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Allaha is one we worshiphim

 

Chapter 1 - Surah Al-Fatiha (The Opening)



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Translation:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Praise be to God, Lord of Creation; the Compassionate, the Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment. You alone we worship, and to You alone we pray for help. Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have favored: not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.

Tafsir (Commentary):

It befits man to commence all tasks in the name of God, his master. God is the source of all mercy and compassion. His blessings are continually descending upon creation. To commence any undertaking in His name is to pray that God, in His infinite mercy, should come to one’s assistance and bring one’s work to a successful conclusion. This is man’s acknowledgment that he is God’s servant, and also brings divine assurance of success.

The Qur’an has a special way of expressing a believer’s inner sentiments in the best possible words. The Invocation of God and the opening chapter of the Qur’an constitutes a supplication of this nature. The feelings which are naturally aroused in one after discovering the truth are expressed in these lines.

Man’s being is a great gift of God. It is so precious to him that he would never exchange it, or even any part of it—his eyes or hands, or any organ of his body—for the greatest treasures of the world. This basic gift of God is even more precious to man than a kingdom is to kings. When man looks at the world around him, he cannot fail to notice God’s power and mercy in evidence everywhere. With what care God watches over the world! Everything in it has been adapted to man’s needs. This observation shows that the great cosmic machine cannot be in vain. One realizes that there must come a day when the ungrateful will be taken to task and the grateful rewarded. One spontaneously entreats God in words to this effect: “Lord, You are Master of the Day of Judgement. I have submitted to You and humbly seek Your help; have mercy on me. Lord, show us the path that is, to You, the true path. Enable us to tread the path of Your chosen servants. Help us to avoid the path of those who have gone astray, and the path of those who have incurred Your wrath due to their obstinacy.”

God requires His servant to live his life with such feelings and emotions. The opening chapter of the Qur’an is a portrayal in miniature of Islamic belief; the rest of the Qur’an is an enlargement of this picture.
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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 1-5


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Translation:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Alif, Lam, Mim. This Book is not to be doubted. It is a guide for the righteous, who have faith in the unseen and are steadfast in prayer; who bestow in charity a part of what We have given them; who trust what has been revealed to you and to others before you, and firmly believe in the life to come. These are rightly guided by their Lord; these shall surely triumph



Tafsir (Commentary):

There is no doubt that the Qur’an is a book of guidance. But it only guides those who are sincere in their search, and anxious to be guided. The search for truth is inherent in man’s nature; one only has to discover one’s own true nature in order to find the truth. True search and true finding are but the initial and the advanced stages of the same journey. One who searches for truth unravels the mystery of his own inner self. He becomes one with nature. God helps him in his search, and the subconscious yearnings of his nature begin to receive a definite response.

The awakening of these sincere yearnings within one are an attempt to discern the world of meanings behind the world of forms. When this leads to discovery, it is transformed into faith in the unseen. That which is initially an urge to submit to some superior power, later takes the form of bowing to the Almighty. That which is initially a wish to sacrifice oneself for some greater good, later takes the form of spending one’s wealth for the cause of God. That which is initially a quest to comprehend the final outcome of life beyond this world, finds an answer in the form of faith in the life to come.

To discover truth is to raise one’s consciousness to the level of the Supreme Reality. Those who find truth in this way become complex-free souls. They come to see truth as it really is. Wherever truth is, and whoever is proclaiming it, they immediately recognize and accept it. No rigidity, convention or prejudice, can come between them and the truth. God has mercy on people of this nature. His universal order embraces them. They are guided on a sure course in this world. Their final destination will be heaven in the life to come.

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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 6-7


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Translation:

As for the deniers, whether you warn them or not, they will not have faith. God has set a seal upon their hearts and ears, and on their eyes there is a covering. A grievous punishment awaits them.

Tafsir (Commentary):

If one closes one’s eyes, one will not be able to see. If one blocks one’s ears, one will not be able to hear. However clear the call of truth may be, it can be understandable and acceptable only if one opens one’s mind to it. God’s inaudible call in the universe, and the audible expression of that call by the preacher of God’s word, cannot touch those who have closed minds.

The call to truth is founded on reality; it accords with nature. When it is raised, no one can fail to recognize its truth. If one hears it with an open mind, one will know in one’s heart that it is true. But where society is rigidly bound by age-old convention, people are less concerned with opening their minds to divine realities than they are with supporting the vested interests of the existing regime; with attaining greatness by bowing to the accepted norms of fame and honour, and with entrenching themselves in key positions—both religious and secular—as a public expression of personal success. Where the material outcomes of practical situations are paramount, the preacher of God’s word is regarded as being out of place.

As God’s emissary, the preacher is neither a representative nor a supporter of the conventional set-up. His call, being new and unfamiliar, impinges as a threat to material security. Much as he urges people to submit to the will of God, they baulk at doing so, because it would mean demolishing the world they have made for themselves. It is difficult also for him to convey his message to highly placed individuals who are afraid that, if they follow an “insignificant” person, they will thereby suffer some elimination of their own personal glory. The two greatest obstacles then to the success of the preacher are worldliness and arrogance. Where the material outcomes of practical situations are paramount, the preacher of God’s word will be regarded as out of place.

It is these mental states which prevent people from accepting the truth; the Qur’an has called them ‘seals’ over people’s hearts. The minds of those who do not consider the true call seriously, who are proud and worldly in their attitude, are covered with an invisible veil which makes them impervious to the truth. When one is prejudiced against something, one cannot see its rationality, even if there are clear signs in support of it.


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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 8-16


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Translation:

There are some who declare: ‘We believe in God and in the Last Day,’ yet they are not true believers. They seek to deceive God and those who believe in Him, but they deceive none save themselves, though they may not perceive it. There is a sickness in their hearts which God has increased: they shall be sternly punished for their hypocrisy. When it is said to them: ‘Do not commit evil in the land,’ they reply; ‘We only want to make peace.’ Truly, it is they who are the evil-doers, but of this they are not aware. And when it is said to them: ‘Believe as others believe,’ they reply: ‘Are we to believe as fools believe?’ Truly it is they who are the fools, if they only knew it! When they meet the faithful, they declare: ‘We, too, are believers.’ But when they are alone with their devils, they say to them: ‘We follow none but you: we were only mocking.’ God mocks at them, leaving them to wander blindly on in their contumacy. Such are those that barter away guidance for error: their commerce does not prosper.

Tafsir (Commentary):

For those who put worldly interests first, total and unconditional devotion to the truth appears unwise, for their true allegiance is to their worldly interests, and it is only on a superficial level that they can attach themselves to the truth. They consider themselves clever. They think that they are safeguarding themselves in the world, and also qualifying to be considered among the pious. But this is no more than wishful thinking; it is a figment of their imagination rather than a real fact of life. Every test in life removes them further from the way of truth and binds them closer to their selfish ways. Their hypocrisy is like a cancer which grows and grows. They consider true believers, who act in the interests of truth, to be destroying themselves for no good reason. They call their own policy, on the other hand, one of reconciliation; they prize it for enabling them to pursue a safe course without clashing with anyone; but this just shows how distorted their reasoning is. If they were to think deeply, they would realize that true peace on earth can only come from man giving himself up to God alone, and that it is evil to obstruct any movement aimed at consolidating man’s relationship with his Lord. Their seemingly profitable trading is in fact running at a loss, for they are forsaking pure truth for an adulterated version of the truth which can benefit none.

