النص المفهرس

285
Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 109 - 110
أَقْنَاهُ وَعَنُ شَبَابِهٍ فِيْمَا أَبْلَاهُ وَعَنْ مَالِمٍ مِنْ آَيْنَ اكُتَسَبَلْ وَأَيْنَّ أَنْفَقَهُ وَ مَاذَا
عَمِلَ بِمَا عَلِمَ .
No son of Adam will move a step on the Day of Qiyamah until
he is asked five questions: (1) About his age: In what did he
use it up? (2) And about his youth: In what did he spend it?
(3) And about his wealth: From where did he earn it? (4) And
where did he spend it? (5) And what was it that he did follow-
ing that which he knew?
Great is the mercy and affection of Allah Ta'ala. He puts us to a
test and He Himself tells His people about the questions asked during
the test. The task was done by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who told
his Ummah how to appear in this test. Now, for them, there is nothing
left to do but to resolve these questions, find their answers and solu-
tions and keep that preserved (for the day of trial). So, if someone still
fails, even after being told what will be in the test, fairly in advance,
who else could be more deprived than him?
A Particular Question Asked from Sayyidna 'Īsa
The first verse (109) referred to prophets in general where a ques-
tion was asked and its reply was given. In the second verse (100), and
after that, in all the nine verses appearing through the end of the Su-
rah, the text talks about Sayyidna 'Isa, the last prophet of the Bani
Isra'il, and mentions some blessings of Allah on him. A particular
question asked from him on the Day of Resurrection (Al-Mahshar)
along with its answer has also been mentioned which follows in verses
coming next.
The purpose of the question asked and the answer given is to show
this disturbing sight to Bani Isra'il and to the entire creation. When on
the plains of the Hashr, the one who is called, The Spirit of Allah
(Ruhullah) and The Word of Allah (Kalimatullah) is asked the question
as to why did his people make him a partner of God, he would be upset
despite his being a great prophet and would hasten to plead his being
free from what his followers did, not in one way, but in more than one.
First he said: ◌ّسُبُخْنَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِنَّ أَنْ أَقُوْلَ مَالَيْسَ لِىُّ بِحَق (Pure are You, it does not be-
hove me to say what is not right for me - 116).
Then, he pleads his innocence from another angle when he makes

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Almighty Allah his witness and says: 'Had I said it, You would have
known it. You know what is in my heart and I do not know what is in
Your's. You alone have the full knowledge of what is unseen - 116.' Af-
ter this overture, he answers the main question.
The Answer given by Sayyidna 'Isa before His Lord
His answer was that he had taught his people precisely what he
was commanded to teach, that is : ◌ْأَنِ عُوا اللهَ رَبِّيٌ وَرَبَّكُم (Worship Allah, my
Lord and your Lord - 117). Then, after this teaching, as long as he
lived among those people, he was a witness to what they said and did
(upto that time, none of them said things like that about him). Then,
after he was raised by his Lord towards Him, these people remained
under His watch, and it is He who knew their words and deeds fully
and truly.
The Mention of Special Blessings on Sayyidna 'Īsa
Before these verses where questions asked and their answers given
by Sayyidna 'Isa have been mentioned, special blessings which were
bestowed upon him as his miracles have also been described (110).
Thus, by bringing the bestowal of blessings and the scenario of an-
swerability in juxtaposition, both groups of Bani Isra'il have been ad-
monished, one of which insulted, accused and harrassed him while the
other took him as God or son of God. By describing the blessings, the
first group has been admonished while, by mentioning the questions
and answers, it is the second group which has been warned. The de-
tailed description of blessings which appears in many verses has one
sentence which is worth special consideration, the sentence where it is
said : تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِى الْهَدِ وَكَهُلًا (You spoke to the people when in the cradle and
while middle-aged). In other words, a special miracle given to Sayyid-
na 'Isa WJI ule was that he talked to people in a state when he is a
child, and he also does that in a state when he is middle-aged.
As for the first spectacle, it is obvious that it is a miracle and cer-
tainly a special blessing of Allah. In the early post-birth stage, chil-
dren cannot talk (meaningfully). If a child were to start talking in the
cradle or on the laps of the mother, that would be a particular distinc-
tion of the child. As for talking 'while middle-aged,' it does not seem to
be worth mentioning, for everyone talks at this age. But, for a mo-
ment, think of the conditions surrounding Sayyidna 'Isa and you will

