1. This constitutes a short introduction to the surah. It emphasises that, contrary to the contention of his opponents, the Prophet (peace be on him) had no hand in the authorship of the Qur'an. Far from that, it is God's Own Word that He Himself revealed. It is forcefully stressed that people should not treat the Qur'an lightly; instead, they should take its contents with utter seriousness.

In this connection two attributes of God have been mentioned in order to highlight two realities pertaining to the Qur'an. One, that God Who has revealed the Qur'an, is 'Most Mighty'; hence, no power can prevent His will from being done or His decrees from coming into effect. Two, that God is 'Most Wise'; hence, the Qur'an's guidance is steeped in wisdom. So it is only those who are ignorant or foolish that turn away from it. (For further details see al-Sajdah 32, n. 1, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. VIII, pp. 156-7.)

2. That is, the Qur'an is all truth and veracity, altogether unblemished by falsehood.

3. This is a very important verse which enunciates the objective of Islam's mission. One should, therefore, pay due attention rather than cursorily pass over it. It comprises two basic points which need to be grasped in order to understand this verse: (i) Man is asked to worship God. (ii) The worship that he is required to render is characterised by exclusive and total devotion and obedience to God.

'Abd is the root word of 'ibadah. The word 'abd is used in Arabic as an antonym of the one who is free, hence denoting a slave, one who is in someone else's ownership. Hence 'ibadah has two meanings: (i) worship and devotion as mentioned in the renowned standard dictionary of Arabic Lisän al-'Arab. To say about someone: 'abada Allah (he worshipped God) means ta'allaha lahu (he held him to be God). As for the word ta'abbud, it means tanassuk (to be pious, devout and otherworldly); (ii) to render service with utter humility, to obey someone cheerfully. According to Lisän al-'Arab, 'ibadah is obedience. The linguistic meaning of 'ibadah is obedience with submissiveness and humility. He who obeyed (däna) a king is his 'abid (wa gawmuhumā lanā 'ābidūn!). An 'abid is he who humbles himself before his Lord, surrendering himself and obeying His command. A person is said to have worshipped Taghut (Satan) if he obeys Satan by following his commands and doing whatever he entices and misleads him to do. To say iyyaka na'budu (we worship You alone) means that we obey You with humility. U'budu rabbakum means 'obey Your Lord.' Thus according to these authoritative lexical explanations, what is required of man is not only to worship God and be devoted to Him but also to obey Him unquestioningly and willingly and to adhere to His law and carry out His commands with all his heart and soul.

As for the word din, it carries several meanings in Arabic: for example, dominance, authority, overlordship and the power to enforce one's decisions over others. Lisäan al-'Arab says dāna al-nāsa, meaning that 'he overpowered people to obedience.' Likewise, to say dintuhum means that 'I overpowered them.' To say dintuhum also means that 'I subjugated them and became their master and possessed them.' It is said in a ḥadīth: 'al-kayyis man dāna nafsahu,' meaning 'the clever one is he who subdued his self,' that is, 'humbles it and enslaves it.' The word al-dayyan means judge, arbitrator or ruler. To say: 'wa lā anta dayyani' means: 'You are not someone who has overpowered me so that you would rule over my affairs.' To say: 'mā kāna liya'khudhu akhāhu fi din al-malik' means that 'his brother did not have the authority to bring him to be judged by the law of the king.' The other connotation of din is that of obedience, servitude and slavery. According to Lisan al-'Arab, din means obedience. To say dintuhu or dintu lahu means: 'I obeyed him.' Al-din li Allāh means that obedience and worship are consecrated for God. In a ḥadīth it is said: 'urīdu min Quraysh kalimatan: tadīnu lahum bihā al-'Arab.' This means: 'I want from Quraysh the affirmation of a word that would lead the Arabs to become subservient to them.' To say: thumma dänat ba'd al-rabab means: 'then the rabab became subservient to him and obeyed him.' The expression 'yamraqūna min al- din' means 'they went out of the [fold of] religion,' meaning that 'they went out of the obedience of the imäm whose obedience is obligatory.'

The word al-madin means slave. In the statement: 'fa law lã in kuntum ghayr madinin' the word madīnīn means slaves. The third meaning of din is the way or custom which men generally follow.

In view of these three meanings of the word din, in this verse it signifies the attitude and way of life one adopts in recognition of someone's supremacy. The words, 'So serve only Allah, consecrating your devotion to Him' means that one should not mix service to any others with service to God. Man is required to serve and worship God alone, to follow only His Guidance and to obey only His injunctions and commands.

4. Man is directed to exclusively worship God for He alone deserves this. No one has any share in the worship and obedience that are due to Him. None other than God is entitled to be served and he who serves any others besides God is guilty of a serious wrong. The same holds true with regard to him who adulterates service to God with service to others. This verse is best explained by the following ḥadīth cited by Ibn Marduwayah on the authority of Yazid al-Raqqāshi: 'Someone asked the Prophet (peace be on him) whether he would receive any reward for the money he donates in order to attain renown. To this he replied in the negative. When the same person asked about his act of charity which was motivated by earning God's reward as well as fame in this world, the Prophet (peace be on him) clarified: "God accepts only what one does exclusively for His sake." After making this observation the Prophet (peace be on him) recited the verse under discussion'. (See al-Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-Manthur, comments on Surah al-Zumar 39: 2-3.)

