Indexed OCR Text

229
Surah Al-Anbiya' : 21: 91
يُسْرِعُونَ فِى الْخَيْرِتِ وَيَدْعُوْنَنَا رَغَبًا وَّرَهَبًا وَكَانُوا لَنَا لحَشِعِيْنَ ﴿٩٠)
And (remember) Zakariyya when he called his Lord, "O
my Lord do not leave me alone and You are the best of
inheritors." [89] So, We responded to him and gave him
Yahya and made his wife good for him. They used to
race towards the good deeds and call Us with hope and
fear; and they were humble to Us. [90]
Commentary
Sayyidnā Zakariyya 855 wished for a son and heir for which he
prayed to Allah. But at the same time he made it clear that Allah is the
best heir no matter if he had a son or not (َأنْتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثِين You are the best of
inheritors - 21:89). This was the manifestation of the prophetic respect in
that the main concern of the prophets should always be toward Allah
Ta'ala, and even if some one else came into focus, their attention should
not deviate from the main objective.
and call Us with hope and fear - 21:90). This may be) يَدْعُوُنَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا
interpreted to mean that they call Allah Ta'ala both in comfort and
distress. The other explanation of the verse is that during their prayers
they remain suspended between hope and fear hoping that Allah would
forgive their sins and fearing that their lapses may bring on them His
displeasure.
Verse 91
وَالَّتِىِّ أَحْصَنَتُ فَرُجَهَا فَنَفَخُنَا فِيُهَا مِنْ رُّوُحِنَا وَجَعَلُنْهَا وَ ابْنَهَا أَيَّةً
لِلْغَلَمِيْنَ ﴿٩١﴾
And (remember) her who protected her private part. So,
We blew in her (a life) through Our Spirit, and made
her and her son a sign for all the worlds. [91]
Commentary
This verse directs the Holy Prophet
to tell his people the story of
the pious lady who controlled her passions and then through Jibra'ail
El Allah had breathed His Spirit into her and she gave birth to a son
(Sayyidna 'Isa CHI) who was a symbol of Allah's Divine Power that He
can cause babies to be born without a father, and also without both the

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parents as in the case of Sayyidna 'Adam el.
Verses 92 - 105
إِنَّ هُذِةٍ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَّاحِدَةٌ تَّوَاَنَا رَبُّكُمُ فَاعْبُدُوُن ﴿٩٢﴾ وَ تَقَطَّعُوّا
أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ + كُلِّ إِلَيْنَا رِجِعُوْنَ ﴿٢﴾ فَمَنْ يَّعْمَلُ مِنَ الصُّلِحتِ
وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنْ فَلاَ كُفْرَانَ لِسَعِيهِ، وَإِنَّا لَه، كُتِبُونَ ﴿٩٤﴾ وَحَرْ عَلَى
قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنِهَا أَنَّهُمْ لاَيَرْجِعُوْنَ ﴿١٥) حَتَّى إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوُجُ
وَمَأُجُوُجُ وَهُمْ مِّنْ كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَّنُسِلُونَ ﴿٩٦﴾ وَاقْتَرَبَ الْوَعُدُ
الْحَقُّ فَإِذَا هِىَ شَاخِصَةٌ أَبْصَارُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا يُوَيْلَنَا قَدْ كُنَّا فِىُ
غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَذَا بَلْ كُنَّا ظِيْنَ ﴿٩٧﴾ إِنَّكُمُ وَمَا تَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللهِ
حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ + آَنْتُمْ لَهَا وَرِدُوْنَ ﴿٩٨﴾ لَوْ كَانَ هَؤُلاءِ آلِهَةً مَّا
وَرَدُوْهَا وَكُلّ فِيْهَا خَلِّدُونَ ﴿٩٩) لَهُمْ فِيْهَا زَفِيُرٌ وَّهُمُ فِيْهَا لاَ
يَسْمَعُونَ ﴿١٠٠﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُمُ مِّنَّا الْحُسُنَى " أُولَئِكَ عَنْهَا
مُبْعَدُوْنَ ﴿١٠١﴾ لاَيَسْمَعُونَ حَسِيُسَهَا وَهُمْ فِىُ مَا اشْتَهَتُ
اَنْفُسُهُمُ خُلِدُونَ ﴿٢°١﴾ لاَيَحْزُنُهُمُ الْفَزَعُ الأَكْبَرُ وَتَتَقُّهُمُ
الْمَلَئِكَهُ هَذَا يَوْمُكُمُ الَّذِىُ كُنْتُمُ تُوُعَدُوْنَ ﴿١٠٣) يَوْمَ نَطُوِى
السَّمَآءِ كَطَيِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِ ، كَمَا بَدَأْنَا وَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيْدُه، +
وَعُدًا عَلَيْنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا فَعِلِيْنَ ﴿١٠٤) وَلَقَدُ كَتَبْنَا فِى الزَّبُوُرِ مِنْ بَعْدِ
الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصُّلِحُونَ ﴿١٠٥﴾
Surely, this is the fraternity of your Faith, a single
Faith, and I am your Lord; so worship Me. [92]
And they split up their ways from one another. All of
them have to return to Us. [93] So, the one who does
righteous deeds, while he is a believer, his effort will
not be rejected and We are to put it on record. [94]

