its ạyạt, or portents, 8.
The sụrah is called al–Fạtiĥa, ‘the
The Qur'an Made Simple
"Taqreeb al-Qur'an ilal-Adh-
haan"
"Bringing the Qur'an Closer to
the Minds"
by
Ayatullah al-Udhma Imam
Muhammad Shirazi
Preface by translator Salman
Tawhidi
The Glorious Qur'an - an
introduction and background
So far 63 surahs and associated
commentaries have been translated
from Arabic into English. These are:
surahs 1-6 & 58-114.
Surahs 1-6 have not been proofread
yet and are given in html format here.
surahs 58-114 have been proofread
for accuracy and are given in PDF
format here.
Surah al–Fatiha
(1)
'The Opening'
Sent down at Makkah, and at Madịnah;
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Opening', on account of the sacred script
opening with it, and on account of how the
prayers open with it, for it is the opening of
the sụrahs that follow it. It is also called al-
Ĥamd, on account of the prominence of the
word al-ĥamd, meaning ‘the praise' (that is,
all praise) within it. It is also called the Sab'
al-mathäni, al-Waqịyah, and al-Käfịya, and
several other names. The sụrah was
revealed at Makkah, and some say at
Madịnah, and perhaps the blessed sụrah
was revealed once at Makkah and again at
Madịna.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate,
the Merciful.
(1).
By the name of Allah,... The meaning of
`By the name of Allah' is `I seek help by, or
through, Allah'. It is `by the name of Allah'
and not `by Allah', out of respect for Allah's
greatness, as if the seeking of assistance is
but from the name. Allah is the proper noun
for Him, glorified be He.
…the Compassionate, the Merciful. ‘The
Compassionate' and `the Merciful' are two
of His names that show His exalted being
to be the fountainhead of mercy: there is no
reason to be terrified of Him, as of the
tyrant or the bloodthirsty. The repetition is
for emphasis.
The praise be Allah's, Master of the worlds,
(2)
The praise be Allah's… It is Him who is
worthy of all praise, for every beauty is
from Him, and all goodness is from His
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direction.
…Master… He is the Master of the worlds,
He caused them and elevates them. ‘Master'
is given for Rabb, which denotes a process
of elevation that is intentional and
continual.
...of the worlds. `The worlds' is given for
al–'ạlamịn, meaning the worlds of
existence: the worlds of jinn and mankind,
of man, animal, plant and matter, of spirit
and body, and so forth.
The Compassionate, the Merciful,
(3)
A repetition for emphasis, so as to inform
that the Master is not tyrannical, as is the
case in the majority of human masters.
Possessor-King of the Requital-day.
(4)
The ‘Requital-Day' is the Day of
Resurrection. Allah is the absolute owner
of that day; none partners Him in it: `...and
they mediate not, save for whom He
approves.' (21:29)
Thee we worship, and Thee we beseech:
(5)
Thee we worship… That is, our worship,
our humility is for Thee, O Allah, and only
for Thee.
…and Thee we beseech: ‘We beseech' is
given for nasta‘ịn, the plural form of the
verb ista ‘ạn, meaning to seek help. He it is
who has all things in His hand, and so we
seek help from Him. The `we' tense is to
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convey that the Muslims are perpetually
engaged in these two paths: worship of
Allah and seeking His help.
Guide us the straight road,
(6)
Guide us… Man is at all times in need of
Him to guide him, even if he is guided.
The straight road, `Road' is given for siräţ,
which, being given without conditionals,
indicates universality, so that the Muslim
seeks from Him, glorified be He, that He
guides him the straight road in everything:
belief, action, speech, thought and so on.
The road of those upon whom Thou have
blessed, not of those on whom is anger, and
nor of the astray.
(7)
The road of those upon whom Thou have
blessed… This clarifies `the straight road'.
The straight road is that lofty path trod by
those upon whom Allah has showered His
blessings: the Messengers, the Imams and
the virtuous.
…not of those on whom is anger…He who
is blessed by Allah does not occasion His
anger.
…and nor of the astray. Those who have
deviated from the road. And it is possible
for the astray to be amongst those on whom
is Allah's anger, when it is their fault, and
they may not occasion Allah's anger, when
it is not their fault. The Muslim prays to
Allah not to be amongst either party.
The translation of Sụrah al-Fạtiĥa,
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as given above:
By the name of Allah, the
Compassionate, the Merciful. (1).
The praise be Allah's, Master of the
worlds, (2)
The Compassionate, the Merciful, (3)
Possessor-King of the Requital-day. (4)
Thee we worship, and Thee we beseech: (5)
Guide us the straight road, (6)
The road of those whom Thou have
blessed,
Not of those on whom is anger,
And nor of the astray. (7)
Surah al-Baqarah
(2)
‘The Cow’
Sent down at Madina; its ayat, or portents,
286.
The sụrah is called al-Baqarah, ‘the Cow’,
because it contains a celebrated story
involving a cow.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate,
the Merciful.
The sụrah begins with the name of Allah
the Most High, to reinforce the sense of
seeking help from Him; and also for the
Muslim to learn to begin all his actions
with this blessed name; and for this
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bountiful name to be imprinted on the
minds, since repetition has a profound
effect.
Alif; lam; mim;
(1)
These types of letters: alif, lam, and mim.
That is the book–no doubt about it–a
guidance for the guardful:
(2)
That is the book… ‘That’ is given for
źạlika, which is used to denote distance;
here, the Quran's lofty station and exalted
position.
…–no doubt about it–… That is, there is
no doubt about in it; there is no place for
doubt about the book, even though the
disbelievers express doubt, just as daylight
is clear and beyond doubt, even though
Sophist philosophers say they are in doubt
about it.
...a guidance for the guardful: This is an
adjective following upon an adjective. It
means that the Qur’an is a guide for those
who are guardful, and fear downfall and
destruction. Such persons will be guided by
the Qur’an, though the Qur’an of itself is
suitable to guide everyone.
Who believe in the unseen and establish the
prayer and, from that We have provisioned
them, they dispense;
(3)
Who believe in the unseen... The guardful
are described as believing in the unseen.
‘Believe' is given for yu’minụn, related to
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ịmạn, meaning belief. The unseen (al- Those are on a guidance from their Master,
ghayb) is what is hidden from the physical and those, they are the thrivers.
senses, above and beyond the natural
world. The soul is unseen, the proceedings
of the grave are unseen, Allah the glorified
(5)
is unseen, and so on.
Those are on a guidance from their
Master…: They have foresight and
...And establish the prayer:…They always
discernment (basịrah), and this greater
perform the prayer just the way they are
perception has come to them from Allah,
commanded to perform it. The signification
glorified be He.
is greater than merely praying.
...And those, they are the thrivers. They
…And, from that We have provisioned
are successful ‘thrivers’ (muflihụn): in the
them, they dispense;…The term ‘We have
world they have insight and perception, and
provisioned' is given for razaqnạ, from
in the hereafter they are delivered and
rizq, which embraces food, clothing,
successful.
accommodation, knowledge, health and so
on. The giving of each of these is according
The Qur’an then turns from this mention of
to what is appropriate for itself.
the believers, to mention of the
disbelievers, and then later to the
And who believe in that sent down unto
hypocrites, since any summons or appeal is
thee and that sent down before thee, and of
bound to divide the people into three
the hereafter they are certain.
groups concerning itself: the believers, who
accept it; the rejecting disbelievers, and
(4) those who vacillate between the two sides.

And who believe in that sent down unto Indeed those who disbelieve: alike it is to
thee... The pronoun of ‘to thee' is singular: them whether thou warn them or thou warn
they believe in what was sent down to the them not, they will not believe.
Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House – that is, the Qur’an
and his revelation.
(6)
Indeed those who disbelieve:… ‘Disbelief’
…and that sent down before thee,… It is a
is given for kufr, which means
condition of belief to believe in all the
concealment, as if the disbeliever conceals
Prophets, as in the portent ‘...we distinguish
reality and refuses to show it. ‘Those who
not between any of His Messengers.' (285)
disbelieve' here means those amongst the
disbelievers who were die-hard stubborn, as
…and of the hereafter they are
they are the typical model of those who
certain.‘They are certain’ is given for
disbelieve. Apart from them, many of the
yụqinụn, meaning to believe and to put into
people who believed in the Messenger,
action all that such believing entails. Some
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
of this corresponds to ‘belief in the unseen',
House, were disbelievers who then
but is mentioned separately due to its
believed. :
importance.

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…alike it is to them whether thou warn
them or thou warn them not, they will not
believe, they will not believe.….It is clear
that it makes no difference to a stubborn
opponent whether he is warned or not,
except that he must be warned so that the
hujjat or argument and ground for
punishment against him is complete, and he
has no come-back. This portent was a
comfort to the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
so as to relieve him of any distress his
opponents' obstinacy was causing him.
Allah has sealed over their hearts, and upon
their hearing and their vision is a cover, and
for them is a mighty chastisement.
(7)
Allah has sealed over their hearts,... Allah
the Most High has sealed disbelief into
their hearts, and rendered them such that it
is difficult for them to believe, on account
of their being habituated to disbelief and to
refusing to listen to the truth. Allah sealed
them because they did not accept the
guidance. They do not profit from
guidance, and advice does not benefit them.
It is as Allah says, ‘...Allah has sealed them
for their disbelief...,-that is to say, on
account of their disbelief.
We have interpreted ‘sealed' as ‘made it
difficult to believe' as it is obvious that any
person, no matter how obstinate their
opposition, never becomes such that they
cannot accept and be guided.
...And upon their hearing and their vision
is a cover…Like the deaf they do not
benefit from their hearing, as their hearing
is defective. Their spiritual condition of
being veiled is likened to their physical
senses being veiled, or covered. Just as one
whose eyes are covered does not see
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sensory things, so the obstinate opponent
has something over his eyes that acts like a
cover. It is a case of describing one who is
without a quality in a thing as being
without that thing itself, rather like
describing a person who is unable to learn
as being ‘a brick wall'.
...And for them is a mighty chastisement...
In the world and in the hereafter, for whoso
strays from the commands of Allah, the
Most High, has a straightened life in the
world, and will be raised blind on the day
of resurrection.
And of the people is whoso says, ‘We
believe in Allah and in the Last Day,' while
they are not believers;
(8)
This means the hypocrites, the third type,
who declare their belief in their words only,
but in reality are not believers. They do not
perform the actions of believers, even
though their hearts may also be convinced
of the realities of faith.
They double-cross Allah and those who
believe, yet they double-cross none but
themselves, while they notice not.
(9)
They double-cross Allah and those who
believe,... They wish to deceive Allah the
Most High and they wish to cheat Him,
showing what they do not mean, and
meaning what they do not show. They
show themselves to the believers other than
as they are.
...yet they double-cross none but
themselves.... In reality their efforts do not
deceive or double-cross Allah and the
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believers, for they are aware of their
characters, and they are not taken in. On the
contrary, they double-cross only
themselves, in that though they are ruled as
being believers on the surface, yet they do
not share with them in their secrets, and
they do not share their condition in the
hereafter. Thus they are deceived in
considering themselves deceivers, double-
crossed by their thinking they could
double-cross Allah and the believers.
...while they notice not. They do not realise
that they are deceiving themselves and not
Allah and the believers, for if they knew
they were deceiving themselves they would
not do what they think deceives others, but
which really and indeed deceives
themselves.
In their hearts is an illness, so Allah
increases them in illness, and theirs is a
painful chastisement in that they were
lying.
(10)
The heart of the hypocrite is contorted, he
does not wish to be firm and steady. The
revelation of the ạyạt and the
commissioning of the Messenger leads to
an increase in their contortion, as they try to
avoid the light of detection. They are liars
in the sense that their inner realities
contradict their outward expressions, and
this is a type of lie. So, even though their
words conform to reality, yet in the sense
that their words express and give
information about their faith, them not
being believers, their speech is a lie.
When it is said to them, ‘Make not
corruption in the earth,' they say, ‘Indeed
we are the rectifiers.'
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(11)
Hypocrisy entails corruption, since the
hypocrite works against the mission, and
conspires against it; and this is corruption
as the mission seeks rectification and
progress.
Be aware: indeed it is them, they are the
corrupt; while they notice not.
(12)
By their hypocritical stance against Islam,
they work a corruption that is more
extensive than the corruption of the
disbelievers. Thus the Most High tells us in
another ạyah: ‘They are the enemy…' with
the sense of exclusivity, as if they are the
only enemy.
...while they notice not..That is, they are
blind to all of this; they reckon that their
works are good and beneficial, as if they
know better than the Most High.
And when it is said to them, ‘Believe like
the people believe,’ they say, ‘Are we to
believe like the fools believe?' Be aware:
indeed them – they are the fools; but they
know not.
(13)
The hypocrites were told by a group of
believers who did not fear them. They told
them to believe with an honest belief free
of all hypocrisy.
…they say, ‘Are we to believe like the
fools believe?'... By ‘fools’ they meant the
genuine believers.
…Be aware: indeed them – they are the
fools;…They themselves were the fools,
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for what is more foolish than turning from
the path of truth with the evil qualities of
hypocrisy and vice.
…but they know not. They did not know
that they were fools, rather they thought
that their path of hypocrisy was the best of
paths.
And when they meet those who believe
they say, ‘We believe!', and when they
closet themselves with their devils they say,
‘Indeed we are with ye, indeed we are but
mockers.'
(14)
When the hypocrites came to the believers
they would say they were believers, but
when they were alone with their fellow
hypocrites they would say they were with
them – seeking to please both sides. They
also said that their claiming to be believers
was so as to mock the believers and belittle
them. And this is the proof of their
hypocrisy, for if such was not the case, and
they announced disbelief out of caution
(taqịyyatan), then they would have been
content with their announcement and would
not have added to that by ridiculing the
believers.
Allah mocks them and furthers them in
their transgression, wandering blindly.
(15)
Allah mocks them… That is, He does to
them what a mocker would do: He subjects
them in the world to the rules of faith,
while in the hereafter He requites them with
the requital of the disbelievers. In some
traditions it is stated that He mocks them in
the hereafter with the Fire.
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…and furthers them in their
transgression, wandering blindly. He
furthers them in their transgression by not
restraining them, just as it is said that a king
furthers the highway robbers when he fails
to eradicate them. ‘Transgression’ is given
for tughyạn, meaning to transgress the
boundaries, to stray and to wander. The
hypocrite is like one who is in total
confusion. Allah furthers them in the sense
that the world is the realm of choice and
examination; there is no question of it
meaning compulsion.
They are those who purchase the straying
for guidance; so their transaction is not
profitable, and they are guided not.
(16)
They are those who purchase the straying
for guidance;... The hypocrites are as if
they have given up guidance, and taken in
place of it the condition of being astray. Or,
as if they have given themselves up to
straying when it was theirs to give
themselves up to guidance.
…so their transaction is not profitable,…
This spiritual transaction of theirs brings
them no profit, but rather they lose the
capital stock itself, which is their own
selves.
…and they are guided not. They are not
guided in making this transaction.
What they are like is the appearance of one
who kindles a fire, in that as soon as it
lights up all around him, Allah takes away
their light and leaves them in darkness,
seeing not.
(17)
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What they are like is the appearance of
one who kindles a fire,… ‘Kindle’ is given
for istawqada, which might mean seeking
the fuel for a fire, such as firewood and
suchlike. The meaning is the starting of a
fire for light and warmth.
…in that as soon as it lights up all around
him, Allah takes away their light and
leaves them in darkness, seeing not. As
soon as the fire lights up the area around
him and he begins to benefit from its
illumination, Allah sends a wind that puts it
out. Then they no longer see what is around
them. This fits the hypocrite who by his
apparent faith removes from himself the
road of life, yet he brightens his path, for
faith is a light, and the means of man's
guidance to the truth, and to justice and
goodness. So when Allah takes possession
of their souls He leaves them and the rest of
the disbelievers in fire and chastisement,
whereas Allah takes the souls of the
believers to a more extensive light and a
greater mercy.
Deaf, dumb, blind; so they return not.
(18)
Their ears do not benefit them with truth,
and so they and the deaf are equal. They do
not speak truth. and so they and the dumb
are equal. And they are blind, for they do
not see the truth, and so they and the blind
are equal.
…so they return not. They do not return
from their straying and their deviation. ‘So'
is given for fa, which here implies that
since they are deaf, dumb and blind no
goodness can be expected of them, for, as it
is said, ‘the deaf hears no request.'
Or like a rain-cloud from the sky: in it are
darknessess and thunder and lightning;
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them putting their fingers in their ears
against the thunderbolts, wary of death; and
Allah is encompassing of the disbelievers.
(19)
Or like a rain-cloud from the sky:…
Another metaphor about the hypocrites, the
difference being that the former metaphor
dealt with the condition of the hypocrite as
an individual, while this one looks at the
truth that envelopes the hypocrite, but from
which he takes no profit. The truth that
floods upon the hypocrite is like rain
pouring from the skies.
…in it are darknessess… The darknesses
(żulamạt) are those of the clouds and the
rain, which circulates between the darkness
and the earth, and the darkness of clouds
upon clouds.
...thunder and lightning;… These to the
extent that they are frightening.
...them putting their fingers in their ears
against the thunderbolts,… In suffering
from the storm, and in fear of the
thunderbolts; for when thunderbolts
descend their noise pierces the ears.
...wary of death;… for such sever noises
can occasion a disturbance of the heart, so
that a person will die. But these hypocrites
who are disbelievers at heart should not
suppose that they will be able to escape the
severity of Allah the Most High, for
…Allah is encompassing of the
disbelievers. In knowledge and power.
The lightning well-nigh snatches their
sight; as soon as it lights up for them they
walk in it, and when it darkens upon them
they stand; and If Allah willed, He would
take their hearing and their sight, indeed
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Allah over all things is powerful.
(20)
The lightning well-nigh snatches their
sight…Those caught in this storm have
their sight snatched away, indicating
blindness.
…as soon as it lights up for them they
walk in it,…As soon as there is a flash of
lightning they walk in it, meaning that they
benefit from its light and walk.
…and when it darkens upon them they
stand;… When there is no lightning they
stand still. …and if Allah willed, He would
take their hearing… That is, by the
severity of the thunderbolts that would
deafen them.
…and would take their sight… Through
the brightness of the lightning flashes, for
powerful light leads to loss of sight.
…indeed Allah over all things is powerful.
He is not prevented by a man blocking his
ears with his fingers or covering his eyes so
as to retain his hearing and vision.
The explanation of this metaphor apparent
from the circumstances of its descent is that
the rain-cloud is the truth sent down upon
the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House; the lightning is the
advance of the Muslims, and what
illuminates the path for them – the thunder
and lightning bolts – represent the warnings
given by the Messengers and the
frightening that is a part of the call. The one
caught in such a storm in the desert is the
hypocrite. The truth is like rain in which is
life, yet there is also the darkness for the
disbelievers of being defeated, and of loss
of life, wealth and issue. It has flashes of
light that illuminate the path of the blessed
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life, and it has thunder and thunderbolts
that are the warnings of the Messenger, and
his disgracing the hypocrites.
Such hypocrites will sometimes be carried
along by the speed of the Muslims’
advance, for the eye weeps at the sight of
what is not easy for itself. As far as all is
bright for them, in that the Muslims are
victorious in war and gathering plenty of
spoils, they follow and obey the Messenger.
But when things darken for them, in that
the disbelievers defeat them, they stop and
stand still where they are, neither learning
nor advancing. And they fear the disgrace
and humiliation of an ạyah being sent down
about their circumstances, and so they place
their fingers in their ears to avoid hearing it.
Or they pay it no attention, so that their
reaction to it may not be seen on their
faces. But Allah is able to make them die,
just as He is able to humiliate them, and
take away their hearing and vision. So they
are not in ease from their hypocrisy, as they
imagine, but rather they are in the severest
affliction and misfortune.
O ye the people! Worship your Master who
created ye and those before ye, that ye
might be guardful:
(21)
Allah created us for guardfulness (al-
taqwạ) and worship, as He says, ‘And I
created not the jinn and not the people save
that they worship Me.' (al-Źariyạt [51] :57)
He who put for ye the earth as a couch, and
the sky as an edifice, and sent down from
the sky water, and then brought out with it
from the produce a provision for ye; so put
not rivals for Allah; as ye know.
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(22)
He who put for ye the earth as a couch,…
The earth has been made for us like a bed, a
carpet or a couch, comfortable for the body
and decorative.
…and the sky as an edifice,…The sky is
like an edifice in that it is a level that hurls
projectiles to the earth. The meaning is not
that it is a building made of course
materials.
and sent down from the sky water,... Here,
whatis meant by ‘sky' (al-samạ.a), is the
sphere above, or from that direction.
…and then brought out with it from the
produce a provision for ye;… In the
produce that comes out with the rain is
provision for us, in that the creation and all
blessings are from Allah, glorified be He.
…so put not rivals for Allah;… By ‘rivals'
(andạd) is meant partners, like idols and so
forth.
…as ye know. And we know that they are
false, and that Allah has no partner or
associate.
And if ye are in doubt about what We have
sent down upon Our servant, then bring a
sụrah like it, and summon your witnesses
other than Allah, if ye be truthful.
(23)
That is, if ye think that what Muhammad
the son of ‘Abdullah has brought is not
from Allah, glorified be He, then bring a
single sụrah like this revelation, even a
short sụrah like the sụrah ‘Qul Huwa ‘llạhu
Ahad', or Sụrah al-Kawthar.
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...your witnesses... It means those to testify
with them that Muhammad, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
is not a Messenger.-
...other than Allah,... is given for min dụni
‘llạh, meaning whatever exists other than
Allah, just as it is said that all apart from
Allah is created.
...if ye be truthful. It means if ye are
truthful in stating your doubt that
Muhammad is not a Messenger, and that
the Quran is not sent down from alongside
Allah the Most High; for were Muhammad,
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
House, not a Messenger but an ordinary
person, then it would be possible to bring
the like of such words.
So if ye cannot do it—and ye cannot do
it—then be wary of the Fire whose fuel is
the people and the stones, prepared for the
disbelievers.
(24)
So if ye cannot do it—and ye cannot do
it—... This portent informs that they will
never be able to produce a sụrah like unto
the Quran, for the Quran is a miracle, the
like of which will never be reproduced.
...then be wary of the Fire whose fuel is
the people and the stones,... Be guardful
and wary of the consequences of your
calling the Messenger of Allah and His
Book false, for they are fuel for the Fire
that feeds on men and stone. Perhaps by
stones is meant the idols, as the Most High
says,...Ye and what ye worship other than
Allah are fuel for Hell...(al-Anbiyạ ‘The
Prophets’ [21]; 99) The particular mention
of stones is to effect terror, for stones do
not burn away, showing that the Fire is
continual. The Fire is ‘prepared for the
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disbelievers'; it is the consequence of unripe, some of them lovely and some of
belying the truth. them horrible.

And give glad tidings to those who believe ...and therein for them are spouses
and do the virtuous deeds: indeed theirs are cleansed,... They will have spouses in the
gardens, rivers flowing beneath them; gardens, purified of physical defects, such
whenever they are provisioned with fruits as dirt and blood, and of character defects,
from them, they say, ‘This is what we were like bad manners, bad language, jealousy
provisioned with beforehand;' and they are and so forth.
given it in semblance; and therein for them
are spouses cleansed, and they are in them ...and they are in them eternal. There in
eternal. those gardens they remain forever; they
will not die and they will not be removed.
(25) Now, as Allah has categorised the people
into three groups, the believer, the
And give glad tidings to those who believe
hypocrite and the disbeliever, and has given
and do the virtuous deeds:... The address is
a metaphor for the hypocrite, and then
now to the Messenger, Allah condescend
commanded the whole of the people to
upon him and upon his House:-He was to
worship, and summoned them to the
give glad tidings to those who believed in
community of believers, and reminded
their hearts and on their tongues, and did
them of the benefits, and presented
the virtuous deeds with their bodies.
arguments against those who denied the
Prophethood, He now responds to the
...indeed theirs are gardens, rivers flowing
question asked by the disbelievers and
beneath them;... In consideration that the
those with them in their nit-picking,
gardens are complexes with trees and
namely: why does Allah use metaphors
palms, the ground is ‘beneath them'.
such as here about the hypocrite, and in
Therefore the rivers flow beneath the
other sụrahs about the spider, and suchlike?
gardens along the ground.
Metaphors are effective in a person's heart,
and bring the topic closer to the mind
...whenever they are provisioned with
fruits from them, they say, ‘This is what
:
we were provisioned with beforehand;'...
Whenever the believers are provisioned
Indeed Allah is not ashamed to strike some
some fruit from amongst its produce, they
metaphor of a gnat or whatever is above it.
know it on account of what they have seen
So as for those who believe, they know that
in the world. Thus they are not like the
indeed it is the truth from their Master. And
people of the Fire, who will not know their
as for those who disbelieve, they say,
food called zarị', and will not know their
‘What is it Allah wishes with this
drink called ĥamịm.
metaphor? He leads astray by it many, and
He guides by it many.' Yet He leads none
...and they are given it in semblance;...
astray by it but the corrupt:
Each portion they are provisioned with will
resemble all other portions, in excellence
and delight. It is not like the fruits of the (26)
world, some of them ripe, some of them

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Indeed Allah is not ashamed to strike losers.
some metaphor... Shame derives from ugly
things and suchlike, so there is no shame in
Allah's coining metaphors with small,
(27)
lowly things, no matter what the metaphor.
Who break the covenant of Allah after His
‘Some' is given for mạ, meaning whatever.
pact... ‘Covenant' is given for ‘ahd; ‘pact’
is given for mịthạq, meaning that which
...of a gnat or whatever is above
necessitates observance. Allah's pact or
it....Perhaps the thing mentioned is a gnat
mịthạq is the oath He took from them in the
on account of that creature's being the
earlier books; or it is the innate disposition
smallest creature to be well-known and
(fiţrah) that He placed within them
observed by all.
recognising the Truth.
...So as for those who believe, they know
...and cut what Allah has commanded
that indeed it is the truth from their
should be joined,... That which Allah has
Master.... Believers know that these
commanded to be joined, but which they
metaphors are the truth from their Master,
cut, are the bonds of family compassion, or
glorified be He, and that they are used to
the bonds of obedience to the Messenger
explain and clarify.
and of brotherhood within the community.
...And as for those who disbelieve, they
...and make corruption in the earth....
say, ‘What is it Allah wishes with this
Their corruption in the earth is their
metaphor?... The disbelievers object,
disbelief, their hypocrisy and their
asking what Allah means by each
committing what is prohibited.
metaphor, inappropriate to the glory of
Allah. It is likely that the phrase,
...Those, they are the losers. They are
losers of their own life-times, for they
‘...He leads astray by it many and He
spend their life in the world straightened,
guides by it many...' is in answer to their
and their hereafter in chastisement and fire.
objection; though the context suggests
against it, for the purpose of such
Allah, glorified be He, now returns to the
metaphors is not the division of the people,
condition of the disbeliever, and addresses
but explanation and understanding. In any
him, showing the fallacy of his disbelief,
case, only the corrupt (al-fạsiqịn) are
with His word:
misled by it, meaning those who depart
from obedience to the Master, and from the
How do ye disbelieve in Allah, when ye
verdict of their own intellects.
were dead and He gave ye life, then He
makes ye dead, then He gives ye life, then
He then explains ‘the corrupt' by their
unto Him ye return?
clearest token, in His word:

Who break the covenant of Allah after His (28)

binding, and cut what Allah has
commanded should be joined, and make How do ye disbelieve in Allah, when ye
corruption in the earth. Those, they are the were dead... When there was no spirit in

MIA 12 | P a g e April 3, 2011

you.
...and He gave ye life,... The origin of man
is earth, then he was plant, then animal and
suchlike.
...then He makes ye dead, then He gives ye
life,... Man eats, and produces sperm,
which becomes a human, who dies and
returns to earth, and then returns on the day
of resurrection as a human.
...then unto Him ye return? Upon gaining
this second life he returns to Him for the
great judgement. The return is ‘unto Him'
in the sense that it is unto His reckoning;
otherwise, the human being is under Allah's
authority, power and knowledge the whole
time.
He it is who created for ye that in the earth,
entirely, then He directed Himself to the
sky and built them in seven skies, and He is
of all things knowing.
(29)
Who created it other than Him? That the
creation is for the human and for his benefit
does not mean that all things are
permissible for him. Each thing has a
reckoning according to what it is, like the
forbidden fish and the carnivorous animals
which are for the benefit of our eyes and
ears, not for us to eat.
...Then He directed Himself to... that is, He
turned His attention for creating and
arranging. ‘Sky' is given for samạ.i, which
seems originally to have meant a sphere of
orbit. So there are seven levels of planetary
and stellar orbits.
...And He is of all things Knowing.
Nothing is hidden from Him; the
disbeliever is known to Allah and cannot
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hide anything from Him.
It should not remain unsaid that the
creation of the earth was first, followed by
the creation of the skies, and then the laying
of the earth, as He says, ‘And the earth
after that, We levelled it.' (al-Nạzi ‘ạt
[79]:31).
As the Most High has given the story of the
creation of the heavens and the earth, so
now the thread turns to those who inherited
the earth, in His word:
And, when thy Master said to the angels:
‘Indeed I am putting in the earth a
successor!'
They said, ‘Are Thou to put therein one
who will corrupt and shed blood, while we
glorify Thy praise and holify for thee?'
He said: ‘Indeed, I know what ye know
not!'
(30)
And, when thy Master said to the angels:...
The address is to the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
meaning: mention the time when your
Master said to the angels. They were
created in the ‘Highest Liquid’ (al-mạ al-
a'alạ) and who are not seen but by him
whom Allah wills.
‘Indeed I am putting in the earth a
successor!'...‘A successor' is given for
khalịfatun, meaning one who succeeds to
the position of another, in that the human
species has succeeded to the rank of
commanding and prohibiting and of
guiding.
...They said, ‘Are Thou to put therein one
who will corrupt and shed blood,... The
April 3, 2011
dialogue took place so as to inform the
angels of underlying currents and to explain
realities. Their question was exactly that,
nothing but a question, by which they
sought that matters be clarified for them.
Perhaps the knowledge on which they
based their question was from what they
knew of the sluggishness and heaviness of
the earth, and that being the cause of
corruption and turbulence; or it was from
what they had seen of the behaviour of the
jinn species beforehand. Their view was
that they were sufficient – they were simply
saying what an obedient servant would say
to his master: ‘Indeed I serve you, so why
do you bring someone else who will not
serve you as well?'
...while we glorify Thy praise... ‘Glorify' is
given for tasbịh; it means to declare
something pure. So what is meant by
glorifying His praise is declaring Him pure
in a way that necessitates praise of Him,
glorified be He. In contrast to this is the
declaring of something pure without
occasioning praise, like the declaring of a
gemstone pure of faults and blemish, which
does not lead to it being praised, since its
purity is not on account of its own choice.
In contrast, Allah's purity of action is by
His will.
...and holify for Thee?' By saying that their
‘holifications' were for Him, they testified
to their own sincerity and their being free
of ostentation or showing-off (riyạ).
...He said.... Allah the Most High said in
response to the angels who asked the cause
for His empowering man to succeed Him.
...‘Indeed, I know what ye know not!' In
the empowering of man and his succeeding
to the earth is a matter more important than
the corruption men cause, just as man's
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succeeding to it is more important than the
angels succeeding to it, for amongst the
people are the elect and the righteous who
will not be gripped by the baser realm.
That, in addition to which man from the
point of view of the complexity of his
creation is a new type of being.
When Allah the Most High wished to
inform the angels of some of man's
particularities, and that he is of a higher
material than the angels, He taught Ạdam
things that Ạdam could understand and
digest, but which were beyond the angels.
Then He, the Most High, addressed the
angels and asked them if they could bear
the same, and their inability became clear.
And when they saw Ạdam's capacity and
ability they acknowledged the difference
and Ạdam's successorship or khilạfah.
Their position was like the person who has
a servant who is unable to build a beautiful
house, and so hires a builder. The servant
says to the master, ‘Why do you need
someone else when you have me?' The
master says to him, ‘I know what you do
not know.' He then hires the builder, and
explains what he wants of the house. The
builder is able to build the house, and the
servant sees that he was unable to meet his
master's wishes. Thus he acknowledges his
incapacity, and that the master knew more
than he knew when he overlooked him for
the builder:
And He taught Ạdam the names, all of
them; thereupon He presented ‘them’ to the
angels and said: ‘Inform Me of the names
of ‘these’, if ye be truthful.'
(31)
And He taught Ạdam the names, all of
them;... Allah taught Ạdam the names of
things, necessitating His teaching him
about the named things themselves. For
April 3, 2011
when you teach a person the names of Zaid
and Bakr, for example, it is necessary that
those two persons themselves be known to
him. Thus He says,
...thereupon He presented ‘them’ to the
angels and said,... Here the pronoun form
used for ‘them' is hum, normally used for
intelligent beings, in contrast to ‘all of
them’ where the pronoun is hạ..
...’Inform Me of the names of ‘these’...
...if ye be Me truthful!’: That is, if your
words accord to the actuality, and ye are
sufficient for successorship. Perhaps the
teaching of Ạdam was by inspiration
(ilhạm) and the creation of knowledge
within him for which he was capable,
unlike the angels who were not capable of
this knowledge and inspiration. Then there
would be no room to ask why Allah did not
teach the angels.
They said; ‘Glory be Thine; we have no
knowledge but what Thou have taught us;
indeed Thou are the Knowing, the Wise.'
(32)
They exclaimed Allah's purity from all
kinds of ugliness and futility, and they
acknowledged that they had not the
knowledge which Ạdam had and for which
he was suitable, and they acknowledged
their own unsuitability for that knowledge.
The Wise (al-Ĥakịm) is one who does
things with wisdom, meaning the placing of
things in their proper places.
He said, ‘O Ạdam, inform them of ‘their’
names!' Then, when he had informed them
of ‘their’ names, He said, ‘Did I not say to
ye that I know the unseen of the skies and
the earth? And I know what ye manifest
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and what ye conceal.'
(33)
He said, ‘O Ạdam, inform them of their
names!'... Ạdam was to inform the angels
of the names of those intelligent beings
who had been presented to the angels. Here
again the pronoun used is hum.
...Then, when he had informed them of
‘their’ names, He said, ‘Did I not say to ye
that I know the unseen of the skies and
the earth? And I know what ye manifest
and what ye conceal.' When he had done
so, the angels realised that Ạdam's
capacities were above their own. Allah then
reminded them that He knows what is
concealed from their perceptions, and that
He knows what they are ready to show, as
well as what some of them – the devil –
were hiding: jealousy of Ạdam, with him
be peace.
It is a necessity of His universal kindness
and all-encompassing mercy, that Allah the
Most High create varieties of beings with
different capacities, and there is no reason
to stand against such creation. Thus the
angels were created lower than man, and of
both categories some were created higher
than others. Accordingly, there is no place
for the question ‘why did Allah not place
this human capacity in the angels, but
instead created Ạdam, upon whom be
peace.'
And when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate
to Ạdam!'
They prostrated but for Iblịs; he refused and
was haughty and was among the
disbelievers.
15 | P a g e April 3, 2011
 him. The benefit of their not eating from
(34) that plant was that they would stay in that
garden, as He the Most High says,...Indeed
And when We said to the angels,
it is that thou shall not hunger therein and
‘Prostrate to Ạdam!'... Either their
not go unclothed, and that thou shall not
prostration was with Ạdam in front of
thirst therein nor suffer the heat of the
them, but for the sake of Allah, glorified be
sun... (Ţạ Hạ [20];118-9).
He, or it was for the sake of Ạdam. There is
no rational proof that prostration is not
...for you will be among the wrongful.
permitted for other than Allah, though the
‘Wrongful’ is given for al-żạlimịn: When a
legislation (shar') confirms this with respect
person denies himself goodness he does
to the Muslims.
himself wrong, for injustice or wrong-doing
(al-żulm) means to place a thing other than
...They prostrated but for Iblịs; he refused
in its place, just as justice (al-'adl) is to
and was haughty and was among the
place a thing in its place.
disbelievers. Iblịs is the devil. He refused
from pride and arrogance, but previously
So the devil made them stumble from it,
was not a disbeliever.
and made them depart from what they were
in; and We said: ‘Go down, some of ye
And We said, ‘O Ạdam, dwell thou and thy
enemies to others; and for ye in the earth is
spouse in the garden, and eat of it agreeably
a settlement and enjoyment for a while.'
as you will. And approach not this plant,
for you will be among the wrongful.
(36)
(35) So the devil made them stumble from it,
and made them depart from what they
And We said, ‘O Ạdam, dwell thou and thy
were in;... The devil conveyed Ạdam and
spouse in the Garden,... Ạdam's spouse
Hawạ from the garden through their slip,
was Hawạ (Eve), bliss be upon her. This
for he led them to eat of the plant. They
was said to them after Hawạ's creation,
were in delights, from which he led them to
which, like that of Ạdam, was a direct
depart.
creation without father or mother. The
garden was exactly that, belonging to Allah
...and We said: ‘Go down... The address is
and inhabited by Ạdam and Hawạ.
to Ạdam, Hawạ and the shaytạn. The
descent was either real, if the descent was
...and eat of it agreeably as you will....
from a higher to a lower place, or it was a
They were to eat plentifully, without
matter of rank and station.
trouble, from anywhere within the garden.
...some of ye enemies to others;... The
...And approach not this plant,... They
devil was an enemy to the two of them, and
were prohibited from a single plant, or tree,
they were his enemy.
as a test and examination. That plant,
according to reports, was the wheat plant.
...and for ye in the earth is a settlement
The prohibition was one of guidance, like
and enjoyment for a while.' until the end
the physician who prohibits his patient
of the world; or until the death of each of
from certain things, in that they will harm

MIA 16 | P a g e April 3, 2011

them.
Because Ạdam committed the first mistake
by eating from the plant, and Allah had sent
him down, he was embraced by mercy:
Then Ạdam received from His Master some
words; so He relented to Him, indeed He is
the Oft-Relenting, the Merciful.
(37)
Then Ạdam received from His Master
some words;... That is, Ạdam took some
words by which he repented and returned
from his lapse. This took place by Allah's
teaching him to run them across his tongue,
which he did.
...so He relented to Him,... Allah turned to
Ạdam in forgiveness.
...He is the Oft-Relenting, the Merciful.It
means He often turns to accept repentance,-
and He is merciful to His servants.
We said, ‘Go down from it, all of ye; so if
there surely comes to ye from Me some
guidance, then whoso follows My guidance
– no fear is upon them and nor do they
sorrow.
(38)
We said, ‘Go down from it, all of ye;...The
command to go down is repeated in
preparation for another topic—the topic of
guidance—after the earlier mention of
settlement and enjoyment; just as it might
be said, ‘I told him, "Go, you will profit!"
and I told him "Go, you will be safe!"'
...so if there surely comes to ye... The
pronoun is plural (kum), signifying that the
address is to the human species in the loins
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of Ạdam.
...guidance,... Such that will guide ye to the
truth. There is no harm in an address being
made to what does not yet exist, since the
intention is for that address to reach them
once they exist; and this is to overlook the
shadow world (‘ạlam al–źarr). Similarly,
there is no reason why the conditional put
as ‘if' should not be used with the emphatic
expressed as ‘surely'. The meaning is: if
there should come to you a coming that is
certain, as opposed to a coming that is
supposed.
...then whoso follows My guidance – no
fear is upon them... In the world or in the
hereafter,
...and nor do they sorrow.' True or
complete fear is from an undesirable thing
that will not be recompensed. And the same
is true of sorrow. The disasters and
afflictions of the believers are
recompensed; so they have no true or
complete fear of them. The difference
between fear and sorrow is that fear is felt
with regard to something that is yet to take
place, while sorrow is usually felt with
regard to something that has already
happened.
‘While those who disbelieve and belie Our
portents – those are the companions of the
Fire; they are in it eternal.’
(39)
‘While those who disbelieve and belie Our
portents... Those who do not believe after
the completion for them of the proof.
Perhaps the secret of His words ‘belie' after
‘disbelieve' is that disbelief does not of
itself necessitate belying, when it is due to
slackness.
April 3, 2011
...– those are the companions of the Fire,
they are in it eternal. ‘They are ... eternal’
is given for khạlidụn. But let it be clear that
the obstinate wrongdoer is in the Fire
eternally, while others are tried therein.
Now that the Bountiful Quran has
completed the story of Ạdam and his
successorship of the earth, the discourse
turns to the tribe of Israel. They are a
pattern for the human species, and certainly
many Prophets came to them, Prophets of
guidance, and Allah blessed and favoured
them. But they disbelieved in the favours,
and killed the Prophets. So they are an
abstract for the story of Ạdam, and a lesson
for the nation of Muhammad, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House:
O sons of Israel! Recall My blessing with
which I blessed ye; and fulfil My covenant,
I will fulfil your covenant; and of Me be in
dread.
(40)
O sons of Israel!... The ‘sons of Israel' are
the Jews. Israel is a name of the Messenger
Ya'qụb, bliss be upon him. Thus they are
addressed by their relationship with their
most senior ancestor, just as mankind is
addressed in the terms of their relation to
their most senior ancestor, in His word, ‘O
sons of Ạdam!'
...Recount My blessing with which I
blessed ye':... No particular blessing is
mentioned and so every kind of blessing is
meant, both physical and spiritual.
...and fulfil My covenant,... Again, no
particular covenant is given and so every
covenant is meant, whether it is the
covenant taken from them by Mụsạ, bliss
be upon him, that they would believe in the
Messenger (Muhammad), may Allah
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condescend upon him and his House; or
whether it is what was taken from them in
the shadow world (‘ạlam al–źarr), after
which the force of human nature (al-fitrah)
was placed within them to remind them.
...I will fulfil your covenant...: that He will
grant them the world and the hereafter; for
indeed Allah, glorified be He, has
guaranteed to those who fulfil His covenant
that He will give life to their world and
their hereafter.
...And of Me be in dread.' Fear should be
of Allah, glorified be He, and not of people.
And believe in that I have sent down,
confirming what is with ye, and be not the
first disbeliever in it; and sell not My
portents for a small price, and of Me be
guardful.
(41)
And believe in what I have sent down,...
The Quran.
...confirming what is with ye,... The Torah,
for even in the days of the Messenger,
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
House, the original Torah was confirmed
by the Quran; except what had been deleted
from it, and deletions do not invalidate.
...and be not the first disbeliever in it;...
That is, do not be the first to disbelieve in
what is sent down. And they were the
primary disbeliever, for on account of their
knowledge the ignorant listened to them
and followed them, and so the ignorant
disbelievers were at a lower level.
...and sell not My portents for a small
price,... Do not give up My portents and
refuse to believe in them in return for a
small price, which is worldly leadership,
April 3, 2011
when it is clear from the world's being
finite that this is a small price.
...and of Me be guardful. ‘Guardfulness’ is
given for taqwạ, which is to be of Him, the
Most High, and not of any other, for Allah
has profit and loss in His hands alone.
And dress not the truth in falsehood: ye
conceal the truth while ye know!
(42)
To dress the truth is to mix it, so the portent
means: do not mix the truth with falsehood.
For they would take some of the Torah
which suited them, and would cast off some
of it which did not suit them, like the glad
tidings of the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House.
And establish the prayer and pay the zakạt,
and bow with the bowers.
(43)
That is, perform these duties as Islam
requires, and bow with those who bow,
who are the Muslims.
Call ye the people to righteousness while
ye forget your own selves? While ye recite
the book! Will ye not reason?
(44)
The question is a prohibition, meaning do
not command the people to do good while
not doing it yourselves. Such forgetfulness
is condemned like not acting, as it has the
same result. Thus Allah says, ‘They forget
Allah and so We forget them.' (al-Tawba
[9]:68)
...While ye recite the book!... The Jews
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opposed the commands of the Torah, taking
bribes and working corruption and belying
the truth. And yet they recited their book,
and should therefore have been the first to
implement it.
...Will ye not reason? ‘Reason' is given for
ta'qilụn, meaning: do you not know how
ugly is what you do?
And seek help by restraint and the prayer;
and indeed it is huge, save upon the
humble:
(45)
And seek help by restraint... That is: seek
help in turning from your religion and your
dismissing your leaders—for in doing so
some of your worldly interests would be
negated—through constraint. For
constraining and enduring what was hard
for them in following the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
would return to them a condition far better
than that they were in.
...and the prayer;... The prayer calms a
person, and gives confidence, as He says,
‘Be aware: only by the remembrance of
Allah do the hearts find security.' (13:29)
...and indeed it is huge, save upon the
humble:... Seeking help through constraint
and prayer is great or difficult (kabịr), for
constraint is no trifle and the prayer fully
performed is not an easy deed. We have
given the condition of the prayer perfectly
performed because it is the prayer perfectly
performed by which help is sought. Or the
meaning may be the five daily prayers, for
they are extremely difficult, except for
those who fear Allah, glorified be He.
‘The humble' are then clarified in His word:
19 | P a g e April 3, 2011
Who suppose that indeed they meet their stronger than all governments, those of the
Master, and that indeed they are to Him past and those of the future.
returners.
Their distinction over the worlds was on
account of their faith in Mụsạ, bliss be
(46) upon him, since the world was either
stubbornly opposed to him, like the
‘Suppose' is given for żann, meaning either
Pharaoh and his followers, or totally
certainty, or supposition. Perhaps the
ignorant like those who lived in distant
reason behind this phrase is that the
areas, and whom the message of Mụsạ
slightest level of supposing gives rise to
never reached, and who were therefore not
fear. He who supposes that he is to meet a
at fault.
king will fuss about his preparations, so
what of him who supposes he is to meet the
And beware the day no spirit will
Owner of kings. Meeting Allah refers to
recompense a spirit for a thing, and nor will
being present at His reckoning, for Allah is
mediation be accepted from it, and nor will
as near to man in the world as He is in the
an equivalent be taken from it, and nor will
hereafter. Similarly, man's ‘return’ to Him
they be succoured.
is ideational, as has been given.

O sons of Israel, recall my blessing with (48)

which I blessed ye, and that I distinguished
ye above the worlds! ‘Recompense’ is given for tajzị, meaning,
here, to enrich or benefit. No soul will be
able to ward off harm from another, for the
(47) issue will be entirely for Allah, and even
mediation will be by His permission. The
O sons of Israel, recall my blessing with
day meant is the day of resurrection; to
which I blessed ye,... This repetition is for
beware of it is to prepare for it. No
emphasis and to ram the point home, for
mediation will be permitted that day from
man is sometimes inattentive at the first
any soul but with Allah's permission, nor
mention, and so the point is mentioned for
will ransom be accepted, and nor will any
a second and a third time. Moreover, the
rescuer appear. ‘equivalent’ is given for
heart or spirit is such that when it is
‘adlun, an equivalent, meaning here a
repeatedly admonished the admonishment
ransom, and a ransom is called ‘an
can take root.
equivalent’ as it is equivalent to the
ransomee.
...and that I distinguished ye above the
worlds! They were ‘distinguished above
These are the four ways of release from
the worlds' during their own time, but not
difficulties in the world, but none of them
all the worlds of all times, for the apparent
have any place in the hereafter, except
meaning of distinction (tafžịl) is to be
when Allah gives permission for mediation.
chosen. So if it is said that a certain
No exception is given here with regard to
government is the strongest of
mediation because what is meant is off-
governments, it would mean that that
hand or off-the-cuff mediation, that takes
government was stronger than all other
place without thought and deliberation, as
contemporary governments, but not

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is usual in the world.
And, when We saved ye from the House of
Pharoah – they were imposing upon ye an
evil chastisement: slaughtering your sons
and keeping alive your women; and in that
from your Master was a mighty trial.
(49)
It means ‘And remember the blessing with
which We blessed you when We saved you
from the house of Pharaoh.' ‘House’ is
given for ạl, meaning a man's people or
nation, and those particular to him, even
though there may be no family tie. Thus the
household of the Messenger, bliss be upon
them, are called the ‘House of Allah' (Ạl
Allah). It is normal to attribute to the whole
of a group something related to some of
that group, when kindness, guidance and
deliverance covered them all. And so it is
said, for example, that the tribe of Bani
Tamịm murdered so an so, when it was
some of them who did it. Thus Allah the
Most High says, ‘We saved ye', when those
saved were their ancestors.
...imposing on ye an evil chastisement:...
‘Imposing on ye' is given for
yasụmụnakum, meaning that they debased
and humiliated them through hurling them
into ‘an evil chastisement' (sụ.a ‘l-'azạb).
This evil chastisement is then clarified in
His word:
...massacring your sons.... ‘Massacring' is
given for taźbịĥ, meaning much
slaughtering.
...and keeping alive your women.... The
Pharaoh, whenever informed by the
midwives that amongst the sons of Israel –
who were a particular group amongst the
followers of Ya'qụb, bliss be upon him – a
child was born, would order that if a boy it
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was to be slaughtered, and if a girl it was to
be left alive for slavery and sexual
exploitation.
...and in that... In that terrible
chastisement.
...from your Master was a mighty trial.
The trial is attributed to Allah the Most
High as He did not come between Pharaoh
and those actions; just as it is said that a
father corrupts his son, when he fails to
come between him and the cause of his
corruption. Allah did not prevent the
Pharaoh and his folk on account of it being
a test and examination, as has been stated.
The salvation mentioned was the
destruction of Pharaoh and his people:
And, when We divided the sea for ye; We
saved ye and We drowned the House of
Pharoah while ye were watching.
(50)
And, when We divided the sea for
ye...:That is: ‘And remember, O sons of
Israel, when We divided the sea for ye.’
Allah the Most High made a space in the
sea, so that there became a walkway
through the water; and this was done
because of them and for their sake. The sea
mentioned is the Red Sea in Egypt, and the
distance cleared of water was almost four
farạsikh [or about 60 miles. tr].
...We saved ye and We drowned the House
of Pharoah while ye were watching. Mụsạ,
upon whom be peace, and the sons of Israel
were fleeing from the Pharaoh when they
came to the sea, with the Pharaoh and his
horde behind them. So Allah commanded
Mụsạ to strike the sea with his staff; he
struck it and the water was removed from
the pathway, so that the sons of Israel
21 | P a g e April 3, 2011
crossed over, with the Pharaoh and his
troops behind them. When these had
reached the middle of it, and Mụsạ, bliss be
upon him, and his people had left it, the
waters returned to their original condition,
and the Pharaoh and his people were
drowned. The sons of Israel were saved
from their enemies, and the Pharaoh's horde
were drowned, along with the Pharaoh,
who is included in the mention of his
House (ạl). And they saw how their
enemies were drowned for their sake.
upon him, had gone to the appointment
with his Master, they constructed a calf out
of gold and made it their god and prostrated
for it. That is how they met Allah's
blessings upon them, with ingratitude and
worship of the calf.
...ye being wrongful. They were wrongful
in that they wronged themselves.
Then We pardoned ye after that, that ye
might be thankful.

Let it be said here that such miracles are

easy for Allah, glorified be He, and for
(52)
them to be explained away as they are by
Allah forgave them their worship of the
some of us, is nothing more than the
calf, that they might be thankful, and act
digesting of western material.
according to His commands.
And, when We bonded Mụsạ for forty
And, when We gave Mụsạ the book and the
nights; thereupon ye took the calf after him,
criterion, that ye might be guided.
and ye were wrongful.

(51) (53)
That is: ‘And remember, O sons of Israel,
And, when We bonded Mụsạ for forty
when We gave Mụsạ the book and the
nights;... That is: ‘And remember, O sons
criterion.’ The book was the Torah. ‘The
of Israel, when We bonded Mụsạ’ The term
criterion' is given for al–furqạn, meaning
‘We bonded' is given for wạ'adnạ,
that which distinguishes between truth and
implying that He the Most High bound to
falsehood; and it is more important than the
undertake and Mụsạ, bliss be upon him,
book.
accepted. And there is no discord between
this being given here as forty nights, and it
And, when Mụsạ said to his tribe: ‘O my
being given in another ạyah as thirty; for
tribe, indeed ye have wronged yourselves
this ạyah relates to the two pacts, while the
by your taking the calf, so repent to your
other ạyah refers to the first. For Allah the
Originator and kill yourselves; that is better
glorified at first pacted with Mụsạ for
for ye with your Originator.'
thirty, then He extended him and added ten.
The bond was made in order to bestow the
So He relented to ye; indeed He is the Oft-
Torah, in which were the laws of Allah, and
arrangements for the affairs of the sons of Relenting, the Merciful.
Israel. This was a great blessing.
(54)
...thereupon ye took the calf after him...
This took place when Mụsạ had gone to Mt And, when Mụsạ said to his tribe: ‘O my
Tụr for the pact; for when Mụsạ, bliss be tribe, indeed ye have wronged yourselves
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by your taking the calf,... This was after watching.
their worshipping the calf during his
absence at Tụr to receive the Torah and the
commands from Allah, glorified be He.
(55)
They took the calf as a god, which was a
And, when ye said, ‘O Mụsạ, we will never
cause of anger and of shame, in the world
believe in thee... That is: ‘And remember,
and in the hereafter. So they were told to
O sons of Israel, when ye said, ‘O Mụsạ,
turn in repentance to their Originator
we will never believe in thee...’ They
(Bạri.i), He who originated them and
refused to believe Mụsạ, bliss be upon him,
created them, who is Allah.
in that they had a God who created them
and in whose hands were their affairs; or in
...so repent to your Originator and kill
that he was a Prophet dispatched by Allah,
yourselves;... They were told to kill
glorified be He.
themselves, some others, in that those who
had not worshipped the calf were to kill
...until we see Allah openly,,' That is, with
those who had worshipped it, even if they
their own eyes. Mụsạ had chosen seventy
were closely related. For the killers this was
men from among his people to accompany
the penance for their sin of remaining silent
him to the appointment [on the mountain].
and not speaking out, and for the killed it
This was according to the request of the
was for their sin of worshipping the calf.
sons of Israel. When they arrived they
requested to be shown Allah, the Most
...so repent to your Originator and kill
High.
yourselves;... This killing was better for
themselves, for a little pain is better than
...so the bolt took ye... It was fire sent down
the chastisement of the eternal fire.
from the sky; or it was a molten substance
of ore and suchlike. It struck them and
...with your Originator.... It means with
killed them. No sooner had they requested
Allah the Most High, in His rule and His
to see Allah, the Most High, when the bolt
will. This is in contrast to the view of what
rained on them from the sky and killed
is best amongst people, which is to live
them all.
long in the world.
...while ye were watching. They saw it
...So He relented to ye;... After their having
descending, the cause of their deaths, and
heard the command to repent to Him, and
they realised it was a proof for them of their
for some of them to kill others. It means
sin and their error. It was not a death with
that He turned to them and relented before
an unknown cause that could be put down
they turned in repentance to Him.
to natural causes.
...indeed He is the Oft-Relenting, the
Thereupon We raised ye after your deaths,
Merciful. To them He was Oft-Relenting,
that ye might be thankful.
Merciful, for He did not anger to the extent
of never accepting their repentance.
(56)
And, when ye said, ‘O Mụsạ, we will never
believe in thee until we see Allah openly'; Thereupon We raised ye... That is, Allah
so the bolt took ye, while ye were the Most High revived them, because

MIA 23 | P a g e April 3, 2011

Mụsạ, bliss be upon him, requested it, so
that the remainder of the tribe would not
say that Mụsạ, bliss be upon him, had killed
them at Tụr.
...after your deaths... It means after their
deaths from the bolt from the sky.
.....that ye might be thankful... That is, for
Allah's blessings upon them.
And, We shaded over ye the cloud, and sent
down upon ye manna and quails: ‘Eat of
the wholesomenesses with which We
provision ye!' And they wronged Us not,
but rather they wronged themselves.
(57)
And... That is: And remember, O sons of
Israel, when you were in the wilderness,
and you were commanded to make war on
the Malechites but you disobeyed, and so
you remained for a long time in the desert,
troubled by the sun and with nothing to eat.
...We shaded over ye the cloud... By
making it cover them to protect them from
the heat of the sun and the cold of the
moon.
...and sent down upon ye manna and
quails... ‘Manna’ (al-mann) was something
resembling a citrus fruit, sweet, that was
placed upon their plants and which they ate.
Quails are small birds. They were sent
down in the sense that quails were plentiful
there at that time, and so they hunted them;
or it was that walking birds were sent down
to them. Then it was said to them,
...‘Eat of the wholesomenesses with which
We provision ye!'... That which they were
provisioned was pleasant in taste, and
pleasant in being lawful (halạl). But they
rejected it after all these blessings. Allah
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did not wrong them, giving them reason to
be ungrateful, but rather they wronged
themselves, and left themselves a legacy of
shame in the world and in the hereafter.
And, when We said, ‘Enter this city, and
eat of it as ye like, agreeably, and enter the
gate submissively, saying "Mitigation!"
‘We shall forgive ye your errors, and
increase the beautifiers.'
(58)
And, when We said,... That is: ‘And
remember, O sons of Israel, when Allah
said, after you had left the wilderness:
...‘Enter this city... It was either Jerusalem
of Iriyha, a city near Jerusalem.
...and enter the gate submissively, saying
"Mitigation!"... They were to enter the
gate of the city while in prostration, saying
‘Mitigation' (huttah), meaning ‘our
prostrating ourselves is for Allah in
mitigation of our sins, and so as to be
pardoned our evils.'
...‘We shall forgive ye your errors, and
increase the beautifiers. That is: ‘If you do
this, I will forgive ye your errors past, and
those of ye who work beauty will receive
an increase in goodness both in the world
and in the hereafter, according to what they
deserve; as He says in His word, ‘He
certainly pays their wage, and increases
them in His profusion.' (35:31)
So those who wronged substituted a word
other than that said to them; therefore We
sent down on those who wronged a
contamination from the sky, for their being
perverse.
24 | P a g e April 3, 2011
 Allah,... Their food was the manna and the
(59) quails, while their drink was the water
gushing from the spring.
They said ‘Red wheat is better for us'
(ĥuntatun hamrạ-un khayra lanạ) instead
...and make not mischief in the earth,
of ‘Mitigation' (ĥuttah). They also entered
making corruption.' They were not to
the city on their backsides, rather than in
work mischief and corruption in the earth.
prostration. A chastisement was sent down
upon them, on account of their
And, when ye said, ‘O Mụsạ, we cannot
disobedience.
endure one food, so call for us thy Master
to bring out for us what grows in the earth:
And when Mụsạ sought water for his tribe,
its greens, its cucumbers, its corns, its
We said ‘Strike your staff on the rock!'
lentils, its onions!'
So twelve springs gushed out from it; each
He said, ‘Would ye substitute what is lower
tribe knew its watering-place:
for what is better? Go down to a
civilization—there for ye is what ye ask!'
‘Eat and drink of the provision of Allah,
and make not mischief in the earth, making
And we stamped shame and poverty upon
corruption.'
them, and they brought back rage from
Allah. That, for indeed they disbelieved in
(60) the portents of Allah and killed the
Messengers without right; that, for indeed
And when Mụsạ sought water for his they disobeyed and were violators.
tribe,... That is: ‘And remember, O sons of
Israel, when Mụsạ sought water...’ This (61)
took place while they were in the
wilderness and there was no water for
The request for different food was made
them, and they thirsted. Mụsạ asked Allah
while they were in the wilderness, and
the Most High for water for his people.
manna and quails were being sent down for
them. Though these are two, yet because
...We said ‘Strike your staff on the rock!'...
they were eating the same food everyday
He was commanded to strike the rock with
they saw it as one food. Theywanted Mụsạ,
his staff. It was the same staff that had
bliss be upon him, to pray to Allah on their
turned into a snake. The rock was either a
behalf, to bring out for them the plants of
particular rock, or any rock.
the earth, which they could eat and be
nourished by, in place of the manna and
...So twelve springs gushed out from it;
quails.
each clan knew its watering-place.... Upon
Mụsạ's striking the rock twelve springs
...He said, ‘Would ye substitute what is
gushed from it, equal to the number of
lower for what is better?... Mụsạ, bliss be
branches of the tribe of Israel, for they were
upon him, replied, asking them whether
twelve sub-tribes; and each of these clans
they sought to reject the superior goodness
had their own spring.
Allah had chosen for them, for the inferior
things they desired. The measure of their
...’Eat and drink of the provision of
being superior and inferior, was either that

MIA 25 | P a g e April 3, 2011

of ease and difficulty, that of flavour and
tastiness, or that of nourishment. Whatever
the case, Mụsạ called and Allah answered
his call, and said,
...‘Go down to a civilization, there for ye is
what ye ask!'... ‘Civilization' is given for
misr, meaning a large city or metropolis.
...And we stamped shame and poverty
upon them,... After that the Jews, on
account of their mutiny, their disobedience
and their continual obstinacy, were stamped
with shame and poverty. Shame, for they
are humiliated throughout the earth,
without an independent government, and
they have no dignity among people. And
poverty, for even when of a time they have
wealth, still they remain confused by their
fear of poverty.
And this portent is one of the Quran's many
miracles, for the Jews have not had a
government from the time of the Quran
until the present day, but with the
protection and support of a powerful
government.
...and they brought back rage from
Allah.... ‘Brought back' is given for bạ-ụ;
the meaning is that because of their evil
deeds they brought Allah's wrath upon
themselves.
...That,... It means the shame, the poverty
and the anger of Allah.
...for indeed they disbelieved in the
portents of Allah... They brought it upon
themselves by their disbelieving in the ạyạt
of Allah, that is to say, His portents and
communications sent down upon Mụsạ,
bliss be upon him, for they were not
obedient.
...and killed the Prophets... One after the
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other Prophets came to them due to their
overwhelming obstinacy; and then they
killed them.
...without right... Unjustly. The meaning is
that it is never right to kill a Prophet; the
sense differs from when it is said that a
person was killed without right.
...that, for indeed they disobeyed and were
violators. Their ingratitude and their killing
the Prophets was caused by their
disobeying the commands of reason and the
law. Their disobedience and their
transgression became the cause of murder
and disbelief, just as they were the cause of
humiliation, poverty and anger.
Indeed those who believe and those
Judaised and the Christians and the
Sabaeans – whoso believes in Allah and the
last day and does the virtuous deeds, theirs
is their wage alongside their Master, no fear
is upon them, and nor do they sorrow.
(62)
Indeed those who believe and those
Judaised and the Christians and the
Sabaeans – That is, the Muslims, and those
who became Jews by accepting Judaism,
and those who believed in ‘Ịsạ, or Jesus,
bliss be upon him, and the Sabaeans, about
whom there is disagreement, though it is
said that they were the worshippers of the
stars.
...whoso believes in Allah and the last day
and does the virtuous deeds, theirs is their
wage alongside their Master,... Those who
have real belief in Allah and in the last day
and act righteously, according to what has
been commanded by Allah, glorified be He,
are sure of their wage or recompense.
...no fear is upon them, and nor do they
26 | P a g e April 3, 2011
sorrow. They are not subject to fear or
sorrow—as has been previously clarified—
neither in the world nor in the hereafter. So
none should despair of the spirit of Allah as
long as they are in the world.
We have put the proviso of real belief, so
that there be no disparity with the first
clause of ‘those who believe.'
And, when We took your pact and We
elevated the Tụr above ye: ‘Take with
strength what We give ye, and recall what
is in it, that ye might be guardful.
(63)
And, when We took your pact... That is:
And remember, O sons of Israel, when We
took your solemn promise. ‘Pact' is given
for mịthạq, here meaning a firm covenant.
The account of where this was taken from
them has been given.
...We elevated the Tụr above ye...: What
happened was that when Mụsạ, bliss be
upon him, returned to them with the Torah
they refused to accept it. So Jibrạ-ịl, bliss
be upon him, cut off a segment of Mt Tụr
and raised it above their heads, threatening
them that if they did not accept the Torah
he would hurl it upon their heads. So they
accepted the Torah unwillingly. Then Allah
the Most High said to them:
...‘Take with strength what We give ye,... It
meant that they should take hold of it with
firmness and determination and power, and
should not begrudge their taking it.
...and remember what is in it. They were to
‘remember what is in it', meaning to be
mindful of it and to act according to it; all
in order that:
...that ye might be guardful That is, that
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they might fear, for he who implements the
commands of Allah the glorified is he who
fears and is guardful of Him, glorified be
He.
Thereupon ye swerved after that, so were it
not for the profusion of Allah upon ye and
His mercy, ye truly would have been of the
losers.
(64)
...Thereupon ye swerved after that,... That
is: after this firm covenant you swerved
aside, O Jews, and you did not act
according to the Torah, and you did not
implement the Divine decrees.
...so were it not for the profusion of Allah
upon ye... The profusion of Allah was His
granting them repentance;
...and His mercy, ye truly would have been
of the losers. And He was merciful to them,
and did not take them for the evil of their
deeds. Otherwise they would certainly have
been losers in the world and in the
hereafter, for he who is stripped of faith is
the worst loser of all.
And ye certainly knew those of ye who
violated the sabbath; so We said to them,
‘Be apes, outcast.'
(65)
It was forbidden for them to hunt for fish
on the sabbath, and so on that day the fish
would come and gather due to their
awareness that on that day they were safe.
And so the Jews devised a stratagem to
catch them by connecting the water to their
pools, and when the fish came on the
sabbath they barred their return passage to
the sea. Then they would catch them on the
April 3, 2011
following day. This was a breach of Allah's
prohibition.
...So We said to them... That is, to the
violators,
..."Be apes,... Those who perpetuated this
breach were turned into apes.
...outcast.' They were exiled from the
goodness of the world and the hereafter.
From that the Jews who witnessed the
transformation of the transgressors amongst
them, saw how they acted against the
commands of Allah, exalted be He.
So We made it an example for those with
them and those after them, and an
admonishment for the guardful.
(66)
That transformation and the final ending of
those transgressors was set up as an
instructive warning and example (nikạl) for
those of the Jews and other nations who
were contemporary to it, and for those after
them who came later and heard about it
from them. Or perhaps the meaning of nikạl
here is punishment, giving the sense that
the transformation was a punishment for
their disobedience prior to the
transformation, namely, the violation of the
sabbath, and that committed after the
violation of the sabbath.
...and an admonishment for the guardful.
The affair was made ‘an admonishment'
(maw‘iżatan) for the guardful,' so that they
refrain from disobeying the command of
Allah, glorified be He.
And, when Mụsạ said to his tribe, ‘Indeed
Allah commands ye to slaughter a cow!'
They said, ‘Do thou take us for a
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laughingstock?'
He said. ‘I shelter in Allah that I be of the
ignorant!'.
(67)
...And,... That is: ‘And remember, O sons
of Israel, the story of the cow, when they
found a corpse and did not know the
identity of the killer. So they turned to
Mụsạ, bliss be upon him, and then Allah
commanded them to slaughter a cow, and
then strike the corpse with the dead cow so
as to revive the slain, who would then
reveal the identity of his murderer. This
was another test of their faith, in that the
striking of a corpse with dead flesh and
thereby bringing it back to life is something
that those whose faith is weak cannot
confirm. And so they put to Mụsạ, bliss be
upon him, their petty questions about the
type of cow that was required.
...when Mụsạ said to his tribe, ‘Indeed
Allah commands ye to slaughter a cow!'...
Mụsạ, bliss be upon him, told his tribe, the
sons of Israel, that Allah commanded them
to kill a cow.
...They said, ‘Do thou take us for a
laughingstock?'... They asked if he was
making a laughingstock of them, for what
is the relation between a murder victim and
the slaughter of a cow? Or, how would a
dead cow give life to a corpse?
...He said. ‘I shelter in Allah that I be of
the ignorant!'. Mụsạ, bliss be upon him,
said this because it is the ignorant who
mock people; mockery and derision being
at the level of the ignorant and the foolish.
They said, ‘Call thy Master for us that He
clarify what it is!'
28 | P a g e April 3, 2011
He said, ‘Indeed He says it is a cow neither
old nor young, middling between that; so
do as ye are commanded!'
(68)
At first they asked Mụsạ, bliss be upon him,
to pray and ask on their behalf what kind of
a cow it was, with regard to its age. Mụsạ,
bliss be upon him, answered them that He,
the Most High, said that it must be neither
very old nor very young, but middling in
age between these two extremes. He then
told them to get on with the slaughter of
such a cow.
They said, ‘Call thy Master for us that He
clarify for us its colour!'
He said, ‘Indeed He says It is a yellow cow;
bright is its colour, gladdening the
beholders.’
(69)
They then asked Mụsạ, bliss be upon him,
to pray and ask on their behalf what colour
the cow they were to slaughter was to be.
Mụsạ, bliss be upon him, replied that the
Most High said it was to be yellow in
colour; its colour bright and delightful to
the eye.
They said, ‘Call thy Master for us that He
clarity for us what it is, indeed cows are all
similar to us. And indeed, if Allah wills, we
surely shall be guided.'
(70)
They said,... After the age and colour of the
cow was made clear for them, they asked
further details:
...’Call thy Master that He clarify for us
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what it is... That is, whether it was a
working cow or whether it was one that
grazed freely, and did not work.
...indeed cows are all similar to us.... That
is, they all resemble each other, and they
thought to ask exactly how it should be.
...if Allah wills, we surely shall be guided.'
That is, they would be guided to the
qualities of the cow by the description
given by Allah, glorified be He.
From a tradition from the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his House:
Because they were severe on themselves,
Allah was severe on them – had they not
sought exclusions, nothing further would
have been asked of them.
He said, ‘Indeed He says it is a cow not
lowly ploughing the earth and not watering
the tilth, sound, with no blemish in her.’
They said, ‘Now thou have brought the
truth!'
And so they slaughtered her, though they
well-nigh did it not.
(71)
He said, ‘Indeed He says it is a cow not
lowly ploughing the earth and nor
watering the tilth,... Mụsạ, bliss be upon
him, told them that the Most High said that
the cow they should slaughter had never
been brought low by work, neither
ploughing the land nor watering the
cultivation with yoke and bucket. It was not
a working cow at all.
...sound, with no blemish in her.’...-
‘Sound' is given for mụsạllamah, implying
that it was both whole and healthy without
any defects. ‘Blemish' is given for shiyah,
29 | P a g e April 3, 2011
meaning blotch, spot, blemish or perhaps
mark or brand. It means that it had no patch
(73)
of colour other than its given colour. This is
For We said, ‘Strike him with some of
not an emphasis of what preceded, for its
it.'... They were ordered to strike the dead
being yellow would not prevent it from
body with a part of the slaughtered cow
having a blotch of some other colour about
they had been commanded to slaughter.
it somewhere.
...Just so... It is given for kaźạlika. It means
...They said, ‘Now... That is, after all the
‘like this raising of the murder victim,
clarifications of the type of cow required,
Allah raises the dead on the day of
resurrection.
...thou have brought the truth.’... That is,
the clear truth. Or it may mean the full,
...Allah gives life to the dead;...-Upon
proper truth as opposed to the brief truth of
being struck by a part of the cow, the
the command to ‘slaughter a cow.'
murder victim rose up alive, blood
streaming from his arteries, and told why
...and so they slaughtered her,... Finally
he was killed and who had killed him.
they slaughtered the cow as they had been
commanded.
...and He shows you His portents... In the
creation and within yourselves. Perhaps it
...though they well-nigh did it not.' They
means that He showed them His miracles.
almost disobeyed, on account of the cow’s
high price, for when they had limited the
...that ye might reason. That is, for you to
affair to a single cow the owner would not
use your intellects (‘uqụl).
sell it except for an outrageous price.
Perhaps the reason for these last two
And, when ye slew a life and disputed
portents following those before them, when
about it, Allah brought out what ye were
strictly the narrative requires them to
hiding.
precede them, is that the main thread of the
discourse is the obstinacy of the Jews, and
(72) their failing to obey the commands, so that
what highlighted this topic was required to
And remember, O sons of Israel, when you come first.
murdered a man and disputed about it.
‘Life’ is given for nafs. Thereupon your hearts hardened after that,
so they are like the rocks or more extreme
...Allah brought out what ye were hiding. in hardness; for indeed among the rocks is
That is, who ordered the killing, who did it, truly that from which rivers gush, and
and why that person was killed. indeed among them is truly that which
splits so that water comes out of it, and
For We said, ‘Strike him with some of it.' indeed among them is truly that which falls
down from awe of Allah. And Allah is not
Just so Allah gives life to the dead; and He heedless of what ye do.
shows ye His portents, that ye might
reason.

MIA 30 | P a g e April 3, 2011


(74)
Thereupon your hearts hardened after
that,... Even after seeing these portents the
hearts of the Jews hardened, becoming
harsh and crude. ‘After that' means after the
portents of Allah the Most High that have
been mentioned; or it means after the
slaughter of the cow; or it means after what
they saw of Allah's raising the dead.
...So they are like the rocks or more
extreme in hardness,... ‘In hardness’ is a
metaphor which is extended, and their
being harder and more severe than rocks is
clarified:, in His word:
...among the rocks is truly that from which
rivers gush,... And is therefore beneficial in
giving rise to goodness, as opposed to the
hearts from which nothing comes but evil.
...and indeed among them is truly that
which splits so that water comes out of
it,... It becomes a spring, though it does not
flow, which is where it differs from the
former.
...and indeed among them is truly that
which falls down... That is, from a
mountain.
...from awe of Allah... Every rock that falls
from a mountain falls by the permission of
Allah and from awe of Him, a fear that is
real, or metaphorical, like he who is so
frightened ‘that he falls on his face.' So:
‘Your hearts, O Jews – the Book is saying –
are harder than such stones, for fear not
Allah, glorified be He, and you do not
humble yourself before His magnificence.
...and Allah is not heedless of what ye do.
He the Most High shall recompense them
for their evil deeds.
MIA
Are ye eager that they believe for ye, while
a division of them heard the word of Allah
and thereupon altered it after they had
reasoned on it, while they knew?
(75)
Are ye eager that they believe for ye,... The
address, in the plural, is to the Muslims,
concerning the Jews. The Muslims were
not to expect the Jews to believe ‘for them',
given for lakum, meaning for their benefit,
since whoso believes is a benefit to the
existing believers. Or it may mean belief in
the Muslims' principles. The questioning
sense is for negation, so the portent means
that they – the Jews – will not believe in
Islam.
...while a division of them...-It means a
party of the Jews; that is, their forefathers.
...heard the word of Allah and thereupon
altered it... They heard the word of Allah,
glorified be He, when their Prophets recited
it to them. They then altered it with
additions and extractions in word and in
sense, as is usual with persons conveying
words that displease them. They either take
some out or add to them – if they are able
to do that. Or they explain it in a way
contrary to what the Author intended.
...After they had reasoned on it, while they
knew.' They did all that after they had
understood it; knowingly. How, then, will
those who treated the word of Allah in such
a way ever come to Islam?
And when they meet those who believe,
they say, ‘We believe!'
And when some of them are closeted with
others they say, ‘Do ye inform them of
what Allah has opened upon ye, that they
may dispute with ye about him alongside
31 | P a g e April 3, 2011
your Master? Will ye not reason?'
(76)
And when they meet those who believe,
they say, ‘We believe!'... This portent is
also about the Jews. What is true of some
of them is attributed to the whole, as is
normal in speech. On meeting the Muslims
they would say, ‘We believe that this
Muhammad, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House, is fully described in our
books.' They did not mean that they
believed with real faith like the Muslims,
nor even an apparent belief like the
hypocrites. They just meant that they
believed in the plain, literal sense. For that
they were blameworthy. And so they are
described here in the words earlier used for
the hypocrites:
...And when some of them are closeted
with others... That is, when those Jews who
had said that to the Muslims gathered
privately with those who had not, without
any Muslims being present.
criticism was on the pretext that the
Muslims would argue against the Jews on
the day of resurrection, saying to those who
revealed the truth of their books: ’Ye
yourselves said that your books held the
description of the Messenger; why, then,
did you not believe?'
...Will ye not reason?' It means: will you
not realise that your disclosures to the
Muslims gives them what they need to win
their arguments against you before Allah.
Know they not that Allah knows what they
keep secret and what they announce?
(77)
Did those hypocritical Jews not know that
Allah was aware of what they were hiding
from each other. What was the point in
their not disclosing their descriptions of the
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House, for Allah knows that
they know his description, and that they
refuse to believe due to their obstinacy.

...they say,... That is, those who had not And among them are the mothered who
revealed their belief said to those who had. know not the book but for fancies, and they
only suppose.
...Do ye inform them of what Allah has
opened upon ye,... That is, taught them in
their book that the Messenger, Muhammad,
(78)
may Allah condescend upon him and his
Among the Jews several were ‘maternals’
House, is genuine. ‘Do ye inform them...?'-
or unschooled. ‘Maternals' is given for
means ‘Why do you inform them...?'
ummị from umm, meaning ‘mother’. It is as
‘Opened upon ye' is given for fataĥa
if the unschooled lives under the training of
‘alaikum; it means shown to ye, revealed to
his mother, and not under the training of a
ye, made known to ye.
teacher. ‘Fancies' is given for amạnị,
meaning conjectural stories. So, being
...that they may dispute with you about
unable to read their book for themselves,
him before your Master?... It means that
they knew nothing of what it held about the
they criticised their fellows for revealing to
Messenger and other things. Rather they
the Muslims that the description of
were ignorant, and had to take the matters
Muhammad, bliss be upon him and his kin,
of their book from their altering, forging
was to be found in their texts. Their

MIA 32 | P a g e April 3, 2011

scholars, and were themselves unable to
distinguish between true and false.
...and they only suppose. That is, they only
suppose that what they hear is correct. They
are without certainty, for they had not
studied the book for themselves, so as to
know what it contained.
So woe to those who write the book with
their hands; thereupon they say, ‘This is
from Allah!' so that they may sell it for a
small price. So woe to them for what their
hands have written, and woe to them for
what they earned.
(79)
So woe to those who write the book with
their hands;... That is: woe to their scholars
who wrote the Torah with their own hands.
It is an indication that the bulk of the Torah
was not sent down, but was originated by
ordinary hands, rather than by revelation
and inspiration.
...thereupon they say, ‘This is from Allah!’
so that they may sell it for a small price....
Had they disclosed what is really in the
Torah, their followers would have turned to
the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House, so that those scholars
would no more have been paid religious
dues and respect.
...So woe to them for what their hands
have written... Woe to those scholars, for
writing the book is a cause of chastisement,
as it is distortion of the word of Allah, the
Most High.
...and woe to them for what they earned.
This was the wealth they acquired through
their alterations. The produce of the
forbidden is also forbidden. That is a cause
of chastisement for it is consuming wealth
MIA 33 | P a g e
in falsehood.
...Woe' is given for wayl. In origin it means
destruction and chastisement, then it came
to be used for every involvement in
destruction.
And they say, ‘The Fire will never touch
us, save for a few days.'
Say: ‘Have ye taken a covenant with Allah,
for Allah never breaks His covenant? Or do
ye say about Allah what ye know not?'
(80)
And they say, ‘The Fire will never touch
us, but for a few days.' A party from
among the Jews would say that even
supposing they were disbelievers and
disobedient, nevertheless they would only
be punished in the Fire for seven days, or
what would seem like that. Therefore, they
argued, what was the point of giving up
worldly leadership in fear of such a trifling
punishment?
...Say: ‘Have ye taken a covenant with
Allah, for Allah never breaks His
covenant? Or do ye say about Allah what
ye know not?' The Messenger, Allah's
condescensions be upon him and his
House, was told to ask them whether they
had some pact with Allah to that effect, or
whether what they were saying of Allah
was a lie and a forgery.
Nay; whoso earns evil and his error
encompasses him – those are the
companions of the Fire; they are in it
eternal.
(81)
Nay; whoso earns evil and his error
April 3, 2011
encompasses him... ‘Nay’ (balạ), the affair
is not as they say it shall be, for whoso
earns evil and does not cleanse himself of
it, but lets his blunder surround him and
encompass him – like someone who is
enveloped by smoke, unable to breath or
see or hear except through the smoke; just
so is the deviated partnerist in his error.
...those are the companions of the fire;
they are in it eternal. They are eternal in
the fire, remaining-there forever.
While those who believe and do the
virtuous deeds – those are the companions
of the Garden, they are in it eternal.
(82)
Those who believe, with their hearts and
their tongues, and do the virtuous deeds, as
commanded by Islam—those are the
companions of the Garden, they are in that
eternal; forever, without interruption and
without decay.
And, when We took the pact of the sons of
Israel: ye will not worship except Allah;
and beautifully to the parents and the holder
of kinship, the orphans and the destitute;
and speak in beauty to the people; and
establish the prayer and pay the zakạt.
Thereupon ye turned away, but for a few of
ye; and ye be turners away.
(83)
That is: ‘And remember, O sons of Israel,
when Allah the Most High took the pact of
the sons of Israel – a solemn, emphatic oath
on the tongues of their Prophets—that they
worship none but Allah alone.
...and beautifully to your parents... It
MIA
means acting beautifully to the parents, and
being not evil towards them.
...and the holder of kinship,... It is given
for (źi ‘l qurbạ) meaning ‘the near of kin.'
...the orphans... Those whose fathers have
died.
...and speak in beauty to the people...It
covers all the types of ‘bidding to the
honourable and forbidding the
dishonourable' (amr bi ‘l-ma'rụf wa nahy
‘an al--munkar), as well as guidance and
meeting bad with good.
...and establish the prayer and pay the
zakạt.... The prayer and the zakat of the
other communities were not as they exist at
present in this community.
...Thereupon ye turned away, save for a
few of ye,... The few who did not turn away
were those who acted according to Allah's
commands.
...and ye be turners away. ‘Turners away’ is
given for mu’rižịn, plural of mu’riž, one
who turns away. This last phrase
emphasises the earlier ‘ye turned away'.
And, when We took your pact that ye shed
not your blood and drive not yourselves
from your houses; thereupon ye admitted it,
and ye have testified.
(84)
And, when We took your pact...That is:
‘And remember, O sons of Israel: when
Allah the Most High your pact – an
emphatic oath on the tongues of the
Prophets.
...that ye shed not your blood,... They were
not to fight among themselves, some of
34 | P a g e April 3, 2011
them killing others.
...and drive not yourselves from your
houses;... Some were not to send others
away or into exile.
...thereupon ye admitted it... They
confirmed that such pacts had come down
to them to this effect.
...And ye have testified. That is, that such
pacts existed between themselves and
Allah, glorified be He.
Thereupon ye are those who kill yourselves
and drive a division of ye from their homes,
collaborating against them in sin and
enmity. If they were to come to ye as
captives ye would redeem, while it was
banned for ye to drive them out! Do ye
believe in some of the book and disbelieve
in some?
What is the recompense of whoso among
ye does this, but humiliation in the present
life, and on the day of resurrection that they
be returned to the severest chastisement.
And Allah is not heedless of what ye do.
(85)
Thereupon ye are those who kill
yourselves and drive a division of ye from
their homes,... That is: ‘But after this pact,
you are those who kill each other and drive
each other from home, in violation of the
Divine command.'
...collaborating against them in sin and
enmity....’Collaborating' is given for
ţażạharụn; it means that some of them co-
operated with others in their exiling of
others.
...If they were to come to ye as captives ye
would redeem,... That is: how is it that
MIA
some of you exile others, and some of you
kill others, when anytime you find that
some of you are the prisoners of others, you
pay their ransom to free them?! If there is
enmity between you, why do you pay the
ransom? And if between you there is love,
why do you kill and send into exile?
It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, that the
Qurayża and Nažịr were brothers, like al-
Aws and al-Khazraj. Then their sons
separated and the Bani Qurayza stood with
the Bani Aws, while the Bani Nazịr stood
with the Bani Khazraj. Whenever there was
warfare each party would support its
confederates. So in war, they would pay the
ransom of their captives, just as is
commanded in the Torah.
From another it is narrated that whenever a
party of the Jews oppressed others, they
would exile them from their homes.
...Do ye believe in some of the book... That
is, in that part of the Torah which
commands that ransom be paid to free the
captives.
...and disbelieve in some?... That is, in that
part of the Torah which decrees the
prohibition of murder, and of sending into
exile and of manifesting sin and enmity.
...What is the recompense of whoso among
ye does this,... A rhetorical question, asking
them to judge themselves for themselves.
...but humiliation in the present life...
through disunity, weakness and degradation
before the other nations.
...and on the day of resurrection that they
be returned to the severest chastisement...
On account of their opposition to the
commands of Allah, glorified be He.
35 | P a g e April 3, 2011
...and Allah is not heedless of what ye do.
Allah is aware of what works they did; He
shall requite them for them.
Those are they who purchase the present
life for the hereafter—the chastisement will
not be lessened for them, and they will not
be succoured.
(86)
Those... The Jews who violated the divine
commands.
...are they who purchase the present life for
the hereafter.... They sell their hereafter in
return for the world.
...—the chastisement will not be lessened
for them, and they will not be succoured.
The chastisement is the chastisement of the
hereafter, where they shall not find anyone
to come to their rescue.
And certainly We gave Mụsạ the book and
We lined up the Messengers after him; and
We gave ‘Ịsạ the son of Maryam the
clarifications, and We aided him with the
soul of holiness. Is it that whenever a
Messenger comes to ye with what your
spirits desire not, ye are haughty, and a
division of them ye belie, and a division of
them ye kill?
(87)
clarifications,... ‘Clarifications’ is given for
al-bayyinah, meaning the clear explanation,
guidance or proof of a thing. It means the
miracles of ‘Ịsạ, bliss be upon him, like the
curing of the blind and the lepers, and his
reviving the dead.
...And We aided him with the soul of
holiness... This was a strengthening
assistance, a reinforcement. ‘The soul of
holiness' (ruh al-quds) means either the
angel Jibrạ.ịl, bliss be upon him, or a
strengthening spirit from Allah, glorified be
He, strengthening him for propagation and
guidance in the face of so many enemies.
So, O Jews,
...Is it that whenever a Messenger comes
to ye with what your spirits desire not,... It
means those commands they did not like.
...ye are haughty,... And their haughtiness
and arrogance prevents them from
accepting the Divine decrees.
...and a division of them ye belie... Such as
‘Ịsạ and Muhammad, Allah's bliss be upon
them.
...and a division of them ye murder? Such
as Zakaria and Yahya (John the Baptist).
The questioning form is used for rebuke.
They say, ‘Our hearts are wrapped!' Nay,
but Allah has cursed them for their
disbelief; little is their believing.

And certainly We gave Mụsạ the book and (88)

We lined up the Messengers after him;...
‘The book' means the Torah. ‘We lined up'
They say, ‘Our hearts are wrapped!'...
is given for qaffaynạ, meaning to line up in
That is, the Jews said to the Messenger,
a line, one after the other. After Mụsạ, bliss
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
be upon him, the Messengers followed him
House, that their hearts were wrapped or
one after the other.
covered, so that the guidance cannot reach
them.
...and We gave ‘Ịsạ the son of Maryam the

MIA 36 | P a g e April 3, 2011

...Nay, but Allah has cursed them for their
disbelief;... The truth is that Allah has
cursed them and distanced them from
goodness because of their disbelief and
their failure to implement the divine
decrees; just as when a person fails to listen
to His commands, He leaves him and
bothers about him no more.
...little is their believing.-It is on account of
what has possessed their hearts, and the
wrong they have done to their souls.
And when there came to them a book from
alongside Allah, confirming what is with
them – while beforehand they were seeking
conquest over those who disbelieve – so as
soon as there came to them what they
recognised, they disbelieved in him. So
Allah's curse is on the disbelievers.
(89)
And when there came to them a book...
The Jews were among those to whom, in
the wider sense, the holy Quran was sent.
...confirming what is with them... It
confirmed that which was with them,
meaning the book that was with them,
namely the Torah – for the Quran confirms
the genuine Torah that was sent down upon
Mụsạ, bliss be upon him, in His word,
‘Indeed We sent down the Torah; in it is
guidance and light.' (al-Mạ.ida [5]: 45)
...– while beforehand they were seeking
conquest over those who- disbelieve–...
‘Beforehand’ is given for min qabl; it
means before the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
was dispatched, or before the Quran was
sent down. The Jews had been praying to
Allah that He raise a Messenger, so that
they might find dominance over the
MIA
disbelievers.
...so as soon as there came to them what
they recognised, they disbelieved in
him....-When the Messenger, May Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
whose qualities and characteristics they
recognised, came to them, they disbelieved
in him and made ready for war against him.
In fact, they preferred the disbelievers over
the Messenger and the believers, saying
they were ‘more guided as to a path than
those who believed.' (al-Nisạ.–‘Women’–
[4]; 52).
...So Allah's curse is on the disbelievers.
Allah's curse is on the Jews who
disbelieved in Muhammad, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
and in the Quran, despite their having
recognised them.
Atrocious is what they sold themselves for:
that they disbelieve in what Allah has sent
down; resenting that Allah sends down of
His profusion upon whomso He wills of
His servants.
So they bring back anger upon anger; and
for the disbelievers is a
debasingchastisement.
(90)
Atrocious is that for which they sold
themselves: that they disbelieve in what
Allah has sent down;... Atrocious is that
which the Jews have bought at the price of
their own selves; they have given
themselves to the eternal chastisement, and
have bought disbelief in that which Allah
has sent down. It means: atrocious is the
disbelief which they have taken in return
for their lives. The simile involved is that
Islam and disbelief are two commodities,
so that whoso chooses one sells himself for
37 | P a g e April 3, 2011
that, in that he disposes of himself in its
path. So, when a person sells himself in
(91)
return for Islam, what a fine thing he has
And when it is said to them, ‘Believe in
bought for the price of himself; but when
what Allah has sent down!' they say, ‘We
he sells himself in return for disbelief, what
believe in what has been sent down upon
a sorry transaction he has made.
us!'... And when it is said to the Jews,
‘Believe in what Allah has sent down upon
...resenting that Allah sends down of His
Muhammad,' Allah's bliss be upon him and
profusion upon whomso He wills of His
with his kin, they say that they believe in
servants.... The motive for their purchasing
the Torah sent down to them.
disbelief was their jealousy of Muhammad,
Allah condescend upon him and his House,
...and they disbelieve in what is beyond
since he was of the sons of Ismạ‘ịl, and not
that,... The book of Ịsạ, bliss be upon him,
a son of their ancestor, Isĥạq, upon them
and the book of Muhammad, Allah
both be bliss. They were jealous that Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
had sent down His religion and the Quran
upon Muhammad, may Allah condescend
...while it is the truth, confirming what is
upon him and his House, and not on one of
with them....They disbelieved even though-
them.
what is ‘beyond' their book is the truth
confirming what they have.
...So they bring back anger upon anger;...
So the Jews ‘bring back anger upon anger,'
...Say, ‘So why did ye kill Allah’s Prophets
– that is, they return with it to Allah, for
beforehand, The Messenger was told to tell
Allah was angry with them for their
them that they lied when they said that they
opposition to Mụsạ, ‘Ịsạ and the other
believed in what had been sent down to
Messengers, bliss be upon them, then Allah
them, for they were not believers, even in
was angry with them a second time for their
the Torah; otherwise, why in the past did
opposition to Muhammad, Allah
they kill the Prophets of Allah? The Torah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
forbids the killing of Prophets; therefore,
they were not believers, not in their book,
...and for the disbelievers is a debasing
and not in the later Gospel (al–Injịl) and the
chastisement. For the disbelievers, of
sacred Quran.
whom the Jews are the clearest
embodiment, is a humbling, humiliating
...if ye be believers?' How can they claim to
chastisement.
be believers, when their deeds prove
otherwise:
And when it is said to them, ‘Believe in
what Allah has sent down!' they say, ‘We
And certainly Mụsạ came to ye with the
believe in what has been sent down upon
clarifications; thereupon ye took the calf
us!' and they disbelieve in what is beyond
after him, while ye were wrongful.
that, while it is the truth, confirming what is
with them. Say, ‘So why did ye kill the
Allah’s Prophets beforehand, if ye be (92)
believers?'
When Mụsạ, bliss be upon him, went to Mt
Tur, they took the calf as god and

MIA 38 | P a g e April 3, 2011

worshipped it, and wronged themselves by
that worship. Now, had they believed in
what was sent down to them, they would
not have worshipped the calf.
And, when We took your pact and elevated
the Tur above ye: ‘Take with strength what
We give ye, and listen!' They said, ‘We
hear and we disobey!' And they were made
to drink the calf into their hearts, for their
disbelief. Say, ‘Atrocious is what your
belief commands ye to, if ye be believers!'
(93)
And, when We took your pact... That is:
And remember, O sons of Israel, when
Allah took your firm covenant that you
would act by the Torah.
...And elevated the Tur above ye...-It
means a segment of the Tur, as has been
clarified. And Allah the Most High said to
them,
...‘Take with strength what We give ye,...
With strength and with power. That is, they
were to take what was given them and they
were to put it into action, continually,
unceasingly.
...and listen!... They were to listen to the
commands of Allah, glorified be He.
..They said, ‘We hear and we disobey'....
This may mean that they said ‘We listen'
with their tongues, while ‘we disobey' is
what they expressed through their actions;
but it is likely that they spoke the words in
mockery.
...And they were made to drink the calf
into their hearts, for their disbelief':... It is
like when a person drinks water, the water
fills the vacuum within him, so too did the
calf—love of it—fill the vacuum in their
MIA
hearts; on account of their disbelief.
...Say,... The Messenger, Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House, was to tell
them:
...‘Atrocious is what your belief commands
ye to,
...'Evil is what your belief commands ye
to... Their belief, as they said, ‘We believe
in what has been sent down to us' was a
sorry, vile belief, for the belief that
commanded them to worship the calf was
not belief at all, but disbelief.
...if ye be believers!' ' This clause is to
convey a sense of mockery.
The repetition of raising the Tur has a
meaning, namely that they broke the pact
taken from them while the mount was
above them; and took the calf as a god.
Say: ‘If the realm of the hereafter alongside
Allah is for ye, purely, other than for the
people, so yearn for death, if ye be truthful.'
(94)
Say:... The Messenger, Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House, was to say
to those Jews who claimed that the good of
the afterlife was for them alone and that
Christians and Muslims and others would
not share with them in it:
...’If the realm of the hereafter alongside
Allah is for ye, purely, other than for the
people...-‘Alongside Allah' is given for 'ind
Allah, which is an adjective for the realm of
the hereafter (al-dạr al-ạkhira). It means
the realm that is ‘alongside Allah' in the
sense of being ‘nearest', meaning ‘dearest',
to Him, glorified be He.
39 | P a g e April 3, 2011
...so yearn for death,... Whoso believes that
his path is towards the Garden cannot help
but long for death, to be relieved of the
pains of the world and its hardships.
...if ye be truthful.' That is, if you really
believe what you say with your tongues.
Thereupon Allah the Most High informs us
that they are not truthful:
And they will never yearn for it, ever,
because of what their hands have sent forth;
and Allah is knowing of the wrongful.
(95)
And... The proof that they are not truthful is
that:
...they will never yearn for it, ever...-At no
time whatsoever.
...because of what their hands have sent
forth... That is, disobedience,
dishonourable deeds and disbelief. The
sending forth of these things (to the
hereafter for reckoning) has been attributed
to the hands on account of how it is
normally the hands that give and deliver
physical things.
...and Allah is knowing of the wrongful.
The imp[licit subtext is: do not lose heart
from their claim that theirs is the hereafter,
and that they alone of all the people are
beloved by Allah. love
And you will surely find them the greediest
of the people for life, and than the
partnerists; each of them would love to last
a thousand years – but that would not
remove him from the chastisement, that he
last it. And Allah is an observer of what
they do.
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(96)
And you will find them the greediest of the
people for life,... How could they yearn for
death, when they are found to be the
greediest of all people for life. They are
more extreme than anyone in their desire
for survival in the world, since they know
that their afterlife is for the fire and the
chastisement.
...and than the partnerists;... They are even
more greedy for life than the polytheists, as
the polytheist thinks there is nothing
beyond life and so hangs on to life merely
to escape extinction, while they are aware
of the punishments and so are more greedy
for life than the polytheists.
...each of them... It is given for aĥaduhum,
literally meaning ‘one of them’, but here
meaning each and every one of them.
...would love to last a thousand years...
They would love to live a thousand years,
so as to delay their punishment.
...but that would not remove him from the
chastisement,... Even if their lives were
extended to a thousand years, still that
prolonging would not free them from their
chastisement. What is the point of living a
thousand years, if the final destination is
the eternal fire?
...that he live it.... This is explanatory,
explaining the pronoun ‘that' in ‘...but that
would not...’
...And Allah is an observer of what they
do. Allah sees their disbelief and sins; he
will requite them for it all on the day of
resurrection with fire and chastisement.
Say, ‘Who is an enemy to Jibrịl, for indeed
he took it down upon thy heart with Allah's
40 | P a g e April 3, 2011
permission, confirming that before it, as
guidance and glad tidings for the believers?
(97)
Say,... Certain Jews came to the Messenger,
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
House, saying that if the angel who came to
him had been Mikạ.ịl they would definitely
have believed, for they saw Mikạ.ịl as the
angel of mercy who brings prosperity and
ease, and as their friend; while they saw
Jibra.ịl as the angel of chastisement who
brought down slaying, hardship and war,
and as their enemy. They said that if Jibra.ịl
was the angel sent to the Messenger, they
would not believe in him. The Messenger
was to say to them:
...Who is an enemy to Jibrịl, for indeed he
took it down upon thy heart... ‘It’ means
the Quran.
...with Allah's permission... It was not of
his own accord.
...confirming that before it,... That is, the
Torah.
...as guidance and glad tidings for the
believers?' Therefore, what was the crime
of Jibrịl, bliss be upon him, that they should
take him as an enemy and not believe in the
book he brought down.
Whoso is an enemy to Allah, His angels,
His Messengers, and Jibrịl and Mịkạl –
indeed Allah is an enemy to the
disbelievers.
(98)
Whoso is an enemy to Allah,... Being an
enemy to Allah the Most High means
committing acts of enmity by doing what
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displeases Him, glorified be He.
...His angels, His Messengers and to Jibrịl
and Mịkạl... These two are given particular
mention because they were the topic of the
discussion with the Jews.
...indeed Allah is an enemy to the
disbelievers. Whoso is an enemy to one of
those is a disbeliever and Allah is an enemy
to whoso disbelieves, in that He deals with
them with acts of enmity, by humbling
them, chastising them and punishing them.
And surely We have sent down upon thee
clarifying portents; none disbelieve in them
but for the perverse.
(99)
The address is to the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
‘Clarifying portents' is given for ạyạt
bayyinạt, meaning portents or portents of
the Quran, that are clear in themselves and
clarifying of other things. None disbelieve
in them except those who have departed
from obedience to Allah, glorified be He.
Or is it that whenever they bind a covenant,
a division of them discard it? Nay, most of
them believe not.
(100)
Or is it that whenever they bind a
covenant, a group of them discard it?...
This is about the Jews. It is a criticism of
their breaking their pledges of obedience to
the previous Messengers, and their
breaking their treaties with the Messenger
of Allah, Allah condescend upon him and
upon his House, in the affair of the tribes B.
Nazir and B, Quraizah.
41 | P a g e April 3, 2011
...most of them do not believe. This means
disbelief in the covenants and pacts, or in
Allah and His Messengers, or in the
Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House. He says ‘most of
them' as some of them believed, like ‘Abd
Allah b. Salạm.
And whenever a Messenger from alongside
Allah comes to them, confirming what is
with them, a division of those given the
book discard the book of Allah behind their
backs, as if they know not!
(101)
Whenever a Messenger, like ‘Ịsạ, bliss be
upon him, or Muhammad, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
came to them, confirming the Torah they
had, a party of the very Jews who had been
given the Torah cast it behind their backs,
pretending not to recognise their duty to
believe in the Prophets and follow the
Messengers after Mụsạ, bliss be upon him,
as if they did not know of this injunction of
the Torah.
And they followed what the devils recited
during the dominion of Sulaymạn;
Sulaymạn disbelieved not, but rather the
devils disbelieved, they taught the people
magic and what was sent down upon the
two angels at Bạbil, Hạrụt and Mạrụt –
while the two taught noone without saying,
‘We are but an examination, so disbelieve
not!'
So they learned from them that which by
which they make a division between a man
and his spouse, yet them, they are the
harmers by it of no one save with the
permission of Allah.
And they learn what harms them and
benefits them not, and they certainly knew
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that whoso purchases it – surely he has no
part in the hereafter. And truly atrocious is
what they sold themselves for, had they
known.
(102)
And they followed... Instead of the book,
they followed magic. They discarded the
book behind their backs and attached
themselves to:
...what the devils recited during the
dominion of Sulaymạn;...-That is, that
which they attributed to Sulaymạn, the son
of Dạ.ud (David), bliss be upon them. The
devils in the time of Sulaymạn would use a
magical language to recite magic to the
people. ‘During' is put for ‘alạ, with the
meaning of ‘in’ (fị), as stated by the
grammarian Ibn Mạlik:
‘alạ is for ‘being above’ (that is, ‘over’ or
‘upon’), as well as for the meanings of fị
(‘in’, ‘during’) and ‘in (‘from’, ‘of’).
In short, the Jews would attach themselves
to the magic that existed in the time of
Sulaymạn; seeking by it to attract wealth
and popularity, and they used to say that
Sulaymạn only attained to his magnificent
dominion through the means of magic.
Allah refutes this in His word,
...Sulaymạn disbelieved not,... Magic is a
cause of disbelief, and here it must be
clarified that disbelief (kufr) is of two
types: the disbelief of doctrine; and the
disbelief of deeds. Disbelief of doctrine is
the denial of the essential principles or
‘roots’ of the religion, while disbelief in
action is to abandon the mandatory deeds
or perform the prohibited deeds.
That the term ‘disbelief’ is generally
applicable to abstaining from the
42 | P a g e April 3, 2011
obligations or performing things prohibited
is clear from His word: ‘...and whoso
disbelieves—indeed Allah is independent of
the worlds...' (Ạl ‘Imrạn [3]; 98) on the
topic of Hajj, where ‘disbelief’ means
abstaining from the Hajj. And also in His
word: ‘...and truly, if ye disbelieve—indeed
My chastisement is truly severe...' (Ibrahịm
[14]; 8),-on the topic of gratitude.
In the same way, we have from the
Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House, that: ‘Disbelief in
Allah the Magnificent on the part of this
nation is (of) ten (types):... and he then
counts among them slander and suchlike.
At all events, Sulaymạn was not a
magician, and did he attain to that to which
he attained through magic, but rather
through Prophethood and the divine
bestowal.
...but rather the devils disbelieved,... The
devils disbelieved by implementing magic
and teaching it to the people. ‘The devils’
(shayạtịn) are evil souls who cast evil into
people’s hearts, as proven in the study of
the narrations (‘ilm al-ĥadịth) and
elsewhere, on the topics of invocation
(taĥzịr) and hypnotism.
...they taught the people magic... Magic is
a set of unnatural issues using unseen
means, incorporating interference in
peoples vision, their spirits and their
intellects. It brings about enmity between
people, illness and suchlike.
...and that sent down upon the two angels
at Bạbil, Hạrụt and Mạrụt... The Jews
deserted their book and followed the magic
of these devils and the magic of ‘the two
angels'. Their story is that in the period
following the Prophet Nụh, bliss be upon
him, magic became widespread, so Allah
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sent two angels to the Prophet of that age,
at Babul, to teach the people magic and its
undoing. They would say to the people
‘This is magic, and this is what breaks it!',
rather like a doctor who writes a book on
medicine in which he describes diseases,
their causes and what cures them. The
doctor might write, ‘This is a poison, and
this is its cure.' The two angels taught
magic and how to overcome it, warning
those they taught that they were determined
to overcome magic. When the people had
learned from them, some of them took to
magic; like one who reads a book of
medicine and then poisons people—it is not
the author of the book who is at fault, even
though he is among the factors that led to
the causation of harm.
...while the two taught no one without
saying, ‘We are but a tribulation, so
disbelieve not!'... The Jews deserted the
book of Allah and took to the knowledge
that was sent down upon the two angels at
Babul, whose names were Hạrụt and Mạrụt.
But these two taught noone before
informing them that they were a test, and
that their intention was to rectify and heal,
not to cause damage and harm, and warning
them not to disbelieve, by practicing magic.
...So they learned from them that which by
which they make a division between a man
and his spouse,... They went ahead and
learned magic from them and learned that
which separates a man from his wife. That
is, they learned how to do the things that
give rise to enmity and hatred between
couples, and which lead to separation and
divorce.
...yet them, they are the harmers by it of
no one save with the permission of
Allah.... It should not be imagined that
magical things are outside the scope of
Allah’s jurisdiction, simply because He lets
43 | P a g e April 3, 2011
them happen. Rather, it is something by
which Allah wishes to test His servants. It
is like His creating the grape and giving
man the power to squeeze it, then man
makes wine out of it – this is not beyond
the jurisdiction of Allah, rather it too is for
trial and examination. Thus He says,
...yet them, they are the harmers by it of
no one save with the permission of
Allah.... That is, they can do no harm with
their magic but what harm Allah allows
them to do, as a test and examination.
Nothing can in any way affect another but
with the permission of Allah, meaning that
He does not intervene between a cause and
its effect. Were he to intervene, it would be
a world of compulsion useless for trial and
examination. A thing is not beyond the
power of Allah, glorified be He, simply
because He does not prevent it from
happening. He could prevent it but He does
not.
...And they learn what harms them and
benefits them not,... The people learned
from the two angels things that harmed
them, in their world and their religion, and
brought them no goodness. This is an
emphatic declaration of the uselessness of
magic, and refutes their expectation that
magic would bring them goodness and
facilitate for them their desires.
...and they certainly knew that whoso
purchases it – surely he has no part in the
hereafter... Those who learned it certainly
knew that whoso purchases it and sells their
religion for it has no share in the hereafter.
On the contrary:
...And truly atrocious is what they sold
themselves for,... Awful is that for which
they sold their souls, for in return for
learning the magic that they thought would
benefit their world, they gave their souls to
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the fire.
...had they but known.... Ah, if they had
only known; for though they knew, yet they
did not know, in the sense that one who
knows but fails to implement such
knowledge is exactly like one who is
ignorant.
And had they believed and been guardful,
the reward from alongside Allah is
goodness, had they but known.
(103)
Had the Jews genuinely believed instead of
following magic, and guardfully avoided
disobedience, their reward from Allah
would have been goodness for them in the
world and in the hereafter. But they did not
know this, in the sense that they acted as
though they did not know.
O ye who believe! Say not ‘Rạ’inạ', but say
‘Unżurnạ' and listen, and for the
disbelievers is a painful chastisement.
(104)
O ye who believe! Say not ‘Rạ’inạ', but
say ‘Unżurnạ' and listen,...The address is
to those who believed in the Messenger,
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
House. ‘Rạ’inạ' is an Arabic word meaning
‘look upon us with consideration’; but in
the language of the Jews it meant ‘I listened
but I didn't hear', and was used as an insult.
And so the Jews seized the opportunity of
this phrase due to its resemblance to an
insult, and would come to the Messenger,
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
House, and say, ‘Rạ’inạ', intending thereby
to insult him, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House. Allah therefore
forbade the Muslims from saying this
44 | P a g e April 3, 2011
phrase, so as not to let the Jews take
advantage of it. Instead, they were to say
‘Unzurnạ', which means look with mercy
upon us. The Muslims were to say that and
listen to the commands of Allah and the
commands of His Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
...and for the disbelievers is a painful
chastisement. And for the disbelievers
among the Jews who used to insult the
Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and his House, there is, under the heading
‘Rạ’inạ', a chastisement in the hereafter that
is grievously painful.
Those who disbelieve – the bookfolk –love
it not, and nor the partnerists, that goodness
descend on ye from your Master—and
Allah selects for His mercy whom He wills;
and Allah is the Holder of magnificent
profusion.
(105)
The Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians love
it not that goodness descend on the
Muslims from the direction of their Master,
whether that goodness be spiritual, like
Prophethood, guidance and inspiration, or
material, like superiority, victory and
wealth. But Allah selects for His mercy
whom He wills; and His will does not
follow the will of the disbelievers and
idolaters. Nor is His profusion limited to a
particular group of disbelievers, so there
was no room for the Jews to believe that
Prophethood is limited to them alone of all
the people.
Whatso of Our portents We abrogate or
cause to be forgotten, We bring better than
it, or its like; know thou not that Allah over
all things is powerful?
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(106)
Whatso of Our portents We abrogate or
cause to be forgotten, We bring better than
it, or its like;... The ‘abrogation’ (naskh) of
a ‘portent’ (ạyah) means to raise a law and
place another law in its place. To ‘cause to
be forgotten’ means to remove the record of
it and erase the memory of it from the
hearts and minds. This latter has not
happened in the case of the Holy Quran,
though it happened in the cases of the
former books, so that not much of them can
be found. Abrogation, however, has
occurred to the holy Quran, according to
the most authoritative view, as well as to
the other books.
However, abrogation of portents and
causing them to be forgotten only occurs to
that substituted by its like, in that its like is
more suitable than what was abrogated or
caused to be forgotten. It is like when an
item of paper currency, a banknote, say,
falls from validity; the authority issues
another, similar to it.
...know thou not...—O Jew, you who deny
the truth of abrogation.
...that Allah over all things is powerful?
The Jews created doubts over how it was
that their book was abrogated by the Quran,
for if it was righteous, then why was it
abrogated, and if it was not righteous, then
why did Allah the Most High send it down?
The answer was that the denial of
abrogation would be either due to the
impossibility of producing its like or better,
or due to Allah being unable to abrogate.
Both alternatives are unacceptable, for the
like and its better exist, and over all things
Allah has the power to do with them as He
wills.
Know thou not that Allah – His is the
45 | P a g e April 3, 2011
dominion of the skies and the earth? and bliss be upon him, was questioned of old.
that other than Allah ye have no patron, and He was subject to outrageous demands and
no succourer? propositions, even impossible things, like
their saying ‘We will not believe in thee
until we see Allah openly!' The
(107) contemporaries of the Quran would say
similar things, like their saying ...Or cause
O denier of abrogation, know you not that
the sky to fall upon us... (17;93). For this
Allah possesses the dominion of the
they were rebuked by Allah, glorified be
heavens and the earth, and that He can
He, for such questioning fitted ill with the
intervene where He wills in conditions and
rank of Messenger and the message, after
rulings, as He wills. He, glorified be He,
the guidance had been clarified to them.
sees man's best interests in abrogation and
causing to be forgotten. These interests
...And whoso substitutes disbelief for faith,
vary according to the age and to the people;
has most surely strayed from the evenness
and it is the role of Allah's portents to
of the path. He who takes hold of disbelief
revive the people time and time again, until
and lays aside faith, as demonstrated by
finally it came the turn of the message of
such obstinate questioning, which is surely
Islam. In this process some particulars were
a mark of disbelief and deviation, has most
substituted before its completion and
surely strayed from the evenness of the
perfection, to ensure an equilibrium
path, that central part of it which connects
between the message and the conditions of
to the destination.
the time. Finally, when it was completed
and perfected, nothing remained to be
Many of the book-folk would love to drive
altered, and it will remain forever.
ye back as disbelievers after your having
believed, out of envy from alongside their
Or do ye wish to question your Messenger
spirits, after the truth has been clarified for
like Mụsạ was questioned of old? And
them! So pardon, and absolve, until Allah
whoso substitutes disbelief for belief has
brings forth His affair; indeed Allah over
indeed strayed from the evenness of the
all things is powerful.
path.

(108) (109)
Many of the book-folk would love to drive
Or do ye wish to question your
ye back as disbelievers after your having
Messenger... This address is to the
believed,... Many of the Jews, Christians
contemporaries of the Messenger –
and Zoroastrians would love to return the
Muslims, book-folk (ahl al-kitạb) and
Muslims to disbelief, after their having
partnerist, for the phrase ‘your Messenger'
believed, so as to be the same as them.
is not limited to the believers.
...out of envy from alongside their spirits,
...like Mụsạ was questioned of old?... It
That is, out of jealousy that the Muslims
seems that some of the followers of the
preceded them towards the domain of faith
Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and the real life. Thus this love of theirs is
and upon his House, tended to question him
not due to their being religious and
with stubborn persistency, just as Mụsạ,
concerned and full of regret towards the

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Muslims for their departing from the true
faith, as they might have seen it, but from
their own inflated spirits, their selfish
vanities. This is their motivation, rather
than their religion.
...after the truth has been clarified for
them!... They do not do this out of
ignorance about the Muslims' religion and
their truth,
...So pardon, and excuse,... The Muslims
were to pardon and forgive them, and not
return evil for the evil the disbelievers did
to them.
the world and reward in the hereafter.
...—ye will find it alongside Allah;... That
is, on the day of resurrection.
...indeed Allah is an observer of what ye
do. So that which is done for the sake of
His nearness – being ‘near’ to Him,
glorified be He, is not futile.
And they say that none will ever enter the
Garden but whoso is a Jew, or a Christian.
Those are their fancies. Say: ‘Bring your
proof, if ye be truthful!'

...until Allah brings forth His affair;...

(111)
That is, await His rule, when He will allow
And they say that none will ever enter the
you to contend and to fight and to pay back
Garden but whoso is a Jew, or a
like for like.
Christian.... The Jews would say that none
will enter paradise but a Jew, and the
...indeed Allah over all things is powerful.
Christians would say that none will enter it
The day was to come when He would make
but a Christian.
them strong and able to make war on those
disbelievers, and be permitted to contend
...Those are their fancies.... This is nothing
with them.
but their idle suppositions, their false,
unsubstantiated wishful thinking..
And establish the prayer and pay the zakạt,
and whatever goodness ye send on for
...Say:...The Messenger was to tell them to
yourselves—ye will find it alongside Allah;
:
indeed Allah is an observer of what ye do.
...‘Bring your proof, if ye be truthful!'
(110) That is, the proof of their claim.

And establish the prayer and pay the Nay; whoso submits his face to Allah while
zakạt,... During the time when Allah had he is a beautifier – his is his reward
not yet ‘brought forth His affair’, the alongside his Master; no fear is upon them
Muslims were to ‘establish the prayer and and nor do they sorrow.
pay the zakạt', but not to contend with their
enemies.
(112)
...and whatever goodness ye send on for
Nay... It is given for balạ,-which indicates
yourselves... It means paying the zakạt and
the implication of a question, namely: will
the other deeds of goodness which return
noone enter the garden; and if so, who?
on oneself, in that they bring harmony in

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...whoso submits his face... The use of the
word face (wajh) is because it is the noblest
part of the body, for otherwise when a
person submits to Allah his whole body
submits.
...while he is a beautifier... That is, he
performs the beautiful deeds.
...his is his reward alongside his Master;
no fear is upon them and nor do they
sorrow. Such persons will enter the garden
whether they were Jews during the time of
Mụsạ, Christians during the time of ‘Ịsạ,
Muslims during the time of Muhammad, or
a member of any of the other communities
during the era of their Prophets, bliss and
benedictions be upon them all.
In fact, this statement bears its own proof,
in that the criterion for entering the garden
is belief and righteous deeds; for noone
would say to a person who makes this
statement, ‘Bring your proof.'
And the Jews say, ‘The Christians are on
nothing!' and the Christians say, ‘The Jews
are on nothing!'—while they recite the
book! Thus say those who know not, a
word like theirs. So Allah will judge
between them on the day of resurrection
about that in which they differed.
(113)
And the Jews say, ‘The Christians are on
nothing!' and the Christians say, ‘The
Jews are on nothing!'... Each of the two
communities says the same thing about the
other: that they have no religion and no
faith and no religiosity and no piety. Each
sees itself as being delivered and the other
as destined for perdition.
...—while they recite the book!... Whoso
reads the book has no right to say such
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things. For each knows that the other has
something or other: The Jew knows that the
Christian has some general sense of faith
and of religion, while the Christian knows
that the Jew has some general sense of faith
and religion.
...Thus say those who know not, a word
like theirs.... The Jews and Christians who
say such things are just like the disbelievers
who are ignorant. This rebukes both of the
two communities, for they had been talking
just like those who had no book and were
ignorant. That is, it follows that the
ignorant may say that the Jews and the
Christians are on nothing, since he
imagines them both to be entirely invalid.
...So Allah will judge between them on the
day of resurrection about that in which
they differed.... On the day of resurrection
it will be made clear to the two
communities whether they were upon
anything or not. Perhaps Allah's judging,
glorified be He, is given as particular to the
day of resurrection since there will be no
place for doubts that day about His
judgement, whereas in the world those who
do not believe in Islam do not acknowledge
His judgement.
And who is more wrongful than whoso
prevents the masjids of Allah, from His
name being recalled therein, and strives for
their ruination? Those, it was not for them
to enter them save in fear! Theirs in the
world is humiliation, and theirs in the
hereafter is a mighty chastisement.
(114)
And who is more wrongful than whoso
prevents the masjids of Allah, from His
name being recalled therein,...The sense is
general, including everyone who prevents
from a house of Allah, glorified be He,
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although it applies to the people of Makkah
who barred the Messenger from the Sacred
Mosque, and to Bakht al-Nasr
(Nebuchanazr), who barred from
Jerusalem. The meaning is that there is
noone more wrongful than such a person,
though the restriction is relative (ižạfị);
otherwise, those who murdered the
Prophets are more wrongful.
...and strives for their ruination?.. It
means a spiritual ruination that prevents
people praying within them, or a physical
destruction of their buildings.
Those, it was not for them to enter them
except in fear!... Such persons should not
even enter those places except in a state of
fear, afraid of the chastisement of Allah,
glorified be He, and of the revenge of the
Muslims.
...Theirs in the world is humiliation,... In
the world they shall be disgraced, by the
Islamic punishments for anyone
committing that crime. Or it is an
announcement of disgrace from alongside
Allah, glorified be He, which He sends
down upon anyone who strives for the
ruination of the masjids.
...And theirs in the hereafter is a mighty
chastisement.' They shall taste the fire in
total humiliation.
Perhaps the ạyah alludes to the Jews, and
their barring the masjids.
Allah's is the east and the west; so wherever
ye turn, there is the face of Allah! Indeed
Allah is expansive, knowing!
(115)
Allah's is the east and the west;...The east
and the west both belong to Allah. He
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created them, and they are His sole
property.
...so wherever ye turn, there is the face of
Allah!... In whichever direction you direct
your faces, there is the face of Allah! The
face of Allah is His embrace of knowledge
and power over all directions; so when you
turn towards the east you direct yourself to
Allah, and when you turn to the west, you
direct yourself to Allah. And Allah is not
material so as to have a particular place, in
the direction of which one would need to
turn.
...Indeed Allah is expansive, knowing! His
knowledge and power encompass all
things; He knows what a person does, and
which way he turns.
It is said that the ạyah was sent down to
refute the Jews who made much of how
Muhammad, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House, turned from the Qiblah
of Jerusalem to the Qiblah of the Ka’bah.
And they say: ‘Allah has taken a child!'
Glory be His! Nay, His are the skies and
the earth; all to Him are subservient.
(116)
And they say: ‘Allah has taken a child!'...
Jews held that ‘Uzair was the son of Allah,
while Christians said that the Christ was the
son of Allah, and the idolaters held that the
angels are the daughters of Allah. Yet
neither did He, glorified be He, procreate,
as some of them imagined, and nor did He
adopt.
...Glory be His!... It is given for
subĥạnahụ, a declaration of His absolute
purity of what they said.
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...Nay, His are the skies and the earth...
How, then, can that which is owned be a
son, as a son is not owned by his father?
and property is controlled and directed, so
what is this of adoption?
...all is subject to Him are subservient. All
of the skies and the earth belong to Him,
the Most High, and before Him all is
humble and submissive.
The Origin of the skies and the earth; and
when He consummates an affair He but
says to it, ‘Be!' and it is.
(117)
The Origin of the skies and the earth;...
This phrase emphasises the content of the
previous ạyah, ‘His are the skies and the
earth'. ‘The Originator' is given for al-badị'
meaning that He is the source, the origin
and the creator (from nothing).
...and when He consummates an affair He
but says to it, ‘Be!' and it is.... When Allah
the Most High intends a thing, He merely
says to that intended thing ‘Be!' – that is,
He commands it to exist – and it exists,
following upon His command. In this way
the world of existence is subject to His will
and to His rule.
After these points about the differences
between the book-folk, and their barring
along with the idolaters people from the
masjids, and the polytheistic condition of
their monotheism, the Wise Quran turns to
consider their views concerning the
messengership, in His word:
And those who know not say, ‘Why does
Allah not speak to us, or give us ạ portent?'
Just so spoke those of old, like their word,
their hearts are alike. Truly We have
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clarified the portents, to a tribe certain.
(118)
And those who know not say, ‘Why does
Allah not speak to us,... Those who knew
nothing about the delicacy of inspiration
and Prophethood, would say, ‘Why does
Allah not speak to us, telling us His
commands directly without an
intermediary, or telling us that you are a
Messenger?’
...or give us ạ portent?'...-That is: Why
does He not give us a sign, a miracle,
according to our demands?
...Just so spoke those of old, like their
word,... Those of old spoke exactly like that
to their Messengers, a similar speech, like
their demanding of Mụsạ, bliss be upon
him, that he show them Allah, glorified be
He, in the flesh.
...their hearts are alike.... Their hearts are
all alike, in their disbelief and opposition
expressed in preposterous demands and
obstinacy.
...Truly We have clarified the portents,...
The signs had already been clarified, so
there was no need to have Allah speak to
them, nor for Him to satisfy their demands
for the paranormal. Had their intention been
to clarify the truth and furnish undeniable
proof, Allah had already done that. And had
their intention been other than that, Allah's
only priority is to present the entire proof
(itmạm al–hujjat).
...to a tribe certain. The portents have been
made clear to a people who are certain, in
the sense that it is only such a people who
will make use of them and benefit from
them. ‘Tribe certain’ is given for qawmin
yụqinụn, that is, a ‘tribe’ (qawm) with the
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characteristic of ‘being certain’ (yụqinụn) – Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
-the slight irregularity of the English has and upon his House. It is a part of the
literary justification but is of course natural way of things that when a man
necessary to prevent confusion. stands for a principle, opponents seek to
incline him towards themselves. Therefore
Indeed We have dispatched thee with the Allah explains to His Messenger not to be
truth, as good news or in warning; and thou taken in by them, reminding him that the
shall not be questioned as to the Jews and the Christians would never be
companions of the inferno. satisfied with him until he entered their
communities, and followed their paths. For
everyone on a path is never satisfied with a
(119) person until that person is immersed in that
in which they themselves are immersed.
The address is to the Messenger of Allah,
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
...Say: ‘Indeed the guidance of Allah –
House. He was dispatched ‘with the truth',
that is the guidance.'-He was to tell them
emphasising the divine origin of the
that Allah’s guidance of Islam is the real
dispatch, for all of Allah's dispatching is
guidance, not anything else, such as
with the truth. He was dispatched as good
Judaism or Christianity.
news for the obedient believers; and as a
warning for the disbelievers and for the
...And indeed, if thou followed their
disobedient.
desires... This shows that their religions
reflect their inflated vanities, and are not
Allah, glorified be He, was saying to the
from alongside Allah, glorified be He.
Messenger: ‘You are Our Messenger,
despite their doubts and their obsessive
...after what has come to thee,
demands; you are not answerable for them,
knowledge,... That is, the knowledge of
you are not responsible for them; yours is
Islam and its laws, and of the invalidity of
but to remind.’
Judaism and Christianity.
And the Jews will never be content with
...thou would have in Allah neither a
thee, and nor will the Christians, until thou
patron, nor a succourer. Had he done that,
follow their community. Say: ‘Indeed the
Allah would not have patronised him in his
guidance of Allah – that is the guidance.'
affairs nor succoured him.
And indeed, if thou followed their desires
Those whom We have given the book,
after what has come to thee, knowledge,
reciting it with its just recital – those, they
thou would have in Allah neither a patron,
believe in him. And whoso disbelieves in
nor a succourer.
him – those, they are the losers.

(120) (121)
And the Jews will never be content with
...Those whom We have given the book,
thee, and nor will the Christians, until
reciting it with its just recital – those, they
thou follow their community.... The
believe in him.... Those of the book-folk
address, in the singular, is to the
who recited their book – the Torah or the

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Gospel – with a just recital, by acting
according to what was in their book,
believed in the Messenger. ‘Him' is given
for the pronoun hị, which could also mean
‘it'. In that case, the reading would mean:
they believe in the Quran, or in Islam.
Perhaps it means their believing with a real
belief in their own book, rather than with
the faith of the manipulators who took
some of the book and not the rest.
...And whoso disbelieves in him – those,
they are the losers. They are losers in the
world, for Allah's path is the path of
happiness in the world, so that when a
person swerves from it, his life becomes
constrained; and in the hereafter, for there
the chastisement is prepared for the
disbelievers.
O sons of Israel! Recall My blessing that I
blessed upon ye, and that I distinguished ye
above the worlds.
(122)
The blessing was the despatch of Prophets
among them, the destruction of their
enemies, making them sovereigns in the
earth, and expanding their worlds or
livelihoods for them. Their being
distinguished over the worlds was during
their time, and was one of the greatest of
blessings. The explanation of it has been
given in a similar portent.
And be guardful of the day when a soul
will not recompense a soul for a thing; and
an equivalent will not be accepted from it;
and mediation will not benefit it; and they
will not be succoured.
(123)
And be guardful of the day... The day' is
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the day of resurrection.
...when a soul will not recompense a soul
for a thing;... Each soul will see its own
just reward; no-one shall carry the burden
of another.
...and a counterpart will not be accepted
from it;... ‘Equivalent’ is given for ‘adlun,
meaning a compensatory ransom paid to
free oneself.
...and mediation will not benefit it;... Save
as Allah the Most High pleases.
...and they will not be succoured. Noone
will be able to rescue another.
The like of this portent has preceded, but
here it is repeated as an introduction to
another topic. For with the completion of a
discussion about the Jews, the Christians
and the partnerists, the theme turns to the
topic of Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him, and his
sons, and the construction of the Ka'bah.
These matters pertained to all three groups,
though they took place long before the
history of the Jews and the Christians.
And when His Master tried Ibrạhịm with
words, and he completed them, He said,
‘Indeed I am putting thou as a Leader for
the people!'
He said, ‘And of my offspring?'
He said, ‘My covenant reaches not the
wrongful.'
(124)
And when His Master tried Ibrạhịm with
words, and he completed them,... Ibrạhịm,
bliss be upon him, was tested by Allah.
‘Words' is given for kalimạt, the literal
meaning, though what is intended here is
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commands, for in Arabic ‘a word' not among the wrongful (al–żạlimịn). In
(kalimah) is sometimes used for ‘an order'. this way the exalted station of the Imamat
Yet it is not remote that what is meant is is brought out.
the precise, customary meaning, so that the
portent means that Allah tried Ibrạhịm, And, when We established the House as a
bliss be upon him, with some words that He place of return for the people, and as a
spoke to him, or which the angel with him sanctuary – and take the station of Ibrạhịm
delivered to his heart. It is likely that the as a place of prayer – and We covenanted
words concerned the slaughter of Ismạ'ịl, to Ibrạhịm and Ismạ’ịl that they cleanse My
bliss be upon him, or the struggle against house for the encirclers, and the secluders,
the tyrant Nimrụd. In any case, Ibrạhịm, and the bowers, the prostrators.
bliss be upon him, fulfilled those words, in
the sense that he obeyed the command
perfectly without any fault.
(125)
And, when We established the House as a
...He said, ‘Indeed I am putting thou as a
place of return for the people,... That is:
Leader for the people!'... Allah the Most
‘And recount, O Messenger, when Allah
High informed him that He had made him
established the sacred house at Makkah as a
an ‘Imam' or ‘Leader’ for the people. An
‘place of return’ (mathạbah) for the people,
‘imam' is one who is followed. ‘The people'
in that the people in general return to it year
is given for al–nạs, meaning the people in
after year, though each and every individual
general, all of them. There is no
does not return.
inconsistency between Ibrạhịm's previously
being a Prophet and a Messenger, and his
...and as a sanctuary... The sacred house is
not being the universal Imam. He then
a sanctuary, in that killing is not allowed
attained to that as a reward for his fulfilling
there, and whoso takes refuge there is safe,
the words.
for the punishments cannot be exacted upon
anyone while he is there.
...He said,’... Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him,
replied to this by beseeching Allah the
...– and take the position of Ibrạhịm as a
Most High:
place of prayer –... This is an interjection,
addressed to all the Muslims, as is evident
...’And of My offspring?’... That is: would
from the plural form used in ‘and take' (wa
Allah make Imams of his seed, his
‘ttakhizụ). The ‘station' (given for maqạm)
descendants? The translation follows the
of Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him, is the stone
form of the request as expressed in the
on which he stood in order to build the
Arabic, in which it is perfectly polite and
upper part of the Ka'bah. It still stands close
reverential. Allah's reply to Ibrạhịm, bliss
by the Ka'bah today. In Hajj one must
be upon him, was that:
complete the circulation (tawạf) about the
house with prayer performed at or near the
...He said, ‘My covenant reaches not the
station of Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him.
wrongful.'.' This reply amounted to an
affirmative with additional information, for
...and We covenanted to Ibrạhịm and
its implicit meaning is: Yes, I shall
Ismạ’ịl that they cleanse My house The
establish some of your descendents as
cleansing of the house to which Ibrạhịm
Imams, but only those among them who are
and Ismạ'ịl, father and son, bliss be upon

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them, were commanded to undertake was
spiritual, in that they were not to permit the
placing of idols therein, and material, by
keeping it clean and in good order. This
they were to do:
...for the encirclers,...-‘The encirlers’:
those who go round it in performing tawạf.
...and the secluders,... That is, those who
withdraw therein, for the purpose of
worshipping in i’tikạf, having issues and
rules clarified in the books of fiqh.
...and the bowers, the prostrators. In other
words for the people who wish to perform
the prayer there.
And, when Ibrạhịm said, ‘My Master, put-
this as a secure land, and provision its folk
with fruits– whoso among them believes in
Allah and the last day.’
He said, ‘And whoso disbelieves – I shall
please him a little, then I shall force him to
the chastisement of the fire; and atrocious is
the outcome!'
(126)
And, when Ibrạhịm said,... That is: And
recount, O Messenger of Allah, when
Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him, said in his
supplication to Allah:
...‘My Master, put this... It means Makkah,
in which the house is built.
...as a secure land,... ‘Secure’ is given for
ạminan, meaning secure against dangers.
Alternatively, it could mean a place
legislated in the divine law as a place of
safety, or sanctuary; though the former
seems more appropriate.
...and provision its folk with. fruits –
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whoso among them believes in Allah and
the last day.’... Ibrạhịm's prayer for fruits is
limited to those who believe; for the others
he asks nothing
...He said, ‘And whoso disbelieves – I shall
please him a little, then I shall force him
to the chastisement of the fire; and
atrocious is the outcome!' Allah's reply to
Ibrạhịm shows that his prayer was granted
with an increase, to the effect that:
‘Whosoever from the people of this city
disbelieves – We shall not deny him the
fruits. Rather We shall let him enjoy life,
provision, safety and the other comforts for
a while, for life in the world is short; but
then We shall oblige him to enter the fire.
He shall be made to go, as noone will go of
his own accord, for it is the foulest of
places to go home to.'
And, when Ibrạhịm was raising the
foundations of the House, and Ismạ‘ịl: ‘Our
Master, accept from us; indeed Thou are
the Hearing, the Knowing.'
(127)
And, when Ibrạhịm was raising the
foundations of the House, and Ismạ‘ịl:...
That is: ‘And recount, O Messenger, when
Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him, was building
the foundation of the sacred house in
Makkah, and in that sense raising its
foundations above the earth, while Ismạ'ịl,
bliss be upon him, his son, was assisting
him.
...‘Our Master, accept from us; indeed
Thou are the Hearing, the Knowing.'-
While they were working they prayed: ‘O
our Master, accept this, our building of the
house; indeed Thou are the Hearer of our
prayers, the Knowing of what we do and
what we intend.' Their prayer continued:
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‘Our Master, and make us two muslims to
Thee, and from our offspring a nation
muslim to Thee, and show us our piety-
places, and relent over us; indeed Thou are
the Oft-Relenting, the Compassionate!
(128)
‘Our Master, and make us two muslims to
Thee,... That is, submissive to Him in all
things. Their praying to be Muslims does
not mean that they were not Muslims
before their prayer. Islam, like all beliefs
and works, needs to be continuous, and this
depends upon guidance from Allah and His
granting success. Commencing in Islam
takes place only with His help, glorified be
He, and continuing within it is the same.
Thus we pray, ‘Guide us the straight road.'
...and from our offspring a muslim
nation,... They sought Islam for their
descendents, Islam being the submission to
Allah, glorified be He, in belief, word and
deed.
...and show us our piety-places... ‘Piety-
places' is coined for manạsik, the plural
form of mansak, meaning places of nask,
an act of piety, worship. And Allah
answered their prayer, in that Jibrạ.ịl, bliss
be upon him, showed them the places for
the Hajj prayers, its sojourns and so forth.
...and relent over us;... That is, ‘Turn to us
in mercy and forgiveness.’ ‘Relent' is given
for tub, from tawba, which literally means
‘return’; thus Allah is al-Tawwạb
(translated as ‘The Oft-Relenting’),
meaning that He returns often to His
servants. From this it is clear that there is
no proof to the view that Ibrạhịm and
Ismạ'ịl, bliss be upon them, had sinned.
...indeed Thou are the Oft-Relenting, the
Compassionate.' Allah returns often to His
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slaves, and is merciful to them.
‘Our Master, and raise among them a
Messenger from among them, reciting to
them Thy portents, and teaching them the
book and the wisdom, and purifying them,
indeed Thou, Thou are the Grand, the
Wise.’
(129)
Their prayer continued: ‘Our Master! And
raise amongst the muslim nation we pray
for, a Messenger from that same nation, not
from another nation, so that they may have
the honour of having that Messenger being
from amongst themselves....
...reciting to them Thy portents...
‘Portents', given for ạyạt, in this context
means His proofs and laws.
...and teaching them the book... This
means the Quran, or it means ‘the book of
Allah' in the general sense.
...and the wisdom... Wisdom (ĥikmah) is
the placing of each thing in its proper place.
‘Teaching wisdom' means teaching them
the physical and spiritual sciences; for the
ignorant are unable to place things in their
proper place, being ignorant of that place.
...and purifying them... That is, purifying
them of base and impure ethics and
behaviour.
...indeed Thou are the Grand,... ‘Grand' is
given for ‘azịz. Tied up in this word is the
idea of being rare, precious, so that
whatever is ‘azịz must exist in limited
numbers, and be greatly sought and needed
by others. Allah, therefore, is genuinely the
‘Azịz, as He is both Grand and precious, for
He is One without any partner, and the
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entire world of existence is in need of Him.
...the Wise... All His works are the
expression of wisdom. The prayer of these
two Messengers, too, was the essence of
wisdom.
This is the path of Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon
him:
And who shrinks from the community of
Ibrạhịm, but for him who makes a fool of
himself? Certainly We chose him in the
world, and indeed in the hereafter he is
among the virtuous.
(130)
Who turns from this path of theism and
surrender and the other things mentioned
that prove the excellence of this path?
Other than him who has given himself to
foolishness? It means that none forsake this
community but those who deliver
themselves to idiocy and foolishness. Is
their path better than this path? The
question ‘who shrinks...’ is for negation.
...We chose him in the world, and indeed
in the hereafter he is among the
virtuous.... That is, for the sake of that
straight and upright path, Allah chose
Ibrạhịm as a Messenger in the world, while
in the hereafter he is most surely among the
virtuous, who gain the accomplishment of
the loftiest levels.
When his Master said to him: ‘Be Muslim'
He said, ‘I make myself Muslim to the
Master of the worlds.'
(131)
When His Master said to him... It is an
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adjunct to the line, ‘We chose him in the
world,...’ of the previous portent.
...Be muslim...:-That is, ‘Be Muslim for
Allah in all that is yours!'
...He said... That is, Ibrạhịm said
...'I make myself Muslim to the Master of
the worlds.' That is, ‘I have yielded in
Islam for the Master of the worlds, the one
alone, who has no partner!' The meaning of
Islam here is standing firm in Islam, and
being fixed in monotheism, or tawĥịd. It is
like the address to the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House:
‘Know that there is no god but Allah.' Or
like we might say to one who is sitting
somewhere, ‘Sit here until ten’, for
example.
And Ibrạhịm enjoined his sons with it and
so did Ya'qụb: ‘O my sons! Allah has
chosen for ye the religion, so be sure not to
die unless ye be Muslims.'
(132)
And Ibrạhịm enjoined his sons with it...
Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him, charged his
sons with the community and the path he
walked. His enjoining it upon his sons is
given particular mention, despite his call
having been to all, so as to indicate that it is
necessary to call one's family to the truth in
a special way, as He says, ‘Guard
yourselves and your families against a
fire...’ ( al-Taĥrịm, ‘The Banning’ [66]; 7).
...and so did Ya'qụb:... Ya'qụb, Ibrạhịm's
grandson through Ishạq, enjoined his sons
in the same way. Ya'qụb is singled out on
account of his being the father of the Jews.
...Allah has chosen for ye the
religion,...The meaning is that Allah,
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glorified be He, has given them the
religion, andwants them to be on it, as
opposed to those wild peoples whom the
call of the Messengers never reached.
...so be sure not to die unless ye be
Muslims.' It means: never leave Islam lest
while you are away from it death should
come upon you. The special emphasis on
death is because should a person not be
Muslim, and then accept Islam and
thereupon die, he has no difficulty.
Or were ye witnesses when death came to
Ya'qụb, when he asked his sons, 'What will
ye worship after me?'
They said, ‘We shall worship your God,
and the God of thy fathers, Ibrạhịm and
Ismạ'ịl and Ishạq, the One God; and we are
Muslims to Him!'
(133)
Or were ye witnesses when death came to
Ya'qụb,... The address is to those who
claimed that the Prophets were Jews or
Christian, for the Jews used to say that
Ya'qụb bequeathed his sons Judaism. And
so Allah contradicts them, reminding them
that they were not present ‘when death
came to Ya'qụb,' meaning when he was
close to dying.
...when he asked his sons, 'What will ye
worship after me?'... His question ‘what
will you worship after me?' was not
interrogative, but stipulative.
...They said, ‘We shall worship your God,
and the God of thy fathers, Ibrạhịm and
Ismạ'ịl and Ishạq,... Ibrạhịm was Ya'qụb's
great-uncle, Ismạ'ịl was his uncle and Isĥạq
was his father. Ismạ'ịl's mention precedes
that of Ishạq as he was older in age and
higher in rank. The uncle is called father in
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Arabic, just as the aunt is called mother.
...the One God; and we are Muslims to
him!' Their religion was Islam, and Islam
was the religion of all the Prophets, for
Islam means submission to Allah in all He
commands and all He forbids. Allah's
denying that the religion of the Prophets
was Judaism or Christian, is His denying it
in the sense used by the book-folk
themselves. Otherwise, their religions had
no name, as is clear.
An important reality is then clarified;
namely, that a community that has passed
away was not the concern of the
Messenger's contemporaries, but that their
concern was their own actions. Whatever
the condition of that community, it has
passed away:
That is a nation that has vacated; it has
what it earned, and ye have what ye earn;
and ye shall not be questioned as to what
they did.
(134)
That... That is, the community of Ibrạhịm
and his sons
...is a nation that has vacated... It has
passed away.
...it has what it earned... Its actions accrue
to itself, not to anyone else.
...and ye have what ye earn... People's
action accrue to themselves, not to others.
...and ye shall not be questioned as to what
they did. The address, in the plural, is to the
contemporaries of the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
They were reminded that they were
answerable only for themselves, and should
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therefore rectify themselves. Muslims, that they say that which is
mandatory upon them to believe, which is
And they say, be a Jew or a Christian, ye the essence of the previous and subsequent
shall be guided. Say, ‘Nay, the community religions, and which pinpoints the falseness
of Ibrạhịm, upward, and he was not among of Judaism, Christianity and suchlike:
the partnerists.'
...‘We believe in Allah and that sent down
to us, and that sent down to Ibrạhịm,
(135) Ismạ'ịl, Ishạq, Ya'qụb and the
grandsons,... Many of Ya'qụb's
And they say, be a Jew or a Christian, ye
descendents were Prophets upon whom
shall be guided.... That is, the Jews would
scripture was sent down.
say, ‘Be a Jew,' and the Christians would
say, ‘Be a Christian.'
...and that brought to Mụsạ and ‘Ịsạ, and
that brought to the Prophets...-Without
...Say, ‘Nay, the community of Ibrạhịm,...
exception.
The Messenger, Allah condescend upon
him and upon his House, was to tell them to
...from their Master – we distinguish not
follow the community and religion of
between any of them –... We acknowledge
Ibrạhịm, which was free of the faults of
them all.
Judaism and Christianity, and which was
pristine Islam—notwithstanding the
...and we are Muslims to Him. We are the
differences between Islam and the religion
Muslims of Allah, glorified be He.
of Ibrạhịm in some of the finer details.
The religion of all the Messengers can be
...upward,... They were to follow it in a
summarised in the three areas of ‘roots’
direct and upright (ĥanịf) manner.
(usụl), branches (furụ') and human
qualities, or dispositional ethics (akhlạq).
...and he was not among the partnerists....
The roots are the principles of belief:
Ibrạhịm was no polytheist, as are the Jews
monotheism, divine justice, Prophethood,
and Christians. From this it becomes clear
Imamat or ‘Leadership’, and the Universal
that the meaning of following the
Return. Every Messenger confirmed his
community of Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him,
predecessor and gave the glad tidings of his
was to follow it in monotheism.
successor, and so too with Imamat, in the
meaning of ‘Executorship’ (al-wasạyah)
Say: ‘We believe in Allah and that sent
for every Prophet had ‘Executors’ (awsịyạ).
down to us, and that sent down to Ibrạhịm,
Ismạ'ịl, Ishạq, Ya'qụb and the grandsons,
The branches are the ordinances upon us:
and that brought to Mụsạ and ‘Ịsạ, and that
the prayer, the fast, the zakạt and similar
brought to the Prophets from their Master –
acts of worship; and the laws of transaction,
we distinguish not between any of them –
in the most general sense. All the religions
and we are Muslims to Him.
had these things in common, with some
minor differences appropriate to the
(136) demands of the period and the condition
and circumstances of each community.
Say:... The address, in the plural, is to the Fasting, for example, was to take place on a

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Saturday in some religions, but not in
Islam; and so forth.
Ethics, or human qualities and dispositions:
honesty, trustworthiness, reliability,
loyalty, shame, and suchlike. These are all
the innate constitution of the pristine self;
and all the Messengers sought to elevate
them and eradicate their opposing qualities
or vices.
So if they believe like unto that which ye
believe, then they are certainly guided; and
if they turn back, then it is them who are in
schism. And Allah will suffice thee against
them; He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
(137)
So if they believe like unto that which ye
believe, then they are certainly guided;... If
those who were not Muslims were to
believe in that which the Muslims believe
in, then they would most certainly be
guided to the truth.
.... So if they believe like unto that which
ye believe, then they are certainly guided;..
But if they turn away from such a faith, and
stick to their deviated path, then they are in
schism. ‘Schism' is put for shiqạq, meaning
that they are in disagreement, as though
each is standing in a different crevice.
...and Allah will suffice thee... O
Messenger of Islam.
...against them;...-He will make you
victorious against them.
...He is the Hearing... of their words.
...the Knowing. of their deeds and
intentions.
The tincture of Allah! And who is superior
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to Allah for tincture? And we are His
worshippers.
(138)
The tincture of Allah!... That is: we follow
the tincture, the colour, of Allah, glorified
be He. The ‘tincture' (sibghah) of Allah is
Islam. Each path followed by a person has a
tincture, or colour, though this colour is not
material, but spiritual.
...And who is superior to Allah for
tincture?... The question has the sense of
negation, meaning that noone is better than
Allah for tincture.
...And we are His worshippers. We
worship none other, such as the idols that
the opponents worshipped along with
Allah, glorified be He, or instead of Him.
It has been suggested that the reason for
using the word sibghah is that the
Christians used a yellowcoloured water for
their baptism that tinctured their children
when they were immersed in it. The ạyah is
metaphorical, as in His word where ‘Ịsạ,
bliss be upon him, says, ‘...Thou know what
is in my spirit, but I know not what is in Thy
spirit.' (al-Mạ.ida, ‘The Spread’ [5]: 117)
Say, ‘Do ye dispute with us about Allah –
He is our Master and your Master; while
ours are our deeds and yours are your
deeds; and we are pure-hearted for Him.
(139)
Say,... The Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House, was
to say to the Jews and the Christians and
April 3, 2011
the others:
...‘Do ye dispute with us about Allah...
That is: do you dispute and argue with us
about the religion of Allah, saying that He
has not abrogated your religions? And not
chosen a Messenger from the ‘Arabs? and
so on?
...He is our Master and your Master... He
is not the Master of any limited group
alone, so as to be with then forever.
...Ours are our deeds and yours are your
deeds... It is not the case that the deeds of a
particular group are regarded by Allah,
while the deeds of others are disregarded,
as was imagined by those who called
themselves the chosen people, or the sons
of Allah, or His beloveds.
...and we are pure-hearted for Him.'‘Pure-
hearted’ is given for mukhlisịn. The
Messenger and his community are to Him
sincere and pure-hearted; unlike others, and
partner none unto Him.
Or say ye that Ibrạhịm and Ismạ'ịl and
Ishạq and Ya'qụb and the grandsons were
Jews, or Christians? Say: ‘Are ye more
knowing or is Allah? And who is more
wrongful than whoso conceals alongside
himself a testimony from Allah? And Allah
is not heedless of what ye do.
(140)
Or say ye that Ibrạhịm and Ismạ'ịl and
Ishạq and Ya'qụb and the grandsons were
Jews, or Christians?... That is: And say: Or
do you dispute with us about the matter of
the Prophets, and say that Ibrạhịm, Ismạ'ịl,
Ishạq, Ya'qụb and the grandsons—that is,
those of the descendents of Ya'qụb who
were Prophets— were Jews, or Christians?
Their mistake was evident since the birth of
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Judaism and Christianity took place after
Ibrạhịm; how, then, was Ibrạhịm one of
them? Elsewhere Allah says, ‘And the
Torah and the Gospel were not sent down
but after him... (Ạl ‘Imrạn, ‘The House of
‘Imrạn’ [3]: 66).
...Say: ‘Are ye more knowing or is
Allah?... The Messenger was to say to
those who claimed that those Prophets were
Jews or Christians, and in effect he was to
ask them: do you know more about it or
does Allah know more about it? Allah says
they were not Jews and not Christians,
while you say they were?!
...And who is more wrongful than whoso
conceals alongside himself a testimony
from Allah?...-That is, noone is more
wrongful than a person who conceals a
testimony he has with him from Allah. The
Jews concealed the guidance and
clarifications that had been sent down to
them about the previous Prophets and about
the Messenger of Islam.
...Allah is not heedless of what ye do.'
Allah is aware of all actions, like their
concealing the testimony, and He shall
requite them.
That is a nation that has vacated; it has
what it earned, and ye have what ye earn;
and ye shall not be questioned as to what
they did.
(141)
‘That' means that group of Prophets, whose
deeds and religiosity is nothing to anyone
else, as it all pertains to a community that
has passed on. That community has what it
earned with its deeds and actions, while the
Messenger's contemporaries had the good
and evil they earned. Underlying all this is
the question: so why all these arguments
60 | P a g e April 3, 2011
and disputes about them?
The fools among the people will say, ‘What
has turned them from their Qiblah they
were on?'
Say, ‘Allah's is the east and the west; He
guides whom He wills to a straight road.'
(142)
The fools among the people will say,
‘What has turned them from their Qiblah
they were on?'... It means that the fools
among the people would be asking why the
Muslims had changed their Qiblah, which
is the direction they face in prayer, away
from Jerusalem. For the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his House,
and the Muslims used to pray in the
direction of Jerusalem, the Qiblah of the
Jews; then, in Madịna, the Qiblah was
changed to the Ka'bah. The reason, as is
apparent from this, was that the Jews found
fault with the Messenger for his praying in
the direction of their Qiblah, and so Allah
changed it to the Ka'bah. Then they tried to
use the change of Qiblah as a means of
embarrassment.
Say:... The Messenger was to say to them:
...’Allah's is the east and the west;...
Therefore it is for Him to direct the faces of
His servants in whichever direction He
likes. The Qiblah is not something
monopolised by any place, that it cannot be
changed for another. He was also to remind
them that:
...He guides whom He wills to a straight
road.’Just as the straight road was to be
facing Jerusalem as a Qiblah, so the
direction now to be facing was towards the
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Ka'bah.
Just so We put ye as an intermediate nation,
so that ye be witnesses over the people, and
that over ye the Messenger be a witness.
We did not put the Qiblah ye were on but
that We might know whoso follows the
Messenger from whoso turns on his heels,
even if it was truly hard save upon those
Allah guided. And Allah is not such as to
waste your faith, indeed Allah to the people
is kindly, merciful.
(143)
Just so We put ye as an intermediate
nation,... That is, in this way of things, just
as the east and the west belongs to Allah
without question, so too He established the
Muslims as a midmost nation. Of course,
the penetrative interpretation (ta.wịl) is that
the portent is addressed to the Imams, bliss
be upon them, and that they are the
intermediate nation. ‘Midmost' is given for
wasatan. The sense is general, and would
seem to imply that the Muslims are
midmost in all things – in belief, being
neither fanatical nor lax; in temporal
location, being between the east and the
west; in the Law (sharị'ah), which is
neither insufficient nor excessive; and so
on—were it not for His word:
...so that ye be witnesses over the people,
and that over ye the Messenger be a
witness... This implies that the meaning of
wasatan is an intermediary position
between the Messenger and the rest of the
people. The ‘nation' takes from the
Messenger, and the Messenger testifies as a
witness to their taking it from him, so that
they cannot say that they did not know. The
rest of the people then take it from the
‘nation', and the ‘nation' testify as witnesses
that they took it from them, so that they
cannot say they did not know. This is clear
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from the ‘causal lạm’ (lạm al–'illah)
translated as ‘so that' in ‘so that you be
witnesses....’
Perhaps the connection with this portent
and the law concerning the Qiblah is that it
indicates that the Muslims have a position
of leadership, in that they take from the
Messenger and deliver to the people; and so
it is fitting for them to have their own
Qiblah, so as not to be scorned by others.
The theme then returns to the law
concerning the Qiblah:
...We did not put the Qiblah ye were on...
The Qiblah they were on was Jerusalem.
The Messenger prayed in that direction
throughout the whole of the Makkan period
of his mission, and for a period after his
hijrah to Madịna.
...but that We might know whoso follows
the Messenger from whoso turns on his
heels,...The meaning of the phrase ‘but that
We might know' (illạ li na'lam) is ‘so that
Our knowledge become real in objective
existence'. This knowledge is of those who
obey and of those who oppose. Sometimes
it is said ‘so that we might know' when
what is meant is that the speaker might
know, whereas at others what is meant is
that the known thing becomes real in the
external or objective world. In some
commentaries it is stated that a group
turned on their backs when the Qiblah was
changed, and so it became clear that they
were not genuinely following the
Messenger, but rather what they followed
was merely their desires.
...even if it was truly hard save upon those
Allah guided.... This changing of the
Qiblah was a big thing, for it meant the
breaking of a deeplyembedded habit, but
for those whom Allah guided, and whose
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hearts He strengthened.
...And Allah is not such as to waste your
belief,... Those Muslims who were firm and
steady in following the Messenger are here
congratulated for their firmness, and
assured of the reward for their complete
faith.
It is likely that this comes in response to the
questions of some as to whether the prayers
they had performed towards the Qiblah of
Jersualem would be accepted or not.
However, what is most apparent from the
word ịmạn, belief, is the first meaning.
...indeed Allah to the people is kindly,
merciful.... Therefore, their obedience and
deeds will not be wasted.
Having clarified the ruling that the Qiblah
is changed, Allah the Most High explains
the story behind the change, since it is as a
cause of the ruling that has preceded; and
the reason or cause of any ruling is always
subsequent in speech to the ruling itself; so
that we might say, for example, that such
and such person ‘is good, for he had a good
upbringing':
Truly We have seen thee revolving thy face
in the sky; so most surely We turn thee
towards a Qiblah thou are content with. So
turn thy face towards a piece of the Sacred
Masjid – and wherever ye are, turn your
faces to its piece. Indeed those granted the
book truly know it is the truth from their
Master; and Allah is not heedless of what
they do.
(144)
Truly We have seen thee revolving thy
face in the sky;... The address, in the
singular, is to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House. ‘In
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the sky' means in the direction of the sky;
for the Messenger would turn his face
about the directions of the sky, in
expectation of revelation about the Qiblah,
as the Jews had been taunting him about his
‘following their Qiblah'. One night the
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House, left the city and turned
his face about the various horizons of the
sky. That morning he performed the early
morning prayers, and later that day the
noon prayers, which consists of four cycles.
With the completion of two of the cycles
(rak'atain), Jibra'il, bliss be upon him, came
with this ạyah,. Then he took the
Messenger's hand and turned him about to
face the Ka'bah, while those behind him
turned to face that way themselves, until
the men stood where the ladies had stood,
and the ladies where the men had stood.
...so most surely We turn thee towards a
Qiblah thou are content with.... The
Messenger loved the Ka'bah, for it was
built by his forefather, Ibrạhịm, bliss be
upon him, and round and about it was his
homeland.
...So turn thy face towards a piece of the
Sacred Masjid...-The part or piece of the
Sacred Masjid is the Ka'bah. The Sacred
Masjid encloses the Ka'bah, therefore
whoso faces the Sacred Masjid from a
distance faces the Ka'bah.
...– whatever your circumstances... Here
the address is to the Muslims:
...turn your faces towards it.... The
mention of faces throughout this ạyah is
because the face is the part of the body with
which the human being pays attention.
...Indeed those granted the book... The
Jews and the Christians who made
objections to the Muslims saying that if the
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Qiblah they had been on was right, then
why did they change it? And if it was not
right, then why had they been on it?
...truly know it is the truth from their
Master;... They knew that the change of
Qiblah, or the new Qiblah, was the truth
from Allah, for Allah, glorified be He, has
His servants serve Him how He likes. They
knew that it is perfectly feasible for Him to
have His servants serve Him in one way for
a while, and then, when circumstances
change, to have them serve Him in another.
...and Allah is not heedless of what they
do. He is not heedless of what the book-
folk were doing: their spreading lies and
rumours, their ideological propaganda
about the change of Qiblah and about the
other affairs concerning the Messenger,
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
House.
And truly if thou brought the book-folk
every portent, they would not follow thy
Qiblah! And nor are thou a follower of their
Qiblah—nor do some of them follow the
Qiblah of others. Truly if thou were to
follow their vanities after what has come to
thee, the knowledge, indeed thou would
then be among the wrongful.
(145)
And truly if thou brought the book-folk
every portent, they would not follow thy
Qiblah!.... The address is to the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House. The Jews and Christians had
become such that no matter what ạyah or
portent was brought to them, proving that
his Qiblah was the truth, still they would
not follow it. In other words, they are
obstinate, stubborn, die-hard opponents
upon whom proofs and portents are wasted,
63 | P a g e April 3, 2011
for the fanatical are never profited by proof.
...And nor are thou a follower of their
Qiblah... And the Messenger was no
follower of their Qiblah, once he knew that
their Qiblah was abrogated. This is like His
word, ‘I worship not what ye worship, and
ye are not worshippers of what I worship...
(al–Kạfirụn, ‘The Disbelievers’).
...indeed a division of them truly conceal
the truth, and they know.... A section of
those who failed to believe in the
Messenger had ‘hidden the truth,
knowingly.' Therefore they could not use
the excuse of ignorance, such that it might
be hoped that it would come to an end.
Rather their problem was one for which
there is no cure.

...nor do some of them follow the Qiblah The truth from thy Master, so be sure not to
of others.... The Jews and the Christians be among the vacillators.
each had different Qiblahs.

...Truly if thou were to follow their

(147)
vanities after what has come to thee, the
The truth from thy Master,... The address
knowledge, indeed thou would then be
is to the Messenger. The truth is from
among the wrongful.-Had the Messenger
‘alongside’ Allah, as explained above.
followed their vanities in the Qiblah and
other matters of Law, after the knowledge
...so be sure not to be among the
that had come to him about the invalidity of
vacillators.-Whoso is on the truth,
their paths, then indeed he would have been
whenever he is subjected to numerous
amongst the wrongful. Although this is
criticisms and objections, and is accused of
addressed to the Messenger, in meaning it
being on a false path, will of a time doubt
is general, and does not contradict his
about it. Therefore Allah, glorified be He,
condition of ‘protectedness (‘ism'ah) from
fortified the Messenger, may Allah
sin’, since for a conditional phrase to be
condescend upon him and his House, as the
meaningful does not require that both
Most High says, ‘And had We not fixed
aspects be feasible, but only one.
thee, thou were near to inclining to them
somewhat.' (al-Isrạ. ‘The Ascension’ [17]:
Those whom We granted the book
75)
recognise him like they recognise their own
sons; indeed a division of them truly hide
And for each is a direction, He is their
the truth, and they know.
turner, so race in the goodlinesses.
Wherever ye are Allah will bring ye out,
(146) all-together; indeed Allah over all things is-
powerful.
Those whom We granted the book
recognise him like they recognise their (148)
own sons;... The Jews and Christians knew
the Messenger like they know their own
And for each is a direction, He is their
sons. Or it might mean that they knew that
turner,... For each nation is a direction. He,
the changing of the Qiblah was by the
Allah, glorified be He, turns them towards
command of Allah; though the former
it, by commanding them to face it. The
meaning is closer to the style of the simile.
implication is that there is nothing strange

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about the Muslims having their own the command to face the direction of the
Qiblah. Sacred Masjid is repeated, in His word:

...so race in the goodlinesses..... It means So from wherever thou come out, turn thy
compete against each other in doing good: face to a piece of the Sacred Masjid; indeed
this is the path towards which Allah turns it is the truth from thy Master. Allah is not
and directs His Muslims, therefore they heedless of what ye do.
should not remain fixed upon the abrogated
path, for that would be deviation from good
towards evil. ‘He' is put for huwa. It is
(149)
possible that this pronoun refers in the
So from wherever thou come out... It
portent to the word ‘each' (kul).
means come out of the city on a journey.
Accordingly, the meaning would be that for
each nation or community is a path, upon
...turn thy face to a piece of the Sacred
which each person is the ‘turner’ or director
Masjid;... It means that the Ka'bah is the
of his own self; and it is for each party and
Qiblah when journeying just as it is when at
individual of them to compete, each against
home. Here is another reason for the
the other, in performing virtuous deeds.
repetition.
...Wherever ye are... in the earth,
...indeed is the truth from thy Master...
That is, this directing the faces towards the
...Allah will bring you all, out together...
Sacred Masjid is the truth from Allah.
On the day of resurrection, to be requited
for our actions.
...Allah is not heedless of what ye do.
Therefore, he who turns away from this
...indeed Allah over all things is powerful.
Qiblah will have an evil recompense, while
He is able to gather all of the people, and
he who follows it will have a recompense
shall not overlook a single one. The change
that is beautiful.
of Qiblah towards the Ka'bah took place for
several reasons. First, the enthusiasm of the
And from wherever thou come out, turn thy
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
face to a piece of the Sacred Masjid.
him and his House, that the Qiblah be
changed, which was largely due to the
And wherever ye be, turn your faces to that
mockery of the Jews. Second, it was
piece; so that the people have no argument
changed for ‘the truth' (al-haqq), meaning
against ye, save for those of them who are
that it was changed so that the Muslims
wrongful—so fear them not, and fear Me—
would have a distinction to mark them from
and that I complete My blessing upon ye,
the other communities, even in the
and that ye be guided.
direction of their prayer. Third, the change
was made to complete the argument against
those of the people who were questioning (150)
how it was that the Muslims called people
to a new religion, and yet followed the Upon departing on a journey, we are to face
Qiblah of the sons of Israel. the Qiblah of the Sacred Masjid, as we are
indeed when we are not travelling. This
In conformity with these different reasons, ạyah combines ‘From wherever thou come

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out...' (ạyah 150), and ...wherever you find
yourselves, turn your faces to its piece...
(151)
(ạyah 145). As the reader now knows, the
Just as... This furthering of Allah's blessing
repetition is for the purpose of conveying
upon the Muslims was in the same spirit as
the reason given in this ạyah:
His blessing them with a greater blessing:
...so that the people have no argument
...We dispatched among ye... O Muslims,
against ye,... It means that the change of
Qiblah was for the purpose of finalising the
...a Messenger from among yourselves...
argument against those of the people who
The Messenger was not from another
criticised the Muslims for expounding a
people, but from themselves. This was a
new religion, while their Qiblah was that of
blessing, in that His message was delivered
the book-folk.
by one of themselves.
...save for those of them who are
...reciting upon ye Our portents ... He
wrongful... Such people do not benefit
recited upon them Allah's portents, His
from logic; he who is stubbornly opposed
portents of the Quran.
takes no benefit from proof and reason.
...and purifying ye... He purified them of
...—so fear them not, and fear Me... Fear
the uncleanliness of the state of ignorance
owes its existence to an expectation of
they had been in, and of the ethical vices
benefit or of harm, which is all in the hand
and of physical uncleanliness; and this he
of Allah alone, glorified be He.
did by his guiding them to those portents.
...—and that I complete My blessing upon
...And teaching ye the book... It is clear
ye,... The change of Qiblah was made as a
that to recite is not to learn, and one who
furtherance of Allah's blessing upon the
teaches to recite is not a teacher. Moreover,
Muslims, marking them apart from the
teaching implies the meaning of knowledge
book-folk, putting an end to the mockery of
settling and becoming fixed.
the Jews, and returning them to the building
of their grandfather, Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon
...and the wisdom,... It means guiding them
him, and so enhancing their renown.
to the proper place of things, and knowing
the right place of things from their wrong
...and that ye be guided. That is, guided to
place. The meaning of wisdom has been
the truth with a perfect guidance; for
given; it is to place things in their rightful
honouring a person with any honour is a
places.
cause of making that person closer to being
perfectly guided.
...and teaching ye what ye knew not. This
is general, including useful accounts and
Just as We dispatched among ye a
histories, the conditions and circumstances
Messenger from among yourselves, reciting
of the Prophets, and the conditions of the
upon ye Our portents and purifying ye and
Return, all of it beneficial for their religion
teaching ye the book and the wisdom, and
and their worldly lives.
teaching ye what ye were not knowing.
So recall Me, I will recall ye; and thank

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Me, and disbelieve not. is with them in kindness, generosity,
mercy, recompense, reward and so forth.
(152) In this way the individual and the nation
are polished and guided to a matter of
O Muslims (for the address is in the plural),
great importance to them, and furnished
remember Allah, glorified be He, with
with the idea of the need for patience and
obedience and worship, and by
endurance. For now the wise Quran
implementing the laws. He will remember
progresses to another step for them, after
ye, with blessings and goodness and
constraint and prayer, informing them they
gardens. And thank Him, by manifesting
have no choice but to pay the price of
the blessings and praising Him in return for
leadership: bloodshed and the other
them. And do not disbelieve, whether the
afflictions that afflict anyone who seeks
disbelief is in matters of faith, or whether it
reform and guidance. Thus He says,
is disbelief in deeds, in the sense of failing
glorified be He:
to act in accordance to His laws.
And say not of whoso is killed in Allah’s
O ye who believe, seek help through
path they are dead; nay, they are alive, but
restraint and the prayer; indeed Allah is
ye notice not.
with the restrainers.

(153) (154)
The dead make no impression on the world,
O ye who believe, seek help... The believers
and have no furtherance. Yet those killed in
are to seek help in the things they want,
the path of Allah are not ‘dead', but ‘alive'.
whether under their control or whether, like
In the world they are genuinely alive with
health and wealth, they are beyond their
the impressions they make, and with their
control. And they are to seek this help
continuance. As for the hereafter, there they
through constraint (sabr), for many affairs
are stationed in blessings.
are resolved after some time, and when a
person is constrained, his affairs become
...though ye notice not. For most people
resolved and he is in a happy condition and
life is a matter of sensation and movement,
confident; but when unconstrained his
the simplest most superficial meaning of
power drains away and he feels restricted
being alive.
and depressed.
And truly We try ye with something of fear
And they are to seek this help through the
and hunger and loss of wealths and lives
prayer, for the prayer causes a person to
and fruits; and give glad tidings to the
concentrate upon Allah, glorified be He,
restrainers:
and to turn away from the world, which in
turn illuminates the heart with confidence
and tranquillity, and fosters the quality of (155)
giving no importance to the world's deceits
and vanities. And truly We try ye with something of
fear...Muslims are to be tested with
...Indeed Allah is with the restrainers. He something of fear. ‘Something' is given for

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shay.in, meaning ‘a thing'. This term is
used either to indicate that fear is of
shortduration in time, or that it generally
never reaches its extremity.
...and hunger... Thirst is not mentioned
since water is generally abundant.
...and loss of wealths... Such losses may
occur due to wealth being sacrificed in war,
or plundered during a period of civil unrest,
or due to economic sanctions, and suchlike.
...and lives... Lives lost by those killed in
the way of Allah, glorified be He.
...and fruits;... Fruits are lost in
disturbances and commotion, in the taxes
of authorities, or taken by the enemy, such
as the command of the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
at the siege of Khandaq, that the Muslims
harvest the crop so that the disbelievers not
benefit from them—as recorded in some of
the histories—or other such reasons.
...and give glad tidings to the restrainers.
Those who are constrainers in the face of
such trials, they are those deserving of the
good news from their Master.
Who, when an affliction afflicts them, say:
‘Indeed we are Allah's, and to Him we are
returners.'
(156)
Those deserving of the good news are those
who know, even in the time of their
misfortune, that they belong to Allah,
glorified be He, and they are to Him
returning, for with Him are their accounts
and their rewards. In this phrase is a
consolation for the afflicted, in that he who
acknowledges that all he has belongs to
Allah, thinks little of the loss of some of it,
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for the owner of a thing may take it.
Accordingly, a person's belief that Allah is
the rewarder makes his affairs easy, for
what He takes He will make up for.
Therefore, he who repeats this phrase
whenever in difficulties, while mindful of
what it means and attentive towards Allah,
glorified be He, and with constrainers
resignation and submission, finds the cool
breeze of confidence within his heart.
Those, upon them are condescensions from
their Master, and mercy; and those, they are
the guided.
(157)
...Those, upon them are condescensions
from their Master,...‘Condescensions' is
given for salawạt. The meaning is to bend,
to incline; inclinations from Allah are His
attention with blessings and good fortune
and beauty.
...And mercy... in the world and the
hereafter.
...and those, they are the guided. They are
guided to the reality of the affair, which
will profit them in the world and in the
hereafter. They sacrifice what they sacrifice
in the way of Allah, and do so contented
and contented with.
Having previously indicated jihạd, now
comes an indication about the Hajj, for they
are as twins in endurance and difficulty. He
says, glorified be He:
Indeed Safạ and Marwah are among the
tokens of Allah; so whoso does Hajj of the
House or does ‘Umrah – no stain is on him
for circulating by them; and whoso
volunteers good, indeed Allah is thankful,
knowing.
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 understanding, for all that is shown is that
(158) the true principle is the opposite side. They
do not show any characteristics, but that of
Indeed Safạ and Marwah are among the
permissibility and completion.
tokens of Allah;... Safạ and Marwah are
two hills near the Sacred Masjid. ‘Tokens'
...and whoso volunteers good,... That is,
is given for sha'ạ.ir, plural of sha'ịrah, a
whoso performs a good deed voluntarily, or
word derived from whatever clothing
spontaneously.
touches the hair (sh'ar) of the body;
therefore, whatever is intimately connected
...indeed Allah is thankful,... The meaning
to a thing and guides towards it, is one of
of Allah being grateful for deeds is His
its sha'ạ.ir, or tokens. The meaning is that
appreciating them and giving their reward.
the two hills are among the things closely
connected to Allah, glorified be He, in that
...knowing. He is aware of all deeds, and
He has established them as a place of
He misses nothing.
worship, for between them His servants
perform the sa'ị ritual.
Perhaps the connection between the
following portents and those that preceded
...so whoso does Hajj of the house or does
them, is that the Jews and the Christians
‘Umrah...‘does Hajj of the house' is given
did not act as the Messenger acted at Safạ
for Hajj al-bayt, which had the literal
and Marwah, since the Messenger put an
meaning of ‘intending on the House’, that
end to every false practice at the Hajj, and
is, ‘intending on worshipping at, or simply
instituted all the rightful practices there.
visiting, the House.’ In the same vein, ‘does
Now, Safạ and Marwah being right, the
'Umrah’ is given for i'tamara, literally
Messenger confirmed them, even though
meaning ‘to give life (to)' for whoso visits a
people imagined them to be false. Yet the
place gives life to it by visiting it. Hajj and
book-folk gathered whatever was brought
the ’umrah are among the actions of the
by the Messenger, Allah condescend upon
Hajj.
him and upon his House, under the heading
of falsehood – even though they knew it was
...no stain is on him for circulating by
the truth. For this reason the preceding
them... The meaning of ‘circulating by
discussion becomes an opening for further
them' is the performance of the sa'ị between
criticism of them. It is like someone saying
them. The term ‘no blame' is used because
that they acknowledge the truth, although
the Muslims were worried about
they do not acknowledge that of the truth
performing the ritual between them,
they know. And Allah knows best:
supposing it to be a ritual of the idolaters,
in that upon Safạ had been placed an idol
Indeed those who conceal what We have
called Asạf, while upon Marwah an idol
sent down, the clarifications and the
called Nạ-ilah had been placed. So this is
guidance, after We have clarified them for
an authorisation to do something they
the people in the book – those, Allah curses
imagined they were not allowed to do.
them and the cursers curse them;
Now, it is known that in such cases the
principle is that of permissibility, whereas
when one supposes that a thing is (159)
obligatory, the principle is that it is not.
However, this does not prove their first They hid the proofs that proved the truth of

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Islam that had been sent down in the
previous books. They also hid the guidance
(161)
that they had seen-that was not revelation
Those who disbelieve and do not repent
sent down and not clarifications.
before they die, and so die in a condition of
having rejected the correct beliefs, are
The meaning of Allah's cursing them is that
cursed by Allah, the angels and the people.
He distances them and removes them from
This is because they all curse the wrongful,
goodness both in the world and in the
and the disbeliever is wrongful; and
hereafter, by making things tight for them
therefore, even if the disbeliever is not
in the world, and by chastising them in the
particularly intended by those who curse
hereafter.
the wrongful, yet by being wrongful each
disbeliever is included in their curses.
The cursers who also curse them are those
of the people, the angels and the jinn whose
Eternal within it; the chastisement will not
curses are effective.
be lightened for them, and they will not be
regarded.
Save for those who repent and rectify and
explain – to them I turn, and I am the Oft-
Relenting, the Merciful. (162)
They are eternally within those curse, for
(160) the curses of the world continue into the
curses of the hereafter. The chastisement
The exceptions are those of them who
shall not be lightened for them, as Allah's
return to follow the truth and make it
chastisement of the disbelievers has no end.
apparent, and repair the faults in their
And they shall not be regarded, in the sense
beliefs and actions, and explain to the
that none shall cast a glance of mercy or
people the guidance and clarifications that
beneficence their way. Or it means that
Allah had sent down. To these exceptions
they shall have no opportunity to offer their
Allah Himself returns, in the sense that He
excuses; or it means that the chastisement
restores goodness and blessings upon them
will not be delayed for them.
after they had been removed from them on
account of their disbelief and concealment.
With this account of the condition of the
He is the Oft-Relenting or the Oft-
disbelievers, the theme now turns to
Returning (al–Tawwạb), for no matter how
explain tawĥịd or monotheism, and the
many times a person is disobedient and
proofs of the Divine oneness:
then repents, his repentance is accepted,
provided the repentance is sincere. And He
And your God is a single God; there is no
is the Merciful when treating His creatures.
god but He, the Compassionate, the
Merciful.
Indeed those who disbelieve and die while
they are disbelievers – upon them is the
curse of Allah and the angels and the (163)
people, all-together.
The address, in the plural, is to the people.
Allah is the single God, with no partners
whatsoever. There is no God but He, and

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His are the adjectives ‘the Compassionate,
the Merciful'. This establishes that He,
glorified be He, is not to be seen as He was
made to be seen in some revealed books, as
a God of revenge, anger and chastisement.
Indeed in the creation of the skies and the
earth and the alternation of the night and
the day, and in the ships that flow through
the sea with what benefits the people, and
in what Allah sends down from the sky –
water – thus enlivening with it the earth
after its death and scattering through it all
kind of animal, and in the distribution of
the winds and in the clouds subjugated
between the sky and the earth, are surely
portents for a reasoning tribe.
(164)
Indeed in the creation of the skies and the
earth... Certainly in the creation of the
skies in their wonderful order and system,
and of the earth with its orderly and
complete arrangement,
...and in the alternation of the night and
the day,... Following one upon the other,
each taking the other's place so as to give
order to life in the loveliest way,
...and in the ships that flow through the
sea with what benefits the people,... so that
people can travel and trade,
...and in what Allah sends down from the
sky – water – thus enlivening with it the
earth after its death... Rain water comes
from above and enlivens the earth by
making vegetation grow after the earth had
been deathly solid and barren,
...and scattering through it all kind of
animal,... All moving about the face of the
earth. And this too is on account of rainfall,
for without rain there would be no water for
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the animals and no food, and so they would
not survive a generation.
...and in the distribution of the winds,..
The winds are sent from place to place so
as to blow away diseases and decay, and to
blow the clouds hither and thither, for if the
wind was stationary none of these benefits
would exist.
...and in the clouds subjugated between
the sky and the earth...-That is, maintained
between the skies and the earth and
consisting of many tons of water yet
remaining between the sky and the earth
and moving from place to place.
...are truly portents for a reasoning tribe.
In all of this there are definitely portents
proving Allah and His oneness and the rest
of His qualities, for people who reason and
utilise their intellects in gaining
conclusions from preparatory facts and
deriving the caused from its causes, and
passing from knowledge of an effect to
knowledge of its cause.
And amongst the people are those who take
rivals instead of Allah! They are fond of
them like fondness for Allah; while those
who believe are severer in fondness for
Allah. If only the wrongful could see, as
when they see the chastisement, that the
power is all-together Allah’s, and that
Allah is severe in chastisement:
(165)
And amongst the people are those who
take rivals instead of Allah!... Some
people busy themselves, or take to
themselves, in the place of Allah, rivals –
false gods, whom they make equal to Allah
in that they worship them; in short, they
admit idols into their lives.
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...They are fond of them like being
fondness for Allah;... Those people are
fond of those idols ‘like being fond of
Allah' (ka hubbi ‘llah). That is, like their
love for Allah; or it means with a love
similar to that which Allah merits.
According to the first interpretation, those
meant are the partnerist idolaters who
believed in Allah.
...while those who believe are severer in
fondness for Allah....The believers'
fondness for Allah is stronger and exceeds
the idolaters' fondness for their false gods.
Because the believers realise that all
imaginable goodness is from Allah,
glorified be He, the fondness and love they
bear for Him becomes exceedingly ardent.
...If only the wrongful could see, as when
they see the chastisement, that power is
all-together Allah’s, and that Allah is
severe in chastisement. If only the
wrongful could see, as they will on the day
of resurrection, when they are nigh to the
chastisement, that all power belongs to
Allah, glorified be He, they would then see
the harm of what they do, and the evil
consequences of their idolatry. The phrase
‘if only the wrongful could see’ requires a
conclusion (jawạb law), which is that of
our elucidation. The reason for its deletion
(common in Arabic) is that it is
transformed into a command, as in the
command ‘If I should defeat you!' meaning:
‘Desist!’
And when will they see all that? On the
day:
When those followed shall renounce those
who followed and see the chastisement, and
all means are cut from them.
(166)
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That is, when leaders who are followed
shall renounce those who followed them.
They shall all see the chastisement, and that
every means between them has been cut.
This last means that in the hereafter
whatever exists in this world to connect
people to each other, such as wealth,
leadership, family-ties, associations and
suchlike, will all be cut from between them,
so there shall be no appeal for the leaders to
rescue their followers who followed them
in the world.
And those who followed shall say, ‘Were
there for us a repeat we would renounce
them, just as they renounce us.' Just so
Allah shows them their deeds: anguishes
are upon them, and they are not departers
from the fire!
(167)
And those who followed shall say, ‘Were
there for us a repeat we would renounce
them, just as they renounce us.... The
followers shall exclaim, ‘O that there were
a return for us to the realm of the world!
Then we would renounce our leaders just as
here at the resurrection they renounce us.'
...Just so Allah shows them their deeds:...
In that way Allah shows all of them—
leaders and followers—their deeds.
...anguishes are upon them... That is,
because their prayers and their deeds are all
gone to the wind, and so they bitterly regret
not having obeyed the commands of Allah,
glorified be He.
...and they are not departers from the fire!
The partnerist or idolater remains in the fire
forever, assuming the proofs were fully
presented to him and he stubbornly rejected
them.
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This marks the completion of the discourse
about beliefs, and the discussion now turns
to conditions of life, so crucial to the
human:
O ye the people, eat from the earth
permissible and wholesome, and follow not
the devil's trails; he is to ye a clear enemy.
(168)
O ye the people, eat from the earth
permissible and wholesome,... O mankind,
eat of the earth's plants, animals, waters and
minerals, for it is lawful and wholesome to
eat, except that which has been forbidden.
‘Wholesome', put for tayyiban, indicates
that whatever is lawful is wholesome, and
contains nothing to deviate a person from a
healthy body or from a healthy personality.
...and follow not the devil's trails... It is as
if the devil leaves a trail in the direction of
the sins, so that when a person sins, it is as
if he follows one of his trails, in that he
travels behind him.
...he is to ye a clear enemy. Clear and
manifest.
He only urges ye towards evil and
indecency, and that ye say of Allah what ye
know not.
(169)
The devil incites to evil actions and
indecencies, put for faĥshạ.a, meaning
actions that are evil in the extreme.
...and that ye say of Allah what ye know
not. He commands to that we have no
knowledge of, meaning false imputations
regarding Allah, glorified be He, in both
the beliefs and the laws. Moreover,-the
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term also includes things that do not exist,
as is clear in His word, glorified be He, ‘Or
do they proclaim to Him what He knows
not...’ (al-Ra’ad [13]; 33).
And when it is said to them ‘Follow what
Allah has sent down,' they say, ‘Nay, we
follow that we found our fathers upon.'
What, even though their fathers reasoned
not a thing, and were guided not?
(170)
When they were told to follow the laws and
other teachings of the revelation, they said
that they preferred to follow the paths on
which they found their fathers,
unquestioningly. For this they are rebuked
in the interrogative form of,
‘What, even though their fathers reasoned
not a thing,... Their fathers reasoned
neither about religion nor about the world.
...and were guided not?' They were not
guided to the truth. The implication is that
since their fathers had no knowledge, how
then could they follow them?
Here Allah the Most High explains that
those disbelievers have brought upon
themselves a condition in which, due to
their own obstinacy and fanaticism, their
organs of perception are blocked, so that
they profit neither from exhortations nor
from reminders:
And what those who disbelieve are like is
one who screeches to that which hears not,
but for calling and crying out – deaf, dumb,
blind, so they reason not.
(171)
The likeness of those who disbelieve after
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the portents have been made clear for them,
and the likeness of Allah's Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his House,
is as one who cries out to an animal which
hears not any distinguishable words, but
only hears shouts and screams. For even a
healthy animal will understand no more of
a man's speech than a few simple calls and
commands. So too the disbelievers: they
will never profit from the words of the
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House, for they are deaf, dumb
and blind—yes, they have all their senses,
but it is as if they are without them, for they
do not function properly, they do not
perform their roles.
O ye who believe, eat of the
wholesomeness that We have provisioned
ye; and thank Allah, if it is Him ye
worship.
(172)
O you who believe, eat of the
wholesomeness that We have provisioned
ye... The repetition comes to tie the topic to
two other issues: gratitude and the
prohibitions.
...and thank Allah, if it is Him ye worship.
That is, do not be like the idolaters who
thank their false gods, considering
themselves provisioned by them.
He has only banned ye carrion and blood
and the flesh of the pig and that offeredup
to other than Allah; but whoso is obliged,
not in resentment and not a violator, no sin
is upon him, indeed Allah is forgiving,
merciful.
(173)
He has only banned ye carrion...‘Carrion’
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is meat not slaughtered according to the
Law.
,,,and blood...-It means that which leaves
the animal's body at the time of slaughter,
as he says, glorified be He, ...except that it
be carrion, or blood that has flowed... (al-
An’ạm ‘The Livestock’ [6]:146).
...and the flesh of the pig... In fact the
entire pig is forbidden, its meat is given
particular mention as that as what is
normally meant.
...and that offered up to other than Allah...
That is, to other than than the name of
Allah. The term ‘offered up' is given for
uhilla, meaning a slaughtered animal over
which a name has been pronounced – the
idolaters would slaughter their animals
while calling on the name of their idols,
and so Allah, glorified be He, forbids from
eating an animal slaughtered in any but His
name.
...but whoso is obliged, not in resentment
and not a violator,... Whoso is obliged to
eat forbidden meat, not being driven by
desires and cravings, nor exceeding in
eating and drinking that which he is obliged
to eat, or drink,
...no sin upon him, indeed Allah is
forgiving,... In such conditions there is no
sin in consuming the forbidden. Allah's
forgiveness is that He conceals the sin
when it is committed under compulsion, for
that is the meaning of forgiveness (ghafr),
and Allah's concealing of sins is that He
does not punish for them. And He is:
...merciful. That is why it is permitted to
eat the forbidden under compulsion.
Indeed those who conceal what Allah has
sent down, the book, and sell it for a small
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price – those, they eat nothing into their
bellies but the fire; and Allah will not speak
to them on the day of resurrection, and He
will not purify them; and theirs is a painful
chastisement.
(174)
Indeed those who conceal what Allah has
sent down, the book,... The Jews and
Christians concealed the true beliefs that
existed in their book, and attributed to the
book laws that it did not contain, as the
Most High says in His word, ‘Say, bring
then the Torah and recite it, if you are
truthful.' (3:94). Perhaps the connection
between this ạyah and those that precede it
is that the book-folk forbade things that
their own book did not forbid.
...and sell it for a small price,... They sold
their book for worldly leadership and
wealth, a small price when compared to the
hereafter.
...those, they eat nothing into their
bellies... That is, they draw into their
bellies. It is likely that the phrase is used on
account of some of the idiosyncrasies of the
Arabic vernacular.
...but the fire;... That which they consume
in the world turns into a fire that shall burn
their bellies in hell.
...and Allah will not speak to them on the
day of resurrection,... There will be no
delay to their tasting the disgrace of the
repayment of all their deeds.
...and He will not purify them;... They
shall not be purified of sins. When the belly
is filled with the forbidden, it hardens the
heart; thereupon a person will never be
guided unless and until he purifies himself.
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...and theirs is a painful chastisement.
Painful indeed.
Those are they who purchase the straying
for guidance and-the chastisement for
forgiveness; how restrained they are for the
fire!
(175)
Those who conceal that which Allah has
sent down have purchased deviation for
their souls instead of guidance. The self is
the price of the two directions, deviation
and guidance; they have sold their souls
and purchased deviation in place of
guidance. And instead of purchasing
forgiveness with their souls they have
purchased the chastisement.
...how restrained they are for the fire! An
exclamation of amazement, meaning ‘how
are they so tolerant of the fire, in their
doing that which is requited by the fire?!'
That is because Allah sent down the book
in truth; and indeed those who differ about
the book are most surely in remote schism.
(176)
The chastisement is facing them on account
of Allah having sent down the Torah in
truth; and those who differ about the Torah,
manifesting some of it and concealing
some, are most surely in schism and
opposition far from the truth. It is they who
deserve the chastisement, for their opposing
the book, and concealing what needed to be
manifested.
It is among the possibilities that by ‘the
book' is meant the sacred Quran.
Accordingly, their chastisement was for
their concealing that the Quran is the truth,
April 3, 2011
and for their opposition to it on the grounds alongside Allah upon His Prophets.
of it being sorcery or magic or ordinary,
human speech. ...and the Prophets;... Belief in the first of
them, the middle part of them and the last
It is not righteousness that ye turn your of them.
faces towards the east or the west, rather
righteousness is whoso believes in Allah ...and gives wealth for His fondness... ‘His
and the last day and the angels and the fondness' is given for ‘alạ ĥubbihị,
books and the Prophets; and gives wealth meaning for the love of Allah, glorified be
for His fondness to the kinfolk and the He. But it could mean ‘despite the wealth
orphan and the destitute and the son of the being loved.'
path and the asker and on the slaves; and
establishes the prayer and pays the zakạt, ...to the kinfolk... meaning family and
and are constant to their covenants when relatives.
they covenant them, and the restrainers in
austerity, adversity and a time of ...and the orphan... It means the young
violence—those are they who are truthful, whose fathers have died.
and those, they are the guardful.
...and the idle... The poor is idle (miskịn)
(177) on account of having no means to do
anything. Here the meaning is the person
who cannot provide a living for himself and
The address is to the Jews and Christians
his family.
who disputed about the change of Qiblah,
and wasted their time in that fruitless
...and the son of the path... It means the
discussion.
person who is stranded on a journey,
without the means to see himself to his
It is not righteousness that ye turn your
destination. Such a person is called ‘son of
faces towards the east or the west,... The
the road' (ibn sabịl) because his parentage
direction of the Qiblah is a secondary
is unknown to those around him.
command dependant upon the
responsibility towards Allah, glorified be
...and the asker... It means the poor who
He; and Allah has directed us to turn our
ask people for help.
faces to the Ka'bah.
...and on the slaves;... It means using
...rather righteousness is whoso believes in
wealth to free the slaves, by purchasing
Allah and the last day... That is,
them and setting them free.
righteousness (al-birr) is the act of one who
believes. Or, he who has righteousness is
...and establishes the prayer... It means
he who believes in Allah and the last day.
performing the prayer according to its full
Belief in Allah and in the hereafter is the
measure.
basic principle from which the rules of the
prayer and suchlike derive.
...and pays the zakạt,... Here both the
obligatory and the desirable zakạt is meant.
...and the angels and the books... That is,
belief that they were sent down from
...and are constant to their covenants

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when they covenant them,... It makes no is a remission from your Master and a
difference whether their covenants or pacts mercy. So whoso violates after this – his is
are with Allah, glorified be He, like a vow a painful chastisement.
(nazr) and allegiance, or with the people,
like trading and other contracts.
(178)
...and are restrained in austerity,... They
O ye who believe, written upon ye is
stick to the straight road during times of
retaliation in killing: the free for the free,
poverty.
the slave for the slave, the female for the
female... The meaning of ‘written upon ye'
...adversity... This means painful harm or
is ‘legislated for ye', for the code and the
disease or any harmful affliction.
laws are written. It is recorded that the
portent came down in reference to a
...and a time of violence... It means that
practice among the Arabs of seeking
they are constrained on the straight road in
excessive vengeance; that is, they would
time of war.
swear that they would kill a freeman for
their slave, a man for their woman, and two
...– those... Those who have such qualities,
men for their man – and the same principle
applied to wounds and injuries. Then Islam
...are they who are truthful,... They are
came, and cancelled these laws.
truthful in their intentions and their actions.
They do not argue forever about a single
...but whomso his brother pardons
matter, like the change of the direction of
something,... This means should the heir of
the Qiblah.
the victim not insist that the murderer be
killed, and take instead the compensation
...and those, they are the guardful. They
(al-dịyah), or take just some of the
fear Allah, glorified be He.
compensation and grant the rest,
This distinguished ạyah indicates the
...then the pursuing should be in honour
condition of many people who leave aside
and the payment be in beauty;... That is, it
the important, and strive competitively in
is obligatory upon both parties to be
unimportant matters, out of stubbornness
observant towards Allah in the taking and
and fanaticism.
the paying. Therefore, the pursuing of the
killer by the victim's heir is to be
Having given the nature of righteousness, honourable, meaning that he should not be
He, glorified be He, now follows that with severe in seeking the blood-money; while
some laws, which it is fitting that those the payment by the killer to the next of kin,
having such righteousness bind themselves who has let him off being killed, is to be in
to: kindness and should not be delayed and
made to cause hardship.
O ye who believe, written upon ye is
retaliation in killing: the free for the free,
...that... It means, firstly, the law of
the slave for the slave, the female for the retaliation by like for like, and, secondly,
female – but whomso his brother pardons
the choice between execution and blood-
something, then the pursuing should be in money.
honour and the payment be in beauty; that

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...is a remission from your Master and a
mercy... for the people. It is recorded that
the Torah legislated between retaliation and
pardon, while the Christians had the choice
between forgiveness and blood-money.
...So whoso violates after this—his is a
painful chastisement. It means that whoso
transgresses the law of retaliation after He
has determined it to be amongst the Laws,
then that person will be painfully punished
in the world and the hereafter.
And yours in retaliation is life, O owners of
the mind, that ye might be guardful.
(179)
In the law of retaliation for intentional
murder is life for the society, for whoso
thinks that if he kills he will be killed,
normally refrains. Moreover, the law of
retaliation forestalls the victim's heirs from
transgressing against the kin of the
murderer, so that they do not kill several of
them for one death, as they did in the
period of ignorance, when whole tribes
were wiped out due to a single murder. The
address is to those who possess intellect
(‘aql), that they fear the law of retaliation,
and be wary of committing murder.
Having mentioned the law of retaliation,
the sacred Quran indicates the related topic
of wills and testaments:, in His word:
Written upon ye when death approaches
one of ye, if he leaves good, is to make
testament for the parents and the kin in
honour—a right upon the guardful.
(180)
Written upon ye... The term ‘written upon
ye' denotes the obligatory and the desirable.
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The making of a testament is desirable,
unless to do so is made obligatory for
secondary reasons.
...when death approaches one of ye... It
means when one sees in oneself the
portents of death, like illness, senility, old
age and so forth.
...if he leaves good... by ‘good' (khayr) is
meant wealth, for if a person leaves no
wealth there is no call for him to make a
testament, although for him to do so is also
desirable, though less emphatically than for
him who leaves wealth.
...is to make testament for the parents and
kin...Each person has a right to dispose of
up to a third of his wealth through his last
will and testament, the remainder being
distributed amongst his kin according to the
Law. So here we are told to specify
something from that third for the family
and kin, even when they are the heirs, for
this gives rise to more and more affection.
...in honour... It means that the testament
should not be such that it leads to an
increase in rivalry and bitterness, like being
in favour of distant relatives in disregard to
close relatives, or like favouring some over
others and giving rise to enmity and hatred.
‘Honour' is given for al-ma'rụf, meaning
that which is known, recognised, (ma'rụf)
by those of discernment as being free of
injustice and of insult.
...—a right upon the guardful. It is a right
and a duty upon those who inherit
guardfulness.
So whoso substitutes it after hearing it, the
sin of it is on those who substituted it;
indeed Allah is hearing, knowing.
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(181)
That is, whoso changes, alters or
counterfeits the will after knowing the truth
of it – for hearing (sam') is sometimes used
in the sense of knowing (‘ilm) – the sin of
that alteration is upon those who changed
the will themselves, not upon those who
unknowingly consume the wealth as
inheritance, nor upon those who
unknowingly consume more than their
share. For it is normally the first generation
who cheat in inheritance, while later
generations benefit without knowledge of
the substitution.
...indeed Allah is hearing, knowing. That
is, Allah is Hearing of all our words,
promises and testaments, and Knowing of
our intentions and alterations, or our
implementing the last wills and testaments.
And it is possible that there is another point
in His word, ‘the sin of it is on those who
substituted it;' namely, that many people do
not make last testaments in fear that those
who follow them will bring upon them the
sin of substitution, thinking that by their
making a testament they would encourage
and facilitate anyone who wished to falsify
it. In fact, it is quite usual to hear people
say, ‘He who makes a testament hurls his
heirs into sin', and many of them refrain
from testaments on these grounds. So here
Allah, glorified be He, hints at the fallacy
of this idea, for to make a testament is a
good deed; it is the substitutor who puts
himself in sin.
The Master of the worlds, glorified be He,
now makes the exception to the prohibition
of altering testaments, in that such
alterations are forbidden when they
substitute truth for falsehood, or wrong for
right, but when they substitute falsehood
for truth, right for wrong, they are not
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prohibited, and there is no sin on whoso so
altered the testament:
And whoso fears deviation or sin from a
testator, and reconciles them – there is no
sin upon him, indeed Allah is forgiving,
merciful.
(182)
That is: whoso is afraid that the person
making the testament will deviate from
truth to falsehood, by making a will for
more than what he can make a will for, or
will sin by denying his heirs a testament
from himself, and reconciles the testator,
the beneficiaries and the executor, by
passing the excessive part over to the heirs,
and invalidating that part which was sinful,
then upon such a person who substitutes or
alters a will in this way, there is no sin.
Amongst the narrations is that ‘sin' in the
portent means an intentional mistake, while
‘deviation' (janaf) means an unintentional
mistake.
...indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful. That
is, He is forgiving and merciful to one who
sins, so how will He treat one who has not
sinned?
In the Law it is established that a testament
for more than a third of the deceased's
property is only effective with the consent
of the heirs.
The theme then turns to another of the rules
of Islam, for as has been clarified, after
explaining the principle of Divine oneness
(tawhịd), the Sacred Quran is concerned
with some of the laws. And so He says,
glorified be He:
O ye who believe, written upon ye is the
fast, just as it was written upon those before
April 3, 2011
ye, that ye might be guardful.
(183)
The fast is written upon the believers, and
prescribed for them, and it is obligatory that
they fast. They are not to think that they are
alone in this, for the fast was a part of the
previous religions too. The point is that
they be wary of the fire, for when a person
fasts and feels the hunger and the thirst and
his own weakness, he remembers Allah,
glorified be He, and his heart humbles and
the force of evil within him is weakened,
his spirit is made bright and his soul pure,
and all on account of guardfulness and the
rejection of sin.
Numbered days—so whoso among ye is ill
or upon a journey, then a number of
different days; and for those barely able is a
redemption, the feeding of a destitute. But
whoso volunteers good, so it shall be good
for him; and that ye fast is better for ye, if
ye knew.
(184)
Numbered days...The number of days to be
fasted is not some vast, uncountable
number, but only thirty, a consolation for
the faster.
...—so whoso among ye is ill or upon a
journey, then a number of different
days;... The fast is not obligatory on
everyone: those who are ill and will be
harmed by fasting, and those travelling –
while the definitions of such travel are
specified in the Law – are to fast on ‘a
different number of days.' That is, they are
to fast different days, other than those
during the month of Ramažan, in place of
the days they lost through illness or travel.
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...and for those barely able...It means those
for whom fasting will be distressful, in that
when a person is barely able to do a thing it
normally means that he can do it but with
great difficulty. Or it may refer to early
conditions when under the Law a person
for whom fasting was difficult had the
choice between fasting and feeding the
poor; and this was on account of the
development of the community.
...is a redemption,... This redemption
(fidyah) is instead of the fast.
...the feeding of a destitute.... The
redemption is the feeding of a single
pauper, with a quantity of basic foodstuff
reaching about seven hundred and fifty
grams.
...But whoso volunteers good, so it shall be
good for him;... It means giving more to a
pauper than is strictly required.
...and that ye fast is better for ye,... it
means that fasting is better than feeding a
pauper, even for those for who are barely
able to fast. For either a person will be
severely harmed by fasting – and as stated
such persons do not fast but fulfil the fast at
another time – or the fast will be extremely
burdensome for him, and he will only just
be able to perform it; such persons have the
choice between fasting and feeding a
pauper, although it is better for them to fast.
But if fasting is not burdensome for a
person, then it is fasting in particular that is
obligatory, as clarified in the subsequent
ạyah.
...if ye knew. The meaning of this is that the
believers with knowledge realise that
fasting is better as it has benefits that
feeding the poor does not have. The
meaning is not that without knowledge
fasting is not better, but simply that without
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knowledge it will not be realised that
fasting is better.
The ‘numbered days' in which fasting is
obligatory are those of:
The month of Ramažạn, in which the Quran
was sent down as guidance for the people
and as clarifications of the guidance and of
the Criterion. So whoso among ye is
present that month, he should fast it. And
whoso is ill or upon a journey, then a
number of different days. Allah wishes ease
for ye, and does not wish hardship for ye.
And that ye complete the number and
magnify Allah for His guiding ye; and that
ye might give thanks.
(185)
The month of Ramažạn, in which the
Quran was sent down... The Quran's being
sent down in Ramažạn adds to its greatness
and sanctity, in that it became the month in
which the greatest ever set of instructions
for the people was sent down.
...as guidance for the people and as
clarifications of the guidance and of the
Criterion.... And the Quran is a guidance
for the people, guiding them to the truth
and to the straight road. And the Quran is a
set of clear clarifications (bayyinạt) about
the truth, needing no proofs or
argumentations. And the Quran explains
the Criterion (al–furqạn) by which truth is
distinguished from falsehood, and deviation
from true growth and maturity.
...So whoso among ye is present that
month, he should fast it.... It means that
those who are not away from home
travelling during the month of Ramažạn are
obliged to fast. This appears to be a
universal ruling, and so the exceptions are
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given:
...And whoso is ill or upon a journey, then
a number of different days.... This phrase
is repeated as an introduction to the line,
...Allah wishes ease for ye, and does not
wish hardship for ye..... It is for this reason
that those who are journeying and those
who are ill are commanded not to fast, but
to fast a number of other days.
...And that ye complete the number... In
the fast there are certain blessings that will
not be attained but by completing the
number; so if it is not possible to complete
them during the month itself, then they are
to be completed outside of it.
...and magnify Allah for His guiding ye;...
Allah the Most High deserves praise for
guiding to His religion and His Law; for the
fast brings a person's consciousness closer
to Allah, glorified be He, and so it declares
Allah’s greatness. The penetrative
interpretation (ta'wịl) is that the meaning is
the magnifications or ‘takbịrs’ of the night
of ‘Ịd al–Fitr.
...and that ye might give thanks. The fast is
a blessing that merits gratitude on account
of the good it does for one's world and for
one's religion.
As it is habitual for the holy Quran to
interrupt its treatment of the laws with a
fragrance directing attention towards Allah,
glorified be He, so as to relate the law to
the Creator, and to radiate within the
consciousness joy and determination, here
comes the portent on the answering of
prayers, after a lengthy explanation of the
laws. This is then followed by portents
explaining a further law. In any case, the
answering of prayers is related to the month
of Ramažạn, for it is a month of prayers
April 3, 2011
and supplications.
And it is narrated that someone asked the
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House, how to supplicate. Then
was revealed the portent:
And when My servants ask thee of Me:
indeed I am near; I answer the call of the
caller when he calls Me; so they should
answer Me, and they should believe in Me,
that they might be of integrity.
(186)
And when My servants ask thee of Me:
indeed I am near;... This nearness is a
matter of knowledge, comprehension,
hearing and seeing; it has nothing to do
with location or time or direction, for Allah
is pure of all these things.
...I answer the call of the caller... By ‘the
caller' is meant he who calls on Allah,
glorified be He.
...when he calls Me,... When is put for iźạ,
which perhaps indicates that the call or
prayer is answered without delay.
...so they should answer Me,... It means let
them answer the Master's orders and
prohibitions, since it is only right that He
who answers man's prayers, should be
answered by man.
...and they should believe in Me,... Belief,
that is, in His essence and attributes.
...that they might be of integrity.In other
words, that they be directed towards the
truth and be guided to it.
Made permitted for ye, on the night of the
fast, is ‘it' unto your wives; they are clothes
for ye, and ye are clothes for them. Allah
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knew that ye were betraying yourselves, so
He relented to ye and pardoned ye; so now,
touch them and reach for what Allah has
written for ye.
And eat and drink until the white thread
becomes clear for ye from the black thread
– dawn; thereupon complete the fast until
the night.
And touch them not while ye are on vigil in
the masjids – these are the boundaries of
Allah, so approach them not. Just so does
Allah clarify His portents for the people;
that they might be guardful.
(187)
Made permitted for ye, on the night of the
fast, is ‘it' unto your wives;...Those who
are fasting are permitted upon the night of
the fast – that is, the night of the morrow
when the fast is to begin – to make love
with their wives. ‘It' is given for al-rafath, a
word used for anything not spoken about. It
is narrated from Imam al-Sạdiq, bliss be
upon him, concerning the circumstances of
this ạyah, that during the nights of the
month of Ramažạn it was forbidden to eat
during the night after sleep, while
‘relations' were forbidden night and day
during the month of Ramažạn. A man from
amongst the companions of the Messenger,
Allah's bliss be upon him and his house,
who was called Mut'im ibn Jubayr, brother
of ‘Abd Allah ibn Jubayr who was the man
who had been appointed by the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, to guard the mouth of the valley at
Uhad with fifty archers, but who had been
deserted by his men and remained amongst
twelve, all of whom had been killed at the
mouth of the valley. His brother, the said
Mut'im ibn Jubayr, was old and weak;
fasting one day his household brought him
his food, but he slept before he ate it. When
82 | P a g e April 3, 2011
he awoke he said to his household that he
was forbidden from eating that night. So in
the morning while he was present fortifying
the defensive ditch (khandaq) around the
city, he fainted. The Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House, saw
this and had pity on him. At the same time,
a group of the young men would secretly
have relations at night during the month of
Ramažạn. Therefore Allah sent down this
portent, permitting relations during the
nights of the month of Ramažạn, and eating
after sleep until the break of dawn.
...they are clothes for ye, and ye are
clothes for them.... Just as clothes protect
the body and just as clothes are shaped for
the body and are intimate with its
nakedness, so too is each spouse with
respect to the other.
...Allah knew that ye were betraying
yourselves,,... They were betraying
themselves by committing sins, for he who
commits sins betrays himself, as he bring
himself loss, and this is what every traitor
does: brings loss to the one he betrays.
...so He relented to ye and pardoned ye;...
Allah the Most High turned to them after
their committing the forbidden act of
relations with their wives at night, and
forgave them in that respect.
...so now, touch them.... This command
affords no more than permissibility, as it
takes the place of a prohibition.
...and reach for what Allah has written for
ye... That is, desire and seek the children
and the permitted pleasures that are
rewarded; this is in respect of the
abrogation of the rule forbidding relations
during the night.
...And eat and drink... It means that eating
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and drinking are permitted from the
moment of true sunset,
...until the white thread becomes clear for
you from the black thread, dawn;... It
means when the true dawn, which in the
darkness is like a white thread close to a
black thread, becomes clear.
...thereupon complete the fast... By
refraining from all that breaks the fast and
is listed in the books of the Law, from the
moment of true dawn,
...until the night. That is, until sunset as
defined in the Law. This is with respect to
the abrogation of the rule forbidding food
and drink for those who slept before
opening the fast.
...And do not be near them... It means do
not have relations with your women,
.... And touch them not while ye are on
vigil in the masjids... That is, not at any
time, day or night. ‘On vigil' is put for ‘ạkif,
meaning one who engages in i'tikạf, which
is to remain in a masjid with the intention
of worship, a condition of which is that the
‘ạkif be fasting. I'tikạf must take place for
at least three days and must accord to the
details given in the works of fiqh; amongst
the rules of i'tikạf is the prohibition of
‘relations' night and day.
...— these are the boundaries of Allah,...
The rulings given concerning the fast and
other matters, are the boundaries and
boundaries of Allah, glorified be He, given
for the servants to perform them, of the
type of deed from which it is not
permissible to refrain; so it is not
permissible to violate them, like the
boundaries of a city or of a house and
suchlike.
83 | P a g e April 3, 2011
...so approach them not... This reinforces
the prohibition, like in His word, ‘And
approach not the property of the orphan,
save with what is beautiful.'
...Just so does Allah clarify His portents
for the people; that they might be
guardful.-With the same clarity by which
the rules of fasting are clarified, so too are
Allah's portents—His proofs and laws—
clarified, in order that the people be wary of
disobeying Him.
Now the theme turns to another matter of
legislation, since it too concerns ‘eating',
the topic at the core of the issue of the fast:
And eat not your wealth among yourselves
in the false, nor proffer it to the judges that
ye consume a division of the people’s
wealth through sin, and ye know.
(188)
...And eat not your wealth among
yourselves in the false,...(given for al-bạţil)
means false, dishonest ways like usurpation
and suchlike. ‘Among yourselves' is given
for baynakum, which is used for the reason
that those who derive their livelihoods from
usurpation and suchlike conspire together
in secret until they purchase their food.
...Nor proffer it to the judges... ‘Nor
proffer’ is given for (lạ) tadlụ; it means that
wealth should not be presented to judges as
a bribe or a ‘gift' so that they take
someone's side in order that,
...ye consume a division of the people’s
wealth through sin,,... That is to say,
wrongfully.
...and ye know. It means: while you know
that your eating and your bribes are
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dishonest and sinful.
The rules that have been dealt with all
require considerations of timing, and
therefore it is appropriate that the
legislation of the new moons should come
here – bearing in mind, too, that which was
previously mentioned concerning the
purpose of explaining certain laws after the
explanation of the principles of
monotheism:
They ask thee of the new moons. Say, they
are times for the people and the Hajj.
It is not righteousness that ye come to the
houses from their backs; rather
righteousness is whoso is guardful and
comes to the houses from their doors.
And be guardful of Allah; that ye might
thrive.
(189)
They ask thee of the new moons.... The
address is to the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
He was questioned as to the reason behind
the moon's varying each month from a new
moon to a full moon to a waning moon and
then to its apparent absence form the sky;
or he was asked of what benefit this is, and
why the moon is not like the sun in its
regular order.
...Say, they are times for the people and
the Hajj. He was to reply to them that the
moon is such as a means of timing for the
people in their worship and their
transactions and for the Hajj. That is
because whoso borrows or lends for a
month, or buys or sells on a couple of
months' credit, or intends to fast or end the
fast or perform the Hajj all at the proper
time, has no choice but to use some
April 3, 2011
timestandard to depend upon and reckon
from; and for this Allah the Most High
provides the new moons. This reply fits
best with the second given meaning of
‘They ask thee..’. However, were we to
assume that their questioning concerned the
cause of the moon's variations, then the
holy Quran diverted their question – since
the level of their understanding prevented
them from perceiving the astronomical
answer – in the direction of the purpose of
the new moons, a matter they were more in
need of understanding. A similar thing
occurs in the portent ‘They ask thee what
they should dispense. Say: the goodness
that you dispense is for the parents...’
(below, 216) where instead of answering
queries about the substance of what is
spent, the Quran turns to the beneficiaries
of the spending, which was what they really
needed to know.
The mention of the Hajj leads the theme to
the topic of a practice of the era of
ignorance, that when they had bound
themselves to sacredness in ihrạm, they
would not thereafter enter houses by their
doors, but would enter them from the back.
Here this is forbidden, with the hint that the
question about the new moons was not
really important to them, like entering
houses from the back:
...It is not righteousness that ye come to
the houses from their backs;... The
ignorant practice of knocking a whole in
the back wall of the houses, and entering
through the hole, is not righteousness.
...rather righteousness is whoso is
guardful... It means being guardful of
Allah, glorified be He, by obeying His
commands and refraining from His
prohibitions.
...and comes to the houses through their
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doors.... That is, even when in ihrạm.
...And be guardful of Allah; that ye might
thrive. That is, be wary of Allah concerning
His commands and prohibitions, in order
that you thrive by attaining to felicity in the
world and in the hereafter.
Now comes another of Islam's many laws,
the law of warfare and combat. It is
clarified here along with matters regarding
the Hajj since it is related to the Hajj, on
account of how the idolaters had prevented
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, from the Hajj in
the year of Hudaibiyah, and it was for the
Muslims to prepare for warfare if the
circumstances demanded it.
And battle in Allah's path those who battle
ye, and violate not – indeed Allah loves not
the violators.
(190)
And battle in Allah's path... The address,
in the plural, is to the Muslims. They are to
make war in the path of Allah, not out of
love of domination and control, as is the
way with the kings of this world and their
officers, but in the path of raising the word
of Allah, in which is felicity for the people.
...those who battle with ye,... When an
enemy throws aside his weapon and
remains still, killing him would mean
disorder and confusion, and is not called
for.
...and violate not:... In fighting against
those who are fighting against you, there is
no place for aggression, for warfare in
Islam is defensive warfare. violation is
meaningless for those who are related to
Allah and are fighting for His sake; from
the like of such persons aggression is not
85 | P a g e April 3, 2011
permitted.
...– indeed Allah loves not the violators.
He, glorified be He, commands to justice
and goodness; so how can He love those
who are aggressive and oppressive?
And kill them wherever ye encounter them,
and exile them from where they exiled ye;
and tribulation is worse than killing.
And battle them not alongside the Sacred
Masjid until they battle ye in it; so if they
battle ye, kill them; just so is the
recompense of the disbelievers.
(191)
And kill them wherever ye encounter
them,... It means slay those who are
engaged in warfare against the Muslims,
regardless of where they are.
...and exile them from where they exiled
ye;... It means Makkah, from which the
Muslims were exiled by the disbelievers.
Thus the meaning is ‘fight those who fight
you and exile those who exile you, an exact
recompense.'
...and tribulation is worse than
killing....‘Tribulation' is given for fitnah:
the disbelievers were intriguing against the
Muslims and casting doubts in their hearts
so as to attract them to the path of disbelief
after Allah had guided them. That is worse
than killing, since killing leads to departure
from the world, while such intrigue leads to
departure from the religion. Therefore,
those whom the Muslims kill do not
deserve any outcry as to why the Muslims
have unsheathed their weapons, rather they
deserve to be killed on account of their
beginning the warfare by their intrigue. It is
narrated that the portent was sent down
regarding a Muslim who killed a
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disbeliever during the sacred month, which
the believers saw as a fault; and so the
Most High made it clear that the tribulation
which the disbelievers began is worse than
killing.
...And battle them not at the Sacred Masjid
until they battle ye in it; so if they battle
ye, kill them;... The Muslims were not to
fight the disbelievers within the sacred
environs of the Ka'bah, unless the
disbelievers began to fight the Muslims
there, in which case they were to return the
fight there.
...such is the recompense of the
disbelievers. It means that the obligation of
fighting with the disbelievers wherever
they were found, and the rest that has been
mentioned, is a recompense for the
disbelievers.
And if they cease, indeed Allah is
forgiving, merciful.
(192)
It means: if they renounce their disbelief
and submit in Islam, Allah forgives them
all the sins they had committed prior to
their becoming Muslims, even their killing
the Muslims, for Islam effaces all that
precedes it. And Allah the Most High is
merciful towards His servants, the
believers.
And battle them until there is no tribulation
and the religion is for Allah. So if they
cease, no enmity save against the wrongful.
(193)
The Muslims are to fight the disbelievers
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who are fighting them, not merely as a
measure of retribution, but until there is no
intrigue against them in the sense that no
efforts are being made to induce them from
their religion; and until the religion and the
path are for Allah, the Most High, in the
sense that no path exists other than for
Him, glorified be He, and the truth is
victorious over falsehood. These two
matters, then, are the aim behind the
obligation of defence.
And if they renounce disbelief, no
defensive measures should be taken against
them, unless they be wrong-doers who
remain in their disbelief. The meaning is
that were the aggressors to cease their
intriguing and their opposing the religion of
Allah and the Muslims through persecution
and warfare, then war should not be waged
against them; for war is to be waged only
against the wrongful. The word ‘hostility' is
given for ‘udwạn; it is a metaphor similar
to that in the subsequent ạyah: ‘So whoso
violates against ye, violate against him with
the like of his violating against ye.'
The sacred month for the sacred month; and
the sacred things – retaliation. So whoso
violates against ye, violate against him with
the like of his violating against ye.
And be guardful of Allah, and know that
Allah is with the guardful.
(194)
The sacred month for the sacred
month;The sacred months are Zu ‘l-Qa'dah,
Zu ‘l-Hijjah, al-Muharram and Rajab,
sacred on account of how it is not permitted
to make war in them. But a sacred month is
for a sacred month, in the sense that
whenever someone violates the sanctity of
a sacred month by killing, then it is for the
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Muslims to make war.
...and the sacred things – retaliation....
The sacred things demand retaliation, in the
same way that injuries demand retaliation.
So whenever someone violates a particular
sanctity, retaliation is to take place in that
very same sacred time or place whose
sanctity he violated. In other words, war is
waged against those who wage war, in the
sanctuary of Makkah and in any sacred
month.
...So whoso violates against ye, violate
against him with the like of his violating
against ye.... In dealing retribution to the
enemy, the measure is the enemy's own act
of aggression, which in retribution must not
be exceeded. The act of retribution is
termed ‘aggression' on account of how it is
of the same substance as the aggression of
the enemy.
...And be guardful of Allah,... It means be
guardful and wary of Him by not going
beyond the boundaries He sets, and by not
being excessively harsh or vengeful.
...and know that Allah is with the
guardful.-He takes them by the hand in the
world, and bestows upon them felicity in
the hereafter.
And dispense in the path of Allah, and be
not thrown by your own hands into
destruction;
And work beauty, indeed Allah loves the
beautifiers.
(195)
And dispense in the path of Allah,... The
sacred duty of jihạd requires the donation
of the troops' equipment, and this is
amongst the loftiest and greatest of ways of
April 3, 2011
spending.
...and be not thrown by your own hands
into destruction;... To refrain from such
spending for the sake of jihad is like
throwing oneself to destruction with one's
own hands, in that it leads to defeat and the
domination of the enemy.
...And work beauty... It means be
enthusiastic supporters of what is good and
beautiful in dispensing for Allah, fighting
for Him, and all other affairs, as,
...indeed Allah loves the beautifiers.‘The
beautifiers ' is given for al-muĥsinịn.
The theme then returns to the rules of the
Hajj, which had been hinted at earlier, for it
bears on the peace-treaty of Hudaybia, and
on the Messenger's Hajj:
And complete the Hajj and the ‘Umrah for
Allah; and if ye are prevented, then
whatever offering is easy; and shave not
your heads until the offering arrives at its
place. So whoso among ye is ill or has an
annoyance from the head, then a
redemption in fasting or charity or a piety.-
Then, when ye are secure: so whoso takes
enjoyment between the ‘Umrah and the
Hajj, whatever offering is easy. So whoso
finds not, three days of fasting in the Hajj,
and seven when ye have returned; that is
ten full days.
That is for him whose folk are not present
at the Sacred Masjid.
And be guardful of Allah, and know that
Allah is severe in punishment.
(196)
And complete the Hajj and the ‘Umrah for
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Allah;... It means perform them in full by
completing all the rites of both of them, and
this must be done for the sake of Allah.
glorified be He, and not for show or fame
and suchlike.
...and if you are prevented,... It means if
something stops you from performing the
Hajj after you have bound yourself in
ihrạm.
...then whatever offering is easy;... It
means that if you wish to free yourself from
the obligation of the ihrạm you must make
a sacrificial offering of a cow or camel or
sheep or goat.
...and shave not your heads... It means do
not leave your condition of ihrạm,
...until the offering arrives at its place.... It
means until the animal reaches the place
specified in the Law for its slaughter, either
Makkah or Mina, as detailed in fiqh.
...So whoso amongst ye is ill or has an
annoyance from the head,... It means
whoso is unable to put off the ending of the
state of ihrạm—because of illness or due to
the need to shave the head —before the
offering arrives at its place,
...then a redemption in fasting...—for three
days.
...or charity...—to six paupers.
...or a piety… That is, a sacrificial offering.
of a sheep, on account of having ended the
ihrạm early.
...Then, when ye are secure:... from the
enemy, and healed of the illness and free
from the obstacle –
...so whoso takes enjoyment between the
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‘Umrah and the Hajj,... It means whoso
makes use of perfume or women or the
other pleasures that are forbidden while in
ihrạm, on account of having performed the
‘Umrah, for the ‘Umrah is over quickly and
then the forbidden things become
permitted.
...whatever offering is easy.... It means the
cow, camel or sheep that is to be sacrificed
at Mina on the day of the ‘ad.
...So whoso finds not,... It means whoso
finds no animal to offer,
...three days of fasting in the Hajj,... It
means during the days of the Hajj, in Zu ‘l-
Hijjah.
...and seven when ye have returned;... It
means when you have returned home.
...that is ten full days. Ten days of fasting
instead of the offering.
...That is for him whose people are not
present at the Sacred Masjid.' It means
that the ruling that the ‘Umrah must take
place before the Hajj is for those who do
not live within twelve miles of the Sacred
Masjid in any direction. For those who live
within those boundaries, the obligation is
either the Hajj al-Qirạn or the Hajj al-Ifrạd,
in both of which the ‘Umrah takes place
after the Hajj, the difference between them
being that in al-Qirạn one leaves ihrạm
after the sacrificial offering, but not in Hajj
al-Ifrạd.
...And be guardful of Allah,... It means be
wary of disobeying His commands.
...and know that Allah is severe in
punishment.' Therefore we should not
disobey His commands and His
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prohibitions.
Here it should be said that the Hajj is
comprised of two obligations. One is the
‘Umrah, which is comprised of Ihrạm,
Tawwạf around the house, the Prayer of
Tawwạf, the Sa'i between Safạ and
Marwah, and Taqsịr, which is the cutting of
some hair or nail.
The other obligation is the Hajj, which is
comprised of Iĥrạm, the stay at ‘Arafạt, the
stay at the Mash'ar, the rush to Mina, the
stoning of the al-'Aqbah obelisk or pillar,
the sacrificial slaughter, Halq ( shaving the
head) or Taqsịr (the cutting of some hair or
nail), the Tawwạf al-Nisạ, the Prayer of the
Tawwạf al-Nisạ, the Sa'i between Safạ and
Marwah, Tawwạf al- Ziyạrah, the Prayer of
the Tawwạf al- Ziyạrah, spending the
nights of the eleventh and twelfth at Minạ,
and stoning the three obelisks or pillars on
the two days of the eleventh and twelfth.
The Hajj is the specified months; so whoso
prescribes the Hajj within them, then no ‘it'
and no licence and no quarrelling during
the Hajj.
And whatever good ye do, Allah knows it.
And take on supplies – and the best of
supplies is guardfulness. So be guardful of
Me, O owners of the mind.
(197)
The Hajj is the specified months;... It
means that the Hajj is to be performed in
the months that were long-famous for it:
Shawwạl, Zu ‘l-Qa'dah and Zu ‘l-Hijjah,
and not delayed like the people delayed it
during the era of ignorance, causing the
portent to be sent down about them, ‘The
forgetting is but an addition in disbelief.. '
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(al-Tawba ‘Repentance’ [9]; 38). forbidden.

