Indexed OCR Text

311
Surah Saba' : 34 : 40 - 42
although the reproduction of dogs and cats should obviously be much
more as they produce four or five puppies and kittens in a single
pregnancy. A cow or goat delivers two calves or kids at the most. Cows
and goats keep being slaughtered all the time. Dogs and cats are
(generally) not touched by anyone. But, as far as common observations
goes, it cannot be denied that the number of cows, sheep and goats
comparatively exceeds the number of dogs and cats. Since the time
restrictions have been placed on the slaughter of cows in India, the
production of cows has gone down there in that very ratio. Otherwise,
every village and every home would have been full of cows that stayed
spared from being slaughtered.
Once the Arabs tapered down their use of camels for riding and
transport purposes, the usual increase in the populations of their camels
has also gone down. Incidentally, what has been said here also helps
remove that atheistic doubt usually dished out with reference to the
Islamic injunctions of sacrifice saying that it is likely to affect the economy
of Muslims adversely.
Verses 40 - 42
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمُ جَمِيْعًا ثُمَّ يَقُولُ لِلْمَلَئِكَةِ آَهَؤُلَاءِ إِيَّاكُمْ كَانُوْا
يَعْبُدُونَ ﴿٤﴾ قَالُوا سُبُخِنَكَ أَنْتَ وَلِيُّنَا مِنْ دُوْنِهِمُ بَلْ كَانُوْا
يَعْبُدُوْنَ الْجِنَّءَ اَكْثَرُهُمْ بِهِمْ مُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٤١﴾ فَالْيَوْمَ لَا يَمْلِكُ
بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضِ نَّفْعًا وَلَاضَرًّا* وَنَقُولُ لِلَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوا ذُوْقُوْا عَذَابَ
النَّارِ الَّتِىُ كُنْتُمُ بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾
And (remember) the Day when He will gather them all
together, then will say to the angels," Is it you that
these people used to worship?" [40] They will say, " Pure
are You! You are our mentor, not these. Rather, they
used to worship the Jinns. Most of these believed in
them." [41] So, you have no power today to benefit or
harm one another, and We will say to the wrongdoers, "
Taste the punishment of Fire that you used to belie."
[42]

312
Surah Saba' : 34 : 43 - 50
Verses 43 - 50
وَإِذَا تُثُلِى عَلَيْهِمُ ايْتُنَا بَيّنْتٍ قَالُوا مَاهَذَآ إِلَّ رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَّصُدَّكُمُ
عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ابَآؤُكُمُ ◌ٌ وَقَالُوا مَا هُذَا إِلَّا إِفْكٌ مُّفْتَرِّى ﴿ وَقَالَ الَّذِيْنَ
كَفَرُوا لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَ هُمْ إِنْ هذَا إِلاَّ سِحُرٌ مُّبِيْنٌ ﴿٤٣﴾ وَمَا آتَيْنُهُمُ
مِّنْ كُتُبٍ يَّدُرُسُوْنَهَا وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيهِمُ قَبْلَكَ مِنْ نَّذِيْرٍ ﴿٤٤﴾ وَكَذِّبَ
الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمُ " وَمَا بَلَغُوا مِعُشَارَمَآ أَتَيْنُهُمُ فَكَذَّبُوا رُسُلِى ◌َ
فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيْرٍ ﴿٥َ﴾ قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَعِظُكُمُ بِوَاحِدَةٍ أَنْ تَقُوْمُوا لِلْهِ
مَثْنِى وَفُرَادِى ثُمَّ تَتَفَكَّرُوْاند مَا بِصَاحِبِكُمُ مِّنْ جِنَّةٍ * إِنُ هُوَ إِلاَّ نَذِيْرٌ
لَّكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَىُ عَذَابٍ شَدِيْدٍ ﴿٤٦﴾ قُلْ مَاسَالْتُكُمُ مِنْ أَجْرٍ فَهُوَ لَكُمُّ
إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلاَّ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَهُوَ عَلى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ ﴿٤٧﴾ قُلُ إِنَّ رَبِّى
يَقُذِفُ بِالْحَقٌِّ عَلَُّمُ الْغُيُوُبِ ﴿٤٨﴾ قُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَمَا يُبْدِئُ
الْبَاطِلُ وَمَا يُعِيْدُ ﴿٤٩﴾ قُلْ إِنْ ضَلَلْتُ فَإِنَّمَا أَضِلُّ عَلَى نَفْسِىَُّ وَإِنْ
اهْتَدَيْتُ فَبِمَا يُؤْحِىِّ إِلَىَّ رَبِّىُ ﴿ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ قَرِيبٌ ﴿٥٠﴾
And when Our evident verses are recited to them, they
say," He is nothing but a man who wishes to divert you
from what your fathers used to worship." And they say,"
This is nothing but a forged lie." And the disbelievers
say about the Truth, when it came to them,"This is
nothing but an explicit magic." [43] And We did not give
them any books that they might study, nor did We send
to them any warner before you. [44] And those before
them had rejected (the messengers), while these(infidels
of Makkah) have not reached even one tenth of what We
gave to those (before them). So, they rejected my
Messengers. Then (imagine) how was My censure! [45]
Say," I advise you for one thing only : that you stand up
before Allah, in pairs and in singles, then reflect; (you
will easily appreciate that) there is no madness in your
fellow (the Holy Prophet). He is none but a warner to
you in the face of a stern torment. [46] Say, "If I had ever

