Section VI: Verses (78-94)
In the preceding verses, the prophets who
were founders of their nations were mentioned in chronological
order. Coming up is the mention of prophets who had some
specific traits in their conduct. They are the ones who are an
example for all mankind with regard to their character.
Foremost, David (sws) and Solomon (sws) are mentioned. Both
were best examples of kings with a very humble temperament.
They were blessed by God with majesty and splendour but they
remained thankful to God and were never misled by their
grandeur. They spent all their resources and abilities to
please God. After that Job (sws), Ishmael (sws), Idris (sws)
and Dhu al-Kifl (sws) are mentioned. They outshone human
beings with regard to their patience and perseverance. God put
them through severe trials but they remained steadfast in
each. After that Jonah (sws), Zacharias (sws) and Mary (sws)
are mentioned. They called upon their Lord in hopeless and
desperate circumstances. God accepted their supplications and
out of His special mercy made the impossible possible for
them.
There is a great lesson in the lives of
these messengers for the addressees of this surah who showed
arrogance on being granted favours and blessings from God. At
the same time, they also provided guidance to the oppressed
companions of the Prophet (sws) who at that time were passing
through very precarious trials and could see nothing but
darkness in front of them.
Readers may proceed to study these verses
in the light of this background.
Text and Translation
وَ دَاوُدَ وَ سُلَیۡمٰنَ اِذۡ یَحۡکُمٰنِ فِی الۡحَرۡثِ اِذۡ
نَفَشَتۡ فِیۡهِ غَنَمُ الۡقَوۡمِ وَ کُنَّا لِحُکۡمِهِمۡ
شَهِدِیۡنَ (78) فَفَهَّمۡنَهَا سُلَیۡمٰنَ وَ کُلًّا اٰتَیۡنَا
حُکۡمًا وَّ عِلۡمًا وَّ سَخَّرۡنَا مَعَ دَاوُدَ الۡجِبَالَ
یُسَبِّحۡنَ وَ الطَّیۡرَ وَ کُنَّا فٰعِلِیۡنَ (79) وَ
عَلَّمۡنٰهُ صَنۡعَةَ لَبُوۡسٍ لَّکُمۡ لِتُحۡصِنَکُمۡ مِّنۡ
بَاۡسِکُمۡ فَهَلۡ اَنۡتُمۡ شٰکِرُوۡنَ (80) وَ لِسُلَیۡمٰنَ
الرِّیۡحَ عَاصِفَةً تَجۡرِیۡ بِاَمۡرِهِ اِلَی الۡاَرۡضِ
الَّتِیۡ بٰرَکۡنَا فِیۡهَا وَ کُنَّا بِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ عٰلِمِیۡنَ
(81) وَ مِنَ الشَّیٰطِیۡنِ مَنۡ یَّغُوۡصُوۡنَ لَهُ وَ
یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ عَمَلًا دُوۡنَ ذٰلِكَ وَ کُنَّا لَهُمۡ حٰفِظِیۡنَ
(82) وَ اَیُّوۡبَ اِذۡ نَادٰی رَبَّهُ اَنِّیۡ مَسَّنِیَ
الضُّرُّ وَ اَنۡتَ اَرۡحَمُ الرّٰحِمِیۡنَ (83) فَاسۡتَجَبۡنَا
لَهُ فَکَشَفۡنَا مَا بِهِ مِنۡ ضُرٍّ وَّ اٰتَیۡنٰهُ اَهۡلَهُ
وَ مِثۡلَهُمۡ مَّعَهُمۡ رَحۡمَةً مِّنۡ عِنۡدِنَا وَ ذِکۡرٰی
لِلۡعٰبِدِیۡنَ (84) وَ اِسۡمٰعِیۡلَ وَ اِدۡرِیۡسَ وَ
ذَاالۡکِفۡلِ کُلٌّ مِّنَ الصّٰبِرِیۡنَ (85) وَ اَدۡخَلۡنَهُمۡ
فِیۡ رَحۡمَتِنَا اِنَّهُمۡ مِّنَ الصّٰلِحِیۡنَ (86) وَ
ذَاالنُّوۡنِ اِذۡ ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ اَنۡ لَّنۡ
نَّقۡدِرَ عَلَیۡهِ فَنَادٰی فِی الظُّلُمٰتِ اَنۡ لَّاۤ اِلٰهَ
اِلَّاۤ اَنۡتَ سُبۡحٰنَكَ اِنِّیۡ کُنۡتُ مِنَ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ
(87) فَاسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَهُ وَ نَجَّیۡنَهُ مِنَ الۡغَمِّ وَ
کَذٰلِكَ نُــۡجِی الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ (88) وَ زَکَرِیَّاۤ اِذۡ
نَادٰی رَبَّهُ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرۡنِیۡ فَرۡدًا وَّ اَنۡتَ خَیۡرُ
الۡوٰرِثِیۡنَ (89) فَاسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَهُوَ وَهَبۡنَا لَهُ
یَحۡیٰی وَ اَصۡلَحۡنَا لَهُ زَوۡجَهُ اِنَّهُمۡ کَانُوۡا
یُسٰرِعُوۡنَ فِی الۡخَیۡرٰتِ وَ یَدۡعُوۡنَنَا رَغَبًا وَّ
رَهَبًا وَ کَانُوۡا لَنَا خَشِعِیۡنَ (90) وَ الَّتِیۡۤ
اَحۡصَنَتۡ فَرۡجَهَا فَنَفَخۡنَا فِیۡهَا مِنۡ رُّوۡحِنَا وَ
جَعَلۡنَهَا وَ ابۡنَهَاۤ اٰیَةً لِّلۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ (91) اِنَّ
هَذِهِۤ اُمَّتُکُمۡ اُمَّةً وَّاحِدَةً وَّ اَنَا رَبُّکُمۡ
فَاعۡبُدُوۡنِ (92) وَ تَقَطَّعُوۡۤا اَمۡرَهُمۡ بَیۡنَهُمۡ
کُلٌّ اِلَیۡنَا رٰجِعُوۡنَ (93) فَمَنۡ یَّعۡمَلۡ مِنَ
الصّٰلِحٰتِ وَ هُوَ مُؤۡمِنٌ فَلَا کُفۡرَانَ لِسَعۡیِهِ وَ
اِنَّا لَهُ کَتِبُوۡنَ (94)
And We also showed Our favour to David and
Solomon. Recall, when they were passing a judgement on the
dispute of a cultivated land when the goats of some people had
barged into it at night and We were observing this matter. So,
We guided Solomon about the dispute and We had blessed each of
them wisdom and knowledge. And We had made the mountains and
the birds sing together with David. They would glorify God
along with him and it is We Who were the ones Who did these
things. And We had taught him the skill of a military attire
for you so that it may protect you in warfare. Then will you
also express gratitude in this way? (78-80)
And We had made strong winds subservient to
Solomon which would blow at his directive to a land in which
We had placed blessings. And We are aware of everything. And
We had also made subservient to him from among the devils who
would dive down into the seas for him and would do other
errands as well and We were watching over them. (81-82)
And We showed mercy to Job as well when he
called out to his Lord: “I am in distress and you are the Most
Merciful among all the merciful.” So We accepted His prayer
and delivered him of his suffering and restored to him his
family too, and as many more with them also from Our special
grace and so that this is a reminder for those who worship
God. (83-84)
And We also showed favour to Ishmael, Idris
and Dhu al-Kifl. All these were among the steadfast. And We
admitted them into Our mercy. Indeed, they were among the
pious. (85-86)
And We showed mercy to the companion of the
fish also when being angry with them he left his people and he
thought that We shall not question him. Thus he cried out in
the layers of darkness: “There is no deity except you. Exalted
are you. Indeed, I am at fault.” Thereupon, We answered his
prayer and relieved him of sorrow. And in this way do We
deliver the believers. (87-88)
And We showed favour to Zacharias also when
he called out to his Lord: “Lord! Do not leave me by myself
and you are the best of all heirs.” So, We answered this
prayer and blessed him with John and made his wife favourable
for him. Indeed, these people would take the initiative in
righteous deeds and would worship Us in every state of hope
and despair and would remain submissive to Us. (89-90)
And on that [chaste woman] also who guarded
her vulnerable organs. So, We blew into her Our Spirit and
made her and her son a sign for the people of the world. (91)
This community of yours is one community
and I only am your Lord. So, worship Me alone. And they tore
their religion into pieces. Each has to return to Us. Then he
who does righteous deeds and also has faith, his effort will
not go waste. We are Ones writing it for him. (92-94)
Explanation
وَ دَاوُدَ وَ سُلَیۡمٰنَ اِذۡ یَحۡکُمٰنِ
فِی الۡحَرۡثِ اِذۡ نَفَشَتۡ فِیۡهِ غَنَمُ الۡقَوۡمِ وَ کُنَّا
لِحُکۡمِهِمۡ شَهِدِیۡنَ (78) فَفَهَّمۡنَهَا سُلَیۡمٰنَ وَ
کُلًّا اٰتَیۡنَا حُکۡمًا وَّ عِلۡمًا وَّ سَخَّرۡنَا مَعَ
دَاوُدَ الۡجِبَالَ یُسَبِّحۡنَ وَ الطَّیۡرَ وَ کُنَّا
فٰعِلِیۡنَ (79)
The nouns David and Solomon occur in the
text in their accusative form just as is the case with Noah
earlier on is. In other words, there is an understood verb
indicated by the context that is suppressed. It has been
revealed in the translation.