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realize that this too was a miracle - because Sayyidna 'Isa >JILL was
raised from the earth before reaching middle-age. Now that he would
talk to people on the earth after reaching his middle-age can become
possible only when he returns to this world - as is the collective belief
of Muslims which stands proved on the basis of clear statements of the
Qur'an and Sunnah. It is from here that we find out that in the man-
ner it was a miracle of Sayyidna 'Isa that he talked when a child, so in
the same manner, talking while middle-aged because of his return to
this world is nothing but a miracle.
Verses 111 - 115
وَإِذْ أَوْحَيْتُ إِلَى الْخَارِّنَ آَنْ أِمِنُوا بِى وَيِّرَسُولِىُّ قَالُؤْآَ المَنَا
وَاشْهَدُ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿١١١﴾ إِذْ قَالَ الْحُوَارِتُّوُنَ يُعِيسَى ابْنَ
مَرْيَّمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيْعُ رَبُّكَ أَنْ تُنَِّّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ،
قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنْ كُنتُمْ مُؤُمِنِيْنَ ﴿١١٢﴾ قَالُوا يُرِيِّدُ أَنْ تَّأْكُلَ
مِنْهَا وَتَطْمَئِنَّ ◌ُلُؤُبُنَا وَنَعْلَمَ آَنُ قَدُ صَدَقْتَنَا وَنَكُرُّنَ عَلَيْهَا
مِنَ الشَّهِدِينَ ﴿١١٣﴾ قَالَ عِيْسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ اللَّهُمَّ رَّنَا آَنْزِلُ
عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيْدًا لَِّوَّلِنَا وَالْخِنَا وَايَةٌ
مِنْكَة وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرُّرِقِيْنَ ﴿١١٤﴾ قَالَ اللَّهُ إِنِّيُ مُنَُّهَا
عَلَيْكُمْ فَمَنْ يَّكُفُرُ بَعْدُ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنٌِّ أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لََّ أُعَذِّبَةً
أَحَدًّا مِنَ الْعُلَمِينَ ﴿١١٥﴾
And when I enjoined upon the disciples, "Believe in Me
and in My Messenger," they said, "We believed. And be
witness that we are the submitting ones." [111]
When the disciples said, "O 'Isa son of Maryam, can
your Lord send down to us spread stands of 'Ma'idah' (a
sheet generally spread on the floor to serve food; also
used to mean food so served) from the heavens?" He
said, "Fear Allah if you are believers." [112] They said,
"We want that we eat from it, and our hearts be satis-
fied, and we may know for sure that you have told us

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the truth, and we may become witnesses to it." [113] 'Īsa
son of Maryam said, "O Allah, our Lord, send down to
us spread from heaven which may be a happy occasion
for us for all our generations present and future, and a
sign from you, and give us provisions. And You are the
best Giver of provisions." [114]
Allah said, "I am going to send it down to you; but
whoever from you disbelieves after that, I shall give
him a punishment I shall not give to anyone in the
worlds." [115]
Commentary
A True Believer Should Not Demand Miracles
When the disciples of Sayyidna 'Isa asked him to make 'Ma'idah'
(food-spread) come down from the heavens, he replied by saying: ( Ju
je Bad (Fear Allah if you are believers). This tells us that it does
not behove a faith-bearing servant of Allah that he should test Him by
making such requests. Rather than demand what is supernatural, he
should seek things, like sustenance, through sources naturally ap-
pointed for him.
The Better the Blessing, the Worse the Curse of Ingratitude
From the words of the verse 115 :َفَإِنِّى أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لَ أُعَذِّبَةٌ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعُلَمِيْن (I shall
give him a punishment I shall not give to anyone in the worlds), we
learn that in situations when the blessing of Allah is extra-ordinary
and unique, the emphasis on the gratitude for it should be far above
the ordinary. As for the punishment of ingratitude, that too will be ex-
tra-ordinary and unique.
Whether or not the 'Ma'idah' (food-spread) came down from the
heaven is something commentators differ in. The majority of them
hold that it did. Accordingly, it has been reported from Sayyidna
'Ammar ibn Yasir as in a Hadith of Tirmidhi, that 'Ma'idah' did come
from the heavens which included bread and meat. It also appears in
this Hadith that some of those people committed a breach of trust, and
put it off for the next day as well. As a result, they were transformed
into monkeys and swines. (May Allah keep us protected from His
wrath). This very Hadith also tells us that they ate from it as they
wanted to do as mentioned in the word, 'na'kulu' (we eat) - however,
storing it for future use was prohibited. (Bavan al-Qur'an)

289
Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 116 - 118
Verses 116 - 118
وَإِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يِعِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ : أَنْتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُوُنِىُّ
وَأُِىَ اِلهَيْنِ مِنْ دُوُنِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ سُبْحُنَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِّ أَنُ
اَقُوْلَ مَالَيْسَ لِىٌ بِحَقِّءُ إِنْ كُنْتُ قُلُكُهُ فَقَدُ عَلِمُتَهْ تَعْلَمُ
مَافِىُ نَفْسِىُ وَلَ أَعْلَمُ مَافِئْ نَفْسِكَ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَمُ الْغُيُوُبِ
﴿١١٦) مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلَّ مَا آَمَرُّتَنِى بِه آَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهُ رَبِىُ
وَرَبَّكُمْ وَكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيْدًا مَّادُمُتُ فِيْهِمْ فَلَمَّا تَوَقَّيْتَنِى
كُنْتَ أَنْتَ الرَّفِيْبَ عَلَيْهِمْ ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَسْئُ شَهِيُّدٌ ﴿١١٧﴾
إِنْ تُعَذِّبُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكٌَ وَإِنْ تَغْفِرُلَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيُ
الْحُكِيُمُ ﴿١١٨﴾
And when Allah said, "O 'Isa son of Maryam, did you say
to the people: Take me and my mother as gods beside
Allah?" He said, "Pure are You, it does not behove me
to say what is not right for me. Had I said it, You would
have known it. You know what is in my heart and I do
not know what is in Your's. You alone have the full
knowledge of all that is unseen. [116] I have not said to
them anything but what You have ordered me to, that
is, 'Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord' and I was a
witness over them as long as I was with them. But
when You picked me up You were the One watching
over them. And You are a witness over everything. [117]
If You punish them, they are Your slaves. And if You
forgive them, You are the Mighty, the Wise." [118]
Commentary
Important Notes
1. In the first verse (116), the question asked and the answer given
by Sayyidna 'Isa WJILL establishes that Allah alone has the full
knowledge of everything, therefore, He is not asking Sayyidna 'Isa be-
cause He does not know. In fact, the purpose is to admonish his people
who call them Christians that the one they are taking to be god is him-

