1. To appreciate the import of this verse, the following context should be borne in mind. The state of affairs obtaining at the time this surah was revealed was such that no sooner had someone embraced Islam in Makkah than a storm of persecution and torture was let loose. If the person happened to be a slave or poor, he was mercilessly manhandled and subjected to exacting torment. If he were a shopkeeper or craftsman, he was made the victim of economic boycott, which led to straightened circumstances and even starvation. If he belonged to an influential family, his family members made life miserable for him, exerting pressure on him and subjecting him to a variety of vexing measures. As a result of this wide-scale persecution, the atmosphere in Makkah was charged with dread and fright. Fearful of facing terrible consequences, many who recognised the truth of the Prophet's message hesitated to declare their faith. Furthermore, some who had embraced Islam gave in to the unbelievers' torture and recanted their faith.

These adverse circumstances, however, did not weaken the firm resolve of true believers the deeply-convinced Companions of the Prophet (peace be on him)-to remain faithful to Islam. Nevertheless, they too were only human, and inevitably, at times, felt upset and worried. Illustrative of this state is a report by Khabbab ibn al-Arat, recorded in Bukhari, Abu Dawud and Nasa'i. Khabbab narrates as follows: "At the time when we faced the polytheists' excesses, one day I saw the Prophet (peace be on him) seated in the shade of the Ka'bah's wall. I submitted to him: 'O Messenger of Allah! Do you not pray for us [that we be delivered from this miserable state]?' On hearing this, the Prophet's face turned red with emotion and he said: "The believers before you were subjected to even greater excesses. Pits were dug for some of them and they were made to sit in them and they were sawed into two pieces from head to foot. The joints of some others were rubbed with iron combs. All this was done to make them recant their faith. By Allah, this [mission] is bound to be accomplished so that one day a person will travel from Şan 'a' to Hadramawt without having fear of anyone except God."" (See Bukhārī, K. al-Manaqib, Bab: 'Alämät al-Nubuwah fi al-Islām; Abū Dawūd, K. al-Jihad, Bab: Fi al-Asir yukrahu 'ala al-Kufr; Nasa'i, K. al-Zinah, Bab: Libs al-Burud-Ed.)

In order to transform the believers' state of perturbance and anxiety into one of calm patience and endurance, God informed the believers that a person is not eligible for His promise of success and felicity in this world, as well as in the Next, merely by claiming that he is a believer. Instead, he has to establish the truthfulness of his claim by successfully going through a crucible of tests and trials. Admission to Paradise demands far more than the mere verbal profession of faith. Nor can anyone expect to be blessed with God's special bounties even in this world by merely professing to be a believer. To obtain these rewards it is essential that one be put to hard tests, even to the point of loss of life and all one's belongings. Mentally, one should be prepared for all kinds of suffering and discomfort. Further, one will also be exposed to temptation and intimidation and will have to sacrifice everything one holds dear in the cause of one's faith. It is only after one has gone through all this that the truthfulness or otherwise of one's claim to be a believer is established.

This point is stressed in all Qur'anic passages that mention Muslims' perturbance and disconcertment in the face of the hardships and difficulties they confronted. In the early days of the Madīnan period following the Hijrah, the Muslims were vexed by a host of problems - financial stringency, the threat of aggression without, and the mischievous machinations of the Jews and hypocrites within. At this point in time the Qur'an gave the Muslims the following message:

Do you suppose that you will enter Paradise untouched by the suffering endured by the men of faith who passed away before you? They were afflicted by misery and hardship and were so convulsed that the Messenger and the believers with him cried out: 'When will Allah's help arrive?' They were assured that Allah's help was close by. (al-Baqarah 2:214)

Likewise, when the Muslims were confronted with a host of sufferings after the Battle of Uḥud, God addressed them in the same vein:

Did you think that you would enter Paradise even though Allah has not yet seen who among you strove hard in His way and remained steadfast? (Al 'Imträn 3:142)

More or less the same truth features in Al 'Imrän 3:79, al-Tawbah 9:6 and Muḥammad 47:31. God, thus, conveyed to the Muslims the plain truth that it is only by going through the crucible of test and trial that crowns of sterling gold can be separated from those that are fake and counterfeit. When tested, those deficient in firmness of faith will automatically abandon the path of God. This is how true men of faith are identified, how the shallow and weak are winnowed out and how it is only those who are true who receive God's rewards.

2. There was nothing new about the tests to which the Muslims were being subjected. History testifies that in the past all those who claimed to be believers were put to similar trials. Since their predecessors were not rewarded until they had been so tested, the Muslims too should not expect any reward until they have successfully gone through their tests and proven their worth. There is, after all, no good reason why any exception should be made in their case.

3. Regarding this test, the Qur'an says: "Allah will most certainly ascertain those who spoke the truth and those who lied". When one reads this verse, a likely question that arises is: since God knows fully what everyone's conduct will be, what is the point in testing him? The answer is that as long as a person does not commit a certain action, irrespective of his ability to do so, the dictates of justice require that he should neither be rewarded or punished. One person might be potentially trustworthy and another potentially untrustworthy. However, unless they act in one manner or the other, it is discordant with God's justice to reward or punish them only on the basis of His knowledge of those actions that will take place in the future. God, no doubt, has knowledge of both the past and the future, yet this does not have a bearing on the manner in which He will dispense justice. He does not punish anyone simply because he is inclined to steal or because he is likely to steal in the future. Rather, His punishment is contingent upon the person actually stealing. By the same token, God does not bestow His rewards on someone just because they will grow into excellent believers or as excellent fighters in God's cause. On the contrary, this person too only earns his reward by dint of his actually having sincere faith and striving in God's cause.

4. This verse has universal import and embraces all those who are disobedient of God. Nonetheless, it is especially directed at the oppressive Quraysh chiefs, Walid ibn al-Mughirah, Abü Jahl, 'Utbah, Shaybah, 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt and Hanzalah ibn Wä'il, who relentlessly opposed Islam and persecuted the Muslims. (See Alūsi, Rüḥ al-Ma'ani; Ibn al-Jawzi, Zad al-Masir; al-Qurtubi, al-Jami' li Ahkam al-Qur'an; Abū Hayyan, al-Baḥr al-Muḥit, for comments on al-'Ankabut 29:4-Ed.) The context demanded that alongside exhorting the Muslims to show steadfastness in the face of persecution, words of reproach and censure also be directed at those guilty of perpetrating excesses on the votaries of Truth.

5. This might also be taken to mean that the unbelievers fancy that God will not be able to seize them. The Arabic expression used in the text, however, literally means: "They will get the better of Allah." This could mean either of two things. First, that the unbelievers are of the view that what God wants-the success of the Prophet's mission-will not come to pass, and what they themselves want-to reduce the Prophet's mission to ignominy-will come to pass. Secondly, that while God wants to punish the unbelievers for the excesses they committed against the believers, the unbelievers entertain the illusion that this will not happen and that they will be able to elude God's grasp.

6. The case of the person who does not believe in the Afterlife, who does not consider himself accountable to anyone, who is convinced that there will never come a time when his deeds will be subjected to reckoning, is quite different. Such a person is free to remain engrossed in his negligence and to act as recklessly as he wants. A Day will surely come, however, when he will be confronted with reality, which will be quite contrary to his estimates. As for those who recognise that one Day they will have to appear before God and will be rewarded or punished in accordance with their deeds should not delude themselves that death is a remote possibility. Rather, they should think that death is just around the corner and that the term granted them to reveal their true natures is about to end. This should prompt them to do whatever they can for their own good in the Hereafter. There is no reason why they should defer efforts to reform themselves in the vain hope that they will live a long life.

7. They should not succumb to the delusion that they will have to deal with an ill-informed sovereign. On the contrary, the Lord before Whom they are required to appear is All-Hearing and All-Knowing. Nothing about them is hidden from Him.

8. Mujahadah means to strive against a hostile force. If no enemy is specified, the word signifies a person's engagement in a pervasive, all-out struggle. A believer has to undertake this struggle throughout his life. At one level, he has to fight against Satan who constantly seeks to deter him from good deeds by frightening him with the prospect of the losses he will incur and tempting him to evil by pointing out the advantages and pleasures it will yield. Furthermore, he has to strive against his own self that is wont to prompt him to become a slave of his desires. Likewise, he has to strive against fellow-beings whose ideas, predilections, moral concepts, customs and usages, cultural patterns and socio-economic laws are discordant with the true faith. He has also got to pit himself against that state which, claiming its right to remain free of God's obedience, exercises and enforces its authority and directs its power to promote evil rather than good. This striving is not limited to any one particular day, but extends across a believer's whole life, embracing every moment of his day and night. Furthermore, this striving is not confined to any particular domain of life; instead, it embraces each and every aspect of it. Hasan al-Başrī refers to this very mujahadah when he says: "A man makes jihad even though he might never have struck [anyone] with his sword."

9. God does not ask the believers to engage in this striving because He stands in need of them to establish and maintain His sovereignty, or because His sovereignty would not operate unless they help Him. The truth is that God is not in need of man's help at all. Hence, if He still directs human beings to engage in this striving, it is because this is conducive to man's own growth. This striving helps human beings free themselves from the clutches of evil and waywardness and helps them proceed along the path of goodness and truth. This also infuses into them the strength that transforms them into champions of goodness and virtue and makes them worthy of Paradise. Hence, by engaging in this striving, they do God no favour; rather, they do good to themselves.

10. Belief consists of truthfully accepting all what God's Book and His Messenger ask the person to believe in. As for good deeds, they consist in carrying out the directives of God and His Messenger. A person's whole being can do good deeds. The good deeds of a man's heart and mind are that his thought and intention be pure and sound. The good deeds of his tongue consist of abstention from uttering evils and saying only that which accords with truth and justice. As for the good deeds. of the limbs of the body, they consist of devoting his life to obeying and serving God and following His laws and commands. A person's belief and good deeds are mentioned as being instrumental in bringing about the following results: (i) that he will be purged of his evil deeds, and (ii) that he will be rewarded according to the best of his deeds and receive compensation that will be well in excess of his good actions.

Purging a person of his evil deeds means that whatever sins he might have committed before embracing the true faith will be forgiven as soon as he enters Islam's fold. Moreover, his lapses, which were not committed out of wilful rebellion, will be overlooked in consideration of his good deeds. Furthermore, when he adopts the life of faith and good deeds he will attain self-development and overcome many of his weaknesses.

