["After him, We did not send down any hosts from the heaven; We stood in no need to send down any host.","There was but a single Blast and suddenly they became silent and still.[1]###[1] These words contain a subtle satire. In their arrogance and pride of power and their strong antagonism towards the true faith, they thought they would annihilate the three Prophets and their followers, but, contrary to their plot, they were themselves annihilated by only one stroke of the divine punishment.","Alas for My servants! Never does a Messenger come to them but they mock him.","Have they not seen how many nations before them did We destroy? Thereafter they never came back to them.[1]###[1] That is, they were annihilated so completely that not a trace of them was left behind them. No one in the world even remembers them today. Their civilization as well as their race has become extinct.","All of them shall (one day) be gathered before Us.","Let the[1] dead earth be a Sign for them.[2] We gave it life and produced from it grain whereof they eat.###[1] Until now the disbelieves of Makkah were being warned and reproved for their denial of the truth and their attitude of antagonism which they had adopted towards the Prophet (peace be upon him). Now the discourse turns to the basic thing which was the actual cause of the conflict between them and the Prophet (peace be upon him), i.e. the doctrine of Tauhid and the Hereafter, which the Prophet (peace be upon him) was presenting and the disbelievers were refusing to accept. In this connection, some arguments have been given, one after the other, to make the people ponder over the realities, as if to say: Observe these phenomena of the universe, which are ever present before you. Do they not point to the same reality, which this Prophet is presenting before you? \t [2] “A sign”: A sign that Tauhid is the truth and shirk the falsehood.","We made in it gardens of date-palms and vines, and We caused springs to gush forth","that they might eat of its fruits. It was not their hands that made them.[1] Will they not, then, give thanks?[2]###[1] Another translation of this sentence can be: So that they may eat fruits thereof and what their own hands make. That is, the artificial kinds of food, which the people prepare from the natural products, e.g. bread, curry, jam, pickles, sauces and countless other things. \t [2] In these brief sentences the vegetable and plant life of the earth has been presented as an argument. Man is eating the products of the earth day and night and regards this as very ordinary. But if he considers it seriously, he will see that the growth of rich crops and lush green gardens from the dry earth and the flow of the springs and rivers is not a simple thing, which might be happening of itself, but there is a great wisdom and power and providence which is working behind it. Consider the reality of the earth. The substances of which it is composed do not possess any power of their own for growth. All these substances individually as well as after every sort of combination, remain inorganic, and thus do not possess any sign of life. The question is: How did it become possible for plant life to emerge from the lifeless earth? If one looks into it, one will see that there are some important factors without whose provision beforehand life here could not have come into existence.","Holy is He[1] Who created all things in pairs, whether it be of what the earth produces, and of themselves, and of what they do not know.[2]###[1] Glory be to Him: He is free from every defect and fault, from every error and weakness, and that another one should be His associate and partner in His work. The Quran has generally used these words when refuting polytheistic beliefs, because every belief of shirk is, in fact, an imputation of some defect, some weakness and some fault to Allah. When a person says that Allah has an associate, he in fact, thinks that either Allah is incapable of running and ruling His Kingdom alone, or He is under compulsion to make another His associate in His work. Or, some other beings are so powerful in themselves that they are interfering in God’s administration and God is putting up with their interference. Or, God forbid, Allah has the weaknesses of the worldly kings, due to which He is surrounded by an army of ministers, courtiers, flatterers and beloved princes or princesses, and thus many powers of Godhead have become divided among them. Had there been no such notions of ignorance about Allah in the minds, there could be no question of any idea of shirk in the world. That is why it has been stated again and again in the Quran That Allah is free from and exalted far above those defects and faults and weaknesses which the mushriks ascribe to Him. \t [2] This is still another argument for Tauhid. Here again certain realities of daily experience have been mentioned and it is suggested that man observes these day and night but does not ponder over them seriously, whereas they contain signs and pointers to the reality. The coming together of the man and woman is the cause of man’s own birth. Procreation among the animals also is due to the combination between the male and the female. Also about vegetation, man knows that the law of sex is working in it. Even among the lifeless substances when different things combine with one another, a variety of compounds come into existence. The basic composition of matter itself has become possible due to the close affinity between the positive and the negative electric charges. This law of the pairs which is the basis of the existence of the entire universe, contains in itself such complexities and finenesses of wisdom and workmanship, and there exist such harmonies and mutual relationships between the members of each pair that an objective observer can neither regard it as the result of an accident, nor can he believe that many different gods might have created these countless pairs and matched their members, one with the other, with such great wisdom. The members of each pair being a perfect match for each other and coming into being of new things with their combination itself is an explicit argument of the Creator’s being One and only One.","And the night is another Sign for them. We strip the day from it and they become plunged in darkness.[1]###[1] The alternation of the night and day also is one of those realities which man does not regard as worthy of much attention only because it is a phenomenon of daily occurrence and experience; whereas if he considers how the day passes and how the night falls, and what is the wisdom in the passing of the day and in the falling of the night, he will himself realize that this is an obvious sign of the existence of an All-Powerful and All-Wise Allah and of His being One and only One. The day cannot pass and the night cannot fall until the sun hides from the earth. The great regularity which is found in the alternation of the day and night was not possible unless the sun and the earth were bound in one and the same relentless system. Then the deep relationship which exists between the alternation of the day and night and the other creations on the earth clearly points to the fact that this system has been established deliberately by a Being with perfect wisdom. The existence on the earth, of the men and animals and vegetation, and even of water and air and different minerals, is in fact, the result of placing the earth at a particular distance from the sun, with the arrangement that the different parts of the earth should go on successively coming before the sun and hiding from it at definite intervals. If the distance of the earth from the sun had been a little longer, or a little shorter, or there had been a perpetual night on one side of it and a perpetual day on the other, or the alternation of the day and night had been much faster or much slower, or sometimes the day had appeared suddenly and sometimes the night without any system, no life could be possible on this planet, and even the form and appearance of the inorganic substances would have been much different from what it is now. If the hearts are not blinded, one can clearly perceive in this system the working of a God, Who willed to bring into being this particular kind of creation on the earth and then established relevance, harmonies and relationships between the earth and the sun precisely in accordance with its needs and requirements. If a person regards the concept of the existence of God and His Unity as far removed from reason, he should think for himself and see how much farther removed should it be from reason to ascribe this wonderful creation to many gods, or to think that all this has happened automatically under some deaf and blind law of nature. When a person who can accept without question these latter unreasonable explanations, only on the basis of conjecture and speculation, says that the existence of a system and wisdom and purpose is not a sufficient proof of the existence of God, it becomes difficult for us to believe whether such a person really feels the need and necessity of a rational proof, sufficient or insufficient in any degree whatever, for accepting any concept of creed in the world.","The sun is running its course to its appointed place.[1] That is the ordaining of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.###[1] “Place of rest” may either mean the place where the sun will ultimately come to a halt, or the time when it will come to a halt. The true meaning of this verse can be determined only when man has attained the full and exact knowledge of the realities of the universe. But man’s knowledge is such that it has been changing in every age and what he seems to know today might change tomorrow. The people of the ancient times on the basis of their observations of the sun believed that it was moving round the earth. Then after further research and observation the view became that the sun was stationary and all the planets of the solar system were revolving round it. But this theory also did not last long. The later observations revealed that not only the sun but all the stars are also moving in a particular direction, at speeds of 10 to 100 miles per second. About the sun the modern astronomers hold the view that it is moving at a speed of 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) per second along with its whole family of the planets. (See Star and Sun in Encyclopedia Britannica).","We have appointed stages for the moon till it returns in the shape of a dry old branch of palm-tree.[1]###[1] That is, the phases of the moon go on changing throughout the month. It begins as a crescent, then goes on waxing every day till it becomes the full moon on the 14th of the month. Then it starts waning every day till at last it returns to its original shape of the crescent. The same has been happening for millions of years with perfect regularity, and no change has ever occurred in the phases of the moon. That is why one can always calculate and find out exactly in what phase the moon will be on a particular day. If the movement of the moon had not been bound in a system, estimation of its phases would not have been possible.","Neither does it lie in the sun's power to overtake the moon[1] nor can the night outstrip the day.[2] All glide along, each in its own orbit.[3]###[1] This sentence can have two meanings and both are correct. \t [2] (1) The sun does not have the power that it should draw the moon into itself, or enter its orbit and collide with it. \t [3] (2) The sun cannot appear in the times which have been appointed for the rising and appearing of the moon. It is not possible that the sun should suddenly appear on the horizon when the moon is shining at night.","Another Sign for them is that We carried all their offspring in the laden vessel[1]###[1] “A laden vessel”: the Ark of the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). As to boarding of the progeny of man in it, it means that although apparently a few companions of the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) had boarded it, in reality all human beings who are to be born till Resurrection were boarding it; all the rest of mankind had been drowned in the flood, all later human beings are the children of those who were rescued in the Ark.","and then created for them other vessels like those on which they ride.[1]###[1] This indicates that the first vessel ever to be made in the world was the one made by the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). Before that time man did not know any method of crossing the rivers and the seas. This method was first of all taught by Allah to the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him), and when some servants, of Allah were rescued in it from the flood, their future generations started making boats and ships for their sea journeys.","Should We so wish, We can drown them, and there will be none to heed their cries of distress, nor will they be rescued.","It is only Our Mercy (that rescues them) and enables enjoyment of life for a while.[1]###[1] The signs until now were mentioned as arguments for Tauhid. This sign has been mentioned to make man realize that whatever powers he has been given over the forces of nature, have been given him by Allah and are not of his own acquirement. And whatever methods he has discovered of exploiting these forces; have been discovered also through the guidance of Allah and not solely by himself. Man did not have the power and strength to have subdued these great forces by his own power, nor the capability to have discovered the secrets of nature himself and known the methods of taking service from them. Then he can use and employ the forces over which he has been given control by Allah only till the time that Allah wills them to remain subdued to him. For when Allah wills otherwise the same forces which were serving man turn against him suddenly and he finds himself utterly helpless before them. To call man’s attention to this reality, Allah has presented the case of the sea journey only as an example. The whole human race would have perished in the flood had Allah not taught the method of making the vessel to the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) and had his followers not boarded it. Then the scattering of the human race over the whole earth became possible only because the people learned the principles of building vessels from Allah and became able to cross the rivers and oceans. But from that humble beginning till today in spite of making great strides in the art of building huge ships and attaining every possible perfection in the science of navigation, man cannot claim that he has brought the rivers and the oceans fully under his control and power. Even today the water of God is still in God’s own power alone and whenever He wills He drowns man along with his ships in it.","When it is said to such people: “Guard yourselves against what is ahead of you and what has preceded you[1] that mercy be shown to you” (they pay scant heed to it).###[1] “What is behind you”: Which the peoples before you have seen and experienced.","Never does any Sign of their Lord come to them, but they turn away from it.[1]###[1] “Signs”: Verses of the divine Book by which man is admonished, and the signs which are found in the universe and in man’s own self and in his history which serve as abject lessons for man, provided he is inclined to learn any lesson.","And when it is said to them: “Spend (in the Way of Allah) out of the sustenance that Allah has provided you,” the unbelievers say to the believers: “Shall we feed him whom, Allah would have fed, had He so wished?” Say: “You are in evident error.”[1]###[1] This means to show that disbelief has not only blinded their intellect but has destroyed their moral sense, too. They neither have the right thought about Allah nor do they adopt the right attitude towards the people. They react adversely to every admonition, follow a perverse philosophy in respite of every deviation and immorality and have a ready-made pretense for escape from every good.","They[1] say: “When will this threat (of Resurrection) come to pass? Tell us if indeed you are truthful.”[2]###[1] After Tauhid the other question about which a dispute was raging between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the disbelievers was the question of the Hereafter. Rational arguments about this have been given in the end of the discourse. Here, before giving the arguments, the Hereafter has been depicted with all its horrors so that the people should know that what they are refusing to believe in cannot be averted by their denial, but they have to meet and experience it one day inevitably. \t [2] The question did not mean that they wanted to know the exact date of the coming of the Hereafter, and if, for instance, they were told that it would take place on such and such a date in such and such a month and year, their doubts would have been removed and they would have believed in it. Such questions, in fact, were put as a challenge only for the sake of argument. What they meant to say was that there would be no Resurrection whatever, as if to say: You are threatening us with Resurrection without rhyme or reason. That is why in reply it has not been said that Resurrection will take place on such and such a day, but that it shall come and shall be accompanied by such and such horrors.","The Truth is that they are waiting for nothing but a mighty Blast to seize them the while they are disputing (in their worldly affairs),","and they will not even be able to make a testament, nor to return to their households.[1]###[1] That is, the Resurrection will not take place piecemeal so that the people may leisurely watch its coming, but it will come all of a sudden when the people will be engaged in their daily business and they will have no idea whatever that the end of the world had approached. There will be a terrible blast and everyone will fall dead at the spot. Abdullah bin Amr and Abu Hurairah have related a Hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: The people will be walking on the roads as usual, will be buying and selling in the markets, will be disputing matters in their assemblies, when suddenly the Trumpet shall be sounded. Thereupon the one who was buying cloth would collapse and he would not have the time to put down the cloth from his hand; the one who was filling a cistern to water his animals would not have the time to water; and the one who was going to eat, would not have the time to lift the morsel to his mouth and Resurrection will take place.","Then the Trumpet shall be blown and lo! they will come out of their graves and be on the move towards their Lord,[1]###[1] For the explanation of the blowing of the Trumpet, see (E.N. 78 of Surah TaHa). As for the length of the interval between the first blowing of the Trumpet and its second blowing, we have no information. The interval may be of hundreds and thousands of years. Abu Hurairah has related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Israfil has put the Trumpet to his mouth and is looking up to the divine Throne, awaiting orders for blowing it. The Trumpet will be blown thrice.","(nervously) exclaiming. “Alas for us! Who roused us out of our sleeping-place?”[1] “This is what the Merciful One had promised, and what (His) Messengers had said was true.”[2]###[1] That is, at that time they will not realize that they had been dead and had been raised back to life after a long period, but they will be thinking that they had fallen asleep, and had been woken up suddenly by some terrible catastrophe, and were running away from it. (For further details, see Surahs (TaHa, Ayat 103);(Al-Hajj, Ayats 1-2). \t [2] Here, it is not clear as to who will give this answer. It may be that they themselves would realize after some time to their horror that it was the same thing of which the Messengers of God used to inform them and they used to belie them. It may also be that the believers will remove their misunderstanding and tell them that it was not waking up from sleep but the second life after death. And it may also be that they will understand this from the general conditions prevailing on the Day of Resurrection and the angels might tell them this.","Then there will simply be one single Blast, and all will have gathered before Us.","Today[1] no one shall suffer the least injustice, and you shall not be recompensed except according to your deeds.###[1] This is what Allah will tell the disbelievers and the polytheists, the sinners and the culprits, when they will be presented before Him.","Indeed, the people of Paradise will be busy enjoying themselves:[1]###[1] To understand this one should remember that the righteous believers will not be withheld in the Plain of Resurrection, but in the very beginning they will be sent to Paradise without accountability, or after a mild reckoning, because their record will be clean. There will be no need to keep them waiting during the hearing by the Court. Therefore, Allah will tell the culprits, who will be required to render their accounts, in the Plain of Resurrection: Look! the righteous people whom you used to mock and regard as foolish in the world, are today enjoying the pleasures of Paradise because of their wisdom, and you, who in your own judgment were very prudent and sagacious, are being condemned to accountability for your misdeeds.","they and their spouses shall be reclining on their couches in shady groves;","therein there will be all kinds of fruits to eat, and they shall have all that they desire.","“Peace” shall be the word conveyed to them from their Merciful Lord.","“Criminals, separate yourselves from others today![1]###[1] This can have two meanings:","Children of Adam, did I not command you not to serve Satan � he is to you an open enemy","and serve Me alone: this is the Straight Way?