بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

قُلۡ سِیۡرُوۡا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ ثُمَّ انۡظُرُوۡا کَیۡفَ کَانَ عَاقِبَۃُ الۡمُکَذِّبِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱﴾ قُلۡ لِّمَنۡ مَّا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ قُلۡ لِّلّٰہِ ؕ کَتَبَ عَلٰی نَفۡسِہِ الرَّحۡمَۃَ ؕ لَیَجۡمَعَنَّکُمۡ اِلٰی یَوۡمِ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ لَا رَیۡبَ فِیۡہِ ؕ اَلَّذِیۡنَ خَسِرُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَہُمۡ فَہُمۡ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲﴾ وَ لَہٗ مَا سَکَنَ فِی الَّیۡلِ وَ النَّہَارِ ؕ وَ ہُوَ السَّمِیۡعُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ ﴿۱۳﴾ قُلۡ اَغَیۡرَ اللّٰہِ اَتَّخِذُ وَلِیًّا فَاطِرِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ ہُوَ یُطۡعِمُ وَ لَا یُطۡعَمُ ؕ قُلۡ اِنِّیۡۤ اُمِرۡتُ اَنۡ اَکُوۡنَ اَوَّلَ مَنۡ اَسۡلَمَ وَ لَا تَکُوۡنَنَّ مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِکِیۡنَ ﴿۱۴﴾ قُلۡ اِنِّیۡۤ اَخَافُ اِنۡ عَصَیۡتُ رَبِّیۡ عَذَابَ یَوۡمٍ عَظِیۡمٍ ﴿۱۵﴾ مَنۡ یُّصۡرَفۡ عَنۡہُ یَوۡمَئِذٍ فَقَدۡ رَحِمَہٗ ؕ وَ ذٰلِکَ الۡفَوۡزُ الۡمُبِیۡنُ ﴿۱۶﴾ وَ اِنۡ یَّمۡسَسۡکَ اللّٰہُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا کَاشِفَ لَہٗۤ اِلَّا ہُوَ ؕ وَ اِنۡ یَّمۡسَسۡکَ بِخَیۡرٍ فَہُوَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدِیۡرٌ ﴿۱۷﴾ وَ ہُوَ الۡقَاہِرُ فَوۡقَ عِبَادِہٖ ؕ وَ ہُوَ الۡحَکِیۡمُ الۡخَبِیۡرُ ﴿۱۸﴾ قُلۡ اَیُّ شَیۡءٍ اَکۡبَرُ شَہَادَۃً ؕ قُلِ اللّٰہُ ۟ۙ شَہِیۡدٌۢ بَیۡنِیۡ وَ بَیۡنَکُمۡ ۟ وَ اُوۡحِیَ اِلَیَّ ہٰذَا الۡقُرۡاٰنُ لِاُنۡذِرَکُمۡ بِہٖ وَ مَنۡۢ بَلَغَ ؕ اَئِنَّکُمۡ لَتَشۡہَدُوۡنَ اَنَّ مَعَ اللّٰہِ اٰلِہَۃً اُخۡرٰی ؕ قُلۡ لَّاۤ اَشۡہَدُ ۚ قُلۡ اِنَّمَا ہُوَ اِلٰہٌ وَّاحِدٌ وَّ اِنَّنِیۡ بَرِیۡٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشۡرِکُوۡنَ ﴿ۘ۱۹﴾ اَلَّذِیۡنَ اٰتَیۡنٰہُمُ الۡکِتٰبَ یَعۡرِفُوۡنَہٗ کَمَا یَعۡرِفُوۡنَ اَبۡنَآءَہُمۡ ۘ اَلَّذِیۡنَ خَسِرُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَہُمۡ فَہُمۡ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ ﴿٪۲۰﴾

اِن سے کہو، ذرا زمین میں چل پھر کر دیکھو جھٹلانے والوں کا کیا انجام ہوا ہے۔⁸
ان سے پوچھو، آسمانوں اور زمین میں جو کچھ ہےوہ کس کا ہے؟۔۔۔۔کہو سب کچھ اللہ ہی کا ہے،⁹ اس نے رحم و کرم کا شیوہ اپنے اوپر لازم کرلیا ہے ﴿اسی لیے وہ نافر مانیوں اور سرکشیوں پر تمہیں جلدی سے نہیں پکڑ لیتا﴾ قیامت کے روز وہ تم سب کو ضرور جمع کرے گا، یہ بالکل ایک غیر مشتبہ حقیقت ہے، مگر جن لوگوں نے اپنے آپ کو خود تباہی کے خطرے میں مُبتلا کرلیا ہے وہ اسے نہیں مانتے۔
رات کے اندھیرے اور دن کے اُجالے میں جو کچھ ٹھیرا ہُوا ہے، سب اللہ کا ہے اور وہ سب کچھ سُنتا اور جانتا ہے، کہو، اللہ کو چھوڑ کر کیا میں کسی اور کو اپنا سرپرست بنالوں؟ اُس خدا کو چھوڑ کر جو زمین و آسمان کا خالق ہے اور جو روزی دیتا ہے روزی لیتا نہیں ہے؟¹⁰ کہو مجھے تو یہی حکم دی گیا ہے کہ سب سے پہلے میں اُس کے آگے سرِ تسلیم خم کروں ﴿اور تائید کی گئی ہے کہ کوئی شرک کرتا ہے تو کرے﴾ تُو بہرحال مشرکوں میں شامل نہ ہو۔ کہو، اگر میں اپنے ربّ کی نافر مانی کروں تو ڈرتا ہوں کہ ایک بڑے ﴿خوفناک﴾ دن مجھے سزا بھگتنی پڑے گی۔ اُس دن جو سزا سے بچ گیا اس پر اللہ نے بڑا ہی رحم کیا اور یہی نمایاں کامیابی ہے۔ اگر اللہ تمہیں کسی قسم کا نقصان پہنچائے تو اس کے سوا کوئی نہیں جو تمہیں اس نقصان سے بچاسکے، اور اگر وہ تمہیں کسی بھلائی سے بہرہ مند کرے تو وہ ہر چیز پر قادر ہے۔ وہ اپنے بندوں پر کامل اختیارات رکھتا ہے اور دانا اور باخبر ہے۔
ان سے پوچھو، کس کی گواہی سب سے بڑھ کر ہے؟ ۔۔۔۔ کہو، میرے اور تمہارے درمیان اللہ گواہ ہے ،¹¹ اور یہ قرآن میری طرف بذریعہ وحی بھیجا گیا ہے تاکہ تمہیں اور جس جس کو یہ پہنچے، سب کو متنبّہ کردُوں۔ کیا واقعی تم لوگ یہ شہادت دے سکتے ہو کہ اللہ کے ساتھ دُوسرے خدا بھی ہیں؟¹² کہو، میں تو اس کی شہادت ہرگز نہیں دے سکتا۔¹³ کہو، خدا تو وہی ایک ہے اور میں اُس شرک سے قطعی بیزار ہوں جس میں تم مبتلا ہو ۔ جن لوگوں کو ہم نے کتاب دی ہے وہ اس بات کو اس طرح غیر مشتبہ طور پر پہچانتے ہیں جیسے ان کو اپنے بیٹوں کے پہچاننے میں کوئی اشتباہ پیش نہیں آتا۔¹⁴ مگر جنہوں نے اپنے آپ کو خود خسارے میں ڈال دیا ہے وہ اِسے نہیں مانتے۔ ؏۲

