1. Yā' Sin, according to 'Abd Allāh ibn 'Abbās, 'Ikrimah, Dahāk, Hasan al-Başrī and Sufyān ibn 'Uyaynah means "O man". (Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, comments on verse 1.) Some Qur'ān-commentators consider Yā' Sĩn to be the abbreviation of Yā Sayyid. Taken in this sense, this constitutes an address to the Prophet (peace be on him).
2. This vigorous affirmation of Muhammad's Messenger ship does not in any way imply that the Prophet (peace be on him) had any doubt about his Prophet hood and that was thus reassured by God through this verse of the veracity of his claim to be His Messenger. At the time when this surah was revealed the Makkan unbelievers were engaged in fierce opposition to Muhammad's claim. Hence, the surah opens by directly declaring, without any preliminary remarks, that Muhammad (peace be on him) is "truly among the Messengers". The implication of this declaration is that those who deny his Prophet hood are in serious error. This point is made by an oath in the name of the Qur'an itself, the Book characterized by wisdom. In other words, a clear proof of Muhammad's Prophet hood is the Qur'ān, which overflows with wisdom. That Muhammad (peace be on him) was presenting a discourse as steeped in wisdom as the Qur'ān, is itself a proof of his being God's Messenger, for no human being could produce anything like it. Those familiar with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) could never fall prey to the misgiving that he would have made up this discourse himself, or would have acquired it from some other and then ascribed it to God. (For a detailed explanation of person this point sees Towards Understanding the Qur'ān, Yūnus 10: nn. 21, 45 and 46, Vol. IV, pp. 19-21 and 36-37; Banī Isrā'il 17: nn. 106-108, Vol. V, pp. 73-75; al-Shu'arā' 26: n. 1, Vol. VII, p. 52; al-Naml 27: n. 93, Vol. VII, pp. 183–184; al-Qaşaş 28: nn. 62-64 and 109, Vol. VII, pp. 224-226, 250, and al-'Ankabūt 29: nn. 88-91, Vol. VIII, pp. 50-54.)
3. Here we are apprised of the following two attributes of Him Who sent down the Qur'ān. First, that He is the Mightiest and Supreme, and secondly, that He is the Most Compassionate. The first attribute underscores the point that the Qur'ān is not the counsel of a powerless well-wisher which people may disregard feeling that He is devoid of the necessary power to punish them. It is, instead, the command of the Sovereign of the Universe Whose Will is supreme, One Whose command's enforcement none can prevent, one from Whose powerful grip no one can escape. The second attribute - that He is Most Compassionate - stresses a different point. It is out of His Overflowing Compassion that God raised His Messenger to provide guidance to people. Likewise, He revealed this great Book, the Qur'ān, that they might eschew error and tread along the Straight Way which will bring to them success, both in this world and in the Next.
4. In addition to the translation given above, this verse can also be translated thus: "… so that you may warn a people against what their ancestors had been warned for they are heedless".
If one accepts the translation as rendered in the text above, the ancestors would refer to the Arabs' immediate forefathers. This because in the distant past the people of the Arabian Peninsula had witnessed several Prophets who had warned them. However, if one adopts the latter translation suggested in this note, it would mean that the Prophet (peace be on him) should revive the message that had been communicated to their ancestors in the past. Such a revival of that original message was necessary because the people had relegated that message to oblivion. In this respect, there is no basic conflict between the two translations; rather, each of the two is substantially sound.
What is said in this verse might possibly give rise to doubt in some people's minds. The ancestors of these people, according to this verse, had passed through a period in their history when no Messenger came to warn them. The question that arises is the following: why should " those who had not been warned be held accountable for the errors they might have succumbed to? The answer to the question is that when God sends a Prophet, his instruction and guidance have a far-reaching impact, one that endures for generations. As long as the traces of the Prophet's teachings remain and there continue to be followers who keep radiating the light of the message, such periods cannot be considered. to be eras devoid of True Guidance. However, when a Prophet’s teachings are totally lost in oblivion or are distorted beyond recognition, the advent of a new Prophet becomes inevitable. Before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), the impact of the message preached earlier by Prophets such as Abraham, Ishmael, Shu’ayb and Moses (peace be on them) was clearly observable throughout Arabia. We also find that from time to time noble souls would rise from within the Arabs’ own ranks or would come to them from elsewhere and would renew the impact of the Prophetic message. When, however, this impact almost dissipated and the true teachings of the Prophets were radically distorted, God raised the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and made iron-cast arrangements so that the Guidance handed down through him would suffer neither obliteration nor distortion, (see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, al-Sajdah 32: n. 5, Vol. VILL pp. 159-160).
5. The reference here is to those who rejected the Prophet's call out of adamancy and obstinacy and had firmly made up their minds not to pay any heed to his teachings. Regarding such people, it was remarked: “Surely most of them merit the decree of chastisement, they do not believe”. This refers to those who refuse to listen to sound counsel, clinging to their rejection of and fierce opposition to the Truth, even after the Prophets had clearly explained it to them, and thus completed God’s argument before them. Such people who continue their hostility to the Truth are left to face the ill consequences of their deeds where after they lose the ability to believe. This idea has found explicit expression in verses 10-11 that occur a little after the present verse: “It is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them for they shall not believe. You can warn only him who follows the Admonition and fears the Merciful Lord without seeing Him”.
6. The word "fetters" in the verse alludes to the unbelievers' obduracy that prevented them from accepting the Truth. Likewise, there is a mention of fetters around the unbelievers' necks "which reach up to their chins" so that "they are standing with their heads upright". This is a reference to the stiffness of the neck that is caused by pride and arrogance. As a result, they have reached a stage where not even the most luminous signs would prompt them to pay any heed.
7. The purpose behind saying that "We have put a barrier before them and a barrier behind them" is to emphasize the unbelievers' obduracy and arrogance. It is thanks to this that they neither derive any lesson from the past nor give any serious thought to the future implications of their attitude. They are encompassed by thick blinkers of misunderstanding. As a result, they have been rendered unable to see those self-evident truths that are observed by everyone who is sensible and unprejudiced.
