یٰۤاَیُّهَا O Messengers الرُّسُلُ O Messengers كُلُوْا Eat مِنَ of الطَّیِّبٰتِ the good things وَ اعْمَلُوْا and do صَالِحًا ؕ righteous (deeds) اِنِّیْ Indeed, I Am بِمَا of what تَعْمَلُوْنَ you do عَلِیْمٌؕ All-Knower وَ اِنَّ And indeed هٰذِهٖۤ this اُمَّتُكُمْ your religion اُمَّةً (is) religion وَّاحِدَةً one وَّ اَنَا And I Am رَبُّكُمْ your Lord فَاتَّقُوْنِ so fear Me فَتَقَطَّعُوْۤا But they cut off اَمْرَهُمْ their affair (of unity) بَیْنَهُمْ between them زُبُرًا ؕ (into) sects كُلُّ each حِزْبٍۭ faction بِمَا in what لَدَیْهِمْ they have فَرِحُوْنَ rejoicing فَذَرْهُمْ So leave them فِیْ in غَمْرَتِهِمْ their confusion حَتّٰی until حِیْنٍ a time اَیَحْسَبُوْنَ Do they think اَنَّمَا that what نُمِدُّهُمْ We extend to them بِهٖ [with it] مِنْ of مَّالٍ wealth وَّ بَنِیْنَۙ and children نُسَارِعُ We hasten لَهُمْ to them فِی in الْخَیْرٰتِ ؕ the good بَلْ Nay لَّا not یَشْعُرُوْنَ they perceive اِنَّ Indeed الَّذِیْنَ those who هُمْ [they] مِّنْ from خَشْیَةِ (the) fear رَبِّهِمْ (of) their Lord مُّشْفِقُوْنَۙ (are) cautious وَ الَّذِیْنَ And those هُمْ [they] بِاٰیٰتِ in (the) Signs رَبِّهِمْ (of) their Lord یُؤْمِنُوْنَۙ believe وَ الَّذِیْنَ And those هُمْ [they] بِرَبِّهِمْ with their Lord لَا (do) not یُشْرِكُوْنَۙ associate partners 23. Al-Mu'minun Page 346 وَ الَّذِیْنَ And those who یُؤْتُوْنَ give مَاۤ what اٰتَوْا they give وَّ قُلُوْبُهُمْ while their hearts وَجِلَةٌ (are) fearful اَنَّهُمْ because they اِلٰی to رَبِّهِمْ their Lord رٰجِعُوْنَۙ (will) return اُولٰٓىِٕكَ (It is) those یُسٰرِعُوْنَ who hasten فِی in الْخَیْرٰتِ the good (deeds) وَ هُمْ and they لَهَا in them سٰبِقُوْنَ (are) foremost وَ لَا And not نُكَلِّفُ We burden نَفْسًا any soul اِلَّا except وُسْعَهَا (to) its capacity وَ لَدَیْنَا and with Us كِتٰبٌ (is) a Record یَّنْطِقُ (which) speaks بِالْحَقِّ with the truth وَ هُمْ and they لَا (will) not یُظْلَمُوْنَ be wronged بَلْ Nay قُلُوْبُهُمْ their hearts فِیْ (are) in غَمْرَةٍ confusion مِّنْ over هٰذَا this وَ لَهُمْ and for them اَعْمَالٌ (are) deeds مِّنْ besides دُوْنِ besides ذٰلِكَ that هُمْ they لَهَا for it عٰمِلُوْنَ (are) doers حَتّٰۤی Until اِذَاۤ when اَخَذْنَا We seize مُتْرَفِیْهِمْ their affluent ones بِالْعَذَابِ with the punishment اِذَا behold! هُمْ They یَجْـَٔرُوْنَؕ cry for help لَا (Do) not تَجْـَٔرُوا cry for help الْیَوْمَ ۫ today اِنَّكُمْ Indeed you مِّنَّا from Us لَا not تُنْصَرُوْنَ will be helped قَدْ Verily كَانَتْ were اٰیٰتِیْ My Verses تُتْلٰی recited عَلَیْكُمْ to you فَكُنْتُمْ but you used عَلٰۤی (to) on اَعْقَابِكُمْ your heels تَنْكِصُوْنَۙ turn back مُسْتَكْبِرِیْنَ ۖۗ (Being) arrogant بِهٖ about it سٰمِرًا conversing by night تَهْجُرُوْنَ speaking evil اَفَلَمْ Then, do not یَدَّبَّرُوا they ponder الْقَوْلَ the Word اَمْ or جَآءَهُمْ has come to them مَّا what لَمْ not یَاْتِ (had) come اٰبَآءَهُمُ (to) their forefathers الْاَوَّلِیْنَؗ (to) their forefathers اَمْ Or لَمْ (do) not یَعْرِفُوْا they recognize رَسُوْلَهُمْ their Messenger فَهُمْ so they لَهٗ (are) rejecting him مُنْكِرُوْنَؗ (are) rejecting him اَمْ Or یَقُوْلُوْنَ they say بِهٖ In him جِنَّةٌ ؕ (is) madness بَلْ Nay جَآءَهُمْ he brought them بِالْحَقِّ the truth وَ اَكْثَرُهُمْ but most of them لِلْحَقِّ to the truth كٰرِهُوْنَ (are) averse وَ لَوِ But if اتَّبَعَ (had) followed الْحَقُّ the truth اَهْوَآءَهُمْ their desires لَفَسَدَتِ surely (would) have been corrupted السَّمٰوٰتُ the heavens وَ الْاَرْضُ and the earth وَ مَنْ and whoever فِیْهِنَّ ؕ (is) therein بَلْ Nay اَتَیْنٰهُمْ We have brought them بِذِكْرِهِمْ their reminder فَهُمْ but they عَنْ from ذِكْرِهِمْ their reminder مُّعْرِضُوْنَؕ (are) turning away اَمْ Or تَسْـَٔلُهُمْ you ask them خَرْجًا (for) a payment فَخَرَاجُ But the payment رَبِّكَ (of) your Lord خَیْرٌ ۖۗ (is) best وَّ هُوَ and He خَیْرُ (is) the Best الرّٰزِقِیْنَ (of) the Providers وَ اِنَّكَ And indeed you لَتَدْعُوْهُمْ certainly call them اِلٰی to صِرَاطٍ (the) Path مُّسْتَقِیْمٍ Straight وَ اِنَّ And indeed الَّذِیْنَ those who لَا (do) not یُؤْمِنُوْنَ believe بِالْاٰخِرَةِ in the Hereafter عَنِ from الصِّرَاطِ the path لَنٰكِبُوْنَ surely (are) deviating 23. Al-Mu'minun Page 347 وَ لَوْ And if رَحِمْنٰهُمْ We had mercy on them وَ كَشَفْنَا and We removed مَا what بِهِمْ (was) on them مِّنْ of ضُرٍّ (the) hardship لَّلَجُّوْا surely they would persist فِیْ in طُغْیَانِهِمْ their transgression یَعْمَهُوْنَ wandering blindly وَ لَقَدْ And verily اَخَذْنٰهُمْ We seized them بِالْعَذَابِ with the punishment فَمَا but not اسْتَكَانُوْا they submit لِرَبِّهِمْ to their Lord وَ مَا and not یَتَضَرَّعُوْنَ they supplicate humbly حَتّٰۤی Until اِذَا when فَتَحْنَا We opened عَلَیْهِمْ for them بَابًا a gate ذَا of a punishment عَذَابٍ of a punishment شَدِیْدٍ severe اِذَا behold هُمْ They فِیْهِ in it مُبْلِسُوْنَ۠ (will be in) despair
(23:51) Messengers!45 Partake of the things that are clean, and act righteously.46 I know well all that you do.
(23:52) This community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord; so hold Me alone in fear.47
(23:53) But people later cut up their religion into bits, each group rejoicing in what they have.48
(23:54) So leave them immersed in their heedlessness till an appointed time.49
(23:55) Do they fancy that Our continuing to give them wealth and children (means) that
(23:56) We are busy lavishing on them all kinds of good? Nay, they do not perceive the reality of the matter.50
(23:57) Surely those who stand in awe for fear of their Lord,51
(23:58) who have full faith in the Signs of their Lord;52
(23:59) who associate none with their Lord in His Divinity,53
(23:60) who give, whatever they give in charity, with their hearts trembling at the thought that they are destined to return to their Lord;54
(23:61) it is these who hasten to do good works and vie in so doing with one another.
(23:62) We do not lay a burden on anyone beyond his capacity.55 We have a Book with Us that speaks the truth(about everyone)56; and they shall in no wise be wronged.57
(23:63) Nay, their hearts are lost in ignorance of all this;58 and their deeds too vary from the way (mentioned above). They will persist in these deeds
(23:64) until We seize with Our chastisement those of them that are given to luxuriant ways.59 They will then begin to groan.60
(23:65) "Put61 a stop to your groaning now! Surely no help shall be provided to you from Us.
(23:66) My Signs were rehearsed to you and you turned back on your heels and took to flight,62
(23:67) behaving arrogantly, and making fun,63 and talking nonsense (about the Book in your nightly chats)."
(23:68) Did they never ponder over this Word64 (of God)? Or has he (to wit, the Messenger) brought something the like of which did not come to their forefathers65 of yore?
(23:69) Or is it that they were unaware of their Messenger and were therefore repelled by him for he was a stranger to them?66
(23:70) Or do they say that there is madness in him?67 Nay, he has brought them the Truth and it is the Truth that most of them disdain.
