Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 12 Yusuf, Ayat 105-111

وَكَاَيِّنۡ مِّنۡ اٰيَةٍ فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ يَمُرُّوۡنَ عَلَيۡهَا وَهُمۡ عَنۡهَا مُعۡرِضُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:105﴾ وَمَا يُؤۡمِنُ اَكۡثَرُهُمۡ بِاللّٰهِ اِلَّا وَهُمۡ مُّشۡرِكُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:106﴾ اَفَاَمِنُوۡۤا اَنۡ تَاۡتِيَهُمۡ غَاشِيَةٌ مِّنۡ عَذَابِ اللّٰهِ اَوۡ تَاۡتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغۡتَةً وَّ هُمۡ لَا يَشۡعُرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:107﴾ قُلۡ هٰذِهٖ سَبِيۡلِىۡۤ اَدۡعُوۡۤا اِلَى اللّٰهِ ​ؔعَلٰى بَصِيۡرَةٍ اَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِىۡ​ؕ وَسُبۡحٰنَ اللّٰهِ وَمَاۤ اَنَا مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَ‏ ﴿12:108﴾ وَمَاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنَا مِنۡ قَبۡلِكَ اِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوۡحِىۡۤ اِلَيۡهِمۡ مِّنۡ اَهۡلِ الۡقُرٰى​ؕ اَفَلَمۡ يَسِيۡرُوۡا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ فَيَنۡظُرُوۡا كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهِمۡؕ وَلَدَارُ الۡاٰخِرَةِ خَيۡرٌ لِّـلَّذِيۡنَ اتَّقَوۡا ​ؕ اَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:109﴾ حَتّٰۤى اِذَا اسۡتَيۡـئَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوۡۤا اَنَّهُمۡ قَدۡ كُذِبُوۡا جَآءَهُمۡ نَصۡرُنَا ۙ فَـنُجِّىَ مَنۡ نَّشَآءُ ​ؕ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَاۡسُنَا عَنِ الۡقَوۡمِ الۡمُجۡرِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿12:110﴾ لَـقَدۡ كَانَ فِىۡ قَصَصِهِمۡ عِبۡرَةٌ لِّاُولِى الۡاَلۡبَابِ​ؕ مَا كَانَ حَدِيۡثًا يُّفۡتَـرٰى وَلٰـكِنۡ تَصۡدِيۡقَ الَّذِىۡ بَيۡنَ يَدَيۡهِ وَتَفۡصِيۡلَ كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ وَّهُدًى وَّرَحۡمَةً لِّـقَوۡمٍ يُّؤۡمِنُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:111﴾

(12:105) How many74 are the signs in the heavens and the earth which people pass by without giving any heed!75 (12:106) And most of them believe in Allah only when they associate others with Him in His Divinity.76 (12:107) Do they, then, feel secure that an overwhelming chastisement shall not visit them, and the Hour shall not suddenly come upon them without their even perceiving it?77 (12:108) Tell them plainly: "This is my way: I call you to Allah, on the basis of clear perception - both I and those who follow me. Allah - Glory be to Him - is free of every imperfection.78 I have nothing to do with those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity." (12:109) The Messengers whom We raised before you, (O Muhammad), and to whom We sent down revelations, were only human beings, and were from among those living in earthly habitations. Have these people not travelled in the earth that they may observe the end of their predecessors? Certainly the abode of the Hereafter is much better for those (who accepted the call of the Messengers and) acted in a God-fearing manner. Will you still not act with good sense?79 (12:110) (It also happened with the earlier Messengers that for long they preached and people paid no heed) until the Messengers despaired of their people, and the people also fancied that they had been told lies (by the Messengers), then suddenly Our help came to the Messengers. And when such an occasion comes We rescue whom We will; as for the guilty, Our chastisement cannot be averted from them. (12:111) Certainly in the stories of the bygone people there is a lesson for people of understanding. What is being narrated in the Qur'an is no fabrication; it is rather confirmation of the Books that preceded it, and a detailed80 exposition of everything, and a guidance and mercy for people of faith.