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It is banned for (the people of) a town We destroyed
that they come back [95] until when the Ya'juj and Ma'juj
(Gog and Magog) are released, while they run down
from every height, [96] and the True Promise draws
near, then suddenly the eyes of the disbelievers shall
remain upraised (in terror and they will say,) "Woe to
us! We were neglectful to this; rather we were
transgressors indeed." [97]
Surely, you and whatever you worship other than Allah
are the fuel of Jahannam. There you will have to arrive.
[98] Had they been gods, they would not have arrived at
it. And all of them will remain there forever. [99] There
are screams for them therein and they will not hear.
[100] Surely, those for whom the good (news) from Us
has come earlier shall be kept far away from it. [101]
They will not hear the slightest of its sound, and they
will remain for ever in what their selves desire. [102]
They shall not be grieved by the Biggest Panic, and the
angels shall receive them (saying), "This is your day
that you had been promised" [103] - the Day when We
roll up the sky like a scroll rolls up the writings. As We
originated the first creation, We shall bring it back
again - a promise (undertaken to be binding) on Us. We
are sure to do it. [104] And We have written in Zabur
(Psalms) after the Dhikr (the Torah) that the land will
be inherited by My righteous slaves. [105]
Commentary
So far the Surah deals with the stories of the prophets and several
basic as well as minor principles relevant to those stories. The basic beliefs
such as Oneness of God, prophethood and the day of Resurrection are
common to all prophets and are the foundation of their invitation to the
people to follow the True Faith.
It is banned for (the people of) a town) وَحَرَامٌ عَلى قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَهَا أَنْهُمُ لا يَرْجِعُونَ
We destroyed that they come back - 21:95.) Commentators have given two
different meanings to this verse. One, that the town and its people which
Allah Ta'ala has destroyed cannot come back to life. The second
explanation is that it is binding on the town which Allah has destroyed
that it shall not return to this world. (Qurtubi) Thus the meaning of the
verse is that the door of repentance is closed after death, and it is no more

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possible for someone to return to this world and atone for his sins by
performing righteous deeds. The final court will take place on the Day of
Judgment.
Until when the Ya'juj and) حَتّىَ إِذَا فُتِحَتُ يَأْجُوُجُ وَمَأْجُوُجُ وَهُمْ مِّنُ كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَّنُسِلُونَ
Ma'juj (Gog and Magog) are released, while they run down from every
height - 21:96.) In the previous verse it was said that those who died in a
state of unbelief will never return to this world. The phrase "until the
Ya'juj and Ma'juj appear", really means that such people will never
return, because the appearance of Ya'juj and Ma'juj will be a sign of near
approach of the Dooms Day.
It is reported in Şahin of Muslim through Sayyidna Hudhaifah
that he and some other Sahabah 4
é , were in the midst of a discussion
when the Holy Prophet
came to them and enquired as to what were
they deliberating. They replied that they were discussing about the
Qiyamah (Dooms Day). Thereupon he
said that Qiyamah will occur
only after ten signs have become manifest, and the appearance of Ya'juj
and Ma'juj will be one of them.
Here the word ' (released) is used for Ya'juj Ma'juj which means to
let loose, which suggests that until the appointed time they will remain
under restraint and confined behind some barrier from which they will be
released when Doomsday is near. It is evident from the Holy Qur'an that
this restraint is the wall made by Dhulqarnain which will disappear near
the Qiyamah. Ya'juj and Ma'juj and Dhulqarnain have been described in
fair detail in Surah Al-Kahf, to which the reader may refer.
while they run down from every height - 21:96) The) مِنْ كُلٍ حَدَبٍ يَنْسِلُونَ
word Ju means an elevated place which may be a mountain or just a
lump in the ground. We have also seen in Surah Al-Kahf that the place
where Ya'juj and Ma'juj have been confined is somewhere beyond the
northern mountains. So when they will come out, they will be seen
rushing down the mountain sides in their hordes.
Surely, you and whatever you worship) إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ
other than Allah are the fuel of Jahannam - 21:98) Here a question may
arise as to the application of this verse to the case of Sayyidna Masih
&cel, Sayyidna 'Uzair &Cell and angels who were also worshipped by some
people. According to account given by Qurtubi in his Tafsir, this issue was

