Central Theme and Relationship with the Previous Surah
This surah is the counterpart of the previous one: Surah
al-Hajj. It begins with the topic on which the last surah
ended. The closing verses of Surah al-Hajj informed Muslims of
their collective responsibility: just as God’s Messenger had
borne witness to the religion of truth before them, it was now
their duty to bear this witness before other people. At the
same time, they were told to show diligence in the prayer, pay
zakah and trust God since these were essential for discharging
this collective responsibility. This surah now begins with the
same topic, as if it is a supplement of the previous surah.
The last verse of Surah al-Hajj and the first one of this
surah perfectly enmesh into one another.
There is also no principal difference in the topics of both
surahs. Only the style and the manner of reasoning are
different. In the previous surah, believers were informed of
success and the disbelievers were told about the disgraceful
fate that was awaiting them. In this surah, this topic has
become very evident, especially the topic of giving glad
tidings to the believers. Also, the traits which make them
worthy of these glad tidings are explained in detail.
Similarly, it is fully explained to the disbelievers that the
humiliation they are being informed of is destined to afflict
them. This is evident from the testimony of history and from
the signs found in the world around them and the one within
them. However, since the Almighty has created this world as a
test, the believers are made to go through a trial and the
disbelievers are given respite. However, these periods are
only temporary. Ultimately, the truth will triumph and evil
will be routed.
Analysis of Meanings
Verses (1-11): Believers are given glad tidings of success and
entry into Paradise. The conditions on which these glad
tidings depend are also explained.
Verses (11-22): Resurrection in the hereafter is substantiated
through the signs of God’s power and wisdom in the creation of
human beings. The signs of God’s providence found in this
universe show that reward and punishment are certain to take
place.
Verses (23-50): A brief reference to the anecdotes of God’s
prophets is given. By referring to Noah (sws) among the
earlier prophets, Moses (sws), Aaron (sws) and Jesus (sws)
among the later ones and without mentioning the names of those
in between, it is pointed out to the Quraysh that way they are
denying God’s Messenger today is nothing new: miscreants have
always denied messengers, but God routed them and made His
messengers triumphant. This will happen now as well. However,
this world is a place of trial. Hence the adherents to the
truth shall necessarily be put through trial. As a requisite
of this trial, the adherents to evil are given respite for a
certain time so that they want to do whatever they want with
full might. This will leave them with no excuse.
Verses (51-67): All prophets are given the same religion by
God and call people to the same truth; however, their
followers split this religion into bits and pieces and now
each faction is engrossed in its own ways. The Prophet (sws)
is assured that he should let these people indulge in their
merriment for a while. They are under the misconception that
the blessings they enjoy in the form of wealth and children
are an enhancement of favour to them. In fact, this is going
to precipitate their doom and they are not aware of this.
People who have faith, humility and sincerity and are generous
are in fact enhancing their favours. Indeed, they will get a
rich reward for their virtues. The slaves to this world will
continue to remain entangled in their interests. Ultimately,
when they get caught, they will cry and wail, but this will be
to no avail.
Verses (68-77): Certain objections of the rejecters are
referred to and their demand for punishment is responded to:
if even a sample of this punishment is shown to them, it will
not be of any benefit to them. Just as they learn no lesson
from the calamities faced by others, similarly as soon as they
find relief from a calamity they will return to their evil
ways.
Verses (78-92): Those who demand miracles and signs are asked
to use their ears, eyes and heart: if they use these
God-gifted faculties, they will think that resurrection and
reward and punishment in the hereafter are obvious realities.
After this, some aspects of their contradictory views are
pointed out: they are running away from the obvious requisites
of their established beliefs merely to fulfil their desires.
Verses (93-118): In this concluding section of the surah, the
Prophet (sws) is asked to ignore the attitude of his opponents
for a while and seek God’s refuge from the imminent torment.
The disbelievers are warned that soon they will regret and
wish that they be given a chance do some good deeds by going
back to the previous world. However, it will be too late by
then. Only those will succeed at that time whose scales are
heavy and only those servants of God will triumph who today
are inviting them to His religion but who the rejecters are
making fun of them. Today they think that the life of this
world has a long span but in the hereafter they will realize
that it passed in a few seconds. They think that they will not
be held accountable for their deeds and will not return to
God. But this is bound to happen and none of their deities and
intercessors will be of benefit to them.
Section I: Verses (1-11)
Text and Translation
بِسۡمِ اللّٰهِ
الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
قَدۡ اَفۡلَحَ
الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ . الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ فِیۡ
صَلَاتِهِمۡ خٰشِعُوۡنَ . وَ الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ عَنِ اللَّغۡوِ
مُعۡرِضُوۡنَ . وَ الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ لِلزَّکٰوةِ فٰعِلُوۡنَ . وَ
الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ لِفُرُوۡجِهِمۡ حٰفِظُوۡنَ . اِلَّا عَلٰۤی
اَزۡوَاجِهِمۡ اَوۡ مَا مَلَکَتۡ اَیۡمَانُهُمۡ فَاِنَّهُمۡ
غَیۡرُ مَلُوۡمِیۡنَ . فَمَنِ
ابۡتَغٰی وَرَآءَ ذٰلِكَ فَاُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الۡعٰدُوۡنَ . وَ
الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ لِاَمٰنٰتِهِمۡ وَ عَهۡدِهِمۡ رٰعُوۡنَ . وَ
الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ عَلٰی صَلَوٰتِهِمۡ یُحَافِظُوۡنَ . اُولٰٓئِكَ
هُمُ الۡوٰرِثُوۡنَ . الَّذِیۡنَ یَرِثُوۡنَ الۡفِرۡدَوۡسَ هُمۡ
فِیۡهَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ. (1۔11)
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Ever-Merciful.
Those believers succeeded who show humility in their prayer,
who desist from frivolity and who pay zakah and who guard
their private parts except for their wives and slave-maidens;
so in their case there is no blame on them. However, those who
desire others besides them, it is they who exceed the limits.
And those who give due regard to their trusts and to their
promises, and those who guard their prayers. It is these
people who will be the inheritors, who are the inheritors of
Firdaws. They shall abide in it forever. (1-11)
Explanation
قَدۡ اَفۡلَحَ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ (1)
Though the word “believers” is general, its foremost
connotation is the believers who were bravely migrating from
Makkah and preparing to wage jihad. The glad tidings of
success sounded in this verse relate to the future but they
are expressed in the past tense. The purpose is to express
their certainty because once something has been decided by
God, it is as if it has been done. The success mentioned here
primarily relates to the Hereafter because that is the real
success and believers always regard it to be their objective.
However, also found in it are the glad tidings of establishing
God’s religion in the land of Arabia that were given in the
previous surah. Since this has been mentioned in detail in the
last surah, in the present surah the actual reward – Paradise
– is referred to. Other achievements are automatically
subsumed under it.
الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ فِیۡ صَلَاتِهِمۡ خٰشِعُوۡنَ
(2)
The word خشوعۡ
means “humility and meekness.” It has been used in the
Qur’an in different forms. The usages of
خَشِعَتِ الأَصْوَات
andتَخْشَعَ قُلُوْبُهُمْ
shed light on its essence. For this reason,
exegetes have translated it as “comfort” only. In my opinion,
this is not correct. It refers to the real essence of the
prayer on which depends the afore-mentioned success. The
implication is that not only a person’s heart and back should
bend down before God, his heart should also fully submit to
Him. Such are these believers that the way they stand in the
prayer, their recital in it and the prostrations – everything
bear witness to the humility in their hearts. It may be kept
in mind that in the previous surah, the directive given was
إقام الصلاة. This signifies
diligence in the outer form of the prayer. In this surah, the
inner essence of the prayer is alluded to and that too as an
attribute of the believers who are being given glad tidings of
success.
وَ الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ عَنِ اللَّغۡوِ
مُعۡرِضُوۡنَ (3)
These words depict the influence of the prayer on one’s life.
The word لَغۡو refers to every act
that can make a person indifferent to the real purpose of life
which is seeking God’s pleasure regardless of it being
prohibited or not. A prayer punctuated with humility
necessarily has a deep impact on the life of a person: he
begins abstaining from useless, frivolous and purposeless
activities. He is always worried that if he is guilty of any
such activity, how will he face his Creator in the Hereafter?
He is reminded of this fact at least five times every day.
Obviously, a person, who is so conscientious and sensitive
that he feels averse to any useless activity, will seldom
indulge in any sin or vulgarity. It is this impact of the
prayer on one’s life that is mentioned thus in verse 45 of
Surah al-‘Ankabut: اِنَّ الصَّلٰوةَ تَنۡهٰی عَنِ الۡفَحۡشَآءِ وَالۡمُنۡکَرِ.
It means that the prayer effectively rebukes him and reminds
him five times a day the deeds he is required to do to please
God; it informs him of his real destiny and the preparations
he must make for it and the strategy he should undertake.
