27. An-Naml Page 377 27. An-Naml بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ طٰسٓ ۫ Ta Seen تِلْكَ These اٰیٰتُ (are the) Verses الْقُرْاٰنِ (of) the Quran وَ كِتَابٍ and a Book مُّبِیْنٍۙ clear هُدًی A guidance وَّ بُشْرٰی and glad tidings لِلْمُؤْمِنِیْنَۙ for the believers الَّذِیْنَ Those who یُقِیْمُوْنَ establish الصَّلٰوةَ the prayer وَ یُؤْتُوْنَ and give الزَّكٰوةَ zakah وَ هُمْ and they بِالْاٰخِرَةِ in the Hereafter هُمْ [they] یُوْقِنُوْنَ believe with certainty اِنَّ Indeed الَّذِیْنَ those who لَا (do) not یُؤْمِنُوْنَ believe بِالْاٰخِرَةِ in the Hereafter زَیَّنَّا We have made fair-seeming لَهُمْ to them اَعْمَالَهُمْ their deeds فَهُمْ so they یَعْمَهُوْنَؕ wander blindly اُولٰٓىِٕكَ Those الَّذِیْنَ (are) the ones لَهُمْ for them سُوْٓءُ (is) an evil الْعَذَابِ [the] punishment وَ هُمْ and they فِی in الْاٰخِرَةِ the Hereafter هُمُ [they] الْاَخْسَرُوْنَ (will be) the greatest losers وَ اِنَّكَ And indeed, you لَتُلَقَّی surely, receive الْقُرْاٰنَ the Quran مِنْ from [near] لَّدُنْ from [near] حَكِیْمٍ the All-Wise عَلِیْمٍ the All-Knower اِذْ When قَالَ said مُوْسٰی Musa لِاَهْلِهٖۤ to his family اِنِّیْۤ Indeed I اٰنَسْتُ perceive نَارًا ؕ a fire سَاٰتِیْكُمْ I will bring you مِّنْهَا from it بِخَبَرٍ some information اَوْ or اٰتِیْكُمْ I will bring you بِشِهَابٍ a torch قَبَسٍ burning لَّعَلَّكُمْ so that you may تَصْطَلُوْنَ warm yourselves فَلَمَّا But when جَآءَهَا he came to it نُوْدِیَ he was called اَنْۢ [that] بُوْرِكَ Blessed is مَنْ who فِی (is) at النَّارِ the fire وَ مَنْ and whoever حَوْلَهَا ؕ (is) around it وَ سُبْحٰنَ And glory be اللّٰهِ (to) Allah رَبِّ (the) Lord الْعٰلَمِیْنَ (of) the worlds یٰمُوْسٰۤی O Musa! اِنَّهٗۤ Indeed اَنَا I Am اللّٰهُ Allah الْعَزِیْزُ the All-Mighty الْحَكِیْمُۙ the All-Wise وَ اَلْقِ And Throw عَصَاكَ ؕ your staff فَلَمَّا But when رَاٰهَا he saw it تَهْتَزُّ moving كَاَنَّهَا as if it جَآنٌّ (were) a snake وَّلّٰی he turned back مُدْبِرًا (in) flight وَّ لَمْ and (did) not یُعَقِّبْ ؕ look back یٰمُوْسٰی O Musa! لَا (Do) not تَخَفْ ۫ fear اِنِّیْ Indeed [I] لَا (do) not یَخَافُ fear لَدَیَّ (in) My presence الْمُرْسَلُوْنَۗۖ the Messengers اِلَّا Except مَنْ who ظَلَمَ wrongs ثُمَّ then بَدَّلَ substitutes حُسْنًۢا good بَعْدَ after سُوْٓءٍ evil فَاِنِّیْ then indeed I Am غَفُوْرٌ Oft-Forgiving رَّحِیْمٌ Most Merciful وَ اَدْخِلْ And enter یَدَكَ your hand فِیْ into جَیْبِكَ your bosom تَخْرُجْ it will come forth بَیْضَآءَ white مِنْ without غَیْرِ without سُوْٓءٍ ۫ harm فِیْ (These are) among تِسْعِ nine اٰیٰتٍ signs اِلٰی to فِرْعَوْنَ Firaun وَ قَوْمِهٖ ؕ and his people اِنَّهُمْ Indeed, they كَانُوْا are قَوْمًا a people فٰسِقِیْنَ defiantly disobedient فَلَمَّا But when جَآءَتْهُمْ came to them اٰیٰتُنَا Our Signs مُبْصِرَةً visible قَالُوْا they said هٰذَا This سِحْرٌ (is) a magic مُّبِیْنٌۚ manifest 27. An-Naml Page 378 وَ جَحَدُوْا And they rejected بِهَا them وَ اسْتَیْقَنَتْهَاۤ though were convinced with them (signs) اَنْفُسُهُمْ themselves ظُلْمًا (out of) injustice وَّ عُلُوًّا ؕ and haughtiness فَانْظُرْ So see كَیْفَ how كَانَ was عَاقِبَةُ (the) end الْمُفْسِدِیْنَ۠ (of) the corrupters
(27:1) Ta'. Sin. These are the verses of the Qur'an and a Clear Book;1
(27:2) a guidance and good tidings2 for the believers
(27:3) who establish Prayer and give Zakah,3 and have firm faith in the Hereafter.4