...so whoso prescribes... It means makes ...so be guardful of Me,... It means be

obligatory upon himself,
...the Hajj within them, then no ‘it'...—
meaning sex,
...and no licence.. meaning boasting and
abuse,
...and no quarrelling...— it means saying
‘Lạ wa'llạh' (‘No, by Allah') and ‘Balạ
wa'llạh' (‘Yes, by Allah'),
afraid of Allah in all your deeds; do not be
negligent towards Him, and do not omit an
obligation,
...O owners of the mind. That is, those who
are possessed of intellect.
It was held to be a sin to engage in trade
during the Hajj, and so this portent was sent
down:

...during the Hajj... It means while in

iĥrạm. There is no stain against ye that ye reach
for profusion from your Master;
...And whatever goodness you do, Allah
knows it.... Perhaps the mention of this So when ye gush from ‘Arafạt, recall Allah
reality comes here on account of the high at the Mash'ar al-Harạm, and recall Him
level of mutual need required of each other just as He has guided ye, though
by those performing the Hajj, and so they beforehand ye were truly of the astray.
are reminded that whatever good they do to
each other is in the knowledge of Allah,
and He will reward them for it.
(198)
There is no stain against ye that ye reach
...And take on supplies;... It means take
for profusion from your Master;... It
spiritual provision from the Hajj.
means that trading is not forbidden.
...and the best of supplies is
...So when ye gush from ‘Arafạt, recall
guardfulness;... The word ‘guardfulness' is
Allah at the Mash'ar al-Harạm,... The
given for taqwạ, meaning the condition of
Mash'ar al-Harạm is the second place in
being mindful of Allah and wary of
which one must stay as part of the Hajji,
displeasing Him, glorified be He. This
between dawn and sunrise on the morning
condition is readily derived from the Hajj
of the ‘Ịd.
with its many hardships and forms of self-
denial and endurance. It is also possible
...and recall Him just as He has guided
that the portent concerns those who bring
ye,... It means remember Him, glorified be
no provisions for the Hajj, on the grounds
He, in the face of His guiding you to His
that they are the guests of Allah, and so
religion and to all that raises you in the
they must beg during their journey; they are
world and in the hereafter.
commanded to bring provisions to last them
for their journey, that is nearer to piety and
...though beforehand ye were truly of the
guardfulness (taqwạ) than begging, which
astray. It means that before the guidance
is blameworthy, humiliating and sometimes

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the people were astray from His religion. is the true granter of all blessings and all
things are in His hands, and all goodness
Thereupon surge from where the people comes from Him.
surged, and seek the forgiveness of Allah,
indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful. At this point it was appropriate to explain
how the people are in two groups, those
who seek the hereafter and those who seek
(199) merely the world. Thus He says:
It means rush from the Mash'ar to Minạ,
...And among the people is whoso says,
just as those before you rushed, meaning
‘Our Master, give us in the world!’... Such
Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him, and his
people seek to be granted the blessings and
descendents. This is what is apparent from
ease and happiness of the world and do not
the portent. However, it is narrated that the
ask for the good of the hereafter, as they do
Quraish would not stay at ‘Arafạt and
not believe in it. Before Islam the Hajj was
would not rush from it, saying that they
performed by those who believed in the
were the people of the House of Allah, and
hereafter and also by those who denied it.
so would not depart from it; instead they
would stay at Mash'ar and would rush from
...And his in the hereafter is no part. They
there. Therefore Allah commanded them to
deny the hereafter and they have no share
stay at ‘Arafạt and to hurry off from there
in it.
like the rest of the people.
And among them is whoso says, ‘Our
So when ye have consummated your
Master, grant us beautifully in the world
pieties, recall Allah like your remembrance
and beautifully in the hereafter, and guard
of your fathers, or a firmer remembrance.
us from the chastisement of the fire.'
And among the people is whoso says, ‘Our
Master, give us in the world!' And his in the (201)
hereafter is no part.
And among the people is he who asks Allah
for the goodness of the world and of the
(200) hereafter, and seeks refuge with Allah from
the fire.
So when ye have consummated your
pieties, recall Allah like your
Those, they have a portion of what they
remembrance of your fathers, or a firmer
earned, and Allah is swift in the reckoning.
remembrance....During the era of
ignorance the people on completing the
Hajj would gather there and count the (202)
virtues of their fathers and forefathers, and
would remember their ancient times and Those, they have a portion of what they
physical prowess. Therefore Allah earned,... Those, who ask for the good of
commanded them to remember and laud the world and the good of the hereafter,
Him instead of their commemorating their have the share in the hereafter they have
fathers; rather He should be remembered earned, for they deserve the reward of their
better and stronger than their fathers, for He deeds. However, the first group deserve

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nothing on account of their disbelief.
...and Allah is swift in the reckoning. So it
should not be imagined that the hereafter is
distant, for only a few nights and days pass
and then a person is buried in the ground,
even though he may live long in the world.
And recall Allah in numbered days; so
whoso hastens in two days, there is no sin
on him, and whoso delays, there is no sin
on him, for him who is guardful. And be
guardful of Allah, and know that unto Him
ye will be mustered.
(203)
And recall Allah in numbered days;... The
numbered days are the days spent at Minạ
during the Hajj.
...so whoso hastens in two days, there is no
sin on him,... It is permissible to leave
Minạ for Makkah after the noon of the
twelfth.
...and whoso delays, there is no sin on
him,... It is equally permissible to depart
from Minạ for Makkah on the thirteenth.
...for him who is guardful... It means for
him who is wary of hunting while in Iĥrạm;
but if he did hunt, then he has to stay until
the thirteenth, and must not leave for
Makkah on the twelfth.
...And be guardful of Allah,... Obey His
commands and prohibitions.
...and know that unto Him ye will be
mustered. The gathering will take place on
the day of resurrection, when everyone will
be raised again and face their just deserts.
At this juncture the theme directs itself to
man the wicked and man the good, and
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explains some human peculiarities, so as to
provide a lesson for those who seek well-
being and rectitude. Thus He says, glorified
be He:
And among the people is he whose word
astonishes thee in the worldly life, and he
calls upon Allah as a witness of what is in
his heart, while he is the most contentious
of opponents.
(204)
The address, in the singular, is to the
Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House, though the meaning is
universal. There are people who speak with
such a slick and adroit eloquence that one is
moved by the strength of their honeyed
words and inclines towards their
expositions.
...in the worldly life... It means that the
astonishing speech is about the worldly life
and its status and affairs; or it means that
the astonishment is merely a worldly thing.
The first of these seems to fit more closely.
...and he calls upon Allah as a witness of
what is in his heart,... It is always the way
of the hypocrites that, whenever they feel
that their hypocrisy and their secrets are
becoming exposed, they call on God as a
witness to their supposed sincerity and to
the conformity between what is in their
hearts and what they say.
...while he is the most contentious of
opponents. This is the truth of his heart.
And when he turns back he strives in the
earth to work corruption therein, and to
destroy the tilth and the offspring; while
Allah loves not corruption.
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 between these portents and the Hajj is that
(205) the topic of the Hajj concluded on those
who lauded their forefathers in self-
Whenever such a person turned away from
grandeur, and the type of hypocrite
the Messenger and was out of his sight, he
mentioned here is like them in self-
would run about the earth hither and thither
grandeur and self-delusion.
like all such mischief-makers, working
corruption in the earth by agitating for
And among the people is he who sells
disorder and mayhem.
himself in reaching for the contentment of
Allah; and Allah is kindly to the servants.
...and to destroy the tilth and the
offspring;... Agriculture tends to suffer in
times of discord as it is an effect of (207)
mayhem that agricultural workers become
preoccupied with the struggle and the strife; And there are people who sell themselves
while the destruction of the offspring for the sake of seeking the satisfaction of
occurs as it is always the youth who are at Allah, glorified be He.
the forefront of contention and warfare.
...and Allah is kindly towards the servants.
And when it is said to him, ‘Be guardful of He treats them with kindness and
Allah!' he is taken by grandeur in sin; so compassion, and gives them the best of
hell will take care of him! And truly, rewards for their beautiful deeds. Perhaps
atrocious is the refuge! the mention of kindness comes on account
of the danger and harm that can result from
selling oneself in this way, and so the hint
(206) is there that Allah is kindly and protects the
seller of his self from danger and harm.
And when it is said to him, ‘Be guardful of
Allah!' he is taken by grandeur in sin;...
This portent was sent down about the
When such trouble-makers are told to fear
‘Commander of the Believers', Imam ‘Ali,
Allah in their deeds and not make
bliss be upon him, at the time he lay in the
corruption, they are gripped by their pride
place of the Messenger, Allah condescend
and their ignorant fanaticism inclines them
upon him and upon his House, on the night
further towards sin, as they will not submit
of the Messenger's hijrah.
to the truth, nor give it importance.
Having delivered a reminder of who among
...so hell will take care of him!... It means
the people is the hypocrite, appropriate to
that he will be consolidated in hell, for that
universal guidance and rectitude, the Most
is his recompense.
High then says:
...And truly, what an atrocious refuge!-
O ye who believe, enter into the peace
These ạyạt were sent down concerning the
entirely, and follow not the devil’s trails;
hypocrites, or a particular individual from
indeed he is for ye a clear enemy.
amongst them called al-Akhnas ibn Sharịq,
who pretended love for the Messenger but
who at heart was a hypocrite and a worker (208)
of corruption. Perhaps the connection

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Those who profess belief on their tongues
should enter into a state of peace and
accord with Allah and His Messenger in all
their affairs. ‘Entirely' is given for kạffatan,
meaning that they should submit to the
religion in all of their circumstances. They
should not follow the trails of the devil by
disobeying the commands of Allah,
glorified be He, obeying instead the devil's
commands and the cravings of the self. The
devil is man's clear enemy, for he urges
towards the corruptions that lead to the
ruination of one's religion and one's world.
So if he makes ye stumble after the
clarifications have come to ye, know that
Allah is grand, wise.
(209)
...So if he makes ye stumble after the
clarifications have come to ye,... It means
‘if he makes you sin'. The ‘clarifications'
(al-bayyinạt) are the clarifications of the
truth.
...know Allah is grand,... The chastisement
and the punishment cannot be prevented by
those who sin.
...wise. Allah is wise in all His works,
forgiving whom He wills, and punishing
whom He wills.
Here the theme returns to him who is-
carried away by-grandeur, in the word of
the Most High:
Are they looking but that Allah come to
them in canopies of the clouds, and the
angels too, the affair consummated? While
unto Allah return the affairs.
(210)
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It means: do those hypocrites expect that
Allah should appear before them? Is that
what it would take before they believe and
cast off their hypocrisy and their disbelief?
The Jews at that time believed that Allah
would come down surrounded by canopies
of clouds, accompanied by the angels..
...the affair consummated... It means on
the day when existence is transformed from
its condition and there shall no longer be an
opportunity for fulfilling the obligations; in
other words the day of resurrection.
...And unto Allah return the affairs. And
that happens on the day of reckoning,
punishment and reward, not on a day of
deeds and engagement.
This ạyah points out some of the fables of
the book-folk in mockery and derision. It
then follows that with a strong warning that
the when the affair is decided, there is no
further opportunity for fulfilling the
obligations.
Having indicated some of the Israeli myths,
the theme now turns to censure the tribe of
Israel for their stubborn obstinacy in
denying the portents:
Ask the sons of Israel: how many a
clarifying portent We gave them?
And whoso substitutes the blessing of Allah
after it has come to him – indeed Allah is
severe in punishment.
(211)
Ask the sons of Israel: how many a
clarifying portent We gave them?... It
means ask them how many clear and
clarifying proofs they received, and yet
nevertheless they remained obstinate
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opponents and did not believe.
...And whoso substitutes the blessing of
Allah... That is, in disbelief and refuses to
accept those portents after they have come
to them,
...–indeed Allah is severe in punishment.
In other words, he should prepare himself
to be severely chastised.
The worldly life is adorned for those who
disbelieve, and they ridicule those who
believe, while those who are guardful are
above them on the day of resurrection; and
Allah provisions whom He wills without
reckoning.
(212)
The worldly life is adorned for those who
disbelieve,...‘The worldly life' is given for
al-ĥayạt al-dunyạ, which literally means
the near life, as opposed to the distant life
of the hereafter. That which is made to
seem attractive for them is the sum of its
factors, some of them positive, or ‘true’
(ĥaqq), and some of them negative, or
‘false’ (bạţil). Allah made life beautiful and
such that it makes itself attractive, while the
devil and the spirit and the desires make
life appear attractive so as to divert man
from the hereafter.
...and they ridicule those who believe,...
They mock the believers for having turned
away from the world, as they see it, and for
turning towards the hereafter, in which they
themselves do not believe.
...while those who are guardful are above
them on the day of resurrection; On the
day of resurrection those who are guardful,
the believers, are above those disbelievers
in rank, status and level, for they acted for
that day and therefore attain to the good of
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it, whereas the disbelievers did not act for it
and therefore shall remain on that day
asking, empty-handed.
...and Allah provisions whom He wills
without reckoning. Provision in the world
is not attained by disbelief and paying
exclusive attention to the world, such that
those of the hereafter are denied it. Rather,
provision in the world is obtained both by
the disbeliever and the believer. Thus the
believer has the blessings of the world and
is above the disbeliever in the hereafter.
There is no doubt but that every movement
of reform will of necessity split the ranks of
the people previously in unison over the
issue of corruption, and this was certainly
true in the case of the Prophets:
The people were a single nation, then Allah
raised the Prophets as givers of glad tidings
and as warners, and He sent down with
them the book in truth, for it to judge
among the people in what they differed
over; but none differed about it save those
who had been given it after the
clarifications had come to them, in
resentment among themselves. So Allah
guided those who believed to what they
differed about, the truth, by His permission;
and Allah guides whom He wills to a
straight road.
(213)
The people were a single nation, then
Allah raised the Prophets as givers of glad
tidings and as warners,...The Prophets
were sent to the people with glad tidings for
those who would believe and perform
virtuous deeds, and as warners for those
who would disbelieve and disobey.
...and He sent down with them the book in
truth...-And Allah sent down the book in
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truth for the book to be with them. ‘In truth'
is given for bi‘l-ĥaqq, which is an
‘explanative' (tawžịĥị) qualification in that
whatever Allah sends down is ‘in truth' –
the book's being sent down ‘in truth' is
emphasised to highlight its distinction over
the other ‘books' or forms of legislation
drawn up by leaders of governments for
their subjects, for those are partly positive
and ‘in truth’ and partly negative and ‘in
falsehood’.
...for it to judge among the people in what
they differed over;... The book was sent
down so as to judge between the people in
that over which they differed: their
transactions and the remainder of their
relations. Such differences do not mean that
the people were not a ‘single nation,' for the
unity of a nation withstands such
differences.
Then the book itself became the source of
disagreement within the nation, though
these latter disagreements over the book
were not rooted in sincere
misunderstandings, for the book itself was
clear, rather they were brought about by
envy, transgression and desire:
...but none differed about it... each with his
own opinion in accord to his own view and
desires.
...save those who had been given it... That
is, the nation to whom it had been sent.
...after the clarifications had come to
them,... That is, the meanings of the book
had become clear to them through clear
proofs.
...in resentment among themselves.... Their
differences arose out of resentment and
oppression and jealousy that was current
MIA 96 | P a g e
among them.
...So Allah guided those who believed to
what they differed about, the truth,...-He
guided the genuine believers who wished to
obey the laws of Allah sincerely, to the
truth over which the nation differed.
...by His permission;... Their being guided
was by His permission, His generosity.
...and Allah guides whom He wills to a
straight road. This means that He delivers
whom He wills to the desired objective; or
it means that He shows the path to whom
He wills. The first is closer to the theme.
The meaning of ‘whom He wills' is that
none would be guided did He not will it, for
guidance only comes about by His
dispatching the Prophets.
Thereupon Allah asks of the believers who
were suffering the consequences of such
disagreements, in that they were being
fought by the disbelievers for no more than
that they had been guided by the guidance
of Allah:
Or did ye reckon that ye shall enter the
Garden without having come to ye the
example of those who vacated before ye?
They were touched by austerity and
adversity and were shaken, until the
Messenger and those who believed with
`him said, ‘When is the succour of Allah?
Be aware, indeed Allah's succour is near.'
(214)
Or did ye reckon... The meaning is
corrective – that is, it means ‘ye thought, ye
supposed, ye expected, O Muslims.
...that ye shall enter the Garden...
Arbitrarily, without difficulties and trials.
April 3, 2011
...without having come to ye the example
of those who vacated before ye?... That is,
without there coming to ye tests and trials
like those that came to the earlier
communities of believers who remained
fixed and constrained on the path in the
face of afflictions and calamities? And He
says ‘the example’ to give the meaning that
they became an example, a role-model, in
patient constraint and the enduring of
hardships.
being constrained and steadfast in the path
of obedience. The continuity of the theme
is that the discourse has been about
sacrifice in the path of faith and belief, and
what follows is similar:
They ask thee what they should dispense.
Say, ‘What goodness ye dispense is for the
parents and the kin and the orphans and the
destitute and the son of the path; and what
good ye do, indeed Allah of it is a knower.'

...They were touched by austerity... Those

communities endured poverty.
(215)
They ask thee what they should
...and adversity... Illness, injury and
dispense.... The address is to the
suchlike.
Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House, who had been asked
...and were shaken ,... That is, by a variety
about the kinds of thing they should spend
of painful convulsions and calamities.
in the path of Allah. ...Say,... He was to tell
them that the substance being spent is not
...until the Messenger and those who
the criterion, but rather whatever is spent is
believed with him said, ‘When is the
accepted provided it is spent upon the
succour of Allah?... That state of affairs
correct persons. Whatever is spent is
persisted until the Messenger of each
acceptable, provided the recipient is worthy
particular community and the believers
of it – just as the dispensing will not be
with him would say, ‘When will Allah's
accepted if the recipient is not worthy of it.
succour arrive?' And this they would say
So the criterion is not what is spent, but
out of their desire to hurry the promised
upon whom it is spent.
deliverance, and to be free of the ordeal and
hardships.
...‘What goodness ye dispense... Whatever
it is.
....’Be aware, indeed Allah's deliverance is
near.’-This is the natural reply of a
...is... That is, it must be.
Messenger and believers whenever they are
visited by trial and ordeal. Thus the ạyah
...for the parents and the kin... The donor’s
warns the believers that they will only
own parents and relatives
attain to the felicity of the world and the
hereafter after they have been tried and
...and the destitute and the son of the
tested.
path;... And suchlike upon one can
dispense seeking the satisfaction of Allah.
Now comes the turn of several questions
that had been asked of the Messenger,
...and what good ye do,... That is, whether
Allah condescend upon him and his House,
dispensing or other than dispensing.
and which the Noble Quran answers,
concerning the forsaking of pleasures and
...indeed Allah of it is a knower.' Allah

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knows about it all, and gives a reward of
goodness in return for goodness.
It is recorded that the ạyah's being sent
down was occasioned by ‘Amr ibn al-
Jumụĥ, who was old and wealthy and who
asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what should
I give in charity and to whom should I give
it?' And so the ạyah was sent down.
The theme now returns to the previous
portent, on the topic of self-sacrifice and
convulsions:
Written upon ye is battling – it is a
hatefulness to ye, and it may be that ye hate
a thing while it is good for ye; and it may
be that ye love a thing while it is bad for ye.
And Allah knows, while ye know not.
(216)
Written upon ye is battling...‘Battling’ is
given for qitạl, meaning to engage in death-
struggles, battles or warfare. It is prescribed
with those fighting against ye, in the path
of true belief or for the sake of humanity.
...—it is a hatefulness to ye, and it may be
that ye hate a thing while it is good for
ye;... That is, you do not like it, but it is a
fact that it is good for you as it secures your
honour and your salvation.
...and it may be that ye love a thing while
it is bad for ye.... On the other hand, it may
be that to refrain from fighting seems good
on account of its physical ease and the
absence of stress on the heart, but in fact it
is evil, for it leads to the decline of honour,
power and dignity, and to the domination of
disbelievers and strangers.
...And Allah knows, while ye know not .
Allah knows what is good for us, and
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legislates accordingly.
One of the early expeditions sent out by the
Messenger from Madịna decided to mount
an attack, despite the month being Rajab,
one of the sacred months. Although there
was some doubt as to whether the day on
which their attack took place fell in the
month of Jamạdị or in Rajab, the idolaters
raised a clamour demanding to know why
the Messenger had sanctioned such an
attack during a sacred month, and they sent
a delegation to Madịna in order to ask the
Messenger about it. And so this portent was
sent down:
And they ask thee about the sacred month –
battling in it. Say: battling in it is grievous,
but barring from Allah’s path – and
disbelieving in Him – and from the Sacred
Masjid and driving out from it its folk is
more grievous alongside Allah.
And tribulation is more grievous than
battling, and they will not desist from
battling with ye until they turn ye away
from your religion, if they are able.
And whoso among ye turns away and-dies
while he is a disbeliever – those are they
whose deeds are for nothing in the world
and the hereafter; and those are the
companions of the fire, they are in it
eternal.
(217)
And they ask thee about the sacred month
– battling in it....-That is, they ask thee, O
Messenger, about fighting in the sacred
month.
...Say, battling in it is grievous,... That is,
of itself it is grievous and not permitted.
Warfare in the sacred month is grievous
(kabịr), and in itself it is not permitted. Yet
April 3, 2011
its sin is not so grievous as the sin the
idolaters were committing:
...but barring from Allah’s path – and
disbelieving in Him – and from the Sacred
Masjid and driving out from it its folk is
more grievous alongside Allah. Their acts
of barring people from the path of Allah,
disbelieving in Allah, and barring the
Muslims from the Sacred Masjid and
preventing them from performing the Hajj,
and expelling the inhabitants of the sacred
environs in the way they expelled the
Messenger and the Muslims were more
grievous. So how, then, could they criticise
the Muslims for their sin, though serious,
when they forgot their own sins that were
far more serious.
...And tribulation is more grievous than
battling,... Yes, their intrigue against the
Muslims, their effort to seduce them from
their religion and induce them back to the
path of disbelief after their Islam, was
worse than fighting; for such intrigue
means the loss of the victim's world and
hereafter, while killing deprives only of the
world.
...and they will not desist from battling
with ye until they turn ye away from your
religion, if they are able.... That is, the
idolaters would not desist from fighting
against the Muslims until they turned them
away from the religion, had they been able
to do that.
...And whoso among ye turns away and
dies while he is a disbeliever... This is in
contrast to him who turns away and then
returns once more and so dies a believer.
...—those are they whose deeds are for
nothing... Such pitiful people have no
goodness in store for them; all the good
they might have done is lost, invalidated,
MIA
cancelled out, and they gain no benefit
from the belief they had prior to their
disbelief.
...in the world and the hereafter,... In the
world they lose the respect of the Muslims
as well as losing their Muslim rights, while
in the hereafter they will not be requited
with the garden and the rewards.
...and those are the companions of the
fire, they are in it eternal.'-They remain in
the fire forever.
People supposed that those who killed in
the month of Rajab, though not counted as
sinners, would not be rewarded for their
having violated the sanctity of the sacred
month. Therefore Allah sent down:
Indeed those who believe and those who
migrate and combat in Allah’s path – those
hope for the mercy of Allah, and Allah is
forgiving, merciful.
(218)
Those who believed and who migrated
from their homes and their families and
turned their backs on their property, all so
as to be with the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House, and
who gave-themselves up to hardship and
effort, the clearest instance of which was
their making war, for the sake of Allah and
to attain His satisfaction:—these are the
souls who have a real hope of the mercy of
Allah in this world and the next. And Allah
is forgiving towards those who slip,
merciful towards His servants the believers.
He uses the term ‘hope' (yarjụna) since a
person never knows what his future
condition will be—whether he will be
steadfast and constrained in the religion and
the path of good so as to be rewarded, or
whether he will succumb to the temptations
99 | P a g e April 3, 2011
and intrigues against his religion with the
result that all his deeds will be for nothing.
They ask thee about wine and gambling.
Say: in them is great sin, and benefits for
the people; while their sin is greater than
their benefit.
And they ask thee what they should
dispense. Say: ‘The surplus.'
Just so does Allah clarify for ye the
portents, that ye might reflect:
(219)
The Messenger of Allah was asked the
rules about wine and gambling. ‘Wine' is
put for al-khamr, meaning anything that
makes a person drunk, the clearest form of
which is wine derived from the grape.
‘Gambling' is put for al-maysir, and covers
all forms of gambling. The Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
House, was to tell them that both gambling
and alcohol are highly sinful – on account
of the serious corruption they cause. It is
true that wine gives pleasure and joy, while
to trade in it brings profit; and that
gambling too brings pleasure to the
gambler, and can profit whoso is successful
at it. Yet the sin in them is greater than
their benefit, since the damage they cause
to physical health, reason and property is
greater than the pleasure and profit they
bring; not to mention the long-term
consequences that affect a person because
of them.
...And they ask thee what they should
dispense... Here the reply is in line with the
question of ‘what should be spent (in
charity)?' rather than that of ‘upon whom
should it be spent?'
...Say, ‘The surplus.’... The Messenger was
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to tell his people they should dispense ‘the
surplus' (al-'afw), meaning the wealth that
is left over after expenditure (nafaqah), for
charity is not to be given from the
expenditure of oneself and one's family, for
that is an obligation that takes precedence
over charity, which is desirable (mustahab)
but not obligatory, and it is clear that in the
presence of limitations, obligatory matters
must be attended to before matters that are
desirable.
...Just so does Allah clarify for ye the
portents, that ye might reflect.The
pronouns here are plural. ‘Portents' (ạyạt),
here, means the conclusive instructions
related to the Law and the Legislation, so
that we the people may reflect:
On the world and the hereafter.
And they ask thee about the orphans. Say:
rectification for them is best; and if ye
intermix with them, they are your brothers,
and Allah knows the corrupter from the
rectifier; and had Allah willed He would
certainly have distressed ye. Indeed Allah is
grand, wise.
(220)
On the world and the
hereafter....Reflection on the world and the
hereafter: we are to combine them in our
considerations, for then we will see the
beauty of the rules. Otherwise,
considerations of the world alone would
give rise to a weakness of the type that at
the moment of dispensing, for example, one
suddenly finds oneself in need of wealth.
And considerations of the hereafter alone
would give rise to the opposite weakness of
giving everything away. And the same is
true of all the rules: their beauty is not
realised until one reflects on both lives, and
April 3, 2011
understands what is best for both.
...And they ask thee about the orphans....
They ask, that is, about how to live with
them. It is narrated that when the portent
‘and do not approach the property of the
orphan, but by that which is beautiful' was
sent down, those who had guardian-ship
over orphans at once moved to cut off the
orphan in his food and drink, so as not to be
affected in their own wealth. This became
hard for them, and so the Messenger was
asked about it. This ạyah was then sent
down:
...Say: rectification for them is best;... It
means that to do right by them, and to be
beneficent towards their wealth and to live
with them a goodly life, without taking a
wage or other compensation, is better than
casting them off.
...and if ye intermix with them,... It means
mixing your property with theirs, precisely
measured, as partners,
...they are your brothers.... They are
brothers in faith, and brother lives with
brother in the goodly life.
...And Allah knows the corrupter from the
rectifier;... He knows the intentions of
those who intermix with the orphans,
whether they wish the corruption of
consuming the orphans' wealth, or whether
they wish the goodness of preserving the
orphans' wealth until they are mature and
old enough to look after it themselves.
...and had Allah willed He would certainly
have distressed ye.... It means that He
could have made it very difficult for us by
commanding restraint from the wealth of
orphans, and by forbidding the mingling of
the guardians' wealth with that of the
orphans. Therefore, since He did not do
MIA 101 | P a g e
that, be good enough not to consume their
wealth in corruption and greed.
...Indeed Allah is grand, wise.' He has the
power to cast us into difficulty and distress.
And He is wise, doing only what is
beneficial and required by His wisdom.
Now the theme turns to a set of family laws
about marriage and divorce. Perhaps the
general link between these ạyạt and those
that precede them is that those concluded
with the law of the orphan, so that it
remained to explain the nest in which the
human young are to be raised, and how it
must be in order for the children to grow
up healthy – in body, mind and emotions:
And marry not the female partnerists, until
they believe – and certainly a believing
slave girl is better than a female partnerist,
though she astonish ye.
And give not in marriage to partnerists until
they believe – and certainly a believing
slave is better than a partnerist, though he
astonish ye. Those beckon to the fire, while
Allah beckons to the Garden and
forgiveness, by His permission.
And He clarifies His portents for the
people; that they might be take heed.
(221)
And marry not the female partnerists,
until they believe... The address is to
Muslim men; ‘female partnerists' is given
for mushrikạt, whom Muslims are not to
marry, whether they are book-folk or not,
for the book-folk are also partnerist, as the
Most High says about them, ‘Exalted is He
of what they partner (unto Him).'-But if
they believe and enter into Islam, the
Muslims may then marry them.
April 3, 2011
...– and certainly a believing slave girl is those who oft-repent, and He loves those
better than a female partnerist, though she who cleanse themselves.’
astonish ye.... No matter how much a
partnerist woman may astonish, through her
looks, her property or her family and
(222)
connections, nevertheless the lowestclass
The question the Messenger, may Allah
girl is better if she is a believer.
condescend upon him and his House, was
asked was whether sexual intercourse is
...And give not in marriage to partnerists
lawful with a woman while she is enduring
until they believe...-In the same way,
her period of monthly bleeding. He was to
Muslim women are not to be given to
tell his questioners that their bleeding is a
polytheists or partnerists, unless and until
hardship, both dirty and troublesome, and
they believe and enter into Islam.
that their husbands should not be near them
and should not have sex with them until
...– and certainly a believing slave is better
they become clean of the blood. Then,
than a partnerist, though he astonish ye....
when they have cleansed themselves of the
A believing slave is better than the most
blood, their husbands are to go with them
astonishing partnerist.
and have sex with them in the way Allah
has commanded – through the organ from
...Those beckon to the fire,... Partnerists
which the blood flows.
invite to the fire, either by inviting others to
their polytheism, or by simply having that
...Indeed Allah loves those who oft-
religion; for when one's close companion is
repent,... Allah loves those who repent
without religion, one is oneself affected and
again and again after their sinning, in that
influenced away from religion by that
each time they sin they repent and return to
person.
Allah and seek His forgiveness. Perhaps the
mention of this turning is on account of him
...while Allah beckons to the Garden and
who slips and goes to his wife during her
forgiveness, by His permission.... Muslims,
monthly bleeding, Allah accepts his
male and female, in taking their principles
returning no matter how much it happens,
from Allah, glorified be He, invite others
provided the regret and the returning is
with their tongues or the simple facts of
sincere.
their faith, to the success of the garden.
...and He loves those who take to
...And He explains His portents for the
cleanliness.' The meaning is that He loves
people, that they might take heed.Allah
those who with water clean themselves
explains His laws and His arguments in
inside and out, or cleanse themselves of
order for the people to reflect, take heed
sins through the seeking of His forgiveness.
and be guided.
Your women are a tilth for ye, so go to
And they ask thee about the bleeding. Say,
your tilth as ye like, and send ahead for
‘It is an annoyance, so be away from the
yourselves. And be guardful of Allah, and
women during the bleeding, and do not be
know that ye are to meet Him; and give
near them until they are clean. So when
glad tidings to the believers.
they have become cleansed, go to them as
Allah has ordered ye. Indeed Allah loves

MIA 102 | P a g e April 3, 2011

 therefore revealed, appropriate to the
(223) portents about the family and women that
precede and follow it:
Your women are a tilth for ye,... ‘Tilth' is
given for harth. It means that a man's wife
And do not put Allah as the overseer of
is like a tillage, a plantation for a man to
your oaths lest ye be righteous and guardful
sow his seed just as the farmer sows his
and rectify between the people. And Allah
seed in the ground.
is hearing, knowing.
...so go to your tilth as you like... It means
at whatever time you like, with the (224)
exceptions of the period of bleeding, the
days of fast and the Iĥrạm of Hajj and so Such oaths as these are invalid and corrupt
forth. Or it means wherever you like – that and have no force. Allah hears the oaths
is, in the front from behind her, from in and indeed He hears all our words, just as
front of her or from her side. Or it means he knows all our conditions and our every
however you like: kneeling, standing or intention.
lying. Or it may be that what is meant is the
two ways, though that seems remote from Allah blames ye not for distraction in your
the theme of the ạyah. oaths, but he blames ye for what your
hearts have earned. And Allah is forgiving,
...and send ahead for yourselves.... It clement.
means have children, for the child remains
like a person's store or savings. Or it means
send ahead the reward of your obedience
(225)
through your remembrance of the
Allah blames ye not ... And will not punish
commands and prohibitions.
over them.
...And be guardful of Allah,... Guardful of
... for distraction in your oaths,... It means
Him, that is, by respecting His commands
the oaths that become habitual, namely
and prohibitions.
‘No, by Allah!' (lạ wa ‘llạh) and ‘Yes, by
Allah!' (balạ wa ‘llạh), without them
...and know that ye are to meet Him;...
affecting the ownership of property or
This means that each person will meet His
wronging anyone.
reckoning, and the requital.
...but He blames ye for what your hearts
...and do thou give glad tidings to the
have earned.... It means the breaking of
believers. Their glad tidings is that they
oaths that at the time of being made were
shall achieve every honour and blessing.
intended to be serious, genuine oaths, so as
to have practical consequences.
Remaining on the topic of women we come
to the story of one Ibn Rawạhah, who
...And Allah is forgiving, clement. Allah
swore that he would not enter his women,
forgives the sins, and is clement towards
nor talk to them and nor have good
the disobedient, so let them repent and
relations with them; and then said that
return. The repeated mention of Allah's
having made that oath, it was not permitted
being forgiving in so many portents is to
for him to do otherwise. This portent was

MIA 103 | P a g e April 3, 2011

make prominent the issue of repenting for
the disobedient who are excessive in their
disobedience due to their passion and
desires – Allah does not close to them the
door of forgiveness, no matter how much
they sin and are disobedient: whenever they
turn to Him in seeking forgiveness, He
turns to them and forgives.
The theme now returns to the issue of the
family, with some connection to the topic
of oaths, in His word:
For those who forswear their women is a
wait of four months – so if they return, then
indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful.
(226)
...For those who forswear their women is a
wait of four months... ‘Forswear' is given
for al-ịlạ, meaning to swear not to have sex
with one's wife as a punishment for her.
This is permissible for four months, but
after that the judge (al-ĥạkịm) forces the
man to choose between normality of
relations, including sex, with a penalty, and
divorce; and if he refuses both options then
he is imprisoned.
...so if they return,... If after the four
months they return to their wives and have
a normal relationship with them,
...then indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful.
Allah will forgive them their oath, and will
have mercy on them.
And if they resolve on divorce, then indeed
Allah is hearing, knowing.
(227)
But if such men resolve on divorce and
divorce, Allah hears the divorce, and He
MIA 104 | P a g e
knows what is in the hearts, and He knows
the real intentions.
And the divorced women wait by
themselves for three courses; and it is not
permitted for them to conceal what Allah
has created in their wombs, if they be
believing in Allah and the last day.
And their husbands were more just to
return them during that, if theywant
rectification.
And they have rights like those over them,
in honour.
And men have a degree above them.
And Allah is grand, wise.
(228)
And the divorced women wait by
themselves for three courses;...When a
woman is divorced she is to keep herself
away from marriage and such like ‘for three
courses'. ‘Courses' is given for qurụ.in,
meaning the periods of cleanliness between
the monthly bleedings. So when a woman
is divorced during a period of cleanliness in
which she has not been entered, that period
of cleanliness as well as the two following
clean periods – with between them a period
of bleeding – make up her ‘iddah, or
waiting period. And so when she sees
herself bleeding for the third time, her
‘iddah is fulfilled.
...and it is not permitted for them to
conceal what Allah has created in their
wombs... She might wish to hide her
pregnancy, or she might seek to conceal her
monthly bleeding so as to forestall her ex-
husband from returning to her, if it is that
type of divorce, or to cut short her ‘iddah.
April 3, 2011
...if they believe in Allah and the last day.'-
Whoso believes in these two is bound to go
straight in activity and rest, words and
deeds, in the knowledge that Allah is
informed of all they do and shall requite
them.
...And their husbands were more just to
return them during that, if they seek
goodness. It means the husbands who have
divorced their wives in a ‘divorce of return'
(ţalạq raj'ị) – it were better for them to
return their wives to themselves during the
waiting period, if theywanted goodness for
their women, rather than to harm them.
This was because when a man wished to
harm his wife he would divorce her once
and leave her; then, when her waiting
period was almost complete he would
return her to himself, then leave her for a
while, then he would divorce her again and
leave her for a while just as he had done at
the beginning; then he would return her to
himself once more and leave her for a while
and then divorce her again. This is
forbidden, though the law of return is
established.
...And they have rights like those over
them, in honour.' Women have rights on
their husbands, just as husbands have rights
on their wives. Amongst these is the right
to sex.
...And men have a degree above them.'
Divorce is in the hands of the husband, and
his is the right of obedience.
...And Allah is grand, wise.' This reminds
us that Allah has the power to make His
commands accepted, but that He establishes
the commands in accordance to the best
interests and the general good.
It may be that the words ‘they have rights
like those over them' explains the terms of
MIA 105 | P a g e
the ‘iddah or waiting period, during which
each has rights over the other, though the
husband has some distinction over the wife
in that the choice of whether to return or
not lies with the husband.
Divorce is twice, then retention in honour
or discharge in kindness.
And it is not lawful for ye to take a thing
from what ye gave them – unless the couple
fear they will not maintain Allah's
boundaries. So if ye fear they will not
maintain Allah's boundaries, there is no
stain against the two in that by which she
redeems herself.
These are Allah's boundaries, so violate
them not. And whoso violates the
boundaries of Allah – those, they are the
wrongful.
(229)
A man may divorce his wife twice, after
that, if he returns to her after these
divorces, it is obligatory for him to retain
her in honour, maintaining good relations
with her. But after a third divorce he is not
allowed to return to her, and must discharge
her and let her go, giving her all her rights
without wronging her, and above that he is
to be good and generous to her in
compensation for her broken heart. And it
is not lawful for the husband at the time of
divorce to take anything from what he gave
his wife as a dower or marriage portion
(mahr). The exception is the case of a
couple who fear they will not be able to
maintain Allah's boundaries, the rights and
duties of marriage. In such cases, when the
judges fear that a couple will fail to observe
the rights and duties of marriage, it is
perfectly acceptable for the wife to make a
payment and for the husband to accept that
payment, and for her to use her property in
April 3, 2011
this way to free herself from the marriage.
These are Allah's boundaries, so violate
them not.. These laws given here are
Allah's boundaries; they are His commands
and His prohibitions, and none should
infringe them through disobedience.
...And whoso violates the boundaries of
Allah – those, they are the wrongful.
Whoso infringes the boundaries of Allah,
and opposes His commands and
prohibitions, they are the wrong-doers, the
wrongful.
Then if he divorces her, she is not lawful
for him thereafter until she marries a
husband other than him. Then if he
divorces her, there is no stain against the
two—if they suppose they will maintain
Allah's boundaries.
And these are Allah's boundaries; He
clarifies them for a knowing tribe.
(230)
When a man divorces his wife for the third
time, having returned her twice before, she
is then forbidden for him.
...until she marries a husband other than
him.... When she marries someone else, she
becomes just like every other woman for
her first husband. So:
...Then if he divorces her,... and she
completes her waiting period.
...there is no stain against the two... That
is, the wife and the former husband.
...for co-returning... For getting back
together again, provided they suppose that
they will be able to observe Allah's
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boundaries and get on well with each other:
...—if they suppose they will maintain
Allah's boundaries.... In fact, even if they
do not suppose that, the marriage will
indeed be valid, although it will be sinful.
In that it is like the cleansing of one's hand
with water that is stolen – the hand is ruled
as clean though the act of cleansing was
forbidden.
...And these are Allah's boundaries;... It
means that these rulings with regard to
marriage and divorce are His commands
and prohibitions.
...He explains them for a knowing tribe. It
is the people of knowledge who benefit
from these rulings.
And when ye have divorced the women and
they are reaching their term, so retain them
in honour or discharge them in honour. And
do not retain them in injury that ye violate.
And whoso does that has certainly wronged
himself.
And take not the portents of Allah in scorn,
and recall Allah's blessing upon ye, and that
which He sent down upon ye, the Book and
the Wisdom, by which He admonishes ye.
And be guardful of Allah, and know that
Allah is of all things knowing.
(231)
And when ye have divorced the women
and they are reaching their term, so retain
them in honour or discharge them in
honour.... When a divorced women nears
the end of her ‘iddah, it is for the husband
to return to her, in a revocable (raj'ị)
divorce, and retain her. ‘In honour' is given
for bi ‘l-ma'rụf; it means the observance of
the rights and duties of marriage as
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recognised by those wise and learned in the
Law. If he does not wish to retain her, then
he lets her go; this too ‘in honour,' meaning
that he gives her all her rights and causes
her no harm.
...And do not retain them in injury... It is a
command not to revoke the divorce with
the intention of causing the woman harm
by lengthening the time of her ‘iddah, or by
decreasing her provision.
...that ye violate.... It means that such
treatment of woman is wrongful and an
infringement of their rights.
...And whoso does that has certainly
wronged himself.... Whoso wrongs a
woman in this way wrongs himself: he
damages his standing among the people,
and presents himself for the punishment of
Allah, glorified be He.
...And take not the portents of Allah in
scorn,... Allah's rulings, His commands and
prohibitions are to be taken seriously.
...and recall Allah's blessing upon ye,...
All the good things that come to a man are
from Allah, glorified be He, and they
include the blessing of a wife, through
whom man finds ease and the attainment of
that for which he longed.
...and that which He sent down upon ye,
the Book and the Wisdom,... These too are
to be remembered and appreciated; learning
from them is a source of honour and
dignity, of being guided to one's best
interests, and of finding the life of bliss.
...by which He admonishes ye. In teaching
us from those sources Allah admonishes us.
Therefore:
…And be guardful of Allah,... It is for the
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people to be extremely wary lest they
disobey His commands and prohibitions.
...and know that Allah is of all things
knowing. your deeds and your intentions
are known to Him, glorified be He; so do
not bring upon yourselves His wrath and
indignation.
And when ye have divorced the women and
they have reached their term, do not stop
them from marrying their husbands when it
is agreed among them in honour.
There for ye is that by which He
admonishes whoso of ye believes in Allah
and the last day. That is purer for ye and
cleaner. And Allah knows, while ye know
not.
(232)
And when ye have divorced the women
and they have reached their term, do not
stop them from marrying their husbands...
Woman who have been divorced and have
completed their ‘iddah, are not to be
prevented from marrying again, whether
they wish to marry their former husbands,
or some other man. ‘Their husbands'
(azwạjahunna) suggests the former. And it
is said that the ạyah was sent down
concerning Mu'qil ibn Yasạr, who
prevented his sister Jumalạ from returning
to her first husband, ‘Ạsim ibn ‘Adị, who
had divorced her. After she had completed
her ‘iddah, they wished to return to each
other again by another marriage, but Mu'qil
prevented her. If this is so then the meaning
of ‘their husbands' is their first husbands,
and no one has the right to prevent a
divorced woman from returning to her
former husband by a new marriage.
...when it is agreed between them in
honour.... It means the terms and
April 3, 2011
conditions of marriage and the conjugal life
as permitted in the Law.
...There for you is that by which He
admonishes those of you who believe in
Allah and the last day. The believer takes
care to avoid Allah's indignation, and
strives in reaching out for His satisfaction.
…That is purer for you and cleaner....
That which is given about marriage is the
means of us being more productive and
healthier, for marriage is about generation,
security and the extension of life into the
future.
…And Allah knows, while ye know not. It
is for us, therefore, to obey His commands
and observe His boundaries.
The mothers suckle their children two
entire years, for such as wish to complete
the suckling.
And upon him to whom the child is born is
their provision and their clothing, in
honour—no soul is charged but to its
expanse. The mother is not harmed by her
child, nor him to whom the child is born by
his child. And likewise for the heir.
Then if the two wish a weaning by mutual
consent and consultation, there is no stain
against them.
Then if yewish to seek wet-nursing for your
children, there is no stain against ye
provided ye hand over what ye granted,
honourably.
And be guardful of Allah, and know that
Allah is an observer over what ye do.
(233)
The mothers suckle their children two
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entire years, for such as wish to complete
the suckling.... A mother is to breastfeed
her child for a period of two complete years
– twenty-four months. That is
recommended in Islam, and some scholars
consider it obligatory. ‘Him to whom the
child is born' is given for al-mawlụd lah; it
means the father. He is called this so as to
increase compassion; the child is born to
the father and so He must feel for it.
...And upon him to whom the child is born
is their provision and their clothing, in
honour... The mother is to be given the
food and clothing she needs as recognised
by the law and by common opinion, in
accordance to her condition, for as long as
she is breastfeeding. Most commentators
hold this to be about the divorced mother;
otherwise, a woman's provision and
clothing is borne by the husband on
account of the marriage, not on account of
the breastfeeding.
...—no soul is charged but to its expanse...
It means that both father and mother are
obliged only as far as they are able: the
mother is not made to suffer the breast--
feeding for nothing, and nor does the father
benefit from his child later in life at no cost
to himself. Therefore, what the mother is
able to do is breastfeed the baby; and what
he is able to do is pay for that which returns
to profit him.
...The mother is not harmed by her child...
It means that she is not to breast-feed for
nothing while the father takes advantage of
her affection for the child, and so defers
from providing for her. Or it means that the
child is not to be taken from her and given
to a stranger to satisfy the father's anger
against her, so that she is harmed by the
absence of her child.
...and him to whom the child is born is not
April 3, 2011
harmed by his child. It means that the necessary detail of honesty, sincerity and
mother should not take advantage of the guardfulness (taqwạ).
father's affection for the child in demanding
more provision and clothing than is ...And be guardful of Allah,... Be wary of
reasonable in return for breast-feeding. Or all Allah's commands; including those
it means that the father should not harm the given here about breast-feeding.
child by taking him from his mother and
giving him to a stranger to breast-feed, as ...and know that Allah is an observer of
the milk of the child's mother is best for the what ye do. Nothing is missed by Him,
child. The former is closer to the theme. glorified be He, and nothing can be hidden;
so let your actions be such that they will
...And likewise upon the heir.' It means please Him, and accord to His commands.
that if the father dies, then his heirs must
pay the provision and clothing of the And those among ye who are taken leaving
mother while she is nursing his child. It wives—they wait by themselves four
should not be hidden that the payment for months, plus ten. Then, when they reach
breast-feeding a child is to be paid from the their term, there is no stain against ye in
child's inheritance, if the father dies. what they do of themselves, in honour. And
Allah of what ye do is informed.
...Then if the two wish a weaning by
mutual consent and consultation, there is
no stain against them.' If before the two
(234)
years are over the couple decide together
And those among ye who are taken
that the child should be weaned, so that the
leaving wives... The ạyah is about women
child does not suffer as when one of the
whose husbands die.
two unilaterally decides that the child be
weaned; for after consultation it would not
...—they wait by themselves four months,
take place unless it was in the child's best
plus ten.... They are to keep to themselves
interests.
for four months and ten days. This period
of mourning during which they are not
...Then if ye wish to seek wet-nursing for
allowed to adorn themselves nor engage in
your children,... It is addressed to the
courtship, is obligatory on them. Perhaps
fathers about finding wet-nurses for their
the term given as ‘themselves'
children other than their mothers.
(anfusahunna) indicates that though the
spirit may be inclined to marriage,
...there is no stain against ye when ye
nevertheless the obligation is that it be
submit what ye granted,... It means there is
made to wait and that it be restrained.
no sin and no harm provided you pay them
what was agreed upon as wages.
...Then, when they reach their term,... It
means when they have completed their
...honourably.... It means that the wages
period of ‘iddah.
should be paid in full, without delay and
without condescension and sanctimony.
...there is no stain against ye in what they
This is a command, and is not merely
do of themselves,... It means that the
descriptive, as is frequent in the holy
Muslim community must let widows carry
Quran; showing that the action is a
on as they like, adorning themselves and

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courting and marrying, for they are by
themselves, and people are in control of
themselves.
...in honour.' The widows are not to do
anything dishonourable that contradicts
Islam.
...And Allah is aware of what ye do.' He is
aware of their deeds; nothing of your
obedience and disobedience escapes him.
There is no stain against ye in your hinting
at proposing to the women, or harbouring it
within yourselves. Allah knows that ye
shall make them understand; but do not
make troth with them in secret, but that ye
say an honourable word.
And do not determine upon the tie of
marriage until the book reaches its term.
And know that Allah knows what is in your
spirits, so be wary of Him, and know that
Allah is forgiving, clement.
(235)
There is no stain against ye in your
hinting at proposing to the women,...
Those who are attracted to a woman who is
in her ‘iddah, may hint and allude to her
their intentions in a roundabout way, but
are not to speak directly about it, as that
would infringe against the spirit of ‘iddah
during which there remains something of
the connection between the woman and her
former husband.
...or harbouring it within yourselves. It
means that those who conceal their interest
in a divorced women, without speaking
about it directly or indirectly, are
blameless, for verbal hints and the
concealment of thoughts are not
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punishable.
...Allah knows that ye shall make them
understand;... That is, that you shall make
them understand your desire to marry them.
...but do not make troth with them in
secret,... The men are not to declare
anything about it openly, and they are not
to secretly initiate a courtship away from
the attention of people.
...but that ye say an honourable word. It
means a hint that is not an open declaration,
without saying anything ugly, as is the
wont of many people.
...And do not determine upon the tie of
marriage... During ‘iddah marriage should
not even be thought about, let alone
performed. The form of this injunction is
similar to ‘Do not approach the property of
orphans.'
...until the Book reaches its term.' It means
that which is written in the Book: four
months and ten days.
...And know that Allah knows what is in
your spirits,... He knows all our intentions
about marriage, and how secret our
intentions are kept.
...so be cautious of Him,.. It means be wary
of disobeying Him.
...and know that Allah is forgiving,
clement. He is forgiving and quickly
conceals the sins, but do not let this deceive
ye. And He is clement, and does not hurry
His punishment, but do not let that be a
cause of your presumption in violating His
commands.
After the rule of the husband who dies, now
comes the rule of divorce. If the divorce
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takes place before ‘entry' and no bride-gift
(mihr) was mentioned in the contract
(‘aqd), then the woman is to be given
compensation. And if she is divorced
before ‘entry' and a bride-gift was specified
in the contract, then she is to be given half
of that bride-gift.
There is no stain against ye that ye divorce
the women while not having touched them,
nor having put yourselves under an
obligation to them. And compensate them,
the wealthy to his means and the poor to his
means – a comforting in honour; a duty
upon the beautifiers.
(236)
There is no stain against ye that ye divorce
the women while not having touched
them, nor having put yourselves under an
obligation to them.... It is permitted to
divorce women before having touched them
by entering them and before specifying the
bride-gift, or mihr, that is termed ‘an
obligation' (farịžah) as it is obligatory once
specified. Since divorce in these
circumstances is permissible, it should not
be thought that marriage is just for sex, and
so therefore a divorce should not be
necessary when sex has not taken place.
...And compensate them,... It means
compensate the woman with that which
will please her; this is obligatory in return
for her broken heart.
...the wealthy to his means... Like a house,
a servant and suchlike.
...and the poor to his means... A ring, a
dirham, or suchlike.
...—a comforting in honour;... There
should be no profligacy, no meanness.
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...a duty upon the beautifiers. Those who
work beauty are those who lead the
beautiful life of obedience to His
commands.
And if ye divorce them before having
touched them, but after ye have obliged for
them an obligation – then half of what ye
obliged, unless they waive or he in whose
hand is the knot of marriage waives. And
that ye waive is closer to guardfulness; and
forget not profusion among yourselves –
Allah of what ye do is an observer.
(237)
And if ye divorce them before having
touched them,... It means women who are
divorced before the marriage is
consummated.
...but after ye have obliged for them an
obligation... At the time of the contract a
mihr was specified, and so became an
obligation upon the husband.
...– then half of what ye obliged,... The
woman is to be given half of the mihr that
was specified. That is the obligatory rule.
Its exception is:
...unless they waive,... It means unless the
woman waives her right and takes nothing
and grants it all to the husband.
...or he in whose hand is the knot of
marriage waives... This would seem to
mean that the husband may give up his half
of the mihr and give her all of it. Yet it is
narrated that it means the bride's guardian,
if she is a minor, or her representative
(wakịl) if she is older.
...And that you waive is closer to
guardfulness;... It means it is better to give
up one's right as a gift, than to approach
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sinfulness by seeking what one has no right
to.
...and forget not liberality among
yourselves... It means that some should be
liberal to others, and give up their own
rights for the sake of others. Perhaps the
difference between ‘waiving' (‘afw) and
‘profusion' (fažl) is that ‘waiving' is giving
up all one's right, whereas ‘liberality' is
parting with some of it.
...—Allah is an observer of what you do.'
He rewards us for the good we do, and for
our evil deeds He punishes us.
The Holy Quran continually punctuates the
mood of the rules with allusions to the
power of the creation's God, His
magnificence, His mercy, His forgiveness
and suchlike. This is to accentuate the
concentration and relate the rules to the
Creator, so as to ease deep under-standing.
And since the portents of the rules have
been lengthy, especially those concerning
the somewhat sorrowful topics of divorce
and death and so forth, now they are
interrupted by portents about the prayer so
as to light up the hearts with security and
peace—'Know: through the prayer the
hearts find contentment... Moreover, there
is a connection between these portents and
the general sense of those that preceded and
follow them, leading to the presentation of
the topic of ‘prayer in fear' (salạt al-khawf),
and for this reason it is likely the portents
are placed here among those concerning
death and divorce.
Attend to the prayers, and to the middle
prayer; and stand for Allah in subservience.
(238)
Attend to the prayers, and to the middle
prayer;... Maintain and observe the prayers,
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all of them, and especially ‘the middle
prayer'. This latter is the noon (zuhr)
prayer, as it comes at the middle of the day.
The Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, would perform
this prayer unshaded in the mid-day heat,
so that this was the hardest prayer for his
companions, and he would pray with only a
line or two lines behind him—as narrated
from some of the companions.
...and stand for Allah in subservience. ‘In
subservience' is given for qạnitịn, from
qunụt, which is supplication and entreaty.
During the prayer one stands with one's
hands raised supplicating in qunụt; and it is
this qunụt of the prayer that is meant, or
supplication in general.
So if ye fear, then standing or mounted.
Then, when ye are secure, recall Allah just
as He taught ye what ye were not knowing.
(239)
When the prayer is to be performed in
fearful circumstances that prevent the
prayer from being properly performed in
full observance of its conditions and rites,
such as in the face of an enemy who does
not give leave for the Muslim force to
break for prayer, then the Muslims may
pray standing or on the back of their
mounts.
Then, when secure again and safe from any
enemy, then they are to remember Allah by
performing the prayer in full, just as Allah
has taught all they need to know for the
good of their lives in the world and the
hereafter.
Now the theme returns once more to
complete the previous discussion of the
rules, after contentment has been raised in
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the hearts and the mood has been refreshed: (241)
And those of ye who are taken and leave
Women who are divorced are to be given
wives – a testimony for their wives as
some provision, whether their provision is
comforting for the year, without putting
obligatory upon the husbands or not. This
them out. Then if they depart, there is no
puts an end to discord, and is what is
stain against ye for what they do of
expected of those who are guardful against
themselves in honour. And Allah is grand,
violating the commands of Allah, glorified
wise.
be He, whether obligatory or desirable.

(240) Just so does Allah clarify His portents, that

ye might reason.
And those of ye who are taken and leave
wives – a testimony for their wives as (242)
comforting for the year,... Upon feeling the
approach of death, it is best for men to
The portents are clarified just as the rules
make a testimony in favour of their wives,
are clarified, as food for reflection.
so that the executor arranges their provision
and clothing for the period of one complete
Now, from the atmosphere of the family
year.
and its extension and its cessation, the
theme turns to a story highlighting life and
...without putting them out.... And they
death – similar to the topic of the family in
should not be put out of their husband's
that between them they are about the
house. However, they are perfectly free to
extension and ending of life. It is an
depart if they wish to, and they may do
amazing story. The population of one of the
whatever they like, within the bounds of
townships around Damascus (Shạm)
honour. This means that after their ‘iddah
numbered seventy-thousand households.
of four months and ten days is complete,
Fleeing from plague, they came upon a
they may adorn themselves and even
town in ruins whose inhabitants had been
marry; whereas before that period is over to
ousted and had died of the plague. So they
do such things is forbidden and would be
moved into it and within an hour the plague
dishonourable.
had killed them all. Soon their bodies were
nothing but weather-beaten bones, when a
...And Allah is grand... He issues His
Messenger, whose name was Hizqịl, passed
rulings as per His power and His authority.
by and was so moved that he began to
weep, and said, ‘O Master, if Thou wished
...wise.' His rulings are not arbitrary; but
Thou would revive them within an hour,
for good reasons and for the best interests
just as Thou made them die; then they
of all. This ạyah, in this reading, is not
would populate Thy land and father Thy
abrogated by the ạyah: ‘Four months, plus
servants, and would worship Thee with
ten.' (2;235)
those who worship Thee.' The Messenger
was inspired to say over them the Most
And for the divorced women a comforting
Magnificent Name (al-Ism al-'Azam); he
in honour—a duty upon the guardful.
did so and they returned to life, looking at
each other and praising Allah and

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glorifying Him:
Have thou not regarded those who departed
from their homes in thousands wary of
death: Allah said to them, ‘Die!' Then He
gave them life. Indeed Allah is the Holder
of profusion for the people, but most of the
people thank not.
(243)
Have thou not regarded… It means ‘Have
you not learned of.' The question form too
is not purely interrogative, but is used to
impart knowledge.
...those who departed from their homes in
thousands wary of death… They were the
seventy thousand who fled their township
so as to avoid the plague. Yet they were
taken by it:
...Allah said to them, ‘Die!'...-And so they
were made dead.
...Then He gave them life.... He restored
them to life, at the imploring of the
Messenger Hizqịl.
...Indeed Allah is the Holder of profusion
for the people,... Allah has profusion for all
people, in creating them, provisioning them
and managing their affairs.
...but most of the people thank not.... Most
of them do not thank Him for His blessings
and His profusion, but rather reduce them
for themselves through disobedience.
And fight in Allah’s path, and know that
Allah is hearing, knowing.
(244)
It means: now that you see there is nothing
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to be gained from fleeing from death, fight
in the way of Allah, and do not flee in fear
of death – and remember, Allah hears all
your words, and knows about all your
intentions and your deeds.
The giving of wealth and of lives for
fighting in the path of Allah is not in vain;
rather the warrior and the doer of
righteousness lend to Allah that which they
give up, then Allah the Most High returns it
to them:
Who is it that will lend to Allah a beautiful
loan, that He multiply it for him many
times over? Allah straitens and He
amplifies, and to Him ye are returned.
(245)
Who is it that will lend to Allah a beautiful
loan, that He multiply it for him many
times over?... Who is ready to give himself
and his wealth in the path of Allah as a loan
of beauty, free of the ugliness of show and
fame and imposition and the other things
that mar a loan? What is stopping ye—fear
of poverty?
...Allah straitens... It means that He makes
people poor.
...and He amplifies,... It means that He
makes people rich. Therefore, miserliness
will not profit a person, nor will a loan and
generosity harm him. Or is it that you
refuse to lend yourselves because you fear
death?
...and to Him ye are returned. When you
die He will give you better than what He
took from you. The leader of believers,
Imam ‘Ali, bliss be upon him, said to one
of his sons, ‘Lend Allah your skull.'
Now comes another story about life and
April 3, 2011
death, reinforcing the earlier story:
Have thou not regarded the leaders of the
sons of Israel after Mụsạ, when they said to
a Prophet of theirs, ‘Raise us a king, we
will battle in Allah’s path!'
He said, ‘Might it be that if battling is
written for ye, ye will not battle?'
They said, ‘And what is with us that we
would not battle in Allah’s path, when we
have been forced from our homes and from
our sons?'
Then, when battling was written for them,
they turned back, but for a few of them; and
Allah is knowing of the wrongful.
(246)
Have thou not regarded... This means ‘Do
you not know about...,' as clarified.
...the leaders of the sons of Israel after
Mụsạ, when they said to a Prophet of
theirs,... ‘Leaders’ is given for al–malạ.i,
meaning a group on a single view. Their
Prophet was Ishmụ.ịl (Samuel), Ismạ'ịl in
Arabic. Theywanted a king to unite their
people and lead them in fighting in the path
of Allah, for their oppressors had
humiliated them and driven them from their
homes and had taken their women and
children into captivity. In those times the
Prophet would regulate the religious affairs,
while the king would regulate military
affairs and matters of sovereignty.
...He said, ‘Might it be that if battling is
written for ye, ye will not battle?’... With
this question the Prophet wished to take a
covenant from them to the effect that were
a king to be appointed for them, they would
indeed fight.
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...They said, And what is with us that we
would not battle in Allah’s path, when we
have been forced from our homes and
from our sons?'... These leaders responded
with indignation to their Prophet's
suggestion that they would not fight, saying
it was not possible that they would not
fight, considering that their enemies' had
driven them from their homes and from
their children, as some of their children had
been killed and some had been taken into
captivity. Their Prophet asked Allah for
what theywanted, and Allah answered his
prayer and nominated for them a king and
legislated fighting for them.
...Then, as soon as battling was written for
them, they turned back, but for a few of
them;... After all their beseeching, when
the time came for action they lost their
appetite for warfare and turned away.
...and Allah is knowing of the wrongful.
‘The wrongful,' here, are those who fled
from the combat (al–jihạd) after their
asking and imploring for it.
And their Prophet said to them, ‘Indeed
Allah has raised Tạlụt as king.'
They said, ‘How can he have dominion
over us, when we have more right to
dominion than him, and he has not been
given expansive wealth?'
He said, ‘Indeed Allah has chosen him over
ye, and has increased him with a stretching
in knowledge and body; and Allah gives
dominion to whom He wills, Allah is
expansive, knowing.
(247)
And their Prophet said to them, ‘Indeed
Allah has raised Tạlụt as king.'… Their
Messenger Ishmụ-ịl told them that Allah
April 3, 2011
had appointed Tạlụt as their king. He was a ...and Allah is expansive,... Allah is
descendent of Ibn Yạmịn, a brother of expansive in power and generosity, and so
Yụsuf, bliss be upon him, and was not of He grants dominion to whom He wills.
the line of Prophets nor of the line of the
kings, for the Prophets were descendents of ...knowing.’ He knows best the interests of
Levi, a son of Ya'qụb, bliss be upon him, His servants, and He does nothing but what
while the kings were descendents of is best.
Yahụzạ, another of Ya'qụb's sons.
And their Prophet said to them, ‘Indeed the
...They said, ‘How can he have dominion portent of his dominion is that the Tạbụt
over us, when we have more right to shall come to ye – in it is tranquillity from
dominion than him, and he has not been your Master and the remains of that the
given expansive wealth?'... Immediately House of Mụsạ and the House of Hạrụn left
they protested, saying that they themselves, behind; it is carried by the angels. Certainly
who were of the line of Prophets and kings, in that is a portent for ye, if ye be believers.'
were more entitled to dominion than Tạlụt.
They also protested that Tạlụt was poor
without the wealth necessary to spin the
(248)
wheels of authority. Their Messenger
And their Prophet said to them, ‘Indeed
replied to them that,
the portent of his dominion is that the
Chest shall come to ye... As a further proof
Indeed Allah has chosen him over ye,...
that Allah had made Tạlụt their king,
Allah chooses whom He wills, and He
Ishmụ.ịl was to tell his people that the
chooses none but the best for the condition
Tạbụt was to return to them. This was a
of His servants.
chest-like thing that Allah sent down to the
mother of Mụsạ for her to place him in it as
...and has increased him with a stretching
a baby and cast him into the river.
in knowledge... A kingdom needs a king
Thereafter it was kept as a sacred object
with knowledge, to enable him to carry out
amongst the sons of Israel; when Mụsạ was
the nation's will.
near to death he placed the tablets and his
armour in it along with all his portents of
...and body;... Tạlụt was stout and such that
Prophethood, and entrusted it to Joshua, his
people dreaded him; he was brave such that
executor. It then remained among them for
his enemies feared him—and these are the
as long as they deserved it, until youths
qualifications of a king, not wealth; for
were playing with it in the streets. The sons
knowledge, courage and dignity lead to
of Israel were in honour and dignity for as
wealth, not the other way around.
long as they had it with them, but as soon
as they began to act in disobedience and
...and Allah gives dominion to whom He
took it as a toy, Allah took it from them.
wills,... There was nothing remiss about
Then the return of this chest was made a
giving dominion to a son of Ibn Yạmịn, for
proof that Allah had made Tạlụt their king.
just as Allah previously placed dominion in
the house of Yahụzạ, so He was now
...—in it is tranquillity from your Master...
placing it in the person of Tạlụt. Dominion
It was a source of tranquillity for them in
was no one's monopoly.
that they knew that through it they would
be victorious, and that Tạlụt was indeed

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their king.
...and the remains of that which the House
of Mụsạ kin and the House of Hạrụn left
behind;... Mụsạ's staff was in it along with
the tablets and a washbasin particular to the
Prophets, and other things. These were
inherited by the heirs of these two great
Prophets, and they put them in the ark.
...it is carried by the angels... They indeed
carried it, or they apparently carried it, for
the view of the sons of Israel was that it
was the angels between the sky and the
earth who brought it.
...Certainly in that is a portent for ye, if ye
be believers.’ In the return of the Tạbụt
after its absence, was a sign of Tạlụt's
dominion, for those of them who were
sincere believers.
So when Tạlụt and the armies separated, he
said, ‘Indeed Allah has tried ye with a river:
whoso drinks from it, he is not of me; and
whoso tastes it not, indeed he is of me –
save for him who takes a sip with his hand.'
Then they drank from it, save for a few of
them. Then, when they had crossed it – he
and those who believed with him – they
said, ‘We have no capacity today for Jạlụt
and his armies.'
Said those who supposed they are to meet
Allah, ‘How many a small band have
overcome a band of many with Allah's
permission. Indeed Allah is with the
restrainers.'
(249)
So when Tạlụt and the armies separated,...
That is, when they set off from the town.
When the sons of Israel saw the return of
the tạbụt, they confirmed Tạlụt's dominion,
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and they gathered around his banner and
marched off for jihạd against their enemies.
...he said, ‘Indeed Allah has tried ye with a
river: whoso drinks from it, he is not of
me; and whoso tastes it not, indeed he is of
me – save for him who takes a sip with his
hand.'... On leaving the town, Tạlụt was to
test his forces to clarify the extent of their
constraint and steadfastness in difficulty –
if they were able to cross a river while
thirsty they would be dependable in war,
whereas if they refused to listen and were
unable to endure a little thirst, clearly they
would be even less steadfast before swords
and spears. The river was on their way.
Tạlụt told his forces that those who drank
freely from it were not from him, meaning
they had no place amongst his followers,
whereas those who refrained from it and
didn't taste it were indeed amongst his
followers. They were allowed to scoop
water from the river with a cupped hand,
once, and to drink that, but no more.
...Then they drank from it, but for a few of
them…. Most of Tạlụt's army failed their
test and disobeyed his orders, and were
rejected. A few passed their test and drank
no more than a scoop of the river's water,
and these were allowed to follow Tạlụt to
the battle.
...Then, when they had crossed it – he and
those who believed with him – they said,
‘We have no capacity today for Jạlụt and
his forces. Jạlụt was the leader of the
opposing army. When Tạlụt and his
obedient troops who had drank no more
than a scoop of water had crossed the river,
and they came upon the enemy and saw
their large numbers, dismay set in and this
was the cry that went up.
...Said those who supposed they were to
meet Allah,... It means the companions of
April 3, 2011
Tạlụt. ‘Supposed' is given for yazunnụna; it
shows that even to suppose there is a
hereafter is enough to prompt a man in the
direction of the struggle (al-jihạd) and the
virtuous deeds. The term ‘to meet (Allah)'
means the resurrection, where everyone
meets Allah's requital.
...’How many a small band has overcome
a band of many, with Allah's permission!
Indeed Allah is with the restrainers.' With
these words Tạlụt's companions heartened
themselves and the others for the fight
against Jạlụt and his army.
And when they went forth for Jạlụt and his
armies, they said, ‘Our Master, pour forth
upon us restraint, and fix our feet, and
deliver us against the disbelieving tribe.'
(250)
This was the prayer made by Tạlụt and the
believers as they approached the field of
battle. They prayed for constraint and to be
made steadfast, with firm feet that would
not carry them off in flight. And they
prayed to be granted victory over their
disbelieving enemy. And Allah answered
their prayers.
So they vanquished them by Allah's
permission, and Da'ụd killed Jạlụt—and
Allah gave him dominion and wisdom and
taught him what Hewilled. And were it not
for Allah’s repelling the people, some of
them by others, certainly the earth would
go to corruption; but Allah is the Holder of
profusion upon the worlds.
(251)
So they vanquished them by Allah's
permission,... Tạlụt and the believers
vanquished Jạlụt and the disbelievers, with
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Allah's permission and succour, or military
support.
...and Da'ụd killed Jạlụt... The Prophet
Da'ụd (David), bliss be upon him, father of
the Messenger Sulaymạn, bliss be upon
him, fought at this battle and killed Jạlụt,
the disbelievers' warlord. He took a small
stone and hurled it with a sling towards
Jạlụt. It hit him on the forehead and
penetrated his skull until it came to the
brain, and he dropped down dead. And the
disbelievers were defeated.
...—and Allah gave him dominion and
wisdom and taught him what He willed.
This refers to Da'ụd, bliss be upon him,
who later became both Prophet and king,
and was taught by Allah matters pertaining
to the world and to the hereafter.
...And were it not for Allah’s repelling the
people, some of them by others,... That is,
if the corrupting disbelievers were not
repelled and restrained by means of the
righteous believers.
...certainly the earth would go to
corruption;... The earth would be ruined by
the bloodshed, the conflagration, the
slavery and the corruption that the evil-
doers would cause.
...but Allah is the Holder of profusion
upon the worlds. It is a sign of His
profusion that He repels the evil by the
righteous, so that the earth remains
habitable, and able to sustain agriculture.
These are the portents of Allah; We recite
them for thee in truth. And indeed thou are
among the Messengers.
(252)
These are the portents of Allah;... It means
April 3, 2011
that the accounts given about the changing what He wills.
life into death, once, and death into life,
once, and about the dominion of Tạlụt and
the deliverance of the believers over their
(253)
enemies are Allah's proofs of His existence,
Those Messengers – We distinguished
His power, His knowledge and the
some of them over others.... ‘Those
remainder of His attributes.
Messengers' are those mentioned in the
previous ạyah, ‘And indeed thou are among
...We recite them for thee in truth.' Here
the Messengers.' All the Messengers share
the pronoun ‘thee' is the singular; the
in the basic principle of Messengership, yet
address is to the Messenger, Allah's peace
nevertheless they differ in the level of their
and blessings be with him and his house.
distinction.
He was recited the portents ‘in truth', in
perfect honesty and sincerity—there was
...Among them is he to whom Allah
nothing false or insincere in what was
spoke... It means the Messenger Mụsạ, bliss
recited to him. It was all sent down to him
be upon him. Here the question arises as to
in perfect truth and for the sake of truth, not
whether a person can ascend so high that
for the sake of falsehood, deception and
Allah, glorified be He, converses with him;
deceit.
the ạyah seems to confirm that in the word,
...And indeed thou are among the
...and He elevated some in levels;... They
Messengers. it means that the Messenger,
were not elevated to a single level, but in
may Allah condescend upon him and his
levels, so that at a lofty level it is possible
House, received his information about these
to converse directly with Allah, glorified be
matters from the unseen, through the
He.
inspiration he received from Allah,
glorified be He.
...And We gave ‘Ịsạ the son of Maryam
the clarifications,... It is a part of the Wise
Those Messengers – We distinguished
Quran's diversity that here it has not
some of them over others.
mentioned Mụsạ by name, whereas ‘Ịsạ,
bliss be upon him, is mentioned by name.
Among them is he to whom Allah spoke;
The ‘clarifications' (al–bayyinạt) were the
and He elevated some in degrees;
clarifications of ‘Ịsạ's Prophethood, like his
raising the dead, curing the sick and the
And We gave ‘Ịsạ the son of Maryam the
blind and so forth.
clarifications, and We aided him with the
soul of holiness.
...and We aided him with the soul of
holiness… That is, ‘Ịsạ was strengthened
And had Allah willed, those after them
with the holy spirit, as previously clarified.
would not have succumbed to battle among
Thus he was no ordinary man, but nor was
themselves after the clarifications had come
he the Creator and Provisioner, the Master
to them, yet they differed; among them
of the worlds. He was a Messenger
were those who believed and among them
specially aided by Allah, glorified be He.
were those who disbelieved. And had Allah
willed, they would not have succumbed to
Now, the question could here be raised that
battle among themselves, but Allah does
since the Prophets came with such

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clarifications, how could so much doubt matters in its portents:
and suspicion be raised about them, to the
extent that warfare arose amongst the O ye who believe, dispense from what We
people about the Prophets, for them or have provisioned ye, before a day comes in
against them, or for a particular Messenger which there will be no trade and no
to the exclusion of the others. The theme friendship and no mediation.
turns to throw light on the answer:
And the disbelievers—they are the
...And had Allah willed, those after them wrongful.
would not have fought among themselves
after the clarifications had come to them,
yet they differed; among them were those
(254)
who believed and among them were those
O ye who believe, dispense from what We
who disbelieved....
have provisioned ye,... We are to dispense
out of the various things with which we are
It means that had Allah willed to compel
provisioned. Perhaps the universality is to
the people to believe and be guided, then
denote things like education and mediation,
those who came after the Messengers or
as knowledge and esteem or rank are
after each Messenger, would not have
amongst the provision of Allah, glorified be
fought among themselves, after the
He.
clarifications had come to them through the
Messengers. Yet they differed, with some
...before a day comes in which there will
believing and some disbelieving in the
be no trade... That day it will not be
Messenger.
possible to purchase oneself with
something and so but oneself from the
...And had Allah willed, they would not
chastisement.
have succumbed to battle among
themselves,... The repetition is for
...and no friendship... It means that
emphasis, as Allah's will to compel does
friendship will not mean that a friend will
not affect His legislation, only His creation.
be able to take care of a sinner who is his
friend; or it means that there will be no
...but Allah does what He wills. He prefers
friendship between Allah and anyone to the
to let the freedom of choice be in the hand
extent that Allah will heed and forgive him
of man, so that he who believes does so of
on account of that friendship.
his own free choice, and the disbelief of
him who disbelieves is also in his own
...and no mediation. There will be no
hands, so that the requital and the
mediation as it is in the world—where the
reckoning may be established fairly. There
intercessor takes it upon himself to mediate
is no mention here of the Messenger, may
for the sinner. There, ...none mediate but
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
for him He is content with.'
House, as the address is made to him,
further to His word, ‘And indeed thou are
...And the disbelievers—they are the
among the Prophets.'
wrongful.' It means that the deprivation of
the disbelievers on that day will not be due
Now, since fighting requires expenditure,
to any injustice on the part of Allah, but
the Wise Quran repeatedly links the two
that the disbelievers are wrongful and

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deserving of punishment for their disbelief, with him on the day of resurrection ‘but for
by which they have denied themselves the him He is contented by.'
rewards.
...He knows what is before them and what
Allah! There is no god but Him, the Alive, is behind them,... It means He knows what
the Maintainer. Drowsiness takes Him not, they have sent on before them in the way of
and nor sleep. His is that in the skies and deeds good and bad, and what comes after
that in the earth. Who is it that mediates them, like their building a school or a
with Him save by His permission? He brewery that outlast them.
knows what is before them and what is
behind them, and they encompass not a ...and they encompass not a thing of His
thing of His knowledge, save as He wills. knowledge,... That is, knowledge of the
His throne comprises the skies and the past, the present and the future.
earth, and preserving them troubles Him
not. And He is the High, the Magnificent. ...save as He wills… Everything a person
knows, even basic essentials, depends upon
(255) the will of Allah, glorified be He, for it is
He who has made man such that he learns
things.
Allah! There is no god but Him,... On the
day of judgement all affairs are in His
...His throne comprises the skies and the
hands, none share with Him in what He
earth,... ‘Throne' here means authority and
does, and perhaps this is the connection
dominion; it is said that someone's throne
between this ạyah and that preceding it.
comprises ‘Iraq, when he is in authority
over it. It means that the authority of Allah,
...the Alive,... He is alive and does not die,
glorified be He, comprises the whole of
so there is no escape from Him.
existence and nothing is beyond Him.
...the Maintainer…. This is given for al–
...and preserving them troubles Him not.
qayyụm. from qạma ‘to stand’. It means
The preservation, the growth and
that He implements all His affairs, and is
rectification of the heavens and the earth is
informed of them all; and nothing is hidden
not difficult for Him.
form Him – as if He stands over them,
glorified be He,
...And He is the High, the Magnificent.-He
is the High in station, the Magnificent in
...Drowsiness takes Him not, and nor
quality.
sleep.... The first precedes the latter as it
does in reality.
No compulsion in religion—the integrity
has certainly become clear from the
...His is that in the skies and that in the
misguidance. So whoso disbelieves in the
earth…. He is the creator and the single
transgressorer and believes in Allah,
owner who has no partners; the skies and
certainly he has laid hold of the firmest
the earth are not beyond His dominion.
handle – it never breaks off. And Allah is
hearing, knowing.
...Who is it that mediates with Him save by
His permission?… The question form is
for denial; it means that none will mediate

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(256)
No compulsion in religion... Allah does
not compel His creatures to embrace the
religion, rather He places within them the
powers of choice and volition, so that if a
person wishes he takes the religion, and if
he does not wish then he does not accept
the religion.
...the integrity has certainly become clear
from the misguidance.... Guidance... ‘The
‘integrity’ (al-rushd) is clear from ‘the
misguidance’ or temptation (al-ghayy),
faith is clear from disbelief, and truth is
clear from falsehood.
...So whoso disbelieves in the
transgressorer and believes in Allah,...
‘The transgressorer’ is given for tạghụt,
meaning all that is worshipped other than
Allah. Notice that the negation of disbelief
precedes the affirmation of belief, as in the
phrase ‘There is no God but Allah' (lạ ilạha
illa ‘llạh).
...certainly he has laid hold of the firmest
handle – it never breaks off.... Faith in
Allah is likened to the handle of a pot or a
jug, for serving water or food, for it is a
handle on goodness; and it is a handle that
never breaks, in the sense that the benefit
from goodness continues through the
worldly life into the hereafter, all achieved
through faith. Belief in false deism, on the
other hand, is a handle that breaks as soon
as a person leaves the world, when any
good his disbelief may supposedly have
brought him is broken off.
...And Allah is hearing, knowing.... And
Allah hears all our words, and knows our
every action and intention.
Allah is the Patron of those who believe;
He takes them out of the darknesses into
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the light. While those who disbelieve, their
patrons are the affronter – they take them
out of the light into the darknesses. Those
are the companions of the fire; they are in it
eternal.
(257)
Allah is the Patron of those who believe…
He directs their affairs and brings them
deliverance and assists them.
...He takes them out of the darknesses into
the light.... He brings them out of the
darknesses of life and its difficulties,
whether the darkness of belief, the darkness
of speech and the darkness of the world.
And He brings them into the light of
guidance and the light of the hereafter.
…While those who disbelieve, their
patrons are the transgressorer – they take
them out of the light into the
darknesses…, It means that it is the entire
genus of affronter (al–ţạghụt) that is their
patron, both human and jinn, overseeing
their affairs and their straying and
deviation. Since what is meant by ‘the
transgressorer’ (al-ţawạghịt) is the genus of
transgressorers,-therefore it is permissible
for it to be in the singular, and for the term
‘their patrons' to be in the plural. All
transgressorers remove the disbeliever from
the light that is latent in human nature, and
from the light of the world. Instead, they
lead him into the darknesses of disbelief
and error in the world, and to Allah's
chastisement in the hereafter.
...Those are the companions of the fire;
they are in it eternal.... Such persons end
up in the fire forever; they have none to
rescue them and none to free them.
This has been an account of faith and
disbelief, so there now follows the story of
122 | P a g e April 3, 2011
a dispute upon that subject between
Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him, and Nimrụd:
Have thou not regarded him who disputed
with Ibrạhịm about his Master in that He
had granted him dominion, when Ibrạhịm
said, ‘My Master is He who gives life and
makes die.'
He said, ‘I give life and I make die!'
Ibrạhịm said, ‘Indeed my Master brings the
sun from the east, so bring it from the
west!'
So he who disbelieved was bewildered; and
Allah guides not the wrongful tribe.
(258)
Have thou not regarded... It has been
previously clarified that this term is not
interrogative, but is meant to impart
knowledge.
...him who disputed with Ibrạhịm about
his Master... He who disputed with
Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him was the tyrant
Nimrụd. The dispute was about ‘his Master'
meaning the Master whom Ibrạhịm
worshipped; or it means the master or lord
with whom he disputed—and the first
meaning is closer.
...in that He had granted him dominion,...
It means that despite Allah having given
Nimrụd sovereignty and dominion, he
became wild and headstrong and denied the
existence of the Creator, and disputed with
the Messenger Ibrạhịm about the existence
of Allah, glorified be He, thus greeting
kindness with evil.
...when Ibrạhịm said, ‘My Master is He
who gives life and makes die.’... This was
spoken in reply to Nimrụd who had asked,
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‘Who is your Master?' What is meant by
His giving life is His granting of life to
inanimate matter, for all living things are
rooted in earth and water, and earth is
turned with water into plants, and plants
turn into human or animal sperm.
...He said, ‘I give life and I make die!’...
Nimrụd said this and then summoned two
persons from his prison; he beheaded one
and let the other go free. In this way he
confused the issue, but Ibrạhịm, bliss be
upon him, brought an argument that he
could not defeat, even with the tactics of
confusion:
...Ibrạhịm said, "Indeed my Master brings
the sun from the east,... This is true as far
as it appears to the eye, whether the sun
revolves around the earth, or whether, as
some astronomers say, the earth revolves
around the sun.
...so bring it from the west!... Had Nimrụd
been the god and the creator he said he was,
he should have been able to do this.
...So he who disbelieved was bewildered;...
He was astonished and had no answer.
...and Allah guides not the wrongful tribe.
It refers to those who wrong themselves by
blinding themselves to the truth, for His
particular grace embraces not such persons,
even though He completes for them the
arguments and shows them the path.
Or like him who passed by a town that was
rubble over its roofs. He said, ‘How will
Allah give life to this after its death?'
So Allah made him die for a hundred years,
then He raised him. He said, ‘How long
have thou tarried?
Said he, ‘I have tarried a day or part of a
123 | P a g e April 3, 2011
day.' heard.

‘Nay,' He said, ‘Thou have tarried a ...He said, ‘I have tarried a day or part of
hundred years. Regard thy food and thy a day.’ The Messenger looked about him
drink, it has not spoiled. And look at Thy and saw that it was late afternoon, when he
ass! And certainly We put thee as a portent had slept in the morning.
for the people. And look at the bones, how
We assemble them, then We cover them in ...’Nay,’ said He, ‘Thou have tarried a
flesh.' hundred years, so look at thy food and thy
drink, it has not spoiled. And look at thy
So when it had been clarified for him, he ass!...’ The food and drink was just as it
said, ‘I know that indeed Allah over all had been, whereas the ass was dead and
things is powerful!' disintegrated, proof of the total power of
Allah, glorified be He.
(259) ...’And certainly We make thee a portent
for the people....' He was made a portent
Or, like him who passed by a town... It
for the people, in that he had been dead for
means: ‘Or have thou not regarded he who
a hundred years, but was now alive again,
passed by a town’ – that is: ‘If you like,
for the people to know that Allah is indeed
consider him who disputed, or if you like,
able to raise the dead.
consider him who passed by a town.' He
who passed by the town was ‘Uzair, the
...’And look at the bones, how We
Messenger, bliss be upon him.
assemble them, then We cover them in
flesh. The ass was brought back to life in
...that was rubble over its roofs… The
this way before ‘Uzair's eyes.
town was in ruins, its inhabitants were long
dead, their corpses eaten by wild beasts.
...So when it had been clarified for him,...
‘Uzair thought to himself for a while, and
That is, when the raising of the dead had
then
been made clear for him visually.
..He said, ‘How will Allah give life to this
...he said, ‘I know that indeed Allah over
after its death?’… He wondered how Allah
all things is powerful!' His knowledge had
would raise them all. It was not a denial,
become the knowledge of vision;
but an expression of amazement.
otherwise, he knew that before his question.
...So Allah made him die for a hundred
And when Ibrạhịm said, ‘My Master! Show
years,... This was long enough for his own
me how Thou give life to the dead!'
body to rot away and for his bones to
disintegrate.
He said, ‘And do thou not believe?'
...then He raised him…. He became just as
He said, ‘For sure, but that my heart be
he was before.
confident.'
..He said, ‘How long have you tarried?’
Said He, ‘So take four birds, then cut them
Allah created a voice in the air that he
to thyself, and put a part of each on a hill,

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thereupon call them – they shall come to ...then cut them to thyself,... When a
thee in haste. And know that Allah is grand, person wishes to cut something with a
wise.' clean cut, it is necessary for him to draw
the blade towards himself.
(260) ...then put a part of each on a hill,
thereupon call them;... He was to take the
And when Ibrạhịm said, ‘My Master!
beak of each bird in his hand and call it.
Show me how Thou give life to the
dead!'...
...they shall come to thee in haste.... Back
in one piece again, the birds were to rush to
Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him, saw a cadaver
him.
that had been eaten away by animals and
birds, and so he asked Allah, saying, ‘O my
And know that Allah is grand,... The
Master, indeed I know that Thou shall
implication is that all things are within His
gather them from the bellies of the beasts of
power.
the land, air and sea, so show me how Thou
give life to them, so that I may see that.'
..wise.’ He is wise in all He does; nothing
He does is without purpose.
...He said, ‘And do thou not believe?'...
Allah’s interrogative was for assertion, so
So Ibrạhịm, bliss be upon him, did that, and
that Ibrahịm might answer ‘I believe!'
the pieces of the birds flew about in all
directions until their bodies were
...He said, ’For sure, but that my heart be
reassembled in perfect order as far as their
confident… Ibrạhịm replied that certainly
necks and their heads, then Ibrạhịm let
he was a believer, but that he wished his
them go and they rejoined their bodies, and
certainty to be as if he had seen it and
the birds then began to scratch about for
experienced it. For when a person knows
grain and water.
that a fire is hot, for example, his
knowledge is called ‘known certainty' (‘ilm
Earlier portents spoke of being ready to
al–yaqịn); and when he sees it his certainty
lend Allah a beautiful loan, then proofs of
is called ‘real certainty' (haqq al–yaqịn);
theism, Prophethood and the return
and when he places his hand in it his
intervened. and now the theme returns to
certainty is called ‘actual certainty' (‘ain
dispensing:
al–yaqịn). It is recorded that Ibrạhịm, bliss
be upon him, knew that Allah would take a
What those who dispense in Allah’s path
servant as a ‘special friend' (khalịl) when
are like is a seed having grown seven ears,
he asked Him to show him the raising of
in each ear a hundred seeds.
the dead, and his heart wished to be
comforted that it was him.
And Allah increases whomever He wills;
and Allah is expansive, knowing.
...Said He, ‘So take four birds,...’ They
were a peacock, a pigeon, a crow and a
cock. He slaughtered them and cut them (261)
into pieces and then mixed up all the
pieces. What those who dispense in Allah’s path...
Those who dispense in the way of Allah do

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not dispense for show, reputation or fame
and suchlike.
...are like is a seed having grown seven
ears, in each ear a hundred seeds. Their
spending is increased for them seven-
hundred times.
of not being rewarded. And the same two
probabilities are true of ‘and nor do they
sorrow.'
An honourable word and forgiveness is
better than charity followed up by
annoyance; and Allah is rich, clement.

...And Allah increases whomever He

wills;... Allah gives such an increase to
(263)
whom He wills of His spending servants.
It means that to put off a request in a noble
way, like saying, ‘Allah give you
...and Allah is expansive, knowing. His
goodness!' together with forgiveness in the
knowledge and power is universally
face of any rudeness on the asker's part, is
encompassing; He knows who dispenses
better than to give charity followed by
and what is spent. This metaphor is given
annoyance. For that damages the asker's
for dispensing in order to make a firm
heart, whereas an honourable word and
impression on the heart, and for
forgiveness do not. Similarly, it is followed
encouragement.
by punishment, since such charity is
forbidden, unlike the other two.
Thereupon a condition is given for
dispensing to be productive and lead to a
...and Allah is rich,... He has no need of
reward, in the word of the Most High:
anyone's donations, it is we ourselves who
are in need of them. He urges us to charity
Those who dispense in Allah’s path,
for our sake, not for His.
thereupon they do not follow up their
dispensing with any beholdenness, nor any
...clement.' He is clement with respect to
annoyance—theirs is their reward alongside
all sins, including charity followed up by
their Master; no fear is upon them, and nor
annoyance.
do they sorrow.
O ye who believe, invalidate not your
(262) charity by beholdenness and annoyance,
like he who dispenses his wealth in show
‘Beholdenness' is given for mann; it means for the people and does not believe in Allah
that the giver does not ask the beneficiary and the last day. What he is like is a smooth
to be grateful to him, nor even hint at it. stone, on it a dust; then a storm afflicts it,
Annoyance, given for aźạ, means that the so it abandons it lifeless. They have no
donor causes no annoyance to the power over anything of what they earned.
beneficiary, like saying ‘I am afflicted with And Allah guides not the disbelieving tribe.
this pauper.' Those who meet these
conditions in their charity are rewarded by
their Master for their spending, and no fear
(264)
is upon them, meaning that they will not
O ye who believe, invalidate not your
fear the chastisement, since those who
charity by beholdenness and annoyance,...
dispense in this way are pure in all their
Trying to put the asker under a sense of
deeds; or it means that no fear is upon them

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obligation, and causing the asker some
annoyance, both cause the invalidation of
charity in terms of reward. Such charity has
no reward, for it is invalid and not
popularly counted as good and beautiful but
as ugly and offensive.
...like he who dispenses his wealth in show
for the people and does not believe in
Allah and the last day.... Whoso cancels
out his charity with either of these vices, is
like he who dispenses his wealth in show
for the people, that they praise him. Such a
person has no faith calling him to dispense
for the sake of his Master, or for the
rewards of the hereafter.
...What he is like is a smooth stone,... Such
a disbeliever is like a smooth stone
(safwạn) from which no goodness can be
hoped, as nothing will grow upon it.
...on it a dust;... It is covered by a dust,
which makes people think that it is earth
from which plants will grow.
...then a storm afflicts it, so it abandons it
lifeless...The charity he gives is like the
rain: when it descends on suitable earth it
causes goodness and plants; but when it
descends on a dust-covered rock the dust
disappears and its solidness and inability to
provision any life become apparent. Yes,
such is the disbeliever whom people
suppose to be a good-doer; when he gives
in charity for show the deviated reality of
himself becomes clear for the people. Thus
his charity—which of itself leads to
goodness and mercy—discloses the
disbeliever's real condition, which is
offensive. From the other point of view, his
charity leads to the wrath of Allah upon
him more than before, and so it takes away
those of his previous deeds that he
supposed were good for him.
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...They have no power over anything of
what they earned.... Their earlier good
deeds are removed by charity for show just
as rain removes dust—it cannot be returned
and collected once more.
...And Allah guides not the disbelieving
tribe. They are ungraced by the special
grace of guidance, and the reason is that
through their rejection after knowing the
truth, they have brought themselves so low
that they are incapable of being guided.
And what those who dispense their wealth
reaching out for the contentment of Allah
and in affixing their spirits are like is a
garden in terraces; a storm afflicts it and
then it brings out its edibles twofold. And if
no storm afflicts it, then a drizzle. And
Allah is an observer of what ye do.
(265)
And what those who dispense their wealth
reaching out for the contentment of
Allah… In contrast to those who dispense
in ostentation, are those who give of their
wealth in seeking or ‘reaching out for’
(ibtighạ.a) the satisfaction of Allah,
glorified be He, and in self affirmation:
…and in affixing their spirits… ‘Affixing
their spirits' is given for tathbịtan min
anfusihim; it means that it is their own
hearts that prompt them to do the beautiful
deed, unlike the show-off whose motive in
giving charity is the opinion of the people.
Thus the phrase ‘their spirits’ is in direct
contrast to the previous portent's ‘in show
for the people.'
… are like is a garden in terraces;…
Those who give sincerely in this way are
like a raised garden on high, thriving for
the people and close to the benefits of air,
127 | P a g e April 3, 2011
sun and rainfall.
… a storm afflicts it and then it brings out
its edibles twofold…. The believer too is
closer to goodness, so that when he
dispenses, his charity is like rainfall on a
garden that leads to the abundance of its
crop and the flourishing of its trees.
...And if no storm afflicts it, then a
drizzle.... Even if no heavy rain comes to it,
then the lightest of rainfalls is sufficient for
it to flourish and give a good crop.
...And Allah is an observer of what ye do.
He recompenses all our deeds, whether they
are for show or sincerely for Him.
After giving these metaphors for the giving
of charity, both on the part of the believer
and of the disbeliever, the Most High now
gives a metaphor for the believer who gives
charity and then annuls it by seeking to
cultivate gratitude:
Would one of ye like to have a garden of
date-palms and grapes with rivers flowing
beneath them, his therein all kinds of
produce, and oldage afflicts him and he has
feeble offspring, and a whirlwind bearing
fire strikes it, so that it is incinerated?
Just so does Allah clarify for ye the
portents; that ye might reflect.
(266)
Imagine having extensive orchards with
rivers flowing beneath the trees, all
producing the most fertile produce, but
with offspring who are feeble and unable to
earn their food and clothing. Then, in old
age, the orchards are struck by a fire-
bearing cyclone, so that they are all burned
to the ground. Would any man like such a
thing? Certainly not! Old age is the time
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when one's needs are most critical, so who
could be happy at fire destroying the most
valuable thing he owns? One who
dispenses motivated by faith is like the
owner of the garden, when after that he
annoys the asker or seeks to make him
beholden, it is like the fire that destroys the
garden at the time it is most needed. For
man is most in need of his goodness in the
hereafter, and when he stoops to make a
person feel beholden he remains empty-
handed.
...Just so does Allah clarify for ye the
portents;... Just as Allah explains the issue
of charity through metaphors and stirring
the noble desires, in the same way He
explains and clarifies all His portents.
...that ye might reflect.' And if we reflect,
we might go straight upon the road that is
straight.
O ye who believe! Dispense of the
wholesomenesses ye have earned, and of
that We brought out for ye from the earth.
And do not intend to dispense from the
vile, when ye take it not save that ye squint
at it.
And know that Allah is rich, lauded.
(267)
O ye who believe! Dispense of the
wholesomenesses ye have earned,…
‘Dispense' here, as throughout, means
dispense in the way of Allah.
‘Wholesomenesses’ is given for al-
tayyibạt; meaning the good things that are
wholesome in content, in that they are
lawful, and in form, in that they are
pleasant.
...and of that We brought out for ye from
the earth.... We are to dispense from our
April 3, 2011
earnings and profits, and from our harvests.
We are not to give charity from usury, for
example, or to give brackish water, or
inferior fruits.
...And do not intend to dispense from the
vile, when ye are not takers of it save that
ye squint at it. It means that we should not
be giving things in charity that we
ourselves find repugnant, for when we find
things repugnant we only take them after
closing our eyes to their repugnance.
...And know that Allah is rich,... He is in
no need of our charity, and accepts only the
pure and the goodly.
...lauded. Allah is lauded (ĥamịd), meaning
that He deserves all praise for His
blessings; and a part of such praise is that
people give good things for His sake and in
His path, for when a person wishes to
honour someone, he gives him the best he
can, and does not give him what is foul and
inferior.
The devil promises ye poverty, and orders
ye to the obscene, while Allah promises ye
forgiveness from Him and profusion; and
Allah is expansive, knowing.
(268)
When a person wills to give charity in the
path of Allah, the devil comes and frightens
him with poverty, and suggests to him that
he give charity from the inferior and
unwholesome, which is a type of obscenity
(faĥshạ.). Or the meaning is that he
commands to the obscene in general. Allah,
on the other hand, promises forgiveness on
account of charity and the other good
deeds, and restores whatever is spent in
charity. He is encompassing, and can easily
replace it. And He is knowing of whatever
is donated, and recompenses it, good for
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good and bad for bad.
Indeed such dispensing in the way of Allah,
pure of ostentation, annoyance and
imposing the sense of being beholden, is a
form of wisdom, which is the placing of
things in the place most suitable for them.
And:
He gives the wisdom to whom He wills,
and whoso is given the wisdom is certainly
given much goodness; and none bear it in
mind but the protégés of intellect.
(269)
He gives the wisdom to whom He wills,...
Allah, glorified be He, gives the wisdom to
whom He wills, meaning those having the
capacity for it after their grasping the Law.
...and he who is given the wisdom is
indeed given much goodness;... For what
is better for a man than being able to
arrange the affairs of his world and his
hereafter by holding to the commands of
Allah, glorified be He, and ascending on
the straight path that leads to felicity in
both lives.
...and none bear it in mind but the owners
of the mind. ‘Owners of the mind’ is given
for uwli ‘l-albạb. It means that only the
rational, those under the influence and
direction of the mind take this matter to
heart and understand it, for it is the rational
alone who follow what benefits them and
leave aside what harms them.
And whatever expenditure ye dispense, and
whatever vow ye vow—indeed Allah
knows it; and the wrongful have no
succourers.
April 3, 2011

(270)
Whatever is given in charity, whether a
little or a lot, and whatever is made
obligatory on a person by his vowing to
Allah that he will do it—Allah knows about
it and will give full recompense in return
for it, and so it leads to a person being
treated generously.
...and the wrongful have no succourers.
Those who are wrongful to themselves by
being miserly and denying the obligatory
charity and by breaking their vows, or by
mixing their charity with ostentation,
annoyance and fostering indebtedness, have
no helpers, no champions to deliver them
from the punishment of Allah. glorified be
He.
If ye manifest your charities, then it is well;
and if ye hide it and give it to the poor, then
that is better for ye and atones for your
evilnesses. And Allah of what ye do is
informed.
giving charity to non-Muslims, and so the
portent came down:
Not upon thee is their guidance; rather
Allah guides whom He wills.
And what goodness ye dispense—it is for
yourselves, while ye dispense not save in
reaching out for the face of Allah.
And what goodness ye dispense grows unto
ye; and ye will not wronged.
(272)
The address is to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
He was under no obligation that they be
guided, rather his was but to offer the
guidance and deliver the message.
...rather Allah guides whom He wills….
He guides to the straight road whom He
wills, by indicating the path, or by
delivering them to the goal.

(271) ...And what goodness ye dispense—it is for

yourselves,... The benefit of such good
deeds returns to those who do them, in the
To give charity openly, for the sake of
world and in the hereafter.
Allah rather than for show, is very good, as
it takes away bad feeling and sets an
...while ye dispense not save in reaching
example for the people. On the other hand,
out for the face of Allah…. What is better
to give charity to the poor in secret is
than spending in the path of one's Creator,
better, since it is nearer to sincerity and
Blesser and Benefactor?
further from ostentation, and gives better
protection to the feelings of the recipients.
...And what goodness ye dispense grows
unto ye;... That is, its recompense and
Such charity given in secret leads to
reward return.
forgiveness, as it assuages the wrath of the
Master. Allah is aware of all that is done
...and ye will not be wronged. The reward
and recompenses everything; so there is no
of all good deeds is returned in full, with no
fear of Him not knowing about charity
shortcoming. So the charity is for
given in secret.
yourselves, and the reward returns to
yourselves, and it is reckoned as being in
Some of the Muslims would refrain from
the path of Allah. How good it is that a

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person can give something, have the benefit
return to him, then be rewarded for it in the
hereafter, and by it please Allah, glorified
be He!
Having clarified the virtue of charity, He
follows it up by explaining the best way of-
dispensing it, glorified be He, in His word:
For the poor who are confined in Allah’s
path and are unable to go about the earth—
the ignorant considers them rich from their
abstinence; thou recognise them by their
mark, they ask not of the people
importunately. And what goodness ye
dispense—indeed Allah of it is knowing.
(273)
This portent came down about the
‘companions of the shed' (asĥạb al-siffah)
who left everything for the sake of Islam,
and confined themselves to worship and the
struggle under Allah's Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
House. They were unable to go about the
earth as they denied this to themselves, the
better to serve Islam. Their inability,
therefore, was a matter of choice, not of
compulsion.
...the ignorant considers them rich from
their abstinence;... Those who were
unaware of their real condition thought
them rich, since they abstained from asking
charity.
...thou recognise them by their mark,... It
means that their true condition of poverty
was to be recognised from the portents of
poverty evident in their condition and their
faces.
...they ask people not importunately.... It
means that they do not ask people as that
would be importunate, as is the case with
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many of the poor. It does not mean that
they ask without being importunate.
...And what goodness ye dispense... The
term ‘goodness' (khayr) covers everything
that is good: a house, land, a gold coin, a
silver coin, and so on.
...—indeed Allah of it. is knowing.
Nothing escapes Him, and He gives a
beautiful recompense for it all.
Those who dispense their wealth by night
and by day, secretly and publicly – theirs is
their wage alongside their Master, and no
fear is upon and nor do they sorrow.
(274)
Those who dispense their wealth by night
and by day, secretly and publicly–… Those
who give charity at night, secretly and
openly, and those who give by day, secretly
and openly:
…theirs is their wage alongside their
Master,… They will certainly be rewarded
by their Master, glorified be He. The
relevance of this is universal, yet the
portent was sent down with regard to Imam
‘Ali, bliss be upon him, for once, having
four dirhams, he gave two by day, one
secretly and one openly, and two by night,
again secretly and openly; and so the
portent was sent down.
…and no fear is upon and nor do they
sorrow. The meaning of ‘no fear is upon
them and nor do they sorrow' has been
given.
As these portents are about-dispensing in
the way of Allah, glorified be He, so here is
an appropriate place for mention of usury
(ribạ), for it is the opposite of charity, in
that it is the taking of other people's
131 | P a g e April 3, 2011
property without any good deed, whereas
charity is to give people one's property
without it being earned or derived through
trade:
Those who eat usury stand not save as one
stands up whom the devil has brought low
by touching. That is because they say,
‘Trade is as usury!' And Allah has
permitted trade and He has banned usury.
He to whom comes an admonishment from
his Master and so desists—what has passed
is his, and his affair is unto Allah.
And whoso returns—those are the
companions of the fire, they are in it
eternal.
(275)
Those who eat usury… ‘Eat’ (akl) denotes
the taking of usury, even if it is not
consumed. One whom the devil has
touched goes into a fit—his condition
changes, his eyes roll about, he loses his
balance and he foams at the mouth; when
with what little reason he has left he
decides to stand, unsteadily he can hardly
get to his feet before falling over again. Just
so is he who consumes usury to the extent
that it becomes his habit: in his actions for
devouring the property of others he is most
like one the devil has brought low, though
he wishes to stand. His thought is deviated
like the thought of one who is prostrate, his
eyes roam about looking at people's
property like one in a fit, he is so intent on
deviated wealth that he foams at the mouth.
When he wishes to raise himself from the
dust and stand up and leave aside the taking
of usury, quickly he falls back into usury,
for it is his habit and fleecing the people of
their wealth is his fundamental
characteristic. This is an awesome and
terrifying simile. And such people are in
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this exact same condition on the day of
resurrection, for it is narrated from Imam
Sadiq, bliss be upon him, from the
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and upon his House, that on his
ascension he saw a people one of
whomwanted to stand but was unable on
account of the huge size of his belly. He
asked Jibrạ.ịl who they were, and Jibrạ.ịl
said that they were ‘those who consume
usury’.
… stand not save as one stands up whom
the devil has brought low by touching….
And it is scientifically established that evil
spirits enter a person and cause him to have
fits.
...That is because they say, ‘Trade is as
usury!’… Their addiction to usury arises
from their maintaining that there is nothing
wrong with usury, and that it is just like
trade, in that both usury and trade depend
on the consent of the two parties. Yet they
are quite wrong, and their logic is false, as,
in the word of the Most High:
...And Allah has permitted trade and He
has banned usury…. Trade is beneficial
and Allah has permitted it, while usury is
forbidden on account of its harm. It is
sufficient for us to point out a single
instance of its harm: that he who takes the
loan at interest is either driven by need to
borrow, like illness and suchlike that
compel a person to borrow at interest, in
which case how awful it is that a person
takes advantage of his brother in such
circumstances when it is appropriate for
him to help and assist him; or he takes a
loan for trade, and this means one of three
things: first, the borrower makes a loss;
second, he makes neither profit nor loss—
and in these two circumstances it is awful
that the lender gain an increase when the
worker himself either makes no profit or
132 | P a g e April 3, 2011
makes a loss. And third, that he makes
some profit—and Islam has legislated
(276)
partnership transactions in which the
Allah annihilates usury,… Allah, glorified
provider of capital shares the profit with the
be He, annihilates usury: He breaks it, He
worker, according to how well the venture
erodes it, He destroys it. Let not the usurer
fares.
think that his usury leads to an increase of
his wealth, rather it leads to his loss and his
...So he to whom comes an admonishment
destruction. Usury makes the people angry
from his Master... It means the command
with the usurer, inviting war and
not to take interest.
confiscation from the people, leading to the
loss of his capital and his profits.
...and so desists... It means he stops taking
the interest and repents.
…and He augments charity;… Allah,
glorified be He, augments charity: even
...—what has passed is his,... Those who
though charity causes the loss of a part of
take interest unknowingly or without
one's wealth, yet it fosters and encourages
knowing that it is forbidden, or before
popular affection, unity and cooperation
Islam, maykeep it as it is not demanded
with the donor, leading to an increase in his
back from them.
wealth. And beyond this is the annihilation
and growth that are above the natural as
...and his affair is unto Allah. It means that
willed by Allah, glorified be He, with no
it is between him and Allah, glorified be
ordinary mediation.
He, and he is not answerable to the people,
so that one who has paid him interest may
...and Allah loves no extreme disbeliever,
not demand the return of what he has paid
sinner. ‘Extreme disbeliever' is put for
him. Or it means that his affair of
kaffạr, the superlative of kạfir, disbeliever.
repentance is between him and Allah,
The line shows that those who take usury
glorified be He.
are extremely disbelieving sinners.
...And whoso returns... It means whoso
Indeed those who believe and do the
returns to usury and the taking of interest
virtuous deeds and establish the prayer and
after its prohibition in Islam.
pay the zakạt—theirs is their wage
alongside their Master; and no fear is upon
...—those are the companions of the fire,
them and nor do they sorrow.
they are in it eternal. They will remain in
the fire forever, unless Allah's mercy
encompasses them, just as He says, ‘Indeed (277)
Allah does not forgive that you set up
partners with Him, but He forgives other Those who believe in the principles of faith
than that for whom He wills.' and do the virtuous works, in that they
perform the obligations and refrain from
Allah annihilates usury, and He augments the prohibitions, and in particular they
charity; and Allah loves no extreme perform the prayer and pay the zakạt—
disbeliever, sinner.
…their wage is alongside their Master;
and no fear is upon them and nor do they

MIA 133 | P a g e April 3, 2011

sorrow. The meaning of this has been The Islamic punishment for a usurer is that
given. he be disciplined (ta.dịb) in the first two
instances, and on the third he is executed,
O ye who believe! Be guardful of Allah and as narrated from Imam Sạdiq, bliss be upon
leave aside what remains of the usury, if ye him.
be believers.
...and if ye return,... It means if you repent,
and stop taking interest.
(278)
...then yours is your principal wealth,... It
O ye who believe! Be guardful of Allah
means that they may keep their principal
and leave aside what remains of the
wealth, but must not keep the profit they
usury,... That is, ‘O believers! Be guardful
have gathered through interest. The portent
of Allah and fear His punishments, and
does not imply that if they do not repent
leave off the usury ye sought before Islam.’
they do not keep their principal capital;
It is stated by Imam Bạqir, bliss be upon
rather the meaning is that they have their
him, that Walịd b. Mughairah was a usurer
principal and so they must not transgress
during the pre-Islamic period of ignorance,
for their usurious increase.
and when he died he was owed outstanding
debts. His son Khạlid b. Walịd sought them
...unwronging and unwronged. They are
after he had become Muslim, and so the
unwronging in that they do not wrong the
ạyah was sent down.
people by taking interest from them, and
they are unwronged in that their principal
...if ye be believers. That is, if your belief in
capital is not touched.
Islam is true, for the believer is one who
implements the commands and refrains
And if he is holder of difficulties, then a
from the prohibitions.
remission until in ease; and if ye give
charity, it would be better for ye, if ye
And if ye do it not, then be informed of war
knew.
from Allah and His Messenger; and if ye
return, then yours is your principal wealth,
unwronging and unwronged. (280)
And if he is holder of difficulties,... When
(279) the person who owes the debt of a principal
sum is in difficulties, and so he is unable to
And if ye do it not, then be informed of
repay the principal sum
war from Allah and His Messenger;...
Those who refrain from acting in
...then a remission until in ease;... then he
accordance with the prohibition and carry
is to be given leave to pay until his
on taking interest, must realise that they are
difficulties are over and he is in ease. The
engaged in warfare with Allah and His
phrase is informative, but has the effect of a
Messenger. Thus the taking of interest is
command.
shown to be one with the declaring of war
against Allah and His Messenger. It is one
...and if ye give in charity... It means by
of the worst crimes; its consequence is loss
letting off his debt and donating it to him in
in terms of one's world and one's religion.

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charity.
...it would be better for ye,... In the world it
would lead to affection and good fortune
from Allah, glorified be He, and in the
hereafter to the most generous rewards.
...if ye knew. Those who know good from
bad and are able to distinguish between
what benefits them from what harms them,
would know that to gift the loan of one in
difficulties is better for themselves.
And be guardful of a day in which ye return
to Allah; thereupon every spirit will receive
in full what it has earned, and they are not
wronged.
justice – and no writer should refuse to
write as Allah has taught him.
And he upon whom is the obligation should
dictate, and he should be guardful of Allah,
his Master, and he should not lessen
anything of it.
So if he who bears the duty is foolish or
feeble or is unable to dictate, then his
guardian should dictate in justice.
And call two witnesses of your men to
witness; and if there are not two men, then
one man and two women of those of the
witnesses with whom ye are content, so that
it not be that one of the two errs.

Then let one of the two remind the other.

(281)
And the witnesses are not to refuse once
And be guardful of a day in which ye
they are summoned.
return to Allah;... It means that we are not
to take interest and not to take from those
And be not averse to writing it, a little or a
unable to pay, rather we are to give it to
lot, until its term.
them in charity. Doing what is forbidden
leads to punishment while giving charity
That is fairer alongside Allah and more
leads to a beautiful reward. The meaning of
upright for witnessing, and nearer that ye
‘return to Allah' is the return to His
not doubt.
authority, His command, His judgement
and His requital.
Unless it be ready merchandise ye circulate
among ye, then there is no stain upon ye
...thereupon every spirit will receive in full
that ye write it not.
what it has earned,... On that day everyone
will receive the full recompense of his
And have witnesses when ye make
actions, good or bad.
transactions.
...and they are not wronged. Neither will
And the writer is not harmed and nor the
anything be taken from their reward, and
witness; and if ye do it then it is a
nor will they be punished more than what
perversity for ye.
they deserve.
And be guardful of Allah. And Allah
O ye who believe! Whenever ye make debt
teaches ye; and Allah is of all things
transactions with a debt for a stated term,
knowing.
write it.

And a writer should write between ye in

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 of clothing, when it is for one.
(282)
...So if he who bears the duty is foolish or
O ye who believe! Whenever ye make debt
feeble or is unable to dictate, then his
transactions with a debt for a stated term,
guardian should dictate in justice.... When
write it... When making debt arrangements
a person is too foolish or too weak, through
between themselves for a defined term,
insanity, old-age, youth and suchlike, to
defined at the time the transaction was
dictate, or is unable to dictate without being
made, like someone lending someone
weak, like one who is dumb, then it is for
something for a year, say, or selling it to
the debtor's guardian to dictate on his
him with six months credit, Muslims are to
behalf, and he must do it evenly and justly
have the amount and the term written up in
without going to any extremes.
a document, so as to prevent any
forgetfulness, evasion or breach.
...And call two witnesses of your men to
witness;... They are to witness the
...And a writer should write between ye in
document, so as to be of benefit in any
justice... He who writes the contract is to
conflict or litigation should there be a
do so in justice, without any change to the
dispute. Perhaps the condition of ‘your
amount, the term or the description.
men' is intended to exclude disbelievers.
...– and no writer should refuse to write as
...and if there are not two men,... They
Allah has taught him.,... He should not be
may be absent or they may be unwilling to
mean-spirited but should content to write a
serve as witnesses.
contract when asked. It is a duty placed on
him by Allah, glorified be He, in return for
...then one man and two women of those
His granting him literacy and knowledge.
of the witnesses with whom ye are
content,... It means that one man and two
...And he upon whom is the obligation
women must serve as witnesses, from
should dictate,... It means that he who is to
amongst those who are trustworthy and
be the debtor should dictate. This is for him
reliable, for otherwise their testimony is not
to be sure in himself, for one thing, and that
acceptable should a dispute arise. The
no increase be made on the amount for
reason that two women take the place of
another, as when the debtor dictates it is
one man is that their memories are weaker
less likely that an addition be made to the
than that of men, as established in the study
amount.
of narrations (‘ilm al–hadịth), for
forgetfulness comes to them in a way it
...and he should be guardful of Allah his
does not come to men. This is confirmed in
Master,... The writer, or the debtor, is to be
His word:
guardful of Allah. He is his Master; how
then could he break His commands?
...so that it not be that one of the two
errs..... If one of the women errs by making
...and he should not lessen anything of
a mistake or through forgetfulness, the
it.... The writer, or the debtor, must not
other is there to remind her.
state less than the actual amount. Stating
less is clear on the part of the writer; on the
...Then let one of the two remind the
part of the debtor it means saying that the
other.... This seems to be an independent
money he owes, for example, is for two sets

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sentence, meaning ‘if one errs so let the
second remind the first.' Or it could be an
answer to the former phrase [in which case
‘so that it not be', would need to be
translated as ‘so if']. But the former seems
closer.
...And the witnesses are not to refuse once
they are summoned.... It means that those
who are summoned to witness should not
refuse; they are termed as being witnesses
as a courtesy.
...And be not averse to writing it, a little or
a lot,... This is addressed to all the parties
to the transaction, calling them not to
dislike the writing down of all the details,
whether it requires a lengthy document or a
short one. In this last is a point of discipline
for those who fail to record small
transactions due to a sense that they are
unimportant, for many disputes take place
over small things.
...until its term.... It means until the end of
the term of the loan, or credit transaction. It
shows that the document remains until the
end of the term, giving benefit throughout.
Or it means that the document must state
the exact length of the term of the loan.
...That is fairer alongside Allah... It means
that the practice of recording loan and
credit transactions is nearer to fairness and
justice, for fairness does not admit of
degrees.
...and more upright for witnessing,... It is
more upright in the sense that such
witnessing gives security against damage.
...and nearer that ye not doubt.... Such
documents clarify the amount and the term;
this is what Allahwants and He does
notwant us to be in doubt. And all of this is
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true of every occasion, with an exception:
...Unless it be ready merchandise ye
circulate among ye, then there is no stain
upon ye that ye write it not.... If the
transaction is a cash transaction as opposed
to a credit transaction, like most of the
deals that are done in the markets, there is
no harm if it goes unrecorded. ‘Circulate
among ye' means that the item and its price
go back and forth between them. The
reason there is no need to record such
transactions is because recording gives
security, and in cash transactions security is
not necessary.
...And have witnesses when ye make
transactions.... It is desirable for one who
wishes to trade to have a witness, for many
transactions end up in dispute, and where
there is a witness there is less way for such
disputes. The portent is literally general, yet
it is reckoned that it does not mean to
include the daily, petty transactions, as that
has not been the case since the time of the
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and upon his House.
...And the writer is not harmed and nor
the witness;... They are not to be compelled
to serve these functions when to do so is
difficult for them, as is customary today
with governments obliging people to
witness and testify though it cause them
great distress and hardship, leading people
to abstain from recording their deals and
from having them witnessed.
...and if ye do it then it is a perversity for
ye..... It is outside the rule of Allah,
glorified be He, and it is the fault of those
who caused them harm.
...And be guardful of Allah.... Be wary as
regards His commands and prohibitions.
April 3, 2011
...And Allah teaches ye... He teaches man
his best interests, and it is for him to follow
them.
...and Allah is of all things knowing. He
knows but we do not know, and how fitting
it is that the ignorant follow the wise.
It was said by ‘Ali b. Ibrạhịm [Shaikh
Sadụq] that Sụrah al–Baqarah has five
hundred-rules; and in this noble portent
alone are fifteen rules. As admitted in the
study of narrations, this portent is a most
amazing portent, in the book of
transactions.
And if ye are on a journey and ye find no
writer, then a pledge is held.
And if some of ye trust others, then he who
is trusted should deliver his trust, and he
should be guardful of Allah, his Master.
And conceal not the testimony; and whoso
conceals it—then indeed his heart is a
sinner.
And Allah of what ye do is knowing.
(283)
And if ye are on a journey and ye find no
writer, then a pledge is held.... If while on
a journey witnesses and a writer are not to
be found, then a pledge is to be given to
take the place of a document.
...And if some of ye trust others, then he
who is trusted should deliver his trust,... If
the owner trusts the debtor, and makes him
a loan with neither document nor
something in pledge, then the debtor must
return what he has taken on trust. He must
not deny it and he must not procrastinate
and lengthen the term, but must rise to the
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intimacy accorded him.
...And he should be guardful of Allah,.. He
is witness and will requite; so if the debtor
denies his debt or delays the term or falls
short, he is preparing himself for Allah's
punishment, glorified be He.
...And conceal not the testimony; and
whoso conceals it—then indeed his heart
is a sinner;... It means that witnesses are
not to conceal their evidence, and if a
witness should conceal it, by not presenting
it or by presenting it falsely, then ‘indeed
his heart is a sin.' It is his heart that has led
him to conceal, and his tongue and his body
have obeyed it. And the sin is more
appropriately attributed to the heart as that
is where concealment takes place.
...And Allah of what ye do is knowing. He
knows the testimony that is concealed and
that which is revealed. Why, then. commit
what will make Him angry and lead to His
punishment?
Allah's is what is in the skies and what is in
the earth. And if ye manifest what is in
your hearts or ye hide it, Allah will reckon
ye for it; so He forgives whom He wills and
He chastises whom He wills.
And Allah over all things is powerful.
(284)
Allah's is what is in the skies and what is
in the earth.... Everything in the skies and
the earth belongs to Allah, glorified be He;
that which we possess is only ours with His
permission. He is the real owner, and so we
must deal with things as He has
commanded us, and not disobey the real
owner.
...And if ye manifest what is in your hearts
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or ye hide it, Allah will reckon ye for it;... (285)
All actions, words and thoughts are to be
reckoned. Or since manifesting and hiding
The Messenger believes in that sent down
are matters of the heart, the heart is
to him from his Master,... The Messenger,
reckoned and judged for them. Here there is
Muhammad, may Allah condescend upon
a conformity with manifesting and
him and upon his House, is the first of
concealing testimony.
those to believe in what was sent down to
him. And in that he differs from those
...so He forgives whom He wills and He
religious leaders and kings and judges
chastises whom He wills... He treats people
whose laws do not apply to themselves.
according to the decrees of superlative
wisdom; forgiveness and mediation are not
...and the believers; each of them believes
arbitrary, but are placed where they are
in Allah and His angels and His books
suitable.
and His Prophets... Every believer has
belief in Allah and His angels and His
...And Allah over all things is powerful.
books and His Prophets. Thus the believer
He can forgive and chastise as He wills.
does not content himself with a single facet
of Islam, as is the case elsewhere, rather the
It should not be concealed that
believers' maxim is:
chastisement for what is in the heart is not
incompatible with whatever suggests the
...—‘We distinguish not between any of
absence of punishment for one who
His Prophets.' Thus the Muslims differ
resolves on sin but does not commit it.
from the Jews, who follow neither ‘Ịsạ nor
There is no doubt that a person who
the Messenger of Islam, and from the
resolves on sin but does not commit it is
Christians, who do not follow the
further from pure lawfulness than one who
Messenger of Islam. And nor are they like
does not resolve on a sin at all; and this
those who follow part of a command but
distance is itself a type of chastisement.
not all of it.
Here the theme returns to discuss
...And they say, ‘We have heard, and we
monotheism and Prophethood, and the laws
obey!... They say they have heard the
in terms of none being charged with them
portents, the ạyạt, and the laws, and that
more than they can stand. That, and
they obey His commands. In this too they
supplications for forgiveness and pardon
differ from the Jews who said, ‘We have
which epitomise the entire sụrah:
heard, and we disobey!' And the believers
say:
The Messenger believes in that sent down
to him from his Master, and the believers;
...Thy forgiveness, our Master! And unto
each of them believes in Allah and His
Thee is the outcome.' It means: ‘We seek
angels and His books and His Prophets—
your forgiveness, O our Master, and we
‘We distinguish not between any of His
know that to You is the final return; so
Prophets.’ And they say, ‘We have heard,
forgive us, that we might be in salvation
and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Master!
that day.'
And unto Thee is the outcome.'
The rules given in this sụrah and elsewhere
are not such that they are burdensome, for

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the truth is that:
Allah charges no soul but to its expanse; it
has what it earned and against it is what it
has earned.
‘Our Master, blame us not if we forget or
err;
‘Our Master, burden us not with a load as
Thou burdened those before us;
‘Our Master, burden us not with that for
which we have no expanse;
‘Pardon us, and forgive us, and mercy us;
‘Thou are our Patron, so deliver us against
the disbelieving tribe.
(286)
Allah charges no soul but to its expanse;...
The commands and the prohibitions are
possible for us, and the religion is not
distressful. So no one should imagine that
the faith spoken of in the previous portent,
‘...and the believers; each of them believes
in Allah.... would cause hardship.
...it has what it earned and against it is
what it has earned.... It means that each
soul has the good it has earned, as he who
does good is rewarded with good. And each
soul has against it the sins and disobedience
it has earned. In this phrase there is perhaps
an indication that obedience is natural,
whereas disobedience is acquired.
Thereupon the believers direct themselves
to Allah, supplicating, requesting:
...’Our Master, blame us not if we forget
or err;... Most mistakes and instances of
forgetfulness are caused by things done
intentionally, and so it is right to be held
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accountable for them, as what is caused by
the intentional is intentional.
...‘Our Master, burden us not with a load
as Thou burdened those before us;;...’ It is
true that some of the obligations lead to
difficulty and a sense of weight, and so the
believer asks Allah to avert such burdens
from him. And some previous peoples were
deservedly burdened after their unyielding
obstinacy, as we saw in the account of the
Israelites' cow, and as He says in His word,
‘So for injustice by those Judaised, We
forbade them wholesomenesses that had
been lawful for them.' (al-Nisạ.u ‘The
Women’ [4]; 161).
The believers' prayer continues:
...’Our Master, burden us not with that for
which we have no expanse;... It means
things we are able to do, but with difficulty.
Otherwise, how can Allah charge us with
what is impossible for us?
...’Pardon us, and forgive us and mercy
us;... It means pardon us our sins, and
forgive our mistakes by concealing them.
...’Thou are our Patron, so succour us
against the disbelieving tribe.’ That is:
deliver us from them and make us above
them in power, in the same way that we are
above them in reason and argument.-
Sụrah Ạl ‘Imran
(3)
‘The House of ‘Imran'
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Sent down at Madịna, its ayat, or portents,
200
The sürah owes its name to its containing
the term al `Imran, meaning ‘the House of
`Imran', who was the father of the Prophets
Müsa and Harün, bliss be upon them.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate,
the Merciful.
The commentary on this was given at the
beginning of Sürah Ĥamd.
Alif; lam; mịm;
(1)
What is likely to be the meaning of this has
been given.
Allah! There is no god but He, the Alive, the
Maintainer:
(2)
He has no partner; He is alive and never
dies, though life for Him is different from
what life is for us. In us life is not a
condition of our essence, but is an attribute
established in us; whereas life in Him,
glorified be He, is essential to His essence.
…the Maintainer' It is put for al–Qayyüm,
meaning that He is in charge of every soul
and what it earns, and of all things.
He sent down to thee the book in truth
confirming what is before it, and He sent
down the Torah and the Gospel
(3)
The address is to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
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`The book' is the holy Quran. It is revealed
in truth, though some things may be sent
down in falsehood. The Torah (al-tawrat)
was sent down to Müsa, bliss be upon him,
and the Gospel (al-injịl) to ‘Ịsa, bliss be
upon him.
Beforehand, as guidance for the people, and
He sent down the Criterion. Indeed those
who disbelieve in the portents of Allah—
theirs is a severe chastisement, and Allah is
grand, a holder of revenge.
(4)
Beforehand... That is, before the Quran was
sent down. All three books were sent down:
...as guidance for the people,... guiding
them from the darknesses to the light, from
falsehood to the truth, and from error to
rectitude.
...the Criterion... It is given for al-furqan,
which is the means of distinguishing truth
from falsehood, and it comprises the
previous books and also everything else that
Allah sent down upon His Prophets.
…Indeed those who disbelieve in the
portents of Allah... The portents of Allah are
the evidences and proofs of Himself.
...—theirs is a severe chastisement. They
are chastised in the world through disorder
and turmoil and difficulties, as he says in
His word, `Whoever turns from My
remembrance, so Indeed his is a
straightened life.' And in the hereafter they
are punished.
...and Allah is grand, a holder of revenge.
He is able to do whatever He wills, and shall
take revenge on those who deny Him and
disobey Him.
April 3, 2011
Indeed Allah—not a thing in the earth and
nor in the sky is hidden from Him.
(5)
The implication is that the disobedient
should not imagine that he is hidden from
Allah, glorified be He. For He knows every
item of existence, even the whisperings of
the heart, of which He is the best informed.
He it is who shapes ye in the wombs how He
wills; there is no god but He, the Grand, the
Wise.
(6)
He it is who shapes us and forms us while
we are in the wombs of our mothers, making
us masculine or feminine, attractive or ugly,
short or tall, and so on. How then can
anything be hidden from Him, when He
performs such precise works in such a
secluded place?
...there is no god but He,... He alone is the
god of all existence, and its creator.
...the Grand, the Wise. He is grand in His
authority; and He is wise, doing nothing
arbitrarily, but doing all He does in wisdom.
He it is who sent down the book upon thee –
of it are clear verses, they are the mother of
the book, and others are ambiguous. So as
for those in whose hearts is a swerving, they
follow what is ambiguous of it, reaching for
tribulation and reaching for its primary-
interpretation. And none knows its primary-
interpretation except Allah and those firmly
rooted in knowledge, saying, `We believe in
it; it is all from our Master!' And none recall
but the owners of the mind.
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(7)
The address is to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
and the book sent down upon him was the
Quran.
...of it are clear verses,...Some of the
Quran's verses are clear and unambiguous;
their meaning is clear to anyone familiar
with Arabic, such as the verse `Say, He is
Allah, One.'
...they are the mother of the book,...It is the
clear and unambiguous verses that are the
`mother' of the Quran, in the sense that they
are its basis and point of referral in case of
doubt, controversy or dispute.
...and others are ambiguous.' An
ambiguous (mutashabih) verse is one that
seems to offer two meanings, or a meaning
that is beyond the understanding of all the
people. These verses are a test to distinguish
the believers from the hypocrites, or to bring
a delicate matter closer to the understanding
of those who do not perceive the higher
realities, such as in the case of many of the
verses concerning the Divine attributes. An
example is the verse `Looking to their
Master,' by which it is intended to say that
the believers are looking to the mercy of
their Master. Or like His word, `Then He
directed Himself to the sky.' Or it may be
that the topic is precise and beyond the
power of some minds, like the verses
concerning the devil and the jinn. Or it may
be that it is used for a literary consideration,
like `they forgot Allah and so Allah forgets
them.' Such ambiguities are entirely
necessary in lofty discourse, as is clear from
the least reflection.
So as for those in whose hearts is a
swerving,...`Swerving' is put for zaigh.
meaning an inclination away from truth, a
April 3, 2011
deviation, due either to ignorance or to
obstinacy.
...so they follow what is ambiguous of it,...
They follow the opposite of the intended
meaning, interpreting the ambiguity to fit
with their ambitions and desires. Examples
are many: the person who maintains a body
for Allah uses the verse `looking to their
Master'; the pre-destinationist uses the line
`he whom Allah deviates has no guide'; the
person who claims that the Prophets sinned
uses the verse, `and Adam disobeyed his
Master, so he strayed'; he who says Islam is
solely for the Arabs uses the verse `Indeed it
is a reminder for you and for your people;'
and so on.
...reaching for intrigue...It means that their
intention is to deviate the people.
...and reaching for its interpretation.... It
means that they do that so as to be able to
use their interpretation to support the claim,
theory or intrigue that accords to their heart.
…And none knows its interpretation...The
word `interpretation' is given for ta-wịl,
meaning the point to which one returns, and
at which one's quest ends, in seeking the
meaning. For example, the apparant or
superficial meaning of `looking towards
their Master' is that they are looking at
Allah, yet the line is interpreted or `returned'
to the meaning that they are looking towards
the mercy of Allah, His grace and His
rewards. Similarly, there is a common
saying: `I look at a man's reason, for that is
what carries him.' Here, it is not looking
withthe eyes that is meant.
...except Allah... He knows the original
intentions of His speech.
...and those firmly rooted in knowledge,...It
means those with learning and knowledge of
the styles of speech and of the rulings of
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reason and the Law. And there is nothing
novel about this, for just as the laws of
engineering are known only to those who
have studied engineering, so the styles of the
Arabic language are known to those who
have studied that language.
...saying, ‘We believe in it;... This is said by
those rooted in knowledge. They believe in
the ambiguous just as they believe in the
clear.
...it is all from our Master!' When the
meaning is not immediately apparent for
them, they do not deny it and they do not
draw from it any incoherencies. Rather they
draw on the distinctions of learning in order
to interpret it, and they understand the
ambiguous correctly. The ignorant, by
contrast, protest at the ambiguity in the first
place, and in the second place they interpret
it according to their desires.
...And none recall but the owners of the
mind. It is the judicious, those used to
applying their reason, who refer the
ambiguous to the clear, and to the evidences
of reason and authority (naql).
It is recorded in ĥadịth that `those rooted in
knowledge' are the Messenger and the
Imams, bliss be upon them. It is clear that
they are the most outstanding examples of
those rooted in knowledge, and that is what
the report means, not that it is they alone to
the exclusion of all others who are rooted in
knowledge.
Our Master! Swerve not our hearts after Thy
guiding us, and bestow us from Thy
presence mercy; Indeed Thou are the
Bestower!
(8)
Our Master! Swerve not our hearts... This
is the prayer of those rooted in knowledge,
April 3, 2011
when they take refuge with Allah. The
deviation of the hearts is attributed to Allah
in the sense that it is He who has made ready
the means for His servants to be tested;
therefore a person's departure from the true
path and the cutting from him of grace, so
that he becomes prey to the devil, is all
amongst the works of Allah, glorified be He.
In the same way, it is sometimes said that
`the king corrupts the community' meaning
not that he has worked for their corruption,
but rather that he has been lax and has left
them to become corrupt. It must be stated,
however, that there is a clear difference
between Allah, glorified be He, and a king
for his nation. Allah created the world as a
place of trial and test, and therefore it was
in the very nature of things that He create
the two means so that the obedient
become clear from the disobedient. A king,
on the other hand, has no right to corrupt a
nation, even by leaving them to do as they
will; rather he is to command them to
rectitude and reform. In the same way,
Allah the Most High piles His bounties upon
the gardens of paradise, and does not
noticeably punish people in the world; yet
this is not permissible for a king, as the king
must have criminals arrested for trial, and
must ensure that they are punished.
Now, however firmly rooted in knowledge a
person may be, still he can slip as Bal'am
slipped, as he says, glorified be He: `Like the
example of he to whom We gave Our
portents, so he withdrew from them and
then the devil followed him, so he became
among the deviated.' Thus those firmly
rooted in knowledge call upon their Master,
glorified be He, that He not cut them off
from His special grace, and not leave them
for the devil to play with them as he wills.
...after Thy guiding us,...That is, after His
guiding them to His religion.
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...and bestow us from Thy presence
mercy;...It means the mercy of being firm in
His religion and His obedience.
...Indeed Thou are the Bestower!' It means
that His gifts are many, for whom He wills
and of what He wills. `The Bestower' is put
for al-wahhab, meaning one who is
superlative in giving.
Our Master, Indeed Thou are the Gatherer of
the people for a day in which there is no
doubt. Indeed Allah does not break the
promise.
(9)
Allah, glorified be He, will assemble all the
people on the day of resurrection. The
rational and wise have no doubt about that
day, even though it is doubted by the people
who are without knowledge and awareness.
The explanation is given at the beginning of
Sürah al-Baqarah.
…Indeed Allah does not break the promise.
His promise is that delivered by His
Prophets and is the glad tidings of the day of
resurrection. Those rooted are saying `So do
not swerve our hearts so that on that day we
be rejected.' Or their expression in
acknowledgement of the resurrection is so
that they combine the virtues of
acknowledging the Origin and the Return.
Indeed those who disbelieve—their wealth
shall not enrich them against Allah a thing,
and nor shall their sons. And those are the
fuel of the fire.
(10)
Indeed those who disbelieve...It means those
in whose hearts is a swerving so that they
follow the ambiguous, as well as the other
disbelievers.
April 3, 2011
...—their wealth shall not enrich them, and
nor shall their sons,... They shall not be
able to use their wealth to ransom
themselves as they would in the world. And
nor will their sons be any use to them,
...against Allah a thing. It means against
His chastisement and His anger.
And those are the fuel of the fire.' On the
day of resurrection their bodies will be fuel
for the fire, just as wood and so forth is fuel
for fires in the world.
Like the custom of the House of Pharoah,
and those before them: they called Our
portents false, so Allah took them for their
sins. And Allah is severe in retribution.
(11)
The custom of those disbelievers in calling
The Messenger and what he received false,
was as the custom of the Pharoah's people,
in their calling the Prophets false. And it
was the same as the custom of the previous
communities of disbelievers, all of whom
belied their Prophets.
...so Allah took them for their sins.... It
means that He punished them, because of
their sinning and their disobedience.
...And Allah is severe in retribution. His
punishments are not like the punishments of
people, for as He says, glorified be He:
`Fire; its canopy encloses them. If they ask
for showers, they will be showered with the
like of molten lead that burns the faces.'
Say to those who disbelieve: `Ye shall be
overcome and gathered unto hell, and
atrocious is the refuge.'
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(12)
The address is to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
He was to tell the disbelievers:
Ye shall be overcome...They were soon to
be overcome, either in the world with the
victory of Islam, as happened after their
lands were conquered, or in the hereafter:
...and gathered unto hell,... This refers to
the day of resurrection. If their being
ovecome was not to happen in the world,
then they were soon to be defeated by the
command of Allah and the angel of death
was to take their souls. Then they were to be
gathered into hell on the day of resurrection.
... and atrocious is the refuge.' An evil
place to await anyone, especially as they
have prepared it for themselves.
Having explained that the disbelievers will
soon be overcome, Allah now gives a
concrete example of this from the story of
Badr, where the Muslims were three-
hundred and thirteen and the disbelievers
were a thousand. The Muslims were hardly
armed at all, whereas the disbelievers were
superbly equipped. Nevertheless, the
Muslims were victorious against them, with
the deliverance of Allah, glorified be He.
There surely was a portent for ye in the two
bands that met, a band fighting in the way of
Allah and another disbelieving; they saw
them as twice their like, with the sight of the
eye! And Allah assists with His succour
whom He wills. Indeed in that is a monition
for the owners of vision.
(13)
The address, in the plural, is to the Muslims,
or to the disbelievers. In the meeting of the
two companies at Badr was a portent of the
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Prophet's legitimacy and that Allah would
deliver him and defeat the disbelievers. The
company that fought in the way of Allah
were the Muslims, while the other were the
polytheists who had come from Makka.
With their eyes and not due to their
imaginations the Muslims saw the
disbelievers as twice their own number,
though they were in fact many more than
that. Nevertheless, the Muslims were
victorious, and perhaps the point to be made
is that the Muslims fought and won despite
knowing their enemy to be far stronger than
them. That proves that Allah brought to
them His deliverence, otherwise a force that
knows the enemy to be far superior in
numbers normally crumbles before the
enemy's might and is defeated. On the line
`with the sight of the eye!' there are other
views, and they are given in the
commentaries.
…And Allah assists with His succour
whom He wills. Therefore differences in
numbers and equipment cannot harm them.
…Indeed in that is a monition,... In the
victory of the Muslims over the disbelievers,
despite their being out-numbered by three to
one, is a `monition' for all. `Monition' is put
for `ibrah, meaning a warningful lesson or
example, that carries a person from
ignorance and heedlessness to knowledge
and mindfulness.
...for the owners of vision. This means those
who use their minds. It does not refer to
vision of the eye, but to vision of the heart
or mind.
Here the question arises of what made the
disbelievers turn away from the truth,after
having seen it so clearly. So now comes the
answer that they were diverted by the beauty
of the world and its wealth, as put by the
Imam, bliss be upon him: `The world was
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sweet to their eyes, and its embellishments
delighted them.'
Adorned for the people is the love of
desires, of women and sons and piled heaps
of gold and silver and the branded horses
and the livestock and the tilth. That is the
enjoyment of the world, and Allah—
alongside Him is the beautiful return.
(14)
A person's love for the world's attractions
and pleasures means that the world becomes
beautiful for them, so that they seek only its
pleasures even those that are forbidden.
`Love of desires' means love of the objects
of desire:
...of women and sons...Sons for obedience
and protection, even at the cost of the
religion.
...and piled heaps of gold and silver...In
love of wealth a man disobeys Allah in how
he gathers it and by not giving the dues from
it that he should.
...and the branded horses... It means the
top-quality means of conveyance, for it was
only the best horses that were branded.
...and the livestock... It means grazing
animals: camels, cattle and sheep.
...and the tilth…. It means agricultural land.
People love all of these forms of wealth.
…That is the enjoyment of the world,... The
things mentioned are all pleasurable in the
world, but give no benefit in the hereafter
save when used in the path of Allah,
according to how it is best given.
...and Allah—alongside Him is the
beautiful return. The final return of
everyone to a beautiful situation is
April 3, 2011
dependent upon Allah, glorified be He, and
so it is necessary for man to be disciplined
with regard to the world's pleasures so as not
to embrace anything forbidden, in the hope
of Allah's reward and His everlasting
blessings. Man must not let the world's
pleasures divert him from the truth to
falsehood, and from rectitude to error.
Say: `Shall I announce to ye of better than
that for those who are guardful: alongside
their Master are gardens, rivers flowing
beneath them, eternal in them, and purified
spouses, and contentment from Allah; and
Allah is an observer of the servants.
(15)
Say…The Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
was to say to the people for whom the world
had become attractive:
…'Shall I inform ye of better than that for
those who are guardful:...Those of the
people who are guardful of the prohibitions
and act according to Allah's commands,
glorified be He, have better than those
objects of desire; namely:
...alongside their Master... It means in the
hereafter.
...are gardens, rivers flowing beneath
them,...The rivers flow beneath the trees and
shrubs of the gardens.
...eternal in them,... They live therein
forever, unceasing and unchanging.
...and purified spouses,...It means women
who are free of physical impurities, like
menstruation, and of inner impurity, like bad
character, spite and malice. Moreover,
greater than all this:
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...and contentment from Allah;... Allah is
satisfied and pleased with them, and when a
person knows this it is his greatest personal
blessing, just as when a subject knows that
his king is pleased with him.
...and Allah is an observer of the servants.' He is aware of all their
deeds, and He will recompense them according to what they do.
Allah then describes `those who are
guardful', whom He promises these rewards,
in His word:
Those who say: `Our Master! Indeed we
believe, so forgive us our sins and guard us
from the chastisement of the fire.'
(16)
Those who say: ‘Our Master! Indeed we
believe,... It means they confirm Allah and
His Prophet and all He has commanded and
promised.
...so forgive us our sins... They ask that He
overlook the mistakes they commit.
...and guard us from the chastisement of the fire.' That they not
be among its inhabitants.
The restrainers, the truthful, the subservient,
the dispensers, the seekers of forgiveness at
pre-dawn.
(17)
These are other descriptions of `those who
are guardful.' They are patient in times of
difficulty and in obedience and before
disobedience. They are sincere in their
intentions, words and deeds. They are
submissive and obedient. They spend their
wealth in the way of Allah, glorified be He.
And they seek forgiveness during the pre-
dawn period (sahr) at the end of the night.
After this mention of the characteristics of
those who are guardful and who act for
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Allah, glorified be He, it is fitting for the
theme to point out some of the attributes of
the Creator, honoured be His name:
Allah testifies that there is no god but Him –
as do the angels and the owners of
knowledge – standing up justice; there is no
god but Him, the Grand, the Wise.
(18)
Allah testifies that there is no god but
Him... Allah's testifying is verbal and real.
To testify is to express a matter in language,
and Allah the Most High has expressed His
oneness and His other attributes by that
which is stronger, firmer and superior to
language: by constructing the creation every
bit of which testifies to His attributes, as the
poet has said, `In everything is a portent of
Him,....proving that He is one.' The creation
of the skies and the earth testify to His
oneness in that were there within them a god
other than Allah, they would certainly be in
disorder; and the absence of such disorder
proves the oneness, as established in `ilm al-
kalam.
...—as do the angels and the owners of
knowledge... The angels testify in word and
deed to His oneness, and those of knowledge
testify, but not everyone who claims to have
knowledge, rather whoever regards
existence in contemplation has no choice but
to concede the oneness.
...—standing up justice;... It means that all
He does, glorified be He, is in justice. His
creating, His managing, His legislating, all
is in justice. The meaning of justice (`adl) is
to be straight, as opposed to injustice (żulm)
which is to be crooked and deviated. So, for
example, He justly sets the sun in the sky,
where it shines and maintains the solar
system, and the absence of this would be
injustice and deviation. In the same way is
His managing things so that one person
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becomes rich and another poor, one a leader
and one a follower, in justice; and what
deviations are witnessed in this are due not
to His managing but to the evils of human
choice. In the same way, His legislating that
prayer be obligatory and wine be forbidden
are in justice.
It is said that a king was once asked the
reason for his justice. He replied that there
were several reasons; among them, that one
day in the desert he saw a dog break the leg
of a gazelle; soon after that a man threw a
rock at the dog and its leg broke; a few
moments later a horse came and kicked the
man, and broke his leg; then the horse
stumbled and its leg broke. From that he
learned that the end result of injustice is
disastrous.
Now, if a person does not know the best and
the just in some matters, it is not for him to
protest, for he is ignorant about many things.
Otherwise he would be like a man who
protests about the appearance of a medicine
prescribed by a doctor, though he know
nothing about medicine.
‘Standing' is the literal meaning of the
original qa-im, conveying the subtle point
that he who is standing witnesses what he
who is sitting remains unaware of.
...there is no god but Him,...The repetition
is for emphasis, as prior to Islam the world
was stuck in the mire of polytheism; then
Islam came and clarified monotheism and
revived the teachings of the Prophets and
their guidances concerning the Origin,
glorified be He.
...the Grand, the Wise. He is grand in His
authority, wise in His actions.
Now, having established the divine oneness
and justice that are central to the religion
April 3, 2011
that Allah, glorified be He, sent down for the
servants:
Indeed the religion alongside Allah is Islam;
and those given the book differed about it
only after the knowledge had come to them,
in resentment among themselves. And
whoso disbelieves in Allah's portents –
Indeed Allah is swift in the reckoning.
(19)
Indeed the religion alongside Allah is
Islam;... The religion is the path that secures
felicity for man in the world and the
hereafter. Alongside or in the sight of Allah
this religion is Islam, however much for
those other than Him it may be Judaism or
Christianity or whatever. Allah the Most
High has sent only Islam, and Islam is the
religion of all the Prophets, for it is to
submit the road of one's action to Allah,
glorified be He, who created existence and
knows best that regular system which, when
followed, leads a person to live in happiness
and die praised. And we have already
explained that the differences between the
religions of divine origin are matters of
conditions and circumstances, not of
substance and principles.
...and those given the book differed about
it...Some of them differed with others, and
all of them differed with the Muslims.
...only after the knowledge had come to
them,...They knew the right from the wrong,
and the truth from the falsehood, and yet
they differed.
...wronging among themselves.' That which
led them to differ was envy: the Jews would
not submit to ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him,
because of their jealousy, and nor would the
Christians accept to believe in The
Messenger of Islam, may Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House, again out of
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jealousy. It is as He says, `Or is that
mankind are jealous due to that which Allah
gives them of His bounty?'
…And whoso disbelieves in Allah's
portents... He who believes not in Allah's
portents should not imagine that he is in
profit and can enjoy the world forever, for
he loses both his world and his hereafter.
For:
...—Indeed Allah is swift in the reckoning.
He reckons with the disbelievers in the
world with a variety of misfortunes and
disasters, as He says `Whoever turns from
My remembrance—Indeed his is a
straightened life.' And in the hereafter they
face the account of their disbelief and
sinning. And the hereafter is extremely
close, as it said: `He whom the dart misses
today, it will not miss tomorrow.'
So if they dispute thee, say: `I have
submitted my face to Allah, and those who
follow me.' And say to those granted the
book and to the maternals: `Have ye
submitted?' So if they submit, then they are
certainly guided. And if they turn back, –
upon thee is but to deliver. And Allah is an
observer of the servants.
(20)
So if they dispute thee,...The verse is
addressed to the Prophet. If they disputed
with him concerning monotheism after the
clarification of the proofs, he was to say:
…say: I have submitted my face to Allah...
That is, he had submitted himself entirely to
Allah, glorified be He, and worshipped only
Him and set up beside Him no partner. The
term `submitting one's face' is used to denote
total submission, as he who submits his face
submits his heart and all his limbs.
April 3, 2011
...and those who follow me.' That is, his
followers too had submitted entirely to
Allah, glorified be He, and maintained no
partners for Him.
And say to those granted the book... It
means those with a heavenly book: the Jews,
Christians and Zoroastrians.
...and to the maternals:... ‘Maternals' ones
is put for ummiyịn, from umm, meaning
‘mother'. It means the polytheists who had
no book, and they were called ummiyịn
either on account of their ignorance, having
learned no more than they learned on the
laps of their mothers, or on account of their
being the people of Makka, the `mother of
cities'.
…'Have ye submitted?'...He was to ask
them if they too had sincerely submitted
their faces to Allah alone, and was not to
carry on arguing with them once the proofs
had been fully submitted.
...So if they submit,...That is, if they submit
and accept Islam.
...then they are certainly guided. And if
they turn back – upon thee but to deliver...
If they accept Islam they are guided to the
truth and to the straight path. If not, the
Prophet's duty was to present Islam and
deliver the message; he was not to compel
them against turning away if that was their
choice.
...And Allah is an observer of the servants.
Nothing they do escapes Him, and He will
requite them for their disbelief, just as He
requites and rewards in return for faith and
obedience.
Thereupon the theme turns in order to
console the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
by explaining how the book-folk of old
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disbelieved in Allah and killed the Prophets,
so that his opponents' opposition and denials
of him not dishearten him.
Those who disbelieve in Allah's portents and
kill the Prophets without right, and kill those
of the people who bid to justice—so give
them tidings of a painful chastisement.
(21)
Those who disbelieve in Allah's portents...
It means those who reject them after they are
clearly explained and they have understood
them, and known them to be true.
...and kill the Prophets without right,... It is
never rightful to kill a Prophet; the clause
`without right' is to show that in the same
way as they had no justification for killing
the Prophets, those facing the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and upon
his House, had no claim to justification.
...and kill those of the people who bid to
justice...When empowered the unjust and
the astray normally resort to killing those
who call on them to desist and be just.
...—so give them glad tidings of a painful
chastisement.' `Glad tidings' (bisharah) is
here used in mockery. Or it is used to hint at
the opposite, like in the word `Whoever
transgresses against you, transgress against
him just as he transgressed against you;' for
the believer has the glad tidings of the
reward, while the disbeliever has the `glad
tidings' of the punishments.
Those are they whose deeds are for nothing
in the world and the hereafter, and they have
no succourers.
(22)
Any good deeds they do in the world will go
for nothing and be cancelled out, for
150 | P a g e April 3, 2011
everybody does some good deed at some
time in their lives. The disbeliever who is at
war with the Muslims is not saved by any
good he has done; or the good deeds that
avert disaster and calamity do not benefit the
disbeliever in this way. And in the hereafter
their good deeds do not benefit them in
terms of reward, as He says, `And We
proceed to the deeds they have done, and so
We make them like scattered specks.'
...and they have no succourers. There is
none to rescue them from the chastisement
of Allah, glorified be He.
Have thou not regarded those who were
granted a portion of the book? They were
called to the book of Allah that it judge
between them. Thereupon a division of them
turned back, and they are turners away.
(23)
Have thou not regarded those who were
granted a portion of the book?... The
address is to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
`regarded' conveying the sense of a benefit
in knowledge. `Portion of the book' shows
that what they had was some of the book, for
through their alterations and distortions they
had lost some of it, as He says, glorified be
He, `They forget a part of that which they
were reminded.'
...They were called to the book of Allah that
it judge between them.... It was the
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House, who summoned them
to the book that it judge between them, as to
whether The Messenger was true or not, for
there was then in the Torah and the Gospel
the description of him, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House.
So he called them to let their book be the
judge of this matter, but they would not
accept.
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Thereupon a division of them turned back,
and and they are turners away. They turned
away from the judgement of the book. It was
a group of them that turned away as some of
them became Muslims after the proofs were
fully presented to them, like `Abd Allah b.
Salam and others. The rest of them were
averse to the truth and to their book.
Some narrations state that the verse came
down over an issue of fornication between a
Jew and Jewess of Madịna. The ruling on
this from the Torah was stoning, and they
referred to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
in the hope that he would give a different
verdict. The Messenger judged between
them in accordance to the Torah, and they
disliked that.
That is because they say, `The fire will not
touch us but for numbered days!' And what
they have forged has deceived them in their
religion.
(24)
Their turning away from their book and the
commands of Allah, glorified be He, was
because they believed the lie they had
fabricated, that, even if they were
disbelievers and sinners, the fire of hell
would not touch them save for a limited
number of days. Seven days or forty days is
what they believed, and they saw no point to
giving up the desires and leadership for the
sake of such a paltry punishment. And so in
the matter of their religion they were
deceived by what they had forged.
So how, when We gather them for a day
about which there is no doubt, and every
spirit is fully met for what it has earned, and
they are not wronged?
April 3, 2011
(25)
So how,...It means `what will be their
condition?'
...when We gather them for a day... It
means the day of resurrection.
...about which there is no doubt, and every
soul is fully met for what it has earned,...It
means that every person will be requited for
his deeds in exact measure, with no
shortfalls.
...and they are not wronged? On the
contrary, they will be precisely requited
according to their deeds.
Here the theme turns to the dominion over
all things belonging to Allah, so that the
book-folk were better not being jealous of
The Messenger and the Muslims and the
strength, power, dignity and honour they had
been given. In some reports is is said tha the
verse came down after The Messenger had
given the glad tidings to the Muslims that
they would conquer the empires of Rome
and Persia, which led the disbelievers to
mock, saying how could it be that such
people could overcome those two powerful
states.
Say: O Allah! Owner of the dominion! Thou
grant the dominion to whom Thou will, and
Thou divest the dominion from whom Thou
will. And Thou give dignity to whom Thou
will, and Thou abase whom Thou will. In
Thy hand is the good; Indeed Thou over all
things are powerful.
(26)
Say: O Allah! Owner of the dominion! …
It means: O Allah! O Owner of the
dominion! All things are Thours, alone;
Thou have no partner; any owner other than
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Thou is owner in name only, and his
ownership is relative and subjective.
Thou grant the dominion to whom Thou
will, and Thou divest the dominion from
whom Thou will…. This is true of dominion
in the sense of kingship, and dominion in the
sense of ownership of a thing like a house or
lands.
…And Thou give dignity to whom Thou
will,... This too is true of apparent dignity, or
the inner dignity of faith and obedience.
…and Thou abase whom Thou will. In Thy
hand is the good;... It means that He,
glorified be He, is the source and provider of
all goodness, according to His will and His
wisdom.
...Indeed Thou are over all things
powerful.' It is in His power to grant and to
deny, to raise and to debase.
Thou thrust the night into the day, and Thou
thrust the day into the night; and Thou bring
the alive out of the dead, and Thou bring the
dead out of the alive; and Thou sustain
whom Thou will without measure.
(27)
Thou thrust the night into the day,...The
night takes the place of the day, as the days
shorten and the nights grow longer. Or it
refers to the coming of the night and the
departure of the day. `Thrust' is put for ịlaj,
meaning to make (something) enter
(something else). Its use is metonymical, in
that the day and night do not really enter
into each other.
...and Thou thrust the day into the night;...
The same two likelihoods apply equally
here.
April 3, 2011
...and Thou bring the alive out of the
dead,... Living plants are brought out of
dead seeds and dead earth, or as a living
baby is brought out alive from the womb of
the mother who has died.
and Thou bring the dead out of the alive;...
Dead seeds are brought out of living plants;
lifeless eggs are brought out of a hen; the
dead infant is brought from the living
mother when it dies in the womb. The
`penetrative explanation' (ta-wịl) is the
bringing our of a believer from a disbeliever,
and the bringing out of a disbeliever from a
believer.
...and Thou sustain whom Thou will
without measure.' It means that He sustains
His creatures and servants unstintingly,
generously. Or it means without measure
from the recipient, as alongside Him,
glorified be He, everything has its measure.
Now that it has been established that total
dominion is Allah's, glorified be He, and
that dignity and abasement are from Him,
therefore:
The believers should not take the
disbelievers as friends, instead of the
believers; and whoever does that, he has not
from Allah in any thing—unless ye are
guarding against them in caution. And Allah
warns ye of Himself. And unto Allah is the
outcome.
(28)
The believers should not take the
disbelievers as friends, instead of the
believers;... The believer is not to befriend
the disbeliever with the idea that this will
benefit him on account of the disbeliever
having some ownership or authority, or
supposing that friendship with him will lead
to honour and dignity for the believer. The
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believer is to make friends with the believer,
and is to take the disbeliever as an enemy.
...and whoever does that, he has not from
Allah a thing...Whoever takes the
disbeliever as a friend, has no stature, no
value before Allah, glorified be He.
...—unless ye are guarding against them in
caution.... It means the practice of taqiyyah.
...And Allah warns you of Himself.... It
means that to befriend the disbeliever brings
down Allah's punishment upon oneself.
...And unto Allah is the outcome.' He who
disobeys Him is requited with the fire and
the chastisement.
Say: `Whether you hide what is in your
breasts or you manifest it, Allah knows it.
And He knows what is in the skies and what
is in the earth; and Allah over all things is
powerful.'
(29)
Even if a person hides his friendship for the
disbeliever and keeps it in his heart without
manifesting it to the people, Allah is aware
of it nevertheless. After all, `He knows what
is in the skies and what is in the earth;' how,
then, can he not know what is in a person's
heart?
....and Allah over all things is powerful.
Allah is aware of the sentiments of the heart
and capable of punishing; it is appropriate
for the Muslim not to take a disbeliever as a
friend or a believer as an enemy, therefore,
even in his heart, as Allah is aware of what
is in his heart and able to punish him for it.
And remember, O people:
The day every spirit finds what good it has
done presented, and what evil it has done; it
153 | P a g e April 3, 2011
wishes if only there was between itself and
that a distant gap. And Allah warns ye of
Himself; and Allah is kindly to the servants.
(30)
The day every spirit finds what good it has
done presented, and what evil it has
done;... It means that on the resurrection day
everyone will find his deeds present, as He
says, `And they find present what they have
done.' The meaning of deeds being present
is that the account of them and their reward
or punishment is present. Or it means that
deeds will become physically materialised
and embodied, as some maintain.
...it wishes if only there was between itself
and that a distant gap…. The guilty soul
wishes there was an intervening distance
between itself and its evil deeds made
present. `A distant gap' (amadan ba'ịdan) is a
metaphor.
And Allah warns you of Himself;... We
should fear His punishments and be guardful
of Him.
...and Allah is kindly to the servants. An
instance of His kindness and mercy towards
them is His warning about disobedience, so
that none be taken without warning by the
evil consequences of their deeds.
Say: `If ye are fond of Allah, then follow
me, Allah will be fond of ye and forgive ye
your sins. And Allah is forgiving, merciful.'
(31)
The address is to The Messenger of Islam,
Alah's peace and blessings be his and his
kin's. He was to say to the Muslims, or to
the book-folk, that were their love of Allah
real and genuine, and they were sincere in
their claim, then they should follow him in
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his commands and his prohibitions, for then
Allah would love them.
In other words, Allah loves only those who
follow His Prophet in what he commands
and what he forbids. Otherwise, the mere
claim to love Allah with no objective proof
is of no benefit to the claimant whatsoever.
And Allah would forgive them their sins, as
he who goes upright and follows The
Messenger is forgiven his sins, and his evils
are annulled, as Allah is forgiving and
merciful to His servants.
Say: Obey Allah and the Prophet; so if they
turn back, so Indeed Allah loves not the
disbelievers.
(32)
Obedience to Allah, glorified be He, is
obedience to the Prophet. This obedience is
mentioned seperately to convey the
importance of the issue, and to show the
stratification of the obedience. It is as He
says, `So Indeed a fifth of it is for Allah and
for the Prophet' when the fifth that is due to
Allah is for the Prophet. Perhaps the
seperate mention of Allah and The
Messenger is to convey the unity of such
obedience, and that obedience to them is a
single obedience; so that it is like saying
`obey the learned ones', not like saying,
`obey a learned man or obey your father.'
...so if they turn back, so Indeed Allah
loves not the disbelievers. If they turn away
and refuse to be obedient, then as for those
disbelievers who disavow the commands of
Allah or the commands of the Prophet, Allah
loves them not. And the meaning of Allah's
not loving is not merely the absence of love,
that could co-exist with an absence of
loathing, but rather His dislike for them is an
objective hatred and disgust.
April 3, 2011
As the discussion has been about the unity
of the religion, and it being Islam, and as it
has protested against the disbelievers, and
then finally mentioned the criterion for true
love of Allah, glorified be He, it is
appropriate that the theme now mention
some of those Allah chose as equal leaders
of the single religion that has arrived at the
Muslims, as they should know of them and
value them:
Indeed Allah chose Ạdam and Nüh and the
House of Ibrahịm and the House of `Imran
over the worlds.
(33)
Chose' is given for istifa; here it means that
He chose them for His message and His
inspiration and made them guiding Prophets.
The `House' (al) of Ibrahịm means the
Prophets who were among his descendents:
Isma'ịl, Ishaq, Ya'qüb, Yüsuf, ‘Ịsa and
Muhammad, may Allah incline towards
them all. The House of `Imran means Müsa
and Harün, bliss be upon them. These
Prophets are given particular mention as
Ạdam, firstly, was the father of mankind;
and as Nüh and the House of Ibrahịm
includes Ibrahịm—for the House of a person
includes that person himself; and the House
of `Imran included the Prophets having
determination (awli `l-'azm) whose
dispensions were for the whole world.
Offspring, some of them from others; and
Allah is hearing, knowing.
(34)
Offspring… It is given here for zurriyah.
Nüĥ and the House of Ibrahịm and the
House of `Imran were offspring, each
succeeding his predecessor, in applying the
message, supporting the religion, and
guiding the people. In these lines of descent,
whoever left the religion of his fathers was
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not counted as among their offspring, as He
says in His word, `O Nüh, Indeed he is not
of your family.'
...and Allah is hearing, knowing. Allah
hears the offspring's speech, and is aware of
the contents of their hearts, their minds, their
consciences, as well as of their actions, and
thus He chose them over all others. All of
these Prophets had a single set of particular
characteristics that they inherited from their
grandfather, Ạdam, bliss be upon him,
which qualified them to bear the single
mission that is Islam.
The mood is now set for mentioning the
mother of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon them, and how
chaste and pure she was, so that she
qualified to have that great Prophet entrusted
to her. So recount, O Prophet of Islam:
When a woman of `Imran said, `My Master,
Indeed I vow to Thee what is in my belly in
dedication; so accept from me, Indeed Thou
are the Hearing, the Knowing.'
(35)
The woman of `Imran's House was Hannah,
grandmother of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him,
through his mother. She vowed to Allah that
she would give her child over in service to
the Masjid. At the time she made her vow
she was pregnant and therefore unaware that
the child was female. `In dedication' is given
for muharraran; it means being unoccupied
by worldly works and constantly free to
serve the House of Allah, glorified be He.
Such was the condition of the heart of
Maryam's mother: so flourishing with faith
in Allah that the thing she valued most
highly she gave to Allah, in service to
Allah's servants.
...so accept from me, Indeed Thou are the
Hearing, the Knowing.' With these words
she concluded her prayer, asking the Master
April 3, 2011
to accept her vow, and restating her faith in
His having heard her supplication, and His
being aware of her sincerity.
So when she gave birth to it she said, `My
Master! Indeed I have given birth to it
female!'
And Allah knew better what she delivered,
and the male is not like the female.
‘And Indeed I call her Maryam, and Indeed I
commend her and her offspring to Thy
protection from the forsaken devil.'
(36)
So when she gave birth to it she said, `My
Master! Indeed I have given birth to it
female!'... When Hannah gave birth to her
child her expectations were dashed, as she
gave birth to a daughter. In her despair and
piety she prayed that the child she had borne
was a female, and not suitable for service at
the Masjid.
And Allah knew better what she delivered, and the male is not like
the female.... And Allah knew the gender of her child better than
she did, for He knew it was female before she delivered, while she
knew not. And the male is not like the female, as the male can be
put to service without there being any problem about his
attendance in the masjid's crowded places of worship, whereas it
is not appropriate for the female to mix with men, and it is not
appropriate for her to be in the masjid during her female habit.
Then she said:
And Indeed I call her Maryam,...In her
language the name meant a female servant.
...and Indeed I commend her and her seed
to Thy protection... It means that she
entrusted her daughter and her daughter's
offspring to the care and protection of Allah.
...from the bombarded devil. The devil is stoned (rajịm) with
curses and cut off from all goodness.
So her Master accepted her with a beautiful
acceptance, and gave her to grow up with a
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lovely growth, and charged her to
Zakariya—whenever he entered upon her in
the chamber he found provision alongside
her. Said he, `O Maryam, how do you get
this?'
It is from alongside Allah,' she said. `Indeed
Allah sustains whom He wills without
measure.'
(37)
So her Master accepted her with a
beautiful acceptance,... Despite Maryam's
femininity, Allah the Most High accepted
her, and His acceptance of her was most
lovely indeed, for He decreed felicity for her
and gave her to mother ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon
him.
...and gave her to grow up with a lovely
growth,... That is, He made her upbringing
such that she became distinguished in
virtues and manners and chastity and purity.
And He ensured that she was entrusted to
Zakariya. He was the husband of Hannah's
sister and a Prophet of Allah, glorified be
He. Maryam's mother brought the child to
the masjid and entrusted her to the
dignitaries in charge. They disagreed about
who was to take charge of her, and so they
cast lots and the lot that was drawn was that
bearing the name of Zakariya. So in her
childhood years Maryam served the masjid,
and when she reached her maturity she
withdrew from them in her own raised
chamber that was built for her within the
masjid by Zakariya, which could only be
reached by a special ladder. Each day
Zakariya would bring her needs to her, and
it was amongst the wonders of her affair
that:
…whenever he entered upon her in the
chamber... `Chamber' is given for mihrab,
literally meaning `a place of war;' it shows
April 3, 2011
that Maryam's room was a place where her
spirit fought the devil.
...he found provision alongside her.... Fruits
out of season.
...Said he, ‘O Maryam, how do you get
this?' It was natural for Zakariya to ask this
question.
...It is from alongside Allah,' she said....
Maryam explained that the fruits were sent
down to her by Allah, glorified be He, from
the garden as a special generosity towards
her.
…'Indeed Allah sustains whom He wills
without a reckoning.' It means unstintingly,
or without the measure of the sustained.
Thereupon Zakariya supplicated his Master,
saying: `O Master! Grant me from Thy
presence sound offspring; Indeed Thou are
hearing of the supplication.'
(38)
Thereupon Zakariya supplicated his
Master,... Having witnessed Allah's
generosity to Maryam and His extraordinary
sending fruits to her, Zakariya was
encouraged to pray for something
extraordinary for himself, for he was old and
his wife was barren and he dispaired of
having children. So he prayed and sought
something of a miracle:
…'O Master! Grant me from Your
presence pleasant offspring; Indeed Thou
are hearing of the supplication.' `Presence'
is given for ladun, which has a similar
meaning to `ind, which in this work is
translated as `alongside' or `by.' Both terms
are a way of indicating a very special grace.
`Sound' (tayyib) here means `virtuous.'
Zakariya sought for himself a virtuous child.
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So the angels called to him while he was
standing praying in the chamber: `Indeed
Allah gives thee the glad tidings of Yahya,
confirming a word from Allah, a lord,
chaste, and a Prophet from among the
virtuous.
(39)
So the angels called to him while he was
standing praying in the chamber:...
Zakariya was standing at prayer in the
`chamber,' meaning either the masjid itself
or a special prayer-station within it.
`Chamber' is put for mihrab, literally a place
of war; here, the war is between the heart
and the devils, who wish to divert man
towards the world, while the purpose of the
masjid is for man to direct himself to the
hereafter. Zakariya was standing at prayer
when the angels called out to him with good
news of a son called Yahya:
...`Indeed Allah gives thee the glad tidings
of Yahya, confirming a word from Allah,...
The Most High thus named him before he
was born, while he was confirmation `of a
word from Allah.' The meaning of `word,'
here, is ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, who is called
`the word of Allah' for the reason that Allah
`breathed' him into Maryam, like a word is
blown in that it is carried by the breath.
...a lord,... Yahya was to have leadership
and nobility.
...chaste,... He was to be chaste in the sense
that he kept himself from the pleasures, or
from women in particular, meaning that he
was an ascetic, bliss be upon him. His being
commended for being chaste in this sense is
not incongruous with the Law's encouraging
marriage, as his chastity was on account of
special reasons.
...and a Prophet from among the virtuous.'
In contrast to the other Prophets Yahya was
April 3, 2011
of a people amongst whom there was no
corruption.
Said he, `My Master! How can there be a
son for me, when old-age has reached me
and my woman is barren?'
He said, `Just so! Allah does what He wills!'
(40)
Having received the tidings, Zakariya sought
clarification of whether the child would
come to the two of them just as they were,
or whether their condition would be changed
in some way. And so he asked Allah how he
could have a son when he was old and his
wife barren. The angel replied that it would
be done just as they were, old and barren,
and that Allah is able to do whatever he
wills.
Said he, `My Master, place some portent for
me!'
He said, `Thy portent is that you shall not
speak to the people for three days, save by
portents. And remember your Master much,
and glorify at the evening and the dawn.'
(41)
Zakariya, bliss be upon him, supplicated
Allah and requested a portent in order for
him to know when the pregnancy would
happen in order for his gratitude and
happiness to increase; or the portent was for
him to know that his prayer had been
granted and for his heart to be secure about
it, and that he learn of it in a practical,
sensory way after learning about it verbally.
In reply he was told by the angel, or Allah
told him by creating a voice in the
atmosphere, that he would be unable to
speak to people for three days—whenever
he tried to talk to people his tongue would
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simply not respond, and all he would be able
to do was make portents with his hands and
his head. At the same time, he was to
continue praising and glorifying Allah, for
here his tongue would carry on as normal.
And in particular he was to glorify and
announce the purity of Allah at the end and
the beginning of each day.
Thereupon the theme returns to the
remainder of the account of Maryam, bliss
be upon her, since the account of Zakariya,
bliss be upon him, was an interjection at an
appropriate place:
And, when the angels said, `O Maryam,
Indeed Allah has chosen thee and purified
thee and chosen thee above the women of
the worlds.
(42)
It means `And recount, O Prophet, when the
angels told Maryam that Allah had chosen
her to worship Him and to obey Him and to
be a recepticle for His Prophet. And that He
had purified her of sins and of material
uncleaniness and of the woman's monthly
habit. And furthermore, that He had chosen
her ‘above the women of the worlds.' The
repetition of her being chosen is for
emphasis, and for the informative `above the
women of the worlds.' It means that she was
not chosen to be one of a special group, but
that she was chosen to be above all the other
women of her time and her worlds.
Therefore she was not above all other
women of all worlds and of all times; that
honour belonged to Fatimah, bliss be upon
her, who indeed was the absolutely chosen
above all other women. It has been
explained that such phrases mean the
contemporary worlds, not all worlds; just as
when it is said, for example, that a particular
government is the strongest of all
governments—what is meant is that it is the
158 | P a g e April 3, 2011
strongest government of the age, not that it
is the strongest government that has ever
been or ever will be.
‘O Maryam, supplicate for your Master and
prostrate and bow with the bowers.'
(43)
Be devoted' is given for uqtụnị, meaning to
be humble and full of concentration in
worship. `Those who bow' means those who
bow for Allah, glorified be He.
That is among the announcements of the
unseen that We inspire upon thee. Thou
were not alongside them when they threw
their pens as to which of them would be
charged with Maryam. And thou were not
alongside them when they disputed.
(44)
That...It means the story given here of
Maryam, Zakariya and Yahya.
...is among the announcements of the
unseen,... Everything that is beyond the
senses is part of the unseen.
...that We inspire upon thee. The story was
revealed upon The Messenger as proof that
he was among the Prophets, for when a
person knows such things without being
present and not learning them by the route of
history and transmission, then hs knowledge
is miraculous and above the ordinary.
You,,,' The address is to the Prophet.
...Thou were not alongside them...It means
the religious leaders who were
contemporary to Maryam.
...when they threw their pens...These were
their special pens with which they copied
the Torah.
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...as to which of them would be charged
with Maryam. And thou were not alongside
them when they disputed. When `Imran's
wife brought Maryam to the masjid the
religious dignitaries there disputed over who
should be charged with her, for she was the
daughter of their religious leader. Zakariya
maintained that he had the most right, as he
was married to her aunt. The others objected
saying that had it been a question of
ordinary rights like that, then the mother
who gave birth to her had the most right.
Instead, they decided to throw lots, and so
they went off to the bank of a flowing river
or stream. There were nineteen of them,
Zakariya included. So they all cast their pens
into the water, and the pen of Zakariya came
to the top and floated, while the other pens
all sank to the bottom. And so Zakariya was
chosen.
When the angels said, `O Maryam, Indeed
Allah gives thee tidings of a word from
Him; His name is the Masịh, ‘Ịsa son of
Maryam, a presence in the world and the
hereafter, and among those brought near.
(45)
When the angels said,... It means: And
recount, O Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
when the angels said to Maryam, bliss be
upon her:
O Maryam, Indeed Allah gives thee tidings
of a word from Him;...It means a son who
was a word of Allah cast into her, that was
to come out of her in the form of ‘Ịsa the
Masịh, bliss be upon him.
His name is the Masịh, ‘Ịsa son of
Maryam,...It is said that he was called al-
Masịh on account of how he anointed the
earth with all his travelling about it. And it is
said in theology (al-kalam) that his mother
April 3, 2011
refuted the accusations against her by saying
that he was Allah's son. And he was,
...a presence in the world and the
hereafter,... `Presence is given for wajịh; it
means that he was the holder of honour,
status and rank.
...and among those brought near.' He is among those brought
near to Allah the Most High in honour and rank, not in time and
space.
And he shall speak with the people in the
cradle and in full maturity, and is of the
virtuous.'
(46)
And he shall speak with the people in the
cradle... ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, was to
speak to people from the cradle, long before
children are able to speak. `Cradle' is put for
mahd, meaning a special place for settling a
baby, made out of wood or iron and cloth.
... and in full maturity... And he was to
speak to them in full maturity, according to
the inspiration he received. `Full maturity' is
given for kahl, which is the period between
youth and old-age. Perhaps the intent was to
show that he would live to that age.
...and of the virtuous.' He was to be among
those who are good and upright, and empty
of corruption.
She said, `My Master! How can there be a
son for me, when no person has touched
me?'
He said, `Just so! Allah creates what He
wills; when He consummates an affair He
but says, `Be!' and it is.
(47)
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She said, `My Master! How can there be a
son for me, when no person has touched
me?'... On hearing the astonishing news,
Maryam asked how it could be that she
could bear a son, when no man had come
near her, for she had not married.
...He said, `Just so! Allah creates what He
wills;... The angel replied that that was
exactly how she would give birth, without
the touch of a husband, and that Allah
creates what He wills, and that such a birth
is not beyond His power.
...when He consummates an issue He but
says, `Be!' and it is.' It means that when
Allah, glorified be He, intends the creation
of a thing, He but says to it the word `Be,' or
He simply wills it into existence without
saying any word. And then it exists in
objective, real existence. Allah creates
things simply by willing them to be.
And He shall teach him the book and the
wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel.
(48)
And He shall teach him the book...Allah
taught him how to read and write; or He
taught him the entire book sent down from
on high.
...and the wisdom,... It means that he
became wise in knowing the place of things;
or what is meant by `the wisdom' is
knowledge of the Law, the lawful and the
forbidden and the other rules.
...and the Torah and the Gospel. The Torah was the book sent
down to Müsa, bliss be upon him, while the Gospel (al-Injịl) was
the book sent down to ‘Ịsa himself. It is said that `torah' means
`teachings and glad tidings,' while `injịl' means glad tidings and
teachings.'
And as a Prophet to the sons of Israel:
`Indeed I have come to ye with a portent
from your Master—I create for ye from clay
160 | P a g e April 3, 2011
like the form of the bird, then I blow in it
and it is a bird, with Allah's permission. And
I heal the blind and the leper, and I bring the
dead to life, with Allah's permission. And I
inform ye of what you eat and of what ye
store in your houses. Indeed in that is a
portent for ye, if ye be believers.
(49)
And as a Prophet to the sons of Israel... It
means that he was sent as a Prophet to them,
to guide them from deviation to the truth.
Here the theme turns to present the words
spoken by ‘Ịsa to his people at the time he
had become a Prophet:
…'Indeed I have come to ye with a portent
from your Master... His `sign' was his
ability to perform his miracles, which
portentified the sincerity of his claim to be a
Prophet.
...—I create for ye from clay like the form
of the bird, then I blow in it and it is a bird,
with Allah's permission. He would fashion
the form of a bird from earth or clay, and
would then blow into his model, and by the
power and will of Allah it would fly off.
And I heal the blind... He would cure the
blind, even those who were blind from birth.
...and the leper,...' These too he would cure.
...and I bring the dead to life, with Allah's
permission… He would stand on a grave
and would say to the corpse: `Stand, by the
permission of Allah!' and the corpse would
rise and then brush the earth from his body
as if he had never been dead.
…And I inform ye of what ye eat and of
what ye store in your houses…. He was
able to say to people, `Ye have eaten such
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and such, and ye have stored such and such
for the night.'
…Indeed in that is a portent for ye, if ye
are believers. In these miracles was a great
portent of the truth of his claim to be a
Prophet, for those who were believers.
Otherwise, those who have no faith in Allah,
glorified be He, cannot tell between miracles
and sorcery.
‘And confirming the Torah that came before
me; and I make permitted for ye some of
that made forbidden for ye; and I come to ye
with a portent from your Master; so be
guardful of Allah and obey me.
(50)
‘And confirming the Torah that came
before me;... ‘Ịsa confirmed the Torah that
had been sent down before him, as it was
necessary to the confirmation of him as a
Prophet that he did not deny the previous
books sent to the sons of Israel.
...and I make permitted for ye some of that
made forbidden for ye;... He did announce
as lawful some of the things that were
forbidden in the Law as revealed to Müsa,
bliss be upon him, as the reasons for these
prohibitions had ceased.
...and I come to ye with a portent from your
Master;...It means that he came with a proof
that testified to his sincerity and to his being
sent by Allah, glorified be He. Either this is
a general reference to the three portents
given previously, namely the confirmation,
the legalising and the miracles; or it means a
further portent not detailed in the Quran.
...so be guardful of Allah and obey me.' They were to be guardful
of Allah and confirm ‘Ịsa's mission, and they were to obey him in
what he commanded and what he forbade.
April 3, 2011
‘Indeed Allah is my Master and your
Master, so worship Him; that is a straight
path.'
(51)
‘Indeed Allah is my Master and your
Master,... In other words, he was not His
son, for he said this to refute those who
hailed him as god.
...so worship Him;... It means worship Him
alone, without any partner, such as `Uzair
who was worshipped by some deviant Jews,
or ‘Ịsa, who was worshipped by the
Christians.
...that is a straight path.' It is a path that is direct and even, as
opposed to the paths of other schools and religions, that are both
uneven and deviated.
After these clear proofs the Israelites
increased in nothing but obstinacy and
arrogance:
Then, when ‘Ịsa felt disbelief from them, he
said, `Who are my succourrs unto Allah?'
The bright ones said `We are Allah's
succourers, we believe in Allah; and bear
witness that we are Muslims.'
(52)
Then, when ‘Ịsa felt disbelief from them,...
That is: when ‘Ịsa found that the people
were not benefitting from his arguments and
proofs,
...he said, ‘Who are my succourers unto
Allah?'… He was asking who would serve
his religion and thus travel the path to
Allah's rewards, for he who would arrive at
Allah's rewards must travel the path to
Allah.
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The bright ones said... `The bright ones' is
the literal translation of al-hawariyyün. The
title is given to special people on account of
the purity of their hearts. They were ‘Ịsa's
special followers.
…'We are Allah's succourers, we believe in
Allah; and bear witness that we are
muslims.' They declared that they would
serve the religion of Allah, and follow the
path ‘Ịsa was on; they declared their belief
in Allah to be pure of polytheism, and called
on ‘Ịsa to witness that they were Muslims in
their religion.
They then directed themselves towards
Allah, glorified be He, in supplication,
saying:
‘Our Master! We believe in what Thou have
sent down and we follow the Prophet, so
write us with the witnesses.'
(53)
In their prayer they confirmed their belief in
the message sent down upon ‘Ịsa, bliss be
upon him, and their obedience to him in
what he commanded and forbade.
....so write us with the witnesses.' They
sought to be written as those who are
witnesses over the people, as the Most High
says, ‘...so that you be witnesses over
mankind, and that over you The Messenger
be a witness.' Prophets are witnesses over
their companions and disciples, who are in
turn witnesses over the rest of the people.
These were the words of ‘Ịsa's companions
who believed in him. The disbelievers who
disputed and denied, however, did not
believe:
And they plotted and Allah plotted, and
Allah is the best of plotters.
162 | P a g e April 3, 2011

(54)
And they plotted... They plotted to kill ‘Ịsa,
bliss be upon him.
...and Allah plotted,... Allah `plotted' to save
‘Ịsa and to kill the chief of his enemies in
place of him. `Plot' is given for makr, which
is to seek a remedy for a situation or a
matter, and is usually used about evil.
Perhaps the word is attributed to Allah,
glorified be He, for comparison, as in His
word, `You know what is in my spirit (nafs)
, but I know not what is in your spirit!' when
Allah, glorified be He, has no soul.
...and Allah is the best of plotters. For He knows best the ways of
repair and remedy. In some commentaries it is stated that when
the leading Israelite wished to kill ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, he
entered a chamber that had a skylight, then Jibra-ịl came and
raised him through the skylight to the skies. The leader told the
evil man of the disbelievers to go in to him and kill him. So he
entered the chamber and then Allah, glorified be He, made hs
appearance like that of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him; he came out of the
room and told his companions that ‘Ịsa was not in the house, so
they killed him thinking that he was ‘Ịsa. The man was crucified,
and however much he told them he was not ‘Ịsa, it did him no
good.
And recount, O Prophet of Islam:
When Allah said, `O ‘Ịsa, I am taking thee
and raising thee to Myself, and purifying
thee of those who disbelieve; and am
placing those who follow thee above those
who disbelieve, until the day of resurrection.
So to Me is your return, then I shall judge
among you as to that in which you differ.
(55)
When Allah said, `O ‘Ịsa, I am taking
thee... It is closer that the meaning is that
‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, was taken body and
soul.
...and raising thee to Myself,... ‘Ịsa was
raised to the fourth sky, as has come to us in
some narrations. It is supposed that this
MIA 163 | P a g e
contradicts some well-known findings of
modern science in that there are no skies or
heavens having bulk and substance, yet this
supposition is imperfect, as even if what is
meant by `the sky' are the orbits, which is
the literal meaning, still there are skies there.
For clarification of this point see `Allamah
al-Shahristanị's al-Hay-at wa `l-Islam
(`Astronomy and Islam').
...and purifying thee of those who
disbelieve;...Those who disbelieve are
unclean and impure, and in the same way as
a body becomes purified of uncleanliness
when washed, so too a pure person amongst
disbelievers is purified of their filth when he
leaves them.
...and am placing those who follow thee
above those who disbelieve, until the day of
resurrection.... The followers of ‘Ịsa, peace
be upon him, were to be established above
those Jews who disbelieve in him, until the
end of time as we know it. This is one of the
miracles of the Quran, for the Christians
have been over the Jews until our own day,
and will remain over them until the day of
resurrection.
So to Me is your return,... The return of
‘Ịsa, his companions and the disbelievers, all
of them, is to Allah on the day of
resurrection.
...then I shall judge among ye as to that in
which ye differ. That day Allah shall judge
as to monotheism, polytheism, and as to
whether ‘Ịsa was a Prophet, and as to the
remaining principles and obligations to
which ‘Ịsa summoned, and on the basis of
which he gave glad tidings, and which the
Jews denied.
So as for those who disbelieve, I shall
chastise them a severe chastisement in the
world and the hereafter; and they have no
succourers.
April 3, 2011

(56)
So as for those who disbelieve, I shall
chastise them a severe chastisement in the
world... Those who disbelieve in ‘Ịsa, bliss
be upon him, and in what he brought were
punished in the world with poverty and
humiliation. They are always under the
control of ‘Ịsa's followers, and they have
never had a government save with under the
patronage of others. They are despised and
rejected forever.
...and the hereafter;... And as for the
hereafter, there they shall enter a fire
burning bright around them, and they shall
be given to drink only that which will
increase their torment.
...and they have no succourers. And none
shall help them against the severity of their
punishment from Allah, glorified be He.
And as for those who believe and do the
virtuous deeds, their wage will be met in
full—and Allah loves not the wrongful.
(57)
Those who believed in ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, and did the virtuous
deeds, as He commanded, and refrained from the forbidden – for
it is not said of a person that he does the virtuous deeds (`amilu
al-salihat) unless he performs the obligations and to this adds
abstinance from the sins – their wage will be met in full by Allah,
glorified be He.
...and Allah loves not the wrongful. `The unjust' are those who are
unjust by their disbelief, or their failing to do the virtuous deeds.
That is what We recite to thee of the
portents and the wise reminder.
(58)
That... It means the accounts of Zakariya
and ‘Ịsa and Yahya and Maryam, bliss be
upon them.
MIA
...is what We recite to thee... It means
recited to him, May Allah condescend upon
him and upon his House, through revelation.
...of the portents.. It means the portents and proofs
demonstrating his sincerity and that he Indeed was a Prophet and
receiving revelation.
...and the wise reminder. The reminder is the Quran, which is wise
and firm, and admits no falsehood and no deviation within it.
This has prepared the minds and the hearts
to perceive the reality of ‘Ịsa—his being
human and being born without a father.
Thus He says, glorified be He:
Indeed what ‘Ịsa is like alongside Allah is
Ãdam—He created him of dust; thereupon
He said to him, `Be!' and he was.
(59)
Indeed what ‘Ịsa is like alongside Allah is
Ãdam... The creation of ‘Ịsa without a father
was neither amazing nor novel, and it does
not portentify that he is the Master, for
Ãdam's creation was more amazing and he
was not Allah, glorified be He.
...—He created him of dust;... Ãdam's body
was created out of dry earth.
...thereupon He said to him `Be!...That is,
`Be a living human.'
...and he was. Ãdam came into existence
just the way He had said.
The truth from thy Master, so do not be of
the vacillators.
(60)
The story of ‘Ịsa as presented, or his
creation in this way, is the truth from your
Master, O Prophet of Allah, so do not be of
the doubters. Here, although the address is
to the Messenger, may Allah condescend
164 | P a g e April 3, 2011
upon him and upon his House, in meaning it
is general and applies to everyone.
‘Vacillators' is given for mumtarịn, meaning
people who are in doubt and unable to make
up their minds. In fact, that the line shows
that the point is that there was much futile
doubt among the people about the
circumstances of ‘Ịsa`s birth.
So whoever disputes thee about him after
the knowledge that has come to you, say:
`Come, we shall call our sons and your sons,
our women and your women, our selves and
your selves; thereupon we shall supplicate
and place the curse of Allah upon the liars.'
(61)
So whoever disputes thee... The address is
to Allah's Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House.
about him... It means about `Ịsa, bliss be
upon him. Those who disputed maintained
that he was not human and was a Master
(rabb) detached from the Master (al-rabb).
The verse was sent down about a delegation
of Christians from Najran. They came to
dispute The Messenger of Allah, but the
arguments and the proofs were lost on them,
and so it was agreed between the two sides
that they would go out into the desert and
that the two parties would each call on Allah
against the liar.
So on the appointed day The Messenger
went out accompanied by `Alị, Fatima,
Hasan and Husayn, peace and blessings be
with them. When the Christians saw them
they lost heart and their cheif said `Indeed I
see faces, that if they were to ask Allah to
shake down a mountain from its place, He
would shake it down. So do not go through
with this parallel cursing, or you will be
destroyed and no Christian will remain on
MIA 165 | P a g e
the face of the earth until the day of
resurrection.'
Said the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him and upon
his House, `By He in whose hand is my soul, had they cursed me
they would have changed into monkeys and pigs, and the wadi
would have broken out in fire against them, and so it would have
been against the Christians until they were destroyed.'
...after the knowledge that has come to you,... The knowledge of
the story of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him.
...say:... The address is to the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and upon
his House. He was to invite them to a proof
that would not be open to doubt or dispute.
…'Come, we shall call our sons and your
sons, our women and your women, our
selves and your selves;... `Selves,' (anfus,
plural of nafs) here, means those who are
like unto themselves in rank. The meaning is
that they each were to invite their special
favourites and those closest to them, like
sons, women and those most like themselves
in rank.
...thereupon we shall supplicate and place
the curse of Allah upon the liars.' Each
party was to pray against the other, saying
`Curse the liar!' The commentators are
unanimous in that the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
was accompanied only by his (grand)sons,
Hasan and Husayn, his daughter Fatima, and
his cousin `Alị, bliss and condescensions be
upon them.
Indeed that, it is certainly the true stories;
and there is no god but Allah; and indeed
Allah—He is indeed the Grand, the Wise.
(62)
Indeed that... It means the accounts inspired
to The Messenger about ‘Ịsa and suchlike.
...it is certainly the true stories;... There is
no falsehood in them and no deviation.
April 3, 2011
...and there is no god but Allah;... all acknowledge. and let us cast off all else
Therefore it is not true that ‘Ịsa is a god, as that has no proof.' The word:
supposed by the Christians.
...that we worship none but Allah...
...and indeed Allah—indeed He is the Worship is unlawful except of Allah, for He
Grand, the Wise. He is the Grand in His created existence.
authority, and the Wise in all His deeds; He
took no human as a son, as supposed by the ...and not partner a thing unto Him,...We
Jews and the Christians. should not take any person, animal or object
as a part of Allah or as a partner or rival to
So if they turn away, then Indeed Allah is Him.
knowing of the corrupters.
...and that some of us not take others as
masters instead of Allah.'... Some humans
(63) should not take others as gods and masters
in place of Allah, like the Christians' taking
Should they turn away, persistent in their
‘Ịsa as a god. Or it may be that the intention
corrupt beliefs, then Indeed Allah is aware
is that the priests and rabbis should not be
of those who corupt the beliefs of the people
taken as gods in obedience to what is
and their actions. They shall not escape
counter to Allah, glorified be He, as He says
Him, but rather His knowledge encompasses
in His word, `They take their priests and
them and they shall be requited for their
their monks as masters...
deeds.
...And if they turn back,... That is: if they
The theme having dealt fully with the
turn away from this invitation.
account of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, the
account now turns to the book-folk and their
...then say: ‘Bear witness that we are
deviations, since there is a strong connection
Muslims.' That is: bear witness that we are
between the two. And so He says, glorified
submissive to Allah alone; we follow His
be He:
path and we seek no religion other than
Islam.
Say: `O book-folk, come to a word equal
between us and you: that we worship none
The book-folk would claim that Ibrahịm,
but Allah and not partner a thing with Him,
bliss be upon him, was of their religion, the
and that some of us not take others as
Jews saying that he was a Jew, and the
masters instead of Allah.'
Christians saying that he was a Christian. So
Allah refuted them, in His word,
And if they turn back, then say: `Bear
witness that we are Muslims.'
O book-folk, why do ye dispute about
Ibrahịm, when the Torah and the Gospel
(64) were not sent down save after him; do ye not
reason?
Say: `O book-folk, come to a word equal
between us and ye:... Allah's Prophet was to (65)
say to the Jews and Christians: `Come on,
let us all gather together on a just word, or
belief, that has no deviation, and which we
MIA 166 | P a g e April 3, 2011
O book-folk, why do you dispute about
Ibrahịm,... Each maintained that he was of
their sect, not of the other.
...while the Torah and the Gospel were not
sent down save after him;... Ibrahịm
preceded both religions, as he lived before
them; he was the anscestor of Müsa who
received the Torah, and of ‘Ịsa, who
received the Gospel, and he lived centuries
before them.
....do ye not reason?' It means: do you not
have reason, that you might know something
of history.
Lo, ye are those who disputed about that of
which ye have knowledge, so why do ye
dispute about that of which ye have no
knowledge?
And Allah knows while ye know not.
(66)
The communities of the book-folk disputed
about things they knew, like the qiblah and
so forth. Then they went on to dispute things
that they did not know, like the history of
Ibrahịm and his being a Jew nor a Christian.
…And Allah knows... Allah knows all about
Ibrahịm, his place in history and his religion.
...while ye know not. How, then, can they
enter into such disputes and arguments.
Ibrahịm was not a Jew nor a Christian,
rather he was an upward, a Muslim, and he
was not of the idolators.
(67)
Ibrahịm was neither a Jew nor a Christian,
for they are on subsequent paths that have
deviated from the ways of the Prophets, and
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even Müsa and ‘Ịsa could not be described
as being on these paths.
...rather he was an upright,...`Upright' is
given for ĥanịf, meaning that he went
straight and direct in his religion, and was
not deviated.
...a muslim,... Ibrahịm, bliss be upon him,
was a Muslim in the sense given that Islam
was the religion of all the Prophets.
...and he was not of the partnerists. He was
not a polytheist or partnerist, as are the Jews
and Christians.
The Jews would say that they were closer to
Ibrahịm, for he was of their religion, and the
Christians would say the same thing about
themselves; and so this was sent down:
Indeed those of the people nearest to
Ibrahịm are those who follow him—this
Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is
the Patron of the believers.
(68)
Indeed those of the people who are nearest
to Ibrahịm... It means those who are most
like him and most entitled to be proud of
him and to say that they were on his path
and to claim him as the founder of their
community:
...are certainly those who follow him... It
means those who followed him during his
time and after him, for those who follow
him have the right to be proud of him as
their leader, not the Christians and Jews
whose paths countered that of Ibrahịm, bliss
be upon him.
...—this Prophet and those who believe,... It
means that The Messenger of Islam and the
believers are those who follow Ibrahịm; it is
April 3, 2011
those who are on his path, for his path was
that of monotheism and the negation of false
gods.
...and Allah is the Patron of the believers.
He supervises their affairs and aids them
against their enemies.
A party of the book-folk would love to
deviate you, but they deviate none but
themselves, while they do not know.
(69)
A party of the book-folk... Many of the
book-folk were innocent of what follows.
...would love to deviate you,... They would
have loved to deviate the Muslims from
their religion so that they return to disbelief
and Judaism.
...but they deviate none but themselves,... In
neglecting Islam and sticking to their
deviated religions, they caused deviation for
themselves. Or it means that their efforts to
deviate the Muslims rebound only on
themselves, in that it would bring them
humiliation in the world and chastisement in
the hereafter.
...while they do not know. They were
unaware that they would deviate themselves,
or they were unaware that their efforts to
deviate the Muslims would rebound on
themselves.
O book-folk, why do you disbelieve in the
portents of Allah, while ye witness?
(70)
The `book-folk' (ahl al-kitab) means the
Christians and Jews. The Zoroastrians,
although they are book-folk, are not meant
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here, as the discussions show that only the
two communities are meant.
...why do you disbelieve in the portents of
Allah,...They are asked why they disbelieve
in the arguments and proofs for monotheism
and prophethood and the other religious
principles.
...while you witness? They were witnesses of the necessity of
admitting the truth; or they were witnesses of the proofs of
monotheism and the messengership of Muhammad, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House, and the other matters
in dispute, all of which existed in their own books.
O book-folk, why do you dress the truth in
the false and conceal the truth, while you
know.
(71)
O book-folk,...They are addressed like this
to show that they really ought to have
expected better of themselves, for they were
people of knowledge and learning and the
book of Allah, glorified be He, had been
sent down among them.
...why dress ye the truth in the false... It
means why do they mix the truth with the
false, for a part of their actions was right and
true, while a part was false. Their belief in
Müsa and ‘Ịsa was true, while their disbelief
in Muhammad, May Allah condescend upon
him and upon his House, was false, and in
the same way some of their book was true,
while the part that they had forged was false.
...and conceal the truth, while you know.' Their scholars
knowingly concealed the descriptions of the Messenger, May
Allah condescend upon him and upon his House, so that their
people would not incline to him and they would not lose their
leadership.
In addition to this, the book-folk devised a
strategem to send the people astray and
prevent them from joining Islam. They were
to manifest themselves in such a way that
they would appear sincere and genuine to
168 | P a g e April 3, 2011
the people, while refusing to Islam in the other not to show their true beliefs to any
claim that they did not find it to be true: but one of their own faith.

And a party of the book-folk say `Believe in …—Say: Indeed the guidance is the
what has been sent down upon those who guidance of Allah—… This is an
believe at the break of day, and disbelieve at interjection addressed to the Messenger,
the end of it; that they might return. reminding us that real guidance is Allah's
guidance, not this contrived and artificial
guidance that requires such deception to
(72) mislead themselves and others. We have no
need of such guidance, nor do we fear that
Some of them advised others to declare
such plots will make us stray, for when
belief in the Quran first thing in the
Allah guides a person he is not sent astray
morning, saying that they believed in
by such deceptions. Now the theme returns
Muhammad and his book for he was
to the words of the Jews, some of them to
described in their own book, and then later
others:
that day say that they had turned away again
as they saw that in fact he was not as
…That someone be given the like of what
described in their book.
ye have been given!… They were saying
that they should not believe in Islam as what
In this way they sought to have themselves
they had was better than what had come to
seen in the eyes of the people as sincere
others, and that they should not believe in
seekers of the truth who had believed in
Muhammad with a sincere belief from their
Muhammad in the belief that he was
hearts.
genuine, but who had then discovered that
he was not genuine and had therefore, in all
…‘Or they dispute ye before your
sincerity, turned away.
Master!'… They were saying that they
should not let their pretended belief in the
...that they might return. They hoped that
morning to draw them into any disputes with
this deceitful tactic would lead the Muslims
the Muslims, for in their view the Muslims'
to desert Islam, as it would cause them to
path was false and there is no point
have doubts.
defending oneself against those whose path
is false.
And believe not except for him who follows
your religion!' – Say: ‘Indeed the guidance
…Say:... The Messenger was to refute their
is the guidance of Allah' – ‘That someone be
word about their teachngs being better than
given the like of what ye have been given!
those of others, with the word:
Or that they dispute ye before your Master!'
Indeed the grace is in the hand of Allah,...It
Say: `Indeed the profusion is in the hand of
means that there is no obstacle to His
Allah, He gives it to whom He wills, and
granting the Muslims the like of what He
Allah is expansive, knowing.'
had given the Jews, or better than that.

(73) ...He gives it to whom He wills, and Allah is

encompassing,... His grace is not depleted
…And believe not except for him who on account of His bestowing it upon anyone.
follows your religion!'… They told eaxh
MIA 169 | P a g e April 3, 2011
...knowing. He knows the best interests of His creatures, and
knows best where to place His messages.
He distinguishes with His mercy whom He
wills, and Allah is the Holder of magnificent
profusion.
(74)
Allah raises by His mercy those of His
servants whom He wills. His grace begins
with creation, and ends at a point above
which man is unable to absorb any more.
And of the Book-folk is he who if ye entrust
him a pile he will restore it to ye; and of
them is him if ye entrust him a coin he will
not restore it to ye unless ye are ever
standing over him. That is because they say,
`There is no path against us concerning the
maternals.' And they say of Allah the lie,
while they know.
(75)
And of the Book-folk...It means those of the
book-folk who believed, like `Abd Allah b.
Salam.
...is he who if ye entrust him a pile he will
restore it to ye;... `A pile' means a pile of
wealth. It means that if entrusted with such a
sum he would not betray the trust but would
return it in full whenever demanded of him.
It is narrated that `Abd Allah b. Salam was
entrusted by a man with a thousand and two
hundred dirhams to look after, and he
returned it to him in full. Therefore Allah
praised him in this verse.
...and of them is he if ye entrust him a
coin...`A coin' is put for a `dịnar', a coin of
small value.
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...he will not restore it to ye... A man from
the Quraish entrusted a dịnar to Fakhas, who
betrayed him and refused to return it.
...unless ye are ever standing over him... It
means unless he is watched and supervised.
That... It means the deceit and betrayal.
...is because they say, ‘There is no path
against us concerning the maternals.'…
The betrayers would say that there was no
path for criticism, no fault in them, for their
betraying the Arabs, and that their taking
their wealth was lawful since when they
were entrusted it they were polytheists, and
so when they left that path and accepted
Islam they lost their rights. They said this
and they also attributed it to their book.
Therefore Allah says,
…And they say of Allah the lie,... There is
no such thing in their book, but rather their
book states that they should return their
trusts to the righteous and the brazen alike.
...while they know. They knew that they
were attributing to Allah a lie, and that to
withhold a trust is treachery and a vice.
Nay, whoso fulfils his covenant and is
guardful—Indeed Allah loves the guardful.
(76)
Nay' is given for bala, which indicates that
the matter before it is false, and the
subsequent matter is true.
...whoso fulfils his covenant...It means those
who are true to their trusts and return them
when asked.
...and is guardful... It means vigilance
against the chastisement of Allah in betrayal
and suchlike.
170 | P a g e April 3, 2011
...—Indeed Allah loves the guardful.' he
does not love the betrayers and the liars.
Indeed those who purchase, for the covenant
of Allah and their oaths, a small price—
those have no share in the hereafter and
Allah shall not speak to them and He shall
not regard them on the day of resurrection,
and He shall not purify them and theirs is a
painful chastisement.
(77)
Indeed...This ayah is about those who
consume the trusts deposited with them and
attribute lies to Allah—such persons have
sold their religion for a small price.
...those who purchase, for the covenant of
Allah... This means in return for giving up
their adherence to the book and the religion.
...and their oaths,.. They had given lying
oaths for the sake of dishonesty.
...a small price...It has been given that the
things of the world, no matter how great
they seem, are little when compared to the
hereafter.
...—those have no share in the
hereafter...They shall have no part of
Allah's mercy or of the garden in the
hereafter.
...and Allah shall not speak to them... No
word of kindness or mercy; it portentifies
the anger of Allah, for he who is angry with
a person refrains from speaking to him.
...and He shall not regard them...It means
that they shall not be included in His grace
and bounty. It is another way of
portentifying Allah's anger, as when a
person is angry he refrains from looking at
those he is angry with. .
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..on the day of resurrection,... And that is
the day when everyone needs His grace and
bounty.
...and He shall not purify them... The hearts
of the lying traitors are the dirtiest of all, and
Allah will not cleanse them and He will not
include them in His particular grace by
which He blesses the believers.
...and theirs is a painful chastisement.
Their long-term future has nothing but pain.
And Indeed among them is a group twisting
their tongues with the book, that you
suppose it to be of the book, while it is not
of the book; and they say, `This is from
alongside Allah,' while it is not from
alongside Allah. And they say of Allah the
lie, while they know.
(78)
Some of the book-folk were guilty of
twisting their tongues while reciting the
book. `Twisting their tongues' (lịị
alsunatihim) means contorting them by
pulling them this way or that, away from the
straight and direct. It means that they
contorted the Torah and the Gospel by
adding things here and removing things
there. They did this so that the Muslims
would reckon their innovations to be part of
their book, when they were not part of their
book. And they claimed that what they were
reciting was from Allah, when it was not
from Allah but from their own store of lying
forgeries.
...And they say of Allah the lie, while they
know.' They knew all along that their
innovations were falsely attributed to Allah,
and that they were liars.
Since the clearest of all their distortions was
their saying that ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, was
171 | P a g e April 3, 2011
a partner of Allah, and that this was stated in
their book, Allah refutes this claim by
showing that it was impossible for ‘Ịsa, as
Allah, glorified be He, does not give
prophethood to a liar who would claim
mastership and divinity for himself:
It was not for a person that Allah grant him
the book and the rule and the prophethood,
and thereupon he say to the people: `Be the
servants of me, rather than of Allah.'
But rather, `Be mastered ones for your
teaching the book and for your having
learned it.'
(79)
Allah, glorified be He, would not grant a
man the book and rule among the people and
make him a Prophet, if he was the type to
say to the people that they should worship
him as well as Allah, or instead of Allah.
Worship of a partner for Allah is worship of
other than Allah, for the meaning of
polytheism (shirk) is worship that is not
absolutely for Allah, for Allah has no
partner. So whoever has a partner is not
Allah. In some commentaries it is stated that
the cause of this verse being sent down was
that a Jew asked the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
about this, and so the verse was sent down.
But rather,... It means that it is instead
necessary for the Prophets to say to the
people,
…'Be godly,... ‘Godly' is given for
rabbaniyịn, from rabb meaning ‘master'. It
implies the relationship between them and
the rabb, of the type between a man and God
that is denoted by the word ‘godly.' They
should have a proper relation to the Master,
and as such should guide the people to
worship the One God.
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...for your teaching the book... It means that
they should do that because they had taught
the book to the people after having taken it
from the Prophet.
...and for your having learned it.' And because they had learned it.
So it means that the Messenger would say to the people that
since they were scholars who learned and taught the book, they
should be sincerely devoted to the Master, and not to any partner
or idol.
And nor would he command you that ye
take the angels and the Prophets as masters;
would he command ye to disbelief after yee
were Muslims?
(80)
And nor would any Prophet command the people to worship the
angels or other Prophets. That would be impossible, as he whom
Allah, glorified be He, selects for prophethood would not
command the people to disbelief. .
..would he command ye to disbelief after ye were Muslims? The
question form here is for negation. On the contrary, the Prophets
take the people out of disbelief into Islam; how then would they
command them to disbelieve again by setting up partners?
This completes the discussion of ‘Ịsa and his
not being a partner of Allah, glorified be He,
and so the theme returns to The Messenger
of Islam, and his being The Messenger after
‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him. So recount, O
Prophet of Allah,
And when Allah took the pact of the
Prophets that: ‘Whenever I give ye a book
and wisdom and thereafter a Messenger
comes confirming what is with ye—ye must
certainly believe in him and ye must
certainly succour him.'
He said, ‘Do ye affirm and take My pledge
on this?'
They said, ‘We affirm.'
Said He, ‘Then bear witness; and I am with
ye among the witnesses.'
April 3, 2011

(81)
‘Pact' is given for mịthaq, meaning a very strong and firm pact. By
‘a Messenger' is meant the Messenger of Islam, or whatever
Prophet came after them. It means that Allah took from the
Prophets the covenant that whenever messengership came to
one of them, it was for him to believe in the Messenger of Islam,
or in the Messenger who was to come after himself, and he was
to aid and assist him. According to the first likelihood, it means
that all the Prophets affirmed the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House, and believed in him.
By the second likelihood, it means that each Messenger was to
believe in the Messenger who came after him, so that all the
Prophets were like a single chain with each one confirming the
earlier and believing in the next.
...and ye must certainly assist him.' This means that each Prophet
was to take from his nation a covenant in favour of the next in the
line of Prophets.
...He said, ‘Do ye affirm and take My
pledge on this?'… This was said by Allah in
emphasis. They were to confirm that they
would be ready to believe in and assist the
coming Messenger, and that they would take
from their own communities a strong pact
that they too would believe in and support
him.
...They said, ‘We affirm.' This was said by
the Prophets.
…Said He, ‘Then bear witness;...They were
to be witnesses over their people for their
testimony to be used on the day of
resurrection against any who were
recalcitrant.
....and I am with ye among the witnesses.' It
means that Allah too is a witness of their
affirming that they would believe in and
support the coming Prophet.
It is narrated from Imam `Alị, bliss be upon
him, that Allah did not raise Ãdam as a
Prophet nor any Prophet after hm without
taking from him a pact that he would believe
in Muhammad, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House, and without
commanding to take the same pact from his
people.
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Then whoso turns away after that—so they
are the perverse ones.
(82)
It means that whoever turns away after
making that pact of belief in the coming
Prophet and assisting him, then they are the
perverse (fasiqün) in that they are outside
the domain of obedience to Allah, glorified
be He, for having broken their pact.
Lack of faith in Muhammad, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
would be against their pact, first, and
contrary to their obligation, second:
So do they seek other than the religion of
Allah, when to Him have submitted all who
are in the heavens and the earth, willingly
and unwillingly, and to Him they return?
(83)
So do they seek other than the religion of
Allah,... Do they seek a religion other than
Islam, after all the proofs that have
established its validity?
...when to Him have submitted all who are
in the heavens and the earth,... Everything
in existence is humble and submissive to
Allah, glorified be He, and obedient to His
command. So what is with them that they
oppose the religion of Allah, to whom
everything in existence has submitted?
...willingly and unwillingly,...The angels
and other possessors of mind and of will
have yielded willingly, while material
objects have yielded unwillingly, in that
they have no will and are totally dependent
on the will of Allah, glorified be He.
April 3, 2011
...and to Him they return?' They return to His rule, His command,
His reward and His punishment when they die, or at the
resurrection.
Now it is the turn of the Muslim nation to
manifest belief in all of the Prophets, for it is
demanded by the unity of prophethood and
by what has passed of the necessity of every
successor having faith in his predecessor,
and of every successor confirming his
predecessor:
Say: `We believe in Allah and that sent
down to us, and that sent down to Ibrahịm,
Isma'ịl, Ishaq, Ya'qüb and the grandsons,
and that given to Müsa and ‘Ịsa and the
Prophets from their Master—we
differentiate between none of them—and we
are Muslims to Him.
(84)
Say:... The address is to the Prophet. He was
to say the formula of faith that must be
acknowledged by every member of his
nation.
...We believe in Allah... Alone and without
partner. .
..and that sent down to us,... The Wise
Quran and the other laws and rules.
...and that sent down to Ibrahịm, Isma'ịl,
Ishaq, Ya'qüb and the grandsons,...`The
grandsons' means the desendents of Ya'qüb
who were Prophets. .
...and that given to Müsa... The Torah.
...and ‘Ịsa... The Gospel.
...and the Prophets from their Master—we
differentiate between none of them...
Muslims accept all the Prophets, unlike the
Jews who reject ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, and
Muhammad, may Allah condescend upon
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him and upon his House; and unlike the
Christians, who reject Muhammad, may
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
House.
...—and we are Muslims to Him.' We submit to His every
command and prohibition.
And who seeks other than Islam as a
religion—it shall never be accepted from
hm, and in the hereafter he is among the
losers.
(85)
And whoso desires a religion other than
Islam, whether it be of celestial origin or
invented, it shall never be accepted in the
world, and he shall be ruled as a disbeliever.
And in the hereafter such persons shall be
the losers of themselves, of their wealth, and
of their nearest and dearest.
Those who perceive these realities of the
unity of prophethood and of Muhammad,
May Allah condescend upon him and upon
his House, and Islam, and thereafter deny it
all and doggedly oppose it, have certainly
been unjust to themselves and have
distanced themselves from the grace of
Allah and His guidance; Allah will not bless
them with His particular grace and will not
guide them but will leave them in the
darkness of their disbelief:
How shall Allah guide a tribe disbelieving
after their faith and testifying that the
Messenger is true, and the clarifications
coming to them? And Allah guides not the
wrongful tribe.
(86)
How shall Allah guide a nation
disbelieving after their faith... Their faith'
means their knowledge that The Messenger
174 | P a g e April 3, 2011
was genuine, and their displaying a
superficial faith. Otherwise, if we take what
has come to us in some commentaries and
narrations about a man who believed and
then apostatised and then regretted, and so
he sent someone to the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
to ask him whether his repentance would be
accepted. The Messenger replied in the
affirmative, and so the man repented and
was thereafter good in his Islam; and
therefore the end of the ayah ends with the
exception, `Save for those who repent after
that.'
...and testifying that the Messenger is
true,... It means a genuine testifying even
though not manifested and without being
bound by its ramifications.
...and the clarifications coming to them?... The clarifications (al-
bayyinat) are the clear proofs that the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House, and that which he
brought were true.
…And Allah guides not the wrongful tribe.
It means that He does not favour them with
His particular grace with which He favours
those who stand upright and do not wrong
themselves.
Them, their recompense is that upon them is
the curse of Allah and of the angels and of
the people, all-together.
(87)
Them,... It means those who apostatise after
their belief.
...their recompense is that upon them is the
curse of Allah... It means that He distances
them from His mercy, His forgiveness and
His reward.
...and of the angels and of the people, all-together.' They curse
them, and call for them to be chastised.
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Eternal in it; the chastisement shall not be
lightened for them, and they shall not be
considered.
(88)
Eternal in it;... It means they are forever in
that accursed condition.
...the chastisement shall not be lightened
for them,... It shall not be made easy for
them, for they deserve the eternal
chastisement for their disbelief.
...and they shall not be considered. It means that the
chastisement will not be put off them until a later time; or it
means that they will not be looked at.
Save for those who repent after that and
repair; Indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful.
(89)
Save for those who repent after that... It
means those who repent after their disbelief,
and then believe again.
...and repair;... It means that they go on to
do the virtuous deeds.
...Indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful. Allah is forgiving even of a
period of disbeleif as well as sins. And He is merciful, and does not
take them for their wrongs.
This has been the condition of those who
believe after apostasy and repent, or who
believe after being aware of the truth while
remaining in disbelief. However, those who
remain in disbelief after having believed,
their requital is as follows:
Indeed those who disbelieve after their faith,
and then increase in disbelief—their
repenting is not accepted and those, they are
the astray.
(90)
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Indeed those who disbelieve after their
faith,... It means after their belief in The
Messenger and what he brought.
...and then increase in disbelief... The
disbeliever, by remaining in disbelief,
increases in disbelief; for every hour in
which he remains a disbeliever he is deeper
in disbelief than he was previously. Or it
means an increase in disbelief by its
becoming established, in that just as a
person's faith increases the more he
witnesses Allah's portents, so too his
disbelief increases the more he turns away
from the portents he sees.
...—their repenting is not accepted... It
means that when they repent at the time they
are dying, it is not accepted. When a person
is dying he sees the reality of faith and he
experiences a heart-felt repentance and
regret, but this will not be accepted from
him. Allah says, `There is no repentance for
those who perform the evils, until death
comes to one of them, he says ‘I now
repent!'
...and those, they are the astray. They are
those who in the world have strayed from
the path of the truth, and are chastised in the
hereafter.
Indeed those who disbelieve and die while
they are disbelievers—the earth full of gold
would not be accepted from one of them, if
he could ransom hmself with it.
These—theirs is a painful chastisement, and
they have no succourrers.
(91)
Indeed those who disbelieve and die while
they are disbelievers... These do not repent
even when they see the approach of death,
as He says, `And not those who die while
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they are disbelievers' after the line, …and
there is no repentance... Or it means that
those whose repentance is not accepted in
the world will not be saved from the
chastisement of Allah on the day of
resurrection by paying a ransom.
...—the earth full of gold would not be
accepted from one of them,... It means an
amount of gold equal to the earth.
...if he could redeem himself with it.... It means it would not
benefit him.
... These—theirs is a painful chastisement
and they have no succourers. No one to
succour them against the painful
chastisement of Allah and from His wrath.
Since mention has been made of spending
not being accepted from the disbelievers on
the day of resurrection, it is appropriate for
the theme to turn to the importance of
spending in the world, and that,
Ye shall never attain to righteousness until
ye dispense from that ye are fond of; and
whatever thing ye spend, indeed Allah of it
is knowing.
(92)
You shall never attain to righteousness...It
means that the benefit we hope to receive in
terms of the satisfaction of Allah and His
rewards and the garden and the goodness of
the world and suchlike, will not be
forthcoming.
...until you spend from that ye are fond
of;... Spending means giving charitably.
This is in contrast to giving things that are
not loved, as He says, ...when ye take it not
save that ye squint at it.
176 | P a g e April 3, 2011
...and whatever thing you spend...Whether
it is a little or a lot, and whatever type of
thing it is.
...—then indeed Allah of it is knowing. He
shall reward you for its value.
The thread now returns to the topic dealt
with at the beginning of this set of ayat, the
beliefs and practices of the book-folk, and
their obstinacy and argumentativeness. In
elucidations it is given that some Jews
argued with the Messenger, Allah's peace
and blessings be upon him and his kin,
denying the permissibility of camel-meat,
and claiming that it was banned for Ibrahim,
bliss be upon him, and that this was
mentioned in the Torah. Thereupon Allah
sent down this ayah against them:
All food was permitted for the sons of
Isra.il, save what Isra.il banned upon himself
before the sending down of the Torah. Say,
‘So bring the Torah, then recite her, if ye be
truthful.'
(93)
All food was permitted… The meaning of
'all', here, is relative as against that which
the Jews claimed was banned.
…for the sons of Isra.il,… It means the
Jews.
…save what Isra.il… It means Ya'qub, bliss
be upon him.
…banned upon himself… He banned the
meat of the camel for himself because eating
it upset his stomach. And that took place,
…before the sending down of the Torah….
Ya'qub's banning camel-meat for himself
was no proof that such a ban was general
and permanent; and so when the Torah was
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sent down the meat of the camel was subject
to no such ban. Therefore, in response to the
Jews and their claims, the Messenger was to
…Say, ‘So bring the Torah and recite it,…
For then it would become clear that the
Torah has no such ban.
…if ye be truthful.' That is, truthful in their
claim that the Torah banned the meat of the
camel. However, they did not produce the
Torah and thus their lying became clear. The
Jews had supposed that the Messenger,
being unschooled, had no knowledge of the
Torah, and so they attributed to it all sorts of
things, but the revelation disgraced them.
So whoso forges upon Allah the lie after
that, so those, they are the wrongful.
(94)
So whoso forges upon Allah the lie after
that,… It means after the clear proof of
there being no such ban in the Torah.
…so those, they are the wrongful. They
wrong themselves by resisting the guidance,
and they wrong others by denying the truth.
Say, ‘Allah speaks true; so follow the
community of Ibrahim, upward, and he was
not of the partnerists.'
(95)
Say, ‘Allah speaks true;… The Messenger
was to tell the Jews that they had lied about
the meat of the camel being banned, for it
had been made clear that all such food was
permitted.
…so follow the community of Ibrahim,…
The Jews were to follow the community of
177 | P a g e April 3, 2011
Ibrahim and observe the laws of that
community, by which the meat of the camel
was permitted.
…upward,… It is given for hanif, meaning
straight and direct.
…and he was not of the partnerists.' This is
a refutation of another of the book-folk's
forgeries about Ibrahim, bliss be upon him.
in that they said that Ibrahim was a Jew or a
Christian--both of them partnerists. First
their forgery against Allah concerning food
was dealt with, then their forgery about the
Prophets being partnerists.
The book-folk's argument concerning the
permitted and the banned being annulled,
and their argument concerning Ibrahim also
annulled, just as all their other arguments
had been annulled, their only remaining
argument was that the holy land of
Jerusalem was holier than the Ka'bah., for it
was the home of the Prophets. The Quran
annuls this their final argument, as the
Ka'bah is the holier as it is the first of all
such sacred houses, and because Ibrahim
whom the book-folk attributed to themselves
was the man who built it, and because the
Hajj is legislated for the Ka'bah:
Indeed the first house built for humankind
was definitely that at Bacca, hallowed, and a
guidance for the worlds.
(96)
Indeed the first house built for
humankind… It means for their religious
and worldly benefits: the earth was spread
out beneath it, and before it there was no
house built.
…was definitely that at Bacca,… It is
another name for Makka, from bakka, yabik,
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meaning to be jostled in a crowd, as during
the Tawaf and suchlike one is jostled.
…hallowed,… It is given for mubarakan,
meaning having many blessings and
benefits, worldly benefits like camaraderie,
community and economic prosperity, and
benefits in the hereafter, like the forgiving of
sins and the elevation of level and degree.
…and a guidance for the worlds. That is, it
is a cause of their being guided, for it is a
reminder of Allah, and it contains reminders
of the Prophets and of the teachers of
worship.
In it are clarifying signs: the station of
Ibrahim; and whoso enters it is safe.
And for Allah upon humankind is the hajj of
the house, whoso is enabled unto it as to a
path.
And whoso disbelieves, so Allah is rich over
the worlds.
(97)
In it are clarifying signs:… In that house
are clear signs proving the Divinity,
Messengership and the victory of Islam.
…the station of Ibrahim; It is the place
where he stood, in that there is a rock there
which was placed there by Ibrahim for him
to stand on while building the higher levels
of the Ka'bah, and in which his feet left their
mark. This is one of the clearest of Allah's
signs, glorified be He, and is given
particular mention on account of its
importance, and in honour of Ibrahim who
sacrificed all he had in Allah's path,
glorified be He.
…and whoso enters it is safe…. The house
is a sanctuary in which whoever enters it is
178 | P a g e April 3, 2011
safe, no harm coming to his standing, his
person or his wealth, even if he deserves to
be punished.
…And for Allah upon humankind is the
hajj of the house,… It is obligatory for
people to visit the house and perform the
rites of hajj.
…whoso is enabled unto it as to a path….
It means whoever is able to go there; this
condition includes having sufficient money
and supplies for himself and his family, that
upon his return he will be able to live in
sufficiency, that the route is safe, the
journey will not be injurious to his health,
and suchlike, as given fully in fiqh.
…And whoso disbelieves,… It means:
whoso performs not the hajj though able; for
we have seen that 'disbelief' (kufr) is of two
types: disbelief in the principles and
disbelief in the practices, meaning to refrain
from an obligation or to perform what is
banned. 'Disbelief' is widely used in this
latter sense in the Quran and the reports or
hadith.
…so Allah is rich over the worlds. It should
not be imagined that any disbelief could in
any way harm Allah, glorified be He.
The thread now returns to the book-folk:
Say, ‘O ye the book-folk, why disbelieve ye
in Allah's signs, when Allah is a witness
over what ye do?'
(98)
Say,,… The address is to the Messenger,
Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin,
…‘O ye the book-folk, why disbelieve ye in
Allah's signs… as to the prophethood of the
Prophet of Islam and all that he brought,
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including the status of Allah's Sacred House,
the Ka'bah.
…when Allah is a witness over what ye
do?' Allah sees and knows all they do, and
He will requite them for it.
Say, ‘O ye the book-folk, why bar ye from
Allah's path whoso believes? Ye reach for it
crookedly, while ye are witnesses; and nor is
Allah heedless of what ye do.
(99)
Say, ‘O ye the book-folk, why bar ye from
Allah's path whoso believes?… The
Messenger was to demand from the book-
folk why they barred people from belief in
Allah, or the book-folk would observe those
who were inclined towards faith, and would
prevent them. They would also cast
aspersions and create doubt about the faith
and the believers. The clause 'whoso
believes' seems to indicate that they were
preventing the believers in particular, unless
what is intended is general, including the
believers and those inclined towards the
faith.
…Ye reach that it might be crooked,…
They sought the straight path in
crookedness, not in a straight, direct way. Or
they sought to deviate the straight Allah's
path and make it stray, by subjecting it to
doubts.
…while ye are witnesses;… This explains
the underlying reality within themselves, for
their souls were admitting their false actions.
…and nor is Allah heedless of what ye do.
Nay, rather He is aware and informed, and
will punish them for it.
Having dealt with the book-folk's preventing
people from the belief, Allah now turns to
179 | P a g e April 3, 2011
warn the believers not to listen to the book-
folk, or be diverted by their aspersions:
O ye who believe, if ye obey a party from
among the book-folk, they will turn ye back,
after your faith, as disbelievers.
(100)
Were the Muslims to give ear to a group
from among those of the Torah and Gospel,
they would be turned by them into
disbelievers, after their having believed.
This is attributed to 'a party' of them, as not
all the book-folk would cause deviation and
apostasy.
But how will ye disbelieve, when Allah's
signs are recited upon ye and among ye is
His Messenger? And whoso clings to Allah,
He is certainly guided to a straight road.
(101)
But how will ye disbelieve,… The address is
to the believers, meaning: how could they
disbelieve, given that:
…when Allah's signs are recited upon
ye,… They had learned the signs of Allah
and His divine proofs, and knew them. Such
people do not disbelieve.
…and among ye is His Messenger?…
Among them was Allah's messenger who
called them to belief through evidence and
the presentation of miracles. The
interrogative form is to convey outraged
denial, so as to distance them from disbelief,
and to encourage them to hold on to their
store of faith.
…And whoso clings to Allah,… That is,
whoso clings to His signs, His book, His
religion and His Messenger, and so enters
not into partnerism, disbelief and
disobedience.
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…He is certainly guided to a straight road.
In the world he attains to the life of freedom,
dignity, honour and well-being; and in the
hereafter he attains to the felicity of the
gardens of delight.
Those who flocked to the banner of Islam
were in the main of the Aws and Khazraj
tribes, who were given to feuding and
conflict. This led the disbelievers and the
book-folk to take advantage of their past and
of the nature of man, in causing friction and
division between them, so as to create
disunity in the ranks of the companions of
the Messenger, Allah's peace and blessings
be upon him and his kin. Thus the Quran
urged them to remain united and not be
divided, and to be guardful of Allah in what
He bids and forbids, and not to obey the
book-folk's divisive words and ruinous
stratagems:
O ye who believe, be guardful of Allah with
due guardfulness of Him, and die not save
that ye be muslims.
(102)
O ye who believe, be guardful of Allah… It
means to fear His punishments, and so obey
Him in what He bids and forbids.
…with due guardfulness of Him,… it
means has He deserves to be feared and
guarded against. Such guardfulness is
extremely difficult, for it is a condition of
man wherever he is and whatever he is
doing.
…and die not save that ye be muslims. It
means: let not the devil deceive you and take
you out of the faith so that you die as
disbelievers. Perhaps the relation between
the two verses is that the absence of
guardfulness leads eventually to disbelief, as
He says, '…and the end of those who did
April 3, 2011
evil was evil, for their belying Allah's
signs…' (Rum, 30-10).
And cling to Allah's rope, together, and
disperse not, and remember Allah's blessing
upon ye, when ye were enemies and then He
joined your hearts so that through His
blessing ye became brothers. And ye were
on the brink of a pit, the fire, so He saved ye
from it.
This is how Allah clarifies His signs for ye,
that ye might be guided.
(103)
And cling to Allah's rope,… The rope of
Allah is His religion and His Quran; the
metaphor is on account of how a person who
grasps a rope is pulled upwards, for he who
holds fast to faith rises in the world to the
lofty levels and in the hereafter to the eternal
gardens.
…together,… The command is for all the
Muslims, and not just some of them.
…and disperse not,… It should not be that
some of us hold fast to the rope of Allah
while others of us hold fast to the rope of the
devil. This emphasises the former
'…together…'.
…and remember Allah's blessing upon ye,
when ye were enemies… Prior to Islam
some were the enemies of others.
…and then He joined your hearts… The
hearts of the believers are full of feeling
towards each other. His placing faith in the
hearts meant that they were emptied of spite
and rancour, envy and spite.
…so that through His blessing ye became
brothers…. Through Allah's blessing upon
the Muslims in uniting their hearts, they
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became brothers in faith, each of them as
one with his brothers. This blessing broke
the groupings of the ignorance, which were
those of tribalism, regionalism, colour and
so forth.
…And ye were on the brink of a pit, the
fire,… The Muslims had previously been on
the verge of a pit of fire; in the world, in the
form of retributions and violence, while the
fire of the hereafter is that prepared for the
disbelievers.
…so He saved ye from it…. Their salvation
was through Islam which gives order to the
life of the world and the life of the hereafter.
…This is how Allah clarifies His signs for
ye,… In the same way and with the same
clarity that this matter has been explained,
so He, glorified be He, clarifies His proofs.
…that ye might be guided. Guided, that is,
to the truth and to the straight path. And as
for the narrations stating that the 'rope of
Allah' is Imam 'Ali, bliss be upon him, or the
Imams, blessedness be upon them, or the
noble Quran, these are lofty embodiments.
Now, since Allah saved them from
destruction and guided them, so it was for
them to guide the rest of mankind:
And there should be from among ye a nation
calling to the good and bidding to the
honourable and forbidding from the
dishonourable; and those, they are the
thrivers.
(104)
And there should be from among ye a
nation… That is, it is obligatory that there
should be a group from among the Muslims,
April 3, 2011
…calling to the good… 'The good' is put for
al-khair; it means all the goodness of Islam,
the religion, the laws and so forth.
…and bidding to the honourable… 'The
honourable' is put for al-ma'ruf, meaning
every deed seen as being good and noble in
the Legislation and in reason, whether
counted as obligatory or simply desirable.
The term al-ma'ruf is used on account of
how such deeds are recognised and known
(ma'ruf ) by the people.
…and forbidding from the
dishonourable;… 'The dishonourable' is put
for al-munkar, being the opposite of al-
ma'ruf, in that it is everything denounced by
the Legislation and reason as ugly. The term
is used as such things are disavowed by the
people.
…and those, they are the thrivers. Those
fitting this three-fold description are those
who are successful and thrive.
And be not like those who divided and
differed after the clarifications having come
to them. And those, theirs is a mighty
chastisement.
(105)
And be not… The Muslims were not to be,
after the aligning of their hearts and their
brotherhood of faith,
…like those who divided… Prior to Islam
the hearts of others had been united by their
Prophets, and yet, they became divided into
sects, parties and groupings.
…and differed… each grouping taking a
different side.
…after the clarifications having come to
them…. Clear proofs of the oneness of the
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beliefs, and of the sources and pillars of the
faith.
…And those,… It means those of them who
disperse and oppose the truth.
…theirs is a mighty chastisement. This is
the consequence of their substitutions,
alterations and distortions.
He then, exalted be He, explains when
exactly that chastisement will take place, for
it will take place on:
The day faces whiten and faces blacken--so
as for those whose faces blacken: ‘Did ye
disbelieve after your believing? So taste the
chastisement in that ye were disbelieving.'
(106)
The day faces whiten… It means that the
chastisement will take place on that day
when the faces of those who believed and
performed the virtuous deeds will be white
and radiant. The expression 'faces whiten'
indicates happiness and joy.
…and faces blacken… These are the faces
of the disbelievers. The blackening of their
faces is actual in that in misery and dread
faces tend to darken, on account of the blood
gathering under the skin. Or it is a means of
indicating their gloom. despair and anxiety.
…--so as for those whose faces blacken:…
It shall be said to them:
…‘Did ye disbelieve… The interrogative
denotes censure.
…after your believing?… Either what is
meant is actual belief in that they are those
who differed and dispersed and apostatised
after having believed, or what is meant is
their natural (fitri) faith, for the nature of
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every human is to be a believer, as the
Messenger has said, 'Every new-born is born
on the natural path (fitrat), save that his
parents make of him a Jew or a Christian or
a Zoroastrian.'
…So taste the chastisement in that ye were
disbelieving.' It means on account of their
being disbelievers.
And as for those whose faces whiten: in
Allah's mercy: they are in it eternal.
(107)
And as for those whose faces whiten:…
These are the believers who perform the
virtuous deeds.
…in Allah's mercy:… They are enwrapped
in His rewards, His contentment and His
garden.
…they are in it eternal. Forever and ever.
These are Allah's signs, We recite them to
thee in truth; And nor does Allah wish a
wrong for the worlds.
(108)
These… It means the accounts given of the
conditions of the believers and the
disbelievers, and so forth.
…are Allah's signs,… His indications, His
proofs and evidences.
…We recite them to thee… To the
Messenger.
…in truth;… Reciting can be in falsehood,
when the reciter or the content of the
recitation is false.
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…And nor does Allah wish a wrong for the
worlds. It means that He has no wish to
wrong a single person, for it is established in
theology ('Ilm al-kalam) that the intention to
wrong, like the doing of wrong, is unworthy
and ugly. Therefore, the darkening of the
disbelievers' faces is not due to His
wronging them, but is rather justice and the
recompense of their deeds.
How could Allah wish a wrong, given that:
And Allah's is that in the heavens and that in
the earth, and unto Allah the affairs return.
(109)
And Allah's is that in the heavens and that
in the earth,… And wrongdoing arises from
need, while He is absolutely rich.
…and unto Allah the affairs return. It
means the affairs of the creatures, for Allah,
glorified be He, returns the creatures so as to
requite them. This is likened to a physical
return between the judge and those judged,
in that those judged are driven to the
presence of the judge, to be judged. To state
that the affairs return to Allah leaves no
room for the disbeliever to imagine that he
will be able to flee from Him, glorified be
He, and so escape the recompense of his evil
deeds.
Here the thread returns to the preceding
topic of the necessity of calling to the good,
and of bidding to the honourable and
forbidding the dishonourable:
And ye are the best nation brought out for
humankind: ye bid to the honourable and ye
forbid from the dishonourable and ye
believe in Allah. And had the book-folk
believed it would have been good for them;
among them are believers, but most of them
are perverse.
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 ignorance, illness, poverty and vice, while in
(110) the hereafter it would have saved them from
the chastisement of Allah. 'Good' here is
And ye… It means the Muslims.
given for khair, for here there is no question
of them being in goodness without faith, but
…are… It is given for kana, which is
better with it.
general without being limited to the past
tense.
At this point He explains, glorified be He,
that not all of the book-folk remained on
…the best nation brought out for
their path:
humankind:… That is, the best group made
manifest for mankind, for each nation is
…among them are believers,… Some of
made manifest for humankind for a while,
them accepted the belief in Allah and His
and then becomes concealed and hidden as
Prophet and that which he brought, like the
another group takes its place. The Muslims
Najashi and Ibn Salam and others.
are the best nation on account of three
qualities. They are:
…but most of them are perverse. It means
being outside of the obedience to Allah by
…ye bid to the honourable and ye forbid
following instead their desires and their
from the dishonourable… When a society
spurious paths.
is void of these two necessities, it cannot
help but sink due to the natural tendency
The disbelievers among the book-folk would
towards corruption, disorder and strife. On
annoy the believers from amongst
the other hand, when a society is adorned
themselves in particular, and the rest of the
with these two practices it automatically
believers in general, so that the believers
moves towards human progress and true
were afflicted by their cunning and their
civilisation and the summit of humanity.
stratagems. And so Allah soothed their
anxieties in His word:
…and ye believe in Allah…. It means with
a real, valid faith, rather than like the book-
They will never harm ye save bother; and if
folk and the partnerists. Valid faith in Allah
they fight ye, they would direct to ye their
is at the head of the virtues, for though it is
backs, and they would not be succoured.
not itself a thing of substance, yet it is a
powerful inducer of every kind of goodness,
and a strong deterrent against all kinds of (111)
evil.
They will never harm ye… That is, the
…And had the book-folk believed… That book-folk can do ye no harm, O Muslims.
is, had they believed with a valid faith free
of partnerism and with an acceptance of the …save bother;… Their stratagems were
prophethood of the Prophet of Islam, Allah's weak and their cunning slight, and amounted
blessings be upon him and his kin, to no more than efforts to confuse and
divide, which is not to be counted as serious
…it would have been good for them;… In harm. And as for the Muslims' fears that
their religion and their world, for it would they would be able to uproot them and
have arranged their worldly affairs in the destroy their religion, that would never
radiance of Islam and freed them from

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happen, for the Muslims would have the
divine succour:
…and if they fight ye, they would direct to
ye their backs,… They would turn their
backs in flight.
…and they would not be succoured. Their
words would be of no assistance to them on
account of the dread of Islam cast into their
hearts and their fear of the Messenger.
Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin.
Those meant in this verse were the Jews, as
is made clear from the verses that follow:
Abjection has been impressed upon them
wherever they are found, save with a rope
from Allah and a rope from humankind, and
they return with anger from Allah; and
poverty has been impressed upon them.
That, because they were disbelieving in
Allah's signs and killing the Prophets
without a right.
That, because of their disobeying and their
being transgressors.
(112)
Abjection has been impressed upon them
wherever they are found… Allah has
impressed abjection and humiliation upon
them, so that they are forever abject; and
what abjection could be greater than their
never having an independent government
with them being despised wherever they go
and all governments hostile to them save
where they meet their particular interests.
Thus they are as subject slaves, when they
serve their masters they feed them,
otherwise they reject them.
…save with a rope from Allah… That is,
except when they grab the rope of Allah
through belief in Him and in His Messenger,
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Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin,
and that which he brought, so that they are
as Muslims, subject to all that Muslims are
subject to, and sharing with them in the
advantages of Islam.
…and a rope from humankind…, It means
with the support of a strong government.
'And' here is divisional, giving the sense of
'or', as in 'words are nouns and verbs and
particles'; it does not mean that they need
both.
…and they return with anger from
Allah;… All are brought to drink from the
pool of Islam, but whereas ordinary people
return from the pool with Islam and the love
of Allah, glorified be He, the Jews--who are
among them—return with disbelief and the
anger of Allah the Most High upon them.
…and poverty has been impressed upon
them…. It means spiritual poverty, which is
the most extreme form of poverty; their
souls yearned for the material more than any
idle pauper, and despite their apparent
wealth they were the neediest of creation in
psyche and in spirit.
…That,… It means their punishment in the
world.
…because they were disbelieving in Allah's
signs… Thus Musa their Prophet was
constantly bothered by them, for no sooner
had they left the sea when they said, ‘O
Musa, set up for us a god like they have
gods!' And they set up the calf, and annoyed
Musa in other ways.
…and killing the Prophets without a
right…. ‘Without a right' is for emphasis
and to show that they did not even have a
formal excuse, a superficial justification for
killing them. No, for they were killed simply
for calling the people to Allah, glorified be
He, and for guiding and admonishing. They
April 3, 2011
had not killed anyone, or stolen anything or
any suchlike—and had they done so it
would have been by the command of Allah
and therefore justified and ‘with a right'—
but the Prophets had not even done that. It is
just as Imam Husayn said at Karbala: ‘How
do you count my blood as lawful? Is there
among you someone I have killed?'…until
the end of his speech.
…That, because of their disobeying and
their being transgressors. It means that their
disbelief in Allah's signs and their killing the
Prophets was on account of their
disobedience regarding Allah's commands,
that gave rise to their disbelief and their
killing the Prophets, which in turn gave rise
to Allah anger and His curse.
Again the Wise Quran makes an exception
of those of the book-folk who come to
belief, in that they are not like their fellows
who remain stubborn in their disbelief. It is
said that this ayah was sent down as a
number of the book-folk were accepting
Islam, while the disbelievers among them
were saying that those were the worst of
them:
They are not even: among the book-folk is
an upright nation, reciting Allah's signs
through the night, and they prostrate.
(113)
They are not even:… That is, the book-folk
are not all the same in that which has gone
before about them and their qualities.
…among the book-folk is an upright
nation,… Those of them who come to Islam
are upright upon the truth, without
deviation and without deterioration.
…reciting Allah's signs… as sent down as
the sacred Quran.
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…through the night,… The hours and
watches of the night, for reciting the Quran
during the night has an exceptional effect,
in that the still of the night and the peace
of the psyche mean that the ayat penetrate
more than during the day.
…and they prostrate. They prostrate to
Allah, glorified be He, and humble
themselves before Him in prayer and
reducing themselves to the dust.
They believe in Allah and the last day, and
they bid to the honourable and forbid from
the dishonourable, and they race in the good
works--and those are among the virtuous.
(114)
They believe in Allah and the last day,… They have genuine belief
in Allah and the last day, for whoso genuinely believes in the
account, is dispossessed of disbelief and disobedience.
…and they bid to the honourable and forbid from the
dishonourable, and they race in the good works--… One who has
real belief in the account races in goodness for he never knows
when he will die, and so he cuts short his longings. ‘Race' is put for
yusari'un, which indicates that they compete against each other.
…and those are among the virtuous. They do acts of virtue, and
not of corruption. In other words they are the virtuous elements
of society. They were not the worst of the book-folk, rather they
were the best of the elect and righteous.
And whatever good they do, they shall never
be denied it; and Allah is aware of the
guardful.
(115)
And whatever good they do,… It refers to
the believers from the book-folk, and their
obedience and worship.
…they shall never be denied it;… They will
never be denied their reward, as opposed to
the other book-folk, for their good deeds are
rendered invalid by their disbelieving, like
ashes blown away by the wind on a gusty
day.
April 3, 2011
…and Allah is aware of the guardful. He is
aware of their condition, and their deeds,
and will reward them for the beauty of it.
Indeed those who disbelieve, their wealth
will never enrich them a thing against Allah,
and nor their sons. And those are the
companions of the fire, they are in it eternal.
(116)
Indeed those who disbelieve, their wealth
will never enrich them a thing... Those who
disbelieve in Allah will find nothing in their
wealth to suffice them against Allah and to
ward off from them the chastisement, and
nor in their sons. Wealth and sons are only
useful in the world in warding off the
undesirable through bribery, gifts and
familial kindness, and through defence.
…against Allah… It means against the
punishment of Allah and His chastisement.
…And those are the companions of the
fire,… They accompany it, they are its
fellows, just as it is said that so and so is
someone's companion when he accompanies
him.
…they are in it eternal. They are there
forever. It is stressed that eternity there is for
the die-hard, stubborn opponent, as evident
in Du'a Kumail. As for the others, they will
suffer an ordeal of trial and tribulation, as
confirmed by reason and the Legislation.
Having mentioned the conditions of the
believer and the disbeliever, now it is the
disbeliever's charities and dispensing that is
mentioned, as a contrast to that given earlier
about the believers: ‘…And whatever good
they do… ‘
What that they dispense in this worldly life
is like is a wind, a scorching therein,
afflicting the tilth of a tribe wronging
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themselves, and destroys it. Allah wrongs
them not; but rather they wrong themselves.
(117)
What that they dispense in this worldly
life… It means the disbelievers and what
they dispense. ‘In this worldly life' is to
emphasise that the life which is a plantation
and which gives permanent benefits is in the
hereafter, is of no benefit to the disbeliever.
…is like is a wind, a scorching therein,…
‘Scorching' is put for sirr; it denotes extreme
heat or extreme cold.
…afflicting the tilth of a tribe…. Their
dispensing is as the tillage, their disbelief
like the wind.
…wronging themselves,… They plant their
crops in an unsuitable place, exposed to the
wind, say; or at an unsuitable time, like
planting winter crops in the summer, or vice
versa. Or it means that they wronged
themselves through disobedience, and so
Allah subjected them to the wind, as He
says, ‘Had the people of the township
believed and been guardful, We would have
opened upon them Our blessings from the
sky and the earth, but they belied and so We
seized them as for what they were earning.'
The disbelievers wronged themselves just as
those who owned the tillage.
…and destroys it…. The wind destroys the
tillage.
…Allah wrongs them not;… In their
dispensing being void; or in the destruction
of the crops.
…but rather they wrong themselves. That
is, they wrong themselves by their disbelief
or their disobedience.
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And in the context of the discussion of the
qualities of the book-folk and that they
differ from the Muslims in their beliefs and
actions, so in turn the discussion turns to
mention how it is unfitting for the Muslim to
take a friend from among them:
O ye who believe, take not intimates from
other than yourselves. They miss no chance
to befuddle; they love that ye be distressed;
enmity has appeared from their mouths, and
what their breasts hide is greater.
Truly We have clarified for ye the signs, if
ye are reasoning.
(118)
O ye who believe, take not intimates from
other than yourselves…. It means that the
Muslim is not to take close associates from
among the disbelievers. ‘Intimates' is put for
bitanah, meaning a man's special friend in
whom he confides his secrets and his
information. The Muslims used to associate
with men of the book-folk on account of
their previous friendships with them, their
proximity or their being neighbours and
suchlike. Then Allah explains the reason for
this prohibition. And it is likely that ‘from
other than yourselves' means the hypocrites,
as stated in some elucidations, on the
grounds of their saying ‘We believe!' as in
the following verse.
…They miss no chance to befuddle;…
They waste no opportunity to spoil the
Muslim's affairs and are constant in their
efforts to harm them.
…they love that ye be distressed;… These
are all the attributes of an enemy, not of a
friend.
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…enmity has appeared from their
mouths,… Their slips of the tongue reveal
their hidden enmity.
…and what their breasts hide is greater…
They have more enmity towards the
Muslims than what is revealed by their
tongues.
…Truly We have clarified for ye the signs,
if ye are reasoning. The evidences and the
proofs have been clear to the believers who
have and use their intellects and perceptions,
so that they may discern the friend from the
foe.
The Most High then takes up the question of
how the believer can love those, when they
are his enemies and so different in belief:
Ha, ye are those who are fond of them while
they are not fond of ye, ye believing in the
book, all of it. And when they meet ye, they
say, ‘We believe!' And when they closet,
they gnaw their fingers at ye in rage. Say,
‘Die in your rage!' Indeed Allah is aware of
what holds the breasts.
(119)
Ha,… This is given for the Arabic ha, which
is a word of warning.
…ye are those who love them while they
love ye not,… The believers loved the
disbelievers but the disbelievers did not love
the believers, for they sought deviation and
disbelief for the believers.
…ye believing in the book, all of it.… The
believers believed in the entire book,
whereas the others believed only in a part of
the book—they disbelieved in the part of
their book that described Muhammad (s) and
called for belief in him. Or the meaning of
‘all of it' (kullihi) is the species of that sent
April 3, 2011
down to the Prophets, whereas they did not
believe in the book of Muhammad (s).
…And when they meet ye, they say, ‘We
believe!'… On meeting the believers they
claim that they accept what they hear, but
belief had not entered their hearts. A
disbeliever who wishes to be friendly with
someone often goes along with what his
friend believes, all the while he is of a
different hue altogether. This is assuming
that the word ‘other than yourselves' means
the disbelievers, and not the hypocrites.
…And when they closet,… It means when
some of the disbelievers are closeted in
seclusion with other disbelievers.
…they gnaw their fingers at ye in rage….
The progress and establishing of the
community and religion enrages them so
badly that they have to bite their finger-tips
in order to stay calm.
…Say, ‘Die in your rage!… There was
nothing they could do; the religion of the
Muslims and their affairs were progressing
smoothly. The phrase is informative or a
form of supplication.
…Indeed Allah is aware of what holds the
breasts.' Allah knows the hypocrisy they
hold in their hearts, and all of their
scheming, and they shall be recompensed
for their sins.
How could a Muslim take them as intimates,
given that these are their characteristics:
If a beauty touches ye, it afflicts them. And
if an evil befalls ye, they rejoice at it. And if
ye be restrained and guardful, their plot will
not harm ye a thing; indeed Allah of what
they do is encompassing.
(120)
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If a beauty touches ye, it afflicts them…
When the Muslims are subject to good
fortune, their enemies grieve and sorrow.
…And if an evil befalls ye, they rejoice at
it…. When the Muslims are subject to
misfortune, at the hands of their enemies, or
suffer poverty or death, their so-called
friends are joyous.
…And if ye be restrained… It means in the
face of their annoying the Muslims. and of
the cessation of relations with them that
would turn them into open enemies, for
many are afraid to break with hypocrites in
the fear that they will thereafter manifest
their enmity.
…and be guardful,… of Allah, glorified be
He, so that He grant His succour.
…their plot will not harm ye a thing;… for
He will succour the believers against them.
…indeed Allah of what they do is
encompassing. He knows all that is done by
both the believers and the disbelievers, and
will recompense them for their actions.
Here the sacred Quran presents a single
account that proves the extent of the
concordance between the characteristics of
the hypocrites as given and the objective
reality, and how Allah succours the Muslims
in the direst of moments and the darkest of
places. The account is of the battle of Uhad,
when the Quraish left Makka intending to
fight against the Prophet, Allah' s blessings
be on him and his kin. The Prophet, Allah's
blessings be upon him and his kin, chose his
ground, and those who were with him were
as many as seven hundred men. He placed
‘Abdallah b. Jubair with fifty archers at the
mouth of the valley to safeguard the
Muslims against being attacked from
behind, telling them not to move from their
places and to stay where placed, whether the
189 | P a g e April 3, 2011
Muslims were victorious or whether they When two parties among ye determined on
were defeated. When the Quraish were being faint-hearted, and Allah is their
broken and the Muslims began to gather Patron, and so upon Allah should the
their spoils, Ibn Jubair's men began to ask believers rely.
why they should stay where they were and
gain no spoils, when the other Muslims were
engaged in gathering spoils. Ibn Jubair told
(122)
them to fear Allah, and that the Messenger
When two parties among ye…. They were
(s) had forbidden them from leaving their
the two tribes Bani Salmah and Bani
places. But they would not listen and one by
Haritha.
one they departed, until Ibn Jubair was left
among only twelve men. The disbelievers
…determined on being faint-hearted,…
profited from this and attacked, scattering
They had decided to act cowardly and turn
the remaining Muslims and killing them at
away from the battle. The hypocrite Abu
the mouth of the valley. They then attacked
Sulul had excited their fears about fighting
the Muslims from behind, while they were
the enemy and they were for turning back,
busy with plunder, and the fleeing
though they did not do so.
disbelievers also rallied and returned to the
Muslims once more. Thus the Muslims were
…and Allah is their Patron,… He is the
caught between the two forces, and they
one who succours His servants, and so it is
fled. Only ‘Ali, bliss be upon him, and Abu
Him who should be feared.
Dajana remained with the Prophet, Allah's
blessings be with him and his kin. Many
Muslims were killed, as many as seventy, …and so upon Allah should the believers
and among them was the Messenger's uncle rely. ‘Rely' is put for tawakkul; it means to
resign one's affairs to Allah, glorified be He:
Hamza, the lion of Allah and the lion of His
Messenger (s): ‘And whoso relies upon Allah, He suffices
him.'
And when thou went forth from your folk to
set the believers in place for the battle, and And truly Allah succoured ye at Badr, while
ye were abject. So be guardful of Allah, that
indeed Allah is hearing, aware.
ye might be thankful.

