Indexed OCR Text

574
Surah Yunus : 10 :92 - 98
body becomes a sign of Divine power, and a lesson for people after
him.
It happened when, after having crossed the sea, Sayyidna Musa Le
››JI told Bani Isra'il about the drowning of the Pharaoh, they were so
overawed and subdued by him that they refused to believe the news
and said that the Pharaoh was not drowned. To guide them right and
to teach others a lesson, Allah Ta'ala had the dead body of Pharaoh
thrown ashore by a wave of the sea. Everyone saw it and believed that
he had died and then, this corpse became a sort of moral deterrent for
everyone. After that, it is not known as to what happened to this
corpse ultimately. The place where the dead body of the Pharaoh was
found is still known as the mount of Pharaoh.
Some time back, newspaper reports indicated that the dead body of
Pharaoh was found intact and was seen by the public at large and that
it was deposited safely in the Cairo Museum. But, it cannot be said
with certainty that this is the same Pharaoh who confronted Sayyidna
Musa WILe, or is some other Pharaoh because names of Pharaohs
differ. Every ruler of Egypt in that period of history had the title of
Pharaoh.
But, no wonder, the Divine power had thrown a drowned dead
body ashore. Very similarly, it may have kept it even preserved
against spoilage so that it could become a lesson for future genera-
tions. And it may still be there! (However it remains essential to learn
a lesson from it as compared to becoming excited about its discovery as
an archeological triumph).
At the end of the verse, it was said that many people pay no heed
to the verses and signs of Allah. They do not ponder over them and fail
to learn their essential lesson in living a better life. Otherwise, signs
abound. They are everywhere, in every particle of this universe. A look
at them would help one recognize Allah and His perfect power.
The second verse (93) brings the future of a people bulldozed in dis-
grace by the Pharaoh into sharp focus making it stand out against the
evil end of the tyrant. It was said that Allah gave the Bani Isra'il a
good place to live. They had the whole country of Egypt for themselves.

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Surah Yunus : 10: 92 - 98
Then, they were given the holy lands of Jordan and Palestine which
Allah Ta'ala had assigned to Sayyidna Ibrahim >JI Le, and his proge-
ny as their inheritance. A good place to live has been termed as:je 1.
(translated as: 'a proper place to live') in the Qur'an. The word: 3.
(sidq) at this place means good and proper. The sense is that they were
given a place to live that was suitable and proper for them in every
way. Then it was said that Allah gave them their sustenance in the
form of Halal and pure things so much so that they had the best of
everything.
Towards the end of the verse, once again, their penchant for crook-
edness and evil doing has been mentioned. Among them too, there
were many who, soon after having power, failed to appreciate the
blessings of Allah and went about disobeying Him. They recited the
Torah and they knew the signs and marks of the Holy Prophet Ji
duy dule mentioned there. This awareness demanded that they should
have been the first to believe in him as soon as he came. But, how
strange that these very people believed in the coming of the last
prophet, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم before he actu-
ally came. They would tell people about the signs he would have and
the time he would come. They would even use the wasilah (medium) of
the last prophet in their prayers. But, when the last prophet came
with a whole array of evidences of his veracity, and the signs identified
in the Torah, these people started disputing among themselves. Some
of them believed while the rest refused to do so. In this verse, the com-
جَاءهُمْ : has been expressed by saying صلى الله عليه وسلم ing of the Holy Prophet
'il (knowledge came to them). Here, de ('ilm) could also denote certi-
tude. In that case, it would mean that once the causes of observation
and certitude converged together, these people started disputing.
Some commentators have said that Je ('ilm: knowledge) at this
place denotes u (ma'lum: known), that is, when the blessed person
who was already known through the prophesies of the Torah came be-
fore them face to face, they started disputing the truth.
At the end of the verse, it was said that Allah Ta'ala will give His
verdict about what they used to dispute, on the day of Qiyamah. Truth
will then become distinct from falsehood and the upholders of truth

576
Surah Yunus: 10:92 - 98
will be sent to Paradise while the practitioners of falsehood, to Hell.
In the third verse (94), the address is obviously to the Holy Prophet
But, it goes without saying that there is no probability of . صلى الله عليه وسلم
his doubting the revelation. Therefore, the purpose is to beam the mes-
sage to the Muslim community through this address where he is not
the intended recipient. Then, it is also possible that this address may
be to human beings at large asking them if they had any doubts about
the Divine revelation sent to them through Sayyidna Muhammad al-
Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم.If they had, let them ask those who recited the
Torah and Injil before them. They would tell them that all past proph-
ets and their Books have been announcing the glad tidings of the Last
among Prophets. This will remove their scruples and suspicions.
According to Tafsir Mazhari, this verse tells us that anyone in
doubt about some religious matter is duty-bound to have his doubts re-
moved by asking genuine 'Ulama' (religious scholars whose learning,
honesty and adherence to Qur'an, and Sunnah is well recognized, pop-
ularly referred to as 'Ulama' al-Haqq). To continue nursing such
doubts is not a good thing to do.
In the fourth (95), fifth (96) and sixth (97) verses, the same subject
finds support and emphasis while carrying a warning to those who are
heedless.
In the seventh verse (98), the heedless deniers of truth have been
admonished for their failure to make the optimum use of the time of
life allowed to them. There was still time for them to leave denial and
contumacy. Otherwise, an ominous time was due to come when they
will make Taubah but their Taubah will not be accepted. They will say
that they believed but their belief will not be welcome. And that time
will be the time when the punishment of the Hereafter will appear
right before their eyes at the time of death. It was in this connection
that an event relating to Sayyidna Yunus WILL and his people was
mentioned - that has good counsels and great lessons in it.
It has been asked in this verse that the people who denied truth
could have jelieved at a time when their believing would have been of
benefit to them. It means that there was no use for it at the hour of