Say to them: “Travel through the land and see what became of those who denied the truth.”⁸ Ask them: “To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth?” Say: “Everything belongs to Allah alone.”⁹ He has made mercy and compassion binding upon Himself (which is why He does not hasten to seize you for your disobedience and rebellion). On the Day of Resurrection He will surely gather you all together; this is a reality beyond all doubt. Yet those who have themselves plunged into the peril of ruin do not believe it.

To Allah belongs all that rests in the darkness of the night and the light of the day, and He hears all and knows all. Say: “Shall I take someone other than Allah as my guardian, forsaking the God who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who provides sustenance and is not provided for?”¹⁰ Say: “I have been commanded to be the first to bow in submission before Him (and have been firmly enjoined that, whatever others may do in associating partners with Him), you must never be among the polytheists.” Say: “If I were to disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a great (and terrible) Day.” Whoever is spared the punishment on that Day, Allah has indeed shown him great mercy, and that is the manifest triumph.

If Allah afflicts you with any harm, there is none but Him who can remove it; and if He blesses you with any good, He has power over all things. He holds complete authority over His servants, and He is All-Wise, All-Aware.

Ask them: “Whose testimony is the greatest of all?” Say: “Allah is witness between me and you,¹¹ and this Qur’an has been revealed to me so that through it I may warn you and everyone it reaches. Can you truly bear witness that there are other gods besides Allah?”¹² Say: “I will never bear witness to that.”¹³ Say: “He is the One God, and I am utterly free of the shirk in which you are engaged.”

Those to whom We have given the Book recognize this as unmistakably as they recognize their own sons, without the slightest doubt.¹⁴ But those who have brought loss upon themselves do not believe it. (Rukūʿ 2)

Note: I read “تائید کی گئی ہے” as “تاکید کی گئی ہے” (has been enjoined), which fits the context of verse 14.

EXPLANATORY FOOTNOTES

Surah Al-An’am, Footnote 8

That is, the ruins of past nations and their historical accounts will bear witness to how these nations met a dreadful end as a result of turning away from truth and reality and persisting in their devotion to falsehood.

Surah Al-An’am, Footnote 9

This is a subtle mode of expression. First comes the command: ask them to whom everything in the heavens and the earth belongs. The questioner asks and then pauses, waiting for an answer. Although the people addressed themselves acknowledge that everything belongs to Allah, they neither dare to give a wrong answer nor wish to give the right one, because if they answer correctly, they fear their opponent will use it as an argument against their polytheistic belief. So they give no answer at all. Then the command comes: say it yourself, that everything belongs to Allah.

Surah Al-An’am, Footnote 10

This contains a subtle, pointed allusion. All those whom the polytheists have taken as gods besides Allah, rather than providing for their worshippers, are themselves dependent on those worshippers for their sustenance. No Pharaoh can maintain the splendour of his godhood unless his subjects pay him taxes and offerings. No entombed saint can establish his status as an object of worship unless his devotees build him a magnificent mausoleum. No deity’s divine court can be adorned unless its priests fashion its idol, place it in a grand temple, and deck it out with ornaments and finery. All these fabricated gods, poor things, are themselves dependent on their own servants. Only the Lord of the worlds is the true God, whose Godhood stands on its own strength, who needs no one’s help, and on whom everyone else depends.

Surah Al-An’am, Footnote 11

That is, He is witness to the fact that I have been appointed by Him, and that whatever I am saying, I say by His command.

Surah Al-An’am, Footnote 12

To bear witness to something, mere conjecture and supposition are not enough; it requires knowledge on the basis of which a person can say with certainty that the matter is so. The question therefore means: do you truly have knowledge that in this world of existence there is, besides God, some other sovereign authority at work who deserves servitude and worship?

Surah Al-An’am, Footnote 13

That is, if you wish to give false testimony without any knowledge, go ahead; I certainly cannot give such testimony.

Surah Al-An’am, Footnote 14

That is, those who possess knowledge of the revealed scriptures recognize without any doubt the truth that God is One and that no one has any share in His Godhood. Just as a parent, seeing their child standing mixed in among many other children, will pick out which one is theirs, so too a person who has knowledge of the Divine Book can, without any doubt or confusion, recognize which of people’s countless differing beliefs and theories about divinity is the truth.