This is the real meaning of the verse. However, the occasion
of the discourse is also pointing to a secondary meaning: it
is also a sarcastic remark on the frivolous activities the
opponents were continuously engaging in against Islam and the
disbelievers. This is evident from the following verse:
وَ اِذَا سَمِعُوا اللَّغۡوَ اَعۡرَضُوۡا
عَنۡهُ وَ قَالُوۡا لَنَاۤ اَعۡمَالُنَا وَ لَکُمۡ
اَعۡمَالُکُمۡ. (28: 55)
And when they listen to nonsensical
talk, they pay no heed to it and say: “To us our deeds and to
you, yours.” (28:55)
At verse 72 of Surah al-Furqan, it is similarly said:
وَ اِذَا مَرُّوۡا بِاللَّغۡوِ مَرُّوۡا
کِرَامًا.
In the light of these parallel verses, the verse under
discussion also implies that God’s servants spend their time
in remembering their Lord and in reflection on His
revelations; they do not have time for the nonsensical talk of
their opponents.
وَ الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ لِلزَّکٰوةِ فٰعِلُوۡنَ
(4)
After the prayer, the second pillar of religion is zakah, as
has been explained in detail in this exegesis. It has been
mentioned at length in Surah Maryam and Surah al-Anbiya’ that
every prophet of God directed his followers to pray and to
give zakah. Its legal form has remained a little different in
every religion; however, it is a common and comprehensive word
for spending for the cause of God and its status in religion
is that of a counterpart of the prayer and its foremost
manifestation. The prayer links a person to God and zakah
links him to his brethren. A person who is connected with both
his creator and his fraternity on the right footing in fact
becomes worthy of success in this world and the next. Though
this surah is Makkan and a formal system of zakah was
instituted later, however here it is not used as a term; it
refers to charity in general. Those have interpreted it in the
connotation of a verbal noun to mean “purification” are
mistaken. This word occurs with the prayer many times in the
Makkan surahs too and at no place is it used in this
connotation. In all cases, it connotes charity and spending
for the cause of God. Obviously one consequence of this is
purification.
From the standpoint of the philosophy of religion too, the
prayer and the zakah are two arms of faith and the common
thing between both is gratitude to God. It is this sense of
gratitude that urges a believer to the prayer, which is an
embodiment of gratitude. It is this gratitude which stirs a
person to spend for the cause of God and to offer sacrifice.
Viewed thus, it becomes evident that zakah is a manifestation
and an aspect of the prayer. Both necessitate one another.
Moreover, the essence of the prayer is also humility and fear,
as mentioned earlier. In this capacity, it stops a person from
every sin and vulgarity, as is evident with reference to Surah
al-‘Ankabut alluded to above. Thus it is stated earlier that
those whose prayers are punctuated with humility abstain from
useless and frivolous things.
Now more impacts and benefits of the prayer are being
mentioned ahead.
وَ الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ لِفُرُوۡجِهِمۡ
حٰفِظُوۡنَ . اِلَّا عَلٰۤی اَزۡوَاجِهِمۡ اَوۡ مَا مَلَکَتۡ
اَیۡمَانُهُمۡ فَاِنَّهُمۡ غَیۡرُ
مَلُوۡمِیۡنَ . فَمَنِ ابۡتَغٰی وَرَآءَ ذٰلِكَ فَاُولٰٓئِكَ
هُمُ الۡعٰدُوۡنَ (5
- 7)
These people control their sexual desires and satisfy them
only through their wives or slave-maidens.
It never happens that they become overcome so much by sexual
desires that they become animals and think that it is their
right to infiltrate into forbidden realms. The verse states
that satisfying the sexual urge within limits is allowed; none
can be blamed if they remain in these limits. No one should
regard this to be against religiosity, piety and virtue, as is
regarded in asceticism and other similar ideologies. However,
those who transgress limits are guilty of breaching the limits
of God. Here only their crime is mentioned; its punishment is
not. The reason is to express severe anger and aversion. On
such occasions, silence is much more eloquent.
Here it may be kept in mind that in the current western
societies and those influenced by them, the only restriction
in this matter relates to coercion and compulsion. If this is
not the case, then every person has every type of freedom.
وَ الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ لِاَمٰنٰتِهِمۡ وَ
عَهۡدِهِمۡ رٰعُوۡنَ
(8)
اَمٰنٰت refers to all trusts which
our Lord has blessed us with in the form of strengths,
abilities, obligations and responsibilities or in the shape of
favours, blessings, riches and offspring. Also included in
them are things people have been entrusted with or discharging
our responsibilities according to the norms. In a similar way,
also included in it are the covenants and promises our Lord
has taken from our nature in the unseen world or taken in this
world in the form of the shari‘ah through His messengers.
Moreover, it also comprises all those promises and covenants
which we made with God through our nature or through His
prophets. Similarly, it also consists of promises made with a
group or an individual in this world, whether they are written
or oral or are thought to be understood in a civilized society
even if they are not made orally or in writing. It is stated
by the Almighty that it is these servants of His who abide by
all these trusts and promises. They are neither dishonest and
rebellious in the matter of their Lord nor are ones who are
unfaithful to His creatures or go back on their word with
them.
This verse encompasses all religious, moral, legal, and social
responsibilities which have been revered in every shari‘ah.
Here it is a comprehensive statement made after the earlier
directives and is in fact a detail of what is concise and this
detail is spread all over the Qur’an.
That the prayer alone is the real protector of all promises
and covenants is an aspect of religious wisdom may also be
kept in mind. The prayer itself, as is evident from the
explanation of Surah al-Baqarah, is a person’s covenant with
his Lord. This covenant is revived by every believer five
times a day. It also reminds him of all the promises and
responsibilities which are imposed on him. I have been
discussing various aspects of the prayer in detail in this
exegesis and have also written a separate book “Essence of the
Prayer.” Readers can look it up for
details.
وَ الَّذِیۡنَ هُمۡ عَلٰی صَلَوٰتِهِمۡ
یُحَافِظُوۡنَ
(9)
Deliberation shows that this section of verses began with the
mention of the prayer and ends on it too. The prayer has been
mentioned at the beginning with regard to its essence:
humility before God and at the end with regards to
punctuality, vigilance and diligence in offering it. This is
because the blessings found in the prayer can only be reaped
when it has the essence of humility in it and is also
continuously guarded. This is the plant of paradise which does
not grow unless it is fully nourished. A little negligence
leaves it barren and fruitless. In fact, there is a danger
that it might completely wither away. If we want to gain real
benefit from it, we must save it from the onslaughts of Satan
and nurture it very punctually in a very diligent way. It is
then when we will get some idea of the comfort of the eyes God
has concealed in it.
The fact that the prayer protects the whole religion is
mentioned in the Qur’an at various instances. This protection
alludes to the wisdom that through the prayer all virtues
develop and grow and the prayer shields them under its
safekeeping. If a person does not adhere to the prayer, he
will also not be induced to do good deeds. If the prayer is
subtracted from religion and morality, its whole edifice will
crash to the ground. It is because of this reason that it is
said that he who wastes the prayer will all the more waste
religion.
اُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الۡوٰرِثُوۡنَ . الَّذِیۡنَ
یَرِثُوۡنَ الۡفِرۡدَوۡسَ هُمۡ فِیۡهَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ
(10-11)
These people will forever abide in the Paradise lost by their
forefather, Adam (sws). They will have no fear of being
expelled from there. They will then stay with him eternally in
this abode. This is because they will enter it after defeating
their enemy: Satan. Firdaws is among the most majestic parts
of Paradise. People who endangered themselves for the cause of
the truth in this world will be worthy of it.
A Summary of Verses (1-11)
Though I have been alluding to all essential points while
explaining these verses, it seems appropriate that they are
reiterated because on them depends the success of the
believers. The meaningful sequence in which they are stated is
as follows:
1. To God, success of a person is entirely based on faith that
should deeply penetrate into the heart of a person. Mere
outward faith has no weight before Him.
2. The foremost manifestation of faith is the prayer. Faith
which does not yield the prayer is like a barren tree that can
only be used to ignite fire.
3. The real essence of the prayer is humility of the heart. If
the prayer is devoid of this trait, it will not have any
impact on a person’s life.
4. The prayer punctuated with humility stops a person from
evil, vulgarity and useless activities. A person acquires
God’s companionship in the prayer. The awareness of this
companionship protects him from all evils that are not
befitting for him to indulge in.
5. The second manifestation of faith and the second arm of the
prayer is zakah (spending for God’s cause). These are the two
premier directives of religion and all the shari‘ah is based
on these two. If a person does not diligently adhere to either
of them, he will adhere to none of them. The attack launched
by Abu Bakr (rta) against those who were desisting to pay
zakah was based on this philosophy of religion.
6. Those who submit their hearts and wealth to God never
become so blind in following their desires that they cross His
limits and commit excesses against the rights and honour of
His servants.
7. These people abide by all trusts and promises, whether they
relate to God or to His creatures.
8. They safeguard their prayer and their prayer is like a
boundary wall that safeguards every aspect of their religion.
9. Those who have the above-mentioned traits will in fact be
the dwellers of God’s Paradise and will abide in it forever.
This in reality is great success.
Details of all these points will be found in the next surah:
Surah al-Nur which is the supplement of this surah. It will
become evident from it that when a person’s inner-self is lit
up by faith, every aspect of his life, whether individual or
collective becomes radiant. Moreover, if a person is devoid of
this light, darkness engulfs his inside and outside world.
