Indexed OCR Text

164
Surah Yusuf : 12 : 101
لاَ تَسُجُدُوا لِلشَّمُسِ وَلاَ لِلْقَمَرِ :lah. If done, it is Haram. The Holy Qur'an has said
(prostrate not to the Sun and the Moon ... - 41:37). And in Hadith, it is
said that Sayyidna Mu'adh 4
6, when he went to Syria, saw local Chris-
tians prostrating to their parents. After his return from there, he started
making a prostration before the Holy Prophet
. He asked him not to
do that. He said: If I were to take prostration before anyone as permis-
sible, I would have told a wife to prostrate before her husband. Similar-
ly, when Sayyidna Salman al-Farisi 4
wished to prostrate to him, he
said:
لاَ تَسُجُدُلِىُ يَا سَلْمَانُ وَاسْجُدُ لِلْحَيّ الَّذِىُ لاَ يَمُوتُ
Do not prostrate to me, O Salman, instead, prostrate to the Ev-
er-Living who would never die. (Ibn Kathir)
This tells us that a prostration done as a token of respect for the
Holy Prophet
is not permissible. With that being the truth, how can it
become permissible if done before a saint, or an elder or pir?
3. From: ◌ُهذَا تَأُويُلُ رُءُ يَاىَ مِنْ قَبْل (here is the fulfillment of my early dream -
100), we learn that the fulfillment of the interpretation of a dream could
sometimes take a long time to materialize - as it was in the present case
when it manifested itself after forty, or eighty, years. (Ibn Jarir & Ibn
Kathir)
4. The words: قَدُ أَحُسَنَ بى (He favoured me - 100) said by Sayyidna
Yusuf &del prove that if a person after having been suffering from a dis-
ease or disaster, finds him or her delivered from it, then, following the
traditional way of prophets, he or she must show gratitude to Allah for
this deliverance, and forget about any remembrance of that disease or
disaster.
5. From the statement : ◌ُإِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِمَايَشَآء (Surely, my Lord does what
He wills, in a subtle way - 100), we learn that, when Allah Ta'ala intends
to do something, He has His subtle ways of arranging things and causes
secretly in a manner that no one can get the slightest inkling about it.
6. The words of prayer: Lu 's (Make me die a Muslim - 101) refer
to the prayer of Sayyidna Yusuf Med in which he has wished to die while
adhering to his Belief and Faith ('Iman and Islam). This tells us that to
make a du'a' for death under particular conditions is not prohibited. And

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 102 - 109
as for the prohibition of wishing for death in sound and authentic Aha-
dith, the purpose there is to tell people that it is not correct to go about
asking for death just because of depression from worldly hardships or
simple lack of patience. The Holy Prophet
has said: Let no one ask for
death because of some hardship. If one has to say something like that,
let him say: Ya Allah, keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and
give me death when death is better for me.'
Verses 102 - 109
ذُلِكَ مِنُ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيُّهِ إِلَيْكَ، وَمَا كُنُتَ لَدَيُهمُ إِذُ أَجْمَعُوْآ
أَمْرَهُمُ وَهُمْ يَمْكُرُونَ ﴿١٠٢) وَمَآ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصُتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
﴿١٠٣)﴾ وَمَا تَسْئَلُهُمُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجُرٍ ، إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ ذِكْرٌ لِلْعُلَمِينَ ﴿١٢)
وَكَآَيِّنُ مِّنْ آيَةٍ فِى السَّمَوْتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّوُنَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمُ عَنْهَا
مُعُرِضُونَ ﴿١٠٥) وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمُ بِاللّهِ إِلاَّ وَهُمْ مُشْرَكُونَ ﴿١٠٦﴾
أَفَامِنُوْآ أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ غَاشِيَةٌ مِّنُ عَذَابِ اللهِ أَوْتَأْنِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَّهُمُ
لاَيَشْعُرُوُنَ ﴿١٠٧) قُلُ هذِهِ سَبِيِِّىُ اَدْعُوْا إِلَى اللهِ نَفْ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا
وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِىٌ * وَسُبُحْنَ اللهِ وَمَآ أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ ﴿١٠٨) وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا
مِنْ قَبِّلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوُحِىٌّ ◌ِلَيْهِمْ مِنُ أَهْلِ الْقُرِّىء ◌َفَلَمُ يَسِيرُوا فِى
الْأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوْا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمُ ﴿ وَلَدَارُ الْآخِرَةِ
خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوُا ﴿ أَفَلاَ تَعُقِلُونَ ﴿١٠٩﴾
That is a part of the reports of the unseen We reveal to
you. And you were not there before them when they
determined their object and they were planning
devices. [102]
And most of the people are not going to believe, even
though you long for it. [103] And you do not ask of them a
reward for it. It is nothing but a lesson for all the
(people of the) worlds. [104]
How many a sign there is in the heavens and the Earth