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 92 - 98
death, or the punishment, or after being neck deep in it, or at the time
Doomsday sets in for the doors of repentance will then be closed and
no repentance or belief from anyone will be acceptable. Now that they
still had the time, they could put their contumacy aside and become
believers very much like the people of Prophet Yunus WILL did.
When they, much before the worse happened, saw the Divine punish-
ment coming, they lost no time, repented and believed. For this rea-
son, Allah Ta'ala removed the painful punishment from them.
The gist of the tafsir given above is that the door of Taubah does
not close even when the worldly punishment comes face to face. How-
ever, Taubah is not accepted at the time the punishment of the Here-
after comes face to face. As for the coming of the punishment of the
Hereafter face to face, it would either be on the day of Qiyamah or at
the time of death, whether it is natural death or death as a victim of
some worldly punishment as was the case with the Pharaoh.
Therefore, the acceptance of the Taubah of the people of Sayyidna
Yunus WUJI ale is not contrary to the Divine law. In fact, it falls under it
because they, no doubt, made their Taubah when they saw the punish-
ment coming, but they certainly did so before the punishment overtook
them, and did it before death too. This is contrary to what the Pharaoh
and others did. They did their Taubah only after the punishment had
overtaken them, and did that at the time of the last rattle of death,
saying that they believed. Therefore, their believing was not valid and
trustworthy and the Taubah they made was not accepted.
A precedent of the event relating to the people of Sayyidna Yunus
JI ule is the event relating to Bani Isra'il which finds mention in the
Holy Qur'an itself. In this event, the mount of Tur was left dangling
over their heads so that they were scared enough to repent. They re-
pented and their Taubah was accepted. This appears in Surah al-
Baqarah where it was said:
رَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّوَرَ خُذُوْا مَّا اتَيْنْكُمُ بِقُوَّةٍ
And raised high above you the (Mount of) Țur: "Hold fast to
what We have given to you" - 2:63
The reason was that they had, much before the punishment mate-

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Surah Yunus : 10: 92 - 98
rialized and death overtook them, repented simply by noticing the im-
minent danger of punishment. Similarly, when the people of Sayyidna
Yunus عليه السلام saw the punishment coming, they sincerely wept and
wailed and repented details of which will appear a little later. So, the
acceptance of this Taubah is not counter to the Divine law stated
above. (Qurțubi)
At this stage, some contemporaries have made a grave error. They
attribute shortcomings to Sayyidna Yunus >JILL in the discharge of
his duties as a prophet. They declare that the cause of the removal of
punishment from the people was the failing of the prophet and that
this very failing was the cause of Divine displeasure which is men-
tioned in Surah al-Anbiya' and Surah Aş-Şaffat. Their words are as giv-
en below:
قرآن کے اشارات اور صحیفہ یونس کی تفصیلات پر غور کرنے سے
اتنى بات صاف معلوم هوجاتى هے كه حضرت يونس عليه السلام
سے فریضہ رسالت ادا کرنے میں کچھ کوتاهیاں هو گئی تھیں اور
غالبًا انہوں نے ہے صبر هو کر قبل از وقت اپنا مستقر چھوژ دیا
تھا ، اس لئے جب آثار عذاب دیکھ کر آشوریوی نی توبه و استغفار
کی تو الله تعالی نے انہیں معاف کردیا، قرآن میی خدائی دستور
کے جو اصول و کلیات بیان کئے گئے ھیں ان میں ايك مستقل دفعه
یہ بھی ھے کہ الله تعالی کسی قوم کو اسوقت تك عذاب نہیی دیتا
جب تك اس پر اپنی حجت پوری نہیں کردیتا ، پس جب نبی ادائے
رسالت میں کوتاهی کر کیا اور اللّہ کے مقرر کردہ وقت سے پہلے
خود هی اپنی جگہ سے هث گیا تو الله تعالی کے انصاف نے اس
قوم کو عذاب دينا گوارا نه كيا . (تفهيم القرآن مولانا مودودی، ص ٣٢١،
ج ٢، طبع ١٩٦٤،)
"By considering the hints of the Qur'an and the details of the
book of Jonah, at least this much becomes clear that some
وعليه السلام shortcomings had issued forth from Hadrat Yunus
peace be on him, in the performance of his duty as a prophet.
And, most probably, becoming impatient, he had abandoned
his permanent station before time. Therefore, having seen the

