PT. 16 AL-KAHF CR. 18

76. He replied, 'Did I not tell theethat thou wouldst not be able to keepcompany with me in patience 1 '

77. Moses said, 'It I ask theeconcerning anything after this, keepme not in thy company, for thenthou shalt have got sufficient excusefrom me.' 2115

78. So they went on till, whenthey came to the peopleot a town,they asked its people for food, butthev refused to make them theirguests. And they found therein awall which was about to fall and herepaired it. ~Mosessaid, 'If thou hadstdesired, thou couldst have taken

,

payment for it.' 2116

t7:\1~'" " " ~J: :3'.''\ ':'\~ -;;;

J;' 9";""tJ""~" ~,

~~<$1..

\J'~'.~\i ..~., .. :.:i. ".., tI'~ . ~

,,::t;.~ I-!'.\\~ r" """(~"1. ,,'" 1~~r" ' "-r(.w~~~~ ~cf"~wC)~J~

D. \~ ~9 .,'H.t.,. G;'~~~Jw ~w\J ~ ..' .

,.., ,..,f":.''''

.\fNt "(.", :;"" ::~"

," (1~"~ .!.,,:;-;; ~"

~.,~~ ~ ""-I ~ ~t t., .. "-"'..'. .

"p'..:..r- ..) ".t!:i:!;.

~. ' t ,~\... ~ \""n. t:~.,t...~~ "", :11

..~ !) ~ .., ~~ ~ ~\ \jS.~,". ~... ""..."" " "r-:.lor

" r~.;' "",,,

~~ ~;I J~ 'l4\.i~ ":'''.'":r~C)

~f'\ ~~~ !J.=!' ... ..

thirst by making him drink water (Aqrab). verses is exactly the expression used by theSee also 2 : 62; 2: 73 & 4: 158. Archangel Gabriel for the Holy Prophet in

(::ommentary: his Vision, namely, Ju.; I Jll.; I i.e. go on,

This part of Moses' Vision c.mesponds to t.he go on.

second part of the Holy Prophet's Vision. The words, when they met a young boy, he slew

In his Vision the Prophet saw a man calling him, may refer to the mmder by a party of

him from across the road and then he was Muslims of that arch-enemy of Islam, Ka'b

offered a cup of wine which he refused to bin Ashraf, the ring leader of the Jewish

accept. Gabriel told him that the man who miscreants of Medina (Hisham).

called him was Satan and that the cupof wine This verse also makes clear that the Journeysignified deviating from the right path (J adr). of Moses of which an account has been given inSimilarly, in the second part of his Vision these verses was undertaken in a visionMoses was shown a young man which, in the because no sane person while awake would

language of dreamll signifies, among othtr kill a man without legitimate cause.things, ignorance, power and love of sensuous 2115. Commentary:pleasures. Moses' objection to the. killing of This verse shows that the followers ofthe young boy by tho righteous servaLt of God Moses-the Jews-would repeatedly breakin his Vision me.ant that Islam would require their solemn agreements with the Holy Prophetits followers t.o bring a veritable death over till a complete rupture of mutual relationstheir carnal desires and passions but that the ensued.pleasure-loving Jews and Christians would 2116. Commentary:find fault with this Islamic commandment. The words ~~ J-I (people of a town) in

The expression 1Al1.j\;i.e. so they journeyed a dream signify, one or more nations; andon, which h~s been used several times in these asking for their hospitality means, seeking

J527

CR. 18 AI~-KARF PT. 16

79. He said, 'This is the partingof ways between me and thee. aI wmnow tell thee the meaning of thatwhich thou wast not able to bear witbpatience. 2117

,

80. 'As for the boat, it belongedto certain poor people who workedon the sea; and I desired to damageit, for there was behind them a king,who seized every boat by force.211B

I~ ~ ~~~~'" "."'" !,,,,. ;" "'r~~~..~ !.J.;, ~; "..~~.'"'~ t~ J\i

@)~~~;f;jC4

.f4tJ ~l\"'~~~...<',,,,,:t.{~;t:~'d:.Hr~"'

.

'

'"~ ~ ~ \"oN Qo:I

",1..4 t

1,9f::"

(j'" 0"" ..'

~u~ ~;I"'''' -: ~'" 4;.~' ~'-t -:: "1".. ".-!).J~'.) ,..) C>~.).)'"

,~ ~:A.~'

~p'0. .~. ~.. ., C"JJ

a3 : 8 ; 12 : 22.

their co-operation in a righteous cause. Inthis sense of the words ~~ JJoI , the

verse would mean that Moses and the HolyProphet would seek the co-operation of Jewsand Christians in the cause of God but it wouldbe denied to both of them. That the Jewsflatly refused to give any co-operation orassistance to Moses when he asked them togo with him to conquer Canaan is clearlystated in the Quran (5 : 22-25). The HolyProphet also failed to receive the co-operationof Christians in even such a nob!e cause as theestablishment of the Unity of God on earth.Says the Quran, 0 People oj the Book! cometo a word equal between us and you-that weworship none but Allah, and that we associateno partner with Him and that some of us takenot others for Lords besides Allah. But if theyturn away, then say, 'Bear witness that wehave submitted to God (3 : 65).

According to Ta'tir al-Anam, )..b: (wall)in a vision with a breach in it denotes a leaderof a people or a learned man who has lost hisproperty and the repairing of it signifiesthe restoration of the property of that leader.

In view of these interpretations, the words,A nd they found therein a wall which wa.'1ab01.dto fall, signify that Jewish and Christian re-ligious leaders would lose all influence over their

followers; and the repairing of the wall denotesthat that influence would be rehabilitated.These words may also refer to the progressmade by the Israelites through Moses and bythe Ishmaelites through the Holv Prophet.

The words, iJ thou hadst desired, thou couldsthave taken payment for it, may mean that thebusiness instinct of the Jewish and Christianpeoples would grow so strong that theywould not do anything without demandingremuneration for it.

2117. Commentary:When the righteous servant of God (the Holy

Prophet) saw that Mose&, i.e. his followers,in spite of his earnest appeal for their co-operation in the propagation of the idealswhich were common between them, would notgive up their attitude of sullen aloofness andhostility, he realized that he would have tosever all connection with them.

2118. Commentary:With this verse begins an explanation of the

foregoing incidents as given by the holy manof Moses' Vision.

The words, 'poor people' here represent themeek of heart whom material prosperity andabundance of wealth do not prevent fromtaking care of and sympathizing with theneedy and the destitute and from associatingwith them. . The expression 'a king' denotes

1528

PT. 16

-- -

AI.-KAHP CH. 18

81. 'And as for the youth, hisparents were believers, and we fearedlest he should cause them troublethrough rebellion and disbelief,2u9

82. 'So we desired that their Lordshould give them in exchange a childbetter than he in purity and closerin filial affeotion. 2120

,,,JI.,

, ~ ., :.'-;' "'", 9 ?I""

,,~~~ 9'

U...

~ .--"\t.~ ,..t~..,~ ZS..i\'.'.' '"\"""II' ~.":7J-.:r.""" ,e~j~~~e~'~

ow

"'J"!.

~'_Ic.-: ~ \~'~ t1~( ~ ' '\~"/'r-:ZI~) ,,# .~ ~<:) ",)\)

~, ,."Z"~e ~ '-;J..>-' IJ

love of the world and attachment for mateTialthings. The verse thus -means to say thatthose proud and conceited sons of darkness whodisdain to spend their money on philanthropicpurposes are wholly lost in the love of thisworld and fall easy victims to Satan. Thisis why tht> Holy Prophet sought to make ahole in the boat of his people-he laid downsuch laws as should render their love of thisworld pierced with the love of the next worldso that they should spend their money in theservice of the oppressed and the down-troddenand instead of tyrannizing Dver them theyshould serve them and sympathize with them.

- It is worthy of note that whereas in the HolyProphet's Vision the love of the world tookthe form of an old woman, in Moses' Vision itwas represented by a cruel king. This signifiedthat the love of the world and its pleasureswould exercise much less influence over thefollowers of the Holy Prophet than over thoseof Moses.

2119. Commentary:A~ explained under 18: 75 above .(~

(youth) in a vision signifies, activity orbuoyancy, power and ignorance; and theword J:i as also shown under th'3same verse means, diminishing or lesseningthe effect or vehemence d a thiJlg. In viewof this significance of these words, the killingof the youth would signify the lessening ordiminishing the evil effects or igJlOr3nce, too

much power and uncontrolled buoyancy.

The expression 0 IJ!I (his parents) here meansthe human body and soul, because the parentsor the source from which spring all moralqualities is the combination of the human bodyand soul which is man himself. So the killingof the youth in the Vision signifies bringingunder proper control unbridled humanpassions and lesseuing their vehemence andintensity. Thus the killing of the young manby the holy man of God so that he should notlead his parents to rebellion and disbelief, asseen in his Vision by Moses, signifies that manhas been gifted with great natural powers toperform the highest deeds of virtue and that inorder to bring these powers into play, thefaculties of activity, power and ignorancehave been implanted in him. Man can fulfilthe great object of his life by making UBa ofthese powers which spring from a combinationof the human body and soul. But if thesepowers are not kept under proper control,they lead mau to disbelief and transgression.These powers have b~en brought under prepercontrol and their undue vehemence curbedby the commandments and ordinances whichGod has revealed to the Holy Prophet assignified by the killing of the young boy by theholy man in Moses' Vision.2120. Commentary:The verse means to say that Islam has laid

down these ordinances and commandmentsso that man may completely subdue hiscarnal desires and thus experience a newspiritual birth. But, as mentioned above

1529

CR. ] 8 At- KAHF PT. 16

83. 'And as for the wall, it belongedto two orphan boys in the town, andbeneath it was a treasure belongingto them, and their father had been arighteous man, so thy Lord desiredthat they should reach their age offull strength and take out theirtreasure, as a mercy from thy Lord;and I did it not of my own accord.This is the explanation of that whichthou wast not able to bear withpatience.' 2121.

- , , 5' ~ ,~~

..' "~"/ ) "1-, ~~ \~~.\{jl"

~.." \~~.~~ .) :- J

r~ ,i'" r/~ 'J"\ '" f?" \~ ?~~~ "f~'r: \::IIcl\ ::t ~ ~ c> 0 .J JU" <.:)" -''"'.;To

jf~~?~~.,~.. ~J.1\~~ ~1~'" :;I;l;~.JJ\~-' ...~ .~ !)

",1,' .b" ,..,'" .~ r" /c-:'i"'~ "" j.~eu,) ~..fl~ \,.Q J ~..) ~ =.J

'"~ ,

~,~'"~~~ '\~~-,~~ ~ tI' .. ..,. ,J>' .

.."""

the followers of Moses gave free play to thirlow passions and, abandoning themselves to alife of ease and pleasure, exceeded aU boundsor moderation and sobriety.

2121. Commentary:As already pointed out JI..b; (the wall)

represents the elders of the Jews i.e. Moses,Jesus (18 : 78) and Abraham of whom theQuran says, "and in the next he will surelybe among the righteous" (2 : 131).

By jS (treasure) is meant the treasure ofdivine knowledge which was vouchsafed to

- Moses and Jesus.

The verse purports to say that God preservedin the Quran the great treasure of spiritualknowledge which was vouchsafed to Moses andJesus (98 : 4) and which was in danger of beinglost because of the irreligiousness of the Jewsand their engrossment in worldly affairs sothat, when they awaken to a realization oftruth, they may accept it.

The words, as a mP.1"cyfrom thy La-rd, mean thatthe preservation by God of the imperishablepart of the teachings of Moses and Jesus in theQuran was an act of mercy on Hi part becausethe Jews by their repeated rebellion and trans-gression had forfeited all title to divine mercy.But despite their iniquities God had mercyon them and preserved their own treasures ofspiritual knowledge in the Quran for theirguidance.

The wordt" I did it not of my ownaccord,meanthat the Holy Prophet had no hand in thepreservation cf this great treaSI11'e of divineknowledge. A referenoe to this fact has alsobeen made in t.he words, "Nor does he speakof his own desire" (53: 4).

After a perusal of the incidents mentioned inthe preceding verses and their explanation itbecomes abundantly clear that the Vision ofMoses has been mentioned here to point to thefollowing facts:

(a) That it was decreed and was in the fitnessof things that the Holy Prophet should appearafter Christians who constitute the secondpart. of the Mosaic Dispensation had becomecorrupt.

(b) That because Islamic teaching was basedon laws and principles which differedfundamentally from some principles of theMosaic law, true and real co-operation betweenJews and Muslims was impossible. butsalvation without subscribing to Islamicprinciples was alao unthinkable.

(c) That Jews and Christians would refuse toaccept the Hc.ly Prophet and would followtheir own separate COU1'3ebut they will haveto give their allegiance to him in the long ruu.

(d) That, after a long and fatiguing journeyand after having despaired of obtaining realpeace and contentment of mind through their

own unaided effortst Jews a~d Christians

1530

PT. 16

.11

AT,-KAIlF CR. 18

84. And they ask thee about Dhu'l ..~'i'/\ll~r" g.b'~':t .",

.-:-\~,1~"....Qarnain. Say, 'I will certainly recite ~~'- ~ ~~t~J ~ ~~Jto you something, of his story'. 2122

b\;~t':.'''.@~~ce.;

wo.uld be co.mpelled to. take stock o.ftheir who.lepo.sitio.n with the result. tha.t they wo.uld realizethat as their religio.n had lo.ng o.utlived its use-fulness they sho.uld have given it up lo.ngbefo.re.

(e) That after the dawning o.f this realizatio.nupo.n them, the pro.phecies co.ncerning themwhich have been preserved in the Quran willlead Jews and Christians to. accept theHo.ly Pro.phet.(n That after having accepted Islam they

will submit themselves to. limitatio.ns andrestrictio.ns which it has impo.sed npon man to.regulate bis mo.ral co.nduct, and that bysubduing their unrestrained passio.ns they willbeco.me resigned to. diyine deCIee and thus willdraw npo.n themselves God's grace and willbathe in the sea o.f His Mercy.In fact, tIle lsra' o.fMo.sesco.nstituted a beautiful

prelude to. theco.ming Islamic Dispensatio.nwhich was to. supplant the Mo.saic Law.2122. Important Words:

~i}l' J~ (Dhu'l Qarnain). .J~ is derived fro.m.Jvi (qarana). They say J~ ~.J~i.e. he co.nnected a thing with a thing. .Jvimeans, ho.rn; edge; bo.rder o.f the risingsun; trumpet o.f the Last Judgement;no.bleman ; o.ne's equal in age; a generatio.no.f men; peo.ple of o.ne time; peo.ple o.fa timeamong who.m there appears a Pro.phet o.f Go.d ;century; age (Lane & Aqrab). See also 6 : 7.~ommentary :

Befo.re pro.ceeding to. kno.w and establish theidentity o.f Dhu1 Qarnain it is necessary to.state the re'1so.ns why at all his sto.ry has beenrelated in the Quran and why it has fo.und suchpro.minent mentio.n in the present Sura. APo.inte!! refereJ\.ce has alrea.dy been made in

this Sura to. the two. perio.ds o.fthe great materialpro.gresso.f Christian natio.ns. Its o.peningverses give a so.tnewhat detailed account o.f theDwellers of the Cave. We are to.ld that inthe early dayt' of Christianity, Christians WEretrue and righteous follo.wers of their FaithEven in later years when they came to acquiregreat po.litical po.wer but lo.st much of their

,

fo.rmer spiritual vitality and religio.us fervo.ur,they did no.t alto.gether beco.me divo.rced fro.mtheir religio.n because till that time they hadretained some faith in Jesus and because alsoa new Dispensatio.n which demanded thrirallegiance had no.t yet co.me into force.

After the story of the Dwellers o.fthe Cavean account of the Isrii' (".J"'I) o.r SpiritualJo.urney of Mo.ses which representE. the advento.f the Holy Pro.phet of Islam has bel n givenin so.me detail in o.rder to. sho.w that withthe Holy Pro.phet's appearance the first perio.dof the material prosJWrity and pro.gress o.f theChristian peo.ple would co.me to an end andtho.qgh it would still be po.ssible fo.r themto. make so.me progress they would reach thezenith o.f their m~terial glory and greatness fora seco.nd time long after his advent. Spiritually,ho.wever, they wo.uld be a dead peo.ple andwitJlOut the Ho.ly Prophet's acceptance therewo.uld be no redemptio.n fo.r them. This seco.ndperiod of material po.mp and grandeur and thespiritual death o.f the Christian peo.ple arerepresented in divine Scriptures by the pheno.mena] rise to power of Gog and Magog whichfo.rms one of the central themes o.f the presentSura. Because politically Gog and Magogand Dhu'l Qarnain are inseparably linked witheach o.ther, as will aP:rear from the follo.wing

J531

CR. Ie AI,-KAHF PT. 16

paragraphs, Dhu'l Qarnain's account also hasbeen given at some length in this Sura.

Now as to Gog and Magog. These nameswere given to certain tribes who lived in th\3extreme north-west of Asia and eastern Europe.The fertility of the Asiatic plains led thesetribes to make inroads into the south andsouth-west of Asia. If these incursions hadbeen uniformly successful the whole courseof subsequent human history would havecompletely changed and, like the maraudingAryans before them, these people would alsohave settled in Asia and would have beenconverted to the various religions of theEast. But, as is eXplained in the followingverses, Dhu'l Qarnain set up a formidable barrierwhich prevented their spreading into Asia andthus compeHed them to move further West.Thus they became hedged in between theextreme north-west of Asia and easternEurope and instead of penetrating into Asiathey spread into other parts of Europe. Therethey came. into contal}t with Christianitywhich they accepted and made thdrnational Faith. But these people nevercea.:.ed to cast longing eyes on thefertile lands of Asia and to cherish anintense desire to conquer them. The sense offrustration at their failure to fulfil their heart-felt desire deepened with every generation tillit developed into a feeling of political hostilitytowards the Asiatic peoples which burst forthin its full fury in the last three centuries. ThusDhu'l Qarnain's efforts to check these peoplefrom spreading into Asia, in a way, led to thegreat spiritual havoc caused among mankindby Dajjtil which is the second name of Gogand Magog. As both Gog and Magog andDhu'l Qarnain are intimately connected witheach other, Dhu'l Qarnain has found a mentionin the Quran along with the account of thesecond rise to power and prosperity ofChristian nations who, in our age, representGog and Magog.

Who is this Dhu'} Qamain to whom

present and the foHowing several verses refera.nd when and where did he live 1 Before ananswer to this question is attempted it must'be pointed out that the Quran is not a bookof history. It does not merely record anhistorical event to establish its authenticity~The so-caHed stories mentioned in the Quranare, in fact, so many prophecies about futureevents. The story. of Dhu'l Qarnain alsobelongs to the same category. It is not merelyan account of the military exploits of a greatand noble conqueror who lived in the past butit contains also a prophetic reference to anothergreat historical personage, & World Reformer,who was to appear in some future time-our own time. About the appearance of thisReformer who has been called "the PromisedMessiah and Mahdi" repeated mention hasbeen made in Muslim Scriptures (Bukhii.ri, Mii.jaetc.). Thus the story of Dhu'l Qamain possessesboth an historical and a spiritual significanceand therefore deserves special study.

Dhu'l Qarnain was the founder of the Medo-Persian Empire which represented the twohorns of the ram of Daniel's famous dream.Daniel says: "I saw the ram pushing west-ward, and northward, and southward; so thatno beasts might stand before him, neither wasthere any that could deliver out of his hand;but he did according to his will, and becamegreat" (Dan. 8 : 4). Quite in harmony with thispart of Daniel's dream, the Quran mentionsthree journeys of Dhu'l Qarnain (vv. 87, 91,94). This fact lends powerful f>Upport to theinference that Dhu'l Qamain is the descriptivename of a king of Media and Persia. Andof all kings of Media and Persia, the descriptiongiven in the Quran most fitly appliesto Cyrus. He ascended the throne of Persiaafter the death of his father and subsequentlyconquered Media which was a greater kingdomthan Persia, and thus was fulfilled the secondpart of Daniel's dream: "and behold, therestood before the river a ram which had two

the horns; and the two horns werehigh; but one.1~2

PT. 16 AL-KAHE Cll. is

was higher than the other and the highercame up last" (Dan. 8 : 3).

The Quran has mentioned four distinctivemarks of Dhu'] Qarnain: (1) He was arighteous servant of God, and he was blessedwith divine revelation (vv. 87, 92 & 99). (2)He was a great conqueror and a kind andjU&t ruler; and he treated the nations heconquered roost benevolently (vv. 85, 89). (3)He marched to the West and made greatconquests till he came to a place where hefound the sun setting in a pool of murkywater and then he turned to the East andconquered and subdued vast territories (vv.85, 87, 88, 89). (4) Last of all he went to ~

midway region where lived a savage peopleand where Gog and Magog made inroads, andhe built a wall there to stop these inroads(vv.94-98). Now of the great monarchs andfamous military captains of ancient times Cyruspossesses in the greatest measure the fourabove.mentioned qualifications. He thereforemore than anybody else deserves to beconsidered as the Dhu'l Qarnain of the Quran.

'rhe first distinguishing mark of Dhu'l Qarnainmentioned above is that he was a righteousman of God and was blessed with divinerevelation. The Bible agrees with the Quran inthis respect. The Bible says:

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd,and shall perform all my pleasure: evensaying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built;an:-d to the temple, Thy foundation shallbe laid. Thus saith the Lord to Hisanointed, to Cyrus whose righthand I haveholden, to subdue nations bdore 111m,.. .. . . . . ..that thou mayest know thatI, the Lord which ca.ll th~e by thy name,am the God of Isra.el .Now inthe first year of Cyru3 king of Persia,that the word. of the Le.ra by themout.h of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, th~Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyru~ kingof Persia, that he made a proclamationthroughout all his kingdom, and put it

elso inrwriting saying: Thus e.aith Cyrusking of Pusia, the Lord God of heaven hathgi\en me all the kingdoms of the earthand He hath charge<l me to build Himan house at Jerusalem which i in Judah(Isaiah, 44: 28; 4-5: 1-3; Ezra. 1 : 1-2 &2 Chron. 36 : 22-23).

Thus according to the Bible Cyrus wasJehovah's "friend", His "anointed" and

" shepherd" and" performed all His pleasure"(Jew. Ene., vol. 4, p. 404 & Ene. Bib., vol. I,col. 980).

Dhu'l Qarnain's second characteristic accordingto the Quran is that he was a great conquererand ruler of vast territories. About this theBible says:-

Thus saith Cyrus king of Pers~a, the J~ordGod of heaven hath given me all the king.doms of the earth and he hath charged meto build Him a house at Jerusalem. . . .Who~e hand I have holden, tosubdue nations before him; and I willloose the loins of kings, to open Pefore himthe two-leaved gates I will gobefore thee, and make the crooked placesstraight; I will break in pieces the gatesof brass and cut in sunder the bars '.)£iron; and I will give thee the treasures ofdarkness, and hidden riches of secret places(Ezra 1 : 2; Isaiah 4-5: 1-3).

In this respect history also supports theQuran and the Bible: It represents Cyrusas a great conqueror and a very humane rulerwho treated the nations he conquered mostgenerously and in ret.urn rf:ceived their mOi:>twilling allegiance:

I knew that there Were some who willinglyobeyed Cyrus, that were many days' journey,and others that were even some months' journeydistant from him, some, too, who had neverseen him and some who knew very well thatthey never should see him; and yet theyreadily submitted to his government; for he80 far excelled alJ other kings, as well asthose that had received their dominion fromtheir fore-fathers, as those that had acquiredit by their own efforts More

1533

tH. 18 AL-KAlIF PT. 16

than this he was most humane. His shield isstained by no horrible deeds of blood, offrightful reyenge and cruelty... . .He spared andmade gifts to conquered enemies Becauseno wide. stream of blood separated him from thevanquished, he fO\1Ild the only possible basisfor his giant structure in the raising of theconquerors and the conquered to equal privileges. . . . .. ..Who is there that approaches him fHe is not only beloved by his own people asa father incomparable in every way Hewas not the product and child of his agebut its creator and father. (Historians' Historyof the World, under Cyrus).

Dhu'l Qamain's third outstanding markmentioned in the Quran is that he conqueredand established a vast empire in the East aswell as in the West. Now it is a well-knownfact of history that Cyrus ruled over vastterritories which extended to the waters of theBlack Sea in the West and to the confines ofMghanistan, Samarcand and Bukhara in theEast. About his conquests in the West itmay briefly be stated that he had hardlybecome the ruler of Media and Persia whenOroesus, the King of Lydia (Asia Minor), fromhit capita1, Sa~dis, instigated the rulers ofBabylon. Egypt and Sparta, and rose againsthim but within a few days suffered a crushing.defeat and opened the way for Cyrus' conquestsup to the banks of the Black Sea. Cyrusconquered Babylon, Nineveh and Greekcolonies which had extended to the northof Asia Minor to the Sea of Marmora. Thushe rea.ched that pool of murky water whichwas situated to the West of that country.About Cyrus' conquests in the East

the HiRtorisl's' HistQry of the World (vol. 2,Imder Cyru,,) says:

Ho w far to the East Cyrus utended hisdominion we do not how, but it isprobable that all the countries to the Eastw)\ioh are mentioned in the older inscriptionsof Darius as in subjection or rebemon werealready subject in the time of Cyrus. Inthis case Chorasmia (Kharezll1, themodem Khiva) and SogdLna (Samarcand

and Bukhara) belonged to him. He doubt-less ruled also over a large portion of modemAfghanistan.

The followiDg erlract also from the Historians'History of the World (under Cy.."\18)throwsfurther light on the va;t range of theconquests e:f Cyrus in both the West and theEast.

But Cyrus finding, in like man1ler.~henations of Asia independent and settingout with a little army of Persians, obtainedthe dominion over the Medes by their ownchoice, and over the Hyrcanians in asimilar manner; he subdued the Syrians,Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, bo~hthe Phrygians, the Lydians, Carians,Phoeni.cians and Babylonians; he had underhis rule the Bactrians, Indians and Ciliciansas well the Sacians, Paphlagonians andMagadidians and many other nations ofwhom we cannot enumerate even the names.He had dominion over the Gref-ks thatwere settled in Asia and going down tothe sea over the Cyprians and Egyptians.These nations he ruled though they spokeneither the same language with himself norwith one another; yet he was able toextend the fear of himself over so great apart of the world, that he 8&tonishedall and no one attempted anythingagainst him without a strugglethe greatest empires, the two conquerorsof Nineveh, surrendered to him boththemselves and their own kings in chains,as had been done to none other; even Tyre,that proud and mighty ('ity, unconqueredand uncpnquerable, with whose lion-couragehis predecessor and his successor, Nebucha<i-nezzar and Alexander alik., wrestled sofiercely and 80 long, did homage to himof her own free will. Above all, the littlepeople of the Jews hailed him at the watersof Babylon as they had done no mortalbefore or since, as the victor and rescuer,the liberator and saviour.

The fourth notable feature of Dhut] Qamainreferred to in the Quran is that after hisconquests he turned his attel1tion to a. midwayregion. Here lived a half savage people whowere the target of constant attacks by Gog

1534

~t. 1~ It-:k:AHF CR. IS

and Magog and he built a wall to stop theseinroads. Now in order fully to understand andappreciate this Quranic passage it is necessaryto know who Gog and Magog were. Aboutthese people the Bible says:

Son of man, set thy face toward Gog, of theland of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshechand Tubal, and prophecy against him,and say, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, Iam against thee, 0 Gog, prince of Rosh,Mesheeh, and Tubal: and I will turn theeabout and put hookB into thy jaws. . . .Persia,Cush and Put with them (Ezekiel 38: 2-6).

This shows that according to the Bible, whichis our first and main source of information aboutGog and Magog, Russia, Moscow and Tobolskwhich are all situated in northern regionswere the homeland of these people.History supports this Biblical account about

Gog and Magog. Magog is mentioned inGenesis 10 : 2 as the second son of Japheth,between Gomermd Ma(.ai. Gomerrepre",entingthe Cimmerians who lived to the east ofAsia Minor and Madai the Medes, Magog mustbe a people located east of the Cimmeriansand west of the Medes. But in the list ofnations (Gen. 10) the term connotes rather thecomplex of Barbarian peoples dwelling at theextreme north and north-east of thegeographical survey covered by the chapter. . . .In Ezek. 39 : 6 Magog occurs as the nameof a northern people, the leader of whom isGog and in Revelation Gog and Magog areconsidered as a comprehensive term for thepowers of evil. Josephus identified themwith the Scythians, a name. which amongclassical writers stands for a number of unknownferocious tribes. According to Jerome Magogwas situated' beyond the Caucasus, nearthe Caspian Sea. This also is the same northernregion where the Scythians Jived. Herodotusindicates that these nomads (Scytbians) camethrough the natural gate between the Cauoa8118and the Caspian Sea, the pass of Darband (Jew.Enc., under Gog and Magog & Historians'History of the World, vol. 2) p. 582).

Now as quoted above from the Bible, Gogand Magog had conquered Persia and it is awell-known fact of history that "Persia fdlinto the hands of the Scythians or MedianEmperor who ruled Ecbatana from whom itwas delivered by Cyrus the Great (Historians'History of the World, vol. 2, p.589).

So it seems quite clear that the Sr.ythiansor Gog and Magog occupied territoriesto the north and north-east of the BlackSea and that they came from these territoriesthrough the pass of Darband and invaded andconquered and ruled over the Persians and thatCyrus had defeated them and delivered thePersians from their clutches.

As to the last point about Dhu'l Qarnain-thathe built a strong wall as a barrier againstthe inroads of Gog and Magog-we find thatexactly at the place which a.ccording toHerodotus was the pass through which theScythians made raids upon Persia stood awall, the famous wall of Derbent. TheEncylopaedia Britannica (under Derbent) refersto this wall as follows:

Derbent or Darband, a town of Persia,Caucasia, in the province of Daghestan,on the western shore of the Caspian. . . . . .And tc the south lies the seaward extremityofthe Caucasian wall, 50 miles long otherwiseknown as Alexander's wall, blockingthe narrow pass. of the Iron Gate or. theCaspian Gate. This, when entire, had a heightof 29 feet and a thickness of about 10 feet,and .with its iron gates and numerouswatch-towers formed a veritable defenceof the Persian Frontier.

This extract shows that there existed a wallwhich served as a barrier against, and protectedPersia from, the attacks of the Scythians in thenorth. It is generally believed that this wasbuilt by Alexander the Great but this popularbelief is against proven facts of hist::>ry.Alexander defeated Darius in the summer of330 B.C., but this defeat did not give himpossession of the whole of Persia. Withoutpausing to take rest he proceeded to subdue

1535

CD. 18 At- KAHF P1'. i {}

85. a'We established him in theearth and gave him the means toacc()mplisk everything. 2123

,;!.

,,"-:~. " """'" ."~~,j (~~ C':: ,~ ..

. ,~~ ~\ ,<.e..)~I~ 'U. ~"'($* IJ'"

.. ,., " -...

~~Q.~ ..

a12: 22; 57.

the whole country, but had hurriedly to comeback to quel! 8 revolt in his re':\r. After thishe marched on to Kabul, whera he had to faceanother revolt in his army and it was only in thewinter of 329 B.C., that he could come to India.He finished 311this journey in such haste thatsome historians have doubted whether it couldha.ve been accomplished in such a short time.Anyhow, it is admitted that he fought hiR wayto India and did not stop anywhere. FromIndia he returned in 324 B.C. to Persia, where hehad again to face a revolt in his army. Aftersubduing it he started for home and died on theway in June, 323 B.C. (Ene. Brit., 14th edition,vol. 1, pp. 569, 570). These facts show that hismilitary expeditions were like a whirlwind andhe conquered a large part of the world in a veryshort time. Amidst these whirlwind expeditionshe could not give attention to any vastproject such as the building of a large wall ofthe nature of that under discussion. The popularnotion that Alexander had built this wallseems to have ~risen from the fact that MuslimCommentators of the Quran mistook Dhu'lQarnain for Alexander.

But if Alexander did not build this wall itdoes not prove that Cyrus built it. We arenot in possession of quite incontestible andconclusive historical evidence to show thatCyrus did build this wall. Our conclusion thathe was its builder is based only on thefollowing circumstantial evidence :-

(a) Darius about whom Cyrus had seen avision that his wings would overshadow Europe 2123. ~ommentary:and Asia ascended the Persian throne after the It has been made clear in the note on Dhu'ldeath of the son of Cyrus. In order to break the Qarnain that Cyrus was blessed with

power of the Scythians Darius passed through every kind of means for his great conquests

1536

Greece and attacked them from across Europe.It is inconceivable that Darius should haveundertaken such a long, arduous and round.about journey to attack these people fromacross south.east Europe when they lived verynear him in the north. The inevitableconclusion is that the existence of a huge wallwhich only Cyrus before him could have builthad made it impossible for him to cross overto the other side with a large force. Nor wasit pos.."ible for him to demolish it or take hisarmy safely through its gates. So in order tofulfil his mission the only possible and wisecourse open to- Darius was to attack t4eScythians from the side of Europe.

(b) If there existed no impassable barrierof the nature of that under discussion it isinconceivable that, wise and far-seeingstrategist as he was, Darius should haveadopted a circuitous route of thousands of milesacross Europe to attack the Scythians, leavinghis own country exposed to their attacb fromacross the border.

(c) The faot that -before the time of Cyrus theScythians made const.ant and uninterruptedraids on Persia but after his conquests these.raids completely ceased leads to the - veryprobable conclusion that he must have set upa barrier which effectively checked theseattacks, and that the barrier must be thefamous wall at Derbent, mistakenly knownas Alexander's wall.

Pt. 1~ At- t{AR:It ell. is

86. Thenway.

a certainhe followed

87- Until, when he reached thesetting of the sun, he found it settingin a pool of murky water, and nearit he found a people. We said, '0Dhu'l Qarnain, either punish them, ortreat them with kindness/2124

88. He said, a'As for him who doeswrong, we shall certainly punishhim; then shall he lJe brought backto his Lord, \Vho will punish himwith a. dreadful punishment, 2125

~ ~ ":r~e.- ~.~

~~ , 9:~r" ,~,~r~~H '" V ~(~ \'='\':.,

~ y jo7J\.d)~-'., y~ c:- ), i!:f!!:.

, ", ~\; J, r~ -:. {~ ".. , ~, ~~ ''-,

~ - ~ \.o~'-'D~~J J~",. ~

"' .

'-':"'~(."-;~ , " ":''''!-'' \r~ '~.,"..'\,~ 1 I~ /"1 I..A U, \ --, 1-' \.A' "",- ,~ry;;'~ - ,

-' .~ - . ,,"-J::'..r-'

e~J\ '",,,'''''1.~9't'A ...,"~ ,:{If " r~" J~r'

~ >..I..,:D.J ~~ ~~ ~ c:Y'\-'0\ "Q.,~r; ~,~~ y...J"~..\;J~., .~,~J

a7 : 166.

and that. God Himself directed all his ways andhad given him all t,he kingdoms of the earth(Isaiah 45: 13 & Ezra 1: 2).The words d' J'i' J ~ L(. ~, sign ify that

the rise of Cyrus to power took place underexceptional circumstances.The ~ords ~~ S (everything) mean everything

necesaary for the accomplishment of his task.2124. Important Words:~:.:"..{p (pool of murky water). ~~ is

derived from 1"... They say ;1\1".. i e. hecleansed the well of its black, fetid mud.

;}'.;..:':"" means, the well had in it blackmud in abundance. ~ , ~ means, a man

of evil eye who inJures with his eyehim whom he sees and admires. Thewords ':t~ iP mean, a well or a spring or poolfoul with black, fetid D!ud (Lane). See also15: 29.c.ommentary :

The words ~ ',-:" ~ i.e. the place wherethe sun set; signify the westernmost parts ofCyrus' Empire or the north-western boundary

, of Asia Minor and refer to the Black Seabecause it formed the ncrth-western boundary

of the Empire of Cyrus. The verse refe!!! to theexpedition which Cyrus undertook agaillst

.1537

.his enemies in the West. "Soon

.aft~r

the conquest of the Median empire Cyrus wasattacked by a c<:alition of the other powersof the East-Babylon, Egypt and Lydia,joind by Sparta, the greatest military powerof Greece. In the spring of 546 Croesus ofLydia began the attack and advanced illtoCappadocia, while the other powers were stillgathering their troops. But Cyrus anticipatedthem; he defeated Croesus and followed himto his capital. In the autumn of 546 Sardiswas taken and the Lydian kingdom became aprovince of the Persians During thenext few years the Persian army suppresseda rebellion of the Lydians. The King ofCilicia voluntarily acknowledged the Persiansupremacy" (Ene. Brit., & Historians' Historyof the World, under CY111S).

The words, "he found it (the sun) setting in aspring of murky water," signify that it is !lot asmall pool to. whioh they refer. The watersreferred to are so extensive that if one were totake his stand on the shore at the time of sunset,the sun would appear to be setting in the sea.

2125.(A)~entary:The words, then Bhalt he be brought back to his

ctt. 18 At-itAnj ~i'. 1ii

89. a'But as for him who believesand acts righteously, he will have agood reward, and we shall speak to~IP easy words of Our command'. 2126

c,~~9j, ;r/~f~f1- It" .1 ~"'''' ,' ~" r~'" ""~ I:j;..!.9.""J:' ~ \..t.o ~ ,) ~ ~ \.4',)

@b

'~"t" '''\ ' ~' J'-"9 "".,,'/lCi1~.\Uu:t ..~ ...:.r-:. ~ v-'" . ~.,

90. Then indeed he followed anotherway.

91. Until, when he reached therising of the sun, he fOlmd it risingon a people for whom We' had madeno shelter against it. 2127

ra'\ ~~ "',

:,,,, ...~~.. ~\»

Jf~~~~\~~\~tl;J{? r~'. "

,

~ ~ ,'\ ~~<,i '1-@1M~.J.)~

' ~',PJ-f~

92. Thus indeed it was. Verily, Weencompassed with Our knowledge allthat was with him. 2128

a2 : 26 ; 3: 58 ; 6: 49; 19 : 61 ; 25 : 71 ; 34 : 38.

Lord, indicate that Cyrus believed in life after history. Contemporary historians, most ofdeath. He was a follower of Zoroaster and them beiIlg Greek, have given detailed accountsof all religions, second only to Islam, of the conquests of Cyrus in the West but haveZoroastrianism has lain the greatest stress on life very tittle to say about his conquests in theafter death. "There can be no doubt that Cyrus Ea t. They do not go beyond remarking thatand his Persians, like Darius at a later period, in the East Cyrus attacked regions in thewere faithful believers in the pure doctrine of neighbourhood of Afghanistan. But as SeistanZoroaster, and disdainfully regarded foreign then formed a part of the Persian empire we arecults" (Jew. Ene., vol. 4, p. (04). inclined to the view that the verse can apply

2126. Commentary: to Baluchistan also because the words, forThis verse sheds Bome light on the humanity whom We had made no shelter against it, give

of Cyrus and on his kind and benevolent an apt description of this barren and aridtreatment of the races he conquered. See country, full of deserts and rocks. The versealso 18 : 84. may also apply to the people who lived in th'3

2127. Commentary: plaim which have extended for hundreds ofmt. miles to the east of Seiatan and Herat and to-.llis ver"e refers to Cyrus' expedition to the

East-to Afghanistan and even Baluchistan. the north of Duzdab up to Meshed.

The words, on a people for whom We had made 2128. Commentary:no shelter against it, signify that at that time The words, We encompassed with Our knowledgethe Mghans wue an uncivilized people. They all that was with him, mean that Cyrus i:l hisdid not live in houses made of brick and expeditions was under divine protection.stone but in huts and tents. The words may These words agree with tbe Biblicalalso apply to Baluchistan. But very sketchy statement viz., "I will go before thee andreferences about Cyrus' expeditions to Mghanis- make the crooked places straight"tan and Baluchistan are found in books of (Isaiah 45 : 2).

1538

@r'J. ~~~~ '~J,~Jr1*>".. ~ J,jJ

'"

PT. 16 A TJ- KA IIiI' bIt. 18

another93. Then he followedway. 2129

94. Until, 'when he reached the placebetween the two mountains, he 'found,beneath them, a people who wouldscarcely understand a word. 2130

95. They said, '0 Dhu'l Qarnain,verilyGog and Magog are creatingdisorder in the eartb ; shall we thenpay t~ee tribute on condition t]latthou set up a barrier between us andthem 1 '2131

96. He replied, 'The power withwhich my Lord has endowed meabout this is better, but you mayhelp me with physical strength, I willset up between you and them arampart.' 2132

e:.~ n~l ~!@.. ~.,o.J') " . -f~'''~':'' , ;"" ,~" "

.'" f\~" .L

lAJ ~~.) ~~) ~.J.::Jt ~ C: '';11:f.

~ ,,, ~ ,,"'., ~"

,.

@j~ 0~;;~ 0j~~~, ~ 0

G>' &j; ".',9.~ "~., J \; ~ \ .''{ "::\\ \~ \:\~

~" ~ -'~ .. \:)... ~ V- .. ~(~. ''''~ r~ "1d(,1~~~ ~ . ,,,,, .

~ ~\ \0...» Cu ~ . i .o\"'I\,~. . . '-';'Ji;J~~ -~" "1"'"" C@\w~.' . .

..'., ",.~

~,.

~~~? ,.,!" ~19'~.,w:)4.:;,,:,,(;J\i. ~~~~ ~Lt "..,",

9-~r9 It"; .,9<~"' .~.,...~\;;G'))~.,~.

2129.~ommentary:The verRe refers to Cyrus' third expedition to

the north of Persia-to the territory betweenthe Caspian Sea and the Caucasian mountains.

2130. ~omttlentary:,The verse means to aay that the people ofthese regions spoke a different language fromthat of Cyrus but living in the immediateneighbourhoQd of Persia and, having constantcontact with the Persians and the Medians,they had learnt to understand and speak theirlanguage, though' very imperfectly and withvery great difliculty. The region in which thewall Was built was adjacent to Persia andlater fOIlJ;leda part of it. Now, however, it isincluded in the Russian territories.

The word /.tJ,.- (tW;) moulltains) signifies

two barriers..The pass of Derbent in which

the wall was built was bounded on one sideby the Caspian Sea and on the other by theCaucasian mountains. These two served astwo barriers for it.

.

2131. Commentary:

The people who lived on the rOlite of thedepredatory incursions of Gog and Magoginto Persia asked Cyrus to build a wan acrossthe pass through which they made theirraids.

2132. ~ommentary:

Cyrus said to the inhabitants of the plaMthat he had the plan of the wan and othernecessary material ready with him but theymust provide human labour. The word ojmeans physical strength i.e. human labour.

1539

cU. 18 At-UH' Pt. i697. 'Bring me blocks of iron'.

They did so till, when he had levelledup the space between the two moun-tain sides he said; 'Now blow with yourbellows'. They blew with bellows tillwhen he had made it red as fire hesaid,' 'Bring me molten copper thatI may pour it thereon.' 2133

98. So they (Gog and Magog) werenot able to scale it, nor were thevable to dig through it. 21M

.,

99. Thereuponhe said, 'This is a mercyfrom my Lord. But when the promise ~fmy Lord shall come to pass, He wiHbreak it into pieces. aAnd the promiseof my Lord is certainly true.' 2135

.,'" -'-. 'i' .

~~I-:'" '~'~I=" b.d~\t"'t t',.. ~~-' ;'"e. w.~ ~.JcJyl

~'~~\JGh~~tg!~b~, J~.It II!

~~~~ "''''..

.~1 ,"~~;. \ r'" " "9~k~ ,-, ~Jr,,,,f"''''V\..J ~ \..o.J~

-'~ ~, ~\.b.w' "'"

~!';" .~!'";r ;r\-:r~~,'\~~111~~ l' J""r~""'~V """,.J;~ )~ ~; ~ ~ r~ \:I

~~ ~

~~f.i;:.":; '" It~,,~ '0,. iII:.-(1#.

"-Y u~V"~.J~O';';. ~ ~a19:62; 46:17; 73:19.

2133. Commentary:

In addition to human labour Cyrus demandediron and molten copper from the inhabitantsof the place. Copper, unlike iron, does not

. rust and when it is mixed with iron the mixture

becomes all the more hard and defies rustingand corrosion. In order to keep the passopen for traders and Commercial travellersCyrus wanted to construct gates in the walland for that purpose he required iron andmolten copper.

2134. c.ommentary:

When the building of the wall was complet(>dthe raids of Gog and Magog from the northceased. The wall was too thick to be brokenthrough and too high to be scaled. It was,as already stated, 29 feet high and 10 feetthick and had iron gates and watch-towers.It effectively defended the Persi&.n frontier.

2135. Commentary:

The WQrdB, TMB i8 a mercy from my Lord,

throw much light on the humility and pietyof Cyrus. Like 8 righteous servant of God heclaimed for himself nto credit for his vastconquests but ascribed all that he was a.bleto achieve to the grace a~d mercy of God.Cyrus thus behaved like the true believerthat he was.

The words, But when the promise oj my LordshalT come to pass, show that Cyrus had beeninformed by revelation that sometime infuture Gog and Magog would again spread tothe South-East and this wall would thenfail to retard or check their progress. This i..the significance of tbe words, "He will breakit". In 21 : 97 we arc told that Gog and Magogwould spread their tentacles all over the world.Metaphorically the "bIeaking of the wall" mayalso mean the decline of the politicalpower of Islam, particularly of the Turks inEurope. With the weakening of the Turkishpower the way for Christian nations of Europeto conqu(;r the East became quite clear.

1540

PT: 16 AL- KAHF

100. And on that day We shallleave some of them to surge againstothers, aand the trumpet will beblown. Then shall We gather them alltogether. 2136

101. And on that dav We shallpresent Hell, face to f~ce, to thedisbelievers, 2137

102. bWhose eyes were under a veilso as not to heed My warning andthey could not even hear. 2138

OR. 18

"- .~~ . ""',,- '''9{.~"... ~""'."'"~~...~-' ~~ ~~. ~ ? ~~~ If.J

.~~~7J~ ",,,.,~ ~H,;G> .~~~J ~, ,

~ "'-A,," r;',. ''',

"". ~.. . ;1)'; "'~",,,, (~ ?",,,,,,.W~~ ct ~o~.~~.r-'

..."", ", ~{. .

,f.~"'f~)j''''''''~ ,." ,-'P,,,, ''''r~''''::'!))~~'''~~~' "

~~ ~~ ~~J

@t ~ "'~"L;'."~

,""" ""t

"r. C)~.;} r.tP. ..III ." ,-

°23: 102; 36: 52; 39: 69; 50: 21 ; 69: 14. b21: 43 ; 39: 46.

2136. CGmmentary:

The verse means to say that at the timeof the rise to power of Gog and Magog allpeoples of the world will come together lIoJ)dthe whole world will become like one count.ry.Nation will fight against nation and kingdomagainst kingdom and malice, hatred andiniquity will abound. The reference evidentlyis to the present age.

The rise of Gog and Magog or the Christiannations of the West to great power is alsomentioned in 21: 97 where it is statedthat, bre~king through all barriers and impedi-ments, these nations will occupy every positionof power and eminence. They will quickly

. spread aU over the world by means of their

sea-power (,:",J... in 21 : 97 means a highwa~e). When they have attained greatpower and have spread all over theworld and the nations of the world hayepaid homage to them, then will the divinepromise about their destruction be fulfilled.The coming of divine visitation will be sosudden and swift that they will be takencompletely by surprise and in utter dismayand bewilderment they will say to themselvesthl\t they never expected punishment to come

upon them so soon. The present verse andvv. 21: 97, 98 point to the fact that Gogand Magog will come not through a breachin any wall but over the waves of the seas,in steamships, and will hold sway ov~r allthe oceans of the world. They will scourthe seas and their sea-journeys will be veryquick, easy and comfortable. This prophecyof the Qnran has met with remarkable fulfil-ment in our own time. The Western Christiannrtions have scaled all the heights of materialpower. Great has been their rise and greaterwill be their fall I

2137. Commentary:

Those will be terrible days. The fire of Hellwill be kindled for the sinful. Nation willrise against nation and kingdom against king-dom and man will consign God to oblivionand, sinking in sin and iniquity, he will renderhimself deserving of divine punishment.

2138. Commentary:

The verse means to say that at that timeworship of God will totally disappear fromamong the Christian peoples and love ofMammon will take the place of love of Godil). their hearts. They will completely forget

.1541

CH.18 AL-KAHF PT. ]6

complete unless the reason is given as to why ithas been assigned such a promiw~nt place in theQuran, when as a fact of history it does notappear directly to concern us nor, does itsnarration benefit us materially or spiritually.In fact, it i~ more for its spiritual than forits historical importance that the story of Dhu'lQamain has been given so large a space in theHoly Book. The Quran is not a book ofhistory. The stories of past Prophets and otherhistorical incidents have not been mentioned init to acquaint us with events which took place inthe remote past. They are so many propheciesabout futme events. Some of these prophecieshave already been fulfilled in the person ofthe Holy Prophet while others await fulfilmentin some future time. The account of Dhu'}Qarnain, like other similar Quranic accounts,embodies a great prophecy which has beenfulfilled il~ the person of Ahmad, the HolyFounder of the Ahmadiyya Movement.Ahmad was the Dhu'l Qamainof our age.Whereas the Quranic account of Dhu'l Qarnainhistorically applies to the great Persian monarchCyrus, spiritually it applies to Ahmad. Thusbesides its historical value the story is' pregnantwith great spiritual import. It implies a greatprophecy to the effect that, just as in the6th century B.C. Cyrus saved Persia from thedepredatory raids of Gog and Magog, byerecting a barrier of brick and stone in theirway, another Dhu'l Qarnain will save the souland spirit of mankind, from the devastatingmoral assaults of Christian nations of the Westwho are the descendants of Gog and Magog.He will accomplish his great and nobletask by the help of divine knowledge andthe Signs that God will show at his hands.The nature of the work entrusted to boththese Dhu'l Qarnains bears a striking likenessto each other, only the one was in the mundanesphere, the other in the spiritual. The ProphetAhmad possessed many physical and spiritualresemblances with the great Cyrus. I~ike

The account of Dhu'! Qarnain will remain in- Cyrus, he was called the Messiah and li~e

.1542

their Creator and will attribute all theirgreat achievements to their own skill andeffort.

.

The words, and they could not ellen hear,mean that their hearts will become. S{) much

rusted and corroded that they will lose allattachment for the word of God and wiHrefuse to listen to it.

The foregoing verses refer to the great materialprogress and widespread conquests of Gog andMagog-Western Christian nations-and theirutter disregard for God and religion. Wehave also been told that, elated with theirpolitical power and military glory, they' willgive themselves up to a life of pleasure andsin and as a result will bring the wrath of Godupon themselves and their prosperity will giveplace to decline and degradation. Then in despairand despondency, as hinted at in Moses' Vision,they will turn to God and, having realized theerror of their ways, will come back to the"junction of the two Seas" i.e. they will acceptthe Holy Prophet. The following prophecyof the Bible forms a befitting sequel to theaccount ofGog and Magog and indicatesthe time of their rise to power and greatness:

And when the thousand years areexpired, Satan shall be loosed out ofhis prison. And shall go out todeceive the nations which are in thefour quarters of the earth, Gog endMagog, to gat.her them together tobattle; the number of whom is asthe sand of the sea (Revelation20: 7-8).

By "the thousand years" are meant th~thousand years of the Hijra-Emigrationof the Holy Prophet to Medina in 622 A.D.The above passage along with chapters 38and 39 of Ezekiel makes it quite clear thatthe rise of Gog and Magog was to have begunin the 17th century A.D. and to have reachedits zenith in our own time.

PT, 16 AL-KAHF cn. 18

103. Do the disbelievers think thatthey -can take My servants asprotectors instead of Me 1 Surely, a"Wehave prepared Hell as an entertain-ment for the disbelievers. 2139

104. Say, 'Shall. We tell you ofthose who are the greatest losersin respect of their works 1

105. b'Those whose labour is alllost in search after things pertainingto the life of this world, and they thinkthat they are doing good works.' 2140

106. Those are they who disbelievein the Signs of their Lord and in themeeting with Him. cSo their worksare vain: and on the Day ofResurrection We shall give them noweight. 2141

",,-

~ \'" .~.~~,?'~~~~jj, " "-:,..x(S~ ." ~~.(.:) 1.'.>AJC.(, ~. ~

j,""'"..,

~' ~G.- it,,~// ~~ ~I "~'f d";<.:r..~~ "

~ ..-,,) ,,''" ~n

G»))j.i

~,,,,

I';~~"~" ":'~~~ Ji J:;e~ t cr.~;, ~

' 9 , d ".-:. "',~~ "'~.~tt~'.'.~q..; "T~~~GJ.U

~-' .. UJ 7~ ~.. . ..".@ ~ .. .

",'9.

"9-"'11" ;~:~"&\

. /O'~'. .

. ~tU r <.:),~-:~.. ..

,..,.. I'~W "'~5~~\'9~~-:"~1~ iI -!; ...J \;::;:.- ;..!)JAJ ~"'I;'.)

cl~'£i,'",,,

~9"..!~f~~~ ~l"''''~'"

..,,..o~~.;):l ~- ;,

rf Of"

eU..h

a29 : 69 ; 33 : 9 ; 48 : 14; 76 : 5. bll: 22. c2: 218; 3: 23; 7 : 148; 9: 69.

him, he was of Persian origilliCyrus wasDhu'l Qamain in the sense tbat he was therrJer of the double Medo-Persian Empire andAhmad (1835-1908) was Dhu'l Qamain in thesense that he saw the beginning of twocenturies of several eras (Qarn meaning acentury).

For a further study of this most interestingsu~ject the reader is referred to BarahiniA1}.madiyya, Part v, pp. 91-93; also theReview of Religions, Qadian, vol. 17, No.6.