The word نَفَشَ
refers to the grazing of cattle and goats at night. The
feminine pronoun in فَفَہَّمۡنٰہَا
occurs in deference to the antecedent that is evident from the
context. Examples of this can be seen in earlier surahs.
The verses refer to a dispute that was
referred to David (sws) for his verdict. No details are
provided about it. What only is evident is that a herd of
goats belonging to someone had barged into the cultivated
fields of another person. David (sws) pronounced his verdict
in this matter but was not able to reach its crux. His son
Solomon (sws) who was still young at that time gave his
opinion which was more correct and just. Ultimately, David (sws)
decided in accordance with his son’s opinion. The question as
to what was the verdict delivered by the father and what the
opinion of the son was is a needless one since here the
purpose of the Qur’an is not to present the details of the
dispute; its purpose rather is to show the extent of caution
David (sws) exercised in his verdicts in spite of being a
ruler and a prophet: as soon as he realized his mistake on the
basis of his young son’s opinion, he immediately changed his
decision and accepted the opinion of someone junior and
inexperienced. The second purpose is to show that such was the
son God blessed David (sws) with that even in his youth he had
a very pronounced ability of decision-making: he would, at
times, advise his illustrious father who held his advice in
high regard. It is a matter of great fortune that a father
should have such an accomplished son who is not only someone
he can count on in matters of governance but who also at times
guides him. It is to point to this reality that this dispute
is referred to here. Our exegetes have presented the details
of a dispute that is totally extraneous to the Qur’an.
Different scenarios can be assumed but they will always be
conjectural and this writer does not like to conjecture.
The words “We were observing this matter”
imply that after granting the reins of political leadership to
this family, God did not become aloof from its affairs. He
continued to observe their governance and assessed how
sensitive they were to administer justice among their subjects
and how sharp, cautious, selfless and unbiased were they in
their own responsibilities. Thus both father and son proved
worthy of these responsibilities. As soon as the son realized
that his father had committed a mistake in administering
justice, he took it upon himself to advise him. On the other
hand, as soon as the father realized that the son’s opinion
was more just, he immediately submitted to it. It is this
character which defines a good ruler and whomsoever God makes
a ruler, He does so to judge this conduct.
The words “and We had blessed each of them
wisdom and knowledge” imply that it because of this character
trait of the father and son that God blessed both with
prophethood and reins of political authority.
The words “and We had made the mountains
and the birds sing together with David” point to the simple
and austere nature of David (sws). On the one hand, God made
him a ruler and he would establish peace and administer
justice among his subjects with full vigilance and altruism.
On other hand, such was his God-connection that at night he
would go to the mountains which would then reverberate with
the sounds of his hymns and prayers that glorified and praised
God and even the birds would join him in chorus.
It is evident from the Torah that David
(sws) was a very melodious singer and also had a very moving
voice. Moreoever, all his prayers and supplications are in the
forms of hymns and these hymns are divine. If we read the
Pslams, we can see that the poetical essence in the
translation of these hymns has been lost but even then hearts
tremble on reading them. When a tuneful singer like David
(sws) chanted these divine hymns while sitting among the
valleys of the mountains in the exhilarating early hours of
morning, surely the mountains would have sung with him
together with the birds. These words should not be regarded as
some poetic utterance; they are a fact. The Qur’an has
specified that each and every object of this universe is
extolling the Almighty but we are not able to understand it.
This liking for extolling the Almighty is enhanced when a
person chants a song that reflects their feelings. At that
time, they become ecstatic and join that person in singing. If
we do not hear the hymns and praises sung by birds and
mountains, we must not think that there is none who hears
them. Those who have fervent hearts and ardent souls can hear
them.
It is worth noting that the expression
سَخَّرۡنَا لَهُ
is not used. Instead it is said:
سَخَّرۡنَا مَعهُ. Evident from the
word مَعهُ
is that the Almighty had made the mountains and birds join
David (sws) in his chants. They would chip in with him.
Here the verb
الۡجِبَالَ یُسَبِّحۡنَ وَ الطَّیۡرَ
occurs between the co-ordinated words
الۡجِبَالَ and
الطَّیۡرَ.
Apparently it should have come after
الطَّیۡرَ. The
reason that this word is pre-placed is that the glorification
chants of the birds are well known whereas that of mountains
is a unique thing. For this reason, the verb was placed just
adjacent to it.
The words وَ
کُنَّا فٰعِلِیۡنَ imply that none
else but God can do these tasks. He can put the trees, stones,
mountains, birds and animals in the service of anyone He wants
to. Such favours of God are not acquired by force or power;
they are purely His gifts.
وَ
عَلَّمۡنٰهُ صَنۡعَةَ لَبُوۡسٍ لَّکُمۡ لِتُحۡصِنَکُمۡ مِّنۡ
بَاۡسِکُمۡ فَهَلۡ اَنۡتُمۡ شٰکِرُوۡنَ (80)
Not only was David (sws) fully devoted to
God, he was also a valiant soldier. The verse refers to the
body armour which David (sws) invented. It is evident from
history that the forms of the attire which David (sws)
invented bore no parallel. In classical Arabic poetry related
to warfare, armour made by him is often mentioned. In the war
attire of those times, this armour was most important. Now
times have changed and such weapons and instruments are no
longer needed. However, in those times, David’s (sws) army was
considered to be the strongest on the basis of the armour. The
purpose here is to show that he was both a God-devoted person
and someone with great military might: on the one hand, his
moving chants and hymns would melt mountains and on the other
hand, his military inventions and onslaughts would continue to
strike awe in his enemies.
After highlighting both these aspects of
his life, the verse ends by asking the addressees of this
surah if they too have the courage to become grateful like
him. In spite of being blessed with wisdom, prophethood,
political authority and might his nature was simple and
austere. It is this amalgation of worldly and next-worldly
traits that God requires and such are His grateful people.
They are not like the wretched ones who praise the splendour
and grandeur of this father and son but have become slaves of
this world.
وَ لِسُلَیۡمٰنَ الرِّیۡحَ عَاصِفَةً
تَجۡرِیۡ بِاَمۡرِهِ اِلَی الۡاَرۡضِ الَّتِیۡ بٰرَکۡنَا فِیۡهَا
وَ کُنَّا بِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ عٰلِمِیۡنَ (81)
The presence of ل
in لِسُلَیۡمٰنَ
shows that the verb سَخَّرْنَا
is suppressed here. When this verb occurs with the preposition
ل,
it means putting something into the service of someone. In
other words, the meaning is: “We had subdued the winds to make
them subservient to Solomon (sws).” It
is evident from history that David (sws) had a very large land
force but it was in the reign of Solomon (sws) that the sea
force made unparallelled advancements. He invented ships with
sails which travelled to India and to western islands.
Their naval fleet was the most powerful in its time. In the
Red sea, its centre was Tarsis which is in the Gulf of ‘Aqabah
and there were sea ports in Suwar, Ta’ir and Yafah. Until that
time, sails were the only means to control sea winds. These
sails also served as engines for the ships. Solomon (sws)
invented sails which allowed ships to navigate smoothly in
stormy winds. They could make long trips to their destinations
in all types of favourable or unfavourable winds without any
fear. Since all this was the consequence of the science taught
by God, it has been stated that God made strong winds
subservient to Solomon (sws) which would blow at this behest.
The words “a land in which We had placed
blessings” refer to the land of Palestine and Syria etc. Being
very lush and fertile, the land had great trade significance.
The sentence وَ
کُنَّا بِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ عٰلِمِیۡنَ
also occurred in verse 51 with a slight change in connection
with Abraham (sws). It has already been explained there. The
implication is that God fully knew the abilities and strengths
of Solomon (sws). It is because of this that He gave him the
power to harness winds. After blessing him with this power,
God did not become aloof; He continued to observe how Solomon
(sws) used it. In fact, it is this one aspect which has failed
to be understood by our scientists of current times. Instead
of regarding their cosmological achievements to be a blessing
of God, they think that these are the result of their own
competence. The fact is that all these successes owe
themselves to the intellect and guidance given to them by God.
It is towards this reality that the words
وَ کُنَّا فٰعِلِیۡنَ
point earlier. Once a person wrongly thinks that all his
inventions owe themselves to his ability, another wrong notion
springs forth which is even more destructive: he thinks that
the control he has achieved of these elements can be used by
him in any way he wants; none can stop him. The Qur’an has
criticized this by the words وَ
کُنَّا بِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ عٰلِمِیۡنَ:
providence is not so naïve as to hand over the keys of its
treasures to people and become aloof so that people can make
hay and do whatever they want to. In fact, it is aware of
everything and when this is so, it means that if someone
wrongly uses these abilities, he will definitely be held
accountable one day. Both David (sws) and Solomon (sws) knew
this fact very well. For this reason, even after achieving
great success at both land and sea, they were never misled to
think that all this was due to their own abilities; on the
contrary, they regarded all these things to be God’s blessings
and whatever steps they took, they did so with the realization
that one day they will be held accountable before God. This
realization makes a person truly grateful and obedient to God.
