النص المفهرس

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said addressing his companions, "This verse has been revealed in your
favour and prior to you there has been a group of people bearing the
same attributes." Then he recited this verse:
وَمِنْ قَوْمٍ مُؤّْى أُمَّةٌ تَهْدُوُنَ بِالْحَقِّ وَيِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ
"And among the community of Musa there are people who
guide with truth and do justice thereby." (7:159)
That is to say, there was a group of people among the Israelites
who had the attributes referred to in this verse, of guiding other
people to the truth and deciding their matters according to the law of
the Torah. Similarly, the Muslim Ummah has the same attributes as
their distinct feature.
The essence of the message is firstly, to guide people to the right
path in accordance with the dictates of the Shari'ah, and secondly, to
decide all their controversies according to the law of Islam. The above
two features offer, in fact, the guaranteed way of success, both in this
world and in the Hereafter. Any group or individuals who follow the
truth and justice in all their modes of life, and do not exhibit their
personal prejudices while making judgements even for their enemies,
are the people of truth refered to in this verse. The same has been the
main characteristic of the Muslim Ummah who strictly observed the
demands of truth and justice in all their dealings and overlooked their
personal priorities when making judgements between people. The
history has recorded unique examples of such truthful practices from
the lives of the blessed Companions and their disciples.
From the day the Muslims started to show disregard to these two
distinctive features of their character, an evident regression started to
show itself in every sphere of their life. Remorsefully though, we have
to acknowledge that majority of the Muslim Ummah have fallen prey
to their personal desires. All their activities, their political, social and
educational set ups are motivated by downtrodden worldly gains.
Their guidance to other people is mainly aimed at getting some
worldly benefits. Most of their family ceremonies are not only devoid of
Islamic character, but demonstrate a behaviour opposed to Shari'ah.
There are some family traditions designed in the name of religious
ceremonies. Any one going against or showing dislike to these innova-

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tions has to face active opposition on their part. People are no more
interested in organizing themselves purely for the propagation of truth
and justice.
There is none to make them realize that this course of thought and
action has to bring disaster to the Muslims at large. The only way to
restore the dignity of the Muslim Ummah and to bring them back to
the path of progress and prosperity is to follow the way of truth and
justice suggested by this verse. Conscious efforts should be made to
create an awareness of these values among the Muslims.
The next verse (182) has provided answer to a common question
which bothers the minds of many Muslims. If prosperity and progress
can only be achieved by following the way of truth and justice why the
non-Muslim nations of the world are seen more prosperous, more
advanced and more powerful while they are very far from the truth?
The verse answered this question in these words:
وَالَّذِيْنَ كَذَّبُوْا بِايُتِنَا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُوُنَ
"As for those who belie our signs, we shall let them be drawn
gradually towards (their punishment) from where they do not
know."
That is to say, Allah does not punish those who reject the signs or
verses of Allah immediately for their sins. He, out His wisdom and
Mercy, lets them enjoy their worldly life for a while and then draws
them to their ignominious end as gradually as they do not know of
their being led to their ill-fate. The present prosperity and progress of
the non-Muslims should, therefore, not deceive people, because their
prosperity, in fact, is not something propitious for them. Rather it is a
kind of respite, a temporary period of relief before the execution of
their punishment, which in Qur'anic terminology is called Istidraj
(al20). Istidraj is a more powerful punishment in disguise. The most
essential element of Istidraj is that a person is not punished for his
evil deeds immediately; the more he increases in his evil deeds, the
more he is increased in prosperity and worldly possessions which
prevents him from having a sense of guilty and taking warning
against his crimes. Consequently, he is deprived of turning in repen-
tence to Allah and save himself from everlasting punishment. This
perverted state of mind makes one take illness as health and poison as

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remedy. He is let to go on with his perverted life until death overtakes
him and draws him to the eternal chastisement.
The Holy Qur'an has made mention of 'Istidraj' in many other
verses. It said in Surah al-An'am:
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِمٍ فَتَحُنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبُوَابَ كُلِّ شَهْىٍ حَتَّى إِذَا فَرُِوْا ◌ِمَّاً
أُوْتُوَاَ آَخَذُنُهُمْ بَغْتَةٌ فَإِذَاهُمْ تُبْلِسُونَ
"So, when they forgot what they were required to remember,
We opened to them the gates of everything, until, when they
were rejoicing in what they were given, We seized them
suddenly, and then they were confounded in despair." (6:44)
Dealing with Istidraj is not limited to disbelievers only. The iniqui-
tous among Muslims are also dealt with this kind of punishment. It
was for this reason that our elders used to fear Allah when they were
favoured by Him with prosperity and comforts. They feared lest their
prosperity should be a sign of 'Istidraj"
The next verse (183) is also related with 'Istidraj'. It said:
وَأُمْلِئْ لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِىُ مَتِيْنٌ
"And I give them respite. Surely, My plan is firm."
That is, the disbelievers are left to enjoy their worldly life just for a
while. Then, they shall be caught by punishment.
The verse no. 184 has refuted the false notion of the disbelievers
that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was a man of unsound mind or was
possessed by devil. It said:
آوَلَمُ يَتَفَكَّرُوْا مَا بِصَاحِبِهِمْ يِّنْ حِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَإِلَا نَذِيْرٌ مُّبِيْنٌ
"Have they not reflected that with their friend there is no
madness? He is but an open warner."
The verse said that a little reflection on their part shall be enough
to prove that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was neither a man of
unsound mind, nor was he under the influence of Jinns. His matchless
wisdom and knowledge is an obvious feature of his personality. Those
having claim to wisdom and knowledge are astoundingly bewildered
how a man of such extraordinary insight and sagacity could be blamed
of madness? Blaming him with madness, in fact, is madness itself. He