(121) (123)
And when thou went early from your
At the battle of Badr, named after the well at
folk… ‘Went early' is put for ghadawtu. It
means that the Messenger went forth from which it had been fought, the Muslims had
been received the divine succour, even
Madina early in the morning.
though in numbers and equipment they were
paltry.
…to set the believers in place for the
battle,… It refers to the battle of Uhad.
…So be guardful of Allah,… This confirms
His word, ‘And Allah is their Patron,' and
…and indeed Allah is hearing, aware. He
was sent down to encourage the Muslims for
hears the words and is aware of the
the battle at ‘Uhad; they were not to turn
Messenger's good intentions based on his
away from jihad after having seen the divine
love of goodness and of guiding all people.
succour at Badr.
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…that ye might be thankful. After His
succouring them they were expected to stand
in thanks for His blessings upon them.
When thou said to the believers, ‘Does it not
suffice ye that your Master extend ye with
three thousand of the angels sent down?'
(124)
At Badr the Messenger, Allah's blessings be
upon him and his kin, had said this to the
believers. He had said it to strengthen the
believers' hearts, and to explain to them that
Allah, glorified be He, sends angels to
strengthen the believers and to bolster their
positions. It was sent down to remind the
believers on their way to the battle of Uhad
about how Allah had previously succoured
them.
‘Sent down' is put for munzilin; they were
sent down by Allah, glorified be He, so as to
succour the Muslims—they fought against
the disbelievers and killed some of them.
Nay, if ye be restrained and guardful and
they come at thee in this their agitation, your
Master will extend ye with five thousand of
the angels, marked.
(125)
‘Marked' is put for mussawimin, a word
arising from the branding of horses, so that
the meaning is that they were marked with
some distinguishing mark or sign. Or it
means that they distinguished themselves
with a sign, and in fact they wore white
turbans with the ends flowing between their
shoulders.
There is another view, that this verse from
‘Nay…' applies to the matter of Uhad, in
that the disbelievers had determined to
return to the engagement for a second time
after the Muslims had suffered that which
they had suffered following their
disobedience; therefore Allah promised
them that were the disbelievers to return He
would assist the Muslims with five thousand
angels. But the first interpretation is more
fitting. And Allah is most aware.
Allah then explains that the sending down of
the angels and the promise of this were not
because they would be the cause of the
Muslims' succouring, but rather as glad
tidings. The succour itself was from Allah
alone, even without the angels. This that the
hearts of the Muslims be fortified for jihad:
Allah puts it only as a tidings for ye, and
that your hearts be confident through it. And
succour is but from alongside Allah, the
Grand, the Wise.

‘Nay' is given for bal, meaning ‘No, on the (126)

contrary.' The meaning is that it was not to
be supposed that the divine assistance was
The sending down of the angels and the
but the three thousand angels, for the
promise about it, O Muslims, was for no
Messenger told them, on the day of Badr, in
more than to be good news for ye, and that
order to encourage them, that if they
the presence of the angels and the promise
restrained themselves for the jihad, and were
about it was to settle the Muslims' hearts.
guardful against disobedience, and the
The assistance itself was but from Allah, the
disbelievers rushed at them like a flood, then
Grand in His authority, the Wise in His
Allah, glorified be He, would assist them
affairs.
with five thousand more angels, in addition
to the three thousand.

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Now comes the wisdom behind succouring
the Muslims against their enemies in this
battle and other conflicts:
To snip an edge off those who disbelieve, or
to subdue them so they return disappointed.
(127)
To snip an edge off those who disbelieve,…
The disbelievers were depleted in human
resources through being killed, in land
through the victory, and in wealth by losing
spoils.
…or to subdue them… They were humbled
into regret and they lost their morale.
…so they return disappointed. Not only did
they not return to their households without
having gained spoils, rather the contrary, as
they returned disappointed and rueful.
None of the affair is thine.
Or that He turn to them, or chastise them,
for indeed they are wrongful.
(128)
None of the affair is thine…. This is an
interjection addressed to the Messenger (s).
‘The affair' refers to the treatment of the
disbelievers. The succour and the defeat and
disappointment was all the will of Allah,
glorified be He, as He says, ‘Thou threw not
as thou threw, but rather Allah threw.' and
‘He it is who turned those who disbelieve
from their homes…'
…Or that He turn to them,… It means that
the succouring of the believers over the
disbelievers be the cause of some of them
being guided to the belief so that Allah
would turn to them in forgiveness with
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respect to their previous disbelief and
disobedience.
…or chastise them,… It refers to their
defeat and being taken captive.
…for indeed they are wrongful. Their being
chastised was no injustice on the part of
Allah, glorified be He, but due to them
wronging themselves. So the issue was not
in the Messenger's hands, but rather the
believers were succoured for one of four
reasons: a. to ‘snip an edge' off the
disbelievers; b. to frustrate them and destroy
their morale; c. to guide them; d. to chastise
them. The interjection ‘None of the affair is
thine' is to serve the purpose of reinforcing
the import, for the effect of an interjected
phrase is more than when it is simply
expressed in a normal flow.
And Allah's is that in the heavens and that in
the earth, He forgives whom He wills, and
He chastises whom He wills; and Allah is
forgiving, merciful.
(129)
The Messenger had no power in these
things: Allah's is that in the heavens and that
in the earth, and He does what He wills with
whoever He wills, and He disposes of His
realm according to a wisdom and purpose.
He forgives those who deserve His
forgiveness through obedience and
repentance, and He chastises those who
deserve chastisement due to their disbelief
and disobedience.
…and Allah is forgiving, merciful. His
forgiveness exceeds His chastisement, for
His mercy precedes His anger.
Here the thread returns to the topic of usury
and dispensing that we saw before, since
usury is one of the causes of chastisement,
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and dispensing is one of the causes of
forgiveness:
O ye who believe, consume not usury,
increasing, increasingly; and be guardful of
Allah, that ye might thrive.
(130)
O ye who believe, consume not usury,
increasing, increasingly;… It is the nature
of usury that the interest increases upon
itself. In this way the wealth of the poor is
devoured along with the efforts they must
make to clear themselves from debt.
…and be guardful of Allah,… That is: fear
His punishments.
…that ye might thrive. It means the
achievement of the rewards and the
blessings.
And be guardful of the fire that has been
prepared for the disbelievers.
(131)
And be guardful of the fire… That is:
commit not that which will lead to it.
…that has been prepared for the
disbelievers. This covers both the
disbelievers in belief and the disbelievers in
actions; or it means the disbelievers in
belief, and their being specially mentioned –
although the disobedient also go to the fire –
is because they remain there, or because
they are the major inhabitants there.
And obey Allah and the Messenger, that ye
might be mercied.
(132)
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And obey Allah and the Messenger,… The
believers are to obey the commands and
prohibitions of Allah and His Messenger (s).
The mention of the Prophet (s) is to honour
him and to show that his command is the
command of Allah, glorified be He.
…that ye might be mercied. That is, that
they receive the mercy of Allah in the world
and the hereafter.
And race towards forgiveness from your
Master and gardens whose extent is the
heavens and the earth, prepared for the
guardful.
(133)
And race towards forgiveness from your
Master… It means to brook no delay in
performing that which brings about the
divine forgiveness, namely the virtuous
deeds.
…and gardens whose extent is the heavens
and the earth,… Like the heavens and the
earth the gardens have no perceivable limits.
…prepared for the guardful. For those who
guard themselves against disobedience.
‘The guardful' are then described in His
word:
Those who dispense in ease and in hardship,
and the withholders of rage and the
pardoners of humankind; and Allah loves
the beautifiers.
(134)
Those who dispense in ease and in
hardship,… They dispense of their wealth
no matter what their circumstances.
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…and the withholders of rage… They
withhold their anger, their rage, and take no
revenge on whoso causes it.
…and the pardoners of humankind;…
They forgive them when they wrong them.
And whoso does this is a beautifier, for he
works beauty in himself and in the people:
…and Allah loves the beautifiers. It must
be clear that ‘the guardful' (al-muttaqin) are
they who accumulate all the beautiful
characteristics, yet the mention of them is
distributed throughout the Wise Quran
according to circumstances, so that the
guardful are described with some of these
characteristics at each place.
And those who when they do an indecency
or they wrong themselves, they remember
Allah and so seek forgiveness for their sins,
(and who forgives the sins other than
Allah?) and they insist not upon what they
were doing, while they know.
(135)
And those who when they do an
indecency… This continues the description
of the guardful. They are those who,
whenever they do commit an indecency of
disobedience, transgressing a limit,
…or they wrong themselves,… This
indicates something less than the level of an
indecency, a lesser form of disobedience, or
sin, for the implication of ‘indecency'
(fahisha) is that it is a major sin.
…they remember Allah… They remember
His prohibition, and His punishments.
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…and so seek forgiveness for their sins,…
They regret what they have done and seek
forgiveness from Allah, glorified be He.
…(and who forgives the sins other than
Allah?)… This is an ‘invitational
interrogative' (istifham isti'tafi), meaning
that the question is actually an invite; here,
then, the wise Quran invites the disobedient
to repentance and seeking forgiveness.
…and they insist not upon what they were
doing,… On the contrary, they cease doing
it and regret what they have done.
…while they know. They know that what
they did was mistaken, and so they insist not
on performing the sin with their knowledge
about it.
Those, their requital is forgiveness from
their Master and gardens, rivers flowing
under them, eternal in them. Blessed is the
wage of the deedful.
(136)
Those, their requital is forgiveness from
their Master… The guardful having the
mentioned characteristics will be rewarded
with the forgiveness in the world of their
sins being concealed and in the hereafter
pardoned.
…and gardens, rivers flowing under
them,… That is, under the trees and bushes.
…eternal in them…. Forever.
…Blessed is the wage of the deedful.
‘Deedful' is put for ‘amilin. Forgiveness and
reward are among the best of rewards for
any action, for no wage can compare in
permanence and luxury.
April 3, 2011
Ways have vacated before ye, so journey in
the earth and see how was the consequence
of the beliars.
(137)
Ways have vacated before ye,… Among the
former generations which have passed were
different ways (sunan) or paths, the path of
truth and the path of falsehood, the path of
goodness and the path of evil, and so forth.
…so journey in the earth… It means travel
to the lands and cities these previous
generations inhabited.
…and see how was the consequence of the
beliars. It means to become acquainted with
the fact that they did not prosper: they belied
the Messengers and lived and then died and
were buried; no good name survived them in
the world and nor did they have lasting
enjoyment of the good things for which they
did what they did. Rather they were
transferred to the divine chastisement. In
this is a warningful example for all, so be
not among the beliars, but rather among the
confirming believers.
This is a clarification for humankind, and a
guidance and admonition for the guardful.
(138)
It means that the Quran, or the
characteristics of the believers and
disbelievers that have been given, and the
admonitions and warnings that precede it,
are a clarification and explanation for the
people about how it is fitting for them to
live. And it is a guidance to guide them to
the truth. And it is an admonition for the
guardful, in the sense that it is the guardful
alone who will benefit from it, though the
address is made to all of humankind.
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Here the thread returns to the battle of Uhad,
to give the believers courage and the heart to
tolerate their difficulties. It follows the
comparative descriptions of the believers
and the disbelievers, for the determination of
the believers to be strengthened, and for
their hearts to be settled.
And languish not and sorrow not, ye are the
uppermost if ye be believers.
(139)
And languish not and sorrow not,… The
believers were not to weaken and nor were
they to let their defeat and the deaths and
woundings cause them to sorrow.
…ye are the uppermost… It means the
victorious; victory removes the heat of
losses.
…if ye be believers. The believer neither
languishes nor sorrows, for the capacity of
faith renders a person secure in strength and
joy—the strength is from Allah, glorified be
He, the joy is at the victory or the rewards of
Allah, glorified be He, even if defeated.
He then explains, glorified be He, that the
tragedy which afflicted the Muslims was not
particular to them, but that the disbelievers
had suffered in the same way, so that they
were equal in that—except that the believers
hoped for the reward of Allah, glorified be
He, which would not be attained by the
disbelievers. Accordingly, it was for the
believers to be more steadfast, more self-
restrained, and less given to languish and
sorrow:
If a wound has touched ye, so a wound like
it has touched the tribe. And such days—We
distribute them among humankind, and for
Allah to know those of ye who believe, and
take from ye martyrs.
April 3, 2011
And Allah loves not the wrongful.
(140)
If a wound has touched ye… The address is to the Muslims.
‘Wound' (qarh) means the losses and pain of Uhad.
…so a wound like it has touched the
tribe…. ‘The tribe' (al-qawm) means the
disbelievers. They too suffered losses at
Uhad. Or it means that they suffered at Badr,
where they were defeated and many were
killed.
…And such days… That is, days of victory
and defeat, and of wounds.
…—We distribute them among
humankind,… One day is for these over for
those, another is for those over these. When
Allah succours the believers, it is due to
their faith; when they are defeated it is as a
test for them.
…and for Allah to know those of ye who
believe,… The distribution of the fortunes of
war is so as to prove or distinguish the
genuine believer, for ‘in the vagaries of
providence is known the substance of a
man,' and ‘under a trial a man shines or
fades'. The meaning of ‘for Allah to know' is
that what He knows become real in the
objective reality. It does not mean that He
was ignorant, glorified be He, and then He
learned. As knowledge is a subjective thing
between the knower and the known,
therefore ‘to come to know' has two
meanings: the knower who did not know but
then learns; or that the known which has no
objective existence comes into existence.
…and take from ye martyrs…. The vagaries
of providence are for several benefits, and
among these benefits is that Allah take those
slain from among the believers as martyrs in
Allah's path so that through martyrdom they
reach the loftiest heights. And this is the
closest interpretation.
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…And Allah loves not the wrongful. It
means those who wrong themselves through
disbelieving, or through giving up.
And to purge those who believe, and to
annihilate the disbelievers.
(141)
And to purge those who believe,… Among
the benefits of the vagaries of fortune is that
the believers are purged of the hypocrites
among their ranks, for they clarity the
believer from the hypocrite. Or it means that
they are cleansed of their sins, for the
misfortunes melt away the sins, while
difficulties conceal the mistakes.
…and to annihilate the disbelievers. To
destroy them. Such vagaries eat away at the
disbelievers, bit by bit, until they are entirely
destroyed.
Then He explains, glorified be He, another
benefit of the distribution of success in war:
that the believer will not enter paradise
simply by manifesting the dual-declaration,
but that it is necessary that he struggle and
act. And in the distribution of days of victory
and defeat that these actions are made
possible. Thus such trials are for the people
of paradise to show their merit. The issue is
presented in the form of a question, as a
matter of eloquence:
(Or reckoned ye that ye would enter the
garden while Allah has not yet known those
of ye who struggle?) And to know the self-
restrainers.
(142)
(Or reckoned ye that ye would enter the
garden… That is, without examination,
simply on the strength of words.
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…while Allah has not yet known those of
ye who struggle?)… It means that jihad has
not occurred, for Allah's knowledge to relate
to it.
…And to know the self-restrainers. Self-
restraint (sabr) had also not occurred for His
knowledge to apply to it. No entry into the
garden will be made without jihad and self-
restraint, and so these days being distributed
like this gives rise to the believers' jihad and
their self-restraint, so that they become
worthy of the garden.
The noble Quran now gives a censure to the
believers for their stand at Uhad. A group of
them before the battle were looking forward
to the jihad and were longing for
martyrdom, but then they fled in a rout. Still
worse, the faith of some of them proved to
be extremely feeble, in that no sooner had
they heard of the death of Allah's
Messenger, peace and blessings be with him
and his kin, than they intended to apostatise:
And truly ye were yearning for death before
ye met it, so ye definitely saw it, while ye
were watching.
(143)
The believers were yearning for death before
they encountered it. ‘Meeting death' means
meeting the conditions that bring death
about, and meeting the fear which is from
death.
…so ye definitely saw it,… They clearly
saw at the battle how the disbelievers
dominated and how a number of believers
were killed.
…while ye were watching. ‘Watching' at the
battle, witnessing t. This is emphatic, and to
clarify that it was with their eyes that they
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saw, rather than their hearts, as ‘see' is used
also for ‘know'.
And Muhammad is but a Messenger.
Messengers have vacated before him; so if
he dies or is killed, do ye turn on your heels?
Whoso turns on his heels will harm Allah
not a thing, and Allah will reward the
thankful.
(144)
And Muhammad is but a Messenger. He, Allah's peace and
blessings be upon him and his kin, is not a god that he is above
death. He is but a man chosen by God for messengership, and is
therefore subject to death like the rest of mankind. This is not
something new, for:
…Messengers have vacated before him;… ‘Vacated' is given for
khalat. It means that Prophets have come and gone, and they
were subject to the divine method regarding death and the
cessation of life.
…so if he dies… a normal death.
…or is killed,… as a martyr.
…do ye turn on your heels?… This form of interrogative is used to
express repugnance and rebuke. The meaning is that such should
not be their condition; that is, they should not apostatise at the
death of the Prophet (s).
…Whoso turns on his heels… That is,
whoso apostatises and gives up the religion.
…will harm Allah not a thing,… Allah,
glorified be He, is absolutely rich and
needless, having no need of anyone's belief,
such that He would be harmed by their
disbelieving.
…and Allah will reward the thankful. He
will reward those who are grateful for the
blessing of faith and are firm upon it, as
apostasy is among the greatest types of
disbelief; as He says: Allah makes ye
beholden that He guided ye to the belief….
Here another criticism is directed at the
Muslims in their defeat: the fear of death.
Why flee? From fear of death, when death is
nothing but by the permission of Allah, and
April 3, 2011
everyone's period is determined? By this
criteria, to flee or not to flee are equal in
respect to the period of life accorded to
anyone:
And it is not for a spirit to die save with
Allah's permission; a termed book. And
whoso wants the reward of the world, We
give him of it.
And whoso wants the reward of the
hereafter, We give him of it; and We soon
reward the thankful.
(145)
And it is not for a soul to die… People are
not left to their own devices, that he who
wishes to die may die, and he who wishes to
remain alive may remain alive—all by
normal means other than through the will of
the Creator, glorified be He. No death
occurs…
…save with Allah's permission;… and His
will.
…a termed book…. Allah has that time
written on the Protected Tablet, the defined,
recognised period of everyone's life.
…And whoso wants the reward of the
world,… Whoso wants the goodness of the
world and works and strives for worldly
benefits…
…We give him of it…. He who works shall
see the results of his actions.
…And whoso wants the reward of the
hereafter,… and works for the rewards of
the afterlife…
…We give him of it;… in proportion to how
he acts for it. It means that Muslims were to
seek the rewards of Allah and the wage of
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the hereafter through jihad and
steadfastness, and were not to flee like they
fled at Uhad.
…and We shall reward the thankful. It
shall be a beautiful reward. A part of
thankfulness is that the person recognise the
value of the favour Allah has bestowed upon
him in Islam and blessing him with the
opportunity of jihad in front of His
Messenger in order to raise the divine word.
Whoso is grateful in this way shall be
rewarded with the reward of the thankful.
What was wrong with the Muslims that they
languished at the battle of Uhad and fled?
Had they not the example of previous
communities of believers who, with their
Prophets, stood up against the forces of
falsehood?
And how many a Prophet battled, many
Master's ones with him. They languished not
at what afflicted them in Allah's path, and
they weakened not and succumbed not. And
Allah loves the restrainers.
(146)
And how many a Prophet fought, many
Master's ones with him.… Many Prophets
fought in jihad and with them and under
their banner fought many believers.
‘Master's ones' is given for rabbiyun; the
jihad-waging believers are associated with
the Master (rabb), exalted be He, through
obedience, worship and faith. Or it means
the elect among the learned.
…They languished not at what afflicted
them… They did not give way to flight
under the pressure of loss of life and of limb,
and plunder and wounds.
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…in Allah's path,… This was to remind the
Muslims that their own difficulties were all
in Allah's path, glorified be He.
…and they weakened not and succumbed
not…. They did not become weak in the
face of their enemy, and they did not submit
to their enemy and did not humble
themselves before them.
…And Allah loves the restrainers. Praise
for those who are restrained in the face of
difficulties, and while at war.
And their word was but that they said, ‘Our
Master, forgive us our sins and our excesses
in our affair, and fix our feet and succour us
over the disbelieving tribe.'
(147)
And their word… The only thing the
‘mastered ones' would say at the time of
jihad and when meeting the enemy.
…was but that they said, ‘Our Master,
forgive us our sins… At the time of war
they sought forgiveness for the sins they had
committed preparatory to the meeting with
Allah in a cleansed condition.
…and our excesses in our affair,… It
means their transgressing the limit, their
extremism and deficiencies.
…and fix our feet… They sought the
strength to stand firmly before the enemy,
and not be put to flight.
…and succour us over the disbelieving
tribe. Thus they waged jihad in fear of their
sins, and in all humility they sought no more
than that their sins be pardoned, and their
aim was the victory of the religion over the
people of disbelief.
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So Allah gave them the reward of the world
and the lovely of the reward of the hereafter;
and Allah loves the beautifiers.
(148)
So… in recompense for the self-restraint and
forbearance they had shown, for their
resilience, their efforts and their humility:
…Allah gave them the reward of the
world… That is, in the form of victory,
honour, prestige and ease.
…and the lovely of the hereafter's
reward;… Gardens, rivers flowing beneath
them. The lovely reward of the hereafter. It
is the reward of the hereafter that is said to
be lovely, rather than the world, perhaps
because by comparison it is only the reward
of the hereafter that can truly be described as
beautiful. The world, by contrast, is finite
and subject to decay, and therefore there is
no spiritual value to its rewards, and
therefore no real loveliness. Or the meaning
is the most beautiful types of the rewards of
the hereafter, that none attain to save the
warriors—in contrast to the world that is
gained both by the righteous and by the
brazen.
…and Allah loves the beautifiers. The love
of Allah is above all rewards, as He says:
‘And contentment from Allah is greater.'
At the battle of Uhad, as things became
severe, a group of hypocrites began to call
on the people to apostatise and thereby save
themselves. Therefore, Allah sent down
about them:
O ye who believe, if ye obey those who
disbelieve they will turn ye back on your
heels, so ye shall return as losers.
(149)
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O ye who believe, if ye obey those who
disbelieve… It means the hypocrites, or the
Jews and Christians who spread the rumour
that Muhammad, Allah's peace and
blessings be upon him and his kin, had been
killed, and that they should return to their
previous religion and lifestyle.
…they will turn ye back on your heels,…
That is, they will turn you back into being
disbelievers, as before.
…so ye shall return as losers. Had they
apostatised they would have lost both
religion and the world, for the world of the
pre-Islamic Arabs was chaotic, poverty-
stricken and base.
Nay, Allah is your Patron, and He is the best
of succourers.
(150)
Nay, Allah is your Patron,… It was Him
the Muslims should have obeyed, rather than
the disbelievers and hypocrites, for it is Him
who succours them against their enemies.
…and He is the best of succourers. His
succour is goodness for both worlds, in
contrast to the succour of others.
Soon We shall cast fear into the hearts of
those who disbelieve, in that they partner
unto Allah that for which no authority was
sent down; and their abode is the fire--vile is
the lodging of the wrongful.
(151)
Soon We shall cast fear into the hearts of
those who disbelieve,… With fear and dread
in their hearts they shall be defeated by
Allah's forces—that is the succour of Allah.
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…in that they partner unto Allah that for
which no authority was sent down;… It is a
reminder that their partnerism (shirk) was a
matter of them imitating others, rather than
being based on any proof or evidence.
…and their abode is the fire… In the
hereafter.
…--and atrocious is the lodging of the
wrongful. Among mankind, vile is the
station of those who wrong themselves
through disbelief. In narrations we have it
that the verse was sent down at Uhad at the
time the partnerists had determined upon
returning upon the Muslims and uprooting
them to the last of them. No sooner had they
resolved upon this than Allah cast fear into
their hearts, so tha they turned away from
their resolution. It is not to be overlooked
that the casting of fear into the heart of the
disbeliever is a matter of natural course: the
Muslim draws strength from Allah, glorified
be He, whereas the disbeliever has a vacuum
in his heart in not believing, and this is
occupied by fear.
Thereupon Allah, glorified be He, explains
that their defeat on the day of Uhad was no
more than the effect of their disobedience
towards the command of Allah and of the
Messenger; otherwise Allah would have
succoured them as He promised, so that the
partnerists would have been routed.
And certainly Allah confirmed for ye His
promise when ye deadened them with His
permission, until when ye were faint-hearted
and ye disputed over the matter, and ye
disobeyed after He had shown ye what ye
love--among ye is him who wants the world
and among ye is him who wants the
hereafter—then He turned ye from them,
that He try ye. And He has pardoned ye, and
Allah possesses profusion for the believers.
200 | P a g e April 3, 2011
(152) …and among ye is him who wants the
hereafter… It refers to Abdallah who was in
charge of the archers and the twelve who
And certainly Allah confirmed for ye His
with him held to their places.
promise… It refers to His promise to
succour the Muslims.
…—then He turned ye from them. Allah
turned the Muslims away from the
…when ye deadened them with His
disbelievers, in the direction of the spoils,
permission,… ‘Deadened' is given for
instead of guarding their places. In guarding
tuhussunahum (‘ye deadened them') from
their positions their attention was towards
hassa meaning to deprive (another) of all
the disbelievers, lest they should come at the
feeling, of all sensation. It means that they
Muslims from behind; so when they turned
killed them, with His permission, which
their attention to the spoils, it was away
means by His command, for Allah
from the disbelievers. Their turning away is
‘permitted' them to fight, as in His word: It
attributed to Allah in the relative sense, like
is permitted for those who battle in that they
‘…whoso He sends astray…' Or it means
were wronged… ([al-Hajj] 22; 40)
that their turning away was the consequence
of their attraction towards the world.
…until when ye were faint-hearted… They
disobeyed the Messenger's command, took
…That He try ye…. To subject them to trial
fright, and kept themselves from the battle.
and examination, to prove how they will act.
…and ye disputed over the matter,… As we
…And He has pardoned ye,… Allah
have seen, the fifty archers at the mouth of
pardoned them their disobedience to the
the valley disputed over whether they should
Messenger, Allah's blessings be upon him
obey the Messenger's command and remain
and his kin.
in their places, or whether they should leave
their positions and gather the spoils.
…and Allah possesses profusion for the
believers. He succours them against their
…and… ultimately,…
enemies, and forgives them their sins.
‘Profusion' is given for fadl, meaning favour
…ye disobeyed… They disobeyed the
and blessings that are given over and above
Messenger's command to remain in their
what is deserved.
places guarding the mouth of the valley and
they vacated their positions. Of the fifty, O Muslims, you were pardoned of the sin you committed:
thirty-seven deserted their places.
When ye went and thought of no one, while
…after He had shown ye what ye love… the Messenger was calling ye from behind
They deserted after Allah had shown them yourselves; so distress upon distress
the defeat of their enemy, the partnerists, afflicted ye—that ye not sorrow at what
and the victory of the Muslims. misses ye, nor at what afflicts ye. And Allah
is informed of what ye do.
--among ye… Among ye, O Muslims…
(153)
…is him who wants the world… Those who When ye went… They travelled through the land, instead of
disobeyed in order to seek spoils. remaining in their positions.

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…and thought of no one,… They gave no attention to anyone
behind them; all they could think of was gaining speed in flight, so
as not to be overtaken.
…while the Messenger… Muhammad, Allah's blessings upon him
and his kin.
…was calling ye from behind yourselves;… He was calling them
from behind them, as he faced them to call them.
…so distress upon distress afflicted ye… It means that Allah
recompensed them for their flight with distress and sorrow upon
distress and sorrow—at the defeat and the loss of the lives of
those who were killed. The repetition of the word allows many
possibilities.
…—that ye not sorrow at what misses ye… It means the good
things that miss us.
…nor at what afflicts ye…. This refers to the harmful things that
afflict us. Man, when exerted to pressure and its tribulations,
becomes strong and his spirit is fortified, and so does not shake
an tremble when in difficulties. Therefore, the defeat at Uhad was
a lesson and an example so as to diminish in the view of the
Muslims the value of any good things that might miss them, and
the hardship of any difficulty that might inflict them.
…And Allah is informed of what ye do. He will therefore
recompense us according to our deeds.
Then He sent down upon ye after your
distress security: sleep—it overcame a party
from among ye, while a party were
preoccupied with themselves. They thought
about Allah other than the truth—the
thought of the ignorance. They said, ‘Is
anything of this affair ours?'
Say, the affair, all of it, is Allah's.
They hide in themselves what they will not
reveal to thee.
They say, ‘Had we anything of this affair we
would not have been killed here.'
Say, had ye been in your houses those upon
whom death is written would have gone
forth to their resting-places.
That Allah try what is in your breasts and to
purge what is in your hearts, and Allah is
aware of what holds the breasts.
(154)
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Then He sent down upon ye after your distress security: sleep…
After the Muslims were overcome by distress at their defeat,
Allah sent down security: sleep. Tired from all their efforts they
were able to sleep once the fear had left their hearts and the
disbelievers had moved off.
…—it overcame a party from among ye,… Thus the Muslims were
in two divisions. Those who believed that Muhammad—Allah
condescend upon him and his House—was genuine and that Allah
would not desert him and that the afflictions they had suffered
would be rewarded and were beneficial—they were the ones who
slept.
…while a party were preoccupied with themselves…. This second
party were only with the Messenger out of hypocrisy. Their
thought and attention was on their defeat, and they were unable
to sleep through grief and fear—word had spread amongst them
that the partnerists were determined to return, and they doubted
the divine succour. Thus they were unable to sleep on account of
their fear.
…They supposed about Allah other than the truth… That is, that
He would not succour His Prophet.
…—the supposing of the ignorance…. It was the disbelievers still
living in the ignorance who belied the promise of Allah, glorified
be He.
…They said, ‘Is anything of this affair ours?'… This was their saying
to themselves what they supposed in the way of the ignorance
(al-jahiliyah). They used the interrogative as a denial; in other
words, they denied and doubted that Allah would succour them
against the disbelievers.
…Say, the affair, all of it, is Allah's…. The Messenger was to say in
response that the entire affair was Allah's and that He succours
whom He pleases. The Muslims would be victorious because of
His succouring them.
…They hide in themselves what they will not reveal to thee…. It
means that the hypocrites concealed their hypocrisy, as they had
not the pluck to express it.
…They say, ‘Had we anything of this affair we would not have
been killed here.'… They said that were they really being
succoured by Allah, then their companions would not have been
killed that day.
…Say,… The Messenger was to tell them in reply that their being
succoured by Allah did not mean that none of them should die;
man dies when his period is up and his span is reached, even if he
is in his home:
…had ye been in your houses those upon whom death is written
would have gone forth to their resting-places…. These on whom
death was written and recorded in the ‘Protected Tablet' (lawh al-
mahfuz) would have gone out to their final resting-places.
‘Resting-places' is given for madaji', meaning a place of sleep.
…That Allah try what is in your breasts…
Allah examines what is in the breasts—
sincerity and hypocrisy, steadfastness and
weakness—which only manifest in
diversity. The phrase is conjunctive to ‘that
He try ye' (154). Or it is an independent
April 3, 2011
phrase, equivalent to ‘Allah did that in order
to try what is in your breasts…'
…and to purge what is in your hearts,…
To purify it by revealing it to the people and
to themselves, in that a person imagines
things and then, when something happens, it
becomes clear that the reality is the opposite
of what he supposed.
…and Allah is aware of what holds the
breasts. The examination is not so that Allah
may know, but that what He knows become
manifest.
Indeed those who turned away among ye the
day the two groups met—the devil merely
degraded them with some of what they
earned. And Allah has pardoned them; Allah
indeed is forgiving, clement.
(155)
Indeed those who turned away among ye
the day the two groups met… On the day of
Uhad when a party of Muslims under the
leadership of the Messenger, Allah's
blessings be with him and his kin,
encountered a party of partnerists under the
leadership of Abi Sufyan, some of the
Muslims turned and fled.
…—the devil merely degraded them… The
devil sought their degradation and
humiliation through their disobedience.
…with some of what they earned…. It
means on account of the sins they had
committed, whose consequences and evil
effects afflicted them.
…And Allah has pardoned them;… That is,
He pardoned them after their regret and their
return.
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…Allah indeed is forgiving,… He forgives
the sins of those who repent.
…clement. He rushes not the punishment
but rather delays so that the sinner might
repent and return to rectitude.
O ye who believe, be not like those who
disbelieved and said to their brothers when
they strode through the earth or were
attacking, ‘Had they been with us, they
would not have died and not been killed.'
Allah put this as regret in their hearts, and
Allah enlivens and deadens, and Allah of
what ye do is an observer.
(156)
O ye who believe, be not like those who
disbelieved… It means those who
disbelieved in the confessional sense, the
disbelievers who have no religion based on
the unseen. Or it means those whose deeds
made them disbelievers; the hypocrites and
suchlike.
…and said to their brothers… It means
their brothers in belief, or in humanity, as
the disbelievers were addressing, amongst
others, the believers. They were speaking
about ‘their brothers' who had travelled and
died, or had fought and been killed.
…when they strode through the earth…
When they travelled for the sake of trade
and suchlike. ‘The earth' is mentioned in
particular, as travel is normally by sea.
…or were attacking,… It refers to their
attacking the enemy in battle.
…‘Had they been with us,… That is, had
they stayed at home.
April 3, 2011
…they would not have died and not been …and Allah of what ye do is an observer.
killed.' They reckoned that death is due A call for them to be enthusiastic about
solely to natural factors, no more than that, obedience and jihad, and to guard against
whereas in fact it is by a determining disobedience and flight, for Allah knows the
(taqdeer) and decree or divine deeds, and sees all that is done.
consummation (qada), and therefore there
would have been no benefit for them in Moreover, even if we suppose that going
remaining at home. This is a rebuff to the forth and fighting are complete causes of
hypocrites putting it about that the death, is not death with forgiveness better
Messenger, peace of Allah upon him and his than a life spent in amassing wealth—as
kin, was responsible for deaths of the lived by the disbelievers who remained at
believers at Uhad, in that the brought them home?:
out and then they were killed.
And if ye are killed in Allah's path or die—
The meaning of ‘the determining' (al- truly forgiveness from Allah and His mercy
taqdeer) and ‘the decree' or ‘the are better than what ye gather.
implementation' (al-qada) in matters to do
with existence and the creation, is design
and preparing and providing the causes. An
(157)
architect wishing to build a house first
And if ye are killed in Allah's path or die…
designs the house, and then puts in place all
When the believers are killed in the path of
the substances of the building—bricks,
Allah waging jihad against His enemies, or
plaster, iron, wood and suchlike. So too all
when they die while undergoing the
of the existential matters in the world have
hardships of travel in seeking provision
been sketched out and are known by Allah,
through trade, and going through the earth,
glorified be He, and He has put in place all
then:
of the constituent components. But this does
not mean that things are completely beyond
human hands, …—truly forgiveness from Allah and His
mercy … His forgiveness and mercy are
because they obeyed Him and carried out
…Allah put this… ‘This' means what they
His commands.
believed.
…are better than what ye gather. It refers
…as regret in their hearts,… It means their
to the disbelievers who remained in their
frustration and disappointment at seeing
homes in fear of going forth.
their brothers triumphantly returning with
spoils. It is a part of nature that the immobile
Death or being killed are not the end of one's
person feels sorrow and a sense of loss when
life, that a person should fear them and turn
he sees the goodness and precedence coming
his hand away from the higher objectives:
to one who is dutiful and active.
And if ye die or are killed, unto Allah will
…and Allah enlivens… He resuscitates the
ye be mustered.
earth and the lifeless human.

…and deadens,… It is not that travel and (158)

battle are complete in being the cause of
death.
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And then we shall be recompensed for our
deeds; thus it is better to obey an thus be in
line for His reward and His profusion.
Here the thread turns to indicate the
awesome affection of the Messenger, Allah's
peace and blessings be with him and his kin,
towards the believers, in that he pardoned
them their behaviour at Uhad--in particular
their vacating the mouth of the gully, which
allowed the partnerists to turn the battle and
to do what they did to the Messenger,
Allah's mercies be upon him and his kin, and
to his companions:
So it was by mercy from Allah that thou
inclined towards them—were thou severe,
harsh of heart, they would have dispersed
from around thee; so pardon them and seek
forgiveness for them, and consult them in
the affair. Then, when thou have decided,
rely upon Allah—indeed Allah loves the
reliers.
(159)
So it was by mercy from Allah… It was as a mercy to the believers.
…that thou inclined towards them… Allah, glorified be He, made
him tender and compassionate towards them.
…—were thou severe, harsh of heart,… Had the Messenger been
harsh of heart and of tongue, course and unfeeling,
…they would have dispersed from around thee;… They would
have left the Messenger alone.
…so pardon them… He was to pardon them for their mistakes.
…and seek forgiveness for them,… And he was to seek Allah's
forgiveness for the mistakes they had committed. Allah, glorified
be He, had already mercied them; this instruction was to increase
the affection of the Messenger, Allah's peace be on him and his
kin, since when a person seeks forgiveness for another, the
distaste he has for that person in his own heart vanishes. It was
also to increase the affection of the believers towards him, Allah
condescend upon him and his House, in that they would know
that he was seeking forgiveness for them.
…and consult them in the affair…. This was to attract their
affections and to train them to take consultation in their own
affairs. Otherwise, the Prophet was needless of their counsel, as
he was aided by Allah through revelation.
…Then, when thou have decided,… It means after the consultation
process is over.
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…rely upon Allah… The Messenger was not to give importance to
those whose views opposed his own.
…—indeed Allah loves the reliers. He loves those who trust Him,
depend upon Him and rely upon Him in all their affairs.
If Allah succours ye then none will
dominate ye; and if He forsakes ye, who is it
that will succour ye after Him? And so upon
Allah should the believers rely.
(160)
If Allah succours ye… O believers, He will succour ye when ye
deserve it through your laying the basis for the succour,
obedience to His commands.
…then none will dominate ye;… No one will be able to dominate
them.
…and if He forsakes ye,… ‘He forsakes' is put for yakhdhul,
meaning that He refrains from protecting them from themselves
and from helping them in their affairs.
…who is it that will succour ye after Him?… It is an interrogative of
denial, meaning that there is none can succour other than Allah,
glorified be He.
…And so upon Allah should the believers rely. They should trust
him and depend upon Him.
Among the reasons why the Muslims
deserted their places on the hillside on the
day of Uhad, was their fear that the
Messenger, Allah's blessings be with him
and his kin, would not include them in the
division of the spoils. There had been much
talk among the hypocrites following the
battle of Badr, when some red velvet had
gone missing, and they said that the
Messenger had taken it. Accordingly, this
ayah was sent down to negate the idea that
the Prophets cheat and betray:
And it was not for a Prophet to cheat—and
whoso cheats, he will bring that which he
cheated on the day of resurrection; then
every soul will be met in full for what it
earned, and they are not wronged.
(161)
April 3, 2011
And it was not for a Prophet to cheat…It is
not lawful to cheat (given for ghalla), which
is say betray (khana). Betrayal is forbidden
for everyone, although the Prophets are
mentioned in particular as the talk is of the
Messenger.
…—and whoso cheats,… That is, whatever
the cheat's status, and whether the cheating
is for something little or big…
…he will bring that which he cheated on
the day of resurrection;… Narrations
inform us that he will carry it on his back.
…then every soul will be met in full for
what it earned,… Everyone will be
perfectly requited for what they earned, with
no deficiency.
…and they are not wronged. Nothing will
be deficient from their wage, and nor will
they be punished more than they deserve.
Is he who follows the contentment of Allah
like he who returns with wrath from Allah?
And his abode is hell; atrocious is the
outcome.
(162)
Is he who follows the contentment of
Allah… That is, by following His
commands and refraining from His
prohibitions.
…like he who returns with wrath from
Allah?… It is as if he returns to his worldly
deeds after having gone to Allah, glorified
be He, and knowing what He wants; and so
he returns subject to anger and wrath, while
others return with contentment.
…And his abode… His destination.
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…is hell; atrocious is the outcome. That is,
the destination to which he is returning is a
vile and foul place to go to. So it is for the
human not to flee from war and not disobey
the commands of Allah and the Messenger,
for then he will return with anger and his
destination will be hell.
They are degrees alongside Allah, and Allah
is an observer of what ye do.
(163)
They are degrees alongside Allah,… Those
who return with anger have a level, and
those who return with contentment have a
level. The believers have an elevated level
and the others a low, dismal level.
…and Allah is an observer of what ye do.
He requites all according to what they have
done, so it is for the person not to give up
doing good deeds on the grounds that they
will not be appreciated, and nor may the
sinner carry on his sins thinking that they
will not be seen.
The blessing with which Allah blessed the
Muslims, in return for which it was for them
to be grateful and strive for its furtherance,
was an extremely massive blessing, the like
of which could be equalled by no other
blessing, and whose status is not attained by
any kindness or favour:
Allah definitely favoured the believers when
He raised among them a messenger from
themselves, reciting to them His signs and
purifying them and teaching them the book
and the wisdom, even though beforehand
they were in clear deviation.
(164)
Allah definitely favoured the believers…
‘Favoured' is put for manna, meaning that
206 | P a g e April 3, 2011
He blessed them. The favour was general …even though beforehand they were in
and is mentioned as being particularly for clear deviation. Before the coming of the
the believers as it is the believers who Prophet they were in manifest deviation—in
benefit from it, and not others. their beliefs, in their behaviour and attitudes,
and in their actions. Therefore it is for the
…when He raised among them a believer to sacrifice in the path of this
Messenger… The ultimate blessing, which blessing to the utmost. And their actions on
is why it is only this with which Allah says the day of Uhad were the contradiction of
He has favoured man, for in messengership gratitude. And what they did sacrifice was
are the virtues of the religious life, the very little when compared to the blessing
worldly life, the life of the hereafter, and a with which they had been favoured.
human's perfection according to the capacity
of each. Or is it that when an affliction afflicts ye, ye
having afflicted twofold, ye say, ‘Why this?'
…from themselves,… The mention of
another blessing, as the Messenger, Allah's Say, ‘It is from alongside yourselves;'
blessings be with him and his kin, was from indeed Allah is over all things powerful.
the human species, and not an angel or a
jinn. This is an honour for all people and a
manifestation of the excellence of this
(165)
species. And since the thread is occupied
Or is it that when an affliction afflicts ye,…
with human believers, there is no room for
That is, is it that when an affliction comes to
the objection that the believers include not
you Muslims, all the while that:
only humans but also jinn, for whom the
Messenger was not ‘from themselves'.
…ye having afflicted twofold,… At Badr
the Muslims afflicted the disbelievers—at
…reciting to them His signs… As a teacher
Uhad seventy Muslims died, while at Badr
might recite a lesson for a class.
they had killed seventy of the disbelievers
and taken seventy captive.
…and purifying them… He cleansed them
of physical uncleanness through the laws of
…ye say, ‘Why this?' They wondered why
cleanliness and suchlike, and he purified
the affliction had come to them, them being
their behaviour and beliefs by guiding them
Muslims. It is a criticism, meaning: How do
to the truth and to virtue.
you wonder at this affliction you have
suffered, when you afflicted twice its like at
…and teaching them the book… He taught
Badr? Moreover, this affliction is due to
them the meanings of the book, which is
your own weakness in being deceived by the
different to ‘reciting it'.
wealth and leaving your places on the
hillside.
…and the wisdom,… It means the
knowledge of the Legislation (shari'a), or it
…Say,… The address is in the singular; the
is unconditional in the sense of him teaching
Prophet was to tell them:
them the value and proper place of things;
for as it is said, ‘wisdom is the placing of
…‘It is from alongside yourselves;'… It
things in their (proper) places.'
was from their greed for wealth and spoils.

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…indeed Allah is over all things powerful.
He is able to succour the Muslims over their
enemies just as He is able to disgrace them
when they leave aside His orders. Some
narrations state that at Badr the Muslims had
the choice between taking a ransom for the
captives, although then the following year
they would be killed to the number of the
(seventy) captives they let free in this way,
or killing them. They chose to take the
ransom, and so they brought the affliction
upon themselves.
And what afflicted ye on the day the two
groups met was by Allah's permission, and
that He know the believers.
(166)
That which afflicted the Muslims when they
encountered the disbelievers on the day of
Uhad was by the permission of Allah: by
His knowledge, or meaning that He did not
come between them and the disbelievers,
and thus they were afflicted. That would be
a kind of ‘existential permission' (idhn
takwini). His permitted it for the benefit of
distinguishing between the believer and the
hypocrite. As He says,
…and that He know… That is, that His
knowledge become objective reality.
…the believers. The believers fought.
And that He know those who engage in
hypocrisy. It was said to them ‘Come, fight
in Allah's path, or defend!' They said, ‘Had
we known there was fighting we would not
have followed ye!'
They were nearer to disbelief that day than
they were to belief. They say with their
mouths what is not in their hearts. And
Allah knows best what they conceal.
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(167)
And that He know those who engage in
hypocrisy…. This came in reference to Ibn
Abi Sulul and his party who manifested
Islam while internally wishing it harm, and
who, on the day of Uhad, deserted away
from Uhad with three hundred men, saying
they did not wish to kill themselves.
…It was said to them ‘Come, fight in
Allah's path,… An Ansari by the name of
‘Amr b Hajjam called out these words after
them as they departed.
…or defend!'… That is, they should at least
have been ready to defend their homes and
their lives, for had the disbelievers
conquered them they would have been
treated very roughly.
…They said, ‘Had we known there was
fighting we would not have followed ye!'…
They held that were that on which the
Muslims were embarking properly warfare,
then their opinion would have been taken,
and as the Muslims were seeking to throw
themselves into destruction, this too meant
that it was not proper war.
…They were nearer to disbelief that day
than they were to belief…. Everything a
hypocrite does in opposition is closer to
disbelief, and everything he does in
conformity is closer to belief.
…They say with their mouths what is not
in their hearts…. Their mouths speak words
of faith while their hearts are occupied by
disbelief and disobedience.
…And Allah knows best what they conceal.
He knows what they hide in their hearts, and
so shall compensate them for their concealed
hypocrisy.
April 3, 2011
It seems that this ayah (from ‘That He
know…') is not conjunctive to ‘…Allah's
permission,…' for then the meaning would
be that the affliction was the means of
discerning these hypocrites, whereas the
proclamation of jihad was the means of that.
So the verse is an independent sentence,
meaning that the battle of Uhad was for the
purpose of distinguishing between the
believer and the hypocrite, among a number
of other benefits.
He, glorified be He, then further describes
those who engage in hypocrisy:
Those who said of their brothers as they sat,
‘Had they obeyed us, they would not have
been killed.'
Say, ‘Put off from yourselves death, if ye be
truthful.'
(168)
Those who said of their brothers as they
sat, ‘Had they obeyed us, they would not
have been killed.' The hypocrites who had
sat back from the battle said of their brothers
who had gone forth to the field of jihad and
been killed, that had they obeyed them and
deserted with them, they would not have
been killed.
…Say,… The Messenger was to tell them:
…'Put off from yourselves death, if ye be
truthful.' It means that if their view is true,
that to remain at home leads to the negation
of death, then how is it that so many remain
at home and die, while so many go forth to
jihad and walk away unharmed.
Even if we suppose that he who goes forth
for jihad will be killed, where is the harm in
that? He who is martyred in Allah's path is
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not deprived of life, but remains alive and
beautifully provisioned:
And reckon not those killed in Allah's path
as dead; nay, alive alongside their Master,
provisioned.
(169)
And reckon not those killed in Allah's path
as dead;… Just as the physical life has
degrees and levels, ranging from the level of
those in felicity and joy down to that of
those who are nasty and wretched, so too all
who die are of two types. Both remain alive
in a life with its own characteristics. One
section will be ‘alive', meaning that they
will be in felicity and joy, while the other
will be ‘dead', meaning that they will be
wretched and misery-stricken. This explains
why the ayah does not mean that those who
are not killed in Allah's path are not alive
after death.
…nay, they are alive alongside their
Master, provisioned. Their life is alongside
Allah, glorified be He, where their provision
is there for them morning and night.
Their condition there is that they are:
Joyous at what Allah grants them from His
profusion, and happy for those who have not
yet joined them behind them, that no fear is
upon them, and nor do they sorrow.
(170)
Joyous at what Allah grants them from His
profusion,… Eternal life, felicity and
goodness.
…and happy for those who have not yet
joined them behind them, … Those killed in
Allah's path are happy at the condition of
their brothers whom they have left behind,
209 | P a g e April 3, 2011
for the condition of their brothers who are
behind them is:
…that no fear is upon them … Allah is
directing their affairs.
…and nor do they sorrow. That is, they do
not sorrow for those behind them. So, those
killed have both blessings, the blessing of
having been blessed by Allah, glorified be
He, themselves, and the blessing of their
brothers behind them in that they know there
is no fear upon them. Against these were
those who remained at home and didn't
wage jihad; they had both evils, the
difficulties of their own lives and the
problem of their brothers, in that they knew
neither their own fates nor the fates of their
brothers.
Happy at a blessing from Allah and a
profusion; and that Allah wastes not the
wage of the believers.
(171)
Happy at a blessing from Allah… Those
killed in Allah's path are joyous and happy
at the blessing of the hereafter, bestowed
upon them by Allah, glorified be He.
…and a profusion;… Blessings over and
above what they deserve, or beyond all
expectation.
…and that Allah wastes not the wage of the
believers. It is natural that whoever is sure
that his wage and reward is certain will be
bound to be happy and joyous, and this
those who have been martyred see with their
eyes. This is in contrast to man in the world,
for though he knows it, he cannot see it. The
repetition is to lodge the matter firmly in the
heart, till it is as if the matter has been
witnessed.
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When Abu Sufyan and his companions had
turned from Uhad and reached al-Rawha,
they regretted having turned away and
turned on each other, some of them saying
to others: ‘Neither was the Messenger
killed, nor were any beautiful girls carried
off. You killed them until they were all
fugitives, and then you abandoned them; so
turn back and eradicate them.' When this
news reached the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and his House, he
decided to frighten them off. So he went out
and along with him were many who had
been wounded at Uhad, until they reached
Humra. al-Asad. When the news of this
development reached the partnerists, they
became terrified and turned and fled.
This ayah comes here as Allah, glorified be
He, having explained the reward of the
martyrs and that they are happy for those
still alive, now describes those for whose
sakes the martyrs are happy: those they left
behind are not shaken by tribulation, nor do
wounds make them shrink from
confrontation, and nor are they made afraid
by the gathering of the enemy or rumours to
that effect while they are weakened by their
wounds:
Those who answered Allah and the
Messenger after they had been afflicted by
the wounding—for those who worked
beauty among them and were guardful is a
magnificent wage.
(172)
Those who answered Allah and the
Messenger… They obeyed their commands.
We have previously mentioned that the
mention of the Messenger in such places is a
mark of honour for him, and to show that his
command is the command of Allah;
otherwise, the two commands are one.
April 3, 2011
…after they had been afflicted by the
wounding… It refers to the wounds they
received at Uhad.
…—for those who worked beauty among
them… It means after their answering the
call.
…and were guardful… Guardful against
being disobedient.
…is a magnificent wage. For they were
obedient in three ways: their presence at
Uhad, their responding to the summons for
the second time, and their beautiful deeds
and guardfulness.
Then He, glorified be He, describes them in
another way:
Those to whom the people said, ‘Indeed the
people have gathered against ye, so be in
awe of them.' So it increased them in belief,
and they said, ‘Allah suffices us, and what a
fine trustee.'
(173)
People were saying to the Messenger's
companions after their return from Uhad,
that the ‘people', meaning Abu Sufyan and
the partnerists, were gathering against them
so as to renew the war. They told the
Muslims to fear this news, for were they to
return to the fray then, given the Muslims
being so weakened by wounds, they would
be destroyed to the last man. But instead, the
news increased them in faith, for in every
affliction the believer remembers Allah and
his soul is fortified and his determination
strengthened by Allah's succour.
…and they said, ‘Allah suffices us,… It
means that Allah would be sufficient for
them against the enemies.
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…and what a fine trustee.' He is the best in
whom to entrust ones' affairs, for He knows
the true benefits and the true harms, and He
is best able to bring the benefits to His
clients and avert from them the harms.
So they returned with a blessing from Allah
and profusion, no evil touched them.
And they followed Allah's contentment, and
Allah holds magnificent profusion.
(174)
The believers who responded to the call of
Allah and His Messenger returned from their
sortie accompanied by the blessings of
Allah, glorified be He.
…no evil touched them…. Upon their going
forth to meet Abu Sufyan, Abu Sufyan took
fright, and so the Muslims returned having
put terror into the much larger of the two
forces.
…And they followed the contentment of
Allah,… That is the reason they obeyed His
command in pursuing the partnerists.
…and Allah holds magnificent profusion.
He has profusion for those who obey His
commands and He gives felicity to them in
the world and the hereafter. It is narrated
from Imam Sadiq, bliss be upon him, that he
said, ‘I am amazed by those who fear; why
do they not take heed from His word, “Allah
suffices us, and what a fine agent” for it is
followed by, “So they returned with a
blessing from Allah and profusion, no evil
touched them.”
There you have the devil: frightening his
protégés, so fear them not and fear Me, if ye
be believers.
(175)
April 3, 2011
There you have the devil:… It means that
spreading fear abroad, like those who tried
to make the Muslims afraid, is a work of the
devil.
…frightening his protégés,… The devil's
party are in fear, not the believers, as the
devil's party have cut their connection to
Allah, glorified be He, and therefore are in
fear of everything. This is as He says, ‘They
reckon every outcry is against them.' ([al-
Munafiqun] 63, 4.
…so fear them not;… They were not to fear
the people who had gathered against them,
or not to fear the devil and his friends.
…and fear Me,… It means obeying Him
and not disobeying Him, glorified be He, for
to act otherwise leads to the fire.
…if ye be believers. As a consequence of
faith the believer fears only Allah, glorified
be He. The meaning is not the total absence
of fear, for that is impossible; what is meant
is not giving way to any fear.
And those who race in disbelief should not
sorrow thee; indeed they harm Allah not a
thing. Allah wishes that He put not for them
a share in the hereafter, and theirs is a
mighty chastisement.
(176)
And those who race in disbelief should not
sorrow thee;… The Messenger was not to
be upset by those seeking to outdo each
other in the deeds of disbelief, ‘racing' in
their enthusiasm.
…indeed they harm Allah not a thing…. It
means that despite all they could do in their
rivalry to it, the Messenger's mission which
was from Allah was bound to succeed and
prosper, unharmed by all they could do.
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Equating the mission with Allah in this way
is to denote its exalted position and the
strength by which it is defended and
protected.
…Allah wishes that He put not for them a
share in the hereafter,… He only wishes
that because of their turning away from the
truth. It is like one who entrusts his servant
with some money for trading, and then finds
that he has frittered it away gambling. He
gives him a respite and does not punish him,
so that when he does punish him he will
give him a severe punishment.
…and theirs is a mighty chastisement. This
is theirs on account of their disbelief, their
rivalry and enthusiasm against Islam.
Indeed those who purchase disbelief for
belief—they will not harm Allah a thing;
and theirs is a painful chastisement.
(177)
Those who exchange faith for disbelief will
never harm Allah – that is, His cause – in
the slightest by their transaction. Rather they
will earn for themselves a painful
chastisement.
And those who disbelieve should not reckon
that Our indulging them is good for
themselves – We indulge them that they
increase in sin, and theirs is a debasing
chastisement.
(178)
The disbelievers should not suppose that
Allah's indulging them by giving them a
long life and furnishing them wealth and
status was good for them, for good is that
which has no evil consequences. Their lives
being long and their blessings being many
was all for them to increase in sin and
April 3, 2011
disobedience. By turning from the truth and
by letting their inner selves decay and
become vile, they had made themselves
deserving of the fire and the chastisement.
But there is no punishment merely for inner
wickedness, and so their being indulged is
for the purpose of manifesting their inner
realities. Accordingly, their remaining alive
increases their punishment.
…and theirs is a debasing chastisement.
Besides its painfulness, it will also disgrace
them. And it is said that the connection
expressed by ‘that' (given for lam ) in, ‘that
they increase in sin', is one of consequence,
like in the verse about Musa, bliss be upon
him: ‘So the house of Pharaoh took him up,
that he be to them an enemy, a sorrow.' [al-
Qasas [28]; 9).
Thereupon the thread returns to the account
of Uhad, and how it revealed the believer
obedient to the Messenger in the war, in
contrast to the hypocrite who opposed the
jihad, like ‘Abdullah b. Ubayy, and those in
opposition with him:
Allah would not leave the believers upon
what ye were upon until He had
distinguished the vile from the wholesome;
and Allah would not inform ye as to the
unseen; rather, Allah chooses from His
Messengers whom He wills.
So believe in Allah and His Messenger; and
if ye believe and be guardful, then yours is a
magnificent wage.
(179)
Allah would not… It means that it is not
part of His method or practice, His sunnah.
…leave the believers upon which ye were
upon… It means that it is not His practice to
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let the believers alone upon a mere
declaration of faith, in which the believer
and the hypocrite are equal.
…until He had distinguished the vile from
the wholesome;… So that the inner
convictions of each party might become
clear. In some elucidations it is given that
the partnerists said to Abu Talib that if
Muhammad, Allah condescend upon him
and his House, was genuine, he would be
able to tell them which of them believed,
and which of them did not, and that if they
found him to be correct they would all
submit themselves as Muslims. And so the
ayah was sent down. If that is so, then the
meaning of ‘that upon which ye were upon'
is the condition they were in prior to their
believing. That is, Allah would not leave
one who is a believer at heart in a condition
of disbelief among the disbelievers.
…and Allah would not inform ye as to the
unseen;… It is not for us to know who is a
believer and who is a hypocrite without
objective examination by which the inner
realities become clear.
…rather, Allah chooses from His
Messengers whom He wills…. He selects
Messenger and Prophets to inform them of
the unseen. Elsewhere He says, ‘He reveals
His unseen to no one, save whoso He
chooses as a Messenger…' ([al-Jinn] 72,
28). This does not preclude a partial
information concerning the unseen on the
part of the angels and the Imams and some
of the believers, as the angels are beyond
making an exception for them, while the
others are either taught by the Prophet or are
inspired with the information by Him,
glorified be He. There is no exception given
as objectively the exceptions are so few. The
norms of nature are not, as we know,
negated by rarities.
April 3, 2011
…So believe in Allah and His
Messenger;… It means with a real, genuine
faith, uncontaminated by hypocrisy and
inner impurity.
…and if ye believe… with a genuine belief,
…and be guardful,… It means by not being
disobedient and doing the virtuous deeds.
…then yours is a magnificent wage. It will
last forever, in gardens the extent of which
is as the heavens and the earth, and
contentment from Allah.
The discussion having been about jihad and
sacrifice, it is now followed by the topic of
wealth, for the two are normally mentioned
together, since jihad necessitates
expenditure, and the religion depends upon
the twin sacrifices of life and of wealth. And
so He says, glorified be He;
And those who are miserly with what Allah
grants them from His profusion should not
reckon it is good for them – rather it is evil
for them: they shall be yoked with that for
which they were miserly on the day of
resurrection. And Allah's is the legacy of the
heavens and the earth, and Allah of what ye
do is informed.
(180)
And those who are miserly with what Allah
grants them from His profusion… It means
from what Allah grants them of His
blessings. Even though a person may have
worked hard to the point of exhaustion,
nevertheless all wealth is from Allah's
profusion. He created it and He fashioned it.
Gold coins, for example, are minerals that
He has created, and so it is with other
wealth, be it vegetable or whatever. All is
His. And this is in addition to the human
faculties, by which man is made able to
MIA 214 | P a g e
acquire wealth, also belonging to Him. In
this ayah the meaning of ‘miserliness'
(bukhl) is the forbidden type: refraining
from making the obligatory expenditure.
…should not reckon it is good for them…
They supposed that their miserliness would
increase their wealth, in that it would remain
with them and not depart from their hands.
…—rather it is evil for them:… Their
miserliness will bring them evil in the world
in the form of a bad name that will in turn
mean they are unable to acquire more
wealth. It may mean that the ruler
confiscates their wealth and distributes it
among the poor. Worse still:
…they shall be yoked with that for which
they were miserly on the day of
resurrection … It means the wealth over
which they were miserly will be made into a
yoke upon their necks. The term highlights
the responsibilities of wealth, in that it is
said that a wife is a yoke upon a man's neck,
or that a debt is a yoke upon the neck of the
debtor. In narrations we have it from the
Prophet, Allah's blessings be upon him and
his kin, and the Imams, peace be with them,
that whoever denies any zakat from his
wealth—Allah will put that on the day of
resurrection as a snake of fire yoked about
his neck and snapping at his flesh,…. And in
some of them this is the elucidation of the
noble ayah.
And furthermore, what is the point of being
miserly? Wealth will never stay with anyone
forever: all depart and leave their wealth
behind:
….And Allah's is the legacy of the heavens
and the earth,… Whosoever dies with them
and leaves something behind—Allah
inherits it in the sense that it remains His
alone after all have died. Whatever in
miserliness is kept from Him and not
April 3, 2011
dispensed in His path, can only return to
Him in the end. So hoarding it is no more
than sin.
…and Allah of what ye do is informed.
Whatever is dispensed in His way and for
His sake is known by Allah, glorified be He,
and it shall be beautifully recompensed.
Among the misers of the Jews was one who
refrained from dispensing that which Allah
had granted him, and then added to that by
saying that Allah is destitute for He
continually seeks loans--as He says, '‘Who
is it that will lend Allah…'—while I, with
what I have, am rich!:
Allah has definitely heard the word of those
who say, ‘Indeed Allah is poor, and we are
rich!'
We shall write what they say and their
killing the Prophets without right, when We
say, ‘Taste the chastisement of the
conflagration!'
(181)
Allah has definitely heard the word of those who say, ‘Indeed
Allah is poor, and we are rich!' It is enough of a warning to them
that He says He has heard their word, for they must expect a
precise requital and a painful punishment.
…We shall write what they say… The
record of their words will be written and
registered; their will be no chance to deny it
on the day He brings the record of every
affair.
The logic of the Jews had deviated to the
lengthiest of extremes. How can Allah be
impoverished when it is Him who owns all
things, even the spirit of the speaker? His
‘taking loans' is a test, and His seeking
wealth is a test and examination. And how
can that man be rich, when he owns not even
his spirit, let alone his wealth?
MIA
…and their killing the Prophets without
right,… The Jews' killing of their Prophets
will also be recorded in a written register.
Allah blames them for this, even though it
was their fathers who killed them, on
account of their being pleased with that,
firstly, and to explain that these are the
descendants of those criminal ancestors,
therefore there is no wonder that they speak
disbelief, given that their ancestors did
worse things.
The use of the word or letter sin, given as
‘shall' in ‘shall write', is perhaps to explain
that the writing does not take place until the
death of the non-believer in Muhammad,
Allah's blessings be upon him and his kin.
As for the believer, the writing will do no
harm as it is wiped clean by believing. This
is correct in respect of their word; and as for
the murdering by their ancestors, their
murdering is written, and so now the turn of
writing is for the descendants, but only if
they remain in disbelief.
…when We say,… This is at the time of
their being punished in the hereafter.
…‘Taste the chastisement of the
conflagration!' It shall burn away at their
bodies on account of their words and their
deeds.
‘That is for what your hands sent forth, and
as Allah is not a wronger for the creatures.'
(182)
That is for what your hands sent forth,…
Their being chastised is on account of their
disbelief and disobedience. The term ‘what
your hands sent forward' is used because it
is normally the hands that present things.
…and as Allah is not a wronger for the
creatures. The creatures opposed His
215 | P a g e April 3, 2011
commands and therefore they made
themselves deserving of that punishment. ‘A
wronger' is given for zallam, which is not
emphatic, but meaning ‘concerned with
wrongs and injustices', like a tammaar or
date-seller is occupied with dates.
Those who said ‘Allah is poor while we are
rich', and killed their Prophets, refused to
believe in the Messenger, Allah condescend
upon him and his House, on spurious
pretexts. They said: ‘O Muhammad, Allah
has covenanted unto us in the Torah that we
believe in no messenger until he produces a
sacrifice devoured by fire. So if you suppose
that Allah has sent you to us, produce this
sacrifice and we will confirm you.' So this
ayah was sent down:
And of those who say, ‘Indeed Allah has
covenanted us that we believe in no
Messenger until he brings us a sacrifice
consumed by fire!'
Say, ‘Messengers did come to ye before me
with clarifications and with what ye said, so
why did ye kill them, if ye be truthful?'
(183)
And of those who say,… This is a conjunct
to ‘…those who say, “Indeed Allah is
poor…”'
…‘Indeed Allah has covenanted us… It
means commanded and enjoined in their
revealed book.
…that we believe in no Messenger… That
is, not confirm his prophethood.
…until he brings us a sacrifice… It means
an animal sacrificed for Allah.
MIA 216 | P a g e
…consumed by fire!'… A fire should
appear out of the unseen and consume the
sacrificial offering.
…Say,… The Messenger was to reply to
them:
…‘Messengers definitely came to ye before
me with clarifications and with what ye
said,… Messengers came to them with clear
arguments and proofs as well as producing
sacrificial offerings being consumed by a
fire from the unseen. Yet nevertheless:
…so why did ye kill them,… They killed the
Prophets Zakariya and Yahya and others.
…if ye be truthful?' It means truthful in
their claim that they would believe in the
Messenger were he to produce for them a
sacrifice consumed by unearthly fire. The
deeds of the predecessors are attributed to
the descendants because their natures were
the same and their inclinations were the
same. It could not be said that the Jews of
the Messenger's time did not manifest their
approval of their ancestors' killing the
Prophets.
So if they belie thee – they definitely belied
Messengers before thee; they came to them
with clarifications, the law-scriptures and
the enlightened book.
(184)
So if they belie thee… The address is to
the Messenger. If they were to disbelieve
in his messengership.
…—they definitely belied Messengers
before thee;… Their denying the
Messengers was no new thing. The people
had denied previous Messengers, even
though:
April 3, 2011
…they came to them with clarifications,… (185)
Clear proofs.
Every spirit is a taster of death,… We all
…the Law-scriptures… ‘Law-scriptures' is
taste death and we all meet it.
put for al-zubur, meaning texts containing
the Laws and Legislation.
…and ye shall be requited your wages on
the day of resurrection;… All of mankind
…and the illuminating book. This is the
will be repaid their wages in goodness and
kitab al-munir, a collection of all the Laws.
evil on the day of resurrection, for this place
The difference between them is that the
is for deeds without a reckoning, there is the
zubur are various scriptures containing
place for the reckoning and the requital.
various Laws, whereas the kitab is
comprehensive and structured. It is like the
…so whoso moves from the fire and is
Messenger, Allah's blessings be with him
entered into the garden, has definitely
and his kin, being revealed hadith qudsi and
achieved. He is in perfect happiness and
the Quran.
ease without end and without blemish.
Here the question arises as to why the
…And the worldly life is nothing but
Messenger did not produce for them a
pleasure in delusion. The pleasures and
sacrifice consumed by flames. The answer is
delights of the world cause man's delusion
that they sought that out of obstinacy rather
and heedlessness towards the eternal
than for any desire to be guided. Otherwise
benefits. Thus it is an urgent necessity to use
the other signs and proofs would have
one's life, position and wealth to acquire the
sufficed them. The Messengers are above
eternal life, and not be deluded by the world
performing the extraordinary at the whim of
into disobeying Allah, glorified be He, for
any obstinate opponent; and this is the
then he will enter the fire.
mystery behind the Messenger's refusal to
perform so many miracles.
The world is the field of trial and
examination, not the station of comfort and
Refraining from jihad for fear of death,
happiness:
refraining from belief for fear of the loss of
leadership, and refraining from dispensing
That ye definitely be tried in your
for fear of poverty, all have evil
belongings and your selves, and ye shall
consequences: the fire. Everybody dies and
hear from those granted the book before ye
loses his life, his position and his wealth. It
and from those who partnerise much
is fitting, therefore, that we act so as to
annoyance; and if ye be restrained and
bring about the beautiful consequences:
guardful – that is of the decisiveness of
affairs.
Every spirit is a taster of death, and ye shall
be fully met your wages on the day of
(186)
resurrection; so whoso moves from the fire
and is entered into the garden, has definitely
That ye definitely be tried… The emphasis
achieved.
could not be more stressed. It is certain that
disasters and misfortunes befall the
And the worldly life is nothing but pleasure
believers.
in delusion.

MIA 217 | P a g e April 3, 2011

…in your belongings… By their departure, small price; so, atrocious is what they
deficiency and the obligation of dispensing purchase!
from them.

…and your selves,… Diseases, difficulties,

(187)
being killed in the jihad and so forth.
When Allah took the pact of those granted
the book,… This was the emphatic promise
…and ye shall hear from those granted the
taken from them by their Prophets.
book before ye… The Jews, Christians and
Zoroastrians.
…that they would clarify it for
humankind… They were to explain the
…and from those who partnerise… In
book for the people, clarifying its laws and
particular among the disbelievers.
the tidings of the Messenger, Allah's bliss be
upon him.
…much annoyance;… It means things like
abuse and insults and scorn and derision .
…and not conceal it,… They were not to
keep any of it hidden.
…and if ye be restrained… It means under
the pressure of the difficulties and
…they threw it behind their backs,… It is a
afflictions.
way of saying that they overlooked their
pact and paid it no attention, like one who
…and guardful… That is, not let the
throws away something he doesn't want.
difficulties and severities deviate a person
from the religion and the sacred actions.
…and purchased with it a small price;…
The substituted the laws of the book for a
…—that… Self-restraint and guardfulness.
little power and a little wealth in the world,
which they acquired from the rest of the
…is of the decisiveness of affairs. It means
Jews.
the affairs for which decisiveness (al-'azm)
is required.
…so, atrocious is what they purchase! Vile
indeed, as by doing that they made
themselves deserving of the eternal
chastisement.
The thread then turns to mention another of
the characteristics of the book-folk,
Among the people are those who fail to
appropriately enough, in that they knew
engage in good works along with those who
about the messengership of the Messenger,
act, and when those who perform the good
for it was mentioned in their books, but
deeds fail to achieve their goals, they
instead of admitting it and disclosing it for
consider themselves sensible and wise. Yet
the people, they concealed it under
when those who perform the good deeds are
opposition and obstinacy, and hid the book
successful, they reckon themselves as
from the people:
having contributed and helped them, and
they expect to be praised along with them.
When Allah took the pact of those granted
Such people who do not take part in that in
the book, that they would clarify it for
which they must take part, can only look
humankind and not conceal it, they threw it
forward to the chastisement for their
behind their backs, and purchased with it a
MIA 218 | P a g e April 3, 2011
neglecting their obligation. Such people are
normally among the hypocrites, and those
who sit back from the jihad, and from the
obligation of bidding to the honourable and
forbidding from the dishonourable. They
have another distinguishing characteristic, in
that they are pleased by whatever they do,
whether right or wrong—in contrast to the
believers who seek forgiveness when they
sin, and when they do good they fear; as He
says: ‘And those who give what they give,
while their hearts are in dread…' ([al-
Mu.minun] 23; 60).
Reckon not those who are joyous at what
they bring, while they love to be praised for
what they have not done—reckon them not
as achieving over the chastisement. Theirs is
a painful chastisement.
(188)
Reckon not… The address, in the singular,
is to the Messenger, Allah condescend upon
him and his House.
…those who are joyous at what they
bring,… ‘What they bring' means what they
do, their deeds, good or bad.
…while they love to be praised for what
they have not done… They like to be
praised by the people for things they have
not done.
…—reckon them not as achieving over the
chastisement. The Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and his House, was
not to suppose that they would be saved
from the chastisement; for they were
emphatically to be punished for their deeds
and qualities.
…Theirs is a painful chastisement. As is
clear, this ayah is universal, and where it has
been interpreted as being about the
MIA 219 | P a g e
hypocrites and suchlike are instances of the
embodiments being mentioned.
How can they escape Allah's chastisement?:
And Allah's is the dominion of the heavens
and the earth, and Allah is over all things
powerful.
(189)
And Allah's is the dominion of the heavens
and the earth,… No one can escape His
authority.
…and Allah over all things is in power. He
misses not that which He wants, and He
does as He wills.
Here the flow comes to an end with an
evidence for belief and a description of the
believers, and that the actions of the
disbelievers are wasted. This is in line with
the general purport of the surah which is
about belief and the contrasting
characteristics of the believers and the
disbelievers. It is related to the preceding
ayah ‘And Allah's is the dominion of the
heavens and the earth…':
Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the
earth, and the alternation of the night and the
day, are portents for the owners of the mind.
(190)
Indeed in the creation of the heavens and
the earth,… In His creating them with all
the marvels and variations they contain.
…and the alternation of the night and the
day,… The way one follows after the other
with perfect certainty and order.
April 3, 2011
…are portents… Signs proving the
existence of Allah, glorified be He, and His
attributes.
…for the owners of the mind. ‘Owners of
the mind' is given for uwli ‘l-albab.
Whoever considers an effect, his intellect
discerns the existence of the cause; and the
more the effect is certain and beautiful, the
stronger is the proof of the perfect
knowledge of the cause, His power, will and
other attributes.
He then explains the characteristics of
‘those with intellect' in His word:
Those who recall Allah standing and sitting
and on their sides, and reflect about the
creation of the heavens and the earth: ‘Our
Master! Thou created this not in falsehood;
glory be Thine, so guard us from the
chastisement of the fire.
(191)
Those who remember Allah… It means in
their hearts, or it means remembrance of
Him, glorified be He.
…standing and sitting and on their sides,…
They are constantly thinking about Him,
glorified be He, and remembering Him,
whether they are standing, sitting or lying
down.
…and reflect about the creation of the
heavens and the earth:… They think deeply
about how the heavens and the earth were
created with such a precise and amazing
way; how they came into being, how they
are and how they will become. And while
they are in thought an astonishment, they are
saying:
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‘Our Master! Thou create this not… It
means the creation, existence.
…in falsehood;… It means pointlessly,
vainly, without a purpose and goal.
…glory be Thine,… It is given for
subhanaka, an expression meaning that
Allah is above and pure of falsehood and
vanity.
…so guard us from the chastisement of the
fire. ‘So' is put for fa and ‘guard us' is given
for qina. Perhaps the fa comes here to show
that they sought to be guarded from the fire
in return for their confirmation, their faith
and their deliberation.
And they are also wont to say:
‘Our Master! Indeed, him whom Thou enter
into the fire – definitely Thou have
humiliated him. And the wrongful have no
succourer.
(192)
‘Our Master! Indeed, him whom Thou
enter into the fire—definitely Thou have
humiliated him…. Whomsoever Allah
places in the fire is disgraced and tormented.
…And the wrongful… Those who wrong
themselves in the world by disbelief and
disobedience.
…have no succourer. There is no one to
succour them against the chastisement of
Allah, glorified be He.
‘Our Master! Indeed we heard a caller
calling to belief, “Believe in your Master!”
And so we believed. Our Master, so forgive
us our sins and cover our evils, and make us
die with the righteous.
April 3, 2011
(193) ‘Our Master! And grant us that which
Thou promised us… It is a reference to
goodness and felicity in the world.
‘Our Master! Indeed we heard a caller
calling to belief,… It means the Messenger,
…by Thy Messengers,… It means on the
Allah condescend upon him and his House,
tongue of the Messengers and Prophets.
and whoever calls the people to belief in
Allah, glorified be He. “Those of intellect'
…and humiliate us not on the day of
acknowledge to Allah, glorified be He, that
resurrection, for indeed Thou, Thou break
they answered the caller to belief, and did
not the promise.' ‘The promise' refers to His
not turn away from the call of truth. They
pact with the believers to grant them
heard the caller calling:
salvation in the world and goodness in the
hereafter.
…“Believe in your Master!”… They were
called upon not to disbelieve and not to
So their Master answered them, for I waste
partnerise.
not an act of a deedful one from among ye –
male or female, some of ye are of others.
…And so we believed.…. They were saying,
‘We believed in Thee, O Master!'
So those who migrated and were exiled from
their homes and suffered annoyance in My
…Our Master, so forgive us our sins and
path and battled and were killed—I shall
cover our evils,… It seems the difference
cover their evils and I shall enter them into
between ‘sins' (al-dhunub) and ‘evils' (al-
gardens, rivers flowing beneath them, a
sayi.at) is that the former are the major sins
reward from alongside Allah.
that have consequential repercussions, while
the latter are the minor sins that pollute a
And Allah—alongside Him is the beautiful
person but do not accrue punishment for as
reward.
long as a person does not commit the major
sins. There are other views about the
difference. Perhaps the repetition is a clear (195)
emphasis of their fear of sins.
So their Master answered them,… He
…and make us die… It means: take us unto answered those believers who prayed with
Thyself, as we die, in company: the fore-mentioned prayer, and He accepted
their words, saying:
…with the righteous. The righteous are
those whom Allah has favoured with …for I waste not an act of a deedful one
obedience towards Himself. from among ye… It means among the
believers.
‘Our Master! And grant us that which Thou
promised us by Thy Messengers, and …—male or female,… Whatever the
humiliate us not on the day of resurrection, believers' gender, their actions are preserved
for indeed Thou, Thou break not the for the recompense to be repaid.
promise.'
…some of ye are of others…. The believers
(194) are all of the same stock and help and
support each other. In that they differ from

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the disbelievers, who are not ‘of' or ‘from' Thou should not be deceived by the
each other, in that they oppose each other. turnaround through the lands of those who
And so each party has its own disbelieve.
characteristics, its own ‘colour' or hue.

…So those who migrated… That is, to

(196)
Madina.
Thou should not be deceived… It means
that the Messenger was not to imagine that
…and were exiled from their homes… The
the disbelievers were in happiness.
partnerists drove them out of Makka. The
ayah applies to all who migrate from their
…by the turnaround through the lands of
homes, and are driven from their lands.
those who disbelieve. Their easily going
about the earth brings them no benefits.
…and suffered annoyance in My path…
They were subjected to annoyance because
It is nothing more than:
of their faith and their obedience.
A little pleasure, thereupon their abode is
…and battled… It means for the sake of
hell, and atrocious is the resting-place!
Allah, glorified be He.

…and were killed… It means killed by the (197)

disbelievers.

…—I shall cover their evils… They shall A little pleasure,… It means that their
not be called to account for their evils. enjoyment is but for a short while.

…and I shall enter them into gardens,

rivers flowing beneath them,… The rivers
flow beneath the trees and shrubs of the
gardens, as has been given.
…a reward from alongside Allah. The
reward is for their deeds and their
enthusiasm in His path.
…And Allah—alongside Him is the
beautiful reward. The beautiful reward is
with Allah alone; no other has the power or
authority to bestow such a beautiful reward.
Here a person might wonder how it is that
the disbelievers have such luxury and ease
and plentiful travel-opportunities and
benefits, while the believers are persecuted
and driven from their homes and oppressed?
Is not Allah, glorified be He, their supporter
and succourer? Here is the answer:
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…thereupon their abode is hell—and
atrocious is the resting-place! Their
final destination is the hell, a vile and
painful place in which to remain.
But those who guard before their Master—
theirs are gardens, rivers flowing beneath
them, eternal in them. A setting down from
alongside Allah; and that alongside Allah is
better for the righteous.
(198)
But those who guard before their Master…
Those who believe and obey, though they
may be in difficulties at present,
nevertheless:
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…—theirs are gardens, rivers flowing
beneath them, eternal in them…. Theirs is
no mere cursory enjoyment, like the
disbelievers' enjoyment in the world.
…A setting down from alongside Allah;…
‘Setting down' is put for nuzulan. It means
that which is set down for a guest: honour,
goodness, food and drink.
…and that alongside Allah… The
beneficence and generosity of Allah,
glorified be He,
…is better for the righteous. It is better than
what the disbelievers enjoy in the world.
Now the thread returns to the book-folk who
were previously criticised for disbelieving
and plotting:
And indeed, of the book-folk is he who
believes in Allah and that sent down to ye
and that sent down to them--awe-struck for
Allah; they purchase not for Allah's portents
a small price.
Those—theirs is their wage alongside their
Master; indeed Allah is swift in the
reckoning.
(199)
And indeed, of the book-folk is he who
believes in Allah… Some book-folk confirm
His oneness and acknowledge all that the
believers acknowledge.
…and that sent down to ye… The noble
Quran.
…and that sent down to them… This is in
contrast to the other book-folk who did not
believe in what was revealed to them, for
they permitted the forbidden and forbade the
permitted and opposed the Laws of their
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book. The condition of the believers from
the book-folk was that they were:
--awe-struck… Humble.
…for Allah;… They humbly obey His
commands and prohibitions.
…they purchase not for Allah's portents a
small price…. It means that they do not
swap His signs and His proofs and
evidences for something paltry. Their
leaders did this—they corruptly hid the book
so as not to lose their leadership.
…Those… It means those of the book-folk
who have these good qualities.
…—theirs is their wage alongside their
Master;… He rewards them for the
goodness they do, their believing and their
confirmation.
…indeed Allah is swift in the reckoning.
Their reward is not distant, for the length of
the world is short, even though it may seem
long.
Finally, the believers are
addressed and the surah
ends with this eloquent
recommendation:
O ye who believe! Restrain, rival in
restraint, be on patrol and guard before
Allah, that ye might thrive.
(200)
O ye who believe! Restrain,… It means
that they are to put up with the difficulties of
believing.
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…rival in restraint… It is put for sabiru, a
form of the word sabr implying to compete
in self-restraint. The believers are to be
triumphant in self-restraint. Perhaps the
meaning is to compete with the enemy in
self-restraint, so that however restrained the
disbelievers become, the believers are to
outdo them in self-restraint, until they
triumph and take the battle.
…be on patrol… ‘Be on patrol' is put for
rabitu. The Muslims are to patrol their
borders so that they are informed of what the
disbelievers are doing.
…and guard before Allah,… It means to
be careful in actions and not commit any
disobedience.
…that ye might thrive. To be successful
and to thrive in the world and the hereafter.
Surah al-Nisa
(4)
‘Women’
Sent down at Madina, its ayat or
portents, 176.
The surah was sent down at Madina, all
of it, according to what is best known. It
is called ‘Women’ (al-Nisa) because it
clarifies many rights and duties
regarding women in the Legislation of
Islam.
In the name of Allah, the
Compassionate, the Merciful
The clarification of this has been given.
MIA 224 | P a g e
O humankind! Be guardful of Allah who
created ye from a single soul, and created
from it its mate and propagated from them
many men and women. Be guardful of Allah
by whom ye ask one each other, and of the
wombs; indeed Allah over ye is watchful.
(1)
O humankind! Be guardful of your
Master… It means through obedience
to His commands and prohibitions. This
opening is in harmony with the
conclusion of Surah Al ‘Imran, where He
said, glorified be He, ‘…and be guardful
before Allah…’
…who created ye from a single
soul,… The person of Adam, peace be
upon him, the father of humankind.
…and created from it… It means from
that soul: from the remainder of its
essential substance or ‘mud’ (tin) from
which the original soul was made, or the
meaning is from the substance of that
soul itself.
…its mate… She was Hawa, bliss be
on her. So, the God is the powerful
Creator who is most deserving of such
guardfulness.
It should not be hidden that there is no
conflict here with Allah having created
two more spouses for Habil and Qabil,
so that from their children mankind
would grow—as we have it from the
Imams, bliss be upon them—as the
discussion is of the initial creation.
…and propagated from them many
men and women…. Here too there is
no conflict, for the original propagation
was from the two of them.
April 3, 2011
…Be guardful of Allah by Whom ye
ask one each other,… It means that
people say to each other, ‘I ask you by
Allah, did you do such and such?’ and
so forth.
…and the wombs;… It means be wary
of the wombs, be guardful before them.
Guardfulness before Allah is not to
oppose Him, guardfulness before the
wombs is not to disconnect oneself from
them, not to cut the ties of the womb,
the ties of family relationships. And this
is appropriate to what has been given
on His creating all from a single soul. All
are branches from a single trunk, and
therefore it is unfitting that some
disconnect themselves from others.
…indeed Allah over ye is watchful.
He watches all our actions, deeds and
intentions, and so we should not do that
which will bring about His wrath, His
punishments and His chastisements.
And give the orphans their property, and
substitute not the vile for the wholesome,
and consume not their property unto your
property—indeed it is a great sin.
(2)
And give the orphans their
property,… When the father or mother
of children die and those children inherit
from the deceased, the executors
(awsiya) who manage the orphans’
property—or everyone who handles
their property—must not consume their
property. Instead, they are to spend it on
them while they are young, and deliver
the remainder to them when they are
mature.
…and substitute not the vile for the
wholesome,… It means that they are to
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be given as good as was received on
their behalf.
…and consume not their property
unto your property—… Those who
look after the orphans’ property must not
add it to their own property, so that it is
mixed and both are consumed together.
…indeed it… It means each one of the
two practices, substituting the foul for
the fair and consuming it oneself…
…is a great sin. Having major
repercussions.
Sometimes a man would take
responsibility for an orphan girl and then
take her in desire for her wealth. Allah
forbade this in His word:
And if ye fear that ye not be fair with the
orphans, then marry what women are
wholesome for ye, twice, thrice or four
times; and if ye fear that ye be not just, then
one—or what your right hands possess. That
is closer that ye not swerve.
(3)
And if ye fear that ye not be fair with
the orphans,…It means being unjust
with them and keeping them dependent
in seeking to consume their wealth
through the device of marrying them.
…then marry… It means marry other
than them.
…what women are wholesome for
ye,… An orphan girl being without a
guardian is liable to exploitation and
harm, whereas others are not.
225 | P a g e April 3, 2011
The thread having touched the laws of of the two hands the right is more active
marriage, the discussion extends to the than the left.
topic of multiple wives:
…That… It means confining oneself to
…twice, thrice or four times;… It one wife or to women who are owned.
means marry two women with two
marriages, three women with three or …is closer that ye not swerve. It
four women with four. These are the means away from the truth.
options of marriage for man, not that
each should marry that number. And it is And give the women their dues--a grant. So
not permitted to marry three and three at if they are pleasant to ye over a thing, of
the same time, for example. It is like their souls, then consume it in relish,
saying that a tribe sold goods to a city, beneficial.
by which it is meant hat this is the
outline of the affair, not that every man
among them did that.
(4)
And give the women their dues…
It is not to be overlooked that the fear of
‘Dues’ is put for sadaqat, meaning poor-
not being just does not mean that to
dues, charities. Here it means their
marry is forbidden in the sense that it
dowers, their muhur.
would be void and invalid. Rather, to be
just is a duty. And whether the injunction
…--a grant.... ‘Grant’ is put for nihlah.
expresses an obligation or is advisory is
Allah, glorified be He, has granted them
an open question.
this favour in return for the pleasure
taken from them, rather than as a
…and if ye fear that ye be not just,…
purchase from them. It seems that in the
If ye fear, that is, that ye will be unable
word nihlah there is an indication of an
to treat them in the way made obligatory
honour to women and their elevation
by Allah.
above the level of transactions.
…then one… It is given as an
…So if they are pleasant to ye over a
example—otherwise, he who knows that
thing,… It means if they forego any of
he can be just with two wives, can marry
their dowers.
two, and so on with regards to three.
This ayah does not contradict His word,
…of their souls,… That is, of the
‘…and ye shall never be able to be just
pleasantness of their own souls, and not
between women…’ (below:130) for
in force and reluctance.
there what is meant is total justice in all
things, including the inclinations of the
…then consume it in relish,
heart.
beneficial. ‘In relish’ is given for
haniyan, meaning a thing has a pleasant
…—or what your right-hands
taste, and ‘beneficial’ is given for
possess…. That is, limit yourselves to
mariyan, which is said of a thing that is
slave-women, as they do not require all
praised for its effects.
that is due to free women. Ascribing the
ownership to the right-hand is because
the hand is predominant in actions, and
MIA 226 | P a g e April 3, 2011
As the command to hand the orphans
their property was given above, so that
is followed by the command not to hand
property to the ‘fool’ (safih):
And give not the fools your property that
Allah has put as a motivator for ye, and
provision them in it and clothe them, and
speak to them an honourable word.
(5)
And give not the fools your
property…The property of the fools is
ascribed to the Muslims in general, as it
is actually the society’s, in a general
way. So were it to be handed to the fool,
he would ruin it, and the loss would be
that of the society as a whole. But
although property is the society’s, this
does not mean the negation of individual
ownership, rather the meaning is that
the sum of all wealth is for the benefit of
the society, and that any loss therefore
is a loss incurred by the whole society.
…that Allah has put as a motivator
for ye,… ‘Motivator’ is put for qiyyam. It
means that it is property that gives rise
to human affairs, for without property the
affairs of man would not stand up and
there would be no ease and no
transactions.
…and provision them in it… It means
in that property. Perhaps the use of ‘in’
(fi), rather than the more appropriate
‘from’ (min), is to convey that the
property should not be eroded and
consumed bit by bit until it is gone, but
that the provision should be in the
property, in that the property remains
intact in its original condition. That
requires careful management in trade
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and suchlike, so that it does not
decrease.
…and clothe them,… The mention of
these two things is given as example—
otherwise, all their expenses must be
borne.
…and speak to them an honourable
word. That is, speak to them in
kindness, for orphans and fools are
exposed to harshness and reproach.
And test the orphans until when they reach
marriage, so if ye perceive rectitude from
them, hand them their property,
And consume it not excessively, in hurry,
that they grow big.
And whoso is rich—he should be abstinent.
And whoso is poor—it is for him to
consume in honour.
So when ye have handed to them their
property, take witnesses over them; and
Allah is sufficient in reckoning.
(6)
And test the orphans until when they
reach marriage,… It means the age of
marriage, the age of their maturity in the
Legislation.
…so if ye perceive rectitude from
them,… ‘Rectitude’ (given for rushd),
means that a person is able to manage
his property without immoderation,
squandering it or foolishness.
…hand them their property,… The
property, that is, that ye have on trust.
…and consume it not excessively,…
‘Excessively’ is put for israfan, meaning
227 | P a g e April 3, 2011
over and above the fee for managing
the property of the orphan. Israf means
exceeding the limit.
…in hurry, that they grow big…. It
means in fear of their growing-up and
taking back their property. It was
common for some guardians to
dissipate the property of orphans before
their maturity, so that on their maturity
they would tell them that they had spent
it on them.
…And whoso is rich… Rich meaning
that he has his provision for an entire
year.
ye are doing with the orphans’
properties.
In the pre-Islamic jahiliya, the people
would not let the daughters inherit, and
so the guardians would restore all of a
man’s property between his sons, to the
exclusion of the daughters. So Allah
banned this in His word:
For the men is a portion from what the
parents and close ones leave, and for the
women is a portion from what the parents
and close ones leave, whether there is a little
of it or a lot, an obligatory portion.

…—he should be abstinent…. The

(7)
rich guardian is not to take a thing for
For the men is a portion from what
himself from the property of the orphan
the parents and close ones leave,… A
as a fee or compensation.
man has a precise share, and is not to
receive more than that.
…And whoso is poor… He hasn’t a
year’s provision, neither in real terms
…and for the women is a portion
nor in potential.
from what the parents and close ones
leave,… She too is not to be denied her
…--it is for him to consume in
full share.
honour…. He has the right to take for
himself from the property of the orphan
…whether there is a little of it or a
to the extent of his fee for looking after
lot,… It refers to the estate of the
the orphan’s property, no more than
deceased which is to be divided among
that.
the heirs. What is important is that each
person receives his proper share, not
…So when ye have handed to them
how large and wealthy the estate may
their property, take witnesses over
be.
them;… When the orphans are mature
and have rectitude and the guardians
…an obligatory portion. It is an
restore to them their property, they are
obligation imposed by Allah, glorified be
to have the transaction witnessed, so
He, and we are to meet it without
that no recriminations will arise later. It
excess or deficiency.
is for the benefit of both parties.
And when the close ones and the orphans
…and Allah is sufficient in reckoning.
and the destitute are present at the division,
That is, He needs no help in reckoning,
provision them from it, and speak to them an
nor in witnessing, so be observant of
honourable word.
Him in your deeds, for He knows what

MIA 228 | P a g e April 3, 2011

(8) doing that. The import is that whoever
looks after an orphan should treat that
orphan exactly as he would wish his
And when the close ones and the
own children to be treated, were they to
orphans and the destitute are present
be left as orphans.
at the division,…It means when those
relatives of the deceased who do not
This does not give rise to the objection
inherit, along with orphans who are not
of how is it, then, that one person does
the deceased’s relatives, are present
not carry the burden of another, for the
when the deceased’s estate is being
answer is that the meaning here is that
divided.
Allah, glorified be He, will not attend to
the man’s orphans so as to stop them
…provision them from it,… It means
from falling into the clutches of wronging
give them something from the inherited
guardians, rather He will leave them to
property.
do to them as their father did to the
people’s orphans before. This is the
…and speak to them an honourable
elucidation of all that appears to be
word. It means to speak to them kindly,
about children inheriting the sins of their
not harshly, but pleasantly, so that their
fathers.
memories will be pleasant and they will
be compensated for the disappointment
…So they should guard before
of not inheriting, along with their existing
Allah,… They should be careful of Allah
disappointments of being orphans or
in the way they deal with orphans, and
being destitute.
are not to consume their property and
not harm or trouble them.
He then clarifies, glorified be He, that
whoso consumes the property of an
…and say a fitting word. It means a
orphan or wrongs an orphan, can expect
correct and valid word in accordance to
the same treatment in respect of his
justice and the Legislation. Do not scold
own orphans after him:
the orphans and do not be harsh when
speaking to them, as is common among
And they should fear lest they leave behind
many guardians.
them weak offspring; fearing for them. So
they should be guardful of Allah, and say a
Allah, glorified be He, then gives a
fitting word.
warning of the chastisement in the
hereafter, in His word:
(9)
Indeed those who consume the properties of
And they should fear lest they leave the orphans wrongingly, they merely eat fire
behind them weak offspring, fearing into their bellies; and they shall burn in a
for them….The guardian of an orphan blaze.
should fear consuming the orphan’s
property, for if the guardian were to (10)
leave his own children as orphans, how
would their guardians fear from
Indeed those who consume the
consuming his children’s property in the
properties of the orphans
same way? So he should refrain from
MIA 229 | P a g e April 3, 2011
wrongfully,…‘Wrongfully’ (zulman)
means without any right or due. Here it
used explanatorily, explaining that to
consume the property of orphans is
wrongful and oppressive.
…they merely eat fire into their
bellies;… They are filling their bellies
with fire, because what they consume of
the orphans’ property will turn into fire.
…and they shall burn in a blaze. ‘They
shall burn’ is put for sa yaslawna, from
sala, meaning to harden under the effect
of severity and heat. ‘Blaze’ is put for
sa’ir, which is a blazing fire.
The meaning of ‘consume’ (akl) in this
ayah includes all expenditure, even a
house and clothes, which is common
usage.
And Allah recommends ye about your
children: for the male is the portion like unto
two females. So if they are above two
women, they have a third of what he left,
and if she is one, then hers is the half.
And for his parents—for each one of the two
is a sixth of what he left if he has child; so if
he has no child and his parents inherit him,
then a third is for his mother.
If he has brothers, then a sixth is for his
mother.
After any bequest he has bequeathed or any
debt.
Your fathers and your sons—reckon not
which of them is closer to ye in benefit.
An obligation from Allah; indeed Allah is
aware, wise.
(11)
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And Allah recommends ye about
your children:…His recommendation is
an obligation, as He says, ‘Kill not the
soul that Allah has banned, save in
truth. That is what He recommends ye
unto.’ The meaning of ‘about your
children’ is ‘about the inheritance of your
children’.
…for the male is the portion like unto
two females…. So the son inherits
twice as much as the daughter. The
phrase is extremely precise, in that the
expenditure of a man is more than the
expenditure of a daughter, due to the
obligation upon a man to meet the
expenses of his wife, normally, while in
many instances he meets her expenses
that are not obligatory for him.
…So if they are above two women,…
That is, if the deceased’s heirs are two
women or more. This is a common
usage in Arabic.
…they have a third of what he left,…
So if the deceased had two daughters or
more, and there was another heir from
the same category like a father or
mother, then they have two thirds while
the rest is for the other heirs.
…and if she is one, then hers is the
half.… If the deceased has only one
heir, a daughter, then she receives half
the estate.
…And for the parents—for each one
of the two is a sixth of what he left…
For the father and mother who are
together with the deceased’s children is
a sixth, so that the share of both of them
is a third.
…if he has child;... It makes no
difference whether he has one child or
many, male or female. For the details of
April 3, 2011
their legacies refer the books of Fiqh, or
jurisprudence.
…and if he has no child… It means
that he has neither a child nor a
grandchild.
…and his parents inherit him, then a
third is for his mother.... The
remaining two thirds are for the father.
…If he has brothers,... It is about the
deceased who leaves behind his
parents and brothers--through both
parents or through the father--but no
children. ‘Brothers’ (ikhwah) means two
or more, with two sisters holding the
same place as a brother—so if the
deceased leaves father, mother and two
brothers or a brother and two sisters or
four sisters, or more:
…then a sixth is for his mother…. The
presence of the two brothers means that
the mother is denied a sixth which
transfers to the father.
And the division of the estate is to be:
…After any bequest he has
bequeathed or any debt…. That is,
after the execution of any legacy the
deceased may have made, and after the
settlement of any debts. So, first of all
any debts are settled from the
deceased’s estate, and then any
bequest (wasiya) that the deceased may
have made is carried out, up to the level
of a third, and then the remainder is
divided as given. So, if the deceased
leaves ten dinars, and he has a debt of
four dinars, and he made a bequest for
good works of a third, then the heirs
have only four dinars between them.
Four went for the debt, two for the
deceased’s bequest, and only four
remained.
MIA
…Your fathers and your sons—
reckon not which of them is closer to
ye in benefit…. That is, incline not
towards making the inheritance of the
father more than that of the sons,
through supposing that they have more
rights on it being fathers, and nor the
reverse through supposing them more
deserving on account of their natural
weakness existing tin them as children.
No one knows which of them is closer in
benefit—Allah it is who knows these
things and establishes the regulations of
truth, as has been given. So we must
not transgress His limits by assigning
the inheritances according to our
emotions and suppositions, for we do
not know which of us will be successful
in the world and the hereafter.
…An obligation from Allah;… This
way of apportioning the inheritances is
an obligation upon us, mandatory.
…indeed Allah is aware, wise. He is
aware of the best interests, and wise in
what He does and in what He regulates.
And yours is the half of what your wives
leave if they have no child, and if they have
a child, yours is the quarter of what they
leave after any bequest they bequeath, or
debt.
And theirs is the quarter of what ye leave if
ye have no child, so if ye have a child, then
theirs is the eighth of what ye leave.
After any bequest they have bequeathed or
debt.
And if a man inherits from siblings, or a
woman, and he has a brother or sister, then
for each of them is a sixth; and if they are
more than that, then they are partners in the
third.
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After any legacy he has bequeathed, or debt, mention of the bequest coming before
without any harm. mention of the debt, even though the
debt is taken out first, is that most leave
A recommendation from Allah; and Allah is a bequest, in contrast to a debt.
aware, clement.
…And if a man is inherited by
(12) siblings,… ‘Siblings’ is put for kalalah,
meaning brothers from both parents or
from the father or the mother. The
And yours is the half of what your
meaning refers to circumstances when
wives leave if they have no child,…It
the heirs are limited to brothers and
means a child from that husband or from
sisters, in that there are none of the first
another.
category, as the parents and the
children constitute the first category,
…and if they have child… It is the
with siblings and grandparents forming
same whether they have one child or
the second category, and aunts and
several.
uncles forming the third. Spouses inherit
along with each category.
…then yours is the quarter of what
they leave…. That is, the quarter of
…or a woman,… That is, if a women is
their estate.
inherited by siblings.
…After any bequest they have
…and he has a brother or sister,…
bequeathed or debt…. First the debt is
That is, if the deceased, male or female,
taken out, then any bequest up to a
leaves a brother or sister. Actually, the
third, and then the remainder is divided
meaning here is a maternal sibling, in
with a third inherited by the husband
that the heir shares his mother with the
and the rest by the children.
deceased, so that the deceased’s
maternal brother or sister survive him.
…And theirs is the quarter of what ye
leave if ye have no child,… It means
…then for each of them is a sixth;…
that widows who survive their husbands
A sixth of the deceased’s estate.
inherit a quarter of their deceased’s
husband’s estate, though it is proven in
…and if they are more than that, then
the Legislation that widows do not
they are partners in the third.... When
inherit land.
the heirs are two or more siblings, they
share the third equally between them,
…so if ye have child,… It means one
for maternal siblings inherit equally, the
child or several, male or female, from
male having the same share as the
that wife or from another.
female.
…then theirs is the eighth of what ye
…After any bequest he has
leave…. They inherit an eighth of their
bequeathed or debt,… First any debt
late husband’s wealth.
or bequest is taken out, then a single
sibling receives a sixth, while two or
…After any bequest ye enjoin or
more will share a third equally between
debt…. Perhaps the reason for the them.
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…without any harm…. It means that
the siblings are not harmed by their
being denied a third. Or it means that
the bequest should only be carried out
when it is not harmful, in that it does not
exceed a third. Otherwise, over and
above a third it is not implemented.
…A recommendation from Allah;…
These laws of assigning the
inheritances are recommended to us
and enjoined upon us by Allah.
…and Allah is aware,… He determines
the division of legacies according to His
knowledge of the best interests.
…clement. He does not rush the
disobedient to the punishment; so
whoso disobeys him in inheritance and
does not see a hasty punishment—that
is due to His clemency, glorified be He,
so be not deceived by it.
These are Allah’s boundaries—and whoso
obeys Allah and His Messenger, He shall
enter him into gardens, rivers flowing under
them, eternal in them. And that is the
magnificent achievement.
(13)
These are Allah’s boundaries;…
These clarifications regarding
inheritance are the limits that He,
glorified be He, has put for the shares of
inheritance, so it is not permissible to
transgress those limits.
…and whoso obeys Allah and His
Messenger… That is, by conforming to
their commands, and refraining from
breaking those commands.
…--He shall enter him into gardens,
rivers flowing under them,… Such
MIA 233 | P a g e
persons have the reward of the garden,
under whose trees and shrubs rivers
flow.
…eternal in them…. In those gardens
the inhabitants are eternal: they shall
not die and not be expelled or suchlike.
…And that is the magnificent
achievement. It is the attainment of
salvation such that nothing is like it, and
so if a person achieves something from
a legacy wrongfully, he should not
suppose that he has gained anything of
consequence, since compared to the
achievement of eternity in the gardens it
is nothing.
And whoso disobeys Allah and His
Messenger and transgresses His limits—He
enters him into a fire, eternally in it; and His
is a debasing chastisement.
(14)
And whoso disobeys Allah and His
Messenger… by opposing their
commands and doing what they have
forbidden.
…and transgresses His limits… That
is, transgresses against the limits He
has set for obedience.
…—He enters him into a fire,
eternally in it;… It is clear that those
who are eternal in the fire are those who
disobey all of the commands, not some
of them for which the proofs indicate
that the punishment is not eternal.
Perhaps this is indicated by the
unconditional nature of ‘His limits’
(hududihi).
…and his is a debasing
chastisement. He shall be debased
April 3, 2011
and disgraced in the chastisement, so
that he shall have the chastisement of
soul as well as of body.
Considering that Allah, glorified be He,
has explained the laws of men and
women in marriage and inheritance, He
now explains the law of prescriptions
(hudud) regarding them when they
commit what is forbidden:
And those of your women who commit an
indecency, so seek testimony of four of ye.
If they testify, then confine them to their
houses until death reaches them, or Allah
puts for them a path.
(15)
And those of your women who
commit an indecency,… It means
fornication (zina), whether the women
are married or not.
…so seek testimony of four of ye…. It
means seek out four male witnesses
who saw the fornication like a mascara
stick entering its bottle.
…If they testify,… If four just men
testify that they saw such a thing.
…then confine them to their houses
until death reaches them,… They
were to be placed under house-arrest
until they died, for this was the law of
Islam about the fornicatress at first.
…or Allah puts for them a path. It
means until He puts for them another
law, different from house-arrest.
Thereafter the ayah of prescriptions was
sent down: ‘The fornicator and the
fornicatress, lash each of them a
hundred lashes…’ and the law of
confining then to house-arrest was lifted.
MIA
That which is mentioned in the
narrations about the ayah of
prescriptions abrogating this ayah of
confinement, means that the law of
confinement was lifted due to its term
coming to an end, as it was temporary,
according to His word, ‘…puts for them
a path.’
And two men who commit it, bother them.
So if they return and reform, turn away from
them. Indeed Allah is relenting, merciful.
(16)
And two men who commit it,… This
seems to refer to the sodomite, as the
pronoun ‘it’ is in place of ‘an indecency’,
not in its first meaning but the
appropriate meaning. To interpret it as
two fornicators—if not refuted by the
narration of the Imam, bliss be upon
him—is unlikely.
…bother them. It is given for adhuhum,
whose meaning includes the prescribed
punishment, so that there is no need to
say that this abrogates the law—even if
that were not refuted by reliable
narrations.
…So if they repent… If they turn away
from their deed and regret it.
…and reform,… It means that they
perform the virtuous deeds.
…turn away from them. Indeed Allah
is relenting, merciful. Do them no
harm. For is this not the way of Allah
Himself?
He then explains, glorified be He, that
repentance is made by those from
whom it is accepted, and by those from
234 | P a g e April 3, 2011
whom it is not accepted—further to His
word, ‘…if they repent,…’.
The only repentance before Allah is of those
who do the evil in ignorance, thereupon they
soon return—those, Allah relents to them,
and Allah is aware, wise.
(17)
Indeed the only repentance before
Allah… ‘Repentance’ is given for tawba,
which means to return. Here the
meaning is that the acceptance of
repentance is Allah’s right, accorded to
Him by Himself, glorified be He. Or it
refers to Allah’s relenting—that is His
returning in mercy to the disobedient.
Both are from Allah: the tawba of the
slave is to return towards the truth and
cut himself off from sin, while Allah’s
tawba is to return to the slave in the
sense of His grace and bounty and once
more turning to the slave in
consideration.
…is for those who do the evil in
ignorance,… It seems that ‘ignorance’
(jihalah) does not mean ignorance as
opposed to knowledge, rather the
meaning is all disobedience without
conditions, for even though sins are
intentional, yet since they are urged
upon us by ignorance, so it is true to say
that they are from ignorance. So the
phrase is not a cautionary condition,
rather it means to tell us that all evils are
from ignorance.
…thereupon they soon return… It
means before they see the signs of
death.
…—those, Allah relents to them,… He
returns to them by erasing their sins and
restoring to them His grace and bounty.
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…and Allah is aware,… He knows the
best interests of His creatures, and He
legislates according to His knowledge.
…wise. He puts things in their rightful
places as determined by His wisdom.
So repentance is not for those who do the
evils until when death arrives at one of
them, he says, ‘Indeed I now repent.’ And
nor those who die as disbelievers—those,
we have prepared for them a painful
chastisement.
(18)
So repentance… That is, accepted,
beneficial repentance.
…is not for those who do the evils…
‘Evils’ (sayi.at) means acts of
disobedience; they are called ‘evils’ as
they render the perpetrator evil.
…until when death arrives at one of
them,… He sees the signs of death, like
the angel of death and so forth.
…he says, ‘Indeed I now repent.’…
This would be a forced repentance
seeking escape from chastisement,
rather than the regret of an obedient
person. It is as He says regarding the
Pharaoh, ‘Now, when thou were
disobeying beforehand.’
…And nor those who die as
disbelievers… Life is the period of
action and at death this period is over
and it is time for the reckoning, when it
is to late for actions.
…—those,… It means both categories.
…we have prepared for them a
painful chastisement. They shall
April 3, 2011
endure the pain of chastisement for the
disobediences they committed. It should
not be overlooked that in the case of
one who commits the evils until death, it
is not his disobedience that is the cause
of the punishment; rather that depends
upon the absence of intercession and of
pardon.
Here the thread switches to one more of
the laws related to women, the laws of
the dower or bridal due (mihr):
O ye who believe, it is not permitted for ye
that ye inherit the women by compulsion.
And confine them not lest they go with some
of that ye gave them—unless they commit
an open indecency.
And associate with them in honour, for if ye
dislike them--it may be that ye dislike a
thing while Allah puts in it much goodness.
(19)
O ye who believe,…The regulations
that follow are universal; the address is
to the believers on account of how it is
them to whom attention is being paid.
…it is not permitted for ye that ye
inherit the women by compulsion….
During the ignorance the wives of men
who died would often be confined until
they died, so that they would be
inherited by her late husband’s kinsmen,
who would seize her estate, even
though the woman herself did not want
this, but wanted instead to marry
another man, though they prevented
her.
…And confine them not lest they go
with some of that ye gave them…
During the ignorance a man who lost
interest in his wife would often, rather
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than divorce her, leave her and prevent
her from remarrying until she ransomed
herself with some of her bridal-due or
other wealth.
…—unless they commit an open
indecency. An obvious indecency like
fornication or suchlike. In such
circumstances they have the right to
confine them until they ransom
themselves with some of what was
given to them.
…And associate with them in
honour,… It means have cordial
relations with women—without
condition—‘in honour’ which is given for
bi ‘l-ma’ruf, meaning acceptable to
reason and the religion.
…and if ye dislike them… Do not rush
into divorce.
…--it may be that ye dislike a thing
while Allah puts in it much goodness.
Such goodness includes affection and
love in the future, or virtuous children
and suchlike. How often it is that
disaffection between man wife gives
way to unity, concord, harmony, love
and affection.
And if ye wish to substitute a wife in place
of a wife, and ye gave one of them a pile, so
take not from it a thing; would ye take it
dishonestly and in clear sin?
(20)
And if ye wish to substitute a wife in
place of a wife,… It means when you
want to divorce one wife and to marry
another to take her place.
April 3, 2011
…and ye gave one of them a pile,… It
refers to the bridal due of the former
wife.
…so take not from it a thing;… Take
back nothing from the bridal due that
was given to her. A man during the
ignorance who wanted to divorce one
wife and marry another in her place
would make things hard for his first wife
or would accuse her of an indecency,
and force her to ransom herself with a
ransom that would provide the bridal
due for the second wife.
…would ye take it dishonestly and in
clear sin? The interrogative is a
prohibition, meaning: would you take
some of her property in dishonesty and
manifest sinfulness?
And how would ye take it, when some of ye
have attained to others, and they took from
ye a firm pact?
(21)
And how would ye take it,… It is an
expression of indignation and outrage.
…when some of ye have attained to
others,… It refers to sexual intercourse.
The meaning is: when ye men have
been with them and the bridal due is
gone due to the deflowering that ye
have achieved.
…and they took from ye a firm pact?
The pact is that taken by the wife from
the husband through the marriage
contract or ‘aqd, as the meaning of the
‘aqd is that the bridal-due is in return for
her making herself lawful for him; and a
requisite of the ‘aqd is to retain them in
honour or to discharge them in
kindness.
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And marry not those women your fathers
married, save as has passed. Indeed it was an
indecency, loathsome and an evil path.
(22)
And marry not those women your
fathers married,… It was customary
during the ignorance for men to marry
their fathers’ widows. Allah forbade this
in respect of those widows their fathers
had entered and also those they had not
entered.
…save as has passed… It means
before Islam, in that they would not be
punished for that sin. Their taking their
fathers’ widows before Islam was
forgiven them.
…Indeed it was an indecency,… It
was fornication, in that the father’s wife
is forbidden for the son, and so sexuality
between them was fornication.
…loathsome and an evil path. It was a
cause of Allah’s loathing and anger, and
an evil path in that it was the path of the
disbelievers and the disobedient.
He then turns, glorified be He, to the
mention of the remaining categories of
women who are forbidden to a man; and
it is clear that the prohibition applies to
both parties, in that when a woman is
forbidden for a man, he is equally
forbidden for her. These prohibitions
were lawful among some communities,
like the Zoroastrians, and it is for this
reason that the noble Quran is explicit
about them. So He says,
Banned for ye are your mothers, your
daughters, your sisters, your paternal aunts
and your maternal aunts, the brother’s
daughters and the sister’s daughters, and
April 3, 2011
your mothers who wet-nursed ye and your
sisters through wet-nursing, and the mothers
of your women and your foster daughters in
your care from your women whom ye have
entered—and if ye have not entered them,
there is no blame on ye—and those
permitted for your sons who are from your
loins, and that ye gather two sisters, save as
has passed. Indeed Allah is forgiving,
merciful.
one’s father’s mother who is the
maternal aunt of one’s father.
…the brother’s daughters… It means
his immediate daughters and also his
granddaughters and so on.
…and the sister’s daughters,…
Immediate and mediate, like her
granddaughters.

(23) These are the seven categories banned

through relationship; now He clarifies
those who are banned by other factors:
Banned for ye are your mothers,… It
means every woman to whom one’s
…and your mothers who wet-nursed
lineage returns, namely one’s mother
ye… ‘Wet-nursing’ is put for rida’ah. It
and grandmothers through father and
means breast-feeding by other than
mother.
one’s mother. It applies to one’s own,
immediate wet-nurse mother, or a
…your daughters,… It means every
mediate wet-nurse mother, like the ‘milk-
woman whose lineage goes back to
mother’ of one’s father or one’s mother
oneself through birth, whether one’s
and so on.
daughter or one’s granddaughter
through son or daughter.
…and your sisters through wet-
nursing,… The other category of ‘milk-
…your sisters,… Those from the same
relatives’ who are banned, like the
womb or the same loins.
aunts, is not mentioned, either because
it is understood from the context, or
…your paternal aunts… ‘Paternal
because they are covered by ‘your
aunts’ (‘ammat): the father’s sisters. It
sisters’—the paternal aunt (‘ammah) is
means the sisters of the man to whom
the sister of the father and the maternal
one’s lineage returns through the father,
aunt (khalah) is the sister of the mother,
like the sister of one’s father and the
and when the ban on a sister is
sister of one’s paternal grandfather, or
established, it covers the daughter of
through the mother’s side, like the
the brother and the daughter of the
paternal aunt (‘amma) of one’s mother,
sister.
who is the sister of the mother’s father.
…and the mothers of your women…
…and your maternal aunts,…
It means the mothers of your personal
‘Maternal aunts’ (khalat): the sisters of a
wives, as well as the mother of a wife’s
woman to whom one’s lineage goes
father, the mother of a wife’s mother. As
back, whether through one’s mother,
this is given without conditions it shows
like the sister of one’s mother or the
that a wife’s mother becomes banned
sister of one’s maternal grandmother, or
simply with the recitation of the
through one’s father, like the sister of
marriage-contract (‘aqd) whether the

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marriage is consummated by his
entering the wife or not.
…and your foster daughters in your
care… ‘Foster daughters’ is put for
raba.ib, meaning the daughters of a
man’s wife by another man, whether it
was before that husband or after. The
term ‘in your care’ is descriptive, in that
it is usual for a man who marries a
woman with daughters to foster the
daughters. In this law there is no
difference between one’s direct foster
daughters like the daughters of one’s
wife, and indirect foster daughters, like
the daughter of one’s foster daughter, or
the daughter of the foster daughter’s
son, or the sister of her daughter.
…from your women whom ye have
entered… It means in sexual
intercourse. Accordingly, the foster-
daughter is not banned simply by the
‘aqd of her mother, but only becomes
forbidden for a man when he enters her
mother. So, if a man marries a woman
but does not enter her, then separates
from her by divorce or dissolution of the
marriage or due to the cessation of the
term in a temporary marriage and
suchlike, it is permitted for him to marry
that woman’s daughter. This is the
difference between the wife’s mother
and her daughter.
…—and if ye have not entered them,
there is no blame on ye… That is, no
blame accrues to a man marrying the
woman’s daughter, after the woman is
no more bound to him.
…—and those permitted for your
sons… It means the wife or wives of
one’s son, whether he is an immediate
son, or a mediate son like the son of
one’s son or the son of one’s daughter.
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…who are from your loins,… This
condition excludes the ‘adopted son’, as
there is no ban against a man marrying
a woman who was the wife of his
adopted son, according to His word, ‘He
has not made your adopted sons your
sons…’. As for the ‘milk-son’, his
position is as the position of the true
son, on the strength of the Messenger’s
word: ‘Breast-feeding is a bond like the
bond of relationship.’
…and that ye gather two sisters,… It
is forbidden to be married to two sisters
at the same time, but there is no
problem with marrying one and then,
after she is not one’s responsibility any
more, marrying the other.
…save as has passed…. Forbidden
marriages that took place before Islam
were not punishable in Islam.
…Indeed Allah is forgiving,… He
forgives the previous sins.
…merciful. He is merciful, and does not
take recompense for these offences
when committed prior to Islam.
And the safeguarded among the women,
save what your right hands possess—Allah’s
book upon ye—and permitted for ye is what
is beyond that, that ye reach with your
wealth as safeguarders, and not as
fornicators. So, as ye take enjoyment from
them, give them their wages—an obligation.
And there is no stain upon ye for what ye
consent upon with each other, after the
obligation. Indeed Allah is knowing, wise.
(24)
And the safeguarded among the
women,… ‘Safeguarded’ is put for al-
muhsanat.It means the women who are
April 3, 2011
safeguarded or protected by their
husbands. In other words, married
women are forbidden. It is said that a
man ‘safeguards’ his wife, meaning that
he safeguards her from dishonour.
…save what your right hands
possess… It means the women, having
husbands, whom the Muslims have
captured, because being captured cuts
the bonds with their disbelieving
husbands and makes them permitted for
the Muslims.
…—Allah’s book upon ye—… This is
to emphasise that the prohibitions given
are the decree of Allah for the Muslims.
…and permitted for ye is what is
beyond that,… Any woman who does
not fall into one of the mentioned
categories is permitted for a man.
…that ye reach with your wealth as
safeguarders,… It refers to the
believers seeking to marry them through
the wealth they use for their dowers, so
that through marriage they be the
safeguarders of those women.
…and not as fornicators….
‘Fornicators’ is given for Musafihin. The
meaning is that they not use their wealth for
fornication, as is the practice of fornicators,
who have women fornicate with them in
return for wealth. So, beyond the given
limitations it is permitted for the Muslims to
use their wealth in seeking women, but
through the path of marriage, not through
the path of fornication.
…So as ye take enjoyment from
them,… ‘Take pleasure’ is given for
istamta’. It means pleasure, enjoyment..
…give them their wages… The
meaning is that the women from whom
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the Muslims derive pleasure through the
path of ‘safeguarding’ or marriage must
be given their wages or dowers. This
ayah is sent down about temporary
marriage (mut’ah, from the same root as
istamta’), as confirmed by the
narrations. The difference between it
and permanent marriage is that it is
limited to a specific period—long or
short—so that when the period is up it is
automatically annulled, whereas the
annulment of a permanent marriage
requires divorce and suchlike. That the
verse concerns temporary marriage
(mut’ah) is strengthened by the use of
the word istimta’, which apparently
denotes mut’ah, and by the mention of
wages, as the term ‘wage’ (ajr) brings to
mind the taking pleasure that is
temporary marriage, and not permanent
marriage. And there is no problem about
the matters preceding this ayah being
general and including both temporary
and permanent marriage, and this ayah
being particularly about temporary
marriage, for it is often that the particular
is mentioned after the universal. Thus
the temporary marriage is an instance
covered by ‘as safeguarders and not as
fornicators.’ And in fact it expresses a
subtle point, in that the ayah carries the
warning that there is no need for
fornication, given that temporary
marriage is one of the available options.
…—an obligation…. It means that the
wages are obligatory, and it is not
permitted for a man to refrain from
giving the wages to the woman with
whom he has derived the pleasure of a
temporary marriage.
…And there is no stain upon ye… It
means those who enter into a temporary
marriage.
April 3, 2011
…for what you mutually consent
upon,… It refers to the amount upon
which they agree.
…after the obligation…. ‘The
obligation’ means the dower previously
agreed upon. Therefore, when they
agree to increase the period by another
contract, or to shorten it by his releasing
her from it as a gift, by adding to the
dower or by reducing it, this is
permissible for them. Overall, the import
is that what was given is the obligation
which must be observed, save when
there is a new agreement.
…Indeed Allah is knowing, wise. Allah is
knowing of the best interests and wise in
the laws He legislates—and among
these is the temporary marriage which
benefits the travellers, as well as those
living away from home and those unable
to have a permanent marriage. It
preserves the society against
fornication, sodomy, lesbianism and the
like which all arise when there is no
mut’ah, or temporary marriage.
And whoso among ye is unable in resources
to marry a safeguarding, believeress—so a
believing lass owned by your right hands.
And Allah knows better about your faith—
some of ye are of others. So marry them
with the permission of their folk, and give
them their wages in honour as safeguarded
ones and not as fornicatresses and not as the
takers of friends.
And when they are protected, if they then
bring an indecency, theirs is the half of what
is for safeguarded ones in chastisement.
That is for whoso among ye fears hardship;
and that ye constrain is better for ye, and
Allah is forgiving, merciful.
(25)
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And whoso among ye is unable in
resources to marry a safeguarding,
believeress… It refers to the
circumstances when a Muslim has not
the wealth sufficient to marry a free
believing woman. She is called
‘safeguarding’ (muhsanah) as she
safeguards herself from vice, as He
says, glorified be He, ‘…and Maryam
daughter of ‘Imran, who safeguarded
her private opening…’ (Tahrim, 66:13).
Therefore a chaste woman is both a
safeguarder and safeguarded. Overall, the
meaning is that when a man is too poor to
afford the dower of a free woman and to
meet her expenses, then it is for him to
marry a slave girl:
…—so one of the believing lasses
owned by your right hands:… It means
a slave girl owned by his brother Muslim, as
the dower of a slave-girl is less and the
responsibilities in her regard are lighter.
‘Lasses’ is given for fatayat, the plural of
fatat, meaning a young woman. Here it
means a slave-girl, as we have it from
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, not to refer to
them as ‘my slave’ (‘abdi) or ‘my slave-
girl’ (ammati), but to call them ‘my lad’
(fata.i) and ‘my lass’ (ammati), so as to
restore their feelings.
…And Allah knows better about your
faith… It means that it is not necessary
to investigate the sincerity of their faith,
the manifestation of belief is sufficient.
As for whether faith is held deeply at
heart, there is no road to that—Allah
knows better about such faith.
…—some of ye are of others….A free
man is not better in faith than a believing
slave-girl; rather the believers whether
they are slaves or free are a single
community, some of them from others,
from the highest level and from the other
April 3, 2011
levels. The legislation of the rules
concerning slaves and slave-women is
for particular benefits, just as the
differing legislation laid down for men
and women is for particular benefits.
…So marry them with the permission
of their folk,… It means marry the
slave-girls with the permission of their
owners, for it is not permissible to marry
them without the permission of their
owners.
…and give them their wages… This
means the meeting of their expenses,
although the owner has a right to the
dower.
…in honour… It means without delay
and without causing them harm.
…as safeguarded ones,… The
marriage to them is with the permission
of their owners, in circumstances that
the slave-women themselves are
chaste.
…and not as fornicatresses… This
condition is added because in Arabic,
the term marriage (nikah) applies both
to fornication and to the contract of
marriage. He says in His word, ‘...the
fornicator marries none but the
fornicatress or the partneress, and the
fornicatress marries none but the
fornicator or the partnerist…’, meaning
that they fornicate together. During the
pre-Islamic ignorance there were those
who compelled their slave-girls to
fornicate, and so the ‘marriage’ or
sexual act was with a wage with the
permission of their folk. This is referred
by His word, ‘Compel not your lasses
unto prostitution, when they wish to be
safeguarded…’ (al-Nur [21]; 34). And it
is likely that this ayah complements His
word, glorified be He, on relations with
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the free women, ‘as safeguarders, and
not as fornicators.’
…and not as the takers of friends….
The ‘lasses’ to be sought in marriage
are to be chaste and not fornicatresses
and not ‘friends’ with any man, for some
slave-girls were like that during the
ignorance, and Allah made marriage to
them forbidden.
…So when they are safeguarded,… It
means when they are married and
safeguarded by their husbands.
…if they then bring an indecency,…
That is, fornication.
…theirs is the half of what is for
safeguarded ones in chastisement….
Their punishment is half the punishment of a
free woman who fornicates—fifty lashes as
against one hundred. It is a part of the
wisdom of Islam that those captured while
battling against the Muslims are held as
slaves, rather than being killed or
imprisoned, so as to deter enemies from
waging war against the Muslims, or at least
lose their zeal for warfare—for although
many can stand the thought of death or
prison, who enjoys being a slave?
Thereupon Islam legislates special laws for
slaves, sometimes more severe and
sometimes milder, so that the severe be
countered by the mild. Also, they have a
general pattern particular to themselves by
which they are distinguished from the free.
For the rational of the two types refer to the
specialised books. It is to be pointed out
firstly that the legislation in respect to the
slaves male and female, is sufficient to give
‘slavery’ a whole different definition in
Islam from slavery in the West; and
secondly, that Islam’s laws of slavery will
stand until the day of judgement, like all of
Islam’s laws.
April 3, 2011
…That is for whoso among ye fears
hardship;… To marry a slave-girl is the
path for whoso fears that he will be in
hardship unless he marries, or fears that
he will succumb to fornication due to the
strength of his sexual desires.
…and that ye constrain is better for
ye,… It is better to be restrained and not
marry the slave-women, as it will mean that
free women may be left without husbands,
for the burden of a slave is less than that of
a free woman.
The issue of male and female slaves
and the secondary laws is not limited to
a particular period of history, as is the
opinion of those who are influenced by
the West. If that were permissible with
regard to this law then it would be
permissible for every one of Islam’s
laws, and Islam would be no more than
wax in the hands of those who would
shape it how they liked.
…and Allah is forgiving, merciful. He
forgives the sins and is merciful to His
servants, and therefore we should not
despair if we have committed a
prohibition of this type, but should
repent in the hope of His mercy and
forgiveness.
He then explains that these prohibitions
are for the good of mankind, and are not
arbitrary, in His word:
Allah wants to clarify for ye, and guide ye
the ways of those before ye, and relent to ye;
and Allah is knowing, wise.
(26)
Allah wants to clarify for ye,… That is,
as to the laws of the religion and of the
world.
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…and guide ye the ways of those
before ye… It means the paths of the
Messengers, the Prophets and the righteous
servants of Allah.
…and relent to ye,… That is, restore to
them His grace and favour for their
acting in His obedience, after their
acting in sin and disobedience during
the period of ignorance. It means that
He explains the Laws for them to act
accordingly so that He returns to them.
…and Allah is knowing,… He is knowing
of the best-interests.
…wise. His commands and prohibitions
are on the basis of His wisdom.
And Allah wishes to relent unto ye, while
those who follow the appetites wish that ye
incline, a huge inclination.
(27)
And Allah wishes to relent unto ye,…
It is a repetition for the sake of positing it
in contrast to that which follows.
…while those who follow the
appetites… That is, with regard to all
women, whether permitted or banned,
and without regard to the best interests.
…wish that ye incline,… That is, away
from the truth.
… a huge inclination. To commit one
of the prohibitions of marriage is a major
sin, and although the ayah applies in
general to every offence and every
deviation, yet the context makes it
particular to that which we have stated.
And Allah wishes to lessen for ye, and the
human was created feeble.
243 | P a g e April 3, 2011
(28)
And Allah wishes to lessen for ye,…
His intention is to make things easy for
us in the affairs of our religion and in our
worldly lives, and so all women are
permitted for men save such marriages
as will cause harm. And He accepts our
repentance, whereas if He wanted to be
severe He would not accept it. Then too
He would have banned other women, as
He says, ‘So for a wrong by those
judaized, We banned for them
wholesome things…’
This indicates that the prohibitions are
not due to His severity, but due to His
lightening things for us. Sometimes His
lightening the load is in respect of a
thing itself, and sometimes it is in
respect to its consequence, and the
given prohibitions are His lightening
things for us in respect to their
consequences, for the forbidden things
comprise unhealthy consequences in
the world and the hereafter, such as the
weakness of procreation through the
prohibited marriages, as confirmed by
modern medicine.
…and the human was created feeble.
A man is not inclined to restrain himself
before his appetites, and wishes to
commit the sins of fornication, such as
will harm him in the world and the
hereafter.
Having explained these prohibitions
regarding women, which ultimately are
matters concerning the vagina (faraj),
He now explains, glorified be He, the
prohibitions concerning the stomach. It
is narrated from the Household, bliss be
upon them, that whoever guards against
the evil of the two hollows, guards
against evil in its entirety—and what is
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meant by the ‘two hollows’ is the
stomach and the vagina. He says,
glorified be He:
O ye who believe, eat not your wealth
among ye in falsehood—save that it be a
transaction by consent among ye. And kill
not yourselves. Indeed Allah is merciful
towards ye.
(29)
O ye who believe,… It has been
explained that the ruling that follows this
term is non-specific and universal and
not restricted to the believer, and is
addressed to the believers as it is only
the believers who will pay it any
attention.
…consumenot your wealth among ye
in falsehood… ‘Consume’ is given for
akl, meaning to eat, to consume. It
means all forms of consumption.
‘Among ye’ is given for bainiakum,
which indicates that the harm of
consuming wealth ‘in falsehood’ affects
the society as a whole. So the
consuming would not be of the wealth of
others, rather they would be consuming
their wealth that is among themselves,
and the harm of it will return to affect all
of them as a social unit. ‘Falsehood’
(batil) is the opposite of ‘true’ or ‘truth’
(haqq), and is what the Legislation and
reason disallow. As for the taking of khums
and zakat and the other obligations of
wealth, these are not ‘consuming in
falsehood’.
—save that it be a transaction…. The
exception given as ‘save’ (illa) is
conjunctive, a way of linking two sufficient
phrases with complete meanings in
themselves—for such transactions are
clearly not an instance of consumption in
244 | P a g e April 3, 2011
falsehood. Many instances of the use of this
kind of exceptions have the purpose of
declaring the facts where the listener is
expecting an exception. It is said, for
example, ‘Sit not with the foul, save the
righteous’ meaning ‘sit with the righteous’,
and, ‘Eat not what is harmful, save the
beneficial’, meaning ‘Eat only the
beneficial.’
…by consent among ye… It shows
that transactions made under duress
and compulsion without the consent of
both bands are forbidden.
…And kill not yourselves…. It means
that some should not kill others, for
although a murder is committed against
an enemy, yet it is also committed
against the human species. The
connection between consumption and
murder is that Allah forbids the violation
of honour, and futile consumption, and
bloodshed. Since the first two were
mentioned, He then mentions the third.
…Indeed Allah is merciful towards ye.
And part of His mercy towards us is that
He gives sanctity to our women-folk, our
wealth and our blood, so that others are
not permitted to interfere with them.
So whoso does that in enmity and wronging,
We shall burn him by fire. And that for
Allah is easy.
(30)
So whoso does that… It refers to murder,
or to consuming wealth and to murder,
or to the violation of honour and to
consuming wealth and to murder. The
general context suggests the third of
these, though the immediate contexts
supports the first.
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…in enmity and wronging,… It is a
violation of the limits and wrongful
towards oneself and towards others.
This excludes instances of
heedlessness, forgetfulness and error.
…We shall burn him by fire…. He
shall be put in the fire in the hereafter.
…And that for Allah is easy. Nothing
can prevent Him from doing it, and no
one will ask Him to account for what He
has done.
Man is such that he cannot help
instances of disobedience, and since
the disobediences are divided into
major, like murder, and minor, like white
lies and suchlike, Allah, glorified be He,
therefore concludes these verses of
warning about the given prohibitions,
with His word:
If ye shun the greater of that from which ye
are forbidden, We shall cover your evils and
enter ye into a noble entrance.
(31)
If ye shun the greater of that from
which ye are forbidden,… Things such
as incest (intihak al-‘arad), consuming
people’s wealth in falsehood, and
spilling innocent blood.
…We shall cover your evils… ‘Cover’
(kaffar) means to veil them and to
forgive them. In other words, He
forgives our other evils, and will not
punish man for the things that man
cannot help but do in life.
…and enter ye into a noble entrance.
It means a beautiful, wholesome place
that is an honour for the person who
occupies it. ‘Noble’ (given for karim) is a
April 3, 2011
condition of persons, used for a place reward of the women. The women said
on the strength of the connection they hoped they would have half the
between the person and the place. The burdens of men in the hereafter just as
‘noble entrance’ is the Garden. they have half the inheritance in the
world. And so the ayah was sent down.
Having dealt with consuming people’s
wealth in falsehood, the thread now In any case, there was a case of
turns to a finer point, the yearning of yearning by one of the two bands, and
some to possess that possessed by so Allah forbade this in His word:
others. This yearning can be
accompanied by the desire for the
blessings of others to be negated—this
is envy (hasad), which is objectionable And yearn not for that by which Allah has
and banned by this ayah. Or the distinguished some of ye over others. For
yearning can be the desire to have what men is a share of what they earn, and for
his brother has, and this is ‘minor envy’ women is a share of what they earn. And ask
(ghibta) which is bad manners—in Allah from His profusion, indeed Allah is of
respect to worldly affairs—in that it every thing knowing.
reveals a paucity of spirit, but not
banned. In Majm’a al-Bayyan it is given
that a group of ladies approached
(32)
Allah’s Messenger, may Allah
And yearn not for that by which Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
has distinguished some of ye over
and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, is Allah
others:… Such yearning is not only
not the Master of men and of women,
fruitless, but also displays a lowliness of
and you the Messenger of Allah to all of
spirit and a failure to appreciate things
them? What is for us, when Allah
the way they are, for the creation of men
mentions men but does not mention us?
and women and the other social
We fear that there is no good in us, and
divisions make such distinctions
that Allah has no need of us.’ And so the
necessary on the part of the Knowing,
ayah was sent down.
the Wise. So no one should say, ‘I wish I
had what so and so has in the way of
And it is said that Umm Salma said, ‘O
wealth and position.’
Messenger of Allah, men wage war
while women do not wage war, and in
The legislation is for both sides:
inheritance we have only the half; we
wish we were men so that we could
…For the men have a share of what
battle and acquire what men acquire.’
they earn,… It means wealth, position
And so the ayah was sent down.
and profession.
It is also said that when the ayat of
…and the women have a share of
inheritance were sent down, some men
what they earn…. That is, of the same
said that they hoped they would be
things. Not everything that a person
distinguished over women in the joys of
earns belongs to that person, rather a
the Garden just as they were
part of it is Allah’s, glorified be He, that
distinguished over them in inheritance,
must be dispensed in His path, whether
and that their reward would be twice the
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it is wealth, position or capability. That is them their portion. Indeed Allah is over all
why the term is ‘of what they earn’. The things a witness.
portion as allotted by Allah, glorified be
He, for each of them is what is best and (33)
most appropriate for them, and neither
category should expect what the other
And for all… For both men and women.
category has.
…We have put deputies… ‘Deputy’ is
…And ask Allah from His
put for mawali, the plural of mawla, from
profusion,… We are to ask Him to
wala, yali, meaning to be next in line to
grant us what we want, and we are not
(a person or thing), to be directly
to yearn in envy for the blessings of
alongside a thing with no intervention. It
others to be stripped from them and
means that Allah has put for each of the
transferred to us. It is Allah, glorified be
two categories persons as heirs, who
He, who is the Apportioner, the
have the right to take possession of the
Bestower.
legacies that each category leaves.
These heirs inherit:
…indeed Allah is of every thing knowing.
He is knowing of the yearning and envy that
…—from what the parents leave and
is concealed; or of the intention held in our
those close… Each has a specified share
hearts of relying upon Him, glorified be He,
of the legacy in the legislation of Allah, and
to increase us in the deficiencies we want
so both men and women have an entitlement
and which others have.
in what they earn and an entitlement in the
legacies, and neither should yearn to have
It seems that the words, ‘…For men is a
what is with the other, for Allah has made it
share…’ , show that the yearning was
so.
for the things that are earned, not things
to do with the differences in creation.
…And those whom your right-hands
possess, give them their portion.…
He has mentioned, glorified be He, that
Perhaps the meaning is those with whom
‘for men is a share of what they earn,
you have contracted yourselves by oath to
and for women is a share of what they
provide a share of your estate. Then they
earn’, but as for the remainder of what
would have to be given their legitimate
men and women earn, that is part of the
share from less than a third of the deceased’s
share of the heir. This is not a matter of
estate if the contract was not binding, and
a legal obligation, but rather a fact of
from over the third if the contract was
nature, in that nature is such that
binding. [The contract would be binding if
generally a person will enjoy some of
something was received in return.]
what he earns and will leave some of it
Whatever, they have no inheritance, as
to his heirs:
everyone has particular deputies who inherit
particular shares, and these are not increased
by agreements.
And for all We have put deputies—from
…Indeed Allah is over all things a
what the parents leave and those close. And
witness. He is ever-present, ever-
those whom your right-hands possess, give
witnessing. Therefore we are not to

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contravene His commands by putting as
heirs those who are not heirs, or by not
giving to those our right-hands possess their
lawful portion as determined in the
Legislation.
As it has been given that there is a
particular share for men and for women,
He now clarifies, glorified be He, the
reason for men having a greater share
of the inheritance and a greater share in
bidding and forbidding than women, in
His word:
Men are in charge over women, as Allah has
distinguished some of them over others, and
as they dispense their wealth. So the
virtuous women are subservient, protectors
while unseen as Allah protects.
And as for those whose recalcitrance ye fear,
admonish them and forgo them in the
chambers and strike them—then if they obey
ye, reach not for a path unto them. Indeed
Allah is high, mighty.
(34)
Men are in charge over women,… ‘In
charge’ is given for qawwamun, the
plural of qawwam, meaning a person
charged with an affair, with total control
over it. It is clear that the meaning is
general, not that every related man is in
charge of every woman of his relatives.
…as Allah has distinguished some of
them over others,… The reason that
men are in charge over women is that
Allah has distinguished men above
women in reason, physical strength and
endurance, as confirmed by modern
science. This differentiation is not
haphazard, but simply because woman
is created for a different purpose than
that for which man is created. They are
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like two vehicles, a small one carrying
passengers, and a large one carrying a
load of lumber and steel.
…and as they dispense their
wealth…. The second reason is
because the expenses of a wife must be
met by her husband, and it is clear that
the husband must accrue some right in
return for this obligation, and so the
husband is put in charge of his wife
along with the obligation of meeting her
expenses. And the same applies to the
bride-portion.
…So the virtuous women are
subservient, protectors while
unseen… Having established that men
are in charge, it is for virtuous, good
women to protect the tranquillity and
peace of mind of their husbands and
protect the state of harmony between
them, and it is for them to refrain from
disharmony, from disobedience, from
seeking superiority, from transgressing
the limits and from recalcitrance.
‘Subservient’ (qanitat) means obedient.
They are obedient to their husbands,
protecting them in their presence and
their absence as is fitting given that their
husbands are their providers. ‘While
unseen’ (bi ‘’l-ghaib) means when their
husbands are absent away from the
house, on a journey and suchlike, and
they do not betray them with their
bodies or their wealth and so forth.
…as Allah protects…. It means that
they are to protect their husbands
because He has protected them by
giving them honour and rights. Or it
means that they should shelter
themselves in Allah’s protection, for the
human cannot protect a thing unless
Allah protects it. Or it means in return for
Allah’s protection, in that Allah’s
April 3, 2011
protection is in return for their protecting
their husbands.
As for the women who is not subservient
and wishes to exalt herself over her husband
without regard to a man’s rights, they have a
special ruling that He explains, glorified be
He, in His word:
…And as for those whose
recalcitrance ye fear,… The word
‘recalcitrance’ is given for nushuz, that
at root means to rise, to ascend. It
means disobedient. It is as if a
recalcitrant woman lifts herself above
the limit that is put for her.
…admonish them… It means advise
them, council them, guide them and
suchlike.
…and forego them in the chambers…
This applies when the admonishing
proves fruitless. ‘Chambers’ is put for
madaji’, meaning the place of sleep where a
man has his bed. To ‘forgo’ them is by
turning one’s back on them or by removing
one’s bed away from her bed.
…and strike them… In some narrations
we have it that they are to be struck by a
toothbrush. It is to be realised that these are
gradual levels, though not indicated by the
waw or ‘and’. Similarly, many are the
women who are reformed through being
ignored or by a light blow, for these
raise in woman affection for her
husband, and they are the means for
her to beautify her behaviour, so that
her husband’s heart can return to her.
…—then if they obey ye,… Her
obedience is established in the
Legislation as being obligatory upon her
only as far as her not departing from the
house without her husband’s
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permission, and compliance in the
sexual pleasures whenever he wishes.
…reach not for a path unto them…. It
means not pursuing any measures
against them, by harming them or not
being kind to them or not forgiving them
on the part of the husband. Rather, the
husband is to be tolerant and forbearing
with them. The Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, has said, ‘Indeed, among the
rights of a woman over a man is that he
forgive her when she is ignorant.’
…Indeed Allah is high,… No one is
higher than Him and no power is greater
than His.
…mighty. No one is greater.
And if ye fear schism between the two, so
raise an arbitrator from his folk and an
arbitrator from her folk. If they wish
rectitude, Allah will make agreement
between them. Indeed Allah is knowing,
informed.
(35)
And if ye fear schism between the
two,… That is, if those around the
husband and wife fear discord and
enmity between the couple, as if each is
in a separate rut, at a separate pole.
…so raise an arbitrator from his folk
and an arbitrator from her folk.…
Such arbitrators, knowing of the intimate
details of the couple, are more able to
settle the affair in the most beautiful
manner. The purpose of the two
arbitrators is to repair the situation; they
cannot make a divorce without the
agreement of the husband or without
April 3, 2011
him having granted them the power of
attorney (wikalat).
…If they wish rectitude,… It refers to
the two arbitrators, or perhaps it could
be said that it refers to the couple.
…Allah will make agreement between
them. Indeed Allah is knowing, informed.
He is knowing of the interests of His
servants, informed of the hearts of the
arbitrators and what they do in repairing
or worsening the crisis.
Here the discourse turns from the family
system to general relations with close
relatives and others, linking the two
subjects through worship of Allah,
glorified be He. And so He clarifies the
human’s obligations before the Creator
and before the created:
And worship Allah and partner not unto
Him a thing, and towards the parents
beautifully, and towards the holders of
kinship, and the orphans, the destitute, the
neighbour holding kinship, the unrelated
neighbour, the side-companion, the son of
the path and what your right hands possess.
Indeed Allah loves not the swaggerer, the
boastful,
(36)
And worship Allah… The meaning of
worship is the utmost humility as is
fitting for a slave before his master, for
‘worship’ (‘ibadah) and slave (‘abd) are
from the same root.
…and partner not unto Him a thing,…
Allah is not to be assigned a partner—
not of stone nor of clay, neither
inanimate nor animate, and neither
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human nor angelic; for He is Allah, the
One, for whom there is no partner.
…and towards the parents
beautifully,… It means work beauty
towards them beautifully. It is parents
who are the intermediary in our creation,
and this linking of doing good to one’s
parents is often linked to the worship of
Allah in the noble Quran, emphasising
the necessity of doing good to parents.
…and towards the holders of
kinship,… That is, work beauty to the
relatives beautifully. So, we are to work
beauty to our parents in particular, and
to our relatives in general.
…and the orphans,… ‘Orphans’
(yatama) means those whose fathers
have died, or it is general and includes
those whose mothers have died.
…the destitute,… The poor, in general.
…the neighbour holding kinship,…
These have two rights to be treated with
beautiful behaviour, the right of being
related and the right of being a neighbour.
…the unrelated neighbour,…
‘Unrelated’ is put for junub, meaning to
be a stranger. The word also suggests
that a man and his neighbour are on the
two sides of a single direction.
…the side-companion,… ‘Side-
companion’ (al-sahib bi ‘l-janb) means
the companion or colleague at one’s
side, whether at school, in the shop or
office, on a trip or wherever.
…the son of the path… It means the
person who is away from home, whether
wealthy or poor. Such a person is called
‘son of the road’ as nothing is known of
him but that he is journeying; people are
April 3, 2011
called sons of the road, sons of the land,
sons of labour and so forth as
applicable.
…and what your right hands
possess…. Slaves. Allah, glorified be He,
has set our kindness to be towards all of
these so as to universalise our kindness so
that it includes all the categories. And Islam
emphasises kindness and goodness to these
in conformity with its universal spirit of
cementing human relations, and uniting
people in love and affection.
…Indeed Allah loves not the
swaggerer, the boastful,… This
phrase is given here on account of how
when Allah commands to kindness and
generosity to the given categories, many
are those who are insolent and arrogant,
and so do not humble themselves to be
kind—as we witness even today. So
Allah forbids this after having
commanded to kindness so as to
emphasise both the command and the
forbidding.
Now, since kindness often requires
giving wealth, He turns to criticise,
glorified be He, those who refuse to give
their wealth in Allah’s path, in His word:
Those who are miserly and bid the people to
miserliness, and conceal what Allah has
granted them from His profusion—We have
prepared for the disbelievers a debasing
chastisement.
(37)
Those who are miserly… This is
descriptive of those who are
‘swaggerers, boastful’. They are miserly
and do not dispense their wealth in the
path of Allah, glorified be He.
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…and bid the people to
miserliness,… This describes a
necessary characteristic of miserliness,
in that the miser, having the propensity
towards the love of wealth, cannot bear
to see others dispensing their wealth.
This tendency becomes so strong that
the miser cannot bear to see dispensing
even upon himself, so that when a
person dispenses upon him, he forbids
him and commands him to refrain.
…and conceal what Allah has
granted them from His profusion…
Misers conceal the fact of their wealth
so that others do not come to know of it,
for then they would blame them for not
dispensing it in the recognised ways. Of
course, the recognised virtue expressed
in ‘I will conceal your gold, your
departure and your route’ is in instances
of fear, and is not a universal.
—We have prepared for the
disbelievers… It means those who
disbelieve in the blessings of Allah and
fail to act in dispensing their wealth as
Allah has commanded them.
…a debasing chastisement. It is a
chastisement that will reduce them,
humiliate them and break their
arrogance, for they were proud in the
world and in their conceit fail to do good
to those to whom it was obligatory for
them to do good.
Another description that is also a
necessary characteristic of not
dispensing to those mentioned, is that
the boastful miser who fails to do
good—whatever dispensing he does do
will be in show for the people and for his
renown, as his arrogance compels him
to adulterate his dispensing with
whatever will enhance his reputation.
Thus He says:
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And those who dispense their wealth in
show for the people, and believe not in
Allah and not in the last day; and for whoso
the devil is a cohort—what a bad cohort!
(38)
And those who dispense their wealth
in show for the people,… This is
conjunctive to ‘those who are miserly’.
The meaning is that their dispensing is
only that they be seen to be dispensing,
so that they are made to feel grand
among the people and are praised for
being kindly and beneficent. “Seen’
(ri.a.) is put as an example, for
otherwise hearing (or ‘reputation’
[sam’a]) is the same.
…and believe not in Allah…'font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:normal;
'> How could their dispensing be prompted
by the command of Allah and the will to
receive His satisfaction, when they do not
believe in Allah?
…and not in the last day;… Nor is their
dispensing motivated by hope of reward and
fear of punishment, for they do not believe
in the last day. Of course, the absence of
faith is often seen as meaning the absence of
perfect faith, and not the absence of any
faith at all, or as the absence of faith in a
particular area though there is faith in the
remaining areas. Perfect faith or faith in
every area requires that the motivation of
every action and every inaction be faith
alone. It is like a person saying that a boy is
not obedient to his father, when he has not
obeyed him perfectly, or has not obeyed him
in every way. It does not mean that the boy
never obeys his father at all, but that his
obedience is deficient in some way or area.
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…and for whoso the devil is a
cohort—… A constant companion
whose suggestions he obeys in
miserliness and ostentation and in
failing to believe.
…what a bad cohort! He bids his
companions to the disobedience that
ruins their religion and their world.
And what would be upon them were they to
believe in Allah and in the last day, and
dispense from what Allah has provisioned
them? And Allah is of them knowing.
(39)
And what would be upon them were
they to believe in Allah and in the last
day, and dispense from what Allah
has provisioned them?… It means what
harm would they suffer were they to believe
and dispense in the way Allah has
commanded them. Contrary to their view
that faith and dispensing lead to harm and
difficulty, faith actually brings about peace
and tranquillity and confidence and
goodness in both worlds, while dispensing
brings about the progress and development
of the society and its flourishing, so that the
dispenser benefits more than what he
dispenses.
…And Allah is of them knowing. He is
knowing, glorified be He, as to whether
they dispense and believe or not, and
will recompense them for their deeds—if
good then good, and if bad then bad.
Indeed Allah wrongs not the amount of a
speck, and if it is beauty He increases it and
gives from His presence a magnificent
wage.
(40)
April 3, 2011
Indeed Allah wrongs not the amount
of a speck,… ‘Amount’ is given for
mithqal, meaning a unit of weight.
‘Speck’ is given for dharra, the tiny items
that are seen in a beam of sunlight. He
who dispenses should not think that his
dispensing will vanish like specks, for
Allah, glorified be He, will recompense
him for his dispensing and will not wrong
him in the slightest—not even the
amount of a speck.
…and if it is beauty… That is, if the
speck that has been dispensed by the
servant is done in goodness.
…He increases it… He who produces a
work of beauty has it increased for him
ten times its like.
…and gives from His presence a
magnificent wage. ‘From His presence’
(min ladunhu) signifies the sincerity of
the promise and its importance, for it is
from the very presence of the Truthful,
the Noble and Generous. The
magnificent wage is the eternal reward
for ever and ever.
So how, when We bring from every nation a
witness, and We bring thee as a witness over
these?
(41)
So how,… Given that Allah, glorified be
He, in rewarding is both knowing and
just, what then will be the position and
condition of the people who deviate from
the path and disbelieve and are miserly
and disobedient, on that day when:
…when We bring from every nation a
witness,… A witness who will testify as
to their deeds, and the witness means
the Prophets and whoever Allah has
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placed as intermediaries between
Himself and a people in delivering and
establishing the message and in ruling.
…and We bring thee as a witness
over these? The address is to the
Messenger; He was the witness over
those he was among. He shall testify as
to their deeds at that terrifying time.
On the day those who disbelieve and
disobey the Messenger would love it for the
ground to level them, and they conceal not
from Allah any talk.
(42)
On the day… It means the day when
we stand again, the resurrection.
…those who disbelieve and disobey
the Messenger would love it… The
‘and’ (waw) raises two possibilities:
either it means that both types would
love it, or that the disobedient
disbeliever would love it.
…for the ground to level them,… It
means that they be as dust, level with
the ground, as He says, glorified be He,
‘…and the disbeliever says, ‘O, that I
were dust!’.
…and they conceal not from Allah
any account. On that day they will not
be able to conceal from Allah the
account of any affair, rather their
tongues and their limbs will testify
against them as to all they have done—
their disbelief, their faults and their evils.
So, in contrast to their arrogance and
haughtiness in the world, upon that day
they will wish to be swallowed up by the
earth. And whereas in the world they
concealed the truth, upon that day they
will be unable to conceal anything.
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The command to worship was given
above, and so now the thread returns to
some instances of worship, namely the
prayer and the washing:
O ye who believe, approach not the prayer
while ye are drunk, until ye know what ye
say.
And not soiled, save as traversers of a path,
until ye bathe. And if ye are ill or upon a
journey, or one of ye comes from the privy,
or ye have touched women, and then ye find
no water, so intend on wholesome ground
and wipe your faces and your hands. Indeed
Allah is pardoning, forgiving.
(43)
O ye who believe, approach not the
prayer while ye are drunk,… The
prohibition concerns the matter itself,
namely the prayer; the device of saying ‘do
not even come near the prayer while drunk’
is to emphasise the prohibition and to
convey its gravity. It is as Allah says,
‘…approach not the property of
orphans.’ ‘Drunk’ is given for sukara, the
plural of sakran, meaning a person who
is drunk. It is clear that there is no
contradiction between light drunkenness
and the prayer, and that it is heavy
drunkenness which takes away one’s
reason that cannot combine with the
prayer.
…until ye know what ye say…. The
prayer has been legislated as a means
of paying attention to Allah, whereas the
drunk knows not what he says, and his
heart is not in attendance to the words
of his tongue. ‘Until’ (hatta), here, denotes
the cause of the ruling and its purpose, for
when a person drinks alcohol, Allah forbid,
he pays no attention to the prayer until the
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effects of the alcohol wear off and he knows
what he says.
…And not soiled,… ‘Soiled’ is given for
junub, meaning soiled through sex or
ejaculation.
…save as traversers of a path,… It
means being on a journey. Usually, in
pre-modern times, the traveller would
not be able to find water, and so he
would pray while soiled by tayammum
(cleansing through the ground), as the
tayammum does not cleanse
completely, and when water is found the
tayammum is invalidated and it
becomes necessary to bathe (ghusl).
…until ye bathe…. That is, approach
not the prayer while soiled until ye
bathe. Bathe (ghusl), here, means to wash
the head and neck, firstly, then the right side
of the body and then the left, with the
intention. Or one can immerse the whole of
the body in water at once, with the
intention.
…And if ye are ill… ‘Ill’ means an
illness that is aggravated by water, even
if it is a wound or suchlike.
…or upon a journey,… It means
travelling. The term ‘upon’ (‘ala) is used
as normally one travels upon a mount or
conveyance. Travelling itself does not
make tayammum permissible, and the
reason it is given here is because of the
difficulty of obtaining water on most
journeys.
…or one of ye comes from the
privy… ‘The privy’ is given for al-gha.it,
meaning a depression in the ground
after which that which is deposited there
(that is, faeces) takes its name. The
sense is that of a person meeting his
toilet need and then wishing to pray.
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…or ye have touched women… It
means when you have had sex with
them, for ‘touching’ is used in the sense
of sex.
…and then ye find no water,… The
ruling applies to the three categories of
the traveller, the one who has come
from the toilet, and the one who has had
sex.
…so intend on wholesome ground…
‘Intend’ is the literal sense of
tayammum, but in the Legislation
(shari’ah) it was used so much for the
special cleansing routine (involving earth)
that it came to be used just for that.
‘Ground’ is given for sa’id, which includes
that upon which there is soil and that
upon which there is no soil.
‘Wholesome’ (tayyib) means that it
should be pure and permitted, for both
the unclean and the usurped are impure
and unwholesome.
…and wipe your faces and your
hands…. It is ascertained in the
Legislation that the way of doing this is
to strike both hands simultaneously on
ground, and ground means that which is
called ground and not such as is not
called ‘ground’ due to being mined and
suchlike. The palms are then wiped
across the forehead, from the normal
hairline to the start of the nose, and then
the left palm is wiped across the back of
the right hand, from the wrist to the
fingertips, and then the right palm is
wiped across the back of the left hand
from the wrist to the fingertips—and
there is a precaution to strike the ground
a second time before wiping the hands.
And it has been proven by modern
science that soil cleanses microbes a
degree less than water, and so it is an
instance of the divine wisdom that He
has established it as a cleanser by
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walking on it and rubbing it in the case
of external impurities (al-khabith), and
by tayammum in the case of intrinsic
impurity (hadith).
…Indeed Allah is pardoning,… He
pardons those who have wounds from
using water—and the beauty of
pardoning reveals itself when His rulings
are compared to those of rulers and
governments and leaders who care little
for the people and seek the
implementation of their commands and
laws whatever their conditions.
…forgiving. He forgives the sins that
people commit in their obligations, and
this is a kind of encouragement for
those from whom sins issue, so that
they do not lose hope of His
forgiveness, glorified be He.
Now the thread returns to those who
disbelieve and disobey the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and
upon his House, and to the fact that a
party of them—the book-folk—have sold
themselves for deviation and alter the
words of truth and persecute the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House:
Have thou not looked to those given a
portion of the book, their purchasing the
straying and wishing to send astray from the
path?
(44)
Have thou not looked to… It means:
Have thou not considered, O Messenger
of Allah, and been amazed by.
…those given a portion of the
book,… A part of the book. They were
the Jews, whom Allah granted the
April 3, 2011
Torah. They are said be given ‘a portion’
as they did not receive the book,
meaning the Laws, in full, and the
remainder was left to the Masih and the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House.
…their purchasing the straying…
They sold themselves for deviation and
going astray, and instead of spending
their lives and their energies for the
sake of guidance and belief in the
Messenger and in the virtuous acts, they
sold themselves and their energies in
return for disbelief and evil acts—all this
while they had the book and knew the
truth.
…and wishing to send astray… That
is, send the Muslims astray.
…from the path? They sought to
misdirect them away from the path of
guidance to the contorted path that
leads todestruction and ruin.
And Allah is more knowing of your
enemies, and Allah suffices as a patron and
Allah suffices as a succourer.
(45)
And Allah is more knowing of your
enemies,… He knows who are our
enemies better than we do, and so it is
for us not to take them as friends and
influences in the supposition that they
have friendship for us; we are not to be
deceived by their show of affection, nor
imagine that they would support us from
behind.
…and Allah suffices as a patron…
‘Patron’ is put for wali. The patronage of
Allah makes us needless of the
patronage of the disbelievers.
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…and Allah suffices as a succourer.
His succour and support in the battle
makes us needless of the succour and
support of the disbelievers.
Of those judaised—they alter the words
from their places. And they say, ‘We hear
and disobey’ and, ‘Hear, unhearing’ and
‘Graze us’—distorting with their tongues
and defaming the religion. And had they
said, ‘We hear and we obey,’ and ‘Hear’ and
‘Regard us’, it would have been good for
them and more upstanding. But Allah has
cursed them for their disbelief, and so they
believe not, save for a few.
(46)
Of those judaised… Those who took
Judaism as their religion.
…—they alter the words… ‘Words’
(kalim) here, means the Laws of Allah,
glorified be He.
…from their places,… They put the
permitted in the place of the banned,
and the banned in the place of the
permitted.
…and they say, ‘We hear and
disobey’… They would say, ‘We hear and
listen to your words and your arguments, O
Muhammad, and we disobey your
commands, because we do not believe that
you are a true Prophet.’ It is not remote that
what is meant is their practical disobedience,
rather than anything verbal, as by ‘word’
both speech and actions can be meant, as in
‘He said with his hand such and such’,
meaning that he indicated it with his hand.
…and,… The Jews would also say to
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House:
April 3, 2011
…‘Hear, unhearing’… By this they
meant a supplication for the Messenger
to the effect that he would not be able to
hear, just as it is commonly said, ‘Hear,
may God not hear you (if you don’t
listen).’ They said these words in abuse
and as a prayer against him, while
pretending that they meant something
else, namely, ‘Listen while not
commanded to listen’, which is said to a
grand person out of respect and to show
that he is not being commanded to
listen, but merely asked, as he is above
being commanded.
…and… The Jews would also say to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House:
…‘Graze us’… They would say, ‘ ra ‘ina
’, and this too was seen as an insult
among themselves, while to others it
seemed an expression of courtesy,
meaning ‘tend to us’.
…—distorting with their tongues…
Such distorting with the tongue can be
outward and verbal, or it can be inward,
so that the speaker intends to mean by
the words other than what they seem to
mean.
…and defaming the religion…. To
defame the leader of a religion is to defame
the religion itself.
…And had they said, ‘We hear and
we obey,’… That is, had the Jews said
this on account of their accepting the
religion of Islam.
…and ‘Hear’… without adding
‘unhearing.’
…and ‘Regard us’,… This would have
signified their faith, manners and
uprightness.
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…it would have been good for them…
It would have been good for them in the
world, as they would have been blessed with
the ease and fortune of the Muslims and
their progress, while in the hereafter they
would have ascended to the gardens of
delight.
…and more upstanding…. It would
have been more just and more upright.
…But Allah has cursed them… That
is, He has removed them from His
grace, His mercy and His profusion.
…for their disbelief,… When a person
refuses to believe after having
recognised the truth, Allah removes him
from His profusion, just as a father who
sees his son acting against his advice
removes that son from the orbit of his
kindness.
…and so they believe not, save for a
few. Save for people like ‘Abd Allah b.
Salam and his companions. The
exception here is not to those whom
Allah has cursed, but to the original
‘those given a portion of the book’.
However, it is possible that the curse
arouse their consciences so that they
redirect themselves from inadvertence
to the truth.
O ye who are given the book, believe in that
We have sent down, confirming that with
ye, before We wipe out faces then reset
them backwards—or We curse them like We
cursed the companions of the sabbath, and
Allah’s command is enacted.
(47)
O ye who are given the book,… That
is, the heavenly book was sent down upon
their Prophet and they lived by it. The
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command to believe is universal; they are
addressed in particular because they are at
the centre of the discourse.
…believe in that We have sent
down,… The Discernment or Furqan,
sent down upon His Messenger
Muhammad, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House.
…confirming that with ye,… The
sacred Quran confirms the previous
heavenly books.
The book-folk should not imagine that if
they remain on their disbelief and
partnerism until they die, they will be
included in Allah’s forgiveness, glorified
be He, and so they can remain in
disbelief and partnerism:
Indeed Allah forgives not that unto Him He
be partnered, and He forgives all other than
that for whom He wills—and whoso
partners unto Allah has definitely forged a
mighty sin.

…before We wipe out faces then

(48)
reset them backwards… ‘Wipe out’ is
Indeed Allah forgives not that unto
given for tams, meaning to remove all
Him He be partnered,… When a
the traces of a thing. It seems that the
person dies as a partnerist, there is no
meaning of the ayah is that on the day
release for him.
of resurrection, the faces of some will be
erased, so that all their features are
…and He forgives all other than
entirely flat, with no protrusions on them.
that… He forgives other disobedience
Then the faces will be reversed, as is
and sins, but not partnerism.
given in some hadith and some
narrations, in that they blanked their
…for whom He wills… That is, for
faces to the guidance and turned them
those who are deserving and suitable
back to front in deviation.
for forgiveness. So partnerism is not to
be compared to other disobedience and
…—or We curse them… In the world,
sins.
before the day of resurrection, and they shall
be turned into apes and pigs.
…—and whoso partners unto Allah…
That is, whoever sets up partners with
…like We cursed the companions of
Allah.
the sabbath,… They were a group of
Jews who agreed to hunt for fish on the
…has definitely forged a mighty sin.
Sabbath: ‘…So We said to them, be
It is a forgery against the divinity, in that
apes, outcast.’ (al-Baqara, 66). In
Allah has a partner, and what sin could
narrations we have it that during the
be more grievous than that.
final age, some of the perverted will be
transformed—we shelter in Allah!
Have thou not looked to those who call
themselves pure—Nay, Allah purifies whom
…and Allah’s command is enacted. It
He wills, and they shall not be wronged a
is enacted in reality, so it should not be
date-thread.
thought that it would never happen and
it is merely a warning.
(49)
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Have thou not looked… The address
is to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
and is an expression of surprise and
indignation.
…to those who call themselves
pure… It means the Jews who praised
themselves and flattered themselves for
their purity and sanctity. They said of
themselves that they were chaste and
were the sons of God and His
favourites.
…—Nay, Allah purifies whom He
wills,… Purity is in Allah’s hands, so He
forgives the sins of whom He wills, and
sanctifies the faults of whom He wills.
As for whom He wills not, He forgives
not their sins and so they remain in the
impurity of disobedience. It is Allah who
selects a nation and selects not a
nation.
…and they shall not be wronged a
date-thread. It means that Allah does
not wrong them in the slightest when He
does not purify them. Rather, His not
purifying them is due to their disbelief
and disobedience.
Regard how they forge unto Allah the lie—it
suffices as a clear sin.
(50)
Regard… The command is addressed
to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House.
‘Regard’ is given for unzur, meaning
‘look’. But it can mean look with the
eyes or with the other senses, as it does
here. In other words, it means
‘consider’.
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…how they forge… How those Jews
forge.
…unto Allah the lie… In saying that
they were God’s children, that they are
God’s chosen race and His favourites,
that the fire would only touch them for a
few days, and that they were purified by
Him, and in altering His laws, they
forged manifest lies against Allah,
glorified be He.
—it suffices as a clear sin. Their
forging their lies unto Allah, glorified be He,
constitute a clear, that is to say a grievous,
sin and the height of insolence before Allah,
glorified be He.
The Jews held the partnerists in higher
regard than they held the Muslims, and
one of their leaders, Ka’ab, said to Abu
Sufyan, ‘By Allah, your path is more
guided than that which Muhammad is
on.’ And so He sent down His word:
Have thou not looked to those given a
portion of the book, their believing in ‘Jibt’
and ‘Taghut’, and their saying to those who
disbelieve that they are more guided as to a
path than those who believe?
(51)
Have thou not looked… The address
is to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, and is meant to convey outrage.
…to those given a portion of the
book,… It means the Jews, upon whose
Prophet Allah sent down the book, some
of which remained with them.
…their believing in ‘Jibt’ and
‘Taghut’,… These were two of the idols
of the Quraish at Makkah, before whom
April 3, 2011
Ka’ab prostrated in seeking to win over
the partnerists’ hearts.
…and their saying to those who
disbelieve… That is, to Abu Sufyan and
his colleagues.
…that they… That is, the partnerists.
supposing that they had possessed
some paltry worldly things, then they
would have deprived everyone of the
smallest of things:
Or is theirs a portion of the dominion? Were
it so they would not give to the people a jot.

…are more guided as to a path than

(53)
those who believe? Ka’ab said that the
Or is theirs a portion of the
path of the partnerists was better than
dominion?… The interrogative is for
the path of , may Allah condescend
denial, denying that they have any
upon him and upon his House, and his
authority or dominion.
companions, for his rancour and hatred
for Islam forced him to give distinction to
…Were it so they would not give to
the partnerists, who did not even
the people a jot. Even supposing that
acknowledge Musa, bliss be upon him,
they did possess something, they would
over the Muslims who agreed with them
not let anyone have any of it. ‘Jot’ is put
in many principles and practices.
for naqir, meaning the little depression
found on the surface of a date-stone.
Those are they whom Allah has cursed; and
whomso Allah curses—never will thou find
Now the thread turns to show that their
for him a succourer.
giving distinction to the partnerists was
nothing but envy of the Messenger, may
(52) Allah condescend upon him and upon
his House, and his companions:
Those are they whom Allah has
cursed;… That is, He has distanced Or are they jealous of the people over what
them from His mercy, and cast them Allah has granted them from His profusion?
away from goodness. For We gave the House of Ibrahim the book
and the wisdom and We gave them a huge
…and whomso Allah curses—never dominion.
will thou find for him a succourer. No
one will be able to succour him in (54)
warding off Allah’s curse, nor save him
from punishment on the day of
Or are they jealous of the people… It
resurrection.
means jealous of the Messenger and his
companions the believers.
The Jews who judged that the
partnerists were more guided than those
…over what Allah has granted them
who believed—their verdict carried no
from His profusion?… It refers to His
weight and no value, for they
choosing the Messenger for the
themselves had no distinction, let alone
messengership and guiding the
be able to give distinction to the
believers to the faith—matters that do
disbelievers over the believers. Even
not call for jealousy, in that He grants
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His profusion to whom He wills, and
previously He favoured Ibrahim (bliss be
upon him) and the house of Ibrahim not
simply with prophethood alone, but with
dominion and prophethood.
…For We gave the house of
Ibrahim… It has been clarified that the
term ‘house of’ (al) includes both the
person himself and his descendants.
…the book and the wisdom… The
‘wisdom’ (al-hikmah) is the knowledge of
the Legislation such as gives benefit in
the world and the hereafter, and
includes ‘the book’.
…and We gave them a huge
dominion. Allah bestowed upon them
the reins of life and made them kings
and Prophets.
So among them is he who believes in him,
and among them is he who bars from him;
and hell suffices as a blaze.
(55)
So among them… It means among the
people, as is clear from the discourse,
as He says, ‘…for his two parents, for
each of them a sixth…’. Or it means
among the house of Ibrahim (bliss be
upon him).
…is he who believes in him,… That is,
believes in Ibrahim (bliss beupon him),
confirming his prophethood, and ‘the
house of Ibrahim’, assuming the
pronoun to refer to them, means his
people for whom he was raised, or his
kin and descendants.
…and among them is he who bars
from him;… They barred from faith or
from Ibrahim (bliss be upon him), and
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the contemporary Jews were just like
them—some believed in the Messenger
while others barred from him.
…and hell suffices as a blaze. It
means that the hell is sufficient for those
who barred.
Then the fate of both those who bar and
those who confirm is given:
Indeed those who disbelieve in Our signs—
shortly We shall burn them by a fire. The
more their skins are consumed, We
substitute for them another skin, that they
taste the chastisement. Indeed Allah is
grand, wise.
(56)
Indeed those who disbelieve in Our
signs… That is, in His arguments and
proofs that He set up through His
Messenger and in that which he
brought.
…—shortly We shall burn them by a
fire…. Meaning that they will be thrown
into the fire. ‘Shortly’ is given for sawfa.
…The more their skins are
consumed,… Consumed and burned
by the fire.
…We substitute for them another
skin,… A new skin is given the place of
the burned skin.
…that they taste the chastisement….
And their chastisement will not cease.
As for their new skin, it is the same skin
as before, in that when a thing is burned
its particles dissipate in the atmosphere,
and He will bring it all back together
again and give it the appearance of skin
once more. Furthermore, if He wanted
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to create for them a new skin that would
not be a problem, as that which feels the
pain is the spirit, and so it cannot be
objected as to why the new skin is being
tormented.
…Indeed Allah is grand,… Nothing
can escape Him and nothing can deny
Him, for grandeur encompasses both
power and dominance.
…wise. He makes everything according
to His wisdom, and puts things in their
places. Therefore, the punishment of
these persons is neither beyond His
power, nor opposed to wisdom and the
best interests.
And those who believe and do the virtuous
deeds, soon We shall enter them into
gardens, rivers flowing beneath them,
eternal in them, forever. Theirs in them are
cleansed spouses. And We shall enter them
in shade, shaded.
(57)
And those who believe… That is, in
Allah and His Messenger and that which
he brought.
…and do the virtuous deeds, soon
We shall enter them… ‘Soon’ (sa) as
opposed to ‘shortly’ (sawfa) above, is to
show that the garden is nearer to the
believers than hell is to the disbelievers,
in that they must first endure the
barzakh or purgatory which is painful for
them and so the period is lengthy,
whereas the believers spend their
period in barzakh in joy, and when a
person is in happiness the time seems
to pass very quickly.
…into gardens, rivers flowing
beneath them,… A paradise with villas
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or palaces, beneath the trees of which
rivers flow.
…eternal in them, forever…. They are
eternal in the gardens just as the
disbelievers are eternal in the fire, and
whenever their skin is burned away
another is substituted.
…Theirs in them are cleansed
spouses…. In the gardens are spouses
cleansed of the physical defects and also of
personality and character defects.
…And We shall enter them in shade,
… They shall be shaded from the light of
the sun and suchlike.
…shaded. There it is never hot nor
cold. Or the repetition is to emphasise
that the shade is the most beautiful
shade.
Indeed Allah commands ye that ye restore
the trusts to their folk, and when ye arbitrate
among the people, that ye arbitrate with
justice. Indeed Allah—fine is that to which
He admonishes ye.
Indeed Allah is hearing, observing.
(58)
Indeed Allah commands ye…O ye the
people.
…that ye restore the trusts to their
folk,… They are to be restored in full,
with no deficiencies. Perhaps the link
between this ayah and those that
preceded it is that the book-folk
disobeyed what they were commanded
to do, and also betrayed the divine trust,
as He says, glorified be He, ‘…Indeed
We offered the trust to the skies and the
earth and the mountains…’ while Allah
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commands to restore the worldly trusts,
let alone that most magnificent of
spiritual trusts. Similarly, they gave an
unjust verdict when they said that the
partnerists were better guided than the
believers, while Allah commands to
justice.
…and when ye arbitrate among the
people,… That is, whether in religious
affairs or worldly affairs.
…that ye arbitrate with justice….
They are not to incline to one side away
from the other for the sake of their
desires or for a bribe or affection and
suchlike.
…Indeed Allah—fine is that to which
He admonishes ye…. How beautiful is
that to which we are admonished, the
restoring of trusts and arbitrating in
justice.
…Indeed Allah is hearing, observing.
He hears all our words and sees our
movements and actions. So, when they
betray the trusts or give unjust verdicts,
it is not lost upon the Hearing, the
Observing.
Now that Allah, glorified be He, has
clarified what is obligatory upon the
ruler, namely justice, He clarifies what is
obligatory upon the nation in respect to
the just ruler, namely obedience, in His
word:
O ye who believe, obey Allah and obey the
Messenger and the Owners of the Affair
among ye. Then if ye dispute in a thing,
refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if ye
believe in Allah and the last day. That is
better, and more beautiful in the primacy.
(59)
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O ye who believe, obey Allah… That
is, by implementing His orders and
observing His restrictions.
…and obey the Messenger… It has
been explained that obedience to the
Messenger is obedience to Allah, and the
two are mentioned together as an honour to
the Messenger, and to show that his
commands are as the commands of Allah.
…and… That is, and obey.
…the Owners of the Affair among
ye…. It means those of authority, in whose
hands is the control of affairs. ‘The Owners
of the Affair’ (uwli ‘l-amr) have been
specified in several sayings of the
Messenger as being the twelve Imams
(Allah’s benedictions be upon them),
namely ‘Ali, Commander of the
believers, Hasan, Husain, ‘Ali,
Muhammad, Ja’far, Musa, ‘Ali,
Muhammad, ‘Ali, Hasan and the Mahdi
(Allah’s benedictions be upon them). As
for obedience to the major scholars, that
is obedience to the Owners of the Affair
as they are their deputies.
Now, as for those who suppose that the
meaning of ‘the owners of the affair’ is
every ruler—this causes contradiction, for
how could the rule of one who sells alcohol
not contradict the rule of Allah who forbids
it? and so on. This is why the Shi’ah have
limited this to the Messenger and the
protected Imams, and the just scholars.
…Then if ye dispute in a thing,… That
is, if dispute and argument breaks out.
…refer it to Allah and the
Messenger,… That is, so as to discover
which side is confirmed by the Quran
and the Sunnah; and it is a great
blessing that the nation has no need in
any area or direction which is not met by
April 3, 2011
the Book and the Sunnah, either directly Have thou not looked to those who think
and particularly or indirectly and in that they believe in that sent down to thee
general. And it is clear that referring to and that sent down before thee, their
the traditions of the sacred household, wanting to be arbitrated by the
bliss be upon them, is referring to the transgressorer, while they were commanded
Messenger, may Allah condescend to disbelieve in it? And the devil wants to
upon him and upon his House, just as deviate them, a distant deviation.
referring to the scholars who are their
deputies is referring to them, as he has (60)
said, bliss be upon him, ‘As for new
events, refer about them to the narrators of
Have thou not looked… The address
our sayings, for they are my proof over you,
is to the Messenger.
while I am Allah’s proof.’
…to those who think that they believe
…if ye believe in Allah and the last
in that sent down to thee… They
day…. So, to refer to other than them is
counted themselves as being among the
one of the things that is tantamount to
Muslims.
disbelief, just as He says, glorified be
He, ‘And whoso judges not by what
…and that sent down before thee,…
Allah has sent down—those, they are
They manifested belief in all of Allah’s
the disbelievers.’
messengers and books, in conformity to
His word, ‘…and that sent down upon
…That is better,… Referring to Allah
Ibrahim…’. It is to emphasise that they are
and the Messenger in cases of
among the believers in all aspects of belief.
disagreement is better, due to their
guidance and verdicts being beneficial
…their wishing to be arbitrated…
for the affairs of the religion and the
That is, they wish to present their
world.
difficulties and issues of disagreement
to be decided:
…and more beautiful in the primacy.
‘Primacy’ is given for ta.wil, meaning the
…by the transgressorer,…
primary purpose or consequences, as the
‘Transgressorer’ is given for taghut, from
consequences of truth are better than the
tagha, meaning to rebel, to be inordinate,
consequences of falsehood. And it is
and means one who is highly inordinate.
possible that the meaning is that referring to
Every ruling that is not the ruling of Allah,
them is better than the interpretations we
glorified be He, is from the ‘transgressorer’,
would come to ourselves.
for the rulings of Allah are justice, while all
else is deviation, straying and transgression.
Having clarified the obligation of
So, they were pretending to the name of
referring to the ruling of Allah and the
belief while walking the path of other than
Messenger, He then manifests surprise
faith, and were doing so in pursuit of the
at those who claim to believe but then
advancement of their appetites, manifesting
refer in their disagreements to rulings
belief so as to preserve their blood, their
opposed to those of Allah and His
position and their wealth, while referring to
Messenger, in His word:
the transgressorer so that the ruling would

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serve them, as they knew that justice would …and to the Messenger,’ … For
not favour them—them being on falsehood. arbitration.

…while they were commanded to …thou see the hypocrites barring

disbelieve in it?… As He has said,
glorified be He, ‘So whoso disbelieves in
the transgressorer and believes in Allah,
has definitely laid hold of the firmest
handle; it does not break off…’ (al-
Baqarah [2]; 257).
…And the devil wants… He seeks,
through his device of making things
seem beautiful.
from thee,… They barred themselves,
they turned away.
…barring. It is for emphasis.
So how: when an affliction afflicts them for
what their hands sent forth, they then come
to thee swearing by Allah, ‘Indeed we
wished but working beauty, and success.’

…to deviate them, a distant deviation.

(62)
He seeks to distance them from the
So how:… That is, what will the
truth, since referring to the
hypocrites’ condition be.
transgressorer is deviation.
…when… When they are obliged to
In Majma’ we have it that there occurred
refer to the Messenger. How will they
a dispute between a man from the Jews
have the face to turn to thee, O
and a man from the hypocrites; the Jew
Messenger, to resolve their difficulties,
proposed that they have their affair
after they had turned away from thee in
arbitrated by Muhammad, may Allah
their disputes? And this they will need to
condescend upon him and upon his
do on that day when:
House, since he knew that he was a
Messenger and impartial and never took
…an affliction afflicts them for what
bribes, but the hypocrite declined, and
their hands sent forth,… That is, the
instead proposed that they turn to Ka’ab
affliction occurs as a result of their own
b. al-Ashraf, as he knew that Ka’ab
deeds, for evil deeds leave a legacy of
would take a bribe—and so the ayah
affliction.
was sent down.
…they then come to thee… That is,
And when it is said to them, ‘Come to what
they would come to the Messenger, may
Allah has sent down and to the Messenger,’
Allah condescend upon him and upon
thou see the hypocrites barring from thee,
his House, seeking his assistance and
barring.
admitting that they had referred to a
transgressorer.
(61)
…swearing by Allah, ‘Indeed we
And when it is said to them, ‘Come… wished… That is, they would swear that
That is, come for arbitration. they had no motivation in turning to the
transgressorer, save:
…to what Allah has sent down… The
laws and rulings.

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…but working beauty,… They said
that they were partly motivated by their
concern for not bothering the
Messenger and not taking his time.
…and success.’ They said that they also
sought the success of their affair, and had no
motive in turning away from the Messenger.
Those are they—Allah knows what is in
their hearts, so turn away from them and
admonish them, and say to them in their
souls an eloquent word.
(63)
Those… It means the hypocrites.
…are they—Allah knows what is in
their hearts,… He knows that their
motivation was not working beauty and
success, and that they turned away from
the Messenger because he would judge
in truth and not take bribes.
…so turn away from them… The
Messenger was not to show that their
repentance had been accepted, for then they
would have increased in their transgression,
and would have supposed that they had been
able to deceive him.
…and admonish them,… It means
explain the error of their ways.
…and say to them in their spirits… It
means speak to them in a way that
penetrates their spirits (anfus). Some
words are spoken and penetrate to the
heart, due to the absence of fiery
fanaticism in the speech so that the
heart can hold it. Other words are
spoken and penetrate the soul, for the
soul is the depository of the word.
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…an eloquent word. It is eloquent
(baligh) when it reaches (balagha) the
spirit.
And We sent no Messenger save that he be
obeyed by Allah’s permission. And if when
they wronged themselves they had come to
thee and sought Allah’s forgiveness and the
Messenger had sought Allah’s forgiveness
for them, they would have found Allah
relenting, merciful.
(64)
And We sent no Messenger save that
he be obeyed by Allah’s
permission…. The Messenger was not
simply their admonisher, so that they
were free to refer to him when they
wanted and to turn to another arbitrator
when they did not want the Messenger’s
arbitration. No, the Messenger was sent
for the people to obey him in all their
affairs, for he is permitted by Allah to be
obeyed, and it is not for anyone to follow
anyone save when he has authority
from Allah and His permission.
Otherwise, how can one have authority
over another, when it is known that all
things are the dominion of Allah.
Yet Allah does not cut His connection
with the hypocrites, but gives them the
opportunity to repent and return:
…And if when they wronged
themselves… Those hypocrites
wronged themselves through hypocrisy
and disobedience, as the harm of
disobedience returns to the disobedient.
…they had come to thee… That is, in
repentance and apologetic.
…and sought Allah’s forgiveness and
the Messenger had sought Allah’s
April 3, 2011
forgiveness for them,… Had they
sought Allah’s forgiveness and pardon,
and the Messenger had found them
befitting his seeking God’s forgiveness
for them.
…they would have found Allah
relenting,… ‘Relenting’ is put for
tawwab, a superlative in turning in
forgiveness. It has been given that Allah
is relenting to His disobedient servant
the more the servant turns to Him in
repentance.
…merciful. He would have extended
mercy to them and forgiven their sins.
Here the objection could be raised as to
how can it be that they are disbelievers,
when they profess belief in Allah and
His Messenger and the last day, and
observe the Legislation of Islam like the
prayer, the zakat and the fast. This is
discounted, in His word:
So nay, by thy Master, they will not believe
until they have thee judge in what breaks out
between them, and thereupon find within
themselves no distress as to what thou
decree, and they submit to thee
submissively.
(65)
So nay, by thy Master,… Nay, an oath
to the effect that they are not believers.
…they will not believe… They will not
be believers in the sense of their belief
being such as Allah is pleased with and
which He has commanded and of which
He has apportioned the garden and the
rewards.
…until they have thee judge… That is,
until they appoint the Messenger as
their arbitrator.
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…in what breaks out between
them,… That is, in their disputes.
…and thereupon find within
themselves no distress as to what
thou decree,… That is, they find no
rebellion in their hearts at the
Messenger’s verdict, such as is
common among those defeated in law
suits, who do not accept the decree that
goes against them with ease, and
consider that the judge has neglected
their rights.
…and they submit to thee
submissively. That is, they implement
the Messenger’s verdict absolutely, with
no hardship and no distress, not even in
their souls.
From the Imam al-Sadiq, bliss be upon
him, we have it that ‘were a tribe to
worship Allah and establish the prayer,
pay the zakat, fast the month of
Ramadan and perform the hajj of the
house, and then say of a thing the
Messenger performed, “Did he not
perform other than that?” or found some
distress within themselves at it, they
would be partnerists’—and he then
recited this ayah.
In some elucidations it is given that the
ayah was sent down over Talha and Ibn
Abi Balth‘ah who disputed and the
Messenger ruled in favour of Zubair,
and they left. Then Ibn Abi Balth‘ah said
of the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, that he ruled in favour of his
cousin. A Jew then reproached them for
that, and said, ‘How do you believe he is
Allah’s Messenger, and then abuse him
in issuing a judgement?’
How could they be distressed by a
judgement of the Messenger, may Allah
April 3, 2011
condescend upon him and upon his
House, when it is obligatory to obey the
Messenger in everything, even if he had
commanded them to slay themselves—
as Musa commanded his people (‘…so
repent unto your Originator and kill
yourselves…’), who then repented and
did as they were commanded:
And were We to write over them that ‘Ye
must kill yourselves and depart from your
homes,’ they would not have done it save a
few of them. And had they done that to
which they were admonished, it would have
been good for them, and firmer in
consolidation,
(66)
And were We to write over them…
That is, make obligatory for those who
were distressed by the Messenger’s
judgement.
…that ‘You must kill yourselves…
That is, that some of them kill others; or
that each must kill himself.
…and depart from your homes,’…
That is, leave their homes and migrate
to a strange land, like the people of
Musa who migrated into the wilderness
from their homes in Egypt.
…they would not have done it save a
few of them…. Most would not have
done it, in avoidance of destruction and
difficulty.
…And had they done that to which
they were admonished,… ‘That to
which they were admonished’ was the
absence of distress at the judgements of
Allah’s Messenger, and obedience to his
commands.
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…it would have been good for
them,… It would have been good for
their world and their hereafter.
…and firmer, much firmer. The more a
person is obedient the more fixed
becomes his religion and the stronger
becomes the faculty of faith, for faith is
such that it is strengthened by being
reasoned upon, called to mind, and
obeyed. That to which they were
admonished was less onerous than
killing themselves or migrating from their
homes, and yet much better for them
and would strengthen their faith, the
avenue to every felicity.
And then We would have definitely granted
them from Our presence a magnificent
wage,
(67)
And then We would have definitely
granted them from Our presence…
‘From Our presence’ (min ludunna)
indicates the strength of Allah’s promise.
Allah the Most High is not too weak to
be able to keep His promise, nor is He
mean or treacherous—there is no
reason why He should not keep His
promise.
…a magnificent wage, In narrations we
have it that the blessings of the garden
are such as no eye has seen, and no
ear heard, and no human heart
perceived.’
And We would definitely have guided them
a straight road.
(68)
And We would definitely have guided
them a straight road. It means that
April 3, 2011
they would have been fixed on the
straight road. In Surah al-Hamd
(‘…guide usthe straight road,’ ) it was
given that the meaning of fixed is much
as has been given. Or it might refer to
their being guided to the road (al-sirat)
on the day of resurrection that crosses
over hell.
Here the thread concludes with a
general principle that leads to the good
of the world and the good of the
hereafter:
And whoso obeys Allah and the
Messenger—so they are with those upon
whom Allah has blessed: the Prophets and
the truthful and the martyrs and the virtuous;
and beautiful are these as friends.
(69)
And whoso obeys Allah and the
Messenger… That is, by implementing
their commands and observing their
prohibitions.
…—so they are with those whom
Allah has blessed upon:… The
blessings in the world of a high place in
people’s hearts, a lofty remembrance
and succour and victory, just as He
says, ‘Indeed We succour in the worldly
life Our Messengers and those who
believe.’
…the Prophets and the truthful… The
‘truthful’ (al-siddiq) is one who is always
with truthfulness in words and actions.
Or it is he who is constant in verifying
just as he is obliged to do so by the
truth.
…and the martyrs… ‘Martyrs’
(shuhada) are those martyred in Allah’s
path; they are called shuhada, literally
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meaning ‘testifiers’ or ‘witnesses’, as the
angels and people witness that they are
people of the garden.
…and the virtuous;… It means those
who are constant in performing the
virtuous acts.
…and beautiful are these as friends.
These are the best companions for
those who obey Allah and the
Messenger.
That is the profusion from Allah, and Allah
is sufficient in knowledge.
(70)
That… It means the success of the
obedience that means that one’s friends
will be the Prophets and the others
mentioned.
…is the profusion from Allah,… It is a
profusion by which He distinguishes
those guided in that way.
…and Allah is sufficient in
knowledge. Allah is sufficient in
knowing the good and evil the human
commits, and when He knows a thing
He institutes its effects.
As the thread has concluded with the
necessity of absolute obedience to Allah
and the Messenger, so now it turns to a
branch of the Islamic Legislation,
warfare, so as to acclimatise the
believers to this onerous task, and to
affirm its being obligatory upon them:
O ye who believe, take your stances and
sally forth in companies or sally forth all-
together.
(71)
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O ye who believe,… It has been given
that though the address is particular, in
that it is the believers who will benefit,
the rule is nevertheless universal.
…take your stances… It is given for
khudhu hidhrakum, literally ‘take (up)
your guards’, ‘be wary’. It means ‘be ready
to meet an unfavourable, unpleasant thing.’
Or it means ‘take up your weapons’, which
is a metaphorical usage as it is with weapons
that one takes one’s stance, in that they are
the means of taking-up positions of caution
and wariness.
…and sally forth in companies… It
means ‘go forth for jihad’ in groups, one
company or detachment after the other,
some in this direction and others in that
direction.
…or sally forth all-together. It means
to go forth in one large troop.
And indeed among ye is whoso definitely
hangs back, so if an affliction afflicts ye he
will say, ‘Truly Allah blessed over me when
I was not with them a witness.’
(72)
And indeed among ye…Among the
Muslims.
…is whoso definitely hangs back,… It
means those who delay going out for
jihad, finding it burdensome, and always
ready to flee. This was the condition of
the hypocrites; they did not want jihad
and tarried with the hope of fleeing.
…so if an affliction afflicts ye… A
defeat, or that some were killed.
…he will say,… The tardy hypocrite will
say, in gaiety and exuberance.
MIA 270 | P a g e
…‘Truly Allah blessed over me when I
was not with them a witness.’ It
means that they did not witness, and
were not present, in the battle, so as to
be afflicted by what afflicted the others.
This is continually the condition of the
hypocrites in every movement, hanging
back so that others go forth, and then
seeking out information, so that when
they find that the others have suffered in
some way, they rejoice that they
themselves were far from the battle.
And if profusion from Allah strikes ye, he
will definitely say, as if there was no love
between ye and him, ‘O how I wish I had
been with them, and achieved a magnificent
achievement.’
(73)
And if profusion from Allah strikes
ye,… When the Muslims receive Allah’s
grace and profusion in the sense of
victory and spoils.
…he will definitely say,… That hanger
back will say, in regret.
…as if there was no love between ye
and him,… This explains the condition
of those who hang back, in that they
want nothing but their interests and the
material benefits, and have no sincerity
for the religion and the call.
…‘O how I wish I had been with
them,… They wish that they had been
at the battle, to have received the wealth
and glory.
…and achieved a magnificent
achievement.’ Their wish to have been
present is not that they might have
April 3, 2011
strengthened and succoured the
Muslims’ forces, but for their own selfish
ends of the glory of jihad and the spoils of
the victors.
Having explained the condition of the
hypocrites who hang back from battle,
He now explains, glorified be He, the
Muslim’s obligation in respect to this
important issue:
So those who sell the worldly life for the
hereafter should battle in Allah’s path; and
whoso battles in Allah’s path and is killed or
triumphs—We shall soon grant him a
magnificent wage.
(74)
So those who sell the worldly life for
the hereafter should battle in Allah’s
path;… Those who sell the lower,
worldly, finite life in return for the eternal
life of the hereafter are to battle for the
sake of Allah’s command and the
furtherance of His word. Those who are
forward in readiness for battle—it is as if
they have sold themselves and
everything they possess in favour of the
hereafter.
…and whoso battles in Allah’s path…
His battling was for the sake of raising
Allah’s command and spreading His
authority.
…and is killed… He is martyred.
…or triumphs… He triumphs over the
enemy.
…—We shall soon grant him a
magnificent wage. So he is between
two beautiful futures: martyrdom and the
garden, or victory and triumph.
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And what is with ye that ye battle not in the
path of Allah and of the oppressed—the
men, the women and the children, such as
who say, ‘Our Master, deliver us from this
township, its folk wrongful, and put for us
from Thy presence a patron, and put for us
from Thy presence a succourer.
(75)
And what is with ye… The address is
to the Muslims.
…that ye battle not in the path of
Allah… It means for the sake of raising
His word and establishing His regime in
the land.
…and of the oppressed… It means for
the sake of delivering succour to the
oppressed by freeing them from the
clutches of the tyrant rulers and the
wronging leaders.
—the men, the women and the
children,… They are oppressed in that
they remain in the hands of the tyrants.
It is for the Muslim to battle for either of
these two reasons, and he is not to
battle for the reasons of spreading one’s
domain, exploitation and leadership, for
which those who make war normally
battle.
…such as who say, ‘Our Master,
deliver us from this township, its folk
wrongful,… It means the town which they
are in, and from which they find no refuge.
They are unable to leave, owing to their
weakness and the prevention of the
wrongful, and nor do they have the power to
prevent the wrongful from wronging them.
…and put for us from Thy presence a
patron,… They pray that Allah grant
them from Himself a patron (wali) to
April 3, 2011
oversee their affairs and implement
among themselves justice and
beneficence.
…and put for us from Thy presence a
succourer. And they pray that He grant
them one who will succour them to
victory over the wrongful.
Then He encourages, glorified be He, the
combatants, in that they are stronger than
their enemies, in His word:
Those who believe battle in Allah’s path,
while those who disbelieve battle in the path
of the transgressorer, so battle the devil’s
protégés; indeed the plotting of the devil is
weak.
(76)
Those who believe battle in Allah’s
path,… They are ready for jihad for the
sake of His contentment and of raising
His word.
…while those who disbelieve battle in
the path of the transgressorer,…
‘Transgressorer’ (al-taghut), here,
means one who transgresses the limits.
The disbelievers want nothing from
battling but wrongfulness, transgression,
the continuance of the system of
corruption, enmity and spurious
imitation.
…so battle the devil’s protégés;…
The believers are to battle the devil’s
protégés, his associates and supporters.
…indeed the plotting of the devil is
weak. The devil’s stratagems and plots
to preserve his interests and strengthen
his forces shall be overcome by the
succouring of Allah and patronage for
the believers. There is no place for
MIA
questions of how it is that the
disbelievers appear so often to be
victorious, as the answer to such
objections is that the necessary
conditions for battling are not met and
not consummated by the believers.
Allah does not promise His support and
succour unconditionally, but on the
condition that ‘they prepareagainst them
what power they can’, and that they be
sincere in jihad, and that they be
persistent, and more. Yes, with the
implementation of the necessary
conditions, the unity and numbers of the
enemies will not help them—as proven
through experience.
The Muslims while at Makkah had
sought from the Prophet, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, permission to battle against the
disbelievers as they had been
persecuted by them. Yet when at
Madina the permission was granted to
them, some of them turned away. This
is a consistent characteristic of people
generally, in that they urge their leaders
to a course of action, and then, when
they adopt that course, they are the first
to desert:
Have thou not looked to those to whom it
was said, ‘Stay your hands, and establish the
prayer and pay the zakat; so, as soon as
battling was written upon them, a division of
them feared the people like the fear of Allah,
or more severe in fear, and they said, ‘Our
Master, why wrote Thee battling upon us,
and delayed us not until a near term?’
Say, ‘The enjoyment of the world is slight,
while the hereafter is better for whoso fears,
and ye shall not be wronged a date-thread.’
(77)
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Have thou not looked… The address
is to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, and the interrogative is one of
amazement and outrage.
…to those… It means those Muslims.
…to whom it was said,… That is, by
the Messenger , may Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House, while at
Makkah.
…‘Stay your hands,… That is, restrain
them and keep them away from battling.
…and establish the prayer and pay
the zakat;… This was what was
obligatory upon them at the time, not
jihad. The forbidding of jihad was due to
their small numbers and their inability to
stand up against the enemy, for had
they fought they would have been
destroyed and Islam wiped out.
Moreover, it helped to establish faith in
their hearts, for when a person faces
difficulties and afflictions, his essence
shines and his soul becomes smooth.
…so as soon as battling was written
upon them,… That is, when in Madina
the command of jihad came down and
battling became obligatory.
…a division of them… Some of the
Muslims who had sought permission to
battle.
…feared the people… They feared the
disbelievers would kill them when they
went out against them.
…like the fear of Allah,… They feared
them like they feared Allah would make
them die.
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…or more severe in fear,… Generally
people fear death less than they fear
being killed. Being killed excites dread
and terror, in a way that death does not.
…and they said,… That party of the
Muslims said.
…‘Our Master, why wrote Thee battling
upon us,… That is: what is the reason for
warfare being obligatory upon us now?
…and delayed us not until a near
term?’… That is: why was the
command to battle not delayed for a
short while, so that we might be better
prepared? In some commentaries we
have it that this relates to the battle of
Badr, when some of the Muslims were
reluctant on account of their lack of
preparation and they sought a delay for
a while to allow them to prepare.
…Say,… The Messenger was to say to
them that if their fear of the battle was
due to the likelihood of them being
killed, what would have been the good
of remaining in the world, when:
…‘The enjoyment of the world is
slight,… All pleasures gained in the
world are paltry for they are finite and
after a while they terminate.
…while the hereafter is better for
whoso fears,… It is better for those
who fear the acts of disobedience, and
perform the obligations.
…and ye shall not be wronged a date-
thread.’ That is, they shall not be
wronged the amount of a date-thread,
and were they to be killed their
obedience and deeds would not be
wasted.
April 3, 2011
The question is then presented as to …while if an evil befalls them,… Such
why should one flee from battling—on as rising prices, drought,
account of the fear of death? But death underdevelopment, illness and suchlike.
is unavoidable:
…they say, ‘This is from alongside
‘Wherever ye are, death will catch ye, even thee.’ They would tell the Messenger that
if ye be in imposing castles.’ And if a beauty it was all his fault, that the difficulty befell
befalls them they say, ‘This is from them due to him, just as Allah relates about
alongside Allah,’ while if an evil befalls those before them: And when an evil befell
them, they say, ‘This is from alongside them they would rush to Musa and
thee.’ Say, ‘All is from alongside Allah.’ So those with him….
what is with this tribe that they are not near
to understanding a talk? …Say,… The Messenger was to tell
them:
(78) …‘All is from alongside Allah.’… It is
He who makes things barren and it is
‘Wherever ye are, death will catch
He who makes things flourish, it is He
ye,… No matter where a person is
who makes people ill and it is He who
located, death will come to him.
cures, and so on, and so it is not the
Messenger (Allah condescend upon him
…even if ye be in imposing
and his House) who is the source of
castles.’… ‘Castles’ is given for buruj,
disasters.
imposing fortified buildings from which
one can observe all comings and goings
…So what is with this tribe… What is
of the enemy. They are ‘imposing’
wrong with these Muslims of weak faith?
(mushayyadah) in the sense of being
extremely firm and strong. The meaning
…that they are not near to
is that death has no fear of castles and
understanding an account. They are
forts and battlements and so forth.
remote and distant from understanding
the noble Quran which they are recited.
Then He, glorified be He, describes
those Muslims of weak faith who asked
Now, since it is explained that the
‘…why wrote Thee battling upon us?’ in
source of blessings and disasters is
that their interiors were wavering and
Allah, the question remains of what is
did not remain fixed in a single direction
the purpose of the disasters. Why does
with established faith:
Allah try man with evil, when He wants
for His servants nothing but goodness?
…And if a beauty befalls them…
The answer:
‘Beauty’ is given for hasanah, such as
growth, progress, blessings, success in
What befalls thee of beauty—it is from
war, health and suchlike.
Allah. And what befalls thee of evil—it is
from thyself.
…they say, ‘This is from alongside
Allah.’… They admit that the blessings
And We sent thee to the people as a
that befall them are from Allah.
Messenger, and Allah suffices as a witness.

MIA 274 | P a g e April 3, 2011

(79)
What befalls thee… Here the address
is to the individual human being.
…of beauty… Such as success,
fruition, health and wealth.
…—it is from Allah…. He bestows it
without reason, though some of it is on
account of good deeds.
…And what befalls thee… O human
being.
…of evil—so it is from thyself….
Drought, price-rises, illnesses and so on
are on account of evil deeds that cause
these trials and tribulations.
…And We sent thee… O Messenger.
…to the people as a Messenger,…
The Messenger was to deliver the message
to mankind, there was no connection
between his existence and the difficulties, as
they believed. In fact, it was the opposite: he
was the source of goodness and the grounds
for guidance and goodness.
…and Allah suffices as a witness.
Allah is sufficient in witnessing the
Prophet’s message. There is no place
for questioning how to prove that Allah
is a witness over the messengership of
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, in that such a
thing has not been heard of Allah, glorified
be He, for He is a witness existentially, in
that He sets miracles on his blessed hands,
and that is the greatest kind of witnessing.
Whoso obeys the Messenger—he has indeed
obeyed Allah. And whoso turns away—We
have not sent thee over them as a protector.
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(80)
Whoso obeys the Messenger… In his
commands and prohibitions, among
which is the order to perform jihad, as
mentioned in the preceding verses.
…—he has indeed obeyed Allah….
The command of the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, is the command of Allah,
glorified be He, as He says, ‘He speaks
not from desire, it is nought but
revelation revealed…’
…And whoso turns away… That
anyone turns away from the commands
of the Messenger, was not to trouble
him or distress him.
…—We have not sent thee over them
as a protector. The Messenger was not
sent to protect them from disobedience
and from turning away, as He says in
another verse, ‘So remind (for Thou are
but a reminder; Thou are not
empowered over them)…’
There now follows an account of the
conditions of the hypocrites, who have
already been partially described as
hanging back from jihad, and saying
‘why did Thou not delay us for a short
while’ and as rushing to the Messenger
whenever they were struck by evil:
And they say, ‘Obedience.’ But when they
go forth from alongside thee, a company of
them spend the night other than as thou
say—Allah records their spending the night.
So turn from them and rely upon Allah, and
Allah suffices as a trustee.
(81)
April 3, 2011
And they say, ‘Obedience.’… They
say that the Messenger’s command will
be met by obedience, that they submit
to it and will prepare for its
implementation.
…But when they go forth from
alongside thee, a company of them
spend the night other than as thou
say… When they left the Messenger’s
presence, a group of those hypocrites
would go away and spend the night in
deliberations contrary to the
Messenger’s words. That is, they would
advise themselves during the night to
oppose the Messenger and breach his
command.
that the Messenger commanded and
prohibited for himself, and that his words
were not the words of revelation? Did
they think that his words were his own
words and not the words of Allah? Is it
for this reason that they thought so little
of disobeying him? If this was their
belief, then they were in total error. The
Quran recited by the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, was but from Allah, no less. It
was not the Messenger’s own words:
Do they not deliberate on the Quran? If it
were from alongside other than Allah, they
would truly find in it many contradictions.

…—Allah records their spending the

(82)
night…. He writes down how they
Do they not deliberate on the
spend the night in plotting to violate the
Quran?… Have they not subjected it to
Messenger’s command, and they shall
a profound examination, so as to realise
be recompensed for their opposition and
that it is above the words of man, and
disobedience.
that no man can devise its like?
…So turn from them… The singular
…If it were from alongside other than
form reveals that the address is to the
Allah,… Even if it were the word of the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House. He was not to
upon him and his House, with all his
pursue them for their deeds, for that
magnificence.
would split the Muslims’ ranks.
…they would truly find in it many
…and rely upon Allah,… Allah is the
contradictions. However gifted and
Messenger’s succour and assistance in his
talented a person might be, still his
jihad against the enemies.
expressions will conflict and his ideas
will vary over time and with changes in
…and Allah suffices as an trustee.
his surroundings. The absence of
‘Trustee’ is put for wakil, one in whose
contradiction in the Quran, from
hands another entrusts his affairs.
whichever angle the issue is examined,
Whoso resigns his affairs to Allah,
is the clearest proof that it is not the
glorified be He—his affairs will be
speech of man, but of a wise God.
brought to a beautiful fruition, and a
most perfect perfection.
Here the thread returns to the conditions
of those hypocrites, some of whose
Did those disobedient hypocrites who
characteristics have been given:
opposed the Messenger and who ‘spent
the night other than as he said’ imagine
MIA 276 | P a g e April 3, 2011
And when a matter of security or fear comes
to them, they publicise it, and had they
referred it to the Messenger and to the
Owners of the Affair among them, those
who deduced it from them would have
known it. And were it not for Allah’s
profusion upon ye and His mercy, ye would
have followed the devil, save a few.
(83)
…and had they referred it to the
Messenger and to the Owners of the
affair among them,… Had they
referred the report they heard to the
Messenger and the Imam. ‘The Owners
of the affair’ means the cleansed
Imams, and those nominated by the
Messenger and the Imams (bliss be
upon them); there is no other person ‘of
authority’ save them, as has been given.

