Surah 42. Ash-Shuraa

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-19 [2], 20-29 [3], 30-53 [4]

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Quran Text of Verse 30-53وَ مَاۤAnd whateverاَصَابَكُمْbefalls youمِّنْofمُّصِیْبَةٍ(the) misfortuneفَبِمَا(is because) of whatكَسَبَتْhave earnedاَیْدِیْكُمْyour handsوَ یَعْفُوْاBut He pardonsعَنْ[from]كَثِیْرٍؕmuch وَ مَاۤAnd notاَنْتُمْyouبِمُعْجِزِیْنَ(can) escapeفِیinالْاَرْضِ ۖۚthe earthوَ مَاand notلَكُمْfor youمِّنْbesidesدُوْنِbesidesاللّٰهِAllahمِنْanyوَّلِیٍّprotectorوَّ لَاand notنَصِیْرٍ any helper 42. Ash-Shuraa Page 487وَ مِنْAnd amongاٰیٰتِهِHis Signsالْجَوَارِ(are) the shipsفِیinالْبَحْرِthe seaكَالْاَعْلَامِؕlike [the] mountains اِنْIfیَّشَاْHe willsیُسْكِنِ(He) can cause to become stillالرِّیْحَthe windفَیَظْلَلْنَthen they would remainرَوَاكِدَmotionlessعَلٰیonظَهْرِهٖ ؕits backاِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیٰتٍsurely (are) Signsلِّكُلِّfor everyoneصَبَّارٍpatientشَكُوْرٍۙ(and) grateful اَوْOrیُوْبِقْهُنَّHe could destroy themبِمَاfor whatكَسَبُوْاthey have earnedوَ یَعْفُbut He pardonsعَنْ[from]كَثِیْرٍؗmuch وَّ یَعْلَمَAnd may knowالَّذِیْنَthose whoیُجَادِلُوْنَdisputeفِیْۤconcerningاٰیٰتِنَا ؕOur Signsمَا(that) notلَهُمْfor themمِّنْanyمَّحِیْصٍ place of refuge فَمَاۤSo whateverاُوْتِیْتُمْyou are givenمِّنْofشَیْءٍa thingفَمَتَاعُ(is) but a passing enjoymentالْحَیٰوةِ(for) the lifeالدُّنْیَا ۚ(of) the worldوَ مَاBut whatعِنْدَ(is) withاللّٰهِAllahخَیْرٌ(is) betterوَّ اَبْقٰیand more lastingلِلَّذِیْنَfor those whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveوَ عَلٰیand uponرَبِّهِمْtheir Lordیَتَوَكَّلُوْنَۚput (their) trust وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoیَجْتَنِبُوْنَavoidكَبٰٓىِٕرَ(the) greaterالْاِثْمِsinsوَ الْفَوَاحِشَand the immoralitiesوَ اِذَاand whenمَاand whenغَضِبُوْاthey are angryهُمْtheyیَغْفِرُوْنَۚforgive وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاسْتَجَابُوْاrespondلِرَبِّهِمْto their Lordوَ اَقَامُواand establishالصَّلٰوةَ ۪prayerوَ اَمْرُهُمْand their affairsشُوْرٰی(are conducted by) consultationبَیْنَهُمْ ۪among themوَ مِمَّاand from whatرَزَقْنٰهُمْWe have provided themیُنْفِقُوْنَۚthey spend وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاِذَاۤwhenاَصَابَهُمُstrikes