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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 17-20


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Translation:

They are like those who kindled a fire, but as soon as it lit up all around them, God took away their light leaving them in darkness, where they could not see. Deaf, dumb and blind, they shall never return to the right path. Or like those who, beneath a dark storm-cloud charged with thunder and lightning, thrust their fingers in their ears at the sound of every thunder-clap for fear of death (God thus encompasses the deniers). The lightning almost takes away their sight: whenever it flashes upon them they walk on, but, as soon as it darkens, they stand still. Indeed, if God pleased, He could take away their sight and hearing: He has power over all things.

Tafsir (Commentary):

In a dark room black and white will appear the same, but as soon as the lights are turned on, black appears as black, and white as white. So it is with the message of God which was revealed to the Prophets. The divine scriptures are God’s lights to the world. When this light is shed upon mankind, guidance and error clearly appear for what they are. It becomes evident what good and evil deeds consist of, and what their consequences are. But some people, instead of bowing to the truth, want the truth to be subservient to them. The light of God only serves to confuse them. Their hidden jealousy and pride take hold of them. As soon as they see themselves in the divine mirror, their negative sentiments are aroused. The prejudices within them overcome their senses. They have eyes but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have tongues, but cannot speak. They can neither hear the call of truth, nor respond to it in any way, nor by any sign from God can they find their way. Instead of reflecting upon the call of truth, as they should do, they evade it either by attaching no importance to it, or by not listening to it at all.

Fear is another factor which prevents them from acknowledging the truth. Rain is a wonderful blessing of God. But with rain come thunder and lightning which terrify nervous people. So it is with God’s word as revealed to His prophets. On the one hand, it holds out to man the promise of great success, but on the other hand, its acceptance places man temporarily at risks: there is the fear of losing one’s worldly position; the dilemma of clashing with the conventional set-up; the necessity to face up to reality as far as one’s fate in the next life is concerned, rather than indulge in wishful thinking. Fear of these things sometimes makes one halt, and sometimes makes one move hesitantly on. But such caution cannot help one. Those who do not respond to God’s call openheartedly are simply inviting severer punishment from their Creator.

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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 21-25


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Translation:

Mankind, serve your Lord, who has created you and those who have gone before you, so that you may guard yourselves against evil; who has made the earth a bed for you and the sky a dome, and has sent down water from the sky to bring forth fruits for your sustenance. And do not knowingly set up rivals to God. If you doubt what We have revealed to Our servant, produce one chapter comparable to this Book. Call upon your idols to assist you, if what you say is true. But if you fail (as you are sure to fail), then guard yourselves against the Fire whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the unbelievers. Proclaim good tidings to those who have faith and do good works. They shall dwell in gardens underneath which rivers flow: whenever they are given fruit to eat, they will say: ‘This is what we were given before,’ for they shall be given the like. Therein they will have pure spouses, and shall abide there forever.

Tafsir (Commentary):

God alone has created man and all that is in the heavens and on earth. He has invested the world with profound significance and is always watching over it. The proper course for man is to take God as his Creator, Master and Sustainer, and not attempt to set up anyone with Him as a partner; that is, he should give himself up entirely to God. But since He is invisible, it often happens that man gives importance to some visible object and worships that instead of God. He equates creation with the Creator, partially or totally, at times calling it by the name of God and at times not.

Therein lies man’s basic error. The prophets taught man to glorify God alone, and forsake the other things that he had elevated to positions of glory. People whose hearts are attached to others besides God consider the call of true religion repugnant. They have become so attached to their false gods that they cannot believe that they are unreal. They cannot believe that the truth is what is being proclaimed by a mortal like themselves.

God’s revealed word is indisputably marked with a divine radiance. Its style cannot be imitated; its reasoning cannot be refuted. This goes to show that this is the word of God. Those who deny it, irrespective of this, will find no other abode in God’s universe, but Hell. Those who find God in the word of God are already glimpsing the next world. They are the ones who will be admitted into the gardens of Paradise.

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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 26-29


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Translation:

God does not hesitate to give parables about gnats or even smaller creatures. Those who believe know that it is the truth from their Lord, but those who disbelieve ask: ‘What could God mean by this parable?’ By it God misleads many and enlightens many. But He misleads none except the evil-doers, who break His covenant after accepting it, and sever what He has bidden to be joined and make mischief in the land. These are the losers. How can you deny God? Did he not give you life when you were dead, and will He not cause you to die and then restore you to life? Will you not return to Him at last? He created for you all that the earth contains; then, turning to the sky, fashioned it into seven heavens. He has knowledge of all things.

Tafsir (Commentary):

Man’s first duty to God is to be true to the covenant made between the Creator and His creatures at the beginning of the world, namely, that man should remain God’s servant. Then, his conduct towards his fellow man should be such that all the ties that God wishes may be consolidated. Thirdly, when God appoints some mortal to preach His word, man should not turn others away from the chosen one’s preaching by inventing groundless arguments against it. The message of truth seeks to harmonize man with his own nature: those who prevent others from receiving it are guilty of making ‘mischief in the land’.

God has created man from nothing. This is a favour great enough to make man humble himself before God. But God has not just created man and left him to his own devices: He has given him an earth made in perfect accord with him. Yet, all God’s beneficence notwithstanding, man is constantly living under peril of death: and immediately after his demise, he will be brought before the Lord of the Universe to be judged. The knowledge of this should make him devote himself entirely to God; it should make him remember and obey God throughout his life, even remaining God’s humble servant.

When the divine message is so clear and reasonable, why do people not accept it? The chief cause is unwillingness to learn. This manifests itself in various ways: deliberate denigration of God’s message, attempts to belittle it by finding flaws in it, or misrepresenting it as irrational or concerned with mere trivialities. One who is not willing to learn from something does not think seriously about it. When some argument is presented to him, he looks at it superficially and sets about finding some shortcoming in it. But those who are willing to learn take the trouble to give all arguments/serious thought. They do not take long to realize that they are faced with the truth. It does not make any difference to them that the truth has been explained in parables of mere gnats, and other such insignificant creatures.

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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 30-33


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Translation:

When your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am placing a caliph on earth,’ they replied: ‘Will You put there one that will do evil and shed blood, when we have for so long sung Your praises and sanctified Your name?’ He said: ‘I know what you do not know.’ He taught Adam all the names and then set them before the angels, saying: ‘Tell me the names of these, if what you say be true.’ ‘Glory be unto You,’ they replied, ‘we have no knowledge except that which You have given us. You alone are wise and all-knowing.’ Then said He to Adam: ‘Tell them their names.’ And when Adam had named them, He said: ‘Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and all that you hide and all that you reveal?

Tafsir (Commentary):

Everything in nature is required to function according to a norm set for it by God. To follow this norm is to “make peace,” while to deviate from it is to spread corruption. No individual or nation has the permission of God to act in a manner that disrupts the order of nature as established by Him. For example, no man should take the life of another: all actions of this nature disqualify mankind from receiving God’s mercy. But when God created man, He decreed that man should have power and the freedom of will to wield it. This is what God meant when He spoke of Adam as a ‘caliph’. (The literal meaning of ‘caliph’ is ‘one who takes another’s place’—a successor. In the age of hereditary rule, it was generally used for a monarch who took the place of another monarch. According to this usage, the word came to refer to one invested with power.)

The angels, for their part, were apprehensive of man being corrupted by his own power and free-will. As it turned out, their fear were well-founded. Man’s greatest crimes, next to denial of His Lord, were to spread corruption and cause bloodshed throughout the world. And this was a possibility of which God was fully aware. But He had a particular reason for investing man with power and free will: if many human beings were corrupted by their power, this would be morally counterbalanced by the acknowledgment on the part of a substantial proportion of mankind that, in spite of their power and freedom on earth, they were in actuality powerless before the one Almighty God. Such people would, of their own accord, adopt the path of submission and obedience to God. Albeit comparatively few in number, they would be specially prized above all others, just as the foodgrains at harvest time, although greatly outweighed in bulk by chaff and straw, are the truly valued part of the crop. (Indeed, if the chaff and straw are permitted to grow, it is solely for people to have access to the grain.)

