THE
TWENTY-FIRST SURAH
AL-ANBIYA
(THE PROPHETS)
The main theme of this surah - which according to the Itqan belongs to the last group of the Meccan revelations - is the stress on the oneness, uniqueness and transcendence of God and on the fact that this truth has always been the core of all prophetic revelation, “the essence of all that you ought to bear in mind” (verse 10), and which man only too often forgets: for “the deaf [of heart] will not hearken to this call, however often they are warned” (verse 45), and “but listen to it with playful amusement, their hearts set on passing delights” (verses
2 -3).
The repeated allusions to some of the prophets of old, all of whom preached the same fundamental truth,
provide the title of this surah. The stories of those prophets are meant to illustrate the continuity and intrinsic unity of all divine revelation and of man’s religious experience: hence, addressing all who believe in Him. God says, “Verily, this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all” (verse 92), thus postulating the brotherhood of all true believers, whatever their outward designation, as a logical corollary of their belief in Him - the belief that “your God is the One and Only God” (verse 108).
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE
MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:
SPELLBINDING ELOQUENCE
(1) CLOSER DRAWS unto
men their reckoning: and yet they remain stubbornly heedless [of its approach].
[Lit., “and yet in [their] heedlessness they are obstinate (muridun)”.] (2)
Whenever there comes unto them any new reminder from their Sustainer, they but
listen to it with playful amusement, [Lit., “while they are playing”.] (3)
their hearts set on passing delights; yet they who are [thus] bent on
wrongdoing conceal their innermost thoughts [See next note.] [when they
say to one another], “Is this [Muhammad] anything but a mortal like yourselves?
Will you, then, yield to [his] spellbinding eloquence with your eyes open?’’
[As regards my occasional rendering of sihr (lit., “sorcery” or “magic”) as
“spellbinding eloquence”, see 74: 24, where this term occurs for the first time
in the chronology of Quranic revelation. By rejecting the message of the Quran
on the specious plea that Muhammad is but a human being endowed with
“spellbinding eloquence”, the opponents of the Quranic doctrine in reality
“conceal their innermost thoughts”: for, their rejection is due not so much to
any pertinent criticism of this doctrine as, rather, to their instinctive,
deep-set unwillingness to submit to the moral and spiritual discipline which an
acceptance of the Prophet’s call would entail.] (4) Say: [According to
the earliest scholars of Medina and Basrah, as well as some of the scholars of
Kufah, this word is spelt qul, as an imperative (“Say”), whereas some of the
Meccan scholars and the majority of those of Kufah read it as qala (“He [i.e.,
the Prophet] said”). In the earliest copies of the Quran the spelling was
apparently confined, in this instance, to the consonants q-l: hence the
possibility of reading it either as qul or as qala. However, as Tabari points
out, both these readings have the same meaning and are, therefore, equally
valid, ‘‘for, when God bade Muhammad to say this, he [undoubtedly] said it…
Hence, in whichever way this word is read, the reader is correct (musib
as-sawab) in his reading.” Among the classical commentators, Baghawi and
Baydawi explicitly use the spelling qul, while Zamakhshari’s short remark that
“it has also been read as qala” seems to indicate his own preference for the
imperative qul.] “My Sustainer knows whatever is spoken in heaven and on
earth; and He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing.”
REJECTION OF MUHAMMED MESSAGE
(5) “Nay,” they say,
“[Muhammad propounds] the most involved and confusing of dreams!” [Lit.,
“confusing medleys (adghath) of dreams”.] “Nay, but he has invented [all]
this!” - “Nay, but he is [only] a poet!” - [and,] “Let him, then, come unto us
with a miracle, just as those [prophets] of old were sent [with miracles]?”(6)
Not one of the communities that We destroyed in bygone times [Lit., “before
them”.] would ever believe [their prophets]: will these, then, [be more
willing to] believe? [The downfall of those communities of old - frequently referred to in the Quran - was invariably due to the fact that
they had been resolved to ignore all spiritual truths which militated against
their own, materialistic concept of life: is it, then (so the Quranic argument
goes), reasonable to expect that the opponents of the Prophet Muhammad, who are
similarly motivated, would be more willing to consider his message on its
merits?] (7) For [even] before thy time, [O Muhammad,] We never sent [as Our
apostles] any but [mortal] men, whom We inspired - hence, [tell the deniers of
the truth,] “If you do not know this, ask the followers of earlier revelation”
-[Lit., “followers of the reminder” - i.e., of the Bible, which in its
original, uncorrupted form represented one of Gods “reminders” to man.] (8)
and neither did We endow them with bodies that could dispense with food nor
were they immortal. [Lit., “neither did We fashion them [ie., those
apostles] as bodies that ate no food”, implying a denial of any supernatural quality
in the prophets entrusted with God’s message (cf. 5:75,
RESULTS OF REJECTING GOD’S MESSAGE
(9) In the end, We made
good unto them Our promise, and We saved them and all whom We willed [to save],
[I.e., their believing followers.] and We destroyed those who had wasted
their own selves. [As regards my rendering of al-musrifun as “those who had
wasted their own selves”, see note on the last sentence of
GOD’S TRANSCENDENCE
(16) AND [know that] We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in mere idle play: [Lit., “playing” or “playfully”, i.e., without meaning and purpose: see note on 10: 5] (17) [for,] had We willed to indulge in a pastime, We would indeed have produced it from within Ourselves - if such had been Our will at all! [Lit., “if We had [ever] willed to do so’’: meaning that, had God ever willed to “indulge in a pastime” (which, being almighty and self-sufficient, He has no need to do). He could have found it within His Own Self, without any necessity to create a universe which would embody His hypothetical - and logically inconceivable - will to “please Himself”, and would thus represent a “projection’’, as it were, of His Own Being. In the elliptic manner of the Quran, the above passage amounts to a statement of God’s transcendence.] (18) Nay, but [by the very act of creation] We hurl the truth against falsehood, [I.e., the truth of God’s transcendence against the false idea of His existential immanence in or co-existence with, the created universe.] and it crushes the latter: and lo! it withers away. [The obvious fact that everything in the created universe is finite and perishable effectively refutes the claim that it could be a “projection’’ of the Creator, who is infinite and eternal.] But woe unto you for all your [attempts at] defining [God] – [Lit., “for all that you attribute [to God] by way of description” or ‘‘of definition’’ (cf. the last sentence of 6: 100 and the corresponding note) - implying that the idea of God’s “immanence” in His creation is equivalent to an attempt to define His Being.]
FALSE OBJECTS OF WORSHIP
(19) for, unto Him
belong all [beings] that are in the heavens and on earth; and those that are
with Him* are never too proud to worship Him and never grow weary [thereof]:
[*According to the classical commentators, this refers to the angels; but it is
possible to understand the expression ‘‘those who are with Him” in a wider
sense, comprising not only the angels but also all human beings who are truly
God-conscious and wholly dedicated to Him. In either case, their “being with
Him” is a metaphorical indication of their spiritual eminence and place of
honour in God’s sight, and does not bear any spatial connotation of “nearness”
(Zamakhshari and Razi): obviously so, because God is limitless in space as well
as in time. (See also 40:7 and the corresponding note.)] (20) they extol His
limitless glory by night and by day, never flagging [therein]. (21) And yet [As
stressed by Zamakhshari, the particle am which introduces this sentence has
not, as is so often the case, an interrogative sense (“is it that…”), but is
used here in the sense of bal, which in this instance may be rendered as “and
yet”.] some people choose to worship certain earthly things or beings as
deities [Lit., “they have taken unto themselves deities from the earth”,
i.e., from among the things or beings found on earth: an expression which
alludes to all manner of false objects of worship - idols of every description,
forces of nature, deified human beings, and, finally, abstract concepts such as
wealth, power. etc.] that [are supposed to] resurrect [the dead; and they
fail to realize that], (22) had there been in heaven or on earth [Lit.,
‘‘in those two [realms]”, alluding to the first clause of verse 19 above.] any
deities other than God, both [those realms would surely have fallen into ruin!
But limitless in His glory is God, enthroned in His awesome almightiness
[Lit., “the Sustainer (rabb) of the awesome throne of almightiness”. (For this
rendering of al-arsh, see note on
OFSPRINGS OF GOD
(26) And [yet,] some
say, “The Most Gracious has taken unto Himself a son”! Limitless is He in His
glory! [I.e., utterly remote from
the imperfection implied in the concept of ‘offspring”: see note on 19:92.]
Nay, [those whom they regard as God’s “offspring” are but His] honoured
servants: [This alludes to prophets like Jesus, whom the Christians regard
as ‘‘the son of God”, as well as to the angels, whom the pre-Islamic Arabs
considered to be “God’s daughters” (since they were conceived of as females). (27)
they speak not until He has spoken unto them, and [whenever they act,] they act
at His behest. [Lit., “they do not precede Him in speech - meaning that
they proclaim only what He has revealed to them and bidden them to proclaim.]
(28) He knows all that lies open before them and all that is hidden from them: [See note on 2: 255.] hence, they cannot
intercede for any but those whom He has [already] graced with His goodly
acceptance, since they themselves stand in reverent awe of Him. [Cf. 19: 87
and 20: 109. Regarding the problem of intercession” as such, see note on 10:3.]
(29) And if any of them were to say, “Behold, I am deity beside Him” - that one
We should requite with hell: thus do We requite all [such] evildoers.
CREATION OF UNIVERSE IN BIG BANG
(30) ARE, THEN, they who are bent on denying the truth not aware that the heavens and the earth were [once] one single entity, which We then parted asunder? – [The above unmistakable reference to the unitary origin of the universe - metonymically described in the Quran as “the heavens and the earth’’ - strikingly anticipates the view of almost all modern astrophysicists that this universe has originated from one entity, which became subsequently consolidated through gravity and then separated into individual nebulae, galaxies and solar systems, with further individual parts progressively breaking away to form new entities in the shape of stars, planets etc. (Regarding the Quranic reference to the phenomenon described by the term “expanding universe”, see 51: 47 and the corresponding note.)]
ORIGIN OF LIFE FROM WATER
and [that] We made out
of water every living thing? Will they not, then, [begin to] believe? [The
statement that God “made out of water every living thing” expresses most
concisely a truth that is nowadays universally accepted by science. It has a
threefold meaning: (1) Water was the environment within which the prototype of
all living matter originated; (2) among all the innumerable - existing or
conceivable - liquids, only water has the peculiar properties necessary for the
emergence and development of life; and (3) the protoplasm, which is the
physical basis of every living cell - whether in plants or in animals - and
represents the only form of matter in which the phenomena of life are
manifested, consists overwhelmingly of water and is, thus, utterly dependent on
it. Read together with the preceding statement, which alludes to the unitary
origin of the physical universe, the emergence of life from and within an
equally unitary element points to the existence of a unitary plan underlying
all creation and, hence, to the existence and oneness of the Creator. This
accent on the oneness of God and the unity of this creation is taken up again
in verse 92 below.] (31) And [are they not aware that] We have set up firm
mountains on earth, lest it sway with them, [See
FINALITY OF DEATH
(34) AND [remind those
who deny thee, O Prophet, that] [This relates to the objection of the
unbelievers, mentioned in verse 3 of this surah, that Muhammad is “but a mortal
like yourselves”, and connects also with verses 7 – 8, which stress that all of
God’s apostles were but mortal men (cf. 3: 144).] never have We granted life
everlasting to any mortal before thee: [The obvious implication “and so We
shall not grant it unto thee, either’’. Cf. 39: 30 – “thou art bound to die”.]
but do they, perchance, hope that although thou must die, they will live
forever?” [Lit., “but if, then, thou
shouldst die, will they live forever?” - implying an assumption on their part
that they would not be called to account on death and resurrection.] (35)
Every human being is bound to taste death; and We test you [all] through the
bad and the good [things of life] by way of trial: and unto Us you all must return.
[Lit., “you shall be brought back’’, i.e., for judgment.]
REFUSAL TO BELIEVE IN GOD’S COMING JUDGMENT
(36) But [thus it is:]
whenever they who are bent on denying the truth consider thee, [Lit., “see
thee”: but since this verb has here obviously an abstract meaning, relating to
the message propounded by the Prophet., it is best rendered as above.] they
make thee but a target of their mockery, [saying to one another,] “Is this the
one who speaks [so contemptuously] of your gods?’’ [Sc., “and dares to deny
their reality although he is a mere mortal like ourselves?”] and yet, it is they themselves who, at
[every] mention of the Most Gracious, are wont to deny the truth! [I.e.,
although they resent any aspersion cast on whatever things or forces they unthinkingly
worship, they refuse to acknowledge God’s planning will manifested in every
aspect of His creation.] (37) Man is a creature of haste; [Lit., ‘‘is
created out of haste” - i.e., he is
by nature imbued with impatience: cf. last sentence of
[but in time] I shall make obvious to you [the truth of] My messages: do not, then, ask Me to hasten [it]! [Cf. 16: 1 - “God’s judgment is [bound to] come: do not, then, call for its speedy advent!’’]
TIMING OF THE LAST HOUR
(38) But they [who
reject My messages are wont to] ask, “When is that promise [of God’s judgment]
to be fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who believe in it,] if you are men of
truth!” [The Quranic answer to this question is given in 7: 187.] (39)
If they but knew - they who are bent on denying the truth - [that there will
come] a time when they will not be able to ward off the fire from their faces,
nor from their backs, and will not find any succour! (40) Nay, but [the Last
Hour] will come upon them of a sudden, and will stupefy them: and they will be
unable to avert it, and neither wilt they be allowed any respite. (41) And,
indeed, [O Muhammad, even] before thy time have [God’s] apostles been derided -
but those who scoffed at them were [in the end] overwhelmed by the very thing
which they had been wont to deride. [See
RESPITE FROM GOD’S PUNISHMENT
(42) Say: “Who could
protect you, by night or by day, from the Most Gracious?” [The reference to
God, in this context, as “the Most Gracious” (ar-rahman) is meant to bring out
the fact that He – and He alone – is
the protector of all creation.] And yet, from a remembrance of their
Sustainer do they stubbornly turn away! (43) Do they [really think that they]
have deities that could shield them from Us? Those [alleged deities] are not
[even] able to succour themselves: hence, neither can they [who worship them
hope to] be aided [by them] against Us. (44) Nay, We have allowed these
[sinners] – as [We allowed] their forebears – to enjoy the good things of life
for a great length of time: [Lit., “until their lives (umur) grew long’’ – i.e., until they grew accustomed to
the thought that their prosperity would last forever (Zamakhshari).] but
then – have they never yet seen how We visit the earth [with Our punishment],
gradually depriving it of all that is best thereon? [For an explanation.
See the identical phrase in
PERFECT JUSTICE ON JUDGMENT DAY
(47) But We shall set
up just balance-scales on Resurrection Day, and no human being shall be wronged
in the least: for though there be [in him but] the weight of a mustard-seed [of
good or evil], We shall bring it forth; and none can take count as We do!
MOSES AND AARON
(48) AND, INDEED, We
vouchsafed unto Moses and Aaron [Our revelation as] the standard by which to
discern the true from the false, [See note on
ABRAHAM BREAKING IDOLS
(51) AND, INDEED, long
before [the time of Moses] We vouchsafed unto Abraham his consciousness of what
is right; [The possessive pronoun “his’’ affixed to the noun rushd (which,
in this context, has the meaning of “consciousness of what is right’’)
emphasizes the highly personal, intellectual quality of Abraham’s progressive
realization of God’s almightiness and uniqueness (cf. 6: 74 -79 as well as note
on 6: 83); while the expression min qabl -
rendered by me as “long before [the time of Moses]” - stresses, once again, the element of continuity in man’s religious
insight and experience.] and We were aware of [what moved] him (52) when he
said unto his father and his people, “What are these images to which you are so
intensely devoted?” (53) They answered: ‘‘We found our forefathers worshipping
them.” (54) Said he: “Indeed, you and your forefathers have obviously gone
astray!” (55) They asked: “Hast thou come unto us [with this claim] in all
earnest - or art thou one of those jesters?’’ (56) He answered: “Nay, but your
[true] Sustainer is the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth - He who has
brought them into being: and I am one of those who bear witness to this
[truth]!” (57) And [he added to himself.] “By God, I shall most certainly bring
about the downfall of your idols as soon as you have turned your backs and gone
away!” (58) And then he broke those [idols] to pieces, [all] save the biggest
of them, so that they might [be able to] turn to it. [Sc., ‘‘for an
explanation of what had happened’’.] (59) [When they saw what had happened,]
they said: “Who has done this to our gods? Verily, one of the worst wrongdoers
is he!’’(60) Said some [of them]: “We heard a youth speak of these [gods with
scorn]: he is called Abraham.’’ (61) [The others] said: “Then bring him before
the peoples eyes, so that they might bear witness [against him]!” (62) [And
when he came.] they asked: “Hast thou done this to our gods, O Abraham?” (63)
He answered: “Nay, it was this one, the biggest of them, that did it: but ask
them [yourselves] - provided they can speak!” (64) And so they turned upon one
another, [Lit., “they turned to [or “upon”] themselves”, i.e., blaming one
another.] saying, “Behold, it is you who are doing wrong.” [I.e., “you
are doing wrong to Abraham by rashly suspecting him’’ (Tabari). (65) But
then they relapsed into their former way of thinking and said: [Lit.,
“they were turned upside down upon their heads’’: an idiomatic phrase denoting
a “mental somersault’’ - In this
case, a sudden reversal of their readiness to exonerate Abraham and a return to
their former suspicion.] “Thou knowest very well that these [idols] cannot
speak!” (66) Said [Abraham]: “Do you then worship, instead of God, something
that cannot benefit you in any way, nor harm you? (67) Fie upon you and upon
all that you worship instead of God! Will you not, then, use your reason?” (68)
They exclaimed: “Burn him, and [thereby] succour your gods, if you are going to
do [anything]!” (69) [But] We said: O fire! Be thou cool, and [a source of]
inner peace for Abraham!” [Nowhere does the Quran state that Abraham was
actually, bodily thrown into the fire and miraculously kept alive in it: on the
contrary, the phrase ‘‘God saved him from the fire” occurring in 29: 24 points,
rather, to the fact of his not having been thrown into it. On the other hand,
the many elaborate (and conflicting) stories with which the classical commentators
have embroidered their interpretation of the above verse can invariably be
traced hack to Talmudic legends and may, therefore, be disregarded. What the
Quran gives us here, as well as in 29: 24 and 37: 97, is apparently an
allegorical allusion to the fire of persecution, which Abraham had to suffer,
and which, by dint of its intensity, was to become in his later life a source
of spiritual strength and inner peace (salam). Regarding the deeper
implications of the term salam, see note on
ISAACS AND JACOB
(72) And We bestowed
upon him Isaac and [Isaacs son] Jacob as an additional gift [I.e., in
addition (nafilatan) to his eldest son Ishmael (Ismail) who had been born years
before Isaac.] and caused all of them to be righteous men, (73) and made
them leaders who would guide [others] in accordance with Our behest: for We
inspired them [with a will] to do good works, and to be constant in prayer, and
to dispense charity: and Us [alone] did they worship.
(74) AND UNTO
NOAH
(76) AND [remember]
Noah - [how,] when He called out [unto Us], long before [the time of Abraham
and
DAVID AND SOLOMON
(78) AND [remember]
David and Solomon - [how it was] when both of them gave judgment concerning the
field into which some people’s sheep had strayed by night and pastured therein,
and [how] We bore witness to their judgment: [For an elucidation of the
story - or, rather, legend - to which the above verse alludes, we
must rely exclusively on the Companions of the Prophet, since neither the Quran
nor any authentic saying of the Prophet spells it out to us. However, the fact
that a good many Companions and their immediate successors {tabiun) fully agreed
on the substance of the story, differing only in one or two insignificant
details, seems to indicate that at that period it was already well-established
in ancient Arabian tradition. According to this story, a flock of sheep strayed
at night into a neighbouring field and destroyed its crop. The case was brought
before King David for judicial decision. On finding that the incident was due
to the negligence of the owner of the sheep, David awarded the whole flock -
the value of which corresponded roughly to the extent of the damage - as an indemnity to the owner of the
field. David’s young son, Solomon, regarded this judgment as too severe,
inasmuch as the sheep represented the defendant’s capital, whereas the damage
was of a transitory nature, involving no more than the loss of one years crop,
i.e., of income. He therefore suggested to his father that the judgment should
be altered: the owner of the field should have the temporary possession and
usufruct of the sheep (milk, wool, newborn lambs, etc.), while their owner
should tend the damaged field until it was restored to its former productivity,
whereupon both the field and the flock of sheep should revert to their
erstwhile owners; in this way the plaintiff would be fully compensated for his
loss without depriving the defendant of his substance. David realized that his
son’s solution of the case was better than his own, and passed judgment
accordingly; but since he, no less that Solomon, had been inspired by a deep
sense of justice, God - in the words of the Quran “bore witness to their
judgment”.] (79) for, [though] We made Solomon understand the case [more
profoundly] yet We vouchsafed unto both of them sound judgment and knowledge
[of right and wrong]. [I.e., the fact that Solomon’s judgment was more
profound did not disprove the intrinsic justice of David’s original judgment or
deprive it of its merit.] And We caused [Lit., “We compelled”.] the
mountains to join David in extolling Our limitless glory, and likewise the
birds: [A reference to the Psalms of David, which call upon all nature to
extol the glory of God - similar to the Quranic verses, “The seven heavens
extol His limitless glory, and the earth, and all that they contain” (17: 44),
or “All that is in the heavens and on earth extols God’s limitless glory” (57:
1).] for We are able to do [all things]. (80) And We taught him how to make
garments [of God- consciousness] for you, [O men,] so that they might fortify
you against all that may cause you fear: but are you grateful [for this boon]? [The noun labus is synonymous with libas or
libs, signifying “a garment” or “garments” (Qamus, Lisan al -.Arab). But since
this term has occasionally been used by pre-Islamic Arabs in the sense of
“mail” or “coats of mail” (ibid.), the classical commentators assume that it
has this meaning in the above context as well; and in this they rely on the - otherwise unsupported - statement of
the tabii Qatadah to the effect that “David was the first to make chain mail”
(Tabari). Accordingly, they understand the term bas which occurs at the end of
the sentence in it secondary sense of “war” or “warlike violence”, and
interpret the relevant part of the verse thus: ‘We taught him how to make coats
of mail for you, so that they might fortify you against your [mutual acts of]
violence”, or “against [the effects of] your warlike violence”. One should,
however, bear in mind that bas signifies also “harm’’, “misfortune”,
“distress”, etc., as well as “danger”; hence it denotes, it its widest sense,
anything that causes distress or fear (Taj al-Arus). If we adopt this last
meaning, the term labus may be understood in its primary significance of
“garment” - in, this case, the metaphorical “garment of God-consciousness”
(libas at-taqwa) of which the Quran speaks in
JOB (AYYUB)
(83) AND [remember]
Job, when he cried out to his Sustainer, “Affliction has befallen me: but Thou
art the most merciful of the merciful!” [The story of Job (Ayyub in
Arabic), describing his erstwhile happiness and prosperity, his subsequent
trials and tribulations, the loss of all his children and his property, his own
loathsome illness and utter despair and, finally, God’s reward of his patience
in adversity, is given in full in the Old Testament (The Book of Job). This
Biblical, highly philosophical epic is most probably a Hebrew translation or
paraphrase - still evident in the
language employed - of an ancient Nabataean (i.e., North-Arabian) poem, for
“Job, the author of the finest piece of poetry that the ancient Semitic world
produced, was an Arab, not a Jew, as the form of his name (Iyyob) and the scene
of his book, North Arabia, indicate” (Philip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs,
London 1937, pp. 42 - 43). Since God “spoke” to him, Job ranks in the Quran
among the prophets, personifying the supreme virtue of patience in adversity
(sabr).] (84) whereupon We responded unto him and removed all the affliction
from which he suffered; and We gave him new offspring, [Lit., “his family’’
i.e., new children in place of those who had died.] doubling their number as
an act of grace from Us, and as a reminder unto all who worship Us.
ISHMAEL AND IDRIS
(85) AND [remember]
Ishmael and Idris [See surah
JONAH
(87) AND [remember] him
of the great fish [I.e., the Prophet Jonah, who is said to have been
swallowed by a “great fish’’, as mentioned hi 37: 139, and more fully narrated
in the Old Testament (The Book of Jonah).] - when he went off in wrath,
thinking that We had no power over him! [According to the Biblical account
(which more or less agrees with the Quranic references to his story), Jonah was
a prophet sent to the people of
ZACHARIAH
(89) AND [thus did We
deliver] Zachariah when he cried out unto his Sustainer: “O my Sustainer! Leave
me not childless! But [even if Thou grant me no bodily heir, I know that] Thou
wilt remain when all else has ceased to be!” [Lit., “Thou art the best of
inheritors - a phrase explained in
note on
MARY
(91) AND [remember] her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed into her of Our spirit [This allegorical expression, used here with reference to Mary’s conception of Jesus, has been widely - and erroneously - interpreted as relating specifically to his birth. As a matter of fact, the Quran uses the same expression in three other places with reference to the creation of man in general - namely in 15: 29 and 38:72, “when I have formed him… and breathed into him of My spirit” and in 32: 9, “and thereupon He forms [lit., “formed”] him fully and breathes [lit., “breathed’’] into him of His spirit”. In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted phrase is a part (i.e., 32: 7 - 9) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear that God “breathes of His spirit” into every human being. Commenting on the verse under consideration, Zamakhshari states that “the breathing of the spirit [of God] into a body signifies the endowing it with life’’: an explanation with, which Razi concurs. (In this connection, see also note on 4: 171.) As for the description of Mary as allati ahsanat farjaha, idiomatically denoting ‘‘one who guarded her chastity” (lit,, “her private parts”) it is to be borne in mind that the term ihsan - lit., ‘‘[one’s] being fortified [against any danger or evil]” - has the tropical meaning of “abstinence from what is unlawful or reprehensible’’ (Taj al-Arus), and especially from illicit sexual intercourse, and is applied to a man as well as a woman: thus, for instance, the terms muhsan and muhsanah are used elsewhere in the Quran to describe, respectively, a man or a woman who is “fortified [by marriage] against unchastity”. Hence, the expression allati ahsanat farjaha, occurring in the above verse as well as in 66: 12 with reference to Mary, is but meant to stress her outstanding chastity and complete abstinence, in thought as well as in deed, from anything unlawful or morally reprehensible: in other words, a rejection of the calumny (referred to in 4: 156 and obliquely alluded to in 19: 27 - 28) that the birth of Jesus was the result of an “illicit union”.]
and caused her, together with her son, to become a symbol [of Our grace] unto all people. [For my rendering of the term ayah as “symbol’’, see surah 17: 1 and surah 19: 21.]
EVIL OF SECTARIANISM
(92) VERILY, [O you who
believe in Me,] this community of yours is one single community, since I am the
Sustainer of you all: worship, then, Me [alone]! [After calling to mind, in verses 48 - 91,
some of the earlier prophets, all of whom stressed the oneness and uniqueness
of God, the discourse returns to that principle of oneness as it ought to be
reflected in the unity of all who believe in Him (See 23:51.)] (93) But men
have torn their unity wide asunder, [This is the meaning of the idiomatic
phrase, taqatta u amrahum baynahum. As Zamakhshari points out, the sudden turn
of the discourse from the second person plural to the third person is
indicative of God’s severe disapproval -
His “turning away’’, as it were, from those who are or were guilty of breaking
the believers’ unity. (See also
DESTRUCTION OF COMMUNITY
(95) Hence, it has been unfailingly true of [Lit., “an inviolable law (haram) upon…”, expressing the impossibility of conceiving anything to the contrary (Zamakhshari).] any community whom We have ever destroyed that they [were people who] would never turn back [from their sinful ways] [I.e., whenever God consigns a community to destruction, He does it not because of its people’s occasional lapses but only because of their irremediable, conscious unwillingness to forsake their sinful ways.] (96) until such a time as Gog and Magog are let loose [upon the world] and swarm down from every corner [of the earth], [I.e., until the Day of Resurrection, heralded by the allegorical break-through of “Gog and Magog” (see note on surah 18: 98, especially the last sentence): for it is on that Day that even the most hardened sinner will at last realize his guilt, and be filled with belated remorse. The term hadab literally denotes “raised ground” or ‘‘elevation”, but the expression min kulli hadabin is used here idiomatically, signifying “from all directions” or ‘‘from every corner [of the earth]”: an allusion to the irresistible nature of the social and cultural catastrophes which will overwhelm mankind before the coming of the Last Hour.]
