194. The word qubulan as appearing in the text can be understood variously. One possible meaning is "species after species." That is, "Were We to gather together every (dead) thing: species after species, or groups after groups," they would still not believe. This is the opinion of Qatadah. Another possibility is "tribe after tribe" which is the opinion of `Abdullah b. Yezid and Mujahid (Ibn Jarir). The translation follows the interpretation of Ibn `Abbas as in Ibn Jarir too (Au.).

195. This is in response to their claim in the earlier verse that, "if a sign came to them they would believe" (Ibn Jarir).

196. "The people under discussion are so perverse that they do not prefer to embrace the Truth in preference to falsehood by rightly exercising their choice and volition. The only way that is left for them to become lovers of the Truth is, therefore, that by His overpowering will God should render them truth loving not by their choice and volition, but by metamorphasizing their very nature. Such a course, however, goes against the wisdom which underlies the creation of man" (Mawdudi).

197. Sayyid comments: "There are a few points that must find a proper perspective in the minds of the readers for a full realization of the meaning involved in this verse and others of similar nature. Firstly, faith and unfaith, guidance and misguidance are not directly related to proofs and evidences. The truth contains the proof in itself. It has its own grip over the heart, making it incline to itself and cling to it. But there are deterrents that fall in between the heart and the truth. Allah said about the attitude of the unbelievers:

وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَا إِذَا جَاءَتْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ (109) وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَارَهُمْ كَمَا لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَنَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ [الأنعام : 109 ، 110]

"And what will make you (O Muslims) realize that when it (the sign) comes they will not believe. We turn away their hearts and eyes because they did not believe in it in the first instance, and leave them in their insolence stumbling blindly.”

So, whatever happened to them earlier, is most likely to happen again even after the signs are revealed to prevent them from believing. The inspiration to believe is already there within the hearts. It is external impediments that come in the way. And it is the external impediments that must be attended to.

Secondly, it is Allah's will to which ultimately all affairs return and depend upon, whether it be the affairs concerned with guidance or error. Nevertheless, Allah's will has determined that man be initially given the freedom to choose. In this lies his test. Whoever is inclined to guidance and is prepared at his heart to receive it, will have Allah's Will lead him to it notwithstanding in what situation he happens to be. In contrast, if someone shows disinclination to the divine guidance, ignoring the evidences that are apparent to him, then Allah's Will also works to lead him to error and throw him off the track, wandering blindly in darknesses. Allah's Will of course fully circumscribes men and, in the final resort, decisions concerning all affairs return to Him alone. Hence Allah's words: "We turn away their hearts and eyes because they did not believe in it in the first instance (that the truth became apparent to them), and leave them in their insolence stumbling blindly."

Thirdly, whether they be obedient or habitual sinners, they are all equally in the power of Allah under His command and rule. None of them can bring into existence anything save by Allah's decree and determination in consonance with the Sunan of Allah that He has set concerning the affairs of His creations. But, in so far as the believers are concerned, they work to harmonize within the limited freedom of choice that they enjoy what is imposed upon them by Allah's irresistible Will, that works on their bodies, on every cell, and in every recess of the mind .. they try to harmonize this .. along with their own submission, adopted by choice, and following their acceptance of the guidance. In consequence of this, they are in peace with themselves. They realize that what is imposed on them from on High, and what they adopt by choice, both follow the same rules and are controlled by the same Power. As for others, they too have no choice over what is enforced by Allah's Will. But, in so far as those areas are concerned, where they have the freedom to choose, they opt to rebel against Allah, His Plans and His Will. They end up wretched because of the split that their personalities undergo.

198. Thus it is nothing exceptional with you, O Prophet, that you should be tried (Ibn Jarir). As Waraqah b. Nawfal had said to the Prophet, adds Ibn Kathir, "No one ever came with the message you have brought, but he had enemies."

199. It is reported that once when Abu Dharr entered the mosque the Prophet asked him if he had offered (the two rak`ah of) Prayers. When he said no, he instructed him to do so. When he was through the Prophet asked him if he had sought Allah's refuge from the evil of the Shayatin of men and Jinn? Abu Dharr asked: "Are there Shayatin of men?" The Prophet replied: "Yes" (Ibn Jarir). The hadith is weak. But it comes to us through several ways gathering strength (Ibn Kathir).