[1]###[1] Here again Allah has used ibadat (worship) in the sense of itaat (obedience). This subject has already been explained above in (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 172); (Surah An- Nisa, Ayat 117), (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayats 121, 137),(Surah At- Taubah, Ayat 31); (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 22); (Surah Al-Kahf, Ayat 52); (Surah Maryam, Ayat 42), (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayat 63) and (E.N. 63 of Surah Saba). In this connection, the fine explanation given of it by Imam Razi in his Tafsir Kabir is also noteworthy. He writes: Do not worship Satan means: Do not obey him, the reason being that only falling prostrate before him is not forbidden, but following him and obeying his commands also is forbidden; therefore, itaat (obedience) is ibadat (worship). After this, the Imam raises the question: If ibadat means itaat, then have the Muslims been commanded to worship the Prophet and the rulers in the verse: Atiullaha wa ati-ur-rasula wa ulil-amri min-kum? He himself answers it thus: If obedience to them is in accordance with the commands of Allah, it will be Allah’s worship (ibadat) and His obedience (itaat). Did not the angels fall prostrate before Adam in obedience to Allah’s command? This was nothing but worship of Allah. Obedience of the rulers will be their worship only in cases where they are obeyed in matters in which Allah has not given leave to obey them. Then he writes: If a person comes to you and commands you to do something, you should see whether his command is in accordance with the command of Allah or not. If it is not, Satan is with him; and if you obeyed him in this, you worshiped him and his Satan. Likewise, if your self urges you to do something, you should see whether it is permissible to do it according to the Sahariah or not. If it is not permissible, your self is Satan itself, or Satan is with it. If you obeyed him, you in fact became guilty of worshiping him. Further on, he writes: But there are different degrees of the worship of Satan. Sometimes it so happens that a man does a work and his limbs and his tongue also join him in this, and his heart also cooperates. At another time it so happens that a man uses his limbs to do a work but his heart and tongue do not cooperate in this. Some people commit a sin while their heart is disagreeable and their tongue is invoking Allah for forgiveness, and they confess that they are committing an evil. This is Satan’s worship with external limbs. There are other people who commit a crime with a cool mind and express pleasure and satisfaction with the tongue also. Such people are the worshipers of Satan from outside as well as from inside. (Tafsir Kabir, vol. VII, pp. 103-104).","Still, he misguided a whole throng of you. Did you have no sense?[1]###[1] That is, If you had been deprived of reason and you had served your enemy instead of your Lord, you could have the reason to offer an excuse. But you, in fact, had been blessed with reason by Allah and you were using it to advantage in all the affairs of the world, and you had been warned by Allah through the Prophets as well, yet, when you were deceived by your enemy and he succeeded in leading you astray, you could not be excused from the responsibility of your folly.","Now this is the Hell of which you were warned.","Burn in it on account of your disbelieving.","Today We shall put a seal on their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us and their feet shall bear witness to what they had been doing.[1]###[1] This command will be given in respect of the stubborn culprits, who will refuse to confess their crimes, will belie the witnesses, and will also not acknowledge the genuineness of their conduct-book. Then will Allah Almighty command: Well, stop your babbling. Just see what your own limbs say about your misdeeds. In this connection, here only the evidence to be given by the hands and the feet has been mentioned. But at other places it has been said that their eyes and their ears and their tongues, and the very skins of their body, will tell how they had been employed in the world. They should not forget the Day when their own tongues and their own hands and feet will bear testimony to their misdeeds. (Surah An-Noor, Ayat 24) Then, when all will have reached there, their ears and their eyes and their very skins will bear witness against them concerning what they had been doing in the world. (Surah HaMim-Sajdah, Ayat 20). The question arises: On the one hand, Allah says: We shall seal their mouths, and on the other hand, in the verse of Surah An-Noor, He says: Their tongues will bear testimony against them. How can these two things be reconciled? The answer is: To seal the mouths means to deprive them of their power of speech. That is, after this they will not be able to say whatever they like with their tongue. The testimony of their tongues means that their tongues themselves will tell how the wicked people had used them, what blasphemies and lies they had been made to utter, what mischief they had invented and what falsehoods they had been made to say on different occasions.","If We so willed, We would have put out their eyes, then they would rush to see the Way, but how would they be able to see?","If We so willed, We would have transformed them where they were so that they would not go forward or backward.[1]###[1] After depicting the scene of Resurrection, the people are being warned to this effect: The Resurrection may seem yet far off to you, but even if you consider seriously your life in this world of which you are so proud, you will see how helpless you are in the powerful grip of Allah. Your eyes by virtue of whose sight you are carrying out all your obligations in the world can be blinded at one command of Allah. Your legs on whose strength you are showing all this activity can become paralyzed as and when Allah wills. As long as the powers and capabilities granted by Allah continue to function, you remain lost in the arrogance of your self, but as soon as one of them fails to function, you come to understand how helpless you are.","Whomsoever We grant a long life, We reverse him in his constitution.[1] Do they still not understand?###[1] “Reverse him in creation,” means that in old age Allah turns him back to the state of childhood. He becomes unable to stand and walk without the help and support of others; he is fed by others; he urinates and defecates in bed; talks childishly and is laughed at by others. In short, towards the end of life he returns to the same state of weakness with which he had started life in this world.","We did not teach him (to wit, the Messenger) poetry and it does not behove him.[1] This is none but an Admonition, and a Clear Book###[1] This is a rejoinder to the disbelievers, who slighted the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his message by branding him a poet when he preached Tauhid and talked of the Hereafter, life-after-death, and Hell and Heaven. (For further explanation, see(Surah Ash-Shuara, Ayats 224-227) and the E.Ns thereof).","that he may warn him who is alive[1] and establish an argument against those that deny the Truth.###[1] Every living person means: Every person who is capable of thinking and understanding, who is not like a stone, which neither hears nor understands nor moves from its place however rationally and sympathetically one may explain the distinction between the truth and falsehood and give admonition before him.","Do they not see Our handiwork:[1] We created for them cattle which they own?###[1] The word “hands” has been used metaphorically for Allah. This does not mean that, God forbid, Allah has a body and He works with the hands like human beings, but it means to impress that Allah has made these things Himself, and none else has any share in the matter of their creation.","We have subjected the cattle to them so that some of them they ride and eat the flesh of others.","They derive a variety of benefits and drinks from them. Will they, then, not give thanks?[1]###[1] It is ingratitude to regard a blessing as a gift of someone other than the donor, to be grateful to another for it, and to cherish the hope of receiving it or to seek it from another than the donor. Likewise, it is also ingratitude that one should use a blessing against the will of the donor. Therefore, a mushrik or a disbeliever or a hypocrite or a sinful person cannot be regarded as a grateful servant of God when he utters words of thankfulness only with the tongue. The disbelievers of Makkah did not deny that the cattle had been created by Allah; none of them said that the other deities had any hand in their creation. But despite knowing all this when they paid homage to their deities for the blessings granted by Allah, presented offerings before them and prayed to them for more blessings and offered sacrifices for their sake, their verbal gratitude became meaningless. That is why Allah has regarded them as guilty of ingratitude and thanklessness.","They set up deities apart from Allah, hoping that they will receive help from them.","Those deities can render them no help. Yet these devotees act as though they were an army in waiting for them.[1]###[1] That is, the poor false gods themselves are dependent upon their worshipers for their survival and their safety and their needs. But for their multitudes they could not survive as gods even for a day. These people are behaving as their humble servants. They are setting up and decorating their shrines; they carry out propaganda for them; they fight and quarrel with others for their sake. Then only are they recognized as gods. They are not the real God, Who, whether someone recognizes Him or not, is ruling over the whole universe by His own might and authority.","Let not their words grieve you. Surely We know all things about them, what they conceal and what they reveal.[1]###[1] The address is to the Prophet (peace be upon him). Here the allusion is to the campaign of vilification which the chiefs of the disbelievers of Makkah were carrying on against him. They knew in their hearts and acknowledged in their private assemblies that the charges they brought against him were absolutely baseless. In order to create suspicions against him in the minds of the people, they branded him a poet, sorcerer, magician, madman, etc. But their consciences recognized, and they also acknowledged before one another, that whatever they were uttering was false, which they were forging only to frustrate his mission. That is why Allah says to His Prophet: Do not grieve at their absurd and meaningless talk. Those who are opposing and resisting the truth with falsehood shall ultimately meet with failure in this world and see their evil end in the Hereafter, too.","Does[1] man not see that We created him of a sperm drop, and lo! he is flagrantly contentious?[2]###[1] Here the disbelievers’ question cited in (verse 48) above, is being answered by reason and argument. The question: When will the threat of Resurrection be carried out? had not been asked with a view to find out the exact date of the coming of the Hereafter. But they asked it because they thought it was impossible, rather irrational, that human beings would be raised back to life after death. That is why, in reply to their question, arguments are being given for the possibility of the Hereafter. According to the traditions related by Ibn Abbas, Qatadah and Said bin Jubair, one of the chiefs of Makkah, on this occasion, came up with a rotten bone of a dead person, from the graveyard. He broke and crushed it into pieces before the Prophet (peace be upon him) and scattering its particles in the air, said: O Muhammad, you say that the dead will be raised back to life. Tell us who will give life to these decayed and rotten bones? The answer was given immediately in the form of these verses. \t [2] That is, We caused the sperm-drop which contained nothing but the basic germ of life to develop to an extent that it started moving and eating like the animals. Furthermore, it has developed such powers of intellect and reasoning and disputation and speech, which are not possessed by any animal; so much so that now he dares stand up as an adversary before his Creator!","He strikes for Us[1] a similitude and forgot his own creation.[2] He says: “Who will quicken the bones when they have decayed?”###[1] That is, he regards Us powerless and weak like the creation, and thinks that just as man cannot raise the dead back to life, so also can’t We. \t [2] “Forgets his own creation”: Forgets that We created the basic germ of life from dead matter, which became the means of his creation; then We caused the germ to develop to such an extent that now he stands before Us as a disputant.","Say: “He Who first brought them into being will quicken them; He knows well about every kind of creation;","He Who created from a green tree a fire for you, a fire to light your stoves with.”[1]###[1] It either means that He has placed the inflammable matter in the green trees due to which people kindle fire from the pieces of wood. Or, it is an allusion to the markh and afar trees, whose green branches the Arabs struck against each other to produce the sparks. In ancient times the Bedouins used this method of kindling the fire and might even be using the same today.","Has He Who created the heavens and the earth no power to create the likes of them? Yes, indeed, He is the Superb Creator.","Whenever He wills a thing, He just commands it “Be” and it is.","Holy is He Who has full control over everything, and to Him you shall all be recalled.","By those who range themselves in rows;","by those who reprove severely,","and those who recite the Exhortation;[1]###[1] The majority of the commentators agree that all these three groups imply the groups of the angels, and the same explanation of it has been reported from Abdullah bin Masud, Ibn Abbas, Qatadah, Masruq Said bin Jubair, Ikrimah, Mujahid, Suddi, Ibn Zaid and Rabi bin Anas. Some commentators have given other commentaries also, but this commentary is more in keeping with the context. The words “range in ranks” refer to the fact that all the angels who arc administering the affairs of the universe, are the humble servants of Allah, and are ever ready to carry out any service and implement any of His commands. This theme has been further repeated in (verse 165 )below, where the angels say with regard to themselves: “We are the ranged servants (of Allah).”","surely your God is One,[1]###[1] This is the truth to impress which an oath has been taken by the angels bearing the above-mentioned qualities. In other words, what is meant to be said is: The whole system of the universe which is functioning in the service of Allah, and all those manifestations of this universe which bring the evil consequences of deviation from the service of Allah before men, testify that the “Deity” of men is One and only One.”","the Lord of the heavens and the earth and of whatever lies between the two, the Lord[1] of the Easts.[2]###[1] The truth that has been conveyed in these verses is: The Master and Ruler of the Universe is the Real Deity of men. He alone can be, and should be the Deity. It would be utterly irrational that the Rabb (i.e. Master, Ruler, Guardian and Sustainer) of the man should be one but his Ilah (Deity) another. The basic reason for worship is that man should naturally bow down before and acknowledge the superiority of him who can bring him harm and good, who can fulfill his needs and requirements, who can make or mar his destiny and has power over his life and survival itself. If man understands this, he will automatically understand that to worship the one who has no power and not to worship Him Who has All the powers are both against reason and nature. The One who alone is worthy of worship is He who possesses the powers. As far as the powerless beings are concerned, they are neither worthy of worship, nor is it in any way profitable to worship and pray to them, for it is not in their power to take any action whatsoever on man’s petitions and prayers. To bow before them humbly and to petition them would be as foolish and meaningless an act as to bow before and petition another one who has himself gone before a ruler to make obeisance and submit his petitions. \t [2] The sun does not always rise at the same point but at a different point every day. Moreover, it does not rise at one and the same time for the whole world but rises at different times for the different parts of the earth. That is why the plural “mashariq” (Easts) has been used to indicate the different points at which the sun rises according to the season of the year. The corresponding word “magharib” (Wests) has not been used because Mashariq itself points to Magharib However, in Surah Al-Maarij, the word magharib also has been used along with mashariq: Rabb-almashariqi wal-magharib.","We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars[1]###[1] “Lower heaven”: The nearest heaven which can be seen with the naked eye, without the help of a telescope. The worlds beyond which can be seen through the telescopes of different powers, and the worlds which have not so far been observed through any means, are the distant heavens. In this connection, one should also note that “sama” is not something definite and determined, but man generally has been using this word and its other synonyms for the heavens since the earliest times.","and have protected it from every rebellious satan.[1]###[1] That is, heaven is not merely empty space so that anyone who likes may enter it, but it has been fortified strongly, and its different regions have been bounded by such strong barriers that it is impossible for any rebel satan to exceed them. Every star and planet in the universe has its own circle and sphere escaping from which is as difficult as entering it. With the naked eye one can only see empty space, but, in reality, there are countless regions in space which have been even more strongly fortified and protected than they could be by steel walls. One can imagine and estimate the strength of these barriers by the difficulties man is experiencing in the way of reaching the moon, which is our nearest neighbor in space. Similar difficulties prevent the other creation of the earth, the jinns, from ascending towards the heavens.","These satans cannot listen to what transpires in the High Council for they are pelted away from every side","and are repelled. Theirs is an unceasing chastisement.","And if any is able to snatch a fragment, he is pursued by a piercing flame.[1]###[1] To understand this one should keep in view the fact that, in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), soothsaying was in great vogue in Arabia. The soothsayers used to make predictions, give news of the unseen, tell the whereabouts of the lost properties and articles, and the people used to visit them to know the events of their past and future lives. These soothsayers claimed that they had some jinns and satans under their control who brought them all sorts of news. In this environment when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was appointed to Prophethood, and he began to recite the verses of the Quran, which described the past history and contained news of the future, and also stated that an angel brought him these verses, his opponents immediately branded him a soothsayer and started telling others that, like the other soothsayers, he too was associated with a satan, who brought him news from the heavens, which he presented as revelations from Allah. To refute this accusation, Allah says: The satans have no access to heaven. They have no power to hear the conversations of the angels and bring its news for others. If by chance a little of it enters the ear of a satan, and he tries to bring it down, he is followed by a flashing flame. In other words, it means: The grand system of the universe, which is functioning under the agency of the angels has been firmly guarded and secured against any interference of the satans. Not to speak of interfering in it, they do not even have the power to obtain any kind of information about it. (For further explanation, see (Surah Al-Hijr, Ayats 17-18 )and the E.Ns thereof).","So ask them (that is, human beings): “Were they harder to create than the objects We created?”[1] We created them from sticky clay.