The mixture of good and evil in mankind became evident when God, in His omnipotence, brought all the progeny of Adam before their first father. He said to the angels: ‘Look, these are the progeny of Adam. Can you give me the name of each one of them, and say what sort of people they will be?’ The angels, having no knowledge of them, were unable to answer. Then God told Adam their names and characteristics, and then commanded him to pass the knowledge on to the angels. When Adam had explained to them the nature of the human race, they realized that, besides the wicked and the corrupt, there would also be among their number great, righteous and pious souls.

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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 34-39


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Translation:

And when We said to the angels: ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam.’ They all prostrated themselves except Satan, who, in his pride, refused, and became an unbeliever. To Adam We said: ‘Dwell with your wife in Paradise and eat of its fruits to your hearts’ content wherever you will. But never approach this tree or you shall become transgressors.’ But Satan made them forget this injunction and caused them to be driven out of the state of felicity in which they had been. ‘Go hence,’ We said, ‘and may your offspring be enemies to each other. The earth will be for a while your dwelling-place and sustenance.’ Then Adam received commandments from his Lord, and his Lord relented towards him. He is the Forgiving One, the Merciful. ‘Go down hence, all,’ We said: ‘When Our guidance is revealed, those that accept it shall have nothing to fear or to regret; but those that deny and reject Our revelations shall be the heirs of Hell, and there they shall abide forever.’

Tafsir (Commentary):

When God stood Adam up before the angels, as well as Satan and tested them by commanding them to prostrate themselves before Adam. He was giving the first man on earth a practical demonstration of the two paths that would be open to his progeny. Either they would follow the example of the angels and bow to God’s commandments, even if this meant bowing before an inferior creature; or else they would be proud like Satan, and refuse to bow before others. This is the test that man faces throughout his entire life. Here on earth man is constantly faced with two alternative courses of action. He can either follow the angelic course and carry out God’s commandments by bowing before truth and justice in all that he does; or he can act as Satan did and, letting himself be controlled by arrogance and contempt, refuse to concede the right of others.

This was the lesson of the forbidden tree: how man goes astray by letting himself be deceived by Satan, and exceeding the bounds that God has laid down for him. As soon as he eats of the “forbidden fruit,” he is deprived of God’s grace or, in other words, Paradise. But this loss is not an irretrievable one. Man still has the opportunity to turn in repentance to his Lord, rectify his actions and seek forgiveness for his sins. When he turns to the Lord in repentance, God relents towards him, and cleanses him of his sins as if he had never committed them.

The raising of the call to truth among men is a test of this nature. The preacher of truth is an “Adam”; it is for people to bow before him. If, carried away by pride and prejudice, they refuse to acknowledge his position, they are following in Satan’s footsteps.

God does not become plainly visible in this world; He reveals Himself through His signs, thereby testing his creatures. It is only those who can interpret His signs who will discover God Himself.

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Ayahs 40-46


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Translation:

Children of Israel, remember the favours I have bestowed upon you. Keep your covenant, and I will be true to Mine. Me you must fear. Have faith in My revelations, which confirm your Scriptures, and do not be the first to deny them. Do not sell My revelations for a paltry price; fear Me. Do not confound truth with falsehood, nor knowingly hide the truth. Attend to your prayers, pay the poor-due, and bow down with those that bow down. Would you enjoin righteousness on others and forget it yourselves? Yet you read the Scriptures. Have you no sense? Fortify yourselves with patience and prayer. This may indeed be an exacting discipline, but not to the devout, who know that they will meet their Lord and that to Him they will return.

Tafsir (Commentary):

The greatest favour that God bestows upon a people is to send His Prophet to them, thus opening for them the road to eternal salvation. Prior to the times of the Prophet Muhammad—the last of the Prophets—this favour was the privilege of the Children of Israel. Soon, however, their religion ceased to be a conscious discovery of their own, and deteriorated into a set of rituals passed on from one generation to the next. With the coming of the Prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace, the reality came to light. Those who still had a feeling for truth recognized the veracity of his prophethood and followed him. But those for whom religion had become a hereditary tradition did not recognize the truth when they heard it; they rejected it and turned against the Prophet.

In the face of clear prophecies of the coming of the Arab Prophet in the Torah, it was not difficult for the Jews to recognize the truth of his Prophethood and believe in him; but belief in him was not in their worldly interests. An ecclesiastical structure had developed over hundreds of years, in which Jews held pride of place. People looked to them, the successors of saints and prophets, for spiritual leadership. People paid tribute and presented offerings to them all the year round. It appeared to them that if they accepted the Arab Prophet, their privileged religious position would come to an end; their whole profit-structure would be demolished.

As the Jews were considered representatives of revealed religion in the Arab world, people used to ask them about the Prophet Muhammad. They would reply in an innocuous manner, but the substance of their answer would be such as would turn people away from the Prophet and his mission. They used to preach to people, exhorting them to follow the truth and live their lives according to it; in practice, however, they failed to believe when their turn came to do so.

When a positive response to the call of God means demolishing the structure on which one has based one’s life, when it involves relinquishing positions of high honour and prestige, then those who have gained religious rank through worldly glory find it extremely difficult to follow this course. For the truly devout, however, these considerations are no hindrance. The fulfillment that others find in worldly pleasures, true believers find in remembering God, in spending for His cause, in obeying His commandments and being steadfast in His path. They know full well that it is God’s punishment that is to be feared, not worldly loss.

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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 47-57


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Translation:

Children of Israel, remember the blessing I have bestowed on you, and that I have exalted you above the nations. Guard yourselves against the day when no soul can avail another in the least; when neither intercession nor ransom shall be accepted from it, nor any help be given it. Remember how We delivered you from Pharaoh’s people who had oppressed you cruelly, slaying your sons and sparing only your women. Surely that was a great trial from your Lord. We parted the sea for you and, taking you to safety, drowned Pharaoh’s men before your very eyes. We communed with Moses for forty nights, but in his absence you took up the calf and worshipped it, thus committing evil. Yet after that We pardoned you, so that you might give thanks. And recall when We gave Moses the Scriptures and knowledge of right and wrong, so that you might be rightly guided; and when Moses said to his people: ‘You have wronged yourselves, my people, in worshipping the calf. Turn in repentance to your Creator and slay the culprits among you. That will be best for you in His sight.’ And He relented towards you. He is the Forgiving One, the Merciful. And when you said to Moses; ‘We will not believe in you until we see God with our own eyes,’ a thunderbolt struck you whilst you were looking on. Then We raised you after your death, so that you might give thanks. We caused the clouds to cast their shadow over you and sent down for you manna and quails, saying: ‘Eat of the good things We have given you.’ Indeed they did not wrong Us, but they wronged themselves.



Tafsir (Commentary):



The Jews were favored by God. He selected them for a special task: they were to receive God’s Scriptures and pass His commandments on to the rest of mankind. In relation to this office, they were granted many other blessings and facilities: victory over their enemies, forgiveness of their sins, special help in times of peril, divine provision for their physical needs, and so on. This misled later generations of Jews into thinking that they were God’s chosen people, and were assured of salvation in the next world. But salvation is a matter between the individual and God; such matters are not hereditary. Latter generations are to be judged on their own merits. On the Day of judgement people will be judged individually, according to their actions. To think that anything other than good deeds will avail one then is to underestimate the rigours of that day.