(27:4) As for those who do not believe in the Hereafter, We have made their deeds seem attractive to them so they stumble around in perplexity.5
(27:5) It is they for whom a grievous chastisement lies in store;6 it is they who shall be the greatest losers in the Hereafter.
(27:6) As for you, (O Muhammad), you are receiving the Qur'an from the Most Wise, the All-Knowing.7
(27:7) (Recount to them) when Moses said to his family:8 "I perceive something like fire: soon will I bring to you some information from there, or I will bring you a burning brand that you may warm yourselves."9
(27:8) But when Moses came to the fire, a call was sounded:10 "Blessed is He Who is in the fire and whatever is around it. Glory be to Allah, the Sustainer of all in the Universe.11
(27:9) O Moses, verily this is Me, Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise!
(27:10) Now cast your rod!" But when he saw the rod writhing as though it were a serpent,12 he turned his back in retreat and did not even look behind. "O Moses, have no fear. Messengers have no fear in My presence,13
(27:11) except he who has committed some wrong.14 But if he substitutes good in place of evil, I am Most Forgiving, Most Compassionate.15
(27:12) Now put your hand into your bosom, and it will come forth shining without any blemish. (These are two of the) nine Signs16 to be carried to Pharaoh and his people. They are surely a wicked people."
(27:13) But when Our Clear Signs came to them, they said: "This is plain magic."
(27:14) They denied those Signs out of iniquity and arrogance although their hearts were convinced17 of their truth. So see how evil was the end of those mischief-makers!
1. “Kitab Mubin”, a Clear Book, means the following: (i) That this Book expounds its teachings, instructions and commands in clear terms. (ii) That it clearly indicates the difference between Truth and falsehood. (iii) That it is also clear in that it is evidently the Book of God. Anyone who reads it with an open mind can see that it is not something that Muhammad (peace be on him) could have authored.
2. These verses are themselves “guidance” and “good news”. Note the subtlety here. Instead of saying that these verses lead to “guidance” and “give good news”, the verses, themselves, are called “guidance” and “good ‘news”. This, in itself, demonstrates the utmost potential of the Qur’an to guide people. Perhaps this can best be appreciated by the following example.
If one wants to pay tribute to someone’s generosity or beauty one would simply say that he or she is generous or beautiful. However, the effect is greatly enhanced if one were to say: “He or she is generosity itself” or that “He or she is beauty personified”.
3. These verses, however, provide guidance and give good news only to those who are possessed of the following characteristics: (i) they have faith, which means that they accept the invitation of the Qur’an and Muhammad (peace be on him) to believe in the One True God as their only Lord and as their sole object of worship and service; they accept the Qur’an as the Book of God and recognize the Prophet (peace be on him) as the true Prophet and, hence, their guide and leader, and believe in the After-life and in their accountability to God on the Day of Judgement. (ii) They not only recognize these truths but are also inclined to obey and follow them. The first sign of their wholehearted acceptance of these teachings is that they establish Salah and pay Zakah.