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 102 - 109
which they pass by and they are heedless to it. [105] And
most of them do not believe in Allah without associating
partners with Him. [106]
Do they feel secure from that there comes to them
Allah's enveloping punishment or that there comes to
them the Hour suddenly while they are not conscious of
it? [107]
Say, "This is my way. I call (people) to Allah with full
cognition - myself and my followers. And pure is Allah.
And I am not among the Mushriks *. " [108]
And We did not send before you (messengers) other than
men from the people of the towns whom We inspired
with revelation. Have they not travelled in the land
where they would have seen how was the fate of those
before them? And surely the abode of the Hereafter is
much better for those who fear Allah. Would you, then,
still not understand? [109]
Commentary
After a full description of the story of Sayyidna Yusuf ,
first to
come in the verses cited above is an address to the Holy Prophet
..
3.
That is a part of the reports of the unseen We reveal) مِنُ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيُهِ إِلَيْكَ
to you), and that 'you were not there with the brothers of Yusuf when
they had decided to throw Sayyidna Yusuf See into the well and were
making plans for it.'
The purpose of choosing to say this is that the very act of the Holy
Prophet
in describing this story of Sayyidna Yusuf Sa
correctly and
in full details is a clear proof of his being a prophet and recepient of reve-
lation. The reason is that this story dates back to thousands of years be-
fore his time. Neither was he present there on the scene to have de-
scribed it as an eye witness, nor was he ever taught by anyone to have
consulted books of history, or heard it from a teacher and described it.
Therefore, there is no way he could have known it in the manner he did
except that it be Divine revelation itself.
At this place, the Holy Qur'an has considered it sufficient to say that
'you were not there.' It has not deemed it necessary to mention that this
information did not come to him through another person or book because
*. Those who associate partners with Allah

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 102 - 109
the whole Arabia knew that the Holy Prophet was an Ummiyy - that
is, he did not learn to read and write from anyone. And also known to
everyone was that he had lived his whole life in Makkah al-Mu'azzamah.
He did make one of his trips to Syria with his uncle Abu Talib, a trip in
which he came back home while still enroute. The second trip he made
was for business. He finished his work there and returned in a few days.
In this trip too, there was no chance of his meeting some scholar or going
to an educational institution. Therefore, at this place, it was not consi-
dered necessary to mention it. And at another occasion in the Holy
مَاكُنْتَ تَعُلَمُهَا أَنْتَ وَلاَ قَوُمُكَ مِنْ قَبْل :Qur'an this too was further clarified by saying
úb , that is, 'you did not know them (events) before this (the revelation of
the Qur'an), neither you nor your people -11:49"
Imam Al-Baghawi has said that the Jews and the Quraysh had
joined hands to test the veracity of the Holy Prophet $5. For this pur-
pose, they had asked the Holy Prophet to tell them everything about
Sayyidna Yusuf & as it had happened to him, if he was true in his
claim of prophethood. When he told them what he had learnt through Di-
vine revelation, they still remained sticking to their disbelief and denial.
This shocked the Holy Prophet
Thereupon, said in the next verse
was: 'And most of the people are not going to believe' - even though, the
proofs of his being a prophet were clear, and even if he himself longed for
it, or tried his best. The sense of the statement is: 'Your duty is to spread
the call and seek the betterment of people. That you succeed in it is not
in your control nor is this your responsibility nor should you grieve over
it.'
After that it was said: ◌َوَمَا تَسْئَلُهُمُ عَلَيْهِ مِنُ أَجُر إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ ذِكُرٌ لِلْعَلَمِين ,that is, your
mission is to tell them the truth and call them to the straight path. For
this you do not ask them to give you something in return - which could
have caused them to find it difficult to listen to him or follow him. In
fact, what you are telling them is for their own good. It is only an advice
to heed to and a lesson to learn from. And it is for everyone. The text
here also carries a hint to the effect: When the purpose behind your ef-
fort is no worldly gain, in fact it is nothing but the reward of the Hereaft-
er and the betterment of your people, then, that purpose of yours already
stands achieved. Why would you then grieve over it?

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 102 - 109
Then, in verse 105, the attitude of the disbelievers is portrayed by
saying:
وَكَاَيِّنُ مِّنْ أَةٍ فِى السَّمُوْتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّوُنَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمُ عَنُهَا مُعُرِضُونَ
How many a sign there is in the heavens and the Earth which
they pass by and they are heedless to it.
The sense is that these people are not of the kind who would simply not
listen to a well-wisher out of their obstinacy. They are worse. They
would not even learn from the very open signs of the perfect power of
Allah Ta'ala visible to them all the time, yet keep passing by them with-
out paying any attention and without wondering whose signs they were.
These signs of Divine wisdom and power are widely spread out and
many in number. Out of these are many signs which remind people of
punishments which descended upon past peoples, and they themselves
see their overturned habitations, but they would still refuse to learn
their lesson.
This was a description of people who simply did not believe in the ex-
istence of Allah Ta'ala, the great Creator, and in His wisdom and power.
Mentioned next are those who do believe in Allah as the Creator, but
also associate other things as partners in His Divinity. It was said:
وَمَا يُؤُ مِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللّهِ إِلاَّ وَهُمُ مُشْرِكُوْنَ
And most of them do not believe in Allah without associating
partners with Him - 106.
It means that those of them who profess a belief in Allah would do so by
lacing it with Shirk. They would suggest others as partners in the attrib-
utes of knowledge and power which are exclusive for Allah Ta'ala -
which is rank injustice, and ignorance.
Ibn Kathir has said that included under the sense of this verse are
Muslims who, despite having 'Iman, are involved with different kinds of
Shirk. According to the Musnad of Ahmad, the Holy Prophet
said:
The most dangerous of things I apprehend for you is the small Shirk.
When the Sahabah asked as to what could that be, he said: Hypocricy is
the small Shirk. Similarly, swearing by someone or something other
than Allah has been called Shirk in another Hadith. (Ibn Kathir from
Tirmidhi) Vows and offerings (Mannat and Niyaz) in the name of anyone