True piety is to worship God alone, to believe in Him though one has not seen Him, to live in fear of Judgement-day, to subsist on the pure things of the earth, to prevent whomsoever one can from falling into sin. It is those who adopt this way of life who will be successful in the next world.

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Ayahs 62


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Translation:

Believers, Jews, Christians and Sabaeans—all those who believe in God and the Last Day and do what is right—shall be rewarded by their Lord; they shall have nothing to fear or to regret.

Tafsir (Commentary):

Four communities are mentioned in this verse: Muslims, who are followers of the Prophet Muhammad; Jews who follow the Prophet Moses; Christians, who maintain their allegiance to the Prophet Jesus; and Sabeans, who claimed to adhere to the teachings of John the Baptist, the Prophet Yahya. The last-mentioned sect resided in Iraq in ancient times, but is now extinct. They were people of book, and offered their prayers facing the Ka’aba in Mecca.

Here the Muslims have not been mentioned separately, but have been grouped with other communities associated with prophets. This means that, as ethnic groups, all are equal in the sight of God; no community is inherently superior to any other. Only true belief and righteous actions can earn a person salvation. This is a rule that applies consistently to every community. No one, whether he calls himself Muslim, Jew, Christian or Sabaean, is exempt from this rule. There is no special status in the eyes of God on the basis of belonging to a particular community. The only ones whom God elevates to a high rank are those who have sought to mould their own lives according to His divine scheme.

The lives of those who associate with a prophet during his lifetime are always based on true belief and righteous actions. At that time certain people hear the Prophet’s call. Their spirits are moved by his message: an intellectual revolution takes place within them, filling them with new resolve. Their whole pattern of life changes. Where, previously, they had been guided by personal desires, they now base their lives on the teachings of God. These are the ones who could truly call themselves followers of the prophets, and these are the ones to whom the prophets gave good tidings of eternal blessings in the next world.

The situation changes, however, as time goes on. For the generations that follow, religion becomes a kind of national heritage. Tidings which had been given on the basis of faith and righteous actions come to be considered the result of ethnic affiliations. People reckon that they have a special relationship with God that others do not enjoy: one who belongs to a particular community is sure to be saved, notwithstanding the standard of his faith and deeds; paradise is for “us,” hell for “them.”

But God does not have a special relationship with any particular community. He has regard solely for man’s thoughts and deeds. In His presence people will be judged according to the manner in which they themselves have acted, and not on the basis of the group to which they belong.

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Ayahs 63-66


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Translation:

We made a covenant with you, and raised the Mount above you, saying: ‘Hold on firmly to that which We have given you and bear in mind its precepts, so that you may guard yourselves against evil.’ Yet after that you turned away, and but for God’s grace and mercy you would have surely been among the lost. You have surely heard of those of you who violated the Sabbath. We said to them: ‘You shall be changed into detested apes.’ We made them an example to their own generation and to those who followed them, and a lesson to the Godfearing.

Tafsir (Commentary):

A covenant was made with Moses’ people that they would faithfully carry out the Ten Commandments. The Talmud tells how, at this time, God turned the Mount upside down on top of them and told them either to accept the teachings of the Torah, or be destroyed there and then. The same is the case with everyone who embraces true faith. To have faith is to make a contract with God that one will live and die in accordance with His will. What a grave pledge this is. On the one hand there is man—a tiny, helpless speck in God’s world—and on the other, God, whose might upholds the universe. If man keeps his word, he will be granted God’s eternal blessings. But if he turns away from his commitment, he is in grave danger of being cast into hell-fire, never to emerge again.

Everyone who believes in God should go through the same experience as Moses’ people. Everyone who binds himself to the contract of faith should live in trepidation of breaking his religious vows, thereby bringing catastrophe down upon himself.

Sometimes those entrusted with the law of God go astray by contradicting it in practice, while finding words to prove that they are following it to the letter. The Jews, for instance, were commanded to keep holy the Sabbath day, and refrain from worldly pursuits on that day. But they violated it and went about their work on the Sabbath as on any other day. Furthermore, they sought to justify their actions and make out that what they were doing conformed to the will of God. This audacity incurred God’s displeasure and they were turned into apes. Whenever one turns against the law of God, one is putting oneself on a par with animals who follow no code of ethics. Those who play games with divine law, then should fear being deprived of their human dignity, and being debased to the level of animals, as was the case with the Jews.

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Ayahs 67-73


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Translation:

When Moses said to his people: ‘God commands you to sacrifice a cow,’ they replied: ‘Are you making game of us?’ ‘God forbid that I should be so foolish!’ he rejoined. ‘Call on your Lord,’ they said, ‘to make known to us what kind of cow she shall be.’ Moses replied. ‘Your Lord says: “Let her neither be an old cow nor a young heifer, but in between.” Do, therefore, as you are bidden.’ ‘Call on your Lord,’ they said, ‘to make known to us what her colour shall be.’ Moses replied: ‘Your Lord says: “Let her be yellow, a rich yellow pleasing to the eye.”’ ‘Call on your Lord,’ they said, ‘to make known to us the exact type of cow she shall be; for to us cows look all alike. If God wills, we shall be rightly guided.’ Moses replied: ‘Your Lord says: “Let her be a healthy cow, not worn out with ploughing the earth or watering the field; a cow free from any blemish.”’ ‘Now you have told us the truth,’ they answered. And they slaughtered a cow, after they had nearly failed to do so. And when you slew a man and then fell out with one another concerning him, God made known what you concealed. We said: ‘Strike the corpse with a piece of the slaughtered cow.’ Thus God restores the dead to life and shows you His signs, that you may grow in understanding.

Tafsir (Commentary):

A murder was committed among the Israelites in Moses’ time. The method that God revealed to His prophet for identifying the killer was that a cow should be sacrificed, and the dead man’s corpse struck with a piece of it. The dead man would name the murderer. This novel method was chosen for several reasons.

1. The Children of Israel had spent a long time in Egypt, and had been influenced by Egyptian customs and culture. The practice of cow-worship, for instance, had also been adopted by the Israelites, who had also come to regard the cow as ‘sacred.’ The purpose of Almighty God was to remove this misplaced veneration from their minds, and this murder was chosen as the means: only by sacrificing a cow would the culprit come to light.

2. Another mistake that the Israelites had made was to destroy the simplicity of divine religion by involving themselves in complicated theological wrangling. They had to learn to interpret God’s commandments simply and implement them immediately in a straightforward manner. This was another lesson that was taught under the pretext of this murder case: if one engages in hair-splitting efforts to define the exact scope of divine commandments, one will only make things difficult for oneself; added conditions will serve only to complicate the implementation of what had originally been a simple commandment.

3. The third lesson of this case was that life after death is no less a reality than life before death. Just as the dead corpse was revived, so every soul will be raised up in the Hereafter and given new life.


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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 74


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Translation:

Yet after that your hearts became as hard as rocks or even harder; for, from some rocks rivers spring forth: some break asunder and water gushes forth from them: and others tumble down through fear of God. God is not unaware of what you do.

Tafsir (Commentary):

To believe in God is to believe in the most supreme of beings. The moving force of this faith should be enough to stir the soul of the lowly mortal; but the man of faith displays his belief in God by stunned silence rather than by pretentious words. Only one who is insensitive to the impact of the word of God will seek to distort it with his own words; only one who lacks awareness of His exalted nature will seek to manipulate His commandments, as if they had emanated from some human source. Those who seek to make loopholes in God’s commandments become more and more insensitive, their concocted theological arguments leading to hardness of heart. A heart, which is harder even than stone will not melt before the might of the Lord. The thought of God will not excite one who has become insensitive to the Lord’s words. Such a soul will not bow before the will of God; it will remain as rigid as the most impervious rocks.