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Surah Yunus : 10:92 - 98
signs of punishment, the Assyrians repented and sought for-
giveness, then Allah Ta'ala forgave them. Out of the principles
and universals of Divine Law described in the Qur'an, there is
this standing article as well - that Allah Ta'ala does not pun-
ish a people until He establishes His argument against them
conclusively. So, when the prophet went about falling short in
doing his duty as a prophet and, on his own, vacated his sta-
tion (of duty) before the time determined by Allah, then, the
justice of Allah Ta'ala did not bear by punishing those people."
(Tafhimul-Qur'an by Maulana Mawdudi, p. 321, volume 2, published
1964) 2
The first thing to look at here is that the prophets, peace be upon
them all, are protected from sins (ma'sum). This is an uncontested be-
lief on which there is a consensus of the Muslim Ummah. In its de-
tails, some partial differences do exist, for instance, is this protection
('işmah) from all kinds of minor sins (saghirah), or from the major ones
(kabirah) only, and whether or not this protection ('ismah) includes the
period of time before being inducted as a prophet? But, no difference
exists among any individuals or groups in the belief that the blessed
prophets, all of them, can never fall short in carrying out their duty as
1. Ordinary changes have been made, without any prior public announcement of with-
drawal from these remarks, in the later editions of Tafhimul-Qur'an, that is, the
words:"فريضة رسالت كى ادائيكى مين كوتاهى" :"shortcomings in the performance of duty as a
prophet,' are not there in the new text. But, the following observations are still
there:"جب نبى نى .... پورى نهين هوئى تهي ":When the prophet did not continue the mission of
giving good counsel to those people up to the last moment of the respite given to
them and, before the time determined by Allah, he himself, in a self-serving way,
migrated out and away, then, the justice of Allah Ta'ala did not bear by punishing
his people, because the legal conditions of a conclusive argument against them had
yet to be fulfilled." Thus, despite the change in the text of the Tafhimul-Qur'an, the
comment of Ma'ariful-Qur'an stands as is. - Idaratul-Ma'arif, publishers, October/
1991.
2. Apart from the religious aspects of the observations quoted above which have been
dealt with in the Commentary of this Tafsir, the language used to convey these has
contributed significantly in making the observations acidly vulnerable. For example,
the use of verbs towards the end: Us (kar gaya), Ws (hat gaya) and Us & b,Is (gawara
na kiya) are hot action words in the present context. When used for a prophet, they
are terrible. When attributed to God, like the last one, they are presumptuous. The
liberty taken through language is difficult to transplant in translation. By ignoring
it, the translator turns traitor. So, the translator has made the extra effort to stay
within functional limits and render the text as it is. Since, the Urdu original has
been reproduced here, discerning readers who read it should have no problem in
making their independent judgement about the rendering - Tr.

580
Surah Yunus : 10 : 92 - 98
prophets. The reason is that there could be no greater sin for prophets
than that they themselves fall short in taking care of the mission for
which Allah Ta'ala had chosen them. This is an open breach of trust in
assigned duty, something beyond even ordinary nice people anywhere.
If a prophet does not stand protected (ma'sum) even from this short-
coming, then, there is no use for protection from other sins.
If there were something somewhere even in the Qur'an, and Ha-
dith, seemingly contrary to the established principles of Qur'an, and
Sunnah, and the collective Muslim belief in prophets being protected
from sins, it would have been necessary to interpret it in a way that
would not have left it discordant and different from the absolutely
proven principles of Qur'an, and Hadith.
But, things are strange here. What the learned author has present-
ed with reference to 'Qur'anic hints and details of the book of Jonah'
may possibly be in the book of Jonah, and so be it, being something
having no validity in the sight of the people of Islam. As for a 'Qur'anic
hint, there is none, not just one. In fact, what has happened here is
that this presumption has been forced out of a patched pattern of sev-
eral premises. First of all, it was presumed that the removal of the
punishment from the people of Sayyidna Yunus WJI Le took place con-
trary to Divine law - which is totally contrary to the context of this
very verse, and equally contrary to the explications of recognized au-
thorities in the field of Tafsir. Along with it, it was also assumed that
Divine law was broken on this occasion because the prophet himself
had failed to fulfill his duty as a prophet. Again, along with that, it
was also assumed that some particular time had been fixed by Allah
Ta'ala when he was supposed to leave the place - and he, much before
this supposedly fixed time, abandoned his duty of calling people to
truth and ran for life!
If seen with the least deliberation and fairness, it will stand proved
that no hint from the Qur'an, or Hadith points out to these assumed
premises.
To consider what precedes in the verse of the Qur'an itself, let us
look at the words of the verse:
فَلَوْ لَا كَانَتُ قَرْيَةٌ أَمَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَا إِيْمَانُهَا إِلَّ قَوْمَ يُؤْنُسَ
So, how is it that there never was a town which could have be-

