71. It is that sign of monotheism which exists in man’s own self. when a man is surrounded by extraordinary adversities or is confronted with extreme dangers, he remembers God at that time. and he forgets all false deities. Even the atheists remember God at such a critical moment. It is the proof of the fact that the evidence of God’s existence exists in man’s own inner self.

The polytheists of Makkah were idolaters, yet whenever they faced adverse circumstances, they called or remembered Allah.

With an allusion to this evidence, man is being invited to contemplate this possibility that if Allah’s punishment comes or if the explosion of the Doomsday shakes the world, then whom man would call for help? If man just thinks about it, it would be sufficient to lead him to God.

72. The straitened circumstances and the physical suffering which nations are made to pass through are not without purpose. There is a divine scheme behind it, that such nations may be given a chance to reform themselves. Straitened circumstances and suffering shake man’s conscience and turn him towards his Lord, and prepare his heart to bow down before Allah.

73. If the intensity of suffering also does not soften the hearts of the people of a nation, it means that their hearts have become so hard that no advice or admonition would influence them. The magic spell of Satan has become so active and effective for them, that their evil acts also appear to be good and alluring to them. They consider their sinful acts as their proud achievements, and in their eyes the value of acts and things undergo a see change.

74. When a nation does not learn its lesson from the intensity of adverse circumstances and interprets it as an accidental happening, and considers it as the usual happening of the time, then Allah opens for them another chapter of trial. He provides them with every opportunity to enjoy life, so that a feeling of gratitude towards their Lord may develop in their hearts. But when they, instead of being grateful to their Lord indulge in conceit and pride, then their days are numbered and Allah’s punishment then overtakes them. Then nothing is left for them except disappointment and despair.

These were the circumstances through which the nations of prophets had particularly to pass, so that the veracity of the prophets might be confirmed, However, other nations had also to pass through such circumstances so that they might come to their senses.

75. To destroy the rebel nations is quite in keeping with the demands of justice as well as it is in the interest of the world of humanity, for it signifies the defeat of disbelief and the clearance of the environment from the evil and polluted matter. Therefore, for the treatment meted out to such nations, Allah deserves our praises and thanks.

76. That is: If Allah deprived them of their faculties of understanding and taking the right decision.

77. That is: In the Quran the arguments for monotheism are being presented in different and varying ways and styles so that those who have an inclination to understand may be able to do so.

78. Here punishment means that punishment which visits those nations that deny and reject their prophets, after the well-argued proofs of their truth had been conveyed to them. Since this punishment is sent down to distinguish between truth and falsehood, only followers of falsehood are affected by it and people of faith are spared. Accordingly, the punishment which overtook the nations of Thamud and Aa’d, etc., struck the infidels only, and the people of faith were saved.

79. That is: The main purpose of sending down messengers is not to show them performing miracles but to present Dawah of faith, to give glad tidings of eternal bliss to those who would accept their call and to warn those who would reject it of eternal condemnation. Miracles are performed merely to clinch the argument, when Allah’s wisdom and will so desire. Therefore, it is not correct to expect every prophet to perform miracles.

80. This is the thing about which the prophets had been warning their respective communities.

81. The disbelievers were demanding of the prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wasallam) to perform strange and preter-natural feats. In answer to this demand the prophet has been made to say that he had never claimed that he would show them preternatural feats as they were demanding, that he has presented only the message of truth before them, which Allah had sent down to him through an agency which was unseen by them, that they should examine this message by the touchstone of reasoning, that they wanted to judge the truth, not by their hearts, but as a manifestation of preter-natural feat, to show which was not within his powers, and that it was only within the powers of Allah to cause such feats to be shown. The prophet further said that he had only claimed to be a messenger of God, that he had not claimed that Allah’s treasures were in his possession enabling him to use them as he liked, nor did he know the things which were hidden and unseen, and that he had also not claimed that he was not a man but an angel, his position was nothing more than this that he was given the office of a divine messenger, and one who is given the office of a messenger remains a human being, he does not develop in himself any qualities of godhood nor does he become an angel. The prophet continued to say that only that person can observe the truth of his message who has not blind-folded himself, for the reality, however bright it may be, can be seen only by a person whose eyes are open.

The open declaration by the prophet that he does not know what is hidden and unseen is such a clear statement which does not admit of any difference of opinion, but those who have a crooked mind have created differences even about this straight and clear statement. Accordingly, they have made it a debateable issue among the Muslims as to whether the prophet had the knowledge of the Unseen or not. Those who indulge in excesses and innovations claim that the prophet had the knowledge of unseen things, inspite of the fact that this verse very clearly refutes this claim, and ,in the whole Quran nowhere it is mentioned that the prophet was given the knowledge of the unseen. On the contrary it has been stated in clear terms that only Allah has the knowledge of the unseen, and that he imparts that knowledge of the unseen to His prophets which are connected with the duties of prophethood. On account of this consideration a prophet has this distinction compared to the generality of mankind that he knows those realities of the unseen which are not known by the general people, and receives that knowledge, receiving of which is not possible for any other human being. But all these things are connected with the revelation from God, and this distinction of the prophets concerning the knowledge of the unseen is not a matter of dispute, but unnecessarily a problem for dispute has been created. As the people of the Book had become a prey to disputation even after the receipt of the clear teachings, similarly Muslims also indulged in useless disputation concerning the knowledge of the unseen after the receipt of clear teachings.