Surah Al-Hadid 57:26-29 - Quran Translation Commentary

26. We sent Nooh and Ibrahim as Messengers and placed the prophethood and the Book in their progeny.⁶⁰ Then some of them adopted guidance and many became transgressors.⁶¹

27. Then WE sent other Messengers in their footsteps and thereafter sent Isa son of Mariyam and gave him the Gospel.⁶² and we put in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy.⁶³ And they invented the new system of monasticism themselves. WE did not prescribe it for them. But in seeking Allah’s pleasure they devised that new way, then they could not observe it as it ought to have been observed.⁶⁴ So from among them WE rewarded those who had believed.⁶⁵ But many of them are transgressors.⁶⁶

28. O who believe! Fear Allah and believe in His Messenger.⁶⁷ HE will grant you two Portions of His mercy.⁶⁸ and will provide for you a Light where with walk and will forgive you. Allah is of forgiving most merciful.

29. So that, Nay ⁶⁹ the People of the Book may know that they have no power over the grace of Allah, and that the grace is in Allah’s hands alone and that HE grants it to whomsoever HE will.⁷⁰ and Allah is the Possessor of mighty grace.

Commentary

60. In this line of prophets Nooh and Ibrahim are especially noteworthy. Both the Messengers and the Books were sent in their progeny. This ayah makes it clear that Prophets and Divine Books were sent in the progeny of only these two messengers (peace be upon them). Hood, Swaaleh, Ibrahim and Loot all were in the progeny of Nooh. Thereafter Ibrahim was gifted with this honour. There were two branches in his progeny: one was Bani Israil wherein a number of holy prophets were born who were given Books like Taurat, Zaboor and Injeel (Bible books). The other was Bani Ismail wherein arrived Muhammad Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam as the last prophet and on whom was revealed the Holy Quran) (the last divine book).

In view of these clarifications of the holy Quran all those gassings are proved false which are being made regarding the prophethood of several other persons who came after Ibrahim and who were not from his progeny.

61. It means very few people from the progeny of these two prophets accepted the Guidance; that most of them indulged in sins.

Today similar is the condition of the ummah of the holy prophet too. Few of them are leading a life of guidance and many of them are committing sins even though the light of the holy Quran is Dawatul Quran 655 S. 57 extant to guide them aright.

62. It means WE sent Isa (peace be upon him) finally and gave him Injeel (Bible) so that people may get guidance from it. It should be remembered that the said Injeel is now not extant in its original form. Some separate parts of it are found in the Four Anaajeel (Matthew, Luke, Mark and John).

63. ‘Raafah’ means softness of heart and ‘Rahman’ means to be kind. These two virtues were very obvious in the life of Prophet Isa (peace be upon him ). His kindness of being Masiah could create a feeling and wish to help and sympathies with the creation of God. These virtues influenced his followers also. Many of them too were kind and soft-hearted. These virtues were desired in their well known sense. But they became excessive and adopted monasticism. Consequently Jihaad became suspended.

Mercy and kindness is prohibited while enforcing the criminal laws of Islam:

“And let not pity for them withhold you from obedience to Allah.”(Noor:2)

And the use of iron (weaponry) is essential for establishing justice, likewise Jihad war too is absolutely essential to fight the forces of anti Islam. All these are harsh deeds. To avoid these responsibilities and to sit in the circle of kindness and pity is to deviate from the path of justice and equity. The Deen of Islam has, on the one hand, provided for the nourishment of natural feelings and instincts. On the other hand it has also kept in mind the demands of collective interests and the supremacy of Deen. Taking one aspect and leaving aside another creates a situation of ‘Ifraat’ (excessiveness) and ‘Tafreet’(dissipation).