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 116 - 118
self confessing to his servitude quite contrary to the belief they hold -
and that he is free of all their accusations. (Ibn Kathir)
2. About the sentence: ◌ْفَلَمَا تَوَقَّبْتَنِى كُنُتَ أَنْتَ الرَّقِيُبَ عَلَيْهم (And when You
picked me up You were the One watching over them) in verse 117, a de-
tailed discussion of the subject of the 'death' or 'having been raised to-
ward Allah' has appeared in the Commentary on Surah Al-'Imran un-
der verse 3:55 :َإِنّىُ مُتَرَفّيْكَ وَرَافِعُك (I am to take you in full and lift you
towards Me). It may be seen there [Ma'ariful-Qur'an, English Translation,
Volume II, pages 76-81]. As for using the verse 117 (¿ Qu : 'falamma taw-
affaitan?) to reject his ascension to heavens and to establish his natu-
ral death is not a sound inference, because the time of this conversa-
tion shall be the day of Qiyamah - and at that time, after he has
descended down from the heaven, he would have had his natural and
real death. Therefore, as reported by Ibn Kathir on the authority of a
narration from Sayyidna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, the Holy Prophet Al .
duy que said: On the day of Qiyamah, the prophets and their communi-
ties will be summoned. Then, Sayyidna 'Isa will be called. Then, Allah
Ta'ala will remind him of His blessings and drawing him closer, He
will say, O Isa son of Maryam: ◌َاُذْكُرُ نِعْمَتِيُ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى وَالِدَتِك :Remember My
blessing upon you and upon your mother.' Then, in the end, He would
say :ِيُعِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمٌ ،َ أَنْتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُوُنِىْ وَأُمِىَ الْهَيْنِ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّه (OIsa son of Maryam,
did you say to the people: Take me and my mother as gods beside Al-
lah?). Sayyidna 'Isa will deny it saying that he did not. Then, the ques-
tion will be asked from the Christians. They will say, 'yes, this is what
he had ordered us to do.' After that, they will be driven towards Hell.
3. As for the statement beginning with the words: Bu 40 ,13 31
(If You punish them, they are Your slaves ... ) appearing in the last
verse (118), it means that Allah does not bring undue hardship on His
servants, therefore, if punishment does come to them, it will only be
just, right and wise. And should He forgive them, then, this forgive-
ness too will not be a matter of not being able to do otherwise - because
He is Mighty, fully-capable and overpowering, from whose reach and
control no wrong-doer can escape. And since He is Wise too, therefore,
it is also not possible that He would let a wrong-doer walk away just
for no reason. Thus, the Divine verdict in the case of wrong-doers will
be absolutely wise and masterly. Since this saying of Sayyidna 'Isa de

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 119 - 120
>JI will take place in the Mahshar (the day of Resurrection) - where no
intercession on behalf of the disbelievers, or appeal of mercy for them,
will be entertained - therefore, Sayyidna 'Isa >JI Le has not referred
to the Divine attributes of Ghafurur-Rahim (the Most-Forgiving, the
Very-Merciful) in place of "Al-'Aziz Al-Hakim" (the Mighty, the Wise) of
the text. This stands in contrast with what Sayyidna Ibrahim WuJiade
رَتِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيْرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ :had said to his Lord during his life in this world
That is, O my Lord, these [idols] have) فَمَنُ تَبِعَنِىُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّىُ وَمَنُ عَصَانِىُ فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
made many of the people go astray. Henceforth, whoever has followed
me is one of mine. And whoever has disobeyed me, so then, You are
the Most-Forgiving, the Very-Merciful - 14:36). It means that the likeli-
hood still exists that Allah may, in His mercy, give them the Taufiq
later on to repent and return to the path of truth and thereby forgive
their sins. (Shabbir Ahmad Usmani - Notes)
Ibn Kathir reports a narration from Sayyidna Abu Dharr as Al ,
that once the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم spent a whole night reciting
one single verse. And that verse was: ◌َإِن تُعَذِّبُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُك (If You punish
them, then, they are Your slaves - 118). When morning came, I said:
Ya Rasul Allah, you kept reciting just this verse. You made your Ruku
with it and you made your Sujud with it, right upto this break of dawn.
He said: I prayed to my Rabb to bless me with the station of interces-
sion (Shafa'ah), which He granted. Inshallah, it is going to be for one
who has never associated anyone with Allah Ta'ala.
According to another narration, after reciting the verse cited above,
he raised his hands facing the heaven and said: zsan (Allahumma
Ummati) that is, 'O Allah, mercy - mercy on my people.' And then he
wept. Thereupon, Allah Ta'ala sent angel Jibra'il to ask why would he
weep. He told the angel what he had said. Then, Allah Ta'ala asked
angel Jibra'il to go back and tell Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم that He will
please him soon in his concern for his people and will not let him be
unhappy.
Verses 119 - 120
قَالَ اللَّهُ هُذَا يَوْمُ يَنْفَعُ الصُّدِقِيْنَ صِدُقُهُمْ+ لَهُمْ جَنْتُ تَجْرِئُ
مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْآَنْهُرُ خُلِدِيْنَ فِيْهَا أَبَدًّا رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنُّهُمْ وَرَضُا

