1. This is an emphatic way of saying that God’s judgement will become known very soon. The past tense employed for conveying this idea underscores that God’s judgement is both imminent and near. Another possible reason for using the past tense may be that the rebelliousness and iniquity of the unbelieving Quraysh had reached its apex and, hence, it was necessary for God to take decisive and final action against them.
This naturally raises the question as to what this ‘Judgement’ was, and what form it took. In our opinion, the ‘judgement’ refers to Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Makka. This seems to be evident from the fact that soon after the revelation of this surah he was directed to migrate to Madina.
On studying the Qur’an, it would appear that a Prophet is asked, as a last resort, to migrate when all his efforts to reform his people have failed, and his people persist in rejection and unbelief. Hence, when a Prophet is to migrate, the fate of his people is sealed. Therefore, either God’s scourge smites them, or they are destroyed at the hands of that Prophet and his followers. This is borne out by history. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) migrated to Madina, the unbelievers assumed that they had won the day. However, within eight to ten years of the Prophet’s migration, polytheism and every form of unbelief were wiped out not only from Makka, but also from the whole of the Arabian Peninsula.
2. In order to fully understand the link between the two parts of this verse it is necessary to bear in mind its background. The unbelievers often challenged the Prophet (peace be on him) to bring about God’s scourge upon them. Implicit in such a statement was the conviction that their religion was the right one, and the religion which Muhammad (peace be on him) propagated was false and devoid of God’s sanction. The pith of their argument was as follows: ‘Muhammad (peace be on him) claims that we have deviated from the truth. He also claims to be a Prophet designated by God. If both these statements are true, we should by now have been seized by God’s scourge.’ Hence, the proclamation of God’s judgement was immediately followed by clarification that the unbelievers were altogether mistaken about the reason for the delay in the enforcement of that judgement. The delay in punishment did not warrant belief in polytheism. God is holier and far above being One with Whose divinity anyone could be associated.
3. The ‘spirit’ mentioned here is the spirit of prophecy. The Messenger is infused with it, and it animates all that he says or does, Revelation and the spirit of prophecy have the same significance in man’s moral life as does the ‘soul’ in his physical life. Hence, the Qur’an has used the term ‘spirit’ for it. Since the Christians were unable to grasp this, they were led to believe in the Holy Ghost and to make him one of three persons constituting a Trinity.
4. The unbelievers in effect demanded: ‘Bring down God’s punishment upon us here and now if you can.’ This demand was based on their belief that the Prophet’s claim to have been designated by God was false. Hence it was not deemed sufficient to refute polytheism. It was also considered necessary to affirm Muhammad’s prophethood. God responded to their statement by saying that it was after being infused with God’s spirit that the Prophet (peace be on him) embarked upon his mission.
As to the Qur’anic statement that ‘He sends down this spirit [of prophecy] on any of His servants whom He wills’ is a rejoinder to the unbelievers’ charge that the Prophet (peace be on him) was false in claiming that he was a Messenger. The unbelievers took strong exception to the choice of Muhammad (peace be on him), the son of ‘Abd Allah for this divine assignment. How could he be so appointed when there were outstanding scions in the leading families of Makka and Ta’ if who, in their view, were much better suited for such a position. This frivolous statement is dismissed at several points in the Qur’an by asserting that God knows best what He ought to do. He does not stand in need of anyone’s advice in deciding whom to entrust with prophethood.
5. This amounts to saying that the message of all those who were granted the spirit of prophecy was one and the same — that only One Being is invested with godhead and He alone deserves to be held in awe. The anchor of man’s morality, and the focal point of man’s thoughts and actions should be fear of God’s displeasure and punishment, and fear of the dire consequences which follow disobedience of Him.
6. This amounts to saying that the rejection of polytheism and the affirmation of monotheism which form the core of all the Prophets’ message is attested to by virtually everything that is in the heavens and the earth. For the universe is not a chaotic figment of someone’s imagination. It rather represents an ordered existence founded on truth. The universe, therefore, provides no support of polytheism. On the contrary, one can see that there is only One True God at work everywhere. Nothing in the universe points to anyone other than God as its creator. Since the entire system, which is based on an incontrovertible truth, has been working on the principle that God is One, no room is left for associating others with God. Polytheism is nothing more than a conglomeration of fancies and conjectures and is totally devoid cf any basis in fact. There are numerous signs in both the physical world and man’s own being which provide incontestable testimony in support of God’s unity on the one hand, and of the doctrine of prophethood on the other.
7. The Qur’anic statement affords two possible interpretations. It seems that both are at once correct. The. verse states that although God created man from a mere drop of semen, he is quite argumentative and is prone to marshal proofs in support of his view. Another meaning is that although man was created by God from a mere drop of semen, he became so arrogant that he wrangles even with God.
Taken in the first sense, the verse is part of the argument elaborated in the several verses which follow. (We shall turn to their explanation at the end of the present discourse.) In the latter sense, the verse asks man to reflect over his humble origins before wrangling with God and behaving arrogantly. He should call to mind the form in which he was born; the place where he was originally nurtured; the passage through which he made his way to the earth. He should also consider the stages through which he passed before reaching the age of his youth. Does it behoove anyone with such origins to be impertinent to God?
8. God has yoked many a thing to man’s service, making it beneficial to him. Man, however, is not even aware of all these things and the services which they render him.
9. While adducing arguments to establish that God is one, that He is merciful, and that He alone nurtures all, an argument is also subtly adduced in support of the doctrine of prophethood. The argument that has been summarily hinted at is as follows: Logically, there are many ways and man chooses one or the other of them. Obviously, all of these cannot be right. Only one of them can be so, and this will be the one which is consonant with the truth. Likewise, one can choose the course of one’s action out of the myriad of paths that have been charted. Now, the only right path of action is the one rooted in the right world-view.
To know the right way that would ensure both sound intellectual orientation and right behavior is man’s greatest need. Obviously man also has other needs, arising out of his animality, even if that animality might be of a higher order than other species. But knowledge of the right way as mentioned above is necessary if man is to fulfil his need qua man. If this need remains unfulfilled, it means that man’s whole life has been wasted. Now, God’s providence is well worth reflecting upon. For, as we know well, God keeps many a provision in readiness for man even before he is born. As for the arrangements that God makes to caier to the requirements of the animal aspects of man’s nature, they are both extensive and highly elaborate. Can it even be imagined that a God who cares for man’s material needs would have made no arrangements to fulfil the greatest and most fundamental needs of man’s humanity? It is precisely such an arrangement which was made by means of the institution of prophethood. In fact, those who do not believe in prophethood should be able to identify what arrangement was made by God for man’s guidance other than prophethood. It is not appropriate for anyone to say, in response to this query, that God has invested man with reason in order that he might find the right way. For, as we know, human reason has discovered several ways. This fact is patent proof of the inadequacy of human reason.
Nor would it be justifiable to say that God has made no arrangements for man’s guidance. Such a statement would be an outrageous thing to say about God. For, as we have pointed out earlier, the arrangements made to provide for man’s sustenance and growth as an animal are both perfect and elaborate. How can it be conceived, then, that God would take no interest in man’s distinctly human requirements and leave him to wander and stumble in darkness? (For further elaboration of this point see Tafhim al-Qur'an, al-Rahman 55, nn. 2-3.)
10. One possible way for God to guide man to the right way was to make him inherently rightly-directed, that is the manner of beings that are devoid of all free-will. This, however, was not God’s will. He willed that there should come into being a species possessed of free-will and volition, one capable of making its own choice even the wrong choice. In order that man might make use of this freedom, he was endowed with the means of acquiring knowledge, with the faculties of reason and thinking, with the potential for will and desire, with the power to use a large number of things both within and outside him. God also created in man’s nature and in the world around a number of things which could lead man either to true guidance or to error. All this would have been meaningless had it been decided that man, in terms of his nature, could only follow the true guidance, and that no other option was available to him. Nor would it have been possible for man to reach those heights of spiritual growth which can be reached only by the exercise of free-will.
God, therefore, did not will that men should be compelled to follow only the right way. Instead, God decided to establish the institution of prophethood. It was, thus, ensured that man would retain his freedom. At the same time, it was also ensured that the purpose of putting man to the test should also be realized.
All this was done side by side with making adequate arrangements for the availability of true guidance to mankind. 7
11. The expression ‘seeking the bounty of your Lord’ means earning a living by lawful means.
12. We learn by this that the main advantage of the mountains is to regulate the earth’s rotation and the speed of that rotation. That the main function of the mountains is to keep the earth in a stable position has also been emphasized at other points in the Qur’an. All other advantages are incidental and peripheral. (See Zaghloul R. El-Naggar, The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Holy Qur’an (Herndon, Virginia, 1991) — Ed.)
13. This refers to the natural tracks besides rivers, streams and ravines.
These natural tracks are especially useful in mountainous regions, though this does not detract from their importance in the plains.
14. All parts of the earth have not been created alike. Instead, each region has been distinguished by unique landmarks. Of the numerous benefits of these landmarks, the most important is that they help man to identify his path and destination. Man recognizes the true importance of these landmarks especially in desert regions which are largely devoid of them. As a result, he is always in fear of losing his way. More importantly, man also realizes their significance on sea-bound voyages for landmarks are also not evident here and man is always aware that he can stray. Nonetheless, God has arranged for man’s guidance even in the desert and on the sea. Since time immemorial man has found his way with the help of the stars.
Here also subtle evidence in support of prophethood is put forward, and in the midst of a discourse focused on reinforcing God’s unity and His merciful providence. Reading this verse, one readily realizes that God Who has so meticulously arranged for man’s material needs could not have disregarded man’s moral needs by failing to provide for his guidance. Obviously, the perils and harm involved in losing one’s way in a literal and physical sense bear no connection to losing one’s way morally. And yet we know that God, out of His compassion, is so concerned with man’s material well-being that He has made a variety of arrangements to prevent him from losing his way. He has made tracks into the mountains. He has created landmarks on the plains. He has provided luminous stars in the sky to enable man to know his direction in both deserts and seas. How can we even conceive that a God Who is so compassionate, so deeply concerned with man’s well-being, would have devised no path that would lead man to his salvation? How can we imagine that God would have placed no landmarks to mark out the way leading to man’s success? How can we think that He would have provided for no ‘illuminating lamp’ (siraj munir) to keep that way? always illuminated? ‘
15. Numerous signs in both the universe and man’s own being are mentioned in order to drive home the fact that no matter which direction man might look, he will find everything in the universe corroborating the teaching of the Prophet (peace be on him) that God is one and unique and that He alone ought to be served. There is nothing in the universe which lends support to notions of polytheism or atheism. er In this context reference is made to man’s own creation. One wonders how a drop of fluid was transformed into a moving, talkative and even wrangling being called man. How a variety of animals were created with their hair, skin, blood, milk, flesh and backs — all in accordance with man’s multifarious requirements, including his aesthetic taste. We also see rainfall coming down from the sky. We see how the earth is able to produce every kind of fruit and grain as well as plants that produce fodder. We also notice how the natural phenomena are interrelated, and at the same time, correspond to man’s need.