themالْبَغْیُtyrannyهُمْtheyیَنْتَصِرُوْنَ defend themselves وَ جَزٰٓؤُا(The) recompenseسَیِّئَةٍ(of) an evilسَیِّئَةٌ(is) an evilمِّثْلُهَا ۚlike itفَمَنْBut whoeverعَفَاpardonsوَ اَصْلَحَand makes reconciliationفَاَجْرُهٗthen his rewardعَلَی(is) onاللّٰهِ ؕAllahاِنَّهٗIndeed Heلَا(does) notیُحِبُّlikeالظّٰلِمِیْنَ the wrongdoers وَ لَمَنِAnd surely whosoeverانْتَصَرَdefends himselfبَعْدَafterظُلْمِهٖhe has been wrongedفَاُولٰٓىِٕكَthen thoseمَاnotعَلَیْهِمْ(is) against themمِّنْanyسَبِیْلٍؕway اِنَّمَاOnlyالسَّبِیْلُthe wayعَلَیagainstالَّذِیْنَthose whoیَظْلِمُوْنَoppressالنَّاسَthe peopleوَ یَبْغُوْنَand rebelفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthبِغَیْرِwithoutالْحَقِّ ؕrightاُولٰٓىِٕكَThoseلَهُمْfor themعَذَابٌ(is) a punishmentاَلِیْمٌ painful وَ لَمَنْAnd whoeverصَبَرَ(is) patientوَ غَفَرَand forgivesاِنَّindeedذٰلِكَthatلَمِنْ(is) surely ofعَزْمِmatters of determinationالْاُمُوْرِ۠matters of determination وَ مَنْAnd whoeverیُّضْلِلِAllah lets go astrayاللّٰهُAllah lets go astrayفَمَاthen notلَهٗfor himمِنْanyوَّلِیٍّprotectorمِّنْۢafter Himبَعْدِهٖ ؕafter Himوَ تَرَیAnd you will seeالظّٰلِمِیْنَthe wrongdoersلَمَّاwhenرَاَوُاthey seeالْعَذَابَthe punishmentیَقُوْلُوْنَsayingهَلْIsاِلٰی(there) forمَرَدٍّreturnمِّنْanyسَبِیْلٍۚway 42. Ash-Shuraa Page 488وَ تَرٰىهُمْAnd you will see themیُعْرَضُوْنَbeing exposedعَلَیْهَاto itخٰشِعِیْنَhumbledمِنَbyالذُّلِّdisgraceیَنْظُرُوْنَlookingمِنْwithطَرْفٍa glanceخَفِّیٍ ؕstealthyوَ قَالَAnd will sayالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْۤاbelievedاِنَّIndeedالْخٰسِرِیْنَthe losersالَّذِیْنَ(are) those whoخَسِرُوْۤاlostاَنْفُسَهُمْthemselvesوَ اَهْلِیْهِمْand their familiesیَوْمَ(on the) Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ ؕ(of) the ResurrectionاَلَاۤUnquestionably!اِنَّIndeedالظّٰلِمِیْنَthe wrongdoersفِیْ(are) inعَذَابٍa punishmentمُّقِیْمٍ lasting وَ مَاAnd notكَانَwill beلَهُمْfor themمِّنْanyاَوْلِیَآءَprotectorیَنْصُرُوْنَهُمْ(who) will help themمِّنْbesidesدُوْنِbesidesاللّٰهِ ؕAllahوَ مَنْAnd whomیُّضْلِلِAllah lets go astrayاللّٰهُAllah lets go astrayفَمَاthen notلَهٗfor himمِنْanyسَبِیْلٍؕway اِسْتَجِیْبُوْاRespondلِرَبِّكُمْto your Lordمِّنْbeforeقَبْلِbeforeاَنْ[that]یَّاْتِیَcomesیَوْمٌa