Al Islam

f. 29:67; 30:35. (close)

b. 29:67; 30:35. (close)

1857. Commentary:

The particle ل here expresses result or consequence. The verse means to say that the result of disbelievers’ setting up equals with God is that they begin to deny the favours which they receive from Him. But so long as they continue to be ungrateful to God they cannot hope to win His everlasting Grace. The verse warns disbelievers that God, out of His Mercy, averts from them His punishment time and again but if they refuse to mend their ways He would reject their prayers and punish them. (close)

a. 6:137. (close)

c. 6:137. (close)

1858. Commentary:

The verse means to say that idolaters allege that their gods or idols have bestowed upon them such and such things while the gods themselves have no knowledge of any such bestowal of their favours upon them. The words لما لا یعلمون (of which they know nothing) signify that idolaters who imagine they have received gifts from their gods and goddesses do not know who their gods are.

The verse constitutes one more powerful argument in refutation of polytheism. Very often polytheists and idolaters are found to indulge in abstruse philosophical and metaphysical arguments in support of polytheism which confuse men’s minds. In this verse they are told that the possibility that a certain thing can exist and the fact that it actually exists are two vastly different things. Even admitting for the sake of argument that there can be more than one God, does this hypothetical possibility actually prove that a particular person who is believed by idolaters to be a god is really so? These abstruse philosophical discussions do not prove anything. The godhead of the pseudo-gods has to be proved by strong and cogent proofs. This is a line of argument which at once takes the ground from under the feet of idolaters. They cannot prove the godhead of any one of their many gods. A polytheist will always indulge in abstruse metaphysical discussion about polytheism, but will never be able to adduce one single solid argument to prove the godhead of any of his many gods. It is in pursuance of God’s own plan that the lives of the pseudo-gods of the polytheists show that they were so weak and helpless that in view of their weakness and helplessness not even the most confirmed polytheist could dare say that they were gods. (close)

b. 6:101; 37:153, 154; 43:17; 52:40; 53:22. (close)

1552. The verse does not imply that the offence of disbelievers lies in attributing to God daughters and not sons though the Qur’an has also strongly denounced the attribution of a son to God (19:91, 92). The verse only points to the folly of the disbelievers that they attribute daughters to God while they themselves feel humiliated at daughters being attributed to them. (close)

a. 6:101; 37:153-154; 43:17; 52:40; 53:22. (close)

1859. Commentary:

The verse does not imply that the offence of disbelievers lies in attributing to God daughters and not sons. In 19:‌91, 92, it has been clearly mentioned how it displeases God when a son is attributed to Him. The present verse only points to the folly of disbelievers that they go against their own accepted principles. The rejection of truth makes them impervious to this patent fact that they attribute daughters to God while they themselves feel humiliated at daughters being attributed to them. This shows how helpless human intellect, unaided by Divinerevelation, is to understand even very easy and simple things, let alone difficult and complicated religious problems. A possible objection that the Quran wrongly assumes that polytheists regard daughters as a source of humiliation is answered in the next verse. (close)

c. 43:18. (close)

1552A. Iswadda Wajhu-hu means, his face became black, i.e. his face became expressive of grief or overcast with gloom; he became grieved, sorrowful or confounded; he became disgraced (Lane). (close)

a. 43:18. (close)

1553. The reference is to the barbarous custom of burying alive of female children which was in vogue among certain Arab tribes. They had a very low conception of their womenfolk and accorded them an extremely degraded position in their society. The Qur’an has strongly upheld the honour of women and has recognized all their legitimate rights, and in this respect it stands unique among all the Scriptures of the world. (close)

1860. Important Words:

ھون (disgrace) is the infinitive noun from ھان . They say ھان الرجل i.e. the man was or became low, base, vile, contemptible, despicable; he became weak and at rest. ھان علیه الامر means, the matter was easy and light to him. ھون (haun) means, ease and dignity and ھون (hun) means, disgrace (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

In this and the previous verse the Quran has strongly condemned the low conception of the Arabs of their womenfolk and the degraded position they accorded them in their society. The Quran has throughout upheld the honour of woman and has recognized her rights, and in this respect it stands unique among all the Scriptures of the world. It may incidentally be stated here that it is generally believed that the practice of burying daughters alive was common among all Arab tribes. History lends no support to this popular misconception. Had it been so the number of men over women would have greatly predominated in Arabia. But that was never the case. Nevertheless, the birth of a daughter was looked upon as a source of humiliation and embarrassment to the parents. But the foul practice of burying daughters alive was confined to a few tribes outside Mecca who had an exaggerated notion of their greatness, and even among those tribes only the wealthy few resorted to this barbarous practice. (close)

a. 30:28. (close)

a. 30:28. (close)

1861. Commentary:

The verse sets forth clearly the main purport of the chapter, i.e. those who do not believe in the life after death can have no faith in the possibility of Divine revelation. They seek to arrogate to themselves the framing of laws for their guidance. But such attempts have always ended in failure while the "word" which comes from God, being free from all defects and imperfections and being possessed of all conceivable excellences, is a safe guide. This shows the need for Divinerevelation.