Coming to the rewards for believing and doing good deeds, the Qur'ān promises the following: "We shall reward them according to the best of their deeds." This statement is, however, open to two meanings. First, that people will be rewarded in consideration of their best deeds. Secondly, that they will be granted a better reward than what they strictly deserve on the basis of their good deeds. This latter idea is also expressed in other places. Consider, for example, the following verses:

Whoever will come to Allah with a good deed shall have ten times as much. (al-An'am 6:160)

He who shall bring a good deed shall be rewarded with what is better. (al-Qaşaş 28:84)

Indeed Allah wrongs none, not even as much as an atom's weight. Whenever a man does good, He multiplies it two-fold. (al-Nisa' 4:40)

11. According to Muslim, Tirmidhi, Aḥmad, Abu Dawud and Nasǎ'i, this verse was revealed with regard to Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqāṣ. Sa'd had accepted Islam when he was only 18 or 19 years old. When his mother, Ḥamnah bint Sufyan ibn Umayyah, Abu Sufyan's niece, came to know of it she swore that she would neither eat, drink nor sit under the shade until her son recanted his belief in the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). Now, God Himself commands every believer to fulfil his obligations towards his mother. So if Sa'd would not listen to her, she contended, he would be guilty of disobeying God. The very thought that he would be disobeying his mother greatly upset Sa'd and he mentioned the matter to the Prophet (peace be on him). It was on this occasion that this verse was revealed. (See Muslim, K. Faḍā'il al-Saḥābah, Bab: Fi Faḍl Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas; Tirmidhi, K. Tafsir al-Qur'ān, Bāb: Wa min Sūrat al-'Ankabut and Aḥmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 1, pp. 181 and 185 - Ed.) It is likely that in the early days of Islam other Makkan youths also went through similar experiences after their acceptance of Islam. Hence, why this subject is forcefully repeated in verse 15 of Surah Luqman.

The verse makes it emphatically clear that obligation towards one's parents takes the highest priority. Yet, if parents compel their offspring to associate others with God in His Divinity, then they should not be obeyed. The verse states this point in very forceful terms, saying that even if "they exert pressure" in this respect, "do not obey them". Since this verse directs one to disregard even one's parents' pressure to associate others with God in His Divinity, obviously non-parental pressure should be disregarded all the more.

Equally significant, is another point the verse makes. It says: "If they exert pressure on you to associate with Me in My Divinity any that you do not know (to be My associate), do not obey them." This verse contains a weighty argument as to why one should not obey a parental command to engage in polytheism. It is the parents' right that their offspring serve them, take good care of them, show them due respect, and obey them in all lawful matters. However, they have no right to compel their children to blindly follow them in matters of faith. No one is obliged to follow a particular religious faith simply because it happens to be their parents' faith. If offspring know their parents' faith to be false, they should abandon it and embrace the true faith. In this connection, the same applies to everyone else as well. In other words, it is not lawful to follow anyone until one knows that they are on the right path.

12. Ties of kinship and obligations one owes to one's kin are confined to the life of this world. Eventually everyone, parents and children alike, has to return to the Creator and will then be held accountable in their individual capacity. If parents are guilty of misleading their offspring, they will be taken to task. By the same token, if the offspring persist in error out of deference to their parents, they too will be punished. However, if children choose to follow the Straight Way and at the same time do not neglect their obligations towards their parents, and they are still harassed by their parents for not joining them in their error, such parents will not escape God's punishment.

13. Although the speaker in the above instance is a single individual, he employs a plural pronoun for himself and says: "We believe in Allah." Imām Rāzi makes an insightful comment about this. According to him, a hypocrite always tries to parade himself as part of the believers' community. He mentions his faith to be the same as the believers'. In so doing, his behaviour is similar to that of a coward who accompanies an army on expedition. Valiant members of that army fight with such determination that the enemy is forced to flee. Now although the coward takes no part in the battle itself, once all return from the expedition he counts himself among the brave who established their valour on the battlefield.

14. A person should abjure disbelief in and disobedience of God out of fear of chastisement from God. The case cited here, however, sharply contrasts with this. Filled with fear of persecution by Islam's enemies, the person concerned recants the true faith and gives up righteous acts. After being subjected to threats, physical manhandling, arrest and incarceration at the unbelievers' hands he thinks that this persecution is of the same order as will be the punishment in Hell set up by God, the punishment that he must suffer after death on account of unbelief. He, therefore, decides to undergo punishment in the Afterlife rather than endure sufferings in the present life. Driven by this he recants his belief in Islam and rejoins the unbelievers' camp. In doing so, his only concern is to lead a happy, trouble-free life in this world.

15. This person returned to the fold of unbelief in order to save his skin and so doing he also betrayed the believers. He did so because he was not prepared to suffer even a minor loss or injury in the cause of the true faith. However, when God will grant victory to the true believers who staked their lives and their belongings in His cause, he will once again return to the believers' camp and claim a share in the spoils of war. He will then assure the Muslims that in his heart of hearts he was always with them, that he prayed throughout for their victory and held their striving and sacrifices in the highest esteem.

It should be made clear at this point that it is permissible to make a statement indicating one's disbelief when one is confronted with unendurable torment, losses or extreme fear, provided one adheres to the true faith within one's heart. However, there is a world of difference between the following two persons' situations: one is a sincere believer who resorts to expressing unbelief in order to save his life, and the other is a self-seeking opportunist who recognises Islam as the truth and yet joins hands with the unbelievers because he dreads the risks and dangers involved in adhering to the true faith. Ostensibly, there is not much difference between the two. However, what sets the two totally apart is that the sincere Muslim not only remains loyal to Islam as a faith but his true sympathies also lie with Islam and the Muslims. Thus, the success of the Muslims always fills him with joy and when they suffer any reverse, he is agonised intensely. Even when he acts under duress, he makes the most of every possible opportunity to help and support the Muslims. In fact, he always remains on the look-out for an opportune moment to join the Muslims' ranks as soon as the enemy's grip over him is relaxed.

In sharp contrast to this, an opportunist carefully weighs the pros and cons of the two options, of following his faith or joining the unbelievers' camp. When he encounters hardships in adhering to the true faith and realises that benefits will accrue to him by joining the unbelievers' camp, he abandons his faith and gels with the unbelievers so as to ensure his own safety as also to derive material benefits from it. In seeking to achieve his selfish ends, he never shrinks from doing anything that openly violates Islamic principles and is hurtful to Muslims' interests. At the same time, he is shrewd enough not to totally exclude the possibility that some day Islam might gain ascendancy. So, whenever he gets the chance to interact with the Muslims, he lavishly praises their beliefs, claims that he considers their doctrines to be true and pays glowing tributes to their sacrifices in the cause of Truth. So doing, he makes a kind of investment, hoping to cash it in at an appropriate moment. The following Qur'anic passage lays bare this calculating, business-like mentality of hypocrites:

These hypocrites watch you closely: if victory is granted to you by Allah, they will say: "Were we not with you?" And were the unbelievers to gain the upper hand, they will say: "Did we not have mastery over you, and yet we protected you from the believers?"

(al-Nisa' 4:141)

16. God regularly provides occasions for such trials so that the true faith of the Muslims and the insincerity of the hypocrites become manifest. In this way, everyone reveals their true colours. Al 'Imran 3:179 reiterates the same truth: "Allah will not let the believers stay in the state they are: He will set the wicked apart from the good."

17. The Makkan unbelievers' contention was that doctrines such as Life after Death, Resurrection, the Grand Assembly and Reckoning were all a farce. They also asserted that if the Afterlife did turn out to be a reality and people were indeed subjected to a Reckoning, then they would be ready to bear the burden of others' sins. They asked the converts to recant their faith and return to their ancestral one for they, the unbelievers, would assume all responsibility for the consequences that might ensue. Traditions mention several Quraysh chiefs saying the kind of things mentioned here to those who had converted to Islam. For example, it is related that Abu Sufyan and Ḥarb ibn Umayyah ibn Khalaf said the same to 'Umar when he embraced Islam. (See Tabari, Tafsir, and Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-Muḥit, comments on al-'Ankabut 29:12 - Ed.)

18. First of all, it is out of the question that anyone will bear the burden of others' sins in the Hereafter, or that a sinner will be exonerated because some other person owns the latter's sins. Instead, everyone will be recompensed in the Hereafter for their own deeds. As the Qur'an says: "Everyone will bear the consequences of what he does, and no one shall bear the burden of another", (al-An'am 6:164). Let us suppose though for argument's sake that some people will be allowed to bear the burden of others' sins. Yet once anyone has even a glimpse of Hell's scorching fire as recompense for unbelief and polytheism, he will certainly shrink from taking on board another's such sin. For this would mean, on the one hand, that he who forsook the true faith should be pardoned and admitted to Paradise. On the other hand, he who had made the offer to carry another's punishment will be cast into Hell as punishment for his own unbelief as also for the unbelief of the person who embraced this on account of his assurance.

19. True, the unbelievers will not carry the burden of others' sins. At the same time, they will not escape receiving double punishment. Not only will they be punished for straying from the Truth, but they will also be taken to task for misleading others. This point may be better illustrated by the following example. Let us consider that someone commits a theft and asks someone else to be his accomplice in the crime. Now, the latter will not be acquitted on the mere plea that he so thieved at someone else's behest. He will, in any case, be duly punished for his crime, for it is against the dictates of justice that he be exonerated and the instigator be punished in his place. The instigator, however, will receive a double punishment - for his own misdeed as well as for leading another astray. The Qur'ān states this principle in the following words: "[They say so] that they may bear the full weight of their burdens on the Day of Resurrection and also of the burdens of those whom they misled on account of their ignorance", (al- Nahl 16:25). The Prophet (peace be on him) reaffirmed the same principle in the following statement: "Whoever invites [someone] to right guidance will receive a reward for him who followed right guidance [on account of his invitation] without the reward of either of them being decreased, and whoever invites [someone] to error will incur sin equal to the sins of those who follow him, without the sin of any of them being decreased the least." (Muslim, K. al-'Ilm, Bab: Wa man Sanna Sunnah Hasanah aw Sayyi'ah-Ed.)

20. Their fabrications lay, for example, in the false statement: "The unbelievers say to the believers: 'Follow our way and we will carry the burden of your sins'," (verse 12). This statement rests on two premises: one, that the polytheistic creed which they follow is true whereas the Prophet's monotheistic faith is false. Hence, it would not be intrinsically wrong to give it up. Two, that there will be no second life. The very notion of the Hereafter to which the Muslims subscribe and because of which they are fearful of embracing the unbelievers' polytheistic cult is absolutely baseless. Because of these presuppositions, the unbelievers approached the Muslims with virtually the following proposition: "If you believe that abjuring Islam is a sin and if indeed an Afterlife does take place where you will be held accountable for abjuring Islam, then we will bear the burden of that sin. So, abandon Muḥammad's faith at our responsibility and revert to the faith of your forefathers."