Dayلَّا(there is) noمَرَدَّavertingلَهٗfor itمِنَfromاللّٰهِ ؕAllahمَاNotلَكُمْ(is) for youمِّنْanyمَّلْجَاٍrefugeیَّوْمَىِٕذٍ(on) that Dayوَّ مَاand notلَكُمْfor youمِّنْanyنَّكِیْرٍ denial فَاِنْThen ifاَعْرَضُوْاthey turn awayفَمَاۤthen notاَرْسَلْنٰكَWe have sent youعَلَیْهِمْover themحَفِیْظًا ؕ(as) a guardianاِنْNotعَلَیْكَ(is) on youاِلَّاexceptالْبَلٰغُ ؕthe conveyanceوَ اِنَّاۤAnd indeedاِذَاۤwhenاَذَقْنَاWe cause to tasteالْاِنْسَانَ[the] manمِنَّاfrom UsرَحْمَةًMercyفَرِحَhe rejoicesبِهَا ۚin itوَ اِنْBut ifتُصِبْهُمْbefalls themسَیِّئَةٌۢevilبِمَاfor whatقَدَّمَتْhave sent forthاَیْدِیْهِمْtheir handsفَاِنَّthen indeedالْاِنْسَانَ[the] manكَفُوْرٌ (is) ungrateful لِلّٰهِTo Allahمُلْكُ(belongs the) dominionالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ؕand the earthیَخْلُقُHe createsمَاwhatیَشَآءُ ؕHe willsیَهَبُHe grantsلِمَنْto whomیَّشَآءُHe willsاِنَاثًاfemalesوَّ یَهَبُand He grantsلِمَنْto whomیَّشَآءُHe willsالذُّكُوْرَۙ[the] males اَوْOrیُزَوِّجُهُمْHe grants themذُكْرَانًاmalesوَّ اِنَاثًا ۚand femalesوَ یَجْعَلُand He makesمَنْwhomیَّشَآءُHe willsعَقِیْمًا ؕbarrenاِنَّهٗIndeed Heعَلِیْمٌ(is) All-Knowerقَدِیْرٌ All-Powerful وَ مَاAnd notكَانَisلِبَشَرٍfor any humanاَنْthatیُّكَلِّمَهُAllah should speak to himاللّٰهُAllah should speak to himاِلَّاexceptوَحْیًا(by) revelationاَوْorمِنْfromوَّرَآئِbehindحِجَابٍa veilاَوْorیُرْسِلَ(by) sendingرَسُوْلًاa Messengerفَیُوْحِیَthen he revealsبِاِذْنِهٖby His permissionمَاwhatیَشَآءُ ؕHe willsاِنَّهٗIndeed, Heعَلِیٌّ(is) Most Highحَكِیْمٌ Most Wise 42. Ash-Shuraa Page 489وَ كَذٰلِكَAnd thusاَوْحَیْنَاۤWe have revealedاِلَیْكَto youرُوْحًاan inspirationمِّنْbyاَمْرِنَا ؕOur CommandمَاNotكُنْتَdid youتَدْرِیْknowمَاwhatالْكِتٰبُthe Book (is)وَ لَاand notالْاِیْمَانُthe faithوَ لٰكِنْButجَعَلْنٰهُWe have made itنُوْرًاa lightنَّهْدِیْWe guideبِهٖwith itمَنْwhomنَّشَآءُWe willمِنْofعِبَادِنَا ؕOur slavesوَ اِنَّكَAnd indeed youلَتَهْدِیْۤsurely guideاِلٰیtoصِرَاطٍ(the) pathمُّسْتَقِیْمٍۙstraight صِرَاطِ(The) pathاللّٰهِ(of) Allahالَّذِیْthe Oneلَهٗto Whomمَا(belongs) whateverفِی(is) inالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ مَاand whateverفِی(is) inالْاَرْضِ ؕthe earthاَلَاۤUnquestionablyاِلَیToاللّٰهِAllahتَصِیْرُreachالْاُمُوْرُ۠all affairs