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Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 119 - 120
عَنُّهُ ذُلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ (١١٩) لِلّهِ مُلُكُ السَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
وَمَا فِيْهِنَّهُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿١٢٠)
Allah said, "This is a day the truth of the truthful shall
bring benefit to them. For them are gardens beneath
which rivers flow where they shall be living for ever.
Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with
"Him. That is the great achievement. [119]
To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the
earth and of whatever lies therein. And He is powerful
over everything. [120]
The Linkage of Verses
The first two sections (Ruku') appearing earlier describe some of
the happenings on the day of Qiyamah such as the reckoning, the ques-
tions and their answers. Mentioned now is the outcome of the probe
and reckoning of that fateful day.
Commentary
Notes
1. Verse 119 opens with the words: ◌ْقَالَ اللَّهُ هَذَا يَؤُمُ يَنْفَعُ الصَّدِقِيْنَ صِدُقُّهُم (Allah
said, "This is a day the truth of the truthful shall bring benefit
to them). Generally, what is according to what has happened is
called truth while that which is not according to what has hap-
pened is referred to as false or a lie. But, according to the
"Qur'an and Sunnah, sidq (truth) and kidhb (lie) are general,
that is, they refer to both words and deeds. As such, given here
is a Hadith in which counter-factual deed has been called kidhb
(lie) :ٍمَنْ تَحَلَّى بِمَا لَمْ يُعْطِ كَانَ كَلَا بِسِ ثَوْبَىُ زُوُر [that is, whoever adorns himself
(or herself) with what has not been given to him (or her) (that
is, claims a quality or deed not in him or her) then, it is as if he
has put on two garbs of a lie - Mishkat].
There is another Hadith in which one who makes Salah with care
and concern, whether in public or in private, has been called a true
servant of Allah:
إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا صَلَّى فِى الْعَلَانِيَةِ فَأَحْسَنَ وَصَلَّى فِى الْنِّ فَأَحُسَنَ قَالَ اللهُ

293
Surah Al-Ma'idah : 5 : 119 - 120
تَعَالى لهُذَا عَبْدِىُ حَقًّا
A person who performs Salah openly, then, does it well; and
when performs it in private, then, does it well, then, Allah
Ta'ala says: 'This is My servant - in truth.' - Mishkat.
2. About the statement: رضى الله عنهم ورضوا عنه (Allah is pleased with
them, and they are pleased with Him - 119), it appears in Ha-
dith that, after having blessed true believers with Jannah
(Paradise), Allah Ta'ala will say: The real blessing is that I am
pleased with you and now I shall never be displeased with you.
3. The words appearing after that are:ُذُلِكَ الْفَوُزُ العَظِيم (That is the great
achievement). Indeed, so it is. When Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu, the
Master, the Creator is pleased with you, what else could it be?
فَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ اَوَّلَهُ وَأَخِرَةً
All praises are for Allah from the beginning to the end.
The Commentary
on
Surah Al-Ma'idah
ends here.

297
Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 1 - 5
Surah Al-An'am
(The Cattle)
[Suratul-An'am was revealed in Makkah and it has 165 Verses and 20 Sections]
Verses 1 - 5
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
اَلْتَمْدُ لِلْهِ الَّذِى خَلَقَ السَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الُّلُمُتِ
وَالْتُّوْرَ، ثُمَّ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا بِرَّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ ﴿١) هُوَ الَّذِىُ خَلَقَكُمْ
مِّنْ طِيْنٍ ثُمَّ قَضَى اَجَلَّا، وَأَجَلٌّ ◌ُسَتَّى عِنْدَهُ ثُمَّ أَنْهُمْ تَمْتُوُنَ
﴿٢﴾ وَهُوَ اللَّهُ فِى السَّمُوْتِ وَفِى الْأَرْضِ يَعْلَمُ سِتَكُمُ
وَجَهْرَكُمُ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْسِبُونَ ﴿٢) وَمَا تَأْتِيُهِمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ مِنْ ابْتِ
رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّ كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِيْنَ ﴿٤﴾ فَقَدُ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحُِّّ لَمََّ
جَّءَ هُمْ، فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِيْهِمْ آَثًَّا مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهُزِ مُونَ ﴿٥﴾
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
All praise belongs to Allah who created the heavens
and the earth and made darkness and light, yet those
who disbelieve equate (others) with their Lord. [1] He is
the one who created you from clay, then destined a
term. And the fixed term lies with Him, yet you are in
doubt. [2] He is Allah in the heavens and the earth. He
knows what you conceal and what you reveal and He
knows what you earn. [3] And there does not come to
them a sign from the signs of their Lord, but they keep
turning away from it. [4] So, they have belied the truth
when it came to them. Now, there shall come to them
the full account of what they have been laughing at. [5]