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is only an elucidator of realities and a warner against the punishment
from Allah.
The verse 185 has invited mankind to practice two important
things. Firstly, to make thoughtful observation of the creation of Allah,
the heavens, the earth and the things existing between them.
Secondly, to be mindful of the period of life given to an individual. It
does not require to be a genius to perceive the signs of Allah's power
and wisdom in every thing around us. A little amount of serious
thought is enough to make one see that every thing, rather every
particle of this world, is singing the praise of it's Creator and is, in
itself, a strong proof of Allah's power and wisdom. Any one applying
his intellect in conscious observation of things cannot avoid natural
demand of faith in Allah, the One.
Being mindful of uncertain period of one's life makes him more
active in attaining his objectives, because he is not sure how much
time of life he has at his disposal. It would be noticed that all crimes
and evil deeds are activated by disregard to one's death. Those who
are conscious of their indefinite period of life mostly avoid to involve
صلى الله عليه وسلم themselves in unwanted activities. The Holy Prophet
said:
أَكْثِرُوا ذِكُرُ هَاذِمِ اللَّذَّاتِ الْمُوَكُُ
"Frequently remember the thing which eliminates the pleas-
ures - the death."
The verse 185, has therefore said:
"Have they not looked into the kingdoms of the heavens and the
earth, and into things Allah has created, and into the fact that their
time may possibly have drawn near."
The Arabic word &'si. (Malakut) signifies kingdom indicating a
superlative degree, that is, the great Kingdom. The verse implies that
the disbelievers have not used their common intellect in seeking the
Truth which is evident in everything created by Allah, nor are they
mindful of the uncertainty of life which may come to an end any
moment, depriving them of all the chances of accepting the truth and
repenting to Allah for their evil deeds. The last sentence of the verse
warned them saying:

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"In what other word, then, shall they believe after it?" That is
Allah has provided them with transparent signs, both internal and
external, of the right path and of the True Faith. Those who are
neglectful of such clear signs, there is nothing in the world to guide
them to the right path.
Verses 186 - 187
مَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ هَادِىَّ لَهُ وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِىْ طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُوْنَ
﴿١٨٦ ﴾ يَسْتَلَوْنَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ آَيَّانَ مُرُسُهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا
عِنْدَ رَبِّيْءَ لَا يُجَلِّيْهَا لِوَقْتِهَا إِلَّ هُوَ: « ثَقُلَتُ فِى السَّمُوتِ
وَالْأَرْضِ ، لَا تَأْتِيْكُمْ إِلَّ بَغُنَةً يَسْتَلُوْنَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِىٌّ عَنْهَا، قُلْ
إِنَّا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَلكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ ﴿١٨٧)
Whomsoever Allah lets go astray, for him there is no
one to give guidance. And He leaves them wandering
blindly in their rebellion. [186]
They ask you about the Hour, "When is it due to
happen?" Say, "It's knowledge is only with my Lord. No
one can unfold it except He, at it's time. It shall weigh
heavy in the heavens and the earth. It shall not come
upon you but suddenly." They ask you if you were
aware of it. Say, "It's knowledge is only with Allah, but
most of the people do not know." [187]
The preceding verses spoke of the obstinate ignorance of the disbe-
lievers who rejected the true Faith, despite all the clear signs given to
them by Allah. This could be a source of grief to the Holy Prophet
du ude All as he was highly considerate and the greatest well-wisher of
the mankind. The verse 186 provides him with a consolation saying
that whomsoever Allah leaves wandering in his ignorance and lets him
go on with his evil deeds can never be guided by any one and Allah
leaves him at the mercy of his abject desires. That is to say, the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has done his duty by conveying the message of
Allah as explicitly as was possible, and that their rejection of the true
faith was not for any of his faults.
Among the themes of this Surah (Al-A'raf) three topics are of great