…those who deduced it from them

And when a matter of security or fear
would have known it…. It means that
comes to them,… That is, when
those who received the report from those of
something conveying security, like the
authority would have known it in the sense
appearance of vast numbers of believers, or
of knowing whether it was true or false, and
fear, like the Muslims being defeated in
of whether it should be spread about or not.
battle, and whatever conveys security or
Then the report would not have been in
fear, comes to those weak-hearted
doubt as to its accuracy, nor about the
Muslims.
benefit or harm of its being spread, and there
would have been no place for imagination
…they publicise it,… They spread it
and supposition, and the lies would not
around. Many differing reports were
thereafter circulate, for they would be
circulating around Madina, some in
closely controlled.
favour of the Muslims and some against
them. Those of weak faith would seize
...And were it not for Allah’s
upon them and would immediately take
profusion upon ye and His mercy,…
them up and spread them, regardless of
Allah’s guidance made the Muslims
the consequences, and of whether the
aware of the pitfalls of abjection and the
reports were correct or not. And among
chasms of error.
the necessary matters for the movement
is that all its reports are reviewed by the
…ye would have followed the devil,…
leadership, so that it can be seen
They would have been receptive to his
whether it would be useful for those
darts that would have caused confusion
reports to be spread, or harmful. Many
among their ranks, and the break-up of
such reports are false, while often the
their unity.
spread of a reassuring report, even
though true, would be detrimental at a
…save a few. A few with strong minds
time when it is necessary to be prepared
would not have followed the devil’s
and on guard; while on the other hand
lines, even when such a person was not
the spread of a frightening report, even
a Messenger—like during the ignorance
though true, would be detrimental at a
when some people did not follow the
time when reassurance and confidence
devil on account of the power of reason
is required in order for the people not to
that had been granted them and their
be too afraid to prepare themselves and
levelheadedness. So, it does not mean
move.
Allah’s universal grace and profusion,
but His particular grace and profusion.
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As the Quran has clarified the paths of
the nation in jihad, and that it is Allah
who bestows His profusion and grace
upon the believers, the thread now
directs itself to the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, saying:
So battle in Allah’s path, thou are not
charged save for thyself; and incite the
believers, Allah might avert the violence of
those who disbelieve. And Allah is more
severe in violence, and more severe in
punishing.
(84)
So battle… The command is in the
singular, addressed to the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House.
…in Allah’s path,… For the sake of
raising His word and spreading His rule.
…thou are not charged save for
thyself;… The Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
would not be harmed by the hypocrites’
works and their rumours and the trouble
they caused, for he was not responsible for
their deeds, just as he was not responsible
for the believers save to the extent of
delivering the message and guiding.
…and incite the believers,… That is:
encourage them.
…Allah might avert… That is, it might
be that by the Messenger’s going to
war, Allah will avert.
…the violence of those who
disbelieve…. It means their severity
and their force, with the inference that
Allah will make the Messenger, may
MIA 278 | P a g e
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, victorious over the disbelievers,
so that they return disappointed.
…And Allah is more severe in
violence,… The Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
was proceeding with the power of Allah
and His force, which is more severe and
more extreme than that of the
disbelievers.
…and more severe in punishing. That
is, He is more powerful and more
extreme in punishing.
Now, since it has been given that the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, was only
responsible for himself, the matter
develops here to clarify that it does not
mean that an interceding person has
nothing to do with those for whom he
intercedes, but that:
Whoso mediates with a beautiful
mediation—he has a portion from it. And
whoso mediates with an evil mediation—he
has a segment of it. And Allah is over all
things a provider.
(85)
Whoso mediates with a beautiful
mediation… He mediates with his
fellow in goodly affairs, and a person is
a mediator through intercession, or
encouragement and incitement, or
through guidance.
…—he has a portion from it…. It
means that a share of that beautiful
deed will accrue to the mediator, as ‘he
who summons to a deed is as he who
performs it.’
April 3, 2011
…And whoso mediates with an evil
mediation… That is, by mediating in an
evil affair or encouraging it or prompting
it.
—he has a segment of it…. The
mediator, here, has a portion of the evil
deed, as he has co-operated unto sin and
enmity.
…And Allah is over all things a
provider. He is able to give the
mediator a share of the beautiful or evil
deed. ‘Provider’ is given for muqit. It
may mean that He will recompense both
matters.
The discourse about battling and jihad is
met now by a discourse about peace
and the relinquishing of animosity, so as
to balance the two matters. The current
is general and not limited to peace in the
sense of the absence of war, but
embraces the general peace of giving
the ‘salam’. Thus He says:
So when ye are greeted with a beautiful
greeting, greet with more beautiful than it,
or return it. Indeed Allah is over all things a
reckoner.
(86)
So when ye are greeted… When the
Muslims are greeted.
…with a beautiful greeting,… The
beautiful greeting is the salam, that is, to
say, ‘al-salam ‘alaikum.’
…greet with more beautiful than it,…
It means to give a better reply than the
original greeting. The verse is general and
includes all forms of greeting. It is stated in
MIA
the commentary Majam’ al-Bayyan that
when Allah, glorified be He, gave the order
for jihad, he followed it up by saying that
should anyone be inclined towards peace of
his own soul and greeted the Muslims
kindly, they should accept it from him.
…or return it…. That is, return it like for
like. When someone says, ‘al-salam
‘alaikum’, the better, more beautiful
response is to say, ‘al-salam ‘alaikum
wa rahmatullah,’ while the even
response is to say, ‘al-salam ‘alaikum.’
…Indeed Allah is over all things a
reckoner. He knows the reckoning of
how the Muslims respond, whether
more beautifully or whether on a par,
and will recompense accordingly.
Allah! There is no god but He. He shall
definitely gather ye unto the day of
resurrection – no doubt about it. And who is
more truthful than Allah in a talk.
(87)
Allah! There is no god but He…. He is
the Absolute Owner, possessing all the
attributes of perfection.
…He shall definitely gather ye… All of
us will be raised after death and
mustered.
…unto the day of resurrection… That
is, unto the station of reckoning so as to
be recompensed for our actions.
Whatever we do in the world, including
war and peace, we will be judged there.
…– no doubt in it…. There is no place
for doubt, regardless of how much those
of falsehood open themselves to doubt
about it. In respect to reality there is no
279 | P a g e April 3, 2011
place for doubt, since it is a real and
inevitable event.
…And who is more truthful than Allah
in an account. The accounts He gives
are true and cannot be broken. All will
definitely be brought forth on the
resurrection day and will be
recompensed for their actions in the
world.
Now the thread returns to jihad and the
disagreements and divisions to which it
gives rise. Allah reminds the believers
that it is not fitting for them to disagree
over jihad against the disbelievers and
hypocrites on feeble excuses:
So what is with ye: two bands over the
hypocrites, while Allah demotes them for
what they have earned? Do ye wish to guide
whomso Allah has sent astray. And whomso
Allah sends astray – thou will not find for
him a path.
(88)
So what is with ye: two bands over
the hypocrites,… That is, why, O
Muslims, have ye become two bands
over the hypocrites. A party sought to
battle them on the grounds that they
were in reality disbelievers, while a party
of them did not support this view on the
grounds that they had manifested Islam
for a while.
…while Allah demotes them… That is,
He reduces them to the status of
disbelievers.
…for what they have earned?… It
refers to their efforts in hypocrisy and
spreading dissent among the Muslims.
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…Do ye wish to guide whomso Allah
has sent astray…. That is, were the
Muslims wishing to guide those
apostates, even though Allah had sent
them astray? It has been given that
Allah’s sending people astray means
that He leaves them with their deviation,
after they had recognised the truth but
turned away from it.
And whomso Allah sends astray…
Whomsoever Allah leaves in a condition
of disbelief and disobedience.
—thou will not find for him a path. It
means a path by which to save such a
person. How could such persons be
saved, when they are obstinately
opposed, and deliberately blind their
eyes to the truth? From Imam Baqir
(bliss be upon him) we have it that the
ayah was sent down in connection with
a tribe who had come to Madina from
Makkah and manifested Islam to the
Muslims. Then they returned to Makkah,
and from there they travelled with some
of the partnerists to Yamama, where the
Muslims wanted to attack them. But the
Muslims disagreed about them, some
saying that they were believers and
others saying that they were partnerists.
And so Allah sent down the ayah.
It is a constant universal in many
movements that a party of the believers
will turn back, and then the others will
disagree about them, as to whether they
have really gone out of the religion or
not. The ayah clarifies the necessity of
remaining united before them after
apostasy has manifested among them.
It should not be overlooked that the
verse mentioning the hypocrites does
not show that they were not
disbelievers, since hypocrisy comprises
disbelief. It is likely that the ayah'font-
April 3, 2011
size: 12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-
style:normal; '> is meant to clarify the
obligation of maintaining united ranks
before the hypocrites, so that they dwell
apart. This is nearer to the apparent sense of
the ayah with regard to the rulings about
the hypocrites that have preceded. On
the other hand, the plain sense of the
context and the apparent sense of the
following ayah, ‘They love that ye would
disbelieve…’ suggests the first meaning,
that what is meant by hypocrisy is
disbelief.
They love that ye would disbelieve as they
disbelieve, then ye would be level. So take
not friends from them until they migrate in
Allah’s path. So if they turn away, seize
them and kill them wherever ye find them.
And take from them no patron and no
succourer.
(89)
They love… That is, those hypocrites
who apostatised and manifested
partnerism would love it.
…that ye would disbelieve as they
disbelieve,… They would love for the
Muslims to apostatise as they
themselves had apostatised.
…then ye would be level…. They
would be of the same rank and level as
disbelievers. Such people should not be
a cause for the Muslims becoming
divided into two groups about them.
…So take not friends from them…
The Muslims were not to make friends
with any of them, since the Muslim does
not take the disbeliever as a friend, as
He says, glorified be He: Thou shall not
find a tribe believing in Allah and the last
day befriending anyone who
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contravenes Allah and His Messenger.
(al-Mujadilah [58], 23).
…until they migrate in Allah’s path….
Until they migrate from the realm of
disbelief to the realm of Islam. Such a
migration must entail belief, for there will
be no migration unless preceded by
belief.
…So if they turn away,… That is, from
the faith that would necessitate
migration.
…seize them and kill them wherever
ye find them…. It means that the battle
may take place anywhere, on sacred
ground or non-sacred ground, as there
is no problem about battling the
delinquent on sacred ground. Or what is
meant is ‘wherever they are on the
earth.’
…And take not from them no patron
and no succourer. The Muslims are
not to take a patron from among them
and nor are they to take from among
them one who will succour them against
their enemies. This is because the
disbeliever does not give succour to the
Muslims even though he may seem to
succour them, as the Muslims will never
be safe from his evil.
Then He, glorified be He, makes an
exception to the obligation of battling
them for those who are covered by a
treaty with a tribe between whom and
the Muslims is a covenant. By their
being covered by such a treaty their
blood is safe, as are those among them
who wish not to battle the Muslims but
to enter into an agreement with them.
Thus He says, glorified be He, in making
an exception to His word, ‘seize them
and kill them wherever ye find them…’ :
April 3, 2011
Save those who join unto a tribe between Majma’ al-Bayyan we have it that this is
whom and yourselves is a pact, or they come about some warriors who came to
to ye their breasts restricted at battling ye or Madina as a group of seven-hundred led
battling their tribe. And had Allah wished by one Ma’ud b. Dakhila. The
He would have prevailed them over ye; then Messenger, may Allah condescend
they would definitely have fought ye. So if upon him and his House, went out to
they withdraw from ye and battle ye not and meet them carrying dates for the
cast unto ye peace, Allah has put no path for reception of guests, saying, ‘How
ye against them. beautiful is a gift to those who need it.’
Then he asked them what had brought
(90) them, and they said that they had come
because of their proximity to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
Save those who join unto a tribe… It
upon him and his House, and because
means that they are connected, related,
they did not wish to battle him and did
to a tribe through a treaty.
not wish to battle their tribe, by whom
they meant the Bani Hamza with whom
…between whom and yourselves is a
they had a treaty that they would battle
pact,… There is also a pact or treaty
with them. And they said that they had
between that tribe and the Muslims. In
come to enter into a treaty with him. The
traditions we have it that Hilal b.
Messenger, may Allah condescend
‘Uwaimir al-Salmi made a treaty with
upon him and his House, accepted this
Allah’s Messenger, may Allah and made a treaty with them and they
condescend upon him and his House,
returned home.
that he would not relinquish anyone who
came over to him from the Muslims,
…And Allah had wished He would
while the Messenger would not
have prevailed them over ye,… He
relinquish anyone who came to him from
would have made those disbelievers
Hilal. Thus Allah sent down the ayah
prevail and dominate over the Muslims,
forbidding the Muslims from harming
by not casting dread of the Muslims into
anyone who went over to Hilal.
their hearts, and then they would not
have feared the Muslims and would not
…or they come to ye their breasts
have made peace with them. It was the
restricted… It signifies a tightness of the
grace of Allah that the Muslims were
chest due to the importance of an affair
feared in this way, while their numbers
causing the lungs to fully inflate so as to
and equipment did not merit that. And
draw in the maximum amount of air. This
were it not for such grace:
puts pressure on the heart and blood-
circulation, and so the chest feels tight on
…then they would definitely have
account of the expansion of the lungs.
fought ye…. But as Allah, glorified be
He, blessed the Muslims in that way, so
…at battling ye or battling their
they were not to extend against them
tribe…. The affair putting pressure on
the hand of war.
their chests is that they want to battle
neither the Muslims nor their own tribe,
…So if they withdraw from ye… That
and are neither with the Muslims nor
is, if those who have been mentioned
against them. In the commentary

MIA 282 | P a g e April 3, 2011

turn away, and they are those ‘who join
a tribe’ and those who ‘come to ye.’
…and battle ye not and cast unto ye
peace,… That is, they are ready to
make peace with the Muslims.
…Allah has not put for ye against
them a path. That is, their lives, their
wealth and their dignity—all must be
respected by the Muslims. In some
commentaries we have it that this ayah
is abrogated, but the reasoning behind
this view is not clear, as the first phrase
does not admit of abrogation, as treaties
last for as long as their terms, while the
second phrase is about a particular
instance, such as does not admit of
being abrogated.
Ye shall find others wishing that they be
secure of ye and secure of their tribe.
Whenever they return to intrigue,
languishing in it—so if they withdraw not
from ye, nor cast peace unto ye and nor stay
their hands, seize them and kill them
wherever ye find them. And those—We
have put for ye over them a clear authority.
(91)
Ye shall find others… The Muslims will
find others among those who manifest
Islam while they are disbelievers within.
…wishing that they be secure of ye…
That is, they wished to be in safety from
the Muslims.
…and secure of their tribe…. They
wanted to be safe with their tribe of
disbelievers.
…Whenever they return to intrigue,…
Whenever those who came to the
Muslims manifesting Islam then return to
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their tribe and summon them to
disbelief—which is the meaning of
‘intrigue’ (fitnah) here.
…languishing in it—…. That is, they
remain in it and apostatise from their
Islam. Islam does not condone such
people, and if their like threaten the
security of the Muslims, they are to be
severely warned about their position. If
they announce peace and withdraw
from sharing in the movement against
the Muslims, and take no part in the war
against them, they have security from
the Islamic authority. But when they
battle against the Muslims with the rest
of the disbelievers, they have no
distinction and no special status.
…so if they withdraw not from ye,… If
those disbelievers do not withdraw from
their war against the Muslims.
…nor cast peace unto ye… They do
not make peace with the Muslims and
do not enter into cordial relations with
them.
…and nor stay their hands,… It
means that they do not refrain from
taking part in the war against the
Muslims and do not refrain from inciting
others against them.
…seize them… That is, make captives
of them, and do not be deceived by their
hypocrisy and their manifestation of
Islam.
…and kill them wherever ye find
them.… They are to be fought to the
death, wherever they are to be found.
…And those… Those who vacillate and
oscillate.
April 3, 2011
…—We have put for ye over them a
clear authority. The Muslims have a
clear proof over them. So there is
nothing between withdrawal and war; if
they take the way of withdrawal then fair
enough, but if they take the path of war,
they are to be treated just like the other
disbelievers.
It is likely that the meaning of ‘that they
be secure of ye ’ is not their manifesting
Islam, but their manifesting good
relations and peace. In that case, the
evident meaning of the ayah is
supported by some of the
commentaries, which state that one
‘Aynayh b. Hasin of the al-Ghazari tribe
came to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
when their lands were affected by
drought, and agreed with him that he
would remain in a single place and
would not attack him. But he was an
accursed hypocrite and it was he whom
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House termed as ‘the
obeyed idiot’ (al-ahmaq al-mut’a).
Accordingly, the difference between this
and that given on at battling ye or
battling their tribe is that the former
came in sincerity and benevolence,
whereas the latter came in hypocrisy
and intrigue. So the former were to be
accepted, while the latter were not.
This has been about the Muslims
confronting the non-Muslims, and the
ruling about bloodshed between the two
sides. As for Muslims amongst
themselves, no one has the right to spill
a drop of blood of any other:
And it is not for a believer to kill a believer
save by mistake. And whoso kills a believer
by mistake—the freeing of a believing neck
and compensation submitted to his folk,
save that they give charity.
MIA
So if he is from an enemy tribe to ye, and he
is a believer—the freeing of a believing
neck.
And if he is from a tribe between whom and
yourselves is a pact—compensation
submitted to his folk and the freeing of a
believing neck.
And whoso finds not, fasting for two
consecutive months.
A relenting from Allah, and Allah is
knowing, wise.
(92)
And it is not for a believer to kill a
believer save by mistake…. It is not
permissible for a believer to kill another
believer, unless it be by mistake, such
as when a man hunts an animal but his
shot misses the animal and hits and kills
a believer, and suchlike.
…And whoso kills a believer by
mistake… He must pay the penalty of:
…—the freeing of a believing neck…
He must free a human slave who is a
believer. The slave is called a ‘neck’ in
line with the principle of knowing the
whole by the name of a part, just as a
spy is called an ‘eye’.
…and… He must also pay:
…compensation submitted to his
folk,… ‘Compensation’ is put for diya,
meaning the payment of money in return
for blood, and it is obligatory that it be
submitted to the deceased’s kinsmen
entire, without shortcoming. The
meaning of the compensation being
obligatory upon him is the general
obligation of the compensation, not that
284 | P a g e April 3, 2011
he must pay it all himself. For in
accidental homicide it is for the family or
tribe, and the compensation itself is
divided among the deceased’s next of
kin.
…save that they give charity. That is,
that the deceased’s next of kin
charitably waive their right to
compensation from the killer, and do not
take it from him. ‘Give charity’ is put for
yassaddaqu, a diminution of
yatasaddaqu.
…So if he is from an enemy tribe to
ye,… That is, the victim was from a tribe
that was at war with the Muslims, in that
they were ‘hostile disbelievers’ (kuffar
muharibin).
…and he is a believer… The deceased
was a believer, and the killer killed him
by mistake.
…—the freeing of a believing neck. In
such circumstances this is the sole
penalty, and there is no compensation
to be paid as the deceased had no
Muslim kinsmen, and it is well-known
that the hostile disbeliever does not
inherit from the Muslim.
…And if he is … That is, the deceased
was not a Muslim but he was:
…from a tribe between whom and
yourselves is a pact… The deceased
was a member of a tribe with whom the
Muslims are bound by treaty and
agreement, and the Muslim’s killing him
was a mistake.
…—compensation submitted to his
folk… To be paid to the deceased’s
next of kin.
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…and the freeing of a believing
neck…. It is not permitted to kill a
person bound by treaty just as it is not
permitted to kill a believer.
…And whoso finds not,… He hasn’t a
slave and hasn’t the price of one.
…fasting for two consecutive
months. He should fast for two months
and it is not permissible for him to pause
between the days of the two months, but
when he has fasted for a month and a
day, the condition of being consecutive
is met, and it is permissible for him to
fast the remainder after a while without
them being connected to the first.
…A relenting from Allah,… That is,
this legislation concerning killing comes
as a relenting and return on the part of
Allah, glorified be He, towards His
servant who has killed. The killer,
although his homicide was a mistake
and therefore does not accrue a sin
upon himself, is nevertheless naturally
distanced from the divine by this ugly
deed. Some acts have irremovable
effects, just as one who mistakenly
drinks wine will become drunk and
suffer all the ailments that come with
wine drinking.
…and Allah is knowing,… He knows
man’s best interests.
…wise. He is wise in His commanding
and forbidding.
This was the ruling in respect to
accidental homicide. As for deliberate
homicide:
And whoso kills a believer deliberately, his
requital is hell, eternal in it, and Allah is
angry with him and curses him and prepares
for him a grievous chastisement.
April 3, 2011
(93)
And whoso kills a believer
deliberately,… The apparent sense of
the ayah suggests that the killing took
place intentionally, in contrast to the killing
which was an accident.
…his requital is hell, eternal in it,…
The fire, forever and ever, unless he
receives mediation or forgiveness. This
exception is on the grounds of His word,
’Indeed Allah forgives not that unto Him
He be partnered, and He forgives all
other than that, to whomso He wills.’
…and Allah is angry with him… What is
meant by such attributes is the result of
the act, for otherwise Allah is not subject
to transitory moods.
…and curses him… He casts him off
from His mercy.
…and prepares for him a grievous
chastisement. In another ayah we have
it that ‘Whoso kills a soul, other than for
a soul or for making corruption in the
earth—it is as if he has killed the people,
altogether.’
The wise Quran then indicates some
precautions necessary for the
combatants, for them not to kill a Muslim
by mistake. This was the consequence
of an event that took place, in that
Usama b. Zaid and some companions
were dispatched by the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, as a squadron, and they came
upon a man who had retired with some
spoils that he was taking up a
mountainside. He greeted them by
saying, ‘ Al-salam ‘alaikum; la ilaha illa
‘llah, Muhammadur rasulu ‘llah (‘Bliss be
upon you; there is no god but Allah,
MIA
Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger’). Yet
Usama attacked him and killed him and
took his spoils. When they returned to
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and he was
informed about it, he said, ‘How did you
pierce the covering of his heart? You
neither accepted what he said with his
tongue, nor knew what was in his soul!’
And this ayah was sent down:
O ye who believe, when ye strike out in
Allah’s path, ascertain. And say not unto
whoso delivers unto ye the salam, ‘Thou are
not a believer.’
Ye reach for the goods of the worldly life, so
alongside Allah are many spoils.
That is how ye were beforehand, then Allah
favoured ye, so ascertain. Indeed Allah of
what ye do is knowing.
(94)
O ye who believe, when ye strike out
in Allah’s path,… That is, when the
Muslims go forth for jihad in order to
raise the word of Islam. “Strike out’ is
given for darb, meaning safar (to travel)
as the traveller strikes the ground with
his feet.
…ascertain…. That is, discriminate
between the disbeliever and the Muslim,
so that the Muslims’ dealings be open
and clear, and nothing be done before
checking and clarification.
…And say not unto whoso delivers
unto ye the salam,… That is, greets by
saying, al-salam ‘alaikum, the greeting
of Islam, manifesting his Islam and
withdrawing and not battling the
Muslims.
286 | P a g e April 3, 2011
…‘Thou are not a believer.’ That is, a
real believer, at heart, and that it is all
just words to save your life.
…Ye reach for the goods of the
worldly life,… That is, is it that ye are
seeking wealth and spoils, and so denying
the Islam of those who greet you with the
‘salam’. The sense is one of a rebuking
interrogative, meaning: why do ye kill those
who manifest Islam for the sake of their
spoils which are finite and perish as part of
the worldly life? Or the interrogative is not
rebuking but is literal, meaning: if ye are
seeking wealth:
…so alongside Allah are many spoils.
It means the worldly spoils that the
Muslims were to wrest from the
disbelievers.
…That is how ye were beforehand,…
They had all been disbelievers like the
man who greeted them with the salam.
…then Allah favoured ye,… He guided
them to faith; and just as it is not
permissible to say ‘your faith is due to
fear’, so it is not permissible to say that
the faith of anyone who greets with the
salam is due to fear.
And now that you have learned of your
mistake in this area:
,,,so ascertain…. From thence forward.
The word is repeated here for emphasis,
and because its use here follows the
reasoning. So whereas the former was a
simple command, here it follows the
proof of it being a rational necessity.
…Indeed Allah of what ye do is knowing.
He is knowing of all our actions and their
motivations, and so we should observe
Him in everything we do.
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The thread then turns to clarifying the
distinction of the combatants, so as to
encourage the jihad and to prompt those
who sat to stand up:
Not equal are the seated among the
believers—other than those of disability—
and the combatants in Allah’s path with
their wealth and their lives. Allah has
distinguished the combatants with their
wealth and their lives over the seated in
degree, and for both Allah has promised
beauty. And Allah has distinguished the
combatants over the seated in a magnificent
wage.
(95)
Not equal are the seated among the
believers… It means those who sat in
their places instead of rising to battle the
enemies.
…—other than those of disability—…
Those who sat at home without some
disability that prevented them from
taking part in the jihad, like the blind, the
lame and so forth. Those with such a
disability were excused, with no stain
upon them. Perhaps the ayah means to
convey that those disabled whose souls
were such that they would have fought
had they not been disabled, earned the
reward of those who fought—in
accordance with the hadith that ‘the
believer’s intention is better than his
deed.’
…and the combatants in Allah’s path
with their wealth and their lives….
They dispense their wealth for jihad and
bring themselves to meet the
disbelievers in the path of raising the
word of Islam. Jihad is called ‘jihad’
because of the struggle (jahd) and
difficulties it entails—and sacrificing
April 3, 2011
one’s wealth and one’s life is the and ‘all the righteous actions are no
greatest of difficulties. more in comparison to jihad than a drop
of spittle in a fathomless ocean.’
…Allah has distinguished the ‘Distinguished’ (faddala) wards off the
combatants with their wealth and idea that might arise from the earlier in
their lives over the seated in degree, that if it is only a matter of
degree,… The combatant has the degree it is not important in comparison
distinction and merit of jihad, after both to the difficulties involved in jihad.
the combatant and the non-combatant
are distinguished by the distinctions of Then He clarifies the ‘magnificent wage’
belief, the prayer, the fast and the rest of by saying that that wage is:
the Islamic Legislation.
Degrees from Him, and forgiveness and
…and for both Allah has promised mercy, and Allah is forgiving, merciful.
beauty…. Both the combatant and the
non-combatant have the beautiful (96)
reward for their deeds. Jihad is a
community obligation, in that when it is
Degrees from Him,… ‘From Him’
met by some the obligation is removed
denotes its greatness. Were the
from the others. Thus it is that both the
degrees from other than Him, glorified
combatant and the non-combatant are
be He, they would have been negligible,
promised beauty in goodness and
as the world is accidental and finite,
felicity, though the combatant is
whereas what is from Him, glorified be
superior.
He, is magnificent and eternal. In the
hadith we have it that ‘Allah
In the commentary al-Asfa we have the
distinguishes the combatants over those
hadith:
who sit by seventy degrees, and
between each pair of degrees is the
‘Ye have left behind ye in Madina a
distance covered through seventy
group, and you have not travelled or
autumns by a trained charger.’
crossed any valley but that they have
been with you. They are those whose
…and forgiveness… The sins of the
intentions are valid and whose breasts
combatant are forgiven.
tremble and hearts long for jihad, but
they are prevented from jihad by a
…and mercy,… Allah will mercy the
disability or other than that.’
combatant by granting him numerous
blessings.
That was during the expedition of
Tabuk.
…and Allah is forgiving, merciful. He
forgives the combatant his previous sins
…And Allah has distinguished the
and is merciful to him from His extensive
combatants over the seated in a
mercy.
magnificent wage. In narrations we
have it that ‘above every righteousness
Some say that the first mention of
is a righteousness, except jihad in
‘degrees’ indicates a position of
Allah’s path.’ And we have it that the
closeness to Him, just as it is said that
‘reward is to the amount of the difficulty’
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one person is closer in degree to the
ruler than another, and that the second
indicates their location in the garden, by
which the believers will be distinguished.
The thread now turns to others who sit
but whom Allah does not promise
beauty, but rather promises them the
chastisement, for their being the cause
of their own oppression by the
disbelievers, and of the disbelievers
devouring their rights:
Indeed those whom the angels take while
they are wronging themselves—they say,
‘What were ye in?’
They say, ‘We were enfeebled in the earth.’
They say, ‘Was not Allah’s earth expansive,
for ye to migrate in it?’
Those, their abode is hell, and how bad it is
an outcome!
(97)
Indeed those whom the angels take…
The angels take their souls, for the
angel of death has assistants, as we
have it from the sunnah, and confirmed
by this ayah.
…while they are wronging
themselves… That is, their condition on
being taken by the angels is that they
are oppressing themselves, in that they
remained in the realm of abasement as
the disbelievers imposed chastisement
upon them and prevented them from
believing in Allah and the Messenger. It
was possible for them to migrate to the
realm of belief and believe. Perhaps the
ayah covers these and also those who
remain in the realm of disbelief where
they are unable to manifest the
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obligations of Islam and act according to
that which Allah has made obligatory.
…—they say,… The angels say to them
when they take their souls.
…‘What were ye in?’… That is, they
are asked as to the condition of their
religious life. The interrogative is for
determination and for criticism.
…They say, ‘We were enfeebled in
the earth.’… They blame the partnerists
for oppressing them in their homes and not
letting them believe, or not letting them act
according to Islam.
…They say,… The angels say to them.
…‘Was not Allah’s earth expansive,
for ye to migrate in it?’… They should
have left the authority of the
disbelievers, so as to be able to accept
Islam or implement its Legislation.
…Those, their abode is hell, and how
bad it is an outcome! Those thus
described are on an evil path for their
destination is hell with all its
chastisement and terrors.
Then He, glorified be He, makes an
exception for those who are unable to
migrate, for they are not held
accountable, and their affair is up to
Allah, glorified be He:
Save the enfeebled—men women and
children unable in strength and not guided a
path.
(98)
Save the enfeebled… Those whom the
disbelievers oppress in their homelands.
April 3, 2011
…—men… It means men who are weak
and disabled.
…women and children… By nature
these two groups are too weak to flee
and migrate.
…unable in strength… They are
unable to resolve their situation by
removing themselves from the authority
of the disbelievers.
…and not guided a path. That is, a
way of escape and migration.
So those—perhaps Allah will pardon them,
and Allah is pardoning, forgiving.
(99)
So those… It means those of the
oppressed who are weak and unable to
flee.
…—perhaps Allah will pardon
them,… Perhaps Allah will forgive them
their sin. The use of the word ‘perhaps’
(given for ‘asa) in such ayat is to show
that the matter is in the hands of Allah,
glorified be He, and that He has the
power to issue them a command that
would give them difficulty, like the
obligation of their leaving and
manifesting their religion whatever
happens to them. There is no place to
say, ‘If by ‘the oppressed’ are meant the
disbelievers, then how can it be that
Allah will forgive their disbelief?' as both
rational and narrated proofs show that
the weak, the disabled and the simple
will be examined in the hereafter. And
that is in contrast to the obstinate
disbeliever whose destination is
definitely the fire.
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…and Allah is pardoning,… He
pardons whom He wills.
…forgiving. He forgives the sins.
Perhaps the difference between
‘pardoning’ (‘afw) and ‘forgiving’ (ghafr)
is that to ‘pardon’ means to forgive
without concealing the sin, whereas to
‘forgive’ is to pardon and also to
conceal, as the absence of punishment
does not entail concealment.
One of the things that prevented
migration was the fear of being unable
to find the means of habitation and
income in the new land. This was
nothing but imagination, for the world is
extensive and an income is possible in
every place:
And whoso migrates in Allah’s path will
find in the earth many stations, and
expansiveness. And whoso departs from his
house migrating unto Allah and His
Messenger, and then death catches him, for
sure his wage is established upon Allah. And
Allah is forgiving, merciful.
(100)
And whoso migrates in Allah’s path…
For His sake.
…will find in the earth many
stations,…‘Stations’ is given for
muragham, meaning a temporary
abode, from ragham, meaning earth.
…and expansiveness…. That is, ease
and plenty in income and the other
provisions of life.
…And whoso departs from his house
migrating… That is, whoso migrates
from his home and homeland, cutting
himself off from it.
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…unto Allah and His Messenger,…
Migrating to Allah means to the realm of
His commands, and migrating to the
Messenger is either literal, as during the
time of his own life, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House, or
it is metaphorical, as in the case of one
who migrates to the realm of Islam
according to the command of the
Messenger.
…and then death catches him,… It
means that he dies on his journey.
…for sure his wage is established
upon Allah…. He left in His path and in
accordance to His command, and so
He, glorified be He, will deliver him his
wage and his reward.
…And Allah is forgiving,… He forgives
the sins of those who migrate.
…merciful. He mercifully gives them
their reward. In the hadith we have it
that ‘whoever flees for his religion from
place to place, even the distance of the
span of a hand, the garden becomes
obligatory for him, and he will
accompany Ibrahim and Muhammad,
Allah’s benedictions be upon them.
In some commentaries it is given that
the occasion of the descent tf his ayah
was that when the ayat commanding
migration came down, a Muslim of
Makkah called Jundab b. Hamza swore
by Allah that he was not among those
for whom Allah had made an exception,
in that he had would find the strength
and knew the route. But he was ill and
his illness was serious, yet he said to his
son, ‘By Allah, I will not spend a night in
Makkah until I leave it, for I fear that I
will die in it.’ So they left carrying him on
a stretcher, and when they reached
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Tan’im he died. And so the ayah was
sent down.
Having given the commands of jihad and
migration, He now clarifies, glorified be He,
the manner of the prayer while on a journey
or in circumstances of a fear. It comes as a
kindness to the nation and a mercy and a
distinction. Although the ayah appears to be
about prayer in conditions of fear, yet the
condition given as ‘if ye fear…’ is a
superfluous condition alluding to the
circumstances of the time in which the ayah
was sent down. That which counts is the
term ‘and when ye strike out in the earth.’
These ‘superfluous conditionals’ (shart
ghalibi) occur frequently in the wise Quran,
as in the ayah, ‘…and your foster daughters
in your care…’ (above, 24) where being ‘in
their care’ is not a condition. And like His
word, ‘…and compel not your lasses unto
prostitution if they seek decency…’ and
suchlike.
And when ye strike out in the earth, there is
no stain on ye that ye shorten from the
prayer, if ye fear that those who disbelieve
will try ye. Indeed the disbelievers are for ye
a clear enemy.
(101)
And when ye strike out in the earth,…
When the Muslims travel. It is clear that
there are other conditions for the
journey, which are mentioned in the
books of fiqh.
…there is no stain on ye that ye
shorten from the prayer,… The phrase
‘there is no stain on ye’ does not
indicate permissibility, as it apparently
suggests, but wards off the thought that
the prayer when travelling is as the
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prayer when at home. It is like His word,
glorified be He, ‘So whoso intends hajj
of the house or visits—no blame is on
him for circulating in them’ when this
‘circulating’ (tawaf) is obligatory. The
case was that the full prayer was
obligatory, and in travelling too, given
that the suspicion was that it remained
obligatory, and so Allah, glorified be He,
negated the obligation of the full prayer
and made it known that the shortened
prayer was permitted. That does not
conflict with the obligation of the
shortened prayer, given that the proofs
confirm this.
The meaning of a shortened prayer is
that the four-cycle prayers are halved,
so that the noon or zuhr, afternoon or
‘asr and evening or ‘isha prayers are
performed as two-cycle (rak’atain)
prayers, and after the midway testifying
(tashshahud), the salams are given and
the prayer is over, without standing to
perform the third and fourth cycles. As
for the morning or fajr and sunset or
maghrib prayers, these stay the same.
…if ye fear that those who disbelieve
will try ye…. When in fear of the trials
(fitnah) imposed by the disbelievers.
‘Trials’ means chastisement, murder
and suchlike. When the Muslims wanted
to perform four-cycles, they were
engaged for a lengthy period, and it was
possible for the disbelievers to attack
them and chastise them or kill them, and
so Allah favoured them by the
shortening so that their period of prayer
would be reduced and the disbelievers
would not have the opportunity—during
battle—to attack. The prayer of the
journey, of fear and of pursuit has
particulars given in the books of fiqh.
…Indeed the disbelievers are… ‘Are’
is given for kanu, which does not
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indicate the past tense, but is a simple
connective, as in ‘Allah is (kana)
knowing’ and suchlike.
…for ye a clear enemy. Their enmity
towards the Muslims was clear and
open. Had the prayer not been
shortened they could take the
opportunity presented by the Muslims’
lengthy preoccupation to try them.
Now He clarifies, glorified be He, how
the prayer in fear (salat al-khawf) is
performed in congregation. The
combatants divide into two groups: one
group follows the imam, while the other
remains in the battlefield. When the
imam has performed the two
prostrations of the first cycle (rak’at),
those following him stand and perform
the second cycle individually and give
the testifying and the salams. The imam
delays his second bowing (ruku’) until
the first group have gone to their battle
stations and the second group have
come and begun to follow the imam in
his second cycle. Then, when the imam
sits for the testifying, they stand and
perform their second cycle individually,
and they rejoin the imam in the testifying
and complete the prayer with him. Thus
the imam prolongs his prayer to the
extent of the prayer of the two groups.
And when thou are among them and thou
have established for them the prayer, a party
of them should stand with thee and they
should take their arms. Then, when they
have prostrated, they should be behind ye,
and another group who have not prayed
should come and pray with thee, and they
should be on their guard and take their arms.
Those who disbelieve would love it were ye
to neglect your arms and your equipment;
then they would incline towards ye with a
single inclination.
April 3, 2011
And there is no stain on ye, if there is a individually and go to take the place of
trouble upon ye from rain, or ye are ill, that those battling. This is the meaning of:
ye place your arms and be on your guard.
Indeed Allah has prepared for the …they should be behind ye,… He,
disbelievers an abasing chastisement. glorified be He, uses the plural ‘behind ye’
and not ‘behind thee’ on account of the
(102) second group praying with the imam. This
does not conflict with his word, ‘another
group … should come’, as what is meant is
And when thou are among them…
their being behind those praying in the first
The address is to the Messenger, may
sense.
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, and means when he is among
…and another group who have not
those who strike out in the earth for
prayed… It is the group who remained
jihad. It is clear that the ruling is not
in their battle-stations.
particular to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
…should come and pray with thee,
and universally applies to every imam
and they should be on their guard
among combatants who wish to perform
and take their arms…. They should
the prayer in congregation.
remain on their guard in a state of readiness
for combat, keeping hold of the weapons.
…and thou have established for them
Perhaps the additional mention of them
the prayer, a party of them should
being ‘on their guard’ in contrast to the
stand with thee… When the imam
former phrase is that the likelihood of the
establishes the prayer a group stand with
enemy attacking them is greater than the
him and follow him in the prayer in
danger of their attacking the first group, as
congregation. The other group remain in
the simple division of the force into two
their places facing the enemy.
with one group withdrawing for the prayer
would not be noticed by the enemy, who
…and they should take their arms….
would not then muster all its force for a
It means those who are performing the
single attack, for they would still suppose
prayer in congregation. They should
that all the Muslims remained engaged in
hold on to their arms so as not to
the battle. However, with their absence
become an easy target for the enemy to
becoming lengthy it would become clear
attack, for being unarmed would
that a number of the Muslims had stayed
endanger their position. These
their hands from the battle for the sake of
circumstances are an exception to the
the prayer.
general ruling that to bear arms during
the prayer is loathsome (makruh). No
…Those who disbelieve would love
mention is made of the other battling
it… It means those battling the Muslims.
group carrying their weapons, because
it is obvious.
…were ye to neglect your arms and
your equipment;… They wish that they
…Then, when they have prostrated,…
would leave their weapons aside at a far
That is, when they have completed the
remove from themselves.
first cycle and the imam has stood for
his second—they complete their prayer

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…then they would incline towards ye
with a single inclination... They would
mount a single attack on the Muslim
force while engaged in prayer, and
would finish them off. They would strike
at the Muslims in their unguarded state,
without a weapon to defend themselves
nor any equipment to help them. Thus
the Muslims are commanded to divide
into two groups at the time of the prayer
and to carry their weapons with them
while at prayer.
…And there is no stain on ye,… That
is, they will not be held to account, and
to carry weapons is not obligatory:
…if there is a trouble… A troublesome
difficulty, hardship.
…upon ye… Upon those combatants
who wish to perform the prayer in
congregation.
…from rain, or ye are ill, that ye place
your arms… That is, it is permissible to
take a rest from carrying their weapons
for the duration of their prayer. It is clear
that for the sick to carry weapons is
onerous and troublesome. As for rain, a
heavy downpour is indeed heavy for a
person, and this together with the weight
of the weapons can be troublesome.
This relates to muddy armour or chain
mail during prostration, and suchlike.
…and… This has the meaning of
‘however’, for it means ‘and when you
have put off your weapons due to the
difficulty.’
…be on your guard…. That is, be wary
of an attack by the enemy, so that if they
do attack the Muslims are ready for
them, and they are not taken unawares.
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…Indeed Allah has prepared for the
disbelievers an abasing chastisement. He has
made ready for them a chastising abasement
in the world at the Muslims’ hands, and in
the hereafter by the fire and the inferno.
In Majma’ al-Bayyan we have it that the
ayah is a proof of the sincerity of the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and the
validity of his messengership, in that it
was sent down while the Prophet was at
‘Isfan and the disbelievers were at
Dajnan, and the Prophet and his
companions prayed the noon prayer
with all its bows and prostrations. At this
the disbelievers decided to attack them,
some of them saying, ‘They have
another prayer that is dearer to them
than this, they call it salat al-‘asr’. So
Allah sent down to him these ayat, and
so he prayed with them the afternoon
prayer as a ‘prayer in fear’.
So when ye have consummated the prayer,
recall Allah standing and sitting and upon
your sides. And when ye are confident,
establish the prayer—indeed the prayer upon
the believers is a timed ordinance.
(103)
So when ye have consummated the
prayer,… That is, when the combatants
have performed the prayer in fear.
…so recall Allah standing and
sitting… That is, while sitting and while
standing.
…and upon your sides…. While
reclining.
…And when ye are confident,… The
conditions of fear have gone.
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…so establish the prayer… It means
perform the prayer in full to the extent of
its limits and with all its conditions.
…—indeed the prayer upon the
believers is a timed ordinance. That
is, it is written upon them in the sense
that it is obligatory upon them. It is
‘timed’ (mawqut) in the sense of having
a particular time in which it is to be
performed.
Then He, glorified be He, again urges
the necessity of jihad, saying:
And languish not in reaching for the tribe—
if ye are pained, indeed they are pained as ye
are pained, and ye hope from Allah what
they hope not, and Allah is knowing, wise.
(104)
And languish not… It means that they
are not to give way to weakness.
…in reaching for the tribe… That is, in
seeking the disbelievers and battling
them.
…—if ye are pained, indeed they are
pained as ye are pained,… Whatever
hardships and dangers affect the
Muslims in warfare, affect equally the
disbelievers.
…and ye hope from Allah… The
believers had hope in victory and
triumph and reward from alongside
Allah, glorified be He.
…what they hope not,… The Muslims
are more deserving and more likely to
seek them and strive in battling them
than the disbelievers. They have no
promise from Allah of succour and
reward.
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…and Allah is knowing,… He is knowing
of what happens to the Muslims, and the
Muslims are in the knowledge of Allah,
glorified be He, and believe this, while
the disbelievers are also in His
knowledge, but they do not know it.
…wise. His commands and His
prohibitions are on the basis of policy
and wisdom.
It is narrated that on the day of Uhad the
Muslims said to the partnerists, ‘There is
no equality: our dead are in the garden
while your dead are in the fire.’ At this
Abu Sufyan said, ‘We have lineage but
ye have no lineage.’ So the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, told the Muslims, ‘Say: Allah is
our Patron but you have no patron.’ Abu
Sufyan said, ‘I raise Hubul,’ and he lifted
it above his horse and showed it to
those around him. So the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, told the Muslims, ‘Say: Allah is
higher and more splendid.’
Al-Qummi narrates that the ayah was
sent down after the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, returned from Uhad: arriving
back in Madina the angel Jibra.ịl, bliss
be upon him, came to him, Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
and said, ‘O Muhammad, indeed Allah has
commanded thee to depart in pursuit of the
tribe, and that no one should depart with
thee save those who are wounded, so they
should turn to dressing their wounds and
treating them.’ And then they went out again
regardless of their wounds and pains.
Having mentioned some of the rulings
related to war and jihad, the thread
returns to the previous topic of the
necessity of justice in judgements, as
He says, glorified be He, ‘Indeed Allah
April 3, 2011
commands ye that ye restore the trusts
to their folk, and when ye arbitrate
among the people, that ye arbitrate with
justice.’ (above, 59). The jihad is
legislated solely for justice, and the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, was raised
only to establish justice:
Indeed We sent down the book upon thee in
truth, that thou judge among the people as
Allah has shown thee. And be not to the
traitors an advocate.
(105)
Indeed We sent down the book upon
thee in truth,… The Quran was sent
down to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House, in
truth and justice. Something might come
down in falsehood when it comes from
one who is not proper or to one who is
not proper, or when the content is not
proper.
…that thou judge among the people
as Allah has shown thee…. That is, in
accordance to the Legislation of justice.
…And be not… The address is to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House.
…to the traitors an advocate. It means
that he was not to find in favour of the
traitors against the innocent, and not
take the side of the traitors against the
innocent, so that the guilty be favoured.
And seek forgiveness from Allah, indeed
Allah is forgiving, merciful.
(106)
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And seek forgiveness from Allah,…
This is a reminder for the nation as far as it
seeks judgements. Judgements require
Allah’s covering the faults so that the judge
does not err.
…indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful.
He conceals the faults and is merciful
towards those seeking mercy.
On the circumstances of the sending
down of this, the previous and the
following ayah, we have it that, in brief,
three sons of Ubayriq, named Bashir,
Bishr and Mubashshir, all of them
hypocrites, passed by the uncle of
Qatada b. al-Nu’man and took away
food, a sword and armour. Qatada
complained to the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, and this led Ubayriq’s sons to
say that Lubaid b. Sahl was to blame.
Lubaid, a believer, went out against
them with a sword, and said to them,
‘Do you accuse me of theft, when you
are more fitting for it than I? And you are
hypocrites, you lampoon the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and attribute
the lampoons to the Quraish.’ They
placated him and turned him around,
and then a man from one of their groups
who was logical and eloquent went to
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and said,
‘Qatada had intended evil for an
honourable household among us who
have status and lineage, and he has
accused them of theft.’ This saddened
the Messenger, Allah condescend upon
him and his House, and he severely
censured Qatada; this in turn saddened
Qatada who had fought at Badr. And so
the ayat were sent down, vindicating
Qatada and declaring the debt of Ubayriq’s
sons. News reached Bashir of what had been
sent down about him in the Quran—for he is
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‘the traitor’—and he deserted to Makkah They would hide… They hide and
and apostatised as a disbeliever. conceal evil deeds.

And wrangle not with those who betray …from the people,… The thieves in the
themselves, indeed Allah is not fond of any account of the sons of Ubayriq
extreme betrayer, sinner. concealed their deed from the people in
fear of being disgraced.
(107) …while they cannot hide from
Allah;… They do not conceal their
And wrangle not… The address is to
criminal deeds from Allah, glorified be
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
He. To conceal from Allah means not to
upon him and his House, and this does
commit the act, rather than to commit
not conflict with his faultlessness, since
the act in secret, as nothing is hidden
all prohibitions are directed towards him
from him, glorified be He. The term here
just as they are directed at the rest of
is used for contradistinction, as in His
the Muslims, and the commands pertain
word, ‘Thou know what is in my spirit
to him just as they pertain to others.
and I know not what is in Thy spirit.’
…with those who betray
…and He is with them… They commit
themselves,… A person who engages
their deeds while Allah the Most High is
his soul or psyche in disobedience
with them in the sense of surrounding
betrays himself, in that the soul is a trust
them and knowing all about them. He
that must be returned, and to return the
knows their words and their deeds.
trust of the psyche is to engage it in
obedience, one instance after another,
…when they spend the night… It
until finally one’s time elapses and one’s
refers to nocturnal deliberations.
period is over.
…on speech that is not contenting….
…indeed Allah is not fond of any
Ubayriq’s sons spent the night in
extreme betrayer, sinner. ‘Extreme
deliberation about what to say and
betrayer’ is given for khawwan, the
rehearsing how they would say it, so as
superlative of kha.in, meaning ‘betrayer’.
to present those words to the
A ‘sinner’ (athim) is one who is
Messenger, may Allah condescend
disobedient. The meaning of ‘not loving’
upon him and his House, and the
is to dislike, to find repugnant. There is
Muslims.
nothing in between: the disobedient is
disliked, the obedient is loved.
…And Allah of what they do is
encompassing. He is knowing of their
They would hide from the people, while
words and encompasses their deeds.
they cannot hide from Allah; and He is with
The meaning of ‘encompassing’ (muhit)
them when they spend the night on speech
is knowledge such that every thing is
that is not contenting. And Allah of what
included.
they do is encompassing.
Ha, ye are those who wrangle for them over
(108) the worldly life—so who will wrangle with

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Allah for them on the day of resurrection?
Or who will be for them an trustee?
(109)
Ha,… ‘Ha’ is given for the Arabic ha, a
word of warning.
…ye are those who wrangle for
them… It refers to those criminals who
stole.
…over the worldly life… It is here in
the world that secrets are concealed
and disputes arise, in that people
suppose to be true things which in
reality are false.
…—so who will wrangle with Allah
for them on the day of resurrection?
The interrogative is for censure and
criticism. It means that there is none
who will wrangle on their behalf in the
just presence of Allah, glorified be He,
for He knows all the secrets and all the
events.
…Or who will be for them an trustee?
No one will take their part and save
them from the deeds they secretly
committed. Here the interrogative is for
the effect of denial, and the phrase
means that there will be no one there to
defend them. Perhaps the difference
between ‘who will wrangle…’ and ‘who
will be for them…’ is that to wrangle on
another’s behalf does not necessitate
the wrangler being a trustee (wakil), for
an trustee is one who is appointed to
defend him, whereas someone may
wrangle for another without being
asked.
Then He clarifies, glorified be He, that
there is no reason to despair of Allah’s
grace, and the sinner should not
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suppose that there is no door open to
him, as the door of repentance is open:
And whoso does an evil or wrongs himself
and then seeks forgiveness from Allah—He
finds Allah forgiving, merciful.
(110)
And whoso does an evil… It means an
instance of disobedience that affects
others, like fornication or theft.
…or wrongs himself… An instance of
disobedience that does not affect
another, like drinking alcohol or missing
the prayer. It is clear that every wrong is
against oneself, and every evil is a
wrong, but as they are ranged
separately we have distinguished
between them in this way as suggested
by the context.
…and then seeks forgiveness from
Allah… He seeks His forgiveness in the
way that He has commanded, by
repenting an making amends, if the
disobedience is such that amends can
be made.
…—He finds Allah forgiving, merciful.
He forgives his sin and graces him with
mercy and favour.
And whoso earns a sin, he but earns it for
himself; and Allah is knowing, wise.
(111)
And… And the sinner should not
suppose that he has harmed another
but not himself, for it is the opposite, as:
…whoso earns a sin, he but earns it
for himself;… Just as whatever good a
person does returns to himself, so too
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every disobedience he commits will
return to himself, as He says, ‘ye shall
only be recompensed for what ye have
done.’
…and Allah is knowing,… He is knowing
of what the human being earns in the
way of good and evil.
…wise. He is wise in His punishing and
rewarding, putting all things in their
proper places. No one should suppose
that he can sin and then escape Allah’s
justice, nor wonder why he should do
good when it will have no benefit for
himself. He, glorified be He, is wise, and
it has been given that wisdom means
putting all things in their proper places.
And whose earns a mistake or a sin and then
casts it at an innocent—truly he has
burdened himself a slander and a clear sin.
(112)
And whose earns a mistake or a sin…
Perhaps the difference between these is
that the first is committed
unintentionally, whereas the second is
committed deliberately. This difference
only applies where the two are ranged
against each other, for otherwise the
word ‘mistake’ applies to every sin.
…and then casts it at an innocent…
He commits a sin and then attributes it
to someone who is innocent, as given in
the account of the sons of Ubayriq.
…—truly he has burdened himself a
slander… ‘Slander’ is given for buhtan,
meaning to say of someone something
that is untrue.
…and a clear sin. He has therefore
burdened himself with two sins: the sin
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of the deed and the sin of slander. This
does not contradict that which we gave
about ‘mistake’, as a mistake becomes
a sin when it is followed by persistence
and not making amends.
In some commentaries it is given that a
delegation from the Thaqif tribe came to
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and said, ‘O
Muhammad, we have come to pay you
allegiance although we will not smash
our idols with our hands, and will
continue as we are for a year.’ The
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, did not accept
their request, and was only ready to
accept Islam from them in its entirety.
And so Allah, glorified be He, sent
down:
And were it not for Allah’s profusion upon
thee and His mercy, a group of them would
surely have determined upon sending thee
astray, while they send none astray but
themselves, and they harm thee not a thing.
Allah has sent down on thee the book and
the wisdom, and has taught thee what thou
would not have learned; and Allah’s
profusion upon thee is magnificent.
(113)
And were it not for Allah’s profusion
upon thee and His mercy,… Were it
not for Allah’s endorsing him and fixing
him on the valid and true.
…a group of them would surely have
determined… Some of ‘those’ would
have intended.
…upon sending thee astray,… By
permitting for them what they wanted.
And it is said that the ayah completes
the account of the sons of Ubayriq, and
April 3, 2011
the attempt to vindicate the thieves and
slander the innocent.
…while they send none astray but
themselves,… The consequences of
their words return to themselves, in that
they deviate from the truth and so
destroy themselves. They do not deviate
and destroy any other, and certainly not
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House.
The meaning of ‘were it not’ negates
their effectiveness with regard to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, it does not
negate their intention to do so.
Accordingly, the meaning is ‘were it not
for Allah’s profusion they would have
sent thee astray’ and not ‘were it not for
Allah’s profusion they would have
determined.’
…and they harm thee not a thing….
They could not harm the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, with their plots in the world as
Allah was succouring him, and nor in the
hereafter.
…Allah has sent down on thee…
Upon the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House.
…the book and the wisdom,… That is,
the knowledge of putting things in their
rightful places and to measure things
with their true measure. He had
knowledge of things and wisdom in
applying them, so how could he be sent
astray in the way they intended. Only
those can be sent astray who have no
knowledge of things or cannot put things
in their proper places.
…and has taught thee what thou
would not have learned;… This means
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things outside the range of the Book, in
that the Book is particular to the
knowledge of certain matters and things,
apparently.
…and Allah’s profusion upon thee is
magnificent. The grace and favour of
Allah upon the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House, is
magnificent.
The connection between this ayah and
those preceding it in the first view—that
it concerns a delegation of the Thaqif—
is that the two accounts concern the
same reality: Allah’s protecting the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, in the affair of
the thieves and the affair of the
delegation, so that in both cases he
spoke not and acted not save in truth.
As the discourse has concerned
conspiracies that take place in secret
and which are hatched in a huddle by
those who plot at night, and as such
matters are bound to involve much
huddling in drawing up criticism,
refutation and defamation, therefore the
wise Quran now deals with huddling,
and that:
There is no good in much of their huddling –
save whoso bids to a charity or to an
honourable or to rectitude among the people.
And whoso does that reaching for Allah’s
contentment – We shall soon grant him a
magnificent wage.
(114)
There is no good in much of their
huddling… ‘Huddling’ (najwa) means
some speaking to others in secret. The
mention of ‘much of’ is either to indicate
April 3, 2011
particular instances, as in the instances condescend upon him and his House, in
cited there is much huddling, or to show their goals, He now clarifies, glorified be
that in many instances of huddling there He, the consequences of such
is no goodness, whereas a little opposition:
huddling which is necessary for
everyone in that everyone has some And whoso contravenes the Messenger after
secret which it is not necessary to the guidance has become clear for him and
divulge and proclaim, does not present follows other than the path of the
a problem. The first interpretation is the believers—We turn him back to what he has
clearest, and accords to the meaning of turned to, and We burn him in hell, and how
‘huddle’ as He says, ‘Indeed the bad it is an outcome!
huddling of the devil…’ (al-Mujadilah
[58], 11). (115)
…—save whoso bids to a charity… It
And whoso contravenes the
means any type of charity, such as
Messenger… That is, whoso opposes
giving wealth to the poor, endowments
him, may Allah condescend upon him
or beneficence.
and his House. ‘Contravenes’ is given
for shaqqa, implying that each of the two
…or to an honourable… It means a
sides is in a distinct and separate
form of righteousness recognised as
chasm.
honourable by people, as opposed to
the dishonourable (munkar) which the
…after the guidance has become
people dislike.
clear for him… That is, after the truth
has become clear for him and that the
…or to rectitude among the people….
Messenger, may Allah condescend
In such affairs secrecy is generally
upon him and his House, speaks and acts
necessary.
only in truth. As for before this clarification,
such contravening is excusable, in that the
…And whoso does that… It means
argument is not finalised for him.
huddling in secrecy in such affairs. Or it
means doing one of these things.
…and follows other than the path of
the believers… It means a path other
…reaching for Allah’s contentment…
than that of the believers, which is their
That is, seeking the pleasure of Allah.
religion. This includes the path of
contravening, although to oppose the
…—We shall soon… On the day of
religion amounts to contravening the
resurrection.
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House.
…grant him a magnificent wage. A
wage such that no eye has seen nor an
…—We turn him back to what he has
ear heard, nor even imagined in the
turned to,… That is, Allah does not
heart of man. And the same is true of all
come between him and his belief and
obedience.
his actions, not compelling him to return.
The world is for examination and trial,
As the two affairs show the opposition of the
and such compulsion would negate that.
two groups to the Messenger,may Allah
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It is as He says, ‘No compulsion in the
religion…’.
…and We burn him in hell,… He shall
be cast into the fire. He shall be left to
himself in the world and cast into hell
because of it in the hereafter.
…and how bad it is an outcome. Hell
is a foul place for the guilty to head for.
In keeping with the topic of contravening
the Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House, He now clarifies,
glorified be He, that there is no reason to
despair of Allah’s mercy. Whoso repents
will find that Allah is forgiving. So when a
person errs, it is for him to return to Allah
the Most High for Him to forgive him his
sin and relent unto him:
Indeed Allah forgives not that unto Him He
be partnered, and He forgives other than that
for whom He wills. And whoso partners
unto Allah—truly he has strayed a distant
straying.
(116)
Indeed Allah forgives not that unto
Him He be partnered,… It means when
a person dies as a partnerist—as
proven by the proofs.
…and He forgives other than that…
Other than partnerism.
…for whom He wills…. If he repents or
even if he does not repent—it all
depends on the divine will; and His will,
glorified be He, is not arbitrary, but
accords to the condition of the person’s
psyche or soul, his actions, the extent to
which he deserves it and suchlike.
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…And whoso partners unto Allah…
Whoso set up a partner for Allah.
…—truly he has strayed a distant
straying. He has strayed far from the
path of the truth.
Then He explains, glorified be He, the
reason for the deviation of the
partnerists:
They call upon nothing other than He but
females, and they call on nothing but a
rejected devil.
(117)
They call upon nothing… They call
upon and worship none.
…other than He… Other than Allah,
glorified be He.
…but females,… They used to worship
al-Lat, al-‘Izya, Munat, Isaf, Na.ila and
each tribe had its idol which they
worshipped, and every idol was given a
feminine name, so that they were called
the ‘female of the Quraish’, ‘the female
of the Tamim’ and so on. And
occasionally the devil would speak to
them through them. And some too
would worship the angels saying that
they were Allah’s daughters, as he
relates about them: ‘And they put the
angels who are the slaves of the
Compassionate as female (idols).’
…and they call on nothing but a
rejected devil. Their worshipping of the
idols was at once the worship of the
devil, in that they were the devil’s work
and his command—so there is no place
to wonder how they could do both.
April 3, 2011
Allah cursed him, and he said: ‘I shall surely
take from Thy servants a definite portion.
(118)
Allah cursed him,… It means that He
cast him away from His mercy and
closeness. Thus they were worshipping
and obeying one rejected from the
mercy of Allah, glorified be He.
…and he said:… The devil said to
Allah, when he was rejected.
…‘I shall surely take from Thy slaves
a definite portion.The devil said that he
would take a clear portion of Allah’s
creatures, meaning that he would
deviate them and lead them astray and
lure them away from faith and virtuous
deeds. The devil knew this when Allah
told him, ‘And whoso follows thee of
them…’ and, ‘I shall surely fill hell with
thee and whoso follows thee.’
‘And I shall surely send them astray, and I
shall surely make them yearn, and I shall
surely bid them so that they shall surely cut
the ears, and I shall surely bid them so that
they shall surely transform the creation of
Allah.’
And whoso takes the devil as a patron
instead of Allah – truly he has lost with a
clear losing.
(119)
‘And I shall surely send them
astray,… From the path of guidance.
This is either conjunctive to the ‘I shall
surely take…’ of the pervious ayah, or
the meaning of ‘I shall surely take’ is that he
shall choose a group from among His
servants and send them astray.
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…and I shall surely make them
yearn,… He shall make them long to
remain in the world and love leadership
and wealth, which will lead them to be
disobedient.
…and I shall surely bid them…
Through the medium of satanic
‘whisperings’ (waswas) and casting
ideas into the hearts.
…so that they shall surely cut the
ears,… The partnerists would cut the
ears of cattle to show that they were not
to be used for riding or eating and that
their milk was not to be drunk. This was
banned as it is mutilation, and the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, has said, ‘There
should be no mutilation, even of a voracious
dog.’ Similarly, such banning was an
innovation and a forbidden law.
…and I shall surely bid them so that
they shall surely transform the
creation of Allah.’ It means forbidden
transformations, such as the castrating of
slaves, gouging the eyes of riding animals
and suchlike. And from this ayah it is
deduced that all transformations in the
creation are forbidden save those
transformations undertaken in
accordance to a proof (dalil).
Having explained some of the types of
the devil’s commands that were current
in those times and have remained so
until our own times, He sets them,
glorified be He, into a general
framework so as to bring the general
ruling which applies to each of its parts,
in His word:
…And whoso takes the devil as a
patron… Undertaking his affairs and
obeying his commands.
April 3, 2011
…instead of Allah… This is
explanatory, and does not imply that it is
possible to take both the devil and Allah,
glorified be He.
…—truly he has lost with a clear
losing. His loss is obvious and
manifest.
He promises them and makes them yearn,
and the devil promises not save in deception.
(120)
He promises them… The devil
promises his associates success and
felicity if they follow him.
…and makes them yearn,… False,
invalid hopes and cravings, so as to
lead them to depend on the world and
turn away from the hereafter, and to
prefer the desires over virtuous deeds.
…and the devil promises not save
deceptively. All of his promises amount to
deception and falsehoods by which he
deceives the simple-minded and the
inadvertent.
Those, their abode is hell, and from it they
find no quarter.
(121)
Those,… Those who take the devil as
their patron and their succourer.
…their abode… The place to which
they return and in which they will abide.
…is hell, and from it they find no
quarter. They find no relief, no way of
fleeing.
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This has concerned those who take the
devil as their patron, but now the thread
takes up the issue of those who take the
Compassionate as their patron:
And those who believe and do the virtuous
deeds, We shall enter them in gardens, rivers
flowing beneath them, eternal in them,
forever, a real promise from Allah; and who
is more truthful than Allah in speech?
(122)
And those who believe… That is, in
the sense of believing in all that is
demanded by faith, meaning the
principles of religion (usul al-din).
…and do the virtuous deeds,… They
perform the beautiful works.
…We shall enter them,… ‘Shall’ is
given for sa, as opposed to sawfa.
Some say that these two have the same
meaning, while others say that sa
indicates the near future, and that the
use of the two words in relation to the
garden is on the basis of two
considerations: where the consideration
is that everything in the future is near,
the word sa is used, whereas where the
consideration is that the intermediary
period in purgatory (barzakh) is lengthy,
it is the word sawfa that is used.
…in gardens… ‘Gardens’ is given for
jannat, plural of jinnah, from janna
meaning to conceal. The name comes
about because the gardens are
concealed by trees.
…rivers flowing beneath them,…
Rivers flow under the trees and villas of
the garden.
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…eternal in them, forever,... There is
no termination and no decay.
…a real promise from Allah;… Allah
makes this promise and His promise is
real, without contradiction and without
falsehood.
…and who is more truthful than Allah
in speech? He is the most truthful of
speakers, in being informed and in
informing. The interrogative is to
indicate negation, so that the meaning is
that there is none more truthful than
Allah, glorified be He. However truthful a
person may be, there are things of
which he has no knowledge and there
are things of which he has not the full
measure, and so he errs. But Allah is
pure and above all of that, glorified be
He.
Here the thread turns to clarify a general
truism about deeds and their reward,
after having explained what accrues to
the partnerist and what accrues to the
believer. So he says, glorified be He:
It is not by your wishes and not by the
wishes of the book-folk—whoso does evil is
requited for it, and he finds for himself
instead of Allah no patron and no succourer.
(123)
It is not… The issue of reward and
punishment, felicity and loss is not.
…by your wishes… No one attains to
goodness merely by wishing for it when
his actions contradict his wishes. The
address is to the Muslims.
…and not by the wishes of the book-
folk… In Majma’ we have it that the
Muslims were competing with the book-
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folk in causes for pride (tafakhur); the
book-folk were saying that their Prophet
was before the Muslims’ Prophet and
their book was before the book of the
Muslims, and that they were nearer to
Allah than them. The Muslims said that
their Prophet was the Seal of the
Prophets, and that their book made
other books redundant, and that their
religion was Islam. And so the ayah
came down. Then the book-folk said
that they were equal, and so Allah sent
down the following ayah ‘And whoso
performs the virtuous deeds…’, and the
Muslims rejoiced.
…—whoso does evil is requited for
it,… That which is useful before Allah
are the virtuous acts, and relationships
and suchlike are only beneficial to the
extent that they affect a person’s
deeds—as the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
has said: ‘a man is preserved in his
son.’ Therefore, whoever acts out an
evil will be recompensed for that evil.
…and he finds for himself… That is,
whoso acts out an evil cannot find.
…instead of Allah… Other than Allah,
glorified be He.
…no patron and no succourer. There
is no one to oversee his affairs and no
one to succour him.
As it could be supposed that the book-
folk were not covered by the pervious
ayah, in that they were not necessarily
doing deeds that were obviously evil, He
now gives the reminder that among the
conditions for the acceptance of good
deeds is full faith:
And whoso performs of the virtuous deeds –
male or female – while a believer: those
April 3, 2011
shall enter the garden, and they shall not be And who is more beautiful in
wronged a jot. religion… ‘Religion’ is given for din,
which is the path a person travels in life
(124) so as to attain his salvation. The
interrogative is for negation, so that the
meaning is that no one’s path is better.
And whoso performs of the virtuous
deeds… It means some of the virtuous
…than him who submits… ‘Submits’ is
deeds, as it is not possible to perform all
given for aslama.
of them.
…his face to Allah… ‘Face’ (wajh)
…—male or female—… Perhaps this
means his soul or essence. The word is
provision is to indicate universality, and
used as the submission of a person’s
to remove the suspicion remaining from
face denotes the submission of his soul.
the period of ignorance that it was for
‘Submitting the face to Allah’ means
men to consume the fruits of the good
believing in Allah, glorified be He, by
deeds of women, along with the denial
acknowledging Him and submitting to
of women’s rights.
Him.
…while a believer,… In the fullness of
…while he is a worker of beauty,… He
this word, without believing in some of
works beauty in following the commands
the principles of faith and disbelieving in
and prohibitions, and truly no one is more
others.
beautiful in religion than such a person,
since faith is to acknowledge the greatest
…those… That is, those believers who
reality, while working beauty is to carry out
perform the virtuous deeds.
what is most beneficial, and that which is
instituted by the wise God is more beautiful
…shall enter the garden, and they
than what is instituted by man the ignorant,
shall not be wronged a jot. It means
the fickle and foolish.
that they shall not be wronged in the
slightest, not even to the extent of a jot.
…and follows the community of
‘Jot’ is given for naqir, meaning a tiny
Ibrahim,… It means that he follows his
depression upon the back of a date-
path.
stone from which the shoot issues.
…upward… ‘Upward’ is given for hanif,
He then clarifies, glorified be He, the
meaning that Ibrahim, bliss be upon
benefits of faith, and that it is better than
him, was upright in the path of belief and
all paths and directions:
action, and so the command is to belief,
beautiful deeds and following the valid
And who is more beautiful in religion than
path. The necessity of following Ibrahim,
him who submits his face to Allah while he
bliss be upon him, is often repeated in
is a worker of beauty, and follows the
the book and the sunnah, since his
community of Ibrahim, upward—Allah took
religion was not penetrated by
Ibrahim as a beloved.
distortions in the way that the two books
of Musa and ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him,
(125) were penetrated. Moreover, Musa, bliss
be upon him, and ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon
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him, came after Ibrahim, bliss be upon
him, who was as the father of the ‘Arab
Muslims, and so the mention of him,
bliss be upon him, was to encourage
them to believe, in that it was the path of
their grandfather, as He says, ‘…the
community of your father, Ibrahim.’
—and Allah took Ibrahim as a
beloved. By his obedience to Allah,
Ibrahim, bliss be upon him, became
‘Allah’s beloved’ (khalilullah).
Accordingly, what was preventing the
people from following the path of
Ibrahim so as to attain to the love of
Allah and His satisfaction?
Finally, a part of working beauty is to
follow the path of the God to whom
belong all things, and who is of all things
aware:
And Allah’s is that in the heavens and that
in the earth; and Allah is over all things
embracing.
(126)
And Allah’s is that in the heavens
and that in the earth;… He is the
Owner of all things, and so when a
person wants to follow a path in order to
benefit, he should follow the path of Him
to whom all benefits belong.
…and Allah is over all things
embracing. His knowledge embraces
and encompasses all things and nothing
escapes Him, and likewise His power is
embracing and encompassing of all
things.
His word above was ‘Indeed We sent
down the book upon thee in truth, that
thou judge among the people as Allah
has shown thee’ and the ayat that
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followed dealt with this issue, as well as
some digression. Now the thread
clarifies some of the laws concerning
women, for that is a part of judging
among the people as he was shown by
Allah, glorified be He:
And they seek clarification of thee
concerning women. Say: ‘Allah will clarify
for ye about them, and what is recited to ye
in the book about the orphans of women
(such as ye give not what is written for them
while ye reach to marry them) and about the
enfeebled – the children, and that ye
establish for the orphans in fairness.’ And
what good ye do – indeed Allah is of it
knowing.
(127)
And they seek clarification of thee…
The address is to the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House.
…concerning women…. ‘Seeking
clarification’ is given for istifta, meaning
that they requested clarification (a
fatwa) about a legal problem. The
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, was asked
about the obligations due to them and
from them, and the mode of associating
with them.
…Say: ‘Allah will clarify for ye about
them,… That is, about women. This
attributing the reply to Allah, glorified be
He, is to emphasise that legal rulings
are only valid when they issue from
Allah, glorified be He, and that it is not
for others to issue them. Similar
questions that do not touch upon the
laws receive replies without being
attributed to Allah in this way, like ‘They
ask thee concerning the spirit. Say, ‘The
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spirit is of my Master’s affairs’ and ‘They
ask thee what they should dispense…’
and ‘They ask thee of the new moons…’
and so forth.
…and what is recited to ye in the
book… It is a conjunct going back to
‘Allah clarifies for ye…’. It means that
the legal clarification concerns that
which is given in this ayah as well as
that which is given elsewhere in the
Quran, for it was given at the beginning
of this surah that ‘…And if ye fear that
ye not be fair with the orphans, then
marry what women are wholesome for
ye,’ and ‘And give the orphans their
property, and substitute not the foul for
the wholesome, and consume not their
property unto your property.’ The result
is that the clarification of the issues
concerning women is in regard to what now
comes and to that which is already given.
…about the orphans of women,… It
means young orphan girls.
…(such as ye give not what is written
for them… It means their rights. During
the period of ignorance men would not
give female orphans their right. So His
word, ‘about the orphans ’ relates to
‘what is recited to ye’ , meaning that the
legal clarification is taken from Allah in
relation to the matter of women and
about that which was previously
revealed concerning female orphans
who were deprived of their dowers.
…while ye reach to marry them)… It
refers to their wishing to marry them so
as to consume their wealth. The term
‘what is recited to ye’ indicates
consistency, and not the future tense.
…and about… And that which is recited
to ye concerning:
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…the enfeebled—the children;… It
means that which was given about the
matter of orphans, namely ‘And give the
orphans their property,…’ for this is
general and includes female orphans.
…and that… And that which was given
to the effect that:
…ye establish for the orphans in
fairness’…. That is, justice, as was
given in His word, ‘…And if ye fear that
ye not be fair with the orphans,…’.
Accordingly, from ‘…and what is
recited to ye’ until ‘…in fairness’ is a
single sentence, conjunctive to ‘Allah’.
Therefore, the meaning is that ‘Allah
clarifies the legality for ye and that which
has been given in the Quran about the
orphans clarifies for ye.’ This is then
summed up by Allah, glorified be He, in
His word:
…And what good ye do… The address
is to the believers, and refers to justice
and benevolence towards women.
…—indeed Allah is of it knowing. He
knows it and shall recompense it with
the beautiful reward.
Here the thread turns to a part of the
rules concerning women, in conformity
to His word, ‘Say: Allah will clarify for ye
about them…’. It is the ruling concerning
the fear of recalcitrance (nushuz). The
case came up concerning the daughter
of one Muhammad b. Salma who was
with Rafi’ b. Khadij and was advancing
in age, while he had another wife who
was young. So he divorced the older
wife, until when there was only a little of
the ‘iddah period left he asked her
whether she wanted him to return to her,
provided she sacrificed her interests, or
leave her. She said that she wanted him
to return to her, and she would bear with
April 3, 2011
the necessary sacrifices. And then this al-shuhh, meaning miserliness and the
ayah was sent down: refusal to forego some of the rights. It
means that such miserliness becomes
And if a woman fears from her husband mixed with the soul, with the effect that
recalcitrance or desertion, so there is no the wife is not ready to forego some of
stain on the two that they compromise her rights for the preservation of the
between themselves some compromise. union, and the husband is not prepared
Reconciliation is better, while the souls to treat her with proper behaviour so
present meanness. And if ye work beauty that the matter does not lead to divorce.
and be guardful—indeed Allah of what ye
do is informed. …And if ye work beauty… It is an
encouragement for each of the two
(128) bands to treat the other in the best
manner.
And if a woman fears from her
…and be guardful… By not doing
husband recalcitrance…
anything that will result in Allah’s anger.
‘Recalcitrance’ iis given for nushuz,
Generally in such cases one of the two bands
meaning that he does not behave with
commits an act that is forbidden, giving rise
her with the behaviour of man towards
to the conflict between them.
his wife, but treats her as if he is
superior to her.
…—indeed Allah of what ye do is
informed. And accordingly He requites
…or desertion,… That is, that he turns
and recompenses. This does not mean
away from her in general, or through
that if we do not work beauty Allah is not
divorce, and she fears that he will do
informed of it, but rather the phrase is in
that due to the appearance of the
order to promote and encourage.
indications.
He then mentions, glorified be He, the
…so there is no stain on the two…
law of multiple-wives, and that it is not
That is, on the couple.
possible to treat them evenly in love and
affection. So when the heart inclines in a
…that they compromise between
particular direction, still it is necessary to
themselves some compromise. It
maintain justice between the wives, so
means that they make some permitted
that none of them remain as if divorced:
compromise, in that the wife gives up
some of her rights so that the marriage
And never will ye be able to be just between
remains in force and the separation
women, though ye be eager. So incline not
does not take place, and suchlike.
towards every inclination, that ye leave them
as suspended. And if ye work rectitude and
…Reconciliation is better,… Reconciliation,
be guardful—indeed Allah is forgiving,
so that the marriage and harmonious
merciful.
relations between them remain, is better than
separation and divorce.
(129)
…while the souls present
meanness…. ‘Meanness’ is given for

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And never will ye be able to be just …And if ye work rectitude… It means
between women,… The address is to in affecting parity and sharing and
men in general, and means that they will providing in the way that these two are
never ever be able to totally just in love obligatory.
and affection, for these are not things
that are n men’s hands. It is unavoidable …and be guardful… By abstaining from
that some women are closer to a man’s the prohibitions, which is to say by
heart than others. refraining from a single, total inclination in
accordance to Allah’s interdiction.
…though ye be eager…. That is,
however much men may desire for their …—indeed Allah is forgiving,… He
hearts to feel the same way about will forgive the sins that are committed.
different women.
…merciful. He will be merciful by His
…So incline not towards every grace and shall bestow His profusion.
inclination,… That is, towards one of
the wives, to the detriment of the others. And if the two divide, Allah will enrich
them from His expanse, and Allah is
…that ye leave them as suspended…. expansive, wise.
‘Suspended’ is given mu’allaqah,
meaning that she has neither the (130)
comport of having a husband and nor
the comfort of being without a husband,
And if the two divide,...It means that
but is in hardship and distress. Although
because the couple cannot be
men are unable to be just and maintain
reconciled, due to the wife seeking all
a parity in their hearts, yet they are able
her rights and the husband inclining
not to totally incline towards any one of
totally towards another wife, she has the
them. It is narrated from the Messenger,
choice between divorce and foregoing
may Allah condescend upon him and his
some of her rights, and she chooses
House, that he used to share things
divorce and they separate, and the
between his wives, and would pray, ‘O
separation is finalised.
Allah, this is how I divide among those I
possess, so do not make me incline to
…Allah will enrich them from His
that which I possess not but which Thou
expanse,… He, glorified be He, will
possess.’
enrich both of them from the expanse of
His profusion and mercy. The door of
And it is narrated that Imam al-Sadiq,
His mercy is not confined to either of the
bliss be upon him, was asked about the
two bands; rather the man is made
reconciliation of this ayah with the ayah
needless of the wife by another woman
‘So if ye fear that ye cannot be just, then
and another relationship, while the
one…’ He said, ‘As for “if ye fear that ye
woman is made needless of the man by
cannot be just,…”, it means in
another man and by the accompanying
(providing) expenses, while as for His
happiness and satisfaction. The phrase
word, “…and never will ye be able to be
comes to repair the broken hearts of the
just…”, it means in affection, for no one
two bands, as it is clear that both bands
is able to be just to two women in
are distressed and broken-hearted by
affection.’
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the separation, even if that one was the
cause of the separation.
…and Allah is expansive,… In His
profusion.
…wise. He is wise in His commands
and interdictions, and in what He does
and what He wants. Ascribing
‘expansiveness’ (sa’at) unto Him is
metaphorical and alludes to the
expansiveness of His profusion.
He then declares, glorified be He, that
He is in possession of all things, and so
is able to enrich the couple from His
profusion:
And Allah’s is that in the heavens and that
in the earth; and We definitely
recommended to those given the book
before ye, and to yourselves, ‘Be guardful of
Allah; and if ye disbelieve—Allah’s is that
in the heavens and that in the earth, and
Allah is rich, lauded.’
(131)
And Allah’s is that in the heavens
and that in the earth;… It has already
been given that what is meant by ‘that
in’ (ma fi) includes both the vessel and that
which it contains.
…and We definitely recommended to
those given the book… That is, to the
Jews and the Christians and the
Zoroastrians and others.
…before ye,… This is an indication that
this recommendation has ever been a
constant.
…and to yourselves,… To the
Muslims.
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…‘Be guardful of Allah;… That is, fear
His punishments, and act in accordance
to His commands and interdictions.
…and if ye disbelieve… That is,
disbelief in terms of faith by denying the
principles, or disbelief in terms of the
requisites (furu’) by disobedience.
…—Allah’s is that in the heavens and
that in the earth,… The sense is that
He is not harmed by disbelief and not
benefited by belief and good deeds.
…and Allah is rich,… He is no need of
our believing in Him or of our deeds,
rather we are in need of that.
…lauded. It means that He necessitates
being praised by His beautiful works.
He now emphasises, glorified be He,
His richness and the fact that all things
are His, in His word:
And Allah’s is that in the heavens and that
in the earth, and Allah suffices as an trustee.
(132)
And Allah’s is that in the heavens
and that in the earth,… None of it
belongs to anyone else. When He cuts
His mercy off from us there is no
possibility that we will obtain what we
desire through any other.
…and Allah suffices as an trustee. He
is the most beautiful trustee and the
most sufficient trustee. We have no
need of any other trustee when we
make Him the trustee of our affairs.
Regarding the three-fold repetition in
these ayat it is said that the first
indicates that He has no need of our
obedience, in that obedience towards
April 3, 2011
the possessor is obligatory on the part
of the possessed; while the second
shows that the created are in need of
Him while He is absolute in His
deserving praise, for this is only true of
one who possesses all things; and that
the third indicates the sufficiency of His
agency, in absolute terms, which again
is only true of one who possesses all
things.
If He wills, He will remove ye, O ye the
people, and bring others. And Allah of that
is in power.
(133)
If He wills, He will remove ye, O ye
the people,… He has no need of us, and
His power over us includes that of
annihilating us and making us exist. If He
wills He will do away with us, annihilate us,
destroy us.
…and bring others…. Another human
species created from nothing.
…And Allah of that is in power. He is
able to do that.
The hypocrites followed the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, for the spoils and to preserve
their worldly interests, and since it has
been given that everything in the
heavens and the earth belongs to Allah,
He reminds them that obedience leads
to the good of the world and of the
hereafter—so why do they not get
themselves to move along in its path:
Whoso wishes the reward of the world—
alongside Allah is the reward of the world
and the hereafter. And Allah is hearing,
observing.
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(134)
Whoso wishes the reward of the
world… ‘Reward’ is the meaning of
thawab, from thaba meaning ‘return’.
Thawab is the recompense of an action
a person performs, which returns to him.
Here it means the world’s benefits.
…—alongside Allah is the reward of
the world and the hereafter. …
Because He possesses it all and control
of fit all is in His hands.
…And Allah is hearing,… Of speech.
…observing. Of deeds.
Having given that the rewards of the
heavens and the earth are His to
distribute, He follows this, glorified be
He, by commanding to justice, so as to
attain both worlds. His command to
justice was previously given in His word,
‘…when ye arbitrate among the people,
that ye arbitrate with justice.’ Here He
says:
O ye who believe, be upholders of fairness,
witnesses for Allah even against yourselves
or the parents and relatives. If he is rich or
poor – Allah is in priority over both, so
follow not the desires, lest ye swerve. So if
ye turn back or turn away, indeed Allah of
what ye do is informed.
(135)
O ye who believe,… It has been given
that this address is particular to the
believers because it is they who will
benefit and it is they who will listen.
Otherwise the ruling it delivers is
universal and is applicable to everyone.
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…be upholders of fairness,…
‘Upholders’ is given for qawwamin, the
plural of qawwam, meaning a person
exemplary in standing or upstanding.
‘Fairness’ is given for qist, meaning
‘justice’ (‘adl). The meaning of the
command is that we are to be constant
in implementing justice, to the extent
that it becomes our habit to be just in
words and in deeds. Perhaps the phrase
alludes to a common habit among
people, that they always swerve and
deviate from justice with the passing of
time, and this we see in the cases of
many rulers who are unstained by
tyranny at the beginning of their reigns,
but then with the passing of time swerve
and deviate.
…witnesses for Allah even against
yourselves… They give testimony in
truth, because it is Allah’s command and
to acquire His satisfaction. And they do
this even when it is detrimental to
themselves and in favour of another.
…or the parents and relatives,…
When the truth is detrimental to the parents
or relatives and beneficial to others, still
they do not swerve from the truth. We are
not to deviate from the truth for our own
whims, and not in consideration for our
parents, and nor for our relatives.
…If he… The person in whose favour or
against whom the testimony is given.
…is rich or poor – … We are neither to
testify in favour of the rich nor in favour
of the poor, out of sympathy for them.
…Allah is in priority over both,… He,
glorified be He, is more deserving to be
considered than the rich and the poor
and all other people. And He, glorified
be He, has commanded that we testify
truthfully and so we must observe His
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command, rather than consider the rich
on account of his wealth, or the poor out
of sympathy.
…so follow not the desires,… The
desires of the spirit in an oppressive
ruling.
…lest ye swerve…. We are not to let
our desires lead us into swerving from
the truth.
…So if ye turn back,… It means deviate
from the truth. The believers are not to
forsake the truth when testifying.
…or turn away,… From the truth.
Perhaps the difference between these is
that the former is a slight deviation,
whereas the latter is total.
…indeed Allah of what ye do is
informed. Aware of deviation and
turning back, He recompenses
accordingly, just as He is aware of those
who are upholders of justice.
Having explained the necessity of
upholding justice, He now explains,
glorified be He, the necessity of genuine
belief from the heart, since to uphold
justice is only possible when such belief
is established in the heart:
O ye who believe, believe in Allah and His
Messenger and the book that is sent down
upon His Messenger and the book that was
sent down beforehand. And whoso
disbelieves in Allah and His angels and His
books and His Messengers and the last day,
has truly strayed a distant straying.
(136)
O ye who believe,… The address is to
all those who profess that there is no
April 3, 2011
god but Allah, and that Muhammad is believe, and when Islam is weak they
Allah’s Messenger. It is clear that many disbelieve, and in this way they alternate
of those were believers only in name. between faith and disbelief until they die
as disbelievers, due to the prevalence of
…believe… That is, with a firm, deep the psychological conditions of disbelief
belief that is both intellectual and held in within them. He says:
the heart.
Indeed those who believe and then
…in Allah and His Messenger… disbelieve and then believe and then
Muhammad, mayAllah condescend disbelieve and then increase in disbelief,
upon him and his House. Allah will not be forgiving them, and He
guides them not to a path.
…and the book that is sent down
upon His Messenger… The Sacred (137)
Quran.
Indeed those who believe and then
…and the book that was sent down
disbelieve… Their disbelief is either in
beforehand. … It means the book in the
words or in the heart. Many of those
special sense that includes all the books
who come to faith come to it
that He sent down, as it is a condition of
superficially, and as soon as a strong
belief that we believe in all His books.
wind blows they disbelieve at heart,
even though apparently they remain
…And whoso disbelieves in Allah
believers.
and His angels… By denying them, or
opposing them or giving them a place
…and then believe and then
less than that which they deserve.
disbelieve… This is given in example,
for otherwise there is nothing particular
…and His books and His
about the number of times they do
Messengers… Even by denying one
this—it could be two, it could be four, it
book or one Messenger.
could be six or whatever.
…and the last day,… By denying or
…and then increase in disbelief,…
doubting the hereafter.
Their hearts become sealed with
disbelief, and so they do not believe.
…has truly strayed a distant straying.
From the truth. They are like one who
…Allah is not to forgive them,… It is
strays off the path and then becomes
because they remained disbelievers, as
distant from it, as opposed to one who
He says, ‘…indeed Allah forgives not
commits a sin, for he strays without
that unto Him He be partnered.’
becoming distant from the path.
…and He guides them not to a path.
Having explained the necessity of
The path to the garden and relief, as He
genuine faith, He now explains, glorified
says, glorified be He, ‘…and He guides
be He, the condition of those who only
them not to a path, save the path to hell.’
believe superficially, for which reason
Perhaps the meaning is that He deserts
they incline in whatever direction is
them in the world and withdraws from
strong. When Islam is strong they
MIA 314 | P a g e April 3, 2011
them His profusion, as a consequence Such as take the disbelievers as
of their disbelief, and does not guide friends… As friends and intimates held in
them to the truth after their alternating the depths of their hearts.
between faith and disbelief.
…instead of the believers…. They do
Give glad tidings to the hypocrites, that not take the believers as their friends.
theirs is a painful chastisement; Their relationships with them are merely
superficial so as to live safely, while
(138) their hearts are with the disbelievers
along with their inclinations.
Give glad tidings… The Messenger, may
…Are they reaching for… That is,
Allah condescend upon him and his House,
seeking.
is addressed here, for he was to give the
tidings.
…grandeur… Worldly grandeur.
Hypocrites generally enter into
…to the hypocrites,… Those who
hypocrisy to preserve their world, their
profess Islam while maintaining disbelief
prestige and grandeur (‘izzat) which
within, as opposed to His earlier, ‘O ye who
they suppose they will find under the
believe, believe…’. The term ‘glad tidings’
auspices of disbelief and by befriending
here is metaphorical, a form of mockery.
the disbelievers.
…that theirs is a painful
…among them?… Among the
chastisement; Painful for their bodies
disbelievers.
and their souls. This perhaps signifies
that the previous ayah was to explain
…Indeed the grandeur is Allah’s
something about the hypocrites, and
entirely. The world and everything in it
that the meaning of disbelief there is
is in His hands. Had they genuinely
disbelief at heart which alternates
believed, they would have had grandeur
between compliance and rejection, while
that would not be attained by the
preserving the outward appearance of
hypocrites, as their worldly lives would
faith.
flourish to the extent of their prestige
among the believers, whereas the
On the subject of hypocrisy (nifaq), He
hypocrite is despised with no prestige
now mentions, glorified be He, the
among the body of believers.
clearest distinguishing marks of the
hypocrite, saying:
Now He mentions, glorified be He,
another characteristic of the hypocrites,
Such as take the disbelievers as friends
for they would sit with the book-folk, who
instead of the believers. Are they reaching
would mock the Quran and the
for grandeur among them? Indeed the
Messenger, while the hypocrites would
grandeur is Allah’s entirely.
sit and say nothing, as their hearts were
in agreement with what was being said.
(139) The believers on the other hand—those
of them from the book-folk—would
answer them then and there. This is a

MIA 315 | P a g e April 3, 2011

general characteristic of hypocrites in
every age:
And definitely sent down upon ye in the
book is that when ye hear Allah’s signs
being disbelieved and mocked: sit not with
them until they immerse into another talk.
Then ye would be as them. Indeed Allah
gathers the hypocrites and the disbelievers
into hell, all-together.
(140)
And definitely sent down upon ye in
the book… In the Quran, in Surah al-
An’am (6), where He says, ‘And when
thou see those who immerse into Our
signs, turn away from them until they
immerse into another account.’
…is that when ye hear… When the
Muslims hear.
…Allah’s signs being disbelieved and
mocked,… The difference between
these is clear, for to disbelieve in them
is to reject them, while to mock them is
to make fun of them.
…sit not with them… Rather we must
stand and go.
…until they immerse into another
talk…. To immerse (khawd), is to enter
like immersing into water. ‘Until’ (hatta)
is to show the objective, not a part of the
meaning. The sense is that we are
allowed to sit with them when they are
immersed in an account or conversation
that is not disbelief in the ayat and not
mockery of them.
…Then ye… The Muslims, when sitting
with the disbelievers while they reject
and mock.
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…would be as them. That is, when we
do not criticise them though able to do
so. Whoso is happy with a tribe at heart
or in appearance—he is one of them.
…Indeed Allah gathers the
hypocrites… Such as are disbelievers
within.
…and the disbelievers… Such as
manifest their disbelief.
…into hell, together. That is because
both are disbelievers, even though the
laws of Islam are apparently applicable
to the hypocrite.
He then describes, glorified be He, the
hypocrites by another clear sign that is
true of them in every place and every
time:
Those who are in expectancy over ye – if
yours is a victory from Allah, they say,
‘Were we not with ye?’ And if for the
disbelievers is some portion, they say, ‘Had
we not the better of ye, and did we not
defend ye from the believers?’ So Allah will
judge between ye on the day of resurrection;
and Allah never puts for the disbelievers a
path against the believers.
(141)
Those who are in expectancy over ye
–…. Being in expectancy over the
Muslims (tarabbus bihim) means that
they constantly keep an eye on the
Muslims’ affairs and their conditions.
…if yours is a victory from Allah,…
Victory and glory and spoils.
…they say,… The hypocrites say.
April 3, 2011
…‘Were we not with ye?’… They say
that they were believers and had fought
and had prayed and had acted under
the banner of Islam. In doing so they
sought to defend their worldly interests
as equals among the believers in
prestige and in the receipt of spoils.
…And if for the disbelievers is some
portion,… Whenever the disbelievers
make some advance, or the Muslims
find themselves restricted.
…they say,… The hypocrites say to the
disbelievers who have the portion.
…‘Had we not the better of ye,… Did
we not have dominion over ye and guide
you as to your best interests.
…and did we not defend ye from the
believers?’… That is, from the severity
of the believers, by guiding them in the
positions of jeopardy, and by putting
dread of them into the hearts of the
believers. And they say that the
disbelievers only got what they got
through them.
…So Allah will judge between ye…
The Muslims will be judged as to which
among them is sincere and which of
them is a hypocrite.
…on the day of resurrection;… That is
when the Muslims will be categorised and
each will receive His recompense. But the
Muslims should not imagine that the
hypocrites are able to use their hypocrisy to
create a breach among them, for the
disbeliever will never overcome the
believer—not in argument and not in other
than that—for as long as the believers
remain bound to the conditions of faith, in
belief and in action.
MIA
…and Allah never puts for the
disbelievers a path against the
believers. Yes, but when the believers
depart from the conditions of faith in
belief or in action, there becomes for the
disbelievers a path. And we see in the
development of history that the
disbelievers have never got the better of
the Muslims except when they have
departed from the obedience of Allah
and His Messenger, like in the battle of
Uhad when the archers deserted their
places. This does not deny that some
disbelieving individuals will overcome
some believing individuals, as ‘never
puts’ indicates a general fact of nature
like other such terms.
As He, glorified be He, has given that
the hypocrites hover between the
believers and the disbelievers seeking
to please both and to secure a happy
life whichever way fortune flows, He
now explains that their double-crossing
does not deceive Allah, glorified be He:
Indeed the hypocrites double-cross Allah
while He is their double-crosser. And when
they stand for the prayer they stand as
laggards, showing the people, and they
recall not Allah save a little.
(142)
Indeed the hypocrites double-cross
Allah,… They manifested belief so as to
preserve their wealth, their lives and
their interests, all the while they were in
reality disbelievers.
…while He is their double-crosser.…
It refers to His binding them to the laws
of Islam while in the world, and
recompensing them as disbelievers in
the hereafter.
317 | P a g e April 3, 2011
…And… And among the qualities of
their hypocrisy is that:
…when they stand for the prayer they
stand as laggards,… They stand as if
weighed down, for they are not
committed to the prayer so as to stand
for it with joy and enthusiasm, like the
believers stand for it.
…showing the people,… The principle
behind their worship is that they want to
maintain an appearance and show to
the believers that they are Muslims.
Their prayer is not for the sake of Allah,
and so when they are able to abandon it
they abandon it.
…and they recall not Allah save a
little. They only remember Him in dire
and distressing circumstances, as He
says, ‘…when they mount a ship they
call Allah sincerely.’ The believers, by
contrast, are committed to Allah and
remember Him always.
Wavering between that, not towards those
and not towards those. And whomso Allah
sends astray, thou will not find for him a
path.
(143)
Wavering… It is put for mudhbadh,
meaning that they return from one to the
other.
…between that,… They move from one
section of the society to the other, from
the believer to the disbeliever.
…not towards those… Not towards the
believers. They are not wholly with
them.
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…and not towards those. … Not
towards the disbelievers. ‘Towards’ (ila)
is given in consideration of the fact that
whoever is with a people will settle in that
people and his movement and settlement
will be with them, whereas the hypocrite is
in the middle and his movements do not
come to an end with either of them.
…And whomso Allah sends astray,…
His sending them astray is by
withdrawing from them His particular
grace, after having shown them the way
and their not following it. And the
meaning of Allah’s sending astray has
been given.
…thou find not for him a path. It
means a path unto the truth, for his
heart bears what he has earned in the
way of the evils and turning away from
belief in Allah and in the virtuous deeds.
O ye who believe, take not the disbelievers
as patrons instead of the believers. Wish ye
to put for Allah against ye a clear authority?
(144)
O ye who believe, take not the
disbelievers as patrons… As helpers
and intimates guiding your interests.
…instead of the believers.… Giving
the place of the believers to the
disbelievers.
…Wish ye to put for Allah against ye a
clear authority? ‘Authority’ (sultan)
means proof, and the sense is that He shall
make an exemplary punishment of them for
their deviation from the path of truth
towards the path of the disbelievers. It is the
hypocrites who take the disbelievers as
friends, so the believers are not to be like
them, or otherwise the proof will be
318 | P a g e April 3, 2011
finalised and the punishment valid, for it
shall follow upon the clarification and the
warning. The interrogative, here, is for
denial, meaning that the believers are not to
put for Allah against themselves an
authority.
Indeed the hypocrites are at the lowest level
of the fire; and thou find for them no
succourer;
(145)
Indeed the hypocrites are at the
lowest level of the fire;… They are at
the bottom, most severe level of hell.
That is because the hypocrite is worse
than the disbeliever, for he is at once a
disbeliever while he is also among the
Muslims and aware of their intimacies
and in accord with the enemy against
them. In another ayah He has said,
glorified be He, about the hypocrites,
‘They are the enemy, so beware of
them…’ indicating exclusivity, as if they
are the only enemy.
Perhaps the reason for accepting the
hypocrite after knowing his inner
condition is the hope that his hypocrisy
will decline, and that were this matter
given to human hands many of the
believers would be taken for hypocrites.
…and thou find for them no succourer;
Even the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
would not be able to find any
deliverance for the hypocrites to save
them from the severity of Allah and His
punishments.
Save those who repent and rectify and hold
firm to Allah and purify their religion for
Allah. So those are with the believers, and
MIA 319 | P a g e
Allah will soon bring the believers to a
magnificent wage.
(146)
Save those who repent… That is, they
renounce and repent their hypocrisy.
…and rectify… They reform their
intentions and deeds like the rest of the
believers.
…and hold firm to Allah and purify
their religion for Allah…. Giving up
their ties to His enemies they make their
path sincerely the path of Allah, rather
than as the hypocrites do, sometimes of
the path of Allah, glorified be He, and for
Him, and sometimes on the path of
idols.
…So those are with the believers,…
In the world and the hereafter.
…and Allah will soon… In the
hereafter.
…bring the believers to a magnificent
wage. Permanent delights and joys that
do not fade and do not wither.
As He has given, glorified be He, that
the hypocrites are at the lowest level,
He explains that He does not need to
chastise anyone, but that it is the
consequence of their own works, and so
they had better transform their works:
Why does Allah chastise ye? If ye are
thankful and believe—Allah is thankful,
knowing.
(147)
Why does Allah chastise ye? The
interrogative is for denial, meaning that
April 3, 2011
Allah has no need to chastise, as He is
not benefited by it, just as He would not
be harmed if He were not to chastise.
…If ye are thankful… For His
blessings.
…and believe… With a valid belief.
…—Allah is thankful,… He is grateful
to those who thank Him. The meaning of
Him being thankful is that He acts as the
grateful acts in giving a warm reception
to those who thank Him.
…knowing. He knows all about us and
our actions, and nothing of that escapes
Him, glorified be He.
Given that the previous discourse
concerned hypocrisy which is an evil, it
is likely that people will err about it, for
which reason we see that some people
often accuse others of being hypocrites,
and so Allah, glory be His, clarifies that
it is not permissible for a person to
manifestly say evil things about another,
unless he has been openly wronged,
when it is permissible for him to openly
announce his being wronged. No one
has the right to manifest the private
matters of others, even when he knows
about them—let alone when he only
suspects or imagines. In another ayah
we have it that, ‘…avoid many
suspicions, for some suspicion is a
sin…’
Allah loves not an open word of evil, save
whoso is wronged, and Allah is hearing,
knowing.
(148)
Allah loves not an open word of
evil,… It refers to saying an evil thing of
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another, publicly before the crowd. The
meaning of His not loving it is that He
finds it repugnant.
…save whoso is wronged,… Such a
person has the right to speak out in
public about his being wronged.
…and Allah is hearing,… He hears the
evil words that are spoken publicly by
one person about another.
…knowing. He is knowing of the
truthfulness of the truthful and the lies of
the liars, and He shall recompense
everyone accordingly.
Now that He has mentioned, glorified be
He, the permissibility of speaking an evil
word in public by those who are
wronged, He now states that to manifest
goodness and to conceal evil is better.
That is because such is the practice of
Allah, glorified be He, the Pardoning, the
Powerful, in that He pardons though He
has the power to do otherwise:
If ye manifest a goodness or ye hide it, or ye
pardon an evil—indeed Allah is pardoning,
powerful.
(149)
If ye manifest a goodness… It means
speaking out about the goodness of
another.
…or ye hide it,… It means refraining
from speaking out about another
person’s goodness, or it means quietly
determining upon goodness—and
perhaps this second meaning is more
likely.
…or ye pardon an evil… It means not
seeking revenge against one who works
320 | P a g e April 3, 2011
evil against you, though you are able to
take revenge. In short, not manifesting
an evil word in regards to one who has
wronged you.
…—indeed Allah is pardoning,… He
is oft-pardoning of His creatures who do
evil and wrong.
…powerful. He has the power to take
revenge from them—so it is fitting for
the creatures to adopt the attribute of
the Creator.
And having mentioned, glorified be He,
the condition of the hypocrites in the
previous ayat, He completes the
discourse in the ayat that follow by
describing the conditions of the
disbelievers and the believers. For the
position is such that the people is
divided by the new call into the
believers, the disbelievers and between
them the hypocrites. Thus He says:
Indeed those who disbelieve in Allah and
His messengers and wish to make a division
between Allah and His messengers and say,
‘We believe in some and disbelieve in
some,’ while they wish to take a path
between that:
(150)
Indeed those who disbelieve in Allah
and His messengers… Even though
they may disbelieve in a single
Messenger. Their disbelieving would be
by denial and suchlike.
…and wish to make a division
between Allah and His messengers…
They are another group, acknowledging
Allah but refusing to acknowledge the
Prophets. In this, the separation and
division they are making is between
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Allah by believing, and the Prophets by
disbelieving.
…and say, ‘We believe in some and
disbelieve in some,’… So there are
those who deny everything, those who
do not deny Allah but deny all of His
Prophets, and those who deny some of
the Prophets.
…while they wish to take a path
between that: They wish to take a path
that is neither absolute denial nor
absolute compliance. They do that out
of selfish interests and simple-minded
imitation.
Those—they really are the disbelievers, and
We have prepared for the disbelievers a
debasing chastisement.
(151)
Those—they really are the
disbelievers,… ‘Really’ is given for
haqqan, meaning that they are
genuinely disbelievers, for their belief in
a part does not take them out of the
category of disbelievers, just as their
departing from some of what the
disbelievers deny does not mean that
they are believers. Disbelief is the denial
of one of the principles of faith, and
belief is admitting all of them.
…and We have prepared for the
disbelievers a debasing
chastisement. A chastisement has
been made ready for them that will
debase them and humiliate them.
And those who believe in Allah and His
messengers and make not a division between
either of them: those—We shall shortly
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grant them their wages; and Allah is
forgiving, merciful.
(152)
And those who believe in Allah and
His messengers… That is, in all His
Messengers.
…and make not a division between
either of them: those—We shall
shortly grant them their wages;… In
the hereafter.
…and Allah is forgiving,… He forgives
the sins they commit.
…merciful. He will bestow upon them
His mercy and bliss.
The discourse has been about those
who believe in some and disbelieve in
some, while the clearest personifications
of this are the book-folk who believed in
the earlier Prophets, but refused to
believe in Muhammad, may Alllah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, on the grounds of feeble
excuses. For this reason the narrative
turns to explain that they are false in
their claim to follow Musa bliss be upon
him, for they burdened him with futile
questions, demands and works:
The book-folk ask thee that thou send down
to them a book from the sky. And truly
Musa was asked greater than that, for they
said, ‘Show us Allah openly,’ and so the bolt
took them for their wrongfulness; then they
took the calf after the clarifications had
come to them. Then We pardoned that and
We granted Musa a clear authority.
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(153)
The book-folk… Here it means the
Jews.
…ask thee… The address is to the
Messenger, Alllah condescend upon
him and upon his House.
…that thou send down to them a
book from the sky…. They asked for a
book resembling the Torah that had
been to Musa, bliss be upon him,as a
written whole, not that it should come in
the form of ‘inspiration’ (wahy). In some
commentaries we have it that Ka’b al-
Ashraf along with a group of Jews said,
‘O Muhammad, if you are a Prophet
then bring us a book from the heaven as
a whole just as the Torah came to Musa
as a whole.’ At this the ayah came
down.
…And truly Musa was asked greater
than that,… Did they believe in Musa,
bliss be upon him, after a book had
come to them from the heaven? Nay,
they asked for something exceeding
that.
…for they said,… To Musa bliss be
upon him.
…‘Show us Allah openly,’… It is given
for jahratan. It means with their eyes.
…and so the bolt took them for their
wrongfulness;… Because of their
wrongfulness and their slighting the
holiness of Allah and His majesty, the
bolt took them and made them all die—
as given in Surah Baqarah.
…then they took the calf… They took
it as a god and worshipped it instead of
Allah.
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…after the clarifications had come to
them…. The clarifications (al-bayyinat)
were the clear proofs of His Mastership and
of the prophethood, the freeing of the sons
of Isra.il and the parting of the water, and of
what they had seen of the miracles of the
staff and so forth.
…Then We pardoned that… Just as
was given in Surah Baqarah, they were
commanded that some should kill
others—but even this did not benefit
them and they remained obstinately
opposed and course and rude.
…and We granted Musa a clear
authority. ‘Authority’ (sultan), here,
means the clear proofs clarifying that he
was genuinely a Prophet—and still they
did not believe.
And We elevated the Ţur above them for
their pact. And We said to them, ‘Enter the
gate prostrating,’ and We said to them,
‘Violate not the sabbath,’ and We took from
them a firm pact.
(154)
And We raised the Ţur above them…
Mount Tur. A part of the mountain was
plucked off and raised above the heads
of the sons of Isra.il, so as to frighten
them in order that they would adopt the
Laws and accept the teachings.
…for their pact. And We said to them,
‘Enter the gate… The gate of a city.
…prostrating,’… They were to enter
the gate while in prostration—‘prostrate
and enter’.
…and We said to them, ‘Violate not
the sabbath,’… They were ordered not
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to transgress the sabbath by hunting
fish, for that was banned for them.
…and We took from them a firm pact.
The book-folk previously mentioned
made a firm pact that they would listen
to the commands and uphold the
prohibitions. This has been dealt with in
the related topics in Surah Baqarah.
Then He mentions, glorified be He, that
by their ugly deeds the Jews deserved
punishment in the world and punishment
in the hereafter. Their punishment in the
world was that certain wholesome things
were banned for them; in the hereafter
their punishment was the fire that is
prepared for them:
So for their breaking their pact and their
disbelief in the signs of Allah, and their
killing the Prophets without right, and their
saying ‘Our hearts are wrapped’—nay,
Allah sealed over them for their disbelief,
and so they believe not, save a few;
(155)
So for their breaking their pact… The
Jews broke their compact with Allah,
glorified be He, to the effect that they
would implement all the Laws that came
to them in the Torah, for they did not
implement most of its Laws, both in
principles (usul) and derivative
obligations (furu’).
…and their disbelief in the signs of
Allah,… The signs that He had set up of
the truth of His Prophets, like their
disbelief in the proofs of the
prophethood of ‘Ịsa bliss be upon him.
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…and their killing the Prophets And for their disbelief and their saying of
without right,… Whenever a Maryam a grievous dishonesty;
Messenger came to them with what their
souls disliked they either killed him or (156)
belied him. The word, ‘without right’ is
not for emphasis, but to increase the
And for their disbelief… It means their
gravity of their crime, for it is never ever
disbelieving in ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, or
right to kill a Prophet.
is general, repeated here preparatory to
His word, ‘and their saying of Maryam…’
…and their saying ‘Our hearts are
so that the sense is that they became
wrapped’… They would say, ‘Our
disbelievers due to the slander against
hearts are wrapped against thy
her grandeur.
summons, O Muhammad, and we
understand not what thou say.’ Like a
…and their saying of Maryam…
thing wrapped up so that nothing from
Maryam the truthful, the protected from
outside its wrapping reaches it. They
error, mother of the Masih, bliss be upon
would say this to the Messenger, Alllah
him.
condescend upon him and upon his
House, so that he would not call them to
…a grievous dishonesty; They
the guidance.
ascribed fornication to her as ‘Ịsa, bliss
be upon him, was born to her without a
…—nay, Allah sealed over them for
father. From al-Kalbi we have it that ‘Ịsa,
their disbelief,… This interjection is a
bliss be upon him, passed by a group
refutation of their word that their hearts
some of whom said to others, ‘The
were wrapped. When a person sees the
sorcerer son of the witch has come to
truth but denies it, and repeatedly
you, and the acting son of the acting
commits the acts of disobedience, his
woman’ and they abused him. So ‘Ịsa
heart is withdrawn from the truth and his
heard that and said, ‘O Allah, Thou are
denial becomes habitual. He then
my Master, Thou created me and I did
recognises the truth while he sees it, but
not create myself;…O Allah, curse
still denies it, not because he doesn’t
whoever reviles me and reviles my
see it, but because his heart is so
mother.’ So Allah answered his prayer
remote from the truth that it is as
and turned them into pigs.
covered.
And their saying, ‘Indeed we killed the
…and so they believe not, save a few;
Masih, son of Maryam,’ Allah’s
The more denial becomes an ingrained
messenger—and they killed him not and
habit, the more they are kept from the
crucified him not, but it seemed so for them.
truth. Attributing to Allah the Most High
And indeed those who disagree about him
their being sealed is either because He
are in doubt about him—they have no
created the heart such that repetition
knowledge of it, save following suspicions,
leads to habituation, or the attribution is
and they certainly killed him not;
metaphorical, meaning that He leaves
them to themselves.
(157)

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And their saying, ‘Indeed we killed
the Masih, son of Maryam,’… This
expression brought Allah’s anger, for
‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, was His
messenger.
…Allah’s messenger… This was either
the word of the Jews, in derision and
mockery, or it is the word of Allah here
and not their word at all, or it was an
acknowledgement by them that he was
a Messenger, just as the people of Kufa
acknowledged Husain as the imam and
yet killed him for their selfish desires.
Allah then refutes their word thus:
following suspicions. So, those who said
they killed him spoke only on the basis
of a doubt, a supposition, and not from a
position of knowledge. ‘Doubt’ is given
for shakk which literally means an
inclination towards one of two
possibilities, rather than meaning that
the strength of both sides was the same.
It does not then contradict suspicion,
which means the inclination towards one
of the two sides.
…and they certainly killed him not;…
It is certain and sure and definite that
they did not kill ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him.

…—and they killed him not and

crucified him not,… They said that
they had killed him by crucifying him. Nay, Allah elevated him to Himself, and
Allah is grand, wise.
…but it seemed so for them….
Someone was made to seem to some of (158)
the Jews to be just like ‘Ịsa, bliss be
upon him, and they killed the one who
Nay, Allah elevated him to Himself,…
resembled him, not the Masih himself.
It means that he was raised to a position
of being honoured, and that is the sky or
…And indeed those who disagree
heaven (sama). Theology has proven
about him… About the Masih, bliss be
that Allah, glorified be He, does not
upon him, whether they killed him or not.
occupy any location or place. That He
raised him to the heaven may mean that
…are in doubt about him… They split
he was lifted to a star, for in some hadith
into two groups over the issue, some
we have it that the stars are inhabited
saying that they had killed him and
just like our cities.
some saying that they had not killed him
but had killed one resembling him. But
…and Allah is grand,… His grandeur
even these latter were not sure, but
and authority makes possible all that He
spoke from a position of doubt and
wants.
uncertainty.
…wise. Putting things in their proper
…—they… It means those who
places, and His works are on the basis
maintained that they had killed him.
of wisdom and perception.
…have no knowledge of it, save
following suspicions,… It means that
all they had was suppositions; their
And there is none of the book-folk but that
psychic or spiritual condition in this
they will surely believe in him before his
regard was that they were no more than
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death, and on the day of resurrection he will
be over them a witness.
(159)
And there is none of the book-folk
but that… It means that every one of
the book-folk, meaning the Jews.
…they will surely believe in him… In
‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him.
…before his death,… That is, before
the death of ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him. It is
narrated that before he dies he will be
sent down from the sky and will perform
the prayer behind the Imam al-Mahdi,
bliss be upon him, when all the Jews will
believe in him. It is clear that what is
meant is all the Jews at that time, not all
the Jews of the world who die before
that. It is a vernacular way of speech.
…and on the day of resurrection he…
‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him.
…will be over them… Over the Jews.
…a witness. He will be a witness to the
fact that he delivered the messages of
his Master and that they persecuted him
and rejected him and accepted nothing
from him.
There is a possibility that ‘they will
surely believe in him’ means ‘believe in
Muhammad, Allah condescend upon
him and upon his House, for he was at
the centre of the dispute with the
disbelievers, while ‘before his death’
means before the death of each
individual member of the book-folk.
Then the meaning will be that that every
book person will believe in the
Messenger before dying at the approach
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of death, when the reality is unveiled for
him.
Having mentioned the Jews, He says,
glorified be He:
So for the wronging of those judaised, We
banned for them some wholesomenesses
that were permitted for them, and for their
barring many from the path of Allah;
(160)
So for the wronging of those
judaised,… That is, due to the Jews’
wronging their Prophets, themselves
and others, in the ways that have been
recounted.
…We banned for them
wholesomenesses that were
permitted for them,… Some
wholesome things were permitted for
them and then, when they wronged,
those same wholesome things were
banned for them as a recompense for
their deeds: ‘And upon those Judaized
We banned all those with claws, and of
the cattle and sheep… to the end of the
ayah.
…and for their barring many from the
path of Allah; This is a conjunct to ‘for
the wronging…’. They used to bar from
the path of Allah and prevent people
from believing in the religion of the
Masih and Muhammad Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, just as they distorted the Torah
according to their inclinations and
desires.
April 3, 2011
And their taking usury—and truly they were
forbidden from it—and their consuming the
wealth of the people in falsehood. And We
have prepared for the disbelievers among
them a painful chastisement.
(161)
And… That is, and due to:
…their taking usury… ‘Usury’ (riba) is
taking extra from ones debtor over and
above the amount of the principal sum.
It was banned even in their own
Legislation, but they did not heed the
Legislation.
…—and truly they were forbidden
from it… They had been forbidden from
taking interest.
…—and… That is, and due to:
…their consuming the wealth of the
people in falsehood…. They would
take bribes in judgements, and would
acquire the wealth of others through
trickery and force.
…And We have prepared for the
disbelievers among them… Those
who disbelieved in the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House,.
…a painful chastisement. Painful both
for their skins and for their souls.
As He, glorified be He, has spoken of
the disbelievers among them, it is
understood that some of them were not
like that, and He clarifies this in His
word:
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But the rooted in knowledge among them
and the believers believe in that sent down
to thee and that sent down before thee. And
the establishers of the prayer and the payers
of the zakat, the believers in Allah and the
last day, those—We shall soon grant them a
magnificent wage.
(162)
But the rooted in knowledge among
them… Like ‘Abdullah b. Salam and his
fellows who were rooted in knowledge
and were acquainted with knowledge in
the way that is fitting.
…and the believers… It means the
followers of the Messenger Allah
condescend upon him and upon his House,
though it is likely that it means the followers
of Musa, bliss be upon him, who really
believed in him, as opposed to the rest of the
Jews whose faith in him was false and
spurious.
…believe in that sent down to thee…
The Quran sent down to Muhammad,
Allah condescend upon him and upon
his House.
…and that sent down before thee;…
The books of Musa and ‘Ịsa bliss be
upon them. These book-folk are distinct
from those who did not believe at all,
and whose belief in the Torah was a lie,
as He says, ‘What those burdened with
the Torah and then carried it not are like
is the donkey carrying tomes…’
Here this question is put by some: If it is
given that it is in the nature of the Jews to go
astray as is well-known among people and
apparent from His word, ‘…so they are like
stones, or harder than that…’ and ‘Thou
shall find the most severe of the people in
enmity towards those who believe to be the
April 3, 2011
Jews…’ and in their treatment of their
Prophets and of Musa in particular, how
then can they depart from this nature and
how can they be accepted when they
become Muslims, and is it possible to
discriminate among them, as Allah says,
‘But those rooted in knowledge among
them…’ The answer is that the Jews deviate
in two ways. The first is their petrified
natures; the second is their invalid religion
that commands them to every dishonour and
their foolish imitation of elders. It is clear
that when a Jewish person submits to Islam
his nature is satisfied and refined by Islam.
He is like the coward who continually
encourages his psyche until courage
becomes habitual for him, and the corrupt
person who sticks to the path of virtue until
he acquires the habit of justice. In the same
way, the Jew who submits to Islam casts off
his practice of imitation and his deviating
religion. So there is no place for accusing
him of crimes and vices—and in any case
that deviation is not a part of anyone’s
nature proper, but has rather overcome it, as
is clear.
…and the establishers of the
prayer… This is a conjunct to ‘those
rooted in knowledge…’ It means those
of the Jews who implement the prayer,
for every religion has its prayer. The
establishment of the prayers regularly is
one of the strongest actions arising from
belief in the Messenger, may Alllah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, for it is a continual remembrance
that instils the wholesome qualities until
they become habitual.
…and the payers of the zakat,… Every
religion has made it obligatory to pay the
zakat in the general sense.
…the believers in Allah and the last
day,… It means those who believe with
a genuine belief, and not merely formal
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as was the case with the majority of the
Jews.
…those,… That is, those having the
recounted attributes.
…—We shall soon… In the hereafter.
…grant them a magnificent wage. In
gardens of delight in which is everything
the heart could long for, and they are in
them eternal.
It is possible that the phrase from ‘and
the establishers…’ is to show that it is
those ‘rooted in knowledge’ among the
Jews and the believers who establish
the prayer, among the Muslims, who are
granted the magnificent wage.
Accordingly, from ‘and the
establishers…’, it is not that the
attributes of the Jews rooted in
knowledge are given. Perhaps this is
strengthened by the conjunct of ‘and the
establishers’ being such that it seems to
be almost the beginning of a new topic
distinct from that which preceded it.
He then mentions, glorified be He, the vain
disputes of the Jews, and the fact that the
Messenger, Allah condescend upon him and
upon his House, received his revelations
just as the earlier Prophets had received
inspiration. They spoke about a book
being sent down to them, whereas the
previous Prophets had mostly received
inspiration (wahy). So He says:
Indeed We inspired unto thee just as We
inspired unto Nuĥ and the Prophets after
him; and We inspired unto Ibrahim and
Isma’il and Ishaq and Ya’qub and the
grandsons and Ayyub and Yunus and Harun
and Sulaiman, and We granted Da’ud law-
scripture.
April 3, 2011
(163)
Indeed We inspired unto thee… That
is, unto the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House. ‘Inspired’ is put for wahy, which
is the casting of a thing into the heart by
means of an angel, or creating it there
without an angel, while awake or asleep.
…just as We inspired unto Nuĥ and
the prophets after him;… The
Prophets after Nuĥ, bliss be upon him.
Here some of the Prophets are named,
as a distinction for them, although they
were already included in the word ‘…the
prophets after him’.
…and We inspired unto Ibrahim and
Isma’ịl and Isĥaq… Isma.il is
mentioned before Isĥaq because he has
a higher station in faith.
…and Ya’qub… Ya’qub (Jacob) was
the grandson of Ibrahim, the son of
Ishaq and forefather of the Jews, just as
Isma.il was the forefather of the
Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House.
…and the grandsons… It means the
Prophets raised from among the
descendants of Ya’qub, for which
reason they are called ‘the grandsons’
(al-asbat)—like Yusuf and others, bliss
be upon them all.
…and ‘Ịsa and Ayyub and Yunus and
Harun and Sulaiman,… Musa, bliss be
upon him, is not mentioned because he
had been sent a book from the heaven
in the way that they now demanded.
…and We granted Da’ud a law-
scripture. ‘Law-scripture’ is put for
zabur, meaning things one after the
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other. These Prophets were not sent a
complete book, but rather they either
received disparate inspirations or, like
Da’ud (David), bliss be upon him, a part
of a book at a time.
And Messengers whom We have related to
thee beforehand, and messengers whom We
have not related to thee—and Allah spoke to
Musa in words.
(164)
...And… That is, ‘And We sent:
…Messengers… They received
revelation.
…whom We have related to thee
beforehand,… Like Yunis, bliss be
upon him.
…and messengers whom We have
not related to thee… The generally
accepted view is that their number was
one hundred and forty-two thousand.
…—and Allah spoke to Musa in
words. It was not that everything Musa,
bliss be upon him, who is the centre of
this discourse, received was in the form
of a book, for Allah, glorified be He,
spoke to him, and ‘speech’ (kalam) is a
form of revelation (wahy). It should not
be missed that Allah’s ‘speaking’ is His
creating a sound in the atmosphere, for
He is above being corporal and all that
goes with it.
Messengers as givers of glad tidings and as
warners, so that there be for the people over
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Allah no argument after the messengers, and
Allah is grand, wise.
(165)
Messengers as givers of glad
tidings… For those who believed and
were obedient, glad tidings of the
reward.
…and as warners,… For those who
disbelieved and were disobedient,
warnings of the punishment.
…so that there be for the people over
Allah no argument after the
messengers,… That is, after His
sending the Messengers, it is Allah who
has the proven argument (hujjah) over
the people. ‘The people’ (al-nas) means
the majority of them, as some of them
are not reached by the call, as is
naturally obvious and expressly
confirmed by some hadith.
…and Allah is grand,… He is able both
to reward and to punish.
… wise. He does what He does out of
wisdom and because it is best.
If the Jews testify as to the prophethood of
the Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House, for various reasons,
nevertheless:
But Allah testifies as to what He has sent
down unto thee—He sent it down in His
knowledge. And the angels testify, and
Allah suffices as a witness.
(166)
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But Allah testifies as to what He has
sent down unto thee… Allah’s testifying
is that He sets miracles upon the hands of
the Messenger, and no one can do that but
Allah, alone. The difference between
miracles and magic is that magic achieves
its aims through a set of means, even if those
means are extraordinary, like seals and
chants, whereas miracles are the disruption
in the norms of nature through no more than
the will of the Messenger and whoever
Allah has given this to. It is only those of
discernment who can distinguish between
the two: the Messenger can restore life to the
dead but the magician cannot do that, and so
forth.
…—He sent it down in His
knowledge…. It means that He knew
that the Messenger was worthy of
prophethood, or that He sent it down
such that it was combined with
knowledge from Him, or that the sending
down was within the ambit of His
knowledge, unlike ordinary commanders
who command while ignorant, heedless,
forgetful or foolish. The first of these is
the most likely.
…And the angels testify,… They
testify as to the genuineness of that sent
down. It seems the angels are
mentioned in a legislative way, in that
their testifying is real though it is without
effect, or the effect is their succouring,
as was seen on the day of Badr, while
some works are the effect of their being
sent down.
…and Allah suffices as a witness. He
is sufficient in testifying to the
prophethood of the Messenger, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House.
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He then recounts how the disbelievers met
the Messenger, Allah condescend upon him
and upon his House, in His word:
Indeed those who disbelieve and bar from
Allah’s path stray by a distant straying.
(167)
Indeed those who disbelieve and bar
from Allah’s path… They stop people
from believing and prevent the progress
of Islam.
…stray by a distant straying. They
have strayed far from the even path of
truth.
Indeed those who disbelieve and wrong—
Allah is not that He will forgive them, and
He guides them not to a path;
(168)
Indeed those who disbelieve… That
is, in Allah and His Messengers and
what they brought.
…and wrong… They wrong themselves
by their disobedience, and they wrong
other people by depriving them from the
true path.
…—Allah is not that He will forgive
them,… That is, when they die in
disbelief, as is clear from other ayat.
…and He guides them not to a path; It
means the path to the garden.
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Save the path to hell—eternal in it, forever.
And that for Allah is easy.
(169)
Save the path to hell… It is the
recompense for their disbelief and
wronging.
…—eternal in it, forever…. There is no
end to the chastisement and no decay.
Some have wondered why it is that the
punishments of deeds are eternal when
the deeds themselves are finite and
quickly over. The answer is that the
deeds are mere manifestations of an
inner evil, which is perpetual—as He
says, ‘Were they to be returned, they
would return to that which they were
forbidden from…’
…And that for Allah is easy. His
power is perfect and His authority
absolute.
He then calls all people to the obligation
of belief and of turning away from the
path of disbelief, saying:
O ye the people, the messenger has truly
come to ye with the truth from your Master,
so believe—better for ye. And if ye
disbelieve—indeed Allah’s is that in the
heavens and the earth, and Allah is knowing,
wise.
(170)
O ye the people, the Messenger…
That is, Muhammad, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House.
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…has truly come to ye with the (171)
truth… He has brought the truth, the
religion Allah has chosen for His slaves.
O ye the book-folk, exaggerate not in
your religion,… ‘Exaggerate’ is given
…from your Master,… This indicates
for ghalw, meaning to transgress the
the source of the message, and
limit, especially with regard to the
emphasises that it is to be accepted.
boundaries of religion. The Christians
maintained a multiplicity in divinity, with
…so believe… That is: believe in the
god the father and god the son and god
principles he has brought.
the holy ghost.
…—better for ye…. The good of it, the
…and say not of Allah… That is, do
benefit, is for the people themselves.
not forge lies and ascribe them to Allah,
by saying that Allah had ordered them to
…And if ye disbelieve… We should
worship three gods. Or, do not say
not imagine that our not believing will
things about Allah that contradict His
harm Allah in any way, glorified be He,
magnificence, like their saying that He
since:
has a partner.
…—indeed Allah’s is that in the
…save the truth:… And the truth is that
heavens and the earth,… He is not any
His is no partner, and that alone is what
way confined or limited by disbelief.
He orders.
…and Allah is knowing,… He knows
…the Masih, ‘Ịsa son of Maryam, was
what is good for us and what is bad for
merely Allah’s messenger…It is said
us, and the Messenger was sent for our
that he is called the Masih on account of
own good.
how he stroked (masaha) the earth and
roved through the land. The phrase ‘Ịsa
…wise. He is wise in His commands
son of Maryam, is in explanation of
and prohibitions, in His deliberations
themasih, clarifying that he is not the
and management.
son of Allah.
Here the narrative returns to the book- …and His word… This is a metaphor
folk, the Christians, in His word:
set against divinity and prophethood.
When a speaker speaks something
O ye the book-folk, exaggerate not in your
occurs in the external world, as if
religion, and say not of Allah save the truth:
something is hurled into it. And Allah
the Masih, ‘Ịsa son of Maryam, was Allah’s
causes things to occur in the external
messenger and His word that He cast into
world, and in this sense those things are
Maryam, and a spirit from Him. So believe
called His ‘words’. In fact, the whole of
in Allah and His messengers and say not
creation is called the ‘words of Allah.’
‘Three.’ Desist—better for ye; Allah is but a
single god. Glory be His above Him having
…that He cast into Maryam,… That is,
a son. His is that in the heavens and that in
He caused him to form in her purified
the earth, and Allah suffices as an trustee.
womb without marriage and nearness
with a male.

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…and a spirit from Him…. Glorified be
He. ‘Spirit’ (ruh) is power, potency, that
moves and is moved. ‘Ịsa (Jesus) is a spirit
from alongside Allah, and thus he is called
Ruhullah, or ‘Allah’s spirit’. This
connection is clearly one of honour, as is
‘Allah’s house’ (Bait Allah) for the Ka’ba.
…So believe in Allah and His
messengers… That is, with a valid,
correct belief that submits to His
oneness, and to the fact that His is no
partner and no son, and that the Masih
is an honoured Messenger.
…and say not… Say not, O Christians,
the God is
...‘Three.’… God the father and god the
son and god the holy ghost.
…Desist… Leave aside such false and
vain words, for that would be:
…—better for ye;… Better in the world
and the hereafter.
…Allah is but a single god…. His is no
partner; ‘Ịsa is not His partner in divinity.
Whoever has a partner is of necessity a
composite, which would entail being
created, for every composite of necessity has
components that existed before itself, and
whatever is preceded by something else is
not God.
…Glory be His … The term
subhanallah means that the speaker
declares His purity and holiness.
…above that His be a son…. Allah is
pure of a son in the way said of Him,
glorified be He, by the Christians, for if
they have in mind the normal meaning
which would entail birth, such things are
attributes of contingent things and not of
Allah, glorified be He, for no change can
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come to Him. And if they have in mind a
legislative paternity in the way an
important man may say of someone he
wishes to honour, that he is ‘my son’,
this is not permitted in relation to Allah,
glory be His, as He does not allow it. It
may be said that someone is ‘Allah’s
friend’ but He has not permitted that it
be said that someone is His son. The
ayah refers to the first meaning.
…His is that in the heavens and that
in the earth,… When everything belongs
to Him, how can one of those things be His
son? A son is a part, and a part is not owned,
as the condition of the owner being separate
and distinct from the owned is not realised.
…and Allah suffices as an trustee. It
means as the trustee of the Messenger,
Allah condescend upon him and upon
his House, in the implementation of his
work. It is a warning to those who
maintain the trinity.
Here He recounts, glorified be He, that
the Masih, bliss be upon him, that he is
Allah’s slave, so how do they sat that he
is Allah’s son or His partner?
The Masih never disdained at being a slave
of Allah, and nor the angels brought near.
And whoso disdains from His bondage and
is arrogant—He shall muster them unto Him
all together.
(172)
The Masih never disdained at being a
slave of Allah,… ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon
him, was never too proud to admit that he
was Allah’s slave, but rather acknowledged
it at the time of his birth, ‘Indeed I am
Allah’s slave, He granted me the
book…’
April 3, 2011
…and nor the angels brought near….
It means the angels whom He brings
near to His grace. Perhaps it is in effect
a refutation of those who claimed that
they were his offspring, as He recounts
in His word, ‘And they placed the angels
who are the Compassionate’s slaves as
daughters…’
…And whoso disdains from His
bondage and is arrogant… Such
people see themselves as being too
great to acknowledge Allah’s
mastership.
…—He shall muster them unto Him
all together. He shall gather all of them
on the day of resurrection so as to
requite them for their arrogance. ‘Unto
Him’ does not signify location, for He is
free of that and above it; rather it
signifies the place of His judgement and
His reward.
But as for those who believe and do the
virtuous deeds, they shall be met their wage
in full, and He shall increase them from His
profusion.
But as for those who disdain and are
haughty, He shall chastise them a painful
chastisement, and they shall not find for
themselves apart from Allah a patron and
not a succourer.
(173)
But as for those who believe… With a
real, valid belief.
…and do the virtuous deeds, they
shall be met their wage in full,… They
shall receive the exact reward promised
to them by Allah.
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…and He shall increase them from
His profusion. They shall receive more
than they were promised for their
beautiful deeds, as a grace from Him
and an honour.
…But as for those who disdain and
are haughty,… As for those too proud
and arrogant to worship and obey.
…He shall chastise them a painful
chastisement, and they shall not find
for themselves apart from Allah a
patron and not a succourer. They
shall find none to rescue them and
deliver them from Allah’s chastisement.
O ye the people, a proof has truly come to
ye from your Master, and We have sent
down to ye a clear light.
(174)
O ye the people, a proof has truly
come to ye from your Master,… The
truth is fully proven by the proof that He
has sent, glorified be He.
…and We have sent down to ye a
clear light. A clear light: the Quran. Just
as a light guides us along a path in the
darkness of the night and suchlike, so
the Quran guides us the paths of the
darkness of life, and this is the meaning
of ‘Allah is the light of the heavens and
the earth…’.
So as for those who believe in Allah and
cling to Him, He shall enter them into mercy
from Him and profusion, and guide them
unto Him a straight road.
(175)
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So as for those who believe in House, and so he asked him, Allah
Allah… With a correct, valid belief, as condescend upon him and upon his House,
required by reason and the Legislation. about his sisters and how he should
deal with them in regard to inheritance,
…and cling to Him,… That is, they and so this ayah was sentdown:
cling and hold fast to Allah in their
affairs. Perhaps the pronoun given as
‘Him’ applies to the light of the previous
ayah. They seek a pronouncement of thee. Say,
‘Allah pronounces for ye about the siblings:
…He shall enter them… On the day of if a man perishes without having a son and
resurrection. he has a sister, so hers is the half of what he
leaves, and he inherits from her if she has no
…into mercy from Him… He shall son. So if they are two, theirs are the two-
mercy them in mercy and grace them thirds of what he leaves. And if they are
with the garden. siblings, men and women, the male has the
portion like unto the two.’
…and profusion,… Grace and bounty
more than they deserve. Allah clarifies for ye, lest ye stray. And
Allah is of all things knowing.
…and guide them unto Him… He shall
guide them unto Himself, as He says, (176)
‘…those who take the guidance, they
shall increase in guidance…’
They seek a pronouncement of
thee…. They sought a legal ruling, or
…a straight road. Their path is straight
fatwa. This ayah is related to the earlier
and direct. They reach the realities and
ruling concerning siblings, ‘And if a man is
felicities by a straight road, for they
inherited by siblings…’ (above, 13).
followed the summons and answered
the caller. The purport of the ayah is that
…Say, ‘Allah pronounces for ye …
those who disbelieve in Allah and cling
That is, He explains the ruling.
to other than Him—He shall enter them
into hell, and whenever it dies down it
…about the siblings: if a man
shall be made fiery again. And He shall
perishes… It means when he dies.
send them astray with a distant straying.
‘Perishes’ is given for halaka, which is
used here in the wider sense of dying,
Some narrations have interpreted the
rather than its common sense of
light as being the Commander of the
meeting an evil end. It is used in this
believers and the cleansed Imams, bliss
sense of the Prophet Yusuf, bliss be
be upon them—this is because they are
upon him, ‘…until when he perished…’(
the clearest embodiments, as has been
(al-Ghafir, The Forgiver [40]; 34).
explained.
…without having a son… And without
In a tradition narrated by Jabir b.
leaving a parent, so that no one survives
‘Abdullah al-Ansari we have it that when he
him from the first category of his
was ill he was visited by the Messenger,
Allah condescend upon him and upon his
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relatives, as proven by texts (al-nass)
and unanimity.
…and he has a sister,… One sister.
…so hers is the half of what he
leaves,… Half of his estate goes to the
sister as her share, the other half also
goes to her as there is no one else for it
to go to.
…and he inherits from her… The
brother inherits from his sister when she
dies and he is still alive, and he inherits
her entire estate, and this is obligatory.
…if she has no son…. And if she has
no parents. And all this is overlooking
widows and widowers, for these inherit
their shares first, and then the rest is for
the siblings.
…So if they are two,… If the deceased
leaves two sisters.
…theirs are the two-thirds of what he
leaves…. That is their obligatory share,
and the other third also goes to them as
the sole relatives.
…And if they are siblings,… That is,
they are more than two.
…men and women,… Some of them
brothers and some of them sisters.
…the male has the portion like unto the
two.’ Two shares for every brother and
one share for every sister. All this
applies to siblings on both sides, or from
the father's side. As for siblings on the
mother’s side only, their ruling was
given at the beginning of the surah.
…Allah clarifies for ye, lest ye stray.
He clarifies the ruling so that His
servants do not go astray, or in
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repugnance that they go astray, in the
sense of making a mistake about the
inheritance of siblings.
…And Allah is of all things knowing. He
knows what is good and what is bad,
and for this reason His commands and
prohibitions and decisions are on the
basis of His wisdom and our best
interests.
In the commentary Majma’ al-Bayyan
we have it that the ayat that Allah sent
down at the beginning of the surah
comprised an explanation of the
inheritance of the son and the father,
and that the ayat which followed
explained the inheritance of the
husband and the wife and the brothers
and sisters on the mother’s side, while
this ayah which concludes the surah
comprises an explanation of the
inheritance of the brothers and sisters
on both sides and of the brothers and
sisters on the father’s side when there
are no siblings on both sides. And His
word, ‘…and those of the wombs—
some of them are the dependants of
others in the book of Allah…’ (al-Anfal
[8]; 76) shows that it is proximity which
is the factor in inheritance, so that
whoever is closer through the womb and
in proximity to the deceased is more
deserving to inherit than those more
distant. Allah knows.
Sụrah al- Ma’idah
(5)
‘The Spread’
Sent down at Madina, its ayat 120.
April 3, 2011
The sụrah is called al-Ma.idah (‘The
Spread’) on account of the prominence
of this word within it. Whereas the
previous sụrah concluded by explaining
a law concerning both the dead and the
alive, this sụrah begins by clarifying a
law affecting the living. Thus He says,
glorified be He:
By the name of Allah, the
Compassionate, the Merciful
The repetition of the Bismillah at the
beginning of each sụrah is to teach us to
say this auspicious phrase whenever we
wish to begin any action.
O ye who believe, fulfil your bonds.
Permitted for ye are the dumb
livestock, save as is recited upon ye,
other than the permitted through
hunting while ye are in sanctity;
indeed Allah rules as He wishes.
(1)
O ye who believe,… It has been given
that the ruling is universal, and that the
address is to the believers in particular
because it is them who benefit.
…fulfil your bonds…. The plural form
denotes that it means every bond, every
agreement and contract between
different parties. Thus it includes the
bonds between people, governmental
treaties, and the compacts between
Allah and His creatures. As it is the
compacts between Allah and His
creatures that are most deserving of
respect, He begins with them, in His
word:
…Permitted for ye are the dumb
livestock,… The permitted and the
banned (al-halal wa ‘l-haram) and all the
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other rules are bonds between Allah and
the creatures, to the effect that the
creatures will act according to the
commandments, and that Allah in return
for that will reward them with the
garden—as He says, glorified be He,
‘Be happy with the sale that ye have
contracted…’ ‘Dumb’ is given for
bahimat, while ‘livestock’ is given for al-
an’am, meaning camels, cattle, sheep
and goats and suchlike, including deer
and antelope, and asses and donkeys.
Animals in general are called bahimat ,
from a root meaning to be obscure, as
they are unable to distinguish, while the
an’am are so-called because they are
among Allah’s blessings (ni’am). The
meaning of their being permitted is in
slaughtering them, eating them and
deriving benefits from them.
…save as is recited upon ye,… It
means the prohibitions that are recited,
and that is His word, ‘Banned for ye is
the carrion, the blood, the flesh of the
pig,…’ .
…other than the permitted through
hunting while ye are in sanctity;… It
means that which is normally permitted
but which is banned for those who are in
the sanctified state (iĥram) as part of the
pilgrimage rites at Makkah.
…indeed Allah rules as He wishes. In
His permitting things and banning things
and all the other rules, everything is as
to what He sees as best.
O ye who believe, count not as
permitted the tokens of Allah, and
nor the sacred month, and nor the
offering and nor the garlanded, nor
those headed for the sacred house
seeking profusion from their Master
and to content. And when ye are no
more in sanctity, hunt. And hatred of
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a tribe who barred ye from the sacred
mosque should not incite ye lest ye
aggress. Co-operate unto
righteousness and guardfulness, and
co-operate not unto sin and enmity,
and be guardful of Allah; indeed
Allah is severe in punishment.
…and nor the offering… It is the
camel, cattle or sheep or goat that is
presented as part of the hajj to the
house of Allah for slaughter. The
meaning of permitting it is that it is not to
be counted as permitted instead of
being delivered to its station.

(2) …and nor the garlanded,… ‘The

garlanded’ are the camels that are
marked with a garland around their
O ye who believe, count not as
necks to show that they are to be
permitted the tokens of Allah,…
slaughtered for the House. It is not
‘Tokens’ is given for sha‘a.ir, meaning
permitted to normalise them after they
something so closely connected to a
have been assigned to Allah, and it is
thing that it becomes a sign of it. Thus
not permitted to revoke the assignation.
the sha‘a.ir of hajj are the things closely
connected to the hajj, and the sha‘a.ir of
…nor those headed for the sacred
Allah are the things closely related to
house… Those heading for the sacred
Him. Linguistically, sha‘a.ir is derived
house to perform the hajj are not to be
from al-sh’ir, meaning to realise, and
disturbed.
perhaps the nature of the derivation is
that things are realised through their
…seeking profusion from their
sha‘a.ir. Or it is from al-sh’ir meaning the
Master and to content…. In intending
hair that grows from the body, as if the
to perform hajj they are seeking
sha‘a.ir are as closely bound to a person
profusion—excess in reward, or wealth
as his own hair, or as his
or suchlike—from Allah, and His
undergarments (shi‘ar) that are next to
contentment. As for those who come
the skin, in contrast to the outer
seeking corruption, to bar their way is
garments. In the ayah it is used
permissible.
unconditionally, and therefore includes
all things that do or shall pertain directly
…And when ye are no more in
to Allah, glorified be He, as far as He
sanctity, hunt…. Having left the state
has not prohibited them. Accordingly,
of ‘sanctity’ or iĥram, there is no
the teachings of Hajj are among the
prohibition against hunting. The
sha‘a.ir, and building fine domes over
imperative denotes permissibility,
the tombs of the sanctified Imams is
coming as it does against the
among the sha‘a.ir. The meaning of not
background of His earlier word, ‘…other
counting the sha‘a.ir as permitted is to
than the permitted through hunting while
violate Allah’s sacred bounds.
ye are in sanctity…’ The narrative was
dealing with what is banned, and thus
…and nor the sacred month,… Do not
the second ayah came to clarify other
consider it permitted, by fighting in it.
prohibitions indicated in the first ayah,
The sacred months are Rajab, Dhu ‘l-
‘…other than the permitted…’ .
Qa’adah, Dhu ‘l-Hijjah and Muharram.
Having banned the permitting of
these prohibitions, He then clarifies,
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glorified be He, that these prohibitions
remain in force whether the Muslims are
aggressed against or not—in His word,
…And hatred of a tribe who barred ye
from the sacred mosque should not
incite ye lest ye aggress…. That a
people have hatred and enmity for the
Muslims and bar their way and prevent
them from attending the sacred house,
should not incite the Muslims to aggress
against them through permitting what is
here mentioned as banned.
…Co-operate… The Muslims are to co-
operate.
…unto righteousness… Goodness
and beneficence, obligatory and non-
obligatory.
…and guardfulness,… ‘Guardfulness’
(taqwa) means abstinence from the banned
(haram). The sense is that the
Muslims are to assist and support each
other in doing the good works and
abstaining from the sins.
…and co-operate not unto sin… The
Muslims are not to work together in
committing the sins; when one of them
wishes to do a sin, others are not to
support him.
…and enmity,… It means wronging and
aggression. This is related to His word,
‘…lest ye aggress…’. It has become
common for people to co-operate in sin
and in wrongfulness, and so He forbids
the Muslims from doing this.
…and be guardful of Allah;… Refrain
from opposing Him and disobeying Him.
…indeed Allah is severe in
punishment. That is, towards those
who oppose and disobey Him.
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In conformity to the narrative’s turning
on interdictions mostly to do with the
hajj, He now recounts, glorified be He,
another group of interdictions for which
an exception was made in the previous
ayah, in His word, ‘…save as is recited
upon ye…’. Thus He says:
Banned for ye is the carrion, the
blood, the flesh of the pig, that
instituted for other than Allah, the
strangled, the beaten, the dropped,
the gored, that eaten by beasts save
what ye finish off, and that
slaughtered over rock-idols, and that
ye divide by divining-arrows—that is
perversion.
This day those who disbelieve have
despaired about your religion, so fear
them not, and fear Me.
This day I have perfected for ye your
religion, and completed upon ye My
blessing, and I am content for ye with
Islam as a religion.
So whoso is obliged, in a hunger, not
inclined to sin—indeed Allah is
forgiving, merciful.
(3)
Banned for ye… Banned for the
Muslims.
…is the carrion,… ‘Carrion’ (al-maytah)
is that which dies other than in
accordance to the instructions of the
Legislation, or shari’ah, which are
varied. In the case of livestock, for
example, its cleanliness depends upon
the passages of the throat being cut and
other conditions; in the case of hunting
April 3, 2011
that the prey is struck by a sharp
missile; in the case of fish that they die
outside of the water; and so on. The
meaning of being banned is that we are
banned from eating it, just as the
banning of silk is that the men among us
are not to wear it, the banning of one’s
mother is against having sexual
relations with her, and the banning of
alcohol is the banning of drinking it.
…the blood,… This is clarified in His
word, ‘…or blood gushed out…’. As for
the blood that remains in the meat itself, that
is not banned.
…the flesh of the pig,… It is given
particular mention, though well-covered
among the banned meats, due to the
common practice of eating it and
imagining it to be wholesome.
It is not to be overlooked that the
interdictions divide into two categories.
One category is on account of their
harm—and as for what is said about
modern science having neutralised the
damage through sterilisation, so that
when it is sterilised it is not banned, the
answer is that there is no proof that
even after sterilisation there is no harm
undiscovered by science just as
throughout these fourteen centuries
science did not discover the harms that
it has now discovered.
The other category of interdictions are those
for a spiritual reason, like the meat over
which the name of Allah, glorified be He,
has not been recited. Such interdictions are
not based on any physical harm, but because
of deviation from the upright balance.
…what is instituted for other than
Allah,… ‘Instituted’ is given for uhilla
(with a ha) meaning to begin. It means
the animal over which a name other
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than of Allah was recited at the time of
slaughter.
…the strangled,… It means that which
is suffocated by whatever means.
…the beaten,… It means that which is
beaten or trampled to death.
…the fallen,… ‘Fallen’ is given for al-
mutaraddiyah meaning that which falls
from a high place. It means that which falls
from a height and dies. The folk of the
ignorance would kill animals in this way.
…the gored,… It means the animal
which is gored by another animal and
dies.
…that eaten by beasts… It means that
which is the prey of another wild beast,
partly consumed by it, as it is banned to
eat that which remains.
…save what ye finish off,… It means
carrying out the modes of the
Legislation or shari’ah, such as the
slaughter man being a Muslim, the
animal’s being directed towards the
qibla, the knife being metal, reciting the
name of Allah at the time of slaughter,
and slicing all four passages of the
throat. It is an exception to ‘that eaten
by beasts’, although the ruling is
universal. It means that if we come
across an animal eaten by a wild beast
we ‘finish it off’ and it becomes
permitted for us. The animal must have
some life left in it, sufficient at least that
after the death-stroke which finishes it
off, in the word of the two Baqirs, bliss
be upon them, ‘the minimum perception
necessary is that you perceive it move its ear
or its tail or roll its eyes.’
…and that slaughtered over rock-
idols,… ‘Rock-idols’ is put for nusub
April 3, 2011
plural of nisab, meaning a rock that used to
be worshipped. It means the animals killed
under the name of one of the idols, in
seeking proximity to it.
…and that ye divide by divining-
arrows… The ignorance-folk used to
purchase a camel for slaughter, then
they would write ten names on arrow-
shafts. One shaft would have a single
share, another two shares and so on up
to seven, while three shafts would have
no share at all. Then the ten would
gather and a shaft would be taken up
with the allotted share going to that
particular person, and in this way the
animal would be divided and the twenty-
eight shares apportioned, and the three
whose shafts had no share allotted to it
would pay for the cost of the camel. It
was a form of gambling and Islam
banned it.
…—that is perversion…. The division
by divining-arrows, or all the given
interdictions—to commit them is
‘perversion’ (fisq), meaning the departure
from obedience and being guilty of
disobedience.
This day those who disbelieve have
despaired about your religion,… In
Majma’ we have it that the meaning of
‘this day’ (al-yawm) is not literal, but
means ‘now’, while al-Qummi narrates
that it was the day the Imam was
appointed, and this is more in keeping
with what is resounding (mutawatir) in
the religious texts and recounted by the
commentators on the circumstances of
the ayah of perfection, that the
disbelievers were expecting the
Messenger’s life to be futile, in that he
would pass on without leaving a
successor, when they would rise against
Islam and destroy it. But when the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
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upon him and his House, established
Imam ‘Ali, bliss be upon him, they were
in despair for their plan, as they knew
the Imam’s competence and his
magnificent power. So when the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, died and the
disbelievers and the hypocrites knew
that the successorship had been
usurped, they rose against Islam
seeking to pluck it out at the roots. The
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House, was
aware of this when he recommended
the Imam to restraint and steadfastness
in face of the internal and external wars
that would come to Islam.
Here the question occurs to some as to
why, when the Imam had been set up to
rule, one party (the nakithin) would
break faith, another party (the mariqin)
would renegade, and a further party (the
qasitin) would deviate? The answer is
that the circumstances that had
occupied the Islamic movement, had
transformed the teachings of Islam, so
that the Imam had to re-establish the
Islamic principles anew.
That is the kind of situation that
produces turmoil and disagreement—
the station of the Prophets when they
called their peoples to goodness. At that
time the external dangers were remote,
as the disbelievers had been all but
eradicated and Islam—even a
superficial form of it—was strong. The
internal wars had no effect on the
balance between Islam and disbelief, as
no matter how weak Islam became due
to the internal wars, the disbelievers
simply had no presence such as would
threaten the existence of Islam.
April 3, 2011
…so fear them not,… The Muslims
were not to fear that they would defeat
Islam in the way they feared before.
…and fear Me…. That is, fear
committing an act of disobedience and
fear contravening the command of Allah
and His Messengers.
This day… The day of Ghadir.
…I have perfected for ye your
religion,… By the appointment of Imam
‘Ali, bliss be upon him, as the successor
(khalifah) after the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House,.
…and completed upon ye My
blessing,… The blessing of faith is
deficient without the blessing of
guardianship or patronage (wilayah).
…and I am content for ye with Islam
as a religion…. Islam has degrees, and
that day the Muslims were to rise to a
lofty level, and He was content with
them provided they attained to that
level. Here the meaning of being content
(riža) is not the opposite of anger, but
the opposite of deficiency—just as one
wishing to have a house built may say to
the decorators that he is not content
with it, meaning that his satisfaction is
not complete. He will only say that he is
satisfied when the house is finished.
The Messenger’s setting up Imam Ali,
bliss be upon him, as the official
successor took place after the Farewell Hajj
(ĥijjat ul-wida’), with the presence of a
hundred and twenty thousand
companions, men and women. He
mounted the minbar and gave a lengthy
discourse, and at the end of it he said, ‘He
whose patron I am—this ‘Ali is his patron.
O Allah, patronise whomso accepts his
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patronage, show enmity to whomso shows
enmity to him, succour whomso succours
him, and forsake whomso forsakes him’—
all the while he was holding ‘Ali’s hand up
high. Then he descended from the mimbar
and commanded the Muslims to salam
him as ‘Amir al-Mu.minin, the
Commander of the believers. And he
remained there for three days until their
allegiance was complete, and then they
set off for the return to Madina.
So whoso is obliged,… That is,
obliged to eat the forbidden things that
have been given.
…in hunger,… ‘Hunger’ (makhmasah)
means a drought or famine. It is so-
called on account of how it causes the
stomachs to go hungry.
…not inclined to sin… When obliged
in this way, one must not be excessive.
If one needs to drink half a tumbler of
wine, for example, one is not to drink a
tumbler, and so on with the carrion and
the other interdictions.
…—indeed Allah is forgiving,… He
covers up this essential evil in the sense
of not punishing it.
…merciful. He mercies humankind, and so
it is not fitting for them to break His
commands except in the most severe
circumstances.
Having clarified some of the
interdictions, the narrative turns to clarify
some permitted things, so as to balance
the two. It is narrated on the
circumstances of the descent of this
ayah that the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
ordered dogs to be killed, and then he
was questioned as to any exceptions,
and so the ayah was sent down
April 3, 2011
permitting trained dogs in which there is to be foul, and that which He bans is
some benefit, forbidding the withholding foul, even though common
of those in which there is no benefit, nd understanding may consider it to be
commanding the killing of savage wholesome.
beasts and harmful, annoying creatures:
…and… It is also permitted to hunt with:
They ask thee what it is that is
permitted for them. Say, ‘Permitted ..what beasts ye have taught … The
for ye are the wholesomenesses, and direct mention of hunting is dropped
what beasts ye have taught as because it is covered by the later ‘what
houndsmen—ye teach them as Allah they lay hold of for ye’ . Dogs are called
has taught ye—so eat of what they ‘beasts’ along with other animals
lay hold of for ye, and recount the because they wound their prey. But He
name of Allah upon it; and be then makes it particular, glorified be He,
guardful of Allah, indeed Allah is in His word:
swift of reckoning.
…as houndsmen… That is, while the
(4) hunter is a houndsman, meaning the owner
of it and its trainer.
They ask thee… They asked the
…—ye teach them as Allah has
Messenger, may Allah condescend
taught ye… The houndsman teaches
upon him and his House,
the dog just as Allah has taught man to
train dogs. Perhaps the pronoun ‘them’
…what it is that is permitted for
(hunna) in teach them, which is of the
them…. The context in the narrative
form used for the rational feminine, is
shows that what is meant are things
used in keeping with the topic of
permitted to be eaten.
teaching and learning. Otherwise the
rule is that the form ha be used. In the
…Say,… The Messenger, may Allah
same way, the purpose of ‘as Allah has
condescend upon him and his House,
taught ye…’ is to penetrate the heart and
was to tell them.
direct it to Allah, glorified be He, for the
wise Quran constantly connects the rules
…‘Permitted for ye are the
and accounts to this universal relationship—
wholesomenesses,…
the cognisance of Allah and the journey of
‘Wholesomenesses’ is coined for
the soul towards Him—throughout.
tayyibat, plural of tayyib, meaning that
which has nothing unclean in it, such as
…—so eat of what they lay hold of for
human nature is not offended by it. Thus
ye,… The hunters are to eat of the prey
the Legislation permits some
which their dogs catch for them, rather than
consumables but not others on this
for themselves, for that is banned.
basis, even though common
understanding may not perceive that
…and recount the name of Allah
one thing is wholesome and another is
upon it;… It means at the moment of
foul. Therefore, that which the Legislator
dispatching the dog.
permits is wholesome, even though
common understanding may consider it

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It is not to go unmentioned that the as the takers of ‘friends’—and whoso
condition given in ‘as houndsmen’ disbelieves in the faith, his actions
excludes hunting with other beasts are truly for nothing, and in the
when the hunter does not make the final hereafter he is of the losers.
stroke. Al-Hažrami narrates from Imam
Sadiq, bliss be upon him, saying that he (5)
asked about hunting with the falcon, the
hawk, the lynx and the dog. He said,
This day…This day, when the
‘Eat none of it save what you finish off—
clarification of all the laws has been
except for the dog.’
completed, Allah, glorified be He, sums
up the things that are permitted, in His
I asked, ‘Even if it kills the prey?’
word:
He said, ‘Eat, for indeed Allah says,
…the wholesomenesses are
“And what beasts ye have taught as
permitted for ye,… The directive
houndsmen—ye teach them as Allah
covers the wholesome in food,
has taught ye—so eat of what they lay
marriage, dwelling, clothing and more,
hold of for ye, and recount the name of
as shown by the conjunct below, ‘and
Allah upon it;”’’Then he said, ‘Every
the safeguarded…’. In this it contrasts
beast lays hold of the prey for itself
with the previous ayah which was
except the trained dog, for that lays hold
particularly about food, according to the
of it for its master.’
context. This ayah is proof that the
principle of all things is that they are
…and be guardful of Allah,… That is,
permitted save as is disgusting—and it
in His commands and prohibitions, so as
is clear that the disgusting is discerned
not to attain to that which He bans.
by the Legislation and, rarely, by
reason.
…indeed Allah is swift of reckoning.
Man may imagine that life in the world is
…and the food of those granted the
lengthy, and that His recompense is
book… Those unto whom was sent an
remote, but in fact he remains but for a
heavenly book, like the Jews, Christians and
little while before he suddenly sees
Zoroastrians.
himself before the reckoning. The
Commander of the believers has said,
…is permitted for ye,… ‘Food’ (ta ‘am)
‘…as if the world never was and as if the
here either means ‘cereals’, ‘grain’ and
hereafter was never away…’
suchlike, as we have it in narrations and
is still common today, or it means all
This day the wholesomenesses are
food in general, save as is excepted in
permitted for ye, and the food of
His word about meat, ‘what is instituted
those granted the book is permitted
for other than Allah…’ (above)—and this
for ye, and your food is permitted for
exception is a matter of consensus
them. And the safeguarded among
(ijma’) along with other exceptions like
the believeresses and the
any food which has been touched
safeguarded women of those granted
moistly by the book-folk, since they are
the book before ye, when ye give
partnerists as shown by His word, ‘Glory
them their wages as safeguarded
be His over their partnerism ’ while
men and not as fornicators and not
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another ayah shows the partnerists to be
unclean, in His word, ‘The partnerists are
but unclean…’ The full discussion is
undertaken in fiqh.
Here the question may arise as to the
point of this stipulation, given that the
‘food’ in this sense of the people who
are not book-folk is also permitted. The
answer is that this is a case of dealing
with what is predominant, in that the
Muslims are mostly in contraction with
the book-folk—and this is clearly proven
by:
…and your food is permitted for
them…. It is obvious that the food of the
Muslims is permitted even for the idol-
worshipping partnerist. If we take the
phrase to be universal and pertaining to
all food in general, then is the meaning
of our food being permitted for them
relative to us, in that their food is
permitted for us, or is it relative to them,
in that it is permitted for them to eat
what we are permitted to eat? It seems
that the second is correct, though the
first is not without strength, for the
principle that we ‘bind them to that
which they are bound’’ demands that the
food banned for them like our meat for the
Jews, for example, is not permissible for
them. This is subject to controversy.
And… Permitted for the Muslims, are:
…the safeguarded among the
believeresses… ‘Believeresses’ is
coined for mu.minat . Permitted for the
Muslims are the chaste women who
believe and who safeguard themselves
against the banned—they may marry
them. As for the unchaste
fornicatresess, the view is widespread
among the learned that marriage with
them is permitted as per the sunnah,
and there is nothing implicit in the ayah
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against this, since it is established in the
principles of jurisprudence that the
implicit meanings of descriptive nouns
(alqab) have no jurisprudential value.
…and the safeguarded women of
those granted the book before ye,… It
means the Jews, Christians and
Zoroastrians each of whom, according
to what is most valid, had a book. The
scholars differ over whether they are
permitted in permanent marriage when
the view is widespread that they can
only be taken in temporary marriage.
Now, if we maintain the non-
permissibility of permanent marriage
with them, it would be a case of a
general rule [i.e. that all valid forms of
marriage are lawful] being qualified and
rendered particular by the sunnah [so
that only temporary marriage in
particular is lawful], and it is firmly
established that for the general rulings
of the Book to be qualified and rendered
particular by the sunnah is permissible.
…when ye give them their wages… It
means the dowers that are due to them.
It does not mean that the dower must be
paid at once upon marriage, but that
and also the intention to pay it later. The
ayah has no implicit content annulling
the state or condition that marriage
establishes, to the effect that a man who
does not intend to pay the dower and
does not pay it is not in fact married and
is forbidden to have relations with the
woman he has married. Rather the ayah
expresses a rule of duty (ĥukm taklifi),
and means that to do otherwise is banned.
The form of expression is extreme in order
to encourage the payment of the dower.
…as safeguarded men… Whether with
a Muslim lady or a bookist, the Muslim
takes intimacy with her through
beneficence and marriage.
April 3, 2011
…and not as fornicators… It
emphasises His word ‘as safeguarded
men’.
…and not as the takers of ‘friends’…
It refers to a man taking a single woman
with whom he permanently fornicates.
This is not permitted for a man in
respect to a Muslimah or a bookist, and
nor vice-versa.
Much the same as this was given in
Sụrah al-Nisa, and the sum content is
that relations with chaste Muslim women
and with chaste bookist women is
permitted for the Muslims and is
wholesome, and they must give them
their dowers. But the relations must be
through marriage, and not through
adultery and not through taking them as
‘girlfriends’, the two forms common
among non-Muslims.
It is then given that the prohibitions and
the permissions that have been
recounted are all the requisites of belief,
which it is essential to cling to:
…—and whoso disbelieves in the
faith,… It is another way of phrasing
disobedience and the departure from
the path of obedience. Perhaps it is
used here to show that disbelief—in the
context of the prohibitions and the
permissions—is not a matter of rejecting
the principles of belief but of the
requisites (furụ’), that is to say the
obligatory actions. It has already been
given that disbelief (kufr) is in two
categories: disbelief in the principles,
which removes a person from being
Muslim; and disbelief in the requisites—
as in Sụrah Hajj, ‘…and whoso
disbelieves…’ and ‘…and if ye
disbelieve…’. This makes a person
perverse (fasiq).
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…his actions are truly for nothing,…
‘Are for nothing’ is given for ĥabitat ,
meaning the actions that are not worthy of a
reward, as He says, glorified be He, ‘Allah
accepts but from the guardful.'
…and in the hereafter he is of the
losers. That day the disbeliever in the
faith will be among those who have lost
themselves, in that they will deserve
punishment, whereas their obedient
comrades will deserve the rewards.
As the narrative touched on the physical
forms of wholesomeness and delights,
now comes the turn of the spiritual
forms of wholesomeness and delight, of
which the most wholesome and
delightful is the prayer—given the
cleansing it incorporates:
O ye who believe, when ye stand for
the prayer, wash your faces and your
arms as far as the elbows, and wipe
of your heads and your feet to the
mounds.
And if ye are soiled, cleanse; and if
ye are ill or on a journey, or one of ye
comes from the privy, or ye have
touched women, and then ye find no
water, so intend on wholesome
ground and wipe of your faces and
your hands in it.
Allah wishes not to put ye into
distress; nay, He wishes to cleanse
ye and to complete His blessing upon
ye, that ye might give thanks.
(6)
O ye who believe, when ye stand for
the prayer,… That is, when they are
intending to perform the prayer, for the
person wishing to do a thing stands in
April 3, 2011
order to do it. Have you not seen how
when people are sitting occupied with
their own affairs—as soon as the azan
is called they rise in order to perform the
prayer.
…wash your faces… From the hairline
unto the chin length-wise, and that which is
covered between the thumb and the middle
finger breadth-wise, in pure, clean, lawful
water with a wash that flows naturally from
top to bottom.
…and your arms… The arms are to be
washed, and because by ‘arm’ (yad) it
could be thought that what is meant is
the whole arm, He specifies in His word:
…as far as the elbows,… ‘As far as’ is
given for ila because the meaning here
is not to indicate the destination of the
wash, its final point, but rather the limit
of the area washed. If you were to say
to someone ill, ‘apply the ointment to
your arms to the elbows,’ it would not be
understood that you meant that he
should begin at the fingertips and apply
the ointment in an upward direction
towards and finishing at the elbows.
Accordingly one starts the wash at the
top, for it is to be a natural wash—as we
have it from the sunnah.
…and wipe of your heads… ‘Of’ is
given for bi. It signifies that what is
meant is a part of the head, and that
part is the top quarter of the head from
the crown to the hairline.
…and.. That is, and wipe.
your feet… What is meant is the top of
the feet.
…to the mounds…. These are the
arches of the feet. The sequence of the
wužụ is certain: washing the face, then
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the right arm and then the left arm, and
then wiping the head and then the right
foot and then the left foot—and the
wiping is to be with the water remaining
from the washing.
…And if ye are soiled,… ‘Soiled’ is put
for junub, It means to be removed from
cleanliness. One becomes ‘soiled’
(junub) by the emission of sperm or
entry into a woman.
…cleanse;… Cleansing is by plunge-
bathing into the water all at once, or
sequential-bathing by washing the head
and neck, then the right side and then
the left side.
…and if ye are ill… That is, unable to
use water for the wužụ, because of
illness.
…or on a journey,… It has been given
that journeys are mentioned in particular
because normally water would not be
available.
…or one of ye comes from the
privy,… It is a way of saying passing
urine or faeces.
…or ye have touched women,… A
way of saying ‘sexual intercourse’.
…and then ye find no water,… It
refers to the conditions given above.
…so intend… ‘Intend’ is the literal
meaning of tayammum. Thus the
meaning of the ayah, in short, is:
‘Whoso wants to perform the prayer
must take wužụ , and if he is sexually
soiled he must take ghusl. But if he is ill
and water would harm him, or is
travelling or is soiled but cannot find
water, then he must use the earth and
take tayammum. This leaves His word,
April 3, 2011
‘or one of ye comes from the privy’ As Allah, glorified be He, has completed
which seems to be incongruous with the His favour and blessing upon us, so it is
others. Perhaps it comes here on for us to meet this in the appropriate
account of how it is prevalent to use the way:
privy when one turns to perform the
prayer. And so recount Allah’s blessing upon
ye and His pact that He compacted ye
…on wholesome ground… The earth by, when ye said, ‘We hear and we
must be neither unclean nor usurped. obey.’ And be guardful of Allah;
indeed Allah is aware of what fills the
…and wipe of your faces… ‘Of’ is put breasts.
for bi, which is to show that it is a part of
the face that must be wiped. That part is (7)
from the hairline to the top of the nose.
And so recount Allah’s blessing upon
…and your hands …. From the wrists
ye and His pact that He compacted ye
to the finger-tips.
by,… The Muslims must call to mind
Allah’s blessing and His pact by which
…in it… It is necessary to begin by
He binds us, meaning belief and
striking the earth with the hands, and
obedience, for Allah takes the pacts of
then wiping them, so as to meet the
the nations at the hands of the
condition ‘in it’.
Prophets.
…Allah wishes not to put ye into
…when ye said,… That is, upon
distress;… This bidding to wužụ,ghusl
admitting the belief.
and tayammum are not to confine us or
put us into distress. On the contrary:
…‘We hear and we obey.’… It is for us
to be earnestly obedient in accordance
…nay, He wishes to cleanse ye…
to this compact, while it is for Allah to
Allah, glorified be He, wishes to cleanse
bring us the goodness of the world and
us of the external and internal dirt and
the hereafter. Allah has fulfilled His side
impurities. Modern science has now
of the pact, and so now it is up to us.
confirmed that earth as a cleanser is a
degree less efficient than water.
…And be guardful of Allah;… It is for
us to act in accordance to His
…and to complete His blessing upon
commands and prohibitions.
ye,… By guiding us to our best
interests, all of them, after His having
…indeed Allah is aware of what fills
guided us to belief.
the breasts. ‘What fills the breasts’ is
given for dhat al-sudụr, literally
…that ye might give thanks. That we
‘possessor of the breasts’. It means
might thank Him for His blessings upon
whatever holds or fills the breast,
us and His guiding us to our best
constantly attached to it, indicating the
interests and to that which will draw us
deepest motivations and innermost
near unto Him, glorified be He.
secrets and feelings that are constant
conditions of the heart, situated in the

MIA 348 | P a g e April 3, 2011

breast. Though they are hidden there,
they are perfectly exposed to the
knowledge of Allah, and Allah is aware
of them.
Here the narrative returns to the
necessity of goodness and of refraining
from transgression—as preceded in His
word, ‘And hatred of a tribe who barred
ye … should not incite ye lest ye
aggress.’ And we find this repeatedly in
the wise Quran, in that it softens the
tone by mentioning the prayer and
suchlike, and then returns to the main
topic of the narrative after having
softened the tone and put it into the
general context of obedience to Allah,
glorified be He. Therefore, on the theme
of the pact unto which Allah, glorified be
He, has compacted the Muslims:
O ye who believe, be upholders for
Allah, witnesses in fairness, and let
not a tribe’s enmity incite ye to
incline. Be just, that is nearer to
guardfulness; and be guardful of
Allah; indeed Allah is informed of
what ye do.
(8)
O ye who believe, be upholders for
Allah,… It means being earnestly
upstanding for Allah and His command
and His contentment.
…witnesses in fairness,… That is, in
justice, in every affair.
…and let not a tribe’s enmity… That
is, the enmity of the enemy towards the
Muslim.
…incite ye to incline…. It means
incline against them in judgements. How
many people when they have an enemy
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are unjust towards him, generally, out of
revenge and vengeance, due to the
grudge and spite they have in their
breasts.
…Be just, that is nearer to
guardfulness;… The meaning is not
that kindness is near to guardfulness,
but justice is nearer. In such usage as
this the meaning is not relative.
…and be guardful of Allah;… That is,
by refraining from His prohibitions and
implementing His commands.
…indeed Allah is informed of what ye
do. He shall reward us for our actions—
if good then good, and if bad then bad.
Allah promises those who believe
and perform the virtuous deeds:
theirs is forgiveness and a
magnificent wage.
(9)
Allah promises those who believe…
That is, those who believe in Allah and
His Messengers and that which they
brought.
…and perform the virtuous deeds:…
And this necessitates the avoidance of
the evils.
…theirs is forgiveness… Of their sins.
…and a magnificent wage. The
structure of this phrase gives the sense
of certainty.
And those who disbelieve and belie
Our signs: those are the companions
of the inferno.
(10)
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And those who disbelieve… Those
who do not believe with a correct, valid
faith.
…and belie Our signs:… His signs are
His proofs and evidences for His
oneness and the other principles.
…those are the companions of the
inferno. They shall be onstantly bonded
to the fire, eternal in it.
He then reminds the believers of one of
His blessings, glorified be He, in that He
was true to His pact with them when He
saved them from the plots of their
enemies:
O ye who believe, recount Allah’s
blessing upon ye when a tribe
determined to stretch their hands
towards ye, so He repulsed their
hands from ye. And be guardful of
Allah; and upon Allah should the
believers rely.
(11)
O ye who believe, recount Allah’s
blessing upon ye when a tribe
determined to stretch their hands
towards ye,… ‘Stretching their hands’ is
a way of saying that they wished to
harm the Muslims and kill them and
eradicate them. Al-Qumi says that the
ayah relates to the peace of Hudaibiyah,
while it is also said that it is general,
meaning everyone who wants to harm
the Muslims. It is also said that the
meaning of ‘a tribe’ is particular to the
Bani al-Nazir who planned to
assassinate the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
except that he was informed of that and was
saved. And there are other views.
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…so He repulsed their hands from
ye…. Allah, glorified be He, kept their
harm away from the Muslims, and in fact
succoured them over their enemies.
…And be guardful of Allah;… By
implementing His commands and
refraining from His prohibitions.
…and upon Allah should the
believers rely. The believers entrust
their affairs to Him, glorified be He, and
put Him as their succourer, their
supporter.
If this ayah was about the Bani al-Nazir,
who were Jews, the link between it and this
ayah is clear, for here He explains, glorified
be He, that the Jews betrayed their Prophets
after Allah had showered them with all
kinds of goodness and blessing—how then
would they not betray the Messenger?
However, it is possible that the link is on the
basis of the pact, in that Allah, glorified be
He, wishes to remind the Muslims not to be
like the Jews who were treacherous and
broke their compact after He had taken it
from them—and He has said, ‘…and His
pact that He compacted ye by,…’:
And truly Allah took the compact of
the sons of Isra.il, and We raised
among them twelve headmen and
Allah said, ‘Indeed I am with ye. Truly
if ye establish the prayer, pay the
zakat, believe in My prophets and
honour them and lend to Allah a
beautiful loan, truly I shall cover your
evils and truly I shall enter ye into
gardens, rivers flowing beneath
them. So whoso disbelieves after this
among ye, he has truly strayed from
the evenness of path.’
(12)
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And truly Allah took the compact of
the sons of Isra.il,… He took their firm
pledge through the tongues of His
Prophets.
…and We raised among them twelve
headmen… ‘Headmen’ is given for
naqib, meaning ‘headman’, ‘chief’ from
naqb, meaning to discover, for the
naqib—who is responsible for his tribe—
discovers their secrets and understands
their hearts so as to direct them towards
their best interests as a community. It
means that Allah ordered Musa to raise
twelve men from the twelve tribes to
reconnoitre and report back to their tribe
about the land of Syria and its sturdy
inhabitants. He chose a man from each
tribe to be their ‘headman’, their trusted
advisor and confidante, but when they
returned they forbade their tribe from
fighting them on account of their
strength and physical stature. Among
them were Kalib b. Yụqna (Caleb) and
Yụsha’ b. Nụn (Joshua).
…and Allah said, ‘Indeed I am with
ye…. He said that to the sons of Isra.il,
and the meaning of His being with them
is that He would support them, succour
them and guide them.
…Truly if ye establish the prayer, pay
the zakat, believe in My prophets… It
means the Prophets who came after
Mụsa, and it is for this reason that the
mention of belief comes after that of
establishing the prayer and paying the
zakat.
…and honour them… Respecting
them, supporting them and giving them
succour.
…and lend to Allah a beautiful loan,…
By dispensing in His path, for that is like
a loan which is given and then taken
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back. The meaning of a loan being
beautiful is that it be free of
beholdenness (mann) and of annoyance
(idha), and with no motivation other than
Allah, glorified be He.
…truly I shall cover your evils… It
means the manifestations of evil.
…and truly I shall enter ye into
gardens, rivers flowing beneath
them…. The rivers flow beneath the
trees and palaces of the garden.
…So whoso disbelieves after this…
After this compact.
…among ye,… Among ye, O sons of
Isra.il.
…he has truly strayed from the
evenness of path.’ He has erred from the
middle of the path, for the evenness (sawa)
of a thing is its centre.
So for their breaking their pact, We
cursed them and We put their hearts
to be hard—they distorted the words
from their places and forgot a portion
of what they were recounted, and
thou shall ever be appraised of a
traitor among them, save a few of
them. So pardon them and let them
off; indeed Allah loves the
beautifiers.
(13)
So for their breaking their pact,… The
Jews broke the compact between
themselves and Allah, for they gave up
the prayer, denied the zakat, belied the
Prophets and murdered them.
…We cursed them… Allah removed
them from His mercy, turning some of them
April 3, 2011
into apes and pigs, and making them
perpetually rejected wanderers with no base
to stand on.
…and We put their hearts to be
hard… ‘Hard’ is given for qasiya,
meaning harsh, rough and cruel—
remote from the truth and inclined to
wrongfulness and disbelief. His making
their hearts hard in this way means that
He deprived them of His grace so that
their essential qualities became rotten,
like the teacher whose pupil disobeys
him—he stops teaching him and refining
his ethics so that the pupil is left in
ignorance with foul manners.
…—they distorted the words from
their places… Such distortions were of
two kinds: the distortion of removing
some words from the Torah and
replacing them with others, and the
distortion of interpreting them in ways
other than what was meant.
…and forgot a portion of what they
were recounted,… It means the Laws
that Allah recounted for them in the
Torah, for some of the Torah was
deleted because they did not wish to
teach the people. Or the meaning of
‘forgot’ is ‘neglected’, as in His word,
‘…they forgot Allah and so He forgot
them…’
…and thou shall ever be appraised of
a traitor among them,… The
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, would always
face the problem of treachery from a
party of them or from an individual
among them, who would say a word and
then act oppositely, and would bind a
promise and then break it—just as the
Bani Nazir were treacherous after
binding their pact.
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…save a few of them…. The exception
is made from all of them, or the final
phrase. That is, a few of them who are
not like that, such as ‘Abdullah b.
Salam, or a few of them are not
treacherous.
…So pardon them and let them off;…
The Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, was to pardon
them and let them off, for he was not
revengeful, as that was below his
station.
…indeed Allah loves the beautifiers.
Pardoning and letting off is beautiful
behaviour, and beautiful behaviour is
beloved, even towards the guilty.
This was about the Jews—and as for
the Christians, in some respects their
essential conditions are no better than
those of the Jews:
And of those who say, ‘We are
Christians’—We took their pact,
thereupon they forgot a portion of
what they were recounted, so We
produced between them enmity and
hatred until the day of resurrection,
and Allah shall shortly announce to
them what they made.
(14)
And of those who say, ‘We are
Christians’… They say they are
Christians, without believing it in their
hearts. It is like you might say, ‘He says
he is Muslim,’ when you mean that he is
not a Muslim in reality, but only in
words.
…—We took their pact,… To the effect
that they would maintain the prayer and
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pay the zakat, believe in the Prophets severe warning, like it may be said to a
and follow the commands of Allah. criminal, ‘Tomorrow I will inform you of
what you have done today,’ the point of
…thereupon they forgot a portion of which is to warn him of a severe
what they were recounted,… They punishment.
forgot just as the Jews before them had
forgotten. He then addresses, glorified be He, the
book-folk in a general way so as to
…so We produced between them guide them to the path’s evenness:
enmity and hatred until the day of
resurrection,… They divided into O ye the book-folk, Our messenger
different groups with some of them has truly come to ye, clarifying for ye
hating others with an unparalleled much of the book that ye concealed,
hatred, and their hatred of each other and pardoning much. Truly a light
reached the point that it even has come to ye from Allah, and a
outstripped their hatred of the Jews and clear book.
the Muslims and the idolaters. And
history has constantly witnessed the (15)
mutual slaughter between the Christian
sects, while the present enmity between
O ye the book-folk,… The address is to
the Catholics, the Protestants and the
the Jews and the Christians, and
Orthodox churches is in no need of
perhaps the Zoroastrians are also
proof. This is one of the miraculous
included.
aspects of the holy Quran, like its
informing us of the degradation of the
…Our messenger has truly come to
Jews, and that humiliation and
ye,… It means Muhammad, Allah
degradation are impressed upon them.
condescend upon him and upon his
House.
This raises the question of how their
enmity will continue until the day of
…clarifying for ye much of the book
resurrection when during the age of the
that ye concealed,… It means the laws
Mahdi everyone will submit themselves
of Allah, glorified be He, that
to Allah, and moreover the day of
contradicted their interests, and so they
resurrection will only take place decades
hid them from the people so that they
after all of humankind have died. The
would remain as they were in their
answer is that the term simply means
deviation.
that the enmity will exist for as long as
they exist, and such meanings are
…and pardoning much…. That is,
generally summed up in the term ‘until
much for which they deserved
judgement day’, or ‘until the
punishment. Or it is the pardoning or
resurrection’.
mitigating of some of the laws that had
been imposed on them in punishment,
…and Allah shall shortly… On the day
as He says, glorified be He, ‘…for the
of resurrection.
wronging of those judaised, We banned
for them some wholesomenesses that
…announce to them what they made.
were permitted for them,…’, so that the
The nature of this phrase is to convey a
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opportunity had presented itself for them
to make amends for that which had
passed them by.
…Truly a light has come to ye from
Allah,… The light that had come to the
book-folk was the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, for just as a light in the objective
world is the means of being guided to
sensory matters in the darkness, so too
a spiritual light is the means of being
guided on the difficult passes of life in
the darkness of the desires and
ignorance.
…and a clear book. The Quran, for it is
clear and illuminating with no confusion
in it and no obscurity.
Allah guides by that whoso follows
His satisfaction—the paths of bliss—
and taking them out of the
darknesses into the light with His
permission, and guiding them to a
straight road.
(16)
Allah guides by that… ‘That’ is put for
hi , the masculine singular pronoun
which here pertains to both the light and
the book, as He says, glorified be He,
‘…look at thy food and thy drink, it has
not spoiled…’ meaning that both the
food and the drink were unspoiled.
…whoso follows His satisfaction…
That is, whoever pursues the
satisfaction of Allah by trying to earn it
by accepting the Quran and the
prophethood of His Prophet , may Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House.
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…—the paths of bliss—… ‘Bliss’ is put
for salam, meaning salamah, the
condition of being sound and flawless in
every way. Thus the paths of bliss
means being sound and flawless in
religion, in the world and in the
hereafter—for both individuals and the
society.
…and taking them out of the
darknesses into the light… The life in
the darknesses (zulimat) do not show
man how to traverse the difficult terrain
of life, whereas the Quran and the
Prophet guide us to the truth and
illuminate our path.
…with His permission,… With Allah’s
permission and grace.
…and guiding them to a straight
road. The straight road that delivers
man to the felicity of the world and the
hereafter.
Truly it guides to the straight road in
belief, not the belief that Allah is the
Masiĥ, or that Allah has sons:
Those who said, ‘Indeed Allah—He is
the Masiĥ, son of Maryam’ have
definitely disbelieved.
Say, ‘Who would have a right upon
Allah if He wished to destroy the
Masiĥ, son of Maryam, as well his
mother and those in the earth, all
together?’
Allah’s is the dominion of the
heavens and the earth and all
between them. He creates as He wills,
and Allah over all things is in power.
(17)
April 3, 2011
Those who said, ‘Indeed Allah—He is
the Masiĥ, son of Maryam’ have
definitely disbelieved…. Those who
posit him as the single god and those
who posit him as a partner in godhead—
they are the same, since to deny Allah
and to posit for Him a partner, glorified
be He above that!, are both forms of
disbelief.
Say,… The address is to the
Messenger, who was to show the
invalidity of their claim by saying:
…‘Who would have a right upon
Allah… It means ‘who would be able to
do anything about one of His
commands, or one of His wishes?’
…if He wished to destroy the Masiĥ,
son of Maryam, as well his mother
and those in the earth, all
together?’… The Christians themselves
acknowledge that it is possible for Allah
to destroy all of that, so how do they
reconcile this with their belief in the
godhead of the Masiĥ? The god is such
that none can oppose His creational
commands (amruhu al-takwini), so how
can anyone destroy Him?
Allah’s is the dominion of the
heavens and the earth and all
between them…. How can His be a
partner when everything that can be
imagined is the possession of Allah—is
it possible for God to be owned?
…He creates as He wills,… If He
wishes He creates without male and
female just as He created Ạdam and
Ĥawa, bliss be upon them, and if He
wishes He creates from a male and a
female, like the remainder of
humankind, and if He wishes He creates
from a male without a female, like the
Masiĥ, bliss be upon him, whose
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creation therefore is no proof of his
divinity as supposed by the Christians.
…and Allah over all things is in power.
His power is not confined to a single
thing or to a group of things, such that
other things that exist would not be His
creation.
And the Jews and the Christians say,
‘We are the sons of Allah and His
favourites.’
Say: ‘Then why does He chastise ye
for your sins?’
Nay, ye are persons among those He
has created, He forgives whom He
wills and He chastises whom He
wills, and Allah’s is the dominion of
the heavens and the earth and what
is between them, and unto Him is the
outcome.
(18)
And the Jews and the Christians say,
‘We are the sons of Allah and His
favourites.’… When the Prophet, Allah
condescend upon him and upon his
House, warned them of the revenge of
Allah and His chastisement, they would
say that they were His sons and that the
son is beloved, with no reason to fear
the revenge of his loving father.
Say: ‘Then why does He chastise ye
for your sins?’… He was to ask them
why Allah would chastise them. This
they acknowledged, as He cites in His
word, ‘The fire will never touch us, save
for numbered days…’ (al-Baqarah [2];
81). But if they were the beloved sons,
why would they be punished at all?
Perhaps the literal present tense
actually denotes the past, giving the
355 | P a g e April 3, 2011
sense of a question of why they were ye—and Allah over all things is in
punished before, when some of them power.
were turned into apes and pigs and
suchlike. (19)
Nay, ye are persons among those He
O ye the book-folk, truly Our
has created,… The Jews and
messenger has come to ye clarifying
Christians are people just like everyone
for ye,… The Messenger was
else, and like all other people they will
Muhammad b. ‘Abdullah, may Allah
be rewarded if they do good and
condescend upon him and upon his
punished if they do evil.
House, who clarified for them the
principles of belief and its requisites.
…He forgives whom He wills… He
forgives disobedient people as He wills.
…at a distance from the
messengers,… He came at a time that
…and He chastises whom He wills,…
was at some remove from the previous
Those whom He wishes to chastise
Messengers. The raising of the Prophet,
among them He will chastise. There is
may Allah condescend upon him and
no question of any being His sons or
upon his House, was not close in time to
there being any special relationship
any other Prophet, which meant that the
between themselves and Allah, glorified
book-folk had been in ignorance and
be He.
deviation, but then the rescuing, guiding
teacher had come to them. Perhaps the
…and Allah’s is the dominion of the
secret behind the break was to clarify
heavens and the earth… Nothing is
with total clarity that the world will not go
from Himself in the sense that He does
aright except with guidance from above,
not own it, glorified be He, in the way
for during the break in revelation the
that they claimed.
world went seriously and chaotically
awry, and the truth of this was a matter
…and that between them,… It means
of experience. And the Messenger came
all the rest of His creations. The
so that the people would not be in need,
meaning of ‘the heavens’ here is the
and would not be able to argue the case
stars and all that is seen when looking in
as follows:
their direction, as is common, and it
does not mean the upward direction.
…lest ye say,… On the day of
resurrection.
…and unto Him is the homecoming.
Allah alone owns all things and it is unto
…‘No bearer of glad tidings has come
Allah alone that all things are returning.
to us, and no warner.’… They cannot
say that their not being guided and not
O ye the book-folk, truly Our
going aright was because no Messenger
messenger has come to ye clarifying
had come to them with warnings and
for ye, at a distance from the
glad tidings.
messengers, lest ye say, ‘No bearer
of glad tidings has come to us, and
…For truly a bearer of glad tidings
no warner.’ For truly a bearer of glad
and a warner has come to ye… For
tidings and a warner has come to
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those who believe and are guardful, the
glad tidings of the garden, while for
those who disbelieve or are disobedient,
a warning of the fire.
…—and Allah over all things is in
power. He is powerful enough to
despatch a Messenger, so none can say
‘How is it that this one is a Messenger?’
Now the narrative returns once more to
the account of the sons of Isra.il who
broke every pact and were not loyal to
Musa, whom they recognised as their
Prophet, much less to another Prophet
whom they rejected out of obstinacy and
envy:
And when Musa said to his tribe, ‘O
my tribe, recount Allah’s blessing
upon ye when He put prophets
among ye, and put ye as kings, and
granted ye what He had not granted
to anyone in the worlds.
(20)
And… It means, ‘And recount.’
…when Musa said to his tribe, ‘O my
tribe, recount Allah’s blessing upon
ye… The implication being that they
should meet this favour with obedience
and observation of the laws.
…when He put prophets among ye,…
There were seventy Prophets during the
dispensation of Mụsa, bliss be upon
him, and perhaps the secret of why
there were so many Prophets during
that period was that mankind was as if
in infancy and therefore in need of so
many teachers, whereas during the
dispensations of ‘Isa, bliss be upon him,
and Muhammad, Allah condescend
upon him and upon his House, mankind
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grew more and more fully mature, like
adults who need no teachers but can
manage with a conscientious guide.
Here a point needs to be made, that the
western incursions that have conquered
the Muslims’ psyches has made them
think of the Prophets and their nations
the way that Darwin and his followers
think of them, maintaining the truth of
evolution—even though they know that
the Quran and the sunnah give the lie to
that. The first person on the face of the
earth was a Prophet, and from among
his and his wife’s descendants were
raised the Prophets who were sent to
them. In this way one generation
succeeded another, and the more they
grew distant from the Prophets the more
they became savage, while as far they
adhered to the Prophets they rose to the
heights of human excellence. The sons
of Isra.il were a nation constantly distant
from true humanity and from virtue, in
themselves. It was not that they were
worse before and that they gradually got
better—as falsely, divisively and
imitatively supposed by the
evolutionists. And how fortunate are
those western scholars who have
refuted the Darwinist views and have
presented the proof of their fallacy. Yet
still our own defeatists regale in their
disgusting defeatism and continue to lick
the bowl of Darwin.
…and put ye as kings,… The Jews
had their kings, their rulers and their
leaders.
…and granted ye what He had not
granted to anyone in the worlds. The
manna and quails sent for them, their
distinction over the other people of their
time by making them the descendants of
the Prophets and having the Prophets
reside amongst them, by making them
April 3, 2011
kings and by drowning their enemies
and more.
‘O my tribe, enter the holy land that
Allah has written for ye, and turn not
back on your tails, for ye will turn as
losers.’
They said, ‘O Musa, indeed within it
is a compelling tribe,… They replied
that the holy land was occupied by a
strong, sturdy nation.
…and indeed we shall never enter
it… That is, the holy land.

(21) …until they leave it… That is, until

after that powerful people had left that
land. They wanted them to leave all by
‘O my tribe, enter the holy land… It
themselves, without hardship, exertion
was the land of Sham, or Greater Syria,
or warfare.
which was holy and pure of partnerism
and was blessed with much greenery
…—so if they leave it, indeed we
and rivers, and with wholesome air and
shall enter.’ In Majma’ we have it that,
climate. It was a land of many Prophets,
in short, after Musa and the sons of
and whereas Musa’s people had been
Isra.il had crossed the sea and the
slaves in Egypt, now they were rescued
Pharaoh had been destroyed, He
from their enemies and Allah wanted for
ordered them, glorified be He, to enter
them to enter their new land as lords
the holy land. But when they camped at
and kings.
the banks of the Jordan they were afraid
to enter it. So Musa sent a man from
…that Allah has written for ye,… That
every tribe, and they were those Allah
is, He had decreed for them to enjoy
mentions in His word, ‘…and We raised
lordship and felicity in that land.
among them twelve headmen…’ . They
went out and what they saw of their
…and turn not back on your tails,…
strength and prowess amazed them, so
They were not to turn away from the
when they returned to the Bani Isra.il
land into which they had been
and they informed Mụsa, bliss be upon
commanded to enter.
him, of what they had seen, Musa told
them to conceal it. Two of them obeyed
…for ye will turn as losers.’ They
Musa in that, and they were Yusha’ b.
would then lose the felicity of the world and
Nụn and Kalib b. Yụqina. The other ten
the reward of the hereafter by not having a
disobeyed and gave out the information
comfortable homeland in the world, while
which spread among the people. They
their refusing to listen to Allah’s command
said that were they to enter against
would result in their losing out on the
them, they would lose their women and
rewards of the hereafter.
wealth to them as spoils; and they
determined to return to Egypt and also
They said, ‘O Musa, indeed within it
decided to stone Yusha’ and Kalib to
is a compelling tribe, and indeed we
death. This exasperated Mụsa, bliss be
shall never enter it until they leave
upon him, who prayed, ‘Indeed I have
it—so if they leave it, indeed we shall
nothing but myself and my brother.’ So
enter.’
Allah revealed unto them that they
would wander in the earth for forty
(22) years, and the only exceptions were
MIA 358 | P a g e April 3, 2011
those who had not disobeyed Allah in
that way. So they remained wandering
for forty years, within an area of sixteen
farsakhs, the number of their warriors
six hundred thousand. Their clothes did
not rip or tear but always remained
constantly in good repair. Manna and
quails were despatched for them. The
headmen died except Yusha’ and Kalib,
and most of the others died, but their
children grew up and it was they who
finally went out to take Jericho and were
victorious.
Two men who feared, Allah having
blessed them, said, ‘Enter upon them
at the gate, for when ye enter it ye
will truly be the overcomers; so rely
upon Allah, if ye are believers.’
(23)
Two men who feared,… The two who
feared Allah, the Most High, and were
ready to follow His commands and
restrictions, were Yusha’ and Kalib.
,,,Allah having blessed them,… They
had the blessings of religion and reason.
…said, ‘Enter… Their address was in
the plural; ‘Enter, O sons of Isra.il.’
…upon them… That is, upon or against
that powerful people.
…at the gate,… The gate of the city.
… for when ye enter it ye will truly be
the overcomers;… They knew that
because Mụsa, bliss be upon him, had
informed them that they would be
victorious.
…so rely upon Allah,… Rely on His
succouring ye against the powerful.
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…if ye are believers.’ That is, if they
had a genuine belief, for Allah is sufficient
for those who rely upon Him.
They said, ‘O Musa, We will never
ever enter it for as long as they are in
it, so go thou and thy Master and
fight—indeed we are sitting here.’
(24)
They said,… The Bani Isra.il said to
Mụsa, bliss be upon him.
…‘O Musa, We will never ever enter
it… They refused to enter the city.
…for as long as they are in it,… That
is, for as long as that powerful people
were in occupation of the city, for they
feared them and gave no credence to
Allah’s promise to succour them.
…so go thou and thy Master and
fight… ‘Fight’ is given for qatila the dual
masculine; they were saying that Mụsa,
bliss be uon him, and his Master should
fight them. Yet perhaps their deviation
was not such as to contradict His being
non-corporal, rather they wished that
Allah would thrust them out—as He
says, glorified be He, ‘rather Allah
pelted…’ and, ‘…thy Master comes…’,
and for this reason Musa does not censure
them for their words. Yet perhaps they did
imply His being corporal and Musa’s
censure is not recorded in the Quran as it is
not relevant to the purpose of the story.
—indeed we are sitting here.’ They said
they would sit until the city was cleansed
of the powerful tribe, and then they
would indeed enter. But as for fighting
them themselves, that they would not
do, as they thought they had not the
capacity for that.
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He said, ‘Master mine! I have nothing …is banned for them… It means that
but myself and my brother, so make a they would not be allowed to enter it.
separation between us and the tribe
perverse.’ …for forty years; they will wander in
the earth…. They would walk until
(25) nightfall, but when they set out the
following day they would find
themselves back in the same place.
He said,… That is, Mụsa, bliss be upon
him, said to Allah, complaining to Allah
…So despair not… He was not to
of his people.
grieve and be sorrowful.
…‘Master mine! I have nothing but
…for the tribe perverse.’ And their
myself and my brother,… His brother
wandering for forty years and their
Harụn. He himself was obedient to
landing themselves in such difficulties.
Allah’s command while Harụn was
obedient to Musa and listened to his
The condition of the Bani Isra.il in
commands, but the same was not true
breaking their pact and committing the
of the rest of the people. As for Yusha’,
indecencies was much the same as the
bliss be upon him, and others like him, it
condition of the two sons of Ạdam, bliss
seems that they were not taking part in that
be upon him, Habil and Qabil, for Allah
discussion.
revealed to adam to give his testament
along with Allah’s most magnificent
…so make a separation between us
name (al-ism al-a’zam) to Habil. Qabil
and the tribe perverse.’ He sought
was the elder and so he became angry,
from Allah, glorified be He, to be granted
and protested saying that he was the
a separation between his brother and
elder and so more deserving of the
himself on the one side, and the
testament. So Adam ordered them at
perverse tribe who would not obey the
Allah’s revelation to offer a sacrifice, and
commands. The meaning of this
the sacrifice of Habil was accepted as
separation was His not subjecting them
he was sincere and had offered the best
to the same judgement in the world and
of what he had, while Qabil’s offering
the hereafter.
was not accepted as his intention was
impure and he offered the worst of what
He said, ‘So indeed it is banned for
he had. When Qabil saw that his
them for forty years; they will wander
sacrifice was not accepted he grew
in the earth. So despair not for the
jealous and formed a design against
tribe perverse.’
Habil; he placed his head between two
rocks and smashed it so that he died.
(26) Then he knew not what to do with his
corpse, until two crows came and one
He said,… That is, Allah said to Mụsa, killed the other and buried the corpse,
bliss be upon him, in response to their and so Qabil learned from that and
disobeying Him and not believing His buried Habil’s corpse:
promise.
And recite for them the news of the
…‘So indeed it… The holy land. two sons of Adam, in truth, when
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they sacrificed two sacrifices, and it
was accepted from one of them and
not accepted from the other—he said,
‘I shall definitely kill thee.’
Said he, ‘Allah accepts but from the
guardful.
(27)
And recite for them… The Messenger
Allah condescend upon him and upon
his House, was to recount for the Jews.
…the news of the two sons of
Adam,… Habil the virtuous and Qabil
the wicked.
…in truth,… This account is true and
genuine, entirely free of falsehood and
trifles.
…when they sacrificed two
sacrifices,… ‘Sacrifice’ is given for
qurban, which is that by which one
seeks to be near (quriba) to Allah.
…and it was accepted from one of
them… He was Habil.
…and not accepted from the other…
It was not accepted from Qabil. It is said
that the sign of acceptance was that fire
would come from the sky and consume
that which was accepted. The fire
consumed the sacrifice of Qabil but did
not consume the sacrifice of Habil.
…—he said,… Qabil, whose sacrifice
was not accepted, said to Habil, bliss be
upon him.
…‘I shall definitely kill thee.’ He was
motivated by obstinacy and envy.
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…Said he,… Habil said to his brother,
‘What is my sin? for:
…‘Allah accepts but from the
guardful. This was probably a censure
of his brother so that he would be
guardful of Allah and therefore deserve
His affection and kindness. He was not
boasting.
Habil (wë±sZXäž“) then said to Qabil:
‘Truly if thou stretch forth thy hand to
kill me, I am not one to stretch forth
my hand to kill thee; indeed I fear
Allah, Master of the worlds.
(28)
‘Truly if thou stretch forth thy hand to
kill me,… That is, ‘If you wish to kill
me…’
…I am not one to stretch forth my
hand to kill thee;… When a person
wishes to kill someone wrongfully, it is
not permitted for the wronged party to
pre-empt the other. All he can do is to
defend himself, save when his self-
defence depends upon that. Or what he
meant was, ‘If you wish to kill me
wrongfully, I do not wish to kill you
wrongfully.’
…indeed I fear Allah, Master of the
worlds. That is, my fear of Him, glorified
be He, prevents me from killing anyone
wrongfully.
‘Indeed I wish that thou return with
my sin and your sin, lest thou be of
the companions of the fire; and that
is the recompense of the wrongful.’
(29)
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‘Indeed I wish that thou return with
my sin… It means the sin of his murder.
‘Returning’ with it means bearing the
responsibility for it, and this was said by
Habil to Qabil.
…and your sin,… It means Qabil’s
burden of sins other than the murder.
Habil was not wishing Qabil to sin, for
the meaning of ‘wishing’ (iradah) is
metaphorical, to show up the contrast
with what Qabil wanted, and is not
literal.
…lest thou… That is, Qabil.
…be of the companions of the fire;…
That is, among those who are constantly
in it.
…and that is the recompense of the
wrongful.’ Those who wrong
themselves.
So his soul allowed him the killing of
his brother, and he killed him, and so
became of the losers.
(30)
So his soul allowed him… It means
that Qabil’s soul encouraged him.
…the killing of his brother, and he
killed him,… Qabil murdered Habil.
…and so became of the losers. He
became a loser in the world and in the
hereafter.
After having killed him, Qabil did not
know what to do with his brother’s
corpse, as before that he had never
seen anyone die:
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Thereupon Allah raised a crow
searching in the earth, to show him
how to secrete the atrocity of his
brother. Said he, ‘Woe be mine, I was
unable to be like this crow.’
So he secreted the atrocity of his
brother, and became of the regretful.
(31)
Thereupon Allah raised a crow
searching in the earth,… He ‘raised’
(ba’atha) the crow in the sense of
bringing it forth. It was searching in the
earth, examining it and uncovering it so
as to bury the other crow that it had
killed, for two crows were fighting and
one killed the other and then buried it.
…to show him… The crow showed
Qabil.
…how to secrete the atrocity of his
brother…. The ‘atrocity’ (saw.ah)
means the corpse.
…Said he,… Qabilsaid, on seeing what
the crow was doing.
…‘Woe be mine,… ‘Woe’ is given for
wayl ; the phrase means, ‘O destruction,
come to me, for now is thy time.’
…I was unable to be like this crow.’
… He was less than the crow in knowing
how to resolve the problem of the corpse.
…So he secreted… He concealed in
the earth.
the atrocity of his brother,… He
buried it.
…and became of the regretful. He
regretted killing him. His regret,
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however, was not repentance, and he
only regretted the act. For this reason,
there are no grounds for asking why he
will still be punished even though he
repented.
From Ibn ‘Abbas we have it that when
Qabil killed Habil, shrubbery became
thorned, the foods were altered, the
fruits turned sour, water turned bitter,
and the ground turned to dust. Adam
said, ‘Something has happened in the
earth.’ He went to India, and there was
Qabil, having slain Habil. He then
composed these lines extempore:
Everything with a colour and taste has
changed,
And lost is the handsome, smiling face.
Having given the account of the sons of
Adam and of the most famous crime, He
now mentions, glorified be He, a number
of the specified punishments (al-ĥụdụd)
for crimes, beginning with murder, as is
appropriate. Thus the Most High says:
As of that We wrote upon the sons of
Isra.il that ‘whoso kills a soul for
other than a soul or corruption in the
earth, it is if he has killed humankind,
entirely; and whoso gives life to it, it
is as if he has given life to
humankind, entirely.’
And truly Our messengers came to
them with the clarifications—
thereupon many of them after that
were in the earth immoderate.
(32)
As of that… ‘As of that’ is given for min
ajli dhalika. The word ajli (for which we
have put ‘as’) literally means ‘crime’; it is
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said ajala ‘alaihim sharra meaning ‘he
committed an evil crime against them.’
Thus the ayah means ‘since that crime’
and the min denotes a beginning, and
here it refers to Qabil’s killing of Habil. In
sum, it means since the time of that
crime He, glorified be He, legislated the
following law, that ‘whoso kills a soul…’.
Some elucidators have interpreted the
ajli in its usual sense, giving the
meaning ‘Because of that unwarranted
and inexcusable aggression…’
…We wrote… That is, He made it
obligatory, glorified be He.
…upon the sons of Isra.il… The law is
not particular to them; they are
mentioned in this way as the discourse
is centred upon them, and they are the
ones who broke the laws of Allah and
killed His Prophets.
…that ‘whoso kills a soul… ‘Soul’ is
given for nafs. It means the murder of
another human being, wrongfully.
…for other than a soul… It means
other than in retaliation for a soul, so
that the individual case of the
executioner of a murderer is excluded
from this ruling.
…or corruption in the earth,…
Whoever is killed and deserved to be
killed for the corruption he was working,
is also excluded from the ruling.
…it is if he has killed humankind,
entirely;… The unjustifiable aggression
of such a person against a living human
soul is just like aggression against all of
human life.
…and whoso gives life to it,… This
does not mean giving life in the sense of
bestowing life where there was none,
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but rather it means protecting life and concerning some highway bandits—and
saving it from destruction. there is no contradiction between the
two.
…it is as if he has given life to
humankind, entirely.’ To protect a living
soul is like protecting life itself, for the
whole of life flows in every living soul, and The recompense of those who war
so aggression against an individual is against Allah and His Messenger, and
aggression against all, just as protection of strive in the earth in corruption, is
an individual is protection of all. but that they all be killed or they be
crucified or their hands be cut and
…And truly Our messengers came to their feet, oppositely, or exiled in the
them… To the sons of Isra.il, upon earth. That is humiliation for them in
whom the discourse is centred. the world, and theirs in the hereafter
is a grievous chastisement.
…with the clarifications… Clear proofs
of the truthfulness of the Prophets. (33)
…—thereupon many of them after
The recompense of those who war
that were in the earth immoderate.
against Allah… It means waging war
Even after the Messengers had come to
against His proteges (awliya), for war
them, they exceeded the limits—they
against the dependants of a person is
permitted the banned and they shed
war against that person, like His word,
innocent blood.
‘…those who annoy Allah and His
messenger…’ (al-Ahzab [33]; 58).
In keeping with the topic of taking
human life without right, He now
…and His Messenger,… Warring
discusses, glorified be He, the law of
against the Messenger’s appointees and
those who work corruption in the earth.
protégés amounts to warring against the
Concerning the circumstances of the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
descent of this ayah, it is given that a
upon him and his House,
tribe from the Bani Žabba came to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
…and strive in the earth in
upon him and his House, seriously ill.
corruption,… They make corruption
So he sent them to the camels that had
and draw their swords or other weapons
been given in charity, for them to drink
so as to frighten the people. If we do not
their urine and eat their milk. But then,
hold this ayah to be general and to relate
when they were healthy and strong, they
to everyone to whom it literally applies, it is
killed three herdsmen and stole the
essential to apply it to the muggers and
camels. At that he sent Ali, bliss be
highway bandits (qutta’ al-tariq), due to
upon him, after them and he captured
the narrations we have, and because
them. Then the ayah was sent down,
their warring against the people and
and the Messenger, may Allah
terrifying them indeed seems to amount
condescend upon him and his House,
to warring against Allah and the
chose to cut their hands and feet from
Messenger, may Allah condescend
opposite sides. In some narrations we
upon him and his House,.
have it that the ayah was sent down
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…is but that they all be killed… ‘They
all be killed’ is given for yuqattalụ, a
superlative verb-form, indicating that
they all be killed.
…or crucified… The ‘or’ indicates
choice, as has been given by al-Sadiq,
bliss be upon him, and it means that the
choice is up to the Imam.
…or their hands be cut and their feet,
oppositely,… It means that their right
hand and their left foot be cut, or their
left hand and their right foot.
…or exiled in the earth…. It means
that they be driven from town to town
until they repent and reform themselves.
The phrase, ‘is but that’ (innama)
indicates that that is what they deserve,
and does not mean that they are subject
to no other requital.
…That is humiliation for them in the
world,… It is their degradation and
punishment.
…and theirs in the hereafter is a
grievous chastisement. In the fire.
Save for those who repent before ye
are in power over them; so know that
Allah is forgiving, merciful.
(34)
Save for those who repent before ye
are in power over them;… Repentance
is acceptable only when it occurs before the
criminal is taken by the authority, for when
the criminal is taken by the authority and
then repents, the repentance has no effect in
averting the punishment, but rather the
punishment is still applied.
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…so know that Allah is forgiving,
merciful. The repentant is forgiven his
sins and has no punishment, neither in
the world nor in the hereafter.
Here the wise Quran turns to train the
hearts of the believers so that they are
ready to discipline those who depart
from divine obedience with swords and
by implementing the punishments:
O ye who believe, be guardful of
Allah and reach unto Him for a
means, and strive in His path, that ye
might thrive.
(35)
O ye who believe, be guardful of
Allah… It means by implementing His
commands and refraining from the
things he forbids.
…and reach unto Him for a means,…
It means that we are to seek nearness
unto Him through doing good and
virtuous deeds.
…and strive in His path,… It means
against those who depart from
obedience to Him.
…that ye might thrive. It means in the
hope that we might thrive, for the hope
of success and thriving is real and valid
as long as it is accompanied by
guardfulness and striving.
And we are not to be like those who
disbelieve, who are not guardful and
strive not and seek not His contentment,
glorified be He, and a means unto Him:
Indeed those who disbelieve—had
they what is in the heavens and what
is in the earth, entirely, and the like of
April 3, 2011
it along with it, to be redeemed by it
from the chastisement of the day of
resurrection, it would not be
accepted from them, and theirs is a
painful chastisement.
(36)
Indeed those who disbelieve—had
they what is in the heavens and what
is in the earth,… It means wealth and
position.
…entirely, and the like of it along with
it,… If they had all of that and its like
again. The usage is imaginative, to
emphasise the amount, as everything is
everything; it is like the usage of ‘if thou
seek forgiveness for them seventy
times…’.
…to be redeemed by it… That is, by
everything in the heavens and the earth
and its like. It means to give all that as a
ransom so as to be freed:
…from the chastisement of the day of
resurrection,… So as to be saved, as
is the way with ransoms in the world.
…it would not be accepted from
them,… The ransom would not be
accepted.
…and theirs is a painful
chastisement. Painful indeed.
They wish to depart the fire but they
are not departers from it; and theirs
is a standing chastisement.
(37)
They wish… Those who disbelieve
wish and long.
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…to depart the fire but they are not
departers from it;… Their punishment
and chastisement is eternal without end.
…and theirs is a standing
chastisement. Eternal and certain
without cessation.
Here the narrative returns to the issue of
punishments that opened with the
account of the sons of Adam:
And the thief and the thiefess, cut
their hands in recompense for what
they have earned, as punishment
from Allah; and Allah is grand, wise.
(38)
And the thief and the thiefess,… Both
male and female thieves are separately
mentioned so that it will not be supposed
that the ruling does not apply to the female
thief. The male thief is mentioned first as
most thieves are male, whereas in the verse
of fornication it is the female who is
mentioned first, due to the tendency of
women to engage in fornication.
…cut their hands… That is, four
fingers from the right hands, as in Arabic
the word ‘hand’ (yad) applies both to the
whole hand and also to the fingers as a
whole. The application of this ruling
depends upon several conditions which
are mentioned in fiqh.
…in recompense for what they have
earned,… It means in recompense for
their stealing.
…as punishment from Allah;… In
punishment for their stealing.
April 3, 2011
…and Allah is grand, wise. He grasps
by His grandeur and rules according to
His wisdom.
So whoso repents after his wronging
and repairs—indeed Allah relents
unto him; indeed Allah is forgiving,
merciful.
(39)
So whoso repents after his wronging
and repairs… It means that he regrets
his stealing ways and becomes virtuous.
…—indeed Allah relents unto him;…
And He forgives him his sin.
…indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful.
He forgives those who repent unto Him
and He mercies His disobedient
servants when they regret and repent.
That which has been mentioned of Allah’s
punishing and His forgiveness is no more
than appropriate in regard to His absolute
authority:
Know thou not that indeed Allah—His
is the dominion of the heavens and
the earth. He chastises whom He
wills and He forgives whom He wills,
and Allah over all things is in power.
(40)
Know thou not… The address is to the
Muslim as an individual.
…that indeed Allah—His is the
dominion of the heavens and the
earth…. He has absolute possession of
all things and disposes of them how He
wills.
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…He chastises whom He wills… It
means those who deserve His
punishments.
…and He forgives whom He wills,…
All according to His absolute wisdom.
…and Allah over all things is in
power. Nothing is beyond His capability.
In the context of explaining the
punishments and equating them with
those of the Jews, the sacred Quran
now turns to the account of an instance
of adultery that took place among the
Jews, who then turned to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, for judgement.
From Imam al-Sadiq, bliss be upon him,
we have it that, to be brief, a woman of
rank from among the Jews of Khaibar
committed adultery, while the
punishment for adultery in the Torah
was specified as being that she be
stoned. So they turned to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, hoping that he
would lessen that, and then they would
follow his verdict. Instead, he gave the
verdict that she be stoned, and he
stated that that was also the law of the
Torah. Some of their learned men
denied that, and they brought forth Ibn
Sụriya, the most learned of them in the
law, to dispute with him. Yet he admitted
that the law of the Torah was indeed
stoning, and that they had falsified the
Torah and put instead of it forty lashes.
He was so stung by his own admission
that his face blackened and in his
confusion he mounted his ass
backwards and rode off, and he became
famous for that.
In some commentaries, there was an
agreement concerning murder between
the two Jewish tribes of the Nazir and
367 | P a g e April 3, 2011
the Quraiza that ran counter to the
Torah. Whereas the law of the Torah
was death for the murderer, their pact
was that if someone from the Quraiza
killed someone from the Nazir, the killer
would be killed, but if one from the Nazir
killed one from the Quraiza, the killer
would pay the blood-wit. So the Quraiza
tribe wanted to refer to the Prophetfor
him to judge for them according to the
Torah, while Ibn Ubayy the hypocrite,
who was their friend, said to them, ‘If
Muhammadrules as you like—by which
he meant contrary to the Torah—be
pleased with it, and if otherwise then do
not accept it.’
It seems the following verse refers to
both accounts, and whatever the case
Allah is consoling the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House regarding the opposition of the
hypocrites and Jews. Thus He says,
glorified be He:
O thou the Messenger, be not
sorrowed by those who compete in
disbelief—those who say, ‘We
believe’ with their mouths, while their
hearts believe not; and those
Judaised, all ears to the lie, all ears to
another tribe who come not to thee.
They distort the words after their
places, saying, ‘If ye be given this,
take it, and if ye not be given it,
beware!’
And for whomso Allah wishes his
tribulation—he has no right on Allah
at all. They are those whose hearts
Allah wishes not to cleanse. Theirs in
the world is humiliation, and theirs in
the hereafter is a grievous
chastisement.
(41)
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O thou the Messenger, be not
sorrowed… Be not unhappy and
grieved.
…by those who compete in
disbelief… It means that they were
rushing into disbelief by opposing him
and not accepting his verdict.
…—those who say, ‘We believe’ with
their mouths,… It means that the
hypocrites’ professions of belief were
merely verbal, in that they made the
dual declaration, and were not held in
their hearts. It refers to Ibn Ubayy, as
has been given.
…while their hearts believe not;…
Their hearts persisted in disbelief and
deviation.
…and those Judaised,… That is, the
Jews. The meaning of their competing in
disbelief is their abandoning the law of
the Torah and their holding to laws
contrary to what Allah had sent down.
This was disbelief as Jews, even though
they were disbelievers already for
remaining as Jews and not becoming
Muslims.
…all ears to the lie,… It refers to the
Jews, or to both the Jews and the
hypocrites, who were excessive in
giving ear to lies and accepting what
their leaders invented and falsified.
…all ears to another tribe who come
not to thee…. Instead of coming to the
Prophet for judgement they submitted to
the verdict of someone else who gave
his rulings in isolation from him—as in
the two accounts of adultery and murder
given above.
…They distort the words… It means
the words of Allah, glorified be He.
April 3, 2011
…after their places,… It means after
Allah had put those words in their
places. They distorted the law of
adultery from stoning to lashes, and
they changed the law of murder from
retribution to compensation.
…saying,… The Jews and hypocrites
would say to each other.
…‘If ye be given this,…That is, if they
be handed down the verdict by the
Prophet that the penalty of adultery is
lashing and the penalty of murder is
compensation.
…take it,… That is, accept it.
…and if ye not be given it, beware!’ They
advised each other to guard against
accepting his verdict if it countered their
wishes.
The Book consoles the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, for the hypocrisy of the
hypocrites and the distortions of the
Jews, in His word:
…And for whomso Allah wishes his
tribulation… ‘Tribulation’ (fitna), here,
means test or trial. For in these
accounts Allah wished to show the true
nature of the Jew and hypocrites so that
their obstinacy and refusal to return to
the word of Allah would become clear,
and their lying in their claim to be
religious would be revealed.
…—he has nothing on Allah at all….
It means that they can do nothing to
ward from themselves anything Allah
wishes to impose on them. His authority
is total.
…They are those whose hearts Allah
wishes not to cleanse…. Allah did not
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wish to cleanse the hearts of the Jews
and the hypocrites of the dirt of disbelief,
and so they did not receive His special
grace, as did the rest of the believers
whose hearts became cleansed of the
filth of disbelief. Allah explained for them
the proofs and set up for them the
convincing evidences, but they refused
to accept them and so Allah cut off His
grace from them.
…Theirs in the world is humiliation,…
Disgrace and humiliation was the lot of
the hypocrites and the Jews. As for the
hypocrites, it was through the
clarification of their hypocrisy before the
believers, who then despised them. And
as for the Jews, it was by impressing
abjection upon them ‘save with a rope
from Allah and a rope from humankind.’
…and theirs in the hereafter is a
grievous chastisement. The hypocrites
are at the lowest of the fire, while the
situation of the Jews there is clear.
All ears to the lie! Gobblers of the ill-
gotten! So if they come to thee, judge
among them or turn away. And if thou
turn away from them, they will never
harm thee a thing. And if thou judge
between them, judge in fairness;
indeed Allah loves the workers of
fairness.
(42)
All ears to the lie!… A repetition for
effect, to bring to mind their ugliness,
since when a person wishes to
emphasise something he says it more
than once, so that it is readily
acceptable to the listener.
…Gobblers of the ill-gotten!…
‘Gobblers’ is given akkalụn, which is to
April 3, 2011
say that they are extreme in devouring. And how would they want thee to
The ‘ill-gotten’ means bribes and judge, when with them is the Torah,
suchlike. Allah’s rule therein? Then they
turned back after that; and those are
…So if they come to thee,… It refers not believers.
to their approaching the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his (43)
House, as given in the accounts of the
adultery and the murder.
And how would they want thee to
judge, when with them is the Torah,…
…judge among them… It means that
How would they want the Messenger,
he was to judge by the law of Allah.
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, to be their judge, when they
…or turn away…. He was allowed to
were in possession of the Torah, which
turn away from them since they knew
they recognised as being a book of
the law, as it was fixed in the Torah.
Allah?
…And if thou turn away from them,
…Allah’s rule therein?… In the Torah
they will never harm thee a thing….
they had His laws concerning both
The Messenger, may Allah condescend
adultery and murder.
upon him and his House, would not
have been harmed had he refrained
…Then they turned back after that;…
from judging between them, as harm
They turned away from the Torah. Or it
and benefit are only in the hands of
means that they turned back from the
Allah, glorified be He.
Messenger’s judgement as well.
…And if thou judge between them,
…and those are not believers. It
judge in fairness;… He was to judge in
means in the Torah, or in the
justice, meaning in accordance to the
Messenger’s verdict, and whatever
law of Allah, which is stoning in the case
manifestation of faith they make, it is a
of a married adulterer and the death of
lie.
the murderer.
He then explains, glorified be He, that
…indeed Allah loves the workers of
the Torah whose laws were rejected in
fairness. He loves those who accord to
the instances of adultery and murder
justice in their judgements.
was a heavenly book that should have
been applied. Clearly this does not refer
The affair of these Jews was a strange
to the corrupted Torah the Jews now
one, for while they did not acknowledge
possess, for a part of the Torah
the truth of the Messenger’s call, still
remained free of falsification until the
they sought his verdicts in judging them.
time of the Messenger, may Allah
But that was for the simple reason that
condescend upon him and his House,
they wanted to escape from the law of
another part of it was corrupted before
the Torah, and find a verdict that would
the Messenger, may Allah condescend
accord to their desires:
upon him and his House. In the same
way, it is clear that the Torah was a light

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and a guidance during its own time, but
when a book came that was more of a
guidance and more of a light, and which
amended some of its laws, they were
not to act in accordance to the Torah
anymore. It is the same when we say
that the sacred Quran is guidance and
light, for we mean the entire Quran just
the way it is, not that those of its verses
that have been abrogated by its other
verses should be implemented—if we
submit to the view that abrogation
applies to the Quran:
Indeed We sent down the Torah,
guidance in it and light; the Prophets
who submitted judged by it for those
Judaised, the servants and the
clerics according to their preserving
Allah’s book, and they were
witnesses over that. So fear not
humankind, and fear Me, and
purchase not by My signs a small
price.
And whoso judges not by what Allah
sent down—those, they are the
disbelievers.
(44)
Indeed We sent down the Torah,
guidance in it and light;… Humankind
were guided by it upon the paths of
truth, and by it all of life’s murky
avenues were illuminated.
…the Prophets who submitted judged
by it,… It means the Prophets who
submitted to Allah and obeyed His laws.
Among them was the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, who judged by it in the instances
of the adultery and the murder.
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… for those Judaised,… The laws of
the Torah were only for the Jews,
whereas the Christians and Muslims
were to be judged according to what
they believed. It is ascertained in Islamic
law that it is permissible to judge each
community of the book-folk by their own
book. Thus the Imam Ali, bliss be upon
him, (wë±sZXäž“) has said, ‘By Allah,
with the authority I could judge among the
people of the Torah by their Torah, among
the people of the Gospel by their Gospel,
among the people of the Zabur by their
Zabur, and among the people of the Quran
by their Quran.’ It is also clear that the
Imamshave said, ‘Bind them by that which
they have bound themselves.’ Yet it is clear
that this does not apply to all the laws, as it
is not permissible to judge according to
some of the laws, and the general principle
is that the judge may give verdicts according
to their religion as far as Islam permits, but
beyond that they must be judged by the laws
of Islam.
…the servants… ‘Servants’ is given for
rabbaniyụn, meaning the religiously
conscientious, an unusual derivation
from rabb, meaning Master.
and the clerics… ‘Clerics’ is given for
aĥbar, meaning learned. The meaning is
that the Prophets and the religiously
devoted and the learned judged in
accordance to the Torah, and they did
so:
…according to their preserving
Allah’s book,… It means that because
Allah had them preserve the book and
because they took the lead in following
it, they judged by it accordingly.
…and they were witnesses over
that…. The Prophets and the devoted
and the scholars were witnesses to the
fact that the content of the book was the
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truth. In short, they judged by the Torah
as it was entrusted to them and they
were aware of its truthfulness.
Now, having explained that the cream of
the community judged according to the
Torah, He now explains, glorified be He,
that the corollary of all this is that those
who are adorned with the same qualities
should be courageous in manifesting
His laws, and should not deceive and
should not hide a law and should not
fear the people:
…So fear not humankind,… That is, in
manifesting the laws of the Torah such
as the stoning of the adulterer and the
killing of the murderer.
…and fear Me,… That is, fear
abandoning His command and altering
His laws, as benefit and harm are all in
His hands.
…and purchase not by My signs a
small price…. That is, exchange not
His signs and His laws in return for the
petty. For when they concealed the laws
for the sake of bribes and leadership,
they were like one who brings goods to
sell in return for money; and all wealth
and position is a small price when
compared to the law of Allah, for it all
perishes while the alterations and
distortions and the effects of concealing
the law of Allah.
…And whoso judges not by what
Allah sent down… The sense of this
phrase, instead of ‘and whoso judges by
other than what Allah sent down’ perhaps is
designed to include both the judge who
judges by the wrong, and also the silent who
hides the law of Allah by his silence. That is
because he who knows the law of Allah and
is silent and thus hides it is covered in the
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term ‘and whoso judges not by what Allah
sent down.’
…—those, they are the disbelievers.
It is clear that failing in the law is
disbelief in action, rather than disbelief
in principle, except when it is such that it
amounts to a denial of a principle of
belief or of an essential requisite of
Islam. The disbeliever is called a kafir
since he conceals the truth, as the literal
meaning of kufr is ‘to conceal’.
And We wrote upon them in it that ‘A
soul for a soul, an eye for an eye, a
nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a
tooth for a tooth and wounds:
retaliation.
So whoso gives it in charity, then that
will be an alleviation for him.
And whoso judges not by what Allah
sent down—those, they are the
wrongful.’
(45)
And We wrote upon them in it… He
decreed for the sons of Isra.il in the
Torah:
…that ‘A soul for a soul,… It means
that he who takes a life wilfully is to
forfeit his own life in return. Perhaps this
ayah supports the view that the
preceding ayat were occasioned by the
affair between the tribes of Quraiza and
Nazir, as given above.
…an eye for an eye,… The penalty for
gouging out the eye of someone or
blinding it is that the guilty party has his
own eye blinded.
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…a nose for a nose,… As for
destroying a person’s sense of smell,
though it seems to be opposed to the
literal meaning, yet that is the rule,
where possible.
…an ear for an ear,… As for the power
of hearing, as above.
…a tooth for a tooth… All of this is
conditional upon the conditions given in
fiqh.
…and wounds: retaliation. It means
that he who wounds a person is to be
wounded in the same way. This covers
lips, the male organ, the testicles, the
hands, the feet and all other types of
wound. ‘Retaliation’ is given for qisas
from qissa, meaning to pursue the
effect, as if the wounded pursues the
effect of the guilty party, and so wounds
him.
…So whoso gives it in charity,… That
is, whoso gives up the retribution in
charity, by pardoning it and giving up his
right.
…then that will be an alleviation for
him. His giving up his right to retaliation
will mitigate his sins. Al-Sadiq, bliss be
upon him, has said, ‘His sins will be
removed from him to the extent that he
forgives his wounds and other (wrongs).
…And whoso judges not by what
Allah sent down… We have
commented on this phrase above.
…—those, they are the wrongful.’
‘Wronging’ (zulm) can be to wrong
oneself and to wrong someone else.
The phrase differs from the earlier
description of them as ‘disbelievers’ and
the later description of them as
‘perverse’ so as to show that all three of
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these qualities are true of those who fail
to judge by that which Allah has sent
down. In the first instance such a person
conceals the law of Allah and hides it,
and so he is a kafir for the kafir is the
concealer—just as He says, glorified be
He, ‘..its growth amazes the concealer
(kuffar)…’ meaning the planter, for the
planter is a concealer in as much as he
conceals the seed in the earth. In the
second place, such a person is wrongful
(zalim) in that he wrongs himself by
disobeying Allah, glorified be He, in
concealing His law, and he also wrongs
the two parties or plaintiffs as well as the
society, for it is the law of Allah that is
the truth and the just, while all else is
deviation and swerving. And thirdly, he
is perverse (fasiq) in that by his false
verdict he departs from the upright,
straight path, as the meaning of fisq
from which fasiq is derived, is to depart
and desert.
Having mentioned the Jews, His word
now turns to the Christians, so as to
explain that the Prophets form a single
series, that the books of all of them are
guidance and light, and that they
confirm each other:
And We made ‘isa, son of Maryam,
follow in their footsteps, confirming
what was before him, the Torah, and
We granted him the Gospel; in it is
guidance and light and confirmation
of what was before it, the Torah, and
as a guidance and admonishment for
the guardful.
(46)
And We made ‘isa, son of Maryam,
follow in their footsteps,… It means
that ‘Isa (Jesus) was made to follow in
the footsteps of the previous Prophets,
April 3, 2011
in that he was raised after them as a whoso judges not by what Allah sent
Messenger, may Allah condescend down—those, they are the perverse.
upon him and his House.