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Commentary
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas as Ji yo, has said that one of the dis-
tinctions of Surah Al-An'am is that the whole of it, except some 'Ayat,
was revealed at one time in Makkah with the complement of seventy
thousand angels following it with recitation of the name of Allah. Ear-
ly Tafsir authorities Mujahid, al-Kalbi, Qatadah and others have said
more or less the same thing.
Abu Ishaq Al-Asfra'ini has said that this Surah consists of all princi-
ples and subsidiaries of Tauhid (Oneness of Allah). This Surah has
been prefaced with: J'ai (Al-Hamdulillah) whereby people have been
told that all praises belong to Allah. The purpose is to educate and
help people get the right perspective - that Allah needs no praise from
anyone, whether or not anyone praises Him, He is, in terms of His own
intrinsic perfection, by Himself, the Praised One. By bringing in the
sentence which follows immediately, which mentions the creation of
the heavens and the earth and the darkness and the light, given there
is the very proof of His being the Praised One. Isn't it that the Being
which holds such Power and Wisdom would have to be the One deserv-
ing of all praise?
In this verse, 'samawat' (heavens) has been mentioned in the plural
while 'ard (earth), in the singular - though, in another verse (65:12),
earth has been identified as being seven like the heavens. Perhaps, it
is indicative of the mutual distinction the seven heavens have in terms
of their form and attributes while the seven earths are like each other,
therefore, they were taken as one in number. (Mazhari)
Similarly, by mentioning 'zulumat' (darkness, or layers of darkness)
in the plural, and 'nur' (light) in the singular, the indication given may
be that nur or light signifies the correct way and the straight path -
and that is just one, while zulumat, or many layers of darkness, signi-
fies the path of error - and their number runs in thousands. (Mazhari &
al-Bahr al-Muhit)
Also noticeable here is that the origination of the heavens and the
earth has been expressed through the word, 'khalaqa' (created) while
that of darkness and light with the word, 'ja'ala' (made). The hint im-
plied is that darkness and light are not independent and self-existent
like the heavens and the earth, instead, they are contingents and at-

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tributes. And zulumat (darkness) has been given precedence over nur
(light) perhaps because zulumat is basic to this world while nur is asso-
ciated with particulars - when they are there, there is light; and when
they are not there, there is darkness.
By pointing out to the reality of Tauhid (Oneness of Allah) and its
open proof in this verse the purpose is to warn all those peoples who
do not simply believe in Tauhid, or have forsaken the reality of Tauhid
despite professing it.
The Magians (Majus) believe in two creators, Yazdan and Ahriman
(or Ahraman). Yazdan, according to them, is the creator of good and
Ahriman, the creator of evil. They also identify these as (the princi-
ples of) light and darkness.
The polytheists in India take an incredibly high number of gods as
partners in the divinity of God. The Arya Samajists, despite acknowl-
edging Tauhid, take spirit and matter to be infinitely pre-existent, and
independent of the power and creation of God, whereby they have
moved way away from the reality of Tauhid. Similarly, the Christians
who, despite professing the creed of Tauhid, started taking Sayyidna
'Isa >JI ale and his blessed mother as partners in the divinity of God -
and then, in order to prop their belief in one God, they had to rely on
the irrational theory of Unity in Trinity. As for the disbelievers and
polytheists of Arabia, they demonstrated such philanthropy in dishing
out Godhood that, according to them, every piece of rock on a hill could
be good enough to become an object of worship for the whole human-
kind! Thus, the wonderful human being whom Allah had made to be
the noblest of His creation, someone whom the whole universe was to
serve, went so astray from the right path that he took - not just the
moon, the sun, the stars, but the fire, water, trees and rocks too - even
crawling insects as objects of prostration and worship, providers of
needs and resolvers of problems.
By saying in this verse of the Holy Qur'an that Allah Ta'ala is the
Creator of the heavens and the earth and He is the Maker of darkness
and light, all such false notions have been refuted - when He is the
sole Creator and Maker of everything, ascribing partners to His Divin-
ity makes no sense.