[2]###[1] This is an answer to the suspicions of the disbelievers of Makkah, which they presented about the Hereafter. They thought that the Hereafter was not possible, for it is impossible that the dead men should be recreated. In answer to it, Allah presents arguments for the possibility of the Hereafter and asks: If you think that the recreation of the dead men is a very difficult task which We do not have the power to accomplish, do you think it is easy to create the earth and the heavens and the countless things that they contain? Why don’t you use your common sense? Do you think that God for Whom it was not at all difficult to create this great universe and Who has created you in the first instance, will not have the power to create you once again? \t [2] That is, man is not a difficult thing to make. He has been created from clay, and can again be created from the same clay. “Created them from sticky clay” means that the first man was created directly from the clay and then his race was perpetuated by means of the sperm drop. It also means that every man has been created from the sticky clay, for the whole substance of man’s body is obtained from the earth. The sperm drop of which he is created is a product of the food, and all the substances which make up his physical being, from the time he is conceived till his death, are also supplied by the food. The source of the food, whether animal flesh or vegetable, is ultimately the same earth which, in combination with water produces corn and vegetables and fruit to become food for man, and nourish the animals, which supply milk and flesh for the use of man.","You marvel (at the wondrous creations of Allah) and they scoff at it,","and when they are admonished, they pay no heed;","and if they see any Sign, they laugh it away","and say: “This is nothing but plain sorcery.[1]###[1] That is, this person is talking of the world of magic in which the dead will rise, and will be produced before a court and sent to Heaven and Hell, or it may also mean: This person is talking like a madman. What he talks is a clear proof that somebody has worked magic on him; otherwise a sensible person could not talk such things.","Is it ever possible that after we die and are reduced to dust and (a skeleton of) bones, we will be raised to life?","And so also shall our forefathers of yore be raised to life?”","Tell them: “Yes; and you are utterly helpless (against Allah).”[1]###[1] That is, Allah can make of you whatever He likes. When He willed, you came into being forthwith; when He wills, you will die at one command by Him; and then whenever He wills, His one command will raise you back to life.","There will be a single stern rebuff and lo, they will be observing with their own eyes (all that they had been warned against).[1]###[1] That is, when the time comes for this, it will not be difficult to reestablish the whole world. Just a single shout will be enough to make the people to wake up. Here, the word “shout” is very meaningful. It depicts the Resurrection as though the people who had died since the beginning of the creation till the last Day were lying asleep, and a sudden command to them to wake up will cause them to rise up all at once.","They will then say: “Woe for us. This is the Day of Judgement.”","“Yes, this is the Day of Final Decision that you used to deny as a lie.”[1]###[1] It may be that this is said by the believers, or by the angels; or it may be, as it were, the common expression of the conditions prevailing in the plain of Resurrection or it may as well be another reaction of the people themselves. That is, they may be saying in their hearts. In the world, you lived in a way as if no Day of Judgment would ever come. Now you have come to your doom. This is the same Day that you used to deny.","(Then will the command be given): “Muster all the wrong-doers[1] and their spouses[2] and the deities whom they used to serve###[1] “The unjust people” does not only imply those who committed injustices in the world, but as a Quranic term zalamo implies to every such person, who might have adopted the way of rebellion and disobedience against Allah. \t [2] The word “azwaj” in the original text might also imply their wives, who were their associates in this rebellion, and also all those people who were rebellious and disobedient like them. Moreover it may also mean that the culprits of different categories will be gathered together in separate groups.","apart from Allah,[1] and direct them to the path of Hell,###[1] “gods” here implies two kinds of the gods.","and detain them there; they will be called to account.","How is it that you are not helping one another?","Indeed, today they are surrendering themselves completely.”[1]###[1] The first sentence will be addressed to the culprits, and the second to the common spectators, who will be watching the scene of the culprits’ departure for Hell. This sentence itself tells of the general conditions at the time. It tells how the haughty and stubborn culprits of the world will be moving towards Hell meekly and without showing any resistance. Somewhere some kind will be seen being pushed about, and no one from among his courtiers will come forward to rescue “his majesty”. Somewhere some conqueror of the world and some dictator will be moving away in humiliation and disgrace, and his brave army itself will deliver him for the punishment. Somewhere some saint or some holy father will be seen being thrown into Hell, and no one of his disciples will bother to save him from disgrace. Somewhere some leader will be trudging helplessly towards Hell, and those who used to glorify and applaud him in the world will turn away their eyes from him. So much so that the one who was ever prepared to sacrifice everything for the beloved in the world, will feel least concerned to save him from his plight. By depicting this scene Allah wants to impress how the relationships of man with man, which are based on rebellion against Allah in the world, will break in the Hereafter, and how the pride of those who are involved in arrogance and conceit here will be ruined.","They will then turn towards each other (and start wrangling).","(The followers will say to their leaders): “You used to come to us from the right hand.”[1]###[1] The word yameen in Arabic is used for several meanings. It may mean use of the force, or well-wishing, or swearing of an oath. Accordingly, the verse would mean.","They will say: “Nay, you yourselves were not the ones who would believe.","We had no power over you. You were a rebellious people,","and so we became deserving of the Word of our Lord that we shall be made to suffer chastisement.","So we led you astray; we ourselves were strayed.”[1]###[1] For explanation see ( E.Ns 51, 52, 53 of Surah Saba). 3","On that Day, they will all share the chastisement.[1]###[1] That is, the followers as well as the guides, misleaders as well as the misled, all shall suffer the same torment. Neither will the followers’ excuse be heeded that they did not go astray but had been led astray, nor the guides’ excuse accepted that the people themselves were not desirous of following the right way.","Thus do We treat the culprits.","Whenever it was said to them: “There is no true deity apart from Allah,” they waxed proud","and said: “Shall we forsake our deities for the sake of a distracted poet?”","(They say so although) he brought the Truth and confirmed the veracity of the Messengers.[1]###[1] Confirmation of the Messengers has three meanings and all the three are implied here.","(They will be told): “You shall taste the grievous chastisement.","You will only be recompensed according to your deeds.”","But Allah's chosen servants (shall be spared this woeful end).","For them awaits a known provision,[1]###[1] “A provision, determined”: A provision all of whose characteristics have been made known to them, which they are sure to receive, about which they have also the full satisfaction that they will continue to receive it forever, and about which there is no apprehension that they may or may not get it at some time.","a variety of delicious fruits; and they shall be honoured[1]###[1] In this there is also a subtle allusion to the fact that, in Paradise, the food will be provided not to serve as food but for pleasure and delight. That is, the food there will not be meant to replenish the bodily deficiencies through diet, for no deficiency whatever will occur in the body in that eternal life, nor will man have appetite, for appetite is caused by the process of assimilation in the body, nor will the body demand food for its survival. That is why the word fawakih has been used for the different kinds of food in Paradise, which contains the sense of taste and pleasure more than that of nutrition.","in the Gardens of Bliss.","They will be seated upon couches set face to face;","a cup filled with wine[1] from its springs,[2] will be passed around to them;[3]###[1] Here it has not been mentioned as to who will take these cups of wine round to the dwellers of Paradise. This has been stated at other places. And there will go round to them young boys, exclusively appointed for their service, who will be as lovely as well-guarded pearls.  (Surah At- Toor, Ayat 24). They will be attended by brisk-moving boys who will forever remain boys. If you saw them, you would think they were pearls, scattered. (Surah Ad-Dahr, Ayat 19). Then, its further details are found in the traditions related by Anas and Samurah bin Jundub from the Prophet (peace be upon him), according to which: The children of the mushrikin will be attendants of the dwellers of Paradise. (Abu Daud Tayalisi, Tabarani, Bazzar). Though these traditions are weak as regards their links of transmitters, there are several other Ahadith which mean that children who died young, before attaining maturity, will go to Paradise. Ahadith also show that the children whose parents are blessed with Paradise will live with them so as to be a comfort of the eyes for them. This leaves behind those children whose parents will not go to Paradise. Thus, with regard to them, it seems reasonable that they will be made the attendants of the dwellers of Paradise. (For a detailed discussion of this, see Fath ul-Bari and Umdat ul-Qari: Kitab ul-Janaiz, Bab; Maqila fi-aulad il-mushrikin; Rasail-o-Masail, vol. iii, pp. 177-187). \t [2] Here the word kaas (cup) only has been used and there is no mention of the wine. But in Arabic the use of kass always implies wine. The cup which contains milk or water, instead of wine, or is empty, is not called kaas. The word kaas is used for a cup only when it contains wine. \t [3] That is, it will not be the kind of wine that is extracted from rotten fruit and corn in the world, but it will flow naturally from fountains like canals. In Surah Muhammad, the same thing has been described more clearly, thus: And canals will be flowing in it of wine which will be delightful for the drinkers. (verse 15).","white, sparkling (wine), a delight to the drinkers.","There will neither be any harm in it for their body nor will it intoxicate their mind.[1]###[1] That is, the wine of Paradise will be free from both the evils which are found in the wine of the world. The wine of the world, first of all, afflicts man with its stink; then it embitters his taste, upsets his stomach, affects his mind and causes illusion; then it affects the liver and spoils the health generally. Then, when the intoxication is gone, it leaves behind other ill-effects on the body. Its other evil is that man gets drunk with it, talks nonsense and brawls. This is how the wine affects man’s mind and reason. Man suffers both these evil effects of the wine only for the sake of delight and pleasure. Allah says that the wine of Paradise will certainly afford and give full pleasure and delight, but it will be free from the kinds of the evils that go with the worldly wine.","Theirs shall be wide-eyed maidens[1] with bashful, restrained glances,[2]###[1] Probably, these will be the girls who died before attaining the age of discretion in the world, and whose parents did not deserve to enter Paradise. This can be said on the basis of analogy that just as the boys similarly placed will be appointed for the service of the dwellers of Paradise, and they will ever remain boys, so will the girls be made the houris and they will ever remain young and beautiful. The correct knowledge, however, is with Allah. \t [2] “Restraining their looks”: Restraining their looks from everyone except their husbands.","so delicate as the hidden peel under an egg's shell.[1]###[1] The words of the text actually mean this: As if they were the hidden or well preserved eggs. The commentators have given different interpretations of these words, but the correct commentary is the one which Umm Salamah has related from the Prophet (peace be upon him). She says that when she asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), the meaning of this verse, he said: Their delicacy and elegance and tenderness will be like the thin skin which is there between the shell of the egg and its fleshy part. (Ibn Jarir).","Then some of them will turn to others, and will ask each other.","One of them will say: “I had a companion in the world","who used to say: �Are you also one of those who confirm the Truth (of life after death)?","After we are dead and have become all dust and bones shall we still be requited?'[1]###[1] That is, were you also one of those credulous people who put their faith in an irrational and impossible thing like life-after-death.","He will say: �Do you wish to know where he is now?'","Then he will look downwards, and will see him in the depths of Hell.","He will say to him: �By Allah, you almost ruined me.","But for Allah's favour, I should be one of those who have been mustered here.[1]###[1] This shows how powerful will be man’s hearing, seeing and speaking powers in the Hereafter. Sitting in Paradise he bends his head a little and is able to see a person, who is undergoing torment thousands of miles away in Hell, without the agency of a television set. Then, they not only just see each other, but also commune with each other directly without the medium of the telephone or radio and they speak and hear each other over vast distances.","So, are we not going to die,","except for our first death? And shall we suffer no chastisement?'”[1]###[1] The style clearly shows that while speaking to his friend in Hell, the dweller of Paradise suddenly starts talking to himself. He speaks these three sentences in a way as if he found himself in a state much better than that he ever expected and imagined for himself, and now being beside himself with wonder and joy he is engaged in a sort of soliloquy. In such a state the speaker does not speak to an addressee, nor the questions he asks are meant to find out something from somebody, but in this state the man’s own feelings find expression through his tongue. The dweller of Paradise, while speaking to the dweller of Hell, suddenly starts feeling how he has been favored by good fortune: now there is neither death nor any torment: all troubles and distresses have come to an end and he has been blessed with immortality. Under this very feeling he exclaims: Well are we not to die any other than our first death? Are we not to be punished?","Surely this is the supreme triumph.","For the like of it should the workers work.","Is this a better hospitality or the tree of al-Zaqqum?[1]###[1] Zaqqum is a tree of the cactus species found in Tihamah. It is bitter in taste, obnoxious in smell and sheds a milk like juice when cut or broken.","We have made this tree a trial for the wrong-doers.[1]###[1] That is, on hearing this, the disbelievers get a new opportunity to taunt the Quran and mock the Prophet (peace be upon him). They ridicule it saying: Listen another strange thing: A tree will grow in the blazing fire of Hell.","It is a tree that grows in the nethermost part of Hell.","Its spathes are like the heads of satans.[1]###[1] Nobody should have the misunderstanding that since no one has seen the head of Satan, it was no use likening the buds of zaqqum to it. This is, in fact, an imaginative kind of the simile, and is employed in the literature of every language. For example, in order to give an idea of the rare beauty of a woman, it is said she is a fairy, and in order to describe her ugliness, it is said that she is a hag or a demon. Likewise, a pious-looking person is described as an angel and a dreadful-looking person as a devil.","(The people of Hell) will surely eat of it, filling their bellies with it.","Then on top of it they will have a brew of boiling water.","Then their return will be to the same blazing Hell.[1]###[1] This shows that when the dwellers of Hell will be in distress due to hunger and thirst, they will be driven to the side where there would be the zaqqum trees and the springs of boiling water. When they will have eaten and drunk, they will be brought back to Hell.","These are the ones who found their fathers steeped in error,","and they are running in their footsteps.","Before them a multitude of people of olden times had erred,","and We had sent among them Messengers to warn them.","Observe, then, what was the end of those that had been warned,","except for the chosen servants of Allah?[1]###[1] That is, they never used their own common sense to see whether the way their forefathers had been following was right or wrong; they just blindly adopted the way that they found others following.","Noah[1] had called upon Us (earlier).[2] See, how excellent We were in answering him!###[1] This theme is related with the preceding sentences. A study of them shows why these stories are being narrated here. \t [2] This refers to the prayer that the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) had at last made to Allah Almighty, being disappointed with his people, after having preached the true faith to them for a very long period of time, without much success. This prayer has been related in Surah Al- Qamar, thus: He called out to his Lord, saying: I am overcome: take now Thy vengeance.( verse 10).","We delivered him and his household from the great calamity;[1]###[1] That is, from the severe distress that was being caused to him on account of the continuous opposition and antagonism of a wicked and cruel people. This also contains a subtle allusion that just as the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) and his companions were saved from the great distress, so We will also ultimately save the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions from the great distress that is being caused to them by the people of Makkah.","and made his offspring the only ones to survive,[1]###[1] This can have two meanings.","and We established for him a good name among posterity.","Peace be upon Noah among all the nations.[1]###[1] That is there is none in the world today, who would talk evil of the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). After the flood till today the world has been praising and speaking well of him for thousands of years.","Thus do We reward all those who do good.","Surely he was one of Our truly believing servants.","Thereafter We caused the others to be drowned.","Abraham was on the self-same way (as Noah).","When he came to his Lord with a pure heart,[1]###[1] “Approached his Lord”: Turned to his Lord sincerely and exclusively; “with a sound heart”: With a heart that was free from all kinds of moral evils and weaknesses of faith, free from every trace of unbelief and shirk, doubt and suspicion, from every feeling of disobedience and rebellion, from every crookedness, confusion and complexity, and free from every evil inclination and desire, and a heart that neither cherished any malice and jealousy and ill-will against anyone, nor had any evil intention.","and said to his father and his people:[1] “Whom do you worship?###[1] For further details of this story of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), see(Surah Al-Anaam,Ayats 72-90);(Surah Maryam, Ayats 41-60); (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayats 51-75); (Surah Ash-Shuara, Ayats 69-89);(Surah Al- Ankabut, Ayats 16-17) and the E.Ns thereof.","Is it false deities that you want to serve rather than Allah?","What do you think of the Lord of the whole Universe?”[1]###[1] That is, why have you formed such a wrong view of Allah? Do you think that the gods that you yourselves have carved out from wood and stone can be like Him, or can be His associates in his attributes and rights? And are you involved in the misunderstanding that you will somehow manage to escape His punishment after you have indulged in such blasphemy?","Then[1] he looked carefully at the stars[2]###[1] The reference is to a particular incident the details of which have been given in(Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayats 71-73 )and (Surah Al-Ankabut, AYats 16-27). \t [2] Ibn Abi Hatim has cited a saying of the famous commentator Qatadah, an immediate follower of the companions, to the effect that the Arabic idiomatic expression, “glanced a glance at the stars,” means that he pondered deeply, or that he started thinking seriously. Allama Ibn Kathir has preferred this same view, and this is also supported by the common observation: when a person is confronted by a problem that needs serious consideration, he looks upward or to the sky for a while, and then makes a reply, after due consideration.","and said: “I am sick.”[1]###[1] This is one of those three things concerning which it is said that the Prophet Abraham had told three lies in his life, whereas it should be ascertained before declaring it a lie, or anything contrary to fact, whether the Prophet Abraham at that time was not suffering from any illness, and therefore, he had made this excuse only as a pretense. If there is no proof, there is no reason why it should be regarded as a lie. For a detailed discussion, please refer to(E.N. 60 of Surah Al-Anbiya )and Rasail-o-Masail, vol. II, pp. 35 to 39. (A book by Abul Aala Moududi).","So turning their backs, they went away from him.