RESURRECTION
(97) the while the true promise [of resurrection] draws close [to its fulfillment]. But then, lo! the eyes of those who [in their lifetime] were bent on denying the truth will stare in horror, [and they will exclaim:] “Oh, woe unto us! We were indeed heedless of this [promise of resurrection]! - nay, we were [bent on] doing evil!” [I.e., deliberately and without any excuse, since all the prophets had warned man of the Day of Resurrection and Judgment: cf. 14: 44 - 45. The words “bent on’’ interpolated by me within brackets indicate intent, similar to the preceding expression alladhina kafaru, ‘‘those who were bent on denying the truth” (see also note on 2: 6).] (98) [Then they will be told:] “Verily, you and all that you [were wont to] worship instead of God are but the fuel of hell: that is what you are destined for. [Lit., “you are bound to reach it”. The expression “all that you have worshipped instead of God” comprises not merely all false religious imagery but also all false ethical values endowed with quasi-divine sanctity, all of which are but “the fuel of hell’’.] (99) If those [false objects of your worship] had truly been divine, they would not have been destined for it: but [as it is, you] all shall abide therein!’’(100) Moaning will be their lot therein, and nothing [else] will they hear therein. [Thus, spiritual “deafness’’ in the life to come will be the inexorable consequence of ones having remained deaf, in this world, to the voice of truth, just as ‘‘blindness” and oblivion will be part of the suffering of all who have been spiritually blind to the truth (cf. 20: 124 - 126).
DAY OF TRIUMPH
(101) [But,] behold, as
for those for whom [the decree of] ultimate good has already gone forth from Us
[I.e., those who have been promised paradise on account of their faith and
their good deeds.] these will be kept far away from that [hell]: (102) no
sound thereof will they hear; and they will abide in all that their souls have
ever desired. (103) The supreme awesomeness [of the Day of Resurrection] will
cause them no grief, since the angels will receive them with the greeting.
“This is your Day [of triumph - the Day] which you were promised!” (104) On
that Day We shall roll up the skies as written scrolls are rolled up; [and] as
We brought into being the first creation, so We shall bring it forth anew [See
in this connection
UNIVERSALITY OF THE QURANIC MESSAGE
(107) And [thus, O Prophet,] We have sent thee as [an evidence of Our] grace towards all the worlds. [I.e., towards all mankind. For an elucidation of this fundamental principle underlying the message of the Quran, see 7: 158 and the corresponding note. The universality of the Quranic revelation arises from three factors: firstly, its appeal to all mankind irrespective of descent, race or cultural environment; secondly, the fact that it appeals exclusively to man’s reason and, hence, does not postulate any dogma that could be accepted on the basis of blind faith alone; and, finally, the fact that - contrary to all other sacred scriptures known to history - the Quran has remained entirely unchanged in its wording ever since its revelation fourteen centuries ago and will, because it is so widely recorded, forever remain so in accordance with the divine promise, “it is We who shall truly guard it [from all corruption]” (cf. 15: 9 and the corresponding note). It is by virtue of these three factors that the Quran represents the final stage of all divine revelation, and that the Prophet through whom it has been conveyed to mankind is stated to have been the last (in Quranic terminology, “the seal”) of all prophets (cf. 33: 40). (108) Say: “It has but been revealed unto me [Cf. the first sentence of verse 45 of this surah. This stress on divine revelation as the only source of the Prophet’s knowledge referred to in the sequence is expressed, in Arabic, by means of the restrictive particle innama.] that your God is the One and Only God: will you, then, surrender yourselves unto Him?” (109) But if they turn away, say: “I have proclaimed this in equity unto all of you alike; [The expression ala sawa (lit., “in an equitable manner’) comprises in this context two distinct concepts: that of fairness as regards the clarity and unambiguity of the above announcement, as well as of equality, implying that it is being made to all human beings alike; hence my composite rendering of this phrase.] but I do not know whether that [judgment] which you are promised [by God] is near or far [in time]. (110) “Verily, He knows all that is said openly, just as He [alone] knows all that you would conceal. (111) But [as for me,] I do not know whether, perchance, this [delay in God’s judgment] is but a trial for you, and a [merciful] respite for a while.’’ [Lit., “enjoyment [of life] for a while’’: i.e., a chance, mercifully granted by God, to attain to faith.] (112) Say: [See note on verse 4 of this surah.] “O my Sustainer! Judge Thou in truth!’’ - and [say]: ‘‘Our Sustainer is the Most GGracious, the One whose aid is ever to be sought against all your [attempts at] defining [Him]!” [Lit., “against (ala) all that you attribute [to Him] by way of description” or “of definition” (see note on the last sentence of 6: 100): implying that only God’s grace can save man from the blasphemous attempts - prompted by his inherent weakness - to bring God “closer” to his own, human understanding by means of humanly-conceived “definitions’’ of Him who is transcendent, infinite and unfathomable.]
THE TWENTY-SECOND SURAH
AL-HAJJ (THE PILGRIMAGE)
PERIOD UNCERTAIN
Suyuti places most of this surah
chronologically in the middle of the Medina period, excepting verses 39-40 -
which (according to Ibn Abbas, as quoted by Tabari) were revealed during the
Prophet’s exodus from Mecca to Medina - as well as some other verses said to
have been revealed at the time of he battle of Badr (in the year 2 H.). As
against this, however, most of the classical Quran commentators (e.g., Baghawi,
Zamakhshari, Razi. Baydawi) describe it unequivocally as a Meccan revelation,
with the possible exception of six verses (l9 -24) which, according to some
authorities, may belong to the
IN THE
NAME GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:
VIOLENT CONVULSION OF THE LAST HOUR
(1) O
men! Be conscious of your Sustainer: for, verily the violent convulsion of the
Last Hour will be an awesome thing! (2) On the Day when you behold it, every
woman that feeds a child at her breast will utterly forget her nursling, and
every woman heavy with child will bring forth her burden [before her time]; and
it will seem to thee that all mankind is drunk, [Lit., “thou shalt see [or
“behold”] mankind drunk”, i.e., behaving as if they were drunk. The illusory
purely subjective character of this “seeing” - implied it the use of the
singular form tara (“thou shalt see”) after the plural “you” employed in the
first clause of this verse - justifies the rendering “it will seem to thee
that…”, etc.] although they will not be drunk - but vehement will be [their
dread of] God’s chastisement. [My interpolation of the words “their dread
of” is based on the statement in 21: 103 that, as far as the righteous are
concerned, “the supreme awesomeness [of the Day of Resurrection] will cause
them no grief’’ despite the dread with which it will overwhelm every human
being.] (3) And yet, among men there is many a one who argues about God
without having any knowledge [of Him], and follows every rebellious satanic
force [See first half of note on
MIRACLE OF CREATION OF LIFE
(5) O
MEN! If you are in doubt as to the [truth of] resurrection, [remember that,]
verily, We have created [every one of] you out of dust, then out of a drop of
sperm, then out of a germ-cell, then out of an embryonic lump complete [in
itself] and yet incomplete [This rendering conforms with the
interpretation of the phrase mukhallaqah wa-ghayr mukhallaqah by Ibn Abbas and
Qatadah (the latter quoted by Tabari and the former by Baghawi), alluding to
the various stages of embryonic development, In addition, Tabari explains the
expression ghayr mukhallaqah as denoting the stage at which the embryonic lump
(mudghah) has as yet no individual life - or, in his words, “when no soul has
as yet been breathed into it” (la yunfakh fiha ar-ruh). As regards the
expression “created out of dust”, it is meant to indicate man’s lowly
biological origin and his affinity with other “earthy’’ substances; see in this
connection the second half of note on
BRINGING DEAD TO LIFE
And
[if, O man, thou art still in doubt as to resurrection, consider this:] thou canst
see the earth dry and lifeless - and [suddenly,] when We send down waters upon
it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every kind of lovely plant! (6) All this
[happens] because God alone is the Ultimate Truth, [See note on surah 20:
114.] and because He alone brings the dead to life, and because He has the
power to will anything. (7) And [know, O man] that the Last Hour is bound to
come, beyond any doubt, and that God will [indeed] resurrect all who are in
their graves. (8) And yet, among men there is many a one that argues about God
without having any knowledge [of Him], without any guidance, and without any
light-giving revelation - (9) scornfully turning aside [from the truth] so as
to lead [others] astray from the path of God. Disgrace [of the spirit] is in
store for him in this world; [Since many unrighteous people apparently
“prosper” in this world, it is clear that the disgrace of which the above verse
speaks is of a moral nature - namely, a gradual coarsening of all moral
perceptions and, thus, a degradation of the spirit.] and on the Day of
Resurrection We shall make him taste suffering through fire; (10) [and he shall
be told:] “This is an outcome of what thine own hands have wrought - for, never
does God do the least wrong to His creatures!”
MEN OF BORDER-LINE FAITH
(11)
And there is, too, among men many a one who worships God on the border-line [of
faith]: [I.e., wavering between belief and disbelief, and not really
committed to either.] thus, if good befalls him, he is satisfied with Him; but
if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly, [Lit., “he turns about on
his face’’ - the “face” (wajh) of man signifying metonymically his whole
being.] losing [thereby both] this world and the life to come: [and] this,
indeed, is a loss beyond compare! [Lit., “the [most] obvious loss’’.] (12)
[By behaving thus,] he invokes, instead of God, something that can neither harm
nor benefit him: [By failing to commit himself unreservedly to the faith
which he professes, man is often inclined to attribute to all manner of
extraneous forces, be they real or imaginary, a decisive “influence” on his own
destiny, and thus invests them, as it were, with divine qualities.] [and]
this is indeed the utmost one can go astray. [Lit., “this, this (dhalika
huwa) is the straying far-away”. For an explanation of my paraphrase, see note
on the last sentence of
TWO CONTRARY KINDS OF MAN: MONOTHEISTS AND IDOL WORSHIPPERS
(17)
Verily, as for those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], and
those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Sabians, [See surah 2: 62.] and
the Christians, and the Magians, [Al-majus: the followers of Zoroaster or
Zarathustra (Zardusht), the Iranian prophet who lived about the middle of the
last millennium B.C, and whose teachings are laid down in the Zend-Avesta. They
are represented today by the Gabrs of Iran and, more prominently, by the Parsis
of India and
(18)
ART THOU NOT aware that before God prostrate themselves all [things and beings]
that are in the heavens and all that are on earth [For the meaning of this “prostration’’, see
GARMENTS OF FIRE FOR NONBELIEVERS
But
[thus it is:] as for those who are bent on denying the truth [I.e., in
distinction from those who err out of ignorance.] garments of fire shall be
cut out for them [in the life to come]; burning despair [For this rendering
of hamim, see note on the concluding sentence of 6: 70, as well as notes on 14:
50 and 73: 12 - 13 , which mention Razi’s interpretations of similar
allegorical descriptions of the suffering that will befall the sinners in the
hereafter.] will be poured over their heads, (20) causing all that is within
their bodies, as well as the skins, to melt away. [I.e., causing their
inner and outer personality utterly to disintegrate.] (21) And they shall be
held [in this state as if] by iron grips; [Lit., ‘‘for them will be grips
(maqami) of iron’’. The noun miqmaah - of which maqami is the plural - is
derived from the verb qamaa, signifying “he curbed” or “restrained” or “held in
subjection” (Lisan al-Arab). Hence, the ‘‘iron grips” mentioned in the above
verse denote the inescapability of the suffering in the hereafter to which
“they who are bent on denying the truth” condemn themselves.] (22) and every
time they try in their anguish to come out of it, they shall be returned
thereto and [be told]: “Taste suffering through fire [to the full]!’’
(23)
[As against this,] behold, God will admit those who attain to faith and do
righteous deeds into gardens through which running waters flow, wherein they
will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls, and where silk will be their
raiment: [See 18: 31 and the corresponding note.] (24) for they were
[willing to be] guided towards the best of all tenets, [I.e., that there is
no deity save God. (One must bear in mind that the term qawl denotes not merely
a “saying” but also an intellectually formulated ‘‘opinion” or “tenet”.)] and
so they were guided onto the way that leads to the One unto whom all praise is
due.
INVIOLABLE HOUSE OF WORSHIP
(25)
BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the truth and bar [others] from
the path of God [This connects with the allusion, in the preceding verse,
to “the way that leads to the One unto whom all praise is due’’.] and from
the Inviolable House of Worship which We have set up for all people alike -
[both] those who dwell there and those who come from abroad - and all who seek
to profane it [Lit., “who aim therein at a deviation from the right course
(ilhad)’’ - a term which circumscribes every perversion of religious tenets.] by
[deliberate] evildoing: [all] such shall We cause to taste grievous suffering
in the life to come.] [According to Ibn Abbas, as quoted by Ibn Hisham,
this verse was revealed towards the end of the year 6 H., when the pagan
Quraysh refused the Prophet and his followers, who had come on pilgrimage from
Medina, the right of entry into Mecca, and thus into the sanctuary of the Kabah
(the “Inviolable House of Worship’’). But whether or not this claim is correct
- and we have no definite historical evideence in either sense - the purport of
the above verse is not restricted to any historical situation but relates to
every attempt at preventing believers, be it physically or through intellectual
seduction, from going on pilgrimage to this symbolic centre of their faith, or
at destroying its sanctity in their eyes.] (26) For, when We assigned unto
Abraham the site of this
(30)
All this [is ordained by God]; and if one houours God’s sacred commandments, it
will redound to his own good in his Sustainer’s sight. And all [kinds of]
cattle have been made lawful to you [for sacrifice and food], save what is
mentioned to you [as forbidden]. [See the first paragraph of 5: 3. Once
again, the Quran stresses the principle that everything that has not been
explicitly forbidden is per se lawful.] Shun, then, [all that God has
forbidden and, most of all,] the loathsome evil of idolatrous beliefs and
practices; [The term awthan (lit.,‘‘idols”) denotes not merely actual,
concrete images of false deities but also, in its widest sense, everything that
is associated with false beliefs and practices or with a tendency to
‘‘worship’’ false values: hence the subsequent injunction to shun every word
that is untrue’’.] and shun every word that is untrue, (31) [inclining]
towards God, [and] turning away from all that is false, [For an explanation
of the term hunafa (sing. hanif ), see note on 2: 135.] without ascribing
divine qualities to aught beside Him: for he who ascribes divinity to aught but
God is like one who is hurtling down from the skies - whereupon the birds carry
him off, or the wind blows him away onto a far-off place. (32) This is [to be
borne in mind]. And anyone who honours the symbols set up by God [Lit.,
“God’s symbols (shaair)” - an expression which in this context refers to the
rites of pilgrimage (see the second half of note on 5: 2). This stress on the
symbolic character of all the rites connected with the pilgrimage is meant to
draw the believer’s attention to the spiritual meaning of those rites, and thus
to warn him against making, unthinkingly, a sort of fetish of them. - The assumption of some of the
commentators that the “symbols” referred to here relate specifically to the
sacrificial animals, and their sacrifice as such is not warranted by the text.
As Tabari explains in his commentary on this and the next verse, the term
shaa’ir comprises all the rites, actions and places connected with the
pilgrimage (all of which have symbolic meaning), and cannot be restricted to
any one of them.] [shall know that] verily, these [symbols derive their
value] from the God-consciousness in the [believers’] hearts. (33) In that
[God-consciousness] you shall find benefits until a term set [by Him is
fulfilled], [I.e., “until the end of your lives’’ (Baydawi).] and [you
shall know that] its goal and end is the
DEFENCE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
(39)
PERMISSION [to fight] is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully
waged [Lit., inasmuch as they have been wronged’’. Connecting with the
promise, in the preceding verse, that “God will ward off [all evil] from those
who attain to faith’’, the present verse enunciates the permission to fight
physically in self-defence. All relevant Traditions (quoted, in particular, by Tabari
and Ibn Kathir) show that this is the earliest Quranic reference to the problem
of war as such. According to Abd Allah ibn Abbas, it was revealed immediately
after the Prophet left
MEANING OF TIME
(47)
And [so, O Muhammad,] they challenge thee to hasten the coming upon them of
[God’s] chastisement: [For an explanation, see 6: 57, 8: 32 and 13: 6, as
well as the corresponding notes.] but God never fails to fulfill His promise
- and, behold, in thy Sustainer’s sight a day is like a thousand years of your
reckoning. [I.e., what men conceive of as “time” has no meaning with regard
to God, because He is timeless, without beginning and without end, so that in
relation to Him, one day and a thousand years are alike” (Razi). Cf. 70:4,
where in the same sense, a “day” is said to be equal to ‘‘fifty thousand years”,
or the well-authenticated saying of the Prophet, “God says, ‘I am Time Absolute
(ad-dahr)’.”] (48) And to how many a community that was immersed in
evildoing have I given rein for a while! But then I took it to task: for with
Me is all journeys’ end! (49)
ASPERSION CAST BY SATAN
SAY [O
Muhammad]: “O men! I am but a plain warner [sent by God] unto you!” (50) And
[know that] those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds shall be granted
forgiveness of sins and a most excellent sustenance; [See 8: 4 and the
corresponding note.] (51) whereas those who strive against Our messages,
seeking to defeat their purpose - they are destined for the blazing fire. (52)
Yet whenever We sent forth any apostle or prophet before thee, and he was
hoping [Lit., “We never sent any apostle or prophet before thee without
that, when he was hoping (tamanna)…”, etc. According to most of the
commentators, the designation “apostle” (rasul) is applied to bearers of divine
revelations which comprise a new doctrinal system or dispensation; a “prophet”
(nabi), on the other hand, is said to be one whom God has entrusted with the
enunciation of ethical principles on the basis of an already-existing
dispensation, or of principles common to all divine dispensations. Hence, every
apostle is a prophet as well, but not every prophet is an apostle.] [that
his warnings would be heeded], Satan would cast an aspersion on his innermost
aims: [I.e., insinuating that the innermost aim (umniyyah, lit., “longing”
or “hope’’) of the message-bearer in question was not the spiritual improvement
of his community but, rather, the attainment of personal power and influence:
cf. 6: 112 – “against every prophet We have set up as enemies the evil forces
(shayatin) from among humans as well as from among invisible beings
(al-jinn)”.] but God renders null and void whatever aspersion Satan may
cast; and God makes His messages clear in and by themselves [Lit., “and God
makes His messages clear in and by themselves’’, This is the meaning of the
phrase yuhkimu ayatahu (cf. the expression uhkimat ayatuhu in 11 : 1): i.e.,
God causes His messages to speak for themselves, so that any insinuation as to
the prophets “hidden motives” is automatically disproved. The conjunction
thumma at the beginning of this clause does not connote a sequence in time but
a coordination of activities, and is best rendered by the simple conjunction
“and”.] - for God is all-knowing, wise. (53) [And He allows doubts to arise]
so that He might cause whatever aspersion Satan may cast [against His prophets]
to become a trial for all in whose hearts is disease [See
DAY VOID OF ALL HOPE
(55)
whereas those who are bent on denying the truth will not cease to be in doubt
about Him until the Last Hour comes suddenly upon them and [supreme] suffering
befalls them on a Day void of all hope. [Lit., “or [until] there comes upon
them the chastisement [or “suffering”] of a barren Day”, i.e., the Day of
Judgment, which will offer no hope to those who, until their death, failed to
realize the existence of God or to submit to His guidance.] (56) On that
Day, all dominion shall [visibly] belong to God, He shall judge [all men and
make a distinction] between them: thus, all who had attained to faith and did
righteous deeds shall find themselves in gardens of bliss, (57) whereas for
those who were bent on denying the truth and gave the lie to Our messages,
there shall be shameful suffering in store.
FORGIVENESS OF SINS FOR MARTYRS
(58)
AND AS FOR those who forsake the domain of evil [For this rendering of the
phrase alladhina hajaru, see note on 2: 218, The subsequent mention of ‘‘those
who strive in God’s cause, and then are slain or die’’ connects with the
reference, in verses 39 - 40, to God’s permission to the believers to fight in
defence of their faith and liberty. The extreme merit of the self-sacrifice
involved is stressed in several Quranic passages, and particularly in 4: 95 -
96; hence, it has also a bearing on the Day of Judgment spoken of in the
preceding passage.] (and strive) in God’s cause, and then are slain or die -
God will most certainly provide for them a goodly sustenance [in the life to
come] for, verily, God - He alone - is the best of providers; (59) [and] He
will most certainly cause them to enter upon a state (of being) that shall
please them well: [Or: “cause them to enter (upon their life after death)
in a manner that will please them well (cf. note on the last clause of 4: 31) -
thus implying that by sacrificing their lives in God’s cause they will have
obtained His forgiveness of whatever sins they may have previously committed.] for,
verily, God is all-knowing, most forbearing. (60) Thus shall it be.
REPEATED, UNPROVOKED AGGRESSION
And as for him who responds to aggression only to the extent of the attack levelled against him, [Lit., ‘‘who has retaliated with the like of what he had been afflicted with” - i.e., has acted only in self-defence and done to his enemy no more than the enemy had done to him. (A similar phrase, relating to retaliation in argument, is found in 16: 126 and explained in the corresponding note.)] and is thereupon [again] treacherously attacked - God will most certainly succour him: for, behold, God is indeed an absolver of sins, much-forgiving. [While the opening sentence of this verse stresses the principle of self-defence as the only justification of war (cf. 2: 190 and 192 - 193) - with the proviso that retaliation must not exceed the injury initially suffered - the concluding part of the verse implies that in case of repeated, unprovoked aggression the believers are allowed to wage an all-out war with a view to destroying completely the enemy’s military power. Since such an all-out war might seem to conflict with the principle of limited retaliation alluded to above, the Quran states that God absolves the believers of what otherwise might have been a sin, since it is they ‘‘against whom war is being wrongfully waged” (verse 39) by repeated acts of aggression.]
GOD ALONE IS THE ULTIMATE TRUTH
(61)
Thus it is, because God [is almighty [Sc., “and therefore has the power to
succour the believers who have been wronged.] - the One who] makes the night
grow longer by shortening the day, and makes the day grow longer by shortening
the night; and because God is all-hearing, all-seeing. [I.e., it is He who
knows what is in the hearts of men, and nevertheless, in His unfathomable
wisdom, allows the darkness of oppression to grow at the expense of the light
of freedom, and then causes the light to overcome the darkness: an eternal,
cyclical recurrence which dominates the life of mankind. As Ibn Kathir points
out, the above passage contains a direct allusion to
ACCEPTANCE OF RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND WORSHIP
(67)
UNTO every community have We appointed [different] ways of worship, [Lit.,
“a way of worship” (mansak, which sometimes denotes also ‘‘an act of worship”).
For a fuller explanation of this passage, see the second paragraph of
WORSHIP OF OTHER BEINGS OR FORCES
(70)
Dost thou not know that God knows all that occurs in heaven as well as on
earth? All this, behold, is in [God’s] record: verily, [to know] all this is
easy for God. (71) And yet [I.e., despite their awareness that God alone
knows all and is, therefore, unique in His all-embracing Presence.] they
[who claim to believe in Him often] worship [other beings or forces] beside God
- something for which He has never bestoweed any warrant from on high, [See
surah 3:151.] and [of the reality] whereof they cannot have any
knowledge: [I.e., through independent reasoning or observation.] and
such evildoers shall have none to succour them [on Judgment Day]. (72) As it
is, whenever Our messages are conveyed unto them in all their clarity, thou
canst perceive utter repugnance on the faces of those who are bent on denying
the truth: they would almost assault those who convey Our messages unto them!
Say: “Shall I, then, tell you of something worse than what you feel at present?
[Lit., “worse than this” - i.e.,
“more painful than the repugnance which you feel with regard to God’s
messages”.]It is the fire [of the hereafter] that God has promised to those
who are bent on denying the truth: and how vile a journey’s end!”
PARABLE OF CREATION OF FLY
(73) O
MEN! A parable is set forth [herewith]; hearken, then, to it! Behold, those
beings whom you invoke instead of God cannot create [as much as] a fly, even
were they to join all their forces to that end! And if a fly robs them of
anything, they cannot [even] rescue it from him! Weak indeed is the seeker, and
[weak] the sought! (74) No true understanding of God have they [who err in this
way]: for, verily, God is most powerful, almighty!
OMNISCIENCE OF GOD
(75)
[In His almightiness,] God chooses message-bearers from among the angels as
well as from among men. But, behold, God [alone] is all-hearing, all-seeing:
[I.e., the prophets and the angels are but created beings having no share
whatever in His omniscience and, hence, no claim to being worshipped.] (76)
[whereas their knowledge is limited,] He knows all that lies open before them
and all that is hidden from them [For an explanation of this rendering of
the phrase ma bayna aydihim wa-ma khalfahum, see 2: 255.] - for all things
go back to God [as their source]. (77) O YOU who have attained to faith! Bow
down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Sustainer [alone], and do good,
so that you might attain to a happy state!
ABSENCE OF HARDSHIP AS PERTAIN TO ISLAM
(78) And strive hard in God’s cause with all the striving that is due to Him: it is He who has elected you [to carry His message], and has laid no hardship on you in [anything that pertains to religion, [The absence of any ‘‘hardship” in the religion of Islam is due to several factors: (1) it is free of any dogma or mystical proposition which might make the Quranic doctrine difficult to understand or might even conflict with man’s innate reason; (2) it avoids all complicated ritual or system of taboos which would impose undue restrictions on mans everyday life; (3) it rejects all self-mortification and exaggerated asceticism, which must unavoidably conflict with mans true nature (cf. in this connection note on the first sentence of 2: 143); and (4) it takes fully into account the fact that “man has been created weak’’ (4: 28).] [and made you follow] the creed of your forefather Abraham. [Abraham is designated here as “your forefather” not only because he was, in fact, an ancestor of the prophet Muhammad - to whose followers this passage is addressed - but also because he is the prototype (and thus, the spiritual “forefather”) of all who consciously “surrender themselves to God” (see next note).] It is He who has named you in bygone times as well as in this [divine writ] – “those who have surrendered themselves to God”, [The term muslim signifies “one who surrenders himself to God”; correspondingly, islam denotes “self-surrender to God”. Both these terms are applied in the Quran to all who believe in the One God and affirm this belief by an unequivocal acceptance of His revealed messages. Since the Quran represents the final and most universal of these divine revelations, the believers are called upon, in the sequence, to follow the guidance of its Apostle and thus to become an example for all mankind (cf. 2: 143 and the corresponding note).] so that the Apostle might bear witness to the truth before you, and that you might bear witness to it before all mankind. Thus, be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, and hold fast unto God. He is your Lord Supreme: and how excellent is this Lord Supreme, and how excellent this Giver of Succour!
THE TWENTY-THIRD SURAH
AL-MUMINUN (THE BELIEVERS)
Most of the
classical commentators agree in that this surah was revealed towards the end of
the
From the first to the last verse, the discourse centres - as the title of the surah indicates - on the problem of true faith, the overwhhelming evidence which points to the existence of an almighty Creator, and on man’s ultimate responsibility before Him. Stress is laid on the fact of unceasing divine guidance manifested in a long succession of God-inspired prophets; and since all of them propounded one and the same truth, all who believe in God are reminded - as in 21: 92 - 93 - that ‘‘this community of yours is one single community” (verse 52), and that this unity has been torn asunder by man’s egotism, greed and striving after power (verses 53 ff.). But the main theme of the surah is the reminder, expressed in a variety of arguments that it is logically impossible to believe in God as a conscious Creative Power without believing in the reality of a life after death as well.
