الم  اللّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ  نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَأَنزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنجِيلَ  مِن قَبْلُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَنزَلَ الْفُرْقَانَ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَاللّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انتِقَامٍ  إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَخْفَىَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلاَ فِي السَّمَاء  هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَوِّرُكُمْ فِي الأَرْحَامِ كَيْفَ يَشَاء لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (٣: ١-٦)

هُوَ الَّذِيَ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُّحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ في قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاء الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاء تَأْوِيلِهِ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلاَّ أُوْلُواْ الألْبَابِ  رَبَّنَا لاَ تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ  رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ النَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ (٣: ٧-٩)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَن تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُهُم مِّنَ اللّهِ شَيْئًا وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمْ وَقُودُ النَّارِ  كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُواْ بِآيَاتِنَا فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَاللّهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ  (٣: ١٠-١٣)

قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ سَتُغْلَبُونَ وَتُحْشَرُونَ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ  قَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ آيَةٌ فِي فِئَتَيْنِ الْتَقَتَا فِئَةٌ تُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَأُخْرَى كَافِرَةٌ يَرَوْنَهُم مِّثْلَيْهِمْ رَأْيَ الْعَيْنِ وَاللّهُ يُؤَيِّدُ بِنَصْرِهِ مَن يَشَاء إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لَّأُوْلِي الأَبْصَارِ (٣: ١٢-١٣)

زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاء وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالأَنْعَامِ وَالْحَرْثِ ذَلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاللّهُ عِندَهُ حُسْنُ الْمَآبِ  قُلْ أَؤُنَبِّئُكُم بِخَيْرٍ مِّن ذَلِكُمْ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَأَزْوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ  الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ  الصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْمُنفِقِينَ وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالأَسْحَارِ (٣: ١٤-١٧)

شَهِدَ اللّهُ أَنَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ وَالْمَلاَئِكَةُ وَأُوْلُواْ الْعِلْمِ قَآئِمَاً بِالْقِسْطِ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (١٨)

إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُ وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِتَابَ إِلاَّ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ فَإِنَّ اللّهِ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ  فَإنْ حَآجُّوكَ فَقُلْ أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلّهِ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِ وَقُل لِّلَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِت َابَ وَالأُمِّيِّينَ أَأَسْلَمْتُمْ فَإِنْ

أَسْلَمُواْ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَواْ وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلاَغُ وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ (٣: ١٠-٢٠)

This is Sūrah Alif Lām Mīm.1 God is the one besides whom there is no god, the living, the one who keeps others in existence.2 [After putting people through trials, He cannot become indifferent to them; therefore] He has revealed to you the Book as the decisive truth, in confirmation of the scriptures which preceded it; and before it He had already revealed the Torah and the Gospel as guidance for mankind, and now He has revealed this Furqān.3 [These are the verses of God and] those who deliberately deny them shall be severely punished, and God is mighty and [from such people] He is One Who takes revenge. [This is because] nothing on earth or in the sky is hidden from God. It is He who makes your faces in your mothers’ wombs as He pleases. There is no god but Him. He is the Mighty, the Wise One.4 (1-6)

It is He5 who has revealed to you the Book. Some of its verses are muhkam – they are the foundation of the Book6 – and others mutashābih.7 Then those in whose hearts are warped8 always go after the mutashābih among them in order to create dissension and in order to know their reality9 even though no one except God knows their reality.10 [On the other hand,] those who are well-grounded in knowledge11 say: “We believe in them: all this has come from our Lord.” And [in reality] only men of understanding take heed from them.12 [They say:] Lord, do not cause our hearts to go astray after You have guided us. Grant us mercy through Your own grace; You are the munificent Giver. Lord, You will surely gather all mankind in a day that will indubitably come. Indeed, God does not break His promises.13 (7-9)

The wealth and children of the disbelievers [of this Book] will be of no avail to them.14 They shall become the fuel of Hell. Their matter is similar to the Pharaoh’s people and those before them.15 They denied Our revelations; so God seized them because of their sin and in reality God is stern in retribution.16  (10-11)

Tell these disbelievers: “Soon you too shall be vanquished [similarly] and [after this] driven towards Hell and what an evil resting place it is.” And [if you feel any doubt in what We have said then] there indeed is a sign for you in the two groups which met [on the battlefield].17 One [was of the believers and] was fighting for the cause of God, the other of the disbelievers [which was fighting for the cause of Satan].18 They [in the battlefield of Badr] openly saw that they were twice their own number.19 [In reality] God [in a similar manner] helps with His aid whom He pleases. Surely in this there is a lesson for men of vision.20 (12-13)