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importance: the unity of Allah (Tauhid), the Prophethood (Risalah) and
the life in the Hereafter (>;I). These three principles are, in fact, the
mainstay of the whole edifice of Islam. Exposition of the first two prin-
ciples, the Tauhid and the Risalah have been provided in the foregoing
verses.
The verse 187 speaks of the third principle, that is, the life in the
Hereafter (ssl). The revelation of this verse is related with the
following incident reported by Ibn Jarir and 'Abd ibn Humaid on the
authority of Qatadah.
صلى الله عليه وسلم The Quraish of Makkah once asked the Holy Prophet
by way of mockery as to when the Hour of doom was to occur of which
he used to warn them so often. The verse was revealed in response to
this question.
The Arabic word Sa'ah zu signifies a short period without specific
number of minutes or hours, while in our calendar it is a single unit
out of twenty four units of the day and night. In Qur'anic terminology,
however, it is used for the day when all the created beings will cease to
exist, as well as for the day when all the creation shall be revived and
presented before the Lord of all the creations. '' Mursa signifies to
stop or to stay, til y is a derivative of us which means to disclose or
open. Baghtatan it means suddenly while the word 'Hafiyyun' En is
used for a scholar or a knowledgeable person according to Sayyidna
'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas as Ul ga,. The word is generally used for a person
who invests his effort and employs all his resources to ascertain some-
thing.
The quintessence of the verse, therefore, is that the Quraish of
Makkah should be answered that the exact time of the Doom is not
known, and shall never be made known to any one. It is a divine secret
which shall disclose itself by it's sudden occurence, as has been
decided by the Qur'anic phrase & fussty "It shall not come upon you
but suddenly".
Al-Bukhari and the Muslim have reported on the authority of Sayy-
idna Abu Hurairah رضى الله عنه that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said

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with regard to sudden occurence of the 'Qiyamah' (The Doomsday) that
it has been made a close secret. The wisdom behind it is obviously to
make people live their lives peacefully which would have not been
possible in case the definite time of death was known to them. Besides,
those who do not believe in Doomsday would have made mockery of it
by knowing the remotely long period of it's occurence. The divine
wisdom chose to keep it undefined in order to keep people vaguely in
fear of it's dreadful events which, in fact, is an effective measure
against crime and corrupt practices.
By implication, the above verses make us alive to the fact that once
we have come to believe that the day of Qiyamah has inevitably to
come and all the created beings shall necessarily be presented before
the Lord of all the creation and be called to account for all their minor
or major deeds, and shall be rewarded or punished according to their
performance in this world, the knowledge of time and period of the
death becomes immaterial. It will not be wise to waste precious time of
one's life in futile discussions like the time of occurrence of the
Doomsday. On the contrary, human reason and wisdom demands that
every moment of uncertain period of life is spent carefully in preparing
oneself for the great day of judgement. This answer to the Quraish of
Makkah made it clear that their question regarding the time of the
Doomsday was a product of their ignorance. The next phrase of this
verse speaks of another misconception of the disbelievers of Makkah.
It said:
يَسْتَلُؤَّنَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِىٌّ عَنْهَا
"They ask you as if you were aware of it."
They thought that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had, somehow,
secured the knowledge of the exact time of the occurrence of the
Doomsday and that he was not disclosing it for some purpose. They
insisted him to disclose it to them. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was
asked to answer them in these words:
قُلُّ ◌ََِّ عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَاللهِ وَالِكِنَّ أَكْتُرّ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَّمُوُنَ
"Say, it's knowledge is only with Allah, but most of the people

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do not know."
That is, it is not necessary for a prophet to know the definite time
of the Doomsday or certain other matters that are kept secret by
Allah. The lack of knowledge in such matters on the part of a prophet
cannot, therefore, be taken as a proof against his prophethood. (The
knowledge of a prophet can never be equal to the All-encompassing
knowledge of Allah.)
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , however, was given knowledge of
certain specific signs indicating that the Doomsday was in proximity.
He has informed the Muslim Ummah of all these signs in explicit
terms in his Traditions. In one of such Traditions he said that his
appearance and the Day of Qiyamah were as close to each other as two
fingers of a hand. (Tirmidhi)
As for the reports giving the total age of this world as seven thou-
sand years, they are the reports borrowed from some Israelite litera-
ture in certain Islamic books. They are neither authentic nor do they
have any basis in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Similarly, geo-physical
data of modern knowledge giving the age of this world as millions of
years do not confront or contradict any of the Qur'anic verse or any
authentic Tradition of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . On the contrary,
the Holy Prophet صلى اللّه عليه وسلم addressing the Muslim Ummah said in
a Tradition:
"When compared to the early people, you are like a white
thread of hair on the body of a black ox."
This gives us an idea of the enormous age of this world as thought
by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .Hafiz Ibn Hazm of Spain has, there-
fore, concluded that the exact age of this world cannot be assessed by
any one. 1 (Maraghni)
1. By inference it seems physically impossible to have an exact assessment
of the age of this universe, because it would give the exact time of the end
of this universe which has been precluded by the above verse saying that
the knowledge of the occurrence of the Doomsday is not known to any one
but Allah. (Translator)