(23:71) Were the Truth to follow their desires, the order of the heavens and the earth and those who dwell in them would have been ruined.68 Nay, the fact is that We have brought to them their own remembrance; and yet it is from their own remembrance that they are turning away.69
(23:72) Are you asking them for something? What Allah has given you is the best. He is the Best of providers.70
(23:73) You are calling them to a Straight Way,
(23:74) but those who do not believe in the Hereafter are ever prone to deviate from the Right Way.71
(23:75) Were We to be merciful to them and remove from them their present afflictions, they would persist in their transgression, blindly wandering on.72
(23:76) (They are such) that We seized them with chastisement (and yet) they did not humble themselves before their Lord, nor do they entreat
(23:77) until We opened upon them the door of a severe chastisement. Then lo, in this state they become utterly despaired of any good.73
45. After narrating the accounts of several Prophets in the last two sections (i.e. verses 23-50), the discourse is now directed at all Messengers. Quite obviously this does not mean that all Messengers were assembled together at one particular place and addressed collectively. Rather, this manner of address simply signifies that the same directive was given to all the Messengers who were raised at different times and in different places. In this sense, the Messengers represent a single group that had been entrusted with an identical Message. Now, all the Messengers are described as one community, Ummah, (see verse 52 and n. 47 below). Therefore, while mentioning the Messengers the Qur’an adopts a style that suggests that they were so integrated it was as though they were assembled in a single place and received an identical directive.
It is regrettable that the subtlety of the Qur’anic style has eluded the grasp of some people in our own times. The result being that they have concluded from this verse that the words ‘O Messengers’ addresses Prophets who will be raised after Muhammad (peace be on him). They further infer from this form of address that the institution of Prophethood would continue even after Muhammad (peace be on him). It is ironic that those who are so conspicuously incapable of appreciating literary and linguistic subtleties have the audacity to then embark on writing Qur’anic exegeses.
46. The word al-tayyibat used in the Quran signifies things that are at once clean in themselves and which are obtained through clean and lawful means.
The directive to partake of clean things strikes at the two extremes of monasticism and epicureanism and brings into relief the moderate and balanced approach which characterizes Islam. A Muslim should neither deny himself lawful things, nor should he hanker after everything of the world without _ distinguishing between that which is lawful and that which is not.
It is also significant that the directive to partake of clean things precedes the directive to act righteously. This suggests that righteous behavior becomes absolutely meaningless if it is not accompanied with the lawfulness of what one eats and the lawfulness of the earning that enables that eating. The very first condition of being righteous is that man should subsist on what is lawful.
According to a hadith, the Prophet (peace be on him) said that God is pure and likes pure things. He followed this statement by reciting the above verse, adding: ‘A person undertakes a long journey, his clothes are ridden with dirt and his hair is disheveled, while the food that he eats is unlawful, the drink that he drinks is unlawful, the dress that he wears is unlawful, and his body has been nourished on what is unlawful, and then he raises his hands to the sky and prays: “O my Lord! O my Lord!” Whence can his Prayer be answered?’ (See Muslim, K. al-Zakah, ‘Bab Qubul al-Sadaqa min al-Kasb al-Tayyib wa Tarbiyataha’, Tirmidhi, K. Tafsir al-Qur’an, ‘Bab wa min Sarah al-Baqarah’, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 2, p. 328 - Ed.)
47. The statement that ‘this community of yours is one community’ implies. ' that all the Prophets belong to one and the same group. As it is, the word Ummah signifies a body of people who share a basic principle. The Prophets, even though they belonged to different ages and climes, are designated as one single community, because all shared the same belief, the same religion and the same Message. The words that follow, ‘... I am your Lord’, make it quite clear as to what the common basis was that made them one community. (For further details see al-Baqarah 2: 130-3 and 213; Al ‘Imran 3: 19-20, 33-4, 64, 73 and 85; al-Nisa’ 4: 150-2; al-A ‘raf7: 59, 65, 73 and 85; Yusuf 12: 37- 40; Maryam 19: 49 and 59, and al-Anbiya’ 21: 71-93.)
48. This is not simply a statement of fact. In addition, it is a part of the argument which runs throughout this surah. The main point is that all Prophets, right from the Prophet Noah to Jesus, called their respective people to the same teaching — to affirm the Unity of God and the reality of the Hereafter. It is Clear, therefore that Islam, meaning submission to the One True God, is the true, primordial religion of the human species. All other religions that we find today are nothing but distorted forms of this primordial religion. They are an ensemble of some truths of the original faith, albeit in distorted form, along with doctrinal accretions that have accumulated over the course of time.
Now, if anyone is in the wrong it is those who follow these distorted religions rather than the Prophet (peace be on him) who, shunning them called people to embrace the true faith.
49. There is a gap between the two sentences. Rather than filling this gap with an explicit statement, it has been left to the good sense of the reader to complete it since the context itself helps one to realize what is left unsaid.
The background to the discourse is that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) had continuously called people to the true faith for a period of five or six years. In so doing he put forward a variety of arguments to establish his point, not least drawing people’s attention to several events in human history to emphasize the truth of his Message. He also drew attention to the wholesome impact of his Message on the. lives of those who had accepted it, and he proffered it as corroborative evidence in support of the truth of the Message. The pure and spotless conduct of the Prophet (peace be on him) also made it clear that he was a trustworthy person. Nevertheless, his people continued to exult in the falsehood which they had inherited from their ancestors: Not only did they reject the truth which had been expounded by the Prophet (peace be on him) with persuasive arguments, they even became sworn enemies of the bearer of that truth. This enmity reached such proportions that they did not shrink from employing any means, howsoever vile and despicable, to frustrate the mission of the Prophet (peace be on him). They adamantly opposed the Prophet (peace be on him), taunted and reproached him and used repressive measures including fabricating lies against him.
