Prayers with your shoes on.' (See Abū Da'ūd, loc. cit.; and Aḥmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, p. 92 - Ed.) The same tradition, narrated by Abu Hurayrah, records the following saying by the Prophet (peace be on him): 'If any of you treads over filth with his shoes, the earth suffices to clean it.' (Abū Dā'ūd, Sunan, K. al-Taharah, 'Bāb (fi) al-Adha yuşib al-Na'l' - Ed.) According to Umm Salamah, the Prophet (peace be on him) said that if one's shoes were soiled with filth, one's subsequent walking on the earth would purify them. (See Abū Dā'ūd, loc. cit. - Ed.)

*The author has mentioned 'Amr ibn al-As as the narrator of this tradition. In Abu Dā'ūd, however, the name of the narrator of the tradition we have cited here is 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb - Ed.

In view of the large number of such traditions, several jurists such as Abū Ḥanīfah, Abū Yüsuf, Awza'i and Ishaq ibn Rāhawayh are of the opinion that shoes that are soiled by filth are inevitably purified by the earth as a result of one's walking. There is one report each from Aḥmad ibn Hanbal and Shafi'i in support of this doctrine. The generally known view of Shafi'i, however, is opposed to this practice. Presumably Shafi'I considered praying with shoes on as being inconsistent with the reverence required for the act of Prayer and it is on this count that he asked people not to offer Prayers in that manner. It is generally understood, however, that Shafi'I did not believe that shoes which had become soiled with filth were purified by rubbing them against the earth.

In this respect it is worth mentioning that in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) the mosque floor was not even covered with a thatch mat. It was simply covered with pebbles. Hence, it would not be appropriate for anyone today, basing themselves on the practice followed in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him), to walk on the floor of a mosque with his shoes on. One may, however, pray with one's shoes on in open areas or on grass. As for those who insist that even while offering the Funeral Prayer a person must necessarily take his shoes off, in our opinion they are simply ignorant of the relevant rules.

8. It is generally believed that Ṭuwa was the name of this valley. Some scholars, however, are of the view that the expression al-wad al-muqaddas Tuwá means the valley that was temporarily made sacred.

9. This indicates the main purpose of the Prayer: that man may not become oblivious of God, that the glittering allurements of this world may not make him impervious to the basic fact that he is God's servant, that man may not remain under the illusion that he is free to do as he pleases. Prayer is the most potent means of keeping this consciousness fresh in man's mind; it enables him to maintain a strong, vibrant relationship with God. Prayer weans man away, many times a day, from the ordinary hum-drum existence of daily life; it orients him towards God.

Some scholars have interpreted this verse to mean that man should offer Prayers so that God may, in turn, also remember him as has been said elsewhere in the Qur'an: 'So remember Me; I will remember you' (al-Baqarah 2: 152).

Incidentally, this verse also provides the ground-work for the ruling that if one forgets to offer Prayer, one should offer it immediately one remembers such an omission. A ḥadīth reported by Anas ibn Malik says: "The Prophet (peace be on him) said: "One who forgets to perform Prayers should do so whenever he recalls it. Nothing else is required to be done."' (See al-Bukhārī, K. al-Mawāqit, 'Bab man nasiya Ṣalatan fa li yuṣalli...; Muslim, 'K. al-Masajid wa Mawāḍi' al-Ṣalāh'; Aḥmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, p. 269 -Ed.) Another ḥadīth of similar import narrated by Abu Hurayrah is recorded in Abū Dä'ūd and al-Nasa'ī. (See al-Nasa'ī, Sunan, K. al-Mawāqit, l'ādah man nama 'an al-Ṣalah...; Muslim, K. al-Masajid wa Mawadi' al-Ṣalah, ·‘Bāb Qaḍā' al-Ṣalah al-Fa'itah...'; Abū Dā'ūd, K. al-Ṣalah, 'Bāb fi man nāma 'an al-Ṣalah . . .' - Ed.) Abū Qatadah reports that when the Prophet (peace be on him) was asked by people what they should do if they overslept the time of Prayers, the Prophet replied: "There is no sin if one is asleep. Sin is incurred when one does not pray while one is awake. If any of you forgets [to pray] or is asleep [at the time of Prayers], you should offer Prayers when you wake up or when you remember.' (See al-Tirmidhi, Abwāb al-Ṣalāh, ‘Bāb mā ja' fi al-Nawm 'an al-Ṣalāh'; Abū Dā'ūd, Sunan, K. al-Ṣalāh, ‘Bāb fi man nāma 'an al-Ṣalāh aw nasiyahā'; al-Nasā'ī, K. al-Mawāqit, 'Fi man näma 'an al-Salah' - Ed.)

10. The doctrine of the Hereafter is the second most important doctrine in Islam, the doctrine next in importance to monotheism. This is a basic truth, revealed to all the Prophets in different periods of history, a truth which they were all required to expound. The present verse states both the nature and purpose of this doctrine. The Last Day will come to pass so that man may be recompensed for what he has done. The time of its coming, however, has been kept hidden so as to test people. Those who are, to any extent, concerned with the Hereafter will remain ever fearful lest the Last Day suddenly takes place; this, in itself, is likely to deter them from committing evil. By contrast, those who are fully immersed in worldly pursuits will be inclined to consider the Hereafter a remote possibility.

11. This question was not asked for the sake of soliciting information. For God knew well that Moses had a rod in his hand. The purpose of the question was to make Moses fully conscious of what he was carrying in order that he might appreciate the astonishing manifestations of God's power that he was about to witness.

12. Moses could simply have said that it was a rod. However, the lengthy reply which he gave provides an interesting clue to his state of mind. It is understandable that if out of good luck a person meets a distinguished person, he tries to prolong his conversation with the same. This is because such a meeting represents both a pleasure and an honour. (In Moses' case, the desire to prolong the conversation naturally arose because he was in the presence of none other than God Himself - Ed.)

13. Although Moses' hand would become as bright as the sun, this would happen without causing him any harm. The Biblical account of the miracle of the bright hand, however, is somewhat different and has also found its way into Muslim works of Qur'anic Exegesis. According to the Biblical account, when Moses took his hand out of his arm-pit, it looked as though it belonged to a leper. When he put it back into his arm-pit, it was restored to its original, healthy state. (See Exodus, 4: 6-Ed.) The Talmud, too, describes the miracle in a similar fashion.

The rationale behind all this being that since Pharaoh suffered from leprosy, a fact which he had concealed from others, Moses was granted the capacity to produce this particular miracle so as to impress upon him that this disease could be as instantly cured as it had arisen. This view, however, does not seem plausible for more than one reason. First, it seems inconsistent with good taste that a Messenger of God would be sent to an emperor's court with a miracle which pertains to a disease as repulsive as leprosy. Even if we were to consider it plausible that Moses would have been endowed with such a miracle, it still seems worth asking what the significance of such a miracle would be? For, if Pharaoh was afflicted with leprosy, this miracle would only be meaningful to him; it would have made no impact on his courtiers. It seems appropriate, therefore, to adhere to the view we have expressed, namely that when this miracle was performed Moses' hand looked as bright as the sun, so much so that it dazzled all onlookers. Many of the earlier commentators of the Qur'an have adopted this very view of the miracle. (See the comments on verse 22 in the Commentaries of Ibn Kathir, al-Qurtubî, al-Tabarī, al-Rāzī, and al-Ālūsī – Ed.)

14. Moses prayed that he might be granted the inner strength and courage required to shoulder his responsibilities; as a sequel he was being entrusted with a great mission which called for enormous courage and fortitude. Hence, he prayed that God might invest him with patience, fortitude, forbearance, fearlessness, firm determination, and the like: qualities that were essential for the furtherance of his mission.

15. According to the Bible, Moses said: 'Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of tongue' (Exodus 4: 10). The Talmud contains a lengthy account to the effect that when Moses was being brought up as a child in Pharaoh's house, he wore Pharaoh's crown. This led to inquiries about whether the child had done so deliberately or if it was merely a childish prank. It was finally resolved, however, that the child be presented with a piece of gold and a ball of fire. Both these objects were placed before Moses and he grasped the ball of fire and put it into his mouth. Although onlookers managed to save his life, it nonetheless caused Moses to stammer for the rest of his life. (See The Talmud Selections, pp. 127-8 - Ed.)

This story, derived from Israelite sources, has crept into the Muslim works of Qur'anic exegesis. (See al-Qurtubi, comments on verse 27 - Ed.) The whole account, however, seems downright irrational. For, even if one accepts that the child held the ball of fire in his palm, it would nonetheless have been impossible for him to put it into his mouth. Any child who tries to hold a piece of fire in his hand is bound to throw it away as soon as he feels its intense, burning heat. It would, therefore, simply be impossible for him to put it into his mouth.

As for the present Qur'ānic account concerning Moses, all that it says is that Moses was conscious of being ineloquent. He also feared that if he had to speak in the course of discharging his duties as a Prophet, he would perhaps be overcome by his impediment especially as he had no prior public speaking experience. Therefore, he prayed that God may endow him with eloquence that he might express himself effectively. It may be recalled that on one occasion Pharaoh ridiculed Moses for his inability to speak well: 'He is a contemptible wretch who can scarcely express himself clearly' (al-Zukhruf 43: 52). It was Moses' own consciousness of this weakness which had made him pray to God to appoint his brother Aaron as his helper: 'And my brother Aaron, he is more eloquent in speech than 1. Send him with me as a helper' (al-Qaşaş 28: 34).

It seems that later on Moses overcame this weakness, developing as he did an effective public speaking ability. His speeches of later time, found both in the Bible and the Qur'an, provide ample testimony to his outstanding capacity as a speaker. It does not stand to reason that God should appoint someone who stammered to the office of Messenger. Messengers have always been the best specimens of humanity, outstanding in all respects - their facial features, personality, and other abilities bearing this out. Both their external appearances and their inner qualities have always attracted peoples' hearts and minds. Never has God raised a Messenger who suffered from a physical deformity which would reduce him to an object of ridicule or contempt.

16. According to the Bible, Aaron was three years older than Moses.

17. God reminds Moses of the numerous favours that had been bestowed on him from his birth up until the current moment. These favours are mentioned in greater detail in Surah al-Qasas. (See al-Qaṣaș 28: 7-35-Ed.) What is stated here amounts to no more than an allusion to these favours so as to make Moses conscious of the mission for which he was born, for which he had been brought up under governmental care, and which was being entrusted to him at that particular moment.

18. A person abandons evil and turns to the right path for one of two reasons. Either he is convinced of the right way because of someone's persuasion, or he takes heed as a result of himself becoming conscious of the disastrous consequences of his evil actions.

18a. It would appear that this incident relates to the time when Moses had already reached Egypt and when Aaron had begun to assist him in his mission.

Presumably before proceeding to Pharaoh, both Moses and Aaron had made their fears about the evil that might befall them known to God.

19. The Qur'anic account of the incident should be read in conjunction with those accounts in the Bible and the Talmud. This comparative study will clearly reveal the differences in the images of the Prophets as portrayed in the Qur'an and in the Jewish religious tradition. According to the Bible, God told Moses: 'Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring forth my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.' But Moses said to God: 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?' (Exodus 3: 10-11). Subsequently, even though God tried at length to persuade Moses of the same, encouraged him, and endowed him with miracles, Moses still said: 'Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person' (Exodus 4: 13).