This aspect of the lives of David (sws) and Solomon (sws) will
be discussed in detail in the exegesis of Surah al-Naml.
وَ مِنَ الشَّیٰطِیۡنِ مَنۡ یَّغُوۡصُوۡنَ
لَهُ وَ یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ عَمَلًا دُوۡنَ ذٰلِكَ وَ کُنَّا لَهُمۡ
حٰفِظِیۡنَ (82)
The devils referred to are the ones that
were subservient to Solomon (sws). It is evident from both the
Qur’an and the Torah that he had a formal army of human
beings, the jinn and birds. Thus it is stated in verse 17 of
Surah al-Naml: وَ حُشِرَ
لِسُلَیۡمٰنَ جُنُوۡدُهُ مِنَ الۡجِنِّ وَ الۡاِنۡسِ وَ
الطَّیۡرِ فَهُمۡ یُوۡزَعُوۡنَ.
This surah also mentions a powerful jinn that he had. The jinn
had told him that if ordered, he could bring over the throne
of queen Sheba to him before his court was dismissed. These
jinn would dive into the oceans to obtain corals and pearls
and would also run other errands. By putting these evil
elements into the service of mankind was a great feat of
Solomon (sws). The real task before a competent ruler is not
only to employ the beneficial elements but also those
otherwise for the development and progress of society. We have
already discussed in detail the knowledge that was given to
Solomon (sws) to subdue devils under verse 102 of Surah al-Baqarah
where the incident of Harut and Marut is mentioned. Some
people are of the opinion that devils here refer to the
disbelieving nations who were under his control. However, in
my opinion, this would amount to linguistic injustice to the
word. No doubt, this word has been used in the Qur’an for
miscreants among both men and jinn. However, it has never been
used for disbelieving nations in the absolute sense. It can
refer to miscreant elements among disbelieving nations but
that too in a secondary way – never primarily. It basically
can only connote miscreants among the jinn.
The words وَ
کُنَّا لَهُمۡ حٰفِظِیۡنَ refer to
the fact that it was not that Solomon (sws) could control
these devils on his own; it was God Who had given them in His
control and He was watching over them so that none could
escape or go against the wishes of Solomon (sws). Had this not
been the case, they would have played havoc. These words
actually admonish people who after harnessing certain forces
of nature think that they have become their masters: neither
can anyone snatch them nor can these forces rebel against
them. This notion is based on ignorance and short-sightedness.
If today man has got control over steam, gas, electricity and
the atom etc, it is only because God has made this possible
for him. Moreover, they will only remain in his control as
long as God intends. If God loosens His grip over them, these
forces through which such huge achievements have been made
will wreak havoc.
وَ اَیُّوۡبَ اِذۡ نَادٰی رَبَّهُ اَنِّیۡ
مَسَّنِیَ الضُّرُّ وَ اَنۡتَ اَرۡحَمُ الرّٰحِمِیۡنَ (83)
فَاسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَهُ فَکَشَفۡنَا مَا بِهِ مِنۡ ضُرٍّ وَّ
اٰتَیۡنٰهُ اَهۡلَهُ وَ مِثۡلَهُمۡ مَّعَهُمۡ رَحۡمَةً مِّنۡ
عِنۡدِنَا وَ ذِکۡرٰی لِلۡعٰبِدِیۡنَ (84)
After citing two outstanding exponents of
gratitude, mention is now coming up of prophets who set
sterling examples of their patience. In this regard, Job (sws)
is mentioned the foremost. It is
evident from the Bible that he was a very righteous person who
lived in Uz. The Almighty had
blessed him with a large family and a lot of wealth. He had
seven sons and three daughters. He also had seven thousand
sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand oxen and five
hundred donkeys who would carry their
burdens. He had several servants. No one was as wealthy as him
in the East. However, in spite of this splendour he was very
grateful and obedient to God. He never got incriminated with
any sin.
This righteousness of his was looked upon with
jealousy by Satan and his agents. They reproached his
righteousness by saying that it is because God has blessed him
with affluence of all sorts; if he is deprived of this, he
will never be grateful to God (Job, 4:9-11).
After this he was afflicted with a series of
trials from God. His herds were looted, servants were killed,
children passed away and all his wealth and splendour
vanished. Instead of losing hope in God, he pleaded and
implored before Him. The Bible records:
Then he fell
to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my
mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the
Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
(Job: 1, 20-22)
After financial afflictions, Job underwent a
series of ailments and matters reached the extent:
... Afflicted Job
with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of
his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped
himself with it as he sat among the ashes. (Job, 2:7-8)
Job bore this affliction too with great
patience and trust in God – the way he did in the case of his
earlier afflictions. Ultimately, he passed this test too in
flying colours and was rewarded by God with much more than he
had lost:
After Job had prayed for his friends,
the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as
he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who
had known him before came and ate with him in his house. …
The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the
former part. … After this, Job lived a hundred and forty
years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth
generation. (Job, 42:10-16)
Consider the eloquence of
the supplication:
اَنِّیۡ مَسَّنِیَ الضُّرُّ وَ اَنۡتَ
اَرۡحَمُ الرّٰحِمِیۡنَ. Though Job
(sws) referred to his pain and suffering, he did not utter the
purpose of the supplication and left it to God’s mercy. He
said that he was afflicted with sorrow and that God is the
most merciful among all the merciful. The implication is that
he is presenting his grief before God and consigning his
matter to Him; whatever God will do will be befitting to His
mercy and this will have blessings for Job (sws). It is this
state which is called complete contentment on the decisions of
God. He who attains this state gains the status of
رَاضيَّةً مَّرْضِيَّةً
in the Hereafter. It is very difficult to
determine from the trials and circumstances a person passes
through in this world if their good outcome is good for a
person or vice versa. At times, what he desires is harmful for
him. For this reason, in all matters in which the beneficial
aspect is not determined by God, it is better to consign it to
Him. He alone knows whether sickness is better for a person or
good health; death is better for him or life.
The Almighty accepted the supplication of
Job (sws) mentioned in the words: “I
am in distress and you are the Most
Merciful among all the merciful.” He
restored his health and gave him children
too. His grandeur and majesty too was given back to him once
again. It may be noted that in his supplication, Job (sws)
only referred to his physical ailments and not to his wealth
and children. Given his circumstances, if he was able to get
back his health, he regarded his desire to be more than met.
However, God, out of His grace, not only gave him what he
desired but far more – something he did not regard himself to
be worthy of because of his humility.
It is evident from the words “and
restored to him his family too, and as many more with them”
that God gathered his family members who had dispersed in this
period of trial, replaced those who had died and increased his
followers.
The words “from Our special grace and so
that this is a reminder for those who worship God” highlight
the fact that whatever happened, happened because of God’s
favour. The circumstances were apparently very hopeless.
Neither Job (sws) nor anyone else could have expected them to
change in this manner. But God made it happen for His servant.
The last part of the sentence shows that God also did this to
make this incident a memorable one for those who worship Him:
such are His favours on those who attach themselves to Him in
all circumstances whether good or bad.
وَ اِسۡمٰعِیۡلَ وَ اِدۡرِیۡسَ وَ
ذَاالۡکِفۡلِ کُلٌّ مِّنَ الصّٰبِرِیۡنَ (85) وَ اَدۡخَلۡنَهُمۡ
فِیۡ رَحۡمَتِنَا اِنَّهُمۡ مِّنَ الصّٰلِحِیۡنَ (86)
Ishmael (sws) and Idris (sws) have been
discussed under verses 54-57 of Surah Maryam. The similarity
of traits these two prophets have has been alluded to there.
Here Dhu al-Kifl has also been mentioned and about all the
three is it stated that they were very patient. This shows
this was a special quality all three had. The patience
exercised by Ishmael (sws) is clearly known: the Qur’an has
alluded to it at several instances. However, nothing is known
about the life and times of Idris
and Dhu al-Kifl. These names are not mentioned in ancient
scriptures. Either their pronunciation has been completely
changed in Arabic or they have been erased from the previous
scriptures and the Qur’an has actually revived them. This is
as far as my humble knowledge is concerned. Some people think
that Dhu al-Kifl is actually Ezekiel (sws). However, this
opinion can only be relied upon if it is known that he had
this title. The names of both these prophets have been
introduced through the Qur’an and patience is a prominent
trait of theirs. It should be kept in mind that neither the
Qur’an nor the Torah mentions all the prophets and their life
histories. Only God knows all of them.
وَ ذَاالنُّوۡنِ اِذۡ ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا
فَظَنَّ اَنۡ لَّنۡ نَّقۡدِرَ عَلَیۡهِ فَنَادٰی فِی الظُّلُمٰتِ
اَنۡ لَّاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡتَ سُبۡحٰنَكَ اِنِّیۡ کُنۡتُ
مِنَ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ (87)
ذَوالنُّوۡنِ
refers to Jonah (sws). Here he has been mentioned by this
title which means “companion of the fish.”