Summary of above notes

یہ حواشی سورۃ الانعام (آیات ۱۱ تا ۲۰) کے مرکزی استدلال کو واضح کرتے ہیں، جو اللہ تعالیٰ کی کامل وحدانیت اور شرک کی بے بنیادی پر قائم ہے۔ ان کا آغاز گزری ہوئی قوموں کے آثار اور تاریخ کی طرف اشارے سے ہوتا ہے، جو اس بات کی زندہ شہادت ہیں کہ حق سے منہ موڑنے والوں کا کیا انجام ہوتا ہے۔ پھر قرآن کے لطیف اندازِ بیان کو نمایاں کیا گیا ہے کہ جب مشرکین سے پوچھا جاتا ہے کہ آسمان و زمین کس کے ہیں تو وہ خاموش رہتے ہیں، کیونکہ نہ اس کا انکار کر سکتے ہیں اور نہ اقرار کرنے کی ہمت رکھتے ہیں، چنانچہ نبی ﷺ کو خود جواب دینے کا حکم ہوتا ہے۔ حواشی یہ بھی واضح کرتے ہیں کہ ہر باطل معبود، خواہ وہ ٹیکس کا محتاج فرعون ہو، مقبرے کا محتاج صاحبِ قبر ہو، یا مندر کا محتاج کوئی بت، سب اپنے ہی پرستاروں کے محتاج ہیں، جبکہ اللہ تعالیٰ سب کو رزق دیتا ہے اور کسی کا محتاج نہیں۔ مزید یہ کہ اللہ خود نبی ﷺ کی رسالت پر گواہ ہے، اور گواہی کے لیے محض قیاس نہیں بلکہ یقینی علم ضروری ہے، اسی لیے نبی ﷺ اللہ کے سوا کسی اور خدا کی شہادت دینے سے انکار کرتے ہیں۔ آخر میں بتایا گیا ہے کہ جو لوگ سابقہ آسمانی کتابوں کا علم رکھتے ہیں وہ توحید کی حقیقت کو اسی طرح بلا شک و شبہ پہچانتے ہیں جس طرح والدین بچوں کے ہجوم میں اپنے بچے کو پہچان لیتے ہیں۔

These notes on Surah Al-An’am (6:11–20) unfold the passage’s central argument for the absolute Oneness of Allah and the folly of shirk. They begin by pointing to the ruins and histories of past nations as living evidence of what befalls those who turn from truth, then highlight the Qur’an’s subtle rhetorical method: when the polytheists are asked to whom the heavens and earth belong, their silence (since they cannot deny it, yet fear conceding it) prompts the Prophet to declare the answer himself. The notes expose the dependence of every false deity, whether a Pharaoh needing taxes, a saint needing a shrine, or an idol needing a temple, on its own worshippers, in contrast to Allah, who sustains all and needs no one. They affirm that Allah Himself bears witness to the Prophet’s mission, and stress that testimony demands certain knowledge, not conjecture, which is why the Prophet refuses to testify to any god besides Allah. Finally, they explain that those with knowledge of earlier scriptures recognize the truth of tawhid as surely as a parent picks out their own child in a crowd.

وَ قَالَ نِسۡوَۃٌ فِی الۡمَدِیۡنَۃِ امۡرَاَتُ الۡعَزِیۡزِ تُرَاوِدُ فَتٰىہَا عَنۡ نَّفۡسِہٖ ۚ قَدۡ شَغَفَہَا حُبًّا ؕ اِنَّا لَنَرٰىہَا فِیۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ﴿۳۰﴾ فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتۡ بِمَکۡرِہِنَّ اَرۡسَلَتۡ اِلَیۡہِنَّ وَ اَعۡتَدَتۡ لَہُنَّ مُتَّکَاً وَّ اٰتَتۡ کُلَّ وَاحِدَۃٍ مِّنۡہُنَّ سِکِّیۡنًا وَّ قَالَتِ اخۡرُجۡ عَلَیۡہِنَّ ۚ فَلَمَّا رَاَیۡنَہٗۤ اَکۡبَرۡنَہٗ وَ قَطَّعۡنَ اَیۡدِیَہُنَّ وَ قُلۡنَ حَاشَ لِلّٰہِ مَا ہٰذَا بَشَرًا ؕ اِنۡ ہٰذَاۤ اِلَّا مَلَکٌ کَرِیۡمٌ ﴿۳۱﴾ قَالَتۡ فَذٰلِکُنَّ الَّذِیۡ لُمۡتُنَّنِیۡ فِیۡہِ ؕ وَ لَقَدۡ رَاوَدۡتُّہٗ عَنۡ نَّفۡسِہٖ فَاسۡتَعۡصَمَ ؕ وَ لَئِنۡ لَّمۡ یَفۡعَلۡ مَاۤ اٰمُرُہٗ لَیُسۡجَنَنَّ وَ لَیَکُوۡنًا مِّنَ الصّٰغِرِیۡنَ ﴿۳۲﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ السِّجۡنُ اَحَبُّ اِلَیَّ مِمَّا یَدۡعُوۡنَنِیۡۤ اِلَیۡہِ ۚ وَ اِلَّا تَصۡرِفۡ عَنِّیۡ کَیۡدَہُنَّ اَصۡبُ اِلَیۡہِنَّ وَ اَکُنۡ مِّنَ الۡجٰہِلِیۡنَ ﴿۳۳﴾ فَاسۡتَجَابَ لَہٗ رَبُّہٗ فَصَرَفَ عَنۡہُ کَیۡدَہُنَّ ؕ اِنَّہٗ ہُوَ السَّمِیۡعُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ ﴿۳۴﴾ ثُمَّ بَدَا لَہُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا رَاَوُا الۡاٰیٰتِ لَیَسۡجُنُنَّہٗ حَتّٰی حِیۡنٍ ﴿٪۳۵﴾