The Talmudic account goes a step further. It states that the argument between God and Moses continued for seven days. God insisted on Moses accepting the prophetic mission whereas Moses declined to do so on the grounds of his speech impediment. Finally, God said that it was His will that Moses become a Prophet. To this Moses replied that God had sent angels to save Lot, had assigned five angels when Hagar left the house of Sarah, so why was He, then, asking him to leave Egypt along with His favourite children (the Israelites)? This so enraged God that He made Aaron a party to Moses' prophetic office, and denied priesthood to the house of Moses by transferring it to the descendants of Aaron. (See The Talmud Selections, p. 142 ff. Ed.) In view of this clear discrepancy between the two versions it seems bold, indeed, for some scholars to claim that the Bible and the Talmud were the main sources from which the Qur'anic stories were derived.

20. Here the Qur'ān omits certain details of the story: in particular, how Moses arrived at Pharaoh's court and how he explained his teachings to him. These details are mentioned earlier in al-A'raf 7: 108; and can also be found in al-Shu'ara' 26: 10-33; al-Qasas 28: 28-40; and al-Nazi'at 79: 15-36. For necessary information about Pharaoh see Towards Understanding the Qur'ān, vol. III, al-A'raf 7, n. 85, p. 64.

21. Of the two brothers, Moses was the main person entrusted with the task of expounding the truth. Hence Pharaoh addressed Moses rather than Aaron. Another possible reason why Pharaoh addressed Moses rather than Aaron may be that Pharaoh wanted to deprive Aaron of the opportunity to use his rhetorical skills, the implication being that he wished to take advantage of Moses' handicap when it came to public speaking.

The purpose of the question posed by Pharaoh was to emphasize the fact that since he was sovereign of Egypt and its people, Moses had no business setting up anyone other than him as their Lord. He alone, so Pharaoh believed, could be Lord of Egypt and of the Egyptians. Surah al-Näzi'at records Pharaoh's claim: 'I am your highest Lord' (79: 24). The Qur'an also records elsewhere that Pharaoh publicly addressed his whole court, saying: 'My people! Do I not possess kingship of Egypt and are these rivers not flowing under me?' (al-Zukhruf 43: 51). On another occasion Pharaoh vaingloriously boasted before his courtiers: 'O chiefs! I know no deity of yours other than myself. O Hämän! Light me a kiln to bake bricks out of clay and construct a lofty palace that I might climb up to the god of Moses' (al-Qasas 28: 38). Elsewhere, the Qur'an mentions that Pharaoh rebuked Moses, saying: 'If you take anyone other than me as a deity, I shall cast you into prison' (al-Shu'ara' 26: 29). This does not mean that Pharaoh was the only object of the Egyptian people's worship. We have already noted that Pharaoh's claim to be sovereign was grounded in his belief that he was the incarnation of the sun-god, Ra.

It has also been established historically that the national cult of the Egyptians consisted of the worship of many gods and goddesses. Hence, in point of fact, Pharaoh did not claim to be the 'only object of worship'. He rather claimed, on a practical level, divine political lordship over the people of Egypt, and on a theoretical level, political lordship over all mankind. He was totally unprepared to accept the notion that any Superior Being could be regarded as the Lord, as One over and above him, or that anyone could come forward as His authorized representative and claim the authority to command and ask all, including Pharaoh, to obey the same.

Some people have been misled into believing that Pharaoh denied the existence of God, or that he laid claim to being God himself. According to the Qur'an, however, Pharaoh believed that someone else governed the world above. If one reads carefully the Qur'anic verses al-Mu'min 40: 28-34 and al-Zukhruf 43: 53, it is evident that Pharaoh did not deny the existence of God, nor that of angels. What he could not accept, however, was that God should have any authority to interfere with his political overlordship, or that any of God's Messengers should claim the right to command him. (For further elaboration see al-Qasas 28, n. 53.)

22. The thrust of Moses' statement is that he accepted God as his Lord in every sense of the term. He alone is the Provider, the Master, the Lord, the Sovereign. In sum, Moses was not prepared to accept anyone other than God as his Lord.

23. All that exists in the world, whatever its shape, is the creation of God alone. Everything derives its form and texture, its power and ability, and all its properties from God alone. Man's limbs - hands, legs, and so on were all created on a pattern best suited to make them properly serviceable. God created everything - minerals, air, water, light, in short, everything - and gave it the particular shape required for it to play the role assigned to it in the overall scheme of things.

Now God did not simply create each thing on a certain pattern and leave it at that; rather, He taught each created being how it should function and fulfil the purpose for which it had been created. It is God Who taught the fish to swim and the birds to fly, the plants to blossom and the soil to produce vegetation. In sum, He not only created but also provided guidance to everything in the universe as to how it should function.

In the above sentence, which is crisp, pithy and rich, Moses not only mentions God Who is the object of his worship, but also explains why he accepted Him'as his Lord and why none else could be acknowledged to be so. The statement embodies both the thesis and its supporting argument. The fact is that Pharaoh and all his subjects owe their lives to God and none of them can survive even for a moment unless the different parts of their bodies function in accordance with the guidance that comes from God. In view of the above, Pharaoh's claim that he was the Lord of his subjects and the latter's acceptance of Pharaoh as their Lord, both appear no more than an act of folly, a ludicrous joke.

Furthermore, in this statement Moses subtly makes the case for his own prophethood, an office, as we have seen, which Pharaoh rejected. Implicit in Moses' statement is the point that since God is the Guide of the whole universe, One Who directs everything in accordance with its needs and conditions, it is befitting of Him alone that He provides the guidance to mankind. Since man cannot be guided in the same way as animals are, the best way to help man is for the choicest of their number to be selected by God and asked to make an appeal to their fellow mens' rational faculties and in this manner show them the right way.

24. Pharaoh here points out that if it was God, as Moses claimed, Who created everything to perfection and Who guided it to its role, and if there really was no Lord other than God, then this clearly also meant that the ancestors of yore who had worshipped deities other than God were in error. Were they really in error and deserved God's punishment? Were they all - their venerable ancestors - dumb, stupid people?

This was the only response which Pharaoh could afford to put forth in reply to Moses' argument. It was a response based either on ignorance, or mischief, or both. For it is indeed possible that Moses' assertion, which implied that his ancestors were in error, incensed him. At the same time, it is quite possible that Pharaoh's intent in making the above statement was to incite people against Moses by appealing to their natural feelings of love and veneration for their ancestors. This weapon has frequently been used by the opponents of the truth throughout the different periods of history, and on many occasions it proved effective in provoking ignorant people against the proponents of truth. At the time when these Qur'anic verses were revealed, this very weapon was being constantly employed against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). It is, therefore, especially relevant to mention Pharaoh's subterfuge against Moses here.

25. Moses' reply is full of wisdom, providing a good lesson for those who wish to propagate the truth and who wish to do so wisely. Pharaoh's intent, as noted earlier, was probably to incite the prejudice and hostility of his audience against Moses, and, through them, the prejudice and hostility of the people at large. Moses could indeed have replied that their ancestors were in error, bound to be cast into Hell; but such a reply, regardless of its truth, would have served Pharaoh's cause rather than that of Moses.

Instead, Moses replied with the utmost wisdom, saying something which was at once true but which also frustrated Pharaoh's evil designs. He pointed out that howsoever their ancestors might have behaved, they had now completed their term of life and returned to God, and he, Moses, had no means of knowing the fullness of their actions nor the intent behind those actions so as to enable him to judge them. But the record of all the acts they committed during their lives was with God Who knew well all that they did and Who was also well aware of the motives behind those actions. For nothing escapes God's eye nor does anything fade from His memory. It is for God, and God alone, to judge them. Indeed He alone has the requisite knowledge to do so. None need worry as to what the attitude of their predecessors was to life nor what manner of ultimate fate lay in store for them. People should be concerned, instead, with themselves: they should examine their own attitude to life and consider what kind of ultimate fate they are likely to meet as a result.

26. It would appear that Moses' response concludes with the end of verse 52. The passage which follows, i.e. from verse 53 to verse 55 consists of an admonition.

The Qur'an is full of instances where statements are made about past incidents or about future events. Such statements are followed either by a few sentences of exhortation to piety and righteousness, or by explanation or elaboration of those statements. The style of the text, on such occasions, indicates whether the statement in question was made by a human being or by God.

It is useful to remember that this particular statement not only relates to the immediately preceding verse ('My Lord does not err, nor does He forget'), but also to Moses' entire statement which opens with the words: 'He [Moses] said: "Our Lord is He Who gave everything its form and then guided it'' ` (verse 50).

27. Those who are guided in their quest for the truth by sound reason are assisted by signs from God and they are able therewith to find the way to the truth. For these signs convince such people that this universe has a Lord and that He alone, and none else, governs and controls it.

28. Inevitably every human being has to pass through these three stages. The first stage extends from his birth to his death; the second is from his death to the Last Day; and the third is the Last Day and the Resurrection and thereafter. According to the above verse, all these three stages relating to man will take place on earth.

29. God's signs mentioned here refer to those signs both in the natural phenomena and in men's lives, as weil as to the miracles granted Moses (peace be on him). The Qur'an also mentions several successive speeches made by Moses on different occasions in order to explain his message to Pharaoh, as it does the several miracles performed in succession and which Pharaoh was made to witness.

30. 'Sorcery' here refers to the miracle of the rod and to Moses' shining hand. Details of these miracles are mentioned in al-A'raf and al-Shu'ara' and refer to a miracle which Moses performed during his first meeting with Pharaoh when the latter's court was in full attendance. This particular miracle totally unnerved Pharaoh, a fact which can be gauged by his response: 'Have you come to drive us out of our land by your sorcery' (verse 57).

Never before in the history of mankind, either before Moses' and Pharaoh's time or after it, was a magician able to establish his domination over a country by dint of his magic. In Pharaoh's own land there were numerous magicians who went about demonstrating their magical feats and asking people for money in return. Hence Pharaoh's statements that Moses was a magician, and that he constituted a threat to Pharaoh's dominion only bespoke of his nervousness and bewilderment. The fact seems to be that Pharaoh was cognizant of Moses' persuasive and well-argued discourse as well as of his impressive miracles. It would also appear that at this stage Pharaoh had begun to seriously believe that both his courtiers and the common people of his realm were being favourably impressed by Moses. He, therefore, had to resort to lies and fraudulent practices in an attempt to arouse his people's latent prejudices. He, therefore, argued that what Moses had demonstrated were simply magical feats rather than miracles; tricks which any magician of his realm could perform - transmuting a rod into a serpent. He also attempted to incite his people's anger against Moses by saying in effect: 'Look, Moses brands your ancestors to be ill-guided; as those who deserve to be cast into Hell-Fire. Beware of him! He is no Prophet, but merely hungers for power. He merely wants the Israelites to be able to seize power from the Copts and rule over this country as in the time of Joseph.' By resorting to such a stratagem Pharaoh tried to undermine Moses' mission. (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. III, al-A'raf 7, nn. 87-90, pp. 65-8 and vol. IV, Yūnus 10, n. 75, p. 56 respectively).

At this point it is also worth mentioning that the ruling classes, throughout all times, have maligned the votaries of truth, accusing them of hungering for power, misconstruing all their activities as being directed to that sole objective. (For some relevant instances see al-A'raf 7: 110 and 123; Yūnus 10: 78 and al-Mu'minun 23: 2.)

31. Pharaoh believed that his magicians would be able to nullify the impression created in the minds of his people by Moses' miracles. He, therefore, commanded his magicians to perform their wondrous feats, turning rods and ropes into serpents and the like. He fully believed that once such feats had been performed, Moses' miracles would lose all their effect. So when Pharaoh himself suggested an encounter between Moses and the magicians, Moses was able to seize this opportunity to demonstrate the difference between sorcery and miracles. Hence Moses readily agreed, further adding that instead of fixing a special time and place for that purpose, the festival that was about to take place be made use of since it would attract people from all over the country. Moses preferred the encounter to take place before all those who were expected to attend the festival, and during broad daylight, so that no ambiguity concerning the question in dispute would remain thereafter.