[1]###[1] This sentence by itself shows the real state of the affairs. It appears that the people might be going to some fair of theirs. The family of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) might have also asked him to accompany them. He might have excused himself, saying that he was indisposed, and therefore, could not go. Had it been something contrary to fact, the people of the house would have said: You look perfectly normal: you are making a false excuse. But when they accepted his excuse and left him behind, it clearly shows that the Prophet Abraham must at that time be suffering from cough and cold or some other such visible illness on account of which the people of the house agreed to leave him behind.","Then he went quietly to the (temple of the deities) and said: “What is the matter with you, why do you not eat?[1]###[1] This shows that there were different kinds of food placed before the idols in the temple.","What is the matter with you, why do you not speak?”","Then he turned upon them, striking them with his right hand,","whereupon people came to him running.[1]###[1] Here the story has been told in brief. According to the details given in Surah Al-Anbiya, when they returned and found all their idols broken to pieces in the temple, they started making investigations. Some people said that a young man, called Abraham, had been talking such and such things against idol-worship. At this the multitude demanded that he should be immediately seized and brought before them. Therefore, a group of the people went running to him and brought him before the multitude.","Abraham said to them: “Do you worship what you yourselves have carved with your own hands","while it is Allah Who has created you and all that you make?”","They spoke among themselves: “Build him a pyre and then throw him into the furnace.”","They had contrived an evil plan against him, but We abased them all.[1]###[1] The words in( Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 69) are to the effect, We commanded: O fire, be cool and become safe for Abraham. And in( Surah Al-Ankbut, Ayat 24), it has been said: Then Allah saved him from the fire. This proves that those people had actually thrown the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) into the fire, and then Allah had rescued him from it safe and sound. The words of the verse, “So they intended against him a plot, then We made them the lowest” cannot be taken to mean that they had only intended to throw the Prophet Abraham into the fire but could not carry their plan into effect; but when these words are read with the verses cited above, the meaning becomes plain that they had wanted to kill him by casting him into the fire but could not do so, and the Prophet Abraham’s miraculous escape proved his superiority and the polytheists were humbled by Allah. The real object of relating this incident is to warn the people of the Quraish to this effect: The way that you have adopted is not the way of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), whose descendants you claim yourselves to be, but his way is the one being presented by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Now, if you plot against him in order to defeat him and frustrate his mission, as the people of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had done against him, you alone will be defeated in the end, because you cannot defeat Muhammad (peace be upon him).","Abraham said:[1] “I am going to my Lord;[2] He will guide me.###[1] The Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) said these words on his departure after he had been delivered safe from the fire and had decided to leave the country. \t [2] It mean: I am leaving my home and country for the sake of Allah, for my people have turned hostile to me only because of my turning to Him exclusively; otherwise there was no worldly dispute between them and me because of which I might have had to leave my country. Moreover, I have no place of refuge in the world, to which I may turn. I am leaving my home with full faith and trust only in Allah: I shall go wherever He leads me.","Lord, grant me a righteous son.”[1]###[1] This prayer by itself shows that the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) at that time was childless. From the details given at other places in the Quran, it becomes clear that he had left his country with only one wife and one nephew (the Prophet Lot). Therefore, he naturally desired that Allah should bless him with a righteous child, who could be a source of comfort and consolation for him in a foreign land.","(In response to this prayer) We gave him the good news of a prudent boy;[1]###[1] From this one should not understand that this good news was given to him immediately following his prayer. In the Quran itself, at another place, this saying of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) has been related: All praise be to Allah who has given me sons like Ishmael and Isaac in my old age. (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 39). This proves that there was an interval of many years between the prayer and this good news. The Bible says that at the birth of the Prophet Ishmael, the Prophet Abraham was 86 years old (Gen. 16: 16) and at the birth of the Prophet Isaac a hundred years. (Gen. 21: 5).","and when he was old enough to go about and work with him, (one day) Abraham said to him: “My son, I see in my dream that I am slaughtering you.[1] So consider (and tell me) what you think.”[2] He said: “Do as you are bidden.[3] You will find me, if Allah so wills, among the steadfast.”###[1] One should note that the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had dreamed that he was sacrificing his son and not that he had sacrificed him. Although at that time he understood the dream to mean that he should sacrifice his son and on that very basis, he became ready to sacrifice him, with a cool mind, yet the fine point that Allah had in view in making him see the dream has been explained by Himself in (verse 105) below. \t [2] The object of asking this of the son was not that he would carry out Allah’s command only if he agreed, otherwise not, but the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), in fact, wanted to find out how righteous, in actual reality, was his child for whom he had prayed to Allah. If the son himself was found to be ready to lay down his life for the sake of Allah’s approval and pleasure, it would mean that the prayer had been fully granted, and the son was not his offspring in the natural way only but was morally and spiritually also a true son. \t [3] The words clearly tell that the son had not taken the dream of his Prophet father to be a mere dream but a command from Allah. Had it not been a command actually, it was necessary that Allah should have explicitly or implicitly stated that the son of Abraham (peace be upon him) had mistaken it for a command. But the whole context is without any such allusion. On this very basis, there is the Islamic belief that the dream of the Prophets is never a mere dream, it is also a kind of revelation. Obviously, if a thing, which could become such a fundamental principle in the divine Shariah, had not been based on reality, but had been a mere misunderstanding, it was not possible that Allah should not have refuted it. It is impossible for the one who believes the Quran to be Allah’s Word, to accept that such an error and omission could emanate from Allah also.","When both surrendered (to Allah's command) and Abraham flung the son down on his forehead,[1]###[1] That is, the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) did not make his son lie flat on his back but made him lie prostrate lest while slaughtering him the sight of his face should arouse compassion and love and make him shaky. Therefore, he wanted to use the knife from under the throat.","We cried out:[1] “O Abraham,###[1] One section of the grammarians says that here “and” has been use to mean “then”; thus, the sentence would be: When the two had submitted themselves (to Allah) and Abraham had flung his son down on his brow, then We called out. But another section of them says that here the answer to the word “when” has been omitted and left for the listener to fill; for it was better to leave such an indescribable thing to the imagination instead of expressing it in words. When Allah might have seen that the old father who had gotten a son after long earnest prayers, has become ready to sacrifice him only for His pleasure and approval; and the son also had became ready to get slaughtered, His infinite Mercy might have been aroused at the sight, and the Master might have felt great love for the father and son. All this can only be imagined. No words would ever describe the scene adequately.","you have indeed fulfilled your dream.[1] Thus do We reward the good-doers.”[2]###[1] That is, “We did not make you see in the dream that you had actually slaughtered your son and he had died, but that you were slaughtering him. That vision you have fulfilled. Now, it is not Our will to take the life of your child. The actual object of the vision has been fulfilled by your submission and preparation to sacrifice him for Our sake.” \t [2] That is, We do not subject the people who adopt the righteous way to trials in order to involve them in trouble and distress and affliction just for the sake of it, but these trials are meant to bring out their excellencies and to exalt them to high ranks. And then We deliver them safe and sound from the dilemma in which We place them for the sake of the trial. Thus, your willingness and preparation to sacrifice yow son is enough to entitle you to be exalted to the rank that could be attained only by the one who would actually have slaughtered his son for Our approval and pleasure. Thus, We have saved the life of yow child as well as exalted you to this high rank.","This was indeed a plain trial.[1]###[1] That is, the object was not to get your son slaughtered through you but to test you to see that you did not hold anything of the world dearer than Us.","And We ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice,[1]###[1] “A great sacrifice”: A ram, as mentioned in the Bible and the Islamic traditions, that Allah’s angel presented at the time before the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), so that he should sacrifice it instead of his son. This has been called “a great sacrifice” because it was to serve as a ransom from a faithful servant like Abraham for a patient and obedient son like Ishmael, and Allah made it a means of fulfilling the intention of an unprecedented sacrifice. Another reason for calling it “a great sacrifice” is that Allah made it a tradition till the Day of Resurrection that all the believers should offer animal sacrifice on the same date in the entire world so as to keep fresh the memory of the great and unique event signifying faithfulness and devotion.","and We preserved for him a good name among posterity.","Peace be upon Abraham.","Thus do We reward the good-doers.","Surely he was one of Our believing servants.","And We gave him the good news of Isaac,[1] a Prophet and among the righteous ones.[2]###[1] Here, the question arises: Who was the son whom the Prophet Abraham had gotten ready to offer as a sacrifice, and who had willingly offered himself to be slaughtered as a sacrifice? The first answer to this question is given by the Bible; and it is this: \t [2] And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: . . . Take now thy son thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Gen. 22: 1-2).","And We blessed him and Isaac. Among the offspring of the two some did good and some plainly wronged themselves.","Verily We bestowed Our favours on Moses and Aaron","and We delivered both of them and their people from the great calamity.[1]###[1] “A great distress”: the distress in which they were involved at the hands of Pharaoh and his people.","We succoured them, and they gained the upper hand (against their enemies).","We granted them a Clear Book,","and showed them the Straight Way,","and preserved for them a good name among posterity.","Peace be upon Moses and Aaron.","Thus do We reward the good-doers.","Surely both of them were among Our believing servants.","Surely, Elias too was among the Messengers.[1]###[1] The Prophet Elias (peace be upon him) was from among the Israelite Prophets. He has been mentioned only twice in the Quran, here and in Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 85. The present-day scholars have determined his period between 875 and 850 B.C. He was an inhabitant of Gilead, which in ancient days was the territory now under the northern districts of the modern state of Jordan, to the south of the River Yarmuk. In the Bible he has been mentioned as Elijah the Tishbite. Here is briefly his life story.","(Call to mind) when he said to his people: “Will you not fear Allah?","Do you call upon Baal[1] and forsake the Best of the Creators?###[1] Lexically, baal means master, chief and possessor. This word was also used for husband, and has been used in this sense at several places in the Quran itself, e.g. in (Surah Al- Baqarah, Ayat 228); (Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 127); (Sura Houd, Ayat 72) and (Surah An-Noor, Ayat 31). However; in the ancient times the Semetic nations used it in the meaning of deity or lord; they had even given the name of Baal to a special god. The chief male god of the Phoenicians, in particular, was Baal and their chief goddess was Ashtoreth, his wife. The scholars differ as to whether Baal meant the sun or Jupiter, and Ashtoreth the moon or Venus. In any case, historically it is certain that Baal worship was prevalent from Babylon to Egypt throughout the Middle East, and the polytheistic communities of the Lebanon and Syria and Palestine, in particular, had become its devotees. When the Israelites settled in Palestine and Jordan after they came out from Egypt, they started contracting marriage and other social relations with the polytheistic nations round about them, in violation of the strict prohibitive injunctions of the Torah, the disease of idolworship began to spread among them, too. According to the Bible, this moral and religious decline had started appearing among the Israelites soon after the death of Joshua, son of Nun, who was the first caliph of the Prophet Moses:","Allah is your Lord and the Lord of your ancestors of yore.”","But they denounced him as a liar, so they will surely be arraigned (for punishment),","except Allah's chosen servants.[1]###[1] That is, only those people will be made an exception<br>from the punishment, who did not belie the Prophet Elijah<br>(peace be upon him), and whom Allah chose from among<br>the nation for His worship.","We preserved a good name for him among posterity.[1]###[1] The treatment that the Israelites meted out to the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) in his life has been referred to above, but after his death they became so enamored of him that they held him in the highest esteem and reverence after the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). They formed the belief that Elijah (peace be upon him) had been taken up alive into heaven by a whirlwind (2 Kings, ch. 2), and that he will come back to the world again. Thus, in Malachi (O.T.) it is written:","Peace be upon Elias.[1]###[1] The words in the original are: Salam-un ala El-ya-sin. Some commentators say that El-ya-sin is the other name of the Prophet Elias, just as Abraham is the other name of the Prophet Ibrahim; some others say that different versions of the Hebrew names were prevalent among the Arabs, e.g. one and the same angel was called Michal and Michail and Michain. The same has been the case with the name of the Prophet Elias also. In the Quran itself the same mountain has been called Toor Sina and Toor Sinin. 1","Thus do We reward the good-doers.","He was one of Our believing servants.","And Lot too was one of the Messengers.","(Call to mind) when We delivered him and all his kinsfolk,","except for an old woman who was among those that stayed behind.[1]###[1] This implies the wife of the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him), who did not migrate with her illustrious husband, but remained behind with her people and was punished.","Then We utterly destroyed the rest of them.","You pass by their desolate habitations in the morning[1]###[1] The reference is to the mined habitations of the people of Lot by which the Quraishite merchants passed day and night during their trade journeys to Syria and Palestine. 1","and at night. Do you still not understand?","And Jonah too was one of the Messengers.[1]###[1] This is the third place where the Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him) has been mentioned in the Quran. Before this he has already been mentioned in Surah Younus and Surah Al-Anbiya. (For reference, please see(Surah Younus, Ayat 98 )and (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayats 87-88) and E.Ns thereof).","Call to mind when he fled to the laden ship,[1]###[1] The word abaqa in Arabic is used for the flight and escape of a slave from his master’s house.","cast lots, and was among the losers.","Then a fish swallowed him, and he was blameworthy.[1]###[1] This is what one understands from a study of these sentences:","Had he not been one of those who glorify Allah,[1]###[1] It has two meanings and both are implied: (1) That the Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him) was not of the people who are heedless of God, but was of those who glorify and adore Allah constantly and perpetually. (2) That when he went inside the fish, he turned to Allah alone and glorified Him. In Surah Al-Anbiya it has been said: He invoked Us from the depths of the darkness, saying: There is no god but You: Glory be to You: I am indeed blameworthy. (verse 87).","he would certainly have remained in its belly till the Day of Resurrection.[1]###[1] This does not mean that the fish would have lived till Resurrection and the Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him) would have remained alive in its belly till then, but that the fish’s belly would have become his grave till Resurrection. The famous commentator Qatadah has given this same meaning of this verse. (Ibn Jarir).","But We threw him on a wide bare tract of land while he was ill;[1]###[1] That is, when the Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him) confessed his fault, and began to glorify Allah like a true and sincere believer, the fish spat him up on the beach by Allah’s command. The beach was a bare plain, without any vegetation on it, or anything to provide him shade, or any means of food.","and caused a gourd tree[1] to grow over him,###[1] The Arabic word yaqteen applies to a tree which does not stand on a stem but grows and spreads like a creeper, e.g. a pumpkin, cucumber, water-melon, etc. In any case, a creeper was produced miraculously, so that its leaves should provide shade to the Prophet Jonah and its fruit should serve him both as food and as shade.","and We sent him forth to a nation of a hundred thousand or more,[1]###[1] The mention of a hundred thousand people or more does not mean that Allah had any doubt about their number, but it means that a casual observer would have estimated the population to be more than a hundred thousand people in any case. Probably it was the same place which the Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him) had left and fled. After his departure when the people of the place saw the scourge approaching, they believed. But this was only a kind of repentance which was accepted and the scourge averted. Now, the Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him) was again sent to them so that the people should believe in him as a Prophet and become Muslims formally. To understand this, one should keep in view verse 98 of Surah Younus.","and they believed. So We let them enjoy life for a while.[1]###[1] Some people have taken exception to what we have written concerning this story of the Prophet Jonah in our commentary of Surahs Younus and Al-Anbiya. It would therefore be proper that we should reproduce here the explanations given by the other commentators in this regard.","So ask their opinion:[1] “(Are you convinced) that your Lord should have daughters and you should have sons?[2]###[1] Another theme starts from here. In the preceding theme that started from verse 11, the Quraish had been put this question: Ask them: what is more difficult: their own creation or of those things that We have created? Now, they are being asked this second question. The object of the first question was to warn the disbelievers of their deviation because of which they regarded life-after-death and the meting out of rewards and punishments as impossible, and therefore, mocked the Prophet (peace be upon him) for it. Now they are being asked this second question to warn them of their ignorance due to which they attributed children to Allah and would join anybody with Allah in any relationship they liked on mere conjecture. \t [2] Traditions show that in Arabia the tribes of Quraish, Juhainah, Bani Salimah, Khuzaah, Bani Mulaih, etc. held the belief that the angels were Allah’s daughters. This belief of their ignorance has been referred to at several places in the Quran, e.g. in(Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 117); (Surah An- Nahl, Aytas 57-58); (Surah Bani-Israil, Ayat 40);(Surah Az- Zukhruf, Ayats 16, 19); (Surah An-Najm, Ayats 21-27).","Did We create the angels as females the while they witnessed?”","Behold, it is one of their fabrications that they say:","“Allah has begotten.” They are liars!","Did He choose daughters rather than sons?","What is the matter with you that you make such strange judgements?","Will you then not take heed?","Do you have any clear authority for such claims?","Bring your Book, if you are truthful.