13. For explanation, see (Surah Bani-Israil, Ayats 66-67); (Surah Ar-Room, Ayat 46 and the corresponding E.Ns), and (E.N. 55 of Surah Luqman); (E.N. 110 of Surah Al-Mumin) and (E.N. 54 of Surah Ash-Shura).
14. Seek His bounty: Seek lawful provisions by trade, fishing, diving, navigation and other means in the sea.
15. For explanation, see (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 32 and E.N. 44 )on it, and (E.N. 35 of Surah Luqman).
16. This sentence has two meanings:
(1) This gift and favor of Allah is not like the gift of the worldly kings, who favor their favorites with the wealth that they have collected from the people themselves, but, on the contrary, all the good things in the universe have been created by Allah Himself, and He has granted these to man from Himself.
(2) Neither is anyone a partner of Allah in the creation of these good things, nor has anyone anything to do in making them subservient to man. Allah alone is their Creator and He alone has granted these to man from Himself.
17. That is, in their subjection and in making them beneficial for man, there are many signs for those who think and reflect. These signs clearly point to the truth that the Creator and Master and Administrator of everything and of every power in the universe, from the earth to the heavens, is One God alone Who has subjected them to a law. And that God alone is Lord of man Who has made all these things and powers favorable and helpful for man’s life his sustenance, his convenience, his development and his civilization and social life by His power and wisdom and mercy, and that God alone is worthy of man’s service and gratitude and devotion and not some other beings, who have neither any share in creating the things and powers nor anything to do with subjecting them to man and making them beneficial for him.
18. Literally: Who do not except the days of Allah. But in Arabic usage on such occasions, ayyam does not merely mean days but those memorable days in which important historical events may have taken place. For example, the word ayyam-ul-Arab is used for the important events of the history of the Arabs and the major battles of the Arab tribes, which the later generations remember for centuries. Here, ayyam-Allah implies the evil days of a nation when the wrath of Allah may descend on it and ruin it in consequence of its misdeeds. That is: Those who do not fear the coming of evil days from Allah, i.e. those who do not fear that a day will come when they will be called to account for their actions and deeds, and this same fearlessness has made them bold and stubborn in acts of wickedness.
19. The commentators have given two meanings of this verse and the words of the verse admit of both:
(1) That the believers should pardon the excesses of this wicked group so that Allah may reward them for their patience and forbearance and nobility from Himself and recompense them for the persecutions they have suffered for His sake.
(2) That the believers should pardon these people so that Allah may Himself punish them for their persecutions of them.
Some other commentators have regarded this verse as repealed. They say that this command was applicable only till the Muslims had not been permitted to fight. Then, when they were permitted to fight, this command became abrogated. But a careful study of the words of the verse shows that the claim about abrogation is not correct. The word “pardon” is never used in the sense that when a person is not able to retaliate upon another for the latter’s excesses, he should pardon him, but on such an occasion the usual words are patience and forbearance. Instead of them, when the word “pardon” has been used here, it by itself gives the meaning that the believers, in spite of their ability for retaliation, should refrain from retaliating upon the people for their excesses, whom fearlessness of God has made to transgress all limits of morality and humanity. This command does not contradict those verses in which the Muslims have been permitted to fight. Permission to fight pertains to the condition when the Muslim government has a reasonable ground for taking military action against an unbelieving people, and the command concerning forgiveness and pardon pertains to the common conditions in which the believers have to live in contact with a people who are fearless of God and have to suffer persecutions by them in different ways. The object of this command is that the Muslims should keep their moral superiority and should not stoop to the level of the morally inferior people by indulging in disputes and wrangling with them and resort to retaliation for every frivolity. As long as it is possible to respond to an accusation or objection gently and rationally, or to defend oneself against an excess, one should not refrain from this, but when things seem to be crossing these limits, one should hold his peace and entrust the matter to Allah. If the Muslims themselves become involved in a fight or quarrel with them, Allah will leave them alone to deal with them; but if they pardon and forbear, Allah will Himself deal with the wicked people and reward the oppressed ones for their patience.
20. Hukm (judgment) implies three things:
(1) Knowledge and understanding of the Book and Religion.
(2) Wisdom to act according to the intention of the Book.
(3) Capability to give right decisions in disputes.
21. It does not mean that they were given preference over all the people of the world forever, rather it means: Allah had chosen the children of Israel from among all the contemporary nations of the world for the service that they should hold fast to the divine Book and should rise as the standard bearers of God worship in the world.
22. For explanation, see (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 213); (Surah Aal-Imran, Ayat 19) and (E.Ns 22, 23 of Ash-Shura).
23. It means: The mission that had been entrusted to the children of Israel before you has now been entrusted to you. They, in spite of receiving knowledge, created such differences in religion out of selfish motives and stirred up such divisions among themselves that they became disqualified to call the people to God’s way. Now you have been set upon the clear pathway of religion so that you may perform the service which the children of Israel have failed to perform and became disqualified to perform it. (For further explanation, see (Ash-Shura, Ayats 13-15 and E.Ns 20 to 26).
24. That is, if you make any changes in Allah’s religion only to please them, they will not be able to save you from Allah’s accountability and punishment.
25. That is, this Book and this Shariah present such a light for all the people of the world, which distinguishes the truth from falsehood, but only such people receive any guidance from it who believe in its truth; for them only it is a mercy.
26. After the invitation to Tauhid, the discourse now turns to the theme of the Hereafter.
27. This is the moral reasoning for the truth of the Hereafter. The difference of good and evil in morals and of goodness and wickedness in deeds necessarily demands that the good and the evil people should not meet with one and the same end, but the good should be rewarded for their good and the wicked punished for their evil deeds. Otherwise, if the good and the evil end up similarly, the distinction of virtue and vice in morals becomes meaningless and God becomes unjust. The people who follow evil ways in the world do want that there should be no accountability and no rewards and punishments, for this concept goes against their enjoyment of life, but it is against the justice and wisdom of the Lord of the worlds that He should treat the good and the evil alike, and should not care to see how the righteous believer has lived his life in the world and how the sinful unbeliever has been enjoying it. One of them kept himself subjected to moral restrictions all his life, rendered the rights of those to whom they were due, restrained himself from the unlawful benefits and pleasures, and continued to incur losses for the sake of the truth. The other fulfilled his desires in every possible wary, neither recognized the rights of God nor hesitated from violating the rights of the people, but went on collecting benefits and good things of life in every possible way. Can it be expected of God that He would overlook the difference between the lives of the two kinds of men? If the end of both be the same, no greater injustice could be conceived. (For further explanation, see (Surah Younus, Ayat 4); (Surah Houd, Ayat 106); (Surah An-Nahl, Ayats 38,39); ( Surah Al- Hajj, E.N. 9), (Surah An-Naml, E.N. 86), (Surah Ar-Rum, Ayat 7-8); (Surah Suad, Ayat 28;and E.N. 30) on it.