Men [who are deprived of this vision] are tempted21 by the lure of women and sons, of treasures of gold and silver,22 of marked horses,23 cattle, and plantations. These are the enjoyments of this life,24 but a better abode is with God. Tell them: “Shall I tell you what is better than these things?25 For the God-fearing there are gardens with their Lord below which rivers flow; they shall dwell in them forever and chaste wives and [most of all] the pleasure of God.” 26 And [there is no doubt in the fact that] God is watching these servants of His,27 these who pray:28 “Lord, we have professed faith; so forgive us our sins and save us from the torment of the Fire”; these who are patient29, sincere, obedient, who spend in the way of God and who implore for forgiveness at the break of day.30 (14-17)

God, His angels and all the bearers of true knowledge [in this world] bear witness31 that there is no god but Him, He adheres to justice32, there is no god but Him, the Mighty, the Wise.33 (18)

[If this is a fact, then there is no doubt that] the only true faith in God’s sight is Islam [because only Islam calls upon man to profess faith in God in this manner] and to whom the Book was given disagreed among themselves merely because of mutual squabble, only after the reality of this knowledge [about these testimonies] came to them from God.34 [This is open denial] and those who deny God’s revelations in this manner [should know that] swift is God in taking account. So, if they clash with you, say: “I and those who follow me have submitted to God.”35 And ask the People of the Book and these unlettered36 [among the Ishmaelites]:  “Do you also similarly submit to God?” If they do, they shall be rightly guided and if they turn away, then your only duty is to communicate to them. God is watching over His servants.37 (19-20)

(Translated from Ghāmidī’s al-Bayān by Shehzad Saleem)

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1. Like Sūrah Baqarah, the name of this sūrah also is Alif Lām īm. The reason for this is that both sūrahs form a pair with regard to their subject matter. What is the meaning of this name? We have already answered this question whilst explaining the first verse of Sūrah Baqarah.

2. The Arabic word used is الْقَيُّومُ. This refers to the being who not only exists on its own accord but also is instrumental in keeping others in existence. By mentioning the attribute of الْحَيُّ before it, the Qur’ān has negated the existence of all deities who are neither alive nor are able to give life to others and nor are able to exist on their own accord and are incapable of keeping others in existence and in fact are dependent on a being who is living and is instrumental in keeping others in existence.

3. The implication is that when He is also whom people worship and is also living and instrumental in keeping others in existence, then how is it possible that He send them in this world and then not guide them in matters of good and evil. Consequently, to resolve the differences of people and take them out from their desolate darkness, He has revealed this Light.

4. The implication is that when He is witnessing their arrogance and rebellious behaviour and He alone is worshipped by them and is capable of seeking revenge from them and as a Wise Being it is also the requisite of His wisdom to make such criminals meet their fate, then it is essential that He take revenge from them. If He does not do so, it would mean that He is not watching over them or that He is not the only God or that He has delegated some affairs of the world to others or that He is helpless to seize such criminals or that He is a merry-maker who is entertaining Himself by equating good and evil at the same level.

5. The implication is that the mighty and wise God and the God Who is living and instrumental in keeping others in existence should reveal a book and then punish those who reject it after being communicated the truth to such an extent that they are not able to deny it.

6. The word muhkam here is used in parallel to the word mutashābih. Muhkam verses are ones in which such facts are stated that are possible to be understood by man, which are not beyond his knowledge and intellect and the capability of divulging whose meaning is ingrained in him. Most verses of the Qur’ān are of this sort and on them it is based. For this very reason, the Qur’ān has called them umm al-kitāb, which means the real foundation of the book.

7. Mutashābih verses are ones in which the blessings and torments of the Hereafter are mentioned in the form of similes and parables or state the attributes and actions of God or mention something which is beyond the grasp of our knowledge and observation like God blowing His spirit into Adam, birth of Jesus (sws) without a father or the various places and circumstances one may encounter in Paradise and Hell. All things for which words have not yet been invented can only be stated through parables and similes. The facts of an unknown world are stated through these very means in the literature of all languages of the world. For example, two hundred years ago, if a person had foreknowledge of electricity bulbs but at that time they had not been invented, he would perhaps have said: Lanterns which would neither require oil nor fire will one day light up the world. The nature of mutashābih verses is no different. Neither are they unascertainable nor is there any ambiguity in their meaning. They are set in eloquent Arabic, and we are able to understand their meaning without any difficulty. The only thing is that we are not able to understand what they imply in real life. However, since this lack of understanding has nothing to do with understanding the Qur’ān, a believer should not get after determining what they imply. While explaining this, Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