[1]###[1] That is, there can be only two bases for regarding the angels as the daughters of Allah. Either such a thing could be said on the basis of observation, or the one who asserted it should possess a divine book in which Allah Himself might have stated that the angels were His daughters. Now, if those who held such belief could neither make a claim to have observed such a thing nor did they possess any divine book that might contain such a thing, there could be no greater stupidity than this that one should base his religious belief on mere conjecture, and attribute to Allah, Lord of the worlds, such things as were patently ridiculous.","They have established a kinship between Allah and the angels;[1] and the angels know well that these people will be arraigned (as culprits).###[1] Though the word used is al-jinnah instead of almalaikah, some major commentators have opined that here the word jinn has been used for malaikah in its literal sense (of hidden creation); malaikah (angels) also are, in reality, a hidden creation, and the following theme also demands that al jinnah here be taken in the sense of al-malaikah.","(They say): “Exalted be Allah above what they attribute to Him,","all of them except the chosen servants of Allah.","So you and your deities","shall not be able to tempt anyone away from Allah","except him who shall roast in the Blazing Fire.[1]###[1] Another translation of this verse can be: Therefore, you and your worship: on this you cannot tempt into mischief anyone except him. According to this second translation, the meaning would be: O you who have gone astray, by this worship that you are performing before us, and regarding us as the children of Allah, Lord of the worlds, you cannot tempt us into mischief. By this you can only beguile a fool who might be working for his own doom. So, we refuse to fall into the trap that you have set for us.","As for us, there is none but has an appointed station.[1]###[1] That is, not to speak of being Allah’s children, we do not have the power to exceed in any way or degree the place and position and status appointed for each of us by Allah.","Verily we range ourselves in rows (as humble servants)","and we are of those who glorify Allah.”","They used to say before:","“If only we had the Reminder which had been granted to the people of yore","we would surely have been Allah's chosen servants.”[1]###[1] This same thing has already been mentioned in( Surah Fatir, Ayat 42).","But when it came to them, they rejected it. They shall soon come to know (the end of such an attitude).","We have already given Our promise to Our Messengers","that they shall certainly be succoured,","and that Our hosts shall triumph.[1]###[1] Allah’s army: implies the believers who obey Allah’s Messenger and side with him. This also includes those unseen powers by which Allah helps the followers of the truth.","So, (O Prophet), leave them alone for a while,","and see, and soon they too shall see.[1]###[1] That is, it will not take long when they will see their defeat and your victory with their own eyes. This proved to be true as it had been foretold. Hardly 14 to 15 years had passed after the revelation of these vases when the pagans of Makkah witnessed the Prophet (peace be upon him) enter their city as a conqueror, and then a few years later the same people saw that Islam had overwhelmed not only Arabia but the mighty empires of Rome and Iran as well.","Do they seek to hasten Our chastisement?","When that chastisement will descend upon their courtyard, evil shall that Day be for those who had been warned.","Leave them alone for a while,","and see; and they too shall soon see.","Exalted be your Lord, the Lord of Glory, above what they attribute to Him,","and peace be upon the Messengers,","and all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe.","Sad,[1] and by the Qur'an full of exhortation![2]###[1] Although like all other enigmatic letters (muqattaat), it is also difficult to determine the meaning of the letter Suad, yet the interpretation of it given by Ibn Abbas and Dahhak is quite plausible. According to them, it implies: Sadiqun fiqauli- hi, or Sadaqa Muhammadun: Muhammad (peace be upon him) is truthful: whatever he says is the very truth. \t [2] The words dhidh-dhikr of the text can have two meanings: (1) Dhi sharaf: the noble Quran. (2) Dhi at-tadhkir: the Quran which is full of admonition, or the Quran which serves as a reminder, or arouses a heedless person.","Nay, but the unbelievers are steeped in arrogance and stubborn defiance.[1]###[1] If the interpretation given of suad by Ibn Abbas and Dahhak is accepted, the sentence would mean this: By this noble Quran, or by this Quran which is full of admonition, Muhammad (peace be upon him) is presenting the truth, but the people who persist in their denial, are in fact, involved in arrogance and stubbornness. And if Suad is taken as one of those enigmatic letters whose meaning cannot be determined, then the answer to the oath is omitted, which is indicated by “but” and the sentence following it. The meaning then would be: The reason for the denial of these disbelievers is not that the religion which is being presented before them is unsound, or that Muhammad (peace be upon him) has shown some slackness in the matter of presenting the truth before them, but their own boasting and bragging, their haughtiness and stubbornness, and this is borne out by this Quran itself, which is full of admonition. Every unbiased person who studies it will admit that full justice has been done in it to the task of making the people understand the truth.","How many a nation did We destroy before them! (When they approached their doom) they cried out (for deliverance), but the time for deliverance was already past.","They wondered that a warner had come to them from among themselves,[1]and the deniers of the Truth said: “This is a sorcerer,[2] and a big liar.###[1] That is, they are so foolish that when a man from their own kind and from their own clan and brotherhood, whom they knew well, was appointed to warn them, they wondered at it, whereas it would have been strange if some other kind of creature had been sent down from heaven to warn human beings, or an utter stranger had arisen among them suddenly and started functioning as a prophet. In that case they would have been perfectly justified to say: What an odd thing! How can this strange creature know our conditions and feelings and requirements that he should guide us? How can we test and find out the truth about the stranger who has suddenly arisen among us and know whether he is trustworthy or not? And how can we decide whether we should or should not believe in him when we have not judged and seen his character and personality? \t [2] The disbelievers used the word sahir (wizard, sorcerer, magician) for the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the sense that whoever came in contact with him was so influenced by him that he would become his follower like a possessed person. He would least mind severing of his connections with others or incurring material losses. The father would give up the son and the son would give up the father. The wife would separate from the husband and the husband would separate from the wife. One would at once be prepared to leave his country if so required. One would even be ready to pass through the severest persecutions for the sake of the faith. (For further details, see (Surah Al- Anbiya, Ayat 3 and E.N. 5) thereof).","Has he made the gods one single God? This is truly astounding.”","And the elders among them went forth[1] saying: “Go ahead and be steadfast in adhering to your deities.[2] What is being said is with a design.”[3]###[1] The allusion is to the chiefs who got up and left Abu Talib when they had heard what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said. \t [2] “This thing”: the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) asking them to affirm faith in La-ilaha ill-Allah so as to overpower both Arabia and the adjoining lands. \t [3] What they meant to say was this: Muhammad has some vested interests. He is extending this invitation to us in order to subjugate us and rule us as his subjects.","We have not heard this in the religious community close to our time.[1] This is nothing but a fabrication.###[1] That is, there have been our own elderly people in the recent past. There are Christians and Jews also living in our land and in the adjoining lands; and there are the Zoroastrians abounding in Iran and Iraq and eastern Arabia. None of them has ever preached that man should only believe in One Allah, Lord of the worlds, and in none else beside Him. No one can remain content with One God only. Everyone believes in the beloved ones of Allah also. They are All paying obeisance to them, making offerings at their shrines and praying for fulfillment of their needs and requirements. From one place people get children and from another provisions of life, and from yet another whatever they pray for. The whole world believes in their powers and capabilities, and those who have benefited from them tell how the needs of the people are being met and their difficulties being removed through their help and grace. Now this man is telling us a queer thing which we had never heard before. He says that none of these holy men has any share in Godhead and that Godhead wholly belongs only to Allah.","Has this Exhortation been sent down among us only to him, to the exclusion of all others?” Nay, they are in doubt regarding My Exhortation,[1] and are saying all this because they have not yet had any taste of My chastisement.###[1] In other words Allah says: Muhammad, these people are not belying you but Me. As for your truthfulness, they had never doubted it before. Now that they are doubting it, it is because of My Admonition. Now that I have entrusted to you the mission of admonishing them, they have started doubting the truthfulness of the very person whose righteousness and piety they used to swear by. The same theme has also been discussed in  (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 33 and E.N. 21) thereof.","Do they possess the treasures of your Lord, the Most Mighty, the Great Bestower?","Or do they possess the dominion of the heavens and the earth and of all that is in between them? If so, let them ascend the heights of the realm of causation and see![1]###[1] This is an answer to this saying of the disbelievers: Was he the only (fit) person among us to whom Allah’s admonition should have been sent down? Allah says: It is for Us to decide whom We should choose and appoint as a Prophet and whom We should not. These people do not possess any power and authority to exercise choice in this regard. If they wish to attain such an authority, they should try to reach the divine Throne in order to obtain control over the office of sovereignty of the Universe, so that revelation should come down on him whom they regard as deserving their mercy and not on him whom We regard as fit for it. This theme has occurred at several places in the Quran, because the unbelieving Quraish again and again said: How did Muhammad (peace be upon him) become a Prophet? Did Allah find no better man among the principal leaders of the Quraish worthy of this office? (See (Surah Bani-Israil, Ayat 100);(Surah Az-Zukhruf, Ayats 31-32).","This is only a small army out of the several armies that will suffer defeat here.[1]###[1] “There” implies the city of Makkah. That is, the time is coming when these people shall be humbled and routed in the very place where they are opposing and mocking you. Then, they will be standing, with heads hung down, before the same man whom they despise and refuse to recognize as a Prophet of Allah.","Before them the people of Noah, Ad, and Pharaoh of the tent-pegs gave the lie (to the Messengers)[1]###[1] The use of dhul-autad (of the stakes) for Pharaoh is either in the sense that his kingdom was very strong as though a stake were firmly driven into the ground, or for the reason that wherever his large armies camped, pegs of the tents were seen driven into the ground on every side, or because he would torture and punish at the stakes anyone with whom he was angry. And possibly the stakes may imply the pyramids of Egypt which seem to be driven into the earth like the stakes.","and so did Thamud and the people of Lot and the people of Aykah. These were all leagued together.","Each of them gave the lie to Messengers and My decree of chastisement came upon them.","They are waiting for nothing except a single Cry, after which there will be no second Cry.[1]###[1] That is, only a single blast of the torment will be enough to annihilate them; no other will be needed for the purpose. Another meaning of the sentence can be: After this they will get no more relief and no more respite.","They say: “Our Lord, hasten to us our share (of chastisement) before the Day of Reckoning.”[1]###[1] That is, Allah’s torment will be so severe and terrible as mentioned above, but just consider the behavior of these foolish people. They are telling the Prophet mockingly: Do not put off our affairs till the Day of Reckoning with which you are threatening us, but settle our account just now.: Whatever punishment is to be inflicted on us should be inflicted immediately.","(O Prophet), bear with patience what they say,[1] and call to mind Our servant David,[2] who was endowed with great strength[3] and who constantly turned (to Allah).###[1] The allusion is to the absurd conversation of the disbelievers of Makkah, as narrated above, to the effect that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a sorcerer and a liar, and to their objection whether he was the only fit person in the sight of Allah to be appointed as a Messenger, and to their some accusation that he had vested interest in preaching the doctrine of Tauhid to the people and not any religious mission. \t [2] “Remember Our servant David”. It would mean: There is a lesson in this story for these people. Or it would mean: The remembrance of this story will help you too, to have patience. As the narrative is meant to serve both purposes, comprehensive words have been used as contain both meanings. (For the story of the prophet David (peace be upon him), see(Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 251); (Surah Bani-Israil, Ayat 55); (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayats 78-81); (Surah An-Naml, Ayat 15) and the E.Ns thereof, and (E.Ns 14 to 16 of Surah Saba). \t [3] The words in the original are: dhal-ayd (possessor of the hands). The word “hand” is used metaphorically for strength and power not only in Arabic but in other languages also. When as an attribute of the Prophet David (peace be upon him) it is said that he was a \"possessor of the hands\", it will necessarily mean that he possessed great powers. These powers may mean the physical strength which he displayed during his combat against Goliath, military and political power by which he crushed the neighboring idolatrous nations and established a strong Islamic empire, moral strength by which he ruled like a poor king and always feared Allah and observed the bounds set by Him, and the power of worship by virtue of which, besides his occupations in connection with rule and government and fighting in the cause of Allah, he fasted every alternate day and spent a third of the night in worship according to a tradition of Bukhari. Imam Bukhari in his History has related, on the authority of Abu- Darda, that whenever the Prophet David (peace be upon him) was mentioned, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say: He was the greatest worshiper of God.","With him We had subjected the mountains that they join him in celebrating Allah's glory, evening and morning,","and the birds, too, in their flocks, and turn again and again to celebrating Allah's glory.[1]###[1] For explanation, see( Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 79 and E.N. 71) thereof.","And We strengthened his kingdom and endowed him with wisdom and decisive judgement.[1]###[1] That is, he was never ambiguous in speech but clear and forthright. Whatever problem he talked about he would lay bare its basic points, and would clearly and precisely determine the real issue under question, and would pass a decisive judgment.” This quality is not attained by a person unless he is granted wisdom, understanding and mastery of language of the highest degree.","Has the story of the litigants reached you � of those who entered his private chambers by climbing over the wall?[1]###[1] The object why the Prophet David (peace be upon him) has been mentioned here is to relate the story that begins from here; the object of mentioning his sterling qualities in the introduction was only to point out the high caliber of the Prophet David (peace be upon him) with whom this incident took place.","As they came upon David � and he was frightened of them[1] � they said: “Be not afraid. We are just two litigants: one of us has committed excess against the other. So judge rightly between us, and be not unjust; and guide us to the Right Way.###[1] He was alarmed because the two men had appeared in the private quarters of the ruler of the land suddenly, by climbing over the wall, instead of going before him by the proper entrance.","Behold, this is my brother;[1] he has ninety-nine ewes and I have only one ewe.” And yet he said: “Give her into my charge,” and he got the better of me in argument.[2]###[1] “Brother” does not mean a real brother but a brotherin- faith and a member of one’s own clan. \t [2] To understand what follows one should note that the complainant did not say that the other person had taken away his only ewe and added it to his own ewes, but said that he was asking for it, and since he was a powerful person he had prevailed over him in the matter and he could not reject his demand, being a weak and poor man.","David said: “He has certainly wronged you in seeking to add your ewe to his ewes;[1] and indeed many who live together commit excesses, one to the other, except those that believe and act righteously; and they are but few.” (While so saying) David realized that it is We Who have put him to test; therefore, he sought the forgiveness of his Lord, and fell down, bowing and penitently turning (to Him).[2]###[1] Here, one should not doubt that the Prophet David (peace be upon him) gave his decision after hearing only what one party had to say. The fact of the matter is that when the respondent kept quiet at the complaint of the complainant and said nothing in defense it by itself amounted to a confession by him. That is why the Prophet David (peace be upon him) came to the conclusion that the facts of the case were the same as the complainant had stated. \t [2] There is a difference of opinion as to whether it is obligatory to perform a sajdah (prostration) on this occasion or not. Imam Shafai says that it is not obligatory, for this is only a Prophet’s repentance; but Imam Abu Hanifah has opined that prostration here is obligatory. The traditionalists have related three traditions from lbn- Abbas in this regard. According to Ikrimah, Ibn Abbas said: This is not one of those verses on the recitation of which prostration is obligatory, but I have seen the Prophet (peace be upon him) prostrating himself on this occasion. (Bukhari, Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Nasai, Musnad Ahmad). The second tradition which Saeed bin Jubair has related from Ibn Abbas is to the effect: The Prophet (peace be upon him) prostrated himself in Surah Suad and said: The Prophet David (peace be upon him) had prostrated himself in order to express his repentance and we prostrate ourselves as a token of gratitude, because his repentance was accepted. (Nasai) In the third tradition that Mujahid has related from him, he says: Allah has commanded the Prophet (peace be upon him), in the Quran: These were the ones whom Allah had shown the right way; therefore, you should follow their way. (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 90). Now, since David was a Prophet and he had prostrated himself on this occasion, the Prophet (peace be upon him) also prostrated himself here only to follow his way. (Bukhari). These three are the statements of Ibn Abbas. Abu Said Khudri says: The Prophet (peace be upon him) once recited Surah Suad in his address, and when he came to this verse, he descended from the pulpit and performed a prostration and the audience also did the same along with him. Then, on another occasion, he recited this same Surah and when the people heard this verse, they were ready to perform the prostration. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: This is the repentance of a Prophet, but I see that you have gotten ready to perform the prostration. Saying this he descended from the pulpit and prostrated himself and the people also did the same. (Abu Daud). Although these traditions do not provide any absolute argument to prove that it is obligatory to perform the prostration here, yet they prove at least that because the Prophet (peace be upon him) generally performed a prostration on this occasion, it is in any case commendable to prostrate here.","Thereupon We forgave him his shortcoming and indeed (an exalted position of) nearness awaits him, and an excellent resort.