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Verses 188 - 193
قُلْ لَّ آمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِى نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّ مَاشَآءَ اللّهُ، وَلَوْ كُنْتُ
أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ، وَمَا مَسَِّنِىَ السُُّّءُ إِنُ أَنَا
إِلَّ نَذِرْ وَّبَشِبْرٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْ مِنُوْنَ ﴿١٨٨) هُوَ الَّذِىُ خَلَقَكُمْ قِنُ
نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَاء فَلَمَّا
تَغَشُّهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلًا خَفِيْفًا فَمَّتُ بِهَ فَلَتَّا أَثْقَلَتُ دعَوَا
اللَّهَ رَتَّهُمَا لَبِنُ اتَيْتَنَا صَالِحًاً لَّتَكُؤُنَنَّ مِنَ الشُّكِرِيْنَ ﴿١٨٩)
فَلَمَّا أَتُهُمَا صَالِحًا جَعَلًا لَّهُ شُرَكَاءَ فِيْمَآَ اتُهُمَاء فَتَغْلَى اللهُ
عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ﴿١٩) أَيُشْرِكُونَ مَالَا يَخْلُقُ شَيْئًا وَّهُمْ
يُخْلَقُوْنَ ﴿١٩١) وَلَا يَسْتَطِيْعُوْنَ لَهُمْ نَصْرًا وَلََّ أَنْفُسَهُمْ
يَنْصُرُوْنَ ﴿١٩٢﴾ وَإِنْ تَدْعُوْهُمْ إِلَى الْهُدَى لَا يَتَّبِعُوْكُمُ + سَوَاْءٍ
عَلَيْكُمْ آَدَعُهُمْ آَمْ أَنْتُمْ صِتُوْنَ ﴿١٩٣﴾
Say, "I have no power to bring a benefit or a harm to
myself, except what Allah wills. And if I had the knowl-
edge of the unseen, I would have accumulated a lot of
good, and no evil would have touched me. I am but a
warner and a harbinger of good for people who
believe." [188] He is the One who has created you from a
single soul, and from him created his wife, so that he
may find comfort in her. So when he covered her with
himself, she carried a light burden and moved about
with it, thereafter, when she grew heavy, they both
prayed to Allah, their Lord, "If You bless us with a
perfect child, we shall be among the grateful." [189] But
when We blessed them with a perfect child, they
ascribed partners to Him in what We blessed them
with. So, far beyond is Allah than what they associate
with Him. [190]
Do they associate those with Allah who do not create
anything, rather, they are created (themselves)? [191]
And they (the alleged partners) cannot extend to them
any help, nor can they help themselves. [192] And if you

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call them to the right path, they shall not follow you. It
is all the same for them whether you call them or
remain silent. [193]
The Verse 188 clears away a common misbelief of the people
regarding the prophets of Allah. They thought that the prophets must
possess the knowledge of each and everything in the universe,
including the knowledge of the unseen future and unknown past.
Similarly, they thought that the prophets must possess the power of
bringing benefit or harm to any one out of their own will. The verse
made it clear that the all-encompassing knowledge is an exclusive
attribute of Allah which cannot be ascribed to any created being.
Ascribing these exclusive attributes to any one other than Allah is the
greatest transgression and is tantamount to associating partners with
Allah. The very purpose of the revelation of the Holy Qur'an and the
advent of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been to eliminate all the
traces of plurality of god and to establish the purest unity of Allah
(Tauhid).
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been asked to declare that, not
to speak of others, even he was unable to harm or benefit himself and
that he did not possess the knowledge of the unseen. Had he possessed
such knowledge, he would have stored all the good for himself and
would have saved himself from every possible harm. There are evident
instances in which the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم could not achieve his
objectives inspite of all his effort, and in many other instances, he
could not save himself from the damages and harm that reached him.
The incident of the treaty of Hudaibiyah is an evident example when
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his companions travelled all the
way to Makkah in order to perform the 'Umrah but were stopped by
the unbelievers of Makkah. Despite all their desire and effort, they
had to go back to Madinah without performing 'Umrah. similarly, the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was wounded in the battle of Uhud and the
Muslims faced temporary defeat.
Perhaps, such events were allowed to happen, so that it may be
demonstrated in practical terms that the Prophets, with due regards
to their being closest to Allah and being the best of all the human
beings, did not possess divine power and encompassing knowledge.