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE
MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:
TRUE FAITH
(1) TRULY, to a happy
state shall attain the believers: (2) those who humble themselves in their
prayer, (23:3) and who turn away from all that is frivolous, (4) and who are
intent on inner purity; [Lit., ‘‘working for” or “active in behalf of [inner]
purity, which is the meaning of zakah in this context (Zamakhshari; the same
interpretation has been advanced by Abu Muslim).] (5) and who are mindful of
their chastity, [Lit., “who guard their private parts”.] (6) [not giving
way to their desires] with any but their spouses - that is, those whom they
rightfully possess [through wedlock]: [Lit., “or those whom their right
hands possess” (aw ma malakat aymanuhum). Many of the commentators assume
unquestioningly that this relates to female slaves, and that the particle aw
(“or”) denotes a permissible alternative. This interpretation is, in my
opinion, inadmissible inasmuch as it is based on the assumption that sexual
intercourse with ones female slave is permitted without marriage: an
assumption, which is contradicted by the Quran itself (see 4: 3, 24, 25 and 24:
32, with the corresponding notes). Nor is this the only objection to the
above-mentioned interpretation. Since the Quran applies the term ‘‘believers”
to men and women alike, and since the term azwaj (“spouses”), too, denotes both
the male and the female partners in marriage, there is no reason for
attributing to the phrase ma malakat aymanuhum the meaning of “their female
slaves’’; and since, on the other hand, it is out of the question that female
and male slaves could have been referred to here it is obvious that this phrase
does not relate to slaves at all, but has the same meaning as in 4: 24 -
namely, “those whom they rightfully possess through wedlock (see note on 4: 24)
- with the significant difference that in the present context this expression
relates to both husbands and wives, who “rightfully possess” one another by
virtue of marriage. On the basis of this interpretation, the particle aw which
precedes this clause does not denote an alternative (“or”) but is, rather, in
the nature of an explanatory amplification, more or less analogous to the
phrase “in other words” or “that is”, thus giving to the whole sentence the
meaning, “save with their spouses - that is, those whom they rightfully possess
[through wedlock]”, etc. (Cf. a similar construction 25: 62 - ‘‘for him who has
the will to take thought -that is [lit., “or”], has the will to be grateful”.)]
for then, behold, they are free of
all blame, (7) whereas such as seek to go beyond that [limit] are truly
transgressors; (8) and who are faithful to their trusts and to their pledges,
(9) and who guard their prayers [from all worldly intent]. (10) It is they,
they who shall be the inheritors (
GOD IS THE BEST OF ARTISANS
(12) NOW, INDEED, We
create man out of the essence of clay, [The frequent Quranic references to
mans being “created out of clay or out of dust” or (as in this instance) “out
of the essence (sulalah) of clay point to the fact that his body is composed of
various organic and inorganic substances existing on or in the earth, as well
as to the continuous transmutation of those substances, through the intake of
earth-grown food, into reproductive cells (Razi) - thus stressing man’s humble
origin, and hence the debt of gratitude which he owes to God for having endowed
him with a conscious soul. The past tense in verses 12 - 14 (lit., “We have
created”, “We have caused him to remain”, etc.) emphasizes the fact that all
this has been ordained by God and has been happening again and again ever since
man was brought into being by Him; in the above context, this recurrence is
brought out best by the use of the present tense.] (13) and then We cause
him to remain as a drop of sperm in [the wombs] firm keeping, (14) and then We
create out of the drop of sperm a germ-cell, and then We create out of the
germ-cell an embryonic lump, and then We create within the embryonic lump
bones, and then We clothe the bones with flesh - and then We bring [all] this
into being as a new creation: [Lit., “as another creature”, i.e., existing
independently of the mother’s body.] hallowed, therefore, is God, the best
of artisans! [Lit., “the best of creators”. As Tabari points out, the Arabs
apply the designation “creator” to every artisan (sani) - a usage also current in European languages with reference to the
“creation” of works of art and imagination. Since God is the only Creator in
the real, primary sense of this word, the phrase ahsan al-khaliqin must be
understood in this secondary sense of the term khaliq (cf. Taj al-Arus, art.
khalaqa).] (15) And then, behold! after all this, you are destined to die;
(16) and then, behold! you shall be raised from the dead on Resurrection Day.
(17) And, indeed, We have created above you seven [celestial] orbits:
[Lit., “seven paths”, which may signify the orbits of the visible planets or - as the classical commentators assume -
the “seven heavens’’ (i.e., cosmic systems) repeatedly spoken of in the Quran.
In either case, the number “seven” is used metonymically, indicating
multiplicity. See in this connection note on
UNCEASING DIVINE GUIDANCE
THROUGH LONG SUCCESSION OF GOD-INSPIRED PROPHETS
(23) AND, INDEED, We
sent forth Noah unto his people and he said: [Sc., “who had lost sight of
all the multiform evidence of the Creator’s uniqueness and, thus, all gratitude
for the innumerable blessings which He bestows upon man”.] “O my people!
Worship God alone]: you have no deity other than Him. Will you not, then,
become conscious of Him?” (24) But the great ones among his people, who refused
to acknowledge the truth, replied: “This [man] is nothing but a mortal like
yourselves who wants to make himself superior to you! For, if God had willed [to
convey a message unto us], He would surely have sent down angels; [moreover,]
we have never heard [anything like] this from our forebears of old! [Lit.,
“in connection with (fi) our early forebears” - a Quranic allusion to the fact
that people often reject a new ethical proposition on no better grounds than
that, it conflicts with their “inherited” habits of thought and ways of life.
Indirectly, this allusion implies a condemnation of all blind taqlid, i.e., an
unthinking acceptance of religious doctrines or assertions, which are not
unequivocally supported by divine revelation, the explicit teachings of a
prophet, or the evidence of unprejudiced reason.] (25) He is nothing but a
madman: so bear with him for a while.” (26) Said [Noah]: “O my Sustainer! Succour
me against their accusation of lying!” (27) Thereupon We inspired him thus:
“Build, under Our eyes [I.e., “under Our protection”.] and according to
Our inspiration, the ark [that shall save thee and those who follow thee]. [Regarding
this interpolation, see surah 11: 37.
For an explanation of the passage that follows, see
[Most of the classical
commentators assume that the apostle referred to in verses 32 - 41 is Hud, the
prophet of the tribe of Ad (see surah 7: 65). Since, however, this passage
contains elements appearing in the stories of many prophets - including that of
the Prophet Muhammad – I am of the opinion that it has a general import:
namely, an allusion to all of God’s apostles and to the ever-recurring
similarity of their experiences.] (33) And [every time] the great ones among
his people, who refused to acknowledge the truth and gave the lie to the
announcement of a life to come - [simply] because We had granted them ease and
plenty in [their] worldly life, and they had become corrupted by it [Thus Tabari interprets the concise but meaningful
phrase atrafnahum fi l-hayati d-dunya. For a fuller explanation of the verb
tarifa, see note on 11: 116.] - [every time] they would say: “This [man] is
nothing hut a mortal like yourselves, eating of what you eat, and drinking of
what you drink: (34) and, indeed, if you pay heed to a mortal like yourselves,
you will surely be the losers! (35) Does he promise you that, after you have
died and become [mere] dust and bones, you shall be brought forth [to a new
life]? (36) Far-fetched, far-fetched indeed is what you are promised! (37)
There is no life beyond our life in this world: we die and we live [but once],
and we shall never be raised from the dead! (38) He is nothing but a man who
attributes his own lying inventions to God, and we are not going to believe
him!” (39) [Whereupon the prophet] would say: “O my Sustainer! Succour me
against their accusation of lying!” (40) [And God] would say: “After a little
while they will surely be smitten with remorse!’’ [Lit., “they will surely
become of those who feel remorse”.] (41) And then the blast [of Our
punishment] overtook them, justly and unavoidably, [The expression bi
l-haqq (lit., “in accordance with truth” or “with justice’’) combines in this
instance the concepts of justice, wisdom, reality, inescapability, and
consonance with the exigencies of the case under consideration (Raghib), and
can be only approximately rendered in translation.] and We caused them to
become as the flotsam of dead leaves and the scum borne on the surface of a
torrent: and so - away with those evildoing folk! (42) AND AFTER them We gave
rise to new generations: [Lit., ‘‘generations of others”, i.e., new
civilizations.] (43) [for,] no community can ever forestall [the end of] its
term - and neither can they delay [its coming]. [See note on the identical
phrase in 15: 5.] (44) And We sent forth Our apostles, one after another:
[and] every time their apostle came to a community, they gave him the lie: and
so We caused them to follow one another [into the grave], and let them become
[mere] tales: and so - away with the folk who would not believe! (45) AND THEN
We sent forth Moses and his brother Aaron with Our messages and a manifest
authority [from Us] (46) unto Pharaoh and his great ones; [Moses and Aaron
are mentioned here by name because their case was different from that of all
other prophets: they were rejected not by their own community but by their
community’s oppressors.] but these behaved with arrogance, for they were
people wont to glorify [only] themselves. (47) And so they said: “Shall we
believe [them] two mortals like ourselves - although their people are our
slaves?” (48) Thus, they gave the lie to those two, and earned (thereby) their
place among the doomed: [Lit.,
“became of those who were destroyed’’.] (49) for, indeed, We had vouchsafed
revelation unto Moses in order that they might find the right way. (50) And [as
We exalted Moses, so, too,] We made the son of Mary and his mother a symbol [of
Our grace], [For my rendering of ayah, in this instance, as “symbol”, see
surah
EVILS OF SECTARIANISM
(52) And, verily, this
community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you
all: remain, then, conscious of Me! [As in 21: 92, the above verse is
addressed to all who truly believe in God, whatever their historical
denomination. By the preceding reference to all of God’s apostles the Quran
clearly implies that all of them were inspired by, and preached, the same
fundamental truths, notwithstanding all the differences in the ritual or the
specific laws which they propounded in accordance with the exigencies of the
time and the social development of their followers. (See notes on the second
paragraph of
THOSE LOST IN THE PURSUIT OF PLEASURES
(64) until - after We
shall have taken to task, through suffering, those from among them who [now]
are lost in the pursuit of pleasures -[See surah
DENIAL OF RESURRECTION
(81) But nay, they
speak as the people of olden times did speak: (82) they say: “What! After we
have died and become mere dust and bones, shall we, forsooth, be raised from
the dead? (83) Indeed, this [very thing] we have been promised - we and our
forefathers - long ago! This is nothing but fables of ancient times!” (84) Say:
“Unto whom belongs the earth and all that lives there on? [Lit., “and all
who are on it”.] [Tell me this] if you happen to know [the answer]!” (85)
[And they will reply: “Unto God.” Say: “Will you not, then, bethink yourselves
[of Him]?” (86) Say: “Who is it that sustains the seven heavens and is
enthroned in His awesome almightiness?” [Lit., “who is the Sustainer (rabb)
of the seven heavens’’ - see note on
MULTIPLICITY OF DIVINE POWERS
(91) Never did God take
unto Himself any offspring, [This allusion to the pre-Islamic Arabian
belief in angels as “God’s daughters” and the Christian dogma of Jesus’
“sonship of God” connects with the statement “they are intent on lying [to
themselves]”, which has been explained in the preceding note.] nor has there
ever been any deity side by side with Him: [for, had there been any,] lo! each
deity would surely have stood apart [from the others] in whatever it had
created, [This is how almost all the classical commentators explain the
phrase la-dhahaba bi-ma khalaqa (lit., “would surely have taken away whatever
he had created”), implying that in such a hypothetical case each of the gods
would have been concerned only with his own sector of creation, thus causing
complete confusion in the universe.] and they would surely have [tried to]
overcome one another! Limitless in His glory is God, [far] above anything that
men may devise by way of definition, [See note on 6:100.] (92) knowing
all that is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception as well as all
that can be witnessed by a creature’s senses or mind [See surah 6: 73.] -
and, hence, sublimely exalted is He above anything to which they may ascribe a
share in His divinity! (93) SAY: “O my Sustainer! If it be Thy will to let me
witness [Lit., ‘‘to show me” [sc., “in my lifetime”]. According to
Zamakhshari, the combination of the conditional particle in (‘‘if’’) with ma
(‘‘that which’’ or “whatever”) - spelt and pronounced imma - endows the verb
turini (lit., “Thou wilt show me”) with the quality of intrinsic necessity -
thus: “If it is inevitable (la budd) that “thou show me [or “let me
witness”]…”, etc. In translation, this particular phrasing is best rendered as
above, since anything that is God’s will becomes eo ipso inevitable.] [the
fulfillment of] whatever they [who blaspheme against Thee] have been promised
[to suffer] - (94) do not, O my Sustainer, let me be one of those evildoing
folk!”
REPEL EVIL WITH ACT OF GOODNESS
(95) [Pray thus] for,
behold, We are most certainly able to let thee witness [the fulfillment, even
in this world, of] whatever We promise them! (96) [But whatever they may say or
do,] repel the evil [which they commit] with something that is better: [See
surah
SEEK REFUGE WITH GOD FROM SATANIC FORCES
(97) And say: “O my
Sustainer! I seek refuge with Thee from the promptings of all evil impulses;
[Lit., “of the satans’’ or “satanic forces”: see note on
WHEN SALVATION IS TOO LATE?
(99) [AS FOR THOSE who
will not believe in the life to come, they go on lying to themselves] [Cf.
verses 74 and 90 above, with which the present passage connects.] until,
when death approaches any of them, he prays: “O my Sustainer! Let me return,
let me return [to life], [Most of the commentators regard the plural form
of address in the verb irji uni (“let
me return”) as an expression of reverence. Since, however, the Quran offers no
other instance of God’s being addressed in the plural (in contrast with the
frequent use of the plural in His speaking of Himself), Baydawi suggests - on
the strength of examples from pre-Islamic poetry - that this plural form of
address is equivalent to an emphatic repetition of the singular form irji ni:
hence the repetition of this phrase in my rendering.] (100) so that I might
act righteously in whatever I have failed [aforetime]!’’ [Lit., “in respect
of that which (fi-ma) I have left’’, comprising both the omission of good and
the commission of bad deeds.] Nay, it is indeed but a [meaningless] word
that he utters: for behind those [who leave the world] there is a barrier [of
death] until the Day when all will be raised from the dead! (101) Then, when
the trumpet [of resurrection] is blown, no ties of kinship will on that Day
prevail among them, and neither will they ask about one another. (102) And they
whose weight [of righteousness] is heavy in the balance - it is they, they who
will have attained to a happy state; (103) whereas they whose weight is light
in the balance - it is they who will have squandered their own selves,
[destined] to abide in hell: (104) the fire will scorch their faces, and they
will abide therein with their lips distorted in pain. (105) [And God will say:]
“Were not My messages conveyed unto you, and were you [not] wont to give them
the lie?” (106) They will exclaim: “O our Sustainer! Our bad luck has
overwhelmed us, and so we went astray! [Lit., “we became people who go
astray’’. This allegorical “dialogue” is meant to bring out the futile excuse
characteristic of so many sinners who attribute their failings to an abstract
bad luck” (which is the meaning of shiqwah in this context); and thus,
indirectly, it stresses the element of free will - and, therefore, of responsibility
- in man’s actions and behaviour.] (1077) O our Sustainer! Cause us to come
out of this [suffering] - and then, if ever We revert [to sinning], may we
truly be [deemed] evildoers!” (108) [But] He will say: “Away with you into this
[ignominy]! [My interpolation of the word “ignominy’’ is based on the fact
that this concept is inherent in the verb khasaa (lit., “he drove [someone or
something] scornfully away’), and is, therefore, forcefully expressed in the
imperative ikhsa’u.] And speak no more unto Me! (109) “Behold, there were
among My servants such as would pray, ‘O our Sustainer! We have come to believe
[in Thee]; forgive, then, our sins and bestow Thy mercy on us: for Thou art the
truest bestower of mercy!’ [Lit., “the best of those [or “of all”] who show
mercy”. The same expression is found in the concluding verse of this surah.] (110)
- but you made them a target of your derission to the point where it made you
forget [Lit., ‘‘until they made you forget’’: i.e., “your scoffing at them
became the cause of your forgetting”.] all remembrance of Me; and you went
on and on laughing at them. (111) [But,] behold, today I have rewarded them
for their patience in adversity: verily, it is they, they who have achieved a
triumph!” (112) [And] He will ask [the doomed]: “What number of years have you
spent on earth?” (113) They will answer: ‘We have spent there a day, or part of
a day; but ask those who [are able to] count [time]…” [This part of the
allegorical “dialogue” between God and the doomed sinners touches (as do
several other verses of the Quran) upon the illusory, problematical character
of “time” as conceived by man, and the comparative irrelevancy of the life of
this world within the context of the ultimate - perhaps timeless - reality known only to God. The
disappearance, upon resurrection, of man’s earth-bound concept of time is
indicated by the helpless answer, “ask those who are able to count time”.] (114)
[Whereupon] He will say: “You have spent there but a short while: had you but
known [how short it was to be]! (115) Did you, then, think that We created you
in mere idle play, and that you would not have to return to Us?” [Lit., “that you would not be brought back to Us”, i.e., for
judgment.] (116) [KNOW,] then, [that] God is sublimely exalted, the Ultimate
Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth: [See surah 20: 114.] there is no deity
save Him, the Sustainer, in bountiful almightiness enthroned! [Lit., “the
Sustainer (rabb) of the bountiful throne of almightiness (al -arsh al-karim)”.
See also surah
THE TWENTY-FOURTH SURAH
AN-NUR (THE LIGHT)
From various allusions (particularly in verses 11-20) to historical incidents connected with the Prophet’s campaign against the tribe of Mustaliq, it is evident that this surah was revealed towards the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth year after the hijrah.
A large part of it deals with the mutual relations of the sexes and with certain ethical rules to be observed in the context of this relationship. Verses 2 - 9, in particular, lay down definite legal injunctions concerning illicit sexual intercourse, while verses 27 - 29 and 58 - 59 stress each individual’s right to privacy.
The title is derived from the mystic parable of the “light of God” in verse 35 and its echo in verse 40: “he to whom God gives no light, no light whatever has he!”
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE
MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:
PUNISHMENT FOR ILLICIT SEX
A Surah [is this] which We have bestowed from on high, and which We have laid down in plain terms; [I.e., “the injunctions whereof We have made self-evident by virtue of their wording: thus, according to Bukhari (Kitab at-Tafsir), Abd Allah ibn Abbas explains the expression faradnaha in this context (cf. Fath al-Bari VIII, 361). Tabari, also on the authority of Ibn Abbas advances the same explanation. It would seem that the special stress on God’s having laid down this surah “in plain terms’’ is connected with the gravity of the injunctions spelt out in the sequence: in other words, it implies a solemn warning against any attempt at widening or re-defining those injunctions by means of deductions, inferences or any other considerations unconnected with the plain wording of the Quran.] and in it have We bestowed from on high messages which are clear [in themselves], so that you might keep [them] in mind. (2) AS FOR the adulteress and the adulterer [The term zina signifies voluntary sexual intercourse between a man and a woman not married to one another, irrespective of whether one or both of them are married to other persons or not: hence, it does not - in contrast with the usage prevalent in most Western languages - differentiate between the concepts of “adultery” (i.e., sexual intercourse of married man with a woman other than his wife, or of a married woman with a man other than her husband) and “fornication” (i.e., sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons). For the sake of simplicity I am rendering zina throughout as “adultery”, and the person guilty of it as “adulterer” or “adulteress”, respectively.] - flog each of them with a hundred stripes, and let not compassion with them keep you from [carrying out] this law of God, if you [truly] believe in God and the Last Day; and let a group of the believers witness their chastisement. [The number of those to be present has been deliberately left unspecified, thus indicating that while the punishment must be given publicity, it need not be made a “public spectacle”.] (3) [Both are equally guilty:] the adulterer couples with none other than an adulteress - that is, a woman who accords [to her own lust] a place side by side with God; [The term mushrik (fem. mushrikah), which normally signifies a person who associates in his or her mind all manner of imaginary deities or forces with God, or who believes that any created being has a share in His qualities or powers, is here evidently used in the widest metaphorical sense of this term, denoting one who accords to his or her desires a supremacy which is due to God alone, and thus blasphemes against the principles of ethics and morality enjoined by Him. The particle aw (lit., “or”) which connects the word mushrikah with the preceding word zaniyah (‘‘adulteress”) has in this context - as well as in the next clause, where both these terms appear in their masculine form - an amplifying, explanatory value equivalent to the expression “in other words” or “that is”, similar to the use of this particle in 23: 6. For a further elucidation of the above passage, see next note.] and with the adulteress couples none other than an adulterer - that is, a man who accords [to his own lust] a place side by side with God: and this is forbidden unto the believers. [Some of the commentators understand this passage in the sense of an injunction: “The adulterer shall not marry any but an adulteress or a mushrikah: and as for the adulteress, none shall marry her but an adulterer or a rnushrik. This interpretation is objectionable on several counts: firstly, the Quran does not ever countenance the marriage of a believer, however great a sin he or she may have committed, with an unbeliever (in the most pejorative sense of this term); secondly, it is a fundamental principle of Islamic Law that once a crime has been expiated by the transgressor’s undergoing the ordained legal punishment (in this case, a hundred stripes), it must be regarded, insofar as the society is concerned, as atoned for and done with; and, lastly, the construction of the above passage is clearly that of a statement of fact (Razi), and cannot be interpreted as an injunction. On the other hand, since adultery is an illicit sexual union, the verb yankihu, which appears twice in this passage, cannot have the customary, specific meaning of ‘‘he marries’’ but must, rather, be understood in its general sense - applicable to both lawful and unlawful sexual intercourse - namely, “he couples with”. It is in this sense that the great commentator Abu Muslim (as quoted by Razi) explains the above verse, which stresses the fact that both partners are equally guilty inasmuch as they commit their sin consciously - implying that neither of them can cause himself or herself on the ground of having been merely “seduced”.]
FALSE ACCUSATION OF ILLICIT SEX
(4) And as for those
who accuse chaste women [of adultery], [The term rnuhsanat denotes
literally ‘‘women who are fortified [against unchastity]”, i.e., by marriage
and/or faith and self-respect, implying that, from a legal point of view, every
woman must he considered chaste unless a conclusive proof to the contrary is
produced. (The passage relates to women other than the accusers own wife, for
in the latter case - as shown in verses 6 - 9 - the law of evidence and the
consequences are different.] and then are unable to produce four witnesses
[in support of their accusation], flog them
with eighty stripes [By obvious implication, this injunction applies
also to cases where a woman accuses a man of illicit sexual intercourse, and is subsequently unable to
prove her accusation legally. The severity of the punishment to be meted out in
such cases, as well as the requirement of four witnesses - instead of the two
that Islamic Law regards as sufficient in all other criminal and civil suits -
is based on the imperative necessity of preventing slander and off-hand
accusations. As laid down in several authentic sayings of the Prophet, the evidence
of the four witnesses must be direct, and not merely circumstantial: in other
words, it is not sufficient for them to have witnessed a situation which made
it evident that sexual intercourse was taking or had taken place: they must
have witnessed the sexual act as such, and must be able to prove this to the
entire satisfaction of the judicial authority (Razi, summing up the views of
the greatest exponents of Islamic Law). Since such a complete evidence is
extremely difficult, if not impossible, to obtain, it is obvious that the
purpose of the above Quranic injunction is to preclude, in practice, all
third-party accusations relating to illicit sexual intercourse – for, “man has
been created weak’’ (4: 28) - and to make a proof of adultery dependent on a voluntary,
faith-inspired confession of the guilty parties themselves.] and ever after
refuse to accept from them any testimony - since it is they, they that are
truly depraved! - (5) excepting [from this interdict] only those who afterwards
repent and made amends: [I.e., who publicly withdraw their accusation after
having suffered the punishment of flogging - which, being a legal right of the
wrongly accused person, cannot be obviated by mere repentance and admission of
guilt. Thus, the above-mentioned exemption relates only to the interdict on
giving testimony and not to the punishment by flogging.] for, behold, God is
much forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
OATH OF CONDEMNATION
(6) And as for those who accuse their own wives [of adultery], but have no witnesses except themselves, let each of these [accusers] call God four times to witness that he is indeed telling the truth, [Lit., ‘‘then the testimony of any of these shall be four testimonies [or “solemn affirmations’’] before God”.] (7) and the fifth time, that God’s curse be upon him if he is telling a lie. (8) But [as for the wife, all] chastisement shall be averted from her by her calling God four times to witness that he is indeed telling a lie, (9) and the fifth [time], that God’s curse be upon her if he is telling the truth, [Thus, the husband’s accusation is to be regarded as proven if the wife refuses to take an oath to the contrary, and disproved if she solemnly sets her word against his. Inasmuch as this procedure, which is called lian (“oath of condemnation”), leaves the question of guilt legally undecided, both parties are absolved of all the legal consequences otherwise attending upon adultery - resp. an unproven accusation of adultery - the only consequence being a mandatory divorce.] (10) AND WERE it not for God’s favour upon you, [O man,] and His grace, and that God is a wise acceptor of repentance...! [This sentence, which introduces the section dealing with the condemnation of all unfounded or unproven accusations of unchastity - as well as the similar sentence which closes it in verse 20 - is deliberately left incomplete, leaving it to man to imagine what would have happened to individual lives and to society if God had not ordained all the above-mentioned legal and moral safeguards against possibly false accusations, or if He had made a proof of adultery dependent on mere circumstantial evidence. This idea is further elaborated in verses 14 -15.]