نُوْن means fish. Since he was
swallowed by the fish, he was given this name. This title not
only refers to this incident but also has an element of
affection in it.
Jonah (sws) was sent as a messenger to the
Ninevites. According to Book of Jonah, its population was one
hundren and twenty thousand. In verse 147 of Surah al-Saffat,
the words used are: مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ
أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ (a hundren thousand
or even more). This corroborates the Biblical account. He
preached among the Ninevites for a long period of time but
they turned a deaf ear towards him. Ultimately, his sentiments
of honour towards the truth overcame here and being dejected
and heartbroken at the cold attitude of his people, he left
them. He thought that he should not waste his time on those
stone hearted people and face hardships when he could not
penetrate into their hearts. It was but natural a for truthful
person to feel helplesseness and humiliation on the lack of
acknowledgement of the truth. However, when Jonah (sws) was
overwhelmed by these emotions, he overlooked a very important
aspect: when should a God’s messenger leave his people? He
cannot take this decision on his own. He must follow God’s
decision in this regard. Only He knows when a nation has
become bereft of the ability to accept the truth and when a
messenger should declare his acquittal from it and consign it
to God’s punishment. The established practice of God regarding
His messengers has always been that a messenger cannot leave
his nation without God’s permission even if it is after the
life of a messenger and even if not a single person accepts
his call. Jonah (sws) could not abide by this stipulation
because of his intense regard and love for the truth. He
thought that when after a very long time in which he cautioned
and warned his nation not a single person had shown any
inclination, he had fulfilled his obligation to God and he
should consign such a wretched nation to Him and migrate from
them. Fulfilling his obligation before God also meant that he
did not think that God will hold him accountable for this and
in fact thought that he would be delivered from the trial he
was passing through.
This thought of Jonah (sws) in itself was
based on pure sentiments but the trials which the Almighty has
subjected his people to are bound to take their course. After
being disenchanted with his nation, he embarked on a ship
which was about to set off for a journey. After sailing for
sometime, the ship was caught in a storm. When the storm did
not blow away, the sailors, in accordance with the general
superstition of those times in this regard, thought that a
runaway slave had boarded the ship; unless he was thrown
overboard, they would not be delivered from the storm. Finally
lots were cast to find out who this person might be. It is
indicated in Surah al-Saffat that it was Jonah (sws) who was
given the responsibility of casting lots. The reason for this
perhaps could have been that the people of the ship thought
that he was the most respectable among them. Nevertheless,
lots were cast and it fell upon Jonah (sws) and as a result he
was thrown into the sea. There a large fish, most probably a
whale, swallowed him. However, swallowing God’s Messenger is
no easy a matter. When Jonah (sws) saw that the way he had
adopted to come out of the darkness of his hardships had
plunged him into deeper darkness, he uttered that abiding
supplication from the bottom of his heart about which it is
guaranteed that if it is expressed with sincerity is always
accepted. So the Almighty accepted
his supplication and the fish cast him on the sandy shore.
There, in order to save his emaciated body from the heat of
the sun, the Almighty grew a pumpkin creeper or some similar
plant where he was able to find refuge. When he recovered from
this accident and felt some energy in his body, he was
directed to go again to the people of Nineveh and warn them of
the Hereafter. It is evident from the Book of Jonah in the
Bible that the Almighty created an effective means for this:
the creeper which had given refuge to Jonah (sws) in its shade
suddenly became dry for some reason. People who are grateful
to God’s favours value the smallest of His favours. When the
creeper withered away, it deeply affected Jonah (sws). At
this, the Almighty directed his attention to the fact that if
he has been aggrieved by the withering away of a trivial
creeper in whose cultivation and nourishing he had no role,
then he should reflect how God can consign the people of the
city of Nineveh to torment who were created and brought up by
Him? God then asked him to go again and invite them to His
message; it may well be that they listen to this call and
become worthy of God’s mercy. In accordance with this
directive, Jonah (sws) once again went to the people of
Nineveh to warn them of the Hereafter. Such was the profound
effect of his call that everyone from the common man to the
king started to tremble. All of them professed faith in God.
The king took off his royal robe and attired himself in
sackcloth. He gave a royal decree to the masses that everyone
should desist from evil, fast, plead to God and be penitent.
Since our exegetes have made a great mess
in reporting the account of Jonah (sws), I have presented the
above details to give its true picture. All these details are
based on the insinuations and statement of the Bible and the
Qur’an. More details will be found in Surah al-Saffat. With
this background, let us now reflect on the components of the
verse.
The object of
مُغَاضِبًا is suppressed inاِذۡ
ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا because of
concomitant indications. The implication is: he left his
nation sad and angry. Obviously this was due to the fact that
he did all that he could to warn them, but they completely
ignored him and in fact continued to humiliate the truth and
make fun of his message.
The words فَظَنَّ
اَنۡ لَّنۡ نَّقۡدِرَ عَلَیۡهِ imply
that he thought that in this manner he would be able to
deliver himself from the trial his nation had put him through.
His zeal and passion for the cause of the truth made him
overlook the fact that it was the Almighty Who had deputed him
on this front; if he deserted it without His permission, he
could face an even greater trial from God. Found in this
sentence is a comment on an aspect of his step that Jonah
(sws) forgot but it was concealed in it. He could not for a
moment have thought that if he left his nation, he would
escape God’s accountability. However, he must have thought
that after distancing himself from these wretched elements, he
would free himself from the affliction he was passing through
and would be able to lead his remaining life in peace. This
thought in itself is not a sin, but a messenger, as just
indicated, is like a soldier deputed at a front. For this
reason he is not permitted to leave that place on his own even
though the motivation might be his love and respect for the
cause of the truth. If he did something like that, it would
mean that he could save himself from God’s trial on his own.
This hidden aspect was not evident to Jonah (sws). For this
reason, it was made plain to him so that its gravity become
known to him. It should be kept in mind that at times a person
takes a very innocent step but it reflects a notion that is
not correct. Unless someone wise directs his attention
towarrds it, it eludes him. God has unveiled this notion of
Jonah (sws) to correct it. This method to correct someone’s
view is more sagacious. Since messengers of God are an example
for all mankind, even a slight deviation from them is checked
by God and they are shown how far reaching its consequences
can be if it is not stopped.
This interpretation is in consonance with
norms, sense and reason and also does not entail any blame on
Jonah (sws). Also there remains no need to violate linguistic
principles in interpreting لَنۡ
نَّقۡدِرَ عَلَیۡهِ, as exegetes have
done. The irony is that even after such overthinking, they
were not able to solve the difficulty it has.
Here details of the incident encountered by
Jonah (sws) in the ship have been suppressed. Only the
supplication he uttered in the belly of the fish deep down in
the dark sea is mentioned. The Almighty accepted it. The
reason for this suppression has already been pointed out
earlier: the purpose is not to divulge its details but to show
that the gracious God accepts the supplications of His servant
in the most hopeless of situations and delivers him from great
calamities. The only condition is that the person should
regard his Lord to be his guardian and protector and plead
before Him only.
In the Book of Jonah of the Bible, this
supplication is mentioned in the following words:
In my distress I called to the Lord, and he
answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for
help, and you listened to my cry. (Jonah, 2:1)
The pluralالظُّلُمٰت
signifies the intensity of the
darkness and its expansiveness. In the Arabic language, at
times a plural denotes vastness. Examples of such plurals are
المشارق
and المغارب.
Here it refers to vastness of the darkness found in the belly
of the fish and the deep sea it was swimming in. The purpose
is to show that no one should be misled by the fact that God
needs a public forum or a radio or a television to communicate
His mesage. He listens to the cries of His servants in the
pitch darkness of the deep sea and responds to them.
Consider next the supplication of Jonah
(sws): لَّاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡتَ
سُبۡحٰنَكَ اِنِّیۡ کُنۡتُ مِنَ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ.
In this supplication, Jonah (sws) has not expressed any desire
or demand; he only expressed and confessed his mistake. After
this, he left the matter to his Lord accepting that His
verdict would be the best and have wisdom and mercy in it
because God is devoid of all defects. First of all, he
expressed that only God is worthy of worship and obedience and
all matters turn to Him. After that, he regarded God to be
above and beyond all faults. Then he
confessed his mistake that whatever has happened is the
consequence of his mistake; he was unjust to his soul and God
was never unjust to him.
فَاسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَهُ وَ نَجَّیۡنَهُ مِنَ
الۡغَمِّ وَ کَذٰلِكَ نُــۡجِی الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ (88)
Even though Jonah (sws) had not expressed
his real desire in his supplication and had just consigned
himself to the Almighty, all his stress and sorrow was
relieved by the God Who knows the unseen, listens to
supplications from the depths of the ocean and knows all
secrets. Here the stress and sorrow referred to is not merely
the one he had encountered in the ship, it also refers to the
situation that made him leave his people. At another instance
in the Qur’an, it is stated that when he preached to his
nation a second time, all of them embraced faith and the
punishment that looked imminent was warded off.