Three aspects of the symbolic meaning of rocks have been mentioned in this verse:

1. One sees on mountains how streams flow from rocks, finally to join together in the form of a river. This is symbolic of a certain type of human being: one in whose heart fear of God is lodged, like water in the bosom of a mountain; this fear of the Lord flows from his eyes in the form of tears, as streams flow down the crags of the hillside.

2. Some rocks seem to be nothing more than dry boulders; but when cracked, reveal huge pools of water beneath them—wells from which people quench their thirst. This is on a parallel with one who, at first sight, appears to be far from the Lord. But then he is struck by some calamity, which tears his soul apart and reveals the devotion to God that was latent within him.

3. Sometimes one sees landslides on mountains, with great slabs of rock crashing down the hillside. This is comparable to a human being who had adopted an unjust attitude towards another. But, the moment he was reminded of the command of God, he immediately bowed down in humility before His word. Where he had found it difficult to bow before a man like himself, he was more than willing to bow before God.

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Ayahs 75-77


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Translation:

Do you then hope that they will believe in what you say, when some of them have already heard the Word of God and knowingly perverted it, though they understood its meaning? When they meet the faithful they declare: ‘We, too, are believers.’ But when alone they say to each other: ‘Must you preach to them what God has revealed to you? They will only dispute with you about it in the Lord’s presence. Have you no sense?’ Do they not know that God has knowledge of all they hide and all that they reveal?

Tafsir (Commentary):

One of the reasons for the promptness with which the people of Medina recognized the Prophet Muhammad, and believed in him, was that they had often heard from their Jewish neighbours of the coming of a final prophet. They had, therefore, been expecting his arrival. The Jews, then were responsible for the Muslims’ initial fervour for Islam. It was only natural that the Muslims, in their turn, should hope that the Jews would unhesitatingly accept the prophethood of Muhammad. With every hope of a positive response, it was with the sublimest of emotion that they called on the Jews to join them in their belief in the prophet of Islam.

How shocked the Muslims were, then, when they found that, contrary to their expectations, the Jews were not ready to accept their invitation to Islam. Rather, their efforts had the opposite of the intended effect, for the Prophet’s opponents took the opportunity to ask the Muslims: “How are you so sure about the prophethood of Muhammad? If he were truly a prophet, the Jews would have been the first to believe in him, for their knowledge of what is written in the scriptures is greater than yours.”

But religious acceptance is not dependent upon knowledge alone; one has also to be well-intentioned. As for the Jews, they had already altered their own Scriptures, though they knew them to be the word of God. Seeking out loopholes in any part of the Holy Scriptures that did not conform to their wishes, they altered the Word of God at will; religion was subordinated to their worldly interests. People who act in this manner are ill-intentioned, and it is only the truly sincere who can bring themselves to accept the truth when it lies beyond the confines of their own group.

However true something may be, if one is bent on denial then one is sure to find some justification for it. Such perverse attitude finally leads to actual falsification of the true word of God. One who has such an irreverent attitude towards the divine Scriptures can never appreciate the gravity of matters concerning God: he hears the word of God, but excuses himself from being bound by it; he believes in God, but remains insensitive to his responsibilities to Him, committing acts of flagrant rebellion against Him which no one who really believes that God is watching over him, and hearing what he says, would ever dare to perpetrate.


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Ayahs 78-82


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Translation:

There are illiterate men among them who, ignorant of the Scriptures, know of nothing except lies and vague fancies. Woe to those that write the Scriptures with their own hands and then declare: ‘This is from God,’ in order to gain some paltry end. Woeful shall be their fate, because of what their hands have written, because of that which they have gained!’ They declare: ‘The fire shall never touch us—except for a few days.’ Say: ‘Did God make you such a promise—or do you assert about Him what you have no means of knowing?’ Truly, those that commit evil and become engrossed in sin are the heirs of Hell; in it they shall remain for ever. But those that have faith and do good works are the heirs of Paradise; for ever they shall abide in it.

Tafsir (Commentary):

The Arabic word for “vague fancies” is “Amani.” According to Ibn Abbas, Fara’ and Mujahid—among the most reliable of Quranic commentators—the word refers to those mythical tales, invented by Jewish scholars, which were designed to be as outwardly attractive as possible for popular effect. The overall aim of these stories was to prove that the fire of hell was for others—not for Jews. Added to this, statements in support of the theory that the Jews were God’s “chosen people” were attributed to venerated Jewish saints. It was made out that certain magical properties were inherent in their religion, ensuring salvation by virtue of mere adherence to the run-of-the-mill rites of Judaism.

Such recipes for cheap salvation are very attractive to the masses, for they give credence to the popular notion that there is no need to discipline oneself—no need to lead a responsible life; superstitious charms and magical remedies are enough to cure one’s spiritual ills and get one into heaven. The scholars who taught these tales became highly regarded; for the theories they expounded were designed to win popular support. Facilitation of eternal salvation became for them a lucrative source of worldly income. People flocked to their support. They were showered with offerings, for they ushered others along the path to a paradise that did not have to be earned; in return they received worldly wealth that they did not have to labour for.

This has always been a failing in people who want to live in a dream world, who think that they have no obligations save the perfunctory empty performance of certain rituals, who delude themselves into believing that they have certain inalienable rights before God. Such people cannot accept the call of true religion, for truth demolishes all their wishful thinking, and makes them face the stark realities of life.


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Ayahs 83


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Translation:

When we made a covenant with the Children of Israel We said: 'Serve none but God. Show kindness to your parents, to your kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to the destitute. Exhort men to righteousness. Attend to your prayers and pay the poor-due.' But you all turned your backs except a few, and gave no heed.

Tafsir (Commentary):

Man’s first duty to God is to serve Him. In so doing he should ascribe no partners to Him. Secondly, he should show kindness to others. Kindness starts at home, with one’s parents and family, extends to one’s neighbours and relatives, and finally reaches out to everyone with whom one comes into contact. There is only one proper way to deal with others, and that is with justice and benevolence.

Where one is really tested in one’s dealings is with “orphans and the destitute,” that is, with the weaker members of society. As for the strong, their strength itself guarantees that they will be given deferential treatment. It is to the weak, therefore, that one should be especially careful to show kindness. People who are kind to those who wield no worldly power and possess scant resources do so for God’s sake alone, for there is no other incentive at work.

There are various reasons for being less inclined to show kindness when dealing with the weak. Benefactors, frequently feeling themselves to be “superior” persons, are aggrieved when they are not shown what they consider to be due deference and tend to treat people less fortunate than themselves with disdain. Then the thought of a permanent liability is often so irksome to them that they resort to churlishness to rid themselves of a burdensome obligation. Whatever the reason, they miss the point that in any mission of mercy, whether it be a matter of assistance or outright charity, it is their recognition of the moral worth of the object of charity which is of paramount importance. No man, no matter how humble or defenceless, is devoid of such worth, and, as such, is entitled to be addressed with consideration and respect. Without that, one cannot be a true well-wisher of one’s fellow men. Even extended largesse and fine speeches on public occasions do not compensate for the missing leavening of kindness.


