1. For the explanation of separate letters, please see Surah Baqarah Note No.1 and Surah Yunus Note No.1.

On this occasion Imam Razi has related a very important point about the separate letters and it is that the letters awaken the addressee that he should come out of his slovenliness. A wise person attracts the attention of his addressee before he expresses his objective. These letters have also appeared before the meaningful words so that through them the addressee should be first alerted. Therefore, when these letters are read separately, then their sound gives a jolt, and this creates an effectiveness in what is said (See Tafseer Kabir, Vol. 25,page 26).

In this surah Alif hints at Eeman (faith), which is repeated often, e.g. in ayat Nos. 2, 7, 9,11, 12, 24, 44, 46, etc.

Lam hints at ‘Liqa-Allah’ (meeting with Allah), which is mentioned in ayat Nos. 5 and 23.

And Meem hints at Munafiqeen, mentioned in ayat No.11.

Besides in this surah the hypocrites (Munafiqeen) have been reproached at various places and the qualities of the people of faith have been presented.

2. Refers to those trying conditions which those who believed in Qur’an and its Messenger had to face. The infidels of Makkah were subjecting them to various kinds of oppression, so much so that they were compelled to forsake their houses and the native place. Accordingly one group of Muslims had left Makkah and had reached Abyssinia. In view of these conditions a question arises in the mind of some people that after accepting the faith why this antagonism of the circumstances ? This very question has been answered in these introductory ayat.

This ayah means that the people have taken for granted that after accepting the faith they would not be made to pass through any tests. It is their great misunderstanding. (For further explanation, please see Surah Baqarah Note No.310).

3. This has been Allah’s tradition (rule) that in every age when people accepted the faith preached by any divine messenger they were made to pass various tests by Allah to judge their sincerity. Therefore, if today the followers of the prophet of Qur’an are made to undergo hard times what is so strange about that?

4. Allah will put them into the fire of trial to judge whether their gold is pure or not, their faith was sincere or was it merely a lip service.

If they remain steadfast and patient in the sufferings inflicted on them by the infidels, then their faith is sincere, and in this path the sacrifices given by them strengthens their relationship with Allah and their character becomes strong. But those who have not accepted Islam sincerely and are made to undergo suffering at the hands of their opponents, they then turn away from Islam openly or else keep their relation with Islam only in name. They have misgivings against Allah and no desire to offer any sacrifice for Allah is created in their hearts. They express no active interest in Islam and succeed in safeguarding their own personal interests with the help of the infidels. Such people are in reality involved in hypocrisy, and with Allah their claim of being faithful is proved be false.

Even today those who give up their own ancestral religion and embrace Islam, they, are made to suffer great hardships at the hands of their own parents, family people or others of the same community. And if a girl embraces Islam, then life is made very hard for her. But those who embrace Islam after understanding its underlying truth, they are prepared to face these adversities as their hearts are strengthened by the force of their faith.

5.This is a warning to those who oppress those who embrace Islam. They should not be under this misunderstanding that by such methods they would be able to stop such persons from following the true religion, when Allah has decided to make them victorious. They should know that they cannot stop Allah from enforcing His decision, nor would they be able to escape His punishment.

6. The people of faith Who are hopeful or meeting with Allah are being reassured that the appointed hour of meeting will surely come, that is, the Day of Resurrection when they will go in the presence of Allah, and the people of faith will be overjoyed by this meeting that they have achieved their goal.

When this desire to meet with Allah is created in the heart, it provides a great immunity against the oppression of the idolaters and such a man stands up to them like a mountain.

7. Hints at the point that Allah answers the appeal of the oppressed people of faith, and knows who is tyrant and who is oppressed. And when He hears and knows all this, then why will He not cause such a day to occur when the oppressed will get justice and the oppressors will be sent to their adverse consequences.

8. In the text the word ‘yujahidu’ is used, derived from the word ‘mujahidah’, meaning striving fully for achieving one’s objective, and bearing utmost suffering. In certain circumstances, to stand firm on Islam, to openly declare its being the true religion, and to fulfil its practical demands, man has to undergo considerable trials and tribulations, and to offer every kind of sacrifice, particularly those people who have embraced Islam recently. Here this very exertion and toil that is being undertaken in the path of Allah has been termed as ‘mujahidah’ (jihad) or striving, and it has been made clear that the benefit of this mujahidah and sacrifice will be received by the person who does this striving and gives sacrifices for his faith, and in this way he makes himself deserving of Allah’s mercy and reward. By his striving and sacrifices Allah will not be benefited in any way. He is Independent of all these and is unconcerned. He does not need anything or anybody.

