97. Majid quotes: "Qahir as an epithet applied to God means, ‘The Subduer of His creations by His sovereign authority and power, and the Dispenser of them as He pleaseth, with and against their will.' Or the ‘Overcomer, or Subduer of all created beings' (LL)."

One of the clearest manifestations of Allah's Irresistible power is man himself. He is composed of a body which is earthly in origin: base, dark and stinking, and a soul which is: noble, subtle, radiant and pure. It is Allah's irresistibility which forces them to combine and dwell together (Razi).

98. The "fawqa" of the text has to be understood in the sense of one above in honor and esteem. It should not be taken in the directional sense (Razi, Qurtubi).

99. Suddi, Qatadah and others have said that "hafazah" of the text are the guardian angels who guard man from various natural calamities as well as record all that he does (Ibn Jarir).

A single hadith is available on the subject. It is in the Sahihayn and other collections. It says:

الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَتَعَاقَبُونَ مَلَائِكَةٌ بِاللَّيْلِ وَمَلَائِكَةٌ بِالنَّهَارِ وَيَجْتَمِعُونَ فِي صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ وَصَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ الَّذِينَ بَاتُوا فِيكُمْ فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ فَيَقُولُ كَيْفَ تَرَكْتُمْ عِبَادِي فَيَقُولُونَ تَرَكْنَاهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ وَأَتَيْنَاهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ

"Angels of the night follow on the heels of the angels of day and meet each other at the Fajr and `Asr Prayer times. Then those who spent the night with you ascend to the heavens. Their Lord inquires, although He knows better than them, ‘In what condition did you leave My slaves?' They answer, ‘When we went to them they were Praying, and when we left them they were Praying'" (Manar).

Without substantiating his statement, Qurtubi says that the angels are four in number: two for the day, two for the night. One of them writes down the evil deeds and the other virtuous ones. When a man walks, one of them places himself at the front, another at the rear. When seated, they place themselves on the left and right, as Allah said (50: 17): "Sitting on the right and left." Some have said that they are five. Four as described above, and a fifth one, who never parts company.

Alusi discusses the nature of what the angels write: whether only what is outwardly visible to them of the acts, or, also the state of the heart? He speculates that, perhaps, they jot down everything but have no knowledge of intentions. Reports tell us that on the Day of Judgment Allah will accept some deeds and order the angels to drop the rest. The angels would assert that they wrote nothing but what the man did (and therefore, some of the deeds could not be dropped). Thereat Allah will say that He is aware of what deeds were carried out to please Him and what hypocritically. As for that hadith which says, ‘When a man intends a good deed, a good deed is written down (in his records, even if the person does not commit it),' probably, by "kutibat" (i.e., written down), what is meant is "decreed."

Alusi also states that when a believer commits an evil deed, the angel who records good deeds, restrains the one who records evil deeds saying, "Give him some time (before you record it). Maybe he will repent."

100. According to Ibn `Abbas, Ibrahim, Qatadah and many others, the allusion by the "rusuluna" of the text is to the angel of death and his aides (Ibn Jarir).

Qurtubi writes: It is said that the angel of death is accompanied by seven angels of mercy and seven angels of chastisement. If the person happens to be a virtuous one, the angel of death withdraws the soul and hands it over to the angels of mercy. But, if he happens to be an evil person, then he hands the soul over to the angels of punishment. The two groups dispose the soul suitably: into `Illiyyun or Sijjin.

101. The "la yufarritun" of the original has been interpreted as "they do not lose" by Ibn `Abbas and Suddi (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir and others). Zamakhshari has said that a literal meaning would imply neither delaying of the proceedings nor committing excesses.

The rendering in the translation sums up the variant meanings and has been adopted by us for the sake of flow (Au.).

Ibn Kathir adds: Angels take good care of the soul, detaining it, after its withdrawal from a person, at a place deserving of it: either in the `Illiyyun, if it happens to be a purified one, or in the Sijjin, if it happens to be a wicked one.

See ch. 83, notes 7, 8 and 11 of this work for further explanation.

102. Majid writes: "This is specially to combat the Christian doctrine representing Christ as Judge. ‘The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father and with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (Mt. 16: 37). ‘When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; And he shall set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father.' (25: 31 34) ‘That there will be a General Judgment is an article of faith. The Judge will be Christ.' (CD p. 523) ‘In the Gospels, while the Father is spoken of as Judge, Christ's influence at the Judgment is also spoken of and more generally He Himself is Judge, and exercises this function on all men.' (ERE. V. p. 35)

103. There can be several kinds of darknesses: the real, such as the darkness of the night, the figurative, such as that of ignorance of the way, or of hardships and dangers (Razi, Manar).