Zamakhshari quotes Malik b. Dinar as saying that to him the devils of men are more fearful than the Devil himself, for the latter can be chased away with the words of Allah but the former cannot be got rid of as easily.

200. The translation follows the understanding of `Ikrimah, Suddi, Mujahid and Ibn `Abbas as in Ibn Jarir (Au.).

Mawdudi writes: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) is told that he should not be unnerved even if the evil ones among both mankind and the jinn stood united against him and opposed him with all their might. For this was not the first time that such a thing had happened. Whenever a Prophet came and tried to lead people to the Truth, all the satanic forces joined hands to defeat his purposes."

201. Mawdudi comments: "... according to the Qur'an there is a tremendous difference between ‘God's will' and ‘God's good pleasure.' The failure to differentiate between the two often gives rise to serious misconceptions. If a certain things takes place in accordance with the universal will of God, and thus by His sanction, that does not necessarily mean that God is pleased with it. Nothing at all takes place in the world unless God permits it to take place, unless He makes it a part of His scheme, and unless He makes it possible for that event to take place by creating its necessary conditions. The act of stealing on the part of a thief, the act of homicide on the part of a murderer, the wrong and corruption of the wrong doer and corrupt, the unbelief of the unbeliever and the polytheism of the polytheist none of these are possible without the will of God. Likewise, the faith of the believer and the piety of the pious are inconceivable without the will of God. In short, both these require the will of God. But whereas the things in the first category do not please Him, those in the second do.

"Even though the will of God is oriented to ultimate good, the course of the realization of that good is paved with conflict between the forces of light and darkness, of good and evil, or what is firm and pure on the one hand and what is corrupt and defiled on the other. With larger interests in view, God has endowed man with the disposition of obedience as well as of disobedience. He has created in man Abrahamic and Mosaic as well as Nimrodic and Pharaonic potentialities. Both the pure, unadulterated human nature and satanic urges are ingrained in man's nature and have been provided with opportunity to work themselves out by coming into conflict with each other. He has granted those species of His creatures who are possessed of authority (viz. man and jinn) the freedom to choose between good and evil. Whosoever chooses to act righteously has been given the power to do so, and the same is the case with him who chooses to be evil. People of both categories are in a position to use material resources within the framework of the broader considerations underlying God's governance of His universe. God will be pleased, however, only with those who are working for good. God likes His creatures to exercise their freedom of choice properly and commit themselves to good out of their own volition."

202: Majid writes: "anzala ilaykum" is not quite the same as "anzala `alykum." Hence the rendering of the former phrase as ‘sent down toward you.'

203. Although the first recipient was the Prophet, it seems more likely that the Ummah has been addressed through him (Au.).

204. That is, perfect it is in truth when the Word is a statement of fact, or is a past report, and in justice when it is a commandment or a prohibition: Qatadah (Ibn Kathir).

205. Asad explains: "(That is), regarding the true nature of human life and its ultimate destiny, the problem of revelation, the relationship between God and man, the meaning of good and evil, etc. Apart from leading man astray from spiritual truths, such guesswork gives rise to the arbitrary rules of conduct and self imposed inhibitions to which the Qur'an alludes, by way of example, in verses 118 and 119."

206. The choice of words may be noted. Allah said, "Your Lord is well aware of those who swerve away.." Here, the last few words indicate that it is by his own choice that a person swerves away," while in the following words, "He is well aware of the rightly guided," (and not "those who chose guidance") the implication hidden is that being on the right guidance is to a great degree because of the original implantation of tawhid in the human soul (Alusi).