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Sūrah Yusuf : 12 : 102 - 109
other than Allah is also included under it, on which there is a consensus
of Muslim jurists.
After that, in verse 107, questioned and deplored is their heedless-
ness and ignorance as to how could these people, despite their denial
and rebellion, become so carefree of the possibility that there may come
on them some punishment from Allah which overtakes them from all
sides, or that the fateful Hour of the Day of Doom itself descends upon
them all of a sudden while they are not ready for it?
In verse 108, the Holy Prophet
has been asked to state his position
before these people:
قُلُ هُذِهٍ سَبَيْلِىٌّ اَدْعُوًّا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَفَ عَلَى بَصِيْرَةٍ آَتَأُ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِىُ ﴿ وَسُبُحْنَ اللَّهِ وَمَآ أَنَا مِنَ
الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ ۔
"Say, (you believe it or not) 'This is my way. I call (people) to
Allah with full cognition - myself and my followers. And pure is
Allah. And I am not among the associators - 108."
It means that the da wah of the Holy Prophet
is not based on
some summary view of things, instead, it is the outcome of insight, rea-
son and wisdom. In this act of 'full cognition,' the Holy Prophet
ghasin-
cluded his followers as well. According to Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas
it refers to the noble Sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them all.
They are the soldiers of Allah subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Sayyidna 'Abdullah
ibn Mas'ud
said: The Sahabah of the Holy Prophet
are the best
people of this whole Ummah. Their hearts are pure and their knowledge
is deep. They are far removed from formality. Allah Ta'ala has chosen
them to accompany and serve their Rasul. You should learn their mo-
rals, habits and ways because they are the ones who are on the straight
path.
It is also possible to take the expression : مَن اتبعَنِى (and my followers) in
the general sense whereby it would mean every person who is doing the
duty of conveying the da wah of the Rasul of Allah to his Ummah right
through the last day of the Qiyamah. According to Kalbi and Ibn Zayd,
this verse also makes it necessary for one who claims to follow the Holy
Prophet
that he should spread his da wah among people and make
the teaching of the Qur'an available to all. (Mazhari)

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 102 - 109
The last sentence of verse 108 is: ◌َسُبُحْنَ اللَّهِ وَمَآ أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِين (And pure is
Allah [that is, free from Shirk]. And I am not among the Mushriks [that
is, not of those who practice Shirk]). Since, a little earlier, mention was
made that there are people who, when they profess belief in Allah, would
mix it up with Shirk, whether open or padded or concealed. Therefore,
he has declared that he has absolutely nothing to do with Shirk. The gist
of what has been said here is: My da wah does not aim at inviting people
to become my servants. In fact, I myself am, also a servant of Allah - and
it is this kind of servitude, servitude to none but Him, that I invite peo-
ple to. However, since I am the dat (the original maker of this call), it is
obligatory that faith be put in me.
To this, the disbelievers of Makkah used to object. They took the plea
that a Rasul or messenger of Allah should not be a human being. He
should, rather, be an angel. A reply to this doubt has been given in the
next verse where it was said: وَمَآ أَرُسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً تُّوُحِىٌّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ آَهُلِ الْقُرى : It
means that their thinking that it is an angel who should be the messen-
ger and prophet of Allah and that a human being cannot occupy this sta-
tion is baseless and ineffectual. Quite contrary to this, the case is just
the reverse - that is, for human beings, a prophet of Allah has always
been a human being. Nevertheless, he is distinct from human beings in
general in that the Wahy and message of Allah Ta'ala comes to him di-
rectly. It is never the outcome of an individual effort or act by anyone. It
is always Allah Ta'ala Himself who would choose from among his ser-
vants the one who, in His knowledge and judgement, is the fittest for
this mission. And this selection is based on particular attributes of per-
sonal excellence which are not found among human beings at large.
Onwards from here, there is an admonition to those who contravene
the instructions given by the maker of the call on behalf of Allah (dat),
and invite the wrath and punishment of Allah upon them. It was said:
أَفَلَمُ يَسِيرُوا فِى الْأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمُ ﴿ وَلَدَ ارُالْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ
لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا ﴿ أَفَلاَ تَعُقِلُوَنَ
Have they not travelled in the land where they would have
seen how was the fate of those before them? And surely the
abode of the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allah.
Would you, then, still not understand? - 109