2139. Commentary:

The verse speaks of those people who look uponJesus 1'&their saviour and as the son of Godand to whom reference has already been madein the beginning of this Ohapter. This !!hows

that the foregoing verses also deal with thesame people-Christian nations of the West.

2140. Commentary:The verse means to eay th8t these people

l( ok upon the acquisition of material comforte

and worldly benefits and upon making newinvel.ltions and discoveries to add to thosecomforts as the sole aim -and object of theirlife. They have no place for God in thei!-hearts.

2141. Commentary:

As all thoir labour is for this lifeand they have completely disregarded thelife to come, 80 no sign or trace of theirworks will be left in this. world and on theLast Day also their deeds will prove quitefutile.

.1543

CH.18 AL.KAHF PT. 16

107. That is their reward~Hell:beoausethey disbelieved, and madea jest of My Signs and MyMessengers. 2142

108. Surely, those who believe anddo good deeds, will have Gardens ofParadise for an abode.

109. aWherein they will abide; theJwill not .desire any changetherefrom. 2143

BO. Say, b'If the ocean becameink for the words of my Lord, surely,the ocean would be exllausted beforethe words. of my I.Jord came. to anend, even though VV'e brought thelike thereof as further help'. 2144

'''' ,t."",,

\,J.-:/::\ '" \"~r~.

,,; , '9:f~"" ~!~. !'~ -'!.'vRJ ~ ,,:;Jb-,~ "'.)

CA\~e9 'l!..''''\!::It.)jJb W..) )

, , ''''r~.' I'- .. t

'"~ ~o~JfP ~""\"", ":'." , 1-("" ~-'~ ~~ C),

~ ~" , ".

/.:).",. . ""'~. , III

'"vb}) ~ r..JI! -,) ~".. 'rtI~,. .

85/ ~ ,:'9.'/~~':'~~ ~~...;I ..;~ '

~ ':~jJ~I~I~~\ ~~~ \?;, '" , . \:,) ~ I.,,):'

~ ~,J/'W"'~n~""""'~~'''''''''\';;""""~ >'~~JUJ~~~\~~', ;, (JIll ..

-? j-'~, :@L~~~

all : 109; 15: 49. b31 : 28.

2142. Commentary:

As these people turned their b~cks upon Godand did nothing to win His pleasure, theycan expect no reward in the Hereafter. Onthe contrary, they will bum in the fire cf Henwhich will be the natural consequence of theirdisbelief and evil deeds and of their mockingat the Signs of God and defying His Messengers.

2143. Commentary:

With the decline of Christian Mtions willbegin the progress and advancement ofMuslims and on the ashes of their departedglory will be laid the foundations of a new andbetter world order. At last the believerswill get the reward of their sacrifices andsufferings but their sacrifices in the way oftheir Lord will know no end. The Faithfulwill feel such peace of mind and happinessin their sacrukes that they will not like

to change this blessed state of spiritualbliss.

2144. Commentary:

Christian nations of the West boast of theirgreat inventions and scientific discoveries andseem to labour under the misconception thatthey have succeeded in fathoming the secretof creation itself. But, says the verse, this isnothing but a vain boast. God's secrets are soinexhaustible and He has endowed Hiscreatures with such wonderful powers andattributes that far from fathoming the secretof creation, what these people will be able todiscover after all their striving will not beeven as much as a drop in the ocean.

The verse also hints that. those will be thedays of publicity and innumerable boob on allsorts of subjects will be published but eventhen the vast ocean of knowledge will replainunfathomed.

1544

PT. 16 AL-KAHF CH. 18

Ill. Say, fI'l am only a man likevourselves: but I have received the~evelation that your God is only OneGod. bSo let him, who hopes to meethis Lord, do good deeds, and lethim join no god in the worship of hisLord. 2145

L'\~"I

,...,

~"''' d'''' 1

'i',9 ? y." &/1 \~"('l~\ Ji'!.,;\1 , .;.. , ". t II I ~~, :.

VI,-'~.\\a \ \.i;I:N~ "

I "".,JO."

~'"

{f;"J;~~" X~I \'

,;~ ~\f ,=~ ~&,..,-:~ ..' ~~ ~ ~~.CJ V-- ~l'

~'~~.>;>~~~.(.~\:J~ &~ 1:.-'" ."',.. ., ..;/,).,

I"

aU : 12; 41 : 7. b2 : 47, 224; 11 : 30; 29: 6; 84: 7.

2145. Commentary:The Holy Prophet is here commanded to

say to the disbelieving Christian people that,even after having disclosed so many secretsof the unknown and having made greatprophecies about the ultimate triumph of hiscause and the downfall of Christian nations,he cannot claim to be a son of God or tohave been endowed with divine powers. He isbut a human being and his greatest merit liesin his being the bearer of the divine Message.If disbelievers too desire to be ble~sed withrevelation, they should also give up associating

false gods with Allah. Then will God bestowHis favours upon them and lay open to themthe treasures of heavenly secrets.

The Holy Prophet is reported to have saidthat the recitation of the last ten verses ofthis Chapter makes one secure against thespiritual ouslaughts of the DajjaZ. This showsthat the DajjilZ and Gog and Magog are oneand the same people-Christian nations of theWest; the Dajjiil representing the evil aspect oftheir religious propagauda and Gog and Magogtheir material and political predominance.

1545

CHAPTER 19

MARY AM

(Revealed before Hijra)

Title an~ Date of Revelation

As this Sura primarily deals with the story of Mary round which revolve all the other inci..dents mentioned in it and as it particularly draws our attention to the distinctive features of Mary'scharacter and personality, it bears the title of Maryam, despite the fact that great Prophets of Godlike Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Ishmael and other Divine Messengers like Idrls, Zachariahand Yal;1ytihave also found prominent mention in the Sura.

The consensus of opinion among such Companions of the Holy Prophet as have expressedany view about the date of the revelation of this Sura, regards it as of Meccan origin. 'Abdullahbin Mas'lid who was one of the earliest Companions of the Holy Prophet holds the view that BanIIsrA'il, Kahf and Maryamwere among the SUros that were revealed very early in the Holy Prophet'sministry (Bukhltri). Christian writers such as Rodwell, Wherry and Muir, also consider it ashaving been revealed at Mecca. It is a well-known fact of history, related by the historianIbn Isl}liq, that when in the early days of Islam the persecution of Muslims exceeded. allbounds and life at Mecca became quite unsafe for them, some of them were asked by the HolyProphet to emigrate to Abyssinia. Realizing that the persecuted Muslims had found safe refugein a foreign land and that their evil designs to nip the young and tender plant of Islam in the budhad been frustrated, a deputation of Meccans led by the famous 'Amr bin al-'A~ went to Abyssinia'to..as}("ib'e-NegUs, its Christian king, for extradition of the Muslims who had taken refuge in hiscountry, and in order to excite his jealousy told him that they did not accord to Jesus and Marythat high spiritual status in which they were held by the Christians and even defamed and disgrac-ed them. Before, however, granting the deputation's request, the Negus asked Ja'far, the leaderof ~he refugee Muslims, as to what he had to say in the matter. Upon this la'far recited thoseverses (from 17th to 41st verse) of this Sura which shed full light on the true status of Jesus andhis mother. On hearing the Quranic verses the Negus was greatly moved and he said that hisown belief about Jesus and Mary was not a-w,!titdifferent from that of the Muslims. Consequentlyhe flatly refused to accede to the request of the Meccans and assured the MusHms that they couldlive in his country in perfect security and freedom.

From these incidents it becomes quite clear that this Sura was revealed before the emigra-tion of Muslims to Abyssinia. The emigration, as historically proved, took place in the fifth

1547

year of the Call and the Muslims must have taken some months to learn and memorize it. Thustaking all relevant historical data into consideration the fact becomes established beyond all reason-able doubt that this SUra was revealed at Mecca ,in the first half of the fifth year or probablytowards the end of the fourth year of the birth of Islam. Muir, however, against all proved factsof history holds the view that the SUra was revealed towards the closing years of the Holy Prophet'slife at Mecca while Wherry is of the opinion that it was revealed in the fifth or sixth year of the Calli.e. about a year after the emigration of Muslims to Abyssinia. But both these views are evidentlywrong, being inconsistent with reliable historical evidence mentioned above.

The reluctance of these gentlemen to accept an established fact of history and their attemptto adumbrate quite an untenable theory is not without reason. Before the emigration ofMuslims to Abyssinia the Holy Prophet had preached his mtssion in Mecca for about four yearswhile the Word of God was continuously being revealed to him. but it had lacked any detailedreference to Christian dogmas and doctrines. But all of a sudden a few months before theemigration took place the revelation came thick and fast denouncing and. demolishing these falsedoctrines till a whole Sura (the present Sura) dealing with them became revealed. This fact was notaccidental. It was designed and deliberate. The Muslims were about to emigrate to Abyssinia,a Christian country. The Revealer of the Qur'an knew that in their new place of emigration theywould come in contact with Christians and would have. to discuss Christian beliefs. So by therevelation of this SUra, the Muslims were armed with a full and thorough refutation of all basicChristian doctrines in advance. This fact pointed to an inescapable inference that the Qur'gnwas the revealed Word of the All-Knowing God Himself. The inference was so patent andirresistible that in order to minimize its importance Muir and Wherry had to have recourse to anovel, albeit, unfounded theory.

Conoection with the Preceding Suris

The connection of this Siira with the Siiiiis that precede it i.e. Bani Isrli'il and Kahf, consistsin the fact that some account of the rise and progress of Jews and Christians was given in those twoSUrDs. In fact in those two SurDs it was stated that the rise of Islam would closely resemble thatof the Jewish Dispensation. In SUra BanI Isra'il we were told that Jews would suffer nationaleclipse twice and twice would they rise to power and glory, and that the followers of Islam wouldalso meet a similar fate. Like the Jews they would rise to prosperity twice and twice like themwould they decline and fall. It may be mentioned here that in the era of the Prophets Davidand Solomon when the political power of the Israelites had reached its zenith, Nebuchadnezzar,.the king of Babylonia destroyed Jerusalem, the centre of Jewish temporal and spirituaJ power

and glory, and carried away into captivity a large number of Jews, their royal family and evensome of their Prophets. This catastrophe took place about the year 586 B.C. After longyears-in 516 B.C., however, they were brought back to Jerusalem by Cyrus, the king of Mediaand Persia, and the city was rebuilt.

Jerusalem was destroyed for the second time by Roman forces under Titus in 70 A.D., amidcircumstances of unparal1eled ferocity and horror, and the Temple of Solomon was burnt down.

1548

This second destruction of Jerusalem brought about the complete and irrevocable ruin of the temporalpower of Jews, and they became dispersed all over the world (Jew. Ene. & Ene. Bib., under "Jeru-salem"), till in 1947-1948, through the machinations of British and American Governments theState of Israel carne into being. These two destructions of the Jewish temporal power correspond tothe two destructions of the temporal power of Islam. Its first destruction took place when in 1258A.D. Baghdad, the centre of the political power and glory of Muslims, was laid waste by the Tartarhordes under Halaku Khan who put to the sword the entire royal family and killed in cold bloodabout two million Muslims. The second eclipse of the political power of Muslims began towardsthe latter half of the last century. Better days, however, seem now to have dawned on them.See also 17 : 6-9 & 105.

In Sura Kahf the same subject was dealt with at some greater length, viz., that after theirsecond national degradation the Israelites would rise to great progress and prosperity and wouldspread in the world by accepting Jesus Christ, their Messiah and the last Prophet of the MosaicDispensation, and that an analogous phenomenon awaited the Islamic Dispensation. And as inthe case of the Mosaic Dispensation the "Dwellers of the Cave" became the means and instrumentof the rise to prosperity and power of Christianity, which in fact, is a branch of Judaism, so wouldIslam attain the heights of glory and eminence and would prevail over other Faiths through themissionary efforts of the followers of the Messiah of the Islamic Dispensation who from time to timewould have to seek refuge in places of shelter from persecution and oppression.

Then towards the close of SUra Kahf mention was made of the [sra' (Spiritual Ascension)of Moses which symbolically hinted that jealousy and hatred would arise between the Mosaic andIslamic Dispensations. The Mosaic Dispensation would begin to view with envy the rise of thefollowers of Islam who unfortunately lulled into a false sense of security would relapse into compla-_cency. Their adversaries-the fo1Jowersof Jesus Christ-the standard-bearers of the Mosaic Dis-pensation in the time of the Messiah of Islamic Dispensation-taking full advantage of this com-placency of the Muslims would vanquish them and break their power.

Then to ftJrther elucidate the similarity between the two Dispensations a brief mention wasmade of how through Dhu'l Qarnain the Jews regained their lost glory. This implied that whenthe power and glory ofIslam would sink to its lowest ebb, God would save its followers from nationalruin through a Dhu'l Qarnain-the Promised Messiah, who would lead them to renewed glory andprosperity. See 18: 84.

Thus both Siiras, Bani Isra'il and Kahf, dealt with the striking parallelism that existed betweenthe two Dispensations, laying added emphasis on the fact that just as the Mosaic Dispensation got anew lease of life through Jesus who was the culminating point of that Dispensation, in the same wayIslam would regain its departed power and glory through its own Messiah, the Khlitam a/-Khu/afli' i.e.the greatest Khallfa of the Prophet of Islam. But as real opposition to Islamic Dispensation at thetime of its decline was to have corne from the followers of Jesus Christ, so was Islam, at the time ofits resuscitation, destined to meet real opposition from the same people-the followers of JesusChrist. Thus the lesson was brought horne to Muslims that Christianity was the real enemy of Islam.

1549

-

After having explained in Sura Kahf that Muslims would sustain national eclipse at thehands of followers of the Messiah of Mosaic Dispensation and would regain their lost glory underthe guidance and lead of the Messiah of the Islamic Dispensation, the present SUra proceeds togive a brief history of the Christian Faith. It does so to teH Muslims that the renaissance ofIslam through the Promised. Messiah would also take place largely on the lines on which the birth,rise and spread of Christianity had taken place.

The present Sura thus constitutes a third link in the chain in which Siiras Bam lsdi'il andKabf form respectively the first and second links. In fact, these three Suras deal with the samesubject and follow the same pattern in dealing with that subject.

The concluding connection between SUra Kahf and the pres~nt Sura is that whereas towardsthe end of Sura Kahf great emphasis was laid on the Shari'at and Divine Unity, the present SUraopens with the subject of Jesus's birth and other relevant and important incidents in his life becauseJesus's birth and his death were to give rise to two very dangerous misconceptions regardingthe Shari'at and Divine Unity and it was necessary to remove these two misconceptions.

Subject-Matter

In the abbreviated letters at the head of the SUra a comparison has been instituted betweenChristian and Ts1amic doctrines and attention has been drawn to the fact that while originallyChristianity was a Divine religion, later on some false doctrines and dogmas found their wayinto its teaching. As these doctrines run counter to Divine attributes therefore, a brief accountof Jesus's birth has been given to refute them. This account is preceded by a brief mention of Pro-phet Zachariah, because according to Biblical prophecies Prophet Elijah was to have descended fromheaven "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Malachi 4 : 5); and Jesuson being asked by the Jews about Elijah who was to have appeared before him answered that hewas John who had come in his power and spirit (Matt. 11 : 14, 15; 17: 12; Mark 9: 13), and thatElijah was not to have come from heaven but like all mortals was to have been born of an earthlymother in the form of another man who was John (Matt. 11 : 11; Luke 7 : 28).

While giving an account of Jesus, the Qur'an proceeds to describe the manner of his birthbefore b~ginning to deal with his claims and his teachings, because with the unusual birth ofJesus without the agency of a human father the foundations were laid of the transfer of prophet-hood from the House of Israel to that of Ishmael. The details of the implied significance of thisexceptional manner of birth are briefly as follows:-

Abraham had two. sons-Ishmael and Isaac-from his two senior wives. Ishmael was thefirst born and Isaac the second son. Abraham had received Divine promises regarding both thesesons. Promises about Ishmael are embodied in Gen. 16: 10-12 ; 17: 18, 20, while propheciesforetelling the future of Isaac are to be found in Gen. 17: 19-21. There is, however, a joint pro-phecy about both Ishmael apd Isaac in Gen. 22: 17, 18. When these verses are read in conjunc-

1550

tion with Gen. 17 : 21, it becomes quite clear that while the covenant with Abraham was to havebegun with Isaac it was to have found its consummation in the progeny of both the brothers. Theinference is patent that the final manifestation of the covenant was to have taken place in the pro-geny of Ishmael. But because the full implementation of the covenant required its transfer from

the progeny of Isaac to that of Ishmael and because this transfer was bound to cause severe dis-,appointment to the progeny of Isaac, it was essential that the transfer should have taken place gra-dually and in stages.

It is to this important fact that verses dealing with the birth of Jesus refer. It is hinted inthese verses that persistent violation of "the covenant" on the part of Jews brought the Divinedecree into operation that henceforward the covenant shaH be fulfilled through the progeny ofIshmae1. The procedure adopted for bringing about this consummation was this: A virgin wasmade to give birth to a child who subsequently became the last Successor of Moses. This factconstituted a final warning to Jews that by the birth of Jesus, their last Prophet, without the agencyof an Israelite father the covenant with the progeny of Isaac had become reduced to half, butinasmuch as the blood of no Israelite father ran in the veins of Jesus, only that part of the covenantwhich subsisted through the mother who was an Israelite remained in operation. Thus the excep-tional manner chosen for Jesus's birth implied that the pedod allotted to the progeny of Isaac forthe fulfilment of the Divine covenant had terminated, half of it having ended with Jesus's fatherlessbirth and the other half with his followers having given up the practice of circumcision which wasthe physical sign and mark of that covenant (Gen. 17 : 23). Thus completely and for ever theprogeny of Isaac became deprived of "the covenant".

Then the Qur'an proceeds to relate some incidents in the life of Jesus and with argumentsbased on truth and reason exposes the untenability of the false claims that his followers have attri-buted to him.

After this a reference to the fulfilment of the covenant through Isaac and Moses has beenmade after which mention is made of Ishmael. ChronologicaHy, however, Ishmael should havebeen mentioned before Moses but as Moses constituted a most important link of that part of thecovenant which was fulfilled through Isaac his mention preceded that of Ishmael.

Then a brief reference to the Prophet ldrls is made and the words: "And We raised him

to a high place" have beeri added to denote his very high spiritual station. These words pointto a spiritual resemblance which Idrls had with Jesus, viz., that he was spiritually taken up toheaven (Gen. 5 : 24). Idrls is Enoch of the Bible and about Enoch the Bible says that he walkedwith God (Gen. 5 : 22) which means that in hiin Divine attributes found manifestation of a veryhigh order. Analogous expressions have been used about Jesus in the New Testament. Butwhereason the basis of such expressions Jesus has been raised to the pedestal of Divinity by his misguidedfollowers, in the presence of similar expressions about Enoch (Idris) the latter is considered to beentitled to no higher place than that of a mere human being or at best a Prophet of God. In fact,Enoch seemed to enjoy a certain spiritual superiority over Jesus, inasmuch as according to theBible he went up to heaven alive and like God, the Father, never tasted of death (Heb. 11 : 5)

]551

After this the SUra reinforces the argument against the godhead of Jesus by saying that if

all the Prophets from Adam to Noah and from Noah down to the last Israelite. Prophet beforeJesus were mere human beings, then why should Jesus who was also only a Prophet of God be in-vested with Divine attributes and be regarded as God? After this an implied mention is made ofthe birth of a new Mission and a new Faith and attention is ~rawn to the fact that circumstancesattending the birth of Jesus i.e., his fatherless birth, imply the advent of a Promised Teacher-the

Holy Prophet. But it is stated with regret that those to whom this Teacher will address hisMessage will, because of their pride in their large numbers and great material power, oppose and'persecute him. They will not realize that numbers do not prove anything and material powershould not deceive them. They are warned that if they rejected the new Message their numbersand their power will not avail them in any manner. They indulge in all sorts of vain talkand refuse to listen to the Holy Prophet. But when as a result of their defiant and persistentrejection of truth and persecution of the Holy Prophet Divine punishment descended upon them.their faculties of seeing and hearing will become sharpened and they will begin to see the evilconsequences of their misdeeds and will hear everything clearly and fully. But that will onlybe a time of vain regret for them. Their power shall break and their glory depart and the posses-sion of the earth shall be given to the followers of the Holy Prophet who will make proper use of it.

As the Resurrection and the existence of life after death were to be widely denied in theLatter Days by Christians with whom the SUra particularly deals, much stress has also been laid onrewards and blessings of the Hereafter, and stale and hackneyed arguments of disbelievers againstlife after death exposed and refuted. The disbelievers, the Sura says, seem to derive false comfortfrom their wealth, material means and large numbers and adduce these things as an argument insupport of their denial of the life after death and their belief that what really matters is the presentlife. To this foolish and vain argument of disbelievers the Qur'an replies that truth must eventuallytriumph and disbelief come to grief and that till that time the real thing to see is who takes hisstand on reason, suffers for his cause and sets a noble example. Surely, h~ who possesses these pre-requisites will ultimately succeed even in this world. The disbelievers should not be deceived by

the apparent weakness of believers. Truth always progresses gradually and in stages but it mostsurely prevails and triumphs in the end.

Next, we are told that disbelievers are always involved in Shirk (associating false gods withGod) and regard it as a source of great strength. On the contrary, it always proves to be a source

.of disgrace and humiliation for those who practise it. The very thing that disbelievers regard as asource of strength proves to be a source of weakness for them. The SUra then proceeds to say thatwhen disbelievers are defeated in argument they have recourse to violence. The Holy Prophet istold to ignore the violence of disbelievers, as resort to force on their part will lead only to victoryand predominance of believers. It wil1 afford them a legitimate cause to take up arms in self-defenceand God being always on their side they will surely win, and thus the adoption of an unjust andaggressive attitude on the part of disbelievers wil1 recoil on their own heads and will lead to their

-eventual destruction.

1552

The Sura ends with an answer to an implied objection of the Jews, viz., why has Hebrewbeen discarded in favour of Arabic as a vehicle for the revelation of Quranic teaching? To thisobjection tbe'SUra returns tbe answer that the Arabs are the first addressees of tbe Qur'an and it isquite natural that a Message sbould be addressed to a people in their own tongue so tbat they mayeasily understand it and after having understood it should convey it adequately and success-fully to others, because it is after a Message has been addressed to a people and after havingunderstood it they reject it, tbat heavenly punishment overtakes them.

1553

CH. 19 MARYAM PT. 16

~ .. ",."\II

.." ""---1 ~

..", ..~..",r-

1. GIn the name of Allah,Gracious, the Merciful. 2146

2. Kaf Ha Ya 'Ain ~ad.2147

the~ ~q.' '~\\>~, .'\:y ~y 4.b~..- ",,, ."

't..-,..;.,,-CV~".:~~

2146. Commentary:

See 1:1.

2147. Commentary:

A brief note here on abbreviated letters whichhave been placed at the beginning of some Siirasof the Qur'an and which are known as c>~jj...JI(al-Muqaua'at) i.e. letters used and pronouncedseparately, is called for. The Muqaua'at areabbreviations for specific attributes of God andthe subject-matter of a Siira before which theyare placed has a deep connection with the Divineattributes for which they stand. The variousMuqatta'at have not been haphazardly placed atthe beginning of different Siiras, nor are theirletters combined arbitrarily. There runs adeep and far-reaching connection between thevarious sets of Muqaua'at and the letters ofwhich they are made also serve a definite pur-pose. Siiras 2 & 3 are prefaced with the abbre-viated letters ~I (Alif Lam MIm). indicating akinship between their contents. Chapters 4, 5& 6 have no Muqatta'at placed at their begin-ning which means that the subject-matter of thesethree Chapters is subordinate to and followsthe pattern of that of the preceding two Siiras.Chapter 7 begins with the abbreviated Jetters~..JI (Alif Lam Mlm ~ad) which com-bination has the additional letter d'. The nexttwo Chapters (8 & 9) have no Muqatta'at andthe following three Chapters (10, 11 & 12) have

II See 1 : 1.

the abbreviated letters) \ (Alif Lam Ra) placed

at their beginning and the 13th Chapter begins

with y.J I (Alif Uim MIm Ra) i.e. with

the addition of ~ to )1. Chapters 14th and 15th

have again the combination) I in their beginning. which shows that there exists a certain similari-

ty of subject-matter among an these Suras.

Chapters 16th, 17th and 18th have no Mu-

qatta'at before them which again shows that thesubject-matter of these three Siiras is subordi-nate and similar to that of the preceding

Suras. Chapter 19th is headed with ~A:~(Kaf Ha Ya 'Ain $ad) and deals with aparticular subject, i.e. the Christian dogmas ofSalvation and Atonement. The next six Siiras

have no abbreviated letters at their beginning,

A1 at the head of 20th Chapter, not being

treated as Muqatta'at. The following three

Siiras are known as the Siiras of u-..1 (TaSIn) group. With the 29th Chapter the Qur'lio

reverts to the same subject which has already

been dealt with in Siiras 2 & 3 but in a newform and to fulfil a new need and serve a newpurpose, and, therefore, this Chapter again hasthe Muqatta'at I'"H (Alif Lam Mlm) in itsbeginning. The next three Chapters (30, 31 &32) follow suit and the five Chapters following

these Siiras have no Muqatta'at. Chapter d'(~ad) begins with the abbreviated letter If (~ad)and the next Chapter (39th) has no Muqatta'at.

1554

PT. 16 MARYAM CH. 19~ ~ ~

.-----

The following seven Suras open with the abbre-

viat~d l~tters (~( I;Hi Mlm), only Chapter 42having the letters J""~ (Aln SIn Qaf) added to

~ (l;Ia Mim). They are known as Suras of ~group. The next three Suras, viz., 47th, 48th &

49th again have no Muqatta'at in their begin-

ning. The 50th Chapter is the last Chapter which

has an abbreviated letter i.e. L; (Qaf).

This somewhat detailed examination showsthat three main categories of Muqatta'at have

been used in the Qur'an and that the Surashaving the same category of Muqaua'at have

been placed together which is a further indicationof the fact that the subjects dealt with in suchSU:ras bear a close resemblance to each otherand that the MuqaUa'at placed in their begin-ning serve as a key to their subject-matter.

It. is also pertinent to note that there is onething whiclJ is common to all those Suras that

have Muqaua'at. They open with the subject of

the revelation of the Qur'itn and this is no merechance.

The system of using abbreviations (Muqat-ta'at) was in vogue among the Arabs and atpresent is very popular in Western countriesand in its imitation in all Eastern countries.

According to Ummi Hllni, a cousin of the HolyProphet, he ( the Holy Prophet) is reported tohave said' that in the combined letters ~~)the letter S sta~ds for.jt( ( the All-Sufficient ).~ 'for )l", (the Guide), r for ~~ (the All-Know-

"-ing), and If for L;)I.,.. (the Truthful). According

to Ibn 'Abbii$, however, the letter ) stands for

.r--? (the Great), ~ for Jl.z. (the Guide), ~ for

~'(Who gives peace and protection). t forflj~ (the Mighty) and If for Lj.)I.,..(the Truthful).'Ibn Mas'ud and some other Companions inter-preted these combined letters as ..s::t..J1 (the

King), AJ~I (God), j~j>J1 (the Mighty) and

H.,a...J1 (the Fashioner). 'All sometimes would

preface his prayer with the words: ~~) 'I~

(Fatb).

Different combinations of abbreviated letterssignify different subjects and the subject-matter

of a particular Sura at the beginning of which aparticular combination is placed is governed by

it. It has been explained above that theabbreviated letters stand for Divine attributes ,but which particular letter stands for which parti-cular Divine attribute becomes clear only by adeep study of the subject-matter of the Sura at

the beginning of which tI-tose letters are placed.The explanation of ~~~ as given by theHoly Prophet in the badith narrated by UmmiHanl must necessarily be accepted as the best

and should be preferred to all other explanations.But in this explanation the letter is has beenleft out which shows that it does not signify any

Divine attribute but has been used only as a

letter of interjection, joining the first two Divineattributes with the last two. Thus the explana-tion of the combined abbreviated letters would

read like this: L;.)I.,..I~r"::1~4 .)l", 0.:;.;1.jt( 0.:;.;1i.e."Thou art Sufficient for all and Thou art the trueGuide, 0, All-Knowing, Truthful God." Orexpanding its sense a little further the expres~ionwould mean. "Thou 0 God, Who knowest allmy secrets and art true to Thy promises and arta true Friend, Thou alone canst satisfy all myneeds anq Thou alone canst guide me."

The four Divine attributes as represented bythe combined letters ~S- expose the falsityof the basic Christian doctrine of Atone-ment, i.e. salvation through the vicarious sacri-fice of Jesus which forms one of the princi-pal subjects of the Sura under comment. Andif the doctrine of Atonement is proved to be

1555

CH. 19 MARYAM--..--.-----

3. This is an account of the mercyof thy Lord shown to His servant,Zachariah.2148

~-------- ---------

false, the whole structure of the doctrines ofthe Trinity and godhead of Jesus would auto-matically fall to the ground.

Of these four attributes ~Jl~ or ~~ andiJ~l.,..are the principal and basic attributes and';1:( and ~l,. are subordinate ones and flowfrom the former two and are their inevitablemanifestation and result. If God is ~ l~

(All-Knowing), .then there is no place for thedogma of Atonement because this dogma pre-supposes that God had designed to carry on thebusiness of the world according to a certainplan but His knowledge being defective thatplan failed to function and, therefore, Godwas compelled to offer His own son for sacrificeto save the world. The failure of God's plancontradicts His attribute "All-Knowing" andwhen God's knowledge is shown to be defective,He cannot claim to be ..it) (All-Sufficient) be-cause the Being Who is ~l~ (All-Knowing) mustnecessarily be ..it) (All-Sufficient).

In the same way the attribute J~l.,.. (Truth-ful) and its subordinate attribute ~l,. (Guide)

demolish this dogma. If God is not the trueGuide and salvation without a belief in thevicarious sacrifice of Jesus is impossible, thenall Divine Messengers will have to be accepted

as s~ many liars and cheats because.. contraryto Christian belief, they preach~d and taughtthat salvation was possible only through rightbeliefs and righteous acttons; and a reflectionon the truthfulness of God's Messengers consti-tutes a reflection on the truthfulness of GodHimself and consequently on His being .)l,. i.e.

PT. 16

0~f, ~ (..." ""J ..., ,;--.I" ~1""> ~~~...> ~.J.Y>

"II' .;''' "

,.-w- -. - _.~-"- ..----------..- - -------.-----.--

the true Guide. Thus in this combination ofabbreviated letters a hint is given that in dealingwith the beliefs and doctrines of Christians,the best way to drive home to them the untena-bility of their doctrines is to dwell and lay em-phasis upon Divine attributes, particularly onthe attributes which are represented by the fourletters S, ", [., ..f.

In fact the best and most effective argumentto show that the doctrine of Atonement is en-tirely unfounded, is to prove that Jesus did notdie on the Cross and if this thesis is proved,then the question that by his crucifixion hecarried away the sins of humanity does not arise.For a detailed and full discussion, however, ofthe subject that Jesus did not die on the Crossbut. after having remained on it only for a fewhours was taken down alive, was kept ina sepulchre and then in fulfilment of his ownprophecy, viz., "And other sheep I have, whichare not of this fold; them also I must bring, andthey shall hear my voice; and there shall be onefold, and one shepherd" (John. 10: 16), he tr~-veIled to Afghanistan and Kashmir to reclaimand retrieve the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel whohad been dispersed to these countries by theBabylonian kings, see 23 : 51.

2148. Commentary:The account of Zachariah precedes the account

of Jesus. This is due to two very valid reasons.Ya1)yli, the son of Zachariah, and John of theNew Testament, was a harbinger of Jesus. Heheralded Jesus's advent and acted as his precur-sor to give to the Jews the glad tidings that theirdeliverer was about to make his appearance.

1556

PT. 16 MARYAM CH; 19

That Yal).ya or John was Jesus's harbinger isapparent from the following prophecy of Pro-

phet Malachi: "Behold, I will send you Elijah

the prophet, before the coming of the great anddreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4 : 5). Thewords "the great and dreadful day" here signifythe advent of Jesus. This is why when Jesuswas asked where Elias was who was to comebefore him, he replied: "And if ye wiII receiveit, this is Elias, which was for to come" (Matt.

II :14). As according to Malachi's prophecyElias must have appeared before the coming ofJesus, it was in the fitness of things that whilegiving an account of Jesus, the Qur'an should

have made a mention of Yal).ya. Secondly,Mary, the mother of Jesus, had unknowingly

become the cause of Yal}.yit's birth. We are told(3 : 38, 39) how Zachariah was deeply movedby a pious reply of Mary and prayed to God to

be blessed with a good child like her. Thus where-as Yal).yti became a harbinger of Jesus, Mary,

Jesus's mother having indirectly become thecause of the birth of Yal).yii may as well besaid to have become a precursor of Yal).yit(John) himself. See also 3: 38-42.

The words, "Thy Lord" in the sentence,

"This is an account of the mercy of thyLord," appear to be misplaced because whereasthe account given in the following verses isthat of the mercy of God shown to Zachariahthe words" Thy Lord" seem to indicate as ifsome account is about to be given of God'smercy to the Holy Prophet. In fact thesewords signify that the account of Divine mercyto Zachariah does imply a mercy to the HolyProphet also. Prophet Yal}.ya, as stated above,

was a harbinger of Jesus and Jesus was a harbinger of the Holy Prophet. A description ofthe birth of Yal).yli followed by a somewhatdetailed description of Jesus's birth pointedto the fact that by the introduction of thelife accounts ,of these two Prophets who, in away, acted as his precursors, the minds of menwere being prepared for the acceptance of theHoly Prophet of Islam by an implied referenceto the following Biblical prophecies:-

And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee.Behold I have blessed him, and willmake him fruitful and will multiplyhim exceedingly; twelve princes shall hebeget, and I will make him a greatnation (Gen. 17 : 20);

I will raise them up a prophet fromamong their brethren, like unto thee; andI will put my words in his mouth (Deut.18 : 18).

The pronoun "thy" may also possess anoblique but beautiful reference to Mecca, thebirth-place of the Holy Prophet. Mecca likeZachariah's wife was barren. For thousandsof years it had not heard the voice of God.Now God's mercy was about to dawn uponit. The barren valley of Mecca was about togive birth to the greatest of Adam's sons. Tothis barrenness of Mecca reference is found inIsaiah 54 : l.

Sing, 0 barren, thou that didst not bear;break forth into singing, and cry aloud,thou that didst not travail with child:for more are the children of the desolatethan the children of the married wife,saith the Lord.

1557

MARYAM PT. 16CH.19

4. "When he called upon his Lord,crying in secret. 2149

5. .He said, 'My Lord, °the boneshave indeed waxed feeble in me, andthe head glistens with hoariness butnever, my Lord, have I been unblessedin my prayer to Thee ;2149A

6. 'And I fear my relations afterme, and Dmy wife is barren. dGrantme therefore a successor from Th y-, ,self,215O

0M ~r~ ~.J ~)u 31.., ,.,

i:\,J;~r' :'1.0Jt~-:" ::.~" .';\ . " J;:r~UW.D' .J\,JJ;;~ v--' ~,.~ "~~~~" ~~r:t'1 '1~~~0 .." . !J ~ ~ I.:.t ~ -' ...

"'" ",

, "" ,,""

':.,-"\"", .~r~/" \ 1U,!wO~'I~~."~71'"u.~ 9JOJ~~l).J v-" 4-~ "~,,-,

""~r'tl" ,-:I~'''''' ~\ '''''~1~''~6)'-;),,-,~~~~~~

"3 : 39 ; 21 : 90. b 3 : 41. ° 3 : 41 ; 21 : 91. d 3 : 39 ; 21 : 90.

2149. Important Words:

IS.)\; (called upon): J7)1 IS.)Ii means, he

called the man aloud. 0 ~1 IS.) I; means, he

disclosed his secret. lj)\S IS.)Ii means, he con-

suIted him (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The words, when he called upon his Lord,crying in secret, signify that Zachariah had

kept concealed in the inmost recesses of his

heart a long cherished desire. When he heardMary's innocent reply to his.query (3 : 38),he was deeply touched ~nd he lai9 bare hisheart before his Lord and Creator and hislong-suppressed desire assumed the formof prayer that a good and righteous son likeMary might be born unto him to continueprophethood in the Israelite line. Zachariah,had understood from Biblical prophecies andheavenly warnings that. were administered tothe Jews f()I" their repeated rejection of God'sProphets that prophethood was soon to betransferred from the House of Isaac to that ofIshmael. So he gave vent to his feelings in theform of prayer for the birth of a righteous

son.

2149A. Commentary:Besides the rendering given in the text the

words IJ..;; ""') 0J1...~ 0'>1 ~-'may mean,

"since Thou hast caned me and hast mademe a Prophet and Thy blessings and favours havecovered me, I have never been unsuccessful inachieving my object."

2150. Important Words:

ijl$. (barren) is derived from .}$.. They sayo.}$. i.e. he wounded him; he wounded himmuch. J1 'il .}&-means, he cut the feet of thecamel. 41~ \ .}&-means, he cut the upper partof the palm-tree so that it dried up and ceasedto yield fruit. ;;f."..JI u.}&- means, the womanbecame barren.}l&- is used both for man andwoman and applied to a woman means, barren;that does not conceive or has ceased to con-ceive ; and applied to a man it means, barren;that has no offspring born to him. (Lane &Aqrab).

1:1-,(successor) is derived from J-,. They say

~)' J-, i.e. he helped the man; he made friendswith him; he loved him. li)\S J-, means, hefonowed such a one immediately without any-one intervening between them JJ means, afriend; beloved one, helper, master; successoror inheritor etc. (Aqrab). See also 2 : 108.

1558

PT. 16 MARY AM CH. 19

7. 'That he may be heir to me andheir to the House of Jacob. And~make . him, my Lord well-pleasing toThee. '2151

~; ~~':"(~~.::/~.'" Ji : . b,;"

,.':.-::~ .~.~ '" ~ ~-'~~

0(~~J..'"II 3 : 39.

Commentary :

In view of the different meanings of the wordJ, (successor) given under "Important Words"above, Zachariah's prayer was for such a sonas sJlOuld prove his true successor and shouldpropagate his mission and inherit the spiritualblessings that God had bestowed on the Houseof Israel.

2151. Commentary:

The prayer of Zachariah is complete in everyrespect and possesses all the ingredients of asuccessful prayer. A successful prayer shouldbe offered with fervour and in humility. Thesupplicant should confess his own weaknessand helplessness. He should have firm faithin the power of God to accept his prayers.Zachariah's prayer fulfils all these conditions.He prays to God in words full of extreme pathos.He invokes Divine mercy by referring to hisextreme old age and to the barrenness of hiswife. He prays fervently and in all humility.He asks for no worldly gains. He prays onlyfor a righteous heir. He felt that righteousnesshad altogether disappeared from his family andhis relations had consigned God to oblivion.He knew that the House of Israel was about tobe deprived for ever of the boon of prophethoodbut still he had not despaired of God's mercy.He hoped that something yet might happenwhich should save his people and the House ofIsrael from utter spiritual ruin. He was extreme-ly anxious that the Israelites might not reject

the last Israelite Prophet and might still avertthe impending wrath of God. This was Zacha-riah's wish which he expressed in words full ofpathos. He prayed that an heir be born to himwho might warn the Israelites to take heed andnot to deprive themselves of the light of pro-phC?thoodby rejecting their own last Prophet.It appears from the Bible that the whole missionof YaJ.tyl for whose birth Zachariah had sofervently prayed consisted in preparing the wayfor Jesus. He says:

I indeed baptize you with water untorepentance: but he that cometh afterme is mightier than I, whose shoes I amnot worthy to bear: he shall baptize youwith the Holy Ghost, and with fire (Matt.3 : 11).

YaJ.tyl tried his utmost to make the task of Jesuseasy and to prepare the Jews to accept him. Buthis efforts proved vain. He himself was impri-soned and murdered. His people rejected himas well as his great successor, Jesus. They evensought to kill the latter on the Cross. Zachariah'sprayer was only partly fulfilled as Divine decreehad also to be implemented. So YaJ.tyliwas bornto Zachariah in fulfilment of his prayer buthe (YaJ.tys:)failed to soften the hearts of hispeople. They did not believe in Jesus and thuscould not avert the wrath of God and becamedeprived for ever of the light of prophethoodwhich was the real object of Zachariah's prayer.The Divine will prevailed and prophethoodbecame transferred from the House of Israelto that of Ishmael.

1559

CH. 19 MARYAM

8. God said~'0 Zachariah, GWegivethee glad tidings of a son whose nameshall be Yal)yA. We have not madeanyone before him bof that name.'2152

G-3: 40; 21 : 91.

PT. 16

~1~~~~., 'l~.~'!:'~~\UJ~ -'". r -" )"~ ~ ".." ~.

0(:~' J;i-~~L11 19:66.

-~-------------.

2152. Important Words :

~- (of that name) is derived from 1..5'"-.They say i~j ~)I r.r- .J l- i. e.henamedthe man Zaid. l- means, it became high.

tS.J"""-:!4=" u.,.- means, I raised my eyetowards him. If'- means, competitor orcontender for superiority, in eminence or gloryor excellence; a like or an equal; a namesakeof another. ~.. JA means, he is thy name-sake or he is thy equal or like. (Aqrab & Lane)

CODUDentary :

The two words t':N. and ~ used in thisverse are very significant. The word t':N. signifiesthree periods of one's life i. e. childhood, youthand middle age. Applied to YaJ;tyllor John itembodied a prophecy that he shall not die inchildhood but shall grow up to be a young manbefore the eyes of his father and shall live up tomiddle age and so it actually came to pass.

. YaJ;tylllived up to middle age and then was killedby the order of Herod to satisfy the wish of adancing girl. The word ~ literally meaning,

"he lives" or "he shall live," also implied a great'prophecy, viz., that he will die the death of amartyr and thus will become immortalized. Ofthe martyrs the Qur'lln says: Say not of thosewho are killed in the cause of Allah that they aredead; nay they are living,. only you perceive not(2: 155). Again it says: Think not of those whohave been slain in the cause of Allah as dead.Nay, they are living in the presence of their Lord

and are granted gifts from Him (3 : 170). Thusthose who are killed in the way of God get ever-lasting life and so did Yab.YIl or John. Hisministry terminated in his imprisonment in thefortress of Machaerus, where he was executedby the order of Herod Antipas (Matt. 14: 10& 11). See also 3 : 40.

The words, We have not made anyone beforehim of that name, do not mean that there hadlived before him no man whose name wasJohn. From the Bible it appears that there hadbeen several persons before him who were calledJohn. (II Kings 25: 23 ; I Chonicles 3 : 15;Ezra 8: 12). Nor does the verse mean thatJohn was peerless and was unequalled in everyrespect. He himself confesses that "therecometh one mightier than I after me, the latchetof whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop downand unloose" (Mark 1 : 7). The verse onlysignifies that in some respects YaJ;tya had noequal, i.e. he enjoyed a partial superiority insome respects over other Israelite Prophets.Abraham, Moses and Jesus were Prophets ofmuch higher spiritual status than John, theBaptist, who had come only to prepare the wayfor Jesus (Mark 1 : 3). Yab.yli was peerless onlyin this respect that he was the first Prophet tocome as a precursor and harbinger to anotherProphet-Jesus. And he was peerless in thisrespect also that he was the first Prophet whocame with the power and spirit of anotherProphet-Elias.

1560

PT. 16 MARYAM CR. 19

9. He said, 'My Lord, how shallI have a son when amy wife is barren,and I have reached the extreme limitof old age? '2153

10. The angel bearing the revelationsaid, o"So it is. But thy Lord says, 'it iseasy for Me, and indeed I created theebefore, when thou wast nothing.' "2154

G 3 : 41; 21 : 91. b 3: 41, 48 ; 19 : 22 ; 51 : 31.

'---'---'------.---

2153. Important Words:

l~~ (extreme limit) is derived from b:which means, he behaved proudly and was im-moderate and inordinate; he was excessivelyproud or corrupt; he became advanced in age.~ )' ..:;..:~means, the wind blew fiercely. The'-Quranic expression l~ .:~(J, ,)4 ~ .uJ means,

And I have reached the extreme degree of oldage, or hardness and dryness in the joints andthe bones like dry wood. The word also signi-fies that state of extreme old age which isincurable (Mufradllt, Lane & Aqrab).

The word ~"j..&.as stated above (v.8) im-plied that Zachariah would see his son growbefore his eyes and that he would also be able totrain and educate him. The glad tidings wasindeed a source of great comfort but at the sametime it was a surprise for a man who had reachedsuch an advanced old age as Zachariah.

The words, "How shall [have a son," do notexpress despair. V.S above shows that Zachariahhad not despaired of God's mercy. On thecontrary he had perfect faith in the power of Godto grant him a son. Moreover, a true believernever despairs of God's mercy. "None des-pairs of Allah's mercy save the unbelievingpeople," says the Qur'an (12 : 88). The verseonly expresses Zachariah's innocent and spon-

A .."'/,"" J~

I

r:;~ti'.I\~~ .~'t .'''' :or..'"J~

r"-~ ",:.J ... -' 4. '=> - \31 Y..J Uii'

r~_. ",~"

"...", ,,,,,6)~~\. ~ .\-:-

", ,,'''' ~ . I.A.OJ-'

,"'" ""'. i).."", ~~'''''''''' ~,! ~ J"'"r~. t!_~h ~rJ" r~~-,CJiIb

.. -~~ v; ~~ ( ~" ~)..J ;

r~~' ", ,'" ,,~",:: Ji""'"~ ,.'" ~ - ' t .!...o S

..,,\ .\.!:I .. ,J)J

-' . v.,.. .~ 0-

- -- ---

taneous surprise at the greatness of the favourwhich God was about to bestow upon him.Every person situated as Zachariah was wouldbe naturally surprised at the unusual glad tid-ings that he had r~eived.

2154. Commentary:

The words, and indeed I created thee befMe,when thou wast nothing, primarily refer to thespiritual creation of Zachariah rather than to hisphysical creation. There seems to be no pointin referring to an ordinary everyday physicalphenomenon of the creation of one individual.If God had intended to refer to the phenomenonof physical creation, He would have referred tothe creation of the whole universe and not tothe creation of Zachariah alone. In fact, thepresent verse is an answer to the surprise ofZachariah expressed in the previous verses.Zachariah was promised the birth of a sonin his extreme old age. The son was not to bean ordinary one but was to be possessed ofgreat spiritual powers and to be peerless in res-pect of certain spiritual qualities. So the re-ferencehere is to the spiritual birth of Zachariahand to his great moral qualities.

The word "he" in the expression "he said,"refers to the angel who brought the glad tidings toZachariah. In verse 8 Zachariah is mentioned

1561

CH. 19 MARYAM PT. 16

11. He said, 'My Lord appointfor me a token.' God said, 'Thy tokenis that thou shalt not speak to thepeople for IIthree full days andmghts. '215~

:Jf~f~, J(i ~~ia~.;}~.J Jlir~ ,,; ...'.-: ..."

@\J~ Jlj 2:J; V'\!J\..." ~..

II 3 : 42.

as having been addressed by God; in the presentverse, however, he is described as having beenaddressed by one angel while in 3 : 40 it is statedthat several angels called to him. These threestatements seem to be mutually contradictoryand the critics of Islam like Wherry havenot failed to represent this fact as such.But in reality there is no such contradiction.According to the Qur'an when a Divinerevelation of exceptional importance descendsupon a Prophet of God, a number of angels,in accordance with the nature of its importance,are made to accompany it for its safeguarding(35: 2) but only one angel representing all ofthem and on their behalf is entrusted with theduty to convey the Divine revelation to the Pro-phet. Thus the speaking of one angel meansthe speaking of all of them and therefore to saythat one or many angels spoke to a Prophetmakes no' difference. Similarly, there is nocontradiction in the words "God said" or "theangels said", because angels only speak to aProphet as God's representatives and as Hisservants convey to him the Divine Message.

2155. Important Words:,

~T (token). They say ~T 41 i.e. he put or setup a sign, token or mark by which a personor thing might be known. ~ T means, a sign,token or mark by which a person or thingis known, a message or communication sentfrom one person to another; a person or indi-vidual; a whole company of people; a verse or aChapter of the Qur'an; a miracle, an evidence

or a proof; an example or a warning; a Divinecommandment (Lane, Aqrab & Mufrada:t).See also 2 : 130.

l~."...is derived from 1$~- (sawwa) which againis derived from 1$>- (sawiya) which means, itbecame straight and even and rightly set. ol~-(sawwa) means, he made it equal, uniform,even. 1$".. (sawiyyun) means, equal, symmetrical,smooth and even; straight; whole; in goodcondition. 1$,.,.. r-:N. means, a young manuniform in make or symmetrical, without diseaseand without fault or defect (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

Zachariah beseeches God to appoint forhim a token or to give him a commandment(the word ~T also meaning' a command-ment' as given under "Important Words" above)by acting upon which he might give palpableexpression to his feeling of extreme gratefulnessfor the most unusual favour God has bestowedupon him.

The commandment enjoining upon Zachariahto abstain from talking and to devote himselffully to the remembrance and glorification ofGod was a spiritual measure calculated to re-cuperate his exhausted physical powers. Hehad not become deprived of his power ofspeech, as the Gospels seem to suggest, as apunishment for his not believing in the wordsof God (Luke 1 : 20-22). See also 3 : 42.

In view of the meaning of the word lo- givenunder" Important Words" above. the verse,

1562

PT. ]6 MARYAM CH. ]9

12. Then he came forth untohis people from the chamber and8.sked them in a low voice Gto glorifyGod morning and evening.2156

13. '0 Yal)ya, hold fast theBook'. And We gave rum wisdomwhile yet a child, 2157

'" --' '",

~'tt \ 'r-: ul",.:' '1-:4.0~~I\~ "''''''-:'''.p'~",~~", :,.~ ~ ,,~~~

.~ ~ :~~ 't~ \" ... '" 'J"\& ., :.J ~ .~ I.:J

"y,~ ~ t'/b"~~ ~l~\~ '.

'''',~\ ...}!~. ,

'"~

~ rf. ;'.~e ~.~

a 3 : 42 ; 33 : 43.

besides the meaning given in the text, also signi.fies that Zachariah was commanded by God notto speak to his people for three days andnigh ts while he was wi1hout any defect or diseaseand was in perfect state of health. The very

word 1~.J- used in this verse about Zachariahcontradicts the Biblical statement of his havingbeen struck dumb.

2156. Important Words :

LS~.11(asked in a low voice) is derived from

~J. They say 0"N JI LS~.1or lS"".J1i.e. he com-municated to him or gave order or made arequest by gesture or sign; he talked to him insecret or he talkt:dto him in such a way thatothers may not hear him; <1.::114i31LS"'".JImeans,God sent revelation to him. The real sense of

~.1 (wa~y) which is info noun from LS"'".1(wa~a)is to convey ones intention or wish by means ofquick signs which may be done by gesture,writing, etc. They say J.."JI li'''.11 i.e. hedid the thing quickly. o~1 .I.1...u1

LS""-"means,medicine precipitated his death (Lane & Aqrab).See also 5 : 112.

For ylyc.. (chamber) see 3 : 38.

Commentary :

When Zachariah was commanded by God

not to speak to his people for three consecutivenights, he made up his mind to devote himself

fulJy and completely to the remembrance of God.

During this time when he had to speak toanyone he spoke so low as to be heard only bythose very near him. In 3 : 42 the word i~-..4)

has been used to express the same sense, for ;;--)

means to communicate by means of movementsof the lips and not to use one's throat. So theQur'an repudiates the Biblical suggestion thatZachariah was struck dumb. What actualJyhappened was that he told his people in very low

tones that he had been commanded by God toremember and glorify Him and that they shouldalso do the same and not disturb him.

2157. Commentary:

The words, hold fast the Book, show that tillthe time ofYaJ:tya the Torah had not been abro-gated nor was it about to be abrogated in thevery near future. By the word "Book" is heremeant the Torah because neither Muslims norJews nor Christians believe that Ya.Q.)a was givena Book containing a new Law. Jesus hadreceived baptism from YaJ:tya (John) and it isinconceivable that the two Prophets-John andJesus-who lived at the same time, one (John)should have acted upon the Law of Torah andthe other (Jesus) who was John's disciple andhad been baptised by him should have beengiven a new Book and a new Law. Indeed both

John and Jesus folJowed the Law of Moses and

none of them brought any new Book.