Section II: Verses (12-22)
The glad tidings given to the believers in the previous
section are a definite reality. Similarly, the warnings they
conceal for the disbelievers devoid of faith are also a
definite reality. Yet what can glad tidings and warning do to
those who in the first place do not even believe in
resurrection and in the hereafter? They regard all these to be
figments of the imagination and make fun of them. By
presenting the objections of such people, attention is
directed to the signs in their inside and outside world. It is
evident from these signs that if a person only reflects on the
phases of his creation it will become crystal clear that the
God Who is capable of doing all this can have no difficulty in
re-creating those who die and decay into dust. Similarly, if a
person reflects on his outside world, it will become fully
evident that after creating mankind, God has not become
unconcerned about them. In fact, He is nourishing and
nurturing them in a grand way with great devotion and utmost
favour. So, when He is undertaking all this in such an
elaborate manner, how is it possible that He not hold people
accountable for their deeds? Why would He not bring about a
Day of Judgement to reward the righteous and punish the
wrongdoers? This argument has also been stated in verse 5 of
Surah al-Hajj. Here it is mentioned in more detail and those
aspects have also been highlighted here that could not receive
an elaborate treatment there.
Readers may now proceed to study these verses.
Text and Translation
وَ لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ مِنۡ
سُلٰلَةٍ مِّنۡ طِیۡنٍ . ثُمَّ جَعَلۡنٰهُ نُطۡفَةً فِیۡ قَرَارٍ
مَّکِیۡنٍ . ثُمَّ خَلَقۡنَا النُّطۡفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقۡنَا
الۡعَلَقَةَ مُضۡغَةً فَخَلَقۡنَا الۡمُضۡغَةَ عِظٰمًا
فَکَسَوۡنَا الۡعِظٰمَ لَحۡمًا ثُمَّ اَنۡشَاۡنٰهُ خَلۡقًا
اٰخَرَ
فَتَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ اَحۡسَنُ الۡخٰلِقِیۡنَ . ثُمَّ اِنَّکُمۡ
بَعۡدَ ذٰلِكَ لَمَیِّتُوۡنَ . ثُمَّ
اِنَّکُمۡ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَةِ تُبۡعَثُوۡنَ . وَ لَقَدۡ
خَلَقۡنَا فَوۡقَکُمۡ سَبۡعَ طَرَآئِقَ وَ مَا کُنَّا عَنِ
الۡخَلۡقِ غٰفِلِیۡنَ . وَ اَنۡزَلۡنَا مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً
بِقَدَرٍ فَاَسۡکَنّٰهُ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَ اِنَّا عَلٰی ذَهَابٍۭ
بِهِ لَقٰدِرُوۡنَ . فَاَنۡشَاۡنَا لَکُمۡ بِهِ جَنّٰتٍ مِّنۡ
نَّخِیۡلٍ وَّ اَعۡنَابٍ لَکُمۡ فِیۡهَا فَوَاکِهُ کَثِیۡرَةٌ
وَّ مِنۡهَا تَاۡکُلُوۡنَ . وَ شَجَرَةً تَخۡرُجُ مِنۡ طُوۡرِ
سَیۡنَآءَ تَنۢبُتُ بِالدُّهۡنِ وَ صِبۡغٍ لِّلۡاٰکِلِیۡنَ . وَ
اِنَّ لَکُمۡ فِی الۡاَنۡعَامِ لَعِبۡرَةً
نُسۡقِیۡکُمۡ مِّمَّا فِیۡ بُطُوۡنِهَا وَ لَکُمۡ فِیۡهَا
مَنَافِعُ کَثِیۡرَةٌ وَّ مِنۡهَا تَاۡکُلُوۡنَ . وَ عَلَیۡهَا
وَ عَلَی الۡفُلۡكِ تُحۡمَلُوۡنَ . (12۔22)
And We had created a human being from the essence of clay.
Then in the form of a drop of fluid, We placed it in a secure
spot. Then made this drop of fluid into the form of a blood
clot and made the blood clot into a lump of flesh. Thence
created bones in the lump. Thereafter, We covered the bones
with flesh. Then We made it into a new creation altogether.
Thus, blessed is God, the best of creators. Then after all
this you surely have to die. Then you shall be raised to life
on the Day of Judgement. (12-16)
And We made above you seven skies one over the other. And We
did not become oblivious to the creatures. And We sent down
water from the skies according to a measure; then lodged it in
the earth and We have the power to take it back. Thus from it
We have made orchards of dates and grapes for you. There are
many fruits in it for you by which you satisfy your taste buds
and from which you also eat. And We also made that tree grow
which comes out from Mount Sinai. It sprouts with oil and with
curry for those who eat. And for you, there is a great lesson
in the cattle also. From among what is in their bellies, We
make you drink [milk that is tasty] and there are also many
other benefits in them for you. And from them you obtain your
food also and you also travel on them and on the ships too.
(17-22)
Explanation
وَ لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ مِنۡ
سُلٰلَةٍ مِّنۡ طِیۡنٍ . ثُمَّ جَعَلۡنٰهُ نُطۡفَةً فِیۡ قَرَارٍ
مَّکِیۡنٍ . ثُمَّ خَلَقۡنَا النُّطۡفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقۡنَا
الۡعَلَقَةَ مُضۡغَةً فَخَلَقۡنَا الۡمُضۡغَةَ عِظٰمًا
فَکَسَوۡنَا الۡعِظٰمَ لَحۡمًا ثُمَّ اَنۡشَاۡنٰهُ خَلۡقًا
اٰخَرَ
فَتَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ اَحۡسَنُ الۡخٰلِقِیۡنَ (12
- 14).
The gradual phase-wise creation of a human being has been
mentioned in Surah al-Hajj earlier, as is also alluded to
before. There, the opening words were: اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ فِیۡ رَیۡبٍ مِّنَ الۡبَعۡثِ(if you are in any doubt of being
raised to life again …). It is evident from this that the
purpose was to prove that people will be raised to life again
once they die. Moreover, there the words
لِنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ (so that We make evident for you)
also occur which point to the reason of the gradual
progression in the creation of human beings: the power and
wisdom of God manifest themselves in such a way in this
sequence of creation that a person does not need any external
reasoning regarding the hereafter. In Surah al-Hajj, every
word and component of the relevant verses as well as their
purpose have been explained in detail. Repetition is not
needed here. All these stages are well known in the creation
of a human being. Modern scientific advancements have also
brought to the fore certain aspects of this creation which the
Qur’an had merely hinted at so that the more knowledge human
beings gain, the more they know of these secrets. I have also
pointed out certain other things of this category in this
exegesis earlier. Everyone knows this secret that a drop of
fluid that comes into being from the substance of clay is
nurtured and nourished by providence in a gradual way;
ultimately, the likes of Socrates, Hippocrates, Aristotle and
Galen are created. The question is: Is all this happening of
its own accord? Is all this sequence adopted and the
nourishment provided a result of unbridled matter? Is all this
power, wisdom, providence and affection a meaningless thing
which has no purpose and fate? Is the being Who fashions out a
human being from a drop of fluid unable to create him again?
It is in these questions that the naïve – even if they are
great philosophers and scientists – have differed with one
another. In order to answer these very questions, the Qur’an
has directed the attention of a person to his physical self.
People do not have to go far to find the answer. If they
reflect on their own phases of creation, they will get all the
answers.
The words “then We made it into a new creation altogether”
point to the incredible nature of transformation a drop of
fluid undergoes to become a living human being. If people
witness this marvel around them, why do they think that the
One responsible for this marvel will find it difficult to
recreate them?
The words “thus, blessed is God, the best of creators” express
the inference every person who reflects on the phases of
creation should reach. The God Who showed His signs, marvels
and miracles in every person is blessed and beneficent: an
ordinary drop of fluid was fashioned into a miraculous living
being and endowed it with grand traits; such are his abilities
that angels bowed down to him and he became the vicegerent of
God on earth. The implication is that by reflecting on these
things, a person does not merely acknowledge the existence of
God, he is convinced that his creator is wise, beneficent,
powerful, blessed and peerless.
Readers may keep in mind the style that the superlative
أفعل especially when annexed to a
plural noun, at times does not signify any comparison; it only
expresses the magnificence of an attribute. Thus the
expression الۡخٰلِقِیۡنَ اَحۡسَنُ
would mean that He is not merely a creator; He is the best of
creators; He has not created human beings in a perfunctory
way; on the contrary, He has made them in the best of moulds
with the best of abilities. Some exegetes have changed the
meaning of the word “creator” because of not being aware of
this style. Obviously, this is not needed the slightest. The
purpose here is to show that the creation of a human being
itself testifies that he has not been created by matter that
is unbridled or by a prime mover or by a first cause nor has
he evolved on its own. On the contrary, He has been brought
into existence by a blessed being who is an outstanding
creator.
ثُمَّ اِنَّکُمۡ بَعۡدَ ذٰلِكَ لَمَیِّتُوۡنَ
. ثُمَّ اِنَّکُمۡ یَوۡمَ
الۡقِیٰمَةِ تُبۡعَثُوۡنَ .(15- 16)
This is the actual inference for which all the phases of
creation have been mentioned earlier. There is no reason to
deny being raised to life again: how can it be difficult for
the God Whose marvels they see in their creation?
