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Recitation: Sa'ad Al
Ghamdi
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Introduction and Summary
In the gradation of spiritual teaching (see
Introduction to Surah 8), we saw that the first seven Surahs sketched the early
spiritual history of man, and led up to the formation of the new Ummah of Islam
Surah 8 to 16 formed another series dealing with the formation of the new Ummah
and its consolidation, and Allah's dealing with man taken as an Ummah and
considered, in his social relation in original communities (see Introduction to
Surahs 8, 10, and 16). We now come to a fresh series, (Surahs 17-29), which may
be considered in three parts.
- Surahs
17-21 begin with an allusion to the Mi'raj (of which more later), and proceed to
spiritual history as touching individuals rather than nations. The old prophets
and stories of the past are now referred to from this point of view.
- Surahs
22-25 refer to Hajj (pilgrimage), worship and prayer, chastity, privacy, etc, as
related to a man's individual spiritual growth.
- Surahs
26-29 go back to the old prophets and stories of the past, as illustrating the
growth of the individual soul in its reactions against the lives of the
communities and the reactions of the communities to the lives of its great
individual souls.
Let us now consider Surah 17, by itself. It
opens with the mystic Vision of the Ascension of the Holy Prophet; he was
transported from the Sacred Mosque (of Makkah) to the Farthest Mosque (of
Jerusalem) in a night and shown some of the Signs of Allah. The majority of
Commentators take this Night Journey literally, but allow that there were other
occasions on which a spiritual Journey on Vision occurred. Even on the
supposition of a miraculous bodily Journey, it is conceded that the body was
almost transformed into spiritual fineness. The Hadith literature gives details
of this Journey and its study helps to elucidate its meaning.
The Holy Prophet
was first transported to the seat of the earlier revelations in Jerusalem, and
then taken through the seven heavens even to the Sublime Throne, and initiated
into the spiritual mysteries of the human soul struggling in Space and Time. The
Spaniard, Miguiel Asin, Arabic Professor in the University of Madrid, has shown
that this Mi'raj literature has a great influence on the Mediaeval literature
of Europe, and especially on the great Italians poem, the Divine Comedy (or
Drama) of Danie, which towers a landmark in mediaeval European literature.
The reference to this great mystic story of
the Mi'raj is a fitting prelude to the journey of the human soul in its
spiritual growth in life. The first steps in such growth must be through moral
conduct-the reciprocal rights of parents and children, kindness to our
fellow-men, courage and firmness in the hour of danger, and sense of personal
responsibility, and a sense of Allah's Presence through prayer and praise.
The Mi'raj is usually dated to 27th night of
the month of Rajab (though other dates, e.g. 17th Rabi 1, are also given) in the
year before the Hijrah. This fixes the date of the opening verse of the Surah,
through portions of the Surah may have been a little earlier.
Summery- The spiritual experiences of
the Prophets of Allah are given in order that Allah's Signs may be made clear to
men: man is misled into evil, and must be guided to a sense of personal
responsibility (17:1-22, and C. 128).
(R).
Our service to Allah is shown also in our
human relations, goodness to parents and kinsmen and strangers in want, as well
as kindness to children, purity in sex relations, justice and respect for human
life, protection of orphans, probity in all dealings, and avoidance of arrogance
(17:23-40, and C. 129).
Allah's glory is above all comparison, and
the reception of His revelation marks off the man of faith from those who do not
believe. But the Believers should speak fair and avoid dissensions, for Allah
doth encompass all men (17:41-60, and C. 130).
Pride caused the fall of Iblis, but the
children of Adam have been raised in excellence above other Creation. They will
be judged by their deeds. Prayer is good at stated times and at night, and the
Quran is offered as healing and mercy (17:61-84, and C. 131).
Inspiration (the Quran) is a Sign of Allah's
grace, and men should accept it without making carping excuses. Be humble in
prayer and praise (17:85-111, and C. 132).
C.128 (The running Commentary, in
Rhythmic Prose)
(17:1-22)
It is privilege of the men of
God
To see the sublimest mysteries
Of the spiritual world and
instruct men
In Righteousness; they warn and
shield men
Against Evil. But nothing can
lessen
Each soul's personal
responsibility
For its own deeds. It carries
its fate
Round its own neck. Allah's
gifts
Are for all, but not all
receive
The same gifts, nor are all
gifts
Of equal dignity or excellence.
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً
...
1. Glory
to
(Allah)
Who did take His Servant for Journey by night
C2166. The reference is to the Isra' for
which see the Introduction to this Surah.
...
مِّنَ
الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ
...
from
the Sacred Mosque
C2167. Masjid is a place of prayer: here it
refers to the Ka'bah at Makkah. It had not yet been cleared of its idols and
rededicated exclusively to the One True God. It was symbolical of the new
Message which was being given to mankind.
...
إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى...
to
the Farthest Mosque,
C2168. The Farthest Mosque must refer to the
site of the
Temple
of Solomon in Jerusalem on the hill of Moriah, at or near which stands the Dome
of the Rock, called also the Mosque of Hadhrat 'Umar. This and the Mosque known
as the Farthest Mosque (Masjid-ul-Aqsa) were completed by the Amir 'Abd al Malik
in A.H. 68.
Farthest,
because it was the place of worship farthest west which was known to the Arabs
in the time of the holy Prophet: it was a sacred place to both Jews and
Christians, but the Christians then had the upper hand, as it was included in
the Byzantine (Roman) Empire, which maintained a Patriarch at Jerusalem.
The chief dates
in connection with the Temple are:
- it was finished by Solomon about B.C. 1004;
- destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar about 586 B.C.;
- rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah about 515 B.C.;
- turned into a heathen idol-temple by one of Alexander's
successors, Antiochus Epiphanes, 167 B.C.;
- restored by Herod, B.C. 17 to A.D. 29;
- and completely razed to the ground by the Emperor Titus in A.D.
70.
These ups and
downs are among the greater Signs in religious history.
...الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ
آيَاتِنَا...
whose
precincts We did Bless -- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs:
...إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ
﴿١﴾
for
He is the One Who heareth and seeth
(all things).
C2169. Allah's knowledge comprehends all
things, without any curtain of Time or any separation of Space. He can therefore
see and hear all things, and the Mi'raj was a reflection of this knowledge.
In this and the subsequent verses, the
reference to Allah is generally in the first person and plural.
But in the first and the last clause of this
verse it is in the third person singular:
"Glory to Allah, Who did take His Servant ...... ; "He is
the One ......."
In each of these two instances, the clause
expresses the point of view of Allah's creatures, who glorify Him, and whose
hearing and seeing are ordinarily so limited that they can do nothing but
glorify Him when one of His creatures is raised up to hear and see the Signs. It
is they who glorify Him. (R).
وَآتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ...
2. We
gave Moses the Book,
C2170.
The Book: the revelation that was
given to Moses.
It was there clearly laid down that those who followed Moses
must consider Allah as the Only God.
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me;
thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image ...... thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God .... ;"
etc. (Exod.
20:3-5).
These are the words of the English Bible.
As a matter of
fact the spirit of the Mosaic teaching went further. It referred all things to
the Providence of Allah: Allah is the Disposer of all affairs, and we are to
look to none but Him. This is Islam, and the Mi'raj showed that it was the
teaching of Allah from the most ancient times, and yet it was violated by the
very people who claimed to be its custodians.
...وَجَعَلْنَاهُ هُدًى لِّبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَلاَّ
تَتَّخِذُواْ مِن دُونِي وَكِيلاً
﴿٢﴾
and
made it a Guide to the Children of Israel,
(commanding):
"Take
not other than Me as Disposer of
(your)
affairs."
C2171. Note the transition from
"We"
in the first clause to
"Me" in the second clause.
-
The first clause refers to the majesty of Allah as the Heavenly
King;
-
the second clause refers to His personal interest in all our
affairs.
ذُرِّيَّةَ مَنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ
...
3. O
ye that are sprung from those whom We carried
(in the
Ark)
with Noah!
C2172. After the Deluge of the time of Noah
the only descendants of Noah were those who were saved in the
Ark with him.
They had special reason to celebrate the praises of Allah. But they relapsed
into idolatry, sin, and abominations.
They are
reminded of the true and sincere devotion of Noah himself, as contrasted with
the unworthiness of Noah's descendants, especially the Children of Israel.
...
إِنَّهُ كَانَ
عَبْدًا شَكُورًا
﴿٣﴾
Verily he was a devotee most grateful.
وَقَضَيْنَا إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي الْكِتَابِ
...
4. And
We gave
(clear)
warning to the Children of Israel in the Book,
C2173. The Book is the revelation
given to the Children of Israel.
Here it seems to refer to the burning words
of Prophets like Isaiah. For example,
see Isaiah,
chap, 24.
or Isaiah
5:20-30,
or Isaiah
3:16-26.
...
لَتُفْسِدُنَّ فِي الأَرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ...
that
twice would they do mischief on the earth
C2174. What are the two occasions referred
to?
It may be that
"twice" is a figure of speech for "more than once",
"often".
Or
it may be that the two occasions refer to;
-
the destruction of the
Temple by the
Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., when the Jews were carried off into
captivity,
-
and the destruction of
Jerusalem by
Titus in A.D. 70, after which the
Temple
was never re-built.
See
n. 2168 above.
On both
occasions it was a judgment of Allah for the sins of the Jews, their
backslidings, and their arrogance.
...وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا
﴿٤﴾
and
be elated with mighty arrogance
(and twice would they be
punished)!
فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ أُولاهُمَا بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ
عِبَادًا لَّنَا أُوْلِي بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ...
5. When
the first of the warnings came to pass, We sent against you Our servants given
to terrible warfare:
C2175. A good description of the war-like
Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonians.
They were servants of Allah in the sense
that they were instruments through which the wrath of Allah was poured out on
the Jews, for they penetrated through their lands, their
Temple, and
their homes, and carried away the Jews, men and women, into captivity.
As
regards "the daughters of
Zion"
see the scathing condemnation in Isaiah,
3:16-26.
...فَجَاسُواْ خِلاَلَ الدِّيَارِ...
They
entered the very inmost parts of your homes;
...وَكَانَ وَعْدًا مَّفْعُولاً
﴿٥﴾
and
it was a warning
(completely)
fulfilled.
ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَا لَكُمُ الْكَرَّةَ عَلَيْهِمْ
...
6. Then
did We grant you the Return as against them:
C2176.
The return of the Jews from the
Captivity was about 520 B.C.
They started life afresh. They rebuilt their
Temple. They
carried out various reforms and built up a new Judaism in connection with Ezra.
See appendix II following Surah 5.
For a time they prospered. Meanwhile their old
oppressors the Babylonians had been absorbed by Persia. Subsequently Persia was
absorbed in Alexander's Empire. The whole of western Asia was Helienized, and
the new
school
of Jews was Helienized also, and had a strong centre in Alexandria.
But their
footing in
Palestine continued, and under the Asmonaean
Dynasty (B.C. 167-63), they had a national revival, and the names of the Makkah
bees are remembered as those of heroes.
Another dynasty, that of the Idummaeans,
(B.C. 63 to B.C. 4), to which Herod belonged, also enjoyed some semi-independent
power. The scepter of
Syria
(including Palestine) passed to the Romans in B.C. 65, and Jewish feudatory
Kings held power under them. But the Jews again showed a stiff-necked resistance
to Allah's Messenger in the time of Jesus, and the inevitable doom followed in
the complete and final destruction of the
Temple
under Titus in 70 A.C.
...
وَأَمْدَدْنَاكُم بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ...
We
gave you increase in resources and sons,
...وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ أَكْثَرَ نَفِيرًا
﴿٦﴾
and
made you the more numerous in manpower.
إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ وَإِنْ
أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا...
7. If
ye did well, ye did well for yourselves;
if ye
did evil,
(ye did it)
against yourselves;
C2177. This is a parenthetical
sentence. If anyone follows Allah's Law, the benefit goes to himself: he does
not bestow a favour on anyone else.
Similarly evil brings its own recompense on
the doer of evil.
...فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ الآخِرَةِ لِيَسُوؤُواْ
وُجُوهَكُمْ
...
so
when the second of the warnings came to pass,
(We permitted your enemies)
to disfigure your faces,
C2178. The second doom was due to the
rejection of the Message of Jesus.
"To disfigure your faces" means to destroy any credit or power you may
have got:
the face shows the personality of the man.
