Surah 25. Al-Furqan

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-20 [2], 21-34 [3], 35-44 [4], 45-60 [5], 61-77 [6]

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Quran Text of Verse 61-77تَبٰرَكَBlessed is HeالَّذِیْWhoجَعَلَhas placedفِیinالسَّمَآءِthe skiesبُرُوْجًاconstellationsوَّ جَعَلَand has placedفِیْهَاthereinسِرٰجًاa lampوَّ قَمَرًاand a moonمُّنِیْرًا shining وَ هُوَAnd Heالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoجَعَلَmadeالَّیْلَthe nightوَ النَّهَارَand the dayخِلْفَةً(in) successionلِّمَنْfor whoeverاَرَادَdesiresاَنْtoیَّذَّكَّرَrememberاَوْorاَرَادَdesiresشُكُوْرًا to be thankful وَ عِبَادُAnd (the) slavesالرَّحْمٰنِ(of) the Most Graciousالَّذِیْنَ(are) those whoیَمْشُوْنَwalkعَلَیonالْاَرْضِthe earthهَوْنًا(in) humblenessوَّ اِذَاand whenخَاطَبَهُمُaddress themالْجٰهِلُوْنَthe ignorant onesقَالُوْاthey sayسَلٰمًا Peace وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoیَبِیْتُوْنَspend (the) nightلِرَبِّهِمْbefore their Lordسُجَّدًاprostratingوَّ قِیَامًا and standing وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoیَقُوْلُوْنَsayرَبَّنَاOur Lord!اصْرِفْAvertعَنَّاfrom usعَذَابَthe punishmentجَهَنَّمَ ۖۗ(of) HellاِنَّIndeedعَذَابَهَاits punishmentكَانَisغَرَامًاۗۖinseparable اِنَّهَاIndeed itسَآءَتْ(is) an evilمُسْتَقَرًّاabodeوَّ مُقَامًا and resting place وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاِذَاۤwhenاَنْفَقُوْاthey spendلَمْ(are) not extravagantیُسْرِفُوْا(are) not extravagantوَ لَمْand are not stingyیَقْتُرُوْاand are not stingyوَ كَانَbut areبَیْنَbetweenذٰلِكَthatقَوَامًا moderate 25. Al-Furqan Page 366وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoلَا(do) notیَدْعُوْنَinvokeمَعَwithاللّٰهِAllahاِلٰهًاgodاٰخَرَanotherوَ لَاand (do) notیَقْتُلُوْنَ[they] killالنَّفْسَthe soulالَّتِیْwhichحَرَّمَAllah has forbiddenاللّٰهُAllah has forbiddenاِلَّاexceptبِالْحَقِّby rightوَ لَاand (do) notیَزْنُوْنَ ۚcommit adulteryوَ مَنْAnd whoeverیَّفْعَلْdoesذٰلِكَthatیَلْقَwill meetاَثَامًاۙa penalty یُّضٰعَفْWill be doubledلَهُfor himالْعَذَابُthe punishmentیَوْمَ(on the) Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ(of) Resurrectionوَ یَخْلُدْand he will abide foreverفِیْهٖthereinمُهَانًاۗۖhumiliated اِلَّاExceptمَنْ(he) whoتَابَrepentsوَ اٰمَنَand believesوَ عَمِلَand doesعَمَلًاrighteous deedsصَالِحًاrighteous deedsفَاُولٰٓىِٕكَthen (for) thoseیُبَدِّلُAllah will replaceاللّٰهُAllah will replaceسَیِّاٰتِهِمْtheir evil deedsحَسَنٰتٍ ؕ(with) good onesوَ كَانَAnd isاللّٰهُAllahغَفُوْرًاOft-Forgivingرَّحِیْمًا Most Merciful وَ مَنْAnd whoeverتَابَrepentsوَ عَمِلَand doesصَالِحًاrighteous (deeds)فَاِنَّهٗthen indeed heیَتُوْبُturnsاِلَیtoاللّٰهِAllahمَتَابًا (with) repentance وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoلَا(do) notیَشْهَدُوْنَbear witnessالزُّوْرَ ۙ(to) the falsehoodوَ اِذَاand whenمَرُّوْاthey passبِاللَّغْوِby futilityمَرُّوْاthey passكِرَامًا (as) dignified ones وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاِذَاwhenذُكِّرُوْاthey are remindedبِاٰیٰتِof (the) Versesرَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lordلَمْ(do) notیَخِرُّوْاfallعَلَیْهَاupon themصُمًّاdeafوَّ عُمْیَانًا and blind وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoیَقُوْلُوْنَsayرَبَّنَاOur Lord!هَبْGrantلَنَاto usمِنْfromاَزْوَاجِنَاour spousesوَ ذُرِّیّٰتِنَاand our offspringقُرَّةَcomfortاَعْیُنٍ(to) our eyesوَّ اجْعَلْنَاand make usلِلْمُتَّقِیْنَfor the righteousاِمَامًا a leader اُولٰٓىِٕكَThoseیُجْزَوْنَwill be awardedالْغُرْفَةَthe Chamberبِمَاbecauseصَبَرُوْاthey were patientوَ یُلَقَّوْنَand they will be metفِیْهَاthereinتَحِیَّةً(with) greetingsوَّ سَلٰمًاۙand peace خٰلِدِیْنَWill abide foreverفِیْهَا ؕin itحَسُنَتْGoodمُسْتَقَرًّا(is) the settlementوَّ مُقَامًا and a resting place قُلْSayمَاNotیَعْبَؤُاwill careبِكُمْfor youرَبِّیْmy Lordلَوْ لَاif notدُعَآؤُكُمْ ۚyour prayer (is to Him)فَقَدْBut verilyكَذَّبْتُمْyou have deniedفَسَوْفَso soonیَكُوْنُwill beلِزَامًا۠the inevitable (punishment)