104. Besides the commonly understood meaning, Ibn `Abbas has said that the punishment from ‘above' is that of tyrannous rulers and from ‘below' (dishonest) employees of a person (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani and others). And Rashid Rida wonders why bombs from above and land mines from below should not be included?!

105. "Labisa" of the original is for confusion, or a mix up. But Suddi has interpreted it in Tabari as causing division (Au.).

106. Although the verse is Makkan, and the first application is to the Makkan pagans who denied the truth, the last part of the verse is also applicable to the Muslim Ummah. Consequently, the commentators have quoted those reports here of the Madinan period with Bukhari's hadith as the forerunner.

عن جَابِر بْن عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا يَقُولُ لَمَّا نَزَلَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ {قُلْ هُوَ الْقَادِرُ عَلَى أَنْ يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابًا مِنْ فَوْقِكُمْ} قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِوَجْهِكَ {أَوْ مِنْ تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِكُمْ} قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِوَجْهِكَ فَلَمَّا نَزَلَتْ {أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ شِيَعًا وَيُذِيقَ بَعْضَكُمْ بَأْسَ بَعْضٍ} قَالَ هَاتَانِ أَهْوَنُ أَوْ أَيْسَرُ

Jabir b. `Abdullah said: "When the verse: Say, ‘He has power to send upon you a calamity from above you,' was revealed, the Prophet remarked, ‘I seek protection by Your Face (O Allah).' Then when it said, ‘Or from below your feet,' he remarked ‘I seek protection by Your Face.' Eventually, when the following passage came down, ‘Or divide you up into (hostile) groups and make you taste the violence of one another,' the Prophet (saws) said, ‘This is milder or easier'" (Ibn Jarir, Shawkani).

Ibn Kathir adds: Bukhari has placed this hadith under various chapters. On the same subject, Muslim has the following hadith narrated by Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas who reports his father:

أَقْبَلْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى مَرَرْنَا عَلَى مَسْجِدِ بَنِي مُعَاوِيَةَ فَدَخَلَ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَصَلَّيْنَا مَعَهُ وَنَاجَى رَبَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ طَوِيلًا قَالَ سَأَلْتُ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ثَلَاثًا سَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ لَا يُهْلِكَ أُمَّتِي بِالْغَرَقِ فَأَعْطَانِيهَا وَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ لَا يُهْلِكَ أُمَّتِي بِالسَّنَةِ فَأَعْطَانِيهَا وَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ لَا يَجْعَلَ بَأْسَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ فَمَنَعَنِيهَا

"Once, we went out with the Prophet. When we passed by the mosque of Banu Mu`awiyyah, he went in and offered two rak`ah of Prayers, with us behind him. After that he supplicated to his Lord for a long hour and then said, ‘I asked my Lord for three things. Two of them He granted, but the third He would not. I asked that my Ummah be not destroyed by floods. I was granted. Then I asked that my Ummah be not destroyed by famine. That was granted. Then I asked that my Ummah be not divided into (hostile) groups (cutting each other down), but that was not granted.'"

Musnad Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Nasa'i, Tirmidhi, and many other compilers have ahadith to this effect. In fact one of them, in Ahmad, and of a good chain of narrators, adds that once the swords are unsheathed between groups of this Ummah, it will not be withdrawn until the Day of Judgment. In some narrations the Prophet added: "I fear none for my Ummah as much as misguided leaders."

Yet another report of Ahmad runs as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي بَصْرَةَ الْغِفَارِيِّ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ : " سَأَلْتُ رَبِّي أَرْبَعًا ، فَأَعْطَانِي ثَلاثًا ، وَمَنَعَنِي وَاحِدَةً ، سَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ لا يُجْمِعَ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ضَلالَةٍ فَأَعْطَانِيهَا ، وَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ لا يُهْلِكَهُمْ بِالسِّنِينَ كَمَا أَهْلَكَ الأُمَمَ قَبْلَهُمْ فَأَعْطَانِيهَا ، وَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ لا يُظْهِرَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَدُوًّا مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ فَأَعْطَانِيهَا ، وَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ لا يَلْبِسَهُمْ شِيَعًا وَلا يُذِيقَ بَعْضَهُمْ بَأْسَ بَعْضٍ فَمَنَعَنِيهَا ". (مسند أحمد بن حنبل-ن (6/ 396) - تعليق شعيب الأرنؤوط : صحيح لغيره وهذا إسناد ضعيف لإبهام الراوي عن أبي بصرة)

Abu Basrah al-Ghifari reported the Prophet as having said, “I asked my Lord for four. He granted me three and refused me one. I asked Him that my Ummah should not agree upon an error. He granted it to me. I asked Him that my Ummah should not be destroyed by starvation as He destroyed the nations before them. He granted it to me. I asked Him that an enemy apart from them should not overcome them. He granted it to me. And I asked Him that some of them should not taste the attacks of others, but He refused it to me” (Ibn Kathir).