... وَلِيَدْخُلُواْ الْمَسْجِدَ...
and
to enter your Temple
C2179. Titus's destruction of
Jerusalem in 70
A.D. was complete. He was a son of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, and at the date
of the destruction of
Jerusalem,
had the title of Caesar as heir to throne.
He ruled as
Roman Emperor from 79 to 81 A.C.
...كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُواْ
مَا عَلَوْاْ تَتْبِيرًا
﴿٧﴾
as
they had entered it before,
and
to visit with destruction all that fell into their power.
C2180. Merivale in his Romans Under the
Empire gives a graphic account of the siege and final destruction (ed. 1890,
7:221-255).
The population of
Jerusalem was
then 200,000. According to the Latin historian Tacitus it was as much as
600,000.
There was a famine and there were massacres. There was much fanaticism.
The judgment of Merivale is:
"They" (the Jews) "were judicially abandoned to
their own passions and the punishment which naturally awaited them". (7:221).
عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَن يَرْحَمَكُمْ...
8. It
may be that your Lord may
(yet)
show Mercy unto you;
C2181. Now we come to the time of our
holy Prophet.
In spite of all the past, the Jews could
still have obtained Allah's forgiveness if they had not obstinately rejected the
greatest of the Prophets also.
If they were to continue in their sins,
Allah's punishment would also continue to visit them.
...وَإِنْ عُدتُّمْ عُدْنَا...
but
if ye revert
(to your sins),
We shall revert
(to Our punishments):
...وَجَعَلْنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ حَصِيرًا
﴿٨﴾
and
We have made Hell a prison for those who reject
(all Faith).
C2182. There is such a thing as disgrace in
this life, but the final disgrace is in the Hereafter, and that will be
irretrievable.
Notice
that the allegorical reference to Jewish history, when brought into relation
with the true meaning of Mi’raj, refers to the constant struggle of the
individual soul against evil.
It has its setbacks and its punishments. But if it is true to itself and is true
to the Faith in Allah, Allah will give it strength and make it successful in its
fight against evil. For Allah's Mercy is unbounded and comes to suffering
humanity again and again. (R).
إِنَّ هَـذَا الْقُرْآنَ يِهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ
أَقْوَمُ...
9. Verily
this Qur'án doth guide to that which is most right
(or
stable),
C2183. The instability and crookedness of the
Jewish soul having been mentioned, the healing balm which should have cured it
is now pointed out.
The Message of the Quran is for all.
- Those who have Faith and show that Faith in their conduct must
reap their spiritual reward.
- But those who reject Faith cannot escape punishment.
Apart from what is past, apart from questions
of national or racial history, there is a Hope, -and a Danger- for every soul.
...وَيُبَشِّرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ
الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَبِيرًا
﴿٩﴾
and
giveth the glad tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness, that
they shall have a magnificent reward;
وأَنَّ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالآخِرَةِ
أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
﴿١٠﴾
10. And
to those who believe not in the Hereafter,
(it
announceth)
that We have prepared for them a Penalty grievous
(indeed).
Section 2
وَيَدْعُ الإِنسَانُ بِالشَّرِّ دُعَاءهُ بِالْخَيْرِ...
11. The
prayer that man should make for good, he maketh for evil:
C2184. Man in his ignorance or haste
mistakes evil for good, and desires what he should not have.
The wise and instructed soul has patience and
does not put its own desires above the wisdom of Allah. He receives with
contentment the favours of Allah, and prays to be rightly guided in his desires
and petitions.
...وَكَانَ الإِنسَانُ عَجُولاً
﴿١١﴾
for
man is given to hasty
(deeds).
وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ...
12. We
have made the Night and the Day as
two (of Our)
Signs:
C2185. If we were to cry when it is
night, we shall look foolish when it is day; for the night is but a preparation
for the day: perhaps, as the last verse says, we pray for the day when we want
rest for the night.
Both are Signs from Allah.
Darkness and light stand for
-
ignorance and
-
knowledge.
"Where ignorance is bliss, its folly to be
wise."
Darkness and light may also stand for
-
shadow and sunshine,
-
sorrow and joy:
both may be for our development.
...فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ
النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً...
the
Sign of the Night have We obscured, while the Sign of the day We have made to
enlighten you;
...لِتَبْتَغُواْ فَضْلاً مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ
وَلِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ...
that
ye may seek Bounty from your Lord, and that ye may know the number and count of
the years:
C2186. By the physical light we see physical
facts. And this physical gift of Allah is good for us in two ways:
1. we
can arrange for our livelihood, or we can attain the knowledge of the physical
sciences and gain some control over the physical forces of nature; and
2. the
daily rising and setting of the sun gives us the computation of days and years,
for the physical natural year is the solar year. But there is spiritual light
even more precious; by it we can similarly attain two objects, viz,
-
our spiritual livelihood and knowledge, and
-
our computation of the stages we reach in our spiritual years.
Let us be patient and seek everything as from
Allah - in joy and in sorrow, in knowledge and in want of knowledge of those
things which are above us.
Let us rejoice in what Allah has given us,
and not be impatient about those things which He in His wisdom has thought fit
to withhold from us. But all things should be sought and striven for under the
guidance of the All-Knowing Allah.
...وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلاً
﴿١٢﴾
all
things have We explained in detail.
وَكُلَّ إِنسَانٍ أَلْزَمْنَاهُ طَآئِرَهُ فِي
عُنُقِهِ...
13. Every
man's fate We have fastened on his own neck:
C2187.
Fate:
Tair, literally a bird, hence an omen, an evil
omen, fate.
Cf.
36:19.
The Arabs, like the ancient Romans, sought to
read the mysteries of human fate from the flight of birds. And many of us in our
own day seek to read our future fortunes by similar superstitions.
We read in the previous verse that there are
Signs of Allah, but they are not meant to subserve the vulgar purpose of
disclosing our future destiny in a worldly sense. They are meant for quite other
purposes, as we have explained.
Our real fate does not depend upon birds or
omens or stars. It depends on our deeds; good or evil, and they hang round our
necks. (R).
...وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا
يَلْقَاهُ مَنشُورًا
﴿١٣﴾
on
the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll, which he will see
spread open.
C2188. These deeds, good or evil, will be
embodied in a scroll which will be quite open to us in the light of the Day of
Judgment, however much we may affect to be ignorant of it now or waste our
energies in prying into mysteries that do not concern us.
اقْرَأْ كَتَابَكَ كَفَى بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ
عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا
﴿١٤﴾
14. (It
will be said to him:)
"Read thine
(own)
record: sufficient is thy soul this day to make out an account against thee."
C2189. Our true accusers are our own
deeds.
Why not look to them instead of vainly prying
into something superstitious which we call a book of fortune or a book of omens?
مَّنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدي لِنَفْسِهِ...
15. Who
receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit:
...وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا...
who
goeth astray doth so to his own loss:
C2190. The doctrine of personal
responsibility is insisted on, and the basis of ethics is shown to be our own
good or evil as furthering or obstructing our highest development.
...وَلاَ تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى...
no
bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another:
C2191. The doctrine of vicarious
atonement is condemned. Salvation for the wicked cannot be attained by the
punishment of the innocent.
One man cannot bear the burden of another: that would be unjust. Every man must bear
his own personal responsibility. Cf.
6:164.
But Allah never visits His wrath on anyone
until due warning is conveyed to him through an accredited messenger.
...وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً
﴿١٥﴾
nor
would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent a Messenger
(to give
warning).
وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَن نُّهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا
مُتْرَفِيهَا
فَفَسَقُواْ فِيهَا...
16. When
We decide to destroy a population, We
(first)
send a
definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life
and yet transgress;
C2192. Allah's Mercy gives every
chance to the wicked to repent. When wickedness gets so rampant that punishment
becomes inevitable, even then Allah's Mercy and Justice act together.
Those who are highly gifted from Allah -it
may be with wealth or position, or it may be with talents and opportunities- are
expected to understand and obey. They are given a definite order and warning. If
they still transgress there is no further room for argument. They cannot plead
that they were ignorant. The command of the Lord is proved against them, and its
application is called for beyond doubt. Then it is that their punishment is
completed.
...فَحَقَّ
عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا
﴿١٦﴾
so
that the word is proved true against them: then
(it is)
We destroy them
utterly.
C2193.
Qaul here has the sense of word,
order, law, charge framed against one under a definite law.
وَكَمْ
أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن بَعْدِ نُوحٍ...
17. How
many generations have We destroyed after Noah?
C2194. Noah's Flood is taken as a new
starting point in history. But even after that hundreds of empires, towns, and
generations have perished for their wickedness.
...وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًَا
بَصِيرًا ﴿١٧﴾
And
enough is thy Lord to note and see the sins of His servants.
C2195. Let not the wicked think,
because they are given a lease of life and luxury for a time, that their
wickedness has escaped notice.
Allah notes and sees all things, both open
and secret. He knows the hidden motives and thoughts of men, and He has no need
of any other evidence. His knowledge and sight are all-sufficient.
مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ
فِيهَا مَا نَشَاء لِمَن نُّرِيدُ...
18. If
any do wish for the transitory things
(of this
life),
We readily grant them -- such things as We will, to such persons as We will:
C2196. An explanation is now given of
how it is that prosperity sometimes seems to attend the wicked.
The explanation is threefold:
1.
the transitory things of this life are worth little in the
eternal scheme of things;
2. even they are provided, not just because their recipients wish
for them, but according to a definite Plan of Allah; and
3. in the end there is for the wicked the eternal Misery and
deprivation of grace,-the Hell which is worse than destruction in the terms of
this world.
...ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلاهَا مَذْمُومًا
مَّدْحُورًا
﴿١٨﴾
in
the end have We provided Hell for them:
they
will burn therein, disgraced and rejected.
C2197. All the pride and insolence will then
be brought low. The disgrace and the exclusion from the "sight of the Face of
Allah" will by themselves be punishments of which the magnitude cannot be
measured in the terms of our present material life.
وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الآخِرَةَ
...
19. Those
who do wish for the
(things of)
the Hereafter,
C2198. This is in contrast to the last
verse.
Those who wish for mere earthly good
sometimes get it and misuse it. Those whose eyes are fixed on the Hereafter,
they too share in their Lord's bounty provided they fulfil the conditions
explained in the next note; but their wishes and endeavours are more acceptable
in the sight of Allah.
...
وَسَعَى لَهَا سَعْيَهَا
وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ...
and strive therefor with all due striving, and have Faith --
C2199. A mere wish for moral and spiritual
good is not enough. It must be backed up by hard endeavour and supported by a
lively Faith. On those conditions the wishes are accepted by Allah.
...فَأُولَئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُم مَّشْكُورًا
﴿١٩﴾
they
are the ones whose striving is acceptable
(to Allah).
كُلاًّ نُّمِدُّ هَـؤُلاء وَهَـؤُلاء مِنْ عَطَاء
رَبِّكَ...
20. Of
the bounties of thy Lord We bestow freely on all -- these as well as those:
...وَمَا كَانَ عَطَاء رَبِّكَ مَحْظُورًا
﴿٢٠﴾
the
bounties of thy Lord are not closed
(to anyone).
C2200. Allah's favours are showered on
all,
-
the just and the unjust,
-
the deserving and the undeserving.
But there is a difference as explained in the
last two verses.
انظُرْ كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ...
21. See
how We have bestowed more on some than on others;
...وَلَلآخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَاتٍ وَأَكْبَرُ
تَفْضِيلاً
﴿٢١﴾
but
verily the Hereafter is more in rank and gradation and more in excellence.
C2201. Nor should man suppose that all
gifts are of equal value. The spiritual ones rank far higher in dignity and real
worth than the transitory ones. Therefore it is altogether wrong to compare the
worldly prosperity of a wicked man with the apparent want of it to a man of
spiritual worth.
There is no comparison between them when
measured by right standards.
لاَّ تَجْعَل مَعَ اللّهِ إِلَـهًا آخَرَ
...
22. Take
not with Allah another object of worship;
C2202. The seeming inequality of gifts to men
might make short-sighted men impugn the impartiality of Allah. But the fault
lies with such men's own want of knowledge and want of Faith. There is no excuse
for them to seek other objects of worship than Allah. For there is none worthy
of worship except Allah.
...
فَتَقْعُدَ
مَذْمُومًا مَّخْذُولاً
﴿٢٢﴾
or thou
(O
man!)
wilt sit in disgrace and destitution.