To this they added two other untruths. First, the notion that if someone commits a crime at someone else's behest, the former will be exonerated on the grounds that he committed the sin at someone else's instigation and, hence, the latter will be made to bear the entire burden of the sin.. Secondly, they falsely promised that they would bear responsibility on behalf of those who reverted from true faith to unbelief. On the Day of Judgement when, contrary to their expectations, they will come face to face with Hell, they will not be at all willing to suffer for the sins of those whom they misled in this world in addition to suffering for their own unbelief.

21. For further details regarding the Prophet Noah's story see Al 'Imrün 3:33-34; al-Nisā' 4:163; al-An'ām 6:84; al-A rāƒ 7:59-64; Yūnus 10:71- 73; Hūd 11:25-48; al-Anbiyā' 21:76-77; al-Mü'minün 23:23-30; al-Furqan 25:37; al-Shu'ara' 26:105-123; al-Ṣäffat 37:75-82; al-Qamar 54:9-15; al-Haqqah 69:11-12 and Nūḥ 71:1-28.

These stories about the Prophets may be better appreciated if they are read against the backdrop of the opening verses of this surah. On the one hand, they apprise Muslims that the believers of yore had also been subjected to similar tests and trials. On the other hand, they warn the wrong-doing unbelievers that they should not entertain the illusion that they will ever get the better of God or elude His grasp. This history of ancient nations and of their Messengers is narrated to press home these truths.

22. This does not mean that the Prophet Noah (peace be on him) was 950 years old. What the Qur'an specifically states is that commencing from his designation as a Prophet until the Flood, Noah strove for a period of 950 years to reform his evil and wayward nation. Although he endured their excesses for such a long time, he did not lose heart. This truth is stated here in order to impress upon the early Makkan Muslims, who faced opposition and persecution, that they had only been exposed to such adanance and obstinacy for a few years. They were reminded of Noah's undaunting resolve, courage and perseverance for he put up with severe hardships for a full 950 years.

The Biblical and Qur'anic versions of Noah's story are at variance with one another. The Bible puts Noah's age at 950 years. Further, it states that he was 600 years old when the Flood struck his people and that he lived for 350 years after the Flood, (Genesis 7:6; 9:28-29). However, if one takes into account Qur'ānic statements about Noah, one would think that he must have lived for at least a thousand years. This because he spent 950 years calling his people to the Truth after assuming the office of Prophethood. It goes without saying that he must have been appointed to this august office at a reasonably mature age and that he must also have lived at least for some time after the Flood.

Noah's extraordinarily long age appears to some people as incredible. However, there is no dearth of wonders in God's creation. No matter in which direction one looks, one will observe wonders that are quite out of the ordinary. The appearance of a phenomenon as a matter of routine does not mean that it cannot appear in some other extraordinary form. Indeed, a long list of events points to extraordinary and exceptional happenings in every part of the Universe and among all species of creation. Anyone who clearly knows that God has and exercises absolute power cannot be troubled by the statement that He granted someone the age of a thousand years. Since He is God of both life and death, He may grant anyone a span of age He wills. The fact is that a man cannot live even for one moment merely because he so desires. However, if God so wills, He can grant him a very, very long life.

23. The Flood overtook Noah's people while they were engrossed in wrong-doing. Had they given up their wrong-doing before the Flood, God would not have afflicted them with that scourge.

24. This refers to those who had professed faith in the Prophet Noah (peace be on him) and whom God had allowed to board the Ark. This is evident from the following passage:

Thus it was until Our command came to pass and the oven boiled over. We said: "Take into the Ark, a pair of every species; and take your own family except those who have already been declared (as unworthy); and also take everyone who believes." But those who, along with him, had believed were indeed just a few. (Hūd 11:40)

25. This could also mean that this horrendous calamity or this great event was made a Sign for coming generations to derive a lesson from. However, the wording of this verse and of verses 13-15 of al-Qamar suggest that Noah's Ark itself, which remained anchored on the mountain top for centuries, was the Sign demonstrating to people that it was stationed there as a result of the Flood. This Ark is also mentioned elsewhere in the Qur'an in the following words:

And We bore Noah on the Ark built of planks and nails, which sailed on under Our supervision: a reward for him who had been shown ingratitude. And We left the Ark as a Sign. Is there, then, any who will take heed? (al-Qamar 54:13-15)

Explaining these verses, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari reports on the authority of Qatadah, that when the Muslims reached al-Jazirah in the time of the Companions, they saw the Ark perched on Mount Judi; and according to another tradition, near a town called Baqirwā. (Cf. Tabarī, Tafsir, comments on al-Qamar 54:15-Ed.) In our own times, too, reports occasionally appear about expeditions dispatched to trace the Ark. This because, while flying over Mount Arārāt, an object resembling the Ark was sighted. (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. III, al-A'raf 7: n. 47, pp. 37-38 and Vol. IV, Hüd 11: n. 46, pp. 102-104.)

26. Cf. al-Baqarah 2:122-141; Al 'Imrän 3:64-71; al-An'am 6:71-82; Hūd 11:69-83; Ibrāhīm 14:35-41; al-Hijr 15:45-60; Maryam 19:41-50; al-Anbiya' 21:51-75; al-Shu'ara' 26:69-104; al-Ṣäffat 37:75-113; al-Zukhruf 43:26-35 and al-Dhariyat 51:22-46.

27. They were exhorted to fear God and give up associating others with Him in His Divinity. They were to eschew disobedience of God.

28. When they set up idols, they were in fact guilty of inventing falsehoods. This, because the idols themselves were an embodiment of falsehood. The same applies to the baseless notions they cherished about these idols: that they were gods or goddesses, God's incarnations, His offspring or favourites, or that they had the power to intercede with God, to heal the sick, or grant people a livelihood. The unbelievers and polytheists fabricated these notions: in other words, they resorted to conjecture. The only truth about them was that they were idols - lifeless, powerless, and resourceless.

29. These few sentences of the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) enshrine a great number of cogent arguments against idolatry. It goes without saying that there must be a convincing reason to take someone as one's Lord. One such reason could be that He is intrinsically worthy of worship. The second reason could be that He is man's Creator to whom he owes his existence. A third reason could be that He is man's Sustainer and provides him with the means to exist. A fourth reason could be that He exercises control over man's destiny and, out of fear, man worships Him lest he incur His displeasure and thus ruin his future.

The Prophet Abraham (peace be on him), however, contends that none of these considerations support idolatry; rather, all four provide reasons for devotion to the One True God. Abraham's plain statement that the objects of idolaters' worship are "merely idols" demolished the first of the four possible reasons to regard them as deities. Moreover, by saying that the idols were their own inventions further highlighted why idols could not be considered worthy of man's worship. Thus, the second possible basis for regarding them as deities was destroyed. The third possible basis for their godhead is dismissed by saying that idols do not provide man's sustenance. Then, last of all, it was stated that man is ultimately destined to return to God rather than to any idol. Hence idols have no role in making or marring man's prospects in the Hereafter, which will, in any case, be decided by God alone. Hence every basis for associating others with the One True God in His Divinity was refuted and Abraham established overwhelmingly that there was no reason for man to hold anyone other than the One True God as his deity.

30. If Abraham's people rejected his call to monotheism and his warning that eventually they will return to God and if they regarded the very idea of His reckoning as false, there was nothing novel about this. For earlier Prophets, such as Noah, Hūd and Ṣāliḥ (peace be on them), had expounded the same message to their respective peoples but it was rejected and the Prophets labelled as liars. It is now for Abraham's people to decide whether these earlier nations, by giving the lie to God's Prophets, had caused any harm to those Prophets or brought destruction upon themselves.

31. The Qur'anic passage under study (vv. 19-23) constitutes a parenthetical statement, marking a break from the Prophet Abraham's story. This is directly addressed to the unbelieving Makkans. The reason why it is directed specifically at them is that they were guilty of committing two major errors: one, polytheism and idolatry and two, denial of the Hereafter. The evil consequences of the former were graphically recounted in the above discourse to do with the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him). As for denial of the Hereafter, God adds a few words in its refutation here so that both errors stand refuted at one and the same time.

32. It is a common spectacle that countless objects are continually being created out of nothing. Likewise, one also observes that as all sorts of people disappear, others of the same kind come into being, replacing the former ones. The polytheists conceded that this spectacle was related to God's creative power. In other words, they did not deny that God was the Creator. In this respect, they did not essentially differ from present-day polytheists. Thus, an argument is developed on the basis of a premise which they themselves recognised. It is pointed out here that they themselves accept that God is constantly creating objects ex nihilo before their very eyes. In view of this, what makes them believe that God canr.ot resurrect human beings after they die? (For further discussion see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. VII, al-Naml 27, n. 80, pp. 174-176.)

33. Since they witness God's creative power in His initial creation of everything, they should have no difficulty in believing that He can create them again after they die. It is quite evidently within His power to do so.

34. Man cannot flee to some far-away place, whether it be the deepest recesses of the earth or the greatest heights of the sky, to escape God's wrath. He will be seized wherever he might be and will be made to stand before Him for reckoning. A similar challenge is thrown to the jinn and human beings elsewhere in the Qur'an in the following words:

O company of jinn and men, if you have the power to go beyond the bounds of heaven and the earth, go beyond them! Yet you will be unable to go beyond them for that requires infinite power. (al-Rahman 55:33)

35. The believers are plainly told that they neither have the power to elude God's grasp, nor will any powerful patron or guardian protect them against God or enable them to escape His punishment. No one in the entire Universe has any authority to protect those who committed unbelief and polytheism, refused to obey God's commands, audaciously defied God and spread injustice and corruption on earth. No one has the power to prevent the enforcement of God's punishment against them. Nor will anyone dare plead with God for forgiveness on their behalf.

36. This means that obdurate unbelievers will have no portion of God's mercy; in fact, they have no reason to entertain any such expectation. The fact is that the unbelievers deny the Hereafter. They do not even recognise that a Day will come when they will have to stand before God for His judgement. This clearly means that, to start with, they do not even look forward to receiving any reward in the Next Life and that they entertain no expectation of God's forgiveness and mercy. However, on the Day of Judgement when they will be brought back to life-which is, in any case, altogether contrary to their expectations - they will have no opportunity to receive any portion of God's mercy. Moreover, when they open their eyes in the Hereafter, they will come face to face with the Divine Signs which they had rejected in this world as utterly false and which they will then come to know were true. There will, therefore, be no reason for them to look forward to God's mercy.