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 102 - 109
and continue to prefer the short-lived comfort of the present world over
the everlasting and perfect blessings and comforts of the 'Akhirah.
Rules and Guidance
The Difference between the News of the Unseen and the
Knowledge of the Unseen
1. The statement : ◌َذلِكَ مِنُ أَنْبَّاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيُّهِ إِلَيُك (That is a part of the reports
of the unseen We reveal to you - 102) has appeared in the same words in
verse 44 of Surah Al-'Imran in the context of the story of Sayyidah Mar-
yam, that is: ◌َذُلِكَ مِنُ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيُهِ إِلَيُك (That is a part of the reports of the un-
seen We reveal to you - 3:44). Then, with a slight change, the same state-
ment appears in verse 49 of Surah Hud where it is related to the story of
Sayyidna Nub تِلُكَ مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيُهَا إِلَيْكَ: العَليّة (These are reports from the un-
seen [events] which We reveal to you - 11:49).
From these verses we learn that Allah Ta'ala communicates to his
prophets many a news of the unseen through Way (revelation). He has
particularly blessed our Rasul 25, known as the Head of all the messen-
gers, with a special portion of the news from the unseen, which is more
than that which has been given to all past prophets. This is the reason
why the Holy Prophet
has informed the Muslim Ummah of many
events due to happen right through the day of Qiyamah, either briefly,
or in details. All Ahadith given in the Kitab al-Fitan of Hadith books are
full of them.
Since common people take the Knowledge of the Unseen ('Ilm
al-Ghayb) only in the sense that a person somehow gets to become aware
of the news of the unseen, and this quality is found at its best in the
Holy Prophet
, therefore, they think that the Holy Prophet
was
'Alim al-Ghayb (knower of the Unseen). But, the Holy Qur'an has de-
clared in very clear words that : ◌ُلاَيَعُلَمُ مَنْ فِى السَّمَوْتِ وَالْأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلاَّ اللَّه (No one in
the heavens, or on the Earth, knows the unseen except Allah - 27:65)
which proves that no one, other than Allah Ta'ala, can be called the
'Alim al-Ghayb or the Knower of the Unseen. The 'Ilm of al-Ghayb (the
knowledge of the unseen) is the unique attribute of Allah Ta'ala. Taking
an apostle, messenger, prophet or angel as a sharer in this attribute
amounts to equating him with Allah, and is what the Christians do, who
declare a Rasul to be the son of God, and a partner in Godhead. The

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 110 - 111
verses of the Holy Qur'an quoted here make the truth of the matter very
clear. It stands settled that the 'Ilm of al-Ghayb (the knowledge of the
unseen) is an exclusive attribute of Allah Ta'ala and the only 'Alim
al-Ghayb ( the Knower of the Unseen) is Allah jalla thand'uh Himself.
However, there are many news of the unseen which Allah Ta'ala does
give to his messengers through the medium of Wahy (revelation). This,
in the terminology of the Holy Qur'an, is not known as the 'Ilm of
al-Ghayb (the knowledge of the unseen). Since common people do not
understand this fine difference, they tend to take the news of the unseen
as the knowledge of the unseen. This is why when one adheres to the ter-
minology of the Qur'an and asserts that no one, other than Allah, can
claim to know what is unseen, they would prefer to differ, rather than ac-
cept truth as it is.
Messengers are from Men
2. From the word: yú., (rijalan : men) in verse 109:
وَمَآ أَرُسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوْحِىٌّ إِلَيْهِمُ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرْى
And We did not send before you [messengers] other than men
from the people of the towns - 109,
we learn that messengers are always men. A woman cannot become a
nabiyy (prophet) and rasul (messenger).
Imam Ibn Kathir has reported the consensus of 'Ulama' that Allah
Ta'ala has not made any woman a nabiyy or rasul. Some 'Ulama' have
identified some women as being a nabiyy or prophet, for example, Sayyi-
dah Sarah, the wife of Sayyidna Ibrahim &, the mother of Sayyidna
Musa Nel and Sayyidah Maryam, the mother of Sayyidna 'Isa Sal. The
reason is that there are particular words in the Holy Qur'an about these
three respected women which give the impression that angels talked to
them as Divinely commanded, gave them good news, or they themselves
came to know something through the medium of Divine revelation. But
the majority of 'Ulama, though they do accept that the words of such
verses prove that these respected women had a high spiritual rank in
the sight of Allah Ta'ala, but, according to them, these words are not suf-
ficient as proofs of their being prophets and messengers.
Messengers are from Towns
3. The expression: أَهْل الْقُرى (men from the people of the towns) appear-

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Sūrah Yusuf : 12 : 110 - 111
ing in the verse quoted immediately above tells us that Allah Ta'ala
sends his messengers generally from among those who live in cities and
towns. Messengers are not from among those who reside in the country-
side and forest lands - because the dwellers of these habitations are gen-
erally rustic, hard and less perfect in comprehension and understanding.
(Ibn Kathir, Qurțubi & others)
Verses 110 - 111
حَتَّىّ إِذَا اسْتَيْئَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُوا أَنَّهُمُ قَدْكُذِبُوْا جَآءَهُمُ نَصُرُنَا
فَنُجِّىَ مَنُ نَّشَآءُ ﴿ وَلاَ يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُحُرِمِينَ ﴿١١٠) لَقَدُ
كَانَ فِىُ قَصَصِهِمُ عِبْرَةٌ لِأُولِى الْأَلْبَابِ ﴿ مَا كَانَ حَدِيْنًا يُفْتَرِى
وَلَكِنُ تَصْدِيْقَ الَّذِىُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيْلَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَّهُدَى وَّرَحُمَةً
لِّقَوْمِ يُّؤُ مِنُونَ (٢٦)
(Punishment was often delayed) until when the messen-
gers were in despair and thought that they were wrong
in their estimation, Our help came to them, then saved
were those whom We willed. And Our punishment is not
averted from the guilty. [110]
Surely, in the narratives of these, there is a lesson for
the people of understanding. It is not an invented story,
rather, a confirmation of what has been before it, and
an elaboration of everything, and guidance and mercy
for a people who believe. [111]
Commentary
Mentioned in the previous verses was the sending of prophets who in-
vited people to take the straight path, and also answered there were
some doubts about them. Then, people were admonished that they do
not take into consideration the sad end they would face as a result of
their antagonism towards prophets of Allah. Only if they were to pay
some attention and look around and read signs from ruined cities and
the history of lost places they pass by, they would find out how harsh
has been the sad end of those who had opposed the blessed prophets,
and that too, right here in this world. The habitation of the people of