C2203. If foolish men turn to false objects
of worship, they will not only be disappointed, but they will lose the respect
of their own fellow-men, and spiritually they will be reduced to destitution.
All their talents and their works will be of no avail.
C.129 (The running Commentary, in
Rhythmic Prose)
(17:23-40)
To be worthy of the service of
the One True God.
We must love and serve His
Creatures
The parents who cherished us in
childhood
Deserve our humble reverence
and service; next
Come the rights of kinsmen,
those in want,
And wayfaring strangers; to
each
According to his need, not in
spendthrift show
And gentleness is needed to
those whom we
Cannot help. Allah will
provide. He hs made
Life sacred and pure. Fulfil
your trusts
For orphans and deal with all
in strictest
Probity. Pry not into evil from
curiosity,
And shun insolence: for Allah
hates evil-
The One, the Good, the
Universal Lord!
Section 3
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ
وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا...
23. Thy
Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him,
and
that ye be kind to parents.
...إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا
أَوْ كِلاَهُمَا
...
Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life,
C2204. The spiritual and moral duties are now
brought into juxtaposition.
We are to worship none but Allah, because none but
Allah is worthy of worship, not because "the Lord thy God is a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate Me" (Exod.
20:5).
Note that the act of worship may
be collective as well as individual; hence the plural
ta'buda.
The kindness to
parents is an individual act of piety; hence the singular
taqul, qul, etc.
... فَلاَ تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلاَ تَنْهَرْهُمَا...
say
not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them,
...وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلاً كَرِيمًا
﴿٢٣﴾
but
address them in terms of honor.
وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ
وَقُل...
24. And,
out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say:
C2205. Cf.
15:88 and
n. 2011.
The metaphor is that of a high-flying bird
which lowers her wing out of tenderness to her offspring. There is a double
aptness.
1. When the parent was strong and the child was helpless, parental
affection was showered on the child:
when the child grows up and is strong, and the parent is
helpless, can he do less than bestow similar tender care on the parent?
2. But more: he must approach the matter with gentle humility: for
does not parental love, remind him of the great love with which Allah cherishes
His creatures?
There is something here more than simple human gratitude; it goes
up into the highest spiritual region.
...رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا
﴿٢٤﴾
"My
Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood."
C2206. Note that we are asked to honour our
father and mother, not "that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord
thy God giveth thee" (Exod.
20:12), but upon much higher and more universal
grounds, such as befit a perfected revelation.
- In the first place, not merely respect, but cherishing kindness,
and humility to parents, are commanded.
- In the second place, this command is bracketed with the command
to worship the One True God.
Parental love should be to us a type of
divine love: nothing that we can do can ever really compensate for that which we
have received.
In the third place (see next verse) our
spiritual advancement is tested by this: we cannot expect Allah's forgiveness if
we are rude or unkind to those who unselfishly brought us up.
رَّبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا فِي نُفُوسِكُمْ...
25. Your
Lord knoweth best what is in your hearts:
...إِن تَكُونُواْ صَالِحِينَ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ
لِلأَوَّابِينَ غَفُورًا
﴿٢٥﴾
if ye
do deeds of righteousness, verily He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him
again and again
(in true penitence).
C2207. It is the heart, and its hidden and
secret motives, by which we are judged: for Allah knows them all.
وَآتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَى حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ
السَّبِيلِ...
26. And
render to the kindred their due rights, as
(also)
to those in want, and to the wayfarer:
C2208. In the Jewish Decalogue, which was
given to a primitive and hard-hearted people, this refinement of Kindness,
-to those in want and to wayfarers (i.e., total strangers whom you come across)
finds no place.
Nor was there much danger of their wasting
their substance out of exuberance. Even the command "to honour thy father and
mother" comes after the ceremonial observance of the Sabbath.
With us, the worship of Allah is linked up
with kindness;
-
to parents, kindred,
-
those in want,
-
those who are far from their homes though they may be total
strangers to us.
It is not mere verbal kindness. They have
certain rights which must be fulfilled.
...وَلاَ تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا
﴿٢٦﴾
but
squander not
(your wealth)
in the manner of a spendthrift.
C2209. All charity, kindness, and help
are conditioned by our own resources. There is no merit if we merely spend out
of bravado or for idle show.
How many families are ruined by extravagant
expenses at weddings, funerals, etc., or (as they may call it) to "oblige
friends or relatives", or to give to able-bodied beggars?
To no one was this command more necessary
than it is to Muslims of the present day.
إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُواْ إِخْوَانَ
الشَّيَاطِينِ...
27.
Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones;
...وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِرَبِّهِ كَفُورًا
﴿٢٧﴾
and
the Evil One is to his Lord
(Himself)
ungrateful.
C2210. Spendthrifts are not merely fools.
They are of the same family as the Satan.
And the Satan himself-fell by his ingratitude
to Allah. So those who misuse or squander Allah's gifts are also ungrateful to
Allah.
وَإِمَّا تُعْرِضَنَّ عَنْهُمُ ابْتِغَاء رَحْمَةٍ
مِّن رَّبِّكَ تَرْجُوهَا...
28. And
even if thou hast to turn away from them in pursuit of the Mercy from thy Lord
which thou dost expect,
...فَقُل لَّهُمْ قَوْلاً مَّيْسُورًا
﴿٢٨﴾
yet
speak to them a word of easy kindness.
C2211. You may have to
"turn away" from
people for two reasons.
- You may not have the wherewithal with which to entertain them and
give them their rights; or
- you may have to give them a wide berth because their thoughts are
not as your thoughts.
In either case there
is no need to speak harshly to them. Your words should be those of
"easy
kindness", i.e., the sort of kindness (not merely frigid politeness) which flows
from pity and understanding and smoothes over unnecessary difficulties in human
intercourse.
وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ يَدَكَ مَغْلُولَةً إِلَى عُنُقِكَ...
29. Make
not thy hand tied
(like a niggard's)
to thy neck,
C2212. Cf. the phrase for niggardliness in
5:64.
We are not to be so lavish as to make
ourselves destitute and incur the just censure of wise men, nor is it becoming
to keep back our resources from the just needs of those who have a right to our
help. Even strangers have such a right, as we saw in
17:26 above. But we must keep a just measure
between our capacity and other people's needs.
...وَلاَ تَبْسُطْهَا كُلَّ الْبَسْطِ فَتَقْعُدَ
مَلُومًا مَّحْسُورًا
﴿٢٩﴾
nor
stretch it forth to its utmost reach, so that thou become blameworthy and
destitute.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاء
وَيَقْدِرُ...
30. Verily
thy Lord doth provide sustenance in abundance for whom He pleaseth, and He
provideth in a just measure:
C2213. If a foolish spendthrift
pretends that his generosity, even if it ruins himself, is good for other
people, he is reminded that Allah will take care of all. He knows every one's
true needs and cares for them.
He gives in abundance to some, but in all
cases He gives in just measure. Who are we to pretend to greater generosity!
(R).
إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا بَصِيرًا
﴿٣٠﴾
for
He doth know and regard all His servants.
Section 4
وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلاقٍ...
31. Kill
not your children for fear of want:
C2214. The Arabs were addicted to female
infanticide. In a society perpetually at war a son was a source of strength
whereas a daughter was a source of weakness. Even now infanticide is not unknown
in other countries for economic reasons.
This crime against children's lives is
here characterized as one of the greatest of sins.
...نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُم...
We
shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you:
...إنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْءًا كَبِيرًا
﴿٣١﴾
verily the killing of them is a great sin.
وَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الزِّنَى إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً
وَسَاء سَبِيلاً
﴿٣٢﴾
32. Nor
come nigh to adultery:
for
it is a shameful
(deed)
and an evil, opening the road
(to other evils).
C2215.
Adultery is not only shameful in itself and
inconsistent with any self-respect or respect for others, but it opens the road
to many evils.
-
It destroys the basis of the family:
-
it works against the interests of children born or to be born;
-
it may cause murders and feuds and loss of reputation and
property, and also loosen permanently the bonds of society.
Not only should it be avoided as a sin, but
any approach or temptation to it should be avoided.
وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللّهُ
إِلاَّ بِالحَقِّ...
33. Nor
take life -- which Allah has made sacred -- except for just cause.
...وَمَن قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا
لِوَلِيِّهِ سُلْطَانًا
...
And
if anyone is slain wrongfully, We have given his heir authority
(to demand
Qisas or to forgive):
C2216. On the subject of Qisas see
2:178
and
the notes thereto.
Under the strict limitations there laid down, a
life may be taken for a life. The heir is given the right to demand the life;
but he must not exceed due bounds, because he is helped by the Law.
Some Commentators understand
"he" in
"he is helped (by the Law)" to refer to the heir of the person against
whom Qisas is sought. He too will be helped by the Law, if the heir of the first
slain exceeds the 'bounds of Law.
... فَلاَ يُسْرِف فِّي الْقَتْلِ...
but
let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life:
...إِنَّهُ كَانَ مَنْصُورًا
﴿٣٣﴾
for
he is helped
(by the Law).
وَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ مَالَ الْيَتِيمِ إِلاَّ بِالَّتِي
هِيَ أَحْسَنُ
...
34. Come
not nigh to the orphan's property except to improve it,
C2217. Cf.
6:152, and other passages
relating to orphans, e.g.,
2:220.
If an orphan's property is touched at all, it
should be to improve it, or to give him something better than he had
before,
-
never to take a personal advantage for the benefit of the
guardian.
A bargain that may be quite fair as between
two independent persons would be, under this verse, unfair as between a guardian
and his orphan ward until the latter attains the full age of understanding.
...
حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ...
until
he attains the age of full strength;
C2218.
Ashuddahu means the age when the
orphan reaches his full maturity of strength and understanding, say between the
ages of 18 and 30.
The age of legal maturity may be 18 (as for certain purposes
in India)
or 21 (as in England). For certain purposes in Muslim law it may be less than
18.
In the orphan's
interest a much stricter standard is required in his case.
...وَأَوْفُواْ بِالْعَهْدِ
...
and
fulfil
(every)
engagement, for
(every)
C2219. The definite article al has here a
generic meaning, and is best translated by "every".
... إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ
مَسْؤُولاً
﴿٣٤﴾
engagement will be enquired into
(on the Day of Reckoning).
C2220. From the context the
engagements referred to would relate to beneficial contracts connected with the
orphan's property or promises or undertakings given by the guardian or implied
in the terms of his appointment. But the words are general and may be
interpreted in the general sense.
Note that this sentence does not occur in the
similar passage in
6:152, where there was a discussion of social
laws: it is appropriate here, where the discussion is about the guardian's
personal and individual responsibility in a spiritual sense.
وَأَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ إِذا كِلْتُمْ وَزِنُواْ
بِالقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ...
35. Give
full measure when ye measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight:
...ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلاً
﴿٣٥﴾
that
is the most fitting and the most advantageous in the final determination.
C2221. Giving just measure and weight is not
only right in itself but is ultimately to the best advantage of the person who
gives it.
وَلاَ تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ...
36. And
pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge;
C2222. Idle curiosity may lead us to
nose into evil, through our ignorance that it is evil. We must guard against
every such danger.
We must only hear the things that are known
to us to be of good report, and see things that are good and instructive and
entertain in our hearts feelings or in our minds ideas that we have reason to
expect will be spiritually profitable to us. We shall be called to account for
the exercise of every faculty that has been given to us.
This goes a little farther than a famous
sculpture on a Japanese temple in which three monkeys are shown as putting their
hands to their ears, eyes, and mouths, respectively, to show that they were not
prepared to hear any evil, or see any evil, or speak any evil.
Here idle curiosity is condemned. Futility is
to be avoided even if it does not reach the degree of positive evil.
...إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ
أُولـئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْؤُولاً
﴿٣٦﴾
for
every act of hearing, or of seeing, or of
(feeling in)
the heart will be enquired into
(on the Day of Reckoning).
وَلاَ تَمْشِ فِي الأَرْضِ مَرَحًا...
37. Nor
walk on the earth with insolence:
C2223. Insolence, or arrogance, or
undue elation at our powers or capacities, is the first step to many evils.
Besides, it is unjustified.
All our gifts are from Allah.
...إِنَّكَ لَن تَخْرِقَ الأَرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ
الْجِبَالَ طُولاً
﴿٣٧﴾
for
thou canst not rend the earth asunder, nor reach the mountains in height.
كُلُّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ سَيٍّئُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ
مَكْرُوهًا
﴿٣٨﴾
38. Of
all such things the evil is hateful in the sight of thy Lord.
ذَلِكَ مِمَّا أَوْحَى إِلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ
الْحِكْمَةِ...
39. These
are among the
(precepts of)
wisdom, which thy Lord Has revealed to thee.
C2224. The moral law, as expounded in
17:23-39 is far in advance of
the bare Decalogue in that it searches out motives, and draws pointed attention
to the weak and helpless if we are to reach any real understanding of Allah.
It begins with a mention of the worship of
Allah, the One True God and ends with a similar mention to close the argument,
thus emphasizing the fact that the love of Allah embraces the love of man and
practical help of our fellow-creatures. (R).
...وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ فَتُلْقَى
فِي جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًا مَّدْحُورًا
﴿٣٩﴾
Take
not, with Allah, another object of worship, lest thou shouldst be thrown into
Hell, blameworthy and rejected.
C2225.
"Blameworthy" carries us back by
reminiscence to 17:29, between
which and this verse there is mention of crimes committed out of covetousness
and a selfish disregard of other people's rights.
"Rejected" carries back our reminiscence to
17:18, from which to here we
have a reference to crimes that lead to deprivation of Allah's grace.
The latter is of course wider than the
former.
Note how subtly the two streams of thought
are here conjoined.
أَفَأَصْفَاكُمْ رَبُّكُم بِالْبَنِينَ وَاتَّخَذَ
مِنَ الْمَلآئِكَةِ إِنَاثًا...
40. Has
then your Lord,
(O
Pagans!)
preferred for you sons, and taken for Himself daughters among the angels?
C2226. Cf.
16:57-59.
Insistence on true worship means also
exclusion of false worship or worship derogatory to Allah.
In circles where daughters were despised and
even their lives had to be protected by special legislation, what could have
been dreadful than ascribing daughters to Allah?
...إِنَّكُمْ لَتَقُولُونَ قَوْلاً عَظِيمًا
﴿٤٠﴾
Truly
ye utter a most dreadful saying!
C.130 (The running Commentary, in
Rhythmic Prose)
(17:41-60)
There is none like unto Allah,
Exalted
Beyond measure is He. All
Creation
Declares His glory. His
revelation
Is Truth, but is beyond
comprehension
To those who believe not in the
Hereafter.
Those who serve Him should
beware
Lest words unseemly should
escape them,
Whether to friend or foe. Avoid
Dissensions, and know that
Allah's Wrath
When kindled is a terrible
thing
But we rejoice that He forbears
and forgives.
Section 5
وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِي هَـذَا الْقُرْآنِ
لِيَذَّكَّرُواْ...
41. We
have explained
(things)
in various
(ways)
in this Qur'án, in order that they may receive admonition,
C2227. Things are explained in the
Quran from all points of view, individual and national, by means of stories,
parables, and figures of speech, and by way of categorical commands.
But those who are evil, instead of profiting
by such instruction, often go farther and farther away from the Truth.
...وَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلاَّ نُفُورًا
﴿٤١﴾
but
it only increases their flight
(from the Truth)!
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ مَعَهُ آلِهَةٌ كَمَا يَقُولُونَ
إِذًا لاَّبْتَغَوْاْ إِلَى ذِي الْعَرْشِ سَبِيلاً
﴿٤٢﴾
42. Say:
if
there had been
(other)
gods with Him -- as
they say -- behold, they would certainly have sought out a way to the Lord of
the Throne!
C2228. There is only One True God. But if,
as polytheists say, there had been subsidiary gods, they would yet have had to
submit to the Throne of the Supreme God, for they could have done nothing
without Him. Thus the Islamic idea of the unity of the Godhead is quite
different from the polytheistic ideas of a supreme god, as in the Greek
Pantheon, where Jupiter was often defied by the minor deities! But such ideas
are absurd, as stated in the next verse.
سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ عُلُوًّا
كَبِيرًا
﴿٤٣﴾
43. Glory
to Him!
He is
high above all that they say! -- Exalted and Great
(beyond
measure)!
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالأَرْضُ
وَمَن فِيهِنَّ...
44. The
seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory:
...وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدَهِ
وَلَـكِن لاَّ تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ...
there
not a thing but celebrates His praise; and yet ye understand not how they
declare His glory!
C2229. All Creation, animate and inanimate,
sings Allah's praises and celebrates His glory,
- animate, with consciousness, and
- inanimate, in the evidence which it furnishes of the unity and
glory of Allah.
All Nature bears witness to His power,
wisdom, and goodness. It is only
"ye", i.e., those who reject the whole trend of
your nature and deny Faith simply because ye have been given a limited amount of
choice and free-will,
- it is only such as
"ye" that understand not what every other
creature understands and proclaims with joy and pride.
What must be your degradation! And yet Allah
bears with you and forgives you! Such is His goodness! (R).
...إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا
﴿٤٤﴾
Verily He is Oft-Forbearing, Most Forgiving!
وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرآنَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ
وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالآخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَّسْتُورًا
﴿٤٥﴾
45. When
thou dost recite the Qur'án, We put, between thee and those who believe not in
the Hereafter, a veil invisible:
C2230.
Veil invisible: Some Commentators
understand
mastur here as equivalent to
satir: a veil that makes invisible, a
thick or dark veil.
But I think that the meaning of
mastur (in the passive voice) as "hidden or
invisible" is more consonant with the whole passage.
If all nature, external and within ourselves,
declares Allah's glory, those unfortunate who cut themselves off from their
better nature are isolated from the true servants of Allah and the revelation of
Allah, because;
- they are unfit for being in their company, and
- because the servants of Allah and the revelation of Allah must be
protected from the pain which blasphemy or rebellion must cause to their
unsullied nature.
The veil is none the less real even though it
is invisible. (R).
وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن
يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا...
46. And
We put coverings over their hearts
(and
minds)
lest they should understand the Qur'án, and deafness into their ears:
C2231. The
invisible veil being put against the ungodly on account of their deliberate
rejection of Truth, the result is that their minds are fogged so that they
cannot understand and their ears are clogged so that they cannot hear.
In other words the effects of Evil become
cumulative in shutting out Allah's grace.
...وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَحْدَهُ
وَلَّوْاْ عَلَى أَدْبَارِهِمْ نُفُورًا
﴿٤٦﴾
when
thou dost commemorate thy Lord -- and Him alone -- in the Qur'án, they turn on
their backs, fleeing
(from the Truth).
نَّحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَسْتَمِعُونَ بِهِ إِذْ
يَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَيْكَ
...
47. We
know best why it is they listen, when they listen to thee;
C2232. See
last note.
That being so, the only motive for the
ungodly to listen to Allah's Truth is to scoff at it instead of to be instructed
by it. They may make a show of listening, but when they meet together in
private, they show themselves in their true colours. Cf.
2:14.
They cannot help seeing that there is
singular charm and attractiveness in Allah's Word, and that it consoles, helps,
and elevates many people who receive it in the right spirit. So they pretend
that they are superior to such people and laugh at them for listening to some
one who is only under the influence of something which they call magic!
...
وَإِذْ هُمْ نَجْوَى إِذْ يَقُولُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلاَّ
رَجُلاً مَّسْحُورًا
﴿٤٧﴾
and
when they meet in private conference,
Behold, the wicked say, "Ye follow none other than a man bewitched!"
انظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُواْ لَكَ الأَمْثَالَ...
48. See
what similes thy strike for thee;
...فَضَلُّواْ فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعْونَ سَبِيلاً
﴿٤٨﴾
but
they have gone astray, and never can they find a way.
C2233. Note that the word used is
"Sabilan" "a way", not "the way".
In going astray they have lost the way; but
never can they find any means of getting back to that way, or of justifying
themselves or making good their wicked similes.
وَقَالُواْ أَئِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا وَرُفَاتًا
أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًا جَدِيدًا
﴿٤٩﴾
49. They
say:
"What! when we are reduced to bones and dust, should we really be raised up
(to
be) a
new creation?"
C2234. They do not realise that Allah
Who created them once out of nothing can create them again, with memories of
their past, in order to render to Him an account of how they used or misused the
talents and opportunities which they were given.
If it is to be a new Creation, what then?
Bones and dust or ashes may yet retain
something of the personality which was enshrined in them. But even if they were
reduced to stones or iron or anything which their minds can conceive of as being
most unlike them, yet there is nothing impossible to Allah!
He has clearly sent a Message that we shall
have to render an account of ourselves, and His Message is necessarily true. (R).
قُل كُونُواْ حِجَارَةً أَوْ حَدِيدًا
﴿٥٠﴾
50. Say:
"(Nay!)
be ye stones or iron,
أَوْ خَلْقًا مِّمَّا يَكْبُرُ فِي صُدُورِكُمْ...
51. "Or
created matter which, in your minds, is hardest
(to be
raised up)
--
(yet shall ye be raised up)!"
...فَسَيَقُولُونَ مَن يُعِيدُنَا
...
Then
will they say: "Who will cause us to return?"
...قُلِ الَّذِي فَطَرَكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ...
Say:
"He Who created you first!"
...فَسَيُنْغِضُونَ إِلَيْكَ رُؤُوسَهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ
مَتَى هُوَ...
Then
will they wag their heads towards thee, and say, "When will that be?"
C2235. The skeptic shifts his ground
when he is cornered in argument. It is no longer tenable for him to say that it
cannot happen or that there is no one who can bring him back to life and memory.
He now gets shaky, and says, "Well, when is that going to happen?"
The actual time no man can tell. Indeed that
event will be on a plane in which there will be no Time. Our relative ideas of
time and place will have been completely overthrown, and it will appear to us
then, not that it has been postponed too long, but that it has come too soon!
See the next verse and note.
...قُلْ عَسَى أَن يَكُونَ قَرِيبًا
﴿٥١﴾
Say,
"Maybe it will be quite soon!
يَوْمَ يَدْعُوكُمْ فَتَسْتَجِيبُونَ بِحَمْدِهِ...
52. "It
will be on a Day when He will call you, and ye will answer
(His call)
with
(words of)
His praise,
...وَتَظُنُّونَ
...
and ye will think
C2236. It may be that this verse should not
be in the inverted commas governed by the verb "say", in the last clause of the
last verse. In that case, the answer to the skeptic would be finished in the
last verse, and this verse would be a general statement applying also to the
righteous, who will rise up celebrating the praises of Allah.
But on the whole,
I think it is better to take this verse as part of the answer to the skeptic
referred to in the last verse.
... إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً
﴿٥٢﴾
that
ye tarried but a little while!"
C2237. Whatever may have been your spiritual
blindness in this life, the "new creation" will have opened your eyes to the
Truth. No one will any longer be in any delusion as regards the Reality of
Allah, and will be forced, by their new circumstances, to recognise the Truth
and sing Allah's praises. And all will be surprised at the seemingly short
flight of time since they had their little ephemeral life on this earth. They
will now appraise its true worth.
Section 6
وَقُل لِّعِبَادِي يَقُولُواْ الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ...
53. Say
to My servants that they should
(only)
say those things that are best:
C2238. This command refers to two
situations.
- Even to your enemies and the enemies of Allah you should speak
fair:
who are you to judge others?
Judgment belongs to Allah alone, for He knows you (i.e., all
mankind) best, and your personal knowledge is at best imperfect. And Satan is
always trying to divide mankind.
- Amongst yourselves, also you should not entertain suspicions, but
speak politely according to the best standards of human speech. A false or
unkind word may destroy all your efforts at building up unity, because the
forces of disruption are more numerous than the forces of unity.
...إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ...
for
Satan doth sow dissensions among them:
...إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلإِنْسَانِ عَدُوًّا
مُّبِينًا
﴿٥٣﴾
for
Satan is to man an avowed enemy.
رَّبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ...
54. It
is your Lord that knoweth you best:
...إِن يَشَأْ يَرْحَمْكُمْ أَوْ إِن يَشَأْ
يُعَذِّبْكُمْ...
if He
please, He granteth you mercy, or if He please, punishment:
C2239. Man should never for a single moment
entertain a thought that would imply that he was wiser than Allah. Allah's
knowledge is all-embracing. If He grants mercy to some that you consider wicked
or punishment to some that you consider righteous, it is your knowledge or your
deductions that are at fault, not Allah's righteous Plan.