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Translation of Verse 30-53

30. Whatever misfortune befalls you, it is because of your own doings.⁶⁰ And He forgives much.

31. You are not beyond His reach on the earth, nor do you have any protector or helper besides Allah.⁶¹

32. And among His signs are the ships on the sea, like mountains.⁶²

33. If He will, He may calm down the wind so that they lie motionless upon it ⁶³ --- -verily there are signs in this for every patient and grateful person.⁶⁴

34. Or may cause them to perish on account of what they have done ––And may forgive much.

35. And those who dispute Our revelations may know that they have no escape.

36. So whatever you have been given is but a passing comfort for the life of the world, and that which Allah has is better and more enduring ⁶⁵ for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord.⁶⁶

37. And those who avoid major sins⁶⁷ and indecencies ⁶⁸ and when angered forgive.

38. And those who respond to the call of their Lord,⁷⁰ and establish salat ⁷¹ and conduct their affair by mutual counsel,⁷² And who spend (in charity) from what He has provided.⁷³

39. And those who, when oppressed, defend themselves.⁷⁴

40. The recompense of evil is evil like that,⁷⁵ but whoever forgives and reforms, his wage is the affair of Allah. ⁷⁶ Verily, He does not like the wrongdoers.⁷⁷

41. And he who avenges himself after being wronged, there is no blame on him.⁷⁸

42. The blame is on those who oppress mankind and indulge in wrongful rebellious acts on the earth.⁷⁹ For such there is painful punishment.

43. And however, he who endures (the wrong) with patience and forgives, verily it is an act of great resolution.⁸⁰

44. He whom Allah leaves in error, there is no protecting friend after him.⁸¹ And you will see the wrong-doers when they will see the punishment saying:’ Is there no way back?’⁸²

45. And you will see them exposed (to the Fire), humbled by disgrace, and looking upon it with a stealthy glance.⁸³ And those who believe will say: ‘Verily, the real losers are they who have lost themselves and their relatives on the Day of Resurrection.⁸⁴ Lo! Are not the wrongdoers in perpetual punishment?’⁸⁵

46. And they will have no protecting friend instead of Allah. He,whom Allah leaves in error, cannot find a way.

47. Respond to the call of your Lord before there comes to you a Day from Allah which cannot be averted.⁸⁶ You will have no refuge that Day, nor will you have power to avert the punishment.⁸⁷

48. But if they turn away, then (O Prophet ! ) We have not sent you to be their keeper.⁸⁸ Your only duty is to convey the message. When We give a man a taste of Our mercy, he exults therefore, but when some misfortune befalls through his own misdeeds, he becomes ungrateful.⁸⁹

49. To Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He will. He gives daughters to whom He will and sons to whom He pleases.

50. Or He gives them sons and daughters both and He Keeps barren whomsoever He will.Verily, He is All knowing, Mighty.⁹⁰

51. It is not the privilege of any mortal that Allah should speak to him except by revelation, or from behind a veil, or He sends a messenger (angel) to reveal what He will by His command.⁹¹ Verily, He is Exalted, Wise.⁹²

52. And thus We have revealed to you (O Prohpet !) a Spirit of Our command.⁹³ You did not know what the Book was and what the Faith.⁹⁴ But We have made it a light ⁹⁵ by which We guide whom We will of Our slaves. And verily you do guide to a right path.⁹⁶

53. The path of Allah to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. Lo! To Allah all things return.⁹⁷

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Commentary

60. In the ayah the address is to the disbelievers and disobedient persons. They are being told that it is your own doing that brings in trouble for you. A person who commits evil, for which he is subjected to one trouble or the other, and the society which commits evil as a whole is also subjected to some misfortune as a whole. The ayah explains this reality, that virtuous people have also to undergo some kind of misfortune, which is by way of testing them, but here this aspect is not under discussion.

61. That is: Allah can deprive you of your independence whenever He wills. And you can come under the grip of His punishment whenever He wants it. It is neither in your power that you may escape His punishment, nor have you any helper or protector who can save you from His grip.

62. That is: Big ships which stay in water like mountains.

63. In those days there were only ships with sails, which could not move in the sea without the help of the winds. And winds are made to blow by Allah only. If He stops the winds from blowing, then the movement of these ships would also stop. In modern times aeroplanes have been invented, where flying in the air depends on the condition of air and winds only. It is an open sign of the fact that the entire universe is under Dawatul Quran 367 S. 42 the control and command of Allah, then what is the sense in considering some other being as the controller of the universe and invoking him for redressing your grievances or relieving you of your troubles ?

64. For explanation; please see Surah Luqman, Note No.53.

So whatever you have been given is but a passing comfort for the life of the world, and that which Allah has is better and more enduring for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord.