32. Pharaoh and his courtiers considered this encounter to be of crucial importance. Messengers were sent to all parts of the country to summon all skilled magicians to the capital. Likewise, efforts were made to attract the maximum number of people in order that they might witness the magicians' feats. It was hoped that the people's minds would thus be disabused of the favourable impression that had been formed of Moses on account of his miracles. Furthermore, Pharaoh and his supporters publicly claimed that the survival of their faith would depend on the performance of these magicians. If they were victorious, their faith would prevail; if not, Moses would triumph. (See al-Shu'ara' 26: 34-51.)

At this stage one ought to recall that the religion of the Egyptian royalty and elites was perceptibly different from that adhered to by the general public; their respective deities and temples were different as were their rituals. Likewise, there was considerable diversity in their beliefs regarding Life-after-Death, a question considered of great importance in Egypt. (See Arnold Toynbee, A Study of History, abridgement by D.C. Somerwell (London, Oxford University Press, 1962), pp. 31-2 - Ed.) Moreover, as a result of earlier changes in Egyptian religious life, some sections of the local population had begun to prefer, or at least had developed a susceptibility towards, monotheistic as opposed to polytheistic doctrines. This is evident from the fact that the Israelites and their local co-religionists constituted at least ten per cent of the population. Moreover, barely 150 years previously Amenophis or Akhnaton (1377-1360 B.C.) had brought about a religious revolution in Egypt. As a result of this revolution, only a single deity, Aton was worshipped whereas other deities were discarded. True, this revolution was subsequently reversed with the help of the same political power which had caused it. Nevertheless, the results of this revolution had some bearing on the peoples' minds. If one bears these facts in mind, it is that much easier to understand the panic which seized Pharaoh on this occasion.

33. It is pertinent to recall that this was not addressed to the general public who had to decide whether Moses performed miracles or magical feats. Instead, Moses said this in the course of his address to Pharaoh and his courtiers who had accused Moses of being no more than a magician.

34. The people concerned were asked not to fabricate a lie against God; to refrain from calling Moses' miracle a feat of magic, and from calling a true Messenger of God a magician, one much given to lying. (See al-Qasas 28: 4- Ed.)

35. This shows that they had begun to feel weakened from within. They realized that what Moses had performed was not magic. Hence, they faced Moses in the encounter with considerable trepidation and reluctance, and when that encounter began, their resolve simply dissipated.

The disagreement in Pharaoh's ranks, to which the present verse refers possibly pertains to the time and venue of the encounter. They probably disagreed among themselves about whether the encounter should take place on the occasion of the great national festival and which would be attended by a large number of people from all parts of the land, and which would also take place in broad daylight enabling all to witness it. Some people in Pharaoh's ranks seem to have been opposed to the idea, thinking that if they suffered a public defeat and people became aware of the difference between miracles and magic, then it would be extremely difficult to avoid a crushing defeat.

36. This statement, in all probability, was made by those extremist members of Pharaoh's court who were willing to go to any lengths in order to defeat Moses. The zealous followers of Pharaoh thought it advisable to go vigorously ahead, give up all circumspection, and plunge into a direct encounter, come what may. Those who were mature, however, and had a better understanding of things were reluctant to proceed in a direction that would force them into a headlong confrontation with Moses.

37. Their position rested on two points. First, if the magicians succeeded in changing rods into serpents, this would impress upon the crowd that Moses was no more than a magician. Moreover, by fanning the fire of chauvinistic prejudice, they wanted to persuade the ruling classes that Moses' victory would mean the former's downfall and the extinction of their splendid way of life. They, thus, infused fear into the hearts and minds of influential members of the Egyptian society, advising that Moses' rise to power would sound the death-knell of their own culture. Their arts, their attractive civilization, their varied entertainments, the unfettered freedom of their womenfolk (of which we find a conspicuous example in the story of the Prophet Joseph) (see Yusuf 12: 3-32-Ed.); in sum, all the essentials of a life in pursuit of pleasure, would be destroyed. What would be left would be a life of cold and stark piety; a life so insufferable that it would be preferable for men of good taste to die rather than continue living.

38. The plan was to put up a united front against Moses. For, if during the encounter there was any sign of disagreement or reluctance, or if the magicians began to whisper amongst themselves, their awe would be lost and the onlookers would gain the impression that they were unsure about their abilities.

39. The Qur'an omits details in that the magicians had been issued directives to take part in the contest against Moses.

40. According to al-A'raf: 'Moses said: "You throw". So when they threw [their rods], they [i.e. the magicians] enchanted the eyes of the people and struck them with awe...' (al-A'raf 7: 116).

The present verse makes it clear that the magicians' sorcery had not only affected the general public, but also to a certain degree even Moses (peace be on him). It was not only his eyes which experienced the effects of their sorcery but even his mind felt inclined to believe that these rods and ropes were serpents in a state of motion.

41. It would appear that no sooner had Moses (peace be on him) said: 'throw', the magicians instantly threw their rods and ropes towards him momentarily making Moses feel as if hundreds of serpents were speeding towards him. There is nothing strange about the fact that such a spectacle would have momentarily stunned Moses. For a human being remains a human being even if he is also a Prophet. It is further possible that Moses feared that the magicians' feats were so similar to his own miracles that many people would indeed be led towards false beliefs.

It is worth noting that the Qur'an here indicates that even Prophets are vulnerable to magical effects just like any other human being. Magicians do not have the power to deprive a Messenger of God of his Messengership, nor to interrupt the revelations made to him, nor to cause him to go astray. But it is nevertheless possible that magic might temporarily have some effect on the powers of a Messenger. This refutes the position of those who, when they come across the traditions which mention that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was affected by magic, find the idea that a Messenger of God can be affected by magic so outrageous that they not only reject the particular hadith in question, but also go so far as to deny the authenticity of the whole corpus of Hadith.

42. It is possible that the miraculously-created python swallowed all the rods and ropes which appeared in the form of serpents. However, the words used in the above verse and at other places in the Qur'an while relating this story, seem to suggest that the miraculously-created python did not actually swallow the serpents, but simply nullified the effect of the magic which had made the rods and ropes mistakenly appear to the onlookers as serpents. In the relevant verses the actual words used in the Qur'an (see al-A'raf 7: 117 and al-Shu'ara' 26: 45) are which means that it began to swallow up their false devices. In the present surah, the words are, meaning: 'it will swallow up all that they have wrought' (verse 69). Now the false devices which they had contrived did not consist of fake rods and serpents, but rather consisted of the magic which had made those objects look like serpents. We, therefore, believe that in whichever direction the python went, it swallowed up the rods and ropes throwing them back in such a manner that everything reverted to its original form.

43. When Pharaoh's magicians observed the miraculous impact of Moses' rod, they were readily convinced that it was a genuine miracle, and had nothing to do with magic. Instantly and involuntarily, they fell down in prostration, as if someone had forcibly thrown them to the ground.

44. Everyone present in the arena knew the purpose of the encounter. No one thought that it was a mere magical tournament between Moses and the magicians in order to establish who had the greater powers. For it was common knowledge that Moses presented himself as the Messenger of God, the Lord and Creator of the earth and the heavens, rather than as a magician. It was also widely known that Moses performed the miracle of his rod as proof of his claim to Messengership rather than as an indication of his superior magical powers. Conversely, by publicly inviting the magicians to confront Moses, Pharaoh had wanted to prove that the transformation of a rod into a python was merely a magical trick by Moses rather than a miracle. In other words, Pharaoh's magicians and all those present were fully aware of the distinction between miracles and sorcery. What was at stake, therefore, was whether Moses' performance was some form of sorcery, or whether it was a miracle which could be shown only with God's special help. This explains why the magicians, once defeated did not say: 'We accept that Moses is much more skilled than we are.' Rather, the incident persuaded them to affirm that Moses was a genuine Messenger of God, the Lord of the universe, with the result that they exclaimed: 'We believe in the Lord of Moses and Aaron' (verse 70).

This enables us to gauge the tremendous impact this defeat of Pharaoh's magicians would have had on the general public and across the whole country. For Pharaoh had arranged for this tournament to take place at the largest festival in the land, in the hope that when people from all parts of the country would see for themselves that there was nothing unique in Moses' miracle, that it was something which could be performed by any magician, it would irreparably damage Moses' claim and position. The tables were, however, turned when Pharaoh's own magicians affirmed, in the presence of a huge crowd hailing from every corner of the empire, that Moses did not perform any magical trick; that his performance was indeed a miracle which only a Messenger of God could achieve.

45. Surah al-A'raf mentions that Pharaoh conceded the point. Furthermore, his statement: 'This is a trick which you have planned in the city to drive out its rulers' (al-A'raf 7: 123) elaborates upon Pharaoh's accusation that the magicians were guilty not only of hatching a conspiracy against him, but also that Moses was their chief. Pharaoh further accused the magicians that they had feigned defeat at the behest of their master, Moses; that is, they had not been truly defeated. Pharaoh also contended that the whole thing had been pre-planned so that Moses' supremacy could be paraded as proof of his Messengership which in turn would lead to political upheaval in the land.

46. This refers to the mode of punishment: that their right foot and left hand be cut off, or vice versa.

47. The ancient method of crucifixion or hanging was to either fix a long pole in the ground or to use the trunk of a tree for the same purpose. Another piece of wood would then be tied across it at the top. The culprit was then taken up and his hands nailed to the pole; in this manner he was left hanging for hours to die a slow, painful death. The dead body of such a person was left in this state so that others might draw a lesson from his tragic end.

48. Conscious that he was fighting a losing battle, Pharaoh resorted to this artifice. By threatening them with a dreadful punishment, he aimed to force his magicians to confess that they had acted in collusion with Moses and that they had hatched a conspiracy against the state. Nonetheless, their firm resolve and courage, now that they had embraced the truth, frustrated even this last desperate attempt by Pharaoh. The magicians' readiness to face such dreadful punishment convinced everyone that the charge of conspiracy levelled against them was little more than a political manoeuvre. Everyone was convinced that the magicians sincerely believed that Moses was truly a Prophet.

49. This verse may also be translated as follows: 'We shall never accord you precedence over the evident signs which have come to us, nor over Him Who brought us into existence.'

50. This remark is from God and supplements the magicians' statement. The style of the sentence makes it quite evident that it could not have been made by the magicians.

51. Such a person will remain suspended between life and death. He will not meet his death which would have ended his suffering and misery, nor will he experience the joy of living, which would have made him realize that life was preferable to death. He will be disgusted with life but will remain unable to find the solace of death. He would very much like to die, but God will not oblige him. Of all the chastisements in Hell, detailed in the Qur'an, this is the most awesome.

52. After describing this encounter between Moses and the magicians, detailed information of the incidents which occurred during the Israelites' long stay in Egypt are omitted. (For these see al-A'raf 7: 130-47; Yūnus 10: 83-92: al-Mu'min 40: 23-50; and al-Zukhruf 43: 46-56.)

53. God finally appointed a night on which all the believers, both Israelite and non-Israelite, had to embark on the exodus. For these believers the Qur'an uses the comprehensive expression 'My servants'. After assembling at the appointed venue, they set out in the form of a caravan. Since there was no Suez Canal at that time, the area lying between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea lay open. The entire area was dotted with military camps and, hence, to travel through it was quite dangerous. Moses, therefore, chose the route leading to the Red Sea. He probably intended to reach the Sinaitic Peninsula by traversing the coastal line. Pharaoh's huge army, however, was in pursuit of the believers, and it came upon them while they were still on the Red Sea coast.