37. This marks the resumption of the Prophet Abraham's story.

38. The Prophet Abraham's people had no reasonable response to his weighty arguments. Their only answer was: "Kill him or burn him." They said this because they were not ready to listen to the person who spoke the truth, who pointed out their errors, and asked them to distance themselves from them. It is clear from their response that they were all united about putting the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) to death. They differed only as regards the mode of killing. Some suggested that he be murdered while others preferred that he be burned alive. In the end, the latter option was chosen in an attempt to make an example of Abraham that would deter others from championing the Truth with such zeal and single-mindedness.

39. The wording of the verse implies that they finally decided to burn the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) alive and that he was so hurled into a fire. The Qur'an, however, confines itself to stating that he was rescued. Elsewhere, the Qur'an clarifies that by God's command the fire became cool and safe for Abraham: "We said: 'O fire, become coolness and safety for Abraham," (al-Anbiya' 21:69). Had Abraham not actually been thrown into the fire, this command would be meaningless.

The truth that emerges from this incident is that all things owe their properties to God's command. He may alter the property of a thing as and when He wills. In the normal course of things, fire's property is to burn and when a combustible object is cast into it, it is reduced to ashes. This property to burn is part of a system that God has instituted. This fact does not, however, prevent God from ever issuing a command in violation of the normal pattern that He has devised. Being the Lord of fire, as of everything else, He can command fire to cease burning. It is within His power to transform an inferno into a blooming garden. True, such things are out of the ordinary and are a deviation from the normal order of things and happen only rarely. Moreover, when they do take place they do so for some overriding reason. Nevertheless, there is no basis to believe that God's power is circumscribed by the bounds of normal occurrences or to think that nothing beyond the ordinary can ever take place by God's command.

40. There are Signs for the believers in the Prophet Abraham's example. Rather than cling to the false religion of his family, his people and his country, Abraham (peace be on him) opted to follow the Truth as soon as it dawned upon him that polytheism was nothing but falsehood whereas monotheism was the quintessence of Truth. Once Abraham (peace be on him) realised this, he ceaselessly preached that people should give up polytheism and embrace monotheism. He did so in utter disregard of the obduracy and bigotry of his people. So deep was his devotion to monotheism that he refused to relinquish it even when hurled into a blazing fire. There are also God's Signs in the fact that He made His Prophets, including Abraham (peace be on him), undergo certain tests so as to establish their mettle. There is also God's Sign in the fact that after Abraham had successfully passed through the tests to which God had subjected him, He assisted Abraham so gloriously that the cauldron of fire into which he had been hurled was miraculously made cool.

41. It appears from the context that the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) would have addressed his people in these words only after he was miraculously saved from the fire.

42. The nucleus of their collective life was devotion to idols rather than to God. The fact is that even devotion to idols can provide a workable basis for bringing about worldly cohesion among a people. This because people can be brought together by any cause, gathering around both true and faise beliefs as they do. Moreover, any kind of cohesion and unity, even if it is founded on a false proposition, can serve as a means to foster and sustain friendships, family ties and vocational bonds, as also provide a basis for religious, social, cultural, economic and political fellowship.

43. The unbelievers are told that their social structure, based as it is on a false proposition, will not endure in the Hereafter. The only bonds that will endure -- bonds of friendship, cooperation, kinship, and reverential discipleship - will be those based on servitude to the One True God and on righteous conduct and piety. In the Next World, bonds rooted in unbelief, polytheism, misguidance and waywardness will cease to be; in fact, friendships in this world will turn into enmity. All those who are bound in devotion to those they revere will become enemies to one another. Father and son, husband and wife, and teacher and disciple will curse each other. Each of them will blame the other for his error and demand that the latter be given double the punishment for having misguided him. The Qur'an states this at several places. The following are illustrative:

On that day even bosom friends shall become enemies to one another, all except the God-fearing. (al-Zukhruf 43:67)

As a nation enters Hell, it will curse the one that went before it, and when all are gathered there, the last of them shall say of the first: "Our Lord! These are the ones who led us astray. Let their torment be doubled in Hell-Fire." (al-A'raf 7:38)

They will say: "Our Lord, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they turned us away from the Right Way. Our Lord, mete out to them a double chastisement and lay upon them a mighty curse." (al-Ahzab 33:67-68)

44. The sequence of the discourse indicates that the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) made these remarks after he was miraculously delivered from the fire. Among those present, however, Lot was the only one to come forward and declare his belief in Abraham (peace be on him) and pledge to follow him. Presumably, many others, too, were persuaded to believe in the truth of Abraham's message. However, the hostility that the whole nation as well as the state generally displayed towards Abraham's teaching was ferocious. Thanks to that, no one other than Lot, the Prophet Abraham's nephew, could muster the courage to follow his way, which seemed beset with risks. It was Lot's unique privilege that he publicly accepted his uncle Abraham's message and later accompanied his uncle and aunt, Sarah, when they migrated for God's cause.

We should stop here for a moment to dispel one misperception whereby some people are bound to ask: did Lot indulge in unbelief and polytheism before witnessing the Prophet Abraham's rescue from the fire? Did he embrace faith only after this miraculous incident? If this were the case, can anyone who once committed polytheism be designated to the august office of Prophethood? The Qur'an only says the following about Lot: "Then did Lot believe him." These words do not necessarily mean that before this miraculous event Lot disbelieved in God or associated others with God in His Divinity. What is stated here is simply that after Abraham's rescue from the fire Lot testified to the truth of his mission and pledged to follow him. It is also likely that he was then only a youth who, for the first time, came to know about his uncle's mission and his exalted status as God's Messenger.

45. Abraham migrated for the sake of his Lord and expressed his readiness to go wherever God wanted him to.

46. Abraham reiterated his conviction that God, being All-Powerful and All-Wise, will protect him in the best possible manner and, in His infinite wisdom, will choose for him the land to which he should migrate.

47. The Prophets Isaac and Jacob (peace be on them) were respectively Abraham's son and grandson. His other sons are not mentioned here because only the Prophet Shu'ayb (peace be on him) was raised as God's Messenger among the Midianite branch of Abraham's descendants. As for the Ishmaelite branch, no Messenger was raised among them for another 2,500 years until the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). In contrast, Isaac's descendants continued to be favoured with Messengers and Scriptures until the advent of the Prophet Jesus (peace be on him).

48. This includes all Prophets raised among the various branches of the Prophet Abraham's descendants.

49. The purpose of the statement is to stress that the rulers, the clergy and the polytheists of Babylon, who sought to degrade the Prophet Abraham's call and blindly followed the wrong-doers in opposing it, had all disappeared, and no trace of them could be found. However, the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) whom they had tried to burn alive for his "crime" of upholding God's Word, and who was also forced into exile in a state of utter helplessness, was immensely exalted by God. This is borne out by the fact that for the last four thousand years he has remained a highly renowned figure in world history, a position he will enjoy till the end of time. All Jews, Christians and Muslims unanimously regard him as their patriarch and religious guide. His message has been instrumental in providing direction to mankind for the last four thousand years. Besides the invaluable rewards that will be his in the Hereafter, Abraham's renown in this world too is unrivalled, being quite incomparable to those who hanker after material gain and fame.

50. Cf. al-A'raf 7:80-84; Hüd 11:69-83; al-Hijr 15:57-79; al-Anbiya' 21:71-75; al-Shu'ara' 26:160-175; al-Naml 27:54-58; al-Saffat 37:133-138, and al-Qamar 54:33-40.

51. They made males a means for the gratification of their sexual desires. This point is also made elsewhere in the Qur'an as follows: "You approach men lustfully in place of women", (al-A'raf 7:81).

52. Not only did they commit shameful acts, they did so publicly. The same reproach against them features in another verse, whereby: "We sent Lot, and recall when he told his people: 'Do you commit shameless acts with your eyes open?"" (al-Naml 27:54).

53. In Surahs Hūd and al-Hijr it is stated that the angels deputed to destroy the Prophet Lot's people first went to the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him). They gave him the good news of the birth of his son, Isaac, and of his grandson, Jacob. The angels also informed him that they were on their way to destroy the Prophet Lot's people.

54. "This city" here alludes to the territory in which Lot's people lived. The Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) at that time lived in the city of Hebron in Palestine, presently known as al-Khalil. A few miles to the southeast of the city lies that part of the Dead Sea which was once inhabited by Lot's people and which is now submerged by the sea. This is a low-lying area and is easily visible from the hill-tops of Hebron. It is for this reason that the angels pointed in the direction of the city, saying to the Prophet Abraham: "We are surely going to destroy the inhabitants of this city." (See also Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. VII, al-Shu'arā' 26: n. 114, pp. 108-109.)

55. The opening part of this story is narrated in Surah Hüd. The Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) was disconcerted when he observed that angels had appeared in human form, for this usually indicates that they are on some ominous mission. He was relieved, however, when they gave him the good news of the birth of his son. When he also came to know that they were on their way to destroy the Prophet Lot's people, he pleaded fervently that mercy be shown them. In the words of the Qur'an: "He began to dispute with Us concerning the people of Lot. Surely Abraham was forbearing, tender-hearted and oft-turning to Allah." Abraham's plea, however, was not accepted: "Thereupon (our angels) said to him:

'O Abraham! Desist from this, for indeed your Lord's command has come; and a chastisement which cannot be averted is about to befall them"," (Hūd 11:74-76). It was then that the Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) realised that Lot's people were doomed to suffer Divine scourge. He was also inevitably concerned about the Prophet Lot (peace be on him), as mentioned in the verse: "But Lot is there." The safety of the latter and his family worried Abraham for if the scourge were to strike Lot's people while he was in their midst, how could Lot and his family remain safe?

56. We learn from al-Taḥrīm 66:10 that the Prophet Lot's wife was not sincere towards her husband. It was, therefore, decided that notwithstanding her being the wife of a Prophet, she too should be afflicted with God's scourge. It is likely that when the Prophet Lot (peace be on him) settled in Jordan after his migration, he might have married a woman from among the local populace. However, even after spending many years in a Prophet's company, she did not sincerely embrace faith and her allegiance to her unbelieving people endured. God, of course, does not accord any weight to ties of kinship in judging people; rather, He judges everyone on the basis of faith and conduct. Therefore, her marital tie with one of His Prophets could not save her from punishment. Her fate was tied with that of her people's with whom she had religious and moral bonds rather than with her husband.