Those who fulfil these two requirements are guided by the verses of the Qur’an to the Straight Path. These verses show them the difference between the right and the wrong at each step of their lives. They save them from taking wrong turns in their lives and provide them with the certitude that, regardless of the consequences of following the Right Path in this world, ultimate success and everlasting prosperity depend, in any case, on following this Right Path for it leads to God’s pleasure.
To say that one can benefit from the Qur’an only if one fulfils certain conditions is similar-to what a teacher tells his students if they ask for guidance: that they can benefit from his instruction only if they fully trust him and work according to his instructions. We can also consider another analogy: that of a patient who goes to a doctor for treatment and the latter tells him that he can only benefit if he follows the instructions regarding the dosage of various medications and preventive measures that he, the doctor, prescribes.
Some Qur’anic commentators have interpreted the phrase yu ’tun al-zakah to mean that they should develop purity in their moral character. But wherever the word ita’ al-zakah occurs in the Qur’an alongside Salah it always means “payment of Zakah” which is a pillar of Islam next to Salah. As for adopting purity of conduct, the expression is tazakki rather than ita’ al-zakah. (Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-‘Arab, q.v. ZK A — Ed.) In fact, what is being stressed here is that in order to benefit from the guidance of the Qur’an, it is necessary to have, along with Faith, the attitude of obedience, of faithfully following the directives that are given, Establishment of Salah and. payment of Zakah are the first practical manifestations of such an attitude. As soon as these outward signs vanish, it becomes evident that the person concerned is defiant and rebellious. He might have accepted God as his Sovereign, but he has not gone so far as to submit himself in practice to the commands of that Sovereign.
4. Though belief in the Hereafter is an article of faith, and whenever any reference is made to those “who believe” or “have faith”, the people meant are those who believe in the Hereafter as well as in tawhid (the Oneness of God) and in Prophet hood. But here faith in the Hereafter is mentioned separately in order to emphasize its unique importance in the context of the present discourse. Its purpose being to highlight that those who do not believe in the Hereafter cannot walk along the path prescribed by the Qur'an. Indeed, they cannot even embark on that path because they are only able to decide about standards of good and evil in the light of tangible results observable in this world, as opposed to what will ensure in the Hereafter. Not only do such people not heed the teachings of the Prophets, but if, because of some ulterior motives, they join the ranks of the believers, they still cannot walk the path of True Faith because they are devoid of, belief in the Hereafter. As soon as they face their very first trial in which they are pulled in two opposite directions, where they trade the good of this world for loss in the Hereafter, they hasten to grab the former, totally impervious to the enduring loss they will suffer in the After-life. They do so notwithstanding their verbal! insistence on Faith.
5. This is the Law of Nature devised by God. Such is, human psychology that when a man thinks that the results of the struggle in this life are limited to this world only, when he is not convinced that there is another Court of Law in which the whole of his life will be judged and a final verdict passed on his performance, when he is not sure that there will be another life following the present.one — a life wherein he will receive the true measure of reward and punishment in consideration of his deeds — he is bound to develop a materialistic worldview. All discussion concerning the conflict between Truth and falsehood, between God’s Unity and polytheism, between good and evil, and between morality and immorality appear to him as meaningless. Whatever can bring him pleasure, enjoyment, material betterment and luxuriant living, and whatever can endow him with power and authority will seem good to him, regardless of all moral and philosophical considerations. He will, in fact, be scarcely concerned with Truth and Reality. His only goal will be the pursuit of worldly advantage and this will make him wander around in every direction. Whatever he does to achieve. this goal seems to him worthwhile and he will think that those who do not similarly pursue the good of this world are nothing but fools. Such a person is willing to do anything conducive to that end with impunity and is likely to be impervious to all moral considerations.
Seized with this behavior a man’s evil deeds become attractive and charming. Making evil deeds attractive is sometimes attributed to God and sometimes to Satan. When it is attributed to God, it means, as in the above context, that whoever accepts such an attitude to life, naturally becomes infatuated with it. By contrast, when it is attributed to Satan, it means that Satan presents: those people who subscribe to a materialistic worldview with an imaginary picture of a seductive heaven and continually prods him, saying: “Go ahead, you are doing well.” (See, for instance Surah al-‘Ankabut 29:38 ~ Ed.)