The reality to which these [mutashābihāt] point is itself very clear and obvious. Human intellect can understand that part of it which is essential for it to understand. However, since it belongs to an unseen world, the Qur’ān mentions it through parables and similes so that students of the Qur’ān can understand it as per their capabilities and consider that only God knows what their real form and shape is. These [mutash#bihāt] relate to attributes and works of God or to the reward and punishment of the Hereafter. We are able to understand them to the extent we need to understand them, and this increases our knowledge and faith but if we go beyond this and start to seek what is their real form and shape, then this will only lead us astray. The result of this is that while wanting to clear one doubt from the mind, a person ends up gathering many more; so much so, in this quest to know more he loses what he had gained and refutes very clear facts just because he is not able to ascertain their form and shape. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 25-26.)

8. The Arabic word used is زَيْغٌ. It means “to be inclined” and “to bend”. While explaining this, Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

This word simultaneously has two meanings: “to be warped” and “to bend”. When something which is standing bends, it comes near to falling down. This state is the opposite state depicted in this verse by the words: الرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ (the well-grounded in knowledge).

زَيْغٌ though is a very common malady with which people who have gone astray are afflicted, the People of the Book were deeply struck with it. The history of the Jews bear witness that they have been incriminated with it from the very beginning and the aspect which makes the matter very grave is that they were involved in it in the presence of their prophet. Consequently, this is the very reason that they earned the wrath of God. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 30.)

9. This is a reference to the misguided attitude of the Jews and Christians. A study of their history shows that the Jews were more interested in creating mischief and the Christians in wanting to know what exactly the mutashābih verses point to. In the words of Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī since these two forms of misguidance and error are common to all misguided people of the world, the Qur’ān has mentioned them in a general way so that the discourse is all-embracing and not merely refers to the Jews and Christians. However, people who appreciate the style of the Qur’ān would very well know its insinuation.

10. It should remain clear about this verse that the Almighty has not said that no one except Him knows the meaning of the mutashābihāt verses; on the contrary, He says that no one knows the form and manifestation of what is conveyed in these verses. The Qur’ānic word used is tā’wīl and it is used in the same meaning here as it is in the following verses: وَقَالَ يَا أَبَتِ هَـذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُؤْيَايَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّي حَقًّا (١٠٠:١٢)  (And Joseph said: “Father, this is the manifestation of my dream I saw earlier; my Lord has made it a reality.” (12:100)). Everyone knows the meanings in which this dream is stated in the Qur’ān. Even an ordinary student of this Book understands without any difficulty the meaning of the verse (12:4) in which this dream is mentioned. However, the true manifestation of the sun, the moon and the eleven stars bowing before Joseph (sws) could only have been ascertained by a person once these words manifested themselves in reality. These are the things which the Qur’ān calls mutashābih, and as people contend, they do not mean something which is ambiguous and vague so that the mutashābihāt may in any way undermine the status of the Qur’ān as the furqān and the mīzān.

11. These are the people whose hearts have not been perverted, who recognize human limits and accordingly determine the bounds of their knowledge.

12. The implication is that men of sound knowledge regard both the muhkam and the mutashābih verses to be blessings of God and profess equal faith in both. The reason is that they are men of intellect and use their intellect in the right manner.

13. In fact, it is their certitude in the promises of God which saves them from every deviation and makes them persevere on the right path and as a result becomes a means for their soundness in knowledge.

14. Here the real malady with which these rejecters are inflicted with is referred to: in reality, it is their love for wealth and children which is stopping them from submitting before the facts presented by the Qur’ān; however, to conceal this aspect they go after the mutashābihāt and try to raise objections in them so that their weakness remains hidden.

15. The Arabic words are: كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ. The real construction of this clause is: كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ دَأبُهُمْ and has been translated thus.

16. The Arabic words are: شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ. They convey two meanings: firstly, a punishment is in retribution of deeds and secondly, like physical laws, the moral laws of the Almighty too necessarily produce results. The only difference is that a day has been fixed wherein the results of the latter will manifest and the results of physical laws generally manifest immediately in this world.

17. A sign that the truth will triumph and those who have rejected the Qur’ān shall necessarily be vanquished in this world. The way divine help came in the battle of Badr made this aspect very obvious to the addressees of the Qur’ān. The reason was that the Jews had already witnessed the advent of such divine help in the battle fought by their prophet Saul (sws) and Christians in the revelations of John the Divine had already read the predictions of the advent of Muhammad (sws) and the Quraysh themselves had fought the battle of Badr while regarding it to be a means to decide who is on the right path.