5. Although the polytheists of Makkah, (and the polytheists of the world over for that matter), recognised God as the Creator and looked upon Him as their Lord, they claimed that they did not worship any objects or beings other than God as their Creator, and that the purpose of their worship of their deities was simply to have access to the Creator through them.

6. It should be clearly understood that monotheism alone can lead to unity and concord among human beings. As for polytheism, it cannot bring about any consensus. Polytheists can never agree as to who has the power to grant them access to God. Although some credit their gods and goddesses with this ability, they differ as regards the exact identity of those gods and goddesses. Some look upon the moon, the sun, or Mars and Venus as their intercessors with God. Nevertheless, they cannot fully decide which one of these occupies the highest position in the hierarchy. Some believe that the saints of the past can draw them close to God, although there are fierce differences among them on this matter. Some believe in one saint and others in another. These disagreements are quite understandable for the assumptions about these holy people are not based on any authentic knowledge, nor did God provide them with a list of those holy people who are highly stationed with Him and who could therefore serve as intermediaries for access to Him. In fact, notions such as the ones mentioned above gained currency among people merely because of superstitiousness, blind adoration and uncritical following of eminent people of the past. This being the case, serious disagreements were bound to occur in determining who were the true intermediaries between God's creatures and their Lord.

7. God brands polytheists as liars and utter unbelievers. They are also called kuffär. This word has two meanings: (i) that they are diehard unbelievers, for even after monotheism has been expounded to them, they still cling to their false polytheistic notions. (ii) They are an ungrateful lot. This because while they receive all possible bounties from God they do not give thanks to Him. They rather give thanks to those deities whom they have come to believe to be the means for these bounties.

8. That God betook a son is simply out of the question. At most, God might elevate some creature's rank with Him. However, no exalted person, howsoever high his station, can be God's issue, for there is a world of difference between the Creator and the creature. Having a child necessarily implies that the two belong to the same species, which is impossible in this case.

The present verse makes it quite clear that God never intended to take anyone as His son: 'If Allah had wanted to take to Himself a son, He could have chosen anyone He wanted out of those whom He creates.' It is clear, therefore, that God never wanted to take to Himself anyone as His son. Far from taking anyone as His son, He never even entertained such an idea.

9. These arguments totally repudiate the notion of God's sonship. The first and foremost argument is that God is free from every imperfection, flaw or weakness. It is obvious that the person who needs a son does so because of his weakness and dependence on another. Since he himself is bound to die he wants a son so as to ensure the perpetuity of his family and lineage. The same holds true of those who adopt someone because there is none to inherit them or some do so out of their overflowing love and affection for a particular child. To ascribe these weaknesses to God and make the notion of sonship an article of faith simply betrays rank ignorance and intellectual short-sightedness.

The second argument is that God is unique. He does not belong to any particular species, while children are born to members of the same species. Moreover, a child is simply inconceivable without marriage with a spouse who should also belong to the same species. Therefore, only an ignorant and foolish person can ascribe children to God.

The third argument is that God is Overpowering. He exercises total control over everything in the universe. No one, whether high or low, has even the slightest resemblance to Him that might be suggestive of any kinship with God.

10. For further details see Ibrāhīm 14, n. 26 and al-Nahl 16, n. 6, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. IV, pp. 263 and 313, and al-'Ankabut 29, n. 75, vol. VIII, p. 40.

11. God is so powerful that were He to decide to punish someone, no one can prevent Him from doing so. He is nonetheless so gracious and kind that despite a person's blasphemy, He does not instantly seize him for punishment; instead, He continues to grant him respite. (The grant of respite rather than immediate punishment is mentioned here as a manifestation of God's attribute of forgiveness.)

12. This does not mean that God first created human beings from Adam and then created Eve. Instead of a temporal sequence what we find here is a certain sequence of propositions. Examples of this are found in all languages. We shall illustrate this by the following sentence: 'Your deeds of today are known to me and so are your deeds of yesterday.' This does not mean that the deeds of yesterday followed the deeds of today though that happens to be the sequence in the sentence.

13. The reference here is to the camel, cow, sheep and goat. Four males and four females of each species make a total of eight heads of cattle.

14. The reference here is to the belly, the womb and the membrane enveloping the foetus.

15. God is the Lord, the Sovereign and the Sustainer.

16. God alone has all authority. His command is in force throughout the universe.

17. In other words, the reasoning is that since God alone is the Lord and the Sovereign, He alone should be worshipped. Others have no share in Godhead since they have no share in His lordship and dominion. The unbelievers should know that God alone created the heavens and the earth, that He alone made the sun and the moon of service to man, that He alone alternates day and night, and that He alone brought all men, women and animals into being. In view of the above, none else but He deserves to be served and worshipped.

18. The point is made in the passive voice as the unbelievers are asked: 'whence are you being turned astray?' What the statement implies is that someone is misguiding them. Hence, they fail to grasp something that is quite simple and straightforward, something that pertains to common sense. It is clear, nevertheless, that this Qur'anic discourse is addressed not to the evil ones who are misguiding people but to those who, under the spell and overwhelming influence of evil ones, are going astray. It would have been futile to address those who were actively engaged in misguiding people. This because their pursuit was informed by their vested interests which required that they should try to turn people away from service to the One True God and entice them to serve and keep serving others than Him. It is obvious that such people were not amenable to reason, for their interests lay in not seeing reason. In fact, even if such people had seen any reason in what they were told, it would be most unlikely for them to sacrifice their interests for the sake of truth. Those who really deserved sympathy, however, are the common people who had fallen prey to the enchanting delusions of those who were out to mislead.