شہر کی عورتیں آپس میں چرچا کرنے لگیں کہ”عزیز کی بیوی اپنے نوجوان غلام کے پیچھے پڑی ہوئی ہے، محبّت نے اسے بے قابو کر رکھا ہے، ہمارے نزدیک تووہ صریح غلطی کر رہی ہے۔“ اس نے جو اُن کی یہ مکّارانہ باتیں سُنیں تو اُن کو بُلاوا بھیج دیا اور ان کے لیے تکیہ دار مجلس آراستہ کی²⁶اور ضیافت میں ہر ایک کے آگے ایک ایک چھُری رکھ دی۔ ﴿پھر عین اُس وقت جب کہ وہ پھل کاٹ کاٹ کر کھا رہی تھیں﴾ اس نے یُوسُف کو اشارہ کیا کہ ان کے سامنے نکل آ۔ جب ان عورتوں کی نگاہ اُس پر پڑی تو وہ دنگ رہ گئیں اور اپنے ہاتھ کاٹ بیٹھیں اور بے ساختہ پُکار اُٹھیں” حاشالِلّٰہ، یہ شخص انسان نہیں ہے، یہ تو کوئی بزرگ فرشتہ ہے۔“ عزیز کی بیوی نے کہا” دیکھ لیا! یہ ہے وہ شخص جس کے معاملہ میں تم مجھ پر باتیں بناتی تھیں۔ بےشک میں نے اِسے رجہانے کی کوشش کی تھی مگر یہ بچ نِکلا۔ اگر یہ میرا کہنا نہ مانے گا تو قید کیا جائے گا اور بہت ذلیل و خوار ہوگا۔“²⁷  یُوسُف ؑ نے کہا ”اے میرے ربّ! قید مجھے منظور ہے بہ نسبت اس کے کہ میں وہ کام کروں جو یہ لوگ مجھ سے چاہتے ہیں۔ اور اگر تُو نے ان کی چالوں کو مجھ سے دفع نہ کیا تو میں ان کے دام میں پھنس جاوٴں گا اور جاہلوں میں شامل ہو رہوں ²⁸گا“۔۔۔۔ اس کے ربّ نے اس کی دُعا قبول کی اور اُن عورتوں کی چالیں اس سے دفع کر دیں،²⁹ بے شک وہی ہے جو سب کی سُنتااور سب کچھ جانتا ہے۔
پھر ان لوگوں کو یہ سُوجھی کہ ایک مُدّت کے لیے اسے قید کر دیں حالانکہ وہ ﴿اس کی پاکدامنی اور خود اپنی عورتوں کے بُرے اطوار کی ﴾ صریح نشانیاں دیکھ چکے تھے۔³⁰ ؏ ۴ 

The women of the city began gossiping among themselves: “The wife of the Aziz is chasing after her young slave; love has overpowered her. In our view, she is plainly in the wrong.” When she heard of their cunning talk, she sent for them, arranged a cushioned banquet for them,²⁶ and placed a knife before each of them at the feast. (Then, just as they were cutting and eating the fruit,) she signalled to Yusuf to come out before them. When the women caught sight of him, they were stunned and cut their own hands, and spontaneously cried out, “Allah preserve us! This is no human being; this is surely some noble angel!” The wife of the Aziz said, “There, you have seen him! This is the one about whom you used to taunt me. Yes, I did try to seduce him, but he held himself back. If he does not do as I say, he will be imprisoned and utterly disgraced.”²⁷ Yusuf said, “My Lord! Prison is dearer to me than that to which these people are calling me. And if You do not turn their schemes away from me, I will fall into their trap and become one of the ignorant.”²⁸ His Lord answered his prayer and turned the women’s schemes away from him.²⁹ Surely He alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

Then it occurred to these people to imprison him for a time, even though they had already seen clear signs (of his chastity and of the misconduct of their own women).³⁰ [Ruku 4]

This is Surah Yusuf 12:30–35, following Maulana Maududi’s Urdu rendering in Tafheem-ul-Quran. The superscript numbers mark his footnotes, and the parenthetical phrases are his explanatory additions, which I kept as in the original.

EXPLANATORY FOOTNOTES

Summary of footnotes

In Surah Yusuf 12:30–35, the noblewomen of the city gossip that the Aziz’s wife has fallen for her young slave, so she invites them to a cushioned banquet (a custom Maududi notes is confirmed by Egyptian antiquities and narrated very differently in the Talmud, while the Bible omits it entirely). She hands each a knife and summons Yusuf; overwhelmed by his beauty, they cut their hands and declare him a noble angel rather than a man. Unashamed, she admits trying to seduce him and threatens him with prison and disgrace if he refuses her, which Maududi reads as evidence of the moral decay of Egypt’s elite and argues that the boldness of women celebrated in the modern West is nothing new. Yusuf, a young man of about nineteen or twenty surrounded by temptation on every side, turns to his Lord, preferring prison to sin and humbly admitting that without God’s help he could fall. Maududi stresses that his greatness lay not only in his self-control but in his humility, since he never took pride in his resistance, and that this trial was the most delicate stage of his moral training, bringing out hidden qualities of integrity, chastity and discipline. Allah answered his prayer by strengthening his character so that every scheme failed, and by opening the way to prison, where the household, despite clear signs of his innocence and their own women’s misconduct, decided to confine him for a time. Maududi sees this imprisonment as the public seal of Yusuf’s moral victory and of the moral defeat of Egypt’s ruling class, since by then he was widely known and people understood he was jailed not for any crime but because the nobles found it easier to imprison an innocent man than to restrain their own women. He adds that jailing people without a fair trial is an old habit of dishonest rulers, and that modern oppressors differ only in cloaking such acts in the language of democracy, law and national security, making them not just unjust but deceitful and shameless as well.