In order to appreciate the statement made here, ‘Leave them immersed in their heedlessness we ought to bear in mind that it was made after it had been fully shown that the true faith has always been one and the same and that those religions invented later are false. In this context, the above statement amounts to saying in a reproachful tone: ‘Well, if these people still refuse to accept the truth and wish to exult in their erroneous ways just leave them alone.
It is quite obvious that here the use of the imperative ‘leave them’ cannot be taken in its literal sense, i.e. that the believers should give up preaching the truth to those who are in error. Such an interpretation betrays a total lack of appreciation of the whole tenor of the discourse. A statement such as the — above does not imply that preaching of the truth should be abandoned. On the contrary, it is meant to jolt people out of their heedlessness.
Moreover, the use of the words ‘till an appointed time’ is also meaningful. It amounts to warning people that their exultation will not last for long; that soon they will come to their senses, and that they will wake up and distinguish between the Message that is being given them and the falsehood in which they are jubilating.
50. For a better understanding of what is said here one should glance at the opening verses of this surah, as the content here is substantially the same, albeit in a different manner. The Makkan unbelievers had a very narrow, materialistic conception of success and well-being. In their view, whoever fed or dressed himself well, lived in good houses, was able to obtain wealth and offspring and fame, prestige and a degree of influence should be reckoned as successful. -Conversely, whoever failed to attain these was a failure.
This misconception led them to even larger errors. This consisted in their believing that those who enjoyed material prosperity were definitely in the right, they were God’s favorites. For had this not been so, they would not have been able to make all those material achievements. Likewise, those who conspicuously lacked such material attainments, so they thought, were definitely not on the Right Path, neither in regard to their belief nor their practice. Instead they were affected with God’s Wrath.
The Qur’an repeatedly alludes to this serious misconception, one of the most vital causes of those who follow a materialist way of thinking going astray. The Qur’an also refutes this misconception and explains the truth of the matter in a variety of ways. (See al-Baqarah 2: 126 and 212; al-Tawbah 9: 55, 69 and 85; Yunus 10: 17; Hid 11: 3, 27-31 and 38-9; al-Ra‘d 13: 26; al-Kahf 18: 28, 32~43, 103 and 105; Maryam 19: 77-80; Ta Ha 20: 131-2, and al-Anbiya’ 21: 44, along with the related notes.) In this connection, there are certain basic points which need to be appreciated for unless they are grasped mental confusion is bound to persist.
First, man’s success is something loftier and pervasive than material, or ‘transient worldly achievements.
Second, if those who-embrace such a view regard worldly success or lack of it as an index of truth and falsehood, and of good and evil, such a view leads to a basic misconception. In fact, unless one frees oneself from it, one will never be able to find the Straight Way of sound belief and outlook, nor sound conduct and behavior. Third, it needs to be emphasized that the present life is meant essentially to test man rather than to recompense him for his works. As far as man’s moral acts are concerned, even if there is a recompense for them during this worldly life, that recompense is on a very limited scale and is highly imperfect.
Additionally, in the recompense itself there is an ingrained element of test and trial. It would be a misconception of the highest magnitude, rather a folly, if we were to disregard the above and believe that whatever good a person receives here is in reward for his goodness, and that receiving such a reward is an index of the recipient. being right, righteous, loved and favored by God. Likewise, the disposition to regard anyone who is hit by misfortune as one who is necessarily under ‘punishment’, is in the wrong, unrighteous, and among those who are disapproved of by God is quite unjustified. To believe this is to be totally misconceived, and nothing can have a more disastrous effect on a people’s conception of right and wrong, or be more baneful for their moral standards. A seeker of the truth should realize at the very-outset that the world is a testing ground for all individuals, communities, indeed the whole of mankind and this in a number of ways. The different circumstances which confront people during the course of this test cannot be regarded as the final judgements of reward and punishment. Nor can they be taken as the criteria for determining which concepts, moral attributes and actions are right and which are wrong. Nor can they be held as the criteria for determining who are loved by God and who are subject to-His Wrath.
Fourth, without doubt adherence to the truth and righteousness: leads to success and felicity. Likewise, falsehood and evil-doing are bound to result in failure. Nevertheless, we observe that it is possible for falsehood and iniquity to meet with success, even if it be only temporary and apparent.
Likewise, we also find that truth and righteousness might encounter failure, even if that too is only temporary and apparent. Now, this phenomenon can often prove to be quite deceptive. Hence, man stands in need of independent criteria to distinguish between good and evil, a criteria that is not susceptible to any delusions. Such criteria are provided by the teachings of the Prophets and the Scriptures, and are endorsed by man’s common sense. It is also endorsed by the fact that humanity instinctively recognizes, and recognizes unanimously, which acts are essentially good and which are evil.