65. Whatever wealth, property and provisions man gets in this world are for the fleeting life of this world only. When he dies, he leaves behind everything here. Nothing of his property goes with him, that it may be of some use in the next world. Contrary to this, the blessings of the Hereafter are much more better than the blessings of this world, and are also everlasting. Now it is the choice of man whether he should choose the provisions which are temporary and of less value or the provisions that are really valuable and of permanent nature. If he selects the first kind of thing, the world will be considered to be his goal, and he will be ignoring the Hereafter in his ideas and practical life. But if he selects the other thing, then his thoughts will be ruled by the Hereafter and he will spend his life, making Hereafter the goal of his life in this world.

66. Here the attributes of those people are being mentioned who will be blessed with the bounties of the Hereafter. Their first attribute is that they put their faith in the things which the Quran invites them to do. Then it is the result of this faith that they have developed the attribute of trust in Allah, therefore, their confidence is not on the world of effects but on the Cause of the Effects, the One who rules the universe.

Trust in God is that where man does every thing in his power to achieve his goal, but he does not think that his efforts are everything or sufficient to do the needful; after his efforts he should leave the whole thing into the hands of Allah, believing whatever He wills will happen. And it is a fact that man’s efforts become successful only when the will of God is favorable.

It may be noted in the conflict between Islam and disbelief that trust in God is very essential for the people of faith, and here with this thing in mind this attribute of theirs has been made prominent.

67. For the explanation of major sins, see Surah Nisa Note No.79.

68. For the explanation of indecencies, please see Surah An’am, Note No.277.

69. To be angry on being disturbed or hurt by others is quite natural but to forgive is the best attribute of a true faithful. This attribute prepares man to control his emotions, treat others kindly and to deal with justice and fairplay. To overcome anger is really a great achievement, but greater achievement is to forgive the offender. But those who do not fear God, they become uncontrollable in their anger and indulge in excesses and tyranny.

70. That is: They listen to the command of their Lord with utmost care and accept it. But contrary to this, the Muslims for name sake are not prepared to listen to it, nor are they interested in it.

71. That is: They observe this duty regularly and perform it with all the necessary care and requirements. They do it with the humility of their heart and with the dignity demanded by it. They also take care to observe all the conditions which the Shariah has prescribed.

Establishing prayers or salat is a comprehensive terminology, which includes offering salat in congregation and keeping the rows straight. A hadith lays down:

“Correct your rows (in salat),for straight rows is a part of the establishing prayers”. (Bukhari, Kitabus Salat).

The other saying of the Prophet is:

“Perform salat as you see me performing it”. -(Bulughul Maram, as referred to in Bukhari)

Therefore, the method of prayers which has been shown in the Divine Book and the traditions of the Prophet can be the only correct and right method, and only by that way the purpose of establishing of prayers can be achieved.

72.’Amr’ means collective or social affairs, which demand some order and discipline. Therefore, those who are in-charge of the collective affairs of the people are called ‘Ooliul Amr’ or ‘Sahib-e-Amr’. Here an important attribute of the people of faith has been mentioned that their affairs are decided by mutual consultation.

It is noteworthy that this Surah is Meccan, and during this period Muslims were not in a position to establish their political system. Inspite of this, directive is given that their affairs should be decided by mutual consultation, which meant that those collective affairs and social matters during the administrative control of disbelievers about which Muslims could take some steps, should do so by mutual consultation. This is a very important guideline for those Muslims who live in a non-Islamic country. They should organize some mutual consultative system on their community’s level for taking decisions about their religious matters. So that the community may be rightly guided and represented and its decisions are accepted by the whole community.

In this ayah prominence given to the consultative arrangement, is a very big foundation of the Islamic political system. In other words among Muslims power will be controlled by those who will be elected by the Muslims for this work. Persons who want to follow their own counsel against the wishes of the general trend is an excessive act. This mutual consultation cuts at the root of dictatorship and imperialism, in which the ruler has all the power. Then the democracy of the modern age and the mutual consultation of Islam differ in this way that the present democracy is like a camel without its leading rope. It follows only its own decisions and laws, therefore, its decisions are against the truth, promoting evil, and based on excesses and tyranny. As against this, Islamic consultation follows the commands of Allah and the directives of His Messenger. It has no power to take any decision against the Shariah, or trespass the limits of the Shariah commands. It tackles problems in the light of the guidance given by the Quran and Sunnah, and takes decisions in their light only.