Notes

74. Now that the story of Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him) has come to an end, the Quran has made use of the opportunity for conveying its basic message, for it does not tell stories merely for the sake of storytelling. As they themselves had invited the Prophet and were attentively listening to the story, the essence of the message was presented in a few concise sentences (Ayats 105-111).

75. This is to arouse people from their apathy towards the signs of Allah that lie scattered all over the earth and the heavens and to urge them to make a search for the reality by making right observations. As each and everything is not merely a thing but also a sign which points to the reality, a seeker after it should look at these with a look different from that of animals. This is because even an animal sees a tree, a mountain and water and takes it as a mere tree, a mountain or water, and with the help of his senses makes use of these according to his needs. But Allah has endowed man with a mind that is able to consider things in other than their physical and material aspects so that he may think deeply and make a search for the reality by means of these signs of Allah. The reason why people fail to discover the reality and go astray is that they do not consider things as signs and pay no heed to this aspect. Had they not deliberately shut their minds against the message of the Prophets, it would not have been difficult for them at all to understand it and get guidance from it.

76. They associate other deities with Allah because they do not pay heed to His signs, which serve as pointers to the right way. So they go astray from it and get lost in thorny bushes. Nevertheless, many of them do not lose sight of the reality entirely, and do not disbelieve in Allah as their Creator and Sustainer, but they get involved in shirk. That is, they do not deny the existence of God, but they believe that there are other deities who are also partners in His being, His attributes, His powers, and His rights. They should never have been involved in shirk, had they considered these signs in the heavens and the earth from this point of view, for in that case they would have discovered everywhere, in each and every one of them, the proofs of the Oneness of Allah.

77. This question has been posed to rouse the people from their care free attitude towards life produced by temporary security from dangers, and by a feeling that there is a long life to enjoy: so the problems can be postponed safely to a distant future. This is obviously a wrong attitude, for no man has any guarantee that he will live up to a certain age: for no one knows when, where and how one would die. Therefore the questions meant to ask, “Does not your daily experience tell you that you knew nothing even a minute beforehand what your future was hiding for you? Therefore, wisdom demands that you should make preparations for it now, and consider seriously whether the path you are treading is the right path. Have you any real proof to show that it is right? Do you find any sound argument in the heavens and the earth to support your decision? Did the people who trod such a path before you reach their destinations safely and securely? Finally, do the results of following such a path, which are appearing in your own time and culture, confirm that you are treading the right path?

78. That is, Allah is absolutely free from such things that are ascribed to Him: He is free from the weaknesses and shortcomings which every believer in shirk ascribes to Him; He is free from all defects, evils and errors that must necessarily be ascribed to Him as a logical result of the conception of God hold by mushriks.

79. A very comprehensive subject has been condensed here into a couple of sentences, which may be expanded like this: “O Muhammad! these people do not listen to you because it is not an easy thing for them to believe you to be a Messenger of Allah just because you are a mere human being who was born in their own city among them and brought up like other people. But there is nothing strange in this. For this is not the first instance of its kind. All the Prophets, whom We sent before you, were also human beings and lived in the same habitations to which they were sent. It never happened that a stranger came to a town and declared, “I have been sent as a Messenger to you. On the other hand, all the Prophets, Jesus, Moses, Abraham and Noah (peace be upon them all), who were raised for the reform of the people, were human beings who were born and brought up in their own habitations. Then it addresses the disbelievers directly, as if to say: Now it is for you to judge and decide whether you should accept the Messenger or reject him on such flimsy grounds as these. You have traveled abroad and seen the end of those people who rejected the message of their Prophets and followed their own desires. You have seen, on your journeys, the ruined habitations of the people of Aad, Thamud, Midian, Lot, and others. Have you not observed these as object lessons, for these warn you that they would meet with far worse consequences in the Hereafter, and that conversely, those who are pious and God fearing will have a very happy life?

80. That is, it gives details of everything that is required for the guidance of man. Some people take details of everything to mean the details of everything in the world. So, when they do not find in it the details of mathematics, physics, medicine etc. etc. they become skeptical. Whereas the Quran claims to give the details of only one subject, “Guidance”, for which it has been sent down, and it does give the details of everything that is essential for it.