Details

Footnote 26

That is, a gathering in which cushions had been set out for the guests to recline on. The antiquities of Egypt also confirm that cushions were widely used at their gatherings.

The Bible makes no mention of this banquet. The Talmud does narrate the incident, but its account differs greatly from the Quran’s. The life, spirit, naturalness and moral depth found in the Quranic narrative are entirely absent from the Talmud’s version.

Footnote 27

This gives an idea of the moral condition of Egypt’s upper classes at that time. Clearly, the women whom the Aziz’s wife invited would have been the wives of nobles, chieftains and high officials. Before these ladies of high standing she presents the young man she loves and, by displaying his handsome youth, tries to convince them: faced with so graceful a young man, what else could I have done but lose my heart to him? These ladies of great households then, by their own conduct, practically confirm that each of them would have done exactly what the Aziz’s wife did in such circumstances. And in this crowded gathering of respectable women, the honoured hostess feels no shame in openly declaring her resolve that if her handsome slave does not agree to become the plaything of her desires, she will have him sent to prison. All of this shows that the freedom and boldness of women which Europe, America and their Eastern imitators today regard as a marvel of the twentieth century is nothing new; it is a very old thing. Hundreds of years before Decius, it existed in Egypt in the same fashion as it does today in this “enlightened age.”

Footnote 28

These verses present to us a remarkable picture of the circumstances in which Yusuf (peace be upon him) found himself at that time. Here is a handsome young man of nineteen or twenty, who has come from a nomadic life with excellent health and youth in full bloom. After passing through poverty, exile and forced slavery, fate has brought him to the house of a great nobleman in the capital of the world’s greatest civilised empire. Here, first, the lady of the very house with whom he has dealings day and night begins pursuing him. Then word of his beauty spreads throughout the capital, and the women of the city’s wealthy households become infatuated with him. Now he stands on one side, and on the other are hundreds of beautiful snares, spread everywhere and at all times to entrap him. Every kind of scheme is being employed to inflame his passions and break his restraint. Wherever he goes, he sees sin standing with its doors open, waiting for him in all its charm and allure. Some people go looking for opportunities for immorality, but here the opportunities themselves are looking for him, lying in wait so that the moment the slightest inclination toward evil arises in his heart, they can immediately present themselves. Every one of the twenty-four hours of day and night he lives under the danger that if the grip of his resolve slackens for even a single moment, he could enter any of the countless doors of sin standing open for him.

In such a situation, the success with which this God-fearing young man resists these satanic temptations is in itself no small cause for praise. But beyond this astonishing perfection of self-control lies a further perfection of self-knowledge and purity of thought: even so, the arrogant thought never enters his heart, “How wonderful I am! How strong my character is, that such beautiful young women are devoted to me, and still my feet do not slip.” Instead, mindful of his human weaknesses, he trembles and with utmost humility implores God for help: “My Lord, I am a weak human being. Where do I have the strength to withstand these overwhelming temptations? Support me and save me; I fear my feet may slip.”

In reality, this was the most important and most delicate stage of Yusuf’s moral training. The extraordinary qualities of honesty, trustworthiness, chastity, recognition of what is right, uprightness, self-discipline and mental balance, which had until then lain hidden within him and of which he himself was unaware, all came to the surface during this period of severe trial and began working with full force. He himself came to know what powers lay within him and what use he could make of them.

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Footnote 29

“Turned away” here carries two meanings. First, Yusuf’s righteous character was granted such firmness that all the schemes of these women failed against it. Second, the divine will opened the prison door for him.

Footnote 30

Thus, Yusuf’s imprisonment was in reality the completion and proclamation of his moral victory and of the moral defeat of Egypt’s entire class of nobles and officials. Yusuf was no longer an unknown, obscure man. Throughout the country, and at least in the capital, everyone, high and low alike, had come to know of him. A man whose captivating personality had enchanted not one or two but most of the women of the great households, and whose extraordinary beauty so unsettled their homes that the rulers of Egypt saw their own safety in imprisoning him, obviously could not remain hidden. His story must surely have spread from house to house. People in general must also have learned what a lofty, firm and pure character this man had, and they must have known that he was sent to prison not for any crime of his own, but because the nobles of Egypt found it easier to jail this innocent man than to keep their own women in check.

This also shows that seizing a person and sending him to prison without proving him guilty in a court according to the requirements of justice is an old practice of dishonest rulers. In this respect, too, the devils of today are not very different from the wicked of four thousand years ago. If there is any difference, it is only this: they did not invoke the name of “democracy,” whereas these invoke that name along with their misdeeds. They committed their unlawful acts without any law, whereas these first make a “law” for every wrongful excess. They openly laid hands on people for their own interests, whereas these, whenever they seize someone, try to convince the world that he was a danger not to them but to the country and the nation. In short, they were merely oppressors; these are, in addition, liars and shameless.

Audio:

A Good Man Without the Hereafter – Gemini Notebook. Click the following link . Lower part of page has a tab “ STUDIO” click it to listen to debate format .
https://notebook.google.com/notebook/8c411489-753b-40c9-a269-43379015b1e0?authuser=1

https://claude.ai/artifact/A3WXj31kJ63vJ6jscgGd78#7cc80062-2bfb

The provided text presents an empirical argument for the existence of the Hereafter, asserting that rejecting this belief inevitably leads to widespread immorality and societal corruption. It contends that without the fundamental conviction of being accountable to God, human behavior deteriorates because secular and materialist philosophies lack any logical foundation for true virtue. While some point to seemingly ethical atheists or modern nations as proof that morality can exist without religion, the text dismisses this as an unstable form of utilitarianism. Furthermore, the author argues that when individuals or nations display upright behavior while simultaneously engaging in collective injustice, it demonstrates a lack of commitment to permanent moral values. Ultimately, the text concludes that any genuine virtue exhibited by those who deny the Hereafter is merely borrowed capital secretly derived from lingering religious influences.