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 92 - 98
lieved and its belief would have been of benefit to it, except
the people of Yunus عليه السلام (Jonah)!
The sense, as already clear, is that of regret over the state of iner-
tia prevailing among common residents of habitations around the
world. It is in that spirit that it was said: How would they not become
such as would have believed at a time when believing is acceptable
and beneficial? In other words, they could have believed before being
hit by punishment or death, in which case, their believing would have
been accepted. But, the people of Sayyidna Yunus WI ue were an ex-
ception to this rule, for they, by seeing the signs of punishment, and
much before being hit by the punishment, believed and their believing
and repentance came to be accepted.
This evident sense of the verse is itself telling us that no Divine
law has been broken here, in fact, exactly in accordance with Divine
practice, their faith and repentance have been accepted.
Most commentators - Abu Hayyan, Al-Qurtubi, Al-Zamakhshari,
Qadi Thana'ullah, 'Allamah Alusi and others - have given this very
sense of the verse according to which the acceptance of repentance
from the people of Sayyidna Yunus UI _le comes under the customary
Divine law. The words of Al-Qurtubi appear as given below:
وقال ابنُ جُبَيْر غشيهم العذاب كما يغشى الثوب القبر، فلما صحت
توبتهم رفع الله عنهم العذاب. وقال الطبرى: خص قوم يونس عليه السلام
من بين سائر الامم بان تيب عليهم بعد معاينة العذاب، وذكر ذلك عن
جماعة من المفسرين. وقال الزجاج، انهم لم يقع بهم العذاب، وانما رأوا
العلامة التى تدل على العذاب ولورأوا عين العذاب لما نفعهم ايمانهم .
قلت قول الزجاج حسن، فان المعاينة التى لا تنفع التوبة معها هى التلبس
بالعذاب كقصة فرعون ولهذا جاء بقصه قوم يونس على اثر قصة فرعون،
ويعضد هذا قوله عليه السلام : "أن الله يقبل توبة العبد مالم يغرغر
والغرغرة، الحشرجة، وذلك هوحال التلبس بالموت، وقد روى معنى ما قلناه
عن ابن مسعود رضى اللّه عنه (الى) وهذا يدل على أن توبتهم قبل رؤية
العذاب (الى) وعلى هذا فلا اشكال ولا تعارض ولا خصوص .
"Ibn Jubayr says that the punishment had covered them up
like the sheet of cloth on the grave. Then, as their Taubah
turned out to be sound (being before the punishment material-
ized), Allah Ta'ala lifted the punishment from them. And At-

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 92 - 98
Țabari says that the people of Sayyidna Yunus >JI have
been given a special place among all other peoples in that
their Taubah was accepted after they had seen the punish-
ment. And that has been mentioned by a large number of com-
mentators. However, Az-Zajjaj says that the punishment had
not yet fallen on those people. They had only seen the signs
that proved the coming of the punishment. And if they had
seen the very punishment falling upon them, their believing
would have then been no good for them (and their Taubah too
would have not been accepted). Al-Qurtubi says that the state-
ment of Az-Zajjaj is better because the seeing of a punishment
after which Taubah is not accepted means that in which one is
seized - as it happened in the case of Pharaoh. Therefore, in
this very Surah, the event of the people of Sayyidna Yunus Le
>JI has been taken up immediately after the event relating to
the Pharaoh. (So that the difference becomes clear in that the
belief of the Pharaoh came after having been seized by the
punishment, contrary to the people of Sayyidna Yunus WILL,
who came to believe before the punishment actually seized
them). This is confirmed by a saying of the Holy Prophet Lo
Ju Lle All, 'Allah Ta'ala accepts the Taubah of the servant until
he is rattled by death.' And 'al-ghargharah' (as in the Hadith)
is the rattling sound that comes from the throat and that is
what happens on being seized by death. And the same thing is
evident from the riwayah of Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud ,
Le All in which it has been said that the people of Sayyidna Yu-
nus WJI ul. had repented before the actual falling of the pun-
ishment. And Al-Qurtubi says, as based on this explanation,
there remains no difficulty, or contradiction, or particulariza-
.(عليه السلام tion (of the people of Sayyidna Yunus
As for At-Țabari and other commentators who have deemed this
event to be special to the people of Sayyidna Yunus >JILe, none of
them have said that the reason of this special treatment was the
'shortcomings' of Sayyidna Yunus >JILL. Instead, the honest
repentance of those people and their sincere belief in Divine
knowledge are the kind of reasons that they have given to that end.
And now, when we know that the removal of the punishment from
the people of Sayyidna Yunus WILL was just not against the Divine
law, in fact, was exactly in accordance with it, then, the very

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Surah Yunus : 10:92 - 98
foundation of what has been postulated here stands demolished.
Similarly, there is no Qur'anic hint to prove that Sayyidna Yunus
JIbe, once he had given the warning of punishment, broke away
from his people without prior Divine permission. Instead, the context
of verses and reports from Tafsir tell us that things happened here as
they had happened with all past communities, that is, when the
decision was made to send Divine punishment on a people, Allah
Ta'ala would command his Messenger and his companions to leave
that area. This has been clearly mentioned in the Qur'an in connection
with the story of Sayyidna Lut WJI -Je. Very similarly, here too, when
this command of Allah was delivered to those people through Sayyidna
Yunus >JI 4 - that the punishment will come after three days - then,
the departure of Sayyidna Yunus WILL from that area has, obviously
enough, taken place under Divine orders.
Of course, there was a slip from Sayyidna Yunus WI ule in terms of
the elegant prophetic station he was blessed with. Words of
displeasure about it appear in Surah al-Anbiya' (21:87,88) and Surah
as-Saffat (37:139-148) and, as a result of which, came the event of his
staying in the belly of a fish. But, this slip has nothing to do with the
assumed assertion that he fell short in fulfilling his duty as a prophet.
In fact, what actually happened is what has been stated earlier with
reference to authentic Tafsirs. In brief, after Sayyidna Yunus , WILL
had delivered the warning to his people that the punishment will come
after three days as willed by Allah, he left his place and went out.
Later, it was proved that the punishment did not materialize. Now,
Sayyidna Yunus >LI ul. was worried as to how he would go back to his
people. If he did, they would charge him to be a liar. And the law of
those people required that a proven liar must be killed. Now, this
added the danger of the likely loss of life in returning to his people.
Under such circumstances, he had no way out but to migrate from that
very country. But, the customary practice of the blessed prophets is
that they do not migrate simply on the authority of their personal
opinion - unless the signal to migrate comes from Allah Ta'ala. So, the
slip of Sayyidna Yunus WJILL was no more than that he boarded a
boat with the intention of migration, before came the permission of
Allah. This was, though no sin in itself, but different from the
customary practice of prophets it was. If we were to ponder over the