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Surah Al-Anbiya' : 21 : 92 - 105
adequately resolved by Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4
e who wondered that there
is a verse in the Qur'an about which people have reservations, yet they do
not question him about it. He went on to say that this may be due to the
fact that either the people have found a convincing answer to their doubts
or that they are totally indifferent and do not consider the matter
important enough for any kind of investigation. When people asked him
إِنَّكُمُ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ which particular verse he had in mind, he recited the verse
and went on to say that when this verse was revealed, it made the
unbelievers of Quraish very angry because they felt that it offended their
gods. So they approached Ibn al-Ziba'ra (A scholar of the scriptures) and
complained to him about it. He said that if he were present there, he
would have given them a reply which would have confounded all of them.
Pressed further he said that he would have asked them what they
thought about Sayyidna Masih
Il and about Sayyidna 'Uzair
who were worshipped by the Christians and the Jews respectively
(meaning whether they too Ul st would be sent to Hell). The unbelievers
of Quraish were delighted to hear this and were sure that Muhammad
would have no answer to their question. At that point Allah Ta'ala
revealed the verse :َإِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ سَبَقَتُ لَهُمْ مِّنَّا الْحُسُنى لا أُولَئِكَ عَنْهَا مُبْعَدُون (Surely, those
for whom the good (news) from Us has come earlier shall be kept far away
from it. - 21:101) that is those for whom Our grace and good result is
ensured will be kept away from Hell. And for the same Ibn al-Ziba'ra
وَلَمَّا ضُرِبَ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ مَثَلاً إِذَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْهُ Allah Ta'ala has revealed this Qur'anic verse
SiLA (43:57) that is when Ibn al-Ziba'ra put forward the example of
Sayyidah Maryam the people of his clan, Quraish, were overtaken by joy.
- They will not be grieved by the Biggest Panic) لايَحْزُنُهُمُ الْفَزَعُ الأَكْبَرُ
21:103). Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4
has said that الْفَزَعُ الأكبر (the Biggest
Panic) refers to the second call of the Horn (36), when all the dead will
assemble to give an account of their actions in the world. Some others
have said that الْفَزَع الأكبر (the Biggest Panic) is the first call of the Horn.
Ibn Al-'Arabi has said that the Horn will be blown thrice: The first call
will be gan das which will put everyone into utter confusion, and is
referred to here as الْفَزَع الأكبر (the Biggest Panic). The second call will be
when all نَفْخَةُ الْبَعُث when every one will die. The third call will be نَفْخَةُ الصَّعُقِ
the dead will be resurrected. This version derives support from a hadith of
Abu Hurairah
which has been quoted in Musnad Abu Ya'la and

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Baihaqi, 'Abd Ibn Humaid, Abu al-Sheikh, Ibn Jarir al-Țabari etc.
(Mazhari).
The Day when We roll up the sky like a) يَوْمِ نَطُوِى السَّمَاءَ كَطَيِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِ
scroll rolls up the writings. - 21:104.) According to Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas
the word J means a sheet of a book. 'Ali Ibn Abi Talhah, 'Aufī,
Mujahid, Qatadah, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir have all adopted the same
meaning of the word. The word كتُب in the verse is used for الْمَكْتُوُب that is
something written. So the meaning of the verse is that the sky will be
rolled up like a scroll with its writings. (Ibn Kathir)
Şahin al-Bukhari contains a story on the authority of Sayyidna
'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar
that the Holy Prophet
gsaid that on the Day of
Judgement Allah Ta'ala would roll up all the seven skies and the seven
worlds alongwith all the created things thereon in His hand, and all of
them together would be no more than a grain of rye in His hand. (Ibn
Kathir)
And We have written) وَلَقَدُ كَتَبْنَا فِى الزَّبُورِ مِنْ بَعْدِ الذِّكُرِ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصُّلِحُونَ
in Zabur (Psalms) after the Dhikr (the Torah) that the land will be
inherited by My righteous slaves. - 21:105) The word ,"; (zabur) is the
plural of "; (zuburr), which means book. It is also the name of the book
which was revealed to Sayyidna Dawud &Cel . Opinions differ as to the
meaning of the word in the present context. According to a version
attributed to Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4
e the word $$ in the verse refers to
Torah, and ju; to all other books revealed after Torah i.e. Zabur (Psalms)
, Injil (Evangel) and Qur'an. (Ibn Jarir) The same explanation is adopted
by Dahhak. However, Ibn Zaid has explained that $$ refers to bis
(the Preserved Tablet) and >>; relates to all the books which were
revealed to the prophets. Zajjaj has also adopted this explanation. (Ruh
ul-Ma'anī)
"Vi (the word 'land' in - 21:105) All commentators agree that the
word in this verse refers to the land of Paradise. Ibn Jarir has reported
this explanation from Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4ee. The same explanation is
also adopted by Mujahid, Ibn Jubair, Ikrimah, Suddi and Ab Al-‘Aaliyah.
Imam Razi has said that another verse of the Holy Qur'an supports this
explanation. The verse is ◌ُوَأَوْرَثَنَا الْأَرْضَ نَتَبَوَّأُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ نَشَاء (And has
bequeathed upon us the earth for us to make our dwelling wheresoever