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Surah Saba' : 34 : 43 - 50
claimed any reward from you, then it is yours. My
reward is with none but Allah. And He is witness over
every thing." [47] Say," My Lord sends forth the Truth.
He is the Best-Knower of the Unseen." [48] Say, " Truth
has come, and falsehood ( has vanished so as it ) has no
power to produce or reproduce (anything)." [49] Say, " If
I go astray, I shall go astray only to my own detriment.
And if I follow the right path, it is because of what my
Lord reveals to me. Surely He is All-Hearer, Ever-Near.
[50]
Commentary
The word :مِعُشَار (mi'shar) in verse 45 :ُوَمَا بَلَغُوا مِعُشَارَمَا اتَّيْنَهُم (while
these(infidels of Makkah ) have not reached even one tenth of what We
gave to those (before them).) has been taken to mean: 2 ('ushr: a tenth)
by some early commentators. Some scholars have interpreted it as:
-ushr-ul) عُشُرُ الْعَشِير:ushr-ul-'ushr: a hundredth) while others call it') الْعُشْرِ
'ashir: a thousandth). Obviously, the later has a higher degree of
exaggeration as compared to 'ushr or ten. The sense of the verse is that
not even a tenth, rather a thousandth, of the worldly wealth, power,
blessings of age and health given to earlier communities was received by
the people of Makkah. Therefore, they should take lesson from what
happened to past communities and the evil end they faced. These were
people who invited upon themselves the wrath of Allah when they
rejected prophets and messengers and, consequently, when came the
actual punishment, their power, bravery, wealth and fortified fortresses
could do nothing for them.
Call to the disbelievers of Makkah
In verse 46 :ٍإِنَّمَا أَعِظُكُمُ بِوَاحِدَة (I advise you for one thing only), in order to
negate any excuse for the people of Makkah, they have been shown a
shortcut to ascertain truth. For this, they had to do just one thing: Stand
for Allah, in pairs and singles. 'Standing for Allah' does not mean
standing in the physical sense, something like standing up from the
posture of sitting or lying. Instead of that, it means having the resolve to
show full care and concern for the assignment in sight. Then, by adding:
au (lil-lah: For Allah) with the word: 4 (qiyam: To stand), the purpose is
to make it clear that one should start looking for truth with a mind
cleansed of previous thoughts and beliefs for the good pleasure of Allah
alone, so that previous thoughts and deeds do not obstruct one's way to

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Surah Saba' : 34 : 43 - 50
an acceptance of the truth. And then, the expression 'in pairs and singles'
is not intended to point out a particular number. The sense is that there
are two ways of pondering over something: (1) To think it out alone and
in private. (2) To consult friends and elders, discuss it with them and then
arrive at some conclusion. It is being said here that, 'out of these two
methods, you can go by the one you like.'
The conjunction: 4 (thumma: then) in the next sentence in verse 46:
an) أَنْ تَقُومُوا :thumma tatafakkaru: then ponder) refers back to) ثُمَّ تَتَفَكَّرُوا
taqumu: That you stand) appearing earlier in the same verse where the
purpose of standing has been spelt out - that is, 'cleanse your mind of all
previous thoughts, get ready to act for the good pleasure of Allah, think
about the call of the prophet of Islam, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa
and decide for yourself whether or not it is true and it does not matter
whether you do this thinking on your own and all alone, or you do it by
consulting others and arriving at some conclusion following discussions
with them.'
Onwards from here, another line of thinking has been suggested:
Here is a solitary person, all by himself, with no power or group to back
him and no wealth or property to strengthen him. Here he comes
proclaiming an article of faith counter to that of his own people, rather
that of the whole world, something having taken firm roots over centuries
and something they all agree to. Such a proclamation can come only in
two forms: (1) Either the person making the proclamation is totally insane
who has no idea of his gain or loss and is ready to invite the wrath of his
people and all sorts of hardship for him. (2) Or, what he is saying might
as well be true - that he is a rasul or messenger from Allah and fears none
in conveying and implementing His command.
Now, think hard with an open mind as to which of the two things is
the real thing. If you think in that manner, you would be left with no
choice but to become certain that he cannot be insane. The entire city of
Makkah and everyone in the large tribe of Quraish is aware of his
wisdom and character. He has spent forty years of his life among his
people. From childhood to his youth, everything about him has been
before them. No one has ever found any word or deed issuing forth from
him to be counter to reason, wisdom, sobriety and gentleness. And other
than the kalimah of: QUI yi JI y : la ilaha il-lal-lah (there is no god but

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Surah Saba' : 34 : 43 - 50
Allah) to which he invites people, no one can doubt any of his word and
deed to be counter to reason and wisdom, even today. Given these
conditions, it becomes quite obvious that he cannot be insane. This was
مَا بِصَاحِبِكُمْ مِّنُ جِنَّةٍ :established in the next sentence of the verse by saying
(there is no madness in your fellow (the Holy Prophet)). Here, the word:
Solo (sahibikum: your fellow) releases a hint in this direction. It is
suggesting that should it be the case of a visitor coming in from outside
whose antecedents are unknown and who is heard saying something
counter to the belief of a whole people, then, it is possible to call him
insane. But, this cannot be true in his case. He is one of you, he lives in
your city, he belongs to your brotherhood and abides in your company be
it day or night. Nothing he does is hidden from you. In fact, even you
yourselves have never cast aspersions against him in that manner before
this.
And when the absence of the first situation becomes clear, the second
situation stands established that has been mentioned in the last sentence
of this very verse (46) as: ◌ٍإِنُ هُوَ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ لَّكُمُ بَيْنَ يَدَىُ عَذَابٍ شَدِيد (He is none but a
warner to you in the face of a stern torment). It means that his presence
among them signifies nothing but that he has been sent there to save
people from the severe punishment of the Day of Judgment by warning
them of it in advance.
Verse 48 :ِإِنَّ رَبِّى يَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَّمُ الْغُيُوُب (Say," My Lord sends forth the
Truth. He is the Best-Knower of the Unseen." - 34:48) Say, "Truth has
come, and falsehood (has vanished so as it ) has no power to produce or
reproduce (anything)". It means that my Lord who is the Knower of the
Unseen strikes out the false with a throw of the truth (as a result of which
the false is destroyed, as it was said: ◌ٌفَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِق :'and there it is all gone'-
Al-Anbiya', 21:18). Literally, the word: Du (qadhf) means to hit by
throwing. Here, the purpose is to highlight the truth as set against the
false. Perhaps, there may be a wise consideration behind expressing this
phenomenon through the word: Je (yaqdhifu: He throws), may be the
purpose is to point out to the after effect of the truth prevailing over the
false. It appears here in the form of a simile as the throwing of something
heavy over something feeble that shatters into pieces. So it happens in
the confrontation between truth and falsehood when the later lies
shattered. Therefore, it was said next: ◌ُوَمَا يُبْدِئُ الْبَاطِلُ وَمَا يُعِيد (and falsehood