The last part of the verse “and
in this way do We deliver the believers”
is to bring it in line with the circumstances which prevailed
at the time it was revealed in the Qur’an. Obviously, these
incidents have not been narrated without a purpose. They are
meant to assure Prophet Muhammad (sws) and his companions that
they must not lose hope however hopeless the circumstances may
be. God knows and listens to their supplications and
pleadings. He delivers sincere believers from their all
sorrows the way He delivered Jonah (sws). A day will come when
the dark times they are facing will vanish, the truth will
prevail and his nation will embrace the radiance of faith.
وَ زَکَرِیَّاۤ اِذۡ نَادٰی رَبَّهُ رَبِّ
لَا تَذَرۡنِیۡ فَرۡدًا وَّ اَنۡتَ خَیۡرُ الۡوٰرِثِیۡنَ (89)
The account of Zacharias (sws) has been
mentioned in detail in Surah Maryam. He too supplicated to God
in apparently very hopeless circumstances. However, despite
these desperate and despondent circumstances, God made
possible the impossible. It has been mentioned in Surah Maryam
that his wife was infertile and he was very old himself. All
his relatives were unworthy and totally indifferent to
religion. In this situation, he was worried that he had no
heir to the legacy of Jacob’s progeny he carried with himself
and his time might be near. He thus anxiously supplicated to
God not to leave him by himself in old age and bless him with
an heir who could inherit his legacy and that of Jacob’s
progeny.
The words “and you are the best of all
heirs” do not mean that if he is not given an heir in response
to his supplication, then none will remain who is be a
follower of God’s religion because God’s works are dependent
on him or his family; on the contrary, He Himself is the best
heir of His religion. The implication is that the only
objective of his supplication was that he and his family were
not deprived of the good fortune of serving His religion they
always had. God’s tasks are not dependent on him and he can
raise anyone to serve His religion.
فَاسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَهُوَ وَهَبۡنَا لَهُ
یَحۡیٰی وَ اَصۡلَحۡنَا لَهُ زَوۡجَهُ اِنَّهُمۡ کَانُوۡا
یُسٰرِعُوۡنَ فِی الۡخَیۡرٰتِ وَ یَدۡعُوۡنَنَا رَغَبًا وَّ
رَهَبًا وَ کَانُوۡا لَنَا خَشِعِیۡنَ (90)
The supplication of Zacharias (sws) had a
very noble purpose. He actually wished to be blessed with
someone who would serve religion. His legacy did not consist
of wealth and assets, it consisted of the religion of Jacob’s
progeny and wanted this sacred legacy to remain secure. For
this reason, his supplication was deemed worthy of acceptance.
God gave his infertile wife the ability to bear a child and he
was blessed with a celebrated son, John (sws).
Consider the words: “indeed, these people
would take the initiative in righteous deeds and would worship
Us in every state of hope and despair and would remain
submissive to Us.” His supplication was accepted by God
because people like him were not slaves of worldly desire;
they were ones who vie with each other in pious deeds. The
reference in “these people” is especially to the family of
Zacharias (sws). His paternal family was negligent towards
religion, as has been explained in Surah Maryam. However,
those affiliated to him specially were religious. The ailment
of running after worldly pleasures was not found in them. In
fact, they had the spirit of outdoing each other in
righteousness, which was a distinct feature of Jacob’s
progeny.
His second trait is mentioned as “would
worship Us in every state of hope and despair.” This is in
contrast to the attitude of the Idolaters as well as people
who had become slaves to worldly desires. The Qur’an tells us
that when such people face hardships they plead and supplicate
at length before God and promise that if their problem is
solved they will forever remain sincere to Him. However, when
God does the needful, they regard it to be product of their
own planning and forget Him as if they had never even called
upon Him. It is said that in contrast to these, the ones
mentioned in the verse are ones whose character was neither
hypocritical nor idolatrous; on the other hand, they called
upon God in all circumstances whether in hope or in despair.
The words “would remain submissive to Us”
refer to the fact that such people are not ones who would
become arrogant if they were blessed with favours and become
ungrateful and desperate if they are deprived of them: they
are ones who are submissive to God in all circumstances.
وَ الَّتِیۡ اَحۡصَنَتۡ فَرۡجَهَا
فَنَفَخۡنَا فِیۡهَا مِنۡ رُّوۡحِنَا وَ جَعَلۡنَهَا وَ
ابۡنَهَاۤ اٰیَةً لِّلۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ (91)
This verse refers to Mary (sws) who has
been mentioned in detail in Surah Maryam. She has not been
named here because the attribute that has been stated is so
specific that none else but she can implied.
The expression
اَحۡصَنَتۡ فَرۡجَہَا must not be
interpreted literally. The expression
اَحۡصَنَ فَرۡجَہُ
is an idiom like سد الثلمة
and رتق الفتق
etc. In these idioms, the literal meaning of the words is not
implied; rather the overall meaning for which they have been
coined is implied. Thus اَحۡصَنَ
فَرۡجَہُ would mean
تحصن من السوءا(he
kept himself cleansed from every vice or protected himself
from danger). Just as this idiom is used for women, it is also
used for men. The word فَرۡج
in Arabic actually refers to موضع
مخافة (place of fear). Examples of
this usage can be presented but only they will benefit from
these who are well-versed with classical Arabic literature and
would not be of any use to the general readers of this
exegesis.
The words “so, We blew into her Our Spirit”
refer to the fact that God through His special word of command
كُن (be)
blew His spirit into a child conceived in her womb. Since
Jesus (sws) was conceived in this way against general physical
and biological laws through this word of command, it has been
said that God blew His spirit into him. It is on account of
this that the verse goes on to state that Jesus (sws) and his
mother are from among the great signs of God. I have explained
how they are signs of God. Jesus (sws) himself said the same
words about himself as the Qur’an as stating, as is evident
from the Gospels. It is the followers of Paul who have
distorted the incident and given it a new interpretation. I
have dealt in detail with these interpolations in the
explanation of Surah Al-i ‘Imran.
اِنَّ هَذِهِۤ اُمَّتُکُمۡ اُمَّةً
وَّاحِدَةً وَّ اَنَا رَبُّکُمۡ فَاعۡبُدُوۡنِ (92)
This is the summary of the whole discussion
after a mention of all the prophets. The implication is that
if anyone discriminates between the prophets, creates
innovations in the religion brought by them or adulterates
monotheism with polytheism, the responsibility rests on him.
The prophets are absolved from this.
وَ تَقَطَّعُوۡا اَمۡرَهُمۡ بَیۡنَهُمۡ
کُلٌّ اِلَیۡنَا رٰجِعُوۡنَ (93)
These words sound a threat to the people
who had marred God’s religion with innovation thus splitting
it into pieces and each group opposed the religion brought by
the prophets in order to support its own ways. The Prophet (sws)
is told that he should disregard the people opposing him
because once they return to God, He will expose their deeds.
Nothing will remain hidden.
فَمَنۡ یَّعۡمَلۡ مِنَ الصّٰلِحٰتِ وَ
هُوَ مُؤۡمِنٌ فَلَا کُفۡرَانَ لِسَعۡیِهِ وَ اِنَّا لَهُ
کَتِبُوۡنَ (94)
Once they return to Him, God will fully
reward people who did righteous deeds as long as they adhered
to faith and belief in one God. Each and every virtue done by
them would have been noted down and there is no possibility
that any of their deeds was missed by God. It has been
explained at other instances that only deeds which are done
solely for God while having faith in Him are acceptable to
Him. Deeds not done for Him carry no weight before Him even if
they are as profound as migration and jihad for His cause.
Section VI: Verses (95-112)
Coming up are the concluding verses of the
surah. Warning people of the Hereafter with which the surah
began is taken up again here. This section commences with the
very words (اقۡتَرَبَ الۡوَعۡدُ
الۡحَقُّ) with which the surah began
(اِقۡتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُہُمۡ).
In this way, the Qur’an itself guides us to the coherence
found in it. This style is found in most surahs. My mentor
calls it عود علي البدء
(return to the beginning). The benefit of this style is
that if the real purpose of a surah is lost in its expanse, it
is brought to the addressees once again.
Readers may now
proceed to study these verses in this background.