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In the first verse, by saying that all those great bodies of things in
this big universe created by Allah Ta'ala on Whom they depend, an
open and correct lesson has been given to all human beings. After
that, in other verses which follow, human beings have been told that
their very own being is a small universe. If one were to make a start
from this point, right from the beginning to the end - birth, living,
death among a great mesh of internal dimensions and distances - it
would show that the belief in the Oneness of Allah is a reality all too
clear. It is about this that the verse said : هُوَ الَّذِيُ خَلَقَكُمْ مِّنْ طِيْنِ ثُمَّ قَضَى أَجَلًا (He is
the One who created you from clay, then destined a term). The verse
is saying that Allah is the One who created Sayyidna Adam JIde
with clay, and then, gave him life - and common human food comes
from the moist substance of clay, and from food the sperm, and from
the sperm comes the creation of the human being.
Sayyidna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari e Al », says that he has heard from
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that Allah Ta'ala created Sayyidna
Adam JI ale from a particular blend of clay included wherein are es-
sential ingredients of the whole earth. This is the reason why the chil-
dren of Adam are different in colour, shape, morals and habits with
some black or white or red, and some hard or soft or good-natured or
evil-tempered. (Mazhari, from a narration of Ibn 'Adiyy, with good authority)
This was about the human origin. After that, mentioned here are
the two stages at the end. One of these is the personal end of a human
being which is called death. The other stage is the combined end of
the entire humankind along with that of all cosmic servants waiting
on them, which is known as the Qiyamah (the day of Doom). The ex-
pression - 'the personal end of a human being' - is used here because
Allah Ta'ala says: 1 ,is that is, after the birth of a human being, Al-
lah Ta'ala destined a term for his or her life (on the earth). Reaching
the completion of this term is death - though human beings do not
know it - but, the angels do. In fact, a human being too, in a way,
knows death as incidents of the children of Adam dying all around,
everywhere, all the time, are common experience.
After that, comes the mention of the end of the whole world, that
is, the Qiyamah, in the following words: 12 "(,, that is, there is
yet another term which stands fixed and which is known to Allah

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alone. The full knowledge of this 'term' has not been given to any an-
gel, or human being.
Summing up in a sequence, we can say that, in the first verse, we
have been told about the 'big universe', that is, the whole wide world,
which has been created and made by Allah Ta'ala. Then, in the second
verse, very similarly, we have been told that the 'small universe', that
is, the human beings, have also been created by Allah. Then, it is to
shake human beings out of their negligence that they have been told
that every human being has a particular age, after which death is cer-
tain. This is a constant fact of life observed by human beings all the
time. The words : ◌َوَأَجَلٌ مُسَتَّى عِنْدَهُ ثُمَّ أَنْهُمُ تَتُرُون (And the fixed term lies with
Him, yet you are in doubt) carry the instruction that using the person-
al death of a human being as the proof of the general and collective
death of the whole world system, that is, the Qiyamah, is something
very natural and logical. Therefore, there is absolutely no doubt about
the coming of the Qiyamah (the much publicized but least believed
'Apocalypse' of the West). Therefore, towards the end of the verse (2),
the text wonders as to why would people keep doubting the coming of
Qiyamah which stands proved so clearly.
The third verse contains the consequential outcome of what was
said in the first two verses. It declares that Allah is the only Being
who is worthy of worship and obedience in all the heavens and the
earth, and He is the One who knows everything human beings conceal
or reveal and, particularly, everything they say or do.
The fourth verse carries a complaint against the anti-truth dogged-
ness and obstinacy of the chronically heedless human race by saying:
that is, despite the many clear وَمَا تَأَتِيْهِمْ مِنُ آيَةٍ مِنُ أيتِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّ كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعُرِضِيْنَ
proofs and open signs of the Oneness of Allah, the dissenters and re-
jectionists among human beings have taken to a way of their own, us-
ing which, they would turn their faces away from whatever sign is
shown to them for their guidance, without ever paying the least atten-
tion to it.
In the fifth and the last verse here, further details of this heedless-
ness have been indicated through some events. It was said: 3 1 15
At & (So, they have belied the truth when it came to them). The
word, 'Al-Haqq' (the truth) here, could mean the Qur'an - and the

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blessed person of the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also.
The reason is that he lived his whole life among these Arab tribes.
He grew up from a child into a young man and from his youth into his
later years right before their eyes. They also knew fully well that the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had remained absolutely untaught by any
human teacher, so much so that he could not write even his name by
himself. The whole Arabia knew him by his appellation of Ummiyy
(unlettered, unschooled). For forty years, this was him amongst them.
He never demonstrated any marked interest in poetry (a traditional
distinction of the age) nor he had any aptitude for formal education
and learning. Then, after having completed his forty years, there
came a sudden change, an instant flowering of the unimaginable. His
blessed tongue became such fountainhead of insights and realities,
learning and arts that went on to disarm the best minds of the world.
He challenged every eloquent and learned master of words in Arabia
to match the Word brought by him. But his antagonists, who would
have not hesitated to sacrifice anything they had - life, wealth, honour,
children, family, anything, anytime - just to defeat him, did not have
the courage to accept his challenge and, at the least, produce one 'Ayah
(verse) like the 'Ayah of the Holy Qur'an.
Thus, the very presence of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and the
Glorious Qur'an, was a great sign of irrefutable legitimacy. In addi-
tion to that, there were thousands of miracles and open signs which
came to pass at his blessed hands and which cannot be denied by any
sane person. But, those people belied all such signs totally. Therefore,
it was said in the verse: il ( if (So, they have belied the truth
when it came to them).
Now, pointed out at the conclusion of the verse is the sad end of
their effort to falsify truth : ◌َفَسَوُفَ يَأْتِيُهِمْ انْبُوا مَاكَانُوا بِهٍ يَسْتَهُزِ مُون (Now, there shall
come to them the full account of what they have been laughing at). It
means that right now these people who are heedless to their fate mock
at the miracles and commandments of Allah brought by the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and at the all true message that there is a Qiya-
mah (Doomsday) and Akhirah (Hereafter), but very soon will come the
time when all these realities will be before their eyes. There will be a
Qiyamah in fact. There will be a Reckoning (Hisab) when everyone will