8. "It is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them for they shall not believe." This does not mean that when that stage is reached there is no point in communicating Islam's message. What is meant is that the message reaches all kinds of people. Among them are some whose characteristics are mentioned above and some who are mentioned in verse 11 below. When one encounters the people of the first group, and realizes that they are deeply entrenched in bigoted opposition and hostility, one should leave them alone. At the same time, however, one should not lose heart and abandon one’s efforts to spread the word of God out of a feeling of despair. This especially, for one has no means of knowing who among the teeming mass of people are disposed to follow “the Admonition” and to choose the Right Way as a result of their being God-fearing. The Prophet (peace be on him) is told that the real object of his preaching should be this second group of people; it is they whom he should winnow out from the rest. He should leave aside those who are immersed in obdurate hostility to the Truth and focus his efforts instead on accumulating a valuable treasure of decent human beings around him.
9. One learns from this that the record of one’s deeds consists of the following three types of entries: (i) All that man does, good or bad, is recorded. (ii) All the impressions that a man leaves on the objects around him or on the organs of his own body are recorded. All these will, at a given time, stand out with utter conspicuousness. As a result, it will be possible to hear the words he spoke in the past in his own voice. It will also be possible to observe a person’s ideas, intentions and motives in their fullness for all this will appear as though inscribed on his mind’s tablet.
Thus it will be possible to have a full picture of all a person’s good and bad deeds, and of all his movements. (iii) The full impact of a person on others, both good and evil: the impact on his own future generations, on his society and on mankind at large, will also be entered in this record.
As long as a person's impact lasts, it will be credited to his account. A complete record of his impact after his demise on subsequent generations, on his own society and on humanity at large, with all its ramifications, will be entered into his record. The good or bad upbringing of his children, the contributions he made to spreading good or evil in his society and among mankind will also be maintained and will be kept extant as long as his deeds continue to affect human behavior in the world.
10. Earlier Qur’an-commentators are generally disposed to identify - this town as Antioch (Antakiyah) in Syria. As for the “Messengers” mentioned in the verse, they were,the emissaries of the Prophet Jesus (peace be on him) whom he had directed to preach the Truth in that town. The details mentioned in regard to this story include that at that time Antiochus was the king. Qatadah, ‘Ikrimah, Ka’b al-Ahbar and Wahb ibn Munabbih, however, have narrated the whole story on the basis of unauthentic Christian traditions. Historically speaking, these traditions are devoid of any basis whatsoever. Antioch was then under the suzerainty of the Seleucid dynasty. Thirteen kings of this dynasty bore the name Antiochus. The political power of the last king with that name, and in fact the dynasty itself, came to an end in 65 B.C. In the days of the Prophet Jesus (peace be on him), the whole region of Syria and Palestine, including Antioch, was under Roman control. There are no authentic Christian reports to indicate that the Prophet Jesus (peace be on him) sent any of his apostles to Antioch to preach his mission there. On the contrary, it appears from Acts that Christian missionaries reached Antioch a few years after the Crucifixion. Those who decided to preach faith at their own behest, without having been sent either by God or His Prophet, cannot be considered God’s Messengers. Moreover, according to the Bible, a large number of non-Israelites living in Antioch had embraced Christianity, the Christian mission there being a great success. By contrast, the Qur’anic allusion is to a town that had rejected the Messengers’ calls, and as a result, incurred God’s punishment. Furthermore, no piece of historical evidence suggests that Antioch itself was ever struck by the kind of calamity that takes place when people reject a Messenger’s mission.
The above report, therefore, is altogether unacceptable. The Qur'ān does not specify the identity of the town. Moreover, the names of these Messengers are also not mentioned in any authentic hadīth. The purpose for which this story has been narrated here, however, does not require that the true name of this town or the real names of these Messengers be known. This because the purpose of narrating this story was to convey a specific message to the Quraysh. The message was as follows: "You are treading a path that was trodden in the past by the people of this town - the path of obduracy, bigoted prejudice and rejection of the Truth. If you tread that very path, you should be ready to face the same calamitous end that befell the people of that town". (Ibn Kathir, Tafsīr, comments on verses 13 and 29.)
11. In other words, the Makkan unbelievers virtually said that since the Prophet (peace be on him) was a human being, he could not be God's Messenger. It is pertinent to mention that the unbelievers of earlier times held exactly the same view regarding Messengers: They say: "What sort of a Messenger is this: he eats food and walks about in the markets?" (Al-Furqān 25:7.) The wrong-doers whisper to one another: "This person is no more than a mortal like yourselves. Will you then be enchanted by sorcery while you see?". (Al-Anbiya' 21:3.) The Qur'ān refutes this fallacious notion held by the Makkan unbelievers, pointing out that the grounds for their rejection are not new. Ignorant people have all along entertained the erroneous notion that a mortal human being such as themselves cannot be God’s Messenger. The same point, for example, was made by the Prophet Noah’s community.
This is none other than a mortal like yourselves who desires to attain superiority over you. Had Allah wanted to send any Messengers, He would have sent down angels. We have heard nothing like this in the time of our forebears of old (that humans were sent as Messengers). (Al-Mu'minun 23:24.) The people of ‘Ad made an almost identical observation about the Prophet Hud (peace be on him): This is no other than a mortal like yourselves who eats what you eat and drinks what you drink. If you were to obey a human being like yourselves, you will certainly be losers. (Al-Mu’minun 23:33~34.) The same was the basis for the rejection of the Prophet Saleh (peace be on him) by the Thamud: Are we to follow a single niértal, one from among ourselves? (Al- Qamar 54:24.) Unbelievers of all times and places treated God’s Messengers in the same manner, rejecting them on the basis of their humanity. The Messengers themselves, however, never ceased to emphasize that they were no more than mortals: Indeed, we are only human beings like yourselves, but Allah bestows His favor on those of His servants whom He wills.