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 110 - 111
Sayyidna Lutaşı
was overturned upside down. The people of 'Ad and
Thamud were destroyed through various punishments. And the punish-
ment of the Hereafter, that is far more severe.
Then, towards the end, they were instructed that the pain and pleas-
ure of the present life is, after all, very short-lived. One 's real concern
should be about the life to come, the 'Akhirah, the Hereafter, where one
shall stay for ever, and where the pain, or pleasure, too shall be eternal.
So, it was made clear that a good end of life in the 'Akhirah depends on
Taqwa, the fear of Allah and the abstention from sins, and which, in a
nutshell, means that one should strictly adhere to all commandments of
the Shari'ah.
Since the purpose in the previous verses was to warn people of the
time by telling them to take their lesson from what had happened to
past prophets and their communities, therefore, in the next verse (110),
one of their doubts was removed. The doubt they had was about the
warnings of Divine punishment given by the Holy Prophet #g. They were
hearing about it from him for a long time, but they did not see any pun-
ishment coming upon them. This made them all the more daring. If
there was some punishment to come, it would have come by now, they
thought. Therefore, it was said that Allah Ta'ala, in His mercy and wis-
dom, would often keep giving respite to erring and sinning people - and
this respite, at times, could also become fairly long. That is why contuma-
cious people become more daring and aggressive which causes a certain
anxiety to prophets. So, it was said:
حَتّى إِذَا اسْتَيَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُوا أَنَّهُمُ قَدُ كُذِبُوْا جَآءَ هُمُ نَصُرُنَا ( فَتُحِّىَ مَنُ نَّشَآءُ ﴿ وَلاَ
يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِيْنَ
(Punishment was often delayed) until when the messengers
were in despair and thought that they were wrong in their
estimation, Our help came to them, then saved were those
whom We willed. And Our punishment is not averted from the
guilty - 110).
To explain it in detail, it can be said, that: 'The disbelieving and dis-
obedient people of past communities were given long respites, until
when, because of the punishment not coming upon them, the messengers
were in despair over the possibility that the punishment of Allah will not
come upon such people and truth will not manifest itself in the manner

175
Surah Yusuf : 12 : 110 - 111
and at the time they had hoped it to be, and thought that, while deter-
mining the time of the Divine promise, they were wrong in their estima-
tion - that Allah Ta'ala had not told them of a definite time, and the time
was fixed by them as based on particular signs. It was in this state of de-
spair that Our help came to them, that is, the punishment on disbeliev-
ers came as promised, then saved from the punishment were those
'whom We willed (that is, believers in prophets were saved and disbeliev-
ers were destroyed) because Our punishment is not averted from the
guilty,' instead, it does come upon them, therefore, the disbelievers of
Makkah should not be in any doubt about a delay in the punishment
due. [Bayan al-Qur'an: Gist of Tafsir by Maulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi]
The word: ''5 (kudhibu : were wrong) in verse 110 has been read as
in the well-known reading (Qira'at) of the Qur'an - and the Tafsir
(exegesis or explanation) which we have chosen to follow is the one
which is most sound and free from doubts. The essential sense of the
word: ''us (kudhibu) is to find one 's estimation or thinking as being
wrong, which is a kind of Ijtihadi mistake (as based on personal
opinion), and some such Ijtihadi mistake can issue forth from the
blessed prophets. However, there is a difference between prophets le
).JI and other mujtahids, that is, when some Ijtihadi mistake issues
forth from the prophets JI Je, Allah Ta'ala would not let them stay
by that mistake, rather, He would make them become aware of it and
enable them to see reality clearly. Other mujtahids do not occupy this
station. The event of the Peace Pact of Hudaibiyah associated with the
Holy Prophet
is sufficient as proof on this subject - because it has
been stated in the Holy Qur'an that this event is based on the dream
which was seen by the Holy Prophet
. He had seen that he was doing
the Tawaf of the Baytullah with his Sahabah - and the dream of the
blessed prophets is also an imperative form of revelation - therefore, the
happening of this event became certain. But, in the dream itself, no
particular time or duration was identified for it. The Holy Prophet
according to his estimation, thought that it would happen the same year.
So, he announced it before his Sahabah and taking a good number of
them with him left for Makkah al-Mu'azzamah for their 'Umra. But, the
Quraysh confronted them enroute and they could not avail of their
intended Tawaf and 'Umra. In fact, the full manifestation (of the dream)
came to unfold itself two years later, in the Hijrah year 8, in the form of