19. Their unbelief has no bearing on God's dominion. God continues to be the Supreme Lord, whether they accept this or not. God's overlordship needs no external support; it remains unaffected by its affirmation or denial by anyone. According to a ḥadīth [qudsi], the Prophet (peace be on him) narrated that God said: 'O My servants, if those of you of the earlier times and those of you of later times, the humans among you and the jinn among you become like the heart of the most wicked person among you, nothing will diminish of My Kingdom,' (Muslim, Kitāb al-Birr wa al-Silah wa al-Adab, Bāb Taḥrīm al-Zulm.)

20. It is not out of consideration for any interest of God's but rather in consideration of man's own interest that God does not desire that humans succumb to unbelief, for unbelief is detrimental to the latter's own interest.

It should be noted that there is a difference between God's will and His pleasure. Nothing can take place without God's will. Man can, however, do what does not please God. Indeed, this happens quite often. There are tyrants, wrongdoers, thieves, highway robbers, murderers as well as people guilty of illicit sex. All this is because God has made it possible for people to commit evil in the natural scheme of things that He has created. By the same token, He makes it possible for the righteous to perform good deeds. Had He not provided opportunities for this, there would have been no good and evil in this world. The existence of good and evil is an integral part of God's design. However, all that happens does not necessarily enjoy God's pleasure. For example, if one resolves to earn one's bread by unlawful means, God lets one do so. This is part of His dispensation. However, the person who draws his sustenance through robbery or bribery should not think that God approves of such means of earning. Likewise, He has granted man the freedom to disbelieve insofar as He does not force man to become a believer. However, God disapproves of His creatures refusing to believe in their Creator and Sustainer. Whilst this is ruinous for them it will not cause the least damage to God's dominion.

21. The word used here as the opposite of kufr is shukr (thankfulness), rather than īmān (faith, belief). This automatically shows that unbelief basically consists of denying God's favours whereas faith is an expression of one's gratefulness to God for His bounties. Thankfulness to God and faith in Him complement each other. In contrast, an unbeliever is devoid of gratefulness, and disbelief makes gratitude meaningless.

22. Every man bears responsibility for his own deeds. If someone chooses to disbelieve in order to please others or to avoid their displeasure, others will not be taken to task for that person's unbelief. Rather, they will ultimately leave that person to face the consequences of his unbelief. Anyone who recognises the distinction between belief and unbelief should instantly give up unbelief and join the camp of belief. Furthermore, the person who chooses belief should not incur eternal perdition out of deference to one's family, community or nation.

23. Reference here is to the unbelieving person who is thankless to God despite His bounties.

24. In times of crisis, even the polytheist abandons his false gods and turns in desperation to the One True God, the Lord of the universe. This highlights the fact that in the depths of his heart even the polytheist realises that his deities are powerless. Within him too there is the realisation that God alone has all power and authority.

25. Once man tides over his straits, he tends to forget that in utter desperation he had eschewed all false gods and turned to the One True God in prayer.

26. He subsequently resumes worshipping and obeying and praying to beings other than God and making offerings to them.

27. Such a person's error is not confined to himself. He also misleads others by telling them that some saint or idol had rescued him from his distress. This, in turn, leads others to adore those deities besides God. This, then, is how ignorant people continually contribute to the growth of error by narrating their so-called experiences.

28. Let it be clear that here two types of people are being compared. There is one who turns fervently to God in crisis, though he serves others than the One True God at other times. The other type of person is committed fully to obeying, worshipping and glorifying God alone. That he worships Him in the privacy of night underscores his sincere devotion to God. God brands the former kind as ignorant, as 'those who do not know', even if he might have devoured whole libraries. On the other hand, He characterises the latter as 'those who know' even though they might be illiterate. For, true knowledge consists in grasping the truth and acting according to it. This is what man's success and well-being depend on. In the sight of God, these two different types of people cannot be considered alike. Since they follow different ways in this life, they will not and cannot have the same end in the Next.

29. That is, it is not enough merely to believe but it is also required that one should be God-fearing; do what one is commanded to do by God and refrain from what He has forbidden and live in the world in constant and unremitting fear of accountability to Him.

30. This signifies success in both worlds. Those who do good prosper both in this life and in the Next.

31. If believers find it hard to profess and practise faith in a particular town, region or country, they should migrate to wherever it should not be hard to do so.

32. Those who endure hardship and persecution in God's cause and yet persevere will be granted immeasurable rewards. These rewards will also embrace those who migrate from their homeland and face the hardships of banishment as well as those who continue to stay in their homeland, bearing the afflictions that might befall them.

33. The Prophet's task is not merely to preach righteousness to others but also to put it into practice in his own life. In fact, his own practice precedes inviting others to live righteously.

34. Generally speaking, an insolvent person is he who loses all his invested capital and is, thus, unable to pay off his liabilities. God employs this metaphor with regard to all unbelievers and polytheists. The reason is that they are granted life, a certain term of existence, intellect, physical body, various potentialities, faculties, and a variety of resources and opportunities. These constitute their capital. If people waste or misuse their capital in the erroneous belief that God does not exist, or that there are many gods, or that they will not be held accountable for their deeds, or that someone will come to their rescue in the Hereafter, they will end up as utter losers. Another loss they might suffer is because they might have wronged themselves and their fellow beings as well as generations of people still to come. Since they will not have anything left to their credit, they will not be able to meet the demands of reparation made against them. They will suffer losses and will be held responsible for ruining the lives of their children, of their kith and kin and friends because of the false ideas they espoused and the wrong examples they set. The present verse refers to all these losses that the unbelievers will incur.