وَ لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا فَوۡقَکُمۡ سَبۡعَ
طَرَآئِقَ وَ مَا کُنَّا عَنِ الۡخَلۡقِ غٰفِلِیۡنَ .(17)
The word طَرَآئِقَ is the plural of
طَرِيْقَة. It connotes “stripes.”
Here by mentioning an adjective its noun is referred to. This
is a common style of Arabic. The allusion is to seven skies
which have stripes. Here this word signifies both the
brilliance and splendour of the sky and also to the rain which
is mentioned ahead in a very profound way.
The word کُنَّا here expresses
“majesty” as it does in كَانَ اللّٰهُ
عَلِيْمًا حَكِيْمًا. The implication is that after
creating human beings, God did not become unconcerned towards
them; He continued to nourish and sustain them in a very
elaborate way.
The previous verse mentions the creation of human beings, and
the purpose is to point to the fact that recreating them is
not at all a difficult proposition. Now in this verse God’s
providence is referred to. After creating this world, God has
not become indifferent to the good and evil that goes on in
it. He continues to nourish and sustain this world. He has
created seven splendid skies and sends down rain whereby
living beings thrive.
وَ اَنۡزَلۡنَا مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً
بِقَدَرٍ فَاَسۡکَنّٰهُ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَ اِنَّا عَلٰی ذَهَابٍۭ
بِهِ لَقٰدِرُوۡنَ .(18)
The water sent down from the sky by the Almighty produces all
life forms on earth. And it is His mercy that He send it down
in a specific measure otherwise it can wreak havoc if He
allows it to. It is then that this water becomes a bane
instead of a boon, as was the case in Noah’s deluge. Moreover,
it is God’s mercy and providence that this water is housed in
the earth and, like a safe treasure, benefits all living
beings. Had God wanted, He could have seized all this supply
of water and not a single drop would have remained on earth.
It is evident from this that both the heavens and the earth
are being controlled by the same intention. If different
intentions were controlling both, why would those in charge of
the heavens send down water in such an exact quantity for the
dwellers of the earth and also maintain its supply from a
reservoir. What is further evident is that this singular being
is very merciful and is nourishing this world in a very
profound way.
فَاَنۡشَاۡنَا لَکُمۡ بِهِ جَنّٰتٍ مِّنۡ
نَّخِیۡلٍ وَّ اَعۡنَابٍ لَکُمۡ فِیۡهَا فَوَاکِهُ کَثِیۡرَةٌ
وَّ مِنۡهَا تَاۡکُلُوۡنَ .(19)
The mention of تَاۡکُلُوۡنَ shows
that a word to the effect تَتَفَكَّهُوْن is suppressed after
فَوَاکِهُ کَثِیۡرَةٌ. Examples of
such suppression can be seen earlier in this exegesis.
The implication of this verse is that God has not merely
provided the means and resources for people to live, He has
actually gone on to satisfy their taste-buds. A person could
have lived on bread but God created for him fruits of all
sorts. As mentioned in verse 32 of Surah al-Kahf, to the Arabs
an ideal orchard was that of grapes bordered by creepers of
dates and in between there were patches reserved to grow
various grains and other seasonal fruits. To them, the real
important fruits were grapes and dates; yet other fruits and
grains were also produced. The words “many fruits” and “from
which you also eat” are actually pointing to them.
وَ شَجَرَةً تَخۡرُجُ مِنۡ طُوۡرِ سَیۡنَآءَ
تَنۢبُتُ بِالدُّهۡنِ وَ صِبۡغٍ لِّلۡاٰکِلِیۡنَ .(20)
The word شَجَرَةً refers to an olive
tree. Though it is not named, the traits mentioned clearly
point to it. The mount of Sinai was a place famous for its
production. Its curry was very famous among the Arabs. The
People of the Book not only regarded it to be an edible, they
also viewed it with religious reverence. The word
صِبۡغٌ means “curry.” It was also a
tasty curry like butter that would provide vitality. It is
mentioned in an undefined way to express its grandeur. The
implied meaning would be: لِّلۡاٰکِلِیۡنَ
صِبْغٌ طَيِّبٌ (a tasty curry for those who eat). This in fact
is a further use of it besides others.
وَ اِنَّ لَکُمۡ فِی الۡاَنۡعَامِ لَعِبۡرَةً
نُسۡقِیۡکُمۡ مِّمَّا فِیۡ بُطُوۡنِهَا وَ لَکُمۡ فِیۡهَا
مَنَافِعُ کَثِیۡرَةٌ وَّ مِنۡهَا تَاۡکُلُوۡنَ .(21)
The word عِبۡرَةٌ means to cross
over from reality to another and learn a lesson from it. It is
used as an undefined noun to magnify it. The implication is
that the things that are mentioned earlier carry a lesson and
if people reflect, there is a great lesson in the cattle also.
The second object of the verb نُسۡقِیۡکُمۡ
is not expressed. At another instance, it is mentioned
thus in verse 66 of Surah al-Nahl: لَّبَنًا
خَالِصًا سَآئِغًا لِّلشّٰرِبِیۡنَ. Similarly, here the
words مِّمَّا فِیۡ بُطُوۡنِهَا are
rather concise. Once again in the same verse of Surah al-Nahl,
they are explained thus: مِنۡ بَیۡنِ فَرۡثٍ
وَّ دَمٍ. If all these suppressions are taken into
account, the overall meaning would be: We have made you drink
pure and unadulterated milk from among faeces and blood found
in the bellies of animals.
The words لَکُمۡ فِیۡهَا مَنَافِعُ
کَثِیۡرَةٌ وَ
point to their other benefits besides the specific
ones: not only their milk, many other things are of utility to
human beings. They are used to travel and as beasts of burden.
They help people in harvesting crops. Their meat, hide and
wool is also useful for them. Even their faeces are used as
manure. At the same time, they form a food supply for people.
Their fresh meat is also consumed and their meat is also dried
and preserved for eating while travelling. There are some
animals whose pure utility is in their capacity of food for
human beings.
وَ عَلَیۡهَا وَ عَلَی الۡفُلۡكِ
تُحۡمَلُوۡنَ .(22)
The word تُحۡمَلُوۡنَ encompasses
embarking on them for travel and using them as carriers. Since
Arabs were generally nomads, they would travel from one place
to another. For this reason, both travelling and having their
provisions carried were important for them. To fulfil this
need, the Almighty created the camel for them which is the
ship of the desert. It is mentioned with the ship in this
verse. In other words, the role played by the camel in
land-travel is played by the ship in sea-travel.
The real purpose of mentioning all these things is that people
can learn a lesson: can it be imagined about the Lord Who has
cared for people in such minute ways that He will remain
indifferent to them? Does not His providence impose an
obligation on them? And is it not a necessary consequence of
this that He bring about a day in which people are held
accountable for their responsibilities; those who fulfilled
them be rewarded and those who spent their lives in negligence
be punished? Obviously, human intellect and nature bear
witness in favour of this second aspect. Those who are
provided everything by a noble being and do not carry out the
obligation to these favours are ingrates and it is essential
that they see the consequence of this ingratitude.
Section III: Verses (33-50)
Coming up is a brief reference to the history of the prophets
and those who rejected them. The purpose is to prove in the
light of history the premise that is mentioned: success of the
believers and the fate of those have rejected the truth. In
this regard, the established practice of God is also referred
to: that those who deny God’s messenger will be doomed
eternally; however, since God makes the wrongdoers undergo a
trial in this world and for this to happen, He gives them some
period of respite; as a result, they consider this reprieve to
be their success; the fact is that this respite tightens the
noose around them.
Verses 42-45 of the previous surah also mention the anecdotes
of God’s messengers and their rejecters. However, it is very
brief. Here, they are dealt with in more detail. However, by
name only Noah (sws) is mentioned among the earlier messengers
and Moses (sws), Aaron (sws) and Jesus (sws) among the later
ones. Other messengers are referred to without naming them.
Readers may now proceed to study these verses.
Text and Translation
وَ لَقَدۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوۡحًا اِلٰی
قَوۡمِهِ فَقَالَ یٰقَوۡمِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ مَا لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ
اِلٰهٍ غَیۡرُهُ
اَفَلَا تَتَّقُوۡنَ . فَقَالَ الۡمَلَؤُا الَّذِیۡنَ
کَفَرُوۡا مِنۡ قَوۡمِهِ مَا هٰذَاۤ اِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُکُمۡ
یُرِیۡدُ اَنۡ یَّتَفَضَّلَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ
وَ لَوۡ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ لَاَنۡزَلَ مَلٰٓئِكَةً
مَّا سَمِعۡنَا بِهٰذَا فِیۡۤ اٰبَآئِنَا الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ
. اِنۡ هُوَ اِلَّا رَجُلٌۢ بِهِ جِنَّةٌ فَتَرَبَّصُوۡا بِهِ
حَتّٰی حِیۡنٍ . قَالَ رَبِّ انۡصُرۡنِیۡ بِمَا کَذَّبُوۡنِ .
فَاَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡهِ اَنِ اصۡنَعِ الۡفُلۡكَ بِاَعۡیُنِنَاوَ
وَحۡیِنَا فَاِذَا جَآءَ اَمۡرُنَا وَ فَارَ التَّنُّوۡرُ
فَاسۡلُكۡ فِیۡهَا مِنۡ کُلٍّ زَوۡجَیۡنِ اثۡنَیۡنِ وَ
اَهۡلَكَ اِلَّا مَنۡ سَبَقَ عَلَیۡهِ الۡقَوۡلُ مِنۡهُمۡ
وَ لَا تُخَاطِبۡنِیۡ فِی الَّذِیۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡا
اِنَّهُمۡ مُّغۡرَقُوۡنَ . فَاِذَا اسۡتَوَیۡتَ اَنۡتَ وَ
مَنۡ مَّعَكَ عَلَی الۡفُلۡكِ فَقُلِ الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِیۡ
نَجّٰنَا مِنَ الۡقَوۡمِ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ . وَ قُلۡ رَّبِّ
اَنۡزِلۡنِیۡ مُنۡزَلًا مُّبٰرَکًا وَّ اَنۡتَ خَیۡرُ
الۡمُنۡزِلِیۡنَ . اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰیٰتٍ وَّ اِنۡ کُنَّا
لَمُبۡتَلِیۡنَ . ثُمَّ اَنۡشَاۡنَا مِنۡ بَعۡدِهِمۡ قَرۡنًا
اٰخَرِیۡنَ . فَاَرۡسَلۡنَا فِیۡهِمۡ رَسُوۡلًا مِّنۡهُمۡ اَنِ
اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ مَا لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ اِلٰهٍ غَیۡرهُ
اَفَلَا تَتَّقُوۡنَ . وَ قَالَ الۡمَلَاُ مِنۡ قَوۡمِهِ
الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَ کَذَّبُوۡا
بِلِقَآءِ الۡاٰخِرَةِ وَ اَتۡرَفۡنٰهُمۡ فِی الۡحَیٰوةِ
الدُّنۡیَا
مَا هٰذَاۤ اِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُکُمۡ
یَاۡکُلُ مِمَّا تَاۡکُلُوۡنَ مِنۡهُ وَ یَشۡرَبُ مِمَّا
تَشۡرَبُوۡنَ . وَ لَئِنۡ اَطَعۡتُمۡ
بَشَرًا مِّثۡلَکُمۡ اِنَّکُمۡ اِذًا لَّخٰسِرُوۡنَ .
اَیَعِدُکُمۡ اَنَّکُمۡ اِذَا مِتُّمۡ وَ کُنۡتُمۡ تُرَابًا وَّ
عِظَامًا اَنَّکُمۡ مُّخۡرَجُوۡنَ . هَیۡهَاتَ هَیۡهَاتَ لِمَا
تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ . اِنۡ هِیَ اِلَّا حَیَاتُنَا الدُّنۡیَا نَمُوۡتُ
وَ نَحۡیَا وَ مَا نَحۡنُ بِمَبۡعُوۡثِیۡنَ . اِنۡ هُوَ اِلَّا
رَجُلُ افۡتَرٰی عَلَی اللّٰهِ کَذِبًا وَّ مَا نَحۡنُ لَهُ
بِمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ . قَالَ رَبِّ انۡصُرۡنِیۡ بِمَا کَذَّبُوۡنِ .
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِیۡلٍ لَّیُصۡبِحُنَّ نٰدِمِیۡنَ .
فَاَخَذَتۡهُمُ الصَّیۡحَةُ بِالۡحَقِّ فَجَعَلۡنٰهُمۡ غُثَآءً
فَبُعۡدًا لِّلۡقَوۡمِ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ . ثُمَّ اَنۡشَاۡنَا
مِنۡ بَعۡدِهِمۡ قُرُوۡنًا اٰخَرِیۡنَ . مَا تَسۡبِقُ مِنۡ
اُمَّةٍ اَجَلَهَا وَ مَا یَسۡتَاۡخِرُوۡنَ . ثُمَّ اَرۡسَلۡنَا
رُسُلَنَا تَتۡرَا
کُلَّمَا جَآءَ اُمَّةً رَّسُوۡلُهَا کَذَّبُوۡهُ
فَاَتۡبَعۡنَا بَعۡضَهُمۡ بَعۡضًا وَّ جَعَلۡنٰهُمۡ اَحَادِیۡثَ
فَبُعۡدًا لِّقَوۡمٍ لَّا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ . ثُمَّ
اَرۡسَلۡنَا مُوۡسٰی وَ اَخَاهُ هٰرُوۡنَ بِاٰیٰتِنَا وَ
سُلۡطٰنٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ . اِلٰی فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَ مَلَا۠ئِهِ
فَاسۡتَکۡبَرُوۡا وَ کَانُوۡا قَوۡمًا عَالِیۡنَ . فَقَالُوۡۤا
اَنُؤۡمِنُ لِبَشَرَیۡنِ مِثۡلِنَا وَ قَوۡمُهُمَا لَنَا
عٰبِدُوۡنَ . فَکَذَّبُوۡهُمَا فَکَانُوۡا مِنَ الۡمُهۡلَکِیۡنَ
. وَ لَقَدۡ اٰتَیۡنَا مُوۡسَی الۡکِتٰبَ لَعَلَّهُمۡ
یَهۡتَدُوۡنَ . وَ جَعَلۡنَا ابۡنَ مَرۡیَمَ وَ اُمَّهُ اٰیَةً
وَّ اٰوَیۡنٰهُمَاۤ اِلٰی رَبۡوَةٍ ذَاتِ قَرَارٍ وَّ مَعِیۡنٍ .
And We sent Noah as a Messenger to his nation. So, he invited
them: “O People of My Nation! Worship God only. You have no
deity other than Him. Then do you not fear His wrath?” So, the
leaders of his nation who were guilty of disbelief said: “He
is but a mortal like you. He wants to make himself superior to
you. And had God wanted to send a messenger, He would have
sent an angel. We have never heard such a thing from our
elders of the past. He is but a mortal inflicted with madness.
So, wait for some days about him.” (23-25)
Then, he prayed: “My Lord! Help me through the very thing in
which they have denied me.” So, We sent a revelation to him:
“Build an ark under Our watch and direction. Then when Our
directive arrives and the storm bursts, place in it pairs of
all kinds and also board on it your people except those among
them about whom judgement has already been passed, and do not
say anything to Me about those who have been unjust to their
souls. They will certainly drown.” (26-27)
Thus when you and your companions board the ship, say:
“Gratitude be to the God Who has delivered us from oppressive
people,” and pray: “My Lord! Disembark me in a blessed way and
you are the best of those who disembark.” Indeed, there are
great signs in this anecdote and indeed We subject [people to]
trials. (28-30)
Then, after them, We raised other people, and also sent to
them a messenger from among themselves with the message:
“Worship God. You have no other deity besides Him. Then do you
not fear Him?” And the leaders of his nation who were guilty
of disbelief and had denied the meeting of the last day and
who We had blessed with affluence in the life of this world,
said: “He is but a mortal like you. He eats what you eat and
drinks what you drink. And if you accept what a person similar
to you says, you shall be in great loss. Does he threaten you:
‘When you die and become clay and bones, you shall be raised
up again?’ Far-fetched and very unlikely is what you are being
threatened with. Life is only the life of this world. We die
and live right here and we shall never be raised to life. This
is only a human being who has fabricated a falsehood against
God and We are certainly not going to believe in him.” (31-38)
The messenger prayed: “My Lord! Help me through the thing in
which they have denied me.” God said: “Very soon they will
regret.” Then a harsh cry overtook with what was certain to
come. So, We made them into withered shrubs. Then the curse of
God be on such wretched people. (39-41)
Then We raised other nations. Neither a nation crosses the
time set for it nor falls short of it. Then, We sent Our
messengers in succession. Whenever its messenger came to a
nation, they denied him. Then We too made one nation follow
the other and made them into anecdotes. So, those people be
cursed who do not profess faith. (42-44)
Then We sent Moses and His brother Aaron as messengers with
Our signs and a manifest proof to the Pharaoh and his
courtiers. At this, they showed conceit and they were a very
arrogant people. Thus they said: “Should We believe in what
two humans similar to us say even though their nation is our
slave?” So, they denied them and ultimately were destroyed.
And We gave Moses the Book so that the people of his nation be
guided. (45-49)
And We made the son of Mary and his mother a great sign and
gave them refuge on a peaceful hillock which had a fountain.
(50)
Explanation
وَ لَقَدۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوۡحًا اِلٰی
قَوۡمِهِ فَقَالَ یٰقَوۡمِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ مَا لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ
اِلٰهٍ غَیۡرُهُ
اَفَلَا تَتَّقُوۡنَ .(22)
A very eloquent digression occurs from this verse. Earlier
reward and punishment were substantiated on the basis of God’s
providence. In verse 22, the ship was mentioned as one of
God’s manifestations of providence. Now that historical signs
are being cited, the anecdote of Noah (sws) is taken up the
foremost. It is also a major landmark in this ancient history
and he and his followers were actually saved by God by means
of a ship. After mentioning the ship, an incident related to a
person in whose case a ship played a prominent role is
narrated. It is as if one thing has sprung from another.