…confirming what was before him,…

(47)
He confirmed that which they had
And the gospel-folk should judge by
previously received from Allah, glorified
what Allah sent down in it…. It means
be He.
that it was obligatory for those to whom
‘Isa was sent to implement the Gospel in
…the Torah,… It was the Torah that
its entirety, judging by it and accepting
was with them, and which ‘Isa
its evidences, including the glad tidings
confirmed. ‘Before him’ is given for
of the Messenger, may Allah
‘bayna yadayhi’ literally meaning
condescend upon him and his House,
‘between his hands’ but used in the sense of
and the obligation to follow him.
‘in front of him.’ So here is a case of a term
coined to describe a place being used in the
…And whoso judges not by what
sense of a time, which is common
Allah sent down—those, they are the
metaphorical usage.
perverse. All the religions were from
Allah and all the Prophets were the
…and We granted him the Gospel,…
envoys of the one God, and all the
‘Gospel’ is given for al-Injil , the book of
books were sent down from Allah.
Allah sent down upon ‘Isa
Therefore it was essential that the
Prophets judged by the books that had
…in it guidance and light and
been sent down, and that the people
confirmation of what was before it,…
follow the Prophets. However, as far as
The Gospel was guidance and light, as
the books were distorted they were not
explained above, and it too confirmed
from Allah, and as for the parts of them
the divine book that preceded it, namely:
that were abrogated or repealed, after
that it becomes necessary to follow that
the Torah,… Both ‘Isa himself and the
which abrogates and repeals.
book sent down upon him confirmed the
truth of the original Torah.
Having concluded the discourse
surrounding the Torah and the Gospel,
…and as a guidance… This means
the two religious books that were then in
that the Gospel was a guidance.
the hands of the people, He now
mentions, glorified be He, the holy
…and admonishment for the
Quran:
guardful. It was an admonition for those
who guard against sin, for it warned
And We have sent down unto thee
them of the punishments and guided the book in truth, in confirmation of
and encouraged them towards the
that before thee—the book—and as a
eternal rewards. The mention of watcher over it.
‘confirmation’ and ‘guidance’ is repeated
for emphasis and effect.
So judge between them by what Allah
has sent down, and follow not their
And the gospel-folk should judge by
what Allah sent down in it. And
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desires away from the truth that has been greatly deviated by the hands of
come to thee. sinners.

To each of ye We have put a lane and an …So judge between them by what
avenue. And had Allah willed He would Allah has sent down,… The
have made ye a single nation, but in order Messenger, may Allah condescend
to try ye by what He granted ye. upon him and his House, was to judge
between the scripturalists in general, or
So seek precedence in the good the Jews in particular, by the laws of
works. Unto Allah is your return, Allah—including those pertaining to
together, then He shall inform ye as adultery and murder, as given.
to that in which ye differ.
…and follow not their desires… They
(48) desired that the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
judge among them contrary to the law of
And We have sent down unto thee
Allah, so that his verdict would be the
the book in truth,… The holy Quran
lashing of the adulterer and the
was sent down upon Allah’s Messenger,
compensation of the murderer.
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, ‘in truth’ (bi ‘l-ĥaqq), meaning
…away from the truth that has come
that there is nothing false in it, or that
to thee…. That is, he was not to swerve
the sending down was in truth, in that
from the truth and the correct. The
both the sender and the receiver were in
meaning of following their desires was
the right, for the sender is right in
to swerve from the truth, and for one
sending it down and legislating, while
phrase to follow another with the same
the receiver was a messenger who was
basic meaning is perfectly acceptable.
right in taking it and accepting it.
Now, as the discourse concerns the
…in confirmation of that before
unity of religion in all aspects, in that the
thee—the book—… ‘The book’ here
previous verses dealt with the fact that
means all the books, meaning that the
each Prophet and each book confirmed
Quran confirms all the heavenly books
all the previous Prophets and their
that preceded it.
books, the question arises as to why the
Jews and Christians should accept the
…and as a watcher over it…. That is,
Messenger, may Allah condescend
the Quran is a watcher over the books
upon him and his House, and the
that preceded it. The Quran is like a
Quran. Therefore the narrative turns to
witness to the errors and the upright in
the differences between the
the previous books, in the sense that it
dispensations in the particularities and
was evidence to everything that had
the practical details of each, even
been falsified and everything that had
though they are as one in the basic
been added and everything that had
principles and in substance:
been deleted. That is because the wise
Quran clarifies the general beliefs and
…To each of ye… It means that each
the principles of worship and trade and
community of the Jews, Christians and
ethics, whereas the previous books had
Muslims.
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…We have put a lane and an
avenue…. ‘Lane’ is put for shari’ah
while ‘avenue’ is put for minhaj. The
shari’ah is the beginning of the path,
while the minhaj is the straight path which
it is necessary for the human to follow in
life. The literal translation is ‘To each We
have put of ye…’ as the emphasis is on the
matter of Allah’s placing a path, not that of
the different communities having been
placed a path.
…And had Allah willed He would
have made ye… ‘Ye’, here, stands for
the three communities.
…a single nation,… By sending a
single Prophet with a single book.
…but… It means: ‘but he put ye on
different paths…’.
…in order to try ye by what He
granted ye…. That is, by what He made
obligatory upon the different
communities, so that it be clear who
follows the appropriate Prophet and who
does not, and who implements the
commands in their entirety and who
does not.
…So seek precedence in the good
works…. The communities are to
compete in doing good and
implementing the commands of Allah.
…Unto Allah is your return,
together,… All three of the communities
are returning to Allah. Of course, this is
metaphorical, as Allah occupies no
place.
…then He shall inform ye as to that in
which ye differ. The members of the
three communities will be informed
about the details of their religions, as a
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prelude to their being requited for their
deeds and beliefs.
He then explains, glorified be He, that it
is obligatory that the Jews be judged by
that which Allah has sent down. The
matter is repeated since they sought the
verdict of the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House, in
two instances, that of the adultery and
that of the murder:
And that: judge thou among them by
what Allah has sent down, and follow not
their desires, and beware of them lest they
tempt thee from some of what Allah has
sent down unto thee. And if they turn
back, know that Allah wishes but to
afflict them for some of their sins, and
indeed many of humankind are truly
perverse.
(49)
And that: judge thou… The imperative
is in the singular, addressed to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House. It is
conjunctive to His word in the previous
ayah, ‘So judge…’. Or it is conjunctive to
‘…the book…’, giving the meaning, ‘And
We have sent down unto thee the
book…and We have sent down unto
thee (this instruction): judge thou…’.
…among them by what Allah has
sent down, and follow not their
desires,… They desired him to issue a
verdict contrary to Allah’s law.
…and beware of them… That is, of
those Jews.
…lest they temp thee from… That is,
deviate him by temping him away from,
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…some of what Allah has sent down Is it for the judgement of the
unto thee…. It refers to their seeking ignorance that they yearn? Who is
him to issue a verdict contrary to the law more beautiful than Allah in
of Allah, glorified be He. It is recorded judgement, for a tribe certain?
that the Jews put it to the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his (50)
House, that they would believe in him if
he would indulge them by granting them
Is it for the judgement of the
a remission in certain laws, among them
ignorance that they yearn?… The
the stoning of the married fornicator.
interrogative is to affect censure. Do the
The meaning of the warning ‘…beware
Jews prefer to be judged according to
of them…’ is not to indicate that he
the law of ignorance? The meaning of
would otherwise have acted wrongly,
‘ignorance’, here, is human ignorance
but rather to clarify the law and its
that seeks not to be judged according to
importance. It is like His addressing him
a fixed legal structure but rather by
with the imperative, ‘Establish the
desires, ties of class and kin and by
prayer…’ and suchlike.
prejudices and suchlike. In short, whoso
seeks a law other than Allah’s law seeks
…And if they turn back,… If they turn
the laws of ignorance—even when the
away from the right and true, and accept
law rests with a majority in a parliament.
not thy judgement, O Messenger.
…Who is more beautiful than Allah in
…know that Allah wishes but to
judgement,… The question form gives
afflict them for some of their sins,…
the sense that there is no law better
Rebellion against Allah and His
than the law of Allah.
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, leads to the
…for a tribe certain? It means a
punishment of Allah, glorified be He,
people who have certainty in Allah and
and their recalcitrance towards the
the last day, for they know that Allah’s
Messenger’s judgement was a cause of
laws are the best of all laws, and that
Allah’s anger, leading in turn to His
they are free of all the deviations that
taking them for some of their sins. Or
affect human laws.
their recalcitrance was itself the
punishment of some of the sins they had
After His having explained, glorified be
committed—a man said to Imam Ali,
He, the deviation and straying of the
bliss be upon him, that he was deprived
Jews, He now mentions that there is no
from the mid-night prayer; he replied that
permission to take them or the
‘Your sins are restraining you.’
Christians as patrons (awliya).
Concerning the circumstances of this
…and indeed many of humankind are
revelation, it is said that a man from
truly perverse. They are ‘truly perverse’
among the Muslims said that he had a
(la fasiqụn) in that they have departed
right upon such and such Jew, and that
and are external to obedience to Allah,
he would take refuge with him. Another
glorified be He. The phrase was to
said that he had a right upon such and
console the Prophetso that he would not
such Christian and that he would take
be sad at the fact that his rule was not
being accepted.
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refuge with him. And so this ayah was
sent down:
O ye who believe, take not the Jews
and Christians as patrons—some of
them are patrons of others. And
whoso among ye is patronised by
them—indeed he is of them; indeed
Allah guides not the wrongful tribe.
(51)
O ye who believe, take not the Jews
and Christians as patrons… The
Muslims are not to befriend them to the
extent that the relationship is as one
between a patron and his protégé, or
that their friendship be such that they be
intimate friends.
…—some of them are patrons of
others…. Some of them patronise and
assist and succour others—against the
Muslims. The truth of this has become
apparent in the real world over fourteen
centuries, for the Jews and Christians
have consistently supported each other
against the Muslims, despite all the
enmity and hostility between
themselves.
…And whoso among ye is patronised
by them… Whoso befriends them to the
extent that they are as patrons and
supporters instead of fellow Muslims,
…—indeed he is of them;… That is, by
his actions he is a disbeliever, and
bound for the fire, and a danger to the
Muslims. And the truth of this has been
witnessed over the past century as
those Muslims who have taken
patronage from the disbelievers have
been the most dangerous of all to the
Muslims, giving succour to the
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disbelievers and being succoured by
them.
…indeed Allah guides not the tribe
wrongful. Such as wrong themselves
after their knowledge and recognition,
for truly Allah, glorified be He, no longer
graces them with His hidden grace.
Following upon this decisive ordinance
which has been proven by the logic of
the history of Islam, in that every
protégé desires the good of his patron,
rather than the good of the community,
the matter is expounded upon:
So thou see those in whose hearts is
a disease rushing about them; they
say, ‘We fear that a turnabout will
afflict us.’
It may be that Allah will give a conquest
or a matter from Himself, then for what
they secreted within themselves they shall
become regretful.
(52 )
So thou see those in whose hearts is
a disease rushing about them;… The
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, was a witness
to those in whose hearts was the
disease of doubt and hypocrisy rushing
about befriending the book-folk and
taking them as patrons. Ibn ‘Abbas has
stated that the person meant was
‘Abdullah b. Ubayy, in that the
companion Ibn Samit came to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and said, ‘O
Messenger of Allah, I have friends
(awliya) among the Jews who are many
in numbers, strong in their persons and
enthusiastic, yet I renounce their
patronage unto Allah and His
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Messenger, for I have no patron but
Allah and His Messenger.’ At this Ibn
Ubayy said, ‘But I do not renounce the
patronage of the Jews, for I fear a
turnabout, and I must have them.'
Perhaps they are said to be ‘rushing’
(yusari’ụn) so as to hint that they were
seeking ties of patronage without there
being any apparent signs of their
needing patronage, for they were
seeking them as patrons in case the
time came when they needed them,
which is a worse evil than taking them
as patrons at a time when the Muslims
had suffered some setback.
…they say,… That is, they said in
justification for what they were doing:
…‘We fear that a turnabout will afflict
us.’ They meant a reversal of fortune that
would raise the disbelievers over the
Muslims, and that they were taking them as
patrons now so that if ever such a reversal
should occur, they would be protected.
…It may be that Allah will give a
conquest… It was a hint of victory for
the Muslims over the disbelievers.
…or a matter from Himself,… It means
other means of the Muslims becoming
grand and powerful, like increase in
numbers, the evacuation of the
disbelievers, and suchlike.
…then for what they secreted within
themselves they shall become
regretful. Those hypocrites who
befriended outsiders in fear of the
grandeur of the disbelievers and
setbacks for the Muslims would then
regret their having taken such close ties
with the Jews. Perhaps the term ‘what
they secreted’, despite their being open
about their taking patronage in fear of a
turnabout, is to allude to their having
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hidden much else within themselves—
as is typical with hypocrisy and
hypocrites. As for their regret, it was not
for the sake of truth but because they
would then be twice losers, having lost
the confidence of the Muslims after they
had recognised their hypocrisy, while
their friends the disbelievers had been
defeated.
And those who believe say, ‘Are
those them who swore by Allah their
earnest oaths that indeed they “are
with ye”?’ Their deeds are for
nothing and they’ve become of the
losers.
(53)
And those who believe say… Upon
the promise of Allah of victory for the
Muslims or His bringing about some
other form of grandeur, the genuine
believers will say in amazement at the
hypocrisy of the hypocrites and their
insolence before Allah in declaring a
false faith:
…‘Are those them who swore by
Allah their earnest oaths… That is:
‘Are those hypocrites whose real
natures have become clear the same
people who swore their firmest,
strongest oaths to the effect:
…that indeed they “are with ye”?’…
That is, that they were with the believers
in genuinely having faith and in the
struggle. How could they have made
such oaths, when their real natures
have become clear in the decisive battle
that has raised the Muslims? Hypocrisy
only becomes properly clear in battle
and in difficulties, and when the Muslims
recognised their hypocrisy they were
sure to be astonished at their show of
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faith and their crude, false oaths by
which they sought to prop up their
professions of faith and their place
among the Muslims.
…Their deeds are for nothing and
they’ve become of the losers. All the
acts of obedience performed by the
hypocrites were wiped out by their
hypocrisy. Or all their efforts in bonding
with the two sides were futile because of
the defeat of the disbelievers, and the
believers’ recognition of them as
hypocrites and thus refraining from
them. They were therefore losers both in
the world and in the hereafter.
Having dealt with the issue of the harm
of hypocrisy, the narrative now turns to
the believers, explaining that were they
to apostatise, they should not imagine
that their doing so would be of any harm
to Allah’s religion, glorified be He, as in
every age Allah has entrusted His
religion to those who will implement the
conditions of faith. So the apostate only
harms himself, and can do no harm to
the religion of Allah, the Most High:
O ye who believe, whoso apostatises
from his religion among ye, Allah
shall shortly bring a tribe whom He
loves and who love Him—lowly upon
the believers, grand upon the
disbelievers; they will combat in
Allah’s path, and will fear not the
blame of any blamer. That is Allah’s
profusion, He grants it to whom He
wills; and Allah is expansive, aware.
(54)
O ye who believe, whoso apostatises
from his religion among ye, … The
term apostasy (irtidad) covers both
leaving Islam for disbelief and also
becoming a hypocrite, for the inner
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turning away from Islam is also a type of
apostasy.
…Allah shall shortly bring a tribe
whom He loves and who love Him…
He has a bond unto them and they have
a bond unto Him, glorified be He.
‘Shortly’ is given for sawfa, and this
perhaps indicates that they should not
think that the delay in the matter would
produce a splint or a chink in the faith.
On the contrary, the delay is for the
coming of the virtuous, after the
apostasy of a section of the community.
…lowly upon the believers,… ‘Lowly’
is given idhillatin, from al-dhill, meaning
the opposite of harsh, or from al-dhull,
meaning the opposite of grand.
…grand upon the disbelievers;…
They are soft and relenting and kindly
towards the believers, harsh and severe
with the disbelievers. This is
commendatory, for to be kindly towards
the disbelievers would facilitate the
persistence of disbelief, whereas to
manifest severity leads to the
withdrawing of disbelief into itself,
without affecting the believers with
weakness. It is as He says, glorified be
He, in another ayah, ‘…severe against
the disbelievers, compassionate among
themselves…’.
…they will combat in Allah’s path,…
That is, to raise His word.
…and will fear not the blame of any
blamer…. ‘Combat’, or jihad,
necessitates the apportioning of blame
by people from among both the Muslims
and the disbelievers. The case of the
latter is clear; as for the former, it is
because views generally differ, and so
some will blame others, as has been
presently experienced. Many people are
April 3, 2011
prevented from waging jihad not by the
difficulties of jihad, but by the blaming of
blamers and the criticism of critics. This
ayah was certainly sent down in praise
of Imam Ali, bliss be upon him, and his
noble companions, even though literally
the sense is general, as is generally the
case with the ayat of the glorious Quran.
Perhaps the term ‘…shall shortly
bring…’, despite Imam Ali, bliss be upon
him, being present at the time the verse was
sent down, is because of the attribute
‘…they will combat…’; since one might
say, ‘I will soon bring one who will do
such and such’ when what is meant is
that the person will soon do the act, not
that the person will shortly come.
…That is Allah’s profusion,… The
bringing of such a tribe whom Allah will
love and who will love Allah, and their
being gentle unto the believers and firm
upon the disbelievers, and their waging
the combat without fearing any blame or
censure, is grace and profusion from
Allah, in that He has graced them with
these qualities and guided them to the
truth.
…He grants it to whom He wills;… He
grants that profusion to those He wills,
those He knows are worthy of it and
fitting for it.
…and Allah is expansive,… His
profusion is expansive, and that He
bestows it upon someone should not be
grounds for imagining that thereby it is
in any way depleted.
…aware. He is aware of where to
deposit His grace and bestow His
generosity.
Having given, glorified be He, that it is not
permissible for the believers to take the
disbelievers as patrons, He now explains
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that the believers’ patron is Allah, and that it
is necessary for them to take Allah and His
Messenger and whoever he appoints as a
patron. All commentators are agreed that
these ayat were sent down concerning Imam
Ali, bliss be upon him, and it has been said
that the remaining eleven Imams are not
included, and that the term ‘sole’ (given for
innama) restricts it to him. The answer to
this is, firstly, that the restriction only
applied at the time of the ayah’s descent,
whereas their having this rank was after that.
Secondly, and more valid, is the fact that the
Imams being patrons was a furtherance of
Imam Ali, bliss be upon him, being the
patron – just as we say that so and so is the
governor of a particular territory, and whoso
he appoints as the governor of an area within
that territory governs it by extension of the
authority of the governor of the whole
territory.
Your sole patron is Allah and His
Messenger and ‘those who believe’—
those who establish the prayer and
pay the zakat while they are bowing.
(55)
Your sole patron is Allah… The
absolute patron and authority is Allah,
for His is the power and the authority
over every aspect of ourselves and our
affairs.
…and His Messenger… That is,
Muhammad the son of ‘Abdullah
and ‘those who believe’… It means
that believer in particular who has this
attribute:
…—those who establish the prayer
and pay the zakat while they are
bowing. ‘Zakat’ here means charity.
Narrators of both schools have narrated
April 3, 2011
that this verse refers to Imam Ali, bliss
be upon him, who gave a ring in charity
while he was bowing in the prayer. In
some narrations we have it that, while in
prayer even before that, he gave as
charity a valuable staff worth a thousand
dinars that was a gift from the king of
Ethiopia to the Prophet who had gifted it
to Ali, bliss be upon him.
He then recounts, glorified be He, that
under their patronage is to be found
deliverance and success and victory,
and that whoever thinks that success is
to be found under the patronage of
others is mistaken. And history has
confirmed this, for whenever the
Muslims have stuck to their patronage
they have prospered and progressed,
whereas whenever they have accepted
the patronage of others they have failed
and fallen behind:
And whoso makes a patron of Allah
and His Messenger and ‘those who
believe’—indeed Allah’s faction, they
are the overcomers.
(56)
And whoso makes a patron of Allah…
By implementing His commands,
glorified be He, and refraining from the
things He prohibits.
…and His Messenger… By following
him and imitating him in his actions and
his words.
…and ‘those who believe’… That is,
‘Ali and the Imams, bliss be upon them,
according to the circumstances of the
descent, or every believer in general as
opposed to taking the disbelievers as
patrons.
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…—indeed Allah’s faction, they are
the overcomers. It is the army and
community of Allah who overcome all
other parties, factions and armies. There
is a break here, because the phrase is
not, ‘indeed they are the overcomers’,
and this indicates that Allah’s protégés
are counted as being Allah’s faction and
His community, so that the matter is not
one sided on the part of the slave, but
also from the side of Allah too, so while
the slave seeks Allah’s patronage, Allah
does in fact grant it, with all its benefits.
The Muslims have been prohibited from
taking the Jews and Christians as
patrons, so now the narrative turns to
prohibit the taking of any disbeliever or
any other scripturalist as a patron. It is
narrated concerning the circumstances
of this revelation that Zaid b. al-Tabụt
and Suwaid b. al-Hirth made a show of
Islam, and then some of the Muslims
closely befriended them; and so this
ayah was sent down. If that is the case,
then the ayah also covers the hypocrite:
O ye who believe, take not those who
take your religion in scorn and in
sport from among those given the
book before thee and the disbelievers
as patrons, and be guardful of Allah if
ye be believers.
(57)
O ye who believe, take not those who
take your religion in scorn and in
sport… It means those who make a
game of religion and play with it, by
manifesting Islam outwardly while
inwardly maintaining disbelief in their
hearts. Or it means making a sport of it
by deriding it and mocking it.
April 3, 2011
…from among those given the book
before thee… It means those whose
communities that had received heavenly
revelations, the followers of the religions
that preceded Islam.
…and the disbelievers… The term
‘disbelievers’ includes the hypocrites, as
has been explained. It is plain that the
term also includes the book-folk, but in
the sense of this particular revelation the
term is meant to cover the other
disbelievers.
…as patrons, and be guardful of
Allah if ye be believers. That is, do not
oppose Him if ye believe in Him and His
instructions.
And when ye call unto the prayer,
they take it in scorn and in sport; that
is because they are a tribe reflecting
not.
(58)
And when ye call unto the prayer,
they take it in scorn and in sport;…
When the Muslims call out for the
prayer, they make fun of the prayer by
winking and laughing, as is customary
with hypocrites today as well.
…that is because they are a tribe
reflecting not. The disbelievers make
fun of the prayer for the simple reason
that they do not reflect about the
benefits of the prayer, and do not realise
that it is the way of deliverance from the
fire.
A group of Jews came to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and asked him
which of the previous Prophets he
believed in. He said that he believed in
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Allah and what was sent down upon
Ibrahim, Isma‘il, Isĥaq until he reached
‘isa When they heard him say that they
denied his prophethood and said, ‘We
know of no religion’s followers with a
lesser portion in the world and in the
hereafter than ye, and we know of no
religion worse than your religion.’ And
so this ayah came down:
Say, O ye the book-folk, are ye
enraged at us other than for our
believing in Allah and that sent down
to us and that sent down beforehand,
while most of ye are perverse.’
(59)
Say, O ye the book-folk, are ye enraged at
us other than for our believing in Allah…
That is, with a faith that does not
embrace elements of disbelief, as that of
the book-folk.
…and that sent down to us… It refers
to the sacred Quran.
…and that sent down beforehand,…
That is, the revelations sent down upon
all the previous Prophets.
…while truly of ye are perverse?’ It
was their perversity as having departed from
the natural path of Allah’s religion that gave
rise to their criticism of the Prophet. The
form of this phrase is in line with such usage
as: ‘Do you criticise me other than for my
being chaste, whereas you are brazen?’ or
‘…other than for my being generous,
whereas you are mean?’ Such phrases are
part of the beauty of Arabic.
Say, ‘Shall I announce to ye of worse
than that in reward from Allah?
Whomso Allah curses and is angry
upon, and put some of them as apes
April 3, 2011
and pigs, and who worshipped the
false god. Those are the worst in
location and the most astray from the
evenness of path.
(60)
Say,… The directive, in the singular, is
to Allah’s Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House.
…‘Shall I announce to ye of worse
than that… That is: if you say our belief
is evil, let me tell you about something
far worse than that.
…in reward from Allah?… It means in
requital from Him, glorified be He. It is
called ‘reward’ in mockery of them. As
for the belief of the Muslims being ‘evil’,
even though it was nothing but
goodness, it was not countered for the
sake of being able to draw the contrast.
…Whomso Allah curses… ‘Curses’ is
put for la ‘ana, meaning to cast from His
mercy. The curse of Allah was clearly
worse than anything the Muslims
believed.
…and is angry upon… Angry for the
reason of their disobedience and their
rejection of the truth.
…and put some of them as apes… It
is as He says, ‘…We said to them, “Be
apes, outcast!”…’.
…and pigs… He transformed them into
the forms of these two dirty animals.
…and who worshipped the false
god…. This is a conjunct to ‘whomso
Allah curses’. The false god (al-taghụt)
was the golden calf that their people had
worshipped.
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…Those… The Jews, having these
attributes.
…are the worst in location… Their
place in hell was worse than the position of
the believers whom they criticised. It has
been given that such language is for literary
comparison, for otherwise there is nothing
evil about the position of the believers.
…and the most astray from the
evenness of path. They are far more
astray from the centre of the path.
Given that the present discussion began
with a consideration of matters common
to both the hypocrite and the book-folk,
He now mentions, glorified be He, one
of the hypocrite’s particular
characteristics, the fact that admonition
and guidance has no affect on them:
And when they come to ye, they say,
‘We believe’—while they enter with
disbelief and they depart with it; and
Allah is more aware of what they
conceal.
(61)
And when they come to ye, they say,
‘We believe’… Whenever they come
into contact with the Muslims they claim
to have believed just as the believers
have believed.
—while they enter with disbelief and
they depart with it;… That is, they
enter every discourse in a condition of
disbelief and they leave the discourse in
that same condition of disbelief. The
terminology is such as to convey the
idea that their disbelief is something
they carry around with them from place
to place and from sitting to sitting,
without it ever changing. Admonition
384 | P a g e April 3, 2011
and eloquence has no effect on them,
as their hearts are with their brothers the
disbelievers, rather than with the
Muslims.
…and Allah is more aware of what
they conceal. That is, Allah is more
aware than the believers of the disbelief
and hypocrisy that the hypocrites hide.
These disbelievers also have another
vice along with their disbelief, and which
is a corollary of their deviation, and this
vice is indicated in His word:
And thou see many of them rushing
in sin and enmity and their
consuming of the ill-gotten. Truly
atrocious is what they do.
(62)
And thou see many of them rushing
in sin and enmity… The Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, could see that their leaders and
their leading men were competing with
each other in sin and transgression
against the people. Since they did not
believe in Allah and their so-called
religiosity was entirely outward, their
thoughts were centred on hunting more
and more wealth and position, and so
they competed with each other in that.
Sins had no importance for them, as
their hearts were empty of belief, and
transgression is the characteristic of
those who seek only to improve their
worldly lives.
…and their consuming of the ill-
gotten…. They consumed all they could
of the fruits of forbidden property,
bribery, usury, the wealth of orphans
and of acquiring the wealth of people
unlawfully.
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…Truly atrocious is what they do.
That is because their deeds lead them
to humiliation in the world and the
hereafter.
Here the thread turns to address the
scholars and pious among them,
demanding why they were silent in the
face of these instances of the
dishonourable and these crimes?
Why do the servants and the clerics
not forbid them from their word of sin
and their consuming of the ill-gotten?
Truly atrocious is what they work.
(63)
Why do the servants and the clerics
not forbid them… Why do they not
forbid those of their people who rush
about for the purposes of sin and
expressing their enmity.
…from their word of sin… The term
‘their word of sin’ (qawlihim al-ithm)
covers everything a person says that is
wrong, like lying, backbiting, slander,
distortion and so forth.
…and their consuming the ill-
gotten?… ‘The ill-gotten’ (al-suĥt)
includes usury and bribes and suchlike,
and is the most severe of all the
forbidden.
…Truly atrocious is what they work. It
means what the scholars and religious
classes do, for their silence before the
false and their self-adornment is a kind
of ‘work’ (san’ ).
He then gives an example, glorified be
He, for their ‘word of sin’, in His word:
April 3, 2011
And the Jews say, ‘Allah’s hand is
shackled.’ Their hands be shackled!
And cursed they are for what they
say. Nay, Allah’s hands are both
outstretched, He dispenses how He
wills.
And what is sent down to thee from
they Master indeed increases many
of them in transgression and
disbelief; and We cast among them
enmity and hatred until the day of
resurrection—the more they prepare
a fire for war, Allah quenches it—and
they strive in the earth in corruption,
and Allah loves not the corrupters.
(64)
And the Jews say, ‘Allah’s hand is
shackled.’… They meant that He
dispenses not and bestows not, in
seeking to justify their own miserliness,
for if Allah Himself dispenses not, how
could they be expected to dispense? It
is said that the circumstances of the
revelation were such that the Jews had
been the most wealthy of the people of
Madina, but when the Messenger
arrived and they belied him, their
economic fortunes went into decline,
and one of the Jews, a man called
Fakhas, said that the hand of Allah was
shackled. And so this came to refute
him.
…Their hands be shackled!… It is a
supplicative exclamation, meaning may
their hands be deprived of goodness. Or
it is informative, meaning that the Jews
are wicked and miserly, and that their
hands are shackled, not the hand of
Allah, glorified be He.
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…And cursed they are for what they
say…. Allah curses them and casts
them from His mercy for what they say.
…Nay, Allah’s hands are both
outstretched,… The term is to indicate
that He is generous and the giver of
plenty. The mention of His having
‘hands’ is to provide a literary parallel,
and it is used in the plural to indicate the
full meaning of generosity.
…He dispenses how He wills. His
putting the Jews into conditions of
constraint was not proof that His hand
was shackled, but that He dispenses
how He wills, according to His wisdom
and the what is best.
He then mentions, glorified be He, that
the descent of the Quran and their
exposure increased many of the Jews in
nothing but deviation and straying:
…And what is sent down to thee from
they Master indeed increases many
of them… Not all of them, for some of
them were guided as a result of the
sacred Quran being sent down.
…in transgression and disbelief;…
Their transgression and rejection of the
belief was increased by the descent of
the Quran. As for their increase in
disbelief, it was because whenever they
denied an ayah and a rule, their
concealing the truth and disbelieving in
it was augmented. And as for their
increase in transgression, that is
because they opposed the call more
and more as they saw it advance.
…and We cast among them enmity
and hatred… That is, among the Jews.
Their nature that had fermented within
themselves by their self-love, their belief
that they were Allah’s chosen ones, and
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their miserliness with material things is definitely enter them into gardens of
bound to give rise to enmity among blessings.
themselves—for as long as they are
Jews and cling to these pathetic beliefs. (65)
That is because the causes of conflict in
the world generally turn on matters of
And were the book-folk to believe
status and wealth, and these two are
and be guardful,…That is, if they were
concealed within the heart of every Jew.
to believe in what Allah had sent down,
And history has shown the proof of this,
and become guardful against disobeying
for the Jews are always in conflict with
Him.
each other and hate each other—and
even in contemporary Palestine the
…We definitely would cover their
Jewish parties and forces are engaged
evils… That is, their past sins, for the
in the ugliest forms of hatred and
acceptance of Islam by a person wipes
enmity.
out all that he has done before.
…until the day of resurrection… It has
…and We would definitely enter them
been explained that the meaning of this
into gardens of blessings. Those
term is the permanence of the law, not
gardens that contain all the various
the permanence of the Jews.
blessings and munificence.
…—the more they prepare a fire for
And had they established the Torah
war, Allah quenches it… Whenever they
and the Gospel and that sent down to
wish to make war against the Muslims,
them from their Master, they would
Allah defeats them and grants victory to the
have eaten from above them and
Muslims. History has proven this, for the
from under their feet. Among them is
Prophetwas victorious over the Jews of
a moderate nation, while many of
Quraizah, Nazir, the Khaibar, Fadak and
them—evil is what they do.
others, although their numbers and
equipment were superior, and after that the
Muslims could no longer fight the Muslims. (66)
And even in present-day Palestine, they
depend upon ‘a rope from the people’. And had they established the Torah
and the Gospel… Had the Jews
…—and they strive in the earth in implemented them without distortions
corruption,… They are constant in and without adding to them and
working corruption, in their seeking removing from them.
supremacy over other people.
…and that sent down to them from
…and Allah loves not the their Master,… That is, the Quran,
corrupters.He loathes them, for every which was sent down to them in the
worker of good is loved, and every sense of it being sent down among them
worker of corruption is loathed. and in their time.

And were the book-folk to believe …they would have eaten from above
and be guardful, We definitely would them… It means from the heavens, as
cover their evils and We would Allah makes the skies a means of
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copious abundance for those who
believe and are guardful.
…and from under their feet…. The
land would have produced abundant
goodness and blessings, as He says,
glorified be He, ‘Had the townsfolk
believed and been guardful, We would
have opened unto them the blessings of
the heaven and the earth…’
…Among them is a moderate
nation,… It means that among the Jews
there were some who were just and
balanced in their works, who neither
exaggerated nor were they deficient. In
this every community is the same, some
are balanced while others are extreme.
Or it means those who believed in the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, who are said
to be ‘among them’ in consideration of
their past.
…while many of them—evil is what
they do. It means that most of them
were on one of the two extremes, and
evil was what they did.
O thou the Messenger, deliver that
sent down unto thee from they
Master. And if thou do not, thou will
not have delivered His message. And
Allah protects thee from humankind;
indeed Allah guides not the tribe
disbelieving.
(67)
O thou the Messenger, deliver that
sent down unto thee from they
Master…. This ayah was sent down on
the occasion of the Messenger’s
appointing Imam ‘Ali, bliss be upon him,
to succeed him—as all the
commentators are agreed. The
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Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, feared the
hypocrites on that account, so Allah
clarified the importance of the issue in
His word:
…And if thou do not,… If the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, failed to
establish the appointment of Imam Ali,
bliss be upon him, it would have been
as if:
…thou will not have delivered His
message…. The whole of the mission
was dependent upon this appointment.
That is obvious, as the failure to appoint
the successor would have meant the
loss of the religion and all the efforts
would have been futile. Allah was
safeguarding him from that which he
feared, and so said:
…And Allah protects thee from
humankind;… That is, they were not
able to cause the tribulation, revolution
and annoyances which the Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, feared at the time. When the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, had departed
from his ‘Farewell Hajj’, in the middle of
the desert, he commanded that a
platform be raised for him, and he gave
a long and eloquent address. Then he
took the hand of Ali, bliss be upon him,
and said, ‘He whose patron I am, so this
‘Ali is his patron; O Allah, befriend he
who befriends ‘Ali, and be an enemy to
he who is an enemy to him, succour he
who succours him and forsake he who
forsakes him….’ At this his poet, Hassan
b. Thabit, composed the lines that
begin:
Their Prophet called them on
the day of Ghadeer,
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 at Khumm, and
‘Listen to the Messenger’ was the cry…
…indeed Allah guides not the tribe
disbelieving. That is, those who
disbelieve in the Messenger’s mission.
The meaning of His not guiding them is
that He graces them not with any further
grace once they have turned away from
the truth in obstinacy and arrogance.
Perhaps the connection between the
ayah and that which precedes it and which
follows it is that just as the people were
ordered to accept it, the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, was ordered to deliver it. It is
graced by the discourse, with a change
in style in the middle of an issue, is a
matter of eloquence, as it gives a shock
that drives the issue home—as we have
seen in similar ayat.
Say: ‘O ye the book-folk, ye are on
nothing until ye establish the Torah
and the Gospel and that sent down
unto ye from your Master.’
And what is sent down to thee from
they Master will indeed increase
many of them in transgression and
disbelief; so despair not for the tribe
disbelieving.
(68)
Say: ‘O ye the book-folk, ye are on
nothing… The Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
was to tell the Jews that they were not a
valid path of religiosity such as Allah,
glorified be He, is content with for His
servants.
…until ye establish the Torah and the
Gospel and that sent down unto ye
from your Master.’… They were to
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‘establish’ the Torah and the Gospel and
the Quran by implementing their
contents without distortion and without
amendments. It has been given that the
Quran was sent down ‘unto’ them in the
sense that it was sent down in their
presence.
…And what is sent down to thee from
they Master will indeed increase
many of them in transgression and
disbelief;… Instead of them being
guided by the Quran it only increased
them in transgression, in that the more
they witnessed of it the more they
decided to oppose it and to deny all that
was in it. The attribution of this attribute
to the Quran itself is metaphorical,
otherwise the increase was due to their
own selves.
…so despair not for the tribe
disbelieving. The Prophet was not to
let himself become upset by that group
who disbelieved even though they had
recognised it as the truth, who turned
away from guidance after witnessing it
and recognising it.
Having given that Allah does not guide
the disbelieving tribe, suggesting that
they are not capable of being guided,
He now states, glorified be He, that
were they to believe, they would be
bound to receive what all other believers
receive, the goodly wage and reward:
Indeed those who believe and those
Judaised and the Sabians and the
Nazarenes—whoso believes in Allah
and the day of resurrection and acts
virtuously, no fear is upon them and
nor do they sorrow.
(69)
April 3, 2011
Indeed those who believe… It means should their refusal to believe disturb the
those who profess the belief by making Messenger, may Allah condescend
the dual testimony, the shahadatain. upon him and his House, now?

…and those Judaised… It is given for Most truly We took the pact of the
ladhina hadụ, meaning the Jews. sons of Isra.il and We sent unto them
messengers—whenever a messenger
…and the Sabians… ‘Sabians’ is given came to them with what their souls
for sabi.ụn. They were a Christian sect, desired not, a division of them they
or another religious denomination, as belied and a division of them they
explained in Sụrah Baqara. The precise killed.
grammar indicated by the form sabi.ụn,
rather than sabi.in, indicates that even the (70)
Sabian from whom there is no hope of
goodness, still his faith would be accepted—
Most truly We took the pact of the
so how then will it be for others?
sons of Isra.il… That is, their emphatic
promise to believe in Allah and His
…and the Nazarenes… That is,
Prophets and to follow His commands.
Christians. All of these acquire no
deliverance or reward on account of
…and We sent unto them
their names or their generally belonging
messengers… The Messengers
to these denominations. Nay:
brought them guidance to the truth, but
they broke their pact and opposed His
…—whoso believes in Allah and the
commands and had the nerve to commit
day of resurrection… It means with a
the foulest of crimes.
real belief in the heart, unpolluted by
partnerism and suchlike.
…—whenever a messenger came to
them with what their souls desired
…and acts virtuously,… Performs the
not,… Whenever they were not inclined
virtuous deeds.
to what was brought them, in that it did
not accord to their desires.
…no fear is upon them and nor do
they sorrow. They have nothing to fear
…a division of them they belied…
and no cause for sorrow—neither in the
Like ‘Isa,. These they called liars and
world nor in the hereafter. As for the
denied that they were from God.
hereafter, the matter is clear. But in the
world, it is because fear and sorrow are
…and a division of them they killed.
only real when there is no hope of
Like Zakaria, bliss be upon him
escape and being free of the conditions
that cause them, and the genuine
They reckoned their would be no
believer is never without such hope.
tribulation, so they went blind and
Therefore the fear of the believer is not
deaf, and thereupon Allah relented
like the fear of the disbeliever, and the
unto them, and then many of them
same applies to sorrow.
went blind and deaf—and Allah is
observing of what they do.
The Jews never had a genuine belief,
not even in their early days. So why
MIA 390 | P a g e April 3, 2011
(71)
They reckoned their would be no
tribulation,… The Jews who belied the
Prophets and killed them thought that
their killing the Prophets and calling
them liars would not lead to tribulation
(fitna). This is true of all those who
commit major crimes, they suppose that
the social conditions will continue much
as they desire them to. Yet the reality is
the exact opposite, since in order for a
society to remain free of defects and
disasters requires that it follows the
teachings of the Prophets, and when a
Prophet is denied his place of
leadership and guidance by being killed
or being belied, the society becomes
subject to the severest disasters and the
sternest tribulations.
…so they went blind and deaf,… That
is, they became deaf and blind to the
path of guidance due to their killing the
Prophets and denying them. People see
the path and hear the truth to their
benefit for as long as it is a light that
illuminates things for them, but when the
light goes out, and the guide is denied,
they can no longer see their path nor
hear the truth until they fall into disaster.
…and thereupon Allah relented unto
them,… By sending other Prophets. His
‘relenting’ (tawba) is general, and does
not mean that he forgave them their
killing the Prophets.
…and then many of them went blind
and deaf… Again many of them
became blind and deaf to the truth, in
that they abandoned the teachings of
the Prophets and they met their
destinies in deviation. But not all of
them, as some of them believed and
were guided.
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…—and Allah is observing of what
they do. He will requite them for the
crimes and sins they committed.
This has been the conditions of the
Jews, in that they disbelieved after Allah
had guided them to the path. And the
Christians were like their brothers the
Jews in being blind to the truth after
being guided:
Definitely disbelieved have those
who say, ‘Indeed Allah, He is the
Masih, son of Maryam’ while the
Masih said, ‘O sons of Isra.il, worship
Allah, my Master and your Master;
and whoso partners unto Allah—
Allah has banned the garden for him,
and his abode is the fire; and the
wrongful have no succourers.’
(72)
Definitely disbelieved have those
who say, ‘Indeed Allah, He is the
Masih, son of Maryam’… They said
that Allah, glorified be He, had united
with the Masih and so the two have
become one. Of course this is
ridiculous, for if the two remain as two
after the union there has been no union,
and if only one remains then there is but
one, and if neither exist then there is
nothing. Then they said that the Masih is
Allah, when the Masih himself that he
was but the slave of Allah:
…while the Masih said, ‘O sons of
Isra.il, worship Allah, my Master and
your Master;… He told the Jews to
worship Allah, the one, before whom all
are slaves, being His creatures.
…and whoso partners unto Allah… It
means setting up some partner in His
place, whether He is acknowledged
391 | P a g e April 3, 2011
alongside the partner or not, as this too
is setting up a partner unto Allah.
…—Allah has banned the garden for
him,… He shall never enter it.
…and his abode is the fire;… He is
headed for the fire.
…and the wrongful have no
succourers.’ The wrongful who wrong
themselves through partnerism have no one
to come to their aid against the violence of
Allah and His chastisement.
Here the narrative turns to another
branch of the Christians, those who
established three gods:
And definitely disbelieved have those who
say, ‘Indeed Allah is the third of three’
while there is not any god save a single
god. And if they desist not from what they
say those who disbelieve among them will
be touched by a painful chastisement.
(73)
And definitely disbelieved have those
who say, ‘Indeed Allah is the third of
three’… They hold that Allah is one of
the three gods—Allah, God the father,
the Masih, God the son, and God the
holy spirit—and that these three are
one. And when they were asked to
explain how this was possible when it
was self-contradictory, they would say
that it is a matter above the human
mind, and that it is not necessary for us
to know the how of it. And they raise the
question of how we Muslims can admit
that Allah is never fully known, and yet
deny that the issue of divine unity and
trinity is above the level of human
rationality. The reply is that the
difference is the most clear of all that is
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clear, in that what they are saying is not
possible and not rational, for it is not
possible for one to be three and three to
be one, while we maintain that there is
something but that we cannot fully
fathom it, so that the difference is
between that which is irrational and that
which is imperceptible.
…while there is not any god save a single
god…. Existence has only one god, and
that is Allah, glorified be He.
…And if they desist not from what
they say… That is, if the Christians who
maintain the trinity continue to say this
thing about God being three:
…those who disbelieve among them
will be touched by a painful
chastisement. In the world and the
hereafter. ‘Those who disbelieve of
them…’ is given instead of ‘they…’ as a
means of emphasis that is, in the
Arabic, a style of eloquence. It is
intended to show that it is because of
their saying that thing that they are
disbelievers, emphasising the earlier,
‘And definitely disbelieved have those
who say…’ . It is like it might be said,
‘Stop what you are doing, or I will
imprison the doer of that deed,’ instead
of, ‘…or I will imprison you,’ when it is
intended to show clearly that the cause
of the imprisonment is the doing of that
deed.
There then follows an interrogative of
astonishment, and it is established in
the principles of jurisprudence that such
interrogatives and expressions of
astonishment are to serve the purpose
of expressing the will for the topic of the
interrogative and the astonishment and
suchlike, so as to express the call or the
prohibition in a different way. Thus the
interrogative and the astonishment are
April 3, 2011
not on account of ignorance about the
matter or amazement, as it is in the
case of ourselves. He says, glorified be
He:
Will they not repent unto Allah and
seek His forgiveness? Allah is
forgiving, merciful.
(74)
Will they not repent unto Allah… Will
those Jews and Christians not give up
those low beliefs and absurd words, and
return to Allah, glorified be He?
…and seek His forgiveness?… That
is, for their past disbelief and
disobedience,
…Allah is forgiving, merciful. He
would forgive them were they to repent
or seek His forgiveness, and He would
mercy them from His profusion were
they to return to the path of obedience.
Having mentioned the opinions of the
Christians about the Masih, He now
explains the reality of ‘Isa, and that he
was not as they supposed:
The Masih son of Maryam was but a
messenger, messengers having
vacated before him. And his mother
was truthful—they would eat food.
Look how We clarify for them the
signs, then look how deviated they
are.
(75)
The Masih son of Maryam was but a
messenger,… The Masih son of
Maryam, bliss be upon him, was a
Messenger of the God, not a god
himself. He is mentioned as being the
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‘son of Maryam’ so as to refute his being
the son of Allah.
…messengers having vacated before
him…. He was a Prophet just like the
other Prophets who preceded him, and
just as they were not gods, so he was
not a god.
…And his mother… Maryam, bliss be
upon her.
…was truthful… She was pronounced
in her truthfulness and in her confirming
Allah and His signs. She was not a god
as was imagined by a party of the
Christians, who maintained a trinity of
the father, the mother and the son.
…—they would eat food…. It a
characteristic of the creatures to eat
food, not of the God, since the eater of
food is dependent upon food, and has a
stomach, and has parts, and has
moods, and all of this negates his being
God.
…look… The address is in the singular.
The Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, was to look
how Allah clarifies His signs for those
Christians.
…how We clarify for them the
signs,… His ‘signs’ means the proofs of
‘Isa not being God.
…then look how deviated they are.
That is, how they turn away from the
truth after the truth had been clarified
and proven by the signs.
Say, ‘Do ye worship instead of Allah
that which possesses neither your
adversity nor your benefit? And
Allah—He is the Hearing, the Aware.’
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(76) …exaggerate not in your religion… It
refers to their saying that ‘Isa is Allah, or
the third of three, or that he is the son of
Say,… The Prophet was to say to those
Allah.
deviated Christians who worshipped the
Masih as God:
…other than the truth…. The conjunct
in for explanation, for every form of
…‘Do ye worship instead of Allah that
exaggeration (ghulụ) is other than the
which has not the authority over ye
truth.
to harm or to benefit?… Nothing in
existence can harm or benefit another save
…And follow not the desires of a
with the permission of Allah—and harming
tribe who certainly strayed from
and benefiting through the normal means,
yore,… When their predecessors were
like one who murders and presents a gift, or
astray in their beliefs and their
through the unseen means, like the Prophet
exaggerations, why were they following
and the Imams, all of that is because Allah
them. When in ancient times they were
has set some particular causes to produce
astray, why were they following in their
precise effects, and has put the agent in
footsteps of falsehood.
control over the causes; yet in the final
analysis all of it is under the authority of
…and they sent many astray… They
Allah, glorified be He.
sent many astray by leading them into
the straying of disbelief and partnerism.
…And Allah—He is the Hearing, the
Aware.’ He hears the words and is
…and they strayed from the
aware of our inner beings, as well as our
evenness of path. They strayed from
activities. So the Christians should be
the straight road. The repetition is to
wary of opposing Him so as not to be
show a difference, in that one straying
subject to His punishments.
was ‘from yore’ while the other was’
from the evenness of path’. Or the
Say, ‘O ye the book-folk, exaggerate
meaning of ‘tribe’ was their leaders who
not in your religion other than the
maintained the divinity of ‘Isa in front of
truth. And follow not the desires of a
the Prophet, and who perceived yet did
tribe who certainly strayed from yore,
not believe. They strayed before the
and they sent many astray and they
mission of the Prophetby their belief in
strayed from the evenness of path.
trinity, and after the Prophet’s mission
by their disbelief in him.
(77)
Those of the sons of Isra.il who
Say, ‘O ye the book-folk,… The disbelieved are cursed on the tongue
Prophet’s address was to be directed either of Da.ud and ‘isa, son of Maryam.
to both the Jews and the Christians, for the That was in that they disobeyed and
Jews maintained that ‘Uzair is the son of were aggressors.
Allah, and denied that ‘Isa was a Messenger
of Allah, which is a form of negative (78)
exaggeration; or it was to be directed just at
the Christians.

MIA 394 | P a g e April 3, 2011

Those of the sons of Isra.il who
disbelieved are cursed… The curse
was upon them from ancient times, for
they were persistently doing ugly deeds
and disbelieving in the Prophets and
saying unworthy things about God.
…on the tongue of Da.ud… The
Prophet David, bliss be upon him, in his
book the Zabụr.
…and ‘isa, son of Maryam…. And on
the tongue of ‘Isa in the Gospel. They
were cursed by Da.ụd, bliss be upon
him, because of their violating the
Sabbath, and so they were turned into
apes. And ‘Isa, bliss be upon him,
cursed them for their further
disbelieving, and so they were turned
into pigs.
…That was in that they disobeyed
and were aggressors. They deserved
to be cursed on account of their
disobedience, and they aggressively
stepped beyond the limits of Allah,
glorified be He.
Then He explains, glorified be He, some
of their disobedience and transgressing,
in His word:
They would not forbid each other
from the dishonourable they did.
Truly atrocious is what they did.
(79)
They would not forbid each other
from the dishonourable they did….
Their scholars did not forbid the people
from doing the dishonourable, and so
the dishonourable flourished. So all of
them deserved the punishment, some
for committing the dishonourable and
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some for remaining silent towards those
who did it.
…Truly atrocious is what they did.
Vile was their committing the
dishonourable and remaining silent
about it.
Thou see many of them make patrons
of those who disbelieve. Truly
atrocious is what their souls send on
for them: Allah’s wrath upon them,
and in the chastisement they are
eternal.
(80)
Thou see… The Prophet was a witness
of how that disobedient, insolent nature
of theirs had persisted until his own
time, so that:
…many of them… That is, many of the
Jews.
…make patrons of those who
disbelieve…. The Jews sought the
patronage of the disbelievers of Makka and
told them that they were better guided than
the Muslims, even though it is obligatory
upon the believer to be hostile to those who
do not acknowledge Allah and His laws.
…Truly atrocious is what their souls
send on for them:… Vile indeed was
that which was sent to the hereafter for
the Jews by their own hands.
…Allah’s wrath upon them,… There is
nothing worse for a person than that
Allah’s wrath be upon him.
…and in the chastisement they are
eternal. The wrath pains their souls, like
one who knows that the king is angry
with him. And the fire pains their bodies,
April 3, 2011
as indicated in Allah’s word that is the
exact counterpoint of this, ‘…and the
contentment of Allah is greater…’. Thus
the people of the fire suffer the two
kinds of pain, while the people of the
garden enjoy the two forms of delight.
And did they believe in Allah and the
Prophet and that sent down upon
him, they would not take them as
patrons; but many of them are
perverse.
(81)
And did they believe in Allah and the
Prophet and that sent down upon
him,… If those Jews had a genuine
belief in Allah and the Prophet
Muhammadand the Quran,
…they would not take them as
patrons;… They would not take the
disbelievers as their patrons. Or the
meaning is that had they genuinely
believed in Musa and his book, they
would not have taken the disbelievers
as patrons, for such belief would have
prevented them from entering into
relations of patronage—so they are liars
when they claim to believe in Musa and
his book.
…but many of them are perverse.
Many of them are found to be outside
the domain of obedience to Allah, His
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and His book.
They only claim to believe with their
tongues, while their hearts are spoiled
for belief.
He then mentions, glorified be He, one
of the differences between the Jews and
the Christians, in that the Jews generally
have an obstinate, arrogant and spiteful
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nature, while the Christians are not that
way—for many of their scholars are fair.
And how true this is, for we see this
even now, as we find many Christians
becoming Muslims, while we only very
rarely do we find any Jew accepting
Islam.
Thou shall definitely find the most
extreme of humankind in enmity to
those who believe to be the Jews and
those who partnerise. And thou shall
definitely find the nearest of them in
affection for those who believe to be
those who say, ‘We are Christians.’
That is because among them are
priests and monks, and because they
are not arrogant.
(82)
Thou shall definitely find the most
extreme of humankind in enmity to
those who believe to be the Jews…
The Jews have most enmity towards the
Muslims, for they are the firmest of
enemies.
…and those who partnerise…. They
are in a line with the Jews and just
below them in enmity to the Muslims.
…And thou shall definitely find the
nearest of them in affection for those
who believe… Those who are nearest
of all mankind to the Muslims in love
and affection:
,,,to be those who say, ‘We are
Christians.’… Although they are
Christians by their saying, ‘We are
Christians’, yet they are not in fact upon
the teachings of ‘Isa and his real
religion. Nevertheless, they are the
nearest of people to the Muslims in love
and affection.
April 3, 2011
…That is because among them are
story-tellers and ascetics,… The
reason for their being closest to the
Muslims is that among them are
‘preachers’ (qissisin), meaning scholars
who spread the (religious) stories, and
‘ascetics’ (ruhban) who live in
hermitages and suchlike.
…and because they are not arrogant.
They are not too arrogant to follow the
truth and implement it when they know
it. And so the ayah excludes those of the
Christians to whom these attributes do not
apply.
The following portent, along with the
portent before it and the portent after it,
came down regarding the Najashi or
Negus, the king of Abyssinia. The
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, had sent Ja’far
b. Abi Talib (bliss be upon him) with a
party of believers to the Najashi, who
honoured them and welcomed the
delegation. Then he sent three of his
preachers to the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
telling them to look at how he spoke and
how he prayed. They arrived in Madina
and the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his
House,invited them to Islam and recited
for them the Quran:‘When Allah says,
“O ‘Ịsa son of Maryam, recount my
blessing upon thee and thy mother…[as
far as:] …clear sorcery.’[1] Upon
hearing this from Allah’s Messenger
they wept and believed. Then they
returned to the Negus and informed him
about Allah’s Messenger and recited for
him what had been recited for them. The
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Negus wept and the preachers wept and
the Negus accepted Islam. He did not
manifest his Islam to the people, but
feared them for his life, and so he
departed from his city to go the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, but he died as
he was crossing the sea. It was this
affair that occasioned the sending down
of these portents:
And when they hear that sent down
unto the Messenger,
thou see their eyes flooding with
tears at what they recognise –
the truth.
And they say, ‘Master ours,
we believe,
so record us with the testifiers!
(83)
And when they hear that sent down
unto the Messenger, thou see their
eyes flooding with tears… Those
Christians wept upon hearing the Quran.
…at what they recognise – the
truth…. They recognised that which
they had been recited as being the truth.
When a person realises the truth, and
sees how it is opposed from without, or
sees that those who support it are
oppressed, he weeps in sympathy for
the truth, or for those who stand by it.
April 3, 2011
…And they say, ‘Master ours, we
believe,… That is, they believed in His
religion and His Messenger.
…so record us with the testifiers! That is,
with those who testify to the truth; here it
means the Muslims. (84).
‘Why should we not believe in Allah
and what has come to us
– the truth –
while we crave that our Master enters
us
with the virtuous tribe?’
(84)
‘Why should we not believe in Allah…
Those Christians ask what reason they
have not to believe in Allah with a
genuine belief, like the belief of the
Muslims.
…and what has come to us – the
truth – … That is, the Quran and Islam.
…while we crave that our Master enters
us with the virtuous tribe?’ That is, while
they hoped and desired that they would
be entered into the Garden along with
the virtuous. (85).
And Allah confirms that they are correct
to have this hope:
So Allah rewards them for what they
say – gardens,
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rivers flowing beneath them,
eternal in them.
And that is the recompense of the
beauty-workers.
(85)
So Allah rewards them for what they
say… He rewards them for their words,
for they are the expression of their deep
belief.
…– Gardens, rivers flowing beneath
them,… Gardens with streams flowing
beneath the trees and palaces.
…eternal in them…. Theirs is eternity;
their blessings neither cease nor decay.
…And that is the recompense of the
beauty-workers. That reward is the
recompense of those who work beauty:
in belief, in words and in deeds. (86).
While those who disbelieve and belie
Our portents –
those are the companions of the
inferno.
(86)
While those who disbelieve… Like the
Jews and the rest of the Christians.
…and belie Our portents… By not
believing in them.
April 3, 2011
…– those are the companions of the
inferno. They are constantly bound to
the fire just as the people of the Garden
are eternal in the Garden. (87).
Because the narrative has mentioned
ascetics who made wholesome things
forbidden for themselves, here comes
the prohibition of the Muslims forbidding
what Allah has permitted, just as
extravagance and transgression are
forbidden. Both extremes are
objectionable, and both are forbidden:
O ye who believe,
ban not the wholesomenesses that
Allah has made permitted for ye,
and transgress not;
indeed Allah loves not the
transgressors.
(87)
O ye who believe, ban not the
wholesome (things) that Allah has
made permitted for ye,…
‘Wholesomenesses’ is given for
tayyibat, meaning things that are good,
clean and wholesome. When such
things are permitted for us we are not to
treat them as being forbidden, refraining
from them as we do from the forbidden.
‘That’ is given for ma, which seems to
indicate universality, and precludes the
possibility of considering the ruling to
apply to any particular wholesome thing.
In fact the portent was sent down
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concerning an affair involving the Imam
Ali b. Abi Talib (bliss be upon him) along
with Bilal and ‘Uthman b. Maž‘ụn. Each
of them had sworn an oath. Ali (bliss be
upon him) had sworn that he would
never sleep at night save as Allah
willed, while Bilal had sworn that he
would never eat or drink during the day,
and ‘Uthman b. Maž‘ụn had sworn that
he would never marry. And all of that
was with the intention of refraining from
the worldly desires in hope of the reward
of Allah. Then the wife of ‘Uthman, who
was a pretty woman, went to see ayisha
who asked her why she looked so plain.
She replied, ‘For whom should I adorn
myself when, by Allah, my husband has
not come near me since such and such
time, for indeed he has become an
ascetic and dresses in rags and has
renounced the world.’ When Allah’s
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, came, Ayisha
informed him about the affair, and he
went out and summoned the Muslims to
a congregational prayer. The people
assembled and the Messenger mounted
the pulpit; he praised Allah and then
said,
‘What is the condition of tribes who ban
for themselves the goodnesses? Indeed
I sleep at night and I marry and I
consume during the day, and whoso
dislikes my sunnah is nothing to do with
me.’
April 3, 2011
At that, those three rose to their feet and
said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger, we have
sworn to these.’
And then the portent came down: ‘Allah
blames ye not…’.
This does not invalidate the
guardedness (al-‘ismah) of Imam Ali
(bliss be upon him) for the reasons that,
firstly, he put the condition, ‘unless Allah
wills’, and, secondly, it is of the type: ‘O
thou the Prophet, why ban thou that
which Allah made lawful for thee…’
(al-Tahrim [66]; 2). Perhaps the mystery
of both affairs is that prior to the
prohibitions they were lawful. The word
‘why’ (lima) does not indicate an
upbraiding or censure, but rather is for
guidance and as a preliminary to the
bestowal of the law.
…and transgress not;.. It means
transgression by renunciation of the
wholesome things, or by exceeding
them into the area of unwholesome.
…indeed Allah loves not the
transgressors. It has been given that
‘not loving’ in such phrases means
loathing and hating. (87).
And eat of what Allah has
provisioned ye,
permitted and wholesome;
and be guardful of Allah, in whom ye
are believers.
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(88)
And eat of what Allah has
provisioned ye, permitted and
wholesome;… The provision of Allah is
to be consumed since it is lawful and
harmless and clean.
…and be guardful of Allah in whom
ye are believers. We are not to oppose
His commands and not to commit the
things He forbids. (88).
Allah holds ye not to your vain oaths,
but He holds ye to the oath ye bind –
its atonement is feeding ten
destitutes
with the middling of what ye feed
your families,
or clothing them
or the freeing of a neck.
And whoso finds not: fasting for
three days.
That is the atonement of your oaths
when ye swear them.
And preserve your oaths.
Thus Allah clarifies for ye His
portents,
that ye be thankful.
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(89)
Allah holds ye not to your vain
oaths,… The solemn oaths which Allah
permits are binding, and to break them
requires for a penalty to be paid. But
oaths that are merely verbal, such as
those that commonly take place among
people who swear oaths for everything
big or small, and oaths that He does not
permit, like an oath sworn to deny
oneself some wholesome thing out of
asceticism – all such oaths are vain, and
breaking them is not a sin and requires
no penalty.
…but he holds ye to the oath ye
bind…It means the oaths that are sworn
in earnest with a serious intention and
which are in relation to things
appropriate to such oaths. A person
may vainly say, ‘No, by Allah’ and ‘Yes,
by Allah’ when he has no intention of
seriously swearing a solemn oath, but
merely to be emphatic. In the same way,
oaths sworn in relation to things that are
not appropriate to such oaths are not
binding. This was given in al-Baqara,
but is repeated here as a summary of
the above ruling and as a preliminary to
the penalty or atonement (kafara).
…– its atonement… That is, the
atonement of breaking an oath that has
been solemnly sworn. ‘Atonement’ is
given for kafarah, and it is called kafarah
because it covers (kafara) the sin. The
kafarah or atonement is to be paid when
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the oath-taker acts contrary to the
requirement of his oath.
…is feeding ten destitutes… Ten
paupers. Each of them is to be given a
madd of food, a measure equivalent to
three-quarters of a kilo.[2] Or they can be
fed a meal.
…with the middling of what ye feed
your families;… It is not necessary to
feed them the very best food, like rice,
and not permissible to give them the
poorest, such as pearl-barley or millet.
…or clothing them… That is, to give
each of the ten clothing in the form of an
inner covering and an outer robe, of
whatever material.
…or the freeing of a neck…. It means
the freeing of a slave, an instance of
calling the whole of something by the
name of one of its parts.
…And whoso finds not,… That is, is
unable to do any of the three.
…fasting for three days…. He must
fast for three consecutive days, as
detailed in fiqh.
…That… The three penalties and also
the fasting.
…is the atonement of your oaths
when ye swear them…. That is, when
ye swear the oaths and consequently
break them.
April 3, 2011
…And preserve your oaths…. It is a
command. We are not to break our
oaths, but rather we are to fulfil them.
…Thus Allah clarifies for ye His
portents, that ye be thankful. Just as
the explanation of these forms of
atonement is given with perfect clarity,
like the ruling of the vain and void oaths,
so too is everything explained. And we
are to be grateful to Him that He has
guided us to what benefits us. (89).
Having recounted the permitting of the
wholesome things, now comes the
explanation of the banning of the things
that are unwholesome:
O ye who believe,
indeed liquor and gambling
and rock-idols and the divining-
arrows
are but filth, an act of the devil,
so shun it,
that ye might thrive.
(90)
O ye who believe, indeed liquor… It
means all drinks that intoxicate, whether
or not from the grape.
…and gambling… All types of
gambling.
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…and rock-idols… They were the idols
to which they would dedicate their
slaughtering, and then splash with the
animal’s blood.
…and the divining-arrows… They
were used to divide a carcass in a way
that was a form of gambling. It is given
special mention on account of its
popularity among the pagan Arabs.
…are but filth,… Dirty, foul,
abominable.
…an act of the devil,… It is the devil
who commands people to these
practices, as opposed to the act of the
Compassionate, in the sense that he
commands them and has them
implemented. It was the devil who
instituted these things, either in person
as is clear from some hadeeth, or
indirectly and by proxy by whispering
and casting the idea into the hearts of
the perverse.
…so shun it,… That is, shun these acts
and practices – meaning: consume not
liquor, nor gamble, nor worship idols,
nor divide out meat by casting lots.
…that ye might thrive. That is, so as to
achieve goodness in the world and
felicity in the hereafter. (90).
Indeed the devil only wants to
occasion enmity and hatred among
ye through wine and gambling,
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and to bar ye from the remembrance
of Allah and from the prayer;
so will ye carry on?
(91)
Indeed the devil only wants… All the
devil wants with his suggestions and
commands to drink alcohol and gamble
is,
… to occasion enmity and hatred
among ye… He wants to create enmity
(al-‘adawah) and hatred (al-baghža.)
among the Muslims. The difference
between them is that the former pertains
to the activities of the body, while the
latter pertains to the conditions of the
heart.
…through wine and gambling,… In
Majma’ we have it that the revelation
was occasioned by Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas
and an Ansari who had been appointed
his ‘brother’. He invited him to a meal
and they drank fermented date-juice
(nabeez), an intoxicant. The two fell out,
and the Ansari picked up the jawbone of
a camel and with it struck Sa’d, such
that his nose burst open. At that, Allah
sent down this portent about them.
The causing of enmity through liquor is
obvious, as alcohol causes loss of
reason that can lead in turn to anything.
As for enmity being caused by
gambling, it is because of
d’Ịsagreements between the gamblers
as to who has won, firstly, and,
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secondly, due to the hatred of the loser
for the winner.
…and to bar ye… By both liquor and
gambling.
…from the remembrance of Allah…
Drunkenness causes lack of attention to
Allah, glorified be He, while gambling
preoccupies a person and makes him
forget Him, the Most High.
…and from the prayer;… And this is
clear from what has been given.
…so will ye carry on? The address is
to the Muslims. The interrogative is
clearly a command, meaning: ‘Do not
carry on, but leave them on account of
these harms.’ (91).
And obey Allah and obey the
Messenger and beware;
and if ye turn away – know that upon
Our messenger
is but the clear delivery.
(92)
And obey Allah and obey the
Messenger… That is, observe the
commands and prohibitions of the religion.
Obedience to Allah and to the Prophet is a
single obedience, as is clear, and Allah is
mentioned because it is He who in principle
is to be obeyed, while the Messenger is to be
obeyed because it is He who conveys the
commands and interdictions.
April 3, 2011
…and beware;… That is, be wary of
disobeying them, for that leads to
disgrace in the world and the hereafter.
…and if ye turn away – know that
upon Our messenger is but the clear
delivery. Those who turn away from
their obedience must expect the dire
consequences, for the Messenger
delivered the message and yet they
failed to benefit from it and transgressed
the limit.(92).
When the banning of alcohol and
gambling was sent down, some of the
companions asked the Messenger (may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House) about their brothers who had
passed away and had drunk alcohol and
consumed the receipts of gambling.
They wanted to know whether it would
be counted as a sin against those who
had been killed or had died before the
ban, when they had engaged in these
two things. This portent was sent down:
There is no blame
on those who believe and do the
virtuous deeds
for what they have savoured,
when they have been guardful
and have believed and done the
virtuous deeds,
and thereafter been guardful and
have believed,
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and thereafter been guardful and
worked beauty;
and Allah loves the beauty-workers.
(93)
There is no blame… No blame, no sin,
no punishment.
…on those who believe and do the
virtuous deeds for what they have
savoured,… ‘Savoured’ is put for
tami’u. It means their having consumed
alcohol and the receipts from gambling
before the ban.
…when they have been guardful and
believed and done the virtuous
deeds,… That is, when their savouring
was coupled with guardfulness and
belief and acting virtuously. A person
can be a believer and perform the
virtuous deeds, without being guardful,
meaning that within himself he has not
that quality of inhibition and fearing
Allah, glorified be He. For this reason
He mentions guardfulness alongside
belief and doing the virtuous deeds.
He then repeats, glorified be He, the
previous phrase of ‘been guardful and
believed and done the virtuous deeds’ in
this form:
…and thereafter been guardful and
believed,… No mention, here, of the
virtuous deeds.
April 3, 2011
…and thereafter been guardful and
worked beauty;… Here there is no
mention of believing, but it should not be
overlooked that ‘working beauty’ is
another way to say ‘doing the virtuous
deeds’. Perhaps the point of the
repetition is to signify permanence in the
three qualities, so that the meaning is
that their not being to blame for their
savouring is dependent upon their
belief, guardfulness and virtuous deeds
in the past, and upon their continuing
belief, guardfulness and virtuous deeds
thereafter. The repetition of
guardfulness (taqwa) in the second
phrase emphasises that both faith and
the virtuous deeds are of no benefit
without guardfulness or taqwa.
‘And thereafter’ is put for thumma,
which is the word that seems to indicate
that continuity is essential, giving the
meaning that the continuity of
guardfulness with belief, and the
continuity of guardfulness with the
virtuous deeds, are essential conditions
in being blameless for past savouring.
This raises a question: the portent
apparently shows that not being
blameworthy for savouring is conditional
upon belief and guardfulness and doing
the virtuous deeds, yet we know from
the circumstances of the portent’s
revelation that such savouring was
permitted, as alcohol was not banned
following its descent, so what is the
meaning of this condition? To drink
alcohol was permitted and lawful before
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the ban for both Muslim and
disbelievers, so what is the meaning of
putting its lawfulness as conditional
upon faith and the other two qualities?
The answer is that the condition has no
further, implicit meaning. It does not mean,
‘without faith, the savouring of them was
blameworthy.’ Normally the putting of a
conditional is to explain the implicit, like
saying, ‘If Zaid comes to you, honour him!’
which carries the implicit meaning of, ‘If
Zaid does not come to you, honour him not.’
Sometimes the conditional form carries no
implicit meaning, like, ‘If you are
provisioned a son, have him circumcised.’
This has no implicit meaning to the effect
that, ‘If you are not provisioned a son, do
not circumcise him.’ Clearly, without a son
there is no question of circumcising him or
not circumcising him. The meaning of the
sentence, ‘If you are provisioned a son…’ is
that it is necessary to circumcise a son. And
so too in the portent, which explains that
those believers who drank while they were
guardful and used to perform the virtuous
deeds – there is no blame on them. This was
to clear the air among the companions who
wondered whether they were blameworthy.
There is no implicit meaning, and so there is
no place for questions about why the
implicit meaning is not established.
Then there is the possibility that the
portent implies that there is an objection
to the disbelievers consuming whatever
is permitted, just as the evidence proves
that it is problematic for those who hate
the Prophet’s heirs even to consume the
April 3, 2011
lawful, to the extent that any enemy of Allah shall definitely try ye with
the holy lady al-Zahra (bliss be upon something of the hunt
her) who drank the water of the
Euphrates – to do so was forbidden for that your hands and your spears
him. By this criterion, the implicit reach,
meaning of the portent opens an arena
thatis vast. for Allah to know who fears Him
unseen.
…and Allah loves the beauty-
workers. It means those whose affairs So whoso transgresses after that –
are beautiful. It seems the portent
his is a painful chastisement.
encourages the performing of good
deeds, even if the person is not a
believer. (94)
O ye who believe, Allah shall
Finally, it should not be overlooked that
definitely try ye with something of the
those who savour the banned and then
hunt… The believers are examined
defend themselves by this portentare
through the prey that is forbidden for
mistaken. The portentstates that the
those in sanctity, or ihram.
condition of not being blameworthy
depends upon belief, guardfulness and
…that your hands and your spears
virtuous deeds, and it is clear that these
reach,… During the minor pilgrimage or
cannot coexist with the wilful
‘umrah of Hudaibiya the believers were
consumption of what is banned. (93).
tested on their way to Makka by vast
numbers of prey that were easy to
In the flow of this discussion of the
catch. They only had to extend their
permitted and the banned, and in
arms or cast their spears and they could
completion of what came at the
have caught numerous wild poultry birds
beginning of the Sụrah, namely His
word‘…other than the permitted and small wild fowl besides the banned
through hunting while ye are in birds. This was Allah’s testing the
sanctity…’ and‘…And when ye are no believers as to which of them would
more in sanctity, hunt….’ there now obey and abstain, and which of them
comes a word about the prey taken in would disobey and hunt.
sanctity (ihram) and the atonement for
…for Allah to know who fears Him
that:
unseen…. This is the purpose of such
testing. ‘Unseen’ means in secret and in
O ye who believe,
private. It has already been given that
Allah’s tests are not because He does

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not already know, but in order for what
He knows to become apparent, and for
the proofs and arguments, His hujja, to
be complete. Thus His coming to know
means that what He knows becomes
manifest. That is because knowledge is a
connection, and therefore it is valid for it to
be brought about by a thing becoming
known and unveiled for the knower, and by
the known becoming real in existence. What
is meant by ‘unseen’ is what is beyond the
senses – and here it relates to Allah,
glorified be He, or to the remainder of the
people, meaning while Allah is unseen for
them, or while they are unseen for the other
people.
…So whoso transgresses after that…
It means after the interdiction; that is,
whoso hunts and violates the
commands of Allah.
…– his is a painful chastisement.
Painful indeed. (94).
O ye who believe,
kill not the prey while ye are in
sanctity –
and whoso of ye kills it deliberately:
a recompense like what was killed in
livestock,
adjudged by two just men among ye,
as an offering delivered to the
Ka’bah;
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or an atonement of feeding
destitutes;
or the equivalent of that in fasting;
so that he tastes the mischief of his
affair.
Allah has pardoned what is past,
and whoso repeats—
Allah will take vengeance from him.
And Allah is grand,
a holder of vengeance.
(95)
O ye who believe, kill not the prey
while ye are in sanctity… ‘Prey’ (al-
sayd) means every wild animal whether
edible or not, save for the exceptions. ‘In
sanctity’ is given for ĥurum, plural of
haram. A person is ‘in sanctity’ when he
enters the state of sanctity (ihram) or the
place of sanctity (haram). The verse
shows the banning of hunting both in the
state of sanctity and in the place of
sanctity, just as it applies to both the
Hajj and the ‘Umrah.
…– and whoso of ye kills it
deliberately,… The address is to those
in sanctity. The term ‘deliberately’, here,
seems to be purely descriptive (laqab)
with no implied meaning. Thus we have
it from the sunna that whoso kills by
mistake must also pay the atonement.
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Perhaps it is because hunting is
predominantly carried out with intent.
Besides that, it fits with His later word:
…that he tastes the mischief of his
affair.
…a recompense like what was killed
in livestock … The recompense in
atonement is that he pays the penalty of one
of the three types of livestock that is like the
prey that was killed. So for example the
gazelle is like a sheep, the wild ass and the
wild buffalo are like cattle, and the ostrich is
like a camel or cow. .
…adjudged by two just men among
ye,… Two just men are to judge the
likeness between the animal that has
been killed and the animal – one of the
three types: sheep, cow or camel – that
is offered in atonement. So, whatever
they judge to be similar to the animal
that was killed, is to be taken as its
atonement.
We have it in narrations that those
meant by ‘two just men’ are the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and the Imam,
bliss be upon him. Therefore, whatever
textual evidences may be found about
similarity – the ruling must accord to
that. And where there is no textual
evidence – it seems that there is no
objection to holding to the literal content
of the portentwhereby the information
given by two just men who are aware of
the similarities is sufficient, provided
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there is no contradictory text about
value and suchlike.
…as an offering delivered to the
Ka’bah;… The offering is given as an
atonement and brought to the Ka’aba,
which is to say in the direction of the
Ka’aba, for if the prey was killed by a
man in sanctity for Umrah, his
recompense is slaughtered in Makkah,
while if he was in sanctity for Hajj, it is
slaughtered at Mina.
…or an atonement of feeding
destitutes,… When livestock cannot be
found, a similar amount of money is
spent on food, and this is given in
charity to people who are destitute.
…or the equivalent of that in
fasting;… It means the equivalent of
feeding is to be undertaken through
fasting, one day’s fast for a particular
amount of food, depending on what was
killed. The details are to be sought in
fiqh.
…so that he tastes the mischief of his
affair.… The purpose behind legislating
these penalties of atonement is in order
for the hunter to taste the consequences
of his forbidden hunting.
…Allah has pardoned what is past,…
The former hunting is pardoned, so that
when someone intentionally hunts and
then pays the atonement, Allah forgives
his sin.
April 3, 2011
…and whoso repeats –…. When a
person deliberately hunts for a second
time.
… Allah will take vengeance from
him… There is no forgiveness, as the
sin is too great. It cannot be cleansed by
atonement. Nay, revenge will be taken
from him in the hereafter for his violating
the condition of sanctity or the place of
sanctity. This is how the portentis
explained in hadith. But it is not remote
that the portentdirects ‘what is past’ to
mean before the prohibition. The
forgiveness is then on the basis that it
was a sin to hunt even during the pre-
Islamic ignorance. As for the returning to
it after the prohibition, that is such as is
covered by ‘Islam erases what was
before it’. The meaning of ‘vengeance’ is
the atonement and the punishment.
…And Allah is grand,… All-Powerful,
All-Dominant.
…a holder of revenge…. He takes
vengeance on those who disobey Him
and oppose Him. (95).
Permitted for ye is the prey of the
sea,
and its food,
an enjoyment for ye and for those on
the move,
while forbidden for ye is the prey on
land as long as ye are in sanctity.
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And be guardful of Allah,
unto Whom ye will be mustered.
(96)
Permitted for ye is the prey of the
sea,… The meaning of ‘the sea’ (al-
bahr) is general and includes rivers, for
the Arabs call rivers seas. This kind of
hunting is permitted in sanctity, and in
the sanctity, if a river were ever to flow
through it. And it is permitted for the
prey to be brought to it. This is for the
hunting of it. As for the eating of it:
… and its food… That is, the prey of
the sea as food.
…an enjoyment for ye and for those
on the move,… Such food is among the
human comforts (mata’), by which man
is sustained and his life made
comfortable. ‘Those on the move’ is
given for sayyara, and here it means the
caravans on the move. Fish is dried for
the journey. Along with those in sanctity,
the journeying caravans are singled out,
even though it is also food for those not
travelling, because of its many benefits
for the traveller. It is not normally
possible to slaughter livestock on a
journey, and so the benefits to the
traveller of dried fish are numerous.
…while forbidden for ye is the prey
on land… This includes wild birds.
…as long as ye are in sanctity…. That
is, as long as you are in the sanctity or
April 3, 2011
the condition of sanctity, as given
above, because a person is ‘in sanctity’
(haram, singular of hurum) when he has
put himself in sanctity as a muhrim, and
also when he is within the sanctity, the
haram.
…And be guardful of Allah,… Be wary
of His punishments, and observe His
prohibitions.
…unto Whom ye will be mustered.
‘Mustered’ is given for hashr. He is the
destination of our journey, when we will
be raised and gathered unto Him. Then
man will be punished for the sins and
violations he has committed. (96).
Here, where the topic is the law about
hunting in sanctity, comes a word about the
places and times that Allah, glorified be He,
has instituted as sacred, so that during
certain periods and at certain locations
people are safe from the disputes and
vengeance that disturb human life:
Allah has set the Ka’bah, the Sacred
House,
as a motivator for humankind,
and the sacred month and the
offering and the garlanded.
That is for ye to be aware that Allah
is aware of everything in the heavens
and everything in the earth,
and that Allah is of all things aware.
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(97)
Allah has set the Ka’bah,… The name
‘Ka’aba’ denotes its cubic shape based
on four corners, rather than being a
circular building. It means a protrusion
or elevation.
…the Sacred House,… ‘Sacred House’
is given for (al-bait al-haram). The term
is juxtaposed alongside ‘the Ka’aba’ in
an explaining capacity (‘atf al-bayan).
The reason for this juxtaposition is that
during the ignorance, the people had
several ka’abas, to which they would
perform pilgrimages, and they would
circulate around them. The Prophet,
may Allah condescend upon him and his
House, destroyed these, while he called
the Ka’aba ‘The Sacred House’ (al-bait
al-haram), since within its environs it is
not allowed to fight, to hunt and so forth.
…as a motivator for humankind,…
‘Motivator’ is given for qiyam(an), used
here as the second object of the verb
‘put’. The meaning is that the Ka’aba
has been established in order for
mankind to stand, to be erect, meaning
in order that their affairs be on their feet
and aright and go straight. These
include both their economic and social
affairs or conditions – as given in the
rationale of the Hajj.
…and the sacred month… Allah,
glorified be He, has also put the Sacred
Month, as a means for mankind to stand
upright. The ‘Sacred Month’ is actually four
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months: Dhu ‘l-Qa’ada, Dhu ‘l-Hijjah,
Muharram and Rajab. The sacredness or
sanctity of these months set aright people’s
affairs and those of the society, in order for
there to be a lightening of the burdens of
warfare and enmity, to be replaced by the
safety and security in which the economy
flourishes and which is conducive to the
exchange of ideas and to learning. So the
Sacred House is a place of safety and
security, while the sacred months are a time
of safety and security. And indeed, Allah
has ordained sanctity for other things:
…and the offering… This too is
decreed as being sacred in that no harm
is to come to it. It means an offering to
the Ka’aba, a cow or a camel,
designated by a badge or a garland.
…and the garlands…. The word
‘garlands’ is the literal translation of
qala.id by which is meant that which is
garlanded in dedication. This too is
decreed as sacred, meaning that no
harm is to come to it. It means the
animal that is set apart and dedicated to
be sacrificed. Or it may mean the pilgrim
who ‘garlands’ himself, in the sense that
he dedicates himself to perform the Hajj.
It would be said that a man would bind
his camel or himself with garlands made
from the bark of a sacred tree, so as not
to be afraid. It might be said that that
which is not an offering or garlanded is
also respected or sacred, since it is not
permissible for anyone to make use of
the property of another or the person of
another, so what is special about these
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two? The answer is clear, since the
‘offering’ is not allowed to be touched,
even though that would otherwise be
permissible through retaliation or
insolvency and suchlike – just like the
pilgrim in sanctity cannot be violated
even with such violation as would be
lawful were he not in sanctity. It is not
permissible to arrest and detain a
pilgrim in sanctity, even though it may
be right to do so, for the obligation is
that he completes the Umrah and the
Hajj for Allah. And just as invalidation is
not permissible for himself, so
invalidation is not permitted for any
other.
…That is for ye to be aware that Allah
is aware of everything in the heavens
and everything in the earth,… It
means His putting these things as
sacred is for us to recognise the all-
penetrating extent of His knowledge,
glorified be He. Indeed He knows the
conditions of each person, and the
enmity and harm that man perpetrates,
and He knows that man is in need of
peace and tranquillity in a time and in a
place, and that people need something
to set aright their worldly and religious
affairs. Thus He has established these
sanctities for the nation’s ease and
relaxation. Perhaps the mention of ‘the
heavens’ is a digression, as what has
preceded has been to do with the earth,
but if the earth had been mentioned
alone it might be imagined that He,
glorified be He, had no knowledge of
what is in the heavens.
April 3, 2011
…and that Allah is of all things
aware. He knows all that affects the
person, the animal, the times and the
places; everything. (97).
Because certain laws have been given,
there now follows a mention of the
threat and the promise:
Be aware that Allah is severe in
punishment,
and that Allah is forgiving, merciful.
(98)
Be aware that Allah is severe in
punishment,… Severe in retribution
when dealing with those who disobey
Him and oppose Him.
…and that Allah is forgiving,
merciful. And forgiving and merciful
towards those who repent and believe
and do the virtuous deeds. He forgives
their sins, and He mercies them with His
profusion and abundance. (98).
Nothing is upon the Messenger but
the delivery;
and Allah is aware of what ye
manifest
and what ye hide.
(99)
Nothing is upon the Messenger but
the delivery;… His responsibility is to
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deliver the message and explain the
legislation, whereas the acceptance of
this is with the people themselves. That
is not a matter for the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, and it is not his affair.
…and Allah is aware of what ye
manifest and what ye hide. He knows
man’s open acts and words, and his
intentions and his hidden actions, for
nothing is hidden from Him, and He will
recompense everything. Therefore, be
good and be not disobedient. (99).
Having explained the lawful and the
banned, glorified be He, He now says
that they are not the same. So no one
should consume the impure while
claiming that there is no difference
between it and the pure – in the way
that today we see many consuming the
unlawful while claiming that there is no
difference between it and the lawful
things:
Say,
‘The foul and the wholesome are not
the same,
even though the plenty of the foul
may astonish thee.
So be guardful of Allah,
O ye of intellects,
that ye might thrive.’
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(100)
Say, … Here the address is to the
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House.
…‘The foul and the wholesome are
not the same,… That is to say, the
unlawful and the lawful, the banned and
the permitted, are not the same as each
other.
…even though the plenty of the foul
may astonish thee.… ‘Thee’ means
thou, the listener. The impure is more
plentiful than the pure. For example it is
clear that the types of animal that are
banned are more than those that are
permitted. Yet the plenty of the unlawful
does not cause it to become pure.
Perhaps ‘even though’ (given for wa
law) is in reply to some people objecting
along the lines of ‘how can such a
plentiful thing be banned?’
…So be guardful of Allah,… Fear
disobeying Him and oppose Him not.
…O ye endowed with intellects,… Ye
possessors of reason.
…that ye might thrive.’ To achieve the
rewards, in the present and the future.
(100)
We have stated that it is usual for the
Wise Quran not to dwell at length on a
single topic, so that the listener finds it
agreeable. So whenever a matter is
wished to be given at length, it is
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interspersed, in order to grace the
atmosphere and to sharpen the listener,
with a new, startling ruling. Here is one
such instance: the following portent,
known as the ‘portent of questioning’
(ayat al-su.al), comes here in the
context of the banned and permitted. On
the other hand, the portent is related to
the Hajj. We have it from the
Commander of the believers, bliss be
upon him, that Allah’s Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his
House, was preaching, when he said,
‘Indeed Allah has written upon ye the
Hajj.’ A man called Saraqa b. Malik rose
and said, ‘Every year, O Messenger of
Allah?’ He turned away until he had
repeated it twice, or three times. Then
Allah’s Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
said, ‘Woe to you! How would you be
safe if I said yes? For if I said yes, it
would be obligatory, and if it were
obligatory, ye would not be able, and if
you neglected it you would have
disbelieved. So neglect with me what I
neglect for you. Those who went before
ye were destroyed by the plenty of their
questioning and their opposition to their
Prophets, so when I order you to
something, do it as far as you are able,
and when I forbid you from something,
shun it.’ And then this portent was sent
down:
O ye who believe,
ask not of things that will hurt ye if
they are made manifest for ye,
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though if ye ask of them as the Quran
is sent down,
they will be made manifest for ye.
Allah has exempted them,
and Allah is forgiving,
clement.
(101)
O ye who believe, ask not of things
that will hurt ye if they are made
manifest for ye…. It means that lines of
inquiry should not be pursued when the
answers may be burdensome, difficult and
lead to regret and sorrow.
…though if ye ask of them as the
Quran is sent down… That is, during
the process of revelation, and in the
existence of the Prophet, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House.
… they will be made manifest for
ye…. That is, revelation will bring the
answers, and this will lead to hardship
for the community through the
legislating of new laws of which the
community was not in need.Here
several questions are raised. Why
should we not ask about matters that
pertain to religion? And is the legislation
so haphazard that it could be brought
into being by a mere question – was not
every law introduced according to what
is beneficial and what is harmful, and
explained by the Prophet, may Allah
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condescend upon him and his House,
so that mankind can attain to the
benefits and shun the harms? And what
is so special about the period of
revelation – for the Imams, bliss be
upon them, are in the same position in
that they know all the laws?
The answer is that the rulings of the
divine legislation are subject to what is
beneficial and detrimental, including the
benefit of facilitation of duty, that is to
say, the benefit of making laws easy
and not over-burdensome. Indeed, in
many instances where no law has been
legislated, the reason for the omission is
this very simplification or facilitation of
duty. But it is clear that this benefit is not
applicable where there is obstinate
quarrelsomeness, persistent opposition
and injustice. Thus He has said, glorified
be He: ‘So for a wronging by those
judaised, We banned upon them some
wholesome things that had been
permitted for them.’ (al-Nisa, ‘Women’
[4]:161).That clarifies the second
question. As for the first: when Allah’s
Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, was in the
position of explaining the sum of the
laws, unless the issue was a personal
one – like not knowing how to divide a
legacy, or a wife not knowing her rights,
or not knowing how to live with a
disobedient son, and suchlike – there is
simply no good reason to question.
Such questioning leads to confusion and
can only increase the burden. As for the
third question: the legislative interests of
414 | P a g e April 3, 2011
man were perfected during the period of legislation, in order to facilitate duty. He has
Allah’s Messenger, may Allah preferred for us the benefit of facilitation
condescend upon him and his House, over the benefit of that particular law. But if
and so there is no new legislation after you ask about them, persistently and
him. And therefore the Imams, bliss be argumentatively, the benefit of facilitation
upon them, are not equivalent to the will be withdrawn and you will be tried by
Messenger, may Allah condescend that law.
upon him and his House, in being able
to legislate some ruling. Now, supposing …and Allah is forgiving,… He has
that some beneficial ruling would have forgiven what has gone before.
been legislated if only the circumstances
had arisen during the lifetime of Allah’s …clement. He is clement to those He
Messenger, may Allah condescend places in hardship and difficulty. (101)
upon him and his House, this benefit –
A tribe before ye asked them,
the benefit of the door to new legislation
being closed, so that none can draw up new
and thereupon they became through
legislation after the Messenger, may Allah
them disbelievers.
condescend upon him and his House –
is stronger and better on the whole than
looking out for every benefit in order to
(102)
legislate a new law. A tribe before ye asked them,… Such
questions whose answers would hurt the
Perhaps the answer to the second
questioner were asked by the previous
question can be deduced from a hadith
peoples. The Jews asked ‘Ịsa for the spread,
that comes to us from the Commander
and then disbelieved. Bani Isra’il asked to be
of the believers, bliss be upon him, who
led to war, but when their request was
said: ‘Indeed Allah has made some
granted, all but a few of them turned away.
obligations (fara.iž) obligatory upon ye,
The tribe of Saliĥ asked for the she-camel,
so do not omit them. And He has
but then hamstrung it. And the partnerists
determined some limits for ye, so do not
asked the Prophet, may Allah condescend
transgress them. And He has forbidden
upon him and his House, for things, but
you from some things, so do not commit
when the things they were asking for
them. And He has been silent about
were shown to them, they rejected and
some things, and has not called to them,
disbelieved.
in forgetfulness, so do not impose them
on yourselves.’
…and thereupon through
…Allah has exempted them,… Allah them they became
has exempted those rulings from His disbelievers. So their
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chastisement was
increased. This portent
tends to explain the
reason behind the
interdiction of the
previous portent. (102)
Now the thread returns to the mention of
some permitted things that had been
held as sacred by the people of the
ignorance:
Allah has not set any bahira or sa.iba
or wasila or ham,
rather those who disbelieve have
forged unto Allah the lie,
and most of them reflect not.
(103)
Allah has not set… That is, Allah has
not established as sacred.
…any bahira… It is a she-camel whose
ears have been split. From al-bahr,
meaning a split.In the days of the people of
ignorance when a she-camel had mothered
five times, and the fifth was a female, its
ears would be split and it would be
forbidden for women, but when it died it
would be permitted.
…or sa.iba… A she-camel that had
mothered ten times would be declared a
sa.iba, meaning one that flows, as a
river or stream flows. Such a camel
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would be allowed to roam untouched, as
the ignorance folk held it forbidden to
ride or eat her. Sometimes a she-camel
would be declared a sa.iba as a vow
offering – one of them might vow that if
he was to be freed from illness, or arrive
safely from a journey, he would donate
his camel as a sa.iba.
…or wasila… This was a camel that
had given birth to two male foals, or a
sheep that mothered for the seventh
time, male or female. They would not
slaughter her and not eat her, and the
two offspring would be forbidden for
women until one of them died, when
they would become permitted.
or ĥam,…The ĥam or ĥam wasa male
that mounted its own offspring, or had
sired ten deliveries. They said of this
that it had ‘protected’ (ĥama) its back,
and they would not mount it and would
not prevent it from grazing and watering
(wherever it liked). Allah sent down this
portentshowing that none of this had
been made sacred or banned.
…rather those who disbelieve have
forged unto Allah the lie,… They
falsely ascribed these prohibitions to
Allah, glorified be He.
…and most of them
reflect not.That is, most
are unable to discern
between that permitted
and that banned,
April 3, 2011
between the true and the
false. (103)
And when it is said to them,
‘Come to what Allah has sent down
and to the Messenger,’
they say, ‘That which we find our
fathers upon suffices us.’
What, even if their fathers knew
nothing
and were not guided?
(104)
And when it is said to them,… When it
is said to those who counted these
things as sacred, ascribing the sanctity
falsely to Allah.
…‘Come to what Allah has sent
down… That is, accept the laws in the
Quran.
…and to the Messenger,’… Accept
him, and follow his sunnah.
…they say, ‘That which we find our
fathers upon suffices us.’They declare
in reply that they are satisfied that their
interests can best be served by the
beliefs, words, actions and customs of
their forefathers. And so He asks,
glorified be He, in a tone of surprise and
indignation:
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…What, even if their fathers knew
nothing…That is, nothing about the true
and the false.
…and were not
guided?And they were
not guided to the truth.
Overall, the sense is: will
ye follow them even
though they were
ignorant and astray?
(104)
Having explained, glorified be He, the
conditions of the disbelievers and that
they are astray, He now commands the
Muslims to follow the truth, for they will
not be harmed by the straying of whoso
strays, as long as they themselves are
guided:
O ye who believe, guard yourselves;
ye will not be harmed by whoso
strays when ye are guided.
Unto Allah is your return all together,
then He shall inform ye as to what ye
were doing.
(105)
O ye who believe, guard
yourselves,…Against straying and
deviation.
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… ye will not be harmed by whoso
strays when ye are guided….The
straying of whosoever strays will not
harm anyone who is guided. Of course,
among the conditions of being guided is
to bid to what is honourable and to
forbid the dishonourable, to express
guidance and the other obligations of
this type.
…Unto Allah is your return all
together,…All of mankind, those guided
along with those astray, are headed
towards Allah.
…then He shall inform
ye as to what ye were
doing.Good and bad
deeds will not be mixed
up as they are in the
world, where all is
confusion. The believers
will not be made to pay
for the sins of those
astray, and nor will
those astray be able to
escape the
consequences of their
sins. (105)
Having dealt with some matters pertaining
to the lawful and the banned, He now turns,
glorified be He, to the explanation of a new
law, that came in the context of a particular
event. It is narrated from Imam Baqir, bliss
be upon him, that three men went out from
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Madina to trade with Sham: Tamim b. ‘Aws
al-Dari, and his brother, Udday, who were
both Christians, and Ibn Abi Mariya, the
protégé of ‘Amr b. al-As al-Sahmi, who was
a Muslim. On the way Ibn Abu Marya
became ill and wrote a testament by his own
hand, and placed it in his baggage. Then he
enjoined upon them and handed them his
wealth, telling them to deliver it to his
family. When he died, they opened his
baggage and took whatever they fancied.
Then they returned with the property to his
heirs, but as they searched his property they
missed some of the things that he had set out
with. They then looked at the testament and
saw that the property was listed there in full.
They spoke to Tamim and his brother, who
said, ‘We know nothing about it. That which
he entrusted to us we have delivered, just as
it was.’ The matter was brought before
Allah’s Messenger, may Allah condescend
upon him and his House, and this portent
was sent down:
O ye who believe,
witnessing among ye,
when death comes to one of ye,
at the time of testament,
is by two men of justice from
yourselves,
or by a different two from other than
yourselves,
if ye are striking out in the earth and
the affliction of death afflicts ye.
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Ye shall detain them after the prayer
and the two shall swear by Allah,
if ye are in doubt:
‘We sell it not for a price,
even if they are relatives,
and we hide not Allah’s testimony,
for then we would certainly be of the
sinners.’
(106)
O ye who believe, witnessing among
ye… The believers are to note that
proper, accepted witnessing among
them is to be by two persons.
…when death comes to one of ye, at
the time of testament,…That is, when
he sees in himself the signs of death,
and it is time to make his final
testament.
… is by two men of justice from
yourselves,… Two male Muslims.
…or by a different two from other
than yourselves…Two other men to
bear the responsibility of witnessing, two
who are not Muslims. The ‘or’ (aw) of
this phrase is to show sequence, not
simply choice. So these two men are to
be called upon in the absence of two
just Muslims.
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…if ye are striking out in the earth…If
you are travelling and you find not two
Muslims to bear the testimony of the
testament, then two other men.
…and the affliction of death afflicts
ye.It means that its signs become
apparent. The grammatical structure
shows that the testimony of the two non-
Muslims is conditional upon the dying
person being on a journey, but this is
given as an instance of the general rule
to be discerned, that the real condition is
the absence of Muslims, whether
travelling or not.
So, when they bear the testimony, and
they wish to fulfil it, this is the procedure:
…Ye shall detain them after the
prayer…After the prayer of ‘asr, since at
that time the people assemble in larger
numbers. Perhaps this is because the
presence of a crowd of people is more likely
to deter any lying, due to the dread it would
put into the heart of those bearing the
testimony, the executors and witnesses.
…and the two shall swear…The two
non-Muslims shall swear on oath.
…by Allah…This shows that it is
obligatory for the witnesses to be from
those who acknowledge Allah, like the
book-folk.
…if ye are in doubt:That is, if their
testimony is in doubt, and there is
suspicion of alteration, substitution or
forgery in the affair. This is a condition
419 | P a g e April 3, 2011
for their swearing an oath, meaning that
they only swear an oath when their
testimony is in doubt. Otherwise, they
present their testimony without swearing
an oath.
…‘We sell it not for a price,…They
swear that they have not changed the
testimony, not altered or forgedanything,
in return for ‘a price’, meaning some
property.
…even if they are relatives,…People
constantly incline towards their relatives and
give false testimony for their sake. The
clause is a kind of emphasis, meaning that
they are swearing that they did not present a
false testimony, not even for the sake of
their relatives.
…and we hide not Allah’s
testimony,…It means the testimony that
Allah commands us to fulfil. Saying it is
Allah’s is to stress its gravity.
…for then we would certainly be of
the sinners.’If they were to hide the
true testimony, they would be of the
disobedient and worthy of chastisement.
The ruling concluded from this is that
when a person wishes to deposit a
testament, it is for him to find two just
Muslims to act as witnesses. But if he is
on a journey when the signs of death
come to him, and there are no Muslims
around to witness his testament, then he
is to have his testament witnessed by
two scripturalists – two men of the book-
folk. Their testimony is accepted without
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any oath, unless the heirs doubt their
veracity. When they are doubted and
there is suspicion that they have altered
the testament, then the religious
authority (al-hakim al-shar’ii) has them
presented after the ‘asr prayer, and has
them swear, firstly, that ‘by Allah, we
have not reached for property through
this testimony, and we have not altered
the testament even for our relatives, nor
have we concealed the testimony that
Allah has commanded us to convey.
Had we done so we would certainly
have been among the sinners.’ When
they have sworn this oath, or its
equivalent in meaning, they present
their testimony concerning the
testament, and their testimony is
accepted from them. (106).
With the sending down of this portent,
Allah’s Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
prayed the ‘asr prayer, and then
summoned Tamim and ‘Udday, and had
them swear on the pulpit, by Allah, that
they had not taken anything else, and
not concealed anything; and thereupon
he let them go. Then it became
apparent that they had in their
possession a silver cup finished with
gold engraving along with a jewelled
necklace that had belonged to the
deceased. The heirs said that they were
in the deceased’s baggage, and the two
Christians said that they had bought
them from him, and had forgotten to say
so. So the matter was presented before
Allah’s Messenger, may Allah
April 3, 2011
condescend upon him and his House,
and the portent ‘So if it is
discovered…’ was sent down. At that,
two men from the deceased’s relatives,
‘Amr b. al-‘As and Muttalib b. Abi
Wada’a, rose and swore by Allah that
the two Christians had betrayed and
lied. So the cup was handed to the
deceased’s heirs. After some time
Tamim accepted Islam, and he used to
say, ‘Allah spoke the truth and His
Messenger spoke the truth, I took the
cup, and I repent unto Allah and I seek
His forgiveness.’
So if it is discovered that the two
have a claim on sin,
then a different two stand in their
place from among those with a claim,
two kinsmen,
both swearing by Allah that:
‘Our testimony is truer than their
testimony,
and we transgress not,
for then we would be among the
wrongers.’
(107)
So if it is discovered…‘Discovered’ is
given for ‘uthira, meaning to become
apparent, to become manifest.
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…that the two have a claim on
sin,…‘Have a claim on’ is given for
istihaqqa,meaning that they deserve,
have a right to. Here it means that it is
maintained by the heirs that the two
trustees have lied in their oaths, and
have betrayed the testimony.
…then a different two…Two Muslim
witnesses.
…stand in their place…They stand in
the place of the two non-Muslims, that
is, they stand ready to swear an oath
just as the two before them did.
…from among those with a claim,…It
means the deceased’s relatives, for the
testament is their right.
…two kinsmen,…‘Kinsmen’ is given for
awlayan, the dual-plural of awla, meaning
the next-of-kin, the person responsible for
the deceased’s body and for the proper
final’Ịsation of his affairs. Grammatically, ‘a
different two’ is substituted for ‘two
kinsmen’, showing that they are one and the
same thing, that is, the different two are to
be two close kinsmen. Their oath nullified
the testimony of the false, non-Muslim
trustees.
…both swearing by Allah that: ‘Our
testimony is truer than their
testimony,…They swear by Allah that in
calling the two witnesses false, they, the
relatives, are sincere and that their
testimony is true, while that of the two
witnesses is not true, but false. The word
‘truer’ (ahaqq) does not signify
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comparative degrees, as has been
given.
…and we transgress not,…Their oath
continues with their declaring
themselves not to have transgressed
from right into wrong, but that they are
only seeking what is rightfully theirs.
…for then we would be
among the
wrongers.’Were they to
transgress they would
have wronged
themselves by swearing
such a false oath. (107)
Having sworn this oath, the oath of the
two trustees is annulled, and the
property is taken from them and given to
the bereaved relatives.
That is nearer that they produce a
testimony in its form,
or they fear that an oath be returned
after their oath.
And be guardful of Allah and listen,
Allah guides not the tribe perverse.
(108)
That…The procedure given in the
earlier portentfor the two trustees to
swear an oath after the ‘asr prayer.
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…is nearer that they produce a
testimony in its form,…It is more likely
to result in the two trustees presenting
the testament just the way it was
entrusted to them. The swearing of
oaths deters many people from lying.
…or they fear that an oath be
returned after their oath …Or, if
swearing an oath in front of a crowd is
not enough for them to be honest, what
makes it still more likely that they will
fear dishonesty, is that they know the
turn for swearing an oath will pass to the
relatives, who will swear against their lie
and the truth will favour them instead of
the witnesses. Then they will suffer the
disgrace of lying and stealing, and the
disgrace of swearing a false oath.
…And be guardful of Allah…And do
not swear by Him falsely.
…and listen,…That is, to this
admonition.
…Allah guides not the
tribe perverse.It means
those who are perverse
by departing from
obedience to Allah, and
commit sins, for He will
not favour them with His
special grace that He
reserves for the
obedient. (108)
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Previously an aspect of the histories of
the Jews and Christians was given, here
other aspects of the history of the
Christians is given in a different fashion:
The day Allah gathers the
Messengers and says,
‘How were ye answered?’
They say,
‘We have no knowledge;
indeed Thou are the Aware of the
unseens.’
(109)
The day Allah gathers the
Messengers and says,… That is, be
guardful of the day of judgement, the
day when Allah assembles all the
Prophets and Messengers, and says to
them:
…‘How were ye answered?’… That is,
how did their respective communities
respond to them? With belief and
confirmation, or with disbelief and
denial?
…They say, ‘We have no
knowledge;… The Prophets reply to
His question, glorified be He, by saying
that they do not have full knowledge,
they are only aware of what is apparent,
while as for what is within and unseen, it
is Allah alone who has such knowledge.
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…indeed Thou are the Aware of the
unseens.’The word ‘unseens’ is used
for ghuyub, the plural of ghaib, meaning
unseen. Thus ‘unseens’ are all those
things that are hidden from the senses.
This account is highly summarised, or it
takes place at one of the stations of the
resurrection, for it has several stations,
and each station differs in detail and in
aspects from the preceding station. That
given is the answer of the Prophets in
general, but the reply of ‘‘Ịsa, bliss be
upon him, is more detailed, and it comes
after a few portentson the history of
‘‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him: (109).
When Allah says, ‘O ‘Ịsa son of
Maryam,
recount my blessing upon thee and
thy mother,
when I helped thee with the soul of
holiness:
thou spoke to the people in the
cradle and in maturity,
and when I taught thee the book and
the wisdom
and the Torah and the Gospel,
and when thou created from earth
like the form of a bird by My
permission and then blew into it and
it was a bird by My permission,
and thou cured the blind and the
leper by My permission,
April 3, 2011
and when thou brought out the dead
by My permission,
and when I averted the sons of Isra.il
from thee,
when thou came to them with the
clarifications,
and those of them who disbelieved
said,
‘This is nothing but clear sorcery.’
(110)
When Allah says,… ‘Says’ is put for
qala, which is the past tense used to
denote something that is certain to
happen. It means ‘be guardful of the
day…when Allah will definitely say…’Or
the latent word is ‘remind’ (udhkur),
giving the meaning: ‘Call to mind (the
time) when Allah says…’
…‘O ‘‘Ịsa son of Maryam,…His being
the son of Maryam is mentioned to
counter the word of the Christians that
he is the son of Allah.
…recount my blessing upon thee and
thy mother,… ‘Blessing’ is in the
singular because it means the whole
genus of blessing; it does not mean a
single blessing. The meaning of
recounting a blessing is being grateful
for it and doing the kind of thing that is
right and fitting to be done by one who is
grateful for such a blessing. And it is
clear that such blessings upon a mother
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as chastity and purity and suchlike are
among the greatest blessings on the
son. And so these are among the things
deserving gratitude. Then He elucidates
some of His blessings, glorified be He,
in His word:
…when I helped thee with the soul of
holiness:… He was assisted and
succoured by a pure spirit untainted by
any impurity. It was Jibra.il, bliss be
upon him, or another angel. Or it was a
spirit blown into him keeping him from
instability, for the Prophets and Imams
are provided with a pure soul (ruh
tahira) that protects them and guides them
by the command of Allah, glorified be He.
…thou spoke to the people in the
cradle… When he was a baby. He said,
bliss be upon him: ‘Indeed I am Allah’s
slave, He gave me the book and set
me as a Prophet and set me as
blessed wherever I am, and enjoined
upon me the prayer and the zakat for
as long as I live…’(Maryam [19]: 32).
…and in maturity,… ‘Maturity’ is put for
kahl, meaning the period before old-age.
It is mentioned to complete the phrase,
which means that the blessing to ‘Ịsa
was special in that he spoke to people in
both his conditions of babyhood and
maturity, whereas other people can
speak only in the one condition, that of
maturity.
…and when I taught thee the
book…The singular form denotes the
genus of book sent down from the
April 3, 2011
heavens, for there had been books sent
down on the earlier prophets, and he
had learned these from Allah, glorified
be He.
…and the wisdom…This is the
knowledge of things the way they are.
The knowledge of the books is different
from the knowledge of the wisdom, from
the knowledge of things and their
places.
…and the Torah and the Gospel,…
The Torah is the book sent down upon
Musa, bliss be upon him. The Gospel
was sent down to ‘Ịsa himself, bliss be
upon him.
…and when thou created from earth
like the form of a bird…He formed the
shape of a bird, and it is clear that this
kind of sculpture was not banned
because it was at the command of Allah.
Perhaps this is signified by the clause:
…by My permission…Or perhaps it
signifies that his making that statue was
by the power of Allah, for without Allah’s
permission it would be impossible for
anyone to make or create anything.
…and then blew into it…Into the
earthen model he had made. It should
not be concealed that the soul (al-rụĥ) is
a fine substance (jism latif), and so it
was possible for ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him,
to blow that substance into the earthen
model, by Allah’s permission.
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…and it was a bird by My
permission,… It was a real, living, bird,
just like any other bird, by the will and
command of Allah, glorified be He.
…and thou cured the blind… He
cured those born blind.
…and the leper…Someone afflicted
with the disease of leprosy.
…by My permission,… By His will and
command.
…and when thou brought out the
dead…He called them from the graves
and they came out alive.
…by My permission,… By His will. He
supplicated for that and He granted his
prayer.
…and when I averted the sons of
Isra.il from thee…He averted the Jews
from him, so that they were unable to kill
him.
…when thou came to them with the
clarifications,…At the time he came to
them with clear proofs that his mission
was genuine and that he was telling the
truth.
…and those of them who
disbelieved… Those of the tribe of
Israel who disbelieved in him and what
he had brought.
…said, ‘This is nothing
but clear sorcery.’They
April 3, 2011
meant that the miracles
‘Ịsa brought forth were
plainly no more than
sorcery and magic. (110)
And when I revealed unto the bright
ones that:
‘Believe in Me and in My messenger!’
They said,
‘We believe,
and witness that we are Muslims.’
(111)
And when I revealed… That is, ‘And
recall My blessing upon thee when I
revealed…’ ‘Revealed’ (wahy) means,
here, that it was cast at them, through
the medium of ‘Ịsa or Yahya, bliss be
upon them. Or the meaning is that it wa
inspired into their hearts through the
medium of reason (al-‘aql), which is the
inner proof.
…unto the bright ones that:… The
‘bright ones’ (al-hawariyun) were his
favourite disciples; the reason for this
name has been given.
…‘Believe in Me and in My
messenger!’… Belief in Allah was a
blessing for ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, just
as his own corroboration was a blessing
upon him for both would have resulted
in himself finding more nearness to
MIA
Allah, glorified be He, as it was then
possible to guide them.
…They said,… The choice disciples
said.
…‘We believe,… They confirmed their
belief in Allah and His Messenger.
…and witness…They called on Allah to
witness, or perhaps their appeal to be
witnessed was to ‘‘Ịsa, bliss be upon
him.
…that we are Muslims.’
That is, that they had
surrendered to Allah and
to His commands and
prohibitions. (111)
When the bright ones said, ‘O ‘Ịsa,
son of Maryam,
Is thy Master able to send down upon
us a spread
from the heaven?’
He said, ‘Be guardful of Allah,
if ye are believers.’
(112)
When…That is: ‘Recall My blessing
upon you, O ‘Ịsa, son of Maryam, when
the disciples spoke with you about Allah
sending down a spread of food, and you
426 | P a g e April 3, 2011
requested it from Him and He answered His perfect attributes
you and sent down the spread.’
that make Him fully able
…the bright ones said, ‘O ‘Ịsa son of to do the paltry kind of
Maryam,…Their calling him ‘son of thing they were asking.
Maryam’ would have been out of
respect, or it is that Allah is conveying
(112)
the sense of what they said. Or it was They said,
what ‘‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, himself told
them to call him; or it might have been the ‘We want to eat of it, till our hearts be
custom among them. tranquil,

…Is thy Master able to send down and till we know for sure thou have
upon us a spread from the been truthful to us,
heaven?’… Their asking about His
being ‘able’ related to His power, and and till of that
took place when their faith was less than
perfect, or it may have related to His we be among the witnesses.’
will, so that the sense is ‘Is He willing to
send us a spread?’ The word ‘spread’ is (113)
put for ma.ida, meaning the cloth upon
which a meal is spread, as a picnic They said,… The disciples said.
would be spread. They wanted ‘Ịsa to
…‘We want to eat of it,…They wanted
perform this miracle so that they could
to eat from the spread.
see it, sense it and eat it, so that no
doubt would remain within them about
…and till our hearts be
the veracity of his prophethood. Perhaps
tranquil,…They wanted their hearts to
this took place before his other miracles
be fully confident in the principle of the
of curing the blind and the lepers.
Origin and that ‘Ịsa was His prophet, or
the confidence of vision, just as Ibrahim,
…He said, ‘Be guardful of Allah,… He
bliss be upon him, said, ‘He said, “For
told them to fear Allah and not ask the
sure, but that my heart be tranquil.”’
questions of the ignorant and full of
(al-Baqara [2]: 261)
doubt.
…and till we know for sure thou have
…if ye are been truthful to us,…Truthful in
believers.’That is, informing them of the Legislation. This
believers in Allah and too shows that they wanted the

MIA 427 | P a g e April 3, 2011

knowledge of seeing with their eyes, …send down upon us a spread from
and that they were in doubt. the heaven,… A cloth with food laid out
upon it, sent down from above.
…and till of that we be
…that it be for us a festival, for the
among the first of us and the last of us,… They
witnesses.’They would would take the day on which the spread
testify about that to came down as a holy day, a festival, an
those who were not ‘iyd. All nations have festivals to
commemorate triumphs and so forth,
present, that they had and it is clear that the honouring of a
seen the spread with community by sending a spread down to
their own eyes. (113) them from the side of Allah, glorified be
He, would be among the greatest
‘Ịsa son of Maryam said, occasions to commemorate. ‘The first’ of
the community meant those who were
‘O Allah, our Master, present, ‘the last of them’ meant those
who would come after them, their
send down upon us a spread from
offspring.
the heaven,
…and a portent from Thee…. A sign
that it be for us a festival,
from Allah of His oneness, and of the
prophethood of His prophet, and so
for the first of us and the last of us,
forth.
and a portent from Thee.
…And provision us,… That is, they
And provision us, wanted to be provisioned from the spread.

Thou are the best of provisioners.’ …Thou are the best of

provisioners.’ He is
(114) profuse with His
‘‘Ịsa son of Maryam said, ‘O Allah, blessings and He wants
our Master,… The extra ‘our Master’ is nothing in return for
eloquence in a supplication. The latent
them, unlike people, who
sense is: ‘O Master, it is Thou who have
raised us from nothing, so be profuse always expect
upon us with the completion of Thy something to reach them
process of raising us.’

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in return whenever they requested a miracle and had their
request granted them.
give something. (114)
Allah said, ‘Indeed I am sending it From the Household,
upon ye; bliss be upon them, we
so whoso among ye disbelieves after
have it that the spread
this, would be sent down and
the people would gather
indeed I shall chastise him with a
round it and eat from it,
chastisement
and then it would be
with which I chastise none from the raised. Those of
worlds.’ substance among them
and their leading men
(115)
said that they would not
Allah said, ‘Indeed I am sending it call the poor among
upon ye,…Allah, glorified be He, replied them to eat from it along
to ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, that He had
accepted his request, and was sending it
with themselves. So
down upon them. Allah raised the spread
due to their wilfulness,
…so whoso among ye disbelieves
after this,… After the spread was sent
and they were turned
down. into apes and pigs. (115)
…indeed I shall chastise him with a It has preceded that Allah, glorified be
chastisement with which I chastise He, will question the Prophets about the
no one of the worlds.’A chastisement responses of their communities, and
which would be so severe that no one of that was followed by an account of
all the disobedient people of that age some of the miracles of ‘‘Ịsa that
would be chastised with the like of it, for deserved the proper response of a
the unqualified ‘worlds’ generally covers proportioned belief, but the Christians
all the worlds of a single period. The raised him to a level higher than his
severity of the chastisement is on station when they set him as their god.
account of how they would have Therefore, at the gathering of the
disbelieved after they had believed, then resurrection he will face questioning
about this forgery attributed to him, and
he will renounce it. This is on the day
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when the Prophets will be assembled
and asked, ‘How were ye answered?’:
And when Allah says, ‘O ‘Ịsa son of
Maryam,
did thou say to the people,
“Take me and my mother as two
gods instead of Allah”?’
He will say, ‘Glory be Thine!
It were not for me to say what I had
not the right to say.
Had I said it, Thou would know it;
Thou know what is in my spirit,
while I know not what is in Thy spirit;
Indeed, Thou are the Aware of the
unseens.
(116)
And when Allah says, ‘O ‘Ịsa son of
Maryam, did thou…The interrogative is
a censure of those who made this false,
lying claim, and an assertive denial of
the attribution of to ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon
him.
…say to the people, “Take me and
my mother as two gods instead of
Allah”?’… That is, alongside Allah, as it
was not that they did not believe in the
divinity of Allah, glorified be He.
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…He will say, ‘Glory be Thine!…‘Ịsa
will reply with this declaration that Allah
is free of and far above everything
suggested by such words.
…It were not for me to say… He did
not see it as permissible to say.
…what I had not the right to say….
Such as taking him and his mother as
gods.
If I had said it, Thou would know it;…
But it does not exist in His knowledge,
and so it did not take place.
…Thou know what is in my
spirit…That is: ‘You know my innermost
conditions, the conditions of my heart
and soul, so how much better informed
You are of my words.’
…while I know not what is in Thy
spirit;… This is simply for a reciprocal
balance in eloquence, and to draw out the
contrast. Otherwise, Allah has no spirit,
glorified be He. And the word ‘I know not’
is to explain his submissiveness, bliss be
upon him, to Him, glorified be He.
…indeed Thou are the
Aware of the
unseens.That is: You are
aware of all the things
that are hidden from the
senses, while I am not
like that. Therefore You
know that I did not tell
April 3, 2011
the people to take me witness of what they said and did only for as
long as he was in their midst.
and my mother as gods.
(116) …then when Thou took me,… Took
him up to the heavens in a full ascension.
Then ‘Ịsa, bliss be upon him, explains The manner of his ascension has been given.
what he did say to his people, further to
his renouncing the forgery attributed to
him: …Thou were Thyself the Watchful
over them,…‘Thou, O my Allah, were
‘I said nothing to them save what thereafter the observer of their deeds,
Thou ordered me to, their beliefs and their words.’

that: “Worship Allah my Master and

your Master!”
…And Thou over all
things are a witness.He
And I was a witness over them as is present and a witness
long as I was among them,
over all things.(117)
then when Thou took me,
‘Indeed the people’s point of origin is
Thee, my (Divine) Master and their
Thou were Thyself the Watchful over
(Divine) Master, and their return is in
them,
Thy hands alone’:
And Thou over all things are a
‘If Thou chastise them—
witness.
indeed they are Thy slaves.
(117)
And if Thou forgive them—
‘I said nothing to them save what Thou
ordered me to, that: “Worship Allah my indeed Thou are the Grand,
Master and your Master!”… He told the
people what he had been ordered to tell the Wise.’
them, and asserted their common need to
worship Allah, glorified be He, their Master (118)
and His Master, their Creator and his
Creator. ‘If Thou chastise them—indeed they
are Thy slaves…. They are not able to
And I was a witness over them as take anything away from themselves,
long as I was among them,…He was a nor can any but Allah save them.

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…And if Thou forgive them—indeed eternal in them,
Thou are the Grand,… All-Powerful.
forever.
…the Wise.’He who does Allah is pleased with them
nothing but what
accords to wisdom and and they are pleased with Him.
the best interests. Here That is the magnificent achievement.
is the submission of an
affair to its Owner, the (119)
consigning of the affair
Allah will say,…After that interrogation,
to its proper manager. during the resurrection.
This wording does not
negate ‘Ịsa’s knowledge …‘This is the day their truthfulness
benefits the truthful—… On that day
that they are to be the lies of the liar, the forgery of those
chastised – we might who said that ‘Ịsa is Allah’s son, or that
say to a someone who he is Allah, will not profit them. Nor will
has the choice about those who say that ‘Ịsa is not a prophet
be profited by their lie. That day is the
something, ‘If you like, day of honesty, and the truthful will profit
you can do it, and if not, from their truthfulness.
then you can leave it’,
…theirs are gardens,… The reward of
even though we know
the truthful.
for sure which of the two
alternatives he will …rivers flowing beneath
choose. Moreover, some them,…Rivers flowing under the
palaces and greenery.
of them, those with no
option, may be worthy of …eternal in them, forever.… Without
forgiveness. (118) end.

Allah will say, ‘This is the day their …Allah is pleased with them… Their
truthfulness benefits the truthful— works in the realm of the world has
pleased Him, glorified be He.
theirs are gardens,

rivers flowing beneath them,

MIA 432 | P a g e April 3, 2011
…and they are pleased with Him….
They are pleased with their recompense and
reward.
[1] Portent 111, below.
[2] The madd was a weight standardised by Allah’s Messenger,
may Allah condescend upon him and his House, but which has
…That is the magnificent since been abandoned.

achievement.It is the
achievement than which
Surah al-An‘aam
there is no greater
achievement. (119) (6)
The Christians lied in putting a partner
for Allah: 'The Livestock'
Allah’s is the dominion of the Sent down at Makka and at Madina, its
heavens and the earth and that within portents 165.
them; and He over all things is in
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the
power.
Merciful.

(120) A beginning in the name of the God, the

Compassionate, the Merciful, who mercies the
Allah’s is the dominion of the slaves and bestows upon them.
heavens and the earth… There is no
As the previous surah concluded with the
partner for Allah anywhere, and all the dominion of the heavens and the earth being
dominion is His and His alone. Allah’s, so this surah begins in the same way as
that conclusion:
…and that within them;…All the
human beings, the animals, the plants, Praise be Allah’s, who created the heavens
and the earth
the inorganic and so forth.
and set the darknesses and the light,
…and He over all things
thereupon those who disbelieve in their
is in power.Nothing is Master
denied Him, and given
equate.
that these are His
attributes He has no (1)
partner in the dominion. Praise be Allah’s, who created the heavens
(120) and the earth… ‘Praise’ is given for al-hamd,
literally ‘the praise’, meaning that all praise is

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Allah’s, since all praises return ultimately to Him.
‘The heavens’ (al-samawaat) normally comes in
plural form, whereas ‘the earth’ come sin the
singular. This shows that the heavens are so
many more than the earths, for otherwise there
are also seven earths – as He says, glorified be
He, ‘…and the earth the same as them.’ (65:13).
…and set the darknesses and the light,…
That is, He made their existence. Darkness is
the non-existence of a quality (‘adam malaka) so
that its creation is the creation of non-existence,
yet those things that efface a quality have a
share in existence, the philosophers say.
‘Darknesses’ (zulumaat) comes in the plural in
conformity with the previous ‘heavens and the
earth’. Perhaps the plural is on account of how
darkness divides around light, for light splits the
path of darkness which is then divided. Or
perhaps it is on account of how darkness has
different qualities, in that the nearer it is to the
light, the less dense it becomes.
Allah, glorified be He, then expresses
indignation at those who take rivals instead
of Allah, when all things belong to Allah,
glorified be He:
…thereupon those who disbelieve… Despite
all these portents and proofs.
…in their Master equate. That is, they equate
Him to other than Him, and put Him as an
equivalent, a partner, a likeness of other things,
although they have no signs and created
nothing. (1)
Because the general current of this surah
revolves around beliefs in the Origin and the
Return, and the existential things that He has
created, glorified be He, the portents of this
surah turn from belief to belief, and from creation
to creation:
He it is who created ye from earth,
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then decreed a term,
and a named term is alongside Him,
thereupon ye,
ye are in doubt.
(2)
He it is who created ye from earth,… Either as
the sons of Adam, wellbeing be upon him, or as
far as every human being is created from earth
and water, for the human is created from sperm,
which derives from animal and vegetable, both
of which are from earth and water.
…then decreed a term,… A period for man in
general, until the world is ended; or for each
individual there is an allotted life span which he
cannot exceed.
…and a named term is alongside Him,…
This is a complete, sufficient phrase. Either it
adds detail to the previous ‘decreed a term’, so
that it means that it is Allah who is the origin of
the term named for every person, and all others
can do is journey through their terms; or the
meaning is that the resurrection, which
concludes the term and the period of human
existence in the world alive and dead, is
alongside Him – that is, in His hands is the
commencement of the Hour.
…thereupon ye,… Ye, O human beings.
…ye are in doubt. Ye doubt about Allah,
glorified be He, and ye doubt that creation,
death and the resurrection are in the hands of
none but Him. (2)
How can ye doubt about Him and take others as
His partners, given that:
And He is Allah
April 3, 2011
in the heavens and the earth.
He knows the hidden of ye
and the open of ye,
and He knows what ye earn.
(3)
And He is Allah… There is no god other than
Him.
…in the heavens and the earth…. The creator
and disposer of all of existence is none but
Allah, as opposed to those who designate a god
for the sky, and another for the earth. The
adverb ‘in’ is metaphorical, for Allah, glorified be
He, is located in no place, for a place would
mean Him having a limit, which would mean Him
having parts, and these are the attributes of the
created, not of the Creator.
…He knows the secret of ye… Hidden,
concealed, whether kept secret or simply
concealed in the breast.
…and the open of ye,… It means all the things
that people are open about, the opposite of both
the above meanings.
…and He knows what ye earn. That is: the
actions ye do, for actions are among the things
that people earn. In this portent is a refutation of
those who say that the heavens and the earth
are eternal, and secondly of those who claim
two gods, one of light and one of darkness, and
thirdly of the partnerists who assign partners to
Him, glorified be He, and finally of those ignorant
philosophers who hold that His knowledge or His
power is not universal and all-comprehending,
as well as of other deviated beliefs about the
God of all existence. (3)
Thereupon He informs, glorified be He, about
the disbelievers who were mentioned at the
beginning of the surah:
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And no portent comes to them
among the portents of their Master
save that from it
they turn away.
(4)
And no portent comes to them… ‘Portent’
(ayah) means miracle, evidence, proof,
conclusive demonstration.
…among the portents of their Master …
Demonstrating His existence and the
genuineness of the message of Allah’s
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him
and his House.
…save that from it they turn away. They
refused to accept the clear evidences, not
considering the matter fairly in a rational way. (4)
And they certainly belied the truth when it
came to them,
so shortly shall come to them
the announcements of what they were
ridiculing.
(5)
And they certainly belied the truth when it
came to them,… The disbelievers belied the
Quran and the Messenger and the other
portents.
…so shortly… On the day of resurrection. Or it
means in the world, when the Messenger was
triumphant and His genuineness was clear
through his pre-eminence and domination.
…shall come to them the announcements of
what they were ridiculing. The truth. The
portent is a warning, a threat. (5)
April 3, 2011
He then warns them, glorified be He, lest they
be afflicted by that which afflicted the previous
communities on account of their belying and
disobedience and insolence regarding the affair
of their Divine Master:
Have they not seen how many a generation
before them
We have destroyed –
We facilitated them in the earth with such
that We have not facilitated for ye.
And We sent down the heaven upon them in
torrents,
and We set rivers flowing under them,
Then We destroyed them for their sins,
and after them We produced a generation,
others.
(6)
Have they not seen how many a generation
before them We have destroyed… ‘Seen’,
here, has the meaning of ‘know’, that is: ‘Do they
not know how many…’ The interrogative is a
criticism and a reminder. ‘Generation’ is put for
qarn, meaning the people of a particular period.
…–We facilitated them in the earth…
Those previous generations and communities
were set up in that they were made rulers and
leaders, with large numbers and extensive
equipment and resources.
…with such that We have not facilitated for
ye…. Their resources were more than those of
the addressees. These seem to be the
disbelievers of the time of the Messenger, may
Allah condescend upon him and his House, in
particular, in that the earlier generations had
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more resources than them. There is no room to
say that the resources and possibilities of the
former generations was more than all of those
who come after, until the judgement day, which
is what would lead from the address being
general. On the contrary, it is clear from ‘have
they not seen’ that the nations meant are those
before the disbelievers in the age of the
Messenger, may Allah condescend upon him
and his House, for they had seen the reports of
those nations, not those that came later.
…And We sent down the heaven upon them
in torrents,… ‘Torrents’ is given for midrar, a
superlative for heavy rain, so that they are
endowed with goodness and blessings and
wealth. ‘Sending down the heaven’ means
‘sending down rain’, an instance of a condition
being given the name of the location of that
condition, which is not unknown in Arabic
literature.
…and We set rivers flowing under
them,…That is, He created their waters that flow
under their palaces and villas, and at the bottom
of their gardens, below their shrubs and trees.
Or it is ‘under’ in the sense that the water levels
are generally lower than the land on which
people walk. But all of this was of no use to their
survival or renown.
…Then We destroyed them for their sins,…
They were destroyed in that they had no
personal survival, no traces of their identities
were left, and no offspring and descendants.
And this was on account of their disobedience
and their disbelief, in contrast to the Prophets
and the virtuous who have remained among the
people until today, whose virtues and good
deeds have preserved their traces, their renown
and their actions.
…and after them We produced a generation,
others. After them, He created another nation,
and a community of others. (6)
April 3, 2011
Then He explains, glorified be He, that the
disbelievers cling stubbornly and obstinately to
their disbelief, and that it is not that they do not
know the truth:
And had We sent down upon thee a book in
sheets,
for them to touch with their hands,
those who disbelieve would have said,
‘This is nothing but clear magic.’
(7)
And had We sent down upon thee… Upon
Allah’s Messenger, may Allah condescend upon
him and his House.
a book in sheets,… That is, written down on
sheets of paper, testifying to his genuineness.
…for them to touch with their hands,…
Sensory, touchable by hand, so that they could
be certain that it was not some jugglery or a trick
of the eyes.
…those who disbelieve would have said,
‘This… That is, the book.
…is nothing but clear magic.’ Still they would
not have corroborated it, but would have
denounced it as plain magic, the clear tricks of a
conjurer. It is said that they portent was sent
down concerning a group of disbelievers said, ‘O
Muhammad, we will not believe in you until you
bring us a book from Allah and with it four
angels testifying over it that it is from Allah and
that you are His messenger.’ (7)
And they say, ‘Why was an angel not sent
down upon him?’
And had We sent down an angel, the affair
would have been decreed,
MIA
and thereupon they would not be
regarded.(respited)
(8)
And they say, ‘Why was an angel not sent
down upon him?’… The disbelievers asked
why an angel from the heavens was not sent
down with the Messenger, may Allah
condescend upon him and his House,
confirming him, for them too to confirm and
corroborate him. Allah refutes their objection in
His word:
…And had We sent down an angel,… In
accordance to their churlish demand.
…the affair would have been decreed,… That
is, their times would be up, their life-spans
would be at an end.
…and thereupon they would not be regarded.
They would have perished, have died. That is
because of how Allah’s norm flows: He only
sends down an angel to those who stubbornly
deny at the time of their deaths. Here it might be
objected that this does not answer the
disbelievers, for they could then say, ‘Let Allah
change His norm and send down an angel and
keep us alive until we believe.’ A second
question here is: why does Allah’s norm flow in
this way? Is not the guidance of the people the
purpose of the creation? So why not add to the
guidance by sending down an angel? The
answer to the first is that the norm of Allah flows
in such a way that death follows the sending
down of an angel, just as it His norm that being
burned follows being cast into a fire. And the
disbelievers have no justification for this
demand, for the Prophet could say, ‘Why do you
want an angel to be sent down? Is it because of
your own obstinacy? That is no reason for your
request to be granted. Or is it because it would
be a miracle, and producing miracles leads to
confirmation and corroboration? But I have
brought you miracles. Or is it because it is a
437 | P a g e April 3, 2011
particular miracle? But reasonable people will He shall certainly gather you unto the day of
not find it necessary to confirm a particular resurrection
miracle and reject others. It is like when a doctor
produces some recommendation, and the – no doubt in it.’
patient tells him he wants the recommendation
of the leader of the government. Such a thing Those who are themselves in deficit,
would be considered idiocy by any one of
reason. And as for the second set of questions, so they do not believe.
Allah knows their obduracy, and that the sending
down of an angel would not profit them, as He (12)
explained in His word ‘And had We sent down
upon thee a book…’. And what would stop And His is what is still in the night
them from saying that what they saw as an
angel was itself a magical illusion? (8) and the day,

And We set him an angel, and He is the Hearing,

We would have made him a man, the Knowing.

And We would have clothed over them as (13)

they are clothed.
Say: ‘Am I to take other than Allah as a
(9) Patron –

And they certainly ridiculed the Messengers the Burster open of the heavens and the
before thee, earth,

and so that which they were ridiculing and He feeds but eats not?’

enveloped those of them who rediculed. Say: ‘Indeed I am ordered to be the first of
those submitting,
(10)
and be not of the partnerists.’
Say: travel in the earth,
(14)
then look how was the consequence of the
beliars. Say: Indeed I fear,

(11) were I to disobey my Master,

Say: ‘Whose is that in the heavens and the the chastisement of a magnificent day.
earth?’
(15)
Say: ‘Allah’s – He has written upon Himself
mercy Whoso it is turned from that day –

MIA 438 | P a g e April 3, 2011

truly Allah has mercied him. like they recognise their sons –

And that is the clear achievement. those whose selves are in deficit,

(16) and so they believe not.

And if Allah touches thee with a harm, (20)

there is no lifter of it but Him. And who is more wrongful

And if He touches thee with a goodness – than whoso forges unto Allah a lie

He over all things is in power. or belies His portents,

(17) indeed the wrongful thrive not.

And He is the Irresistible over His slaves, (21)

and He is the Wise, The day We muster them,

the Informed. all together,

(18) then We say to those who partnerised,

Say: ‘What thing is a greater witnessing?’ ‘Where are your partners you were alleging?’

Say: ‘Allah is a witness between me and ye, (22)

and this Quran is revealed to me for me to Thereupon their tribulation will be no more
warn ye of Him than that they say,

and whoso it reaches. ‘By Allah, our (Divine) Master,

Bear ye witness that along with Him we were not partnerists.’

there are other gods?’ Look how they lie against themselves,

Say: ‘I do not testify.’ and what they forged has strayed from them.

Say: ‘He is the One God, (23)

and I am renouncing what you partnerise.’ And among them is whoso listens to thee,

(19) though We have set a wrapping over their

hearts
Those to whom We have given the book
recognise him lest they understand it,
MIA 439 | P a g e April 3, 2011
and in their ears a cavity, And they say, ‘This is nought but the worldly
life,
so that though they see every portent,
and we are not to be raised.’
they do not believe in it
(28)
until when they come to thee wrangling
And were thou to see,
against thee,
when they are set before their (Divine)
those who disbelieve say, ‘This is naught
Master,
but the fables of the ancients.’
He shall say, ‘Is this not the truth?’
(24)
They say, for sure, by our (Divine) Master!’
And them, they forbid from him,
He says, ‘So taste the chastisement,
and they keep away from him,
for your having been lying.’
while they destroy none but themselves,
(29)
and they discern not.
Losing are those who belie the meeting with
(25) Allah,

And were thou to see, until when the Hour comes to them of a
sudden,
when they are set before the fire,
they say, ‘Anguish is ours, for our neglect in
they will say, ‘Would that we be returned it!’

and not belie the portents of our (Divine) And they carry their burden on their backs.
Master,
Be aware: evil is what they carry.
and be among the believers.’
(30)
(26)
The worldly life is nought but play and
Nay, what they were concealing has distraction,
manifested,
but the realm of the hereafter is better
and were they returned they would revert to
what they were forbidden from, for those who are guardful.

indeed they are the liars. Will ye not reflect?

(27) (31)
MIA 440 | P a g e April 3, 2011
Truly We know that what they say sorrows
thee;
they belie thee not,
nay, the wrongful deny the portents of Allah.
(32)
And truly the prophets before thee were
belied,
so be restrained at their lying
and their annoying
until Our succour comes to them.
There is no substitutor of Allah’s word,
truly the announcements of the Messengers
have come to thee.
(33)
And if their turning away is grievous for thee,
then if thou can reach for a tunnel in the
earth
of a ladder in the sky,
so bring them a portent.
And had Allah willed He would have gathered
them on the guidance.
So be not of the ignorant.
(34)
They alone will answer who hear;
and the dead, Allah raises them,
thereupon to Him they return.
MIA
(35)
And they say, ‘Why was not a portent
sent down to him from his (Divine) Master?’
Say: ‘Allah is able to send down a portent.’
But most of them know not.
(36)
And there is no animal in the earth
and no flyer flying with its wings,
save as nations like yourselves.
We have neglected nothing in the book.
Thereupon unto their (Divine) Master they
are mustered.
(37)
And those who belie our portents,
are deaf and dumb in darkness.
Whomso Allah wills – He makes him stray;
and whomso He wills – He places him upon a
straight road.
(38)
Say: ‘Have thou seen if Allah’s chastisement
should come to ye,
or the Hour was to come to ye,
would ye call to other than Allah,
if ye are truthful.
(39)
441 | P a g e April 3, 2011
Nay, Him ye would call – and He would and praise be Allah’s,

lift that for which ye called, (Divine) Master of the worlds.

if He willed – and ye would forget your (44)

partnerising.
Say: ‘Have ye considered,
(40)
if Allah were to take your hearing and your
And truly We sent unto nations before thee sight,

so We took them and sealed over your hearts,

with violence and hardship, who is the god other than Allah who would
restore it for ye?
that they be humbled.
Look how We display the portents;
(41)
thereafter them, they shun.
Would that they were humble
(45)
when Our violence came to them;

but their hearts were hardened,

and the devil adorned what they were doing.

(42)

So when they forgot what they had been

reminded of,

We opened for them the doors of all things,

so that when they were rejoicing

at what they had been given,

We took them suddenly,

and at once they were in despair.

(43)

And the remnant of the tribe who wronged

was cut –

MIA 442 | P a g e April 3, 2011

 Surah al-
al-Muja>dilah (58)
‫ﺎﺩﻟﺔ‬‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍ‬
‘The Pleading Woman’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word tuja>diluka, meaning ‘she pleads with thee’,
from the root muja>dalah, ‘pleading’. Like the other Madinan surahs, it addresses the social order, alongside
matters of faith. Whereas the preceding surah, al-H{adi>d, concluded on the theme of His profusion, glory be to
Him, so this surah opens on the theme of an instance of Allah’s profusion, namely His response to the wishes of a
lady who came to the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family1, complaining of a situation concerning her
husband, and seeking that he give her a release from the difficulty in which she found herself. He therefore
clarified the practical ruling.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

In the name of Allah ... We begin with the name of the Allah, who is deserving of all praise and all glorifications –
for in beginning by His name we observe His right to be preferred before all others, as befits His magnificence.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful He who bestows from His mercy upon every person and everything, for as it is
said, ‘He gives to those who ask, and He gives to those who ask not and know Him not – in tenderness from Him
and mercy.’
Allah has indeed heard the word of she who pleaded ª!$#uρ «!$# †n<Î) þ’Å5tGô±n@uρ $yγÅ_÷ρy— ’Îû y7ä9ω≈pgéB ÉL©9$# tΑöθs% ª!$# yìÏϑy™ ô‰s%
with thee about her husband and complained to Allah;
and Allah hears your conversation, indeed Allah is ∩⊇∪ î97ÅÁt/ 7ì‹Ïÿxœ ©!$# ¨βÎ) 4 !$yϑä.u‘ãρ$ptrB ßìyϑó¡tƒ
hearing, seeing. (1)
Allah has indeed heard the word of she who pleaded with thee about her husband and complained to Allah; ... her
state and what has befallen upon her. The name of the lady was Khawlah; her husband’s name was Aws ibn
S{a>mit.
... and Allah hears your conversation, ... The pronoun ‘your’ in ‘your conversation’ is the twin-plural, so that it
means the conversation of the Messenger and the lady who appealed to him.
... indeed Allah is hearing, seeing ... This implies, here, that the two were being watched and listened to by Allah,
glory be to Him.
It is stated in Majmac al-Baya>n2, briefly, that the verse or portent (a>yah in Arabic) was sent down concerning a
lady of the Ans}a>r3, of tribe of Khazraj. Her name was Khawlah, and she was good looking, and her husband was
Aws ibn S{a>mit. Seeing her in prostration during her prayer, when she had come away from the prayer, her husband
wanted her but she rejected him. He became angry with her, and as he was a hasty, reckless man, he said to her,
‘You are like my mother’s back to me (anti> calayya ka dhahri ummi>)!’ He then regretted having said this, since for
the pagan Arabs it was a formula of divorce (called dhiha>r. dhiha>r is a derivative of dhahr meaning the back.). He
said to her that he supposed she was now forbidden for him. She replied that he shouldn’t say that, but that he
should go to Allah’s Messenger and ask him. He said that he found himself too ashamed to ask him about it, so
she said to him that he should bid her to ask him. ‘Ask him,’ he said.
So she went to the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, and complained to him that her husband was
Aws ibn S{a>mit, that he had married her when she had been young and wealthy with property and kinfolk, and that
he had consumed her wealth and taken her youth, separated her from her family and now that she was old he had
pronounced the ‘mother’s back’ formula to leave her. Then she said that her husband regretted what he had said,
and was there any way they could get back together again?
The Messenger of Allah said, ‘I see only that you are banned for him’.
She said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, by Him who sent down the Book upon thee, he did not say the divorce; and he is
the father of my children and the dearest of all people to me!’
So he said, ‘I see only that you are banned for him, and in your case I am not instructed otherwise.’ At this she
began to pray, saying, ‘I complain to Allah of my loss, my need and the severity of my condition! O Allah, send

1
s}allallah calayhi wa a>lih, meaning may Allah bless him and his pure family. It is a mark of piety and devotion to use this salutation
when mentioning the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. His ‘family’ are his cousin and son-in-law Ali (who was appointed by
Allah as his first successor), his daughter Lady Fatima al-Zahra, their sons Hasan and Husayn, and the nine impeccable Imams who
are all the descendents of Husayn. In the Holy Qur’an – [33: 33] – the ‘family’ is referred to as the Ahl al-Bayt.
2
It is a commentary on the holy Qur’an, by T{abrasi, d. 548H/1153CE.
3
Literally it means supporters, i.e. the Muslims of Medina who supported the migrants (Muha>jerin) from Makkah.
down upon the tongue of Thy Messenger!’ This was the first instance of dhiha>r in Islam. Then she said, ‘Consider
my case, may Allah make me your sacrifice.’
At that the revelation came down upon the Messenger, and he told her to summon her husband. Then the
Messenger recited to him ‘Allah has heard...’ until the completion of the a>yah. Then he asked him if he had the
means to free a neck, meaning a slave. [This is the requirement to restore the relationship, as stated in the third
verse here.] The man said that such would mean the end of his wealth, and that slaves were expensive. So the
Prophet asked him whether he could fast for two months consecutively. The man replied, ‘By Allah, if I don’t eat
three meals my eyes become dim and I fear that I will become dim-sighted.’ So the Messenger of Allah asked if he
could feed sixty paupers. He replied that he could not, ‘unless you help me in that, O Allah’s Messenger!’ So the
Prophet said that he would assist him to the amount of fifteen sa>c [of wheat], and that he would pray for blessings
for him. And so he helped him to that amount. [One sa>c is three modd, and one modd is equivalent to
approximately three quarters of one kilogram. Thus fifteen sa>c is approximately 34 kilogram. ‘Feeding sixty
paupers’ means each pauper must be given at least one modd of wheat.]
Now He explains, glory be to Him, the censure of dhiha>r, in His word:
Those of ye who declare their wives “as their mother’s óΟßγçG≈yγ¨Βé& ÷βÎ) ( óΟÎγÏF≈yγ¨Βé&  ∅èδ $¨Β ΟÎγÍ←!$|¡ÎpΣ ÏiΒ Νä3ΖÏΒ tβρã&Îγ≈sàムtÏ%©!$#
back”; they are not their mothers. Indeed their mothers
are but those who gave birth to them. Indeed they say a @χÎ)uρ 4 #Y‘ρã—uρ ÉΑöθs)ø9$# zÏiΒ #\&x6ΨãΒ tβθä9θà)u‹s9 öΝåκ¨ΞÎ)uρ 4 óΟßγtΡô‰s9uρ ‘Ï↔¯≈©9$# 0ωÎ)
dishonourable word, and a perfidy. And Allah is indeed
oft-
oft-pardoning, oft-
oft-forgiving. (2) ∩⊄∪ Ö‘θà?xî ;θà?yès9 ©!$#

Those of ye who declare their wives “as their mother’s back” ... “declaring one’s wife as one’s mother’s back” is
given for dhiha>r, which is the declaration made by the husband to his wife, ‘You are like my mother’s back to
me!’ Pronouncing this phrase meant irrevocable divorce for the pre-Islamic Arabs. Its meaning is that just as one’s
mother’s back is forbidden for a man, so too his wife has now become forbidden to him. Islam endorsed the saying
of this expression to be a cause of a man’s wife becoming forbidden to him, with the conditions that apply to
divorce, like the presence of two just witnesses, and so on. Yet this manner of divorce is forbidden, and Islam
requires the return to the wife through paying a penance.
... they are not their mothers ... The mere saying of such a word does not turn a man’s wife into his mother.
... Indeed their mothers are but those who gave birth to them; ... The mothers of the men who declare dhiha>r are
those who gave birth to them. For there is no maternal reality or relationship between the declarer [of dhiha>r] and
the target of the declaration [his wife].
... And they say
say a dishonourable word, ... Likening one’s wife to one’s mother is dishonourable [disrespectful to
the wife]; it has no substance in reality and no place in the Law, and is therefore invalid.
... and a perfidy ... It is a breach of truth, a lie, as that which has no substance in reality and no place in the Law, is
obviously false. Nevertheless, he who says it should not despair of the pardon of Allah and His grace, as the doors
of repentance are always open:
... And Allah indeed is oft-
oft-pardoning, oft-
oft-forgiving.
forgiving. He is oft-pardoning of the disobedient, and forgiving of their
sins. ‘Oft-Pardoning’ is given for cafuww, ‘forgiving’ for ghafu>r. The difference is that to pardon is to abstain
from imposing a punishment, without this necessitating concealment of the sin so that it does not become
apparent, like the governments that sometimes pardon criminals, although their crimes remain on the records;
whereas forgiveness includes the concealment of the disobedience, so that it is erased from His lists, glory be to
Him.
The theme now turns to clarify the objective ruling, and what that entails:
And those who declare their wives “as their mother’s ÏiΒ 7πt7s%u‘ ã&ƒÌ&óstGsù (#θä9$s% $yϑÏ9 tβρߊθãètƒ §ΝèO öΝÍκÉ″!$|¡ÎpΣ ÏΒ tβρã&Îγ≈sàムtÏ%©!$#uρ
back” and then retract what they have said, should free
a neck before they touch each other. That is what ye are ∩⊂∪ ×97Î7yz tβθè=yϑ÷ès? $yϑÎ/ ª!$#uρ 4 ϵÎ/ šχθÝàtãθè? ö/ä3Ï9≡sŒ 4 $¢™!$yϑtFtƒ βr& È≅ö6s%
admonished
admonished with, and Allah is informed of what ye do.
(3)
And those who declare their wives “as their mother’s back” and then retract what they have said, ... Those who
declare dhiha>r against their wives and then wish to restore relations with their wives and rescind their word that
caused the prohibition:
... should free a neck... In order for them to enjoy sexual intercourse with their wives, they must set free a
possessed slave. A slave is called ‘a neck’, as an instance of a whole being known by a part.
 ... before they touch each other... ‘touch’ is a reference to sexual acts, as these are forbidden before the freeing of
a slave.
... This is what ye are admonished with, ... ‘This’ means the obligation of setting free, which we are ‘admonished
with’. An ‘admonishment’ (wacdh), is a warning of an action the consequence of which is punishment; failure to
set free and then to engage in intimacy would lead to punishment, as it is disobedience.
... and Allah is informed of what ye do. He knows, glory be to Him, whenever intimacy is engaged in without
making the penance, and therefore it is for us not to commit that which brings punishment.
So whosoever finds it not, then a fast for two óΟ©9 yϑsù ( $¢™!$yϑtFtƒ βr& È≅ö6s% ÏΒ È÷yèÎ/$tGtFãΒ Èøt&öηx© ãΠ$u‹ÅÁsù ô‰Ågs† óΟ©9 yϑsù
consecutive months before they touch each other. So
whosoever is unable, then feeding sixty paupers – that š&ù=Ï?uρ 4 Ï&Î!θß™u‘uρ «!$$Î/ (#θãΖÏΒ÷σçGÏ9 y7Ï9≡sŒ 4 $YΖŠÅ3ó¡ÏΒ tÏnGÅ™ ãΠ$yèôÛÎ*sù ôìÏÜtGó¡o„
is for ye to believe in Allah and His Messenger. And
those are Allah’s boundaries, and for the disbelievers is a ∩⊆∪ îΛÏ9r& ë>#x‹tã zƒÌ&Ï?≈s3ù=Ï9uρ 3 «!$# ߊρ߉ãn
painful chastisement. (4)
So whosoever finds it not, then a fast for two consecutive months before they touch each other ... He who
declares dhiha>r against his wife and then wishes to return, but is unable to free a slave, either because his wealth is
insufficient, or simply because there are no slaves, then his penance is that he fasts for two months consecutively.
This means that he must fast every day for two months, without any intervening days on which he does not fast,
before he and his wife can be intimate with each other.
... So whosoever is unable, then feeding sixty paupers ... And if he who declares dhiha>r against his wife and wishes
to return but can neither free a slave nor fast for two months, then it is for him to feed sixty paupers, satisfying
them until they are full, or, for example, by giving to each of them at least one modd of wheat [one modd is
equivalent to approximately three quarters of one kilogram].
... that ... It means the legislation of the penance for the husband who wishes to return after having made the
dhiha>r declaration.
... is for ye to believe in Allah and His Messenger; ... This means that the purpose of this legislation is for faith to
penetrate into the hearts, for the penetration of faith is only accomplished through the repeated performance of
the duties. The obligations rouse the heart, and strengthen its properties.
... These are Allah’s boundaries ... These penances are Allah’s boundaries. ‘Boundaries’ is given for h}udu>d,
meaning the limits of faith as established by Allah, glory be to Him. The believer should not depart from these
limits through disobedience, just as one should not leave one’s city limits in the direction of an enemy.
... and for the disbelievers is a painful chastisement. Those who deny Allah’s boundaries and renounce them, have
a painful chastisement before them.
Verily, those who contravene Allah and His Messenger, ô‰s%uρ 4 óΟÎγÏ=ö7s% ÏΒ tÏ%©!$# |MÎ7ä. $yϑx. (#θçFÎ7ä. …ã&s!θß™u‘uρ ©!$# tβρ–Š!$ptä† tÏ%©!$# ¨βÎ)
will be subdued as those before them were subdued. And
And
indeed We have sent down clarifying signs; And for the ∩∈∪ ×Îγ•Β Ò>#x‹tã zƒÌ&Ï?≈s3ù=Ï9uρ 4 ;M≈uΖÉict/ ¤M≈tƒ#u !$uΖø9t“Ρr&
disbelievers is an abasing chastisement. (5)
Verily those who contravene Allah and His Messenger, ... It means those who fail to implement their commands.
... will be subdued as those before them were subdued ... Their humiliation shall be like the humiliation of the
preceding generations of disbelievers and polytheists, to be achieved by the victory of Islam over them in the
world, and their chastisement in the hereafter.
... And indeed We have sent down the clarifying signs; ... It means the signs and proofs. They are clear in
themselves and clarify the principles of faith and the rules of the Law, so that no one can excuse himself by
claiming that he did not know.
... and for the disbelievers is an abasing chastisement. Those who disbelieve in the signs will be abased and
humiliated by the chastisement.
The day of the debasing chastisement is:
The day Allah raises them, all together, and then He ª!$#uρ 4 çνθÝ¡nΣuρ ª!$# çµ9|Áômr& 4 (#þθè=Ïϑtã $yϑÎ/ Οßγã∞Îm7t⊥ã‹sù $Yè‹ÏΗsd ª!$# ãΝßγèWyèö6tƒ tΠöθtƒ
informs them of what they have done – Allah has kept
count of it while they have forgotten it; and Allah is ∩∉∪ Íκy− &óx« Èe≅ä. 4’n?tã
over all things a witness.
witness. (6)
The day Allah raises them, all together, and then He informs them of what they have done ... ‘Raises’ is given for
yabcath; it means bringing to life and raising. None shall be missed that day; there is no escape for anyone from
His face, glory be to Him. Allah shall inform them of all they have done, every single act [or offence] they have
committed would be read out prior to their punishment, so that they shall know for what they are being punished,
and will not be able to say that their punishment is wrongful.
... Allah has kept count of it ... Allah, glory be to Him, counts and records everything.
... while they have forgotten it; ... Man normally forgets the actions he has performed.
... and Allah is over all things a witness. He is present and witnesses everything a person does, and He commands
His angels to record it, so that each is paid back in full on the day of resurrection.
Have thou not seen that Allah knows whatever in the Üχθà6tƒ $tΒ ( ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû $tΒuρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# ’Îû $tΒ ãΝn=÷ètƒ ©!$# ¨βr& t&s? öΝs9r&
skies and whatever in the earth? There is no huddle of
three but that He is the fourth of them, nor five but 4’oΤ÷Šr& Iωuρ öΝåκÞ\ÏŠ$y™ uθèδ 0ωÎ) >π|¡÷Ηs~ Ÿωuρ óΟßγãèÎ/#u‘ uθèδ 0ωÎ) >πsW≈n=rO 3“uθøgªΥ ÏΒ
that He is the sixth of them, and nor less than that and
nor more, but that He is with them wherever they may $yϑÎ/ Οßγã⁄Îm6t⊥ム§ΝèO ( (#θçΡ%x. $tΒ tør& óΟßγyètΒ uθèδ 0ωÎ) u9sYò2r& Iωuρ y7Ï9≡sŒ ÏΒ
be. Thereupon on the day of resurrection He will inform
them of what they did. Indeed Allah is over all things ∩∠∪ îΛÎ=tæ >óx« Èe≅ä3Î/ ©!$# ¨βÎ) 4 Ïπyϑ≈uŠÉ)ø9$# tΠöθtƒ (#θè=ÏΗxå
knowing. (7)
Have thou not seen ... This term means ‘have thou not realised’, as vision is sometimes by the eye and sometimes
by the heart. The addressee is the Messenger and any intellectual.
... that Allah knows whatever in the skies and whatever in the earth?... Nothing remains hidden from Him, glory
be to Him; therefore, how is it that He could be unaware of the actions of the stubborn deniers and the
disbelievers? The question form is for a definite assertion, along the lines of His word, ‘He informs them of what
they did’ and ‘Allah is over all things a witness.’
The universality of His knowledge is then emphasised in that it encompasses even the secrets a person confides to
another person in confidence:
... There is no huddle of three but that He is the fourth of them, ...
... ‘Huddle’ is given for najwa>, meaning a
confidential discussion or discourse between two or more people in seclusion from the rest of humankind. ‘He is
the fourth of them’ in the sense that He hears everything they say.
... nor five but that He is the si
sixth
xth of them, ... And He hears all they say.
... and nor less than that... This means a confidential discussion or huddle between two persons.
... and nor more, ... That is, more than five of them huddled in confidential discussion.
... but that He is with
with them wherever they may be ... His knowledge accompanies them wherever they are in the
earth, or beyond that.
... Thereupon on the day of resurrection He will inform them of what they did ... On the day of resurrection He
shall have them informed of all they did in their life on earth, so as to requite them for their deeds. That is because
the rewards and punishments are subsequent to their being informed, as an honour for those to be rewarded, and to
humiliate those to be punished.
... Indeed Allah is over all things knowing.’ He knows all things and nothing remains from Him hidden.
Have thou not looked to those who were forbidden from çµ÷Ζtã (#θåκçΞ $yϑÏ9 tβρߊθãètƒ §ΝèO 3“uθôf¨Ζ9$# Çtã (#θåκçΞ tÏ%©!$# ’n<Î) t&s? öΝs9r&
huddling? They then return to that from which they
were forbidden; and they huddle together for sin and x8ρâ!%y` #sŒÎ)uρ ÉΑθß™§&9$# ÏMu‹ÅÁ÷ètΒuρ Èβ≡uρô‰ãèø9$#uρ ÉΟøOM}$$Î/ šχöθyf≈oΨoKtƒuρ
enmity and disobedience
disobedience to the Messenger. And when
they come to thee, they greet thee with a greeting by ª!$# $uΖç/Éj‹yèムŸωöθs9 öΝÍκŦà?Ρr& þ’Îû tβθä9θà)tƒuρ ª!$# ϵÎ/ y7ÍhŠptä† óΟs9 $yϑÎ/ x8ö觋ym
which Allah never greeted thee, saying among
themselves, ‘Why does Allah not chastise us for what ∩∇∪ ç97ÅÁyϑø9$# }§ø♥Î7sù ( $pκtΞöθn=óÁtƒ æΛ©yγy_ öΝßγç6ó¡ym 4 ãΑθà)tΡ $yϑÎ/
we say?’ Hell suffices them! They shall burn in it;
atrocious is the
the destination! (8)
Have thou not looked to those who were forbidden from huddling? It is recorded from Ibn cAbba>s that the a>yah or
portent came down concerning some Jews and hypocrites. They used to gather together in a huddle discussing
matters and would wink between themselves at the believers, and would say that they could only see them being
defeated or afflicted or killed by the raiders of their kin and brethren who had departed the city. This troubled the
believers, and they complained to the Messenger of Allah. He forbade them from doing this, but they did not
refrain, and so the a>yah came down.
...They then return to that from which they were forbidden; ...
... That is, they did not refrain from that which they
were forbidden from doing.
... and they huddle together for sin... Some of them encouraging others towards sinfulness.
... and enmity... That is, in enmity against the people and in aversion to the truth.
... and disobedience to the Messenger ... Some of them recommending others to disobey the Messenger.
And when they come to thee, ... That is, to the Messenger.
... they greet thee with a greeting by which Allah never greeted thee, ... It means that they greeted him with a
greeting that appeared pleasant, but which was in reality an ugly word. The Jews would greet the Messenger by
the word, ‘al-Sa>m calaika’, meaning death be upon thee (al-sa>m means ‘death’), whereas the impression they gave
was that they had said al-Sala>m calaika, which is “peace be upon thee”. Others would use the phrases of the pre-
Islamic era of ignorance, namely ancama saba>h}an (good morning) or ancama masa>’an (good evening). The
Messenger forbade this, and said, ‘Allah has substituted better than this for us; the saying of the folk of paradise is
al-Sala>m calaikum’, meaning peace be upon you. The introductory ‘Have thou not looked to’ therefore affords the
sense of outraged censure, and means ‘Why do they do such a thing?’
... saying among themselves, ... That is, the Jews and hypocrites would say, some of them to others, or within
their breasts,
... ‘Why does Allah not chastise us for what we say?’... Their position was that if Muhammad was really a
Messenger, then why did Allah not send upon them a chastisement; and His not doing so thus constituted a proof
that he was not a Messenger.
... Hell suffices them! They shall burn in it; and atrocious is the destination! This comes in answer to their
objection. The hell into which they shall be hurled on the day of resurrection is sufficient punishment for them. As
for their not being chastised in the world, Allah does not punish every sinner in the world, for otherwise none
would be left on the face of the earth.
O ye who believe, when ye huddle, huddle not for sin, Èβ≡uρô‰ãèø9$#uρ ÉΟøOM}$$Î/ (#öθyf≈oΨoKs? Ÿξsù ÷ΛäøŠyf≈uΖs? #sŒÎ) (#þθãΖtΒ#u šÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
enmity and disobedience to the Messenger. But huddle
for righteousness and guardfulness; and be guardful of ϵø‹s9Î) ü“Ï%©!$# ©!$# (#θà)¨?$#uρ ( 3“uθø)−G9$#uρ Îh9É9ø9$$Î/ (#öθyf≈uΖs?uρ ÉΑθß™§&9$# ÏMuŠÅÁ÷ètΒuρ
Allah unto whom ye will be gathered. (9)
∩∪ tβρç9|³øtéB

O ye who believe, when ye huddle, ... It means ‘when some of ye enter into a huddle or confidential grouping with
others’.
... do not huddle for sin and enmity and disobedience to the Messenger. It means that they should not do as the
Jews and hypocrites did, as given.
... But huddle for righteousness... Instead they should confidentially advise each other to do good, like one
advising the other to dispense in the way of Allah.
... and guardfulness; ... Like one advising another against disobedience and towards obedience, by which means
they protect themselves against the chastisement of Allah.
... and be guardful
guardful of Allah, ... That is, fear His punishments.
... unto whom ye will be gathered. That is, all are to be gathered unto His reckoning and recompense following the
rising and the life of the hereafter.
Indeed huddling is from the satan, to grieve those who öΝÏδÍh‘!$ŸÒÎ/ }§øŠs9uρ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# šχâ“ósu‹Ï9 Ç≈sÜø‹¤±9$# zÏΒ 3“uθôf¨Ζ9$# $yϑ¯ΡÎ)
believe; but it is not harmful to them at all, save with
the permission of Allah; and upon Allah should the ∩⊇⊃∪ tβθãΖÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# È≅©.uθtGuŠù=sù «!$# ’n?tãuρ 4 «!$# ÈβøŒÎ*Î/ 0ωÎ) $º↔ø‹x©
believers rely. (10)
Indeed huddling is from the satan, ... That is, only the huddling that the disbelievers and the hypocrites engage in
is of the satanic actions, under his direction, for he whispers into the hearts of his followers to do it, . . .
... to grieve those who believe; ... by making them (the believers) suspect that they were confiding some grievous
news about them, or were arranging a plot, or were mocking the believers, or suchlike.
... but it is not harmful tto
o them at all, ... Their secret conferences were of no harm to the believers at all, but were
nothing but vain pretension.
... save with the permission of Allah; ... Allah was knowing of their confidential huddles; had it accorded to His
wisdom for there to have been no intervention between them and the plots they hatched in their huddles, then it
would have harmed them. But when Allah, glory be to Him, wished the believers not to be harmed, He intervened
between them and what they were arranging in their huddles. Therefore, it is necessary for the believers to
concentrate upon Allah with entreaties to ward off from themselves the plots of the disbelievers and the
hypocrites.
... and upon Allah should the believers rely. That is, it is for them to entrust their affairs Him, glory be to Him, for
what a fine protector He is!
Now that the theme has dealt with this matter of etiquette for public gatherings and assemblies, which it entered
after the discussion of the lady who debated with the Messenger over her husband’s declaration of dhiha>r to her,
which itself took place in public and concerns the rules of gatherings, the theme turns to another etiquette
governing public gatherings, in His word:
O ye who believe, when it is said to ye to make room in (#θßs|¡øù$$sù ħÎ=≈yfyϑø9$# †Îû (#θßs¡¡x?s? öΝä3s9 Ÿ≅ŠÏ% #sŒÎ) (#þθãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
assemblies,
assemblies, make room; Allah will make room for ye.
And when it is said ‘Stand up’, so stand up; Allah will (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# ª!$# Æìsùö&tƒ (#ρâ“à±Σ$$sù (#ρâ“à±Σ$# Ÿ≅ŠÏ% #sŒÎ)uρ ( öΝä3s9 ª!$# Ëx|¡ø?tƒ
elevate those of ye who believe and those given
knowledge, in degrees. And Allah of what ye do is ∩⊇⊇∪ ×97Î7yz tβθè=yϑ÷ès? $yϑÎ/ ª!$#uρ 4 ;M≈y_u‘yŠ zΟù=Ïèø9$# (#θè?ρé& tÏ%©!$#uρ öΝä3ΖÏΒ
informed. (11)
O ye who believe,
believe, when it is said to ye... And it makes no difference who says it.
... to make room in your assemblies, ... It means that they should gather themselves so that the space be expanded
to fit others.
... then make room; Allah will make room for ye ... That is, He will make matters wide and easy for ye. It could
also read that, He will give you expansive dwellings in the garden of paradise. It is related that the early Muslims
used to compete to attend assemblies in the presence of Allah’s Messenger, and when they saw others come to the
assembly many would be niggardly about making room for others.
... And when it is said ‘Stand up’... It means ‘when they were asked to stand so as to let others sit’.
... stand up; ... They were to rise up and let others sit in their places. It is said that the cause of this [a>yah] coming
down was that the Messenger used to honour the veterans of Badr. That day (the day of the verse’s revelation) the
people had taken their places sitting around the Messenger and when some veterans of Badr came they did not
make room for them. So the Messenger said to some of those sitting that they should stand so that the veterans of
Badr could sit. They stood, but their disaffection stood out on their faces and the hypocrites sought to take
advantage of the matter, saying to those who had stood, ‘Is that the justice of the Messenger, that he asks ye to
stand so that others may occupy your places?’ And so the a>yah came down.
... Allah will elevate those of ye who believe and those given knowledge,
knowledge, in degrees ... The reference to belief
means belief that is correct and from the core. Their being raised in degrees is in the world and the hereafter.
Their implementing the Messenger’s command was the cause of their being raised in the world and in the
hereafter. There is a good conformity between their standing from the gathering, and their degrees being raised.
The degrees, given for daraja>t, accord to the level of faith and knowledge.
... And Allah of what ye do is informed. He is informed and knowing, and requites according to all that we do.
The thread now turns to explain another aspect of the etiquette of sitting in company with the Messenger in such
a way that it indicates that these etiquettes are general. We have stated that such a>ya>t came down to cast light
upon general rules and practices, even though they had no objective embodiment after the death of the Messenger
and of those who were directly related to these a>ya>t.
O ye who believe, when ye huddle with the Messenger, óΟä31uθøgwΥ ô“y‰tƒ t÷t/ (#θãΒÏd‰s)sù tΑθß™§&9$# ãΛäø‹yf≈tΡ #sŒÎ) (#þθãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
then before
before your huddling advance some charity; that is
better for ye and purer, but if ye find not, then indeed îΛÏm§‘ Ö‘θà?xî ©!$# ¨βÎ*sù (#ρ߉ÅgrB óΟ©9 βÎ*sù 4 ã&yγôÛr&uρ ö/ä3©9 ×9ö7yz y7Ï9≡sŒ 4 Zπs%y‰|¹
Allah is forgiving, merciful. (12)
∩⊇⊄∪
 ∩⊇⊄∪

O ye who believe, when ye huddle with the Messenger, ... That is, when ye wish to confide something in his ear,
for the verb form can have the meaning of wishing or intending, as in this verse and in the verses ‘Allah wishes to
remove abomination from ye...’ and ‘Allah wishes for ye ease.’
... then before your huddling advance some charity; ... The command is that before engaging the Messenger in
private conversation, they should give something in charity. The nobles – by their own standards – used to come
to the Messenger and engage him in private discourse about trifling matters, so as to manifest their distinction,
and indeed, this practice continues in the present day. They wished to display to the people that the Messenger
listened to their words and sought their views. This a>yah came as a deterrent to them while at the same time this
command is an honouring of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, a benefit for the poor, a means of
preventing excessive questioning, and a means of discerning the sincere from the hypocrite, the lover of the
hereafter from the lover of the world. When this a>yah was heard most of the confidential questioning ceased, with
the exception of Imam Ali peace be upon him4, who changed a dinar into ten dirhams and gave a dirham in charity
each time he intended to engage the Messenger in private conversation, until the ten were dispensed.
... that is better for ye... The giving of charity before entering into private conversation with the Messenger is
better for the believers, as it earns them a reward, meets the obligation, proves the virtue of generosity, and
honours the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family.
... and purer,
purer, ... It is purer because charity purifies the spirit of vices and deviation.
... but if ye find not, ... That is, if ye find nothing to give in charity before engaging the Messenger in private
conversation.
... then indeed Allah is forgiving, ... He will conceal the believer’s not giving charity as commanded.
... merciful. That is, He is merciful to the believers and does not expect them to give in charity when they have
nothing to give, as it was permitted for them to huddle with the Messenger without giving charity. Therefore His
concealing was by His not making the giving of charity obligatory, so that it was not a sin to huddle without
giving charity; and therefore there is no place for the objection ‘why does “forgiving” occur here, when essentially
there is no sin to be forgiven?’
Now, when the a>yah was sent down none came forward to discuss privately with the Messenger but the Imam
[Ali], as stated, and so Allah lifted the ruling in His word:
Are ye worried about advancing charities before your (#θè=yèø?s? óΟs9 øŒÎ*sù 4 ;M≈s%y‰|¹ óΟä31uθøgwΥ ô“y‰tƒ t÷t/ (#θãΒÏd‰s)è? βr& ÷Λäø)x?ô©r&u
huddle? Now that ye have not done so and Allah has
turned to ye, then establish the prayer, pay the zakat ©!$# (#θãè‹ÏÛr&uρ nο4θx.¨“9$# (#θè?#uuρ nο4θn=¢Á9$# (#θßϑŠÏ%r'sù öΝä3ø‹n=tæ ª!$# z>$s?uρ
and obey Allah and His Messenger; and Allah is
informed of what ye do. (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ tβθè=yϑ÷ès? $yϑÎ/ 797Î7yz ª!$#uρ 4 …ã&s!θß™u‘uρ

Are ye worried... That is, worried by poverty.

... about advancing charities before your huddle?...
huddle?... It means before they huddle with the Messenger. ‘Charities’
comes in the plural on account of how there are many instances of it, covering many individuals, so that each
individual was to give charity. The question form is to convey indignation, meaning ‘how is it ye leave aside this
virtue for fear of poverty, when ye know that the charity is not defined, and that a little of it suffices?!’
... Now since ye have not done so ... It means when charity is not given, and when huddling is left aside in miserly
aversion to dispensing.
... and Allah has turned to ye, ... It means that He pardons their shortcomings with regard to this virtue.
... then ... This indicates that they should continue to implement the rest of the commands of Islam, for the
present ruling has been lifted from them, so that thereafter there was no reason for them not to huddle with the
Messenger without giving charity.
... establish the prayer, pay the zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger; ... It means to obey them in all their
other commands.

4c
alayhis-sala>m, or peace be upon him. It is a mark of piety and devotion to use this salutation when mentioning the name of one of
the prophets or the one of the impeccable Imams from the household of the Holy Prophet (the Ahl al-Bayt).
... and Allah is informed of what ye do. He sees and is informed of all; therefore it is for us not to disobey His
commands and render ourselves deserving of punishment.
Amir-al-Mu’minin5 (meaning Commander of the Believers), Imam Ali, peace be upon him, has said that there is
an a>yah to which none acted before him and to which none acted after him: ‘O ye who believe, when ye huddle
with the Messenger . . . He said, ‘I had one dinar and so I changed it for ten dirhams, and then whenever I wished
to huddle with the Messenger I preceded it with a dirham.’
His word ‘Are ye worried ...’ does not run counter to their being no cases of abrogation within the sacred Qur’an,
for apparently the order of preceding huddling with charity as conveyed in the previous a>yah, was a test similar to
the vision of Abraham (Ibra>hi>m), peace be upon him, [37:100-107] so as to manifest the distinction of Imam Ali,
peace be upon him – so say the deniers of abrogation.
In keeping with the preceding matter of huddling, the theme now turns to explain the matter of honouring secrets,
and not exposing them to the enemy:
Have thou not looked to those who befriend a people Ÿωuρ öΝä3ΖÏiΒ Νèδ $¨Β ΝÍκö}n=tã ª!$# |=ÅÒxî $·Βöθs% (#öθ©9uθs? tÏ%©!$# ’n<Î) t&s? óΟs9r&
against whom Allah is angry? They are not of ye and not
of them; and they swear in falsehood, knowingly.
knowingly. (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ tβθßϑn=ôètƒ öΝèδuρ É>É‹s3ø9$# ’n?tã tβθà?Î=øts†uρ öΝåκ÷]ÏΒ
Have thou not looked... The address is to the Messenger, and/or to every listener.
... to those who befriend a people against whom Allah is angry? ‘a people’ means the disbelievers. In Majmac al-
Baya>n, it is reported that the reference is to a party of hypocrites who befriended the Jews and revealed to them
the believers’ secrets.
... They
They are not of ye and not of them; ... Those hypocrites were members neither of the community of the
believers, nor of the community of the disbelievers, but were forever dithering between the two parties.
... and they swear in falsehood, knowingly. When criticised for their hypocrisy they would swear falsely that they
were not hypocrites and were not revealing secrets to the disbelievers. And they did this knowing that their oaths
were false and that they were indeed hypocrites.
Allah has prepared for them a severe chastisement; ∩⊇∈∪ tβθè=yϑ÷ètƒ (#θçΡ%x. $tΒ u!$y™ óΟßγ¯ΡÎ) ( #´‰ƒÏ‰x© $\/#x‹tã öΝçλm; ª!$# £‰tãr&
indeed, evil is what they do! (15)
Allah has prepared for them a severe chastisement; ... It means for the hypocrites – in the form of shame and
disgrace in the world, and punishment and the fire in the hereafter.
... indeed, evil is what they do!’ In reference to their hypocrisy and befriending the enemies of Allah.
They take their oaths as a shield and then bar from the ∩⊇∉∪ ×Îγ•Β Ò>#x‹tã óΟßγn=sù «!$# È≅‹Î6y™ tã (#ρ‘‰|Ásù Zπ¨Ζã_ öΝåκs]≈yϑ÷ƒr& (#ÿρä‹sƒªB$#
way of Allah; so theirs is an
an abasing chastisement. (16)
They take their oaths as a shield... It means that the hypocrites who swore those oaths did so to protect and shield
themselves from censure and blame whenever their hypocrisy manifested.
... and then bar from the way of Allah; ... It means that they prevented themselves, and also those of the people
weak in faith, from the path that leads to His being content with them.
... so theirs is an abasing chastisement. Humiliation and degradation is the reward of their hypocrisy.
Neither their wealth and nor their children shall ever Ü=≈ptõ¾r& y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé& 4 $º↔ø‹x© «!$# zÏiΒ Νèδ߉≈s9÷ρr& Iωuρ öΝçλé;≡uθøΒr& öΝåκ÷]tã zÍ_øóè? ©9
repel from them anything (that is) from Allah; they are
companions of the fire; they are in it eternal: (17) ∩⊇∠∪ tβρà$Î#≈yz $pκ}Ïù öΝèδ ( Í‘$¨Ζ9$#
Neither their wealth and nor their children shall ever repel from them anything (that is) from Allah ... Neither the
wealth they had amassed nor the sons they had to succeed them were of the slightest benefit to them against the
fury of Allah and His punishments. None of the chastisement of Allah against them can be deflected.
... they are companions of the fire; ... Those hypocrites are bound to the fire like one companion sticks to another.
... they are in it eternal.’ They are there forever.
It is related that the verses came down about a hypocrite who would assemble with the Jews, and take from them
hypocritically. When the Messenger was informed of it he forbade him, but he said to the Messenger that he was

5
On instructions from Almighty Allah, the Prophet Muhammad granted the title ‘Amir al-Mu’mini>n’ exclusively to Imam Ali.
only learning from them the description of him (the Messenger) from the Torah. He swore this falsely in order to
conceal the truth of what he had been doing. But the revelation humiliated him and manifested the truth.
The hypocrites will be companions of the fire on
The day Allah raises them altogether and they swear to öΝåκ¨Ξr& tβθç7|¡øts†uρ ( ö/ä3s9 tβθà?Î=øts† $yϑx. …çµs9 tβθà?Î=ósuŠsù $Yè‹ÏΗsd ª!$# ãΝåκçZyèö7tƒ tΠöθtƒ
Him as they swore to ye, and they reckon that they are
on to something. But no! Indeed, they are the ones who ∩⊇∇∪ tβθç/É‹≈s3ø9$# ãΝèδ öΝåκ¨ΞÎ) Iωr& 4 >óx« 4’n?tã
are the liars! (18)
The day Allah raises them... They will be brought to life after their deaths for the account and recompense.
... altogether... It is given for jami>can, emphasising that none shall be overlooked, and none can imagine that he
shall escape, for in the world it is normal for some people through lack of information or forgetfulness not to be
covered by some general law or suchlike.
... and they shall swear to Him... It means that in the next world they shall swear to Allah, glory be to Him, that
they were believers in the world.
... as they swore to ye, ... That is, while supposing that Allah is not knowing of everything about them, and that
they could dupe Him about their lying simply by swearing an oath.
... and they reckon that they are on to something ... It means that they shall suppose that their false oath will be
effective for them, just as it was effective in the world.
But no! Indeed, they are the ones who are the liars!’ They are false both in their words and their oaths; their false
oath shall not benefit them there, rather they shall be known as liars and deceivers. ‘they are the ones’ is given for
hum, which is used for emphasis, and to distinguish them from amongst others.
The devil has over-
over-powered them and has made them Ç≈sÜø‹¤±9$# Ü>÷“Ïm y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé& 4 «!$# t&ø.ÏŒ öΝßγ9|¡Σr'sù ß≈sÜø‹¤±9$# ÞΟÎγøŠn=tæ sŒuθóstGó™$#
forget the remembrance of Allah. Those are the faction
of the devil. Yea! Indeed, the faction of the devil are ∩⊇∪ tβρç9Å£≈sƒø:$# æΛèε Ç≈sÜø‹¤±9$# z>÷“Ïm ¨βÎ) Iωr& 4
the losers. (19)
The devil has over-
over-powered them and has made them forget
forget the remembrance of Allah… The devil has overcome
and possessed those hypocrites, and made them forget the remembrance of Allah – and in remembering Him not,
they fear Him not, and therefore they would not be taken out of hypocrisy and disobedience.
...Those
...Those are the faction of the devil ... They are his group, his followers.
... Yea! Indeed, the faction of the devil, they are the losers. They lose both their world and their hereafter: their
world departs and in the hereafter they have but the fire.
The theme now turns from the hypocrites to all who oppose Allah and His Messenger:
Indeed those who contravene Allah and His Messenger, ∩⊄⊃∪ tÏj9sŒF{$# ’Îû y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé& ÿ…ã&s!θß™u‘uρ ©!$# tβρ–Š!$ptä† tÏ%©!$# ¨βÎ)
those are among the most abject. (20)
Indeed those who contravene Allah and His Messenger, ... It means those who transgress His limits in opposition.
... those are among the most abject. None is more degraded and abased than them, neither in the world nor in the
hereafter. So those opponents during the time of the Messenger or after that are included among them. They were
more humiliated and debased than the disobedient believers, and more humiliated and debased than the
disbelievers who do not oppose Allah and His Messenger.
Do those opponents think that their efforts will lead to their success, and to the failure of Islam? Never, for
certainly:
Allah has written that ‘I and My Messengers shall ∩⊄⊇∪ Ö“ƒÍ•tã ;“Èθs% ©!$# @χÎ) 4 þ’Í?ß™â‘uρ O$tΡr& @tÎ=øîV{ ª!$# |=tFŸ2
definitely overcome’; indeed Allah is Strong, Mighty.
(21)
Allah has written... He has written it upon the ‘Protected Tablet’ (lawh} al-mah}fudh).
... that ‘I and My Messengers shall definitely overcome,’... It means that Allah and His Messengers shall certainly
prevail against all opponents. And the world has proven the truth of this word, for those leading the world, even in
these wrongful days, are the Messengers – Moses (Mu>sa>), peace be upon him, Jesus (cIsa>), peace be upon him, and
Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family. Their followers are more than half the world’s population, and
their values are to some extent maintained throughout the world.
... indeed Allah is Strong, Mighty.’ He is strong and able to make His Messengers victorious; grand and dominant
in His authority. It is not possible for anyone to dominate him or dominate His Messengers.
It is narrated that when the Muslims saw the areas over which Allah gave them victory, they said that Allah
would give them to conquer Rome and Persia. The hypocrites asked whether they supposed that Rome and Persia
were like the villages and towns the Muslims had conquered. Then Allah sent down this a>yah.
The theme then turns to explain the duty of the believers with regard to the disbelievers, and that they should not
befriend them, no matter who they are, unlike those hypocrites who befriended the disbelievers:
Thou shall not find a people who believe in Allah and ©!$# ¨Š!$ym ôtΒ šχρ–Š!#uθムÌ&ÅzFψ$# ÏΘöθu‹ø9$#uρ «!$$Î/ šχθãΖÏΒ÷σム$YΒöθs% ߉ÅgrB 0ω
the Last Day befriending anyone who contravenes
Allah and His Messenger, even if they are their fathers 4 öΝåκsEu97ϱtã ÷ρr& óΟßγtΡ≡uθ÷zÎ) ÷ρr& öΝèδu!$oΨö/r& ÷ρr& öΝèδu!$t/#u (#þθçΡ%Ÿ2 öθs9uρ …ã&s!θß™u‘uρ
or their
their sons or their brothers or their kinfolk. Those –
He has written faith in their hearts and has aided them óΟßγè=Åzô‰ãƒuρ ( çµ÷ΨÏiΒ 8yρã&Î/ Νèδy‰−ƒr&uρ z≈yϑƒM}$# ãΝÍκÍ5θè=è% ’Îû |=tFŸ2 y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé&
with a spirit from Him. And He enters them into
gardens under which rivers flow, in them eternal. Allah öΝåκ÷]tã ª!$# š_ÅÌu‘ 4 $yγ‹Ïù tÏ$Î#≈yz ã&≈yγ÷ΡF{$# $pκÉJøtrB ÏΒ “Ì&øgrB ;M≈¨Ζy_
is content with them and they are content withwith Him.
Those are the faction of Allah. Yea! Indeed, the faction ∩⊄⊄∪ tβθßsÎ=ø?çRùQ$# ãΝèδ «!$# z>÷“Ïm ¨βÎ) Iωr& 4 «!$# Ü>÷“Ïm y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé& 4 çµ÷Ψtã (#θàÊu‘uρ
of Allah are the thrivers. (22)
Thou shall not find a people who believe in Allah and the last day ... It means with true, correct belief.
... befriending anyone who contravenes Allah and His Messenger, ... It means that friendship with the disbelievers
cannot co-exist with faith; so whoever is a friend to the disbelievers is not a believer, even though he may
manifest faith. It is said that the a>yah was sent down concerning one H{a>t}ib, who wrote to the Makkans informing
them of the Messenger’s setting out to conquer them, after the Messenger had forbidden them from giving out
such information. When the matter was discovered, he excused himself by saying that his family were in Makkah,
and that he wanted to make a favour for them in the city, so that should things go against the Muslims they would
respect his influence and not harm his wife and family. The Messenger forgave him. (see Surah al-Mumtah}anah, #
60).
... even if they are their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kinfolk.
kinfolk. It means even if those who oppose
Allah and His Messenger are the believers’ fathers, sons, brothers or kinfolk, the believers will not be in friendship
with them. Thus disbelief cuts the believer’s relationship to the disbeliever, though some forms of connection
remain necessary, when the disbeliever is a believer’s father or suchlike, as He says in His word about parents, ‘So
if the two (parents) strive that thou partner with Me that of which thou have no knowledge, obey them not, but be
companionable to them in the world with honour.’ Spider (29): 9.
Those – He has written faith in their hearts ... Those believers who do not befriend the disbelievers – Allah has
fixed faith in their hearts by the hidden graces, as He sees them being in the path of the truth.
... and has aided them with a spirit from Him ... It means a spirit from His direction. The committed believer finds
within himself a strong spirit that binds him to the observance of the commands of Allah, glory be to Him, such
that however strong the causes of disbelief may become, it is never enough to budge him.
... He enters them into gardens under which rivers flow, ... In the hereafter, they are placed in gardens under the
trees and palaces of which rivers of honey and wine and milk and water flow.
... in them eternal. They remain in those gardens forever.
... Allah is content with them... He knows their firmly-embedded faith and their performing the virtuous deeds.
... and they are content with Him. They are content with the distinctions and faith while in the world, and the
gardens in the hereafter.
... Those are the faction of Allah ... Those believers as described are the faction and the followers of Allah, glory
be to Him, as opposed to ‘the faction of the devil’.
... Yea! Indeed the faction of Allah are the thrivers. It is these believers who thrive with the good
of the world and the salvation and felicity of the hereafter.
 Surah al-
al-H{ashr (59)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳊﺸﺮ‬
‘The Mustering’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word al-h}ashr, meaning ‘The mustering’. Like the
other Madinan surahs, it contains matters related to the Islamic order, as well as matters of faith. As the previous
surah, ‘al-Muja>dilah’, concluded on the topic of the two parties of the Compassionate and of the Devil, this surah
opens on the theme of the faction of the Compassionate being victorious over the faction of the Devil.
By the name of
of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

In the name of Allah... We begin the surah in the name of the Allah, that it be as an emblem signifying the faith,
and that the Muslims learn the necessity of beginning their actions in His name, glory be to Him.
... the
the Compassionate, the Merciful. He created, firstly with the act of creation, and secondly with grace,
cultivation and favour.
All that is in the skies and all that is in the earth glorify ∩⊇∪ ÞΟŠÅ3ptø:$# Ⓝ͓yèø9$# uθèδuρ ( ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû $tΒuρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# ’Îû $tΒ ¬! yx¬7y™
to Allah; and He is the Mighty, the Wise. (1)
All that is in the skies and all that is in the earth glorify to Allah; ... ‘Glorify’ is given for sabbah}a – its meaning is
to declare His absolute absence of any fault or deficiency. The meaning of ‘all that is in the skies and that in the
earth’ includes the skies or skies and the earth themselves. They glorify Him by their existence, in that all things
indicate the existence of the God and His qualities, as effects signifying their cause. Or it means that they have
tongues by which they glorify Him, while we do not understand. The poet has said:
All of existence perceives, but
man is barred from perceiving their perceiving.
... and He is the Mighty, the Wise. He is the Mighty in His dominion and authority over all things; He is the Wise
as all He does accords to wisdom and goodness.

(It is) He who removed those who disbelieved of the ÉΑ¨ρL{ öΝÏδÌ&≈tƒÏŠ ÏΒ É=≈tGÅ3ø9$# È≅÷δr& ôÏΒ (#ρã&x6x. tÏ%©!$# ylt&÷zr& ü“Ï%©!$# uθèδ
Book-
Book-folk from their habitations for the first mustering;
ye did not suppose that they would leave, and they zÏiΒ ΝåκçΞθÝÁãm óΟßγçGyèÏΡ$¨Β Οßγ¯Ρr& (#þθ‘Ζsßuρ ( (#θã_ã&øƒs† βr& óΟçF⊥oΨsß $tΒ 4 Î:ô³ptø:$#
supposed that their strongholds would defend them
against Allah – so Allah came to them from whence they 4 |=ôã”&9$# ãΝÍκÍ5θè=è% ’Îû t∃x‹s%uρ ( (#θç7Å¡tGøts† óΟs9 ß]ø‹ym ôÏΒ ª!$# ãΝßγ9s?r'sù «!$#
had not reckoned, and He cast terror into their hearts;
they ruined their houses with their own hands and the Ì&≈|Áö/F{$# ’Í<'ρé'¯≈tƒ (#ρç:É9tFôã$$sù tÏΖÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# “ω÷ƒr&uρ öΝÍκ‰Ï‰÷ƒr'Î/ ΝåκsEθã‹ç/ tβθç/Ì&øƒä†
hands of the believers; so take admonishment, O ye
owners of vision. (2) ∩⊄∪

(It is) He who removed those who disbelieved of the book-

book-folk... All the Book-folk are disbelievers, but some of
them believed in the Messenger and so departed from disbelief. Others did not believe in him, and they are said to
have disbelieved on account of their continuance in disbelief, as we say ‘Guide us’ when we mean ‘Continue to
guide us’, [as in surah al-H{amd, a>yah 6].
Or it is on account of their being believers prior to the raising of the Messenger, as their duty was to follow their
religion; then, when the Messenger came, their duty was to follow him, and those who did not became
disbelievers. Those meant here are Jews of the tribe of the Bani Nad}ir.
... from their habitations ... Allah helped the believers and gave them authority over the Bani Nad}ir, so that they
were able to drive them out.
... for the first mustering; ... ‘Mustering’ is given for h}ashr; it means to gather and drive from one place to another.
Perhaps the first time was when the Jews were exiled from Madinah collectively, after which they were driven
from other places until none of them remained within the entire Arabian peninsula. For they are a people of
schemes and intrigue, and so the Messenger wanted the land to be free of them and of their scheming, so that they
would not hatch plots against the new religion.
... ye did not suppose that they would leave,
leave, ... The Muslims never supposed that the Jews would depart with such
speed, for what they knew of their violence and prowess.
... and they supposed that their strongholds would defend them against Allah... The Jews themselves thought that
their citadels would protect them against the divine will.
... so Allah came to them... It means that they were faced by His command that their strongholds be ruined, and
that they should be gripped by panic.
... from whence they had not reckoned... They had not supposed that they could be taken in the manner of fear
entering their hearts and their strength being made lax and infirm, and the breaking of their determination and
their valour.
... and He cast terror into their hearts; ... It means that Allah, glory be to Him, cast terror into their hearts. It
happened when they saw the extent of the Muslims’ forces – their own strength and determination collapsed.
... they ruin their houses with their own hands... They destroyed their homes to prevent the Muslims from
benefiting from them.
... and the hands of the believers; ... The believers destroyed some of their homes in order to reach them and attack
them.
... so take admonishment, O ye owners of vision. ‘Owners of vision’ is given for ulil-abs}a>r, literally ‘possessors of
visions’, that is, the plural of sight. It means those having sense, or reason. They were to perceive how Allah,
glory be to Him, destroys and prevails over a group who combat Him, to such an extent that they themselves
destroyed that which was most valuable to them: their homes. The meaning of seeing such things is that a person
sees in them their consequences.
Commentators state that these a>ya>t were sent down concerning the Bani Nad}ir. Briefly, the story is that one of
the Messenger’s companions killed two men who were subject to the Islamic jurisdiction. He did so by mistake. In
order to pay the compensation or ‘blood-wit’ (di>yah), the Messenger sought to raise a loan from the Bani Nad}ir, a
group of Jews numbering about a thousand, who lived on the outskirts of Madinah. They appeared to agree to
make the loan, and invited the Messenger within their fort. The Messenger declined and instead rested against a
wall of the citadel. Thereupon archangel Gabriel (Jabra>’i>l) descended and informed the Messenger of Allah that
they were resolved upon treachery. It was also apparent to him from their activities, for they had plotted that one
of them mount the wall above where the Messenger Allah was sitting, so as to drop a rock upon his blessed head,
in the hope of killing him.
The Messenger returned to Madinah without waiting for the loan. From there he sent a message to the Bani Nad}ir
giving them ten days to depart from his land, on the grounds of their breaching their covenant and treachery
towards him. When that time was over they had no option but to leave. However, some hypocrites urged them not
to leave and promised them that they would come to their aid. So some stayed and informed the Messenger that
do what he may, they would not depart. And so the Messenger went against them with a group of his companions,
his banner in the hand of Imam Ali, peace be upon him. They surrounded the stronghold and fought to occupy
their houses. The Jews withdrew from house to house, and as they withdrew the buildings they were occupying
were ruined. And so, in order to cut off all their hopes, the Messenger ordered that some of their trees be cut
down.
The Jews soon despaired of victory, and they sent an envoy to the Messenger of Allah seeking that he grant them
permission to leave. The Messenger agreed on condition that they not take with them more of their wealth than
could be carried by camel. This they refused and they continued their resistance. Then, as the siege wore them
down they accepted the Messenger’s condition, but as a repayment of their obstinacy the Messenger of Allah
withdrew his permission for them to take with them any of their wealth. They accepted and so they left with
nothing. Thus their wealth returned to Islam. With the dispersal of the Bani Nad}ir the Muslims were relieved of a
bitter enemy who had been plotting to eradicate Islam from the root.
And were it not that Allah wrote dispersal for them, He Íοt&ÅzFψ$# ’Îû öΝçλm;uρ ( $u‹÷Ρ‘‰9$# ’Îû öΝåκu5¤‹yès9 uIξy∨ø9$# ÞΟÎγøŠn=tæ ª!$# |=tGx. βr& Iωöθs9uρ
would have chastised them in the world; and theirs in
the hereafter is the chastisement of the fire. (3) ∩⊂∪ Í‘$¨Ζ9$# Ü>#x‹tã

And were it not that Allah wrote dispersal for them... It means that He ruled that they should be exiled from their
place to another.
He would have chastised them in the world; ... By commanding His Messenger to kill and destroy them, as He,
glory be to Him, did with the Bani> Quraydhah.
... and theirs in the hereafter is the chastisement of the fire. on account of their continuance in disbelief and
disobedience.
That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger; ߉ƒÏ‰x© ©!$# ¨βÎ*sù ©!$# Ée−!$t±ç„ tΒuρ ( …ã&s!θß™u‘uρ ©!$# (#θ—%!$x© öΝåκ¨Ξr'Î/ y7Ï9≡sŒ
and whosoever opposes Allah, indeed Allah is severe in
retribution. (4) ∩⊆∪ É>$s)Ïèø9$#

That ... It means their being driven from their homes, and the fire being prepared for them in the hereafter.
... is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger; ... That is, they contend against Allah and wage war against
His Messenger.
... and whosoever opposes Allah, indeed Allah is severe in retribution. It means that He, glory be to Him, is ready
to severely punish, for, as it is said, ‘He is the Most compassionate of all compassionate ones at the station of
compassion and mercy, and the Severest of punishers at the station of punishment and requital.’
And whatever palms ye cut down or ye leave standing «!$# ÈβøŒÎ*Î6sù $yγÏ9θß¹é& #’n?tã ºπyϑÍ←!$s% $yδθßϑçGò2t&s? ÷ρr& >πuΖŠÏj9 ÏiΒ ΟçF÷èsÜs% $tΒ
upon their roots – it is with the permission of Allah;
and that He may humiliate the perverse. (5) ∩∈∪ tÉ)Å¡≈x6ø9$# y“Ì“÷‚ã‹Ï9uρ

And whatever palms ye cut down or ye leave standing upon their roots – it is with the permission of Allah . . .
‘Palms’ is given for li>nah, a type of date-palm that gives a high-quality fruit, and whose leaves are useful in
building. In attacking the Bani Nad}ir the Muslims cut down some of their trees, and left others untouched. This
troubled the Muslims, for they thought that if the cutting of trees was necessary, then allowing some to remain
was not lawful, whereas if it was necessary for them to remain, then cutting some down was not lawful. Thus this
a>yah came down to exonerate them and settle their hearts, and to explain that as far as warfare and exemplary
punishment requires trees to be cut they are to be cut, while where it is not necessary for them to be cut down
they are to remain.
... and that He may humiliate the perverse. Part of the purpose for cutting those trees was that Allah wished to
humiliate the ‘perverse’ (al-fa>siqi>n), meaning the Jews of Bani Nad}ir. They felt regret at the Muslims cutting
down the trees they had planted and tended, and they also felt regret at those that were left, for thereafter the
Muslims were to benefit from them.
The theme now turns to explain the ruling of the spoils taken in exiling the Bani Nad}ir, in that they were the
special property of the Messenger, and of his kin. This was because the Muslims had not strived to earn them – in
contrast to the spoils for which the Muslims had strived, four parts of which belonged to the Muslims, one fifth
belonging to the Messenger and his kin. This is because the Messenger and his kin are forbidden to receive zaka>t
and other charities, and so their needs were met from spoils and khums [a fifth of unspent earnings]. Certainly the
Messenger of Allah required an extra share in order to carry out the management of the Muslims affairs, especially
those related to government. In this way he was just like governmental ministers today, who have private budgets
in order for them to carry out their duties:
And whatever Allah returns to His Messenger from Ÿωuρ 9≅ø‹yz ôÏΒ Ïµø‹n=tã óΟçFø6y_÷ρr& !$yϑsù öΝåκ÷]ÏΒ Ï&Î!θß™u‘ 4’n?tã ª!$# u!$sùr& !$tΒuρ
them – for that ye spurred neither horse nor camel;
rather Allah gives dominion to His Messengers over &óx« Èe≅à2 4’n?tã ª!$#uρ 4 â!$t±o„ tΒ 4’n?tã …ã&s#ߙ①äÝÏk=|¡ç„ ©!$# £Å3≈s9uρ 7U%x.Í‘
whom He wills, and Allah over all
all things is in power.
(6) ∩∉∪ Ö&ƒÏ‰s%

And whatever Allah returns to His Messenger from them ... the verb ‘return’ is given for afa>’, meaning the ‘spoils
of strife’, but which originally meant ‘return’. This indicates that the spoils were usurped and wrongfully in the
hands of the disbelievers, and that as spoils they return to their real owners, the believers, for whom Allah created
all things.
... for that ye spurred neither horse nor camel; ... The Muslims did not acquire those spoils through any victory
with horse or camel, such that they would have a right to them.
... rather Allah gives dominion to His Messengers over whom He wills, ... He, glory be to Him, creates terror and
despair in the hearts of the disbelievers so that the Messenger of Allah is victorious and captures their towns
without warfare and without effort.
... and Allah over all things is in power.’ He is able to establish the Messengers over the disbelievers, without
battle.
Now that this introduction has been laid down, that the Muslims did not strive for those spoils, the theme turns to
explain the ruling itself, that the spoils were not for them, but for the Messenger and his kin:
Whatever Allah returns to His Messenger from the folk 4’n1ö&à)ø9$# “Ï%Î!uρ ÉΑθß™§&=Ï9uρ ¬Tsù 3“t&à)ø9$# È≅÷δr& ôÏΒ Ï&Î!θß™u‘ 4’n?tã ª!$# u!$sùr& !$¨Β
of the townships, it is for Allah and the Messenger and
the kin, the orphans, the destitute, the wayfarer; that it Ï!$uŠÏΨøîF{$# t÷t/ P's!ρߊ tβθä3tƒ Ÿω ö’s1 È≅‹Î6¡¡9$# Èø⌠$#uρ ÈÅ3≈|¡yϑø9$#uρ 4’yϑ≈tGuŠø9$#uρ
may not circulate amongst the rich of ye. And what the
Messenger grants ye, so take it; and what he forbids ye, (#θà)¨?$#uρ 4 (#θßγtFΡ$$sù çµ÷Ψtã öΝä39pκtΞ $tΒuρ çνρä‹ã‚sù ãΑθß™§&9$# ãΝä39s?#u !$tΒuρ 4 öΝä3ΖÏΒ
refrain from it; and be guardful of Allah; indeed Allah
is severe in retribution. (7) ∩∠∪ É>$s)Ïèø9$# ߉ƒÏ‰x© ©!$# ¨βÎ) ( ©!$#

Whatever Allah returns to His Messenger from the folk of the townships ... It means the returns taken from the
disbelievers without warfare.
... it is for Allah... those returns belong to Allah; this is a mark of honour for the Messenger, for everything
belongs to Allah.
... and the Messenger... Given to him by Allah, glory be to Him.
... and the kin, ... That is, the Messenger’s family and household, his near kin. It means the purified Imams peace
be upon them [as referred to in 33: 33].
... the orphans, the destitute, the wayfarer, ... Such returns are for the fatherless child, the pauper whose poverty
renders him inactive, and he who is stranded away from home among people who know nothing of him or of his
background. It is established that these are categories of the descendants of the Messenger may Allah bless him
and his family.
The wisdom behind this allocation is then explained:
... that it may not circulate ... ‘circulate’ is given for dawlatan, meaning that which circulates among a particular
group, firstly belonging to this one of them and then to that one.
... amongst the rich of ye ... It had been the practice during the Ignorance era that when a battle took place the
spoils would be taken by the leaders; and it is clear that the rich circulate property among themselves, through
their banquets to which only the rich are invited, through the sons of some marrying the daughters of others, and
through their presenting their guests with gifts, and so on, so that property always moves from one leader to
another, while the poor remain deprived. The phrase ‘that it may not’ completes the reasoning, in that such
‘spoils’ can only be divided in one of three ways: they could be divided among the chiefs as during the Ignorance
era; or they could be divided among the Muslims, like the spoils that they are entitled for when they partake in
battle, called ghani>mah or spoils; or they could be allocated to the Messenger of Allah. The first is ruled out as it
leads to the stockpiling of wealth among the rich; and the second is ruled out as the Muslims did not engage in a
battle and did not deserve it. Therefore, only the third course remains open.
As this ruling was difficult for them, His word came down:
... And what the Messenger grant
grantss ye, so take it; and what he forbids ye, refrain from it; ... It means that the
Muslims were to act according to the laws and rulings as he explained them to them.
... and be guardful of Allah, ... It means be wary of His punishment, and do not oppose Him.
... indeed Allah is severe in retribution. His retribution is severe for those who ignore His commands and
prohibitions, and oppose Him. It is recorded in Majmac al-Baya>n that some Muslim chiefs suggested to the
Messenger to act as they had done during the Ignorance era by taking what you choose and leave the rest for us.
Then the a>yah was sent down and the companions submitted to the command of Allah and His Messenger.
He, glory be to Him, then explains the characteristics of the four groups of the Messenger’s kin who are entitled
to the spoils that have not been fought for. However, the characteristics that follow are no more than a rationale
for the legislation at the time of the revelation. They are not permanent conditional requirements.
For the poor
poor migrants, those driven from their homes tβθäótGö6tƒ óΟÎγÏ9≡uθøΒr&uρ öΝÏδÌ&≈tƒÏŠ ÏΒ (#θã_Ì&÷zé& tÏ%©!$# tÌ&Éf≈yγßϑø9$# Ï!#t&s)à6ù=Ï9
and from their wealth seeking profusion from Allah,
and His contentment, while succouring Allah and His ãΝèδ š)Íׯ≈s9'ρé& 4 ÿ…ã&s!θß™u‘uρ ©!$# tβρç:ÝÇΖtƒuρ $ZΡ≡uθôÊÍ‘uρ «!$# zÏiΒ WξôÒsù
Messenger. Those, they are the truthful. (8)
∩∇∪ tβθè%ω≈¢Á9$#

For the poor... expanding on who of ‘the kin …’, or ‘the orphans …’ and this is more fitting as it has been already
established that it is not a condition that the leader who takes the spoils should be poor; this merely describes
conditions at the time of the revelation.
... migrants ... It describes their having migrated from Makkah to Madinah.
... those driven from the
their
ir homes ... The disbelievers forced them out in oppression and enmity.
... and their wealth ... having left their wealth behind them.
... seeking profusion from Allah, ... They sought that Allah would bestow bounty upon them in place of the homes
and wealth they had left behind them.
... and His contentment, ... They sought for Him to be content with them.
... while succouring Allah and His Messenger ... It means that they fought for Allah’s religion and in front of His
Messenger, in order to exalt the word of Islam.
... Those, they are the truthful. Such people are truthful in their faith, doing all that faith requires.
Having lauded the Muha>jerin (emigrants), the theme now turns to laud the Ans}a>r (supporters), the natives of
Madinah who accepted Islam, in His word:
And those who made their dwelling in The Abode and in Ÿωuρ öΝÍκöns9Î) t&y_$yδ ôtΒ tβθ™7Ïtä† ö/ʼnÏ=ö7s% ÏΒ z≈yϑƒM}$#uρ u‘#¤$!$# ρâ§θt7s? tÏ%©!$#uρ
the belief before them – they love whosoever migrates to
them, and they find no need within their breasts for öθs9uρ öΝÍκŦà6Ρr& #’n?tã šχρã&ÏO÷σãƒuρ (#θè?ρé& !$£ϑÏiΒ Zπy_%tn öΝÏδÍ‘ρ߉߹ ’Îû tβρ߉Ågs†
what they were given, and they prefer them above
themselves, even though they
they are in desperation. And ãΝèδ š)Íׯ≈s9'ρé'sù ϵšø6tΡ £xä© s−θムtΒuρ 4 ×π|¹$|Áyz öΝÍκÍ5 tβ%x.
whoever is protected from the avarice of his soul –
those, they are the thrivers. (9) ∩∪ šχθßsÎ=ø6ßϑø9$#

And those who made their dwelling in the abode... ‘The Abode’ of the Hijrah (migration) meaning the holy city of
Madinah.
... and in the belief ... Faith is like a dwelling or home, in that it is adopted by a person to relax within it and
constantly return to it, so that whatever affair engages a person he turns to the belief for inspiration as to how to
deal with it. Or it may be that the word ‘adopt’ is latent, so that the reading would be ‘and adopt the faith’.
... before them ... It means before the migration of the Migrants (the Muha>jeri>n) to Madinah, for it was before the
migration that the people of Madinah believed (in the Message of the Prophet).
... they love whosoever migrates to them, ... That is, from Makkah and the other towns and cities of disbelievers.
The sense is that just as the migrants are laudable for the reasons previously given, so too the Ans}a>r are to be
lauded for loving the migrants.
... and they find no need within their breasts for what they were given, ... It means that the Ans}a>r were not
envious of the migrants’ being given the spoils of Bani Nad}ir by the Messenger of Allah.
... and they
they prefer them above themselves, ... That is, the Ans}a>r prefer to house and do good to the migrants, and
they think of them before they think of themselves.
... even though they are in desperation ... The Ans}a>r preferred the Migrants’ needs over their own, and such
persons are greater in reward than those who dispense in charity from a position of wealth.
... And whoever is protected from the avarice of his soul ... It means those who are able, with the grace of Allah,
glory be to Him, to guard against the miserliness and selfishness of his soul.
... those, they are the thrivers. They are at the lofty levels of success.
Having lauded the Migrants and the Ans}a>r, their followers in goodness until the end of time are lauded, in His
word:
And those who
who came after them, saying, ‘O Our Lord! $oΨÏΡ≡uθ÷z\}uρ $oΨs9 ö&Ï6øî$# $uΖ−/u‘ šχθä9θà)tƒ öΝÏδω÷èt/ .ÏΒ ρâ!%y` šÏ%©!$#uρ
Forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in belief,
and put not rancour in our hearts for those who believe. (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©#Ïj9 yξÏî $uΖÎ/θè=è% ’Îû ö≅yèøgrB Ÿωuρ Ç≈yϑƒM}$$Î/ $tΡθà)t7y™ šÏ%©!$#
Our Lord, indeed Thou are Kind, Merciful.’ (10)
∩⊇⊃∪ îΛÏm§‘ Ô∃ρâu‘ y7¨ΡÎ) !$oΨ−/u‘

And those who came after them, ... It means those who accept Islam after the Migrants and Ans}a>r; whose words,
which show their strong and deep rooted belief, are:
... saying ‘O Our Lord! Forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in belief, ... They ask forgiveness for their
sins and for their brothers of the Migrants, the Ans}a>r and others who preceded them in belief.
...and
...and put not rancour in our hearts for those who believe ... ‘Rancour’ is given for ghall, meaning hatred,
bitterness, spite. ‘Those who believe’ means the believers of the past and present. The term ‘and put not’ (la>
tajcal) shows that grace is from Him, glory be to Him, and when His grace is not forthcoming for a person that
person becomes prone to enmity and bitterness. Thus, they are saying, ‘Do not leave us to ourselves, for then the
devil and our souls will overcome us, and then our souls will become subject to rancour.’
...Our Lord, indeed Thou are kind, merciful.’ He is kind and merciful to the servants. This prayer teaches the
believers the correct attitude towards those who preceded them in faith, and towards their contemporaries.
With this lauding of the believers and the explanation of their position, the theme now turns to clarify something
of the position of the hypocrites in His word:
Have thou not looked to those who engage in hypocrisy? È≅÷δr& ôÏΒ (#ρã&x6x. tÏ%©!$# ÞΟÎγÏΡ≡uθ÷z\} tβθä9θà)tƒ (#θà)sù$tΡ šÏ%©!$# ’n<Î) t&s? öΝs9r&
They say to their brothers, those of the Book-
Book-folk who
disbelieve, ‘If they send ye forth, we will definitely go #´‰tnr& óΟä3ŠÏù ßì‹ÏÜçΡ Ÿωuρ öΝä3yètΒ  ∅y_ã&÷‚uΖs9 óΟçFô_Ì&÷zé& ÷È⌡s9 É=≈tGÅ3ø9$#
forth with ye, and we will never obey anyone concerning
ye, and if ye are fought, we will definitely succour ye.’ ∩⊇⊇∪ tβθç/É‹≈s3s9 öΝåκ¨ΞÎ) ߉pκô¶tƒ ª!$#uρ ö/ä3¯Ρu:ÝÇΨuΖs9 óΟçFù=Ï?θè% βÎ)uρ #Y‰t/r&
And Allah testifies that they are liars. (11)
Have thou not looked to those who engage in hypocrisy? ... The address, in the singular, is to the Messenger, or to
the listener. The question form is to convey outrage. ‘Engage in hypocrisy’ is given for na>faqu, meaning to do
hypocrisy; that is, manifesting belief while holding disbelief within.
... They say to their brothers, those of the Book-
Book-folk who disbelieve, ... That is, to their brothers in disbelief, the
Jews who disbelieved in the Messenger of Islam. It means the Jews of Bani Nad}ir.
... If they
they send ye forth, we will definitely go forth with ye, ... They (the hypocrites) promised that if the
Messenger deported them (i.e. the Jews), they would leave their homes with them.
... and we will never obey anyone concerning ye, ... By ‘anyone’ they meant the Messenger of Allah. They meant
that if they were ordered to fight them they would disobey, and would not fight them.
... and if ye are fought, we will definitely succour ye ... They promised that if the Messenger and the Muslims
were to wage war against them, they would definitely come to their assistance and fight with them against the
Messenger and the Muslims.
... And Allah testifies that they are liars. It means that Allah testifies that the hypocrites were lying to them and
that their promises were false; they would not go forth with Bani Nad}ir and they would not fight with them. It is
said that cAbdullah ibn Ubayy was urging the Jews towards resistance and war against the Messenger, and so
made these false promises to them. And it turned out just as Allah had said, for when the time came for action it
became clear that he had been lying.
If they are driven out, they will definitely not go forth È⌡s9uρ öΝåκtΞρç:ÝÇΖtƒ Ÿω (#θè=Ï?θè% È⌡s9uρ öΝßγyètΒ tβθã_ã&øƒs† Ÿω (#θã_Ì&÷zé& ÷È⌡s9
with them, and if they are fought, they will definitely
not succour them, and even if they succoured them, they ∩⊇⊄∪ šχρç:|ÇΨムŸω ¢ΟèO t&≈t/÷ŠF{$#  ∅—9uθã‹s9 öΝèδρç:|ǯΡ
would definitely turn their backs; and then they would
not be succoured. (12)
If they are drive
driven
n out, ... That is, if the Messenger of Allah were to drive out the Bani Nad}ir.
... they will definitely not go forth with them, ... It means that the hypocrites would not share their exile with
them.
... and if they are fought, they will definitely not succour them, ... That is, if the Muslims were to fight the Bani
Nad}ir, the hypocrites would not come to their aid.
... and even if they succoured them ... Supposing the impossible …
... they would definitely turn their backs,.. They would not fight with them against the Messenger and the
Muslims but would hand them over on a plate to be vanquished.
... and then they would not be succoured. It means that even supposing that the hypocrites remained with them
and did not turn their backs, still the Jews would not be rescued, for the hypocrites were too few and too weak to
resist the Messenger and the Muslim forces.
The theme then explains that the hypocrites had the greatest fear for the Muslims; how then would they support
the Jews against them?
Ye arouse greater dread in their breasts than Allah; that Bω ×Πöθs% öΝåκ¨Ξr'Î/ y7Ï9≡sŒ 4 «!$# zÏiΒ ΝÏδÍ‘ρ߉߹ ’Îû Zπt6÷δu‘ ‘‰x©r& óΟçFΡV{
is because they are a people not understanding. (13)
∩⊇⊂∪ šχθßγs)ø6tƒ
Ye arouse greater dread in their breasts... The Muslims were greatly feared by the hypocrites and by the Jews.
They feared them ‘in their breasts’ as the breast is the housing of the heart, and it is the heart that is the home of
the soul, which is what feels fear and security.
... than Allah; ... They feared the Muslims more than they feared Allah, glory be to Him, for they saw the Muslims
while they didn’t see Allah. For faith has not been firmly established in their hearts so that they would fear Him.
... that is because they are a people not understanding. They feared the Muslims more than they feared Allah
because they failed to think, to reflect and so failed to realise His magnificence, glory be to Him.
He then explains, glory be to Him, that the Jews’ fighting the Muslims is unlike any other war, for in the severity
of their fear of the Muslims and their lack of unity the Jews would not dare to fight them out in the open. Thus
the Muslims were given courage for the fight:
They will not fight ye together save in fortified towns, Οßγß™ù't/ 4 ¤‘߉ã` Ï!#u‘uρ ÏΒ ÷ρr& >πoΨ¢Ápt’Χ “\&è% ’Îû BωÎ) $·èŠÏΗsd öΝà6tΡθè=ÏG≈s)ムŸω
or from behind walls. Their
Their fighting among themselves is
severe; thou would think them together but their hearts Bω ×Πöθs% óΟßγ¯Ρr'Î/ y7Ï9≡sŒ 4 4®Lx© óΟßγç/θè=è%uρ $Yè‹ÏΗsd óΟßγç6|¡øtrB 4 Ó‰ƒÏ‰x© óΟßγoΨ÷zt/
are diverse. That is because they are a people not
reasoning. (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ šχθè=É)÷ètƒ
They will not fight ye together... Those Jews would not unite to fight the Muslims. This is to reflect their
essential weakness, in that even all of them together would not fight against the Muslims save in the manner that
follows. Or ‘they’ means the Jews and the hypocrites, and ‘together’ is for emphasis.
... save in fortified towns, or from behind walls. They would not fight against the Muslims save from fortified,
secure positions, or from behind walls so that they could pelt the Muslims with missiles and rocks and suchlike.
... Their fighting among themselves is severe; ... They bear enmity between themselves, the one for the other.
They are disunited and cannot cooperate. Therefore their hearts are divided and they have not the courage to fight
against the Muslims.
... thou would think them ... O Messenger, or O reader.
... together ... Anyone might imagine them united.
... but their hearts are diverse
diverse ... They are not at all united.
... That is because they are a people not reasoning. They do not think about what is good for them and what is
harmful. All that is said is true of whoever fails to reflect, but it is true of the Jews in particular for two reasons.
First, that they reckon themselves to be Allah’s chosen people. Second, their lust for material things. Unity and
the other virtues are born of humility and the exercise of spirituality in all affairs, but when someone believes
himself to be chosen he puts himself above others, and this breeds disunity, and when a person dedicates himself
to the material things, he fails to purify his soul, so that it cannot become the source of goodness and virtue. In
the course of history we see that the Jews are either aggressors or persecuted. When they are able they transgress
until comes along who would hunt them and so on.
Like those closely before them: they tasted the mischief ×ΛÏ9r& ë>#x‹tã öΝçλm;uρ öΝÏδÌ&øΒr& tΑ$t/uρ (#θè%#sŒ ( $Y7ƒÌ&s% óΟÎγÎ=ö6s% ÏΒ tÏ%©!$# È≅sVyϑx.
of their affair, and theirs is a painful chastisement. (15)
∩⊇∈∪

Like those closely before them ... Bani Nad}ir were like those closely before them, the Bani> Qaynaqa>c. They too
had breached their pact with the Messenger so he ordered them to depart.
... they tasted the mischief of their affair, ... They tasted the evil consequences of their actions.
... and theirs is a painful chastisement. In the hereafter. cAbdullah ibn Ubayy the hypocrite had promised to fight
with them, but did not do so – just as he deceived the Bani Nad}ir and deserted them when it was their turn to face
the Muslim forces.
Like the devil when he says to the human, ‘Disbelieve!’ Öü“Ì&t/ ’ÎoΤÎ) tΑ$s% t&x6x. $£ϑn=sù ö&à6ò2$# Ç≈|¡ΣM∼Ï9 tΑ$s% øŒÎ) Ç≈sÜø‹¤±9$# È≅sVyϑx.
Then when he disbelieves, he says, ‘Indeed I renounce
thee; for I fear Allah, Lord
Lord of the worlds!’ (16) ∩⊇∉∪ tÏΗs>≈yèø9$# ¡>u‘ ©!$# ß∃%s{r& þ†ÎoΤÎ) y7ΖÏiΒ

Like the devil ... The example of ibn Ubayy is like the devil in his deceiving man and then forsaking him and
leaving him to the chastisement of Allah.
... when he says to the human, “Disbelieve!” ... The devil says this by suggestion (waswa>s) and by making
disbelief seem beautiful to man, so that man obeys the devil and disbelieves.
Then when he disbelieves, ... When man disbelieves and opposes Him, glory be to Him, in such wise that he
deserves His chastisement,
... he says, “Indeed I renounce thee; ... The devil tells the disbeliever that he will not help him nor will he rescue
him from the chastisement of Allah.
... for I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds! Can one who is terrified come to the aid of another? Thus did Ibn Ubayy
deceive Bani Nad}ir and Bani Qaynaqa>c into opposing the Messenger, for he did not support them but deserted
them.
And the destiny of them both is that they are in the fire, tÏϑÎ=≈©à9$# (#äτℜt“y_ y7Ï9≡sŒuρ 4 $pκnÏù Èøt$Î#≈yz Í‘$¨Ζ9$# ’Îû $yϑåκ¨Ξr& !$uΚåκtJt6É)≈tã tβ%s3sù
eternal in it – that is the recompense of the wrongful.
(17) ∩⊇∠∪

And the afterlife of them both ... That is, the devil and the human he has deceived into disbelief.
... is that they are in the fire, eternal in it ... They both deserve the fire, and shall meet the chastisement, the one
for his deception, the other for his disbelief.
... that is
is the recompense of the wrongful.’ Such an afterlife is the reward of those who are wrongful to themselves
with disbelief due to the deception of the devil.
O ye who believe! Be guardful of Allah, and a soul (#θà)¨?$#uρ ( 7‰tóÏ9 ôMtΒ£‰s% $¨Β Ó§ø6tΡ ö&ÝàΖtFø9uρ ©!$# (#θà)®?$# (#θãΖtΒ#u šÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
should look at what it has sent on for tomorrow. And be
guardful of Allah; indeed Allah is knowing of what ye ∩⊇∇∪ tβθè=yϑ÷ès? $yϑÎ/ 7:‚Î7yz ©!$# ¨βÎ) 4 ©!$#
do. (18)
O ye who believe, be guardful of A Allah
llah ... That is, fear His punishments; do not neglect His commands. The
address is made particularly to the believers, as it is they who will benefit from such an address; otherwise, to be
guardful and virtuous in this way is necessary for everyone.
... and a soul should look at ... It means that everyone should regard and think about:
... what it has sent on for tomorrow ... That is, for the day of resurrection: has it prepared virtue or corruption?
reward or punishment? The meaning is that it is necessary to send ahead the beautiful things, for whatever deeds a
person performs will be seen by him on the day of resurrection.
... And be guardful of Allah, ... do not disobey His commands and prohibitions.
... indeed Allah is knowing of what ye do. He is informed of our actions and on the morrow will requite us for
them.
And be not like those who forget Allah, so He makes ãΝèδ š)Íׯ≈s9'ρé& 4 öΝåκ|¦à6Ρr& öΝßγ9|¡Σr'sù ©!$# (#θÝ¡nΣ tÏ%©!$%x. (#θçΡθä3s? Ÿωuρ
them forget themselves; those, they are the perverse.
(19) ∩⊇∪ šχθà)Å¡≈x6ø9$#

And be not like those who forget Allah, ... The address is to the believers, meaning that they should not, like the
Book-folk, who believed (in Allah) and then forgot Him by disobeying Him. The meaning is not actual
forgetfulness, but rather abandoning His commands, for he who is aware (of his duties and responsibilities) but
abandons them is like he who forgets, in that both fail to implement the commands.
... so He makes them forget themselves; ... It means that Allah makes those who forget Him such that they do not
act for their salvations, like the person who forgets himself and so pays no attention to his condition.
... those, they are the perverse. They are perverse for they are outside the realm of obedience to Allah, the Most
High.
Are those who enter the fire due to their disbelief and disobedience equal to those who enter the garden in reward
for their faith and acting virtuously? Never!
Not equal are the companions of the fire and the ãΝèδ Ïπ¨Ψyfø9$# Ü=≈ysô¹r& 4 Ïπ¨Ψyfø9$# Ü=≈ptõ¾r&uρ Í‘$¨Ζ9$# Ü=≈ptõ¾r& ü“ÈθtGó¡o„ Ÿω
companions of the garden; for indeed the companions of
the garden are the thrivers. (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ tβρâ“Í←!$x6ø9$#

Those who are forever in the fire are not equal to those who remain eternally in the garden; these latter
accomplish the achievement of being rewarded and saved.
How is it that the disbelievers have no fear about the Qur’an, and do not believe in He who sent it, whereas had
the Qur’an been sent down to a mountain it would have feared? So where a solid mountain fears, the harsh heart
fears not: ‘They are like stones, or worse in harshness’:

Had We sent this Qur’an down upon a mountain, thou ôÏiΒ %YæÏd‰|ÁtF•Β $Yèϱ≈yz …çµtF÷ƒr&t&©9 9≅t6y_ 4’n?tã tβ#uö&à)ø9$# #x‹≈yδ $uΖø9t“Ρr& öθs9
would have seen it humbled, split asunder from fear of
Allah. And such metaphors We strike for humankind ∩⊄⊇∪ šχρã&©3x6tGtƒ óΟßγ¯=yès9 Ĩ$¨Ζ=Ï9 $pκæ5Î:ôØtΡ ã≅≈sVøΒF{$# š)ù=Ï?uρ 4 «!$# ÏπuŠô±yz
that they might deliberate. (21)
Had We sent this Qur’an down upon a moun mountain,
tain, ... If the Qur’an had been addressed to a mountain with the
expectation that it would put it into action,
... thou would have seen it humbled, ... Thou, O Messenger of Allah, or the reader would have seen the mountain
to be frightened and submissive.
... split asunder from fear of Allah. This means either in reality, considering that the mountains (earth, etc.)
perceive although we do not know how they do so, as He says, ‘O mountains, sing praises with him’ [34:10] and ‘.
. . (Heavens and Earth) said we come in willing obedience’ [41:11] and ‘There is not a thing but it glorifies His
praise.’ [17:44] and ‘. . . and they (Heavens and Earth) were afraid of it...’ [33:72]. Or it is a figurative usage to
denote the power of penetration and influence within the Qur’an, such that it would make mountains fear and
would shatter them, thus implying the question of why the human being does not fear?
...And such metaphors ... This particular similitude, and other metaphors (amtha>l), bring closer to the mind’s eye
the sacred Qur’an’s magnificence and importance.
...We strike for humankind that they might deliberate. It means for them to reflect about that which the
metaphors represent.
The theme now turns to clarify a number of Allah’s attributes, glory be to Him, so as to explain that all humility
is to be for Him, glory be to Him, just as the mountain is humbled by His word:
He is Allah who – there is no god but Him, Knower of ß≈oΗ÷q§&9$# uθèδ ( Íοy‰≈y㤱9$#uρ É=ø‹tóø9$# ÞΟÎ=≈tã ( uθèδ BωÎ) tµ≈s9Î) Iω “Ï%©!$# ª!$# uθèδ
the unseen and the witnessed; He is the Compassionate,
the Merciful. (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ ÞΟŠÏm§&9$#

He is Allah who – there is no god but Him, ... It means that in the whole of existence none have a say but Him,
and none is rightfully worshipped but Him, alone, without partner.
... Knower of the unseen and the witnessed; ... He knows all things, whether they are hidden from the senses like
the angels and the jinn and suchlike, or whether the senses perceive them, like the sensory things. It is narrated
from Imam al-Ba>qir, peace be upon him, that: ‘The unseen is that which has not yet come to pass, while the
witnessed is that which has already come to pass.’
... He is the Compassionate, ... His mercy embraces the entire creation.
... the Merciful. He graces the believers. Thus His knowledge is the knowledge of one who is compassionate and
merciful, not of one who is cold, harsh and severe.
He is Allah – there is no god but Him, the King, the ßÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# ãΝ≈n=¡¡9$# â¨ρ‘‰à)ø9$# à7Î=yϑø9$# uθèδ BωÎ) tµ≈s9Î) Iω ”Ï%©!$# ª!$# uθèδ
Holy, the Safety, the Secure, the Authority, the Mighty,
the Com
Compeller,
peller, the Sublime; glorified be Allah of that $£ϑtã «!$# z≈ysö6ß™ 4 ç:Éi9x6tGßϑø9$# â‘$¬6yfø9$# Ⓝ͓yèø9$# Ú∅Ïϑø‹yγßϑø9$#
which they partner. (23)
∩⊄⊂∪ šχθà2Î:ô³ç„
He is Allah – there is no god but Him, ... The repetition serves the purpose of driving the point home in opposition
to the worshippers of idols, naturalists and suchlike.
... the King, ... It is given for al-malik, meaning the absolute sovereign lord over all existence.
... the Holy, ... He is pure of all forms of shortcoming, impurity, fault and ugliness.
... the Safety, ... It is given for al-sala>m, meaning that existence is safe from Him, glory be to Him, in that He is
not like those rulers who harm their subjects and their lands. Also it means that He is safe from all faults, such
that He is safety itself.
... the Secure, ... It is given for al-mu’min, meaning that His creation is safe and tranquil, as He does it not the
slightest harm. Also it means that He bestows faith. Or it means that He has a bond to creation just as the
Faithful has a bond to the Creator, for faith is fundamentally the bond to something.
... the Authority, ... It is given for al-muhaymin, meaning that He has authority over the creation.
... the Mighty, ... It is given for al-cazi>z, meaning that He is absolute in His sovereignty, or rare in His being while
His benefits to others are many. Of this Allah is the clearest embodiment, for He is one, alone, while the whole of
existence is in need of Him, glory be to Him.
... the Compeller, ... It means that He overcomes resistance; or that He compels other than Him, as all of existence
is compelled by Him, glory be to Him.
... the Sublime; ... He elevates and grandifies Himself above all that would lead to a shortcoming or fault.
... glorified be Allah of that which they partner.’ It means that He is pure and holy of all that the idolaters and
polytheists say of Him having partners and suchlike.
He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator,
Originator, the Fashioner – $tΒ …çµs9 ßxÎm7|¡ç„ 4 4o_ó¡ßsø9$# â!$yϑó™F{$# ã&s! ( â‘Èhθ|Áßϑø9$# ä—Í‘$t7ø9$# ß,Î=≈y‚ø9$# ª!$# uθèδ
His are the beautiful names. Whatever is in the heavens
and earth glorify to Him; and He is the Mighty, the ∩⊄⊆∪ ÞΟŠÅ3ptø:$# Ⓝ͕yèø9$# uθèδuρ ( ÇÚö‘F{$#uρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# ’Îû
Wise. (24)
He is Allah ... To Him all the beautiful names and attributes of perfection apply, for ‘Allah’ is the proper name of
that being to which they all apply.
... the Creator, ... It is given for al-kha>liq, meaning that He determined the existence of every thing.
... the Originator, ... It is given for al-ba>ri’, meaning that He executes the determining of all things by causation.
... the Fashioner; ... It is given for al-mus}awwir, meaning that He fashions everything that exists into a particular
form. A thing needs to be decided upon, and designed, before being created, then it needs to be taken from the
stage of potentiality to that of existence, and then that thing needs to be given a particular shape, or form.
... His are the beautiful names ... He is the Knowing rather than the ignorant, the Powerful rather than the
incapable, the Generous rather than the miserly, and so on. His are all the beautiful names.
... Whatever is in the heavens and on earth glorify to Him; ... They declare His purity of all faults, shortcomings
and ugliness. They do this by their existence, or in accordance with their perceptions.
... and He is the Mighty, ... He is the Mighty (al-cazi>z) in His sovereignty.
... the Wise. He does nothing in vain, but according to wisdom and the best interests.
 Surah al-
al-Mumtah}anah (60)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﻤﺘﺤﻨﺔ‬
‘The Examined Woman’
The surah derives its name from the term famtahinuhunna, meaning ‘examine them (women)’.
Like the other Madinan surahs, it is concerned with the Islamic order, along with some points
related to the beliefs and faith. As the preceding surah, ‘al-H{ashr’, concluded on the theme of
Allah’s positive attributes, in order to forestall man from taking other than Him, the Most High,
as Lord, owner and God, so this surah opens on the theme of not taking the enemies of Allah as
friends.
The sending down of these verses was prompted by H{a>t}ib ibn Abi Baltacah, who had accepted
Islam and migrated to Madinah, while his family remained at Makkah. Fearing that the
Messenger was about to attack them, some members of the Quraysh approached H{a>t}ib’s family
and asked them to write to H{a>t}ib and ask him to find out whether the Messenger intended to
march on Makkah. It was indeed the Messenger’s intention to liberate Makkah, and H{a>t}ib wrote
to his family telling them of the Messenger’s intention. He gave the letter to a woman called
S{afiyyah, who hid it in her hair, under her plaids, and departed for Makkah. Then archangel
Gabriel (Jabra>’i>l) came down and informed the Messenger about it, and he in turn sent Ali, peace
be upon him, and Zubair ibn al-cAwwa>m in search of her. They caught up with her and Ali, peace
be upon him, demanded the letter from her. She said to him that she had no such letter. So they
searched her belongings and found nothing. Zubair thought they had done enough, but Ali said,
‘No, by Allah, we shall not belie Allah’s Messenger, and Allah’s Messenger does not belie
Gabriel, and Gabriel does not belie Allah, majestic is His praise. Addressing S{afiyyah, Imam Ali
peace be upon him said, By Allah, if you do not manifest the letter, I shall despatch thy head to
Allah’s Messenger.’ Seeing that Amir-al-Mu’minin was in such earnest, she said to him, ‘Turn
away from me, O Ali, and I will bring it out.’
So she brought the letter out from under her hair, and the Imam took it to the Messenger. He
summoned H{a>t}ib and said to him, ‘O H{a>t}ib, what is this?’
H{a>t}ib swore in reply that he was not a hypocrite and had not deserted Islam, and he testified to
the Unity and the Messengership, and said that his family were in Makkah and they had been
treated well by the Quraysh, and so he wanted to reward the Quraysh for their kindness. One of
those present rose seeking to behead H{a>t}ib, and asked permission from Allah’s Messenger to do
that, but H{a>t}ib beseeched the Messenger and the Messenger forgave him and ordered the man to
let H{a>t}ib go. The a>ya>t then came down warning the Muslims against such a thing happening
again.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
In the name of Allah ... We begin in the name of the God to whom belongs the whole of
existence, who is deserving of the whole of praise. ‘Allah’ is the proper name of that Essence – Is
there any more deserving than Allah, the Most High, of our beginning in his name? The mention
of His name, instead of saying ‘In Allah’ (or ‘By Allah’) is due to respect, which makes it
necessary to mention the name, rather than mentioning the Essence Itself.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Merciful.. His mercy embraces all things; He has a particular mercy
for the believers, which is why it is said that His name ‘the Merciful’ (al-Rah}i>m) signifies His
special mercy upon the believers.
O ye who believe, take not My enemies and u!$u‹Ï9÷ρr& öΝä.¨ρ߉tãuρ “Íiρ߉tã (#ρä‹Ï‚−Gs? Ÿω (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
your enemies as
as friends, offering them love
while they reject the truth that has come to ye, Èd,ysø9$# zÏiΒ Νä.u!%y` $yϑÎ/ (#ρã&x4x. ô‰s%uρ Íο¨Šuθyϑø9$$Î/ ΝÍκö9s9Î) šχθà)ù=è?
driving out the Messenger and yourselves
because ye believe in Allah, your Lord, if ye ÷ΛäΨä. βÎ) öΝä3În/u‘ «!$$Î/ (#θãΖÏΒ÷σè? βr&   öΝä.$−ƒÎ)uρ tΑθß™§&9$# tβθã_Ì&øƒä†
have gone forth striving in My way and
reaching for My contentment. Ye confide unto ΝÍκö9s9Î) tβρ”&Å¡è@ 4 ’ÎA$|ÊóCs∆ u!$tóÏGö/$#uρ ’Í?‹Î6y™ ’Îû #Y‰≈yγÅ_ óΟçFô_t&yz
them in affection, and I am more knowing
ãù ø 4 ä n r& äøx r& n r& O r& ¨ ø$
what ye conceal and what ye manifest. And ã&ù#yèø4tƒ tΒuρ 4 ÷ΛäΨn=÷ær& !$tΒuρ ÷ΛäøŠx4÷zr& !$yϑÎ/ ÞΟn=÷ær& O$tΡr&uρ Íο¨Šuθyϑø9$$Î/
whosoever of ye who does it – he has definitely
strayed from the path’s evenness. (1) ∩⊇∪ È≅‹Î6¡¡9$# u!#uθy™ ¨≅|Ê ô‰s)sù öΝä3ΖÏΒ

O ye who believe, take not My enemies and your enemies as friends, ... It means that those who
oppose Allah by their disbelief and disobedience, and who oppose the believers through mockery
and bloodshed and the other forms of enmity, are not to be given friendship and support.
... offering them love... They are not to be given love and amity in the way of a lover for the
beloved, as H{a>t}ib behaved towards the people of Makkah who were the enemies of Allah and of
the Muslims.
... while they reject the truth that has come to ye ... Such enemies disbelieved in Islam and the
Qur’an and the Messenger.
... driving out the Messenger and yourselves
yourselves ... … from your homeland. The Makkans had driven
the Messenger and the Muslims from their land, for the reason that:
... because ye believe in Allah, your Lord ... Is it normal to befriend those who have driven ye
from your homes on account of your believing in Allah?
... if ye have gone forth striving in My way ... It means: if ye went out from your homes for the
purpose of jihad in the path of Allah.
... and reaching for My contentment ... That is, seeking the satisfaction of Allah with yourselves.
It means that if the purpose behind leaving your homes and migrating was your seeking the
divine satisfaction, then do not befriend those who are the enemies of Allah, and your own
enemies, like the people of Makkah.
... Ye confide unto them in affection,
affection, ... It means that you inform them in secret communication
between yourselves and them, out of love and affection.
... And ... Do ye suppose that such deeds are hidden from Allah? Never, for …
... I am more knowing ... That is, He knows better than all others, even than yourselves.
... of what ye conceal and what ye manifest ... It means the secrets in your affairs and what is
apparent in them, for nothing is hidden from Allah, and everything you do shall be requited.
... And whosoever of ye who does it ... It refers to whoever of the believers maintains such a
secret affection.
... he has definitely strayed from the path’s evenness.’ He has deviated from the path of truth
towards destruction. The path’s ‘evenness’ (sawa>’) means the centre of it.