35. Taghut, which is derived from ṭughyan, denotes rebellion and transgression. If someone is called taghut rather than taghi (the rebellious), this amounts to calling them extremely rebellious, to holding them to be the epitome of rebelliousness. This can be understood by considering an example. If someone is beautiful - ḥasin in Arabic - and one calls him her husn (beauty), it means that his/her beauty has reached the point of perfection.

Deities other than the One True God have been called ṭāghūt because while worshipping others than God amounts to rebellion, those who cause others to worship them have reached the climax of rebelliousness. (For further details, see al-Baqarah 2, nn. 286 and 288, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, pp. 199 and 200, al-Nisa' 4, nn. 91 and 105, vol. II, pp. 53 and 59-60.) In this verse the word ṭāghūt has been employed in the plural sense. This is evident from the usage أَنْ يَعْبُدُوه rather than أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهَا which would have been employed if the object were singular.

36. This verse is open to two meanings: (i) That these servants of God do not indiscriminately follow everyone; instead, they carefully consider what people say, accepting only what they find to be true. (ii) That when they hear something, they are not inclined to distort its meaning; instead, they follow 'the best of it'.

37. The reference here is to the person who makes himself merit God's punishment and who God has decided to punish.

38. The word yanābi refers to all these three forms of water - [springs, streams and rivers].

39. The common phenomenon of crops and their decay imparts an important lesson to a person endowed with a good common sense: a lesson whereby one knows that worldly life and its allurements are ephemeral. Every spring that blossoms ends up in an autumn. The age of youth is destined to give way to old age and death. All that rises ultimately witnesses fall. Hence this world should not infatuate one to the point of making one heedless of God and the Hereafter. Likewise, the passion to pounce upon the fleeting pleasures of this world should not make one negligent of the abiding good of the Life to Come. When an intelligent person looks at the changing spectacle of spring and autumn he instantly knows that both prosperity and adversity are in God's Hand. It is He Who lets someone prosper and flourish and lets others face decay and destruction. None can prevent Him from granting prosperity to whomsoever He wills or prevent Him from wreaking destruction upon whomsoever He wills.

40. The reference here is to the person whom God enables to grasp these facts in depth and become firmly persuaded of Islam's truth. This inner state has been described by saying that God opened up that person's breast for Islam. The surah thus makes a pointed reference to such a person's state of conviction which drives away every doubt and reservation. Neither the fear of any risk nor of any possible loss prevents him from the resolve to recognise and embrace the truth. Therefore, he follows what he regards as truth irrespective of the difficulties he may have to face in so doing. A person with such resolve willingly and cheerfully obeys the commands of God and His Messenger. He readily embraces the beliefs, ideas, principles and rules that he finds in the Qur'ān and the Sunnah. He does not grieve at any loss that might have afflicted him as a result of his decision to embrace the truth. For such a person no unlawful gain holds any attraction. On the contrary, he celebrates his ability to eschew unlawful gains for that would undermine his prospects in the Hereafter. By the same token, he does not regret any loss that may accrue to him as a result of following the Straight Way. He cheerfully endures all such loss and prefers it to disobeying God. Likewise, he is not fearful of any danger that might confront him for the sake of this cause. For there is only one Straight Way leading to God and he is likely to encounter dangers in traversing that way. Since there is no other way, one should be ready to greet all dangers that might confront him.

41. A true believer is enlightened by the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It is in their light that he finds the Straight Way in the midst of a multitude of false paths.

42. As opposed to the 'opening up of one's breast', one may be faced with its constriction. In this state, there remains some possibility, however meagre, that the truth might penetrate unto one's heart. Alternatively, it is also possible that one's heart may become utterly hardened as though it were a piece of rock, becoming altogether devoid of the ability to embrace the truth. Such people are doomed to sheer destruction. What this suggests is that it is possible that the person who has some inclination to embrace the truth may attain deliverance. This, however, is implicit in the verse rather than stated explicitly. This is because the main objective of the verse is to warn those who were immersed in opposing the Prophet (peace be on him) to the point of becoming utterly obdurate. Such people had simply made up their minds not to accept any part of the Prophet's message. They are plainly warned against their zealous unbelief of which they were proud. They are told that it is the height of a person's misfortune that God's Exhortation is delivered to them and then their hearts should become even more hardened.

43. The Qur'an is free from every kind of self-contradiction and discrepancy. The Book in its entirety is coherent; all along it gives the same message and expounds the same worldview. Each part of the Qur'ān reinforces, complements and supplements its other parts. The Book as a whole stands out for its cohesiveness, harmony and consistency.

44. To have nothing but one's face to shield one from chastisement reveals the state of one's utter helplessness. In such a situation, everyone tries their level best to protect their face with their hands. In this context, then, those destined for God's chastisement will receive blows on their faces on the Day of Judgement.

45. Kasb in its Qur'anic usage refers to one's earnings in terms of one's deeds. Anyone who performs good deeds makes himself deserving of reward from God. By the same token, those given to error and wickedness make themselves deserving of punishment in the Hereafter.