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have to account for one's faith and deed - and everyone shall get the
reward or punishment for what he or she has done. But, believing and
confessing at that time is not going to work for them because that will
be no day of deeds - rather, that day will be the day of Retribution. The
time to think is now. Allah Almighty has given the respite - a God-sent
piece of luck, so to say. Act now, for it is by having faith alone that you
will succeed in this world and in the lasting world to come.
Verses 6 - 11
اَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنُ قَدٍْ مََّكَّتُّهُمْ فِى الْأَرْضِ
مَالَمْ تُمكِّنْ لَّكُمُ وَاَرْسَلْنَ السَّمَآءَ عَلَيْهِمْ قِدْرَارًا - وَجَعَلْنَا
الْآَنْهُرَ تَجْرِئُ مِنْ تَحْتِهِمْ فَاَهُلَكُنْهُمُ بِدُّنُوبِهِمْ وَآَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ
بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا الخَرِيْنَ ﴿٦﴾ وَلَوُ نَّلْنَا عَلَيُكَ كِتَابًا فِى قِرُطَاسٍ
فَلَمَسُرْهُ بِأَيُدِيْهِمْ لَقَالَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَذَاْ إِلَّ سِحُرٌ مُّبِيْرٌ
، وَقَالُؤْا لَوْ لَ أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ، وَلَوْاَنُزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَّغُضِىَ
الْآَمُهِ ثُمَّ لَا يُنْظُرُونَ ﴿٨﴾ وَلَوْ جَعَلْتُهُ مَلَكًا بَعَلْتُهُ رَجُلًّا
وَّلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ ◌َّا يَلْبِسُونَ ﴿٩) وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهُزِئَّ بِرُسُلٍ مِّنُ
قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِيْنَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُمْ تَّاكَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهُزِ مُونَ
، قُلْ سِيْرُوْا فِى الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ انْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةٌ
$11$
المُكَذِّبیْنَ
دو / سـ
Have they not seen how many generations We have de-
stroyed prior to them, whom We had given in the land a
position We did not give to you, and We left the heaven
pouring over them and made rivers flow beneath them?
Then We destroyed them because of their sins and
raised up, after them, another generation. [6]
And if We had sent down to you something written on
paper, and they had even touched it with their hands,
still the disbelievers would have said, "This is nothing
but sheer magic." [7]

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And they say, "Why is it that an angel has not been sent
down to him?" And had We sent down an angel, the
whole matter would have been finished, and thereafter
they would have had no time. [8] And if We had made
him an angel, We would have obviously made him a
man, and would have caused them the same confusion
they are causing now. [9]
Messengers have been mocked at before you. So, those
who laughed at them were besieged by what they have
been making a mockery of. [10]
Say, "Go about the earth, and see what was the fate of
those who belied (the prophets)." [11]
Commentary
In previous verses, mention was made of grave consequences to be
faced by those who avoid or oppose Divine commandments and pro-
phetic teachings. In the present verses, the same deniers of the truth
have been given an opportunity to learn and correct themselves by ob-
serving conditions around them as well as those prevailing in times
before them. No doubt, events of the past are documents full of chas-
tening lessons which, if seen to find wisdom, would prove to be more
effective than a thousand sermons. So, still valid is the saying of the
sage: The world is the best book and time, the best teacher. That is
why wisdom-based historical anecdotes form a good part of the Holy
Qur'an. But, speaking generally, people have not given world history
any serious role in conducting lives properly. They have, rather than
benefiting from it, made it into an intellectual pastime which would ei-
ther help to sleep or to while away spare time.
Perhaps, it is for this reason that the Holy Qur'an has taken the es-
sence of history as a server of warning and a dispenser of good counsel.
But, this is unlike the customary historical fiction where the story or
the event are an end in themselves. So, the Qur'an has not taken up
historical events as ongoing events in their own right. Instead of do-
ing something like that, it has chosen to place part of the narrative as
relevant to the given subject and setting of the message in the text.
Then, there would be another occasion, another place, when it would
describe another part of the story as relevant there. This may be in-
dicative of the reality that a report or story is not an end by itself, in-