We learn from the description in Surah al-Shu'ara' (26: 61-3), that this caravan of migrants was vulnerable to attack because Pharaoh's army was poised on one side whilst the sea was on the other. It was at this juncture that God directed Moses, 'to strike the sea with your rod' (al-A'raf 7: 160 and al-Shu'ara' 26: 63). The sea, as the Qur'an says, 'split up [into two]', (al-Shu'ara' 26: 63). Thus, the Israelites were provided with a safe passage. In fact what happened was even more significat for that portion lying between the two parts became, as the current verse says, a dry path, providing a safe route for Moses and his followers.

The manner in which the Qur'an mentions this event leaves no doubt that it is a miracle. The Qur'anic description provides no justification for those who claim that the event was caused by a wind storm or by the ebb and flow of the tide. This was clearly not the case. For neither a wind storm nor the recession of the tide would cause the water to stand in the form of high walls; nor does wind storm or recession of the tide cause a dry road to emerge in the midst of the sea by the splitting of water into two parts. (For further details see al-Shu'ara' 26, n. 47.)

54. In al-Shu'ara' it is said: 'We told Moses by inspiration: Strike the sea with your rod. So it split up, and each part became like a huge, firm mass of mountain. And We made the other party approach there. We delivered Moses and all who were with him but We drowned the others' (al-Shu'ara' 26: 64-6). This verse clearly states that soon after the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, Pharaoh and his army entered the same road which had divided it (verses 63-7). Likewise, in Surah al-Baqarah it is said that the Israelites observed, from the safety of the other shore, the drowning of Pharaoh's people (al-Baqarah 2: 50). Similarly, one learns from Surah Yunus that whilst Pharaoh was drowning, he cried out: 'I believe that there is no God but Allah in Whom the children of Israel believe, and I am also one of those who submit to Allah' (Yunus 10: 90). Pharaoh's acceptance of faith while he was in the throes of death was, however, unacceptable to God. Pharaoh was told: 'Now you believe, although you disobeyed earlier and were one of the mischief-makers. We shall now save your corpse that you may serve as a warning for all posterity, although many men are heedless of Our signs' (Yunus 10: 91-2).

55. Here a subtle warning is given to the Makkan unbelievers, for they are told that their leaders had been directing them to the same wrong path to which Pharaoh had earlier led his people. They must now realize that just as Pharaoh led his people in the wrong direction, their own leaders were also doing the same.

With the conclusion of this story it is now appropriate to compare the Qur'ānic and Biblical versions for such a study will demonstrate how false the contention is that the Qur'anic stories of the past are derived from Israelite sources. In the Bible, details of this story are to be found in Exodus. The following elements are especially noteworthy:

1. It is said that the miracle of the rod was granted to Moses (Exodus 4: 2-5) and that he was directed: 'to take the rod in his hand, with which to show signs' (4:17). Later on, the same rod inexplicably comes into Aaron's possession and he then begins to use it to perform miracles. (See Chapter 7 onwards.)

2. The account of the first meeting between Moses and Pharaoh as described in Exodus, Chapter 5, is absolutely silent about the debate that had ensued between Moses and Pharaoh on the issue of the Oneness and absolute Lordship of God. The Bible simply records that Pharaoh said: 'Who is the Lord, that I should heed his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord. . .' (5: 2). Moses and Aaron gave only the following insipid reply: 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us...' (5: 3).

3. The whole story of the magicians is narrated in a few drab sen- tences:

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'When Pharaoh says to you, "Prove yourselves by working a miracle", then you shall say to Aaron, "Take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent." So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same by their secret arts. For every man cast down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them; as the Lord had said (Exodus 7: 8-13).

4. If one compares the Biblical and Qur'ānic statements, one cannot help feeling that the Biblical passage is totally bereft of any spiritual dimension to the story. What is more surprising is that the encounter took place on the day of the festival when the magicians acknowledged their defeat and thereafter accepted faith. This is the very heart of the story, and the Biblical version makes no mention of it at all.

5. According to the Qur'an, Moses had asked for the deliverance and freedom of the Israelites whereas the Biblical version states that he said:

.... let us go, we pray, a three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord, our God...' (Exodus 5: 3).

6. A detailed account of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and Pharaoh's drowning occurs in Chapters 11-14 of Exodus. Some of its details are useful and provide some elaboration upon the Qur'ānic account. Yet, this account is also marked by some bizarre statements. For example, Moses is asked to lift up his rod and stretch out his hand over the sea and divide it so that the people of Israel may cross the dry route through the Red Sea (Exodus 14: 16). It should also be noted that by this time the rod had reverted to Moses. A little later, however, it is said: 'Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left' (Exodus 14: 21-2). It is not clear whether this was a miracle or a natural phenomenon. If it was a miracle, it would have resulted from Moses striking the sea with his rod as the Qur'an has stated. On the other hand, if it was caused by natural factors, it is hard to explain how an easterly wind running in the middle of the sea could have divided it into two and thus caused the water to settle on both sides in the form of high walls, leaving dry ground in the middle. Does it stand to reason that gusts of wind have such unusual effects?

The Talmudic account differs from the Biblical one and is closer to the Qur'ānic account. Nevertheless, if one compares the Qur'anic and Talmudic accounts, it is readily discernible that while the Qur'anic account is based directly on revelation, the Talmudic account is derived from an accumulation of oral traditions. Inevitably, over the course of many centuries, these traditions suffered much distortion. (For further details see H. Polano, The Talmud Selections, pp. 150-4.)

56. Here, details of how the Israelites crossed the sea and arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai are omitted. These details are, however, mentioned in al-A'raf 7: 138-98. There, among other things, the Qur'an also states that soon after their departure from Egypt, when the Israelites saw a temple in the Sinaitic Peninsula, they asked for a false deity. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. III, al-A'raf 7, n. 98, pp. 74-5.)

57. One learns from al-Baqarah 2: 51 and al-A'raf 7: 142 that God had fixed a period of forty days to bestow His Law on the Israelites. It was after this period had elapsed that God's commandments, inscribed on tablets, were granted to the Prophet Moses (peace be on him).

58. That is, on the eastern side of Mount Sinai.

59. Details regarding manna and quails figure in Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, al-Baqarah 2, n. 73, p. 76 and vol. III, al-A'raf 7, n. 119, pp. 88-91. According to the Bible, it was after their departure from Egypt when the Israelites were in the wilderness between Elim and Sinai, their reserves exhausted and starvation staring them in the face, that manna and quails were sent down to them. This special arrangement whereby food was provided to the Israelites continued for a full forty years, until they reached the townships of Palestine (Exodus, Chapter 16; Numbers 11: 7-9; and Joshua 5: 12). Exodus has the following account of manna and quails:

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was (Exodus 16: 13–15).

Now the house of Israel called its name manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey (Exodus 16: 31).

In Numbers it is further explained:

The people went about and gathered it [manna], and ground it in mills or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it (Numbers 11: 8–9).

This was also a miracle. Hence, when the Israelites managed to secure natural resources for their subsistence, this arrangement was discontinued. Interestingly, neither quails nor manna can be found in abundant supply in the region any longer. Curious people have thoroughly scoured the area where, according to the Bible, the Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness. Despite their vigorous searches, they have not succeeded in tracing any manna. Some unscrupulous businessmen, well-versed in hoodwinking people, however, have made money by selling sweets which they claim are made of manna.

60. God pardons people but certain conditions are required for the granting of that pardon from Him. The first of these is tawbah (repentance), which means that man should give up his transgressions, disobedience, polytheism and unbelief- all things that displease God. The second condition is to have faith-- that is, to sincerely believe in God and His Messenger, and the Book and the Hereafter. The third condition is righteous conduct; that is, to act in accordance with the directives of God and His Messenger (peace be on him). The fourth condition is constancy in following the right way and a conscious effort not to revert to the wrong path.

61. Just a little before (see verse 80 and nn. 57-8 above), it was mentioned that the Israelites had asked to stay in the land to the right of Mount Sinai, and were promised that after a lapse of forty days they would receive God's commandments.

The narrative, which had been interrupted by a parenthetical statement (see verses 81-2), is resumed from the current verse.

62. It appears from this sentence that Moses' eagerness for an encounter with God, meant that he went ahead of his people. Before the caravan could reach the right side of Mount Sinai, the place promised to the Israelites, Moses had already left on his solo journey and stood in God's presence. What transpired there between God and His chosen servant, Moses, is recounted in al-A'raf 7: 143-5. Moses pleaded that he might be enabled to have a glimpse of God, and God replied that Moses would be unable to do so. Then God cast His effulgence on the mountain and it was broken into pieces. This sight caused Moses to fall into unconsciousness. Later, God's commandments were given to Moses on tablets.

All these events took place on that occasion. Here, reference is made only to one event - that the Israelites fell prey to calf-worship. The purpose of this particular narrative is to emphasize to the Makkans how agitated God's Prophets become when they notice anything relating to polytheism raising its head.

63. Al-Samirī was not the proper name of that person. The last letter ya of the word clearly indicates an affiliation, either to a race, a tribe, or to a place. Moreover, the prefix al here indicates that the person referred to was one particular Samirī, implying that there were many other people bearing that appellation because of their particular tribal, racial or habital affiliation - and that it was only he from among the Israelites who was responsible for the spread of calf-worship.

In order to explain what the Qur'an says here no further information seems to be required. However, this particular matter has been deemed to be of great significance by Christian missionaries and especially by some Orientalists who have gone to great lengths to cast aspersions on the Qur'an. According to them, what is said here betrays - God forbid - the grievous ignorance of the Qur'an's author.

They contend that Samaria, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Israel, was built in 925 B.C., several centuries after this event, [implying, thereby, that the word al-Samirī is an anachronism]. Moreover, several centuries after this a hybrid people - a cross breed of Israelites and non-Israelites - appeared on the scene and were named Samaritans. These critics point out that along with other polytheistic innovations, worship of the golden calf was in vogue among the Samaritans. They claim that the Prophet (peace be on him) got wind of it from the Jews, and linked it with the time of the Prophet Moses (peace be on him), but invented the story that the worship of the golden calf was introduced by a Samaritan.

They level similar charges against Hämän whom the Qur'ān mentions as one of Pharaoh's ministers. Both Christian missionaries and Orientalists identify Hämän as a courtier of the Persian King, Cyrus, who did indeed share the same name. Using this assumption, they argue that the current Qur'anic statement is further proof of the ignorance of the Qur'an's author. Such a contention can only be sustained if one were to believe that in olden times there existed only one person, tribe or place, with a particular name; if that were indeed the case, the possibility of there being two or more people, tribes or places bearing the same name, is altogether excluded.

The fact, however, is that the Sumerians were a well-known ancient nation who held sway over Iraq and the areas surrounding it during the time of Abraham (peace be on him). It seems quite likely then for people belonging to this nation, or to any branch of it, to have been known as Sāmirīs in Egypt during the time of Moses (peace be on him). Let us also consider the origin of Samaria on account of which the people of northern Palestine later became known as Samarians or Samaritans. We further learn from the Bible that an Israelite ruler purchased a hill from a person named Shemer and that he later built his capital there. Since the owner of the hill was called Shemer, the place came to be known as Samaria after his name (I Kings 16: 24). This clearly shows that even before there were a people called Samarians, it was common for people to have the name Shemer. That being the case, how can one rule out the possibility that the name Samirī was used for a race or tribe because of their affinity with a person bearing that name, or that, for the same reason, some place might have been called Samaria.

64. This part of the Qur'ānic verse may also be translated as follows: 'Had Your Lord not made a good promise to you?' The translation we have adopted above in the text, however, means that the Israelites had received all the bounties promised to them by their Lord: in other words, God enabled them to leave Egypt in safety. He also liberated them from bondage; He annihilated their enemies and provided them with food and shelter when they were in the desert and when they occupied the mountainous region. Had these promises not been fulfilled?