18. In this verse, parallel clauses and sentences have been suppressed as per the linguistic principles of Arabic. If these are unfolded, the whole discourse would be something like: فِئَةٌ مُؤْمِنَةٌ تُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَأُخْرَى كَافِرَةٌ تُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيْلِ الطَّاغُوْتِ. In the first part of the sentence, the word مُؤْمِنَةٌ is suppressed as is evidenced by the word كَافِرَةٌ in its parallel clause and in the second part the words تُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيْلِ الطَّاغُوْتِ are suppressed as is evidenced by the words  تُقَاتِلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ in its parallel clause.

19. Consequently, this became a means of over-awing the Quraysh and, as a result, of their defeat. Obviously, this incident happened when after the battle had started the help of the angels arrived and as a result of their participation an army of three hundred and thirteen soldiers was suddenly seemed to be composed of two thousand combatants which was twice as many the army of the attackers. On these very grounds, the Qur’ān has called this a sign of God and has specially emphasized the fact that the disbelievers saw it from their eyes in the very manner they saw the outstretched field of Badr.

Here it needs to remain in consideration that the incident mentioned in Sūrah Anfāl as per which both armies seemed much less in number to each other belonged to the time when the battle just started and the Almighty has stated the wisdom behind it there. Hence there is no contradiction between these two statements of the Qur’ān.

20. Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

The greatest difference between a wise and foolish person is that whilst the latter cannot view things beyond his nose, the former is able to see a whole array of facts if he is merely sounded a reminder or shown a small sign or given a trivial hint. If one door is opened, he is able to acquire the keys of the next. Such people are called men of vision because their eyes don’t merely see, they are also visionary and have the ability to make them see a whole in a part and an ocean in a drop of water. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 40.)

21. The Arabic words used are زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ. This is not a comment on mere proclivity towards wealth, women or children because this is a requisite of man’s nature; it is actually a mention of they being a source of enticement. Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

Tazyīn (enticement) here means that something becomes so luring to the eyes that a person begins to see everything in its light. So much so, it becomes impossible for him to see anything independently. He regards it to be the barometer to judge every other thing. Such a potent proclivity towards a thing is obviously against the desire of the Almighty. As a result of this attitude, great imbalances result in life which derail a person from following the straight path of the sharī‘ah and that of his own nature. This is in fact a state of ill-health which results from poor vision and disrespect for the rules set by God or in other words from lack of God-consciousness. The real causes for this are Satan and man’s base desires. These desires exceed their natural bounds and then Satan sugar coats these desires to such an extent that a person is not able to see anything beyond them. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 40.)

Similarly, while explaining the sequence of things mentioned here which lure man, he writes:

Foremost mentioned is one’s family because they are the closest to a person. The love for everything else is subservient to this love and is in fact mostly for it. After that wealth is mentioned and in wealth, gold and silver are referred to because they are more expensive than other items. Among one’s belongings, the first thing mentioned is horses because the Arabs valued them on the three occasions of embellishment, pride and defence. Next cattle are mentioned because before the appearance of civilizational culture in the time of nomadic culture, livelihood depended on cattle. Plantations and orchards are mentioned at the very end because their importance appeared once the world embraced civilizational culture when man started to live in cities and villages. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 41)

22. The Arabic words used are الْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنطَرَةِ. This construction is similar to constructions such as ألف مؤلفة and بدر مبدرة used in the Arabic language.

23. This refers to thorough-bred horses. This expression has been used because thorough-bred horses are generally marked in some way.

24. The implication is that these are the enjoyments of this world which itself is temporary in nature and all its components are fleeting and being lured by its temptations in contrast to the eternal kingdom of heaven which will be set up after the Day of Judgement is absolute foolishness. A little deliberation shows that all this is implied in this short sentence.

25. This question is meant to urge the addressees to change their outlook: instead of considering this transient life to be real life, they should look towards the Hereafter where an eternal and everlasting life awaits them.

26. This is a comprehensive expression of the blessings of Paradise. Consequently, when it is mentioned, it is, in the words of  Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, as if every blessing has been mentioned: blessings which can be expressed in some way and those also which are even beyond reflection and imagination. 

27. This sentence is meant to sound an assurance: if God is watching His servants then He will definitely reward them for their faith and good deeds and necessarily reward them for their perseverance on them. Each sacrifice they give will be counted before their Lord.

28. This is a permutative (بدل) of the expression لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا in the previous verse. The implied meaning is that one should also take a look at these servants of God and instead of running after the attractions of this life, follow these people.