Text and Translation
وَ حَرٰمٌ
عَلٰی قَرۡیَةٍ اَهۡلَکۡنٰهَاۤ اَنَّهُمۡ لَا یَرۡجِعُوۡنَ (95)
حَتّٰۤی اِذَا فُتِحَتۡ یَاۡجُوۡجُ وَ مَاۡجُوۡجُ وَ هُمۡ مِّنۡ
کُلِّ حَدَبٍ یَّنۡسِلُوۡنَ (96) وَ اقۡتَرَبَ الۡوَعۡدُ
الۡحَقُّ فَاِذَا هِیَ شَاخِصَةٌ اَبۡصَارُ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا
یَوَیۡلَنَا قَدۡ کُنَّا فِیۡ غَفۡلَةٍ مِّنۡ هَذَا بَلۡ کُنَّا
ظٰلِمِیۡنَ (97) اِنَّکُمۡ وَ مَا تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ
اللّٰهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ اَنۡتُمۡ لَهَا وٰرِدُوۡنَ (98) لَوۡ
کَانَ هٰۤؤُلَآءِ اٰلِهَةً مَّا وَرَدُوۡهَا وَ کُلٌّ فِیۡهَا
خٰلِدُوۡنَ (99) لَهُمۡ فِیۡهَا زَفِیۡرٌ وَّ هُمۡ فِیۡهَا لَا
یَسۡمَعُوۡنَ (100) اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ سَبَقَتۡ لَهُمۡ مِّنَّا
الۡحُسۡنٰۤی اُولٰٓئِكَ عَنۡهَا مُبۡعَدُوۡنَ (10) لَا
یَسۡمَعُوۡنَ حَسِیۡسَهَا وَهُمۡ فِیۡ مَا اشۡتَهَتۡ
اَنۡفُسُهُمۡ خَلِدُوۡنَ (102) لَا یَحۡزُنُهُمُ الۡفَزَعُ
الۡاَکۡبَرُ وَ تَتَلَقّٰهُمُ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَةُ هَذَا یَوۡمُکُمُ
الَّذِیۡ کُنۡتُمۡ تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ (103) یَوۡمَ نَطۡوِی
السَّمَآءَ کَطَیِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلۡکُتُبِ کَمَا بَدَاۡنَاۤ
اَوَّلَ خَلۡقٍ نُّعِیۡدُهُ وَعۡدًا عَلَیۡنَا اِنَّا کُنَّا
فٰعِلِیۡنَ (104) وَ لَقَدۡ کَتَبۡنَا فِی الزَّبُوۡرِ مِنۡ
بَعۡدِ الذِّکۡرِ اَنَّ الۡاَرۡضَ یَرِثُهَا عِبَادِیَ
الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ (105) اِنَّ فِیۡ هٰذَا لَبَلٰغًا لِّقَوۡمٍ
عٰبِدِیۡنَ (106) وَ مَاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنٰكَ اِلَّا رَحۡمَةً
لِّلۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ (107) قُلۡ اِنَّمَا یُوۡحٰۤی اِلَیَّ اَنَّمَاۤ
اِلٰـهُکُمۡ اِلٰهٌ وَّاحِدٌ فَهَلۡ اَنۡتُمۡ مُّسۡلِمُوۡنَ
(108) فَاِنۡ تَوَلَّوۡا فَقُلۡ اٰذَنۡتُکُمۡ عَلٰی سَوَآءٍ وَ
اِنۡ اَدۡرِیۡۤ اَقَرِیۡبٌ اَمۡ بَعِیۡدٌ مَّا تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ
(109) اِنَّهُ یَعۡلَمُ الۡجَهۡرَ مِنَ الۡقَوۡلِ وَ یَعۡلَمُ
مَا تَکۡتُمُوۡنَ (110) وَ اِنۡ اَدۡرِیۡ لَعَلَّهُ فِتۡنَةٌ
لَّکُمۡ وَ مَتَاعٌ اِلٰی حِیۡنٍ (111) قٰلَ رَبِّ احۡکُمۡ
بِالۡحَقِّ وَ رَبُّنَا الرَّحۡمٰنُ الۡمُسۡتَعَانُ عَلٰی مَا
تَصِفُوۡنَ (112)
And for whichever settlement We have
destined destruction, it is forbidden for them to turn to the
truth. They shall never turn [to it] until that time arrives
when Gog and Magog are let loose and they launch an onslaught
from every high place. (95-96)
And the true promise of the Day of
Judgement has drawn near; then all of a sudden those who have
disbelieved will stare in astonishment. They will cry out:
“Woe be to us! We remained in this state of negligence. In
fact, it is we who were unjust to our selves.” (97)
Now you and your deities that you have been
worshipping instead of God will become the firewood of Hell.
You shall certainly enter it. Had they been deities, they
would not have entered it and now all shall remain in it
forever. These worshippers are to cry out in it, and such will
be the situation of these deities that they will hear nothing
in it. (98-100)
However, those who have been promised a
good fate by Us shall be kept away from it. They shall not
even listen to its sound and shall forever remain in the bliss
they desire. That great commotion of that day shall not
afflict them with grief and the angels will welcome them. They
will say: “This is that day of yours which you were being
promised of.” (101-103)
Bear in mind the day when We shall roll up
the sky the way pages are rolled up in a scroll. The way We
began the first creation, in the same way, We shall do it
again. This is a definite promise that We are responsible for.
Indeed, We are certain to do it. (104)
And We have written in the Psalms after the
piece of advice that the earth shall only be inherited by My
righteous servants. Indeed, in it is great awareness for those
who worship. And We have only sent you as a mercy for the
people of the world. Say: It is this which is only divinely
revealed to me: Your God is one God. So, do you submit
yourselves to Him? Then if they turn away, say: I have warned
all of you equally. Now I do not know whether that time you
are being promised is near or far off. Indeed, He alone knows
the words said openly and those also that you conceal. And I
do not know whether perhaps this time is a trial for you and a
respite to gain benefit. (105-111)
He prayed: My Lord! Judge with fairness,
and Our Lord is the Most Merciful from whom help is requested
against what you say. (112)
Explanation
وَ حَرٰمٌ
عَلٰی قَرۡیَةٍ اَهۡلَکۡنٰهَاۤ اَنَّهُمۡ لَا یَرۡجِعُوۡنَ (95)
A part of this verse is suppressed according
to common linguistic styles of Arabic. It is explained by the
words: اَنَّهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُوْنَ.
Thus the overall implication would be:
وَ حَرٰمٌ عَلٰی قَرۡیَةٍ اَهۡلَکۡنٰهَاۤ
أَنْ يَرْجِعُوا اَنَّهُمۡ لَا یَرۡجِعُوۡنَ
Many examples
of similar suppressions can be seen in the earlier surahs of
this exegesis. Here the verb اَهۡلَکۡنٰهَاۤ
connotes decision. At times, when the certainty of an
incident or matter is to be expressed, it is stated as if it
has already happened.
The verb
رجع means “withdrawing from
falsehood and turning towards the truth.”
In this verse,
the Prophet (sws) is stopped from being anxious about the
faith of the miscreants of Quraysh. He is told that they are
now facing an established practice of God. Just as the
previous nations were destroyed and did not embrace faith
after the utmost efforts of their respective prophets, in a
similar way, it is now impossible for these people to accept
faith. God’s torment has become destined for them because of
their stubbornness. The implication is that the Prophet (sws)
should stop worrying about them and consign their matter to
God. Earlier, in verse 6 of this surah, this topic was
discussed thus:
مَاۤ اٰمَنَتۡ قَبۡلَهُمۡ مِّنۡ قَرۡیَةٍ
اَهۡلَکۡنٰهَا
اَفَهُمۡ یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ
Before them, none of the people of the
settlements We destroyed professed faith; so, will they
profess faith?
حَتّٰۤی
اِذَا فُتِحَتۡ یَاۡجُوۡجُ وَ مَاۡجُوۡجُ وَ هُمۡ مِّنۡ کُلِّ
حَدَبٍ یَّنۡسِلُوۡنَ (96)
Gog and Magog have been discussed in detail
under verses 98-99 of Surah al-Kahf. It is evident from the
Qur’an that near the Day of Judgement, Gog and Magog will
launch an onslaught from all sides and the whole world will be
filled with disorder. How exactly will this happen is
something known only to God. Here the reason that they are
mentioned is that the Prophet (sws) should not waste any
further time on these people who want to see various signs to
accept faith. These people are not ones who can be convinced
by the arguments presented by the Qur’an that are based on
human nature and intellect; they will only accept faith when
the Day of Judgement will stare them in the eye – when
professing faith will be of no use.
وَ
اقۡتَرَبَ الۡوَعۡدُ الۡحَقُّ فَاِذَا هِیَ شَاخِصَةٌ اَبۡصَارُ
الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا یَوَیۡلَنَا قَدۡ کُنَّا فِیۡ غَفۡلَةٍ
مِّنۡ هَذَا بَلۡ کُنَّا ظٰلِمِیۡنَ (97)
The implication of this verse is that the
promise of the Day of Judgement they regard far-off is not so.
The time of its arrival is very near. In verses 6-7 of Surah
al-Ma‘arij, it is said: اِنَّهُمۡ
یَرَوۡنَهُ بَعِیۡدًا وَّ نَرٰىهُ قَرِیۡبًا
(they regard it to be far off, and We see it very near at
hand). The fact is that human beings measure time by their own
short standards and thus think that the Day of Judgement is
far-off. By God’s measurement standards, it is very near. This
topic has also been discussed in 1 verse of this surah. There
some other aspects too were explained. Readers may look it up.
The words “then all of a sudden those who
have disbelieved will stare in astonishment” depict its
unexpected arrival. Such will be its horrific nature that that
people who today are stubbornly demanding its arrival and
making fun of it will be struck with fear and consternation.
Whenever a person sees something suddenly, he keeps staring at
it in amazement.