In both the Torah and the Qur’an, the history of the
messengers begins with Noah (sws). Various aspects of his
anecdote have been mentioned in the previous surahs. Here it
is mentioned with a particular purpose. As has been stated
earlier, these people thought that after creating this world,
God had detached Himself from it. The verse under discussion
implies that this notion is entirely incorrect. God has not
only always arranged for its material growth and development,
He has sent messengers for its moral and spiritual
advancement. Those who denied their messengers were destroyed
by God once the truth had been conclusively conveyed to them.
On the other hand, those who followed them were granted
success and salvation by Him. This dealing of God with this
world is proof of the fact that one day He will bring about a
day in which He will decide among the righteous and the
wrongdoers with justice and reward or punish each person
accordingly.
The object of اَفَلَا تَتَّقُوۡنَ is
suppressed after it. The implied meaning would be: why don’t
you people fear God’s wrath as you are associating partners
with Him; this is open rebellion which makes you worthy of His
anger.
فَقَالَ الۡمَلَؤُا الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا
مِنۡ قَوۡمِهِ مَا هٰذَاۤ اِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُکُمۡ
یُرِیۡدُ اَنۡ یَّتَفَضَّلَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ
وَ لَوۡ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ لَاَنۡزَلَ مَلٰٓئِكَةً
مَّا سَمِعۡنَا بِهٰذَا فِیۡ اٰبَآئِنَا الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ
. (23)
The word مَلَاءٌ means the leaders,
chiefs and nobles of a nation, as has been explained under
verse 246 of Surah al-Baqarah. It is they who always deny the
call of truth the most vehemently. This is because being in
charge of the evil collective system of their times, they know
that the success of the messenger is tantamount to their own
death. Thus when they see that the call of the messenger is
having an impact on upright people, they try to play all sorts
of mischief to undo its effect and take control of the minds
and hearts of the people. First of all, they attack the
sincerity and intention of a messenger by regarding his claim
to be false, as the verse mentions. The eloquence in the
expression یَّتَفَضَّلَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ
needs special attention. They did not say that the messenger
wants to snatch away their leadership; on the contrary, they
stated that he wants to make them subservient
to him. The poison found in this sentence to incite the simple
masses is apparent to every keen eye.
The words “and had God wanted to send a
messenger, He would have sent an angel” mention the
intellectual argument of the naïve people for denying the
messenger: they contended that in the first place, they do not
even need a messenger for their guidance since they are
self-guided, and if supposedly God wanted to send a messenger,
He would have selected an angel for this special mission; what
is the meaning of sending human beings like them for this
purpose?
What is said in the last part of the verse “we have never
heard such a thing from our elders of the past” is also
brought up in verse 68 ahead thus: اَفَلَمۡ
یَدَّبَّرُوا الۡقَوۡلَ اَمۡ جَآءَهُمۡ مَّا لَمۡ یَاۡتِ
اٰبَآءَهُمُ الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ (then have these people not
reflected on this discourse or has something come to them
which did not come to their earlier forefathers? In verse 36
of Surah al-Qasas, the words used are: وَّ
مَا سَمِعۡنَا بِهٰذَا فِیۡۤ اٰبَآئِنَا الۡاَوَّلِیۡنَ
(and we have never heard of such things from our
predecessors). Similarly, in verse 7 of Surah Su‘ad, it is
said: مَا سَمِعۡنَا بِهٰذَا فِی الۡمِلَّةِ
الۡاٰخِرةِ (we have not heard of this in this later
period).
اِنۡ هُوَ اِلَّا رَجُلٌۢ بِهِ جِنَّةٌ
فَتَرَبَّصُوۡا بِهِ حَتّٰی حِیۡنٍ .(25)
The leaders tried to convince the masses that the claim of
this person that an angel visits him is totally false. It is
actually a sign of lunacy whereby he imagines all this and
attributes it to divine revelation. By the words “so, wait for
some days about him” they wanted to drive home the point that
his words were baseless and people must not fear the
punishment he was threatening them with. All these were
figments of his imagination which would soon prove baseless.
The leaders of the Quraysh also used to say something very
similar about the Prophet (sws). In verse 30 of Surah al-Tur,
it is stated: اَمۡ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ شَاعِرٌ
نَّتَرَبَّصُ بِهِ رَیۡبَ الۡمَنُوۡنِ (do they say: that
he is a poet for whom we await an adverse turn of fortune?).
They meant that no one should be over-awed by the magical
words of Muhammad (sws) and think that they had some basis and
that he had control of decisions regarding their future. It
was mere poetry and had a limited life span. Soon it would
vanish. Just as many of their poets had exited from this world
after composing poetry, this person would also one day just
pass away into oblivion. It may be kept in mind that when the
leaders of an era think that the masses are regarding a
certain person to be their guide and saviour, they become very
worried. They try to convince their followers that all this is
just a temporary spell of magic that he is weaving around
them.
قَالَ رَبِّ انۡصُرۡنِیۡ بِمَا کَذَّبُوۡنِ .
(26)
These are the words of prayer uttered by Noah (sws) wherein He
has requested God to decide between him and his nation and
help him by punishing his nation. He called out to his nation
day and night but they turned a deaf ear to him and denied him
regarding this punishment. This prayer will be mentioned in
detail in Surah Nuh. Here, immediately after this prayer in
the very next verse, Noah (sws) has been asked to construct a
ship and save himself and his followers from God’s scourge.
This is enough indication to show that this prayer of Noah (sws)
was meant to request God to fulfil His promise of punishment.
This is evident from verse 39 ahead and in its response God
has assured them thus: عَمَّا قَلِیۡلٍ
لَّیُصۡبِحُنَّ نٰدِمِیۡنَ . فَاَخَذَتۡهُمُ الصَّیۡحَةُ
(very soon they will regret; then a harsh cry overtook them).
It should be kept in mind that in the lives of God’s prophets
and their adversaries, the last phase of their struggle has
always been that the punishment with which they had threatened
them with was demanded by the rebellious people. When there
was a delay in its arrival in accordance with the practice of
God that He gives full respite to people before punishing
them, these people would ridicule the prophets. They would say
that since the messengers had not been able to bring the
promised doom they had continuously been threatening them
with, they were liars and so was their threat. It is at this
instance, that the messengers have prayed:
الۡفٰتِحِیۡنَ رَبَّنَا افۡتَحۡ بَیۡنَنَا وَ بَیۡنَ قَوۡمِنَا
بِالۡحَقِّ وَ اَنۡتَ خَیۡرُ (Lord! Judge fairly
between us and our nation and You are the best of judges
(7:89)). Noah (sws) too uttered this prayer in this phase and
it means what I have just explained above. Zamakhshari has
preferred the same meaning. His words are:
انصرني بإنجاز ما وعدتهم من العذاب وهو ما
كذبوه فيه (Lord! Help me by fulfilling your promise of
punishment that you have threatened them with; it is this
thing about which their nation denied them).
فَاَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡهِ اَنِ اصۡنَعِ
الۡفُلۡكَ بِاَعۡیُنِنَاوَ وَحۡیِنَا فَاِذَا جَآءَ اَمۡرُنَا
وَ فَارَ التَّنُّوۡرُ
فَاسۡلُكۡ فِیۡهَا مِنۡ کُلٍّ زَوۡجَیۡنِ اثۡنَیۡنِ وَ
اَهۡلَكَ اِلَّا مَنۡ سَبَقَ عَلَیۡهِ الۡقَوۡلُ مِنۡهُمۡ
وَ لَا تُخَاطِبۡنِیۡ فِی الَّذِیۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡا
اِنَّهُمۡ مُّغۡرَقُوۡنَ .(27)
This verse, in fact, the whole anecdote of Noah (sws) occurs
in Surah Hud. For this reason, I will only briefly explain it.
Details can be looked up there. The words
وَحۡیِنَا بِاَعۡیُنِنَاوَ mean that Noah (sws) should
build the ship under God’s guidance and watch. It is evident
from the Torah that God had informed Noah (sws) about its
complete plan to the minutest detail through divine revelation
so that it be built in accordance with the needs of the huge
task for which it was being designed. The word
اَمۡر refers to God’s directive.
فَارَ التَّنُّوۡرُ is an idiom
similar to حمي الوطيس. In
determining the meaning of idioms, the meaning of individual
words is not considered. Idioms always imply what they are
used for as a whole. This idiom refers to the tempestuous and
turbulent nature of the storm. In the expression
مِنۡ کُلٍّ زَوۡجَیۡنِ اثۡنَیۡنِ the
word کُلّ (all) refers to what the
mind of the speaker specifies. In other words, it refers to
all those animals which directly relate to the financial needs
of people. The word اثۡنَیۡنِ is
meant to explain زَوۡجَیۡنِ. I.e.,
two from every animal, referring to its male and female
species. Noah (sws) should not worry about boarding more than
this quantity. I have already explained in Surah al-Anbiya’
that the word اَہۡل not only means
family, it also refers to one’s companions and followers. It
is evident from other instances of the Qur’an that some people
of his nation did profess faith in Noah (sws) even though they
were few in number. The words اِلَّا مَنۡ
سَبَقَ عَلَیۡهِ الۡقَوۡلُ refer to people who are
destined to die in accordance with the established practice of
God regarding conclusive communication of the truth by a
messenger. The most prominent among them was Noah’s son, as is
evident from other instances in the Qur’an. It is stated that
such people will not be with Noah (sws) in the ship. The words
“do not say anything to Me about those who have been unjust to
their souls” refer to those who have called for their own doom
by denying him. The implication is that it should not happen
that when the raging waves of God’s wrath engulf them from all
sides, any feelings of sympathy arise in him and he start
praying to God for their protection. Once the punishment
comes, this phase will pass. After this, his prayer about this
matter will not be answered and each of them will necessarily
drown. This special aspect of the style in “do not say
anything to Me about those who have been unjust to their
souls” should also remain in consideration that such is the
nature of God’s punishment that even those for whose help this
punishment is sent start feeling sympathy and concern for
their enemies. However, no one’s prayer or intercession can be
of avail before God.
فَاِذَا اسۡتَوَیۡتَ اَنۡتَ وَ مَنۡ مَّعَكَ
عَلَی الۡفُلۡكِ فَقُلِ الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِیۡ نَجّٰنَا
مِنَ الۡقَوۡمِ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ . وَ قُلۡ رَّبِّ اَنۡزِلۡنِیۡ
مُنۡزَلًا مُّبٰرَکًا وَّ اَنۡتَ خَیۡرُ الۡمُنۡزِلِیۡنَ .(28-
29)
This boarding of the ship by Noah (sws) and his companions
signified migrating from his people the way messengers migrate
from their people. For this reason, he was advised to
supplicate to God in accordance with the occasion. At the time
of migration, similar supplications were made by other
messengers too. Muhammad (sws) was instructed thus in this
regard in verse 80 of Surah Bani Isra’il:
رَّبِّ اَدۡخِلۡنِیۡ مُدۡخَلَ صِدۡقٍ وَّ اَخۡرِجۡنِیۡ مُخۡرَجَ
صِدۡقٍ وَّ اجۡعَلۡ لِّیۡ مِنۡ لَّدُنۡکَ سُلۡطٰنًا نَّصِیۡرًا
(Lord! Wherever you want to make me enter, let it be an
entry with honour and from wherever you want me to leave, make
me leave with honour and make political authority my helper
especially from Your self). Since the supplication in the
verse under discussion was taught by God, it also signifies
glad tidings of success in the future. The implication is that
now that Noah’s Lord has delivered him from the company of
wretched and mean people, He will take care of him in the best
way and wherever He will take him, He will make that place
blessed for him: he and his companions will grow in number and
flourish and these few people with their limited economic
resources will once again inhabit this world.
اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰیٰتٍ وَّ اِنۡ کُنَّا
لَمُبۡتَلِیۡنَ .(30)
The verse refers to the real purpose for which this anecdote
has been narrated. The most prominent sign in this anecdote is
that after creating this world, God did not detach Himself
from it; on the contrary, He sent messengers for the guidance
and instruction of people. The second thing that becomes
evident is that those who oppose and deny a messenger are
given respite by God to a certain extent; ultimately, He
seizes them and when He does so none can stop Him. The third
thing that becomes evident is that in the struggle between
good and evil, the messenger and his companions always
succeed. However, before this success, they have to pass
through a period of trial. The last part of the verse “and
indeed We subject [people to] trials” refers to this very
established practice of God. The fourth thing that becomes
evident is that just as the message of every messenger has
remained the same, the style and manner of the opposition of
their enemies have also remained the same. For this reason,
every anecdote of a messenger and every account of a nation is
a means of learning for other messengers and nations.
ثُمَّ اَنۡشَاۡنَا مِنۡ بَعۡدِهِمۡ قَرۡنًا
اٰخَرِیۡنَ .(31)
The word قَرۡن means “century” and
also refers to the people and nation of an era. After
destroying Noah (sws) and his nation, God raised other nations
from him and his companions of the ship. The reference is to
the ‘Ad, the Thamud. In Surah al-A‘raf, it is mentioned that
the ‘Ad succeeded the nation of Noah (sws) and the Thamud
succeeded the ‘Ad.
فَاَرۡسَلۡنَا فِیۡهِمۡ رَسُوۡلًا مِّنۡهُمۡ
اَنِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ مَا لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ اِلٰهٍ غَیۡرهُ
اَفَلَا تَتَّقُوۡنَ .(32)
This verse refers to the messengers sent to the ‘Ad and the
Thamud ie. Hud (sws) and Salih (sws). Their accounts have been
related earlier in Surah Hud and Surah al-A‘raf. In اَنِ
اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ, a governing noun is suppressed
before اَن. I.e. “They were sent
with the message to worship God; there is no other deity
besides Him.” This message is exactly the same as that of Noah
(sws) as has been alluded to earlier. The verse also asserts
that the messengers that were sent belonged to their own
nation. They did not belong to the angels or to jinnkind. This
is a great favour of God that He sent a messenger to each
nation from among it. Various aspects of this favour have been
explained at other instances in this exegesis.
وَ قَالَ الۡمَلَاُ مِنۡ قَوۡمِهِ الَّذِیۡنَ
کَفَرُوۡا وَ کَذَّبُوۡا
بِلِقَآءِ الۡاٰخِرَةِ وَ اَتۡرَفۡنٰهُمۡ فِی الۡحَیٰوةِ
الدُّنۡیَا
مَا هٰذَاۤ اِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُکُمۡ
یَاۡکُلُ مِمَّا تَاۡکُلُوۡنَ مِنۡهُ وَ یَشۡرَبُ مِمَّا
تَشۡرَبُوۡنَ .(33)
The word مَلَاءٌ has been explained
earlier under verse 23. This verse mentions some traits of the
arrogant people that shed light on the reason for their
arrogance and rebelliousness. The first of these traits is
that these people rejected the hereafter and being raised up
before God. The second trait is their affluence in this world
which became a trial for them. They contended that their
worldly successes were a proof of the veracity of their
beliefs and deeds; they further reckoned that in the first
place the day of judgement was a hoax and if it was not, there
was no reason why they would not be blessed there too the way
they had been blessed here. It was because of this affluence
and prosperity, they were not willing to accept any person’s
superiority over them and that too of a person who did not
have any status or affluence. They tried to hide this
arrogance by uttering what this verse states.
وَ لَئِنۡ اَطَعۡتُمۡ
بَشَرًا مِّثۡلَکُمۡ اِنَّکُمۡ اِذًا لَّخٰسِرُوۡنَ .(34)
This verse mentions a ploy they adopted to incite the emotions
of their masses. They tried to convince them that if they
accepted the messenger, God knows what pit he would land them
in and how he would utterly rout them. The implication is that
before taking such a disastrous step, they should fully
contemplate the consequences. These leaders meant that they
could teach them the benefits and ills of this matter.
اَیَعِدُکُمۡ اَنَّکُمۡ اِذَا مِتُّمۡ وَ
کُنۡتُمۡ تُرَابًا وَّ عِظَامًا اَنَّکُمۡ مُّخۡرَجُوۡنَ .
هَیۡهَاتَ هَیۡهَاتَ لِمَا تُوۡعَدُوۡنَ .(35)
The verb وعد here means “to frighten
and to threaten.” This usage is evident from verse 268 of
Surah al-Baqarah الشَّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكمُ
الفَقَرَ (Satan threatens you with poverty). The word
هَیۡهَاتَ is verbal noun. It is used
in Arabic in different forms and connotes something
far-fetched and that which is unlikely to happen. Repetition
incorporates stress and emphasis in it. The interrogative
nature of the sentence is meant to express abhorrence.
The implication of the verse is that people should not be
over-awed by such imaginary claims of the messenger.
اِنۡ هِیَ اِلَّا حَیَاتُنَا الدُّنۡیَا
نَمُوۡتُ وَ نَحۡیَا وَ مَا نَحۡنُ بِمَبۡعُوۡثِیۡنَ .(36)
It may be kept in mind that whether the rejecters of the
hereafter belong to the past or the current era, they do not
reject the hereafter on the basis of some reason. They reject
it because they think that it is an unlikely and an improbable
event even though they believe in things thousands of times
more unlikely and improbable. At a number of places, the
Qur’an has expressed amazement at this strange contradiction.
اِنۡ هُوَ اِلَّا رَجُلُ افۡتَرٰی عَلَی
اللّٰهِ کَذِبًا وَّ مَا نَحۡنُ لَهُ بِمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ .(37)
The earlier allegations were made by their wise chiefs to lead
their masses away. The verse under discussion reflects their
own “wisdom” about the messenger of God which has led
themselves away from him.
قَالَ رَبِّ انۡصُرۡنِیۡ بِمَا کَذَّبُوۡنِ .(38)
This verse has occurred earlier and explained in detail.