57. The reason for the Prophet Lot's anxiety and discomfort was that the angels had come to him in the form of handsome young men. (The fact that they were angels was not initially known to Lot.) Now Lot was well aware of his people's moral corruption. The angels' visit, in the form of handsome young men therefore presented him with a difficult problem, namely, the protection of his guests from the immoral onslaughts of his community. He could not turn his guests away for that would be an act inconsistent with hospitality. Furthermore, if he did not offer them his hospitality, they would be obliged to spend the night in the town, which would amount to leaving his visitors to the tender mercy of hungry wolves. The Qur'ānic passage here does not narrate any further details of the story but an extensive account of it appears in Surahs Hūd, al-Hijr and al-Qamar. (See Hüd 11:76-83; al-Hijr 15:60-77, and al-Qamar 54:33-39.) According to these, on learning of these handsome men's visit, many people barged into the Prophet Lot's house, demanding that the guests be handed over to them so that they might satisfy their unbridled lust.

58. The visitors assured the Prophet Lot (peace be on him): "Do not fear nor be distressed." In other words, Lot's people would not be able to cause them the slightest harm. At this moment they revealed their identity, telling Lot that they were angels who had been sent down to inflict God's scourge upon his people. It is stated in Surah Hüd that on observing his people rushing to his house, and realising that he could not save his guests, Lot (peace be on him) exclaimed: "Would that I had the strength to set you straight, or could seek refuge in some powerful support." Thereupon the angels said: "O Lot! We indeed are Messengers of your Lord. And your people will in no way be able to hurt you", (Hūd 11:80-81).

59. "A Clear Sign" here refers to the Dead Sea which, owing to its association with Lot, is also called the Sea of Lot. Time and again the Qur'an impressed on the Makkan unbelievers that a Sign of the chastisement that had visited those wicked people could still be seen. This was observable both in the morning and night along the highway in the course of people's commercial journies to Syria. The relevant Qur'ānic verses are as follows: "The place (where the rain of stones occurred) lies along a known route” (al-Hijr 15:76), and "You pass by their desolate habitations in the morning and at night", (al-Ṣäffat 37:137-138).

It is now almost universally recognised that what is presently the southern part of the Dead Sea became so transformed as a result of a terrible earthquake, which caused the land mass to cave in. It was in this part that the capital of the Prophet Lot's people, Sodom, was located. One can still find ruins of some submerged towns in the sea. Aided with the latest diving and archaeological devices, expeditions are presently in progress to study these ruins. The results of these studies, however, are still to be obtained. (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. VII, al-Shu'ara' 26: n. 114, pp. 108-109.)

60. On the punishment laid down for sodomy in the Shari'ah see Towards Understanding the Qur'ān, Vol. III, al-A'raf 7: n. 68, pp. 52-53.

61. For further details see al-A'rāƒ 7:85-93; Hūd 11:84-96 and al-Shu'arā' 26:177-191.

62. This is open to the following interpretations: (i) They should be assured that the Afterlife will inevitably come to pass. They should not, therefore, consider the life of this world to be an end in itself. They should be certain that the present life will be followed by the Hereafter wherein they will be held to account and receive reward or punishment. (ii) They are urged to do good deeds that might improve their prospects in the Hereafter.

63. They did not accept the Prophet Shu'ayb as God's Messenger or his teachings to be from God. As a consequence of their rejection of these truths, they were afflicted with God's scourge.

64. That is, the whole territory they inhabited was destroyed.

65. The Arabs of the Prophet's time were familiar with the lands of 'Ad and Thamud. The former lived in southern Arabia, which is presently known as Ahqaf, Yaman and Ḥaḍramawt. The ruins of Thamüd are found to this day in northern Hijaz covering the region from Rabigh to ‘Aqabah, from Madyan and Khaybar to Tayma' and Tabuk. At the time the Qur'ān was revealed, these ruins would have been even more prominent.

66. They were not ignorant fools; rather, they were a shrewd people, well-skilled in the management of worldly affairs. It cannot, therefore, be said that Satan had cast a spell on them, made them blind to facts, robbed them of their ability to think rationally, or that he forced them to follow his way. The fact is that they knowingly chose the way shown to them by Satan because it contained the promise of many benefits and much pleasure. They, therefore, deliberately rejected the way shown by the Prophets for they found it hard and unattractive in view of its many stringent moral interdictions.

67. That is, they could neither escape God's grip nor frustrate His plans.

68. This refers to the 'Ad who were continuously subjected to a storm for seven nights and eight days. (See also al-Haqqah 69:7.)

69. This refers to the Thamud.

70. This refers to Korah.

71. This refers to Pharaoh and Hāmān.

72. The stories recounted here are addressed both to the Muslims and to the Makkan unbelievers. They were narrated so that the Muslims would not give in to despair and demoralisation and so that they would remain patient and resolute in upholding the Truth even in the face of very severe hardships. These stories should also instil in them full trust in God and make them assured that His aid will ultimately come and that He will see to it that their oppressors are humbled and God's Word is exalted.

On the other hand, these stories were also narrated to impart an important lesson to the Makkan wrong-doers who were bent upon obliterating Islam. They were thereby warned not to mistake God's forbearance. Since they had not been seized for a long time for their wrong-doing and rebellion, they had fallen prey to the delusion that they would never be brought to justice. Rather, they believed that they were free to act as they wanted, believing that this world was not subject to moral laws. Such mistaken notions would eventually bring upon them the same scourge which smote the unbelieving nations of the Prophets Noah, Lot, and Shu'ayb, for the 'Ãd and Thamud. Korah and Pharaoh also met the same horrendous fate.

73. All these nations had been guilty of indulging in polytheism. They looked upon their idols as guardians and patrons who could make or mar their destiny. They presented offerings to them and worshipped them so as to procure their protection. They believed that by doing so their idols would help, support and protect them against every calamity. However, it is unmistakably evident from history, as related in the Qur'an, that such false beliefs and superstitions proved of no avail to them when God ordained their annihilation. No god or goddess, no avtär, saint or spirit, no jinn or angel whom they used to worship, came to their rescue. When they came face to face with this reality, they felt remorseful about having cherished false notions, but nonetheless they met their doom and were obliterated.

By relating these stories, the Qur'ān issues a dire warning to the Makkan polytheists: their expectations about receiving help and support from imaginary lords, idols, that are themselves helpless, will prove as frail as a spider's web. In the same way that a spider's web cannot withstand the mere touch of a finger, their polytheistic notions will be demolished as soon as the Divine scourge smites them. The fact is that ignorance alone accounts for their false beliefs and superstitions. Had they reflected on reality, their worldview would not have been erected on baseless foundations. The truth is that God, the One True Lord of the Universe, alone has all power and authority. It is He, as the Qur'an says, in Whom man can place his reliance:

He who rejects the evil ones and believes in Allah has indeed taken hold of the firm, unbreakable handle. And Allah (whom he has held for support) is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (al-Baqarah 2:256)

74. God, of course, fully knows the truth about those whom the polytheists have chosen to be their deities and whom they call upon for help. Notwithstanding their misplaced devotion, these deities are absolutely powerless for all power lies with God alone. It is He alone Who governs the Universe by dint of His power and wisdom.

This verse can also be translated as follows: "Surely Allah knows fully that what they call upon apart from Him is nothing (in reality) and He alone is the Most Powerful, the Most Wise."

75. The order of the Universe is based on truth rather than falsehood. Whoever ponders the workings of the Universe with an open mind realises that the heavens and the earth have nothing to do with imaginary musings and conjectures. They are rooted instead in the bedrock of truth and reality. It is simply impossible for a person to weave a philosophy out of his conjecture and imagination that adequately fits the scheme of the Universe, a scheme wherein only that which is anchored in truth and reality works and strikes root. Any system of ideas and presuppositions incongruent with reality will of necessity collide with it and be shattered into pieces.

The order of the Universe testifies to the fact that none other than the One True God is its Creator, Lord and Regulator. Suppose someone were to disregard this vital fact and proceed on the assumption that the Universe is without God or that there is a multiplicity of gods that provide security to their devotees in return for the offerings they make. Such baseless notions would not alter the truth at all. On the contrary, at one time or another, the victim of such false notions will face a rude shock.

76. The creation of the heavens and the earth provides testimony verifying the truth of monotheism and the falsity of polytheism and atheism. This testimony, however, can only be perceived by those who believe in the Prophets' teachings. As for those who reject the Prophets, they are unable to see the manifest truth that is evident to everyone.

77. This is apparently addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him), but in fact is meant for all believers. The believers were then facing immense hardship in their effort to follow their faith. In the earlier verses of this surah (see vv. 1-42), the believers were continually urged to remain patient and resolute and place all their trust in God. They are now being directed to adopt certain practical measures - to recite the Qur'an and establish Prayer. The underlying idea is that these will equip them with firm character and such remarkable qualities that they will be able to withstand all onslaughts from evil forces. Once they are so equipped, the believers will have acquired the ability to turn the tide of the forces of evil pitted against them. It is evident, though, that one can only derive strength from reciting the Qur'ān when one correctly comprehends its teachings and when one's heart and soul absorb them. This is not the case, however, when Qur'an-recitation is merely a mechanical repetition of the Qur'an's text. Likewise, offering Prayer should not be confined to a set of bodily acts; rather, it should instil in the reciter's heart the message of the Qur'an and make it the driving force of his character and conduct. What kind of impact Prayer should have on a man's conduct is clearly outlined in this very verse. (For elaboration see n. 78 below.)