The constant alternation of day and night, the regulated movements of the moon, the sun, and the stars are all closely linked with the production of food and are conducive to man’s other interests. Likewise, we observe the seas which provide a great deal that satisfies man’s physical and aesthetic requirements. We also find how the vast masses of water have been subjected to a set of laws. Thanks to all this, man is able to boldly steer his way across them from one land to another, voyaging and trading. We also see mountains securely anchored in the earth, raising their heads skyward and realize how immensely useful they are to mankind. Our attention is also drawn to the numerous signs and landmarks all over the universe right from the structure of the earth’s surface to the great heights of the heavens and the usefulness of all this for man.
All these provide incontrovertible evidence of the fact that the entire scheme has been planned by One and the same Being. It is He Who has designed everything in accordance with His grand scheme, and it is He Who has created them according to that design. It is He Who constantly brings new things into being in such a manner that they are not at all discordant with the total scheme of creation. Again, it is He Who operates and regulates this gigantic system.
One indeed has to be utterly stupid or stubborn to believe that all this is the outcome of a mere accident; or to fancy that the different parts and functions of such a well-ordered universe were created by, or are under the control of a variety of gods. –
16. This argument is addressed to polytheists. The polytheists believe — as did the polytheists of Makka and elsewhere — that God alone is ‘the creator of the universe. They also acknowledge that the deities whom: they associate with God have created nothing. This being so, how can those who have no share in creation have the same authority as God in the realm of His own creation? How can those who have not created have the same rights as God against His creatures? How can one be led to believe that the power of Him Who creates is the same as the power of those who have not created? Or that the Creator and the created belong to the same species so much so that the relationship between Creator and created might be that of parent and offspring.
17. Much has been left unsaid with regard to the two statements in the above verse. For the message is too obvious to require any further elaboration. It is enough to point out after enumerating the many bounties of God, that He is Ever-Forgiving and Most-Merciful. This statement underscores the fact that man owes God a profound debt of gratitude in view of all His favors. And yet man is prone to be ungrateful, treacherous, faithless, and rebellious towards his Benefactor. But God is forbearing and compassionate in the extreme. Despite man’s ingratitude God continues to lavish His favors, year after year, on ungrateful individuals, and century after century on nations that are rebellious against Him. There are many who, even though they deny the existence of God, continue to receive God’s favors. There are also those who associate others with the Creator in His attributes, authority and rights. They also thank others than the One True God for the benevolence that He alone shows them. All this notwithstanding, they do not cease to receive God's favors. There are also those who verbally recognize God to be the Creator and the Benefactor, and yet remain rebellious and disobedient to Him. Despite this, they continue to enjoy God’s bounties and favors in full measure.
18. No one should be so stupid as to believe that if such people continue to receive favors despite their denial of God, despite their polytheistic beliefs and practice, or their disobedience of Him, that this is because God is not aware of man’s blasphemous attitude. Nor does this indicate a chaotic state of affairs in God’s realm. God’s bestowal of bounties on all represents God’s forbearance and forgiveness despite the fact that He has full knowledge of not only people’s apparent misdeeds, but also of their hidden misdeeds. In fact, God even knows the intentions which lie hidden in men’s hearts. This is the kind of generosity and magnanimity which befits only the Lord of the universe.
19. The words of this verse make it quite plain that the false gods whose godhead is being denied and refuted here are not angels or jinn or Satan or idols made of wood and stone. Instead, they are human beings who at some stage in the past were consigned to graves. This is so because both angels and devils are alive. Hence the Qur’anic description of them as those ‘who are dead, not living’ does not apply to them. Likewise, the statement that ‘they do not even know when they will be resurrected’ also excludes the images made of wood and stone as objects of worship. Hence, the expression ‘those whom they call upon besides Allah’ inevitably refers to the people of the past — to Prophets, saints, martyrs, righteous men, and all human beings of extraordinary stature whom their devotees call upon for the fulfilment of their needs. It might be claimed by some that gods of this genre were not found in pre-Islamic Arabia.
Such a statement, in our opinion, only betrays unfamiliarity with the Arabia of that time. It is well known that there were Christians and Jews in Arabia who belonged to the tribes of Rabi‘ah, Kalb, Taghlib, Quda‘ah, Kinanah, Harth, Ka‘b and Kindah. It is also well known that they were engrossed in the worship of Prophets, saints and martyrs. Likewise, many of the deities worshipped by the pagan Arabs were in fact human beings who were initially venerated for their goodness. Subsequently, they were turned into deities. There is a report in al-Bukhari on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that Wadd, Suwa‘, Yaghuth, Ya‘uq and Nasr were all names of virtuous people who were later verified. (See al-Bukhari, K. al-Tafsir, ‘Tafsir surah Nuh, Bab... Lad Wadd wa la Suwa‘ wa la Yaghuth .. .. - Ed.) Likewise, there is a tradition from ‘A’ishah that both Isaf and Na’ilah were human beings. (Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah, vol. 1, p. 82 ff. — Ed.) Similar reports are also found about al-Lat and al- ‘Uzza. It has even been reported that all these were so dear to God that He spent winter with ai-Lat and summer with al- ‘Uzza. (This tradition is mentioned in the notes of Ibn Hisham, Sirah, vol. 1, p. 226 — Ed.)
20. The denial of the Hereafter has made unbelievers so irresponsible, indifferent and so exceedingly enamored of this world that they feel no qualms in denying any truth whatsoever. All truths have ceased to have any worth in their eyes. Nor are they willing to put up with any kind of discipline.
Moreover, they are not the least interested in finding out whether the way they were following is true or not.
21. At this point the discourse turns to another theme. The Qur’an enumerates, one after the other, every single mischief enacted against the Prophet (peace be on him) by the Makkan unbelievers, all the arguments and pleas to which they resorted in the course of their opposition to him, all the pretexts to which they had recourse so as to evade believing in him, and all the objections which they raised against him. After mentioning all this the unbelievers are then admonished, censured and counselled.
22. As the news about the Prophet’s call spread all around, people asked the Makkans wherever they went about the Qur’an and its contents. To this the Makkan unbelievers were wont to reply in a manner that would repel others from the Prophet (peace be on him) and the Qur'an. They tried to sow the seeds of doubt in people’s hearts about the Qur’an, or at least to develop in them an attitude of aversion towards the Prophet (peace be on him).
23. There is a subtle gap between the answer and the preceding question.
The reader is left to fill this gap with a little reflection. God will ask: ‘Tell Me, now where are those of whom you ascribe a share in My divinity and for whose sake you disputed [with the upholders of the truth]?’ This will leave all unbelievers and polytheists dumbfounded. Then a conversation will take place among those endowed with knowledge. That conversation is alluded to here.
24. This is what God, Himself, will say in addition to what was said by ‘people endowed with knowledge’. What God says is by way of further explanation. Some commentators of the Qur’an consider this to be a part of the statement by ‘people endowed with knowledge’. Scholars who took this view, however, had to resort to far-fetched explanations, and despite all their efforts, their statements remain unpersuasive.
25. That is, when angels seize their souls at the time of death.
26. This and the following verse which mention the conversation between the righteous and the angels after the latter have seized the souls, are among several verses in the Qur’an which prove beyond doubt that people will be both rewarded and punished in the grave. : In the Hadith the expression qabr is used metaphorically for barzakh, for the state in which men’s souls will remain starting from the last moment of earthly life until their resurrection in the Hereafter. Those who reject the Hadith consider it to be a period of non-existence, a period: when men will be devoid of any feeling or perception, and during which men will receive neither reward nor punishment. However, in light of the above verse, it is clear that when the souls of the unbelievers are seized, they find the new world beyond the present one totally at odds with their expectations. Hence, they try to deceive the angels and plead their innocence. In response, however, the angels rebuke them and tell them that they are destined for Hell. When the souls of the righteous are seized, however, the angels welcome them and felicitate them in advance for their being destined for Paradise. Is it necessary, then, to look for any further evidence to prove that people will have life, feeling, consciousness, reward and punishment in the state known as barzakh? A statement similar to the one made here occurs in al-Nisa’. (4: 97) which recounts the conversation between the angels and. those Muslims who had failed to migrate in the cause of God. The most unambiguous statement of punishment is made in al-Mu’min (40: 45-6). Regarding Pharaoh and his people, God says: but the brunt of the punishment encompassed the people of Pharaoh on all sides. They are exposed to the Fire, morning and evening, and when the Day of Judgement will arrive, the sentence will be issued: ‘‘Cast the people of Pharaoh into the severest punishment’’.” The portrayal of the intervening period between man’s death and the Day of Resurrection in the Qur’an and the Hadith is identical. Death is merely separation of the soul from the body. It does not signify the annihilation of the soul. Also, after separation from the body, and unlike it, the soul does not suffer decomposition. It rather exists along with the personality shaped by its experience during earthly life and by its mental and moral attainments.
Consciousness, feeling, observation and experience of the soul in this state resembles that of a dream. The interrogation of a convict’s soul, its experience of punishment and torture, and its exposure to Hell are similar to the nightmare which a murderer experiences before his execution. Likewise, the reception accorded to the soul of a righteous person, the glad tidings about its entry into Paradise, and its experience of the breeze and fragrance of Paradise are similar to the sweet dreams of the official who sees in them that he has been summoned to receive a great award in recognition of ‘this excellent performance.
All dreams come to an end with the blowing of the Trumpet for the Resurrection and the evil-doers will suddenly find themselves alive both in body and soul. In utter surprise’ they will exclaim: ‘Ah! Woe unto us! (Ya Sin 36: 52). The righteous, however, will say with full conviction: ‘This is what Allah, Most Gracious, had promised; and true was the word of the Messengers’ (Ya Sin 36: 52). The immediate reaction of the evil-doers will be as if they had been asleep in their beds for an hour or so. They will find themselves awakened and will run for their lives. However, the believers’ reaction will be marked by firm conviction. They will say: ‘Indeed you did tarry, within Allah’s decree, to the Day of Resurrection, and this is the Day of Resurrection; but you were not aware!’ (al-Rum 30: 56).
27. The reply of the God-fearing and the righteous to the queries of people outside Makka concerning the Prophet (peace be on him) and his teachings is radically different from that of the unbelievers who lied. What distinguishes the former is that they do not engage in false propaganda. Nor do they try to deceive or confuse people. They simply express their appreciation of the Prophet (peace be on him) and his message, and apprise people of the facts as they are.
28. This succinctly expresses what Paradise will be like. Its basic characteristic is that man will be able to have what he wishes. Nothing will happen in it which is opposed to his desire and liking. It is obvious that no matter how resourceful any person may be in this world, he can never enjoy a similar privilege. Hence, every inmate of Paradise will attain the zenith of joy and satisfaction insofar as everything will happen as he desires. All his yearnings will be satisfied. All his dreams will come true.