1563

CH. 19 MARY AM PT. 16

14. And tenderness of heart fromOurself, and purity, and he waspiOUS2158.

15. /lAnd dutifulparents. And he wasand rebellious.2159

16. bAnd peace was on him theday he was born, and the day he died,and peace there will be on him theday he will be raised up to lifeagain.2160

toward hisnot haughty

d\St (~\r~" b'tl~ ~ f".1 ' It f~~'V .." ~ 0 --' ~.J -' \.Jw CJ1u. j

~{?~ r~r'" :'~ ?1 ~ A'.~ u~ (.,~"~

\V .." ~~~~-'~~~!>:'-'

~~~" !.:~ ".~; ~,' ",,, 4~~".~"o~-'o .;r-.; o..;:r;.-' v.;J "o~, .. J

@~b 19 : 34.. 6 : 152; 19 : 33 ; 29 : 9 ; 31 : 15 ; 46 : 16.

2158. Important Words :i:il~. (tenderness of heart) is derived from

&- which means, he was or became affectedwith a yearning or an intense emotion of griefor of joy. u-:-u""",JI~ means, my heart yearnedtowards him. li l;... means, mercy, compassionor pity; tenderness of heart. A Muslim wouldpray Y) 4 ...~l~ i.e. I beg Thy mercy, 0 Lord(Aqrab & Lane).

;t)'j (purity) is infinitive-noun from ~j

which means, it increased or augmented; itthrove by the blessing of God. i)\AJlj"j means,the boy grew and throve; he was or became goodor righteous and pure from sin; he enjoyed orled a pleasant, plentiful or an easy life. Thedifference between ot)j (purity) and IS~:; (piety)is that whereas the former word means internalpurity, the latter generally signifies protectionagainst external evils (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradltt).

, 2159. Important Words:i.r. (dutiful) is derived from .r. (barra). fi

.J.H, means, he treated or behaved towards' hisfather with filial piety, duty or obedience..r.4iJl;. means, he obeyed his Creator. ~~~ d .r.means, he was true in his oath. JJ..~.r. means,hi~ work was good or well-performed. ..:iI1,)1~ means, God accepted his pilgrimage. .r.(barrun) of which the plural is )1,)11 and;),J! therefore means, pious, obedient, dutiful,

kind, good or affectionate. ~II (barr) and )1~1both signify.abounding in.r. (birr),~ I havinggreater intensification than )~I and is one ofthe attributes of God meaning, the Merciful;the Compassionate God (Aqrab & Lane).2160. Commentary:

During the first few centuries of its life Islammade very rapid progress. Large numbers ofpeople from every religion-especially fromChristianity, entered its fold. They broughtwith them some very erroneous beliefs aboutJesus Christ. As they had not imbibed fully thetrue spirit of Islamic teachings, their false ideasand beliefs subsequently found their way intoMuslim religious literature with the result thatthey came to form part of the beliefs of Muslims.All these beliefs had been invented to investJesus with an extraordinary personality-a per-sonality much above human level. It is thesefoolish beliefs about Jesus that the Qur'in seeksto demolish in the present Sura. By institutinga comparison between YaQya, who was a Pro-phet of an ordinary spiritual stature, and Jesus,it means to suggest that there was nothing inJesus which distinguished him from other DivineMessengers. We give below some of the spiri-tual qualities and characteristics of both theseProphets as given in the Qur'ttn to establish the

above fact.

1564

PT. 16 MARYAM CR. 19

About Jesus it is said that:1. He was a Prophet of God (3 : 50).2. He was of the righteous (3 : 47).3. God taught him the Book and the wisdom

(3 : 49).4. He talked to people as a child i.e. in

rather early age (3 : 47).5. He was granted nearness to God (3 : 46).6. He was kind and dutiful to his mother

(19 : 33).7. He was kind of heart and compas-

sionate (5 : J19).8. He was not haughty and unblessed

(19 : 33).9. He was blessed by God and was streng-

thened with the spirit of holiness (2 : 254;19 : 32).

10. Divine peace enveloped him (19 : 34).(L

11. His name Messiah was given to him byGod (3: 46).

About Yaby:t it is said that:1. He was a Prophet (3 : 40).2. He was noble, chaste and a Prophet

from among the righteous (3: 40).

3. God gave him the Book and granted himwisdom (19 : 13).

4. God gave him wisdom while yet a child(19 : 13).

5. God was well pleased with him (19 : 7).6. He was kind and dutiful to his parents

(19 : 15).

7. He was kind-hearted, pure(19 : 14).

8. He was not haughty and(19 : 15).

9. God was pleased with him and he wasunequalled in some respects (19 : 7-8).

10. Divine peace enveloped him (19 : 16).

and pious

rebellious

11. His name Yabya was given to him by God(J9 : 8).

By instituting this comparison we shouldnot be understood to mean that Jesus and Johnwere of absolutely equal spiritual standing andthere was nothing to distinguish one from theother. Jesus did indeed possess a higher spiri-tual status than John. What the Qur'an wantsto make clear is the fact that there was nothingin Jesus which should raise him to the pedestalof Divinity. He was no doubt a great Prophetof God and was immune from sin but so wereall other Divine Messengers, John being one ofthem. About him Jesus says: "For I say untoyou, among those that are born of woman thereis not a greater prophet than John, the Baptist"(Luke 7 : 28).

The verse should not be understood to signifythat Prophet Yabya was not murdered butdied a natural death, a view mistakenly held incertain quarters, because it runs counter toan established fact of history. The words"peace was on him" used in the verse seemto have given rise to this manifestly wrong viewbut they lend no support to it. The word"peace" has not been used in a physical but aspiritual sense. In fact the verse refers to threeperiods or states of man's life. The first statebegins with his birth and ends with his death.The second state which is called tj.r. (barzakh),literally meaning 'the period of earning meritor demerit is over', commences with death andcontinues ti]] doom. The third state has beencaned "The Day of Resurrection" in theQur'an. It is the day of the complete mani.festation of God's glory. It is these three statesor periods of man's existence to which thepresent verse refers and in all of which. it says,Yabya will enjoy spiritual peace.

1565

CH.19 MARYAM PT. 16

R. 2 J 7. And ~elate the story of Maryas mentioned In the Book.. When shewithdrew from her people to a placeto the east~2161

r"'~1..~~ : ;L:~j\ 0('~'''' ~\ .LIt?," ~~ v"d . ~,,~JA:,.,. ".y~ J ;0't

\lr~..'~ r~r~"@'::i~u~

2161. Important Words:

r-~V""(Mary) is probably a compound word

consisting ofV""

and ~~ and possesses, in Heb-rew, a variety of meanings. Some of these mean-ings are: 'bitter sea'; 'drop of the sea' ; 'star

of the sea'; 'bitterness'; 'mistress or lady'. Theword also means 'exalted'. It may also mean'pious worshipper'. From two alternative rootsthe word might also mean, 'the rebellious', or

'the corpulent'. It seems that among the Jewsand the Arabs corpulence was considered as a

mark of beauty and girls who were corpulentwere considered beautiful and therefore namedMaryam. Maryam also seems to be a popular

name among the Jews in the time of Jesus. See

also 3 : 37.

~;r (to the east) means, (I) facing theeast; (2) to the east. l"i.1'::' U~4 means, a

place to the east; a place facing the east; a place

in which the sun shines; an open dwelling place(Lane).

yl::S:J1 (the Book) may refer both to the Bible

and the Qur'an.

Commentary:

. It seems relevant and necessary to mention,as a prelude to the somewhat detailed account

. of Jesus's fatherless birth as given in the nextseveral verses, some facts related about Maryin the Qur'an and the Bible.

The New Testament sheds practically no lighton the life of Mary. before she became preg-nant. The Gospels of Matthew and Lukegive an extremely brief and discursive descrip-tion of her circumstances before the above

important event took place while Mark and

John are completely silent over it. According

to Matthew) Mary, on being married to Joseph,was found to be with child. Joseph intendedsecretly to put her away but was refrained

from taking this extreme step by an angelsaying to him in a dream: "Joseph, thouson of David, fear not to take unto theeMary thy wife" (Matt. 1 : 19, 20). According

I

to Luke Mary was a relation of Zachariah'swife and used to go to their house. Apart fromthis unimportant additional fact Luke leaves usquite in the dark about Mary's account priorto her marriage with Joseph. But the Qur'angives us a much more detailcd account ofMary's family, the circumstances that attendedher birth, the vow of her mother, her child-hood being dedicated to the service of theChurch and lastly of her having conceivedJesus (3: 36, 37,38).

The present Sura, however, gives a still moredetailed account of Mary having conceivedJesus and of what happened to her a.nd to Jesusafter his birth and after he was commissionedwith his Divine mission. The Qur'an has pro-vided us with all necessary detaHs about Marythat have any bearing on the important subject ofprophethood which was about to be transferredfrom the House of Israel to that of Ishmaeland which forms the principal thesisof the present Sura. If anything the Bible hasgiven a very sorry pkture of Jesus and his rela-tions with his mother. Whereas the Qur'aodepicts him to be kind, dutiful and very com-passionate towards his mother, the Gospels show

1566

PT. ]6 MARYAM CH. 19

that he did not like his mother because she didnot believe in him (Matt. 12 : 46:'50). :Mark 3 :31-35 and Luke 8 :19-21 show that besides Mary,Jesus's other relations' did. .not believe in himwhile the Gospel of John keeps discreetly silentover this painful subject. We also know that theJews used to taunt Jesus by saying that if hismission was true why his own relations did notbelieve in him (Matt. 13 : 55-56). Some of hisrelations and friends went so far as to lay hold6n him for they said that he was beside himself(Mark 3 : 21). This attitude of disbelief on thepart of his relatives towards Jesus had madehim so bitter that when he was being taken toCalvary to be put on the Cross and his motherappeared on the sc~ne, he addressed her saying

'Woman, behold thy son!' (John 19: 26). Andwhen on another occasion a woman being verymuch impress(d by his discourse said: 'Blessedis the womb that bore thee, al1d the paps whichthou hast sucked' (Luke 11: 27). he retorted:

'Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the wordof God, and keep it' (Luke 11 : 28), which signi-fied that he could not even bear his mother beingpraised.

Such is the picture which the Gospels havedrawn ofthe unenviable relations between Jesusand his mother. But the description is not onlyself-contradictory. it also offends against humannature and intelligence. The Qur'an, however,presents both these blessed and holy persons inquite a different light. Regarding Jesus it saysthat he was kind and loving, obedient and duti-ful to his mother and that he was not haughtyand rude (19 : 33) while about Mary it states thatshe was a pious, chaste and truthful woman and

was a great worshipper of God and that Godpurified her, accepted her and chose her abovethe women of the world (3 :43, 44; 5: 76; 66: 13).How great is the difference between the unenvi-able picture of Mary drawn by the Gospelsand the beautiful description given of her in theQur'an. Whereas the Biblical description ishighly derogatory and self-contradictory, theQuranic description is not only consistent withthe dignity of a highly righteous woman but isalso more akin to truth and facts of history.

As the verse shows Mary withdrew herselfto a place to the east. Special mention has beenmade of "a place to the east" in the verse, inorder, perhaps. to point to the time-honouredcustom of the Jews that they attached specialsignificance to 0';:'''' (East) ahd considered

it sacred. They believed that the birth of thefirst man took place in the East where Godplanted a garden. (Gen. 2 : 8). The Babyloniansby whose traditions the Jews became much

impressed as they had lived under them ascaptives also looked upon the East as "the gate

of light" (Ezekiel 11 : 1). Matthew 2 : 2 andRevelation 7 : 2 also shed some light on theimportance of the East. Both the Jews andChristians hold the East in special respect.They build their places of worship facing theEast. This is why special mention has beenmade in the present verse "of a place to the

East" and Mary has been described as havinggone to "a place which was facing the East."

For a somewhat detailed note on the early

life of Mary see VV.3 : 36, 37, 38.

J567

CH.19 MARYAM PT. 16

18. And screened herself off fromthem, then We sent Our Gangel toher, and he appeared to her in theform of a perfect man.2162

19. She said, '1 seek refuge withthe Gracious God from thee if indeedthou dost fear Him.'2163

,..,

'-c.I'!~ \ ~'~18>11~'O8", , -:':=r~.., ~ .. ...~-',,)~~~~,

~ r~ , \~~'(q,1' J~~~~"~u~ I. ::.\ ....~ ~ ,.J

f~..~ ~~ ~ r It ,-'.. ",@)~~(:,~O8 I'~,U '."' , ,.,~~

.O8'" (:)... ",~JI :.->~ ~...

a 3 : 43

2162. Important Words:

l:''''-'J (Our angel). For the different mean-

ings of the word C-'J see 2 : 88; 4 : 172 &

16 : 3.Commentary:

The expression l~>- Ir! lrJ J~ :j signifies

that the Divine glad tidings about the birth ofa great son was conveyed to Mary not in theform of spoken words which she could hearor which flowed from her mouth. The revela-tion to her took the form of a dream or vision.She saw in a vision that an angel came to herin the form of a healthy man and conveyedto her the Divine Message about the birth of ason. In fact, it is the word of God which atthe time of revelation takes different formsand which when it came to Mary took the formof a man appearing in a dream. So it was nospirit that had entered Mary's body. The visionwas but a manifestation of God's great power.

.Christians try to derive a false satisfaction

from the words b.. -'J alleging that according tothe Qur'an Divine Spirit or God Himself had.entered Mary's body and that as a result thereofshe became pregnant and therefore Jesus whowas born as the result of that conception was theson of God. The Qur'an lends no support what-soever to this blasphemous and preposterousdogma but condemns and denounces it in thestrongest possible terms (5 : 73-74; 19 : 89-91).What the verse says is only this that an angel of

God ( ~ -'J means an angel) appeared to Mary~

in a vision in the form of a man and gave toher the glad tidings of the birth of a son.

Even the Gospels repudiate this fantasticdogma. According to them Mary had becomeconceived only of the Holy Ghost (Matt. I : 18-20; Luke,1 : 35). Thus according to Christians'own admission Jesus, at best, was the son of theHoly Ghost. But if they believe that he was

the son of God then they shall also have to admitthat the Holy Ghost is God. But they acceptneither of these propositions. So whereas theQur'an strongly condemns and denounces theChristian dogma of sonship of Jesus, the Gospelstoo do not support it. What the Qur'an saysis simply this that an angel appeared beforeMary in the form of a man and gave her from

God the glad tidings of the birth of a great son.

2163. Commentary:It is worthy of note here that the Divine attri-

bute 0"'") I (Gracious), has b~en repeatedly used

in this Sura. This Sura deals with all the basicdogmas of Christianity and it is this attributeof God which cuts at the root of these falsedoctrines and demolishes them. If God is Gra-cious, then He can forgive the sins of His ser-vants and if He can forgive their sins, thenthere is no need for anybody to give his bloodin order to save mankind. As is apparentfrom the previous verse it was a mere visionthat Mary had seen, and it generally happens

1568

PT. 16 . MARY AM

20. He replied, 'I am only aMessenger of thy Lord, that aI maybestow on thee a righteous son.'2164

21. She said, b'How can I havea son when no man has touched me,neither have I been unchaste 1'2165

G 3 : 46.

CH.19

r ~" '. .<.\,

.",,,,, ~ ,1..." ,', ,!J" r~" -~" " (;~ ~ ~~ eu)U~~' :'t J -

". ~",~ ~

""d~.t""".~~J ..,

~~ ,. ,""" ~t' ~'I~,i '~J!" ~"', '.'\ ~-' . tS:... \1.P"-' ~U C) ,.1 c.::.w"" "

..u

~r~.'" !J" "~~I;Jb 3 : 48 ; 19 : 9.

that when a person sees a thing in a vision or dream a person experiences different kinds ofwhich he does not like in his waking state, he sensations at different occasions. Sometimes

does not like it when he sees it in a vision. his feelings and talk in the dream are subjectWhen Mary saw the angel standing before her to and under the Jffect of the dream that he seesin the form of a man she, being a virtuous while at another time they are not, and he feelsyoung woman, was naturally frightened and and talks as he would feel and talk if he wereperplexed as she would have been frightened awake. For example, if in a dream a person isand perplexed if she. h~d seen him i~ her state glad over the death of his son, his feelings wiHof wakefulness and It IS therefore qUIte natural be regarded as under the effect of the dreamthat she sought Divine protection from him.

because in his state of wakefulness no sane2164. Commentary: person would be glad over the death of his son.

The word 'Messenger' shows that the angel So if the words spoken by Mary when she sawwas only the bearer of a Divine message and the the angel in her vision were under the effect ofmessage or glad tidings which he brought was the vision, then they would signify that when theabout the birth of a great son to Mary. So he glad tidings was given to her about the birthhad come not to give Marya son but only the of a son she had a pleasant surprise whether Godglad tidings about the birth of a son. would work such a miracle as to give her-a

The expression ...s:::J 'Y only signifies virgin-a son. But if the words be regarded as a

that the angel had appeared to Mary to give her natural expression on her part when the tidingsthe certain and sure tidings about the birth of a of the birth of a son was given to her then theyson. The glad tidings was so certain of being would signify that she was completely perplexedfulfiUed that it seemed as if the son had already and horror-struck at the thought that a sonbeen given to her. This is what the angel had sh~uld be born to her-a virgin. In the formerconveyed to Mary because who does not know case hers would be a very pleasant surprise at the

that it' is God Who bestows a son and not an great favour that God was going to do her andangel. An angel's mission is confined only to in the latter case it would be an expression ofconveying the wish and decree of God. bewilderment indicating the horrified stat~ of

2165. Commentary: her mind.

The incident referred to in this and the preced- The words 'no man has touched me' show

fig verses took place in a vision, and in a vision that Mary thought that the glad tidings abouL1569

CH.19 MARYAM PT. 16

22. aHe replied, 'Thus it is'. Butsays thy Lord, 'It is easy for Me;and We shall do so that We may makehim a Sign unto men, and a mercy fromUs, and it is a thing decreed.' 2166

4 3: 41, 48; 19: 22; 51 : 31.

the birth of a son to her meant that the childwould be born to her without contracting aregular marriage, otherwise there was no sense

in her denying having known any man. Thewords, 'neither have I been unchaste' show thatwhereas in the previous clause she had denied

having known any man lawfully i.e. in a marriedstate, these words refer to her denial of having

known any person unlawfully i.e. outside legalwedlock. In her reply to the angel she seemed

to be thinking of the circumstances of her lifein the Temple and of her vow of celibacy whichobviated the possibility of her having :my off-spring. If she thought that the promise made

in the preceding verse referred to the birth of ason as a result of her conjugal relations in somefuture time, as some Commentators of theQur'an think, then there was no occasion forher to express any surprise.

2166. Important Words:

l:";"... (decreed) is derived from ~. They sayirl u";"; i.e. he decreed or ordained or com-manded the thing (Lane). See also 15 : 67.

Commentary:

The words, It is easy for Me, signify that amost unusual and apparentJy impossible thingsuch as to cause a child to be born without theinstrumentality of a father is quite easy forGod to bring about. The expression, that Wemay make him a Sign unto men, implies the

fatherless birth of Jesus. That birth was indeeda great Sign for the Israelites. It pointed to

~\~ ~c!w ~ ~J~,;2~" J~~~l.1'J(i.. . "J ~CF ~ ...!J ~,

cr'N'A/.J ~ ~

"@ .., .....,:7'

t ' fjf",,,,. III....I."""'"

r~.,:,rr "<2~I~ C)~."" ~,.'..,~

..", ~ J ", ~ J ,.~ .;

the impending transition of prophethood from

the House of Israel to that of Ishmael. It

also constituted a warning to the Israelitesin the sense that they had become spiritually

so corrupt and morally so degenerate that nomale among them was fit enough to becom:::the father of a Prophet of God. So God decreedto bring about Jesus's birth independently of afather. Jesus had an Israelite mother only andhad no father. As the final step in the processof transition, however, the Great and NobleMessenger who was to follow him was to haveneither an Israelite father nor an Israelite mother.He was to appear from another people, fromamong the Ishmaelites, the brethren ofIsraelites,

in accordance with the Divine promise made toMoses (Deut. 18 : 18). It is in this sense thatJesus has been spoken of as 'a Sign of the Hour'

in the Qur'an (43 : 62), i.e., a Sign of the timewhen prophethood was to have passed fromthe Israelites to the Ishmaelites. See alsoIntroduction to this Sura.

Jesus has also been spoken of 'as a mercyfrom Us.' He was a mercy from God in thesense that he taught meekness and humility

to the Jews who had become hardheartedand conceited to the core. He was also amercy in the sense that he came as a fore-runner of the Holy Prophet who himself 'wassent as a mercy for all the worlds' (21 : 108).Again Jesus was a Divine mercy inasmuch ashe paved the way for the revelation of the Qur'anwhich has also been referred to as 'a mercy fromthe Lord' (29 : 52; 43: 33). But this use of

1570

PT. 16 MARYAM CH.19

23. So she conceivedwithdrew with him toplace.2167

him, anda remote &;:},~~ r~r~ A , -: ,,,.,,

\i ,-,"\!9 \.:t~ ~ ~~ .;.;. \'"!'~"(#III ,~ . ~

the words, 'That We may make him a Sign untomen and a mercy from Us' should not be under-stood to entitle Jesus to any special spiritualstatus. Other persons and Prophets of God havealso been styled' as a mercy and a Sign from God'

in the Qur'an (2 : 260; 7 : 74; 10 : 93; 21 : 108).

The expression, and it is a thing decreed, m~ansthat God had decreed that a fatherless son wouldbe born to Mary and that this Divine decree wasirrevocable. The Qur'an has used two wordsJ..li and l.;o.i to express the sense of Divine

decree. They are sometimes erroneously taken.one for the other. But while J..li meansdesigning or determining, ~ means decree-

ing. When a scheme or plan is only de-signed to be put into execution, it is called J..li

but when it is decreed by God that it shouldbe carried into actual effect, it is named .l.;o.i.The fatherless birth of Jesus was a .l.;..i (Divinedecree) of God and not a J..li.

2167. Important Words:

.:.l::;\ (she withdrew) is derived from ~.They say o.y i.e. he cast, threw or flung it away.

¥ I means, he withdrew or retired aside or

apart from others; separated himself fromothers. pi!! 0'" ~; I means.. he. withdrew or

retired from his people. l:~ l;~ ~\ means, heretired to a place from his family; he retired to adistant place from his people (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary :

How Mary came to conceive Jesus without theagency of a husband is one of those Divine sec-rets which at present may be considered beyondhuman intellect to fathom. It may be regardedas above the ordinary natural law as we nowknow it. But the knowledge of man, at best, is

-~--

limited. He has not been able to comprehend allDivine secrets. There are mysteries in naturewhich man has not been able to solve as yet;perhaps he may never be able to solve them.Among them may be included the fatherless birthof Jesus. God's ways are inscrutable and Hispowers limitless. He Who could create the wholeuniverse by uttering the word, ,:} (be), surelycan bring about such changes in matter as shouldmake this apparently insoluble mystery yieldto a solution.

Medical Science, however, has not altogetherruled out the possibility, from a purely biologicalstandpoint, under certain conditions, of naturalparthenogenesis or the production of a childby a female without any relation to a male.Medical men call attention to this possibility as aresult of a certain type of tumours, which areoccasionally found in the female pelvis or lowerbody. These turnours which are known asarrhenoblastoma are capable of generating malesperm-cells. If living male sperm-cells areproduced in a female body by arrhenoblastomathe possibility of self-fertilization of a woman,even though virgin, cannot be denied. Thatis to say, her own body would produce thesame result as though sperm-cells from a man'sbody had been transferred to hers in theusual way, or by a physician's aid. Recentlya group of gynaecologists in Europe havepublished data to prove instances of childbirth where the mother had had no contactwith a male (Lancet). For a detailed note onparthenogenesis see 3 : 48.

Jesus's birth is perhaps not altogether uniquein this respect that he was born without theagency of a human father. Cases are on record

1571

CH.19 MARYAM PT. 16

24. And the pains of childbirthdrove her unto the trunk of a palm-tree.She said, 'O! would that I had diedbefore this and had become a thingquite forgotten !,2168

~t; ~~\ ~~Jl~~\ ~~~~@~.3~~ !.~~\'-' '(~ ~ "~~;(I.

..~ .. ~J~~~~

of children having been born without fathersfor which see Ene. Brit. under "Virgin Birth"

and" Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine"published by W. B. Saunders & Co., London.

If we dismiss all these possibilities, then Jesus'sbirth will have to be regarded, God forbid, asillegitimate. Christians and Jews are both agreedthat the birth of Jesus was something out of theordinary-the Christians holding it as superna-

tural and the Jews as illegitimate (Jew. Ene.).Even in the family birth register, the birth ofJesus was recorded as such (Talmud). This factalone should constitute a valid proof of Jesus'sbirth being out of the ordinary. Joseph, Mary'shusband, according to the vospels, had notestablished conjugal relations with her till afterthe birth of Jesus (Matt. 1 : 25), So the words,

'she conceived him', refer to this extraordinaryconception of Mary without the agency of anyman.

The words, 'a remote place', refer to Bethle-hem which is about seventy miles fromNazareth to the south. There Joseph took Marysometime before Jesus's birth which tookplace in that town.

2168. Important Words:

~l;"'" (pains of childbirth) is derived from

~. They say ~~lJl~;"'" i.e. he churned themilk and took the butter out of it. u~~I~means, he violently agitated the thing.;f .)..JI ..:.~.. means, the woman suffered the

pains of childbirth. ~l"".. means, the pains of

childbirth (Lane & Aqrab).

l::-;... (a thing forgotten) is derived from

u-; (nasiy~). u~::::J1 v-j means, he forgotthe thing. l::~ means, anything forgotten orworthy of being forgotten or anything that mustbe forgotten. It also means, one who is countedfor nothing, who is despised; a thing which themembers of a caravan leave behind ~s worth-less or of little use or importance. l::-;.. alsomeans, a thing that is forgotten or neglected.The use of these two words together in this,verse denoting the same sense is intended to.intensify the sense of fogetting or neglect(Lane & Aqrab) .

Commentary:

As it appears from the Gospels there was no,room in the inn in which Jesus was born inBethlehem. Joseph and Mary must have stayedin the open field and Mary might have betaken,herself to the trunk of a palm-tree in order to.take rest under its shade and possibly also to.find some support in her throes of childbirth.

The words, 'had become a thing quite for-,gotten' indicate the extreme severity of the painsof childbirth. In the case of first delivery the,throes of childbirth ordinarily are extremelysevere and in the intensity of pain womengenerally give utterance to some such words..as those spoken by Mary.

1572

PT. 16 MARY AM

25. Then he (the angel) calledher from beneath her, saying, "Grievenot. Thy Lord has placed a rivuletbelow thee;2169~

26. "Andrshake'towards thyself the'trunk of the palm-tree; it will causefresh ripe dates to fall upon thee,2170

CH.19

j!" 'IN" ." ,,II~"~

tq"~J~' \o::J' "~I \ ..' 00' '" r~-:io . ~~..Y>u~"

~ .)~

6~@ "'''' ~ '"fA ~ ~ $ .. ....:..:;--

"",

~J ~J:~!.3 :;e~., ~~o cl:Jt ~~ i"- tI*..

"~ ~ ,);""..",tJr-'

;rt."6~

2169. Important Words:l-&~~)(beneath her). .:;,.~.:;means, beneath,

below or under; the lower part. The wordalso signifies the low, base, vile or ignobleor d::pressed persons. The Holy Prophet isreported to have said

"i""~ ~d_J I t.,ij 'Y

J.J~ ,J I 0:l~j .J .:;.,~~JI .lrlu i.e. the hOGr of

Resurrection will not come until the low ordepressed people prevail and the rich and high-placed persons perish; or as some say, until the

treasures that are beneath the earth appear(Lane & Tttj).

The word .:;,.",j meaning beneath, belowand also the slope and declivity of a mountain(Lane), the verse signifies that the voice came toMary from the side of the slope of the mountainwhere the fountain was and not from beneathher own body as is popularly believed. Asa matter of fact Bethlehem is situated on arock 2350 ft. above sea-level and is surroundedby very fertile valleys. There are fountainsin this rock, one of which is known as the 'foun-tain of Solomon'. Another fountain is situatedat a distance of about 800 yards to the south-east of the town. From these fountains wateris supplied to the town of Bethlehem. Thewords of the verse only mean that the angelcalled to Mary from the side of the fountainwhich was situated in the slope (~) of themountain.

Mary stood in need of water for drinking andfor washing herself and the swaddling-clothes.

So the voice of the angel indicated to her thedirection where the fountain lay. One of thefountains was flowing at a distance of about800 yards to the south-east of Bethlehem andJoseph and Mary, we are told, finding no accom-modation in the town had to lie in the open fieldat some distance from the town.

The verse seems to point to a beautiful likenesswhich Jesus had with another Prophet of God-Ishmael. We are told that when Ishmael sufferedfrom extreme pangs of thirst in the wilderness ofMecca and his mother Hagar in vain searchedfor water, the voice of the angel came to hersaying that God had caused a fountain of waterto flow from under the feet ofIshmael (BukharI).The verse thus entitles Jesus to no particulardistinction. Apart from the fatherless birth ofJesus the significance of which has been fully ex-plained in the Introduction to the present Sura,Jesus possesses no distinction. He was onlyone of so many Divine Messengers.2170. Commentary:

According to this verse the birth of Jesus tookplace at a time when fresh dates are found onpalm-trees in Judaea. That season evidentlyis in the months of August and September butaccording to the view generally accepted byChristians, Jesus was born on 25th Decemberwhich day is celebrated all over the Christianworld every year with great fervour. Now thisChristian view is contradicted not only bythe Qur'an but also by history and even

1573

CH.19

by writers of the New Testament itself.Writing about the time of Jesus's birth Lukesays: "And there were shepherds in the samecountry (Judaea) abiding in the field,. and keep-ing watch by night over their flock's (Luke 2 : 7,8). Commenting on this statement of LukeBishop Barns in his book, Rise of Christianity,on page 79 says: "There is, moreover, noauthority for the belief that December 25was the actual birthday of Jesus. If we cangive any credence to the birth-story of Luke,with the shepherds keeping watch by night inthe fields near Bethlehem, the birth of Jesusdid not take place in winter, when the nighttemperature is so low in the hill country ofJudaea that snow is not uncommon. Aftermuch argument our Christmas day seems tohave been accepted about A.D. 300". Thisview of Bishop Barns is supported by writers ofthe articles on "Christmas" in EncyclopaediaBritannica and Chambers Encyclopaedia. InEncyclopaedia Britannica we have:

The exact day and year of Christ's birthhave never been satisfactorily settled;but hen the fathers of the Church inA.D. 340 decided upon a date to cele-brate the event, they wisely chose the dayof the winter solstice which was firmlyfixed in the minds of the people andwhich was their most important festival.Owing to changes in man-made calen-dars, the time of the solstice and thedate of Christmas day vary by a fewdays (15th edition, vol. 5, pp. 642 &642A).

'Chambers Encyclopaedia says:

In the second place the winter solsticewas regarded as the birthday of thesun, and at Rome 25th December wasobserved as a pagan festival of thenativity of Sol-invictus. The Church,unable to stamp out this popular festival,spiritualized it as the feast of theNativity of the Sun of Righteousness.

MARYAM PT. 16

These statements of the two Encyclopaediasare further supported by Peake's "Commentaryon the Bible". In this book On page 727 Peakesays: "The season (of Jesus's birth) would not be

December; our Christmas day is a comparativelylate tradition found first in the West." Thusrecent historical research into the origins ofChristianity has established the fact beyond any

reasonable doubt that Jesus was not born in

December.

How in the light of historical research into theorigins of Christianity and Luke's statementthat Jesus was born at a time when "there werein the same country shepherds abiding in the

field, keeping watch over their flocks by night"(Luke 2 : 7-8) the belief ever came to be enter-tained by Christians that Jesus was born inDecember, seems very surprising indeed. Accord-ing to this statement of Luke Jesus certainly was

born in summer when shepherds abide in thefield in Judaea, keeping watch over their flocksat night which is only possible in summer. Theincident referred to in Luke very probably tookplace in the month of August or September whenfresh dates are found on palm-trees in Judaea.This is the time when according to the Quranicverse under comment Jesus was born and whenhis mother Mary was directed by God to "shake

towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree;

it will cause fresh dates to fall upon thee". Thusthe Gospel of Luke inadvertently has lentwonderful support to the Quranic view aboutthe birth of Jesus having taken place in themonth of August or September which is theseason of fresh ripe dates in Judaea. Moreover,there is ample and very reliable historical evi-

dence also to show that Jesus was born in themonth of August or September. In his "Dic~tionary of the Bible" Dr. John D. Davis, under

the word "year" writes that dates become ripe in

')574

PT. 16 MARYAM CH.19

the Jewish month of Elul; and in Peake's "Com-m~ntary on the Bibie" (page 117) we have thatthe month of Elul corresponds to the months ofAugust-September. Furthermore Dr. Peake says,

"J. Stewart (When did our Lord actually live?)arguing from an Angora temple inscription and aquotation in an old Chinese classic whichspeaks of the Gospel story reaching ChinaA.D. 25-28 puts the birth of Jesus in 8 B.C.(Sept. or 0;:1.) and the crucifixion on Wednesday1n A.D. 24."

From the above statem~nts of the two Ency-clopaedias supported by quotations from the"Comm~ntary on the Bible" by Dr. ArthurS. Peake, M.A., D.D., the fact becom~s quiteclear that Jesus was born in the Jewish monthof Elul which corresponds to the months ofAugust-September when dates ripen in Judaea,and not on 25th Dxember as the ChristianChurch would have us believe. And that is the

view expresed by the Qur'li1.One more fact in this connection demands

careful examination. Som~ tim~ before Jesus'sbirth Joseph had taken Mary to Bethlehem, atown about seventy miles to the south ofNazareth, the native place of Joseph and Mary.

Luke states that Joseph did so because withQuirinius as governor of Syria, Augustus Caesar

had ordered that all should go to Bethlehem tobe enrolled in the city of David (Luke 2 : 1-4).But history does not support this statement ofLuke. No census was ever taken in the yearof Jesus's birth nor was there any governor ofSyria of this name at that time. Accordingto Josephus, one of the greatest of all Jewishhistorians, the first census ever to be taken washeld seven years after Jesus's birth and thegovernors of Syria ten years before his birthtill Herod's death were Stiplus Wardus, Sentirisand Titnis (Ene. Brit. under "Chronicle").

It seems incredible that in the face of suchreliable historical evidence Luke should haveinvented this story of the census. There musthave been some very compelling reasons for himto do so. It appears that in a desp.;rate search

for an excuse to explain why Jo~eph and Maryundertook such a long and arduous journeyto Bethlehem in the latter's extremely weakstate of health and her pregnancy, Luke seemsto have stumbh:d over the fact of a census havingtaken place in that town which, in fact, had

been held seven years after the date that he hasassigned to it. He deliberately predated the

census by seven years in order to show that boththe events-the c~nsus and Jesus's birth, tookplace at the same time. Writing history aboutseventy or eighty years after the actual event heperhaps thought that this historical anachronismwould not be detected after such a long tim~.Thus by placing the census, which had occurredseven years later, in the year of Jesus's birthLuke persuaded himself to believe that he hadsucceeded in explaining away the fact as to whyJoseph had exposed his ailing wife to the rigours

of a long and hard journey to Bethlehem inthe advanced state of her pregnancy.

But the difficulty still remains that if, as his-tory shows, there had been no census at the

time of Jesus's birth, then why Luke was soanxious to invent the whole story of the journey

to Bethlehem and why it was undertaken. Infact the difficulty was of Luke's own creation.It was this, that While narrating the accountof the immaculate conception of Mary he hadstated that great and wonderful miracles hadbegun and had continued to appear till Jesus'sbirth. He feared that if no valid reason weregiven of this journey of Joseph and Mary, thenthey would be legitimately accused of being weak

1575

CH. 19 MARYAM PT. 16

of faith and people would naturally say thatafter having witnessed so many miracles at

the time of the conception they were still afraidof public criticism and scandal-mongering andthat in order to hide the fact of conception andlater birth they had left Nazareth. But thehard reality was there that they had undertakenthe journey to Bethlehem, a far-off place. Lukeprobably thought that people would rightly askthat if immediately after the conception miraclesand Divine Signs had really begun to appear, thenwhere was the necessity for Joseph to concealMary's pregnancy and the subsequent birth ofJesus, and if there existed no such necessity whydid Joseph and Mary undertake that hard andfatiguing journey in the state of her extremely

delicate health? Thus the invention of great mir-acles having taken place at the time of the con-ception forced Luke to forge the event of the cen-sus and also the story that he had undertaken thejourney to Bethlehem in order to attend it. Buthe need not have invented or predated the factof the census. The whole thing was quite simpleand could have been easily explained. Lukecould easily have written that Mary had mira-culously conceived a child while in the Templeand was afterwards married to Joseph whohimself was quite convinced of her chastity as hehad seen a vision to that effect (see 3 : 47). Butbecause he feared that he would not be able toconvince others of this fact, and because he wasafraid of scandal-mongering on the part of thepeople, therefore, he had to take Mary to a far

'off place before her pregnancy had become toopatent to be concealed any longer. But this hewould not do because in that case the wholestory of great miracles having attended Mary'sconception would have gone to piece:;. This ishow the whole difficulty arose and one inventionled to another.

It may be added here that the whole

trouble of fixing the date of Jesus's birthseems to have arisen from a confusion of thedate of Mary's conception. The pregnancyof Mary seemed to have taken place some-time in November or December and not inMarch or April as the Church historians wouldhave us believe. When after four or five months'conception pregnancy became too obvious to beconcealed any longer, Joseph was prevailedupon to take Mary to his house in the month ofMarch or April of the next year. Thus Chris-tian historians mistake the date when Josephtook Mary to his house for the date of her actualconception which had taken place four or five

months earlier. As recent research into theorigins of Christianity has proved that Jesuswas not born in December but in August-Sep-tember, therefore the conception could not havetaken place in March or April. So the Quranicview that Jesus was born in August or Septemberis based not only on historical facts but is alsoquite in accordance with Luke's own narrativeand therefore is the only safe and sensibleconclusion.

It also appears from the present verse thatMary was lying in a sheltered place in the upperpart of the hill and the date-palm was standingon the slope and therefore she could easily reachto its truni-. and shake it. That the territory ofBethlehem abounded in date-palms is clearfrom the Bible (Judges 1 : 16) and from "ADictionary of the Bible" by Dr. John D. Davis,D.D.

Moreover, the fact of Mary having been guid-ed to a fountain, as mentioned in the precedingverse, in order to drink of its water and washherself, points to Jesus's birth having takenplace in the month of August or September

because in the icy cold weather of Judaea inD~cember Mary could not have washed herselfin the open.

1576

PT. 16 MARYAM CR. 19

27. "So eat and drink and coolthine eye. And if thou seest any man,say, 'I have vowed a fast to the Gra-cious God; 1 will therefore not speakthis day to any human being.'" 2171

28. Then she brought him toher people, carrying him. They said,'0 Mary, thou hast done a strangething r2172

. ~:'i\~&:tu(1~~ ~w~--[;" ':.t" ,tlf~ I ~ -- .. i..SJ'-' :,~ -' ~

~".l.J

I 'I~r?" I'~--

,,~-: , :' ,

;', ' !":'j 4- h'c:,y-u.yQ~" ~..)w;} <.,;..ft~ I. I-I,

"" ~; "'.;- -~'r-?'~ '0~1 "'tt~ .. ",,,~~

~~ '"~;I I:\~.t.~ V~'~ ~ ~'f-:

~... o:~~ ~ I. CiJ'-',"'"

rt' -: ~~0u~ J. '0\:.:J ..." ..

2171. Commentary:

Some Commentators of the Qur'an are of theview that Mary was comm:lnded completely toabstain from talking. But that is not the case.Like Zachariah she was directed to abstain fromtalk as far as possible, but not completely, and todevote all her time in the remembrance of God.The expression Jii; (and say) itself shows thatthe command about abstaining from talk wasnot unqualified. A new baby had been bornand as the birth of a new child was likely toattract the casual visitor or the passerby andinduce him to ask the mother unnecessary andvexatious questions about its parentage etc.; soin order to cut short the possible embarrassingconversation Mary was commanded to say thatshe had vowed a fast to the Gracious God thatshe would indulge in no useless talk. Thus whileon the one hand her silence conserved her phy-sical strength, on the other she could have moretime to devote to the remembrance of God.

2172. Important Words:

~ (thou hast done). ~~j .l~ means, Zaid

came. i~~j..::..~ means, I came to Zaid. ..::..~

"-! means, I brought him. ...uy. c. .l~ means,she gave birth to a child. c.f:~ .l~ means, hedid, executed or performed a thing; he said or

uttered a thing. l; ~ ~ means, I did atgood thing. The Quranic expression. ~~ ~AJ4} ~ means, thou hast done a strange thingor a thing hitherto unknown (Lane & Aqrab).

4} (strange) is derived from ..s} (fariya)which means, he was or became confounded orperplexed, and was unable to see the rightcourse. li'jJ ..s}f means, he blamed or censuredsuch a one; ~~, ;S} I means, he cut or slitthe thing. They say IS,;JI ISfi yo i.e. heeffects what is wonderful in his deed. IS}means, a thing forged or fabricated or un-known or unheard of. The words ~ ~J

l~} l~.z mean, thou hast done a thing hithertounknown; or a thing deemed strange; or athing great of magnitude or gravity. ..s}applied to a man means, a forger or fabricatorof lies. 4£ ..s.,;;1means, he forged or fabricateda lie or falsehood (Lane & Aqrab).

"-.\~) (carrying him) is derived from J..-.They say 15~:~JIJ.- i.e. he carried the thing...n-1> ~ .u...:.. means, he bore him on his or

its back. ;;r~l..::..1- means, the woman be-came pregnant. iJT,;J I J..."" means, he memo-rized the Qur'an. J..:>.JI.u...:.. means, he helpedhim or assisted him to lift the load; or heassisted him in his work; he gave him a beastto ride; rfk:J (9: 92) means, that thou

1577

CH.19

shouldst mount them (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat).See also 7 : 177.

Commentary:

By the words 'carrying him' some people are

led to think that the verse refers to the time ofthe childhood of Jesus when Mary carried him

in her arms. But this is an obvious misconcep-

tion. The verse, in fact, refers to the time whenJesus had attained to prophethood as is clearfrom vv. 31-34 wherein he says, I am a servantof Allah, He has given me the Book, and mademe a Prophet.. .. .and has enjoined upon me Prayer

and alms-giving so long as I live. Surely Jesuswas not made a Prophet in his childhood, nordid he say his Prayers and give Zakat at thattim~. It app~ars from the Gospels that afterJesus's birth at Bethlehem, in pursuance of aDivine command Joseph had taken him andMary to Egypt where they lived for someyears and it was after the death of Herod thatthe family came back to Nazareth and dweltthere (Matt. 2 : 13-23). There was also a Bibli-cal prophecy to the effect that Jesus would cometo his people along with his mother riding anass (Matt. 21 :4-7). Jesus and Mary were actu-ally riding asses when they entered Jerusalem.

Thus the expression .u..."'; (carrying him ormounting him) may possibly refer to that pro-phecy of the Bible.

Moreover the expression .\.t~ as shownunder "Important Words" above, also means,he helped him and assisted him in his work.According to this signification of the word

J the verse under comment would mean thatMary came to her people with Jesus whileshe believed in him and helped him in his

mission. The expression serves a two-fold pur-

MARYAM PT. 16

pose. On the one hand it refers to the ful-filment of theBiblical prophecy (Matt. 21 : 4-7)and on the other disposes of the accusation(also contained in the Bible) that Jesus's bro-thers and .his mother did not believe in him. Inany case this verse does not refer to the child-

hood of Jesus but to the time when prophethoodhad already been bestowed upon him and hehad begun addressing his Message to his people.

The manner of expression adopted in regardto the birth and prophethood of Jesus is quitelike that adopted about John (YaQ) a) in verses12th and 13th of the present Sura. Verse 12relates to Zachariah having received the happynews of the birth of a son and v. 13 to the periodwhen his son Yal)) a had become a Prophet, theremaining incidents in YaQya's life having beenomitted because the Qur'an is not a book ofhistory that it should give the complete picture

of the life of a man. In the same way the pre-ceding three verses give a brief description of

Jesus's birth and the present verse comes straightto the time when he had become a Prophet ofGod. The fact that v. 23 speaks of Mary havingwithdrawn to a remote place also belies theinference that she had come from that remoteplace carrying Jesus in her arms.

The words, 'thou hast done a strange thing'contain a double taunt. They refer to thecalumny of Mary having given birth to an illegi-

timate son and to Jesus having falsely laidclaim to prophethood. As shown under "Im-portant Words" above the word IS} alsomeans a forger of lies. Thus by using this wordthe elders of the Jewish people called Maryabad woman and Jesus a forger of lies and afalse Prophet.

1578

PT. ]6 MARYAM CH. ]9

29. '0 sister of Aaron, thy fatherwas not a wicked man nor wasthy mother an unchaste woman !'2173

30. Then she pointed to him.They said, 'how can we ta]k to one whois a child in the crad]e ?,2I74

-~-_.

2]73. Commentary:

Some Christian writers in their ignorance ofthe Arabic language have accused the Qur'an ofan historical anachronism inasmuch as it hasspoken of Mary as "sister of Aaron". Il13tead ofregretting their own ignorance they seek to find

fault with the Qur'an. The question of Maryhaving been ca]]ed the sister of Aaron in

the Qur'an was put before the Holy Prophethimself and he asked the questioner if he didnot know that the Israelites lIsed to name theirchildren after their Prophets and saints (Bayan,vo1. 6, p. 16; Jar/r vol. 16, p. 52).

Mary has been here called the sister of Aaron

and not that of Moses though both were brothers.for whereas Moses was the founder of the Jewish

Law. Aaron was the head of the Jewish priestly

.class (Enc. Bib. & Enc. Brit. under "Aaron")

and Mary also belonged to the priestly order.

Tabari has related an incident from the life ofthe Holy Prophet which gives an insightinto the meanings of the Arabic words yl'(ab), ~$..('amm). ..:; 1 (ukht) etc. When ~afiyyah,the Holy Prophet's wife, and incidenta]]y aJewess by descent. once complained to theHo]y Prophet that some of his other wives had

called her a Jewess in contempt, the Prophettold her to return the taunt by saying that Aaron

was her father. Moses her uncle and Mui)ammadher husband. Now, the Holy Prophetcertainly knew that Aaron was not $afiyyah's

,.I{~r"":: '''''''''''' #I","fjo-f"" ,~, "",''it''~b '4.J:f""\~\ ~~ I C!O \..0 i.:).' ... ~~~ :;.,r-; .. J~..'C!

~~,"' ~ '� ,~\:aJ.$.1~ ,

LS\b ,?.;,'iL.;~,i~ ~\ ~"",\1iU"

v-~.. ~ -;..." =-'

t~~;,, ~

@:'" ~t--------

father nor Moses her uncle. This traditionshows that the application of these Arabic wordsis by no means confined to the above-mentionedblood relations.

Mary might have been called a sister of Aaronby way of reproach or taunt inasmuch as another

Mary, the real sister of Aaron and Moses's step-sister or his sister-in-Iaw- had charged him(Moses) with having unlawfully married a

woman (Numbers 12: I). A reference to this

accusation is also to be found in the Qur'an in33 : 70. Thus the elders of the Jews, by calling

Jesus's mother "sister of Aaron:' meant thatas Mary the sister of Aaron had, by accusingMoses of unlawfuHy marrying a woman, com-mitted a heinous crime, so did she. like hernamesake, commit a heinous act of giving birth

to an illegitimate child. See also 3 : 36.2174. Important Words:

For .I.-&-.JI see 3 : 47.Commentary:

The words 'she pointed to him' indicate tliatMary knew what answer Jesus would give if the

elders of the Jews addressed their question tohim. These words may also indicate that Maryknew that if she declared herself innocent no-body would believe her. The only evidence of

her innocence was her son. She meant that

such a holy and righteous son whom God hadendowed with such noble qualities could not be

the result of an immoral union and that his

1579

CH.l~ MARY AM PT. 16

virtues and good qualities by themselves consti-tuted a sufficient vindication of her innocence.

So she pointed to him.

The words may also signify that when the Jews

accused Mary of adultery she felt embarrassed

and pointed to Jesus who had by that time

become a Prophet. Some Muslim Commenta-tors of the Qur'an seem to feel a peculiar delightin attributing all sorts of miracles to Jesus. By

their misguided esteem for him they havevirtually raised him to the pedestal of Divinity.

In the words, How can we talk to one who is a

child in the cradle, they seem to have discoverdone such miracle of Jesus. Among all men, evenamong all the great Prophets of God, he alone,they say, could talk while yet a child in the

cradle. But the talk which he gave to the elders

of the Jews and which is contained in the next

four verses (vv. 31-34) could not possibly be thetalk of a child. If it was, then the facts des-

cribed therein were a tissue of lies. Jesus says:(a) "God has made me a Prophet"; (b) "He has

given me the Book"; (c) "He has enjoined me to

say Prayers and give the Zakat"; (d) "He has

made me, dutiful to my mother and has not

made me haughty", and (e) "Peace was on methe day I was born, and peace there wHI be on me

the day I shall die, and the day I shall be raisedup to life again." All these affirmations from

the lips of a child sound like so many lies andwho would call these lies a miracle? Jesus wasneither a Prophet at that time, nor did he say

Prayer or give Zakat or was given a Book. More-

over, these Commentators appear to ignore thequite obvious fact that at another place in theQur'an (3 : 47) this miracle is stated as having

consisted in Jesus's speaking to the peoplein the cradle and when of middle age (-,-,.J' ,)5\,)-,). But talk by a man when he is ~.s-

i.e. of middle age, is no miracle; and by

joining the word -4... (cradle) with the wordJ~) (of middle age), the Qur'an implies

that the talk of Jesus in .A~..and whenhe was J~) (of middle age) was no miraclein the sense in which it is understood by the

Commentators, but it was a miracle in the sense

that he spoke words of exceptional wisdom and

intelligence in childhood as well as in middle

age. The joining of these two words also im-plied a prophecy that Jesus would not die

young but would live up to a ripe age. This

prophecy did constitute a real miracle. But

if the word .A,...were to be taken in the sense of

"period of preparation" which is also one of themeanings of this word, the verse .A,..JI,}V"'L0If"~S\~

-'(3 :47) would mean that he would speak to

people words full of extraordinary wisdom andspiritual knowledge much beyond his years andexperience, both in the period of preparationwhich is youth and in his middle age. Thus

the words, Holt' can we talk to one who is a childin the cradle, present no difficulty. WhenMary, on being taunted by the elders of the

Jews, directed their attention to Jesus, theydisdained to talk to him and contemptuouslysaid, how could they talk to "a child in the

cradle" i.e. a mere boy, who was born andbrought up before their very eyes? Elderlypeople are wont to talk like that when

invited to learn wisdom from one who is muchyounger to them in age. The words merelyconstitute an expression of contempt and disdainfor Jesus. See also 3 : 47.

15'80

PT. 16 MARY AM CH.19

31. He said, 'I am a servantof Allah. He has given me the Book,and made me a Prophet; 2175

32. 'And He has made 'me bles-sed wheresoever J may be, and hasenjoined upon me Prayer and alms-giving so long as I live; 2176

33. 'And He has made me Gduti-fut toward my mother, and He has notmade me haughty and unblessed. 2177

1Ir~~~"",'((' 11.1:.' , ..'"~~~. . ~\"" .

..\~,.,'~ 7q J r~

~ -..'"

. .-' . , r..$j-J'" ~~" \oS

~~~. ,"I"~f'" ~'''', r~"I'~.:.~

'" ';.~J') \..o~.. ehO '" .-'

~~L~:'J~j13J'.;

~~D~ \~~ '!.t~::'\"'~..~('te'~'UI-, ~.. ~...o'J~ ...~~.J

a 19 : 15,33.

2175. Commentary:

"The Book" refers to the Torah and the versesignifies that God had given Jesus a specia Iknowledge of'fhe Torah which was denied to theeIders and learned men of the Jews.

2176. Commentary:

This verse implied a mighty prophecy. Theprophecy was that Jesus's people would put him

on the Cross and would compel him to flee hiscountry and seek refuge in a foreign land. Butthe grace and blessings of God would attend himwherever he would go. After the crucifixionJesus'smission appeared to have been a completefailure but he trave1led to the East-to Afgha-nistan and Kashmir, where his cause prosperedand triumphed. See also 4 : 158 & 23 : 51.

2177. Commentary:

The present and the preceding two verses refertoa period when Jesus had already become invest-ed with prophethood. It is an insult to humanintelligence and common-sense and to belie factsof history and also to betray one's utter lack

of knowledge of the Quranic style and Arabicidiom to say that the words of vv. 31-33 werespoken by Jesus while he was yet a child andtherefore constituted a great miracle. A mere

babe who sucked the breast of his mother could

not say that he was a most obedient -and

faithful servant of God or that God had givenhim a Book or that he said Prayers and gave

alms or that he was dutiful to his mother and was

not haughty. All this talk seems to be a tiss ueof lies. Jesus could not and did not do any of

these things while yet a child but rather when hehad attained to prophethood. It may be arguedthat the miracle consisted in the fact that Jesuscould talk while yet a baby in the cradle but thispurpose could equally have been served by his

speaking only a few words. If only he had

rebuked the elders of the Jews for calumniatinghis mother in a single sentence they would surelyhave been taken aback and completely confound-ed and the purpose of the miracle would havebeen fully served. But where was the necessityof putting a long discourse in Jesus's mouthwhich was not true? The truth is that the miracledid not lie in the supposed infantile talk ofJesus but only in the imagination of the Com-mentators.

In this and the preceding two verses Jesus hasbeen described as saying that (I) he is a servantof God; (2) God has given him the Book; (3)He has made him a Prophet; (4) He has made

]581

CH. 19 MARY AM

him blessed; (5) He has enjoined upon himPrayer and alms-giving; (6) He has made

him dutiful to his mother and that (7) He hasnot made him haughty and unblessed. All thesewords put in Jesus's mouth by the Qur'an have

been amply supported and corroborated by theBible:

(l) As regards Jesus's being a humble

servant of God, subject to human weaknessesand frailties and to the demands and calls ofnature and not being God or son of God, the

Bible says:

And when he had fasted forty days andnights, he afterwards hungered (Matt.4 : 2).

But of that day or that hour knoweth noone,-but the father (Mark 13 : 32).

And Jesus said unto him, why callestthou me good? None is good saveone, that is God (Mark 10 : 18).

(2) About the fact that Jesus was given a

Book which he followed and taught, the Biblesays:

Think not that I come to destroy thelaw or the prophets: I am not come todestroy, but to fulfil. For verily I sayunto you, Till heaven. and earth. passaway, one jot or one tittle shall 111nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled(Matt. 5 : 17, 18).

.

(3) The Bible also supports the Quranic

statement that Jesus was only a Prophet of God

and not God or the son of God, It says:

And He that sent me is with me (John8 : 29).

Neither came I of myself, but He sent me(John 8 : 42).