As for recitation of the Qur'an, if this does not go beyond the reciter's throat to reach his heart, it will certainly not provide him with the strength to withstand the tempestuous onslaughts of the forces of unbelief. In fact, it will hardly enable him even to sustain his faith. It is pertinent in this regard to bear in mind the following ḥadīth about a group of people who used to recite the Qur'an: "They will recite the Qur'an the while it will not go beyond their throats. They will go out of the fold of faith as an arrow goes out of the bowstring". (See Bukhārī, K. Aḥādīth al-Anbiyā', Bab: Qawl Allah: Ammā 'Adun fa uhlikū; Muslim, K. al-Zakāh, Bāb: Dhikr al-Khawarij wa Ṣifātihim; Mālik, Muwaṭṭa', K. al-Nidā' li al-Ṣalāh, Bāb: Mā jā'a fi al-Qur'ān - Ed.) If one's mind, heart, character and conduct are not transformed after reciting the Qur'an, and one still persists in doing what the Qur'an forbids, this is not a true believer's recitation of the Qur'an. The Prophet (peace be on him) characterised such people in these terms: "He who treats the prohibitions of the Qur'an as lawful does not [truly] believe in the Qur'ān", (See Tirmidhi, K. Faḍā'il al-Qur'ān, Bāb: Mā jā'a fi man qara'a Harfan min al-Qur'ān mā lahu min al-Ajr - Ed.) Such recitation does not reform a person's life or strengthen his spirit. In fact, it makes him all the more brazen with God and even more shameless before his own conscience so that no vestige of good character is left in him. Such a person is even more guilty than he who does not recite the Qur'an. For the person who believes the Qur'an to be the Book of God but who then violates its directives after becoming acquainted with them, as a result of reading the Qur'ān, is like a criminal who violates the law not out of ignorance, but with full knowledge of what he is doing. The following statement from the Prophet (peace be on him) applies fully to such people: "The Qur'an is a witness either for you or against you", (Muslim, K. al- Taharah, Bab: Fadl al-Wudu' - Ed.)

In other words, if one faithfully follows the message of the Qur'an, one will benefit from it immensely. Whenever one is asked about one's conduct, whether in this world or in the Next, one can refer to the Qur'ān and plead that one acted according to it. If one's deeds are in accord with it, one need not fear any punishment from the courts in this world or any punishment in the Hereafter. However, if someone receives the message of the Qur'an and knows what God expects him to do and what to avoid and still acts contrary to the Qur'an's directives, this will be a witness against him. It will strengthen the case against him in God's court. For at this stage no one will be able to plead ignorance as a reason for exoneration nor will he be let off with a lighter punishment.

78. This is one among the many important attributes of Prayer that is highlighted here in sync with the context. At the time it was revealed, the early Muslims of the Makkan period encountered fierce hostility. To be able to withstand this, the Muslims stood in much greater need of moral rather than material strength. Two things were earlier indicated in order to generate moral strength among them and to ensure its growth- reciting the Qur'an and establishing regular Prayers. The Muslims are now being told that by establishing Prayer they will be able to purge themselves of the evils in which they, as well as the jahilī society of Arabia and the neighbouring lands, were enmeshed before their acceptance of

Islam. The establishment of Prayer has the power to help them overcome the evils that mar their lives.

A little reflection will make it clear why this particular attribute of Prayer is emphasised here. It goes without saying that purification from vice is beneficial both in the present world and in the Next. It gives one an edge over those who are, engrossed in vice and who have pitted themselves in a battle against good in a bid to preserve the corrupt jāhilī system. The words faḥshā' and munkar used here refer to indecent and evil actions that are instinctively repulsive to human nature and which have always been known to be evil by all nations and societies. In fact, even those who are themselves enmeshed in corruption look upon evil as evil. Arabian society at the time the Qur'an was revealed was no exception to this. The Arabs of the time recognised what was morally right to be right and what was wrong to be wrong and distinguished between good and evil. None of them branded good deeds to be evil or vice versa.

Against this backdrop, the emergence of a movement in a society that was immersed in evil and its ability to bring about a moral transformation among those influenced by it gave that movement a moral edge over others. This was bound to have an impact. The Arabs could not simply disregard a movement that extirpated evil and made those whom it influenced become conspicuously upright and pious in comparison with their contemporaries. It was impossible for ordinary Arabs not to feel the moral weight of the movement that was eradicating evils in their society and transforming people into virtuous and upright human beings. It was also difficult for them to extend their support, merely under the influence of the hollow slogans of jāhilī bigotry, to those who were themselves steeped in moral vice and who were striving to keep intact the Jahiliyah corruption that had been extant for centuries. Therefore, rather than ask the Muslims to equip themselves with material resources, the Qur'ān urged them to establish Prayer, which would infuse moral excellence in them. This, in turn, would help this handful of people win over the hearts and minds of those around them and enable them, ultimately, to prevail over their opponents.

The merit of Prayer outlined in this verse, viz. that it forbids indecency and evil, has two aspects. The first is its essential characteristic, whereby it prevents man from indecency and evil. The second is, in fact, its required characteristic, whereby he who observes Prayer should actually desist from all acts of indecency and evil. As for restraining man from evil and indency, Prayer is undoubtedly a powerful means to this end.

Of all the possible restraints against committing evil, Prayer is the most effective. What could be more effective than summoning man five times a day to remember God and to refresh in him the fact that he has no right to act with unfettered freedom for he is the servant of an All- Knowing God, One Who is aware even of the desires and intentions that lie hidden in his heart. Furthermore, He it is to Whom man will one day have to render an account of all his deeds.

Prayer not only serves as a reminder of all these truths, but it also practically trains man not to disobey any of God's commands even when no one is watching him. This because from the moment a person rises to pray until he finishes it, God alone knows whether that person has or has not observed all the commands prescribed by Him for offering Prayer. For example, if someone joins the Prayer while he is not in a state of wudu', this fact is known to none except himself and God. Likewise, someone might apparently join the Prayer and perform all the physical acts of which it consists while within himself he might have no intention of praying at all. It is also possible that instead of reciting what is required in Prayer, the person instead recites amorous songs. In such cases who else but the person themselves or God knows that, in reality, Prayer has not been offered at all? However, when someone offers Prayers five times a day, duly observing all its requirements, ranging from ritual cleanliness of body and clothing to recitations as laid down by Divine Law, this exercise constantly rejuvenates his conscience, awakens in him a sense of accountability to God, and transforms him into a responsible, duty-conscious person. Thereby, he is trained to willingly adhere to the dictates of faith, both in public and in private, regardless of whether he is subjected to supervision by any external authority and regardless of whether or not others are aware of his deeds.

Seen in this light, one reaches the inevitable conclusion that Prayer does indeed restrain man from committing acts of indecency and evil. In fact, there is no scheme of training aimed at dissuading people from evil as effective as Prayer. As for the question of whether someone will really refrain from evil after following the regime of regular daily Prayers, the result will obviously vary from one participant in this scheme of self improvement to another. If someone is sincerely interested in deriving benefit from Prayer and takes the required steps in that direction, his way of life will doubtlessly be reformed. As for the person who is not ready to mend his ways or who deliberately deprives himself of the benefits of Prayer, it is clear that no scheme of reform is going to help him. The following analogy illustrates this. Food is essential for the nutrition and growth of the body. However, food can perform this function only when one lets it do so. If someone were to immediately vomit the food after eating it, even the most nutritious food will do him no good. Obviously, the situation of such a person is not a good basis to conclude that food is not nutritious for them. Following the same analogy, the example of someone who prays regularly and yet commits evil does not prove that Prayer fails to forbid indecency and evil. Rather, it is more apt to say that the person concerned does not truly offer Prayers. His likeness is that of the person who vomits after taking food and thus becomes weaker by the day.

This potential of Prayer to prevent people from indecency and evil features in several traditions from the Prophet (peace be on him) and from some leading Companions and Successors. 'Imran ibn Husayn narrates that the Prophet (peace be on him) said: "He whose Prayer does not deter him from indecency and evil is, in fact, one whose Prayer takes him further away from God." (Ibn Abi Ḥātim and Ṭabarī, Tafsir, comments on al-'Ankabut 29:45 and Ṭabarānī, al-Mu'jam al-Kabīr, tradition 10862 - Ed.) Ibn 'Abbās narrates the following saying of the Prophet (peace be on him): "Anyone whose Prayer does not forbid him from indecency and evil (is a Prayer that) further removes from God", (Ibn Abi Ḥātim, Tafsir, comments on al-'Ankabut 29:45 and Ṭabarānī, al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, tradition 10862 - Ed.) Hasan al-Baṣrī narrated a tradition directly from the Prophet (peace be on him) which enshrines the same idea. Ibn Jarīr al-Tabari and al-Bayhaqi narrated a tradition from 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ūd, that the Prophet (peace be on him) said: "The Prayer of someone who does not obey the imperatives of Prayer and who does not refrain from indecency and evil, is not taken into account", (Ibn Jarir al-Tabari and Ibn Abi Ḥātim). Several traditions of similar import are related on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn Masud, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbās, Ḥasan al- Baṣrī, Qatādah and al-A 'mash. Imām Ja'far al-Ṣādiq says: "If one wants to ascertain whether one's Prayer has been accepted by God or not, one should assess how far one has abstained from indecency and evil. If one has stopped committing evil under the influence of Prayer, one's Prayer has been accepted", (al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Ma'ānī and Qurtubî, al-Jami' li Aḥkām al-Qur'an, comments on al-'Ankabut 29:45 - Ed.).

79. This may be interpreted variously. First, God's remembrance, that is Prayer, is greater and of much higher value than merely its potential to prevent acts of indecency and evil. Far from being only a force to restrain people from evil, observance of Prayer also prompts them to do good and excel others in so doing. Secondly, remembrance of God is an act of great intrinsic merit; it is, in fact, the best of deeds. Man cannot do anything better than engage in God's remembrance. Thirdly, that God's remembrance of man is of an even higher value than man's remembrance of God. The idea that God remembers man occurs in the Qur'an as follows: "So remember Me and I shall remember you", (al-Baqarah 2:152). Prayer represents man's remembrance of God. When God's servant remembers Him, He too remembers His servant. Apart from these three interpretations, there is also the subtle interpretation offered by Abu al-Darda's wife who said that: "Remembrance of God does not consist only of Prayer. Its range is very wide. As one observes fasting or pays zakah or does any other good act, he is in fact remembering God. Likewise, when anyone avoids committing evil, he is prompted to do so by his remembrance of God. Thus remembrance of God embraces every aspect of a believer's life."

80. It is pertinent to mention that the Muslims were asked in the latter part of the surah to migrate (see v. 56). At that time, Abyssinia, the only safe haven for the Muslims was under Christian sway. Accordingly, the Muslims are being instructed as regards the norms they should observe in their religious discussions with People of the Book.