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we will in Paradise - 39:74) The words used in the verse that the pious will
inherit the el also lend credence to the view that the word fi means
land of Paradise, because the land of the earth can be inherited by all,
whether believers or non-believers. Also the phrase that the pious will
inherit the land (') follows the mention of Qiyamah, and it is well
known that after the Qiyamah there will be no land of the earth but only
the land of the Paradise. Another version of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4, says
that the word el means just land, and includes both the land of the
earth as well as of Paradise. It is quite obvious that the land of the
Paradise will be inherited by the pious people. As for the land of the world
also it is stated in the Holy Qur'an at several places that there will be a
time when the entire land of the world will belong to the pious believers.
One of such verse is: ◌َإِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لِلّهِ يُؤْرِثُهَا مَنْ يَّشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِين (Surely, the
land belongs to Allah. He lets whomsoever He wills, from among His
slaves, inherit it. And the end-result is in favour of the God-fearing. -
7:128).
وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصُّلِحْتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى : In another verse it is said
J'y (Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that
He will certainly make them (His) vicegerents in the land. - 24:55).
إِنَّا لَنَنْصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا فِى الْحَيْوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُوُمُ الأَشْهَادُ :Yet another verse says
(Surely, We shall help Our Messengers and those who have believed in
the present life, and upon the day when the witnesses arise. - 40:51).
The history has already witnessed the control of the pious believers
over the better part of the world, and it will again come under their
control during the time of Sayyidna Mahdi 4e. (Ruh ul-Ma'ani & Ibn Kathir)
Verses 106 - 112
إِنَّ فِىُ هُذَا لَبَلْغًا لِّقَوُمِ عِدِيْنَ ﴿١٠٦﴾ وَمَآ أَرْسَلُئِكَ إِلَّ رَحْمَةٌ
لِلْغَلَمِيْنَ ﴿١٠٧﴾ قُلْ إِنَّمَا يُؤْخَى إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلهُكُمُ إِلَهُ وَّاحِدٌٌ فَهَلْ
أنْتُمُ مُّسُلِمُونَ ﴿١٠٨﴾ فَإِنُ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلُ أَذَنْتُكُمُ عَلَى سَوَآءٍ * وَإِنٌ
اَدْرِئٍّ أَقَرِيُبْ آَمُ بَعِيُدْ مَّا تُوْعَدُونَ ﴿١٠٩) إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ
وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْتُمُوْنَ ﴿١١٠﴾ وَإِنْ أَدْرِىُ لَعَلَّهُ، فِتْنَةٌ لَّكُمْ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلى

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حِيْنٍ ﴿١١١﴾ قَلَ رَبِّ احْكُمُ بِالْحَقِّ ، وَرَبّنَا الرَّحُمُنُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ
عَلى مَا تَصِفُونَ ﴿١١٢)
Surely, in this (the Qur'an) there is a message conveyed
to a people who worship (Allah). [106] And We have not
sent you but as mercy for all the worlds. [107]
Say, "What is revealed to me is simply that your God is
One God. So do you submit?" [108] But, if they turn
away, then say (to them), "I have warned you all alike,
and I do not know whether what you have been warned
of is near or far. [109] Surely, He knows what is spoken
openly and He knows what you conceal. [110] And I do
not know; perhaps it is a trial for you and an enjoyment
for a while." [111]
He (Our Messenger) said, "My Lord, judge with truth.
And Our Lord is the Rahman (All-Merciful), the One
whose help is sought against what you describe. [112]
Commentary
And We have not sent you but as mercy for all) وَمَآ أَرْسَلُنْكَ إِلَّا رَحُمَةٌ لِّلْعَلَمِيْنَ
the worlds. - 21:107) عَالَمِين is plural of عَالَم which means 'world' and
includes all creatures including humans, animals, plants, Jinns etc. In
order to properly understand the meaning of the verse one should also
understand that the true essence of the entire universe is the invocation
of Allah Ta'ala and His worship. When this essence departs from this
world and no one is left to worship Allah, everything in it will perish. In
other words that is the day when Qiyamah would occur. When it is
understood that the invocation and worship of Allah Ta'ala is the essence
of all living things, then the reason for describing the Holy Prophet
as
mercy to the Worlds becomes obvious because it is his teachings and the
purity of his personal life alone which keep alive the worship of Allah
Ta'ala until Qiyamah. That is why he declared "I am the blessing sent by
Allah Buy Le; w (Ibn 'Asakir quoting Abu Hurairah). Sayyidna Ibn
'Umar 4
أَنَا رَحْمَةٌ مُهُدَاةٌ بِرَفُع قَوْم has reported that the Holy Prophet said
that is "I am the blessing sent by Allah so that I lift up the وَخَفْضٍ آخَرِيُنَ
people (who obey Allah) and humble the other people (who disobey
Allah). (Ibn Kathir)

237
Surah Al-Anbiya' : 21 : 106 - 112
It, therefore, follows that performing jihad against the unbelievers in
order to lessen shirk and kufr (unbelief) and in the hope of reclaiming
those who transgress the Divine Commands of Allah Ta'ala is an act of
mercy.
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Al-Anbiya'
Ends here.

241
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 1 - 2
Surah Al-Hajj
(The Pilgrimage)
Surah Al-Hajj was revealed in Madinah. It contains 78 Verses and 10 Sections.
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 2
◌َأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُّ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَىْءٌ عَظِيمْ ﴿١) يَوْمَ
تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّ أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ
حَمُلَهَا وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكْرِى وَمَا هُمُ بِسُكْرِى وَلَكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ
شَدِيْدٌ ﴿٢﴾
O men, fear your Lord. Surely the earthquake of the
(destined) Hour is something terrible. [1] The day you
will see it, every suckling female will forget that which
she suckled, and every pregnant one shall abort her
foetus, and you will see people as if they are drunk,
while they are not drunk, but the punishment of Allah
is (so) severe. [2]
Commentary
Special features
Commentators differ on whether this Surah is Makkan or Madani.
Ibn 'Abbas te has expressed two views on different occasions. However, a
majority of commentators believe that the Surah is a combination of both
the Makkan and Madani verses, and Qurtubi prefers this view. He has
also mentioned the other peculiarities of this Surah, namely that some of