29. This is said by way of advice as well as warning. For as far as explaining truths is concerned, the Prophet (peace be on him) carried out that task quite adequately. He did not fail to. reinforce his discourse with persuasive arguments. He also adduced every possible evidence drawn from the phenomena of the universe in support of his message. In short, he left no room for any reasonable person to persist in polytheism. What is it, then, that prevents the unbelievers from accepting an obvious truth? Are they waiting for the angel of death to approach them such that they embrace the true faith with their last breath? Will they see reason only after they have experienced the first blow of God’s punishment?
30. The whole argument of the polytheists was mentioned in al-An‘am 6: 148-9, and then it was refuted. (For an appreciation of the matter see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. II, al-An‘am 6: 148-9, and nn: 124-6, pp. 287-9.)
31. There is nothing new in the argument that if anyone falls into error or evil it was because of God’s will. This pretext has always been made use of by evil-doers in order to deceive their conscience and silence the well-wishers who admonish them.
What is being said here is the first rejoinder to the point made by the polytheists. In order to have a deeper understanding of this, it is worth recalling that in the preceding verses the polytheists dismissed the Qur’4n as ‘merely the tale of olden times’. In other words, they argued that the Prophet (peace be on him) was merely relating what had already been said thousands of times since olden days. Here these detractors are being told that they themselves have come up with nothing new. Their present plea is itself a repetition of what people had been saying over and over again since ancient times.
32. Itis not apt for polytheists to hold God’s will to.be responsible for their evil deeds, and. for not honoring God’s directives in respect of what is lawful and what is unlawful. Their plea is unjustified as God has raised His Messengers in every community. Each of these Messengers informed his people that they should serve only the One True God; that they had not been created to serve Taghut. Thus, human beings had already been adequately informed that God does not approve their falling into doctrinal error or committing evil deeds. The plea that if God had willed it so, they would not have fallen into error, does not, therefore, hold water. What it amounts to is that they wanted God not to send Messengers who would teach and explain but rather send those who would forcefully put them off the wrong way and compel them to follow the right way. (In order to appreciate the distinction between God’s will and God’s good pleasure see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. Il, al-An‘am 6, n. 80, pp. 266-7 and Tafhim al-Qur’ an, al-Zumar 39, n. 20.)
33. Whenever a Messenger came, his people were split into two groups.
One group consisted of those who accepted his teachings (and this was possible only because of God's succor). The other group was made up of those who clung to their inherited error. (For further elaboration see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. Il, al-An‘am 6, n. 28, p. 231.)
34. Experience is the best criterion for knowing what is true. If this view is correct, then it is easy for man to realize what is proved by the cumulative record of man’s past. Who was the victim of God’s wrath: Pharaoh and his people or Moses and the Israelites? Did God’s punishment strike Salih and his followers or those who rejected him, calling him a liar? Did it befall Hud, Noah and other Messengers and their followers or those who rejected their call? Do the events of the past justify the conclusion that those persons who, thanks to God’s will, commit polytheism and develop the criterion to distinguish between lawful and unlawful independent of God’s guidance, enjoy God’s approval and good pleasure? On the contrary, facts clearly prove that those who cling to error despite counsel and admonition, are allowed to commit guilt to a point, but when they go too far in their defiance, they are altogether destroyed by God.
35. This shows that both rational and moral considerations require that Resurrection and Final Judgement ought to take place. This is necessary because from the outset of man’s existence, there have been countless differences among human beings about what constitutes the truth. These differences have led to division within races, nations and families. They have also given rise to different creeds, cultures and societies based on a diversity of views. Millions of people have had such strong feelings about their religious doctrines that they have staked their lives, wealth, honor and everything else that they value so as to defend and promote them. On numerous occasions, fierce conflicts have broken out between the adherents of different religious views, each religious group doing its best to destroy the others completely. Yet those who were vanquished or obliterated, refused to give up their religious positions. Reason demands that, at least at some point, man should be in a position to know for sure the extent to which each of the doctrines was true or false; to know who are the people who followed the right way and who deviated from it. It seems impossible that the truth will ever become indisputably clear to all in the present world. Hence, there has :o be another life to fulfil this human requirement. - Life-after-Death, however, is not only a requirement of reason. It is also a moral requirement. A great many people have been party to the differences mentioned earlier. Some of them were oppressors and wrong-doers while others were victims of oppression and wrong-doing. Some people made sacrifices while others subjected them to these sacrifices. In addition, everyone adopted according to his lights, a moral philosophy and attitude which affects — for good or bad — the lives of billions, even trillions of other human. beings.
Now, a time must come when the moral consequences of these attitudes should be visible in the form of reward or punishment. If the present world is not so constituted that the true and full moral consequences of man’s actions can become apparent, then there must be another world to ensure that this is so.
36. The unbelievers assume that the resurrection all at one time of all human beings who ever lived in the world will be exceedingly difficult. They obviously do not bear in mind the extent of God’s power. For God does not require, in order to carry out whatever He wills, any of the resources that are ordinarily needed. All that the implementation of any act requires is His command. If He commands, all the resources are instantly provided and the conditions for the implementation of God’s intended act are created forthwith- It ought to be remembered that the present world also came to be merely because God so willed. And were He to so will, another world can instantly come into existence merely by virtue of His command.
37. This is an allusion to those who migrated to Abyssinia under the pressure of persecution from the Makkan unbelievers; this persecution had assumed unbearable proportions. The mention of the Muhajirun following the rejoinder to those who denied the Hereafter is done with a special purpose. It is to warn the Makkan unbelievers that after having perpetrated all kinds of cruelties, there is no reason for them to entertain the illusion that they would go unpunished, and that the grievances of the oppressed would never be redressed.
38. Here an objection of the unbelievers is refuted without making explicit mention of it. The same objection had been made in the past against other Prophets, and the contemporaries of the Prophet (peace be on him) also often gave vent to it. The objection consisted of pleading that a Prophet is no more than any other human being. How could they, then, accept him to be God’s Messenger?
39. They are directed to ask the religious scholars of the People of the Book, and all those knowledgeable persons acquainted with the teachings of the scriptures and the history of previous Prophets.
40. The Prophet (peace be on him) is instructed to elucidate the teachings embodied in the Qur’an ~ the ‘Admonition’. He is required to elucidate those teachings not merely by word of mouth. He is also required to do so by his conduct, by establishing a full-fledged Islamic society under his supervision and by establishing and operating a whole order of human life in consonance with that ‘Admonition’.
Thus, God explains the wisdom underlying the choice of human beings to serve as God’s Messengers. As for ‘Admonition’ (al-dhikr), it could have been sent through angels. It could also have been distributed on a mass scale among human beings in the form of a printed work. This would not, however, have fulfilled God’s purpose, Who, in His wisdom and compassion, willed that the Qur’an be revealed for man’s guidance. That purpose could be best realized by having it communicated to mankind through someone who would be the best specimen of humanity. The Book of God was revealed to the Prophet (peace be on him) in fragments so that he might communicate it to the people gradually.
While so doing he should explain any aspect of the Book to people which might be incomprehensible to them. He should also remove the doubts of those Who had any, disabuse their minds of misconceptions, and answer the objections of those who might have misgivings or objections.
It was also quite obvious that many would not believe in the Book of God, and that they would always oppose and resist it. The Messenger (peace be on him) was required to deal with such people in a manner that befits the bearers of such an exalted Book. As for those who decide to believe in it, it was required by the Prophet (peace be on him) to provide them with directives relating to every aspect of their lives, and to present before them a shining embodiment of these directives through his own life. He is also required to train his followers — both on an individual and a collective level — in order that an ideal human society comes into being; the kind of society which translates into practice the ideals of social order in consonance with the purposes which the Qur’an seeks to achieve.
This verse furnishes a weighty argument against those who do not believe that human beings can serve as God’s message-bearers. Likewise, it refutes the standpoint of those who reject the Hadith and seek to derive guidance from the Book of God alone without considering it necessary to be guided by the elucidation and elaboration of the Book by the Prophet (peace be on him). Such people take a variety of positions. One of these is that the Prophet (peace be on him) did not elucidate the Book. His task was simply confined to delivering it to people. Some of them take the position that what people are bound by is the Book of God, but not its elucidation by the Prophet (peace be on him). Others are of the view that the Book is sufficient to guide people and its elucidation was, therefore, unnecessary. They also argue that only the Qur’an is proved to be extant in an authentic form, and that the Prophet's true elucidation of it is either no longer extant or at least is not found in any trustworthy form.
Regardless of which of these positions they may take, each one of them comes into sharp conflict with the verse in question.
Let us take the first position, viz. that the Prophet (peace. be on him) did not elucidate the Qur’an and confined his efforts merely. to presenting the text of the Book. This view destroys the very purpose of revealing the Book to the Prophet instead of having it sent to people either directly or via angels.
Let us now consider the second option: that men should obtain guidance only from the Book of God but not from the Prophet’s elucidation of it. This reflects poorly on the institution of Messengers established by God. For if this supposition was sound, the Book might as well have been sent directly to human beings without the intermediation of His Messengers.
As for those who regard the Prophet’s-elucidation as. untrustworthy, this amounts to an annulment of the Qur’an as well as of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be on him). In fact, were we to follow this assumption, it would require acceptance of a new Prophet and a new revelation. For in this verse, God describes the Prophet (peace be on him) as indispensable for elucidating the Book, emphasizing that a Messenger is necessary to explain the intent of the Qur’an.
Now, we come to those who reject the Hadith on the grounds that the Prophet’s explanation and elucidation can no longer be found in the world.
This inevitably leads to two conclusions. First, that the ideal character of the Prophet (peace be on him) is no longer available to mankind for emulation.
Thus, for all practical purposes, our relationship with Muhammad (peace be on him) is similar to that with the Prophets of the past such as Hid, Salih, and Shu‘ayb (peace be on them). For we believe in them but do not consider them models to be emulated in our own lives for the simple and obvious reason that we lack reliable information about them. If we were to hold the same view about the Prophet (peace be on him), this necessarily calls for the advent of a new Messenger. For if that is the case, only a fool would still insist that Muhammad (peace be on him) is the final Messenger. The second conclusion to which this line of thinking leads is that the Qur’an has become incapable of guiding mankind. This is so because the Qur’an itself declares that without the elucidation of its teachings by the Prophet (peace be on him), it, in itself, does not suffice for man’s guidance. Hence, once it is accepted that the elucidation of the Qur’an does not exist in a trustworthy form, the need for a new revelation and the advent of a new Messenger is automatically established. Those who deny the Hadith are, therefore, undermining the very foundations of Islam.
41. The shadow of every physical object, be it a mountain or tree or animal or human being, testifies to the fact that everything is subject to a universal law. All are characterized by subservience to the Lord of the universe and none has any share of His divinity. That something casts a shadow indicates its materiality. And materiality, in turn, is a proof of its being a creature bound in servitude to God.
42. Apart from terrestrial beings, even heavenly beings which have been mistakenly conceived since time immemorial for gods, goddesses and kith and kin of God, are in fact beings in bondage to God. None has any share of His divinity at all.