[1]###[1] This shows that the Prophet David (peace be upon him) had certainly committed an error, and it was an error which bore some resemblance with the case of the ewes. Therefore, when he gave a decision on it, he at once realized that he was being put to the test. But the nature of the error was not such as could not be forgiven, or if forgiven, it would have deposed him from his high rank. Allah Himself says: When he fell down prostrate and repented, he was not only forgiven but his high rank in the world and the Hereafter also remained unaffected.","(We said to him): “O David, We have appointed you vicegerent on earth. Therefore, rule among people with justice and do not follow (your) desire lest it should lead you astray from Allah's Path. Allah's severe chastisement awaits those who stray away from Allah's Path, for they had forgotten the Day of Reckoning.[1]###[1] This is the warning that Allah gave to the Prophet David (peace be upon him) on accepting his repentance along with giving him the good news of exalting his rank. This by itself shows that the error that he had committed contained an clement of the desires of the flesh; it also pertained to the abuse of power and authority; and it was an act which was unworthy of a just and fair-minded ruler.","We did not create this heaven and earth and all that lies between them in vain. That is the fancy of those who denied the Truth.[1] So woe from the Fire to all who deny the Truth.###[1] That is, We have not created anything in the world merely in sport and fun so that it may be without any wisdom and purpose and justice, and there may occur no result from any act, good or bad. This is the conclusion of the preceding discourse as well as an introduction to the following theme. The object of this statement as a conclusion to the discourse is to impress the following truth: Man has not been left to wander about at will in the world, nor is this world a lawless kingdom that one may do here whatever he likes with impunity. As an introduction to the following theme, the sentence is meant to say: The person who does not believe in the meting out of the rewards and punishments, and thinks that both the good and the evil people will ultimately end up in the dust after death and that nobody will be called to account, nor will anyone be rewarded for good or punished for evil, in fact, regards the world as a plaything and its Creator a senseless player, and thinks that by creating the world and man in it, the Creator of the Universe has committed a useless thing. The same thing has been stated in different ways at several places in the Quran, e.g. Did you think that We created you without any purpose, and that you would never be brought back to Us? (Surah Al-Muminun, Ayat 115).","Shall We then treat alike those that believe and act righteously and those that create mischief on earth? Or treat alike the God-fearing and the wicked?[1]###[1] That is, do you think it is reasonable and fair that both the pious and the wicked should be treated alike in the end? Do you regard this concept as satisfying that the pious man should not get any reward for his piety and the wrongdoer should not receive any punishment for his sins? Obviously, if there is to be no Hereafter, and there is to be no accountability and no rewards and no punishments for human acts, it negates both Allah’s wisdom and His justice, and the entire order of the Universe becomes a blind order. On this assumption there remains no motive for doing good and no deterrent against evil. God forbid, if the Godhead of God should be such a lawless kingdom, the one who leads a pious life in the face of all kinds of hardships in the world and endeavors to reform the people, would be a foolish person, and the one who gains benefits by committing all kinds of excesses and enjoys sinful pleasures of life, would be a wise man.","This is the Blessed Book[1] that We have revealed to you, (O Muhammad), that people with understanding may reflect over its verses and those with understanding derive a lesson.###[1] The Quran has been called a blessed Book in the sense that it is highly useful for man. It gives him the best guidance to improve and reform his life. By following it he has only to gain and nothing to lose.","We bestowed upon David (an illustrious son), Solomon.[1] How excellent a servant (of Ours he was)! Indeed he constantly turned to Us in devotion.###[1] The Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) has been mentioned already at the followings places: (Surah Al- Baqarah, Ayat 102);(Surah Bani-Israil, Ayat 5); (Surah Al- Anbiya, Ayats 78-82); (Surah An-Naml, Ayats 15-44); (Surah Saba, Ayats 12-14).","And when one evening well-trained and running horses of noble breed were brought to him[1]###[1] The words as-safinat-ul-jiyad in the original imply the horses, which are very calm and quiet when they stand, and very fast moving when they run.","he said: “Lo! I have come to love this wealth[1] on account of the remembrance of my Lord.” And when the horses disappeared,###[1] The Arabic word khair in the text is used for abundance of wealth as well as for horses metaphorically. As the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) had kept these horses for fighting in the way of Allah, he called them khair.","(he ordered): “Bring these horses back to me,” and then he began to gently stroke their shanks and necks.[1]###[1] There is a difference of opinion among the commentators about the translation and commentary of these verses.","Surely We put Solomon to the test and cast upon his throne a mere body. Thereupon he penitently turned (to Us).","He said: “My Lord, forgive me and bestow upon me a kingdom such as none other after me will deserve. Surely You are the Bounteous Giver.”[1]###[1] In view of the contest, the real object here is to relate this event; the preceding verses are an introduction to it. Just as above this, first the Prophet David (peace be upon him) was praised, then the event narrated by which he was put to temptation, then it was said that Allah Almighty does not spare even such a beloved servant from accountability, then about his noble nature it was said that as soon as he was warned of the temptation, he repented and bowed before Allah and withheld himself from the act, so also here the sequence is like this: First, the Prophet Solomon’s (peace be upon him) high rank and his deep sense of devotion has been mentioned, then it is said that he was also put to the test, then it has been stated that when a mere body was placed on his throne, he immediately felt warned on his error, and pleading the forgiveness of his Lord, withdrew from the act, because of which he was involved in the temptation. In other words, Allah by means of these two stories wants to impress two things upon the reader simultaneously: (1) Not to speak of the common men, even high-ranking Prophets were not spared from His strict accountability; and, (2) The right attitude for man is not to brag and feel proud after committing an error, but to bow down humbly before his Lord as soon as he realizes his sin. It was the result of this attitude that Allah not only forgave the mistakes of those illustrious men but blessed them with still more favors and kindness.","We subjected the wind to him, so that it blew gently at his bidding, wherever he directed it,[1]###[1] For explanation, see (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 81 and E.N. 74) thereof. However, there is one thing which requires further explanation here. In Surah Al-Anbiya where mention has been made of subjecting the wind for the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him), it has been described as the strongly blowing wind, but here “it blew by his command gently wherever he intended”. This means that the wind in itself was strong and violent as is needed for moving the sailing-ships but it had been made gentle for the Prophet Solomon in the sense that it blew whither-soever he wanted it to blow for his commercial fleets.","and We also subjected the devils to him � all kinds of builders and divers;","and others that were bound with chains.[1]###[1] For explanation, see(Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 82);(Surah An-Naml, Ayats 17, 39 )and the E.Ns thereof. The satans imply the jinns, and the satans linked in chains imply the serving satans, who were fettered and imprisoned as a punishment for making mischief. It is not necessary that the fetters and chains in which those satans were bound might be made of iron and they might appear as bound in them like the human prisoners. In any case, they were imprisoned in a manner that they could neither escape nor were able to commit further mischief.","“This is Our bestowal. So give or withhold as you wish without account.”[1]###[1] This verse can have three meanings: (1) This is Our unlimited gift: You have the authority to give of it freely to whomsoever you like and keep it from whomsoever you like. (2) This is Our gift: You may give of it to whomsoever you like and keep it from whomsoever you like, you will not be called to account for giving it or keeping it from the people. (3) Another meaning of it given by some commentators is: The satans have been placed entirely under your control: you may set free whomsoever you like and restrain whomsoever you like. You will not be held accountable for this.","Indeed an exalted position of nearness awaits him and an excellent resort.[1]###[1] Here, the object is to tell that just as a servant’s arrogance causes Allah’s displeasure and wrath, so does his humility earns Allah’s pleasure and approval for him. If a servant commits an error and becomes even more arrogant when warned, he is led to the same fate as is being mentioned in connection with the story of Adam and Satan below. Contrary to this, if a servant happens to commit an error and he repents and bows down before his Lord humbly, he is blessed with such bounties as the Prophets David and Solomon (peace be upon them) were blessed with. The prayer that Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) had made after seeking Allah’s forgiveness, was literally fulfilled and Allah actually granted him a kingdom as had neither been granted to anyone before him nor bestowed on anyone after him. Having control over the winds and the jinns is an extraordinary power, which has been granted only to the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) and to none else in human history.","And remember Our servant Job:[1] when he cried to his Lord: “Behold, Satan has afflicted me with much hardship and suffering.”[2]###[1] This is the fourth place in the Quran where the Prophet Job (peace be upon him) has been mentioned. Before this he has been mentioned in (Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 163); (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 84 )and (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayats 83-84). For the details about him, please see (E.Ns 76 to 79 of Surah Al- Anbiya). \t [2] This does not mean that Satan has afflicted me with illness and brought distress upon me, but it means: The affliction of the severities of illness, the loss of property and wealth, and the desertion of the near and dear ones is not so great a torment and trouble for me as the temptation of Satan, who is exploiting my condition to despair me of my Lord and wants that I should turn ungrateful to Him and become desperate and impatient. This meaning of the lamentation of the Prophet Job (peace be upon him) is preferable for two reasons: (1) According to the Quran, Allah has granted Satan only the power of temptation. He has not given him the power to afflict with illness the worshipers of Allah and compel them to deviate from the way of service and obedience by causing them physical ailments. (2) In Surah Al-Anbiya when the Prophet Job (peace be upon him) puts before Allah his complaint about illness and disease, he does not mention Satan at all, but says only: I have been afflicted with the disease and You are most Merciful.","(We commanded him): “Stamp your foot on earth, and here is cool water to wash with and to drink.”[1]###[1] That is, as soon as he stamped his foot on the ground, a spring gushed forth by Allah’s command, drinking from which and washing with which was the remedy of the Prophet Job’s (peace be upon him) disease. Most probably he was suffering from some skin disease. According to the Bible also: Satan smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. (Job, 2: 7).","And We granted to him his family and also the like of them,[1] as a mercy from Us, and as a reminder to people of understanding,[2]###[1] Traditions show that during this illness everyone except his wife had deserted the Prophet Job (peace be upon him); even his children had turned away. To this Allah has alluded, saying: When We granted him health, the whole family returned to him, and then We granted him even more children. \t [2] That is, in it there is a lesson for an intelligent man. Neither should man forget God and become arrogant in good times nor despair of Him in bad times. Good fortune and misfortune are entirely in the Power of Allah, the One. If He wills He can change the best times of man into the worst times and the worst into the best. Therefore, a wise person should trust in Him alone in all sorts of circumstances and should pin all his hopes on Him.","(and We said to him): “Take in your hand a bundle of rushes and strike with it, and do not break your oath.”[1] Indeed We found him steadfast. How excellent a servant (of Ours) he was. Indeed he constantly turned (to his Lord).[2]###[1] A careful study of these words shows that the Prophet Job (peace be upon him) during illness had been annoyed with somebody (according to traditions, his wife) and sworn to beat him or her by giving so many stripes. When Allah restored him to health and the anger of the illness was gone, he became worried as how to fulfill the oath. For if he carried out the oath, he would be inflicting pain on an innocent person, and if he did not, he would be committing the sin of breaking the oath. Allah took him out of the difficult situation by the command: Take a broom containing as many sticks of straw as the number of the stripes you had sworn to give; then strike the person just once with the broom so as both to fulfill your oath and to avoid giving undue trouble to the person concerned. \t [2] Some jurists hold the view that this concession was specially meant for the Prophet Job (peace be upon him), and some others think that other people also can take advantage of it. The first view has been cited by Ibn Asakir from Abdullah bin Abbas and by Abu Bakr al-Jassas from Mujahid, and Imam Malik also held the same view. The second view has been adopted by Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Abu Yusuf, Imam Muhammad, Imam Zufar and Imam Shafei. They say that if a person, for instance, has sworn to give his servant ten stripes, and afterwards combines ten whips and strikes him only once in a way that some part of each whip strikes him, his oath will be fulfilled.","And remember Our servants � Abraham, Isaac and Jacob � they were endowed with great strength and vision.[1]###[1] The actual words in the text mean: Those who possessed the hands and the insights. The hand, as we have explained above, implies power and capability. To describe these Prophets as “men of great power and insight” means that they were practical men. They possessed great power to obey Allah and to abstain from sin, and they had made great efforts for raising the Word of Allah in the world. “Insight” does not mean eye-sight but the vision of the heart and mind. They could see and recognize the truth. They did not live like the blind in the world, but they walked the straight path of guidance, in the full light of knowledge, with open eyes. In these words, there is a subtle allusion to this also that the people who commit evil, and have gone astray, are in fact, deprived of the hands as well as the eyes. He only, who works in the cause of Allah, possesses the hands, and he, who distinguishes between the light of the truth and the darkness of falsehood, only possesses the eyes.","Verily We exalted them in consideration of a sterling quality: their remembrance of the Abode of the Hereafter.[1]###[1] That is, the real cause for their success and eminence was that there was nothing of worldliness in their character. All their efforts, mental and physical, were directed towards the Hereafter. They remembered it themselves and urged others also to remember it. That is why Allah exalted them to such high ranks as have never been attained by those who remained absorbed in earning worldly wealth and prosperity. In this regard, one should also keep in view the subtle point that Allah here has only used the word ad-dar (that abode, or the real abode) for the Hereafter. This is meant to impress the truth that this world is no abode for man, but only a passage and a rest house, which man has to leave in any case. The real abode is the abode of the Hereafter. He who works to adorn that abode is the man of insight and such a one should inevitably be a commendable person in the sight of Allah. As for him who in order to adorn his transitory abode in this rest house behaves in a way as to ruin his real abode in the Hereafter is foolish and naturally cannot be liked by Allah.","In Our sight they are among the chosen and excellent ones.","And remember Ishmael, Elisha,[1] and Dhu al-Kifl.[2]All were of the best.###[1] The Prophet AlYasa (peace be upon him) has been mentioned only twice in the Quran, in Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 86 and here, without any detail about him. Only his name appears in the chain of the Prophets. He was one of the major Prophets of Israel, belonged to Abel Meholah, a place on the river Jordan, and is well known as Elisha among the Jews and Christians. When the Prophet Elijah (peace be upon him) had taken refuge in the Sinai peninsula, he was commanded to return to Syria and Palestine for some important works, one of which was to prepare the Prophet Elisha for his successor-ship. Accordingly, when the Prophet Elijah came to his town, he found Elisha ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. The Prophet Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him, and he left the oxen and followed him. (I Kings, 19:15-21). He remained under training with him for 10 to 12 years. Then, when Allah recalled Elijah, he was appointed Prophet in his place. (2 Kings, oh.2). The Second Book of the Kings gives a detailed account of the Prophet Elisha (chs, 2 to 13), which shows that when the Israeli state of northern Palestine got lost in polytheism, idol-worship and moral evils, Elisha a pointed Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, king of Israel against the royal dynasty due to whose misdeeds those evils had spread in Israel. Jehu not only put an end to Baal-worship, but also condemned to death every member of the wicked family, including its children. But in spite of this reformist revolution the evils that had taken root in Israel could not be completely eradicated, and after the death of the Prophet Elisha they assumed enormous proportions; so much so that the Assyrians began to invade Samaria whenever they pleased. (For details, see (E.N. 7 of Surah Bani-Israil) and(E.Ns 70, 71 of Surah As-Saaffat). \t [2] Dhul-Kifil also has been mentioned only twice in the Quran, in (Surah Al Anbiya, Ayat 85) and here. For our research about him see (E.N. 81 of Surah Al-Anbiya).","This was a remembrance. An excellent retreat awaits the God-fearing","� everlasting Gardens with gates wide open for them[1]###[1] The words mufattahat-al-lahum-ul-abwab may have several meanings: (1) They will go about in the Gardens (Paradise) freely without any hesitation. (2) No effort will have to be made to open the gates of Paradise, they will open automatically as soon as they will have the desire to enter them. (3) The angels appointed for keeping Paradise will open the gates for them as soon as they see them. This third meaning has been expressed more clearly at another place in the Quran, thus: When they arrive there, and its gates shall already have been opened, its keepers will say: Peace be upon you, you have fared well, enter here to dwell for ever. (Surah Az-Zumar, Ayat 73).","wherein they shall recline, wherein they shall ask for abundant fruit and drinks,","and wherein there shall be with them well-matched, bashful mates.