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Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 1 - 2
its verses were revealed at night and some during the day; some were
revealed during travels and some when the Holy Prophet
was not
traveling; some were revealed in Makkah and others at Madinah; some
were revealed in the middle of battle and others in peace time. Some
verses of this Surah are nasikh (verses of the Qur'an abrogating some
other verses), and some are mansookh (verses of the Qur'an which have
been abrogated by others); some are muhkam while others are
mutashabih (que). Indeed this Surah comprises all categories of
revelations.
O men, fear your Lord. - 22:1). This verse was) يََّ يُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ
revealed to the Holy Prophet
while he was traveling. He recited in a
loud voice, so that all his companions gathered around him after hearing
his voice. Then he addressed them "Do you know when the upheaval of
the Resurrection, which is mentioned in this verse, will take place?" They
replied, "Allah and His Prophet knows best." Then the Holy Prophet
said, "That will be the day when Allah will command Sayyidna 'Adam
¿El to raise those people who have been marked out for hell. Sayyidna
Adam Xcel will ask Allah Ta'ala who those people are, and Allah will
inform him that nine hundred and ninety nine out of every one thousand
will go to hell." The Holy Prophet
then added, "That will be the time
when small children will become old on account of terror, and pregnant
women will abort their fetuses." The companions were frightened when
they heard this and asked the Holy Prophet
"O prophet of Allah! Who
are those among us who will escape this terrible fate?" The Holy Prophet
replied, "Set your minds at ease. For every one thousand of the Gog
and Magog (Ya'juj and Ma'juj) there will be only one from amongst you."
This incident is reported in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Said
Al-Khudri
. There are other versions also according to which the Holy
Prophet
is reported to have said, "On the Day of Resurrection you will
find yourself with two peoples who will predominate numerically all the
other peoples who would be near them. One of them is the tribe of Gog
and Magog (at) and the other is the Satan and his descendants,
and those of the progeny of Sayyidna 'Adam Sel who have died earlier."
Thus, among the nine hundred and ninety nine the majority will be from
those peoples. Qurtubi and others have quoted these narrations.

243
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 3 - 10
When will the earthquake of the Day of Resurrection take place?
Will it happen before or after the dead are raised to life? Some people
have opined that the earthquake will occur in this world before the Day of
Judgment and will be among the last signs of the coming of the Dooms
Day, to which reference has been made in several verses of the Qur'an,
such as :
إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا
When earth is shaken with a mighty shaking - 99:1
وَ حُمِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ وَالْجِبَالُ فَدُكّنَا دَكَّةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ
And the earth and the mountains are lifted up and crushed with
a single blow - 69:14
إِذَا رُجَّتِ الْأَرْضُ رَجًا
When the earth shall be rocked. 56:4
There are others who have deduced from the above-referred hadith
that the earthquake will occur after the Dooms Day and Resurrection. In
fact there is no inconsistency between these two views, because verses of
the Qur'an and the ahadith of the Holy Prophet
may be quoted in
support of either view. Allah knows best.
This verse also gives a picture of the earthquake of the Day of
Resurrection when all the pregnant women will abort their fetuses and
every breast-feeding woman nursing her child will be diverted from it. If
the earthquake takes place in this world before the Dooms Day, then
there is no ambiguity in all these happenings. But if the earthquake
occurs after the Dooms Day, then the explanation would be that a
pregnant woman would be raised on the Dooms Day in the same state,
and a woman who died while breast-feeding her child will also be raised
in the same condition along with her child. (Qurtubi). Allah knows best.
Verses 3 - 10
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُجَادِلُ فِى اللّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَبعُ كُلَّ شَيْطٍ مَّرِيْدٍ
(ٌ﴾ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّه مَنْ تَوَلَّهُ فَنَّ يُضِلُّ، وَيَهْدِيُّهِ إِلَى عَذَابِ
السَّعِيرِ ﴿٤﴾ ◌َأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِىُ رَيْبٍ مِّنَ الْبَعُثِ فَإِنَّا

244
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 3 - 10
خَلَقْتُكُمْ مِّنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ نُظْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ مُضْغَةٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ
وَّغَيْرٍ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ ، وَنُقِرُّ فِى الْأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَآءُ إِلَى أَجَلٍ
مُسَمَّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِ جُكُمْ طِفْلاً ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوَّ اَشُدَّكُمْ " وَمِنْكُمُ مَّنْ يُّتَوَفْى
وَمِنْكُمُ مَّنْ يُرَدُّ إِلى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرٍ لِكَيْلاَ يَعْلَمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًاُ وَ
تَرَى الْأَرْضَ هَامِدَةً فَإِذَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَآءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَ رَبَتْ وَأَنْبَتَتُ
مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجِ بَهِيُجٍ ﴿٥﴾ ذلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّهُ يُحْيِ
الْمَوْتِى وَأَنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ ﴿٢﴾ وَّ أَنَّ السَّاعَةَ اتِيَّةٌ لِأَرَيْبَ
فِيْهَا " وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْعَثُ مَنُ فِى الْقُبُورِ ﴿٢﴾ وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُّجَادِلُ
فِى اللّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَّلاَ هُدًى وَّلاَ كِتْبٍ مُّنِيْرٍ ﴿ٌ﴾ ثَانِىَ عِطْفِهِ لِيُضِلَّ
عَنْ سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ * لَهُ فِى الدُّنْيَا خِزْىٌ وَّنُذِيْقُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةِ عَذَابَ
الْحَرِيُقِ ﴿٤﴾ ذلِكَ بِمَا قَدْمَتْ يَدْكَ وَأَنَّ اللهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلاَّمٌ لِلْعَبِيْدِ
And among the people there is one who debates about
Allah without knowledge and follows every rebellious
Satan, [3] about whom it is destined that if someone
takes him as friend, he will misguide him and lead him
to the punishment of the Fire. [4]
O men, if you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then
(recall that) We created you from dust, then from a drop
of semen, then from a clot, then from a piece of flesh -
shaped or unshaped - so that We manifest (Our power)
to you. And We retain in the wombs whatever We will
to a specified term. Then We bring you out as babies,
then (We nourish you) so that you reach your maturity.
And among you there is one who dies, and among you
there is one who is carried to the worst part of the age,
so that he knows nothing even after having knowledge.
And you see the land dry. Then when We send down
water on it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every
kind of good looking growth. [5]