Fifth, if we find that an individual or community has deviated from the path of truth and is engrossed in sin and corruption, in wrong-doing and transgression, and is nevertheless lavished with bounties, the meaning of all this is quite clear. According to the Qur’an as well as reason, such an individual or nation has been put to serious test. The bounties that are apparently being lavished on it are not indicative of God’s Mercy and Favor; in a way they signify His Wrath. If that person or nation had met with a catastrophe after their wrong-doing, it would have provided impetus for self-reform. But the bestowal of bounties, despite wrong-doing, simply means that the person or nation concerned is being led to their destruction. If the boat carrying that person or nation remains afloat even after iniquity, it means that it has been decided that it should simply be filled with a large amount of water, and then capsized, once and for all. Conversely, even when there is sincere devotion to God, purity of conduct, honesty in dealings, and benevolence towards His creatures, still the people concerned are confronted with much hardship and suffering, and constantly encounter one calamity after another. This, however, is an indication not of God’s Wrath but of His Favor and Mercy. For such a person or community is, thus, being thoroughly purged of impurities in the manner a goldsmith purges gold of all dross so that it comes forth before the world in its pure form. In any case, if suck people are not compensated for their good deeds in this world, it does not matter much. The true worth of that pure gold will be recognized by the goldsmith himself, and he will pay its true value. If good people face any hardship or suffering it is not an indication of God’s Wrath, rather His Wrath is directed at their enemies, and to the society in which good people are made to suffer and evil-doers are enabled to thrive.
51. Believers are never devoid of fear of God, nor are they heedless of Him. Nor do they act according to the dictates of their whims, disregarding Him above them Who is ever vigilant and Who seizes those who engage in wrong-doing and transgression. The hearts of believers are filled with fear of God, and it is this which prevents them from committing evil.
52. The word ‘Signs’ embraces two different kinds. On the one hand, it means the signs which are brought forward by the. Prophets on God’s behalf.
On the other hand, it includes those signs that are found within man as well as those that are scattered around the universe. Now, to believe in the signs of the Book amounts to confirming their truth. As for belief in the signs in the universe and in man’s own being, this suggests having faith in the truths to which these signs testify.
53. Believing in God’s signs requires one to believe in the Unity of God. The additional statement that such people do not associate aught with God in His Divinity seems to have been made in view of man’s known weaknesses that occasionally people engage in one form of shirk or another, that the associate others with God in His Divinity despite their belief in His sign: One such example of this weakness is riya’, i.e. engaging in acts of religious devotion to impress people with one’s piety rather than doing so to exclusively please God. Likewise, excessive veneration of Prophets or saints at times, also leads people to shirk. Other forms of shirk include praying to and seeking help from others than God, willingly binding oneself to serve and obey others than the One True Lord, and following man-made laws (in this regard or the Law enjoined by God — Ed.).
Thus, this characterization of the believers as those in shirk after they are identified as believing in His sign is significant. This would seem to be because believers ought to consecrate their service obedience and worship exclusively for the One True God in a manner that leaves not even an iota of doubt about it.
54. The word ita’ in Arabic usage is not only confined to giving money or something material. It can also be employed to mean giving something non material. We find, therefore, such expressions in Arabic as: (I have accepted to give him my obedience). Contrariwise, is the expression (I have decided to deny giving him my obedience). Thus giving does not simply mean giving away wealth in the cause of God. It also includes giving oneself to God in obedience and servitude. In view of the above, the full meaning of the verse is that believers do not gloat at the good deeds they do in obedience to God, at the services the render, at the sacrifices they make. Their piety or their feeling of proximity with God does not generate vanity and arrogance in them. On the contrary, despite fully exerting themselves in acts of devotion and virtue, the remain anxious for they are unsure whether or not their deeds will find God’s acceptance. They are also uncertain about whether their good deeds will outweigh their sins, and whether these good deeds will suffice to earn them God’s forgiveness. This very point is explained in the following hadith as found in the works of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Hakim and Ibn Jarir al-Tabari. ‘A’ishah asked the Prophet: ‘O Messenger of God! Does this mean that even while committing theft, fornication and drinking wine one should fear God?’ It appears that ‘A’ishah considered to mean ‘whatever they do’. In reply, the Prophet (peace be on him) clarified: ‘No, O daughter of Siddiq. It rather means that he who prays, fasts, pays Zakah, and yet fears God.’ (See Ibn Majah, K. al-Zuhd, ‘Bab al-Tawaqqi ‘ala al-‘Amal’ ~ Ed.)
This, then, identifies that the correct reading of the verse is not ya‘tuna, but yu’tuna. Furthermore, that yu’tuna has not been used in the sense of giving away one’s wealth, but in the wider sense of giving oneself totally in God’s obedience. This verse also points to the inner state of the believer while he is engaged in acts of devotion to God. The best illustration in this regard is a statement made by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab close to the time of his death. In spite of his highly distinguished services, throughout his life, in the cause of Islam, he. was nonetheless still apprehensive that God would hold him to severe and exacting account. Such was his trepidation that he said: ‘If I am reckoned on the Day of Judgement as one whose good and evil deeds are equal, that will be quite fine with me.’ Hasan al-Basri has also expressed this point beautifully: ‘A believer obeys and yet remains fearful, whereas a hypocrite disobeys and is fearless.’
55. This is a vitally significant statement in the context in which it has been made so let us take care to grasp its full import. It was earlier pointed out who those people are who hasten to do good deeds and supersede others in attaining them. This is now followed with a clear reference that God does not place on anyone a burden greater than that which he can bear. In other words, there is nothing superhuman about the character and conduct required of man. All human beings are made of the same flesh and blood, and are capable of establishing very high standards of conduct. Hence, it does not hold water for some people to claim that the kind of character required of them is beyond their capacity. Man is in fact capable of following both patterns of behavior: the one being followed by the generality of people in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) as well as the one being followed by the true men of faith from amongst their own people.