(Ibrahim 14:11.) According to the Qur’an, this flawed attitude has always prevented people from embracing the True Guidance. Ultimately too, it led to their destruction: Has the news of the unbelievers of the past not reached you? (They disbelieved) and then tasted its evil consequence. A grievous chastisement awaits them. This was because their Messengers.
would come to them with clear signs, but they would say: “Shall mortals (like ourselves) guide us to the right way?” They rejected the truth and turned away. Thereupon Allah became unconcerned with them. (Al-Taghabun 64:5~6.) Whenever guidance came to people, nothing prevented them from believing except that they said: "Has Allah sent a human being as a Messenger?"(Bani Isrā'il 17:94.) The Qur’an asserts that it is only human beings that were raised as Messengers. For only they, rather than angels, are possessed of the ability to guide their fellow human beings to truth: (O Muhammad), even before you We never sent any other than human beings as Messengers, and to them We sent revelation. Ask the people of the Book if you do not know. We did not endow the Messengers with bodies that would need no food; nor were they immortals. (Al-Anbiya' 21:7-8.) (O Muhammad), We never sent any Messengers before you but they ate food and walked about in the markets. (AI-Furqān 25:20.) Say: "Had angels been walking about in peace on earth, We would surely have sent to them an angel from the heavens as Messenger". (Banī Isrā'il 17:95.)
12. This is another folly to which the Makkan unbelievers had fallen prey. Interestingly, this is a folly which many rationalists of our own time share with them. From the earliest times the deniers of Revelation and Prophet hood have been victims of this misconception. Such people have always fancied that God does not provide any Revelation to guide humankind. For, according to their belief, God is solely concerned with matters pertaining to the higher realm, leaving human affairs to human beings themselves.
13. The task of a Messenger is no more than to faithfully deliver God’s message to people. Once the message has been delivered, it is for people to accept it or not. It is not a part of ‘a' Messenger’s task to force people to accept that message. Were they to reject the message, the responsibility would lie at the door of the people rather than with the messengers.
14. The unbelievers dismissed the Messenger sent to them as an evil omen for them. They thought that his denunciation of their idols had incurred the latter’s wrath upon them. Thus the real cause of all their afflictions was their Messenger. Exactly the same charge was levelled by the Arab unbelievers and hypocrites against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him): “When some misfortune befalls them, the unbelievers say: “This is because of you (O Muhammad)”, (al-Nisa’ 4:78). It was in a similar vein that the unbelieving Thamid used to say to their Messenger: “We augur ill of you and those who are with you”, (al-Naml 27:47).
The same attitude was held by Pharaoh and his people. But whenever prosperity came their way, they said: “This is our due.” And whatever hardship befell them, they attributed it to the misfortune of Moses and those who followed him. (Al-A‘raf 7:131.)
15. No one is an evil omen for others. Everyone’s destiny lies fastened to his own neck. Whatever good or evil act comes a person's way is, in either case, a part of his fate. As the Qur’an says: “We have fastened every man’s omen to his neck”. (Bani Isra’il 17:13.)
16. The Prophets (peace be on them) pointed out to them that in truth they wanted to flee from goodness, preferring error to Guidance. Hence rather than distinguish between truth and falsehood on the basis of any rational evidence they resorted to superstition and hankered after one pretext or another to legitimize their evil ways.
17. In this one little statement, this true believer encapsulates all the arguments that confirm the truthfulness of Prophet hood. One may judge the claim of a person to be a Prophet for the following two reasons: (i) his words and deeds, and (ii) his selflessness. The purpose of that person's argument was to stress that the Prophets (peace be on them) were expounding the truth and that their character was absolutely unblemished. Further, no one can identify any selfish motive in the Prophets' calling people to the religious faith they espoused. For all these reasons taken together, there is no reason why a person should not believe in them. The Qur’an, by reproducing this argument, provided people with a criterion to judge any person's claim to be a Prophet. Muhammad's own words and deeds clearly indicate that he is on the Right Way. Moreover, there is no trace of any selfish motive in the work he is engaged in. There is, thus, no valid basis for a sane person to reject his message.
18. This statement is comprised of two parts. The first part is a masterpiece of persuasive argumentation. As for the second part, it represents the very zenith of consummate wisdom in the preaching of the true faith. In the first part it has been shown that to serve the Creator is, in every respect, a requirement of reason and human nature. If anything could be considered unreasonable, it would be that a person should serve those who have not created him rather than serve his Creator. In the second part, the person who carne running from the far end of the town draws his people's attention to the fact that they are destined to die and return to the same God serving Whom they find objectionable. They are asked to consider what good can they expect as a result of turning away from Him?
19. Why should man take deities other than God? No one is so favored by God that his intercession on someone's behalf will necessarily secure God's forgiveness for him. Nor is anyone so influential with God that by his persistent pleading he will secure a person's release even though God wants to punish him.
20. That is, even if I take others apart from God as my deities, despite knowing that they are powerless.
21. Implicit in this is a subtle suggestion as to how one should preach the truth. By so saying the person concerned reminds those people that it is God in Whom he believes, and He is not only his but also their Lord. The statement further suggests that he made no mistake by deciding tc believe in Him. Rather, they had made a mistake by not believing in Him.
22. No sooner had that person attained martyrdom, then he was given the glad tidings of Paradise. When he reached the Next Life, after passing through the portal of death, angels were in waiting to welcome him and inform him that Paradise looked forward to his arrival.
There is some disagreement among Quran-commentators regarding the interpretation of this sentence. Qatadah, for example, is of the view that God instantly admitted him to Paradise where he is alive and receives his sustenance. However, Mujahid points out that this was uttered by the angels by way of giving glad tidings to him. Therefore, he will enter Paradise along with other believers on the Day of Judgement. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on verse 26.)
23. This brings to the fore the moral excellence of that paragon of faith. He did not have any grudge or rancour against those who had assassinated him that would prompt him to imprecate against them. On the contrary, he still seeks their well-being. After his death at the hands of his own people, all that he wishes is that his people may come to know of the happy state in which he now is. He thought that his people would perhaps learn a useful lesson from him after his death even if they failed to learn anything from him while he was alive. Itis such people who have been applauded in a tradition in these words: (“He served as a well-wisher of his people, both in his life and death”.) By narrating this episode, God explains an important fact to the Makkan unbelievers: Muhammad (peace be on him) and his fellow believers are their well-wishers just as this believer had been for his own nation. Despite the travails the unbelievers inflict upon them, the Muslims do not hold any personal enmity or desire for revenge against them. Their enmity is not with the unbelievers but rather with their misguided state. Their only purpose in opposing them is that they come to the Right Path.