Let us now consider the alternative translation that we suggested at the beginning of this note. Were we to adopt this then the verse would mean that God had promised to grant them Law and Guidance. Did this not amount to promising them a mighty good?

65. This verse may also be translated as: 'Did the fulfilment of the promise take long in coming [that they grew impatient]?"

The translation we prefer suggests that it was not long before that God had conferred great favours upon them; how, then, had they forgotten God's beneficence so quickly? Not many centuries earlier they had been delivered from their state of suffering and misery. Why, then, should their present prosperity intoxicate them into forgetting God's favours?

If we adopt the alternative translation, the verse would mean that God did not take long to fulfil His promise of granting them Guidance, which they might have construed as an excuse for breaking their covenant with their Lord.

66. This refers to the promise which each community makes to its Messenger that it will obey him, will steadfastly adhere to the guidance he had brought, and will worship no one other than the One True God.

67. This was the excuse offered by those who had been lured by the Samirī. Their contention was that they had simply thrown away their jewellery without intending to make a calf from the same that they would then worship. Nor had they any idea what people intended to do with their jewellery. Whatever happened after that was such that they were involuntarily pushed towards polytheism.

The Israelites said: ". .. we were laden with the load of the people's ornaments.' This could simply mean that in keeping with their custom, the Egyptians, both males and females, wore heavy jewellery, and that this had become an intolerable burden for them, the Israelites, during their sojourn in the wilderness, and consequently they did not know what to do with it. The Bible, however, states that both the males and females of every Israeli household borrowed jewellery from their Egyptian neighbours on the night when they embarked on their migration. This quite obviously implies that just before embarking on a sacred journey they swindled their neighbours out of their possessions. It is outrageous enough that the common Israelites were, according to the Biblical narrative, guilty of a brazenly immoral act. What makes the event much more outrageous is that, according to the narrative, the act was carried out at Moses' behest, a Prophet, and that he acted on a directive from God. The relevant passages in Exodus read as follows:

[God said to Moses]: 'Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them,... and when you go, you shall not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbour, and of her who sojourns in her house, jewelry of silver and of gold, and clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters; thus you shall despoil the Egyptians' (Exodus 3: 16, 21-2).

The Lord said to Moses... 'Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbour and every woman of her neighbour, jewelry of silver and of gold'. And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians (Exodus 11: 1-3).

The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked of the Egyptians jewelry of silver and of gold, and clothing; and the Lord had given the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they despoiled the Egyptians (Exodus 12: 35-6).

It is regrettable that some commentators on the Qur'an have uncritically drawn on the Biblical narrative in explaining this verse. This has led many Muslims to mistakenly believe that the heavy burden of jewellery which the Israelites were carrying was in fact the burden of the 'spoils' that they had accumulated.

The part of the verse: . . . and we threw them down', in our view means that when the people became tired of carrying the heavy burden of their jewellery, they decided, after mutual consultation, to pool all of it in one place. . After recording the weight of each individual's contribution of gold and silver to the lot, all the jewellery was melted down and made into bricks and rods. so as to make it possible to load it onto donkeys and oxen. It was in compliance with this collective decision that all the Israelites brought their jewellery, depositing it in a common pool.

68. If one reads carefully the words: ... and we threw them down' (verse 87), one will appreciate that at this point the statement of the Israelites comes to an end. Whatever details follow are from God rather than from the Israelites. It seems that the actual incident can best be described as follows: Unaware of the outrageous idolatry that was to take place, the Israelites threw their jewellery into a large heap. The Samirī was part of this crowd, and he later offered his services to melt the jewellery down. He was able to resort to some strange devices and was able to produce a golden calf which lowed like a cow. The Samirī thus deceived his people, although he claimed that he was in no way to blame: he had done nothing more than melt down the metals. As for the golden calf, he had no part in making it; it came into being by itself.

69. Unlike the Qur'an which stresses that Aaron had no share in deifying the calf, the Bible affirms that it was indeed he who committed the cardinal sin of fashioning and deifying the calf:

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, 'Up, make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' And Aaron said to them, 'Take off the rings of gold which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.' So all the people took off the rings of gold which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made a molten calf; and they said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!' When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, 'Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord' (Exodus:32: 1-5).

It is possible that this false report gained currency among the Israelites because the Samiri's proper name may have been Aaron; if that was the case then at some later date it could have led to confusion resulting in his being mistaken for Aaron, the Prophet. Christian missionaries and Orientalists of today, however, insist that this provides positive evidence of an erroneous statement in the Qur'an. This though is all rather odd, for Christians painted a bad image of the Prophet Aaron, an image of one who had deified the calf. Ironically enough, the Qur'anic narrative absolves him of this and it is faulted for that very reason! This is the state of their obduracy. Such people fail to realize that their view is contradicted by the Bible itself. For after the event, according to the Bible:

... Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said: 'Who is on the Lord's side? Come to me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. And he said to them, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, "Put every man his sword on his side, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour." And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. And Moses said, "Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, that he may bestow a blessing upon you this day.' On the morrow Moses said to the people, 'You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.' So Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if thou wilt forgive their sin and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou has written.' But the Lord said to Moses, 'Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. But now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.' And the Lord sent a plague upon the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made (Exodus 32: 26-35).

This leaves the question of why Aaron was spared unanswered. Had he initiated this evil, he would not have been exonerated. Nor would the Levites have said to Moses: 'God has commanded to put to the sword all who were guilty of calf-worship, why should anyone be spared. What kind of justice is it? You commanded us to slay our brothers, companions and neighbours, but you refrained from slaying your brother Aaron even though he is the chief culprit.' Contrary to what one would have expected, Moses returned to the Lord, saying: Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if thou wilt forgive their sin -- and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.' But the Lord said to Moses, 'Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book' (Exodus 32: 31-3). Now, it is common knowledge that Aaron's name was not blotted out. On the contrary, the highest positions - the duties of the sanctuary and priesthood - were conferred upon his house (See Numbers 18: 1-7).

Does this evidence from the Bible not contradict the statements made elsewhere on the subject in the Bible itself, and does it not also corroborate what the Qur'an has said in this regard?

70. 'Command' here refers to Moses' directive to Aaron when he delegated the leadership of the Israelites to Aaron in his absence as he headed to the Mount. According to the Qur'an: 'And Moses said to Aaron, his brother: "Take my place among my people, act righteously, and do not follow the path of those who create mischief" (al-A'raf 7: 142).

71. In translating the above verse we have made allowance for the higher status of Moses as God's Messenger. We have also taker into consideration the fact that although Aaron was Moses' elder brother, nevertheless Moses had a higher status among the Prophets than him.

72. Aaron's reply does not mean that the maintenance of unity in the ranks of the people was of greater importance than their adherence to the truth. Nor that unity, even if it had been brought about by common acceptance of polytheism, is preferable to national disunity even if it is caused by distinguishing between truth and falsehood. If anyone interprets this verse in this sense, it would be nothing short of distorting the Qur'anic message. For a better understanding of the point made by Aaron the following verse should be read in conjunction with it: 'My mother's son, the people overpowered me and almost killed me. So let not my enemies gloat over me, and do not number me among the wrong-doing folk' (al-A'raf 7: 150).

On reading both verses together, the picture that emerges is one whereby Aaron tried his best to prevent his people from falling into calf-worship, but they reacted with great hostility towards him and were even intent on his death. Fearing that civil strife might break out before Moses returned, Aaron remained silent. He did so lest Moses rebuked him, complaining as to why he had not waited for him; if he was not in a position to control things, why had he let things escalate to the extent that it was totally out of his hands? The last part of this verse, (al-A'raf 7: 150), also seems to suggest that Moses and Aaron had a number of enemies in the ranks of the Israelites.

73. In interpreting this verse, commentators on the Qur'an fall into two distinct groups each resorting to far-fetched ideas in their attempts to understand it. According to one group, which comprises the majority of the traditional commentators on the Qur'an, the correct interpretation of the verse is that as the Samirī saw Gabriel passing, he picked up a handful of dust from the earth which bore Gabriel's footprint. As this miraculous dust was poured over the image of the calf, it began to low as if it were alive. (See the comments on verse 96 in the Commentaries of al-Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, and al-Alūsī - Ed.) This interpretation, however, is not borne out by what the Qur'an itself says on the subject. For the Qur'an simply mentions the explanation offered by the Samiri when he was subjected to stern questioning from Moses. It is beyond us as to how and why these commentators took it to be the Qur'an's own view.

The other group understands the Samirï's statement quite differently. It takes the view that the Samirī observed a flaw in the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) or in his message, a flaw which had not been discerned by others. He, therefore, followed in Moses' footsteps up to a certain stage but, thereafter, he abandoned that course. This interpretation was first approvingly quoted by Abū Muslim al-Ișfahānī. Later, it was adopted by Fakhr al-Din al-Rāzī. (See al-Rāzī's comments on verse 96 in his Commentary - Ed.) At the present time, commentators on the Qur'an with a modernistic orientation are generally inclined to prefer it.

These commentators, however, forget that the Qur'an was neither revealed in an obscure language nor was it couched in enigmas and riddles. On the contrary, it was revealed in plain and clear Arabic so that an ordinary speaker of that language might be able to comprehend it using standard Arabic literary idiom. Now, no Arab who considers the words used by the Samirī would be convinced that they mean what these commentators claim them to mean. As for the method adopted by some of these commentators in this connection, they would take note of the various meanings of a word in its different usages, select one of these as the correct meaning and then arbitrarily insist upon this even if it occurred in a passage where an average Arabic-speaker would understand it to signify something totally different. Such an attitude does not attest to the linguistic competence of these scholars. If anything, their efforts can be termed as exercises in linguistic jugglery. It is not difficult to gauge how these modern Qur'ānic commentators would react if others were to interpret their writings in the same manner as they interpreted the Qur'an. How would they feel if someone picked up a dictionary of their language, and arbitrarily chose one of the many possible meanings of the words they used in their writings, and interpreted all their writings accordingly? Perhaps just a few instances of such an arbitrary exercise would outrage them. People are wont to resort to far-fetched interpretations of the Qur'an when they feel convinced, in their heart of hearts, that the straightforward meaning of a verse is not good enough for them; or when they find that there is evidence of some lack of circumspection, they then feel like resorting to linguistic jugglery to offset that.

If the reader can free himself from this kind of thinking and consider the verse in its correct context, he will readily grasp that the Samirī was a mischievous person who deliberately and craftily contrived a nefarious plan. He made the golden calf and further made it low like a calf with the result that the ignorant and gullible Israelites were misled into accepting erroneous beliefs. But that was not all. He also had the temerity to invent a story to conceal his actions and narrated the same to Moses. He claimed that he saw what others could not see. He also claimed that he was able to achieve his wondrous feat with the help of a handful of dust from the footprint of the 'Messenger'. The term 'Messenger' could refer to Gabriel, which is how the earlier commentators have understood the word. It could, however, also have been used by the Samirī to denote Moses, which demonstrates just how crafty he was. For such a statement, suggesting that even Moses' footprint could produce miracles, was designed to flatter the Prophet (peace be on him). The Samirī may well have thought that if he could win Moses over by recourse to such flattery, the latter might begin to trust him, using his services in his effort to impress upon people how great he was, and how great the miracles were that he could perform.

The Qur'an mentions the whole affair as being the Samirī's version made up by him in order to hoodwink others, rather than as the Qur'anic version of the event. Hence there is no reason to believe that these verses contain anything that does not reflect well on the Qur'an; it does not require the efforts of scholars to explain it away with their bizarre interpretations. It is also important to remember that in the very next verse Moses reproaches the Samirī in the most vehement of terms. This clearly indicates that Moses did not accept the Samiri's version even for a moment.