If they
they encountered ye they would be enemies to öΝåκu‰Ï‰÷ƒr& öΝä3ö‹s9Î) (#þθäÜÝ¡ö6tƒuρ [!#y‰ôãr& öΝä3s9 (#θçΡθä3tƒ öΝä.θà4s)÷Vtƒ βÎ)
ye, stretching out their hands and their tongues
against ye in evil; and would love it were ye to ∩⊄∪ tβρã&à4õ3s? öθs9 (#ρ–Šuρuρ ÏþθF¡9$$Î/ ΝåκtJoΨÅ¡ø9r&uρ
disbelieve. (2)
If they encountered ye... It means: were the disbelievers of Makkah to encounter the Muslims in
war.
... they would be enemies to ye, ... They would assail the Muslims, which is the action of an
enemy towards his enemy. The a>yah repudiates H{a>t}ib’s idea that the Makkans were friendly
towards him, explaining that their show of affection was no more than a show, with no real
substance.
... stretching out their hands and their tongues against ye in evil; ... That is, against the believers,
their hands in enmity and war, their tongues in defamation and abuse. It means that they would
not miss any opportunity to harm the Muslims.
... and would love it were ye to disbelieve. Those disbelievers would love for the Muslims to
disbelieve in Allah as they themselves disbelieved; therefore one’s family should not cause one to
befriend such disbelievers, for . . .
Neither your relatives will benefit ye nor your ã≅ÅÁø4tƒ Ïπyϑ≈uŠÉ)ø9$# tΠöθtƒ 4 öΝä.߉≈s9÷ρr& Iωuρ ö/ä3ãΒ%tnö‘r& öΝä3yèx4Ζs? s9
children; on the day of resurrection He shall
separate ye. And Allah is an observer of what ∩⊂∪ ×MSÅÁt/ tβθè=yϑ÷ès? $yϑÎ/ ª!$#uρ 4 öΝä3oΨ÷Rt/
ye do. (3)
Neither your relatives will profit ye nor your children; ... It means that one should not let the
protection of family and children become the cause of opposition to Allah and the Messenger
through befriending the disbelievers, like H{a>t}ib who, in seeking to protect his family in Makkah,
opposed the Messenger by writing to the disbelievers, informing them of the intention of the
Messenger to march on Makkah.
... on the day of resurrection He shall separate ye ... He shall place the faith-folk in the garden,
and the disbelief-folk and disobedience into the fire. Therefore do not commit those deeds that
lead to the fire.
... And Allah is an observer of what ye do. Since Allah sees everything we do, there is no point in
doing what will lead to His anger and punishments.

Indeed, there was for ye a fine example in øŒÎ) ÿ…çµyètΒ tÏ%©!$#uρ zΟŠÏδ≡t&ö/Î) þ’Îû ×πuΖ|¡ym îοuθó™é& öΝä3s9 ôMtΡ%x. ô‰s%
Abraham and those with him, when they said
to their people: ‘Indeed we renounce ye and «!$# Èβρߊ ÏΒ tβρ߉ç7÷ès? $£ϑÏΒuρ öΝä3ΖÏΒ (#äτℜut&ç/ $¯ΡÎ) öΝÍηÏΒöθs)Ï9 (#θä9$s%
what ye worship instead of Allah. We
disbelieve in ye, and between us and ye enmity #´‰t/r& â!$ŸÒøót7ø9$#uρ äοuρ≡y‰yèø9$# ãΝä3uΖ÷Rt/uρ $uΖoΨ÷Rt/ #y‰t/uρ ö/ä3Î/ $tΡö&x4x.
and hatred have appeared, forever, until ye
believe in Allah alone’, except the word of ϵ‹Î/L{ tΛÏδ≡t&ö/Î) tΑöθs% 8ωÎ) ÿ…çνy‰ômuρ «!$$Î/ (#θãΖÏΒ÷σè? 4®Lym
Abraham to his fath
father:
er: ‘I shall seek forgiveness
$uΖ−/§‘ ( &óx« ÏΒ «!$# zÏΒ y7s9 à7Î=øΒr& !$tΒuρ y7s9 ¨βt&Ï4øótGó™V{
for thee, and I have no right upon Allah for
thee’. ‘Our Lord! Upon Thee we rely; to Thee ∩⊆∪ çMSÅÁyϑø9$# y7ø‹s9Î)uρ $oΨö;tΡr& y7ø‹s9Î)uρ $uΖù=©.uθs? y7ø‹n=tã
we turn; and unto Thee is the destiny.’ (4)
Indeed ye have had a good example in Abraham and those with him ... It means that we should
take Abraham, peace be upon him, and those who believed with him, as an example according to
which we should model our own behaviour in cutting ourselves off from the disbelievers.
... when they said to their people: ‘Indeed we renounce ye and what ye worship instead of Allah
... They said to the disbelievers that they were having nothing to do with them or with the idols
which they built and worshipped. They meant that they saw them as nonsense and not as gods at
all, but as their enemies, although there is no real enmity between a human being and lifeless
substance.
... We disbelieve in ye, ... It means that they told their people that they repudiated their path. Or
it may be that this was an address to the idols, which were spoken of as intelligent beings so as
to maintain a unity of expression between the believers’ speech and that of the disbelievers, who
thought of the idols as having reason and perception.
... and between us and ye enmity and hatred have appeared, ... ‘Hatred’ is given for al-baghd}a>’,
which intensifies the enmity (cada>wah) and leads to it being internalised.
... forever, until ye believe in Allah alone’, They declared themselves the enemies of the
polytheists for as long as they continued in disbelief, until they believed in Allah and gave up the
worship of idols.
... except the
the word of Abraham ... That is: model yourselves upon the example set by Abraham,
except in what he said to his father, for that was before Allah the glorified had made such a thing
forbidden.
... to his father: ... That is, to his guardian who was his father’s brother, A<zar, who had raised
him.
“I shall seek forgiveness for thee ... Abraham said this because he had promised him that he
would seek forgiveness for him, but when it became clear for him that he was an enemy of Allah,
he renounced him. It is not suitable for a Muslim to model himself upon that, seeking forgiveness
for a disbeliever.1
Yet it is possible that the exception refers to the phrase ‘And indeed we renounce ye...’ Then, the
meaning would be that they said to the disbelievers that they renounced them, except Abraham
who had promised his uncle that he would seek forgiveness for him, before it became clear that
he was Allah’s enemy; at which point he said to his uncle:
... and I have no right upon Allah for thee” ... Abraham, peace be upon him, was telling his uncle
that whatever Allah wished to do to him, it would be done, and he could in no way prevent
Allah’s punishment of him.
Then Abraham and those who believed in him said:
... Our Lord! Upon Thee we rely; ... They had placed all their affairs in His hands.
... to Thee we turn; ... It means that they return to Him in their affairs, for since man is the
creation of Allah, glory be to Him, it is as if he is from Him, and when he obeys Him it is as if he
is returning to Him – an instance of conveying a spiritual reality in physical terms.
... and unto Thee is the destiny. It means that they realised the end of their affairs was with
Allah, glory be to Him, and that upon the day of resurrection they return to His reckoning and
requital.
‘Our
‘Our Lord! Make us not a tribulation for those |MΡr& y7¨ΡÎ) ( !$oΨ−/u‘ $uΖs9 ö&Ï4øî$#uρ (#ρã&x4x. tÏ%©#Ïj9 ZπuΖ÷FÏù $uΖù=yèøgrB Ÿω $uΖ−/u‘
who disbelieve; and forgive us, our Lord, indeed
Thou are the Mighty, the Wise.’ (5) ∩∈∪ ÞΟŠÅ3ptø:$# Ⓝ͕yèø9$#

‘Our Lord, make us not a tribulation for those who disbelieve; ... Disbelievers are tested by their
disbelief and their persecution of the believers, and disobedience. When a believer is made a trial
or test for the disbeliever, the believer is persecuted, and sometimes cannot stand it. It means
that they did not wish to be dominated by the disbelievers, for they would persecute them and
they would not be able to bear it.
... and forgive us, ... They sought the concealment and erasure of their faults.
... our
our Lord, indeed Thou are the Mighty, ... He is indomitable in His authority.
... the Wise.’ All His works are on the basis of wisdom and goodness. Perhaps this prayer is to
teach the Muslims how to call on Allah, glory be to Him.
Indeed, ye have had in them
them a good model – for ©!$# (#θã_ö&tƒ tβ%x. yϑÏj9 ×πuΖ|¡ym îοuθó™é& öΝÍκ9Ïù ö/ä3s9 tβ%x. ô‰s)s9
whosoever is hoping in Allah and the last day.
And whosoever turns away – indeed Allah is ∩∉∪ ߉ŠÏϑptø:$# WÍ_tóø9$# uθèδ ©!$# ¨βÎ*sù ¤ΑuθtGtƒ tΒuρ 4 t&ÅzFψ$# tΠöθu‹ø9$#uρ
the Self-
Self-Sufficient, the Lauded. (6)
Indeed, ye have had in them a good model ... The believers at the time of the revelation had a
good model to imitate in the persons of Abraham and his followers, with regard to their actions
and their cutting themselves off from the disbelievers. It is repeated so as to convey the
following:
... for whosoever hopes in Allah and the final day ... The good model is only for those who hope
for the reward of Allah and the last day. As for those who deny that, there is no point to them

1
One of the requirements of istighfa>r or ‘seeking forgiveness’ is that the individual concerned regrets his offence
or wrong doing, for if one insists on his wrong doing then the seeking of forgiveness, either by the individual or
by proxy, is meaningless.
modelling themselves upon one who believed in Allah. This stresses the connection between
faith and imitation.
... And whosoever turns away ... That is, fails to take Abraham as a model, but takes the
disbelievers as friends.
... indeed Allah is the Self-
Self-Sufficient, ... He is in need of no person or deed, and free from want.
... the Lauded. His being lauded is an attribute of His essence; therefore He needs no obedience
from anyone, nor any praise. Therefore, he who turns away harms only himself; Allah, glory be to
Him, is not harmed, as He is absolutely free from want.
And if you, the believers, wished to be friendly with the Makkans on account of your ties and
previous connections, it is likely that Allah would prepare the means of them being guided, so
that friendships with them would be allowed:
Maybe Allah will set affection between ye and 4 Zο¨Šuθ¨Β Νåκ÷]ÏiΒ ΝçF÷ƒyŠ$tã tÏ%©!$# t÷t/uρ ö/ä3oΨ÷Rt/ Ÿ≅yèøgs† βr& ª!$# |¤tã
those of them ye hold as your enemies; Allah is
powerful, and Allah is forgiving, merciful. (7) ∩∠∪ ×ΛÏm§‘ Ö‘θà4xî ª!$#uρ 4 Ö&ƒÏ‰s% ª!$#uρ

Maybe Allah will set affection between ye and those of them ye hold as your enemies; ... It
means that Allah would bring about affection between ye and the disbelievers of Makkah
through accepting Islam.
... Allah is powerful, ... He could bring that about.
... and Allah is forgiving, ... He is forgiving of the friendships maintained while the Makkans
were in disbelief.
... merciful. He bestows His grace and mercy, over and above His forgiveness and pardon.
Since the content of these a>ya>t has been the prohibition of friendly relations with every
disbeliever, an exception is now made:
Allah does not forbid ye from those who have óΟs9uρ ÈÏd‰9$# ’Îû öΝä.θè=ÏG≈s)ムöΝs9 tÏ%©!$# Çtã ª!$# â/ä38yγ÷Ψtƒ 8ω
not fought ye over the religion, and have not
not
driven ye from your habitations – from being ©!$# ¨βÎ) 4 öΝÍκö9s9Î) (#þθäÜÅ¡ø)è?uρ óΟèδρ•My9s? βr& öΝä.Ì&≈tƒÏŠ ÏiΒ /ä.θã_Ì&øƒä†
kind to them and acting justly towards them;
indeed Allah loves the just. (8) ∩∇∪ tÏÜÅ¡ø)ßϑø9$# F=Ïtä†

Allah, glory be to Him, does not prevent the believers from bearing affection towards those
disbelievers who do not fight them on account of their being religious and do not drive them
from their homes. In other words, from their being friendly with peaceful disbelievers.
... from being kind to them and acting justly towards them; ... It means that Allah does not forbid
the believers from being kindly and just with those mentioned, where the kindness and justice is
mutual. It is said that the Muslims sought the Messenger’s command regarding relations with
their disbelieving relatives. And it is said that Qutaylah bint cAbd al-cAzi>z turned a disbelieving
woman from her house as she was visiting her daughter Asma>’ with gifts, and so the a>yah came
down:
... indeed Allah loves the just. He loves those who are just in their affairs.
Allah only forbids ye from those who have ÈÏd‰9$# ’Îû öΝä.θè=tG≈s% tÏ%©!$# Çtã ª!$# ãΝä39pκ÷]tƒ $yϑ¯ΡÎ)
fought ye over the religion and driven ye from
your habitations and supported your
your expulsion βr& öΝä3Å_#t&÷zÎ) #’n?tã (#ρã&yγ≈sßuρ öΝä.Ì&≈tƒÏŠ ÏiΒ Οà2θã_t&÷zr&uρ
– that ye befriend them; and whosoever
befriends them – those, they are the wrongful. ∩∪ tβθßϑÎ=≈©à9$# ãΝèδ š(Íׯ≈s9'ρé'sù öΝçλ°;uθtFtƒ tΒuρ 4 öΝèδöθ©9uθs?
(9)
The believers are only prevented from being friendly towards those who fight them on account of
their having the religion, and drive them from their homes in Makkah and elsewhere, and support
and cooperate with each other in the believers’ expulsion. Any believers who take them as
friends wrong themselves by disobeying Allah and the Messenger.
As the topic has been affection for the disbelievers, the theme now turns to mention some related
laws, concerning women:

O ye who believe, when migrating believeresses ;N≡t&Éf≈yγãΒ àM≈oΨÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# ãΝà2u!%y` #sŒÎ) (#þθãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
come to ye, examine them – Allah is more
knowing of their faith. Then, if ye know them £èδθßϑçFôϑÎ=tã ÷βÎ*sù ( £ÍκÈ]≈yϑƒÎ*Î/ ãΝn=÷ær& ª!$# ( £èδθãΖÅstGøΒ$$sù
to be believeresses, do not return them to the
disbelievers; neither they are lawful for those, Ÿωuρ öΝçλ°; @≅Ïm £èδ Ÿω ( Í‘$¤4ä3ø9$# ’n<Î) £èδθãèÅ_ö&s? Ÿξsù ;M≈uΖÏΒ÷σãΒ
and nor th
those
ose are lawful for them; and give to
those what they had dispensed. And there is no βr& öΝä3ø‹n=tæ yy$oΨã_ Ÿωuρ 4 (#θà)x4Ρr& !$¨Β Νèδθè?#uuρ ( £çλm; tβθ\=Ïts† öΝèδ
blame upon ye that ye marry them when ye
have given them their dowries. And do not ÄΝ|ÁÏèÎ/ (#θä3Å¡ôϑè? Ÿωuρ 4 £èδu‘θã_é& £èδθßϑçG÷Rs?#u !#sŒÎ) £èδθßsÅ3Ζs?
adhere to the ties with the disbelieving women.
And ask for what ye have dispensed, and those öΝä3Ï9≡sŒ 4 (#θà)x4Ρr& !$tΒ (#θè=t↔ó¡uŠø9uρ ÷Λäø)x4Ρr& !$tΒ (#θè=t↔ó™uρ Ì&Ïù#uθs3ø9$#
can ask for what they had dispensed. There for
ye is the rule of Allah. He arbitrates between ∩⊇⊃∪ ÒΟŠÅ3ym îΛÎ=tæ ª!$#uρ 4 öΝä3oΨ÷Rt/ ãΝä3øts† ( «!$# ãΝõ3ãm
you; and Allah is knowing, wise. (10)
O ye who believe, when migrating believeresses come to ye, examine them ... The a>yah is about
women who migrate from the realm of disbelief to the realm of Islam. They were to be
questioned until it was clear that they were sincere in their faith and their migration. In al-S{af> i> it
is narrated from al-Qummi> that when a woman joined the Muslims from the disbelievers, she
would be tested by swearing by Allah that she was not motivated by anger with her husband or
love for one of the Muslims, but that she was motivated by Islam. Having made such an oath her
Islam would be accepted as genuine.
... Allah is more knowing of their faith ... He knows better than anyone whether they are indeed
believers or not.
... Then, if ye know them to be believeresses, do not return them to the disbelievers; ... Once it
was clear through their swearing an oath and the other indications that they were sincere in their
faith, they were not be returned to the realm of disbelief.
... neither they are lawful for those, and nor those are lawful for them ... Believing women are not
lawful for the disbelievers, and a disbeliever will be punished in the hereafter for touching a
Muslim woman (i.e. for being in wedlock with her and having sexual relation with her). Once a
woman becomes a Muslim her husband, if a disbeliever, becomes as a stranger to her (and she
would not be considered being married to him).
... and give
give to those what they had dispensed, ... It means that when the Muslims kept the wives
of disbelievers amongst them, they were to return to their disbelieving husbands what they had
spent in marrying them, i.e. the mahr or dowry, which is the gift that is given by the bridegroom
to the bride when they marry. The wife would return to her disbelieving husband the dowry he
had given her, and then she would be married by a Muslim.
... and there is no blame upon
upon ye that ye marry them when ye have given them their dowry ... As
for their previous marriage contracts with disbelievers, such marriages are annulled by their
accepting Islam, in accordance to the details given in jurisprudence. In short, their lawfulness for
the Muslims is conditional upon a new marriage-contract and their being provided a dowry.
... And do not adhere to the ties with the disbelieving women, ... Muslims are not to marry
disbelieving women. ‘Ties’ (cisam) means marriage contracts, since through the marriage
contract each spouse is bound to the other. So, just as it is not lawful to take a disbelieving
woman as wife, so it is not lawful for a man who enters Islam to remain married when his wife
remains a disbeliever, as per the details given in Islamic jurisprudence. And just as a Muslim
woman may not be married to a disbeliever, so too a Muslim man may not be married to a
disbelieving woman.
... and ask for what ye have dispensed, and those can ask for what they had dispensed ... There
was to be a reciprocity between the two parties: were a Muslim woman to go over to the
disbelievers her husband was to seek from them the return of the mahr he had spent on her, just
as when a disbelieving woman joined the Muslims he too could ask for the return of her mahr.
... There for ye is the rule of Allah ... The address is to the believers.
... He arbitrates between ye; ... That is, the foregone is the ruling He establishes between the
believers and the disbelievers.
... and Allah is knowing, ... He knows what is in man’s best interests.
... wise. His wisdom is the basis for His commands and prohibitions. Therefore, the foregone
rulings accord to goodness and wisdom.
It is said that a clause of the peace treaty of H{udaybiyyah was that anyone fleeing to the other
side would be handed over to the party from which he had fled, so that if a man was to flee from
the disbelievers to the Muslims they would return him, and vice-versa. But the treaty did not
mention women. After the treaty had been concluded, Subaycah bint al-H{arth came as a Muslim
to the Messenger of Allah. Then her husband came seeking her return, but he was a disbeliever.
When he asked the Messenger that she be handed over, these a>ya>t came down.
And if any of your wives desert ye to the (#θè?$t↔sù ÷Λäö6s%$yèsù Í‘$¤4ä3ø9$# ’n<Î) öΝä3Å_≡uρø—r& ôÏiΒ Öóx« ö/ä3s?$sù βÎ)uρ
disbelievers, and then ye follow it up, give those
whose wives have gone the like of what they ©!$# (#θà)¨?$#uρ 4 (#θà)x4Ρr& !$tΒ Ÿ≅÷WÏiΒ Νßγã_≡uρø—r& ôMt7yδsŒ šÏ%©!$#
dispensed. And be guardful of Allah, in whom
ye are believers. (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ tβθãΖÏΒ÷σãΒ ϵÎ/ ΛäΡr& ü“Ï%©!$#
And if any of your wives desert ye to the disbelievers, and then ye follow it up, give those whose
wives have gone the like of what they dispensed ... The meaning is that were a Muslim woman to
apostatise and go over to the disbelievers, and then the disbelievers were to refuse to pay the
Muslim husband the mahr or dowry of the woman who had joined the disbelievers, and if the
believers were to fight against the disbelievers and gain from them spoils-of-war (spoils-of-war is
one of the meanings of cuqba>, which is the name for fa ca>qabtum given as ‘follow up’), then the
Muslims should give to the husband the like of the dowry he had given her. In other words, if a
wife fled to the disbelievers and then they refused to return her mahr to the husband, then the
Imam (or leader) of the Muslims was to give the amount of her dowry to her husband from the
spoils of war.
... And be guardful of Allah, ... That is, fear His punishments and do not disobey His commands
by denying the husband the dowry when his wife had fled to the disbelievers and they refused to
return the dowry.
...in whom ye are believers’ For guardfulness (taqwa>) is among the requisites of faith.
It is narrated that after the previous a>yah came down, the believers did as they were commanded
and returned to the disbelievers the dowry of any woman who left them to join the Muslims, but
that the disbelievers refused to do likewise, and so this a>yah was sent down.
It is narrated from the Imams al-Ba>qir and al-S{ad> iq, peace be upon them, that on being asked the
meaning of the phrase in this a>yah ‘and then ye follow it up’ (fa ca>qabtum), the Imams are
reported to have said that when a man’s wife goes [to the disbelievers] and then he ‘follows it
up’ and takes another woman as wife, the Imam (i.e. leader of the Muslims) is to give him the
mahr or dowry of the woman who had gone.
The author’s verdict: My view is that whichever meaning we take, it seems that it is for the
Imam [i.e. presiding leader of the Muslims] to give a Muslim man the dowry he gave to his wife
who subsequently flees to the disbelievers, whether he wishes to marry again or not, and whether
or not any ‘spoils of war’ are gained. Allah knows best.
O thou the Prophet, when the believeresses 8ω βr& #’n?tã y7uΖ÷è΃$t7ムàM≈oΨÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# x8u!%y` #sŒÎ) WÉ<¨Ζ9$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
come to thee pledging allegiance that they not
partner zù=çFø)tƒ Ÿωuρ tÏΡ÷“tƒ Ÿωuρ zø%ÎMô£tƒ Ÿωuρ $\↔ø‹x© «!$$Î/ š∅ø.ÎMô³ç„
anything unto Allah, and steal not, and
fornicate not, and kill not their children, and £Íκ‰Ï‰÷ƒr& t÷t/ …çµuΖƒÎMtIø4tƒ 9≈tFôγç6Î/ tÏ?ù'tƒ Ÿωuρ £èδy‰≈s9÷ρr&
not make a claim they have forged about that
between their arms and their legs, and not £ßγ÷è΃$t6sù   7∃ρâC÷êtΒ ’Îû š(oΨŠÅÁ÷ètƒ Ÿωuρ  ∅ÎγÎ=ã_ö‘r&uρ
disobey thee in aught honourable, so take their
∩⊇⊄∪ ×ΛÏm§‘ Ö‘θà4xî ©!$# ¨βÎ) ( ©!$# £çλm; ö&Ï4øótGó™$#uρ
allegiance, and seek forgiveness for them from
Allah; indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful. (12)
O Messenger, when believeresses come to thee ... It means women who come to the Messenger
wishing to become believers; they are termed ‘believeresses’ (mu’mina>t) out of courtesy.
... pledging allegiance ... The Messenger would take the allegiance of women by placing his hand
in a bowl of water, removing it, and then the woman would place her hand in the bowl and make
the oath. ‘Allegiance’ (baycah) means selling all one has to Allah and the Messenger, just as He
says, ‘Indeed Allah purchases from the believers their souls and their property’.
... that they not partner anything unto Allah ... That is, they would recognise the divine oneness
and not assume any partner with Him.
... and steal not ... Neither from their husbands nor from anyone else.
... and fornicate not ... with other men, regardless of whether they (the women) were married or
not.
... and kill not their children ... They will not terminate their pregnancies, not bury their newborn
alive, and not kill them in any other way.
... and not make a claim they have forged about that between their arms and their legs ... They
will not lie about their babies, claiming falsely that their husband is the father when they have
fornicated and the husband is not the father! A child is born between the legs and is suckled
between the arms. This is in addition to the prohibition of fornication and adultery that preceded.
It seems this was common during the period of ignorance.
... and not disobey thee in aught honourable, ... It means the obligations of prayer, zaka>t and the
good things they are commanded to do. Everything the Messenger commanded was honourable;
the word is used to encourage compliance.
... so take their allegiance, ... With these conditions their Islam is acceptable and theirs is the
garden and the rewards in return for their allegiance.
... and seek forgiveness for them from Allah; ... It means in regard to the wrongs they had
previously committed.
... indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful. He forgives and above that, He bestows His mercy and His
bounty.
Finally, the theme turns to that with which it began, the prohibition of friendly relations with the
enemies of Islam, for which purpose the surah came down:
O ye who believe, befriend not a people upon ô‰s% óΟÎγøŠn=tæ ª!$# |=ÅÒxî $·Βöθs% (#öθ©9uθtGs? Ÿω (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
whom Allah iiss wrathful; they despair of the
hereafter just as the disbelievers despair of the Í‘θç7à)ø9$# É=≈ptõ¾r& ôÏΒ â‘$¤4ä3ø9$# }§Í≥tƒ $yϑx. Íοt&ÅzFψ$# zÏΒ (#θÝ¡Í≥tƒ
companions of the graves. (13)
∩⊇⊂∪

O ye who believe, befriend not a people upon whom Allah is wrathful; ... It is narrated that this
a>yah came down about some of the Muslims who were poor and associated with the Jews, so as
to be given some of their harvest, [as the Jews of Madinah were farmers].
... they despair of the hereafter ... They had no faith in it, and did not hold themselves
accountable.
... just as the disbelievers despair of the companions of the graves.’ That is, they deny that those
in the graves will be returned to life. So the Jews and the disbelievers were equal in having no
faith in the hereafter, though the former made a false, deceitful show of believing in it.
 Surah al-
al-S{aff (61)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺼﻒ‬
‘The (Battle) Ranks’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word s}aff, meaning a battle rank
or ranks. Like the other Madinan surahs it contains matters pertaining to the Islamic order, as
well as matters of faith. And while surah al-Mumtah}anah concluded on the topic of cutting
friendship ties with the disbelievers, this surah opens on the topic of fighting against them.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, ... We seek help through the name of the God to whom belongs whatever
is in the heavens and the earth; and is there one there more worthy than Him of our seeking help
from him? Indeed He is Allah, in whose hand are all things, and who helps those who seek His
help.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He who bestows mercy and fulfils the shortcomings, and He
is the best of those from whom help is sought.
Whatever is in the heavens and that in the Ⓝ͕yèø9$# uθèδuρ ( ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû $tΒuρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# ’Îû $tΒ ¬! yx¬7y™
earth glorifies to Allah; and
and He is the Mighty,
the Wise. (1) ∩⊇∪ ÞΟŠÅ3ptø:$#

Whatever is in the heavens and that in the earth glorifies to Allah; ... The meaning is not limited
to the heavens and the earth and everything that they contain, but includes all creation. This
a>yah is repeated at the beginning of other surahs and here in this surah for emphasis and to
imprint it firmly in the mind, for the glorifying of the creation – whether in the existential sense
or the perceptual sense – is a thing strange to the mind and so it needs to be emphasised and
consolidated.
... And He is the Mighty ... He is dominant in His sovereignty.
... the Wise. He does everything according to beneficence and wisdom, meaning the placing of
things in their proper place.
The circumstance of this revelation was that a group of believers used to say that when they met
the enemy they would not flee and would not return from them, until the day of ’Uh}ud, when
they fled. Thereupon these a>ya>t were sent down:
O ye who believe, why do ye say what ye do ∩⊄∪ tβθè=yèø6s? Ÿω $tΒ šχθä9θà)s? zΝÏ9 (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
not? (2)
The question form conveys criticism, for speech without action is worse than silence without
action, just as action without speech is better than action with speech, except when speech is for
the purpose of encouragement and suchlike. It is said that in regard to actions people are in four
categories: those who speak and act, those who speak without acting, those who neither speak
nor act, and those who act without speaking about it. The fourth is the best, the worst is the
second, and the first is better than the third.
It is most loathsome in the sight of Allah that ∩⊂∪ šχθè=yèø6s? Ÿω $tΒ (#θä9θà)s? βr& «!$# y‰ΨÏã $ºFø)tΒ u7ã9Ÿ2
ye say what ye do not. (3)
Speech unmatched by action is grievously loathsome to Allah, glory be to Him.
Indeed Allah loves those who fight in His path Οßγ¯Ρr(x. $y6|¹ Ï&Î#‹Î6y™ ’Îû šχθè=ÏG≈s)ムšÏ%©!$# 9=Ïtä† ©!$# ¨βÎ)
in ranks, as if they are a compact edifice. (4)
∩⊆∪ ÒÉθß¹ö&¨Β Ö≈uŠ÷Ψç/

Indeed Allah loves those who fight in His path ... It means those who fight to exalt His word and
in seeking His satisfaction with them, in the disciplined condition of them being:
... in ranks, ... That is, without disorder and without divisiveness.
... as if they are a compact edifice. They are so firm that they are like a compact, solid structure,
like a wall. It is narrated that Muslims said, ‘If only we knew the dearest action in the view of
Allah we would dispense all our wealth and our lives in performing it.’ And so the a>yah ‘Indeed
Allah loves those...’ was sent down. Then, after the day of ’Uh}ud and they turned back, Allah
sent down the a>yah ‘...why do ye say...’.
The theme then turns to warn the Muslims against being like the companions of Moses, peace be
upon him, who troubled him after knowing that he was a Messenger from Allah, the Exalted, for
they refrained from war and thus vexed the Messenger and disobeyed his command:
And when Moses said to his people, ‘O my ‰s%uρ Í_tΡρèŒ÷σè? zΝÏ9 ÉΘöθs)≈tƒ ϵÏΒöθs)Ï9 4†y›θãΒ tΑ$s% øŒÎ)uρ
people! Why do ye vex me, when ye have
known that I am Allah’s Messenger unto ye?’ ª!$# sø#y—r& (#þθäî#y— $£ϑn=sù ( öΝà6ö‹s9Î) «!$# ãΑθß™u‘ ’ÎoΤr& šχθßϑn=÷è¨?
So when they swerved, Allah swerved their
hearts; and Allah guides not the perverse ∩∈∪ tÉ)Å¡≈x6ø9$# tΠöθs)ø9$# “ωöκu‰ Ÿω ª!$#uρ 4 öΝßγt/θè=è%
people. (5)
And when Moses said to his people, ‘O my people, why do ye vex me, ... Moses’ people, the sons
of Israel, severely tried Moses by their actions, such as their worshipping the calf, and their
saying, ‘Go thou and thy Lord, and fight them.’
... when ye have surely known that I am Allah’s Messenger ... ‘Surely’ is given for qad, which is
emphatic, though normally in the same grammatical context it implies proximity in time. And it
is possible that here it is used in the normal sense, in that even the likelihood that he was a
Messenger should have been enough to prevent them from annoying him.
... unto ye? ... It means sent in order to guide them.
... So when they swerved ... They swerved from the truth by continuing to annoy him, as is the
nature of the Jews.
... Allah swerved their hearts; ... That is, He left them to themselves and denied them His hidden
graces, until their hearts went further astray. Attributing their swerving to Him, glory be to Him,
is because when He deserts a person that person is drawn by the desires, which lead him to
swerve.
... and Allah guides not the perverse peopl
people.
e. When a people depart from obedience to Allah, glory
be to Him, after the signs and proof, and in that sense are perverse (fa>siqi>n), He leaves them to
themselves and no more bestows upon them His hidden graces.
And the Jews acted the same way with Jesus the son of Mary, peace be upon them: they vexed
him after he had brought them the clear proofs:
And when Jesus the son of Mary said, ‘O sons «!$# ãΑθß™u‘ ’ÎoΤÎ) Ÿ≅ƒÏℜu7ó Î) ûÍ_t6≈tƒ zΝtƒóLtΒ ßø⌠$# |¤ŠÏã tΑ$s% øŒÎ)uρ
of Israel, indeed I am Allah’s Messenger unto
ye, confirming the Torah before me and giving 5Αθß™t&Î/ #M7Åe³t6ãΒuρ Ïπ1u‘öθ−G9$# zÏΒ £“y‰tƒ t÷t/ $yϑÏj9 $]%Ïd‰|Á•Β /ä3ø‹s9Î)
glad tidings of a Messenger
Messenger who shall come
after me – His name is Ahmad.’ So when he (#θä9$s% ÏM≈oΨÉiat6ø9$$Î/ Νèδu!%y` $¬Ηs>sù ( ߉uΗ÷qr& ÿ…çµèÿôœ$# “ω÷èt/ .ÏΒ ’ÎAù'tƒ
came to them with the clarifications, they said,
‘This is clear sorcery.’ (6) ∩∉∪ ×Î7•Β Ö&ósÅ™ #x‹≈yδ

And when Jesus the son of Mary said, ... It means: ‘And recount, O Messenger, when Jesus the
son of Mary said ...’ The Qur’an normally calls him Jesus the son of Mary (Maryam), peace be
upon them, so as to deny his being the son of Allah.
... O sons of Israel, ... It means the Jews.
... indeed I am Allah’s Messenger unto ye, ... I am raised to guide ye.
... confirming the Torah before me and giving glad tidings of a Messenger ... He gave them the
glad tidings of a Messenger from Allah, Exalted be He.
... who shall come after me – His name is Ah Ahmad’ ... That is, our Prophet, Muhammad, may
Allah bless him and his family. The distinguished Muhammad S{a>diq Fakhr al-Islam, who was an
eminent Christian scholar [of the city of Uru>miyah, died circa 1315 H, 1897 CE] and then
became a Muslim, recounts in his book Ani>s al-Acla>m, [volume 5, pp 139-210] a lengthy account
on this topic, and explains that the name parakletos [which has been taken for perikletos] was an
explanatory rendering of ‘Ahmad’ which exists in their books. [Ahmad is another name of the
prophet Muhammad; both are derived from the Arabic word meaning the Praised One –
perikletos in Greek.] And it was usual for the Prophets to confirm their predecessors and give the
tidings of their successors, for they were brothers all sent by Allah, glory be to Him, to clarify a
single path – differences in detail were due to the particular conditions of their ages and
locations.
... So when he ... It means Jesus, or the Messenger, Ahmad, may Allah bless him and his family.
... came to them with the clarifications, ... It means the clear proofs.
... they said, ‘This is clear sorcery.’ ... They disbelieved while claiming that the clear proofs were
manifest sorcery. Now, if the pronoun ‘he’ refers to Jesus, then this is in line with the Jews
repudiating Moses a liar, and if it refers to the Messenger of Allah then the a>yah concerns all
three missions, and how the followers of the two previous religions received the Messenger of
Allah about whom they had received the glad tidings.
And who is more wrongful than he who forges ’n<Î) #tçô‰ãƒ uθèδuρ z>É‹s3ø9$# «!$# ’n?tã 3“u7tIøù$# Ç£ϑÏΒ ÞΟn=øßr& ôtΒuρ
the lie on Allah, while he is called
called to Islam?
And Allah guides not the wrongful people. (7) ∩∠∪ tÏΗÍ>≈©à9$# tΠöθs)ø9$# “ωöκu‰ Ÿω ª!$#uρ 4 ÉΟ≈n=ó™M}$#

And who is more wrongful than he who forges the lie on

on Allah ... It means: who is a more serious
wrongdoer than the person who devises a lie about Allah, and calls His word sorcery, and His
Messenger a lying sorcerer?
... while he is called to Islam? ... He invents such lies simply because he is called to Islam,
wherein lies his salvation in the world and the hereafter.
... And Allah guides not the wrongful people. It means that He keeps His hidden graces from
those who treat themselves wrongfully through disbelief and stubborn disavowal after having
seen the light and the guidance, and who, after having been clearly shown the path, fail to travel
it.
They wish to put out the light of Allah with öθs9uρ ÍνÍ‘θçΡ –ΛÉãΒ ª!$#uρ öΝÎγÏδ≡uθøùr'Î/ «!$# u‘θçΡ (#θä↔Ï6ôÜã‹Ï9 tβρ߉ƒÌ&ãƒ
their mouths; but Allah will fulfil His light,
even though the disbelievers may detest. (8) ∩∇∪ tβρã&Ï6≈s3ø9$# oνÌ&Ÿ2

They ... It means those disbelievers who were contemporary to the revelation and the Messenger
of Allah.
... wish to put out the light of Allah ... That is, His Messenger and his path, which are called a
light as they illuminate the dark alleyways of life by the programmes that lead to bliss and to
arrival at the destination; like one who carries a torch on a dark night so as not to bump into
anything, and to safely reach the place at which he wishes to arrive.
... with their mouths; ... They imagined they would be able to extinguish the light of Islam
through their calling it lies and their creating confusion through mockery.
... and Allah will complete His light, ... He shall make His religion triumphant. When a light is
extinguished its perpetuation through time is over. But when it is not extinguished it grows and
finally lights up everywhere forever.
... even though the disbelievers may detest. They are averse to the perpetuation of His light and
its illuminating the world.
(It is) He who sent His Messenger with the ’n?tã …çνt&Îγôàã‹Ï9 Èd,ptø:$# ÈÏŠuρ 3“y‰çλù;$$Î/ …ã&s!θß™u‘ Ÿ≅y™ö‘r& ü“Ï%©!$# uθèδ
guidance and the religion of truth so as to make
it manifest over all religion, even though the ∩∪ tβθä.Î7ô³ßϑø9$# oνÌ&x. öθs9uρ Ï&Íj#ä. ÈÏd‰9$#
polytheists may detest. (9)
(It is) He who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth... Allah, glory be
to Him, dispatched His Messenger, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, with
guidance for mankind for their eternal bliss, and with the religion of Islam.
... so as to make it manifest over all religion, ... The reason for the dispatch was in order to make
that religion triumph over all religions. Islam is triumphant over all other religions in two ways:
first, in reason and proof, in which it has been triumphant since the time of the Messenger may
Allah bless him and his family; and second, in dominance and authority, and that will be in the
time of the Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him.
Amir-al-Mu’minin (the Commander of the Believers) was once asked about this a>yah and
whether Islam was yet manifest. He said, ‘Definitely not! By Him in whose hand is my soul, not
until there is no village without it being declared there morning and night that ‘there is no god
but Allah’.
... even though the polytheists may detest. He shall exalt His religion despite the pride of those
who set up partners with Allah.
O ye who believe, shall I point ye to a ôÏiΒ /ä3ŠÉfΖè? ;οt&≈pgÏB 4’n?tã ö/ä3—9ߊr& ö≅yδ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
transaction
transaction that will save ye from a painful
chastisement? (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ 8ΛÏ9r& A>#x‹tã

O ye who believe, ... The address is to the believers, even though the sense is general, as it is the
believers who will benefit from it by implementing it.
... shall I point ye ... It means: do ye wish Me to guide ye.
... to a transaction that will save ye from a painful chastisement? Is any transaction better than
that which saves a person from the chastisement of the fire?
Then the Almighty outlines that transaction, which returns the highest gains:
Ye believing in Allah and His Messenger and ye óΟä3Ï9≡uθøΒr'Î/ «!$# È≅‹Î6y™ ’Îû tβρ߉Îγ≈pgéBuρ Ï&Î!θß™u‘uρ «!$$Î/ tβθãΖÏΒ÷σè?
striving in the path of Allah with your wealth
and your lives. That is better for ye, were ye ∩⊇⊇∪ tβθçΗs>÷ès? ÷ΛäΖä. βÎ) ö/ä3©9 ×7ösyz ö/ä3Ï9≡sŒ 4 öΝä3Å¡à6Ρr&uρ
knowing.
knowing. (11)
Ye believing in Allah... The belief in the God and His oneness.
... and His Messenger ... It means confirmation of what he brought, and belief here means real,
deep belief. So there is no discord here with the address being made to ‘ye who believe’ just as in
the a>yah ‘O ye who believe, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book ...’ [4: 136]
... and ye striving in the path of Allah ... It means that we exert ourselves with the effort, which
includes fighting in His path, to exalt the word of Allah.
... with your wealth ... It means expending one’s wealth for His sake.
... and your lives ... Holding them cheap for Him, even when it means giving them and being
killed in His path.
... That is better for ye, ... Faith and striving, each in its own place, are better than polytheism,
which leads a person to the fire and punishment.
... were ye kno
knowing
wing. If we were knowledgeable we would know that faith and combat are better
and more beneficial than disbelief and laziness.
When this price is paid and ye do it:
He shall forgive ye your sins and enter ye into $pκÉJøtrB ÏΒ “Ì&øgrB ;M≈¨Ζy_ óΟä3ù=Åzô‰ãƒuρ ö/ä3t/θçΡèŒ ö/ä3s9 ö&Ï6øótƒ
gardens, rivers flowing under them, fine
dwellings
dwellings in Gardens of Eternity – that is the ãΛÏàyèø9$# ã—öθx6ø9$# y7Ï9≡sŒ 4 5βô‰tã ÏM≈¨Ζy_ ’Îû Zπt6ÍhŠsÛ zÅ3≈|¡tΒuρ ã&≈pκ÷ΞF{$#
magnificent achievement. (12)
∩⊇⊄∪

He shall forgive
forgive ye your sins and enter ye into gardens, rivers flowing under them, fine dwellings
in Gardens of Eternity ... Allah will forgive you all your previous sins, and He will place you in
gardens under the palaces and villas and trees of which flow rivers of honey, water, milk and
wine; and He will house you in those gardens within beautiful palaces. Those who get there will
be there forever; they will never come out.
... that is the magnificent achievement. This forgiveness and entry into the gardens is the grand
achievement of attaining salvation, felicity and bliss, above which there is no greater success.
And something else ye love: succour from Allah Î7Åe³o0uρ 3 Ò=ƒÌ&s% Óx÷Gsùuρ «!$# zÏiΒ ×7óÇtΡ ( $uηtΡθ™7ÏtéB 3“t&÷zé&uρ
and a near conquest; and give glad tidings to
the believers. (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ tÏΖÏΒ÷σßϑø9$#
And something else ye love: ... That is, in addition to the blessing of the achievement of the
garden, in return for belief and struggle there is a desirable blessing in store in the world:
... succour ... His aid in defeating the disbelievers.
... from Allah ... Assistance from Him sufficient to make His troops victorious over the enemy,
even though materially they may be disadvantaged.
... and a near conquest; ... It means the liberation of the land. And it was just as He said, glory be
to Him, for in a short time they conquered Makkah, Persia, Rome [Eastern Byzantine] and many
other territories of the polytheists and disbelievers.
... and give glad tidings ... The address is to the Messenger.
... to the believers. That is, if they were sincere in the faith and performed the obligation of jiha>d.
O ye who believe, be the succourers of Allah, ßø⌠$# |¤ŠÏã tΑ$s% $yϑx. «!$# u‘$|ÁΡr& (#þθçΡθä. (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
just as Jesus the son of Mary said to the
disciples: ‘Who are my succourers unto Allah?’ tβθ•ƒÍ‘#uθptø:$# tΑ$s% ( «!$# ’n<Î) ü“Í‘$|ÁΡr& ôtΒ z↵ÎiƒÍ‘#uθysù=Ï9 zΝtƒóLtΒ
The disciples said, ‘‘We
We are Allah’s succourers!’
So a party of the sons of Israel believed and a Ÿ≅ƒÏℜu7ó Î) û_Í_t/ .ÏiΒ ×πx6Í←!$©Û MuΖtΒ$t↔sù ( «!$# â‘$|ÁΡr& ßøtwΥ
party disbelieved; so We aided those who
believed against their enemies, and they became öΝÏδÍiρ߉tã 4’n?tã (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $tΡô‰−ƒr'sù ( ×πx6Í←!$©Û Nt&x6x.uρ
the manifest. (14)
∩⊇⊆∪ tÌ&Îγ≈sß (#θßst7ô¹r'sù
O ye who believe, be the succourers of Allah, ... Be constantly in His service by establishing His
religion, as opposed to the believer who does not prepare himself for the victory, but only
implements some of the religious articles.
... just as Jesus the son of Mary said ... It means that we should serve Allah in the same way
sought by Jesus of his disciples.
... to the disciples: ... They were his followers and students.
... ‘Who are my succourers unto Allah?’ ... He was asking them who of them would accompany
him in that straight journey towards Allah’s satisfaction and rewards, that was the
implementation of his teachings.
... The disciples said, ‘We are Allah’s succourers!’ ... Jesus’ address may either have been limited
to the disciples and they all answered in the affirmative, or it was made to the general
population, and His word ‘said to the bright ones’ is on account of how they were the group who
responded to his address.
... So a party of the sons of Israel believed ... It means they believed with real faith, and these
were the disciples and those who followed them.
... and a party disbelieved; ... Either they disbelieved in Jesus or they believed in him but later
deviated like those who took to the trinity.
... so We aided those who
who believed against their enemies, and they became the manifest. Allah
made the true followers of Jesus triumph over their disbelieving enemies in argument and proof,
or in numbers and power over them. And just as Allah assisted Jesus’ true followers over the
Jews and the deviant Christians, so too He shall assist true Islam over other religions and over
deviant Islam. Triumph and dominance is termed as manifestation, on account of how the
dominant is manifest and the dominated is concealed.
 al-Jumucah (62)
Surah al-
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳉﻤﻌﺔ‬
‘Congregation’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word ‘jumucah’, meaning
‘Congregation’. Like the other Madinan surahs it contains matters pertaining to the Islamic
order, as well as matters of faith. While the preceding ‘Surah al-S{aff’ concluded on the topic of
manifestation and triumph of the followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, this surah opens on the
topic of the Divine mission among those without a scripture, citizens of Makkah, ‘the maternals’
(ummiyi>n); both peoples received Divine messengers and books.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah... The beginning is in the name of God in whose hand are all things; and
the beginning is in the name of He in whose hand are all things solely because He is worthy of
that, and in seeking His mercy – and He in whose hand are all things is the worthiest of our
seeking His mercy.
...The Compassionate, the Merciful. He who bestows mercy on the servants with grace, for His
mercy is a grace bringing completion upon the incomplete.
Whatever is in the heavens
heavens and whatever is in Ĩρ‘‰à)ø9$# Å7Î=pRùQ$# ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû $tΒuρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# ’Îû $tΒ ¬! ßxÎm7|¡ç„
the earth glorifies Allah – the King, the All-
All-
Holy, the Mighty, the Wise. (1) ∩⊇∪ ÉΟ‹Å3ptø:$# Í“ƒÍ•yèø9$#

Whatever is in the heavens and that in the earth earth is glorifying to Allah, ... The skies and
everything in them, and the earth and all that it contains, is constantly saying ‘glory to Allah’
(subh}a>nallah), so declaring His purity of being and above being in any way incomplete. And
these declarations of His purity are either existential (takwi>nan), in that by existing everything is
a sign indicating that He is an all-knowing, all-powerful Creator; or it is by a tongue or a way of
their own understanding.
...the King... It is given for al-malik; it means that His word is absolute throughout existence, and
any authority other than His authority is figurative.
... the All-
All-Holy ... It is given for al-quddu>s, meaning that He is holier than to have any fault,
deficiency or imperfection.
... the Mighty ... It is put for al-cazi>z. He is dominant in His sovereignty.
... the Wise. It is put for al-h}aki>m. He does everything according to beneficence and wisdom.
(It is) He who raised among the ‘maternals’ a öΝÍκö@n=tã (#θè=÷Ftƒ öΝåκ÷]ÏiΒ Zωθß™u‘ z↵Íh‹ÏiΒW{$# ’Îû y]yèt/ “Ï%©!$# uθèδ
Messenger from amongst them, reciting upon
them His signs
signs and purifying them and ÏΒ (#θçΡ%x. βÎ)uρ sπyϑõ3Ïtø:$#uρ |=≈tGÅ3ø9$# ãΝßγßϑÏk=yèãƒuρ öΝÍκ@Ïj.t“ãƒuρ ϵÏG≈tƒ#u
teaching them the Book and the wisdom; even
though beforehand they were in a clear ∩⊄∪ &Î7•Β 9≅≈n=|Ê ’Å∀s9 ã≅ö6s%
straying. (2)
(It is) He who raised... It means that Allah the Exalted sent.
... among the maternals ... It means the Arabs. They are called ‘maternals’ (ummiyi>n) either
because the reference is to the people of the City of Makkah, called the umm al-qura> - ‘mother of
villages’ - as the outlying villages of Arabia in general and the H{ija>z in particular were under its
influence; [Ummi means citizen of umm al-qura>.]. Or because the Arabs were in the main
unlettered and illiterate, and so, in their ignorance, were like one born to his mother with no
experience beyond her. That the Messenger was sent among the Arabs does not mean that his
mission was limited to them.
... a Messenger... To guide them.
... from amongst them, ... and from their land.
...
... reciting upon them His signs... It means that he recited to the Arabs His signs and proofs; or it
means the portents or a>ya>t of the Qur’an.
... and purifying them... He gave them the purification of knowledge, for a careful teacher
cleanses his pupils of the dirt and wounds of the heart by protecting them from the vices and
from the dishonourable deeds.
... and teaching them the Book... It means His rules and His Law (shari>cah).
... and the wisdom; ... So that they would know how to place things in their place, for the
meaning of wisdom is to place things in their place.
... even though beforehand they were in a clear straying. Before the Messenger came to them the
‘maternals’ were in clear and obvious deviation. They were without the correct beliefs, without
virtuous actions, without wholesome habits and without refined ethics. The meaning is that he
delivered them to the highest level of perfection, even though before him they were at the most
distant depth of deviation.
And others of them who have not yet joined to ∩⊂∪ ãΛÅ3ptø:$# Ⓝ͕yèø9$# uθèδuρ 4 öΝÍκÍ5 (#θà)ysù=tƒ $£ϑs9 öΝåκ÷]ÏΒ tÌ&yz#uuρ
them; and He is the Mighty, the Wise. (3)
And others of them... It means that he taught other maternals, up until the day of resurrection.
They are ‘of them’, either in the sense that they are their descendents, or in the sense that in faith
they are of the same substance.
... who have not yet joined to them; ... ‘Not yet’ (lamma>) indicates that they have not joined, but
that they will, and their joining to them is expected.
... and He is the Mighty, ... He is overwhelming in His authority, and so able to guide those
others.
... the Wise. He places things in their places.
That is the profusion of Allah – He gives
gives it to ÉΟŠÏàyèø9$# È≅ôÒxHø9$# ρèŒ ª!$#uρ 4 â!$t±o„ tΒ Ïµ‹Ï?÷σム«!$# ã≅ôÒsù y7Ï9≡sŒ
whom He wills; and Allah is holder of
magnificent profusion. (4) ∩⊆∪

That is the profusion of Allah... The sending of the Messenger is Allah’s bounty and mercy —
upon the Messenger in His making him a Messenger, and upon humankind in His honouring them
by guiding them.
... – He gives it to whom He wills; ... It is known that Allah bestows no mercy save in
accordance with wisdom, upon whoever merits the favour.
... and Allah is holder of magnificent profusion. His profusion is more magnificent than the grace
of any other, just as it is more magnificent than any favour bestowed by another.
The theme now turns to warn the Muslims of the necessity of holding tight to the Law, so that
they not become like the Jews, who turned from implementing the Torah after their holding tight
to it during the time of Moses, peace be upon him:

The similitude of those burdened with the Í‘$yϑÅsø9$# È≅sVyϑx. $yδθè=Ïϑøts† öΝs9 §ΝèO sπ1u‘öθ−G9$# (#θè=Ïdϑãm tÏ%©!$# ã≅sVtΒ
Torah and then carried it not is that of the
donkey carrying tomes – atrocious is the 4 «!$# ÏM≈tƒ$t↔Î/ (#θç/¤‹x. tÏ%©!$# ÏΘöθs)ø9$# ã≅sWtΒ }§ø♥Î/ 4 #I‘$xHó™r& ã≅Ïϑøts†
similitude of the people who belie the signs of
Allah; and Allah guides not the wrongful ∩∈∪ tÏΗÍ>≈©à9$# tΠöθs)ø9$# “ωöκu‰ Ÿω ª!$#uρ
people. (5)
The similitude of those burdened with the Torah... They were given the Torah by Allah, glory be
to Him, to implement. The term ‘burdened’ (h}ummil) shows that they held to the Torah
reluctantly and with great difficulty, rather than with spontaneous enthusiasm.
... and then carried it not... They deliberately refrained from acting in accordance to it. They
dismissed it and abandoned its rules.
... is that of the
the donkey carrying tomes... ‘Tomes’ is put for asfa>r, the plural of sifr, meaning
scriptures or book. The donkey that carries books upon its back does not benefit from them. And
the Jews are like that: although they have the Torah on their backs they do not benefit from it
and do not implement its rules; and whoever superficially holds to the Qur’an without
implementing it is the same.
... atrocious is the metaphor of the people who belie the signs of Allah; ... That people is the Jews
who practically belied the Torah, through their actions, and belied Allah’s signs in the Qur’an.
The a>yah means: vile is the tribe for whom this is the metaphor; for a vile metaphor is only for a
vile people.
... and Allah guides not the wrongful people. Allah does not guide by means of His unseen
favours a people or tribe who wrong themselves with disbelief and disobedience after their being
guided to a path which they failed to follow.
The Jews imagined they were the God’s elect, even after their abandoning the Torah, and the
theme now refutes this idea:
Say: ‘O ye who are judaized, if ye claim that ye ÏΒ ¬! â!$uŠÏ9÷ρr& öΝä3¯Ρr& ôΜçFôϑtãy— βÎ) (#ÿρߊ$yδ šÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ ö≅è%
are Allah’s friends, apart from humankind,
then yearn for death, if ye be truthful.’ (6) ∩∉∪ tÏ%ω≈|¹ ÷ΛäΨä. βÎ) |NöθpRùQ$# (#âθ¨ΖyϑtFsù Ĩ$¨Ζ9$# Èβρߊ
The address is to the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family. He was to say to those
called Jews, who followed Judaism, that if they really thought they were the God’s chosen
people, above the rest of mankind, and that all others are not loved by God, then they should be
longing for death. That is because the true ‘friend’ of Allah has no fear of death, as He is sure of
a high rank over there.
And they will never yearn for it, due to what 7ΝŠÎ=tã ª!$#uρ 4 óΟÎγƒÏ‰÷ƒr& ôMtΒ£‰s% $yϑÎ/ #J‰t/r& ÿ…çµtΡöθ¨ΖyϑtFtƒ Ÿωuρ
their hands have sent forward; and Allah is
knowing of the wrongful. (7) ∩∠∪ tÏϑÎ=≈©à9$$Î/

And they will never yearn for it due to what their hands have sent forward; ... The Jews will
never ever long for death, on account of what they have done in disbelief and disobedience, and
because their condition in the hereafter will be horrible. Attributing to the hands that which they
send on to the hereafter is on account of how it is the hands that are most active in actions.
... and Allah is knowing of the wrongful. He is knowing of their situation and shall recompense
them for their injustice; it is a warning to the Jews.
Is their not longing for death and their fleeing from it of any benefit to them?
Say, ‘Indeed the death from which ye flee – ¢ΟèO ( öΝà6‹É)≈n=ãΒ …絯ΡÎ*sù çµ÷ΖÏΒ šχρ”&ÏHs? “Ï%©!$# |Nöθyϑø9$# ¨βÎ) ö≅è%
indeed it will meet ye, thereupon ye shall be
returned to the Knower of the unseen and the ÷ΛäΖä. $yϑÎ/ Νä3ã⁄Îm7t⊥ã‹sù Íοy‰≈y㤱9$#uρ É=ø‹tóø9$# ÉΟÎ=≈tã 4’n<Î) tβρ–Št&è?
witnessed, and He will inform ye of what ye
did.’ (8) ∩∇∪ tβθè=yϑ÷ès?

Say, ... The address is to Allah’s Messenger.

... ‘Indeed the death from which ye flee – indeed it will meet ye ... He was to tell them that their
flight from death, through their developing the means of health and their avoidance of life-
threatening situations, would not prevent them from the meeting to which they would be
summoned, which is definite with no doubt about it.
... thereupon ... That is, after their deaths.
... ye shall be returned ... Since man issues from the will and intention of Allah, glory be to Him,
his journey to His reckoning and requitals is like returning to Him.
... to the Knower of the unseen and the
the witnessed, ... He knows what is secret and what is open.
‘The unseen’ (al-ghayb) is what is absent from the senses; the witnessed is that which appears to
them, or before which a person is present.
... and He will inform ye of what ye did.’ They will be informed, as a prelude to the requital, of
all they did, good or evil.
With the clarification of the necessity of implementing the Law, so as not to be like the Jews and
their failure to implement the Torah, the theme turns to clarify a magnificent law: the Friday
prayer. This prayer is obligatory during the period of the presence (of Imam Mahdi, peace be
upon him), but as for the period of the absence, our scholars differ in their views. I have
discerned that it was obligatory in the presence of the Imam or his representative only during the
period in which the Imam had a free hand; thus there is no report of an Imam performing it after
Imam H{usayn, peace be upon him – and this was not due to cautious concealment (taqiyyah).
That is the secret of why the view of it being not mandatory is widespread among our scholars.
O ye who believe, when the call to the prayer is Ïπyèßϑàfø9$# ÏΘöθtƒ ÏΒ Íο4θn=¢Á=Ï9 š”ÏŠθçΡ #sŒÎ) (#þθãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
made on the Day of Congregation, then hasten
to the remembrance of Allah, and leave aside óΟçGΨä. βÎ) öΝä3©9 ×Zömyz öΝä3Ï9≡sŒ 4 yìø‹t7ø9$# (#ρâ‘sŒuρ «!$# Ì&ø.ÏŒ 4’n<Î) (#öθyèó™$$sù
trade – that is better for ye, were ye knowing.
(9)
(9) ∩∪ tβθßϑn=÷ès?

O ye who believe, when the call to the prayer is made... The practice of the Messenger was that
he would sit upon his minbar while Bila>l called the adha>n at the door of the Masjid, and a second
adha>n would be called on the minbar. This continued after him during the time of Abu Bakr and
c
Umar. When cUthman came [to power], he would have the adha>n called firstly on the roof of his
house. This is the ‘third adha>n’ that is said to be an innovation. It is called the ‘third adha>n’ as it
is in addition to the two legitimate adha>ns. The adha>n from the roof is not part of Islam.
... on the Day of Congregation, ... It means during a part of the Friday; i.e. that part which is
required for the Friday prayer. The day is called al-jumucah because it is the day of the public
congregation (ijtima>c) for the prayer. It was a holiday before Islam, and then it was legislated in
Islam.
... then hasten to the remembrance of Allah, ... It means go to the Jumucah prayer without delay.
... and leave aside trade ... It seems that ‘trade’, here, means any occupation that prevents one
going to the prayer.
... that is better for ye, were ye knowing ... Those who know about these things know that
hurrying to the prayer and desisting from trade is better for the believers, both in their religion
and their world.
So when the prayer is over,
over, then disperse in the ÏΒ (#θäótGö/$#uρ ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû (#ρã&ϱtFΡ$$sù äο4θn=¢Á9$# ÏMuŠÅÒè% #sŒÎ*sù
earth and reach for Allah’s profusion, and
remember Allah much, that ye might thrive. ∩⊇⊃∪ tβθßsÎ=øHè? ö/ä3¯=yè©9 #ZZmÏWx. ©!$# (#ρã&ä.øŒ$#uρ «!$# È≅ôÒsù
(10)
So when the prayer is over, ... That is, once the Jumucah prayer is concluded.
... then disperse in the earth... The believers may then disperse in the earth, each going to his own
work.
... and reach for Allah’s profusion, ... It means seek through trade and so forth the provision of
Allah and His grace. The imperative conveys legality and lawfulness, It is not an order signifying
an obligation.
... and remember Allah much, ... He is to be remembered by tongue and by heart, while seeking
His bounty and at other times, for He cleanses the heart of the dirt of heedlessness and
disobedience.
... that ye might thrive. It might be that in such ways we will achieve His contentment with us
and His generosity.
Ja>bir ibn cAbdullah narrates: ‘A caravan arrived while we were praying behind the Messenger,
may Allah bless him and his family. So the people scattered towards it, leaving only twelve men,
myself among them. Then this a>yah came down.’
The Messenger is quoted as saying: ‘By Him in whose hand is my soul, if you had all followed
them until none of you were left, the valley would have become an inferno for you.’

And when they see trading or a distraction they $tΒ ö≅è% 4 $VϑÍ←!$s% x8θä.t&s?uρ $pκö@s9Î) (#þθ‘ÒxHΡ$# #·θøλm; ÷ρr& ¸οt&≈pgÏB (#÷ρr&u‘ #sŒÎ)uρ
scatter towards it, and leave thee standing.
Say: ‘That which is with Allah is better than tÏ%Η≡§&9$# çZömyz ª!$#uρ 4 Íοt&≈yfÏnF9$# zÏΒuρ Èθôγ¯=9$# zÏiΒ ×Zömyz «!$# y‰ΖÏã
distraction
distraction and trade, and Allah is the best of
provisioners.’ (11) ∩⊇⊇∪

And when they see trading ... It means when those who are praying the Jumucah prayer see an
alternative opportunity to buy or sell. These opportunities would come with the arrival of
caravans from far-off places, upon fixed occasions. This meant that whoever failed to rush to
purchase his needs would find that the goods he needed would be sold out, so that he would have
to wait for the next fixed market-day until he could buy what he needed.
... or a distraction ... It refers to the drums that members of the caravan would beat as they
arrived in order to announce their arrival to the people of the town. Such noises distract from the
remembrance of Allah, and preoccupy those who wish to turn to the prayer.
... they scatter towards it, and leave thee standing ...
... Each in his own way ran off towards the
distraction and the trade, leaving the Messenger standing delivering the Jumucah sermon,
without a thought for his status, and putting the world above the hereafter.
... Say: ‘That with Allah is better than distraction
distraction and trade ... The Messenger of Allah was to
tell them that the reward for remaining and listening to the sermon is better than distraction, and
better than trade. At the beginning of the verse the order given was trade and distraction,
whereas here it is distraction and trade. There the order starts with the more significant, in that
they scattered for trade and for less than that, distraction. Here, the order starts with the less
significant, meaning that the rewards of Allah are greater than distraction and than which is
more than that, trade.
... and Allah is the best of provisioners.’ They should not have thought that had they refrained
from transactions with the caravan they would have remained without provision, for Allah would
have provisioned them from the abundance of His bounty.
 Surah al-
al-Muna>fiqu>n (63)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﻨﺎﻓﻘﻮﻥ‬
‘The Hypocrites’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word muna>fiqu>n, meaning
‘hypocrites’. Like the other Madinan surahs it contains matters pertaining to the Islamic order, as
well as to matters of faith. Whereas Surah al-Jumucah concluded on the topic of the Messenger
being left standing, an action most closely fitting the hypocrites, this surah begins with an
account about the hypocrites that took place during one of the Messenger’s expeditions.
It is narrated that the surah was sent down concerning events during the expedition to the Bani
Must}aliq, in the fifth year of the Hijrah. The Messenger had gone out with it, and on the return
journey stopped at a well, at which the water was scant. Anas ibn Sayya>r, allied to the Ans}a>r, and
Jahja>h ibn Saci>d al-Ghaffa>ri, the hired servant of cUmar, arrived at the well together, and fell into
an argument. Jahja>h hit the face of Anas, causing it to bleed. Anas called out the men of Khazraj,
a group of the Ans}a>r (meaning the Supporters) while Jahja>h called out the Quraysh, the
Muha>jeri>n (meaning the Migrants) and men armed themselves till it seemed there would be
bloodshed. Hearing the cry, cAbdullah ibn Ubayy [who came to be known as the Chief
Hypocrite] asked what it was about. On being informed, he fell into a terrible rage. Then he said,
‘I was dreading such a thing happening. I did not think that I would hear the like of this without
being able to do anything about it.’ Then he turned to his fellows and said, ‘This is what you
have done! You have settled them (Muha>jeri>n) in your homes, you have shared with them your
property, you have protected them with your lives, and you have bared your chests for war, till
your women have become widows and your children have become orphans. Had you driven them
out they would be the dependents of others and not of you.’
Then he said, ‘If and when we return to Madinah the mighty will drive out the weak.’ By this he
meant that he and his kind would drive out the Messenger of Allah and the believers. Amongst
the group was Zayd ibn Arqam, a young boy. The Messenger was resting under a tree with a
number of Ans}a>r and Muha>jeri>n. Zayd came and told him what cAbdullah ibn Ubayy had said.
The Messenger asked the boy if perhaps he had imagined it. The boy swore that he had not. So
he asked him if perhaps Ibn Ubayy was angry with him. The boy swore that he was not. He asked
him if he had embarrassed him. The boy swore that he had not. At that the Messenger called for
his riding-camel, mounted it and called for the people to do the same. They wondered at it, for he
was not wont to ride at that time of day. The people mounted up and soon Sacad ibn cUba>dah
caught up with him, and after exchanging greetings, he said, ‘You are not used to riding at such a
time?’ So replied he, ‘Have you not heard what your companion said?’
They said, ‘And what companion have we other than thee, O Messenger of Allah.’
He said, ‘cAbdullah ibn Ubayy; he thinks that on the return to Madinah the grand will drive out
the abject.’
They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, it is you and your companions who are the grand, and it is he
and his companions who are the abject.’
The Messenger journeyed the whole of that day without talking to anyone. The Khazraj turned
on cAbdullah ibn Ubayy and blamed him for what he had said. He swore that he did not say it. So
they told him to come with them to the Messenger, so that they could apologise, but he
arrogantly turned his face. Night descended and still the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his
family, journeyed, breaking only for the prayer. He journeyed all that night until the following
day he finally halted. As soon as his men descended, they collapsed onto the ground in
exhaustion. Then cAbdullah ibn Ubayy came to the Messenger and he swore that he had not said
that, and that ‘there is no god but Allah, and that you are the Messenger of Allah; and Zayd has
lied about me.’
In response, the Messenger remained silent. The Khazraj turned on Zayd ibn Arqam, blaming him
for lying about their chief, cAbdullah. As the Messenger rode off again, Zayd rode alongside him,
saying, ‘O Allah, indeed Thou know that I have not lied about cAbdullah ibn Ubayy.’ They had
not gone far when the condition of receiving revelation (wah}y) came upon the Messenger to the
extent that the weight of it was making his camel about to kneel. When it was over, sweat was
pouring from his brow. Then told Zayd ibn Arqam ‘O lad, you spoke the truth, and your heart
remembered; and Allah has sent down concerning that which you said a revelation.’
As soon as they set down, his companions gathered round him, and he recited to them Surah al-
Muna>fiqu>n, and thus Allah exposed cAbdullah ibn Ubayy.
The son of cAbdullah ibn Ubayy then came to Allah’s Messenger and said, ‘O Messenger of
Allah, if you have decided on his death, then order me to do it, so that it will be me who brings
you his head; for by Allah, the Aws and the Khazraj know that I am the most righteous son to my
father, and I fear that if you order someone other than me and he kills him, then my spirit will
not let me look at the killer of my father, and then I would kill a believer for a disbeliever, and I
will enter the fire.’
The Messenger of Allah replied, ‘No, we will be good companions to him for thee, as long as he
is with us.’
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, ... We seek help through the name of the Allah, that He be an aid to us in
our needs.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He whose mercy embraces all things; that He may grace us
with mercy and solve our problems in the world and in the hereafter.
When the hypocrites come to thee, they say, ª!$#uρ 3 «!$# ãΑθß™t&s9 y7¨ΡÎ) ߉pκô¶tΡ (#θä9$s% tβθà)Ï,≈uΖßϑø9$# x8u!%y` #sŒÎ)
‘We testify that indeed thou are the Messenger
of Allah.’ And Allah knows that indeed thou šχθç/É‹≈s3s9 tÉ)Ï,≈uΖßϑø9$# ¨βÎ) ߉pκô¶tƒ ª!$#uρ …ã&è!θß™t&s9 y7¨ΡÎ) ãΝn=÷ètƒ
are His messenger, and Allah testifies that
indeed the hypocrites are liars. (1) ∩⊇∪

the hypocrites come to thee... It means cAbdullah ibn Ubayy; it has earlier been given that
When the
the plural is used to stand for the genus or type, while indicating an individual. In such cases the
plural is used to show that the ruling applying to the subject also applies to whoever has those
qualities in common with that subject. In the same way, the singular can also be used to denote
genus or type, for the individuality is shed and what remains is the generic meaning true of every
individual. The hypocrite is him who is internally a disbeliever, while outwardly showing himself
to be a believer.
... they say, ‘We testify that indeed thou are the Messenger of Allah ... The hypocrites said in his
presence that such was their belief at heart, and not merely a verbal declaration.
... And Allah knows that indeed thou are His messenger, ... This phrase comes in the Qur’an to
pave the way for the following line, so as not to give the idea that Allah, glory be to Him, denies
His Messenger’s messengership by refuting the hypocrites.
... and Allah testifies that indeed the hypocrites are liars. They lied in their claim that they
believed in the Messenger’s messengership from the depth of their hearts. The truth was that
their belief was limited to their tongues, while their hearts remained in disbelief and opposition.
They take their oaths as a shield, thus bar from $tΒ u!$y™ öΝåκ¨ΞÎ) 4 «!$# È≅‹Î6y™ tã (#ρ‘‰|Ásù Zπ¨Ζã_ öΝåκs]≈yϑ÷ƒr& (#ÿρä‹sƒªB$#
the path of Allah. It is indeed evil what they
do. (2) ∩⊄∪ tβθè=yϑ÷ètƒ (#θçΡ%x.

They take their oaths as a shield, ... Their oaths were nothing more than a shield to ward off any
trouble from the Messenger and the Muslims.
... thus bar from the path of Allah ... By their clinging to disbelief internally and their making
false oaths, they barred the people from the path of Allah – the path of His religion and of His
rewards. So, by their hypocrisy they kept themselves in the ranks of the Muslims, while secretly
spreading dissension, and dissuading the people from correct faith.
... It is indeed evil what they do. Their action of manifesting faith while remaining disbelievers
inside, and so barring (the people) from the path of Allah, glory be to Him, was a most evil thing
to do.
That is because
because they believed and then they Ÿω óΟßγsù öΝÍκÍ5θè=è% 4’n?tã yìÎ7äÜsù (#ρã&x,x. §ΝèO (#θãΖtΒ#u öΝåκ¨Ξr'Î/ y7Ï9≡sŒ
disbelieved, so their hearts became thus en-
en-
natured, and so they understand not. (3) ∩⊂∪ tβθßγs)ø,tƒ

That is because they believed and then

then they disbelieved, ... Their hypocrisy was on account of
their professing belief on their tongues, and then disbelieving at heart. The nature of those who
stray is such that on seeing some good they rush towards it in sincerity, but when they see some
difficulties along with the benefits, they falter, and although they apparently remain in
agreement – with regret – and at heart they withdraw in preference to their perceived interests.
... so their hearts became en-
en-natured, ... As they accustom themselves to disbelief and take on the
attributes that result in their hearts or souls become regulated by those qualities, and this
becomes the character trait of such individuals. Allah, glory be to Him, created the human soul
(nafs) in this way, [in that when the human follows a trend he would adapt it as his disposition].
For this adaptation was on account of their hypocrisy. ‘Hearts’ (qulu>b) means ‘souls’ (anfus).
... and so they understand not. They do not understand the reality of faith and of guardfulness
and piety, for their souls are diverted; for when a person is diverted he sees the good as ugly and
the ugly as good.
And when thou see them, their persons impress ôìyϑó¡n@ (#θä9θà)tƒ βÎ)uρ ( öΝßγãΒ$|¡ô_r& y7ç7Éf÷èè? öΝßγtF÷ƒr&u‘ #sŒÎ)uρ
thee; and if they speak, thou listen to their
words. They are like propped-
propped-up timbers; they 4 öΝÍκöQn=tã >πysø‹|¹ ¨≅ä. tβθç7|¡øts† ( ×οy‰¨Ζ|¡•Β Ò=à±äz öΝåκ¨Ξr(x. ( öΝÏλÎ;öθs)Ï9
reckon every outcry is against them. They are
the enemy, so beware of them; may Allah kill ∩⊆∪ tβθä3sù÷σム4’¯Τr& ( ª!$# ÞΟßγn=tG≈s% 4 ÷Λèεö‘x‹÷n$$sù –ρ߉yèø9$# ç/èφ
them! How deviated they are! (4)
And when thou see them... The address, in the singular, is to the Messenger, or simply to any
individual listener.
... their persons impress thee; ... They are of fine appearance; handsome and well-turned out.
... and if they speak, thou listen to their words ... Whenever they speak, and on whatever subject,
they speak well, in fine style and pleasantly, so that the listener pays attention. Yet despite their
fine appearance and pleasant speech,
... They are like propped-
propped-up timbers, ... That is, they are coreless, empty and without the
qualities of excellence and virtue, and are like hollow pieces of wood that cannot stand up on
their own, and so need to be supported by a wall or such like, before they will stand up straight.
The wood that has its core consumed by termites tends to be rotten inside, even if on the outside
it appears good, and it cannot stand up and cannot bear any weight. The hypocrites are the same
way: they have the appearance of goodness, but it has no inner reality.
... they reckon every outcry is against them ... They are cowardly and their hearts are empty of
the virtues of faith. Whereas the believer’s heart is fixed and firm in a crisis, the hypocrite is
constantly afraid that his inner reality will be discovered and he will be exposed and humiliated.
Therefore, whenever any crisis occurs the hypocrite fears that he will be caught up in it and his
inner reality be discovered and disgraced. A crisis or calamity is called an ‘outcry’ (s}ayh}ah) as a
crisis always raises an outcry; it is an instance of the cause being known as the effect.
... They are the enemy, ... That is, they were the Messenger’s single most dangerous enemy, and
their enmity was total. The disbeliever’s appearance does not belie his evil, but the hypocrite is
hidden within the Muslim community by his profession of belief, and is not seen and not
recognised for what he really is, until he commits some act of corruption and causes difficulties.
... so beware of them; ... The address is in the singular. The Messenger was to be wary of the
hypocrites mixing among the Muslims and learning their secrets, for then they would learn of
their strengths and weaknesses, and thus they are more dangerous than the external enemy, and
more able to harm and cause corruption.
... may Allah kill them! ... It is a prayer, an invocation, against them to the effect that Allah kills
them. It is to give the Muslims confidence and relieve them from anxiety and paranoia.
... How deviated they are!’ An exclamation: after the clarity of all the proofs, still they remain so
deviated, so astray.
And when it is said to them, ‘Come, Allah’s ÷Λàιy™ρââ‘ (#÷ρ§θs9 «!$# ãΑθß™u‘ öΝä3s9 ö&Ï,øótGó¡o„ (#öθs9$yès? öΝçλm; Ÿ≅‹Ï% #sŒÎ)uρ
Messenger will seek forgiveness for ye,’ they
wrench their
their heads away, and thou see them ∩∈∪ tβρçQÉ9õ3tGó¡•Β Νèδuρ tβρ‘‰ÝÁtƒ öΝßγtG÷ƒr&u‘uρ
barring; and they are arrogant. (5)
When anyone asked them to come and seek that the Messenger ask forgiveness for the sins they
had committed, they would jerk their heads away from the speaker in arrogance and pride. And
anyone watching could see them preventing themselves from the path of truth. The signs of their
arrogance and their feeling that they were in no need of the Messenger’s seeking forgiveness for
them would be manifest in their appearance.
Even it is for them whether thou seek t&Ï,øótƒ s9 öΝçλm; ö&Ï,øótGó¡n@ öΝs9 ÷Πr& óΟßγs9 |Nö&x,øótGó™r& óΟÎγøŠn=tæ í!#uθy™
forgiveness for them or thou seek not
forgiveness for them – Allah will never forgive ∩∉∪ šÉ)Å¡≈x,ø9$# tΠöθs)ø9$# “ωöκu‰ Ÿω ©!$# ¨βÎ) 4 öΝçλm; ª!$#
them; indeed Allah guides not the perverse
people. (6)
Even it is for them whether thou seek forgiveness for them or thou seek not forgiveness for them
– Allah will never forgive them; ... Whether the Messenger was to seek forgiveness for the
hypocrites or not, would make no difference to them, for seeking forgiveness only benefits the
believer, and not the hypocrite. Allah will never forgive them because at heart they are
disbelievers.
... indeed Allah guides not... It means with His hidden graces.
... the perverse people. It means those who have departed from obedience to Allah through their
hypocrisy and dissension.
It is them who say, ‘Dispense not on those «!$# ÉΑθß™u‘ y‰ΨÏã ôtΒ 4’n?tã (#θà)Ï,Ζè? Ÿω tβθä9θà)tƒ tÏ%©!$# ãΝèδ
alongside the Messenger of Allah, until they
scatter’ – while Allah’s are the treasures of the £Å3≈s9uρ ÇÚö‘F{$#uρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# ßÉ!#t“yz ¬!uρ 3 (#θ‘Òx,Ζtƒ 4_®Lym
heavens and the earth! But the hypocrites
understand not. (7) ∩∠∪ tβθßγs)ø,tƒ Ÿω tÉ)Ï,≈uΖãΚø9$#

It is them who say, ‘Dispense not on those alongside the Messenger of Allah, until they scatter’
... The hypocrites used to say to each other that they should not give to or help the needy
believers, so that they would leave the Messenger and disperse. He, glory be to Him, comments
on this their attitude in His word:
... while Allah’s are the treasures of the heavens and the earth! ... It is from these treasures that
He pours forth upon those around the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family. Those
hypocrites imagined that the treasures of provision, wealth and sustenance were in their hands,
and that if they were to withhold them from the believers they would disperse. They were
ignorant of the fact that the sun, the earth, water and air that are the sources of all wealth, are
entirely in the hand of Allah, exalted be He, and that He pours forth liberally from them upon His
believers through trade and agriculture and suchlike; and that therefore the hypocrites’
withholding anything from those around the Messenger would not cause them to scatter.
... But the hypocrites understand not. It means that they do not understand that the treasures of
the heavens and the earth are in the hand of Allah, exalted be He.
They say, ‘Truly if we return to Madinah, the $pκ÷]ÏΒ –“tãF{$#  ∅y_Ì&÷‚ã‹s9 ÏπoΨƒÏ‰yϑø9$# ’n<Î) !$oΨ÷èy_§‘ È⌡s9 tβθä9θà)tƒ
mightier will surely drive out of it the weaker.’
Indeed the might is Allah’s, and His £Å3≈s9uρ šÏΖÏΒ÷σßϑù=Ï9uρ Ï&Î!θß™t&Ï9uρ ä﨓Ïèø9$# ¬!uρ 4 ¤ΑsŒF{$#
Messenger’s and the believers’! But the
hypocrites
hypocrites know not. (8) ∩∇∪ tβθßϑn=ôètƒ Ÿω šÉ)Ï,≈oΨßϑø9$#

They say, ‘Truly if we return to Madinah, the mightier

mightier will surely drive out of it the weaker.’...
The hypocrites claimed that the mightier, by whom they meant themselves, would drive out from
the city the weaker, by whom they meant the Messenger and his companions. They are refuted in
His word:
... Indeed
Indeed the might is Allah’s, ... And indeed He is with the believers.
... and His Messenger’s... through Allah giving him power.
... and the believers’!... Through their holding fast to Islam, which brings them the happiness of
the world and the hereafter, and honour, dignity and might in both of them.
... But the hypocrites know not. Rather, they imagined that the superiority was theirs, simply
because they had a few supporters among the hypocrites, and a little wealth. And experience was
to show the proof, for it was Ibn Ubayy, the abject, who came to the grand, the Messenger
seeking pardon for what he had perpetrated.
Now, since the topic has been hypocrisy, the inner reality of disbelief and the outer show of faith,
the theme now turns to remind the Muslims not to act according to the ethical standard of the
hypocrites, by turning to the world and away from the hereafter:
O ye who believe, your wealth should not, and tã öΝà2߉≈s9÷ρr& Iωuρ öΝä3ä9≡uθøΒr& ö/ä3Îγù=è? Ÿω (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
nor should your offspring, divert ye from the
remembrance of Allah; and whosoever does ∩∪ tβρçQÅ£≈y‚ø9$# ãΝèδ y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé'sù y7Ï9≡sŒ ö≅yèø,tƒ tΒuρ 4 «!$# Ì&ò2ÏŒ
that,
that, then they surely are the losers. (9)

O ye who believe, your wealth should not, and nor shouldshould your offspring, divert ye from the
remembrance of Allah; ... It means that we are not to let our wealth and children preoccupy
ourselves from the remembrance of Allah, causing us to fail to observe His rights in them, and to
fail to be present for the prayer and the other obligations, all out of our being too busy with our
financial and family affairs.
... and whosoever does that, then they surely are the losers. Those who let themselves be
diverted by matters of finance and family from the remembrance of Allah bring ruin to
themselves, for they have no salvation in the hereafter from the chastisement.
And dispense from what We have provisioned ãΝä.y‰tnr& š†ÎAù'tƒ βr& È≅ö6s% ÏiΒ Νä3≈oΨø%y—u‘ $¨Β ÏΒ (#θà)Ï,Ρr&uρ
ye, before death comes to one of ye, so he says,
‘My Lord, if only Thou would delay me until a 5=ƒÌ&s% 9≅y_r& #’n<Î) ûÍ_s?ö&¨zr& Iωöθs9 Éb>u‘ tΑθà)u‹sù ßNöθyϑø9$#
short while, then
then I would give in charity and be
among the virtuous.’ (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ tÅsÎ=≈¢Á9$# zÏiΒ ä.r&uρ šX£‰¢¹r'sù

And dispens
dispensee from what We provide ye, ... It means obey the injunctions concerning the khums,
the zaka>t, and the sala>t; though it might be more general and apply equally to giving in charity
from knowledge, influence and power, as well as from wealth.
... before ddeath
eath comes to one of ye, ... It means before one sees the signs or causes of death in
oneself.
... so he says, ‘My Lord, if only Thou would delay me until a short while, ... When a person sees
that he is about to die, he says: ‘Lord! If only Thou would let me stay some more in the world, if
only for a little while, I will certainly reform myself.’
... then I would give in charity ... He promises to give charity and purify his wealth and dispense
it in the path of Allah.
... and I would be among the virtuous
virtuous.’’ He promises to pray and fast and perform hajj and pour
himself into obedience to the divine commands.
But does his request benefit him? Certainly not:
And Allah never delays a soul once its term has $yϑÎ/ 7QrÎ7yz ª!$#uρ 4 $yγè=y_r& u!%y` #sŒÎ) $²¡ø,tΡ ª!$# t&½jzxσムs9uρ
come; and Allah is informed of what ye do.
(11) ∩⊇⊇∪ tβθè=yϑ÷ès?

And Allah never delays a soul once its term has come; ... Once a person’s term has come, such
pleadings do not persuade Allah to let them stay in the world over and above their determined
term. After that, there is no further opportunity to act virtuously with one’s body or to
righteously dispense one’s wealth.
... and Allah is informed of what ye do. O man, so do not commit that which will lead ye to the
chastisement and to the punishments.
 Surah al-
al-Tagha>bun (64)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺘﻐﺎﺑﻦ‬
‘Mutual Cheating’
The surah derives its name from the word tagha>bun, denoting two parties’ cheating each other,
or exchanging each other’s places (in paradise and in the Fire) that occurs in a>yah 10. Like the
other Madinan surahs it contains matters pertaining to the Islamic order, as well as matters of
faith. While Surah al-Muna>fiqun concluded with the command to obey and the call not to
disobey, this surah opens by considering the obedient and the disobedient.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah... We begin by the name of Allah in whom are gathered all the qualities of
perfection. Is there any more worthy of our beginning in his name, than He who is the First and
the Last, who was before all things and then made all things exist?
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He who is merciful towards all things. Mercy in the human
being is a condition of the heart; in Him, glory be to Him, it means the actions that are based on
mercy – His grace and His favouring – for in Him, glory be to Him, there is no place such as a
heart for such qualities.
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in ã&s!uρ à7ù=ßϑø9$# ã&s! ( ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû $tΒuρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# ’Îû $tΒ ¬! ßxÎm7|¡ç„
the earth glorifies Allah. His is the kingdom
and His is the praise; and He is over all things ∩⊇∪ í&ƒÏ‰s% &óx« Èe≅ä. 4’n?tã uθèδuρ ( ߉ôϑysø9$#
powerful. (1)
(1)
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth glorifies Allah ... ‘Is glorifying’ is given
for yusabbih}u. It seems that the variance between past and present tenses in these a>ya>t is to
highlight the actual glorifying in the former, and the fact that it is presently happening and is
continuing to happen, in the latter. Allah, glorified is He, is glorified and declared free of any
fault or imperfection by everything in the skies and the earth, as well as the skies and the earth
themselves.
… His is the kingdom … For He is the absolute, and the real dominant and king, while other
kings are relative and have limited kingdom and dominion. Because he has no real dominance,
any individual who has anything (be it power, dominance, kingdom, etc.) he is given it by Allah,
glory be to Him.
... and His is the praise; ... All praises return to Him; for praise is only for something beautiful
done by choice – and the originator of all beauties is Allah, glory be to Him. As for the praise of
any other being, such praise is conditional and relative.
... and He is over all things powerful. He is powerful enough to begin all things and to conclude
them, and to do with them as and how He wills.
(It is) He who created ye; so among ye is a $yϑÎ/ ª!$#uρ 4 ÖÏΒ÷σ•Β /ä3ΖÏΒuρ Ö&Ïù%Ÿ2 ö/ä3ΖÏϑsù ö/ä3s)n=s{ “Ï%©!$# uθèδ
disbeliever, and among ye is a believer. And
Allah of what ye do is an observer. (2) ∩⊄∪ î9CÅÁt/ tβθè=yϑ÷ès?

He it is who created ye; ... Allah it was who created mankind.

... so among ye is a disbeliever, and among ye is a believer ... Some of us disbelieve in Him
through an evil choice after the clarity of the proofs and the manifestation of the convincing
arguments. And some of us believe in Allah and in what the Messengers brought. Classifying
mankind into two divisions in this way is to explain that disbelief is improper considering that
the dominion and the creation is His, glory be to Him, and that all of existence glorifies His
magnificence.
... And Allah of what ye do is an observer. He sees all that man does, and will recompense him
for all that he does.
He created the skies and the earth in truth; and ( ö/ä.u‘uθß¹ z|¡ômr'sù ö/ä.u‘§θ|¹uρ Èd,ptø:$$Î/ uÚö‘F{$#uρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# t,n=y{
He fashioned
fashioned ye and beautified your forms; and
unto Him is the final Return. (3) ∩⊂∪ ç9CÅÁyϑø9$# ϵø‹s9Î)uρ

He created the skies and the earth by the truth; ... The creation is not a frivolity or a diversion
like the games of children. Rather, the creation was for a purpose and an end and in accordance
to wisdom.
... and He fashioned ye... He has given each of us an outer form or shape, being our senses and
our physical dimensions, and an inner form, being our reason and our sensibilities.
... and made splendid your forms; ... This is a generalization, not taking into account those
individual cases whose forms are not splendid.
... and to Him is the final return. That is, all of us are travelling towards His reckoning and His
requitals after death, or on the resurrection day.
He knows what is in the skies and the earth; $tΒuρ tβρ•9Å£è? $tΒ ÞΟn=÷ètƒuρ ÇÚö‘F{$#uρ ÏN≡uθ≈uΚ¡¡9$# ’Îû $tΒ ÞΟn=÷ètƒ
and He knows what ye conceal and what ye
manifest; and Allah is knowing of what is in ∩⊆∪ Í‘ρ߉BÁ9$# ÏN#x‹Î/ 7ΛÎ=tæ ª!$#uρ 4 tβθãΖÎ=÷èè?
the breasts. (4)
He knows what is in the skies and the earth; ... He knows everything that comes into existence
and everything that ceases to exist, what happens to everything and how it happens.
... and He knows what ye conceal and what ye manifest; ... It means the actions done in secret,
and the actions done openly in the presence of others. It is possible that ‘what ye conceal’
includes both secret actions and the things that take place in the breasts.
... and Allah is knowing of what is in the breasts. It means what takes place in the human heart.
The a>ya>t having dealt with divinity, the theme now turns to warn the disbelievers who turn away
from Allah and from faith in Him, in His word:
Has there not come to ye the account of those öΝÏδÌ&øΒr& tΑ$t/uρ (#θè%#x‹sù ã≅ö6s% ÏΒ (#ρã&xCx. tÏ%©!$# (#àσt7tΡ ö/ä3Ï?ù'tƒ óΟs9r&
who disbelieved beforehand? They tasted the
mischief of their affair, and theirs is a painful ∩∈∪ ×ΛÏ9r& ë>#x‹tã öΝçλm;uρ
chastisement. (5)
Has there not come to ye the account of those who disbelieved beforehand? ... Communities of
disbelievers prior to those who opposed the Messenger turned away from faith and were
chastised by Allah on that account.
... They tasted the mischief of their affair, ... They tasted the evil consequences of their disbelief
and belying.
... and theirs is a painful chastisement. They tasted chastisement in the world, while in the
hereafter a painful chastisement is theirs.
That is because their Messengers used to come ×9|³o0r& (#þθä9$s)sù ÏM≈oΨÉi[t6ø9$$Î/ Οßγè=ߙ①öΝÍκXÏ?ù'¨? MtΡ%x. …絯Ρr'Î/ y7Ï9≡sŒ
to them with the clarifications, but they would
say, ‘Is it for a human being to guide us?’ So ∩∉∪ Ó‰‹ÏΗxq ;Í_xî ª!$#uρ 4 ª!$# o_øótGó™$#¨ρ 4 (#θ©9uθs?uρ (#ρã&xCs3sù $oΨtΡρ߉öκu‰
they disbelieved and turned away while Allah
is needless. And Allah is free of want, lauded.
(6)
That is because there came to them their Messengers with the clarifications, so they sasaid,
id, ‘Is it
for a human being to guide us?’ So they disbelieved and turned away … The chastisement that
gripped them was because Messengers came to them from Allah, with clear proofs and decisive
arguments and miracles, but they rejected them, objecting that they did not think it possible that
the human species itself would be used to guide other humans. So they disbelieved in the
Messengers and what they brought, and turned away from acceptance of the truth.
... while Allah was needless ... It means that He did the action of one needless of them, which
was to leave them to themselves. Until then He had sought their guidance and rectitude, but they
had not accepted. So the term that ‘Allah was needless’, or that ‘He acted as one needless’, is a
case of likening the non-sensory to the sensory. And because the phrase could give the
impression that Allah was in need of them before that, His speech continues:
... And Allah is free of want, ... He is rich in His essence, needing no thing and no person.
... lauded. He is praised by His own actions and is in no need of any other praise; and nor does the
failure of any to praise Him detract from His being praised at the level of His essence
(mah}mu>dun bidhdha>t).
Those who turn away from faith in Allah and His Messengers, turn away in a similar way from
faith in the resurrection:
Those who disbelieve assume that they will §ΝèO £èVyèö6çGs9 ’În1u‘uρ 4’n?t/ ö≅è% 4 (#θèVyèö7ム©9 βr& (#ÿρã&xCx. tÏ%©!$# zΝtãy—
never be raised. Say: ‘Nay, by my Lord, indeed
ye shall be raised, and then indeed ye shall be ∩∠∪ ×9CÅ¡o„ «!$# ’n?tã y7Ï9≡sŒuρ 4 ÷Λäù=ÏΗxå $yϑÎ/ ¨βàσ¬7t⊥çGs9
informed of what ye did. And that for Allah is
easy.’
easy.’ (7)
Those who disbelieve assume that they will never be raised ... Their denials of an afterlife and of
their being revived for the reckoning and the requitals are not rooted in certainty, but in
assumption and conjecture.
... Say: ‘Nay, by my Lord, indeed ye shall be raised, ... The Messenger was to tell them ‘Nay, the
matter is not as ye suppose, for by Allah, my Lord, ye shall certainly be raised and brought to life
after your deaths, and then ye shall certainly be informed – by Allah, the angels and the Prophets
and whoever else assists in the reckoning (al-h}isa>b) and the ‘informing’ or ‘presentation of
accounts’ (al-ikhba>r) – of what ye did.’
... and then indeed ye shall be informed of what ye did ... Those guilty of disbelief and
disobedience will be informed of their deeds before being punished for them.
... And that for Allah is easy.’ Restoring the dead to life, and informing them of their deeds, is in
no way difficult for Allah. He who originally created the creation is powerful enough to restore
it, glory be to Him.
So believe in Allah and His Messenger and the $yϑÎ/ ª!$#uρ 4 $uΖø9t“Ρr& ü“Ï%©!$# Í‘θ‘Ζ9$#uρ Ï&Î!θß™u‘uρ «!$$Î/ (#θãΖÏΒ$t↔sù
light We have sent down; and
and Allah of what ye
do is informed. (8) ∩∇∪ ×9CÎ7yz tβθè=yϑ÷ès?

So believe in Allah and His Messenger... As the raising of the dead and the reckoning and the
recompense are all true, it is for all mankind to accept the belief in Allah and His Messenger, by
submitting to them and obeying their commands.
... and the light We have sent down; ... It means the Qur’an, which illuminates the dark path of
life so that man is able to see his way to felicity and salvation. Clearly, the Imams, peace be upon
them, are among the embodiments of this light, as is recorded.
... and Allah of what ye do is informed. He is knowing and informed; so, when ye believe, He will
recompense ye with wages and rewards, and your faith will not be wasted.
The raising of the dead and the requitals shall all be upon:

The day He gathers ye for the day of the
gathering – that is the day of mutual cheating!
And whosoever believes in Allah and acts
virtuously – He annuls his evils and enters him
.ÏΒ÷σムtΒuρ 3 Èè⌠$tó−G9$# ãΠöθtƒ y7Ï9≡sŒ ( Æìôϑpgø:$# ÏΘöθu‹Ï9 ö/ä3ãèyϑøgs† tΠöθtƒ
;M≈¨Ζy_ ã&ù#Åzô‰ãƒuρ ϵÏ?$t↔Íh‹y™ çµ÷Ζtã ö&ÏeCs3ム$[sÎ=≈|¹ ö≅yϑ÷ètƒuρ «!$$Î/
4
into gardens, rivers flowing under them; eternal š'Ï9≡sŒ 4 #Y‰t/r& !$pκXÏù šÏ$Î#≈yz ã&≈yγ÷ΡF{$# $pκÉJøtrB ÏΒ “Ì&øgrB
in them, forever. That is the magnificent
achievement. (9) ∩∪ ãΛÏàyèø9$# ã—öθxCø9$#

The day He gathers ye for the day of the gathering... The Day of Resurrection is called ‘the day
of the gathering’ (yawm al-jamc) on account of how upon that day all of Allah’s creatures will be
gathered for the reckoning.
... that is the day of mutual cheating!... ‘Mutual cheating’ is given for tagha>bun. It means that
the companions of the gardens will cheat the companions of the fire by taking their places in the
garden – for every person has a place in the garden and a place in the fire – and vice versa: the
companions of the fire will cheat the companions of the garden of their places in the fire. It is
termed ‘cheating’ for both parties in a way similar to the a>yah: ‘So whose aggresses against ye,
aggress against him the like of his aggression against ye.’
... And whosoever believes in Allah and acts virtuously... When a person believes in Allah and
considers Him to be free of what is unworthy of Him, and acts according to that belief,
... He annuls his evils... Allah annuls whatever sins and disobedience he has previously been
guilty of, and wipes them from his record.
... and enters him into gardens, rivers flowing under them; eternal in them, forever ... Such
fortunate persons are placed by Allah in the gardens of paradise, under the palaces and trees of
which flow rivers of honey, wine, milk and sweet water. Once there those persons are eternal and
they stay there forever, without end.
... That is the magnificent achievement. Their being eternal in the gardens of paradise is the
successful achievement, over and above which there is no greater achievement and no greater
happiness.
And those who disbelieve
disbelieve and belie Our signs – Ü=≈ysô¹r& y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé& !$uΖÏF≈tƒ$t↔Î/ (#θç/¤‹Ÿ2uρ (#ρã&xCx. šÏ%©!$#uρ
those are the companions of the fire, eternal in
it, and atrocious is the destination! (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ ç9CÅÁyϑø9$# }§ø♥Î/uρ ( $pκXÏù tÏ$Î#≈yz Í‘$¨Ζ9$#

And those
those who disbelieve and belie Our signs – those are the companions of the fire, ... By
contrast, those who reject belief in Allah and in His Messenger and say that Allah’s proofs and
arguments are false, will be forever in the fire. They are its ‘companions’ (as}h}a>b) in the sense
that they are constantly linked to it, all the while they are:
... eternal in it, ... They remain their forever.
... and atrocious is the destination!’ The fire is the worst place to take for a home.
As He has summoned to faith, glory be to Him, He now explains some of the benefits of faith
that come to a person while in this world, before the achievement of the gardens in the hereafter.
This is preceded by a prelude, in His word:
No affliction afflicts but with the permission ωöκu‰ «!$$Î/ .ÏΒ÷σムtΒuρ 3 «!$# ÈβøŒÎ*Î/ =ωÎ) >πt6ŠÅÁ•Β ÏΒ z>$|¹r& !$tΒ
of Allah;
Allah; and whosoever believes in Allah, He
guides his heart. And Allah is of all things ∩⊇⊇∪ ÒΟŠÎ=tæ >óx« Èe≅ä3Î/ ª!$#uρ 4 …çµt6ù=s%
knowing. (11)
No affliction afflicts but with
with the permission of Allah... No affliction troubles a person nor does
he find himself in any difficulty, save with the permission of Allah, glory be to Him. Indeed, it is
He who determines all things and were it not for His determining things then nothing would
happen in creation. Allah, glory be to Him, is able to annul all catastrophes so that they do not
afflict anyone, but He determines that they afflict a person so as to test and examine him. This
does not mean that evil works are brought about by Allah, glory be to Him, simply that He does
not prevent their happening. So whoever is killed wrongly and wrongfully – by the permission of
Allah, in the sense that He did not prevent the murderer in some existential way, like making the
murderer’s hand wither so that he was unable to kill anyone – He permits this and lets the
murderer do his deed because the world is the place of examination and trial. And if Allah, glory
be to Him, compelled that there be no ugly deeds, then man would be like the rocks and lifeless
matter in being compelled, and the rewards and punishments would be in vain.
Now, after this explanatory preamble, the theme presents the fruit of faith, in His word:
... and whosoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart ... When a person believes in Allah with a
correct and deep faith, Allah guides his heart until he is confident that whatever afflicts him is
with the knowledge of Allah, and that He will recompense him with wage and rewards for what
has afflicted him. And when a person knows that whatever harm befalls him will lead to an
increase in his own good, his heart becomes confident and afflictions hardly trouble him.
... And Allah is of all things knowing. He recompenses every person for what they have done.
And obey Allah and obey the Messenger;
Messenger; and if 4’n?tã $yϑ¯ΡÎ*sù óΟçFøŠ©9uθs? χÎ*sù 4 tΑθß™§&9$# (#θãè‹ÏÛr&uρ ©!$# (#θãè‹ÏÛr&uρ
ye turn away, then indeed, upon Our Messenger
is only the clear conveyance. (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ ßÎ7ßϑø9$# à_≈n=t7ø9$# $uΖÏ9θß™u‘

It is for man to obey Allah in what He commands us, and the Messenger in what he brings us. If
we turn away from such obedience, then nothing will befall the Messenger, for his duty is but to
clearly inform us. The evil consequences of turning away after being presented the clear delivery
will not fall on him, but will fall on those who turn away.
Allah, there is no god but Him; so upon Allah šχθãΖÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# È≅=2uθtGuŠù=sù «!$# ’n?tãuρ 4 uθèδ =ωÎ) tµ≈s9Î) Iω ª!$#
should the believers rely. (13)
∩⊇⊂∪

Allah, He who calls us to accept faith in Him, is He besides whom there is no god. He has no
partner and no equal. It is for the believers to entrust their affairs to Him, and to rely on Him.
Having called mankind to belief, the thread now explains some of the believer’s enemies who
will divert him from faith, so that he may be on his guard against them:
O ye who believe, indeed among your wives and öΝà2ω≈s9÷ρr&uρ öΝä3Å_≡uρø—r& ôÏΒ _χÎ) (#þθãΖtΒ#u šÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
your offspring is an enemy of yours; so be wary
of them. And if ye pardon and overlook and (#ρã&ÏCøós?uρ (#θßsxCóÁs?uρ (#θàC÷ès? βÎ)uρ 4 öΝèδρâ‘x‹÷n$$sù öΝà6©9 #xρ߉tã
forgive – so indeed Allah is oft-
oft-forgiving, most
merciful. (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ íΟ‹Ïm§‘ Ö‘θàCxî ©!$#  χÎ*sù
O ye who believe, indeed among your wives and your offspring is an enemy of yours; ... Among a
believer’s wives and children there may be some disbelievers or hypocrites, who are the
believer’s enemies. Therefore, it is for him to be wary of them, lest they bar him from the truth
and the guidance.
... And if ye pardon and overlook and forgive ... It means that when they trouble the believer on
account of his faith, he is to pardon them without retaliating, and overlook what they have done
and deal with them as on a clean sheet, and forgive them in the full sense of erasing their sin and
concealing it and not taking retribution for it. So there are three levels: concealing the sin;
refraining from reacting, even in words; and refraining from retaliation.
... so indeed Allah is oft-
oft-forgiving, ... That is, He forgives the believer, and his erring family,
once they repent.
...most merciful. He is merciful to His servants. Therefore it is for the believer to learn
forgiveness and mercy from Him. And this, in addition to the rewards it accrues, is a wise policy
that attracts people to the faith, for peace in the face of the foe lessens their intensity and casts
the love of the attitude of the peaceful individual in their hearts, and attracts them towards him.
Indeed your wealth and your offspring are but ∩⊇∈∪ ÒΟŠÏàtã í&ô_r& ÿ…çνy‰ΨÏã ª!$#uρ 4 ×πuΖ÷GÏù ö/ä.߉≈s9÷ρr&uρ öΝä3ä9≡uθøΒr& !$yϑ¯ΡÎ)
a trial; and Allah has a magnificent wage. (15)
a trial; and Allah has a magnificent wage. (15)
Your wealth and your sons are but a trial; ... Wealth and offspring are the means of a man’s
examination, so that it becomes clear who is obedient to Allah concerning them, and who is
disobedient. These two are mentioned as examples, for otherwise a man’s wives and relatives are
also means of his being tried and tested.
... and Allah has a magnificent wage.…and immense rewards for he who obeys Allah and refrains
from disobeying Him for the sake of his family or wealth.
The fifth Imam, Imam Muhammad al-Ba>qir, peace be upon him, has said that when a man wished
to migrate to the Messenger of Allah, his sons and wives would come to him and would say they
implored him by Allah not to go and not to leave them, for they would perish without him.
Among such men were those who obeyed their families and remained, and so Allah warned them
of their offspring and their women and forbade them from obeying them. And among them were
those who departed and left them behind, and said that if they did not migrate with him and
Allah did not reunite them in the home of the migration [that is, Madinah] then he would never
benefit them again, ever. So when Allah reunited them with the Messenger, He commanded His
Messenger to be good to them and act in their interest, in His word: ’And if ye pardon and
overlook and forgive – so indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful.’
So be guardful of Allah as far as ye are able; #Z9öCyz (#θà)ÏCΡr&uρ (#θãè‹ÏÛr&uρ (#θãèyϑó™$#uρ ÷Λä÷èsÜtFó™$# $tΒ ©!$# (#θà)¨?$$sù
and listen
listen and obey and dispense that is better
for yourselves. And whosoever is protected from ãΝèδ y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé'sù ϵšøCtΡ £xä© s−θムtΒuρ 3 öΝà6Å¡àCΡX{
the meanness of his soul, so those are the
thrivers. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ tβθßsÎ=øCçRùQ$#
So be guardful of Allah as far as ye are able; ... It means that we should fear Allah’s punishments
as much as we can and as far as we are able to, for ‘Allah charges no soul save to its capacity.’
... and listen and obey ... It means listen to the Messenger and what he commands ye, and then
obey him. And it seems that what is meant by ‘listen’ is to listen so as to act.
... and dispense ... It means dispensing out of one’s wealth in the path of Allah.
... that is better for yourselves ...It means, dispense that which is best, for what is dispensed
returns to the dispenser both in the world and in the hereafter.
... And whosoever is protected from the meanness of his soul, ... Protected by Allah from being
mean and miserly, so that, with His protection, they are able to dispense in the way he
commands.
... so those are the prosperous ones. Those whom Allah protects from the miserliness of their
souls, are those who achieve true prosperity; for who is more prosperous than he who achieves
salvation and eternal felicity?
In any case, the wealth that a person gives does not go to waste without return, rather it is like a
loan that a person lends to Allah, and He returns it greatly increased:
If ye lend
lend to Allah a goodly loan, He will 4 öΝä3s9 ö&ÏCøótƒuρ öΝä3s9 çµøCÏè≈ŸÒム$YΖ|¡ym $·Êö&s% ©!$# (#θàÊÌ&ø)è? βÎ)
multiply it for ye, and forgive ye. And Allah is
all-
all-thankful, most clement. (17) ∩⊇∠∪ íΟŠÎ=ym î‘θä3x© ª!$#uρ

If ye lend to Allah a goodly loan, ... When a person lends to Allah a fine loan, by dispensing it for
Allah in His path, without beholdenness (mann), ostentation (riya>), and not seeking fame or
praise or any other such thing that corrupts a good deed:
...He will multiply it for ye ..It means that He will pay it back with an increase, to the extent that
for giving one, He will return seven hundred and more.
... and forgive ye ... Besides that, He will also give forgiveness, for the sake of that act of
dispensing.
... And Allah is all-
all-thankful,
thankful, ... It means that He performs the act of one who is thankful; for
when a person is thankful he praises the one to whom he is grateful, and does good to him in
return for his kindness, and thus acts Allah, glory be to Him: He praises the giver and pours forth
goodness upon him in return for his deed.
... most clement. He is not hasty in punishing the disobedient. So, He is thankful to the obedient,
clement to the disobedient.
And He knows every act of dispensing and every good deed, and no virtuous act is wasted, for He
is:
The Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, ∩⊇∇∪ ÞΟŠÅ3ptø:$# Ⓝ͕yèø9$# Íοy‰≈pꤶ9$#uρ É=ø‹tóø9$# ÞΟÎ=≈tã
the Mighty, the Wise. (18)
The Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, ... His knowledge embraces everything seen and
unseen, everything beyond the senses and within their reach, everything held secret and
everything disclosed, everything material and everything immaterial. And He is:
... the Mighty, the Wise. He is absolute in His authority, powerful over all things; and He does
everything in wisdom and beneficence.
 Surah al-
al-T{ala>q (65)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻄﻼﻕ‬
‘Divorce’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of words denoting divorce (t}ala>q). Like
the other Madinan surahs it contains matters pertaining to the Islamic order, as well as to matters
of faith. While Surah al-Tagha>bun concluded with warnings about some women, this surah opens
on some rules concerning them.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, ... We seek help by the name of the God that He be an aid to us in our
important affairs; for He is the best from whom to seek help, as He has knowledge and power and
wisdom.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He who bestows mercy even on those who are disobedient
and negligent of His commands. For He bestows over and above what is deserving; and He
assists even those who seek His assistance but do not deserve it.
O thou the Prophet! When ye divorce the  ∅ÍκÌE£‰ÏèÏ9 £èδθà)Ïk=sÜsù u!$|¡ÏiΨ9$# ÞΟçFø)¯=sÛ #sŒÎ) )É<¨Ζ9$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
women, divorce them during their term and
count the term; and be ye guardful of Allah, .ÏΒ  ∅èδθã_Ì&øƒéB Ÿω ( öΝà6−/u‘ ©!$# (#θà)¨?$#uρ ( nÏèø9$# (#θÝÁômr&uρ
your Lord. And put them not from their
houses, and nor should they leave, save that y7ù=Ï?uρ 4 7πuΖÉi@t7•Β 7πt±Ås≈x>Î/ tÏ?ù'tƒ βr& HωÎ) š∅ô_ã&øƒs† Ÿωuρ £ÎγÏ?θã‹ç/
they bring a obvious indecency. And these are
the boundaries of Allah; and whosoever Ÿω 4 …çµ|¡ø>tΡ zΝn=sß ô‰s)sù «!$# yŠρ߉ãn £‰yètGtƒ tΒuρ 4 «!$# ߊρ߉ãn
infringes the boundaries of Allah, indeed he has
wronged himself. One never knows,
knows, perhaps ∩⊇∪ #\&øΒr& y7Ï9≡sŒ y‰÷èt/ ß^ωøtä† ©!$# ¨≅yès9 “Í‘ô‰s?
Allah will bring about thereafter a new matter.
(1)
O thou the Prophet, ... The address is to the holy Prophet (nabi>), but since it regards an important
matter concerning him and those with him, the a>yah takes up the plural, in His word:
... when ye divorce the women, ... That is: ‘when ye have the intention of divorcing them’, for
both the present and the past tenses can have the sense of intending the action conveyed by the
verb.
... divorce them during their term ... It means during the period of their cleanliness (from menses)
while copulation has not taken place between man and woman during the period.
... and count the term; ... It means that the days of the woman’s waiting-term (ciddah), after the
conclusion of which she is no more the responsibility of her first husband and she may lawfully
marry another man, are to be counted.
... and be guardful of Allah, your Lord ... And therefore do not break His law by divorcing women
while they menstruate, or by failing to count their days, so that the divorced woman remains
expecting the end of her term so as to set up a new home, without knowing that it is over.
... And put them not from their houses, ... It means that when a woman is divorced she should not
be moved from her home until the waiting-term is concluded, for during that term her housing is
a duty upon the husband.
... and nor do they leave, ... They are not to leave their homes during their waiting-terms; and if
they leave without necessity, they have sinned.
... save that they bring a clarifying indecency ... It means open obscenity and transgression, like
fornication (zina>), as narrated from the Imam al-S{ad> iq, peace be upon him. So when she
manifestly fornicates she is removed from her home to be punished. In other narrations the
interpretation is that she annoys the other people of the house with her tongue, and so she is
removed to another place due to her causing vexation.
... And these are the boundaries of Allah; so whosoever violates the boundaries of Allah, indeed
he has wronged himself ... The rulings given concerning divorce are the divine boundaries,
protecting the community of His believers. Whoever breaks His rules has wronged himself by
preparing himself for punishment.
He, glory be to Him, then explains something of the wisdom of these rules, in His word:
... One never knows... It is given for la> tadri>; literally: it (i.e. a soul) knows not.
... perhaps
perhaps Allah will bring about thereafter a new matter. It means that after the intention to
divorce or after the actual divorce itself, and before the divorced woman’s term is concluded,
Allah may bring about some change of heart. For in delaying the divorce until the woman is in
her term of cleanliness, during which her husband has not had sexual intercourse with her, it may
be that he will change his mind and not divorce her. Similarly, legislating the term of waiting, or
c
iddah, and her remaining in her home, may well soothe the anger that led to the divorce, so that
they turn back to each other and away from the divorce.
So when they reach their term, retain them in £èδθè%Í‘$sù ÷ρr& >∃ρã&÷èyϑÎ/ £èδθä3Å¡øΒr'sù £ßγn=y_r& zøón=t/ #sŒÎ*sù
honour or part from them in honour; and have
two holders of justice from ye witness. And ¬! nοy‰≈y㤱9$# (#θßϑŠÏ%r&uρ óΟä3ΖÏiΒ 5Αô‰tã ô“uρsŒ (#ρ߉Íκô−r&uρ 7∃ρã&÷èyϑÎ/
establish
establish the witnessing for Allah. This is that
by which whosoever believes in Allah and the 4 Ì&ÅzFψ$# ÏΘöθu‹ø9$#uρ «!$$Î/ Ú∅ÏΒ÷σムtβ%x. tΒ ϵÎ/ àátãθムöΝà6Ï9≡sŒ 4
Last day is admonished. And whosoever is
guardful of Allah – He will make for him a ∩⊄∪ %[`t&øƒxΧ …ã&©! ≅yèøgs† ©!$# È,−Gtƒ tΒuρ
way out. (2)
So when they reach their term, ... That is: when the divorced women approach the end of their
waiting-term, just before it is concluded, for it is then that the man must finally choose between
returning to her, or leaving her so that the term is completed.
... so retain them in honour ... When the man decides to return, he is to treat his wife in the way
Allah commands him, with fine kindness.
... or part from them in honour; ... It means leaving them to themselves so that their term is
concluded, without annoying them, or taking any of their possessions, or disturbing them, as is
the practice of the ignorant.
... and have two holders of justice from ye witness ... When a man wishes to divorce his wife he
must have two or more just Muslims witness the recitation of the divorce formula. ‘Justice’, in
this sense, is an inner quality that drives a person to fulfil the obligations (wa>jiba>t) and refrain
from the prohibitions (muh}arrama>t) from fear of Allah, glory be to Him.
... And establish the witnessing for Allah ... It means that when one of the two parties is in need
of witnesses, they should be witnesses for the sake of Allah, glory be to Him, and should not
falsify or distort. For when a person does something for Allah, glory be to Him, he is more
careful not to add or omit anything.
... This ... That the witnessing be for Allah, glory be to Him.
... is that by which whosoever believes in Allah and the Last day is admonished ... It is only such
persons who fear Allah and will perform the witnessing for Allah; others will give it little
importance. The indication is that a false testimony reveals the absence of commitment.
... And whosoever is guardful of Allah – He will make for him a way out. When a person fears
Allah, glory be to Him, and therefore acts in accordance to His commands, Allah makes him a
way out of his difficulties.
And one should not imagine that his testifying in truth will cause him difficulties, due to the
anger of whoever sought a false testimony from him. Nor should one suppose that his sustenance
will be cut by anyone who seeks a false testimony from him, and who has a hand in his
sustenance, like an employer, say, or a customer, or one who has influence with such a person:
And He provisions him from whence he reckons
not; and whosoever relies upon Allah – He is
enough for him. Indeed Allah shall attain His
purpose. Allah has put for everything a
measure. (3)
uθßγsù «!$# ’n?tã ö≅©.uθtGtƒ tΒuρ 4 Ü=Å¡tFøts† Ÿω ß]ø‹ym ôÏΒ çµø%ã—ö&tƒuρ
#Y‘ô‰s% &óx« Èe≅ä3Ï9 ª!$# Ÿ≅yèy_ ô‰s% 4 ÍνÌ&øΒr& àRÎ=≈t/ ©!$# ¨βÎ) 4 ÿ…çµç7ó¡ym
∩⊂∪

And He provisions him from whence he reckoned not; ... Allah provisions him his livelihood
from sources that he had not foreseen; and experience provides many examples of the truth of
this. As an example, in my own time a man killed a whore for her money, then threw the body in
the river. He then gave his companions money so that they would not testify against him before
the judge, and threatened them against doing so. When the matter was discovered the judge took
testimony upon the noble Qur’an; all of them gave false testimony save one. He refused to swear
falsely on the Qur’an, and gave true testimony and then fled from the killer. Amazingly, the
judge convicted the murderer on the basis of that single testimony, and punished them all, except
for him who had already repented and had sworn to the truth. Today, he is still alive and all who
know him praise him; whereas the others have all suffered imprisonment, fines and some have
died in their youth.
... and whosoever places his trust in Allah – He is enough for him ... When a person entrusts his
affairs to Allah, He is sufficient for him against every danger and difficulty, and He saves him
from every disaster.
... Indeed Allah shall attain His purpose ... When Allah wants a thing to happen, it happens.
Nothing He wants to happen will fail to happen. It should not be supposed by anyone that what
He promises will not come about.
... Allah has put for everything a measure ... The processes of Allah proceed according to a
determined measure and quantity; so when He determines sufficiency and fair provision for His
guardful servant, there is no doubt but that it will be exactly as He wills.
He then explains, glory be to Him, the length of the term after which it is lawful for a divorced
woman to take a new husband:
And those of your women who are in despair of £åκèE£‰Ïèsù óΟçFö;s?ö‘$# ÈβÎ) ö/ä3Í←!$|¡ÎpΣ ÏΒ ÇÙŠÅsyϑø9$# zÏΒ zó¡Í≥tƒ ‘Ï↔¯≈©9$#uρ
menstruation, if ye are in doubt, then their term
is three months – also those who menstruate βr& £ßγè=y_r& ÉΑ$uΗ÷qF{$# àM≈s9'ρé&uρ 4 zôÒÏts† óΟs9 ‘Ï↔¯≈©9$#uρ 9&ßγô©r& èπsW≈n=rO
not. And those carrying a child, their term is
until they lay down their child. And whosoever ∩⊆∪ #Z\ô£ç„ ÍνÍ[ö∆r& ôÏΒ …ã&©! ≅yèøgs† ©!$# È,−Gtƒ tΒuρ 4 £ßγn=÷Ηxq z÷èŸÒtƒ
is guardful of Allah – He makes for him ease in
his affair. (4)
And those of your women who are in despair of menstruation, if ye are in doubt, ... It means
those divorced women who are not clearly over the age of menstruation – fifty in the case of
most women, and sixty in the case of other women such as those descendants of the prophet, and
the natives of Iraq known as the Nabat}i, unless for an exception.
... then their term is three months ... When the three months are over their waiting-term is
complete and they can remarry. However, those whose menopause has occurred and no longer
menstruate have no waiting-term, for it is lawful for such a woman to remarry as soon as she is
divorced.
... also those who menstruate not ... This refers to those who have not yet began to menstruate
due their youth, or do not menstruate due to illness and suchlike. Their waiting-term is also three
months.
... And those carrying a child, ... It means women who are divorced while they are pregnant.
... their term is till they lay down their child ... The waiting-term of divorced women who are
pregnant is until they give birth; so, when they have given birth to the baby they were carrying at
the time of the divorce, their waiting-term is over, whether the period between the divorce and
the birth was lengthy or short.
... And whosoever is guardful of Allah – He puts for him ease in his affair. When a person is
guardful of Allah and refrains from breaking His commands, He makes his affairs easy so that he
doesn’t fall into difficulties. And since these rules lead to the suppression of the passions on the
part of the men who wish to marry the divorced women, and on the part of the divorced women
themselves, the matter is wrapped in the wrappings of pious guardfulness, as a reminder and an
admonition, so that neither of the two parties who desire marriage will slip into disobedience.
That is the command of Allah, He sends it çµ÷Ζtã ö&Ïe>s3ム©!$# È,−Gtƒ tΒuρ 4 óΟä3ö‹s9Î) ÿ…ã&s!t“Ρr& «!$# â[ö∆r& y7Ï9≡sŒ
down to ye; and whosoever is guardful of Allah
– He annuls his evils and magnifies for him a ∩∈∪ #·&ô_r& ÿ…ã&s! öΝÏà÷èãƒuρ ϵÏ?$t↔Íh‹y™
wage. (5)
That is the command of Allah, He sends it down to ye; ... The rules of divorce as given constitute
the command and order of Allah, sent down for our benefit.
... and whosoever is guardful of Allah ... It means he who fears Him and therefore obeys Him.
... He annuls his evils ... He forgives him his sins.
... and magnifies for him a wage. In the hereafter He gives him a magnificent wage and a grand
reward.
Allah, glory be to Him, then explains the ruling for the divorced woman’s livelihood and housing
during her waiting-period, in His word:
Settle them where ye have settled, according to £èδρ•‘!$ŸÒè? Ÿωuρ öΝä.ω÷`ãρ ÏiΒ ΟçGΨs3y™ ß]ø‹ym ôÏΒ £èδθãΖÅ3ó™r&
your means; and do not harm them so as to
straiten them. And if they are
are carrying a child, 4®Lym £Íκöfn=tã (#θà)Ï>Ρr'sù 9≅÷Ηxq ÏM≈s9'ρé& £ä. βÎ)uρ 4 £Íκöfn=tã (#θà)ÍhŠŸÒçGÏ9
so dispense on them until they lay down their
child. Then if they suckle for ye, so give them ( £èδu‘θã_é& £èδθè?$t↔sù ö/ä3s9 z÷è|Êö‘r& ÷βÎ*sù 4 £ßγn=÷Ηxq z÷èŸÒtƒ
their wages, and agree between yourselves
amicably. And if ye fall out, so another shall 3“t&÷zé& ÿ…ã&s! ßìÅÊ÷\äI|¡sù ÷Λän÷\| $yès? βÎ)uρ ( 7∃ρã&÷èoÿÏ3 /ä3uΖ÷@t/ (#ρã&Ïϑs?ù&uρ
suckle him. (6)
∩∉∪
Settle them where ye have settled, according to your means; ... The divorced woman is to be
lodged by the husband in property he puts at her disposal, according to his means.
... and do not harm them ... It means they are not be lodged in a place that would cause them
harm.
... so as to straiten them ... It means to put them in straitened circumstances, by insisting they
stay in a place that would inconvenience them, with the aim of putting them in need of the
husband.
... And if they are carrying a child, ... That is, if they are pregnant.
... so dispense on them until they lay down their child ... They are to be given their needs of
clothing, food and drink and so forth, until they give birth to the babies they are carrying, at
which time their waiting-period is over.
... Then if they suckle for ye, ... That is, if they suckle the husband’s child after birth.
... so give them their wages, ... They are to be paid for suckling the child, for the costs of the
child’s sustenance is obligatory upon the father.
... and agree between yourselves amicably ... The parents and those connected to them are all to
come to an agreement over the child’s suckling, so that no harm be done to any of the three
parties: the father, the mother and the child.
... And if ye fall out, so another shall suckle him. If those seeking to come to an agreement over
the child’s suckling should fail to agree about the mother’s position and the rate of the payment
she should receive and so forth, then the child is to be suckled by a woman other than the mother.
It is likely that this indicates a gentle reproof to the mother that she should not be too difficult.
He then explains, that it is desirable for the father to give plentifully to the divorced woman
when she suckles their child, assuming he has an abundance:
The holder of plenty shall dispense from his ÷,Ï>Ψã‹ù=sù …çµè%ø—Í‘ ϵø‹n=tã u‘ωè% tΒuρ ( ϵÏFyèy™ ÏiΒ 7πyèy™ ρèŒ ÷,Ï>Ψã‹Ï9
plenty; and he whose provision is stinted for
him should dispense from what Allah has given ã≅yèôfuŠy™ 4 $yγ8s?#u !$tΒ <ωÎ) $²¡ø>tΡ ª!$# ß#Ïk=s3ムŸω 4 ª!$# çµ9s?#u !$£ϑÏΒ
him. Allah charges no soul save what He has
given it; Allah shall
shall place ease after hardship. ∩∠∪ #Z\ô£ç„ 9\ô£ãã y‰÷èt/ ª!$#
(7)
The holder of plenty shall
shall dispense from his plenty; ... He shall give a plentiful wage for suckling;
was she not his wife? And is she not the mother of his child?
... and he whose provision is stinted for him should dispense from what Allah has given him ...
When the father is in straitened circumstances, he is to give a wage for suckling his child to the
extent of what Allah has bestowed on him, and he is not expected to give more than what a man
in his circumstances can give.
... Allah charges no soul save what He has given it; ... Allah expects no more from anyone than
what they can possibly give, in wealth, just as in other things like physical capabilities. Thus the
impoverished should not become distressed at not being able to give much, though there are
many poor fathers who are sorrowful at not being able to give grandly for the suckling of their
children.
... Allah shall place ease after hardship. After poverty comes wealth, and after humiliation comes
grandeur, and after being lowly comes a lofty station, and so on in all affairs.
Upon the clarification of these rules, the theme now turns to explain that those who disobey
these and other such rules are on the path of the previous peoples, who were destroyed on
account of their transgressions and disobedience:
And how many a town has transgressed the $yγ≈uΖö6y™$y⇔sù Ï&Î#ß™â‘uρ $pκÍh5u‘ Í[ö∆r& ôtã ôMtGtã >πtƒö&s% ÏiΒ Éir'x.uρ
command of its Lord and His Messengers; and
so We reckoned it a severe reckoning, and We ∩∇∪ #[&õ3œΡ $\/#x‹tã $yγ≈oΨö/¤‹tãuρ #Y‰ƒÏ‰x© $\/$|¡Ïm
chastised it an atrocious chastisement. (8)
And how many a town has transgressed the command of its Lord and His Messengers; ... ‘How
many’ is given for ka ayyin, which conveys the meaning that such townships were many. ‘Town’
(qaryah) means the people of the town; an instance of the inhabitants of a place being termed as
the place itself. The overall sense is that many townships failed to obey the commands of Allah,
glory be to Him, and the directions of His Messengers.
... and so We reckoned it a severe reckoning,
reckoning, ... This is in contrast to a gentle, indulgent
reckoning, as the believer who performs the virtuous deeds is pardoned his sins and is subject to
an easy, indulgent reckoning in reward for his faith and his good deeds. But the transgressor
faces the reckoning of each and every deed he has performed.
... and We chastised it an atrocious chastisement. An abominable and painful chastisement. Thus
what is meant by their reckoning being strict was that they were subject to a reckoning as a
group, not as individuals, for that reckoning is only after death, whereas here the theme implies
that their reckoning was before their chastisement in the world.
So it tasted the mischief of its affair; and the ∩∪ #·\ô£äz $yδÍ[ö∆r& èπt7É)≈tã tβ%x.uρ $yδÍ[ö∆r& tΑ$t/uρ ôMs%#x‹sù
consequence of its affair was loss. (9)
Each of those townships was subjected to the consequences of its evil behaviour, and those
consequences were that its inhabitants lost their world and they lost their hereafter.
Allah prepared for them a severe chastisement; É=≈t7ø9F{$# ’Í<'ρé'¯≈tƒ ©!$# (#θà)¨?$$sù ( #Y‰ƒÏ‰x© $\/#x‹tã öΝçλm; ª!$# £‰tãr&
so be guardful of Allah, O ye people of intellect
who have believed. Allah surely has sent down ∩⊇⊃∪ #[&ø.ÏŒ óΟä3ö‹s9Î) ª!$# tΑt“Ρr& ô‰s% 4 (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$#
to ye a reminder. (10)
Allah prepared for them a severe chastisement; ... After their chastisement in the world they still
have to face the chastisement of the hereafter, which is a severe chastisement. Therefore, be
warned, and
... so be guardful
guardful of Allah, ... Fear His punishments.
... O ye owners of the mind... Be guardful towards Him, O ye of understanding, so that there not
come to ye that which came to the previous communities.
... who have believed ... This phrase serves as an adjective for ‘ye endowed with minds’, for it is
those who believe who will benefit from the warning.
... Allah has sent down to ye a reminder. His reminder reminds us of the force of Allah and His
chastisement; and deviation is worse after having been reminded.
He then defines the reminder that He has sent down, glory be to Him:
A Messenger, reciting upon ye the signs of tÏ%©!$# ylÌ&÷‚ã‹Ïj9 ;M≈oΨÉi@t7ãΒ «!$# ÏM≈tƒ#u ö/ä3øŠn=tã (#θè=÷Gtƒ Zωθß™§‘
Allah, in clarification, so as to lead those who
believe and do the virtuous deeds from the tΒuρ 4 Í‘θ–Ψ9$# ’n<Î) ÏM≈uΗä>—à9$# zÏΒ ÏM≈ysÎ=≈¢Á9$# (#θè=ÏΗxåuρ (#θãΖtΒ#u
darknesses into the light. And whosoever
believes in Allah and acts virtuously – He $yγÏFøtrB ÏΒ “Ì&øgrB ;M≈¨Ζy_ ã&ù#Åzô‰ãƒ $[sÎ=≈|¹ ö≅yϑ÷ètƒuρ «!$$Î/ .ÏΒ÷σãƒ
enters him into gardens, rivers flowing under
them, eternal in them, forever. Indeed Allah has ∩⊇⊇∪ $»%ø—Í‘ …çµs9 ª!$# z|¡ômr& ô‰s% ( #Y‰t/r& !$pκfÏù tÏ$Î#≈yz ã&≈pκ÷ΞF{$#
granted him excellent provision! (11)
A Messenger, ... It means Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family. He is ‘sent down’ in
the sense that he was sent by Allah, glory be to Him; and so the term is an instance of something
spiritual being likened to something physical.
... reciting upon ye the signs of Allah, ... The Messenger recited to humankind His proofs and
existential evidences and arguments.
... in clarification, ... Those signs made the reality clear. And the reason he recited those signs
that make things clear was:
... so as to lead those who believe and do the virtuous
virtuous deeds from the darknesses into the light ...
‘Believe’ means belief in Allah and His Messenger and what he brought. The ‘darknesses’ are the
darknesses of disbelief and disobedience. The light is the light of faith and doing the virtuous
deeds. Faith is likened to light as it enables a person to perceive the truth and reality in faith and
action; for whoever believes there is no God or that the God has partners is in darkness and
oblivious to reality, like the darkness of night that keeps him from seeing what is directly in from
of him. Such a person is like one who drinks alcohol: he imagines that he is not being harmed,
but he is in the darkness about the truth and reality; and the same applies in all the other beliefs
and actions.
As for His word, ‘lead those who believe’, it means the believers prior to their believing. The
description is used to clarify who they are, not that they believed and worked the virtuous deeds
and yet were still to be led from the darknesses into the light – as is obvious.
... And whosoever believes in Allah and acts virtuously - He enters him into gardens under which
rivers flow, eternal in them, forever ... When a person believes in Allah with a real and correct
faith, and performs the virtuous deeds, which includes refraining from the deeds of ugliness and
corruption, then in the hereafter Allah will place him in the gardens of paradise under whose
palaces and trees flow rivers of wine, honey, milk and sweet water. They will be eternal in them,
and stay in them forever.
... indeed Allah has granted him excellent provision!’ The sustenance of the person who believes
and who does the virtuous deeds will be the height of beauty and excellence. He shall be
provided and sustained with the fruits and drinks and spouses of paradise, and all the other
requisites of the exalted lifestyle.
He then clarifies His attributes, glory be to Him, so that the disobedient fear Him, and the
believer find confidence in His promise:
Allah is He who created seven skies, and of the ãΑ¨”t∴tGtƒ £ßγn=÷WÏΒ ÇÚö‘F{$# zÏΒuρ ;N≡uθ≈oÿxœ yìö6y™ t,n=y{ “Ï%©!$# ª!$#
earth the same as them, the command
descending between them – for ye to know that ô‰s% ©!$# ¨βr&uρ Ö&ƒÏ‰s% &óx« Èe≅ä. 4’n?tã ©!$# ¨βr& (#þθçΗs>÷ètFÏ9 £åκs]÷@t/ â[ö∆F{$#
Allah is over all things powerful, and that
Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge. ∩⊇⊄∪ $RΗø>Ïã >óx« Èe≅ä3Î/ xÞ%tnr&
(12)
Allah is He who created seven skies, ... the skies here may be in reference to the planetary orbits,
or suchlike.
... and of the earth the same as them, ... Seven. Imam Rid}a>, peace be upon him, has said that ‘an
earth is surrounded by its sky; then an earth is surrounded by its sky; then an earth ... and so on
until he counted seven.’
... the command descending between them ... Allah’s command descends from each sky to its
earth, until it reaches the final earth. And Allah created what He created – that of it perceived by
man – in order:
... for ye to know that Allah is over all things powerful, ... Thus He is able to punish and reward,
just as He is able to create the skies and the earths.
... and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge. The creation signifies His
knowledge, and without knowledge there would be no creation, just as the process of creation,
referred to in His word ‘the command descending between them’, indicates His knowledge, for
such a procedure needs precise and detailed knowledge.
 Surah al-
al-Tah}ri>m (66)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺘﺤﺮﻳﻢ‬
‘The Banning’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of a word derived from the root al-
tah}ri>m, meaning ‘to prohibit’ or ‘to ban’. Like the other Madinan surahs it contains matters
pertaining to the Islamic order, as well as matters of faith. While Surah al-T{ala>q dealt largely
with rules concerning women, this surah also explains matters concerning them.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the
the name of Allah, ... We seek help by the name of the God who is the best of helpers to
whoever seeks His help. And is there any more worthy from whom to seek help, when He is the
Owner of all things?
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He who bestows grace, bounty and beauty, and is able to do
whatever He wishes.
O thou the Prophet, why ban thou what Allah |N$|Êö&tΒ ‘ÉótGö;s? ( y7s9 ª!$# ¨≅ymr& !$tΒ ãΠÌh&ptéB zΟÏ9 )É<¨Ζ9$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
made lawful for thee, reaching for the
contentment of thy wives, while Allah is oft-
oft- ∩⊇∪ ×ΛÏm§‘ Ö‘θà7xî ª!$#uρ 4 y7Å_≡uρø—r&
forgiving, most merciful? (1)
O thou the Prophet, ... The address is to the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family.
... why ban thou what Allah made lawful for thee, ... That is: why swear an oath forbidding
thyself from some of that which Allah has made lawful for thee? To forbid oneself the lawful
through such an oath is permitted, yet Allah uses this language to explain to the Messenger that
his oath was annulled, so as to rebuke his wives cA<’ishah and H{afs}ah, who had annoyed the
Messenger to the extent that he swore that which he swore.
It is narrated by Bukha>ri>, in his S{ah}i>h} – considered a standard work and a reference by the sect
[known as Sunnis] – that cA<’ishah said: [vol. 3, page 136]
The Prophet used to go to stay with his wife Zaynab bint Jah}sh and while he was staying with
her, he used to take honey. So H{afs}ah and myself conspired against her, that when he had been
with her we would ask him if he had been eating magha>fi>r, which is a gum that has a sweet taste
but a foul smell, and we would say that we found him to smell of it . . . He said, “No, though I
have taken honey with Zaynab bint Jah}sh, but I will never do so again, and this is an oath.” And
he asked me not to inform anyone about this.’
... reaching for the contentment of thy wives, ... That is: in forbidding thyself you seek to make
thy wives pleased with thee. It has already been given concerning some a>ya>t that though in
places a criticism is directed at the addressee, in fact the censure is being made of others.
... while Allah is oft
oft--forgiving, ... He covers up the faults of His servants. The oath (of the
prophet) needed to be annulled by higher authority before he could break it, so that people would
not wonder at his breaking it. Having made the above oath, the prophet could not eat honey, and
this surah was revealed to annul, in part, the oath of the prophet and therefore eating honey on
the part of the prophet would not constitute a breaking of an oath.
... most merciful? He bestows mercy in addition to forgiveness.
Allah has ordained for ye the annulment of ãΛÎ=yèø9$# uθèδuρ ( óΟä39s9öθtΒ ª!$#uρ 4 öΝä3ÏΖ≈yϑ÷ƒr& s'©#ÏtrB ö/ä3s9 ª!$# uÚt&sù ô‰s%
your oaths. Allah is your Guardian, and He is
the Knowing, the Wise. (2) ∩⊄∪ ãΛÅ3ptø:$#

Allah has ordained for ye the annulment of your oaths ... It seems that the addressee is the
Messenger, and that the plural is used out of respect, and it has been pointed out earlier that this
is quite valid, and is a matter of eloquence. The meaning is that Allah made it obligatory for the
Messenger to break his oath and not carry out that which he swore to. He was to take honey, for
it was lawful for him; his oath not to take honey for the sake of pleasing some of his wives was
annulled by Allah.
Allah is your Guardian, ... Therefore, just as the guardian of a slave – his owner – has the right to
annul the oaths of the slave, so too the Prophet’s oath was annulled by Allah.
... and He is the Knowing, the Wise. He knows His servant’s interests, and is wise in what He
orders and forbids him. Indeed, when the benefit of a thing is known it will be found to accord to
His command. Honey was lawful for the Messenger, and that was wise and in his interests.
The theme then turns to explain another dimension of the affair, in His word:
And when the Prophet confided unto one of his ϵÎ/ ôNr'¬7tΡ $£ϑn=sù $ZVƒÏ‰tn ϵÅ_≡uρø—r& ÇÙ÷èt/ 4’n<Î) )É<¨Ζ9$# §?| r& øŒÎ)uρ
wives an account, so when she announced it
and Allah manifested it for him, he made $£ϑn=sù ( <Ù÷èt/ .tã uÚ{Hôãr&uρ …絟Ò÷èt/ t∃¡Htã ϵø‹n=tã ª!$# çνt&yγøßr&uρ
known some of it and overlooked some. And
when he announced it to her she said, ‘Who ç?NÎ6y‚ø9$# ÞΟŠÎ=yèø9$# u’ÎΤr'¬7tΡ tΑ$s% ( #x‹≈yδ x8r't7/Ρr& ôtΒ ôMs9$s% ϵÎ/ $yδr'¬6tΡ
announced this to thee?’ He said, ‘The
Knowing, the Informed, announced it to me.’ ∩⊂∪
(3)
And ... It means: ‘And (or ‘So’) recount, O Messenger,’ the point being, perhaps, to convey
something of how the Messenger was irritated by his wives just as he was irritated by others, so
as to embarrass them for having vexed him.
... when the Prophet confided unto one of his wives an account, ... It refers to his confiding in
them that he had forbidden himself honey. ‘one of his wives’ refers to cA<’ishah, or H{afs}ah.
Probably the reason for the Prophet wishing to keep the affair secret was so that people would
not go around saying that he had forbidden himself something just to please his wives.
... so when she announced it ... It means that the wife disclosed the secret to another woman. It is
recorded among the Sunnis that the Prophet informed cA<’ishah of his oath and ordered her to
keep it a secret, but she disobeyed and informed H{afs}ah.
... and Allah manifested it for him, ... Allah informed His Prophet of what had transpired between
the two women and that his secret had been disclosed.
... he made known some of it ... The prophet told cA<’ishah some of what he knew she had told
H{afs}ah. In doing so he wanted to point to her that she had disobeyed him in disclosing his secret.
... and overlooked some ... It is an aspect of magnanimous ethics not to remind the sinner of the
whole of their sinning, but simply to hint at it so as to reform. Letting such things pass in such
circumstances is of the ethics of the great.
... And when he announced it to her... That is, when the Messenger informed cA<’ishah of that
which Allah, glory be to Him, had informed him, that she had disclosed his secret to H{afs}ah:
thee?... cA<’ishah was amazed at how the Prophet knew she
... she said, ‘Who announced this to thee?...
had disclosed his secret.
... he said, ... That is, the Prophet said in reply:
... ‘The Knowing, the Informed announced it to me.’ ‘The Knowing’ (al-cali>m) means He who is
knowing of every thing and every affair. ‘The Informed’ (al-khabi>r) emphasises that He is
informed of the most minute details of every affair.
The address then turns to deliver a warning to cA<’ishah and H{afs}ah, for their having drawn up
such a plot:
Whether you two repent unto Allah (or not), ϵø‹n=tã #t&yγ≈sàs? βÎ)uρ ( $yϑä3ç/θè=è% ôMtó|¹ ô‰s)sù «!$# ’n<Î) !$t/θçGs? βÎ)
for indeed your hearts have swerved. And if
you combine against him – then indeed Allah is ( tÏΖÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# ßxÎ=≈|¹uρ ã≅ƒÎ?ö9Å_uρ çµ9s9öθtΒ uθèδ ©!$# ¨βÎ*sù
his Protector, and Gabriel and the virtuous of
the believers, and the angels after that are in ∩⊆∪ î?NÎγsß y7Ï9≡sŒ y‰÷èt/ èπx6Íׯ≈n=yϑø9$#uρ
support. (4)
Whether you two repent unto Allah (or not), ... That is, whether you two women were to repent
for your annoying the Messenger, and for your stratagems against him, or not, it is of no
consequence.
... for indeed your hearts have swerved ... That is, your hearts had deviated to sin and falsehood,
[whereas remorse, and inclining to the truth is a prerequisite for repentance]. ‘swerved’ is given
for s}aghat which means to incline [to falsehood]1.
... And if ye combine against him, … That is, if you back up and support each other against the
prophet,
… then verily Allah is his Protector, ... Then your scheme against him would not harm him, for
indeed the Almighty Allah is his supporter and aid, who has taken on Himself his protection, so
as to annul any plot or stratagem drawn up against him.
... and Gabriel ... Gabriel too is the Messenger’s ally, informing him from Allah of what is
planned against him.
... and the virtuous of the believers, ... By this is meant the ‘virtuous believer’ as a type; all such
believers support the Messenger against the conspiracies and alliances made against him.
[According to many hadith by ‘virtuous of the believers’ it is meant Amir al-Mu’minin Imam Ali
peace be upon him.]2
... and the angels after that are in support. It means after the support of Allah, and of Gabriel and
the virtuous believers, the angels too are behind the Messenger, supporting and backing him up.
The theme then turns to belittle their importance, for the Messenger of Allah was free to divorce
them, so that their plot would rebound against them, and they would be divorced. For were he to
divorce them, he would not remain without a wife, for Allah would marry him to women better
than them:
Mayhap his Lord, if he divorces ye, will £ä3ΨÏiΒ #Z?öNyz %¹`≡uρø—r& ÿ…ã&s!ωö7ムβr& £ä3s)¯=sÛ βÎ) ÿ…絚/u‘ 4|¤tã
substitute for him wives better than ye:
muslims, believers, subservient, penitent, ;M≈ysÍׯ≈y™ ;N≡y‰Î7≈tã BM≈t6Íׯ≈s? ;M≈tFÏΖ≈s% ;M≈uΖÏΒ÷σ•Β ;M≈uΗÍ>ó¡ãΒ
devout, wayfarers, previously married and
and
virgins. (5) ∩∈∪ #Y‘%s3ö/r&uρ ;M≈t6ÍhŠrO

Mayhap... It is given for casa>, indicating a strong probability.

... his Lord, if he divorces ye, ... ‘Ye’, here, is the feminine plural. It may mean the two of them
or it may mean all of them, for narrations mention others besides those two.
... will substitute for him wives better than ye: ... It means better in faith and better in respecting
the rights of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family.
The type of woman meant is then described, as a criticism of his erring wives:
... muslims, ... It means women whose Islam is complete.
... believers, ... Islam is to submit, whereas belief (i>ma>n) is a special condition of Islam, as He
says, ‘The Arabs say, “We believe!” Say: “ye have not believed, rather say ‘We have submitted’
for belief has not yet entered into your hearts.’ [49: 14].
... subservient, ... It means women who are obedient to Allah, humble before the Messenger.

1
The only other occasion the term s}agha is used in the holy Qur’an, it is also in the context of 'inclination to
falsehood'; {!So that the hearts of those who do not believe in the hereafter swerve to it (falsehood) and be
contend with it and perpetrate what they are perpetrating.}" [6:113].
2
as reported in al-Dur al-Manthu>r. Other prominent Sunni scholars report many such hadith, which state that by
‘virtuous believers’ is meant Ali son of Abi-Talib.
... penitent, ... It means that they repent of the sins they occasionally commit, and do not persist
in them.
... worshippers, ... It means that they worship Allah, glory be to Him, over and above that which
is obligatory.
... wayfarers, ... It is put for sa>’ih}a>t, meaning that they often fast, for the Messenger has said,
‘The wayfaring of my community is the fast.’ Or it means that they proceed in the command of
Allah and His Prophet, like the wayfarer who travels the Earth.
... previously married and virgins. This was the condition of the Messenger’s wives; some had
previously been married, others had not.
The theme then directs itself to humankind as a whole, that they cultivate and discipline their
womenfolk. It is said that the obligation of preaching mounts from oneself to the general
population, as far as one is able, in five a>ya>t:
1. Oneself, in His word: $... be careful of yourselves, that one who deviates harm ye not, after
your being guided.% [5:105].
2. One’s household, in His word: $... guard yourselves and your folks from a fire..%, the
following verse
3. One’s kinsmen, in His word: $And warn your nearest kinsmen.% [26:214].
4. One’s townsmen, in His word: $... and that they warn their people when they return to
them.% [9:123]
5. Mankind as a whole, in His word: $And We sent thee not but to the whole of mankind...%
[34:28] considering that the Messenger’ is a model; and in His word: $and that there be a
community among ye calling to the good.% [3:104]
O ye who believe, guard yourselves and your $yδߊθè%uρ #Y‘$tΡ ö/ä3‹Î=÷δr&uρ ö/ä3|¡à7Ρr& (#þθè% (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
folks from a fire whose fuel is men and stones,
over it are angels stern and severe –they do not tβθÝÁ÷ètƒ 7ω ׊#y‰Ï© ÔâŸξÏî îπs3Íׯ≈n=tΒ $pκö_n=tæ äοu‘$yfÏtø:$#uρ â¨$¨Ζ9$#
disobey Allah in what He commands them, and
they do what they are commanded. (6) ∩∉∪ tβρâcs∆÷σム$tΒ tβθè=yèø7tƒuρ öΝèδt&tΒr& !$tΒ ©!$#
O ye who believe, guard yourselves and your folks... The imperative is in the masculine plural.
‘Folks’ is put for ahli> plural of ahl. It means a man’s wife or wives, his children, his brothers and
suchlike.
... from a fire... it means the fire of hell, which has the following characteristics:
... whose fuel iiss men and stones, ... These are its fuel, for their burning strengthens the fire, on
account of the greasiness of the former and the hard solidity of the latter.
... over it are angels stern; ... It means the fire is in the charge of angels who are rough of heart,
and will have mercy on no one.
... and severe... They are firm of body and extremely strong, able to do whatever is expected of
them.
... they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, ... They will not disobey Allah, glory
be to Him, in the commands He gives them to chastise humans by the fire. They will not accept
bribes, and they will not give way to sympathy for the disbelievers.
... and they do what they are commanded. It means in that which Allah commands them to do.
The phrase emphasises the former ‘they disobey not’.
As the disbelievers enter the fire, they take to excusing themselves for their previous actions, and
so it shall be said to them:
‘O ye who disbelieve, seek not to be excused this ÷ΛäΖä. $tΒ tβ÷ρt“øgéB $yϑ¯ΡÎ) ( tΠöθu‹ø9$# (#ρâ‘É‹tG÷ès? Ÿω (#ρã&x7x. tÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
day, ye are only being recompensed for what ye
did.’ (7) ∩∠∪ tβθè=yϑ÷ès?

Reminded that they disbelieved while they were in the world, they are told that now they are in
the fire it is too late for them to repent, and that the fire is the recompense of their works, and
that excusing themselves will do them no good.
Now, as the believers have been made knowing of the characteristics of the fire, it is for them to
repent of their disobedience while they are still in the world, so that they will not be made to
enter it:
O ye who believe, repent unto Allah in a sincere 4|¤tã %·nθÝÁ¯Ρ Zπt/öθs? «!$# ’n<Î) (#þθç/θè? (#θãΖtΒ#u šÏ%©!$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
repentance; maybe your Lord will annul your
evils and enter ye into gardens, rivers flowing ;M≈¨Ζy_ öΝà6n=Åzô‰ãƒuρ öΝä3Ï?$t↔Íh‹y™ öΝä3Ψtã t&Ïe7s3ムβr& öΝä3š/u‘
beneath them, on the day He will not humiliate
the Prophet
Prophet and those who believed with him – zƒÏ%©!$#uρ ¢É<¨Ζ9$# ª!$# “Ì“øƒä† Ÿω tΠöθtƒ ã&≈yγ÷ΡF{$# $yγÏFøtrB ÏΒ “Ì&øgrB
their light goes on before them and from their
right hands. They say, ‘O Lord, complete for us öΝÍκÈ]≈yϑ÷ƒr'Î/uρ öΝÍκ‰É‰÷ƒr& š÷t/ 4tëó¡o„ öΝèδâ‘θçΡ ( …çµyètΒ (#θãΖtΒ#u
our light and forgive us, indeed Thou are over
all things powerful.’ (8) Èe≅à2 4’n?tã y7¨ΡÎ) ( !$uΖs9 ö&Ï7øî$#uρ $tΡu‘θçΡ $uΖs9 öΝÏϑø?r& !$uΖ−/u‘ tβθä9θà)tƒ

∩∇∪ Ö&ƒÏ‰s% &óx«

O ye who believe, repent unto Allah ... Repent of your disobeying Him, and return to His
obedience.
... in a sincere repentance; ... Such repentance should be sincerely for His sake. ‘sincere’, which
implies honesty, is put for nas}u>h}, which in fact means to be ‘extremely sincere in giving advice’.
Therefore, as an adjective for repentance itself it is figurative; what is meant is that the penitent
should be honest and forthcoming in advising and urging himself to repent. When a person is
thus ‘honest’ in repenting, it means that he feels the greatest regret at having defied and
disobeyed, and finds the strongest determination not to do such actions in the future, and to carry
out the requisites of repentance – the discharge of a lapsed duty (qad}a)> , paying the penalties
(kaffa>rah) and restoring people’s rights, and suchlike.
... maybe your Lord will annul your evils... It means that it is likely He will erase the effects of
the acts of disobedience, which are called ‘evils’ (sayyi’a>t) as they do the perpetrator harm.
... and enter ye into gardens, rivers flowing beneath them, ... Gardens under whose trees and
palaces flow rivers of honey and wine and milk and water.
The repentant will be placed within the Gardens:
... on the day He will not humiliate the Prophet and those who believed with him... The penitents
will not be humiliated by being placed in the fire. The matter is put in this way to encourage us
to make ourselves enter into that distinguished company.
... their light goes on before them and from their right hands ... There will be a light emanating
from their faces and from their right hands – in which they are given their book of deeds –
dispelling the darkness of the rising-ground, and when they walk, the light will shine in front of
them and to their right.
... They say, ‘O Lord, complete for us our light ... They ask that their light be made brighter, and
continue until the end of the day of resurrection. Or it is their prayer while they are in the world,
asking that they be blessed with whatever strengthens their light, and that it persist and not be
put out by their disbelieving or committing acts of disobedience.
... and forgive us,
us, indeed Thou are over all things powerful.’ He is able to complete the believer’s
light, and able to forgive, and this praise of Allah, glory be to Him, is a part of the believer’s
supplication, because a supplication that contains praise of Him, glory be to Him, is nearer to
acceptance.
O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and 4 öΝÍκö_n=tã õáè=øñ$#uρ tÉ)Ï7≈oΨßϑø9$#uρ u‘$¤7à6ø9$# ωÎγ≈y_ )É<¨Ζ9$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
the hypocrites and be stern with them. And
their abode is hell; and vile is the destination! ∩∪ ç?NÅÁyϑø9$# }§ø♥Î/uρ ( ÞΟ¨Ψyγy_ óΟßγ1uρù'tΒuρ
(9)
O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers... They are to be struggled against through war and
fighting.
... and the hypocrites ... They are to be fought with deterrence and prevention.
... and be stern with them ... The war and deterrence is to be firm, solid and strict, for tenderness
is for those who are going straight and balanced, while those who are deviated need severity for
them to be put aright.
... And their abode is hell; and atrocious iiss the destination! What a place to be heading for, since
it is a place of punishment and chastisement.
The theme now turns to coin some likenesses for the wives of the Messenger, explaining that the
best husband cannot benefit his wife when she deviates, just as a corrupt husband does not harm
his wife when she is straight, guided by the obedience of Allah and His Messenger and not driven
by the desires of disobedience:
Allah coins an example for those who have |Nr&t&øΒ$#uρ 8yθçΡ |Nr&t&øΒ$# (#ρã&x7x. šÏ%©#Ïj9 WξsVtΒ ª!$# šUu?ŸÑ
disbelieved: the woman of Noah and the
woman of Lot; they were under two of our È÷ysÎ=≈|¹ $tΡÏŠ$t7Ïã ôÏΒ Èøy‰ö6tã |MøtrB $tFtΡ%Ÿ2 ( 7Þθä9
virtuous servants but they betrayed them, and
so they enriched them not against Allah. And it Ÿξäz÷Š$# Ÿ≅‹Ï%uρ $\↔øŠx© «!$# š∅ÏΒ $uΚåκ÷]tã $uŠÏΖøóムóΟn=sù $yϑèδ$tFtΡ$y⇐sù
was said: ‘Enter into the fire along with those
entering.’ (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ t,Î#Åz≡£‰9$# yìtΒ u‘$¨Ζ9$#

Allah coins an example for those who have disbelieved:... So as to explain that the best virtue of
spouses will not benefit their partners.
... the woman of Noah (Nu>h}) and the woman of Lot (Lu>t}); they were under ... It means under the
supervision of:
... two of our virtuous servants ... Noah and Lot, peace be upon them, who were Allah’s
Messengers, and who could be more virtuous than that?
... but they betrayed them, ... They betrayed them in religion, for they were hypocrites who
troubled and vexed their husbands.
... and so they enriched them not against Allah, ... Noah and Lot, peace be upon them, did not
benefit those women against the chastisement of Allah in the slightest way, by reducing it, not
even a part of it.
... and it was said:... That is, to those two women when they died.
... ‘Enter into the fire along with those entering.’ Despite the fact that they were wives of
Messengers, they still faced the chastisement of the fire. In this is a clear allusion to cA<’ishah and
H{afs}ah, who vexed the Prophet.
And Allah coins an example for those who øŒÎ) šχöθtãö&Ïù |Nr&t&øΒ$# (#θãΖtΒ#u šÏ%©#Ïj9 WξsVtΒ ª!$# šUu?ŸÑuρ
believe: Pharaoh’s woman, when she said, ‘My
Lord, build for me a house by Thee in the ÏΒ Í_ÅngwΥuρ Ïπ¨Ψyfø9$# ’Îû $\F÷yt/ x8y‰ΨÏã ’Í< Èø⌠$# Éb>u‘ ôMs9$s%
garden, and rescue me from the Pharaoh and his
work, and rescue me from the wrongful people.’ ∩⊇⊇∪ šÏϑÎ=≈©à9$# ÏΘöθs)ø9$# š∅ÏΒ Í_ÅngwΥuρ Ï&Î#yϑtãuρ šχöθtãö&Ïù
(11)
And Allah coins a metaphor for those who have believed: ... This is to show that faith benefits
the believer even when under the control of the most disbelieving of people.
... Pharaoh’s woman, ... A<syah daughter of Muza>h}im, who believed in Moses while her husband
claimed to be Lord of the worlds, saying that he was the Most High Lord.
... when she said, ... In her prayers to Allah.
... “My Lord, build for me a house by Thee in the garden, ...” Thus she expressed her lack of all
hope in the world, and that she worked not for its sake.
... and rescue me from the Pharaoh and his work, and rescue me from the wrongful people.” i.e.
the followers and entourage of Pharaoh. And Allah answered her prayer, for He received her and
placed her inside the gardens of paradise, and the works of her husband did her no harm.
And now Allah, glory be to Him, recounts for the believers the example of a woman who was not
harmed by what people said of her, for she was pure and noble. Thus He shows that the actions of
others and their evil words have no effect whatsoever on those who believe, when they are
believing and virtuous:
And Mary daughter of cImran,
Imran, who guarded ϵŠÏù $sΨ÷‚x7oΨsù $yγy_ö&sù ôMoΨ|Áômr& ûÉL©9$# tβ≡t&ôϑÏã |MoΨö/$# zΝtƒócs∆uρ
her chastity, and so We blew into it of Our
spirit; and she confirmed the words of her Lord zÏΒ ôMtΡ%x.uρ ϵÎ7çFä.uρ $pκÍh5u‘ ÏM≈yϑÎ=s3Î/ ôMs%£‰|¹uρ $oΨÏmρ•‘ ∅ÏΒ
and His books, and was among the subservient.
(12) ∩⊇⊄∪ tÏFÏΖ≈s)ø9$#

And... It means that Allah coins the example of:

... Mary daughter of cImra>n, who guarded her chastity ... Thus the a>yah belies God’s enemies the
Jews, who said about her what is more true and more appropriate of themselves.
... and so We blew into it of Our spirit; ... The spirit is said to be of Allah, as a mark of honour,
just as the Kacbah is the ‘House of Allah’. As a result Jesus, peace be upon him, was conceived.
And it was Gabriel, peace be upon him, who blew into the body of Mary, by His order, glory be
to Him.
... and she confirmed the words of her Lord and His books, ... It means that she followed the
teachings revealed to the Prophets, in beliefs and practices.
... and was among the subservient. She lived among the devotees of the temple of Jerusalem. So
if a woman has a husband she should strive to be like the Pharaoh’s wife; and if she is without
husband then like Mary the Truthful, peace be upon her.
 Surah al-
al-Mulk (67)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﻠﻚ‬
‘The Dominion’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of the word mulk, meaning ‘dominion’. Like the
other Makkan surahs it deals with the principal articles of faith, including divinity, prophethood,
and resurrection. As Surah al-Tah}ri>m concluded on the theme of family relations being neither of
benefit nor of harm, but that it is actions which benefit and do harm, this surah opens on the
theme of mankind being in a position of examination, for the obedient to be discerned from the
disobedient.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... We begin by the name of Allah who is the First in existence, the Creator
of all things, so that the beginning by His name accords to His being the point of origin and the
First.
...the Compassionate,
Compassionate, the Merciful. He bestows mercy on the servants in this world and in the
hereafter; completing their shortcomings, forgiving their sins.
Hallowed is He in whose hand is the dominion, ∩⊇∪ í&ƒÏ‰s% &óx« Èe≅ä. 4’n?tã uθèδuρ à7ù=ßϑø9$# Íνωu‹Î/ “Ï%©!$# x8t&≈t6s?
and He is over all things powerful; (1)
Hallowed is He ... Hallowed is given for taba>raka, meaning to persist in goodness and be the
source of goodness. From the same root is the word barakah, ‘blessedness’.
... in whose hand is the dominion, ... His is the dominion for He is the Owner without condition
of everything in existence; every owner besides Him has been granted possession by Him. ‘In His
hand’ is an instance of likening the metaphysical to the physical.
... and He is over all things powerful. He is able to create a thing, able to destroy it, and able to
dispose of it in whatever way He likes.
He who created death and life so as to test ye – 4 WξuΚtã ß|¡ômr& ö/ä3•ƒr& öΝä.uθè=ö7u‹Ï9 nο4θu‹ptø:$#uρ |Nöθyϑø9$# t,n=y{ “Ï%©!$#
which of ye are the best in action; and He is the
Mighty, the oft-
oft-Forgiving: (2) ∩⊄∪ â‘θà7tóø9$# Ⓝ͕yèø9$# uθèδuρ
He created death, ... Death either exists in itself, or it is the absence of the blessing of life; both
of these conditions are created, for the absence of life in a thing is a part of being, as is
established in theology (cilm al-kalam).
... and life so as to test ye – which of ye are the best in action; ... He created life and death, O
mankind, to test you, to evaluate you, as to which of you is better in actions than the other. For
Allah, glory be to Him, is perfectly aware of the human being, the examination is solely for His
knowledge to be realised in the objective world, for He does not need to try us and know us by
experience. Giving death and life as being for the sake of examination is on account of how death
calls us to good deeds and leads us to put no assurance in the transient world and its temporary
pleasures, while life empowers the human being to perform the beautiful deeds.
... and He is the Mighty, ... He is the Mighty (al-caziz), dominant in His authority,
... the oft-
oft-Forgiver: It is put for al-Ghafur. He forgives the sinner when he repents and returns; so
you, O mankind, are in His grasp, for He is the Grand and Mighty; so seek His forgiveness and
He will forgive you, for He is the Forgiver.
Who created the seven skies in levels; thou see È,ù=yz †Îû 3“t&s? $¨Β ( $]%$t7ÏÛ ;N≡uθ≈yϑy™ yìö7y™ t,n=y{ “Ï%©!$#
not in the creation of the Compassionate any
incongruity; so redirect thy gaze: see thou any 9‘θäÜèù ÏΒ 3“t&s? ö≅yδ uA|Çt7ø9$# ÆìÅ_ö‘$$sù ( ;Nâθ≈x7s? ÏΒ Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$#
cracks? (3)
∩⊂∪
Who created the seven skies in levels; ... The skies exist one above the other in perfect
symmetry, with no incongruity or disharmony.
... thou see not in the creation of the Compassionate ... The address is in the singular to the
listener as an individual.
... any incongruity; ... Three is no disorder, in the creation of the Compassionate (al-Rah}man), for
the whole is created with precision, certitude and appropriate perfection.
... so redirect thy gaze ... Turn it once more to existence, after it was directed at it. It is as if the
addressee had been looking but without attention, so it is said, ‘Redirect your gaze’, meaning
‘scrutinize and examine’.
... see thou any cracks? Do you see any cracks, any fissures, as you would in a building that
gives way to imperfection? Is there in the world of existence any disorder indicating weakness
and inability, or is everything in its appropriate place according to a wisdom and beneficence?
Then redirect thy gaze twice again; thy gaze uθèδuρ $Y∞Å™%s{ çA|Çt7ø9$# y7ø‹s9Î) ó=Î=s)Ζtƒ È÷s?§&x. uA|Çt7ø9$# ÆìÅ_ö‘$# §ΝèO
will return to thee low, while it is weary. (4)
∩⊆∪ ×ALÅ¡ym

... Then redirect thy gaze twice

twice again; ... That is, once and then again, meaning again and again,
for vision sometimes errs in looking once at a thing and does not see its faults, so that when a
person looks again and again at a thing he perceives its faults. Thus the meaning is to take
another look at the creation, again seeking to find disorder, you will not find it.
... thy gaze will return to thee low, while it is weary ... Your gaze will return to you low, unable
to meet its objective and find what it was seeking; it will tire without finding any disorder or
weakness – and what illness and suchlike it finds is for the purpose of examination and
instruction, not due to a fault in the creation.
And most surely We have adorned the world’s $YΒθã_â‘ $yγ≈oΨù=yèy_uρ yxŠÎ6≈|ÁyϑÎ/ $u‹÷Ρ‘‰9$# u!$yϑ¡¡9$# $¨Ζ−ƒy— ô‰s)s9uρ
sky with lamps, and We have made them
launching
launching-
ing-sites for the devils, and We have ∩∈∪ ÎALÏè¡¡9$# z>#x‹tã öΝçλm; $tΡô‰tGôãr&uρ ( ÈÏÜ≈u‹¤±=Ïj9
prepared for them the chastisement of the blaze.
(5)
And most surely We have adornedadorned the world’s sky with lamps, ... The ‘sky’ (al-sama>’) nearest
the earth has been adorned, beautified – which does not mean that the other skies are not
beautiful; the distinction is made on account of how it is witnessed and perceived. ‘Lamps’ is put
for mas}a>bi>h}, plural of mis}ba>h,} and what are meant are the stars, although for the naked eye
planets are also ‘seen’ as lamps just as the stars are.
... and We have made them launching-
launching-sites for the devils, ... ‘launching-sites’ is given for ruju>m,
derivative of rajm or stoning, and what is meant is sites for launching missiles. As the devils
approach the stations of the angels in the lofty skies to eavesdrop, they are stoned with flaming
particles from the stars. For the stars are vantage points, from which the devils are kept under
observation, so that when they approach they are stoned or fired upon, as was earlier discussed in
previous surahs.
... and We have prepared for them the chastisement of the blaze. Prepared for these devils who
eavesdrop is a fiery chastisement of the blaze (al-saci>r); flaming, blazing, either with their being
fired upon, or in the hereafter in the fire.
And just as this is the punishment of the devils so it is the punishment of the disbelievers:
And for those who ddisbelieve
isbelieve in their Lord is ∩∉∪ çALÅÁyϑø9$# }§ø♥Î/uρ ( zΝ¨Ψyγy_ Ü>#x‹tã öΝÍκÍh5t&Î/ (#ρã&x7x. tÏ%©#Ï9uρ
the chastisement of Hell, and atrocious is the
destination; (6)
For those who disbelieve by denying Him, or by attributing to Him what is not His, is the
chastisement of Hell, an atrocious, vile place to return to.
When they are cast therein they hear from it a ∩∠∪ â‘θà7s? }‘Éδuρ $Z)‹Íκy− $oλm; (#θãèÏÿxœ $pκXÏù (#θà)ø9é& !#sŒÎ)
braying as it boils, (7)
When they are cast therein ... Those who cast them into the hell are the angels.
... they hear from it a braying ... As they are flung into it they hear its roar, like the braying of an
ass. This sound accompanies the other terrors of hell so as to increase alarm and dread in the
hearts.
... as it boils,
boils, ... Hell is boiling, and this too increases its dread.
Almost bursting with rage – whenever a troop !$pκçJtΡt“yz öΝçλm;r'y™ Ólöθsù $pκXÏù u’Å+ø9é& !$yϑ¯=ä. ( Åáø‹tóø9$# zÏΒ ã”¨Lyϑs? ߊ%s3s?
is hurled into it, its keepers ask them: 'Did there
not come to ye a warner?' (8) ∩∇∪ Ö&ƒÉ‹tΡ ö/ä3Ï?ù'tƒ óΟs9r&

Almost bursting with rage ... It will be as if the hell will be almost splitting apart with rage, such
will be the severity of its flames. Man is such that when he is enraged he comes close to
exploding and bursting his skin, and so will the fire come close to bursting under the pressure of
its own flames.
... whenever a troop is hurled into it, its keepers ... Its keepers are the angels assigned to the fire.
... ask them: 'Did there not come to ye a warner?'
warner?' They ask every band of disbelievers and sinners
whether no one came to them to warn and frighten them of this fire. The questioning form is for
reproach and censure.
They say, 'For sure! A warner came to us but ÏΒ ª!$# tΑ¨“tΡ $tΒ $uΖù=è%uρ $uΖö/¤‹s3sù Ö&ƒÉ‹tΡ $tΡu!%y` ô‰s% 4’n?t/ (#θä9$s%
we belied and said 'Allah has not sent
sent down a
thing, ye are but in a great straying.’ (9) ∩∪ 9ALÎ7x. 9≅≈n=|Ê ’Îû 5ωÎ) óΟçFΡr& ÷βÎ) >óx«

They say, ... That is, the guilty will say in reply to the keepers of the fire.
... 'For sure! A warner came to us ... They admit that a Prophet or Messenger sent by Allah, glory
be to Him, came to them.
... but we belied and said 'Allah has not sent down a thing, ... They will admit that they called
this Day and all that the warners told them false; and said that no book or law had descended
from Allah.
... ye are but in a great straying.’ They had told their warners that they were in serious error for
believing that they were Allah's messengers, and that Allah had sent down to them authority and
a law.
And they say, 'Had we but listened or reasoned, ÎALÏè¡¡9$# É=≈ptõ¾r& þ’Îû $¨Ζä. $tΒ ã≅É)÷ètΡ ÷ρr& ßìyϑó¡nΣ $¨Ζä. öθs9 (#θä9$s%uρ
we would not be among the companions of the
blaze.' (10) ∩⊇⊃∪

Those for the fire acknowledge that they did not make use of their minds while in the world, and
thus they are afflicted with the chastisement.
And they say, 'Had we but listened or reasoned, ... Had we only listened to the words of the
warners, they say, or had only we employed our reason so as to discern the true and the false by
listening – for man is such that when he employs his reason he will of necessity perceive the
truth in general terms, even though he hear not a thing.
... we would not be among the companions of the blaze.' Then, they say, we would not be here
amongst the people of the blaze.
So they acknowledge their sin, and so away ∩⊇⊇∪ ÎALÏè¡¡9$# É=≈ysô¹X{ $Z)ósÝ¡sù öΝÍκÈ:/Ρx‹Î/ (#θèùuAtIôã$$sù
with the companions of the blaze! (11)
So they acknowledge their sin, ... Those who are being entered into the fire acknowledge their
faults, at a time when confession is to no avail.
... and so away with the companions of the blaze! ‘So away’ is given for suh}qan, a supplication
against them, meaning ‘may Allah remove them far from salvation.’
But as for the believer who acts righteousness, he is in goodness and felicity:
Indeed those who are in awe of their Lord ∩⊇⊄∪ ×ALÎ7x. Ö&ô_r&uρ ×οt&Ï7øó¨Β Οßγs9 Í=ø‹tóø9$$Î/ Νßγ−/u‘ tβöθt±øƒs† tÏ%©!$# ¨βÎ)
though unseen, theirs is forgiveness and a large
wage. (12)
Indeed those who are in awe of their Lord though unseen, ... Those who fear Him, glory be to
Him, even though He is beyond their senses, fear to disobey Him and remain obedient.
... theirs is forgiveness ... For them is the forgiveness of the sins they have committed.
... and a large wage. A great reward.
The thread then turns to explain the knowledge of Allah, glory be to Him, of everything the
human being says, whether it is uttered in public or in private:
And be secretive
secretive with your word or be open Í‘ρ߉VÁ9$# ÏN#x‹Î/ 7ΟŠÎ=tæ …çµ¯ΡÎ) ( ÿϵÎ/ (#ρã&yγô_$# Íρr& öΝä3s9öθs% (#ρ•AÅ r&uρ
with it, He is knower of what is in the breasts.
(13) ∩⊇⊂∪

And be secretive with your word ... Speak, O people, the word that is in your breasts, privately
and secretively.
... or be open with it ... Allah, glory be to Him, is aware of it before it leaves your lips.
... He is knower of what holds the breasts. He is aware of what is in your hearts. He knows what
thoughts circulate in your very breasts. ‘Breasts’ (s}udu>r) is mentioned as the breast is the
location of the heart, and that is where thoughts are. So how can one be aware of what is in the
heart and yet unaware of what leaves the lips?
It is narrated that the polytheists would say foul things about the Messenger of Allah may Allah
bless him and his family1, and that archangel Gabriel (Jabra'i>1) peace be upon him2, informed him
of what they said. So when one of them wanted to talk about him, they would tell each other to
speak quietly so that Muhammad would not hear of it. And so this a>yah was sent down:
Does He not know whom He created, while He ∩⊇⊆∪ çALÎ7sƒø:$# ß#‹Ïܯ=9$# uθèδuρ t,n=y{ ôtΒ ãΝn=÷ètƒ Ÿωr&
is the all-
all-Subtle, the well-
well-Informed? (14)
Does He not know whom He created ... Does He not know the concealed and the open of whom
He has created? The question form is to have the effect of denial. The meaning is: ‘How can
Allah not know about things while He is the creator?’
... while He is the all-
all-Subtle, ... ‘All-Subtle’ is given for lat}if> , for a lat}if> thing is one that
influences penetrates things with ease. His describing Himself, glory be to Him, as ‘the Lat}i>f’, is
on account of the penetration of His knowledge and power.
... and He is the well-
well-informed? ‘Well-Informed’, is given for ‘Khabi>r’ to indicate precise, and
thorough knowledge about everything. ‘Khabi>r’ reflects a more detailed knowledge than cA<lim,
‘knower’.
(It is) He who put the earth lowly for ye, so $pκÈ:Ï.$uΖtΒ ’Îû (#θà±øΒ$$sù Zωθä9sŒ uÚö‘F{$# ãΝä3s9 Ÿ≅yèy_ “Ï%©!$# uθèδ
walk among its uplands and eat of His
(
1
s}allallah calayhi wa a>lih, meaning may Allah bless him and his family. It is a mark of piety and devotion to use
this salutation when mentioning the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
2c
alayhis-sala>m, meaning peace be upon him. It is a mark of piety and devotion to use this salutation when
mentioning the name of one of the prophets or one of the angels, or one of the macsu>m Imams from (the Ahl al-
Bayt) the household of the Holy Prophet.
provision; and unto Him is the dispersal. (15) ∩⊇∈∪ â‘θà±–Ψ9$# ϵø‹s9Î)uρ ( ϵÏ%ø—Íh‘ ÏΒ (#θè=ä.uρ

He it is who put the earth lowly for ye, ... The earth has been made malleable for you, O
mankind, subordinate, for buildings, agriculture, burying the dead, journeying, the passage of
rivers and canals, and other things. ‘Lowly’ is given for dhalu>lan, from dhalla, meaning to be
humble, to yield.
... so walk among its uplands ... ‘Uplands’ is a literal meaning of mana>kib, and what are meant
are the earth's paths.
... and eat of His provision; ... We are to eat of His provision, which we acquire through
agriculture and suchlike.
... and unto Him is the dispersal. We are raised and dispersed after death towards Him, glory be
to Him, for He is the origin and the return. The meaning of the rising being to Him (ilayhi) is
that it is to His reckoning and recompense.
The thread then turns from mentioning the favours of Allah for man to be grateful, to warning
them that by remaining in disbelief and disobedience they advance themselves towards the
chastisement; and that the force driving man to the good can be ease or adversity.
Are ye secure that whoso is in the sky would š†Ïφ #sŒÎ*sù uÚö‘F{$# ãΝä3Î/ y#Å¡øƒs† βr& Ï!$yϑ¡¡9$# ’Îû ¨Β ΛäΨÏΒr&u
not make the earth to swallow
swallow ye, when
suddenly it is sliding? (16) ∩⊇∉∪ â‘θßϑs?

‘Are ye secure’ is given for ‘amintum’ which in this case means ‘are you sure’ or ‘do you have
guarantee’. ‘Whoso is in the sky’, man fil-sama>’, are the angels assigned to our affairs by Allah,
glory be to Him. Do ye (O mankind) have guarantee that they will not make the earth slide about
and envelop us, as they did with Qa>ru>n and the people of Lot? It is possible that ‘whoso is in the
sky’ means Allah, glory be to Him, and His being in the sky means that His command for the
earth issues from the sky, as He says, '...it is He who is God in the sky and God in the earth.' [43:
84]. And He says, 'And in the sky is your provision and that ye are promised ...' [51: 22]
Or are ye secure that whoso is in the sky would ( $Y6Ϲ%tn öΝä3ø‹n=tæ Ÿ≅Å™ö&ムβr& Ï!$yϑ¡¡9$# ’Îû ¨Β ΛäΨÏΒr& ÷Πr&
not send hails of pebbles, then ye will know
how is My warning. (17) ∩⊇∠∪ Ì&ƒÉ‹tΡ y#ø‹x. tβθçΗs>÷ètG|¡sù

Or are ye secure that whoso is in the sky would not send hails of pebbles, ... Again, do they have
security, if they remain in their disbelief and disobedience, that one of the above two meanings
of man fil-sama>’, will not send against them torrents of stones, until they are stoned to death like
earlier disobedient peoples?
... then ye will know how is My warning. They would then know that the warning of Allah about
the chastisement is true.
And such was not remote from the disbelievers; did they not know that when the previous
peoples belied they were afflicted with such punishments?
And in fact those before them certainly belied, ∩⊇∇∪ ÎALÅ3tΡ tβ%x. y#ø‹s3sù öΝÎγÎ=ö7s% ÏΒ tÏ%©!$# z>¤‹x. ô‰s)s9uρ
so how was My denial? (18)
And in fact those before them certainly belied, ... Previous peoples called the portents and
Prophets of Allah false.
... so how was My denial? Allah's denial against them was His chastising them with various
chastisements: by drowning, by being swallowed up by the ground, by being stoned from the sky,
and suchlike.
How could they deny the existence of Allah or His power, while they are witnesses to the signs
of creation with their eyes?
See they not the bird above them: spreading and $tΒ 4 zôÒÎ7ø)tƒuρ ;M≈¤7¯≈|¹ ôΜßγs%öθsù ÎAöL©Ü9$# ’n<Î) (#÷ρt&tƒ óΟs9uρr&
folding? None holds them but the
Compassionate;
Compassionate; indeed He is over all things an ∩⊇∪ îALÅÁt/ ¥óx« Èe≅ä3Î/ …絯ΡÎ) 4 ß≈oΗ÷q§&9$# 5ωÎ) £ßγä3Å¡ôϑãƒ
observer. (19)
See they not the bird above them: spreading and folding?
folding? ... Do the disbelievers not use their
eyes to see the bird and how it uses its wings; its wings outstretched as it flies through the sky
above their heads, then contracting them. One moment its wings are aligned and extended, the
next moment contracted, which is the flapping of its wings. By the bird is meant the species, and
so it is spoken of in the plural.
... None holds them but the Compassionate; truly He is over every thing an observer ... They are
not held up in the sky while gliding or flapping, save by the grace of the Compassionate, who
bestows mercy on all things. Who has given the bird this ability, and given the sky the quality of
bearing the bird, other than Allah, glory be to Him?
... indeed He over all things He is an observer: He knows what is appropriate for all things and
what will benefit all things, and so He creates according to benefit and wisdom. And according
to His vision, glory be to Him, He gave the bird this ability and the sky this quality. An observer
(bas}ir> ) in the a>yah means being aware of affairs, rather than seeing.
Or who is it that is an army for ye, succouring 4 Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# Èβρߊ ÏiΒ Οä.çAÝÇΖtƒ ö/ä3©9 Ó‰Ζã_ uθèδ “Ï%©!$# #x‹≈yδ ô¨Βr&
ye bedsides the Compassionate? Indeed the
disbelievers are nought but in delusion. (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ A‘ρã&äî ’Îû 5ωÎ) tβρã&Ï7≈s3ø9$# ÈβÎ)

Or who is it that is an army for ye, succouring ye bedsides the Compassionate? ... The question
form is for denial. The meaning is: who do you suppose will be an army for you to save you on
the day of resurrection from the chastisement of Allah? You have no such army. It is as if it is
said to the disbelievers: ‘By what power do you rebel against Allah? Have you an army to defend
you against Allah's chastisement, which you depend upon in disobeying Him?’
... Indeed the disbelievers are nought but in delusion ... The disbelievers have no such army, the
life of the world has deceived them. For they are nothing but in delusion. The devil has deluded
them into believing that there is no punishment and no chastisement, so let them depend on him
in disbelief and disobedience.
Or who is it that will provision ye should He †Îû (#θ‘∨©9 ≅t/ 4 …çµs%ø—Í‘ y7|¡øΒr& ÷βÎ) ö/ä3è%ã—ö&tƒ “Ï%©!$# #x‹≈yδ ô¨Βr&
withhold His provision? Nay, they persist in
insolence and aversion. (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ A‘θà7çΡuρ 5hθçGãã

Or who is it that will provision you should He withhold His provision? ... If Allah withheld His
provision would there be one to provision you? Could such a one take the place of Allah in
providing for you? Since there is no provider other than Him, how do you disobey Him and not
fear that He might withhold His provision of you so that you would remain without provision
and without food?
... Nay, they persist in insolence and aversion ... Nay, they know full well that there is no
provider other than Allah, yet they persist in their obstinacy and rebellion, in insolence (cutuw)
and aversion (nufu>r) to Islam and to the truth.
Is he who walks crawling on his face more $‡ƒÈθy™ Å´ôϑtƒ ¨Βr& #“y‰÷δr& ÿϵÎγô_uρ 4’n?tã $‰7Å3ãΒ Å´ôϑtƒ yϑsùr&
guided, or he who walks evenly on a straight
road? (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ 8ΛÉ)tGó¡•Β :Þ≡uAÅÀ 4’n?tã
Is he who walks crawling on his face more guided, ... ‘Crawling’ is given for mukibb, meaning to
walk along with one's face and belly on the ground, with utmost difficulty. Is such a person
better and more knowledgeable to turn to for a path?
... or he who walks evenly on a straight road? ... That is, he who walks evenly and upright on his
two feet. Is the former more guided, or he who is on the straight road, the road that leads most
directly to salvation? The disbeliever is like someone who goes about upon his face and belly,
and his path is rough and difficult, with him not knowing how to escape the problems and
afflictions. The believer, by contrast, sees his path clearly and easily, walks along it and quickly
arrives at his intended destination. For the straight path is the shortest distance to felicity and
bliss.
Say: He it is who produced ye, and He made for t&≈|Áö/F{$#uρ yìôϑ¡¡9$# â/ä3s9 Ÿ≅yèy_uρ ö/ä.r't±Σr& ü“Ï%©!$# uθèδ ö≅è%
ye the ear and the eyes and the hearts;
hearts; little are
ye thankful. (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ tβρã&ä3ô±n@ $¨Β Wξ‹Î=s% ( nοy‰Ï↔øùF{$#uρ

Say: ... The address is to the Messenger.

... He it is who produced ye, ... He was to say to those who denied Allah, glory be to Him, or
assigned to Him partners, that Allah, One and Alone, caused them to exist.
... and He made for ye the ear and the eyes and the hearts; ... He made for our benefit the ear, the
eyes and the hearts. It seems the singular is used for the ear and the plural for the eyes and the
hearts for variety in expression.
... little are ye thankful. After these great gifts the appreciation is insignificant.
Say: He it is who multiplied ye in the earth, ∩⊄⊆∪ tβρçA|³øtéB ϵø‹s9Î)uρ ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû öΝä.r&u‘sŒ “Ï%©!$# uθèδ ö≅è%
and to Him ye will be mustered. (24)
(24)
Say: ... The address is in the singular.
... He it is who multiplied ye in the earth ... It means: say, O Messenger of Allah, to your
opponents: Allah, One and Alone, created you through procreation and birth throughout the
earth, and settled you upon it.
... and to Him ye will be mustered. To Him is the final gathering – that is, to His reckoning and
paradise we are to be raised and mustered together on the day of resurrection. From Him is the
origin and to Him is the return.
And they say: when is this promise, if ye be ∩⊄∈∪ tÏ%ω≈|¹ ÷ΛäΖä. βÎ) ߉ôãuθø9$# #x‹≈yδ 4tLtΒ tβθä9θà)tƒuρ
truthful? (25)
And they say ... ‘They’ means the disbelievers.
... when is this promise, if ye be truthful? It is the question put by the deniers of the return: when
will this rising take place, if you believers are truthful and there is to be a final mustering and
recompense?
Say: the knowledge is but with Allah, and I am ∩⊄∉∪ ×Î7•Β Ö&ƒÉ‹tΡ O$tΡr& !$yϑ¯ΡÎ)uρ «!$# y‰ΖÏã ÞΟù=Ïèø9$# $yϑ¯ΡÎ) ö≅è%
but a clear warner. (26)
Say: ... The address is to the Messenger.
... the knowledge is but with Allah ... The knowledge of the day of resurrection is held only by
Allah.
... and I am but a clear warner. The Messenger of Allah was but a warner. He was to warn them
and frighten them of the arrival of the day of resurrection when those who persist in disbelief and
disobedience would be chastised. As a warner, the Messenger warned them with perfect clarity.
So when they see it up close, awful will be the #x‹≈yδ Ÿ≅ŠÏ%uρ (#ρã&x7x. šÏ%©!$# çνθã_ãρ ôMt↔ÿ‹Å™ Zπx7ø9ã— çν÷ρr&u‘ $£ϑn=sù
faces of those who disbelieved and it is said,
'This is what ye called for.' (27) ∩⊄∠∪ šχθã㣉s? ϵÎ/ ΛäΨä. “Ï%©!$#

So when tthey
hey see it up close, ... That is, when the disbelievers see the chastisement from nearby.
‘They see it is given for ra’awhu>, which literally means ‘they saw it’ – the past tense is used to
portentify a definite future happening, as in the a>yah, '...the trumpet was blown...' [lit: when the
trumpet is blown’ in the future] ([69:13], and elsewhere).
... awful will be the faces of those who disbelieved ... Dejection shall cover their faces, and upon
them sadness and fear shall appear.
... and it is said, ... As the disbelievers see the chastisement, the angels, the Messengers and the
believers will say to them:
... ‘This is what ye called for. That is, 'This is the chastisement you called for.' The disbelievers
had asked when the rising is to take place, urging its advancement, out of mockery.
Say: have ye considered: were Allah to destroy çALÅgä† yϑsù $oΨuΗ¿qu‘ ÷ρr& zÉë¨Β tΒuρ ª!$# zÍ_s3n=÷δr& ÷βÎ) óΟçF÷ƒuu‘r& ö≅è%
me and those with me, or mercy us, who would
shelter the disbelievers from a painful ∩⊄∇∪ 5ΟŠÏ9r& A>#x‹tã ôÏΒ tÍ&Ï7≈s3ø9$#
chastisement? (28)
Say: have ye considered ... The Messenger was to ask the disbelievers whether they had ‘looked’
or considered the issue that:
... were Allah to destroy ... That is, cause to die.
... me and those with me, ... That is, the Messenger and those with him, the believers.
... or mercy us, ... That is, mercifully allow them to live to see the disbelievers' chastisement.
... who would shelter the disbelievers from a painful chastisement? In neither case would the
disbelievers be benefited by a prevention of their chastisement. The disbelievers used to wish for
the death of the Messenger and the believers, so as to enjoy their disbelief and idol-worship. So
the a>yah explains that the death of the Messenger would be of no benefit in protecting them from
the chastisement of Allah that they deserved on account of their disbelief and sins.
Say: He is the Compassionate. We believe in uθèδ ôtΒ tβθçΗs>÷ètG|¡sù ( $uΖù=©.uθs? ϵø‹n=tæuρ ϵÎ/ $¨ΖtΒ#u ß≈oΗ÷q§&9$# uθèδ ö≅è%
Him and upon Him we rely; soon ye shall know
who is in a clear straying. (29) ∩⊄∪ &Î7•Β 9≅≈n=|Ê ’Îû

Say: ... The command is to the Messenger for it is in the singular.

... He is the Compassionate ... It is ‘the Compassionate’ (al-Rah}ma>n) whom Muslims call upon
and supplicate.
... We believe in Him ... Confirming His existence, His attributes, His commands and His
promises.
... and upon Him we rely; ... In Him we rely in our affairs and to Him we entrust our needs.
... soon ye shall know who is in a clear straying. On the day of resurrection the disbelievers will
know whose path was clearly deviated, theirs or that of the believers.
Say: Have ye considered: if of a morning your ¤Ïè¨Β &!$yϑÎ/ /ä3‹Ï?ù'tƒ yϑsù #Y‘öθxî ö/ä.äτ!$tΒ yxt6ô¹r& ÷βÎ) ÷Λä÷ƒuu‘r& ö≅è%
water should have sunk into the earth, who
then would bring ye visible water? (30) ∩⊂⊃∪

Say: ... The Messenger was to say to these disbelievers:

... Have ye considered: if of a morning your water should have sunk into the earth, ... That is:
how do you disbelieve in Allah, when the water upon which you depend for your very lives is
part of His affair and under His control? ‘Have ye considered’ means ‘tell me’: if one morning
your water should have ‘sunk into the earth' (given for ghawran) in such a way that you were
unable to retrieve it,
... who then would bring ye visible water? ‘Visible’ is given for maci>n, meaning easily seen;
easily digestible running water. Either way, is there any besides Allah who could recreate water?
And since there is none but Allah who could do that, how can anyone turn away from Him and
disbelieve in Him?
 Surah al-
al-Qalam (68)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻘﻠﻢ‬
‘The Pen’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word al-qalam, meaning ‘the
pen’. Like the other Makkan surahs, it deals with matters of faith and the principles of Divinity,
Prophethood and the Return. Just as Surah al-Mulk concluded on the theme of the disbelievers
and their belying the truth, so this surah opens on a similar theme.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... We seek help by the name of Allah, for Allah is too majestic and sublime
for the reader to seek help through Him, and the seeking of help is but through the name, just as
it is said, ‘The poor take refuge at Thy doorstep’.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful
Merciful.
ful He bestows mercy on all things, and on everyone, for His
mercy embraces all things.
Nũn. By the pen, and what they notate. (1) ∩⊇∪ tβρã&äÜó¡o„ $tΒuρ ÉΟn=s)ø9$#uρ 4 úχ

Nu>n is the name of the Arabic letter that has the sound of the English ‘n’. Here, it signifies the
species of letters – the Arabic alphabet – of which the miraculous Qur’an is composed, such that
were the jinn and mankind to combine to produce the like of it, they would not be able to do so.
Or the letter has a secret significance shared by Allah and the Messenger. In narrations it is said
to be the name of a river in paradise that congeals to become ink, and by that ink and ‘the Pen’
(al-qalam), all that happens and will ever happen until the day of resurrection is written on ‘the
Protected Tablet’ (al-Lawh} al-Mah}fu>dh).
By the pen ... An oath by the pen, by which people write. The oath is sworn by it on account of
what has been stated about all of Allah’s creation being grand and magnificent, and that Allah
binds covenants by various aspects of His creation, thus indicating the magnificence with which
it is endowed. Or what is meant is the Pen that writes on the Lawh} al-Mah}fu>dh.
... and what they notate. The oath is also by what they write and notate, meaning what people
write, or what the angels notate. ‘Notate’ is given for sat}ara, so as to differentiate it from kataba,
to write.
Thou are not, by the blessing of thy Lord, mad. ∩⊄∪ 5βθãΖôfyϑÎ/ y7În/u‘ Ïπyϑ÷èÏΖÎ/ |MΡr& !$tΒ
(2)
Thou are not ... The address, in the singular, is to Allah’s Messenger may Allah bless him and his
family.
... by the blessing of thy Lord, mad.
mad By the blessing and favour of Allah, he was not mad, as the
disbelievers maintained. For they called him mad, on account of his being favoured with
messengership.
And indeed for thee is certainly a reward ∩⊂∪ 5βθãΖôϑtΒ u2ö9xî #·&ô_V{ y7s9 ¨βÎ)uρ
without end. (3)
The Messenger had the good news of an unending wage as a reward for his undertaking the
labours of his prophethood.
And truly thou are certainly on a magnificent ∩⊆∪ 5ΟŠÏàtã @,è=äz 4’n?yès9 y7¯ΡÎ)uρ
disposition. (4)
That is, the Messenger endured the difficulties of delivering his message with perfect
magnanimity. And the Messenger was tormented to the extent that he said, 'No Prophet has
suffered annoyance the way I have suffered annoyance.’
Soon thou shall see and they shall see (5) ∩∈∪ tβρç2ÅÇö7ãƒuρ ç2ÅÇö6çF|¡sù

That is, you, O Messenger, and they, the disbelievers who call you mad.
Which of ye is the demented. (6) ∩∉∪ ãβθçGø>yϑø9$# ãΝä3Íh‹ƒr'Î/

That is, whether madness is to be attributed to thee, O Messenger, or to them, for their turning
away from the reality – for is it not madness to desert what is beneficial and take what is
harmful? ‘Demented’ is given for maftu>n, in contrast to the more common majnu>n, for which we
have put ‘mad’.
Indeed thy Lord – He knows best who strays ãΝn=÷ær& uθèδuρ Ï&Î#‹Î7y™ tã ¨≅|Ê yϑÎ/ ãΝn=÷ær& uθèδ š!−/u‘ ¨βÎ)
from His path and He knows best who is the
guided. (7) ∩∠∪ tωtGôγßϑø9$$Î/

Indeed thy Lord ... The address remains in the singular.

... He knows best who strays from His path ... He knows who strays from His path: whether it
was the Messenger, as the disbelievers said, or whether it was the disbelievers, as indeed was the
reality. ‘Straying from His path’ means to deviate from the path that He has laid down, glory be
to Him, for man to reach fulfilment in the world and in the hereafter.
... and He knows best who is the guided. That is, those guided to the correct path, the path of
Islam.
And since the clear path has been explained to you:
So obey not the beliers; (8) ∩∇∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3ßϑø9$# ÆìÏÜè? Ÿξsù

That is, follow not, O Messenger, those who belie your call to monotheism and your legislative
path, or sharicah, but rather leave them to themselves.
They would love thee to compromise, so they ∩∪ šχθãΖÏδô‰ãŠsù ßÏδô‰è? öθs9 (#ρ–Šuρ
would compromise. (9)
They would love thee to compromise ... The disbelievers would love it for you to be pliant, O
Messenger, to be courteous with them and incline towards them.
... so they would compromise So, if he were to be pliant with them, they would have
compromised with him, and maintained courteous relations with him, so as to lessen the impact
of his call on themselves.
And obey not any base oath-
oath-monger, (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ AÎγ¨Β 7∃2ξym ¨≅ä. ôìÏÜè? Ÿωuρ

‘Oath-monger’ is given for h}alla>f, meaning someone who swears many false oaths, due to lack of
considerations. ‘Base’ is given for mahi>n, meaning low, ignoble and base. And these are amongst
the qualities of the disbelievers for they find no path other than asserting their error, and so they
clutch at oaths. Such people feel within themselves a sense of impotence and humiliation, despite
their fits of excitement, their loud words, boasts and expansive swearing of oaths.
Defamer, walking about with slander, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ 5Ο‹ÏϑoΨÎ/ ¥!$¤±¨Β :—$£ϑyδ

‘Defamer’ is given for hamma>z, meaning to be a persistent slanderer of people. ‘Slander’ is given
for nami>m, meaning the vicious slander that is intended to give rise to dissension. The a>yah is
about those who go amongst the people sowing corruption and disharmony by the telling of
slanderous lies, so as to incite violence and disorder.
Hinderer of the good, a violator, a persistent ∩⊇⊄∪ AΟŠÏOr& >‰tG÷èãΒ Î2ö9y‚ù=Ïj9 8í$¨Ζ¨Β
sinner, (12)
Hinderer is given for manna>c, meaning one who persistently hinders. Whenever such a person
sees the people intending to do some good, he stops them out of the baseness of his own spirit.
He is a transgressor who violates the truth, and who persistently sins and is disobedient.
Coarse, after all that, ignoble. (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ AΟŠÏΡy— y7Ï9≡sŒ y‰÷èt/ ¤e≅çGãã

That is, besides the qualities already given he is rough-tempered and course (cutull). ‘Ignoble’ is
given for zani>m, meaning an individual of illegitimate birth who is associated with a tribe to
whom he does not belong by birth. It is said that the a>yah was sent down with reference to al-
Wali>d ibn al-Mughayrah. These qualities generally combine among the evils of those who hinder
the truth and practice every evil. And we have seen them in our own time. It seems that when the
spirit deviates from the path of guidance, all these qualities combine within it.
That he is a holder of wealth and sons, (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ tÏΨt/uρ 5Α$tΒ #sŒ tβ%x. βr&

That is, because he has been granted wealth and sons he belies the divine signs and portents –
returning evil for goodness – by referring to those a>ya>t as “Fables of the ancients”.
When Our portents are recited to him he says, ∩⊇∈∪ šÏ9¨ρF{$# ç29ÏÜ≈y™r& š^$s% $uΖçF≈tƒ#u ϵø‹n=tã 4’n?÷Gè? #sŒÎ)
'Fables of the ancients!' (15)
When the portents or a>ya>t of the Qur’an are recited to him he calls them the stories of ancient
peoples woven together bearing no serious principle. ‘Fables’ is given for asa>t}i>r, meaning empty,
imaginary tales that have no reality. And it is amongst the wonders how closely this word of the
detractors of the age of the Messenger resembles what the detractors of the present age say, that
Islam is archaic and reactionary.
We shall brand him on the muzzle. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ ÏΘθèÛö&ã‚ø9$# ’n?tã …çµßϑÅ¡t⊥y™

That is, a portent or sign shall be applied to him on the day of resurrection by which it shall be
known that he is guilty. The sign shall be applied to his muzzle, given for khurt}u>m, the trunk of
an elephant, which word is used for belittlement. Indeed, their being branded on the trunk is on
account of how the nose is the point of one's dignity and honour.
Indeed We tried them just as We tried the $pκ¨]ãΒÎ2óÇu‹s9 (#θãΚ|¡ø%r& øŒÎ) Ïπ¨Ψpgø:$# |=≈ptõ¾r& !$tΡöθn=t/ $yϑx. öΝßγ≈tΡöθn=t/ $¯ΡÎ)
companions of the garden, when they swore
they would pluck it in the morning, (17) ∩⊇∠∪ tÏ⇔Î6óÁãΒ

Indeed We tried them ... That is, the people of Makkah.

... just as We examined the companions of the garden. It was an orchard near S{ana>, in the
Yemen. From the Imam al-Ba>qir, peace be upon him, we have it that the people of Makkah were
tried with hunger like the companions of the garden; and the garden was in this world, located in
the Yemen and called Rid}wa>n, at about nine miles from S{ana>.
The story of the companions of the garden, as narrated by al-Shaykh al-Qummi from Ibn cAbba>s,
is that there was an old man who possessed a garden, and he was such that not a thing passed
from the garden into his house before all rights from it and dues had been given. When the old
man died, he was inherited by his sons, of whom there were five.
The harvest that year, the first harvest after the death of their father, was a bumper harvest the
like of which had never occurred before. So they were self-congratulatory on account of their
orchard. After the afternoon prayer they were gazing on their harvest and the bumper crop that
was far better than anything produced during the life of their father, and they exalted and
transgressed. One of them said to the others, ‘Our father was an old man and his reason and mind
was gone, so come on, let us swear among ourselves that this year we will give nothing to any of
the poor muslims – that is, Muslims of their era – so that we become rich and our wealth
multiply. Then we will do so in future years (i.e. give to the poor).
Four of the brothers agreed to this, the fifth was silent – it was he about whom Allah says, ...The
middle one of them said, 'Did I not say to ye, should ye not glorify?'
He said to them, 'Fear Allah and remain on the path of your father: surrender and prosper.' But
they began to strike him and beat him, until he realised that they would kill him, and so he
agreed to go along with their intention, reluctantly and with abhorrence. So they returned home
and swore by Allah that they would return in the morning and pick the fruit, though they did not
say if Allah wills. And so Allah afflicted them for their sin, and came between them and that
provision upon which they had gazed. And they are spoken of in the Book, from the words
‘Surely We try them ...’ until the end of the account that follows.
Perhaps the similarity between the disbelievers of Makkah and these brothers was that they were
ungrateful for the blessings of Allah, glory be to Him, and so He tried them with drought and
scarcity, just as when the brothers intended to deny the poor in opposition to His command,
glory be to Him, He tried them with the fire that burned their garden.
… when they swore they would pluck it in the morning,
They swore by Allah that they would pick its harvest early in the morning before daybreak, so as
to keep the affair hidden from the poor and the destitute.
And they made not the exception. (18) ∩⊇∇∪ tβθãΖø[tGó¡tƒ Ÿωuρ

That is, they swore their oath without saying the words ‘If Allah is willing’ (InSha>’Alla>h). This
term is called the exception (al-istithna>) for it is said by a speaker who means I will do such and
such except if Allah denies me. That is the meaning of InSha>’Alla>h. And by not making this
exception they offended with two evils. Firstly by their intention to bar the poor; and secondly
by their failing to make the exception in relation to what they intended in the future.
So a visitation from thy Lord visited it, while ∩⊇∪ tβθãΚÍ←!$tΡ óΟèδuρ y7Îi/¢‘ ÏiΒ ×#Í←!$sÛ $pκöcn=tæ t∃$sÜsù
they were sleeping, (19)
An instance of chastisement visited the orchard, from the direction of your Lord, O Messenger,
while they were sleeping in their beds. It is said that Allah sent a fire to the orchard, and it
burned down.
So that in the morning it was as if plucked. ∩⊄⊃∪ ÄΝƒÎ2¢Ç9$%x. ôMyst6ô¹r'sù
(20)
In the morning it was as if the produce of the garden had been picked. ‘Plucked’ is given for
s}ari>m, which means ‘cut off’, though the a>yah may also mean, “… it was like the darkness of
night”, on account of both night and day being termed s}ari>m, as each is cut off by the other.
Then they called each other in the morning, ∩⊄⊇∪ tÏ⇔Î6óÁãΒ (#÷ρyŠ$oΨtGsù
(21)
When morning arrived some of the brothers called to the others.
To 'Be early to your
your tilth if ye would pluck!' ∩⊄⊄∪ tÏΒÌ&≈|¹ ÷ΛäΖä. βÎ) ö/ä3ÏOö&ym 4’n?tã (#ρ߉øî$# Èβr&
(22)
They called each other to hurry and get to the orchard early, if they wanted to gather the harvest.
So they departed, conspiring: (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ tβθçGx>≈y‚tGtƒ óΟèδuρ (#θà)n=sÜΡ$$sù

They left for the orchard, all the while whispering furtively between themselves. ‘Conspiring’ is
given for yatakha>fatu>n, from khafata, ‘to conceal’, as in khafata nafsah, ‘he concealed himself’.
'That no destitute person shall enter the garden ∩⊄⊆∪ ×Å3ó¡ÏiΒ /ä3ø‹n=tæ tΠöθu‹ø9$# $pκ¨]n=äzô‰tƒ 2ω βr&
upon ye this day.' (24)
They were whispering so as not to alert any of the poor and bring them to the garden that day
when they were harvesting its produce.
In this manner they made their way until they reached their garden.
So they went early empowered for denial. (25) ∩⊄∈∪ t͑ω≈s% 7Šö&ym 4’n?tã (#÷ρy‰xîuρ

That is, they were determined to deny the harvest to the poor. But their morning was such that
they only had the power to be denied the harvest, instead of having the power to gather it. The
style is one of mockery, just as it is said that a man's hand is full of air, instead of being full of
wealth. It means that their morning was such that they were denied the harvest, for they had not
the power to gather it, only to be denied it.
So when they saw it, they said, ‘Indeed we are ∩⊄∉∪ tβθ—9!$ŸÒs9 $¯ΡÎ) (#þθä9$s% $yδ÷ρr&u‘ $¬Ηs>sù
truly astray!' (26)
They saw the orchard in its ruined condition. Some of the brothers said to others, 'We have lost
our way and gone astray, this is not our garden.'
After they had considered and realised that it was indeed their orchard, they corrected their
earlier reaction and said,
'Nay, we are deprived!' (27) ∩⊄∠∪ tβθãΒρã&øtxΧ ßøtwΥ ö≅t/

That is, deprived of the harvest and the produce of the orchard, for it had burned down.
The middle one of them said, 'Did I not say to ∩⊄∇∪ tβθßsÎm7|¡è@ Ÿωöθs9 ö/ä3©9 ≅è%r& óΟs9r& öΝßγäÜy™÷ρr& tΑ$s%
ye: should ye not glorify?’ (28)
The middle one is given for aws}at, middling, by which is meant the wisest, for the wisest is
called the middle or middling one, since the wise refrains from the two extremes. He pointed out
that he had warned them when they were talking of denying the poor, and had said to them,
‘Should ye not glorify Allah, and magnify His purity.' For he had said to them when they were
agreeing to deny the poor, 'O brothers, glorify Allah and magnify His transcendence of all that is
ugly, for He is far above granting to the rich while denying the poor!’ So he said to them ‘Yet ye
acted rashly and turned your backs on good advice. So this is the reward of your evil intention.’
Then, when all had come to an end,
They said, 'Glory be to our Lord! Indeed, truly ∩⊄∪ šÏϑÎ=≈sß $¨Ζä. $¯ΡÎ) !$uΖÎn/u‘ z≈ysö6ß™ (#θä9$s%
we were wrongful.' (29)
They did not hold Allah to blame for destroying their orchard; rather, they realised that they
themselves were unjust in intending to deny the poor their rights.
So some of them turned on others, blaming each ∩⊂⊃∪ tβθãΒuθ≈n=tGtƒ <Ù÷èt/ 4’n?tã öΝåκÝÕ÷èt/ Ÿ≅t6ø%r'sù
other; (30)
Each was blaming the other for what they had done between them: the evil intention.
They said, 'O, woe is ours! Indeed we were ∩⊂⊇∪ tÉó≈sÛ $¨Ζä. $¯ΡÎ) !$uΖn=÷ƒuθ≈tƒ (#θä9$s%
transgressors.' (31)
‘Woe’ is put for wayl; it means an awful, atrocious condition, and stands for ‘O people, bring us
an awful condition’ or ‘O awful condition, come, for now is your time.’ The word ‘transgressors’
is put for t}a>ghi>n, plural of t}a>ghi>, meaning one who violates the limits in injustice.
'Might it be that our Lord will exchange us ∩⊂⊄∪ tβθç7Ïî≡u‘ $uΖÎn/u‘ 4’n<Î) !$¯ΡÎ) !$pκ÷]ÏiΒ #Z2ö9yz $oΨs9ωö7ムβr& !$uΖš/u‘ 4|¤tã
better than it, indeed of our Lord we are
t ' (32)
requesters.' (32)
That is, they hoped that Allah, glory be to Him, would give them better than the garden they had
lost. They placed their desires and their hopes in Him and sought His forgiveness, and asked Him
to restore to them a replacement for the orchard.
Just so is the chastisement,
chastisement, and the tβθßϑn=ôètƒ (#θçΡ%x. öθs9 4 ç2t9ø.r& Íοt&ÅzFψ$# Ü>#x‹yès9uρ ( Ü>#x‹yèø9$# y7Ï9≡x‹x.
chastisement of the hereafter is greater, had
they known. (33) ∩⊂⊂∪

Just so is the chastisement ... That is, the chastisement of the sinners in the world is just like the
chastisement of the companions of the orchard.
... and the chastisement of the hereafter is greater, ... The chastisement in the afterlife is greater
than the chastisements of this world.
... had they known. If they knew anything about the proportions of the chastisement of the
hereafter they would know that it is greater than the chastisement of this world.
In contrast to these are the guardful:
Indeed for the guardful with their Lord are ∩⊂⊆∪ ËΛÏè¨Ζ9$# ÏM≈¨Ψy_ öΝÍκÍh5u‘ y‰ΖÏã tÉ)−Fßϑù=Ï9 ¨βÎ)
gardens of blessings. (34)
Indeed for the guardful ... It means those who are guardful against disbelief and sin, in that they
fear the punishment of Allah, glory be to Him.
... with their Lord are gardens of blessings ... The reward of the guardful is in the hereafter. It is
termed as being ‘with their Lord’ on account of how they are close to His contentment and
satisfaction, rather than close to Him physically. The gardens of blessings are called this because
it is within them that the blessings are bestowed.
So, shall We put the muslims as the offenders? ∩⊂∈∪ tÏΒÌ&ôfçRùQ$%x. tÏΗÍ>ó¡çRùQ$# ã≅yèôfuΖsùr&
(35)
Muslims are those who submit to Allah, glory be to Him, [this applies to anyone who submits to
the will of the Almighty by accepting and following the correct teachings of the messenger of
Allah of their respective times. Today the muslims are those who follow the teachings of the
Almighty’s final messenger, the Prophet Muhammad may Allah bless him and his family.]
Muslims shall not be treated the same as those who sin and offend before Him. The effect of the
question form is to assert this denial. It means: ‘How can we treat the muslim and the offender
the same in the hereafter?’ The disbelievers used to say that if there was to be a resurrection they
would be raised in a condition better than the condition of the Prophet Muhammad and his
companions.
What is with ye? How do ye judge! (36) ∩⊂∉∪ tβθãΚä3øtrB y#ø‹x. ö/ä3s9 $tΒ

The a>yah is addressed to the disbelievers. What is with you? O disbelievers; how do you judge
that the offenders are like the muslims before Allah, glory be to Him? Is such a judgement the
fruit of reason?
Or have ye a scripture in which ye study? (37) ∩⊂∠∪ tβθß™â‘ô‰s? ϵ‹Ïù Ò=≈tGÏ. ö/ä3s9 ÷Πr&

Or is the judgement not your own, but rather you have a revealed book sent down upon previous
Prophets, in which you have studied and read that the offender and the muslim are equal?
Clearly ye have in it what ye choose! (38) ∩⊂∇∪ tβρç2¨9sƒrB $pRmQ ϵ‹Ïù ö/ä3s9 ¨βÎ)

… and that in such a book you can choose for yourselves whatever reward in the hereafter you
like? The style is one of mockery.
Or have ye oaths against Us extending unto the $pRmQ ö/ä3s9 ¨βÎ)   Ïπyϑ≈uŠÉ)ø9$# ÏΘöθtƒ 4’n<Î) îπtóÎ=≈t/ $oΨø‹n=tã í≈yϑ÷ƒr& ö/ä3s9 ÷Πr&
day of resurrection? Indeed yours is whatever
ye judge! (39) ∩⊂∪ tβθãΚä3øtrB

That is, have you a pact with Allah, a sworn promise from Him that will last throughout the ages
and cover you on the day of resurrection? Such a set of oaths promising you whatever you
decide, from your equality with the believers to your entering the paradise.
Ask them: which of them is of that a ∩⊆⊃∪ îΛÏãy— y7Ï9≡x‹Î/ Οß㕃r& óΟßγù=y™
guarantor? (40)
That is, ask them, O Messenger: who amongst them is a guarantor of those things they said, e.g.
to be treated like the muslims? Who will guarantee to them that they shall have what the
Muslims shall have? As it is clear that they have no book, no pact and no guarantor, they should
realise that their words are mere vanities empty of any authority and proof.
Or have they partner-
partner-gods? So let them present ∩⊆⊇∪ tÏ%ω≈|¹ (#θçΡ%x. βÎ) öΝÍκÉ″!%x.u2à³Î0 (#θè?ù'u‹ù=sù â!%x.u2à° öΝçλm; ÷Πr&
their partner-
partner-gods, if they are truthful! (41)
‘Partner-gods’ is given for shuraka>’ meaning partners or associates, and here what is meant is
partners with Allah in Divinity. The question is whether the disbelievers have other gods to
deliver to them what Allah will deliver to the believers. So let them bring their other gods on the
day of resurrection and let them take from them (their gods) – the words are again words of
mockery and derision – if they are truthful in saying that they shall have the like of what the
believers shall have.
Yes, let them bring their partner-gods at the time when:
The day the leg is bared, and they are called to Ÿξsù ÏŠθàfb¡9$# ’n<Î) tβöθtãô‰ãƒuρ 5−$y™ tã ß#t±õ3ムtΠöθtƒ
prostrate but shall be unable; (42)
∩⊆⊄∪ tβθãè‹ÏÜtGó¡tƒ

The day the leg is bared, ... When fear is paramount it is said that a person bares his legs, by
raising his clothes and making it easier for himself to flee, so that the loose clothing does not get
caught up in his legs. The expression indicates terror.
... and they are called to prostrate but shall be unable; That day those disbelievers will be
summoned to prostrate themselves, for they shall endure the disgrace of being called to prostrate,
but shall be unable to do so on account of their vertebrae being locked and set solid so that they
are unable to bend and perform the prostration; as is clear in the narrations.
Humble is their sight, lowliness overcomes ’n<Î) tβöθtãô‰ãƒ (#θçΡ%x. ô‰s%uρ ( ×'©!ÏŒ öΝßγà)yδö&s? öΝèδã&≈|Áö/r& ºπyèϱ≈yz
them; and they had certainly been called to
prostration while they were well. (43) ∩⊆⊂∪ tβθßϑÎ=≈y™ öΝèδuρ ÏŠθàfb¡9$#

Humble is their sight ... Their gaze that day shall not rise above the ground, out of disgrace,
humiliation and dread.
... lowliness overcomes them ... They shall be covered in abasement and humiliation, for its signs
will be evident in their movements, their being still and on their cheeks.
... and they had certainly been called to prostration while they were well. Those disbelievers had
been called while they were in the world to prostrate and be humble towards Allah while they
were healthy, but they did not prostrate. And so they are rewarded with the humiliation, and with
their being unable to prostrate on the day of resurrection.
So leave Me and whosoever belies this ôÏiΒ Οßγã_Í‘ô‰tGó¡t⊥y™ ( Ï]ƒÏ‰ptø:$# #x‹≈pκÍ5 Ü>Éj‹s3ムtΒuρ ’ÎΤö‘x‹sù
pronouncement: soon We shall gradually lead
them on from whence they know not. (44) ∩⊆⊆∪ tβθßϑn=ôètƒ Ÿω ß]ø‹ym
 t

So leave me with whosoever belies this pronouncement ... ‘pronouncement’ is given for h}adi>th,
which in this context means the Holy Qur’an. The command is in the singular, addressed to the
Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family. The meaning is that he was to leave to Allah,
glory be to Him, whoever disputed the truth of what he was telling them about Monotheism,
Messengership and the Return. That is, he was to leave them to Allah, glory be to Him, to deal
with. It is a warning, meaning: We shall requite them.
... soon We shall gradually lead them on ... ‘Gradually lead them on’ is given for nastadrijuhum,
from istidra>j to seek a thing gradually, step by step, until it reaches the desired end. It means that
Allah shall set them up for the punishment by giving them life and wealth so that they advance
in disbelief and disobedience, and make themselves deserving of the severest chastisement.
... from whence they know not. They shall not know that they are being led to punishment and
chastisement; they consider they are blessed with blessings, health, wealth and position.
And I respite them; indeed My plot is solid. ∩⊆∈∪ îÏGtΒ “ωø‹x. ¨βÎ) 4 öΝçλm; ’Í?øΒé&uρ
(45)
Allah, glory be to Him, respites them and bears with them, for His plan is solid. That is, that
which He has prepared for the chastisement of the evil is firm, unyielding; it will never break
apart and no fault or imperfection shall ever affect it.
Then, conjunctive to the a>yah, 'Or have you a book ...’ comes His word:
Or do thou ask them a reward, and they are ∩⊆∉∪ tβθè=s)÷W•Β 5Θt&øó¨Β ÏiΒ Οßγsù #\&ô_r& óΟßγè=t↔ó¡n@ ÷Πr&
weighed down by the fine? (46)
That is, have you, O Messenger, asked these disbelievers for a wage in return for carrying out the
Messengership and calling them to Islam. So that they, under the burden of the price or ‘fine’
(maghram), its necessity and the necessity of the wealth sought from them, are brought low by
it? And so they wish to flee from it?
To sum up: their lack of faith – is it on account of their believing that there is no benefit in faith,
as they have read in scripture and they are sure that they shall be in gardens like the Muslims? Or
is it that they know there is a benefit to faith and that the gardens depend upon it, but that faith
has a fine, and they are fleeing from this fine?
Or is the unseen with them, so that they write? ∩⊆∠∪ tβθç6çGõ3tƒ ôΜßγsù Ü=ø‹tóø9$# ãΝèδy‰ΨÏã ÷Πr&
(47)
Has the revelation (wah}y) descended upon them, to the effect that their disbelief and
disobedience is correct? And they have written it down and learned it? That is, ‘Is it that they do
not yield to Islam on account of their having revelation and a book just as thou have revelation
and a book?’
And since, O Messenger of Allah, you see the disbelievers armed with only contingencies and
accidentals, without any proofs:
So be restrained for the affair of thy Lord, and 3“yŠ$tΡ øŒÎ) ÏNθçtø:$# É=Ïm$|Áx. ä3s? Ÿωuρ y7În/u‘ È/õ3çtÎ: ÷2É9ô¹$$sù
be not like the companion of the whale,
whale, when
he called while he was in restraint. (48) ∩⊆∇∪ ×ΠθÝàõ3tΒ uθèδuρ

So be restrained for the affair of thy Lord, ... The Messenger was to endure with patience and be
steadfast in delivering the message, and to bear the difficulties along the way.
... and be not like the companion of the whale, ... The Messenger Jonah (Yu>nus), peace be upon
him, who sought chastisement for his people and deserted them when he saw no benefit in
continuing to calling them. This was ‘forsaking the best’ (tark al-awla>) in consideration of the
station of prophethood.
... when he called ... He called Allah, glory be to Him, to send chastisement on his tribe.
... while he was contained. ‘Contained’ is given for makdhu>m, for he had ‘contained’ (kadhama)
his anger at his tribe, had ‘imprisoned it’, and was therefore makdhu>m al-ghaidh, ‘one whose
anger is contained’.
Had a blessing from his Lord not caught up ×ΠθãΒõ‹tΒ uθèδuρ Ï!#t&yèø9$$Î/ x‹Î6ãΖs9 ϵÎn/§‘ ÏiΒ ×πyϑ÷èÏΡ …çµx.u‘≡y‰s? βr& Iωöθ©9
with him, he would have been cast to the
wilderness in blame. (49) ∩⊆∪

Had a blessing from his Lord not caught up with him, ... The blessing of his repentance and his
seeking forgiveness – for repentance is a blessing from Allah, glory be to Him, upon the servant.
... he would have been cast to the wilderness ... He would have been cast from the belly of the
whale into a ‘wilderness’ (cara>’), meaning a barren land empty of life and shelter, where he would
have died of the heat and the cold and hunger.
... in blame. And he was blameworthy – in making the supplication against his people he failed
“to perform the best possible”, and though not a sin as such, yet it is incongruous with the
station of the Prophets, and so he needed to repent from that and be cleansed of it.
And when the blessing of his Lord reached him:
So his Lord chose him and put him among the ∩∈⊃∪ tÅsÎ=≈¢Á9$# zÏΒ …ã&s#yèyfsù …絚/u‘ çµ≈t6tGô_$$sù
virtuous. (50)
So, ... That is, after the blessing of Allah had reached him and he had repented and sought
forgiveness,
... his Lord chose him ... Allah accepted his repentance and chose him and raised him and restored
him to his former station.
... and put him among the virtuous. He placed him among the virtuous (al-sa>lih}in> ), those with the
virtues necessary to implement the divine mission.
So be patient, O Messenger of Allah, for thy Lord’s affair, and be not like Yunus, and realise that
the disbelievers wish an end to your call:
And vverily
erily the disbelievers will almost strike (#θãèÏÿxœ $£ϑs9 óΟÏδÌ&≈|Áö/r'Î/ y7tΡθà)Ï9÷”ã9s9 (#ρã&x>x. tÏ%©!$# ߊ%s3tƒ βÎ)uρ
thee down with their glances, when they hear
the reminder, and they say, ‘Surely he is mad.’ ∩∈⊇∪ ×βθãΖôfpRmQ …絯ΡÎ) tβθä9θà)tƒuρ t&ø.Ïe%!$#
(51)
And indeed it seems the disbelievers almost make thee stumble with their looks ... That is, the
disbelievers almost make you fall on the ground so that you cannot stand up to deliver the
message. It is a metaphor, since to fail to stand for the delivery of the message is like a person
fallen over rather than standing on two legs. And this was done with their eyes, for they would
give dark malicious looks to the Messenger – the look of enmity that causes a person to give up
what he intended, for when a person notices anger on his listener's face he gives up what he
wanted to say.
... As soon as they hear the reminder ... That is, the Qur’an.
... they say, ‘Indeed he is mad.’ They would say that the Messenger is mad, his reason is
damaged and gone, and his words are nonsense and meaningless.
While it is nought but a reminder for the ∩∈⊄∪ tÏΗs>≈yèù=Ïj9 Ö&ø.ÏŒ 2ωÎ) uθèδ $tΒuρ
worlds! (52)
This Qur’an is nought else than a reminder to the worlds, reminding them of what was placed
innate within them: monotheism, the return, and suchlike.
 Surah al-
al-H{a>qqah (69)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳊﺎﻗﺔ‬
‘The Definite’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of the word al-h}a>qqah, a name for the
resurrection from h}aqqa, meaning to be fixed, real, certain. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals
with matters of faith, and as the final part of Surah al-Qalam concluded on the theme of the
resurrection and the threat to the disbelievers, so this surah opens on the same theme.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, … We begin with the name of the God to whom belongs every particle of
existence. His name is noble, the best thing by which to commence all affairs, for He blesses
whatever is begun in His name, as is narrated: ‘Any matter significance that is not begun by the
name Allah – will be fruitless.’
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He bestows mercy on whoever asks Him and whoever does
not ask Him, although those who ask Him are subject to His special grace and favour – in
addition to His compassion that embraces all things.
The Definite: (1) ∩⊇∪ èπ©%!$ptø:$#

The Definite is given for al-h}a>qqah, one of the names of the resurrection. The Mustering is given
this name on account of it being an hour that will certainly and definitely take place. The word is
from h}aqqa, meaning to be fixed, true and definite.
What is the Definite? (2) ∩⊄∪ èπ©%!$ptø:$# $tΒ

The question affords a sense of grand emphasis, meaning ‘what is it?’ and also ‘what is more
severe and terrifying than it?’
And what will make thee comprehend what the ∩⊂∪ èπ©%!$ptø:$# $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
Definite is? (3)
The address, in the singular, is to the Messenger, or to listener as an individual. It means: ‘what
is this thing, don’t think that you can know its severities without having seen it.’ This does not
imply a denial of the Messenger's knowledge – assuming the address is to him – rather, it
indicates the severities of the event.
The flow of the surah now turns to explain the condition of some former peoples who gave the lie
to the resurrection, and subsequently Allah, glory be to Him, destroyed them:
Thamud and cAd belied the Shudderer; (4) ∩⊆∪ ÏπtãÍ‘$s)ø9$$Î/ 7Š%tæuρ ߊθßϑrO ôMt/¤‹x.