Incidentally, the above verse also alludes to the fact that living beings are not special to the earth, but are also found on other planets. The same point has been made in al-Shura (42: 29).
43. The negation of two gods naturally includes the negation of more than two gods.
44. In other words, obedience to God is the axis around which the whole system of the universe revolves.
45. People are asked whether fear of any being other than the One True God, and desire to escape His wrath constitute an appropriate basis for man’s life?
46. The fact that man instantly turns to God alone in moments of distress is a clear testimony embedded in man’s own being. When faced with a serious crisis, all false notions woven by human fancies are shattered, and the true nature of man comes forward. This is the nature which knows none other than the One True God to be the true deity, the lord, the all-powerful master! (For further explanation see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. I, al-An‘am 6, nn. 29 and 41, pp. 231-3 and 239-40, and Yunus 10, n. 31 above.)
47. Once the crisis is over, men are wont to join others — saints, gods and goddesses — with God in giving thanks and making offerings and sacrifices. By so doing, they are saying that in addition to God there are also others who had a hand in the kindness shown by God. The fact is that they believe that had these beings not been kind to them and had they not urged God to kindness, He would not have shown them any kindness.
48. The unbelievers have no reliable means of knowing whether God has associated anyone in His divinity and whether He has delegated any of His tasks to others; or whether or not He Has Placed any part of His realm into the care of others.
49. This refers to the sacrifices and offerings which people make to deities out of their earnings, and to the portion of their agricultural produce which they exclusively allocate for their gods and goddesses.
50. In the pantheon of Arabia, goddesses outnumbered gods. These goddesses were conceived to be the daughters of God. Likewise, angels were also considered to be God’s daughters.
51. That is, sons.
52. The attitude of the unbelievers was tantalizingly self-contradictory. On the one hand, they considered it a matter of shame to have daughters, and on the other, they had no compunction in saying that God had daughters.
Notwithstanding the gross ignorance and blasphemy in the claim that God had children, the unbelievers are specially reproached for cherishing a concept of God which, in terms of their own conception, showed God in an unfavorable light. Polytheistic beliefs had made them so blasphemous, insolent, and insensitive to God’s majesty that they had no hesitation in saying whatever they wished about God.
53. In the absence of revelation, men are liable, under the influence of personal fancies or inherited beliefs, to divide themselves into a myriad of religious groups. However, revelation of the Qur’an has provided a solid basis of truth which can prove a rallying-point for all human beings. It is unfortunate that despite this favor granted by God, some people prefer to cling to their former state. It is obvious that such an attitude is bound to bring destruction and disgrace upon them. Only those who decide to accept and be guided by this Book will be directed to the right way and receive the blessings and bounties of the Qur’an.
53(a). Man witnesses an instructive spectacle every year. He observes that during the course of each year a time comes when the earth turns altogether barren, becoming bereft of every.sign of life and fertility. One does not even “see a blade of grass, nor plants or leaves, nor vines or flowers, nor even insects.
Then suddenly the rainy season sets in. The very first shower causes life to well up from the depths of the earth. Innumerable roots that lay crushed under layer upon layer of earth are suddenly revived, causing the plants which had appeared on the surface a year ago and had then withered away, to make their appearance once again. Likewise, innumerable insects, every trace of which had. been destroyed by the heat of summer, make their reappearance. Men observe this spectacle year after year— that life is followed by death and death by life.
Despite all this, when the Prophet (peace be on him) tells men that God will restore people to life after death, they are struck with surprise. This reaction clearly indicates that their observation of the phenomenon of life following death is one akin to the observation of irrational brutes who can hardly make any intelligent sense of what they see. For even if they note the phenomena of nature which makes them wonder, they are still unable to perceive the signs of the power and wisdom of God behind them. Had it not been so, their reaction to the Prophet’s statement regarding the Next Life should have been different.
They should have cried out that the innumerable signs which they themselves observed testified to it.
54, By mentioning what is in the cattle’s bellies between the filth and the blood, the Qur’an emphasizes the point that what animals eat is transformed, on the one hand, into blood, and on the other, into faces. At the same time, she-cattle produce milk which differs from both in its properties, color, smell as well as in its uses and purpose. They produce milk in such large quantities that it not only suffices the nutritional needs of their young ones, but also provides a palatable nutrition for human beings.
55. Implicit in the above verse is the fact that the juice provided by date-palms and grapes serves as wholesome sustenance. Additionally, however, the same juice can be fermented so as to produce alcohol. Now it depends on man whether he prefers to derive a nutritional drink from these fruits, or whether he prefers to make wine out of them which then makes him lose his senses. It should also be noted that the verse quite subtly suggests that wine does not constitute ‘wholesome sustenance’. This is a hint of its unlawfulness.
56. The Qur’anic term wahy literally means making a veiled or subtle suggestion which is comprehended only by the concerned party. It is for this reason that the term was also used to convey the concepts of ilqa’, ‘putting something in someone’s heart’, and ilham or inspiration (i.e. teaching something under the veil of secrecy). Now God does not impart His message to His creatures in tangible forms. The message is conveyed, instead, in subtle modes so that the actual transmission of the message eludes people’s observation. Hence. the process of the revelation of the Qur’an has been variously. expressed by. terms such as ilqa’, ilham and wahy. These terms, however, subsequently developed technical connotations. As a result, the term wahy began to be used to denote the message communicated to Prophets and ilham to denote the inspiration made to saints and other spiritually exalted beings. As for ilqa’, it has come to denote the ideas and feelings which God puts into the hearts and minds of ordinary people.
The Qur’an, however, does not make any such distinction. Hence, it mentions the wahy made to the heavens according to which the heavens are administered. ‘To teach heaven He made wahy of its duty’ (Ha Mim 41: 12).
Likewise, the earth also receives the revelation (wahy) which makes it narrate its record: ‘On that Day will it declare its tidings: for your Lord will have made the wahy’ (al-Zalzalah 99: 4-5). Angels are also bestowed with wahy and they function accordingly. ‘And recall when your Lord made wahy to the angels: “I am with you!” (al-Anfal 8: 12).
Significantly, wahy is also made to the bee to set up hives in the mountains and in the trees and in the trellises that people put up. However, this kind of inspiration (wahy) is not confined to the bee alone. Such divine inspiration teaches fish to swim, birds to fly, and new-born to suckle. Also, whenever man hits upon sound opinion or the right way to help him out of a situation without resort to the normal processes of reflection and investigation, this also constitutes a form of wahy. It is in this sense that the mother of Moses received.
wahy: ‘So We sent wahy to the mother of Moses to suckle him’ (al-Qasas 28: 7).
In this sense no one is deprived of wahy. All major achievements of rulers and statesmen and all significant discoveries and inventions reflect this kind of wahy. Many ordinary human beings also encounter experiences which show that they received direct guidance from on high. Sometimes a person suddenly finds that some idea has made an inroad into his heart, or he intuitively feels inclined to take a certain step, or receives a suggestion in his dream and subsequently discovers that all that was instrumental in providing him with right guidance come to him from an unidentifiable source.
Of the many forms of wahy, one special form is the revelation which is specifically communicated to Prophets. This form of wahy radically differs from other forms. In this kind of wahy, one to whom it is communicated is fully cognizant of the fact that guidance is from God. The recipient is fully convinced that it is from God. This kind of wahy consists of guidance embodying beliefs, injunctions and directives with the help of which Prophets are able to guide mankind.
57. ‘To keep treading the ways of the Lord which have been made easy’ refers to the entire system and procedure followed by a group of bees. The design of their hives, the organization of their groups, the astonishing division of labor among them, their constant and well-regulated movements to produce, carry and store honey represent the ways which have been made easy for them by God. They have been so well prepared to undertake this task that they do not even have to reflect for a moment about the acts in which they engage. There is a well-known, thoroughly regulated procedure which they have been following down the ages to keep these innumerable small honey-making factories in operation so as to produce a sweet source of sustenance.
58. Honey is too useful and tasty an item of food to need any. explicit mention. However, the healing properties of honey are relatively less known.
This aspect, therefore, was brought to light. Honey is inherently useful in the treatment of certain diseases for it preserves the juice and glucose of flowers and fruits in its best form for a long time.
Additionally, honey has certain properties which prevent it from rotting. It also serves as a preservative and keeps other things fresh for a long time. It is for this reason that it has been used for centuries in the pharmaceutical industry in place of alcohol. If bees have their hives at a place where there is an abundance of a particular herb, honey will contain the essence of that herb. The honey so produced will therefore be useful for the treatment of those ailments for which that herb is used. If bees are systematically employed for pharmaceutical purposes and the honey containing the essence of different herbs is preserved, it will possibly be much more useful than the medicines produced in laboratories.
59. The present discourse aims at corroborating the second part of the Prophet’s call. The unbelievers and polytheists opposed the Prophet (peace be on him) on two grounds. First, he preached the doctrine of Life-after-Death which calls for moral transformation. Second, he emphasized that God alone is worthy of worship and obedience, that He alone has the power to remove their distress and heed their complaints. This strikes at the very roots of the way of life founded on polytheism and atheism.
Attention is drawn here to the natural phenomena which bear testimony to the truth behind both aspects of the Prophet’s teachings. The above discourse invites man to reflect over the signs around him. People should seriously think whether they lend support to the truth of the Prophet’s statement regarding God’s unity and After-life or whether they lend support to the superstitions and fancies of the polytheists. The Prophet (peace be on him) vociferously states that after his death man will be resurrected. The unbelievers contemptuously dismiss this as utterly impossible. However, as soon as the first drops of rain fall on the earth, it is fully established that resurrection is not only logically possible, but is also a recurrent phenomenon. The Prophet (peace be on him) also forcefully states that the universe has a God Who created it and holds sway over it. This is denied by atheists as a claim unsupported by any evidence.
One has only to consider the design and function of cattle, of dates and grapes, and bees and it would be quite evident that all has been created by the All-Wise and All-Merciful Lord. Had it not been so, how would it have been possible for the cattle, the trees and the bees to join hands in producing such a fine, delicious and nutritious thing for man with such unfailing regularity? The Prophet (peace be on him) also emphatically states that it is God Whom they should worship, upon Whom they should lavish all praise, and Whom they should always thank. This is resented by the polytheists who insist on making offerings to their numerous deities. However, can one truly say that anyone other than God provided them with milk, dates, grapes and honey, which furnish them with the best kind of nourishment? Is it true that it is not the One True God but rather gods, goddesses and saints who made the elaborate arrangements for man’s subsistence that we observe?
60. Not only are the arrangements for man’s sustenance and growth entirely in God’s Hand, but God alone also has total control over man’s life and death.
No one else has the power to grant life, nor to cause death.
61. Manis proud of his knowledge, and his knowledge indeed distinguishes him from other creatures. It must be remembered that even knowledge is bestowed upon man by none other than God. It is a common sight — and yet highly instructive — that in old age even the wisest person who, in his younger days imparted wisdom to others, is reduced to a mere lump of flesh. Gone is all his sharpness. His senses become dull, rendering him incapable of even looking after his ordinary affairs.