46. The Qur'an was not imparted in some foreign tongue. Had it been so the services of a translator or interpreter would have been required to communicate its message to the Makkans or the Arabs as a whole. But since the Qur'an was delivered in their own tongue, they were well-placed to directly comprehend it.

47. There is no confounding complexity in the Qur'an that makes it difficult for the average person to comprehend its message. The Qur'ān states in clear, lucid terms whatever it condemns as wrong and evil. Likewise, it states in clear terms whatever it extols as good and the reason why it extols it. Essentially, then, the Qur'anic belief system can be comprehended easily and adequately. There is no difficulty in ascertaining what it commands and what it forbids.

48. This parable brings out the difference between polytheism and monotheism and the varying impacts each makes on human life. In a few words, the moral of the parable is effectively articulated. It stands to reason that if a person is under several lords and masters his is likely to be a most miserable lot, especially if his masters happen to be selfish and ill-tempered. These masters may put the person to various and difficult tasks at one and the same time and none of them might have the patience and sensitivity to appreciate that he might also be required to carry out tasks given to him by other masters. Such a person is likely to be rebuked and even punished by one of his masters for performing the task given by another master. On the contrary, his lot is likely to be much better if he is not required to serve several masters at the same time. This obvious truth can be readily grasped by the average person. Given this, it is not hard for a person to realise that he cannot enjoy any peace of mind if he serves more than one god.

It is pertinent to point out that this parable does not bring out its full thrust if we consider it only in the context of stone idols. It is even more applicable to those masters who are living beings and who issue divergent commands to their devotees. It is only in this sense that each of them vigorously pulls a man towards himself. Idols of stone are unable to do this. It is only living human lords and masters who are able to do so. There is, first of all, man's own self that comes forth with a series of desires, each urgently calling for satisfaction. This compels him first to seek one thing and then another. Masters other than one's self are one's family, one's community and one's country. Besides, there are also innumerable other lords and masters in the form of holy men, rulers, law-makers, businessmen and others who occupy the socio- cultural landscape. The divergent demands of each of them bring their pressures to bear on the individual. They expect a person to follow him and they do not mind brutally jostling him if he neglects their due. These masters inflict various types of punishment, ranging from expression of displeasure to stigmatisation and social boycott, insolvency, expulsion and imprisonment. Man's only way out from this impasse is to embrace monotheism and serve only the One True God. This enables him to free himself from bondage to all others.

There are two ways of practising monotheism. Obviously, each of these leads to different results. According to one of these ways, someone can decide to become God's servant in his individual capacity while the world around him lends him no support in his effort to serve God. In this case, external pressures might increase, subjecting him to ever greater constraint and hardship. However, if he sincerely follows the course he has chosen, he is bound to enjoy mental peace and tranquillity. He will be able to reject all that runs counter to God's commands or the requirements of godliness and piety. He will not oblige his family, community, government, clergy or economic oligarchy in ways that entail any violation of God's commands. This may, indeed it will, entail severe hardships for him. His heart, however, remains satisfied as he is his Lord's born servant and he has been faithful to Him. As for any others than the One True God, since he was not the born servant of any of them, he did not owe obedience to any of them. This will further prompt him to reject others' demands to act against God's commands. No power on earth can deprive such a person of peace and tranquillity of mind, so much so that he will not care even if he has to lay down his life in God's cause. Such a person will not grieve at the thought that rather than bow before false gods he was making the supreme sacrifice of his own life for God's sake.

The second option is that the whole of society be founded on the principle of monotheism. All aspects of life-morality, culture, civilisation, education, law, customs and mores and the political and economic systems, in short, all principles prescribed by God through His Book and His Messenger-are intellectually endorsed and practically put into effect in all walks of life. The government would seek to eradicate all that is evil and sinful; the educational system would endeavour to mould the minds of the young in such a manner that they refrain from what the Qur'ān brands as evil and sinful. Not only that, whatever is evil and sinful would also be berated from the pulpit, society would be opposed to it, and every form of business involving it would be disallowed by the economy. By the same token, what God's chosen religion declares to be good and wholesome would enjoy the support of law, the administrative apparatus would promote it, the entire educational system would inculcate it in people's minds, trying to make it an integral part of the people's character and personality; the pulpit would urge people to imbibe it; society would exalt it and make the current customs and usages conform to it, and economic transactions would proceed in harmony with it. This is a state of affairs wherein a person will enjoy full peace and tranquility, both internal and external. In such a state the avenues of material and spiritual growth would be flung wide open. Society would thereby be purged of all conflict between obligations to God and to anyone else.

Islam requires everyone to practise monotheism as his/her faith and to serve God whether the second possibility-founding the whole of life on monotheism - becomes a reality or not. In all circumstances a man is required to follow the monotheistic way and to patiently face the dangers and hardships that might come his way in his effort to serve the One True God. It cannot be denied, however, that Islam's ideal remains that man's entire life should be governed wholly by Islam. All Messengers of God strove to create a community of believers that would follow the way of life prescribed by God, free from the dominance of unbelief and unbelievers. Only he who is ignorant of the Qur'an and the Sunnah and who lacks common sense will argue that the objective of the mission of God's Messengers was simply to enable individuals to practise their faith and to obey God, disregarding the need to put faith into effect in the believers' collective and social lives.