[1]###[1] “Of equal age” may mean that they will be of equal age among themselves, and also that they will be of the same age as their husbands.","All this is what you are promised for the Day of Judgement.","This is Our provision for you, never to end.","All this (is for the God-fearing). But for the transgressors, an evil resort awaits them �","Hell, where they will be roasted. An evil place to dwell!","All this (is for them); so let them taste boiling water and pus,[1]###[1] Several meanings of the word ghassaq, as used in the original, have been given by the lexicographers: (1) Any moisture that is discharged by the body in the form of pus, blood, or mixture of pus and blood, etc. and this includes tears as well. (2) Something extremely cold. (3) Something stinking and giving out offensive smell. However, the word is generally used in the first meaning only, though the other two meanings also are correct lexically.","and other sufferings of the kind.","(Observing their followers advancing to Hell they will say, among themselves: “This is a troop rushing in to you. There is no welcome for them. They are destined to roast in the Fire.”","They will reply: “Rather, no welcome to you. (You will roast in Hell.) It is you who led us to this end. What an evil resort!”","They will say: “Our Lord, give twofold punishment in the Fire to him who has led us to this.”","They will say to one another: “But why do we not see those whom we considered him among the wicked?[1]###[1] This implies the believers whom the disbelievers used to look down upon as bad people in the world. It means: They will look around bewildered and will find only themselves and their guides in Hell but will find no trace of those people of whom they used to talk disparagingly in the world, and whom they used to mock in their meetings for talking about God, the Messenger and the Hereafter.","Is it that we mistakenly made fun of them; or have they disappeared from our sight?”","Verily all this is true. This is how the inmates of the Fire will dispute among themselves.","Tell them, (O Prophet):[1] “I am nothing but a warner.[2] There is no deity but Allah, the One, the Supreme,###[1] Now the discourse turns to the same theme with which it began. One should read it with  (1-14 verses) in order to understand the meaning fully. \t [2] In verse 4 it was said: The people wonder that a warner from among themselves has come to them. Here it is being said: Tell them: I am only a warner. That is: I do not command an army that I may forcibly pull you from a wrong way and put you on the right way. If you do not listen to me and do not accept my message, you will only be causing a loss to yourselves. If you like to remain ignorant, you may continue to be heedless, for you will see your end yourselves.","the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is in between them, the Most Mighty, the Most Forgiving.”","Say: “This is a tiding of tremendous import","from which you are turning away.”[1]###[1] This is the answer to what the disbelievers said in verse 5: Has he made just One God in place of all the gods? This is indeed a strange thing. It means: You may frown and scowl as you like, but this is a reality of which I am informing you, and your frowning and scowling cannot change it.","(Tell them): “I had no knowledge of the High Council when they were disputing.","I am told (about matters) by means of revelation only because I am a clear warner.”","When your Lord said to the angels:[1] “Verily I am creating a human being from clay.[2]###[1] This is the explanation of the dispute referred to about, and the dispute implies Satan’s dispute with God, as becomes evident from the verses that follow. In this regard, one should bear in mind the fact that “the exalted” implies the angels, and the dialogue between Allah and Satan was not direct but it took place through some angel. Therefore, no one should have the misunderstanding that Allah also was included among the exalted ones. This story has already been narrated at the following places: (Surah Al- Baqarah, Ayats 30-39); (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayats 11-25); (Surah Al-Hijr, Ayats 26-44); (Surah Bani Israil, Ayats 61-65); (Surah Al-Kahf, Ayat 50); (Surah TaHa, Ayats 116-126). \t [2] Lexically, bashar means a gross body whose surface is bare and uncovered by anything else. After the creation of man this word has been used for man himself, but mentioning him by the word bashar before his creation and making him from clay clearly means: I am about to make an image of clay, which will be without any feathers and hair, etc. whose skin will not be covered by wool or hair or feathers like the skin of other animals.","After I have created him and breathed into him of My spirit,[1] fall you down, prostrating yourselves to him.”[2]###[1] For explanation, see (Surah Al-Hijr, Ayats 29-30), and(E.N. 16 of Surah As-Sajdah). \t [2] For explanation, see (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayats 34); (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 11) and the E.Ns thereof.","Then the angels, all of them, prostrated themselves before Adam","except Iblis. He waxed proud and became one of the unbelievers.[1]###[1] For explanation, see(Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 34); (Surah Al-Kahf, Ayat 50) and the E.Ns. thereof.","The Lord said: “O Iblis, what prevented you from prostrating yourself before him whom I created of My Two Hands.[1] Are you waxing proud, or fancy yourself to be too exalted?”###[1] These words have been used to point out the honor, rank and glory bestowed on man by his Creator. In other words, Allah did not get man created through his angels but created him by Himself because his creation was a highly noble task. Therefore, what is meant to be said is: What has prevented you from prostrating yourself before him whom I have made directly Myself?","He replied: “I am nobler than he. You created me from fire and created him from clay.”","He said: “Get out of here;[1] surely you are accursed,[2]###[1] “Out of it”: From the place where Adam was created and where the angels were commanded to bow down before Adam, and where Iblis committed disobedience of Allah. \t [2] Lexically, the word rajim, as used in the original, means “cast off” or “smitten”; in common usage it is used for the person, who has been thrown down from a place of honor and humiliated. In Surah Al-Aaraf, the same thing has been expressed thus: Get out: you are indeed one of those who wish themselves ignominy. (verse 13).","and My curse shall remain upon you till the Day of Resurrection.”[1]###[1] This does not mean that there will be no curse on him after the Day of Judgment, but rather it means: He will remain accursed till the Day of Judgment because of his disobedience, and after the Day of Judgment he will be punished for the sins which he will have committed from the creation of Adam until Resurrection.","Satan said: “My Lord, then grant me respite till the Day that they are raised up.”","He said: “You are of those who have been granted respite","till the Day whose Hour I know.”","(Iblis) said: “By Your glory, I shall mislead them all","except those of Your servants, the chosen ones from amongst them.”[1]###[1] This does not mean: I will not lead Your chosen servants astray, but it means: I shall have no power over Your chosen servants.","He (i.e. Allah) said: “This is the Truth � and I only speak the Truth �","I will certainly fill the Gehenna with you[1] and with all those among them who follow you.”[2]###[1] “With you” is not only addressed to Iblis but to the whole species of satans. That is, Iblis and his whole army of the satans who will be joining him in misleading mankind till Resurrection. \t [2] This entire story has been related in answer to this saying of the chiefs of the Quraish: Was he the only (fit) person among us to whom Allah’s admonition should have been sent down? Its first answer was the one given in verses 9-10, saying: Are you the owners of the treasures of the mercy of your Mighty and Bounteous Lord? And does the kingdom of the heavens and the earth belong to you, and is it for you to decide as to who should be appointed God’s Prophet and who should not be appointed? In the second answer the chiefs of the Quraish have been told: Your jealousy, your pride and arrogance against Muhammad (peace be upon him) are similar to the jealousy and arrogance of Iblis against Adam (peace be upon him). Iblis had also refused to acknowledge the right of Allah to appoint anyone He pleased as His vicegerent, and you are also refusing to acknowledge His right to appoint anyone He pleases as His Messenger. Iblis disobeyed the command to bow down before Adam, and you are disobeying the command to follow Muhammad (peace be upon him). Your resemblance with him does not end here, but your fate also will be the same as has been pre-ordained for him, i.e. the curse of God in the world and the fire of Hell in the Hereafter.","(O Prophet), tell them: “I do not ask you for any recompense for the performance of this task;[1] nor am I given to affectation.[2]###[1] That is, I am a selfless person: I have no vested interest in preaching this message. \t [2] That is, I am not one of those who arise with false claims for the sake of vanity and pose to be what actually they are not. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has not been made to say this merely for the information of the disbelievers of Makkah but this is testified by his whole life which he lived among the same people for forty years before his advent as a Prophet. Every child of Makkah was a witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not an impostor. Never had anybody from among the people of Makkah ever heard anything from him which might have caused somebody the doubt that he aspired to be a great man and was planning and scheming for that end.","This is nothing but an Admonition for all people the world over.","You will know the truth of the matter after a while.”[1]###[1] That is, those of you who live will see for themselves within a few years that what I am saying is fulfilled. Those who die will come to know as soon as they pass through the gate of death that the truth is the same which I am preaching.","The revelation of this Book is from Allah, the Most Mighty, the Most Wise.[1]###[1] This is a brief introduction to the Surah which only stresses the point that the Quran is not Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) word, as the disbelievers assert, but it is Allah’s Word, which He Himself has sent down. Along with this, two of Allah's attributes have been mentioned to warn the listeners of two realities so that they do not underestimate this Word but understand its full importance: (1) That Allah Who has sent it down, is All-Mighty; that is, He is so powerful that no power can prevent His will and decisions from being enforced and none can dare resist Him in any way. (2) That He is All-wise; that is, the guidance He is giving in this Book, is wholly based on wisdom, and only an ignorant and foolish person can turn away from it. (For further explanation, see (E.N. 1 of Surah As-Sajdah).","(O Prophet), it is We Who have revealed this Book to you with Truth.[1] So serve only Allah, consecrating your devotion to Him.[2]###[1] That is, it contains nothing but the truth, and there is no element of falsehood in it. \t [2] This is a very important verse which states the real objective of the message of Islam. Therefore, one should not pass over it superficially, but should try to understand its meaning and intention. It has two basic points: (1) That the demand is to worship Allah. (2) That the demand is of such worship as may be performed by making religion exclusively Allah’s. Ibadat is derived from abd, and this word is used as an antonym of freeman for the slave and bondsman in Arabic. Accordingly, ibadat contains two meanings: (1) Worship and devotion. (2) Humble and willing obedience, as is borne out by the well known and authoritative Arabic Lexicon, Lisan al- Arab. Thus, according to the authentic lexical explanation, the demand is not only of Allah’s worship but also of willing and sincere obedience to His commands and laws.","Lo, religion is exclusively devoted to Allah.[1] Your religion is entirely consecrated to Him. As for those who have taken others than Allah for their guardians, (they say): “We worship them only that they may bring us nearer to Allah.”[2] Allah will judge between them concerning what they differ about.[3] Verily Allah does not guide anyone who is given to sheer lying, is an utter unbeliever.[4]###[1] This is an actual fact and reality, which has been presented as an argument for the above demand. It means: You should worship Allah, making deen exclusively His, for it is only Allah’s right that He should be obeyed and worshiped sincerely and exclusively. In other words, there is no one else who may deserve to be worshiped so that he also should be served and worshiped besides Allah and his commands and laws also obeyed. If a person serves someone else, apart from Allah, sincerely and exclusively, he does it wrong. Likewise, if he combines the worship of someone else with his worship of Allah, this also is against the truth. The best commentary of this verse is the Hadith which Ibn Marduyah has related from Yazid ar-Raqashi. He says: A person asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): We give away our wealth so that we become well-known. Shall we get a reward for this? The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: No. He asked: What, if one has the intention both of Allah’s reward and of reputation in the world? The Holy Prophet replied: Allah does not accept any deed unless it is performed exclusively for His sake. After this he recited this same verse. \t [2] The disbelievers of Makkah said and the polytheists the world over generally say the same: We do not worship other beings regarding them as our creators: the Creator is only Allah, and He alone is the real Deity; but He is too high for us to have access to Him. Therefore, we make these saintly beings a means to convey our prayers and our petitions to Allah. \t [3] One should understand it well that unity and concord is possible only through Tauhid: there can be no unity through shirk. The polytheists the world over have never agreed as to which beings are the definite means of access to Allah. Some people have taken some particular gods and goddesses as the means, but even among them there is no agreement on all the gods and goddesses; some others have taken the moon, the sun, Mars, Jupiter, etc. as the means, and they also are not agreed as to which of them holds what rank and which is the real means of approach to Allah. Some others have taken the dead saints as the means, but they also differ widely about them: one believes in one saint and another in another. The reason is that the belief about these different beings is neither based on any knowledge, nor has Allah ever sent down a list telling that such and such persons are His special favorites; therefore, they only should be made the means to have access to Him. This is a creed which has spread among the people only on account of superstitions and whims and blind imitation of the elders. Hence the differences. \t [4] Here, Allah has used two words for these people, kazib (liar) and kaffar (denier). They have been called kazib because they have falsely invented this creed by themselves, and then they spread falsehood among others. As for kaffar. it has two meanings: (1) A stubborn disbeliever, i.e. the people who insist on their false creed even after the doctrine of Tauhid has come before them. (2) Ungrateful for blessings, i.e. they arc receiving all kinds of blessings from Allah, but are thanking those other beings about whom they have assumed that these blessings are reaching them through their agency and influence.","If Allah had wanted to take to Himself a son, He could have chosen anyone He wanted out of those whom He creates.[1] Glory be to Him (that He should have a son). He is Allah: the One, the Overpowering.[2]###[1] That is, it is just impossible that Allah should have begotten a son. The only possibility is that Allah should choose someone for Himself; and whomever He chooses will inevitably be from among the creatures, for everything in the world, apart from Allah, is His creation. Now, evidently, however exalted and chosen a creature might be, it cannot have the position of the offspring. For between the Creator and the created there exists a great disparity of nature and essence and character, and parenthood necessarily demands that there should be the unity of nature and essence between a father and his offspring. Besides, one should also bear in mind the point that the words: “If Allah had intended to take a son, He could have chosen from what He created” themselves give the meaning that Allah has never intended so. Here the object is to impress that not to speak of taking a son, Allah has never even intended so. \t [2] The following are the arguments by which the doctrine of parenthood has been refuted:","He created the heavens and the earth with Truth,[1] and He folds up the day over the night and folds up the night over the day. He has subjected the sun and the moon, each is running its course until an appointed time. Lo, He is the Most Mighty, the Most Forgiving.[2]###[1] For explanation, see(Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 19);(Surah An-Nahl, Ayat 3);(Surah Al-Ankabut, Ayat 44), and the E.Ns thereof. \t [2] That is, He is All-Mighty: if He wills to punish you, no power can resist Him. But it is His kindness that He does not seize you forthwith in spite of your arrogant and insolent behavior, but He goes on giving you respite after respite. Here, Allah’s making no haste in seizing people in punishment and His giving them respite has been called forgiveness.","He it is Who created you from a single being, and He it is Who made from it its mate.[1] He it is Who created for you eight heads of cattle in pairs.[2] He creates you in your mothers' wombs, giving you one form after another in threefold depths of darkness.[3] That, then, is Allah, your Lord.[4] His is the kingdom.[5] There is no god but He.[6] So, whence are you being turned astray?[7]###[1] This does not mean that first He created the human beings from Adam and then created his wife, Eve. But here, instead of the chronological order, there is the order of presentation, examples of which are found in every language. For instance, we say, “Whatever you did today is known to me, and whatever you did yesterday is also in my knowledge.” This cannot mean that what happened yesterday has happened after today. \t [2] That is, the camel, cow, sheep and goat, whose four males and four females together make eight heads of cattle. \t [3] The three dark veils are: the belly, the womb and the caul or membrane enclosing the fetus. \t [4] “Your Lord”: your Master, Ruler and Providence. \t [5] That is, all powers and authority rest with Him and it is He Who is ruling over the whole Universe. \t [6] In other words, the reasoning is this: When Allah alone is your Lord and His is the sovereignty, then inevitably your Deity also is He. How can another be your deity when he has neither any share in providence nor any role in sovereignty? After all, how can it be reasonable for you to take others as your deities when Allah alone is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, when Allah alone has subjected the sun and the moon for you, when He alone brings the day after the night and the night after the day, and when He alone is your own Creator and Lord as well as of all animals and cattle? \t [7] These words need deep consideration. It has not been said: “How are you turning away?” but “How are you turned away?” That is, there is someone else who is misleading you, and being thus deceived you do not understand such a simple and reasonable thing. The other thing which by itself becomes evident from the style is: The word “you” is not addressed to the agents but to those who were turning away under their influence. There is a subtle point in this which can be understood easily after a little thought. Those who were working to turn away others (from the right way) were present in the same society and were doing whatever they could openly and publicly. Therefore, there was no need to mention them by name. It was also useless to address them, for they were trying to turn away the people from the service of Allah, the One, and entrapping them for the service of others, and keeping them entrapped for selfish motives. Obviously, such people could not be made to see reason by argument, for it lay in their own interest not to understand and see reason, and even after understanding they could hardly be inclined to sacrifice their interests. However, the condition of the common people who were being deceived and cheated was certainly pitiable. They had no interest involved in the business; therefore, they could be convinced by reasoning and argument, and after a little understanding they could also see what advantages were being gained by those who were showing them the way to other deities, after turning them away from Allah. That is why the address has been directed to the common people, who were being misguided rather than those few who were misguiding them.","If you disbelieve, know well that Allah has no need of you.[1] Yet He does not like unbelief in His servants.[2] But if you are thankful, your thankfulness will please Him.[3] No one shall bear another's burden.[4] You are destined to return to your Lord and He will tell you what you used to do. He is well aware even of what lies hidden in your breasts.