62. This verse has been grossly misinterpreted in recent times. The interpretation to which the verse has been subjected clearly indicates the danger inherent in considering every single verse of the Qur’an separately and attempting to understand it in isolation from its context. This is bound to open the flood-gates of irresponsible and fanciful interpretation.
The present verse has been considered by some people to represent the foundation of the Islamic economic philosophy, and as an important provision of the Islamic economic system. According to such people, the true purpose of the verse is to tell those who have been granted ample worldly provisions to return them to their servants and slaves so as to make them equal sharers of those provisions. It is contended that if they fail to do so, they will be guilty of denying God’s favor.
The fact of the matter is that the context in which this verse occurs renders any discussion of economic questions quite out of place. The discourse is in fact devoted to emphasizing God’s unity and refuting polytheism. The preceding verses are directed to the above subjects, and the same discussion continues. It would be quite odd if an economic principle were suddenly enunciated at this point in the midst of a discussion devoted to quite another subject matter.
If one bears in mind the correct context of the verse it can be easily appreciated that what is being said here is something quite different. Here, people are first reminded of an actual fact of life. They are told that they do not share their wealth — even though it has been bestowed upon them by God — with their slaves and servants. In view of this, how can they justify that they should associate God’s helpless servants with Him in giving thanks for the favor conferred upon them by God alone? How can they consider these creatures of God equal to Him in respect of both rights and authority? Exactly the same point is made asking the same question elsewhere in the Qur’an: ‘He does propound to you a similitude from your own experience. Do you have partners from among those whom your right hands possess so that they would share the wealth We have bestowed on you till they become equals? Do you fear them as you fear your peers? Thus do We explain the signs in detail to a people that understand’ (al-Rum 30: 28).
A comparison of the present verse with the verse just quoted (viz. al-Raum 30: 28), makes it clear that both the verses are geared to the same purpose. The example and the argument which have been marshalled are also identical. In fact, the two verses are complementary, each assisting in the understanding of the other.
Perhaps the misinterpretation which arises has been caused by the Qur’anic statement: ‘Do they, then, deny the favor of Allah?’ (verse 71). Since this statement soon follows the citing of an example, it has led some people to the mistaken view that the failure to hand over one’s possessions to one’s slaves and servants amounts to denying God’s favors. However, anyone well versed in the Qur’an knows well that to. thank someone other than God for a favor bestowed by God is tantamount, according to the Qur’an, to denying God’s favors. This point has been repeated so often in the Qur’an that anyone who is familiar with it can never fall prey to any such misconception. Only those who are not well acquainted with the Qur’an and who, therefore, have to have recourse to studying it with the help of indices and concordances will be unaware of the true Qur’anic teaching on the matter.
Once a person rightly grasps what is meant by ‘denying God’s favors’ the verse becomes quite intelligible. The point that is being emphasized here is that people know the basic difference between master and slave. They also maintain such a distinction between the two in their practical lives, and make an effort to keep the two apart. However, they seem to brush all this aside in God’s case. Instead, they insist on associating His creatures — those who are His born servants — with Him. They also insist on giving thanks to God’s creatures for the favors that He alone has bestowed upon them.
63. To charge the unbelievers that they ‘believe in falsehood’ means that they subscribe to beliefs which are totally baseless and devoid of all truth. They subscribe, for instance, to the belief that it is gods, goddesses, jinn and saints of the past who have full powers to make or mar people’s destiny, to respond to their invocations, to bless them with offspring and the means for their livelihood, to effectively help them in any litigation and in preventing them falling prey to disease.
64. The Makkan polytheists did not deny that they owe to God all the bounties which they had received. They also had no hesitation in gratefully acknowledging God’s favors. However, their mistake lay in the fact that, in addition to giving thanks to God for those favors, they also gave thanks to others whom they considered to be His partners. The Qur’an considers this to be tantamount to denying God’s favor.
The Qur’an enunciates the principle that to give thanks to someone other than to whom it is due is identical to denying the favor of the true benefactor.
Likewise, the Qur’an enunciates another principle. It declares that any gratuitous assumption that the benefactor did not bestow favor out of his benevolence, but did so at the behest or intervention of someone else, also amounts to denying the favor of the true benefactor. It will be seen that both principles enunciated by the Qur’an are consonant with the dictates of justice and common sense. Everyone is capable of appreciating their reasonableness. Suppose someone helps a needy person out of compassion and then the person so helped stands up and gives thanks to someone who had nothing to do with the favor granted him. Someone might disregard this outrageous behavior out of magnanimity. He might even be so forbearing as to continue to help him. Nevertheless, he is bound to feel in his heart of hearts that the person whom he had helped was utterly thankless.
Moreover, if a benefactor comes to know that the needy person thanks others rather than himself in the belief that the latter had acted under the influence of someone else rather than out of genuine compassion and generosity, he is bound to feel insulted if such was not the case. Such a foolish explanation on the part of that person will only mean that he had an overly low opinion of his benefactor. It is indicative of the fact that he considers his benefactor to be bereft of compassion and mercy; that he looks upon him as one given to nepotism, as one who does not care for human beings and their sufferings. All he cares for is a group of persons whom he wishes to gratify in and out of season.
65. The command ‘not to strike any similitudes to Allah’ amounts to warning people not to conceive of Him in the image of worldly sovereigns. For many people do indeed develop faulty notions about God owing to the basically false image that-they entertain about Him. They tend to conceive in Him the image of a. worldly ruler who is surrounded in his palace by courtiers, officers and servants. Using this as their analogy, they think that God is also helplessly surrounded by angels, saints and other chosen ones. In the same way as a worldly sovereign cannot be approached directly without having to go.
through intermediaries, so it is in the case of God.
66. God explains the truth by means of sound parables for the benefit of those who are inclined to understand things through parables. The unbelievers had arrived at. wrong conclusions precisely because they had attempted to grasp things with the help of wrong parables.
67. There is a gap between the question which has been posed here and the statement that follows: ‘All praise be to Allah.’ In itself this expression contains a good hint as to how the gap can be filled.
Obviously, it was in no way possible for the polytheists to say, in response to the Prophet’s questions, that the two are equal. The only sensible answer to the question — even that given by many unbelievers — must have been an acknowledgement of the fact that the two are certainly not equal. There would, however, have been others who would have preferred to remain silent. They would have chosen to do so because the logical corollary to such an acknowledgement was that their polytheistic doctrines were false. On hearing both these kinds of responses the Prophet (peace be on him) says: ‘All praise be to Allah.’ With regard to the first response, he thanks God for the fact that even a polytheist was able to grasp at least that point. With regard to the second response, he thanks God that despite his obduracy the polytheist was unable to say that the two were equal, and thus failed to find any fault with the basic premise of monotheism.
68. The unbelievers are fully aware of the difference between the powerful and the powerless among their fellow human beings. Nor do they fail to distinguish between these two categories of people in their practical lives. So it is astonishing that when it comes to applying this reasonable distinction to Creator and created, they show utter foolishness and stupidity insofar as they fail to recognize the essential difference between the two. As a result, they tend to conceive created beings as partners with God in His essence and attributes, in His power and rights. They also adopt towards created beings a stance which ought to be adopted only towards the Creator.
Astonishingly enough, when it comes to worldly life, the unbelievers are quite clever. When they need something they know that they should ask the master of the house for it rather than his servant. However, when it comes to asking for bounties which lie beyond the range of normal causation, rather than seek them from the Lord of the universe, they turn to His servants.
69. In the former parable the difference between God and the false deities is brought out with reference to the all-powerfulness of the One and the powerlessness of the other. In the second parable, the same difference is explained even more emphatically. However, this is done with reference to attributes. The point that emerges, therefore, is not merely that God is the Master Who is possessed of power, while the false deities are powerless servants but in addition there is a further difference between them. Being powerless servants the false deities cannot hear their prayers, nor answer them, nor do they have the power to do anything out of their own power. In fact they owe even their existence to their Lord. Were the Master to assign them any task, they have no power — unless God confers it upon them — to accomplish that task. In sharp contrast to that, the Master is all-powerful and all-wise. He enjoins all to practice justice. He not only has the power to act as He chooses, but He also acts in accordance with truth and rectitude. Thus, the difference between God and the false deities is quite glaring. How can it be wise, then, for anyone to hold the Lord and His servants as equal?
70. Taken together with the following verse this verse constitutes a rejoinder to the oft-repeated question of the Makkan unbelievers as to when Resurrection would take place. The question is answered here without explicitly mentioning it.
71. Resurrection would not come about gradually. Men will not be able to observe it approaching. It will rather overtake them suddenly and no one will have the time to make amends. Hence it is imperative that people give serious thought to the matter and make up their minds as to what they ought to do. No one should relax under the illusion that the Day of Judgement is far off. For when it is evident that the Day of Judgement is close at hand, no one will be able to make amends.
The question of the After-life has been introduced with seeming abruptness in this discussion for good reason. The purpose is to drive home to people that the choice between monotheism and polytheism is not just a theoretical issue.
They should rather be conscious, quite conscious, that the Day of Judgement will suddenly overtake them and decide man’s success or failure in the Next Life. With this note of warning, the discourse on God’s unity is resumed.
72. This refers to the resources which enable man to obtain knowledge and to administer the affairs of the world. At the time of his birth a human child is much more helpless and ignorant than the new-born of any animal. However, it is by dint of the means of obtaining knowledge bestowed upon him by God — hearing, sight, reason — that he gains mastery over all other earthly creatures.
73. Man is asked to give thanks to God Who has bestowed on him such invaluable bounties. It is the height of ingratitude that man should use his faculty of hearing and listening to everything except God’s message: that he should use the faculty of sight to observe everything except God’s signs; that he should use his intellect to reflect about every possible thing except the question as to who it is who has lavished all possible bounties on him.
74, This refers to a tent of skin which is quite a common feature in Arabia.
75. When they embark on a journey, they easily fold the tent and carry it, and when they decide to stay somewhere they easily unfold and pitch the tent they were carrying.
76. Here no reference is made to winter clothing. One possible reason could be that summer clothing represents the height of human civilization. Having mentioned that, there is, therefore, no need to refer to something which represents a lower stage of civilization. Another possible reason could be that lands such as Arabia are subject to the ravaging simoom, the blazing wind of the hot, scorching desert. Given this, summer clothing is of much greater importance than winter clothing. If one does not cover one’s head, neck, ears — in fact the whole of one’s body — one may be scorched to death by the simoom.