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِیۡلٍ لَّیُصۡبِحُنَّ
نٰدِمِیۡنَ .(39)
God has sounded assurance to the messenger after his
supplication: very soon His promise will manifest itself and
these people will regret their arrogance.
فَاَخَذَتۡهُمُ الصَّیۡحَةُ بِالۡحَقِّ
فَجَعَلۡنٰهُمۡ غُثَآءً
فَبُعۡدًا لِّلۡقَوۡمِ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ .(40)
The word صَّیۡحَةٌ means “a shout”
and in the Qur’an it signifies God’s punishment at various
instances regardless of its form. It would be incorrect to
regard it to be a punishment accompanied with a sound.
The word حَقٌّ refers to the promise
of truth that was to necessarily manifest itself if the
messenger was denied and which he had informed them of.
The word غُثَآءٌ is used in the
Qur’an and in classical Arabic poetry in two different
meanings. It shall be discussed in detail in the exegesis of
Surah al-A‘la. Here it refers to withered shrubs and weeds.
The implication of the verse is that after the supplication of
the messenger, God’s torment – which was being regarded as a
bluff – visited them and they were totally routed and were
transformed into straws and weeds.
The words فَبُعۡدًا لِّلۡقَوۡمِ
الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ express a curse. It signifies God’s
punishment.
ثُمَّ اَنۡشَاۡنَا مِنۡ بَعۡدِهِمۡ قُرُوۡنًا
اٰخَرِیۡنَ .(41)
In verse 31, the word قَرْنٌ is
mentioned. Here its plural قُرُوۡنٌ
is mentioned. It is evident from this that after this
gradually many nations born from Noah’s descendants and
messengers were sent to each of them by God for their
guidance. Though neither the Torah nor the Qur’an mention the
name of all messengers, both indicate that messengers were
sent to each nation. The Qur’an has stated this fact
explicitly; however, since the Jews have been after destroying
the history of all prophets except those belonging to their
lineage, this is not mentioned explicitly in the Torah. Yet
indications are found in it.
مَا تَسۡبِقُ مِنۡ اُمَّةٍ اَجَلَهَا وَ مَا
یَسۡتَاۡخِرُوۡنَ .(42)
An incomplete verb is suppressed before the indefinite verbs
in accordance with the conventional principles of Arabic and
because concomitant factors point to it, there also exists a
suppression of text between the previous and the current
verse. If this suppression is unfolded, the overall discourse
would be to the effect: We sent messengers to these nations
but they denied them; as a result, ultimately every nation met
its fate after fulfilling its appointed term; neither did the
punishment visit a nation before this term nor were they
granted any reprieve once this term was fulfilled. I have
explained at other instances that this term has been appointed
by God by measuring their moral decadence. Only God knows when
this decadence reaches such an extent that a nation should now
be wiped off from the face of the earth.
In other words, this verse is warning the Quraysh that they
should not ask God’s messenger to hasten this punishment. Once
their appointed term expires, they too will be wiped out. If
they seek to hasten this punishment, God is not going to
comply with their demand nor will He delay its arrival by a
minute when this time expires. This is an established practice
of God regarding nations and they too will face it.
ثُمَّ اَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتۡرَا
کُلَّمَا جَآءَ اُمَّةً رَّسُوۡلُهَا کَذَّبُوۡهُ
فَاَتۡبَعۡنَا بَعۡضَهُمۡ بَعۡضًا وَّ جَعَلۡنٰهُمۡ اَحَادِیۡثَ
فَبُعۡدًا لِّقَوۡمٍ لَّا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ .(43)
The word تَتۡرَى is
actually the changed form of وَتَرَى
the
و has changed into ت in
accordance with a common linguistic principle. The expression
جاء القوم تترى would mean that
people came one after the other in succession.
The guidance provided by God through His messengers increased
in proportion to the number of nations born. So much so,
messengers also came to different nations in the same period.
Though we do not find details in history, it is evident from
the Qur’an that the period of Abraham (sws) and Lot (sws) was
the same. Similarly, the prophets Moses (sws), Aaron (sws) and
Shu‘ayb (sws) coexisted. This arrangement made by God is
enough testimony to the fact that He never remained negligent
of His creatures’ guidance. Yet, every nation ended up
rejecting its messenger. As a result, they were doomed one
after the other. Moreover, nations which showed conceit on
their grandeur and splendour, affluence and advancement were
made tales of the past. The sentence
فَبُعۡدًا لِّقَوۡمٍ لَّا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ is an expression
of curse, as is indicated earlier under verse 41. It is
evident from the occasion and context of this sentence here
that even though these nations existed in the past, God is
still angry with them for their disbelief and even today
curses them when they are mentioned.
ثُمَّ اَرۡسَلۡنَا مُوۡسٰی وَ اَخَاهُ
هٰرُوۡنَ بِاٰیٰتِنَا وَ سُلۡطٰنٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ .(44)
After briefly referring to all the messengers who came after
Noah (sws), those messengers are mentioned whose detailed
account is found in the Bible. In my opinion, the word “signs”
signifies the miracles which manifested themselves at the
hands of Moses (sws) for the Pharaoh and his people. Its
details are found in the Torah and its references are cited in
this exegesis as well. The expression “manifest proof” refers
to the miracle of the staff. This is a mention of the specific
after the general. This miracle was like a clear and decisive
sign and for this reason it is called “manifest proof.” It was
through this miracle that the Pharaoh and his courtiers
suffered a humiliating defeat before his nation and a group of
adept magicians. At some instances, the Qur’an has called it
بَيِّنَةٌ (obvious proof). In verse 33 of Surah al-Rahman (لَا
تَنۡفُذُوۡنَ اِلَّا بِسُلۡطٰنٍ), the word
سُلۡطٰن is used in the meaning of
God’s sanction. This word is very appropriate for the miracle
of the staff too because it was in fact God’s sanction in the
hands of Moses (sws)
اِلٰی فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَ مَلَا۠ئِهِ
فَاسۡتَکۡبَرُوۡا وَ کَانُوۡا قَوۡمًا عَالِیۡنَ . فَقَالُوۡا
اَنُؤۡمِنُ لِبَشَرَیۡنِ مِثۡلِنَا وَ قَوۡمُهُمَا لَنَا
عٰبِدُوۡنَ . فَکَذَّبُوۡهُمَا فَکَانُوۡا مِنَ الۡمُهۡلَکِیۡنَ
.(46 -
48)
The implication is that these people also adopted the same
attitude which rejecters of God’s messengers have always
adopted. The words وَ کَانُوۡا قَوۡمًا
عَالِیۡنَ refer to a trait of their national character:
their arrogance was not the result of a temporary bout of
rage. They were in fact a very rebellious and arrogant people.
It was because of this temperament of the Pharaoh and his
people that when the Almighty sent Moses (sws) to them, He
said: اِذۡهَبۡ اِلٰی فِرۡعَوۡنَ اِنّهُ
طَغٰی (go to the Pharaoh; he has become rebellious,
(20:24)). The reason that Moses (sws) was given the miracle of
the staff in the very first phase was because his opponents
were very tyrannical and to counter them, he needed such a
weapon. The words “should We believe in what two humans
similar to us say even though their nation is our slave” are
an expression of their arrogance. As a consequence of this,
they denied their messengers and were doomed.
.
وَ لَقَدۡ اٰتَیۡنَا مُوۡسَی الۡکِتٰبَ
لَعَلَّهُمۡ یَهۡتَدُوۡنَ .(49)
After the Pharaoh and his people were destroyed, this is the
reward given to Moses (sws) and his nation. The very person
who was thought to be lowly by the Pharaoh and his people
since he was a member of the nation that was under their
subjugation was chosen by God along with his nation and given
a divine book. This book provided them with guidance in the
various stages of their life. It may be kept in mind here that
there is no other possibility than to regard the word “book”
refers to the Torah. It is known that it was given to Moses (sws)
after his migration. The plural
یَهۡتَدُوۡنَ is used in deference to the word “nation”
that has been mentioned earlier in the statement of the
Pharaoh and his people thus: قَوۡمُهُمَا
لَنَا عٰبِدُوۡنَ (their nation is our slave).
وَ جَعَلۡنَا ابۡنَ مَرۡیَمَ وَ اُمَّهُ
اٰیَةً وَّ اٰوَیۡنٰهُمَاۤ اِلٰی رَبۡوَةٍ ذَاتِ قَرَارٍ وَّ
مَعِیۡنٍ .(50)
The word رَبۡوَةٌ means “a high
level ground.” ذَاتِ قَرَارٍ means
“peaceful” and مَعِیۡنٍ means “a
fountain.”
This verse refers to the time of Jesus’ birth when Mary (sws)
was directed to sit under a far off tree. This place was
peaceful and on a high level. A tree bearing dates was found
there and below it a fountain of pure water ran. In this phase
of her life, Mary (sws) badly needed a peaceful secluded place
in order to protect herself from the allegations of her
people. God provided such a place to her out of His special
grace and mercy. All these details are mentioned in Surah
Maryam. There I have pointed out the location of this high
level ground and also explained the grand nature of this
incident. Since all these details have been mentioned in the
previous surahs, the Qur’an has only given a brief hint here.
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