The decision of the Shoora can be said to be that on which there is a unanimous decision or there is majority in its favour. The ruler or Khalifa’s opinion only cannot be said to be the decision of the Shoora, nor can the minority opinion of the Shoora be considered the decision of the Shoora, for in any matter the judgment of the superior will only prevail. And if the Amir or the ruler does not give due weight to the decision of the Shoora (majority) then the Shoora becomes ineffective.

For the Shoora, or consultation only those can be suitable who are God-fearing, capable of decision making and reliable. People of loose character, evil doers and superficially inclined ones will complicate the matters instead of solving them.

In the ayah Shoora is mentioned along with the salat. It is a hint at the point that democracy or consultation is the fruit of prayers, and that only that Shoora can be the means of goodness and auspiciousness which establishes salat. Those who do not offer prayers are not at all suitable for consultation or Shoora. On this occasion Ayah No. 159 Note No.91 of the Surah Aal-e-Imran

‘Wa Shawirhum fil amre’ (AyahNo. 159) it should be kept in view.

73. Means spending in the way of Allah or for the sake of Allah. It includes spending for Zakat, charity, alms, and for religious purposes. Please see Surah Baqarah, ayah No.262, Surah Anfal ayah No.60, and Surah Taubah, ayah No.33.

74. ‘Intisar’ means to defend and also to take revenge. Islam never taught that whatever wrong is being done to you, you should go on tolerating it meekly, and you have no right to take any retaliatory measures. This religion is a system of actions, and not a bundle of imaginary things and impracticable theories, therefore, it has no similarity with the philosophy of non-violence, nor with the Christian teaching that if anybody hits you on one cheek place the other cheek before him. It allows its followers to meet violence with violence and to overcome the enemy, but with this condition that the limit of justice and fairplay should not be crossed, as is clear from the ayah that follows. In fact, Islam has taken into consideration all kinds of conditions and circumstances, and has made concessions for all kinds of temperaments. Sometimes conditions demand that violence be met with violence, and so that the power of the tyrant be weakened. And some temperaments are such that they cannot

tolerate excesses and forgive the evil doers. Therefore, the teaching that Islam has imparted is based on a balanced view, therefore, it has not condemned taking of revenge, but at the same time persuaded its followers to have patience and to forgive.

The saying of Prophet Eesa (Jesus) which is people said to be recorded in the Bible as under:

“You have heard that it was said, “ An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as caused well”. (Matt.5 : 38 to 41) The objective of Prophet Eesa was not to cancel the command about taking revenge recorded in the Torah but that he wanted to advise his followers to have patience and keep a low profile because the conditions at that time were not in their favour for taking any revenge as they were in minority and were not in a position to take any retaliatory steps. Presenting of the other cheek was mentioned by him by way of an example that the Roman government will tyrannies them and they will not be in a position to pay them in the same coins, so they should be ready to undertake more punishment, having no means to defend themselves. This was a moral directive and not a Shariah rule, and the meaning of this directive was not what the Christians have understood by it. It is by” way of an example as has been clarified above, and in the Injeel of Lucas (Luke) this portion has been recorded in such a way that the phrase eye for an eye is not included in it. Prophet Eesa was not sent down to cancel the commands of the Torah, therefore, to impute any saying to him which amounts to canceling the command of the Torah cannot be accepted as true.

75. Only equivalent quantum of hurt or suffering can be given to somebody who has caused any hurt or suffering to you. And only equivalent compensation can be demanded from one who has caused you any damage. In your defence you cannot give up justice and fairplay. If somebody has broken a glass of another person, then it would be wrong for the other person to burn the other person’s house.

76. Persuasion is for forgiving, negotiating for peace and understanding, and for making amends and reforming. And for this act Allah has promised to give reward.