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Ayahs 84-86


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Translation:

And when We made a covenant with you We said: ‘You shall not shed your kinsmen’s blood or turn them out of their dwellings. To this you consented and bore witness. Yet there you were, slaying your own kinsfolk, and turning a number of them out of their dwellings, and helping each other against them with sin and aggression. Though had they come to you as captives, you would have ransomed them. Surely their expulsion was unlawful. Do you then believe in one part of the Scriptures and deny another? Those of you that act thus shall be rewarded with disgrace in this world and with the most grievous punishment (on the Day of Resurrection). God is watching over all your actions. Such are they who buy the life of this world at the price of the life to come. Their punishment shall not be lightened, nor shall they be helped.

Tafsir (Commentary):

Before the advent of Islam, three Jewish tribes inhabited the area around Medina: Banu Nadheer, Banu Quraiza, and Banu Qainqa’a. Despite the fact that all of them adhered to Mosaic law, ignorant prejudices had divided them into two groups. They had become enmeshed, along with the polytheist tribes of Medina—Aus and Khazraj—in political manoeuvering. Banu Nadhir and Banu Quraiza had aligned themselves with the Aus tribe, and the Banu Qainqa’a with the Khazraj. Split into separate camps in this manner, the three Jewish tribes were constantly at war with one another. In the Battle of Bua’ath, for instance, which occurred five years before the Prophet’s emigration to Medina, Jew had fought Jew alongside their rival Arab allies, killing their co-religionists and expelling them from their homes. Then, when hostilities ceased, they used to appeal for funds to ransom their brethren who had been taken captive by the pagan Arabs. Such action, they would say, had been laid down in the Torah. They were willing to break God’s commandments in regard to the life and property of other Jews. Then they would adopt a humanitarian posture on behalf of the victims of their own cruelty, all the while seeking to clothe their self-interested politics in a cloak of piety.

This is just like killing someone unjustly, and then giving him a religious funeral. Piety does not merely consist of performing such rituals: it consists of forsaking pagan ways, suppressing one’s selfish desires, controlling one’s politics in the interest of one’s religion. This is the essence of true piety, but people do not like to involve themselves in such arduous practices. They prefer to put on a pretence of piety by conducting superficial rituals. This is tantamount to issuing a self-made edition of divine religion; it is to disregard the eternal aspect of religion and attach importance to the worldly aspect, in the hope that zeal in performing actions which hold promise of worldly fame will qualify them for the reward of true piety. But such brazen distortion of religion can only earn one God’s punishment; it does not entitle one to any reward.


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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 87-90


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Translation:

To Moses We gave the Scriptures and after him We sent other messengers. We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Will you then scorn each apostle whose message does not suit your fancies, charging some with imposture and slaying others? They say: ‘Our hearts are sealed.’ But God has cursed them for their unbelief. They have but little faith. And when a Book confirming their own has come to them from God, they deny it, while although they know it to be the truth and have long prayed for help against the unbelievers. But the curse of God is upon those without faith. Evil is that for which they have bartered away their souls: that they should deny God’s own revelation, grudging that He should reveal His bounty to whom he chooses from among His servants. They have incurred God’s most inexorable wrath. An ignominious punishment awaits the unbelievers.

Tafsir (Commentary):

The Torah was the Book of God, revealed to the Jews. Gradually, however, the Jews ceased to treat it as a source of divine guidance and came to regard it as a sacred relic of their national heritage, a symbol of ethnic superiority; it became more a guarantee of salvation than a guide as to how salvation can be earned. After Moses, several prophets arose among the Jewish people—Joshua, David, Zakaria, John the Baptist and finally Jesus, to name but a few—all of whom stressed to the Jews that it was not enough just to revere the Torah as a holy book, its teachings had to be actually practised; it is futile to believe in the sacredness of the holy scriptures if one does not implement their message in one’s everyday life. But the Jews, the very people who held the Torah in such high esteem, were unable to abide the Prophet’s exhortations.

The reason for such a reaction on their part was that they had allowed self-interest and worldly ambitions to rule their lives, while passing themselves off as bearers and upholders of the true faith. As long as the religion served to consolidate their worldly status, they welcomed it, but were loath to accept the message of truth—presented to them in all its purity—which they saw as a threat to the hegemony they had secured for themselves on the basis of religion. It was their egoism which came in the way. Instead of being the first to believe in it, they rejected the message as well as the messenger, subjecting God’s prophets to scorn and victimization. They called them impostors and even went to the extent of killing them.

The Jews of Arabia did just the same thing with the Prophet Muhammad. They had seen prophecies of the coming of a final prophet in their scriptures, and had eagerly anticipated his arrival. When he comes, they used to say, we will join with him in a grand alliance against the pagans and idolators. But these proved to be empty words on their part, a pretence aimed at consolidating their status as undisputed guardians of divine faith. When the Prophet came, the truth of their position was exposed. They were shown to be steeped in prejudice, reluctant to believe in a prophet who did not come from the Jewish race. They could not dispute the veritable signs that the Qur’an presented in support of his prophethood; all they could say was: “It all sounds very impressive, but our ancestral religion is good enough for us. Our hearts are sealed and we will not accept anything besides the faith we have inherited from our forefathers.”


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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 91-96


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Translation:

When it is said to them: ‘Believe in what God has revealed,’ they reply: ‘We believe in what was revealed to us.’ But they deny what has since been revealed, although it is the truth, corroborating their own Scriptures. Say: ‘Why did you kill the prophets of God, if you are true believers? Moses came to you with clear signs, but in his absence you worshipped the calf and committed evil.’ When We made a covenant with you and raised the Mount above you (saying): ‘Hold firmly to what We have given you and hear (Our Commandments),’ they replied: ‘We hear, but disobey.’ For their unbelief, they were made to imbibe (the love of) the calf into their very hearts. Say: ‘Evil is that to which your faith prompts you if you are indeed believers.’ Say: ‘If the abode of the Hereafter with God is for you alone, to the exclusion of all others, then invoke death if you are sincere.’ But they will never invoke death, because of what they did; for God knows the evil-doers. Indeed, you will find that they love this life more than other men: more than the pagans do. Every one of them wishes to live a thousand years. But this prolonged life will surely not save them from (due) punishment. God is watching over their actions.

Tafsir (Commentary):

The Jews were not ready to accept the Qur’an because they thought they were already rightly guided. They were sure that the very fact that they were Israelites would be enough to earn them salvation. But, in fact, this was more a feeling of ethnic superiority on their part than an affinity for truth: the Jews had been recipients of divine scriptures in the past, so they felt that they, and only they, were custodians of truth. If they had really been on the path of truth, they would have rushed to accept the pure, untainted version of it revealed in the Qur’an, especially since it confirmed the prophecies in their own scriptures; they would have realized that once the Qur’an had been revealed, its teachings should be followed rather than those which had been handed down to them by their forefathers.

The fact that the Jews were not really concerned with truth is proved by their own history. It was they who had slain their own prophets, such as Zakaria and John the Baptist, the only reason for their action being that these prophets had criticized the Jews’ mode of living, and sought to bring them back to the divine way (Nehemiah, 9:26). They had seen Moses perform undeniable miracles, but when he left them to spend forty days on Mount Sinai, they started worshipping the calf; it had only been his personal authority which had kept them in line. When the Mount was raised threateningly above their heads, they temporarily agreed to do “all that the Lord hath spoken” (Exodus, 19:5, 8, 16, 18), but, after that, most of them returned to their disobedient ways. If they had really been seeking God, their attention would have been entirely focused on the life after death; but, in fact, they, more than all others, were attracted to the life of this world.