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Surah Yunus : 10: 92 - 98
words of the verse of the Qur'an, the slip of Sayyidna Yunus WILL
will not turn out to be a shortcoming in the fulfillment of his duty as a
prophet. In fact, it would prove not to be anything else but migration
before permission with the aim of staying safe against the oppression
of his people. The verse of Surah as-Saffat is virtually explicit
regarding this subject. It was said: ◌ِإِذْآبَقٌ إِلَى الْفُلْكِ الْشُحُون (when he ran away
towards the laden boat - 37:140). Here, the act of boarding a boat with
the intention of migration has been expressed through the word:
(abaqa) denoting displeasure. It means the running away or fleeing of
a slave without the permission of his master. And in the verse of Surah
al-Anbiya', it has been said: ◌ِوَذَا التَّوْنِ إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَنْ لَّنُ تَقُدِرَ عَلَيْه (and the
man of the fish, when he left in anger assuming that We shall not keep
him tight - 21:87). Here the tenor of speech is that of displeasure over
the act of migration that was resorted to because of natural
apprehension and the desire to stay protected from a hostile people. It
is worth keeping in mind that all this happened after the perfect
fulfillment of the duties of prophethood, only when a return to his
people posed a certain danger to his life. Tafsir Ruh al-Ma'ani has
taken up this subject in the following words:
اى غضبان على قومه لشدة شكيمتهم وتمادى اصرارهم مع طول دعوته
ایاهم، وكان ذهابه هذا سهم هجرة عنهم، لكنه لم يؤمر به
(Sayyidna Yunus عليه السلام) left his people in anger against
their bitter hostility and adamant infidelity despite that he
had spent a long time as a prophet inviting them to faith. This
journey of his was a kind of migration but he had not yet re-
ceived the permission for it.
Here, it has been made clear that some shortcoming in carrying
out the prophetic mission was not the cause of Divine displeasure, in-
stead, it was migration before permission that did become its cause -
which, by itself, was no sin. But, because of being contrary to the cus-
tomary practice of blessed prophets, it was received with displeasure.
When some 'Ulama sounded the learned contemporary about this er-
ror, he chose to report the sayings of many commentators relating to
the Tafsir of Surah as-Saffat, in support of his stand.
Among these - with the exception of some Israelite reports of
Wahb ibn Munabbih and others - not a single report proves his stand,

585
Surah Yunus: 10:92 - 98
that shortcomings were committed (God forbid) by Sayyidna Yunus de
>JI in the fulfillment of his duty as a prophet, as correct.
And it is not hidden from the people of knowledge that commenta-
tors generally include Israelite reports in their Tafsirs about which all
of them agree that these are not authentic and trustworthy. No Islam-
ic legal ruling can be based on them. It is only through the crutches of
these Israelite reports, whether they appear in the books of Muslim
commentators or in the book of Jonah, that this grave accusation can
be leveled against Sayyidna Yunus WJILL that 'he had committed
shortcomings in the fulfillment of his duties as a prophet.' No commen-
tator of Islam has ever approved of it.
وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالى اعْلَمُ، وَبِه استغيث ان يعصمنا من الخطايا والزلات
And Allah, He is Pure and High and the Most Knowledgeable
and before Him is our plaint that He protects us from all er-
rors and lapses.
Details of the Event relating to Sayyidna Yunus WILL
Part of the details of the event relating to Sayyidna Yunus WILL
has been mentioned in the Qur'an while some of it has its proof in re-
ports of Hadith and history. According to these sources, the people of
Sayyidna Yunus WJI Le lived in the well-known place, Nineveh near
Mousel, Iraq. Their number has been given as more than one hundred
thousand in the Holy Qur'an. It was for their guidance that Allah
Ta'ala sent Sayyidna Yunus Whole. They refused to believe. Allah
Ta'ala asked Sayyidna Yunus WuJI ale to warn these people that Divine
punishment was going to overtake them within three days. Sayyidna
Yunus WILL made the announcement before his people. When they
went in consultation with each other, they agreed that they had never
found Sayyidna Yunus WILL lying, therefore, this thing from him
was not to be ignored. Finally, they devised a plan to see whether or
not Sayyidna Yunus WWJI ue stays among them at his place during the
night. If he did, they were to understand that nothing would happen.
And if he went somewhere else from there, then, they should be cer-
tain that the punishment would descend upon them the next morning.
Sayyidna Yunus JI ale moved out of his dwelling place during the
night as Divinely commanded. When morning came, the Divine pun-
ishment, in the form of a cloud-like black smoke started hovering over
their heads tending to be descending down closer to them. They then