6. The form, time, and place of this “grievous chastisement” has not been specified because it comes to different people, groups and nations in this world in a variety of ways. A part of this chastisement comes to the unjust and evil at the time of their departure from this world, at the threshold of death.
After death, they also encounter this chastisement in barzakh — that state in which all men remain from the time of their expiry from the present life to the beginning of the Next. Above all, they will: confront chastisement in the Next Life: it will commence with the Day of Resurrection and will then endure as an abiding torment.
7. These are not imaginary things that are mentioned in the Qur’an, nor are they mere figments of the human imagination. Rather, such things are being revealed by a Wise God Whose Knowledge encompasses everything; by One Who is perfect in His Knowledge and Wisdom, Who is fully aware of the affairs of His creation and is ever making plans for the good of His creatures.
8. This refers to the time when Moses (peace be on him) had already spent eight years in Midian (Arabic, Madyan). He was travelling with his family in search of a suitable place to settle down. Midian was located at the mouth of the Gulf of “Aqabah, on the shores of Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula. (See al- Shu‘ara’ 26: n. 115 above.) Moses (peace be on him) reached the place variously called Mount Sinai and Jabal Musa. in the southern part of the Sinaitic peninsula which, at the time of the Qur’an’s revelation, was known as Tur. It was at the foot of this mountain that this event occurred. Its details have already been mentioned in Surah Ta Ha (20:9-24) and are likewise found in the next surah, Surah al-Qasas (28:29-36).
9. The context shows that it was a cold winter's night and the Prophet Moses (peace Le on him) was passing through an unfamiliar area. Hence why he said to his family that he would go and find out what place it was that the fire burned as also obtain information about various routes and directions to other localities. If the place where the fire was burning was just a halting place for travelers, he would at least be able to return with some embers to start their own fire and so provide warmth for them all.
The place where Moses (peace be on him) saw the burning bush lies at the foot of Mount Sinai, about 5,000 feet above sea level where the first Christian Emperor of Rome, Constantine later built a church, this around 365 CE. (The Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol. 4, pp. 69-71, q.v. “Constantine” — Ed.) Two hundred years later, Justinian built a monastery on that very spot, incorporating Constantine’s Church.
(Ibid., Vol. 8, pp. 219-20, q.v. “Justinian” - Ed.) Both of these are still standing and are under the control of the Greek Orthodox Church. (Ibid.,Vol. 6, pp. 95-9, q.v. “Greek Orthodox Church” — Ed.) I visited them in January 1960.
10. According to Surah al-Qasas, this voice came from a tree in the hallowed ground. It seems that there was something like fire somewhere towards one end of the valley, but nothing was burning. There was no smoke.
It was a strange kind of fire within which there stood a green tree from where, suddenly, this voice emanated. - Similarly, strange things were observed by other Prophets. For instance, when Prophet hood was conferred on Muhammad (peace be on him), an angel suddenly appeared before him in the solitude of Hira’ and began to recite a Message from God. As regards Moses (peace be on him), he stopped and observed the fire from a distance, and then advanced to obtain information about routes leading to different places from what he assumed were travelers. Then, God Himself, Who is beyond all human conception, suddenly addressed him.
When Prophets are confronted with such inner experiences combined with observing something extraordinary in its outside manifestation, it instils -in them the firm conviction that their experience was neither a product of their imagination, nor the contrivance of any jinn or Satan, nor even a hallucination. Instead, they know for sure that it is indeed the Lord of the Universe Himself or an angel who has conversed with them. (For more detail, see Tafhim al-Qur’an, Surah al-Najm 53: n. 10.)
11. Use of the words Subhan Allah (“Glory be to Allah”), was in fact meant to warn Moses (peace be on him) that even though his experience was of a sensory nature, it did not provide any grounds for anthropomorphism. In other words, he should not entertain the notion that God was seated on a particular tree, or had entered into it or that his eyes had captured the absolute luminosity of God, or that the conversation that took place consisted of a tongue moving about in. someone’s mouth. The fact of the matter is that although God, Who is above all the limitations which characterize His creatures, Himself spoke to Moses.