74. Not only was the Samirī branded as an outcast prohibited from maintaining any social relations, he was also directed to constantly announce his outcast status so that everyone knew that he could not be touched in the same way that everyone avoided contact with lepers. It is significant that the Bible lays down the following stringent code for people to stay away from lepers:

The leper who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry, 'Unclean, unclean'. He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean; he shall dwell alone in a habitation outside the camp (Leviticus 13: 45-6).

This leads one to think that God perhaps afflicted the Samirī with leprosy by way of punishment. It is also possible that God wanted people to abhor and shun he who was afflicted with moral leprosy, treating it as no less contemptible than physical leprosy. Hence, the Samirī was directed to warn all and sundry that he suffered from a serious moral disease which had defiled him and rendered him unworthy of all contact.

75. Thus concludes the story of Moses. Thereafter, the surah reverts to the main subject with which it opened. Before proceeding further, however, it is useful to cast another glance at the verses at the beginning of this surah, those which precede the story of the Prophet Moses (peace be on him). This will help the reader appreciate the surah's main theme and help him understand the reason why Moses' story is narrated at such length.

76. This refers to the Qur'an and reiterates the remark made in the surah's opening verse. That is that it was not revealed in order to cause hardship to the Prophet (peace be on him) but was rather revealed to serve as a reminder, a good counsel, and an admonition for anyone who fears God.

77. The first point to be emphasized here is that anyone who turns away from the Qur'an and refuses to be guided by it, hurts none but himself. Such a person will not be able to hurt the Prophet (peace be on him), let alone God Who had raised him. A person's turning away from the Qur'an amounts to acting with enmity towards his own self.

The other point made in this verse is that anyone who receives the message of the Qur'an and yet still refuses to believe in it, will not escape punishment in the Hereafter. The words used here have a universal connotation; they are not specifically addressed to any particular community, country or period of time. Since the Qur'an will always be available for the guidance of mankind, the people whom it reaches will have the option either to accept it or reject it; either to follow it or decline to do so. Those who accept it will enjoy its good results which are described later (see verse 112 below). As for those who reject it, they will be subjected to the grievous end described in the present verse.

78. Here mention is made of the Trumpet which will be sounded before the Day of Resurrection; an instrument similar to today's bugle which is sounded in order to assemble or discharge soldiers or to issue directions to them. In order to explain things relating to the universe, God has recourse to more or less the very same words which are employed by human beings in connection with the order of things in human life. The purpose behind using these words and phrases is to enable people to have an approximate grasp of reality. Words and expressions used in the Qur'an should not, however, be taken to mean that the things involved in God's order of the universe are exactly the same as in human life nor that they can be generally understood by those words and expressions in current parlance. From the earliest times, whenever people have wanted to make an important public announcement or to summon people to a gathering, they have resorted to the blowing of trumpets or bugles or to some such device. God tells us that a similar instrument will be blown on the Last Day. The first blowing of the Trumpet will cause everyone to die whereas the second blowing of the Trumpet wil! bring about the resurrection of all. Consequently, people will rush along from all parts of the earth and will gather together in the Grand Assembly. For further details see al-Naml 27, n. 106.

79. The word used here - zurq - is a plural form of azraq. (See al-Mu'jam al-Wasit, q.v., vol. 1, p. 39.) Some people interpret this to mean that out of terror all human beings will turn a bluish white. Because of fear, their blood would dry up and it would seem as if no blood is left in their veins, making them look very pale. Other scholars are of the opinion that the horror will turn their eyes a bluish white; the sense of horror will seize them, causing their eyes to petrify. For, when anyone's eyes lose their lustre, their eyelids tend to become whiter.

80. This may also mean: '[since death until now] you have hardly spent ten days'. The Qur'an frequently states that on the Day of Resurrection people will believe that the span of their worldly life was very short. Likewise, they will believe that the time between their death and the Last Day was extremely short:

Allah will ask: 'What number of years did you stay on earth?' They will say: 'We stayed a day or part of a day. But ask those who keep account' (al-Mu'minün 23: 112-13).

At another place it is said:

On the Day when the Hour of Reckoning will take place the transgressors will swear that they remained no more than an hour; thus were they used to being deluded! But those endued with knowledge and faith will say: 'Indeed you remained in this state, according to God's decree, till the Day of Resurrection; and this is that Day of Resurrection; but you were not aware' (al-Rum 30: 55-6).

What these verses seek to emphasize is that man will believe that the time he spent both in the world and in barzakh (the intermediary stage between one's death and the Last Day) was very short. When people will come face to face with the Hereafter, they will realize, to their utmost dismay, that they had made no preparations for the Next Life. They will look back at their life in the world and will have a strong sense of regret and remorse on account of the fact that they ruined their everlasting life in the Hereafter for the sake of a short-term worldly life. They will consider the time span between their death and the Last Day to be very short for they excluded the Life to Come from the range of possibilities. In fact, they never took the Qur'anic account of the Hereafter seriously. They lived in this world with false notions and they breathed their last holding on to these. So when they will suddenly rise from their state of death and will find themselves trudging along at the sound of the Trumpet in the world of the Hereafter, panic will seize them. In that state of panic, they will try to form an estimate of the time that elapsed from their becoming unconscious in some hospital or when their ship was sunk on the sea, etc. They will be unable to appreciate that they were now dead and face to face with the Next Life, a life which they had once laughed away as both absurd and preposterous. Hence, they will remain under the illusion that they had simply lain unconscious for a few hours or a few days after which they had woken up. They will think that they have reached some place where, because of some huge accident, everyone is rushing in one and the same direction. It is not unlikely that when the people of our own time wake up in the Hereafter they will mistake the sound of the Trumpet for an air-raid siren.

81. This parenthetical statement is aimed at dispelling any doubt that might arise in the minds of some of the addressees of this discourse. For people are wont to wonder how the Qur'ān was narrating a conversation that will take place on the Day of Reckoning.

82. This is another parenthetical statement, one in response to a query put forth by someone in the audience. It would appear that when this surah was being recited as a revealed discourse before a group of people, someone might mockingly have quipped: "This is what will happen on the Last Day! Everyone will be rushing along on a levelled plain. One wonders where all these vast mountains will disappear to!'

In order to grasp the context of this question, the reader should bear in mind the locale - Makka- where these verses were first recited. Makka resembles an aqueduct, surrounded by high mountains. It is likely that the inquirer might have referred to these very mountains - those around Makka - when he posed his query. The response from on High was that the mountains would be razed to the ground and would be reduced to tiny particles of sand, which would then be blown about in the manner that dust is blown about. The earth would then be flattened and all its ups and downs removed. It would appear as a levelled floor without any curvature or depression.

83. The shape the earth will assume on the Last Day is identified in several places in the Qur'an. For example, in al-Inshiqaq it is said: 'When the earth is flattened out' (al-Inshiqaq 84: 3). In al-Infitär: 'When the oceans are burst forth' (al-Infitär 82: 3), which presumably means that the ocean-beds will be cleft and all their water will be absorbed by the recesses of the earth. In al-Takwir: 'When the oceans boil over with swell' (al-Takwir 81: 6). The present verse states: "They ask you concerning the mountains: Say: "My Lord will uproot them and scatter them like dust, and leave the earth a levelled plain in which you shall find no crookedness or curvature"' (Tā Hā 20: 105-7). If we consider these verses together the image of the Last Day that is conjured up is one where the earth would be reshaped, the oceans filled up, the mountains razed, the unevenness that we see today removed, and the forests cleared away, reducing the earth to a levelled plain. This change will occur as hinted at in the verse: 'The Day when the heavens and the earth will be altogether changed...' (Ibrahim 14: 48).

It will be on this levelled earth that the Grand Assembly of the Hereafter, in which everyone will be called to account, will be held. Thereafter the earth will be subjected to another change, which will give it its final and everlasting shape: 'They will say: "Praise be to Allah, Who has truly fulfilled His promise to us, and has given us this land in heritage. We may dwell in the Garden as we will. What an excellent reward for the righteous!" (al-Zumar 39: 74).

We thus know that the whole earth will be changed into Paradise, to be inhabited by the pious and righteous servants of God. The whole earth will then become one country; the mountains, oceans, rivers and deserts which presently divide the earth into numerous countries and states will cease to exist, for these geographical divisions have created discord among mankind. It is worth noting that among the Companions and Successors, Ibn 'Abbas and Qatadah also subscribe to the view that Paradise will be on this earth. (See al-Alūsī, vol. 27, p. 27 Ed.) They interpret the following verse: 'Near the Lote-tree beyond which none may pass. Near it is the Garden of Abode' (al-Najm 53: 14-15), to mean that the Garden [i.e. Paradise] will be that part of the earth which at present is the abode of the souls of martyrs. (See al-Qurtubî's comments on the verse al-Zumar 39: 73 in his Commentary. See also al-Alūsī, vol. 27, pp. 50-1 - Ed.)

84. The word used here - hams - signifies a low, faint sound such as a whisper, or of the movement of steps, or of speaking in a subdued voice, or the movement of camels. (Q.v., Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-'Arab-Ed.) The verse, thus, says that on the Last Day everyone will be seized by a great awe, and, hence, nothing will remain except the sound caused by peoples' steps or whispers of conversation in subdued voices.

85. This verse may be translated in two ways. One follows our text above. An alternative is: 'No intercession will be of any avail on the Day unless the Most Compassionate Lord grants it to be made in favour of someone and is pleased to hear the word [of intercession].' The words of the verse are encompassing and legitimately cover both renderings. For, indeed, the Last Day will be so awesome that no one will dare utter a single word let alone intercede on anyone else's behalf. Only those who enjoy God's permission to speak will be able to intercede and to say a good word for those for whom they have been permitted to intercede.

Both these points are emphasized at several different places in the Qur'ān and in quite unambiguous terms. For example, there is: 'Who is there who might intercede with Him save with His leave?' (al-Baqarah 2: 255). The same idea is stated elsewhere: "That Day the Spirit and the angels will stand forth in ranks and none shall speak except any who is permitted by the Merciful, and he will say what is right' (al-Naba' 78: 38). At the same time the Qur'an also says: "They offer no intercession except for those with whose intercession He is pleased and who stand in awe out of fear for Him' (al-Anbiya' 21: 28).

Likewise it is said: 'How numerous are the angels in the heavens! Their intercession will avail nothing until Allah permits it and in favour of whomsoever He wills and is pleased' (al-Najm 53: 26).

86. This explains the reasons for placing restrictions on intercession. Regardless of whether someone is an angel, or a Messenger, or a saint, nobody knows - indeed nobody - the full record of another person's deeds, of those activities which kept them preoccupied during their lives. No one fully knows what is truly creditable about a person or what makes him blameworthy. God, however, has full knowledge of the past record as well as the present state of all beings. He knows precisely the extent of the goodness of those who are good. Likewise, He knows the wickedness of those who are wicked. Only He knows whether someone deserves to be pardoned, and if so whether fully or in part. Neither angels nor Prophets nor any saints can be given a free hand to intercede on behalf of those whom they might like to. It is well known that even if an ordinary government officer begins to intercede on behalf of, or make recommendations in favour of, his relatives and friends his department would be ruined. How very catastrophic, then, would it be if the Lord of the heavens and the earth were to decide about people on grounds of intercession of others. For the record of those on whose behalf they intercede are not available to them. It is also well known that even when conscientious government officers are approached with a request that they forgive or provide favours to someone working under them, they too do not accept the pleas of those intercessors unreservedly. In fact, they are more likely to point out the weaknesses or incompetence of the persons concerned, and express their inability to concede to such requests.