245
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 3 - 10
That is because Allah is the truth and that He gives life
to the dead and that He is powerful to do everything, [6]
and that the Hour (of Doom) has to come in which there
is no doubt and that Allah will raise again all those in
the graves. [7]
And among men there is one who debates about Allah
with no knowledge, no guidance and no book to
enlighten, turning his side away to lead (people) astray
from the way of Allah. For him there is disgrace in this
world, and We will have him taste the punishment of
fire on the Day of Judgment (and will say to him) "All
this is due to what your hands sent ahead, and that
Allah is not unjust to His servants." [10]
Commentary
And among men there is one who debates) وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُجَادِلُ فِى اللّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
about Allah with no knowledge - 22:8.) This verse was revealed with
particular reference to Nadr Ibn al-Harith, who was a very quarrelsome
person. He claimed that the angels were Allah's daughters, and that the
Qur'an was a storybook, which contained fables about people of bygone
ages. He denied the Day of Judgment and the Resurrection of the dead.
Although this verse relates to a particular person, its message applies to
all who are in a similar situation, and practice such wickedness.
Different stages in the development
of foetus in mother's womb
We created you from dust - 22:5.) This verse deals with) فَإِنَّا خَلَقُنكُمُ مِّنْ تُرَابِ
the different stages through which the foetus passes in its mother's womb
before taking a human form. There is a detailed hadith on this subject,
which is reproduced in Sahih of Bukhari on the authority of Sayyidna
Ibn Mas'ud
e to the effect that the Holy Prophet
said, "Human
matter retains its original form in the woman's womb for forty days after
which it becomes a clot of blood. After a further period of forty days it
becomes a lump of flesh. Thereafter an angel is sent by Allah Ta'ala who
breaths a soul into it and records four things about it, namely how long it
will live, how much sustenance it will receive, what acts he will do, and
finally whether its end will be wretched or fortunate. (Qurtubi).
There is another narration which has been related by Ibn Abi Hatim
and Ibn Jarir, also on the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud 4, that

246
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 3 - 10
when the seed becomes a lump of flesh after passing through different
stages, the angel responsible to watch the progressive development of
each individual then seeks guidance from Allah Ta'ala saying: alles 356
That is, whether it is His will that the lump of flesh should be. أوغير مخلّقه
allowed to grow and become a living human being. If Allah says it is:/
then the womb aborts the foetus and it does not reach the higher
stages leading to a live birth. On the other hand, if Allah says that it is:
alt then the angel asks Him whether it is to be a boy or a girl, wretched
or fortunate, how long it will live, how it will spend its life and when it
will die. The angel is given information on all these matters then and
there. (Ibn Kathir) Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4
has also interpreted the words
(in a similar manner. (Qurtubi (مُخَلّقَةٍ وَغَيْرٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ)
shaped or unshaped - 22:5). It is evident from the) مُخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَيْرٍ مُخَلَّقَةٍ
hadith referred to above that the human seed which completes its full
term in the womb and is destined to be born as a normal human being is
meant by w (shaped), whereas a seed which is destined to be aborted is
ale (unshaped). However, there are other commentators who have
explained these two words differently. According to them a foetus which
completes all the stages of growth and development and whose limbs and
other organs of the body are healthy, normal and proportionate is
(shaped). On the other hand, a foetus whose limbs are deformed or
disproportionate is Ly (unshaped). The latter interpretation is close to
the translation adopted above. Allah knows best.
Then We bring you out as babies - 22:5) Then Allah) ثُمّ نُخْرِجُكُمُ طِفْلاً
brings forth the baby from its mother's womb as a totally helpless thing.
Its body is weak and so are its other faculties, such as hearing, vision,
senses, brain function, and overall physical movements including its
grasp. All theses faculties grow strong as time passes until they reach
their full capability. This is the meaning of the words ◌ْثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوَّا أَشُدَّكُم .(Then
[We nourish you] so that you reach your maturity - 22:5). The word
Ashudd wal is the plural of shiddah als, just as An'um " is the plural of
Ni'mah &'. The meanings of these words are that the process of gradual
development continues until all the faculties reach their peak and this
happens when a person is in the prime of his youth.
JI Jiji (The worst part of the age - 22:5). It means the stage of life
when human faculties and senses begin to degenerate. The Holy Prophet