586
Surah Yunus : 10:92 - 98
became certain that they all were going to be destroyed. Seeing this,
they looked for Sayyidna Yunus >JI ale so that they could confess to
their past denial, repent and believe with him as the witness. But,
when they did not find him, they took it upon themselves to come up
with repentance and prayers for forgiveness in the best spirit of sincer-
ity at their command. To do that, they left homes, came out on open
grounds, women, children and animals all huddled there. Wearing
rags, weeping and wailing, repenting and begging refuge from Divine
punishment, they made the whole area resound with a massive collec-
tive plaint. Allah Ta'ala accepted their repentance and removed the
punishment from them - as mentioned in this verse. Reports indicate
that this was 'Ashura, that is, the day of the tenth of Muharram.
On the other side, Sayyidna Yunus WJI ul was waiting outside the
township expecting that the Divine punishment will be about to hit
the people there. He knew nothing about how they had repented and
sought forgiveness. When the punishment stood removed, he started
worrying about himself for his people would now declare him to be a
liar - because he had announced that the punishment would strike
within three days. According to the law of those people, if a person
whose lying was known did not produce a witness in his support, he
would be killed. Sayyidna Yunus WJI Lle was concerned apprehending
that he would be declared a liar and killed.
The noble prophets are protected from every act of sin and disobe-
dience, but are not set apart from others in terms of human nature
and temperament. At that time, Sayyidna Yunus WJILL naturally
grieved that he had made the announcement as Divinely commanded
and now it was because of the announcement he made he would be de-
clared a liar. How could he go back to his place under these circum-
stances and take the risk of being killed in accordance with the law of
his people? Deep in this anxiety, he started off with the intention of
getting out of that town until he reached the shores of the Mediterra-
nean Sea. There he saw a boat being boarded by people. They recog-
nized Sayyidna Yunus WILL and let him board gratis. The boat
sailed. But, when it reached off shore, it stopped suddenly. It refused
to move any further, neither forward, nor backward. The boat people
made an announcement. They said that Allah had made their boat
special. When an oppressive sinner or a slave in flight boards it, the

587
Surah Yunus : 10:92 - 98
boat stops on its own. So, they said, let that person show himself up so
that others do not suffer because of one person.
Sayyidna Yunus JI we spoke out that he was the sinner and the
fleeing slave. As the act of leaving his town and boarding the boat was
prompted by a natural apprehension and not by Divine permission,
the dignified bearing of Sayyidna Yunus WILle as a prophet had no
hesitation in declaring this act, of coming towards the boat without
that permission, a sin. The rule was that no movement of a prophet
should have been without Divine permission. So he said, 'Throw me
into the sea and be spared of the punishment.' The people of the boat
would not do that. They drew lots so that the person thus named could
be thrown into the sea. By chance, the lot drawn had the name of
Sayyidna Yunus JI ale on it. They were intrigued. They drew lots
again and again. But, as Divine decree would have it, the name that
kept appearing repeatedly was that of Sayyidna Yunus >JILLe. The
Holy Qur'an mentions this drawing of lots and the incidence of the
name of Sayyidna Yunus WJI . being drawn therein (to be the one to
be thrown overboard) : ◌َفَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُدُحَضِيْن (and he drew lots and was
among the losers - 37:141).
This dealing of Allah Ta'ala with Sayyidna Yunus JILL was in
view of his special status as a prophet. He had done no contravention
of any Divine command that could be called sin or disobedience - for
that matter, there exists no possibility of these issuing forth from any
prophet because they are ma'sum (Divinely protected). But, it was not
appropriate to the high station of a prophet that he would transfer to
another place without Divine permission simply on the basis of natu-
ral apprehension. It was this contra-dignity conduct which brought
displeasure and resultant action.
On the one hand, names were being drawn in lots. The named was
waiting to be thrown overboard. On the other hand, a large fish under
Divine orders was lurking by the boat with her mouth agape, waiting
for the incumbent to be thrown into the sea and right into her belly.
Allah Ta'ala had already commanded the fish that the body of Sayyid-
na Yunus JI ue that was to be deposited in her belly was no food for
her, instead, was his home for a while. When Sayyidna Yunus JILde
was lowered into the sea, the fish received him. Sayyidna 'Abdullah
ibn Masoud رضى الله عنه said that Sayyidna Yunus عليه السلام lived in the belly

588
Surah Yunus : 10 :99 - 100
of the fish for forty days. It would take him down to the sea bed and to
nautical journeys far and wide. The period of his stay in the belly of
the fish has also been reported as, five, and one day and few hours.
(Mazharī) Only Allah Ta'ala knows the truth about it. Living in that
state, Sayyidna Yunus JI ale made the following du'a:
لَّ إِلهَ إِلّ أَنْتُ سُبْحْنَكَ إِنّى كُنْتُ مِنَ الظُّلِمِيْنَ
There is no god but You. Pure are You. Indeed, I have been of
the wrongdoers - 21: 87.
Allah Ta'ala accepted this prayer and Sayyidna Yunus WJILL was
put on the shore alive and unharmed.
But, the heat in the belly of the fish had left no hair on his body.
Allah Ta'ala caused a gourd vine to grow near him. Even the shade
provided by the leaves on it became a blessing for Sayyidna Yunus
.JI. And signaled by Allah Ta'ala, a wild goat would come every morn-
ing and evening, stand near him and he would have milk to drink.
Thus, Sayyidna Yunus WILL was alerted to that slip, and later
on, his people too came to know the whole story.
In this story, as for parts that have been mentioned in the Qur'an,
or stand proved from authentic narratives of Hadith, they are certain.
The rest of them come from historical reports - and no ruling of Islam-
ic law can be based on them.
Verses 99 - 100
وَلَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لَأَمَنَ مَنْ فِى اْأَرْضِ كُلَّهُمْ جَمِيْقَاء أَقَاَنْتَ
مُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُؤُنُوْا مُؤْمِنِيْنَ ﴿٩٩) وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسِ آَنْ
تُؤْمِنَ إِلَّ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ، وَيَجْعَلُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ لَ
$1
يَعْقِلُونَ﴿ ..
Had your Lord willed, all those on earth would have
believed altogether. Would you, then, compel people, so
that they become believers? [99]
And it is not for any one that he believes except with
the will of Allah. And He makes filth settle on those
who do not understand. [100]