81. That is, if a discussion takes place with the People of the Book it should consist of putting forward reasonable arguments, be couched in decent and refined language, and be animated by a spirit of mutual understanding. The main concern in this respect should be to make sure, as far as possible, that the other party remains in a proper frame of mind to reconsider its ideas. If someone preaches Islam, his aim should be to win the hearts and minds of his addressees so as to bring them around to the Straight Way. However, if he engages in acrimonious argument, as though he were having an intellectual bout aimed at inflicting humiliating defeat on his enemy, this would be a self-defeating exercise. Instead, one should deal with the other party sympathetically and sensitively just as a

physician deals with a patient. For obviously the physician has to be on guard lest any indiscretion on his part aggravates the patient's sickness. A physician's attention is always focused on one point: how best to heal his patient while causing him minimal pain. Seen in this context, it is evident that while this directive was given in connection with religious discussions with the People of the Book, its application is not confined to discussions with them alone. It is, in fact, a directive of universal import as regards preaching Islam, so much so that one frequently encounters the same in the Qur'an:

(O Prophet!) Call men to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and reason with them in the best manner possible. (al-Nahl 16:125)

(O Prophet!) Good and evil are not equal. Repel (evil) with that which is good, and you will see that he, between whom and you there was enmity, shall become as if he were a bosom friend (of yours). (Hä' Mim Sajdah 41:34)

(O Prophet!) Repel evil in the best manner. We are well aware of all that they say about you. (al-Mu'minun 23:96)

(O Prophet!) Show forgiveness, enjoin equity and avoid the ignorant. And if it happens that a prompting from Satan should stir you up, seek refuge with Allah. (al-A'raf 7:199-200)

82. This means that the attitude one should adopt in dealing with the "utterly unjust" depends on the kind of wrong they actually inflict, which varies from situation to situation. What is stressed here is that the Muslims need not observe gentleness and leniency towards all their enemies, at all times, and in all circumstances, for this might cause them to mistake such gracious behaviour for weakness and timidity. Islam certainly teaches its followers to be gracious, affable and kind in their dealings with others. At the same time, however, it does not teach its exponents to resign themselves to humiliation and degradation.

83. Here God indicates to the expounders of Truth how they can engage in refined religious discussions with others by offering an example. They are told not to make the erroneous position of the other party the starting point of such a discussion. Rather, the discussion should commence with identifying and highlighting the elements of truth that are common to both parties. In other words, commonalties rather than differences should be taken up first. As for contentious matters, an effort should be made to point out to the other party that the standpoint of the believers in regard to these matters is in conformity with that which is common to both parties whereas the standpoint of the other party is in conflict with what is commonly agreed.

It is also pertinent to remember that the People of the Book, unlike the Arabian polytheists, did not deny revelation, messengership and the Hereafter. Rather, they affirmed these truths as did the Muslims. Now, had there been any dispute between the Muslims and the People of the Book on these questions and had Muslims denied the latter's Scriptures and asked them to believe only in their Scripture, the Qur'an, and had they declared the People of the Book to be unbelievers on that account this would certainly have caused serious discord. But the position of Muslims was quite different for they themselves affirmed belief in the Scriptures of the People of the Book as well as in the Revelation that had been made to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). Hence, it was for the People of the Book to explain why they accepted one of God's Scriptures and rejected others. The Muslims were, therefore, directed that if they encountered the People of the Book they should expound their standpoint: that they believed in the same God in Whom they believed, and that they too were committed to obeying Him. They were also to make it clear that they were bound to follow all the directives and commands that came from God, be they those that came to the People of the Book or to the Muslims. They were also required to clarify that they were devout servants of God rather than worshippers of any particular country, nation or race. This notion is repeatedly stressed in the Qur'an in the context of the Muslims' encounter with the People of the Book. See,

for example, al-Baqarah 2: vv. 4, 136, 177 and 285; Al 'Imran 3:84; al-Nisa' 4:14, 61, 150-152, 162-164 and al-Shūrā 42:13.

84. This can be interpreted in two ways. First, that in the same manner that God had revealed Scriptures to other Prophets in the past, He has now revealed a Scripture to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). Secondly, that God has revealed this Book, the Qur'an, and has directed people to believe in it in addition to believing in the earlier Scriptures.

85. The context clearly indicates that here the expression "those on whom we had bestowed the Book" is not applicable to all People of the Book. It rather applies only to those who were endowed with true knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures and were, thus, its recipients in the true sense of the expression rather than those who simply carried the Scriptures as donkeys carry a huge load of books. Hence when the Scripture revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was presented to such people - a Scripture that confirmed the truth of the earlier Scriptures - they displayed no prejudice or stubbornness in attesting to its truth. Rather, they accepted it with the same sincerity that they had displayed in accepting the earlier Scriptures.

86. The words "of these" refers here to the people of Arabia. The purpose being to stress that lovers of the Truth everywhere - People of the Book as well as others - had begun to embrace the Book revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him).

87. Hence the word "unbelievers" refers to those who were not ready to pay heed to the Truth. These were they who would not disregard their biases and prejudices, who would not accept constraints on their lusts, and who were uncomfortable about reining in their unfettered freedoms. It is for reasons such as these that they were inclined to deny the Truth.

88. The same argument in support of the Prophet Muhammad's designation to that office also occurs in Surahs Yūnus and al-Qasas. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. IV, Yūnus 10: n. 21, pp. 19-21; Vol. VII, al-Qaşaş 28: nn. 64 and 109, pp. 224-226 and 250-253. See also Vol. IV, al-Nahl 16: n. 107, pp. 366-367; Vol. V, Bani Isrā'il 17: n. 105, pp. 71-72; Vol. VI, al-Mu'minün 23: n. 66, pp. 112-113 and Vol. VII, al-Furqan 25: n. 12, pp. 7-10.)

The argument proffered in the present verse rests on the fact that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was an unlettered person. His compatriots, his fellow tribesmen, his relatives and those in whose midst he had spent his whole life knew only too well that he had never read a single book, nor had he ever learned to write. After referring to this fact, God mentions it as conclusive proof that the Prophet's deep knowledge of the teachings of the earlier Scriptures, of the events relating to the lives of the Prophets, of the beliefs held by different religions, of the history of ancient nations and of matters relating to culture, morality and economy could have no other source than revelation from Him. Had the Prophet (peace be on him) been a literate person, been engaged in academic pursuits and been adept at reading and writing, the unbelievers would at least have some basis to cast doubt on the Divine provenance of his teachings. Indeed, they could have ascribed it to the Prophet's own studies rather than to revelation. However, the fact that he was unlettered struck at the roots of all such doubts and objections. So stubbornness was the reason for their rejection of his Prophethood, for no other grounds could be deemed as being even minimally reasonable.

89. That is, the Qur'ān provides clear, luminous Signs to people of knowledge and wisdom in support of the Prophet Muhammad's Messengership. The reason was that this wonderful Book, the Qur'an, had begun to pour forth from the lips of an unlettered person. Furthermore, this person had all of a sudden begun to display astounding qualities and accomplish prodigious achievements even though in the early years of his life there was no evident basis to expect all this from him.

If one examines the biographies of illustrious historical personalities, one can identify in their milieu factors that contributed to the formation of their characters and which prepared them for their spectacular achievements. This is understandable because there is a clear correspondence between man's milieu and the main elements of his personality. However, the stark fact in the case of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) is that one cannot find anything in his milieu to explain his marvellous accomplishments. There was nothing in the Arabian environment or even in adjoining lands that could have shaped or moulded his extraordinary personality. The Qur'an refers to this truth by asserting that the Prophet's personality is not simply a Sign but "a set of Clear Signs". While those who are ignorant may not perceive these Signs, those endowed with knowledge are convinced that his ways are no different from those of a Messenger from God.

90. This refers to miracles which inspire faith and vindicate the truth of the Prophet Muhammad's Messengership.

91. Is the revelation of a Scripture like the Qur'an to an unlettered person not enough of a miracle to persuade people to believe in Muhammad's Messengership? Is any further proof needed? Moreover, tangible miracles are effective for those who directly experience them, and, hence, their impact has a temporal dimension. This, however, does not apply to the Qur'an. This living miracle is and will always remain before people's eyes. Furthermore, it is recited to them day in and day out.

In face of this explicit Qur'ānic statement about the unletteredness of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), one can only express astonishment at the audacity of those who seek to project him as literate. They do so while the Qur'an specifically identifies him as unlettered precisely because this is a powerful argument in support of his Messengership's genuineness. As for reports that claim that he was literate or that he had acquired literacy at a later stage, these too should be dismissed out of hand. Any report contrary to the Qur'an is not even worth considering. Furthermore, such reports are also too defective and weak as regards their authenticity to serve as the basis of any serious argument. Bukhārī, for instance, records the following: When the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyah was being drafted, the representative of the Makkan unbelievers raised his objection to the use of the title "Messenger of Allah" for Muḥammad (peace be on him). Thereupon the Prophet (peace be on him) directed 'Ali, his scribe, to strike it out and replace it with Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah. 'Ali declined to do so. It was then that the Prophet (peace be on him) took the pen from his hand and struck out the title, "Messenger of Allah", and inscribed the words Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah. (See Bukhārī, K. al-Ṣulḥ, Bab: Kayfa yuktabu mā Ṣälaḥa Fulān ibn Fulan...; idem, K. al-Jizyah, Bab: al-Muṣālaḥah 'ala Thalathat Ayyām aw Waqt Ma'lum; idem, K. al-Maghāzi, Bab: 'Umrat al-Qaḍā'; Muslim, K. al-Jihad wa al-Siyar, Bab: Sulḥ al-Hudaybiyah fi al-Hudaybiyah - Ed.)

This report, narrated by Bara' ibn 'Azib, was variously recorded four times by Bukhari and twice by Muslim. In each instance, the report contains different wording.

i. The report, as it occurs in Bukhārī's Kitāb al-Sulḥ, is as follows: "He [to wit, the Prophet (peace be on him)] said to 'Ali: 'Strike it out.' He replied: 'I am not the one who will strike it out.' Then the Prophet (peace be on him) struck it out with his own hand."

ii. Another report in the same work states: "He [to wit, the Prophet (peace be on him)] told 'Ali: 'Strike out the [words] 'Messenger of Allah'. He replied: 'By God, I will never strike you out.' Finally, the Prophet (peace be on him) took the text and wrote: "This is the treaty concluded by Muḥammad ibn 'Abd Allah'."

iii. The same narrator, Bara' ibn 'Azib, is credited with the following report in Bukhārī's Kitāb al-Jizyah: "The Prophet (peace be on him) could not write on his own. He asked 'Ali to strike out the [words] 'Messenger of Allah'. 'Ali said: 'By God, I will never strike out [these words].' Then the Prophet (peace be on him) asked 'Ali to indicate the location where these words were inscribed, whereupon 'Ali did so. The Prophet (peace be on him) then struck out those words with his own hand."

iv. However, in Bukhārī's Kitāb al-Maghāzī, the following version appears: "The Prophet (peace be on him) took the text, though he did not know how to write, and then wrote: "This is the treaty concluded by Muḥammad ibn 'Abd Allah'."

v. Bara' ibn 'Azib reports in another version, as recorded in Muslim's Kitab al-Jihad, that after 'Ali declined to strike out those words, the Prophet (peace be on him) struck out the words 'Messenger of Allah' with his own hand.

vi. Muslim also has the same narrator, Bara' ibn 'Azib, reporting that the Prophet (peace be on him) asked 'Ali to indicate the words 'the Messenger of Allah' in the text. 'Ali did so and the Prophet (peace be on him) struck out those words and replaced them with "Ibn 'Abd Allah".