FALSE SLANDER
(11) Verily, numerous
among you are those who would falsely accuse others of unchastity: [Lit.,
“those who brought forth the lie (al-ifk, here denoting a false accusation of
unchastity) are a numerous group (usbah) among you”. The term usbah signifies
any group of people, of indeterminate number, banded together for a particular
purpose (Taj al-Arus). According to all the commentators, the passage
comprising verses 11-20 relates to an incident, which occurred on the Prophet’s
return from the campaign against the tribe of Mustaliq in the year 5 H. The
Prophet’s wife Aishah, who had accompanied him on that expedition, was
inadvertently left behind when the Muslims struck camp before dawn. After
having spent several hours alone, she was found by one of the Prophet’s
Companions, who led her to the next halting-place of the army. This incident
gave rise to malicious insinuations of misconduct on the part of Aishah; but
these rumours were short-lived, and her innocence was established beyond all
doubt. As is the case with all Quranic allusions to historical events, this
one, too, is primarily meant to bring out an ethical proposition valid for all
times and all social circumstances: and this is the reason why the grammatical
construction of the above passage is such that the past-tense verbs occurring
in verses 11-16 can be - and, I believe, should be - understood as denoting the
present tense.] [but, O you who are thus wronged,] deem it not a bad thing
for you: nay, it is good for you! [I.e., in the sight of God: for, the
unhappiness caused by unjust persecution confers - as does every undeserved and
patiently borne suffering - a spiritual merit on the person thus afflicted. Cf.
the saying of the Prophet, quoted by Bukhari and Muslim: ‘‘Whenever a believer
is stricken with any hardship, or pain, or anxiety, or sorrow, or harm, or
distress - even if it be a thorn that has hurt him - God redeems thereby some
of his failings.”] [As for the slanderers,] unto every one of them [will be
accounted] all that he has earned by [thus] sinning; and awesome suffering
awaits any of them who takes it upon himself to enhance this [sin]! [I.e.,
by stressing, in a legally and morally inadmissible manner, certain
“circumstantial” details or aspects of the case in order to make the
slanderous, unfounded allegation more believable.] (12) Why do not the
believing men and women, whenever such [a rumour] is heard, [Lit.,
‘‘whenever you hear it” - the pronoun “you” indicating here the community as a
whole.] think the best of one another and say, “This is an obvious
falsehood”? (13) why do they not [demand of the accusers that they] [This
interpolation is necessary in view of the fact that the believers spoken of in
the preceding verse are blamed, not for making the false accusation, but for
not giving it the lie.] produce four witnesses to prove their allegation? [Lit.,
“in support thereof” (alayhi).] - for, if they do not produce such witnesses,
it is those [accusers] who, in the sight of God, are liars indeed! (14) And
were it not for God’s favour upon you, [O men,] and His grace in this world and
in the life to come, awesome suffering would indeed have afflicted you* in
result of all [the calumny] in which you indulge [*Sc., “yourselves and
your whole society”. With this and the next verse the discourse returns to, and
elaborates, the idea touched upon in verse 10 and explained in the
corresponding note.] (15) when you take it up with your tongues, uttering
with your mouths something of which you have no knowledge, and deeming it a
light matter whereas in the sight of God it is an awful thing! (16) And [once
again]: Why do you not say, whenever you hear such [a rumour], “It does not
behove us to speak of this, O Thou who art limitless in Thy glory: this is an
awesome calumny”? [The interjection subhanaka (“O Thou who art limitless in
Thy glory”) stresses here the believers moral duty to bethink himself of God
whenever he is tempted to listen to, or to repeat, a calumny (since every such
rumour must be considered a calumny unless its truth is legally proved).] (17)
God admonishes you [hereby] lest you ever revert to the like of this [sin], if
you are [truly] believers; (18) for God makes [His] messages clear unto you -
and God is all-knowing, Wise! (19) Verily, as for those who like [to hear] foul
slander spread against [any of] those who have attained to faith [The term
fahishah signifies anything that is morally reprehensible or abominable: hence,
“immoral conduct” in the widest sense of this expression. In the above context
it refers to unfounded or unproven allegations of immoral conduct, in other
words, “foul slander”.] grievous suffering awaits them in this world
[I.e., the legal punishment as stipulated in verse 4 of his surah.] and in
the life to come: for God knows [the full truth], whereas you know [it] not. [This
Quranic warning against slander and, by obvious implication, against any
attempt at seeking out other people’s faults finds a clear echo in several
well-authenticated sayings of the Prophet: “Beware of all guesswork [about one
another], for, behold, all [such] guesswork is most deceptive (akdhab
al-hadith); and do not spy upon one another and do not try to bare [other
people’s] failings’’ (Muwatta; almost identical versions of this Tradition have
been quoted by Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Daud): “Do not hurt those who have
surrendered themselves to God (al-muslimin) and do not impute evil to them and
do not try to uncover their nakedness [i.e., their faults]: for, behold, if
anyone tries to uncover his brother’s nakedness, God will uncover his own
nakedness [on the Day of judgment]”
(Tirmidhi); and, “Never does a believer draw a veil over the nakedness of the
other believer without Gods drawing a
veil over his own nakedness on Resurrection Day” (Bukhari). All these
injunctions have received their seal, as it were, in the Quranic exhortation:
“Avoid most guesswork [about one another] – for, behold, some of [such]
guesswork is [in itself] a sin” (49: 12).] (20) And were it not for God’s
favour upon you and His grace, and that God is compassionate, a dispenser of
grace...! [See verse 10 of this surah and the corresponding note.] (21)
O You who have attained to faith! Follow not Satan’s footsteps: for he who
follows Satan’s footsteps [will find that], behold, he enjoins but deeds of
abomination and all that runs counter to reason. [In this context, the term
al-munkar has apparently the same meaning as in 16: 90 (explained in the
corresponding note) since, as the sequence shows, it clearly relates to the
unreasonable self-righteousness of so many people who “follow Satan’s
footsteps” by imputing moral failings to others and forgetting that it is only
due to Gods grace that man, in his inborn weakness, can ever remain pure.] And
were it not for God’s favour upon you and His grace, not one of you would ever
have remained pure. For [thus it is:] God who causes whomever He wills to grow
in purity: for God is all-hearing, all-knowing. (22) Hence, [even if they have
been wronged by slander,] let not those of you who have been graced with God’s
favour and ease of life ever become remiss in helping [Or: “Swear that
[henceforth] they would not help [lit., “give to”]…”, etc. Both these meanings
– “he swore [that]” and “he became remiss [in]” - are attributable to the verb ala, which appears in the above
sentence in the form ya tal. My rendering is based on the interpretation given
to this verb by the great philologist Abu Ubayd al-Qasim al-Harawi (
INVIOLABILITY OF PERSON’S HOME
(27) O YOU who have
attained to faith! Do not enter houses other than your own unless you have
obtained permission and greeted their inmates. This is [enjoined upon you] for
your own good, so that you might bear [your mutual rights] in mind. [This
categorical prohibition connects with the preceding passages inasmuch as it
serves as an additional protection of individuals against possible slander. In
its wider purport, it postulates the inviolability of each person’s home and
private life, (For the socio-political implications of this principle, see
State and government in Islam, pp. 84 ff.)] (28) Hence, [even] if you find
no one within [the house], do not enter it until you are given leave;
[I.e., by the rightful owner or caretaker.] and if you are told, “Turn
back,” then turn back. This will be most conducive to your purity; and God has
full knowledge of all that you do. (29) [On the other hand,] you will incur no
sin if you [freely] enter houses not intended for living in but serving a
purpose useful to you: [Lit., “uninhabited houses wherein there are things
of use (mata) for you”. In the consensus of all the authorities, including the
Companions of The Prophet, this relates to buildings or premises of a more or
less public nature, like inns, shops, administrative Offices, public baths,
etc., as well as to ancient ruins.] but [always remember that] God knows all
that you do openly, and all that you would conceal.
EMOTIONAL MODESTY (lower your gaze)
(30) Tell the believing
men to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity: [Lit., “to
restrain [something] of their gaze and to guard their private parts”. The
latter expression may be understood both in the literal sense of “covering of
one’s private parts” - i.e., modesty in dress - as well as in the metonymical
sense of “restraining one’s sexual urges”, i.e., restricting them to what is
lawful, namely, marital intercourse (cf. 23: 5 -6). The rendering adopted by me
in this instance allows for both interpretations. The “lowering of ones gaze”,
too, relates both to physical and to emotional modesty (Razi).] this will be
most conducive to their purity – [and,] verily, God is aware of all that they
do.
MODEST DRESS IN PUBLIC
(31) And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms [in public] beyond what may [decently] be apparent thereof; [My interpolation of the word “decently” reflects the interpretation of the phrase illa ma zahara minha by several of the earliest Islamic scholars, and particularly by Al-Qiffal (quoted by Razi) as “that which a human being may openly show in accordance with prevailing custom (al-adah al-jariyah)”. Although the traditional exponents of Islamic Law have for centuries been inclined to restrict the definition of “what may [decently] be apparent” to a woman’s face, hands and feet - and sometimes even less than that - we may safely assume that the meaning off illa ma zahara minha is much wider, and that the deliberate vagueness of this phrase is meant to allow for all the time-bound changes that are necessary for man’s moral and social growth. The pivotal clause in the above injunction is the demand, addressed in identical terms to men as well as to women, to “lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity”: and this determines the extent of what, at any given time, may legitimately - i.e., in consonance with the Quranic principles of social morality - be considered “decent” or “indecent” in a person’s outward appearance.] hence, let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms. [The noun khimar (of which khumur is the plural) denotes the head-covering customarily used by Arabian women before and after the advent of Islam. According to most of the classical commentators, it was worn in pre-Islamic times more or less as all ornament and was let down loosely over the wearer’s back; and since, in accordance with the fashion prevalent at the time, the upper part of a woman’s tunic had a wide opening in the front, her breasts cleavage were left bare. Hence, the injunction to cover the bosom by means of a khimar, (a term so familiar to the contemporaries of the Prophet) does not necessarily relate to the use of a khimar as such but is, rather, meant to make it clear that a woman’s breasts are not included in the concept of “what may decently be apparent” of her body and should not, therefore, be displayed.] And let them not display [more of] their charms to any but their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons, or their husbands’ Sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their womenfolk, or those whom they rightfully possess, or such male attendants as are beyond all sexual desire, [I.e., very old men. The preceding phrase “those whom they rightfully possess” (lit., ‘‘whom their right hands possess’’) denotes slaves; but see also second note on verse 58.] or children that are as yet unaware of women’s nakedness; and let them not swing their legs [in walking] so as to draw attention to their hidden charms [Lit., “so that those of their charms which they keep hidden may become known”, The phrase yadribna bi-arjulihinna is idiomatically similar to the phrase daraba bi-yadayhi fi mishyatihi, “he swung his arms in walking” (quoted in this context in Taj al-Arus), and alludes to a deliberately provocative gait.] And [always], O you believers - all of you - turn unto God in repentance, so that you might attain to a happy state! [The implication of this general call to repentance is that “since man has been created weak’’ (4:28), no one is ever free of faults and temptations - so much so that even the Prophet used to say, ‘‘Verily, I turn unto Him in repentance a hundred times every day” (Ibn Hanbal, Bukhari and Bayhaqi, all of then, on the authority of Abd Allah ibn Umar).]
MARRIAGE
(32) AND [you ought to]
marry the single from among you [I.e., from among the free members of the
community, as is evident from the subsequent juxtaposition with slaves. (As
most of the classical commentators point out, this is not an injunction but a
recommendation to the community as a whole: hence my interpolation of the
words, “you ought to”.) The term ayyim - of which ayama is the plural -
signifies a person of either sex who has no spouse, irrespective of whether he
or she has never been married or is divorced or widowed. Thus, the above verse
expresses the idea - reiterated in many authentic sayings of the Prophet -
that, from both the ethical and the social points of view, the married state is
infinitely preferable to celibacy.] as well as such of your male and female
slaves as are fit [for marriage]. [The term as-salihin connotes here both
moral and physical fitness for marriage: i.e., the attainment of bodily and
mental maturity as well as mutual affection between the man and the woman
concerned. As in
DEED OF FREEDOM
(33) And if any of those whom you rightfully possess [Lit., “whom your right hands possess”, i.e., male or female slaves.] desire [to obtain] a deed of freedom, write it out for them if you are aware of any good in them: [The noun kitab is, in this context, an equivalent of kitabah or mukatabah (lit., “mutual agreement in writing”), a juridical term signifying a “deed of freedom” or “of manumission” executed on the basis of an agreement between a slave and his or her owner, to the effect that the slave undertakes to purchase his or her freedom for an equitable sum of money payable in installments before or after the manumission, or, alternatively, by rendering a clearly specified service or services to his or her owner. With this end in view, the slave is legally entitled to engage in any legitimate, gainful work or to obtain the necessary sum of money by any other lawful means (e.g., through a loan or a gift from a third person). In view of the imperative form of the verb katibuhum (“write it out for them”), the deed of manumission cannot be refused by the owner, the only pre-condition being an evidence - to be established, if necessary, by an unbiased arbiter or arbiters - of the slave’s good character and ability to fulfill his or her contractual obligations. The stipulation that such a deed of manumission may not he refused, and the establishment of precise juridical directives to this end, clearly indicates that Islamic Law has from its very beginning aimed at an abolition of slavery as a social institution, and that its prohibition in modern times constitutes no more than a final implementation of that aim. (See also next note, as well as note on 2: 177.) and give them [their share of the wealth of God which He has given you. [According to all the authorities, this relates (a) to a moral obligation on the part of the owner to promote the slave’s efforts to obtain the necessary revenues by helping him or her to achieve an independent economic status and/or by remitting part of the agreed-upon compensation, and (b) to the obligation of the state treasury (bayt al-mal) to finance the freeing of slaves in accordance with the Quranic principle - enunciated in 9: 60 - that the revenues obtained through the obligatory tax called zakah are to be utilized, among other purposes, “for the freeing of human beings from bondage” (fi r-riqab, an expression explained in note on 2: 177). Hence, Zamakhshari holds that the above clause is addressed not merely to persons owning slaves but to the community as a whole - The expression “the wealth of God” contains an allusion to the principle that “God has bought of the believers their lives and their possessions, promising them paradise in return” (9: 111) - implying that all of man’s possessions are vested in God, and that man is entitled to no more than their usufruct.]
PROHIBITION OF CONCUBINAGE
(33) And do not, in
order to gain [Lit., “so that you might seek out” or “endeavour to attain
to”.] some of the fleeting pleasures of this worldly life, coerce your
[slave] maidens into whoredom if they happen to be desirous of marriage;
[Lit., “if they desire protection against unchastity (tahassun)”, i.e., through
marriage (cf. the expression muhsanat as used in 4: 24). Most of the classical
commentators are of the opinion that the term fatayat (“maidens”) denotes here
“slave-girls”: an assumption which is fully warranted by the context hence, the
above verse reiterates the prohibition of concubinage by explicitly describing
it as “whoredom” (bigha).] and if anyone should coerce them, then, verily,
after they have been compelled [to submit in their helplessness], God will be
much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace! (34) AND, INDEED, from on high have We
bestowed upon you messages clearly showing the truth, and [many] a lesson from
[the stories of] those who have passed away before you, and [many] an
admonition to the God-conscious.
PARABLE OF LIGHT
(35) God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is, as it were, [The particle ka (“as if” or “as it were”) prefixed to a noun is called kaf at-tashbih (“the letter kaf pointing to a resemblance [of one thing to another]” or “indicating a metaphor”). In the above context it alludes to the impossibility of defining God even by means of a metaphor or a parable - for, since “there is nothing like unto Him” (42: 11, there is also “nothing that could he compared with Him” (112:4). Hence, the parable of “the light of God” is not meant to express His reality - which is inconceivable to any created being and, therefore, inexpressible in any human language - but only to allude to the illumination which He, who is the Ultimate Truth, bestows upon the mind and the feelings of all who are willing to be guided. Tabari, Baghawi and lbn Kathir quote Ibn Abbas and lbn Masud as saying in this context: “It is the parable of His light in the heart of a believer.”] that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star: [The “lamp’’ is the revelation which God grants to His prophets and which is reflected in the believer’s heart - the “niche” of the above parable (Ubayy ibn Kab, as quoted by Tabari) - after being received and consciously grasped by his reason (“the glass [shining brightly] like a radiant star”): for it is through reason alone that true faith can find its way into the heart of man.] [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree - an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west [It would seem that this is an allusion to the organic continuity of all divine revelation which, starting like a tree from one “root” or proposition - the statement of God’s existence and uniqueness - grows steadily throughout man’s spiritual history, branching out into a splendid variety of religious experience, thus endlessly widening the range of man’s perception of the truth. The association of this concept with the olive-tree apparently arises from the fact that this particular kind of tree is characteristic of the lands in which most of the prophetic precursors of the Quranic message lived, namely, the lands to the east of the Mediterranean: but since all true revelation flows from the Infinite Being, it is “neither of the east nor of the west” - and especially so the revelation of the Quran, which, being addressed to all mankind, is universal in its goal as well.] - the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! [The essence of the Quranic message is described elsewhere as “clear [in itself] and clearly showing the truth” (cf. note on 12: 1) and it is, I believe, this aspect of the Quran that the above sentence alludes to. Its message gives light because it proceeds from God; but it would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it”: i.e., even though one may be unaware that it has been “touched by the fire” of divine revelation, its inner consistency, truth and wisdom ought to be self-evident to anyone who approaches it in the light of his reason and without prejudice.] God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; [Although most of the commentators read the above phrase in the sense of “God guides unto His light whomever He wills”, Zamakhshari gives it the sense adopted in my rendering (both being syntactically permissible).] and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things. [I.e., because of their complexity, certain truths can be conveyed to man only by means of parables or allegories: see first and the last notes on 3: 7.]
WORSHIP OF GOD
(36) IN THE HOUSES [of worship] which God has allowed to be raised so that His name be remembered in them, [Lit., “and [ordained] that His name…”, etc.: implying, as the sequence shows, that the spiritual purpose of those houses of worship is fulfilled only by some, and not all, of the people who are wont to congregate in them out of habit.] there [are such as] extol His limitless glory at morn and evening - (37) people whom neither [worldly] commerce nor striving after gain [lit., “bargaining” or “selling” or “buying and selling” (bay) - a metonym for anything that might bring worldly gain.] can divert from the remembrance of God, and from constancy in prayer, and from charity: [For this rendering of the term zakah, see surah 2: 43.]
FAITH AND GOOD DEEDS
(37) [people] who are
filled with fear [at the thought] of the Day On which all hearts and eyes will
be convulsed, (38) [and who only hope] that God may reward them in accordance
with the best that they ever did, and give them, out of His bounty, more [than
they deserve]: for, God grants sustenance unto whom He wills, beyond all reckoning.
(39) But as for those who are bent on denying the truth, their [good] deeds are
like a mirage in the desert, which the thirsty supposes to be water – until,
when he approaches it, he finds that it was nothing: [I.e., he is bound to
realize on Judgment Day that all his supposedly “good” deeds have been rendered
worthless by his deliberate refusal to listen to the voice of truth
(Zamakhshari and Razi).] instead, he finds [that] God [has always been
present] with him, and [that] He will pay him his account in full - for God is
swift in reckoning! (40) Or [else, their deeds are] [I.e., their bad deeds,
as contrasted with their good deeds, which in the preceding verse have been
likened to a mirage.] like the depths of darkness upon an abysmal sea, made
yet more dark by wave billowing over wave, with [black] clouds above it all:
depths of darkness, layer upon layer, [Lit., “one above another”.] [so
that] when one holds up his hand, he can hardly see it: for he to whom God
gives no light, no light whatever has he!
ALL CREATURES EXTOL GOD’S GLORY
(41) ART THOU NOT aware
that it is God whose limitless glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens
and on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? [Cf.
EVOLUTION OF LIFE FROM WATER
(45) And it is God who
has created all animals out of water; [See note on
VACILLATING BELIEVERS
(47) For, [many are]
they [who] say, “We believe in God and in the Apostle, and we pay heed!” - but
then, some of them turn away after this [assertion]: and these are by no means
[true] believers. (48) And [so it is that] whenever they are summoned unto God
and His Apostle in order that [the divine writ] might judge between them,
[I.e., in order that the divine writ - which is implied in the preceding
expression “God and His Apostle” - might determine their ethical values and,
consequently, their social behaviour.] lo! some of them turn away; (49) but
if the truth happens to be to their liking, they are quite willing to accept
it! [Lit., “if the truth happens to be with them, they come to it
willingly”: cf. 4: 60 - 61 and the corresponding notes.] (50) Is there
disease in their hearts? Or have they begun to doubt [that this is a divine
writ]? Or do they fear that God and His Apostle might deal unjustly with them?
[I.e., by depriving them of what they choose to regard as “legitimate”
liberties and enjoyments, or by supposedly preventing them from “keeping up
with the times”. As in verses 47 and 48 (as well as in verse 51 below) the
expression “God and His Apostle” is here a synonym for the divine writ revealed
to the Apostle.] Nay, it is [but] they, they who are doing wrong [to
themselves]! (51) The only response of believers, whenever they are summoned
unto God and His Apostle in order that [the divine writ] might judge between
them, can be no other than, [Lit., “The only saying of the believers…is
that they say” - i.e., without any mental reservation. The term qawl (lit.,
“saying”) has here the sense of a genuine spiritual “response” in contrast to
the mere lip-service alluded to in verse 47 above.] “We have heard, and we
pay heed!”- and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state: (52) for,
they who pay heed unto God and His Apostle, and stand in awe of God and are
conscious of Him, it is they, they who shall triumph [in the end]! (53) Now [as
for those half-hearted ones,] they do swear by God with their most solemn oaths
that if thou [O Apostle] shouldst ever bid them to do so, they would most
certainly go forth [and sacrifice themselves]. [This is an allusion to the
ephemeral, self-deceiving enthusiasms of the half-hearted and their supposed
readiness for “self-sacrifice’’ contrasting with their obvious reluctance to
live up to the message of the Quran in their day-to-day concerns.] Say:
“Swear not! Reasonable compliance [with God’s message is all that is required
of you]. [This elliptic phrase alludes to the principle - repeatedly
stressed in the Quran - that God does not burden man with more than he can
easily bear.] Verily, God is aware of all that you do!” (54) Say: “Pay heed
unto God, and pay heed unto the Apostle.” And if you turn away [from the
Apostle, know that] he will have to answer only for whatever he has been
charged with, and you, for what you have been charged with; but if you pay heed
unto him, you will be on the right way. Withal, the Apostle is not bound to do
more than clearly deliver the message [entrusted to him].
SUCCESSORS ON EARTH
(55) God has promised
those of you who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds that, of a
certainty, He will cause them to accede to power on earth, [Lit., “cause
them to be successors on earth” - i.e., enable them to achieve, in their turn,
power and security and, thus, the capability to satisfy their worldly needs,
this Quranic reference to God’s “promise” contains an oblique allusion to the
God-willed natural law which invariably makes the rise and fall of nations
dependent on their moral qualities.] even as He caused [some of] those who
lived before them to accede to it; and that, of a certainty, He will firmly
establish for them the religion which He has been pleased to bestow on them;
[Cf. 5: 3 “I have willed that self-surrender unto Me (al-islam) shall be your
religion”. Its firm establishment (tamkin) relates to the strengthening of the
believers’ faith as well as to the growth of its moral influence in the world.]
and that, of a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear to be
replaced by a sense of security [Lit., “exchange for them, after their fear
[or “danger”] security”. It is to be noted that the term amn signifies not
merely outward, physical security but also - and, indeed, originally – “freedom
from fear” (Taj al-Arus). Hence, the above clause implies not only a promise of
communal security after an initial period of weakness and danger (which, as
history tells us, overshadows the beginnings of every genuine religious
movement), but also the promise of an individual sense of inner security - that
absence of all fear of the Unknown, which characterizes a true believer. (See
next note.)] - [seeing that] they worship Me [alone], not ascribing divine
powers to aught beside Me. [I.e., the believer’s freedom from fear is a
direct outcome of his intellectual and emotional refusal to attribute to anyone
or anything but God the power to shape his destiny.] But all who, after
[having understood] this, choose to deny the truth - it is they, they who are
truly iniquitous! (56) Hence, [O believers,] be constant in prayer, and render
the purifying dues, [The specific mention of the “purifying dues” (az-zakah)
in this context is meant to stress the element of unselfishness as an integral
aspect of true faith. According to Zamakhshari, the above verse connects with,
and concludes, verse 54.] and pay heed unto the Apostle, so that you might
be graced with God’s mercy. (57) [And] think not that those who are bent on
denying the truth can elude [their final reckoning even if they remain
unscathed] on earth: [For an explanation of the above sentence and the
words interpolated by me, see note on a similar phrase in 11: 20.] the fire
is their goal [in the life to come] - and vile indeed is such a journey’s end!
INDIVIDUAL’S RIGHT TO PRIVACY
(58) O YOU who have
attained to faith! [In pursuance of the Quranic principle that the social
and individual - as well as the spiritual and material - aspects of human life
form one indivisible whole and cannot, therefore, be dealt with independently
of one another, the discourse returns to the consideration of some of the rules
of healthy social behaviour enunciated in the earlier parts of this surah. The
following passage takes up and elaborates the theme of the individual’s right
to privacy, already touched upon in verses 27 - 29 above.] At three times
[of day], let [even] those whom you rightfully possess, [Lit., “whom your
right hands possess” - a phrase which, primarily and as a rule, denotes male
and female slaves. Since, however, the institution of slavery is envisaged in
the Quran as a mere historic phenomenon that must in time be abolished (cf.
notes on verse 33 of this surah, as well as note on 2 : 177), the above
expression may also he understood as referring, in general, to one’s close
dependants and to domestic servants of either sex. Alternatively, the phrase ma
malakat aymanukum may denote, in this context, “those whom you rightfully
possess through wedlock”, i.e., wives and husbands (cf.
PRINCIPLE OF MODESTY (exception to the rule)
(60) AND [This
conjunction is, I believe, meant to indicate that the verse which it introduces
is connected with certain previously revealed passages, namely, verse 31 above
and 33: 59, both of which allude to the principle of modesty to he observed by
Muslim women in the matter of dress: hence, it must be regarded as a separate
“section”.] [know that] women advanced in years, who no longer feel any
sexual desire, [Lit., “who do not desire [or “hope for”] sexual
intercourse” - the latter evidently being the meaning of nikah in this context.
Although this noun, as well as the verb from which it is derived, is almost
always used in the Quran in the sense of “marriage” or “marrying”, there are
undoubtedly exceptions from this general rule: for instance, the manner in
which the verbal form yankihu is used in verse 3 of this surah (see the
corresponding note above). These exceptions confirm the view held by some
philologists of great renown e.g., al-jawhari or Al-Azhari (the latter quoted
in the Lisan al-Arab), to the effect that “in the speech of the Arabs, the
original meaning of nikah is sexual intercourse (al-wat)”.] incur no sin if
they discard their [outer] garments, provided they do not aim at a showy
display of [their] charms. But [even so,] it is better for them to abstain
[from this]: and God is all-hearing, all-knowing.
MUTUAL CHARITY, COMPASSION AND GOOD-FELLOWSHIP
(61) [ALL OF YOU, O
believers, are brethren: hence.] [The whole of verse 61 is construed in so
highly elliptic a form that disagreements as to its purport have always been
unavoidable. However, if all the explanations offered by the early commentators
are taken into consideration, we find that their common denominator is the view
that the innermost purport of this passage is a stress on the brotherhood of
all believers, expressed in a call to mutual charity, compassion and
good-fellowship and, hence, the avoidance of all unnecessary formalities in
their mutual relations.] no blame attaches to the blind, nor does blame
attach to the lame, nor does blame attach to the sick [for accepting charity
from the hale], and neither to yourselves for eating [whatever is offered to
you by others, whether it be food obtained] from your [children’s] houses,
[In the consensus of all the authorities, the expression “your houses” implies
in this context also “your children’s houses”, since all that belongs to a
person maybe said to belong, morally, to his parents as well.] or your fathers’
houses, or your mothers’ houses, or your brothers’ houses, or your sisters’
houses, or your paternal uncles’ houses, or your paternal aunts’ houses, or
your maternal uncles’ houses, or your maternal aunts’ houses, or [houses] the
keys whereof are in your charge! [I.e., “for which you are responsible”.] or
[the house] of any of your friends; nor will you incur any sin by eating in
company or separately. But whenever you enter [any of these] houses, greet one
another with a blessed, goodly greeting, as enjoined by God. In this way God
makes clear unto you His messages, so that you might [learn to] use your
reason.
LOYAL OPPOSITION
(62) [TRUE BELIEVERS are only they who have attained to faith in God and His Apostle, and who, whenever they are [engaged] with him upon a matter of concern to the whole community [lit., “a uniting [or “collective”] matter” (amr jami). The personal pronoun in “with him” relates to the Apostle and, by analogy, to every legitimate leader (imam) of the Muslim community acting in accordance with the spirit of the Quran and the Prophet’s life-example.] do not depart [from whatever has been decided upon] unless they have sought [and obtained] his leave. [I.e., his permission to abstain, for valid reasons, from participating in a course of action or a policy agreed upon by the majority of the community (amma ijtama u lahu min al-amr: Tabari). In a logical development of this principle we arrive at something like the concept of a “loyal opposition”, which implies the possibility of dissent on a particular point of communal or state policy combined with absolute loyalty to the common cause.] Verily, those who [do not abstain from the agreed upon action unless they] ask leave of thee - it is [only] they who [truly] believe in God and His Apostle! Hence, when they ask leave of thee for some [valid] reason of their own, grant thou this leave to whomsoever of them thou choose [to grant it], [I.e., after weighing the reasons advanced by the individual or the individuals concerned against the interests of the society as a whole.] and ask God to forgive them: for, behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace! [The statement that “God is much-forgiving” obviously implies that an avoidance of “asking leave” to abstain from participation in an agreed-upon course of action is, under all circumstances morally preferable (Zamakhshari).]