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They were human like other human beings. The Christians fell prey to
the same error. They ascribed the divine attributes of Allah to their
Prophet and went astray.
The Prophets, however, are invested by Allah with as much knowl-
edge and power as no other human being has ever acquired. They Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was certainly favoured with the degree of knowl-
edge which surpassed the knowledge of all other prophets. He
informed the Muslims of many things which were to happen in future.
All his foretellings were seen to happen exactly as he had foretold.
We can say that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was given the
knowledge of a number of unseen things, but in Qur'anic terminology
this is not termed as ",""" (the knowledge of the unseen). Therefore,
on the basis of this we are not allowed to call the Holy Prophet Ju
(the knower of the unseen), as knower of the unseen is none other
than Allah.
The last sentence of the verse said, ◌َإِنَّ انَا إِلَّ نَذِير ◌ٌوَشِيرٌّ لِقَوْم ◌ُؤْمِنُون "I am but
a warner and a harbinger of good for people who believe." That is, he
has been assigned the duty of warning the evil doers against the
punishment of Allah and give the good tidings of great reward by
Allah to those who are righteous.
The next verse 189 speaks of the most basic belief of Islam that is
Tauhid and, at the same time, brings out the falsity of believing in
more than one god. In the beginning of the verse Allah سبحانه وتعالى has
mentioned the creation of Sayyidna 'Adam and Sayyidah Hawwa' Lagde
WJI which was a manifestation of His perfect power. The verse said:
هُوَ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّنُ نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوُجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَّ إِلَيْهَا
"He is the One who has created you from a single soul and
from him created his wife, so that he may find comfort in her."
This manifestation of Allah's great Power should have made
mankind more grateful to Allah and they must have abstained from
associating partners with Allah, but negligent as they were, they acted
differently. Their neglectful attitude has been referred to in this verse
and in the next, in these words:
فَلَمَّا تَفَتْهَا حَمَلَتُ حَمْلًا خَفِيْفًا فَمَرَّتُ بِهِ فَلَمَّا أَثْقَلَتْ دَّعَوَا اللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَيِنْ

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أَتَّيْتَنَا صَالِحاً لَّنَكُوْنَنَّ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِيْنَّهَفَلَقَّا أَنْهُمَا صَالِحاً جَعَلَا لَهُ شُرَكَاءَ فِيْمًا
اتُهُمَا فَتَغْلَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا مُشْرِكُونَ
"So when he covered her with himself, she carried a light
burden and moved about with it. Thereafter, when she grew
heavy, they both prayed to Allah, their Lord, "If you bless us
with a perfect child, we shall be among the grateful." So, when
Allah blessed them with a perfect one, they ascribed partners
with Him."
That is to say, at the initial stage of pregnancy the woman feels
free to move about, but later when fetus grows heavy in her womb, the
parents are anxious about their unborn. They are not sure if they
would get a perfect child, because there are occasions when new born
is not a normal child or is deaf dumb or blind etc. Having such appre-
hensions, they start praying for a perfect child and make promises
with Allah to be grateful to Him if He favours them with a perfect
child. Now, when Allah grants their prayers by giving them a normal
and healthy baby, they ascribe partners with Allah, and thus their
children, themselves, become the source of their misguidance.
It happens in a variety of ways. Sometimes they are misled by
their false belief that their new born is a gift of some holy or godly
person. Sometimes, they devote it to some living or dead person and
start making offerings in their names. Some people take their children
to them and bow their forehead before them. Sometimes, they involve
themselves in Shirk d by naming their children like 'Abdullat &wute
'Abd ul 'Uzza عبدالعزى 'Abdul Shams عبدالشمس or Bandah 'All بنده على etc.,
assigning their children to false gods, indicating that these children
have been created or gifted by these gods or personalities. In short, all
the above acts or beliefs are different forms of 'Shirk' dus and the worst
kind of ungratefulness to Allah, their Lord. The last sentence of this
verse confirms misguidance of such people by saying:
فَتَغْلَى اللّهُ عَثَّا يُشْرِكُوْنَ
"So far beyond is Allah than what they associate with Him."
The above interpretation of this verse has made it clear that by
referring to the Prophet 'Adam and Hawwa' (Eve) >JI Late in the first
sentence of this verse, the children of 'Adam have been asked to follow

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him and show their gratefulness to Allah, while the rest of the verse
speaks of the misguidance and perversion of their descendants who,
instead of being grateful to their Lord ascribed partners to Him.
This makes it clear that the Prophet 'Adam and Hawwa' Nul Lade
have nothing to do with those who ascribed partners with Allah. The
verse refers to the generations coming after them who were ungrateful
to Allah and involved themselves in Shirk ds . We have adopted this
interpretation on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbass Ul
reported by Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Abi Hatim, in Tafsir al-Durr al-
Manthur. The story related by Tirmidhi and Hakim about 'Adam and
Hawwa' being deceived by Satan has been taken by some scholars as
an unauthentic Israelite report which is liable to be rejected. Many
Muhaddithin, the scholars in Hadith have, on the other hand,
confirmed it. The above interpretation, however, clears away any
possible doubt even if the story is taken to be authentic.
The above verse has provided us with the following points of signif-
icant value.
1. The men and women have been created in the same species in
order that they may have a natural affinity and perfect understanding
with each other, and discharge their duties towards the construction of
a good society.
Havoc caused by immodesty
2. The rights and obligations assigned to the married couple basi-
cally aim at providing a peaceful environment at home. There are
many social behaviours of modern age that are directly opposed to the
above objective of creating a peaceful atmosphere. For example, the so
called freedom of woman has caused havoc to social peace. The
alarming number of divorces and serious altercations are mostly the
result of free mixing of men and women in society. By experience we
know that the growth of immodest practices in society is propotional to
the destruction of social values and deprives man of peace at home and
in the society.
3. The third point refers to the naming of one's children. It is
prohibited to give names to the children like 'Abdul Shams (The slave
of the Sun) or 'Abd al 'Uzza (The slave of 'Uzza) which purport to