12. In Surah’s al-A ‘raf 7:107 and al-Shu‘ara’ 26:32 the snake is identified as thu ‘ban (a large snake; a python), but here it is called jann, a word used for a small snake. The reason is that though in physical size it was a large python, its movement was swift like that of a small snake. The same idea has been expressed in Sarah Ta Ha where it has been described as: ‘hayyatun tas‘a, a rapidly-moving snake (20:20). (See also al-Shu ‘ara’ 26:32, n. 27 above — Ed.)
13. With God watching over him, there is no danger of any harm coming to a Messenger. When God summons someone in order to appoint him to the high office of Prophet hood. He ensures his safety. Therefore, a Messenger should not worry but rather remain fearless even when confronted with circumstances that would ordinarily cause alarm. He should remain unperturbed regardless of the gravity of the situation for no harm will come to him.
14. This exception could be considered to apply either specifically to the Messengers who have just been mentioned, or to all human beings. Thus, it could mean that no Messenger need have any fear in God’s presence unless that Messenger has committed an offence. But, if it is understood in a more general sense, it would mean that no human being need entertain any fear in God’s presence unless he is guilty of an offence.
15. However, if an offender repents and reforms himself and does good deeds, the door of God’s Mercy is wide open for him. To mention this in the present context serves a dual purpose: to warn as well as to give good news. Moses (peace be on him) had left Egypt after unintentionally killing a Copt. (The word “Copt” derives from the Greek “Aiguptioi” meaning Egyptians — Ed.) This was an offence to which an oblique reference was made in a rather subtle way. Soon after committing this act, Moses repented, saying: “‘My Lord! I have indeed inflicted wrong on myself, so do forgive me.’ Wherefore Allah forgave him for He is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (al-Qasas 28: 16). Since Moses had sought forgiveness from God, he was forgiven. The present verse thus conveys good news to Moses since it virtually tells him that God had forgiven him because He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. In this way, then, Moses was not summoned for punishment, but rather, to be entrusted with a great mission and to be strengthened by a number of miracles.
16. It is mentioned in Sarah Bani Isra’il that Moses (peace be on him) was given nine clear signs or miracles. (17:101). In Surah al-Al-ara‘f (see verses 107-8, 119-20, 130 and 133 ~ Ed.) these miracles were mentioned in some detail: (i) the staff which could turn into a serpent; (ii) Moses’ hand which, when he took it out of his armpit, shone like the sun; (iii) Moses’ public triumph over the magicians; (iv) a great famine across the whole country as foretold by Moses; (v) a violent storm; (vi) locusts swarming all over the country; (vii) weevils destroying the stored grain and lice pestering human beings and animals; (viii) a storm of frogs, and (ix) the rain of blood.
17. As mentioned in other verses of the Qur’an, whenever a calamity hit Egypt in accordance with the prophesy of Moses (peace be on him), Pharaoh would say: “O Moses, pray for us.to your Lord on the strength of the prophet hood He has best owed upon you. Surely, if you remove this scourge from us, we will truly believe in you” (al-A ‘raf7: 134.) But as soon as the calamity was removed, Pharaoh would break his promise (al-A ‘raf 7:135; and al-Zukhruf 43:49-50).
The Bible also mentions this (see Exodus, Chapters 8-10).
These were clearly miracles for it is inconceivable that a whole country could be plagued with storms, locusts, frogs and weevils simply by magic. The manner in which Moses (peace be on him) foretold these calamitous plagues and the way in which they were removed in response to his prayers made it abundantly clear to everyone that these took place for no other reason than that the Lord of the Universe willed them to take place. “Moses replied: ‘You know well that no one but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has sent these as eye-opening proofs. I truly think, O Pharaoh, that you are indeed doomed’” (Bani Isra’il 17: 102). However, behind Pharaoh’s and his chiefs’ denial was this: “They said: ‘Shall we put faith in two mortals like ourselves when their people are slaves to us?’” (al-Mu'miniin 23:47).