A person’s conduct results from his own choice: which of two acts, each of which he is capable of adopting, does he prefer? If someone makes the wrong choice and, thereafter, devotes his efforts to accumulating evil and distancing himself from good, no amount of false pretension will save him. His plea that good deeds were simply beyond his power will be of no avail and he will be made to suffer the consequences of his wrong choice. If such people do in fact proffer this pretext, saying that the way enjoined by God was beyond their capacity, they are bound to face the question: if that is so, how was it that many people like them were able to follow that way?
56. The ‘Book’ here means the record of deeds that is being compiled separately for each individual. This record literally embraces everything about a person. All that pertains to a man, every single act, every little movement, every thought and intent, is recorded in minute detail. It is the same ‘Book’, meaning Record of deeds, about which the following statement is made elsewhere in the Qur’an: ‘And then the “Book”, i.e. the Record of their deeds shall be placed before them and you will see the guilty full of fear of what it contains, and will say: “Woe to us! What a ‘Book’ [i.e. Record of deeds] is this! It leaves nothing, big or small, but encompasses it.” They will find their deeds confronting them. Your Lord wrongs no one’ (al-Kahf 18: 49).
It should be pointed out, however, that some people have understood the word ‘Book’ here to mean the Qur’an. This totally confuses the actual meaning of this verse.
57. This is an assurance that no one will be charged with guilt they have not committed. Nor will anyone remain deprived of the reward to which their good deeds entitle them. In short, no one will be unduly punished, nor will anyone be denied the reward that they rightly deserve.
58. That is, they are oblivious of the fact that all their deeds, sayings and thoughts are being recorded and that a time will come when they will be held to account for them.
59. We have translated the word mutrafin here as ‘those given to luxuriant ways’. This word is used for those who, having obtained worldly riches, have immersed themselves in the pursuit of pleasure, and have, thus, become oblivious of their duties to God and to His creatures.
The ‘chastisement’ which is mentioned in this verse is not the chastisement with which they will be confronted in the Hereafter. Instead, it refers to the chastisement that will seize them here in this world.
60. The verb used here is derived from the word ju’ar which signifies the lowing of the oxen produced in a state of severe pain. (See J-’-r in Lisan al- ‘Arab— Ed.) In its present usage, the word does not simply denote groaning, but the groaning of one who does not deserve any mercy. The word also carries the nuances of contempt and sarcasm. The meaning conveyed here is: ‘You were completely engaged in your misdeeds. But now that the time for the retribution of those deeds has come, you have ‘burst out in piteous lamentation.’
61. This is what the wrong-doers will be told in response to their groaning.
62. These words graphically describe their aversion to the Prophet’s message. They were so hostile to the truth that they would not permit their ears even to hear a single word of that message.
63. The word samiran used in this verse refers to those who engage in samar. (See s-m-r in Lisan al-‘Arab — Ed.) It signifies conversations people have at night, including gossiping and story-telling. Such light conversations are a part of village life and are held in the late evenings amongst smail groups of friends who get together in rural clubs. This practice was also common among the Makkans in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him).
64. A question is posed here: did the unbelievers reject the Prophet’ s Message because they failed to comprehend it? Obviously, that was not the case. For, the Qur’an is far from being a jigsaw puzzle that defies comprehension. Nor has it been revealed in a language alien to the unbelievers. Nor are the contents of the Qur’an beyond human comprehension. The thrust of the statement then is that the unbelievers fully understood the Message, in fact they understood it even in its complete detail. Their rejection, therefore, is both deliberate and well-considered, and not the result of any deficiency in their understanding.
65. Another possible reason for their rejection of the Qur’anic Message could be that it expounded something absolutely novel, something altogether unheard of. Obviously, this was not true either. The Prophet (peace be on him) taught that God had raised many earlier Prophets who brought their Scriptures, called people to monotheism, warned them that they would be held to account in the ' e Life to Come, and expounded well-known principles of morality.