316
Surah Saba' : 34 : 51 - 54
(has vanished so as it) has no power to produce or reproduce anything)
that is, falsehood becomes so incapacitated in the face of truth that it can
neither originate anything nor can it bring it back.
Verses 51 - 54
وَلَوْ تَرَّى إِذْ فَزِعُوا فَلَا فَوْتَ وَأُخِذُوا مِنْ مَّكَانٍ قَرِيْبٍ ﴿١٥﴾ وَقَالُوْا
أمَنَّا بِهِ ، وَأَنّى لَهُمُ التَّنَاوُشُ مِنْ مَّكَانٍ بَعِيْدٍ ﴿٥٢٤﴾ وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا بِهِ
مِنْ قَبْلُ ، وَيَقُذِفُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ مِنْ مَّكَانُ بَعِيدٍ ﴿٥٣﴾ وَحِيْلَ بَيْنَهُمُ
وَبَيْنَ مَا يَشْتَهُوُنَ كُمَا فُعِلَ بِأَشْيَاعِهِمْ مِّنْ قَبْلُ ﴿ إِنَّهُمُ كَانُوا فِى
ع
شَكٍ مُّرِیبِ
And if you could only see when they will be terrified!
Then there will be no escape, and they will be seized
from a place near at hand. [51] And they will say, " We
believe in Him." And how can they achieve it (the faith)
from a place (so) far off, [52] while they had rejected it
before, and used to make conjectures from a place (so)
far off ? [53] And a barrier will be placed between them
and that which they desire, as it will be done with the
people of their kind who were before (them). They were
in a perplexing doubt. [54]
Commentary
According to most commentators, the attending condition described in
verse 51 :ٍوَأُخِذُوا مِنُ مَّكَان قَرِيب (and they will be seized from a place near at
hand) refers to the Day of Resurrection (al-hashr) from the terror of
which disbelievers and sinners will not be able to escape even if they try
to do so. In our normal experience in this world, when a culprit runs
away, he has to be searched for. Something like that will not happen in
the present case. In fact, all of them will be seized from where they are
located. No one will have the chance to escape. Others have taken this
time to be that of the agony of death, that is, when the time of death
comes, they will be terrified and, unable to extricate themselves from the
hands of the angels, they will be seized where they are with their soul
taken out.

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Surah Saba' : 34 : 51 - 54
وَقَالُوْآ مَنَّا بِهِ وَأَنَّى لَهُمُ التَّنَاوُشُ مِنْ مَّكَان):52 tanawush) in verse) تَنَاوُش : The word
¿ (And they will say, " We believe in Him." And how can they achieve it
(the faith) from a place (so) far off?) means to pick up something by
stretching one's hand. Then, it is obvious that one can pick up only what
is near at hand. If it is very far, it will be out of reach. The subject of the
verse is that disbelievers and deniers, once they see reality as it is on the
Day of Judgement, will say, "We have now come to believe in the Qur'an,
or the messenger of Allah to whom it was revealed." But, they would not
know that the time and place for embracing 'Iman (faith) has receded far
away from them for the reason that 'Iman is a thing of the life of the
mortal world and that alone is what is accepted. The 'Akhirah (the
Hereafter) is not the venue of deeds, the place to act right (darul-'amal).
Nothing done there can be taken into account. Therefore, how is it
possible that they pick up the great wealth of 'Iman just by stretching
their hand for it.
وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا بِهِ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَيَقْذِفُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ مِنْ مَّكَان: 53 qadhf) in verse) قَدْف :The word
le (while they had rejected it before, and used to make conjectures from
a place (so) far off) means to hit something by throwing. In the Arab
idiom, anyone talking out of his hat having no proof for it is referred to by
the expressions:رجم بالغيب (rajm bil-ghayb) and: قذف بالغيب (qadhf
bil-ghayb), that is, this person shoots arrows in the dark which has no
aim or target. At this place, the expression: ◌ٍمِنُ مَّكَان بَعِيد (from a place far
away) means 'what they say is far from their hearts, that is, they do not
believe in it by heart.'
In the last verse (54), it was said: ◌َوَحِيْلَ بَيْنَهُمُ وَبَيْنَ مَا يَشْتَهُوُن (And a barrier
will be placed between them and that which they desire,) that is, they
were not allowed to have it. This description could be true about the Day
of Judgment in the sense that these people will be seeking salvation and
Paradise but would fail to have it. Then, it could also apply to the time of
death in the world, that is, they wished to have worldly wealth that was
made to stay away from them by the barrier of death.
The word : أشْيَاع (ashya) in :ُكَمَا فُعِلَ بِأَشْيَاعِهِم (as it will be done with the
people of their kind who were before (them). They were in a perplexing
doubt.) is the plural form of: ' (shi'ah). One who is a follower of
someone and thinks alike is called a shi'ah or partisan of that person. The
sense is that the punishment of having been deprived of what they