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 6 - 11
stead, the purpose is to identify the outcome of the report and the
practical implication of the event, therefore, one should be concerned
with what is necessary for the objective in sight, move ahead and sur-
vey his circumstances in that light - that is, learn that vital lesson
from what has gone before and thereby correct oneself.
In the first verse, it was said about the people of Makkah, the di-
rect addressees of the Holy Prophet اَلَمْ يَرَوُا كَمْ أَهْلَكُنَا مِنُ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنُ قَرُن: اختر 'Have
they not seen how many generations We have destroyed prior to
them?' Here, 'seen' means to ponder about, because these generations
were not present before them at that time to see. It was after that,
that the destruction of many generations ('qarn') was mentioned.
The word, &'s : qarn, is used for a group of people collectively
present at a given time and period. It is also used to denote a long pe-
riod of time which could be, depending on different interpretations, be-
tween ten to one hundred years. But, some events and narrations do
support the position that this word is used for one hundred years as it
appears in a Hadith in which the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had told
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Busr al-Ma'ziniyy that he will live for one
Qarn. Also when the Holy Prophet & prayed for a certain child that
may he live for a whole garn, he did live for a full one hundred years.
خَيْرُ الْقُرُوْنِ قَرُنِيْ ثُمَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَلُرُّنَهُمْ ثُمَّ:The majority of 'Ulama' take the famous Hadith
Ap Jú (still recited as part of the Khutbah of Jumu'ah all over the
world) to be meaning exactly this, that is, every qarn is one hundred
years.
About past peoples of the world, first it was said that the kind of
power and well-being given to them was not given to people later than
them, but when these very people took to the ways of belying prophets
and disobeying Divine injunctions, all that majesty of power and
wealth was rendered futile against the punishment of Allah which an-
nihilated them totally. So, this was a lesson for the addressees of to-
day, the people of Makkah who did not have the power of the legen-
dary people of 'Ad and Thamud, nor the affluence of the people of Syria
and Yaman. For them, the need of the hour was to learn a lesson from
what happened to the peoples of the past and turn towards an exami-
nation of their doings and think where they are going to end up by op-
posing the truth.

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At the end of the verse, it was said: ◌َوَأَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا الخَرِين (and raised
up, after them, another generation). It means that the great power of
Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu was not simply limited to seeing that nations of
strength, authority and power lay destroyed in a flash, but it was right
there on the ashes of their destruction that other peoples were made to
rise and populate places, as if nothing had happened there and no one
was missing from the scene. This spectacle of Divine power and wis-
dom is something observable in its own ways during every time and
period when thousands die every day but there is no vacuum left any-
where. We never come to realize that people who belonged here are
not here anymore.
Once, while on the plains of Arafat with a million men and women
spread around, came the thought that only a mere seventy or eighty
years earlier, none among this whole assembly of people existed. Yet,
on this same place of 'Arafat, nearly that many other human beings
were present, no trace of whom exists today. On this analogy, imagine
about any assembly of human beings, any animated gathering of peo-
ple, think about their past and future, and then figure out what you
get - somebody telling you to wise up to the ultimate truth of
things :َفَتَبْرَكَ اللَّهُ اَحُسَنُ الْخُلِقِين (Praised be Allah, the best of creators).
The second verse (7) was revealed in the background of a particular
event when 'Abdullah ibn Umaiyyah came up with a hostile demand
before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم by saying: 'I cannot believe in you
until such time that I see you climbing all the way to the heavens and
bringing a book from there before our eyes, in which it should be writ-
ten in my name that I should attest to your prophethood.' And, on top
of saying all this, he went on to even declare that he would still not be
impressed enough by his accomplishing all that for he does not seem to
be likely to convert to Islam anyway.
Strange are the ways of fate, for this very gentleman embraced Is-
lam later on, and embraced it with such fervor and class that he be-
came a winning warrior in the cause of Islam and received his Shaha-
dah (martyrdom) in the Battle of Ța'if.
Such were the uncalled-for and hostile demands made and mock-
وصلى الله عليه وسلم ing and insulting dialogues inflicted on the Holy Prophet
specially when he himself was more affectionate for his people, more

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than their own parents could ever be to them. What effect these caus-
tic bad manners would have made on his heart is something we cannot
fathom. It can only be sensed by one who is consumed with the good of
his people in the same manner as the blessed Prophet himself was.
Therefore, to comfort him, it was said that such demands from his
antagonists were not being put forward for any useful purpose, nor did
they want to follow it. They were a kind of people who would not stop
at what they were demanding. Even if they were presented with far
more clear proofs of their Prophet's veracity, they would still not be-
lieve. For example, if Allah were to send down, as they demanded, a
written book from the heavens - and not only that they see it for them-
selves that there is no sleight of hand or sight or magic, they may even
physically touch it with their hands to make sure that they were not
day-dreaming and that it was a reality - still, after all that, they would
say nothing but: 29 fim 3) (This is nothing but sheer magic). This
is because what they are saying comes from malice and hostility.
The third verse (8) was also revealed because of an event which con-
cerns this very 'Abdullah ibn Abi Umaiyyah who, accompanied by
Nadr ibn al-Harith and Nawfal ibn Khalid, came to the Holy Prophet
. This time their demand was: 'We shall believe in you only when
you go and bring a book from the heavens and let four angels come
along with it to testify that the book was from none but Allah and that
you are the Messenger of Allah.'
One answer Allah gave to them was that by making such demands,
these heedless people were inviting their own destruction, because the
Divine law is that, should a people ask their prophet to show a miracle
of their choice, and as a result of their demand, such miracle is shown
by the power and will of Allah, then, should they, even then, remain
reluctant to believe and accept faith any longer, they are destroyed by
a mass general punishment. These particular people of Makkah were
really not making their demands as based on any good intentions,
which may have at the least given some hope of their accepting the
truth. Therefore, it was said: ◌َلَؤُاَنْزَلُنَا مَلَكًا لَقُضِىَ الْآَمْرُ ثُمَّ لَا يُنُظَرُون (And had We
sent down an angel, the whole matter would have been finished). In
other words, it means : 'If We do send the miracle they demand, that
is, send an angel, then, these people who are not the kind who would