107. Suddi has said that the "appointed hour" was in reference to the chastisement of the Quraysh which manifested at Badr. But, of course, the term is open and so the appointed hour can appear in this world or, it might appear in the Hereafter (Ibn Jarir).

108. The phrase yakhuduna fi ayatina means, ‘those who enter into false, or vain discourse or speech, respecting Our sign(s)' - Majid.

109. It is reported of `Umar ibn `Abdul `Aziz that he whipped a fasting man found in the assembly of a people drinking wine. He cited this verse: "Do not sit with them until they are engaged in other talks" (Shawkani).

110. Although, apparently, the verse addresses the believers through the Prophet, the commentators discuss all the same whether forgetfulness was possible on the part of the Prophet. Alusi states the opinion of some that the Prophet could forget, but only in worldly matters, or such of those things as had no Shari`ah implication. Nawawi is among them. The majority, however, believes that he could forget such affairs as involving the message he was required to communicate, but Allah would remind him sooner or later, so that the possibility of him declaring a valid rule as invalid and vice versa was ruled out. In fact, there is consensus of opinion that in Shar`i affairs, it was impossible for the Prophet to commit an error out of forgetfulness, or out of error of judgment. That indeed, applied to all Messengers and Prophets, who were specially protected by Allah.

The above discussion is, however, entirely hypothetical. It is common experience that a doctor, who, after all, is just anybody who has completed a course of study, does not prescribe, either due to forgetfulness, or out of error, cough syrup for pain in joints, or an aspirin for skin infection. How then is it expected that a Prophet, even if not protected from on High, would prescribe wrong Shari`ah rules for whatever fanciful reason that sounds good for an academic discussion? (Au.)

111. Abu Bakr Ibn al `Arabi (not Muhiyyuddin ibn al-Arabi) has said that this verse makes the company of the major sinners (ahl al kaba'ir) impermissible. Khuwayzmandad has said that the implication is that the company of those who dispute with the Qur'an, whether believers or non believers, should be avoided. Others have included the innovators (ahl al bid`ah) in the list of those whose company should be shunned. Indeed, it is said that once an innovator sought the attention of Abu `Imran al Nakha`i saying, ‘Listen just one word.' Abu `Imran replied, ‘Not even half a word.' Fudayl b. `Iyad has said: ‘Whoever approved of an innovator will have his other good deeds declared null and void. The light of Islam will depart from his heart. Whoever married off his daughter to an innovator, severed his ties with her. Whoever sat in the company of an innovator in religion will be denied wisdom' (Qurtubi).

112. That is, if the pagans continue to indulge in Allah's signs or make fun of His revelation, then, the godfearing have no sin upon them on their account (Suddi: Ibn Jarir).

113. Qatadah has said that this order was abrogated by the verses of jihad (Ibn Jarir).

114. The phrase "ittakhadhu ... lahwan" can be understood in either of two ways: (1) "they have made their religion [an object of] play and fun", or (2) "they have made play and fun [or "passing delights"] their religion" i.e., the main goal of their lives. To my mind, the latter reading is definitely preferable inasmuch as it brings out the fact that many of those who are "beguiled by the life of this world" devote themselves to the pursuit of what the Qur'an describes as "passing delights" including the pleasures which money and power can provide with something akin to religious fervor: an attitude of mind which causes them to lose sight of all spiritual and moral values" (Asad).

115. Yusuf Ali comments: "(In ch.) vi, (verse) 32, ... we are told that the life of this world is mere play and amusement, and Religion and the Hereafter are the serious things that require our attention. Worldly people reverse this, because they are deceived by the allurements of this life."

116. The word "ubsilu" has different connotations, such as, to be held up, arrested, humiliated, rewarded, be forbidden, or consigned to perdition (Au.).

117. Asad writes: "Among the various meanings attributed to the word hamim are the concepts of intense heat as well as of painful cold (Qamus, Taj al `Arus)."