None of these teachings was being ex pounded for the first time in human history. The neighboring lands — Iraq, Syria and Egypt — had witnessed the advent of a host of successive Prophets each of whom had expounded substantially the same teachings. Hence, the Arabs were not unfamiliar with the contents of the Prophet’s teachings. Apart from the Prophets sent to neighboring countries, Arabia, itself, had had its share of Prophets. Abraham and Ishmael had come to Arabia. Hud, Salih and Shu‘ayb were also raised there. The names of these Prophets were known to virtually everyone. The unbelievers of Arabia even acknowledged them as those who had been raised by God. They also recognized that these Prophets were not polytheists. On the contrary, they called people to serve the One True God. In sum their rejection of the Message of the Prophet (peace be on him) did not arise from their unfamiliarity with what he expounded. (For further details see al-Furqan 25, n. 84; al-Sajdah 32, n. 5; al-Saba’ 34, n. 35.) 4
66. Another question is also posed: did the unbelievers reject the Massage of Islam because it was expounded someone who was a total stranger to them, by one who had suddenly appeared from nowhere and who asked them to believe in his teachings and follow him? Once again, this could not be the reason for their rejection. For the bearer of this Message was a member of their own community. The nobility of his lineage was not unknown to them. They were also thoroughly familiar with his distinguished personal character for they had known him as a child, and had witnessed him grow to youth before their very eyes. They subsequently also witnessed his youth enter the precincts of manhood. All of them were well aware that he was truthful and veracious, that he was absolutely trustworthy, that he possessed an unblemished character. Thanks to these qualities, his compatriots called him al-amin (the trustworthy one). Even his worst enemies conceded that he had never lied. He was a model of chastity and purity, known to be honorable and virtuous. They knew him to be forbearing, truth-loving and peacefully disposed, one who had always kept aloof from all manner of feuds and squabbles. They also knew that he was a straightforward person, and that his dealings with others were transparent. They also knew that he honored his word and was faithful to his commitments. They knew that he was neither disposed to engage in wrong-doing nor supported others in their wrong-doing.
They knew that his door was open for everyone in distress, for everyone who required help, for everyone who was in need, and that he greeted such people with the utmost compassion, tenderness and sympathy.
They also knew that never before had he declared himself to be a Prophet, had not even uttered a word that would suggest that he was preparing the ground to make such a claim. Moreover, ever since the day he declared himself to be a Prophet, he had consistently preached one and the same Message. Not once did he deviate. Not once did he modify his claim or change the content of his Message. Nor could one detect any evolution in his claims, an evolution that could lend him to be suspected of proceeding gradually towards self-exaltation an evolution whose start was marked, as is the case. with imposters, by first making a modest claim, and then proceeding to make ever taller claims after having consolidated his position. Not only that, his life also bore witness to the fact that he not only practiced all that he preached to others, but he rather practiced it before he preached it.
It was also quite evident that there was no contradiction between his word and deed. Nor was there any trace of hypocrisy in his conduct. Nor did he have a different set of weights and measures for himself and for others.
It was thus difficult for the Makkan unbelievers to say of someone who was so well known, so tried and tested among his fellow-beings, that he was crafty, and having won over peoples’ hearts with his captivating words, then threw away the mask he had been wearing only to reveal his true colors.
Essentially his detractors were unable to accuse him of playing tricks with them in order to promote his covert evil designs. (For further elaboration see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. II, al-An‘am 6, n. 21, pp. 226-7; vol. IV, Yunus 10, n. 21, pp. 19-21; and vol. V, Bani Isra’il 17, n. 105, pp. 71-2.)
67. Another possible reason for the unbelievers rejecting the Prophet’s teaching is mentioned here in the form of a query: did they reject his teaching because they believed that he was mad? Again, quite obviously this was not the reason for their intransigence. For regardless of whatever they might have said publicly about the Prophet, they recognized in their heart of hearts that he was sharp-witted, wise and sagacious. For, after all, the difference between sanity and insanity is quite obvious and hence there was no question of their being confused on this issue. It is only those who are brazenly obstinate who could say that he who brought them the Qur’an was insane. Could anyone who knew anything about the life of the Prophet (peace be on him) believe that it was the life of someone who was mentally deranged? For strange indeed is that insanity, or for that matter the fits of epilepsy mentioned with such gusto by Orientalists, which leads to a work like the Qur’an! What kind of insanity is it that enabled the Prophet to successfully lead a movement that changed not only the destiny of his own land but also of the whole world?
68. This pithy sentence embodies a statement of great significance, and we should make every effort to understand it. It is customary for foolish people to become angry with those who tell them the truth. Such people wish to hear whatever best suits their interests rather than what is true and what accords with the facts. Such men tend to forget that the truth remains the truth regardless of whether people like it or not. Even if all people combine to negate a fact or change a truth into a falsehood, they will fail to do so.
When such is the case, how can facts and truths be so altered as to make them conform to the wishes of an individual? Alternatively, how can facts constantly conform to a myriad of mutually conflicting wishes? Foolish people fail to appreciate that if there is any discordance between their wishful thinking and reality, then it is their wishful thinking that is to blame rather than reality.
In denying reality, such people cause no harm to it per se, instead they only harm themselves.
This immense system of the universe is based on well-established realities and inalterable laws. Living in the framework of such a universe, it is imperative that man strive to bring his thoughts, wishes and conduct in conformity with reality. He should constantly apply himself, with the help of rational argument, experience and observation, to what reality indeed is. It is only the puerile who, at both mental and practical levels, adamantly cling to their preconceptions, wishes and biases and who attempt to show those realities as conforming to their preconceived ideas. Once they embark on this course, they turn a blind eye to every piece of argument, howsoever weighty and reasonable it might be.
69. The word dhikr used here has three possible meanings, each of which seems to be correct in the present context:
(1) Dhikr, in the first place, might be regarded as a synonym about human nature. Taken in this sense, the present verse would mean that the Qur’an is not speaking about some other world that is unrelated to them. On the contrary, the Qur’an is concerned with expounding the reality of man’s being, with explaining his nature and his urges. The Qur’an does so in order to remind man of the lesson that he is ever disposed. to forget, a lesson that he is averse to learning. Such an escapist attitude is not an escape from matters unrelated to man. It is rather man’s escape from the truth about himself.