The Thamu>d were the people of the Messenger S{a>lih}, peace be upon him. The cA<d were the
people of Hu>d, peace be upon him. Both tribes called the resurrection a lie. The resurrection is
called ‘The Shudderer’ on account of how it will make things shudder, and will demolish them,
and will make the hearts shudder with dread.
So as for Thamud, they were destroyed by the ∩∈∪ Ïπu‹Ïî$©Ü9$$Î/ (#θà6Î=÷δé'sù ߊθßϑrO $¨Βr'sù
transgressor; (5)
That is, they were recompensed for their belying by a transgressor (t}a>ghiya) and piercing screech
that transgressed into them and tore out their hearts, and destroyed them.
And as for cAd, they were destroyed by a wind, ∩∉∪ 7πuŠÏ?%tæ A9|Àö&|¹ 8xƒÌ&Î/ (#θà6Î=÷δé'sù ׊$tã $¨Βr&uρ
icy, furious. (6)
They were recompensed for their belying with destruction, wrought by an icy and exceedingly
gusty wind. It was ‘insolent’ (cutuw) in that it exceeded its usual limit.
He subordinated it against them for seven ”u9tIsù $YΒθÝ¡ãm BΘ$−ƒr& sπuŠÏΨ≈yϑrOuρ 5Α$uŠs9 yìö7y™ öΝÍκö@n=tã $yδt&¤‚y™
nights and eight days uninterruptedly, so that
thou would have seen the people therein strewn ∩∠∪ 7πtƒÍρ%s{ @≅øƒwΥ ã—$yfôãr& öΝåκ¨Ξr(x. 4tç÷9|À $pκ@Ïù tΠöθs)ø9$#
about as if they were stumps of hollow palm-
palm-
trees. (7)
He subordinated it against them for seven nights and eight days ... Allah subordinated the wind
and sent it in their direction.; its cold and screeching destroyed them.
... uninterruptedly ... It is given for h}usu>man; which may also mean fatally, in that the wind cut
off their progeny, when none of them remained alive.
... so that thou would have seen the tribe therein
therein strewn about as if they were stumps of hollow
palm-
palm-trees. Throughout that time, during those days and nights, an observer would have seen the
c
A<d lying dead all around, as if they were the stumps of rotten palm-trees, for with their tall
bodies and the duration of their remaining on the ground, that is what they resembled.
So do thou see for them any remaining? (8) ∩∇∪ 7πu‹Ï%$t/ .ÏiΒ Νßγs9 3“t&s? ö≅yγsù

Is there anyone left from these tribes to continue their line? The question form has an emotive
purpose. The meaning is that none of them remained. And such is the end of every people who
belie the truth; the day of judgement: they are destroyed without a single survivor.
And Pharaoh, those before him, and the ∩∪ Ïπt⁄ÏÛ$sƒø:$$Î/ àM≈s3ÏJs?÷σßϑø9$#uρ …ã&s#ö6s% tΒuρ ãβöθtãö&Ïù u!%y`uρ
overturned were progressing in error, (9)
Pharaoh and his people disobeyed Moses, peace be upon him. They, and the previous peoples – of
Noah, and others like them – and the overturned, meaning the overturned city, the city of (the
prophet) Lot, meaning the people of that city, all followed paths of error.
Then they disobeyed the Messenger of their ∩⊇⊃∪ ºπu‹Î/#§‘ Zοx‹÷{r& öΝèδx‹s{r'sù öΝÍκÍh5u‘ tΑθß™u‘ (#öθ|Áyèsù
Lord; and so He took them with an excessive
taking. (10)
Then they disobeyed the Messenger of their Lord ... What is meant by ‘the Messenger’ is the
genus of Messenger, as previously discussed.
... and so He took them with an excessive seizing. Allah, glory be to Him, seized them in the
chastisement of His grip steadily becoming more severe.
In the past, Allah has taken those who belied, while saving those who acknowledged the truth,
just as He saved the believers in Noah, who were the fathers of all human beings:
We indeed, when the water transgressed, ∩⊇⊇∪ ÏπtƒÍ‘$pgø:$# ’Îû ö/ä3≈oΨù=uΗxq â!$yϑø9$# $tósÛ $£ϑs9 $¯ΡÎ)
carried
carried ye in the cruising ark, (11)
The waters ‘transgressed’ – that is, went so far beyond their normal levels that the whole earth
was flooded. Allah carried us in the cruising ark in the sense that we are all among the
descendents of those whom He carried to safety in that way. ‘The cruising ark’ is given for al-
ja>riyah, which is from jara>, ‘to flow’, and literally means ‘one that flows’; here it means the ship
that ran on the floodwaters.
So that We put it to be a reminder for ye, and ∩⊇⊄∪ ×πu‹Ïã≡uρ ×βèŒé& !$pκu@Ïès?uρ Zοt&Ï.õ‹s? ö/ä3s9 $yγn=yèôfuΖÏ9
for the retaining ear to retain it. (12)
That is, He placed this event that He did for mankind as a reminder to remember the favours of
Allah, glory be to Him. That, and for the ear ready to listen to warningful lessons to take heed, to
learn, understand and act.
Having seen the respective fates in the world of those who belie and those who confirm, now
comes a consideration of their fates in the hereafter:
So when the trumpet is blown with a single ∩⊇⊂∪ ×οy‰Ïn≡uρ ×πy‚øJtΡ Í‘θKÁ9$# ’Îû y‡ÏJçΡ #sŒÎ*sù
blowing, (13)
That is, when the angel Isra>fil blows the trumpet so as to raise the dead, which is his second
blast. It is a single blast, as there is no need for it to be repeated, because at this one blast all of
mankind will come to life. [Prior to this, Isra>fil heralds the end of time and life in this world by
blowing his first blast, when every living being dies.]
And the earth and the
the mountains are carried, ∩⊇⊆∪ Zοy‰Ïn≡uρ Zπ©.yŠ $tG©.߉sù ãΑ$t7Ågø:$#uρ ÞÚö‘F{$# ÏMn=ÏΗäquρ
and the two are demolished at a single
demolishing, (14)
And the earth and the mountains are carried, ... The meaning of the earth being carried is that its
depressions are raised so that everywhere is level and flat. The ‘carrying’ of the mountains is
their being pulverised to dust so that the face of the earth is completely level, with neither
upland nor depression, so that it is a plain ready for the resurrection.
... and the two are demolished at a single demolishing, ... The crushing shall encompass the earth
and the mountains all at once, and will not be a gradual affair.
So that day, the Occurrence will occur, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ èπyèÏ%#uθø9$# ÏMyès%uρ 7‹Í≥tΒöθuŠsù
The Occurrence is given for al-waqicah, one of the names of the resurrection. It is given this
name to portend that it most certainly shall occur.
And the sky rends asunder so that it that day is ∩⊇∉∪ ×πuŠÏδ#uρ 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ }‘ÏSsù â!$yϑ¡¡9$# ÏM¤)t±Ρ$#uρ
frail; (16)
The sky shall be demolished that day and will seem to be in ruins, and man will see it split; in a
condition much like that of a ruined wall and suchlike. It shall be weak and frail, for the order of
which it is presently a part shall be no more, and the orbits will overlap each other.
And the angels will be at its edges, and eight 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ öΝßγs%öθsù y7În/u‘ z¸ó\tã ã≅Ïϑøts†uρ 4 $yγÍ←!%y`ö‘r& #’n?tã à7n=yϑø9$#uρ
that day will carry above them the Trellis of thy
Lord. (17) ∩⊇∠∪ ×πuŠÏΖ≈oÿsS

And the angels will be at its edges, ... The angels who descend for the reckoning and the other
duties will be first seen at the sky's new edges.
... and eight that day will carry above them the Trellis of thy Lord ... ‘Trellis’ is the literal
meaning of carsh. It is the place from which are issued the commands of Allah, glory be to Him.
It is termed the carsh of Allah in the same way as the Kacbah is called the house of Allah, and for
the same purpose of according it honour. On that day the carsh will be carried aloft by eight
angels.
All of this is for the purpose of increasing terror, and is in harmony with the human mind that
sees greatness and feels fear at such things as these.
That day ye are paraded, none in hiding among ∩⊇∇∪ ×πuŠÏù%s{ óΟä3ΖÏΒ 4’s∀øƒrB Ÿω tβθàÊt&÷èè? 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ
ye shall be hidden. (18)
There is no escape from that terrible, dreadful day. Not a soul will be able to hide and be hidden,
for there will be nowhere to hide. All mankind will be manifest and able to see one another, along
with their actions – if good then good, and if evil then evil. There the creation will be divided
into two groups:
So as for him who is given his book on his right, ÷µu‹Î6≈tFÏ. (#ρât&ø%$# ãΠäτ!$yδ ãΑθà)u‹sù ϵÏΨŠÏϑu‹Î/ …çµt7≈tGÏ. š†ÎAρé& ôtΒ $¨Βr'sù
he shall say 'Here, read my book; (19)
∩⊇∪
His book is the statement of his deeds in which the angels have recorded everything he has done
in the world. He will be given it ‘on his right’; that is, in his right hand, and this is a sign of his
success and salvation. In joy and relief he will address the people of the day of resurrection, and
say, 'Here [given for ha>’um, plural form of ha>, meaning come and take], read my book, and see
the good deeds that are within it.'
'Indeed I anticipated that I would meet
meet my ∩⊄⊃∪ ÷µu‹Î/$|¡Ïm @,≈n=ãΒ ’ÎoΤr& àMΨuΖsß ’ÎoΤÎ)
reckoning.' (20)
While in the world he thought he would meet his reckoning in the hereafter, and so he acted
righteously until he reached the lofty level of happiness and salvation. ‘Anticipated’ is given for
dhanantu; and it seems this word is used to show that the supposition of something being good is
enough reason to make a person do that deed, in the same way countering a supposed danger or
harm is clearly required by reason.
So he is in a contented
contented life, (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ 7πu‹ÅÊ#§‘ 7πt±ŠÏã ’Îû uθßγsù

He who is given his book in his right hand shall live 'a contented life' (ci>shatin ra>d}i>yah). Saying
the life is contented is figurative, for it is the person living that life who is contented.
In a lofty
lofty garden, (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ 7πuŠÏ9%tæ >π¨Ψy_ ’Îû

The gardens of paradise are lofty in both status and situation.

Its clusters low; (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ ×πu‹ÏΡ#yŠ $yγèùθäÜè%

The fruits of the gardens are easily accessible; picking them entails no difficulty whatsoever.
Simply a person will desire the fruit and a cluster will come near in order to be picked.
And they shall be introduced to the garden in terms of respect and dignity, with the words:
‘Eat and drink, sweetly, for what ye sent on in ∩⊄⊆∪ Ïπu‹Ï9$sƒø:$# ÏΘ$−ƒF{$# †Îû óΟçFøJn=ó™r& !$yϑÎ/ $O↔ÿ‹ÏΨyδ (#θç/u9õ°$#uρ (#θè=ä.
the days gone by.’ (24)
'Eat and drink, sweetly ... That is, eat of the fruits of the gardens, and drink of its springs and
streams, pleasantly and happily without illness or any necessity to eat and drink.
... for what ye sent on in the days gone by.' And this is on account of the righteous actions sent
on beforehand, in those bygone days you spent in the world.
Having seen the condition of the people of paradise, now we must see the condition of the people
of the fire:
While as for him who is given his book on his |Nρé& óΟs9 Í_tFø‹n=≈tƒ ãΑθà)uŠsù Ï&Î!$yϑϱÎ0 …çµt7≈tGÏ. u’ÎAρé& ôtΒ $¨Βr&uρ
left, he will say, ‘O, would that I had not been
given my book!’ (25) ∩⊄∈∪ ÷µuŠÎ6≈tFÏ.

Those who are for the fire are given the record of their deeds, as recorded by the angels, in their
left hands. Each will wish that he had not been given his book, so that he would not have to see
the account of his evils to be recompensed.
‘And not comprehended my reckoning!’
reckoning!’ (26) ∩⊄∉∪ ÷µu‹Î/$|¡Ïm $tΒ Í‘÷Šr& óΟs9uρ

They will wish that they did not know what their accounts contain.
‘O, would that it had been the consummation!’ ∩⊄∠∪ sπu‹ÅÊ$s)ø9$# ÏMtΡ%x. $pκtJø‹n=≈tƒ
(27)
‘O, that it ...That is, the death that he died in the world.
... had been the consummation. That is, the end. Such a person will wish that his death in the
world had been the end of his life, forever, so that he would not have been raised to see the evil
of his deeds and be subjected to disgrace and chastisement
‘My wealth has not enriched me!’ (28) ∩⊄∇∪ 2÷µu‹Ï9$tΒ Íh_tã 4o_øîr& !$tΒ

That is, his wealth cannot defend him against the chastisement of Allah, glory be to Him, even in
the slightest.
‘My authority has perished from me!’ (29) ∩⊄∪ ÷µuŠÏΖ≈sÜù=ß™ Íh_tã y7n=yδ
He will say, 'My authority, my rank and power are no more. Now I have neither property to
defend me nor authority to benefit me, though I dedicated my life and all my efforts to them!'
The flow then turns to the words from the Supreme Authority to the angels in charge of such
offenders:
‘Take him and shackle him, (30) ∩⊂⊃∪ çνθV=äósù çνρä‹è{

‘Take him ... That is: ‘Take him and hold him...’ so that he has no opportunity to escape.
... and shackle him, It means that such a person will be bound in irons, so that parts of him are
bound and fettered to other parts, and he is unable to escape.
‘Thereupon the raging fire: cast him in! (31) ∩⊂⊇∪ çνθV=|¹ tΛÅspgø:$# ¢ΟèO

After being bound, he is to be placed within ‘the raging fire’ (al-jah}im

> ).
‘Thereupon in a chain, its length seventy cubits, ∩⊂⊄∪ çνθä3è=ó™$$sù %Yæ#u‘ÏŒ tβθãèö7y™ $yγããö‘sŒ 7's#Å¡ù=Å™ ’Îû ¢ΟèO
enchain him!’ (32)
‘Thereupon in a chain, its length seventy cubits, ... cubits, or forearms, is the distance between
fingertip and elbow...
... enchain him!’ The extreme length of the chain with which he will be bound indicates the
severity of the punishment and of the distress it causes. It is said that the chain will enter his
throat and come out of his behind.
The flow then turns to explain the cause of this type of punishment:
Indeed he was not believing in Allah, the ∩⊂⊂∪ ÉΟŠÏàyèø9$# «!$$Î/ ßÏΒ÷σムŸω tβ%x. …絯ΡÎ)
Magnificent, (33)
The offender did not believe in Allah while he was in the world, despite His magnificence, but
rather stubbornly refused to believe,
And he urged not the feeding of the destitute; ∩⊂⊆∪ ÈÅ3ó¡Ïϑø9$# ÇΠ$yèsÛ 4’n?tã KÙçts† Ÿωuρ
(34)
That is, he did not urge and incite people to feed the poor – a failure to perform the duty of
commanding to the honourable. Or perhaps what is meant is that he prevented himself, in that
one who prevents fails to urge, which would be a case of mentioning the effect while intending
the cause. It is essential to urge that the poor be fed, for they are face to face with perdition.
So this day here he has no boon companion, (35) ∩⊂∈∪ ×ΛÏΗxq $uΖßγ≈yδ tΠöθu‹ø9$# çµs9 }§øŠn=sù

That disbeliever on the day of resurrection will have no friend at the gathering to benefit him.
And no food except of pus; (36) ∩⊂∉∪ &,Î#ó¡Ïî ôÏΒ :ωÎ) îΠ$yèsÛ Ÿωuρ
‘Pus’ is given for ghisli>n, meaning the pus of sores (of the folk of hell); or it may mean the water
that remains after it is used for washing the pus.
None eat it but the errorful. (37) ∩⊂∠∪ tβθä↔ÏÜ≈sƒø:$# :ωÎ) ÿ…ã&é#ä.ù'tƒ :ω

None eat that ghisli>n except those who made the mistake while in the world of following
disbelief and disobedience.
After these comparisons between the conditions in the hereafter of the believers and the
disbelievers, the flow turns to prove the Messengership and deny some fanciful claims made
about the Messenger:
So I swear not by what ye observe, (38) ∩⊂∇∪ tβρç9ÅÇö6è? $yϑÎ/ ãΝÅ¡ø%é& Iξsù

The address is to mankind, in the plural.

And what ye do not observe, (39) ∩⊂∪ tβρç9ÅÇö6è? Ÿω $tΒuρ

That is, by what is manifest and what is hidden. The use of ‘not’ (la>) is to convey a very subtle
point. It conveys that the oath is extremely grave. When a person wishes to make an oath, and to
convey that the oath is of outstanding importance, he may say, ‘I swear not by your life that such
and such...’. Then he has not sworn an oath, while suggesting an oath. Accordingly, the la> is for
negation, and is not superfluous.
He then clarifies the object of the oath, in His word:
Indeed it is truly the word
word of an honoured ∩⊆⊃∪ 5ΟƒÌ&x. 5Αθß™u‘ ãΑöθs)s9 …絯ΡÎ)
messenger, (40)
That is, this Qur’an is the word entrusted to a Messenger honoured alongside Allah, glory be to
Him. And he is from Him, for the Messenger spoke not but from Him, glory be to Him.
And it is not a poet's word; little ye believe! ∩⊆⊇∪ tβθãΖÏΒ÷σè? $¨Β Wξ‹Î=s% 4 9&Ïã$x© ÉΑöθs)Î/ uθèδ $tΒuρ
(41)
And it is not a poet’s word ... The Qur’an is not the word of a poet; for the disbelievers would
say that Muhammad was a poet and the Qur’an was poetry.
... little ye believe! It means that their faith was little, or that few of them believed the prophet.
The sense affords a censure, meaning: why do you not believe? Why are you this way?
And nor is it the word of a soothsayer; little are ∩⊆⊄∪ tβρã&©.x‹s? $¨Β Wξ‹Î=s% 4 9Ïδ%x. ÉΑöθs)Î/ Ÿωuρ
ye mindful!
mindful! (42)
The Qur’an is not the word of a soothsayer – some of the disbelievers said that the Messenger
was a soothsayer, and that the Qur’an was soothsaying. ‘Soothsayer’ is given for ka>hin, someone
in touch with devils who brings concocted reports in verse or rhymed prose, the truth of which is
less than the false.
... little are ye mindful! That is, little do ye remember of the truth placed within the innate
human disposition; or it may mean that few are mindful of the truth.
A sending down from the Lord of the worlds; ∩⊆⊂∪ tÏΗs>≈yèø9$# Éb>§‘ ÏiΒ ×≅ƒÍ”∴s?
(43)
The Qur’an is sent down from the Lord of the worlds to the Messenger, may Allah bless him and
his family.
Had he made say against Us any sayings, (44) ∩⊆⊆∪ È≅ƒÍρ$s%F{$# uÙ÷èt/ $oΨø‹n=tã tΑ§θs)s? öθs9uρ

That is, had the Messenger invented false sayings and attributed them to Him, glory be to Him.
‘Made say’ is given for qawwala, meaning to invent a saying and attribute it falsely.
We truly would have taken from him the right ∩⊆∈∪ ÈÏϑu‹ø9$$Î/ çµ÷ΖÏΒ $tΡõ‹s{V{
hand; (45)
That is, from the Messenger. His hand would be cut off, for the penalty of working corruption in
the earth is the loss of the hand. [as indicated in 5:33] It should not be hidden that this passage is
a refutation of the disbelievers, for it touches upon the sacred personage of the Messenger. It is in
the same category as, ‘...he took his brother’s head and drew it to him...’ [7:151] that has been
discussed.
Thereupon We truly would have cut his aorta, ∩⊆∉∪ tÏ?uθø9$# çµ÷ΖÏΒ $uΖ÷èsÜs)s9 §ΝèO
(46)
That is, We would have cut the primary blood-passages in and out of the Messenger's heart,
indicating the totality of his destruction.
Yes, were he a liar He would have done just that:
And not one of ye would be warding off from ∩⊆∠∪ tÌ“Éf≈ym çµ÷Ζtã >‰tnr& ôÏiΒ Οä3ΖÏΒ $yϑsù
him. (47)
None among mankind could have assisted the Messenger or come between him and what Allah
would intend for him, and stop such a punishment from happening to him.
And indeed it is a reminder to the guardful; ∩⊆∇∪ tÉ)−Gßϑù=Ïj9 ×οt&Ï.õ‹tFs9 …絯ΡÎ)uρ
(48)
The Qur’an is a reminder of what has been placed man’s innate disposition: monotheism and the
other principles. The reminder is for the guardful (al-muttaqin), who are guardful against sin, as
it is only the person who keeps within the limits and fears degradation and dishonour who will be
reminded by the Qur’an. That is, the reminder is particularly for them in the sense that it is them
who will profit from it.
And indeed We know that among ye are beliers, ∩⊆∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3•Β Οä3ΖÏΒ ¨βr& ÞΟn=÷èuΖs9 $¯ΡÎ)uρ
(49)
There are those who belie Allah, the Messenger, the Return and the Qur’an as being all lies. This
constitutes a warning, in that they will be reckoned with and chastised for their belying the truth.
And indeed it is anguish upon the disbelievers; ∩∈⊃∪ tÍ&ÏJ≈s3ø9$# ’n?tã îοu9ô£yss9 …絯ΡÎ)uρ
(50)
The Qur’an will be the cause of their anguish on the day of resurrection, due to their not
implementing it even though it was within their reach.
And indeed it truly is real certainty; (51) ∩∈⊇∪ ÈÉ)u‹ø9$# ‘,y⇔s9 …絯ΡÎ)uρ

There are types of certainty, and the certainty of the Qur’an reaches a high level on account of its
concordance with the reality. There is ‘known certainty’ (cilm al-yaqi>n) which is the certainty
known but not experienced; and ‘real certainty’ (h}aqq al-yaqin), the certainty both known and
experienced. In this respect, the example about fire can be given.
So glorify
glorify by the name of thy Lord, the ∩∈⊄∪ ÉΟ‹Ïàyèø9$# y7În/u‘ ËΛôœ$$Î/ ôxÎm7|¡sù
Magnificent. (52)
It means: glorify thy Lord – declare Him above and untainted by all that is unworthy of
association with Him, glory be to Him – by the remembrance of His name. And, implied: give no
importance to the disbelievers, and proceed with the task as hand, the mission. Pronounce His
glory and acclaim and extol Him by declaring Him free of associates and of the low attributes
supposed for Him, glory be to Him, by the disbelievers.
 al-Maca>rij (70)
Surah al-
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﻌﺎﺭﺝ‬
‘The Paths of Ascension’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word maca>rij, meaning ‘places of
ascension’, of rising and going up. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of faith,
except its opening which was sent down at Madinah. As Surah al-Ha>qqah concluded with a
warning to the disbelievers, so this surah opens on a similar theme.
In fact, the reason for the descent of the opening part of this surah, as given in a narration from
Imam al-S{a>diq, peace be upon him, is that when the Messenger of Allah appointed Imam Ali, as
his successor on the day of Ghadir Khum, saying, ‘He whose patron (mawla>) I am, then Ali is
(also) his patron’, and this news had spread throughout the land. The Messenger was approached
by one Nucma>n ibn al-Ha>rith al-Fihri, who asked him: ‘O Messenger of Allah! you commanded
us from Allah that we declare there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah,
and you commanded us to the jihad, the hajj, the fast, the prayer and the zaka>t, and we accepted.’
‘Then you were not satisfied until you appointed this lad – meaning Imam Ali, who was about 33
– and you said ‘He
He whose patron I am, then Ali is his patron.”
patron Now, is this from you, or is it a
command from Allah?’
At that the Messenger said, ‘By Allah other than whom there is no god, it is from Allah.’ Then
Nucma>n turned away, saying, 'O Allah! if that is the truth from Thee, then rain down upon us
stones from the sky!’ So Allah stoned him with a stone that hit him on the head and killed him.
Then Allah sent down the a>yah, A questioner asked about an occurring chastisement ... [End of
narration].
This affair is also indicated by His word: And when they say, ‘O Allah, if that is the truth from
you then rain stones from the sky upon us, or present us with a painful chastisement.’ [8: 33].
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, … The beginning is by the name of Allah so that it be a blessed beginning
that will arrive at goodness.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He bestows mercy by rectifying the shortcomings in His
servants' religion, world and hereafter. For whereas the mercy and compassion in other than Him,
glory be to Him, is a quality of the heart that moves a person towards goodness, while His mercy
is the bestowal of goodness.
A questioner asked about an occurring ∩⊇∪ 8ìÏ%#uρ 5>#x‹yèÎ/ 7≅Í←!$y™ tΑr'y™
chastisement, (1)
That is, a demander demanded and sought chastisement; and you have learned that it was
Nucma>n al-Fihri. Yet it is probable that the meaning is more general and includes the disbelievers
who sought the advancement of the chastisement in mockery.
For the disbelievers, there is none to repel it, ∩⊄∪ ÓìÏù#yŠ …çµs9 }§øŠs9 tÌ&Ï0≈x6ù=Ïj9
(2)
(2)
The chastisement is for the disbelievers, and will happen to them whether they seek it or not.
There is none can prevent it.
From Allah, Holder of the paths of ascension; ∩⊂∪ ÆlÍ‘$yèyϑø9$# “ÏŒ «!$# š∅ÏiΒ
(3)
The chastisement is from Allah, glory be to Him, who possesses the maca>rij, ‘the paths of
ascension’. Perhaps the meaning is the skies or heavens that are the pathways of ascension for
the angels and the souls of the believers. It is accordingly an indication of the loftiness of His
status, glory be to Him; for when He intends a thing there is no other way. It must happen.
Thereupon the extent of the height of these pathways is explained, so that it not be imagined
that their height is such that the mind of man is familiar with it:
The angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a …çνâ‘#y‰ø)ÏΒ tβ%x. 5Θöθtƒ †Îû ϵø‹s9Î) ßyρ”&9$#uρ èπx6Íׯ≈n=yϑø9$# ßlã&÷ès?
day, whose amount is fifty thousand years. (4)
∩⊆∪ 7πuΖy™ y#ø9r& tÅ¡÷Ηs~

The angels and the Spirit ...

... ‘The Spirit’, al-ru>h,} means the great angel [Gabriel].
... ascend unto Him ... The ascension is to that place set by Him, glory be to Him, as the source
of His commands and an area for honouring Him, just as He has set the ‘House of Allah’, the
Kacbah, that He has set as a proxy for attention towards Him, as Allah is untainted by location.
... in a day, whose amount is fifty thousand years. To ascend from the earth by that path to the
place where the ultimate honours are bestowed takes a day, the length of which is fifty thousand
of our earthly years.
The phrase has another likely meaning: that the ascension to His honouring will take place on the
day of resurrection, the length of which is fifty thousand years. So the a>yah indicates either the
distance from the earth of the honouring place, or the length of the day of resurrection.
Narrations support both interpretations.
So be restrained, a graceful restraining: (5) ∩∈∪ ¸ξŠÏϑy_ #Z?ö9|¹ ÷?É9ô¹$$sù

The address, in the singular, is to the Messenger; may Allah bless him and his family. He was not
to despair and was not to be disturbed by the harshness, taunts and belying of the disbelievers.
Indeed they see it as distant, (6) ∩∉∪ #Y‰‹Ïèt/ …çµtΡ÷ρt&tƒ öΝåκ¨ΞÎ)

Indeed they ... That is, the disbelievers.

... see it as distant, They see that day, the day of resurrection – according to the second
interpretation – or the chastisement, as distant, and so they engage in disbelief and disobedience.
While we see it as near. (7) ∩∠∪ $Y7ƒÌ&s% çµ1t&tΡuρ

That is: We know it is near; for everything in the future is near, even if the intervening period is
lengthy by human reckoning.
The flow then turns to clarify the nature of that time of chastisement, or of the time of that day:
The day when the sky will be like molten ∩∇∪ È≅ôγçRùQ$$x. â!$yϑ¡¡9$# ãβθä3s? tΠöθtƒ
copper, (8)
To afflict thereby the offenders amongst mankind.
And the mountains will be like wool, (9) ∩∪ ÇôγÏèø9$%x. ãΑ$t6Ågø:$# ãβθä3s?uρ

Like carded, fluffed up wool; reduced to dust the mountains will glide through the air just like
wool.
And no boon-
boon-companion will ask of a boon-
boon- ∩⊇⊃∪ $VϑŠÏΗxq íΟŠÏΗxq ã≅t↔ó¡o„ Ÿωuρ
companion (10)
No friend will have time for another; everyone that day will be occupied with their pressing
concerns.
As they
they are shown them – the offender will ¥‹Í×ÏΒöθtƒ É>#x‹tã ôÏΒ “ωtFø0tƒ öθs9 ãΠÌ&ôfßϑø9$# –Šuθtƒ 4 öΝåκtΞρç?¢Çt7ãƒ
love to be redeemed from the chastisement of
that day by his sons, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ ϵŠÏ⊥t6Î/
As they are shown them – Some of the friends will be shown others but will not ask them how
they are. ‘They are shown them’ is given for yubassaru>nahum, implying that they are forced to
see: they do not wish to see their friends, but their eyes fall on them regardless of their intention.
... the offender wi
will
ll love to be redeemed from the chastisement of that day by his sons! Yes, the
disobedient will wish that he could be redeemed from the chastisement of that awful day at the
price of his own sons, the dearest of all people to him, so that they would suffer the chastisement
in his place.
And his consort and his brother, (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ ϵŠÅzr&uρ ϵÏGt6Ås≈|¹uρ

That is, he would love to redeem himself by giving his wife for the chastisement, and give his
brother just to save himself.
And his kin who sheltered him,
him, (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ ϵƒÈθø↔è? ÉL©9$# ϵÏGn=ŠÅÁsùuρ

And redeem himself at the price of his kin, his close relatives, who supported him and sheltered
him in times of difficulty.
And whosoever is in the earth, all of them, that ∩⊇⊆∪ ϵŠÉfΖム§ΝèO $Yè‹ÏΗsd ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû tΒuρ
it save him. (14)
He would like to substitute for himself every creature, so that this ransom might save him.
Would such a ransom benefit him, were we to assume him capable of it?
Nay; indeed it is a flame, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ 4‘sàs9 $pκ¨ΞÎ) ( Hξx.

Nay; ... That is, nothing will benefit and nothing will save him.
... indeed it is a flame, The fire of hell is pure flame (ladha>). It means that the offender is for the
flames and nothing can save him.
Snatching away at the extremities, (16) ∩⊇∉∪ 3“u褱=Ïj9 Zπtã#¨“tΡ

‘Snatching away’ is given for nazza>cah, meaning that the flame greatly overtakes the surface area
leaving aside no skin and no flesh. ‘The extremities’ is given for al-shawa>, from the verb shawa>,
meaning to roast, as it is the extremities that are roasted by fire.
Calling out ‘he who turned around and turned ∩⊇∠∪ 4’¯<uθs?uρ t&t/÷Šr& ôtΒ (#θããô‰s?
back, (17)
The fire shall itself call, in the roar and blast of its flames, ‘he who turned around from the truth
– that is, put their back to the truth so as to turn away, and turned back from the religion’
‘And amassed and hoarded’ (18) ∩⊇∇∪ #tç÷ρr'sù yìuΗsduρ

‘And gathered property and wealth and secured it in a hoard, such as in a chest or suchlike, and
did not dispense it in obedience to Allah.’
Indeed the human is created avaricious, (19) ∩⊇∪ %·æθè=yδ t,Î=äz z≈|¡ΣM}$# ¨βÎ)

‘Avaricious’ is given for halu> c, meaning to be extreme in greed (h}irs}).

The Most High then defines the voracious by His word:
When the adverse visits him, fretful, (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ $Yãρâ“y_ •?¤³9$# 絡¡tΒ #sŒÎ)

When he is subjected to adverse things such as poverty, illness, danger and suchlike, he becomes
impatient and fretful, rather than being restrained and looking forward to the relief.
And when visited by goodness, withholding; ∩⊄⊇∪ $¸ãθãΖtΒ ç?ögsƒø:$# 絡¡tΒ #sŒÎ)uρ
(21)
When he is subject to the good in life, such as wealth, health, security and status, he is extremely
grudging and prevents it reaching the people. He fails to perform the obligatory acts of gratitude
in spending freely of his wealth and influence, nor performs the service to the people with his
health and security.
Such is human nature and the innate constitution driving him within. However:
Save for the prayers, (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ t,Íj#|Áßϑø9$# <ωÎ)

‘Prayers’ is given for mus}alli>n, meaning those who perform the prayer. They connect themselves
to Allah, glory be to Him, and raise themselves from the level and temptation of the self or nafs
through the prayer and performing it, for it is inseparable from belief and the other beautiful
qualities.
Those who are constant in their praying; (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ tβθßϑÍ←!#yŠ öΝÍκÍEŸξ|¹ 4’n?tã öΝèδ tÏ%©!$#

They perform the prayer constantly, for it is the consistent performing of the prayer that reveals
to the soul the goodness of the spiritual matters, since the repetition of such performance give
rise to the cleansing of the soul; as He has said in a later a>yah [#35], ‘Those who, they guard their
prayer.’
And those in whose wealth a right is known, ∩⊄⊆∪ ×Πθè=÷è¨Β A,ym öΝÏλÎ;≡uθøΒr& þ’Îû šÉ‹©9$#uρ
(24)
That is, a portion of their wealth is set aside and given to the poor. It is narrated that by the right
known (h}aqq maclu>m) is meant beneficence other than the zaka>t, something a man imposes upon
himself and separates from his wealth every day or every week.
For the asker and the deprived. (25) ∩⊄∈∪ ÏΘρã&ósyϑø9$#uρ È≅Í←!$¡¡=Ïj9

The wealth is given to the person who asks on account of his poverty. And it is given to the
deprived (mah}ru>m); meaning a person who is poor and without wealth but does not ask people on
account of his honour.
And those who confirm the day of requital, (26) ∩⊄∉∪ ÈÏd‰9$# ÏΘöθu‹Î/ tβθè%Ïd‰|ÁムtÏ%©!$#uρ

That is, they believe in the resurrection and the day of requital. ‘Confirm’ is given for
yus}}addiqun; perhaps this is to indicate that they heartily confirm all that is to happen on that
day.
And those who are afraid of the chastisement ∩⊄∠∪ tβθà)Ï0ô±•Β ΝÍκÍh5u‘ É>#x‹tã ôÏiΒ Νèδ tÏ%©!$#uρ
of their Lord – (27)
They fear the chastisement of the world and of the hereafter.
Indeed their Lord's chastisement affords not ∩⊄∇∪ 5βθãΒù'tΒ ç?ögxî öΝÍκÍh5u‘ z>#x‹tã ¨βÎ)
security – (28)
That is, the future occurrence of His chastisement of the disbelievers and the disobedient is not
something to make a person feel secure. So it is not fitting for anyone to feel secure about it and
be deceived into persisting on disbelief and sin.
And those who guard their private parts, (29) ∩⊄∪ tβθÝàÏ0≈ym öΝÎγÅ_ρã&à0Ï9 ö/ãφ tÏ%©!$#uρ

‘Guarding them’ means not seeing them as permissible for the sinful acts.
Save before their spouses or what their right tÏΒθè=tΒ ç?ögxî öΝåκ¨ΞÎ*sù öΝåκß]≈yϑ÷ƒr& ôMs3n=tΒ $tΒ ÷ρr& óΟÎγÅ_≡uρø—r& #’n?tã <ωÎ)
hands own: for indeed they are blameless. (30)
∩⊂⊃∪

The exception before their wives covers the wives before their husbands, of necessity. ‘What
their right hands own’ means bondmaids; ownership is attributed to the right hand as it is the
means of acquiring the price with which the bondmaids is purchased. ‘Temporary marriage’
(mutcah) is included in wives. In these cases there is no blame in using the private parts for the
pleasures.
So whosoever reaches for more than that – ∩⊂⊇∪ tβρߊ$yèø9$# ç/èφ y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé'sù y7Ï9≡sŒ u!#u‘uρ 4xötGö/$# Çyϑsù
those, they are the violators. (31)
To seek pleasure in other than what is listed – be it in fornication, homosexuality between men
or between women, or masturbation – all is transgression of the right and of the limits of the
Divine law, deserving of punishment and chastisement.
And those who are faithful of their trusts and ∩⊂⊄∪ tβθãã≡u‘ ôΜÏδωôγtãuρ öΝÍκÉJ≈oΨ≈tΒL{ öΛèε tÏ%©!$#uρ
covenants, (32)
That is, they neither betray the trusts that are placed with them, nor break their agreements.
And those who are upright
upright in their testimonies, ∩⊂⊂∪ tβθßϑÍ←!$s% öΝÍκÌE≡y‰≈pκy¶Î/ Νèδ tÏ%©!$#uρ
(33)
When the occasion comes for them to give testimony they give testimony truthfully, not falsely,
and they do not flee from giving testimony out of fear or greed.
And those who guard their prayer: (34) ∩⊂⊆∪ tβθÝàÏù$ptä† öΝÍκÍEŸξ|¹ 4’n?tã öΛèε tÏ%©!$#uρ

It seems that ‘guarding’ the prayer is performing it properly according to its rules and in the right
spirit. And they do so with constancy. Or the earlier a>yah (#23, using the term ‘constant’) is
about the optional/recommended prayers (nawa>fil), while this a>yah, using the term ‘guarding’, is
about the obligatory prayers, as narrated from Imam al-Ba>qir, peace be upon him.
Those are in gardens, honoured. (35) ∩⊂∈∪ tβθãΒt&õ3•Β ;M≈¨Ζy_ ’Îû y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé&

The believers thus described are in gardens secluded by trees and palaces. They are honoured by
Allah, glory be to Him, and His angels, and so are blessed with blessings material and spiritual.
Now, considering that the truth is clear,
So what is with the disbelievers, glaring at ∩⊂∉∪ tÏèÏÜôγãΒ y7n=t7Ï% (#ρã&x0x. šÏ%©!$# ÉΑ$yϑsù
thee? (36)
O Messenger of Allah, what is wrong with the disbelievers and what drives them to do what they
do? Glaring is given for muht}aci>n, meaning to look constantly at a thing without breaking off the
stare; which indicates either love or enmity. Here it is the second of these that is intended. The
a>yah means: what is with the disbelievers that they look at you malignantly with enmity and
aggression?
From the right and from the left, in groups? ∩⊂∠∪ tÌ“Ïã ÉΑ$uΚÏe±9$# Çtãuρ ÈÏϑu‹ø9$# Çtã
(37)
They would approach the Messenger, group-by-group and gang-by-gang, from his right and his
left, while glaring at him. And such is normally the way with people when a reformer appears
amongst them: they cleave to each other in groups and stare at him from every direction when he
is in a place or passes by a place.
Does each one among them lust to enter a ∩⊂∇∪ 5ΟŠÏètΡ sπ¨Ζy_ Ÿ≅yzô‰ãƒ βr& öΝåκ÷]ÏiΒ <›Ídö∆$# ‘≅à2 ßìyϑôÜtƒr&
garden of bliss? (38)
Do those disbelievers wish to be in a garden of bliss? What a feeble-minded hope they must have,
after all their disbelief and stubbornness! After having given vent to their hatred of the
Messenger and looked at him with such aggression, do they expect this to have earned them the
contentment of Allah, so that He will enter them into His garden?
Nay, We created them from what they know. ∩⊂∪ šχθßϑn=ôètƒ $£ϑÏiΒ Νßγ≈oΨø)n=s{ $¯ΡÎ) ( Hξx.
(39)
Nay, ... Nay, they will not enter the garden.
... We created them from what they know. Allah created them from an unclean droplet: will
whoever is an unclean droplet by origin enter the garden without faith and good deeds? For a
thing is measured either by its origins or its actions. Their origin is a dirty droplet, their deeds are
disbelief and disobedience, so they are not fit to be entered into the garden.
So I swear not by the Lord of the easts and the ∩⊆⊃∪ tβρâ‘ω≈s)s9 $¯ΡÎ) É>Ì&≈tópRùQ$#uρ É−Ì&≈t±pRùQ$# Éb>t&Î/ ãΝÅ¡ø%é& Iξsù
wests that We are surely able (40)
‘Not’ (la>) is for negation. The phrase is suggestive of an oath, while it is not an oath – as has
been explained. ‘Easts’ and ‘wests’ are pluralized on account of how each day the sun rises and
sets in a different place.
To substitute them with better than them; and ∩⊆⊇∪ tÏ%θç6ó¡yϑÎ/ ßøtwΥ $tΒuρ ÷Λàι÷ΨÏiΒ #Z?ögyz tΑÏd‰t7œΡ βr& #’n?tã
We are not such as to be outrun. (41)
To substitute them with better than them; ... That is, Allah is in power over them sufficient to
destroy them and bring in their place a believing people who would not disobey.
... and We are not such as to be outrun. And Allah is not such as to be outrun; no disbeliever can
escape Him by running away and putting themselves beyond Him and safe from His
chastisement of them, in the way that a worldly ruler can be outrun by a felon who escapes from
him and puts himself beyond his punishment.
So leave them to plunge and play, till they meet “Ï%©!$# Þ/ßStΒöθtƒ (#θà)≈n=ム4®Lym (#θç7yèù=tƒuρ (#θàÊθèƒs† óΟèδö‘x‹sù
their day that they are promised: (42)
∩⊆⊄∪ tβρ߉tãθãƒ

The Messenger was to leave those disbelievers to indulge in their vanities and falsehood.
‘Plunge’ is given for yakhu>dhu>, meaning to become immersed in water. It is used figuratively for
those engaged in falsehood, as if they are immersed in it. And let them play, for play is the doing
of things without serious purpose, for the attainment of no end other than the passing of time.
Until they meet the day they have been promised, the day of resurrection.
Then He explains that day, glory be to Him, with His word:
The day they leave the tombs speedily, as if they 5=ÝÁçΡ 4’n<Î) öΝåκ¨Ξr(x. %Yæ#u?Å  Ï^#y‰÷`F{$# zÏΒ tβθã_ã&øƒs† tΠöθtƒ
are rushing to their idols, (43)
∩⊆⊂∪ tβθàÒÏùθãƒ

They will be as if in a hurry on account of the terror they are experiencing, for terror makes a
person rush towards safety before being caught up in the chastisement. In the world they rushed
about so as to observe the festivals of their idolatry, so there too they will rush about after their
departure from the graves,
Their gazes humbled, lowliness weighs them (#θçΡ%x. “Ï%©!$# ãΠöθu‹ø9$# y7Ï9≡sŒ 4 ×'©!ÏŒ öΝßγà)yδö&s? óΟèδã&≈|Áö/r& ºπyèϱ≈yz
down. That is the day that they have been
promised. (44) ∩⊆⊆∪ tβρ߉tãθãƒ
 t

Their gazes humbled ... They will be humbled that day, the signs of their humiliation showing on
their faces; for the effects of humiliation appear in the eye. And they will not be able to hold up
their gaze that day, in fear and terror.
... lowliness
lowliness weighs them down ... Lowliness and abasement (dhilla) will cover them, for they
will be aware of their sins, and that they are to be condemned on their account to the
chastisement.
... That is the day that they were promised. They were promised that day while in the world, but
they denied it; then they will be delivered to it and discover its chastisement and terror.
 Surah Nu>h} (71)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ �ﻮﺡ‬
‘Noah’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the name and story of Noah, peace
be upon him. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of faith, but in the form of a
narrative. While Surah al-Maca>rij concluded with a warning to the disbelievers, this surah opens
on the theme of Noah, and the resistance he met from his people, thereby constituting a
consolation for the Messenger, and a warning for the disbelievers.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate,
Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, … We seek help by the name of Allah, that He assist us in the important
affairs, and in this affair we are beginning, in particular.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He bestows mercy on whoever seeks from Him mercy and
ease in matters.
Indeed We sent Noah to his people, that ‘Warn βr& È≅ö7s% ÏΒ y7tΒöθs% ö‘É‹Ρr& ÷βr& ÿϵÏΒöθs% 4’n<Î) %·nθçΡ $uΖù=y™ö‘r& !$¯ΡÎ)
thy people before there comes to them a painful
chastisement.’ (1) ∩⊇∪ ÒΟŠÏ9r& ë>#x‹tã óΟßγu‹Ï?ù'tƒ

That is, the Messenger Nu>h} (Noah), was sent as a Messenger for his people, and words of
revelation descended upon him thus: ‘Warn thy people, that if they persist in disbelief and
disobedience they will be afflicted with the chastisement in the world and the chastisement of
the hereafter, and be subjected to great pain.’
Noah, obeyed the command:
He said, 'O my people, indeed I am for ye a clear ∩⊄∪ îÎ7•Β Ö&ƒÉ‹tΡ ö/ä3s9 ’ÎoΤÎ) ÉΘöθs)≈tƒ tΑ$s%
warner, (2)
He told his people that he was a clear warner for them.
‘That ye worship Allah and be guardful of Him ∩⊂∪ Èβθãè‹ÏÛr&uρ çνθà)¨?$#uρ ©!$# (#ρ߉ç6ôã$# Èβr&
and obey me; (3)
He called his people to worship Allah and not disbelieve in Him, to be guardful of Him and not
disobey Him, and to obey the directives of Noah, that constituted the divine code (sharicah).
‘He will forgive ye your sins, and defer ye until Ÿ≅y_r& ¨βÎ) 4 ‘‡Κ|¡•Β 9≅y_r& #’n<Î) öΝä.ö&½jzxσãƒuρ ö/ä3Î/θçΡèŒ ÏiΒ /ä3s9 ö&Ï9øótƒ
a stated term; surely Allah's term, when it
comes, is not deferred, were ye knowing.’ (4) ∩⊆∪ šχθßϑn=÷ès? óΟçFΖä. öθs9 ( ã&¨zxσムŸω u!%y` #sŒÎ) «!$#

He will forgive ye your sins, ... He told them that were they to worship Allah and be guardful
towards Him, He would forgive them all their sins. ‘your sins’ is given for min dhunu>bikum – the
word min designates the genus of their sins, i.e. all your (past) sins.
... and defer ye until a stated term; ... That is, instead of quickly destroying them, He would have
given them some respite until ‘a stated term’ (ajalin musamma>), meaning a period stated in His
book; in contrast to the disbeliever who faced the chastisement of death.
... surely Allah's term, when it comes, is not deferred, ... The term of Allah, the term determined
by Allah, is subject to no delay once its time arrives. So they were to be quick about believing
and repenting before the time was up.
... were ye knowing.’ That is, If only they acted rightly they would have known all this.
Noah called his people for a lengthy period with guidance and advices like this, yet his calling
had no affect on them, so he turned to Allah, glory be to Him, and supplicated:
He said, 'My Lord! Indeed I have called my ∩∈∪ #Y‘$yγtΡuρ Wξø‹s9 ’ÍΓöθs% ßNöθtãyŠ ’ÎoΤÎ) Éb>u‘ tΑ$s%
people by night and by day, (5)
He said, 'My Lord! Indeed I have called my people ... Noah had summoned his people to belief.
... by night and by day, At all times.
'But my calling has not increased them except ∩∉∪ #Y‘#t&Ïù 2ωÎ) ü“Ï!%tæߊ óΟèδ÷ŠÌ“tƒ öΝn=sù
in flight; (6)
His summoning them only led the disbelievers to arrange their ranks, and pronounce their
disbelief, their disobedience and their flight from the truth.
'And indeed, whenever I called them that Thou þ’Îû ÷ΛàιyèÎ6≈|¹r& (#þθè=yèy_ óΟßγs9 t&Ï9øótGÏ9 öΝßγè?öθtãyŠ $yϑ¯=à2 ’ÎoΤÎ)uρ
forgive them, they placed their fingers in their
ears, covered themselves
themselves with their garments, #Y‘$t6õ3ÏGó™$# (#ρçLy9õ3tFó™$#uρ (#ρ•L|Àr&uρ öΝåκu5$uŠÏO (#öθt±øótGó™$#uρ öΝÍκÍΞ#sŒ#u
persisted, and they sought hauteur, haughtily.’
(7) ∩∠∪

'And indeed, whenever I called them that Thou forgive them, ... The more he called them to the
belief and to obedience for Allah to forgive them on account of their believing and being
obedient,
... they placed their fingers in their ears, ... They would simply put their fingers in their ears so as
not to hear him,
... covered themselves with their garments, ... They would wrap their garments around their
heads and faces so as not to see him.
... persisted, ... They would continue in their disbelief and disobedience.
... and they sought hauteur, haughtily.’ They would arrogantly and scornfully disdain from
accepting the truth. ‘Haughty’ is given for istikbar, which seems to indicate that they sought
greatness, while in reality they were not great.
Thereupon,
Thereupon, ‘Indeed I called to them publicly.’ ∩∇∪ #Y‘$yγÅ_ öΝåκèEöθtãyŠ ’ÎoΤÎ) ¢ΟèO
(8)
‘Thereupon’ (thumma), denotes order in speech, not in the topic itself. ‘Publicly’ is given for
jiha>ran, meaning that he called to them aloud, at the top of his voice.
Thereupon,
Thereupon, ‘I proclaimed for them and I spoke ∩∪ #Y‘#uLó Î) öΝçλm; ßNö‘uLó r&uρ öΝçλm; àMΖn=ôãr& þ’ÎoΤÎ) §ΝèO
in confidence to them, in secret.’ (9)
He summoned them in proclamations and he spoke to them privately, secretly. The meaning is
that he called them in every way possible. Calling them publicly (jihr) is covered by
proclamation (icla>n), of which it is a type, so there is no repetition in the use of icla>n
(proclamation) after jihar (in full voice).
'And I said, “Seek forgiveness from your Lord, ∩⊇⊃∪ #Y‘$¤9xî šχ%x. …絯ΡÎ) öΝä3−/u‘ (#ρã&Ï9øótFó™$# àMù=à)sù
indeed
indeed He is greatly-
greatly-forgiving.' (10)
He called on the people to seek the forgiveness of their Lord through belief and obedience;
reminding them that He is Ghaffa>r, greatly-forgiving of those who seek His forgiveness.
Had they sought His forgiveness:
“He will send the sky upon ye in torrents. (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ #Y‘#u‘ô‰ÏiΒ /ä3ø‹n=tæ u!$yϑ¡¡9$# È≅Å™ö&ãƒ

‘Torrents’ is given for midra>r, meaning plenteous rain. It is said that rainfall had been denied
them, until they had reached the point of being afflicted by drought, and so Noah sought to
encourage them in this way.
And will extend ye in wealth and in sons, and ö/ä3©9 ≅yèøgs†uρ ;M≈¨Ζy_ ö/ä3©9 ≅yèøgs†uρ tÏΖt/uρ 5Α≡uθøΒr'Î/ /ä.÷ŠÏ‰ôϑãƒuρ
will put for ye gardens and will put for ye
rivers. (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ #\&≈pκ÷Ξr&

That is, increase their wealth and increase their male children. [as the male siblings were
nominally considered by society to be able to produce wealth.] By means of the rain and their
wealth they would have acquired gardens, and rivers would have watered their gardens. Rain
when it is plenteous gathers in the earth, and then it bursts out of springs, which form rivers.
'What is with ye, that ye hope not for dignity ∩⊇⊂∪ #Y‘$s%uρ ¬! tβθã_ö&s? Ÿω ö/ä3s9 $¨Β
in Allah? (13)
What is with ye, O community of disbelievers, that you do not recognise Allah, glory be to Him,
as dignified, as great? ‘dignity’ is given for (waqa>r), and ‘hope for’ is given for raja>’ in that one
hopes for something that is good and desirable. Thus whoever sees no greatness and dignity in a
person has no hope in that person. So it seems he said: what is with you that you have no hope in
Allah? Do you not acknowledge His dignity, His greatness, His magnificence?
'While He certainly
certainly created ye in diverse states? ∩⊇⊆∪ #·‘#uθôÛr& ö/ä3s)n=s{ ô‰s%uρ
(14)
‘Diverse states’ is given for at}wa>r, plural of t}awr meaning state, or appearance. The verse
therefore means man passes from one state to another until arriving at the state he is in. Or the
meaning is that He created man in diversity, each person different to the other; in what signifies
His perfect capability.
And just as the signs of the magnificence of Allah, glory be to Him, are evident within
yourselves, so they are evident in the external world:
Do ye not see how Allah created seven skies in ∩⊇∈∪ $]%$t7ÏÛ ;N≡uθ≈yϑy™ yìö7y™ ª!$# t,n=y{ y#ø‹x. (#÷ρt&s? óΟs9r&
levels? (15)
The address is plural to the disbelievers. In ‘do ye not see’ it is meant ‘do ye not know’. ‘Skies’
in this context is in reference to the planetary orbits. ‘In levels’ is given for t}iba>qan meaning one
above another. [The planetary orbits are referred to as seven in this verse since the number of
planets orbiting the sun was considered by the people at the time to be seven.]
'And put the moon amidst them as a light and ∩⊇∉∪ %[`#uLÅ  }§ôϑ¤±9$# Ÿ≅yèy_uρ #Y‘θçΡ £ÍκeÏù t&yϑs)ø9$# Ÿ≅yèy_uρ
put the sun as a lamp? (16)
‘Amidst them’ means amidst the skies. The moon is a light that gives light by its radiance. The
sun is a lamp whose rays light up the darkness of the world.
'And Allah had ye grow from the earth as ∩⊇∠∪ $Y?$t7tΡ ÇÚö‘F{$# zÏiΒ /ä3tFu;/Ρr& ª!$#uρ
vegetation? (17)
The human being grows out of the earth much like a plant grows out of the earth. The difference
is that the earth turns into vegetation, while man eats vegetation that becomes sperm and then a
human being, while the plants are vegetation from the beginning. In reality the human is the
animated vegetation of the earth, just as plants are the inanimate or stationary vegetation of the
earth.
'And then He returns ye in it, and He brings ye ∩⊇∇∪ %[`#t&÷zÎ) öΝà6ã_Ì&øƒä†uρ $pκeÏù ö/ä.߉ŠÏèム§ΝèO
out, a bringing forth. (18)
He returns us into the earth, for without delay the corpse decays and becomes earth, as it was
before. And He brings us out of the earth again on the day of resurrection. The repetition is to
convey emphasis and the fact that it is a real event, with no room for doubt.
'And Allah made for ye the earth outstretched? ∩⊇∪ $WÛ$|¡Î0 uÚö‘F{$# â/ä3s9 Ÿ≅yèy_ ª!$#uρ
(19)
The earth is such that man is enabled to walk upon it and build upon it, and fulfil his other
purposes with it.
The thread then explains one of the favours Allah has prepared for the human being by His
spreading wide the earth:

'That ye journey its wide paths.' (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ %[`$y∨Ïù Wξç7ß™ $pκ÷]ÏΒ (#θä3è=ó¡tFÏj9
‘Wide’ is given for fija>jan, meaning paths that are wide and various. The meaning of the a>yah is:
so that you are enabled to travel the variety of the earth's pathways for your needs here and there.
Yet after all such reminders and indications of these great blessings, still the people did not
accept Noah's call, and so Noah directed himself to his Lord:
Said Noah, 'My Lord, indeed they disobeyed me …çµä9$tΒ çν÷ŠÌ“tƒ óΟ©9 tΒ (#θãèt7¨?$#uρ ’ÎΤöθ|Átã öΝåκ¨ΞÎ) Éb>§‘ ÓyθçΡ tΑ$s%
and followed him whose wealth and children
increase him in nothing but loss. (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ #Y‘$|¡yz 2ωÎ) ÿ…çνà$s!uρuρ
Noah's people disobeyed him by not believing in Allah, and by not accepting Noah's commands.
Instead, they were following the leading men of their people, who were the head of corruption.
The more they were increased in wealth the more they disposed of it in evil, and the more they
were increased in children the more they deviated them from the path of truth; and so their
wealth and children increased them in nothing but loss and damage; that is, in things that would
lead to their increase in punishment and chastisement.

And they plotted great plots, (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ #Y‘$¬7à2 #[&õ3tΒ (#ρã&s3tΒuρ
They plotted against Noah, and their plots were great in consideration of their purpose; for the
containment of the teachings of the Messenger requires sophisticated strategies. Otherwise,
mankind in their natural simplicity are inclined to follow the truth. Those who plotted were
either the leaders of that people, indicated by the word ‘him’ (man) in the previous a>yah, or that
people in general.
And they said “Be sure not to leave your gods”, Ÿωuρ %Yæ#uθß™ Ÿωuρ #tŠuρ ¨βâ‘x‹s? Ÿωuρ ö/ä3tGyγÏ9#u ¨βâ‘x‹s? Ÿω (#θä9$s%uρ
and, “Be sure not to leave Wadd, and not
not
Suwac, and not Yaghuth, Yacuq and Nasr.” ∩⊄⊂∪ #ZLô£nΣuρ s−θãètƒuρ šWθäótƒ
(23)
The plotters said to the rest of the people: do not turn away from your idols in obedience to Noah
and his call for you to worship the one God. They then listed by name those of their gods who
were the major idols among them: Wadd, Suwa>c, Yaghuth, Yacuq and Nasr. The omission of
‘not’ (la) between these last two is on account of the flow of eloquence. These were the names of
idols they worshipped instead of Allah, glory be to Him. And it has been stated that these names
were originally the names of righteous men: after they died, statues were made of them and these
were honoured on account of them being symbols of those great men – then, lured by the devil,
they worshipped those statues.
And truly they have sent many astray. And ∩⊄⊆∪ Wξ≈n=|Ê 2ωÎ) tÏΗÍ>≈©à9$# ÏŠÌ“s? Ÿωuρ ( #ZLlÏWx. (#θ^=|Êr& ô‰s%uρ
increase not the wrongful except in straying.'
(24)
And truly they have sent many astray ... Attributing to the idols the act of sending astray is on
account of how they were the means of that act.
... And increase not the wrongful ... The wrongful (al-dha>limi>n) were those who wronged
themselves through disbelief and disobedience, and wronged others by leading astray and
increasing corruption.
... except in straying.’ That is, in nothing but deviation, as the recompense of their stubbornness
and persistence in corruption. The increase in deviation would be by depriving them of the
hidden graces.
The flow then explains the end in store for these disbelievers, in His word:
For their errors they were drowned, then they ÏiΒ Μçλm; (#ρ߉Ågs† óΟn=sù #Y‘$tΡ (#θè=Åz÷Šé'sù (#θè%Íbøîé& öΝÍκÉJ≈t↔ÿ‹ÏÜyz $£ϑÏiΒ
were made to enter fire, and they shall find for
themselves besides Allah no succourers. (25) ∩⊄∈∪ #Y‘$|ÁΡr& «!$# Èβρߊ

For their errors they were drowned, ... On account of the sins of these disbelievers they were
drowned in water in the world.
... then they were made to enter fire, ... They were put into the fire in the hereafter; and so they
were subjected to the two contrasting chastisements.
... and they shall find for themselves besides Allah no succourers Those disbelievers will find for
themselves no one to ward off the chastisement of God, for those who promised them their
succour will not be with them.
And said Noah, 'My Lord, leave upon the earth #·‘$−ƒyŠ tÍ&Ï9≈s3ø9$# zÏΒ ÇÚö‘F{$# ’n?tã ö‘x‹s? Ÿω Éb>§‘ ÓyθçΡ tΑ$s%uρ
not an inhabitant from among the disbelievers!'
(26) ∩⊄∉∪

And said Noah, ‘My Lord, ... This was his prayer against them before they drowned. It is placed
after the drowning in the discourse on account of how it was the straying that expedited the
chastisement, as if between the straying and the chastisement there were no interval.
... leave upon the earth not an inhabitant from among the disbelievers!' His prayer was to leave
and let live not a person from amongst the disbelievers to be ‘an inhabitant’ (dayya>r), or settle in
an habitation, but to let the chastisement encompass them all.

Noah, then explains the cause of this prayer against them, in the Word.
'Indeed, if Thou leave them they will send #\&Å_$sù 2ωÎ) (#ÿρà$Î#tƒ Ÿωuρ š‚yŠ$t6Ïã (#θ^=ÅÒムöΝèδö‘x‹s? βÎ) y7¨ΡÎ)
astray Thy servants, and will breed none but
brazen, extreme disbelievers. (27) ∩⊄∠∪ #Y‘$¤9Ÿ2

They would send astray the offspring of the believers, and themselves would raise no offspring
save those brazen in disobedience and extreme in disbelieving, corrupt in both belief and action,
with no good in them. This was known to Noah, through the process of revelation.
'My Lord, forgive me, and my parents, and $YΖÏΒ÷σãΒ š_ÉLøŠt/ Ÿ≅yzyŠ yϑÏ9uρ £“t$Î!≡uθÏ9uρ ’Í< ö&Ï9øî$# Éb>§‘
those who enter my house believing, and the
believers and the believeresses; and increase not ∩⊄∇∪ #I‘$t7s? 2ωÎ) tÏΗÍ>≈©à9$# ÏŠÌ“s? Ÿωuρ ÏM≈oΨÏΒ÷σßϑø9$#uρ tÏΖÏΒ÷σßϑù=Ï9uρ
the wrongful save in annihilation. (28)
My Lord, forgive me ... It has already been seen that seeking forgiveness on the part of the
Messengers and Imams is on account of what essential permitted, but not laudable, works they
have done, for they see such works as incongruous with proper behaviour before Allah, the
magnificent sovereign. It is much like the man who is forced to lie down before a king [or a
respected guest, say], due to illness or suchlike, sees his lying down as improper, and excuses
himself for doing so.
... and my parents ... The prayer for his parents was for forgiveness for their sins.
... and those who enter
enter my house believing, ... He prayed for those who entered his house as
believers. It seems as if ‘entering into his house’ was indicative of their entering the ranks of his
followers and supporters, as those who believed in him, were a small number between seventy
and eighty, according to what has been related.
... and the believers and the believeresses ... He prayed for the believers, male and female, of
other nations, both before his time and after it. .
... and increase not the wrongful save in annihilation.
annihilation. He prayed that the disbelievers might be
increased in nothing but destruction and loss, by the withdrawal of grace from them, so that their
continued existence would be the cause of their increased punishment and diminishment, in
return for their obstinacy.
 Surah al-
al-Jinn (72)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳉﻦ‬
‘The Jinn’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word jinn, and an account about
them. Like the other Makkan surahs, it deals with matters of faith, in a narrative manner novel
and lovely. As Surah Nu>h} concluded with a prayer for the believers and destruction for the
disbelievers, so this surah opens on a similar theme.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... Beginning by the name of Allah, the Creator, the Sovereign of all things.
To begin in His name is more proper than beginning by the name of any other. The disbelievers
used to begin by the name of the idols, and the Christians would begin by the name of the father,
the son and the Holy Ghost, while democrats today begin in the name of the people, while the
monarchists begin in the name of his majesty. Allah is more worthy than all of beginning in His
name.
... The Compassionate, the Merciful. He bestows mercy on the servants in the world and in the
hereafter.
Say: It is revealed unto me that a company of $oΨ÷èÏÿxœ $¯ΡÎ) (#þθä9$s)sù ÇdÅgø:$# zÏiΒ Ö&x.tΡ yìyϑtGó™$# 絯Ρr& ¥’n<Î) zÇrρé& ö≅è%
the jinn has listened and said, “we have heard
an amazing Recital; (1) ∩⊇∪ $Y7pgx” $ºΡ#uö&è%

Say: ... That is, the Messenger was to tell the people.
... It is revealed unto me ... ‘Revealed’, uwh}iya from wah}y, means the inspiration received by the
Messenger from Allah via the angels, or through direct transmission to his heart with no
intermediary. Sometimes the word is used in a general sense, as in His word ‘And thy Lord
revealed unto the bee...’ [16: 68], ‘… and revealed unto each sky its affair …’ [41:12] and ‘And
We revealed unto the mother of Moses ...’ [28: 7].
... that a body
body of the jinn have listened ... A party from amongst the jinn had listened to the
Qur’an. The jinn are a creation from fire, insubstantial like the air. They are able to take form in
solid bodies, like human bodies.
... and said, ‘We have heard an amazing
amazing Recital; Amongst these jinn some said that what they
had heard from the Messenger was an amazing, astonishing recital, for it was wondrous both
verbally and in content. ‘Recital’ is given for qur’a>n. Their account has been dealt with in Surah
al-Ah}qa>f [# 46; verses 29-31].
It guides to integrity, so we have believed in it ∩⊄∪ #Y‰tnr& !$uΖÎn/t&Î/ x8Î8ô³<Σ s9uρ ( ϵÎ/ $¨ΖtΒ$t↔sù ωô©”&9$# ’n<Î) ü“ωöκu‰
and we will never partner a one unto our Lord;
(2)
It demonstrates the guidance from which comes morality and rectitude. Those jinn believed in
the Qur’an, and after hearing it determined never to ascribe a partner for their Lord.
And indeed He – exalted be the majesty of our ∩⊂∪ #V$s!uρ Ÿωuρ Zπt7Ås≈|¹ x‹sƒªB$# $tΒ $uΖÎn/u‘ ‘‰y` 4’n?≈yès? …絯Ρr&uρ
Lord – takes no consort and no son. (3)
His grandeur and magnificence are far above there being a partner for Him, a wife or a son. Allah,
glory be to Him, has not taken a wife, nor a son. Some of the disbelievers maintained that He,
glory be to Him, had taken a wife from amongst the jinn; as He says, 'And they maintain a
kinship between Him and the jinn...' [37: 158]. Therefore the jinn denied this claim.
And indeed the foolish among us has spoken ∩⊆∪ $VÜsÜx© «!$# ’n?tã $uΖåκLÏ.y™ ãΑθà)tƒ šχ%x. …絯Ρr&uρ
extravagances about Allah. (4)
Those who are meant are the ignorant type from among themselves. ‘Extravagances’ is given for
shat}at}, lies distant from the truth. It seems that what is meant is the nonsense that was current
among them that He had married a jinn. Or it may be that meant by ‘the foolish among’ them is
the person of Satan – Ibli>s – who is of the jinn, and by the ‘extravagances’ what the devil says
about Allah, glory be to Him, and his assigning partners to Him and suchlike.
And indeed we had supposed that no humans or ∩∈∪ $\/É‹x. «!$# ’n?tã GÅgø:$#uρ ߧΡM}$# tΑθà)s? ©9 βr& !$¨ΨuΖsß $¯Ρr&uρ
jinns would ever say of Allah a lie. (5)
The lie of that fool had become clear for them, after they had been supposing that what was
being said about Allah, glory be to Him, having a partner, a wife and a son, was true. But it had
become clear for them that it was all lies.
And indeed men from the humans used to take ÇdÅgø:$# zÏiΒ 5Α%y`Ì&Î/ tβρèŒθãètƒ ħΡM}$# zÏiΒ ×Α%y`Í‘ tβ%x. …絯Ρr&uρ
shelter with men from the jinn, so they
increased them in rebellion. (6) ∩∉∪ $Z)yδu‘ öΝèδρߊ#t“sù

And indeed men from the humans used to take shelter with men from the jinn, ... There were
those Arabs who, on setting down at a riverbed for the night, would say 'I shelter with the Grand
One of this river bed from the evil of the fool of his people.' From Imam al-Ba>qir, peace be upon
him, it is narrated that a man would rush to a witch who was inspired by the devil, and would say
to him, ‘Tell your devil that so and so has sought shelter with you.’ [End of narration.]
... so they increased them in rebellion ... The humans who took refuge with the jinn were
increased by them in ‘being overtaken’ (rahaq) by sin and rebellion, in that they considered the
jinn as their helpers. The pronoun ‘them’ could be referring to the jinn and therefore it could be
that the jinn were increased by the humans in rebelliousness, when the humans took refuge with
the jinn, on the suspicion that the latter have influence in the creation.
And indeed they supposed as ye supposed, that ∩∠∪ #Y‰tnr& ª!$# y]yèö7tƒ ©9 βr& ÷ΛäΨoΨsß $yϑx. (#θ‘Ζsß öΝåκ¨Ξr&uρ
Allah would never send anyone. (7)
That is, the humans supposed as that group of jinn used to suppose, that Allah would not send
anyone as a messenger. These words were spoken by the jinn who believed in the Messenger of
Allah may Allah bless him and his family.
And indeed we have touched the sky and we #Y‰ƒÏ‰x© $U™t&ym ôMy∞Î=ãΒ $yγ≈tΡô‰y`uθsù u!$yϑ¡¡9$# $oΨó¡yϑs9 $¯Ρr&uρ
found it filled with severe guards and
meteoroids, (8) ∩∇∪ $Y7åκà−uρ

And indeed we have touched the sky ... That is, they touched the sky by attempting to ascend
through the various levels of space.
... and we found it filled with severe guards and meteoroids, They found it guarded by strong
guardians from amongst the angels, and by meteoroids and bolides, kept in readiness to fire upon
any devil who seeks to eavesdropping.
And indeed we used to sit thereof on seats to ô‰Ågs† tβFψ$# ÆìÏϑtGó¡o„ yϑsù ( Æìôϑ¡¡=Ï9 y‰Ïè≈s)tΒ $pκ÷]ÏΒ ß‰ãèø)tΡ $¨Ζä. $¯Ρr&uρ
hear, but whoever listens now finds for himself
a meteoroid
meteoroid in ambush. (9) ∩∪ #Y‰|¹§‘ $\/$pκÅ− …çµs9

The jinn used to sit in places in the heavens, and occupy stations close to the meeting places of
the angels, so as to listen to whatever was passing between them about the earth, and this news
they would bring to a witch. This lasted until the birth of the Messenger, may Allah bless him
and his family, or until the start of his mission. After that, any of them who would listen to the
conversations of the angels would find himself ambushed by a shooting star that had been lying
in wait. For among the stars are stations given over to the protection of the skies from the devils
of the jinn, so whenever one of them approaches to steal information, shooting stars are hurled at
him, hitting or forcing him to flee.
It is narrated from Imam al-S{ad> iq, peace be upon him, in a narration that mentions the reason for
the soothsayers' knowledge:
'As for the news from the sky – indeed the devils used to sit in stations for the stealing of
information, they were not rebuffed and not shot at with stars. They were only prohibited from
stealing information so that there should not occur in the earth anything from the skies to
resemble the revelation, with which to confuse mankind about the clear proofs and denials of
ambiguity. For the devil would steal a single piece of the information in the sky about what
Allah had decreed for His creatures, and grasp it and bring it down to the earth, and cast it to a
witch. But he would add to it some words of his own and mix the true with the false, so that
what the witch accurately predicted was the information given to him by his devil from what he
had heard, while his mistakes were what the devil had added. Since the devils have been
prevented from stealing information, witchcraft and soothsaying has terminated.'
And we comprehend not whether evil is öΝåκ›5u‘ öΝÍκÍ5 yŠ#u‘r& ôΘr& ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû yϑÎ/ y‰ƒÍ‘é& ;8Ÿ°r& ü“Í‘ô‰tΡ Ÿω $¯Ρr&uρ
intended for whosoever is in the earth, or
whether their Lord wants for them integrity. ∩⊇⊃∪ #Y‰x©u‘
(10)
They did not know whether their being stoned away and the cessation of their information about
the punishments of the people of the world, meant that they were due for an unexpected
chastisement, or whether it meant their integrity in that a Prophet was to be sent amongst them.
In other words, stoning the devils was either for the harm or the benefit of mankind, but the jinn
at that time did not know which. This supports the view that the stoning of the jinn began at the
time of the birth of the Messenger, and that the jinn are speaking in the past tense. For they
become aware of the announcement after a while, especially after they had visited the Messenger
of Allah may Allah bless him and his family.
And indeed amongst us are the virtuous, and ∩⊇⊇∪ #YŠy‰Ï% t,Í←!#t&sÛ $¨Ζä. ( y7Ï9≡sŒ tβρߊ $¨ΖÏΒuρ tβθßsÎ=≈¢Á9$# $¨ΖÏΒ $¯Ρr&uρ
amongst us are lower than that; we were
diverse avenues. (11)
And indeed amongst us are the virtuous,
virtuous, ... Some of that company of jinn believed and performed
the virtuous deeds.
... and among us are lower than that; ... Others among them were not so virtuous. The matter is
put in this way to encompass their various sects.
... We were diverse avenues. They were on different ‘avenues’ (t}ara>’iq, plural of t}ari>qa).
‘Diverse’ is put for qidad, meaning fragments, as if each sect had a different colour, and each was
a fragment differing from other fragments. It seems this citing of the words of the jinn is to
explain the truth about them, and to clarify their position and condition.
And indeed we supposed that we cannot $\/t&yδ …çνt“Éf÷èœΡ s9uρ ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû ©!$# t“Éf÷èœΡ ©9 βr& !$¨ΖoΨsß $¯Ρr&uρ
frustrate Allah in the earth, nor frustrate Him
by escaping. (12) ∩⊇⊄∪

'And indeed we supposed that we cannot frustrate Allah in the earth, ... They supposed that they
could not gather in sufficient numbers nor prepare force to the extent that He, glory be to Him,
would be unable to dispose of them as He likes. The word suppose (dhann) is used either on
account of them only supposing and not having certainty, or so as to explain that the supposition
is sufficient in the absence of contrary evidence about Him, glory be to Him.
... nor frustrate Him by escaping. They realised they could not frustrate Him by escaping from
His power, for His power is all-encompassing from which escape is impossible.
And indeed, when we heard the guidance we Ÿξsù ϵÎn/t&Î/ .ÏΒ÷σムyϑsù ( ϵÎ/ $¨ΨtΒ#u #“y‰çλù;$# $uΖ÷èÏϑy™ $£ϑs9 $¯Ρr&uρ
believed in it; so whoever believes in his Lord
fears neither diminishment nor
nor being overtaken. ∩⊇⊂∪ $Z)yδu‘ Ÿωuρ $T¡øƒr2 ß∃$sƒs†
(13)
And indeed, when we heard the guidance ... It means the Qur’an recited by the Messenger of
Allah may Allah bless him and his family.
... we believed in it ... They believed in this guidance, which is Islam.
... so whoever believes in his Lord fears neither diminishment nor being overtaken. Whoever
believes in Allah with a correct belief, has no fear of his right being not fully delivered in the
world and in the hereafter. Nor does he fear being overcome by injustice or rebellion, for Allah,
glory be to Him, is just and treats none unjustly. This is not true for other than the believer, for
he fears loss, in that his good deeds are annulled by his evil deeds, and he fears being overcome
by sin.
And indeed, among us are the muslims and y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé'sù zΝn=ó™r& ôyϑsù ( tβθäÜÅ¡≈s)ø9$# $¨ΖÏΒuρ tβθßϑÎ=ó¡ßϑø9$# $¨ΖÏΒ $¯Ρr&uρ
among us are the diverted; so whoever entered
Islam, they have sought integrity. (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ #Y‰x©u‘ (#÷ρ§&ptrB

muslims means those who have surrendered (to the will of Allah). Some of them entered the
religion of Allah brought by the Prophet Muhammad may Allah bless him and his family. Others
deviated and turned aside from the path of the truth. Those who submitted to the will of Allah
entered Islam and have sought rectitude, that is to say the guidance in which there is certainly
rectitude and reason.
As for the diverted, they are firewood for Hell.” ∩⊇∈∪ $Y7sÜym zΟ¨ΨyγyfÏ9 (#θçΡ%s3sù tβθäÜÅ¡≈s)ø9$# $¨Βr&uρ
(15)
Those who have turned away from the true path are for the fire; they shall be thrust into it and
shall fuel it just as firewood fuels a fire; as He says in His word, ‘...whose fuel is the people and
the stones.' [2: 25]
– And would they be steadfast on the path, We ∩⊇∉∪ $]%y‰xî ¹!$¨Β Νßγ≈oΨø‹s)ó™V{ Ïπs)ƒÌ&©Ü9$# ’n?tã (#θßϑ≈s)tFó™$# Èθ©9r&uρ
would certainly give them to drink of water
copious; (16)
Had they not deviated but remained on the path of the truth and not strayed from it, they would
have been given plentiful water to drink, a term that indicates the grace they would have
received. This phrase is the beginning of the speech of Allah, glory be to Him, interposed within
His report of the speech of the jinn.
That we might try them therein; and whoever $\/#x‹tã çµõ3è=ó¡o„ ϵÎn/u‘ Ì&ø.ÏŒ tã óÚÌ&÷èムtΒuρ 4 ϵŠÏù ÷ΛàιoΨÏGø.uΖÏj9
turns away from the remembrance of his Lord,
He will thrust him into chastisement ascending. ∩⊇∠∪ #Y‰yè|¹
(17)
That we might try them therein, ... That is, Allah would give them water copious so as to try
them with that abundance, for such favours are a trial, just as adversities are a test. The purpose
of such trials is the disclosure of secrets, so as to clarify what a person deserves in the hereafter.
Or it explains the sending of the guidance, in that the Messenger was sent and the guidance was
descended as a trial.
... and whoever turns away from the remembrance of his Lord, ... And takes instead the path of
disbelief and disobedience.
... He will thrust him into chastisement ascending. Allah will enter him into the chastisement
ascending (cadha>b s}acad), a chastisement that rises over him and encompasses him from head to
toe. Or it may mean a chastisement that is heavy and severe.
Having clarified that the guidance is for a trial, the thread turns to explain that it is not proper
for anyone to be subservient to any but Allah:
And the places of prostration are for Allah, so ∩⊇∇∪ #Y‰tnr& «!$# yìtΒ (#θããô‰s? Ÿξsù ¬! y‰Éf≈|¡yϑø9$# ¨βr&uρ
call not with Allah anyone – (18)
‘places of prostration’ is given for masa>jid, the plural of masjid. Here what is meant are the
[seven] points of prostration on the body – the forehead, the palms and [the knees, and the feet].
These are for Allah: created by Him, and in the possession of His sacred essence. So do not call
on anyone alongside Him; how could you call on other than Him with a bodily part that is His? It
is also likely that here the masa>jid or ‘places of prostration’ is general and includes what has
been stated as well as the constructed places of prostration, mosques, meaning that we should
not call on other than him, glory be to Him, within them – given that the polytheists prayed to
their idols within the house of Allah, the Most High, in Makkah.
‘And indeed, when the servant of Allah stood #Y‰t7Ï9 ϵø‹n=tã tβθçΡθä3tƒ (#ρߊ%x. çνθããô‰tƒ «!$# ߉ö7tã tΠ$s% $®RmQ …絯Ρr&uρ
to call Him they were well-
well-nigh upon him in
swarms.’ (19) ∩⊇∪
When the Messenger of Allah called to Allah, the One, glory be to Him, the disbelievers were
almost upon him in swarms, to prevent him from his call. It would appear that this concludes the
speech of the jinn, and that the previous three a>ya>t are an interjection.
Say: ‘I only call
call my Lord, and I do not ∩⊄⊃∪ #Y‰tnr& ÿϵÎ/ à8Î8õ°é& Iωuρ ’În1u‘ (#θãã÷Šr& !$yϑ¯ΡÎ) ö≅è%
associate with Him anyone.’(20)
Say, O Messenger, to those disbelievers: I call on my Lord, the One and Alone, and I associate
none with my Lord. That is not some innovation, to cause you to gather against me and seek to
prevent me.
Say: ‘Indeed I possess neither your adversity ∩⊄⊇∪ #Y‰x©u‘ Ÿωuρ #u8ŸÑ ö/ä3s9 à7Î=øΒr& Iω ’ÎoΤÎ) ö≅è%
nor your integrity – (21)
Again the address is to the Messenger. He was to tell the disbelievers he had no power to harm
them, nor to set them aright; for harm and rectitude are in the hand of Allah. He it is who ordered
the Messenger to guide them; if they failed to accept, then He would send harm down upon them.
This was to explain that he was merely the Messenger of Allah, with no power save that of
guidance.
And the same was true of himself; his own harm and benefit was not in his own hand:
Say: ‘None can ever harbour me from Allah, ϵÏΡρߊ ÏΒ y‰É`r& ôs9uρ Ó‰tnr& «!$# zÏΒ ’ÎΤu8tÅgä† s9 ’ÎoΤÎ) ö≅è%
and I find besides Him no sanctuary!’ (22)
∩⊄⊄∪ #´‰ystGù=ãΒ
None could save the Messenger himself from the decree of Allah, had He, glory be to Him,
intended him harm. Nor could he have found a refuge with which to take shelter from Allah,
glory be to Him. A frightened person continually seeks a refuge at the difficulties of the path.
Indeed the Messenger possessed nothing–
‘Save conveyance from Allah, and His ¨βÎ*sù …ã&s!θß™u‘uρ ©!$# ÄÈ÷ètƒ tΒuρ 4 ϵÏG≈n=≈y™Í‘uρ «!$# zÏiΒ $Zó≈n=t/ @ωÎ)
messages.’ And whosoever disobeys Allah and
His Messenger – indeed for him is is the fire of ∩⊄⊂∪ #´‰t/r& !$pκLÏù tÏ$Î#≈yz zΟ¨Ψyγy_ u‘$tΡ …çµs9
Hell; they are in it eternal, forever. (23)
‘Save conveyance from Allah, and His messages ... The Messenger's role was to convey the a>ya>t
he received from Allah, and His messages.
... And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger ... That is, disobeys Allah by not obeying
His commands, and disobeys the Messenger by not following his orders and prohibitions,
... indeed for him is the fire of Hell; ... His disobedience will be recompensed by the fire of hell.
... they are in it eternal, forever They will be eternal there (kha>lidi>n fi>ha>), forever (abada>). The
change in pronoun from the singular to the plural is because the former is in agreement with the
singular ‘whosoever’ (man), while the plural is in agreement with the implicit content.
But the disbelievers are presently not bothered about the fire–
Until, when they see what they were promised, #Z8ÅÀ$tΡ ß#yèôÊr& ôtΒ tβθßϑn=÷èu‹|¡sù tβρ߉tãθム$tΒ (#÷ρr&u‘ #sŒÎ) #¨Lym
then they shall know who is feebler in
succourers and smaller in numbers. (24) ∩⊄⊆∪ #YŠy‰tã ‘≅s%r&uρ
When the disbelievers see the chastisement of which they were warned while in the world, they
shall then know whether those fighting for the Messenger are weaker or their own succourers,
and whether the Messenger's troops and companions were few in numbers or their own troops
and companions. The disbelievers used to boast to the Messenger about their large numbers and
the weakness of his helpers. And so the revelation turns to explain how on the day of resurrection
things are totally reversed, and that their numbers will be scattered and their helpers helpless,
unable to save them from the chastisement of Allah, glory be to Him.
And the disbelievers used to pressure the Messenger to hasten the chastisement upon them, in a
sense of mockery. This the discussion now deals with, in His word.
Say: I comprehend not whether what ye are #´‰tΒr& þ’În1u‘ …çµs9 ã≅yèøgs† ôΘr& tβρ߉tãθè? $¨Β Ò=ƒÌ&s%r& ü”Í‘÷Šr& ÷βÎ) ö≅è%
promised
promised is near, or whether my Lord will set
for it an interval. (25) ∩⊄∈∪

The Messenger was to tell those disbelievers who would hasten their chastisement that he did
not know whether the chastisement they were promised on account of their disbelief and
disobedience was near, or whether his Lord would delay what they were promised for a while.
The knowledge of when the chastisement of the resurrection will take place is unknown except
to Him, glory be to Him. He alone knows the timing of the Hour.
Yes, He alone is:
Knower of the unseen; He reveals not His ∩⊄∉∪ #´‰tnr& ÿϵÎ7øŠxî 4’n?tã ã&ÎγôàムŸξsù É=ø‹tóø9$# ãΝÎ=≈tã
unseen to anyone. (26)
He alone knows what is hidden from the senses. He discloses the unseen that He knows to none
of His servants. Knowledge of the unseen is particularly His.
Save for whomsoever He is content with as a ôÏΒuρ ϵ÷ƒy‰tƒ È÷t/ .ÏΒ à7è=ó¡o„ …絯ΡÎ*sù 5Αθß™§‘ ÏΒ 4|Ós?ö‘$# ÇtΒ @ωÎ)
Messenger, then He dispatches a watcher before
him and after him. (27) ∩⊄∠∪ #Y‰|¹u‘ ϵÏ.ù=yz

Save for whomsoever He is content with as a Messenger ... It means that the exception is a
Messenger whom He selects to inform about the unseen. Or the meaning is that the exception is
for a message from among the Messengers.
Allah the Most High discloses something of the unseen, in accordance to His wisdom and what is
beneficial, and the Prophet informs the Imam or the rest of the people as far as he is allowed to.
... then He dispatches a watcher ... When Allah, glory be to Him, has informed him of the unseen
He surrounds him with a number of guarding angels who observe him in his conveying of it, even
though he himself is reliable and trustworthy, and Allah is aware of all he says and does. It is a
matter of the Divine etiquette, just as He assigns observing angels to each of His creatures
though He is Himself aware of all they say and do.
... before him and after him. Allah, glory be to Him, dispatches, or sends forth, before the
Messenger and behind him, observers from among the angels to observe what he does, as a
protocol of the unseen and of the revelation that He has taught to His Messenger, . . .
That He may know they have conveyed the öΝÍκö‰y‰s9 $yϑÎ/ xÞ%tnr&uρ öΝÍκÍh5u‘ ÏM≈n=≈y™Í‘ (#θäón=ö/r& ô‰s% βr& zΟn=÷èu‹Ïj9
messages of their Lord, while He encompasses
encompasses
all that is in their presence, and He counts all ∩⊄∇∪ #OŠy‰tã >óx« ¨≅ä. 4|Âômr&uρ
things by number. (28)
That He may know ... it means for Allah to confirm that His knowledge is implemented in the
manifest world. To make His knowledge known in the sense that all will occur in the manifest
world according to His knowledge . . . like His word, ‘That We might know those amongst you
who strive their utmost...’ [47: 31]. [That He may know is a figure of speech, as used by man to
confirm something, and it does not mean that He lacks any knowledge – seen or unseen – in any
sense, as reiterated in the remainder of the verse.]
... they have conveyed the messages of their Lord ... That is, for Him to know that His
Messengers, whom He has informed with the knowledge of the unseen, have delivered the
‘messages’ (risa>la>t) of their Lord. Everything that is revealed to a Prophet is a ‘message’
(risa>lah), while the ‘messages' (risa>la>t) are the sum of the revelation. This is not because Allah
would otherwise not know, but as a matter of protocol, as has been mentioned, because:
The knowledge of everything and every event is with the Almighty, but hidden from others
including the angels. However, when a certain event takes place, then that event is reported or
‘documented’, say by the angels.
... while He encompasses all that is in their presence, ... The knowledge of Allah, glory be to
Him, encompasses all that the Messengers do in delivering the message.
... and He counts all things by number. That is, He counts everything with precision, and knows
the numbers of all things. So His encompassing what is with the Messengers is an instance of His
counting the numbers of all things: all creatures and all their deeds and all their circumstances
and conditions.
 Surah al-
al-Muzzammil (73)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﺰﻣﻞ‬
‘The Enwrapped’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word al-muzzammil, meaning
one who has enwrapped himself. Like the other Madinan surahs it is concerned with the Islamic
social order and the beliefs. It is said that it was partly revealed at Makkah and partly at
Madinah. While Surah al-Jinn concluded on the theme of the Messengers, this surah opens by
mentioning the Messenger of Allah may Allah bless him and his family.
By the name of Allah,
Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, … We begin this surah by the name of Allah – as if clothed in this noble
name – for in the hand of Him whom the name denotes is all of existence.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He bestows mercy on all things in creating them and raising
them, for all things to reach the height of their relative perfection, and who bestows mercy in the
hereafter upon His servants the believers with rewards and bounty.
O thou the enwrapped, (1) ∩⊇∪ ã≅ÏiΒ¨“ßϑø9$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ

‘The enwrapped’ is given for al-muzzammil, meaning one who has wrapped himself in a robe or
suchlike. The address is to the Messenger, for he would wrap himself in his cloak and sleep. It
seems he is addressed as such in consideration of the relation between that his condition and the
following directive of “standing the night”, i.e. keeping vigil during the night.
Stand the night, except a little, (2) ∩⊄∪ Wξ‹Î=s% )ωÎ) Ÿ≅ø‹©9$# ÉΟè%

The Messenger was to keep vigil during the night to perform the night-prayer, supplication,
reflection and other acts of worship . . . except a little of it in which was permitted to sleep.
Then He, glory be to Him, clarifies the little in which the Messenger is permitted to sleep, with
His word.
Half of it, or lessen from it a little, (3) ∩⊂∪ ¸ξ‹Î=s% çµ÷ΖÏΒ óÈà)Ρ$# Íρr& ÿ…çµx,óÁÏoΡ

That is, he was permitted to sleep half the night; or was to lessen from the half and add to his
period of vigil, so that he would sleep for less than half the night.
Or add to it;
it; and chant the Qur’an, chanting. ∩⊆∪ ¸ξ‹Ï?ö&s? tβ#uö&à)ø9$# È≅Ïo?u‘uρ ϵø‹n=tã ÷ŠÎ— ÷ρr&
(4)
Or add to it; ... That is, he was permitted to add to the half in which he slept, so that he could
sleep more than half the night. The sum of this is that he was to be wakeful for half the night,
more or less, but about half the night.
... and chant the Qur’an, chanting. ‘Chant’ is given for rattil, meaning to recite at a moderate
pace, neither hastily nor too slow. The repetition is for emphasis.
Imam Ali, peace be upon him, was asked about this a>yah, and he said: ‘Clarify it clearly, sing it
not like a poem [i.e. do not recite it speedily like you would a poem], and do not recite it in
fragments [that is, do not recite it in a disjointed fashion], but (recite it in such a way so as to)
terrify your hard hearts, and let not the purpose of any of you be to finish the surah.
Indeed We shall cast unto thee a heavy word; ∩∈∪ ¸ξ‹É)rO Zωöθs% š!ø‹n=tã ’Å+ù=ãΖy™ $¯ΡÎ)
(5)
It means that a heavy word was to be revealed or inspired to the Messenger a word difficult to
implement. What is meant is the Qur’an, for to act according to the Qur’an is heavy on a person;
or it means the Messengership, for that was a heavy task. Or what is meant is standing the night,
as is explained in His word:
Indeed the rising of the night, it is more severe ∩∉∪ ¸ξ‹Ï% ãΠuθø%r&uρ $\↔ôÛuρ ‘‰x©r& }‘Ïδ È≅ø‹©9$# sπy∞Ï©$tΡ ¨βÎ)
in tread and sturdier in word. (6)
Indeed the rising of the night ... ‘Rising’ is given for na>shi’ah which here means the hours of the
night that rise one upon the other. What is meant are the actions of the night, or worship that is
performed in the night.
... it is more severe in tread ... ‘More severe in tread’ means heavier and more difficult – due to
the cold in winter, and the shortness of the night in summer. It may mean that the works of the
night are harder than those of the day.
... and sturdier in word. Speech and worship during the night are more constructive, and more
effective for the night brings an increase in presence of heart and mental concentration. And the
best of deeds is the most difficult.
Indeed in the day thou have a lengthy turning. ∩∠∪ WξƒÈθsÛ $[sö7y™ Í‘$pκ¨]9$# ’Îû y7s9 ¨βÎ)
(7)
‘Turning’ is put for sabh}, meaning to revolve, and thus one who swims or revolves in water is
called sa>bih}, or swimmer. The meaning is that during the day the Messenger had many things to
turn to, such as indicating the path and delivering the guidance, and so he could not worship
fully. Thus the night was appointed for him to worship.
It is narrated that Imam Ali, would work throughout the day, and would worship throughout the
night. When he was asked whether he ever rested, he replied, 'if I rested during the day it would
mean ruin for the nation, and if I rested during the night it would mean ruin for myself.'
And recall the name of thy Lord, and exclude ∩∇∪ Wξ‹ÏFö;s? ϵø‹s9Î) ö≅−Gu;s?uρ y7În/u‘ zΝó™$# Ì&ä.øŒ$#uρ
thyself to Him, totally: (8)
The Messenger is commanded to remember the name of the Lord, by worshipping Him and
humbling himself before Him. ‘Exclude thyself’ is put for tabattal, from al-tabattul, meaning to
cut oneself from all other things and devote oneself to Allah, the Grand and Magnificent, and to
worship Him with total devotion and exclusivity. ‘To Him’ is the meaning of the Arabic ilayhi
signifying that the Messenger was to exclude all other things from himself for His sake, not to
cut himself off from Him, glory be to Him. The words ‘thy Lord’ are then enlarged upon in His
word:
Lord of the east and the west, there is no god ∩∪ Wξ‹Ï.uρ çνõ‹ÏƒªB$$sù uθèδ )ωÎ) tµ≈s9Î) Iω É>Ì&øópRùQ$#uρ É−ÎCô³yϑø9$# E>§‘
but Him, so take Him as a trustee. (9)
Lord of the east and the west, ... ‘The east and the west’ is a term used to denote the whole of
existence, for whoever has the east and the west in his hand has existence in its entirety.
... there is no god but Him, He has no partners in Godhead, as the polytheists supposed, and so
there is no justice in worshipping any but Him.
... so take Him as a trustee.
trustee. The Messenger was to take Him as his ‘trustee’ (waki>l), as a
protector to protect his undertaking, and was to entrust the success of his undertaking to Him.
And be restrained at what they say, and forgo ∩⊇⊃∪ WξŠÏΗsd #\&ôfyδ öΝèδö&àf÷δ$#uρ tβθä9θà)tƒ $tΒ 4’n?tã ÷CÉ9ô¹$#uρ
them with a graceful forgoing. (10)
And Be restrained ... ‘Be restrained’ is given for usbur, meaning ‘bear patiently’. He was to bear
patiently, on the path of his monotheism and his denouncing the idols,
... at what they say ... He was not to let what the disbelievers around him were saying, that he
was a witch, a soothsayer, or mad and suchlike, put him off.
... and forgo them with a graceful forgoing ... He was to distance himself from them in a
beautiful way; that is, by calling them to the guidance with wisdom and kind admonitions and
with arguments that are best, all the while distancing himself from them.
And leave Me with the beliers, those with ∩⊇⊇∪ ¸ξ‹Î=s% ö/àSù=ÎdγtΒuρ Ïπyϑ÷è¨Ζ9$# ’Í<'ρé& tÎ/Éj‹s3çRùQ$#uρ ’ÎΤö‘sŒuρ
blessings; and respite them a little. (11)
And leave Me with the beliers ... That is, he was to leave them to Allah, and know that He, glory
be to Him, was to suffice him against their evil. ‘The beliers, al-mukadhdhibi>n, were those who
called his messengership and what he brought a lie.
... those with blessings ... They were possessors of blessings in that they owned wealth and the
other forms of bounty.
... and respite them a little. He was to respite them, for soon their requital was with Him, glory
be to Him. In the world they were soon to be overtaken by the chastisement: at the battle of
Badr, and then in the hereafter. The phrase 'Respite them a little' is in reference to bearing with
them patience, and constitutes a warning to the disbelievers.
Indeed
Indeed with Us are fetters and a raging fire, ∩⊇⊄∪ $VϑŠÏtrbuρ Zω%s3Ρr& !$uΖ÷ƒt$s! ¨βÎ)
(12)
The meaning is in the hereafter. ‘with Us’ means with Our reckoning and requital. ‘Raging fire’,
jah}im
> , is one of the names of hell.
And food that chokes, and a painful
painful ∩⊇⊂∪ $Vϑ‹Ï9r& $¹/#x‹tãuρ 7π¢Áäî #sŒ $YΒ$yèsÛuρ
chastisement. (13)
‘chokes’ is put for dha> ghussah, meaning food that sticks in the throat and cannot be swallowed.
The provision of hell that is prepared for them has the quality of sticking in the throat and
choking them, so that the guilty will not be able to swallow it except after great difficulty and
exertion.
These characteristics of the chastisement will surely take place on:
The day the earth and the mountains tremble, ¸ξŠÎγ¨Β $Y6`ÏVx. ãΑ$t6Ågø:$# ÏMtΡ%x.uρ ãΑ$t7Ågø:$#uρ ÞÚö‘F{$# ß#ã_ö&s? tΠöθtƒ
and the mountains will be a sliding sand-
sand-hill.
(14) ∩⊇⊆∪

The day the earth and the mountains tremble, ... The earth will quake and be convulsed. This is
amongst the a>ya>t or signs of the resurrection, as He says, 'Indeed the earthquake of the Hour is a
mighty thing.' [22: 2] The mountains will also tremble, so as to increase the terror.
... and the mountains will be a sliding sand-
sand-hill. And the mountains that day will be as heaps of
sand (kathi>b), sliding (mahi>n) about the earth.
Indeed We have sent a Messenger unto ye – a 4’n<Î) !$uΖù=y™ö‘r& !$uΚx. ö/ä3ø‹n=tæ #´‰Îγ≈x© Zωθß™u‘ óΟä3ö‹s9Î) !$uΖù=y™ö‘r& !$¯ΡÎ)
witness over ye – just as We sent unto Pharaoh
a Messenger. (15) ∩⊇∈∪ Zωθß™u‘ šχöθtãö&Ïù

The address is to the disbelievers. The Messenger was Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his
family. He was a witness of what they believed and performed, worthy and corrupt. The
Messenger sent to the Pharaoh was Moses.
But Pharaoh disobeyed the Messenger, and so ∩⊇∉∪ Wξ‹Î/uρ #Z‹÷{r& çµ≈tΡõ‹s{r'sù tΑθß™§&9$# ãβöθtãö&Ïù 4|Âyèsù
We took him, a terrible taking. (16)
The Pharaoh refused to obey his commands; rather he opposed him and became a stubborn
enemy. So Allah took the Pharaoh, with a terrible taking – drowning him in the sea. The
implication was that the same would happen to them: if they disbelieved they would be taken
with any one of a range of chastisements.
So how will ye be guardful, if ye disbelieve, of ∩⊇∠∪ $·7ŠÏ© tβ≡t$ø!Èθø9$# ã≅yèøgs† $YΒöθtƒ ÷Λänö&x,x. βÎ) tβθà)−Gs? y#ø‹s3sù
the day that puts children grey? (17)
The question is addressed to the disbelievers. How will they guard against that day, the
chastisement of that day, that makes the children old and grey? The day of resurrection and its
terrors are such that it will render young lads as old men, sending their hair white and so forth.
The meaning is: Are you able to protect yourself against the chastisement of the day of
resurrection? And since you are not able, how is it that you disbelieve and render yourselves
deserving of it?
The sky will be burst open by it; His promise ∩⊇∇∪ »ωθãèø,tΒ …çν߉ôãuρ tβ%x. 4 ϵÎ/ 7&ÏÜx,ΖãΒ â!$yϑ¡¡9$#
will be done. (18)
The sky will be burst open by it; ... The terror of that day will be such as to cause the sky itself to
split, so that the sky will appear like something torn apart, as a result of the breakdown of the
celestial order.
... His promise will be done. His promise, glory be to Him, can only be done (mafcu>l),
fulfilled, carried out, with no discrepancy and no alteration, but exactly as He, glory be to Him,
wills it.
Indeed this is a reminder, so he who wills shall ∩⊇∪ ¸ξ‹Î6y™ ϵÎn/u‘ 4’n<Î) x‹sƒªB$# u!$x© yϑsù ( ×οt&Å2õ‹s? ÍνÉ‹≈yδ ¨βÎ)
take unto his Lord a path. (19)
Indeed this is a reminder ... The description of the things described in order to produce fear of
that day is a reminder and an exhortation for mankind.
... so he who wills shall take unto his Lord a path. So he who wills shall take unto his Lord a path
(sabi>l), meaning that he shall journey the path that leads to His satisfaction and contentment,
which is the path of Islam.
The current then returns to the night-prayer, with which the discourse began, as He says:
Indeed thy Lord knows that thou stand close …çµx,óÁÏΡuρ È≅ø‹©9$# Äs\è=èO ÏΒ 4’oΤ÷Šr& ãΠθà)s? y7¯Ρr& ÞΟn=÷ètƒ y7−/u‘ ¨βÎ)
on two-
two-thirds of the night, a half of it, and a
third of it; and a party of those with thee. And 4 u‘$pκ¨]9$#uρ Ÿ≅ø‹©9$# â‘Ïd‰s)ムª!$#uρ 4 y7yètΒ tÏ%©!$# zÏiΒ ×πx,Í←!$sÛuρ …çµsWè=èOuρ
Allah determines the night and the day. He
knows that ye will never count it, so He has zÏΒ uCœ£uŠs? $tΒ (#ρât&ø%$$sù ( ö/ä3ø‹n=tæ z>$tGsù çνθÝÁøtéB ©9 βr& zΟÎ=tæ
relented toward ye; so recite such of the
recitation ye find easy. tβρã&yz#uuρ   4yÌóa£∆ Οä3ΖÏΒ ãβθä3u‹y™ βr& zΝÎ=tæ 4 Èβ#uö&à)ø9$#
He knows that there
there will be among ye one ill,
tβρã&yz#uuρ   «!$# È≅ôÒsù ÏΒ tβθäótGö6tƒ ÇÚö‘F{$# ’Îû tβθç/ÎCôØtƒ
while others strike out in the land reaching for
the profusion of Allah, and others battle in (#θãΚŠÏ%r&uρ 4 çµ÷ΖÏΒ uCœ£uŠs? $tΒ (#ρât&ø%$$sù ( «!$# È≅‹Î6y™ ’Îû tβθè=ÏG≈s)ãƒ
Allah’s path. So recite that of it ye find easy;
and establish the prayer, and pay the zakat, $tΒuρ 4 $YΖ|¡ym $·Êö&s% ©!$# (#θàÊÌ&ø%r&uρ nο4θx.¨“9$# (#θè?#uuρ nο4θn=¢Á9$#
and lend to Allah a beautiful loan.
And
And what good ye send on for yourselves – ye #ZCömyz uθèδ «!$# y‰ΖÏã çνρ߉ÅgrB 9Cömyz ôÏiΒ /ä3Å¡à,ΡL{ (#θãΒÏd‰s)è?
will find it with Allah; it is better and greater
∩⊄⊃∪ 7ΛÏm§‘ Ö‘θà,xî ©!$# ¨βÎ) ( ©!$# (#ρã&Ï,øótGó™$#uρ 4 #\&ô_r& zΝsàôãr&uρ
in wage; and seek Allah’s forgiveness indeed
Allah is forgiving, merciful. (20)
Indeed thy Lord ... The address, in the singular, is to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and his family.
... knows that thou stand close on two-
two-thirds
thirds of the night, a half of it, and a third of it; ...
‘Under’ (adna>), here, means almost. Some nights the Messenger would rise before two-thirds of
the night, so that there would remain two-thirds before the dawn. Other nights he would rise
before a half, and other nights he would rise before a third,
... and a party of those with thee ... from amongst the believers such as Imam Ali, and the Lady
Fa>t}imah, peace be upon them, and other select ones.
... And Allah determines the night and the day ... The length of the night and the day is in His
hand, subject to His determination. Therefore He knows all about what it is that He has
determined.
... He knows that ye will never count it ... He knows that we cannot spend the whole night in
worship and devotion.
... so He has relented toward ye; ... He has turned to us all [the pronoun is plural] in grace, and
has not made it an obligation to stand the whole night, even though the conditions exist to make
it obligatory.
... so recite such of the recitation ye find easy ... We are therefore to recite, during the night,
what is easy of ‘the recitation’ (al-qur’a>n), in the general sense of that which is recited meaning
the prayer, supplications and Qur’an recitation. What is meant is that since you are unable to be
'reciting' the whole night, spend as much of the night reciting (i.e. worship, prayers, and
supplication) as is easy for you.
The reasoning behind this lenience is then explained:
... He knows that there will be among ye one ill, ... Allah knows that some of you will be ill; for
those who are ill are unable to stand during the night for prayer.
... while others strike out in the land … journeying through the land,
reaching for the profusion of Allah, ... seeking the bounty of Allah through trade.
... and others battle in Allah’s path ... And others fight in the way of Allah to elevate His word
and the way of His religion. The traveller and the warrior both endure hardships during the day
and it is not easy for them to stand the night – therefore Allah has lessened it for them, and not
commanded them to stand, or at least not for a particular portion, such as a half or a third or two-
thirds.
... So recite that of it ye find easy; ... So we are to recite of it – of the recitation, meaning the
prayer, supplication and the Sacred Qur’an – that which is easy for us. Those categories require a
general reduction, in accordance to wisdom.
... and establish the prayer, ... And establish the prayer: at its times, as commanded by Allah,
glory be to Him.
... and pay the zaka>t, ... And pay the poor-due (zaka>t): both that which is obligatory, and what is
desirable.
... and lend to Allah a beautiful loan ... And lend to Allah a goodly loan: by spending your wealth
to gain His pleasure, without making anyone beholden, or doing it for show, or for reputation, or
being conceited about it. This is termed ‘a loan’ because Allah, glory be to Him, returns it to
man in the world and the hereafter, many times multiplied.
... And what good ye send on for yourselves ... It means send on to the hereafter. For when man
does good (khayr) – meaning obedience and devotion – that good precedes him to the Garden, in
that when he arrives there he finds there the rewards for what he has done.– ye will find it with
Allah; ... We will find that good deed ‘with’ (cind) Allah:, meaning in the domain of His grace.
That you will find: you will find the exact same thing, with no diminishment and no variance.
... it is better ... There it will be ‘better’ (khayr), in that that same good will be better, or itself
good.
... and greater in wage; ... The reward will be greater than what it was itself; its reward in the
hereafter is greater than what it was in the world. If in the world it equalled ten, let us suppose,
then in the hereafter we will find that it will equal a hundred. Or it means greater in reward than
what would remain in the world.
... and seek Allah’s forgiveness; indeed Allah is forgiving, merciful. Allah is forgiving: of the
sins, and He bestows mercy and compassion over and above the forgiving of sins.
 Surah al-
al-Muddaththir (74)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﺪﺛﺮ‬
‘The Encloaked’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word al-muddaththir, meaning
one who has covered himself with a cloak or blanket around his clothing. Like the other Makkan
surahs it deals with the principles of belief. Whereas Surah al-Muzzammil concluded on the
theme of the prayer, the reciting and the other forms of goodness, this surah opens by mentioning
its other forms – carrying out the conveyance of the message, magnifying Allah, and cleansing.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
We seek help by the name of Allah, that it be an aid for us in our affairs.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. Him who bestows mercy and profusion upon His creatures.
O thou the encloaked, (1) ∩⊇∪ ã&ÏoO£‰ßϑø9$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ

The address is to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family. ‘The encloaked’ is
given for al-muddaththir, from iddaththar, itself from tadaththur. It means one who cloaks
himself in a ditha>r – an outer garment worn for warmth over the clothes that are in touch with his
body. Thus clothing called ditha>r is in contra-distinction to the clothing called shica>r, which is
the clothing next to the body and called by that name because they are next to the hair (shacar) of
the body.
It is narrated that the Messenger, at the time of his receiving the revelation was overcome by
trembling due to the awe of the situation. He therefore said to his beloved wife Khadi>jah, peace
be upon her, 'Cover me!' and she covered him. And so the call came: ‘O thou the encloaked!’
Stand! And warn! (2) ∩⊄∪ ö‘É‹Ρr'sù óΟè%

The Messenger was to rise up from his resting; and warn the people of the punishment if they
were to continue in their disbelief and disobedience.
And thy Lord, so magnify. (3) ∩⊂∪ ÷0Éi9s3sù y7−/u‘uρ

The Messenger, was to magnify (kabbir) Allah, glory be to Him, and declare His magnificence,
alone, without the idols.
And thy clothes, so cleanse. (4) ∩⊆∪ ö&ÎdγsÜsù y7t/$u‹ÏOuρ

The Muslim must cleanse his heart of the filth of polytheism by magnifying Allah, glory be to
Him, and must cleanse his clothes from getting dirty by shortening their lengths, so they are not
made dirty, and by washing them of the unclean things (naja>sa>t). And it has been narrated that
the meaning of the a>yah is to cleanse of the unclean things and to cleanse by cutting short. This
is because the meaning is general to them both. In a tradition we are told, 'Let your clothes not
be too long; that is more guardful, more pure, and longer lasting.'
And the contamination,
contamination, so shun. (5) ∩∈∪ ö&àf÷δ$$sù t“ô_”&9$#uρ

And the contamination ... ‘Contamination’ (rujz) here means all kinds of unclean things: idols,
material forms of filth and vices.
... so shun. It means to be distant from them.
And make not beholden, that thou
thou gain ∩∉∪ ç0ÏYõ3tGó¡n@ ãΨôϑs? Ÿωuρ
increase. (6)
And make not beholden ... ‘Make not beholden’ (la> tamnun) applies to acts of bestowal. It means
giving without expectation, and without doing or saying anything to make the recipient of your
good deed feel beholden. We are not to give seeking thereby an increase, or a reward in return,
but we must do so purely for the sake of Almighty God, as narrated from Imam Ba>qir peace be
upon him. It could also mean, ‘not imposing a feeling of being beholden on people when giving
to them, for whatever is given sincerely for the sake of Allah will result in increase’. Or the
meaning may be that we should not consider whatever we have given as great.
And for thy Lord, persevere. (7) ∩∠∪ ÷0É9ô¹$$sù š!Îh/t&Ï9uρ

The Messenger was to persevere for the sake of Allah, glory be to Him, in the face of the
persecution of the disbelievers and polytheists, and not be put off by them.
For their day is coming, the day when revenge will be taken from them:
For when the trumpet is blown, (8) ∩∇∪ Í‘θè%$¨Ζ9$# ’Îû t&É)çΡ #sŒÎ*sù

This is in reference to the second blowing of the trumpet, by the angel Isra>fil, when the dead are
resurrected as a result.
That day, is a day of hardship; (9) ∩∪ î0GÅ¡tã îΠöθtƒ 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ y7Ï9≡x‹sù

For the day on which the trumpet is sounded will be a day of extreme difficulty.
Upon the disbelievers, not easy. (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ 90GÅ¡o„ ç0öGxî tÍ&Ï?≈s3ø9$# ’n?tã

That day will not be easy for those who disbelieve in Allah, His Prophet and what he came with
from Him, for they will be chastised that day. This emphasizes the previous a>yah, and informs us
that the difficulty that day is only for the disbelievers, not for the righteous believers.
Leave Me with him I created alone, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ #Y‰‹Ïmuρ àMø)n=yz ôtΒuρ ’ÎΤö‘sŒ

The Messenger was to leave Allah to deal with the man whom He created alone, on his own with
no wealth or sons. It means that He was promising, glory be to Him, to be a sufficiency for the
messenger against that man’s evil, and to take revenge from the man for his belying the
Messenger of Allah may Allah bless him and his family.
And I put for him extensive wealth (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ #YŠρ߉ôϑ¨Β Zω$tΒ …çµs9 àMù=yèy_uρ

That is, He created him such that he had nothing, and then gave him extensive wealth and sons.
The man about whom the a>yah came down was Wali>d ibn Mughayrah, who was extremely
wealthy.
And sons, present; (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ #YŠθåκà− tÏΖt/uρ

Wali>d had been granted sons and they were present, for it is a blessing itself that a man's sons are
with him and not absent and away somewhere.
And I facilitated for him, total facilitation: ∩⊇⊆∪ #Y‰‹Îγôϑs? …çµs9 ‘N‰£γtΒuρ
(14)
That is, He made things smooth for him, so that he became important in his tribe, well-situated
in the land, and generally well furnished and supplied.
Then he lusts that I increase! (15) ∩⊇∈∪ y‰ƒÎ—r& ÷βr& ßìyϑôÜtƒ §ΝèO

That person could then only desire more wealth and sons.
Nay, he was towards Our portents obstinate. ∩⊇∉∪ #Y‰ŠÏΖtã $uΖÏF≈tƒKψ tβ%x. …絯ΡÎ) ( Hξx.
(16)
Nay, ... It means that nothing more was to be granted him after that.
... he was towards Our portents ... He had denied Allah, and had given the place of gratitude to
ingratitude.
... obstinate. It is given for cani>d. Stubbornly, fanatically, he denied the truth of the arguments
and presentations. He denied them and disbelieved out of his obstinacy.
I shall overtake him with an ascending. (17) ∩⊇∠∪ #·Šθãè|¹ …çµà)Ïδö‘é'y™

That is, Allah was to appoint for him the most difficult aspects of the chastisement, which he
would be unable to bear. For whoever is assigned to the ‘ascending’ finds the going very
difficult.
It is narrated with regard to the circumstances of the descent of these and the subsequent a>ya>t
that, in the words of al-Qummi, they were about al-Wali>d ibn Mughayrah, a tribal chief and a
man of intelligence and cunning. He was among those who used to mock the Messenger of Allah.
The Messenger used to sit within the compound of “Ismacil’s H{ijr” (Ishmael’s tomb) – which is
by the Kacbah – in the Sacred Mosque, reciting the Qur’an. The assembled dignitaries gathered
around al-Wali>d ibn Mughayrah, and said, ‘O Aba cAbd Shams [al-Wali>d's kunyah or agnomen],
what is it Muhammad is saying? Is it poetry, is it sorcery, or is it prose?'
Al-Wali>d said, 'Let me listen to his word.' Then he went to the Messenger and sat with him, and
said, 'O Muhammad, recite to me some of your poetry.'
He said, ‘It is not poetry, but the word of Allah bestowed on His angels, His Messengers and His
Prophets.’
So he said: 'Chant some of it to me.' The Messenger of God recited the surah of Sajdah (or
Prostration #32); when he came to the line {... if they turn away, then say, ‘Indeed I warn ye of a
thunderbolt like the thunderbolt of cA<d and Thamu>d.’} At this al-Wali>d was overtaken by a
shivering, and the hairs on his head and of his beard stood on end. He went to his house and did
not return to the Quraysh that day.
The group went to Abu Jahl, another chief of Quraysh and a fierce opponent of the prophet, who
was the prophet’s uncle too. They told him that al-Wali>d had turned to the religion of
Muhammad, for he had left without joining them. Next morning, Abu Jahl went to al-Wali>d and
asked him: 'O uncle, have you made our heads bow (in shame) and disgraced us? Is it that you
take pleasure in our misery and have joined the religion of Muhammad?'
He said, 'I have not joined his religion, but I heard from him some words that make the skin
crawl.'
Abu Jahl asked him, 'Is it prose?'
He said, 'No, prose is uninterrupted speech but this speech is rhythmic and not all of a piece.'
'So is it poetry?' Abu Jahl asked him.
'No,' he replied, 'for I have heard all the different types of the poetry of the Arabs, and this is not
poetry.'
'So what is it?' he asked.
Al-Wali>d said, 'Leave me to think about it.'
The next day they asked him what he had to say about what they were saying. He said, 'Say that
it is sorcery, for it takes away a person's heart.'
Then Allah sent down about this the a>yah, 'So leave Me with him I created alone.' al-Wali>d is
referred to as ‘alone’ because he used to boast to the nobles that he alone provided the cover for
the Kacbah in alternate years, while the entire Quraysh provided the cover in the other years. He
had much wealth and orchards, and had ten sons in Makkah. He also had ten slaves each
equipped with a thousand dina>rs with which to engage in trade on his behalf.
Indeed he thought and determined; (18) ∩⊇∇∪ u‘£‰s%uρ t&©3sù …絯ΡÎ)

That is, al-Wali>d deliberated about the Qur’an and decided.

So slain be he, how he determined! (19) ∩⊇∪ u‘£‰s% y#ø‹x. Ÿ≅ÏGà)sù

An invocation against him, meaning: may Allah slay him! His decision accorded to the base
desires of the disbelievers and the general superstition, for the people were quick to attribute
sorcery to anything out of the ordinary. The tone is one of indignation at his deliberation and
decision.
Thereupon, slain be he, how he determined! (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ u‘£‰s% y#ø‹x. Ÿ≅ÏGè% §ΝèO

The repetition denotes the severity of the indignation.

Then he speculated,
speculated, (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ t&sàtΡ §ΝèO

He regarded the question of how to belittle the Qur’an. Regarded (nadhara) here means pondered.
Then he frowned and scowled, (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ u0y£o0uρ }§t6tã §ΝèO

His face showed these expressions of displeasure and disgust.

Then he
he turned around and was haughty, (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ u0y9õ3tFó™$#uρ t&t/÷Šr& §ΝèO

He turned away from the truth, his pride denying him from speaking the truth.
And he said, 'This is nothing but transmitted ∩⊄⊆∪ ã&rO÷σムÖ&øt¾S 4ωÎ) !#x‹≈yδ ÷βÎ) tΑ$s)sù
sorcery; (24)
That is, the Qur’an is nothing but sorcery passed on from a witch or a sorcerer.
'This is nothing but the word of the mortals.' ∩⊄∈∪ Î0|³u;ø9$# ãΑöθs% 4ωÎ) !#x‹≈yδ ÷βÎ)
(25)
That is, he said that the Qur’an was nothing more than human speech, and was not inspiration or
revelation from on high.
The current then turns to warn him about the lying claims he invented. For were it sorcery,
sorcerers would have been able to produce its like, and the legislators of the world would have
been able to legislate and devise laws similar to it. But it is the word of Allah, and they knew
that, but they were prevented from admitting it by their pride and insolence.
I shall enter him in Saqar! (26) ∩⊄∉∪ t&s)y™ ϵ‹Î=ô¹é'y™

That is, he shall be thrust into hell, to remain there.

And what shall make thee comprehend what is ∩⊄∠∪ ã&s)y™ $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
Saqar? (27)
The address, in the singular, is to the listener. The meaning is that you cannot understand the
ferocity of the chastisement, for it is impossible for man to know what it is really like.
It neither lets survive nor leaves alone; (28) ∩⊄∇∪ â‘x‹s? Ÿωuρ ’Å+ö7è? Ÿω
It neither lets survive ... The fire respites nothing that is thrown into it; it consumes flesh, skin
and bone.
... nor leaves alone; This is either a repetition for emphasis, or it means that it does not let them
die and in that way escape from the chastisement.
Scorching the skins. (29) ∩⊄∪ Î0|³t6ù=Ïj9 ×πym#§θs9

‘Scorching’ is given for lawwa>h}ah, from talwih, meaning to change the colour of, as an effect of
the sun and suchlike. ‘Skins’ is given for bashar, plural of bashrah, meaning the surface of the
skin.
Over it are nineteen. (30) ∩⊂⊃∪ u0|³tã sπyèó¡Î@ $pκö^n=tæ

That is, the angels assigned to hell are nineteen. There is nothing impossible about this number,
and there is no reason to ask why they are neither more nor less; for whatever their number the
same questions could be asked. The same applies to other given numbers, such as the ‘eight
doors of paradise’, the ‘seven doors to hell’, the ‘seven skies in levels’, and so on.
And We have put not companions for the fire 4ωÎ) öΝåκsE£‰Ïã $uΖù=yèy_ $tΒuρ   Zπs3Íׯ≈n=tΒ 4ωÎ) Í‘$¨Ζ9$# |=≈ptõ¾r& !$uΖù=yèy_ $tΒuρ
save angels, and We put not their number save
as a trial for those who disbelieve, yŠ#yŠ÷“tƒuρ |=≈tGÅ3ø9$# (#θè?ρé& tÏ%©!$# zÉ)øŠtFó¡uŠÏ9 (#ρã&x?x. tÏ%©#Ïj9 ZπuΖ÷FÏù
So that those given the Book become certain,
and for the believers to increase in belief,
belief, and |=≈tGÅ3ø9$# (#θè?ρé& tÏ%©!$# z>$s?ö&tƒ Ÿωuρ   $YΖ≈uΚƒÎ) (#þθãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$#
that those given the Book and the believers
vacillate not, tβρã&Ï?≈s3ø9$#uρ ÖÚz^£∆ ΝÍκÍ5θè=è% ’Îû tÏ%©!$# tΑθà)u‹Ï9uρ   tβθãΖÏΒ÷σßϑø9$#uρ

And that those in whose hearts is a disease and â!$t±o„ tΒ ª!$# ‘≅ÅÒムy7Ï9≡x‹x. 4 WξsWtΒ #x‹≈pκÍ5 ª!$# yŠ#u‘r& !#sŒ$tΒ
the disbelievers may say, 'What is it that Allah
means by this metaphor?’ Thus does Allah lead }‘Ïδ $tΒuρ 4 uθèδ 4ωÎ) y7În/u‘ yŠθãΖã_ ÞΟn=÷ètƒ $tΒuρ 4 â!$t±o„ tΒ “ωöκu‰uρ
astray whom He wills, and He guides whom He He
wills; and none knows the armies of thy Lord ∩⊂⊇∪ Î0|³t6ù=Ï9 3“t&ø.ÏŒ 4ωÎ)
except Him;
And this is nothing but a reminder to mankind.
(31)
And We have put not companions for the fire save angels, ... Only angels are deputed to guard
over hell as they are stronger, and have no connections to the people in the fire, as people would
have.
... and We put not their number save as a trial for those who disbelieve, ... Their number –
nineteen – has been set simply as a test for the disbelievers, so as to clarify whether they believe
in it or whether they laugh at this number, saying that it is far too small a number to chastise the
vast numbers of disbelievers and disobedient. For His creations, glory be to Him, are to be tested,
whether with plenty or with affliction in the world or the hereafter, whether by a thing itself or
by its characteristics or by its status.
... So that those given the Book become certain ... The number of angels is mentioned in the
Qur’an so that those given the Book, that is the Jews and Christians, may be certain that the
Messenger is true; that they experience him informing them of those parts of their scriptures that
they keep secret to themselves, and do not teach to anyone. For when a person informs them of
what is in their books though he has not studied them and not been taught by them, of necessity
they identify him as being true and as having learned of such matters through inspiration.
... and for the believers to increase in belief, ... And so that those who believe in the Messenger
are increased in their faith, in that they see the people of the Book (the learned amongst them)
confirming the truth of the Messenger. This naturally increases faith.
... and that those given the Book and the believers vacillate not, ... That is, so that those given
the Book and the believers do not doubt about the Messenger. This emphasizes the former a>yah.
The Book-folk who believed in their hearts, and the others who believed openly in the
Messenger, were subject to doubt, as is normal with every inner quality. So when they saw this
confirmation their faith strengthened, and they were no more subject to doubt.
Thus the purpose of letting the number of the guardians of hell be known is two-fold. First, for
the faith of the believers to be increased, and for the Book-folk to learn that the Messenger was
true. Second, that the hypocrisy of the hypocrite and the disbelief of the disbelief be intensified.
... And that those in whose hearts is a disease and the disbelievers may say, 'What is it that Allah
means by this
this metaphor?’ ... Those in whose hearts is a disease, meaning the hypocrites, and the
disbelievers in the Messenger, would say, 'What does Allah mean by this metaphor?' As if they
considered this particular number to be a metaphor or similitude, rather than the clear truth in
accordance to the actual number of the fire's guardians. And so they sought clarification; for the
position of the stubborn opponent is that he only seeks clarification of a word when he wishes to
overcome that word, for the contorted condition of his heart leads him to see all things as equal.
The thread then turns to answer their question:
... Thus does Allah lead astray whom He wills, ... That is, by clarifying the realities, like the
clarification of the number of hell's guardians, Allah sends astray whom He wills: for whenever
the truth is brought up some of the people dislike it, and so it sends them astray.
... and He guides whom He wills; ... Others hold on to faith and it becomes a guidance for them.
For guiding and leading astray are not matters of compulsion, but mean that sending down a
a>yah or explaining an ordinance causes people either to be guided or to go astray, it being a test
for them.
In keeping with the exposition of the number of His troops assigned to guard over hell, the flow
now turns to explain the general truth of this:
... and none knows the armies of thy Lord except Him; ... for none knows the troops of your Lord
but Him, glory be to Him. That is, the numbers of His angels deputed to oversee creation is
known to Him alone, glory be to Him; save as far as He teaches such matters to some of His
servants. And so none can say that the troops of a particular affair are more or less than He has
informed us.
... And this is nothing but a reminder to mankind. The mention of the hell (Saqar) is nothing but
a reminder to mankind. It means that it is mentioned to remind them of the chastisement, so that
they may tear themselves from disobedience. Or it may mean that this surah is a reminder for
them.
Nay, by the moon,
moon, (32) ∩⊂⊄∪ Ì&uΚs)ø9$#uρ 4ξx.

Nay, ... That is, the affair is not as those disbelievers imagine it to be, in that there is no account
and no requital.
... by the moon; That is, an oath sworn, by the moon.
And the night when it turns around, (33) ∩⊂⊂∪ t&t/÷Šr& øŒÎ) È≅ø‹©9$#uρ

And the oath is by the night, and its passing on and giving way to the day.
And the morning when it shines, (34) ∩⊂⊆∪ t&x?ó™r& !#sŒÎ) Ëxö6VÁ9$#uρ

The oath is by the morning when it arrives and spreads its brightness.
Indeed it is one of the grand. (35) ∩⊂∈∪ Î0y9ä3ø9$# “y‰÷nZ} $pκ¨ΞÎ)
That is, the Saqar, the subject of the discourse, is one of the Grand portents or signs. He who can
create such signs as the moon, the night and the morning, is clearly able to create the fire and hell
to chastise thereby the disbelievers and the non-believers. Perhaps the selection of these things
for swearing the oath is meant to suggest that it is like the darkness that is dissipated by any
form of light. In the same way, the stagnancy of these things suggests the stagnancy of the
people of the fire, who will be as if dead, so dread will be their lives, in contrast to the believers
who will be joyfully alive.
A warning to mankind, (36) ∩⊂∉∪ Î0|³t6ù=Ïj9 #\&ƒÉ‹tΡ

That is, while hell is a grand sign, it is also a warning for mankind, warning them that if they do
not believe they will be afflicted with it.
For whosoever wills among ye to step forward ∩⊂∠∪ t&¨zr'tGtƒ ÷ρr& tΠ£‰s)tGtƒ βr& óΟä3ΖÏΒ u!$x© yϑÏ9
or lag behind. (37)
That is, for whoever of you, O mankind, who wishes to go forward to goodness and be saved, or
to lag behind in disobedience and be punished. It is for each person to choose his path: either to
paradise or to the fire.
Every soul for what it earns is held in pledge, ∩⊂∇∪ îπoΨ‹Ïδu‘ ôMt6|¡x. $yϑÎ/ ¤§ø?tΡ ‘≅ä.
(38)
The metaphor is of a security that is kept against a loan. If the loan is paid off, the security is
released, otherwise not. And so it is with everyone who honours what is expected from them –
belief and obedience – they will be freed and rewarded. Otherwise their destination is the fire and
perpetual imprisonment.
Save for the companions of the right hand: (39) ∩⊂∪ ÈÏϑuŠø9$# |=≈ptõ¾r& HωÎ)

These will be given their books in their right hands, and they will be led by the right, on the day
of resurrection, to the Gardens. They will have freed themselves from their pledge by their
virtuous deeds.
In gardens, enquiring (40) ∩⊆⊃∪ tβθä9u!$|¡tFtƒ ;M≈¨Ζy_ ’Îû

That is, they will be asking each other, or they will ask the angels, or they will ask the offenders
themselves . . .
About the offenders: (41) ∩⊆⊇∪ tÏΒÌ&ôfßϑø9$# Çtã

In accordance to the first two possibilities, they turn to the sinners after the questioning – as
given in 37:50 – and in the third possibility, which is the likely option, it is the sinner who
initially is asked. 37: 50-56 state:
Then they will turn to one another and question one another. One of them says: “I had an intimate
companion (on the earth), who used to say, “art thou amongst those who bear witness to the truth (of
the Message)? When we die and become dust and bones, shall we indeed receive rewards and
punishments?”” He then says: “Would ye like to look for (him)?” Then he looked down and saw him
in the midst of the Fire. He said: “By Allah! thou wast little short of bringing me to perdition!”
'What has brought ye to the Saqar?' (42) ∩⊆⊄∪ t&s)y™ ’Îû óΟä3x6n=y™ $tΒ

That is, they will ask the offenders what brought them into the terrible fire.
They say, 'We were not amongst the prayers, ∩⊆⊂∪ t,Íj#|Áßϑø9$# š∅ÏΒ à7tΡ óΟs9 (#θä9$s%
(43)
(43)
‘The prayers’ is given for mus}alli>n, meaning people who pray. In reply the offenders will say that
while they were in the world they did not perform the obligatory prayers.
'And we did not feed the destitute,
destitute, (44) ∩⊆⊆∪ tÅ3ó¡Ïϑø9$# ãΝÏèôÜçΡ à7tΡ óΟs9uρ

That is, they did not fulfil their obligations of feeding the poor, by paying the zaka>t and suchlike.
'And we would plunge with the plungers, (45) ∩⊆∈∪ tÅÒÍ←!$sƒø:$# yìtΒ ÞÚθèƒwΥ $¨Ζà2uρ

That is, they used to plunge into the falsehood with others who plunged into the false. ‘Plunge’ is
given for khawdh, meaning to immerse one's whole body in something, as if the false (ba>t}il) is
something one immerses in.
'And we would belie the day of requital, (46) ∩⊆∉∪ ÈÏd‰9$# ÏΘöθu‹Î/ Ü>Éj‹s3çΡ $¨Ζä.uρ

That is, they did not admit the day of resurrection, but said that it was a lie, and that it would not
happen.
'Until the certainty came to us.' (47) ∩⊆∠∪ ßÉ)u‹ø9$# $oΨ9s?r& #¨Lym

That is, until death come to them, meaning that they did not repent before they died. Death is
called ‘the certainty’ on account of how it causes that world to become apparent for man, so that
he becomes certain it is there.
And since that is how they were in the world:
So the intercession
intercession of the intercessors will not ∩⊆∇∪ tÏèÏ?≈¤±9$# èπyè≈x?x© óΟßγãèx?Ζs? $yϑsù
profit them. (48)
That is, the Messengers, the angels and the learned and suchlike who mediate or intercede on the
sinners' behalf, will not be allowed to mediate for them, as these sinners are beyond the level of
intercession. No mediation will profit them as none will mediate for them.
The thread then turns to express amazement at their headstrong clinging to the false:
What is it with them, that from the reminder ∩⊆∪ tÅÊÌ&÷èãΒ Íοt&Ï.õ‹−G9$# Çtã öΝçλm; $yϑsù
they
they turn away? (49)
What is with these disbelievers that they turn from the Qur’an that reminds them of the realities
and bears so much of benefit to them? What good is there for them in their turning away?
As if they are startled asses (50) ∩∈⊃∪ ×οt&Ï?ΖtFó¡•Β Ö&ßϑãm öΝßγ¯Ρr(x.

‘Startled’ is put for mustanfirah – it seems to denote that they seek flight from themselves, due
to the fear they witness. The disbelievers' being likened to asses is on account of their lack of
perception and their stupidity.
Fleeing from a lion. (51) ∩∈⊇∪ ¥οu‘uθó¡s% ÏΒ ôN§&sù

An ass will flee on witnessing a lion. In the same way the disbelievers flee from the Messenger.
Yet, every one of them wishes to be given open ∩∈⊄∪ Zοu0¤³oΨ•Β $Z?ßsß¹ 4’tA÷σムβr& öΝåκ÷]ÏiΒ <›Ì&øΒ$# ‘≅ä. ߉ƒÌ&ムö≅t/
scripture. (52)
That is, each wishes to receive inspiration and have a book sent down to him from Allah, glory
be to Him. It is as He says, 'And they say, “Why does an angel not descend to us?"’ [11: 26]. Or
the meaning is that despite all their turning from the truth, they wish to be given their book on
the day of resurrection spread open and full of good deeds. The books which record the evil deeds
will be kept closed that day, so that others cannot read them, while books recording good deeds
will be kept open as a mark of honour and pride.
‘Yet’ is given for bal, which signifies the absurdity of their expectation in consideration of their
disbelief.
Nay, but they do not fear the hereafter. (53) ∩∈⊂∪ nοt&ÅzFψ$# šχθèù$sƒs† 4ω ≅t/ ( 4ξx.

Nay, they shall not be given an open book, for they did not do what would make them deserving
of that. They did not believe in the hereafter, for them to enter the ranks of the believers and thus
be granted an open book in their hands.
Perhaps what is meant is that since they did not believe in the hereafter, they turned away from
the reminder:
Nay, indeed it is a reminder; (54)
∩∈⊆∪ ×οt&Ï.õ‹s? …絯ΡÎ) HξŸ2

Nay, ... The affair is not as they imagined; that to turn away would be better for them.
... indeed it is a reminder; The Qur’an reminds them.
So whoever wills recalls it. (55) ∩∈∈∪ …çνt&Ÿ2sŒ u!$x© yϑsù

He who wills to be reminded and guided to goodness shall be reminded and admonished by it
(the Qur’an). He who does not wish to remember, that is up to him.
And they will not recall unless Allah wills, He ã≅÷δr&uρ 3“uθø)−G9$# ã≅÷δr& uθèδ 4 ª!$# u!$t±o„ βr& HωÎ) tβρã&ä.õ‹tƒ $tΒuρ
is One to be feared, and One who forgives. (56)
∩∈∉∪ Íοt&Ï?øópRùQ$#

And they will not recall unless Allah wills, ... Being reminded has two aspects: a. the will of
Allah, glory be to Him, by His sending Prophets and guiding the people; and b. the acceptance of
the person. So their being reminded depends on the will of Allah, and He certainly wills it, glory
be to Him, for He has guided; and so it remains for them to accept the guidance.
... He is One to be feared, ... He is deserving of being feared; for man only fears one who is
powerful and aware of any transgressions and will punish them, and all of this is true of Him,
glory be to Him.
... and He is One who forgives. He forgives the sins of whoever fears Him and comes to the path.
So fear Him, O people, and He will forgive ye.
 Surah al-
al-Qiya>mah (75)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻘﻴﺎﻣﺔ‬
‘The Resurrection’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word al-qiya>mah, meaning ‘the
resurrection’. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with the three principles of faith. As Surah
al-Muddaththir concluded on matters relating to the resurrection, so this surah opens with the
same.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, … Beginning by the name of Allah who is the true Deity. Other than Him
there is no deity.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He bestows mercy and grace upon His creatures in the world
and the hereafter.
I swear not by the day of resurrection. (1) ∩⊇∪ Ïπyϑ≈uŠÉ)ø9$# ÏΘöθu‹Î/ ãΝÅ¡ø%é& Iω

‘Not’ is put for la, a particle of negation (nafy). It has been explained that in such cases it is used
to convey a very subtle point: that the speaker wishes to explain and emphasise a matter without
swearing, but in a way suggestive of an oath. Thus it might be said 'I swear not by your life,
except that the matter is such and such...' when it is not intended to swear an oath, though
hinting at an oath so as to affect emphasis.
And I swear not by the scolding soul. (2) ∩⊄∪ ÏπtΒ#§θ¯=9$# ħø+¨Ζ9$$Î/ ãΝÅ¡ø%é& Iωuρ

‘The scolding soul’ is given for al-nafs al-lawwa>mah, which is the admonishing soul that scolds
and censures its possessor for shortcomings in the service of Allah, glory be to Him, no matter
how high one's level of obedience.
It is said that the reason for the negation of these oaths is that the disbelievers did not
acknowledge these two matters. Accordingly, it is as if it is said, 'I do not swear by these two as
you do not admit them.'
Does the human reckon that We will never ∩⊂∪ …çµtΒ$sàÏã yìyϑøgªΥ ©9r& ß≈|¡ΡM}$# Ü=|¡øts†r&
gather his bones? (3)
Does man think that his bones will not be gathered after death, for him to be raised? That is,
does he think there is no resurrection and no afterlife?
People sometimes claim that there is no such gathering, on account of their calculation that
Allah has not the power to do this. Therefore the thread turns to reject this false claim, in His
word:
Nay, We are able to restore his fingertips. (4) ∩⊆∪ …çµtΡ$uΖt/ y“Èhθ|¡8Σ βr& #’n?tã t͑ω≈s% 4’n?t/

That is, nay, on the contrary, We shall gather his bones, for indeed We are able to reshape the
tips of his fingers. This is a sign of the extent of His power, for the patterns on the fingertips of
people are all different, no matter how many people there are. So, He who is able to make and
restore the most precise element of the human being is clearly able to restore the other parts of
his being.
It has been said that the most wondrous parts of the human being are four: the difference in
voices; in faces; the fingerprints; and the individuality of handwriting, so that no two person's
handwriting are the same, though the differences are only discernible with the help of a
microscope and modern equipments.
Indeed man does not disbelieve in the return on account of him denying in his heart the power of
Allah, glory be to Him, and His ability to raise us:
Nay, the human wishes to be brazen onwards. ∩∈∪ …çµtΒ$tΒr& t&àfø+u‹Ï9 ß≈|¡ΡM}$# ߉ƒÌ&ムö≅t/
(5)
‘Nay’ is given for bal. It means that the human does not necessarily disbelieve the resurrection
because he in his heart actually denies the ability of Allah to bring back the dead, but this is on
account of his desire to be brazen and disobedient during the remainder of his life. Since to
acknowledge the hereafter prevents a person from his brazenness, he denies it so as to keep open
the path of his brazenness. And when a person warns him of the hereafter, he denies it so as to
silence him.
He asks, 'When is the day of resurrection?' (6) ∩∉∪ Ïπyϑ≈uŠÉ)ø9$# ãΠöθtƒ tβ$−ƒr& ã≅t↔ó¡o„

The denier asks when the resurrection will come, meaning that it will not come. Otherwise, when
is it?
Here the thread turns to explain the timing of the day of resurrection:
Then when the sight flashes, (7) ∩∠∪ ç9|Çt7ø9$# s−Ì&t/ #sŒÎ*sù

That is, the eyes will glaze over on seeing the terrors, and are confounded to the extent that they
will not see properly.
And the moon is eclipsed, (8) ∩∇∪ ã&yϑs)ø9$# y#|¡yzuρ

That day it will be a dull mass without light.

And the sun and the moon are gathered, (9) ∩∪ ã&yϑs)ø9$#uρ ߧ÷Κ¤±9$# yìÏΗäduρ

The planetary system of which they are a part will be overturned, and each will be beside the
other.
The human that day says 'Where to flee?' (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ ”&x+pRùQ$# tør& >‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ß≈|¡ΡM}$# ãΑθà)tƒ

Those who say that the day of resurrection is false will on that day say where is the place of
flight from these terrors. His self-questioning indicates that he knows there is no place to flee; it
is a sigh of regret at his realisation that there is no possibility of escape.
Nay, there is no stronghold; (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ u‘y—uρ Ÿω 1ξx.

Nay, there is no possibility of escape; stronghold is given for wazar, meaning what a person
fortifies himself by, such as mountains and so on. There is no sanctuary or asylum to flee to.
Unto your Lord that day is the settlement; ∩⊇⊄∪ ”&s)tGó¡çRùQ$# >‹Í×tΒöθtƒ y7În/u‘ 4’n<Î)
(12)
On that day the final destination of all is towards your Lord, that is towards His reckoning – the
virtuous will settle in His Garden, the wicked in His fire.
The human is informed that day of what he ∩⊇⊂∪ t&¨zr&uρ tΠ£‰s% $yϑÎ/ ¥‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ß≈|¡ΡM}$# (#àσ¬6t⊥ãƒ
sent ahead and what he sent later. (13)
On the day of resurrection an individual will be informed by Allah, glory be to Him, through the
medium of the Prophets and the witnesses, of what he sent ahead to the hereafter while he was
alive, in the way of virtuous deeds, and of what he arranged to be dispatched after his death, such
as establishing a trust that gives charity after his death. He is informed of this for the requital
and the recompense, for whether righteous or wicked he will be read what he did and then
requited.
And though the human may offer various excuses, they will not be accepted from him:
Nay, rather the human is an observer over ∩⊇⊆∪ ×οu9_ÅÁt/ ϵšø+tΡ 4’n?tã ß≈|¡ΡM}$# È≅t/
himself, (14)
(14)
‘An observer (bas}ir> ah); it means one who is acutely aware. Or it may mean a perspicuous proof.
For the limbs and parts of the body will testify as to what he has done.
Though he cast his excuses. (15) ∩⊇∈∪ …çνt&ƒÏŒ$yètΒ 4’s+ø9r& öθs9uρ

If he gives excuses they will not be accepted from him. Or he knows what he did even though he
offers excuses with his manifest speech.
Here the flow turns to direct the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, about how to
bear the Qur’an, as it had been revealed to him. Perhaps the connection is the relation between
the Qur’an and the actions that the Qur’an throws light on.
From Ibn cAbba>s it is narrated that the Messenger, while the Qur’an was being revealed to him,
would hasten by moving his tongue, out of his fondness for it and desirous of remembering it,
and fearing that he might forget it. Others have narrated what is similar. Perhaps, then, this
happened during this surah, occasioning the directive to come here:
Animate not thy tongue with it to hasten it; ∩⊇∉∪ ÿϵÎ/ Ÿ≅yf÷ètGÏ9 y7tΡ$|¡Ï9 ϵÎ/ õ8Ìh&ptéB Ÿω
(16)
The Messenger was not to put his tongue into motion with the Qur’an, in reciting it word by
word as the archangel Gabriel recited it to him, before the revelation was complete. The
implication is that he would do this in order to grasp it and not forget it.1
Indeed upon Us is its gathering and its reciting. ∩⊇∠∪ …çµtΡ#uö&è%uρ …çµyè÷Ηsd $uΖøŠn=tã ¨βÎ)
(17)
The composition and compilation of the Qur’an and its recitation to the Messenger was a matter
for Allah, glory be to Him.
So when We recite it, follow its recital; (18) ∩⊇∇∪ …çµtΡ#uö&è% ôìÎ7¨?$$sù çµ≈tΡù&t&s% #sŒÎ*sù

That is, when Gabriel recites it to thee, follow or concentrate on that recital.
Thereupon, on Us is its clarification. (19) ∩⊇∪ …çµtΡ$uŠt/ $uΖøŠn=tã ¨βÎ) §ΝèO

That is, it was for Allah to ensure the elucidation and clarification of the Qur’an’s areas of
brevity and conciseness, and of its metaphors, just like its compilation and recital. The concern
of the Messenger was the messengership and the conveyance. And it really is a thing of
amazement that were it not for the nature of prophethood, how would it be possible for a person
to remember such a large volume of scripture without repeating the recital from a book. Do you
not see how even the most eloquent of speakers, with the best of memories, ascend the pulpit and
even if they speak the amount of just two pages, afterwards they cannot recite the same thing a
second time exactly like they did at first? The promise of Allah, glory be to Him, to the
Messenger in His word, ‘We shall set thee to recite so thou shall not forget’ [87: 6], was what
enabled the Messenger to remember it at a single reading from Gabriel. And were the Messenger
not truthful in his claim, as the disbelievers maintained, how would it have been possible for him
to have had such a marvellous memory?
The current then turns to its former topic, in His word.

1
The allusion of this animation of the tongue and the haste in reciting the verses of the holy Qur’an is that the
holy prophet is indicating his passion to learn the holy Qur’an, and as such he is setting an example for the
faithful to endeavour to learn the holy Qur’an. For otherwise the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and
his family, is macsu>m and thus immune from forgetfulness.
Nay, but ye are fond of the hasty, (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ s's#Å_$yèø9$# tβθ™7ÏtéB ö≅t/ 1ξx.

Nay, ... The disbelievers (the pronoun is plural) do not reflect on the Qur’an, and do not
deliberate on the resurrection, wishing instead to be brazen onwards. ... but ... Instead of that:
... ye are fond of the hasty. They love the hasty; that is, the transient, material world.
And ye leave aside the hereafter (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ nοt&ÅzFψ$# tβρâ‘x‹s?uρ

They forsake the hereafter and do not act for its account.
But know this: he who acts here for the hereafter will there be in goodness; whereas he who fails
to act will be in a vile condition:
Faces that day are radiant, (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ îοu9ÅÑ$¯Ρ 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×νθã_ãρ

On the day of resurrection some faces will be bright, radiant in their joy; they are the faces of the
believers.
Towards their
their Lord looking forward; (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ ×οt&Ïß$tΡ $pκÍh5u‘ 4’n<Î)

‘looking forward’ is used for na>dhirah, looking as in intidha>r which means awaiting. They
looking forward towards His mercy, profusion and grace, glory be to Him.
And faces that day are scowling,
scowling, (24) ∩⊄⊆∪ ×οu9Å $t/ ¥‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×νθã_ãρuρ

Some faces on the day of resurrection will be overcast with an intense frown, for an effect of
sorrow and fear is that the face frowns. These are the faces of the disbelievers and of the
disobedient.
Supposing that a backbreaking calamity will be ∩⊄∈∪ ×οt&Ï%$sù $pκÍ5 Ÿ≅yèø+ムβr& MÝàs?
done to them. (25)
The people behind those faces will suppose this. Attributing the verb to the faces themselves is
metaphorical. ‘Calamity’ is given for fa>qirah, meaning a calamity that breaks the spine in the
back, so severe is it. ‘Suppose’ is given for dhann, which is used on account of how the human,
on seeing that the chastisement is near, does not admit that it will descend on him, for he hopes
that it will be diverted. And so he supposes he will be punished, but is not sure.
Nay, when it reaches the collarbone, (26) ∩⊄∉∪ u’Í∋#u9©I9$# ÏMtón=t/ #sŒÎ) Hξx.

Nay, ... That is, the affair is not as the disbelievers presently suppose, that there is a world but no
hereafter.
...
... when it reaches the collarbone, The fallacy of their claim will become clear to them when it
reaches the collarbone; that is, when the soul reaches the collarbone, a way of indicating the
approach of death.
And it is said, 'Who is the ascender?' (27) ∩⊄∠∪ 5−#u‘ 2ôtΒ Ÿ≅ŠÏ%uρ

The angels will ask of each other which of them is to take the soul of the person forward: the
angels of mercy or the angels of the chastisement.
And he will suppose that it is the separation, ∩⊄∇∪ ä−#t&Ï+ø9$# 絯Ρr& £sßuρ
(28)
That is, the person dying or those around him will suppose that it is his separation from the
world and his loved ones.
And one leg is twisted around the other, (29) ∩⊄∪ É−$¡¡9$$Î/ ä−$¡¡9$# ÏM¤+tGø9$#uρ

The term indicates the impossibility of returning to the world, and of recovering from death, for
the person whose legs are bound, one to the other, has no possibility of flight and escape from
what is disagreeable.
To thy Lord that day is the herding. (30) ∩⊂⊃∪ ä−$|¡yϑø9$# >‹Í×tΒöθtƒ y7În/u‘ 4’n<Î)

On the day of death a person's soul is herded and driven. He has no choice. His life in the world is
over.
So, he did not confirm and he did not pray, (31) ∩⊂⊇∪ 4’©?|¹ Ÿωuρ s−£‰|¹ Ÿξsù

So, ...That is, so did the disbeliever perform the deeds that would save him there? Nay!
... he did not confirm ... He did not confirm what it was obligatory for him to confirm, e.g. belief
in Allah, His Messengers, Resurrection, etc.
... and he did not pray. He did not perform his obligatory prayers to Allah, glory be to Him.
But rather he belied and turned back; (32) ∩⊂⊄∪ 4’¯<uθs?uρ z>¤‹x. Å3≈s9uρ

Instead, he belied Allah and what else he needed to believe. And he turned away from the truth.
Moreover, he went to his folk strutting. (33) ∩⊂⊂∪ #‘©ÜyϑtGtƒ Ï&Î#÷δr& #’n<Î) |=yδsŒ §ΝèO

That is, he returned to his family proud and conceited at his having belied. ‘Strutting’ is put for
yatamat}t}a.> The meaning is that his calling lies to the truth led him to strut pompously and
arrogantly back to his people, stretching his body upwards. Perhaps he is cited as behaving this
way on returning to this folk on account of how it is only on returning to them from outside the
house that his arrogance and haughtiness really becomes clear to them.
Worthier for thee, worthier! (34) ∩⊂⊆∪ 4’n<÷ρr'sù y7s9 4’n<÷ρr&

The pronoun is singular. The address now turns to the disbeliever directly; that “the state you
are in is worthier for you than that of faith and obedience”. The wicked condition of the arrogant
and the belier of the truth was more appropriate for him than the beauty to which the Messenger
called him. The repetition is to emphasise the transgressor’s lack of receptivity to faith and
guidance.
Moreover, worthier for thee, worthier! (35) ∩⊂∈∪ #’n<÷ρr'sù y7s9 4’n<÷ρr& §ΝèO

This repetition is for emphasis.

It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah once took Abu Jahl by the hand and said to him,
‘Worthier for thee, worthier! Moreover, worthier for thee, worthier!’
‘With what do you threaten me? Neither you nor your Lord are able to do anything to me; as I
am the most powerful of the people of this valley (i.e. the City of Makkah, which is surrounded
by mountains)!’ Abu Jahl replied. And so Allah, glory be to Him, revealed the a>yah. [End of
narration]
Of course the Messenger and his Lord, the Most High, were able to have done everything to Abu
Jahl. And Abu Jahl was killed at Badr, whereupon he entered into the inferno.
The term ‘worthier for thee’ (awla lak) is a warning, [given the stature and position of the Abu
Jahl in the then community, who was the chief of Quraysh], meaning: ‘You shall soon see the
consequences of the deviated path you have chosen.’
Does the human reckon that he will be ∩⊂∉∪ “´‰ß™ x8u9øIムβr& ß≈|¡ΡM}$# Ü=|¡øts†r&
aimlessly forsaken? (36)
Does he think that his life is in vain, with no commands, no prohibitions, no reckoning and no
requital?
Was he not a drop of ejaculated sperm? (37) ∩⊂∠∪ 4o_ôϑム%cÍ_¨Β ÏiΒ Zπx+ôÜçΡ à7tƒ óΟs9r&

Does he not deduce from this and from his various transformations that Allah is able to return
him?
Then he was a blood-
blood-clot; So He created and ∩⊂∇∪ 3“§θ|¡sù t,n=y⇐sù Zπs)n=tæ tβ%x. §ΝèO
then fashioned, (38)
The sperm become a blood-clot; then Allah created from it a human being. He then fashioned
him, giving him all limbs, faculties, and endowments.
And from him put the two genders, male and ∩⊂∪ #s\ΡW{$#uρ t&x.©%!$# È÷y_÷ρ¨“9$# çµ÷ΖÏΒ Ÿ≅yèpgmX
female (39)
Who can be seen to have done all this, other than Allah, glory be to Him?
Is That not powerful enough to give life to the
the ∩⊆⊃∪ 4’tAöθpRùQ$# }‘Å↵øtä† βr& #’n?tã A‘ω≈s)Î/ y7Ï9≡sŒ }§øŠs9r&
dead? (40)
Is That ... ‘That’ (dha>lika) means Allah, glory be to Him.
... not powerful enough to give life to the dead? He who is able to create is able to recreate. How
then does the disbeliever deny His capability, glory be to Him, of the bringing about of the rising
and the resurrection?
 Surah al-
al-Insa>n (76)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻻ�ﺴﺎﻥ‬
‘The Human’
The surah is also called al-Dahr, meaning ‘Time’. The surah derives these two names from the
prominence within it of the words al-dahr, meaning the age, time, or period, and al-insa>n,
meaning the human being. Like the other Madinan surahs it is composed of matters relating to
the Islamic order, while tending towards dealing with matters of faith. Just as Surah al-Qiya>mah
concluded on the topic of a person's conditions from the time of his being a drop of sperm until
his being raised to full maturity, so this surah opens on the human's origin, and the return and
resurrection that is arranged for him.
The surah was sent down on the twenty-fifth of Dhi1-Hijjah, about Ali, Fa>t}imah, al-Hasan and
al-Husayn, peace be upon them, and a servant girl they had who was named Fid}d}ah. The
circumstance was that al-Hasan and al-Husayn, were ill, and so the Messenger visited them along
with a group of his companions. The Messenger said to Ali, ‘O Abul-Hasan, if you vowed for
your two sons (recovery) ...’ And so he made a vow (nadhr) to fast for three days if Allah, glory
be to Him, would cure them. Fa>t}imah made the same vow and so did Fid}d}ah. al-Hasan and al-
Husayn, recovered, and so Imam Ali, Lady Fa>t}imah and Fid}d}ah started to fast, as well as al-
Hasan and al-Husayn, who joined their parents in the fast. The family performed the fast of day
one while they had nothing whatsoever. Ali borrowed three measures of barley from a Jew, and
Lady Fa>t}imah al-Zahra>’, peace be upon her, ground one measure and made bread with it, and
after performing the maghrib prayer she put it before the family for break of the fast. At that
moment a pauper came to them and called them and requested of them; Ali gave him his loaf,
and so did Lady Fa>t}imah followed by Hasan and Husayn, and Fid}d}ah, and themselves ended their
fast with no more than water. The second day they all fasted, and again Fa>t}imah, ground a
measure and cooked bread with it. After maghrib prayers she put it before the family for the
meal, when suddenly there was an orphan at the door seeking food. Like the day before, they
each gave him their bread while they themselves tasted nothing but water for their meal. The
third day Fa>t}imah, took the third measure , ground it and made bread, and after maghrib prayers
when they were about to break the fast, a captive appeared at the door seeking food. So they
gave him their five loaves and broke their fasts with nothing but water. So when it was the
fourth day and they had performed their vows, Imam Ali went with al-Hasan and al-Husayn, to
see the Messenger of Allah may Allah bless him and his family. On seeing them and witnessing
their condition of weakness the Messenger wept, and then Gabriel was sent down with this surah.
In some narrations Allah, glory be to Him, sent down a spread of food from the sky for them.
And it is said that among the wonders of this surah is that it describes all the blessings of
paradise with the exception of paradise's 'beauties' (al-h}ur> ), out of respect for Lady Fa>t}imah,
peace be upon her.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, … Beginning by the name of Allah who is the First before all things, so it
is a thing of beauty to begin with His noble name in every affair.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He bestows mercy on everyone with shortcomings, fulfilling
their shortcomings, amongst which is the forgiveness of man's shakiness, so that it is as if he
does not sin.
Has there come upon the human a period of all $\↔ø‹x© ä3tƒ öΝs9 Ì&÷δ¤$!$# zÏiΒ ×Ïm Ç≈|¡ΣM}$# ’n?tã 4’tAr& ö≅yδ
time when he was not a thing recalled? (1)
∩⊇∪ #·‘θä.õ‹¨Β

The interrogative is for assertion, for a person to admit this truth, and it becomes clear to him
that since he was not and now is, that which brought him into being is able to restore him after
destroying him. ‘Time’ is put for dahr, meaning a long period of time passed. He was not a thing
recalled. He was non-existent, with no consequences, no influence, nothing. The implied answer
is ‘yes, there was such a time.’ And: ‘can anyone deny the reality of this?’
Indeed We have created the human from a çµ≈oΨù=yèyfsù ϵ‹Î=tGö6¯Ρ 8l$t±øΒr& >πx1ôÜœΡ ÏΒ z≈|¡ΣM}$# $oΨø)n=yz $¯ΡÎ)
mingled sperm-
sperm-drop; We try him, so We made
him hearing, seeing. (2) ∩⊄∪ #·;AÅÁt/ $Jè‹Ïϑy™

The sperm-drop is composed of mingled substances, the sperm of the man and that of the
woman, and of the various elements of what is eaten. He is created to be tested, in that he is
subject to obligations: will he perform them with beauty or in evil. Thus he was made to hear and
to see, for the obligations upon him to be complete.
Indeed We have guided him to the path, ∩⊂∪ #·‘θà1x. $¨ΒÎ)uρ #[&Ï.$x© $¨ΒÎ) Ÿ≅‹Î6¡¡9$# çµ≈uΖ÷ƒy‰yδ $¯ΡÎ)
whether he is grateful or ungrateful. (3)
Man is guided to the path, through the raising of the Messengers and the sending of the Books.
Either man is grateful for the blessings of Allah, glory be to Him, through belief and obedience.
Or he is ungrateful, given for kafu>r, for every disbeliever is ungrateful relative to the various
times and conditions.
Indeed We have prepared for the disbelievers ∩⊆∪ #·;AÏèy™uρ Wξ≈n=øîr&uρ 6ξÅ¡≈n=y™ šÌ&Ï1≈s3ù=Ï9 $tΡô‰tFôãr& !$¯ΡÎ)
chains, fetters and a blaze. (4)
They will be dragged along in chains of iron, and bound in fetters. And there is a raging, blazing
fire ahead of them. All of this is prepared for them in the hereafter.
Indeed the righteous shall be drinking of a cup #·‘θèù$Ÿ2 $yγã_#t“ÏΒ šχ%x. <¨ù(x. ÏΒ šχθç/u;ô³tƒ u‘#t&ö/F{$# ¨βÎ)
whose mixture is camphor: (5)
∩∈∪

The righteous (al-abra>r) shall be drinking the cool, pleasant drinks of paradise, in which camphor
(ka>fu>r) is mixed, denoting the coolness of those drinks, their sweetness and their pleasant
fragrance. It seems that their drinking is given precedence on account of its connection to the
preceding word 'flame', from which one seeks relief by drinking water.
The Arabs would sometimes mix their wine with camphor and sometimes with ginger. Thus it is
stated that the drinks of paradise are like this, appropriate to the Arabs' understanding, for the
food there is different from the food and drink of the world, in delight and goodness.
A fountain, Allah’s worshippers drink from it; ∩∉∪ #Z;AÉfø1s? $pκtΞρã&Édfx1ム«!$# ߊ$t7Ïã $pκÍ5 Ü>u;ô³o„ $YΖøŠtã
they open it up, opening. (6)
That is, those cups will be filled from a spring. Those who are given this good news are the
servants of Allah, who worship Him and obey Him with a just and fitting obedience. ‘They open
it up’ is given for yufajjiru>naha>, meaning to set it flowing. What is meant is that as and when
they like they will be able to draw the water of the spring from their own dwellings and palaces,
for that itself is a pleasure and a delight.
The servants of Allah are then described:
They fulfil the vow and they fear a day whose ∩∠∪ #Z;AÏÜtGó¡ãΒ …çν•;Ÿ° tβ%x. $YΒöθtƒ tβθèù$sƒs†uρ Í‘õ‹¨Ζ9$$Î/ tβθèùθãƒ
evil is widespread.
widespread. (7)
They fulfil the vow ... While in the world they were such that whenever they made a vow, they
fulfilled their vow. ‘Vow’ is given for nadhr, which is that a person binds some good upon
himself for His sake, glory be to Him, like vowing to fast or give charity or suchlike.
... and they fear a day whose evil is widespread ... And they fear the day, that is the terrors of
that day – the day of resurrection – whose evil is widespread, meaning that it is everywhere and
will embrace every disbeliever and sinner, unlike the evils of the world that are particular to a
country, or person or place.
And they feed food out of love to a pauper and ∩∇∪ #·;AÅ™r&uρ $VϑŠÏKtƒuρ $YΖŠÅ3ó¡ÏΒ ϵÎm7ãm 4’n?tã tΠ$yè©Ü9$# tβθßϑÏèôÜãƒuρ
an orphan and a captive: (8)
And they feed food out of love ... ‘out of love’ is given for cala> h}ubbihi, literally: upon, or over,
love for Him, or for it. It means that they feed the food for His sake, glory be to Him. It may also
mean that they feed the food though they love that food for themselves on account of their
hunger.
... to a pauper ...‘Pauper’ is given for miski>n, a person whose poverty renders him inactive
(sa>kin), for whereas the wealthy person is active in different fields the pauper is inactive, as he
has no wealth to spend in his concerns.
... and an orphan ... And on the orphan, a child whose father has died, or both his parents, or even
just his mother.
... and a captive. That is, a person taken in war.
The purified Household, peace be upon them, fulfilled their vow and fed food to all three
categories, as shown above.
Their intention in giving the food was that:
We feed ye but for the face of Allah, we neither #·‘θä3ä© Ÿωuρ [!#t“y_ óΟä3ΖÏΒ ß‰ƒÌ&çΡ Ÿω «!$# ϵô_uθÏ9 ö/ä3ãΚÏèôÜçΡ $oÿ©ςÎ)
want from ye a recompense nor thanks; (9)
∩∪

The meaning is that they feed that food for the sake of Allah, glory be to Him. The use of the
word ‘face’ is to illustrate intention and orientation; it is a metaphorical usage derived from the
fact that it is the face of a person we direct ourselves towards, when we are trying to please that
person.
Indeed we fear from our Lord a frowning, ∩⊇⊃∪ #\&ƒÌ&sÜôϑs% $U™θç7tã $·Βöθtƒ $uΖÎn/§‘ ÏΒ ß∃$sƒwΥ $¯ΡÎ)
catastrophic day. (10)
They fear, were they to disobey Him in failing to fulfil their vow, or in failing to feed the
destitute for His sake, a day of dread that would cause faces to frown. Catastrophic: a day of
extreme difficulty and hardship.
So Allah guards them
them from the evil of that day, ∩⊇⊇∪ #Y‘ρç;ß uρ Zοu;ôØtΡ öΝßγ9¤)s9uρ ÏΘöθu‹ø9$# y7Ï9≡sŒ §;Ÿ° ª!$# ãΝßγ9s%uθsù
and presents them to radiance and joy. (11)
Allah protects them from the horrors of the day of resurrection, and presents to them, grants to
them, radiance and beauty of the face and joy in the heart.
And He recompenses them for their restraint ∩⊇⊄∪ #\&ƒÌ&ymuρ Zπ¨Ζy_ (#ρç;y9|¹ $yϑÎ/ Νßγ1t“y_uρ
with a garden and with silk. (12)
They are rewarded for their patience with gardens as an abode, and with silk for clothing.
Reclining therein on couches, neither seeing Ÿωuρ $T¡ôϑx© $pκiÏù tβ÷ρt&tƒ Ÿω ( Å7Í←!#u‘F{$# ’n?tã $pκiÏù tÏ↔Å3−G•Β
therein a sun nor a frost. (13)
∩⊇⊂∪ #\&ƒÌ&yγøΒy—

In the gardens they will recline on thrones or couches (ara>’ik), and will be troubled neither by
heat nor by cold.
And close to them are its shades, and its ∩⊇⊆∪ Wξ‹Ï9õ‹s? $yγèùθäÜè% ôMn=Ïj9èŒuρ $yγè=≈n=Ïß öΝÍκöin=tã ºπu‹ÏΡ#yŠuρ
clusters are made lowly, made lowly, (14)
The shade from the trees in paradise is near to them, as the light in paradise – and in it there is
some heat – is shaded by trees, and by walls and roofs of the palaces. And the climate is more
pleasant and agreeable in the shade, and it seems that it is arranged in this way so that a person
may seek a change of temperature between the shade and the heat, and vice versa. Clusters of
fruit weigh down their branches, so that they can easily be picked by hand, so close by are they
and so near to the ground.
And vessels of silver are passed around them, ∩⊇∈∪ O#t&ƒÍ‘#uθs% ôMtΡ%x. 5>#uθø.r&uρ 7π7ÒÏù ÏiΒ 7πu‹ÏΡ$t↔Î/ ΝÍκöin=tã ß∃$sÜãƒuρ
and ggoblets
oblets that are glass, (15)
Those who pass them around are the immortal youths mentioned below. ‘Vessels’ is put for
a>niyah, meaning a jug or pitcher or suchlike used to contain water. Perhaps they will be full of
wine. ‘Goblets’ is put for akwa>b, small vessels used for drinking: the wine is poured from the
vessels into the goblets for the righteous to drink from. The goblets are made of a glass.
Glass of silver, they are determined precisely. ∩⊇∉∪ #\&ƒÏ‰ø)s? $yδρâ‘£‰s% 7π7ÒÏù ÏΒ (#t&ƒÍ‘#uθs%
(16)
The goblets are of a glass that is the colour of silver, so that they present the sight with two
pleasures. Imam al-S{a>diq has said that sight penetrates the silver of paradise just as it penetrates
glass.
Thus the goblets of paradise have the clarity and transparency of glass, and the whiteness and
softness of silver. And they are precisely determined, meaning measured, so that the goblets have
such a uniform shape and dimensions that it is as if they are made by machine; unlike vessels
made by hand whose differences are apparent to the eye, and jolt the sensibilities.
And they shall be given to drink therein a cup ∩⊇∠∪ ¸ξŠÎ6pgΥy— $yγã_#z•ÏΒ tβ%x. $U™ù(x. $pκiÏù tβöθs)ó¡ç„uρ
whose admixture is ginger. (17)
‘They’ means the righteous mentioned earlier. ‘Therein’ means in the Garden. They shall be
given a cup, meaning a drink from a cup, whose admixture is ginger, in that mixed with the drink
will be something resembling ginger, the well-known spice that is used for mixing with drinks.
A fountain therein; it is called Salsabil. (18) ∩⊇∇∪ Wξ‹Î6|¡ù=y™ 4‘£ϑ|¡è@ $pκiÏù $YΖøŠtã

‘Therein’ means in paradise. The drink mixed with ginger issues from that spring. It is called
‘Salsabi>l’ on account of its flowing (sayala>nihi) in streams sweet, refreshing and resplendent; or
on account of its being so palatable due to its purity and lightness. So it is not to be imagined
that the ginger will lead to heartburn or discomfort.
And eternalis
eternalised
ed youths shall circle around #Zσä9÷σä9 öΝåκtJö6Å¡ym öΝåκtJ÷ƒr&u‘ #sŒÎ) tβρà$©#sƒ’Χ ×β≡t$ø!Íρ öΝÍκöin=tã ß∃θäÜtƒuρ
them; when thou see them thou will reckon
them to be pearls, scattered. (19) ∩⊇∪ #Y‘θèVΖ¨Β

And eternalised youths shall circle around them; ... ‘Circle around’ is given for yat}u>fu, from
t}awa>f. Here it means to pass from one to another and then to another and so on, until arriving
back at the first. The meaning of ‘eternalised’ (mukhalladu>n) is that they remain eternally in
paradise. The ‘youths’ is given for wilda>n. They are the male equivalent of the ‘beauties’ or
‘houries’ of paradise (al-h}ur> ); they are the youths while the beauties are the maidens.
... when thou see them thou will reckon them to be pearls, scattered. When thou see them, O
human, thou will imagine them to be pearls, on account of their radiance and delicate
appearance, and as they move about they will be taken for pearls scattered about rather than
arranged on a thread, as they busily disperse carrying out their duties.
And when thou see there, thou shall see ∩⊄⊃∪ #·;AÎ7x. %Z3ù=ãΒuρ $\Κ‹ÏètΡ |M÷ƒr&u‘ §ΝrO |M÷ƒr&u‘ #sŒÎ)uρ
blessings and a great dominion. (20)
When thou, O Messenger, or O observer, see that place (thamma means ‘there’ or ‘that place’),
meaning the Garden, you will see blessings and a great estate. Yes, for the least of the people of
paradise will be granted a dwelling from amongst the palaces and gardens sufficient to entertain
the two species of men and jinn at a single sitting.
Upon them will be robes
robes of green silk with ÏΒ u‘Íρ$y™r& (#þθ^=ãmuρ ( ×−u;ö9tGó™Î)uρ ×;ôØäz C¨ß‰Ζß™ Ü>$u‹ÏO öΝåκuiÎ=≈tã
brocade, and they will be adorned with
bracelets of silver, and their Lord shall give ∩⊄⊇∪ #·‘θßγsÛ $\/#t&x© öΝåκ›5u‘ öΝßγ9s)y™uρ 7π7ÒÏù
them to drink a pure drink. (21)
They are dressed in clothing made of fine green silk, with brocades (istabraq), made of rough
silk. The fine silk is kinder to the body, the rough silk more pleasing to the eye. They shall be
adorned by wearing jewellery: bracelets made of silver. It used to be the habit of kings and the
powerful to adorn themselves with a wristband, or bracelet. Their Lord shall give them to drink
of a pure wine, unlike wine in the world that is unclean and leads to vices like drunkenness and
suchlike.
'Indeed
'Indeed this is a recompense for you,' and 'Your ∩⊄⊄∪ #·‘θä3ô±¨Β Οä3ã‹÷èy™ tβ%x.uρ [!#t“y_ ö/ä3s9 tβ%x. #x‹≈yδ ¨βÎ)
effort is thanked'. (22)
These are the words that will be addressed to the people of the Garden. The delights in which
they find themselves are a recompense for their faith and righteous deeds, so that their effort and
their struggle while in the world has not gone unthanked: Allah, glory be to Him, will be thankful
for it and will have appreciated it, and so He will reward them with these blessings.
After having explained the recompense of the two worlds, the flow now turns to hearten the
Messenger, and console him for the trouble he was receiving on the path of calling people to such
blessings as those mentioned:
Indeed We Ourselves have sent down the ∩⊄⊂∪ WξƒÍ”∴s? tβ#uö&à)ø9$# y7ø‹n=tã $uΖø9¨“tΡ ßøtwΥ $¯ΡÎ)
Qur’an upon thee, consummately. (23)
The emphasis of the repeated pronoun ‘We’ is to refute the claims of the disbelievers about the
Qur’an, that it is sorcery or poetry or taught by man and suchlike.
So be restrained for the affair of thy Lord, and ∩⊄⊆∪ #Y‘θà1x. ÷ρr& $¸ϑÏO#u öΝåκ÷]ÏΒ ôìÏÜè? Ÿωuρ y7În/u‘ È/õ3ß⇔Ï9 ÷;É9ô¹$$sù
do not obey among them a sinner or a
disbeliever. (24)
That is: be patient, O Messenger of Allah, for the sake of thy obedience to Allah, glory be to
Him. He was to continue to propagate His message in the midst of the storm raised by their
denial, persecution and mockery. And he was not to follow any sinner in his sin or disbeliever in
his disbelief, in failing to propagate a matter of faith or of obligation in obedience to them,
seeking to please them. It is recorded that Abu Jahl used to proscribe the Messenger from the
prayer, along with cUtbah and al-Wali>d. They said to him, 'Come away from this affair and we
will satisfy thee with wealth and with wives.' The a>yah has a general meaning covering every
disbeliever who urges to disbelief and every sinner who encourages to sin.
And recall the name of thy Lord morning and ∩⊄∈∪ Wξ‹Ï¹r&uρ Zοt&õ3ç/ y7În/u‘ zΝó™$# Ì&ä.øŒ$#uρ
afternoon. (25)
That is: he was to recall the name of the Lord, with remembrance, supplications and the prayer,
at the two ends of the day.
And of the night, prostrate to Him, and glorify ∩⊄∉∪ ¸ξƒÈθsÛ Wξø‹s9 çµósÎm7y™uρ …çµs9 ô‰ß∨ó™$$sù È≅ø‹©9$# š∅ÏΒuρ
Him in the long night. (26)
And of the night, prostrate to Him, ... That is: during a part of the night, prostrate to Allah, glory
be to Him, meaning prayer and worship. In other words, he was to surrender himself to Allah,
glory be to Him.
... and glorify Him ... He was to express his declarations that He is above all that is unworthy of
Him.
... in the long night. The night is the spring-time of the devoted, they take its duration as a means
for submissiveness and supplication, for the deepest impulses are only activated by a long
submissiveness and humility.
It is narrated that 'morning' in these a>ya>t signifies the morning prayer (al-fajr), 'afternoon'
signifies the noon (al-dhuhr) and afternoon (al-cas}r) prayers, 'prostrate to Him' signifies the two
evening prayers (al-maghrib and al-cisha), while 'glorify Him' signifies the night-prayer (al-layl).
Indeed those, they love the hasty and leave Wξ‹É)rO $YΒöθtƒ öΝèδu!#u‘uρ tβρâ‘x‹tƒuρ s's#Å_$yèø9$# tβθ™7Ïtä† ÏIωàσ¯≈yδ aχÎ)
aside a heavy day before them. (27)
∩⊄∠∪

The disbelievers who turn from Allah, glory be to Him, and direct themselves to their cravings
and desires, love the life of the world and its temporary pleasures. They forsake and desert their
futures: a grievous day that is weighty on man on account of the terrors and difficulties. They do
not work for that day.
They disbelieve in Allah who created them and in His hands are their lives and livelihood:
We created them, and We strengthened their öΝßγn=≈sWøΒr& !$uΖø9£‰t/ $uΖø⁄Ï© #sŒÎ)uρ ( öΝèδt&ó™r& !$tΡ÷Šy‰x©uρ öΝßγ≈oΨø)n=s{ ßøtªΥ
vigour; and if We wish it We substitute their
like, a substitute. (28) ∩⊄∇∪ ¸ξƒÏ‰ö7s?

That is: Allah created them from nothing. And He strengthened them in their creation, by giving
order to their constituent parts. ‘Vigour’ is given for asr, that originally meant severity (shadd);
that is why a prisoner of conflict is called an asir, as he suffers the severity of being bound by a
rope. So the meaning is: We strengthened their vigour in their creation, by making them such
that there is no incongruity or rift between their constituent parts, but all interlocked and are
interwoven. ‘And when if wish it We substitute for them the like of them – that is, We put others
in their place; We destroy them and bring others like them to take their place. ‘
Indeed this is a reminder, so whoever wills it ∩⊄∪ Wξ‹Î6y™ ϵÎn/u‘ 4’n<Î) x‹sƒªB$# u!$x© yϑsù ( ×οt&Ï.õ‹s? ÍνÉ‹≈yδ ¨βÎ)
takes unto his Lord a path. (29)
This surah, or this set of teachings and warnings borne by the Qur’an, is a reminder to man of
what has been placed in his human nature, calling their attention towards existence and His
portents. He who wills it will take a path unto his Lord, the path of His satisfaction, glory be to
Him, after having seen the real, and having made the distinction between truth and falsehood.
And ye do not will it unless Allah wills it; truly $Vϑ‹Å3ym $¸ϑŠÎ=tã tβ%x. ©!$# ¨βÎ) 4 ª!$# u!$t±o„ βr& HωÎ) tβρâ!$t±n@ $tΒuρ
Allah is Knowing, Wise. (30)
∩⊂⊃∪

Nobody wishes belief and guidance, unless Allah wishes it, by sending Messengers and clarifying
the way. Guidance has two aspects: one is His establishing the proof; and one is man’s accepting
the proof and being guided by it. Allah knows our best interests, and is Wise in what He does.
Wisdom is the placing of each thing in its place; Allah acts only with wisdom and discretion.
He enters whom He wills into His mercy, while $¹/#x‹tã öΝçλm; £‰tãr& tÏϑÎ=≈©à9$#uρ 4 ϵÏFuΗ÷qu‘ ’Îû â!$t±o„ tΒ ã≅Åzô‰ãƒ
the wrongful – He has prepared for them a
painful chastisement. (31) ∩⊂⊇∪ $JΚ‹Ï9r&

He places whomever He wishes in the felicity of the world and the Hereafter; but it is not
haphazard, rather He places there His righteous servants. As for ‘the wrongful’ (dha>limi>n), who
wrong themselves by disbelief or disobedience, theirs is a painful chastisement, with a wretched
life in the world, and the fire and torment in the hereafter.
 Surah al-
al-Mursala>t (77)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﺮﺳﻼﺕ‬
‘The Envoys’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word al-mursala>t, meaning ‘the
envoys’ those despatched on a mission. Like the other Makkan surahs, it deals with the principal
matters of faith. As surah al-Insa>n concluded on the topic of resurrection, so this surah opens on
a similar theme.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
In the name of Allah, … We begin the surah by the name of Allah who is the real God – other
than Him all gods are false.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. That is, He who bestows upon everything in creation, and
guides it to its benefits, and prepares for it a beautiful future. The name ‘the Compassionate’ (al-
Rah}ma>n) and His similar such names are certainly meant to indicate the results of these
attributes, in that it is absurd for them to have the meaning for Him that they have for us.
By the envoys, as a mane, (1) ∩⊇∪ $]ùó,ãã ÏM≈n=y™ö&ßϑø9$#uρ

An oath by the angels dispatched to the earth; who resemble a horse's mane in their successive
uninterrupted waves. The ‘mane’ is the hair that grows on a horse's neck.
Thereupon, by the gusters, gusting, (2) ∩⊄∪ $Z.óÁtã ÏM≈x.ÅÁ≈yèø9$$sù

Then an oath by the angels who raise gusts of wind in executing His command, glory be to Him.
‘Gusting’ is put for cas}fan, and the repetition is to affect emphasis.
And by the spreaders, spreading, (3) ∩⊂∪ #Z2ô³nΣ ÏN≡u2ų≈¨Ζ9$#uρ

An oath by the angels who unroll the books and spread them; or who unroll the life spans and the
sustenance and whatever Allah orders be unrolled and spread. ‘Spreading’ is put for the verbal
noun nashran, which is put for emphasis. The use of ‘and’ (wa) is for eloquence.
Then by the dividers, dividing,
dividing, (4) ∩⊆∪ $]%ö&sù ÏM≈s%Ì&≈x.ø9$$sù

That is: by the angels who separate and make the distinctions between things according to the
command of Allah, glory be to Him. The verb's noun is once more used to affect emphasis.
Then by the hurlers, of remembrance, (5) ∩∈∪ #·&ø.ÏŒ ÏM≈uŠÉ)ù=ßϑø9$$sù

The oath is by the angels who hurl the messages, reminders and remembrance from Allah, glory
be to Him, into the hearts of the Prophets.
Excusing or warning, (6) ∩∉∪ #·‘õ‹çΡ ÷ρr& #·‘õ‹ãã

They hurl the remembrance that is either the justification of or the warning for the punishments
to come if they continue in their disbelief and disobedience. They hurl remembrance that
provides sufficient reason and proofs to mankind, such that there remains no excuse for them for
their disbelief, and they would have therefore been warned in advance. It is also said that
remembrance is sent so that it be ‘excuse’ for those who believe, and a ‘warning’ for those
disbelief.
Indeed that which ye are promised will occur. ∩∠∪ ÓìÏ%≡uθs9 tβρ߉tãθè? $yϑ¯ΡÎ)
(7)
The oath by these types of angels is to the effect that that which we are promised – the terrors of
the resurrection and the Garden and hell – will most certainly happen. Nothing will stop it.
He then explains some signs of the resurrection, in His word:
So when the stars are extinguished, (8) ∩∇∪ ôM|¡ÏϑèÛ ãΠθàf–Ψ9$# #sŒÎ*sù

The stars will be made to lose their light, till they have no light and are dark.
And when the sky is broken apart, (9) ∩∪ ôMy_Ì&èù â!$yϑ¡¡9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

Splits and cleavages will appear in the sky, due to the collapse of the planetary order.
And when the mountains are pulverised, (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ ôMx.Å¡èΣ ãΑ$t6Ågø:$# #sŒÎ)uρ

The mountains will be plucked from their places and reduced to a dust, and scattered in the
atmosphere.
And when the Messengers are gathered for ∩⊇⊇∪ ôMtGÏj%é& ã≅ß™”&9$# #sŒÎ)uρ
appointment, (11)
That is, when they are gathered at the specific time on the resurrection day to testify about their
peoples.
For what day have they been delayed? (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ ôMn=Åh_é& BΘöθtƒ Äd“L{

Conditions will be such that it will be asked: what is the day for which the gathering of the
Messengers is delayed? Why are they gathered? This is to signify the gravity of that day and the
measure of its terrors.
For the day of separation! (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ È≅óÁx.ø9$# ÏΘöθu‹Ï9

The day on which man is separated into those of the fire and those of the gardens, the felicitous
and the abject.
And what will make thee comprehend what is ∩⊇⊆∪ È≅óÁx.ø9$# ãΠöθtƒ $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
the day of separation?(14)
The meaning is that the listener cannot understand the reality of that day and its terrors. The
phrase conveys gravity and importance.
Woe that day to the beliers! (15) ∩⊇∈∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

‘Woe’ is given for wayl, a word used when a person is in a terrible severity. ‘That day’ means
the day of resurrection. ‘The beliers’ means those who say that Allah, His Prophet and the
Return are all lies.
The thread then turns to warn the beliers that they face a chastisement in the world, before the
hereafter:
Did We not destroy the ancients? (16) ∩⊇∉∪ tÏ9¨ρF{$# Å7Î=öκçΞ óΟs9r&

That is, were not the earlier peoples destroyed, those who called their Prophets liars? ‘Ancients’
is given for awwali>n.
Then We followed them with the Latters. (17) ∩⊇∠∪ šÌ&ÅzFψ$# ãΝßγãèÎ7÷KçΡ §ΝèO
‘The Latters’ (al-a>khiri>n), means the later peoples – they were also destroyed for having called
lies to their Prophets. ‘The ancients’ means peoples like those of Noah and the cA<d and the
Thamu>d. The ‘Latters’ were those such as the people of Lot and the Pharaoh and his people.
Thus do We act with the guilty; (18) ∩⊇∇∪ tÏΒÌ&ôfßϑø9$$Î/ ã≅yèø.tΡ y7Ï9≡x‹x.

In this manner Allah acts with the guilty; their destruction is like the destruction of those
mentioned. ‘Those guilty’ is put for al-mujrimi>n, those who are guilty of disbelief and
disobedience, upon whom the chastisement will be visited. It is a warning for the disbelievers of
Makkah.
Woe that day to the beliers. (19) ∩⊇∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

Woe, that is, on the day of resurrection, to those who belie Allah, His signs and the other
principles of belief.
The flow then turns to explain several of Allah's favours to man that they thank Him, after
having warned them that they may fear Him:
Have We not created ye of a base liquid? (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ &Îγ¨Β &!$¨Β ÏiΒ /œ3)è=øƒwΥ óΟs9r&

The liquid from which mankind are created is low and base.
Then We put it in a firm housing (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ AÅ3¨Β 9‘#t&s% ’Îû çµ≈oΨù=yèyfsù

What is meant is the womb.

For a known amount. (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ 5Θθè=÷è¨Β 9‘y‰s% 4’n<Î)

That is, for a specific period of time; namely, the period of pregnancy.
Then We determined, and what fine ∩⊄⊂∪ tβρâ‘ω≈s)ø9$# zΝ÷èÏΨsù $tΡö‘y‰s)sù
determiners; (23)
What has gone before is determined by Allah, glory be to Him. And He is the best and most
bountiful in His determining that determines all things. The implied question is whether the
disbelievers persist in denying His power over the resurrection and returning the bodies alive,
after they were dead.
Woe that day to the beliers. (24) ∩⊄⊆∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

Woe on the day of resurrection to the beliers. The repetition of this phrase is for the purpose of
firmly implanting the idea that it delivers, as has been explained in surah al-Rah}ma>n and
elsewhere.
Have We not made the earth a container? (25) ∩⊄∈∪ $·?$x.Ï. uÚö‘F{$# È≅yèøgwΥ óΟs9r&

‘container’ is coined for kifat, meaning to encompass, restrain, or keep something. The earth is a
place, which contains and restrains the creatures, and incorporates them.
Those alive and those dead? (26) ∩⊄∉∪ $Y?≡uθøΒr&uρ [!$u‹ômr&

The earth includes and incorporates those alive with buildings and cultivation and their other
daily needs, while the dead are accommodated within its interior.
And put therein lofty mountains, and watered ∩⊄∠∪ $Y?#t&èù [!$¨Β /ä3≈uΖø‹s)ó™r&uρ ;M≈y‚Ïϑ≈x© zÅ›≡uρu‘ $pκ[Ïù $uΖù=yèy_uρ
ye with sweet water? (27)
The mountains have been put to stabilize the earth's surfaces. Sweet water comes to mankind for
us to drink. Are these not evidences of one, knowing and powerful God? Do not these favours
motivate you to believe in Allah and confirm His Messenger?
Woe that day to the beliers! (28) ∩⊄∇∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

On the day of resurrection those who belie what was brought by the Messenger of Allah will be
made to suffer chastisement.
And when the resurrection takes place, it will be said to the disbelievers:
‘Go on to what ye belied; (29) ∩⊄∪ tβθç/Éj‹s3è? ϵÎ/ ΟçFΖä. $tΒ 4’n<Î) (#þθà)Î=sÜΡ$#

That is, to the fire they used to call a lie, denying its existence.
‘Go on to a shadow with three divisions.’ (30) ∩⊂⊃∪ 5=yèä© Ï]≈n=rO “ÏŒ 9e≅Ïß 4’n<Î) (#þθà)Î=sÜΡ$#

It seems that by shadow is meant the fire, and the shadow of its smoke. Its division into three
sections is on account of their wandering in the world between disbelief, faith and hypocrisy. It is
said that there is a section above them, a section to their right and a section to their left.
No shade, and it enriches not against the ∩⊂⊇∪ É=yγ¯=9$# zÏΒ Í_øóムŸωuρ 9≅‹Î=sß 5ω
flames. (31)
The shadow does not shade the guilty from the fire; nor does it profit against the fire's flames. It
rises above them, mixing with the air and giving it a hue of red, yellow or blue. That shadow is
not like the shadow of a roof that affords protection against heat and flames. It is as if they lived
their lives in the world under the shadow of disbelief and disobedience.
Indeed it shoots out sparks that are like ∩⊂⊄∪ Î2óÇs)ø9$%x. 9‘t&t±Î/ ’ÍΓö&s? $pκ¨ΞÎ)
palaces, (32)
It hurls sparks that are the size of palaces.
As if they are yellow camels. (33) ∩⊂⊂∪ Ö&ø.ß¹ ×Mn=≈uΗ¿d …絯Ρr(x.

The sparks are the colour of yellow camels, their volume having been given as the size of palaces.
Their being likened to camels is on account of how they proceed and fly about just as camels go
about here and there as they graze. This is true simply of the sparks of the fire, how then will be
the fire itself?
Woe that day to the beliers! (34) ∩⊂⊆∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

How those who call such matters false will be treated come the day of resurrection; how harshly
they are to be punished and chastised!
This is the day they will speak not, (35) ∩⊂∈∪ tβθà)ÏÜΖtƒ Ÿω ãΠöθtƒ #x‹≈yδ

The guilty ones will be too overcome by fear and dread, and will not speak.
Nor is it permitted for them to seek excuses, ∩⊂∉∪ tβρâ‘É‹tF÷èu‹sù öΝçλm; ãβsŒ÷σムŸωuρ
(36)
They will not be permitted to speak and offer their excuses for their past actions. It seems that
this is an account of a stage of the resurrection, while at other stages they will speak and try to
excuse themselves – for the resurrection has fifty stages, and each stage is the length of a
thousand years, as has been recorded. [e.g. see Mustadrak al-Wasa’el, vol. 12, p 155]
Woe that day to the beliers. (37) ∩⊂∠∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

Woe on the day of resurrection to those who call Allah and His Prophet false.
It will be said to them:
This is the day of separation, We gather ye and ∩⊂∇∪ tÏ9¨ρF{$#uρ ö/ä3≈oΨ÷èuΗsd ( È≅óÁx.ø9$# ãΠöθtƒ #x‹≈yδ
the ancients.
ancients. (38)
It is the day that a distinction is made between the goodly and the guilty, when each will be
appointed to the place he has prepared for himself. It is the day when the disbelievers will be
gathered along with the disbelievers of earlier peoples who preceded them.
So if ye have a plot, so plot! (39) ∩⊂∪ Èβρ߉‹Å3sù Ó‰ø‹x. ö/ä3s9 tβ%x. βÎ*sù

The address is to the disbelievers: if they have some plan to escape the chastisement, then they
should go ahead and plan how to save themselves. The phrase is mocking them, for they planned
and plotted against the believers while in the world.
Woe that day to the beliers! (40) ∩⊆⊃∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

That is, on the day of resurrection, for those who belied that day and the rest of the message
brought by the Messenger of Allah.
We have seen the position that day of the disbelievers, now we look at the position of the
righteous:
Indeed the guardful will be in shade and ∩⊆⊇∪ 5βθã‹ããuρ 9≅≈n=Ïß †Îû tÉ)−FãΚø9$# ¨βÎ)
springs (41)
(41)
Those who are guardful against disbelief and disobedience are the shade of the trees and
shrubbery of the Garden, and of their palaces. And they will be in a land bordered by springs. Or
the meaning is that they will swim and bathe in the springs.
And fruits as they crave, (42) ∩⊆⊄∪ tβθåκtJô±o„ $£ϑÏΒ tµÏ.≡uθsùuρ

Fruits will be growing all around them. Fruits such that they fancy and like them and are inclined
towards them.
It will be said to them:
‘Eat, and drink, sweetly, for what ye were ∩⊆⊂∪ tβθè=yϑ÷ès? óΟçFΖä. $yϑÎ/ $O↔ÿŠÏΖyδ (#θç/u2õ°$#uρ (#θè=ä.
doing!’ (43)
They will be told to eat the fruits, and drink from the springs. The command mode of the
grammar is not an order, rather it means that they can eat and drink as they like. Their eating and
drinking will be ‘sweetly’ (hani’an), meaning that it will be totally free of ill effect. That will be
in return for their acting virtuously in the world.
Indeed thus do we recompense the good doers. ∩⊆⊆∪ tÏΖÅ¡ósßϑø9$# “Ì“øgwΥ y7Ï9≡x‹x. $¯ΡÎ)
(44)
‘Thus’ – meaning in the way mentioned, with blessings and delights – are those who did good
with their belief and virtuous deeds recompensed.
Woe that day to the beliers! (45) ∩⊆∈∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

How will they feel when they see those blessings slip from their hands because of their corrupt
lives while in the world. How they will regret!
Here the thread turns to address the guilty in the world:
Eat and enjoy a little, indeed ye are guilty; (46) ∩⊆∉∪ tβθãΒÌ&øg’Χ /ä3¯ΡÎ) ¸ξ‹Î=s% (#θãè−Gyϑs?uρ (#θè=ä.

Eat, O disbelievers, and enjoy the world’s enjoyments; the worldly life is but short! And indeed
ye are ‘guilty’ (mujrimu>n), Can there be real enjoyment when above ye is such a severe
chastisement?
Woe that day to the beliers! (47) ∩⊆∠∪ šÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

Woe, on the resurrection day, for those who belie Allah and that which has come from Him.
And when it is said to them, ‘Bow!’ they bow ∩⊆∇∪ šχθãèx.ö&tƒ Ÿω (#θãèx.ö‘$# ÞΟçλm; Ÿ≅‹Ï% #sŒÎ)uρ
not; (48)
When the beliers are told to bow and be humble for Allah, glory be to Him, they refuse, and are
obstinate and haughty. The meaning of ‘bow’ might be just that, to bow down, or humility in
general. It might be that ‘to bow’ signifies the prayer.
It is narrated that the a>yah came down about the treaty with the tribe of Thaqi>f, when the
Messenger of Allah commanded them to perform the prayer. They said: ‘We will not bend, for
that is dishonourable for us.’
The Messenger of Allah replied, ‘There is no goodness in a religion in which there is no bowing
and prostrating.’ [End of report]
By bending, they meant bending their backs, for they found the raising of their posteriors
distasteful.
Woe that day to the beliers! (49) ∩⊆∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3æΗø>Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

Woe to those who belie the rules, and do not confirm the bow and the rest of the acts of worship
– for they will meet the recompense of that.
In what speech after this will they believe? (50) ∩∈⊃∪ šχθãΖÏΒ÷σム…çνy‰÷èt/ ¤]ƒÏ‰tn Äd“r'Î7sù

By speech it is meant the Qur’an. When they do not believe in the Qur’an, which in every way is
the best speech there is, can there be any hope of them in believing in anything else. Nay, it is
eternal wretchedness that will envelop them, if they do not believe in this magnificent book.
 Surah al-
al-Naba’ (78)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻨﺒﺈ‬
‘The Announcement’
This surah has been named al-Naba’, and also cAmma, on account of the prominence within it of
the words al-naba’, meaning ‘the announcement’, and camma, meaning ‘about what’. While the
previous surah (al-Mursala>t) concluded by mentioning the resurrection and by warning those who
deny it, this surah opens on the same theme.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... Beginning with the name of Allah – He who is first before all things.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He favours His servants by bestowing on them all that
benefits them, and by forgiving them their offences.
Of what ask they each other? (1) ∩⊇∪ tβθä9u!$|¡tFtƒ §Νtã

'What is it the disbelievers ask amongst themselves, some of them of others?' For it is related in
Majmac al-Baya>n that when the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his
family1, was raised by the Almighty and informed humankind of the Oneness of Allah, the Most
High, and of the resurrection after death, and recited to them the Qur’an, they pretended to
question each other – in a manner of denial and mock amazement – saying: 'What is this which
Muhammad has brought and what is it that has started him off?' The inquiry was actually to
serve the purpose of astonishment, just as you might ask, 'What a story is this!' when you wish to
esteem it.
It is narrated in several narrations that what is meant by the magnificent announcement is Amir
al-Mu’minin, Commander of the Believers, Imam Ali peace be upon him2. [al-Ka>fi, vol. 1, pp
207, 417. Bih}a>r, vol. 24 / p 352; vol. 36 / pp1-4.] This is in the sense of application of the verse
in general, while it is also the case through the inner meaning of the verse if the “magnificent
announcement” is taken to be the resurrection only.
Then comes the reply:
Of the magnificent announcement (2) ∩⊄∪ ÉΟ‹Ïàyèø9$# Î*t6¨Ζ9$# Çtã

That is, an important piece of news; namely, that which concerns the origin and the return.
Over which they are in disagreement. (3) ∩⊂∪ tβθà0Î=tGøƒèΧ Ïµ‹Ïù ö/ãφ “Ï%©!$#

Some people confirmed it on account of their following the Book (of the Jews and Christians) or
suchlike, while others denied it.
Nay, soon they shall know! (4) ∩⊆∪ tβθçΗs>÷èu‹y™ (ξx.

Nay, things are not as they said and supposed, in their denying Allah, the message and the return.
They shall soon know the result of their lying, and the veracity of the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and his family.
Again nay, soon they
they shall know! (5) ∩∈∪ tβθçΗs>÷èu‹y™ (ξx. ¢ΟèO

1
s}allalla>h calayhi wa a>lih, meaning ‘may Allah bless him and his family’. It is a mark of piety and devotion to
use this salutation when mentioning the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
2 c
alayhis-sala>m, meaning ‘peace be upon him’. It is a mark of piety and devotion to use this salutation when
mentioning the name of one of the prophets or the one of the macsu>m Imams from the household (the Ahl al-
Bayt) of the Holy Prophet.
‘Again’ is put for thumma, a word denoting order. Nay, it is not as they suppose, for upon their
deaths or upon the day of resurrection they will learn that things are as told by the Prophet, and
that they were lost and astray. This constitutes a warning upon a warning.
Here the thread turns to mentioning aspects of His favours – glory be to Him – as evidence of
His existence and of His other attributes, as a conclusive proof (hujjat) for the disbelievers:
Have We not put the earth as a place of rest? ∩∉∪ #Y‰≈yγÏΒ uÚö‘F{$# È≅yèøgwΥ óΟs9r&
(6)
That is, firm and safe, ready for utilisation, like a cradle in which a baby may be settled safe from
harm.
And the mountains as pegs? (7) ∩∠∪ #YŠ$s?÷ρr& tΑ$t7Ågø:$#uρ

As grounding devices so that the ground does not slide about or shake, like the pegs or nails that
hold planks of wood together.
And created ye in pairs? (8) ∩∇∪ %[`≡uρø—r& ö/ä3≈oΨø)n=yzuρ

We are created in types and varieties, with differences in colour, language and manners of
perception, and other differences.
And put your sleep as a repose, (9) ∩∪ $Y?$t7ß™ ö/ä3tΒöθtΡ $uΖù=yèy_uρ

That is, a break in activity, so as to rest.

And put the night as a garment, (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ $U™$t7Ï9 Ÿ≅ø‹©9$# $uΖù=yèy_uρ

That is, a covering, that covers everything like a garment covers the body. And this serves the
wisdom of rest and leisure from work, for were the night like the day the human being would not
break from work and would not benefit from rest. Furthermore, the darkness of the night
facilitates rest and sleep.
And put the day as a livelihood, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ $V©$yètΒ u‘$pκ¨]9$# $uΖù=yèy_uρ

The day is the time we turn to seeking the means of sustenance and survival. It is called a
livelihood (maca>sh) in a figurative sense, for the day is the time for seeking livelihood, not
livelihood itself.
And built over ye a strong seven, (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ #YŠ#y‰Ï© $Yèö7y™ öΝä3s%öθsù $uΖøŠt⊥t/uρ

That is: We built over you, O humankind, seven skies. They are strong, of firm construction,
inviolable in their order and design.
And put a blazing lamp, (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ %[`$¨δuρ %[`#uDÅ  $uΖù=yèy_uρ

That is, in the skies; and it means the sun. ‘Blazing’ is for being brilliant and energetic.
And from the pressurizers sent down water in ∩⊇⊆∪ %[`$¯gwR [!$tΒ ÏN≡uDÅÇ÷èßϑø9$# zÏΒ $uΖø9t“Ρr&uρ
torrents, (14)
What is meant by the pressurizers (al-mucs}ira>t) are the clouds, for they are subject to their own
pressure, in that they have been made to contain forces and pressures that force out the rain, like
a washing machine that squeezes drops of water from the clothes. Or it may be that what is
meant by pressurizers are the winds that bring pressure to bear on the clouds. ‘In torrents’ is
given for thajja>jan, meaning heavy rainfall that descends in successive waves or rushes; from
thajja, meaning to rain heavily.
So that We bring forth by it grains and plants, ∩⊇∈∪ $Y?$t7tΡuρ ${7ym ϵÎ/ ylÌ&÷‚ãΖÏj9
(15)
That is: ‘We have made the rain descend so that We bring forth with the water of the rain grains,
like wheat or corn and suchlike, and all types of cultivated plants.’
And verdurous gardens. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ $¸ù$x0ø9r& BM≈¨Ζy_uρ

These are brought forth with that water. ‘Verdurous’ is given for alfa>f, the plural of laff, which
means a tree some of whose parts are wrapping round other trees. ‘Gardens’ is put for janna>t,
that are so-called for their being concealed by trees.
After the mention of these proofs of the Divinity, the thread turns to explain the return:
Indeed the day of separation is a pact: (17) ∩⊇∠∪ $\F≈s)‹ÏΒ tβ%x. È≅óÁx0ø9$# tΠöθtƒ ¨βÎ)

The creatures shall be separated from one another, for each of them to receive the recompense of
what they have done, good and bad, and this is on the day of resurrection. It is an appointment in
both time and place, set for the reckoning and the recompense that Allah, glory be to Him, has
given His word to. ‘Pact’ is given for mi>qa>t, meaning an appointment in both time and place, like
each of the mawa>qi>t (plural of mi>qa>t) of the hajj.
This is then explained with His word:
The day the trumpet is blown and ye shall come ∩⊇∇∪ %[`#uθøùr& tβθè?ù'tFsù Í‘θBÁ9$# †Îû ã‡x0ΖムtΠöθtƒ
in troops, (18)
The day is the day of separation. The trumpet will be blown by Isra>fi>l for the creatures to spring
up into life after death, as a trumpet is blown for a band of travellers or a military force or
suchlike to move into action. And that is the second blowing of the trumpet. [At the first
blowing all living creatures will die.] And then you shall come forth from your graves, O
humankind, enlivened, in groups upon groups; as if each group is to be made up of those similar
in actions.
And the sky shall open and be gated, (19) ∩⊇∪ $\/≡uθö/r& ôMtΡ%s3sù â!$yϑ¡¡9$# ÏMysÏGèùuρ

The sky shall split and gateways will appear, and each sky will be transformed into gates from
which angels will descend for the reckoning and the recompense and obedience to affairs.
And the mountains shall be put in motion and ∩⊄⊃∪ $¹/#uD|  ôMtΡ%s3sù ãΑ$t7Ågø:$# ÏNuDÉiWß™uρ
then become a mirage; (20)
They shall move from their position after being plucked off, and it is Allah, glory be to Him, who
shall make them move. Mirage is put for sara>b, the imaginary perception of water in the desert
heat when the sun is high. For when a person looks at the mountains he will imagine they are still
there and solid as they were before, but they shall be like dust: you see something as solid and it
is not solid, like a mist seen from afar is counted as something solid, when it is not.
Indeed hell is a watchtower, (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ #YŠ$|¹óTÉ∆ ôMtΡ%x. zΟ¨Ψyγy_ ¨βÎ)

That is, like a place from which one maintains a surveillance to defend one's house or lands, or
suchlike, for verily it is a place from which the angels keep a look-out on humankind, so that they see
there which people are offenders and deserve the fire, and which are the good-doers who do not
deserve it. ‘Ambush’ is given for mirs}ad> , and that is a ‘Vantage point’ or a place from where the
enemy is watched.
For the transgressors a home, (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ $\/$t↔tΒ tÉó≈©Ü=Ïj9
That is, the place to which those who rebel against God and transgress the Divine limits return.
‘Home’ is given for ma’a>b, from the root ’a>ba, meaning ‘to return’. It means a home, and the reason
the home is called ma’a>b is that whenever one departs from it he returns to it.
Remaining therein for ages, (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ $\/$s)ômr& !$pκ\Ïù tÏVÎ7≈©9

The transgressors will remain alive in hell for ages: ah}qa>b, plural of h}iqbah, meaning extremely
long ages or periods. It is narrated from Ima>m S{a>diq, peace be upon him, that:
The ages (ah}qa>b) are meant eight ah}qa>b, and each h}iqbah is eighty years, and each year is three
hundred and sixty days, and each of these days is like a thousand years of your reckoning.3
Yet the fanatically stubborn amongst the people of error will never come out; while the sinners
will leave hell after lengthy periods, according to the differences in their offences.
They shall not taste cold therein, nor a drink, ∩⊄⊆∪ $¹/#uDŸ° Ÿωuρ #YŠö&t/ $pκ\Ïù tβθè%ρä‹tƒ (ω
(24)
In hell, there are no cool breezes, no cool food, nothing at all shall be cold for them; and they
shall have no drink to slake their increasing thirst.
Save boiling water and pus, (25) ∩⊄∈∪ $]%$¡¡xîuρ $VϑŠÏΗxq (ωÎ)

That is, they shall taste only boiling water and their own pus, but shall have nothing cool and no
drink.
An appropriate recompense. (26) ∩⊄∉∪ $»%$sùÍρ [!#t“y_

The recompense of their disbelief and sin, proportionate to their misdeeds.

The thread now turns to explain their actions that made them deserve such punishment:
Indeed they had no expectation of a reckoning, ∩⊄∠∪ $\/$|¡Ïm tβθã_ö&tƒ Ÿω (#θçΡ$Ÿ2 öΝåκ¨ΞÎ)
(27)
While alive in this world they had no expectation of a reckoning. They did not expect the
resurrection. Rather they denied it and called it a lie. The words ‘they had no expectation’ signify
how whoever expects something holds the probability of being successful in what he expects.
And belied Our signs, belying! (28) ∩⊄∇∪ $\/#¤‹Ï. $uΖÏG≈tƒ$t↔Î/ (#θç/¤‹x.uρ

That is, the signs of the creation, the message and the return. They rejected them and called them
false.
Did they imagine they could escape from their misdeeds?
While We have counted all things in a book: ∩⊄∪ $Y7≈tGÅ2 çµ≈oΨøŠ|Áômr& >ó_x« ¨≅ä.uρ
(29)
Counted: everything they have ever done has been collected, counted and explained, not merely
verbally, but recorded in a book.
'So taste, We shall increase ye in nothing but ∩⊂⊃∪ $¹/#x‹tã (ωÎ) öΝä.y‰ƒÌ“¯Ρ n=sù (#θè%ρä‹sù
torment.' (30)
Therefore in hell it will be said to them: ‘So taste’, that is, taste this punishment and torment as
recompense for your evil deeds. And: 'We shall increase ye in nothing but torment.' That is, the
affair is not such to admit the probability of being halted, but rather that the pain and torment
will be increased day after day and hour after hour. This is on account of how each day the

3
i.e. the ages of ah}qa>b are thus of the order of 230 million earth years!
punishment of that day is added to that of the previous days, even if in quality it is of the same
type.
After having been made aware of the condition of the offenders in the hereafter, we are now
informed about the believers:
Indeed for the guardful is an achievement: (31) ∩⊂⊇∪ #·—$x0tΒ tÉ)−Fßϑù=Ï9 ¨βÎ)

Those who are guardful and vigilant (al-muttaqi>n) are the believers who are careful of not
offending Allah and so do not sin. Theirs shall be the achievement of success and salvation.
Gardens and vineyards, (32) ∩⊂⊄∪ $Y6≈uΖôãr&uρ t,Í←!#y‰tn

‘Gardens’ is given for al-h}adda>’iq, plural of h}adi>qah, an arranged garden enclosed by a wall,
normally small though it can be large. Vineyards are mentioned in particular as an example, and
because grapes are especially delightful.
And maidens, like of age, (33) ∩⊂⊂∪ $\/#t&ø?r& |=Ïã#uθx.uρ

Maidens (kawa>cib): young women with breasts swelling in the initial stages of maturity. Some of
them the same age as others, or perhaps the same age as their spouses, so that they will be
neither older nor younger than their spouses.
And a brimming cup, (34) ∩⊂⊆∪ $]%$yδÏŠ $U™ù(x.uρ

A cup so full that it can hold no more water or wine.

They hear therein no vain talk and no belying, ∩⊂∈∪ $\/≡¤‹Ï. Ÿωuρ #Yθøós9 $pκ\Ïù tβθãèyϑó¡o„ (ω
(35)
Those on their guard in this world will hear no vain talk in the Garden, nor will some of them call
others liars.
Yes, the believers will be in this eternal bliss as,
A recompense from thy Lord, a reckoned gift, ∩⊂∉∪ $\/$|¡Ïm ¹!$sÜtã y7Îi/¢‘ ÏiΒ [!#t“y_
(36)
The address is to the Prophet of Allah, for the pronoun is singular. A gift according to a
reckoning; calculated; the affair is not arbitrary.
Then your Lord explains things that show His magnificence, glory be to Him, with His word:
Lord of the skies and the earth and that tβθä3Î=÷Ιs‡ Ÿω ( Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# $yϑåκs]÷dt/ $tΒuρ ÇÚö‘F{$#uρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# Éb>§‘
between them, the Compassionate, with whom
they have no right to converse (37) ∩⊂∠∪ $\/$sÜÅz çµ÷ΖÏΒ

Lord of the skies and the earth and that between them, ... Everything is His creation, He elevates
and raises everything.
... the Compassionate ...: This attribute is used here to denote that He is forgiving towards His
servants and bestows on them forgiveness and kindness, and that they deserve the reward due to
His kindness, rather than to their actions.
... with whom they have no right to converse No one has the power to talk to Allah, glory be to
Him, or intercede for anyone without His permission. For He is Compassionate, Generous and
Glorious; not like one who is compassionate in this world, who may be manipulated or
dominated by someone for whom his heart has formed an attachment.
The words ‘with whom they have no right to converse’ are then clarified by His word:
On the day the Spirit and the angels stand in ôtΒ (ωÎ) šχθßϑ¯=s3tGtƒ (ω ( $y0|¹ èπs3Íׯ≈n=yϑø9$#uρ ßyρ”&9$# ãΠθà)tƒ tΠöθtƒ
rows; they speak not save him whom the
Compassionate has permitted, and who speaks ∩⊂∇∪ $\/#uθ|¹ tΑ$s%uρ ß≈oΗ÷q§&9$# ã&s! tβÏŒr&
aright. (38)
The ‘Spirit’ is the great angel, as has been recorded in the narrations. The angels shall stand like
an army on parade before a king; and this is to increase the awe and gravity of the resurrection.
Neither the spirit nor the angels, nor any speaker shall speak. All will be silence, save for the
voice of him who has been given leave to speak, in any circumstance. For it seems that this is
about certain stages of the day; while at other stages everyone may speak true or false, as Allah
says: ‘Regard how they lie against themselves.’ [6:24] And it may be that what is meant by
speaking is intercession.
That day is the reality, so whosoever wills it ∩⊂∪ $¹/$t↔tΒ ϵÎn/u‘ 4’n<Î) x‹sƒªB$# u!$x© yϑsù ( ‘,ptø:$# ãΠöθu‹ø9$# y7Ï9≡sŒ
takes unto his Lord a home. (39)
The day that has been described is a reality, existing in actuality and not merely in potential.
‘The reality’ is given for al-h}aqq, it being said that when a report conforms to the actuality as far
as it conforms to what is actual it is called ‘the truth’ (al-s}idq), whereas as far as the reality
conforms to the report it is called al-h}aqq. So whoever from amongst mankind wills it – he takes
with his Lord’s satisfaction and rewards a home of faith and obedience; as if the believer is
taking a home with his Lord, while the disbeliever takes a home with other than his Lord, in that
he distances himself from His grace and compassion through disbelief and disobedience, and so
his home is not with his Lord.
Indeed We warn ye of a nigh chastisement, the çν#y‰tƒ ôMtΒ£‰s% $tΒ âö&yϑø9$# ã&ÝàΖtƒ uΘöθtƒ $Y6ƒÌ&s% $\/#x‹tã öΝä3≈tΡö‘x‹Ρr& !$¯ΡÎ)
day when man will look at what his hands
have sent before him, and the disbeliever will ∩⊆⊃∪ $R/≡t&è? àMΖä. Í_tFø‹n=≈tƒ ã&Ïù%s3ø9$# ãΑθà)tƒuρ
say, 'O, would that I were dust!' (40)
O humankind, be warned: the hereafter is near, however people may suppose it to be distant, just
as Allah has said: 'They see it as distant and We see it as near.' That day man will see the
recompense of his action and meet it. The emphasis on hands is because they are the most active
part in human activities. That day the disbeliever will be in terror of the chastisement he sees,
and will wish that he had been dust in the world, and not a human being to disbelieve and be
afflicted with the terrible chastisement. Yet his wishing will do him no good, just as the wishing
of every criminal is useless at the time of punishment.
 al-Na>zica>t (79)
Surah al-
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺯﻋﺎﺕ‬
‘Those Who Tear Out’
This surah has been given its name due to the prominence within it of the word al-na>zica>t,
meaning ‘those who tear out’. Like the other Makkan surahs, this surah attends to matters of
belief: the Divinity, the message and the return. As Surah al-Naba’ concluded with conditions on
the day of resurrection, so this surah opens on a similar theme.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, ... We seek help from the name of Allah, the Owner of every thing, the
sole, absolute power and authority who has free disposal over existence;
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He who graces His servants with repeated mercies in this
world and the next.
By those who tear out, excessively, (1) ∩⊇∪ $]%ö&xî ÏM≈tãÌ“≈¨Ψ9$#uρ

A vow by the angels who tear out the souls of the disbelievers from their bodies harshly.
And by the active ones, actively, (2) ∩⊄∪ $VÜô±nΣ ÏM≈sÜϱ≈¨Ζ9$#uρ

A vow by the angels who are zealous and energetic at the taking of the souls of the disbelievers,
or who are eager and brisk at the disbelievers souls being taken off to hell.
And by the gliders, gliding, (3) ∩⊂∪ $[sö7y™ ÏM≈ysÎ7≈¡¡9$#uρ

That is, a vow by the angels who glide through the space after the souls have been taken. ‘Glide’
is used for sabh meaning to move effortlessly, like a swimmer through water. The word is
repeated in the verse for emphasis. It is recorded in narrations that what is meant here are the
angels who take out the souls of the believers with ease, gently.
And by the proceeders, proceeding, (4) ∩⊆∪ $Z)ö7y™ ÏM≈s)Î7≈¡¡9$$sù

That is, a vow by the angels who precede the souls, or the souls of the believers towards their
lofty station.
And by the managers
managers of the affair; (5) ∩∈∪ #X6ö∆r& ÏN≡t&În/y‰ßϑø9$$sù

A vow by the angels who regulate affairs with Allah's permission.

These vows sworn by the said classes of angels are to the point that the content of the
subsequent a>ya>t or portents, describing the resurrection and sky and hell, is all true and accords
to the reality. The point is not given explicitly but is implicit in the content of the subsequent
a>ya>t and their tone:
The day when the trembler trembles, (6) ∩∉∪ èπx:Å_#§&9$# ß#ã_ö&s? tΠöθtƒ

That is: recount, O Messenger, the day when the trembler shall shake and be convulsed. The
trembler is the earth, as Allah says: ‘The day when the earth and the mountains tremble’. [73: 15]
What is next follows it. (7) ∩∠∪ èπsùÏŠ#§&9$# $yγãèt7÷Ks?

The convulsions of the earth will be followed by what comes after it in the disintegration of the
universal order, and that is the sky. It may be that what is meant by ‘the trembler’ is the first
trumpet, and that ‘what is next’ is the second trumpet.
Hearts on that day are in tumult, (8) ∩∇∪ îπx:Å_#uρ 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ Ò>θè=è%

On that day – the day of resurrection – hearts will be ‘in tumult’ (wa>jifah): in extreme agitation.
Their eyes humble; (9) ∩∪ ×πyèϱ≈yz $yδã&≈|Áö/r&

The eyes attributed to the hearts, or those possessing the hearts, will be submissive and humble.
They will not look anywhere save in fear, alarm, dread and shame.
They say: 'Are we to be returned to the track? ∩⊇⊃∪ Íοt&Ïù$ptø:$# ’Îû tβρߊρߊö&yϑs9 $¯ΡÏr& tβθä9θà)tƒ
(10)
Here it is those whose hearts are in tumult who are cited. ‘Track’ is given for h}a>firah, which is
the path a person travels in, called such by reason of how that person carves (h}afara) it by his
footsteps. This account is of their condition in the world, where they used to ask: 'Are we to
return to life after death, and be as before?' Such questioning, clearly, was framed as a denial of
the hereafter.
'What, when we are bones, rotten?' (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ Zοt&σªΥ $Vϑ≈sàÏã $¨Ζä. #sŒÏr&

That is: how shall we return to our former condition when we have died and become rotten
bones?
They said, 'That, then, would be a lossful ∩⊇⊄∪ ×οuHÅ %s{ îο§&x. #]ŒÎ) y7ù=Ï? (#θä9$s%
return.' (12)
These same disbelievers are cited again. Speaking about the return told to them by you, the
believers, they say their return to the world would be one that would occasion great loss. But of
course they do not admit the truth of the return, and so they are speaking about it
metaphorically. Indeed, all they say about it is a form of mockery and derision, for the idea that
it might be true disturbs them.
Now comes the censure of their position, in the word of Allah:
Nay, it is but a single upbraiding, (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ ×οy‰Ïn≡uρ ×οt&ô_y— }‘Ïδ $oÿ©ςÎ*sù

That is, the return that they find so difficult to accept is not in the least difficult for Allah, glory
be to Him. The return is but a single cry that shall be raised by Isra>fi>l blowing in the trumpet, the
second blast. The cry is called an upbraiding (zajrah), by reason of it being the means of turning
them from one path towards another.
And lo, they are on the surface. (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ Íοt&Ïδ$¡¡9$$Î/ Νèδ #sŒÎ*sù

All mankind will be returned from the depths of the earth to its surface. ‘Surface’ is given for
sa>hirah, for when crossing a flat plain or the desert a person remains sleepless and awake (sa>hira)
upon it and will have no repose, from fear of an enemy or of a wild beast. Here the state of
restlessness has been attributed to a location, and this indicates that the resurrection will take
place on a flat ground, like a huge desert plain in which there is no unevenness, no buildings and
no trees.
The revelation now turns to explain some aspects of the account of Moses and the Pharaoh, that
the disbelievers may heed the final end that the Pharaoh brought upon himself by his disbelief:
Has there come to thee the account of Moses, ∩⊇∈∪ #y›θãΒ ß]ƒÏ‰ym y79s?r& ö≅yδ
(15)
The story of Moses, peace be upon him.
When his Lord called him in the holy valley of ∩⊇∉∪ “·θèÛ Ä¨£‰s)çRùQ$# ÏŠ#uθø9$$Î/ …絚/u‘ çµ1yŠ$tΡ øŒÎ)
Tuwa: (16)
This was the first time that Allah revealed to him on his return from Madyan and Shucayb
towards the land of Egypt, which took place in a holy valley called T{uwa>. It was there that
Moses was spoken to by Allah, and was inspired to Messengerhood.
Allah then said to Moses:
Go to Pharaoh, verily he has transgressed, (17) ∩⊇∠∪ 4xösÛ …絯ΡÎ) tβöθtãóUÏù 4’n<Î) ó=yδøŒ$#

That is, he transgressed the limit in disbelief and sin.