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 110 - 111
the Conquest of Makkah. And from this event, it became apparent that
the dream he had seen was true and certain. But, the time for it which,
by signs or estimation, the Holy Prophet
' had taken as the time, was
not what it actually was - but that mistake was compensated right then.
Similarly, the expression: (A& & (qad kudhibu : were wrong) in the
verse under reference also carries the same sense, that is, the punish-
ment which was to come upon the disbelievers was delayed while the
prophets had estimated a time for it in their minds. When this punish-
ment did not come at that time, they thought that they had made a mis-
take in determining the time for it. This Tafsir has been reported from
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas 4e. 'Allama Al-Tibi has said that this re-
port is Şahin (sound) because it has been mentioned in the Şahin of
Al-Bukhārī. (Mazharī)
In some readings (Qira'aat) of the Qur'an, this word has appeared
with a doubled sound on the letter: Jis (dhal), that is: '' uf (qad kudhd-
hibu) as well. This word has been derived from the verbal noun:
(takdhib : falsification). Given this reading, the sense would be: The
prophets had determined an estimated time when the punishment
would come, but when the punishment did not come at that time, they
had apprehensions about their believers themselves, lest they should not
falsifying them on the basis that their statement did not turn out to be
true. These were the circumstances under which Allah Ta'ala made His
promise prove true, punishment fell on the deniers, believers were saved
from it, and thus, overcome they did.
In the opening statement of the last verse of the Surah, it was said:
لَقَدُ كَانَ فِىُ قَصَصِهَمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِأُولِى الْأَلْبَابِ
Surely, in the narratives of these, there is lesson for the people
of understanding - 111.
This statement may be pointing to the stories of all prophets (>Jade
in the Qur'an and also to the particular story of Sayyidna Yusuf Sel
which has been narrated in this Surah - because, through this later
event, it has become absolutely clear that the obedient servants of Allah
are supported and helped in so many ways when they are taken out from
a deep well and made to sit on a high throne and are rescued from the
threat of disgrace all the way to the zenith of the finest in grace and hon-
-- ---
......

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Surah Yusuf : 12 : 110 - 111
our, not to mention the practitioners of ill-will and deception who ulti-
mately end up in sheer shame.
Said next is:
مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرِى وَلَكِنُ تَصْدِيُقَ الَّذِىُ بَيْنَ يَدَیُهِ
It is not an invented story, rather, a confirmation of what has
been before it ... ,
that is, of the books revealed before it - because, this story of Sayyidna
Yusuf (Joseph) del has been mentioned in the Torah and the Injil as
well. And Hadrat Wahb ibn Munabbih says: There is no Scripture which
does not have the story of Sayyidna Yusuf See in it. (Mazhari)
وَتَفُصِيُلَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَهُدَّى وَّرَحُمَةً :And in the last sentence of the verse, it is said
(A , that is, this Qur'an is 'an elaboration of everything' (which
means that the Qur'an has details of everything which human beings
need in religion - in fields like 'Ibadat (worship of Allah), dealings, mo-
rals, social living, government, politics and many others, including in-
junctions and instructions about all individual and collective concerns of
human life - they are all there).
Then, it was said that this Qur'an is 'guidance and mercy for a peo-
ple who believe.' The restriction of those who have 'Iman or Faith has
been placed here because its benefit can be enjoyed by only those who be-
lieve. It goes without saying that, though the Qur'an is nothing but
mercy and guidance for disbelievers as well, but it is due to their own
misconduct and disobedience that this mercy and guidance has become
heavy and unwholesome for them.
Shaykh Abu al-Mansur has said: The purpose behind the whole
Surah Yusuf and the story of Sayyidna Yusuf Seal narrated therein is to
comfort the Holy Prophet . All this is to tell him that his sufferings at
the hands of his people have been the lot of past prophets too. But, in the
end, Allah Ta'ala enabled his prophets to overcome - and in his case too,
this is what was going to happen.
The Commentary
on
SŪRAH YUSUF
ends here.

181
Surah Al-Ra'd : 13 : 1 - 4
Surah Al-Ra'd
(The Thunder)
Surah al-Ra'd is Makki and it has 43 verses and 6 sections
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 4
الْمِّرْءَّدَ تِلُكَ أيْتُ الْكِتْبِ * وَالَّذِىّ أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ الْحَقُّ وَلَكِنَّ
اكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَيُؤُ مِنُونَ ﴿﴿ اللّهُ الَّذِىُ رَفَعَ السَّمُوْتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ
تَرَوْنَهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمُسَ وَالْفَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَّحُرِىُ
◌َِجَلٍ مُّسَمَّى ءُ يُدِيِرُ الْآَمُرَ يُفَصِّلُ الْأَيْتِ لَعَلَّكُمُ بِلِقَاءٍ رَبِّكُمُ تُوقِنُونَ
﴿٢﴾ وَهُوَ الَّذِىُ مَدَّ الْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيْهَا رَوَاسِىَ وَأَنْهُرَّاء وَمِنُ كُلِّ
الثَّمَرْتِ جَعَلَ فِيْهَا زَوُجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ يُغْشِى الَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ * إِنَّ فِىُ ذُلِكَ
لَأَيْتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿﴾ وَفِى الْأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَخُوِرْتٌ وَّجَنْتْ مِّنٌ
أَعْنَابٍ وَّزَرُعٌ وَّنَخِيُلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَّغَيْرُ صِنْوَانِ يُسُقَى بِمَآءٍ وَاحِدٍ ◌َ
وَّنُفَضِّلُ بَعُضَهَا عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِى الْأُكُلِ * إِنَّ فِىُ ذُلِكَ لَأَيْتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ
يَعُقِلُونَ ﴿٤﴾
Alif, Lam, Mim, Ra. These are the verses of the Book.
And what has been sent down to you from your Lord is
true, but most of the people do not believe. [1]