He hath sent me to proclaim release tothe captives, and recovering of sightto the blind (Isaiah 61: 1-3;Luke 4: 15-22).

And the multitudes said, This is the

PT. 16

Prophet, Jesus, of Nazareth of Galilee(Matt. 21 : 1I).

(4) About Jesus's being blessed the Bible

depicts Elizabeth, the mother of John, as saying

to Mary, the mother of Jesus:

Blessed art thou among women, andblessed is the fruit of thy womb (LukeI : 42).

And it came to pass, as he spake thesethings, a certain woman of the companylifted up her voice and said unto him,Blessed is the womb that bare thee,and the paps which thou hast sucked(Luke II : 27).

(5) Fifthly, the Qur'an tells us about Jesus

that God had enjoined upon him Prayerand alms-giving. About this the Bible says as

follows:

And he withdrew himself into thewilderness and prayed (Luke 5 : 16).And being in an agony he prayedmore earnestly; and his sweat was as itwere great drops of blood falling downto the ground (Luke 22 : 44).Render therefore unto Caesar the thingsthat are Caesar's and unto God thethings that are God's (Matt. 22 : 21).

(6) Last of all Jesus has been described asbeing humble and blessed with success. Inregard to this the Bible says:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn ofme; for I am meek and lowly in heart:and ye shall find rest unto your souls(Matt. II : 29).

Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold.thy King cometh unto thee, meek, andsittin gupon an ass, and a colt the foalof an ass (Matt. 21 : 5).

These things I have spoken unto you,that in me ye might have peace. In theworld ye shall have tribulation: but beof good cheer; I have overcome the world(John 16 : 33).

1582

PT. 16 MARYAM CH. 19

34. 'And peace was on me litheday I was born, and peace there will beon me the day I shall die. and the dayI shall be raised up to life again.'2178

35. Such was Jesus, son of Mary.This is a statement of the truth aboutwhich they doubt.2179

"''',,, "'''' t""n ~ ~t~"''''-:'\~'\-::'.~-'!~ ~~,""~-' ~.:H~.J o..>!.~~,~Q\!;. ?""'<.V

. ~t

~ ' ~I.;~' \J""('.~""''''''~',;, ~,;\

"..,1$ -" ~ ~~~d ~~..)

~.; ,,<.,,~CJ.J~

~ ~-~ -_..---------- ----------

-

~-~

II ]9 : ]6.~ ".- ,-~ ,-

-~

2]78. Commentary:

The words J and peace there will be on me theday 1 shall die, show that Jesus did not die on

the Cross, for death on the Cross, accordingto the Bible, is an accursed death (Deut. 21 : 23;Gat 3: 13). It cannot be said about a person

who died an accursed death that he died a blessedand peaceful death. But the mere fact of aperson being put on the Cross or meeting aviolent end does not conflict with the idea ofpeace and blessedness to which this verse refers.

It is an accepted fact of history that the ProphetYal}ya was murdered while in jail but the words

"peace was on him the day he died" have alsobeen used about him in v. ]6 above. So thesewords have been used about Jesus and Yal}ya toshow that both these Prophets succeeded in theirmissions, and a person who succeeds in his mis-

sion and whose work is carried on after his deathand who is remembered with love and respectcannot be said to have suffered death orto have been deprived of "peace". Jesus hasleft behind him a large community of followersand Yal}ya's name is remembered with love andrespect. Thus both Jesus and Yabya dieda blessed death and enjoy everlasting peace.

The words "peace was on me the day I wasborn" may also be understood as containing ahint that the birth of Jesus was out of the ordi-nary. These words have also been used about

Yal}ya in verse 16 above because his birth tOO, ,

took place in extraordinary circumstances. Hewas born when his father had reached an ex-tremely old age and his mother was barren.

The expression, the day 1 shall be raised up

to life again, may also imply: "The day whenI shall be raised again in the form of anotherProphet who will testify to my truth." Theimplied reference may be to the Holy Prophet

who bore witness to the truth of Jesus.

2179. Commentary:

Perhaps there is no individual of any pro-

minence in religious history about whom somany and so far-reaching differences exist asabout Jesus, the son of Mary. The Jews, theChristians and the Muslims all hold widelydifferent views about Jesus's birth, the mannerof his death, and about the account of his life.The Jews believe that he was born out of legalwedlock and therefore his birth was illegitimate.

He was a false Prophet and therefore deservedlymet an accursed death on the Cross. The Chris-tians hold that Jesus's mother became conceivedof the Holy Ghost, therefore he was the son ofGod. He persuaded himself to be put on theCross and by his death he atoned for the sins ofall humanity. He remained dead for three days

and then rose up to heaven. He is a part of theHoly Trinity and yet is God Himself. Orthodox

1583

CH.19 MARYAM PT. 16

36. an does not befit the Majes-ty of Allah to take unto Himself ason. Holy is He. When He decreesa thing, He says to it, 'Be!' and it is. 2180

~ ~ ~-_.._--

,.", ",t!'.~ I

'" ""1>(

""" ~,~"''' "~...

" .'t. ' r~ t,.,~'"\ ~ w- ,.us ~I.:)\cw c)t> \..0I.)~ ,)

"""~ ~ 1wT,j, ,

""~

~ /~~ :f't"" J",!,

\1,~ f'f(BI.:JM 1:,;1~ ~ , Jr"

-, ,--,._''---" ~ ~--

1110:69; 17 : 112; 18 : 5; 19: 89; 21: 27; 25: 3; 39 : 5.~--~--~----_._--------

Muslims believe that he was miraculously bornwithout the instrumentaHty of a father as the

result of a special Divine decree. He was anIsraelite Prophet. The Jews tried to crucifyhim but instead succeeded only in crucifyinganother person who by God's special decreewas made to look like Jesus and Jesus bodilywent up to heaven where he is sitting by theright hand of God and will some day descendfrom heaven to win for Muslims the kingdomof the whole world. The so-called modernistsamong Muslims think that he was the son ofJoseph the carpenter, and died a natural death,and so there was nothing miraculous or unusualabout his birth, death or his life. He was onlyan Israelite Prophet. The orthodox Al).madls,however, believe that his birth took place

without the agency of a father as the result ofa special Divine decree, and that this unusuaTform of birth constituted a rebuke and a warningto the Israelites that on account of their persistentrejection of truth and God's Messengers, andtheir immoral practices the whole Israelite nationhad been rendered quite unfit to give birth to aProphet of God and therefore prophethood, inaccordance with God's covenant with Abraham,

,

was transferred from the House of Israel tothat of Ishmael (see Introduction to this SUra).They further believe that Jesus was hung on theCross by the Jews but did not die there and was

taken down from it alive and for three daysremained in a tomb hewn out of a rock andthen travelled to Kashmir to preach his Messageto the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. He lived up

to the ripe old age of 120 years, died a naturaldeath and lies buried in Khan Yar street inSri nagar, Kashmir. In fact, the existence of somany and so serious differences about Jesusimplies a rebuke to Christians that there isnothing certain about their god.

The expression "son of Mary" (~.r 011) isJesus's distinctive name. Whereas on the onehand it seems to point to his fatherless birth, onthe other it confers on him a name which isincapable of bein~confused with that of any-body else. The Gospels have also used for

Jesus the epithet i~T 01' (son of man) but

this epithet has been used in the Bible for otherpersons also. So~.r If-\ (son of Mary) is at

once a distinctive and descriptive name of Jesus.

2180. Important Words :.iU0t>" L. (It does not befit the Majesty of

Allah). They say 4J 0t>" I.. i.e. (1) it does notbefit him; behove him; it is inconsistent withhis dignity; it is not proper for him; (2) it isbeyond his power to do so. In the present verse.iU0t>"L.means, it is inconsistent with the Majestyof Allah or it does not befit His Holiness(Aqrab, Lane & Mufradat). See also 2 : 35.

Commentary:The words .AJ-'~ ~=~ 01 express two senses:

(a) that He should have a son; and (b) that Heshould adopt some one as His son. When it isinconsistent with God's Majesty to adopt some-one as His son, it is all the more repugnant toHis Holiness and Glory to have a real son. Thesewords repudiate the Christian belief, namely(i) that God has adopted Jesus as His son or

1584

PT. 16 MARYAM CH. 19

(ii) that Jesus is God's son.

Christians believe that Jesus was God's son.The onus for proving such a manifestly absurdbelief lies on them. They base this belief onthe assumption that the Bible calls him the sonof God. But in the Bible other persons havealso been called or addressed as sons of God.Jesus enjoys no special prerogative in this res-pect and is therefore no more a son of God thanthose persons who have also been addressed assuch.

The Bible says:(a) "Neither can they die any more: for

they are equal unto the angels; and arethe children of God" (Luke 20 : 36);

(b) "For I am a father to Israel, andEphraim is my firstborn" (Jer. 31 : 9);

(c) "Our Father which art in heaven, hal-

lowed be thy name" (Matt. 6 : 9);(d) "For if you forgive men their trespasses

your heavenly Father will also forgiveyou" (Matt. 6 : 14) ;

(e) "That your Father also which is in

heaven may forgive you your tres-passes" (Mark II : 25);

(f) "Your Father knoweth that ye have

need of these things" (Luke 12 : 30) ;(g) "We have one Father, even God"

(John 8 : 41);(h) "One God and Father of all, who is

above aU, and through all, and in youall" (Ephes. 4: 6);

(i) "Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son,

even my firstborn" (Exod. 4 : 22).The Bible' rather supports the Quranic state-

ment, viz., it does not befit the Majesty of

A /lah to take unto Himself a son. He is the OneLord God Who has or needs no son.

It says:(a) "Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord our God

is one Lord" (Deut. 6 : 4) ;

(b) "I am the Lord, that is my name: andmy glory will I not give to another,neither my praise to graven images"(lsa.42 : 8);

.

(c) "Hear, 0 Israel; the Lord our God is

one Lord" (Mark 12 : 29);(d) "To the only wise God our Saviour,

be glory and majesty" (Jude I : 25);(e) "Now unto the King eternal, immortal,

invisible, the only wise God, be honourand glory for ever and ever"(I Timothy I : 17).

The verse under comment gives three reasonswhy God does not stand in need of a son: (I) if

God were supposed to have a son, He must besubject to carnal desires and must have a wifeto satisfy them; (2) He must be subject to decayand death because the procreation of specieswhich the attribution of a son to God implies,is the characteristic of mortals; and.. (3) Hemust require a helper to assist Him in His workor to continue his work after His death. ButGod as represented by Islam is completely freefrom all these defects and therefore needs noson. In fact, the Christian dogma of sonshipof Jesus is an insoluble riddle and beyond humancomprehension. If Jesus is God's son, thenGod will have to be admitted as incapable ofcarrying on the affairs of the universe alone andunaided, and therefore wiU have to be acceptedas imperfect and defective. But because God isperfect apd AU-Powerful, therefore He needs noson and no helper. Again, according to theChristian dogma each of the three deities, God,the Son, and the Holy Ghost, being perfect canand should carry on the work of the universeunaided and yet these three combine to do thething which each one is able to accomplishby himself. This is absurd.

Those who are ignorant of Arabic languagepretend to find in the word J (be) a

1585

CH.19 MARYAM PT. 16

37. Said Jesus: 'Surely, aAllahis my Lord and your Lord, so worshipHim alone, this is the right path.'

38. But the p~rties differed amongthemselves; so IIwoe to those whodisbelieve, because of the meeting ofthe great day.2181

.. ---~---_._----

tr' J~J.~'~~~" " ?;" ~T. I~ \ "~ !J. .~.-'~.Jw.I d"..J"

", ./ ,.9.

@~~o

"" ~-;Tljl~"~t'i,.

'''r, J ",,,,, //"' ~c,)"!.u...JJv: ~ ~ ,.~ \."!,\i\ '~ \'..';, .i' '"

...T ~~ ,-" Y.!J>.J ~

@~ '" ~l; ~ 1'-'1~~.", '4~" ~ ~..>-'U'---------

~

,

,"- - ---"' -----

a 3 : 52; 5 : 73 ; 43 : 65. b 14 : 3; 38 : 28; 51 : 61.~- -

ground for their belief in the eternity and indes-tructibility of matter and soul. They arguein this way. This word shows that there had al-ready existed something to which the order ,j)(be) was given. But in the Arabic language thisword, besides being addressed to a thing, is also

used to express a greatly felt desire. In an ex-pedition the Holy Prophet's very brave andloyal Companion, Abu Khaithama happened tobe absent. The Prophet keenly felt his absence.When in the midst of the battle he saw from agreat distance a rider coming to him at full speed

he exclaimed :i.~ l!I ,j) i.e. would that it wereAbu Khaithama; and lo! it was really AbuKhaithama (I.Ialbiyya). So an Arab would usethe word J when he would passionately desire

a thing to happen.

According to this sense of ,j) the expres-

sion ~;;'J ,j) would mean that when God

desires or intends that a thing should be, it comesinto being or that when God expresses a desireit takes a concrete form. The words lend nosupport to the view that soul and matter areprimeval or eternal. See also 2: 117-118.

2181. Important Words:

~I~~' (parties) is the plural of ~~ whichmeans, a party or group of men; a party of men

who agree in their ideas and actions (Lane).

Commentary:

The verse means to say that in spite of thefact that the followers of Jesus followed oneBook, held the same ba!>ic beliefs and theirreligious practices were almost the same, theydiffered among themselves. Some of them saidthat Mary was an ordinary woman who gavebirth to the son of God, others believed that shewas God's wife and was therefore Divine. Yetsome o.thers among them believed that Jesus wasonly a man and a Prophet of God. He had,like other Prophets, manifested in himself someDivine attributes, and there were others who saidthat he was God Incarnate. Some others be-lieved in three separate Divine persons i.e. Godthe Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost,each of them being perfect God; others said thatthey are only three manifestations of the OneGod i.e. in one capacity God is Father, in anothercap~city He is Son and in the third capacity Heis the Holy Gbost.

So the followers of Jesus, inspite of believingin the same Book and possessing the same basic

doctrines and principles of religion became splitup into many sects.

1586

PT. 16 MARYAM CH. 19

39. How wonderful will theirhearing and seeing be on the day whenthey will come to US! But to-day thewrongdoers are in manifest error. 2182

40. And warn them of atheday of grief when the matter will bedecided. But now they are in a stateof carelessness, so they do notbelieve. 2183

41. bIt is We Who will inheritthe earth and all who are thereon; andto Us will they all be returned.2184

~-- --'--~ -

b 15 : 24 ; 28 : 59.-~~-~--_._----------

II 2 : 168 ; 6 : 32 ; 39 : 57."-."'---

~"\~\\~t.?!~ ".,,~'Y,'1~' "1~" ~..".,o~~ ~~~, I ,

MO\.' III.II~. ,."'.~~"'UI~~~~~

~~ ~"~r l

~ .t.~1..;~ , ~'~ "

, .~~, ~P-J '-' ~ ~ )"g ~~~.J~ ~

~"'I "'.t/?,,, ~~ "6C)~x o'~J~

..4-

(;: J r~;\"" ,~" ~ ,~, ,'" ,,'" r,.

'.. L -:, ~ ~ .JV=-J~'~..f ~ ~!~", ,,~ "r\!:I~~>= ~,

' ~

- ~ ~-----------

2] 82. Commentary:

The verse means to say that the faculties ofseeing and hearing of disbelievers will becomemuch more keener and sharper on the Day ofJudgment, because the veil will be lifted fromtheir eyes and ears and they will realize that theywere in the wrong; but that realization being toolate will prove to be of no use to them.

2183. Commentary:

The words .r~I~ ~1 means, (I) when thedecree of God will be announced; (2) when deci-sion will be made according to truth and justice.

The expression 0",:""~ ~ ~-' in addition to themeaning given in the text may also signify thatthough on the Day of Decision the realizationwill dawn on disbelievers that they were in thewrong, yet having become accustomed to untruthand disbelief, they will not become reconciledto it and their hearts will continue to suffer fromthe rust, and they will continue to wander in thewilderness, of disbelief and consequently willsuffer Divine punishment.

-~ n_----

--,--

2]84. Commentary:

As the Sura deals with the false Christian be-liefs and the rise, progress and prosperity ofChristian nations, and with the ultimate destruc-tion of their material might and power the worddo) ~I (the earth) here signifies the vast parts ofthe world over which they will hold sway; andthe expression ~J... r:r (who are thereon) pointsto the large numbers of Christian people whoat that time will be inhabiting the earth and do-minating it.

The verse embodies two prophecies: (a) theChristians wiH first come to rule over almostthe whole earth, and will be dominating it bytheir large numbers, and (b) then as a resultof their disbelief they will be deprived of theirworld dominion which will ultimately be givento the followers of Islam. It points to the pre-sent great material power and grandeur ofChristian nations and their subsequent destruc-tion and to the ultimate spread and triumphof Islam. The words, And to Us will theyall be returned, signify that Western Christiannations will ultimately accept Islam.

1587

CH.'l9 MARY AM PT. 16-- --- - -- - - - --

R.3 42. aAnd relate the story ofAbraham as mentioned in the Book.He was a truthful man and aProphet. 2185

~~ ::Ir~ ~f \ ~ '" t It<, .~ /~ ''''..., -~ ~",~~...w...~'~.J~-'

~.~(&OU...~

~~-------- --~--~~-----_....- -- ----.

~ ~~ -

a 38 : 46; 53 : 38.

---~

-.-

2185. Commentary:

~::Al.xl (Abraham) means the father of nations.Originally Abraham's name was i'.;! \ (Abram)

which may have been derived from i .xl.They say: A.".x' i.e. he twisted it (the rope)well. He made it firm, strong, solid (Lane).Abraham might have been so called because hewas endowed to an unusual degree- withconversational ability of a high mark. He wasan irresistible debater. His talk was very effec-tive and his arguments strong. A reference tothis quality of Abraham is to be found in 2: 259and 6 : 76-81. Or Abram may have come to becalled Abraham after God had made His cove-nant with him and had promised to multiplyhim exceedingly. God said: "As for Me, behold,My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a

father of many nations. Neither shall thy nameany more be caned Abram, but thy name shall

be Abraham; for father of many nations haveI made thee" (Gen. 17 :4-5). In the Qur'an alsoAbraham has been called L I which means,

"a nation", "a people", "a race" (16: 121).

Abraham was a native of U r of the Chaldees

in Iraq. His people worshipped the sun and thestars. Their chief god was Merodach or (Mad-

0ruk). It was also called Bel, i.e. Lord (Ene. Bib.).Abraham was a great iconoclast. He preach-

ed the Unity and Oneness of God and stronglydenounced and condemned idol-worship. Byhis iconoclastic activities he incurred the en-mity of his father and so with his wife and hisnephew Lot he had to leave his native place forCanaan which land God had promised to give to

his seed (Gen 12 : 7). When Canaan sufferedfrom a severe famine Abraham left it for Egyptwhere he married Hagar, the mother of Ishmael.For a detailed account of Abraham see 6 : 75.

...,..l:5:J\ (the Book) in this verse means the

Qur'an. The Holy Prophet is here directed torelate the story of Abraham as it is given inthe Qur'an and not as it is related in the Bible.While the Qur'an depicts Abraham as a truthfulman the Bible accuses him of teHing lies (Gen.20 : 13).

J:!~ (a truthful man) is the intensified formof J.)L,., which is active participle from J.A.,.:>which means, he spoke the truth (Lane). J.)l,.,means one who speaks the truth. I.Y-J.,.,beingthe intensive form of J.)L,., has four meanings;(a) one who very generally and often speaks

the truth; (b) one who never tells a lie; (c) onewho is so habituated to speaking truth that itbecomes impossible for him to tell a lie; and(d) one who is truthful in his talk and substan-

tiates the truth of his talk and beliefs by hisactjons and deeds. The speaking of truth

becomes, as it were, a part of his being, a second

nature with him (Lane). This is the higheststage of ":';":A:!~ (the quality or condition

of being truthful).The word J:!..I,., possesses a double con-

notation. While on the one hand it means one

who is highly truthful, on the other it denotesa spiritual rank next only to the rank ofprophethood. In fact, every quality possesses

two connotations and two uses. It is used asan attribute and it also expresses a rank. In

1588

PT. 16 MARYAM Cll. 19

the present verse 0"..\.p has been used to ex-press only the attribute and quality of truthful-ness and not the rank of 0"..\.p which is includ-ed in the rank of L5~;(a Prophet) which has

also been mentioned in regard to Abraham in

this verse. The verse means that Abraham wasa Prophet of God and one of his most prominentand distinctive qualities was that he was truthfulpar excellence.

The Qur'an has laid great stress on the truth-fulness of Abraham perhaps because in somefuture time lies were to be attributed to him bysome Commentators of the Qur'an.

It seems appropriate and pertinent to writehere a few words about the order and arrange-ment of the verses of the present Sura becausesome Christian writers have found fault withthe chronological order of the incidents men-tioned in it. In fact the central theme of thisSura is to disprove and demolish the Christiandogma of godhead of Jesus Christ. The Suraopens with a brief mention of Zachariah, thefather of Ya1}.yawho was a fore-runner of Jesus.

Zachariah's mention is followed by a concisedescription of the birth of Ya1}.ya. Then asomewhat detailed description is given of thebirth of Jesus who was the harbinger of the HolyProphet and light is shed on the falsity of Chris-tian beliefs and doctrines about him and hismother. This description of Jesus is followedby a narration of some important incidents in

the life of Abraham. This seems to be a histori-cal anachronism but in reality it is not. The

Qur'an is not a book of history. It sometimesdeliberately departs from the chronologicalorder of events. The account of Abraham givenin the pr~sent and the following verses is a casein point. The account of Jesus is followed bythat of Abraham in order to drive home thepoint that when Abraham, the great progenitor

of Moses who was the Founder of the MosaicDispensation of which Christianity is only anoffshoot, was a firm believer in the Unity ofGod, how could Jesus depart from the Faithof his forefather, and claim to be God or sonof God? Secondly, God' had made a promisewith Abraham that He would multiply him ex-ceedingly through his two sons, Ishmael andIsaac. God's promise with Abraham was fulfilledfirst through Isaac, and then when Isaac's pro-geny disobeyed and defied Divine command-

ments and consistently rejected Divine Prophetsand went so far as to kill John and crucify Jesus,

God's covenant with Abraham became trans-ferred to Ishmael and was finally and fullyfulfilled through the latter's progeny. This is thereal reason why the account of Jesus is followedby that of Abraham. After this a brief mention

is made of Moses who was a descendant of Jacoband in whom God's covenant with Abrahamthrough Isaac found its highest fulfilment. Afterdealing with God's covenant with Abraham

through Isaac, the Sura proceeds to make amention of the Divine promise with Abrahamthrough Ishmael. This is why after Mosesmention has been made of Ishmael and this isthe significance of the order which the Qur'anhas kept in view while giving an account of thelife of some Prophets and making only a briefmention of others and this is the right andnatural order which should have been observedwhile dealing with the subject under discussion.The taunt of some Christian critics oflslam thatthe seeming historical anachronism was due tothe Holy Prophet's lack of the knowledge ofhistory is absurd because elsewhere (ChapterHud) the Qur'an has given the accounts of someProphets of very remote past in their properchronological order which fact has been admitt-ed by fair-minded Christian writers themselves.

1589

MARYAMCH. 19

43. When he said to his father,a'o my father, why dost thou worshipthat which neither hears nor sees, norcan avail thee aught ?2186

44. '0 my father, there hasindeed come to me knowledge suchas has not come to thee; so follow me,I will guide thee to an even path;

PT. 16

~~"~i~&~f..\~t ~~ J~(i:t"""

~c:-.. . ~,. ..tI..:,'-" J"

~G' .,". ~~' """\(!7~ .. ~. . ~ '\t.. ~;-:J>

~l~;1~ -~J\.~~j~~:r\~~,... ~""""''''. ~" ,.. -rt ,,,,,,

-:'r~~u "()g\" ~~\"'-J'IJ7..~ ~ ". ~II 6 : 76 ; 21 : 53; 26 : 71; 37 : 86-87.

2186. Important Words :

yl (father) which originally was y.1 means, a

father; a grandfather; an ancestor; a paternaluncle. ;;j.,.Jly.1 means, the woman's husband.

~I in reality is ~I (my father). According to

Arabic usage .s has been converted into u(Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The point whether Abraham's yf (ab)whose name at another place in the Qur'an(6: 75) has been given as Azar was his father,uncle or grandfather, is much in dispute. In2 : 134 Ishmael who was Jacob's uncle has beenspoken of as his yl (ab). Whether Azarwas Abraham's father or uncle does not possessmuch significance. From a study of all relevanthistorical facts, however, we are inclined to the

view that Azar was Abraham's father, thoughaccording to some Talmudic traditionsAbraham's father had died while he was youngand he was left an orphan.

In Genesis (11 : 26) Abraham's father's name

has been given as Terah while Luke (3 : 34) gives

it as Thara. The Talmud agrees with Luke andsays that his name was Thara. It also gives his

name as Zarah. Eusebius, the father of ecclesi-astical history, however, gives Athar as the nameofthe great Patriarch's father (Sale). This showsthat even among the Jews there existed no unani-

mity of views as to the name of Abraham'sfather. The fact that Eusebius followed neitherGenesis (11 : 26) nor (Luke 3 : 34) indicates thathe had very strong reasons to differ from thesetwo well-known sources. The two names, Atharof Eusebius and Azar of the Qur'an closelyresemble each other. The Quranic version istherefore much more reliable and akin to realitythan that of the Bible. See also 6 : 75.

The attributes "All-Hearing" and "AII-Seeing" are among the most important Divineattributes. It is our conviction that God seesus when we are in trouble and hears our prayerswhen we pray to Him which is really at the rootof our belief in God. If once we cease to believein these two attributes, we cease to believe inGod. But these two attributes are here furthercomplemented by a third-the attribute ~which means, One Who has no need of othersand is Self-Sufficient but Whose help othersneed and upon Whom they are dependent. IfGod is not ..i&. and cannot come to ourhelp when we need it, then His attributes

"All-Seeing" and "AU-Hearing" are of no use.Abraham has indeed adduced a most convincingand unassailable argument against idol-worship,viz., jf the idols do neither see when their votar-ies are in trouble, nor hear their prayers whenthey call on them, nor do they come to theirhelp when they need it, then what sense or pur-pose there is in worshipping such useless things?

1590

PT. 16 MARYAM CH.19~ ~~~---~-~-~---~~-~-~--

45. '0 my father, Itworship notSatan; surety Satan 1S a rebel againstthe Gracious God; 2187

46. '0 my father, indeed [ fearlese a punishment from the GraciousGod seize thee and thou become acomrade of Satan.'2IR8

--------------.------ ~--

"~u"~ ...~;!" " ,.~ ':;;

,,,( "t-:-"

~JoII.:!~~~ CJ. ~f'" ~\j"""

.." - ". J",...

r~. ....@~ ....-

"~'t""" " t-:'" ~~~J, 'r~""';'~

, ", 1'i'~..::;.,,~u ~ s" ~'u\O"'i ~~~ . .. ","',,-..

6~'" . r::'.\1-:~..;.--'~Qa 6 : 143; 24: 22; 36: 61.

2187. Commentary:;;~l~-,-which is noun-infinitive from the verb

...I.:-~ does not consist only in prostrating beforeGod or an idol, but also signifies, blindly or un-thinkingly fol1owing a person or accepting an

idea or belief without subjecting it to sane andsearching criticism. This significance of the wordis clear from the verse itself, because nobodyhas ever been seen to woship Satan in thesense that he prostrates before him and praysto him. Jt also appears from this verse thatthe word .jlk::~ (Satan) here does not mean

'the Devil' or even the idols. Here it onlysignifies evil inclinations, wrong ideas andbeliefs and bad associates and evil spirits.According to these meanings of the words -.~~-'-and 0lk::..: the Verse would signify that oneshould not follow blindly or unthinkingly evilinclinations, wrong beliefs or bad friends orassociates. Such an attitude on one's part istantamount to giving them Divine status andto worshipping them.

'The word ~-'-. (rebel) also indicates that

.jl~ in this verse does not signify idols made

of wood or stone because idols of stone do notdisobey God. From the previous verse onemayhave been led to think that Abraham hadadvised his father against idol-worship only.This verse belies that idea and indicates thathe advised him also against blindly following

evil inclinations, wrong beliefs and associationwith evil persons. The word .jlk::.:JI (Satan)

includes all these things.

2]88. Commentary:

The linking of ",:-,1'>'-,-(punishment) with the

Divine attribute 0"'~) I (the Gracious) in this

and other verses of this Sura appears to be some-

what incongruous and inconsistent. PunishmentSeems more appropriately related to God's other

attributes such as A~JI (the Subduer), Jlr411 (the

Most Supreme), rl4:; 1 -'~ (the Avenger) etc. In

fact, every punishment is the result of the defianceor disobedience of a particular Divine attribute.

Sometimes a person is punished because he defiesthe Divine attribute ylAAJI (the Great For-giver), at another time punishment comes uponhim because he disobeys the Divine attribute~~'y(jl (Most Generous) and so on. In thisverse, in fact in the whole Sura, ...S-.J": i.e.idolatry, has been repeatedly denounced andcondemned in the strongest and most scathingterms and the Divine attribute 0..~)1 i.e.the Gracious, has also been mentioned againand again because "').J": (idolatry) in everyshape and form is the direct result of denial of~Jl_) i.e. Divine Grace. The two great

idolatrous peoples-the Hindus and the Chris-tians, have hopelessly fallen victim to the most

degraded form of idolatry because they bothdeny ~;l..~) i.e. Divine Grace-the former

1591

CH. 19 MARY AM PT. 16

47. He replied, 'Dost thou turnaway from my gods, 0 Abraham? aIfthou Cease not, I shall surely cut offall relations with thee. Now leave mealone for a long while.'2189

48. Abraham said, 'Peace beupon thee. hI will ask forgiveness ofmy Lord for thee. He is indeed gra-cious to me.2190

'_1 ?~~" "u.'':~tt'!'' ~~\,-~(fJ~po' ~ ~..r U.;o.;1cr &;oJ 1)...

@~ J ', ,

, "~~!.~j ~\7.." "'~ ~ .~"

j ~~i,tJ~ J.'~'~ ~~':i"~ J" r~,.c.,:) ...~ ~ ~ ~

r~ .....@~-...

a 21 : 69 ; 29 : 25 ; 37 : 98. b9: 114 ; 26 : 87 ; 60 : 5.

by believing in the indestructibility and eternity

of matter and soul and the latter by subscribing

to the foolish doctrine that salvation is impossi-

ble without Atonement. So the mentioningtogether of the Divine attribute LJ"'~) I (the

Gracious) and Divine punishment shows that it

is not :i.:il ) i.e. Divine Grace, which is the

caUSe of Divine punishment, rather it is its

denial and rejection.

jlh:..z (Satan), as stated above, may signify

man's evil inclinations and propensities, his badfriends and associates and evil spirits that casttheir shadow upon him and lead him deeperand deeper into sin and transgression.

2189. Important Words:

..s:~..~)':1 (I shall surely cut off all relations

with thee) is derived from ~~). They say

4~) i.e. he stoned him to dea th ; he mur-dered him; he accused or slandered him; he

cursed him; he abused him; he drove him away;

he cut off a1J relations with him (Lane & Aqrab).

See also 3 : 37.

l:1...(a long while). They say li)\; ...::.:L f.e. I

was made to live long with such a one. ~j\ J..j

means, he lived long. ,j.:.:.! J...j means, he

enjoyed a thing. l:l.. means, a while or a long

time. J:lJ I 0" ~ ~ means, a large part of thenight passed away. l:l...)i=i I means, he waitedfor him for a long time (Aqrab).

Commentary :

An the different meanings of the word ~ J ,

mentioned above, are "pplicable here. In spite

of Abraham's talking to his father with affection

and considerateness, the latter lost his temper

and told him to go away from him and leave himalone. This is often the case with those who

have no arguments but only physical force toprove their claim.

2190. Important Words:

l~.Q._~(gracious) is derived from ~i~ (~afiya)

They say L;)\.; U_.. i.e. he gave such a one.

LS~-,::,-j' 0-" .LL~ means, he refused to givehim the thing. oL! LS.Q.~means, he honouredhim: he showed him much honour and kindnessand affection and regard for his circumstances;he behaved towards him wHh benevolence andsolicitude and manifested joy. ~>- LS~ means,he asked or inquired much respEcting him or it.

LS.b.means, kind; gracious; affectionate; havingmuch regard for another person's circumstances;going to the utmost in asking or inquiring etc.

(Lane & Aqrab). See also 7 : 188.

1592

PT. 16 MARY AM CH. 19

49. .And ar shall keep away fromyou and from that which you callupon beside Allah; and I will pray untomy Lord; it may be that in praying tomy Lord, I shall not be disappoint-'ed.'z'91

50. So when he had separatedhimselffrom them and from that whichthey worshipped beside Allah, bWebestowed upon him Isaac and Jacoband each of them We made a Pro-p het. 2192

51. And We granted them abun-dantly of OUf mercy; and eWe best-owed upon them a true and lastingrenown.2193

."'''' \,J

, fJ', ",9""'f"'",It1."',,,,,,,~J ~~ ~~.)~O~W\.o-'~~'-,

~~ U'" ~&.., ""~ "'"", 1'.. ~:I..)~ . ~~t~, ~:J u.J"", ~

I")1)r.

\"', """

9,,,,f' '"~":'~' 8;"",

'W C>,J ~(,:).~ \..0 . ok'1M .

""'''' "~...,JI ~

r~ ~'''' j {.:- ~ '".10","..'''' '" ~ t , t7'" ~ ..

~ ~ w~-' ~ ~. ~. M ", .

fDr~ ~~~ ..~

d~~~"~-=~ :W~~~~";... .~ ... >;)~ . -'.Jt

\?~ ..' I"1M'''' u~ ~\!:::J ..

"~ ", '-l,

a 29 : 27. c 26 : 85.b 14 : 40; 21 : 73.

2191. Commentary:In this verse Abraham seems to be referring

to his emigration to Canaan. It is on record thatAbraham went from Iraq to Canaan and fromthere to Egypt. He left his father and peoplebehind him in Iraq.

2192. Commentary:Ishmael has not been mentioned here, though

he was the eldest son of Abraham. This isdone for two reasons: (1) Isaac and Jacob havebeen mentioned by the way only as subordinateProphets while Ishmael has found a separateand independent mention in v. 55 below. Thisshows that Ishmael possessed a higher spiritualstatus than both Isaac and Jacob. (2) Ishmaelhas been mentioned after Moses because thelatter was the greatest representative of theHouse of Isaac. As the result of repeated defi-

ance of the commandments of God and rejec-tion of His Messengers by the Jews prophet hoodbecame transferred from the House of Isaac or

Israel (or from the Mosaic Dispensation) tothat of Ishmael, so mention has been madeof him after Moses in v. 55 and that is the rightplace where he should have been mentioned.

2193. Important Words:

0l-J (renown) is derived from 0-J (lasina)which means, he was or became extremelyeloquent or perspicuous in speech. lj~ o J( lasana) means, he was more eloquent

than such a one; he got the better of himin speech. Y rL..J' ~: J means, the scorpionbit him. 0L J means, speech, tongue, style ,;language; information; news, tidings; renown

or reputation. ~.rJl .jL J means. the classical

language of the Arabs. i .JAJ' 0l J means, thespokesman of the people. ,..P~ I .jl J means,

good or lasting reputation, renown or rememb-

rance. When a noun is prefixed to the wordu..\.,.cogoverning it in the genitive case, it gives the idea

of everlastingness. uJ..,. ..,...~£.means, a perfectly

1593

MARY AM

52. And relate the story ofMoses as mentioned in the Book. "Hewas, indeed. a chosen one ~ and he wasa Messenger, a Prophet. 2194

CH. 19

.4

PT. 16

"'r~~r1'1~! "'f~~;1

j~,j'~'; jJ'!.'"~O -' ~ \.:)0 ~ ($M~~' c:: . t... ..;;-." ~-'

~ ~""t::A... . ,\t~ .. ~ ..;J.JM'.J

a 33 : 70.~~---~-~-~

'-'-.' ~--delicious and liked grape, complete in all the sion of their beliefs and were hard upon disbe-qualities of the best kind (Lane & Aqrab). lievers and untruthful persons; and (4) that their

~ (high) is derived from y.$.. They say good works constituted and continued as so manyu:~j\ 'j...$. i.e. the thing became high. 'j...$. monuments and memorials to their good name.

~ ) \ means, he overcame the man and over-

powered him. ~'JJI 'j...$.means, he rode the

beast. J» ') \ u;"j.$. means, he behaved proudly

and insolently in the earth. i )!5:'..JIu; ~ means,

he acquired noble qualities. J$. ('aliyyun) means,high; noble; hard and firm (Aqrab & Lane).

See also 4 : 35.Commentary:

Divine mercy has two manifestations: (a) mercy

shown to a person irrespective of the fact as towho he is and what his beliefs and actions are;(b) mercy shown by God to His beloved ones

and the Elect on special occasions. The latterclass of mercy may be caned God's special mercy.The verse under comment speaks of this latterkind of mercy, meaning that God did not bestowupon Isaac and Jacob any particular favour out

of His limitless and immeasurable mercy butmade them, as it were, the very possessors ofDivine mercy itself.

According to the different significations of the,words J$. and i>1_J and .).v the words, We

bestowed on them a true and lasting renOl}vn,

would mean, (I) that they acquired good reputa-tion and were to be remembered with respect,affection and love by their contemporaries andfuture generations; (2) that their talk was full ofwisdom and inteJljgence and was free from ansort of bitterness, obscenity, falsehood and

hatred; (3) that they were fearless in the expres-

2194. Commentary:

The acc~unt of Abraham is followed by that of

Moses-tsaac and Jacob having been mentioned

only casually and by the way in v. 50 above.In Moses God's covenant with Abraham about

the progeny of Isaac found its fullest and com-

pletest manifestation. The visible mark of thisDivine covenant was the bestowal of Canaan onAbraham's progeny (Gen. 17 :8) which took placein the time of Moses's Successor. The IsraeliteProphets who came after Moses were only Re-former-Prophets who carried on and fulfilled

his work and mission. This is why, after Moses,

God adverts to His Promise to Abraham aboutIshmael which saw its sublimest and most comp-

lete and perfect manifestation and consumma-tion in the Holy Prophet of Islam who was adescendant of Ishmael.

The words, he was aM essenger and a Prophet,

explain and remove a popular misconception.According to popular notion a ~-'-,-) (Mes-senger) is one who brings a new Law and a ne\\

Book and a I..!~; (Prophet) is one who is

commissioned by God only for the reformation

of his people. He also receives Divine revela-tion but brings no Law or Book containing ne\\

commandments and ordinances. According tothis popular notion every J-,-) (Messenger)is necessarily a ~ (Prophet) but not every

1594

PT. 16

-

MARYAM

53. /lAnd We called him fromthe right side of the Mount and Wemade him draw near to Us for specialcommunion.2195

CR. 19

t;~~-' ."5\ "~'t~~: ~..~-'. j.'-'~ ~~ )0"". ~ ..,)-'(~ ~~~

"::"~

~--- -- --- ~---~ ~-----

~-- ~_._.._-

II 20 : 81; 28 : 31.

-' '--~~-''-'._-"" '-~~-~.~ ~--~-~--~

~; a Jr). The verse under comment, however,demolishes this wrong notion because if a J.".-)( Messenger) is one who brings a new Book

and a new Law and as such is necessarily a u~( Prophet), then the addition of the word

If.; to the word J,-) in this and other versesis superfluous and redundant. In fact, every

J.t-) is a u~ and every \,.Sz; a J >-). These

two words represent two aspects of the sameoffice and two functions of the same person.

A Divine Reformer is a J.t...) inasmuch as hereceives Messages from God (..:;.Jl_) meaninga message) and he is a ~; in the sense that he<:onveys those Messages to the people to whom

he is sent ( u~ meaning the conveying of amessage). Thus every J

-"'")(Messenger) is

a ~ ( Prophet) because after receiving Divine

Messages he conveys them to his people andevery ~ is a Jr) because he conveys to hispeople those Messages which he receives from

God. Only the functions of u~ follow thoseof J -~...). In his capacity as J.t- ) he firstreceives Messages from God and then in his<:apacity as ~ he conveys them to his people.This is why here and everywhere in the Qur'linwhen these two words-J.t...) and u~ occur to-gether, invariably the word ~ follows theword J.t...) because that is the natural order.See also 7: 158, 159 ; 19 : 31, 55. The bringingof a new Book or a new Law, therefore, isnot the necessary concomitant of a ...i or au.J-","). A J.t...) or a ~ mayor may not bring

a new Law. All Messengers (J.t-) andProphets (~) are of two categories-( a )those that bring a new Book and a new Lawand (b) those that do not. This classificationof J.t...) and u~ into two categories is sup-ported by the Qur'a:n itself. See 5 : 45.

2195. Important Words:

~t (right) is derived from tf'=. They say(;jJ ..:ut~ i.e. God blessed such a one. ~,",!fmeans, (1) blessed; (2) right as opposedto left (Aqrab). The word ~'"'!t may qualifyboth ~ l~ or ).".hJI. For),1. (Mount)see 2 : 64.

(:~; (for special communion) is derivedfrom ~. They say J.~)1 l~ i.e. he dis-coursed secrets with the man, or simply hediscoursed with him. ~)I ~l; means, hetalked with the man in private, or he discoursedsecretly with him. See also 4 : 115 & 12: 81. r~means, one with whom secrets are discoursed orsimply one who is discoursed or.talked with. Italso means, one who walks quickly. -~jl-.oL:jlmeans, a quick-footed she-camel (Aqrab).

Commentary :

According to the two meanings of ~ ';tl given j

under "Important Words" above, the first partof the verse would mean: (a) We called himfrom the right side of the Mount; (b) We calledhim from the blessed side of the Mount; or (c)We caned him from the side of the blessedMount.

1595

MARYAM PT. 16CH.19

54. And We bestowed upon him,out of Our mercy, ahis brother Aaronas a Prophet. 2196

55. And relate the story ofIshmael as mentioned in the Book.He was indeed strict in keeping his

.promise. And he was a Messenger,a Prophet.2197

Q~ 6 ~,I 9~\~~~: ~~~~~""\':V .. ~ ~~ %S'"

r:)~ ~ . ~-'

~"

(,."'1'1" J ,

~\I" ~ -:' ~~\~,~, II)' .,""

~ u~ '=J ".. ,'" ~" ~ ~ J

ur2 ~, ' "'' \S'C"'."I "~ ..~ ~~.J ~ .J

G 20 : 30, 31 ; 25 : 36 ; 28 : 36.-~-~~-----

Taking into consideration all the three mean-

ings of the word l~~ the expression l:~; ol:.,j

would mean: (a) We drew him near to Us inorder to hold a discourse with him, i.e. We select-ed him for Our special communion and foropening to him the avenues of Divine knowledge

and secrets of the unknown; (b) when We drew

him near to Us, he came to Us hastening; (c)when We drew him near to Us, We Ourselveshastened to him. In the verse under commentthe word 0--:~\ has been used with regard to

Moses while with regard to the Holy Prophet theword .s) L:.. (blessed) is used. This word has adeeper and more comprehensive meaning than

cf:l. The Qur'iin has been called .s) l~. i.e.a blessed Book (6 : 93, 156; 21 : 51). The placewhere the Holy Prophet was born was .s) L:--i.e. blessed (3: 97), and so was his landing inMedina (23: 30). The Divine light which he re-ceived has also been described as S-) 17"

(blessed) (24: 36) and the word of God came tohim in -"s- )l7"-",l:J i.e. blessed night (44 : 4).

2196. Commentary:

In 20:30 Aaron has been described as helper( .;!j-, ) of Moses and in the present verse

it is said that God bestowed Aaron upon Moses.This shows that Aaron was a follower of theLaw revealed to Moses and held a subordinateposition to him. It can safely be inferred from

this that one Prophet can be subordinate toanother Prophet.2197. Commentary:

God was well pleased with Abraham. Hechose him and his seed for the bestowal of Hisspecial favours and blessings and for thatpurpose He established a covenant with him.

The covenant is given in the Bible as follows:And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bearthee a son indeed; and thou shalt call hisname Isaac: and I will establish / mycovenant with him for an everlastingcovenant, and with his seed after him.And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee:Behold, I have blessed him and will makehim fruitful and will' multiply him ex-ceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget,and I will make him a great nation(Gen. 17:19, 20).

The covenant began with Isaac and in fulfil-ment of it God raised a long line of Prophetsamong his descendants, and also gave themworldly dominion, power and wealth. The co-venant found its highest fulfilment in Moses.When, however, the long line of Prophets whocame after Moses as his Successors terminatedwith Jesus, the second part of the covenant whichwas to be fulfilled through Ishmael came intooperation and prophethood passed from theHouse of Israel to that of Ishmael and this wasquite in harmony with the covenant which God

had established 'with Abraham regarding theconferring of His favour upon him and his

1596

PT. 16 MARYAM Cll. 19

56. aHe usedc to enjoin Prayerand alms-giving on his people, and waswell pleasing to his Lord.2198

~ 'r~...~It1-w'~\ -:.\r ~I~'t,,'r, "'r~<.:>o~J-"~IJ ~~~ 'Ud) J-O\: <.:)~~

~~-o" ~'~ ~ I;.'J~, (,.,

~ jJt::'2>.r~~r-e,.~ - :r~A~t~~

..I\~' ..'..\, :"\:.7~~~~o~,v:~~~ ~... I~ )1..)

57. And relate the story ofIdrisas mentioned in the Book. He wasa truthful man, and a Prophet.2199

IS20 : 133; 33 : 34.

progeny. This is why after Moses mention has

been made of Ishmael. The account of Ishmae]

is introduced with the words ~,,)\.J (and relate)which show~ that one chapter of religious history

-that of the House of Israel, is closed and anew one has begun. The Christians have beenfurther told in this verse that the Divine covenanthas not terminated with Jesus but in keeping withthe promise of God with Abraham has only beentransferred to the progeny of Ishmael.2198. Commentary:

Ishmae] was the progenitor of the Ho]y Pro-phet of Is]am and in Islam very great stress has

been laid on the observance of the five dailyPrayers and on alms-giving.

2]99. Important Words:

..,..~),)l (Idr1s) is derived from If')~i which isthe transitive form of If' ):>.They say ..,.,l::S;::!l1f')~ii.e. he read the book or he read it repeatedlyso as to remember it; or he made it easyto remember by much reading; or he learnedor studied it. yl::.5J1 "'--)') (darrasa-hfi a/-kitab)or ~- ),)1 means, he taught him the book (Lane).

~),)! which means, one who reads much or

teaches much is derived from If'),) 1 asy ~~ isfrom '-:-~ and !.!6.;.1 is from ~~ and t .J-~ isfrom f l- and as J:,,-I I is the combination

of c::: and ~\ (meaning God heard) andJ; I..r-' is the combination of, j-~ and ~I(meaning the warrior of God).