When we remember these facts relating to our worldly life, it is abundantly clear how very sound, reasonable and just the principle concerning intercession mentioned here is. The door to intercession with God, however, is not completely closed. Those who were kind to others in this world will also have the opportunity to act with the same kindness in the Next World. However, before such persons actually intercede on behalf of others they will be required to seek God's permission to do so, and will only be able to intercede in favour of those for whom God's permission has been granted. Moreover, even those who are granted such permission will only be able to say, in the words of the Qur'an, that which is right (see al-Naba' 78: 38). No one will be able to make any intercession which is utterly unjustified. It will not be possible, for instance, for someone who has done wrong to hundreds of people in the world to find some saint attempting to obtain his release by pleading with God on the grounds that the culprit was his favourite.

87. Every judgement in the Hereafter will be based on merit. Anyone who has acted with injustice, whether by failing to give the due he owes God, or to God's creatures, or to himself, will certainly not be able to avert punishment by recourse to intercession. On the other hand, those who have faith and act righteously and we emphasize, those who combine the two - will have no reason to fear that any injustice will be done to them: that they will be punished for something of which they are not guilty. Nor will they be denied the reward for their good deeds.

88. That is, the Qur'ān abounds in good teachings and sound counsels. What is said here refers to the whole of the Qur'an rather than merely to these particular verses. This observation should be especially considered in conjunction with the statement made at the beginning of the surah (see verse 1) and those verses about the Prophet Moses at the conclusion of his story (see verses 98-9). The purpose of this observation is to underscore the superb qualities of the Qur'an which was sent down by God as His special favour, qualities because of which it has been characterized as Tadhkirah (Reminder) and Dhikr (Remembrance).

89. They are asked to wake up from their apathy and to remember the lesson they had thus far forgotten. They are also asked to reflect on how they have been directed to erroneous paths, and the heavy price they will pay for pursuing them.

90. Such statements are usually made in the Qur'an while winding up a discourse, the purpose being to conclude with a celebration of God. The context and the style here indicate that the current discourse has come to an end and that a new one starts with verse 115: 'Most certainly We had given Adam a command before....' What seems most likely is that the two discourses were revealed on two separate occasions which, at God's behest, were subsequently combined into one surah. The reason for bringing the two discourses together is that their subjects are very similar as we shall see later. (See n. 92 below - Ed.)

91. The previous subject ended with the statement: 'Exalted is Allah, the True King'. Thereafter, the angel, before departing, apprises the Prophet (peace be on him) of something he had noted in the course of communicating the revealed message to the Prophet (peace be on him). Presumably the angel did not wish to disturb him while he was in the process of receiving this revelation. Once that task had been completed, the angel drew the Prophet's attention to what he had noticed. Evidently, while receiving the revelation, the Prophet (peace be on him) had repeated the words of the message in order to fully retain them in his memory. This was bound to distract him from receiving the message for his mental concentration would have been affected. It was necessary, therefore, that the Prophet (peace be on him) should be apprised of the right manner of receiving the revelation, and that he be directed not to try to memorize the revelation before the process of receiving it was complete. This seems to indicate that this part of Surah Țā Hā belongs to the early period of revelation. For it is in the early period that the Prophet (peace be on him) was not accustomed to receiving the revelation, so that on more than one occasion he did what is mentioned here. Whenever this occurred, the Prophet's attention was drawn to it. We find, for instance, that in al-Qiyamah the discourse is interrupted by the following parenthetical statement: 'Move not your tongue concerning the Qur'an to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it and to promulgate it. So when We have promulgated it, follow its recital as promulgated. Then it is for Us to explain it' (al-Qiyamah 75: 16-19). Similarly, in another surah the Prophet (peace be on him) is assured that God will enable him to remember it. We shall cause you to recite and then you shall not forget' (al-A'lá 87: 6).

As the Prophet (peace be on him) became adept at receiving the revelation, such occurrences ceased. This explains why we encounter no such remarks in the later surahs.

92. As we noted earlier, this marks the beginning of a fresh discourse, one which was revealed some time after the previous discourse. In view of the closeness of the subject matter of the two discourses, they were put together in one surah. Several subjects, however, seem common to both discourses:

(1) That the Qur'an basically expounds the same teachings which had been given to mankind at the very advent of its existence. The Qur'an is essentially a renewal of the lesson which man had originally been taught, a renewal that had been promised by God. It was in order to renew this that God's revealed guidance was communicated to human beings on many occasions prior to the revelation of the Qur'an.

(2) Satan constantly causes man to forget this lesson. Man has thus shown, from the beginning, his propensity to be misled. His first lapse is evident from the lapse of Adam and Eve because of their heedlessness and forgetfulness. That, however, was not a solitary incident. Man's entire history is replete with such lapses. Man, therefore, needs to be constantly reminded.

(3) That man's true success and failure are contingent upon the attitude he adopts towards God's revealed guidance was impressed upon him from the very beginning. Hence, the Qur'an emphasized that if man follows God's guidance, he will remain secure from falling into error and suffering, but that if he acts otherwise he will suffer both in the present world and in the Next. What is being said today through the Qur'an is merely a reiteration of what man was told long ago.

(4) Man has often been misled by Satan, his eternal enemy. This was due to man's propensity to forgetfulness or because of his weak resolve. Man may possibly be forgiven for this weakness provided he realizes his mistake, mends his behaviour, gives up his defiance of God, and reverts to obeying Him. This kind of weakness is one thing, but it is quite different if man deliberately decides to transgress from God's command, and so follow Satan's dictates - something which men like Pharaoh and the Samirī did. There is no question of any forgiveness in such cases. Anyone who embarks upon that course is bound to meet the same end as that which overtook Pharaoh and the Samirī.

93. Although the story of Adam (peace be on him) was narrated earlier in al-Baqarah, al-A'raf, al-Hijr, Bani Isrā'il and al-Kahf, it is resumed once again in this surah. This, in fact, is the seventh occasion that Adam's story is narrated in the Qur'an. On each occasion, the narrative has a different context; accordingly, the details of each story have been set out in a different fashion. We find in certain instances that details incidental to the story but which are directly related to the theme of the surah are described in one place but omitted at another. Likewise, the style varies from place to place. For a full understanding of the story and its meaning, one should recall the entire narrative as documented in different places throughout the Qur'an. We have, however, attempted to highlight, wherever the story is narrated, the underlying meaning and purpose of each fragment of the same.

94. Adam did not disobey God out of pride and deliberate rebelliousness. His fault rather lay in not paying sufficient attention to God's directive, in being forgetful and weak in his resolve. His disobedience did not stem from a conscious contention on his part that he had the right to act as he pleased, that God had no business telling him what to do and what not to do. What lay at the heart of Adam's lapse was that he did not try hard enough to retain the command he was required to follow; in essence, he forgot what he had been told. Later, when Satan attempted to mislead him, his resolve to follow God's command proved to be weak - he did not remember the warning given to him in advance, nor did he remember the admonition which we shall refer to shortly. As a result, he was unable to firmly face inducements.

That 'Adam lacked firm resolution' is interpreted by some scholars to mean that Adam did not have the resolve to obey God. In other words, they suggest that the Qur'anic statement underscores their belief that Adam's lapse was not a result of any resolve to disobey God, but rather resulted from his negligence. This seems a rather far-fetched explanation. For had this been the purpose, the verse would simply have read whereas the Qur'an simply says. The words employed make it quite clear that what is being referred to here is that man lacks the firm resolution to carry out God's command. Moreover, if the statement is placed in its current context, it is clear that it is not aimed at exonerating Adam from blame. In fact the purpose of the statement is to identify that human weakness which manifested itself in the mistake Adam committed. It was because of this weakness that not only Adam but also his progeny constantly fell prey to Satan's machinations.

Furthermore, if one studies this verse without any prior assumptions, one is bound to conclude that the Qur'an simply states that Adam did not possess firm resolve or have any strong intention of obeying God's command. Any alternative interpretation can only be considered by those who believe that it is improper to ascribe sin and disobedience to Adam, and hence some other explanation ought to be explored. The same opinion is expressed by al-Ālūsī in his commentary on the verse. It is evident that this interpretation does not instantly come to one's mind, nor does it fit in with the context. (Rüh al-Ma'ānī, vol. 16, p. 243 – Ed.)

95. Here the command that was given Adam, viz. that he should not eat the fruit of a certain tree, has not been stated clearly. It is, however, mentioned at several other places in the Qur'an. Since the import of this verse is to identify how man is misled by his enemy despite God's forewarning and how this weakness compels him to act against his own interests, God summarily mentions only the warning given to Adam, and the command itself.

96. Satan's enmity was manifest at the very outset. Adam and Eve had themselves seen how Satan had refused to prostrate himself before them: 'I am better than he. You created me from fire and him you created from clay' (al-A'raf 7: 12 and Ṣad 38: 76). On another occasion he said:

'Shall I prostrate myself before him whom you created of clay?' He then continued: 'Look! This is he whom you have honoured above me! If You will grant me respite till the Day of Resurrection, I shall uproot the whole of his progeny barring only a few' (Bani Isrā' il 17: 61-2).

Satan made no attempt to conceal his jealousy of man. In fact he expressed it quite openly and asked God for a respite to prove, by misguiding man, that he was not worthy of the honour of God's vicegerency that had been bestowed on him. Satan's challenge in this respect is referred to in al-A'raf, al-Ḥijr, Banī Isrā' il 17: 62-6 and Ṣad 38: 82-3. Thus, when God told Adam that Satan was his enemy it was not something beyond verification for Adam because both he and Eve had seen Satan act as would an enemy and both had heard him express his jealousy.

97. Thus, both Adam and Eve are clearly told that if they fall under Satan's sway, they will not be able to abide in Paradise and will be deprived of the bounties to be enjoyed there.

98. This spells out the plight which would follow Adam after his expulsion from Paradise. Here, there is no mention of the highest and perfect bounties to be enjoyed in Paradise; instead, only four important bounties are stated, namely the provision of food, water, clothing and shelter. These basic amenities are available in Paradise without any effort. But Adam and Eve are told that as a result of their violation of God's command under the influence of Satan they will be deprived of even these basic amenities, let alone those other greater bounties to be had in Paradise. They will only be able to obtain these basic necessities by hard toil and sweat. Bread will not come to them unless they work hard for it. Similarly, the demands of earning a livelihood will consume their time and energy, leaving little time for the pursuit of life's higher goals.

99. The Qur'an says here that it was Adam, rather than Eve, who was first misled by Satan. Although it has been said in al-A‘rāf (7: 20) that both of them were misled, the focus of Satan's effort was nonetheless to mislead Adam. By contrast the Biblical version lays the blame squarely at Eve's door. (See Genesis, Chapter 3.)

100. Further details about Satan urging Adam and Eve to disobey God can be found in al-A'raf (7: 20): 'He said: "Your Lord has forbidden you to approach this tree only to prevent you from becoming angels or im- mortals."

101. In other words, as Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were deprived of the comforts and amenities automatically available to them in Paradise under the special scheme of things obtaining there. They were first deprived of clothing. Later, the arrangement to provide food, water and shelter without any effort on their part was discontinued. For it would only be when they would feel hungry, that they would realize the bounty of satiety of which they had been deprived, and so on and so forth. What affected them first, however, was their nudity since they were stripped forthwith of their garments of Paradise.