###[1] That is, your disbelief cannot cause any decrease or deficiency in His Kingdom. He will be God if you believe in Him, and He will still be God if you deny Him. He is ruling over His Kingdom by His own power. Your believing or denying Him does not affect His Sovereignty in any way. According to Hadith (Muslim), Allah says: O My servants, if all of you, the former and the latter, the men and the jinns, become like the heart of a most sinful person among you, it will cause no deficiency whatever in My Kingdom. \t [2] That is, He does not approve, not for any interest of His own but for the interest and benefit of the servants themselves that they should disbelieve, for disbelief is harmful for them. Here, one should bear in mind the fact that Allah’s will is one thing and His approval and pleasure another. Nothing in the world can happen against Allah’s will, but many things can happen against His approval, and are happening day and night. For example, the dominance of the tyrants and the wicked in the world, the existence of thieves and robbers, the presence of murderers and adulterers, are possible only because Allah has made room for the occurrence of these evils and the existence of these criminals in the scheme of things ordained by Him. Then He provides opportunities also of committing evil just as He provides opportunities to the good of doing good. Had He made no room for these evils and had provided no opportunities of committing wrongs to the evildoers, no evil would have ever occurred in the world. All this is based on Allah’s will. But the occurrence of an act under divine will does not mean that Allah’s approval also goes with it. This may be explained by an example. If a person tries to obtain his living only by lawful means, Allah provides him his living through those means. This is His will. But providing for the thief or the robber or the corrupt person under the will does not mean that Allah also likes stealing and robbery and taking of bribes. Allah says the same thing here, as if to say: If you want to disbelieve, you may do so. We will not stop you from this nor make you believe forcibly. But We do not approve that you should deny your Creator and Provider, being His servants, for it is harmful for yourselves. Our Godhead is not harmed and affected by it in any way. \t [3] The word shukr (gratitude) has been used here as against kufr (disbelief) instead of Iman (belief). This by itself shows that kufr is, in fact, ingratitude and disloyalty, and faith is the necessary requirement of gratitude. The person who has any feeling of the favors of Allah Almighty, cannot adopt any other way than that of belief and faith. Therefore, gratitude and faith are correlatives. Wherever there is gratitude there will be faith also. On the contrary, wherever there is disbelief, there will be no question of gratitude at all, for gratitude along with disbelief is meaningless. \t [4] It means this: Each one of you is himself responsible for his deeds. If a person adopts disbelief in order to please others, or to avoid their displeasure, those others will never bear the burden of his disbelief, but will leave him to bear his own burden. Therefore, anyone who comes to know that disbelief is wrong and belief is right, should give up the wrong attitude and adopt the right attitude, and avoid making himself liable for Allah’s punishment by associating himself with his family or brotherhood or nation.","When any affliction befalls man,[1] he cries out to his Lord, penitently turning to Him.[2] But when his Lord bestows His favour upon him, he forgets the affliction regarding which he had cried out[3] and sets up compeers to Allah[4] that they may lead others astray from His Path.[5] Say, (O Prophet): “Enjoy your unbelief for a while. Surely you will be among the inmates of the Fire.”###[1] “The man”: the disbeliever who adopted the way of ingratitude. \t [2] That is, at that time he does not remember those other deities whom he used to invoke in good times; but he despairs of them all and turns only to Allah, Lord of the worlds. This is a clear proof of the fact that in the depths of his heart he has the feeling that all other deities are helpless, and the realization that Allah alone is the possessor of all powers and authority lies buried and hidden deep in his mind. \t [3] That is, he again forgets the bad times when abandoning all other deities he was invoking only Allah, the One. \t [4] That is, he again starts serving others: he obeys them, prays to them and makes offerings before them. \t [5] That is, he is not content with his own self having gone astray, but also leads others astray, telling them that the affliction which had befallen him, had been averted by the help of such and such a pious man or saint, or god and goddess. Thus, many other people also put their faith in these deities besides Allah, and are further misled as the ignorant and foolish people describe their experiences before them.","Is such a person (preferable or he) who is obedient, and prostrates himself in the watches of the night, stands (in Prayer), is fearful of the Hereafter, and looks forward to the mercy of His Lord? Ask them: “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?”[1] Only those endowed with understanding take heed.###[1] It should be noted that two kinds of the men are being contrasted here. First, those who turn to Allah when a calamity befalls them, but worship others than Allah normally. Second, those who have made it their permanent way of life to obey Allah and worship and serve Him, and their worshiping Him in solitude during the night is a proof of their sincerity. The first kind of the men have been called ignorant by Allah, even if they might have devoured whole libraries. And the second kind of the men have been called the learned, even if they might be illiterate. For the real supremely important thing is the knowledge of the truth and man’s action according to it, and on this depends his true success. Allah asks: How can these two be equal? How can they possibly follow the same way together in the world, and meet with the same end in the Hereafter?","Tell them (O Prophet): “O you servants of Mine who believe, have fear of your Lord.[1] A good end awaits those who did good in this world.[2] Allah's earth is spacious.[3] Verily those who persevere shall be granted their reward beyond all reckoning.”[4]###[1] That is, do not rest content with belief but follow it up with piety and fear of God. Act according to what Allah has enjoined and avoid what He has forbidden and live in the world fearing His accountability. \t [2] Good and well-being both of this world and of the Hereafter. \t [3] That is, if one city, territory or land has become difficult for the worshipers of Allah, they may emigrate to another place where they may not have to face any such hardship. \t [4] Those who brave all kinds of hardships and persecutions in following the way of God-worship and piety but do not abandon the way of the truth. This also includes those people who emigrate to other countries and experience hardships in the foreign land for the sake of religion and faith, and those also who continue to face every kind of temptation and calamity firmly and patiently in the land where they are being persecuted.","Tell them, (O Prophet): “I am bidden to serve Allah, consecrating my devotion to Him,","and I am bidden to be the first of those who surrender to Him.”[1]###[1] That is, my mission is not only to exhort others but also to practice what I preach to myself. First, I follow the way which I call others to follow.","Say: “If I disobey my Lord, I fear the chastisement of an Awesome Day.”","Say: “Allah alone shall I serve, consecrating my devotion to Him.","So serve, apart from Him, whomsoever you please.” Say: “Behold, the real losers shall be those who will have lost their own selves and their kith and kin on the Day of Resurrection. Behold, that is the obvious loss.[1]###[1] Bankruptcy is loss of a person’s capital and failure of his business so that he is unable to pay his debts in full. This same metaphor Allah has used here for the disbelievers and polytheists, The sum total of whatever man has gotten in this worldly life, his intellect, body, powers, capabilities, means and opportunities is, in fact, the capital which he invests in the business of the worldly life. If a person invested all this capital on the hypothesis that there is no God, or that there are many gods, whose servant he is, and that he is not accountable to anyone, or that someone else will rescue him on Judgment Day, it would mean that he made a losing bargain and lost all his capital. This is his first loss. His second loss is that in everything that he did, on the basis of the wrong hypothesis, he went on wronging himself and many other men, and the coming generations and many other creatures of Allah, throughout his life. Thus, he got into countless debts, but has no money with which he may fully pay his debts. Over and above this, he has not only himself incurred this loss, but has caused the same loss to his children and near and dear ones and friends and fellow countrymen by his wrong education and training and wrong example. It is these three losses together which Allah has called khusran-i-mubin (utter bankruptcy) in this verse.","There shall be sheets of fire above them and beneath them. This is the end against which Allah warns His servants. So dread My wrath, O you servants of Mine!”","(On the other hand), good tidings await those who eschew serving false gods[1] and penitently return to Allah. (O Prophet), give good tidings to My servants,###[1] Taghut is from tughyan and means rebellion. If someone is called taghut (rebellion) instead of taghi (rebel), it would mean that he is a rebel incarnate. For example, if a person is called husn (beauty) instead of hasin (beautiful), it would mean that he has reached perfection in beauty. The deities other than Allah have been called taghut because it is rebellion to worship others besides Allah, but the one who has others worship him, is a rebel of the worst kind. (For further explanation, see(Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 256), (Surah An-Nisa, Ayats 60, 76), (Surah An-Naml, Ayat 36) and the E.Ns thereof).","to those who pay heed to what is said and follow the best of it.[1] They are the ones whom Allah has guided to the Right Way; they are the ones endowed with understanding.###[1] This verse can have two meanings:","(O Prophet), can you save him (from chastisement) against whom the sentence of chastisement has become due;[1] him who has, (as it were), already fallen into the Fire?”###[1] That is, the person who has made himself worthy of Allah’s punishment and about whom Allah has already decided that he will be punished.","But those who fear their Lord shall have lofty mansions built over one another beneath which rivers flow. This is Allah's promise and never does Allah fail to fulfil His promise.","Do you not see that Allah sent down water from the sky, then made it flow on earth as springs and streams and rivers[1] and then with it He brings forth vegetation of various hues; then this vegetation ripens and dries up, turning yellow, whereafter He reduces it to broken straw? Surely there is a lesson in this for those endowed with understanding.[2]###[1] The word yanaabi in the text is comprehensive and applies to all the three sources of water. \t [2] That is, a man of understanding learns this lesson from it that the life of this world and its adornments are all transitory. The end of every spring is autumn. The fate of every youth is weakness and death. And every rise has a fall. Therefore, this world is not something of which one should be charmed and enamored so as to forget God and the Hereafter and should conduct himself here in a manner as to ruin his Hereafter, only for the sake of enjoying the short lived pleasures of this world. Then a man of understanding also learns this lesson from these phenomena that the spring and autumn of this world are only under Allah’s control. Allah allows to grow and prosper whomsoever He wills and ruins and lays waste whomsoever He wills. Neither it is in anybody’s power to stop the growth of someone whom Allah wills to grow, nor has anyone the power to save him from destruction whom Allah wills to destroy.","Can he whose breast Allah has opened up for Islam[1] and who is thus (moving along a Path) illumined by a light from Allah[2] (be likened to him who derives no lesson from what he observes)? Woe, then, to those whose hearts were further hardened[3] after Allah's admonition. Such are indeed in obvious error.###[1] “Whose breast... Islam”: Whom Allah helps to learn a lesson from these realities and to be satisfied with Islam as based on the truth. Opening of a man’s breast for something is, in fact, a state in which there remains no anxiety or ambiguity or suspicion and doubt in his mind about the thing, nor has he the feeling of any danger and loss in accepting and adopting it, but he decides with full satisfaction of the heart that it is the truth; therefore, he must follow it whatever be the consequences. Having made such a decision when a person adopts the way of Islam, he obeys whatever command he receives from Allah and His Messenger willingly and with pleasure, without any hesitation. He accepts whatever beliefs and ideas, rules and regulations he comes across in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him) as if they were the voice of his own heart. He does not feel any compunction on giving up an unlawful gain, because he believes that it was no gain for him at all; it was rather a loss from which Allah saved him by His grace. Likewise, even if he incurs a loss while following the way of righteousness, he does not feel sad about this but bears it with patience and regards it as an ordinary loss as compared to the loss of turning away from the way of Allah. The same is his behavior on confronting dangers. He believes that there is no other way for him, which he may follow in order to avoid the danger. The straight way of Allah is only one, which he has to follow in any case. If there is a danger in following it, let it be. \t [2] “Upon a light from his Lord”: In the light of the knowledge of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him), by the help of which he sees clearly at every step which is the straight path of the truth among the countless by-paths of life. \t [3] As against the opening of the breast there can be two other states of man’s heart: (1) The state of narrowing of the breast and squeezing of the heart; and in this state there still remains some room for the truth to permeate it. (2) The state of hardening or petrifying of the heart; in this there is left no room whatever for the truth to permeate. About this second state Allah says that the person who reaches such a stage is totally ruined. This means that if a person becomes inclined to accept the truth, even though with an unveiling and squeezed heart, there remains some possibility for him to be redeemed. This second theme becomes obvious from the style and tenor of the verse itself, though Allah has not stated it directly. For the real intention of the verse was to warn those who were bent upon stubbornness in their antagonism towards the Prophet (peace be upon him) and had made up their mind not to listen to him at all. For this they have been warned, as if to say: You take pride in this stubbornness of yours, but, as a matter of fact, there cannot be a greater misfortune and unworthiness of man than that his heart should become even more hardened, instead of becoming soft, when he hears Allah being mentioned and the admonition sent by Him.","Allah has revealed the best teaching, a self-consistent Book[1] which repeats its contents in manifold forms whereat shiver the skins of those that hold their Lord in awe, and then their skins and their hearts soften for Allah's remembrance. That is Allah's Guidance wherewith He guides whosoever He pleases. And he whom Allah does not guide to the Right Path has none to guide him.###[1] That is, there is no contradiction and disagreement between them. The whole Book, from the beginning to the end, projects one and the same aim, one and the same belief, and one and the same system of thought and action. Each of its parts confirms and supports and explains the other themes; and there is perfect consistency in it both in meaning and in style.","How woeful is the plight of him who has nothing except his face to shield him from severe chastisement on the Day of Resurrection?[1] Such evil-doers shall be told: “Taste now the consequence of your deeds.”[2]###[1] One takes a blow on his face only when he is absolutely helpless and powerless, otherwise until one has some power to resist, he goes on receiving the blows on the other parts of his body but saves his face. Therefore, here the extreme state of helplessness of a person has been depicted, saying that he will receive the severe punishment on his face. \t [2] The word kasab, in the Quranic terminology, implies one’s descrying and earning a reward and punishment in consequence of his actions and deeds. The real earning of a doer of good is that he becomes worthy of Allah’s reward, and the earning of the evil-doer is the punishment that he will receive in the Hereafter.","Their predecessors gave the lie to the Truth and then chastisement came upon them from whence they could not imagine.","So Allah made them taste degradation in the life of this world, and certainly the chastisement of the Hereafter will be much more grievous. Would that they knew!","We have indeed propounded for mankind all kinds of parables in this Qur'an that they may take heed.","It is an Arabic Qur'an[1] free of all crookedness[2] that they may guard against their evil end.###[1] That is, it has not been sent down in a foreign language so that the people of Makkah and Arabia should stand in need of a translator or interpreter, but it is in their own language, which they can understand directly. \t [2] That is, there is nothing of double-dealing in it so that a common man should find it difficult to understand, but everything has been presented in it in a straightforward manner, from which everyone can know what this Book states as wrong and why, what it states as right and on what ground, what it wants the people to accept and what it wants them to reject, and what it enjoins and what it forbids.","Allah propounds a parable: there is a man whose ownership is shared by several quarrelsome masters, each pulling him to himself; and there is another who is exclusively owned by one man. Can the two be alike?[1] All praise and thanks be to Allah.[2] But most of them are unaware.[3]###[1] Allah in this parable has explained the difference between shirk and Tauhid and the impact each has on human life so clearly that it is not possible to put across such a vast theme so concisely and effectively in other words. Everyone will admit that the person who has many masters, each one pulling him to himself, and the masters are also so ill-tempered that no one spares him time in his service to obey the other, and no one rests content only with threatening and cursing him if he fails to carry out his command from among the contradictory commands of the other masters, but is bent upon punishing him, his life would certainly be in great anguish. On the contrary, the person, who is the slave or servant of only one master, would be living a life of ease and comfort because he will not have to serve and seek the pleasure of another master. This is such a straightforward thing which does not need deep consideration for its understanding. After this it remains no longer difficult for a person to understand that the peace of mind and satisfaction that accrue to him from the service of One God, can never accrue from the service of many gods. \t [2] Here, it should be understood well that the parable of many ill-tempered and contesting masters cannot apply to the images of stone, but it only applies to living masters, who practically give contradictory commands to man and keep pulling him to themselves in actual reality. One such master sits in his own self, which presents before him desires of every kind and compels him to fulfill them. Other countless masters are there in the house, in the family, in the brotherhood, in the society, among the religious guides and the rulers and legislators, in the business and economic circles and among the dominant powers of civilization whose contradictory demands and requirements keep on pulling man to themselves at All times; then any god whose demand he fails to fulfill in any way, does not let him go unpunished in his own circle. However, each one’s instrument of punishment is different. Someone causes a heart-break, another takes offense, another humiliates, another boycotts, another bankrupts, another makes a religious or a legal attack. Man has no other way of being saved from this anguish and agony but to adopt the way of Tauhid and become the slave of One God, and throw off the yoke of servitude of every other god. \t [3] Adoption of the Way of Tauhid also has two forms, which lead to different results:","(O Prophet), you are destined to die and they too are destined to die.[1]###[1] There is a subtle gap between the preceding sentence and this, which can be filled by every intelligent person himself by a little consideration of the context. It contains this theme: You are making every effort to make the people understand a simple thing in a simple way, but they are not only showing stubbornness with regard to what you say and rejecting it but are also bent upon harming you in order to suppress the manifest truth. Well, neither you are immortal nor they. Both you and they have to die one day. then, each of you will experience his own end.","Then eventually all of you will contend before your Lord on the Day of Resurrection."]