589
Surah Yunus : 10 : 104 - 107
Verses 101 - 103
قُلِ انْظُرُوا مَاذَا فِى السَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَمَا تُغُنِى الْأَيْتُ وَ
الُّدُرُ عَنْ قَوْمٍ لَّ مُؤْ مِنُونَ ﴿١٠١﴾ فَهَلُ يَنْتَظِرُونَ إِلَّ مِثْلَ آَيَّامٍ
الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ﴿ قُلْ فَانْتَظِرُوا إِنِّىُ مَعَكُمْ قِينَ
المُتَظِرِيْنَ ﴿١٠٢﴾ ثُمَّ نُنَبِئْ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا كَذْلِكَ، حَقًّا
عَلَيْنَا تُنْجِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ﴿١٠٢)
Say, "Look at what is there in the heavens and the
earth?" But, signs and warners do not suffice a people
who do not believe. [101]
So, are they waiting for nothing short of something like
the days of those who have passed before them? Say,
"So wait. I am with you, among those waiting." [102]
Then We (used to) save Our messengers and those who
believed. Similarly, it being on Us, We shall save the be-
lievers. [103]
Verses 104 - 107
قُلْ يَآَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنْ كُمْ فِىْ شٍَّ مِنْ دِبْنِيْ فَلَّ أَعْبُدُ الَّذِيْنَ
تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللَّهِ وَلكِنُ أَعْبُدُ اللهُ الَّذِى يَتَوَقُّكُمْ مِه
وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُوْنَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ ﴿١٥٤) وَآَنْ أَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّيْنِ
حَنِيفًا، وَلَا تَكُوْنَنَّ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ ﴿١٠٥﴾ وَلَا تَدْعُ مِنْ دُوْنٍ
اللّهِ مَالَا يَنْفَعُكَ وَلَا يَضُُّنَهْ فَإِنْ فَعَلُتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذَا مِنَ
الظَّلِمِيْنَ ﴿١٠٦) وَإِنْ يَمْسَسُكَ اللهُ بِضٍُ فَلاَ كَاشِفَ لَةَ
إِلَّهُوَةِ وَإِنْ تُرِدُكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَلاَ رَأْذَ لِفَضْلِهِ، يُصِيْبُ بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ
مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَهُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيُمُ ﴿١٠٧﴾
Say, "O people, if you are in doubt about my Faith,
then, I do not worship those you worship beside Allah.
Rather, I worship Allah who brings death to you. And I
have been ordained to be among the believers, [104] and

590
Surah Yunus : 10 : 108 - 109
that I should make myself firm on Faith, being upright,
and never be among the Mushriks."* [105]
And do not invoke, other than Allah, what neither ben-
efits you nor harms you, for, if you do so, then you will
surely be one of the unjust. [106]
And if Allah brings some harm to you, then, there is
none to remove it except He. And if He intends to bring
some good to you, then, there is none to turn His grace
back. He brings it to whomever He wills from among
His servants. And He is the Most-Forgiving, the Very
Merciful. [107]
Verses 108 - 109
قُلُ ◌َآَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَّبِّكُمْ فَمَنِ اهْتَدِى فَإِنَّا
يَهْتَدِىٌ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَمَنْ ضَلَّ قَتَّا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ، وَمَا أَنَاْ عَلَيْكُمْ
بِوَكِيْلٍ ﴿١٨) وَاتَّبِعُ مَا يُؤْخَّى إِلَيْكَ وَاصِبِرُ حَتَّى يَحُكُمَ اللَّهُعِـ
وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الَحْكِمِيْنَ ﴿١٠٩)
Say, "O people, the truth has come to you from your
Lord. So, whoever accepts guidance accepts it to his
own benefit, and whoever goes astray does so to his
own detriment. And I am not responsible for you." [108]
And follow what is being revealed to you, and be pa-
tient until Allah gives His judgment, and He is the best
of judges. [109]
Alhamdulillah
The commentary on
Surah Yunus
Ends here.
*Mushriks: those who associate partners to the divinity of Allah.