Much difference of opinion exists among ]exi-cologists about the origin of the word ..r~),)!'According to Lisan it is a non-Arabicproper noun. According to A~ma'l, QUI1ubl

and Ibn I:Iayyan, it is not Arabic. Ibn SikkH,however, is of the opinion that ~),)! (Idns)is an Arabic name. He says that it is derivedfrom If' ):>f as ...,..::l~!is derived from V"~i.But whatever the difference of opinion theArabs were familiar with this name even beforeIs]am.Commentary:

Now who is this Idrls? Most of the Com-mentators of the Qur'iin are of the opinion thathe is Enoch of the Bib]e. .s ,,:,.. and \J'~),)lclosely resemble each other in their meaningsand significations. Whereas ..,..~):>1means onewho reads much or instructs much, ~S-,,:.,.. meansinstruction or dedication (Enc. Bib.). Moreover,the account of Enoch given in the Bible and inJewish religious literature close]y resembles that

of Idns as given in the Qur'an. In the Bible wehave: And Enoch walked with God: and hewas not; for God took him (Gen. 5: 24). In Tar-gum, a famous book of Jewish traditions he has

been called a holy man oC God whom He gave

the titles of "Safra Rabba"and "M~atron"{bothwords meaning a learned man or religious savant)and took up to heaven (Jew. Ene.). In the Jewish

book named "Sefer Hanok" (the book ofHanuk). .it is written that inhabitants of the earth became

1597

CH.19 MARYAM PT. 16

58. And aWe exalted him to alofty station.

59. These are the people buponwhom Allah bestowed His bless-ings from among the Prophets, of theposterity of Adam, and of the posterityof those whom We carried in the Arkwith Noah, and of the posterity ofAbraham and Israel; and they are ofthose whom We guided and chose.DWhen ~he Signs of the GraciousGod were recited unto them, theyfell down, prostrating themselvesbefore God and weeping.22Oo

II 2: 254 ; 4: 159. 111 : 7; 4: 70; 5: 21; 57 : 20.

~~~a~~"'~~ ..~ ~ --'... ... Q' , ,, ~

~...

"''''' ',~~ ':t \ '"

\II ~ ...','. , "". r' ° t .~I 'it

~~ lo~ cw ,t~ ~.,To:, ,,-,; , .. '-..", ?~

;;,.~ , ...;,! r~,"''''" ",J',.,,,,'''',,,'.

7:I.JJ~J'Y ~ ~~--'~,)'~..J.)hf; ,"--:. ".'" .....~I-,~~:" ;~;.,...~\"..., "1.., . 00 ~ .."~,i'..)~.>!,.,

~1~~Iji4.I'~'-: . "';.t,~\~ '\~!t-:'\'CI M"'-' . 1.'''» ~y .. .. ~ ~, ...'"

~

D 17 : 108, 110; 32 : 16.

wicked, therefore God took up J:Ianuk to heavenand made him a guardian of the heavenly trea-sures and the chief of angels. In another booknamed "J:Iayye I:lanok" it is written that he wasa holy and righteous priest whom God sent tothe world for its reformation, but when it becamefun of sins, God raised him up to heaven (Jew.Ene.). This account of Enoch resembles very muchthe picture of Idrls as given in the Qur'a;n inthe words: He was a truthful man and a Prophetand We exalted him to a lofty station. Thesecommendatory expressions about Idrls serve todemolish the false notions held about Jesus.The godhead of Jesus, more than anything else,rests on the belief that he was taken up toheaven alive. Now if, as Christians believe,God took up Jesus to heaven according tothe present verse, Idrls too was exalted to a'very high station in heaven, and accordingto the Bible Enoch (IdrYs) also walked withGod and was taken up toheaven (Gen. 5 : 24). IfJesus could be regarded as Divine and is entitledto a special spiritual status on the assumptionof his having been taken up to heaven, thenIdrls of the Qur'~n or Enoch of the Bible,on that very score is entitled to even a higher

spiritual statlon. If Jesus has been called sonof God in the Bible, Enoch has been called thefather of the sons of God in Jewish literature.The Book of Enoch which was originally writtenin Hebrew and later on was translated into Greekand then into Latin contains a full account ofEnoch's life. Its translation in Russian makesvery useful and interesting reading.

Ishmael and Idns have b~en mentioned to-gether in the verse under comm~nt and in 21 :86,the only two places where m~ntion has been madeof Idrls in the Qur'a;n. It is so bocause Ishmaelbears a very close resemblance to him. Accor-ding to the Qur'a;n Ishmael was a truthful manand so was Idrls. God had raised Idrls to alofty spiritual station and so had He raisedIshmael. About Enoch we read in the Biblethat God walked with him (Gen. 5: 24) and aboutIshmael the Bible say..: "Abraham said untoGod, 0 that Ishmael might live before thee!"(Gen. 17 : 18).

2200. Commentary:This verse explains two things: (1) The Pro-

phets whose names have been mentioned in it

were righteous and holy men. But in spite of

1598

PT. 16 MARYAM/-

CH. 1"9

60. Then there came after them"descendants who neglected Prayer,and followed evil desires. So theywill meet with destruction,2201

61. Except those bwho repent andbelieve and do good deeds. Thesewill enter Heaven and they will notbe wronged in the least-2202

\ ' ,-:,"~ \ t ' r":13J.;..,,,, (,

":.1-=,,:.~ -'" ~\.C,' ~~~~

6r~~ "'fi" ~'h~ ,"-;~~C)~u~9~1

,, 1."

,":\.! '''~' £~£~\r" I ~ "

,0, " "r~

,,, -:.~p~ ~ !j"'qjW)~--' ,..Jj

-'uv.,...o

"' t.. ~ "\,,,T- ,.- ...:J~"

~ (~~ " ~''''J ..."" ...",@ ,.'- . ~ ~ ~ JI'" (,:,)'. ~.. ...J.

"7:170. &6:49;18:89;25:71;34:38.

the very exalted position they held they wereordinary mortals. Jesus, like them, too, was aProphet of God and like them a mere mortal.There was nothing in him that could entitlehim to some special position. (2) These righte-ous and holy men were Divine Prophets and assuch sinless. The Jews in the Old Testament (Gen.9: 21-23; 19: 3]-38; 20:2; Exod. 32:1-4); andChristians in the New Testament (John JO: 8)hurled at these paragons of piety and righteous-ness very filthy charges, the former in order toscreen their own crimes and the latter in order toestablish the exclusive sinlessness of Jesus.Special stress has been laid on their holiness inthe verse under comment and it is in order toclear them completely of the charges attributed

to them and also to demolish the wrong notionof the exclusive sinlessness of Jesus that thewords "whom We guided and chose" have beenused about th~m.

Some Commentators of the Qur'!n think thatthe words 'of the posterity of Adam' refer tordrls, and whom we carried in the Ark with Noah

to Abraham, and the words, of the posterity of

A braham, refer to Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob,and the words, of the posterity of, understood be-fore the word Israel, to Moses, Aaron, Zachariah,Yal;1yg and Jesus, all of whom have been mention-

ed in the preceding verses of tbe present Sura.

2201. Important Words:

l=, (destruction) is derived from ~-"which means, he erred; he deviated from theright way or course; he persisted in ignorance,he failed in attaining his desire; he acted igno-rantly from misbelief; he perished (Lane &Aqrab). See also 7 : 17.

Commentary:

In fact negligence and remissness in observingPrayers makes a person ignorant of Divine attri-butes and kills in him the desire to establishhis connection with the Creator which in turnthrows him into the clutches of the Devil. Andwhereas negligence in invoking Divine mercyand praying to God leads to failure, the pursuitof evil desires results in apathy towards trueknowledge and indulgence in obscenities and idlepursuits; and all these things combined togetherbring about complete moral and spiritual ruin.

2202. Commentary:

The epithet cJ~ Ju. is more applicable to

such acts as are done at the proper occasion and

suit the exigencies of time than mere devotional

acts, as is generally understood.

1599

CH. 19 MARY AM PT. 16

62. aGardens of Eternity, whichthe Gracious God has promised to Hisservants in the unseen. Surely Hispromise must come to pass.2203

63. %ey will not hear thereinanything vain; but only gree lings ofpeace; they will have their sustenancetherein, morning and evening.2204

64. oSuch is the Heaven whichWe give for an inheritance to those ofOur servants who are righteous. 2205

--~._-_._---

b 52 : 24; 56 : 26; 78 : 36 ° 7 : 44; 43 : 73; 52 : 18.II 9: 72; 13 : 24; 61 : 13.

~ ( ~ I

~r ;f,. ."~~,..'\~"'=t\.~..~;:-.. ~2S.),-*~.Y'~--'~~~ ~t.::\f~..r'" ( "... "'r~ ~~ \~~...\.o ~~J OC .y...

4A99., ,,, b f ;.:., ;.:.,

~, '"

".,. ~, .,~, ... r~ i ...

,\'t't tf~!.' ,.::,:...~ ,\1.?\.~;~-' ~J... ~ ..,,-~..:s

9(;.~~~~~"~~ .." ~ J->-'-!... f ~ f-: f ~, ~,... ., ,nC)~ ,?~ u.)~ ,."Jj c..) ~ .'=t\ ';\:'-"11~,-

,; v ,;;TUt)' ~ ...

~@ w-....,;

2203. Commentary:

The words 0..J.>.c,l;,~ signify Divine favoursand blessings which know no end ordiminution.

The expression ~l! signifies that the Faith-ful will get Gradens of Eternity because theybelieved in things which they did not see-God,angels, Hereafter etc. Or it may signify that they

will get gardens when there will be no apparentsigns of their ever getting them.

The word f.::>t (must come to pass) signifiesthat the fulfilment of the Divine promise is as

sure as if it has already come to pass. It mayalso signify that the Faithful will be givenGardens of Eternity without any wish or desire

on their part..

2204. Commentary:

~I (but) is used here either as ~.. .l;,z:-Ior ~ .l:z_I. In the former case the verse

would mean that the apparently superfluous talkwould also be productive of peace and will resultin something useful and beneficial. In the lattercase it would mean that the believers will hear

nothing vain and useless but will live in perfectpeace because there will be peace all round them.They will live in the presence of God Who ispeace (59 : 24) and reside in the abode of peace(6 : 128) and angels will enter upon them withgreetings of peace (13:25). For a full discussion

about ~;... .l.:.:::_1see 2 : 35.

The verse may also signify that the believerswill attain such a high stage of righteousness inthe Gardens of Enternity that they will hear nodisparaging talk about one another i.e. there willbe found absolutely no suspicion of any kind.

The sentence, They will have their sustenancetherein, morning and evening, means that thebelievers will constantly hear the sweet voice ofGod, enjoy His sight and will receive the mess-age of eternal peace. The word "sustenance"covers and applies to all these things.2205. Commentary:

The word 6)y signifies that the believersbeing God's own beloved children will get Para-dise as of right. The word incidentally impliespermanence of the gifts of Paradise and consti-tutes a refutation of any exclusive title of Jesusto be the son of God.

1600

PT. 16 MARY AM CH. 19

.5

65. And angels will say to them,'We do not come down save bythe command of thy Lord. To Himbelongs all that is before us and allthat is behind us and all that isbetween; and thy Lord is not forget-ful. '2206

66. He is ltthe Lord of theheavens and the earth and of all that isbetween the two. Serve Him, there-fore and be steadfast in His service.Dost thou know anyone equal toHim?

67. And says man, b'What! whenI am dead, shall I be brought forthalive l' 2207

68. Does not man rememberthat eWe created him before, whenhe was naught 1'2208

- -~

-- ------

II 37:6; 38: 67; 44: 8; 78 :38.----------

2206. Commentary:

This verse explains vv. 13:24-25 wherein it is

said: And angels shall enter unto themJrom everygate, saying 'Peace be unto you, because you were

steadfast' and signifies that the angels would say

to the Faithful that they did not bring themgreetings of peace of their own accord but with

the express command of God, their heavenlyFather, and on His behalf.

The words "And thy Lord is not forgetful"mean that God has not forgotten His promisethat "He wiIJ raise from among the brethren ofthe Israelites (i.e. the Ishmaelites) a Prophet likeunto Moses and will put His words into hismouth; and he shall speak unto them all that

He shaH command him" (Deut. 18 : 18).

2207. Commentary:0l j~1 (man) does not here mean man in

general but a particular class of men, viz. those

("

~ "" IJ'"~,� ~~~~'''~ 4)ti~; '~~\J":~::-:~;~ ",�J ~ ;.V"~:,. ~ ~'Z:.~ ;J!;" r~rn~.-:h t ,I'; r;; r~~i-:@ :.. ~.JdO \D-,~> ~. \..0-,l..Qb

~.',�' ,~ 9"'r-:(/~t [;'; . '~\\/ ~I

'" , ~"~.!'t~~

.\A.J<.e..J~ -'Q

U/ 0.)~ . -- " ".

t..r? ;(;

~;'''' ';":1.."[,1' f'~~ "~':U~k.@ ..; I~.) .,,; Jt

~"'''' 9"'/..;,1 j l.. D

(:i ' J.,~~r.;)... "'\ .;J ..r""" ' I""

/ ;.!\t tJ " "~ ?:' ~ 1U 1.::..4\.0 :> , <.:) J! I~ .J- ~ "", ",,:..:::r::

!,; ,,""" 1'=

9 I,,,..r':'" Jr""';'

9{.o'.' "'",

~ ~ .J CJ-i:'# ~ ~ \5,~:.I\...j~I"y~ ~-,I

@~:'~. ~-- .....----------

"23 : 38; 36 : 79. e 19 : 10; 76 : 2.

..----- -- -- --- - ---------

who doubt the existence of the life after death.In fact, there are very few people in the worldwho totally deny the existence of the Hereafter.It is not by their words of mouth but by theiractual actions and deeds-their entire engross-ment in material pursuits, that they express their

doubt or denial of the life beyond the grave.The interrogative form of the words used in theverse shows that such people suffer merely froma lack of certainty with regard to life after deathand not that they totally deny it. As the Suradeals with Christian dogmas and doctrines, sothe present and the following several verses deal

also with the doubts of Christians about lifeafter death.

2208. Commentary:The word r~:~ here signifies r)~ j,.. ~~

i.e. anything worth mentioning or having anysignificance or importance. This meaning issupported by 76 : 2.

1601

CH.19 MARYAM PT.16

69. And, by thy Lord, aWeshall assuredly gather them together,and the satans too,; then shall Webring them on their knees aroundHell. 2209

70. Then shall We certainly pickout, from every group, those ofthem who were most stubborn in rebel-lion against the Gracious God.2210

"" '- '" '".,,:''_.:.~':t -:: :. ~\" ":~~" ""~~~;.o.-' . ..,- -'~ .. ;p~

t':r~:o ,,-;"" J""~"@~~~,

" ~t~'" '..""",""0' . if "" .,"'",,'-." ~1 "~t~U1I?~.:~..~.1 ..:.~ ~. '" -~ "

V-;i~ r "o.J

't.-~~

e -..1.0.. ","

a 10 : 29; 17 : 98; 34 : 41.

2209. Important Words:

~;t"':" (Hell). Commentators of the Qur'angenerally agree that in Arabic this word hasno root and is used as a proper name for theplace of punishment reserved for the evil-doersin the next world. Non-Arabic lexicographers,however, are of the opinion that it is an Ara-maic word and is used for the place of punish-ment after death. In Hebrew it is used asGehenna which in Aramaic originally was 'Hin-nom' but later on came to be changed into HGe-Hinnom" (Ene. Bib.) which means, "the valley ofdeath or destruction." The word HGe-Hinnom"also seems to have been a distorted form ofthe Arabic words -'~ and~'" , the latter wordmeaning 'a leopard'; and so ~ J~ means aplace where leopards live. Thus "Ge-Hinnom"which in Aramaic means the valley of deathand destruction was originally [;;'" J~. The non-Arabs generally change the letter ~ into

~; so

~ J~ bec~me converted into the Aramaic 'Ge-. Hinnom' and the Arabs borrowed it from the

non-Arabs and turned it into ~4-:-. The wordmay also have been a combination of ~ whichmeans, he went near, and ~ which means, hebecame contracted in the face. So ~ maymean a thing or place which a person at firstlikes but when he goes near it he comes to dislikeit and contracts his face to show his dislike for

it. Thus the very construction of the word ~;~explains its nature and character, i.e. at first aperson commits hellish deeds, thinking them tobe good but when as a result of those deeds heapproaches near Hell, he dislikes it and contractshis face to show his dislike. See also 2 : 207.

The word uJ.l~JI (satans) applies to thosephilosophers and exponents of a materialisticconcept of life who engender in the mindsof disbelievers doubts regarding life after death.

2210. Important Words:

~~ meaning then, i.e. afterward or after-wards, is a particle or conjunction denotingorder and delay. Sometimes it is used to denotethe order of enunciation, not the virtual order.It also has the meaning of

-'(and) and .j (so)

(Lane).

In the present verse ~ shows order i.e.

this thing will happen after the thing that hasbeen mentioned before. Some Commentatorsof the Qur'an think that this verse can be ex-plained by reading it as: :i.:.:~,y;u' u&'? ~r~ 0L-)1 J&.oCl r-~I ~ JU:! U:!jJl i.e. thenshall We certainly pick out from every groupthose about whom it will be said that they weremost stubborn in rebellion against the GraciousGod. Others are of the view that the expressionl~ 0L-) I j&. ~I ~ I is an independent and

1602

PT. 16 MARYAM CH.19

71. And surely, We know bestthose most deserving to be burnedtherein.2211

72. And athere is not one ofyou but will come to it. This is afixed decree ofl:hy Lord.2212

@1~~ J '1 " :'~ ..1~ 'I'''' "~... ~{..~,. ;. ~~ <:.!~;.~, ~ ~

l; ~:" .:;1. '" ~ -: r~'t~ J ,"~t~ ?"~ ~~V" <.:>~ \4t~~:Ji' , ~,,-,~ "

'Z)~,...

~ .~D':\:!I .....

a 21 : 99.

separate sentence and forms an answer to thewords ~ 0" (who are they) which areunderstood before this sentence, and means,"they are those who were most stubborn inrebellion against the Gracious God. The words0lu. )1~ mean against or in opposition to theGracious God.2211. Commentary:

In this verse ~ is a conjunction denotingorder of enuncia'tion and not proper order,meaning 'and'. The meaning of the word wouldbe, and (We tell you another thing that.. ..)

The words lJ... ~ J-,I ~ iY-,)Jtmay mean:(a) those who are more fitted to burn in

the fire than to be left out of it;(b) those who are more deserving than

other people to bum in the fire;(c) those who deserve to be punished

more by being thrown into the firethan by any other means.

The reference in the verse is to the Christiannations who at other places in the Qur'an (18 :95; 21: 97) have been called ~~l.4J ~~l~ .They have been so called because they havemade free use of fire-arms such as guns, tanks,atom-bombs etc., ~1 (fire) bejng the root fromwhich both these names have been derived. Asthese nations have made free use of fire-arms, soshaH they be punished with fire.2212~ Commentary:

The word ~ ( you) in r"..s;:~_.. is not of

general application. It applies, as the contextshows, only to the disbelievers and to those who

.doubt the existence of the life after death. Allthese categories of men have been mentioned inthe preceding verses. According to Ibn 'Abbasand 'Ikrama, another reading of ~ (of you)is

C"'':'"(of them) and the former used to say

that the expression ~.4 is addressed todisbelievers (QurtubI). So it is to these peoplei.e. disbelievers mentioned in vv. 67-69 abovethat the pronoun ~ (you) clearly refers.On the other hand the Qur'a;n quite clearlyand emphatically supports the view that therighteous believers will not go to Hell; theywill bask in the sunshine of God's loveand mercy (27 : 90 ; 39: 62; 43: 69 ; etc.)and will be far removed from the fire of Helland will not hear even its faintest sound(21 :102-103). But if the pronoun (you) betaken to include both the believers and thedisbelievers, then in the case of disbelieversthe verse would mean that all of them will go toHell and in the case of believers the fire of Hellreferred to in the verse would mean the fire oftrials and tribulations through which they haveto pass in the present life and which they endurewith patience and fortitude and out of whicheventually they are taken to be brought into thehaven of Divine bliss and peace as the next verseshows. This reference is supported by several

]603

MARY AM

73. aAnd We shall save the righ-teous and We shall leave the wrong-doers therein, on their knees.

CH.19

74. And when Our manifestSigns are recited unto them, the disbe-lievers say to the believers 'Tell uswhich of the two parties i; better i~respect of position and makes a moreimpressive assembly 1'2213

75. And bhow many genera-tions have We destroyed before them,who were better off in wealth thanthese and better in outward show! 2214

-~ -~ ~--~ ~-_._-

PT. 16

I~~\'~;; ,"''''... ",,;.r """",-../ . .. ,

'" -->w.; '..jUt c;~1 ,~ ~~ .." ~~,-

~Q ","~ ..,'

t"~?,,.., ~J"'f~ L.""~ I I

'" "

.....

~.>AJ d~t ~~.- \ ? ..'I~ I\;:;~..~,;".", ~;:. "~~ '.).,;f--'

'"J ""'''' \~(1.r~!..~,./ '''', "" ,,,,~--1t,

"~ -' \o\.UjO.~ -:'1\. , \':'/ \ -:' ~h- "...'jMJ ($ !)M' /. rI~,.

~*",.

8~~~

~,

n.r1."" , 9""'''''\~

''' ,-1., ..~,,,,,,,.. tlt;'''''/ I;l

./.

\.JU ~ ~ JiI ,;JI ,.'". -:,'..J"'"v... ~

c~.r-:,., ~~ ys..J-'~-~--

_..~-_.-

II 21 : 102; 39: 62. b 6 : 7; 17: 18 ; 19 : 99; 21: 12 ; 36 : 32; 50 : 37.

sayings of the Holy Prophet in which he haslikened fever to the fire of Hell. He is reportedto have said: The fever is a believer's share ofthe Hell-fire (Qurtubl as quoted by Taban).

The Holy Prophet himself has explainedthe meaning of this verse. His wife Hafsa isreported to have said: "On one occasio~ ~henthe Prophet said that none of those of hisCompanions who had taken part in the battle

of Badr or Ul;lad will go to Hell, I drew his atten-tion to the present verse, upon which he sHghtlyreprimanded me for having misunderstood itsmeaning and directed me to read the next

verse" (Muslim as quoted by Jami' al-Bayan).The fact that the Holy Prophet referred Hafsa

to the next verse (v. 73) shows that he also u~de~-.stood the word ~ occurring in that verseto mean "and", and had taken the next verseas an independent and separate clause, otherwisehe could not have reprimanded Hafsa forhaving misunderstood the meaning ~fth.e verse

under comment.2213. Important Words:

4J.i (assembly) is derived from 1.J.j. They

- _.-"- u.-

say t -,AJI 1..\; i.e. the people gathered and--~~~e

to a meeting. $..\.i means, $~UI i.e. an assembly(Aqrab).

Commentary:

c.l~T (Signs) are those proofs and arguments

based on reason, intellect and experience, whichpoint to the existence of a thing, its aim andpurpose, and establish it. c.l~::; c.l~T (manifestSigns) are those Signs and arguments or reasons

which not only point to the existence of a thingand prove it but are quite suited to the occasionand to the problem which they are intendedto prove, and they have a very noble and sublimepurpose to serve which they eminently do.

This verse shows that Western nations arevery proud of their material pomp and wealthand are proud also of their civilization and cul-ture, the order of their society and their way oflife and their military organizations and vastnumbers.

2214. Important Words:

~) (outward show) is derived from $;)

which means, he saw or he thought. l:J)

1604

PT. 16

76. Say, 'The Gracious God doesgive those who are in error long respiteauntil, when they will see that wit~which they are threatened-whether Itbe punishment or the final Hour-theywill realize who is worse in respect ofposition and who is weaker inforces.2215

MARY AM CH.19

t!.~ ""',,'"

I ,."~Jt:~'~;~~'~G~C;J'

~X:J\~lJ~Ic1;f,e;l~l~ ~1;'~lkfi:)..

1.;i~ y'';?~''[tr~~t-1.;.P ,.; .;

"'l"""~~ . ~'.Ju~~~~~..)\ -;;.,

II 72 : 25

means a sight; a beautiful sight; anything to, -which people raise their eyes to see. I::~J means,aspect, look or outward appearance; beautifulaspect or outward appearance or what the eyessee of goodly condition and clean apparel (Lane& Aqrab). For lmi (wealth) see 16:81.

Commentary:

The verse while, on the one hand, shows howproud the Western Christian nations are of their

material might, pomp and wealth and of the highorder of their society, on the other, it leavesno doubt that in spite of all these things theywill eventually come to grief. It may be saidthat the statement made in the verse under com-ment that there lived in the past more powerfuland wealthier peoples than the present Chris-tian nations of the West is contrary to the factsof history. Speaking absolutely it is correctthat Western Christian nations of today were

never equalled in the past by any nation inmaterial power and wealth but speaking com-paratively there certainly have been rulers andnations in the past who were more powerful thanthese nations, inasmuch as the opponents of theformer were much weaker to them in materialresources and in numbers than the adversaries of

Western Christian nations of today are to them.It is in this sense that some of the nations ofantiquity have been described as more power-ful than the Western Christian nations oftoday in the present verse.

2215. Commentary:The verb ,)..1::1;while being in the imperative

mood has been used in the indicative moodin order to impart more emphasis to themeaning. The verse means to say that Godwill give more and more respite to the wrong-doing people and will grant them increase

in power and wealth and resources, sothat when Divine punishment descends uponthem, their destruction will look all the moreimpressive and awe-inspiring. yf.hJI (thepunishment) here may signify the interveningpunishment which will overtake Western na-tions in stages before their final destruction, and:i.~l_JI may mean their complete and final

destruction. Thus the verse means to say thatDivine punishment will descend upon the nations

of the West in different forms and stages. Atfirst their power wm gradu~lly weaken and declineby wars that will take place at short intervals

and then a global war in which most deadlyweapons wm be used will destroy them fully andcompletely.

The words yll..JI and ~l...J1 having beenused simultaneously in the verse show thatthe. punishment which will overtake Westernnations, if they did not accept truth and mendtheir ways, will at first be in the form ofyll..J1 (intervening punishment) for some of

them and ~l..J I (final destruction) for otherstill ultimately it will take the form of ~l-!I forall of them.

1605

CH. 19 MARYAM

77. a.And Allah increases inguidance those who follow guidance.11And the good works that endure arebest in the sight of thy Lord as reward,ana best as resort. '2216

78. Hast thou not seen himwho disbelieves in Our Signs, and says,/1'1 shaH certainly be given wealthand children ?'2217

79. Has he become acquaintedwith the unseen or has he taken a pro-mise from the Gracious God ?2218

80. Nay! We shall note downwhat he says and We shan greatlyprolong for him the punishment.2219

- - - - .-/I 9 : 124 ; 47 : 18; 48 : 5; b 18 : 47; 87 : 18.

----.-.----

The verse points to an absolute certaintythat the path of sin and iniquity leads to sure

destruction. It also shows that when destructionwill overtake Western nations, they will realizethat the germs of their destruction had lainhidden in their very material power of whichthey were so proud and that the apparentlyweak condition of the Eastern nations possessedseeds of their growing strength and power.2216. Commentary:

The verse means to say that every new changethat takes place in the world makes the positionof believers stronger and firmer. They grow ininfluence, prestige and numbers. The Quranicwords, And the good works. . resort, remind Chris-tian Western peoples of the beautiful and Ofl-

. quoted words of Jesus, viz", lay not up for your-selves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust

\ doth corrupt, and where thieves break through;-;and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in

Ateaven, where neither moth nor rust doth cor-IUpt, and where thieves do not break through

.nor steal (Matt. 6 : 19, 20). These words implya warning to his so-called followers that it is

PT. 16

, , '. "",'-1\.!:J'L~'.a'J,,,,,L'~' \' "'~.\ ~.."'t\~'~'''''''.~ ..".!J\oi1Wb~~ ~.~ ..~-'

~"''' ~,~ ~r~\"! ~ '" .'L ~-",~

@\.).)A".J:?--' ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~,

"-~ ~~ \;, "'",,,,

""' Jr-::'" ~ t r"'~. ' ~ ""~

."""t~\ l~o.I.'"", \i . \,)I L' , c..~ ~;J ~,,:-

'"

:J -' ~ .. :" ,.., "if1I .. ~

J.9"'''''''@I~J';

"",,,,,,-, ",,,,,,,,,,

,~ -?'U . \'''\\ "'?. .", I ~, -.It::\@'~~J' ~~~ '" C-

GIj:~\JJ,~~~;j~ ~~.tc 18 : 35; 74 : 13-14.

--.

_._, ~ ~

futile on their part to bank upon their materialriches and resources because they are sure toperish while it is only good works that will en-dure and last.

22 17. Commentary:

The verse means to say that the disbelieversets great store by his wealth and children andtakes great pride in them. "The disbeliever" inthe verse represents the disbelieving proud na-tions of the West.

2218. Commentary:

The words "the unseen" may signify the con-jectures and guesses of political philosophers andsoothsayers and the words, a promise from theGracious God, may signify the promise giventhrough a Divine Messenger about the eventualtriumph of the cause of truth.2219. Important Words:

:is" (nay) is a particle and signifies, rejection;rebuke; and reprimanding a person for what hehas said being untrue. It also signifies that whathas been said before is wrong and what followsafter is right (Lane).

1606

PT. 16 MARYAM

81. And We shall inherit of himall that he talks of and Ghe shall cometo Us all alone.222o

82. bAnd they have taken othergods beside Allah, that they may be asource of power for them.2221

83. Not at all! °They will denytheir worship, and will become theiropponents.2222

CH. 19

,to1t'~r",'.r"'''' J'''!(r", ~~~...@ .)J' \:.8.~-' ~ \.0 ~~-'

'j ~ ,,, ',,~,~ ,~ ,J, "."~,,@~ ('V\~.M,,~'~t ~J.)~"~'-'

t.r. ~~ /.!(;". W..~ ~'J~b~

&~~p:;~Y~J~') ...~~-'..1\

116: 95; 18: 49. b 21 : 25; 36 : 75. 06: 24; 10: 29.

Commentary:The verse means to say that disbelievers take

pride in their wealth and children but they shouldknow that they will be deprived of all thesethings and their punishment will be prolongedas was their prosperity prolonged because itwas the prolongation of their prosperity thatmade them proud and arrogant.

2220. Commentary:

The sentence, And We shall inherit of him allthat he talks of. may mean: (a) We shall inherit

- his wealth and children, i.e. he shall be obligedto leave all his wealth and children behind;(b) We shall preserve his insolent talk and willremind him of it when he comes to Us and willpunish him for it; and (c) his inheritors willenter the fold of Islam and all his wealth andresources will be used in the cause of Islam.

The words, He shall come to Us all alone, signi-fy that he shall be deprived of all his wealth sothat all his sycophants and hangers-on who hadgathered round him on account of his greatwealth and children will leave him and he willbe left all alone.

The expression J~ L. refers to the proudtalk in which the disbelievers indulge because oftheir great wealth, power, influence and children.

2221. Commentary:

The verse may signify that disbelievers erectbig houses of worship in the name of their idolsso that it may redound to their honour and goodname, or that they worship false deities seekingthereby nearness to God. To the latter meaningof the verse reference has also been made in 39: 4where it is stated: And those who take for pro-tectors others beside Him say, we serve them onlythat they may bring us near to Allah in station.

2222. Commentary:

The words: they will deny their worship maymean (a) the false deities will deny that theidolaters ever worshipped them ; (b) the idolaterswill deny that they ever worshipped false deities.For (a) see 2 : 167; 10: 29; 16: 87; 28: 64; andfor (b) see 6 : 24; 30 : 14.

It is interesting to note that though the idol-worshippers and their false deities will be many.the word i.¥ used for them in the verse is inthe singular number. This is to show that theidol-worshippers and their objects of worship,while standing before God's Judgment Seat,will become one in this respect that they willdeny each other.

To the objection that when some of the deitiesare inanimate things, how they will speak. three

1607

CH.19 MARYAM PT. 16

R.6 84. Seest thou not that aWe havesent satans against the disbelieversgoading them on to acts of disobe-"dience ?2223

85. So be not thou in haste withregard to them; We are keeping fullaccount of their doings.2224

." '., ~""~\ ~~" "','

,It'-:', (~\"..,"~~",,,,

""""j~ ~. ~.,\ \!,\ .. '1,-#/'; .'-- ~ 7;A!J11

~ ~.....

~'v-t1:.?... , '" ~

r''' "',@t&~~~lJ.~~~(J 8 : 49 ; 47 : 26 ; 59 : 17.

answers may be given: (a) some of the idols areJiving beings such as Jesus etc; (b) in the spiritual

realm, such as in visions and dreams inanimate

things are known to speak; and (c) the idols ofstone are in reality physical representations ofholy men and angels. These holy men and angelswhose representations in the physical formsthe idolaters worshipped will speak against them.

2223. Important Words:

l;l_)1 (We sent). p'-:-J\..::J~)I means, I let the

camel go wherever it liked. A.::l~l;)\i J~)1 means,he left such a one to do with him whatever heliked; he set such a one on him or gave himmastery or power over him (Aqrab & Lane).

r--I>jj.; (goading them on) is derived from jl.

They say)"UJI u ji i.e. the cooking pot boiled

or boiled vehemently or made a sound in cook-ing. . jl means, he stirred him, roused orprovoked him; and insisted, urged or instigated

him, ,.A) J... to do such a thing. .Jis moreintensive than. j'" which means, he shook him;

,induced him to do the thing (Lane).Commentary:

The words Ijt ~ jj.j" mean: (a) satans incite

disbelievers to acts of disobedience; (b) theycontinue to incite disbelievers to acts of disobe.

dience till they enter Hen; and (c) they incite

disbelievers against Muslims that they shouldattack the latter and persecute them.

~)~JI (disbelievers) here signifies a particularclass of disbelievers i.e. those disbelievers whoby their persistent transgression and evil deeds

deprive themselves completely of Divine protec-

tion.

2224. Commentary:

In the words ~r::l;. J~ )\i Muslims are en-

joined not to lose patience if Divine punishm~ntis slow in overtaking Western Christian nations.

The words also seem to enjoin Muslims not tobe so impatient as to indulge in such foolishdreams as waging Jihad against disbelieversbecause they (Muslims) do not possess thenecessary means to fight them successfully, butshould adopt only spiritual means for this pur-pose such as praying and preaching and dissemi-nating the teachings of Islam. The warning

contained in the Holy Prophet's words jlJ.,! ')

r--~l:AJ ..I ') (no one will have the power tofight them) may perhaps have been derived from

this Divine command.

The words f~ r--g,JJ ; \...;1mean: (a) We arekeeping full account of their wicked deeds; and(b) We are keeping account of the time when

their punishment will be due. The verse meansto say that their doom is already decreed and it

will overtake them when the appointed timearrives.

160&

PT. 16 MARYAM CH.19

86. Remember the day when aWeshall gather the righteous before theGracious God as honoured guests; 2225

87. And bWe shall drive theguilty to Hen like a herd of thirstycamels. 2226

~ ~!" I~"\ ,it ",..~'t, '':.''-: ",,,@t~-'~J' ~,,~ ~~~

b l~' ,,~"" J t ", ..~': , '..,,~~0:l J.J}~ ,,~~ u~,

a 39 : 74. b 39 : 72.

2225. Important Words:iJ.i.J (honoured guests) is the plural of J.i I.J

which is active participle from J.i.J. Theysay ,jlhL !lJ>:. .JI JI J.i.J i.e. he came to theking as an ambassador, envoy or messenger; or

to convey gifts and ask aid; he went forth tothe king (Aqrab & Lane).Commentary:

This verse has provoked discussion as towhether the righteous will be assembled b(:foreGod or will merely be admitted to Paradise.There seems to be no real difference betweenthe two alternative senses, because Paradise isthe House of God and going to Paradise is asgood as going before God. The verse may alsoapply to two resurrections; the one in this

world and the other in the next. Resurrectionin the next world will both be individual andcollective. Immediately after its departure fromthe physical body the human soul begins totaste of the fruits of the works, good or bad, a

man might have done in this world. This stateof the soul is known by its individual resurrec-tion in which its experience of the reward orpunishment, as the case may be, of the nextlife is partial and incomplete. The Resurrection

on the Last Day, however, will be collectivewhen the whole of mankind will be broughtbefore God's Judgment Seat. Then the realiza-tion by the soul of its state of bliss or punish-

ment will be complete. That will be the finalResurrection. The significance of the verse as

is clear from many sayings of the Holy Prophet,is that there will be gre4t confusion and bewil-derment on the Day of Resurrection. Butimmediately after the initial shock the righteous

will regain their composure and peace of mindand will be honoured with the gift of God'sfavours and blessings.

2226. Important Words:

i~).J (a herd of thirsty camels) means, comingto or arriving at water; water to which one come3

to drink; turn of coming to water; a number ofcamels or a herd of thirsty camels; birds arriving

at water. See also 11 : 99.

0.J-; (We shall drive) is derived from 0LThey say ~~I,-,l- i.e. he drove the camels.~J.;>JI ,-,l- means, he continued the talk endless-Iy; he went on relating the narrative. ~ l-means,

a driver; or one who drives from behind while;';li is one who guides-a general or a leader.

The expression i~).J ~~~ JI 0::" J~J I '-'.Ji

means, We will drive the sinners like beastswho come to water to slake their thirst (Lane &Aqrab).

Commentary:

Here the word '-'>-; (We shall drive) hasbeen used about the sinners and means that theywill be driven to Hell against their wish. But

this word has also been used in the Qur'a;n aboutthe righteous believers (39: 74). But in that

verse the word has been used in the sense of beingconducted or carried. If, however, in 39: 74 the

1609

CH.19 MARYAM PT. 16

88. GNone will have the powerof intercession save he who has re-ceived a promise from the GraciousGOd.2227

89. bAnd they say, 'the Gra-cious God has taken unto Himself ason.'222!s

, , ~\ , ", ~~~ ,," <-"l-: \ .. ~~..-

~.Y ~~\~""~ .:. t~ '\'"

#tII.""

..:Jill' (l1li JJ

8'~.I. ~.1 ~ , 111-:'"

~ ~.-::\r\"r~"@'w-'~..)' ~ ~~-'

G 2 : 49; 20 : 110; 21 : 29; 34 : 24; 39: 45; 43 : 87; 53 : 27; 74 : 49.b 2 : 117; 4 : 172; 6 : 101-102; 10 : 69; 17 : 112; 18: 5; 19 : 36; 21 : 27; 25 : 3; 39 : 5; 43 : 82.

word were taken to have been used in the senseof driving. then it would apply to the beastswhich the righteous will be riding to go toParadise and thus the meaning would be that thebeasts which the righteous will be riding will'be driven to Paradise.2227. Important Words:

~lA..:JI (intercession) is derived from e.::.which means, he provided a thing, which wasalone with another, or he joined up a single thingwith another, so as to make it one of a pairor couple. According to Imitm-Ra;ghib ~Isignifies the adjoining of a thing to its like; thusthc word has the significance of likeness or simi-larity also. Thus -~l~ I has come to mean inter-ceding or praying for a person on the groundthat he is connected with the intercessor or islike or similar to him (Aqrab, Lane & Mufra-dM).Commentary :

-~$.lA.:;.JI(intercession) is governed by the fol-

lowing four conditions:1. He who intercedes has a special connec-

tion with the person (or Being) with whom hewishes to intercede and enjoys his special favour,(or without such connection he dare not inter-

cede nor can intercession be fruitful.2. The person for whom intercession is to

be made must have a true and real connection

with the intercessor, for none would think ofinterceding for a person unless the latter is speci-ally connected with him.

3. The person in whose favour intercessionis sought must generally deserve the descrip-tion of a good person and must be one whohas made an honest effort to win the pleasureof God (21: 29). If he ever happens to fall intosin, it is in a moment of weakness. A wickedman cannot enjoy true and real connectionwith a holy person.

4. Intercession can only be made with God'sexpress permission (2 : 256; 10 : 4). ~

For a detailed note on ~lA..:J\ see 2 : 49.It may be noted that of all Prophets and

Messengers of God the Holy Prophet alone willbe granted permission to intercede on the LastDay.

2228. Commentary:

The verse means to say that the so-calledfollowers of Jesus think that he will intercedefor them. How could this be possible when hewas a strict believer in the Oneness of God andthey ascribe partners to the Almighty which is aheinous sin. They possess no likeness with himwhile one of the most important conditions ofintercession is that the person for whom inter-cession is sought must be like him who is to makethe intercession.

1610

PT. ]6 MARYAM Cll.19

90. Assuredly, you have done amost hideous thing 12229

91. The heavens might well-nigh burst thereat, and the earthcleave asunder, and the, mountainsfall down in pieces,2230

92. Because they ascribe a sonto the Gracious God,

93. aWhereas it becomes not theGracious God to take unto Himselfa son.2231

')I +1r. :, 'J'

,,,,,li':\t. ,,'''' ..,. ,. "!t~J ..~~

i'

" 1.'~..

' \~::~~... ~? "~"1""' ~'" \ n~'

-'(,,)0).)1.~ -'~ c> . .. ~ . .)~~ , ..

') ~" J'r'" ~t',

tqj\\\J.A ~,18'"\3' ':' ~

~ \9,,,

"I ,'-;'\t \''''''

, ...,

\!9 VJ -',.~ ~ ~.) c.:,)~-."J.~"''''='''''''''' I'''' , "r''''r..."Q\~-, ~O\ ~J.9.~ \.0-,

~ ~--~--~~--~---

~ ~ ~

II 2: 117; 4 : 172 ; 10 : 69 ; 37 : 152-155.~

2229. Important Words:

i.)l (most hideous) is derived from .)j.They say J~} I ..)f i.e. a terrible calanUty befellhim. r 'jl..)j means, the event or affairoppressed him, distressed him or aftlicted him..)1 ' means, a very evil, abo mi..able, severe,thing or affair; an evil thing against whichhuman nature revolts or which causes anuproar on account of its extreme abomination(Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary :

The verse purports to say that ...) r (idola-try) is a most abominable thing. Human naturerevolts against it and reason and intellect recoilin disgust from it and no sane person can he1pprotesting against such a blasphemous practiceor belief. No doctrine has been condemnedso strongly and repeatedly in the Qur':in as theChristian dogma that Jesus, son of Mary, amortal, subject to all human weaknesses andfrailties, was the son of God.

2230. Commentary:The verse means to say that the dogma that

Jesus is the son of God is so hideous that theheavens, the earth and the mountains might we])break into pieces and faU asunder at the

enormity of this idea. The belief is repugnantto heavenly beings because it is against Divineattributes and against a]) that they stand for. Itis revolting for human beings living on the earthbecause it offends against the dictates of humannature and man's inte])ect and reason recoil insheer disgust from it. Men of high and nobleideals such as Divine Prophets and God's Electalso deny and denounce it because the idea thatman should stand in need of the vicarious sacri-fice of anybody for the attainment of salvationand a high moral status runs counter to theirown spiritual experience. The doctrine of Atone-ment is dependent on and is inseparably con-nected with belief in the sonship of Jesus andbars the door to all moral and spiritual advance-ment and attainment of high and noble idealsand condemns man to undeserved moral degra-dation. In short, the doctrine that Jesus isson of God is against a]) that is sane, soundand sensible.

2231. Commentary:The Sura contains a most emphatic and clear

denunciation of Christian dogmas, particularlythe basic doctrine that Jesus is son of God, fromwhich a]) other dogmas flow. In the present

1611

CH.19~

94. aThere is none in the heavensand the earth but he shall come to theGracious God as a bondman.2232

95. Verily, He comprehends themby His knowledge and has numberedthem all fully.

96. And beach of them shallcome to Him singly on the Day of Re-surrection.2233

97. Those who believe and dogood deeds-the Gracious God willcreate love in their hearts. 2234

.---.------ a 20 : 109.--~ ~ ---.

and preceding four verses special stress has beenlaid on the refutation and condemnation of thisdogma. It is worthy of special note that theDivine attribute "Ral}miIn" has been repeatedlyreferred to in this Sura-it has been mentionedas many as sixteen times. As the fundamentaldogma of the sonship of Jesus and its corollary,the dogma of Atonement, involve a denial of theDivine attribute "Ra.l;1mltn" and as the centraltpeme of this Sura is the refutation of thisdogma, this attribute inevitably has beenrepeatedly referred to. The dogma of Atonementimplies that God cannot forgive the sins ofmen whereas the Divine attribute "Ral}.mltn"implies that He can and actually often doesforgive them, hence its repetition in this Sura.

.2232. Commentary:The verse purports to say that the Gracious

God needs no son to help Him or succeed Him,because He is the Lord of the heavens andthe earth and His kingdom extends over thewhole universe and because all men are Hisservants and Jesus is one of them.2233. Commentary:

This verse contains a further refutation of

MARYAM PT. 16.

'--' ~-'

~-

1'-='t \

.1~ ,"'" I" .,... 'tJ,~; ~'~'!~.Jjt)9~\~~~CJ!

J, .-I@\~

j,~ ,~,~~~;~~

~,~j~!;.;;~t~~~"~"!(~~I ~"'-!'" ':'JJ,-;,~ t"'1 ~ ~~... 0...

~,<9\3-,

- ~----- --

~ --..-----

Atonement. It purports to say that every be-liever in Atonement will appear before God aloneon the Day of Resurrection when he will haveto render an account of his beliefs and deeds,and will have to carry his own cross and noone else will bear his burden and atone for hissins. Jesus himself says: "And whosoever dothnot bear his cross and come after me, cannotbe my disciple. . . . . .whosoever will come afterme, let him deny himself, and take up his crossand follow me" (Luke 14 : 27; Mark 8 : 34).

2234. Important Words:

i~J (love) is infinitive-noun from .)J (wadda).They say O~J i.e. he loved him or it. .)J(wad), .)J (wid) and .)J (wud) mean the same

thing, viz., (a) deep love and affection; (b) aperson loved, an object of love. .)J~.J means, a

person who loves much; very loving and affec-tionate. ~.J~ Y 1is one of the Divine attributes

meaning, Most Loving towards His servants;also One Who is loved in the hearts of Hisservants (Aqrab & Tgj).

Commentary:

The words'.).J .Jl..~)' (t'rJ ~... may have

one of the following meanings: (a) God will put

1612

PT. 16 MARYAM

98. So aWe have made it (theQur'~n) easy in thy tongue that thoumayest give thereby good tidings to therighteous, and warn thereby a conten-tious people.2235

99. bAnd how many a generationhave We destroyed before them! Canstthou see a single one of them, or heareven a whisper of them ?223c

CH. 19

v:~;' ~,~%~'~l::1~'~~~, J--'

III~ -"." tiI' ,.,., ~""

(9,jj~~~", ~ J

~';, J, ,-::, ...

~'J;,;"..rr~'t ''?''''~~ , ~-: c.:J~ o ~,~ ~~ \",F-;"-'W ~..rv",~ .

t\~L ~~, ,;,,"'-'''' ,;';.

"

.~-@~),P'CI'"~-' ~ ~ ~

/I 44 : 59; 54 : 18. 1, ]7 : ]8; ]9 : 75; 2] : ]2; 36 : 32; 50 : 37.

His own love in the hearts of the righteous; or(b) God will have deep love for the righteous;(c) God will put deep love for mankind in the

hearts of the righteous, or (d) God will createlove for the righteous in the hearts of men.

2235. Important Words:

i.AJ (contentious) is derived from ..u (ladda)

which means, he was violent or vehementin contention; in dispute; in litigation. oJJmeans, he overcame him or opposed him violent-ly in contention or altercation; in dispute; in

litigation. I.AJ is the plural of JJ; whichmeans, a man violent or vehement in conten-tion; in dispute; in litigation; or difficult therein,and vehement in war: or a contentious or liti-gious and tenacious adversary who will not in-cline to the truth (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat).

2236. Important Words:

\J'",.;j(thou seest) is derived from~ . They say

--i :;'J' \J'":' i.e. he perceived or became sensible

of the ~ (~iss) of the thing; he ascertained thething as one ascertains a thing that is perceivedby the senses; he knew the thing; or he perceived

it by means of any of the senses, by seeing,feeling, touching etc.

Commentary:

The verse embodies for the Western Christiannations a most grim warning about the dreadfulfate that is in store for them if they did notaccept the truth and give up their evil ways.It purports to say that they are proud of theirmaterial power and resources and their worldlyprosperity and progress. But they have ignored

the patent fact that wrong beliefs and a life of sinleads only to destruction. They are warned thatthere had lived before them people who wereat least as powerful and prosperous as they

are and yet on account of their evil deeds andtransgressions they were so completely destroy-

ed that no trace was left of them.

J613

CHAPTER 20!AHA

(Revealed before Hijra)

Time of Revelation

This Sura belongs to the Meccan period. 'AbduUah bin Mas'lid regards it as one ofthose Suras which were revealed very early in the Prophet's ministry and were among the first to

be committed to memory by him. These were, besides T~hit, Suras BanI Isra'll, Kahf, Maryamand Anbiya' (Bukharl, kitab al-Tafslr).

Wherry has assigned the revelation of this Sura to the third part of the Meccanperiod, i.e. a little before Hijra. He has done so on the assumption that an account of someIsraelite Prophets has been given in this Sura. But why this fact at aUshould have been selectedby him as a reason for placing the revelation just before Hijra he has not taken the trouble to ex-plain, because such an account is also to be found in Sura Maryam which by common consentwas revealed in the early years of the Can, most probably in its 5th year. So to fix the end ofthe Meccan period as the period for the revelation of the present Sura only on this account is indeeda bold assertion which contradicts tradition and history. As stated above cAbdullah bin Mas'lidincluded this Sura among those Chapters of the Qur'itn which were revealed very early in the HolyProphet's ministry and which he learned first of aU, and 'Abdullah's testimony who was one ofthe Holy Prophet's earliest and most trusted Companions must necessarily carry great weight.

Connection with the Preceding Sura

The Sura has a very close connection with its predecessor, Sura Maryam. Towards theclose ofthe latter Sura it was stated that the Qur'an has been revealed in the ArabiC:tonguein orderthat the Holy Prophet may have no difficulty in conveying its Message to his people and that theyin their turn may easily grasp, comprehend and imbibe its fuUimport. The Qur'lin is also inten-ded to give glad tidings to the righteous who act upon its teaching with a fervour and spontaneitywhich is born of conviction in its Divine origin. It is revealed also to warn and bring home tothose who have forged false beliefs the realization of the falsity and untenabiJity of their position.

The SUra continues to deal with the subject which has been treated in the preceding Chap-ter i.e. SUra Maryam. That Sara primarily deals with Christian dogmas. One of the basicdoctrines of Christianity is that the Law is a curse. The present SUra opens with an emphatic con-tradiction of this Cbristian belief. At the very outset it tells us that tbe Law is not only not a curse

]6]4

but is positively a Divine mercy, and that instead of being a burden and an encumbrance it isintended to afford solace and spiritual contentment to man. The Sura opens with the comfortingmessage that the Qur'a:n has been revealed to the Holy Prophet to render his task easy and to con-

fer honour and eminence upon him. It is in fulfilment of this promise that literally and in subs-tance all facilities have been provided to him for the preaching of its Message. The Qur'a:n hasbeen revealed in the Prophet's own tongue, its style is easy and simple, its teachings are in perfectharmony whh human nature and reason and are practical and practicable. In short, every carehas been taken to save this Book from becoming a burden and an encumbrance to man.

The SUra possesses another deeper and wider connection with Sura Maryam. In that Suralight was shed on the early history of Christianity. It was stated that the sole object of Jesus'smission was to establish Unity of God but his followers defied and flouted his simple teachingsand instead made him an object of worship and discarded the Law and dubbed it as a curse. Thepresent Sura contradicts and condemns this foolish and insensate view. Its opening versesdeal with the origin of the Mosaic Dispensation in some detail. We are told that Moses's greatestachievement lay in the fact that he gave to the Israelites a comprehensive Law, the basic principleof which was the doctrine that God is One. . So, consistently with human reason and commonsense Christianity which is only a branch of the Mosaic Dispensation should not and could not havegone against this doctrine of the Oneness of God. The present Christian dogmas and doctrines

of the Trinity and sonship of Jesus are, therefore, a later inierpoIation.

Then in order to explain the nature and reality of the Law (Sharl'at) and sin, thissubject has been carried from the time of Moses right up to the beginning of creation. In fact,lack of proper comprehension and realization of the subject lies at the very root of repudiation

of the Law or the Sharl'at by Christians and is also the source and fountain of their S r i.e.idolatry. Because if it be admitted that Divine revelation was not vouchsafed to man right from

the beginning of creation, the fact will have to be admitted that man can do without the Lawor the Shafi'at and also that he can frame it for himself which is God's own special prerogative.Thus, this idea leads directly to ...) r and to the doctrine that man needs no Law or the Shari'at.

Summary of the Subject-Matter

The Sura opens with a message of comfort for the Holy Prophet and the believers and it isstated that God has revealed the Qur'lin to lighten our burdens and not to add to our difficulties.It is further stated that the Qur'lin is easily comprehensible. It deals with all the major needs andrequirements of man, having fun regard for his feelings and susceptibilities. It is quite competentto do so because God Who has revealed it is fully conversant with the secrets of nature and alsowith man's physical and spiritual needs, and because He has complete authority and control overan things. He therefore has made full provision for those needs, and as that provision has beenmade in the Law or the Shari'at, therefore the Shari'at could not be a burden for man but a mercyand a blessing for him.

The Sura then proceeds to tell Christians that in order to understand and realize the truthsembodied in the Qur'itn they should ponder over the.circumstances and conditions through which

1615

Moses had to pass; how God helped him in his state of extreme helplessness and how He guidedhim to the right path and exalted him and revealed Himself to him. Next, we are told that the

Divine Word came to Moses and the worship of God was made incumbent upon him and truthwas revealed to him that the actions of man would be rewarded according to their deserts,and that man would be judged according to his deeds and not by his belief in Atonement.

Then a brief mention is made of the manifold favours that God bestowed upon Moses from

the time of his birth till he came of age. It is stated that after the spiritual upbringing of Moseshad become complete and he was found fit to be entrusted with the great and onerous responsibili-ties of a Prophet he was commanded to go to Pharaoh and to convey to him the Divine Message

and that Aaron, his brother, was commissioned to assist him in the discharge of his great and

noble mission. The narrative continues to the effect that Moses went to Pharaoh and conveyedto him the Divine Message but Pharaoh refused to accept it, behaved arrogantly and sought tokill him. Thereupon Moses was commanded by God to take the Israelites out of Egypt toCanaan. Pharaoh pursued him with his mighty hosts but Divine punishment overtook him.After the Israelites were delivered from Pharaoh, Moses went up to the Mount where the Lawwas revealed to him. In his absence the Israelites set up idols and began to worship them andconsequently were punished, but in the end they repented and gave up idolatry.

The Sura then administers a subtle rebuke to Christians. They are told that whenbefore the advent of Jesus the Israelites had become a unitarian people and later great stresshad also been laid in the Qur'an upon Divine Unity and upon the importance and significance ofthe Law or the Shar"i'at, how was it that a teaching which professed to regard the Law acurse and entertained and preached polytheistic beliefs could wedge in between these twomonotheistic creeds?

Next, mention is made of Divine punishment that would overtake Christian nations after

they wi1l have enjoyed uniform material prosperity for a thousand years, ranging from the 4th to

the 14th century of the Hijra. Of these the last three centuries would be marked by progressand prosperity of a very high order. But when at the height of their glory and greatness theChristian nations would be warned that a dreadful fate was in store for them, people would ask in

doubt and amazement how could it be possible, and how the power of these mighty nations couldever break and their glory depart? The Sura emphatically declares that this event will certainlycome to pass and Christian nations will be seized with a terrible visitation, "lofty mountainsshan crumble and become like scattered dust" (20: 106).

Then the subject dealt with in the opening verses of the Sura is rehearsed, viz., that theQur'an easily yields to comprehension because it has been revealed in the national tongue of thepeople who are its first addressees. Like the Gospels it does not usually talk 111 parables andmetaphors, thus leaving the subject confused and lacking in clarity, but explains its principles

and teachings fully and renders them quite clear and transparent. Then again the importance of

the Shari'at is driven home and we are told that the Law is not a curse but a blessing and a mercy

1616

of God, therefore the Faithful should wait patiently for new commandments and ordinances tobe revealed. After this reference is made to the expulsion of Adam from "the garden" and Chris-tians are told that this incident on which the whole fabric of Christian doctrine of Atonement

stands is either misunderstood or deliberately mis-interpreted. The truth is that the birth ofAdam took place in pursuance of a special Divine plan, and Divine plans never miscarry or failin their object. While on the one hand the Bible says that God created Adam in His own image(Gen. I : 27), on the other hand it declares that beguiled by Eve he fell into sin. In this way the

Bible contradicts itself. According to the Qur'an, however, Adam having been created in God'sown image and after His likeness could not possibly have been guilty of any such fall imputed tohim by the Bible. The Quranic statement, unlike the statement of the Bible is, therefore, quite con-sistent with reason. It describes Adam as only having slipped into an inadvertent lapse.

The Sura further observes that if Adam had really committed a sin, then God's plan hadmiscarried and not Adam but God HimseJfwas to blame and that it was pod's own weakness andnot that of Adam that had become exposed. Then those people who reject the Law and turn awayfrom it receive a severe scolding and are condemned as deprived of Divine light. Next, the HolyProphet is told that if disbelievers have not been punished so far it is because everything has anappointed time. He should go on preaching his Message and success ultimateJy is bound to cometo him.

Towards the end of the Sura the Holy Prophet is commanded to tell disbelievers that theSigns and miracles of their devising and choice will never be shown to them but God

Himself will decide when and which Signs to show. In spite of their disbeJief and transgressionthey will get respite as did disbelievers in the past. The latter were seized with Divine punishment

when their transgression and iniquity had exceeded all legitimate bounds. So will it happen tothe enemies of the Holy Prophet. They will also be punished at the proper time because Godis a just God and if the Holy Prophet's enemies, in spite of their transgressions and tyrannies,are not punished, then He would rightly be regarded as being partial and unjust.

1617

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

B-;; EB~-LC-.~ ~~;:.~.. ...

1. GIn the name of Allah, theGracious, the MercifuJ. 2237

2. TII Hll.2238 0~

0~",

I~". I '-:'t\4L1~-;y ~Y" ~ ;,

a See 1 : 1.

2237. Commentary:

See I : I.

2238. Important Words:

.\1 (TahB:) is a combination of Tit and M.

In the dialect of 'Akk, an Arab tribe, it means~~,..l~ i.e. 0 my beloved or J:- ;l~ which means,

"0 great man", or "0 perfect man". The ex-pression .\1 was so much in vogue among the

'Akk tribe, that one of them would not answerif he were called by the words J:- ) l~ but would

only answer if he were addressed as .\1 (Ta:ha).

The author of Kashshaf interprets it as 11t. l~

i.e. "0 you". By some the expression is inter-preted as, "be thou at rest" (Qadir). This lastinterpretation seems to b;: quite in harmony withthe significance of the next verse, which containsa message of comfort, solace and good cheer forthe Holy Prophet (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The combined letters .u, point to the fact that'the Holy Prophet was gifted, in full measure,with all those natural faculties, qualities andattributes which contribute to the building up ofa man's fun moral stature. The Holy Prophetwas indeed a complete and perfect man in thefullest sense of the word. He possessed in

full measure moral qualities such as boldnessand bravery; generosity, beneficence, fidelity,forbearance and fortitude; pity and compassion;self-abnegation, honesty, brotherliness, humi-

lity,jealousy, gratitude, hospitality, magnanimity,

firmness and steadfastness; dignity and deco-

ruw; love and sympathy for relatives and man-kind at large; high resolve, patience and powerto resist evil; an infinite capacity for hard work;simplicity and truthfulness; love for the poor andthe down-trodden, respect for the old and kind-ness towards the young; an unbounded love forhis Creator and complete devotion to Him andtrust in Him, etc. A reference to the posses-sion by the Holy Prophet of all the highestmoral excellences that a human being is capable

of possessing is also to be found in vv. 33: 22& 68: 5.

Moreover, it is of interest to note that whereasthe angel who brought the tidings of the birthof a son to Mary has been called .J~ (man)in the Qur'ltn (19: 18), implying that Jesus wasat best possessed of qualities which a.J~(man) could possess, the use in the presentverse of the expression .\1 (0 perfect man) forthe Holy Prophet indicates that he possessedin the fullest measure all the moral excellencesthat a human being is capable of possessing.

1618

PT. 16 TAHA

3. We have not sent down thequr'hn to thee that thou shouldst bedIstressed 2239,

4. But as an Gexhortationhim who fears God.2240

for

5. And a revelat'on from HimWho created the earth and the highheavens.2241

CH. 20

,...,~ J~v ,,

\I

~"!.' \~ f"~/:t"'-'0 "C)

$' \.:J' °t ~.. y

'JI I. ')" \II ~ tI("'" ""0~c.R. ;~JJ~I

'"1. ,

'I!t t ,,~\\/ ",:t ";''''?'' -;."@~ Q~ ~ uO..)''\tl -L~ . .. .. ,\1-..:;

... ,;J ~ ~ ..:.u...N.....

G 73 :20; 74 :55; 76 :30; 80: 12.

2239. Commentary:

As hinted above, the present verse contains amessage of comfort and hope for the Holy Pro-phet and Muslims. It means to suggest that itis incompatible with the perfect and unerringQuranic revelation that its bearer should fail in

his mission. The cause of the Holy Prophet,therefore, will triumph and his followers afterpassing through severe trials and tribulations will

achieve success, prosperity and glory. This Sura

was revealed at Mecca in the very early period ofthe Call when the Muslims were being mercilesslyharassed and harried and the persecution towhich they were subjected was very severe andorganized and seemed to know no end. Hence

the need for these comforting words.

The verse also refutes and rebuts the Christiandogma that the law or the Shari'at is a curse.

I t purports to say that the Law has been reveal-ed as a source of Divine mercy and blessing.There is nothing in it which is repugnant tohuman nature and which if acted upon shouldput man into trouble and distress.

2240. Commentary:

The word 6~j;; (exhortation) being derived

from )--~ and meaning eminence and honour(Lane), the verse purports to say that Muslims

will achieve honour and eminence by followingthe teachings of the Qur'ltn and that their enemieswill come to grief by rejecting it. The expression

\.S.:::.~(who fears) implies that for achievementof the great and noble object of the establish-ment of Divine Unity on earth, which theMuslims have in view, the perfect teaching ofthe Qur'lin alone is not sufficient unless it is ac-companied by the purification of their hearts.The verse further says that the Qur'lin not onlyguides to the right path those who grope in thedarkness of doubt and disbelief but also leadsthe believers to the highest pinnacles of spiritualeminence and glory.

2241. Commentary:

The verse gives the reason why revelation ofthe Qur"an will bring success to the Holy Pro-phet and his followers. It is that the Qur'&n hasbeen revealed by the Creator of heavens andearth i.e. the Source of all power, and that itsteachings possess all those qualities and charac-teristics that go to make a people strong andpowerful.

1619

CH.20

athe Gracious God WhoHimself firmly on the

6. He ishas settledThrone.2242

7. bTo Him belongs whatsoeveris in the heavens and whatsoever tS inthe earth, and whatsoever is betweenthem, and whatsoever js beneath themoist sub-soil.2243

8. 0And if thou speakest aloud,it makes no dijj'erence, for He knowsthe secret thought and what is yet morehidden.2244

TAHA PT. 16

G)~.i .~.\~;;i, ~ &~~jlt

ru\,,~~~.. "~\I L ~.. - ;~~j\j ~~\#-, ..' -'~.J.)J.. ~9 ....... ...,'"

0~~'~

t;\ !~,,,~..\,%~(iJ':\~ ''''~ : I'\::..Ie.-'~ ..'"

...~)o~ C),.J

.7 : 55; 10: 4. Ii 2 : 285 ; 3 : 130; 5 : 19. c 2 : 78 ; 6 : 4 ; 11 : 6 ; 67 : 14.

--~ ~

" -- - ---

-

2242. Important Words :For a detailed explanation of .f~ (Throne)

see 7: 55 and 10: 4. Briefly, the word re-

opresents the transcendent attributes of God,i.e. the attributes which are technical1y knownas ~.:..rj uti These attributes which are eter-nal and unchangeable and are God's exclusivepossession are manifested through God's otherattributes which are known as ~..J::; UIA.,..

i.e. such attributes as are found more or less inother beings also. The former attributes i.e.transcendent attributes, are said to constitute

God's Throne and the latter attributes i.e.:i.~~ ul.i., are the bearers of His Throne.

Commentary:The verse continues the theme of the pre-

vious and the succeeding verses-the theme ofthe Almightiness and Majesty of God.,

As this Chapter, like its predecessor, SUraMaryam, primarily contains a repudiation ofChristian dogmas and doctrines, the Divine

attribute 0-)1 ( the Gracious) has been re-

peatedly mentioned in both of them becausethis attribute demolishes the basic Christiandoctrine of Atonement. It further points to thefact that the revelation of the Qur'an, in fact

of all Divine Scriptures, is subject to this attri-bute. This subject has also been dealt within some detail in vv. 55 : 2-3.

2243. Important Words :

~.rJl (moist sub-soil) is derived from ..s}(thariya). They say J') ~\ ~)" i.e. the earth

or land became moist and soft after droughtor dryness. ..s) means moisture; humidity ofthe earth; moist earth. The Arabs say ..s~~ I..,.~

rri:'~1 i.e. the fresh, vigorous friendship betweenthem withered - they became enemies afterthey were friends. The word also means, goodor anything good. They say IS.J~1 ...,...~i ;yJ..;

i.e. such a one is a person from whom good iseasy of attainment. ..s.rJ \ .::.>-.,jmeans, what is

beneath the earth (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:The verse means to say that as the Qur'an has

been revealed by God Whose dominion andcontrol extend to all that is in the heavens andthe earth. so all the celestial and terrestrial forceswill be pressed into service to further the causeof Islam.2244. Commentary:

Whereas the word ..;_JI (secret thought)signifies the thoughts that lie hidden in a man's

1620

PT. 16 TAHA CH.20

9. He is AlJah. There isno Godbut He. aHIS are the most beautifulnames.2245

10. bAnd has the story of Moses

come to thee ?2246

6),~\f~~t~b~~4ii~~

--- I" '., "-:\~...r -=.

...

G<S""y~~~'~~

/I7 : 181 ; 59:25. b 19 : 52 ; 79 : 16.

breast which he alone knows, the word J.;' i

(more hidden) comprises all those ideals,

thoughts and ambitions of a person which lie

hidden in the womb of futurity and have never

crossed his mind.

2245. Commentary:

The verse contains the quintessence and kernelof the Quranic revelation referred to in v. 3,above. It is that God exists. He is One. Hepossesses all perfect attributes and is completely

free from all conceivable defects and imper-fections and therefore He alone is entitled toour worship and adoration.

2246. Commentary:

I.S""""(Moses), the Founder of Judaism, lived

about 1400 years before Jesus. He was a Law-giving Prophet and the founder of a great reli-gious system. As for the name Moses, it maybe briefly stated that .:..s-".. (Moses) is really

a Hebrew name having definite derivation inboth Hebrew and Arabic. In Hebrew it ispronounced and written as \.5';;)-4 (Moshe) andmeans, "a thing drawn out of water" or "saved

from water" (Enc. Bib.). See also 2 : 54.Against all accepted canons of history Freud

in his "Moses and Monotheism" has adumbrat-ed quite a novel theory that Moses was not anIsraelite and did not belong to the Hebrew stockand also that the Israelites never settled in Egypt.He has advanced the following arguments insupport of this strange and baseless claim :-

1. That Moses is an Egyptian name.2. That the idea of the Oneness of God is

originally Egyptian, having been first con-ceived and adopted by an ancient Egyptianking, named Ikhnaten (or Akhenaten).

Moses himself being an Egyptian borrow-ed it from the Egyptians and preachedit among the Israelites.

3. That, being an Egyptian, Moses popula-

rized the Egyptian custom of circumcisionas a religious rite among the Israelites.

4. That like the teaching of the Egyptianking, Akhenaten, there is no mention of

the life after death in the teachings ofMoses which also shows that he was also

an Egyptian.

5. That the Egyptians had a very strongdislike for swine and its flesh and that theIsraelites developed this dislike as a resultof the teaching of Moses.

6. That because Moses was an Egyptian hecould not properly express himself inHebrew.

I. All these arguments possess no basis

in fact. As stated above and also in 2 : 54,Moses is certainly a Hebrew word, havingderivation both in Hebrew and Arabic. Buteven if we admit that the name Moses was ofEgyptian origin, it does not follow that the manMoses also was an Egyptian. As the Israeliteswere a subject race in Egypt, living under the

1621

H.20 TAHA PT. 16

rule of the Pharaohs, it seems quite plausible thatthey should have adopted Egyptian names. The

members of a subject race generally feel a parti-cular delight in adopting the names and imitating

the customs, modes of living and dress etc., oftheir rulers. But the actual fact is that ..s-Jforl(Moses) is a Hebrew name and Pharaoh'sdaughter, who very probably gave him that name,must have certainly been influenced to give thechild a Hebrew name, as having taken him outof water she thought that he belonged to theIsrae]jte people. It is also possible that the

name might have been suggested by Moses'smother or sister.

2. The second argument that the idea of theOneness of God was originally Egyptian, havingbeen first conceived and adopted by Akhenaten,an ancient Egyptian king, and preached by himamong the Israelites, is equally wrong. In thefirst place it is manifestly unreasonable to sup-pose that a certain concept is the monopoly ofone people. Different peoples may indepen-dently form similar ideas without having bor-rowed them from one another. Secondly, evensupposing that the idea of God's Unity is ofEgyptian origin, the inference cannot be justified

that Moses was an Egyptian. If an American

~r a German can borrow an idea from an Eng-lIshman and vice versa why cannot an Israeliteborrow an idea from an Egyptian. The truthis that the idea of God's Oneness was neither

. conceived by Egyptians nor by Syrians or anvother people. It has its origin in Divine revel;.tion.

3. The contention that circumcision was an

~ld Egyptian pr~ctice and Moses being an Egyp-tIan. borrowed It from his people and populariz-ed Jt among the Israelites also possesses no

substance. Supposing that the practice of cir-cumcision was Egyptian, how does this fact showthat Moses was an Egyptian? Do not onepeople adopt the customs of another people?

Could not the Israelites, during their stay inEgypt, have borrowed this practice from theEgyptians, particularly in view of the fact that

the Israelites were a subject race and the subjectrace have a special liking for the ideas andpractices of their rulers. In any case it isnot a fact that the practice of circumcisionwas in vogue among the Egyptians alone.According to the Bible, in pursuance of God'scommand, Abraham had himself and histwo sons Ishmael and Isaac circumcised andhad made the observance of the rite of circum-cision incumbent upon his posterity long beforeMoses was born (Gen. 17 : 11). This practicewas also in vogue among the Arabs who neverhad good social relations with the Israelites andnever !1ad gone to Egypt. Even among the wildtribes of Africa and the aborigines of Australiacircumcision is not unknown (Jew. Enc.vol. 4, p.97 and "Tribes of Central Austra1ia" by Spen-cer and GilJen, p. 323). The earHest traces ofthis practice among Egyptians are to be found inthe ]6th century B.C. (Jew. Enc. vol. 4, p. 97),when the Israelites had already been living there.It can, therefore, be safely inferred that, if at all,the practice was borrowed by the Egyptiansfrom the Israelites and not by the Israelites fromthe Egyptians. The practice seems to havebeen introduced into Egypt by the ProphetJoseph who commanded great respect and pres-tige with Egyptian monarchs. Under his influ-ence it must have become popular among theupper strata of Egyptian society as researchscholars are of the view that this practice wasmuch more in vogue among the upper sectionsof the Egyptian people to which Joseph himselfbelonged than among the poor classes.

1622

u

-

PT. 16 TAHA--

. ~ ~-- ---------

CH. 20

4. Another argument that has been advancedin favour of Moses being an Egyptian is thatlike the teaching of Akhenaten no reference isto be found in the teachings of Moses about lifeafter death. That this argument is quite weakand flimsy is clear from the fact that Akhenatenhas left no book, no teaching and no communityof followers from whom his views about lifeafter death might be ascertained. Moreover,there are references to life after death in theteaching of Moses. The Bible says: "And diein the mount whither thou goest up, and begathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy bro-ther died in mount Hor, and was gathered untohis people" (Deut. 32 : 50) and "I shall besatisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness"(Psalms 17 : 15). The misconception may havearisen from the absence of any marked em-phasis on life after death in the Old Testa-ment. This lack of stress might have beendue to the fact that in the course of time theOld Testament had become subject to muchinterpolation and had been tampered with and

- many parts of it had been lost during themiseries and misfortunes that overtook theIsraelites in the period of their dispersion andcaptivity. When, however, the Jewish scholarsand savants re-edited the Bible, they left outfrom it those passages which did not quite suitthe Jewish temper and genius. The passagesdealing with the subject of life after death seemto have been among the parts left out as the Jews.be;ng a particularly worldly-minded people, didnot relish its repeated mention.

5. The fifth argument given in support ofthis thesis is that the Israelites, like the Egyptians,had an extreme dislike for pork. This argument,too, seems to stand on a flimsy ground. ThoughEgyptians did not like pork, pigs were kept andreared in Egypt and were even offered as sacrifice

at the altars of the Egyptian gods (Ene. Bib. cols.4825,4826). Thus the reason for the Egyptiansto refrain from slaughtering pigs seems to havebeen that they considered it a sacred animalunlike the Israelites to whom its eating was for-bidden on account of its being filthy and abo-minable.

6. The sixth argument given in favour ofMoses being an Egyptian is that he could notproperly speak Hebrew, the language of theIsraelites. This argument is based on Exod.4 : 10 where it is stated that Moses was noteloquent and was slow of speech and of a slowtongue. It is true that Moses suffered froman impediment in his speech and could notfreely express himself. But how could the factthat Moses was not fluent and was slow ofspeech prove that he was slow of speech in He-brew and therefore was not an Israelite. Onthe contrary, as it appears from the Bible andthe Qur'~n, when commanded by God to go toPharaoh to preach his mission to him, Mosesrequested to be excused on the plea of his inabi-lity to express himself adequately. This fact, ifanything, shows that Moses could not freelytalk in the tongue which Pharaoh spoke andunderstood i.e. the Egyptian tongue, and there-fore he was not an Egyptian.

In short, there is no reason or justification forsupposing that the name Moses is of EgyptiaRorigin or that the man Moses was not an Israe-lite. The linguistic evidence of Hebrew andArabic, combined with reason and the evidenceof Jewish history and tradition, added to theaccount of Moses as given in the Bible and theQur.~n, all go to substantiate and support thefact that Moses was not an Egyptian nor was hisname of Egyptian origin.

1623

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

11. &When he saw a fire, andhe said to his family, 'Tarry ye, I per-ceive a fire; perhaps I may bring you abrand therefrom or find guidance atthe fire'. 2246 A

r" , ,,,, , ;t' '" "r-:~

<o! 1 ,\~~~I rJ!r:. "~'!J\A;'~~ ';it

f "':,I \ 'k. L '"I '( "'~ Ci;;~ \ r;"(""'~v: \...:...J ~ ~ )1 ~ "

~...,~

G)~~/I 27 : 8 ; 28 : 30.

2246 A. Important Words:

.;:.~T (I perceived) is derived from U'"';I(anisa). They say ~ ~, i.e. he became fami-liar with him. ~_iT «(jnasa-h'U) means, heperceived it ; he saw him or it and looked at

, him or it ; he heard it, namely a sound ;he feltiit ; he was sensible of it ; he knew it ; he hadlcertain knowledge of it ; he was acquainted withi1t. ",\..:";.)I oA,.;....:.:-;1 means, I knew him to be,characterised by maturity of intelligence and

rectitude of actions and good management of

affairs (Lane & Aqrab).

IJ";i ( brand). They say ilj ~;,.. IJ"-:i i. e.

he took fire from him. Jl:.J\ IJ"':; means, he

- lighted or kindled the fire. IJ"-:i means fire, orlive coal; a brand or a firebrand; a piece of firewhich one takes upon the end of a stick (Lane& Aqrab).

Commentary:

Opinions differ as to what it was that Mosesactually saw. In fact it was a vision that he had

seen. The language of metaphor which has. been used in this account of Moses also lends

support to the view that he had only seen a

vision and that he himself was conscious of thefact that he had seen no fire of wood or coal.If he had actually seen a material fire of wood,Moses would have used the words HI perceive

the fire" and not the words "I perceive a fire",as he did.

Visions, however, are of two kinds: (a) those

that concern only an individual. In such visionsthe Divine manifestation which is called; *~ ').J (manifestation shown to God's belovedother than the Prophets) in the spiritual termi-nology remains confined to the concerned in-

dividual. (b) Visions in which .:..r.i ; y~ (mani-

festation shown to the Prophets) is shown, the

Divine manifestation extends also to the Pro-

phet's people.

By the words, "perhaps I may bring you a

brand therefrom or find guidance at the fire",Moses meant to say that jfjt were.:.~ ;yl~ thathe had seen, then he would be given a newShari'at for his people but if it were only';;"~').J ;.J~ he would receive some guidance forhis own spiritual advancement.

It may be of interest to note that fire is of threekinds; (a) that which has light and also burns;( b ) that which has no light but it burns and (c)

that which has light but does not burn. The firewhich Moses had seen seemed to belong to thelast category.

The word "tarry"' implies that Moses wantedprivacy for communion with God. therefore

he asked his family to remain behind.

According to the Qur'an the incident towhich reference has been made in this versetook place after Moses had complefed his tenyears of service with Shu'aib in Midian and was

1624

PT. 16 TAHA CH. 20

12. aAnd when he came to it,he was called hya voice, '0 Moses,

13. 'Verify, 1 am thy Lord. Sotake off thy shoes; bfor thou art in thesacred valley of Tuwa ;2247

14. ("And I have chosen thee; sohearken to what is revealed to thee;

15. a'Verily, I am Allah; thereis no God beside Me. So serve Me,and observe Prayer for My remem-brance 2248,

j, - 9 ,.-1'91", ,

f !.'" r::,-:GV~~.l>:?~ ~t ~

u:Jk), ~~\~~tG @.~ ~.. ~ J t,,!>,..,""

.. .u,,-/.

t.::I ,~I!\!!'Jf$~

-"r",. '.. r-:~\!'''' r-::"

r;;;..I ~ ..' \i ~. ". \ \oj''"\!t'J~Y..

'"~ '.P -'~

,,~}1; ~44~ ~1 ~} d.fl SJ~, ~"' t';'.: I

.",,,/11'~""

-<--: "" '"@~y~ ~~,", ", ..

. ~

--",' ~' ~'--~-'~--"'-~-~ ~------_..

-

_.

""-" '-'-"'--_.,~---

a 27 : 9 ; 28 : 31 ; 79 : 17. b 20 : 81; 28 : 31 ; 79 : 17. c 20 : 42. d 27 : 10 ; 28 : 31.-.-

actually on his way to Egypt with his wife andnot as the Bible says that it occurred before heleft for Egypt and was staying with Shu'aib andthat when one day he led the flock of Jethro,his father-in-law, to the back side of the desertand carne to the mountain of God, even toHoreb, "the angel of the Lord appeared unto him

in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush"(Exod. 3: 1-3). Consideration of all the relevant

facts of geography contradicts this Biblical ac-count as the Lord appeared to Moses on mountHoreb which is in the desert of Sinai hundreds

of miles away from Midian; and Moses afterhaving had this experience could not possiblyhave gone back to Jethro, with the flock toapprise him of it the same evening as theBiblical account implies. Thus the Quranic ac-count, is more in accordance with reason andfacts of geography than the Biblical account.According to it the incident occurred afterMoses had left Midian for good.

2247. Commentary:

As stated above it was a vision that Moses hadseen and "shoes", in the language of visionssignifies worldly relations such as wife, children,

friends etc. ...S:,:-W(thy two shoes) signifies,thy relations with thy family and those withthy people and community. Thus the versepurports to say that at the time of closecommunion with God Moses was comman-ded to banish from his mind all thoughts of wifeand children and of other worldly connections.Taken literally the verse would mean that asMoses was in a sacred place he was bidden totake off his shoes.

The word Tuwa meaning twice blessed (Lane),the significance of the verse may be that Mosesin that state of communion with God stood in avalley doubly blessed, one end of which, as itwere, reached to God and the other end tomankind.

2248. Commentary:

The verse contains the first commandmentthat was given to Moses. It appears that theobservance of Prayer is the most importantcommandment in religion.

The words for My remembrance may mean:

(a) for My remembering you i.e. as I haveremembered you, therefore, you should

1625

CR.20 TARA PT.16

16. G'Surely, the Hour is comingand I am going to manifest it, thatevery soul may be recompensedaccording to its endeavour ;2249

17. 'So let not him who believesnot therein and follows his own evilinclinations, turn thee away there-from, lest thou perish;225O

18. 'And what is that III thyright hand, 0 Moses?'

J ~~;.~ 1,9 rn.!'- , .~" fJ I" ",

'~U'~~~).)~,~, -a;(:J\61

@~~"''''/ ~ ' .,,"" ,~ \ "" ,. ~" ~"':t~" J" ";L.'- -' . ~y. Q ~

. ~~,,\~~ .. ..~

,,"" ,@<S~j; ct,~

1'9' "'J"'" ~' r"'",@($""~ ~ ", d .$ .. \..0...'"

"-,,-;, ", ."

. 15 : 86; 40 : 60.

also remember Me by way of thanks-giving;

(b) your Prayer should be for the sake ofremembering Me;

(c) you should set up the institution ofPrayer so that My remembrance maybecome established in the world.

2249. Important Words:

l&~k;.f(1 am going to manifest it) is derivedfrom uA.:.which has two contrary significations:J~J I ~ (khafiya) means, the thing was orbecame hidden, concealed or covered. ~~I~( khafa) means, he made the thing apparent,manifest, plain or evident. They say )4J1 uk;.).iJI i.e. the rain made the rats come forth fromthe holes. ~ I ~ f means, he removed.U;.(covering) of the thing. The Quranic expressionlr:A.:.f .)t)f means, I am almost making it to

. appear; I am almost removing that which coversit i.e. 1 am going to manifest it (Lane & Aqrab).The expression may also mean, I am going to1cep it concealed.

\.~ l-! 1 (the Hour) may mean the Day of

Resurrection; or the time of triumph of thecause of Moses and that of the discomfitureand destruction of his enemies.

Commentary:

Moses is here told that when he preached hisDivine Mission, he will be opposed and perse-cuted but no opposition or persecution will beallowed to impede or arrest the progress of hiscause, and that the signs foretelling the death anddestruction of those who stood in his way willbecome increasingly manifest.

The verse may also mean that the time of thedestruction of the enemies of Moses will remainhidden so that when the Divine punishmentovertook them all of a sudden, they will be-come completely non-plussed and will not knowwhat to do.

2250. Important Words:

The pronoun l.1. in \~ (therefrom) and lr.(therein) may refer to (a) "the hour" and(b) the Prayer and worship of God; or in ~j:

it may refer to Prayer and worship of God,and in tH to "the hour".

1626

PT. 16 TARA CH.20

19. He replied, 'This.is my rod,I lean on it, and beat down there-

with leaves for my sheep, and I have

also other uses for it'.2251

20. He said, a'Cast it down, 0Moses' .2251A

21. So he cast it down, andbehold! it was a serpent running.2252

4r:.~\' ~ \;~;'Hcs~i£J(;I

@~I ~i G ~~:; ~" :)':'~ Il:.y>,~ .." ' ~ t..r

@dL~, ~~iI jl;

"r,

""f -:'

,....

@ ~ '4;;" ~ \~\i ~~....

--~----

a 7 : I 18 ; 26 : 33 ; 27 : 11 ; 28 : 32.

- ---~-----

2251. Important Words:

1...::..t.(rod). J~ )11., t. means, he beat the man

with a rod. i,,:aJI I""".t. means, he broughttogether the people, or he made them agree on

some mattets of common concern. I., t. means,a rod strong enough to support the weight of a

man; commu nal and family life; a community;the shin-bone. I""""JIJ~ means, he separatedhimself from the community. ~41 J\ I""".t.I~jj~

means, they caused a split in the ranks of theMuslim comm unity (Aqrab & Lane).

..,..,}... (uses) is the plural of :i.:).. which is

derived from..,..,) (ariba). They say.u~';;'lli ..,..,;i

i.e. he became devoted to the thing. ..~I..,..,)Ai -,I means, he wanted it and sought it. :i.:)f

means, want; intellect. 41)'1\ JJI y:.i- means,idiots; persons deficient in intellect; personssuch as have no need of women. ..,..,}... means,wants, uses, needs, requirements, purposes(Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

God had only asked Moses what was in hishand. Moses did not confine himself togiving a direct reply, viz., that it was onlya rod that he had held in his hand but also wenton to enume rate some of its uses. . It maybe that taking advantage of his communionwith the Divine Being Moses desired to prolongthe blessed talk.

As stated above it was a vision that Moseshad seen and "rod" in the language of visionssignifies a Prophet's own community or people

and "sheep" signifies those who do not actuallybelong to his community but only are underhis care and protection. Moses's reply meant

that he not only invited and welcomed the help

of his own people and relied upon their supportin the furtherance of his own cause but alsolooked after the interests of other people whowere under his protection but did not actuallybelong to his community.

2251 A. Commentary:

The verse means to say that if Moses cast hispeople away i.e. if he gave up looking after their

spiritual welfare, the dreadful consequences thatare mentioned in the next verse would inevitablyfollow.2252. Commentary:

4:=-- (serpent). The Qur'an has used three

different words for describing the turning of the

rod of Moses into a serpent, viz, 4~ as in theverse under comment ; ~I":,, as in 27: ] I and28 : 32; and ~l~ as in 7 : 108 and 26 : 33. Theword ~ is of general application and is

used for all cat~ries of serpents; ~t:- means asmall serpent; and ~t~~ generally means a bulkyand long serpent. These words apparently

seem to have been used haphazardly at

]627

CH. 20 TAHA PT. 16

22. God said, 'Catch hold ofit, and fear not. We shall restore itto its former condition ;2253

23. 'aAnd draw thy hand closerunder thy arm-pit, it shall come forthwhite, without any disease-anotherSign ;2254

-------------~~

-

a 7 : 109 ; 27 : 13 ; 28 : 33.~---, --~--~

various places in the Qur'an, but in reality thereis no haphazardness, or arbitrariness since theword 0~ has been used from the point of viewof the serpent's quick movements and 0~.ufrom the point of view of its large size. More-over, when the mere fact of the turning ofthe rod into a serpent is mentioned the word

4:"" is used, but when the rod turns into aserpent in the presence of Moses alone theword 0~ (a small serpent) is used. When,however, the miracle of the rod turning into aserpent is shown in public before Pharaoh, themagicians and the people, the word 0~ (alarge and bulky serpent) is used. The signifi-cance of these different words on differentoccasions would be different. The word ~""(root-wordlS~) signifies that a dead people (l..,a.~)as, to all intents and purposes, the Israeliteswere, would receive a new and vigorous lifethrough Moses and the word 0~ (a smaU, fastmoving serpent) signifies that from a sman anddecadent community, they would make rapidprogress and would become 0~ (a large and'bulky serpent) for Pharaoh and his poeple i.e.they would become the means and instrument oftheir destruction.

The verse purports to say, and the history ofthe Israelites bears testimony to the fact, thatwhenever Moses happened to become separatedfrom his people they became, as it were, serpentsi.e. they relapsed into idol-worship and otherabominable practices.

(;i' ~ ~&:..!~~ ~..c.Ji J r"-".,..., .;J J

'"

It",

@~-' ~t-,:~ ~: ' H~ ~I r-::''''JI -::I.'I~ ",

'"...::.r-~ ~ 7~~~~""'"

,,'-- ~ 1fIl'." ..~ .-'

~ ~-

)I1 ,9~" I ..,-, ,,,

€J ~..p-\ ~ , *-.Y'"'fi,.. "...

For an exhaustive explanation of the miracleof the rod turning into a serpent and its spiritualsignificance see 7: 108. Suffice it to say here thatit was a vision which Moses had seen and inwhich Pharaoh, his courtiers and the magicianswere also made to share. The rod did not act-ually turn into a serpent but was merely madeto appear like one. It, therefore, contradictedor contravened no law of nature.2253. Commentary:

Moses is here comforted that his peoplewould not remain permanently wedded to idola-try and other evil practices but the instant theycame under his fostering care, they would againbecome his good and God-fearing companions.

See also 7 : 108.2254. Important Words:

...) ~ (thy hand). J.~ is derived from l5~(yada). J~ ) I l5..1~means, he hit or hurt the

hand of the man; he did a good to him.

0"'JJ .:,.. 0"'j..;\S~ (yadiya) means, such a onereceived a favour or bounty from such a one.

~ means, hand or arm; and figuratively means,favour, benefit, bounty or beneficence; power,dominion, control, authority or assistance;help, protection; troop, host, army; shame,disgrace; duration, length; community, party;etc. ~..\~ J kA- means, he felt ashamed;he was smitten with remorse; o.1::!u;~f means,

he obeyed and submitted; \S..\~ J I~ means,

this is under my posesssion or authority.)lkJI ~ means, the wing of the bird; 0l..}1 ~

1628

PT. 16 TAHA CH.20

~

24. ~That We may show thee someof Our greater Signs. 2255

25. 'Go thou to Pharaoh; he hasindeed exceeded all bounds. '2256

26. Moses said, 'My Lord. openout for me my breast,2257

-c, ~ r"'..1 ' ~I"'?YI'~' '~1: ~fl@ . "'.. ~ ..~'"

t ~t!(,

"""".,. J I

,,, ~,I

@~ 4..:jll.:)~~'" ~.)'" &r

I'')J"

"",",,,,,,1.

""',,e($d~ l!~19.J J~

means, the length or duration of the time.:i..d...~1

L~I..k~ means, the help or protection

of God is with the community (Aqrab).

Cl.:.~(arm-pit) means, wing; hand; upper armor arm from the shoulder to the elbow, edge;side; wing of an army; protection; a part orposition of a thing; a community or people(Lane & Aqrab). See also ]7 : 25.

Commentary:One of the meanings of ..k~(hand) as stated

above under "Important Words" is, a commu-nity or people. According to this meaningthe expression ~(","l~~ JI ...f"..k~~ I-, containsan injunction for Moses that he should alwayskeep his people close to him and under hisfostering care. If he did so they would be-

come highly righteous men, radiating spirituallight and would be free from all evil.

.l.,.2.d J.~ (white hand) may also signify clear

and strong arguments. Moses was endowedwith strong and solid arguments to prove hiscase. See also 7 : 109 & 26 : 33-34.2255. Commentary:

The Sign of the rod was one of the greatestheavenly Signs given to Moses. When Moseswas entrusted with prophethood, the Sign of therod 'appeared (20 : 20). When he went to preachhis Message to Pharaoh, it was again the miracleof the rod that was shown to him and the sorce-rers (20: 70-74). When the Israelites wantedwater, Moses was ordered to strike the rockwith his rod (2 : 61), and when he had to crossthe sea, God commanded him to strike it withhis rod (26 : 64).

The verse may signify that after the Signs of'"the "rod" and the "white hand:' God promisepto show to Moses yet greater Signs. One ofthese latter Signs was that Pharaoh and his mightyhosts were drowned in the sea before the veryeyes of the Israelites. According to the Qur'analtogether 9 Signs were shown for Moses (7:131-134) whereas the Bib]e gives their number as 13.

For a detailed discussion about the disparity inthe account of the Bib]e and that of the Qur'ansee 7 : 134 & 17 : 102. Suffice it to say herethat the Signs were really 9 in number; theBible has only unnecessarily enlarged theirnumber.

2256. Commentary:

Moses now receives his commission to go to

Pharaoh as a Messenger of God. The words, hehas indeed exceeded all bounds, show that by his

misdeeds Pharaoh had already incurred God's

wrath and had made himself deserving of Divinepunishment. But, God, out of His mercy, sentMoses to him in order to warn him of the im-pending punishment if he did not give up his evilways and to give him a last opportunity torepent and reform.

2257. Commentary:

The present and the following few verses showthat at first Moses did not feel himself equal tothe great task which was entrusted to him. Theyalso shed some light on the necessary qua]ifica-tions that a preacher should possess in order to

succeed in his mission. The following are some

of them:

1629

CH. 20

27. 'And make my task easy for me;

28. a' And loose the knot of mytongue ;2258

29. 'That they may understand myspeech;

30. 'And grant me a helper frommy family-2259

31. It'Aaron, my brother;

TAHA PT. 16

)), ,"'?"\ ' ""@\S~\ ~~.-'

))"W' ,..~",~ if,@ 4 ""~ ~'~ u;.::.,-,U'>,'t'''' ,9"'"

@~~~~, \ :.:, ,..

I~"", '\ i'" \"@fJ7' ~ ~}~~~-'

~'''''''''9'@~\ i.:J-,~

a 26: 14.

{a) He must be inspired with zeal and enthu-

siasm for his mission and must possess strongarguments to support his cause (v : 26) ; (b) histeachings must be easy of comprehension (v : 27);(c) he should be a good speaker (v : 28); (d) he

should always be on the look out for favourableopportunities for his discourse to be listenedto with attention and respect (v : 29); and (e) ifpossible he may have a good companion to share

his responsibility and burden (v : 30).

2258. Commentary:Moses seems to have suffered from an impedi-

ment in his tongue. He does not appear to bean eloquent speaker. But it is not eloquencealone that makes a man a successful preacher.

More than that it is conviction in the truth of

one's mission and one's zeal for that mission andreadiness to suffer for it, that greatly make up forthe deficiency of fluency. Moses possessed thesethings in full measure. This is why, in spite of the

weakness of which he himself was conscious, hemade a very effective and convincing speechbefore Pharaoh and his court.

2259. Important Words:

.r.jJ (helper) is derived from )jJ (wazara).

..;~, )j-, means, he bore the thing. ~)I )jJmeans, the man carried a weight which

burdened his back. J~ JJ! )jJ means, he over-came or overwhelmed the man. )jJ alsomeans, he sinned. J:jJ means, helper; one

who helps a person in carrying his burden ;a minister who helps the king by his counselin conducting the affairs of the State (Aqrab).

Commentary :

What a contrast between Moses and the HolyProphet Mul)ammad! Whereas Moses here asks

for a helper for the discharge of a lighter res-ponsibility, the Holy Prophet who was entrustedwith an infinitely heavier and more oneroustask never prayed to be given an assistant.He, alone, unhelped and unassisted, dischargedfully and completely the responsibility of raising

a people, sunk deep into the depths of moralturpitude, to the highest pinnacles of spiritualglory. Even in moments of mortal danger he

was never discouraged or dismayed. The bravewords which he uttered on the battle-field ofHunain when he was left alone surrounded byblood-thirsty enemies and sure death stared himin the face, viz., ...,...1k..J\~&. 0!1 UI yJ.)':J I.S~~JI

l;\

"I am the Prophet of God, there is no untruthabout it, I am the son of .Abd al- MuHalib,"(BukharY, kitab a/-Jihad wa'/ Siyar) haveresounded through the centuries.

1630

PT. 16 TAUA CU. 20

32. 'Increase my strength withhim .2260,

33. MAnd make him share mytask;

34. 'That we may glorify Theemuch;

35. 'And remember Thee much;

36. 'Thou possessest fulJ know-ledge of us'.

37. °God said, "Granted is thyprayer, 0 Moses,226J

38. "And We did indeed confera favour upon thee at another timealso;

39. "When eWe revealed to thymother what was an important revela-tion, saying,2262

-~-' ~ ----

a 28 : 35 b 26 : 16 c 28 : 8-9.~ ~~~----_._-

2260. Important Words:

\5 );i (my strength); )ji (azrun) is derivedfrom );1 (azara). They say O)ji i.e., itsurrounded or encompassed it. o);i and 0);1(azzara) means, he strengthened him or it. O)ji(ozara) means, he aided, assisted or help-

ed him and strengthened him. ~! t))1 )jTw..It! means, the seed-produce became tangledor luxuriant, one part reaching to another, andone part strengthening another. )ji and );;

,(az~ara) and );T (ozara) are also usedsynonymously. ) j 1 (azrun) means, strength;weakness; back; aid, assistance or help. They

:say oJ;; .)..s...:;i. e. he strengthened his back..~)jj "-! .)..s...:;1means, (a) strengthen Thou by

bim my back; (b) strengthen Thou by him

)I ,';::1 ",@ <S;)t "I't.)~1

d/~~;

I';'. ~~t"

\U7~.ro q e.J~t~

@~~tJ"

~:f;'.'.:.("~'.'" ':'t"'~~,,;\!!I.!$ ~J"'~ J

c::..,~' '" r c.3' ~"''''''\!.y~ \:,., ... ~ lilt

"""",., "CA ,", .":.I()' ~-,t ~; "ir(6~~~~.".rUSu\i

~ -~, t t~;.

"""'~"" "''''~/"'. , .c" ~' :"''''' .~~,'"~"'*'J> It~ .. .~.J

~ ,~'~ ~t J"~~~""~'6\T~ , -~,~,.--

.~ ~--

my weakness, and (c) through him add Thou

to my strength (Lane & Aqrab).

2261. Important Words:

JJ- (prayer) is derived from JL which

means, he asked for; he begged, he prayed

or petitioned. JJ... means, a thing asked for;a prayer; a petition (Aqrab & Lane).

2262. Important Words:

In u'" ~ L. (an important revelation), l..

being :i.U.1 turns the verb foHowing it into aninfinitive and imparts to it an intensiveness ofmeaning. Thus the expression r..~ ~ toOmeans.

an important revelation or what it wasnecessary to be revealed at that time.

1631

CH. 20 TAHA PT. 16

40. "'Put him in the ark, and placeit into the river, then the river willcast it on to the b:mk, and <tonewhois an enemy to me and also an enemy tohim wilJ take him up.' And I wrappedthee with love from Me; and this Jdid that thou mightest be reared be-fore My eye.2263

41. ,'bWhen thy sister walked alongand said, 'ShaH I guide you to onewho wi11 take charge of him?' SocWe restored thee to thy mother thather eye might be cooled a!ld s~emight not grieve. And dthou dldst killa man but We delivered thee from,sorrow. Then We tried thee withvarious trials. And thou didst carryseveral years among the people ofMidian. Then thou earnest up to thestandard, 0 Moses.2264

II 28: 9. Ii 28: 12-13. c28: 14. d 26: 15; 28: 16,34.

j..'t9i~" . 'r~ ' r'.. , ., ,.~~'()~~~Q' ~'J~~'c>

'~ ",.. p;. ,"..#11 ~ , ~II' III"""

,

" j, (,it,,,,.?i~,,. ,! ~k \ (:J~ ~'-it-' ~ -,.x. -' 4.J~ zs~ ..~ ;,~

.,. ,.'" I,~2~'- ~ , f.. ~~-".-~ ~,e~~ Jc)~~ .. ..

~~ ~~ ,,,It:: /(': ,.- . i~J" ,t"t: .~I~~, ,.. ,-:. ?

t~~UW~,)'Uo'D ~~,~.);,,';;"1...,.

","~ """~ .~I.. 9

J'i' , @~;~~~}-:;A/.,...\., . ...;j ~I .$. ~~~~ ~-' .. v- ..." .-::;.

..

,..\~.a;r~~~.~\k~ ~~ , I~.JJ ~,!',~~ (~.!'f~~~\j.r~"" \WF"~"

...

l(i\ I."l ..c:,(,,~ ~{.".-,,'" I ~',

;;; ~~~~~, ; OJ ~~w~ ~ ",

2263. Important Words:For c>y.l::JI see 2 : 249.

l.i~ (My eye). r.J~ means, (J) the eye; (2)look or view; (3) the people or inmates of a houseor dwelling; (4) brothers from the same fatherand mother; (5) protection or honour (Lane).The expression u~~ J;:. means, before my eyes,

or, under my protection. See also] I : 38.

t:.-j (be reared) is derived fromC""'. They

say.u::~j I t"'"

i.e. he made the thing. L1"'';jIt"'"means, he looked after the horse. -::! I

C"'"means, he properly brought up his daughter.

'C-;..p(~un'un) means, to do a thing properly and

well..u::..:.JId~""" means, he ordered the thing to

be prepared for him. AAJ~"",Imeal'S, he taughthim and trained and brought him up. C-:h.,..1:i ::;"",oJ.:.&.means, he did him a favour. <1.",.:1..,1

"'-A~j means, he chose him for himself. t l.:k.,.,1

means, to mend or reform a thing thoroughly

and well (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

As Moses was to have been entrusted withthe great and difficult task of delivering a peopleheld in bondage for long by a cruel and power-ful monarch, it was necessary that he shouldhave received the requisite training for thegreat mission under royal tutors and teachers.

So it was in fulfilment of this Divine plan thathe found his way into Pharaoh's own house.

The reference in the verse is to the Biblicalnarrative. See Exod. 2 : 1-10.

The expression "-Al::H is in the imperativemood and signifies command, meaning, Wecommanded that the river should cast it on tothe bank.

2264. Important Words:

)J,; (standard) is inf. noun from )J.i

( qadara). .~\ c»J.i means, I measured ~he

thing; computed or determined its quantIty,

1632

PT. 16 TAHA CH.20

42. "AndMyself.226:>

(II have chosen thee for -r: , ~\ '" ",,,,

@~~t':;a20: 14.

measure, size, value, worth, bulk, proportion.extent, amount, limit or number. ).).9(qadrun)

or )..Ii (qadarun) is the quantity, quantum.measure, magnitude, size, bulk, proportion andextent, of a thing. They say )..1; LF ,l:- i.e.,

it came according to measure or as it may besaid, he came up to th~ standard (Aqrab,M ufradiH & Lane). See also 15 : 61.

Commentary:In what a wonderful way God fulfilled the

promise He had made to Moses's mother (whenHe commanded her to cast him into the river)that he would be restored to her (28 : 8)! Godso managed the whole affair that the babywas soon again in the loving arms of his mother.It is in this way that God demonstrates not onlyHis existence, but also His knowledge and showsHis supreme control over all things and it isevents like these that inspire" living faith in theheans of God's loving and sincere votaries.And it was that living faith which made Moses'smother cast her baby inlo the river which wasampiy rewarded by Moses being restored 10 hervery soon.

The words I;.>:~ --5"l;:i (We tried thee withvarious trials) mean that Moses was made to passthrough the crucible of trials and tribulations sothat his mettle might be tested, and afterpassing out of these ordeals with flying colours

he might be declared fit to be endowed with

God's great gifts and favours.

Midian or Madyan is the name of a town onthe east side of the Gulf of 'Akaba. The name isconnected with that of the tribe of Midianites.In the 6th century Ya'qubl speaks of its position

in a district rich in springs, gardens and date-groves. Istakhri describes from his own obser-vation the spring in the town from which Moseswatered the flocks of Shu'aib. It was thencovered by a house which had been built over it.The town had then shown signs of gradual decayand decline. In the 12th century Idnsl says, "Itis an unimportant little trading centre withscanty resources." In the 14th century Abu'l-Fida saw that it was in ruins. In recent timesit has been visited by Ruppel!. Burton and Musil.The extensive ruins which the A rabs call Maghair

Shu'aib after the cave-tombs lie about 16 mileseast of the port of Makna. in the southern partof the valley of AI-Bad' which is rich in streamsand palms and other trees. According to Bur-ton the whole district between 29° 28' and 27°40' is called Ar<.JMadyan (Enc. of Islam under"Madyan").

The towil lay on the trade-route from Medinato Syria and caravans going to Syria or Egyptpassed through it.

The sojourn of Moses among the people ofMidian fulfilled yet another Divine plan. Ashe was destined to live with the Israelites in thedeserts and forests of the valley of Sinai~ he wasmade to become used to a hard life by livingfor several years in Midian.

2265. Important Words:,-~ :k"",1(J have chosen thee). For (.:.k.,.,1see

20: 40.

The verse signifies that God chose Moses forthe great and difficult task of delivering a broken

and crushed people from a heartless tyranny.

1633

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

43. G"Go, thou and thy brother,with My Signs, and slacken not inremembering Me.2266

44. b"Go, both of you, toPharaoh, for he has transgressed allbounds.

45. "But speak to him a gentle speech,haply he might heed or fear."2266A

46. They replied, c'Our Lord,we fear lest he commit some excessagainst us, or exceed all bounds intransgression'.2267

~<.SJj?~ ~~~ ,-'L :t'!j~ ~~\ ~~?,

\tV-" ~ ~ ..-" .J,*-:-~..9" -' ~ ~.),

~' "

.-' ~~ ~ t' ~\ ~ ''':.~ J'\~.,@)~ ~ <;JY:-;;. '" . .)...

r.;:... -~!; ~"',

:"'t'<N (~"~~ ?,,, ('"

~ ~ 0"0 ~-:.J :.:;v:;. ~ ... '\' ,'\' '".- .. .:J~ ~...:J~,

'-",',;

, r~ ,"t-" v'?" '-' 9.r~~r"",r;!... ' {;~ .J ~ b...d1 ~, u~ \:J '+::I,",\ ..

..~..""

."'...II,.;J

I -"e~II 28 : 36. b 79 : 18. C 26 : 13.

2266. Important Words:

l:~ ':J (slacken not) is derived from J-' whichmeans, he was or became languid, remiss, weak,feeble or faint. .y J-' means, he entered upona thing languidly or weakly ; ~ ':JI j J'."j,he flagged or was remiss in the affair; ~&. JJ,he passed from !t and left it (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The words) and slacken not in rememberingMe, show that prayer and constant remembranceof God are greatly helpful in attaining success.They constitute the spiritual means which one

must employ along with physical and materialmeans for the furtherance and success of one'scause. They are as essential as the physicalmeans.

. God's command to Moses and Aaron toadopt these means, although He had promisedthem His help, makes it abundantly clear thatthe promise of Divine help does not absolve oneof the obligation to use those means whichGod has created for the attainment of a certainobject. God wants us to use all legitimatemeans that lie in our power for the accom-

plishment of our object and leave the rest to.Him.2266 A. Important Words:

ALJ(that haply he might). J.J when express-

ing hope or fear is not used with regard to God.Hope or fear combined with expectationexpressed by J.J pertains sometimes to thespeaker and sometimes to the person spoken ofand sometimes to the addressee. In the verseunder comment it expresses hope on the part ofMoses and Aaron meaning that they shouldpreach the Divine Message to Pharaoh hoping.that he might accept it. When used about Godit signifies certainty. See also 2 : 22 & 11 : 13.

Commentary:

The verse teaches a two-fold lesson to religiousteachers and preachers. A religious teachermust use gentle language when preaching hisMessage. He should also show due respect tothose whom God has endowed with worldlyhonour or whom He has placed in the seat ofauthority.

2267. Important Words:J..fi (commit excess) is derived from J..j

which means, he preceded; went before; was or

1634

PT. 16 TAHA CH.20

47. God said, "Fear not; for I amwith you both. T hear and I see.2268

48. "So go ye both to him andsay, 'We are the Messengers of thyLord; so let the children of Israel gowith us; and afflict them not. Wehave, indeed, brought thee a great Signfrom thy Lord; and peace shall be onhim who follows the guidance;2269

49. 'It has, indeed, been revealedto us that punishment shall comeon him who rejects the Message ofGod and turns away'."

50. Pharaoh said, G'Who then is theLord of you two, 0 Moses?'

@,->Jf; ~~ ~lt~y j(:';