Incidentally, this is one of the verses that conclusively establishes life in barzakh. One also learns that the period commencing from one’s death until the Day of Resurrection will not be a state of nothingness, a state of absolute non-existence as some ignorant people fancy. After death, one’s soul continues to exist though without its body. The soul retains its faculties of speech and hearing and is characterized by feeling and emotion. It experiences joys and sorrows and maintains an interest in those living in the world. Had it not been so, this believing man would not have been given the glad tidings of Paradise after his death and he would not have expressed the wish. that his people be informed of the happy end at which he had arrived.
24. There is a subtle irony in this statement. Those people, who were quite proud of their physical prowess, were burning with bigoted hostility towards the true faith. They were under the illusion that they would be able to totally blot out all three Prophets as well as their followers. Their fury was like a fierce blaze. But the very first touch of God’s scourge extinguished that flame!
25. They were totally obliterated so much so that today no one is left even to remember them. Not only their culture and civilization, but their entire race stands utterly destroyed.
26. In the preceding verses (see vv. 1-32), the Makkan unbelievers were reproached for their rejecting, opposing, and giving the lie to the Prophet (peace be on him). The discourse now turns to the main point of contention, indeed what became conflict, between the unbelievers and the Prophet (peace be on him). The contention between the two parties mainly related to the doctrines of monotheism and the Afterlife expounded by the Prophet (peace be on him). In this regard a set of arguments are over and again marshalled in support of these doctrines.
Thereby people are asked to continue to reflect over these doctrines. Their attention is drawn to natural phenomena. Do they [to wit, the natural phenomena themselves] not clearly confirm the truth expounded by the Prophet (peace be on him)?
27. The sign indicating that monotheism represents the truth whereas polytheism is utterly baseless.
28. We have translated this above as: "... that they might eat of its fruits. It was not their hands that made them". It can, however, be alternatively translated as: whatever their hands make". This latter rendering signifies secondary food products manufactured by people from natural produce. Bread, cooked dishes, jams, pickles, chutney and innumerable other edibles are its good illustrations.
so that they may eat of its fruits and whatever their hands make.” This latter signifies rendering secondary food products manufactured by people from natural produce. Bread, cooked dishes, jams, pickles, chutney and innumerable other edibles are its good illustrations.
29. Here, the soil's fertility is presented as an argument in support of the doctrine of the Hereafter. It runs like this: man is sustained day and night by what is produced by land. He is, however, inclined to consider the produce he reaps from the land a matter of ordinary routine. If he reflects, however, he will realize that the sprouting of blooming fields and verdant gardens, and the flow of streams, springs and rivers on earth do not take place automatically. All this is the outcome of immense wisdom, power and providence. Soil is made of certain lifeless constituents which, in themselves, are devoid of the potential for growth. All its constituents are both separately and after all possible combinations intrinsically devoid of organic life. This obviously raises the question: what has made it possible for this lifeless soil to bring forth vegetation? When one studies this issue, one comes to know that some major factors account for it. Had they not already been in existence, vegetation would not have come to be.
These factors are as follows: first, certain parts of the land have layers endowed with materials that provide nutrition to plants. These layers are soft, enabling the roots of the plants to draw nourishment from them.
Secondly, water was provided to the land in a variety of ways enabling the assimilation of the nourishing materials by the plants' roots. Thirdly, the air present in the outer atmosphere protects the earth against natural calamities, and causes rainfall. Moreover, it also contains the gases that are essential for plant life and its growth. Fourthly, a special nexus has been established between the sun and the earth ensuring that plants enjoy both a suitable temperature and climate.
These four major factors (each of which represents a combination of several sub-factors) were provided in order that plant life might become possible. After providing these suitable factors, plants were created and endowed with the ability to reproduce themselves providing suitable conditions relating to soil, water, air and climate were available. Each plant species was granted a seed possessed of the remarkable quality of perpetuating itself along with its distinguishing characteristics. Above all, numberless species of plants were brought into existence and were invested with the ability to fulfil the myriad needs of animals as well as humans for food, medicine, clothing and countless other items. Anyone who studies this consummate arrangement with an open mind will be impelled to testify that such a marvelous system could not have come into being on its own. No one other than the Lord of the universe could have taken into account these multifarious considerations relating to soil, air, water and climate and could have established this astounding correspondence between plants, animals and human beings. This can, in no way, be the result of an accident. Also, it evidently signifies that it cannot be the accomplishment of a multiplicity of gods. On the contrary, it represents the achievement of the One True God, Who is the sole Creator and Lord of earth, wind, water, the sun, plants, animals and humans. Had they been the creatures of several gods, they would not have displayed such immaculate harmony and coordination. Nor could this system continue to function flawlessly without any interruption for millions of years.
After adducing this argument in support of God’s unity, the Qur’an poses the question: “Will they not give thanks?” (See v. 35.) This question suggests, by implication, that these unbelievers are a bunch of thankless and perfidious folk. God provided them with the wherewithal for their existence, yet they give thanks to others rather than to their Bounteous Provider. They stoop to prostrating before false gods who created nothing, but they fail to prostrate themselves before God, their Creator.
30. “Holy is He ...” suggests that God is free from every conceivable imperfection, flaw or weakness. He is also free from having any partner or associate. Generally speaking, the Qur’an employs such expressions while refuting polytheistic notions. This because every polytheistic notion essentially amounts to ascribing some kind of flaw or imperfection to God.
Those who take others as God’s associates assume that He is unable, on His own, to govern the universe that He Himself created. Or that He is too weak to dispense with the support of others or that others are intrinsically so powerful that they interfere in matters relating to God’s over lordship and yet God puts up with their interference. Alternatively, they conceive Him to be like a worldly sovereign with a retinue of favorite courtiers’ sycophantic companions, and pet princes and princesses who have some share in several of His powers. In the first place, people could not have subscribed to polytheism had such ignorant notions not been in currency.
Accordingly, the Qur’an repeatedly affirms that God is free from all such flaws, defects and imperfections that the polytheists ascribe to Him.