49. The real import of al-hamdu li Allah ('All praise and thanks be to Allah') can be appreciated in the context in which it occurs here. A question was posed to the Qur'an's addressees, followed by a pause. Since the opponents of monotheism failed to come forth with any answer, the pause was followed by the expression al-hamdu li Allah. The silence of the unbelievers in response to the query meant that even they could not dare say that devotion to several gods was equal to or better than devotion to the One True God.

50. The unbelievers do somehow recognise the distinction between serving one and several masters in ordinary life. However, when the difference between serving the One True God and several false gods is pointed out to them, they act as though they are idiots.

51. There is a subtle gap between the two statements, the previous and the present. This gap, however, can readily be filled by the common sense of an intelligent person who takes cognisance of the context. The Prophet (peace be on him) is told that even though he was preaching his message in a clear and straightforward manner, the unbelievers rejected that message out of sheer intransigence. Not only that, they were even bent upon harming the Prophet (peace be on him) so as to suppress the evident truth of his message. However, all mortals are bound to die and a day will come when everyone's finale will become known to all.

52. They are told as to who will be punished after being tried on the Day of Judgement. It is the wrongdoers who invent false beliefs, associate others with God in His essence, attributes, powers and rights, and who reject the truth who are destined for the worst punishment in the Next Life. An even more outrageous iniquity of theirs is that they decried for lying the person who presented the truth to them. As for the person who brought the truth (peace be on him) to them and those who affirmed the veracity of his message, it is simply out of the question that they will be condemned to punishment.

53. Note that this verse does not make any reference to Paradise. Rather, it is stated that the pious will receive all that they desire from their Lord. Obviously, each person will return to his Lord immediately after death. It seems, therefore, that the pious will be treated kindly from the moment of their death through their entry into Paradise. The pious will naturally desire to be spared torment in barzakh, the rigours on the Day of Judgement, stringent interrogation, and humiliation in the Grand Assembly and punishment for their lapses. They will desire all this and God will fulfil all these desires.

54. Those who embraced faith at the hands of the Prophet (peace be on him) had committed serious sins in matters of belief and practice in pre- Islamic days. After accepting Islam, they not only gave up all their false

beliefs but also faithfully followed the truth propounded by the Prophet (peace be on him). With regard to morality, worship and relationship with others, their conduct was excellent. God, therefore, promises that the sins committed by them in pre-Islamic time (Jahiliyah) will be removed from their Record and they will be rewarded in accordance with the very best of their deeds in their Record of conduct.

55. The Makkan unbelievers threatened the Prophet (peace be on him) with dire consequences as a sequel to his opposition to their idols. Indeed, they thought that their idols were so immensely powerful that anyone who insulted them would simply be devastated.

56. The unbelievers are devoid of God's guidance. Therefore, they place great premium on the power and glory of their gods. So doing, they fail to recognise that God is supreme and that their blasphemous attitude to Him as evident from their polytheism amounts to inviting His wrath upon them.

57. Ibn Abi Ḥätim has narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that the Prophet (peace be on him) said: 'He who desires to be the most powerful among men should repose his trust in God. He who desires to be the richest should have greater trust in what is in God's possession than in what he himself possesses. Likewise, he who desires to be the most respected man, should fear Almighty God.' (Ibn Abi Ḥātim, Tafsir on Surah al-Zumar 39: 38 and comments on Surah al-Talaq 65: 2.)

58. The unbelievers are being sarcastically asked to persist in their bid to harm the Prophet (peace be on him) and to spare no effort in that regard.

59. The Prophet (peace be on him) has not been mandated to compel people to follow the Straight Way. All he is required to do is to clearly expound that Straight Way. However, if people still prefer error, it is they who will be held accountable for it while the Prophet (peace be on him) will be absolved of his responsibility if they continue to wallow in error after he has fulfilled his part of the duty.

60. To take away the souls of people at the time of sleep means that one's consciousness, perception, understanding and volition remain suspended while one is asleep.

61. By so saying, God stresses that He exercises total control over man's life and death. No one can say with certainty that the next day he will rise from his bed alive. Nor does anyone know whether after a moment he will be dead or alive. While one is awake or asleep, sitting in one's home or moving around, it is not at all certain that some calamity or any untoward affliction from outside might not cause one's sudden death. Thus, it would be sheer foolishness for man, whose life is always in God's Hand, to become heedless or defiant of God.

62. The unbelievers are guilty of gratuitously imagining that there are sacred beings who enjoy a very high degree of influence with God. Such is their influence that were they to intercede on behalf of any of their devotees their intercession will never be turned down. There is no basis, however, for any such belief. God has not sent down any sanction on the basis of which anyone can claim to have such an authority with God. More importantly, even those beings whose names are mentioned in this regard never claimed that they could effectively help others. The unbelievers are utterly foolish insofar as they fail to directly approach Him Who is the Lord of all, and instead direct their devotional feelings and entreaties to these so-called intercessors.

63. No one can even approach God with a request to intercede on anyone's behalf, let alone that he should believe that anyone has the power to have his intercession inexorably accepted. It is God's prerogative alone to allow or disallow requests for intercession. (For a detailed discussion of the Islamic concept of intercession and its comparison with the polytheistic concept, see al-Baqarah 2, n. 281, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, p. 196; al-An'ām 6, n. 33, vol. II, p. 235; Yūnus 10, nn. 5 and 24 and Hud 11, n. 84, vol. IV, pp. 7, 24 and 120-1; Ta Hā 20, nn. 85-6 and al-Anbiya' 21, n. 27, vol. V, pp. 227-9 and p. 262; al-Hajj 22, n. 125, vol. VI, p. 68; and Saba' 34, n. 40, vol. IX, p. 184.)