207. That is, what has been declared unlawful in verse 3 of Al Ma'idah which says:

حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَا أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى النُّصُبِ وَأَنْ تَسْتَقْسِمُوا بِالْأَزْلَامِ ذَلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ الْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِ الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ [المائدة : 3]

"Forbidden unto you are carrion, blood, swine's flesh, what has been consecrated to other than Allah, the (beast) strangled (to death), or (the one that died) by a violent blow, or by a fall from a height, or one gored with the horns (to death by another animal), and (the one killed and) devoured by the wild beasts unless you have sacrificed them duly and what is slaughtered on the altars ..." (up to) ... "whoever is forced in (extreme) hunger (to eat of the unlawful) without any inclination (in the heart) for a sin, surely (for such) Allah is Forgiving, Kind" (Ibn Jarir).

208. This excludes however that animal over which Allah's Name was not pronounced due to forgetfulness, the slaughterer being either a Muslim or one of the People of the Book. On the other hand, if anyone does not spell the Name intentionally, then the slaughtered animal is unlawful to Muslims (Ibn Jarir). This happens to be the opinion of the Hanafiyyah, Imam Malik, Ahmad b. Hanbal, and according to one report, that of Imam Shafe`i too, although other opinions have also been attributed to him (Ibn Kathir).

209. According to a report in Muslim, Nuwas b. Sam`an asked the Prophet about what constitutes sin. He replied:

الإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِى نَفْسِكَ وَكَرِهْتَ أنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ

"Sin is that which pricks you in the heart and which you would not like the people to know about" (Ibn Kathir).

210. The verse tells us that of sins there are two kinds: those committed with the body organs and those committed with the heart (Alusi, Thanwi).

211. "The purpose of this and the following verse is not, as might appear in the first glance, a repetition of already pronounced food laws but, rather, a reminder that the observance of such laws should not be made an end in itself and an object of ritual: and this is the reason why these two verses have been placed in the midst of a discourse on God's transcendental unity and the ways of men's faith. The "errand views" spoken of in verse 119 are such as that lay stress on artificial rituals and taboos than on spiritual values" (Asad).

212. A man called Al Mukhtar b. Abu `Ubayd nicknamed Abu Is haq used to claim that he received revelations. Ibn Zumayyil says, "I was sitting in the assembly of Ibn `Abbas (during the pilgrimage season: Ibn Kathir) when a man came in and asked: "O Ibn `Abbas. Abu Is haq claims that he received wahiyy (revelations) last night. What's your opinion?" Ibn `Abbas replied: "The man spoke the truth." Ibn Zumayyil says I protested. Ibn `Abbas said: "There are two types of revelations: the one which Allah sends to His Messengers, and the other which the devil sends to his friends." Then he recited this verse (Ibn Jarir).

213. `Abdullah ibn Kathir (not the famous commentator Ibn Kathir: Au.) has said that the devils used to whisper into the hearts of the pagans thoughts such as: ‘What after all is the difference between the animal that died by itself and the one that was slaughtered? Were they not both the same? So why should one be lawful and the other unlawful?' Ibn `Abbas has said that the pagans used to say, in effect: ‘The animal that dies a natural death is the slaughtered of Allah. How come then, that the revelation declares the slaughtered of men lawful but the slaughtered of Allah unlawful?' Allah revealed this verse in response. Some other reports suggest that the Jews had also circulated similar doubts (Ibn Jarir).

Reports about Jews raising such doubts are in Tirmidhi, Abu Da'ud, Bazzar and others, with the last mentioned declaring them of hasan status. But Hakim has declared one version Sahih (Shawkani).

214. Declaring the lawful of Allah as unlawful or the other way round, is to commit shirk as the Prophet told `Adiyy b. Hatim who denied that the Christians ever took Lords besides Allah. The Prophet asked him:

"أَلَيْسَ يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ فَتُحَرِّمُونَهُ وَيُحِلُّونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ، فَتَسْتَحِلُّونَهُ؟"قُلْتُ: بَلَى، قَالَ:"فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَتُهُمْ"

"Did it not happen that the rabbis and priests declared the lawful of Allah as unlawful or the unlawful of Allah as lawful?" When `Adiyy said yes, the Prophet said: "That was taking them Lords besides Allah" (Ibn Kathir).

Tirmidhi has a slightly different version of the hadith, which he declared of Hasan status.