THE APOSTLE’S SUMMONS
(63) DO NOT regard the Apostles summons to you [I.e., his summons to God’s message in general, spoken of in verses 46-54 above, as well as to a particular course of communal action, referred to in verse 62. Alternatively, “the Apostles summons” may, in this context, be synonymous with the Quran itself.] [in the same light] as a summons of one of you to another: God is indeed aware of those of you who would withdraw surreptitiously: so let those who would go against His bidding beware, lest a [bitter] trial befall them [in this world] or grievous suffering befall them [in the life to come]. (64) Oh, verily, unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: well does He know where you stand and at what you aim! [Lit., “well does He know upon what you are”: i.e., “what your beliefs are and what moral principles govern your attitudes and actions”.] And one Day, all [who have ever lived] will be brought back unto Him, and then He will make them [truly] understand all that they were doing [in life]: for, God has full knowledge of everything.
THE TWENTY-FIFTH SURAH
AL-FURQAN
(THE STANDARD OF TRUE AND FALSE)
There is little doubt that this surah belongs to the middle group of Meccan revelations, and is almost contemporaneous with Maryam (which can be placed chronologically in the fifth or the beginning of the sixth year of the Prophets mission).
The title by which it has always been known - Al-Furqan - pithily circumscribes the main theme of this surah namely the statement that it is the innermost purport of every divine revelation to provide man with a stable criterion of true and false or right and wrong and, thus with a standard of moral valuation binding on the individual and on the society. Consequent upon this proposition is the stress on the humanness of every apostle sent by God to man (verse 20), in rebuttal of the false argument that the Quran could not have been God-inspired inasmuch as Muhammad was but a mortal human being who shared the physical needs of all other mortals and took part in all normal human activities (verses 7-8).
By implication, the revelation of the divine writ is shown as belonging to the same majestic order of Gods creative activity as all the visible phenomena of nature (see, e.g., verses 2, 45-54, 61-62, etc.). But men do not easily submit to this divine guidance; hence, on the Day of Judgment the Prophet himself will point out that many of his own followers had come to regard this Quran as something [that ought to be] discarded (verse 30): a statement of particular significance for our time.
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE
MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE:
FUTILITY OF WORSHIPPING IDOLS
(1) Hallowed is He who
from on high, step by step, has bestowed upon His servant the standard by which
to discern the true from the false, [Almost all the commentators give this
meaning to the term al-furqan. In the above context it denotes the Quran as well as the phenomenon of divine revelation
as such. (For an amplified interpretation of this term by Muhammad Abduh see
note on
QURAN AS PLAGIARIZED VERSION OF BIBLE
(4) Moreover, those who
are bent on denying the truth are wont to say, “This [Quran] is nothing but a
lie, which he [himself] has devised with the help of other people,
[Implying that the Quran, or most of it, is based on Judaeo-Christian teachings
allegedly communicated to Muhammad by some unnamed foreigners (cf. 16: 103 and
the corresponding notes) or, alternatively, by various Arab converts to Judaism
or Christianity; furthermore, that Muhammad had either deceived himself into
believing that the Quran was a divine revelation, or had deliberately - knowing that it was not so - attributed it to God.] who thereupon
have perverted the truth and brought a falsehood into being.” [Lit., “and
thus, indeed, have they come with [or “brought”] a perversion of the truth”
[which obviously is the meaning of zulm
in this context] “and a falsehood’’. Whereas it is generally assumed
that this clause constitutes a Quranic rebuttal of the malicious allegation
expressed in the preceding clause, I am of the opinion that it forms part of
that allegation, making the mythical “helpers” of Muhammad co-responsible, as
it were, for the “invention” of the Quran.] (5) And they say, “Fables of
ancient times which he has caused to be written down, so that they might be
read out to him at morn and evening!” [Because his contemporaries knew it
that he was unlettered (ummi) and could not read and write.] (6) Say [O
Muhammad]: “He who knows all the mysteries of the heavens and the earth has
bestowed from on high this [Quran upon me]! Verily, He is much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace!”
EXPECTATION OF SUPERNATURAL POWERS FROM PROPHET
(7) Yet they say: What
sort of apostle is this [man] who eats food [like all other mortals] and goes
about in the market places? Why has not an angel [visibly] been sent down unto
him, to act as a warner together with him?” (8) Or: “[Why has not] a treasure
been granted to him [by God]?” Or: “He should [at least] have a [bountiful]
garden, so that he could eat thereof [without effort]!” [A sarcastic
allusion to the “gardens of paradise” of which the Quran so often speaks. (Cf.
DENIAL OF RESURRECTION DAY
(11) But nay! It is
[the very coming of] the Last Hour to which they give the lie! However, for
such as give the lie to [the announcement of] the Last Hour We have readied a
blazing flame: (12) when it shall face them from afar, they will hear its angry
roar and its hiss; [Lit., “When it shall see them from a far-off place”: a
metaphorical allusion, it would seem, to the moment of their death on earth. As
in many other instances, we are given here a subtle verbal hint of the
allegorical nature of the Quranic descriptions of conditions in the life to
come by a rhetorical “transfer” of man’s faculty of seeing to the object of his
seeing: a usage which Zamakhshari explicitly characterizes as metaphorical (ala
sabil al-majaz).] (13) and when they are flung, linked [all] together, into
a tight space within, they will pray for extinction there and then! [For a
tentative explanation of the allegory of the sinners’ being “linked together”
in hell, see my note on
DIALOGUE BETWEEN GOD AND DEIFIED BEINGS ON JUDGMENT DAY
(17) BUT [as for people
who are oblivious of thy Sustainer’s oneness -] [This passage connects
elliptically with verse 3 above.] one Day He will gather them together with
all that they [now] worship instead of God, and will ask [those to whom
divinity was falsely ascribed]: [The rhetorical “question” which follows is
obviously addressed to wrongfully deified rational beings - i.e., prophets or saints - and
not, as some commentators assume, to lifeless idols which, as it were, “will be
made to speak”.] “Was it you who led these My creatures astray, or did they
by themselves stray from the right path?” (18) They will answer: “Limitless art
Thou in Thy glory! It was inconceivable for us to take for our masters anyone
but Thyself! [Sc., “and so it would have been morally impossible for us to
ask others to worship us”. On the other hand, Ibn Kathir understands the
expression “for us” (lana) as denoting “us human beings” in general, and not
merely the speakers - in which case
the sentence could be rendered thus: “It is not right for us [human beings] to
take…”, etc. In either case, the above allegorical “question-and-answer” - repeated in many variations throughout
the Quran - is meant to stress, in a
dramatic manner, the moral odiousness and intellectual futility of attributing
divine qualities to any being other than God.] But [as for them -] Thou
didst allow them and their forefathers to enjoy [the pleasures of] life to such
an extent that [This is the meaning
of hatta (lit., “till” or “until”) in the present context.] they forgot all
remembrance [of Thee]: for they were people devoid of all good.” (19)
[Thereupon God will say:] “And now, they [whom you regarded as divine] have
given the lie to all your [past] assertions, and you can neither ward off [your
punishment] nor obtain any succour! For, whoever of you has committed [such]
evil, him shall We cause to taste great suffering!”
APOSTLES AS MORTAL MEN
(20) AND [even] before
thee, [O Muhammad,] We never sent as Our message-bearers any but [mortal men]
who indeed ate food [like other human beings] and went about in the market
places: for [it is thus that] We cause you [human beings] to be a means of
testing one another. [This elliptic passage undoubtedly alludes to the fact
that the appearance of each new prophet had, as a rule, a twofold purpose:
firstly, to convey a divinely-inspired ethical message to man, and thus to
establish a criterion of right and wrong or a standard by which to discern the
true from the false al-furqan, as stated in the first verse of this surah; and,
secondly, to be a means of testing men’s moral perceptions and dispositions as
manifested in their reactions to the prophets message - that is, their willingness or unwillingness to accept it on the
basis of its intrinsic merit, without demanding or even expecting any
“supernatural” proof of its divine origin. Indirectly, in its deepest sense,
this passage implies that not only a prophet but every human being is, by
virtue of his social existence, a means whereby the moral qualities of his
fellow-men are put to a test: hence, some of the earliest commentators (among
then, Tabari) give to the above phrase the connotation of “We caused you human
beings to be a means of testing one another”.] Are you [I.e., “you men”
or, more specifically, “you whom the message of the Quran has reached”.] able
to endure [this test] with patience? For [remember, O man,] thy Sustainer is
truly all-seeing! (21) But those who do not believe that they are destined to
meet Us are wont to say, [lit., “who do not hope for [i.e., expect] a
meeting with Us”: the implication being that they do not believe in
resurrection and consequently, do not expect to be judged by God in
after-life.] “Why have no angels been sent down to us?” – or, “Why do we not
see our Sustainer?” Indeed, they are far too proud of themselves, having
rebelled [against God’s truth] with utter disdain!
JUDGMENT DAY
(22) [Yet] on that Day
- the Day on which they shall see the angeels [I.e., on judgment Day, when
“all will have been decided” (cf. 6: 8).] - there will be no glad tiding for
those who were lost in sin; and they will exclaim, “By a forbidding ban [are we
from God’s grace debarred]!” - (23) for We shall have turned towards all the
[supposedly good] deeds they ever wrought, and shall have transformed them into
scattered dust - (24) [whereas] on that same Day those who are destined for
paradise will be graced with the best of abodes and the fairest place of
repose. [Lit., “will be happiest as regards their abode, and best as
regards their place of repose”.] (25) And on the Day on which the skies,
together with the clouds, shall burst asunder, and the angels are made to
descend in a mighty descent - (26) on that Day [it will become obvious to all
that] true sovereignty belongs to the Most Gracious [alone]: hence, a Day of
distress will it be for all who deny the truth, (27) and a Day on which the
evildoer will bite his hands [in despair], exclaiming: “Oh, would that I had
followed the path shown to me by the apostle! [Lit., “taken a path with the
apostle”. The terms “the apostle” and “the evildoer” are here obviously used in
their generic sense, applying to all of God’s apostles and all who consciously
reject their guidance. Similarly, the expression “so-and-so” (fulan) occurring
in the next verse circumscribes any person or personified influence responsible
for leading a human being astray.] (28) Oh, woe is me! Would that I had not
taken so-and-so for a friend! (29) Indeed, he led me astray from the
remembrance [of God] after it had come unto me!” For [thus it is:] Satan is
ever a betrayer of man. [For the implication of the term “Satan” as used
here, see note on
DISCARDING OF QURAN BY NOMINAL FOLLOWERS
(30) AND [on that Day]
the Apostle will say: [My interpolation of the words “on that Day” and the
(linguistically permissible) attribution of futurity to the past-tense verb
qala is based on the identical interpretation of the above phrase by great
commentators like Abu Muslim (as quoted by Razi) or Baghawi.] “O my
Sustainer! Behold, [some of] my people have come to regard this Quran as something
[that ought to be] discarded!” [I.e., as mere wishful thinking and,
therefore, of no account, or as something that in the course of time has
“ceased to be relevant”. Since many of those whom the message of the Quran has
reached did and do regard it as a divine revelation and therefore as most
“relevant” in every sense of the word, it is obvious that the expression “my
people” cannot possibly denote here all of the Prophet’s community (either in
the national or in the ideological sense of this word), but signifies only such
of his nominal followers as have lost all real faith in the Quranic message:
hence the necessity of interpolating the (elliptically implied) words “some of”
before “my people”.] (31) For so it is that against every prophet We have
set up enemies from among those who are lost in sin: [Cf. 6: 112, which
refers in very similar terms to the evil forces (shayatin) against which every
prophet has had to contend. The “glittering half-truths meant to delude the
mind” spoken of in that verse are exemplified in the present passage,
prophetically, by the deceptive argument that the Quran, having been enunciated
fourteen centuries ago, must now be considered “obsolete”.] yet none can
guide and give succour as thy Sustainer does!
QURAN AS ONE CONSISTENT WHOLE
(32) Now they who are bent on denying the truth are wont to ask. “Why has not the Quran been bestowed on him from on high in one single revelation?” [Lit., “in one piece” or “as one statement” (jumlatan wahidatan) - implying, in the view of the opponents of Islam, that the gradual, step-by-step revelation of the Quran points to its having been “composed” by Muhammad to suit his changing personal and political requirements.] [it has been revealed] in this manner so that We might strengthen thy heart thereby - for We have so arranged its component parts that they form one consistent whole - [I.e., free of all inner contradictiions (cf. 4: 82). See also 39: 23, where the Quran is spoken of as “fully consistent within itself”. The concise phrase rattalnahu tartilan comprises the parallel concepts of “putting the component parts [of a thing] together and arranging them well” as well as “endowing it with inner consistency”. Inasmuch as full consistency and freedom from contradictions in a message spread over twenty-three years of a life as full of movement and drama as that of the Prophet does give a clear indication of its God-inspired quality, it is bound to strengthen the faith of every thinking believer: and herein lies, according to the Quran itself, the deepest reason for its slow, gradual revelation. (When applied to the reciting of the Quran - as in 73: 4 - the term tartil refers to the measured diction and the thoughtful manner in which it ought to be enunciated.)] (33) and [that] they [who deny the truth] might never taunt thee with any deceptive half-truth [Lit., “come to thee with a parable (mathal)”- i.e., with all manner of seemingly plausible parabolic objections (exemplified in verses 7 - 8, 21 and 32 of this surah as well as in many other places in the Quran) meant to throw doubt on Muhammad’s claim to prophethood and, hence, on the God-inspired character of the Quranic message.] without Our conveying to thee the [full] truth and [providing thee] with the best explanation. [Sc., “of the problem or problems involved”: an allusion to the self-explanatory character of the Quran. Throughout this section (verses 30 - 34) the personal pronoun “thou” (in the forms ‘‘thy” and ‘thee’’) relates not only to the Prophet but also to every one of his followers at all times.] (34) [And so, tell those who are bent on denying the truth that] they who shall be gathered unto hell upon their faces – [I.e., in utter spiritual abasement (Razi, mentioning some other commentators as well).] it is they who [in the life to come] will be worst in station and still farther astray from the path [of truth]! [Cf. 17: 72 and the corresponding note.]
ENEMIES AGAINST EVERY PROPHET
(35) AND, INDEED, [long
before Muhammad] We vouchsafed revelation unto Moses, and appointed his brother
Aaron to help him to bear his burden; [For this rendering of the term
wazir, see note on
MUHAMMED AS LAST PROPHET
(51) Now had We so willed. We could have [continued as before and]
raised up a [separate] warner in every single community: [Sc., “but We have
willed instead that Muhammad be Our last prophet and, hence, a warner unto all
people for all times to come”.] (52)
hence, do not defer to [the likes and dislikes of] those who deny the truth,
but strive hard against them, by means of this [divine writ], with utmost
striving.
GOD’S PLANNING CREATIVENESS
(53) AND HE it is who has given freedom of movement to the two great
bodies of water – [The noun
bahr, usually signifying “sea”, is also applied to large agglomerations of
sweet water, like rivers, lakes, etc.; in the above context, the dual
al-bahrayn denotes “the two great bodies [or “kinds”] of water” - the salty and the sweet - existing side by side on earth.] the one sweet and thirst-allaying, and the
other salty and bitter - and yet has wrought between them a barrier and a
forbidding ban. [I.e., has
caused them - as if by an invisible
barrier - to remain distinct in kind despite their continuous meeting and
mingling in the oceans: an indirect reminder of God’s planning creativeness
inherent in the cyclic transformation of water - its evaporation from the salty seas, followed by a formation of
clouds, their condensation into rain and snow which feed springs and rivers,
and its return to the seas. Some Muslim mystics see in this stress on the two
kinds of water an allegory of the gulf - and, at the same time, interaction - between man’s spiritual perceptions,
on the one hand, and his worldly needs and passions, on the other.] (54) And He it is who out of this [very]
water has created man, [See second half of 21: 30 where the creation of
“every living thing out of water” is spoken of, as well as 24: 45, which
mentions in this connection the entire animal world (including, of course,
man).] and has endowed him with [the consciousness
of] descent and marriage-tie: [I.e., has enabled him to attribute spiritual
value to, and to derive strength from, his organic and social relationships.] for thy Sustainer is ever infinite in His
power. (55) And yet, some people
[lit., “they”.] worship, instead of God, things that can neither benefit
them nor harm them: thus, he who denies the truth does indeed turn his back on
his Sustainer! (56) Yet [withal, O Prophet,] We have sent thee only as a herald
of glad tidings and a warner. (57) Say: “For this, no reward do I ask of you [-
no reward] other than that he who so wills may unto his Sustainer find a way!”
(58) Hence, place thy trust in the Living One who dies not, and extol His
limitless glory and praise: for none is as aware as His creatures’ sins as He -
(59) He who has created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them
in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness: [See
note on the first sentence of 7: 54.] the Most Gracious! Ask, then, about
Him, [the] One who is [truly] aware. [I.e., “ask God Himself”: since He
alone holds the keys to the mysteries of the universe, it is only by observing
His creation and listening to His revealed messages that man can obtain a
glimpse, however distant, of God’s Own reality.] (60) Yet when they [who are bent on denying
the truth! are told, “Prostrate yourselves before the Most Gracious.” they are
wont to ask, “And [who and] what is the Most Gracious? Are we to prostrate
ourselves before whatever thou biddest us [to worship]?’’ - and so [thy call]
but increases their aversion, (61)
HALLOWED is He who has set up in the skies great constellations, and has placed
among them a [radiant] lamp and a light-giving moon. [See 10: 5, where the
sun is spoken of as “a [source of] radiant light”, explained in the
corresponding note. For my rendering of buruj as “great constellations”, see
note on
TRUE SERVANTS
(63) For, [true]
servants of the Most Gracious are [only] they who walk gently on earth, and
who, whenever the foolish address them, [Sc., “with the aim to ridicule
them or to argue against their beliefs”.] reply with [words of] peace; (64)
and who remember their Sustainer far into the night, prostrating themselves and
standing; (65) and who pray: “O our Sustainer, avert from us the suffering of
hell - for, verily, the suffering caused by it is bound to be a torment dire:
(66) verily, how evil an abode and a station!” -; (67) and who, whenever they
spend on others, [In the Quran, the verb anfaqa (and the corresponding noun
nafaqah) has usually this connotation.] are neither wasteful nor niggardly
but [remember that] there is always a just mean between those [two extremes];
(68) and who never invoke any [imaginary] deity side by side with God, and do not take any human beings life - [the life] which God has willed to be sacred - otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice, [See surah 6 and last note on the verse 151.] and do not commit adultery. And [know that] he who commits aught thereof [Lit., “he who does that (dhalika)”, i.e., any of the three sins referred to in this verse. (For my translation of zina as “adultery”, see surah 24: 2.)] shall [not only] meet with a full requital (69) [but] shall have his suffering doubled on Resurrection Day: for on that [Day] he shall abide in ignominy. (70) Excepted, however, shall be they who repent and attain to faith and do righteous deeds: for it is they whose [erstwhile] bad deeds God will transform into good ones - seeing that God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace, (71) and seeing that he who repents and [thenceforth] does what is right has truly turned unto God by [this very act of] repentance. (72) And [know that true servants of God are only] those who never bear witness to what is false, [Implying that neither do they themselves ever bear false witness (i.e., in the widest sense of this expression, tell any lie), nor do they knowingly take part in anything that is based on falsehood (Razi.)] and [who], whenever they pass by [people engaged in] frivolity, pass on with dignity; (73) and who, whenever they are reminded of their Sustainer’s messages, do not throw themselves upon them [as if] deaf and blind; [Explaining this verse, Zamakhshari remarks that whereas the average run of people approach the divine writ with a mere outward show of eagerness, “throwing themselves upon it” for the sake of appearances but, in reality, not making the least attempt to understand the message as such and, hence, remaining deaf and blind to its contents - the truly God-conscious are deeply desirous of understanding it, and therefore “listen to it with wide-awake ears and look into it with seeing eyes.] (74) and who pray “O our Sustainer! Grant that our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes, [I.e., by living a righteous life.] and cause us to be foremost among those who are conscious of Thee!” (75) [Such as] these will be rewarded for all their patient endurance [in life] with a high station [in paradise], and will be met therein with a greeting of welcome and peace, (76) therein to abide: [and] how goodly an abode and [how high] a station! (77) SAY [unto those who believe]: “No weight or value would my Sustainer attach to you were it not for your faith [in Him]!” [Lit., “were it not for your prayer”, which term Ibn Abbas (as quoted by Tabari) equates in this context with “faith”.] [And say unto those who deny the truth:] “You have indeed given the lie [to God’s message], and in time this [sin] will cleave unto you!” [I.e., unless you repent, this sin will determine your spiritual destiny in the life to come”.]
THE TWENTY-SIXTH SURAH
ASH-SHUARA (THE POETS)
THE WORD, which suggested to the Companions of the Prophet the “title” of this surah, is found in verse 224. Some of the commentators are of the opinion that the last four verses (beginning with, this very key-word) were revealed at Medina, but all the available evidence shows that the entire surah belongs to the middle Mecca period, having been revealed about six or seven years before the Prophet’s hijrah. Similarly, there is no cogent reason to assume, as Suyuti does, that verse 197 belongs to the Medina period simply because it mentions the “learned men from among the children of Israel”, since references to the latter abound in many Meccan revelations.
The main purport of this surah lies in its stress on the unchanging character of man’s weakness and proneness to self-deception, which explains why the great majority of people, at all times and in all communities, so readily reject the truth - whether it be the truth of Gods messages or of self-evident moral values - and, in consequence, lose themselves in a worship of power, wealth or what is commonly described as “glory”, as well as in a mindless acceptance of slogans and prevailing fashions of thought.
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, TRUE DISPENSER OF GRACE: (1) Ta. Sin, Mim. The letters ta, sin and min, are among the mysterious, disjointed letter-symbols (al-muqatta at) preceding some of the chapters of the Quran (see Appendix II).
FREE CHOICE IN FAITH
(2) THESE ARE MESSAGES of the divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth! [See surah 12:1.] (3) Wouldst thou, perhaps, torment thyself to death [with grief] because they [who live around thee] refuse to believe [in it]? [See notes on 18: 6] (4) Had We so willed, We could have sent down unto them a message from the skies, so that their necks would [be forced to] bow down before it in humility. [Inasmuch as the spiritual value of man’s faith depends on its being an outcome of free choice and not of compulsion, the visible or audible appearance of a “message from the skies” would, by its very obviousness, nullify the element of free choice and, therefore, deprive man’s faith in that message of all its moral significance.] (5) [But We have not willed it:] and so, whenever there comes unto them any fresh reminder from the Most Gracious, they [who are blind of heart] always - turn their backs upon it: (6) thus, indeed, have they given the lie (to this message as well). But [in time] they will come to understand what it was that they were wont to deride! [See 6: 4 -5 and the corresponding note.] (7) Have they, then, never considered the earth - how much of every noble kind [of life] We have caused to grow thereon? (8) In this, behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]. (9) But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace! [The above two verses appear eight times, in this surah. Apart from the present instance, they conclude, like a refrain, each of the subsequent seven stories of earlier prophets, which by means of their, in places, almost identical phrasing - are meant to stress the essential identity of the ethical teachings of all the prophets, as well as to illustrate the statement, in verse 5, that a rejection of God’s messages is a recurrent phenomenon in the history of mankind despite the fact that His existence is clearly manifested in all living creation.]
MOSES AND PHARAOH
(10) HENCE, [remember
how it was] when thy Sustainer summoned Moses: “Go unto those evil doing
people. (11) the people of Pharaoh, who refuse to be conscious of Me!” [Lit., “Will they not be [or “become”]
conscious (of me)?” Zamakhshari and Razi understand this rhetorical question in
the sense apparent in my rendering, namely, as a statement of fact.] (12) He
answered: “O my Sustainer! Behold, I fear that they will give me the lie, (13)
and then my breast will be straitened and my tongue will not be free: send,
then, [this Thy command] to Aaron. [Cf. 20: 25 - 34 and the corresponding
notes. In the present context, stress is laid on the deep humility of Moses,
who considered himself incapable of fulfilling the task for which he had been
chosen, and asked God to entrust it to Aaron instead.] (14) Moreover, they
keep a grave charge [pending] against me, and I fear that they will slay me.”
[Sc., “and thus frustrate my mission”. This is a reference to Moses killing of
the Egyptian, which was the cause of his subsequent flight from his native land
(cf. 28:15 ff.)] (15) Said He: “Not so, indeed! Go forth, then, both of you,
with Our messages: verify, We shall be with you, listening [to your call]! (16)
And go, both of you, unto Pharaoh and say, ‘Behold, we bear a message from the
Sustainer of all the worlds: (17) Let the children of
ABRAHAM
(69) And convey unto
them [I.e., to the kind of people spoken of in verses 3 -5 of this surah.] the
story of Abraham - (70) [how it was] when he asked his father and his people,
“What is it that you worship?”
(71) They answered: We worship idols, and we remain ever devoted to them.” (72) Said he: “Do [you really think that] they hear you when you invoke them, (73) or benefit you or do you harm?” (74) They exclaimed: But we found our forefathers doing the same!” [The particle bal at the beginning of the sentence expresses astonishment. Thus, evading a direct answer to Abraham’s criticism of idol-worship, his people merely stress its antiquity, forgetting - as Zamakhshari points out - that “ancient usage and precedence in time are no proof of [a concept] soundness”. Razi, for his part, states that the above verse represents “one of the strongest [Quranic] indications of the immorality (fasad) inherent in [the principle of] taqlid”, i.e., the blind,
unquestioning adoption of
religious concepts or practices on the basis of ones uncritical faith in no
more than the “authority” of a scholar or religious leader.] (75) Said [Abraham]: “Have you, then,
ever considered what it is that you have been worshipping - (76) you and those ancient forebears of yours?
(77) “Now [as for me, I know that,] verily, these [false deities] are my
enemies, [and that none is my helper] save the Sustainer of all the worlds,
(78) who has created me and is the One who guides me, (79) and is the One who
gives me to eat and to drink, (80) and when I fall ill, is the One who restores
me to health, (81) and who will cause me to die and then will bring me back to
life - (82) and who, [hope, will forgive me my faults on Judgment Day! (83) “O
my Sustainer! Endow me with the ability to judge [between right and wrong], and
make me one with the righteous, (84) and grant me the power to convey the truth
unto those who will come after me, [Lit., “grant me a language of truth
among the others” or “the later ones”. For alternative interpretations of this
phrase, see note on
[Or: “beside God’’.
Whenever the relative pronoun ma (“that which” or “all that which”) is used in
the Quran with reference to false objects of worship, it indicates not merely
inanimate things (like idols, fetishes, supposedly “holy” relics, etc.) or
falsely deified saints, dead or alive, but also forces of nature, real or
imaginary, as well as man’s “worship” of wealth, power, social position, etc.
(See also 10: 28-29 and the corresponding notes.)] Can these [things and
beings] be of any help to you or to themselves?” (94) Thereupon they will be
hurled into hell – [Lit., “into it”.] they, as well as all [others] who
had been lost in grievous error, (95) and the hosts of Iblis - all together. [Cf.