64. 'When Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter contract with bitterness, but when deities apart from Allah are mentioned, they are filled with joy'. This characteristic is common to all those who have a polytheistic disposition, so much so that unfortunately even those Muslims who share this disposition are not devoid of it. While they say that they believe in God, whenever God alone is remembered one notices a kind of discomfiture on their faces. Such people do not fail to denounce those who fail to make mention of saints while remembering God. They protest that such people have no reverence for saints or else they would not simply talk of God alone. On the other hand, when the names of others are mentioned besides God they instantly react with gratification, their faces beaming with joy. This shows whom they truly love and care for. While commenting on this verse Ālūsi narrates a personal experience of his. He mentions that once he saw a person calling upon a deceased saint to deliver him from distress. Ālūsī counselled him to call upon God Who Himself says: 'When My servants ask you about Me, tell them I indeed am quite near; I hear and answer the call of the caller when he calls Me', (al-Baqarah 2: 186.) When that person heard this he was enraged. Later on, Ālūsi came to know from others that he accused him of disbelieving in saints. Some even heard him say that saints are quicker in responding [to prayers] than God." (Al-Alūsi, Rūḥ al-Ma'ānī, comments on Surah al-Zumar 39: 45.)

65. This refers to the person who feels ill at ease when he hears someone remembering God alone.

66. This statement can mean any of the following: First, that God knows that someone is worthy of a particular favour and He accordingly grants it to him. Had he been unworthy of that favour in God's sight because his beliefs are faulty or his behaviour is wicked, God would have denied him that favour in the first place. Second, it can also mean that the bounties that he enjoys were bestowed upon him because he was worthy of them.

67. People mistakenly think that the one who is granted bounties is really worthy of them and that those bounties indicate that person's position of nearness to God. The truth is that God's bestowal of bounties on a person amounts to putting him to a test. This explains why we see many righteous people leading miserable lives, whereas wicked people are rolling in affluence and prosperity. Quite evidently, worldly bounties do not necessarily indicate how close a person is with God. All of us know that a great many people have been afflicted with misery although they were undeniably people of sterling character. In contrast, many people enjoy abundant luxuries of life although their wickedness is unmistakable. Doubtlessly, this cannot be taken to mean that God loves the wicked or that He is annoyed with the pious.

68. When God's chastisement seized such people, the exceptional ability of which they had boasted proved of no avail. Moreover, the misfortune that overtook them also demonstrated the hollowness of their claim that they enjoyed a position of special closeness with God. Had that been true, they would not have been confronted with the calamity that beset them.

69. It is being explained that the bestowal of wherewithal is governed by an altogether different law of God, one which is based on a different set of considerations. The measure of sustenance granted to someone does not necessarily correspond to his worth in God's sight nor do his earnings necessarily indicate that person's nearness to God. (For a detailed discussion, see al-Tawbah 9, nn. 54, 75 and 89, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. III, pp. 217-18, 228-9 and 239; Yunus 10, n. 23, Hud 11, n. 3, al-Ra'd 13, n. 42, vol. IV, pp. 21-4, 80, and 238; al-Kahf 18, nn. 37-8, Maryam 19, n. 45, Ta Hā 20, nn. 113-14 and al-Anbiya' 21, n. 99, vol. V, pp. 107, 169- 70 and 299-302; al-Mu'minun 23, nn. 1 and 50, vol. VI, pp. 77-8 and 105-77 al-Qaşaş: 28, nn. 97-8 and 101, vol. VII, pp. 245 and 247; and Saba' 34, nn. 54-60, vol. IX, pp. 193-6.)

70. Some people offer a queer explanation of the opening words of this verse. They point out that here God Himself directs the Prophet (peace be on him) to address people as 'my servants'. Hence all men are the servants of the Prophet (peace be on him).

This is not an explanatory comment but the worst possible distortion of the meaning and message of the Qur'an. In fact, this amounts to making the Qur'an an object of jestful play and sport. It is possible that a section of ignorant and gullible devotees might be swayed by such contentions. But if this line of thinking is seriously pursued, it will undermine the whole message of the Qur'an. This because the Qur'an proclaims here, there and everywhere that humans are servants of none other than the One True God. The quintessence of the Qur'anic message is: serve none except the One True God. According to the Qur'an, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) too was God's servant. He was raised not as man's lord and deity but as God's Messenger and the purpose of his advent was to serve God and urge others to serve Him alone. In view of the above, how can any rational being believe that one fine day Muhammad (peace be on him) will stand up in Makkah and begin to proclaim: 'O people you are not servants of deities such as 'Uzza and Sun; in fact you are the servants of Muhammad.' May God protect us from such blasphemy!