77. There is a warning in this that if you cross the limit in taking revenge, then remember that it would be totally wrong, and Allah does not like wrong-doers.

78. That is: The oppressed has the right to take revenge of the oppression against the oppressor. Therefore, if any oppressed person takes revenge, in equal measure, from the oppressor, then there is no reason that the oppressed one should be condemned. No account of his action be taken.

79.That is: Reproachable and to be condemned are those people who act wrongly against and tyrannies mankind, and live as rebels against Allah, and spread disturbance in the society. Such people will have to account for their acts.

80. If some one has committed excess, then to keep patience, and to forgive and to let one’s enemy go is an act of great moral courage. It is an attribute which makes a man’s character strong and keeps his morale high. This is an act of great determination and courage and it bestows greatness on man.

81. That is: There is none who could guide him, divert his efforts through the right channel. He cannot have a protecting friend who would turn his efforts to bear the desired fruits.

82. Is there any way by which they could go to the world again and accept the true religion and become virtuous.

83. As a guilty person tries to avoid glancing at the punishment which is being awarded to him, similar will be the condition of those who will be condemned to go to Hell. They will try to avert direct glancing at the Hell. This is the picture of such guilty person’s disgrace and helplessness.

84. On that Day the people of faith will openly say that the real loss was not anything lost in the world, but the losses suffered in the Hereafter. Therefore, those who had ignored the Hereafter, and those who were misguided by people, and had gone astray by following them, will suffer the perpetual loss.

85. That is: The permanent punishment in the Hereafter.

86. This manner of speech is very appealing to the mind. The dawah of the Quran is the dawah of your own Lord, therefore, you respond, hearken to the message of your Lord, and by accepting his dawah prepare for the deliverance of yourself in the Hereafter. The Day of Resurrection is definite to occur and none can avert it.

87. It will not be in their power to stop or avoid the punishment or to turn away the angels that would come to take them away.

88. The address is to the Prophet that he is not responsible for the acts of the people that he should force them to follow the right guidance.

89. For explanation, please see Surah Room, Notes Nos. 64,65.

90. The ruler of the heavens and the earth is Allah only. He can create anything He likes, gives male offspring’s to anyone He likes and females to whom He wills. If He wills He keeps others childless. He is ruling the universe with full knowledge and perfect power. Besides Him there is none who can give children to anyone.

From this if the belief of the polytheists that certain deities can give children is refuted, the belief of the ignorant Muslims is also negated that certain Peer or certain saints can grant children to those who pray to them. On account of this false belief women frequent Visit dargahs, and for the sake of child pledges are taken in the name of saints. Such a belief is totally false and this act is out and out polytheistic. But ignorant Muslims have joined this ugly patch to the clean rainment of Islam.

91. That is: No person on account of his inherent defects can bear to converse with Allah directly. His greatness and His majesticity are such that no human being can bear to have a glimpse of Allah. Accordingly on the request of Prophet Moosa when Allah had allowed His slightest glimpse to be seen, the mountain turned to ashes, and Prophet Moosa fainted. (see Surah A’raf, ayah No.143). Therefore, the mode of conveying His messages to His messengers had been different and of three kinds:

Allah may reveal to His messenger His message direct to his heart. ‘Wahi’ (Revelation) as has been made clear in Note No.2 above means to hint, or to make signs or to secretly talk to the addressee, and to inform him of His message, commands and directions. No other person is able to hear this talk. This unseen mode of conveying the message is known as ‘Wahi’ in the Quranic terminology.

The second mode is to speak to His Messenger directly but may not be seen by him. That is: the messenger may hear Allah’s voice and may even speak to Him, but may not be able to see Him. This mode was adopted in the case of Prophet Moosa. Accordingly at the time of granting him the status of Prophethood, this mode was adopted by Allah. (Surah Taha ayah Nos. 11 and 12). At the time of giving him the Shariah also this mode was adopted.

The third mode is that an angel may be made the messenger who should take the message of Allah to the Prophet and communicate it to him secretly.