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assign them to entities other than Allah. Giving such names is prohib-
ited even if parents do not really mean it. This practice is a great sin
in Islam.
4. The best way of offering our gratitude to Allah is to name our
children after the good names of Allah and His Messenger. The Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has, therefore, recommended the names like 'Abd
ur Rahman, and 'Abdullah etc.
It is a pity that, one by one, we are depriving ourselves of all the
Islamic manners and values. Firstly, we give our children non Islamic
names simply following the fashion of the non-Islamic cultures. In
addition, we find that most of the parents abbreviate the names of
their children into English initials which makes it all the more diffi-
cult to distinguish them as Muslims. specially so, when we have worn
the appearance of the non-Muslims, altogether. May Allah favour us
with the real understanding of Islam and Islamic values.
Verses 194 - 198
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ تَدْعُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللَّهِ عِبَادٌ آَمْثَالُكُمْ فَادُوْهُمْ
فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمُ صُدِقِيْنَ ﴿١٩٤﴾ اَلَهُمْ أَرُجُلٌ
يَتَّمْشُونَ بِهَاذَ آَمْ لَهُمْ آَيْدٍ يَّيْطِشُونَ بِهَاذَ آَمْ لَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ يُصِرُوْنَ
بِهَا: آَمْ لَهُمْ اذَانٌّ ◌َّسْمَعُوْنَ بِهَا، قُلِ ادْعُوًا شُرَكَاءَكُمْ ثُمَّ
كِيْدُوُنِ فَلاَ تُنْظِرُوْنَ ﴿١٩٥﴾ إِنَّ وَلَِّّ اللّهُ الَّذِىْ نَزَّلَ الْكِتْبَّ
وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى الصُّلِحِيْنَ ﴿١٩٦) وَالَّذِيْنَ تَدْعُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِهٍ
لَا يَسْتَطِيْعُوْنَ نَصْرَكُمْ وَلَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَنْصُرُونَ ﴿١٩٧) وَإِنْ
تَدُعُؤُهُمْ إِلَى الْهُدَى لَا يَسْمَعُوا وَتَرْهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ
لَا يُبْصِرُونَ ﴿١٩٨﴾
Surely, those whom you call beside Allah are slaves like
you. So, call them and they should respond to you if
you are true. [194] Do they have legs to walk with? Or do
they have hands to grip with? Or do they have eyes to
see with? Say, "Call to your associate-gods, then, plot
against me and allow me no respite. [195] Surely, my

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protector is Allah who has revealed the Book and who
does protect the righteous." [196]
And those whom you call beside Him cannot help you,
nor can they help themselves. [197] And if you call them
for guidance, they shall not hear. And you see them
looking at you while they do not see. [198]
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been asked to say to the unbe-
lievers that your false gods are nothing but slaves like you, and being
devoid of essential faculties of moving, seeing, hearing and speaking
cannot help themselves, far from coming to your help in your need. If
you are not sure, then "Call them and they should respond to you," and
"Call to your associate-gods, then plot against me and allow me no
respite."
The verse 196 has said:
إِنَّ وَلَِّاللهُ الَّذِى نَّلَ الْكِتَبَ وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى الصَّلِحِيْنَ
"Surely my protector is Allah who has revealed the Book and
who does protect the righteous."
The Arabic word , rendered here as 'protector' also means helper.
The word WSJI (The Book) here refers to the Holy Qur'an, and the word
here , رضى الله عنه the righteous), according to Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas) صالحين
refers to all those who do not take any one equal to Allah, including
the prophets and other faithful Muslims.
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been asked to declare that he
was not fearful of their opposition in the least since Allah, who had
revealed the Qur'an to Him was his protector and helper. It may be
noted that out of all the divine attributes of Allah, this verse spoke
specially of His revelation to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . It is
because the only reason of their hostility to the Holy Prophet i was
his invitation to the message of the Holy Qur'an. He was therefore,
sure to have been helped and protected by Allah. The next sentence
provides us with a general rule that Allah does not only help and
protect His messengers who have special favours of Allah, but also
helps and protects all the Muslims who are righteous.
The last sentence ◌َوَهُوَ يَتَوَلَى الصَّالِحِين "He helps and protects the right-
eous" has given us a general principle that in addition to helping the