71. This discourse is addressed to all beings. There is no weighty basis to believe that it is addressed only to believers. As Ibn Kathir has pointed out, this universal directive does not mean at all that God forgives the sins of people without their repentance and their turning to Him. God's pardon is contingent upon people's servitude, obedience and their following the message revealed by God, (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on Surah al- Zumar 39: 53.) This verse holds out a ray of hope to those who had been guilty of murder, illicit sex, stealing, highway robbery and such other major sins in the time of Jahiliyah. Such people had given up the hope of ever being forgiven by God. Here they are directed not to despair. They are assured that if they become God's obedient servants, their past sins will be forgiven. This interpretation is endorsed by Ibn 'Abbās, Qatadah, Mujahid, Ibn Zayd, Ibn Jarir al-Tabarī, Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dā'ūd and Tirmidhi. (Tabari, Tafsir, comments on Surah al-Zumar 39: 53; Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Tafsir, Bab Qawlihi: 'Ya 'Ibadiya al-Ladhīna Asrafu 'ala Anfusihim lā Tagnaṭū min Rahmat Allah...'; Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Kawn al-Islām Yahdim mã qablahu wa kadhā al-Hijrah wa al-Hajj; Abū Dā' ūd, Kitāb al-Fitan wa al-Malāḥim, Bāb fi Ta'zim Qatl al-Mu'min; Tirmidhi, Kitāb Tafsir al-Qur'ān 'an Rasul Allah Ṣalla Allah 'alayhi wa sallam, Bab wa min Surah al-Zumar.) (For further examples see al-Furqan 25, n. 86, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. VII, pp. 42-43.)

72. 'Follow the best of what has been revealed' means the following: to carry out God's commands, to abstain from what He forbids, and to derive wholesome lessons from the stories and parables He narrates. On the contrary, he who turns away from God's commands, who commits forbidden acts and pays no heed to God's counsel and admonition is guilty of following the Qur'an in the worst possible manner.

73. God did not simply create the universe and then withdraw from the scene; instead, He continues to look after and superintend everything. He not only created everything but everything continues to exist because of His will. It is He Who sustains them and causes them to thrive.

74. If someone engages in polytheism, none of his deeds will be accepted as good deeds. He will not be rewarded for any of the deeds that he performs as good deeds because of his polytheism. In view of this basic error, his own life will simply be one of utter loss and futility.

75. The unbelievers are unaware of God's glory and greatness. They have never fully appreciated His exalted status that makes the deities they worship pale into absolute insignificance. Astonishingly, however, such people look upon the objects which they themselves have made into God's associates and partners and then consider them to be worthy objects of worship.

76. In order to emphasise God's absolute control over the heavens and the earth, the Qur'an has recourse to the metaphor 'and the heavens shall be folded up in His Right Hand'. Just as it is easy for someone to hold a ball in his palm, and doing so does not weary him, so it will be on the Day of Judgement when the heavens and the earth will be rolled up in God's Hand. This image is especially presented to the unbelievers who are ignorant of God's greatness and glory so as to impress on them that for God the universe is no greater than a ball or a handkerchief. We find traditions in Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Bukhārī, Muslim, Nasā'ī, Ibn Mājah and Ibn Jarir al-Tabari on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar and Abu Hurayrah to the effect that once when the Prophet (peace be on him) was delivering a sermon from the pulpit he recited this particular verse, adding:

God will rotate the heavens and the earths [that is, planets] in His palm, as a child rotates a ball. He will pronounce: 'I am the One God. I am the King. I am the Irresistible. All greatness belongs to Me. Where are the earthly kings? Where are the tyrants? Where are the mighty ones?'

While recounting these words, the Prophet (peace be on him) shook so violently that the Companions feared that he would collapse on the pulpit. (Bukhārī, Kitāb Tafsir al-Qur'ān, Bāb Qawlihi: 'Wa al-arḍ jami'an qabḍatuhu'; Muslim, Kitāb Şifat al-Qiyamah wa al-Jannah wa al-Nār; Aḥmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, narrated by 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar; Țabari, Tafsir, comments on Surah al-Zumar 39: 67.)

77. On the one hand is God's infinite glory. Just bear that in mind and then bring to mind the pettiness of holding other objects as associates with Him in His Godhead.

78. For an elaboration of the Trumpet, see al-An'am 6, n. 48, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. II, p. 244; Ibrāhīm 14, n. 57, vol. IV, pp. 276-7; Ta Hā 20, n. 78, vol. V, pp. 223-4; and al-Hajj 22, n. 1, vol. VI, pp. 5-6.

79. The present verse states that the Trumpet will be blown twice. In Surah al-Naml 27: 58, however, there is reference to a blowing of the Trumpet preceding which all creatures will fall dead with dread and awe. Aḥadīth, therefore, speak of the blowing of the Trumpet thrice: (i) The first such occasion will fill everyone with awe and dread. (ii) The second will cause everyone's death. (iii) The third will bring about resurrection. All the dead will rise from their graves to appear before their Lord.

80. Included in this are those witnesses who will testify that they had conveyed God's message to mankind. There will also be those witnesses who will bear testimony to the deeds of people. These latter witnesses may not necessarily be human beings. The angels, the jinn, the animals, the limbs of a person's own body, the physical environment and the trees and stones may also testify to men's deeds, each in its peculiar manner.

81. The gates of Hell will not be routinely open. Instead, they will be opened when the unbelievers arrive there. Once they have entered it, the gates will again be closed.

82. For further details see Țā Hā 20, nn. 83 and 106 and al-Anbiya' 21, n. 99, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. V, pp. 226, 237-40 and pp. 299-302.

83. The dwellers of Paradise will own the part of it granted to them to abide and there they will enjoy full power and authority.

84. This may be the utterance of the dwellers of Paradise. Alternatively, it may be an additional observation made by God.

85. The entire universe will celebrate God's glory.