The words
یٰوَیۡلَنَا قَدۡ کُنَّا فِیۡ غَفۡلَةٍ مِّنۡ هَذَا بَلۡ کُنَّا
ظٰلِمِیۡنَ portray the situation
they will be faced with. The word
قَالُوا (they said) is suppressed
here. They will confess that it was not that no one came to
awaken them from their slumber of indifference; on the
contrary, God did send people for this purpose who did their
utmost to awaken them but it was they themselves who were
unjust to their souls and kept making fun of the warnings
sounded to them. It may be kept in mind that the real
impediment in believing in the Day of Judgement is not that it
is does not have a convincing argument in its favour; the real
impediment is the indifference of people. A person does not
want to believe in it in spite of being explained these
arguments because this is something that conflicts with his
desires. In such a situation, the sole thing that can support
him is indifference. He remains in this state and continues to
defer his preparation for it until one day it will suddenly
stare him in the eye.
اِنَّکُمۡ
وَ مَا تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ
اَنۡتُمۡ لَهَا وٰرِدُوۡنَ (98)
In other words, this confession will be of
no use to them. The words “You shall certainly enter it” imply
that whether they plead or cry, they will have to encounter
the destructive pit of Hell. There is no escape from it.
The letter مَا
in the words وَ مَا تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ
indicates that they refer to the idols and stones the
Idolaters used to worship. The use of
مَا for
non-living objects is common. The purpose of making these
idols into the fuel of Hell is obviously not to punish them;
it is, in fact, to show their worshippers the horrible fate of
their deities. In the first place idols like Lat, Manat, ‘Uzza
and Habl which the Idolaters worshipped were mere hypothetical
names that they had invented and did not exist in reality.
Moreover, they worshipped them in the form of stone idols. The
fate of some polytheistic nations who used to worship prophets
and righteous individuals is not mentioned here. It is
described at certain other instances in the Qur’an. Thus, for
example, the Christians worship Jesus (sws). Details of the
testimony that will be borne against them by Jesus (sws) is
mentioned in Surah al-Ma’idah. In a similar way, other
prophets and righteous individuals will declare their
acquittal from their worshippers on the Day of Judgement. They
will express their ignorance of being worshipped and go on to
say that if their worshippers have indulged in this
foolishness, they should bear its consequences; they never
told them to worship them.
لَوۡ کَانَ
هٰۤؤُلَآءِ اٰلِهَةً مَّا وَرَدُوۡهَا وَ کُلٌّ فِیۡهَا
خٰلِدُوۡنَ (99)
Stated in this verse is the reason for
which these idols will be cast into Hell. It has been
indicated earlier that the reason for consigning them to Hell
is to show the horrible fate the deities will encounter. This
would be extreme humiliation for those who were the last hope
of all their desires. They will see how helpless they are like
their own selves and how they and their deities both will face
punishment.
The words “and now all shall remain in it
forever” imply that both the worshippers and the worshipped
will eternally remain together in Hell.
Concomitant indications show that the first
part of this verse will be directly addressed to them and the
second one is a declaration of their permanent fate.
لَهُمۡ
فِیۡهَا زَفِیۡرٌ وَّ هُمۡ فِیۡهَا لَا یَسۡمَعُوۡنَ (100)
The word زَفِیۡرٌ
means “pleading and crying.” The pronoun
ہُمۡ in the first
sentence is for the worshippers and in the second for the
idols. On first sight, this may seem that there is an
ambiguity in the antecedents in both mentions of this pronoun.
However, as has been indicated in the light of several
examples earlier on, this ambiguity is a shortcoming when
there is a chance that it actually exists. If there is no such
chance and the antecedents can be definitively determined,
then this cannot be regarded a shortcoming. It in fact imparts
brevity to the discourse. There is actually no such
possibility of ambiguity. The verse implies that worshippers
will cry and plead in Hell and the mere stones they regarded
as deities and worshipped will not even know that they were
being worshipped and sought help from. This topic is discussed
at other instances in the Qur’an too in different styles: the
companions of Hell will implore for help but none will be
there to help them.
It is possible that in the second part,
someone thinks that the verb and the pronoun mentioned
are ones that are used for living beings, so how can they be
used for stones and idols? The answer to this question is that
they are used with reference to the opinion of the
worshippers: they considered these stones to hear their
pleadings. Many examples of such usage can be seen in
classical Arabic literature and in the Qur’an.
اِنَّ
الَّذِیۡنَ سَبَقَتۡ لَهُمۡ مِّنَّا الۡحُسۡنٰۤی اُولٰٓئِكَ
عَنۡهَا مُبۡعَدُوۡنَ (10)
The noun qualified by the verb
الۡحُسۡنٰۤی is
suppressed. The implication is that those who have already
been promised a good fate by God will be kept away from Hell.
The promise of this good fate has been mentioned earlier in
verse 94. There it was said: “Then he who does righteous deeds
and also has faith, his effort will not go waste. We are Ones
writing it for him.”
لَا
یَسۡمَعُوۡنَ حَسِیۡسَهَا وَهُمۡ فِیۡ مَا اشۡتَهَتۡ
اَنۡفُسُهُمۡ خَلِدُوۡنَ (102)
This verse clearly refutes the opinion of
those people who, after not being able to correctly determine
the address in verse 71 of Surah Maryam,
think that once every person including the believers will have
to pass over Hell. Readers may look up my explanation.
If a person does not have the freedom to
alter and adapt the luxuries provided to him, their monotony
will bore him and he will desire for some new surroundings for
his entertainment and amusement.
Human beings are species who have a will and intention. For
this reason, they prefer the greatest of bliss on their own
conditions. To give due regard to this requirement of their
nature, the Almighty has made Paradise
for the believers in such a way that they can create variety
according to what they desire. Not the slightest hindrance
will be a barrier to any of their wishes. Obviously, this
eternal bliss and creation of diversity whenever desired is
something which the greatest of emperors ruling this world
neither had nor can ever have. At another instance, this fact
is illustrated by verse 108 of Surah al-Kahf:
لا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًا
(the companions of Paradise would not like to leave their
Paradise)
لَا
یَحۡزُنُهُمُ الۡفَزَعُ الۡاَکۡبَرُ وَ تَتَلَقّٰهُمُ
الۡمَلٰٓئِکَةُ هَذَا یَوۡمُکُمُ الَّذِیۡ کُنۡتُمۡ تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ
(103)
The expression
الۡفَزَعُ الۡاَکۡبَرُ
refers to the great upheaval that will take place in the whole
universe once the trumpet is blown. The Qur’an has portrayed
it at various instances. In particular, the surahs of the last
chapter have depicted it in such a way that if person has
insight, he can actually observe it with his eyes. The words
“then all of a sudden those who have disbelieved will stare in
astonishment” of verse 97 are pointing towards it.
یَوۡمَ
نَطۡوِی السَّمَآءَ کَطَیِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلۡکُتُبِ کَمَا
بَدَاۡنَاۤ اَوَّلَ خَلۡقٍ نُّعِیۡدُهُ وَعۡدًا عَلَیۡنَا اِنَّا
کُنَّا فٰعِلِیۡنَ (104)
The word
السِّجِلُ refers to the scroll or
register in which written pages are preserved. The word
کُتُبٌ here means
“written pages” and اَوَّلَ
خَلۡقٍ is grammatically a locus. The
expression اَوَّلَ
مَرّةٍ is also used in the Qur’an at
various instances to convey this meaning.
The participle in
وَعۡدًا عَلَیۡنَا
is for emphasis, ie it is a certain promise from God, as is
indicated earlier by the words
الَّذِیۡ کُنۡتُمۡ تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ.
The words “indeed, We are certain to do it”
imply that no one should think that they are being sounded a
bluff. This promise shall be fulfilled by God come what may;
He has decided it and it is very easy a task for Him.
وَ لَقَدۡ
کَتَبۡنَا فِی الزَّبُوۡرِ مِنۡ بَعۡدِ الذِّکۡرِ اَنَّ
الۡاَرۡضَ یَرِثُهَا عِبَادِیَ الصّٰلِحُوۡنَ (105)
This verse refers to the Psalms. Though it
has been mentioned at various instances in it that the earth
shall be inherited by the righteous servants of God, yet
chapter 37 is especially dedicated to this one fact. For this
reason, reproduced below is the chapter in full so that the
veracity of the Qur’an’s reference becomes evident and it also
becomes clear which “earth” is being referred to here.
Moreover, the true meaning of مِنۡ
بَعۡدِ الذِّکۡرِ is also evident and
it becomes known that what is being alluded to by the word
الذِّکۡر.
In the following pages, first the complete
chapter shall be cited and the individual components of the
verse that specially need elucidation will be explained.
1 Do not fret
because of those who are evil
or be
envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the
grass they will soon wither,
like green
plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in
the Lord and do good;
dwell in the
land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take
delight in the Lord,
and he will
give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your
way to the Lord;
trust in
him and he will do this:
6 He will make
your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your
vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be
still before the Lord
and wait
patiently for him;
do not
fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they
carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from
anger and turn from wrath;
do not
fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those
who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who
hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
10 A little
while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you
look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the
meek will inherit the land
and enjoy
peace and prosperity.
12 The wicked
plot against the righteous
and gnash
their teeth at them;
13 but the
Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows
their day is coming.
14 The wicked
draw the sword
and bend the
bow
to bring down
the poor and needy,
to slay those
whose ways are upright.
15 But their
swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their
bows will be broken.