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Chapter 2 - Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Ayahs 97-101


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Translation:

Say: ‘Whoever is an enemy of Gabriel?’ (Who has by God’s grace revealed to you the Qur’an as a guide and joyful tidings for the faithful, confirming previous scriptures) ‘Whoever is an enemy of God, His angels, or His apostles, or of Gabriel or Michael, will surely find that God is the enemy of unbelievers.’ We have sent down to you clear revelations: none will deny them except the evil-doers. Whenever they make a covenant, must some of them cast it aside? Most of them are unbelievers. And now that an apostle has come to them from God confirming their own Scriptures, some of those to whom the Scriptures were given cast off the Book of God behind their backs, as though they knew nothing.

Tafsir (Commentary):

Owing to their own rebelliousness the Jews were meted out severe punishments in ancient times. It was God’s way to warn them of these punishments, and such warnings came to them through the prophets, who were acting on the words of the Archangel Gabriel. The moral was that people had to follow God’s commandments; if they persisted in a sinful life, they would be exposing themselves to His wrath. But, instead of heeding these admonitions, the Jews came to regard Gabriel as their enemy, because it had always been he who gave prior warning through the prophets of their impending doom. Consequently, when the prophet Muhammad proclaimed that he was receiving his revelation through Gabriel, they said: “So, our old enemy Gabriel. That explains why the scriptures, the birthright of the Israelites, are being conveyed to a person belonging to another tribe.”

Now angels, being the rarefied creatures that they are, do not hold grudges against ordinary mortals; they descend to earth only by divine command in order to carry out the tasks assigned to them by their Creator—in this case, the revelation of the Scriptures to the prophet whom God Himself had chosen. Given the clear proofs that the Arab Prophet had had the same revelation communicated to him as had been received by Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and that it tallied with the previous divine scriptures, there were no grounds for the Jews to reject the divine message. Their reacting in such a senseless manner was the result of their having lead insincere, unrestricted lives, which had become dominated by self-interest, empty convention and racial prejudice. Religion had been adhered to only on a superficial level, just to keep up the pretence that the Jews were, in fact, faithfully treading the path of God.

Now those who merely make an outward show of following their religion are inevitably loath to respond in right earnest to the proclamation of true, unadulterated religion. Having built an edifice of national pride on the basis of their own private version of their religion, they cannot entertain the message of pure humility that true religion conveys: they view it as a threat to their worldly honour and status. It is common for people to resort to the use of religious terminology, and to be very correct in the outward forms of ritual in order to give public proof of their faith. But their words and their actions, being hollow and meaningless, bear no relation whatsoever to true faith and piety.

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Haj





Translation of Holy Quran by Mohsin Khan holy Quran/index

Chapter 22 Al-Hajj 78 verses, Madina www.eQuran.org


1. O mankind! Fear your Lord and be dutiful to Him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour (of Judgement) is a terrible thing.


2. The Day you shall see it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling, and every pregnant one will drop her load, and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet they will not be drunken, but severe will be the Torment of Allah.


3. And among mankind is he who disputes concerning Allah, without knowledge, and follows every rebellious (disobedient to Allah) Shaitan (devil) (devoid of each and every kind of good).


4. For him (the devil) it is decreed that whosoever follows him, he will mislead him, and will drive him to the torment of the Fire. (Tafsir At-Tabaree)


5. O mankind! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then verily! We have created you (i.e. Adam) from dust, then from a Nutfah (mixed drops of male and female sexual discharge i.e. offspring of Adam), then from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood) then from a little lump of flesh, some formed and some unformed (miscarriage), that We may make (it) clear to you (i.e. to show you Our Power and Ability to do what We will). And We cause whom We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed term, then We bring you out as infants, then (give you growth) that you may reach your age of full strength. And among you there is he who dies (young), and among you there is he who is brought back to the miserable old age, so that he knows nothing after having known. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down water (rain) on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells and puts forth every lovely kind (of growth).


6. That is because Allah, He is the Truth, and it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who is Able to do all things.


7. And surely, the Hour is coming, there is no doubt about it, and certainly, Allah will resurrect those who are in the graves.


8. And among men is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge or guidance, or a Book giving light (from Allah),


9. Bending his neck in pride (far astray from the Path of Allah), and leading (others) too (far) astray from the Path of Allah. For him there is disgrace in this worldly life, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall make him taste the torment of burning (Fire).


10. That is because of what your hands have sent forth, and verily, Allah is not unjust to (His) slaves.


11. And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss.


12. He calls besides Allah unto that which hurts him not, nor profits him. That is a straying far away.


13. He calls unto him whose harm is nearer than his profit; certainly, and evil Maula (patron) and certainly an evil friend!


14. Truly, Allah will admit those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds (according to the Quran and the Sunnah) to Gardens underneath which rivers flow (in Paradise). Verily, Allah does what He wills.


15. Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad SAW) in this world and in the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling and let him strangle himself. Then let him see whether his plan will remove that whereat he rages!


16. Thus have We sent it (this Quran) down (to Muhammad SAW) as clear signs, evidences and proofs, and surely, Allah guides whom He wills.


17. Verily, those who believe (in Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad SAW), and those who are Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who worship others besides Allah, truly, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Verily! Allah is Witness over all things.


18. See you not that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and Ad-Dawab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and many of mankind? But there are many (men) on whom the punishment is justified. And whomsoever Allah disgraces, none can honour him. Verily! Allah does what He wills.


19. These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord; then as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling water will be poured down over their heads.


20. With it will melt or vanish away what is within their bellies, as well as (their) skins.


21. And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them).


22. Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein, and (it will be) said to them: "Taste the torment of burning!"


23. Truly, Allah will admit those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, to Gardens underneath which rivers flow (in Paradise), wherein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls and their garments therein will be of silk.


24. And they are guided (in this world) unto goodly speech (i.e. La ilaha ill-Allah, Alhamdu lillah, recitation of the Quran, etc.) and they are guided to the Path of Him (i.e. Allahs Religion of Islamic Monotheism), Who is Worthy of all praises.


25. Verily! Those who disbelieve and hinder (men) from the Path of Allah, and from Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) which We have made (open) to (all) men, the dweller in it and the visitor from the country are equal there (as regards its sanctity and pilgrimage (Hajj and Umrah)). And whoever inclines to evil actions therein or to do wrong (i.e. practise polytheism and leave Islamic Monotheism), him We shall cause to taste a painful torment.


26. And (remember) when We showed Ibrahim (Abraham) the site of the (Sacred) House (the Kabah at Makkah) (saying): "Associate not anything (in worship) with Me, (La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah Islamic Monotheism), and sanctify My House for those who circumambulate it, and those who stand up for prayer, and those who bow (submit themselves with humility and obedience to Allah), and make prostration (in prayer, etc.);"


27. And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj).


28. That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.), and mention the Name of Allah on appointed days (i.e. 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah), over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice) (at the time of their slaughtering by saying: Bismillah, Wallahu-Akbar, Allahumma Minka wa Ilaik). Then eat thereof and feed therewith the poor who have a very hard time.


29. Then let them complete the prescribed duties (Manasik of Hajj) for them, and perform their vows, and circumambulate the Ancient House (the Kabah at Makkah).


30. That (Manasik prescribed duties of Hajj is the obligation that mankind owes to Allah), and whoever honours the sacred things of Allah, then that is better for him with his Lord. The cattle are lawful to you, except those (that will be) mentioned to you (as exceptions). So shun the abomination (worshipping) of idol, and shun lying speech (false statements)


31. Hunafa Lillah (i.e. to worship none but Allah), not associating partners (in worship, etc.) unto Him and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place.


32. Thus it is (what has been mentioned in the above said Verses (27, 28, 29, 30, 31) is an obligation that mankind owes to Allah). And whosoever honours the Symbols of Allah, then it is truly from the piety of the heart.