593
Surah Hud : 11 : 1 - 5
Surah Hud
Surah Hud is Makki and it has 123 Verses and 10 Sections
Verses 1 - 5
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
With the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Very Merciful
الَرَ كِتَبْ أُحُكِمَتْ أيْتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِنْ لَّدُنْ حَكِيْمِ خَبِيْرٍ
الَّ تَعْبُدُوْا إِلَّ اللَّهُ إِنَّنِىُ لَكُمْ مِنْهُ نَذِيْرٌ وَبَشِئٌْ ﴿٢﴾ وَآنٍ
اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُؤْرُوا إِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُمْ مَتَاعًا حَسَنَا الَّى
اَجَلٍ تُسَمَّى وَيُؤْتِ كُلَّ ذِى فَضْلٍ فَضْلَةَ﴾ وَإِنُ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنٌِّ
آَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ كَبِيْرٍ ﴿٣﴾ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ وَهُوَ
عَلَى كُلِّ شَهْىٍ قَدِيُوٌ ﴿٤﴾ آَلَّ إِنَّهُمْ يَثْنُوْنَ صُدُوْرَهُمْ
لِيَسْتَخْفُؤْا مِنْهُ، الَحِيْنَ يَسْتَغْشُوْنَ ثِيَابَهُمْ " يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِتُّونَ
وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ ، إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
Alif, Lam, Ra. (This is) a book the verses of which have
been made firm, then elaborated by a Being All Wise,
All Aware, [1] (with an order) that you worship none but
Allah - surely, I am for you a warner from Him, and a
bearer of glad tidings [2] - and that you seek forgiveness
from your Lord, then, turn to Him in repentance. He
shall, then, provide you with good things to enjoy for a
given time, and bestow His added grace on everyone of
excellence. And if you turn away, then, I fear for you
the punishment of a great day. [3] To Allah is your re-
turn and He is powerful over everything. [4] Beware,
they bend their chests to hide from Him. Beware, when
they make their clothes a cover, He knows what they
hide and what they expose. Surely, He is All Aware of
what lies in the hearts. [5]

594
Surah Hud : 11 : 1 - 5
Commentary
Surah Hud is among the Surahs that describe the coming of several
kinds of mass punishments triggered by Divine displeasure as well as
the horrendous happenings of the fateful day of Judgement and its
outcome in the form of individual reward and punishment, all in a
manner that is unique.
For this reason, when a few strands of hair in the blessed beard of
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had turned visibly grey, Sayyidna Abu
Bakr Le Algo, expressed his concern by saying: 'Ya Rasulallah, you
have become old.' He said: 'Yes, Surah Hud has made me old.' There
are reports which also add Surah al-Waqi'ah, al-Mursalat, 'Amma Ya-
tasa'alun (an-Naba') and at-Takwir with Surah Hud. (Reported by al-Hakim
and Tirmidhi)
The sense articulated through the Hadith given above was to high-
light that such was the awe and terror inspired by the mention of
these happenings that it caused the emergence of the signs of old age.
The first verse of the Surah opens with the letters: JI (alif, lam, ra).
These are isolated letters the meaning of which is a secret between Al-
lah Ta'ala and His Rasul. Others have not been informed about it.
Rather, they have been prohibited from even worrying about it.
After that, about the Holy Qur'an it was said that it was a book the
verses of which are made 'muhkam' (firm). The word: S __. (muhkam) is
from: (ihkam) which means such a correct balancing of meaningful
speech as would not leave the probability of any error or disorder in
word or meaning. Based on this definition, the making of these verses
'muhkam,' firm or established would mean that Allah Ta'ala has made
these verses such as do not admit of any likelihood and probability of
any error in words, or disorder in meanings, or defect, or falsity.
(Qurțubi)
And Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas Uly, has said that
'muhkam' (firm) at this place stands in contrast to 'mansukh'
(abrogated). And the sense is that Allah Ta'ala has made the verses of
the Qur'an as a whole firm, non-abrogated - that is, the way earlier
Books, Torah, Injil etc. were abrogated after the revelation of the
Qur'an. But, after the revelation of this Book, since the very chain of
the coming of prophets and revelations came to an end, therefore, this

595
Surah Hud : 11 : 1 - 5
Book will not be abrogated until the last day of Qiyamah. (Qurtubi) As
for the abrogation of some verses of the Qur'an through the Qur'an it-
self, it is not contrary to this.
In the same verse, given there was another standing feature of the
Qur'an: dias (thumma fussilat) that is, 'then these verses were elabo-
rated'. The real meaning of tafsil or elaboration is to separate two
things and make them distinct from each other. For this reason, differ-
ent sections in ordinary (Arabic) books bear the heading of 'Fasl'. At
this place, the elaboration of verses could also mean that the verses
concerning beliefs, acts of worship, dealings, social living, morals etc.
have been separated from each other and described clearly.
And it could also mean that, as far as Allah Ta'ala's will is con-
cerned, the entire Qur'an had already been embedded in the Preserved
Tablet (al-lawh al-mahfuz). But, later it was revealed bit by bit in
many installments as necessitated under different conditions prevail-
ing among peoples and countries, so that its preservation could become
easy and acting in accordance with it also turns out to be functionally
convenient.
After that, it was said: 26 253 3253, that is, all these verses have
come from a Sacred Being who is absolutely and simultaneously Wise
and Aware. In other words, there are so many considerations of wis-
dom ingrained in everything that issues forth from Him. It is impossi-
ble for human beings to encompass them all. Then He is fully aware of
every particle, present now or to be present in the future, of this multi-
faceted universe. He knows all states of their existence as it is and as
it will be and releases His commands keeping all this in sight. This is
not like what human beings do. No matter how intelligent, smart and
experienced they may be, their reason and vision are still cordoned by
a limited frame of reference. Their experience is the product of what is
around them. And this, mostly, proves to be unsuccessful, even wrong,
especially when it concerns what would happen in the future under
different times and conditions. (Interestingly enough, the observations of the
commentator apply to what we now know as the intellectual phenomena of Futurology
with its pundits, fellow travelers and dabblers all over the world, including Pakistan!
- tr.).
From the second verse begins the delineation of one of the most im-
portant and foremost themes, that of Tauhid, the Oneness of Allah