31. This is yet another argument in support of monotheism. Here too attention is drawn to some commonplace facts. People observe these facts day in and day out and go about their business without pondering over them. This despite the fact that these objects are signs that could direct them to the Truth. One of these observable things is the division of human beings into males and females, which is a cause of their procreation. A similar division in the animal species also accounts for the continuation of their species. The same kind of gender coupling is operating in plant life. In a sense, the same also holds true for inanimate objects, as they too are comprised of pairs. We know that matter consists of positive and negative electrical charges and that they produce energy. Only an imbecile can attribute these elaborate arrangements to mere accident and coincidence. It is also hard to conceive that several gods would have created numerous pairs and bound them together so perfectly. The fact of this binary division and the resultant birth of new objects unmistakably points to the Oneness of the Creator.
32. The alternation of day and night is also one of those commonplace phenomena that man constantly observes. He, however, scarcely regards it as worthy of any special attention. Should he, however, consider how day and night follow each other, and ponder the wisdom underlying this alternation, it would become evident that this ordinary phenomenon provides luminous proof of the existence and unity of the All-Mighty and All-Wise Creator. A day cannot phase into night nor can night phase into day unless their positions vis-a-vis each other remain changing rather than constantly the same. We also know that the regularity found in this alternation of day and night would not have been possible if the sun and the earth were not part of an inexorable system that strictly governs the alternation of day and night. Moreover, the alternation of day and night has an enormous bearing on earth’s creatures. This, once again, underscores that it is a Wise Being who has put this arrangement in place. The distance between the sun and the earth accounts for the existence of animals, plants, humans, and minerals. Moreover, different regions of the earth regularly face the sun and then move away. Without this, life could not have existed on planet earth. Had the sun been too far from the earth or too close to it, or had one region of the earth always been engulfed by night and the other by day life as we know it could not have existed. The same would be the case if the alternation between day and night had been too fast or too slow, or had it been erratic so that suddenly there would be sunshine or suddenly night enveloped the earth. Even the shape and structure of non-living entities would have been much different from what it is.
If one is not blinded by bias, one can easily perceive the Hand of the All-Wise God in this natural arrangement. It is evident that it is the One True God Who willed the creation of certain kinds of beings on earth and accordingly established a perfect correspondence between the sun and the earth that was needed for life and survival. Someone might not be convinced that God’s existence and unity is a rationally convincing proposition. Such a person would do well to think of the other alternative explanations of the phenomenon such as there being a host of gods behind the order of the universe. Or consider if its underlying cause was a set.
of blind laws of nature that automatically came into being without the involvement of a conscious Will. Can such assumptions be regarded as patently more reasonable than the acceptance of the One True God’s will and wisdom as being responsible for the order that characterizes the universe? The assertions to the contrary mentioned above are obviously preposterous. This makes one wonder about the wisdom of those for whom the order, wisdom and purposiveness found in the universe are not enough proof for God’s existence. On the other hand, the very same people accept absolutely irrational explanations of universal phenomenon merely on the basis of sheer guess and conjecture, unsupported by any kind of rational proof whatsoever.
33. This might refer to the place where the sun will ultimately come to a halt. Or it might refer to the time when it will come to a halt. One can only grasp the true meaning of the verse if one acquires a sound knowledge of the facts relating to the universe. Human knowledge, however, is constantly in a state of flux. The knowledge that mankind has been able to accumulate till today is also liable to change. In olden days, the common belief derived from visual observation was that the sun revolved around the earth. Further observation and research subsequently led to the notion that the sun was stationary whereas the planets of the solar system were revolving around the sun. However, this theory too did not endure. Subsequent observations gave rise to the belief that all stars that were considered stationary are moving in a set direction with speeds varying from 10 to 100 miles per second. As for the sun, it revolves along with the entire solar system at a speed of just over 20 kilometers (approximately 12 miles) per second. (Q.v. "star" and "sun" in The Encyclopedia Britannica, xiv edition - Ed.)
34. During one month, the course of the moon changes every day. First, it rises as a crescent. Thereafter it continues to grow day after day until it becomes a full moon by the fourteenth day. This is followed by recession until it eventually returns to its original shape of a crescent. This has been taking place for millions of years; never has any change been noted in the phases of the moon. As a result, it is easy to work out its phase on any given day.
35. This is open to two equally valid meanings: (i) That it is not possible for the sun to pull the moon towards itself or to collide with it by entering into the latter’s orbit. (ii) That the sun cannot appear at the hours designated for the rise of the moon. It is simply impossible that the sun should suddenly appear on the horizon, when the moon is shining at night.
36. It never happens that night sets in before the time appointed for the day comes to an end, or that it finds its way with its attendant darkness at a time earmarked for daylight.
37. Falak in Arabic denotes 4 planetary orbit. It is altogether different from sama (sky). The Qur’an says that “all glide along, each in its orbit”.
This lays bare the following truths: (i) That not only the sun and the moon, put all stars, planets and heavenly bodies are in a state of motion. (i) That each has its own orbit. (iii) That orbits do not move along, with heavenly bodies. Rather, the heavenly bodies move along with their orbits. (iv) That the movement of stars is akin to the floating of an object in a liquid.
These verses are not. meant to furnish detailed astronomical information; rather, they seek to press home the point that if man were to look around himself carefully he will perceive proofs indicating God’s existence and unity. On the other hand, there is no indication whatsoever of atheism or polytheism in the universe. The solar system, of which our earth is a part, has a massive size. The sun is 300,000 times larger than the earth and the farthest planet of our solar system, Neptune, is at least 2,793 million miles away from the sun. However, were one to regard Pluto as the most distant planet, it lies at a massive distance of some 4,600 million miles away from the sun. Notwithstanding its gigantic proportions, our solar system is only an infinitesimal part of the galaxy that includes it, for this galaxy alone contains as many as 3,000 million suns. It takes four years for the light of our nearest sun to reach earth. It is also worth mentioning that this galaxy does not comprise the whole universe: it is just one of around two million spiral nebulae. The light of the nebulae which is closest to earth takes one million years to reach us.