(2) The word dhikr may also be taken to mean admonition and good counsel. In this case the verse in question would mean that the Message of the Qur’an constitutes an admonition which is in their own best interests. Hence, if they flee from it, it would amount to fleeing from something that is conducive to their own good.
(3) Dhikr may also be used in the sense of honor. If this sense is accepted, the verse means that if the unbelievers accept the Message that has been brought to them, they will be endowed with honor. On the contrary, if they turn away from it, it will amount to denying themselves a golden opportunity for their own growth and exaltation.
70. This is another argument in support of the Prophet’s claim to have been designated by God as a Prophet. The argument demonstrates that the Prophet (peace be on him) was quite evidently most selfless in his mission.
No one could honestly accuse him of facing all the hassle involved in his work in order to fulfil any selfish design. Before embarking on his mission as the Message-bearer of Islam, he was a fairly prosperous trader. After becoming involved in Islam, he began to face want and privation. Before he was designated as God’s Messenger, he was held in high esteem by his people.
Thereafter, however, he was subjected to both verbal abuse and even physical hurt; and even his life was at risk: In the past, he had lived a happy life with his ‘family, but thanks to his mission, he became engaged in a struggle which left him little time for rest and peace. Moreover, the cause that he was expounding yielded no advantages to him directly. On the contrary, it antagonized virtually every element of his people so much so that his own kith and kin seemed bent on the utmost hostility towards him. In view of all this, who in his right mind would say that the work of the Prophet (peace be on him) was that of a self-seeker? Self-seekers are wont to come forward as champions of tribal and national chauvinism. They use their ability and craftiness in a manner that enables them to assume the leadership of their people. Self-seekers are never advocates a unpopular causes; they are never the proponents of an idea that would frontally challenge the chauvinistic biases and prejudices of their people, let alone espouse an idea that negates the very foundation on which the tribal pre-eminence of the Makkan unbelievers rested. This argument is put forward by the Qur’an not only in support of the truth of Muhammad’s claim, but in order to prove the truth of all Prophets (peace be on all of them). (For further details see al-An‘am 6: 9; Yunus 10: 72; Hud 11: 29 and 51; Yusuf 12: 104; al-Furqan 25: 57; al-Shu‘ara’ 26: 109, 127, 145, 164 and 180; Saba’ 34: 34; Ya Sin 36: 21; Sad 38: 86; al-Shura 42: 23; and al-Najm 53: 40, along with the relevant notes.)
71. The unbelievers denied the After-Life and this made them bereft of all sense of responsibility. Basically, they were easygoing and carefree. Since they did not believe that this life had any other purpose, or that they were accountable for their deeds before a higher authority, why should they be concerned about what is good and what is evil? Like animals, their only concern was with the optimal fulfilment of their physical and sensual desires. If these needs were fulfilled, all else, even questions of good and evil, right and wrong, could be dismissed as altogether irrelevant. On the other hand, if in the pursuit of their material goals they discovered something wrong, something which served as an obstacle to their self-gratification, they would consider what had caused that wrong and how it could be rectified. Such people are naturally not interested in finding out the true path that human beings ought to follow.
72. This alludes to the hardship and suffering experienced by the Makkans as a result of the then raging famine. Some narrators, however, have mixed up the two famines which afflicted the Makkans. The result being that the average reader is unclear about which famine is being alluded to here. One of these famines occurred sometime after Prophethood was bestowed upon Muhammad (peace be on him), and the other took place a few years a Hijrah. This second famine was caused by Thumamah ibn Uthal who steppes the export of food grains from Yamamah to Makka. The Preset verse though, refers to the first rather than the second famine tradition in both Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, when the Quraysh repeatedly refused to accept the Prophet’s Message and placed numerous obstacles in his way, he prayed to “O God, help me against them with a seven-year famine as You help Josep with a seven-year famine.’ (See Bukhari, K. al-Da wat, Bab al dua ala al-Mushrikun’, and Tirmidhi, K. Tafsir al-Qur’an, Bab wa min Surah al- Dukhan’ — Ed.) Consequently, a very severe famine took hold of Makka, ‘0 much so that the Makkans resorted to eating carrion. There are severa allusions to this famine in the Makkan sirahs, (See, for example, a am 6: 42-4; al-A ‘raf 7: 94-9; Yanus 10: 11-12 and 21; al-Nahi 16: 112-13; and al-Dukhan 44: 10 and 16, along with the relevant notes.)
73. The word mublisun used in this verse is very rich in meaning so that the expression: ‘they will utterly despair of all good, does not express the full import of the statement. The root b-l-s from which the verbal form is derived, embraces several meanings. It denotes a person’s being wonder struck, aghast with fear, heart-broken with grief and sorrow, utterly frustrate after suffering a succession of reverses. Since the word signifies desperation arising from loss of all hope, Satan has been named Iblis. (See b-l-s in lisan-al-‘Arab - Ed.) This word is chosen for Satan because in states of utter frustration his. injured pride is so provoked that he seeks to wreak every possible havoc and commit every kind of crime.