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prophets who hold the highest status among all the people, Allah helps
and protects all the Muslims who act righteously. Therefore, the oppo-
sition or hostility of any one does not harm a true Muslim in the real
sense of the word. Most often he is made to triumph over his enemies
in this very world. If, for some good reason, he does not overcome and
is apparently defeated, this, too, does not go to damage his real objec-
tive. His failure in this world is, in fact, his success in true sense,
because the main objective of his life is to seek Allah's pleasure and to
obey Him in each and every activity of his life. His failure, being from
Allah draws him nearer to his objective of seeking Allah's pleasure.
Verses 199 - 202
خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأمُرُ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضُ عَنِ الْجُهِلِيْنَ ﴿١٩٩) وَإِمَّا
يَنْزَّغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطِنِ نَزٌُ فَاسْتَعِذُ بِاللَّهِهُ إِنَّهِ سَمِيْعٌ عَلِيْمُ
﴿ ٢﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّقَوْا إِذَا مَسَهُمُ ظَِفٌ مِنَ الشَّيْطِنِ تَذَكََّوُا
فَإِذَاهُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ ﴿٢٠١) وَإِخْوَانُهُمْ يَمُدُّوْنَهُمْ فِى الْغَيِّ ثُمَّ
لَايُقُصِرُونَ ﴿٢.٢)
Take to forbearance, and bid the Fair and ignore the
ignorant. [199] And if you are stricken with a strike from
the Satan, seek refuge with Allah. Surely, He is All-
Hearing, All-Knowing. [200] Surely those who are God-
fearing, when they are touched by a visit from Satan,
they become conscious, and, at once they are watchful.
[201] As for the brethren of Satans, the satans drag
them on into the error, and they do not stop short. [202]
The Ideal Manifesto of Qur'anic Ethics
The above verse provides us with a perfect code and model disci-
pline of moral excellences. It was through this discipline that the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was trained and then was conferred with the title
of صاحب خلق عظيم (The manifestation of all moral excellences) which is
unique to him out of the whole mankind. After giving a description of
obstinate ignorance, and immoral behaviour of the adversaries of
Islam in the foregoing verses, the Holy Qur'an, in contrast to the
above, provides the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with some moral teach-

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ings. The first is ali (Take to forbearance). The Arabic word a , has
many significations. Each of them can be taken to mean here. This is
why the experts in the exegesis of the Qur'an have presented varied
comments on this verse. The most agreed interpretation of this word is
that it is an act which can be done with ease or without any difficulty.
The first sentence therefore, shall mean "Accept what people can do
easily," implying that, in the matter of Islamic obligations, the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم should not demand high standard of deeds from
the people. Rather, he should accept the degree of perfection which can
be achieved easily by the people.
To make it more clear, let us take the example of Salah (the prayer)
which in true sense means to isolate oneself from all the worldly
thoughts and actions and stand before his Lord in perfect veneration.
He is supposed to present his praise to his Lord directly as though he
is addressing his Lord and making his supplications to Him directly
with nothing and no one between him and His Lord.
This state of mind shows itself in a worshipper by some expressive
signs like gas, gas (submission and humbleness), which are achieved
only by a few fortunate worshippers. This degree of veneration and
love cannot be expected from all the worshippers. This verse has there-
fore, asked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم not to demand the high stan-
dard of performance from the people, and to accept what degree of
perfection they can achieve easily in their deeds.
The above interpretation has been reported in Sahih al-Bukhari on
the authority of Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Zubair s .Ule,. Another
report cited by Ibn Kathir, has said that the Holy Prophet , at the
time of the revelation of this verse, said, "I have been commanded (by
Allah) to accept common or unexceptional obedience from the people in
their worships and behaviour. I have, therefore, decided to do the
same as long as I am in their company." A large number of the
exegetes of the Holy Qur'an like Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar,
'Abdullah ibn Zubair, Sayyidah 'A'ishah رضى الله عنهم أجمعين and the scholar
Mujahid have confirmed the same meaning of this Qur'anic phrase.
Another meaning of the word ,& is to pardon or to forgive. Some of
the exegetes have adopted this meaning here. According to them this
Qur'anic phrase has asked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to pardon the

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errors and shortcomings of the people.
Imam Ibn Jarir al-Țabari, the great exegete of the Holy Qur'an has
reported that at the time of revelation of this verse the Holy Prophet
asked the Archangel Jibra'il about the implication of this verse. The
Archangel after confirming the meaning from Allah answered that you
have been commanded to pardon the one who does you wrong, and to
be generous to the one who gives you nothing, and to continue your
relation with one who breaks off his connections with you.
Under the comment on this verse Ibn Marduwaih has reported, on
the authority of Sayyidna Sa'ad ibn 'Ubadah, that this verse was
revealed when, in the battle of Uhud, Sayyidna Hamzah as JI yo, was
martyred and parts of his body were savagely cut off. The Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , seeing his body in such miserable condition,
said, "I shall behave to seventy of their people the way they have
behaved with Hamzah." This verse was revealed to him implying that
it does not suit his dignified position. He should pardon and forgive
people.
This is supported by another Hadith reported by Imam Ahmad on
the authority of 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir Le Ml>, saying that the Holy
Prophet & had instructed him of the same. That is, to pardon the one
who does wrong to him, to keep relation with one who cuts off his rela-
tion with him and to give the one who deprives him. Bayhaqi also has
صلى الله عليه that the Holy Prophet رضى الله عنه reported from Sayyidna 'All
, said to him. 'I teach you the manners better than the manners of
all the early and the later people, that you should give the one who
deprives you, pardon the one who does wrong to you and continue your
relation with one who breaks off with you.
The above two meanings of the word , though, are different from
each other but the purest essence of both is one and the same, that is,
he should not demand the high standard of worship and deeds from
the people and pardon them for their errors, and should not take
revenge of their wrongs, and be generous to them with no regard to
recieving any return from them.
صلى الله عليه وسلم The authentic records of the life of the Holy Prophet
have shown that he demonstrated the truest picture of the above