As for the celestial bodies farthest from us that are visible to the eyes of our instruments, billions of years are needed for their light to reach us.
Even this does not bring to light the whole universe. For so far we have managed to observe only a tiny part of God’s creation. It is hard to say what will be the size of the universe that will dawn upon us in the future when better means of observation become available.
The facts regarding the universe that have come to our knowledge till now show that it is composed of the same material of which the earth is constituted. Also, the same laws of nature are at work in the entire universe. Had this not been so, we would not have been able to fathom the workings of the universe. All this conclusively proves that the whole universe is the creation of the One True Lord Who reigns supreme. The order, wisdom and interconnectedness’ characterizing the numerous galaxies with countless planets revolving in them indicate beyond any shadow of doubt that this universe did not come into being of its own or as a result of some accident. Is it conceivable that there be order in the universe without there being the One Who gave shape to that order, that there be wisdom without their being the Wise One? That there can be design and immaculate work without there being the Designer, and that there be planning without there being the Planner?
38. The “laden vessel” here denotes the Prophet Noah’s Ark. That men were directed to board it may mean that the Prophet Noah (peace be on him) was instructed to take his companions along with him. Those who did embark in Noah’s Ark are the ancestors of all future generations of human beings, for on that occasion all the children of Adam, except these believers, were drowned in the Flood. The human beings of the period that followed were all issues of those who had boarded the Ark.
39. This seems to imply that this was the first boat in the history of mankind. Before that man had no idea how he could traverse rivers and oceans. It was God Who taught Noah for the first time to make this vessel.
However, when it became possible for a few souls to survive the Flood, they began to build and use boats for maritime voyages.
40. Some signs were mentioned in the preceding passage by way of evidence in support of monotheism. Attention is now drawn to this particular sign to make people realize that whatever control they exercise over things is thanks to the powers granted to them by God. In other words, man has not acquired these powers himself. Furthermore, it is God Who instructed him in how to exercise his powers; he would not have been able to find out on his own how to utilize his faculties and powers. Man enjoys this authority only as long as God wills so. When God wills differently, man is deprived of the power to control the forces of nature; rather, the same forces of nature make life difficult for him and he finds himself totally helpless. God mentions sea voyages as an example to illustrate this. Had God not instructed the Prophet Noah (peace be on him) how to build the Ark, the entire human race would have perished in the Flood. Again, it was God Who guided the believers to board the Ark as a result of which they survived and were later able to settle in various parts of the earth. The principles of boat-building and thereby undertaking sea voyages enabled mankind to move around. Notwithstanding all the advancements accomplished by man in the various modes of transport, he cannot claim total mastery over the sea. To this day, God reigns supreme and, as and when He wills, ships along with their passengers are wrecked.
41. This was experienced by earlier nations.
42. "Signs" also denote the verses of the Qur'ān through which human beings are provided right counsel. Signs, however, also mean the signs that are found in the cosmic phenomena and in man's own being and in history which can make man derive a lesson providing he is ready for it.
43. Unbelief not only causes mental blindness but also numbs man's moral sense. As a result, such people become incapable of using sound reason in regard to God. Nor do they adopt an appropriate attitude towards God's creatures. Furthermore, when such people receive good advice, they simply spurn it, and have a ready explanation to justify their rejection of it. They also have no dearth of legitimizing philosophies doctrinal error and moral corruption of theirs. They are ever prone to flee from every act of goodness and always have some pretext to justify their attitude.
44. The other contentious issue after monotheism between the Prophet (peace be on him) and the unbelievers was that of the Hereafter.
The present verses depict a terrible scene of the Life-to-Come. This is in order to impress on the unbelievers that the Last Day is imminent regardless of their rejection of it. A day is bound to come when all will inexorably experience what has been destined.
45. What is meant here is not that the unbelievers were genuinely interested in knowing the exact date when the Day of Resurrection would arrive. Hence, if they were informed of that date their doubts would be removed and they would feel satisfied. Far from it, for they had taken recourse to posing this kind of question in order to emphasize that the very idea of the Next Life was simply fanciful and that by being told that it would come, they were being subjected to a totally empty threat.
Hence, in response to the unbelievers’ query: “When will the threat (of the Hereafter) pass by?” they are not informed of the date of its occurrence.
Instead, they are jolted by the declaration that the Day of Resurrection is imminent and when it does come “a mighty Blast will seize them the while they are disputing”.
46. The Last Day will not approach with slow, measured steps enabling mankind to observe it in a leisurely fashion. Rather, it will suddenly overtake people while they are engaged in their worldly pursuits. At the time of its coming it will not occur to the people concerned. that the end of the world has arrived. There will be a sudden and huge Blast and everything will come to an end. ‘Abd Allah ibn al-’As and Abu Hurayrah narrate from the Prophet (peace be on him): “While people are walking about the market shopping, and talking in their assemblies, suddenly the Trumpet will be blown. He who is engaged in buying a piece of cloth will die instantly before even laying down that piece of cloth. Likewise, someone will fill a tank to provide water for his cattle but before the cattle drink that water, the Last Day will come to pass. There will be someone who will sit down to eat but will die even before he is able to put a bite of food into his mouth”.
47. For a detailed note on-the Trumpet, see Towards Understanding the Qur’an,Ta Ha 20: n. 78, Vol. V, pp. 223-224. It is narrated by Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace be on him) said: “Israfil has his lips on the Trumpet and his gaze is fixed on the Throne, and he is waiting for God’s command to blow it. It will be blown three times. By the first blow of the: Trumpet (called nafkhat al-faza’) (the trumpet of terror) all the creatures." of the heavens and the earth will be struck with terror. The second blow (called nafkhat al-sa‘q) (the trumpet of lightning) will cause everyone to: fall down dead. Therefore, when no one remains alive, except the One True God, the earth will be transformed. It will be spread flat and smooth without there being any crease or wrinkle in it. Then, God will issue a command whereupon everyone will rise at the spot where he had fallen dead. This blowing of the Trumpet will be called nafkhat al-qiyam li Rabb al-‘alamin (the trumpet to make all rise and stand before the Lord of the Universe). This is supported by several allusions in the Qur’an. (See, for example, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Ibrahim 14: nn. 56-57, Vol. IV, pp. 276-277; Ta Ha 20: nn. 82-83, Vol. V, pp. 225-226.)