33. In them (cattle offered for sacrifice) are benefits for you for an appointed term, and afterwards they are brought for sacrifice unto the ancient House (the Haram - sacred territory of Makkah city).


34. And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food. And your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God Allah), so you must submit to Him Alone (in Islam). And (O Muhammad SAW) give glad tidings to the Mukhbitin (those who obey Allah with humility and are humble from among the true believers of Islamic Monotheism),


35. Whose hearts are filled with fear when Allah is mentioned; who patiently bear whatever may befall them (of calamities); and who perform AsSalat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and who spend (in Allahs Cause) out of what We have provided them.


36. And the Budn (cows, oxen, or camels driven to be offered as sacrifices by the pilgrims at the sanctuary of Makkah.) We have made for you as among the Symbols of Allah, therein you have much good. So mention the Name of Allah over them when they are drawn up in lines (for sacrifice). Then, when they are down on their sides (after slaughter), eat thereof, and feed the beggar who does not ask (men), and the beggar who asks (men). Thus have We made them subject to you that you may be grateful.


37. It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you that you may magnify Allah for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings (O Muhammad SAW) to the Muhsinoon (doers of good).


38. Truly, Allah defends those who believe. Verily! Allah likes not any treacherous ingrate to Allah (those who disobey Allah but obey Shaitan (Satan)).


39. Permission to fight is given to those (i.e. believers against disbelievers), who are fighting them, (and) because they (believers) have been wronged, and surely, Allah is Able to give them (believers) victory


40. Those who have been expelled from their homes unjustly only because they said: "Our Lord is Allah." - For had it not been that Allah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, wherein the Name of Allah is mentioned much would surely have been pulled down. Verily, Allah will help those who help His (Cause). Truly, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty.


41. Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) order for Iqamat-as-Salat. (i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salat (prayers) (the males in mosques)), to pay the Zakat and they enjoin Al-Maroof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islam has forbidden) (i.e. they make the Quran as the law of their country in all the spheres of life). And with Allah rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures).


42. And if they belie you (O Muhammad SAW), so were belied the Prophets before them, (by) the people of Nooh (Noah), Ad and Thamood,


43. And the people of Ibrahim (Abraham) and the people of Lout (Lot),


44. And the dwellers of Madyan (Midian); and belied was Moosa (Moses), but I granted respite to the disbelievers for a while, then I seized them, and how (terrible) was My Punishment (against their wrong-doing).


45. And many a township have We destroyed while it was given to wrong-doing, so that it lies in ruins (up to this day), and (many) a deserted well and lofty castles!


46. Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith to understand and ears wherewith to hear? Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind.


47. And they ask you to hasten on the torment! And Allah fails not His Promise. And verily, a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you reckon.


48. And many a township did I give respite while it was given to wrong-doing. Then (in the end) I seized it (with punishment). And to Me is the (final) return (of all).


49. Say (O Muhammad SAW): "O mankind! I am (sent) to you only as a plain warner."


50. So those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, for them is forgiveness and Rizqoon Kareem (generous provision, i.e. Paradise).


51. But those who strive against Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), to frustrate and obstruct them, they will be dwellers of the Hell-fire.


52. Never did We send a Messenger or a Prophet before you, but; when he did recite the revelation or narrated or spoke, Shaitan (Satan) threw (some falsehood) in it. But Allah abolishes that which Shaitan (Satan) throws in. Then Allah establishes His Revelations. And Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise:


53. That He (Allah) may make what is thrown in by Shaitan (Satan) a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy and disbelief) and whose hearts are hardened. And certainly, the Zalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.) are in an opposition far-off (from the truth against Allahs Messenger and the believers).


54. And that those who have been given knowledge may know that it (this Quran) is the truth from your Lord, and that they may believe therein, and their hearts may submit to it with humility. And verily, Allah is the Guide of those who believe, to the Straight Path.


55. And those who disbelieve will not cease to be in doubt about it (this Quran) until the Hour comes suddenly upon them, or there comes to them the torment of the Day after which there will be no night (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).


56. The sovereignty on that Day will be that of Allah (the one Who has no partners). He will judge between them. So those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and did righteous good deeds will be in Gardens of delight (Paradise).


57. And those who disbelieved and belied Our Verses (of this Quran), for them will be a humiliating torment (in Hell).


58. Those who emigrated in the Cause of Allah and after that were killed or died, surely, Allah will provide a good provision for them. And verily, it is Allah Who indeed is the Best of those who make provision.


59. Truly, He will make them enter an entrance with which they shall be well-pleased, and verily, Allah indeed is All-Knowing, Most Forbearing.


60. That is so. And whoever has retaliated with the like of that which he was made to suffer, and then has again been wronged, Allah will surely help him. Verily! Allah indeed is Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving.


61. That is because Allah merges the night into the day, and He merges the day into the night. And verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer.


62. That is because Allah He is the Truth (the only True God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Batil (falsehood) And verily, Allah He is the Most High, the Most Great.


63. See you not that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and then the earth becomes green? Verily, Allah is the Most Kind and Courteous, Well-Acquainted with all things.


64. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. And verily, Allah He is Rich (Free of all wants), Worthy of all praise.


65. See you not that Allah has subjected to you (mankind) all that is on the earth, and the ships that sail through the sea by His Command? He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except by His Leave. Verily, Allah is, for mankind, full of Kindness, Most Merciful.


66. It is He, Who gave you life, and then will cause you to die, and will again give you life (on the Day of Resurrection). Verily! Man is indeed an ingrate.


67. For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies (e.g. slaughtering of the beast of cattle during the three days of stay at Meena (Makkah) during the Hajj (pilgrimage)) which they must follow; so let them (pagans) not dispute with you on the matter (i.e. to eat of the cattle which you slaughter, and not to eat of cattle which Allah kills by its natural death), but invite them to your Lord. Verily! You (O Muhammad SAW) indeed are on the (true) straight guidance. (i.e. the true religion of Islamic Monotheism).


68. And if they argue with you (as regards the slaughtering of the sacrifices), say; "Allah knows best of what you do.


69. "Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection about that wherein you used to differ."


70. Know you not that Allah knows all that is in heaven and on earth? Verily, it is (all) in the Book (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfooz). Verily! That is easy for Allah.


71. And they worship besides Allah others for which He has sent down no authority, and of which they have no knowledge and for the Zalimoon (wrong-doers, polytheists and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah) there is no helper.


72. And when Our Clear Verses are recited to them, you will notice a denial on the faces of the disbelievers! They are nearly ready to attack with violence those who recite Our Verses to them. Say: "Shall I tell you of something worse than that? The Fire (of Hell) which Allah has promised to those who disbelieve, and worst indeed is that destination!"


73. O mankind! A similitude has been coined, so listen to it (carefully): Verily! Those on whom you call besides Allah, cannot create (even) a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly snatched away a thing from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought.


74. They have not estimated Allah His Rightful Estimate; Verily, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty.


75. Allah chooses Messengers from angels and from men. Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer.


76. He knows what is before them, and what is behind them. And to Allah return all matters (for decision).


77. O you who believe! Bow down, and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord and do good that you may be successful.


78. And strive hard in Allahs Cause as you ought to strive (with sincerity and with all your efforts that His Name should be superior). He has chosen you (to convey His Message of Islamic Monotheism to mankind by inviting them to His religion, Islam), and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship, it is the religion of your father Ibrahim (Abraham) (Islamic Monotheism). It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (the Quran), that the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind! So perform AsSalat (Iqamat-as-Salat), give Zakat and hold fast to Allah (i.e. have confidence in Allah, and depend upon Him in all your affairs) He is your Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.), what an Excellent Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.) and what an Excellent Helper!


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