NOAH
(105) The people of
Noah [too] gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearers (106) when their
brother Noah said unto them: “Will you not be conscious of God? (107) Behold, I
am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust: (108)
be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me! (109) “And no reward whatever
do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the
worlds. (110) Hence, remain conscious of God, and pay heed unto me!” (111) They
answered: “Shall we place our faith in thee, even though [only] the most abject
[of people] follow thee?’’ [See note on
AD
(123) [AND the tribe
of] Ad gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearers (124) when their brother
Hud said unto them: [See 7: 65 and the corresponding note.] “Will you
not be conscious of God? (125) Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you,
[and therefore] worthy of your trust: (126) be, then, conscious of God, and
pay heed unto me! (127) “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my
reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds. (128) “Will you, in
your wanton folly, build [idolatrous] altars on every height, [The noun
ayah, which primarily denotes “a sign” or “a token”, evidently refers here to
the ancient Semitic custom of worshipping the tribal gods on hilltops, which
were crowned to this end by sacrificial altars or monuments, each of them
devoted to a particular deity: hence my rendering of ayah, in this particular
context, as “altars” (in the plural).] (129) and make for yourselves mighty
castles, [hoping] that you might become immortal? [The meaning could be
either “hoping that you might live in them forever”, or “that you might gain
immortal renown for having built them”.] (130) And will you [always],
whenever you lay hand [on others], lay hand [on them] cruelly, without any
restraint? [The term jabbar, when
applied to man, as a rule denotes one who is haughty, overhearing, exorbitant
and cruel, and does not submit to any moral restraints in his dealings with
those who are weaker than himself. Sometimes (as, e.g., in
THAMUD
(141) [AND the tribe
of] Thamud gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-hearers (142) when their brother
Salih said unto them: [For the story of Salih and the tribe of Thamud, see
7: 73 and the corresponding note; also, the version appearing in 11: 61- 68.] “Will
you not be conscious of God? (143) Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to
you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust: (144) be, then, conscious of God,
and pay heed unto me! (145) “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my
reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds. (146) “Do you think
that you will be left secure [forever] in the midst of what you have here and
now? – [Lit., “of what is here”, i.e., on earth. In the original, this
question has a direct form, thus: “Will you be left secure…?”, etc.] (147)
amidst [these] gardens and springs (148) and fields, and [these] palm-trees
with slender spathes? - (149) and that you will [always be able to] hew
dwellings out of the mountains with [the same] great skill?” [See note on
7: 74.] (150) “Be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me, (151) and
pay no heed to the counsel of those who are given to excesses - (152) those who
spread corruption on earth instead of setting things to rights!” (153) Said
they: “Thou art but one of the bewitched! (154) Thou art nothing but a mortal
like ourselves! Come, then, forward with a token [of thy
mission] if thou art a
man of truth!” [Tabari: “… that is to say, ‘with an indication (dalalah)
and a proof that thou art to be trusted as regards thy claim that thou hast
been sent to us by God’.”] (155) Replied he: “This she-camel [Cf. the second
paragraph of 7: 73 – “This she-camel belonging to God shall be a token for you”
- and the corresponding note, which explaiins that the “token” spoken of by
Salih was to consist in the manner in which the tribe would treat the animal.] shall
have a share of water, and you shall have a share of water, on the days
appointed [therefor]; [Lit., “on a day appointed”, which may mean either
“each on a day appointed” (i.e., by turns), or, more probably - because more in
consonance with the tribal customs of ancient Arabia - “on the days appointed
for the watering of camels”: implying that on those days the ownerless
she-camel should receive a full share of water side by side with the herds and
flocks belonging to the tribe.] (156) and do her no harm, lest suffering
befall you on an awesome day!” (157) But they cruelly slaughtered her - and
then they had cause to regret it: [Lit., “they became regretful”. For my
rendering of aqaruha as “they cruelly slaughtered her”, see note on 7: 77.] (158)
for the suffering [predicted by Salih,] befell them [then and there]. In this
[story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will
not believe [in it]. [In my opinion, the specific message alluded to here
relates, in the first instance, to the individual person’s emotional reluctance
to visualize the limited, transitory character of his own life on earth (hinted
at in verses 146 - l49 above) and, hence, the judgment that awaits everyone in
the life to come; and, secondly, to the element of compassion for all other
living beings as a basis of true morality.] (159) But, verily, thy Sustainer
- He alone – is almighty, a dispenser of ggrace!
(160) [AND] the people
of Lot gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearers [The story of
11: 83). Zamakhshari’s
interpretation of the above sentence is analogous to mine.] (174) In this
[story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will
not believe [in it]. (175) But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is
almighty, a dispenser of grace!
PEOPLE OF MADYAN
(176) [AND] the dwellers of the wooded dales [of Madyan] gave the lie to [one of God’s] message-bearers (177) when their brother Shuayb said unto them: [See note on the first sentence of 7: 85. The story of Shuayb and the people of Madyan (the “wooded dales”) is given in greater detail in 11:84 - 95.] “Will you not be conscious of God? (178) Behold, I am an apostle [sent by Him] to you, [and therefore] worthy of your trust: (179) be, then, conscious of God, and pay heed unto me! (180) “And no reward whatever do I ask of you for it: my reward rests with none but the Sustainer of all the worlds. (181) “[Always] give full measure, and be not among those who [unjustly] cause loss [to others]; (182) and [in all your dealings] weigh with a true balance, (183) and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs; [Cf. see second note on 7: 85.] and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption, (184) but be conscious of Him who has created you, just as [He created] those countless generations of old!” [An allusion to the ephemeral character of man’s life on earth and, by implication, to God’s judgment.] (185) Said they: “Thou art but one of the bewitched, (186) for thou art nothing but a mortal like ourselves! And, behold, we think that thou art a consummate liar! [Lit., “that thou art indeed one of the liars”.] (187) Cause, then, fragments of the sky to fall down upon us, if thou art a man of truth!” (188) Answered [Shuayb]: “My Sustainer knows fully well what you are doing.”(189) But they gave him the lie. And thereupon suffering overtook them on a day dark with shadows: [This may refer either to the physical darkness which often accompanies volcanic eruptions and earthquakes (which, as shown in 7: 91, overlook the people of Madyan), or to the spiritual darkness and gloom which comes in the wake of belated regrets.] and, verily, it was the suffering of an awesome day! (190) In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]. (191) But, verily, thy Sustainer - He alone - is almighty, a dispenser of grace! [With this refrain ends the cycle of seven stories showing that spiritual truth in all its manifestations - whether it relates Io an intellectual realization of God’s existence to a refusal to regard power, wealth or fame as real values, or to the virtues of compassion and kindness towards all that lives on earth - has at all times been unacceptable to the overwhelming majority or mankind, and has always been submerged under the average man’s blindness and deafness of heart. The very repetition of phrases, sentences and situations in all of the above stories - or, rather, in the above versions of these oft-narrated stories - tends to bring home to us the fact that the human situation as such never really changes, and that, in consequence, those who preach the truth must always struggle against human greed, power-hunger and proneness to self-adulation.]
QURAN AS DIVINE INSPIRATION
(192) Now, behold, this
[divine writ] has indeed been bestowed from on high by the Sustainer of all the
worlds: [Thus the discourse returns to the theme enunciated at the
beginning of this surah, namely, the phenomenon of divine revelation as
exemplified in the Quran, and men’s reactions to it.] (193) trustworthy
divine inspiration has alighted with it from on high (194) upon thy heart, [O
Muhammad] [According to almost all the classical commentators, the
expression ar-ruh al-amin (lit., “the faithful [or “trustworthy”] spirit”) is a
designation of Gabriel, the Angel of Revelation, who, by virtue of his purely
spiritual, functional nature, is incapable of sinning and cannot therefore, be
other than utterly faithful to the trust reposed in him by God (cf. 16:50). On
the other hand, since the term ruh is often used in the Quran in the sense of
“divine inspiration” (see second note on 2: 87, and note on 6: 2), it may have
this latter meaning in the above context as well, especially in view of the
statement that it had “alighted from on high upon the head” of the Prophet.] so
that thou mayest be among those who preach (195) in the clear Arabic tongue.
[See 14: 4 – “never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than (with a
message) in his own people’s tongue” and the corresponding note. “That the
message of the Quran is, nevertheless, universal has been stressed in many of
its verses (e.g., in 7: 158 or 25: 1). The other prophets mentioned in the
Quran who “preached in the Arabic tongue” were Ishmael, Hud, Salih and Shuayb,
all of them Arabians. In addition, if we bear in mind that Hebrew and Aramaic
are but ancient Arabic dialects, all the Hebrew prophets may be included among
“those who preached in the Arabic tongue”.] (196) And, verily, [the essence
of] this [revelation] is indeed found in the ancient books of divine wisdom [as
well]. [Lit., “in the scriptures (zubur, sing. zabur) of the ancients” (see
21: 105). This interpretation of the above verse - advanced among others by
Zamakhshari and Baydawi (and, according to the former, attributed to Imam Abu
Hanifah as well) - is in full consonance with the oft-repeated Quranic doctrine
that the basic teachings revealed to Muhammad are in their purport (manni)
identical with those preached by the earlier prophets. Another, more popular
interpretation is, “… this [Quran] has been mentioned [or “foretold”] in the
earlier scriptures” (see in this connection note on
QURAN AND EVIL SPIRITS
(210) And [this divine
writ is such a reminder:] no evil spirits have brought it down: [During the
early years of his prophetic mission, some of Muhammad’s Meccan opponents tried
to explain the rhetorical beauty and persuasiveness of the Quran by insinuating
that he was a soothsayer (kahin) in communion with all manner of dark forces
and evil spirits (shayatin).] (211) for, neither does it suit their ends, nor
is it in their power [to impart it to man]: (212) verily, [even] from hearing
it are they utterly debarred! (213) Hence, [O man,] do not invoke any other
deity side by side with God, lest thou find thyself among those who are made to
suffer [on Judgment Day]. [The conjunctive particle fa at the beginning of
this sentence (rendered here as “hence”) evidently connects with verse 208
above. As shown in note below, the whole of the present passage is addressed to
man in general.] (214) And warn [whomever thou canst reach, beginning with]
thy kinsfolk, [A believer is morally obliged to preach the truth to all
whom he can reach, but obviously he must begin with those who are nearest to
him, and especially those who recognize his authority.] (215) and spread the
wings of thy tenderness over all of the believers who may follow thee; [For
an explanation of the metaphorical expression “lower thy wing” - rendered by me
as “spread the wings of thy tenderness” - see
QURAN AS MUHAMMAD’S POETRY
(224) And as for the
poets [An allusion to the fact that some of the pagan Arabs regarded the
Quran as a product of Muhammad’s supposedly poetic mind. (See also 36: 69 and
the corresponding notes.)] - [they, too, are prone to deceive themselves:
and so, only] those who are lost in grievous error would follow them. (225) Art
thou not aware that they roam confusedly through all the valleys [of words and
thoughts], [The idiomatic phrase
FIGHT ONLY IN SELF-DEFENCE
and defend themselves [only] after having been wronged, [Thus the Quran makes it dear that a true believer may fight only in self-defence: cf. 22: 39 – 40, the earliest reference to war as such, and 2: 190-194, where the circumstances making war fully justified are further elaborated.] and [trust in God’s promise that] those who are bent on wrongdoing will in time come to know how evil a turn their destinies are bound to take! [Lit., “by what [kind of] turning they will turn”.]
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH SURAH
AN-NAML (THE ANTS)
The prophet and most of his close Companions used to refer to this surah as Ta-Sin (the letter-symbols which precede its first verse). In later times, however, it came to be known as An-Naml after a word occurring in verse 18, which, because of its association with Solomonic legends, caught and held the imagination of countless Muslims who listened to or read the Quran. As pointed out in my note on 21: 82, the Quran often employs such legends as a vehicle for allegories expressing certain universal ethical truths; and it employs them for the simple reason that even before the advent of Islam they had become so firmly embedded in the poetic memories of the Arabs the people in whose language the Quran was expressed and to whom it was addressed in the first instance - that most of these legends had acquired, as it were, a cultural reality of their own, which made a denial or a confirmation of their mythical origin utterly irrelevant. Within the context of the Quran, the only thing that is relevant in this respect is the spiritual truth underlying each one of these legends: a many-sided, many-layered truth which the Quran invariably brings out, sometimes explicitly, sometimes elliptically, often allegorically, but always with a definite bearing on some of the hidden depths and conflicts within our own, human psyche.
In the consensus of most of the authorities, An-Naml belongs
to the middle
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE: (1) Ta. Sin. [See Appendix II.]
QURAN AND AFTER LIFE
THESE ARE MESSAGES of the Quran - a divine writ clear in itself and clearly showing the truth: [For an explanation of this composite rendering of the adjective, mubin, see note on 12: 1. In the present instance, the term kitab (“divine writ”) is preceded by the conjunction wa, which primarily signifies “and”, but in this case has a function more or less similar to the expression “namely” hence, it may be replaced in translation by a dash without affecting the meaning of the sentence.] (2) a guidance and a glad tiding to the believers (3) who are constant in prayer and spend in charity: [This is obviously the meaning of the term zakah in the above context, since at the time of the revelation of this surah it had not yet received its later, specific connotation of a tax incumbent upon Muslims (cf. surah 2: 43).] for it is they, they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come! (4) As for those who will not believe in the life to come - behold, goodly have We made their own doings appear unto them, and so they stumble blindly to and fro [The implication is that people who do not believe in life after death concentrate all their endeavours as a rule, on material gains alone, and cannot think of anything worthwhile “beyond their own doings”. See also note on 2: 7, which explains why the “causing” of this spiritual blindness and confusion - in itself but a consequence of mans own behaviour - is attributed to God.] (5) It is they whom the worst of suffering awaits: for it is they, they who in the life to come shall be the greatest losers! (6) But [as for thee, O believer,] verily, thou hast received this Quran out of the grace of One who is wise, all-knowing. [This stress on the spiritual illumination offered to man through divine revelation not only connects with the opening verses of this surah, but also forms a link between this passage and the following one, which calls to mind the sudden illumination of Moses, symbolized by the vision of the burning bush.]
MOSES AND BURNING BUSH
(7) Lo! [While lost in
the desert,] Moses said to his family: [Cf. 20: 9 ff., and particularly
note on verse 10 of that surah.] “Behold, I perceive a fire [far away]; I
may bring you from there some tiding [as to which way we arc to pursue], or
bring you [at least] a burning brand so that you might warm yourselves.” (8)
But when he came close to it, a call was sounded: “Blessed are all who are
within [reach of] this fire, and all who are near it! [Thus Zamakhshari
explains the expression hawlaha (lit., “around it”). According to some of the
earliest commentators, quoted by Tabari the “fire” (nar) is in this context
synonymous with “light” (nur), namely, the illumination which God bestows on
His prophets, who - one may presume
- <are a priori near it” by virtue of
their inborn spiritual sensitivity. Alternatively, the phrase man fi n-nar
wa-man hawlaha may be understood as referring to God’s Own light, which
encompasses, and is the core of, all spiritual illumination.] And limitless
in His glory is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!” (9) [And God spoke
thus:] “O Moses! Verily I alone am God, the Almighty, the Wise!” (10) [And then He said:] “Now throw down thy
staff!” [Cf. 20: 17-20.] But when he saw it move rapidly, as if it were
a serpent, he drew back [in terror], and did not [dare to] return. [For a
tentative explanation of the symbolism underlying the miracle of the staff, see
note on
SOLOMON
(15) AND, INDEED, We
granted [true] knowledge [I.e., spiritual insight.] unto David and
Solomon [as well]; and both were wont to say: All praise is due to God, who has
[thus] favoured us above many of His believing servants!” (16) And [in this
insight] Solomon was [truly] David’s heir; and he would say: “O you people! We
have been taught the speech of birds, and have been given [in abundance] of all
[good] things: this, behold, is indeed a manifest favour [from God]!” (17) And
[one day] there were assembled before Solomon his hosts of invisible beings, [Apart
from 114: 6, which contains the earliest Quranic reference to the concept of
jinn, the above is apparently the oldest instance where this concept occurs in
the personalized form of “invisible beings”. (For a fuller discussion, see
Appendix III.)] and of men, and of birds; and then they were led forth in
orderly ranks, (18) till, when they came upon a valley [full] of ants, an ant
exclaimed: “O you ants! Get into your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts
crush you without [even] being aware [of you]!” (19) Thereupon [Solomon] smiled joyously at her words, and
said: “O my Sustainer! Inspire me so that I may forever be grateful for those
blessings of Thine with which Thou hast graced me and my parents, [In this
instance, Solomon evidently refers to his own understanding and admiration of
nature (cf. 38: 31-33 and the corresponding notes) as well as to his loving
compassion for the humblest of God’s creatures, as a great divine blessing: and
this is the Quranic moral of the legendary story of the ant.] and that I may
do what is right [in a manner] that will please Thee; and include me, by Thy
grace, among Thy righteous servants!” (20) And [one day] he looked in vain for
[a particular one of] the birds; and so he said: How is it that I do not see
the hoopoe? Or could he be among the absent? (21) [If so,] I will punish him
most severely or will kill him unless he bring me a convincing excuse!”
[Lit., a clear evidence. The threat
of “killing” the hoopoe is, of course, purely idiomatic and not to be taken
literally.] (22) But [the hoopoe] tarried but a short while; and [when it
came] it said: “I have encompassed [with my knowledge] something that thou hast
never yet encompassed [with thine] - for I have come to thee from
(27) Said [Solomon]: “We shall see whether
thou hast told the truth or art one of the liars! (28) Go with this my letter
and convey it to them; and thereafter withdraw from them and see what [answer]
they return.” (29) [When the Queen had read Solomon’s letter,] she said: “O you
nobles! A truly distinguished letter has been conveyed unto me. (30) Behold, it
is from Solomon, and it says, ‘In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the
Dispenser of Grace: (31) [God says:] Exalt not yourselves against Me, but come
unto Me in willing surrender!’ ” [My interpolation, at the beginning of
this verse, of the words “God says” is based on the fact that, within the
context of the above legend, the information brought by the hoopoe is the very
first link between the kingdoms of Sheba and of Solomon. In the absence of any
previous contact, hostile or otherwise, there would have been no point whatever
in Solomon’s telling the people of Sheba that they should not “exalt
themselves” against or above himself. On the other hand, the narrative of the
hoopoe makes it clear that the Sabaeans did “exalt themselves” against God by
worshipping the sun and by being convinced “that they ought not to worship God”
(verses 24 - 25 above). Hence, Solomon, being a prophet, is justified in
calling upon them, in the name of God, to abandon this blasphemy and to
surrender themselves to Him. (Cf. the almost identical phrase, “Exalt not
yourselves against God”, in 44: 19.)] (32) She added: “O you nobles! Give me
your opinion on the problem with which I am now faced; [Lit., “on this case
[or “problem”] of mine”.]I would never make a [weighty] decision unless you
are present with me.” (33) They answered: “We are endowed with power and with
mighty prowess in war - but the command is thine; consider, then, what thou
wouldst command.” (34) Said she: “Verily, whenever kings enter a country they
corrupt it, [In this context - as
pointed out by all classical commentators -
the term dukhul undoubtedly connotes “entering by force (anwatan)”, whether
it be by armed invasion or by usurpation of political power from within the
country. The term muluk, lit., “kings”, may he understood to denote also
persons who, while not being “kings” in the conventional sense of this word,
wrongfully seize and forcibly hold absolute power over their “subjects”.]
and turn the noblest of
its people into the most abject. And this is the way they [always] behave?
[Thus, the Queen of Sheba rules out force as a suitable method for dealing with
Solomon. Implied in her statement is the Quranic condemnation of all political
power obtained through violence (anwatan) inasmuch as it is bound to give rise
to oppression, suffering and moral corruption.] (35) Hence, behold, I am
going to send a gift to those [people], and await whatever [answer] the envoys
bring back.” (36) Now when [the Queen’s messenger] came unto Solomon, he said:
“Do you people mean to add to my wealth? But that which God has given me [I.e.,
not only worldly wealth but also faith, wisdom and an insight into realities
normally hidden from other men.] is [so much] better than all that He has
given you! Nay, it is [only such as] you [I.e., people who prize only
material things and have no inkling of spiritual values.] that would rejoice
in this gift of yours! (37) “Go thou back unto them [that have sent thee]! For,
[God says:] ‘We shall most certainly come upon them with forces which they will
never be able to withstand, and shall most certainly cause them to be driven
from that [land of theirs], despicable and humbled!’ ” [Lit., “and they
will be humbled”. Since the Quran explicitly prohibits all wars of aggression
(see 2: 190 -194 and the corresponding notes), it is not plausible that this
same Quran should place a crude threat of warlike aggression in the mouth of a
prophet. We must, therefore, assume that here again, as in verse 31 above, it
is God who, through His prophet, warns the people of Sheba of His “coming upon
them” - i.e., punishing them - unless they abandon their blasphemous
belief that they “ought not” to worship God. This interpretation finds
considerable support in the sudden change from the singular in which Solomon
speaks of himself in the preceding (as well as in the subsequent) verses, to
the majestic plural “We” appearing in the above sentence.] (38) [When
Solomon learned that the Queen of
SALIH
(45) AND [likewise],
indeed, We sent unto [the tribe of] Thamud their brother Salih [with this
message]:
“Worship God alone!” [For the story of the Thamud and their prophet Salih, see notes on 7: 73. [My interpolation of the word “likewise” at the beginning of this verse is based on the fact that Salih’s message to the tribe of Thamud is identical with that of Solomon to the Queen of Sheba - which, in itself, is an indication of the sameness of the fundamental truths underlying all revealed religions.] - and, behold, they were [split into] two factions contending with one another. (46) Said [Salih to the erring ones]: Why do you seek to hasten the coming upon you of evil instead of hoping for the good?” [Lit., “hasten the evil before the good”: cf.
13: 6 and the
corresponding note; also the second sentence of
(54) AND [thus, too,
did We save] Lot, when he said unto his people: [The story of Lot and the
perverted people of Sodom is mentioned in several places, particularly in 7: 80
– 84, 11: 69 - 83 and 26: 60 - 173.] “Would you commit this abomination with
your eyes open (to its being against all nature)? [Thus Zamakhshari and
Razi, stressing the principle that a revolt against the God-willed nature of
heterosexuality is a revolt against God Himself.] (55) Must you really
approach men with lust instead of women? Nay, but you are people without any
awareness (of right and wrong)!” (56)
But his people’s only answer was this: “Expel [Lot and]
GOD AS ULTIMATE REALITY UNDERLYING OBSERVABLE ASPECTS OF UNIVERSE
(59) SAY: “All praise is due to God, and peace
be upon those servants of His whom He chose [to be His message-bearers]!” Is
not God far better than anything to which men [falsely] ascribe a share in His
divinity? [Lit., “Is God better, or that to which they ascribe…”, etc.:
thus including, by implication, not only deified beings or forces of nature,
but also false social and moral values to which custom and ancestral tradition
have lent an almost “religious” sanction.] (60) Nay - who is it that has
created the heavens and the earth, and sends down for you [life-giving] water
from the skies? For it is by this means that We cause gardens of shining beauty
to grow - [whereas] it is not in your power to cause [even one single of] its
trees to grow! Could there be any divine power besides God? Nay, they [who
think so] are people who swerve [from the path of reason] (61) Nay - who is it
that has made the earth a fitting abode [Lit., “place of rest” (qarar). But
see also 77: 25-26 and the corresponding note.] [for living things], and has
caused running waters [to flow] in its midst, and has set upon it mountains
firm, and has placed a barrier between the two great bodies of water? [See
25: 53 and the corresponding notes.] Could there be any divine power besides
God? Nay, most of those [who think so] do not know [what they are saying]! (62)
Nay - who is it that responds to the distressed when he calls out to Him, and
who removes the ill [that caused the distress], and has made you inherit the
earth? [Cf.
DENIAL OF RESURRECTION
(65) And neither can
they [who are living] perceive when they shall be raised from the dead: (66)
nay, their knowledge of the life to come stops short of the truth: [I.e.,
they cannot truly visualize the hereafter because its reality is beyond
anything that man may experience in this world: and this, it cannot he stressed
often enough, is an indirect explanation of the reason why all Quranic
references to the conditions, good or bad, of man’s life after death are of
necessity expressed in purely allegorical terms.] nay, they are [often] in
doubt as to its reality: nay, they are blind to it. [I.e., blind to its
logical necessity within God’s plan of creation. For, it is only on the premise
of a life after death that the concept of man’s moral responsibility and hence,
of God’s ultimate judgment can have any meaning; and if there is no moral responsibility,
there can be no question of a preceding moral choice; and if the absence of
choice is taken for granted, all differentiation between right and wrong
becomes utterly meaningless as well.] (67) And so, they who are bent on
denying the truth are saying: “What! After we have become dust - we and our
forefathers - shall we [all], forsooth, be brought forth [from the dead]? (68)
Indeed, we were promised this - we and our forefathers - in the past as well;
it is nothing but fables of ancient times!” (69) Say: “Go all over the earth
and behold what happened in the end to those [who were thus] lost in sin!”
[I.e., those who denied the reality of a life after death and, hence, of man’s
ultimate responsibility for his conscious doings. As pointed out in the preceding
note, the unavoidable consequence of this denial is the loss of all sense of
right and wrong: and this, in its turn, leads to spiritual and social chaos,
and so to the downfall of communities and civilizations.] (70) But do not
grieve over them, and neither be distressed by the false arguments which they
devise [against Gods messages]. [Lit., “by their scheming”. For the Quranic
use of the term makr in the sense of “devising false arguments [against
something]”, see
DIVERGENT VIEWS
(73) Now, verily, thy
Sustainer is indeed limitless in His bounty unto men - but most of them are
bereft of gratitude. (74) But, verily, thy Sustainer knows all that their
hearts conceal as well as all that they bring into the open: (75) for there is
nothing [so deeply] hidden in the heavens or on earth but is recorded in [His]
clear decree. (76) BEHOLD, this Quran explains [For this rendering of the
verb yaqussu, see note on 12: 3.] to the children of
GOD’S JUDGMENT
(82) Now, [as for the
deaf and blind of heart –] when the word [of truth] stands revealed against
them, [Lit., “comes to pass against them” - i.e., when the truth becomes obvious to them against all their
expectations, and thus confounds them utterly: an allusion to the approach of
the Last Hour, Resurrection and God’s Judgment, all of which they were wont to
regard as “fables of ancient times” (cf. verses 67-68 above). Alternatively,
the phrase idha waqa a al-qawl alayhim may be understood as when the sentence
[of doom] is passed on them”, i.e., at the approach of the Last Hour, when it
will be too late for repentance.] We shall bring forth unto them out of the
earth a creature, which will tell them that mankind had no real faith in Our
messages. [The “creature brought forth out of the earth” is apparently an
allegory of man’s “earthly” outlook on life - in other words, the soul-destroying materialism characteristic of
the time preceding the Last Hour. This “creature” parabolically “tells” men
that their submergence in exclusively materialistic values - and, hence, their approaching
self-destruction - is an outcome of
their lack of belief in God. (See also 7: 175-176 and the corresponding note.)]
(83) And on that Day We shall gather from within every community a host of
those who gave the lie to Our messages; and they will be grouped [according to
the gravity of their sins] (84) until such a time as they shall come [to be
judged. And] He will say: “Did you give the lie to My messages even though you
failed to encompass them with [your] knowledge? [I.e., without having
understood them or made any attempt to understand them (Zamakhshari).] Or
what was it that [you thought] you were
doing?”(85) And the
word [of truth] will stand revealed against them in the face of [Or: “the
sentence [of doom] will have been passed on them in recompense of…”, etc.] all
the wrong which they had committed, and they will not [be able to] utter a
single word [of excuse]: (86) for, were they not aware that it is We who had
made the night for them, so that they might rest therein, and the day, to make
[them] see? [In the present context (as in 10: 67 or 40: 61) the reference
to “night” and “day” has a symbolic significance: namely, man’s God-given
ability to gain insight through conscious reasoning (“the day that makes them
see”) as well as through the intuition that comes from a restful surrender to
the voice of one’s own heart (“the night made for rest”) - both of which tell
us that the existence of God is a logical necessity, and that a rejection of
His messages is a sin against ourselves.] In this, behold, there are
messages indeed for people who will believe! (87) And on that Day the trumpet
[of judgment] will be sounded, and all [creatures] that are in the heavens and
all that are on earth will be stricken with terror, except such as God wills
[to exempt]: and in utter lowliness all will come unto Him. (88) And thou wilt
see the mountains, which [now] thou deemest so firm, pass away as clouds pass
away: a work of God, who has ordered all things to perfection! [I.e., in
perfect consonance with the purpose for which He has created them: which is the
approximate meaning of the verb atqana. In this particular instance, stress is
laid on the God-willed transitory nature of the world, as we know it, (cf.