77. That is, coat of mail.
78. The completion of God’s favor upon man means that God takes note of all man’s needs in life and provides him with them all. An instance in point is the protection of the human body against the in clemencies of the weather. In this regard, God has made such elaborate arrangements in response to such a wide variety of needs that were one to write about them in some detail, it would run into a voluminous book. In fact, a whole volume is needed simply in connection with clothing and shelter. However, man also needs food. In this regard we know that God has provided an abundance of resources to feed human beings on such a wide scale and with such a baffling variety that no requirement of man for food remains unfulfilled. Were one to enumerate the different varieties and forms of food, this would also run into a huge book. This would be the completion of God’s favor concerning food. In like manner, if we were to scan man’s needs in all his different spheres of life, it is quite evident that God has lavished His bounties on all. ‘
79. Here ‘refusal to acknowledge’ God’s favors signify not so much the refusal to acknowledge it in words as in practice. The Makkan unbelievers did not verbally deny that God had done them a great variety of favors. Yet they believed that God’s favors upon them were due to the intercession of their saints and deities. Hence, they thanked the beings which, in their view, interceded on their behalf more amply than they thanked God. It is precisely this which God regards as denial of His favor and downright ingratitude to Him.
80. The word ‘witness’ in the verse stands for the Prophet of a people, or anyone else who after his passing away, asks them to eschew polytheistic superstitions and rituals, invites them to exclusively worship the One True God, and warns them of accountability on the Day of Judgement. Such a person will bear testimony on the Day of Judgement that he did indeed convey the truth to his people. Whatever they did thereafter was, therefore, not out of ignorance. It was rather done despite full knowledge, and so deliberately.
81. This does not mean that people will not be allowed to explain their conduct. What the verse means is that the wrong-doing of the unbelievers will be established by incontrovertible and undeniable evidence. It will leave them no room to explain away or defend their conduct.
82. At this stage they will not be asked to repent and seek pardon from their Lord. For this will be the Hour of Judgement. Both the Qur’an and the Hadith make it clear that one may repent and seek pardon during the present life. It is not possible to do so in the Hereafter. Even in this life, the opportunity for repenting and seeking pardon is available as long as one is not in the throes of death. When a man becomes certain that he is on the verge of breathing his last, his repentance is of no avail. For as soon as a person reaches the frontiers of death, the term for doing good comes to an end. Only one thing follows that event — God’s reward or punishment.
83. This does not mean that the false deities will deny that the unbelievers called upon them to help them and rescue them from distress. What they will deny is that they neither knew nor expressed their consent, nor did they ask them to call upon them rather than upon God. Hence, they were in no way responsible for whatever the polytheists might have done. If people believed that they had the power to hear and answer prayers, or to remove distress or effectively assist them, all this was a lie which people had themselves invented.
Hence, they alone should be responsible for that and bear its consequences.
84. All the fabrications of the unbelievers will vanish on the Day of Judgement. Those in whom the unbelievers and polytheists had placed their trust will be gone. They will be unable to find anyone even to heed their complaints and lamentations. None will be there to solve their difficulties. No holy men or saints will step forward to intercede on their behalf. No one will dare to plead with God that no harm should come to them for they were sincerely devoted to Him.
85. The punishment inflicted on such unbelievers will be two-fold. Apart from being punished for unbelief, they will also be punished for barring others from the way of God.
86. The Qur’an clearly explains what the basic factors are which cause man to find or lose the right way, to attain success or end up in failure. It also clearly illuminates all that a man needs to know in order to be rightly-directed and to be able to distinguish truth from falsehood. However, some people tend to make an altogether erroneous interpretation of (‘which makes everything clear’) and similar statements in other verses of the Qur’an. They take the statement in a purely literal sense to mean that every single thing has been laid down and explained in the Qur’an. Proceeding on this assumption, they try to call out from the Qur’an all sorts of strange facts — scientific and otherwise — in order to vindicate their assumption.
87. The Qur’an will provide sound guidance to those who accept the Qur’an and adopt the stance of obedience in all spheres of life. Adherence to Qur’anic guidance will bring upon them God’s mercy, Moreover, the Book of God will announce to them the glad tidings of their success on the Day of Judgement.
Those who reject the Qur’an, however, will be deprived of God’s guidance and mercy. Not only that but on the Day of Judgement when God’s Messenger will bear witness against them, this Book will serve as an overpowering evidence against them. For the Messenger will conclusively establish that he had conveyed to them the Book which clearly explains the distinction between truth and falsehood.
88. This directive which has been so succinctly expressed enjoins on people three principles which provide the basis for the sound ordering of human society. The first and foremost principle is ‘justice’ which comprises two independent truths. One, that there be balance and right proportion among human beings in respect of their rights. Two, that every person be granted his rights without any distinction. The word used in Urdu as an equivalent of ‘ad! (justice) is insaf. This word creates some confusion. It somehow leads people to believe that in the distribution of rights between two or more persons, the basis should be nisf and nisf (‘half and half’).
It is presumably for this reason that justice has come to signify equal distribution of rights. This is, however, quite contrary to nature. What justice really demands is balance and right proportion rather than absolute equality.
True, in certain respects, equality among members of society, such as in respect of the rights of citizenship, is a requirement of justice. However, equality in certain other matters is diametrically opposed to the requirements of justice. For instance, it would be sheer injustice if we were to grant children equal rights with their parents, or to equally compensate those who work hard and well and those who do not. Hence, what God has commanded is not equality in rights. He has rather commanded balance and right proportion. This requires that the moral, social, economic, legal, political and cultural rights to which a person is entitled should be granted to him with sincerity.
The ‘second principle is benevolence (to be literal, ‘doing good’) which broadly embraces ‘all such good acts as politeness, generosity, sympathy, tolerance, courtesy, forbearance, mutual accommodation, mutual consideration, giving to others more than what is their due, and being content for oneself with a little less than what one is entitled to. This principle goes a step further than justice and is hence, in some respects, even more important for man’s social life than justice. If justice is the foundation on which the structure of a society should rest, then benevolence represents the beauty and perfection of that structure. Justice wards off the bitterness of discord and disharmony from human life. Benevolence adds to it the elements of pleasance and sweetness.
No society can be sustained merely on the principle that every member of it should be jealously watchful of, and insistent upon, receiving every bit of his right and be willing to grant others exactly what is their due, but absolutely no more. Perhaps such a cold and stark society might — thanks to the application of justice as conceived above — be able to avoid internal conflicts. However, such a society will be utterly devoid of such life-giving and life-sustaining values as love and compassion, gratitude and magnanimity, and sacrifice and goodwill for others.
The third principle enunciated in this verse is liberality to kith and kin. This is a corollary of the former principle — ‘benevolence’ — when it is applied to one’s relatives. This consists not only of sharing one’s joys and sorrows with one’s kin, and in helping and supporting the fulfilment of their legitimate desires within permissible limits. But also that one should recognize that one’s wealth ought not to be spent exclusively on oneself and one’s immediate family. Other members of the family also have a share in it. God’s law requires rich persons to take care of the needs of their relatives and not to leave them to go about without proper food and clothing. According to the Qur’anic standard of judgement a society in. which some people are immersed in luxury whereas other members of their family remain unprovided for even with the basic necessities of life is an unhealthy society.
The needy members of a family have a prior claim to receive assistance from their relatives, and it is only after this that they have a claim to assistance from others. To put it conversely, the prosperous members of a family are required to assist their own relatives in need before assisting any others.
This principle has been explicitly enunciated by the Prophet (peace be on him) in a number of his statements. It has been stated in several traditions that a person’s parents, his wife, his children and his brothers and sisters have the first and foremost right against him. These are followed by those who are next to them in kinship, the principle being the closer the relationship, the more is the claim; and vice versa. Guided by this principle ‘Umar made it incumbent on the cousin of an orphan to undertake the latter’s maintenance. Likewise, he stated that if that orphan had no close relative but only a distant one, the latter would be responsible for the orphan’s maintenance. If each family looks after its members, it can be well imagined how widely spread would economic prosperity be in that society; how harmonious and pleasant would the interrelationship of its members be, and how sublime and lofty would the moral standards operating in it be.
89. In contrast to the three moral principles mentioned above, God forbids three vices which corrupt both individuals and society at large.
The first and foremost of these vices is fahsha’ which embraces the whole range of evil and shameful deeds. Every vice which is intrinsically of a highly reprehensible character falls into this category whether it be miserliness, fornication, nudity, homosexuality, marrying those with whom marriage is forbidden, stealing, drinking, begging, or hurling abuses and outrageously rude words at others. Likewise, it also covers those evil acts which are committed publicly or which lead to the propagation of corruption such as slander, calumny, publicizing the hidden sins of others, inciting people to moral corruption be it by so-called belles-lettres, plays or films, nude pictures, appearance of women in public with alluring make-up, promiscuous mixing between men and women, appearance of women on the stage to dance and twist their bodies, and the display of other forms of female coquetry.
The next category of vice referred to is evil which is universally acknowledged as bad and immoral. Included in it are all evils which have been unanimously condemned by the human conscience and which have been forbidden by the Divine Law in all ages.
The third category of vice which is forbidden is transgression. This stands for the exceeding on anyone’s part one’s proper limits and usurping the rights of others — whether those rights be those of God or of fellow human beings.
90. This verse explains three kinds of covenants and exhorts the believers to fulfil their obligations to each of them. These covenants are described in a descending order of importance. The covenant of highest importance is the one made by man with God. The second in importance is the covenant that has been reinforced by invoking God’s name. The last category consists of agreements made with others without invoking the name of God. This is less important than the other two. However, it is imperative that the obligations incurred by all of these covenants be fulfilled. For it is not permitted to breach any of the above categories of covenant.
91. Here the worst kind of breach of covenant is specifically mentioned and denounced. The reason for its denunciation.is that this kind of breach causes the greatest corruption and mischief. Strangely, this kind of breach is committed by people of stature who do so considering it an act of virtue and who win acclaim from their people for doing so.
In the course of the political, economic and religious conflicts. Between groups and nations, it often happens that the leader of one group or nation enters into an agreement with another. Subsequently, the leader of that group or nation brazenly violates that agreement or acquires some illegitimate advantages by violating it, and does so under the plea of promoting the interests of his group or nation. Even those who are righteous in their personal lives feel no qualms in committing such a breach of agreement. Their own community does not censure them. It does not charge them for having committed an evil act. On the contrary, they are patted on the back, and their petty cunning is acclaimed as the height of diplomatic astuteness.
God warns against such an attitude. Every agreement puts the morality and integrity of the person and the group who are a party to it to the test. Those who fail the test will not escape being brought to account for it in the majestic court of God.
92. It is only on the Day of Judgement that one will know which among. the conflicting views prevalent in the world was right. However, even those who are altogether right in their views have recourse to breach of commitment, or to lie and slander and are deceitful. against their opponents even if their world-view is totally erroneous and false. Such an attitude is altogether faulty. For devotion to truth requires not only that one’s world-view and purpose be based on truth, but that the means used to promote it should also be fair and honest. Such a warning is especially needed with regard to religious groups which are often under the illusion that God is permanently on their side and that their opponents are God’s rebels. The former, therefore, have a right to hurt the latter by all possible means. They consider themselves free of all restraint in dealing with those whom they consider to be God’s enemies. Against such people, they need not be bound by the dictates of truthfulness, trustworthiness and faithfulness to commitment. That is exactly what the Jews of Arabia used to say: ‘We will not be taken to task for whatever we may do to the non-Jews (ummis)’ (Al ‘Imran 3: 75). In other words, they considered themselves free.to deal with Gentiles as they pleased. They considered themselves free to commit breach of faith, and to resort to any other means — fair or foul — which would serve the interests of those who were dear to God (i.e. Jews) and hurtful to their opponents (i.e. Gentiles). They were sure they would not be taken to task by God regardless of what they did.