~~~~~~~~~9"~,~'!~ ~j~" ~ ~ ~ ;. ~ ..)~,... 1A' G'~:J.'>'~~/!.G""~'\~-"""

<X ~."t ~~ ~~ Y.J tIU:!~~!.

~.'\!h :::,

~ '~":.It

/ ~I.'&t.S~I~ ~~~~~..J

"',:1",,,,, 'l:. ""~ ...:l

I""""'V':I I ""~, ,,,, r::

~~ ~~~IJ..J CJ\~ ~-,\ ~~!I

"8J;;~

t':\ I "9' r"'tj '''''-: J'''' (i~(.$N~ ~ ',.~ .... .'.J~

G 26 : 24.

became first or foremost; had priority or prece-

dence. 4".b) means, he hastened to do himan evH action; he acted hastily and unjustlytowards him; he did to him what was hateful orevil; he annoyed him. J ~JI J ~ .b; means, he

exceeded the due bounds or just limits towardshim in speech. The expression .b.;A~0\ ';l~ l~;'l::1.. means, we fear that he may act hastily andunjustly towards us, or that he may hastily doto us an evil action or that he may hasten topunish us. 4...b;i means, he acted insolentlytowards him. ~)I L¥ .b;i means, he bur-dened the man with what he could not bear(Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

Moses and Aaron are represented here assaying that Pharaoh might do them some harmor that he might exceed proper bounds in histalk about God i.e. might use derogatorylanguage about God.

2268. Commentary:

The verse means: When in distress you willcall Me, I will hear your prayer and help youand when there will be a possibility of your beingovertaken unawares I will look after you andprotect you.

2269. Commentary:

"A great Sign" in this verse may be taken asreferring to the whole teaching or Message ofMoses because he had already shown two Signsto Pharaoh-the Sign of the rod and of thewhite hand, and not one. The word 1.S411i.e."guidance" also seems to support the abovesignificance of "a Sign." Thus 4:1 signifiesthe whole teaching of Moses and not a particularpart of it or one or two of his miracles. Or theword may refer to the promise of peace andsecurity which God had given to Moses and ofDivine punishment with which Pharaoh hadbeen threatened.

1635

CH. 20 rAHA PT. 16

5]. He said, 'Our Lord is HeaWho gave unto everything its properform and then guided it to its proper

.function. '2270

52. Pharaoh said, 'What thenwill be the fate of the former genera-tions ?'2271

53. He said, 'The knowledgethereof is with my Lord preserved ina Book. My Lord neither errs bnorforgets '2272

,-. .

54. CIt is He Who has madethe earth for you a cradle, and hascaused pathways for you to run throughit; and Who sends down rain from thesky and thereby We bring forth variouskinds of vegetation in p?jrs.227~

@<s~p.~~Y~J~,~;j(j

@J;g, <;>;~\ j~ L:iJ~

", :~""t .'" '" t; ~_t"" ,w;' "', r""1 J", r~

)~:!~~ ~qL!(/~~ ~7''''

.....

j;' ~'" -'

~~.~

~~j\0.4;~Sj\~~J~t,-' .1.- ~ ;';1,;,,,, ~, f;".r~~\j ~~~~;';:.I\~Jytj~/..~,

0. ~ -:. v~.., .. r~ \/?;1

\ A~~ 9~ ~ ~!J) 'ii.

.~ ~

a 87 : 3-4. II 19 : 65. C 43 : 11.

2270. Commentary:

The verse means to say that there exists aperfect order in the world and that God hasendowed everything with the qualities and attri-butes which are best suited to its particular re-quirements and needs and by making proper useof which it can attain to its fullest development.

Pharaoh seems to be a polytheistic philoso-pher. Moses has here drawn his attention tothe Oneness and Unity of God.

2271. Commentary:

Moses's reply to Pharaoh's query containedin the previous verse seemed to have entirelyconfounded him (Pharaoh), so he adroitlyturned away from the subject which he himselfhad started and put Moses a new question. Heasked Moses whether his God knew anythingabout the former generations who were deadand gone, meaning how they would fare when

they had not had the benefit of receiving guidance

from him (Moses). Thus in a subtle mannerPharaoh sought to incite his people againstMoses by making an oblique hint that he (Moses)regarded their forefathers as bereft of Heavenlyguidance and therefore deserving of Divinepunishment.2272. Commentary:

Moses gives a crushing reply to Pharaoh's

evasive tactics. He tells Pharaoh that he shouldnot bother about the former generations. HisGod knew all about them and every detail con-cerning them was well preserved in His know-ledge and on the Day of Resurrection He wouldrequite them all according to their deeds andactions, taking into consideration their particularconditions and circumstances.2273. Commentary:

The word r~ '-,jl (in pairs) points to a profoundscientific truth which has only recently been

1636

PT. 16 rAHA CH. 20

55. "Eat ye and pasture your cattle.Verily, in this are Signs for thoseendowed with reason.2274

3 56. bFrom this earth have Wecreated you, and into it shall We causeyou to return, and from it shall Webring you forth once more.2275

J1...

1''''-'''''I

' , ~~, ,J~,,)¥~)J~lr) 4~ ~~t'~JI~~f:. 17 r

@d~.:J1 ~

J.Sl ~~ ~ :('~:i ,"', /(\~.\~ (e:".~ )~~ .., ~--'~ "..'Jj~""'r::

e~;>1 ~.Y':;

/t1O : 25; 25 : 50; 32 : 28. b7 : 26; 71 : 18-19

discovered, viz., that there are pairs in the vegeta-ble world as there are pairs in the animal world.Long before this scientific truth was dis-

covered the Qur'an had stated it. It has furtherstated that all objects have been created in pairs(51 : 50). Science seems to be moving in the

direction pointed by the Qur'an. Its discoveriesin organic and inorganic matter have been in-creasingly supporting and substantiating thetruth enunciated by the Qur'an centuries ago.

The verse under comment continues the argu-ment begun in the previous verse, viz., that justas physical rain gives life to plants and vegeta-tion, similarly water of Divine revelation isindispensible for the spiritual life of man.

2274. Important Words:

\,,5~~)1(reason) is derived from \,,5r; (naha).They say I:'') ~ .Ir; i.e. he forbade him to dosuch a thing. \,,5r; ( nuha ) is the plural of :i.~~j(nuhyatun) which means, reason. It is so called

because reason restrains a man from doing whatis bad and from all that which is contrary toreason and common sense (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The truths narrated in the previous verseconstitute "Signs" or proofs pf the existence

of God. They also prove the need of Divinerevelation, because they show that if God hasmade so much provision for the physical needsof man, He must have made similar provisionfor his spiritual needs also.

2275. Commentary:

The words, into it shall We cause you to return,give rise to a natural question, viz., where does

human soul go after man dies and his body de-cays and is completely dissolved? The answer

to this question as given by the Qur'an is thathuman soul acquires a new body after itsdeparture from its physical habitat and also anabode according to the nature of the deeds whichman may have done during his life on earth.