64. ‘Rahbaniyat’ (monasticism) means the way of worship invented by the Christians to leave all worldly affairs/and to sit in a corner of seclusion. For this purpose they adopted celibacy and began to reside in mountains and caves and in monasteries. This was an excessive step in worship which prevented them from fulfilling their natural demands and also stalled religious duties, especially the duty of jihad, as it was their responsibility during the tug of war between Islam and paganism or kufr. They avoided their duties. Quran terms this way an ‘innovation’ and states clearly that Allah did not make this thing compulsory for them. But that they invented it themselves to attain HIS pleasure. Thus they put themselves in such a difficult situation which they could not endure. Though they had invented this way for pleasing God, innovation (Bidat) is after all an innovation (Bidat)even if it is done with a good intention. Quran condemns it also from another angle, and it is that they could not maintain it. They invented this way of renouncing pleasure in worldly things for the sake of inventing but they could not follow it. Obviously when one fights against nature, nature also confronts one. History tells us that those who detested and disliked the system of marriage indulged in sins and adultery. The mixing of men and women in monasteries turned those places into centers of evil. Similarly when they left earning livelihood in lawful manners they became lawbreakers and began to eat the unlawful (Haraam) things. There is a mention of this deviation of eating unlawful things by ‘Ahbaar’ and ‘Rahbaan’ (religious scholars of the people of the book and the monks) in ayah 34 of Surah Taubah. It says they eat the earning of people unlawfully and prevent them from Allah’s path.

The excessive idea of giving up the world and of ’tapasya’ is prevalent in the polytheists of India also. Those who adopted it were called Sadhus and Jogis. In their over-enthusiasm of rejecting adornment they went to such extent that they discarded even their clothes. Thereafter ‘Dev Dasees’ (temple girls) began to live in temples to serve them. As a result they indulged badly in stark shamelessness, adultery and devouring of unlawful things. This is utter world-worship under cover of discarding the world.

In Muslims also ‘khaanqaahiyat’ has made its way through ‘Tasawuf’ which included taking a corner, (goshaa nashini), meditation (Muraqaba), abstinence (Riyaazat) and self-denial (Nafs kushi)etc. Then when they invented ‘Tariqat , (Sufi-type devotion) it usurped the place of Shariat (Islamic Way). Thus religion became full of innovations almost defacing the Deen, even though Hadith had warned that every innovation (bidat) was ‘Mardood’ (rejected):

‘‘Anyone who brings in a new thing in religion (which is not in it) is mardood (a scoundrel).” (Bukhari, Kitabus Sulh)

‘‘And the worst things are those which have been innovated (in religion and every innovation is deviation.” (Muslim, kitaabul Jumah)

This hadith says that every innovation (bid’at) deviation (dalaalah). Yet a group of ulema, by bifurcating deviation into two kinds ‘Hasanah’ (good) and ‘sayyiah’ (bad), paved a way for many innovations. Consequently today many in the ummah indulge in innovations.

65. Those followers of Jesus who were having true Faith and who were sincere in their belief were amply rewarded in proportion to their good deeds. The Following phase clarifies that those who were rewarded were not sinners. Rather they were fulfilling the demands of their Faith.

66. That is: a large number of the followers of Isa (peace be upon him) are living in fisq (they commit sins and disobedience) a very big reason of which is not following the Faith sincerely and doing innovations in religion.

Today the condition of Muslims is also like that. Many among them are sinners. There are few who follow Faith sincerely.

67. This is an address to those people who had put Faith in Prophet Isa. They are being told that when you have believed in Jesus, believe in Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi wa Sallam) also, if at all you are true in your claim of being faithful. Then only your belief Will be regarded as trustworthy.

68. A part of Mercy on the basis of your earlier faith and another part due to the fact that you believed in the Prophet of Quran (Muhammad Peace be upon him) too. It is mentioned in ayah 53-54 of Surah Qasas that:

And when it (Quran) is recited to them, they say; “We believe in it, verily, it is the Truth from Our Lord. We submitted to Him before it came.” and

“These will be given their reward twice, because they are steadfast, and repel evil with good, and spend in charity from what WE have provided for them.”

Another Hadith clarifies that there are three kinds of people who will get double reward. One of them is:

‘‘There is a man from the People of the Book who believed in his Prophet and thereafter also in Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi wa Sallam)” (Bukhari & Muslim)

69. This ‘Laa’ (Nay) is to emphasize negation, just as we say ‘No, no.

70. What is meant by this ayah is that the People of the Book should understand that the fact that before this all prophets had come in Bani Israil does not mean that it is a monopoly of that race. The truth is that prophethood is a Grace from God and is entirely in His control. HE may bestow it on whomsoever HE will. Before this His wisdom demanded that prophets should be sent in Bani Israil and now it is His Will that a prophet be sent in Bani Ismail. No one has a right to take any objection to His Will. HE may grant the grand position of prophethood to whomsoever HE will and may reward any group of His choice with His Grace by sending a prophet therein.