93. This further explains the contents of the preceding note. If someone considers himself to belong to God’s party and strives to promote His religion and to wipe out all other religions, resorting in that connection to foul means, he is guilty of going against God’s will. For had God wanted that all religious differences among human beings be totally wiped out, leaving no choice in matters of religion and forcing all men willy-nilly to embrace one single religion, He could have done so without the help of those who claim to be of God’s own party. God was well able to achieve that purpose by the use of His power. He could have created all men to be born believing in and submitting to God’s imperatives and so deprived them of the capacity to disbelieve and disobedience. Had God so willed, who could have deviated in the least from faith and obedience?
94, The opportunity that man enjoys to make a choice between alternative ways out of his own free-will has been granted to him by none other than God Himself. Hence, the ways that men will choose are bound to be diverse. For anyone who seeks to end up in error, God makes it possible to choose error.
But, whoever seeks to be directed to the straight path, God also makes it possible.
95. This verse emphatically admonishes the believers to adhere to righteous conduct. At times, those who are otherwise intellectually convinced that Islam is sound, may observe the misbehavior and corruption of Muslims and this may deter them from joining the fold of Islam. The reason being that they did not find the Muslims with whom they came into contact any better in their moral conduct than the unbelievers.
96. Reference is made here to the commitment made by the Muslims in the name of God, or as representatives of the religion enjoined by God.
97. To urge people not to barter away the covenant of God for a paltry gain does not mean that one may do so for a substantial gain. The purpose of this directive is to emphasize that worldly gains, howsoever big they may be, are paltry in comparison with God’s covenant. Thus, bartering away God’s covenant will always lead man to suffer loss no matter what he receives in return for it.
98. ‘Those who have been patient’ are those who adhere to truth and honesty in utter disregard of all temptations, desires, and lusts. They are the ones who endure all losses which accrue.to them as a result of strictly confining themselves to fair and honest means and spurning all advantages which ensue from adopting unfair methods. Such persons are prepared to wait till the very end of their worldly life after which they will be able to observe the good consequences of their deeds.
99. This verse aims at removing the misunderstanding that might be entertained by believers and unbelievers alike. This misunderstanding consists of the belief that one who follows the path of truth, honesty and righteousness, is bound to ruin his worldly life. At best such a person may be able to achieve success in the Next Life, but as far as this world is concerned, no good results can be expected.
In response, it is pointed out that such a supposition is altogether erroneous. Anyone who adopts the right attitude will not only be able to enjoy success in the Next Life, but will also achieve success in the present life. Those who are righteous, straightforward in their dealings, and virtuous in their conduct are perceptibly better even in their worldly life than those who are devoid of faith and good morals. For it is they alone who enjoy the confidence and genuine respect of people because of their unblemished character. The kind of success which they enjoy, therefore, cannot fall to the share of those who pursue success by all possible means, including those that are outrageously foul. The righteous, even when their material conditions are unenviable, enjoy an inner peace and tranquility which is beyond the reach of evil-doers even when they live in ostentatious luxury.
100. In the Next Life the righteous will achieve a status consonant with their best deeds. In other words, a person who does good deeds in this present world — be they of major or minor significance — will be generously rewarded. Even for minor acts of goodness such a person will receive the reward which people merit for good deeds of major significance.
101. This does not simply mean that before starting to recite the Qur’an one should simply utter the words: ‘I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed.’ Seeking refuge with God against Satan should not merely involve a man’s tongue, but also his heart. In addition, the desire to free oneself from Satan’s evil prompting should be backed up by practical efforts to keep oneself secure against uncalled-for doubts and suspicions. Such a person should make a serious effort to view the Qur’an in its right perspective, allowing the Qur’an to leave the imprint of its true teachings on his mind. He should take every precautionary measure to avoid distorting the Qur’an. One should beware of this, since many people are wont to interpret the Qur’an in the light of their own ideas, fancies or inclinations derived from extraneous sources. The result is that they understand the Qur’an in disregard of, or even as contrary to the intent which God embodies in it.
One should also never forget that Satan’s greatest wish is that man should always remain deprived of obtaining guidance from the Qur’an. Hence, whenever a person turns to the Qur’an, Satan leaves no stone unturned to prevent him from deriving guidance from it and to directing his thoughts instead along erroneous paths. One should, therefore, be highly vigilant while studying the Qur’an and should constantly invoke God’s help lest one fail to be directed to the guidance it embodies owing to Satan’s machinations. If someone fails to obtain guidance from the Qur’an, he will obtain guidance from nowhere. And if someone is so unfortunate that he derives false and erroneous doctrines from the Qur’an, nothing in the world will be able to rescue him from misguidance and doctrinal error.
The present verse forms part of a discourse which is geared to refuting certain objections of the polytheists which were directed against the Qur’an. It states in a preparatory manner that only he who is alert to Satan’s machinations and seeks God’s refuge from him will be able to perceive the true light of the Qur’an. For those who are complacent about Satan are led off the right track to such a degree that it becomes simply-impossible for them to appreciate the message of the Qur’an.
102. The replacement of one verse by another might possibly signify replacing one command by another. For the commands embodied in the Qur’an were revealed gradually. Sometimes it also happened that on one ° particular issue, two or three commandments were revealed one after the other in the course of a few years. The instances which immediately come to mind are those regarding drinking and unlawful sexual indulgence.
We feel disinclined, however, to accept this interpretation. The simple reason is that the verse in question was revealed during the Makkan period. As far as we know, no instances of gradual revelation of commands are on record for this. period.
We, therefore, tend to believe that what is meant by replacing one verse by another is that a certain idea was explained in the Qur’an at different places with the help of different parables. The same story is conveyed with one set of expressions and then later with another. At times a particular aspect of an issue is highlighted and at other times some other aspect of it is emphasized. To prove a point, sometimes recourse is made to one argument and sometimes to another. The same idea is presented briefly at one place and in greater detail at another. This led the Makkan unbelievers to charge the Prophet (peace be on him) with being the author of the Qur’an. For them if the Qur’an had been derived from a divine source of knowledge, it would have set forth every question in such a manner that it would be absolutely clear and there would be no need for taking it up again. They considered it unworthy of God to reveal His messages piecemeal; to send His guidance gradually; and to. resort to a variety of revelations. They contended that piecemeal and gradual revelation did not be hove God. The unbelievers thought such an attitude weak and imperfect which in turn reflected the efforts of human beings to express their imperfect knowledge.
103. The Qur’anic expression ‘Ruh al-Qudus’ literally means ‘holy spirit" or the ‘spirit of holiness’. This appellation is exclusively used for the angel Gabriel. By preferring to use this appellation rather than his proper name, the Qur’an emphasizes that the message of the Qur’an has been conveyed through the spirit which is free from all human weaknesses and imperfections. The Qur’an was communicated to the Prophet (peace be on him) by one who is fully trustworthy so that there-is no danger of his tampering with God’s message. The Qur’an was not communicated through anyone who is prone to lying and fabrications so that he would make up some messages and then falsely ascribe them to God. Nor was it communicated through someone who would resort to deception and fraud under the influence of selfish motives.
Instead, the Qur’4n was communicated by a holy and purified spirit which always conveys the Word of God with utmost trustworthiness.
104. That the Qur’an was revealed gradually rather than in one piece does not prove any deficiency in God’s knowledge or wisdom — a view erroneously held by the unbelievers. It is rather man’s power of comprehension and assimilation which is deficient. Hence, if the Qur’an had been revealed in one piece, it would have been difficult for people to assimilate its whole message in a short span of time. Nor would it have been easy to fully digest even a single aspect of that message in a limited period of time. Thus God, in His wisdom, entrusted Gabriel to communicate the Qur’an to the Prophet (peace be on him) in pieces. At times, the Qur’anic messages were set out succinctly and at other times in some detail The literary style employed to explain the messages also varied, One and the same point is driven home by variously employing different methods. All this is done so that all those who seek the truth might be able to obtain it despite their varying intellectual endowments, and subsequently grow mature in their knowledge, conviction and understanding.
105. This constitutes another reason underlying the gradual revelation of the Qur’an. The believers who attempt to follow the way of God encounter many problems in the course of their calling to Islam as well as in connection with the practical problems of life. The Qur’an provides them with adequate and timely guidance in this regard. It is quite obvious that it would have been altogether unwise to reveal directives in connection with all the different problems and stages of life before people even encountered them. Nor would it have been useful to reveal all the directives together in a short span of time:
106. This constitutes still another reason for the gradual revelation of the Qur’an. The Muslims encountered different kinds of resistance and opposition, and they were also subjected to persecution in a myriad of forms. Formidable obstacles were placed by their opponents to prevent the propagation of Islam.
These daunting circumstances required that the Muslims should constantly receive good tidings from God to keep their morale high. It was also necessary that the believers should be assured of their ultimate victory in order to prevent them falling prey to pessimism and despair.
107. These are reports which mention different names. These were the Makkan unbelievers who were suspected of being the true source of the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him). In one of the reports, the name of the person mentioned is Jabr who was a Roman slave of ‘Amir ibn al-Hadrami. In another report, the name mentioned is ‘A’ish or Ya‘ish, a slave of Huwaytib ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzza. Another report mentions Yasar, a Jew, whose agnomen (kunyah) — was Abu Fukayhah, and who was the slave of a Makkan woman. Still another report mentions someone by the name of Bal‘an or Bal‘am, a Roman slave.
Be that as it may, the unbelievers of Makka formed their judgement on the basis of one simple thing. They tried to find out who, among the acquaintances of the Prophet (peace be on him) knew about the Torah and the Gospels. They needed to know nothing else about the person to be able to declare that he was the real author of the Qur’an, a Book which the Prophet (peace be on him) ascribed to God. (See Ibn Hisham, Sirah, vol. 1, p. 393 and al-Qurtubi’s comments on verse 103 of the present surah Ed.)
This shows how grossly mistaken people are in forming opinions about the true worth of their contemporaries. The Makkans had the unique privilege of being directly acquainted with a man like whom none had lived on earth before, nor would ever live after. Disregarding the sterling qualities of such a person, they saw greater merit in some foreign slaves of Makka who had some small knowledge of the: scriptures. Strangely enough, they were inclined to consider them to be the source of knowledge and wisdom embodied in the Qur’an.
108. Alternatively, this verse may be translated as follows: ‘It is only those who do not believe in the signs of Allah who invent lies.’