So say: 'Is it for thee to purify thyself? (18) ∩⊇∇∪ 4’ª1t“s? βr& #’n<Î) y7©9 ≅yδ ö≅à)sù

The questioning mode is used to convey the command in a courteous manner. This means; why
don’t you surrender and be in harmony with the will of Allah? Do you not wish to purify yourself
from disbelief and disobedience?
And ‘I will guide thee to thy Lord till thou
thou ∩⊇∪ 4y´÷‚tFsù y7În/u‘ 4’n<Î) y7tƒÏ‰÷δr&uρ
shall be in awe.’ (19)
That is: is it for you that I guide you to your Lord, lead you to Him? For man is such that he does
not realise Allah's excellence save after being guided. And he should be in awe, that is, fear Him,
glory be to Him, by refraining from disbelief and from disobedience; for this fear can only follow
upon awareness.
So he showed him the great sign, (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ 3“uHö9ä3ø9$# sπtƒFψ$# çµ1u‘r'sù

That is, Moses showed the Pharaoh the great sign or miracle, namely the miracle of the staff
[which turned into a serpent by God’s permission].
So he belied, and disobeyed, (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ 4|Âtãuρ z>¤‹s3sù

He called the miracles false and defied Moses, so that Moses’ effort did not end with Pharaoh's
submission to Allah, glory be to Him.
Then he turned away to strive. (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ 4tëó¡o„ t&t/÷Šr& §ΝèO

He strove to seek something that would destroy Moses’ argument, and falsify Moses’
prophethood.
So he gathered and then proclaimed, (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ 3“yŠ$oΨsù uH|³yssù

Pharaoh summoned his court and leading officers, and addressed them.
And said: ‘I am your Lord, the Most High!’ ∩⊄⊆∪ 4’n?ôãF{$# ãΝä3š/u‘ O$tΡr& tΑ$s)sù
(24)
He said to them: ‘I am your Lord, the Most High, for the idols are under my divinity, and verily
the Most High Lord – over whom is no other lord – is myself. It is not as Moses imagines – that I
have a God over me.’
So Allah took him for punishment in the ∩⊄∈∪ #’n<ρW{$#uρ Íοt&ÅzFψ$# tΑ%s3tΡ ª!$# çνx‹s{r'sù
afterlife and in the former; (25)
Allah took him in punishment: his being drowned along with his soldiers in the sea, and his entry
into the fire. ‘Punishment’ is given for naka>l, the form of which is emphatic, meaning that Allah
punishes him in the afterlife with the fire, while his first punishment was his being drowned. In
other words, he was punished with the two types of punishment.
Indeed in that is a monition for whosoever ∩⊄∉∪ #y´øƒs† yϑÏj9 ZοuHö9Ïès9 y7Ï9≡sŒ ’Îû ¨βÎ)
fears. (26)
In the punishment of the Pharaoh is a warningful lesson for whoever fears punishment, that they
be warned and realise that the outcome of disbelief is chastisement.
The account of Pharaoh with stirring brevity concluded, the revelation turns to define the limits
of the disbelievers' power, and their might before the might of Allah, glory be to Him. It makes
clear that they are nothing before the might of His creation, let alone before His will, glory be to
Him, His total creativity and control:
Are ye more powerful in constitution or the sky ∩⊄∠∪ $yγ8oΨt/ 4 â!$uΚ¡¡9$# ÏΘr& $¸)ù=yz ‘‰x©r& ÷ΛäΡr&u
He built? (27)
O humankind, or O disbelievers of Makkah, for the address is in the plural, are you stronger and
more solid, or the sky? There is no doubt as to the answer: the sky is more powerful. This is not
inconsistent with man being more subtle, more precise and more wondrous, for the verse speaks
of power and strength, not of magnificence and precision. Allah built the sky, glory be to Him,
and He who builds the sky finds nothing at all difficult for Him, and no force matches His force.
He raised its roof and then fashioned it, (28) ∩⊄∇∪ $yγ1§θ|¡sù $yγs3ôϑy™ yìsùu‘

Allah raised its roof. Roof is given for samk, related to sumk, meaning height. Therefore, Allah
glory be to Him, raised the skies expansively in an upward direction. Then He fashioned them
and justified them so that they were without chinks or ruptures and there was no disorder.
And He darkened its night and brought out its ∩⊄∪ $yγ9ptéÏ ylt&÷zr&uρ $yγn=ø‹s9 |·sÜøîr&uρ
light. (29)
These two things are attributed to the sky as the sky is their source, by the rising and setting of
the sun.
And the earth, after that, He laid it out, (30) ∩⊂⊃∪ !$yγ8ymyŠ y7Ï9≡sŒ y‰÷èt/ uÚö‘F{$#uρ

After creating the skies and arranging their forces He spread out the earth, for first He created
the earth unspread, glory be to Him, then He created the skies, and then He spread out and
levelled the earth. This verse is held by our astronomers to show the movement of the earth, for
spreading out (dah}w) implies being hurled. It is in this sense that the Commander of the
Believers, Ima>m Ali is called ‘the hurler of the gate (of fort Khaybar)’ or da>h}i> al-ba>b. They find
similar import in the verse: ‘Have We not put the earth a container’ [77:25], ‘container’ being
given for kifa>tan, from the restraining of a bird (kift al-t}ayr). Allah knows.
He brought forth its water from it and its ∩⊂⊇∪ $yγ8tãö&tΒuρ $yδu!$tΒ $pκ÷]ÏΒ ylt&÷zr&
pastures, (31)
He brought waters forth from the earth, creating its passageways, its wells and spreading its
oceans. He created its fields and meadows, where flocks and herds are grazed. The meaning of it
is that Allah created the earth's herbage and vegetation.
And the mountains, He secured them; (32) ∩⊂⊄∪ $yγ9y™ö‘r& tΑ$t7Ågø:$#uρ

He fixed them in certain places so that the earth would not shake and break up.
And He did all this for,
As provision for ye and your livestock. (33) ∩⊂⊂∪ ö/ä3Ïϑ≈yè÷ΡL{uρ ö/ä3©9 $Yè≈tGtΒ
For your pleasure (mata>can) and benefit, O humankind, and that your animals may enjoy the
stability of the ground, and for you to derive your livelihoods and graze your herds and flocks.
‘Livestock’ is given for anca>m, meaning camels, cattle, sheep and goats.
So when comes the great overwhelming, (34) ∩⊂⊆∪ 3“uHö9ä3ø9$# èπ¨Β!$©Ü9$# ÏNu!%y` #sŒÎ*sù

The resurrection. It is called ‘the overwhelming’ (al-t}am > ma) because it overcomes and
dominates, all things. It is great (al-kubra>) in that it is mightier than any other frightening
calamity.
The day when the human recalls his endeavour, ∩⊂∈∪ 4tëy™ $tΒ ß≈|¡ΡM}$# ã&©.x‹tGtƒ tΠöθtƒ
(35)
That is, he remembers his actions, either by the internal process of memory, or by being
reminded on reading his book written by the two angels appointed for the purpose. [Two angels
appointed for each and every individual.]
And the raging fire is made to appear for ∩⊂∉∪ 3“t&tƒ yϑÏ9 ÞΟŠÅspgø:$# ÏNy—Ìh&ç/uρ
whosoever sees: (36)
It is Allah who makes the raging fire appear, and the raging fire is hell; all who are granted sight
will see it clearly revealed.
The consequent of the conditional 'when comes...' has not been given. It is implicit in the
subsequent a>ya>t or portents. That mankind is categorised in two groups:
So as for him who transgressed, (37) ∩⊂∠∪ 4xösÛ tΒ $¨Βr'sù

That is, was arrogant and transgressed in disbelief and sin.

And preferred the worldly life, (38) ∩⊂∇∪ $u‹÷Ρ‘‰9$# nο4θuŠptø:$# t&rO#uuρ

That is, rather than choose the eternal life of the future. It means that all he did was for his
worldly life, and he did nothing for the hereafter.
Then indeed the raging fire, that is the abode; ∩⊂∪ 3“uρù'yϑø9$# }‘Ïδ tΛÅspgø:$# ¨βÎ*sù
(39)
‘Abode’ is given for al-ma’wa>, from the root awa, meaning to take a home. The sinner's road is
towards the raging fire (al-jah}i>m).
While as for him who feare
fearedd the station of his ∩⊆⊃∪ 3“uθoλù;$# Çtã }§ø:¨Ζ9$# ‘yγtΡuρ ϵÎn/u‘ tΠ$s)tΒ t∃%s{ ôtΒ $¨Βr&uρ
Lord, and forbade the soul from desire, (40)
That is, feared the station associated with the Lord, which is the resurrection. The association is
one of honour, like the phrase ‘House of Allah’ (Bayt Allah) for the Kacbah. And so the meaning
is that he feared the punishment of the afterlife, and restrained his soul (nafs) and protected it
from following its desires and caprices through committing the forbidden and abandoning the
obligatory.
Then indeed the garden, that is the home. (41) ∩⊆⊇∪ 3“uρù'yϑø9$# }‘Ïδ sπ¨Ψpgø:$# ¨βÎ*sù

For that is his destination.

As the topic has been the resurrection, the revelation turns to answer the question about the
timing of the resurrection:
They question thee about the Hour: 'When will ∩⊆⊄∪ $yγ9y™ö&ãΒ tβ$−ƒr& Ïπtã$¡¡9$# Çtã y7tΡθè=t↔ó¡o„
it establish?' (42)
That is, they question you, O Messenger, about the resurrection. They ask: when will it establish;
that is, when will it come? ‘Establish’ is given for mursa>, from al-irsa>’, meaning to be firm,
stable, steady.
But what are thou in, to recount of it? (43) ∩⊆⊂∪ !$yγ1t&ø.ÏŒ ÏΒ |MΡr& tΛÏù

That is, O Messenger, you have nothing to tell of the timing of the resurrection, for you do not
know its timing. Just as a person within a thing is aware of its characteristics, whereas when he
is external to it he remains unaware of them. The question form of ‘...what are thou in...?’ (fi> ma>
anta) is used to denote negation; it means: you have nothing to recount, for you know nothing of
it; such knowledge is particular to Allah, glory be to Him.
Unto thy Lord is its finality; (44) ∩⊆⊆∪ !$yγ9pκtJΨãΒ y7În/u‘ 4’n<Î)

That is, the course towards knowledge of the Hour ends with your Lord, O Messenger of Allah.
For when a person is asked about the Hour he redirects the inquiry and refers it to another, and so
on until it is directed towards Allah, who knows the timing of the Hour.
Yes, the timing of the Hour does not concern thee, O Messenger, for:
Thou are but a warner of whosoever fears it: ∩⊆∈∪ $yγ9t±øƒs† tΒ â‘É‹ΖãΒ |MΡr& !$yϑ¯ΡÎ)
(45)
You, O Messenger, are solely the warner of whoever fears it. Your station is to warn whoever
fears the Hour. The reason that the object of the warning is limited in this way is that it is those
who fear alone who will benefit from the warning; others will not benefit.
The revelation then turns to warn humankind and remind them that their time in this world is
short, so short that:
It will be as if, on the day they
they see it, they had ∩⊆∉∪ $yγ9ptéÏ ÷ρr& ºπ§‹Ï±tã :ωÎ) (#þθèWt7ù=tƒ óΟs9 $pκtΞ÷ρt&tƒ tΠöθtƒ öΝåκ¨Ξr(x.
stayed but an afternoon, or its forenoon. (46)
For humankind when they see the Hour and all that then happens, it will be as if they had lived in
the world but for the few hours of an afternoon, or the morning of that afternoon. The meaning is
that it will seem to them that they had lived in the world for no more than half a day – a morning
or an afternoon.
 Surah cAbasa (80)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﻋﺒﺲ‬
‘He Frowned’
This surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word cabasa, meaning ‘he
frowned’. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of belief. While Surah al-Na>zica>t
concludes by warning him who fears, this surah opens by warning a particular person.
In fact, this surah descended in reference to cUthma>n ibn cAffa>n, in that he was with the
Messenger along with a group of companions, when a blind man came and sat near to cUthma>n.
So a frown appeared on cUthma>n's face and he turned away from him and gathered his clothing,
and moved toward his wealthy friends. Then the a>ya>t descended.
Strange, then, that members of the Umayyad clan who hated the Messenger attributed this affair
to the Prophet so as to acquit their relative cUthma>n, maintaining that it was the Prophet who
frowned and turned away, thus contradicting the text of the magnificent Qur’an: ‘Indeed thou are
on a magnificent disposition’, and ‘(the Messenger is) with the believers tender, merciful...’ and
suchlike.
Nevertheless, following this came a group of Wahha>bis who took to lapping up this tale by which
the Umayyads attributed the frowning to the Prophet, with further embellishments and
flourishes. This then became a weapon in the hands some of the Christians in their attacks
against the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, so that in some of their pamphlets it
is written: ‘Who is better, Jesus or Muhammad? For the former used to heal the blind – by your
own book: “He absolved him born blind and the leper”, and by contrast, the latter frowned and
turned away when a blind man came to him – again by the clear text of your own book!’
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... Beginning by the name of Allah, whose is everything in the skies and the
earth. He is more worthy of beginning by His name than any other. He is the originator, in whose
hands are all things.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He who is merciful towards the servants by bestowing on
them all that completes their shortcomings.
He frowned and turned away, (1) ∩⊇∪ #’¯<uθs?uρ }§t6tã

That is, cUthma>n ibn cAffa>n scowled and turned his back.
That the blind man came to him; (2) ∩⊄∪ 4‘yϑôãF{$# çνu!%y` βr&

c
Uthma>n ibn cAffa>n scowled and turned away because a blind man came and sat next to him. It is
said that the blind man was cAbdulla>h ibn Umm Maktu>m, who was blind (and poor).
The revelation then turns to reprehend cUthma>n for what he has done, addressing him directly, as
is the manner of the Qur’an in addressing itself to mankind, shown in the verse 'Are ye more
powerful in constitution or the sky?' [79: 28]
And what will make thee comprehend: perhaps ∩⊂∪ #’ª1¨“tƒ …ã&©#yès9 y7ƒÍ‘ô‰ãƒ $tΒuρ
he is becoming purified, (3)
That is, when will you realise, O scowler, that perhaps the blind man will cleanse himself with
righteous deeds, when to turn from him would be a sin, as from a pure and righteous one.
Or being reminded, and the reminder benefit ∩⊆∪ #“t&ø.Ïe%!$# çµyèx5ΨtGsù ã&©.¤‹tƒ ÷ρr&
him. (4)
That is, being reminded by admonishments and guidance, and that he would benefit from being
reminded. The difference between this and the previous verse is that there the purification
originated within himself, here the purification is through being reminded.
But as for him who is rich, (5) ∩∈∪ 4o_øótFó™$# ÇtΒ $¨Βr&

Rich, with much property and wealth. The word used is istighna>, essentially meaning to seek
wealth.
So thou attend to him; (6) ∩∉∪ 3“£‰|Ás? …çµs9 |MΡr'sù

You, O scowler, turn to him and do not mind being near him and talking to him, whatever his
ethical condition. For:
And thou feel not burdened that he does not ∩∠∪ 4’ª1¨“tƒ 2ωr& y7ø‹n=tã $tΒuρ
become purified? (7)
That is; O scowler, you do not care whether he is pure and righteous or not, for it is wealth that
is great in your eyes, not the religion. That is why you care nothing for religion when with a
person of wealth.
But whosoever comes
comes to thee striving, (8) ∩∇∪ 4tëó¡o„ x8u!%y` tΒ $¨Βr&uρ

That is, striving for the sake of goodness and personal growth, like Ibn Umm Maktu>m.
And he is in awe, (9) ∩∪ 4y´øƒs† uθèδuρ

That is, he fears Allah, grand and magnificent.

Then, thou distract

distract thyself from him! (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ 4‘¤Sn=s? çµ÷Ζtã |MΡr'sù

You, O scowler, pay him no heed and divert yourself to another, simply because he is poor and
needy.

Nay, indeed it is a reminder (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ ×οt&Ï.õ‹s? $pκ¨ΞÎ) Hξx.

Nay, it is not as you suppose, O scowler! … that wealth is better than the religion. Indeed it,
these a>ya>t, is a reminder; reminding of the knowledge of the good and the obscene latent in
human nature and the soul.

- So whosoever wills recalls it - (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ …çνt&x.sŒ u!$x© yϑsù

That is, whoever wills goodness and salvation shall remember what has been placed in their
nature and their souls, so that they act according to the moral admonition, advice, and guidance.

In honoured scrolls, (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ 7πtΒ§&s3•Β 7#çtྠ’Îû

That is, this reminder exists in honoured scrolls, kept by Allah, glory be to Him. What is meant
by ‘scrolls’ (s}uh}uf) is the 'protected tablet' (al-lawh} al-mah}fu>dh) and the other tablets that exist
at the highest level (al-mala’ al-acla).

Exalted, purified, (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ ¥οt&£γsÜ•Β 7πtãθèùóG£∆

Exalted (marfu>cah): in the skies, physically; or, metaphorically, in magnificence and glory.
Purified: unblemished by faults, shortcomings and suchlike.

By the hands of scribes, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ ;οt&x5y™ “ω÷ƒr'Î/

That is, the scrolls are written by the noble angels.

Munificent, righteous. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ ;οu‘t&t/ ¤Θ#t&Ï.

Angels of lofty station, doers of goodness.

The thread then turns to one of outraged amazement at the disbelievers, and at how they
continue to disbelieve in this magnificent book, sent down from Allah, glory be to Him, the
Creator in whose hands are the reins of all things:

May man be killed! How he disbelieves! (17) ∩⊇∠∪ …çνt&x5ø.r& !$tΒ ß≈|¡ΡM}$# Ÿ≅ÏGè%

May man be killed! an invocation against him. It is the category of man who is astray whom is
meant, as is clear from the words 'How he disbelieves!' The tone is one of indignation at man's
disbelief and straying, even when the evidence is fully laid before him, and the argument is
complete.

From which thing did He create him? (18) ∩⊇∇∪ …çµs)n=yz >óx« Äd“r& ôÏΒ

That is, does man not look at the beginning of his creation, at how the Most High created him
from a contemptible liquid? And then made of him the precise, sensitive, able and dextrous
marvel that he is?

From a drop He created him, then He ∩⊇∪ …çνu‘£‰s)sù …çµs)n=yz >πx5ôÜœΡ ÏΒ
determined him, (19)
That is, from a drop of semen He created him. Then He fashioned him: He determined his
qualities and his characteristics; his senses, his powers of perception, his physical endowments,
his capabilities, his quantity, his quality, his length and his breadth and so on.

And then the path: He eases for him; (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ …çνuMœ£o„ Ÿ≅‹Î6¡¡9$# §ΝèO

That is, He eases the path of life for him, in that He prepares his needs for him, and guides him to
what is good for him and towards his felicity.

Thereupon He makes him die, and has him ∩⊄⊇∪ …çνuMy9ø%r'sù …çµs?$tΒr& §ΝèO
buried. (21)
Then, after man's period on the earth draws to its conclusion, He makes him die. That is, He
takes out his soul. And He ‘has him buried'; this is the place where his body is contained after
death, even if it be at sea or suchlike.

Thereupon, when He wills, He disperses him. ∩⊄⊄∪ …çνuM|³Σr& u!$x© #sŒÎ) §ΝèO
(22)
That is, when He, glory be to Him, wills the resurrection, He raises him alive perfectly.
Does he see himself prepared for the rising and ready to face that awesome day through his belief
and good deeds?

Nay, he has not yet consummated what He ∩⊄⊂∪ …çνzGs∆r& !$tΒ ÇÙø)tƒ $£ϑs9 2ξx.
commanded him! (23)
That is, nay, for he is inattentive and lethargic. He has not yet carried out what Allah ordered
him to do, in terms of belief and good deeds.
The thread then turns to remind man of some of the signs in creation, as evidence of His
existence, glory be to Him – beginning with signs within himself and then listing some 'signs of
the horizon'.

So the human should regard his food: (24) ∩⊄⊆∪ ÿϵÏΒ$yèsÛ 4’n<Î) ß≈|¡ΡM}$# Ì&ÝàΖu‹ù=sù
That is, he should consider the origin of its creation, and who created it, and thus be better able
to control his transgression and deviations.

Indeed We made the water gush forth in a ∩⊄∈∪ ${7|¹ u!$yϑø9$# $uΖö;t7|¹ $¯Ρr&
gush, (25)
That is, Allah made the water descend from the sky in abundance.

Then We split the earth with splits,

splits, (26) ∩⊄∉∪ $y)x© uÚö‘F{$# $uΖø)s)x© §ΝèO

That is, Allah split the earth with the growth of plants from it. With splits, so that the tiny,
feeble plants can grow out of solid ground.

Then We make grains grow therein, (27) ∩⊄∠∪ ${7ym $pκbÏù $uΖ÷Kt7/Ρr'sù

That is, in the earth grains are made to grow, like wheat and barley and suchlike.

And grapes and clover, (28) ∩⊄∇∪ $Y7ôÒs%uρ $Y6uΖÏãuρ

Grapes are mentioned in particular owing to their abundance delicious nature and their numerous
benefits. Clover is given for qadb, which means the lush tall greenery that is cut time and again
and used for animal feed.

And olives and date palms, (29) ∩⊄∪ WξøƒwΥuρ $ZΡθçG÷ƒy—uρ

The meaning is clear.

And gardens, richly gardened, (30) ∩⊂⊃∪ $Y6ù=äñ t,Í←!#y‰tnuρ

‘Gardens’ is given for h}ada>’iq, meaning gardens enclosed by a wall, or small gardens with trees
and flowers. Richly gardened is given for ghulb, meaning huge gardens with densely massed
trees. The word suggests a garden dominated by tall trees seeking to benefit from the air and
light.

And fruits and herbage; (31) ∩⊂⊇∪ $|/r&uρ ZπyγÅ3≈sùuρ

Herbage: pasture or grasslands grazed by animals.

As provision for ye and for your livestock. (32) ∩⊂⊄∪ ö/ä3Ïϑ≈yè÷ΡL{uρ ö/ä3©9 $Yè≈tG¨Β

That is, all has been made to grow for man's benefit and his livelihood.
The flow then turns from the issue of the Origin to the Return, with the Most High's word:

So when comes the roar, (33) ∩⊂⊂∪ èπ¨z!$¢Á9$# ÏNu!%y` #sŒÎ*sù

‘The roar’ is given for al-s}a>khkhah, which is one of the names of the resurrection, for it shall ring
in people's ears, as its noises are severe, like the trumpet, the sound of the fire, the voices of the
angels, and suchlike. The consequent is not given, that mankind shall be in two groups on that
day, for it is clear from the passage beginning with His word ‘Faces....’

The day when a man flees from his brother, (34) ∩⊂⊆∪ ϵ‹Åzr& ôÏΒ âö&pRùQ$# ”&Ï5tƒ tΠöθtƒ

That is, everyone shall flee from one another, fearing to be afflicted by them, in that they ask for
something, or affect them with their consequences.
And his mother and his father, (35) ∩⊂∈∪ ϵ‹Î/r&uρ ϵÏiΒé&uρ

That is, he will flee from them in fear that he has been neglectful of their rights; or in fear that
they will seek something from him.

And his wife and

and his sons, (36) ∩⊂∉∪ ϵŠÏ⊥t/uρ ϵÏFt7Ås≈|¹uρ

Wife is given as an example, for otherwise a wife will also flee from her husband. The meaning is
that everyone will want nothing to do with even their most beloved relatives and relations.

Every one of them that day has a ∩⊂∠∪ ϵŠÏΖøóム×βù'x© 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ öΝåκ÷]ÏiΒ <›ÍGö∆$# Èe≅ä3Ï9
circumstance sufficing him: (37)
‘Circumstance’ is given for sha’nun. It means that for all of those who flee, or for everyone
present at the resurrection, is a grand affair and enough concern that suffices him, in that it
totally occupies him to the exclusion of the affairs of others. He will be concerned with his own
account, which will prevent him from giving importance to the others.

Faces that day are bright, (38) ∩⊂∇∪ ×οt&Ï5ó¡•Β 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×νθã_ãρ

‘Bright’ (musfirah): radiant, glowing; and they are the faces of the believers, for joy and glee will
appear on their faces.

Laughing, rejoicing; (39) ∩⊂∪ ×οuMųö6tFó¡•Β ×πs3Ïm$|Ê

Laughing in delight, rejoicing at the goodness, the reward.

And faces that day have a dust upon them, (40) ∩⊆⊃∪ ×οuMy9xî $pκöbn=tæ >‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×νθã_ãρuρ

On the day of resurrection the disbelievers' faces will have a 'dust' upon them. That is, they shall
be covered in sorrow, grief and distress.

Overspread by smokiness. (41) ∩⊆⊇∪ îοuMtIs% $yγà)yδö&s?

Their faces that day will be mounted by a dark smokiness, which word is given for qatarah,
meaning the darkness of smoke. This smoke and dust and melancholy will all settle on their
faces, and the satisfaction of Allah and His mercy will not clean them, as He cleans the faces of
the believer – if we assume that the believers pass through the smoky stages of the resurrection.

Those, they are the disbelievers, the brazen. (42) ∩⊆⊄∪ äοt&yfx5ø9$# äοt&x5s3ø9$# æΛèε y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé&

Those described with such evil characteristics, they are the disbelievers, who are brazen and
shameless in disobedience. It is the disbelievers and the brazen whose faces will be covered with
a film of dust and smoke.
 Surah al-
al-Takwi>r (81)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺘﻜﻮﻳﺮ‬
‘The Rolling-Up’
The surah has been given its name from the prominence of the verb it contains derived from the
infinitive al-takwi>r, meaning ‘to roll up’. Like the other Makkan surahs this surah deals with the
three major principles of faith. As Surah cAbasa concluded with an account of the resurrection,
so this surah begins with an account of its characteristics.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah,
Allah, ... Beginning in the name of He who is the originator of all things, for from
Him, glory be to Him, is the whole of existence, and towards Him is the progression of creation.
The Compassionate, the Merciful towards all things: in creating, nurturing and beneficence.

When the sun is rolled up, (1) ∩⊇∪ ôNu‘Èhθä. ߧ÷Κ¤±9$# #sŒÎ)

That is, when its light ceases and it becomes dark. Rolled up is given for ku>wwirat which implies
that its light will be rolled up, and its extension towards the horizons will go, and it will become
black and dark.

And when the stars become dingy, (2) ∩⊄∪ ôNu‘y‰s3Ρ$# ãΠθàf–Ψ9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

Their light and brightness will also fade.

And when the mountains are set in motion, (3) ∩⊂∪ ôNu3Éi5ß™ ãΑ$t7Ågø:$# #sŒÎ)uρ

Allah will pluck them from their places and despatch them as dust through the atmosphere.

And when the pregnant camels are abandoned, ∩⊆∪ ôMn=ÏeÜãã â‘$t±Ïèø9$# #sŒÎ)uρ
(4)
‘Pregnant camels’ is given for al-cisha>r, meaning she-camels that are big with young, and the she-
camels whose period is completed and are about to enter labour. ‘Neglected’ is given for cut}t}ilat,
meaning left untended, with no herdsman or guard. The signification is that the dread of that day
will be such that it will cause man to overlook his most valued possessions.

And when the beasts are assembled, (5) ∩∈∪ ôNu3ųãm Þ¸θãmâθø9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

‘Beasts’ is given for wuh}ush, meaning wild animals that are free and have not been
domesticated; or perhaps all animals. They will be assembled that day for the retribution of the
wronged amongst them against those who wronged them.

And when the seas are blazed, (6) ∩∉∪ ôNt&Édfß™ â‘$ysÎ7ø9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

The seas shall be transformed into fire, as an oven is fired up and blazed.

And when the souls are paired, (7) ∩∠∪ ôMy_Íiρã— â¨θà=‘Ζ9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

Each person will be linked to whoever is similar to him, the believer with the believer, the
disbeliever with the disbeliever. Or the believing souls will be coupled with ‘the beauties of
Paradise’ (h}ur> al-cayn), while the disbelievers are coupled with devils (shaya>t}i>n). Or the believers
will be reunited with their dear ones after having been separated from them at the time of death.

And when the girl buried alive is asked, (8) ∩∇∪ ôMn=Í×ß™ äοyŠ…âöθyϑø9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

The Arabs would bury alive their daughters from fear of poverty and dishonour.
For what crime she was killed? (9) ∩∪ ôMn=ÏGè% 5=/ΡsŒ Äd“r'Î/

That is, those who buried alive their daughters will be asked for what crime committed by their
daughters did they kill them, as they were innocent and had committed no crime.

And when the scrolls are dispersed, (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ ôNu3ųèΣ ß#ßs>Á9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

The records of people's actions will be opened for each to read his account and be informed of the
good and the bad it contains, so as to be recompensed and requited for what he has done.

And when the sky is ripped away, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ ôMsÜϱä. â!$uΚ¡¡9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

‘Ripped away’ is given for kushit}at, meaning plucked out with violence; as if the sky is a skin
that will be ripped away from the world of existence. This signifies the catastrophic change of
the order the universe so that man will see the sky other than the sky, just as he sees a body with
its skin ripped off other than in its previous form.

And when the Inferno is fired up, (12)

(12) ∩⊇⊄∪ ôNt&Ïièß™ ãΛÅspgø:$# #sŒÎ)uρ

The fire of hell will be fired up; its blaze will be increased so that its heat and its terror will be
intensified.

And when the Paradise is brought near, (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ ôMx=Ï9ø—é& èπ¨Ζpgø:$# #sŒÎ)uρ

As if the paradise is distant in space and is then made to descend to the ground where the
resurrection has taken place and humankind are standing. Or what is meant is its proximity to the
believers in time.

A soul will know what it has presented. (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ ôNu3|Øômr& !$¨Β Ó§ø=tΡ ôMuΗÍ>tã

When these things happen everyone will know their actions they have performed in the world,
their good deeds and their evil works, and the felicity and the misery they have prepared for the
day of resurrection. They will know the actions they have done, for they will be requited for
them.
The thread then turns to the affirmation of the issue of prophethood, and to explain that the
Qur’an is not the word of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, in contrast to what
was supposed by the disbelievers:

So I swear not by the vanishers, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ ħ¨Ζèƒø:$$Î/ ãΝÅ¡ø%é& Iξsù

It has been explained that the word ‘not’ (la) is for negation. Yet it is used to denote respect and
honour for what follows, to magnify the oath and hint at it but without the oath actually taking
place. ‘The vanishers’ is given for al-khunnas, meaning something that disappears and reappears,
and what are meant are the planets. Thus the verse reads: So I swear not by the planets that
disappear when they set, or as the sky gives way to daylight.

The coursers, the disappearers, (16) ∩⊇∉∪ ħ¨Ψä3ø9$# Í‘#uθpgø:$#

‘Coursers’ is given for jawa>r, the plural of ja>riya, meaning something that is in motion. The
planets appear to move through the sky. ‘Disappearers’ is given for kunnas, the plural of ka>nis,
meaning something that conceals itself in its place, like a gazelle conceals itself in its home. So it
reads ‘I swear not by the planets in motion that return to their heavenly station and run their
orbit and then conceal themselves in their places.' For in the beginning of the night one sees the
planets have returned from their concealment, then he sees their movement and thereafter their
disappearance.
And the night when it swarms, (17) ∩⊇∠∪ }§yèó¡tã #sŒÎ) È≅ø‹©9$#uρ

‘swarms’ is used for the word “ cascas”, which is used for the time of night when it is not quite
dark yet, i.e. when night approaches after sunset, as well as when it begins to depart before
sunrise.

And the morning when it breathes, (18) ∩⊇∇∪ }§¤=uΖs? #sŒÎ) Ëxö6>Á9$#uρ

That is, when the morning approaches and daylight breaks.

Then comes the consequent of these vows, in His word:

Indeed it is the word of a noble messenger, (19) ∩⊇∪ 5ΟƒÌ&x. 5Αθß™u‘ ãΑöθs)s9 …絯ΡÎ)

That is, this noble Qur’an is the word of a noble messenger, whom is meant is Jabra>’i>l or the
archangel Gabriel, peace be upon him, as opposed to it being the invention of the Prophet, as
supposed by the disbelievers. That it is the word of Gabriel is meant to indicate that it is from
Allah, glory be to Him, not that it is Gabriel's own word, as is clear.

Powerful in the sight of The Enthroned One, of ∩⊄⊃∪ &Å3tΒ Ä¸ö&yèø9$# “ÏŒ y‰ΖÏã >ο§θè% “ÏŒ
high station, (20)
Descriptions of Jabra>’i>l or Gabriel: possessor of strength that is both physical and intellectual,
for he is able to come down from the skies to the earth and deliver the message of Allah to the
Prophet perfectly, with no additions and no omissions; and he has a great station with the Holder
of the Trellis (al-carsh) who is Allah, Owner of the whole of existence. He is firmly alongside the
Holder of the Trellis in the sense of having prestige.

Obeyed there, trusty. (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ &ÏΒr& §ΝrO 8í$sÜ•Β

The angels obey archangel Gabriel up there, because of the greatness of his rank. ‘There’ is given
for thamma, which means up there in the lofty station (al-mala’ al-acla). He is ‘trusty’ (ami>n) in
that he was entrusted with the revelation, and neither erred with too little nor with too much.
The Qur’an is therefore the word of Allah, exalted be He. As for the Messenger:

And your companion is not mad, (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ 5βθãΖôfyϑÎ/ /ä3ç6Ïm$|¹ $tΒuρ

The address is to the disbelievers. That their companion, the Messenger of God, who lived
amongst them, is not mad; he has not lost his reason, as the disbelievers said of him.

And indeed he saw him on the clear horizon, ∩⊄⊂∪ ÈÎ7çRùQ$# È,èùW{$$Î/ çν#uu‘ ô‰s)s9uρ
(23)
That is, the Messenger of Allah saw Gabriel in an easterly direction on a clear horizon. It was not
imaginary and not implanted within him by jinn, or suchlike, as they supposed.
And he is not begrudging of the unseen, (24) ∩⊄⊆∪ &ÏΨŸÒÎ/ É=ø‹tóø9$# ’n?tã uθèδ $tΒuρ

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, is not grudging of the unseen (al-ghaib), by
which is meant the revelation of Allah, glory be to Him. ‘Begrudge’ is given for d}ani>n, meaning
to suspect; i.e. to lie, or to be stingy.

And it is not the word of an outcast devil, (25) ∩⊄∈∪ 5ΟŠÅ_§‘ 9≈sÜø‹x© ÉΑöθs)Î/ uθèδ $tΒuρ

The Qur’an is not the word of a cast-out shayt}a>n who has been stoned or bombarded with curses,
like those 'prophecies' that are the words of devils received by witches, soothsayers, fortune-
tellers and the like.
So where go ye? (26) ∩⊄∉∪ tβθç7yδõ‹s? tør'sù

O disbelievers? How is it you do not believe when the Qur’an is its own honest evidence? For it
is not the word of a madman, and not the word of a devil, and it is not that it has additions or
shortcomings due to the Prophet being niggardly in presenting the revelation completely. It is
from its sender, Allah, and from he to whom it was sent, the Prophet. The best book of guidance.
How is it, then, that you will not believe?

It is nought but a reminder for the worlds; (27) ∩⊄∠∪ tÏΗs>≈yèù=Ïj9 Ö&ø.ÏŒ 2ωÎ) uθèδ ÷βÎ)

The Qur’an is not but a reminder for all peoples and all worlds, the world of men and the world
of jinn, reminding them of what has been placed in their natures about the Divinity and existence
of Allah, the message, the return, righteous ethics and so forth.

For whosoever among ye wills to be straight;

straight; ∩⊄∇∪ tΛÉ)tGó¡o„ βr& öΝä3ΖÏΒ u!$x© yϑÏ9
(28)
That is, be straight in your beliefs and your actions, without deviating to right or left. Those who
will are singled out in particular as it is they who will benefit from the reminder, just as it might
be said to a class, ‘This is the teacher for whoever wishes to learn from him,’ meaning whoever
wishes to take benefit from him, whereas he is there to teach them all.

But ye will it not save that Allah wills it, Lord ∩⊄∪ šÏϑn=≈yèø9$# Q>u‘ ª!$# u!$t±o„ βr& HωÎ) tβρâ!$t±n@ $tΒuρ
of the worlds. (29)
That is, you do not will to be straight unless Allah wills it, for man is unable to be guided except
after the will of Allah in His setting up the proofs, which He, glory be to Him, certainly wills.
For He dispatched the Prophet and sent down the Book, so that all that remains is the will of
man to accept the guidance and follow the path. In this there is an incitement for the servants to
form the will, for clearly Allah, glory be to Him, wills it. Is it fit and proper, therefore, for man
not to will it?
 Surah al-
al-Infit}ar> (82)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻹ�ﻔﻄﺎﺭ‬
‘Bursting Open’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of a verb from the infinitive al-infit}a>r, meaning
to be torn apart. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with the principal matters of faith. Just as
Surah al-Takwi>r explained conditions of the resurrection, so this surah emphasizes the same.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... We begin the surah in the name of Allah to whom belong all things. For
verily Allah is a name for that essence that comprises all the attributes of perfection.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He who blesses His servants with what completes all their
deficiencies.

When the sky is burst open, (1) ∩⊇∪ ôNt&sÜx-Ρ$# â!$yϑ¡¡9$# #sŒÎ)

That is, it will be split open and the marks of it having been torn will become apparent, so that
man will see it like a ruined wall with massive cracks.

And when the stars are scattered, (2) ∩⊄∪ ôNu/sYtGΡ$# Ü=Ï.#uθs3ø9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

That is, the stars will collapse and depart from their places and the present celestial order will
become void.

And when the seas are burst forth, (3) ∩⊂∪ ôNt&Édfèù â‘$ysÎ7ø9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

That is, the seas shall burst forth like a gushing well, with boiling water or fire.

And when the graves are turned, (4) ∩⊆∪ ôNu/ÏY÷èç/ â‘θç7à)ø9$# #sŒÎ)uρ

That is, the earth in them will be overturned in order for the bodies to leave them.
When all this happens, the resurrection will have arrived and ...

A soul wi
will
ll know what it sent ahead and sent ∩∈∪ ôNt&¨zr&uρ ôMtΒ£‰s% $¨Β Ó§ø-tΡ ôMyϑÎ=tã
later. (5)
Every soul – for by the unarticled singular is meant the species – will know from reading the
account of his deeds what he sent to the afterlife while he was alive in the world, and what was
sent to the afterlife by him after his death: acts of perpetual charity and books of knowledge and
religion, or things that are perpetually harmful and so forth. He will know all this so as to be
recompensed according to how he acted; if good then good but if bad then bad.
The thread then turns to awaken man from his slumber, with His word:

O thou the human! What has deluded thee as ∩∉∪ ÉΟƒÌ&x6ø9$# y7În/t&Î/ x8¡@xî $tΒ ß≈|¡ΡM}$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ
to thy Lord, the Munificent? (6)
That is, what has deceived you with respect to your Lord that you disobey and oppose Him,
feeling safe against His punishments and chastisement? Is it just for you to meet His generosity
with disobedience? Is the return of goodness not goodness?
It is narrated that when the Prophet recited this verse, he would say: 'His ignorance (has beguiled
him).'

He who created thee, then fashioned thee, then ∩∠∪ y7s9y‰yèsù y71§θ|¡sù y7s)n=yz “Ï%©!$#
justified thee; (7)
That is, Allah Almighty originated you as sperm, then made your faculties and organs all ready
to seek their advantages, and then perfected your symmetry between your bodily parts, like the
two eyes, two hands, two legs and so forth, with no incongruities such as one of a pair large and
the other small, and so on.

Into whichever form, as He wills He fits thee. ∩∇∪ š$t7©.u‘ u!$x© $¨Β ;οu‘θß¹ Äd“r& þ’Îû
(8)
‘As’ is given for ma>, used here to emphasize the differences of form. The meaning is that He
creates us in whatever form He wills: attractive, unattractive, beautiful, ugly and so on. For
Allah, glory be to Him, assembles from the simple elements of flesh, bone, blood and so on the
particular form of every human being.
So do you deny, after all this, the existence of Allah, or His ability to raise the dead?

Nay, but ye belie the requital, (9) ∩∪ ÈÏe$!$$Î/ tβθç/Éj‹s3è? ö≅t/ 0ξx.

Nay, things are not as you suppose. Yet you do not believe in the requital, but call it a lie.

And verily over ye there are minders: (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ tÏàÏ-≈ptm: öΝä3ø‹n=tæ ¨βÎ)uρ

You imagine there is no reckoning, though indeed over you, O people, are angels who keep your
deeds in their writings and their records for you to be recompensed according to them on the day
of resurrection.

Scribes munificent, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ tÎ6ÏF≈x. $YΒ#t&Ï.

That is, the said angels are of a high and lofty station, and are recording the deeds of the sons of
Adam. Nothing eludes their account, for:

They know what ye do. (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ tβθè=yèø-s? $tΒ tβθçΗs>ôètƒ

That is, the good things, the bad things, the instances of obedience and the instances of
disobedience, all is known to them.
And on the day of resurrection everyone will be requited according to what they have done:

Indeed the righteous are in bliss, (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ 5ΟŠÏètΡ ’Å∀s9 u‘#t&ö/F{$# ¨βÎ)

‘The righteous’ is given for al-abra>r, meaning those who are good in belief and in action. They
shall be in gardens with all their luxuries and delights.

And indeed the brazen are in the blazing fire; ∩⊇⊆∪ 5ΟŠÏtrb ’Å∀s9 u‘$£∨à-ø9$# ¨βÎ)uρ
(14)
‘The brazen’ is given for al-fujja>r, meaning those who act in disobedience, whether in disbelief or
otherwise. ‘Blazing fire’ is given for jah}im
> , one of the names of Hell.

They burn in it on the day of requital, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ ÈÏd‰9$# tΠöθtƒ $pκtΞöθn=óÁtƒ

That is, on the day of resurrection.

And they will not be absent from it. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ tÎ6Í←!$tóÎ/ $pκ÷]tã öΝèδ $tΒuρ

The brazen will not be absent from the fire, rather they will be in it constantly without
interruption.
Having given a reminder of the day of resurrection, the thread turns to excite dread of it:
And what will make thee comprehend what is ∩⊇∠∪ ÈÏd‰9$# ãΠöθtƒ $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
the day of requital? (17)
What, O thou the human, will make you understand what it is? For man does not understand its
gravity, its terrifying nature; until, that is, they see it with their eyes.

Again, what will make thee comprehend what ∩⊇∇∪ ÉÏe$!$# ãΠöθtƒ $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒ §ΝèO
is the day of requital? (18)
‘Again’ is given for thumma, used here to facilitate literary order, and to increase the sense of
dread.

The day when no soul shall own a thing for ∩⊇∪ °! 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ã&øΒF{$#uρ ( $\↔ø‹x© <§ø-uΖÏj9 Ó§ø-tΡ à7Î=ôϑs? Ÿω tΠöθtƒ
another soul, and the affair on that day is
Allah’s. (19)
No one that day shall be able to defend any other, nor save him by any means. All control that
day will be in the hand of Allah, and nothing will benefit a man except the actions performed for
Allah, the Most High.
 Surah al-
al-Mut}affifi>n (83)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﻄﻔﻔﲔ‬
‘The Short-Sellers’
The surah has been given its name due to the prominence of the word al-mut}affifi>n, meaning the
defrauders. It seems that the surah is composed of Makkan and Madinan a>ya>t, as it contains
references to the Islamic order as well as to matters of belief. Just as Surah al-Infit}a>r concluded
with an account of the resurrection and of humankind's conditions thereupon, so this surah has a
similar content.

By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah, ... Beginning by the name of Him to whom belongs the dominion, and who
is the First of all things; for what is more worthy than beginning by the name of the Generous?
... the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Merciful. who in His mercy blesses the servants and completes the
deficiencies of every person.

Woe to the short-

short-sellers, (1) ∩⊇∪ tÏ(Ïe(sÜßϑù=Ïj9 ×≅÷ƒuρ

‘Woe’ (wayl) signifies an evil condition, while ‘short-sellers’ is given for mut}affifi>n, meaning
those who give short measure in weight or in volume. Thus the verse means that there is an evil
condition for those who give short measure.
Then Allah, glory be to Him, clarifies the mut}affifi>n as follows ...

Who, when they take measure from people, take ∩⊄∪ tβθèùöθtGó¡o„ Ĩ$¨Ζ9$# ’n?tã (#θä9$tGø.$# #sŒÎ) tÏ%©!$#
it in full, (2)
That is, when they take measure of people's goods which they want for themselves, like paying
money so as to purchase some wheat, for example, they make sure they take the correct measure
which is their right. And since measuring by weight and measuring by volume are in essence the
same, the mention of one serves the purpose of mentioning the other.

But when they measure out for them, or weigh ∩⊂∪ tβρç3Å£øƒä† öΝèδθçΡy—¨ρ ρr& öΝèδθä9$x. #sŒÎ)uρ
for them, they give loss. (3)
When they wish to sell a weight of wheat to people and take its price in return, they give less
than the weight they are supposed to give. It is clear that the transaction is not forbidden in
itself, but it is loathsome to give less, just as it is not forbidden to praise people to their faces,
though when it is coupled with criticizing them behind their backs it becomes ugly and
loathsome indeed. Such a person is called two-tongued (dha> lisa>nayn), and on the day of
resurrection will have two tongues of fire, as is recorded in the narrations.
The thread then turns to warn them, with His word:

Do they not suppose that they will be raised (4) ∩⊆∪ tβθèOθãèö6¨Β Νåκ¨Ξr& y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé& 6Ýàtƒ Ÿωr&

‘They ...suppose’ is given for yadhunnu, indicating that even the supposition of such a day is
enough to lead a person to abstain from such a vice; how much more, then, when a person has
knowledge?

For a tremendous day? (5) ∩∈∪ 8ΛÏàtã BΘöθu‹Ï9

The tremendous day (yawm al-cadhi>m) is the day of resurrection, when every person will face the
reckoning of his actions.

The day when mankind stands for the Lord of ∩∉∪ tÏΗs>≈yèø9$# Éb>t&Ï9 â¨$¨Ζ9$# ãΠθà)tƒ tΠöθtƒ
the worlds. (6)
They will stand from the graves for Allah's reckoning and His recompense.
Nay, indeed the book of the brazen is in ∩∠∪ &Éi∨Å™ ’Å∀s9 Í‘$¤fà(ø9$# |=≈tGÏ. ¨βÎ) Hξx.
‘eternal prison’; (7)
That is, nay, the affair is not as they claim it to be, with no reckoning and no recompense, but
that each person will there receive the recompense of his actions. ‘The brazen’ is given for al-
fujja>r, those who are disobedient towards God, be it through disbelief or through sin. What is
meant by their book is the register of their names and their particulars. ‘Eternal prison’ is given
for al-sijji>n. It means that Allah has prepared for them an eternal prison. Saying their book is in
an eternal prison is because that is where they shall be, like saying of someone that his book is
amongst the criminals, when what is meant is that he is counted as a criminal.

And what will make thee comprehend what is ∩∇∪ ×Ång¾A $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
‘eternal prison’? (8)
The thread has changed to incite dread of the eternal prison. The address is in the singular, so it
is directed at each individual, or at the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family.

A book inscribed. (9) ∩∪ ×Πθè%óB£∆ Ò=≈tGÏ.

The book is inscribed, written down and complete; it cannot be substituted and it cannot be
altered. No brazen one can have his name removed from it and recorded in the book of the
righteous.

Woe that day to the beliers, (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ tÎ/Éj‹s3Þϑù=Ïj9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×≅÷ƒuρ

Woe to them, that is, on the day of resurrection.

These persons who say that the truth is a lie are then defined, in His word:

Those who belie the day of requital; (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ ÈÏe$!$# ÇΠöθu‹Î/ tβθç/Éj‹s3ムtÏ%©!$#

That is, the day of resurrection. ‘Requital’ is given for di>n, meaning recompense; while belying
the resurrection entails belying the other principles of faith.

And none bbelie

elie it but every sinful aggressor: ∩⊇⊄∪ AΟŠÏOr& >‰tG÷èãΒ ‘≅ä. 2ωÎ) ÿϵÎ/ Ü>Éj‹s3ム$tΒuρ
(12)
An aggressor (muctad) is someone who is unjust and exceeds the limits; sinful (athi>m) is a person
who is profligate in sin and here denotes a person excessive in transgression.

When Our signs are recited to him he says: ∩⊇⊂∪ tÏ9¨ρF{$# ç3]ÏÜ≈y™r& tΑ$s% $uΖçF≈tƒ#u ϵø‹n=tã 4’n?÷Gè? #sŒÎ)
'Fables of the ancients'. (13)
That is, when such a transgressor is presented proofs of the Divinity and of the Divine oneness
and the other principles of belief – or perhaps by signs (a>ya>t) are meant the portents of the sacred
Qur’an – he calls them mere fictitious stories of the ancient, less sophisticated people. Today
they call religion 'reactionary', another term for 'fables of the ancients'.

Nay, but what they were earning has prevailed ∩⊇⊆∪ tβθç6Å¡õ3tƒ (#θçΡ%x. $¨Β ΝÍκÍ5θè=è% 4’n?tã tβ#u‘ 2ö≅t/ ( 2ξx.
over their hearts; (14)
Nay, the signs are not fictitious fables, but rather their hearts have been overcome by the effect
of their sins and offences, and their disobedience has caused their hearts to harden and to turn to
stone. Thus they see the truth only as false, and the signs or a>ya>t as fables. Ima>m al-S{a>diq has
said: ‘The heart tends to become rusty, so when you remind it of Allah, it is polished.’

Nay, indeed that day they are veiled from their ∩⊇∈∪ tβθç/θàfóspR°Q 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ öΝÍκÍh5§‘ tã öΝåκ¨ΞÎ) Hξx.
Lord. (15)
Nay, they will not remain in goodness and comfort forever, though the disbelievers imagine they
will be blessed with the beneficence and grace of Allah there too, saying ‘And if I am returned to
my Lord I will certainly find better than this as a place of return.’ [18: 36] But on the day of
resurrection they shall find themselves concealed from, hindered and prevented from, the grace
and mercy of their Lord.

Then indeed they burn in the inferno; (16) ∩⊇∉∪ ËΛÅspgø:$# (#θä9$|Ás9 öΝåκ¨ΞÎ) §ΝèO

After being denied the grace and kindness of Allah, they will be thrust into the fire, and shall
remain there.

Then it is said, 'This is what ye used to ∩⊇∠∪ tβθç/Éj‹s3è? ϵÎ/ ΛäΨä. “Ï%©!$# #x‹≈yδ ãΑ$s)ム§ΝèO
belie.'(17)
Once they have entered the raging fire they will be rebuked and censured with the words given.
This means the punishment they taste. They called it a lie while they were in the world, for they
said that there is no paradise, no fire, no account and no requital.

Nay, the book of the righteous is in ‘far ∩⊇∇∪ šÍhŠÏk=Ïæ ’Å∀s9 Í‘#t&ö/F{$# |=≈tGÏ. ¨βÎ) Hξx.
heights’; (18)
Nay, things are not as they claimed, in that they claimed themselves to be blessed with the
Divine favour, for the Divine favour is for the righteous (abra>r), meaning those whose beliefs and
deeds are excellent. Their book – in which their names are recorded and their lofty stations
specified – is on the far heights (cilliyyi>n), for it is written in their record that that is their
station.
The argument then turns to magnify their station, in His word:
And what will make thee comprehend what are ∩⊇∪ tβθ•‹Ïk=Ïã $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
‘far heights?’ (19)
The address is to the individual human being, or perhaps to the Messenger.

A book inscribed, (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ ×Πθè%óB£∆ Ò=≈tGÏ.

The book is inscribed and recorded and the name of the righteous will not be erased from it.

Witnessed by those
those brought near. (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ tβθç/§&s)çRùQ$# çν߉pκô¶tƒ

The book is known and its value appreciated by the elite angels who are brought nearest to Allah,
glory be to Him. This is another merit and honour for the righteous, for man would like the
people to see his good deeds and achievements.
The thread then turns to specify the condition of the righteous whose books state that they are in
the far heights:

Indeed the righteous are in bliss, (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ AΟ‹ÏètΡ ’Å∀s9 u‘#t&ö/F{$# ¨βÎ)

They are in luxury and enjoyment.

On couches gazing, (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ tβρã&ÝàΖtƒ Å7Í←!#u‘F{$# ’n?tã

‘Couches’ is given for ara>’ik, meaning the seats luxuriously prepared for a bride to sit on. Gazing
means looking about this way and that, taking enjoyment from their sight just as they take
enjoyment from their other senses.

Thou know in their faces the radiance of bliss; ∩⊄⊆∪ ÉΟŠÏè¨Ζ9$# nοu3ôØtΡ óΟÎγÏδθã_ãρ ’Îû ß∃Í&÷ès?
(24)
When a person is in bliss and ease there appears on his face brightness and radiance.
They are given to drink of a nectar, sealed, (25) ∩⊄∈∪ BΘθçG÷‚¨Β 9,‹Ïm§‘ ÏΒ tβöθs)ó¡ç„

Those who bear them their drinks are the angels, by His command, glory be to Him. ‘Nectar’ is
given for rah}i>q which is a drink pure of all impurity and blemish. Sealed, so that nothing can
affect it from without, just as drinks and preserves are sealed in cans in the world.

Its sealing is with musk, so for that the ∩⊄∉∪ tβθÝ¡Ï(≈oΨtGßϑø9$# ħsù$uΖoKu‹ù=sù y7Ï9≡sŒ ’Îûuρ 4 Ô7ó¡ÏΒ …çµßϑ≈tFÅz
contenders should contend; (26)
The substance of the seal is musk; this is mentioned for encouragement and to show the extent of
the comforts and bliss awaiting the righteous. It is for that bliss that those who strive should
strive – in undertaking the obedience to Allah, glory be to Him. ‘Contend’ is given for tana>fus,
meaning to compete for something, for the bliss of paradise is worthy of being competed for by
mankind, in that everyone set out to perform the good actions so as to attain to that bliss, rather
than contending over the bounties of the world, which are temporal.

And its admixture is from Tasnim, (27) ∩⊄∠∪ AΟŠÏ⊥ó¡n@ ÏΒ …çµã_#z–É∆uρ

The nectar is mixed with the pure water of the spring or fountainhead called Tasni>m, which is
given its name on account of it being so high, from sanama meaning to be high.

A spring from which drink those brought near. ∩⊄∇∪ šχθç/§&s)ßϑø9$# $pκÍ5 Ü>u3ô³o„ $YΖøŠtã
(28)
Tasni>m is a spring for the refreshment of those who are near to the satisfaction and pleasure of
Allah, the Most High, on account of their good deeds.
The thread then turns to explain that whatever is experienced there by the goodly and by the
sinners is only the recompense of their actions:

Indeed the criminals used to laugh at those who tβθä3ysôÒtƒ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# zÏΒ (#θçΡ%x. (#θãΒt&ô_r& šÏ%©!$# ¨βÎ)
believed, (29)
∩⊄∪

Those who sinned and offended in the world used to mock and scorn the believers.

And as they passed them they winked, (30) ∩⊂⊃∪ tβρâ“tΒ$tótGtƒ öΝÍκÍ5 (#ρ”&tΒ #sŒÎ)uρ

That is, when the believers passed by them, the disbelievers would wink at each other and nod
towards the believers mockingly. It is reported that Ima>m Ali was amongst those whom the
hypocrites would mock in this fashion, and accordingly there are narrations that explain the verse
in this way, but this is a case of an application (mis}da>q) of a particular instance embodying its
universal truth. [ref. Bih}a>r 8/114, 18/115, 18/172, 36/66, 39/260, 64/58. Ibn cAbba>s is among
those who report this event, and Sacid ibn Sacd al-Balkhi – a prominent Sunni scholar confirmed
it.]

And when they returned to their folk they ∩⊂⊇∪ tÎγÅ3sù (#θç7n=s)Ρ$# ÞΟÎγÎ=÷δr& #’n<Î) (#þθç7n=s)Ρ$# #sŒÎ)uρ
returned laughing, (31)
That is, when the guilty returned to their homes, they returned happy and merry from their
having mocked the believers, as is always the way with the ignorant.

And when they saw them they said, 'Indeed, ∩⊂⊄∪ tβθ—9!$ŸÒs9 ÏIωàσ¯≈yδ ¨βÎ) (#þθä9$s% öΝèδ÷ρr&u‘ #sŒÎ)uρ
those are astray', (32)
That is, when the disbelievers saw the believers they would say amongst themselves that the
believers were astray, for having strayed from the path of worldly enjoyment for the sake of
alleged bliss in the afterlife, and is it logical to exchange what exists for what is promised? Such
were their words.
And they were sent not as minders
minders over them; ∩⊂⊂∪ tÏàÏ(≈ym öΝÍκöpn=tã (#θè=Å™ö‘é& !$tΒuρ
(33)
That is, the disbelievers were not sent as guardians over the believers, to be concerned with their
progress or their error.

So this day those who believed are laughing at ∩⊂⊆∪ tβθä3ysôÒtƒ Í‘$¤(ä3ø9$# zÏΒ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# tΠöθu‹ø9$$sù
the disbelievers,
disbelievers, (34)
That is, on the day of resurrection. A fitting requital after the disbelievers laughed at the
believers in the world. For certain evil circumstances afflicting a person cause his opponent to
laugh.

On couches gazing; (35) ∩⊂∈∪ tβρã&ÝàΖtƒ Å7Í←!#u‘F{$# ’n?tã

On their luxurious seats the believers will be gazing at the disbelievers, while they tumble in the
fire.
Here the tone becomes one of mockery towards the disbelievers in return for their mocking the
believers:

Are the disbelievers rewarded for what they ∩⊂∉∪ tβθè=yèø(tƒ (#θçΡ%x. $tΒ â‘$¤(ä3ø9$# z>ÈhθèO ö≅yδ
were doing? (36)
Yes, they are rewarded, for they are tumbling in the fire.
 Surah al-
al-Inshiqa>q (84)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻹ�ﺸﻘﺎﻕ‬
‘The Rending Asunder’
This surah owes its name to the prominence within it of a verb form derived from the infinitive
inshiqa>q, meaning to crumble. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with articles of faith. As
Surah al-Mut}affifi>n concluded on the theme of the resurrection, this surah opens on the subject of
its terrors.

By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... We seek help from the name of Allah, glory be to Him, that He be
assistance for us in our affairs.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He who in His mercy graces all things, just as He says, 'My
mercy embraces all things,' in the sense that He does for a thing whatever brings it from
deficiency to perfection.

When the sky rends asunder, (1) ∩⊇∪ ôM¤)t±Σ$# â!$uΚ¡¡9$# #sŒÎ)

That is, the sky shall tear apart and cleave asunder, like a dilapidated wall, and the marks of the
sky's cleavage will become apparent to the eye. The stars will be scattered on account of the
breakdown of the celestial order.

And listens to its Lord; and rightly so, (2) ∩⊄∪ ôM¤)ãmuρ $pκÍh5t&Ï9 ôMtΡÏŒr&uρ

The sky listens, obeys, to its Lord, its Creator. And what is meant is that it is obedient to Allah,
glory be to Him. ‘and rightly so’ is given for h}uqqat, meaning that it is justified and appropriate
for the sky to listen to its Lord and obey Him, in that it was created with the quality of
obedience to its Lord's directives.

And when the earth is stretched, (3) ∩⊂∪ ôN£‰ãΒ ÞÚö‘F{$# #sŒÎ)uρ

The mountains shall be crushed and the earth made level and smooth, with no unevenness.
And casts forth what is in it and becomes ∩⊆∪ ôM¯=sƒrBuρ $pκ5Ïù $tΒ ôMs)ø9r&uρ
empty, (4)
What is within the earth will be cast out: its treasures, its minerals and the dead bodies buried
within it. Nothing will remain within it and it shall be quite empty.

And listens to its Lord; and rightly so; (5) ∩∈∪ ôM¤)ãmuρ $pκÍh5t&Ï9 ôMtΡÏŒr&uρ

The earth too obeys its Lord, who is Allah, glory be to Him, and it is right that it listens and
obeys. The consequent of these vows is not explicitly given, for it is implicit. It is: mankind shall
be divided into two groups, those who are saved and those for perdition. This is clear from the
opening words of the eighth verse, 'So as for him ...'
The thread of the surah here directs itself to the human being, that he might prepare for that
dreadful day:

O thou humankind, indeed thou are striving ∩∉∪ ϵŠÉ)≈n=ßϑsù %[nô‰x. y7În/u‘ 4’n<Î) îyÏŠ%x. y7¨ΡÎ) ß≈|¡ΡM}$# $y㕃r'¯≈tƒ
towards thy Lord, striving, so thou shall meet
Him: (6)
‘Strive’ is given for kad-h}, meaning to strive intensely. The striving is towards the Lord, that is,
towards His reckoning and recompense, and it is hard and laborious. Man is continually engaged
in a struggle in the earth that is dire and severe, for the world is a place of toil and drudgery, until
it all ends with the account of Allah, glory be to Him. Our labours then meet Him, meaning that
our actions and efforts will be recompensed, when we reach our Lord’s reckoning.

So as for whosoever is given his book on his ∩∠∪ ϵÏΨŠÏϑu‹Î/ …çµt7≈tGÏ. š†ÎAρé& ôtΒ $¨Βr'sù
right, (7)
The book is the record written by the angels in which his deeds are registered. ‘On his right’
means in his right hand, which will be a sign of salvation and bliss.

He shall then be reckoned with, an easy ∩∇∪ #ZBKÅ¡o„ $\/$|¡Ïm Ü=y™$ptä† t∃öθ|¡sù
reckoning, (8)
His reckoning will be easy and present him no trouble. It seems the interval between being given
the book and the reckoning is a lengthy one, as indicated by the word sawfa, given as ‘then’.

And he will return to his folk joyfully; (9) ∩∪ #Y‘ρçBô£tΒ Ï&Î#÷δr& #’n<Î) Ü=Î=s)Ζtƒuρ

He will return from the place of the reckoning to his folk (ahl), meaning those who have faced
the reckoning before him and are awaiting his return. Or the meaning is the houries - beauties of
paradise (h}u>r al-cayn) who have been prepared for him.

But as for whosoever is given his book behind ∩⊇⊃∪ ÍνÌ&ôγsß u!#u‘uρ …çµt7≈tGÏ. u’ÎAρé& ôtΒ $¨Βr&uρ
his back, (10)
That is, the angels will grab his left hand and pull it behind him and in that position will give him
his book, to add to his extreme embarrassment and disgrace and to signify that he is for the fire
and the chastisement.

He shall then cry for calamity, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ #Y‘θç6èO (#θããô‰tƒ t∃öθ|¡sù

After he reads his book he will realise he is perished and will call for the fire to approach, for its
time will have come.

And shall enter a blaze. (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ #·BKÏèy™ 4’n?óÁtƒuρ

That is, he enters the flaming, raging fire, and stays there.

Indeed among his folk he was joyful, (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ #·‘ρçBô£tΒ Ï&Î#÷δr& þ’Îû tβ%x. …絯ΡÎ)

The sinner amongst his own people in the world was joyful at the worldly bounties he enjoyed
and gave no importance to the afterlife. This is in contrast to him who gives importance to the
hereafter, who is sad on account of not knowing what will be done with him and what will be his
final end.

Indeed he supposed he would never return; (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ u‘θçts† ©9 βr& £sß …絯ΡÎ)

While in the world he thought he would not return to life after death.

Nay! Indeed his Lord is over him an observer. ∩⊇∈∪ #ZBKÅÁt/ ϵÎ/ tβ%x. …çµ−/u‘ ¨βÎ) #’n?t/
(15)
But no, he shall return. His Lord is watching his every action and will requite him for them, and
He does not leave him vainly unregarded.

So I swear not by the evening redness, (16) ∩⊇∉∪ È,xK¤±9$$Î/ ãΝÅ¡ø%é& Iξsù

The evening redness is the red afterglow of sunset. The oath is intended and hinted at but not
sworn, to show the severity of the situation, as discussed previously.
And the night and what it gathers, (17) ∩⊇∠∪ t,y™uρ $tΒuρ È≅ø‹©9$#uρ

That is, by the night and what it gathers. Nightfall gathers creatures and people together when
during the day they are dispersed.

And the
the moon when it is complete, (18) ∩⊇∇∪ t,|¡¯@$# #sŒÎ) Ì&yϑs)ø9$#uρ

That is, when it is full and its radiance is complete.

Ye shall definitely mount state after state. (19) ∩⊇∪ 9,t7sÛ tã $¸)t7sÛ ¨ãx.÷BtIs9

That is, you shall witness and enter condition after condition. ‘after’ is given for can, which
denotes transition, in that man mounts one condition after passing through a previous condition.
The verse means that man passes through his various stages and conditions until finally he
arrives at the day of resurrection, as mentioned at the beginning of the surah, “indeed thou are
striving towards thy Lord”. It is the consequent of the quasi-oath ‘So I swear not by ...’, and it
seems that these a>ya>t are to show the vicissitudes of conditions in the world, so that humans are
not deceived by the pleasant conditions in the world and forget the hereafter, thus losing both the
world and the hereafter.

So what is with them that they believe not? ∩⊄⊃∪ tβθãΖÏΒ÷σムŸω öΝçλm; $yϑsù
(20)
As the world is temporal and finite, and as its conditions are not permanent, why do the
disbelievers not believe in Allah so as to be saved from the chastisement of the hereafter, which
is eternal? What is stopping them?
And when the Qur’an is recited to them, they ∩⊄⊇∪ ) tβρ߉àfó¡o„ Ÿω ãβ#uö&à)ø9$# ãΝÍκö5n=tã x—Ì&è% #sŒÎ)uρ
prostrate not? (21)
That is, why is it they do not humble themselves before God after His signs are recited to them
and the evidence is completed for them with the recitation of the Qur’an?

Rather those who ddisbelieve

isbelieve belie, (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ šχθç/Éj‹s3ム(#ρã&xKx. tÏ%©!$# È≅t/

Instead of humbling themselves, the disbelievers call Allah and the Prophet and the day of
resurrection false.

And Allah is more aware of what they harbour; ∩⊄⊂∪ šχθããθム$yϑÎ/ ãΝn=÷ær& ª!$#uρ
(23)
Allah knows better than anyone, even themselves, the evil intentions they hide away in their
breasts.

So give them glad tidings of a painful ∩⊄⊆∪ AΟŠÏ9r& A>#x‹yèÎ/ Νèδ÷BÅe³t7sù

chastisement; (24)
The address is to the Prophet. ‘Glad tidings’ is given for bisha>ra, which is used here in mockery.

Save those who believe and do the virtuous ¥βθãΨôϑtΒ çBöKxî í&ô_r& öΝçλm; ÏM≈ysÎ=≈¢Á9$# (#θè=Ïϑtãuρ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# 9ωÎ)
deeds, theirs is a wage without end. (25)
∩⊄∈∪

Those who believe in Allah, the Prophet and the hereafter and do good works, theirs is a reward
that will not come to an end, for the blessings of the hereafter are permanent and without end.
 Surah al-
al-Buru>j (85)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﱪﻭﺝ‬
‘The Constellations’
This surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word al-buru>j meaning the
constellations of the stars. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of faith. And just
as Surah al-Inshiqa>q concluded on the subject of the believers, this surah opens on the same
topic.

By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... Beginning with the name of Allah, who is the originator of all things.
None is more worthy of such a beginning than Him, that this beginning in speech may be
paralleled in action.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. who bestows on the servants what they need, and blesses
them with forgiveness for their sins.

By the sky, holder of the constellations, (1) ∩⊇∪ Ælρç,ã9ø9$# ÏN#sŒ Ï!$uΚ¡¡9$#uρ

That is, an oath by the sky that bears the constellations: Aries, Taurus and the rest of the twelve
constellations. The moon passes through each constellation in two and a half days, and the sun
passes through each in a month.

And the promised day, (2) ∩⊄∪ ÏŠθããöθpRùQ$# ÏΘöθu‹ø9$#uρ

That is, an oath by the promised day, that is, the day of resurrection, which has been promised to
Allah's creatures.

And a witness and that

that witnessed, (3) ∩⊂∪ 7Šθåκô¶tΒuρ 7‰Ïδ$x©uρ

Another oath, by the witness and the witnessed on that day, or by every witness and what is
witnessed, which is closer to general import, though the commentaries give various meanings for
this verse.

Killed be the companions of the trench! (4) ∩⊆∪ ÏŠρ߉÷{W{$# Ü=≈ptõ¾r& Ÿ≅ÏFè%

That is, may Allah kill the disbelievers who dig trenches in the earth for the purpose of torturing
the believers.
According to what has been narrated by Shaykh Qummi, he who stirred up the Abyssinians for
war against the Yemen was their last king Dhu Nawa>s, who became Jewish and many of his
tribe, Himyar, followed suit. He called himself Yusu>f, and gathered a force of Jews with him.
Things continued thus for a while until he was informed that the remainder of the people were at
Najra>n following the religion of Jesus and ruled by the law of the Gospels. The leader of that
religion was one cAbd-Allah ibn Buryas. Dhu Nawa>s’ people urged him to go to them and oblige
them to become Jews and assimilate them into Judaism. So they travelled to Najra>n and there
they gathered what Christians they found there and presented to them Judaism and proposed that
they become Jews. The Christians refused and disputes took place, and he insisted they do so but
they continued to refuse to become Jews, and opted to fight. So the Jews constructed a ditch for
the Christians and placed within it firewood and set it ablaze. Some of the Christians were
burned to death and some were killed by the sword, and all were treated the same till the number
of those murdered reached some twenty thousand souls. One man escaped whose name was
Daws.

The fire, holder of firewood, (5) ∩∈∪ ÏŠθè%uθø9$# ÏN#sŒ Í‘$¨Ζ9$#

The ‘fire’ stands for the trench, i.e. those who set up the fire that has colossal amount of
firewood, so that the verse means ‘the companions of the fire’. ‘Holder of firewood’ or, ‘full of
firewood’, is given for dhat al-wuqu>d, which is used to show the intensity of that fire.

While around it they sat, (6) ∩∉∪ ׊θãèè% $pκö<n=tæ ö/ãφ øŒÎ)

‘Around it’ means around and about the fire. ‘They’ means the disbelievers. The disbelievers sat
around the fire witnessing the believers being thrown into it.

And of what they did to the believers they were ∩∠∪ ׊θåκà− tÏΖÏΒ÷σßϑø9$$Î/ tβθè=yèø=tƒ $tΒ 4’n?tã öΝèδuρ
witnesses; (7)
That disbelieving king and his followers were present and witnessed the persecution of the
believers and their being thrown into the fire. This verse amounts to intensified rebuke of their
pleasure and satisfaction at witnessing such evil persecution.

And they only took revenge on them for their ∩∇∪ ω‹Ïϑptø:$# Í“ƒÍ•yèø9$# «!$$Î/ (#θãΖÏΒ÷σムβr& HωÎ) öΝåκ÷]ÏΒ (#θßϑs)tΡ $tΒuρ
believing in Allah, the Mighty, the Lauded, (8)
The king and his followers disliked nothing about the believers except that they believed in the
message that was sent down to cIsa (Jesus), and renounced the invalid religion of the king. Allah
is the Mighty (al-cAzi>z), dominant in His authority, the Lauded (al-H{ami>d), single in His works,
indicating that the believers triumphed even though the king survived freely for a while. What he
did to the believers raised their station and benefited them.

To whom belongs the dominion of the skies and &óx« Èe≅ä. 4’n?tã ª!$#uρ 4 ÇÚö‘F{$#uρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# Û&ù=ãΒ …çµs9 “Ï%©!$#
the earth, and Allah over all things is a
witness. (9) ∩∪ Íκy−
Allah is the absolute owner of all things. He is present and aware; what was done to the believers
did not escape Him and so He shall take their revenge.

Indeed those who persecute the believers and (#θç/θçGtƒ óΟs9 §ΝèO ÏM≈oΨÏΒ÷σßϑø9$#uρ tÏΖÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# (#θãΨtGsù tÏ%©!$# BχÎ)
the believeresses and thereafter do not repent,
so theirs is the chastisement of hell, and ∩⊇⊃∪ È,ƒÍ&ptø:$# Ü>#x‹tã öΝçλm;uρ tΛ©yγy_ Ü>#x‹tã óΟßγn=sù
theirs is the chastisement of burning. (10)
The reference is to that vicious king and his followers who persecuted the believers by torturing
them and burning them alive. Thereafter they did not repent, by accepting the faith and being
obedient, and so in the hereafter they faced the Divine punishments. It would seem that by the
chastisement of hell is meant its other forms of chastisement, like the eating of pus and the
poisonous bites and suchlike, for which reason the mention of the chastisement of the fire, or
h}ari>q, a name of the fire, is added.
In contrast to these are the believers:

Indeed those who believe and do the virtuous ÏΒ “Ì&øgrB ×M≈¨Ζy_ öΝçλm; ÏM≈ysÎ=≈¢Á9$# (#θè=ÏΗxåuρ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# ¨βÎ)
deeds, theirs are the gardens under which rivers
flow; that is the great achievement. (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ ç,bÎ6s3ø9$# ã—öθx=ø9$# y7Ï9≡sŒ 4 ã&≈pκ÷ΞF{$# $pκÉJøtrB
Those who believe in Allah and His Prophet and the Last Day, and do good deeds, theirs are
gardens, their grounds concealed by trees and palaces. Under these trees and palaces rivers flow,
rivers of milk and honey and wine and suchlike. That, the attainment of such delights, is the
great achievement, than which no achievement is greater. In this verse and that above it is likely
that the meaning of disbelievers and believers is a general one, and is not limited to the two sides
of the affair of the burning trench, nor to the companions of the Prophet and his contemporaries.

Indeed the vengeance of thy Lord is severe; (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ ωt±s9 y7În/u‘ |·ôÜt/ ¨βÎ)
The address is to the Prophet. By vengeance is meant His taking the disbelievers and punishing
them for what they have done. It is severe, for when He assaults a person, the chastisement
overcomes him in all its forms and degrees of intensity; so let the disbelievers and offenders
beware of His mighty vengeance.

Indeed it is He who originates and returns; (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ ߉‹Ïèãƒuρ ä—ωö7ムuθèδ …çµ¯ΡÎ)

He originates the creation by creating them from nothing and giving them life. And He makes
them return alive after their death.

And He is the Forgiving, the Loving, (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ ߊρߊuθø9$# â‘θà=tóø9$# uθèδuρ

He forgives those who repent and believe. ‘Forgiving’ is given for ghafu>r, meaning exceedingly
forgiving. He is the Loving (al-Wadu>d), who loves mankind and wishes not to chastise them, but
they persist in disbelief and sin.

Holder of the throne, the Glorious, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ ߉ŠÉfpRùQ$# ĸö&yèø9$# ρèŒ

An allusion to all dominion being His. It is an expression to call a king 'holder of the throne' even
if he never sits on a throne. The Glorious, [one of the Beautiful Names of Allah].

‘Utmost doer’ of what He wants. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ ߉ƒÌ&ム$yϑÏj9 ×Α$¨èsù

‘Utmost doer’ is put for faca>l, a superlative noun derived from facala, to do. Whatever thing He
wants He does; nothing can deny Him. These portents indicate the necessity of man’s putting his
hopes in Him, and fearing Him, for He has the absolute dominion and might.
The theme then turns to explain an instance of His doing what He wants, glory be to Him, for the
believer to put his hopes in Him and the disbeliever to fear Him:

Has there come to thee the account of the ∩⊇∠∪ ÏŠθãΖègø:$# ß]ƒÏ‰ym y79s?r& ö≅yδ
armies, (17)
O Messenger, or O listener, have you heard the account of those who mobilized against Allah, so
as to wage war against His messengers? If so, then you know how Allah dealt with them.

Pharaoh and Thamud? (18) ∩⊇∇∪ yŠθßϑrOuρ tβöθtãö&Ïù

Pharaoh and his army, to whom Allah sent the prophet Moses; and Thamu>d, to whom was sent
the prophet S{a>lih}. For when these two peoples belied the Prophets, Allah glory be to Him,
chastised them; such is Allah's method when dealing with those who belie the Prophets.
But the disbelievers of Makkah did not desist from their disbelief and sinful ways on account of
these examples:

Nay, those who disbelieve are in belying; (19) ∩⊇∪ 5=ƒÉ‹õ3s? ’Îû (#ρã&x=x. tÏ%©!$# È≅t/

Those who disbelieve in Allah and the Prophet are engaged in calling Islam and the Qur’an false,
turning their backs to the truth.

Yet Allah
Allah is around them, encompassing. (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ 8ÝŠÏt’Χ ΝÍκÉ″!#u‘uρ ÏΒ ª!$#uρ

Since they are encircled by the encompassing knowledge of Allah, glory be to Him, and by His
extensive power. He knows what they do, and they are in the grasp of His power.
It is not true that the Qur’an is poetry or divination or suchlike as the disbelievers were wont to
say:
Nay, it is a glorious Qur’an, (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ Ó‰‹Åg¤Χ ×β#uö&è% uθèδ ö≅t/

The Qur’an is glorious and magnificent, for it comes from Him, glory be to Him.

In a protected
protected tablet. (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ ¤âθà=øt¤Χ 8yöθs9 ’Îû

Protected, that is, from alteration and substitution. It is guarded and permanent, however much
the disbelievers strive to annul it and cancel it out.
 Surah al-
al-T{a>riq (86)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻄﺎﺭﻕ‬
‘The Nightcomer’
This surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word t}a>riq, meaning ‘night-
visitor’. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of faith. And just as Surah al-Buru>j
concluded with a warning to those who belie the religion, so this surah opens on a similar theme.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... Opening in the name of Allah who comprehends all the qualities of
perfection. The phrase is a symbol for the Muslim who speaks thus of Him at the outset of all his
actions and his reposes, so as to take on its hue.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. It is a statement that He is a merciful God, and not harsh
and cruel like some of the gods of the disbelievers, whom they described with the attributes of
cruelty and spite.
By the sky and the nightcomer; (1) ∩⊇∪ É−Í‘$©Ü9$#uρ Ï!$uΚ¡¡9$#uρ

An oath by the sky and by the visitor by night. ‘Nightcomer’ is given for al-t}a>riq, from t}araqa,
meaning to knock, on account of how at night visitors would knock on the door, whereas during
the day it was the habit to leave doors open, and the visitor would simply call out and seek
permission to enter. Here what is meant is the star that appears at night, as the following a>ya>t
make clear.
And what will make thee comprehend what is ∩⊄∪ ä−Í‘$©Ü9$# $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
the nightcomer? (2)
This is to give gravity to the issue of stars.
The piercing star. (3) ∩⊂∪ Ü=Ï%$¨W9$# ãΝôf¨Ψ9$#

The star that pierces the darkness of the night sky with its light. And whoever is aware of the
greatness of the stars and their vast number and their vast distance, so distant that it takes
millions of years for their light to reach the earth, is aware of the importance of this oath. And it
would seem that what is meant by the star is the entire class of stars, and not one particular star,
while what has been mentioned in some commentaries are examples.
There is no soul but that over it is a minder.
minder. (4) ∩⊆∪ ÔáÏù%tn $pκö:n=tæ $®R°Q <§ø2tΡ ‘≅ä. βÎ)

This is the object of the oath. Over every soul there is a keeper, deputed by Allah, glory be to
Him. These are the angels who keep humans from destruction, and record their deeds.
And if the human being is in doubt about the Divinity, let him consider his origin and growth:
So let man reflect; from what he was created: ∩∈∪ t,Î=äz §ΝÏΒ ß≈|¡ΡM}$# Ì&ÝàΨu‹ù=sù
(5)
That is, let him consider and reflect upon how he was created, and the nature of his origin.
He was created from a spurting liquid, (6) ∩∉∪ 9,Ïù#yŠ &!$¨Β ÏΒ t,Î=äz

Spurting is given for da>fiq, from dafaqa, meaning to pour in spurts and with force, which is how
semen comes out.
Issuing from between the loins and the chest; ∩∠∪ É=Í←!#u>©I9$#uρ É=ù=>Á9$# È÷t/ .ÏΒ ßlã&øƒs†
(7)
‘Loins’ is given for s}ulb, the bone behind which is the centre of male semen. ‘Chest’ is given for
tara>’ib, the sides of the chest, for that is where the female's effusions are generated.
Indeed He is capable of his return,
return, (8) ∩∇∪ Ö‘ÏŠ$s)s9 ϵÏèô_u‘ 4’n?tã …çµ¯ΡÎ)

Verily Allah who created the human in this way is able to bring him back to life after death, just
as He is capable of originating man's creation from a thing unmentionable.
The day the secrets are tried, (9)
(9) ∩∪ ã&Í←!#u>œ£9$# ’n?ö7è? tΠöθtƒ

On the day of resurrection people's secrets and what good and evil they kept hidden will become
manifest.
Then he has no power and no succourer. (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ 9>ÅÀ$tΡ Ÿωuρ ;ο§θè% ÏΒ …çµs9 $yϑsù

The human being shall have no power to ward off the chastisement, and no saviour to save him
from that terror. So let him fear and beware of opposing Allah, glory be to Him, for should he do
so he will be afflicted with the chastisement.
By the sky, holding the return, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ Æìô_§&9$# ÏN#sŒ Ï!$uΚ¡¡9$#uρ

An oath by the sky that has returns, for with each cycle it all returns to its original position. Or
what is meant [by return] is the rain, on account of it returning again and again, raining at
different intervals. Or on account of the rain returning to the earth after ascending in the vapour
form.
And the earth, holding the split, (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ Æíô‰¢Á9$# ÏN#sŒ ÇÚö‘F{$#uρ

An oath by the earth that splits so that plants grow out of it.
Indeed it is a distinguishing word, (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ ×≅óÁsù ×Αöθs)s9 …絯ΡÎ)

The Qur’an, or what has been mentioned concerning man's return after death – which is more in
harmony with the previous two portents – the truth from the false.
And it is no amusement. (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ ÉΑ÷“oλù;$$Î/ uθèδ $tΒuρ

The word is serious and real, and it is not said for amusement.
Indeed they are plotting a plot, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ #Y‰ø‹x. tβρ߉ŠÅ3tƒ öΝåκ¨ΞÎ)

The disbelievers plotted and schemed to nullify the decisive word, with their plot to have it
received as poetry or divination or sorcery and suchlike.
And I am plotting a plot; (16) ∩⊇∉∪ #Y‰ø‹x. ߉‹Ï.r&uρ

Allah intends an affair the opposite of what they intend. His calling His intention a plot is
metaphorical.
So respite the disbelievers, respite them, a ∩⊇∠∪ #J‰÷ƒuρâ‘ öΝßγù=ÎγøΒr& tÍ&Ï2≈s3ø9$# È≅Îdγyϑsù
while. (17)
O Messenger, do not concern yourself with them, but put up with them till you see how Allah
deals with them.
 al-Acla> (87)
Surah al-
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻷﻋﻠﻰ‬
‘The Highest’
This surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word acla>, meaning ‘most high’.
Like the other Makkan surahs it is concerned with explaining principles of faith. And as Surah al-
T{a>riq concluded on the theme of Allah's plans for the disbelievers, so this surah opens on the
theme of His being the Most High, emphasizing what went before.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
Beginning by the name of Allah, whose is the creation and the order. He is the First and the Last.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful. He who graces everything with mercy. Thus does He the
Most High describe Himself so as to affect mercy in he who remembers Him, for He is grateful
to whoever is grateful to Him, mindful of whoever is mindful of Him.
Glorify the name of thy Lord, the Highest, (1) ∩⊇∪ ’n?ôãF{$# y7În/u‘ zΟó™$# ËxÎm7y™

The address is in the singular. ‘Glorify’ is given for sabbih}, meaning to declare Him pure and
holy and above all imperfection such as having partners or offspring, and to not attribute
anything to Him that is contrary to the station of Divinity. The command to glorify the name has
the effect of magnification, for whoever must glorify His name must of primacy glorify Him.
‘The Highest’ is given for al-Acla>, meaning higher than all other things, for nothing is higher
than Him in knowledge or power or creativity or provision or any of the other Divine attributes,
whether of His essence or His works.
Who creates then fashions, (2) ∩⊄∪ 3“§θ|¡sù t,n=y{ “Ï%©!$#

He created all people, then fashioned them to their perfection with precision and exactitude. For
it is not that some people are perfectly formed and other imperfect. For He has fashioned the
creation of every thing and then bestowed on it what brings it to perfection, according to its
capabilities and capacities.
And who determines and then guides, (3) ∩⊂∪ 3“y‰yγsù u‘£‰s% “Ï%©!$#uρ

‘Determines’ is given for qaddara, meaning to draw up a plan for something, like an architect
draws his plans and then builds. And then He guides, that is He guides every creature to what
benefits it. He creates, He provides the essential equipment, He fashions ready for life, and He
guides, glory be to Him.
And wh
whoo brings out the pastures, (4) ∩⊆∪ 4tçö&pRùQ$# ylt&÷zr& ü“Ï%©!$#uρ

He makes grow the greenery on which animals graze from the earth.
And then turns them into a greenish black ∩∈∪ 3“uθômr& ¹!$sWäî …ã&s#yèy∨sù
straw. (5)
After their being green Allah turns them into dry straw scattered about with no firm connection
to the earth, like the scum you see floating on flood-waters.
It is an instance of His guidance, glory be to Him, that He sent down the Qur’an to the Prophet.
It is narrated that ibn cAbba>s reported that when the Prophet was visited by Gabriel with the
revelation he would recite it fearing that he would forget it, and so Gabriel would not depart
when the Prophet had begun reciting it. And so Allah sent this verse:
Soon We shall set thee to recite
recite so thou shall ∩∉∪ #|¤Ψs? Ÿξsù š'è=Î&ø)ãΖy™
not forget, (6)
That is, We shall reveal it to you for you to recite it to humankind, and you shall not forget any
of it. For Allah, glory be to Him, willed for the Prophet to be purified of any forgetfulness, and
the same was true of the other Prophets. As for His word “forget” it is of the form “We have
forgotten ye” as in “Taste ye then – for your forgetting the meeting of this day of yours – We too
have forgotten ye.” [32:14] [Forget here means neglect.] Perhaps this action was to instruct the
Muslims thereafter to be eager for the Qur’an with a similar eagerness to that shown by the
Prophet.
Save what Allah wills, indeed He knows the ∩∠∪ 4’s∀÷‚tƒ $tΒuρ t&ôγyfø9$# ÞΟn=÷ètƒ …絯ΡÎ) 4 ª!$# u!$x© $tΒ 3ωÎ)
manifest and what is hidden, (7)
Save what Allah wills … here is an indication that the Prophet's not forgetting any of it is a
power granted to him from Allah, glory be to Him, and that if He willed otherwise then He
would have made it so. And it is said that the inclusion of Allah's will in this verse shows that
however high a station the Prophet had attained to, still all his affairs were in the hand of Allah,
the Most High.
... indeed He knows what is manifest, ... meaning that which is spoken aloud and in public.
... and what is hidden, That is, He knows what is secret and spoken in private. And all of this
giving the Prophet to recite and protecting him from forgetfulness was only what He willed
according to His knowledge that encompasses all things; and according to His knowledge of
what is best He made the Prophet not forget. Otherwise, were he forgetful, he would not be
reliable for the message, due to the possibility of him forgetting in his words and his deeds.
And We shall ease thee to the easier,
easier, (8) ∩∇∪ 3“u?ô£ãKù=Ï9 x8ç?Åc£uŠçΡuρ

That is, We shall make you successful on the path of ease in all affairs, for His laws, glory be to
Him, deliver a person to felicity in the easiest of ways.
So remind, indeed the reminder benefits; (9) ∩∪ 3“t&ø.Ïe%!$# ÏMyèxC¯Ρ βÎ) ö&Ïj.x‹sù

That is, remind humankind, O Messenger, of what has been placed within them: their natural
inclinations that signify the Divinity and the return and suchlike. For such reminders are useful,
even though they add nothing to the proofs that had been conclusively conveyed. If they were
not beneficial, or if the Prophet saw them as being useless, he would not strive to guide for he
would have no hope of success, nor would he see it as necessary to present the arguments and
evidences, for they had already been conclusively presented. So there would be no need for him
to remind.
He who fears shall be reminded, (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ 4y´øƒs† tΒ ã&©.¤‹u‹y™

He who fears the chastisement of Allah, glory be to Him, will profit from the Qur’an and your
words, O Messenger.
While the foulest will shun it, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ ’s+ô©F{$# $pκâ:¨ΖyftGtƒuρ

The most miserable and most wretched ( al-ashqa> ) will distance themselves from the reminders
and admonishments. The disbeliever who shuns the reminders is more immersed in wretchedness
than a sinner.
He who will enter the great fire, (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ 3“u?ö9ä3ø9$# u‘$¨Ζ9$# ’n?óÁtƒ “Ï%©!$#

He enters the fire of hell and remains there.

And thereupon will neither die nor live. (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ 4zYøts† Ÿωuρ $pκXÏù ßNθßϑtƒ Ÿω §ΝèO
He would not die within the fire so that that would be the end of hi affliction, and yet he has no
life, in the sense that he has none of the things that make life worth living.
Thrived indeed has he who becomes purified, ∩⊇⊆∪ 4’ª1t“s? tΒ yxn=øùr& ô‰s%
(14)
He who cleanses himself and makes himself righteous by shunning the vices, and by adorning
himself with the virtues, has achieved and succeeded and been saved.
And remembers the name of his Lord and so ∩⊇∈∪ 4’©?|Ásù ϵÎn/u‘ zΟó™$# t&x.sŒuρ
prays; (15)
And remembers the name of his Lord … That is, he remembers Allah, glory be to Him, in his
heart; ‘the name’ is used to magnify Allah and denote His grandeur.
... and so prays;: That is, to Allah, meaning that he becomes humble before Him; or that he
performs the prayer which is an indication of man's humility and of his remembrance of Allah.
According to some narration's what is meant by this is the Zaka>t al-Fit}rah and the prayer of cId,
but this would seem to be an instance of an application or embodiment (mi>sda>q). And the
application of the general import to a particular embodiment can be made at any time, whenever
an embodiment exists. Thus there is no weight to the objection that the surah is Makkan and
revealed at a time when there was no Zaka>t at-Fit}rah and no cId prayer.
Nay, ye prefer the lower life, (16) ∩⊇∉∪ $u‹÷Ρ‘‰9$# nο4θuŠysø9$# tβρã&ÏO÷σè? ö≅t/

Lower life means this world. The address is in the plural, and therefore directed to those who do
not purify themselves and do not pray. They choose to spend their wealth and their time in the
pleasures of the near life, i.e. this world, rather than in self-purification and prayer.
Though the hereafter is better, and more ∩⊇∠∪ #’s+ö/r&uρ ×?ö`yz äοt&ÅzFψ$#uρ
lasting. (17)
The afterlife, that is, paradise, is better than the low world. Its pleasures are more and are not
spoiled by worry and vexation, and they do not end. For the afterlife is an eternal, unceasing
world, whereas this world is finite and temporary.
Indeed that is in the earlier scriptures,
scriptures, (18) ∩⊇∇∪ 4’n<ρW{$# É#ßsEÁ9$# ’Å∀s9 #x‹≈yδ ¨βÎ)

That: the account of the self-purifying, praying person's success, or the whole of what has been
mentioned in this surah. All of Allah's revealed books encourage self-purification, charity, prayer
and the other goodly activities; they are not innovations of the Qur’an.
The scriptures of Abraham, and of Moses. (19) ∩⊇∪ 4y›θãΒuρ tΛÏδ≡t&ö/Î) É#çtà¾

These two Messengers (Abraham and Moses, peace be upon them) are mentioned as examples,
for otherwise all of Allah's Prophets called to purification, prayer and charity.
 Surah al-
al-Gha>shiyah (88)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻐﺎﺷﻴﺔ‬
‘The Enveloper’
This surah is called al-Gha>shiyah on account of the prominence of the word gha>shiyah, meaning
‘enveloper’. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of belief. As Surah al-Acla>
contained reference to the division of mankind into two groups, so this surah presents a similar
theme.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah ... Beginning by the name of the Owner of all things, for that is the best to
begin with.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful He who bestows His mercy upon all the servants.
Has there come to thee the account of the ∩⊇∪ Ïπu‹Ï±≈tóø9$# ß]ƒÏ‰ym y79s?r& ö≅yδ
Enveloper? (1)
That is, has there come to you, O Messenger, or O listener, news of the resurrection. The name
Enveloper (al-gha>shiyah) is given to the day of resurrection on account of humankind being
enveloped by the terror of that day. The question form is used not to seek an answer, but for
emphasis and to incite passion.
Faces on that day are humble, (2) ∩⊄∪ îπyèϱ≈yz >‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×νθã_ãρ

On the day of resurrection faces will be lowered in disgrace on account of their actions in
disbelieving and committing sins. The humiliation is attributed to faces since that is where it
will be apparent.
Labouring, exhausted, (3) ∩⊂∪ ×πt6Ϲ$¯Ρ ×'s#ÏΒ%tæ

They laboured, and exhausted their efforts in that that would end up in fire, yet their toil and
exhaustion will not profit them, rather their world became a cause of their chastisement.
Burning in a raging fire, (4) ∩⊆∪ Zπu‹ÏΒ%tn #·‘$tΡ 4’n?óÁs?

They will be thrust into the fire, never to come out. And the fire will be stoked up until its heat is
severe and intense.
Given to drink at a boiling spring, (5) ∩∈∪ 7πu‹ÏΡ#u A÷tã ôÏΒ 4’s+ó¡è@

Those faces will be made to drink at a spring whose water is intensely hot. ‘Faces’ in these
portents refers to their possessors, just as 'neck' is used for a person.
That is their drink, but what is their food?
They have no food save daric, (6) ∩∉∪ 8ìƒÎ@ŸÑ ÏΒ ,ωÎ) îΠ$yèsÛ öΝçλm; }§øŠ©9

In a report from the Prophet, “d}ari>c is something in the fire more bitter than aloes, with a smell
worse than putrefying meat, and hotter than fire.”
It fattens not nor relieves from hunger; (7) ∩∠∪ 8íθã_ ÏΒ Í_øóムŸωuρ ßÏϑó¡ç„ ,ω

It does not nourish those who eat it, and they will be just as hungry after eating it as they were
before they ate it.
That is the condition of the sinners, now we turn to the conditions of the people of conviction:
Faces on that day are blessed, (8) ∩∇∪ ×πuΗ¿å$¯Ρ 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ ×νθã_ãρ

On the day of resurrection people will be delighted by the various delights and pleasures, their
faces showing all the signs of their felicity and joy.
Content with their effort, (9) ∩∪ ×πu‹ÅÊ#u‘ $pκÈM÷è|¡Ïj9

They will be more than happy that they strived in the world, for that is the reason for their
attaining to their felicity in paradise.
In a high garden, (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ 7πu‹Ï9%tæ >π¨Ζy_ ’Îû

High in location and status, for its acres and palaces are in the most lofty sphere.
They hear within it no vanity. (11)
∩⊇⊇∪ Zπu‹Éó≈s9 $pκMÏù ßìyϑó¡n@ ,ω

That is, those fortunate hear no useless, base talk.

Within it a flowing spring. (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ ×πtƒÍ‘%y` ×÷tã $pκMÏù

All those who pass it may partake of it. Flowing water is the most refreshing to drink and the
most pleasing to the eye.
Within it elevated couches, (13)
∩⊇⊂∪ ×πtãθèùö&¨Β Ö‘ç@ß  $pκMÏù

That is, elevated in position, value and status.

And glasses placed, (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ ×πtãθàÊöθ¨Β Ò>#uθø.r&uρ

Small, beautiful glasses placed at the side of the streams, to drink from. The rhyming nature of
these two portents is an instance of delightful eloquence.
And cushions in rows, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ ×πsùθàJóÁtΒ ä−Í‘$oÿsςuρ

Cushions to recline upon, set in rows one next to the other.

And carpets laid out. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ îπrOθèVö7tΒ C’Î1#u‘y—uρ

Rich and luxurious carpets laid out to be sat upon.

Following the mention of these conditions of the paradise and the fire, the surah turns to
demonstrating proofs of the Divinity, so as to mobilise man in the direction of the eternal good
fortune:
Have they not looked to the camel, how it is ∩⊇∠∪ ôMs)Î=äz y#ø‹Ÿ2 È≅Î/M}$# ’n<Î) tβρã&ÝàΨtƒ Ÿξsùr&
created? (17)
Have the disbelievers not stopped to consider the camel, the precision and perfection with which
it is created? No animal is particular in being a proof of Allah, for all animals are signs
demonstrating the existence of God and His attributes; the camel is mentioned on account of it
being a sign well-known to the Arabs. And it is in harmony with what is mentioned in the
subsequent a>ya>t or verses: the elevated sky, the solid mountains and the expansive earth; for the
camel is adapted to journey across the desert where there is nothing but the ground, the sky
above and mountains.
And at the sky, how it is elevated? (18) ∩⊇∇∪ ôMyèÏùâ‘ y#ø‹Ÿ2 Ï!$uΚ¡¡9$# ’n<Î)uρ
Sky is all that is in space above and beyond the earth. By the sky is meant the stars, or the
orbits, or that kaleidoscope presented to the eye by differences in weather.
And at the mountains, how they are fixed? (19) ∩⊇∪ ôMt6ÅÁçΡ y#ø‹x. ÉΑ$t6Ågø:$# ’n<Î)uρ

Mountains fixed in the earth like pegs, so that they remain fixed and steady.
And at the earth, how it is laid? (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ ôMysÏÜß™ y#ø‹x. ÇÚö‘F{$# ’n<Î)uρ

It is laid out to facilitate routes and pathways for people. The meaning of these portents is to ask
those addressed whether they do not reflect on these signs and so deduce from them His
existence, glory be to Him, and His other attributes. The question form is used as a reproach.
So remind – for thou are but a reminder; (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ Ö&Åe2x‹ãΒ |MΡr& !$yϑ¯ΡÎ) ö&Ïj.x‹sù

Remind humankind, O Messenger, of these signs. For your role is to explain to them the realities
placed in their nature concerning the Divinity, the Return and suchlike.
Thou are not empowered over them (22) ∩⊄⊄∪ @&ÏÜøŠ|ÁßϑÎ/ ΟÎγø‹n=tæ |Mó¡©9

They are not in your power, O Messenger, for you to be responsible for their deviation. The
station of the Prophets is to remind and exhort, so whoever wills shall be guided and whoever
wills shall go astray.
So remind, for the reminders benefit ...
Save him who turns away and disbelieves, (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ t&xJx.uρ 4’¯<uθs? tΒ ,ωÎ)

The reminders do not profit him who turns away from the truth and disbelieves in Allah and the
resurrection. And he shall not escape the grip of Allah, glory be to Him.
So Allah will chastise him, the greatest ∩⊄⊆∪ u@y9ø.F{$# z>#x‹yèø9$# ª!$# çµç/Éj‹yèã‹sù
chastisement. (24)
That is, in the hereafter.
Indeed unto Us is their return, (25) ∩⊄∈∪ öΝåκu5$tƒÎ) !$uΖø‹s9Î) ¨βÎ)

That is, to Our reckoning and recompense is their return after death.
Then indeed upon Us is their reckoning. (26) ∩⊄∉∪ Νåκu5$|¡Ïm $uΖøŠn=tã ¨βÎ) §ΝèO

After their return they will be reckoned by all that they did, and they will be recompensed, evil
for evil, good for good.
 Surah al-
al-Fajr (89)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻔﺠﺮ‬
‘The Dawn’
This surah owes its name to the prominence within it of the word al-fajr, ‘the dawn’. Like the
other Makkan surahs it deals with the principles of belief. As Surah al-Gha>shiyah concluded with
an account of the chastisement in the hereafter of those who turn away, this surah opens with an
account of their chastisement in the world,
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah … Beginning by the name of He in whose hand are all things. He is the
point of origin and the point of return. Is there anything more worthy of beginning by, than the
name of Allah, the Most High?
... the Compassionate, the Merciful, He who by His mercy bestows on all creatures.
By the dawn, (1) ∩⊇∪ Ì&ôfx)ø9$#uρ

An oath by the dawn, the break of day preceding sunrise, when light begins to appear in the
eastern sky from about an hour and a half before sunrise [depending on the geographical
location].
And ten nights, (2) ∩⊄∪ 9+ô³tã @Α$u‹s9uρ

An oath by the ten nights of the month of Hajj (Dhil-Hijjah), according to what has been stated
in the commentaries. It seems that the oath is by the goodness these events occasion, for the
dawn occasions light, while the ten nights are the occasion of worship and obedience.
And the even and the odd, (3) ∩⊂∪ Ì&ø?uθø9$#uρ Æìø)¤±9$#uρ

‘The even’ is given for al-shafc, which is the name of a two-unit prayer that is part of the night-
prayer (s}ala>t al-layl), while the odd is given for al-witr, which is a single-unit prayer that is the
final part of the night-prayer. Alternatively it is narrated that al-shafc means the eighth of the
month Dhil-Hijjah – known as the day of Tarwiyah – and al-witr the ninth – known as the day
c
Arafah.
And the night when
when it journeys on; (4) ∩⊆∪ Î+ô£o„ #sŒÎ) È≅ø‹©9$#uρ

That is, by the night when it passes on. The object of this oath is not made explicit, but is
implied by the words ‘Have thou not seen ...’ (below). It is: ‘Indeed We shall punish the
disbelievers.’
Is there
there in that an oath for the holder of ∩∈∪ @&øgÉo “Ï%Îk! ×Λ|!s% y7Ï9≡sŒ ’Îû ö≅yδ
reason? (5)
‘That’ refers to the oaths given in the preceding a>ya>t. The question form denotes censure and
rebuke, meaning: ‘How do you not confirm this word after these oaths.’ Reason is given for h}ijr,
which is a noun meaning something forbidden, but is also one of the names of reason (caql), on
account of how reason forbids whoever has it from doing whatever is unsuitable for him.
Have thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with
with ∩∉∪ >Š$yèÎ/ y7•/u‘ Ÿ≅yèsù y#ø‹x. t&s? öΝs9r&
cAd (6)

That is, do thou not know, O Messenger, or O listener, what thy Lord did to the tribe of cA<d.
Of Iram, holder of the pillars? (7) ∩∠∪ ÏŠ$yϑÏèø9$# ÏN#sŒ tΠu‘Î)
Iram is the place in which the ca>d built their splendid buildings. There were two peoples who
went by the name of ca>d, one of whom were the ca>d of Iram. This is the people meant in the
verse, which clarifies the meaning of the previous verse. By pillars (cima>d) is meant their
columned buildings; although the word is also used figuratively, to signify strength and
importance.
It is said that one Shida>d, of the tribe of ca>d, was a powerful ruler with a vast realm who
disbelieved in God. So when he heard about the paradise and its descriptions, he announced that
he would build such a place on the earth. And he built it at Iram. What he built was magnificent
and beautiful, having palaces and gardens with luxurious furnishings. But when he and his people
and troops went to occupy it, Allah destroyed them all. He sent a terrible cry and they were all
destroyed.
Whose like had not been created in the lands. ∩∇∪ ω≈n=Î6ø9$# ’Îû $yγè=÷WÏΒ ÷,n=øƒä† öΝs9 ÉL©9$#
(8)
Whose like had not been created … That is, the like of the tribe of ca>d had not been created
before, in terms of power and wealth and suchlike; or the like of Iram had not been created
before, in terms of magnificence, splendour and beauty.
… in the lands (al-bila>d): it would appear that what is meant is that such had not been created in
those times, rather than generally applying to all times.
And Thamud, who cut through rock for the ∩∪ ÏŠ#uθø9$$Î/ t&÷‚¢Á9$# (#θç/%y` tÏ%©!$# yŠθßϑrOuρ
valley? (9)
That is, have you not seen how your Lord treated the Thamu>d, the tribe of the Prophet S{a>lih},
peace be upon him. They quarried rock from the mountains and brought it to the Qara valley in
which they lived, and built with it houses made of stone.
And Pharaoh, having the stakes? (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ ÏŠ$s?÷ρF{$# “ÏŒ tβöθtãö&Ïùuρ

It is said that stakes (awta>d) would be driven through the bodies of those he considered
criminals, and they would be left there until dead. The Pharaoh who is meant is the Pharaoh of
the time of Moses, peace be upon him. In these a>ya>t Allah, glory be to Him, has chosen as
examples the strongest nations of their time, so as to explain that because they were insolent and
opposed the commands of Allah, glory be to Him, He destroyed them, and all their power did not
benefit them in the least, and that the disbelievers of the time of the Prophet, the Messenger of
Allah – far weaker than those cited – would share the some fate if they persisted in their
arrogance and disbelief.
Those who transgressed in the lands, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ ω≈n=Î6ø9$# ’Îû (#öθtósÛ tÏ%©!$#

That is, they opposed their Prophets, and acted in disbelief and sin.
And increased in them corruption; (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ yŠ$|¡x)ø9$# $pκPÏù (#ρã&sVø.r'sù

That is, they increased corruption in their cities with murder and debauchery and suchlike.
So thy Lord poured upon them the lash
lash of ∩⊇⊂∪ A>#x‹tã xÞöθy™ y7•/u‘ óΟÎγøŠn=tæ ¡=|Ásù
chastisement. (13)
Here the chastisement is expressed as a lash on account of the severity of pain that a lash inflicts.
‘Poured’ (s}abba) is used on account of how a lash, being supple, comes into contact with the
body by degrees, resembling the effect of pouring, which also makes contact by degrees. The
elegance of this expression is clear.
Indeed thy Lord is at the vantage-
vantage-point. (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ ÏŠ$|¹ö&Ïϑø9$$Î7s9 y7−/u‘ ¨βÎ)
The address is in the singular. ‘The vantage-point’ is given for al-mirs}a>d, meaning a place where
a man keeps watch on another, or an opposing force, without being seen himself. This is a
metonymy suggestive of the fact that God, glory be to Him, is aware of mankind; so whoever
disbelieves and works evil is watched by God, for nothing escapes Him.
The human being rebels in this way – such that this becomes his fate – when he is not guided by
the guidance of Allah, the Most High.
But the human, when his Lord tries him by ãΑθà)uŠsù …çµyϑ¨ètΡuρ …çµtΒt&ø.r'sù …絚/u‘ çµ9n=tGö/$# $tΒ #sŒÎ) ß≈|¡ΡM}$# $¨Βr'sù
honouring him and blessing him, says, 'My Lord
has honoured me.' (15) ∩⊇∈∪ ÇtΒt&ø.r& ú†În1u‘

‘The human’ in this verse means he who is not guided by the light of faith. When he is tested
with the lightest of tests, still he fails his test. Allah gives him a noble, honourable position along
with plentiful abundance, so as to test him and see whether he lives up to the responsibilities of
wealth and position or not. But he exhilarates at it and considers it a fitting reward for himself,
and that he deserves what has been given to him. He becomes conceited and considers that God
has chosen him for such blessings, losing sight of the fact that they are a test for him.
But when He tries him by limiting
limiting his ∩⊇∉∪ ÇoΨ≈yδr& þ’În1u‘ ãΑθà)uŠsù …çµs%ø—Í‘ ϵø‹n=tã u‘y‰s)sù çµ9n=tGö/$# $tΒ #sŒÎ) !$¨Βr&uρ
provision, he says 'My Lord scorns me.' (16)
When Allah, glory be to Him, tests him with poverty and hardship and straitens his provision, the
human takes it amiss and imagines that Allah is slighting him, and does not perceive it as a test.
This is in contrast to the believer, who sees every condition that comes to him as a trial and a
test; he fears wealth and plenty as it may cause him to be disobedient and not be thankful, while
he is not saddened by poverty for he counts it as a test that will, if he is patient and steadfast,
raise his station.
Nay, but ye honour not the orphan, (17) ∩⊇∠∪ zΟ‹ÏKu‹ø9$# tβθãΒÌ&õ3è? 2ω ≅t/ ( 2ξx.

Nay, the affair is not as this person supposes. The provision of bounties is not a sign of honour;
while poverty is not a sign of Allah's disfavour; but rather all such conditions are for the purpose
of examination. But they are ignorant of the logic of bestowing and withholding, heedless of the
fact that it is all for the purpose of testing them. Thus it is that they do not perform the
obligatory deeds of giving, not even to the orphan. The obligation of poverty, that is to say
patience, forbearance, is not mentioned since the discussion is directed at the wealthy amongst
the people, who resembled the cA<d, the Thamu>d and the Pharaoh.
And urge not the feeding of the poor, (18) ∩⊇∇∪ ÈÅ3ó¡Ïϑø9$# ÏΘ$yèsÛ 4’n?tã šχθ‘Ò¯≈ptrB Ÿωuρ

That is, you do not urge each other to feed your poor.
And ye eat the inheritance, devouring it whole, ∩⊇∪ $tϑ©9 Wξò2r& y^#u+—I9$# šχθè=à2ù's?uρ
(19)
That is, ye do so without observing the rights of the deceased from inheritance, the right of
Allah, or the rights of other relatives entitled to it. Women, children and the weak were all
excluded from inheritance, and received nothing. This shows the disbelievers' inordinate desire
for wealth, and their viewing it not as a means of trial and examination, but as a sign of the
divine favour upon them.
And ye love wealth with an ardent love. (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ $tϑy_ ${7ãm tΑ$yϑø9$# šχθ™7ÏtéBuρ

That is, they loved wealth with a love that was intense and abounding, and so would not spend it
in any of the obligatory or desirable ways; as is the way with those who do not believe in Allah
and the day of resurrection, and do not see wealth as a test of whether they obey the command of
Allah.
Nay, when the earth is flattened; flat, flat, (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ %y.yŠ %y.yŠ Ù⇓ö‘F{$# ÏM©.ߊ #sŒÎ) Hξx.

Nay, the affair is not as you suppose without there being a consequence for your present deeds.
For whoever sees himself as honoured by Allah belittles the performance of the duties required
by his station and affairs. But the day will come when the earth is flattened, and everything is
ground into dust upon its surface – the mountains, hills and everything built upon it – and all will
be perfectly flat.
And thy Lord comes, and the angels, in rows, in ∩⊄⊄∪ $y)|¹ $y)|¹ à7n=yϑø9$#uρ y7•/u‘ u!%y`uρ
rows, (22)
That is, the order (amr) of your Lord will come. Just as kings in the world appear in all their
majesty and glory, on the resurrection day all majesty and glory will be that of Allah, glory be to
Him, and He will appear in all His glory, but as Allah is above and free of material substance,
that which will appear are the effects of His glory. The angels will come that day arrayed in row
after row, rank after rank, file after file.
And hell will be brought that day, the day ã&s! 4’¯Τr&uρ ß≈|¡ΡM}$# ã&22x‹tGtƒ 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ 4 zΟ¨Ψyγpg¿2 ¥‹Í×tΒöθtƒ uü“(%É`uρ
when the human remembers; but how will
remembrance be for him? (23) ∩⊄⊂∪ 2”t&ø.Ïe%!$#

That is, the fires of hell will be dragged to the raising-ground after being held ready for the
disbelievers and the sinners at some distance. Then will man remember: he will be admonished
and will fear and be guided [to recognise the truth];
… but how will remembrance be for him? But how will the remembrance benefit him? For the
time when remembering is of benefit will have expired. That day is the day of recompense, not of
deeds.
He says: 'O would that I had sent ahead for my ∩⊄⊆∪ ’ÎA$u‹ptÎ: àMøΒ£‰s% Í_tGøŠn=≈tƒ ãΑθà)tƒ
life!' (24)
That is, the sinful man will wish that he had sent good deeds ahead of himself for his eternal life.
But his wishing will not benefit him.
That day, no one chastises as His chastisement, ∩⊄∈∪ Ó‰tnr& ÿ…çµt/#x‹tã Ü>Éj‹yèム2ω 7‹Í×tΒöθu‹sù
(25)
That is, none can chastise like the chastisement of Allah, for His chastisement is not like the
chastisements of people, some of others, but entirely different.
And no one binds as His binding. (26) ∩⊄∉∪ Ó‰tnr& ÿ…çµs%$rOuρ ß,ÏOθムŸωuρ

On that day He will bind in a way no other can bind.

The believer is then addressed, in His word:
O thou the confident soul! (27) ∩⊄∠∪ èπ¨ΖÍ×yϑôÜßϑø9$# ߧø)¨Ζ9$# $pκçJ−ƒr'¯≈tƒ

That is, untroubled by the terror of that day, on account of its faith and good deeds while in the
world.
Return to thy Lord, content, and contented, ∩⊄∇∪ Zπ¨ŠÅÊóg£∆ ZπuŠÅÊ#u‘ Å7În/u‘ 4’n<Î) ûÉëÅ_ö‘$#
(28)
That is: return to His rewards, while you are in the condition of being pleased and content with
Allah, glory be to Him, and while you are pleasing to Him and He is content with you on account
of your faith and deeds.
So enter amongst My servants, (29) ∩⊄∪ “ω≈t6Ïã ’Îû ’Í?ä{÷Š$$sù

That is: enter the ranks of My servants.

And enter My garden. (30) ∩⊂⊃∪ ÉL¨Ζy_ ’Í?ä{÷Š$#uρ

You are in My contentment and in My paradise. It seems that the address is made to the ‘soul’
(nafs) as a mode of conveying honour, in that it is the soul that bears the troubles of the body;
and it is appropriate, therefore, that it is the soul that is rewarded.
 Surah al-
al-Balad (90)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺒﻠﺪ‬
‘The Land’
This surah owes its name to the prominence within it of the word balad, meaning ‘land’ or ‘city’
(and its outlying areas). Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of faith and the
supporting arguments. As the previous surah classified mankind into the good and the evil, so the
present surah explains this in a different way.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
We begin by the name of Allah, it is the name that is given for it is the name be which we begin,
not the Essence.
… the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows mercy on the servants by perfecting their
deficiencies, and delivering them to the perfection possible for them, by creating and guiding.
I swear not by this land, (1) ∩⊇∪ Ï$s#t7ø9$# #x‹≈pκÍ5 ãΝÅ¡ø%é& Iω

That is, by Makkah. ‘Not’ is given for la>, which is either a sign of negation used here as a prelude
to the oath, and to give importance to that by which the oath is sworn; or it is decorous. The
following verse accords to both meanings.
And thou are a resident of this land, (2) ∩⊄∪ Ï$s#t7ø9$# #x‹≈pκÍ5 B≅Ïn |MΡr&uρ

‘A resident’ is given here for h}ill, meaning an inhabitant, someone who lives there. The meaning
is that the land is honoured on account of the Prophet being of it. The honour of a house is due to
the honour of he who lives in it. So the a>ya>t mean: I swear by this land, on account of the honour
it has accrued due to your living in it. Or: I do not swear by this city, for it owes its honour to
you.
And the father and that which he fathers, (3) ∩⊂∪ t$s!uρ $tΒuρ 7$Î!#uρuρ

That is, I swear by every father and by every child. Or whom is meant is Adam, peace be upon
him, and his offspring. Every creation of Allah is grand, and appropriate to be sworn by.
However, it is not for us to swear by everything, for it is reported from one of the macsu>m
(impeccable) Ima>ms that if you were to swear you should swear by Allah or be silent and not
swear at all.
We have surely created the human
human in affliction. ∩⊆∪ >‰t6x. ’Îû z≈|¡ΣM}$# $uΖø)n=yz ô‰s)s9
(4)
This is the consequent of the oaths. Man's lot in the world is trouble and difficulty, for he is
afflicted with adversities, calamities and distress. The meaning is that he is perpetually afflicted
with difficulties, in accordance with what God has determined for him and the conditions of
existence. Thus God has said in a hadi>th qudsi> (Divine Report): ‘I have not put ease in the world
and yet mankind seek it there, but they will not find it.’
Verily the human being, who is created to live in difficulty and hardship so that he knows his
weakness and restrictions, can be deceived by certain powers he sees within himself and become
insolent and arrogant, and imagine himself independent of any power over himself:
Does he reckon that no-
no-one will ever have ∩∈∪ Ó‰tnr& ϵø‹n=tã u‘ωø)tƒ ©9 βr& Ü=|¡øts†r&
power over him? (5)
Does man imagine that one is not in power over him and able to take away his power, his wealth,
his life and so forth?
And when it is said to him, ‘Seek the pleasure of Allah by spending your wealth in His way, for
you are His helpless servant, while He, glory be to Him, is able to transform you however He
likes’:
He says, 'I have disposed of wealth in masses.' ∩∉∪ #´‰t7—9 Zω$tΒ àMõ3n=÷δr& ãΑθà)tƒ
(6)
That is, he claims to have given large sums, and says that he has given enough; as is generally the
logic of the wealthy.
Does he reckon that no-
no-one sees him? (7) ∩∠∪ î‰tnr& ÿ…çνt&tƒ öΝ©9 βr& Ü=|¡øts†r&

Does he imagine that there is not one observing how he spends? Nay, Allah sees him and knows
the amount of his beneficence. What he spends is not a lot in relation to the amount of his wealth
and to the rewards he hopes to earn in the afterlife as a result of his beneficence. It is said that
this verse was revealed in relation to one Ha>rith ibn Nawfal ibn cAbd Mana>f, as he committed a
sin and then sought the view of the Prophet, who ordered him to pay a penance (kaffa>ra). He then
said that since entering the religion of Muhammad, he had used up all his wealth in penances and
beneficence.
He was mean about spending a portion of his wealth in the way of Allah, although Allah has
placed within him faculties and abilities that are beyond all worldly value, and he was ungrateful;
and on account of that he was blind to the path of growth and success.
Have We not set for him two eyes? (8) ∩∇∪ È÷uΖøŠtã …ã&©! ≅yèøgwΥ óΟs9r&
For him to see his path.
And a tongue, and two lips? (9)
∩∪ É÷tGx:x©uρ $ZΡ$|¡Ï9uρ

For him to speak and be adorned, so as not to have a mouth that is a gaping hole.
And guided him the two highways? (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ Èøy‰ô∨¨Ζ9$# çµ≈oΨ÷ƒy‰yδuρ

That is, have We not made clear for him the two paths, the path of goodness and the path of evil?
‘highways’ is put for najd, meaning a height. It is as if a path metaphorically raises a person in
the direction of his wants, or the appearance of a path is called a 'highway' on account of its
seeming to be raised above the ground.
Yet he does not assault the steep path (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ sπt7s)yèø9$# zΝystFø%$# Ÿξsù

‘Assault’ is given for aqtah}ama, meaning to engage in a thing with force. ‘Steep path’ is given
for caqaba, meaning a difficult path up the side of a mountain. The meaning is that man is not
grateful for the favours Allah grants him by grasping the goodly affairs and acting accordingly.
The word caqaba is used to denote the difficulty of the matter for the human being.
And what will make thee comprehend what is ∩⊇⊄∪ èπt7s)yèø9$# $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
the steep path? (12)
The address is to the listener. The form of the verse is used to signify the magnificence and
majesty of the steep path. The meaning of this is then clarified in the subsequent a>ya>t.
Freeing a neck, (13) ∩⊇⊂∪ >πt6s%u‘ ’7sù
That is, freeing a slave.

Or feeding, on a day of famine, (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ 7πt7tóó¡tΒ “ÏŒ 5Θöθtƒ ’Îû ÒΟ≈yèôÛÎ) ÷ρr&

‘Or’, here, means ‘and’, so that the meaning of the verse is that amongst the instances of the
steep path is the feeding of people in time of hunger and famine.
An orphan near of kin, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ >πt/t&ø)tΒ #sŒ $VϑŠÏKtƒ

That is, the steep path includes the feeding of any orphan who is related to the one doing the
feeding; for doing good to relatives is better than doing good to others. As the holy prophet said,
“the good deed (to others) does not count as charity while the near of kin are in need.”

Or one destitute, in the dust. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ 7πt/uFøItΒ #sŒ $YΖŠÅ3ó¡ÏΒ ÷ρr&

‘Destitute’ is given for miski>n, meaning one who is inactive due to his poverty; for the wealthy
are active in a variety of spheres seeking their needs, while the poor are constrained by their
poverty from engaging in affairs. ‘In the dust’ (Dha> matrabah) signifies the extent of their need,
for poverty brings dust, in the sense that they have no covers to protect them from the dust of the
ground on which they sit and sleep. So the phrase means that the pauper is smeared by dust on
account of the extremity of his poverty.

Nor is he amongst those who believe and (#öθ|¹#uθs?uρ ÎFö9¢Á9$$Î/ (#öθ|¹#uθs?uρ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# zÏΒ tβ%x. ¢ΟèO
encourage patience and encourage compassion!
(17) ∩⊇∠∪ ÏπuΗxqö&uΚø9$$Î/

‘Nor’ is a follow on from the negation of “he does not assault the steep path”. He did not assault
the ‘steep path’, and moreover he was not even a believer – for belief is the basis for all of man’s
actions and the fundamental criterion. So the verse reads, “not only did he not assault the steep
path, but he was not even amongst those who believe and encourage patience and encourage
compassion!”
Those who advise patience and forbearance in the face of difficulties, whether they be
obligations, prohibitions, or hardships, in that they urge to perform the obligations, abstain from
the prohibitions, and not be made desolate by the difficulties, urging people to be compassionate
towards others.

Those are the companions of the right. (18) ∩⊇∇∪ ÏπuΖyϑø‹pRùQ$# Ü=≈ptõ¾r& y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé&

Those, i.e. those who believe and encourage patience and encourage compassion, not to mention
assaulting the steep path, are the blessed who will be taken by their right hands on the day of
resurrection, and will be led on the right-hand path towards the gardens. They will receive their
books in their right hands. They are the companions of the right, the companions of good fortune.

While those who disbelieve

disbelieve in Our signs, they ∩⊇∪ Ïπyϑt↔ô±yϑø9$# Ü=≈ysô¹r& öΝèδ $uΖÏG≈tƒ$t↔Î/ (#ρã&x:x. tÏ%©!$#uρ
are the companions of the inauspicious; (19)
Those who disbelieve in Allah's arguments and evidences for His Oneness and the other
principles of faith, they are the companions of the inauspicious, who have brought evil upon
themselves.

Over them is a closed fire. (20) ∩⊄⊃∪ 8οy‰|¹÷σ•Β Ö‘$tΡ öΝÍκö^n=tã

That is, the doors to the fire are closed over them; they have no way out.
 Surah al-
al-Shams (91)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺸﻤﺲ‬
‘The Sun’
This surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word al-shams, meaning ‘the
sun’. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of faith. In keeping with the previous
surah it classifies mankind into two groups: those for the fire, and those for the paradise.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah … We seek help with the name of Allah, who is the best of helpers for
whoever seeks His help.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows by His mercy and affection upon all of creation,
just as He says: ‘My mercy encompasses all things.’ [7:156]

By the sun and its rays, (1) ∩⊇∪ $yγ8ptéÏuρ ħ÷Κ¤±9$#uρ

An oath, by the sun and its extending brightness across the horizon.

By the moon when it follows it, (2) ∩⊄∪ $yγ9n=s? #sŒÎ) Ì&yϑs)ø9$#uρ

The oath is by the moon, when it follows the sun. For it takes the sun's brightness and travels on
its heel.

By the day when it unveils it, (3) ∩⊂∪ $yγ9¯=y_ #sŒÎ) Í‘$pκ¨]9$#uρ

The oath is by the day, which makes the sun clear. Here is graceful eloquence, for the attribution
of the unveiling of the sun to the day is an instance of literary inversion (qalb); as if the sun owes
its appearance to the clarity of the day. Arabic literature contains many instances of this.

By the night when it conceals it, (4) ∩⊆∪ $yγ8t±øótƒ #sŒÎ) È≅ø‹©9$#uρ

The oath is by the night, that is termed as covering the sun and concealing it from sight and
hiding it.

By the sky
sky and what built it, (5) ∩∈∪ $yγ9t⊥t/ $tΒuρ Ï!$uΚ¡¡9$#uρ

That is, by He who built the sky, meaning Allah, the Most High. Or perhaps what is meant by
‘what’ is the precision and exactitude with which it is constructed.

By the earth and what spread it, (6)

(6) ∩∉∪ $yγ8yssÛ $tΒuρ ÇÚö‘F{$#uρ

An oath by the earth and He who spread it, and He is Allah. Or perhaps what is meant is its
spreading, similar to the previous verse.

By a soul and what fashioned it, (7) ∩∠∪ $yγ1§θy™ $tΒuρ <§ø7tΡuρ

The oath is by the soul, every soul, which is presented with the indefinite form for the sake of
variety and eloquence. ‘What’ in the verse means ‘who’, that is, and (by) Allah who fashioned it.
This interpretation is more in fitting with the portents that follow it.
Then inspired
inspired it its brazenness and its ∩∇∪ $yγ1uθø)s?uρ $yδu‘θègé< $yγyϑoλù;r'sù
guardfulness; (8)
‘Inspired’ is given for alhama, meaning to teach by means of delivering knowledge to the heart.
‘Its brazenness’ (fuju>r): its disobedience. Its guardfulness’ (taqwa>): its obedience. For every
human being discriminates between goodness and evil, between obedience and disobedience.
These oaths in this surah and elsewhere direct attention to these signs and teachings, besides
their being oaths.
Thrived indeed has he who
who purifies it, (9) ∩∪ $yγ8©.y— tΒ yxn=øùr& ô‰s%

This is the consequent or the point of the oaths. It is what is sworn to by them. The meaning is
that whoever purifies his soul and cleanses it of sins and disbelief has achieved success.
And failed indeed has he who corrupts it. (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ $yγ9¢™yŠ tΒ z>%s{ ô‰s%uρ

He who corrupts it, leaving it dirty and concealed by a gloom, through disbelief and
disobedience, has failed, has accrued a loss upon himself. To ‘corrupt’ is used for dassa>, the
opposite of zakka>, for which ‘purify’ is used.
The thread of the message then turns to warn those who corrupt their souls that their fate is the
fate of the previous nations who belied:
Thamud belied through their inordinacy, (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ !$yγ1uθøósÜÎ/ ߊθßϑrO ôMt/¤‹x.

Thamu>d were the tribe of the Prophet S{a>lih}. Inordinacy brings about disbelief and belying the
truth, as Allah has said: ‘Then evil was the end of those who did evil, for they belied the signs of
Allah.’ [30: 10]. ‘Inordinacy’ is put for t}aghwa>, meaning exceeding the limit in sin.

When its foulest was sent, (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ $yγ8s)ô©r& y]yèt7/Ρ$# ÏŒÎ)

The foul and evil leaders of Thamu>d sent the worst of them to perform the evil deed. His name
was Qida>r, and it was he who hamstrung the camel.
So the Messenger
Messenger of Allah said to them, ‘The ∩⊇⊂∪ $yγ≈uŠø)ß™uρ «!$# sπs%$tΡ «!$# ãΑθß™u‘ öΝçλm; tΑ$s)sù
camel of Allah, and its watering!’ (13)
‘So Allah’s Messenger said to them’ follows from ‘belied ...’, not from ‘they sent ...’. ‘Them’
means the tribe of the Thamu>d. The Messenger of Allah was S{a>lih}. He told them to respect the
camel and not do it any harm, and to respect its water, that is, its drinking from the water, and to
not prevent it from drinking it. There was a stream and S{a>lih} determined that the camel should
drink from it on alternate days, so as to give in return milk sufficient for the tribe's needs, while
on the other days it was for the people to drink from it. And he told them that if they did any
harm to the camel they would be taken by a chastisement.
But they belied him and slaughtered it, so their $yγ1§θ|¡sù öΝÎγÎ6/Ρx‹Î/ Οßγš/u‘ óΟÎγøŠn=tæ tΠy‰øΒy‰sù $yδρã&s)yèsù çνθç/¤‹s3sù
Lord destroyed them for their sin, and so evened
it. (14) ∩⊇⊆∪

Thamu>d belied S{a>lih}, and killed the camel by striking its four legs with a sword. He who did this
was one man, but the action is attributed to them all on account of their participating in the
decision and being content with it. So Allah the Most High ‘enveloped them under chastisement’
i.e. destroyed them entirely for their sin of killing the camel. ‘and so evened it’ is given for “fa-
sawwa>ha>”, and it may be taken as referring to the totality of their destruction; in that the
crushing and destruction was applied evenly to all of them such that none escaped it. “fa-
sawwa>ha>” may also be taken in reference to their land or city, in that the Almighty levelled the
ground such that there remained no trace of them.

And He fears not its consequence. (15) ∩⊇∈∪ $yγ≈t6ø)ãã ß∃$sƒs† Ÿωuρ

Allah has no fear of any sequel to the destruction. For He is the absolute authority, who is not
subject to any consequence for His acts. He is not like human beings who, however powerful and
however great their authority, fear the consequences of their acts.
 Surah al-
al-Layl (92)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻠﻴﻞ‬
‘The Night’
This surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word layl, meaning ‘night’. Like
the other Makkan surahs it contains matters of faith. Yet from the account that follows it is clear
that a part of it is sent down at Madinah. This surah, like the previous surah, classifies
humankind into two groups.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah … Beginning by the name of Allah, who is the first of all things, and as He
is the first in existence so it is appropriate that we begin with His name at the commencement of
all our affairs.
The Compassionate, the Merciful … who bestows mercy on the servants by fulfilling their needs
and forgiving their errors.

By the night when it conceals, (1) ∩⊇∪ 4y´øótƒ #sŒÎ) È≅ø‹©9$#uρ

An oath by the night when it conceals things by its darkness. This giving of oaths by particular
qualities is an instance of eloquence.

By the day when it unveils, (2) ∩⊄∪ 4’©?pgrB #sŒÎ) Í‘$pκ¨]9$#uρ

An oath by the day when it unveils; that is, when it becomes light, bright and clear.
By what created the male and the female, (3) ∩⊂∪ #s\ΡW{$#uρ t&x.©%!$# t,n=y{ $tΒuρ

‘What’ is a precise translation of the word ma>. There are two grammatical possibilities for the
use of this word. The first is that it means ‘who’, so that the verse reads 'And who created the
male and the female,' meaning Allah, glory be to Him. In this case the word is used on account of
how ‘who’ is usually used for people and similar creatures. Or the word could be used to change
the sense into an infinitive, so that the verse would mean, 'And by the creation of the male and
the female.'

Indeed your striving is diverse; (4) ∩⊆∪ 4®Lt±s9 ö/ä3u‹÷èy™ ¨βÎ)

Your struggling, O mankind, is towards diverse ends. Some strive for the world, and some
struggle for the hereafter. The point of swearing oaths to certify this matter is on account of the
consequences of this struggling, or to dispel the allusion that this world is all that it is worth
striving for, as if there is no afterlife.
So as for him who gives and is guardful, (5) ∩∈∪ 4’s+¨?$#uρ 4‘sÜôãr& ôtΒ $¨Βr'sù

That is, gives wealth in the way of Allah, and guards against disbelief and disobedience.

And confirms the most excellent, (6) ∩∉∪ 4o_ó¡çtø:$$Î/ s−£‰|¹uρ

That is to say, confirms the most excellent word, which is the declaration of faith (shaha>datayn).
And since the position here is about giving; it comes first, followed by guarding against error,
and then comes the turn of belief after these two other issues.

We shall ease him to the easier. (7) ∩∠∪ 3“u@ô£ãGù=Ï9 …çνç@Åc£uGãΨ|¡sù

That is, Allah shall make easy for him the easier path, which is the path of obedience. Or, Allah
shall guide him to an easier life; for whoever follows the path of Islam, affairs become easier for
him on account of the way of life, teachings, and policies that bring about felicity and comfort
[in this world before the hereafter].
But as for him who is miserly and seeks wealth ∩∇∪ 4o_øótGó™$#uρ Ÿ≅σr2 .tΒ $¨Βr&uρ
(8)
That is, he who is mean with his wealth and so does not spend it in the way of Allah; but seeks
more wealth by amassing it and not spending it.

And belies the most excellent, (9) ∩∪ 4o_ó¡çtø:$$Î/ z>¤‹x.uρ

That is, he treats as a lie the most excellent word, the declarations of faith, although perhaps
what is meant in both portents is the most excellent promise, of the rewards of the hereafter and
paradise.

We shall ease him to the harder, (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ 3“u@ô£ãèù=Ï9 …çνç@Åc£uGãΨ|¡sù

That is, Allah shall make easy for him the difficult path, which is the path of disbelief. This
terminology is used for eloquence, like in the verse 'So whoever is aggressive towards you, be
aggressive towards them' [2: 194], as Allah, glory be to Him, does not make the difficult path
easy for anyone. What is meant is that Allah, glory be to Him, does not come between a person
and what he does, and does not save him from its consequences.
And his wealth will not enrich him when he is ∩⊇⊇∪ #“¨Št&s? #sŒÎ) ÿ…ã&è!$tΒ çµ÷Ζtã Í_øóム$tΒuρ
destroyed.
destroyed. (11)
His wealth with which he is miserly will not benefit him when he is destroyed and brought down
to the fire.
It is narrated that a man had a palm date tree, which was leaning over the house of a poor man
who had dependents. The owner of the tree would come to the house, enter the yard and climb
the tree to pick its dates. Any dates that fell to the ground the poor man's children would gather
for themselves. At this the man would descend from the tree and take the dates from their hands.
And if he found a date in the mouth of one of them he would put his fingers in their mouth to
take it out. The poor man complained to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, who
listened to him and told him to go. The Prophet, went to see the owner of the tree and asked him
to give him the tree in return for a tree in paradise. The man's reply was that he had many trees
but none of them gave as good a date as this particular one, and he refused and left. A man
standing nearby who heard this conversation – and it is said he was Abu Dah}da>h} – asked the
Prophet if he would give him the same reward, a tree in paradise, if he gifted him the tree. The
Prophet told him he would.
So he went to see the owner of the tree so as to buy it from him. ‘Do you know that the prophet
Muhammad offered me a tree in Paradise for it but I declined?’, the man said. Abu Dah}da>h}
asked if he would sell it. The owner told him he would not sell it except for what he thought
would never be given him. Abu Dah}da>h} asked what that was. He told him forty date trees. The
Abu Dah}da>h} was astounded, and objected, but the owner was silent before his objections. So Abu
Dah}da>h} said to him that he would buy the tree for forty trees. The owner said bring witnesses for
the transaction, if he meant what he said. So he called some people to witness the transaction.
Then he went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and said to him that he now
owned the tree, and that he gave it to the Prophet. The Prophet went to the owner of the house
and gifted the tree to him and his children. And then Allah sent Surah al-Layl. So 'He who gives'
was Abu Dah}da>h}, while 'He who is mean' was the owner of the tree.

Indeed upon Us is the guidance,

guidance, (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ 3“y‰ßγù=s9 $oΨø‹n=tã ¨βÎ)

That is, Allah's own mercy and beneficence makes it necessary for him to present the proofs and
send the messengers. But the acceptance of the guidance and following it is up to man – whoever
wills shall be guided and whoever wills shall remain astray.
And indeed Ours is the afterlife and the former. ∩⊇⊂∪ 4’n<ρW{$#uρ nοt&ÅzEζs9 $uΖs9 ¨βÎ)uρ
(13)
He who accepts the guidance is granted felicity in both worlds; while he who remains in disbelief
is denied the good of the world and the blessings of the hereafter.
So I have warned ye, the flaming fire; (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ 4‘©àn=s? #Y‘$tΡ ö/ä3è?ö‘x‹Ρr'sù

The chastisement of this fire is most severe.

None burn in it but the foulest, (15) ∩⊇∈∪ ’s+ô©F{$# 6ωÎ) !$yγ9n=óÁtƒ Ÿω

None enter it and remain there but the most wicked, the disbeliever; in contrast to the sinning
believer whose foulness and wickedness is less severe, who enters the fire but does not remain
there.

Who belies and turns away. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ 4’¯<uθs?uρ z>¤‹x. “Ï%©!$#

He calls the signs of God lies, and disbelieves in Him, and turns away from the truth.
And whosoever is more guardful shall avert it, ∩⊇∠∪ ’s+ø?F{$# $pκâ:¨Ζyfã‹y™uρ
(17)
He shall avert the fire, and pass by it. The future tense is given as the resurrection is in the
future. He who is more guardful is the obedient believer; the disobedient believer will enter
though he shall subsequently depart from it.
He who gives his wealth seeking purification, ∩⊇∇∪ 4’ª1u”tItƒ …ã&s!$tΒ ’ÎA÷σム“Ï%©!$#
(18)
He gives his wealth in the way of Allah, the Most High, so as to purify and cleanse himself by
giving it, as giving cleanses the heart of vices.
While no one has with him any favour to be ∩⊇∪ #“t“øgéB 7πyϑ÷èÏoΡ ÏΒ …çνy‰ΨÏã >‰tnL{ $tΒuρ
recompensed, (19)
The giver does not give his wealth because someone has done him a favour, and therefore he is
doing so to return the favour. For he wants nothing from anyone in return for his giving. He gives
solely to please Allah.
Save seeking the pleasure of the face of his ∩⊄⊃∪ 4’n?ôãF{$# ϵÎn/u‘ ϵô`uρ u!$tóÏGö/$# 6ωÎ)
Lord, tthe
he Highest; (20)
That is, he seeks nothing except that Allah be satisfied with him. The word ‘face’ is given for
wajh, as that is where the effect of satisfaction appears in humans; it is a case of likening a
metaphysical thing to a physical one. The meaning of the verse is that he seeks no reward for his
giving, but gives solely in seeking nearness to Allah, glory be to Him.

And he shall be content. (21) ∩⊄⊇∪ 4yÌö&tƒ t∃öθ|¡s9uρ

The giver shall in turn be satisfied in the hereafter. Allah shall grant him rewards and payments
that will satisfy him. For it is narrated concerning this that man will receive in paradise what is
beyond his imagination in quantity and in quality.
 Surah al-
al-D{uh}a> (93)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻀﺤﻰ‬
‘The Forenoon’
This surah derives its name from the prominence of the word d}uh}a,> meaning ‘the forenoon’. Like
the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of faith, with special attention to the subject of the
Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family. Whereas Surah al-Layl concluded on the theme
of the virtuous being granted full satisfaction, this surah concentrates on the satisfaction of Allah
towards the Messenger, and his wage and reward.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
Beginning by the name of Allah … who is the essence comprising all the qualities of perfection.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, who mercifully meets the servants' deficiencies and forgives
their sins.

By the forenoon, (1) ∩⊇∪ 4y∏‘Ò9$#uρ

An oath by the spread of morning, that is by the time when the sun's rising in the sky reaches the
point when its light is widespread.

By the night when it is still, (2) ∩⊄∪ 4y√y™ #sŒÎ) È≅ø‹©9$#uρ

That is, when the night is settled and its darkness is established.
Thy Lord has not bid thee farewell, nor is He ∩⊂∪ 4’n?s% $tΒuρ y7•/u‘ y7t㨊uρ $tΒ
angry, (3)
That is, revelation and Messengeric consciousness have not departed from you, O Messenger of
Allah, in the way that a person bids farewell to a departing friend. Nor is He angry with you.
It is narrated from Ima>m al-Ba>qir, peace be upon him, that after the revelation of the surah,
'Recite, in the name of thy Lord, who created ...', archangel Gabriel came with no further
revelation for quite some time. So the Messenger's wife Khadijah said that perhaps his Lord had
stopped sending him any more; and then Allah revealed the verse ‘Thy Lord has not bid thee
farewell, nor is he angry’.
And indeed the afterlife is better for thee than ∩⊆∪ 4’n<ρW{$# zÏΒ y7©9 ×2ö9y{ äοt&ÅzEζs9uρ
the former, (4)
The hereafter is certainly better for the Messenger than the world, for much goodness had been
prepared there for the Messenger; so how could Allah forsake him and be angry with him when
the affair was only partly accomplished?
And thy Lord shall soon grant thee, so thou ∩∈∪ #yÌ÷2tIsù y7•/u‘ y!‹ÏÜ÷èムt∃öθ|¡s9uρ
shall be content. (5)
The Messenger is granted in the hereafter all that will content him, due to the Divine bounty and
beneficence. And amongst what Allah will grant him, is the authority of intercession.
The surah then turns to list God's prior favours to him, emphasising the point that he is at the
half-way stage between the former favours and those to come; so how could God be angry with
him?:
Did He not find thee an orphan, so sheltered? ∩∉∪ 3“uρ$t↔sù $VϑŠÏKtƒ x8ô‰Égs† öΝs9r&
(6)
That is, did he not find thee, O Messenger of Allah, an orphan, and did he not shelter thee? For
the Messenger's father died before his birth, and He was raised by his clan and tribe, with love
and consideration, at a time when orphans were generally considered despicable by the Arabs.
And found thee alone, so guided? (7) ∩∠∪ 3“y‰yγsù ~ω!$|Ê x8y‰y`uρuρ

The address is to the Messenger. ‘alone’ is put for d}a>llan, literally meaning astray, in the sense
here of being away from the path of everyone else. The meaning is that the Messenger was
isolated amongst his contemporaries, like a precious object wasting in the barren desert. Thus
Allah guided the masses to the Messenger and he thereby was no longer lonely.
So guided
guided: Allah guided humankind to the messenger, and so took them from barbarism and
individualism, to that to which otherwise humankind would not have been guided.

And found thee needy, so enriched? (8)

(8) ∩∇∪ 4o_øîr'sù WξÍ←!%tæ x8y‰y`uρuρ

The Messenger was poor, without property. Allah enriched him, with the property of his wife
Khadijah, peace be on her, and other property.
As the Messenger had tasted the experience of being an orphan, isolated and poor, he was to have
empathy for the troubled, and was to give to those in distress:

So as for the orphan, oppress not, (9) ∩∪ ö&yγø)s? Ÿξsù zΟŠÏKuŠø9$# $¨Βr'sù

The orphan should not be made uneasy, and not wronged. The Messenger is addressed in this
verse though it is clear he was free from such errors, for these laws apply to him as they apply to
all others as well as him.

And as for the asker, rebuff not, (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ ö&pκ÷]s? Ÿξsù Ÿ≅Í←!$¡¡9$# $¨Βr&uρ

‘Asker’ is put for sa>’il, meaning a person who asks for help, and who is poor and suchlike. He
should not be put off rudely, but rather given something, or be given a warm, polite refusal.
And as for the blessing of thy Lord, proclaim. ∩⊇⊇∪ ô^Ïd‰y⇔sù y7În/u‘ Ïπyϑ÷èÏΖÎ/ $¨Βr&uρ
(11)
By ‘blessing’ (nicmah) is meant the species of blessing, i.e. all blessings. And amongst the
greatest of blessings is guidance.
… proclaim means report to humankind, so that His bounty, glory be to Him, becomes clear to
them. This, in addition to gratitude, teaches humankind not to hide their blessings, as has
become the habit of many, who list the shortages of their lives but do not remember the Divine
blessings upon them.
 Surah al-
al-Sharh} (94)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺸﺮﺡ‬
‘The Expanding’
This surah derives its name from the word nashrah}, meaning ‘We expanded’. It is also called
‘alam nashrah}’, meaning ‘Have We not expanded?’, and ‘al-Inshira>h}’, meaning ‘The Expansion’.
Like the other Makkan surahs, this surah concerns matters of belief, especially with regard to the
matter of the Messenger of Allah, like the previous surah. Indeed, as Surah al-D{uh}a> concerned
the person of the Messenger, so this surah reiterates this topic.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
Commencing By the name of Allah, which is the best of maxims for whoever believes in Him,
glory be to Him. Is there anything better than positing Him the Most High as a maxim at the
beginning of all affairs?
... the Compassionate,
Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows by His mercy upon all things, as He says in His
word 'My mercy embraces all things.' [7:156]
Have we not expanded for thee thy breast? (1) ∩⊇∪ x8u‘ô‰|¹ y7s9 ÷yu*ô³nΣ óΟs9r&

The address is to the Messenger. Expansion of the breast is a matter of its widening on account
of the worthy moral virtues. It is as if the breast, or the chest, of whoever is not kindly, generous
or learned, or suchlike, becomes narrow, like a narrow receptacle that is too small to hold much,
not being able to cope with demands required. This is all attributed to the chest since the heart,
the receptacle of the virtues, is located in the chest. Perhaps the reason for such analogy is that
when a person is depressed and dejected over a matter his heart becomes hot and he needs more
air in order to cool his heart, and so the lungs swell up and as a result the chest becomes tight.
The question form is used for literary beauty, which is not found in simple reporting form.

And lifted from thee thy burden,

burden, (2) ∩⊄∪ x8u‘ø—Íρ š!Ζtã $uΖ÷è|Êuρuρ

The Messenger's heavy load was alleviated. By expanding the Messenger's chest his heavy load –
his mission of propagation – was lightened. This is a matter experienced by everyone who is a
guide or a leader; at first he sees it as a heavy load to carry out the guidance, but then his chest
expands, by the grace of Allah, glory be to Him, so that he feels that his load is lightened, to the
extent that sometimes he feels that he has no load at all.

Which was breaking thy back? (3) ∩⊂∪ x8t&ôγsß uÙs)Ρr& ü“Ï%©!$#

That is, due to the heavy weight of the burden and responsibility of the divine mission he had
been commissioned. ‘breaking’ is put for anqad}a, which means making hear or making to listen,
it also means ‘weighing down’. For when a person carries a heavy load he listens to his back for
any untoward sounds of it popping or straining. This is an instance of the literary device of
likening a metaphysical matter to a physical one.

And exalted for thee thy renown? (4) ∩⊆∪ x8t&ø.ÏŒ y7s9 $uΖ÷èsùu‘uρ
The address is still in the singular. The Messenger's renown was raised until he was known by
everyone for truthfulness, trustworthiness, and so on. This is in addition to how Allah, glory be
to Him, raised him later by his mention in the call to prayer and in other ways.
Having explained that the Messenger had entered ease after difficulties, the thread turns to
emphasize the truth of this matter in every circumstance of life for everyone:

So indeed in hardship there is an ease; (5) ∩∈∪ #·*ô£ç„ Î*ô£ãèø9$# yìtΒ ¨βÎ*sù
When a matter makes things hard and severe for a person, there is no doubt but that it will be
followed by ease.
Indeed in hardship there is an ease. (6) ∩∉∪ #Z*ô£ç„ Î*ô£ãèø9$# yìtΒ ¨βÎ)
This verse is for emphasis, though it also informative.
It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah would go about happy and smiling, and would say ‘An
hardship does not overcome two eases; for indeed in hardship there is an ease, indeed in hardship
there is an ease.’
And a poet has versified this matter, as follows:
‘When the world subjects you to its pressure,
Think about ‘Have We not expanded for thee thy breast...’
You will find two eases for every hardship,
When you mind it you become happy.’

So when thou have finished, exert, (7)

(7) ∩∠∪ ó=|ÁΡ$$sù |Møît&sù #sŒÎ*sù

When you are free, O Messenger, from your particular duties, exert yourself in worship and
supplication. Exert: ans}ab, from nas}b, meaning to strain. The Messenger was to exert himself in
occupying himself with Allah, glory be to Him, when he was not busy with humankind.

And to thy Lord, be attentive. (8) ∩∇∪ =xîö‘$$sù y7În/u‘ 4’n<Î)uρ

That is, the Messenger was to incline and give all his attention and vigilance to his Lord, alone,
or to the Divine affairs. For it was He who made things easy for him, and lightened for him his
heavy load.
 Surah al-
al-Ti>n (95)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺘﲔ‬
‘The Fig’
This surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word ti>n, meaning ‘fig’. Like
the other Makkan surahs it is concerned with explaining matters of faith. As Surah al-Sharh}
concluded on the theme of devoting oneself to Him, glory be to Him, this surah emphasizes that
Allah is the most worthy of lawgivers and that in His hands are all affairs. Devotion to Him,
therefore, ensures the best of rewards.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
Beginning By the name of Allah, the name of that essence comprising all the qualities of
perfection.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows in His mercy upon all His creatures, encouraging
them to seek from His extensive grace and mercy.

By the fig and the olive, (1) ∩⊇∪ ÈβθçG÷ƒ¨“9$#uρ ÈÏnG9$#uρ

An oath by these two fruits, on account of their abundance in the Sha>m district – that includes
today’s Syria and Palestine – and its sacred environs where so many Prophets were raised and
angels have visited.

And by the Mount of Sinai, (2) ∩⊄∪ tÏΖ1Å™ Í‘θèÛuρ

An oath by Mount Sinai, which is where Allah, glory be to Him, spoke to Moses. Sinai is put for
Si>ni>n, one of the names of that mountain, the other being Si>na>.
The oath is by the material sustenance of Allah that is fruit, and the spiritual blessing that is
Messengership.

And by this secure land, (3) ∩⊂∪ ÂÏΒF{$# Ï$s#t7ø9$# #x‹≈yδuρ

That is, Makkah; secure against fear.

We certainly created the human in a most ∩⊆∪ 5ΟƒÈθø)s? Ç|¡ômr& þ’Îû z≈|¡ΣM}$# $uΖø)n=y{ ô‰s)s9
beautiful stature, (4)
This is the consequent of the oath. ‘Stature’ is given for taqwi>m, meaning to make or transform a
thing into all that it is appropriate for it in terms of formation and justification. It means that the
human being is created to the best of models in regard both to his sensory, apparent aspects, and
to his intellectual and spiritual capacities.
Then We reverted him as lowest of low, (5) ∩∈∪ t,Î#Ï7≈y™ Ÿ≅x7ó™r& çµ≈tΡ÷ŠyŠu‘ ¢ΟèO

That is, Allah leaves him and does not favour him with the hidden graces until he reverts to the
farthest abyss, and becomes the lowest of human beings. It means that the human being has this
quality of reversion when he turns away from faith and guidance and follows instead desires and
lusts.
Save those who believe and do the virtuous 5βθãΨøÿxΕ ç?öFxî í&ô_r& óΟßγn=sù ÏM≈ysÎ=≈¢Á9$# (#θè=ÏΗxåuρ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# /ωÎ)
deeds, for theirs is a wage without end. (6)
∩∉∪

Except those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and the day of resurrection, and perform
good deeds, and refrain from evil works. Theirs is a wage, a reward, in the hereafter that will
never be cut off, but is perpetual and everlasting in infinity.
So what can belie thee after this about
about the ∩∠∪ ÈÏe$!$$Î/ ߉÷èt/ y7ç/Éj‹s3ム$yϑsù
requital? (7)
O thou the human, after these proofs and signs and explanations about the two sides of man, his
deliverance and his destruction, what can make you think that the requital, the recompensing of
the hereafter, is a lie? In other words, what is it that will make you consider the recompense a lie,
after you have understood the lofty and base tendencies within man? It is like a teacher who has
explained the benefits of passing an exam and the harm in failure, asking what then could make
his pupil neglect his lessons.

Is Allah not the wisest of judges? (8) ∩∇∪ tÉΚÅ3≈ptø:$# È/s3ômr'Î/ ª!$# }§øŠs9r&

That is, the most just and fair in judging, more just than any other judge. For He has
determined these two types of recompense: he who is good has a reward without end,
while he who is evil reverts to the far outreaches of deviation.
 al-cAlaq (96)
Surah al-
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻖ‬
‘The Blood-Clot’
This is the first surah that descended to the Messenger of Allah, at Makkah, as is commonly
accepted. It derives its name from the prominence within it of the word calaq, meaning ‘blood-
clot’. Like the other Makkan surahs it concerns matters of faith and its corollaries. As the
previous surah dealt with man's creation in the best stature, so this surah emphasises this matter.
There is no doubt but that the order of the surahs, as has been narrated in many reports, took
place at the command of the Messenger of Allah, as indeed was the inclusion of each verse
within a particular surah. The naming of each surah with its particular name also took place
under his direction, may Allah bless him and his family. This is not out of keeping with the
descent of the surahs having taken place in a different order. Now, as to what was done by Abu
Bakr and cUthma>n, such that it became commonly held view that they had collated the Qur’an:
during the time of the Messenger, each person had written down what he knew of the Qur’an, so
the two of them arranged for each copy to be compared to an original copy ordered and arranged
according to the instructions of the Messenger of Allah during his lifetime. [More details in this
respect are given in other works of the author such as “The Qur’an, when was it compiled?”
which is available on www.ImamShirazi.com.]
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
Beginning by the name of Allah than whose name, the name of none is more worthy of beginning
by. In His hand is the beginning and the end, for He is the Originator and the Resurrector.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows by His mercy on all people and all things.
Recite, in the name
name of thy Lord, who created, ∩⊇∪ t,n=y{ “Ï%©!$# y7În/u‘ ÉΟó™$$Î/ ù&t&ø%$#
(1)
Recite, O Messenger of Allah, the Qur’an, starting your recitation by the name of your Lord; for
whatever anyone else recites without the name of Allah, you, O Messenger, recite By the name
of Allah. It is narrated that when the archangel Gabriel – for the first time – descended to the
Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, at Mount H{ira, Makkah, and said to him
‘Recite.’ He said, ‘I will recite, but I am not a reciter.’ The angel then said ‘Recite, by the name
of your Lord …’
Created the human from a blood-
blood-clot. (2) ∩⊄∪ @,n=tã ôÏΒ z≈|¡ΣM}$# t,n=y{

Here the act of creation is particular, rather than being general and universal as in the previous
verse. ‘Blood-clot’ is given for calaq, which is the thick clot of blood that sperm becomes after it
is established in the womb. That is the origin of man.
Recite, and thy Lord is the Most Munificent, ∩⊂∪ ãΠt&ø.F{$# y7š/u‘uρ ù&t&ø%$#
(3)
Recite, emphasizing recitation. Thy Lord, O Messenger, is the most noble and beneficent. More
noble and more munificent than any other. An instance of His munificence is His creating man
from that clot and then raising him to the lofty heights.

Who taught by the pen, (4) ∩⊆∪ ÉΟn=s)ø9$$Î/ zΟ¯=tæ “Ï%©!$#

He teaches knowledge and science, by means of the pen. For had Allah not created the pen and
not taught man how to use it, man would have remained in the depths of ignorance and vice. So
from Allah, glory be to Him, comes recitation ('Recite ...'), and from Him comes scripture
('...teaches by the pen ...'), and from Him comes man's origin ('...from a blood-clot ...), and from
Him comes man's elevation to perfection.
Taught the human what he knew not. (5) ∩∈∪ ÷Λs>÷ètƒ óΟs9 $tΒ z≈|¡ΣM}$# zΟ¯=tæ

That is, He teaches man a variety of sciences, lore and skills.

Is man grateful for this magnificent blessing of Allah, glory be to Him, in creating him from
nothing and then bringing him to the highest level of perfection, from ignorance to knowledge
and guidance?
Nay, indeed the human will transgress, (6) ∩∉∪ #xöôÜuŠs9 z≈|¡ΣM}$# ¨βÎ) Hξx.

Nay, the human does not give thanks, but rather transgresses, over-steps the limits and is
arrogant towards his Lord.

As he sees himself enriched; (7) ∩∠∪ #o_øótGó™$# çν#u§‘ βr&

For he considers himself enriched in his body and wealth, and supposes that being so rich he has
no need of his Lord.

Indeed to thy Lord is the return. (8) ∩∇∪ #tëô_”&9$# y7În/u‘ 4’n<Î) ¨βÎ)

The whole of creation returns to Him, the Most High; that is, to His reckoning and recompenses.
And amongst those who return to Him is the inordinate, who transgresses against Allah, glory be
to Him.

Have thou seen him who forbids (9) ∩∪ 4‘sS÷Ζtƒ “Ï%©!$# |M÷ƒuu‘r&

Have you seen, O Messenger, him who is so inordinate that he forbids ...

A devotee when he prays? (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ #’©?|¹ #sŒÎ) #´‰ö7tã

‘devotee’ is used for cabd. He is not content with transgressing against Allah and forsaking the
prayer himself, but he seeks to prevent others when they perform the prayer. Have you seen this
man, O Messenger? The question form is used to convey a reprimand towards that forbidding
man and to warn him.
According to Shaykh Qummi it was Wali>d ibn Mughayrah who would prevent people from
prayer and from obedience to Allah and His Messenger, and so the verse was revealed.
In another narration it is recorded that Abu Jahl asked his companions if Muhammad had
prostrated himself amongst them. They said that he had. He swore that if he ever saw him doing
that he would stamp on his neck. So when it was pointed out to him that Muhammad was
praying, he rushed off to stamp on the neck of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his
family. Yet he came back to them having turned back on his intention and not doing it. They
asked him what was the matter with him. He said that he had seen between himself and the
Messenger a trench full of fire and terror. Hearing of it the Messenger said that had he done so
the angels would have seized him piece by piece. And then this verse was revealed; ‘Have thou
seen him who forbids’. The implicit meaning of this verse is: ‘Have you seen him who forbids
prayer? And do you know the recompense of what he does?’ All to convey the gravity of the
sinfulness of this action.
Have thou seen if he was on the guidance? (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ #“y‰çλù;$# ’n?tã tβ%x. βÎ) |M÷ƒuu‘r&

The address is to the Messenger. ‘he’ is in reference to the devotee performing the prayer, i.e. the
Messenger. The a>yah asks, ‘was his prayer not in accordance to the command of Allah, glory be
to Him?’
Or bids to guardfulness? (12) ∩⊇⊄∪ #“uθø)−G9$$Î/ t&tΒr& ÷ρr&

The devotee or servant bids to guardfulness (taqwa>), fear of God, glory be to Him, by shunning
what He forbids. What then is the destination of that person who forbids the prayer? His
destination is the chastisement.
Have thou seen if he belies and turns away? ∩⊇⊂∪ #’¯<uθs?uρ z>¤‹x. βÎ) |M÷ƒuu‘r&
(13)
Have you seen, O Messenger, whether that person who forbids the prayer – Abu Jahl or Wali>d –
belies the signs of Allah and His Messenger, and turns away from the truth? What will his
recompense be?
Does he not know that Allah sees? (14) ∩⊇⊆∪ 3“t&tƒ ©!$# ¨βr'Î/ Λs>÷ètƒ óΟs9r&

Does that person not know that Allah sees his actions, his prohibiting the prayer and his calling
the truth a lie and turning away from it? Does he not know the return of such evil? How does he
forbid, disbelieve and sin, when the recompense of whoever does such is the fire and the
punishment?
Nay, if he ceases not, We shall definitely seize ∩⊇∈∪ ÏπuŠÏ¹$¨Ζ9$$Î/ $JèxBó¡oΨs9 ϵtG⊥tƒ óΟ©9 Í.s! 4ξx.
him by the forelock, (15)
Nay, the affair is not as he supposes in that he will not be recompensed for his evil works. But
rather if he does not stop himself from these evil deeds he will be pulled by the forelock to the
fire. The forelock is the hair growing at the front of the head. It is the easiest to seize and to lead
away the person thus seized.

A lying, erring forelock. (16) ∩⊇∉∪ 7πy∞ÏÛ%s{ >πt/É‹≈x. 7πuŠÏ¹$tΡ

Attributing lying and error to the forelock is a metaphorical device, of the type that attributes to
a part what is attributed to the whole, like where Allah says ‘a believing neck ...’ [4: 92] The
meaning is that it is the possessor of the forelock who is a liar and mistaken in his deeds.

So let him call on his assembly,

assembly, (17) ∩⊇∠∪ …çµtƒÏŠ$tΡ äíô‰u‹ù=sù

Let that man who forbids the prayer then call on all his friends and associates. ‘assembly’ is
given for na>di>, meaning the place where a group or circle gathers, to which some of them call
others. The usage is metaphorical, as in His phrase ‘...ask the city’ [12: 82] The meaning is: let
him call on all his circle: can they save him from the grip of Allah, glory be to Him?
It is narrated from Ibn cAbba>s that when Abu Jahl came to the Messenger of Allah, the
Messenger chided him. So Abu Jahl said ‘Do you chide me, when by Allah you know that no one
has more of an ‘assembly’ than I?’ And so Allah sent down this verse.

We shall call the thrusters. (18) ∩⊇∇∪ sπu‹ÏΡ$t/¨“9$# äíô‰uΖy™

That is, Allah shall call the angels who serve at the fire, so that they seize that forbidding person.
And he may call on his associates, so that it becomes clear who shall overcome the other. And
this is a warning to him for there is none can save a person from the grip of Allah, glory be to
Him. ‘Thrusters’ is given for zaba>niya, the angels who thrust the sinners into hell.
Nay, obey him not, and prostrate and seek ∩⊇∪ ) >ÎHtIø%$#uρ ô‰ß∨ó™$#uρ çµ÷èÏÜè? Ÿω 4ξx.
closeness. ) (19)
Nay, the issue is not as this forbidder claims. O Messenger, do not obey this person who seeks to
prevent you from performing the prayer. But rather prostrate to Allah, glory be to Him. Or it
means humble yourself before Him through the prayer and suchlike. And seek proximity and the
satisfaction of Allah, glory be to Him, through obedience and worship.
This is one of the four ‘Resolute’ surahs (caza>’im) bearing a prostration verse, the recitation of
which necessitates an obligatory prostration, and this is the prostration verse. [The four
‘Resolute’ surahs are: al-Sajdah (Prostration), verse # 32; Fus}s}ilat (Expounded), # 41; al-Najm
(The Star), # 53; and al-cAlaq (the Blood-Clot), # 96] It is obligatory to perform prostration when
one reads or hears the prostration verse of any of these four ‘Resolute’ surahs.
 Surah al-
al-Qadr (97)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻘﺪﺭ‬
‘The Decree’
This surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word qadr, meaning ‘decree’,
‘determination’, or ‘ordinance’. The surah is either Makkan, as its content would suggest, or
Madinan. In either case, it comprises matters of faith, and as Surah al-cAlaq concluded on the
theme of seeking nearness to Allah, glory be to Him, so this surah clarifies that to seek proximity
on the night of Qadr is superior to seeking proximity to Him, glory be to Him, at other times.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
By the name of Allah … We seek help by the name of the God, that He be a helper to us in our
affairs.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows mercy on the servants and graces them with
what conceals their slips and with what fills their voids.
Indeed We sent it down on the night of Qadr; ∩⊇∪ Í‘ô‰s)ø9$# Ï's#ø‹s9 ’Îû çµ≈oΨø9t“Ρr& !$¯ΡÎ)
(1)
'It' refers to the Qur’an, as is clear from the tone of the surah. The use of the plural form 'We' is
for the sake of magnification and gravity, as it is customary for every leader to speak of himself
and his followers, and from this the plural form is borrowed to deliver a sense of grandeur. The
night of Qadr is the nineteenth or the twenty-first or the twenty-third of the blessed month of
Ramad}a>n; it was on one of these three nights that the Qur’an descended in its entirety to the
'constructed house' (bayt al-macmu>r) in the fourth sky. It was then sent down to the Messenger in
stages over a period of twenty-three years. Or perhaps the meaning is that its descent in its
entirety to the heart of the Messenger was on this night, and then Gabriel brought it in
instalments on the appropriate occasions over twenty-three years. The night is called ‘Qadr’ so
as to give gravity to the acts of worship performed during this night. [It is reported that when the
macsu>m (impeccable) Imam was asked to specify which of these was the night of Qadr, the Imam
replied do whatever you can in terms of supplications and humbleness before Allah during these
nights. [This was to encourage the people to spend more time seeking nearness to the
Almighty.]]
It is recorded in the narrations that each year on this night masses of angels descend with the
ordinances for the following year to the living Ima>m of the twelve Ima>ms, peace be upon them,
who succeeded the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, so that the Ima>m knows what
Allah, glory be to Him, has determined for every soul for that year in the way of their
appointments with death, their sustenance, their actions and the other matters concerning them.
This does not mean the Imams are like the Messenger in receiving the revelation, for Gabriel
descended to Maryam who was not a Messenger. Rather this is an honour accorded by Allah,
glory be to Him, to the Ima>m who is His successor or vicegerent on the earth after the
Messenger. In this age of ours the angels descend with the ordinances, on the night of Qadr, to
the Ima>m Mahdi the Awaited, may Allah expedite his reappearance.
And what will make
make thee comprehend what is ∩⊄∪ Í‘ô‰s)ø9$# ä's#ø‹s9 $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
the night of Qadr? (2)
This affords an intensified sense of magnification of its rank and value.
The night of Qadr is better than a thousand ∩⊂∪ 9&öκy− É#ø9r& ôÏiΒ ×0ö4y{ Í‘ô‰s)ø9$# ä's#ø‹s9
months; (3)
That is, good deeds performed during the night of Qadr are better than good deeds performed
throughout a thousand months, more than eighty years. For certain periods are superior to other
periods in regard to the actions that take place within them. Or it may mean that this night in
which the Qur’an descended is better than a thousand months on account of the magnificent
event that then took place, namely, the descent of the Qur’an.
The angels and the Spirit descend within it ∩⊆∪ 9;ö∆r& Èe≅ä. ÏiΒ ΝÍκÍh5u‘ ÈβøŒÎ*Î/ $pκ?Ïù ßyρ”&9$#uρ èπs3Íׯ≈n=yϑø9$# ãΑ¨”t∴s?
with the permission
permission of their Lord on every
affair; (4)
The Spirit, who is the greatest angel, or the archangel Gabriel, and the other angels descend
during the night of Qadr with the permission of Allah, who grants them permission to visit the
Messenger and after him the Imams so as to explain the ordinances of the servants.
On every affair: Gabriel and the other angels present themselves to the Messenger during this
night bearing news of every earthly affair concerning the guidance, the order, the arrangements,
the justifications, good fortune and misfortune. And in the same way the process continues and
they present themselves with the same gifts to the living Imam.

Peace it is until
until the break of dawn. (5) ∩∈∪ Ì&ôfxAø9$# Æìn=ôÜtΒ 4®Lym }‘Ïδ íΟ≈n=y™

On this night is determined the path of universal peace for the world: security of the soul from
pollution, of the body from illness, the security of society from corruption, and the security of
the intellect from nonsense. Or the meaning is that the night is itself peace, in that it is free of
distress and affliction, and that nothing is determined except peace. All this until the break of
dawn, when the angels stop their descent and the task is completed. It is amongst the beloved
acts to supplicate and implore during this night, in remembrance of the commencement of the
revelation, and seeking for goodness to be determined for oneself in the year ahead.
 Surah al-
al-Bayyinah (98)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺒﻴﻨﺔ‬
‘The Clarification’
This surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word al-bayyinah, meaning the
clear explanation. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of faith. Yet there is a view
that the surah was sent down at Madinah, a view which is supported by certain portents. In either
case, whereas Surah al-Qadr explained how the Qur’an was revealed during the night of Qadr,
this surah explains that the disbelievers will continue in their disbelief and their straying until
presented with the Qur’an, when some of them will be guided by it.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
Beginning by the name of Allah, that essence deserving of all glory and magnification.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, whose mercy He directs towards everything by bestowing it
with creation and with guidance as to the path of its life, and who is particularly merciful
towards humans by guiding them and forgiving their mistakes if they repent and reform
themselves.
Those who disbelieve, such as the Book-
Book-folk tÏ.Î,ô³ßϑø9$#uρ É=≈tGÅ3ø9$# È≅÷δr& ôÏΒ (#ρã&x(x. tÏ%©!$# Çä3tƒ óΟs9
and the polytheists, will not desist until the
clarification comes to them; (1) ∩⊇∪ èπuΖÉi8t7ø9$# ãΝåκu6Ï?ù's? 4®Lym tÅj3x(ΖãΒ

‘such as’ is given for the Arabic word min, which here does not mean ‘from’ or ‘amongst’ for
distinguishing one sect from another, but to give examples of groups or categories. The Book-
folk are the Jews, Christians and the Zoroastrians. All1 Book-folk have disbelieved by partnering
with Allah a son, or a partner, or qualities that compromise the glory of His Godhead. They,
along with the idolaters who set up partners with God and worship idols, will not disengage from
their disbelief and depart from it before they receive the clarification. By ‘clarification’
(bayyinah, i.e. the proof and argument) it is meant the Sacred Qur’an and the Noble Messenger,
prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Otherwise, there is no place for them to discern the
realities after they have distorted their books, and changed their religion.
The revelation then explains what is meant by the clear explanation:
A Messenger from Allah reciting purified ∩⊄∪ Zοt&£γsÜ•Β $Z(çtྠ(#θè=÷Gtƒ «!$# zÏiΒ ×Αθß™u‘
scriptures, (2)
A Messenger raised by Allah, glory be to Him, who recites to them the purified scripture, the
sacred Qur’an, which is pure and free from disbelief, polytheism, and false, unworthy attributions
towards Allah and His Messengers. For although the Messenger recited from the depth of his
heart yet he recited from the 'protected tablet' (lawh} al-mah}fu>dh), in contrast to the book of the
two testaments.

In them are valuable books. (3) ∩⊂∪ ×πyϑÍh‹s% Ò=çGä. $pκ6Ïù

In the scriptures are valuable books. ‘Book’ here means subject or chapter, which is common
usage, as in the book of prayer, the book of fasting and so on. Or it may be that what is meant by
books here is writings, in the scripture. That is, those scriptures contain valuable subjects or

1
By ‘all’ it is not meant to be every single one of them, but the overwhelming majority of them, for it is common
in Arabic that when the majority have something in common, it is said that they ‘all’ have that feature. Before
the coming of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, there were those amongst the
followers of the prophet Jesus peace be upon him, who upheld his true and uncorrupted teachings – e.g. Jesus
confirming monotheism (never claiming divinity) and giving the news of the coming of the final messenger of
God – and therefore they are not considered as having disbelieved, but those who believe in such concepts as
trinity have disbelieved.
writings. Or it may be that what is meant by valuable (qayyimah) is upright, for a meaning of
qayyimah is to continue in the right direction.
And
And those granted the Book did not become ãΝåκøEu!%y` $tΒ Ï‰÷èt/ .ÏΒ .ωÎ) |=≈tGÅ3ø9$# (#θè?ρé& tÏ%©!$# s−§&x(s? $tΒuρ
divided until after there came to them the
clarification. (4) ∩⊆∪ èπuΖÉi8t7ø9$#

‘Those granted the book’ means those granted the heavenly book. They only became divided
over the issue of the Messenger or over their previous religion, splitting into many groups each
with its own path and its own school, after the final argument was presented to them, and all was
clear. Despite this, they became divided, due to their desires and jealousy.
Yet Allah only commanded them to worship Him and to follow His path, for:
They were not commanded save to worship u!$x(uΖãm tÏe$!$# ã&s! tÅÁÎ=øƒèΧ ©!$# (#ρ߉ç6÷èu‹Ï9 .ωÎ) (#ÿρâ@É∆é& !$tΒuρ
Allah, dedicating to Him the religion, as true
believers, and to establish the prayer and give
give ∩∈∪ ÏπyϑÍhŠs)ø9$# ßƒÏŠ y7Ï9≡sŒuρ 4 nο4θx.¨“9$# (#θè?÷σãƒuρ nο4θn=¢Á9$# (#θßϑ‹É)ãƒuρ
the zakat; and that is the religion of the
valuable. (5)
They were only expected to worship the One God, walking their path sincerely for Him, without
additions or deletions, without deviation or polytheism of any kind, and while furthering their
natural inclination towards Allah. ‘True believers’ is given for h}unafa>, the plural of h}ani>f,
meaning to side with the truth away from evil, and incline away from false religions and spurious
paths. ‘Establish the prayer’ in the verse means to be constant in establishing the prayer. ‘Give
the zaka>t’ has either the unconditional meaning of generally giving in good causes, or the
legislated giving, that was part of the previous religions. The religion that comprehends these
articles is the religion of the valuable; that is, the religion of the valuable books mentioned in the
earlier verse.
Indeed those who disbelieve – the Book-
Book-folk Í‘$tΡ ’Îû tÏ.Î,ô³ßϑø9$#uρ É=≈tGÅ3ø9$# È≅÷δr& ôÏΒ (#ρã&x(x. tÏ%©!$# ¨βÎ)
and the polytheists – are in the fire of Hell,
eternal in it; they are the worst of creation. (6) ∩∉∪ Ïπ−ƒÎ,y9ø9$# •,Ÿ° öΝèδ y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé& 4 !$pκ6Ïù tÏ$Î#≈yz zΟ¨Ψyγy_

Those of the Book-folk and the polytheists who persist in their disbelief and do not come to
believe in the final Messenger of Allah are in the fire of Hell in the afterlife and will remain there
forever. They will be considered as the worst of creation since they recognised the final
revelation of the Almighty while in this life, but refused to accept it.
Indeed those who believe and do the virtuous ç,öXy{ ö/ãφ y7Íׯ≈s9'ρé& ÏM≈ysÎ=≈¢Á9$# (#θè=ÏΗxåuρ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# HχÎ)
deeds, they are the best of creation. (7)
∩∠∪ Ïπ−ƒÎ,y9ø9$#

Those who believe in Allah and His final Messenger and the last day and do good deeds, and who
do not perform corrupt works, are the best of all creatures, for they both carried the correct belief
and did the good deeds. In contrast to them are those who believe but disobey, they are neither
evil to the extent of the previous group nor good to that of this.
Their recompense is with their Lord: perpetual ã&≈pκ÷ΞF{$# $uηÏGøtrB ÏΒ “Ì&øgrB 5βô‰tã àM≈¨Ζy_ öΝÍκÍh5u‘ y‰ΖÏã ôΜèδäτ!#t“y_
gardens, rivers flowing beneath them, eternal in
them, forever; Allah is content with them and ôyϑÏ9 y7Ï9≡sŒ 4 çµ÷Ζtã (#θàÊu‘uρ öΝåκ÷]tã ª!$# zÅ̧‘ ( #Y‰t/r& !$pκ6Ïù tÏ$Î#≈yz
they are content with Him; this is
for whosoever fears his Lord. (8) ∩∇∪ …çµ−/u‘ zÅ´yz

Their recompense is with their Lord; that is, at the place He has prepared for their reckoning and
reward, for He occupies no place.
perpetual gardens beneath which rivers flow, under the trees and palaces of which flow rivers of
honey, wine, milk and water.
eternal in them, forever: they stay there and never depart.
Allah is content with them Allah is pleased and satisfied with them on account of their having
served and worshipped Him.
and they are content with Him; They too are pleased and satisfied with Him, for He will have
blessed them and bestowed upon them goodness and felicity.
this is for whosoever fears his Lord. This reward and mercy is for whoever fears Allah, and
therefore does not sin against Him and does not perform the deeds that violate His commands.
 Surah al-
al-Zalzalah (99)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺰﻟﺰﻟﺔ‬
‘The Earthquake’
This surah is also called al-Zilza>l, both names being nouns related to the verb-form zulzilat,
meaning to quake. There is disagreement as to whether the surah is Madinan or Makkan, but it
deals with matters of faith which indicates that it is Makkan. As Surah al-Bayyinah concluded on
the theme of the recompense of the obedient in paradise and of the disobedient in the fire, this
surah opens on the theme of the conditions of the hour and the signs of the resurrection, that is,
the day of separation and requital.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
A beginning by the name of Allah, who is the First, for there is none before Him nor with Him;
corresponding to beginning a thing in the world of action, by placing the name of Allah, glory be
to Him, as a maxim.
The C
Compassionate,
ompassionate, the Merciful, who bestows His mercy on whoever seeks His mercy, and on
those who do not seek it, although there is a difference between them in the extent of His
bestowal and in the recompenses and suchlike.
When the earth is shaken with its shaking, (1) ∩⊇∪ $oλm;#t“ø9Η ÞÚö‘F{$# ÏMs9Ì“ø9ã— #sŒÎ)

That is, when it moves with its violent movement, and is overturned with a dire overturning.
And the earth sends forth its burdens, (2) ∩⊄∪ $yγs9$s)øOr& ÞÚö‘F{$# ÏMy_t&÷zr&uρ

Everything will come out of the earth: its minerals and all that is buried within it and of course
the bodies and suchlike; for it will be turned inside-out at the time of the hour.
And man will say, 'What is with it?' (3) ∩⊂∪ $oλm; $tΒ ß≈|¡ΡM}$# tΑ$s%uρ

On that day people will be in amazement at what is happening to the earth, and will ask what has
made it shake and be turned upside down and cast out whatever was within it.

That day it will report its accounts, (4) ∩⊆∪ $yδu‘$t7÷zr& ß^Ïd‰ptéB 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ

That day is the day of resurrection. It is stated that the Messenger asked his followers whether
they knew what are its accounts. They said that Allah and His Messenger knew best. He said: 'Its
accounts are that it will testify as to every person and what he has done on its surface.'
And all of this shaking and overturning and casting out and reporting is performed by the earth
on account of:

In that thy Lord has inspired it. (5) ∩∈∪ $yγs9 4yr÷ρr& š!−/u‘ ¨βr'Î/

Your Lord, O Messenger of Allah, inspires the earth to do that. The skies and the earth are
obedient to Allah, glory be to Him, in whatever He commands, as He says: 'The two said, 'We
come obediently." [41: 12]
The day when humankind issue forth ∩∉∪ öΝßγn=≈yϑôãr& (#÷ρuBãAÏj9 $Y?$tGô©r& â¨$¨Ψ9$# â‘߉óÁtƒ 7‹Í≥tΒöθtƒ
disparately to be shown their deeds. (6)
On the day of resurrection mankind will come forth from their graves to the rising-ground in
separated groups, some for a good ending others for a bad one. They will be shown their deeds
and each will be rewarded for his deeds.
So he who does a particle’s weight of good will ∩∠∪ …çνt&tƒ #\&ø‹yz >六sŒ tΑ$s)÷WÏΒ ö≅yϑ÷ètƒ yϑsù
see it, (7)
He who has performed the tiniest good deed in the world will see its reward on that day.
‘Particle’ is given for dharrah, meaning the tiny specks visible in a ray of light.
And he who does a particle’s weight of evil will ∩∇∪ …çνt&tƒ #v&x© ;六sŒ tΑ$s)÷WÏΒ ö≅yϑ÷ètƒ tΒuρ
see it. (8)
He who is guilty of evil, disbelief and disobedience, will see its reward that day. None will be in
the slightest way wronged. The only exception is if a doer of wrong is saved by intercession, if he
qualified for it. Or if a doer of a good is disqualified from receiving the reward of that good by
the weight of his evil deeds, i.e. his evil deeds annul his good ones.
 al-cA<diya>t (100)
Surah al-
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺩﻳﺎﺕ‬
‘The Chargers’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of the word al-ca>diya>t, meaning horses when
they are galloping on a charge. Like the other Madinan surahs it indicates matters that are linked
by the order of creation to the area of belief. Like the previous surah, this surah contains mention
of the requital.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
We begin by the name of Allah, for it to be a blessed beginning; for nothing is begun in the name
of Allah without goodness being linked to it, by His word and His grace.
… the Compassionate, the Merciful, who blesses with mercy the servants, and graces them with
felicity and bountifulness.

By the chargers, snorting,

snorting, (1) ∩⊇∪ $\⇔÷6|Ê ÏM≈tƒÏ‰≈yèø9$#uρ

That is, by the horses that charge in the way of Allah for jiha>d. By ‘snort’ (d}abh}) is meant the
sound heard from a hollow within horses when they gallop.

By the sparkers, igniting, (2) ∩⊄∪ %Znô‰s% ÏM≈tƒÍ‘θßϑø9$$sù

That is, the oath is by the horses sparking and making fire appear, by the striking of their hooves
upon stones. Igniting (qadh}an), like the striking of a primitive fire.

By the attackers, of a morn, (3) ∩⊂∪ $\⇔÷6ß¹ ÏN≡u32ÉóèRùQ$$sù

That is, the oath is by the horses attacking the enemy during the early hours of the morning, after
the warriors or muja>hidin have journeyed through the night; so that as soon as it is morning they
attack.

Thus leaving there a trail of dust. (4) ∩⊆∪ $\èø)tΡ ϵÎ/ tβö&rOr'sù

That is, by their chase against the enemy the horses raise a cloud of dust that remains over the
place they have passed.
Then cleaving to the centre of it en masse, (5) ∩∈∪ $ºèøΗsd ϵÎ/ zôÜy™uθsù

‘it’ is in reference to the time and place of the attack. The horses then attack the centre of that
place, where the enemy are arranged, so as to gain victory over the enemy, for taking them
unexpectedly, they fall on them at their centre and create havoc and confusion amongst them.
These a>ya>t descended about the battle of Dha>t al-Sala>sil, in the year 8 AH, circa 630 CE.
As it is written in Qa>dat al-Islam [by the author], the background to the aforementioned battle is
that when a number of tribes, united to help the disbelievers in their fight against the Muslims in
the battle of Mu’tah, where the latter sustained considerable losses. After the battle of Mu’tah,
the armed forces of these tribes – which swelled to more than twelve thousands – regrouped to
fight the Muslims. In response, the Prophet formed a squadron of four thousands to fight off the
disbelievers and repel their threat. The ensuing battle became known as Dha>t al-Sala>sil. The
Prophet put Abu Bakr in charge of the troops, and ordered the regiment to fight the enemy
forces. Abu Bakr led the squadron to the battlefield area, where he was met by a delegation of
the opposing forces who, as part of their psychological warfare, warned him of a fierce battle and
great losses if he fought them, given their superior forces. Abu Bakr was filled with fear and
returned, which angered the Prophet greatly. The Prophet then put cUmar ibn al-Khat}t}a>b in
command of the regiment and he warned them against cowardice. But cUmar showed cowardice
just as his brother did before, “and he returned a failure”. The Prophet then put cAmr ibn al-cA<ss} }
at the helm and ordered the troops under his command, but he too returned to the prophet a
failure. The Prophet then decided to put the squadron under the leadership of Amir-al-Mu’minin
(Commander of the Believers) Ima>m Ali, and he urged him in the same way he had urged others
against cowardice. The Prophet said to Imam Ali, “it is inevitable that Allah will bring about
victory through your hands.” Imam Ali peace be upon him led the troops to a stop near their
camp such that they could see them and he could see them. Some one hundred fighters came to
the camping site of the Ima>m and warned him of the consequences if he were to fight them.
Imam Ali invited them to Islam, but they refused and said they would kill them all tomorrow,
and left for their camp in preparation for the battle ahead. Imam Ali then ordered the troops to
get ready, and so they prepared themselves fully for the following day. At the breaking of dawn,
the performed their dawn or fajr prayers, and then Imam Ali ordered the troops to launch the
attack against them while he was leading the charge. The opposing forces were not fully
prepared and could not stand up to the onslaught against them. By the time the sun had arisen,
the Muslim forces were counting the prisoners and the spoils of war. The victorious Muslim
troops returned to Madinah and the Prophet and the Muslims received Imam Ali and his troops.
It was then that descended the Surah al-cA<diya>t.
Swearing by the aforementioned oaths . . .
Indeed! Man is ungrateful to his Lord (6) ∩∉∪ ׊θãΖs3s9 ϵÎn/t&Ï9 z≈|¡ΣM}$# ¨βÎ)

Ungrateful is to deny the truth.

And to that he indeed bears witness (7) ∩∠∪ Ó‰‹Íκy¶s9 y7Ï9≡sŒ 4’n?tã …çµ¯ΡÎ)uρ

He bears witness to that denial. For man is well aware of ‘what is for him and what is against
him’ even if he does not admit to that which is against him. It could also mean that he will bear
witness to that on the day of judgement since, !their mouths are sealed up and their hands speak
to Us and their feet bear witness as to what they used to do." [36:65]
And verily he is vehement in his love for good ∩∇∪ ωt±s9 Î3ö2sƒø:$# Éb=ßsÏ9 …絯ΡÎ)uρ
things (8)
For he is fierce and intense in his love for all the good things in life, and this is the nature of man
unless this passion is subdued through faith.
Does he not know; when what in the tombs is ∩∪ Í‘θç7à)ø9$# ’Îû $tΒ u3ÏY÷èç/ #sŒÎ) ãΝn=÷ètƒ Ÿξsùr&
scattered around? (9)
That is, the resurrection of the dead, for they are taken out of their tombs and scattered around
here and there.
And what in the breasts is made manifest? (10) ∩⊇⊃∪ Í‘ρ߉>Á9$# ’Îû $tΒ Ÿ≅Å_Áãmuρ

The intentions of the people and whatever they harboured of good or evil. This is to recompense
each individual according to their intentions, hidden or otherwise, and their deeds that he has
brought forward. Does he not know what his fate going to be on that day? Then who can be
ungrateful, disobedient and a disbeliever? The question is a form of censure and warning.
Indeed! On that day ttheir
heir Lord is fully ∩⊇⊇∪ 732Î6y‚©9 7‹Í×tΒöθtƒ öΝÍκÍ5 Νåκ®5u‘ ¨βÎ)
informed about them. (11)
That is, their Lord – Allah – who created them and then nourished and sustained the people is
well informed and well aware, and on that day – the Day of Judgment – He shall recompense
each individual according to their intentions and deeds. ‘On the day’ is in conjunction with the
reward being handed out, for otherwise He is fully aware and informed about everything at all
times.
 al-Qa>ricah (101)
Surah al-
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻘﺎﺭﻋﺔ‬
‘The Shudderer’
Al-qa>ricah, meaning one that shudders, or makes shudder. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals
with matters of faith. As Surah al-cA<diya>t concluded by delivering a warning to the disobedient,
this surah explains the events of the resurrection, of which the warning is delivered.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
We begin by the name of Allah, He who comprises all the qualities of perfection; that we place it
as a maxim for ourselves in our actions and enterprises. For there is nothing more worthy of
being placed as a maxim for one who acknowledges his Lord.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, who graces His servants with mercy and forgiveness.

The Shudderer!
Shudderer! (1) ∩⊇∪ èπtãÍ‘$s)ø9$#
c
The Shudderer (al-qa>ri ah) is one of the names of the resurrection, for that event will make the
hearts shudder with fear, and humankind will shudder at the chastisement, and the mountains
will shudder till they are flat.

What is the Shudderer? (2) ∩⊄∪ èπtãÍ‘$s)ø9$# $tΒ

This question is rhetorical, having the purpose of increasing its status and giving gravity to its
importance.
And what will make thee comprehend what is ∩⊂∪ èπtãÍ‘$s)ø9$# $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
the Shudderer? (3)
Again, this is for heightening its grandeur. It means that it is so awesome that you cannot know
it, cannot understand it, until you see it.

The day when humankind will be like the ∩⊆∪ Ï^θèZ÷6yϑø9$# ĸ#t&x/ø9$$Ÿ2 â¨$¨Ψ9$# ãβθä3tƒ tΠöθtƒ
scattered swarm, (4)
‘Swarm’ is given for al-fara>sh, meaning the tumult of locusts when they swarm, some of them
above others. ‘Scattered’ is given for mabthu>th. For that day people will be like a swarm in their
numbers, their agitation and their diffusion.
And the mountains will be like teased wool. (5) ∩∈∪ Â\θà/Ζyϑø9$# ÇôγÏèø9$$Ÿ2 ãΑ$t6Éfø9$# ãβθä3s?uρ

The mountains will be plucked from their positions and shattered till they are like light, soft,
coloured wool. Coloured on account of how the mountains are coloured, some white, some red,
some black and so on.

So as for him whose balances are heavy: (6) ∩∉∪ …çµãΖƒÎ—≡uθtΒ ôMn=à)rO ∅tΒ $¨Βr'sù

That is, whose good deeds are heavier and many. ‘Balances’ is given for ma>wazi>n, which is in the
plural form on account of there being different balances, scales, for every good act. So there is a
balance for the prayer, a balance for doing good to parents, and so on. ‘Balances’ is used for the
meter to indicate the measure of one’s good deeds and their extent, or the lack of them.

So he is in a contented life. (7) ∩∠∪ 7πuŠÅÊ#§‘ 7πt±ŠÏã ’Îû uθßγsù

That is, his life will be possessed of pleasure, giving pleasure to he who leads it. The attribution
of being pleased to the life itself – when clearly it is the person leading that life who is pleased –
is metaphoric.
But as for him whose balances are light: (8) ∩∇∪ …çµãΖƒÎ—≡uθtΒ ôM¤/yz ôtΒ $¨Βr&uρ
His acts of goodness few, his evil deeds many:
His home is an abyss. (9) ∩∪ ×πtƒÍρ$yδ …çµ•Βé'sù

His home is the fire. Just as a child is accommodated by his mother so shall the disobedient be
accommodated by hell.

And what will make thee comprehend what ∩⊇⊃∪ ÷µu‹Ïδ $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
that is? (10)
The question form has the purpose of giving grandeur and importance to the chastisement of the
fire. Even the Prophet, or the listener, does not comprehend the reality of it, or the details of its
terrors. [During one of his Ascensions, the Prophet saw and understood the terror of the fire.]

A raging fire! (11) ∩⊇⊇∪ 8πuŠÏΒ%tn î‘$tΡ

A fire that has reached the peak of its intensity, its heat and its blaze.
 Surah al-
al-Taka>thur (102)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺘﻜﺎﺛﺮ‬
‘Rivalry’
The surah derives its name from its containing the word taka>thur, meaning the worldly increase
that is competed for. Over whether it is sent down at Makkah or at Madinah there is
disagreement. As Surah al-Qa>ricah concluded on the theme of the fire, this surah opens on the
topic of man's heedlessness of the fire.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
A beginning by the name of Allah, whose is everything, and than whom none is more worthy of
beginning by his name.
... the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows mercy on the servants with grace and bounty.

Rivalry distracts ye (1) ∩⊇∪ ã&èO%s3−G9$# ãΝä39yγø9r&

You are distracted from obedience to Allah and from worshipping Him, O people, by your
wealth, your sons, and other things connected to the world, and by the pride and rivalry they
evoke in you.

Until ye visit the graves; (2) ∩⊄∪ t&Î/$s)yϑø9$# ãΛänö‘ã— 4®Lym

When visiting graves a person realizes the finite nature of the world, and the futility of rivalry
and competition over worldly things and affairs. Or it may mean until you are overtaken by
death, in which case the term ‘visit’ the graves denotes that the graves too are not eternal, for
those in them are transported to the hereafter.

Nay, soon ye shall know, (3) ∩⊂∪ tβθßϑn=÷ès? š’ôθy™ )ξx.

Things are not as you suppose for you to engage in rivalry. Soon you shall know the result of
your being engrossed in the world, and of your neglect of the hereafter. This is a warning.

Again nay, soon ye shall know. (4) ∩⊆∪ tβθßϑn=÷ès? t∃ôθy™ )ξx. §ΝèO

Repeated for the sake of emphasis and to suggest self-restraint from worldly rivalry on account
of its dire consequences.
Nay, if ye knew with a knowledge of certainty,
certainty, ∩∈∪ ÈÉ)u‹ø9$# zΝù=Ïæ tβθßϑn=÷ès? öθs9 )ξx.
(5)
Nay, the affair is not as you people think. If you knew with a sure and certain knowledge, so that
you were certain of the hereafter rather than having a mere deductive knowledge of it, you would
know that worldly rivalry is futile, and that attention to the hereafter is the important matter.
You would surely see the inferno; (6) ∩∉∪ zΟŠÅspgø:$# 3χãρu5tIs9

You would see it with the vision of the heart, as if you are witnesses of it, and would fear being
occupied with other than its affairs and concerns. Then you would see no benefit in worldly
rivalry and pride.
Then you would surely see it with the eye of ∩∠∪ ÈÉ)u‹ø9$# š÷tã $pκ¨Ξãρu5tIs9 ¢ΟèO
certainty, (7)
Then, after much deliberation on the hell and seeing it with the heart, you see the hell with the
eye of certainty, a certainty that is just like seeing it. This is as stated by the Amir-al-Mu’minin,
Imam Ali, peace be upon him, describing the righteous and their attributes that: ‘Their faith in
Paradise is like he who has seen it and has enjoyed its bliss, and their faith in Hell is like he who
has seen it and has suffered its torment’. For the first stage is the deductive knowledge; then the
experiences the heart encounters of true certainty; the certainty then ascends in the heart until
the person sees that which he knows.
Then ye shall surely be questioned that day as ∩∇∪ ÉΟŠÏè¨Ζ9$# Çtã >‹Í≥tΒöθtƒ £è=t↔ó¡çFs9 ¢ΟèO
to the blessings. (8)
O people, when your knowledge increases until it reaches the level of the eye of certainty, you
will be questioned. For when a person's certainty increases he deliberates about his affairs,
whether they are forbidden or could seem forbidden. He asks himself as to whence comes his
rank and status. From the legal or from the forbidden? Thus he is like someone questioned about
these affairs though it is he who questions himself. Or it is possible that the meaning is that man
is questioned in the hereafter, and so too the vision of the fire, as has been narrated in some
reports.
 al-cAs}r (103)
Surah al-
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻌﺼﺮ‬
‘The Era’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of the word cas}r, meaning ‘era’ or ‘period’. Like the other
Makkan surahs it undertakes to explain matters of faith. As Surah al-Taka>thur concluded with a warning to
whoever is distracted by worldly rivalry, so this surah opens on a similar theme.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

By the name of Allah … We seek help from the name of Allah, whose are all things and who is capable of every
form of assistance.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, who blesses mercy on all things by creating them and perfecting them; and who
blesses the human being with the forgiveness of his sins and the healing of his wounds.

By the era,
era, (1) ∩⊇∪ Î(óÇyèø9$#uρ

That is, an oath by the era (al- cas}r), meaning the era of the Prophethood, or the era of time itself, or the era of the
last Ima>m, on him be peace, or the afternoon, as opposed to the forenoon, like the earlier oath Allah gave, glory be
to Him, 'By the forenoon ...' [93: 2] .

Mankind surely is at a loss; (2) ∩⊄∪ A(ô£äz ’Å∀s9 z≈|¡ΣM}$# ¨βÎ)

Man by the nature of things is on a path of continuing loss; as he advances towards destruction, his ethics advance
in their descent. For the more a person engrosses himself in the world, so his desires and vices increase. Moreover,
for every hour that passes without him engaging in goodliness he is a loser, as his capital, which enables him to
acquire the loftiest level, uselessly goes up in smoke – and that is on the assumption that he does not spend that
hour in disobedience.
Save those who believe and do the virtuous deeds, and (#öθ|¹#uθs?uρ Èd,ysø9$$Î/ (#öθ|¹#uθs?uρ ÏM≈ysÎ=≈¢Á9$# (#θè=Ïϑtãuρ (#θãΖtΒ#u tÏ%©!$# )ωÎ)
encourage to the Truth and encourage to steadfastness.
(3) ∩⊂∪ Î(ö9¢Á9$$Î/

Except those who believe in Allah and His Prophet and what he brought; and perform good deeds without
polluting them with evil works; and urge one another to recognize the Truth and act accordingly; and urge
steadfastness in face of the wiles of the world. This means to be steadfast in obedience, and to be resolute against
disobedience and in the face of calamity and hardship. The revelation highlights these two matters after their
being a part of good deeds, on account of their dire importance as being inseparable from the life of good deeds, of
which they are two pillars.
 Surah al-
al-Humazah (104)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳍﻤﺰﺓ‬
‘The Defamer’
The surah derives its name from its containing the word humazah, meaning ‘defamer’. Like the
other Makkan surahs it is concerned with explaining matters of faith and what is related to faith.
As the previous surah mentioned man's being a loser, this surah comes to explain some of the
underlying reasons for this.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0
Merciful
Beginning by the name of Allah, who is the First before all things.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, with a mercy that is continual and emphatic and embraces all
things.

Woe to every defamer, backbiter (1) ∩⊇∪ >οt“yϑ—9 ;οt“yϑèδ Èe≅à6Ïj9 ×≅÷ƒuρ

Woe (wayl) explains the evil condition of those it is said of. ‘Defamer’ is given for humazah,
which is a person who slanders others and is over-critical of people without justification. The
word derives from the origin of ‘breaking’, as if the defamer breaks a person and destroys his
well-being.

Who gathers wealth and cou

counts
nts it; (2) ∩⊄∪ …çνyŠ£‰tãuρ Zω$tΒ yìuΗsd “Ï%©!$#

He amasses property from wherever and counts it, to see how it has increased since he last
counted it. That is the picture of a greedy person, a sinking soul, who persists in amassing
wealth; and criticises people without exception.
He reckons his wealth makes him eternal. (3) ∩⊂∪ …çνt$s#÷{r& ÿ…ã&s!$tΒ ¨βr& Ü=|¡øts†

He thinks his wealth will make him stay in the world and protect him from mishap. For whenever
a mishap befalls him he averts it by bribery, or by giving so as to forestall the wrongs he
performs, or when illness befalls him, and so on. The meaning is that his action is the action of
one who reckons such, for every person knows that he will die and that he has no escape from
death.
Nay, indeed he shall be hurled into the ∩⊆∪ ÏπyϑsÜçtø:$# ’Îû ¨βx‹t6.⊥ãŠs9 ( )ξx.
shatterer; (4)
‘Shatterer’ is given for h}ut}amah, a name of hell. Without any consideration or sympathy the
fault-finding defamer shall be hurled there. It is called shatterer as it shatters and breaks
everything. For Fire shall shatter and destroy his entity and his greatness.
And what will make thee comprehend what is ∩∈∪ èπyϑsÜçtø:$# $tΒ y71u‘÷Šr& !$tΒuρ
the shatterer? (5)
This is put to signify its importance and to convey the fact that it is impossible to comprehend
until seen.
The explanation of what it is now follows:

The fire of Allah set ablaze, (6) ∩∉∪ äοy‰s%θßϑø9$# «!$# â‘$tΡ

How can man appreciate the might of the fire that has been kindled by Allah, glory be to Him,
who is the most capable of punishing and chastising?

Which takes over the hearts; (7) ∩∠∪ Íοy‰Ï↔øùF{$# ’n?tã ßìÎ=©Üs? ÉL©9$#
That is, it takes over the hearts to burn the place from which arise their mockery and their love of
wealth and of counting it, without spending it in the way of Allah, and for good ends.

Indeed over them it is closed, (8) ∩∇∪ ×οy‰|¹÷σ•Β ΝÍκöPn=tã $pκ¨ΞÎ)

Its doors will be shut over those sinners so that they shall have no hope of getting out.

In extended columns. (9) ∩∪ ¥οyŠ£‰yϑ•Β 7‰uΗxå ’Îû

They shall be fettered in extended columns. It was the practice of ancient rulers to secure
prisoners to long columns built into the ground or the wall. It is to increase the punishment and
chastisement.
 Surah al-
al-Fi>l (105)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻔﻴﻞ‬
‘The Elephant’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word fi>l, meaning elephant. Like the other
Makkan surahs it deals with matters of faith. Whereas the subject of the previous surah was Allah's chastisement
of the disbelievers in the hereafter, this surah talks of His punishment of them in this world.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

Beginning By the name of Allah, who comprehends all the qualities of perfection.
the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows His mercy on every one.
Have thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with the ∩⊇∪ È≅‹Ï2ø9$# É=≈ptõ¾r'Î/ y7•/u‘ Ÿ≅yèsù y#ø‹x. t&s? óΟs9r&
companions of the elephant? (1)
That is, have you not heard, O Messenger, or O listener, how your Lord treated the companions of the elephant
who came to destroy the Kacbah. He treated them with chastisement and destruction.

Did he not put their plot astray? (2) ∩⊄∪ 9≅‹Î=ôÒs? ’Îû ö/èφy‰øŠx. ö≅yèøgs† óΟs9r&

That is, bring it to nothing. As if instead of being guided to its end, which was to destroy the Kacbah and
extinguish the light of Allah, their plot went astray, and bequeathed to them destruction and annihilation.
And sent against them birds, swallows; (3) ∩⊂∪ Ÿ≅‹Î/$t/r& #·9ö8sÛ öΝÍκö7n=tã Ÿ≅y™ö‘r&uρ

‘Swallows’ is put for aba>bi>l, a type of swallow; but the word also means flocks, either scattered or grouped
together.
They stoned them with stones of petrified earth, (4) ∩⊆∪ 9≅ŠÅd∨Å™ ÏiΒ ;οu‘$y∨Ït¿2 ΝÎγ‹ÏΒö&s?

The birds pelted them with small, hard stones made of petrified earth, the severest and hardest thing that could hit
a person.

So He made them like chewed husks. (5) ∩∈∪ ¥Αθà2ù'¨Β 7#óÁyèx. öΝßγn=yèpgm=

Allah made the associates of the elephant like a grass-plant, its seeds eaten, its empty, dry husk remaining. For
when the stones struck a person they rendered him empty, like a seedcase, its seed eaten.
The event behind this was that a group from the Quraysh went to trade in the territory of the king of Abyssinia.
They travelled until they approached the coast where they came upon a sanctified Christian shelter, called by the
Quraysh ‘al-Haykal’. They set down there and gathered wood for a fire and cooked their meat. When they
departed they left the fire as it was, on a gusty day. The wind took up the fire and the little church burned down.
The king became angry with this and sent Abrahah with a force to destroy the Kacbah. Abrahah brought an
elephant with his troops. When they brought it to the door of the mosque, cAbd al-Mut}t}alib said to the elephant,
‘Do you know why they have brought you?’ The elephant signified with its head to say no. cAbd al-Mut}t}alib then
said to it, 'They have brought you to destroy the house of Allah; will you do it?' Again the elephant signified with
its head to say no. Then the army struggled to get the elephant inside but it resisted. So they attacked it with
swords and cut it. Then Allah sent his army of birds in wave after wave, who stoned them; for each bird had three
stones, one in its beak and one in each of its claws. The birds hovered with wings flapping over the heads of the
soldiers and propelled the stones at their heads. The stones entered the top of their heads and came out of their
posteriors, and their bodies collapsed.
 Surah Quraysh (106)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﻗﺮﻳﺶ‬
‘Quraysh’
This surah is also called li ‘i>yla>f (‘For the Confidence of’) on account of the prominence of this and the word
Quraysh, a name of a prominent tribe in the city of Makkah. Like the other Makkan surahs it deals with matters of
faith. As He has spoken of His protection of them from their enemies, He adds to this His grace towards them in
feeding them and providing for them the means of livelihood.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

A beginning by the name of Allah, the First before all things, that it becomes a maxim for the Muslim by which
he is recognised.
the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows repeated mercies on His servants in the world and in the hereafter.

For the confidence of the Quraysh, (1) ∩⊇∪ C·÷ƒt&è% É#≈n=ƒ\}

‘Confidence’ is given for i>yla>f, the opposite of awh}ash, to be alien, desolate and fearful. The meaning is in return
for Allah having made the H{aram [i.e. Makkah and its surroundings] and the roads to it assuring for the Quraysh
and safe, so that they feel safe and confident to travel to the Sha>m and the Yemen, in security and peace, with no
sense of desolation or fear. [The Sha>m district is a province that covers today’s Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.]
Their confidence while travelling in winter and summer; ∩⊄∪ É#ø‹¢Á9$#uρ Ï!$tGÏe±9$# s's#ômÍ‘ öΝÎγÏ)≈s9Î)
(2)
They would travel peacefully in winter to the Yemen, for trade, and in summer for trade to the Sha>m. The verse
clarifies the previous verse.
So they should worship the Lord of this House, (3) ∩⊂∪ ÏMø7t7ø9$# #x‹≈yδ ¡>u‘ (#ρ߉ç6÷èu‹ù=sù

This is the consequent of the words 'For the confidence ...' The house of Allah is the sanctuary at Makkah. They
should worship Allah on account of the peace of mind and security with which He blessed them, so that they were
able to travel contentedly each year without fear and without melancholy.
Allah then explains some of His attributes by which He especially favoured them:

Who feeds them from

from hunger, and secures them from ∩⊆∪ ¤∃öθyz ôÏiΒ ΝßγoΨtΒ#uuρ 8íθã_ ÏiΒ ΟßγyϑyèôÛr& ü”Ï%©!$#
fear. (4)
Allah caused their provision on their travels of summer and winter, and set up a secure sanctuary where there was
nothing but peace.
It is stated in the commentary of Shaykh Qummi that the surah was sent down about the Quraysh, for their
livelihood was derived from two journeys, a journey to the Yemen in winter, and a journey to the Sha>m in
summer. From Makkah they would take certain food products and in the Sha>m they would purchase material and
grain. During the journey and at the time of departure they would combine under the leadership of one of the
leaders of the Quraysh; and that was their livelihood. But when Allah raised His Prophet they did not need to go
on those journeys any longer, for the people from those areas would travel, with their goods, to visit the Prophet
and perform the Hajj.
 al-Ma>cu>n (107)
Surah al-
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﺎﻋﻮﻥ‬
‘The Assistance’
The surah derives its name from the prominence within it of the word ma>cu>n, meaning worldly bounties. As to
whether the surah is Makkan or Madinan, views are diverse. In any case, the surah deals with matters of faith and
related issues. As the previous surah spoke of Allah's blessings on the Quraysh, this surah comes to deter them
from disbelief and disobedience after receiving these liberal blessings.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

We seek help by the name of Allah, that He be for us an aid in the important things in our life, and after death;
the Compassionate, the Merciful … He who has an encompassing mercy that embraces all things, in general, and
believers in particular.
Have thou seen him who belies the Requital? (1) ∩⊇∪ ÉÏe$!$$Î/ Ü>Éj‹s3ム“Ï%©!$# |M÷ƒuu‘r&

‘Requital’ is given for di>n, which means recompense, although it may mean the religion of Islam. The question is
rhetorical, conveying outrage. It means: How does he call it a lie when there are so many signs proving its validity
and its taking place?

That is he who repels the orphan, (2) ∩⊄∪ zΟŠÏKuŠø9$# ‘í߉tƒ ”Ï%©!$# š$Ï9≡x‹sù

The person who calls the judgement a lie repels the orphan, puts him off with severity, instead of being kind to
him. For to consider the judgement a lie results in actions that are harsh and base.
And urges not the feeding of the destitute. (3) ∩⊂∪ ÈÅ3ó¡Ïϑø9$# ÏΘ$yèsÛ 4’n?tã 0Ùçts† Ÿωuρ

He does not incite and urge people to feed the destitute, whose poverty keeps them from being active and
working. This urging, although other than in ‘urging to the good’ (‘amr bil-macru>f) and suchlike it is not
obligatory, nevertheless its absence indicates a spiritual bareness and a drying up of the spring of virtues in the
heart, such as is inseparable from disbelief. It is related that some of the disbelievers of the Quraysh acted like this
when an orphan approached them seeking help; they would repel him harshly, and would act the same way with
the poor.
[He who repels the orphan, and urges not the feeding of the pauper is the one who belies the Requital. It is the
essence of belief that matters, and the mere claim is not sufficient, as this is emphasised in the following:]

So woe to those who pray, (4) ∩⊆∪ š,Íj#|Áßϑù=Ïj9 ×≅÷ƒuθsù

Since repelling the orphan and not urging the feeding of the poor are cause for censure and rebuke, it is clear that
whoever acts in the name of Islam and yet is far from Islam is most deserving of the censure and rebuke. For the
hypocrite is in a worse condition than the disbeliever.
Those who are neglectful of their prayer, (5) ∩∈∪ tβθèδ$y™ öΝÍκÍEŸξ|¹ tã öΝèδ tÏ%©!$#

That is, they are heedless of their prayers and do not give attention to their prayers, for lack of attention occasions
neglect.

Those who show off, (6) ∩∉∪ šχρâ!#t&ムöΝèδ tÏ%©!$#

When they pray they pray for the sake of being seen, not for the sake of Allah, glory be to Him. Some have said
that the meaning is that when there was none to see them they would not pray, but when there was someone there
they would pray to be seen.

And withhold assistance. (7) ∩∠∪ tβθãã$yϑø9$# tβθãèuΖôϑtƒuρ

‘Assistance’ is given for ma>cu>n, meaning everything in which there is a benefit for people. The meaning is that
they refuse to part with their good things, which is caused by their lacking of firm faith in the heart.
 Surah al-
al-Kawthar (108)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻜﻮﺛﺮ‬
‘The Abundance’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of the word kawthar, meaning ‘abundance’. There are differing
views about whether the surah is Makkan or Madinan. The surah concerns the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
his family. Perhaps the connection between this and the previous surah is the discussion of refusing and
abundance; for they refused beneficence and Allah, glory be to Him, gives goodness in abundance. Or the
connection may be that they neglected the prayer and denied charity, while here the Prophet is commanded to
institute the prayer and charity.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

Beginning By the name of Allah, in whose name nothing is begun but that it is blessed by it.
… the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows mercy and forgiveness.
Indeed We have granted thee Abundance. (1) ∩⊇∪ t&rOöθs3ø9$# š!≈oΨø‹sÜôãr& !$¯ΡÎ)

O Messenger, We have granted you kawthar, from kathrah, meaning abundance. It is said that the surah was
occasioned by one al-cA<s}s} ibn Wa’il al-Sahmi who, seeing the Prophet leaving the sacred mosque went over and
spoke with him while the notables of the Quraysh were sitting. So when he went in they asked him who he was
talking to. He said ‘With the abtar’, meaning the Prophet; for the Quraysh would call one without an offspring
abtar, meaning ‘cut off’, in the sense of being without a son to continue his renown, as by this time cAbdulla>h the
son of the Prophet by Khadijah, peace be on her, had died. So this surah was descended. For this reason, among
the interpretations of al-kawthar is that it means the Lady Fa>t}imah, on her be peace, who was the Prophet's route
to a plentiful posterity. But since the word kawthar means plentiful bounties, and is general, its meaning includes
prophethood and knowledge, posterity, the pool of Kawthar in the hereafter and the other meanings included by
the general term kawthar.

So pray to thy Lord and slaughter; (2) ∩⊄∪ ö&ptùΥ$#uρ y7În/t&Ï9 Èe≅|Ásù

Pray, O Messenger of Allah, in thanks for this great blessing. And slaughter camels to feed humankind, for Allah
loves the feeding of food to people. ‘Slaughter’ is given for anh}ar, of nah}r which is upper portion of the chest or
the throat area. Alternatively anh}ar may mean raising the hands to the neck in the formal saying of Allahu akbar,
or takbir, as has been narrated, for in that there is submissiveness to Allah, glory be to Him, which is appropriate
when giving thanks for His favour of granting abundance.

Indeed thy loather he is the cut-

cut-off. (3) ∩⊂∪ ç3tIö/F{$# uθèδ š!t∞ÏΡ$x© 0χÎ)

‘Thy loather’: (sha>ni’aka): the one who hates you; the one who called the Prophet abtar. He is the person who is
cut off, from goodness and beneficence, and is too low to mention, not the Prophet. This surah, despite its brevity,
is one of the miracles of the Prophet, and a proof of the miraculous nature of the sacred Qur’an [in that today the
descendents of the Prophet number in tens of millions].
 Surah al-
al-Ka>firu>n (109)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻜﺎﻓﺮﻭﻥ‬
‘The Disbelievers’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of the word al-ka>firu>n, meaning the disbelievers. As to whether
the surah is Makkan or Madinan there are differing views. In any case, it deals with matters of faith. As Surah al-
Kawthar concluded on the theme of the hater of the Prophet, so this surah speaks of the divergences between him
and them, such that he would not follow them on their path, and they would not follow him on his path, due to
their disbelief and obstinacy.
It is narrated that a group of Quraysh said to the Prophet, 'Come, Muhammad, let us worship what you worship
and you worship what we worship, so that we will be partners in a single affair. So if the path we are on is the
truth you will get good fortune from it, and if what you are on is the truth we will take good fortune from it.' So
the surah was sent down.
In a narration from Ima>m al-S{ad> iq, they said to the Messenger of Allah, ‘You worship our gods for a year and we
will worship your god, and you worship our gods for a year and we will worship your god for a year’; and so the
surah came down like they had said, with similar repetitions.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

A beginning By the name of Allah, that it become a maxim for he who begins by it, and assist him in the
important matters of his life.
The Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows His particular mercy upon whom He wills of His servants, while
His general mercy embraces all things.

Say: O ye the disbelievers! (1) ∩⊇∪ šχρã&Ï*≈x6ø9$# $pκš‰r'¯≈tƒ ö≅è%

Say, O Messenger: O disbelievers, meaning the disbelievers who occasioned the revelation, though the intention is
to include every obstinate disbeliever who does not budge from his disbelief and inordinacy.

I worship not what ye worship (2) ∩⊄∪ tβρ߉ç7÷ès? $tΒ ß‰ç6ôãr& Iω

They worshipped idols and images. The meaning is that the Prophet was not worshipping what they were
worshipping.
And ye are not worshippers of what I worship, (3) ∩⊂∪ ߉ç7ôãr& !$tΒ tβρ߉Î7≈tã óΟçFΡr& Iωuρ

They were not worshipping what the Prophet worshipped, for they were obstinate and arrogant towards the truth.
The verse summarises their position, for they were commanded to worship Allah both in the revealed law and by
reason.
And I am not a worshipper of what ye worship, (4) ∩⊆∪ ÷Λ–n‰t6tã $¨Β Ó‰Î/%tæ O$tΡr& Iωuρ

The meaning is that the Prophet would never worship what they were worshipping.
And ye are not worshippers of what I worship. (5) ∩∈∪ ߉ç6ôãr& !$tΒ tβρ߉Î7≈tã óΟçFΡr& Iωuρ

They will not in the future worship He whom the Prophet worshipped. These two portents have been interpreted
as future-tense on account of their being noun-based phrases, which denotes constancy and continuity. The first is
a verb-based phrase which at face-value indicates the present. The second was added to the first on account of the
surah's flow.
Yours is your religion, and mine is my religion. (6) ∩∉∪ ÈÏŠ u’Í<uρ ö/ä3ãΨƒÏŠ ö/ä3s9

You disbelievers have your way, so follow it until you see its evil consequences.
 Surah al-
al-Nas}r (110)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻨﺼﺮ‬
‘The Succour’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of the word al-nas}r, meaning ‘succour’ or ‘aid that is
instrumental in gaining victory’. Like the other Madinan surahs it explains the victory of the Islamic order and
government. As Surah al-Kafirun concluded by mentioning the religion, this surah speaks about the diffusion of
the religion.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

Beginning by the name of Allah, who is the First before existence, so His name is begun with at the beginning of
everything.
… the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows His particular and general mercy upon the believers, who begin
things in His name and believe in Him.
This surah was descended after the Prophet's farewell Hajj pilgrimage (hajjat al-wada>c), year 10 AH when the
tribes entered into the religion group after group and the authority of Islam extended throughout the peninsula. As
it was revealed the Prophet of Allah said, ‘I announce my death.’ It is said this was on account of how the surah
sums up all the Prophet's endeavours.
When came Allah’s succour and the conquest, (1) ∩⊇∪ ßx÷Gx/ø9$#uρ «!$# ã&óÁtΡ u!$y_ #sŒÎ)

The succour of Allah came to the assistance of His religion over the other religions, and of the Muslims over the
disbelievers. By the conquest is meant the conquest of Makkah, year 8 AH for then the capital city of idolatry and
polytheism in the peninsular was overcome, and its conquest subdued the peninsula.
And thou saw humankind entering into the religion of ∩⊄∪ %[`#uθøùr& «!$# ÇƒÏŠ ’Îû šχθè=ä{ô‰tƒ }¨$¨Ψ9$# |M÷ƒr&u‘uρ
Allah in troops - (2)
The tribes and other people all come forward to enter the religion of Islam in troops (afwa>jan); that is, in groups
upon groups.

So glorify the praise of thy Lord and seek His ∩⊂∪ $R/#§θs? tβ%Ÿ2 …絯ΡÎ) 4 çνö&Ï/øótGó™$#uρ y7În/u‘ ωôϑpt¿2 ôxÎm7|¡sù
forgiveness, indeed He is relenting. (3)
That is, declare Him above all imperfection, by praising Him, in thanks for His granting succour and victory. And
seek His forgiveness, to subdue the soul, so that it does not rise above its station and attribute the victory to its
own efforts. The Prophet was above these faults, and yet he is so instructed as a lesson for others. Moreover, as
has been explained earlier, when some of those necessary actions that are neither obligatory nor desirable but
merely permitted, are seen by those who are devotees and intimate with Allah, as removing them from the Divine
nearness, and so it is necessary for them to seek forgiveness.
... He is relenting. : However much the servant sins and then redirects himself towards Allah, Allah turns back
towards him.
 Surah al-
al-Masad (111)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﳌﺴﺪ‬
‘The Palm-
Palm-Fibre’
The surah derives its name from its containing the word masad, meaning ‘(coarse) palm-fibre’, and for the same
reason it is also called Abi Lahab. Like the other Makkan surahs it is concerned with matters of faith. Whereas the
previous surah spoke of the victory of Allah bestowed upon His Prophet, this surah speaks of how He, glory be to
Him, suffices the Prophet against his enemies.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

By the name of Allah … A beginning in the name of Allah who comprises all the attributes of perfection.
… the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows grace and mercy upon the servants.
One of the people who persecuted the Prophet was his uncle Abi Lahab, often hurling stones at him. His wife,
called Umm Jumayl, would carry thorns and suchlike during the night and spread them on the Prophet's path, so
that when he left his house the thorns would prick his blessed feet. And so this surah was revealed.
Perish the hands of Abi Lahab, and perish he, (1) ∩⊇∪ ¡=s?uρ 5=yγs9 ’Î1r& !#y‰tƒ ôM¬7s?

The verse speaks of his hands on account of the sins he committed being committed with his hands. The second
‘perish’ is for emphasis it is in reference to Abi Lahab himself, meaning may his hands perish, and may he perish.
His wealth and what he has earned will enrich him not, ∩⊄∪ |=|¡Ÿ2 $tΒuρ …ã&è!$tΒ çµ÷Ψtã 4o_øîr& !$tΒ
(2)
He will find no assistance in fending off the chastisement from his wealth and the deeds he has performed, namely
his disbelief, sinning and persecuting the Prophet.

He shall enter in a fire of flames, (3) ∩⊂∪ 5=oλm; |N#sŒ #Y‘$tΡ 4’n?óÁu‹y™

In the hereafter, he shall enter the fire and remain there permanently, a fire that is raging and flaming. Appropriate
for one called ‘Father of flame’ (abi lahab) on account of how his cheeks would flare up with the redness of his
lustre.
And his wife, the bearer of firewood, (4) ∩⊆∪ É=sÜysø9$# s's!$£ϑym …çµè?r&t&øΒ$#uρ

That is, and may his wife perish, meaning she who carries firewood. She earned this title on account of her
carrying the thorns, that are normally used for firewood and kindling.

On her neck a rope of palm-

palm-fibre. (5) ∩∈∪ ¤‰|¡¨Β ÏiΒ ×≅ö7ym $yδω‹Å_ ’Îû

That is, on the neck of his wife, Umm Jumayl, who was the sister of the infamous Abu Sufyan. It seems she will
tie the thorns in a bundle with a rope and attach the rope to her neck.
 Surah al-
al-Ikhla>s}s} (112)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻹﺧﻼﺹ‬
‘The Purity’
This surah was named and is called al-Tawh}i>d, meaning to posit oneness, and is also named al-Ikhla>s}, meaning to
purify or cleanse, for it negates the idea of God having a partner or an associate. It is called al-Tawh}i>d as it
contains a reference to the Divine oneness, in the words '...Allah, One.' There are differing views as to whether the
surah sent down at Makkah or at Madinah. In either case it is composed of matters of faith. Whereas the previous
surah was related to the Prophet (al-rasu>l), this surah is related to Him who sent him (al-mursal).
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

By the name of Allah … Beginning by the name of the Allah whose is whatsoever is in the skies and the earth. He
is the One, of all existence singular in Divinity.
… the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows mercy and grace upon the servants.
It is recorded that Jews came to the Prophet of Allah and asked him to explain his Lord’s attributes. So Allah,
glory be to Him, sent this surah.

Say: He is Allah, One, (1) ∩⊇∪ î‰ymr& ª!$# uθèδ ö≅è%

Say, O Messenger, that your Lord, whom you call on, is One, having no partner and no division into parts.

Allah the Overlord; (2) ∩⊄∪ ߉yϑ¢Á9$# ª!$#

‘Overlord’ is given for s}amad, meaning the ultimate chief or lord whose authority is such that no affair can take
place without his permission. The meaning of the verse is that He is the Absolute Lord in whose hand are all
things, so that nothing can take place in the world of being without His permission and without it being part of
His affair.

He fathers not, and was born not, (3) ∩⊂∪ ô‰s9θムöΝs9uρ ô$Î#tƒ öΝs9

He has not fathered anyone; the angels are not His daughters, as the disbelieving Arabs imagined, nor are the
Messiah (Jesus), cUzayr, the Jews and the Christians His sons, as imagined by the Book-folk. Nor was He Himself
born of any father or mother.

And there is not a one His equal. (4) ∩⊆∪ 7‰ymr& #·θà+à2 …ã&©! ä3tƒ öΝs9uρ

No one is like Him, similar to Him or equal to Him. He is the Unique, who has none to parallel Him and none
comparable to Him.
 Surah al-
al-Falaq (113)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻔﻠﻖ‬
‘The Daybreak’
The surah derives its name from the prominence of the word falaq, meaning ‘daybreak’. The surah is Madinan,
even though it deals with affairs concerning a person when he runs into something abhorrent (makru>h). As the
surah al-Ikhla>s declared the One God, this surah is a seeking of His protection.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

Beginning by the name of Allah, who comprises all the attributes of perfection.
… the Compassionate, the Merciful, who bestows from His mercy and grace upon the whole creation, right from
the beginning and throughout their lives, and by bringing perfection to their needs and shortcomings.
Say: I shelter with the Lord of the daybreak,
daybreak, (1) ∩⊇∪ È,n=x-ø9$# Éb>t&Î/ èŒθããr& ö≅è%

That is, I seek immunity and protection. Daybreak is given for falaq, whose original meaning is to split, for by the
dawn the darkness is broken up and withdraws.

From the evil of that He created, (2) ∩⊄∪ t,n=y{ $tΒ Îh.Ÿ° ÏΒ

That is, from the evil of everything Allah has created, glory be to Him, in the sense of tribulations, whether they
be human, jinn, animal or inanimate, like floods and storms.
And from the evil of darkness when it falls, (3) ∩⊂∪ |=s%uρ #sŒÎ) @,Å™%yñ Îh.Ÿ° ÏΒuρ

That is, from the evil of the night, for it is at night that many of the evils befall a person, when the eye is sleeping
and darkness reigns.
And from the evil of the bloweresses on knots, (4) ∩⊆∪ ωs)ãèø9$# †Îû ÏM≈sV≈¤-¨Ζ9$# Ìh&x© ÏΒuρ

‘Bloweresses’ is given for naffa>tha>t, which is feminine plural. The evil is that of women who use black magic to
blow on a thing by which their magic is covenanted. Knots (cuqad) are mentioned as the witch knots a cord with
the intention of blocking someone’s good fortune, or to separate someone from his wife; the witch then blow on
these knots as part of her magic and rites. And magic has a real effect, as is shown in psychology (cilm al-nafs),
and reinforced by experience.
And from the evil of an envier when he envies. (5) ∩∈∪ y‰|¡ym #sŒÎ) >‰Å™%tn Ìh&x© ÏΒuρ

For when a person envies another his envy drives him to harm him with his tongue or hand. And perhaps the
meaning of 'when he envies' is when his envy becomes apparent and he acts according to its dictates.
 Surah al-
al-Na>s (114)
‫ﺳﻮﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺱ‬
‘Humankind’
This surah is given its name due to the prominence within it of the word al-na>s, meaning ‘humankind’. It was sent
down at Madinah, and deals with matters related to the person. It is similar to the previous surah in its theme of
encouraging man to seek the Divine protection from categories of evil.
By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful ÉΟŠÏm§&9$# Ç≈uΗ÷q§&9$# «!$# ÉΟó¡Î0

Beginning by the name of Allah that is the symbol of that essence that comprises all the qualities of perfection,
and is there then one more worthy of beginning by his name than Him?
… the Compassionate, the Merciful who sends His mercy and grace upon the people, for His mercy has
encompassed everything.
Say: I shelter with the Lord of humankind, (1) ∩⊇∪ Ĩ$¨Ψ9$# Éb>t&Î/ èŒθããr& ö≅è%

That is, say, O Messenger, I shelter myself from evil with the Lord of mankind, their Creator and He who raises
them and elevates them.

The King of humankind, (2) ∩⊄∪ Ĩ$¨Ψ9$# Å7Î=tΒ

He is their unconditional and absolute Owner; there is no king other than Him, for other kings are only kings in
appearance, their kingships have no reality and are but nominal.

The God of humankind, (3) ∩⊂∪ Ĩ$¨Ψ9$# ϵ≈s9Î)

The idols are not gods as supposed by the disbelievers. He is Lord, King and God; He raises and elevates mankind,
He is their Lord and Master, Owner of their very souls, and the object of their worship other than Whom worship
has no object, glory be to Him.
From the evil of the vanishing whisperer, (4) ∩⊆∪ Ĩ$¨Ψsƒø:$# Ĩ#uθó™uθø9$# Ìh&x© ÏΒ

That is, I shelter myself from the evil of things whispered to man, so as to bring him to disbelief and disobedience.
For whenever a person or a devil wishes to entice someone he speaks into his ear in a low voice, so as to misguide
him and introduce him to disobedience. ‘Vanishing’ is given for khanna>s, meaning to hide oneself, to disappear;
for whoever wishes to deviate people stays as much as possible unseen. In the case of a devil all is clear; but as for
a human, whenever he wishes to deviate a person he conceals himself so that none will see him and frustrate his
whisperings, so that his plans are not made clear for people, and they will not disassociate themselves from him
and reject him.
Who whispers into
into the breasts of humankind, (5) ∩∈∪ ÄZ$¨Ψ9$# Í‘ρ߉߹ †Îû â¨Èθó™uθム“Ï%©!$#

As for the devils all is clear, for they whisper into the heart, and the heart is in the breast, or chest. The whispering
of persons into another's breast is on account of their introducing their ideas into the heart, through the ear, and
the heart is in the breast.

Of the jinn and humankind. (6) ∩∉∪ Ĩ$¨Ψ9$#uρ Ïπ¨ΨÉfø9$# zÏΒ

That is, from the whisperer who is either of the species of the jinn – the devils who are a party of the jinn – or is of
the human species.

May Allah protect us from the evil of every evil by Muhammad and his pure family. May Allah bless Muhammad
and his pure, impeccable family. Amen