247
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 3 - 10
had sought Allah's protection from such life. Nasa'i has quoted
Sayyidna Sa'd 40 as saying that the Holy Prophet
used to repeat the
following prayer very frequently. (Qurtubi)
اَلْهُمَّ إِنِّيّ أَعُوذُبِكَ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ وَأَعُوذُبِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَأَعُوذُبِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُرَدَّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ
الْعُمُرِ وَأَعُوذُبِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَعَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ
(O Allah! I seek Your protection from miserliness, and I seek
Your protection from cowardice, and I seek Your protection from
that I am carried to the age of helplessness, and I seek Your
protection from the seductions of this world and the
chastisement of the grave.)
An account of the different stages of human life after birth
Musnad of Ahmad and Musnad of Abu Ya'la quote Sayyidna 'Anas
Ibn Malik 4
that the Holy Prophet
once said "The good deeds of a
minor child are recorded in the account of his father or both his parents,
but his evil deeds are not recorded, neither in his parents' account nor in
his own. After he has attained majority, an account is opened in his own
name and the two angels who are attached to him are commanded to
afford him protection and provide him strength. When he reaches the age
of forty years and is still a Muslim, then Allah Ta'ala grants him
immunity from three diseases: insanity, leprosy and leucoderma. When he
reaches the age of fifty years, Allah eases and abates his record. At the
age of sixty, Allah Ta'ala creates in him an urge to turn his thoughts
towards Him. At seventy, all the inhabitants of the sky begin to love him.
When he is eighty, Allah Ta'ala records his good deeds but ignores his
lapses. At ninety, Allah writes off all his sins, and grants him permission
to intercede on behalf of his relatives and also accepts his intercession. He
is then given the titles of امين اللّه (Allah's trustee) and اسير الله فى الارض (that is
the prisoner of Allah on earth, because at that age all his strength is
gone, he loses interest in his surroundings and spends his life like a
prisoner). And when he reaches the worst of age, then all the good deeds
which he used to perform when he was strong and healthy continue to be
recorded in his account while his sinful acts remain unrecorded."
Having reproduced this tradition from Musnad Abu Ya'la, Hafiz Ibn
Kathir says:
هذا حديث غريب جدا و فيه نكارة شديدة
This hadith is gharib (i.e. reported by one narrator only), and is

248
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 11 - 13
extremely munkar (i.e. reported by a weak narrator against the
authentic traditions).
He then adds:
ومع هذا قد رواه الامام أحمد بن حنبل فى مسنده موقوفًا ومرفوعًا
(And in spite of all this Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal has related it
in his Musnad both as a saying of the Holy Prophet # and as a
saying of a Şahabi, that is traced.
the gt (Turning his side away - 22:5) The word 'itf means 'side of the
body', and the expression means 'to turn on one's side' - in other words 'to
oppose'.
Verses 11 - 13
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَّعْبُدُ اللهَ عَلى حَرُفٍ، فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ، خَيْرُ ◌ِاطْمَنَّ بِهِ"
وَإِنْ أَصَابَتُهُ فِتْنَةُ ( انْقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجُهِهٍ تَخٍ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَُ ذِلِكَ
هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِيْنُ ﴿١١) يَدْعُوْا مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ مَالاَ يَضُرُّهُ وَمَا
لَا يَنْفَعُه، * ذلِكَ هُوَ الصَّلْلُ الْبَعِيُدُ ﴿٢٢﴾ يَدُعُوا لَمَنُ ضَرَّةً أَقْرَبُ مِنْ
نَّفْعِه ◌ُ لَبِئْسَ الْمَوْلِى وَلَبِئْسَ الْعَشِيرُ ﴿١٣﴾
And among men there is one who worships Allah
(standing) on the verge: so if some good thing happens
to him, he is satisfied with it, and if a trial befalls upon
him, he turns his face back. He loses both this world
and the Hereafter. That is the loss which is so obvious.
[11] He prays to someone, instead of Allah, who can
neither harm him nor benefit him. That is the error
which takes him too far (from the right path). [12] He,
rather, prays to someone whose harm is more likely
than his benefit. Wretched is such a patron and
wretched is such a companion. [13]
Commentary
And among men there is one who worships) وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ اللّهَ عَلى حَرُفٍ
Allah (standing) on the verge - 22:11.) Bukhari and Ibn Abi Hatim have
related from Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas
> that when the Holy Prophet