(91) [SAY, O Muhammad:]
“I have been bidden to worship the Sustainer of this City – [I.e., Mecca,
where the first temple dedicated to the One God was built (cf. 3: 96).] Him
who has made it sacred, and unto whom all things belong: and I have been bidden
to be of those who surrender themselves to Him, (92) and to convey this Quran
[to the world].” Whoever, therefore, chooses to follow the right path, follows
it but for his own good; and if any wills to go astray, say [unto him]: “I am
only a warner. (93) And say: “All praise is due to God! In time He will make
you see [the truth of] His messages, and then you shall know them [for what
they are].” And thy Sustainer is not unmindful of whatever you all may do.
THE TWENTY-EIGHT SURAH
AL-QASAS
(THE STORY)
There is hardly any doubt
that this surah as a
whole was revealed in the late part of the
The conventional “title” appears to have been taken at random from the word al-qasas occurring in the second part of verse 25 - a choice that may have been influenced by the fact that about one-half of the surah is devoted to the story of Moses. It is noteworthy that most of this story depicts the purely human aspects of his life - that is to say, the impulses, perplexitiies and errors which are part of the human condition as such: aspects which the Quran stresses in order to counteract any possible tendency on the part of the pious to attribute superhuman or, in the last resort semi-divine qualities to God’s apostles. Appropriately, the surah ends with a sonorous evocation of the truth that “there is no deity save God”, and that “everything is bound to perish save His [eternal] Self”.
In the name of god, the most gracious, the dispenser of grace: (1) Ta. Sin. Mim. [See Appendix II.]
EVILS OF PHARAOH
(2) These are messages
of a divine writ clear in itself and clearly showing the truth. 2 [For an
explanation of the above rendering of the adjective mubin, see note on 12: 1.] (3)
We [now] convey unto thee some of the story of Moses and Pharaoh, setting forth
the truth for [the benefit of] people who will believe. (4) Behold, Pharaoh
exalted himself in the land and divided its people into castes. [Lit.,
“parties” or “sects” - here undoubtedly referring to the division of people
into “high” and “low-born”: a division which the Quran utterly condemns. The
group which, as mentioned in the next sentence, Pharaoh “deemed utterly low”
were the Israelites, who had been placed on the lowest rung of the Egyptian
social scale and were deprived of almost all human rights.] One group of
them he deemed utterly low; he would slaughter their sons and spare (only)
their women: for, behold, he was one of those who spread corruption
[on earth]. (5) But it was Our will to bestow Our favour upon those [very
people] who were deemed [so] utterly low in the land, and to make them
forerunners in faith. [Lit., “leaders” or “exemplars” (a immah, sing. imam)
- an allusion to the historical fact that the Hebrews were the first to accept
a monotheistic creed in a clear, unequivocal formulation, and thus became the forerunners
of both Christianity and Islam.] and to make them heirs [to Pharaoh’s
glory], (6) and to establish them securely on earth, and to let Pharaoh and
Haman [This Haman, who is mentioned
several times in the Quran as Pharaoh’s chief adviser, is not to be confused
with the Persian Haman of the Old Testament (The Book of Esther iii ff). Most
probably, the word “Haman” as used in the Quran is not a proper name at all but
the Arabicized echo of the compound designation Ha-Amen given to every high
priest of the Egyptian god Amon. Since at the time in question the cult of Amon
was paramount in
RESCUE OF INFANT MOSES
(7) And so, [when he
was born,] We inspired [thus] the mother of Moses: Suckle him [for a time], and
then, when thou hast cause to fear for him, cast him into the river, [Sc.,
“and he will be saved”: cf. 20: 39.] and have no fear and do not grieve -
for We shall restore him to thee, and shall make him one of Our
message-bearers!” (8) And [some of] Pharaoh’s household [As is evident from
the next verse as well as from 66: 11, it was Pharaoh’s own wife.] found
[and spared] him: for [We had willed] that he becomes an enemy unto them and [a
source of] grief, seeing that Pharaoh and Haman and their hosts were sinners
indeed! (9) Now the wife of Pharaoh said: “A joy to the eye [could this child
be] for me and thee! Slay him not: he may well be of use to us, or we may adopt
him as a son!” And they had no presentiment [of what he was to become]. (10) On
the morrow, however, an aching void grew up in the heart of the mother of
Moses, and she would indeed have disclosed all about him [I.e., disclose
his true identity in the hope that he would he returned to her.] had We not
endowed her heart with enough strength to keep alive her faith [in Our
promise]. [Lit., “so that she might be of those who have faith”.] (11)
And so she said to his sister, “Follow him” - and [the girl] watched him from
afar, while they [who had taken him in] were not aware of it, (12) Now from the
very beginning We caused him to refuse the breast of [Egyptian] nurses; and
[when his sister came to know this,] she said: “Shall I guide you to a family
that might rear him for you, and look after him with good will?” (13) And thus
We restored him to his mother, so that her eye might he gladdened, and that she
might grieve no longer, and that she might know that God’s promise always comes
true - even though most of them know it not!
MURDER OF INNOCENT HUMAN BEING BY MOSES
(14) Now when [Moses]
reached full manhood and had become mature [of mind]. We bestowed upon him the
ability to judge [between right and wrong] as well as [innate] knowledge: for
thus do We reward the doers of good. [This statement, almost entirely
identical with
FLEEING OF MOSES TO
(20) And [then and there]
a man came running from the farthermost end of the city, and said: “O Moses!
Behold, the great ones [of the kingdom] are deliberating upon thy case with a
view to killing thee! Begone, then: verily, I am of those who wish thee well!”
(21) So he went forth from thence, looking fearfully about him, and prayed: “O
my Sustainer! Save me from all evildoing folk!” (22) And as he turned his face
towards Madyan, he said [to himself]: “It may well be that my Sustainer will
[thus] guide me onto the right path” [The inhabitants of Madyan (called
Midian in the Bible) were Arabs of the Amorite group. Since they were racially
and linguistically closely related to the Hebrews, they could he counted upon
to help Moses in his plight. For the geographical location of the region of
Madyan, see note on 7: 85.] (23) NOW WHEN he arrived at the wells [Lit.,
“water” or “waters”.] of Madyan, he found there a large group of men who
were watering [their herds and flocks]; and at some distance from them he came
upon two women who were keeping back their flock. He asked [them]: “What is the
matter with you?” They answered: “We cannot water [our animals] until the
herdsmen drive [theirs] home - for [we are weak and] our father is a very old
man.” (24) So he watered [their flock] for them: and when he withdrew into the
shade and prayed: “O my Sustainer! Verily, in dire need am I of any good which
Thou mayest bestow upon me!” (25) [Shortly] afterwards, one of the two
[maidens] approached him, walking shyly, and said: “Behold, my father invites
thee, so that he might duly reward thee for thy having watered [our flock] for
us.” And as soon as [Moses] came unto him and told him the story [of his life],
he said: “Have no fear! Thou art now safe from those evildoing folk!” (26) Said
one of the two [daughters]: “O my father! Hire him: for, behold, the best [man]
that thou couldst hire is one who is [as] strong and worthy of trust [as he]!”
(27) [After some time, the father] said: “Behold, I am willing to let thee wed
one of these two daughters of mine on the understanding that thou wilt remain
eight years in my service; and if thou shouldst complete ten [years], that
would be [an act of grace] from thee, for I do not want to impose any hardship
on thee: [on the contrary,] thou wilt find me, if God so wills, righteous in
all my dealings.” [Lit., “one of the righteous”.] (28) Answered [Moses]:
“Thus shall it be between me and thee! Whichever of the two terms I fulfill,
let there be no ill will against me. And God be witness to all that we say!”
BURNING BUSH
(29) And when Moses had
fulfilled his term and was wandering with his family [in the desert], he perceived
a fire on the slope of Mount Sinai; [For an explanation of Moses’
wanderings in the desert, see note on 20: 10; for that of the allegory of the
“fire”, note on 27: 7-8. Throughout this work, the noun at-tur (“the mountain”)
is being rendered as “
PHARAOH’S REJECTION OF GOD’S MESSAGE
(36) But as soon as Moses came unto them with Our clear messages [Pharaoh and his great ones] said: “All this is nothing but spellbinding eloquence devised [by man]: [See note on 74: 24, which is the earliest Quranic instance of the term sihr in the above connotation.] and never did we hear [the like of] this, [nor has it ever been heard of] in the time of our forebears of old!” (37) And Moses replied: “My Sustainer knows best as to who comes with guidance from Him, and to whom the future belongs! [For an explanation of the above phrase, see surah 6: 135.] Verily, never will evildoers attain to a happy state!” (38) Whereupon Pharaoh said: “O you nobles! I did not know that you could have any deity other than myself [In view of the fact that the ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods, this observation is not to be taken literally; but since each of the Pharaohs was regarded as an incarnation of the divine principle as such, he claimed - and received - his people’s adoration as their “Lord All-Highest” (cf. 79: 24), combining within himself, as it were, all the qualities attributable to gods.] Well, then, O Haman, kindle me a fire for [baking bricks of] clay, and then build me a lofty tower, that haply I may have a look at the god of Moses [Or: “ascend to the god of Moses”. Whichever of the two meanings is given to the verb ittaliu, Pharaoh’s demand for a “lofty tower” is not only an allusion to the building of one of the great pyramids, but also a derisory, contemptuous reference to Moses’ concept of God as an all-embracing Power, inconceivably high above all that exists.] – although, behold, I am convinced that he is of those who [always] tell lies!” (39) Thus arrogantly, without the least good sense, [lit., “without (any) truth” or “justification” (bi-ghayr al-haqq).] did he and his hosts behave on earth - just as if they thought that they would never have to appear before Us [for judgment]! [Lit., “and they thought that they would not be brought back to Us”. There is no doubt that the ancient Egyptians did believe in a life after death, and that this belief included the concept of a divine judgment as well. Since, however, the particular Pharaoh whom Moses confronted is said to have behaved with an arrogance opposed to all good sense, the Quran - by implication - likens his attitude to that of a person who does not believe in resurrection and in man’s ultimate responsibility before God: hence my rendering of the conjunctive particle wa at the beginning of the above clause as “just as if”.] (40) And so We seized him and his hosts and cast them into the sea: and behold what happened in the end to those evildoers: (41) [We destroyed them,] and We set them up as archetypes [of evil] that show the way to the fire [of hell]; [Lit., “archetypes (aimmah) inviting to the fire”. This is the pivotal sentence of the above fragment of the story of Moses. Just as verses 15 - 16 are meant to draw our attention to the sin of tribal or racial prejudice, the present reference to Pharaoh as an “archetype [of evil]” points to the fact that false pride (takabbur) and arrogance {istikbar) are truly “satanic” attitudes of mind, repeatedly exemplified in the Quran by Iblis’s symbolic “revolt” against God (for the meaning of which see note on 2: 34 and note on 15: 41). Inasmuch as they are intrinsically evil, these “satanic” impulses lead to evil actions and, consequently, to a weakening or even a total destruction of man’s spiritual potential: which, in its turn, is bound to cause suffering in the hereafter.] and [whereas] no succour will come to them on Resurrection Day, (42) We have caused a curse to follow them in this world as well; [I.e., in the pejorative connotation universally given to the adjective “pharaonic”. It is to be noted that the term lanah, here rendered as “curse”, primarily denotes “estrangement” (ibad), i.e., from all that is good and, hence, really desirable.] and on Resurrection Day they will find themselves among those who are bereft of all good. [I.e., among those who by their own actions will have removed themselves from God’s grace: a meaning given to the term maqbuh, in this context, by most of the classical commentators and philologists (cf. Lisan al Arab, Taj al-Arus, etc.).] (43) And [then,] indeed, after We had destroyed those earlier generations [of sinners], We vouchsafed unto Moses [Our] revelation as a means of insight for men, [By virtue of its being the first instance of a divinely-inspired Law, the Torah inaugurated a new phase in mankind’s religious history (cf. the reference to the children of Israel as “forerunners in faith” in verse 5 of this surah).] and as a guidance and grace, so that they might bethink themselves [of Us]. (44) NOW [as for thee, O Muhammad,] thou wert not present on the sunset slope [of Mount Sinai] when We imposed the Law upon Moses, nor wert thou among those who witnessed [his times]: [Implying that the story of Moses as narrated in the Quran could not have come to Muhammad’s knowledge otherwise than through revelation: consequently, the Quran as such must obviously be a result of divine revelation. The term al-amr, rendered above as “the Law”, is the Arabic equivalent of he Hebrew word torah (“law” or “precept”), the commonly accepted title of the revelation granted to Moses.] (45) nay, but [between them and thee] We brought into being [many] generations, and long was their span of life. And neither didst thou dwell among the people of Madyan, conveying Our messages unto them: [I.e., “thou art not the first of Our apostles, O Muhammad: We have sent thee to the people of thy time just as We sent Shuayb to the people of Madyan (Ad-Dahhak, as quoted by Razi).] nay, but We have [always] been sending [Our message-bearers unto man]. (46) And neither wert thou present on the slope of Mount Sinai when We called out [to Moses]: [According to some of the classical commentators, this second reference to “the slope of Mount Sinai” contains an allusion to the divine assurance mentioned in 7: 156: “My grace overspreads everything . . .” (Tabari, Razi). This interpretation is most plausible in view of the subsequent reference to Muhammad’s mission as “an act of thy Sustainer’s grace (rahmah)”.] but [thou, too, art sent] as an act of thy Sustainer’s grace, to warn people to whom no warner has come before thee, so that they might bethink themselves [of Us]; (47) and [We have sent thee] lest they say [on Judgment Day], when disaster befalls them as an outcome of what their own hands have wrought, “O our Sustainer, if only Thou had sent an apostle unto us, we would have followed Thy messages, and would have been among those who believe!” (48) And yet, now that the truth has come unto them from Us, they say, “Why has he not been vouchsafed the like of what Moses was vouchsafed?” [As the Quran frequently points out, the basic ethical truths enunciated in it are the same as those of earlier revelations. It is this very statement which induced the opponents of Muhammad - in his own time as well as in later timees - to question the authenticity of the
Quran: “If it had really
been revealed by God,” they argue, “would so many of its propositions,
especially its social laws, differ so radically from the laws promulgated in
that earlier divine writ, the Torah?” By advancing this argument (and quite
apart from the question of whether the text of the Bible as we know it today
has or has not been corrupted in the course of time), the opponents of
Muhammad’s message deliberately overlook the fact, repeatedly stressed in the
Quran, that the earlier systems of law were conditioned by the spiritual level
of a particular people and the exigencies of a particular chapter of human
history, and therefore had to he superseded by new laws at a higher stage of
human development (see in this connection the second paragraph of 5: 48 and the
corresponding note). However, as is evident from the immediate sequence - and
especially from the last sentence of this verse - the above specious argument
is not meant to uphold the authenticity of the Bible as against that of the
Quran, but, rather, aims at discrediting both - and, through them, the basic
religious principle against which the irreligious mind always revolts: namely,
the idea of divine revelation and of man’s absolute dependence on and
responsibility to God, the Ultimate Cause of all that exists.] But did they
not also, before this, deny the truth of what Moses was vouchsafed? [For] they
do say, “Two examples of delusion, [seemingly] supporting each other!” [A
contemptuous allusion, on the one hand, to Old-Testament predictions of the
coming of the Prophet Muhammad (cf. surah
know that they are
following only their own likes and dislikes: and who could be more astray than
he who follows [but] his own likes and dislikes without any guidance from God?
Verily, God does not grace with His guidance people who are given to
evildoing!
CONVERSIONS OF JEWS AND
CHRISTIANS
(51) NOW, INDEED, We
have caused this word [of Ours] to reach mankind step by step, so that they
might [learn to] keep it in mind. [Lit., “We have caused this word to reach
them gradually”: this meaning is implied in the verbal form wassalna, which -
like the grammatically identical form nazzalna - points to the gradual,
step-by-step revelation of the Quran during the twenty-three years of
Muhammad’s prophetic ministry.] (52) As for those unto whom We have
vouchsafed revelation aforetime - they [are bound to] believe in this one [as
well]; [This is both a statement of
historical fact - alluding to conversions of Jews and Christians in Muhammad’s
lifetime - and a prophecy. It must, however, be understood that, in the above
context, God’s “vouchsafing” revelation implies a conscious, sincere acceptance
of its teachings by those to whom it has been conveyed: for it is this
sincerity that has enabled them - or will enable them - to realize that the
Quran preaches the same ethical truths as those forthcoming from earlier revelations.
(Cf. 26: 196-197 and the corresponding notes.)] (53) and whenever it is
[clearly] conveyed unto them, they [are bound to] profess, “We have come to
believe in it, for, behold, it is the truth from our Sustainer - and, verily,
even before this have we surrendered ourselves unto Him!” (54) These it is that
shall receive a twofold reward for having been patient in adversity, and having
repelled evil with good, [See note
on the identical phrase in
FAILURE TO CONVERT LOVED-ONE TO ISLAM
(56) VERILY, thou canst
not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest: but it is God who guides him that
wills [to be guided]; [Or: “God guides whomever He wills” - either of these
two renderings being syntactically correct. According to several extremely well
authenticated Traditions, the above verse relates to the Prophet’s inability to
induce his dying uncle Abu Talib, whom he loved dearly and who had loved and
protected him throughout his life, to renounce the pagan beliefs of his
ancestors and to profess faith in God’s oneness. Influenced by Abu Jahl and
other Meccan chieftains, Abu Talib died professing, in his own words, “the
creed of Abd al-Muttalib” (Bukhari) or, according to another version (quoted by
Tabari), “the creed of my ancestors (al-ashyakh)”. However, the Quranic
statement “thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest” has
undoubtedly a timeless import as well: It stresses the inadequacy of all human
endeavours to “convert” any other person, however loving and loved, to one’s
own beliefs, or to prevent him from falling into what one regards as error,
unless that person wills to be so guided.] and He is fully aware of all who
would let themselves be guided. [The above rendering of the expression
al-muhtadin conforms to the interpretations offered in this context by many
classical commentators - e.g., “those who accept guidance” (Zamakhshari),
“everyone who in time would find the right way” (Razi), “those who are prepared
(mustaiddin) for it” (Baydawi), “all who deserve guidance” (lbn Kathir), and so
forth. Thus, God’s guidance is but the final act of His grace with which He
rewards all who desire to be guided. For a further consideration of this
problem, the reader is referred to Zamakhshari’s illuminating remarks quoted in
the note on 14: 4.] (57) Now some say, “If we were to follow the guidance to
which thou invitest us, we would be torn away from our very soil!” [Lit.,
If we were to follow the guidance together with thee, we would be snatched away
from our land” (or “our soil”). This passage has obviously twofold connotation.
On the historical plane, it echoes an objection voiced by many pagan Meccans to
Muhammad’s preaching: “If we were to accept thy call, most of the other tribes
would regard this as a betrayal of our common ancestral beliefs, and would
drive us away from our land.” In a more general, timeless sense it reflects the
hesitation of so many people - of whatever period, environment or religious
persuasion - who, while realizing the truth of a new spiritual call, are yet
fearful of acknowledging it as true lest this acknowledgment cause a total
breach between them and their community and thus, as were, cut the ground from
under their feet.] Why - have We not established for them a sanctuary
secure, to which, as a provision from Us, shall be gathered the fruits of all
(good) things? [Like the preceding expression of fear, this Quranic answer,
too, can be understood in two senses. In the limited, historical sense it is an
allusion to Abraham’s prayer that the land around the Kabah be made secure for
all times and its natural barrenness be compensated by fruitful help from
outside (cf. 14: 35 - 41 also 2: 126), and to God’s acceptance of this prayer:
thus, the Prophet’s Meccan contemporaries are reminded that they need not fear
to be dispossessed of this holy land so long as they remain righteous and trust
in God. In its purely spiritual connotation, on the other hand, the “sanctuary
secure” is God’s promise - referred to in verse 61 below - that all who have
faith in Him and are conscious of their responsibility to Him shall be graced
with a sense of inner peace in this world and with enduring bliss in the life
to come; and since they are thus to be rewarded with the “fruits” of all their
good deeds, “no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve” (cf. 2: 62,
3:170, 5: 69, 6: 48, 7: 35, 10: 62, 46: 13). See also note on 29: 67.] But
most of them are unaware [of this truth].
PUNISHMENT IN THIS LIFE
(58) And how many a
community that [once] exulted in its wanton wealth and ease of life have We
destroyed, so that those dwelling-places of theirs – all but a few - have never
been dwelt-in after them: for it is indeed We alone who shall remain when all
else will have passed away! [Lit., “We are indeed (kunna) the inheritors”.
For an explanation of my rendering of this phrase, see note on
PUNISHMENT IN AFTERLIFE
(60) And [remember:] whatever
you are given [now] is but for the [passing] enjoyment of life in this world,
and for its embellishment - whereas that which is with God is [so much] better
and more enduring. Will you not, then, use your reason? (61) Is, then, he to
whom We have given that goodly promise which he shall see fulfilled [on his
resurrection] [See second note on verse 57 above.] comparable to one on
whom We have bestowed [all] the enjoyments of this worldly life but who, on
Resurrection Day, will find himself among those that shall be arraigned [before
Us]? [Sc., “for having misused Our gifts and attributed them to powers
other than Us”.] (62) For, on that Day He will call unto them, and will ask:
“Where, now, are those [beings or powers] whom you imagined to have a share in
My divinity?” [Lit., “those partners of Mine whom you supposed [to exist]”:
see notes on
GOD IS ALL KNOWING AND POWERFUL
(68) AND [thus it is:]
thy Sustainer creates whatever He wills; and He chooses [for mankind] whatever
is best for them. [Some of the classical commentators incline to interpret
the ma in the phrase ma kana lahum al-khirah as a particle of negation
and the noun khirah as “choice” or “freedom of choice”, thus giving to this
phrase the meaning of “He chooses, [but] they [i.e., human beings) have no
freedom of choice”. To my mind, however, this interpretation conflicts not only
with the immediately preceding passages but with the tenor of the Quran as a
whole, which insists throughout on man’s responsibility for (and, hence, on
relative freedom in) choosing between right and wrong - and this side by side
with its stress on God’s unlimited power to determine the factual course of
events. Hence, I prefer to base my rendering on the interpretation advanced and
convincingly argued by Tabari, who regards the crucial particle ma not
as a negation but as a relative pronoun synonymous with alladhi (“that which”
or “whatever”), and understands the noun khirah in its primary significance of
“that which is chosen” or “preferred”, i.e., because it is considered to be the
best: in another word, as a synonym of khayr. Zamakhshari refers to this
interpretation with evident approval (without, however, mentioning Tabari
specifically), and enlarges upon it thus: “God chooses for mankind whatever is
best (ma huwa khayr) and most beneficial (aslah) for them, for He knows better
than they themselves do what is good for them.”] Limitless is God in His
glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which they may ascribe a share
in His divinity! (69) And thy Sustainer knows all that their hearts conceal as
well as all that they bring into the open: (70) for He is God, save whom there
is no deity. Unto Him all praise is due, at the beginning and at the end [of
time]; [Or: “in this first [i.e., present life] as well as in the life to
come”.] and with Him rests all judgment; and unto Him shall you all be
brought back. (71) Say: “Have you ever considered [this]: If God had willed
that there should always be night about you, without break, until the Day of
Resurrection - is there any deity other than God that could bring you light? [Lit.,
“who [i.e., “where”] is a deity…”, etc., obviously implying that no such
“deity” exists.] Will you not, then, listen [to the truth]?” (72) Say: “Have
you ever considered [this]: If God had willed that there should always be
daylight about you, without break, until the Day of Resurrection - is there any
deity other than God that could bring you [the darkness of] night, wherein you
might rest? Will you not, then, see [the truth]?” [I.e., “Will you not
recognize the miracle of planned and purposeful creation?”] (73) For it is
out of His grace that He has made for you the night and the day, so that you
might rest therein as well as seek to obtain [what you need] of His bounty: and
[He gave you all this] so that you might have cause to be grateful.
ARRAIGNMENT BEFORE GOD
(74) AND ON THAT DAY [I.e., the Day of Resurrection - thus reverting to the theme enunciated in verses 62-66 above.] He will call unto those [that shall have been arraigned before His judgment seat], and will ask: “Where, now, are those [beings or powers] whom you imagined to have a share in My divinity?” [This repetition of God’s “question”, already mentioned in verse 62 above, is meant to stress the utter inability of the sinners concerned to justify their erstwhile attitude rationally; hence my interpolation at the beginning of the next verse.] (75) And [they will remain silent: for by then] We will have called forth witnesses from within every community, [I.e., the prophets who had appeared at various stages of man’s history, and who will now bear witness that they had duly conveyed God’s message to the people for whom it was meant.] and will have said [unto the sinners]: “Produce an evidence for what you have been claiming!” [Lit., “Produce your evidence” - i.e., for the possibility of anyone or anything having a share in God’s divinity.] And so they will come to understand that all truth is God’s [alone]; [I.e., that He is the Ultimate Reality, and that whatever is or could be is an outcome of His will alone.] and all their false imagery will have forsaken them. [For the meaning of the phrase ma kanu yaftarun (lit., “all that they were wont to invent” - rendered by me here as well as in 6: 24,7: 53, 10: 30, 11: 21 and 16: 87 as “all their false imagery”); see also note on 6:22. A specific instance of such “false imagery” the futility of man’s relying on his own wealth and worldly power - is illustrated in the immediately following legend of Qarun (see next note).]