The discrepancies in these reports clearly show that secondary narrators were unable to faithfully recount the actual words of Bara' ibn 'Azib. Thus one cannot affirm with absolute certainty, on the basis of any of these reports, that the Prophet (peace be on him) himself wrote the words 'Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah'. It is possible that after 'Ali declined to remove the words 'Messenger of Allah', the Prophet (peace be on him) himself removed them after 'Ali had indicated their location. It is also possible that after removing those words, the Prophet (peace be on him) might have asked 'Ali or some other scribe to write 'Ibn 'Abd Allah' in their place. In fact, some reports indicate that the treaty had been committed to writing by two scribes, 'Ali and Muḥammad ibn Maslamah. (See Ibn Ḥajar al-'Asqalānī, Fatḥ al-Bārī, K. al-Ṣulḥ, Bāb: al-Shuruṭ fi al-Jihād wa al- Muṣālaḥah, Beirut: Dār al-Ma'rifah, 1379, vol. 5, 343.) It is not unlikely, therefore, that what one scribe declined to do was done by the other scribe. Even if the Prophet (peace be on him) wrote his name with his own hand, this should not come as a big surprise. For there are many illiterate people in the world who know only how to sign their own name. Beyond that, they cannot read or write anything.

The earliest authority of another report which is cited to support the claim that the Prophet (peace be on him) was literate is that of Mujahid, a report that was narrated from him by Ibn Abi Shaybah and 'Umar ibn Shabbah. According to this report, the Prophet (peace be on him) had acquired literacy before his demise. In the first place, this report is quite weak according to the criteria of isnād. In fact, as Ibn Kathir says: "it is weak and without any foundation". Secondly, its weakness is also evident from the fact that if the Prophet (peace be on him) had acquired the skill of reading and writing, this would have made news all around and have been known to a very large number of people. Such an event would, therefore, have been reported by a large number of Companions. Thus, it would also have become known who was or who were the people from whom the Prophet (peace be on him) learned such skills. Now, no one except 'Awn ibn 'Abd Allah, from whom Mujahid heard this, transmits this information. It is also noteworthy that 'Awn was not a Companion; rather, he was a Successor. Furthermore, 'Awn does not name the Companion(s) from whom he came to know this. It is obvious that one cannot dismiss a known incident on the basis of such weak traditions.

92. The sending down of the Qur'an represents a great blessing from God for all mankind for it is the Book of guidance and admonition for all. However, only those who believe in it can benefit from it.

93. The unbelievers repeatedly challenged the Prophet (peace be on him) to bring on the chastisement he warned them about. If he were a genuine Messenger and if they were guilty of rejecting the Truth, why did he not have them struck down with that chastisement?

94. This is an allusion to Hijrah. The purpose of the verse is to impress on the believers that their supreme duty is to serve God. Now, if it was difficult to do so in Makkah, God's earth was immensely vast and not confined to any particular place. Since the believers were devotees of God rather than of any particular country or nation, they should migrate to some other land where it would be possible to live freely as God's servants. Their priority should be to serve and worship their Lord rather than their people or country.

Whenever there is a clash between loyalty to one's country and people on the one hand, and loyalty to God on the other, a believer's faith is truly tested. Whenever a true believer is put to such a test, he is bound to spurn all other loyalties that conflict with his loyalty to God. As for those who falsely claim to be believers, they are likely to give up their faith and remain loyal to their country or nation. The unmistakable upshot of this verse is that while a true believer can be the lover of his people and country, he cannot be their worshipper, making his country and his people the locus of his ultimate loyalty. This is because he cherishes devotion to God above everything else. A believer can sacrifice everything for the sake of devotion to God, but he cannot sacrifice devotion to God for anything else.

95. That is, man should not be obsessive about his life. After all he has to die some day as no one is immortal. A man's thoughts, therefore, should not be focused on how to keep himself alive. The true matter of concern should be how he can preserve his faith and fulfil his obligations towards God. For, it is to God that he will return. If one suffers the loss of one's faith for the sake of survival, this leads to consequences quite different from losing any other thing, including one's own life in order to keep faith intact. Thus the question on which a person's thinking should be centred is: what is it that man carries with him when he returns to his Lord? Is it his life for whose sake he sacrificed his faith or his faith for whose sake he sacrificed his life?

96. It is possible that someone remains deprived of all worldly bounties on account of having followed the course of faith and righteousness and, thus, apparently has had an unsuccessful worldly life. This, however, should not be something about which to worry for this person will certainly be fully compensated for all the losses he has suffered. Furthermore, he will also receive an excellent reward for his performance.

97. That is, true believers adhered to their faith in the face of all manner of hardships, sufferings and losses. They put up with all this and patiently faced all dangers that came their way never once turning their backs on their duty. They were well aware of the worldly benefits that might accrue to them if they abandoned faith, yet that option held no appeal. They saw the unbelievers around them flourishing, but they did not cast even a passing glance at their wealth and affluence.

98. True believers put their trust in their Lord rather than in their properties and businesses or family and tribal affinities. They are the ones who resolve to face every risk and take on any opposing power in their faith's cause as a result of putting their faith in God and disregarding all possible material considerations. When the need arises, they abandon their hearths and homes. They do so trusting that God will never deprive those who have such unflinching faith in Him and who adhere to faith and righteousness of their due reward. They do so knowing that God will not disappoint his believing and righteous servants, and that He will aid them in this world as also amply reward them in the Next.

99. While migrating in the cause of God the believers should not be overly concerned with questions about how they will obtain their sustenance, just as they are not concerned about the safety of their lives. Before their very eyes, they observe innumerable animals and birds going about on land, sea and air. They do not carry their sustenance, yet God sustains them. Wherever they go, they receive their sustenance. Therefore, mundane considerations should not deter the believers from migrating in the cause of faith. God will provide them with their livelihood from the same treasure-house of resources from which He provides all His countless creatures.

The same truth was taught by the Prophet Jesus (peace be on him) to his disciples:

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' for the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day. (Matthew 6:24-34).

The background to both the Qur'anic verse and the Biblical passages is the same. Inevitably, there comes a stage in the struggle for the cause of Truth when, irrespective of ail other factors, Truth's devotee is left with no other option but to place all his trust in God and stake all that he has, including his life, for His cause. In such circumstances, those who are excessively occupied with calculating the different possibilities available to them in the future will be able to do nothing. This because when they take one step forward they will try to make sure that their lives and livelihoods are fully guaranteed. It is only those who have revolutionary fervour and are willing to take risks and even imperil their lives that can make any impact and bring about change. It is through the heroic efforts and sacrifices of such people that the Word of God will eventually be exalted and those doctrines opposed to it will be reduced to ineffectuality.

100. This marks the resumption of the discourse addressed to the Makkan unbelievers.

101. The words al-hamdu li Allah (for God alone be praise and thanks) here suggest two things. First, praise and thanks for all the great tasks-the creation of the heavens and the earth, the harnessing of the sun and the moon, the bestowal of sustenance on all creatures, and the sending down of water from the sky and therewith the revival of the earth after it had become dead. If all this is so, then quite obviously God alone deserves praise and thanks. Secondly, God should also be thanked for the fact that even the unbelievers recognised that all these tasks were performed by Him alone.

102. This present worldly life is no more than child's play, which soon comes to an end and once such play does end, the child heads towards his home. Even a king, who acts as a king in the world, is in reality not so. At an appointed hour his reign ends and he leaves the stage of the world empty-handed. He is reduced to the same resourcelessness which characterised him at birth. No one, irrespective of the position he holds, will live in this world for ever. Everyone is here for a short, pre-ordained term. Those who are swayed by worldly matters and even barter their faith and conscience to obtain worldly glory in fact commit a childish act. For they will enjoy this world for no more than a few years, at best for around 60-70 years. In any case, they are bound to die one day and enter the Next World where they will be able to carry nothing; rather, their excessive worldliness will prove to be their bane. So viewed, this life is no more than sport and amusement.

103. Had people realised that this worldly life is no more than a term of trial and that the Next Life is everlasting, they would not have wasted the time allocated to them on senseless play and amusement. On the contrary, they would have utilised each and every moment to engage in acts that would improve their prospects in the unending life of the Hereafter.

104. For an explanation of this see Towards Understanding the Qur'ān, Vol. II, al-An'am 6: nn. 29 and 41, pp. 231-233 and 239-240; Vol. IV, Yūnus 10: nn. 29 and 31, pp. 26-27 and 28; Vol. V, Banî Isrā'îl 17: n. 84, p. 60.

105. The unbelievers are asked to consider: who is it who brought about the wonderful peace and security that prevailed in Makkah? Was it an idol such as al-Lāt or Hubal that had made it happen? Was it possible for anyone other than God to keep Makkah secure against all kinds of violence and disorder for a period of approximately 2,500 years despite its location in the strife-ridden Arabian Peninsula? If it was not God, then who maintained Makkah's sanctity across the ages?

106. They rejected the Prophet's claim to Messengership, decrying it as false. This will have either of the following two consequences. If the Prophet (peace be on him) made a false claim and invoked God's name in that regard, he will be reckoned the worst wrong-doer. However, if the Prophet's claim to Messengership is true, then it will be the rejecters who will be judged as wrong-doers for they dubbed a true Messenger a liar.

107. The expression mujahadah is explained in note 8 of this surah: "Whosoever strives (in the cause of Allah) does so to his own good" (see verse 6). As for the present verse, it contains a note of assurance.

Great indeed is the assurance that God extends here to those who sincerely strive in His cause and expose themselves to clashes and conflicts with the rest of the world. God assures such people that He is not wont to leave them to their fate. Instead, He helps and guides such people at every step and constantly opens up new avenues for them that will help them to proceed to Him. He instructs them at every turn as to what the ways are through which they can achieve His good pleasure. He also constantly illuminates the right way for them, making it distinct from the meandering labyrinths of error. The greater the sincerity of the believers, the greater is the support, guidance and succour that God bestows upon them.