The Proof of the Hereafter – Gemini Notebook https://notebook.google.com/notebook/4a6d0415-ece8-4af6-bb51-2e31b0948392?authuser=1

notebook.google.com/notebook/4a6d0415-ece8-4af6-bb51-2e31b0948392

notebooklm.link.google/g9cyQHD4T8iI

Link for verses with translations and detailed explanations: https://voiceofquran5.com/2026/10/01/chapter-younus-vs-151617-arguments-to-compromise-or-change-or-bring-another-quran/

सूरह यूनुस 10:15–17

“कोई दूसरा क़ुरआन लाओ”: समझौते की माँग और नबी ﷺ की चालीस साला ज़िंदगी की गवाही

“Bring Another Qur’an”: The Demand for Compromise and the Witness of the Prophet’s ﷺ Forty Years

Introduction (English) These verses record one of the most revealing demands the Quraysh made of the Prophet ﷺ: change the Qur’an, or bring another one in its place. In his commentary, Maulana Mawdudi shows what lay behind this demand, which was a bid for religious compromise on a give-and-take basis. He then draws out the Qur’an’s powerful reply. The Prophet’s forty years of open, blameless life among his own people stand as living proof that the Qur’an was not his own composition.

भूमिका (हिन्दी) ये आयतें क़ुरैश की उस माँग को बयान करती हैं जो उनकी असल सोच को खोलकर रख देती है: क़ुरआन को बदल दो, या उसकी जगह कोई दूसरा क़ुरआन ले आओ। मौलाना मौदूदी अपनी व्याख्या में बताते हैं कि इस माँग के पीछे लेन-देन के आधार पर धार्मिक समझौते की कोशिश छिपी थी। फिर वे क़ुरआन के उस ज़बरदस्त जवाब को सामने लाते हैं जो नबी ﷺ की अपनी क़ौम के बीच गुज़री चालीस साला खुली और बेदाग़ ज़िंदगी को इस बात का जीता-जागता सबूत बनाता है कि क़ुरआन उनकी अपनी रचना नहीं है।

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[15-17] जब उन्हें हमारी साफ़-साफ़ आयतें सुनाई जाती हैं, तो वे लोग जो हमसे मिलने की उम्मीद नहीं रखते, कहते हैं, “इसके बजाय कोई और क़ुरआन लाओ, या इसमें कुछ फेर-बदल करो।”¹⁹ ऐ मुहम्मद! उनसे कहो, “मेरा यह काम नहीं कि अपनी ओर से इसमें कोई परिवर्तन कर लूँ। मैं तो केवल उस वह्य का पालन करता हूँ जो मेरी ओर भेजी जाती है। अगर मैं अपने रब की नाफ़रमानी करूँ तो मुझे एक भयानक दिन के अज़ाब का डर है।”²⁰ और यह भी कहो, “अगर अल्लाह चाहता तो मैं यह क़ुरआन तुम्हें कभी न सुनाता, और न तुम्हें (इसके बारे में) कुछ बताता। मैं इसके उतरने से पहले एक उम्र तुम्हारे बीच गुज़ार चुका हूँ। क्या तुम अक़्ल से काम नहीं लेते?²¹ फिर उससे बड़ा पापी कौन होगा जो ख़ुद एक झूठ गढ़कर उसे अल्लाह से जोड़ दे, या उसकी सच्ची आयतों को झुठलाए?²² यक़ीनन अपराधी कभी (सच्ची) सफलता नहीं पा सकते।”²³

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टिप्पणी 19 यह बात कहकर वे दो बातें जताना चाहते थे। पहली यह कि मुहम्मद (सल्लल्लाहु अलैहि वसल्लम) जिसे ईश्वरीय वह्य कहकर पेश कर रहे हैं, वह वास्तव में उनके अपने दिमाग़ की उपज है। वे बस अपनी बात को वज़नदार बनाने के लिए उसे अल्लाह से जोड़ रहे हैं।

दूसरी बात यह थी: “अगर तुम अपनी क़ौम के नेता बनना चाहते हो, तो कोई ऐसी चीज़ पेश करो जिससे दुनिया में उनकी ख़ुशहाली हो। तौहीद, आख़िरत और उन नैतिक पाबंदियों को छोड़ दो जो तुम अपनी शिक्षा में लगा रहे हो। और अगर यह मुमकिन न हो, तो क़ुरआन में कुछ संशोधन कर दो, ताकि लेन-देन के उसूल पर तुम्हारे और हमारे बीच समझौता हो जाए। तुम्हारी तौहीद में हमारे शिर्क के लिए कुछ गुंजाइश निकल आए, हमारी मनमानी के लिए भी, और इस बात के लिए भी कि हम दुनिया में चाहे जो करें, आख़िरत में हमारी नजात हो जाए। यह भी अच्छी तरह समझ लो कि हम तुम्हारी सम्पूर्ण नैतिकता स्वीकार नहीं कर सकते। इसलिए तुम्हें हमारे पूर्वाग्रहों, हमारी रस्मों-रिवाजों, हमारे निजी और क़ौमी हितों और हमारी इच्छाओं के लिए छूट रखनी होगी। हमारा प्रस्ताव है कि आपसी सहमति से उन धार्मिक माँगों की एक सूची बना ली जाए जो अल्लाह के हक़ अदा करने के लिए हम पर अनिवार्य हों। उसके आगे हम अपने दुनियावी मामले जैसे चाहें चलाने के लिए आज़ाद रहें। यह समझौता इसलिए ज़रूरी है कि हम तुम्हारी यह माँग नहीं मान सकते कि इंसानी ज़िंदगी अपने हर पहलू में पूरी तरह तौहीद और आख़िरत के अक़ीदों के तक़ाज़ों और इस्लामी जीवन-व्यवस्था के नियमों के अनुसार गुज़ारी जाए।”