Man's real sepulchre is the place to which Godconsigns his soul after death according to his

works in this life. It is not the pit in which hisdead body is placed. It is an abode of happinessor misery according to his spiritual condition.

The sentence, And from this earth shall We bringyou forth once more, points to the supreme truththat man's life does not end with the extinctionand dissolution of his physical body, as it ispregnant with too big an import to end with

the latter's decay and death. If life had no greatpurpose God would not have created it, and after

1637

CH. 20 TAHA PT. 16

57. And aWe did show him(Pharaoh) Our Signs, all of them; buthe rejected them and refused to be-lieve.2276

58. He said, b'Hast thou cometo us, 0 Moses, to drive us out of ourland by thy magic ?2277

59. /"But we shall assuredlybring thee magic the like thereof; somake an appointment between us andthyself which we shall not fail tokeep-neither we nor thou-at a placealike for us both'.2278

~ ,,~~ ~'

eJI; u~ f~.i~~\ t;~~ .~-::~". . . '-'e)) ",.. ..""" ~.."

--:'1 ~ r~ .,~ ~ ~ 'J r~~~,;

';r~~~~.J'~ .

~~IJ~' "";,I" -III" fill'

:"

~ ""~~~

,";.I~ t; J ~~ .i...'r~ ..I;.~..~, ~(~~'l~s.;~) -. ~\j~ .~....- ..' . \ ,;~ ~~" ..tI

r~r~ ,; ,;,~""',;,;"" ~~ 4- ,;

\,j~~\~~~ ',;" o\~~

t;';;\ ~j)

~~~

a 27 : 13-15 ; 43 : 48-49; 79 : 21-22. b 26: 36. c 7 : 112; 113; 26 : 37-40.

- '--.'.'- ----h~~ing cre~t~itH-e ~ould ~~thave made itsubject to death unless there had been an afterlife. So if death were the end of an life, thenthe creation of man would have been "a meresport and pastime" and this would haveconstituted a great reflection on the wisdom ofGod. The fact that God, the Source of allwisdom and inte11igence, has done an thisshows that He has not created man to returnto dust after a life of merely 60 or 70 years but,on the contrary. He has created him for abetter, fulter and everlasting life which he mustlive after he has shed the encumbrances of hisphysical tabernacle.

The verse also embodies a refutation of the. religious beliefs of Pharaoh's people who wor-

shipped the stars.2276. Commentary:

The word iJ.i besides the meaning given inthe text also means, he hated or disliked.According to this meaning the verse shows thatPharaoh not only rejected the Divine Signs butalso held them up to scorn and looked downupon them withcontempt and disdain.

---'-.-' --

2277. Commentary:

This verse seems to refer to an insidious deviceof Pharaoh. He told his people that Moses whowas a foreigner in Egypt was seeking to turn theruling dynasty out of Egypt by his clever mano-

euvres. He accused Moses of rebellion andrevolt against the constituted authority and ofaspiring to the leadership of the Egyptians. Thusapprehending in the rise of Moses a threat to hisown power and prestige he sought to incite hispeople against him and thus turn his personalenmity against him into national hatred.

In this verse Pharaoh leaves out Aaron andaddresses only Moses. He seems to have regard-ed Aaron as too insignificant to be consideredworthy of notice.

2278. Important Words:

~ ~- (equal) is derived from tS,,- (saviya).They saYJ~JI tS,,- i.e. the affair of the manbecame established. .I-,l- means, it was orbecame equal to it and like it in measure, extent,size, quantity or amount and in.. v~lue, etc.

~Y' (siwan) or ~>.. (suwan) means, equal; or

1638

PT. 16

60. Moses said, a'Your appoint-ment shall be the day of the festival,and let the people be assembled whenthe sun is risen high.'2279

61. Then Pharaoh withdrew andconcerted his plan and then came tothe place of appointment.2280

62. Moses said to them, 'Woeto vou forge not a lie against Allah,lest" H~ destroy you utterly by somepunishment and, surely, he who forgesa lie shall perish.'2281

63. Then they argued their affairamong themselves and conferred insecret. 2282

TAHA CR. 20

9 rGt \; 1.' ~ "",

;.:i-:~~\ I J ,"' ~9.J ,;

J" (;4,J4\:J ~ c> .J ~ ~ ~~ .... "',." ~.. ,,;-

-1-1

G~, , ( ~'1/ '@J';J~~f~~~AJJJ

~J:~I~~~ j;l1;.j~~~ J~@L~t~u~ ~~Lt~~~

-,' ~;''''''

~/l""~~t \'~""''''''

,79;'''' ?!'''''''''"';'j'''''r-:,-::,:.

~\W7~ ~->-'" ~~~y41 ty:.j~

- ~ n--.

~--

a 26 : 39.-

-. - -----._-

equal in respect of its two extremities; uniformor even; equi-distant or mi.,?way between twoparties or two places; I.S~- lit:;:'..also means, amarked place (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2 : 109and 19 : I I.

The verse shows that Pharaoh possessedsome sense of fairness. He seems to act withjustice and impartiality in regard to the contro-versy that was to take place between Mosesdnd the magicians.

2279. Commentary :It seems a curious analogy that whereas the

contest between Moses and the magicians inwhich they were fully and finally routed tookplace at the time of u~';" the Holy Prophet alsoentered Mecca as a conqueror at the time of u>...pwhich marked the final defeat of disbelief andido'latry in Arabia.

The day of festival seemed to be the holy dayof the people of Pharaoh when they wereexpected to assemble in large numbers and tobehave with unusual dignity and decorum.

2280. Commentary:The expression o..J.~)l..."'=:-besides the meaning

given in the text may also mean: He mustered

all his designs; he contrived all sorts of plans;he did all that he could do.

2281. Important Winds:~(:>..-:; (destroy you utterly) is derived from

~ which means, he earned unlawful money.~J -,I ~w means, he destroyed him or it;

exterminated him or it ; he corrupted it. ~-A_iJ means, he shaved his head so as to removethe hair utterly. .;:..~- AJl...means, his propertymay be taken and destroyed with impunity;.;:..~- A..~ means, his blood may be shed withimpunity (Lane & Aqrab). See also 5 : 43.

Commentary:The verse lays down an infallible criterion

to test the truth of a claimant to Divine revela-tion, viz., that a forger of lies against God,though he may appear to progress and prosper

for a while, ultimately perishes and comes to amiserable and ignoble end. This is a truthwrit large on the pages of all religious history.2282. Commentary:

This verse shows that the waming whichMoses held out to the magicians in the words,forge not a lie against Allah, had had its effect

1639

CH. 20 TAHA PT. 16

64. They said, 'Certainly Clthesetwo are magicians who desire to driveyou out from your land by their magicand to destroy your best traditions.2283

65. 'Concert, therefore, your plan;and then come forward arrayed in abody. And, surely, he who gainsascendancy this day shall prosper' .2184

~ ' G'...,-''"

, -' 'I,J, /,

::f.C)\~~;t..~~ gJA 6L t;j(i

,r~ :(.'.~~ \!:~~~ ~' '~",?...

e r~:?t... -'~~) ~

"~~

"9.

'"::. \ '{\ J.;" ~ \'!.; \~:., y~, i ,

\;~ -' ~ ~~~ .. ~

@~~\~;~tG 7 : 110-111 ; 26 : 35-36.

on them with the result that some ofthem seemedto have wavered and vacillated. The words,they argued their affair among themselves, indi-cate that disagreement arose between them whe-ther or not they should oppose Moses. Thereforein order to come to a final decision whetherthey should enter the lists against him or should

withdraw, they held a secret consultation.

2283. Important Words:

~5:::A~» (your traditions) is derived from ..:;):>.They say J~~I":;» i.e. he travelled or beattheroad. yl-:JI":;). means, he knocked at the door.--.A!,;1, means, a way, course, rule, habit, cus-

tom or tradition, manner or mode; path, road.

i ~ I :i.A~,;1,means, the best, the most excellent,

the eminent or noble person among the com-munity (Lane & Aqrab).

~J' ( best) is the feminine of J~ i which is

derived from J~ -. They say l;)\j 0-y..; J~.- i. e.he became like such a one. ~f ( amthalo ) orJ:;.. means, coming nearest to the model, i.e.

the best. .."jjJI Jbl means, the best and the\

noblest persons 1n the community. They sayJ~i i -,~JI~.rJl i.e. the patient today is in thebest of health (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat). Seealso 13 : 7.

Commentary:

The reference in the words, "they said," is to themembers of Pharaoh's party. It is they whospoke these words to incite the reluctant magi-cians to take the field against Moses. Theybrought two charges against Moses and Aaron.First, that Moses and Aaron sought to turn themout of their country by deceitful means; secondlythat they intended to destroy their religion andthe sacred traditions which they (people of Pha-raoh) had inherited from their forefathers.

2284. Important Words:

.A::) (plan) means, a plan, a wile, an artifice,

artful contrivance; device; a plot; a stratagem,art; cunning, ingenuity or skill (Lane).

Commentary:

The magicians were told that they could useany device, artifice or wile to defeat Moses. Thisimplied a confession that with Pharaoh and hispeople the end justified the means.

In the verse an appeal has also been made tothe magicians' self-interest. They are told thatif they were successful against Moses, it wouldbe all to their good.

1640

PT. 16 TAHA CH.20

jj, ~~~r(;l; ~ ~I~!~~. ~~\ '1/

@JJ\~

.~\ ~~., "t...~'" '~~r 1~\~'C:'I~~t"'\ i~J/r-:'.~ ~.."::,,, -'~~ I.)~ ~ c..>-! \)

t?~ f<-;'''', ~~,,': rI'1\~ ~ \~"'~~~~;

I ,9 -t ,...1-::

@~~ ~ ~ [i~';4II 77 : 116. b 7 : 117 ; 26 : 44. (J 7 : 117.

66. GThey said, '0 Moses, eitherdo thou cast first, or we shall bethe first to cast. '2285

67. bHe said, 'Nay, cast ye.'Then 10 ! their cords and their stavescappeared to him, by their magic asthough they ran about.2286

68. And Moses conceived a fearin his mind.2287

2285. Commentary:

The words of the verse show that the magicianshad behaved respectfully towards Moses and itis this respectful attitude of theirs which, perhaps,was mainly instrumental in enabling them tosee the truth and accept it.

2286. Important Words:

~r~.,a.~ (their staves). u.,a.~ is the plural ofl.,a.;' which means: (1) a piece of wood onwhich one reclines, a stick, a stave; a party; thetongue (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary :

The words "Nay, cast ye", show that theProphets of God never take the offensive. They

wait till they are attacked and then they defendthemselves.

The expression 4~JI J~~~ (appeared to him)clearly indicates that the cords and staves ofthe magicians only appeared to Moses as thoughthey ran about. Actually they did nothing of the

kind. The forces of evil at first appear to carrythe day for a short while but they soon come togrief and suffer defeat and destruction.

2287. Important Words:

~-,f (conceived) is derived from "r:--' whichmeans, he was frightened at some sound or otherthing that fell into his mind or ear. .u~1 ()"'~-'means, the thing was unperceived or hardlyperceived by the eye or ear; was hidden orconcealed. ()"'~-,I means, he conceived a thingin his mind. The Quranic expression ()"'~-,1:i.~ ", iijmeans, and he conceived in his mind

a fear or he perceived or felt and conceived inhis mind a fear (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

When Moses saw the trick of the magicianshe feared lest the people might be deceivedthereby and be led astray. He was not afraidof the cords and staves of the magicians. TheProphets of God stand on a rock of certainty.Their belief and their trust in God is invincible.Nothing can shake their belief nor are theyafraid of anything. Moses only feared that thepeople might not be led astray by the antics ofthe magicians.

1641

CR. 20 TAHA PT. 16

69. We said, 'Fear not, for thouwilt have the upper hand.2288

70. 'And cast that which isin thy right hand; ait will swallowthat which they have wrought, for that

, which they have wrought is only amagician's trick. And a magician shallnot thrive, come where he may.'2289

71. Then bthe magicians weremade to faU down prostrate. Theysaid, o'We believe in the Lord of Aaronand Moses. '2290

72. Pharaoh said, G'Do you believein him before I give you leave. Hemust be your chief who has taughtyou magic. °1 will therefore surelycut off your hands and your feet onaccount of your disobedience, and Iwill surely crucify you on the trunksof palm trees; and you shall knowwhich of us can impose severer andmore abiding punishment. '2291

G 7 : 118 ; 26 : 46. b 7 : 121 ; 26 : 47. c 7 : 122-123; 26 : 48-49.II 7 : 124 ; 26: 50. e 7 : 125; 26 : 50.

J(i;;\ 'l:,;7 "'7'; /'"

7/';'; ","\&U""jl~\clt\~j ~.'"

~0r~f~~ ..~3tf~ " to .:if"""';"~ ~-'

GJ,~ j

l:~,n!l~~~"b I

&:J.. ->': ~ ~~ ..

"'7' "r~'" ',-'''r'.. ~" 9 , ,1C)-,joby~~, lYu \~ ~~~"-q /;;1\5, , . ~ ~

I ., 9....@

L>"" Y .J

~~~J;tj~j\~~.~~\j(;, , f:. " '

j , :~~ ....

)~~tW~~~I;.0:~~\.,9.". ".", w-" ~" .""

, w !~ 9'"

t'~'J' :"... ~~jl.j~~~J\!.'-C ~ f{l ,-"

"1:'fI!"~J"

j\'. ~I

@)~ \) "!\~~,~.\":.. -'~,

2288.Commentary:

In this verse God comforts Moses that themagicians would not succeed in leading peopleastray and that he will have the upper hand.

2289. Important Words:

...;Ai:;(swallow) is derived from ...A4J ( laqlfa ).They say' 0:.;.)\ iiJ : he hastily took the thing.

t~\ i.iJ ( laqqafa) means, he swallowed upthe food (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse makes it clear that it was the rod ofMoses and not anything else which "swallowed"that which the magicians had wrought, andwhich undid their magic. The rod of Moses

wielded with the spiritual force of a great Pro-

phet and thrown at the command of AlmightyGod exposed the deception that the magicianshad wrought on the spectators by their magic.Elsewhere in the Qur'an the staves and cords ofthe magicians have been described as their lies( 7 : 1] 8 ).

2290. Commentary:

The magicians admitted their defeat and

became fully convinced of tbe rightness andrightet)usness of Moses's cause.

2291. Important Words:

Lr (on account of) among other things means,because of, on account of, by reason of; as in

IJ;~' ~:;~:k>. \( i.e. because of their sins theywere drowned (71 : 26). It also means on,by, etc. (Aqrab).

1642

PT. 16 TAHA CH.20

73. They said, 'We shall notprefer thee to the manifest Signsthat have come to us, nor shall weprefer thee to Him Who has createdus. aso decree what thou wilt decree;thou canst only decree concerning thispresent Hfe. 2292

74. 'Surely, bwe have believedin our Lord that He may forgive usour sins and forgive us the magic whichthou didst force us to use. And Allahis the Best and rhe Most Abiding.'

75. Verily, he who comes to hisLord a sinner-for him is Hen; heshall neither die therein nor Jive.2293

" l..,;',; r~;r:. f" '\" <.":.~~ ~';

~;k... ~.,.j..~.H .-.~ U~'or 1.4 ~~~ ~. , \.t.,I

""... fit v,..;...

""~"

~~l:tt ~\;@[:,~~~~~j\...

,;~

,; ,;

b , , ,b'JH i-'.:' t\ zs~@.. ~",

(~~~S,; \; ~(;J ;~t"j ~,;. \£;, (1,~ ~ .J.. "..~ .~"

,;

"/: 'I ..;(,;

fi:A. ~ \ -:. "'{ ~'I' \ " ~2 ..t, ::~ ~~\,50 -'~@ -'~ v;,,,..,,; ~ (",;r{r~ ,j~',; r-G'" ~~ \"u.. "..itIII~ '.:0":" "U.J o\J ..~ ~:;~ "U \J" r""". ",.. v-- ",

I "'" ~,,(~~ ~ ,p"G'~'jJ .. ~~~ \..7.. ~ , ..~ ~

a 26: 51. h 7 : 127 ; 26 : 52.

..j'j..;;. (disobedience) and ~ l~ are infinitive

nouns from i)l.;.. They say ol.oiJl;..i.e. hedisagreed with him, he disobeyed or defied him..:.r-~Jt~...;JI;.. means, he put the things on con-trary sides or in contrary directions. ..j"}.;"means, disobedience, defiance; the contrary oropposite of a thing; contrary or alternate sides(Aqrab & Lane). ...j'j..;;.

u" would thereforemean, on account of disobedience or on alter-nate sides. u.4 here is used in the sense of u~,which also signifies cause or reason (J~~l TheQuranic expression ol~ll<tlJ.~-,oJ.~.J4~'i1 means,on account of a promise he had made (9 : 144).

Commentary:,The crucifixion was in itself a terrible form

of death yet the punishment of cutting off thehands and the feet was added to make it aU themore dreadful. Elsewhere in the Qur'iln theexpression ~ ~~T has been used in this con-nection. The difference between the two ex-pressions is that whereas ~ r-' simplymeans, you have believed in him, the expres-

sion <\.J~:.:...T means, you have believed in himand have accepted his lead and have followedhim.2292. Commentary:

Mark the wonderful change that true faithworks in man. The greedy and materialisticmagicians who only a short while ago wereasking for reward from Pharaoh, in the form ofmoney, position or honour ( 7: 114), becamequite indifferent even to the most horrible formof death with which he threatened them whenthey found and accepted the truth.

2293. Commentary:Death delivers man from pain. So the sin-

ners will not die in HeU and will continueto suffer its torment. Neither will they livetherein, because real life consists in the enjoy-ment of Divine love and they will be deprived ofit. Or the verse may mean that the sinners willbe completely deprived of all comfort and hap-piness and this condition is described here as

worse than deatll.

,1643

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

76. But he who comes to Himas a believer having done good deeds,(tfor such are the highest ranks.-

77. bGardens of Eternity, beneathwhich rivers flow; they will abidetherein for ever. And that is therecompense of those who keep them-selves pure.

'4 78. And eWe sent revelation to" Moses, saying, 'Take away My ser-

vants by night, and dstrike for them adry path through the sea. Thou wiltnot be afraid of being overtaken, norwilt thou have any other fear.'2293A

,~\~~.. ',I('" ?"'f1- ? ~ h::

~IJ ~H~W;~;o~':1 ~~

@JJJI~;iH~~,

. \ ~ '1'.;\\~' " ~ . .~ ~ ! ~ '"~ v.Jo> ~ ;J t.:.ri (.)~ ~""'"

~;;'"

;?,- ;

t "r,:(. ?'" I~:,; -:ll~

'"fh~

@()..Y ~ ~~ ~.)-' ~

~;b~~~~;.\ c;\ ~~;Jt~~1 J.i1~

~~~"'$~~~ ~"'tl'(1;j;~;).J ~ ;J ._~ 4 ..,t ?,

e~a 4 : 96-97; 8 : 4-5. b 9 : 73 ; 18 : 32 ; 19 : 62 ; 61 : 13. e 26 : 53. d 26 : 64.

2293A. Important Words:

u~~ ~ (nor wilt thou have fear) is formedfrom \.5::"";'which means, he feared or dread-ed or feared with reverence, veneration, res-pect, or awe. We have in the Qur'an ~.. ~-'~ ~A~" ~:;.;. i.e. they fear their Lord, holding

Him in reverence (21 : 29). A.:..~ means, he

feared or dreaded what might happen to himfrom him or it. A.~;' is the dread, fear orawe resulting from the knowledge which onepossesses about a thing or person. TheQuranic expression .l t...J\".)l:~ u" ~\ ~~ L..jl

(35 : 29) means, only those of His servants who,possess knowledge fear Allah (Lane, Aqrab

& Mufradat). The reference to the fear men-tioned in the words ~ 'i is to the dangersof the sea and other hardships that lay ahead ofthe Israelites.

Commentary:

The incident mentioned in this verse relates

to the time when, under God's command, Mosesled the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan.The Israelites left secretly by night, and whenPharaoh learnt of their flight, he pursued themwith his hosts and was drowned in the Red Sea.

In order to appreciate fully the nature andsignificance of this incident which indeed con-stituted a great Divine Sign, it is necessary toread the verse under comment along with otherrelevant verses such as vv. 2: 51, 26 : 62-64& 44: 25. The Qur'an says:

And remember the time when We divided thesea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh'speople while you looked on (2 : 51).

And when the two hosts came in sight ofeach other the companions of Moses said, 'We aresurely overtaken.'...Then We revealed to Moses,saying, 'Strike the sea with thy rod.' Whereupon

it parted and every part was like a huge sand-hill(26 : 62-64). When the Israelites were passingthey had the sea on one side and the small lakes

1644

PT. 16-

+ ~ .-----

TARA CR. 20

close behind with his hosts;on the other, which conformably to the natural

laws of perspective appeared raised above thelevel of the land.

And leave the sea at a time when it is motion-

less. Surely, they are a host which is doomed.

to be drowned (44: 25), i.e. pass through thesea quickly at a time when the tide has reced-ed.

The Bible also refers to this incident in thefolio wing verses. ,:

And Moses stretched out his hand overthe sea; and the Lord caused the sea togo back by a strong east wind all thenight and made the sea dry land, and thewaters were divided. And the childrenof Israel went into the midst of the seaupon the dry ground; and the waters werea wall unto them on their right hand andon their left. And the Egyptians pursuedand went in after them to the midst ofthe sea.. And the Lord said unto Moses,'Stretch out thine hand over the sea'. .And-Moses stretched forth bis hand over tbesea and the sea returned to its strength.. . . .And the waters returned and coveredthe chariots, and the horsemen, and aUthe host of Pharaoh that came into the seaafter them; there remained not so much

"s one of them (Exod. 14: 21-28).

The following facts emerge from the aboveaccount of this incident as given in the Qur'anand the Btble;

(a) that Moses was commanded by God to

ta)ce away the Israelites out of Egypt by night;

(b) that Pharaoh pursued the Israelites with

his mighty hosts;

(c) that when the Israelites reached the arm of

the Red Sea which lay across their route, theywere greatly dismayed because Pharaoh was

(d) that when on seeing Pharaoh's hosts the

Israelites exclaimed in fright that they were over-taken, God commanded Moses to strike the

water of the sea with his rod;

(e) that when Moses struck the sea with his

rod as the Qur'an says or stretched out his handover the sea as the Bible says, it was the timeof the ebb-tide and the sea was receding, leavinga dry bed;

(f) Ihat Moses was commanded by God to

cross quickly the dry bed to the opposite bank,which he did;

(g) that when the hosts of Pharaoh reached

the sea, it was the time of' high tide and that in

their zeal to overtake the Israelites they took

no notice of it and at once jumped into the seabehind them; and

(II) that, as it appears, being heavily equipped

with big chariots and other heavy armamentsthe progress of the army of Pharaoh was greatlyretarded so that while they were yet in the midstof the sea, the high tide returned and they wereall drowned.

Historians differ as to the exact place from

where Moses crossed the Red Sea from Egyptinto Canaan. Some are of the view that on hisway from the territory of Goshen, which is also

called the valley of AI-Tamthilat or WadI TumiIlttand where the capital of the Pharaohs was situat-ed (Enc. Bib. vol. 4, col. 4012, under "Rame-ses"), Moses passed by the Gulf of Tims31) (Enc.Bib., cols. 1438 & 1439). Others think that hewent much further to the north and going roundZoan crossed over to Canaan near the Mediter-ranean Sea (Enc. Bib., col. 1438). But what is

1645

CH.20

most probable is the fact that from Tal AblSulaimiin which was the capital of the Pharaohs

in Moses's time. the Israelites at first went tonorth-east to the Gulf of TimsiiQ. but finding that

a net of gulfs barred their way. they turnedsouth and crossed the Red Sea near the town of

Suez where it is hardly more than 2/3 mile wide.and started for Qadas (Enc. Bib.. col. 1437).

The following passage from Peake's "Com-mentary on the Bible" (p. 64) may also be read

with interest:

The Israelites fled with him (Moses)across the Goshen marshes into the Sinai-tic peninsula. The crossing of the "RedSea" (yam suph. "sea" or "lake of reeds")was probably the crossing of the southernend of a lake a few miles N.W. of whatis now caned the Red Sea. A wind laidbare a wide stretch of shore. and when anEgyptian force pursued the fugitives. theirchariot wheels stuck fast in the wet soil.and the water returned upon them when thewind shifted. Writers differ as to theroute taken by the Israelites. Some thinkthat they moved southward to the moun-tainous range of (the modern) Sinai.and then along the eastern arm of the RedSea. now known as the Gulf of' Akaba.to its northernmost point at Ezion-Geber.Others think that the evidence points tothe route still taken by Mecca pilgrims.nearly due E. to Ezion Geber. and thatthence they moved N.W. to the region ofKadesh (Barnea). to Mt. Sinai or south-ward along the E. side of the Gulf of'Akaba to Mt. Horeb. The traditionsdiffer and certainty is impossible.

There are people who against all canons ofhistory take particular delight in propounding

most extraordinary theories that the Israelitesnever lived in Egypt. Some such theories are:

(a) No reference to the Israelites is to be found

in the old Egyptian historical records.(b) In the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh

Meneptah (or Merenptah) when Moses is saidto have taken the Israelites out of Egypt. some

TAHA PT. 16

Israelite tribes were actually living in Canaan.therefore the theory of Moses having taken theIsraelites out of Egypt to Canaan during hisreign and their having settled in that country

some fifty years later is all wrong.(c) Though some trace is found of some tribes

having crossed over from Asia into Egypt but

there is no proof that these were the Israelitetribes.

The propounders of these strange theories

seem to ignore the patent fact that the Isra-elites were foreigners in Egypt and were a sub-ject race and lived the miserable life of slavesunder their cruel rulers. How could such people

be considered worthy of any notice being taken

of them by historians? Apart from this the factmay also be taken into consideration that when

it is not quite possible for historians even in this20th century to prepare a wen-connected andharmonious narrative about a people from the

remnants of its ruined civilization. it was muchmore difficult for historians in the past to recons-ruct a consistent record from the fragmentaryaccounts of a people who lived in the hoary pastand who were treated like beasts of burden bytheir rulers. This is why no reference to the

Israelites is to be found in the old historicalrecords of Egypt.

Secondly. the doubtful theory that certainIsraelite tribes were found to be living in Canaan

in the 5th year of the reign of Pharaoh Menep-tah cannot disprove the fact that other Israelite

tribes had remained behind in Egypt. Is it notpossible that some of these tribes might haveleft Egypt for Canaan sometime before all ofthem were taken out of it by Moses. It is very

strange that on the one hand these very writerssay that Moses is an Egyptian name and that

some of the companions of Moses also hadEgyptian names. and on the other that the

1646

PT. 16 TAHA CH.20

Israelites never went to Egypt. Moreover, theBible gives a detailed and well-connected storyof the Israelites having lived in Egypt. There

was no compelling reason for the writers of theBible to have done so, especially when theIsraelites had lived there only as slaves and worsethan beasts of burden. No people would feelany urge or pride in forging and falsely invent-ing such a miserable record of shame and sorrow

of themselves. Last but not least, the Biblicaldetails with regard to the customs, culture andmode of life of the Pharaohs of that time isanother proof of the fact that the Israelites hadlived under them. The Bible had no interest inthe Pharaoh dynasty of Egypt apart from theirbeing rulers of the Israelites. Besides, as statedby old Greek historians, the Egyptians them-

selves admitted that the Israelites had lived inEgypt for a long time and later on had left this

country. The present Egypt, however, should

not be confused with a territory which in ancienttimes was also known as Egypt but which formeda part of northern Syria or northern Arabia.

The date of the Exodus has also been muchcontested and there seems to be considerabledifficulty in determining its exact date from theBiblical records alone. Neither the name ofthe reigning Pharaoh nor the place where heheld his court is mentioned; the account given is

not contemporary, but has been condensed andannotated by later editors, and fused by theminto a general narrative; and the Biblical chro-nology of the period, though containing trust-

worthy material, is known to be largely artificial.

Apart from the Biblical records any historical

information on the subject is meagre. Varioustheories, however, are held about the Exodus.Some of these are as follows:

.

i. The view that the Israelites left Egypt withthe Hyksos (1580 B.c.) at the beginning of theXVIIIth Dynasty, or shortly afterwards, and

lived a n~madic life of about 200 years in thedesert previous to entering Canaan. But evi-

dently this view seems to do violence to genuine

Hebrew tradition.2. The theory which dates the Exodus in the

XVIIIth Dynasty, but about 1445 B.C. just afterthe long despotic reign of Thutmose III andduring that of his son Amenhotep II (1447-1420 B.c.). This theory too lacks the support

of trustworthy historical material and Hebrewtradition.

3. The hypothesis which connects the Exo-dus with the religious revolution attempted by

Amenhotep IV, otherwise known as Akhenaten(1383-1366 B.C'.) This view would place theExodus about 1350 or 1345 B.C. This seemsto be more plausible than the first two views.

4. But the theory, largely prevalent whichreceives much support from historical data, ar-chaeological research and Hebrew tradition is thatthe Exodus occurred in the Nineteenth Dynasty(1328-1202 B.C.), in the reign of Merenptah II

or Meneptah II (1234-1214) and still seems themost probable. It appears to have taken placeabout 1230 B.C. According to this view thePharaoh of the Oppression would be Rameses IIand his successor Merenptah 11, the Pharaohof the Exodus (Peake's Commentary on theBible, pp. 119, 95'5 & 956).

Incidentally, it may be stated here that thestriking of the water of the sea with his rod by

Moses had no cause and effect connection withthe actual parting of the sea. It was merely asign or a Divine intimation that it was the time

of the ebb tide and that the Israelites shouldhasten to cross. God had so arranged thatwhen Moses reached the sea the tide was about

to go back, so that as soon as he struck thesea with his rod in obedience to Divine com-mand, it began to recede and a dry path was

made for the Israelites. The striking of the

1647

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

79. GThen Pharaoh pursued themwith his hosts, and the waters ofthe sea completely overwhelmedthem.2294

80. And Pharaoh led his peopleastray and did not guide them aright.

81. '0 Children of Israel. bWedelivered you from your enemy, andeWe made a covenant with you on theright side of the Mount, and We sentdown on you manna and "salwa."2295

~o-,j , '" ".,jI",:.-:~""

,.,,,,,,. '79"'''''''''~.~~e." ." 1S.>~\ "\~~~ ~~:;

.",,'. ,

-", ,,,,.J-;~\wJ.;r--7';~

rd:"9"'.~r'"~~~ ~c:. \.0..,t7\ .~~ V '" ~",,~ J"'" ". T"'/~r..5~ \.0-,"Y~~-,,"~u.CIJ

9 0 , ,'".,,,,

'" - ~.J", ~ Co- ..~ .,..., b". \ u.; ~-"I'" ~I .,...,J~J ~ ... ~..~.71<1" r"'~:::" "'", """,,, ? r",)1~\:J" "~~I '~" 6~" .~~'.. ~ --'V"""'O ).Y-' . h ..,

..

"", ", ",,,,.,@(S~\-, ~,

-~-~~--

a 10 :}l ; 26 : 61. Ii 2 : 51; 14 : 7 ; 44 : 31-32. c 19 : 53; 20 : 13 ; 28 : 31 ; 79 : 17.

water with his rod by Moses and the recession

of the sea coincided. This constituted a miraclebecause God alone knew when the sea wouldrecede and He had commanded Moses to strikeits waters at the time of its recession.

2294. Important Words:

I'"t"~i (pursued them) is derived f~om t/.They say ~j i.e. he followed him. ~:;I means,

he followed him and overtook him. ,..H ~imeans, he made him to be followed by them i.e.

he made them to follow him. o.)-,~~0 y }I'"r,,~jt;means, Pharaoh made his troops to follow them(Lane & Aqrab). See also 10 : 91.

I'"~(sea) is substantive-noun from ~ (yamma).The Arabs say ~ )tl'"~ i.e. the man was throwninto the sea. J~l J\ ~ means, the water

. of the river overflowed its banks. ~ means,

the sea; or the sea of unknown or un reacheddepth; a great body of water. See also 7 : 137.

2295. Important Words:

~\ (manna). They say ",:l~ ~4 i.e. hebestowed a favour on him. tJ'" which isinfinitive noun signifies bestowing favour upona man or doing good to him. uJ' means, (1)

anything which comes to a man without

much effort on his part; (2) a favour; (3) honey-dew (Aqrab). Dr. Jesenius in his dictionaryhas also referred to iJ'"'1\ as having been from u'"(manna) and means, a favour or bounty. See

also 2 : 58.

.s -,1...Jt is derived from "f They say.LS:'::'J\U~ "i-- i.e. he was satiated with the thing.

.s~- is (1) a whitish bird resembling a quail;(2) anything which gives a man satisfaction orcontentment; (3) honey (Aqrab). See also 2: 58.Commentary:

The Israelites had lived long in bondage underthe heartless tyranny of the Pharaohs and con-sequently had come to lose all those manlyqualities that go to make a people hardy, braveand courageous. According to the Divine schemeof things they were destined to conquer and ruleover Canaan. Therefore after Moses had takenthem out of Egypt they were made to live in thearid and barren region of Sinai in order thatthey might become used to a free and hard lifeand thus acquire and develop those qualitieswhich were so essential for a great future thatlay in store for them. But having lived in bond-

1648

PT. 16 TAHA

82. ("Eat of the good thingsthat We have provided for you, andtransgress not therein, lest My wrathdescend upon you; and he on whomMy wrath descends, shall perish :2296

CR. 20

/".; /

7'r!:.~~ r... '1.~~\~~)~j)~~~~I~

7~~ ? -:-: A ?1; 'l\~;w,; ;'(1, --::--:

.j<0.~~~~~i.:J"-' ~ ..

@~~

(/ 2 : 58; 7 : 161.

age for a long time they had lost all initiative andhad become used to a life of lethargy anJ lassi-tude. So when they saw that they would have tolive in the wilderness where no amenities of lifewere to be found and even food was lacking, theywere utterly dismayed and fretted and fumed andquarelled with Moses saying: "Would to Godwe had died by the hand of the Lord in the landof Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and whenwe did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought

us forth into this wilderness, to kill this wholeassembly with hunger" (Exod. 16: 3). God heardthe murmurings of the Israelites and commandedMoses to tell those ungrateful people: "At evenye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall befilled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the

Lord your God" (Exod. 16 : 12). And how thisDivine promise was fulfilled has been describedin the Bible as follows:

And it came to pass, that at even thequails came up. and covered the camp:and in the morning the dew Jay roundabout the host. And when the dew that laywas gone up, behold, upon the face of thewildefJ1ess there lay a small round thing, assmall as the hoar frost on the ground.And when the children of Israel saw it.they said one to another, it is manna: forthey wist not what it was. And Mosessaid unto them, This is the bread whichthe Lord hath given you to eat. (Exod.16 : 13-15).

This was the food which in answer to themurmurings of the Israelites God. out of His

infinite grace and mercy, bestowed upon themin the wilderness of Sinai and which theywere given without ~much effort or labour ontheir part. and which was found when starkhunger seemed to stare them in the face. and

the fact of its haying been found in that placeand condition did. indeed, constitute a greatmiracle. It is to this incident that reference hasbeen made in the verse under comment.

The manna has also been referred to in asaying of the Holy Prophet. viz. w...JlLr;;1...5:JI i.e.the truffle is one of the things included in the

manna (Bukhitn). In Lane's Lexicon we havethe following explanation for manna under the

word W~jj (tllranjabjn): A kind of manna:the manna of the thorny plants called by theArabs the haj, and hence by European botanistsA/hagi; according to Dr. Royle it is a sweetish

juice which exudes from the A/hagi mallTOTum,crystallizes into small granular masses, and isusually distinguished by the name of Persianmanna; a kind of dew that falls mostly in Khura-san and Ma-wara al-nahr and in our country,mostly upon the haj; the best thereof is that

which is fresh or moist and white (Ibn SInn),the Lr or manna mentioned in the Qur'an(p. 306).

2296. Important Words:

J>-=; (lest it descend) is formed from J...They say i .J,J 4 J"" i.e. he alighted or descendedand stopped at or in the abode of the people.

0<.;JIj- means, the time of the payment of the

1649

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

83. 'Buta surely I am forgivingto those who repent and believe anddo good deeds, and then stick toguidance. 2297

84. 'And what has made theehasten away from thy people, 0 Moses l'

85. He said, "They are closelyfollowing in my footsteps and I havehastened to Thee, my Lord, that thoumightest be pleased.' 2298

~ ':.~~~ ~ ~;' I~" "~ ~<\ ~lt.1 '~I"p.J" ... ~~ -,y~.J ~ '"

\"

,@\5~t

, ,9)cl.o'~';' <II/:"'r;..e~~. ,,~<.:>'-~t~-,

,,' ,....-~ ~I:' \ ~.\ -:. ~ , <" ~'" 1-'"j

? 9 J/f(.~V"~~~(S1i1 ~~-,I -AI ..;;,;I .. #JIll ;, -, ~

I,,,

@~jG"

a 3 : 136; 39 : 54.

debt has ended i.e. its payment has become due.

L>~#~S::~l&.~~ means, lest My wrath befall you;lest it become due to you i.e. lest it overtake youat once (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2 : 169.

15,,'" (shall perish). '\.S~~JI15y1' means, the thing

feU from a high to a low place; it rose anddescended. According to some 15,,~1 (a/hawiyyu)is used for going up and ~.J~.JI(a/huwiyyu) forgoing down. i 'YI u "I> means, the mother died;

or may his mother die (Aqrab).

Commentary:

At three places in the Qur'an the sending downof manna and sa/wa has been mentioned; viz. inthe present verse and in VV.2 :58and 7: 161 andat aU these three places the fact has been followeslby the injunction, 'Eat of the good things thatWe have provided for you.' This shows thatwhereas the food which was provided to theIsraelites in the wilderness of Sinai was whole-some, palatable and good in taste; it consistednot of one but of several things, 1,)"(truflle)and lSyl.. (quails) forming the major part ofthem.

The injunction in the words }'And transgress

not therein" contained a warning to the Israelites

that as they had been provided with food inabundance in the wildernes!Owithout much labouron their part and purely as an act of God'sgrace, they should not misuse this Divine gift,

the powerful and the influential among themhoarding it for themselves and depriving thepoor and the weak of their due share.2297. Important Words:

15J.;.:.z.I (stick to guidance) is derived from 15'>'1>

They say .!...\Jbi.e., he guided him. I5J~JI whichis the infinitive form, is generally used in threedifferent senses: to show the right path; to leadto the right path; and to make one follow theright path. 15J..:.#>'means, he sought guidance;he fonowed guidance and he stuck to guidance(Aqrab, Baqa & Mufradat).

2298. Important Words:}\ (footsteps). ~.J.:,JI u}f means, I recited or

narrated the story or tradition. .}T means, hehonoured him. }I means, a, remain or relic of athing; a trace; sign or mark; a footstep, vestige

or track; a footprint, impression or mark madeby the foot of a man upon the ground. Theysay I,).)"}I A:l~ i.e. he or it bears the mark,stamp, character or trace of such. a thing(Lane & Aqrab).

1650

PT. 16 TAHA CH.20

86. God said, a'We have triedthy people in thy absence, and theSilmiri has led them astray.'2299

87. So bMoses returned to his peo-ple indignant and sorrowful. He said,40 my people, did not your Lord pro-mise you a gracious promise? Did,then, the appointed time appear toolong to you, or did you desire thatwrath should descend upon you fromyour Lord, that you broke your promiseto me 1'2300 .

88. They said, 'We have notbroken our promise to thee of ourown accord; but we were laden with

..loads of people's ornaments and wethrew them away, and likewise did theSa.miri cast. '2301

, Yj".,/.\ '" ~I

,~ (., ~I "',~ ~.,,,

r" k J'" f::~)t:J~~~;; ':... ~\5~ \i""

'.. r~. ,@'->~~\

J l3 ~(LI ~(~~1 ~'(. J \\',.1 "'/""., . ,,,~ ",($"y tJ".:>'

j u;r Z(t~.~\~;ft.J;r~.;}f V~fJ

~'" ~.-'" "'r""'

.

" " ''''/~ , / ~ .,,,,' ~.9. .-~.,., ~ . t,..

I t ,'L;::_'\ ., '". .." .. C)~..)..J ~ ~ .,,

.",,,,

1-:A ;'

~ ,~~""',u.. ..:\~ ~

., .. ...'"~\.7 ;'~~~ ;,({~

tJ ",Y ~..f"'(";'''' -:1 '" ""f~~'i'~"'r;,l)J

J1r-::\-_. .J~~~~~t\.ol'~.." ." ;:.. ",:.:::r-

;,'''' !~ 1"" ,~t ~~~~~~\~j~C!S;I, \""

'Y'~~~WI1:::;1

~ ~

II 7 : 149. b 7 : 151.

2299. Important Words:1S 1-.J1 (Samiri) is derived from .J'""-. They

say 0.)"'", i.e. he nailed it, i.e. he made it fast,

firm or strong with a nail or nails, a nailbeing called } Hence L. is: one who

makes things fast wIth nails, i.e. one belongingto the profession of black-smiths, carpenters,etc. Thus ;; l... means, a people who carryon the profession of blacksmiths, carpentersetc. i.e. artisans. SlhmrI, the mischief-maker,seeins to belong to this class. So IS \... maybe a descriptive or attributive name. Or it maybe a relative noun from :> \- (theSamaritans),a people said to be one of the tribes of the Child-ren of Israel; or a sect of the Jews, differingfrom them in many of their institutions. Pro-perly speaking they were inhabitants of Samaria.The name is now restricted to a small tribe of

people living in Nablus and calling themselves

"Bene Yisr~el". Their history as a distinctcommunity b~gan with. the taking of Samariaby the Assyrians in 722 B.C. (Lane & Jew.

Ene.).

2300. Commentary:

1SJ.s.>-' (my promise) means, theprornise

which you made to me, or the promiSt r~hIchGod made to you through me.

2301. Important Words:

~) ~ ~ (thy promise) means, the protnisewhich we made to thee.

Commentary:Whereas the Qur'a;n in this verse says that the

Egyptians gave the Israelites jewels of gold and

silver of their own accord, the Bible accusesthem of having despoiled the Egyptians of their

1651

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

89. Then he produced for them Itacalf -a mere body producing a lowingsound. And they said, 'This is yourgod, and the god of Moses.' So hegave up the religion of Moses.2302

90. Could they not see that itreturned to them no answer, andhad no power to do them either harmor good ?2303

~J~~~JG!~10~%A&r\;b.;; Q'.; .. I 7J ~ \ \

.;@)~ ~ ~Y' 'U.;-'

'!l.~II"~';"Y~'; 7.; , ",;~.;

';",;,;",1'~~)Jj~~~ ~l~~.~\ ~-'J:,~'

tt;;;:.;.;~ (\'r.D.

~ . . ,,\1 III\ III .

5.-:~ YJ~ ~Ir

a 2 : 52, 93; 4 : 154; 7 : 149.

ornaments (Exod. 12: 36). But, as generallyis the case, in this respect also the Bible hascontradicted itself. At another place (Ex,?d.12 : 35) it says that the Egyptians themselvesgave the ornaments to the Israelites and insistedthat they should leave Egypt forthwith. Reasonand common sense support the Quranic and thelatter statement of the Bible.

2302. Important Words:

) I,,;. (lowing sound) is infinitive-noun from) l;..

They say .}-:H )l;. i.e. the cow made a lowing

sound, it bellowed. )yO- (khawira) means, itbecame weak and enfeebled: it broke. )',,;.signifies the loud crying (i.e. the lowing or bellow-ing) of a cow and of a calf; and the crying (i.e.

bleating) of sheep, or that of goats and gazelles.

and of any beast and the whizzing of arrow.They say),,;;)' ;I",;.,)' U

J"'"AJ i.e. he has a voice

like the bellowing of the buH (Aqrab, Lane &Mufradat).

u""':; (so he gave up) means, he forgot or he

abandoned or gave up or ceased acting (Aqrab& Mufradat). See also 5 : 14 & 9 : 67.

Commentary:The Israelites had lived in Egypt under bond-

age for a long time and during their bondagethey had acquired many of the customs, ways

of life and religious rites of their rulers, theEgyptians, who worshipped the cow (Ene. ReI.

& Ethics, vol. 1, p. 507). In this way they hadalso developed a great liking for the cow, andtaking advantage of Moses's absence Sfimin led

them into cow-worship.

2303. Commentary:

The calf is denounced and condemned as adeity because it does not speak to its votaries.Of what use is that god who does not answer

the prayer of his worshippers? (2 I : 66-67).

He is as dead as a log of wood. The difference

between a living and a lifeless god is that theOne speaks to His votaries and hears their sup-plications while the other does not. The God ofIslam has not ceased to speak to His true wor-shippers. He still speaks to them as He spoketo Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and the HolyProphet Mu1}ammad (peace he upon them all)and will continue to do so till the end of time.

1652

PT. 16 TAHA CH. 20

5 91. And Aaron had saidto thembefore this, "0 my people, you haveonly been tried by means of it (thecalf). And surely, the Gracious Godis your Lord, so follow me and obeymy command.'2304

92. They replied, 'We shall notcease to worship it until Moses returnto US.'2305

93. Moses said, '0 Aaron, whathindered thee, when thou didst seethem gone astray,

94. 'From foIJowingthou then disobeyedmand 1'2306

2304. Commentar)':The Qur'an here contradicts the Bible and

clears Aaron of the charge of having made amolten calf for the Israelites to worship (Exod.32 : 4). It says that not only did Aaron notfashion the calf for them but on the other handprohibited them from worshipping the onewhich the SamirJ had made for them. It offendsagainst reason and common sense even to thinkthat a Prophet of God who had heard His voiceand had had communion with Him should havestooped so low as to worship a calf. The charge

is patently so foolish that it has been dismissedas unfounded by Christian writers themselves(Ene. Brit. under "the Golden Calf" and under

"Moses.")

As usual, in this case also the Bible hascontradicted itself. Far from deserving con-demnation on account of being involved incow-worship, Aaron at God's command was to

be dressed with holy garments, be anointed andsanctified by Moses (Exod 40 : ]3).

The words"" you have been tried by means, of it" show that in the offer of calf-worship by

me? Hastmy com-

r.:... I,

'",

0'"""~ t rb '.. ' \ '-:": ! ~ , ~-:\ J~ '::~

"...\"'~~~<.:).JjA~ ~~.J

~'J;l'" ~"-:~~'" -:.\,"~ "'. -: \ '"~~ ' ~ ?_~

!) J~ ~Y~.J CJ".J \,,~

, ,'"@($y4\-...

~ \ "'.,,,.:,,,, ~'

, I ~ ;" /"'r;. ,"'

W'~.,

~.. ., .

~ ,...;y~ . ... , .. .."",. "'.. ~~ I"\!:I (.>'N

-""~--;~/. "~'''' I''? .;\"-:","'r",}'

""". r:.@t~~~)J~'4~.J~J\i

, ,'" ./?'"

;./", j,. "'~,; ~;@'->j41 4'.~ t ,.-.3I':'J''" t

-"", - ~~". .;

the SitmirJ lay the greatest trial of the Israelitesbecause this worship was calculated to destroy

their national unity. The trials and tribulationswhich the Israelites had suffered at the handsof Pharaoh were nothing compared with thespiritual trial to which they had become exposedthrough the wicked designs of the SamirJ.

While the former had helped to cement theirnational unity, the latter had almost destroyedit. It had caused dissensions among the Isr2.el-ites; and internecine discord and dissensions aremore destructive of national unity than externaldangers.

2305. Commentary:

The verse shows that while Moses was held

in awe by the Israelites they had no greatrespect for Aaron.

2306 Commentary:

Moses here severely caHs Aaron to accountfor not having properly looked after the spiritualwelfare of the Israelites in his absence. Theverse thus clearly shows Aaron to be a subordi-nate Prophet to Moses.

16S3

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

95. He answered, a"o Son of mymother, seize me not by my beard,nor by the hair of my head. I fearedlest thou shouldst say, 'Thou hastcaused a division among the Childrenof Israel, and didst not wait for myword.' "2307

96. Moses said, 'And what hastthou to say, 0 Samiri?,2308

97. He said, 'I perceived whatthey perceived not. I only partly receiv-ed the impress of the Messenger(Moses), but that too T cast away.Thus it is that my mind commendedto me'. 2309

,'; \ Z;/~;"'''

.,~~-' I ltk ~ ~~~';J/.r~.~"v,,~~-'~ \.,)J~~ '-';:, ., ,

\", r:;'..,;",,, ", "" J"'Y";,,, J,. '",l,,-,~\ (~. ,...1., ~~ I~ 1.'\ ~.".~

~ "",~ -

""'-i'",.~:-: ' r ~ \w' .. ~

~4; ~J;JJf?& (j~~J~\:!Y~".

~~~.~.~;~~~I' 9J',,;'I~ 6~ j\;. -~. \;,~~ c-' ~ V~

@~Jd;;~~~~J~\)I~,." '" ',.=--- - ,.

2307. Important Words:

G7:151.

..."...i)~(didst not wait for) is formed from,-:-",,;).

",,:-;)means, (a) he looked, watched or waited for

him or it ; (b) he guarded, kept, preserved or tookcare of it ; (c) he was mindful or regardful of it;(d) he feared him (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

Taking the word ..."...i)in its different sensesthe expression J~ '-:-"";;;(") would mean, thou

didst not wait for my word; thou didst not pre-serve and guard my word (the instructions whichI left for your guidance); thou wast not regard-ful of my word i.e. thou didst not pay any regard

to my directions which I left for your guidance.

2308. Important Words:

~l.. (what hast thou to say). ..."...k;'(khatbun)

among other things may also mean, object, pur-

pose, plea, defence etc. See also 12 : 52.

2309. Important Words:u ~ (l perceived) is from fP". (ba~ora).

They say A.!.JI <J.p.! i.e. he perceived it; he

knew it ; he saw it. . JoP-!i means, he saw it or him,

by the sight of the eye; or he looked at him or

toward him or it trying whether he could seehim or not. j~i also means, he relinquished in-fidelity and adopted the true belief. Jt JkJl ~ imeans, the way became manifest (Lane &Aqrab). See also 6 : 104 & 7 : 204.

Commentary :The words I perceived that which they did not

perceive mean, "My mental perception wasclearer than that of the Israelites". The SamirImeans to say that he had followed Moses andhad accepted his teachings intelligently and notblindly like them and that his object in doing

so was that he should become the leader of hispeople. So when the proper occasion arrived

and Moses went to the Mount, he threw awaythe cloak of expediency and discarded what littleof his teachings he had accepted and that waswhat his mind suggested to him.

1654

PT. ]6 TAHA CH.20

98. Moses said, "Go away. ItshaH be thine to say throughout thylife, 'Touch me not'; and there is apromise of punishment for thee whichshall not fail to be fulfilled about thee.Now look at thy god of which thouhast become a devoted worshipper.We will certainly burn it and then Wewill scatter it away into the sea. "2310

99. Your God is only Allah, besideWhom there is no god. He embracesall things in His knowledge.

100. Thus do We relate to theethe tidings of what has happenedbefore. And We have given thee fromUs a Reminder.2311

~j1~ ~\j£J\~ ~ ~~;~1\i J\;" "

("'" 9 "" ~ ,,'" f .J

~\., ~.~ OJI~~ ~ ~1~'j:.~

;j ~~b~ ~ 8t;~JJ'~\ J'""' t-"

"",,,,,..""",.-' it'

(~.~~, . (

" 'II""@ .. ,.;';Hc;.:l!t l.j"..

'"....

1J... "1:'9~I ~t'~' ~,,~ \~, ~II..,}J ~.J ~ .:;" "V~ t.S ",;;W '"

? ,'",Qr~1 ~;.~ ~ r.sw'

't.~"''' '~r" '"( :"', ' ~I;'i" ~~ ~\\ ~7~W\.A~~ ~~, ~ ~UJ",. "

,---""t.Ji!!, " " '" """<B~~l:;ZJ~ ~,~-'

-~ ~-~ ~-~-.

231 ] . Commentary:2310. Important Words:

.I..;.i_~;(We will scatter it) is derived from c-;.. They say "l~~J\L; i.e. he destroyed or uproot-

ed the building from its foundation. Jl~~I c-;means, He broke the mountains into pieces.

u::~1 t)I c-; means, the wind uprooted oreradicated the thing and scattered it away(Aqrab).Commentary:

The words "touch me not" may signify oneof the following: (a) that Sa;mirl was punishedwith a rigorous social boycott for having misledthe Israelites into calf-worship; (b) that he wasafflicted with some contagious skin disease sothat people avoided contact with him; or (c)that he suffered from hypochondriasis and con-sequently shunned the company of men.

The mentioning together of the cow and theriver is significant because generally the nations

that worship the cow are found to worshiprivers also.

--~-

The verse embodies a prophecy that the HolyProphet will have to face conditions and cir-

cumstances similar to those which Moses hadconfronted. No other Israelite Prophet had somany points of resemblance with the Holy

Prophet as Moses had. Moses had Aaron, his

brother, as his assistant in the discharge of hisduties. The Holy Prophet had his cousin "Allwhom he likened to Aaron when he left himbehind on the occasion of the expedition toTabuk. Aaron was accused of having made forthe Israelites a calf for worship and 'All wasaccused of being an accomplice in the murder of'Uthm~n. The Holy Prophet also had a Saminin the person of the Jew, 'Abdullah bin Saba,who outwardly became a Muslim and stirred uprevolt against the third Caliph, 'Uthm~n, whichculminated in the latter's assassination and in aninternecine split in Islam which unfortunately has

since then shown no sign of abating or healing.