9. Allah will remove the stains of evil from the sheet of those who will accept the faith and perform good acts, and live righteously. He will give them best rewards for their righteous acts.

10. If to make someone Allah’s partner is against reality, then what is the significance of having faith in an unreal proposition?

‘That of which you have no knowledge’ means: O man ! you do not know that these things are not really god, but some people have made them god by their imagination.

11. Fair and kind treatment of parents had been a part of the divine teaching in every age, but it does not mean that obedience to parents’ teaching has precedence over Allah’s teachings. All obedience, are subservient to Allah’s obedience, and any command of creatures which goes contrary to the commands of the Creator is not worth obeying. If parents command a person to associate some one with Allah or not to accept Allah’s faith, then it is an open sin against Allah, and in matters of sinning there is no question of obeying parents. Therefore, in this matter no pressure from parents should be encouraged.

It is an event concerning Sa’ad bin Abi Waqas (R) that after his embracing Islam, his mother applied great pressure on him that he should give up Islam, so much so that she vowed that she would neither talk to him nor would she take any food or drink till he gave up Islam. In this connection an ayah was revealed to the Prophet and the great companion of the Prophet stuck to his belief and ultimately his mother had to break her vow (See Sahih Muslim Kitabul Fazail.)

12.That is: They will be included in the company of the righteous and virtuous people, which group is the one that will be triumphant in the Hereafter.

Among men there are some who say: ‘We believe in Allah’ but if they be made to suffer for the sake of Allah, they consider persecution of men as Allah’s punishment; and if help comes from your Lord, they will say: ‘Verily, we were with you (all along). Is not Allah best aware of what is in the bosoms of the people? (Al-Quran)

13. That is: These claimants to faith are frightened by the suffering which they have to undergo because of their faith at the hands of the idolaters. In such circumstances they ignore the demands of faith, and give up the company of the Prophet and his companions. Thus they prepare themselves to receive Allah’s punishment by not standing up to face the worldly dangers in the cause of their faith although the sufferings that come from the people are insignificant compared to the punishment that come from Allah, in the Hereafter.

Today what a large number of people hesitate to embrace Islam, inspite of considering it to be a true religion, for fear of reprisals from their family people or the community! As for the punishment of Hereafter in the event of not believing and following the true religion, it will be seen when it will confront them. In this way they equate the suffering that is received from the humans with the punishment from Allah, and because of this they do not prepare themselves to face the sufferings from the humans.

14. It is a hint at the point that when Islam would become a powerful religion, with the help of Allah, these very people who were content with a formal relationship with the people of faith will say proudly that they were with them all the while that is they were always among the Muslims, thus they are trying to get credit which they did not at all deserve, and they will conveniently forget that in the time of difficulties they had not sided with Islam.

15. It is a pointer to the fact that these people had not accepted faith with sincerity. Had they accepted faith with sincerity, they would have come forward to help Islam’s cause, they would have kept their attitude straight in difficult times, and they would have given sacrifices for Allah.

16. That is: Allah will definitely see who proves himself to be a true and sincere Muslim and who proves himself to be a hypocrite. Trying times bring out the difference between the faithful and the hypocrite clearly.

It may be noted that only that faith carries weight with Allah which is held sincerely and with the full support of heart. This faith creates a special feeling and a special light in man’s heart, by which a Momin’s entire life is illuminated. As against this a hypocrite expresses his belief, but his heart does not confirm it, therefore, true faith does not at all exist in his heart, and for this reason he is not prepared to meet the demands of faith, nor in his life influences of faith are seen.

17. This is the talk of the big people. This is what they say to the common people, and particularly to their subordinate people that you follow our religions and do not give it up to embrace Islam. They say that first of all the Day of Resurrection is not going to occur, and even if it occurs, then on that day the burden of all the sins that you would have committed would be taken by us on our shoulder, and the responsibility of committing the sin of not accepting Islam by you will be taken by us.

18. That is: On the Day of Resurrection they will not be willing to take the responsibility of the sins of those whom they are advising to follow their religions, they are fooling the people by telling lies.

19. They will bear the burden of their own sins, as well as the burden of the sins of others whom they have misguided. In the Hadith it is stated-

“Whoever calls towards misguidance (evil), there will be burden of sins on him also as it will be on the person who commits the evil act, and there will be nothing short in his own sins.”(Muslim, Kitabul Ilm).

20. That is: The falsehood that they have been inventing and the lies that they have been concocting in the name of religion and imputing it to God will have to be accounted for by them on the Day of Resurrection. They will be questioned about them.