Al Islam

a. 20:57. (close)

3244. 'The great Sign' was the Sign of the Rod, which had precedence over all other Signs shown by Moses (20:21). (close)

c. 20:57. (close)

4562. Commentary:

"The great Sign" was the sign of the rod, which had precedence over all other signs of Moses (20:21). When confronted with the magic of the magicians it was his rod that swallowed that which the magicians had wrought (20:70). When Moses had to cross the sea he was enjoined to strike the sea with his rod (26:64); and when he prayed for water for his people he was told to strike the rock with his rod (2:61). The sign of the white hand was shown only after the sign of the rod (20:23). (close)

b. 26:30; 28:39. (close)

d. 26:30; 28:39. (close)

4563. Commentary:

The basic doctrine of Islam (in fact of all religions), second in importance only to belief in the existence of God, is belief in life after death. The primary mission of all Divine Prophets was to instil this belief in the minds of men. The Quran has given four arguments in support of this belief: (a) Complete knowledge of God about a thing which presupposes His power to create it. (b) Creation and development of man in the mother’s womb, from an insignificant sperm drop into a full-fledged human being. (c) Rising up of a people from the depths of moral degradation to the heights of spiritual glory through a Divine Reformer, such rising, in Quranic terminology, being known as their resurrection. (d) The triumph of a Prophet over his enemies, predicted at a time when the Prophet and his community are fighting for their very life, and the human mind cannot even conceive of a happy sequel to their efforts. It is to this last argument that reference has been made in the verse under comment.

Incidentally, the verse refers to the double punishment of disbelievers— in this life and in the Hereafter. (close)

3245. The complex, but flawless and consummate, creation of the solar system, does indeed constitute an invincible argument in support of Life after death, viz. that the Great God, Who could bring into being from nothing such a vast universe, could also give man, who is but a mere speck in it, a new life after he is dead. This is the purport of the present and the following six verses. (close)

4564. Commentary:

The complex, but flawless and consummate, creation of the solar system, constitutes, indeed, an invincible argument about life after death, viz. that the Great God Who could bring into being from nothing such a vast universe could also give man, who is but a mere speck in it, a new life after he is dead. This is the purport of the present and the following six verses. The verses further point out that when God has created such a complete system for man’s physical needs. He could not have failed to make similar provision for his spiritual needs. (close)

a. 21:33. (close)

3245A. Samk means, the roof; the ceiling of a house; height, depth and thickness of a thing (Lane). (close)

a. 21:33; 31:11. (close)

4565. Commentary:

The verse points to the fact that it is due to the sun, the moon and other heavenly bodies that life exists on earth. (close)