249
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 14 - 16
migrated to Madinah, people flocked to him and accepted the new
religion. But there were some among them whose conversion to Islam was
far from being genuine, and whose sole motive for their action was to seek
self-advancement, and they lacked conviction. If, after becoming Muslims,
favorable circumstances resulted in an increase in their prosperity and
their children, they thought Islam was a very good religion, but they were
equally ready to condemn it if things went against their personal
interests. This verse was revealed to describe such people who were mere
opportunists and were easily swayed either way depending on where
their selfish interests lay.
Verses 14 - 16
إِنَّ اللهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِيْنَ أُمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصُّلِحْتِ جَنْتٍ تَجْرِىُ مِنْ
تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهُ+ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيُّدُ ﴿١٤﴾ مَنْ كَانَ يَظُنُّ أَنْ لَّنُ
يَنْصُرَهُ اللهُ فِى الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدُ بِسَبَبٍ إِلَى السَّمَآءِ ثُمَّ
لْيَقْطَعُ فَلْيَنْظُرُ هَلْ يُذْهِبَنَّ كَيْدُهُ مَا يَغِيُظُ ﴿١٥﴾ وَكَذلِكَ آَنْزَلْنُهُ أیتٍ
٢ بَّنْتٍ لا وَّأَنَّ اللهَ يَهْدِىُ مَنْ تُّرِيْدُ ﴿١٦﴾
Surely, Allah will admit those who believe and do good
deeds into gardens beneath which rivers flow. Surely
Allah does what He intends. [14]
If someone thinks that Allah will never help him (the
Holy Prophet ) in this world and in the Hereafter, he
should stretch a rope to the sky, then cut (Allah's
communication) off (from the prophet) and see whether
his effort can really remove what irritates (him). [15]
And this is how We have sent it (the Qur'an) down as
clear signs, and (the fact is) that Allah takes whom He
wills to the right path. [16]
Commentary
If someone thinks - 22:15). It means that the enemies of) مَنْ كَانَ يَظُنُّ
Islam who put hurdles in its path and desired that Allah should abandon
the Holy Prophet
and his religion must clearly understand that this

250
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 17 - 18
can happen only when, God forbid, he is deprived of the office of the
prophethood and ceases to receive wahy (revelations) from Allah Ta'ala. It
is well understood that when Allah Ta'ala bestows the prophethood on
someone and also favours him with wahy (revelations), He also promises
him full support in this world and in the Hereafter. Thus the only way to
stop the advancement of a prophet and his mission, if someone has the
power to stop it, is that he should dispossess the Holy Prophet
of his
mission or that the sequence of Divine revelation should be severed.
Anyone wanting to do all this will have to go up to the sky and cut off the
chain of revelation, and since such a thing is not possible, no amount of
fire and fury can do any harm to Islam. This interpretation is related in
al-Durr al-Manthur from Ibn Zaid and, in my opinion, it is the most
appropriate one.
Qurtubi also thinks that this is the best interpretation of this verse.
There are some others who are of the view that the word show (sky)
occurring in this verse means the ceiling of one's house and the verse
means that a person who entertains hostile feelings towards Islam and
the Holy Prophet
must realize that he can do them no harm. Hence
the best thing for him to do is to hang himself from the ceiling out of sheer
mortification. (Mazharī and others).
Verses 17 - 18
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَالَّذِيْنَ هَادُوا وَالصَّبِئِينَ وَالنَّصرِى وَالْمَجُوْسَ
وَالَّذِيْنَ اشْرَكُوّا ◌ُإِنَّ اللّه يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةِ * إِنَّ اللهَ عَلى
كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ ﴿١٧﴾ آلَمْ تَرَأَنَّ اللهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَنْ فِى السَّمُوْتِ
وَمَنُ فِى الْأَرْضِ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُوْمُ وَالْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ
وَالدَّوَآَبُّ وَكَثِيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّاسِ ◌ُ وَكَثِيْرٌ حَقِّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ ◌ُ وَمَنْ يُّهِنِ
اللّهُ فَمَالَهُ مِنْ مُّكُرِمٍ إِنَّ اللّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ و ١٨﴾
As for those who believe and the Jews and the Sabians
and the Christians and the Magians and those who
ascribe partners to Allah, Allah will judge between
them on the Day of Judgment. Surely Allah is witness

251
Surah Al-Hajj : 22 : 17 - 18
to every thing. [17]
Have you not seen that to Allah prostrate all those in
the skies and all those on the earth, and the sun, the
moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the animals
and many from mankind? And there are many on whom
punishment has become due. And the one whom Allah
puts to disgrace, there is none to give him respect.
Surely Allah does what He wills. [18]
Commentary
In verse 17 it is stated that Allah will decide among the believers and
non-believers of different faiths on the Day of Resurrection, because He
knows everything. What that decision would be, has been related in the
Qur'an at several places, namely that the good Muslims will enjoy a life of
everlasting peace and comfort, while the infidels would be condemned to a
life of eternal perdition. In the next verse, by using the word "Sajdah"
(prostration), it has been declared that all created things, be they living
things, minerals or plants, are in obedience and thus submit to the
Supreme authority of Allah Ta'ala, thereby mentioning two groups of
humans in this respect of 'submission'. One, which obeys Allah and
therefore is included amongst the creatures who 'prostrate' to Him, and
the other one which is rebellious and refuses to bow before Him, meaning,
refusing to submit to His Will. The word "Sajdah" (prostration) has been
used here in the broader sense of 'submission' to the will of Allah and
obeying His commands, because all created things act upon this
submission in their own way. Human beings perform Sajdah by touching
the ground with the forehead, while in the case of other created things
their Sajdah constitutes their faithful performance of the functions
assigned to them by Allah.
The truth about all created things obeying Allah
Genetically, the entire universe and all created things therein are
under the control and subject to the Will of their Creator by virtue of an
inherently programmed guidance (guidance of Takwin) by Allah. The
'submission' in this sense is pre-determined, involuntary and instinctive.
There is no created being which can escape this universal law of creation,
be it a Muslim or a non-believer, a living thing or dead, mineral or plant.
The smallest particle and the highest mountain cannot make the slightest
movement without His Will. There is, however, another kind of