Even Prophets of Allah
are not sent to arrange or dispose of men's affairs, but only to teach Allah's
Message. How much less can ordinary men presume to judge other men?
The
Mashiyat -Will
and Plan of Allah- is above all human wisdom. (R).
...وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكِيلاً
﴿٥٤﴾
We
have not sent thee to be a disposer of their affairs for them.
وَرَبُّكَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضِ...
55. And
it is your Lord that knoweth best all beings that are in the heavens and on
earth:
C2240. Not only are we not to judge
other ordinary men and carp at them. We are not to set up false standards for
judging the Prophets of Allah.
If one was born of the unlearned Arab race,
he yet was a mercy to all the worlds.
If one spoke to Allah as Kalim Allah or another's life
Ruh Allah began with a miracle; it does not imply superiority. It only means that Allah's
wisdom is more profound than we can fathom. (R).
...وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَى
بَعْضٍ...
We
did bestow on some Prophets more
(and other)
gifts than on others:
...وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا
﴿٥٥﴾
and
We gave to David
(the gift of)
the Psalms.
C2241. The
spiritual
gifts with which the prophets came may
themselves take different forms, according to the needs of the world and the
times in which they lived, as judged by the wisdom of Allah.
A striking example
here given is the gift of David over others.
David was given the Zabur, the Psalter or
Psalms, intended to be for the worship of Allah and the celebration of Allah's
praise.
For the Book of Psalms, see the
last part of n. 669 to 4:163, where exactly the same words are used about David.
قُلِ ادْعُواْ الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِهِ...
56. Say:
"Call
on those -- besides Him -- whom ye fancy:
...فَلاَ يَمْلِكُونَ كَشْفَ الضُّرِّ عَنكُمْ وَلاَ
تَحْوِيلاً
﴿٥٦﴾
they
have neither the power to remove your troubles from you nor to change them."
C2242. Men's suspicions of each or of
the prophets have been condemned in the previous verses.
We now have the strongest condemnation of
all, that of imagining any other being as being equal or in the same category
with One true God. Allah has all power: they have no power. They cannot remove
men's troubles. They cannot even mitigate or change them so as to afford the
least relief. Why indulge in false worship?
أُولَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى
رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ...
57. Those
whom they call upon do desire
(for
themselves)
means of access to their Lord --
...أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُ
وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُ...
even
those who are nearest: they hope for His Mercy and fear His Wrath:
C2243. Where men or heroes, or
prophets or angels are worshipped, the worship is futile; because;
- even if they are good and holy, and ever so near to Allah, yet
the nearest of them have need to seek means of access to Allah, and they do seek
such means, viz,: the hope of Allah's Grace;
- though by their very nature it is impossible for us to suppose
that they will incur the Wrath of Allah, yet they are but creatures and are
subject to the law of personal responsibility.
...إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُورًا
﴿٥٧﴾
for
the Wrath of thy Lord is something to take heed of.
وَإِن مَّن قَرْيَةٍ إِلاَّ نَحْنُ مُهْلِكُوهَا
قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُوهَا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا...
58. There
is not a population but We shall destroy it before the Day of Judgment or punish
it with a dreadful Penalty:
C2244. These verses are a commentary
on the last clause of the last verse.
"The Wrath of thy Lord is something to take heed of."
The godless thoughtlessly challenge Allah's
Wrath, but do they realise its nature?
Even the best of us must be moved with terror
when we think of its consequences, were it not for His unbounded Mercy.
Those who deny the Hereafter fail to realise
its terrible Portents. They ask for Portents and Miracles now, but do they
realise that their coming means destruction and misery to those who reject
faith? They will come soon enough. The whole world will be convulsed before the
Day of Judgment. The part of the wise is to prepare for it.
...كَانَ ذَلِك فِي الْكِتَابِ مَسْطُورًا
﴿٥٨﴾
that
is written in the
(eternal)
Record.
وَمَا مَنَعَنَا أَن نُّرْسِلَ بِالآيَاتِ إِلاَّ أَن
كَذَّبَ بِهَا الأَوَّلُونَ...
59. And
We refrain from sending the Signs, only because the men of former generations
treated them as false:
C2245. Past generations treated Signs and
Portents with contempt or rebellion, and brought about their own undoing. It is
only Allah's Mercy that gives them Grace for a time and prevents the coming of
those Portents and Punishments which would overwhelm them if they were put to
their trial at once.
...وَآتَيْنَا ثَمُودَ النَّاقَةَ مُبْصِرَةً
فَظَلَمُواْ بِهَا...
We
sent the She-camel: to the Thamud to open their eyes, but they treated her
wrongfully:
C2246. An example is cited from the
story of Thamud.
A wonderful She-camel was sent among them as
a Portent and a Symbol. In their wickedness they hamstrung her.
So instead of her reclaiming them she was a
cause of their destruction, as their sin and rebellion were laid bare. For the
story of the She-camel and the references to the passages in which she is
mentioned, see
n. 104 4 to 7:73.
...وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِالآيَاتِ إِلاَّ تَخْوِيفًا
﴿٥٩﴾
We
only send the Signs by way of terror
(and warning from evil).
C2247.
Signs, Miracles, and Portents are sent by Allah as
a warning, to strike terror into the hearts of evil-doers and reclaim them to
the right path.
I have discussed Fear as a motive for
reclaiming certain kinds of hard hearts, in my
note 82 to 2:74. But some hearts
are so hard that even this motive does not work. As they have a limited
free-will given by Allah, they are to that extent free to choose. But when they
actually choose evil, Allah in His infinite Mercy delays their punishment and
removes the occasion for their immediate self-destruction by withholding the
Signs which might make them transgress all the more and compass their total
destruction.
وَإِذْ
قُلْنَا لَكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ أَحَاطَ
بِالنَّاسِ...
60. Behold!
We told thee that thy Lord doth encompass mankind round about:
C2248. The reference may be to
72:28, probably an earlier Makkan revelation.
But the argument is independent of time.
This verse falls naturally into three
divisions. Warnings and Portents and Signs are sent or not sent according to
Allah's All-Wise Plan of Mercy and Justice, this is in no wise inconsistent with
the apparent freedom given to the wicked: because:
- in any case Allah is all round all His creatures, and His delay
as a Sign of Mercy in no way diminishes His power;
- the Visions of Truth vouchsafed to Prophets of Allah are
themselves Signs by which they can warn the ungodly; and
- sometimes it is more merciful to give them time by not
immediately bringing the matter to judgment. (R).
...وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الرُّؤيَا الَّتِي أَرَيْنَاكَ
إِلاَّ فِتْنَةً لِّلنَّاسِ...
We
granted the Vision which We showed thee, but as a trial for men --
C2249. Some Commentators take this as
referring to the Mi'raj (17:1)
and others to other visions. Such visions are miracles, and become a stumbling
block to unbelievers.
They are an encouragement to men of faith.
Thus they are "a trial for men".
...وَالشَّجَرَةَ الْمَلْعُونَةَ فِي القُرْآنِ...
as
also the Cursed Tree
(mentioned)
in the Qur'án:
C2250. The tree Zaqqum, a bitter and pungent
tree described as growing at the bottom of Hell, a type of all that is
disagreeable.
See
37:62-65;
44:43-46; and
56:52.
All these are Surahs
chronologically earlier than this Surah.
The application of the name to a tree of
the myrobalan kind in the region of
Jericho is, I
think, of post-Quranic date.
It is a trial for wrong- doers. See
37:63 and
n. 4073.
...وَنُخَوِّفُهُمْ فَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلاَّ طُغْيَانًا
كَبِيرًا
﴿٦٠﴾
We
put terror
(and warning)
into them, but it only increases their inordinate transgression!
C.131 (The running Commentary, in
Rhythmic Prose)
(17:61-84)
Arrogance, jealousy, spite and
hatred
Were the cause of the fall of
Iblis. Man
Was given pre-eminence above
Much of Allah's Creation, and
owes
Higher responsibilities. He
should give thanks
For Allah's mercies, and
remember
To Day of Account. Not all the
scheming
Of Evil will deflect Allah's
righteous Plan
To protect His chosen ones.
They should pray
Without ceasing, and seek His
true Guidance;
For Truth will last, but
Falsehood will perish.
Section 7
وَإِذْ
قُلْنَا لِلْمَلآئِكَةِ اسْجُدُواْ لآدَمَ
...
61. Behold!
We said to the angels: "Bow down unto Adam":
C2251. Cf.
7:11-18, which deals, as is the
case here, with the temptation of the individual human soul, while
2:30-38
deals with the collective race of man through Adam. Arrogance, jealousy, spite,
and hatred are the ingredients in the story of Iblis.
...
فَسَجَدُواْ إَلاَّ إِبْلِيسَ...
they
bowed down except Iblis:
...قَالَ أَأَسْجُدُ لِمَنْ خَلَقْتَ طِينًا
﴿٦١﴾
he
said,
"Shall I bow down to one whom Thou didst create from clay?"
قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَكَ هَـذَا الَّذِي كَرَّمْتَ عَلَيَّ...
62. He
said,
"Seest
Thou? This is the one whom thou hast honored above me!
...لَئِنْ أَخَّرْتَنِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
لأَحْتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ إَلاَّ قَلِيلاً
﴿٦٢﴾
If
Thou wilt but respite me to the Day of Judgment, I will surely bring his
descendants under my sway -- all but a few!"
C2252. The power of Evil (Satan) over
man is due to man's limited free-will.
In other words man hands himself to Evil. As
to those who loyally worship and serve Allah, Evil has no power over them.
This is expressly mentioned in
verse 65 below, and in other
places.
قَالَ اذْهَبْ
...
63. Allah
said:
"Go
thy way;
C2253. The power of Evil is summarily
dismissed, but not without a clear warning.
"Do thy worst; if any of them misuse their
limited free-will and deliberately follow thee, they must take the consequences
with thee; all of you must answer according to your personal responsibility."
...
فَمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ
جَهَنَّمَ جَزَآؤُكُمْ جَزَاء مَّوْفُورًا
﴿٦٣﴾
if any of them follow thee, verily Hell will be the recompense of you
(all)
-- an ample recompense.
وَاسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُمْ
...
64. "Lead
to destruction those whom thou canst among them,
C2254. "Do thy worst; but ye are both warned
that that path leads to destruction."
...
بِصَوْتِكَ...
with thy
(seductive)
voice;
C2255. Evil has many snares for mankind. The
one that is put in the foreground is the voice,
- the seductive personal appeal, that "makes the worse appear the
better part".
...وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ...
make
assaults on them with thy cavalry and thy infantry;
C2256. The forcible assault of Evil is next
mentioned under the metaphor of
cavalry and infantry.
It is when cajolery and tempting fair-seeming
seem to fail that an attack is made in force with weapons of violence, of all
kinds, like the different arms in an organized army.
...وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِي الأَمْوَالِ وَالأَوْلادِ
وَعِدْهُمْ...
mutually share with them wealth and children; and make promises to them.
C2257. If the first assaults are resisted.
Evil has other weapons in its armoury.
- Tangible fruits are dangled before the eyes, ill-gotten gains and
children of sin, that follow from certain very alluring methods of indulgence in
passions.
- Or it may be children dedicated to sin or worldly gains, etc. And
then there are all kinds of promises for the future.
...وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلاَّ غُرُورًا
﴿٦٤﴾
But
Satan promises them nothing but deceit.
C2258. This is a parenthetical clause
inserted to show up what the promises of the Satan are worth.
إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ...
65. "As
for My servants, no authority shalt thou have over them."
C2259. This verse should be read along with
the two preceding ones to complete their meaning. Evil has no power except over
those who yield to its solicitations.
...وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ وَكِيلاً
﴿٦٥﴾
Enough is thy Lord for a Disposer of affairs.
C2260. As Evil has no authority over the
sincere servants of Allah, they should put their trust completely in Him. For He
is All-Sufficient to carry out their affairs, and by His grace, to save them
from all harm and danger.
رَّبُّكُمُ الَّذِي يُزْجِي لَكُمُ الْفُلْكَ فِي
الْبَحْرِ لِتَبْتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ...
66. Your
Lord is He that maketh the Ship go smoothly for you through the sea, in order
that ye may seek of His Bounty:
C2261. This illustration of the sea,
and the skill with which, by Allah's grace, men pass through it with ease in
order to earn material gains by commerce, social gains by human intercourse, and
spiritual gains by knowledge, is frequently used to enforce Allah's goodness to
man.
Cf.
2:164.
...إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا
﴿٦٦﴾
for
He is unto you Most Merciful.
وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الْضُّرُّ فِي الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَن
تَدْعُونَ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ...
67. When
distress seizes you at sea, those that ye call upon -- besides Himself -- leave
you in the lurch!
...فَلَمَّا نَجَّاكُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ...
But
when He brings you back safe to land, ye turn away
(from Him).
...وَكَانَ الإِنْسَانُ كَفُورًا
﴿٦٧﴾
Most
ungrateful is man!
C2262. Against Allah's gracious gifts
and mercies is contrasted man's ingratitude.
In danger he remembers Allah, the One True
God, but relapses into his own fancies when the danger is past.
Cf. also
10:22-23. (R).
أَفَأَمِنتُمْ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمْ جَانِبَ الْبَرِّ
أَوْ يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا...
68. Do
ye then feel secure that He will not cause you to be swallowed up beneath the earth when ye are on land, or that He will not send against you a violent
tornado
(with showers of stones)
C2263. Man is safe neither on land nor at sea
except by the grace and mercy of Allah.
How forcibly this is brought home to us
by the
Quetta
earthquake of
31st May 1935, when tens of thousands of men, women, and
children, perished in a few moments, by night, buried in debris!
The stories of
violent destructive tornadoes in such areas as the southern
United States
are equally impressive.
The destruction
is so sudden that the victims have no time to arrange anything. They are simply
wiped out.
...ثُمَّ لاَ تَجِدُواْ لَكُمْ وَكِيلاً
﴿٦٨﴾
so
that ye shall find no one to carry out your affairs for you?
أَمْ أَمِنتُمْ أَن يُعِيدَكُمْ فِيهِ تَارَةً
أُخْرَى...
69. Or
do ye feel secure that He will not send you back a second time to sea
...فَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ قَاصِفا مِّنَ الرِّيحِ
فَيُغْرِقَكُم بِمَا كَفَرْتُمْ...
and
send against you a heavy gale to drown you because of your ingratitude,
C2264. If a man flees from the Wrath
of Allah, there is no place secure for him.
He may flee from sea to land, and back again
from land to sea. But his life depends on the Disposer of all affairs. He may go
again and again to sea, and perhaps finally end by being drowned.
...ثُمَّ لاَ تَجِدُواْ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا بِهِ تَبِيعًا
﴿٦٩﴾
so
that ye find no helper therein against Us?
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي
الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ...
70. We
have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea;
...
وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ...
given
them for sustenance things good and pure;
...وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا
تَفْضِيلاً
﴿٧٠﴾
and
conferred on them special favors, above a great part of Our Creation.
C2265. The distinction and honour
conferred by Allah on man are recounted in order to enforce the corresponding
duties and responsibilities of man.
-
He is raised to a position of honour above the brute creation:
-
he has been granted talents by which he can transport himself
from place to place by land, sea, and now by air:
- all the means for the sustenance and growth of every part of his
nature are provided by Allah;
- and his spiritual faculties (the greatest gift of Allah) raise
him above the greater part of Allah's Creation.
Should he not then realise his noble destiny
and prepare for his real life in the Hereafter?
Section 8
يَوْمَ
نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ...
71. One
day We shall call together all human beings with their
(respective)
Imams:
C2266. 1 have discussed the various meanings
of
Imam in
2:124, n. 124.
What is the meaning here?
The Commentators are divided.
- Some understand the meaning to be that each People or Group will
appear with its Leader, who will bear witness to its virtues or sins: Cf.
16:84.
- Another view is that the
Imam is their revelation, their Book.
- A third is that the Imam is the record of deeds spoken of in the
next clause.
I prefer the first.
...فَمَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ
يَقْرَؤُونَ كِتَابَهُمْ...
those
who are given their record in their right hand will read it
(with
pleasure),
...وَلاَ يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلاً
﴿٧١﴾
and
they will not be dealt with unjustly in the least.
C2267. Literally, by the value of a
fatil, a
small skin in the cleft of a date-stone: this has no value.
وَمَن كَانَ فِي هَـذِهِ أَعْمَى فَهُوَ فِي
الآخِرَةِ أَعْمَى...
72. But
those who were blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter,
C2268. On the Judgment Day the
children of light will receive and peruse their record, and will render joyful
thanks to Allah for His Mercies.
What of the children of darkness?
They had already been blind in this world's
life, and they will not receive the light of Allah's Countenance then. On the
contrary they will find that the longer the time they have travelled, the
farther away they have gone from the Path.
Notice the association of ideas-blindness,
not seeing the light, going farther and farther away from the true Path.
...وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلاً
﴿٧٢﴾
and
most astray from the Path.
وَإِن كَادُواْ
لَيَفْتِنُونَكَ عَنِ الَّذِي
أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ لِتفْتَرِيَ عَلَيْنَا غَيْرَهُ...
73. And
their purpose was to tempt thee away from that which We had revealed unto thee,
to substitute in Our name something quite different:
(in that case),
C2269. It happens with men of Allah, and it
happened with the holy Prophet, that they are tempted by the world with many
things which appeal to the world generally, if they would make some small
concession in their favour. The "small concession" may hold the key of the
position, and neutralize the whole teaching sent by Allah.
If the Prophet had
accepted wealth and position among the Quraish and "only respected" their idols!
The Quraish would have taken him into their inner circle!
A dishonest liar like Musaylama would have jumped at the opportunity and been hailed as a friend and
associate and made much 0f. But Prophets of Allah are made of sterner stuff.
They are given special strength to resist all plausible deception. (R).
...وَإِذًا لاَّتَّخَذُوكَ خَلِيلاً
﴿٧٣﴾
behold! they would certainly have made thee
(their)
friend!
وَلَوْلاَ أَن ثَبَّتْنَاكَ لَقَدْ كِدتَّ تَرْكَنُ
إِلَيْهِمْ شَيْئًا قَلِيلاً
﴿٧٤﴾
74. And
had We not given thee strength, thou wouldst nearly have inclined to them a
little.
C2270. From a purely human point of view it
may seem policy to make a small "concession" to men's weakness in order to
fulfil a divine mission. But the divine Messenger is given special strength to
resist such temptations.
إِذاً لَّأَذَقْنَاكَ ضِعْفَ الْحَيَاةِ وَضِعْفَ
الْمَمَاتِ...
75. In
that case We should have made thee taste an equal portion
(of punishment)
in this life, and an equal portion in death:
C2271. If such a thing was possible for a
true Messenger of Allah, viz.:
a compromise with evil and a dereliction of his
mission, he would be no exception to the law of personal responsibility.
Indeed,
as the power and the responsibility were greater, the punishment would have been
greater too. It would have been double,
- an exposure in this life and the usual punishment in or after
death for a desertion of Truth.
...ثُمَّ لاَ تَجِدُ لَكَ عَلَيْنَا نَصِيرًا
﴿٧٥﴾
and
moreover thou wouldst have found none to help thee against Us!
C2272. The motive held out by the world for a
compromise with Truth is itself fallacious. The motive is that the compromise
may bring influence, position, and opportunity, if not wealth and the other good
things of life. But these themselves (if attained) would be of no use or help if
pitted against the command of Allah.
وَإِن كَادُواْ لَيَسْتَفِزُّونَكَ مِنَ الأَرْضِ
لِيُخْرِجوكَ مِنْهَا...
76. Their
purpose was to scare thee off the land, in order to expel thee;
C2273. As happened in the case of the holy
Prophet, the enemies try to frighten the Prophet of Allah away from their midst,
so that, once away, they could expel him and keep him out. But they are counting
without the Plan of Allah. If they persecute the righteous, they dig their own
graves! (R).
...وَإِذًا لاَّ يَلْبَثُونَ خِلافَكَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً
﴿٧٦﴾
but
in that case they would not have stayed
(therein)
after thee, except
for a little while.
سُنَّةَ مَن قَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِن
رُّسُلِنَا...
77. (This
was Our)
way with the Messengers We sent before thee:
...وَلاَ تَجِدُ لِسُنَّتِنَا تَحْوِيلاً
﴿٧٧﴾
thou
wilt find no change in Our ways.
C2274. This was no new thing in history.
Allah protects His own, and the ungodly cannot long enjoy the fruits of their
unrighteousness even if their punishment be delayed a little while.
Section 9
أَقِمِ الصَّلاَةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَى غَسَقِ
اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ...
78. Establish
regular prayers -- at the sun's decline till the darkness of the night, and the
morning prayer and reading:
C2275. The Commentators understand here the
command for the five daily canonical prayers, viz,:
the four from the
declination of the sun from the zenith to the fullest darkness of the night, and
the early morning prayer, Fajr, which is usually accompanied by a reading of the
holy Quran.
The four afternoon prayers are:
-
Zuhr, immediately after the sun begins to decline in the
afternoon;
-
'Asr, in the late afternoon;
-
Magrib, immediately after sunset; and
-
Isha, after the glow of sunset has disappeared and the full
darkness of the night has set in.
There is difference of opinion as to the
meaning of particular words and phrases, but none as to the general effect of
the passage.
...إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا
﴿٧٨﴾
for
the prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony.
C2276. The morning prayer is specially
singled out for separate mention, because the morning is a "peaceful hour" and
special influences act on the soul awaking from the night's rest. Special
testimony is borne to the prayers of this hour by the angelic host.
وَمِنَ
اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَّكَ
...
79. And
pray in the small watches of the morning:
(it would be)
an additional prayer
(or spiritual profit)
for thee:
C2277. This is held to be addressed specially
to the holy Prophet who usually prayed more than the five canonical prayers.
The
Tahajjud was a prayer after
midnight, in
the small watches of the morning.
...
عَسَى أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَّحْمُودًا
﴿٧٩﴾
soon
will thy Lord raise thee to a station of Praise and Glory!
C2278. To the Prophet was to be assigned in
the Hereafter the highest Post of Honour and Glory - the
Maqam Mahmud, implying his excellence above all other
Prophets.
The immediate reference may be to the hope
that the Makkan persecution will soon be over and the glorious work in Madinah
will begin. (R).
وَقُل
رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ
وَأَخْرِجْنِي مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ...
80. Say:
"O my
Lord! let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honor, and likewise my exit by
the Gate of Truth and Honor;
C2279. The entry and exit here referred to
may be interpreted in four senses:
1. entry into death and exit at the resurrection:
for the righteous, who have purified their souls by prayer (last
verse) and spiritual teaching from the Quran (next verse), there is on each
occasion a fuller and fuller realisation and enjoyment of truth and honour: for
those who are estranged from Allah, the effect is the opposite: the truth
becomes bitter and there is ignominy and exposure instead of honour:
2. entry for the holy Prophet into the new life at Madinah, which
was still in the womb of futurity, and exit from the life of persecution and the
milieu of falsehood, which surrounded him in his native city of Makkah still
given up to idolatry:
3. referring to the impending Hijrah again, the prayer may mean,
"Let it be from pure motives of truth and spiritual honour, and
not from motives of anger against the city of
Makkah or its
persecutors, or of ambition or worldly power from the city of Madinah, which was
ready to lay everything at the Prophet's feet":
4. generally, entry and exit at every stage of life.
...وَاجْعَل لِّي مِن لَّدُنكَ سُلْطَانًا نَّصِيرًا
﴿٨٠﴾
and
grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid
(me)."
C2280. All prayer must be for Allah's aid and
authority. However much we may plan, our success must depend on His aid. However
nobler our motives, we have no right to imperil any lives unless there is
authority in the Word of Allah. The Prophet only acts on Allah's commission and
inspiration,
وَقُلْ
جَاء الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ...
81. And
say:
"Truth has
(now)
arrived, and Falsehood perished:
...إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا
﴿٨١﴾
for
Falsehood is
(by its nature)
bound to perish."
C2281. From its nature falsehood must perish,
for it is the opposite of Truth, and Truth must ever prevail.
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاء
وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ...
82. We
send down
(stage by stage)
in the Qur'án that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe:
...وَلاَ يَزِيدُ الظَّالِمِينَ إَلاَّ خَسَارًا
﴿٨٢﴾
to
the unjust it causes nothing but loss after loss.
C2282. In Allah's revelation there is
healing for our broken spirits, hope for our spiritual future, and joy in the
forgiveness of our sins. All who work in faith will share in these privileges.