16 Better the
little that the righteous have
than the
wealth of many wicked;
17 for the
power of the wicked will be broken,
but
the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The
blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their
inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of
disaster they will not wither;
in days of
famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the
wicked will perish:
Though
the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be
consumed, they will go up in smoke.
21 The wicked
borrow and do not repay,
but the
righteous give generously;
22 those
the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he
curses will be destroyed.
23 The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one
who delights in him;
24 though he
may stumble, he will not fall,
for
the Lord upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young
and now I am old,
yet I have
never seen the righteous forsaken
or their
children begging bread.
26 They are
always generous and lend freely;
their
children will be a blessing.
27 Turn from
evil and do good;
then you will
dwell in the land forever.
28 For
the Lord loves the just
and will not
forsake his faithful ones.
They will be
protected forever.
Wrongdoers
will be completely destroyed;
the offspring
of the wicked will perish.
29 The
righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in
it forever.
30 The mouths
of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their
tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of
their God is in their hearts;
their feet do
not slip.
32 The wicked
lie in wait for the righteous,
intent on
putting them to death;
33 but
the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them
be condemned when brought to trial.
34 Hope in
the Lord
and keep his
way.
He will exalt
you to inherit the land;
when the
wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
35 I have seen
a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
36 but he soon
passed away and was no more;
though I
looked for him, he could not be found.
37 Consider
the blameless, observe the upright;
a future
awaits those who seek peace.
38 But all
sinners will be destroyed;
there will be
no future for the wicked.
39 The
salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their
stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers
them from the wicked and saves them,
because they
take refuge in him.
In my opinion,
it is to this Psalm that the Qur’an has referred here. If it
is reflected upon, one can clearly see that it is in the form
of discrete stanzas in which words of counsel are sounded
first and then a repetitive verse occurs “the land and country
shall be inherited by the pious and righteous servants of
God.” This style can be seen in the Qur’an as well in Surah
al-Rahman where the verse is repeated.
If the
underlined sentences are deliberated upon, it will become
evident that the inheritance of the land they speak about is
eternal. Thus for example, it is said:
And their inheritance will endure forever
(18)
Then you will dwell in the land forever
(27)
They will be protected forever (28)
The righteous will inherit the land and
dwell in it forever (29)
Obviously, these glad tidings of
an eternal kingdom cannot relate to this earth which we
inhabit. Neither are any of its things eternal nor is its
inheritance specific for the righteous. On the contrary, this
earth and all of its things are mortal and God has given
respite in it to both the righteous and the wicked. After
that, the heavens and the earth both will be destroyed and a
new world will be born with new laws. It will be eternally
inherited by the righteous and the wrongdoers will be cast
into Hell.
Precisely the same inference is
validated by the Qur’an. Earlier in verse 104, it is pointed
out that one day the Almighty will destroy this sky. In verse
48 of Surah Ibrahim, it is stated: یَوۡمَ
تُبَدَّلُ الۡاَرۡضُ غَیۡرَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ السَّمٰوٰتُ
(keep in mind the day when the earth is
changed into a different earth and the heavens also).
In the new earth and sky created, the law undoubtedly will be
that they will eternally belong to the righteous. The
wrongdoers will have no share in it. This is evident not just
from the Psalms and the Qur’an, it is also evident from all
divine scriptures and from the teachings of all the prophets
and messengers of God.
It is this reality which the
Qur’an explains with reference to the Psalms in the verse
under discussion. The Psalms are a collection of hymns
revealed to David (sws). As has been mentioned in this surah,
he was a prophet as well as an illustrious king. A declaration
that the real and final kingdom of the earth will belong only
to the righteous would have been the most effective from the
mouth of a prophet. When a mighty king makes such a
proclamation, who else can dare say anything else.
After this explanation, consider
now the components of the verse.
It is evident with reference to
Psalm 37 cited earlier that the teaching of the Psalms which
the Qur’an has alluded to here has been explained in detail in
a very moving way. It has also become evident that the real
fact stated occurs in the form of a repetitive verse with
words of counsel and lofty instruction being sounded before
it. This is referred to by the Qur’an as
مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ الذِّکۡرِ. The importance of this
reference is that in fact it is these words of counsel which
guarantee an eternal kingdom in the Hereafter.
The real thing
for which the Qur’an has alluded to the Psalms is referred to
by the words “that the earth shall only be
inherited by My righteous servants.” It is evident from
the portion of the Psalms cited that the earth mentioned in
this verse refers to the earth that will be brought into
existence in the Hereafter and whose inheritance will solely
be meant for the righteous servants of God.
اِنَّ فِیۡ
هٰذَا لَبَلٰغًا لِّقَوۡمٍ عٰبِدِیۡنَ (106)
The word بَلٰغ
here encompasses the meanings of general declaration and
general glad tidings. It is undefined to magnify it. The
implication is that God’s verdict is that the inheritors of
the new earth will only be the righteous servants of God. This
constitutes huge glad tidings for those who worship Him. So
people should try to struggle to their best for the Hereafter.
They should not sacrifice it for the life of few days of this
world.
وَ مَاۤ
اَرۡسَلۡنٰكَ اِلَّا رَحۡمَةً لِّلۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ (107)
The implication of the verse is that God
has sent the Prophet (sws) as a mercy for mankind to deliver
glad tidings and warnings to people. He should inform them of
this reality. His sole responsibility is dissemination and
proclamation and should try to carry it out. As for the
arrogant who make fun of his warnings and demand to see the
promised doom, he should tell them that God has sent him as a
mercy to them and not as a punishment. He should tell them
that he is unaware of its time of arrival. Only God has its
knowledge.
قُلۡ
اِنَّمَا یُوۡحٰۤی اِلَیَّ اَنَّمَاۤ اِلٰـهُکُمۡ اِلٰهٌ
وَّاحِدٌ فَهَلۡ اَنۡتُمۡ مُّسۡلِمُوۡنَ (108)
The last part of the verse carries a
vehement warning: are these people willing to consign
themselves to the powerful and ever-existing God or not? The
implication is that the Prophet (sws) has done his duty and
now it is their responsibility; if they continue to be
stubborn and make fun of him at the backing of their idols and
deities, he is absolved of his responsibility towards them.
The responsibility of the consequences now rests with them.
فَاِنۡ
تَوَلَّوۡا فَقُلۡ اٰذَنۡتُکُمۡ عَلٰی سَوَآءٍ وَ اِنۡ
اَدۡرِیۡ اَقَرِیۡبٌ اَمۡ بَعِیۡدٌ مَّا تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ (109)
The implication of the verse is that if even
after this decisive warning they persist with their attitude
of evasion, the Prophet (sws) should tell them that he has
informed their leaders and their followers, the prominent and
the ordinary, the rich and the poor all about the imminent
danger. None of them can now present the excuse that he had
not been warned. As for the time of this danger to
materialize, he is not aware of it. Only God – on whose
directive he is warning them – knows it.
اِنَّهُ
یَعۡلَمُ الۡجَهۡرَ مِنَ الۡقَوۡلِ وَ یَعۡلَمُ مَا تَکۡتُمُوۡنَ
(110)
This is a very comprehensive and eloquent
verse. The implication is that when God knows the hidden and
the known aspects of peoples’ lives, they should consign their
matter to him. He will do what His wisdom entails. He knows
the demand they are making from the Prophet (sws) as well as
its reason.
It may be kept in mind that those who were
demanding the punishment from the Prophet (sws) were not doing
it because they thought that it was a bluff or that he was
lying to them. They only did so to annoy and pester him and to
deceive their masses. It is while referring to this fact that
it has been said that they should not think that God is
unaware of the secrets of their hearts. He fully knows them
and for this reason the Prophet (sws) is not worried at their
demand. He fully trusts God’s knowledge and wisdom.
وَ اِنۡ
اَدۡرِیۡ لَعَلَّهُ فِتۡنَةٌ لَّکُمۡ وَ مَتَاعٌ اِلٰی حِیۡنٍ
(111)
The antecedent of the pronoun in
لَعَلَّہٗ
is the “delayed promise” indicated in the
previous verse. In other words, it is being said that if this
promise is being deferred, the Prophet (sws) does not know the
reason for it. Only God knows it. It may well be a trial for
them so that the truth is conclusively communicated to them.
It can also be that God wants them to have some more time to
eat and enjoy. Whatever the reason, it should not be a cause
of arrogance for them. On the contrary, they should try to
benefit from it. If it is the first case, they should hurry
and repent and in case of the second, they should be grateful
to God.
قَلَ رَبِّ
احۡکُمۡ بِالۡحَقِّ وَ رَبُّنَا الرَّحۡمٰنُ الۡمُسۡتَعَانُ
عَلٰی مَا تَصِفُوۡنَ (112)
This verse is both a supplication from the
Prophet (sws) and also a farewell to the enemies. God accepted
his supplication and the Prophet bade farewell to his enemies
by expressing the fact that he only seeks help from God on
what they say and do because He is the real helper.
With these words, the explanation of this
surah comes to its completion. فا
لْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ عَلي ذالِكَ
(gratitude be to God on this).
Rahmanabad
18th March 1973
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