1655

CH. 20 TAHA PT. 16

101. Whosolt turns away from it

will surely bear a heavy burden onthe Day of Resurrection,231lA

102. Abiding thereunder; and evilwill the burden be to them on theDay of Resurrection,2311B

103. The day when bthe trumpetwill be blown. And on that dayWe shall gather the sinful together,blue-eyed.2312

104. They will talk to one anotherin a low tone saying, 'You tarriedonly ten days'-2313

)j\1~ A~~t

'

,�~,� ~ -~" (~r~ ~ ;. """'\.,,,

ey))~ ~-'!.~ ~~ . ...p~ ~

~ ~ ",I' / t-",?~~I,I~~/(;:.",d.:;~" ~\!:!J ",,�..,,,, ~ .I-..J

".., \:1'.."""

.\ ",-"/,�?~ "' I'"'''' ~,!J . .1."''',1/

~., . ~ ~tl . ..J ,..

~,,~.~. ~.J.J~ () ~ o.)l::iI"

""'",\ -.1 . ..

~r~ ~9

@\.i)j

/.?// t>'"01":. ~r\ :~~r " ., J,I'/ ,,; ~J"; h"

'tV~3,,;~ d -b~~ I.\~r.-:~:, ,,~:. '-'...".--~

a 18 : 102; 43 : 37-39; 72 : 18 Ii 18 : 100; 27 : 88; 36 : 52; 78: 19.

2311A. Commentary:

The words ;A...lJJ\t.J~ (Day of Resurrection)

have been used in the Qur'an and the J:IadHhin three senses: (a) the day of the death of aperson as in the saying of the Holy Prophet

viz., J.::..lJ ~li "k:.ii uL 0-" i.e. he who dies,the day of his resurrection indeed has come(Bibar, vol. 3, p. 183); (b) the time of the decline,downfal1 and death of a nation; (c) the day whenall mankind will be raised from their graves andmade to stand before God's great JudgmentSeat to render an account of their deeds. In thepresent verse the words "the Day of Resurrec-

tion" seem to have been used in the first sense.

2311B. Commentary:

In this verse the words ~t=jjJ 1 i.Y..have been.metaphorically used in the second sense i.e. in

this very life a day of resurrection comes to apeople or group of peoples.

2312. Important Words:

l;)j (blue-eyed) is the plural of 0)jl and is

derived from 0)j which means, (1) he was blue-eyed or grey-eyed or of a greenish hue in the

eye; (2) he was or became blind. ..::..i)) .i=i.;j

is J,.i. <\.:~~means, his eye turned towards me sothat the white thereof appeared i.e. he lookedaskance at me on account of hatred or fear. ..:;)j;

is an epithet applied to a man having what is

termed :iJ)j (blue colour) of the eye; blue-eyed;grey-eyed; blind from what is commonly termedas a cataract in the eye (Lane & Aqrab).Commentary:

The allusion in this verse primarily seems tobe to the Western Christian nations who haveblue eyes and are spiritually blind and possessan undying hatred for Islam.

2313. Commentary:Ir~ (ten days) here signifies ten centuries.

The reference is to the ten centuries after theHijra during which the European nations re-mained in a state of inactivity and dormancy.It was in the beginning of the 17th century,exactly one thousand years after the HolyProphet began to preach his mission in the begin-ning of the 7th century A.D., that the natjon~

of Europe came out of their hibernation andbegan to spread over the world and conquer it.

See also 18 : 20..

1656

PT. 16 TAHA CH. 20

105. We know best what they will\ say-when the one possessing the bestway of life among them will say, 'Youhave tarried only a day.'2314

6 106. And athey ask thee con-cerning the mountains. Say, 'MyLord will break them into pieces andscatter them as dust.2315

107. 'And He will leave them as abarren level plain,2316

~""" ~J1/" J' ,j"" ,/

~J. ~J"'r" J ""'" ,."

W L ~ :"\ I aa} ., . "'I~~ ~7 \ ~,. .

~ ~,.)J'-:)~''''~ ~..~ ... ,

t r~.: ~ I .,!. ~ 1'''0

e~~.~t~ c)~~")J

~~ '"UI;

~ "') 9/ ~ ,

9-Q "';j "'. . ~ .J~t ' ..I~~ ";~ ~) ,.~ ~''''

",:, "".. ,';' ~ ..-'

~u./~' r~r"r".9~"'-:'e ..0 ~ '" "'"\) ~.J~

." -.

---...~_.

'U'

a 56 : 6; 70 : 10; 101 : 6--.----.----

2314. Commentary: verse is that these great powerful nations will bel..y. (a day) here signifies one thousand years scattered as dust. The decline of the West has

referred to in 22 : 48 where it is said: verily, a already begun. The last two World Wars haveday with thy Lord is as a thousand years of what considerably weakened the hold of the Westyou reckon. This i y. (a day) corresponds to over the East and Eastern nations are graduallyfrt. (ten days) of the preceding verse, i.e. ten coming into their own. This decline of the West

centuries or a thousand years. is too patent to be overlooked and Western

i y: also means time absolutely. In this sense political thinkers themselves realize and admitof the word the disbelievers, when they are seized it. The reader is referred to Spengler's "Declinewith Divine punishment, are depicted as saying of the West", and Toynbee's "A Study of His-that the time of their prosperity and progress tory". See also 18 : 8, 9.was but a day i.e. very short. In fact the period 2316. Important Words:of ease and comfort, however long, looks very r~li (barren and level) is derived from

tli which

short when misfortunes and miseries overtake means, he desisted, recoiled or drew back; he

a person. So this word may have been used inclined to one side while walking. t ljiJlmeans,

here in the sense of "a short time." an even place; plain or levelland that produces

2315. Important Words: nothing; plain or soft land, low and free from

JI~1 (mountains) is the plural of ~=:" (a mountain and herbage (Aqrab & Lane).

mountain). Figuratively, the word J-z=:"means, IA.,..,A.,..(level plain) is derived from ~ which

(1), chief of a tribe or community; (2) a learned means, he placed or stationed in a row. ~~

man who towers above those around him (J-z=:" ~ means, a level or an even tract of land or ground.

i.e., he is like a mountain and does not move ~ d';I signifies, a smooth and level or even

from his place); (3) a niggard; (4) a great hard- land or a waterless desert (Lane).ship or calamity (Lane & Aqrab). See also Commentary:13 : 32. The reference in the verse seems to be to the

The reference in the word JL-z~1 ( mountains) complete destruction of the material power and

here is to the powerful Christian nations resources of the Western nations. See a Isoof the West. The prophecy contained in this 18: 8, 9.

1657

CH. 20 TAHA PT. 16

108. 'Wherein thou wilt see nodepression, or elevation.'2317

109. On that day they will followthe Caller whose teaching is withoutcrookedness; and all voices shall behushed before the Gracious God andthou shalt not hear but a subduedsound offootsteps.2318

110. On that day aintercession shallnot avail any person save him inwhose case the Gracious God grantspermission and with whose word offaith He is pleased.2319

b ~ "~,, r~ ~ I""e~t,J ~~ ..",->;;~";'" 'C ( " ,,'" " '" "

.-: .~

:., ~t'" '1';~tJJt "-,I ~'J""...~.> ~ ~~]I \:)~ ~L..t

", "":""~ ~.~~~.

"'" ~@l~.~tt.jJ~(,~~~~b~'

It " ~ ,,/ " '''(:11,,,,,, .

CU8~t - ~,~.:. t . ...~~'"c.:r"

'" ~ ~~ ~~ ,, (

"tr.:\M?"~1"."" """tt~))..Y 'V l.S'JJ ,,~yl

/I 21 : 29; 78 : 39.

2317. Important Words:

G..I (elevation) is infinitive noun from .; i(amata). ~f means, he measured it; he betook

himself to it. ..;: t (amtun) means, a measure ofdistance; doubt; curvity or crookedness orunevenness; ruggedness in one place and smooth-ness in another; one part being high or moreprominent than another; an elevated place; ahil1ock, etc. (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:The allusion seems to be to the rise of

Socialism and Democracy in our own time when

great and powerful empires were to be sweptaway and there was to be a general levelling up

of the social and economic conditions of differentsections of human society. This process has

, already begun.

2318. Important Words:

L.. (subdued sound) is derived from ~(hamasa). They say u ".,aJ\ If""" i.e. he whis-pered in a subdued tone. il.kJl ~ means,he chewed the food while his mouth was shut.

~~ JIlT""" means, he narrated to me his story

in a low voice. i..\AJ4 If" means, he walked

stealthily. ~!)\ means, low or subdued voice;

or subdued sound of footsteps. L.a:. I'>':':'f <\.j'.>.:.:. imeans, I seized him with a terrible seizure

(Aqrab).

Commentary:

I.S~IJJI (the Caller) may refer to the HolyProphet or his representative or Khahfa. Theverse also alludes to the decline and ultimatedestruction of the material power of theWest and to the rise and ascendancy of Islamthrough a great Muslim Caller i.e. the PromisedMessiah.

2319. Commentary:

The words "in whose case the Gracious Godgrants permission" may apply to both the inter-cessor and the person for whom intercession ismade.

The expression "and with whose word of

faith He is pleased" refers to Muslims. Else-where the Qur'an says about the true followers of

Islam: "Allah is well pleased with them, andthey are well pleased with Him" (58 : 23). The

verse under comment means to say that at that

time Islam will be in the ascendance and allprogress and prosperity will fall to the lot of itsfollowers. Allah will be well pleased with thelT

and they will be well pleased with Him.

1658

PT. 16 TAHA CR. 20

Ill. uHe knows all that is beforethem and all that is behind them, butthey cannot compass it with theirknowledge.232()

112. And all faces shall humblethemselves before the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining God.And he shall indeed perish who bearsthe burden ojiniquity.2321

113. But he "who does good works,being a believer, will fear neitherinjustice nor loss.2322

1I4. And thus have eWe sent itdown-the Qur'an in Arabic-and Wehave explained therein every kindof warning, that they may fear Godor that it may arouse Divine remem-brance in them.2322A

0' / , y ~l~ ~"~ ? ~I ~?; ~~~0 ~ ~ I:> .J~.."..~. ..,

?

@ r~l A / ,I!'- ,"'

~ ':\J I.:)~",~ .."'-

i~'-' "r~ ' ~" .b;:~rl~/' '''''i l;/

'"U' ( 0 1o.J\>u..:s-'

~ w~.9:~ ~-'t,,;,J. 'l... 1l1'" ""

,-,::" ,e~

Y.!/~" ;9/.9;,..'�~t,,,, i/~,,,,,

~ ~~yb-,~ ~ ~.~.J

r~?< "'./ r~il!

@~~j~

~ ~~~",,,(!,..''''r~I'''~ ~!'~?"'f ~It ~?>~"' .... ..>JO-'...~U~ ~yJ ~(".\.)-'... ,

Q 'I~(-';"" 9 ,9 '''/,''-{,/ ",,-// /"\1!vLY~~~~ III~~ :-'...Lt~-:It;',~'-'

-,,,-,,~~" ".,;..!Y

a 2 : 256; 21 : 29..~--'-~--

b ]0 : 10; 16: 98; 21 : 95. r,42 : 8; 43 : 4; 46 : 13.

2320. Commentary:

The allusion in the verse seems to be to thegreat material achievements of the Western peo-ple. The words "all that is behind them" refer

to the great accomplishments that they will al-ready have made in the past and the words "thatis before them" refer to the great achievementsthey will aspire to make in the future.

232]. Commentary:

Tpe theme of the preceding verses regarding

destruction of the power of the great and power-ful Western nations and their abasement conti-nues in this verse. The verse may also signifythat these great nations will humble themselvesbefore God-they will humbly accept God's truereligion-Islam.

2322. Important Words:

L..,.io..t> (loss) is infinitive noun from r""";(haqama).

.\,j~.;":.J\

r"""means, he broke the thing.

l.;)\; ...,.io.oI>means, he wronged him and was un-t

just to him.r"""

means, wrong; loss of one'sright (Aqrab).

2322A. Commentary:

The verse purports to say that if the Westernnations wish to escape the Divine punishmentwhich they have incurred by their evil deeds,and which is in store for them; they can do soby accepting the Message of Islam and by fol-

lowing the Holy Prophet.

1659

CH. 20 TAHA PT. 16

115. aExalted then is Allah theTrue King! And be not imp~tientfor the Qur'an ere its revelation is~ompleted unt? thee, but only say,0 my Lord, Increase me in know-

ledge.'2323

116. And verily, We had made acovenant with Adam beforehand ,but he forgot, and We found in himno determination to disobey. 2324

L 7 117. And I1when We said to theangels, '~ubmit to Ad~m', and theyall submItted. But Ibhs did not. Herefused to submit. 2325

--- '--~--- -

\'~ 'citr '\~,~,

""~ ,

", I

""pI

CJ ~~.~-'~.~,~,~\~'"., .,9 ( ~ 0

~~. ...<0 1":-"';.4.9'

""~",,;

'~1o''''' "\.7>.JY.J<..P.J.)~ .s ' , .;..~ . I \':-:" ." '"

.. '-' "c:=:=;.C) ~,.~

.. -", ~"

@~"

'''''. --"",,; -'" 9-- ,...,,,,,,~'t ,~ 1:i:",.'..o/;I J1r('" '~""

;. .J>I-'~,- ~ ,...;~..), I u~ 0.iJ,'" ""

tr~'" ('"

,@y~4Ja.

16

"'-',l~I~t\"9;;;" N~II'9 "t...?iI.-~. r~:! ~ .-

U':IftI'~",'J~ ~.)~ ~w:t ~ ~,)l,,...

@ut..

--.-----------------

.., - -- - - - ~-

a 23: 117. h 2: 35; 7: 12-13; 15: 27-34; 17 : 62; 18 : 51; 38: 72-75.--~---~

2323. Commentary:

The words 0 my Lord, increase me in know-ledge show the great importance that the Qur'anattaches to the acquiremem of knowledge. Even

the Holy Prophet to whom was vouchsafedknowledge about the generations that have pass-

ed away and about those that are yet to be born

(~.J;" "'"~,-' ~-'~I ~\;. ..::.:j-,f), is taught to pray

that his knowledge may be increased. He isfurther reported to have said, "Seek knowledgethough it may be found in a country as far away

as China" ($aghlr vol. 1). Elsewhere in theQur'gn knowledge has been styled as "God's

, great grace" (2 : 270 & 4 : 114).The verse also implies that all knowledge is of

two kinds: (a) that which is vouchsafed to manthrough revelation and which has found its per-fect manifestation in the Qur'gn which is thelast and most perfect Divine teaching; (b) thatwhich man acquires by his own effort and labour.

It isthis second kind of knowledge for the acquisi-

tion of which man is enjoined in the present

verse to make ceaseless effort.

The verse also implies that the Qur'an willcome to be increasingly read and followed.

2324. Important Words:

ljJ.~>:. (We had made a covenant). J.~&.means,

he promised. .,...~1-4&. means, he knew the affair..~

-'I..r)...;J.~&.means, he guarded and fulfilled his

promise. 0'j...j JI J.~ means, he enjoined upon

him or commanded him and made it a conditionfor him (Lane & Aqrab).Commentary:

The verse shows that Adam's lapse was onlyan error of judgment on his part. It was quiteinadvertent and involuntary and not at all inten-

tional or deliberate. To err is human and man,however spiritually exalted he might be, is prone

to forgetfulness and consequently is sometimes

liable to falter.

2325. Commentary:Who was this Adam who is mentioned in

this verse and when and where he lived, is a

1660

PT. 16 TARA CR.20

pertinentquestion.Adam, who lived about6000 years ago is popularly believed to be thefirst man created by God upon this earth. Thisview is neither substantiated and proved by factsof history nor supported by the Qur'an. Thetruth is that the world has passed throughdifferent cycles of creation and civilization, andAdam, the progenitor of the present human

race, was only the first link in the present cycleand not the very first man in God's creation.There must have lived many Adams before him.Modern science has computed one million yearsas the age of human race. (Enc. Brit. 14thEdit., p. 767 ). It is not claimed that the racewhich lived before Adam was entirely swept awaybefore he was born. Most probably there hadremained a small remnant of the old race andAdam was one of them. But he himself becamer.he progenitor of a new race and the precursorof a new civilization. It is difficult to say

. whether the original inhabitants of America,Australia, etc. are the progeny of this last Adam,

or some other Adam who had gone before him.Iraq is considered by archaeologists to be theplace where Adam lived. See also 2 : 31 and7 : 12.

The expression i~-':J I-,..I~.., (submit to Adam)does not mean, "prostrate before Adam", becauseprostration before anything or being exceptGod is, according to the Qur'an, a heinous sin

. and therefore completely forbidden (41: 38).So prostration before Adam by way of worship

bei~g opposed to the express teaching of the

Qur'an. a command to that effect could never

have proceeded from God. The expression

therefore has evidently been used here in thesense of" obey Adam" or "submit to Adam"i. e. "assist him in the discharge of his greatduties." This is a Divine command whichis giv;en to the angels and through them toall men whenever a Messenger of God appears

in the world. A reference to this fact is to befound in a famous saying of the Holy Prophet.He is reported to have said: "When Godloves a person He communicates this fact to

the Arch-angel Gabriel who also begins to lovehim and proclaims in the Heavens that Godloves a certain person. Upon this all the angelsin Heaven also begin to love him. The processcontinues till the person comes to be loved byall good and righteous men on earth" (Bukhar1,

kitab bad'al-Khalq). Thus the command to theangels to submit to Adam applied to IbTis also.

Elsewhere it is expressly stated in the Qur'a;n(7 : 13) that lblis was also commanded to submit

to Adam. So there is no point in the objectionthat as only the angels were commanded tosubmit. Iblis could not have been justifiablycalled to account for not carrying out thiscommand.

~i (he refused). Iblis refused to obey Adambecause (I) he considered the teaching of Adamto be against his interests; (2) he looked uponAdam as of lower status to himself; (3) heregarded the ideals of Adam as incapable ofbeing achieved and because also (4) he led a life

of deceit and falsehood. See also 2 : 35, 36, 37.

1661

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

118. Then We said, '0 Adam,athis is an enemy to thee, and to thywife; so let him not drive you bothout of the garden, lest thou come togrief. 2326

119. 'It is provided for thee thatthou wilt not hunger therein, norwilt thou be naked.2327

120. 'And that thou wilt not thirsttherein, nor wilt thou be exposed tothe sun. '2328

.(I"'. ~I '~I "'-:\ft,,,,,~,

" ,"h-~~~.-'~J~J~ ~ ~"'~,)':! .

""''''..", ~@; ."~' d~~:,::..o..,

~'" ?'~ ""'#1 .~... ..

6/L"\~~,;j... \?J"" ,'''' ;:''Y''~'''' '" '"~~~};.-' ;.~~, ~ ,,:,,~~~ . ~~

I '-:.0 r.-:".' ' "" '" "",,.@~ 0.-' '+iP''''h'':~ ~I~I'"~ ~.J

~ ~

-

~ ~-

a 7 : 23; 18 : 51.' ----------------

~--~ ._-~--_.----~---

2326. Commentary:

:i.~~1 (the garden) does not refer to Heaven

or Paradise but only to the garden-like placewhere Adam was first made to live. The wordcannot refer to Heaven; first, because it was

on the earth that Adam was made to live, as thewords: "I am about to place a vicegerent in theearth" (2 : 31) indicate; and secondly, becauseHeaven is a place from where no one having onceentered it can ever be expelled (15 : 49), whereasAdam was compelled to leave the :i.~~, referredto in this verse. Recent archaeological resear-ches show that the place where Adam was madeto dwell was the garden of Eden which lay nearBabylon in Iraq, and which was given this nameon account of the great fertility of its soil (Ene.Brit. under "Hr"). See also 2 : 35, 36.

The Bible also lends support to this view. Itsays: "And the Lord God planted a garden east-

'ward in Eden; and there he put the man whomHe had formed" (Gen. 2 : 8).

The verse means to warn Adam that if hesuccumbed to the blandishments held out to himby Ibfis and accepted his advice, he would

become deprived of :i..:.~i.e. the life of bliss,comfort and spiritual contentment which hehad formerly enjoyed.

2327. Commentary:See next verse.

2328. Commentary:The reference in this and the preceding verse

seems to be to the amenities and comforts whichare the concomitants of civilized life. These

two verses point to the fact that to provide food,clothing and housing to its people which aretheir primary necessities of life is the first dutyof a civilized government and that a society canonly be called civilized when all its members are

provided with these necessities. Mankind willcontinue to suffer from social upheavals and themoral tone of human society will never reallyimprove unless economic inequalities of such aserious nature that some sections of society rollin wealth and others die of starvation, are doneaway with. Adam is told in these verses thathe will live in a place where amenities andnecessities of life will be adequately availableto all its inhabitants. This state of affairs hasbeen described elsewhere in the Qur'an in thewords, And eat therefrom plentifully whereveryou will (2 : 36). The verse under comment also

shows that with Adam began a new social orderand that he laid the foundations of a kingdomwhich ushered in the era of social progress ofman.

1662

PT. 16 TARA CH.20

121. But aSatan whispered evilsuggestions to him. He said, '0Adam shall I lead thee to the tree of,

.

eternity, and to a kingdom that neverdecays 1'2329

'"",?

'",

fi' '" "-.~ <ill',I: I'" u J (;:r, ::.,~, "'''' '''''-~ '-J'I' ,"\ .. ~" ..., fJl ~ ~

,.,"~ ~ " "U

, .,

~ ' ..., ""',.Ifn\ ~ ., 2S ~...~ ." 1$- ~ ., .,~

a 2 : 37; 7 : 21 .

2329. Important Words:

jth:..: (Satan) is either derived from ~ or J,~and means, (1) the being who is not only himselffar from truth but also turns others away fromit; and (2) the being who burns with hate andanger and is lost (Aqrab & Mufradi'tt). Seealso 2 : 15.

Commentary:

In common usage jlk:..z signifies (1) the evilspirit i.e. Satan; (2) anybody who greatly trans-gresses proper limits and is excessively proud

and rebellious; (3) any evil propensity or inclina-tion. jlk:.z (Satan) is a very general term and.is of much wider significance than I,)'"J:I (Ibns),for whereas lbfis is the name given to the EvilSpirit who belonged to the Jinn and refused toserve Adam, thereafter becoming the leader of

the forces of evil, jl1.:.z is any evil or harmfulbeing or thing, whether a spirit or a human

being or an animal ot a disease, etc. The Qur'anmentions ~~I and jlk~ side by side wher-ever the story of Adam is given, but everywhere

a distinction is observed between the two.Wherever the Qur'gn speaks of the being who,unli,ke the angels, refused to serve Adam, itinvariably mentions the name Ibns and wher-

ever it speaks of the being who beguiled Adamand became the means of his being turned out

of:i.~ (garden) it mentions the name" Satan:'

This distinction, which is most significant andwhich has been maintained throughout theQur'an, shows that Jbfis and Satan are two as-pects of the same being or person. When he re-fuses to believe in Adam and to submit to him,he is called Jblls but when he translates hisrefusal into action and opposes him and putsall sorts of obstacles in his way and createsdifficulties for him, he is caUed Satan. It may

further be added that 0lk:~J' mentioned in con-nection with Adam was one of his own people.

As foe ..ll;.JI °.J~ ( the tree of eternity), the

Que' an elsewhere makes mention of two 0~(trees) i.e. ~J, 0J~ (good tree) and ~:;~ 0~~(evil tree). See 14 : 25 & 27. In the Que'an pueethings are likened to the foemer and impurethings to the latter. In view of this explanation itappears that Adam was enjoined to avoid quar-

rels and useless wranglings which are calculatedto create discord and disharmony in a family,otherwise there exists in the world no such treeas "tree of eternity" the eating of whose fruitmakes a man naked or provides him with theknowledge of good and evil. The "tree>' as

mentioned in the present verse and elsewhere inthe Qur'gn was a certain family or tribe fromwhich Adam was bidden to keep aloof becausl"its members were his enemies.

1663

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

122. Then Gthey both ate thereof,so that their shame became manifestto them, and they began to coverthemselves with the leaves of thegarden. And Adam observed not thecommandment of his Lord, so his lifebecame miserab1e.233O

~~~j;(:~~~~j~~5 1"1('-' ,,,, \'... ... ...::;..., ... ( "....@f.5~~~.),~-,J~t~;J~~

"--~ '-' ~ - -~ --

-n-~---

--~

--. ~--.-

a 7 : 23; 20 : 122.

2330. Important Words:

uT~- (shame) is the plural of o,~- which isderived from ,l- which means, it was orbecame evil, foul or abominable. 0,~ means,any evil, foul or abominable saying or action or

habit or practice; any saying or action of whichone is ashamed when it appears and which onewould like to hide; any disgracing action orthing; the external portion of organs of genera-

tion of a man or of a woman; corpse or deadbody; nakedness (Lane & Aqrab). See also 7: 21.

J )J (leaves) is both singular and plural and issubstantive noun from the verb J)J (waraqa).They say ~IJ)J i.e. the tree put forth leaves.~)I J)Jf means, the man became rich. ..:;JIJ)yl ...,...:1means, thou hast a good and right.

eous progeny. J)J means, leaves, foliage; sheetof paper; the prime and freshness of a thing;the young lads of a community. It also signifiesthe beauty of the things of this world and their

resplendence (Lane & Aqrab). See also 7 : 23.

tS~ (his life became miserable) means, heerred; he deviated from the right way; he actedignorantly; he failed in his object and was dis-appointed; he was lost; his life became unplea-sant (Aqrab, Lane & Mufradat).

Commentary:

As a result of acceptance by Adam of Satan'ssuggestion a split occurred among his peoplewhich caused him much distress and mentalanguish.

~-~ --------

The words, thei;:---;j,~;--;-b~came ~~nifest~mean that the evil consequences of their lapsebegan to appear and they realized their weak-

nesses. They discovered that by acting upon

the evil suggestions of Satan, they had made agrievous mistake and had involved themselves

in great trouble. The verse does not mean thattheir weakness became known to other peoplebut that only Adam and Eve became conscious

of it.As J)J also means young lads of a community

(see under "Important Words" above) the versepurports to say that as Satan had succeeded in

causing a split in Adam's community and someof the spiritually weaker members had gone outof its fold, Adam gathered together the youth and

other righteous and good members of the com-munity and with their help began to reorganize

his people. It is generally the youth of a com-munity who first accept the teachings of a DivineMessenger because they have no preconceivedideas, prejudices and inhibitions to shed. Their

minds are like a clean slate and they find nodifficulty in accepting a teaching which appeals

to their reason and conscience. See also 7 : 23.The Bible describes Adam's lapse in the words:

"And when the woman saw that the tree wasgood for food, and that it was pleasant to theeyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,

she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, andgave also unto her husband with her; and he dideat. And the eyes of both were opened, and

-' '-

1664

PT. 16 TAHA CH. 20

123. Then his Lord chose him forHis grace, and Itturned to him withmercy and guided him.2331

124. He said, b'Go forth, both ofyou, from here, some of you beingen'emies of others. And if there comesto you guidance from Me, then whosowill follow My guidance, will not goastray, nor will he come to grief.2332

125. 'But cwhosoever will turnaway from My Reminder, his will be astrait life, and on the Day of Resurrec-tion We shaH raise him up bIind'.2333

,",, ...1,1-'" 'r'-:'~{' ~ t':" t "~~/~~ ~u"':;..u ~ .."~ , J"... .~ ..)IJ

~~/!j;~~\:~\~ ce:~~I J~\iIfI' -' 41.1'.

, . ,'"'" .

'""" )! 11

,\1 ~ ,.t"? n:, h~)I ~}' 11'=III /~"..r,..:.u~I~~ ~,HS~~~'!.

I~,,;. }'Arj;\,~'i/"

,\,.~~~ J~

~ + ~~ ''': .~:.~ ~t~ r~ I~ ..,,, ..-:"''''', ~"

,.'\J~"'''''' .)'"~W"!~ ,...A..J

"'" ", ""'",~ ,,--- '-"""-

lQ

" f4.',' iJt"'" °':.11-: -:.~~ " ..,. ~~.lS~-'

"- - -

~---_._----._--_..,--~ ---'

-- ------

It 2: 38. b 2 : 37-39; 7 : 25. C 18: 102.

-' H

they knew that they were naked; and they sewedfig leaves together, and made themselves aprons"(Gen. 3 : 6-7). Thus whereas, according to theQur'a;n, Adam hid his nakedness with 'the leaves

of the garden', which means the young lads orpious and righteous members of the community,according to the Bible he used the fig leaves

which in the language of visions also signifyrighteous and pious people. So there is no cont-radiction or incongruity between the Quranic andthe Biblical statements in this respect.

That Adam's disobedience was not deliberatebut casual and accidental is evident from v. 116above.

2331. Commentary:

The words, Then his Lord chose him, also

indicate that Adam's act of disobedience wasinadvertent and unconscious, for an act of deli-

berate disobedience could not have been foUow-ed by the great honour of his being selected byGod for His favour. The verse means to say

that when Adam realized his mistake and repent-

ed of it and sought God's forgiveness, Godtook pity on him, chose him for His grace, andrevealed to him the right plan by employingwhich he could successfully foil and defeatSatan's machinations.2332. Commentary:

The words "both of you", signify two groups

of people i.e. the followers of Adam and thefollowers of Satan. The word ~(you) and l~(all of you) also show that the verse refers not

to two persons but to two groups of persons or

parties. This is also clear from 7 : 25 where theplural number I~ I (go forth all of you) has

been used instead of ~ I (go forth both of you).It appe;us that Adam migrated from Iraq, the

land of his birth, to a neighbouring country.The emigration was perhaps a temporary one,and he must have returned to his native landnot long after. The words, a prol'ision for a

time, contain a hint about the emigration being

a temporary one.2333. Commentary:

The verse means to say that a person who con-signs God to oblivion in this life and leads

1665

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

126. He will say, 'My Lord, whyhast Thou raised me up blind, whileTpossessed sight before?'

127. God will say, 'Thus it wasto be; Our Signs came to thee and thoudidst disregard them and in like mannerwilt thou be disregarded this day'.2334

128. And thus do We recom-pense him who is extravagant andbelieves not in the Signs of his Lord;and the punishment of the Hereafteris surely severer and more lasting.2334A

(' ""~~:= I ''''t-;:~~~'''' ""', .. " J~\.i~~.. J,;)~ '-$j~~Y..J",

"",,,,,r, ~~ 1!\¥~~~,~,~it J(i"o~ , -' ""'.. ii',~!.

@~~ ,.1'

r, ~'~"''' "'''' ~""'",

,'" ~~;.

':'U.Jc"u A~ .\ I ~. . s . '"I ~

'".. .~.,j-",7.. J U..>-W' ~ ~..>=!U Jr

","

!.'1 tI J.. ~ ..'"

I ~ 1 "'-'" "@~1J~'~~Hy'~.J

a life which obstructs or impedes his spiritualdevelopment and growth and thus deprives him-

self of heavenly light will be born blind atthe time of his second birth in the after life.This will be because his soul in this life whichserves as a body for the much more spirituallydeveloped soul in the next world had become

blind on account of his having led a sinful anddepraved life in this world. This is one mean-ing of the verse.

H may have another interpretation. ;i..;;.,:A-4(life) signifies the basis of human life and it is notonly physical amenities and comforts on whichhuman life depends but other innumerable thingsalso contribute to its sustenance and to man'ssocial, moral and spiritual development. Of these

things those people who reject Divine teaching

remain deprived and thus they lead a difficultlife, full of strains and stresses. Moreover, the~phere of action of th'e rejectors of Divine teach-ing is very narrow and limited because they

have no grand and great goal before them, as itis belief in Divine attributes and the developmentby man of these attributes in his person that help

to broaden his vision. This is why the Prophetsof God and His Elect stand on a much higher

moral plane than the votaries of philosophy.

2334. Commentary:l

In answer to the disbeliever's protestation as towhy he was raised up blind while he was posses-

sed of sight in the former life, God would saythat he had become spiritually blind in that worldon account of his having led a life of disbeliefand sin, and as his soul was to serve as a body for

another much more spiritually developed soulin the after life, therefore he was born blind inthe Hereafter.

The verse possesses another interpretatiOn.As a disbeliever does not develop in himDivine attributes and remains a stranger tothem, so when on the Day of Resurrection thoseattributes will be manifested in all their splen-

dour and glory, he being stranger to them willnot be able to recognize them and thus willstand like a blind man, having had no recollec-tion or remembrance of them.2334A.. Commentary:

The verse presents some difficulty. In thepreceding three verses we are told that a disbe-

liever will be raised up blind in the Hereafter as apunishment for having turned a blind eye to

God's attributes and in this verse it is stated thatthe punishment of the Hereafter is surely severer

and more lasting, which m:ans that there will be

]666

PT. 16 TARA CH.20

129. Does it not afford guidanceto them Ghow many generations Wedestroyed before them, in whosedwe11ings they now walk. Thereinverily are Signs for those who are en-dowed with reason.2335

8 130. And bhad it not been for aword already gone forth from thyLord, and a term already fixed, imme-diate punishment would have beeninevitable.2336

~;~t~~~~~ ~,£1J 'tI.~ I ''''~h' ,.

'".~~ ~ ~~~) ,4\ ~ ,,-' . t'" .'~ ': ''t''...~ ... -?..

'"~\:J... ... ~ ~~~~~,,;~ ';II~..

l"

~

~~, Bt'"

.~~~,~r~'';t~... r~ ~,.."'.., " ~ ~,,~,, ;t'" ~~IIIi\.O~(.:)~ ~ \ ~ ~(\ ...a ~ JJ .. :.;"'" :,,'.1' tJI1 . tJI1 ."

~ -f, ...'.~~

~---

a 17 : 18; 36 : 32.. b 8 : 69; 10 : 20.

another punishment severer and more lastingthan the former punishment. What are thesetwo punishments of the Hereafter? This diffi-culty is solved by vv. 2 : 167 and 6: 95 whereinit is stated that when disbelievers will be disown-ed by their false gods and will be left alone, thefalsity of their beliefs will dawn on them andconsequently their remorse and frustration will bebitter in the extreme. That bitter realizationwill constitute the first punishment and the tor-ment of Hell will form the second and severerpunishment.2335. Commentary:

The verse embo:lies a perpetual warning forthe deniers of Divine Messengers that they willultimately come to grief. It is an invariable andimmutable Divine law that rejection of Divineteaching lands the rejectors in utter ruin and des-truction.2336. Important Words :

L,) (inevitable) is derived from r;l. They

say ".;1 i.e. it necessarily or inseparably

belonged to it, clove or adhered to him or it.i/~Ir) means, the affaIr became incumbentupon him. ~~ ".)1 means, he obliged him todo or endure a thing or He (God) decreed orordained to him a thing; he made a thingcleave to him or he made him to cleave to athing. (..1) means, death; reckoning; such ascleaves fast; a thing inseparable; decision in acase (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The reference in the words, a word alreadygone forth, is to the Divine declaration containedin the verse "My mercy encompasses all things"(7 : 157) i.e. God in His infallible wisdom hasdecreed that His attribute of mercy will continueto transcend all His other attributes. Or thereference may be to the verse "And Allah wouldnot punish them while thou wast amongstthem" (8 : 34). In this case the words "a termalready fixed" refer to the battle of Badr.

1667

CH.20 TAHA PT. 16

131. Bear patiently then whatthey say, and Gglorify thy Lord withHis praise before the rising of the sunand before its setting; and glorify Himin the hours of the night and at thesides of the day, that thou mayest findtrue happiness.2337

132. And bstrain not thine eyesafter what We have bestowed onsome classes of them to enjoy for ashort time-the splendour of thepresent world-that We may try themthereby. And the provision of thyLord is better and more lasting.2338

a 17 : 79-80: 30: 18-19; 50 : 40-41. . b 15 : 89; 26 : 206-208; 28: 61-62.

~ ~-- -~-

~-------------

~~'~f!~' ~it'Vf' ~~' ,r;.. .~ , !.. . -' <:).Y.. ~. \.0 ~\.t~ ~ ~

-:.-

.IJ,,~ \'..,~,~r~. 'J'-~;;'",u .~~" ~'~ ~ '..0~ "'ir.-'~~ -' ~i... ~

I ","", ;II!'4r)~~ ~~\61tt j(rf.; 6~~

'"~ ;,

,'!" r~r':(; (~~~~r, ~\~'~' '" -:: -:'.9(. """~ ~.JJ.J' ~ 10~,:Ls ~ ~~ ,,\1.

if' , .. ,-:J"""

~I..,t~ ""~.,~~~ "~r;..'~" .. ,,,,,,

, ""''''~jUjj" ~ ."'. ~Ww i.':". ....""

~.."" "",.. ...~ ZS~j

{:;}, .\''''t' t9.,,,-

~(,/-! j~

2337. Important Words:

.l;\ (hours) is the plural of JI (inyun) and J!(inan) and JJ ( anyun ). All these are derived

from Jf (ana) which means, its time came; itwas or became or drew near; it attained to itsfull state. Jl (inyun) means, an hour or a shortportion of time, or an indefinite time; a time of

the night; any hour of the mght. J:lJ Ill" Jlu""""

means, a time of the night passed (Lane &Aqrab ).

";1).\ is the plural of ";}> and means, sidesof the day; parts of the day (Aqrab).

Commentary:

Some Commentators of the Qur'a:n are of theview that by the glorification of God at the hours,mentioned in the verse are meant the hours of

the five daily Prayers; the words "before therising of the sun" signifying the morning Prayer;

and the words "before its setting" the late after-noon ( 'A~r ) Prayer; and the expression "and

glorify Him in the hours of the night" signifyingthe evening (Maghrib) and night Prayer ('Isha),while the words "at the sides of the day" signify-

ing afternoon (Zuhr) Prayer. But whatever the

words of the verse may mean it is quite clearthat in order to obtain success in life and satis-faction of the mind it is very essential to re-

member God and glorify Him. God's constantremembrance is specifically suited to illuminethe soul and to bring about peace of mind.

2338. Important Words ~

;;~ j (splendour) is noun-infinitive from./' j

which means, it shone or glistened; it gave lightor shone brightly; it was clear in colour; he was

or became beautiful. l::;..\J\;;.1"j means, the beautyand splendour of the present world or life; theabundance of its goods or comforts; its goods,finery or beauty and splendour(Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

All international jealousies and rivalries which

result in wars and consequently in much humanmisery and bloodshed are the result, direct or

indirect, of a mad hunger for material wealth

and physical comforts. Muslims are warnednot to cast covetous looks on the wealth andriches of other people and not to think that the

acceptance of Islam by the wealthy people only

1668

PT. 16~

--~_.

133. And ltenjoin Prayer on thypeople, and be constant therein. Weask thee not for provision; it is Wethat provide for thee. And the endis for righteousness.2339

134. And they say, 'Why does henot bring us a Sign from his Lord?'Has there not come to them the clearevidence of what is contained in theformer Books ?2340

135. And if We had destroyedthem with a punishment beforethe coming of this Messenger, theywould have surely said, b'Our Lord,wherefore didst Thou not send to us aMessenger that we might have followedThy commandments before we werehumbled and disgraced?'

rA.HA. CH. 20

~j J,r~;t" 'It~ 't" 8"1\"'",-,~.~II~t "i"~~)'!'~~~'jA~

~~ ~.r..~,11.&~I!:'-''''' p'-'. [ot.'@,-, """ .jbJ ~ IbJj~ ~ -\ij) ,

, .

"..

ff. .. NJ.'" "r r.. '_r.. .." ... ?r~~~'t I (jj .~~.. u ~u ~''J,tti'~'"

"", .;01J 1;. ,,,~~:, .."''' ~..:; ~ .J,

~"r~t~',; ro~~ ~", ~ ..'"

[7" t/t~ ~ .' ~ u,~ " ~" t%"' ,,t ...

.'.J ~ I",. ~ ~ ,,~e ~..Y.J

J:i! ~t"" -:~~~ "" ~t .::fII,"( :"

. ~ ".. ~ .J~..J .." ~.J' ~jJ. ,,,

" J"'" ,...@<S~J ~~t

~ ---.--

a 19 : 56; 33 : 34. it 2R : 48.

will add to its glory and power and will accelerateits progress. On the contrary, material wealth

will prove a source of great affliction and distress

for nations hankering after it. In fact madcompetition for the acquisition of wealth hasbrought an the misery to the world. Rivalriesamong Western nations know no end and theyhave already caused two highly destructive warsand there is no knowing when humanity is to be(hrown into the vortex of a third war, far moredestructive than its two predecessors.

2339. Commentary:

The verse draws attention (0 (he fact thatobservance of Prayers is the key to all success in

life and to moral and spiritual food. Prayer, infact, is the true and real spiritual favour thatGod has bestowed upon man, if only he knew it.

2340. Important Words:

~There means a great Sign or the Sign ofpunishment. See also 2 : 130 & 19 : 11.

Commentary :

The words, Has there not come to them clearevidence of what is contained in the former Books,may mean: (I) is not the argument sufficient toconvince them that in the times of formerProphets also disbelievers continued to demandSigns in spite of many Signs having beenshown to them and that this fact is recorded in

the former Scriptures; (2) does not the factconstitute a sufficient guide to them that the pro-phecies made in the former Scriptures about theadvent of a great Prophet are being fulfilled inthe person of the Holy Prophet; and (3) is notthe fact sufficient to convince them that similarSigns have been shown to them as were shownin the times of the former Prophets?

1669

CH.20 TARA

136. Say, 'Each one is waiting;wait ye, therefore, and you will knowwho are the people of the right pathand who follow true guidance.'2341

PT. 16

I' ~ I.?:A"'"f\'~1..- , ~,~"'~-: tj .",,,,' ~, .,~- v CJ~"'~"p~..,,:J ~ J;

t'''''(D\S~'i';~~'~J>.9J' t

I.

2341. Commentary:

The verse means to say that believers are wait-ing, and disbeJievers should also wait, and time

1670

itself will show as to who achieves success andwho meets with failure and comes to grief.

CHAPTER 21AL -ANBIY A'

(Revealed before Hijra)

Time of Revelation

It can be stated without fear of contradiction that this is a Meccan Sura, having been reveal-ed very early in the Holy Prophet's ministry. According to Imam Sayutl only the 7th verse be-longs to the Medinite period (Jtq:in). Wherry, however, says that the Sura was revealed in the9th year of the Call. He bases his assumption on the fact that the Sura dwells at some length uponthe opposition and hostility of disbelievers to the cause of truth which according to him developedand stiffened towards the later years of the Meccan life. Wherry's inference is not based onfacts. This is like saying that because there is a mention in Sura AI-Ral;1man of the joining to-gether of the Mediterranean and the Red Seas and of the plying of big steamships in these twoseas and because these events took place towards the later half of the 19th century, therefore,Sura AI-Ral}man was revealed in that century.

The testimony of the Companions of the Holy Prophet before whose very eyes this Surawas revealed affords most dependable evidence about the time of its revelation. Several of them,'Abdullah bin Mas'ud being most prominent among them, have testified to its having been revealedbefore the 5th year of the Call. 'AbduIlahhas stated that Suras Kahf, Maryam, Taha and Anbiya'were revealed very early in the Prophet's ministry and that he had learned them by heart (Bukhan).As 'Abdullah was a very distinguished and prominent Muslim and an early convert to the newFaith, his testimony must necessarily carry great weight and these Suras must be taken to have

been revealed very early.

Moreover, some parts of SUra Maryam were recited before the Negus in the first few days

of the emigration to Abyssinia and as that emigration admittedly took place in the beginning of the5th year of the Call, therefore the above-mentioned Suras i.e. Kahf, Maryam and Tana along withthe present Sura, must have been revealed before that time. So the fact is established beyond anyreasonable doubt that this Sura was revealed before the 5th year of the Call and that Wherry'sassertion possesses no foundation in fact. But why in the face of historical evidence of such unim-peachable integrity he should have persuaded himself to hold such an untenable view, passes ourcomprehension. It evidently seems to be the result of blind prejudice or at best of crass ignorance.

Arrangement of the Sura

In the existing arrangement of the Qur'an this Sura finds a place after Taha. Its iIilmediateconnection with Taha consists in the fact that towards the end of that Sura it was stated that Divinepunishment would overtake disbelievers at its appointed time, i.e. when the truth ofIslam would

1671

have been brought home to them and they would have persisted in rejecting it and perseclIting theHoly Prophet and his followers. The Prophet was enjoined to bear the opposition and persecution

of disbelievers patiently and with fortitude. In continuation ofthis subject the present Sura openswith a warning to disbelievers that the time of their punishment has already arrived and that they

will now have to render an account of their actions, but they still continue to wander in the wilder-ness of heedlessness and disbelief. Thus the subject that disbelievers will suffer punishment forrejection of truth, to which reference was made towards the end of the preceding Sura, has beencarried forward in the present Sura.

This is the immediate connection of this Sura with Taha. But it is the subject-matter as a

whole which, in fact, constitutes; the real connecting link between the present Sura and some of itspredecessors. In Sura Maryam some false Christian doctrines were repudiated and rebutted, I'iz.,that Jesus possessed Divine attributes, that he had abrogated the Law and had declared it to be acurse and that salvation depended not on good works bm upon Atonement. These false beliefs hadled Christians astray. In Sura Taha a detailed account of Moses was given in order to refutethese false doctrines. The Christians were told that Christianity was but a iink in the MosaicDispensation, and Moses's circumstances constituted a flat repudiation of their doctrines. Hiswhole pride lay in the fact that he was a Law-giving Prophet. If the Law was a curse, then,according to Christian belief, Moses, instead of having been made an object of respect and pride,should have been condemned and denounced. After this, Sura Taha gave a brief account of thelapse suffered by Adam and thus traced the Christian theory of the original sin to its very root and

then repudiated and rebutted it. It was made clear in that Sura that sin formed no part of theheritage of man and that he is punished only for his own trespasses and offences which he

should try to get rid of. Next, it was stated that if it was not possible for man to get rid of sin,then the very purpose of Divine punishment is defeated and God's Prophets and His Messen-gers, instead of holding out warnings, should have given him the comforting message that being

a mere creature of circumstances and possessing no volition or discretion he wiB not be called toaccount for his actions.

The same subject has been enlarged and expanded in the present Sura and the lesson is drivenhome that the enemies not of one Prophet but those of all Messengers of God, from Adam toJesus and from Jesus up to the Holy Prophet Mu]:l.ammed, were punished for their wicked deedsand the righteous rewarded for their good actions. If man had inherited sin and if he could notshed it, then there was no sense or justification in punishing the sinners and rewarding therighteous. So the dogma of inherited sin is a baseless invention.

Summary of Subject-Matter

The Sura opens with a warning to disbelievers that Divine punishment is fast approachingbut they are deluding themselves into a false sense of security. There never came into the worlda Divine Messenger who was not jeered and scoffed at. But out of sympathy with and solicitude

for the spiritual well-being oftheir peoples the Prophets of God invited them to accept truth and besaved. If sin formed a part of man's heritage, then of what avail was this invitation? The Sura

1672

then proceeds to cite some objections of disbelievers, one hackneyed and common-place amongthem being that the Holy Prophet is an ordinary human heing. Another is that his talk is alluringand enticing. A third one is that he sees confused dreams and calls them Divine revelations aneven goes !;o far as to forge lies, and dresses glib lies into elegant poetry and thus seeks to deceivepeople, while the fourth objection is that ifhe is a Messenger of God, he should, like the Prophets

of yore, bring down Divine punishment upon them. To all these objections the Qur'an returnthe one very effective answer that the Holy Prophet is no novelty among Divine Messengers. Likethem he is but a man and like them he will succeed and like their enemies his enemies will come togrief.

After this disbelievers are asked to consider, what new burden the Qur'an imposes upon themthat they are bent upon rejecting its Message. Its primary object is to exalt and raise them tomoral eminence. As it is God's own revealed Word, its rejectors will not escape punishment. TheSura then goes on to ask dishelievers whether they have ever given the idea their serious considera-

tion that an All-Knowing and Wise God could not have created the universe without a greatand grim purpose, and that its creation was intended to serve a noble and sublime object and thatthose who stand in the way of its fulfilment are bound to fail.

Next, the Sura deals with the all-important subject of the Unity and Oneness of God whichforms the basic and most fundamental belief of all religions. When one uniform law, the Qur'ansays again and again, pervades and governs the whole universe, how can the polythdsts justify

Shirk (belief in the plurality of gods)? Belief in the plurality of gods implies disagreement on theirpart in regard to the management and control of the universe and as evidently there exists no

such disagreement, and on the contrary there is perfect order in it, there should be only oneCreator and Controller of the whole universe. And why should God have a son ?- the Qur'anfurther asks, and proceeds to reply that a son is needed only when the father is likely to fall

victim to decay or death or when he cannot perform his work single-handed and unassisted. Butall such notions about God are blasphemous and unfounded and those whom the polytheistsassociate with God as partners are themselves subject to Divine laws.

After this the Sura points to another Divine law which is to the effect that when darkness

enshrouds the entire face of the earth and the world suffers from a dearth of righteous men, Godopens the gates of His mercy upon mankind and Heavenly Water, in the form of Divine revelation,descends upon earth and gives new life to a world steeped in sin and iniquity. The phenomenon of

the. alternation of light and darkness in the spiritual realm corresponds to a similar phenomenon inthe physical world where day and night follow each other. Sometimes it is the sun that brightensand gives warmth to the world, at another time it is the moon that shines at night. Similarly, at

one time corruption and moral turpitude reign supreme in the world, at another it is righteousnessthat predominates. Let not this alternating predominance of spiritual darkness and light in theworld delude one into the belief that the creation of the universe has failed in its object. On thecontrary, this fact rather points to a striking resemblance that exists between the physical and thespiritual worlds. Thus the presence of sin in the world does not justify the invention of the dogmaof Atonement. This dogma. in fact, is the product of another equally false idea that the system

1673

of prophethood has failed. The fact, however, is that the spiritual world has undergone no changeafter Jesus; neither has goodness increased nor has corruption dec1ined. The Prophets of Godcorne and go. All of them tasted death and so did Jesus and the Holy Prophet MUQammad, andso the world goes on. As the setting of the sun causes no dislocation or derangement in thephysical world, so does the death of a Prophet of God cause no disorder in the spiritual world.Every person, and for that matter every Prophet and Messenger of God, has a certain mission in

life which he fulfils and then he goes the way of all flesh. The real chain that binds and sustainsthe entire universe is Almighty God Who is completely immune from death or decay.

Next, the Sura drives home the argument that it is foolish on the part of disbelievers toreject the Holy Prophet on the plea that he is but an ordinary man. They do not try to understand

this simple fact that it is not so much the status and position of the bearer of the Qur'iin that mat-ters. What really matters is that it is God Himself Who has sent him with His Message andWho can and will punish disbelievers in this life and even after death. But as He is slow topunish, the ignorant people fall a victim to false pride and heedlessness on that account. Theyare warned to read the writing on the wall and fear Divine punishment, as their repenting andmaking amends will prove of no avail when it actually overtook them.

In order to show that the cause of the Holy Prophet will prevail the Sura cites the examplesof some former Prophets. Moses, who was stated to be like him (Deut. 18:18) was one of them.The Jews accepted his Message and found salvation and became a great nation. If they needed nobelief in Atonement for salvation, why should those to whom the Holy Prophet has addressed hisMessage need it when this Message is in every respect more comprehensive than were Moses's tea-

chings and has a much wider appeal and comprises all that was best and enduring in the teachings

of all former Prophets? Another Prophet was the Patriarch Abraham. He was Jesus's ancestor.He came before Moses. He also warned his people against setting up equals to God. God gavehim spiritual light and bestowed upon him the inheritance of a country and he was blessed with anoble son like Isaac and a great grandson like Jacob and all of them were pious and righteousmen. And before Abraham had come Noah who also had succeeded in his mission and his

enemies also were destroyed. Then there was David, Jesus's great progenitor. He, too, enjoyed avery high spiritual status. So did his son, the Prophet Solomon. All these great Prophets ofGod attained their high spiritual status and the pleasure of God without be1ieving in Atonement.Similarly, Job suffered much in the cause of God and so did Ishmael and Idris and Dhu'l-Kifl

and the Prophet Dhu'l-Nun who bore a close resemblance with Jesus. Then there was Zacha-riah and his son, the Prophet Yal}.ya. All these chosen servants of God like Jesus were models ofnoble and righteous conduct and like him they suffered great hardships and privations in the wayof God. Then why of all these Prophets Jesus alone should be regarded as son of God and notthey?

After the account of these Prophets mention is made of Jesus and his mother, Mary, who

became widely known and highly respected. Their circumstances were in no way different from

those of the noble Prophets of God mentioned above. Even the unusual birth of Jesus entitled

1674

him to no special spiritual status. The birth of Yal)ya had also taken place in very exceptional

circumstances. If Jesus was born without the agency of a human father, Yabya's birth took

place when his father had reached an extreme old age and his mother had become barren and was

quite unfit to give birth to a child. Similarly, Jesus's suffering in the cause of truth was no novel

thing. Whereas he was only hung on the Cross but taken down alive, Yal)ya suffered actual deathfor the sake of God. Then why should only Jesus's death atone for the sins of mankind and notthat of Yal)ya?

Towards the end the Sura points to the phenomenal rise and great material might and dazz-ling prosperity, progress and power of Gog and Magog-Christian nations of the West. Whenthese nations, it proceeds to say, will have spread all over the world and have occupied every posi-tion of power and eminence, and when other nations of the world will have bowed down to themin submission and have paid homage to them, then will the promise about their ultimate destruc-tion be fulfilled. Divine punishment will come down upon them so sudden and swift that theywill be taken completely by surprise. All their handiworks, the source and cause of their pride,and all their pomp, glory and grandeur will be destroyed and reduced to ashes and dust.

The Sura ends on the note that the Holy Prophet has been sent as a mercy of God that hemay save mankind from the curse of Atonement and may open for the sinners the gates of redemp-tion and Divine Mercy through repentance and Divine Grace and that he may proclaim Unity ofGod to the whole world and may warn disbelievers of the great punishment that is in store forthem.

1675