It is only the rebels against Allah's Law who
will suffer loss. The more they will oppose Truth, the deeper down will they go
into the mire-the state of sin and Wrath, which is worse than destruction.
وَإِذَآ
أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَى الإِنسَانِ أَعْرَضَ
وَنَأَى بِجَانِبِهِ...
83. Yet
when We bestow Our favors on man, he turns away and becomes remote on his side
(instead of coming to Us),
...وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ كَانَ يَؤُوسًا
﴿٨٣﴾
and
when Evil seizes him he gives himself up to despair!
C2283. Truth saves us from two
extremes:
- when we are happy, we are saved from being puffed up, for we
realise that everything comes from Allah;
- and when we suffer misfortunes, we are not in despair, for we
know that Allah is our sure refuge and help.
قُلْ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَى شَاكِلَتِهِ...
84. Say:
"Everyone acts according to his own disposition:
...فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ أَهْدَى سَبِيلاً
﴿٨٤﴾
but
your Lord knows best who it is that is best guided on the Way."
C2284. If the wicked go their own ways, there
is nothing to discourage us. It is their nature. We must seek and hold fast to
true guidance.
C.132 (The running Commentary, in
Rhythmic Prose)
(17:85-111)
Who can define the Spirit of
Inspiration?
Its gift is the highest of
Allah's Mercies
To man. The Quran is divine,
and no carping
Can affect its greatness or the
greatness
Of the Messenger who brought it
to men,
Those who reject it will be
called
To account on the Day of
Judgement. Let not
Pride and Ignorance rush, like
Pharaoh,
To the Punishment of the
Hereafter.
The Quran as revealed by stages
teaches
The Truth; learn it and chant
it, and praise
The Beautiful Names of Allah
forever!
Section 10
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ...
85. They
ask thee concerning the Spirit
(of
inspiration).
C2285. What is the nature of
inspiration?
Who brings it?
Can it ask its Bringer questions?
Can we ask anything which we wish?
These are the sort of questions always asked
when inspiration is called in question. The answer is given here,.
Inspiration is one of those high experiences
which cannot be explained in the terms of our everyday human experience. It is
spiritual.
The Spirit (Gabriel) does not come of his own
will. He comes by the command of Allah, and reveals what Allah commands him to
reveal.
Of the sum-total of true divine knowledge
what a small part it is that ordinary mortals can understand! They can be only
given that which they can understand, however dimly. We are not in a position to
ask anything that we wish. If we did so, it would only make us look foolish, for
the guidance comes from Allah's Wisdom, not from our worldly knowledge.
...قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم
مِّن الْعِلْمِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً
﴿٨٥﴾
Say:
"The
Spirit
(cometh)
by command of my Lord:
of
knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you,
(O men!)
وَلَئِن شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا
إِلَيْكَ...
86. If
it were Our Will, We could take away that which We have sent thee by
inspiration:
C2286. Even the spiritual knowledge that
comes to us comes because of the favour and mercy of Allah. If He were to
withhold it, who can call Him in question?
...ثُمَّ لاَ تَجِدُ لَكَ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا وَكِيلاً
﴿٨٦﴾
then
would thou find none to plead thy affair in that matter as against Us --
إِلاَّ رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ...
87. Except
for Mercy from thy Lord:
C2287. In that case the only one who can
plead for us is the Mercy of Allah.
We can interpret the phrase in its widest
abstract sense, as well as in the concrete sense of the title which is applied
to the holy Prophet Muhammad, the Mercy of Allah. Thus we come from the abstract
question to the concrete question of the Quran, which is referred to by name in
the verses that follow.
...إِنَّ فَضْلَهُ كَانَ عَلَيْكَ كَبِيرًا
﴿٨٧﴾
for
His Bounty is to thee
(indeed)
great.
قُل لَّئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الإِنسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَى
أَن يَأْتُواْ بِمِثْلِ هَـذَا الْقُرْآنِ...
88. Say:
"If
the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of
this Qur'án,
C2288. For the meaning of
"Jinns", see
n. 929 to 6:100.
...لاَ يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ
لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا
﴿٨٨﴾
they
could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help
and support.
C2289. The proof of the Quran is in
its own beauty and nature, and the circumstances in which it was promulgated.
The world is challenged to produce a Book like it and has not produced one.
It is the only revealed Book whose text
stands pure and uncorrupted today.
Cf., for a similar challenge,
2:23,
10:38,
and
11:13.
وَلَقَدْ
صَرَّفْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِي هَـذَا الْقُرْآنِ
مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ...
89. And
We have explained to man, in this Qur'án, every kind of similitude:
C2290. In the Quran everything is
explained in detail from various points of view, by commands, similitudes,
examples, stories, parables, etc.
It does not merely narrate stories or lay
down vague abstract propositions. It gives every detailed help in outward and
inner life.
...فَأَبَى أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ إِلاَّ كُفُورًا
﴿٨٩﴾
yet
the greater part of men refuse
(to receive it)
except with
ingratitude!
C2291. One form in which it can be received
with ingratitude is to pay verbal tributes to it but not study it as it ought to
be studied (2:121,
haqqa tilawatihi), or to disobey its precepts or standards.
وَقَالُواْ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى تَفْجُرَ لَنَا
مِنَ الأَرْضِ يَنبُوعًا
﴿٩٠﴾
90. They
say:
"We
shall not believe in thee, until thou cause spring to gush forth for us from the
earth,
C2292. Cf.
2:60.
أَوْ تَكُونَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَعِنَبٍ
فَتُفَجِّرَ الأَنْهَارَ خِلالَهَا تَفْجِيرًا
﴿٩١﴾
91. "Or
(until)
thou have a garden of date trees and vines, and cause rivers to gush forth in
their midst, carrying abundant water;
C2293. This ill-assorted and crude jumble of
the sort of miracles which the Unbelievers wanted is in very appropriate
contrast to the sober and reasoned argument which has begun in the last sentence
of verse 93 and continued in sections 11 and 12, which close this Surah.
It is
throughout reminiscent of the materialistic imagination of Jewish skeptics,
which was mainly responsible for the fall of the Jewish nation (see
verse 104
below). For a thirsty people sojourning in a dry land, the finding of a spring
of water as in the story of Moses or of the well of Zamzam is an appropriate
miracle. But miracles are not for faithless crowds to gape at.
A beautiful
well-watered Garden is a symbol of Felicity: but a skeptic cannot order Allah to
produce it for his pleasure. The same may be said about a house adorned with
gold, except that its symbolism is even more materialistic.
The fall of the sky or producing Allah face
to face or climbing to the skies by a ladder, or bringing down a book of
parchment which men could handle, are all irreverent suggestions that make no
distinction between spiritual and material things.
أَوْ تُسْقِطَ السَّمَاء كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا
كِسَفًا...
92. "Or
thou cause the sky to fall in pieces, as thou sayest
(will happen),
against us;
C2294. Contrast the sublime passages like the
beginning with
82:1. or that in
25:25, where the final breaking up of the
firmaments as we know them is referred to in the world's catastrophe, with the
ridiculous demand that it should be done for the sport of the skeptics!
...أَوْ تَأْتِيَ بِاللّهِ وَالْمَلآئِكَةِ قَبِيلاً
﴿٩٢﴾
or
thou bring Allah and the angels before
(us)
face to face;
C2295. Cf.
2:55 and
4:153 about the
desire of the Israelites to see Allah face to face;
and
6:8-9, about angels coming down to
convince men.
أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِّن زُخْرُفٍ أَوْ تَرْقَى
فِي السَّمَاء...
93. "Or
thou have a house adorned with gold, or thou mount a ladder right into the
skies.
C2296. Cf.
6:35
about a ladder to the
skies.
...وَلَن نُّؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّى تُنَزِّلَ
عَلَيْنَا كِتَابًا نَّقْرَؤُهُ...
No,
we shall not even believe in thy mounting until thou send down to us a book that
we could read."
C2297. Cf.
6:7 for the foolish idea of
materialistic skeptics that a spiritual revelation could come down from the
heavens on a piece of parchment that they can touch.
...قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّي هَلْ كُنتُ إَلاَّ بَشَرًا
رَّسُولاً
﴿٩٣﴾
Say:
"Glory to my Lord! am I aught but a man -- a Messenger?"
C2298. A prophet or messenger of Allah is a
man at the command of Allah, and not to satisfy the disingenuous whims and
fancies of Unbelievers.
Miracles greater than any that their foolish fancies
could devise were before them. The Quran was such a miracle, and it is a
standing miracle that lasts through the ages.
Why did they not believe?
The real reason was spite and jealousy like
that of Iblis. See next verse.
Section 11
وَمَا
مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُواْ إِذْ جَاءهُمُ
الْهُدَى...
94. What
kept men back from Belief when Guidance came to them, was nothing but this:
...إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ أَبَعَثَ اللّهُ بَشَرًا
رَّسُولاً
﴿٩٤﴾
they
said, "Has Allah sent a man like
(us)
to be
(His)
Messenger?"
C2299. When a man is raised to honour and
dignity, his sincere brothers rejoice, for it is an honour that reflects its
glory on them. But those with evil in their hearts are jealous like their
prototype Iblis, (17:61,
n. 2251).
To such men the mere fact that their own
brother receives the grace of Allah is enough to turn them against that brother.
Any other reasons they may devise are mere
make-believe.
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ
فِي الأَرْضِ مَلآئِكَةٌ يَمْشُونَ
مُطْمَئِنِّينَ...
95. Say,
"If
there were settled, on earth, angels walking about in peace and quiet,
C2300. The argument is that if angels
inhabited this earth, an angel from heaven could be sent down as a messenger to
them, as they could mutually understand each other, and the Message of Allah
could be explained without difficulty.
But the earth is inhabited by men, and
the men themselves are divided into races, or groups, or nations. To each Group
is sent a prophet from among their brethren: to 'Ad, their brother Hud (11:50);
to Thamud, their brother Salih (11:61): and so on.
As a matter of fact, with wicked men,
constituted as they are, the appearance of an angel causes
disturbance and an unseemly riot, as in the case of the angels that came to
Lut (11:77-80).
In any case they cannot carry out an effective mission among men (6:8-9).
...لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ السَّمَاء مَلَكًا
رَّسُولاً
﴿٩٥﴾
We
should certainly have sent them down from the heavens an angel for a messenger."
قُلْ كَفَى بِاللّهِ شَهِيدًا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ...
96. Say:
"Enough is Allah for a witness between me and you:
C2301. 'If you want a real witness, it is not
these sorts of fancy miracles, but the witness of the true ever-living God.
Purify your hearts, and ask Him in true contrition and repentance, and He will
guide you and show you the Way'. (R).
...إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا بَصِيرًا
﴿٩٦﴾
for
He is well-acquainted with His servants, and He sees
(all
things)."
وَمَن
يَهْدِ اللّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ...
97. It
is he whom Allah guides, that is on true guidance;
...وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاء مِن
دُونِهِ...
but
he whom He leaves astray -- for such wilt thou find no protector besides Him.
C2302. 'All your insincere subtleties are of
no use. The only real guidance is the guidance of Allah. If you do not seek His
grace, you will be lost. Besides Him, there is no true friend or protector'.
...وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى
وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا...
On
the Day of Judgment We shall gather them together, prone on their faces, blind,
dumb, and deaf:
...مَّأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ
سَعِيرًا
﴿٩٧﴾
their
abode will be Hell:
every
time it shows abatement, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.
C2303. 'If you still persist in your
evil ways, what is to be your evil end?
You will become more and more identified with
the Company of Evil. You will come to shame and ignominy, like men thrown down
prone on their faces. You will lose the use of all the faculties of judgment
with which Allah has endowed you.
Instead of seeing, you will be blind to
Allah's Signs. Instead of having the power of seeking Him in prayer and
rejoicing in His grace, you will be dumb. Instead of hearing the harmony and
music of the spheres, as typified in the pure and harmonious lives of men, you
will hear nothing or only hear dull or confused sounds like deaf men.
The scorching fire of your punishment will
not grow less, but grow more fierce as you go deeper into Hell'.
ذَلِكَ
جَزَآؤُهُم بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُواْ بِآيَاتِنَا...