109. This verse deals with those Muslims who, at that time, were being severely persecuted; were being forced under torture to revert to unbelief. Such believers are being assured that if under such unendurable pressure, and out of the desire to save their lives, they are sometimes inclined to indicate that they no longer believe in Islam, they will be pardoned by God provided their hearts remain secure from all false doctrines. However, if they not only declare their verbal dissociation from Islam, but even in their hearts become convinced that it was some other religious doctrine rather than Islam which was true, they will not be able to escape God’s punishment.
It is not the purpose of the verse to urge people to declare their dissociation from Islam in order to save their lives. All the verse says is that a person would: not be punished for so doing provided that in his heart he retains his faith. However, if someone wants to follow a more praiseworthy cause and prefers to live on a higher level of faith, he ought to adhere to his position even if he is most brutally tortured to death.
If we were to carefully study the time of the Prophet (peace be on him), we would find examples of men like Khabbab ibn Aratt who was made to lie on a red-hot fire until the fire was extinguished by the molten fat of his body. Despite such torture, Khabbab valiantly clung to his faith. Likewise, Bilal was made to put on his armor and then stand in the scorching sun. He was then made to lie down on hot sand and dragged around. In spite of all this, Bilal continued his declaration of God’s unity. In like manner we come across Habib ibn Zayd ibn ‘Asim. Under orders from Musaylimah, the false pretender to prophethood, one limb after another was severed from this man’s body so as to force him to affirm that Musaylimah was a Prophet designated by God. Habib continued to resist such demands, bearing this unspeakable torture until he died.
On the other side of the scale, we see ‘Ammar ibn Yasir, who had seen how both his father and mother were cruelly tortured to death. Thereafter, he himself was subjected to torture. The torture was simply too severe for ‘Ammar to bear; under those unbearable circumstances he uttered all that the unbelievers had wanted him to say. Then he burst into tears and appeared before the Prophet (peace be on him): ‘O Messenger of God, I was not spared until I reviled you and praised their gods.’ The Prophet (peace be on him) asked him: ‘What do you feel is the state of your heart?’ He replied: ‘Satisfied with what I believe in.’ The Prophet (peace be on him) said: ‘If the unbelievers repeat their persecution, do again what you did.’ (Ibn Sa‘d, vol. 3, p. 249 - Ed.)
110. These statements were made about those who, finding that the path of faith was difficult, recanted and rejoined the ranks of their people — the unbelievers and the polytheists.
111. Reference is made to those who had migrated to Abyssinia.
112. There are no clear indications that help one identify the ‘town’ alluded to in the previous verse; even commentators on the Qur’an have been unable to identify it. It is Ibn ‘Abbas’ opinion that the town referred to in the parable is Makka itself. (See al-Qurtubi’s comments on verse 113 of the present surah — Ed.) As for the hunger and fear mentioned in the verse (i.e. verse 113), this possibly refers to the famine that held the Makkans in its grip for quite some time after the advent of the Prophet (peace be on him).
113. We thus learn that the famine mentioned above had come to an end by the time the present surah was revealed.
114. The believers are directed to abstain from deciding on their own what is lawful and what is not. They. may partake of all that God has declared to be lawful and good, and should give thanks to Him. Conversely, they should abstain from all things unlawful in the Law of God.
115. The same command recurs elsewhere as well. See al-Baqarah 2: 173; al-Ma' idah 5: 3; and al-An‘am 6: 119.
116. The verse lays down categorically that no one other than God has the authority to declare something lawful or otherwise. In other words, God alone is the Law-Maker. If anyone else makes bold to declare on his own certain things to be lawful and others unlawful, he certainly goes beyond his legitimate limits. No such statements may be made unless one can demonstrate that such opinions are based on God’s commands* By arrogating the right to declare things lawful or unlawful, one becomes guilty of inventing lies against God.
For anyone who declares certain things to be lawful and others unlawful is guilty of any one of the following. He will either claim that his declarations of lawful and unlawful are in accordance with God’s own declarations.
Alternatively, he will claim that God has withdrawn His own prerogative to give man the Law which he might follow, and has, thereby, now delegated it to man himself. In either case, the statement is false and is tantamount to inventing lies against God.
117. All this is in response to the objections that were being made against the above-mentioned command, viz. to consider God alone to be the Law-Giver. The Makkan unbelievers pointed an accusing finger towards the Muslims, charging that they had made lawful many a thing which was unlawful in the Old Testament. They further agreed that if the Mosaic Law was also from God then the Muslims were themselves guilty of violating God’s Law. They also pointed out that if the Law revealed to Moses and the Law revealed to Muhammad (peace be on him) were both from one and the same source — God — how can one explain the differences between them?
Another major objection they made was that the Prophet (peace be on him) had dispensed with the law of the Sabbath which figures in the Old Testament. The kernel of their objection was that there were now two possibilities of which the Muslims had to choose one. They should either admit that they had changed one of God’s laws out of their own volition. Or they should admit that they acknowledge that God gave two contradictory commands in two different versions of His Law.
118. This alludes to the following verse in al-An‘am (6: 146): ‘And to those who had Judaized we have forbidden all beasts with claws.’ The verse in fact mentions that it was because of the continual disobedience of the Jews that certain things which were originally lawful, were made unlawful for them as punishment for their misdeeds.
This, however, poses a problem. In the above verse, as we have seen, reference is made to a verse of al-An‘am. This would imply that Sarah al-An‘am was revealed prior to the revelation of the present surah. However, in al-An‘am we also come across the following verse: ‘And how is it that you do not eat of that over which Allah’s name has been pronounced even though He has clearly spelled out to you what He has forbidden you?’ (al-An‘am 6: 119). This seems to clearly refer to al-Nahl. For, of the Makkan surahs, al-Nahl is the only surah, apart from al-An‘am, which enumerates in some detail which things are unlawful.
This raises the question as to which of the two surahs — al-Nahl or al-An‘adm — was revealed earlier. In our opinion, al-Nahl was revealed earlier, and it is to this sarah that reference is made in the above-mentioned verse of al-An‘am. At a later stage, the Makkan unbelievers levelled objections against verses of al-Nahl which we have referred to. At that time, al-An‘am had already been revealed. By way of rejoinder it was pointed out that the matter had been clarified earlier, that is, in al-An‘am. That clarification consisted of stating that certain things had been made unlawful especially for the Jews. However, since the objection had been made with regard to some of the contents of al-Nahl, the rejoinder was subsequently included as a parenthetical statement in al-Nahl itself.
119. Abraham was indeed a whole community by himself. For when there was not a single Muslim on earth, all being steeped in unbelief, Abraham stood out as the sole standard-bearer of Islam. He single-handedly performed a task that was stupendous enough to have been performed by a whole community.
120. This constitutes a full-scale refutation of the unbelievers’ objection. The refutation consists of two main points. First, that contrary to their inference on the basis of the apparent difference between some injunctions of the Old Testament and the Qur’an, there is no contradiction in God’s Law. The Jews had been prohibited certain bounties in retribution for their transgression. There was obviously no reason to deprive others of those bounties. The second point brought home in this verse is that Muhammad (peace be on him) has been commanded to follow the way of Abraham. It is common knowledge that several things which are unlawful in Mosaic Law were not so in Abrahamic Law. To cite a few examples, the Jews are not supposed to eat the flesh of the camel, whereas it was permissible for the Abrahamic community to do so. Likewise, ostrich, duck and rabbit are forbidden in Jewish Law while they were perfectly lawful for the followers of Abraham.
After clarifying this point, the Makkan unbelievers are emphatically told that neither they nor the Jews have any true affinity with Abraham. This is for the simple reason that both are guilty of polytheism. The only true followers of the Abrahamic way are Muhammad (peace be on him) and his Companions whose beliefs and actions show no trace of polytheism.
121. This is in response to another objection made by the Makkan unbelievers. It was hardly necessary to point out that the law of the Sabbath itself was meant for the Jews alone. The restrictions of the Sabbath were simply unknown to Abraham and his followers. All this was far too well known to the Makkans to be clearly mentioned here. Hence, it was deemed sufficient to implicitly express the idea that the Sabbath did not belong to the early period — the period of Abraham. It was only at a relatively later time that the restrictions of the Sabbath were introduced in view of the known misdeeds of the Jews.
This cursory statement of the Qur’an can perhaps best be appreciated only after taking note of the passages in the Bible which deal with the Sabbath laws. In order to become acquainted with the laws of the Sabbath see Exodus 20: 8-11; 23: 12-13; 31: 12-17; 35: 2-3 and Numbers 15: 32-6. These should, however, be read in conjunction with the passages which mention the audacity with which the Jews violated those laws. See, for example, Jeremiah 17: 21-7; and Ezekiel 20: 12-14.
122. In calling people to the truth one should bear in mind two things — wisdom and good counsel. Wisdom requires that in calling people to the truth, one should be conscious of the predilections and biases as well as the mental capacities and circumstances of the people to whom the message is being addressed. One should also be sensitive to the context in which the message is given to the people. Nor should one fail to note the diversities between different individuals and groups. Instead, when one comes into contact with an individual or a group, one should try to understand the background of that individual or group. This should be followed by a reasoned discourse that penetrates the hearts and minds of the persons concerned.
As for ‘good counsel’, this denotes two things. First, that one should not be content with merely trying to convince people with the help of rational arguments. Instead, one should also appeal to the nobler emotions of man. For instance, one should not merely muster rational arguments so as to negate and show the falsity of erroneous doctrines or unrighteous behavior. In addition, one should also evoke the instinctive repugnance to evil which is embodied in human nature and shake people into realizing the horrible consequences of their misdeeds. Likewise, in addition to supporting sound doctrines and righteous behavior with the help of rational arguments, an attempt should also be made to create a relish for them.
Another meaning of ‘good counsel’ is counselling people in such a manner that one’s deep sympathy, compassion and concern for the people in question does not go unnoticed by them. One should be quite conscious of the fact that ‘counselling’ people should not be allowed to be misunderstood as an act emanating from the presumption of one’s own superior status, or of the inferior status of the audience.
123. This represents an important note of caution. When someone presents a doctrine, that necessarily generates discussion with those who do not agree with that doctrine. Those who seek to promote the cause of God should be exceedingly cautious about allowing this discussion to degenerate into a polemical or intellectual bout. Such discussions should not be marred by obstinate refusal to see the strength of the other party’s arguments or by slanderous allegations, or attacks and taunts.
The purpose of the discussion too should not be to render the other party speechless, or to establish one’s superior eloquence. On the contrary, one’s discourse should be gracious and refined. It should also reflect the person's higher moral stature and courteous disposition. Moreover, the arguments should appeal to good sense. Likewise, the statements made in the course of the discussion should be so couched as not to arouse obstinacy. In such discussions, one should try to express one’s viewpoint in a straightforward and elegant manner, taking good care not to arouse adamance and egotistical feelings in the audience. However, as soon as one realizes that the other party has been so provoked as to cling, out of sheer obstinacy, to his viewpoint, one should put an end to the discussion. For continuing it any further might cause the other person to veer even further away from the truth.
124. They are the ones who, out of their God-fearingness, refrain from evil and adhere to good behavior. No matter how others treat them, they return even their evil with good.