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Qur'anic model of deeds and morals. This model appeared in full bloom
when Makkah was conquered and his sworn enemies were at his
mercy. At that time, he set all of them free saying that 'far from any
thoughts of seeking any revenge against them for their injustices, he
would not even blame them in any way for what had happened
between them in the past.'
The second sentence of this manifesto or testament reads: 320 21;
(and bid the Fair - 199). The word: J' ('urf) meaning 'recognized' refers
to everything done in a way which is good and praiseworthy. The
sense is that he should not seek to avenge the oppressive treatment
meted out to him by his enemies, rather, he should forgive them but,
along with it, he should also continue to ask them to do what was good
and beneficial. Thus, he would not only be repaying evil with good and
injustice with justice alone, in fact, he would be repaying them for all
that by a higher degree of favor and grace - that of Ihsan.
In the third sentence, it was said: ◌َوَأَعُرِضُ عَنِ الْجهلِيْن (and ignore the
ignorant). It means that he should, no doubt, forgo revenge against
injustice, deal with his enemies having goodwill and concern for them,
and softly explain the truth of the matter to them. But, in this process,
there will be those ignorant diehards who would not still be impressed
or affected by this highly gentle moral response. They would, in spite
of that, display more of their ignorance and harshness. If so, he was
advised not to be affected by their heart-rending comments and rustic
challenges, offer no response in their terms, instead, stay away from
and ignore them.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir has said that 'to ignore' also means that he
should not repay evil with evil. It does not mean that he should stop
giving good advice to them, for this would not be befitting in terms of
the standing mission a prophet and messenger of Allah is charged
with.
At this stage, according to an event reported in the Sahih of al-
Bukhari from Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas ars Ul »), it was during
the period of the Khilafah of Sayyidna 'Umar ar Ul yo, that 'Uyaiynah
ibn Hisn came to Madinah and stayed there as a guest of his nephew,
Hurr ibn Qays. Sayyidna Hurr was among the learned men of
Madinah who used to attend the advisory council of Sayyidna 'Umar.
.

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'Uyaiynah said to his nephew, Hurr ibn Qays, 'you are close to the
Amir al-Mu'minin. Take an appointment for me to see him.' Sayyidna
Hurr ibn Qays requested Sayyidna 'Umar that his uncle, 'Uyaiynah
wanted to meet him. He gave the permission.
But, once 'Uyaiynah was in the company of Sayyidna 'Umar al-
Faruq, he spoke to him in a manner that was uncivilized and contrary
to facts while complaining that he neither gave them their full rights
nor treated them with justice and equity. Sayyidna 'Umar Le dll
was angry. Thereupon, Sayyidna Hurr ibn Qays submitted, 'ya Amir
al-Mu'minin, Allah Tarala has said : ◌َخُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأُمُرُ بِالْعُرُفِ وَأَعْرِضُ عَنِ الْجُهِلِين (Take to
forbearance, and bid the Fair and ignore the ignorant - 199) and this
person too is one of the ignorant ones.' Hearing this verse, his anger
subsided and he said nothing to him. This habit of Sayyidna 'Umar,
He) كَانَ وَقَّافًا عِنْدَ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ :was well known. About him it was said اللّه عنه
readily mellowed before the commandments of the Book of Allah, the
Mighty, the Exalted).
This verse carries a comprehensive statement of noble traits of
character. Some scholars have explained these briefly by saying that
there are two kinds of people: (1) Those who are good in deeds and (2)
those who are evil and unjust. This verse tells us to treat both kinds
nobly. As for those who do good, accept what they offer as such. Do not
investigate too much and do not be unnecessarily inquisitive. Do not
demand good at its highest from them and accept what they come up
with as sufficient. As for the evildoing, the instruction given is: Teach
them to do what is good. Show them the way of righteousness. If they
do not accept it and choose to stick to their straying and error and talk
haughtily and aggressively, the appropriate course is to stay away
from them and avoid responding to their ignorant comments. It is
hoped that this approach may bring them round at some stage when
they may realize their error.
وَإِمَّا يَنْزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطِنِ نَزٌُ فَاسْتَعِذُ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهْ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ:In the second verse, it was said
(And if you are stricken with a strike from the Satan, seek refuge with
Allah - 200).
This verse too is really a complement of the subject taken up in the
first verse which instructs that the error made by the unjust and the
ignorant should be forgiven and the evil done by them should not be