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Surah Saba' : 34 : 51 - 54
wished to have was no other but a punishment that had already been
given to people like them who indulged in doings their disbelief prompted
them to do. The reason was that they were deep in doubt, that is, they did
not believe in the prophethood of Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa
cifto
nor did they have the certitude of and faith in the Qur'an being the
Divine word. And Allah is Pure and High and He knows the best.
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Saba'
Ends here

321
Sūrah Fațir : 35 : 1 - 3
Surah Fatir
(Creator/Originator)
Surah Fațir was revealed at Makkah and it has 45 verses and 5 sections
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 3
اَلْحَمُدُ لِلّهِ فَاطِرِ السَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَاعِلِ الْمَلَئِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُولِيٍّ
أَجْنِحَةٍ تَثْنِى وَثُلْثَ وَرُبِعَ ﴿ يَزِيُّدُ فِى الْخَلْقِ مَايَشَاءُ إِنَّ اللهَ عَلى
كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ ﴿١﴾ مَا يَفْتَحِ اللّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ رَّحُمَةٍ فَلَا مُمُسِكَ لَهَاء
وَمَا يُمُسِكُ " فَلَا مُرُسِلَ لَهْ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ* وَهُوَ الْعَزِيْزُ الْحَكِيُمُ ﴿٢﴾ ◌َيُّهَا
النَّاسُ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللهِ عَلَيْكُمُ + هَلْ مِنْ خَالِقٍ غَيْرُ اللهِ يَرْزُقُكُمْ
مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ وَالْأَرْضِ ، لَا إِلهَ إِلَّ هُوَ مٍ فَنَّى تُؤْفَكُونَ ﴿٣)
All praise belongs to Allah, the Originator of the heavens
and the earth, who makes the angels messengers having
wings, in twos, threes and fours. He adds to the creation
what He wills. Indeed, Allah is powerful to do every
thing. [1] Whatever blessing Allah opens for the people,
there is none to hold it back, and whatever He holds
back, there is none to release it thereafter. And He is the
Mighty, the Wise. [2] O mankind, remember Allah's
blessing upon you. Is there any creator other than Allah
who gives you provision from the sky and the earth?
There is no god, but He. So, to where are you being
turned around (by your desires)? [3]

322
Surah Fațir : 35 : 1 - 3
Commentary
As for the statement : جَاعِلِ الْمَلَئِكَةِ رُسُلًا (who makes the angels
messengers), it means that angels were assigned to convey the messages
and injunctions of Allah Ta'ala. From this, it is obvious that they are sent
to the noble prophets JIAJe as the message-bearers or envoys of Allah.
They convey the revelations and the injunctions of Allah to them. And it
is also possible that the word: J,, (Rasul) used here may be denoting the
sense of link at this place, that is, they become a link between Allah
Ta'ala and His universal creation out of which the noble prophets
>JI are the superior-most. Thus, they also become an intermediary link
for the transmittal of revelation from Allah Ta'ala to them. Then, these
very angels happen to be the means of bringing the mercy of Allah or His
punishment to the universal creation.
The next statement: ◌َأُولِىِّ اجْنِحَةٍ مَّثْنِى وَثُلاثَ وَرُبَاع (having wings, in twos and
threes and fours) means that Allah Ta'ala has given to the angels
feathered wings they can fly with. The wise consideration behind it is
obvious as they traverse the distance between the heavens and the earth
repeatedly, and this can become possible only when they are endowed
with the necessary speed to so traverse, something that can come about in
the mode of flying only:
And the words: ◌َمَثْنَى وَ ثُلاَثَ ورُبَاع (in twos and threes and fours) are,
evidently enough, numerical adjectives referring to: zi (wings) in the
sense that the number of the feathers angels have varies from angel to
angel . Some have only two wings. Others have three. Still others have
four. Even the numbers mentioned here are not comprehensive, rather
they are mentioned here just as an example, because it is proved by a
Hadith in Sahip of Muslim that Sayyidna Jibra'il Sal, has six hundred
feathers. (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir)
Moreover, it is also possible that these three words are numerical
adjectives referring to the word: >; (rusulan: bearers of the message) in
the sense that these angels who deliver messages from Allah Ta'ala to this
world sometimes come in twos and at others in threes or fours. Once
again, in this situation too, the number of four is not intended for
restriction. It is there just for example because the coming of angels in a
much larger number stands proved from the Qur'an itself. (Abu Hayyan in
al-Bahr ul-Muhit)

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Sūrah Fațir : 35 : 1 - 3
The next sentence: ◌ُيَزِيدُ فِى الْخَلْقِ مَايَشَآء (He adds to the creation what He
wills) means that Allah Ta'ala has the power to increase whatever He
wills and as much as He wills in the creation of everything He has
originated. This obviously is related to: & (ajnihah: wings) in that the
feathers and wings of the angels are not something simply restricted to
two or four in numbers, for they could be many more than these if Allah
Ta'ala so wills. Most commentators say exactly this. And Tafsir authorities
Zuhri, Qatadah and others have said that this increase in creation is to be
taken in its general sense which includes increase in the feathers and
wings of angels as well as the increase of particular attributes in the
creation of different human beings which, then, includes the beauty of
form, the beauty of character, the beauty of voice and many more
increased assets like these. Abu Hayyan has, in al-Bahr ul-Muhit,
followed this track of explanation and said that things like good manners,
beauty of figure and face, perfection of reason and intellect, politeness in
discourse and similar others are all included therein. This second Tafsir
proves that the beauty or perfection of anything one has is invariably a
gift and blessing from Allah Ta'ala for which one should be grateful to
Him.
مَا يَفْتَحِ اللّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ:2 rahmah mercy) appearing in verse) رَحْمَة :The word
Whatever blessing Allah opens for the people, there is) رَّحْمَةٍ فَلَا مُمُسِكَ لَهَا
none to hold it back,) is general at this place. It includes blessings of one's
religion in this world along with those of the Hereafter, such as, faith,
knowledge, rightly guided conduct as well as the mission of a prophet and
the station of a Waliyy or man of Allah. And it also includes material
blessings in the present world, such as, provisions, means, comfort,
health, wealth, property, recognition and things like that. The meaning of
the verse is quite obvious. It is being said here that the person for whom
Allah Ta'ala intends to open the doors of His mercy, there is no one who
can stop it.
Similarly, the second sentence: Su, (wa ma yumsik: there is none
to hold it back) is general, meaning: what Allah Ta'ala holds back cannot
be released by anyone. This includes hardships and sorrows of the world.
For example, when Allah intends to shield some servant of His from these,
then, there is no one who can dare harass or harm him. And included
here is the matter of mercy as well in the sense that, should Allah Ta'ala