98. That
is their recompense, because they rejected Our Signs,
...وَقَالُواْ أَئِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا وَرُفَاتًا
أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًا جَدِيدًا
﴿٩٨﴾
and
said, "When we are reduced to bones and broken dust, should we really be raised
up
(to be)
a new Creation?"
C2304. This phrase is repeated from
17:49.
The reminiscence rounds off the argument. After certain moral precepts to which
Faith was linked, we have had a discussion of Unfaith. Its various motives have
been analyzed, and its penalties have been allegorically shadowed forth.
After this, the example of Pharaoh is held as
a type of Unfaith in the next section, and the Surah closed with an exhortation
to faith and a declaration of the glory of Allah.
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّ
اللّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ...
99. See
they not that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, has power to create
the like of them
(anew)?
C2305. Allah, Who created all that is in the
heavens and on earth, has surely the power to revive the life of individual
souls after their bodies have perished, -and revive them with memories of their
past life and for a continuation of their spiritual history. Only He has fixed a
term for each stage of our existence, which we can neither prolong nor shorten.
...وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلاً لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ...
Only
He has decreed a term appointed, of which there is no doubt.
...فَأَبَى الظَّالِمُونَ إَلاَّ كُفُورًا
﴿٩٩﴾
But
the unjust refuse
(to receive it)
except with ingratitude.
C2306. This phrase carries us back to
17:89, after we began the argument about the real motives for the rejection of the
Quran by skeptics.
The argument is now closed in a sort of minor
circle within the major circle sketched in
n. 2304 above.
قُل لَّوْ
أَنتُمْ تَمْلِكُونَ خَزَآئِنَ رَحْمَةِ
رَبِّي...
100. Say:
"If
ye had control of the Treasures of the Mercy of my Lord,
...إِذًا لَّأَمْسَكْتُمْ خَشْيَةَ الإِنفَاقِ...
behold, ye would keep them back, for fear of spending them:
...وَكَانَ الإنسَانُ قَتُورًا
﴿١٠٠﴾
for
man is
(ever)
niggardly!"
C2307. A fresh argument is now
addressed to those who would confine Allah's revelations to a limited circle of
men, such as they themselves belonged to.
The immediate reference was to the Jews, who
could not understand how any Gentiles could receive revelations and guidance
even superior to what they considered their own birth-right. But the tendency is
widespread in the human race.
A particular race, or caste, or a particular
kind of culture, claims to be the custodian of Allah's Message, whereas it is
universal. Allah's Mercy is universal, and He scatters the priceless Treasures
of His Mercy broadcast among His creatures. They are not exhausted by spending.
It is only the misers who hoard their wealth for fear it should be used up by
spending.
'Are you spiritual misers going to keep back
Allah's holy Message from the multitude?
Is that the reason why you deny the advent of
the new Teacher, who comes as a Mercy to all men-to all Creation?'
Section 12
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى
تِسْعَ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ...
101. To
Moses We did give nine Clear Signs:
C2308. Nine Clear Signs: see
7:133,
n. 1091.
The story of Pharaoh (or a phase of it) is
here told with a view to exhibiting the decline of a soul on account of pride in
outward power and dignity.
...فَاسْأَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِذْ جَاءهُمْ فَقَالَ
لَهُ فِرْعَونُ...
ask
the Children of Israel: when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him:
C2309. To them: i.e., to Pharaoh, as sitting
in his Council, with the Chiefs of his people. Cf.
7:103.
The whole scene is
described in some detail from the point of view of nations or Ummahs in
7:103-133.
...إِنِّي لَأَظُنُّكَ يَا مُوسَى مَسْحُورًا
﴿١٠١﴾
"O
Moses! I consider thee, indeed, to have been worked upon by sorcery!"
C2310. At a different and later stage in the
scene, Pharaoh's Chiefs call Moses a "sorcerer well-versed" (7:109).
Here Moses, who had come with the Nine Signs
but had not yet shown them, is reproached with being the object of sorcery: he
is practically told that he is mad!
قَالَ لَقَدْ
عَلِمْتَ مَا أَنزَلَ هَـؤُلاء إِلاَّ
رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ بَصَآئِرَ...
102. Moses
said,
"Thou
knowest well that these things have been sent down by none but the Lord of the
heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence:
C2311. We can well suppose Moses to
ask Pharaoh to recall all the past history of Moses, for Moses had been brought
up in Pharaoh's palace in all the learning of the Egyptians. He could not
therefore be mad, or a simpleton worked on by Egyptian magic.
What he was going to show was something far
greater; it was not the deceptive magic of Pharaoh's sorcerers, but true Signs
that came from Allah, the Lord of all power. They were to open the eyes of his
people, and if Pharaoh resisted faith. Moses warns him that Pharaoh in that case
was doomed to destruction.
This is the course of the soul that sinks
down by Pride! (R).
...وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّكَ يَا فِرْعَونُ مَثْبُورًا
﴿١٠٢﴾
and I
consider thee, indeed, O Pharaoh, to be one doomed to destruction!"
فَأَرَادَ أَن يَسْتَفِزَّهُم مِّنَ الأَرْضِ...
103. So
he resolved to remove them from the face of the earth:
C2312. Pharaoh on this tries various
subterfuges and plans for removing not only Moses but all his people by doing
away with them.
The detailed story is not told here but may
be read in Surah 7.
But Allah's Wrath descended on Pharaoh and
those who were with him in body and mind. The Egyptians who repented were
subject to Pharaoh's wrath but were saved from the Wrath of Allah (7:121-126).
...فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ جَمِيعًا
﴿١٠٣﴾
but
We did drown him and all who were with him.
وَقُلْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِ لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
اسْكُنُواْ الأَرْضَ...
104. And
We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, "Dwell securely in the land
(of promise)":
C2313. The Israelites were taken to the
Promised Land in
Palestine,
and they established their own kingdom there, but they forfeited Allah's favour
by their sins and backslidings and will have to answer like all souls by the law
of personal responsibility at the Day of Judgment.
...فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ الآخِرَةِ جِئْنَا بِكُمْ
لَفِيفًا
﴿١٠٤﴾
but
when the second of the warnings came to pass, We gathered you together in a
mingled crowd.
C2314. The second of the warnings:
-
the first was probably that mentioned above, in
17:5 and
-
the second that mentioned in
17:7 (middle).
When this second warning due to the rejection
of Jesus came to pass, the Jews were gathered together in a mingled crowd.
Some Commentators understand the second
warning to be the Day of Judgment, the Promise of the Hereafter. (R).
وَبِالْحَقِّ أَنزَلْنَاهُ وَبِالْحَقِّ نَزَلَ...
105. We
sent down the
(Qur'án)
in Truth, and in
Truth has it descended:
C2315. The Quran was sent down by
Allah in Truth: it was not forged by any mortal.
It has descended in Truth: it was not and has
not been falsified or corrupted in the process of being communicated to mankind.
...وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلاَّ مُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
﴿١٠٥﴾
and
We sent thee but to give Glad Tidings and to warn
(sinners).
C2316. The part of the Prophet was that of a
Messenger: he was not responsible if the ungodly rejected it. He fulfilled his
mission in promulgating and explaining it and leaving it as a legacy to the
world.
وَقُرْآناً فَرَقْنَاهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ
عَلَى مُكْثٍ...
106. (It
is) a
Qur'án which We have divided
(into parts from time to time),
in order that thou mightest recite it to men at intervals:
...وَنَزَّلْنَاهُ تَنزِيلاً
﴿١٠٦﴾
We
have revealed it by stages.
C2317. The marvel is that these parts,
revealed at different times and in different circumstances, should fit together
so closely and consistently as they do. All revelation is progressive.
The previous revelations were also
progressive. Each of them marked a stage in the world's spiritual history.
Man's mind does not take in more than his
spiritual state will have prepared him, for Allah's revelation comes as a light
to illuminate our difficulties and show us the way in actual situations that
arise.
قُلْ آمِنُواْ
بِهِ أَوْ لاَ تُؤْمِنُواْ...
107. Say:
"Whether ye believe in it or not,
...إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِ
إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ يَخِرُّونَ لِلأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا
﴿١٠٧﴾
it is
true that those who were given knowledge beforehand, when it is recited to them,
fall down on their faces in humble prostration,"
C2318. No one's belief or unbelief
affects the beauty or grandeur of Allah's revelation. But those endowed with
spiritual knowledge or insight know at once when they hear Allah's holy Word,
and fall down and adore Allah.
Those endowed with knowledge include those
who had received previous revelations and had kept themselves free from corrupt
ideas.
وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ
رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولاً
﴿١٠٨﴾
108.
And say: "Glory to our Lord! truly has the promise
of our Lord been fulfilled!"
C2319. Those who had received previous
revelations find in the Quran and in the Messenger who brought it, the promise
of Allah fulfilled. Those who were spiritually prepared for it found in the same
way the satisfaction of their spiritual yearnings: to them, also, Allah's
promise was sent to be fulfilled.
وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُونَ وَيَزِيدُهُمْ
خُشُوعًا
﴿١٠٩﴾
109.
They fall down on their faces in tears, and it
increases their
(earnest)
humility.
C2320. A feeling of earnest humility
comes to the man who realises how, in spite of his own unworthiness, he is
brought, by Allah's Mercy, into touch with the most sublime Truths.
Such a man is touched with the deepest
emotion, which finds its outlet in tears.
قُلِ ادْعُواْ اللّهَ أَوِ ادْعُواْ الرَّحْمَـنَ...
110. Say:
"Call
upon Allah, or call upon Rahman:
C2321. Cf.
7:180.
Rahman describes one of the attributes of Allah,
-His grace and Mercy which come to the sinner even before he feels conscious of
the need of it,- the preventive Grace which saves Allah's servants from sin. See
n. 19 to 1:1.
Allah can be invoked, either by His simple
name, which includes all attributes, or by one of the names implying the
attributes by which we try to explain His nature to our limited understanding.
The attribute of Mercy in Rahman was particularly repugnant to the Pagan Arabs
(see
25:60, and
21:36): that is why special stress is laid on it in the
Quran. (R).
...أَيًّا مَّا تَدْعُواْ فَلَهُ الأَسْمَاء الْحُسْنَى
...
by
whatever name ye call upon Him,
(it is well):
for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.
C2322. These Beautiful Names of Allah are
many. The Hadith related by Tirmizi, accepted by some as authentic, mentions 99
names of Allah.
Qadhi Muhammad Sulaiman has published an Urdu monograph on the
subject, published by the Daftar Rahmatun-lil-'Alamin Patiala, 1930. Those who
wish to see a poetic Commentary on the names in the form of stories in English
may consult Sir Edwin Arnold's Pearls of the Faith.
Sir Edwin's stories are of
unequal merit, but a fine example is furnished by No. 4, al-Malik. "The King".
(R).
...وَلاَ تَجْهَرْ بِصَلاَتِكَ وَلاَ تُخَافِتْ بِهَا
وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلاً
﴿١١٠﴾
Neither speak thy Prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle
course between."
C2323. Cf.
7:205.
All prayer should be pronounced with
earnestness and humility, whether it is congregational prayer or the private
outpouring of one's own soul.
Such an attitude is not consistent with an
over-loud pronunciation of the words, though in public prayers the standard of
permissible loudness is naturally higher than in the case of private prayer.
In public prayers, of course, the Azan or
call to prayer will be in a loud voice to be heard near and far, but the chants
from the Sacred Book should be neither so loud as to attract the hostile notice
of those who do not believe not so low in tone as not to be heard by the whole
congregation.
وَقُلِ
الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ
وَلَدًا...
111. Say:
"Praise be to Allah Who begets no son,
...وَلَم يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ
يَكُن لَّهُ وَلِيٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلَّ...
and
has no partner in
(His)
dominion: nor
(needs)
He any to protect Him from humiliation:
C2324. A first step towards the
understanding of Allah's attributes is to clear our mind from superstitions,
such as that Allah begot a son, or that He has partners, or that He is dependent
upon other beings to protect Him from harm and humiliation.
We must realise that He is the One and
Peerless. His greatness and glory are above anything we can conceive: but using
our highest spiritual ideas, we must declare forth His greatness and glory.
The Surah began with singing the glory and
praises of Allah: it ends on the same note, concluding the argument.
The next Surah takes up the same theme from
another point of view, and opens with the same note, "Praise be to Allah".
(R).
...وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا
﴿١١١﴾
Yea,
magnify Him for His greatness and glory!"
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