The two attributes of "Mighty" and "Wise" point to the fact that true guidance can only come from God, for One possessed of might alone can implement all His promises and only the Wise One can find out what man really needs and only He can satisfy that need.

These attributes also point to the fact that there must be a life after death. Since God is Wise, all His acts must be based upon wisdom and if there be no life after death, this life ceases to possess any purpose or object, and this should cast a reflection on the wisdom of God. Similarly, complete manifestation of God’s might can take place only in the life after death, for in the event of such a manifestation taking place in this life, faith and virtue would cease to have weight or value. (close)

b. 10:12; 18:59; 35:46. (close)

1554. The reason why punishment is delayed is that if all sins had been at once punished by God, the world would have come to an end and all life on earth would have become extinct. Man would have perished as a result of his sins and there would have been left no purpose in the survival of beasts, animals and birds, etc. after his destruction. Being created for man’s use and benefit they would have perished with him. (close)

c. 7:35; 10:50. (close)

b. 10:12; 18:59; 35:46. (close)

c. 7:35; 10:50. (close)

1862. Commentary:

This verse furnishes an answer to a possible doubt arising from the preceding verse. The doubter would say, if Divine revelation is the only source of guidance, and teachings devised by man all lead to error, why then do disbelievers, in spite of their rejection of Divine guidance, not always come to grief in this life? On the contrary, many of them are seen to prosper, which fact shows that they are not altogether in the wrong. One answer implied in the verse is that if thieves, robbers and murderers do not always meet with immediate punishment and sometimes get respite, how can respite granted to rejecters of the Quran be adduced as a proof that it is not the revealed word of God? Another reason embodied in this verse as to why punishment is not always meted out to the guilty is that if all sins had been at once punished by God, the world would have come to an end and all life on earth would have become extinct. Man would have perished as a result of his sins and there would have been no purpose in the beasts, animals, birds etc., remaining alive after his destruction. Being created for man’s use and benefit they would have perished with him. So God’s wise plan in granting respite to evildoers and deferring their punishment provides yet another proof of the life after death when man’s actions will meet with full and even-handed justice. (close)

1863. Commentary:

The verse reverts to the subject of the previous verse in a different form and says that disbelievers are foolish to think that they can ever come to a happy end by attributing to God abominable things which they dislike for themselves, and that just as they consigned God to oblivion in this life, so would He abandon them in the next life to burn in the fire of Hell. (close)

d. 6:43; 22:53. (close)

a. 6:44; 8:49. (close)

a. 6:43; 22:53. (close)

b. 6:44; 8:49. (close)

1864. Commentary:

The verse purports to say that the disbelievers of Mecca like disbelievers of former Prophets have been lulled by Satan into a false sense of security. Like their predecessors and prototypes, they labour under the delusion that they would not have to answer for their wrongdoings. They feel themselves to be secure while a terrible punishment is about to overtake them. (close)

b. 6:158; 12:112; 16:90. (close)

a. 6:158; 12:112; 16:90. (close)

1865. Commentary:

The verse sets forth the existence of differences among the nations of the world as a reason for Divine revelation to be sent down to them because the Divine Word alone can resolve these differences. These differences also constitute a justification for the Quranic revelation. If men could only be convinced that the Quran was the revealed word of God, they would certainly give up their own views in its favour.

The verse also suggests that disbelievers cannot reasonably object to the advent of a new Prophet because a new Prophet comes only when the people cease to observe the teaching of the previous Prophet and deviate from the right path. So their deviation from the right path and their differences justify the appearance of a new Prophet.

The question may be asked, if, for instance, the Jews had remained loyal to the teachings of Moses, would the Holy Prophet not have come? The question is hypothetical. In any case differences and disagreements would have continued to exist in the world and consequently there would have always remained the need for a new Divine Messenger. But God has already provided an answer to the question in the words, "Had there been in the earth angels walking about in peace and quiet, We should have certainly sent down to them from heaven an angel as a Messenger" (17:96) i.e. if all men had become pure and holy like angels, there was no need for any Prophet to come. The word of God would then have descended directly upon every individual. But since angels have never lived on this earth nor has the world ceased to be a place of sin and iniquity, the Prophets also have not ceased to appear to bring about reconciliation between the sinful people and their Compassionate and Merciful Creator. (close)