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decide to deprive a person of His mercy due to some wise consideration of
His, then, there is no one who can dare pass it on to him. (Abu Hayyan)
Related to this very subject of the verse, there is a Hadith that reports
that Sayyidna Mu'awiyah 4
wrote to Sayyidna Mughirah Ibn Shu'abah
age, his governor at Kufah, asking him to send back to him in writing
some Hadith he had personally heard from the Holy Prophet .
Sayyidna Mughirah de called Rawwad, his chief scribe, in his office and
dictated his report as: 'I heard from the Holy Prophet
soon after he
اللَّهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَلَا مُعُطِىَ لِمَا :finished his salah his recitation of the words
O Allah, for that which You give, there is no one) مَنَعُتَ وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ
to stop, and for that which you hold back, there is no one to give it out,
and no effort by any maker of effort works against Your will'). (Ibn Kathir
from the Musnad of Ahmad)
And according to a narration of Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri dge in
Şahin of Muslim, he said these words at the time he raised his head from
اَحَقُّ مَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ وكُلُّنَا :the (bending) position of ruku before another sentence
SÍ (that is, these words, out of all that a servant of Allah can say, are the
most true, incumbent and superior).
Trust in Allah delivers from all hardships
The lesson taught by the cited verse (2) to all human beings is that
one should not hope any benefit or fear any harm from anyone other
than Allah, instead, one should keep his or her sight trained towards
Allah alone. This is the master prescription for a better life in this world as
well as in the life to come. This simple antidote delivers one from
thousands of anxieties and sorrows. (Ruh-ul-Ma'ani)
Sayyidna 'Amir Ibn 'Abd Qays 4ee said: Once I get to recite four verses
of the noble Qur'an in the morning, I stop worrying about what would
happen in the morning and what would happen in the evening. These
verses are as follows. The first one is this very verse under study: all 2 6
Whatever blessing Allah) لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ رَّحْمَةٍ فَلاَ مُمُسِكَ لَهَا وَمَا يُمُسِكُ فَلَا مُرُسِلَ لَه؛ مِنُ بَعُدِهِ
opens for the people, there is none to hold it back, and whatever He holds
back, there is none to release it thereafter - 35:2). The second verse
[1] This translation is based on one way of reading this prayer, that is, jidd (with
kasrah on the letter jim, but if it is read as jadd, the the correct translation would
be: 'no high status of a person may benefit him against Your decree.
(Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

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Surah Fațir : 35 : 4 - 8
إِنْ يَّمُسَسُكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرِّ فَلًا:6:17 ,having the same sense appears in Surah al-Anam
And if Allah causes you some harm, no) كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ وَإِنْ يُرِدُكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَلَا رَادَّ لِفَضْلِه
one is there to remove it except He Himself; and if He causes you some
good, then He is powerful over everything - 6:17). The third verse is from
Surah At-Talaq, 65:7:سَيَجْعَلُ اللهُ بَعُدَ عُسُرٍ يُسْرًا (Allah will soon bring ease after
وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِى الْأَرُضِ إِلَّ:11:6 ,a difficulty). The fourth verse is from Surah Hud
And there is no creature on earth whose sustenance is not on) عَلَى اللهِ رِزْقُهَا
Allah - 11:6). (Narrated by Ibn al-Mundhir, as in Ruh ul-Ma'ani)
And when Sayyidna Abu Hurairah
we saw rain falling, he used to
say : مُطِرْنَا بنوء الْفَتْح (The rain has come upon us through the rise of fath: (the
opening) and would, then, recite the verse: ◌ٍمَايَفْتَحِ اللّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ رَّحْمَة (Whatever
blessing Allah opens for the people, there is none to hold it back,- 34:2).
This term of 'rise of fath' used by him was in rebuttal of the false notion
prevailing among Arabs of those days who used to attribute the coming of
rains to the rise of particular stars and said that the rains had come upon
them through the rise of such and such star. Sayyidna Abu Hurairah see
countered it by saying that (the mercy of) rains came to him through (the
statement in) the verse of fath or opening. By this, he meant this very
verse quoted above. He used to recite it particularly on such occasions.
(Reported by Imam Malik in al-Mu'watta)
Verses 4 - 8
وَإِنْ يُكَذِّبُوُكَ فَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّنُ قَبْلِكَ ، وَإِلَى اللّهِ تُرُجَعُ الْأُمُوْرُ
◌َأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ وَعُدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيْوةُ الدُّنْيَا وَ وَلَا
يَغُرَّتَّكُمْ بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُوْرُ ﴿٠﴾ إِنَّ الشَّيْطُنَ لَكُمُ عَدُوٌّ فَأَتَّخِذُوُهُ عَدُوًّامـ
إِنَّمَا يَدْعُوا حِزُبَهْ لَيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصُخبِ السَّعِيْرِ ﴿٢﴾ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا
لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيْدٌ: وَالَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّلِحْتِ لَهُمُ مَّغُفِرَةٌ
وَاَجُرٌ كَبِيْرٌ ﴿َ﴾ أَفَمَنُ زُيِّنَ لَهْ سُوَّءُ عَمَلِهِ فَرَاهُ حَسَنَّا، فَإِنَّ اللّهَ
يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَّشَآءُ وَيَهْدِىُ مَنْ يَّشَآءُ ◌ٍ فَلَا تَذْهَبُ نَفُسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ
حَسَرْتٍ ﴿ إِنَّ اللهَ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَصُنَعُونَ ﴿٨)

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And if they reject you, ( it is not something new,
because) many messengers have been rejected before
you. And to Allah all matters are to be returned. [4] O
mankind, Allah's promise is definitely true, therefore,
the worldly life must not deceive you, nor should you be
deceived about Allah by the big deceiver (Satan). [5]
Surely Satan is an enemy for you. So, take him as an
enemy. He invites his group only to cause them to be
among the people of blazing fire. [6] Those who
disbelieve will have a severe punishment; and those
who believe and do righteous deeds will have
forgiveness and a great reward. [7] Is it, then, that the
one whose evil deed has been made attractive to him so
much that he deems it to be good (will be held equal to
him who differentiates between right and wrong) ? The
fact, therefore, is that Allah lets go astray whomsoever
He wills , and leads to the right path whomsoever He
wills. So, let not your soul collapse in grief for them.
Surely Allah fully knows what they are doing. [8]
Commentary
The word: >>> (gharur) is an emphatic form of an adjective that
means one who is very deceiving (hence, rendered here as 'big deceiver').
It refers to the Shaitan (Satan) whose sole job is to deceive people and
(5) لَا يَغُرَّنَّكُمُ بِاللهِ الْغَرُوُرُ :throw them into disbelief and sin. And the expression
means 'nor should you be deceived about Allah'. To explain this deception,
it can be said that the Shaitan may not, by showing your evil deeds as
good, cause you to become so involved with these that you reach the stage
when you go on committing a sin and, at the same time, keep thinking
that you are of those accepted in the sight of Allah, and that you will not
have to undergo any punishment.' (Qurtubi)
Imam al-Baghawi has reported on the authority of Sayyidna
'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas e that the verse:ُفَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِىُ مَنْ يَّشَاء (The
fact, therefore, is that Allah lets go astray whomsoever He wills , and
leads to the right path whomsoever He wills .- 8) was revealed at a time
when the Holy Prophet
had made the prayer: 'O Allah, bless Islam
with prestige and power, through 'Umar Ibn al-Khattzb, or Abu Jahl.'
Out of the two, Allah Ta'ala showed the right path to Sayyidna 'Umar
and made him the cause of Islam's prestige and power, while Abu Jahl
remained as astray as he was. (Mazhari)

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Surah Fațir : 35 : 9 - 14
Verses 9 - 14
وَاللهُ الَّذِئْ أَرْسَلَ الرِّيحَ فَتُثِيْرُ سَحَابًا فَسُقُنُهُ إِلَى بَلَدٍ مَّتٍ فَاحْبَيْنَا
بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا كَذلِكَ النُّشُوُرُ ﴿٥) مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعِزَّةَ
فَلِلْهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيْعًا﴿ إِلَيْهِ يَصُعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ
يَرْفَعُه، ﴿ وَالَّذِيْنَ يَمْكُرُوُنَ السَّاتِ لَهُمُ عَذَابٌ شَدِيْدٌ ، وَمَكُرُ
أُوْ لَئِكَ هُوَيَبُوُرُ ﴿١٠﴾ وَاللّهُ خَلَقَكُمُ مِّنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ
جَعَلَكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنْثَى وَلَا تَضَعُ إِلَّا بِعِلْمِهِ ، وَمَا
يُعَمَّرُ مِنْ مُّعَمَّرٍ وَّلَا يُنْقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهٍ إِلَّ فِىُ كِتْبٍ ﴿ إِنَّ ذُلِكَ عَلَى
اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ ﴿١١﴾ وَمَا يَسْتَوِى الْبَحْرِنِ مَّ هَذَا عَذُبٌ فُرَاتٌ سَآئِغٌ
شَرَابُهُ وَهَذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَمِنْ كُلِّ تَأْكُلُونَ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا
وَ تَسْتَخْرِجُوْنَ حِلْيَةً تَلْبَسُوْنَهَاءٌ وَتَرَى الْفُلْكَ فِيْهِ مَوَاخِرَ لِتَبْتَغُوْا
مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿١٢) يُوْلِجُ الَّيْلَ فِى النَّهَارِ وَيُؤْلِجُ
النَّهَارَ فِى الَّيْلِ * وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمُسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ءِ كُلٌّ يَّجْرِىُ لِاَجَلٍ
مُّسَمَّى ء ذُلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ ﴿ وَالَّذِيْنَ تَدْعُوُنَ مِنْ دُوْنِهِ مَا
يَمْلِكُوْنَ مِنْ قِطْمِيْرٍ ﴿١٣﴾ إِنْ تَدْعُوُهُمُ لَايَسْمَعُوْا دُعَاءَ كُمُ وَلَوْ
سَمِعُوا مَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَكُمُ ، وَيَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةِ يَكُفُرُوْنَ بِشِرْكِكُمْ وَلَا
يُنَبِّئُكَ مِثْلُ خَبِيرٍ ﴿١٤﴾
And Allah is the One who sends the winds, then they
raise up the clouds, then We drive them to a dead land
and revive the land through them after its death. In
similar way shall be the resurrection. [9] Whoever
desires honor, then all honor lies with Allah alone.
Towards Him ascends the pure word, and the righteous
deed uplifts it. As for those who plot evils, for them
there is a severe punishment, and their plot itself will
perish. [10] And Allah has created you from dust, then

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from a drop of semen, then He made you couples. And
no female conceives nor gives birth without His
knowledge. And no aged person is made to advance in
age, nor a part is curtailed from his age, but all this is
(recorded) in a book. Surely all this is easy for Allah.
[11] And two seas are not alike; this one is sweet,
saturating, pleasant to drink, and that one is saltish,
bitter. And from each, you eat fresh meat, and derive
ornaments that you wear. And you see the boats
therein cleaving through water, so that you may search
for His grace, and that you may be grateful. [12] He
makes the night enter into the day and makes the day
enter into the night, and He has subjugated the sun and
the moon; each one of them is running towards an
appointed time. That is Allah, your Lord. To Him
belongs the kingdom. And those whom you invoke
beside Him do not own even the membrane on a
date-stone. [13] If you call them, they do not hear your
call, and even if they were to hear, they would not
respond to you. And on the Day of Judgment they will
deny your having held them as Allah's partners. and
none can inform you like Him who is Aware. [14]
Commentary
In verse 10, it was said: 'إِلَيْهِ يَصُعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُه (Towards Him
ascends the pure word, and the righteous deed uplifts it). Immediately
earlier to this, it was declared that the person seeking honor and power
should understand that these matters are not controlled by anyone other
than Allah. As for those who have taken certain things as objects of
worship or have taken some people as friends in the hope of being
honored by them, they cannot give honor to anyone. Given in the present
verse, there is a method of acquiring the gifts of grace and honor from
Allah Ta'ala. It has two parts: (1) Good word (that is, the kalimah of
tauhid: la ilaha il-lal-lah) and the knowledge of the being and attributes
of Allah. (2) Good deed, that is, to believe by heart and then act in
accordance with its dictates under the Shari'ah. Shah 'Abdul Qadir >
She al has said in Mudih-ul-Qur'an that this prescription of becoming a
recipient of honor is perfectly true and tested, however, the condition is
that one remains constant in remembering Allah and doing good deeds.
When this constancy reaches an appointed limit, Allah Ta'ala blesses the
doer of these with an everlasting and unparalleled honor both in this
world and in the world to come.

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Surah Fațir : 35 : 9 - 14
These two parts have been expressed in the cited verse by saying that
good word ascends towards Allah and reaches Him while good deed uplifts
الْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ :it and makes it reach Him. In the grammatical arrangement of
sy ( the good deed uplifts it) there are certain probabilities. The
meanings of the sentence change in terms of each such probability.
Authorities in Tafsir have explained it in line with the respective
probabilities that they have deemed to be appropriate by them. According
to the first probability, the subjective pronoun in: 43% (uplifts) should be
taken as reverting to: ... (the good deed) and the objective pronoun (it) to:
... (good word) meaning: 'good words ascend to Allah, but the thing
through which they are made to ascend are good deeds (as in the
khulasa-e-Tafsir of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi). The majority of Tafsir
authorities - Sayyidnā Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn Jubayr, Hasan al-Başri, Mujahid,
Dahhak, Shahr Ibn Hawshab and others - have opted for this very
approach. And the sense of ascending to and being helped to ascend is
being accepted in the sight of Allah, therefore, the gist of the sentence
would be that good word, be it the kalimah of tauhid or others words of
the remembrance and glorification of Allah, nothing of it gets to be
acceptable with Allah without good deed. Here, the confirmation by heart
is an integral part of good deed the most important part of which is the
belief by heart in His Oneness. This belief by heart is a necessary
condition for the acceptance of deeds in the absolute sense. Without it,
neither the Kalimah: JI vi Js (la ilaha il-lal-lah) nor any other Dhikr of
Allah is acceptable.
Then, there are the other parts of good deed, such as, prayers and
fasting and abstinence from forbidden and reprehensible things. Though,
the acceptability of the 'good word' ,that is, the kalimah of tauhid does not
depend on such good deeds, yet these deeds too are conditions to a perfect
acceptability of the 'good words'. If a person simply does not have faith,
and its confirmation, in his heart, then, no matter how many times he
repeats the words of the cardinal statement of one's Islam (Kalimah
Tauhid: la ilaha il-lal-lah) and remains engaged with dhikr and Tasbih
of Allah, he will not deserve the least of acceptability in the sight of Allah.
In contrast, there is the case of the other person who does have faith and
its confirmation, but fails to do other good deeds or falls short in them,
then, his saying of the kalimah of tauhid and the doing of the dhikr of

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Allah will, though, not go to waste totally, however, its benefit will be
restricted to delivering him from the everlasting punishment. The
consequence will be that he will go through a certain punishment for
some time that will be in proportion to his abandonment of duty and the
shortcoming.
In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet
HE has said, 'Allah Ta'ala does not
accept any word without deed, and any word and deed without the
intention, and any word, deed and intention without compatibility with
sunnah (as said and done by him).' (Qurțubi)
This tells us that correspondence with sunnah is the condition of
perfect acceptability. Even if the word, the deed and the intention, all
these, are also correct but the mode and method of conduct is not in
accordance with sunnah, then, one cannot become a recipient of perfect
acceptability with Allah.
Some commentators suggest another syntactical arrangement in
respect of this sentence. According to them, the subjective pronoun in: "
(uplifts) reverts to: ضمير فاعل (good word) and the objective pronoun (i.e. 'it')
to: 15 (good deed). Thus, the meaning of the sentence become totally
different from that of the earlier, that is, 'good word' which is the dhikr of
Allah, makes 'good deed' ascend and makes it rise higher up, that is,
makes it worthy of being accepted. The outcome would then be that a
person who does good deeds, and along with it, also does his dhikr of
Allah abundantly, then, this dhikr of Allah embellishes his deed and
makes it acceptable.
The sense of the verse: ◌ٍوَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِنُ مُّعَمَّرٍ وَّلَا يُنُقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِه ◌ِلَّ فِى كِتَاب (And no
aged person is made to advance in age, nor a part is curtailed from his
age, but all this is (recorded) in a book - 35:11), according to the majority
of the commentators is that if Allah Ta'ala blesses a person with a long
age, it is a fact already on record in the Preserved Tablet (al-lawh
al-mahfuz). Similarly, when the age of a certain person is kept at a lower
mark in terms of the number of years, that too already stands recorded in
al-lawh al-mahfuz. The outcome of it all is that the text, at this place, is
not referring to one individual person's age being long or short, instead,
the statement relates to humankind as a whole, in the sense that some
individuals from it are given long ages and others, a comparatively

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shorter ones. The explanation has been reported by Ibn Kathir from
Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas «ge. Abu Bakr al-Jassas reports the same
saying from Hasan al-Başri and Dahhak. Therefore, in general books of
Tafsir, such as, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, Rah ul-Ma'ani and others, this very
explanation has been declared as the view of the majority of
commentators. However, some early commentators have said: Should the
length of age concerns one single person, then, decrease in age would
mean that the age of every person as already written by Allah Ta'ala is
certain, and every day that passes decreases one day from this pre-fixed
age. If two days pass, two days decrease. In the same way, every day, in
fact, every single breath keeps decreasing one's age. This Tafsir or
explanation has been reported from Sha'bi, Ibn Jubayr, Abu Malik, Ibn
'Atiyyah and Suddiyy. (Ruh ul-Ma'ani)
This subject has been succinctly expressed in an Arabic couplet as:
٠٠ *... مَضْى نَفَسٌ مِّنْهَا انْتَقَصَتُ بِهِ جُزءًا
حَيَاتُكَ أَنْفَاسٌ تُعَدُّ فَكُلَّمَا
Your life is (the name of) counted breaths. So, whenever passes
away a breath from it, a part of it decreases.
In his explanation of this verse, Imam an-Nasai has reported from
Sayyidna Anas Ibn Malik use that he heard the Holy Prophet
صَلى الله
saying,
This Hadith has also been " مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يُّيْسَطَ لَهُ فِىُ رِزْقِهِ وَيُنْسَأ فِىُ آثَّرِهِ فَلْيَصِلُ رَحِمَه"
reported by al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud on the authority of a
narration from Yunus Ibn Yazid Ayli. The Hadith means: 'He who
wishes that his sustenance and age is increased should treat his close
relatives well (Şilatu-r-rahim).' This obviously suggests that the these
deeds increase one's age. But, another Hadith given below has itselt
clarified its sense:
Ibn Abi Hatim reports from Sayyidna Abu-d-Darda' de. He says,
'when we mentioned this (subject) before the Holy Prophet , he said,
"(Age as such is already fixed and determined by Allah), when the fixed
term is over, no one is given the least respite. In fact, increase in age
means ( in the Hadith cited above) that Allah Ta'ala blesses one with good
children who keep praying for him. This person is not there anymore, but
he keeps receiving their prayers in his grave (that is, he keeps on
receiving the benefits one would have received if one were alive. Thus, in
a way, his age has increased"). (Both narrations appearing above have been

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reported by Ibn Kathir). In short, Ahadith that say that some deeds cause age
to increase mean increase in the barakah or bliss of age.
In the next verse: وَمِنُ كُلّ تَأْكُلُونَ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا وَّتَسْتَخْرِ جُوُنَ حِلْيَةً تَلْبَسُونَهَا (And from
each, you eat fresh meat, and derive ornaments that you wear - 35:12), it
is being said that one gets fresh meat, that is, fish to eat from both waters,
sweet or brackish. In this verse, by alluding to fish as meat, the hint
released is that fish is meat, already halal by itself. One does not have to
slaughter it. This is contrary to the case of the animals found on land.
Unless one slaughters them with the name of Allah, they do not become
halal. Fish does not have this condition. It is meat, ready to eat. And the
word: al (hilyah) means ornament and refers to pearls. The verse tells
us that the way pearls are found in brackish waters, they are also found
in sweet waters, something contrary to the general belief, since it is well
known that pearls are harvested from the brackish water of the seas.
However, the reality is what is evident from the words of the Qur'an that
they form in both - yes, much less in sweet waters and far more in the
brackish waters of the sea. That they are found in seas excessively
contributed to the popular belief that pearls come only from brackish
waters.
By using the masculine form in the last word: Que (talbasunaha:
that you wear), a hint is being released that the use of pearls is
permissible for men as well - contrary to gold and silver, the use of which
as an ornament is not permissible for men. (Ruh-ul-Ma'ani)
In the last verse: ◌ْإِنْ تَدُعُوُهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُوُا دُعَاءَ كُمُ ◌ٌ وَلَوْ سَمِعُوا مَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَكُم (If you call
them, they do not hear your call, and even if they were to hear, they
would not respond to you. - 35:14). To explain, it can be said that if you
call those idols or some prophets or angels you take as god and worship
them asking them to help you in distress, they will, first of all, be unable
to listen to you because idols do not have the ability to listen. Though,
prophets and angels have this ability, yet they are not present
everywhere nor do they hear that which is said by everybody. Further on,
it was said that, should they, as a matter of supposition, be able to listen,
as in the case of angels and prophets, still, they would not fulfill your
request, because they themselves have no control over it, and cannot
intercede with Allah on behalf of anyone without His permission.