टिप्पणी 20 यह ऊपर बयान की गई दोनों माँगों का जवाब है: “मुझे इस किताब में कोई फेर-बदल करने का अधिकार नहीं है, क्योंकि मैं इसका लेखक नहीं हूँ। अल्लाह है जो इसे मुझ पर उतार रहा है। इसलिए इसमें किसी समझौते का सवाल ही नहीं उठता। अगर तुम इसके रास्ते को अपनाना चाहते हो तो इसे जैसा है वैसा ही स्वीकार करना होगा, वरना तुम इसे ठुकराने के लिए आज़ाद हो।”

टिप्पणी 21 यह उनके इस आरोप के ख़िलाफ़ एक बहुत ठोस दलील है कि मुहम्मद (सल्ल.) ख़ुद क़ुरआन के लेखक हैं मगर उसे अल्लाह से जोड़ रहे हैं। साथ ही यह नबी (सल्ल.) के इस दावे का समर्थन करती है कि यह किताब अल्लाह की ओर से, जो इसका असल रचयिता है, उन पर उतारी जा रही है। दलील यह है: “तुम ख़ुद नुबूवत से पहले की उनकी चालीस साला ज़िंदगी के गवाह हो। वे तुम्हारे ही शहर में पैदा हुए, और उन्होंने अपना बचपन, जवानी और अधेड़ उम्र तुम्हारी आँखों के सामने गुज़ारी। वे तुम्हारे बीच रहे और तुमसे हर तरह के सामाजिक, वैवाहिक और आर्थिक संबंध रखे, यहाँ तक कि उनकी ज़िंदगी का कोई पहलू तुमसे छिपा न था। क्या तुमने उनकी पूरी ज़िंदगी में कोई ऐसी चीज़ देखी जिससे लगे कि वे इस किताब के लेखक हो सकते हैं? क्या तुम अक़्ल से काम नहीं लेते?”

क़ुरआन में उठाए गए इस सवाल में नबी (सल्ल.) के बारे में दो बातें निहित थीं, जिन्हें मक्का का हर व्यक्ति अच्छी तरह जानता था।

पहली यह कि नुबूवत से पहले की अपनी चालीस साला ज़िंदगी में उन्होंने न कोई शिक्षा प्राप्त की थी, न कोई प्रशिक्षण। वे किसी ऐसी संगत में भी नहीं बैठे थे जो उन्हें ऐसी किताब का लेखक बना सकती, जो ऐसी अनोखी बातों से भरी थी जिनसे उनके आसपास के लोग अनजान थे। किसी ने भी उनसे उन विषयों के बारे में कभी कुछ नहीं सुना था जिन पर क़ुरआन की विभिन्न सूरतों में चर्चा की गई है। यहाँ तक कि उनके किसी रिश्तेदार या क़रीबी दोस्त ने भी, चालीस वर्ष की उम्र में नुबूवत का महान दावा करने से पहले, उनकी बातचीत में या उनकी किसी और बात में ऐसा कुछ नहीं देखा था जिससे इस दिशा में किसी क्रमिक विकास के संकेत मिलते हों। यह इस बात का खुला प्रमाण था कि क़ुरआन उनके अपने दिमाग़ की उपज नहीं है, बल्कि ज़रूर बाहर से उन पर उतारा गया है। किसी इंसान के लिए यह असंभव है कि वह अपनी पिछली ज़िंदगी में इसके विकास का कोई संकेत दिखाए बिना, अचानक ऐसी चीज़ पेश कर दे। यही कारण है कि जब मक्का के कुछ समझदार लोगों ने इस आरोप का बेतुकापन महसूस किया, तो वे कहने लगे कि कोई दूसरा व्यक्ति उन्हें ये बातें सिखाता है। लेकिन यह बात पहली से भी ज़्यादा बेतुकी थी। मक्का तो क्या, पूरे अरब में वे किसी एक व्यक्ति की भी निशानदेही नहीं कर सकते थे जिसमें क़ुरआन जैसी अनोखी बातें पेश करने की क्षमता हो। वे यह भी जानते थे कि इतनी ऊँची क़ाबिलियत का व्यक्ति चालीस साल तक किसी अनजान कोने में गुमनाम नहीं रह सकता था।

दूसरी बात, जिसने उनकी ज़िंदगी के उन चालीस वर्षों को विशिष्ट बनाया था, उनका उच्च चरित्र था, नकारात्मक और सकारात्मक दोनों पहलुओं से। उनके बारे में कभी यह नहीं सुना गया कि उन्होंने एक भी झूठ बोला हो, या किसी भी रूप में धोखा, जालसाज़ी, चालबाज़ी या मक्कारी की हो। इसके विपरीत, जिस किसी का भी किसी भी हैसियत से उनसे वास्ता पड़ा था, वह इस बात का गवाह था कि वे बिना किसी दाग़ के सच्चे, ईमानदार और अमानतदार थे।