102. One should understand at this point the exact weakness betrayed by Adam. He recognized God as his Creator and Lord and believed in Him with all his heart. He was also vividly conscious of the comforts available to him in Paradise. He also knew, on the basis of first-hand experience, Satan's jealousy and enmity towards him. Additionally, God had also forewarned Adam that Satan would try his utmost to mislead him, and if he fell prey to his machinations, he should be prepared to face the consequences of the same. Satan had also openly said, in Adam's very presence, that he would concentrate all his efforts towards misleading man and bringing about his ruination. Despite all this, when Satan appeared before Adam as a sincere counsellor, as a true well-wisher, he was able to seduce Adam with the promise of eternal life. Adam proved altogether unequal to Satan and could not withstand his temptations and so conveniently fell into the trap which had been laid for him. Adam still had his faith in God, and he did not question at all that he was under an obligation to obey God's command. It was merely a transient urge, which had been aroused by Satan's prompting, that caused him to lose his self-control. As a result he fell from his elevated position to commit God's disobedience. It is Adam's 'forgetfulness' and 'lack of firm resolve' to which reference is made at the beginning of Adam's story as narrated here (see verse 115). This weakness has existed from man's very beginning and has remained with him throughout the passage of time.

103. Unlike Satan, however, Adam was not banished from a state of grace. God did not let him remain in the state into which he had fallen as a result of his disobedience; instead, He pulled him out of the morass into which he had become enmeshed, pardoned him and selected him for a special service to His cause.

One can see then the distinction that a master must make in response to two kinds of attitudes even when each is erroneous. One demands the treatment that the master metes out to a servant who has consciously rebelled and who has done so out of vanity and arrogance: this treatment is deserved by Satan and all those who wilfully defy God. The second kind of treatment is that which should be meted out to a servant who, while being fully loyal, lapses into disobedience as a result of negligence or lack of firm resolve, a servant who feels ashamed of himself as soon as he comes to realize what he has done. Both Adam and Satan were, therefore, treated differently. For Adam and Eve had confessed their sins and cried out: 'Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us, and do not have mercy on us, we shall surely be among the losers' (al-A'rāƒ 7: 23).

104. Not only did God pardon them, He also showed Adam and Eve the right path for the future and instructed them on how they should follow that path.

105. This verse says that the unrighteous will have a wretched life in this world. This does not mean that all those who are unrighteous will necessarily face poverty. What is meant is that such people will be unable to find peace and contentment. Someone may be a millionaire, and yet their life will be plagued by discontent and restlessness. Likewise, even the ruler of a vast empire may be intensely unhappy and suffer mental agonies. For it is quite possible that the success of such men has been brought about by blatantly evil means with the net result that they suffer great mental pain. Even when they reproach their consciences this only adds to their suffering. Such men will always remain in conflict with their consciences and everything around them will deprive them of true peace and happiness.

106. This marks the conclusion of Adam's story. If one reads this story carefully, as narrated here and elsewhere in the Qur'an, it leads to the belief that true vicegerency of the earth was initially conferred upon Adam in Paradise. Paradise may have been located in the heavens or it may have been here on this earth. Being God's vicegerent, Adam enjoyed an abundance of provisions including food, drink, clothing, and shelter, with angels at his beck and call to do his bidding. During this period Adam did not have to worry about his day-to-day personal needs; instead his energy was conserved for the higher requirements of his vicegerency.

Before granting Paradise to man for his permanent settlement, it was necessary for God to test Adam's mettle so as to bring his strengths and weaknesses into the open. Accordingly, a test was arranged, the conclusion to which demonstrated that Adam was susceptible to temptations, was unable to firmly adhere to his commitments, and was liable to forgetfulness and negligence. Thereafter, Adam and his children were entrusted with provisional or probationary, rather than permanent vicegerency. This probation will end on the Last Day. However, God also decided to deprive Adam of the gratuitous provisions for his livelihood during this period of probation; a privilege he had enjoyed earlier in Paradise. So, up until the Next Life, man is required to strive to make his living. He will, however, continue to enjoy, as before, control over the earth and earthly creatures. The point of all this was to test whether man, who had been invested with free will, obeyed God or not, and to see, whenever he suffered a lapse resulting from negligence, whether or not he would mend his ways and return to the right path after being reminded and warned and instructed. The final decision about man, whether he has been obedient to God or disobedient, will be made later.

So far as man's tenure of this worldly life is concerned and this is the period which covers his probationary vicegerency - God maintains a full and detailed record of it. Those who are declared successful in the light of this record, will be endowed with permanent vicegerency on the Day of Judgement in addition to receiving immortality and abiding dominion. (It may be recalled that Satan had lured man into error by promising him immortality.) It is at this stage that the whole of this earth will be turned into Paradise and will be given over to those righteous servants of God who were obedient to Him during the term of their probationary vicegerency, and who, whenever they lapsed into sin, soon reverted to obedience.

Those who look upon Paradise as an infinite opportunity to eat, and laze in indolence are cherishing a false notion. Instead there will be ample opportunity in Paradise for man to make constant progress, without suffering any regression. In Paradise he will occupy himself with God's vicegerency, and will do so with the full assurance that there will be no possibility for him to suffer any failure. It is impossible, however, to imagine what kind of progress man will make and the tasks he will perform. To imagine these things is as difficult as it would be for a child to imagine, during his childhood, the happiness and bliss of matrimonial life. The Qur'an, therefore, refers only to those pleasures of Paradise which resemble the pleasures available to man in the present world.

It will not be altogether irrelevant at this point to cast a glance at the Biblical version of the story of Adam and Eve:

Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. [He planted] the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall die. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed. Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God say, "You shall not eat of any tree of the garden"?' And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die."' But the serpent said to the woman: 'You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?' And he said, 'I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.' He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, 'The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree and I ate.' Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.' The Lord God said to the serpent,

'Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all cattle,

and above all wild animals;

upon your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your seed and her seed;

he shall bruise your head

and you shall bruise his heel.'

To the woman he said,

'I will greatly multiply your pain in child bearing; in pain you shall bring forth children,

yet your desire shall be for your husband,

and he shall rule over you.'

And to Adam he said,

'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,

and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you, "You shall not eat of it",

cursed is the ground because of you;

in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field.

In the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread

till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.'

The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.

Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever' - therefore, the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden (Genesis 2: 7-9, 15-17, 25 and 3: 1-23).

Those who proclaim loud and long that the Qur'ānic stories are borrowed from the Bible would be well advised to compare the Biblical version given above with the Qur'anic account.

107. Transgressors will pass through different states during the interregnum, beginning with their new life commencing on the Day of Resurrection up until their entry into Hell. These states are also described at several different places in the Qur'an. For example, the transgressors are told: 'You were heedless of this; now have We removed your veil and sharp is your sight on this Day' (Qaf 50: 22). Elsewhere the Qur'an refers to another state through which they will pass: . . . He is merely granting them respite until a Day when their eyes shall continue to stare in horror, when they shall keep pressing ahead in haste, their heads lifted up, their gaze directed forward, unable to look away from what they behold, their hearts utterly void' (Ibrāhīm 14: 42-3). Yet another state is described as follows: 'On the Day of Resurrection We shall produce for him his scroll, in the shape of a wide open book, [saying:] "Read your scroll; this Day you are sufficient to take account of yourself" ' (Banī Isrā'il 17: 13–14).

The verse under study also sketches a similar state. It appears that God will enable the transgressors to foresee the terrible scenes of the Last Day and the dire consequences of their misdeeds. They will, however, only be able to see this much but no more. In other respects they will be like the blind, unable to find their way: they will not enjoy the assistance of anyone to help them walk nor will they even possess a stick to help them feel their way. Instead, they will stumble at every step, not knowing in which direction to proceed, absolutely ignorant of what lies ahead of or behind them. This condition is summed up in the Qur'an as follows: 'Allah will say: "... Our signs came to you and you ignored them. So you shall be ignored this Day" (Tā Hā 20: 126).

The underlying idea is that no attention will be paid to the unbelievers; their state of suffering and perplexity will be altogether ignored. No one will come forward to lend them a supporting hand nor will there be anyone to fulfil their needs for them, or to look after them.

108. This is a reference to the 'wretched life' which is the lot, in this world, of all those who reject God's Book - 'the Remembrance' - and its teachings. This will be in addition to the miserable fate that lies in store for them in the Next Life.

109. This refers to the Makkans to whom the Qur'anic message was then addressed.

110. These signs are found in man's history, in archaeological finds, in the totality of man's experience.

111. Since God did not want to destroy them at that particular moment, and since a term had been earmarked for them by God, the Prophet (peace be on him) is asked to bear with their misdeeds during the term granted to them by God. He is also asked to persist in preaching his message and reminding people of their duties, and to disregard all the unpleasant things which they may say to him. It is from Prayers that one draws the necessary strength to endure opposition and hostility. Being of vital importance, Prayers must be properly observed according to the time-schedule prescribed for them.

'Glorify your Lord, praising Him before sunrise and before sunset' means the observance of Prayer. It is noteworthy that a little later it is said: 'Enjoin prayer on your household, and do keep observing it' (verse 132).

This verse also indicates the timings of Prayer: Fajr Prayer before sunrise, 'Aşr Prayer before sunset, and 'Isha' and Tahajjud Prayers in the hours of the night. As to the ends of the day', they can, at most, be three in number: in the morning, at midnight, and in the evening. Hence 'the sides of the day' refer to Fajr, Zuhr and Maghrib Prayers. (For further details see Hūd 11, n. 113; Bani Isrā'il 17, nn. 91-7; al-Rūm 30, n. 25 and al-Mu'min 40, n. 74.)

112. There are two possible meanings of this verse and it is quite probable that both of them are meant. In one sense, the verse urges the Prophet (peace be on him) to feel contented with his present state wherein he has to endure a number of unpalatable things. It also urges him to reconcile himself to the fact that, for the moment the oppressors and wrong-doers will not be punished and that they will be allowed, for a short while longer, to strut about the earth, oppressing the proponents of truth. According to the alternative meaning of the verse, the Prophet (peace be on him) is urged to do as he was directed because his efforts would soon bear fruit and this would gladden his heart. This idea is expressed at several different junctures in the Qur'an. For example: ... possibly your Lord will raise you to an honoured position' (Bani Isra' il 17: 79). In like manner: 'Soon will your Lord give you that wherewith you shall be well-pleased' (al-Duhá 93: 5).

113. We have translated the word rizq here as meaning 'clean provision'. For any unlawful earning cannot be a clean provision from God. The purpose of the directive is to impress upon the Prophet (peace be on him) and his Companions that they should not feel envious of the iniquitous who hoarded their unlawful wealth, There is no reason why the artificial sheen of wealth and power should lure the believers. Whatever little they earn as a result of their sweat and toil is much better for honest and righteous people since it conduces to their good in both worlds - the present and the Next.

114. The believers are told to enjoin upon their children not to feel heart-broken at the fact that their miserable state is in sharp contrast to the pomp and luxury of unbelieving swindlers. Instead, they should be urged to regularly observe Prayers. This is likely to change their perspective on life, their values, and the focus of their attentions; a change that will make them satisfied with their lawfully earned livelihood, even if it be meagre. All this will lead them to prefer a virtuous life ensuing from faith and godliness to a life of luxury and self-indulgence arising out of sin, disobedience and excessive worldliness.

115. When a man observes Prayers, it does not benefit God. It is only he who prays who derives any benefit from it. That benefit consists of piety which will be a means to his success both in this world and in the Next.

116. It was nothing short of a miracle that a person from among them, an unlettered person, had come forth with a Book which embodied the quintessence of the Scripture teachings. Not only did it bring together all the guidance embodied in the Scriptures, it also explained their content in such a manner that could now be comprehended by men of even ordinary understanding.

117. Since the rise of this movement in Makka everyone in and around the town were