182
Surah Al-Ra'd : 13 : 1 - 4
Allah is the One who raised the heavens without pillars.
You see them. Then He positioned Himself on the
Throne and subjugated the sun and the moon, each one
running to an appointed time. He manages all matters,
making the signs plain, so that you may be sure of meet-
ing your Lord. [2]
And He is the One who spread out the earth and made
mountains and rivers therein, and of all the fruits, He
created therein the pairs of two. He makes the night
cover the day. Surely, in that there are signs for a peo-
ple who think. [3]
And in the earth there are tracts of land neighboring
each other and gardens of grapes and farms and date
palms, having twin or single trunks, watered with one
water. And We make some better than others in taste.
Surely, in that there are signs for a people who under-
stand. [4]
Commentary
This Surah is Makki and it has a total of forty three verses. Men-
tioned in this Surah too there are subjects such as the truth and veracity
of the Holy Qur'an, Tauhid (Oneness of Allah), Risalah (Prophethood)
and answers to doubts raised about them.
The first group of letters: \JI (Alif, Lam, Mim, Ra) are Isolated Let-
ters (Al-Huruf al-Mugatta'at) the meaning of which are known to Allah
Ta'ala alone. The Ummah has not been informed of its meaning. It is not
appropriate for the Muslim Ummah at large to indulge in investigations
about them.
The first verse says that the Holy Qur'an is Divine Word, and that it
is true. The word, KJ ( Al-Kitab: The Book) means the Qur'an, and it
الَّذِىِّ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبّكَ ,is possible that the expression which follows it, that is
(And what has been sent down to you from your Lord) might as well
mean the Qur'an itself. But, the connective (the waw of 'atf translated as
الَّذِىُ أُنْزِلَ إِلَيكَ Al-Kitab: The Book) and) الكِتَاب And') obviously requires that
(what has been sent down to you) should be two separate things. In that
case, Al-Kitab or The Book would signify the Qur'an and QUI JJJ
(what has been sent down to you) would mean the revelation (Wahy),
other than that of the Qur'an, which has been sent down to the Holy
Prophet
g - because, it goes without saying, that the revelation sent to

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Surah Al-Ra'd : 13 : 1 - 4
the Holy Prophet
is not restricted to the Qur'an alone. The Qur'anit-
self says: 53:3) وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ وَحُىٌّ يُوُحى) It means: Whatever the Holy
Prophet says, he does not say on his own, out of some desire of his; in-
stead, it is a message revealed to him from Allah Ta'ala. It proves that
the orders given by the Holy Prophet
other than those appearing in
the Qur'an, are also no other but those sent from Allah. The only differ-
ence between the two is that the Qur'an is recited (matluww) while the
later is not (ghayr matluww). The rationale for this difference is that the
meanings and the words of the Qur'an are both from Allah Ta'ala, while,
in the case of the rules of conduct (Ahkam) given by the Holy Prophet
in Hadith - in addition to those in the Qur'an - their meanings too are,
no doubt, revealed from Allah Ta'ala, but their words are not revealed
from Him. Therefore, they cannot be recited in Salah.
Thus, the verse comes to mean that the Qur'an and its injunctions
sent down to the Holy Prophet
are all true and in them there is no
room for doubt. But, most people, due to their lack of concern and deliber-
ation, do not come around to believe in them.
That Allah Ta'ala exists and that He is One has been emphasized in
the second verse. The proof stands obvious. Look at what has been creat-
ed and ponder over the matchless mastery with which everything was
created. One can come to only one conclusion that their maker has abso-
lute power over everything and that He controls all creations and uni-
verses as the master. It was said:
اَللّهُ الَّذِىُ رَفَعَ السَّمُوْتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا
Allah is the One who raised the heavens without pillars. You
see them.
On Seeing the Sky
It is generally said that the blue colour we see up is the colour of the
sky. But physicists say that we see it so because of the intermingling of
light and dark. Below, there is the light from the stars, and above, it is
dark. As a result, the onlooker outside sees it as blue, similar to the re-
flection of light on deep water which appears blue. There are verses of
the Qur'an where seeing the sky has been mentioned, as has been done
in this very verse which says: 47,5 (You see them), and the words appear-
ing in another verse (88:18) are: ◌ْوَإِلَى السَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَت (And do you not see)