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Translation of Verse 61-77

(25:61) Most blessed is He Who set a constellation in the heavens,⁷⁵ and placed in it a great lamp⁷⁶ and a shining moon.

(25:62) He it is Who has appointed night and day to succeed one another (as a Sign) for him who desires to take heed, or desires to be thankful.⁷⁷

(25:63) The true servants of the Merciful One are those⁷⁸ who walk on the earth gently⁷⁹ and when the foolish ones address them, they simply say: "Peace to you";⁸⁰

(25:64) who spend the night prostrating themselves before their Lord and standing;⁸¹

(25:65) who entreat: "Our Lord! Ward off from us the chastisement of Hell, for its chastisement is one that clings.

(25:66) Verily it is a wretched abode and restingplace."⁸²

(25:67) (The true servants of the Merciful One are) those who are neither extravagant nor niggardly in their spending but keep the golden mean between the two;⁸³

(25:68) who invoke no other deity along with Allah, nor take any life - which Allah has forbidden - save justly; who do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse⁸⁴ - and whoso does that shall meet its penalty;

(25:69) his torment shall be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection,⁸⁵ and he will abide in it in ignominy -

(25:70) unless he repents and believes and does righteous works. For such, Allah will change their evil deeds into good deeds.⁸⁶ Allah is Ever Forgiving, Most Compassionate.

(25:71) Whosoever repents⁸⁷ and does good, he returns to Allah in the manner that he should.⁸⁸

(25:72) (The true servants of the Merciful One) are those who do not bear witness to any falsehood⁸⁹ and who, when they pass by frivolity, pass by it with dignity;⁹⁰

(25:73) who, when they are reminded of the revelations of their Lord,⁹¹ do not fall at them deaf and blind;

(25:74) who are prone to pray: "Our Lord! Grant us that our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes,⁹² and do make us the leaders of the God-fearing."⁹³

(25:75) They are the ones who will be rewarded for their patience: lofty palaces^{94, 95} will be granted to them, and they will be received with greeting and salutation.

(25:76) Therein they shall abide for ever: how good an abode, and how good a resting-place!

(25:77) Say to them (O Muhammad): "My Lord would not care for you were it not for your prayer⁹⁶. But now that you have given the lie to (the Message of Allah), an inextricable punishment shall soon come upon you."

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Commentary

75. For more details, see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. IV, al-Hijr 15: nn. 8-12. pp. 284-6.

76. This alludes to the sun. That the sun has been made a lamp is explicitly stated in Surah Nuh 71:16: "And He made the sun a lamp."

77. These are two intrinsically different but inter-related states. The first result of reflecting on the alternation of day and night is that one should believe in the Unicity of God and, if one had been oblivious of God this reflection should act as a reminder. The second result of such reflection is that one should become conscious of God's absolute and unbounded Lordship and this should generate feelings of gratitude and humility towards Him.

78. All human beings are born servants of the Merciful One and they are called to prostrate themselves before Him. Many, however, fail to respond to this call. His true servants, though do respond by consciously submitting to God and striving to develop desirable qualities in themselves. The good effects of this prostration manifests itself in believers' lives. Likewise, the evil effects of rejecting the call to prostrate before God become manifest in the unbelievers' lives.

Here a comparison is drawn between two modes of conduct. The first emerged in the lives of the followers of Muhammad (peace be on him) while the second was prevalent among those who stubbornly followed the traditions of the Jahiliyah.

There is subtlety in the manner in which this comparison is made: only the characteristics of the believers are mentioned while the conduct of the unbelievers is left for discerning eyes and minds to ponder upon, their manner being abundantly visible.

79. True servants of God do not strut about arrogantly like haughty tyrants.

On the contrary their gait is gentle, the gait of noble and upright people. However, the gait of the "gentle" does not mean the gait of the weak or sickly, nor the gait of the hypocrites who adopt it artificially to demonstrate their humility and fear of God. The Prophet (peace be on him) used to walk with firm and quick steps as if he were walking down a slope. It has been reported that 'Umar once saw a young person walking like a weak and sick person. "Are you sick?" he asked him. So saying 'Umar raised his whip in a threatening posture and rebuked him: "Walk like a healthy man." This shows that walking "gently" signifies a natural way of walking rather than an artificial gait which impresses people with humility.

or which betrays one's utter feebleness and indigence.

So, what is it in one's gait that is considered of such importance that it is the first attribute to be mentioned at prerequisite for a true servant of God? A little reflection reveals that one's gait is the first indicator of one's whole character and personality. The gait of a cunning man is different from the gait of a tyrant, which is different from that of a civilized and upright person, which again is different from that of someone who is arrogant or criminal. In fact, one can tell a lot about a person by simply looking at the way he walks.

The verse suggests that one can recognize the true servants of the Merciful One by just looking at the way they walk. Their obedience being evident even from their gait. Their being good, decent, forbearing and compassionate people who would never be instrumental in the spread of evil and mischief is also evident. (For more details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Vol. V, Bani Israil, 17: n. 43, p. 44 and Tafhim al-Qur'an. Vol. IV, Luqmān 33; n. 33.)

80. "Ignorant" does not mean illiterate: or one deficient in knowledge.

Instead, it implies an ill-mannered person, one who behaves with decent people in a rough and insolent manner. On the contrary, true servants of the Merciful One do not behave like "ignorant" people. They do not respond to abuse by hurling abuse in return; they do not respond to indecency by themselves resorting to indecency; nor do they respond to calumny by recourse to similar calumnies.

Rather, they prefer to tum away from those who so behave by simply saying "peace be to you". This is also made clear elsewhere in the Qur’an: "And when they hear vain talk, they turn away from it, saying, our deeds are for us and yours for you; peace be on you; we have nothing to do with the ignorant." (Al-Qasas 28:55. For details see al-Qaşas 28: nn. 72-8 below.)

81. What was said in the previous verses portrayed their lives during the day. What follows depicts how they spend their nights. Believers do not spend their nights in the unfettered pursuit of pleasure nor in dancing and music, nor in gossiping and telling tales. They are spent instead in Prayer and supplication - standing, sitting, and reclining. This aspect of their lives is repeatedly presented throughout the Qur’an: "Their backs forsake their beds and they invoke their Lord in fear and hope" (al-Sajdah 32:16). "And these people (of Paradise) slept but little during the night and sought forgiveness at dawn" (al-Dhāriyāt 51:17-18). "Is he who worships devoutly during the night, prostrating and standing, who dreads the Hereafter and places his hope in the mercy of his Lord (like him who does not do so]?", (al-Zumar 39:9).

82. The worship of these sincere devotees to God does not make them proud. They do not suffer from the illusion that they are God's favorites and that Fire cannot touch them. On the contrary, in spite of their many virtues and their supplication and devoted worship, they tremble with fear lest any lapse on their part causes them to be condemned to punishment. They do not consider their piety a sure ticket to Paradise. Instead, conscious as they are of their human weaknesses, they deem it sufficient to be able to escape punishment, and even for that, they place their reliance solely on God's Mercy and Compassion rather than on their own deeds.

83. This is another distinguishing characteristic of the believers: they are not extravagant. They do not squander their wealth on vain and evil things like lavish weddings, or on drinking and gambling, or on unjustified festivities and amusements. Nor do they spend beyond their means for show on food, houses, clothing, and decor, etc. At the same time, they are not those miserly folks who are wont to count pennies, who neither spend on their families nor give anything away to a noble cause or as charity. Both of these types were then found quite commonly in Arabia. There were, on the one hand, those who spent recklessly on their own comfort and luxury or to demonstrate their affluence and social status. On the other hand, were those whose miserliness was proverbial. Very few people lived moderately. This moderation was a distinguishing characteristic of the Prophet (peace be on him) and his Companions.

It is important to know what is meant by extravagance and miserliness in Islam. Extravagance consists of (i) spending money on unlawful things, no matter how small be the amount so spent; (ii) over-spending on lawful things in the sense that one spends more than one can afford to or one goes about continually spending out of his abundant resources on one's luxurious living; and (iii) spending on charity but in order to make a display of one's charitableness rather than to please God.

In contrast, miserliness involves (i) a refusal to spend on one's own genuine needs or those of one's family commensurate with one's resources, or (ii) a refusal to spend on charity.

Islam has inculcated a golden mean between these two extremes. This has been alluded to in a tradition from the Prophet (peace be on him): "Moderation in living is one of the signs of a man's wisdom." (Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, Vol.5, p. 194 - Ed.)

84. True believers shun the three cardinal sins which were prevalent among the Arabs: shirk (associating others with God in His Divinity), murder, and adultery. The Prophet (peace be on him) stressed the gravity of these sins in many of his sayings. For instance, 'Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud states that once the Prophet (peace be on him) was asked: "What is the gravest sin?" The Prophet (peace be on him) said: "To set up someone as an equal in rank with God though He is the One Who has created you." When asked about the next gravest sin, the Prophet (peace be on him) said: "That you kill your child for fear that he will share your food with you." When asked about the third gravest sin, the Prophet (peace be on him) said: "To commit adultery with your neighbor’s wife" (Bukhari, "Tafsir, Surah al-Furqan", Bab walladhina la yad'una ma' Allah ilahan ākhar. yalqa athama.) (See Muslim, 'K. al-Iman', "Bab, Kawn al-Shirk Aqbah al-Dhunub wa Bayan A'zamiha Ba'daho": Tirmidhi, "Tafsir al-Qur'an', "Bab wa min Surah al-Furqan 25 and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, Vol. 1, p. 380 - Ed.) Though there are many other major sins, these were the most common in the Arabian society of that time. Muslims are marked out from others by stating that they refrain from these sins.

It may be argued that the unbelievers considered avoidance of shirk to be an evil rather than a desirable quality. Why, then, is it presented as one of the Muslims' great virtues? The answer is: though the Arabs were polytheists polytheism had not struck any deep roots among them. Even otherwise polytheism has no deep roots in human nature. On the contrary, pure monotheism is deeply entrenched in peoples' minds and hearts. All that is needed is for the surface to be scratched a little bit in order to bring it out.

The superficial roots of polytheism in Arabia are borne out by many well- known events of pre-Islamic Arabia. For instance, when Abrahah attacked Makka everyone in the city was well aware that the attack could not be repelled by the idols that had been placed in the Ka'bah. They knew that it was only Allah. Whose House it was, who could repel the attack. History has preserved the poems and panegyrics of the poets of the time which testify to the fact that the Makkans fully believed that it was by God's power that Abrahah's army was beaten back.

The Quraysh and the unbelievers of Makka also knew well that when Abrahah reached Ta'if, its inhabitants offered to guide his expedition aiming at the demolition of the Ka'bah. They did so out of fear that Abrahah might destroy even inadvertently, the shrine of their deity al-Lat in Makka. By helping Abrahah they wanted to ensure that al-Lat was spared. Hence their guide led Abrahah through the mountain passes to Makka. The Quraysh retained bitter memories of this incident and for long they pelted the grave of the expedition's guide with stones.

It may also be recalled that the Quraysh and other Arabs traced their religion to Abraham (peace be on him). They considered many of the religious and social rituals in vogue among them, especially the rites of Hajj, to be integral parts of the Abrahamic Faith. They also recognized that Abraham was a true monotheist who never worshipped idols. Their traditions preserved the history of idolatry among them and they knew when and from where each of the idols was brought as also who brought it. Their scant respect for idols is also evident from the fact that it was common for an ordinary Arab to insult the idol he worshipped. They also refrained from making offerings to it in case something contrary to their wishes and prayers occurred. It was reported, for example, that an Arab who wanted to avenge the murder of his father, went to an idol by the name of Dhu al-Khalaşah and drew an omen. (Ibn Hisham, Sīrah, Vol. 1, p. 86 - Ed.) The response he received was that he should not proceed with his revenge. Flying into a rage at this, he composed the following lines: ("Dhũ al-Khalaşah, had you been in my place and had someone murdered your father, you would never have stopped from murdering the enemies)".

Another example which has been preserved in Arabian traditions is that of an Arab who took his herd of camels to the shrine of an idol named Sa'd so as to invoke its blessings. It was a towering idol smeared with sacrificial blood. On seeing this blood, the camels were terrified and ran helter-skelter. When the Arab saw this he was enraged. He pelted the idol with stones and shouted: "May God destroy you. I came to receive blessings from away the remaining camels I had." There were also idols such as Asäf and Nä'ilah whose origins were associated and with obscene stories and whose images were placed on Şafă and Marwah. As regards their origins it was said that they were a man and a woman who had committed adultery in the Ka'bah and hence, God had turned them into stone.

(Ibn Hishām, Sīrah, Vol. 1, p. 82 - Ed.) It is obvious that such idols could not have inspired any reverence in the hearts of their worshippers.

If one were to bear all this in mind, it is evident that there was a fair degree of respect for monotheism in Arabia. However, this respect was overlaid by the rampant ignorance and blind conformity to ancestral traditions. Moreover, the priests, themselves, were also prone to raise storms of prejudice against monotheism because they feared that monotheism would put an end to their status in the Arabian society and that their income too would dwindle. It was evident that shirk (polytheism), which rested on ignorance and prejudice, had no solid basis with which it could face tawhid. Hence why the Qur'an, has clearly and unambiguously, proclaimed that one of the things which distinguished the followers of Muhammad (peace be on him) from the polytheists was their adherence to pure monotheism and their total alienation from anything else. The polytheists may not have acknowledged the superiority of Muslims in this respect with their tongues, but they felt it in their hearts.

85. This possibly has two meanings: (i) that the punishment will be perpetual, that it will continue without interruption; (ii) that the person burdened with the sins of murder, adultery and other such vices in addition to shirk (polytheism) or atheism will be punished separately for his principal act of rebellion - shirk or atheism - and then also for each of his other sins.

Even lesser sins will be counted, and nothing will be forgiven. There will not even be just one punishment for murder if more than one act of murder were committed; rather, such a person will be punished separately for each act of murder. In like manner, if a person has been guilty of adultery on more than one occasion, he will be punished for each and every act so committed. The same will apply to all other sins.

86. This is good news for those whose life has been stained with various kinds of sin in the past but who later repent and firmly decide to amend their behavior. The present verse amounts to a proclamation of general amnesty which for millions of sinners provided a ray of hope and prompted them to reform themselves. Had they been told that there could be no escape from punishment for the sins they had committed, they would have succumbed to utter despair and would have been left with no hope of salvation. It is only the hope of forgiveness which can save a sinner and bring him out of the vicious circle of sin. A man in despair can easily turn into a devil.

The extent to which this provision of repentance saved the Arabs who were otherwise given to many a vice is evident from a number of incidents during the life of the Prophet (peace be on him). Let us consider the following example, narrated by Tabari on the authority of Aba Hurayrah who said: "One night when I returned from the Prophet's Mosque after offering the Isha' Prayers, I saw a woman standing outside my door. I said, 'Peace be on you' and went in my room, closed the door, and began to offer Nafl (supererogatory) Prayers. After some time, she knocked at the door. I opened the door and asked her what she wanted. 'I have come to ask you a question. I committed adultery and became pregnant. Then a baby was born and I killed him. Now I have come to ask you if there is any chance that my sin be forgiven?" I said: "Absolutely not'. At this she went away grief-stricken, exclaiming: 'Alas, this piece of beauty was created for the Hell-fire." "The next day, after the Fajr Prayers, I narrated the whole incident to the Prophet (peace be on him). He said: 'How wrong an answer you gave, O Abů Hurayrah! Have you not read those verses in the Qur’an: "Those who invoke no other deity along with Allah nor take the life which Allah has forbidden - save justly; who do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse - and whoso does that shall meet its penalty, his torment shall be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection and he shall abide in it in ignominy - unless he who repents and believes and does righteous works. For such Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is Ever Forgiving, Most Compassionate. Whosoever repents and does good, he returns to Allah in the manner he should" (al-Furqan 25:68- 70). Upon hearing this answer from the Prophet (peace be on him), I went out and searched for the woman. I met her after the 'Isha' Prayers and told her what the Prophet (peace be on him) had said. She prostrated herself and said, "Thanks be to God, Who has opened the door of forgiveness for me.' Then she repented and freed a female slave and also the son of that slave." (See Tabari, 'Tafsir' comments on Surah al-Furqan 25:68-71 - Ed.) A similar incident about an old man has also been reported in a hadith.

Once an old man came to the Prophet (peace be on him) and said: "O Messenger of God, my whole life has been spent in sin. There is no sin which I have not committed. Even if I distribute my sins among all the people on the earth, each one of them will receive a share which would be enough to ruin him. Is there still a chance for my salvation?" The Prophet (peace be on him) asked: "Have you accepted Islam?" He said: "I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and I testify that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger." The Prophet (peace be on him) said: "Go, Allah is Most Forgiving.

He may change your sins into good deeds." He inquired: "All of my sins and crimes?" "Yes, all of your sins and crimes", replied the Prophet (peace be on him). (Ibn Kathir, on the authority of Ibn Abi Hätim. See Ibn Kathir, Tafstr, comments on al-Furqan 25:70 - Ed.) 87. This has two meanings. One, that when a person repents and gives up his evil actions from the days of disbelief and begins to perform virtuous deeds, in this new phase of life, of Faith and righteous conduct, his good deeds will replace the evil deeds of his past. Second, that as a result of his repentance, not only are the evil deeds which he committed during this period of disbelief and sinful living forgiven, but each person will be rewarded for having given up a life of disbelief and transgression and for replacing it with obedience and Faith. Moreover, for as many times as such people feel ashamed of their past evil deeds, they will be rewarded that same number of times for having asked for forgiveness from God. Feeling ashamed of one's sins and asking for forgiveness is, in itself, a good deed. In this manner, all of one's evil deeds will eventually be replaced by good deeds and one will not only be saved from punishment, but will also be amply rewarded.

87.

88. Man's nature prompts him to return to God for He alone is his last and real refuge. Morally speaking, too, man ought to return to Him. Pragmatically, too, it is good to return to God for there is no other way to save oneself from His punishment and to receive His rewards. This also means that such a person returns to a place worthy of returning - to a place where he finds the best of rewards, where penitents are not disdainfully repulsed because they had sinned but are favored with forgiveness and rewards are lavished upon them because they repented; a place where there is no desire to count sins but instead there is an eagerness to see how far people are able to reform themselves after repentance; a place where one encounters a Lord Who, far from being bent upon punishing. greets all penitent sinners with infinite Mercy and Compassion.

89. This also carries two meanings. First, that the true servants of the Merciful One are those who do not bear witness to any falsehood, who do not regard a thing as real and true unless they know it to be so. Second, that they do not go out looking for falsehood; they do not intentionally become spectators fond of observing lies and untruths. In this sense, the word zur is equivalent to evil and falsehood. One either goes towards an evil in pursuit of pleasure or one is lured to it because Satan has made that evil look beautiful and beneficial by having coated it with veneer. Therefore, every evil, every sin and every misdeed is a falsehood because it attracts human beings by dint of its artificial glamour. But since a true believer has an insight into Truth, he recognizes falsehood in all its forms and shuns it, no matter how attractive its apparent form might be.

90. The Arabic word laghw includes the kind of falsehood explained above. It encompasses all that is vain, meaningless and useless. God's righteous servants never intentionally go after such things. Instead, whenever they pass by vanities and untruths, they walk away from them without even casting so much as a glance at them. It is only the evil and the corrupt who draw pleasure from obscenity and fifth. A civilized and refined person cannot even think of coming close to such things. (For more details see: Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. VI, al-Mu'minun 23: n. 4, pp. 79-80.)

91. The words used here are: "lam yakhirru "alayha şumman wa "umyanä". Literally these words mean: "They do not fall at them as would the deaf and blind." However, in this context, "fall" is used in its literal meaning. (See Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-'Arab' q.v. Kh R R- Ed.) Rather, its idiomatic implication of "not moving ahead for engagement in jihad is what is intended". Therefore, the verse means that His true servants are not those who remain unmoved after hearing His Word; rather, they are deeply touched by it and follow whatever Guidance is provided. They carry out whatever has been made obligatory, refrain from whatever has been forbidden, and shrink at the very thought of the punishment with which people have been threatened.

92. That is to say: "Grant them Faith, excellent moral conduct, and the ability to do righteous works." This is so because a true believer does not draw joy for his eyes by the fact that his or her spouse and offspring are physically attractive, or from the mere fact that they are enjoying a life of ease and luxury.

Instead they are delighted if they are blessed with moral excellence. Nothing is more tormenting for the believers than the realization that those who are dearest to them are engaged in acts because of which they are likely to become fuel for the Hell-fire. Hence, the attractiveness of their spouses or the vibrant youth and outstanding abilities of their children become even more tormenting for them because they are conscious that, in spite of these qualities, their dearest may possibly not escape God's punishment.

It is noteworthy that at the time when these verses were revealed, there were none among the Makkan Muslims who would claim their close relatives were not unbelievers. If a husband was a Muslim, his wife was an unbeliever; and if a woman had accepted Islam, her husband was a non-Muslim. In like manner, there were young men who had become Muslims but whose parents, brothers and sisters were still non-Muslim and there were fathers who had become Muslims but whose grown-up children were strongly attached to disbelief and Ignorance. Therefore, every Muslim was going through an intense spiritual torment. Their Prayer is best expressed in the present verse.

The expression "joy to the eyes" accurately depicts this situation.

To see one's dear ones stubbornly adhering to Ignorance and disbelief was a constant source of torment for the believers; it was like a painful soreness to their eyes. Their state of mind and feelings are well expressed here. The purpose of this statement seems to emphasize that these people had embraced Islam in complete sincerity. They are unlike those who join each and every religious and political group out of some nepotistic desire for influence and power.

93. They prayed that God may enable them to surpass everyone in piety.

obedience, righteousness and good deeds; nay, that they may become leaders of the pious, and that they may become a source for the promotion of goodness and virtue and piety in the world. Again, this is stated here to demonstrate that these people do not compete with one another in wealth, power and worldly glory. They rather strive to excel in acts of piety. In our times, some people have misconstrued this verse to mean the sanctioning of unbridled competition for worldly gain and political leadership, as if the verse says: "O Allah, make us rulers over the pious and the God-fearing!"

94. The word sabr (patience, fortitude) is used here in its most comprehensive sense. Variously, it means to endure persecution at the hands of the enemies of Truth with courage and to bear whatever hardships come one's way while striving for the establishment of the true Faith of God. It also means to remain steadfast against all fears and to refuse to succumb to enticements; to resolutely fulfil one's obligations in spite of Satan's temptations and one's own carnal self; to shun the unlawful and to remain within the bounds of the lawful set by God; to spurn all pleasures and benefits that might accrue from acts of sin, and to cheerfully put up with difficulties and losses in order to follow the Path of righteousness and virtue and to accept every trial and adversity that one might encounter. In sum, this one word embraces a whole universe of meanings regarding true Faith, a truly religious approach to life, and good moral conduct inspired by religious Faith.

95. Ghurfah means a lofty building. (Ibn Manzür, Lisan al-'Arab, q.v. GH RF- Ed.) It is generally translated as the "upper chamber" which brings to mind a two-storey building. In fact, however, the most excellent and loftiest buildings that human beings have constructed in the world- the Taj Mahal in India and the skyscrapers of America - are all merely caricatures of the palaces of Paradise whose dim outlines are imprinted on the unconscious of every son and daughter of Adam.

96. If one does not worship God, if one does not supplicate to Him for one's needs, and does not seek His help, then one is not worth anything in God's sight. For God does not care for people just because they are His creatures. In this regard, they are no different from stones and quite obviously God stands in no need of them. Hence, if they do not obey Him, this will certainly not endear such persons to God. Nevertheless, were someone to stretch out his hands to Him in supplication, he will instantly find God turning to him in compassion. As for those who arrogantly refuse to worship God or pray to Him, then they are liable to incur God's punishment and He can certainly dispose of them, if He wills, just as one disposes of rubbish.