48. People will not realize that they had died and been resurrected after a very long time. Rather, they will be under the impression that they had been asleep and that thereafter they had been woken by some terrible incident and were hastily rushing along. (For further explanation, see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Ibrahim 14: n. 18, Vol. IV, p. 259; Ta Ha 20: n. 78, Vol. V, pp.223-224.)
49. Here it has not been explicitly stated who will articulate this response. It is likely that this truth will dawn on the unbelievers where after they will engage in a soliloquy, reproaching themselves: “This is what the Merciful One had promised and what [His] Messengers had said was true”. It is also possible that the believers will remove the unbelievers’ misunderstanding and inform them that they have not risen from sleep but have been raised to life after having been dead. Yet another possibility is that this response will be conveyed by the overall conditions obtaining on the Last Day, or that God’s angels will explain the truth of the matter to the people concerned.
50. This is how God will address the unbelievers, polytheists, and the evil ones when they appear before Him on the Day of Judgement.
51. Note that true believers will not be detained in the Grand Assembly of the Last Day, but will rather be admitted to Paradise after a light interrogation. Alternatively, they might be spared interrogation altogether, for their record will be clean. Regardless, they will not have to wait for long. In the Assembly itself, God will point all this out to the unbelievers who used to make fun of the believers, for the latter will enjoy the delights of Paradise while the former will be subjected to rigorous interrogation.
52. This can be understood in two different ways. (i) That this will be a command to the criminals on the Day of Resurrection asking them to separate themselves from upright believers. During the course of worldly life, these evil-doers might have lived together with the believers. It is even possible that they belonged to the same family, social fraternity or political entity. All this will, however, come to an end in the Hereafter where all affinity between the two groups will be sundered. (ii) The criminals will be ordered to separate themselves from one another. In the Hereafter their integral solidarity as a cohesive party of unbelievers is — sundered; the ties that had kept them bound together will be dissolved.
As a result, each person will be made to account for himself purely in his individual capacity.
53. Here again the word ‘ibadah has been employed to mean obedience.
We have elucidated this point at several places in our work. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, al-Nisa’ 4: n. 145, Vol. II, p. 86; al-An‘am 6: nn. 87 and 107, Vol. Il, pp. 270 and 278-279, al-Tawbah 9: n. 31, Vol. IIL, p. 204; Ibrahim 14: n. 32, Vol. IV, pp. 266-267; al-Kahf 18: n. 50, Vol. V, p. 113 and Saba’ 34: n. 63, see p. 197 above.) While explaining this verse in his al- Tafsir al-Kabir, Razi points out that “do not serve Satan” means “do not obey Satan”. It is not only forbidden to prostrate before him; it is equally forbidden to obey him. Hence, obedience to someone amounts to serving him. After making this point, Razi asks: “If ‘ibadah means obedience, then what is meant by the command ‘to obey Allah, and His Messenger and those in authority among you’? Does it mean that we are required to serve and worship the Messenger and those in authority among us? Razi responds to this by saying that obedience to the Messenger and to those in authority among the Muslims amounts to serving and obeying God if the order to obey is in accord with God’s command. Obedience to them, however, will be reckoned as serving and worshipping them [rather than God] when people obey thein in matters where obeying them has no sanction. He adds: “The angels prostrated before Adam at God’s command, [and since it was in compliance with God’s command], this was an act of worshipping none other than God. Obedience of rulers will become service and worship of those rulers if one obeys them in a matter which does not enjoy God’s sanction”. R4zi continues: “If someone were to come to you and ask you to carry out a command, consider whether this command conforms to God’s command or not. If it does not conform to God’s command, then his companion is Satan. In such a case, if one obeys him one is guilty of worshipping that person and his Satan. Likewise, if a person’s self-prompts him to do something he should consider whether God’s Law permits that act or not. If that act is not permitted, then his self itself is Satan or Satan’s companion. In case he follows the prompting of his own self, one is guilty of worshipping one’s self”. Razi further points out that there are various degrees of worshipping Satan.
At times one does something in which all of one’s limbs including one’s tongue as well as one’s heart work in union. In other cases, while one’s limbs take part in the task, one’s heart and tongue do not participate in it. Likewise, sometimes one commits a sin while one’s heart is not happy with it and the tongue seeks God’s forgiveness for that act, the person concerned confessing that the act is an evil. In such a case, the person concerned is guilty of worshipping Satan only with his limbs. There are, however, other people who commit a misdeed and whereby their heart is quite satisfied and their tongue too expresses happiness. Such people are Satan’s worshippers, internally as well as externally. (Razi, al-Tafsir al-Kabir, comments on verses 60-61.)
54. The unbelievers are told that had they been devoid of reason and understanding, they could have put this forward as an extenuating reason for their choosing Satan, their enemy, rather than God as the object of their worship. The fact, however, is that God has endowed human beings with reason of which they make good use in all their worldly affairs. Not only that, God warned them through his Messengers, with regard to Satan. If they fall victim to the deceptions of their enemy, Satan, then they cannot acquit themselves of their responsibility in committing this folly.
55. This command will be issued as regards those supercilious culprits who simply refuse to own their guilt, deny the testimony of the witnesses, and contest the veracity of their scroll of deeds. It is at this point that God will call a halt to their protestations, and will ask them to witness the tale of their misdeeds as narrated by their own limbs. Mention is made here only of the testimony given by the hands and feet of these culprits.
At other places, however, it is stated that their eyes, ears, tongues and skins will bear testimony to their misdeeds. The following verses are illustrative: “They should not disregard the Day when their own tongues, their hands and their feet will testify against their misdeeds” (al-Nar 24:24), and “When they reach there, their ears, their eyes and their skin will testify to what they did” (Ha’ Mim al-Sajdah 41:20).
One is, however, faced with a difficulty in this regard. For, on the one hand, God declares that He will seal their mouths while at another place it is asserted that their tongues will testify against them. So, how does one reconcile these two statements? In our opinion, the sealing of their mouths means depriving them of the faculty of speech. In other words, it will no longer be possible for them to speak as they like. As for the testimony by the tongues, it means that they themselves will relate their misdeeds. Their tongues will elaborate upon how they were put to misuse by these wrong-doers in uttering blasphemy and lies and in fomenting mischief.