FALSE PRIDE AND
SELF-EXALTATION
(76) [NOW,] BEHOLD,
Qarun was one of the people of Moses; [The structure of the above sentence
is meant to show that even a person who had been a follower of one of the
greatest of Gods apostles was not above the possibility of sinning under the
influence of false pride and self-exaltation - a particular example of the
“false imagery” referred to in the preceding passage. The conventional “identification”
of Qarun with the Korah of the Old Testament (Numbers xvi) is neither relevant
nor warranted by the Quranic text, the more so as the purport of this legend is
a moral lesson and not a historical narrative. This, by the way, explains also
the juxtaposition, elsewhere in the Quran (29: 39 and 40: 24), of Qarun with
Pharaoh, the arch-sinner.] but he arrogantly exalted himself above them -
simply because We had granted him such riches that his treasure-chests
alone would surely have been too heavy a burden for a troop of ten men or even
more. [The term usbah denotes a company of ten or more (up to forty)
persons; since it is used here metonymically, pointing to the great weight
involved, it is best rendered as above. The noun mafatih is a plural of both
miftah or (“key”) and maftah (“that which is under lock and key”, i.e., a
“hoard of wealth” or “treasure chest”), which latter meaning is obviously the
one intended in the present context.] When [they perceived his arrogance,]
his people said unto him: “Exult not [in thy wealth], for, verily, God does not
love those who exult [in things vain]! (77) Seek instead, by means of what God
has granted thee, [the good of] the life to come, [I.e., by spending in
charity and on good causes.] without forgetting, withal, thine own
[rightful] share in this world; [Lit., “and do not forget...”, etc.: a call
to generosity and, at the same time, to moderation (cf. 2: 143 – “We have
willed you to be a community of the middle way”). and do good [unto others]
as God has done good unto thee; and seek not to spread corruption on earth:
for, verily, God does not love the spreaders of
corruption!” (78)
Answered he: “This [wealth] has been given to me only by virtue of the
knowledge that is in me!” [I.e., “as a result of my own experience,
shrewdness and ability” (cf. 39: 49 and the corresponding note).] Did he not
know that God had destroyed [the arrogant of] many a generation that preceded
him - people who were greater than he in power, and richer in what they had
amassed? But such as are lost in sin may not be asked about, their sins. [Obviously
implying that “such as are lost in sin” (al-mujrimun) are, as a rule, blind to
their own failings and, therefore, not responsive to admonition.] (79) And
so he went forth before his people in all his pomp; [and] those who cared only
for the life of this world would say, “Oh, if we but had the like of what Qarun
has been given! Verily, with tremendous good fortune is he endowed!” (80) But
those who had been granted true knowledge said: “Woe unto you! Merit in the
sight of God [Lit., “God’s reward” sc., “of spiritual merit”.] is by far
the best for any who attains to faith and does what is right: but none save the
patient in adversity can ever achieve this [blessing].” (81) And thereupon We
caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling; and he had none and nothing
to succour him against God, nor was he of those who could succour themselves. [Lit.,
“he had no host whatever to succour him…”, etc. Qarun’s being “swallowed by the
earth” may possibly be metaphor of a catastrophic, unforeseen loss - from
whatever cause - of all his worldly goods and, thus, of his erstwhile
grandeur.] (82) And on the morrow, those who but yesterday had longed to be
in his place exclaimed: “Alas [for our not having been aware] that it is indeed
God [alone] who grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto
whichever He wills of His creatures! Had not God been gracious to us, He might
have caused [the earth] to swallow us, too! Alas [for our having forgotten]
that those who deny the truth can never attain to a happy state!” (83) As for
that [happy] life in the hereafter, We grant it [only] to those who do not seek
to exalt themselves on earth, nor yet to spread corruption: for the future
belongs to the God-conscious. [This last clause makes it clear that, in
order to have spiritual value, man’s “not seeking” worldly grandeur or
self-indulgence in things depraved must be an outcome, not of indifference or
of a lack of opportunity, but solely of a conscious moral choice.] (84)
Whosoever shall come [before God] with a good deed will gain [further] good
therefrom; [See note on the identical phrase in 27: 89.] but as for any
who shall come with an evil deed - [know that] they who do evil deeds will not
be requited with more than [the like of] what they have done. [Cf. 6: 60 and the corresponding note.] (85)
VERILY, [O believer,] He who has laid down this Quran in plain terms, making it
binding on thee, [According to Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari), the phrase
farada alayka is almost synonymous with ataka, “He gave [it] to thee”. This,
however, elucidates only one part of the above complex expression, which, I
believe, has here a meaning similar to that of faradnaha (“We laid it down in
plain terms”) occurring in the first verse of surah 24 An-Nur) and explained in
the corresponding note. In the present context, the particle alayka (“upon
thee”}, with its pronominal suffix, gives to the above clause the additional
meaning of a moral obligation on the part of the recipient of the Quranic
message to conform his or her way of life to its teachings; hence my compound
rendering of the phrase.] will assuredly bring thee back [from death] to a
life renewed. [The term maad denotes, literally, “a place [or “a state”] to
which one returns”, and, tropically, one’s “ultimate destination” or “ultimate
condition”; in the present context, it is obviously synonymous with “life in
the hereafter”. This is how most of the classical authorities interpret the
above phrase. But on the vague assumption that this passage is addressed
exclusively to the Prophet, some commentators incline to the view that the noun
has here a specific, purely physical connotation – “a place of return” -
allegedly referring to God’s promise to His Apostle (given during or after the
latter’s exodus from Mecca to Medina) that one day he would return victoriously
to the city of his birth. To my mind, however, the passage has a much deeper
meaning, unconnected with any place or specific point in history: it is addressed
to every believer, and promises not only a continuation of life after bodily
death but also a spiritual rebirth, in this world, to anyone who opens his
heart to the message of the Quran and comes to regard it as binding on
himself.] Say [unto those who reject the truth]: My Sustainer knows best,
as to who is right-guided [Lit., “as to who comes with guidance”.] and
who is obviously lost in error!” (86) Now [as for thyself, O believer,] thou
couldst never foresee [Lit., “hope” or “expect”.] that this divine writ
would [one day] be offered to thee: but [it did come to thee] by thy
Sustainer’s grace. Hence, never uphold those who deny the truth [of divine
guidance], (87) and never let them turn thee away from God’s messages after
they have been bestowed upon thee from on high: instead [Lit., “and”.] summon
[all men] to thy Sustainer. And never be of those who ascribe divinity to aught
but Him, (88) and never call upon any other deity side by side with God. There
is no deity save Him. Everything is bound to perish, save His [eternal] self.
[See 55: 26-27 and the corresponding note.] With Him rests all judgment; and
unto Him shall you all be brought back.
THE TWENTY-NINTH SURAH
AL-ANKABUT (THE SPIDER)
PERIOD UNCERTAIN
Most of the authorities
are of the opinion that this surah is one of the last to have been revealed in
The title has been derived from the parable of “the spider’s house” in verse 41, a symbol of false beliefs and false values, which in the long run are bound to be blown away by the winds of truth.
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE: (1) Alif. Lam. Mim. [See Appendix II.]
TEST OF FAITH
(2) DO MEN THINK that
on their [mere] saying, “We have attained to faith”, they will be left to
themselves, and will not be put to a test? (3) Yea, indeed, We did test those
who lived before them; and so, [too, shall be tested the people now living:
and] most certainly will God mark out those who prove themselves true, and most
certainly will He mark out those who are lying. [I.e., to others and/or to
themselves (see note on verse 11 below). (4) Or do they think - they who do
evil deeds [while claiming to have attained to faith] - that they can escape
Us? Bad, indeed, is their judgment! (5) Whoever looks forward [with hope and
awe] to meeting God [on Resurrection Day, let him be ready for it]: for,
behold, the end set by God [for everyone’s life] is bound to come - and He
alone is all-hearing, all-knowing!
GOOD DEEDS AND GOODNESS TOWARD PARENTS
(6) Hence, whoever
strives hard [in God’s cause] does so only for his own good: for, verily, God
does not stand in need of anything in all the worlds! (7) And as for those who
attain to faith and do righteous deeds, We shall most certainly efface their
[previous] bad deeds, and shall most certainly reward them in accordance with
the best that they ever did. (8) Now [among the best of righteous deeds which]
We have enjoined upon man [is] goodness towards his parents; [Cf. 31: 14
-15 and the corresponding note.] yet [eeven so,] should they endeavour to
make thee ascribe divinity, side by side with Me, to something which thy mind
cannot accept [as divine], obey then, not: [Lit., “something of which thou
hast no knowledge”: i.e., in this particular case, “something which conflicts
with thy knowledge that none and nothing can have any share in Gods qualities
or powers”. According to Razi, this phrase may also allude to concepts not
evolved through personal knowledge but, rather, acquired through a blind,
uncritical acceptance of other people’s views (taqlid).] [for] it is unto Me
that you all must return, whereupon I shall make you [truly] understand [the
right and wrong of] all that you were doing [in life]. (9) But as for those who
have attained to faith and have done righteous deeds, We shall most certainly
cause them to join the righteous [in the hereafter as well].
HYPOCRITES
(10) Now there is among men many a one who says [of himself and of others like him], “We do believe in God” - but whenever he is made to suffer in God’s cause, he thinks that persecution at the hands of man is as [much to be feared, or even more than,] God’s chastisement; [I.e., the suffering which is bound to befall in the hereafter all who abandon their faith for fear of being persecuted in this world. It is to be borne in mind that a mere outward renunciation of faith under torture or threat of death is not considered a sin in Islam, although martyrdom for the sake of one’s faith is the highest degree of merit to which man can attain.] whereas, if succour from thy Sustainer comes [to those who truly believe] [I.e., when it is no longer risky to be counted as one of them.] he is sure to say. “Behold, we have always been with you!” Is not God fully aware of what is in the hearts of all creatures? (11) [Yea-] and most certainly will God mark out those who have [truly] attained to faith, and most certainly will He mark out the hypocrites. [This is probably the earliest occurrence of the term munafiq in the chronology of Quranic revelation. Idiomatically, the term is derived from the noun nafaq, which denotes an underground passage” having an outlet different from the entry, and signifying, specifically, the complicated burrow of a field-mouse, a lizard, etc., from which the animal can easily escape or in which it can outwit a pursuer. Tropically, the term munafiq describes a person who is “two-faced”, inasmuch as he always tries to find an easy way out of any real commitment, be it spiritual or social, by adapting his course of action to what promises to be of practical advantage to him in the situation in which he happens to find himself. Since a person thus characterized usually pretends to be morally better than he really is, the epithet munafiq may roughly be rendered as “hypocrite”. It should, however, be noted that whereas this Western term invariably implies conscious dissembling with the intent to deceive others, the Arabic term munafiq may also be applied - and occasionally is applied in the Quran - to a person who, being weak or uncertain in his beliefs or moral convictions, merely deceives himself. Hence, while using in my rendering of the Quranic text the conventional expression “hypocrite”, I have endeavoured to point out the above differentiation, whenever possible and necessary, in my explanatory notes.]
CONSEQUENCES OF LEADING OTHERS TO SIN
(12) And [He is aware, too, that] they who are bent on denying the truth speak [thus, as it were,] to those who have attained to faith: “Follow our way [of life], and we shall indeed take your sins upon ourselves!” [The above “saying” of the deniers of the truth is, of course, but a metonym for their attitude towards the believers: hence my interpolation, between brackets, of the words “as it were”. The implication is that people who deny the validity of any spiritual commitment arising out of one’s faith in “something that is beyond the reach of human perception” (al-ghayb) – in this case, the existence of God – are, as a rule, unwilling to tolerate such a faith and such a commitment in others as well: and so they endeavour to bring the believers to their way of thinking by a sarcastic, contemptuous reference to the alleged irrelevance of the concept of “sin” as such.] But never could they take upon themselves [Lit., “bear” – implying a reduction of the burden which the others would have to bear (Razi). See also next note.] aught of the sins of those [whom they would thus mislead]: behold, they are liars indeed! (13) Yet most certainly will they have to bear their own burdens, and other burdens besides their own; [Cf. the Prophet’s saying: “Whoever calls [others] unto the right way shall have a
reward equal to the
[combined] rewards of all who may follow him until Resurrection Day, without
anything being lessened of their rewards; and whoever calls unto the way of
error will have to bear a sin equal to the [combined] sins of all who may
follow him until Resurrection Day, without anything being lessened of their
sins” (Bukhari).] and most certainly will they be called to account on
Resurrection Day for all their false assertions!
TEST OF FAITH FOR NOAH’S PEOPLE
(14) And, indeed, [in
times long past] We sent forth Noah unto his people, [This passage connects
with verse 2 above. “We did test those who lived before them”. The story of
Noah and of his failure to convert his people occurs in the Quran several
times, and most extensively in
TEST OF FAITH FOR ABRAHAM’S PEOPLE
(16) And Abraham, [too,
was inspired by Us] when he said unto his people: “Worship God, and be
conscious of Him: this is the best for you, if you but knew it! (17) You
worship only [lifeless] idols instead of God, and [thus] you give visible shape
to a lie! [Lit., you create a lie”.] Behold, those [things and beings]
that you worship instead of God have it not in their power to provide
sustenance for you: seek, then, all [your] sustenance from God, and worship Him
[alone] and be grateful to Him: [for] unto Him you shall be brought back! (18)
“And if you give [me] the lie - well, [other] communities have given the lie
[to Gods prophets] before your time: but no more is an apostle bound to do than
clearly deliver the message [entrusted to him].” (19) Are then they [who deny
the truth] not aware of how God creates [life] in the first instance, and then
brings it forth anew? This, verily, is easy for God! [This passage
-consisting of verses 19 - 23 - is parenthhetically placed in the midst of the
story of Abraham, connecting with the latter’s reference to resurrection at the
end of verse 17 (“unto Him you shall he brought back”). The ever-recurring
emergence, decay and re-emergence of life, so vividly exemplified in all organic
nature, is often cited in the Quran not merely in support of the doctrine of
resurrection, but also as evidence of a consciously-devised plan underlying
creation as such - and, thus, of the existence of the Creator.] (20) Say:
“Go all over the earth and behold how [wondrously] He has created [man] in the
first instance: and thus, too, will God bring into being your second life for,
verily, God has the power to will anything! [Cf., for example,
TEST OF FAITH FOR
(26) Thereupon [his
brother’s son]
TEST OF FAITH FOR PEOPLE OF MADYAN AND AD
(36) AND UNTO [the
people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shuayb [See note on 7: 85. The
story of Shuayb and his people appears in greater detail in 11:84 - 95.] who
thereupon said: “O my people! Worship God [alone], and look forward to the
Last Day, and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption!” (37) But
they gave him the lie. Thereupon an earthquake overtook them: and then they lay
lifeless, in their very homes, on the ground. [See note on 7: 78 (a
passage, which relates to the tribe of Thamud), and note on 7: 91.] (38) AND
[the tribes of] Ad and Thamud [See notes on 7:65, and 7:73.] [too, did
We destroy -] as should have become obvious to you from [whatever there remains
of] their dwellings. [As regards the tribe of Ad, the above seems to be an
allusion to their one-time capital, the legendary “Iram the many-pillared”
(mentioned in the Quran only once, namely, in 89: 7). It has since been buried
by the moving sand dunes of Al-Ahqaf (a region between Uman and Hadramawt,
within the great South-Arabian
TEST OF FAITH FOR QARUN AND PHARAOH, AND HAMAN
(39) And [thus, too,
did We deal with] Qarun and Pharaoh, and Haman: [As regards Qarun, see 28:
76 ff. and, in the corresponding note; for Haman, note on 28: 6. The common
denominator between these two and Pharaoh is their false pride (takabbur) and
arrogance (istikbar), which cause them to become “archetypes of evil” (cf. 28:
41 and the corresponding note). A similar attitude of mind is said to have been
characteristic of the tribes of Ad and Thamud, mentioned in the preceding
verse.] to them had come Moses with all evidence of the truth, but they
behaved arrogantly on earth [and rejected him]; and withal, they could not
escape [Us].
PARABLE OF SPIDER’S WEB
(40) For, every one of
them, did We take to task for his sin: and so, upon some of them We let loose a
deadly storm wind; and some of them were overtaken by a [sudden] blast;
[Sc., “of Gods punishment”: cf. note on 11: 67.] and some of them We caused
to be swallowed by the earth: and some of them We caused to drown. And it was
not God who wronged them, but it was they who had wronged themselves. (41) The
parable of those who take [beings or forces] other than God for their
protectors is that of the spider which makes for itself a house: for, behold, the
frailest of all houses is the spiders house. Could they but understand this!
(42) Verily, God knows whatever
it is that men invoke instead of Him [Lit., “whatever thing they invoke
instead of Him”: i.e., He knows the nothingness of those false objects of
worship (Zamakhshari), irrespective of whether they be imaginary deities, or
deified saints, or forces of nature, or even false concepts or ideas; but He
also knows the weakness of the human heart and mind and, hence, the hidden
motivation of all such irrational worship.] - for He alone is almighty,
truly wise. (43) And so We propound these parables unto man: but none can grasp
their innermost meaning save those who [of Us] are aware [Inasmuch as
awareness of the existence of God is here postulated as a prerequisite of a
full understanding of the Quranic parables (and, by implication, allegories as
well), the above verse should be read side by side with the statement that the
Quran is meant to be “a guidance for all the God-conscious, who believe in the
existence of a reality which is beyond the reach of human perception” (see 2: 2
-3 and the corresponding note).] (44) [[and hence are certain that] God has
created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth: [I.e.,
endowed with meaning and purpose: see second note on 10:5. In other words,
belief in the existence of a meaning and a purpose underlying the creation of
the universe is a logical corollary of ones belief in God.] for, behold, in
this [very creation] there is a message indeed for all who believe [in Him].
BENEFITS OF PRAYER
(45) CONVEY [unto
others] whatever of this divine writ has been revealed unto thee, [If we
assume that verses 45 - 46 are addressed not merely to the Prophet but to
believers in general (an assumption which is strengthened by the plural form of
address in the last clause of verse 45 and throughout verse 46), the above
phrase may be taken to mean “whatever of the divine writ has revealed itself to
thy understanding”.] and be constant in prayer: for, behold, prayer
restrains [man] from loathsome deeds and from all that runs counter to reason; [For
an explanation of this rendering of the term and concept of al-munkar, see
second note on 16: 90.] and remembrance of God is indeed the greatest
[good]. And God knows all that you do.
ARGUMENTS WITH JEWS AND CHRISTIANS
(46) And do not argue
with the followers of earlier revelation otherwise than in a most kindly manner
- unless it be such of them as are bent onn evildoing [Sc., “and are
therefore not accessible to friendly argument”: the implication being that in
such cases all disputes should a priori be avoided. As regards religious
discussions in general, see note on 16: 125.] - and say: “We believe in that
which has been bestowed from on high upon us, as well as that which has been
bestowed upon you: or our God and your God is one and the same, and it is unto
Him that We [all] surrender ourselves.” (47) For it is thus [I.e., “in this
spirit”: a reference to the sameness of the fundamental truths in all revealed
religions.] that We have bestowed this divine writ from on high upon thee [O
Muhammad]. And they to whom we have vouchsafed this divine writ believe in it [I.e.,
“they to whom We grant the ability to understand this divine writ”.] - just
as among those [followers of earlier revelation] there are some who believe in
it. And none could knowingly reject Our messages unless it be such as would
deny [an obvious] truth: [This rendering of the verb jahada - in the
present instance and in verse 49 below (as well as in 31: 32, 40: 63 or
41: 28) - in the sense of a person’s denying or rejecting something which he
knows to be true is based on the authority of Zamakhshari’s Asas.] (48) for,
[O Muhammad,] thou hast never been able to recite any divine writ ere this one
[was revealed], nor didst thou ever transcribe one with your own hand [Lit.,
“with thy right hand” - the term yamin being used here metonymically, denoting
no more than one’s “own hand”. It is historically established that Muhammad,
the “unlettered prophet” (cf. 7: 157 and 158), could neither read nor write,
and could not, therefore, have derived his extensive knowledge of the contents
of earlier revelations from the Bible or other scriptures: which - as the Quran
points out - ought to convince any unprejudiced person that this knowledge must
have come to him through divine revelation.] - or else, they who try to
disprove the truth [of thy revelation] might indeed have had cause to doubt
[it]. [The participial noun mubtil is derived from the verb abtala, “he
made a false [or “vain”] claim”, or “tried to disprove the truth [of
something]”, or “to reduce [something] to nothing”, or “to prove [it] to be of
no account” or “null and void”, or “unfounded”, “false”, “spurious”, etc.,
irrespective of whether the object is true or false, authentic or spurious,
valid or unfounded (Lisan al-Arab and Taj al-Arus).] (49) Nay, but this
[divine writ] consists of messages clear to the hearts of all who are gifted
with [innate] knowledge [Lit., “self-evident (bayvinat) in the breasts of
those who have been given knowledge” - the term ilm having here the connotation
of intuitive, spiritual perception.] - and none could knowingly reject Our
messages unless it be such as would do wrong [to themselves]. (50) And yet they
say, “Why have no miraculous signs ever been bestowed upon him from on high by
his Sustainer?” Say: “Miracles are in the power of God alone; [See note on
6: 109.] and as for me - I am but a plain warner.” (51) Why - is it not
enough for them that We have bestowed this divine writ on thee from on high, to
be conveyed [by thee] to them? [I.e., “are the contents of this revelation
not enough for them to make them grasp its intrinsic truth without the help of
‘miraculous proofs’ of its divine origin?” (Cf. note on the last sentence of 7:
75.)] For, verily, in it is [manifested Our] grace, and a reminder to people
who will believe. (52) Say [unto those who will not believe]: “God is witness
enough between me and you! He knows all that is in the heavens and on earth;
and they who are bent on believing in what is false and vain, and thus on
denying God - it is they, they who shall be the losers!” (53) Now they
challenge thee to hasten the coming upon them of [God’s] chastisement: [See
note on 8: 32.] and indeed, had not a term been set [for it by God], that
suffering would already have come upon them! But indeed, it will most certainly
come upon them of a sudden, and they will be taken unawares. (54) They
challenge thee to hasten the coming upon them of [God’s] chastisement: but, verily,
hell is bound to encompass all who deny the truth - (55) [encompass them] on
the Day when suffering will overwhelm them from above them and from beneath
their feet, [I.e., from all directions and from many causes.] whereupon
He shall say: “Taste [now the fruit of] your own doings!”
REWARDS FOR GOOD WORKS
(56) O YOU servants of
Mine who have attained to faith! Behold, wide is Mine earth: worship Me, then,
Me alone! [Implying that since the earth offers innumerable, multiform
facilities to human life, there is no excuse for forgetting God “owing to the
pressure of adverse circumstances”. Whenever or wherever the worship of God -
in its essential, and not merely liturgical sense - becomes impossible, the
believer is obliged to “forsake the domain of evil” (which, as explained in
note on 4: 97, is the innermost meaning of the concept of hijrah) and to
“migrate unto God”, that is, to a place where it is possible to live in
accordance with one’s faith.] (57) Every human being is bound to taste
death, [and] in the end unto Us shall all be brought back: (58) whereupon unto
those who have attained to faith and wrought good works We shall most certainly
assign mansions in that paradise through which running waters flow, therein to
abide: how excellent a reward for those who labour - (59) those who are patient
in adversity and in their Sustainer place their trust!
ALL PRAISE FOR GOD ALONE
(60) And how many a
living creature is there that takes no thought of its own sustenance;
[Lit., “that does not bear [or “assume responsibility for”] its sustenance” -
i.e., is either too weak to fend for itself or (according to Al-Hasan, as
quoted by Zamakhshari) does not store up provisions for the morrow. This
passage connects with the reference at the end of the preceding verse to “those
who in their Sustainer place their trust”.] [the while] God provides for it
as [He provides] for you - since He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing. (61) And
thus it is [with most people]: [Regarding my rendering of lain as “thus it
is: if…,” etc., see note on 30: 51. The people spoken of in the sequence are
such as do acknowledge the existence of God but have only a vague idea as to
what this acknowledgment implies on should imply.] if thou ask them, “Who is
it that has created the heavens and the earth, and made the sun and the moon
subservient [to His laws]?” - they will surely answer, “God.” How perverted,
then, are their minds! [See second note on 5: 75. The perversion consists
in their thinking that they really “believe in God” and nevertheless worshipping false values and allegedly
“divine” powers side by side with Him: all of which amounts to a virtual denial
of His almightiness and uniqueness.] (62) God grants abundant sustenance, or
gives it in scant measure, to whichever He wills of His creatures: for,
behold, God has full knowledge of everything. [Sc., “and, hence knows what
is really good and, from the viewpoint of His unfathomable plan, necessary for
each living being”.] (63) And thus it is: if thou ask them, “Who is it that
sends down water from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had
been lifeless?” - they will surely answer, “God.” Say thou: “[Since this is
so,] all praise is due to God [alone]!” But most of them will not use their
reason: (64) for, [if they did, they would know that] the life of this world is
nothing but a passing delight and a play - whereas, behold, the life in the
hereafter is indeed the only [true] life: if they but knew this!
ASCRIBING DIVINITY TO AUGHT
(65) And so, when they
embark on a ship [and find themselves in danger], they call unto God, [at that
moment] sincere in their faith in Him alone; but as soon as He has brought them
safe ashore, they [begin to] ascribe to imaginary powers a share in His
divinity: (66) and thus [The particle li prefixed to the subsequent verbs
yakfuru (“they show [utter] ingratitude”) and yatamattau (“they enjoy” or “go
on enjoying”) their worldly life”) is not an indication of intent (“so that” or “in order that”) but merely
of a causal sequence; in the above
context, it may be appropriately
rendered as “and thus”.] they show utter ingratitude for all that We have
vouchsafed them, and go on [thoughtlessly] enjoying their worldly life.
SANCTUARY FOR BELIEVERS
(67) Are they, then,
not aware that We have set up a sanctuary secure [for those who believe in Us],
the while all around them men are being carried away [by fear and despair]?
[See note on the second paragraph of 28: 57. In contrast to the “sanctuary
secure” the inner peace and sense of spiritual fulfillment which God bestows on
those who truly believe in Him - the atheist or agnostic is more often than not
exposed to fear of the Unknown and a despair born of the uncertainty as to what
will happen to him after death.] Will they, then, [continue to] believe in
things false and vain, and thus deny God’s blessings.
ATTRIBUTING LIES TO GOD
(68) And who could be
more wicked than he who attributes his own lying inventions to God, [I.e.,
by persuading himself that there is, side by side with God or even independently
of Him, any “power” that could govern men’s destinies.] or gives the lie to
the truth when it comes unto him [through revelation]? Is not hell the [proper]
abode for all who [thus] deny the truth?
PATHS TO GOD
(69) But as for those
who strive hard in Our cause -We shall most certainly guide them onto paths
that lead unto Us: [Lit., “Our paths”. The plural used
here is obviously meant to stress the fact - alluded to often in the Quran -
that there are many paths, which lead to a cognizance (marifah) of God.] for,
behold, God is indeed with the doers of good.
THE THIRTIETH SURAH
AR-RUM (THE BYZANTINES)
This surah, revealed about six or seven years before the hijrah, takes its designation from the prophetic reference to the Byzantines in the opening verses. (For the historical background of this prophecy, see notes below.) From this unequivocal prediction of events, which at the time of its revelation were still shrouded in the mists of the future, the surah proceeds rapidly to its central theme: the wonder of Gods creation of all that exists. His constant “bringing forth the living out of that which is dead” and thus His ability, and promise, to resurrect the dead at the end of time. But this, the Quran says, most people are “determined not to know” (verse 56), because “they know but the outer surface of this worlds life whereas of the ultimate things they are utterly unaware” (verse 7); and because of their oblivion of those ultimate things, “corruption has appeared on land and in the sea as an outcome of what men’s hands have wrought” (verse 41): a most incisive prediction of what is happening in the world of our days.
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE: (1) Alif. Lam. Mim. [See Appendix II.]
PROPHESY ABOUT VICTORY OF
BYZANTINES’S AND MUSLIM
(2) Defeated have been
the Byzantines (3) in the lands close-by; yet it is they who, notwithstanding
this their defeat, shall be victorious (4) within a few years: [for] with God
rests all power of decision, first and last. [Lit., “before and after”. The defeats and victories spoken of
above relate to the last phases of the centuries-long struggle between the
Byzantine and Persian Empires. During the early years of the seventh century
the Persians conquered parts of
2 H. (corresponding to
January, 624, of the Christian era), when the Muslims decisively defeated a
very much superior force of pagan Quraysh (see introductory note to surah 8).
The expression “on that day” has in this context the meaning of “at the same
time”, for although the battle of Badr began and ended on one day, the
victories of Heraclius over the Persians took some years to materialize.] [for]
He gives succour to whomever He wills, since He alone is almighty, a dispenser
of grace. (6) [This is] God’s promise. Never does God fail to fulfill His
promise - but most people know [it] not:
INNER REALITY OF THIS WORLD AND ULTIMATE REALITY OF HEREAFTER
(7) they know but the outer surface of this world’s life, whereas of the ultimate things they are utterly unaware. [The term al-akhirah circumscribes, in this context, both the inner reality of this world’s life and the ultimate reality of the hereafter.] (8) Have they never learned to think for themselves? [Lit., “Have they never thought within themselves?”] God has not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them without [an inner] truth and a term set [by Him]: [I.e., in contrast to God, who is eternal and unlimited, everything created is limited and subject to change and termination. As regards my rendering of illa bil-haqq (lit., “otherwise than with [or “in”] truth) as without [an inner] truth”, see note on the second sentence of 10:5.] and yet, behold, there are many people who stubbornly deny the truth that they are destined to meet their Sustainer! (9) Have they, then, never journeyed about the earth and beheld what happened in the end to those [deniers of the truth] who lived before their time? Greater were they in power than they are; and they left a stronger impact on the earth, and built it up even better [Lit., “more”. The phrase can also be rendered as “peopled it [or “dwelt in it”] in great numbers”.] than these [are doing]; and to them [too] came their apostles with all evidence of the truth: and so, [when th