184
Surah Al-Ra'd : 13 : 1 - 4
towards the sky as to how it has been raised - 88:18.)' First of all, the
scientific determination of physicists does not stand counter to it because
it is possible that the colour of the sky might as well be bluish, or may
have some other colour, but it is sighted as blue due to the admixture of
the dark behind and the light in between. Moreover, the possibility that
the colour of the sky is a component of the atmosphere cannot be re-
jected as supported by valid proof. Then, it is also possible that places
where 'seeing the sky' has been mentioned in the Qur'an, the expression
employed there may be legal and figurative aiming to establish that the
existence of the sky stands proved under decisive arguments and is as
good as seen. (Ruh al-Ma'ani)
After that, it was said:
ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ
Then He positioned Himself on the Throne ...
This mode of taking over the Seat of Power is beyond human compre-
hension. Understanding it is impossible. Here, it is sufficient to believe
that this state of Istiwa' or positioning on the 'Arsh' or Throne is someth-
ing matching with the Divine Status as due, and that is what is meant
here.
In the next sentence:وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمُسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَّحْرِئُ لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمَّى (and subjugated
the sun and the moon, each one running to an appointed time), the word:
translated as 'subjugated' means that they both are constantly doing
what they have been assigned to do. Thousands of years have gone by
but there never has been the least increase or decrease in their move-
ment, nor do they get tired, nor do they ever start doing something else
contrary to what they have been programmed to do. As for their 'running
to an appointed time,' it could also mean that both of them are moving
on to the same appointed time which stands determined as the final
term called Qiyamah or Doomsday for this entire world of our experi-
ence. Once they reach that stage in time, this whole system of theirs will
reach its end.
And it could also mean that Allah Ta'ala has determined a particu-
lar speed and orbit for every planet. It always keeps moving on its orbit
at the speed set for it. The Moon completes its orbit in one month and

185
Surah Al-Ra'd : 13 : 1 - 4
the Sun does it in a year.
Certainly mind-boggling is the very presence of these great planets.
Then, no less astonishing is the phenomena of their flawless functioning.
Here they are moving on a particular orbit maintaining a particular
speed precisely and perfectly for thousands of years in a state that their
machinery faces no wear and tear or breakage, nor does it require any
kind of greasing or servicing. Think of the revolutionary advancements
of science in human technology in our day. Can any human invention
around match this model? The truth is that it is impossible to locate
even a thousandth part of it anywhere in the world despite human inge-
nuity being at its highest pinnacle. This great system of nature is deliver-
ing a message, very loud and very clear. It is telling us that there certain-
ly is some Being who has made, moved and maintained this system, a
Being far beyond the reach of human perception and intelligence.
In Reality, It is Allah who Makes Things Work for Human Beings
while Their Role in It is Nominal
After that comes the powerful statement: WHY (He manages all
matters). If man so pleased with the ways and means which help make
things work for him were to open his eyes, he would realize that his
plans and measures could neither create nor make things in the real
sense. The outcome of all his efforts and workings is no more than get-
ting to learn how to make the best use of what has been created by Allah
Ta'ala.
Besides, even the system of harnessing what is universally available
for use is outside the ambit of power exercised by human beings. The rea-
son is that human beings depend on hundreds and thousands of others
like him, and on animals, and on many other live and inert members of
Divine creation. These they cannot put on their jobs just by dint of their
plans and efforts. This is the function of the Divine power. It has linked
up everything, as if in a chain, and in a way that everything gets to be
drawn into the desired action. You need to build a house. You find a
whole range of servers from the architect to the builder and the finisher,
hundreds of human beings offering their career and craft all set to an-
swer your call. You need building materials. They lie stacked in stores
and shops ready to be delivered where you want them. Was it within
your power and control to assemble all these things on your own just by

186
Surah Al-Ra'd : 13 : 1 - 4
the brute force of your money or measures and, on top of it, commission
all those human beings into your service? Let us part with your individu-
al example at this point. The fact is that this system cannot be estab-
lished and activated through the force of law, even by the mightiest of
the mighty government anywhere in the world. There is no doubt about
the fact that the logistic support of this viably running universal system
is the work of Allah Ta'ala alone, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining
Sustainer of all (Al-Haiyy, Al-Qaiyyum). If human beings still hasten to
claim that all this comes from their plans and workings, there is not
much that can be said about their claim, for ignorance shall remain
what it is.
The next sentence in the verse is: ◌ِيُفَصِّلُ الْأَيْت (making the signs plain).
It may mean the verses of the Qur'an which have been revealed by Allah
Ta'ala in details and then, it was through the Holy Prophet
¿ that He
elaborated and explained them.
And the word, Wy (al-ayat) could also mean the 'signs' of the most
perfect power of Allah Ta'ala which are spread out in the heavens and
the earth, even in the very existence of human beings themselves. These
are before human sight all the time and everywhere, so many and so
plain.
Said in the last sentence of the verse was: ◌َلَعَلَّكُمُ بِلقَآءِ رَبِّكُمُ تُوقِنُون (so that
you may be sure of meeting your Lord). This means that Allah Ta'ala
has initiated and activated this whole universe and its astonishing
system of operation so that by pondering over it you may come to believe
in and become certain of the Hereafter ('Akhirah) and the Doomsday
(Qiyamah). The reason is that once you have pondered over the creation
of this universe and its wonderous system, any likelihood of doubting
that it may be beyond the power of Allah Ta'ala to resurrect human be-
ings in the Hereafter simply cannot be entertained. And once we realize
that it is within His power, and possible, and that it has been reported
by no less a person than the one about whom it is universally settled
that he never said anything in his whole life which was not the truth -
then, there remains no room for doubt that this phenomena is real, actu-
al and proven.
In the next verse (3), it was said: