Indexed OCR Text

714
Sūrah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 9 - 25
This was the practice of the Holy Prophet
according to many
narrations. The mustahab (preferable) way to ride a transport, as stated
by Sayyidna 'All ", is to say al 'Bismillah' (With the name of Allah)
when one is putting the first foot on the animal or the vehicle, and after
one has set himself or herself on the transport, one should say aulasJi
'Alhamdulillah' (All praise belongs to Allah), and then one should say
لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ upto سُبُحنَ الَّذِيُ سَخْرَلَنَا the words mentioned in this verse from
(Qurțubi). Moreover according to some reports, the Holy Prophet 9, after
saying these words, used to supplicate in the following words also:
اَللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الصَّاحِبُ فِى السَّفَرِ وَالْخَلِيْفَةُ فِى الْآَهُلِ وَالْمَالِ اللَّهُمَّ إِّى أَعُوذُبِكَ مِنْ
وَّعْثَآءِ السَّفَرِ وَكَآبَةِ الْمُنْقَلَبِ، وَالْحَوُرِ بَعْدَ الْكُوُرِ وَسُوْءِ الْمَنْظَرِ فِى الْآَهُلِ وَالْمَالِ.
"O Allah, you are my companion in the journey, and my
substitute for my family. O Allah, I seek your refuge from the
sufferings of the journey, and from coming back in a sad
situation, and from a bad state of being after a good one, and
from a bad scenario appearing to me about my family and my
belongings."
According to one narration, the following words are added to the
above supplication,
اَللَّهُمَّ لَا إِلَّهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ ظَلَمُتُ نَفْسِىُ فَاغْفِرُلِىِّ إِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
O Allah, there is no god but You. I have done wrong to myself;
so forgive me. Surely, no one can forgive the sins, but You
alone. (Qurțubi)
and we were not able to have control over it - 13). This) وَمَا كُنَّا لَه مُقُرِنِيْنَ
statement is as true for mechanical means of transport as for cattle and
animals, because if Allah Ta'ala had not created their raw materials, or
had not endowed them with their particular properties, or had not
endowed the human intellect with capability to discover those properties,
even the whole universe, acting together in unison, could not have
produced these vehicles.
- and of course, towards our Lord we have to return) وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ
14). These words teach us that every time a man embarks on a journey,
he should think of his last arduous journey to the Hereafter also, which
one has to undertake in all circumstances; - and the only way to make it
easy is to have a vehicle of good deeds.

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 26 - 30
And they have attributed to Him [that He is) وَجَعَلُوا لَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ جُزْءً ا
composed of] parts [and that too] out of His slaves ... 43:15) 'parts' in this
verse means 'offspring', because the polytheists used to say that angels
are daughters of Allah, and by using the word 'parts' instead of 'offspring'
the fallacy of their claim has been pointed out on pure logical ground. The
gist of the argument is that had Allah any offspring, that offspring will
have been His part, because a son is a part of his father, and it is a rule of
logic that an entity that consists of parts is dependent upon its parts for its
full existence. This will then necessarily mean that Allah Ta'ala is also
dependent on His offspring, which is obviously impossible, because
dependence of any kind, being a negation of the Divine Majesty, is out of
question in Allah's case.
(Is it that (Allah has chosen) those (as His offspring) أَوَمَنُ يُنَشَّؤُ فِى الْحِلْيَةِ
who are grown up in ornaments, ... 43:18). This tells us that use of
ornaments and adornment in accordance with 'Shari'ah is permissible for
women. As such, there is consensus on this issue, but at the same time the
manner of speech indicates that getting so much involved in adornment
that one is busy in it the whole day long, is not proper; it is not only a
symptom of one's being short-sighted, but also a cause of it.
and who cannot express themselves in debate) وَهُوَ فِى الْخِصَامِ غَيْرُ مُبِيْنٍ
clearly - 18). This reflects the reality that a great majority of women do not
have the same ability as men to express their feelings clearly. Therefore,
if it comes to argumentation, it is difficult for them to prove their own
contention and to refute the other's arguments in a clear manner. But
this applies to the majority. If some women are eloquent in their speech
and excel even men in this regard, it does not go against this verse,
because the rule applies to the majority, and not to every single
individual.
Verses 26 - 30
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرِهِيُمَ لِاَبِيْهِ وَقَوْمِهِ إِنَّنِى بَرَآءٌ مِّمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ ﴿٢﴾ إِلاَّ الَّذِىُ
فَطَرَنِى فَإِنَّهُ سَيَهْدِيْنِ ﴿٢٧﴾ وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَاقِيَةً فِىُ عَقِبِهِ لَعَلَّهُمُ
يَرْجِعُونَ ﴿٢٨) بَلْ مَتَّعْتُ هَؤُلَاءٍ وَابَآءَهُمُ حَتَّى جَآءَهُمُ الْحَقُّ

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 26 - 30
وَرَسُوُلٌ مُّبَيْنٌ ﴿٢٩﴾ وَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمُ الْحَقُّ قَالُوا هَذَا سِحُرٌ وَّإِنَّا بِه
كُفِرُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾
And (recall) when Ibrahim said to his father and to his
people, "I disown that which you worship, [26] except
the One who has originated me; so He will guide me."
[27] And he made it a word lasting among his posterity,
so that they may return. [28] But, I gave these and their
fathers enjoyment, until the truth came to them, and a
messenger who explains (it). [29] And when the truth
came to them, they said, "This is magic, and we totally
disbelieve in it." [30]
Commentary
AH JU 5 (And [recall] when Ibrahim said to his father and to his
people, ..... 43:26) At the end of the previous verses, Allah Ta'ala had
stated that the 'mushrikin' (polytheists) of Arabia had no argument in
favour of their 'shirk' (polytheism) except that they were carrying on the
customs of their forefathers. Obviously, sticking to such customs against
logical and historical arguments is far from truth and justice. Now the
point made in the present verses is that, even if they are adamant on
following their ancestors, why do they not follow Sayyidna Ibrahim
who is the most noble of their ancestors, and it is taken by themselves as a
matter of pride to be among his offspring. He was not only a believer in
'tauhid' (Oneness of Allah) who emphatically directed all his children to
remain adherent to this belief, but his life-long behavior also indicates
that following forefathers against logical and historical proofs is not
permissible. When he was ordained prophethood in the world, all his
people were polytheists in pursuit of the customs of their forefathers, but
he, instead of blindly following his forefathers, announced his dissociation
from his people, according to the dictates of positive proofs; hence his
declaration: ◌َإِنَّنِىُ بَرَاءٌ مِمَّا تَعُبَدُون "I disown that which you worship" (43:26).
We find from this verse that if anyone lives among a group or people
who are misguided or involved in bad deeds, and his silence about their
attitude may be construed as being agreeable to them, then it is not
enough for him to simply correct his own beliefs and deeds, rather he has
to disown their beliefs and deeds as well. This is what Sayyidna Ibrahim
Sel did - he not only made his belief and actions distinctly different in

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 31 - 32
practice, but he also disowned their belief and deeds vocally.
And he made it a word lasting among his) وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةٌ بَاقِيَةً فِىُ عَقِبِهِ
posterity.) It means that Ibrahim 2 did not keep the belief in 'tauhid'
restricted to himself, rather he emphasized upon his posterity also to
remain firm on this faith, as a result of which a large number of his
posterity adhered to tauhid. In Makkah and its surroundings, there were
many blessed souls, even till the advent of the Holy Prophet 5, who had
remained steadfast in the original 'din' of Sayyidna Ibrahim al.
We learn from this verse that it is one of the obligatory duties of a
Muslim to try his best to put his or her children on the path of the correct
religion and to make them practice it throughout their lives. The Holy
Qur'an tells us that Sayyidna Yaqub &g also had directed his sons, shortly
before his death, to remain firm on the correct faith. As such, it is
necessary, as a consistent practice of the prophets, to employ one's best
possible efforts to reform the morals and deeds of his or her children. So to
say, there are many ways to reform one's offspring which should be used
according to the situation, but Shaikh Abdul Wahhab Sha'rani d ,
Ww has said in his book Lata'if-ul-Minan wal-Akhlaq that the most
effective way for the betterment of one's offspring in matters pertaining to
'din' is that the parents should pray to Allah regularly to make them true
practicing Muslims . Alas! The negligence of parents from this easy way is
becoming very common these days, and the parents themselves are
witnessing the ill effects of this negligence.
Verses 31 - 32
وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ هَذَا الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِّنَ الْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيمٍ ﴿٣١)
اَهُمُ يَقْسِمُونَ رَحُمَتَ رَبِّكَ « نَحْنُ قَسَمُنَا بَيْنَهُمُ مَّعِيْشَتَهُمُ فِى
الْخَيْوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَتٍ لِيَتَّخِذَ بَعُضُهُمُ
بَعُضًا سُخْرِيًّا ، وَرَحُمَتُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ ﴿٣٢)
And they say, "Why was this Qur'an not revealed on a
great man from (either of) the two towns?" [31] Is it they
who distribute the mercy of your Lord? We have
distributed among them their livelihood in the worldly

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 31 - 32
life, and have raised some of them over others in ranks,
so that some of them may put some others to work. And
the mercy of your Lord is much better than what they
accumulate. [32]
Commentary
Allah Ta'ala has in these verses, has replied to an objection of the
pagans of Arabia used to be raised against the Holy Prophet . Actually,
they were not prepared to accept, at the first place, that a man could be a
messenger of Allah Ta'ala. The Holy Qur'an has referred, at many places,
to their objection that they could not accept Sayyidna Muhammad
as a
messenger of Allah, while he eats and drinks and walks about in the
market places like any ordinary man. When it was clarified through
many verses of the Qur'an that not only the Holy Prophet
¿, but all the
prophets who came to this world, were human beings, they started
advancing another argument that if prophethood had to be bestowed
upon a human being, why was it not given to some wealthy man of a
high rank and position from Makkah or Ta'if instead of the Holy Prophet
who was not so wealthy? According to some narrations, they had
proposed the names of Walid Ibn Mughirah and 'Utbah Ibn Rabi'ah from
Makkah, and 'Urwah Ibn Mas'ud Thaqafi, Habib Ibn 'Amr Thaqafi or
Kinanah Ibn 'Abdiyalil from Ța'if. (Run-ul-Ma'ani)
Allah Almighty has given two answers to this objection. The second
answer is found in the next verses which will be explained there, while
the present verse (32) has provided the first answer in the words, "Is it
they who distribute the mercy of your Lord?". "Mercy of your Lord" refers
here to 'prophethood' and the gist of the answer is that appointing
someone as a prophet is a mercy from Allah which he bestows upon and
allocates to human beings on the basis of His absolute wisdom, and
according to His exclusive discretion for which He needs not to consult
anyone, nor has anyone a right to interfere with it. You have no concern
with distribution of prophethood so that your advice should be sought
before anyone is made a prophet. Your intellect and understanding is too
deficient to be entrusted with selecting suitable persons for the office of
prophethood, or for the distribution of this divine mercy among people.
How can you distribute among people an office as high as prophethood,
while you have no ability to distribute something that is much lower and
easier, that is, your economy. You are not good enough even to carry out

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the distribution of your wealth and means of sustenance. We know that if
you are entrusted with this responsibility, you will not be able to manage
it even for one day, and the whole system will simply collapse. That is
why Allah Ta'ala has not assigned the distribution of provisions in this
world to you; rather He has kept it in His own hands. Since this
comparatively ordinary work cannot be entrusted to you, how can a great
job like distribution of prophethood be given in your hands?
This is what the above verses mean, but in the context of replying to
the 'mushrikin', many economic principles are laid down and indications
are given by Allah Ta'ala regarding the economic system of the world;
their brief explanation is necessary here.
The Natural system of Distribution of wealth
.(We have distributed among them their livelihood) نَحْنُ قَسَمُنَا بَيْنَهُمُ مَّعِيْشَتَهُمْ
This is to say that Allah in His infinite wisdom, has devised such a system
for the world that everybody is dependent on another for meeting his
needs. Thus all the people, bound in this mutual inter-dependence, are
fulfilling the needs of the whole society. This verse has made it quite clear
that Allah Almighty has not assigned the work of distributing livelihood
to any human organization or authority that works out a plan (as claimed
by the socialist theory) how to define the needs of a society, how to meet
those needs, how to allocate the means of production to various channels,
and how to distribute the income, and on what basis. Instead, all these
functions rest with Allah Ta'ala. What it means is that by making every
person dependent upon another, an automatic system has been developed
that may solve these issues, with the only condition that it is not hindered
by unnatural factors like monopolies etc. This system of mutual
interdependence is known in modern economic terminology as the 'supply
and demand mechanism'. The natural law of 'supply and demand' is that
shortage in the supply of an item results in an increase in its price, and
thus attracts more factors of production towards its production, so that
they may earn more profit. But when the production outpaces the
demand, its prices decrease, and so does the profit, thereby diverting the
means of production towards more profitable items. Islam has employed
this natural mechanism of supply and demand to produce and distribute
wealth, and has not assigned the distribution of livelihood to any
organization under ordinary circumstances. The reason is that human

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Sūrah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 31 - 32
planning, however advanced it may be, cannot take into account every
element of human necessities; such social issues are usually resolved
through a natural process that works in an automatic manner. If such
problems are entrusted to human planning, it can only result in artificial
restraints imposed on the natural human freedom. For example, the fact
that the hours of daylight are for working, and the night is meant for
sleeping was not determined by any social contract or by human
planning; it came about through nature's automatic process. Similarly,
who should marry whom is automatically arranged in accordance with
the natural system of personal inclinations; nobody has even thought of
arranging it through planning. If the question of selecting a particular
field of academic specialization is entrusted to the planning of a
government, instead of one's own inclination and taste, it will result in
nothing but coercion and compulsion which may, in turn, disturb and
spoil the natural human life. Similarly, the economic system is taken care
of by Allah's wisdom and power; everybody knows in his heart what he
wants to do, which job is more suitable for him, and which he can perform
properly. As such, everybody, even if he is a sweeper, is happy loving his
work, and is proud of it.
However, unlike capitalism, Islam has not given so much freedom to
the individuals as allows them to accumulate wealth by any means,
lawful or unlawful, and deprive others of their livelihood. Islam has
therefore drawn a clear line between halal (permissible) and haram
(impermissible) sources of income. It has, on the one hand, totally
prohibited usury or interest, speculative transactions, hoarding and
gambling (which in its technical sense in Islamic law is much more
general than its lexical meaning in English), and on the other hand, has
levied zakah, 'ushr, etc., even on permitted income. And thus Islam has
closed the doors of those social ills that are found in the present day
capitalistic system. If despite all this, monopolies are created at any time,
government has been permitted to intervene and break them up. Details
on this subject can be seen in the author's Urdu books on 'The Issue of
Interest' 'Distribution of Wealth in Islam' and 'Economic Reforms in
Islamic System'.
The truth about economic equality
and have raised some of them over others in) وَرَفَعُنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجِتٍ

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ranks). This tells us that economic equality, in the sense that the income
of all the individuals of this world should be equal, is neither desirable nor
practically feasible. The reason is that Allah Ta'ala has charged every
member of this universe with some duties, and has given them rights in
proportion to their obligations. All the creatures, excepting man, are liable
for the least duties in the sense that there is nothing like lawful, unlawful
or prohibited for them, and hence they have the least rights. Accordingly,
man has been given vast freedom in dealing with them; he can use them
in any way for his benefit, subject to some minor restrictions. He uses
some animals as his food, some he rides and some creatures are trodden
under his feet, but these things are not considered to be the denial of the
rights of those creatures, because their duties are very few, hence their
rights are also to that proportion. Human beings and jinns have been
given more responsibilities in their duties than any other creature of this
universe in that they are accountable to Allah Ta'ala in each utterance,
each deed each move and each movement; if they do not carry out their
duties, they are liable to punishment in the Hereafter. That is the reason
why Allah Ta'ala has given much more rights to human beings and jinns
as compared to other creatures. And then, even among human beings,
those whose duties and obligations are more than others have been given
more rights as well. As such, prophets JI - whose responsibilities
exceed those of all other human beings, were given more rights than
others in many respects.
The same principle has been applied by Allah Ta'ala to the economic
system also. Allah has given economic advantages and rights to anyone in
accordance with his duties and obligations. It is obvious that equality in
duties and obligations is not possible, and differences are unavoidable. It
is simply not feasible that everybody's economic benefits i.e. income and
duties be exactly equal, because they depend on one's natural abilities
which include physical strength, health, intellectual power, age, level of
intelligence, efficiency and quickness; it is obvious to everyone that it is
beyond the capability of even the most advanced communist state to
create homogeneity and equality among people in respect of these
qualities. When differences in the abilities of human beings are
unavoidable, there have to be differences in their economic duties. And
since economic rights are linked with these duties, differences in economic

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rights i.e. incomes are also unavoidable, because if everybody's income is
made equal, while duties continue to be different, equity and justice
cannot be established. It is now quite evident that complete equality in
incomes can never be fair at any time. As such the communist claim that
equality will be achieved in the ultimate stage of completion of
communism, is neither practicable nor equitable.
To determine whose duties are more and whose are less and to
determine their rights accordingly is an extremely sensitive and difficult
task, and man does not have any perfect standard, as yet, to measure it.
Sometimes one gets the feeling that an expert and experienced engineer
has earned in only one hour what a common unskilled laborer could not,
even by carrying tons of earth during the whole day. But in all fairness,
one has to concede that the whole day's carefree hard work of the laborer
just cannot match the burden of responsibility of the engineer. Besides,
the income of the engineer is not compensation for only one hour's work,
but it really is compensation partly for the exercise of the mind, burning
of the mid-night oil and effort put in to get engineering education and
training, and then in getting experience and expertise. In its early days,
communism has accepted the differences in incomes and as such there are
vast differences in the incomes of different categories of the populace in
all the communist countries. But where they have slipped is that they
have given control over all means of production to the government,
thereby determination of duties and commensurate distribution of
incomes has also come under the control of the government. As mentioned
earlier, man does not have a perfect standard to measure that the rights
are in accordance with one's duties; as such a few functionaries of the
government in communist countries have the power to dole out, as much
as they want, to any person and withhold, as much as they want from
anyone. In the first place, such discretionary powers give rise to
corruption, nepotism etc. Secondly, even if one presumes that all the
functionaries of the government are angels, and they truly desire to
distribute the incomes in the country according to the dictates of justice
and equity, then what is the measure through which they may be able to
determine the difference in the duties of an engineer and a laborer, and
in that context what should be the difference between their incomes?
The fact is that the right decision in this matter is beyond human

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understanding, and that is why it has been kept in the domain of nature.
This is what Allah Ta'ala has hinted at in the verse under discussion
which says, "and have raised some of them over others in ranks". Instead
of leaving human beings determine this difference, Allah Ta'ala has kept
it in His own hands in the sense that by associating others in the
fulfillment of everyone's needs, a system has been developed where
everyone is constrained to pay the other's rightful dues for the fulfillment
of his own needs. Here also, the mechanism of supply and demand based
upon mutual dependence, determines everybody's income. In other words,
everyone determines for himself the compensation that is adequate for the
responsibilities he has undertaken; if he is offered less than that, he will
not agree, and if he demands more than that, the other person will not
agree to get the work done by him. This is exactly what the verse says: "so
that some of them may put some other to work.") meaning that Allah has
made the incomes of the people different, so that one person may employ
another; if their incomes had been the same, nobody will have been of use
to another person.
Of course, in abnormal situations, big capitalists may take undue
advantage of this natural system of supply and demand, and may compel
poor people to work for lesser wages than their actual entitlement. In
order to prevent this, Islam has, in the first place, given thorough
injunctions of halal (lawful) and haram (unlawful), and a wide-ranged
code of ethics based on the concept of the Day of Retribution. But if at any
time, such a situation does appear, then the Islamic government has been
given an authority to determine the wages and salaries during those
abnormal conditions. But this authorization is limited to the abnormal
conditions, and there is no need to let the government have control of all
means of production for this purpose, because its harm far outweighs its
gains.
The Meaning of Islamic equality
It is quite clear from the above discussion that complete equality in
incomes is neither a requirement of equity and justice, nor has it been
actually established anywhere; It is not possible or desired in Islam either.
Of course, the equality that Islam has established is in the matters of law,
social behavior and in honoring the rights of everyone. What it means is
that everybody is equal in exercising one's legal, civil and social rights for

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 33 - 35
obtaining his economic dues as determined by the natural system
mentioned above. What it does not mean is that a rich man or a man of
rank and position should obtain his right with ease and dignity, while a
poor man has to knock on the doors and has to lose his respect and dignity
to obtain his rights, or that the law should protect the rights of the rich,
and leave the poor to fend for themselves. This kind of inequality is not
tolerable in Islam, and this is what Sayyidna Abu Bakr Siddiq 4ee had
said in one of his addresses:
وَالله ما عندى اقوى من الضّعيف حتّى آخذ الحق له ولا عندى اضعف من القوىّ
حتّى اخذ الحقّ منه،
"I swear by Allah that nobody is more forceful to me than a
weak man until I cause his right to be given to him, and nobody
is weaker than a powerful man till I obtain from him the right
of the weak one."
Islamic equality, therefore, from the purely economic point of view
means that everybody should have equal opportunities to earn livelihood,
and Islam does not tolerate that a few wealthy persons should control and
monopolize the sources of wealth whereas small traders should be unable
to do business in the market place. By forbidding interest, speculative
transactions, gambling, hoarding, monopolistic trade agreements, and by
applying zakah, 'ushr, kharaj, maintenance allowances, alms and other
compulsory payments, an environment of freedom has been created in
which every individual can get an opportunity of earning livelihood
according to his ability, endeavor and investment. A prosperous society
can be built upon this foundation. The differences in incomes which
remain despite all this are actually unavoidable, and cannot be erased
just as the differences in human beings in respect of beauty and elegance,
health and vigor, sense and intelligence and offspring and progeny
cannot be wiped out.
Verses 33 - 35
وَلَوْلَا أَنْ يَّكُوُنَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً لَّجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَّكُفُرُ بِالرَّحْمُنِ
لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِّنْ فِضَّةٍ وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ﴿٢﴾ وَلِبُيُوتِهِمْ
أَبُوَابًا وَّسُرُرًا عَلَيْهَا يَتَّكِئُونَ ﴿٤﴾ وَزُخْرُفًا ، وَإِنْ كُلُّ ذلِكَ لَمَّا

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Sūrah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 33 - 35
E
مَتَاعُ الْحَيْوةِ الدُّنْيَاء وَالْآخِرَةُ عِنْدَ رَبّكَ لِلْمُتَّقِيْنَ.
And were it not that all people will become of a single
creed (i.e. disbelief), We will have caused, for the benefit
of those who disbelieve in Rahman, roofs of their
houses to be made of silver, and the stairs as well, on
which they will climb, [33] and doors of their homes,
and the coaches on which they will recline, [34] and
(will have made some of these things) of gold-
ornaments. And all this is nothing but an enjoyment of
the worldly life. And the Hereafter, with your Lord, is
(destined) for the God-fearing. [35]
Commentary
Superiority is not based upon wealth and property
This is the second reply to the infidels of Makkah for their question
why prophethood was not bestowed upon some very rich and wealthy
person of Makkah or Ta'if? The gist of the answer is that some qualities
and abilities are undoubtedly necessary for choosing someone as a
prophet. But abundance of riches and wealth cannot be taken as the basis
of this choice. Wealth and property are so worthless in Allah's view that if
there was no apprehension of all the people becoming disbelievers, He will
have showered gold and silver upon all the infidels. The Holy Prophet
has stated, in a hadith reported by Tirmidhi,
لو كانت الدّنيا تعدل عند الله جناح بعوضةٍ ماسقى كافرًا منها شربة ماء
"If the worth of the whole world, in Allah's sight, had been equal
to that of one wing of a mosquito, Allah Ta'ala will not have
given even one drop of water from this world to an infidel
(kafir)".
This tells us that neither abundance of wealth and property owned by
someone can be a cause of his superiority, nor can one's poverty be taken
as an indication of his being lower in rank. As for those excellent qualities
which are necessary for prophethood, they are found in the Holy Prophet
to their perfection. Their objection is, therefore, false and baseless.
The statement in these verses that if gold and silver had been
showered upon all the infidels, all the people will have become
disbelievers is meant for most of the people. Even today, there are people
who are certain that if they become disbelievers, they will get abundance

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 36 - 45
of riches and wealth, but they do not lose their faith for the sake of wealth
and property; such people will have remained steadfast to their belief and
faith, perhaps even at that time, but the number of such people will have
been very little indeed.
Verses 36 - 45
وَمَنْ يَّعُثُ عَنُ ذِكْرِ الرَّحُمُنِ نُقَبِّضْ لَهْ شَيْطْنَا فَهُوَ لَهْ قَرِيُنٌ ﴿٢٦)
وَإِنَّهُمُ لَيَصُدُّوْنَهُمُ عَنِ السَّبِيْلِ وَيَحْسَبُوْنَ أَنَّهُمُ مُّهْتَدُونَ ﴿٣٧﴾
حَتّى إِذَا جَآءَنَا قَالَ يَلَيْتَ بَيْنِىُ وَبَيْنَكَ بُعُدَ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ فَبِئْسَ
الْقَرِيْنُ ﴿٣٨﴾ وَلَنْ يَّنْفَعَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ إِذْ ظَّلَمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمُ فِى الْعَذَابِ
مُشْتَرِكُونَ ﴿٣٩) أَفَنْتَ تُسُمِعُ الصُّمَّ أَوْ تَهْدِى الْعُمُىَ وَمَنُ كَانَ
فِىُ ضَللٍ، مُّبِيْنٍ ﴿٤﴾ فَإِمَّا نَذْهَبَنَّ بِكَ فَإِنَّا مِنْهُمْ مُّنْتَقِمُونَ ﴿٤١)
أَوْنُرِيَنَّكَ الَّذِىُ وَعَدُئُهُمْ فَإِنَّا عَلَيْهِمْ مُّقْتَدِرُوْنَ ﴿٢﴾ فَاسْتَمُسِكُ
بِالَّذِىُّ أُوْحِىَ إِلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ ﴿٤٣﴾ وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكُرٌ
لَّكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ ، وَسَوْفَ تُسُئَلُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾ وَسُثَلُ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ
مِنْ رُّسُلِنَآ أَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ دُوْنِ الرَّحُمْنِ آلِهَةَ يُعْبَدُونَ ﴿٤٥﴾
And whoever makes himself blind against the advice of
the Rahman, We assign for him a devil who
accompanies him all the time. [36] And they (the devils)
prevent such people from the (right) way, while they
deem themselves to be on the right path, [37] until when
such a person will come to us, he will say (to the devil),
"Will that there were the distance of East and West
between me and you, because you were the worst
companion." [38] And (it will be said to such people,)
'Since you were wrongdoers, it will never benefit you
today that you are sharing the punishment with each
other.'[39] So, can you (O prophet) make the deaf to
hear, or can you show the way to the blind and the one
who is in open error? [40] So, even if We take you away,
We will surely take vengeance on them. [41] Or (if) We
show you (in your life) that (punishment) with which

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 36 - 45
We have threatened them, then We have full control
over them. [42] So, hold fast to that which has been
revealed to you. Surely, you are on the straight path.
[43] And certainly this (Qur'an) is a word of honor for
you and your people. And you will be questioned. [44]
And ask Our messengers whom We sent before you
whether We had appointed gods to be worshipped
besides Rahman. [45]
Commentary
And whoever makes himself blind against the) وَمَنُ يَّعُشُ عَنُ ذِكُرِ الرَّحْمنِ
advice of the Rahman, We assign for him a devil who accompanies him all
the time - 43:36) It means that whoever knowingly turns a blind eye
towards Allah's advice i.e. the Holy Qur'an and wahy, Allah assigns to
him a devil who accompanies him all the time in this world to prevent him
from virtuous deeds, and to divert him towards evil. When such a man is
resurrected in the Hereafter, his devil will also be with him, till they both
are pushed in Hell. (Qurțubi).
We learn from this that the punishment one gets even in this world
for turning away from Allah's remembrance is that he gets into bad
company and 'shaitans' (devils), whether from humans or from jinns,
keep diverting him from virtues to vices. He commits vices but thinks that
he is doing very well. (Qurtubi). This devil who is assigned to such a person,
as mentioned here, is in addition to the 'Shaitan' (Satan) who is attached
to every believer and disbeliever, because that 'shaitan' (Satan) does
leave the man alone at certain specific times, whereas this devil
accompanies him all the time. (Bayan-ul-Qur'an)
Since you were wrongdoers, it will never benefit you') وَلَنْ يَّنْفَعَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ
today that you are sharing the punishment with each other.' ... 43:39)
There can be two explanations of this verse. One is that since your 'kufr'
and 'shirk' (disbelief and ascribing partners to Allah) has been proved,
your longing in the Hereafter in the words, "Will that this devil had been
away from me," will be of no avail, because all of you will be sharing the
same punishment.
The other explanation could be that after getting in Hell, your
sharing the punishment with the devil will not benefit you. In this world,
indeed it happens that when a few people share the same misfortune,
everyone's burden of misery becomes somewhat lighter, but there in Hell,

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 36 - 45
everybody will be so terrorized that nobody will be able to lighten
another's misery and hence sharing of the punishment will be of no
benefit. (The translation given above is based on this interpretation.)
Good Fame is liked by Islam
And certainly this Qur'an is a word of honor for) وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكُرٌ لَّكَ وَلِقَوْمِکَ
you and your people ... 43:44) The original word used in the text is dhikr
which here means 'good name' or 'fame'. The verse means that the Noble
Qur'an is a matter of great honour and good fame for the Holy Prophet
and his people. Imam Razi has concluded from this verse that good fame
is a desirable thing, because Allah Ta'ala has stated this as a matter of
favor and that is why Sayyidna Ibrahim & had supplicated:
وَاجْعَلُ لِى لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ فِى الْآخِرِيُنَ
(And destine for me a truthful description among the next
generations) (26:84)
But one must keep in mind that the good fame is praiseworthy only
when it is received as an automatic result of virtuous deeds, but when
virtuous deeds are done for the sake of good fame, then it becomes riya'
(ostentation) which not only nullifies all the rewards of good deeds, but
also renders one guilty of a major sin.
In this verse the words 'your people' have been taken by some
exegetes to mean the tribe of Quraish only, thereby proving the
superiority of Quraish, whereas 'Allamah Qurtubi says that, according to
the correct view, these words refer to the whole Ummah of the Holy
Prophet , irrespective of color or race, and the Noble Qur'an is a matter
of honor and good fame for the whole Ummah. (Qurtubi)
And ask Our messengers whom We sent) وَسُئَلُ مَنْ أَرُسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رُّسُلِنَا
before you ... 43:45) A question may arise here: Since all the earlier
prophets pull podle had expired at the time of the revelation of this verse,
how could the Holy Prophet # ask any question from his predecessors?
Some exegetes have taken the verse in the sense that if, as a miracle,
Allah Ta'ala arranges for the Holy Prophet to meet the earlier prophets
LuJI Ale, then he should ask them about it. And it is well-established
that the Holy Prophet
met all the preceding prophets عليهم السلام during
the Night of Ascension. 'Allamah Qurtubi quotes some narrations
according to which the Holy Prophet 25 asked them this very thing after

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 36 - 45
leading them in the prayers; but we could not discover the source of these
narrations. Most exegetes have, therefore, explained that the verse does
not mean to ask the prophets verbally. What is meant by the verse is to
consult the divine Scriptures revealed to the earlier prophets, and to ask
their learned scholars. And the scriptures of the prophets of Bani Isra'il
which are available now, despite so many distortions, contain teachings
about 'tauhid' (Oneness of Allah) and condemnation of 'shirk'
(associating others with Allah) even today. For example, some excerpts
from the Bible are quoted below:
Teachings about Oneness in the Scriptures of the earlier
prophets
Here are two quotations from the Scriptures claimed by Jews and
Christians to be the 'Pentateuch' or 'Torah' :-
"The Lord has shown you this, to prove to you that he alone is
God and that there is no other." (Deuteronomy, 4:35)
and
"Israel, remember this! The Lord-and the Lord alone-is our
God. Love the Lord your God with all your heart." (Deuteronomy,
6:4)
The scripture of Shi'ya Su (known as Isaiah) says,
"I am the Lord; there is no other god. I will give you the strength
you need, although you do not know me. I do this so that everyone
from one end of the world to the other may know that I am the
Lord and that there is no other god." (Isaiah, 45:5,6)
The books claimed by the Christians to be the Gospels contain this
statement of Sayyidna Masih Ka (Jesus Christ):
"Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark, 12:29, Matthew
22:36)
It is narrated that once Sayyidna Masih el (Jesus Christ) said the
following words during a supplication:
"And eternal life means knowing you, the only true God, and
knowing Jesus Christ, whom you sent." (Yuhanna 17:3) [1]
[1] These excerpts are taken from Good News Bible, Today's English Version, Published by the Bible
Societies in 1976. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 46 - 56
Verses 46 - 56
وَلَقَدُ اَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَى بِايِنَآ إِلَى فِرُعَوْنَ وَمَلَائِهِ فَقَالَ إِنّىُ رَسُوْلُ رَبّ
الْغَلَمِيْنَ ﴿٤٦﴾ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمُ بِالْتِنَآ إِذَا هُمُ مِّنْهَا يَضُحَكُونَ ﴿٤٧﴾
وَمَا نُرِيُهِمُ مِّنُ آيَةٍ إِلَّ هِىَ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ أُخْتِهَا وَآَخَذُنُهُمُ بِالْعَذَابِ
لَعَلَّهُمُ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴿٤٨﴾ وَقَالُوا يَأَيُّهَ السَِّرُ ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ
عِنْدَكَ ، إِنََّا لَمُهُتَدُوْنَ ﴿٤٩﴾ فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابَ إِذَا هُمْ
يُنْكُنُونَ ﴿ .. ﴾ وَنَادِى فِرُعَوُنُ فِى قَوْمِهِ قَالَ يَقَوْمِ اَلَيْسَ لِىُ مُلْكُ
مِصْرَ وَهذِهِ الْآَنْهُرُ تَجْرِىُ مِنْ تَحْتِىُ ◌َ أَفَلَا تُبُصِرُونَ ﴿٢﴾ أَمْ أَنَا
خَيْرٌ مِّنْ هَذَا الَّذِىُ هُوَمَهِيْنٌ ! وَلَا يَكَادُ يُبِيْنُ ﴿٥٢﴾ فَلَوْلا أُلْقِىَ
عَلَيْهِ اَسُورَةٌ مِّنُ ذَهَبٍ أَوْجَآءَ مَعَهُ الْمَلَئِكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِينَ ﴿٥٣﴾
فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَةً فَأَطَاعُوُهُ ﴿ إِنَّهُمُ كَانُوا قَوْمًا فُسِقِيْنَ ﴿٤﴾ فَلَمَّآ
اسَفُوْنَا انْتَقَمُنَا مِنْهُمُ فَأَغْرَقْنُهُمُ اَجْمَعِيْنَ ﴿٥٥﴾ فَجَعَلُنُهُمُ سَلَفًّا
وَّمَثَلًا لِلْآخِرِينَ ﴿٥٦﴾
And We sent Musa with Our signs to Fir'aun (Pharaoh)
and his chiefs; so he said, "I am the messenger of the
Lord of the worlds." [46] So, when he came to them with
Our signs, they at once started laughing at them. [47]
And We did not show them a sign, but it used to be
greater than its predecessor. And We seized them with
punishment, so that they may return. [48] And they
said, "O magician, pray for us to your Lord by the
covenant He has made with you; we will certainly come
to guidance." [49] Then, when We removed the
punishment from them, they at once broke their word.
[50] And Fir'aun proclaimed among his people, saying,
"Does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me? And these
rivers are flowing right underneath me. Do you, then,
not discern? [51] Or (do you not see that) I am much
better than this one (Musa) who is worthless and can
hardly express himself? [52] So why were the bracelets
of gold not sent down to him, or (why) did the angels

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 46 - 56
not come along with him as companions?" [53] Thus he
made fool of his people, and they obeyed him. Surely
they were a sinful people. [54] So, when they provoked
Our anger, We took vengeance on them, and drowned
them all together, [55] and made them a people of the
past, and an example for the later generations. [56]
Commentary
Incidents related to Sayyidna Musa Mal have been stated by the
Qur'an at many places repeatedly, and the incidents referred to in the
present verses have been described in detail in Surah Al-A'raf. The
reason for reminding these incidents here is to show that the objection of
the infidels of Makkah that the Holy Prophet # is not a wealthy man is
not a new objection; Fir'aun had expressed the same doubt against
Sayyidna Musa des and his prophethood. His contention was that being
the ruler of Egypt, and owner of the palaces and rivers flowing beneath
them, how could Musa Seal claim to be a prophet against him. But just as
Fir'aun's disbelief could be of no avail to him, and he got drowned along
with his people, this objection of 'kuffar' of Makkah, too, will not save
them from the divine punishment in this world, or in the Hereafter.
3H3Y, (and can hardly express himself - 43:52). Although as a
result of his own supplication, the stammering of Sayyidna Musa el
had been removed by Allah Ta'ala, Fir'aun remembered his previous state
only, and hence this aspersion. And it is possible also that by saying this,
Fir'aun did not mean stammering in speech, but he meant that Sayyidna
Musa Seal could not put forward adequate logical arguments to satisfy
him, although this was nothing but a false accusation, because Sayyidna
Musa Mal had completely overwhelmed Fir'aun through his arguments
and proofs against which he had no answer. (Tafsir Kabir and Ruh-ul-Ma'ani).
's Joat (Thus he made fool of his people - 43:54). According to the
Arabic expression, this sentence may be translated in two ways; the
translation adopted in the text above is based on one of them. The second
one may be: "He (Fir'aun) easily made his people to follow him".
(Rūņ-ul-Ma'anī)
De tall (So, when they provoked our anger, - 43:55). Since Allah
Almighty is pure of the states of anger and sorrow, the meaning is that
their behavior caused Us to decide that they should be punished.

732
Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 57 - 65
(Ruh-ul-Ma'anī)
Verses 57 - 65
وَلَمَّا ضُرِبَ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ مَثَلاً إِذَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْهُ يَصِدُّونَ ﴿٥٧﴾ وَقَالُوْآَ
ءَ الِهَتْنَا خَيْرٌأَمْ هُوَمَا ضَرَبُوْهُ لَكَ إِلَّ جَدَلاَ ءُ بَلُ هُمْ قَوْمٌ خَصِمُونَ
﴿٥٨﴾ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّ عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمُنَا عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلْنُهُ مَثَلًا لِبَنِىٌ إِسْرَآءِيْلَ ﴿٥٩﴾
وَلَوْنَشَآءُ لَجَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمُ مَّلَئِكَةً فِى الْأَرْضِ يَخُلُفُونَ ﴿٦٠﴾ وَإِنَّهُ
لَعِلُمْ لِلسَّاعَةِ فَلَا تَمْتَرُنَّ بِهَا وَاتَّبِعُونِ هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيُمٌ ﴿٦١)
وَلَا يَصُدَّنَّكُمُ الشَّيْظُنُ ◌َ إِنَّهُ لَكُمُ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِيْنٌ ﴿٦٢﴾ وَلَمَّا جَاءَ
عِيْسِى بِالْبَيِّئْتِ قَالَ قَدْ جِنْتُكُمْ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَلُبَيِّنَ لَكُمُ بَعْضَ الَّذِىُ
تَخْتَلِفُونَ فِيْهِ فَاتَّقُوا اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ ﴿٦٣) إِنَّ اللّهَ هُوَ رَبِّى وَرَبُّكُمْ
فَاعْبُدُوُهُ - هذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيُمٌ ﴿٦٤﴾ فَاخْتَلَفَ الْأَحْزَابُ مِنْ
بَيْنِهِمُّ فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِ اَلِيْمِ ﴿٦٥﴾
And when the example of the son of Maryam was cited,
your people started at once shouting at it (in joy), [57]
and said, "Are Our gods better or is he?" And they did
not cite it but for the sake of disputation. Rather, they
are a quarrelsome people. [58] He ('Isa) is no more than
a slave (of Allah) whom We favored and made an
example for the children of Isra'il. [59] And if We will,
We may create angels from you who succeed you on the
earth. [60] And he ('Isa ) is a source of knowledge of the
Hour (the Day of Judgment); so do not be in doubt
about it, and follow me. This is the straight way. [61]
And let not the shaitan (Satan) prevent you (from
following this way). He is surely an open enemy for you.
[62] And when 'Isa came with clear proofs, he said, "I
have come to you with wisdom, and to explain to you
some of those matters in which you differ. So, fear
Allah, and obey me. [63] Surely, it is Allah who is my
Lord and your Lord; so worship Him. This is the
straight way." [64] Then different groups, out of them,
fell into disagreement. So, woe to the wrongdoers

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Surah Az-Zukhruf : 43 : 57 - 65
because of the punishment of a painful day. [65]
Commentary
And when the example of the son of) وَلَمَّا ضُرِبَ ابْنُ مَرُيَمَ مَثَلًا إِذَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْهُ يَصِدُّونَ
Maryam was cited, your people started at once shouting at it [in
joy] ... 43:57). Exegetes have narrated three events as background of the
revelation of these verses. One is that once the Holy Prophet had
addressed the tribe of Quraish and said, "O people of Quraish! there is no
good in whatever is worshipped beside Allah." The polytheists responded
by saying, "The Christians worship Sayyidna 'Isa Su, although you
yourself say that he was a virtuous slave of Allah, and His prophet."
These verses were then revealed in reply to this objection (Qurtubi).
The second narration is that the objection of the infidels related to the
following verse of the Holy Qur'an:
إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ
"Surely, you and whatever you worship other than Allah are the
fuel of Jahannam." (21:98)
When this verse was revealed, 'Abdullah Ibn-uz-ziba'ra claimed that
he had the proper answer to this verse which was that the Christians
worship Sayyidna Masih ('Isa ) and Jews worship Sayyidna 'Uzair
stell, so will they both become fuel of Hell? Upon hearing this, the
polytheists of Quraish became very joyful, and Allah then revealed the
following verse of the Holy Qur'an:
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُمْ مِنَّا الْحُسُنَّى أُولَئِكَ عَنُهَا مُبُعَدُوْنَ
"Surely, those for whom the good (news) from Us has come
earlier shall be kept away from it." (21:101)
The above verses of Surah Zukhruf was also revealed in this context.
(Ibn Kathir, etc.,)
The third narration is that once the pagans of Makkah expressed the
absurd thought that the Holy Prophet aus wanted to claim godhead for
himself, so that he might be worshipped like Sayyidna 'Isa da is
worshipped by the Christians; these verses were revealed in that context.
In reality, there is no conflict between these three narrations. The
infidels will have said all the three things, and in reply Allah Ta'ala