29. This his a second permutative through which the Qur’ān is highlighting the traits which its recipients should have

30. If a person combats with determination and resoluteness the hardships of poverty, sickness, war and other similar things and whatever point of view he holds as correct, adheres to it without any semblance of hopelessness, worry and complain, then this is patience. Here the Qur’ān has highlighted this trait in its recipients the foremost. The reason for this is that the greatest hindrance in the way of people who are being invited to accept the truth is that they have not been able to cultivate the quality of patience in them.

31. The implication is that the oneness of the Almighty, His attribute of adhering to justice is a reality that God Who has knowledge of everything in this universe, before Whom everyone is apparent, from Whose eyes nothing in this earth and sky is hidden Himself testifies to this. Also His angels who look after the affairs of His kingdom and implement His directives also vouch for this as do all sections among human beings who have been blessed with deep knowledge and who have diligently kept this knowledge untainted from desires, emotions and biases.

32. The Arabic words used are: قَآئِمَاً بِالْقِسْطِ. In my opinion, the word قَآئِمَاً is declined in the accusative form because it is an assertive state (حال مؤكدة) from the pronoun هُوَ in the expression لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ. The governing element of the state is the meaning of the sentence. A little deliberation shows that besides monotheism, the testimony to God adhering to justice occupies a great significance in the Islamic faith. It means that just as we believe that God is the one and only, no one is a partner to Him in His being, attributes and all power and control is in His hands, we similarly believe that He is using His power and control within the bounds of justice and will do so in future also. Since this world has been made as a place for trials and tests, as a consequence of these trials the existence of oppression and injustice is tolerated to a great extent. However, no one should be misled by this. It is a fact that just as the physical laws of God are unassailable, His moral laws are also unassailable and impartial. In order to alert people about this, His law of worldly retribution has many a time come into play. First, this retribution took place through His Messengers and later through the progeny of Abaham (sws), and now it is in force through them for the last many centuries. No one who observes this retribution can doubt that individually each person also shall one day be called to account.

33. Therefore, He shall definitely set up a miniature day of judgement in this world. This is a requirement both of His honour and wisdom. If He does not do so, it would only mean that He is either helpless or just a merry-maker Who has made this world for His entertainment.

34. The implication is that the religion of the Jews and Christians was also Islam. From the very beginning, the Almighty revealed this very religion to His prophets and messengers. He did not reveal any religion other than Islam to them. The religions which today exist in the name of Judaism and Christianity have come into being only after their followers have created dissensions in what Islam was originally.

35. The Qur’ānic words used are: أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلّهِ. By submitting one’s face to God is actually meant submitting one’s self to God. Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, while explaining this expression, writes:

Face is the most grand and striking feature of a person. When a person submits his most grand and auspicious part, it is as if he has submitted everything. This expression is similar to bowing our head to express obedience. There exists utmost humility and submission in this expression. The manner and instance in which the words أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلّهِ occur in this verse show that they are meant to convey the fact that a person has embraced Islam; however, simultaneously they convey the real spirit of Islam so that those who were claiming to be religious and who were indulging in debates and arguments against Islam are warned of what they were indulging in against. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 53)

36. The word “unlettered” refers to a person who is unaware of formal and bookish knowledge gained in an educational institution. It is used as a title for the Ishmaelites. Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī writes:

The reason is that these people were unaware of formal and ceremonial education received in institutions and led the simple life of Bedouins. In this manner being unlettered was a feature which made them distinct from the Israelites who were recipients of divine books. It is possible that for Arabs this usage began from the People of the Book because it is also mentioned in the Torah that the Prophet Ishmael (sws) was unlettered and lived the life of nomads; however, this much is evident that this word carried no derogatory overtone for the Arabs. Consequently, the Qur’ān has used it to merely distinguish them from the People of the Book. For this very reason Muhammad (sws) is called an unlettered prophet in the Qur’ān. Contained in it is also a reference to the predictions mentioned in the Torah. The Arabs themselves used this word for themselves which is an open testimony to the fact that they did not find any element of insult for them in this word. It is evident from some narratives that the Prophet (sws) has also used this word for his people. For example, in the following narrative: مسلم ، رقم: ١٠٨٥) / نحن أمة أمية (بخاري ، رقم: ١٩١٣. At some places in the Qur’ān, this word is mentioned as a derision; however, at these places its literal meaning is implied. For example, in he following verse: مِنْهُمْ أُمِّيُوْنَ لاَ يَعْلَمُوْنَ (٢:٧٨) the verse: wherein it implies the illiterate common masses among the Jews. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), 53)

37. These words sound an assurance to the Prophet (sws): if people are not accepting his message and want to continue to indulge in imprudence, he should leave them to themselves and he should rest assured that their matter is in the hands of God; He is watching over all what they say and do and will deal with each the way he is worthy of.