Out of the three, the first and the third modes were used in sending down revelation to the Arabian Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. In the hadith both these modes have been mentioned in this way: “Ummul Mumineen, Ayesha (R) states that Harith bin Hasham asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah! How does revelation come to you?’ The Messenger of Allah said that sometimes he hears the sound of a ringing bell, and this form goes very hard on him. Then when he preserves that, that state ends. And sometimes an angel comes in his presence in the form of a man and talks to him and he then memorizes it. Ayesha (R) states that she had seen revelation being sent down to him during the severe wintry season. As soon as the revelation ends, sweat flows down his forehead.” -(Bukhari Kitabul Wahi).

It may be noted that the manner of revelation coming down to the Prophets has been mentioned in the Torah, the Bible and the Psalms at many places. For example, in the Torah it is stated:

“After these things the word of the LORD, came to Abram in a vision, (Gen. 15:1) When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses And he said, Here am I. (Exodus 3:4) Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh, and say to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. (Exodus 9:1)

In the Psalms it is stated:

“Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalms119:105)

In the Bible it is like this:

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, (Luke 4:1) “While the people pressed upon him to, hear the word of God, (Luke 5:1)

Thus the concept of the Divine word and Revelation (Wahi) which is held from the earlier days had been presented by the Quran with full clarification so that through it people may Dawatul Quran 377 S. 42 believe in this means of knowledge. It may also be noted that there is a big difference between Revelation and Inspiration. Revelation is very clear and there is no doubt about its being sent down by Allah, and Quran is word by word revelation and Allah’s Word, both from the viewpoint of words and meaning.

And so far as the Hindu religion is concerned, there is a vague concept of inspiration therein, which they term as ‘Shruti’ (Revelation).

92. Allah is Exalted (Ali), therefore, it is not the status of mortal man that he may talk with Him. And He is Wise, therefore His wisdom demands that He may send down His word to prophets to provide for the guidance of mankind.

93. In this ayah ‘Rooh’ (Spirit) means Quran, and it has been termed as spirit because it gives man real life. It is water of life for man, and it is such a fine and appealing composition that it fills man’s interior with a special kind of spirit.

94. You were not aware of faith and the Book in the manner earlier in which you are aware now. The idea is to bring into prominence the miraculous aspect of prophethood that a man whose quite a big part of life had been spent in such a way that he had not the detailed knowledge of faith, and also of the Divine Book, such a person suddenly started giving details of the reality of faith. How did it become possible? How could he present the ayah of the Divine Book? This is an open proof of his being the true prophet. The ayah does not mean that the prophet was totally ignorant of faith before he was conferred the honour of prophethood, and that he also did not know that Allah had revealed any book. The fact is that a prophet is by nature a virtuous man, and the Arabian Prophet, (S.A.W.) was also of a sound virtuous nature. Tawheed was his basic belief. He always kept himself away from idolatry and polytheism, so much so that he always avoided eating the flesh of the animals slaughtered in the name of idols. He was following the religion of Ibrahim, in whatever form it existed, and in which Hajj pilgrimage is one of the important pillars. The Prophet’s being engaged in worship in the Cave of Hira is a confirmed fact. Therefore, how can it be said that he was totally unaware of faith? Similarly it cannot also be said that he did not know anything about the Divine scriptures. The Jews and the Christians lived near Makkah, and everybody knew that they were the people of the Book. Therefore, how could he be ignorant of this fact that the Torah was revealed to Prophet Moosa and the Injeel was revealed to Prophet Eesa? But since he was unlettered he did not read these books, nor did he have any special knowledge about them. However, the revelation of the Quran to him not only increased his knowledge but also provided him with that light which enabled him to teach the realities of faith in detail and to recite the ayah of the Divine Book and teach them to his people.

95. That is: He made Quran a Noor, light, that it illumines the path of guidance and provides the light of knowledge.

96. The path to which the Prophet guides is the only straight path that leads to Allah, and its name is Islam.

97. Beware that whoever has adopted an attitude concerning Allah and religion, ultimately he will have to answer for that in the presence of Allah, for all the matters are to be presented to him for His final judgment.