56. After depicting a scene of the Hereafter, the unbelievers are reminded of how they dismissed the Afterlife as something quite remote from reality. Yet they should observe with open eyes that in fact in this life too they are quite helpless beings under the control of the All-Mighty God. True, they are able to see everything around them with their eyes, but a simple command from God can make them instantly blind. Likewise, their legs which enable them to move about freely can be paralyzed by God’s command, thus rendering them incapable of even walking a step.
As long as people enjoy the physical faculties granted to them by God, they remain deluded by an overly inflated egotism. As soon as they lose ‘any of these faculties, they realize the true extent of their helplessness.
57. What is emphasized here is that in old age one is reverted to the state of one’s infancy. The elderly suffers from the same weaknesses, infirmities and dependencies that marked their infant lives. Others help them to rise and put them to bed and feed them. They even lose control over themselves in such ordinary matters as answering the call of nature.
Furthermore, they engage in foolish prattle causing people to burst into.
laughter. In short, in old age they revert to the same stage of weakness through which they had passed in their infancy.
58. This constitutes the Qur’anic rejoinder to the unbelievers’ dismissal of the Prophet's statements about monotheism, the Hereafter, Life-after-Death, Paradise and Hell, as sheer poetry. For them, these statements were as worthless as flights of fancy which one notes in poetry.
(For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Surah al-Shu‘ara’ 26: nn. 142-145, Vol. VII, pp. 126-129.)
59. He “who is alive” refers to him who thinks and understands, unlike a piece of stone. Such people who are devoid of understanding and feeling, are truly pieces of stone. No matter how reasonably a distinction is made between truth and falsehood before them, and no matter how sincerely a person tenders sincere advice to them, they are unmoved.
For they neither hear, nor understand. Nor do they budge an inch from their position.
60. The word handiwork has been used here with regard to God in a figurative sense. This usage does not necessarily mean that God has a body and that, like human beings, He works with His hands. Recourse has been made to this word to emphasize that God Himself created all these things; that no one had any part in God’s act of creation.
61. Ingratitude consists in crediting someone other than the True ‘Benefactor as the source of the bounty that one has received, or giving thanks for it to anyone other than Him, or expecting or seeking it from anyone other than Him. In like manner, using God’s bounty in ways that do not please Him also amounts to ingratitude. Therefore, a polytheist, unbeliever, hypocrite or transgressor cannot be regarded as God’s grateful servant merely because he verbally thanks God. The Makkan unbelievers did not deny that God had created their cattle. They also did not contend that any of their idols had a role in creating them. Yet they thanked their gods for the bounties conferred upon them by God, offering them sacrifices and invoking them for the bestowal of further bounties. This, therefore, made their verbal expression of gratitude to God meaningless. They were, therefore, branded as thankless.
62. That is, those idols were dependent on their devotees for their existence, security and other needs. If not for the hordes of these devotees, they could not have survived for a day. These devotees served them as though they were an army in waiting for them who set up and decorated their shrines. They carried out propaganda campaigns to exalt them and to turn people into their zealous supporters. They went about quarrelling and fighting on their behalf. It is thanks to a combination of these factors that the Godhead of these deities flourished. Had these factors not been there none would even care to utter their names. They are altogether unlike the One True God Whose sovereign control over the universe is not contingent on people’s acknowledgement of Him as their Lord.
63. This is addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him). It has been said that “We know all things about them, what they conceal and what they reveal”. This alludes to the storm of false propaganda and the campaign of slander and calumny against the Prophet (peace be on him) mounted by the Quraysh chiefs. They admitted in their private councils that their charges against the Prophet (peace be on him) were baseless. Yet they dubbed him as a madman, a poet, a soothsayer and a magician in order to prejudice people’s minds against him. All the while, however, they knew in their heart of hearts that they had fabricated false charges in order to discredit him. God, therefore, asks the Prophet (peace be on him) not to lose heart on account of their slanderous campaign. Those who oppose the truth and cling to falsehood will be disgraced both in this life and in the Next.
64. This represents the Qur’anic response to the query posed by the unbelievers mentioned in verse 48 above. The unbelievers often asked: when will the Last Day come? Their true purpose in asking this question was not to find out the actual date of the Last Day’s arrival. — Rather, their intent was to depict the occurrence of Resurrection as not only impossible but also evidently irrational. Hence, arguments are put forward in response to the unbelievers’ query to confirm that the Hereafter is certainly possible. _ .
The traditions narrated by ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, Qatadah and Sa‘id ibn Jubayr inform us that a Makkan chief once brought the bone of a _dead man from a graveyard. He broke that bone into pieces and then scattered them into the air before the Prophet (peace be on him) and asked: “O Muhammad, you say that the dead will be raised to life after death. Now, who will bring this disintegrated bone back to life?” The verse in question was instantly revealed in response to this query. (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on verse 77).
65. A drop of semen, which simply contained the basic germ of life, was of little significance as such. It is, however, God Who made it grow and then endowed it with life. Thanks to God’s will it began to move about and derive nourishment, and was also granted myriad faculties - of consciousness and reason, of understanding and argumentation, of speech and effective articulation — faculties which had not been conferred on any other living species. All this carried man to such heights of vanity as to make him bold enough to argue even with God.
66. The unbelievers mistakenly consider God to be helpless, somewhat like the creatures which He created. As man himself cannot resurrect the dead, he suffers from the illusion that God too does not have the power to do so.
67. The unbelievers forget that God caused their birth out of a lifeless drop of semen and then let them grow into a speaking, thinking creature.
Disregarding all this, man indulges in specious argumentation before God.
68. This either means that God has granted such characteristics to green trees that man is able to use them as fuel. Or else it is an allusion to the two well-known trees called markh and ufar (trees whose wood easily ignites). Arabs used to strike the green branches of these trees against one another and this produced sparks. In olden times, Arab Bedouins employed this means to kindle fire, and maybe they continue to do so even today.