उदाहरण के तौर पर एक बहुत मशहूर ऐतिहासिक घटना पेश की जा सकती है। नुबूवत से केवल पाँच साल पहले बारिश से काबा को नुक़सान पहुँचा। जब उसका पुनर्निर्माण हो रहा था, तो क़ुरैश के विभिन्न क़बीलों में झगड़ा उठ खड़ा हुआ कि हजरे-अस्वद (काला पत्थर) को उसकी जगह पर रखने का सम्मान किसे मिले। अतः यह तय हुआ कि अगली सुबह जो व्यक्ति सबसे पहले हरम में दाख़िल होगा, वही इस झगड़े का फ़ैसला करेगा। अगली सुबह सबसे पहले हरम में दाख़िल होने वाले मुहम्मद (सल्ल.) थे। इस पर सब लोग ख़ुशी से पुकार उठे, “यह तो पूरी तरह अमानतदार व्यक्ति हैं, हम इनसे पूरी तरह संतुष्ट हैं; यह मुहम्मद हैं।” इस तरह अल्लाह ने उन्हें अपना रसूल नियुक्त करने से पहले क़ुरैश की उस बड़ी सभा से यह गवाही दिलवाई कि वे “अल-अमीन” (अमानतदार) हैं। इसलिए किसी के पास इसका कोई औचित्य नहीं था कि जिस व्यक्ति ने अपनी पूरी ज़िंदगी में न कभी झूठ बोला, न जालसाज़ी की, न चालबाज़ी, उस पर यह आरोप लगाए कि वह अपनी साहित्यिक रचना को झूठे तौर पर अल्लाह से जोड़ रहा है और पूरी दृढ़ता से बार-बार इसे ईश्वरीय बता रहा है।

यही कारण है कि अल्लाह ने अपने रसूल से कहा कि वे उनके बेतुके आरोप का खंडन मानो केवल इतना कहकर करें: “ऐ मेरी क़ौम के लोगो! यह बेतुका आरोप लगाने से पहले अक़्ल से काम लो। मैं तुम्हारे बीच कोई अजनबी या परदेसी नहीं हूँ। अल्लाह की ओर से वह्य पाने का दावा करने से पहले मैं चालीस साल की एक उम्र तुम्हारे बीच गुज़ार चुका हूँ। मेरे अतीत को देखते हुए तुम कैसे यह उम्मीद कर सकते हो कि मैं अल्लाह से ज्ञान पाए बिना और उसके आदेश के बिना क़ुरआन को अल्लाह की किताब के रूप में तुम्हारे सामने पेश करूँगा?” (अधिक विवरण के लिए देखें सूरह अल-क़सस, टिप्पणी 109।)

टिप्पणी 22 अर्थात्, “अगर ये आयतें अल्लाह की ओर से नहीं हैं और मैं ख़ुद इन्हें गढ़कर उसकी ओर से वह्य के रूप में पेश करता हूँ, तो मुझसे बड़ा पापी कोई नहीं हो सकता। और अगर ये आयतें सचमुच अल्लाह की ओर से हैं और तुम इन्हें झुठला रहे हो, तो तुमसे बड़ा पापी कोई नहीं हो सकता।”

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Link for verses and translations:

Chapter younus vs 15,16&17. Arguments to compromise or change or bring another Quran

Verses translated, summary, explanatory notes in Urdu & English

اِنَّ رَبَّکُمُ اللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضَ فِیۡ سِتَّۃِ اَیَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰی عَلَی الۡعَرۡشِ یُدَبِّرُ الۡاَمۡرَ ؕ مَا مِنۡ شَفِیۡعٍ اِلَّا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اِذۡنِہٖ ؕ ذٰلِکُمُ اللّٰہُ رَبُّکُمۡ فَاعۡبُدُوۡہُ ؕ اَفَلَا تَذَکَّرُوۡنَ ﴿۳﴾ اِلَیۡہِ مَرۡجِعُکُمۡ جَمِیۡعًا ؕ وَعۡدَ اللّٰہِ حَقًّا ؕ اِنَّہٗ یَبۡدَؤُا الۡخَلۡقَ ثُمَّ یُعِیۡدُہٗ لِیَجۡزِیَ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ بِالۡقِسۡطِ ؕ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا لَہُمۡ شَرَابٌ مِّنۡ حَمِیۡمٍ وَّ عَذَابٌ اَلِیۡمٌۢ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَکۡفُرُوۡنَ ﴿۴﴾ ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ جَعَلَ الشَّمۡسَ ضِیَآءً وَّ الۡقَمَرَ نُوۡرًا وَّ قَدَّرَہٗ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعۡلَمُوۡا عَدَدَ السِّنِیۡنَ وَ الۡحِسَابَ ؕ مَا خَلَقَ اللّٰہُ ذٰلِکَ اِلَّا بِالۡحَقِّ ۚ یُفَصِّلُ الۡاٰیٰتِ لِقَوۡمٍ یَّعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۵﴾ اِنَّ فِی اخۡتِلَافِ الَّیۡلِ وَ النَّہَارِ وَ مَا خَلَقَ اللّٰہُ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ لَاٰیٰتٍ لِّقَوۡمٍ یَّتَّقُوۡنَ ﴿۶﴾ اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یَرۡجُوۡنَ لِقَآءَنَا وَ رَضُوۡا بِالۡحَیٰوۃِ الدُّنۡیَا وَ اطۡمَاَنُّوۡا بِہَا وَ الَّذِیۡنَ ہُمۡ عَنۡ اٰیٰتِنَا غٰفِلُوۡنَ ۙ﴿۷﴾ اُولٰٓئِکَ مَاۡوٰىہُمُ النَّارُ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَکۡسِبُوۡنَ ﴿۸﴾ اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ یَہۡدِیۡہِمۡ رَبُّہُمۡ بِاِیۡمَانِہِمۡ ۚ تَجۡرِیۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِہِمُ الۡاَنۡہٰرُ فِیۡ جَنّٰتِ النَّعِیۡمِ ﴿۹﴾ دَعۡوٰىہُمۡ فِیۡہَا سُبۡحٰنَکَ اللّٰہُمَّ وَ تَحِیَّتُہُمۡ فِیۡہَا سَلٰمٌ ۚ وَ اٰخِرُ دَعۡوٰىہُمۡ اَنِ الۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿٪۱۰﴾

Introductory summary:

These notes, covering Notes 4 to 14, set out the two foundational principles of the Prophet’s teaching and argue for them step by step. The first is God’s absolute lordship. He did not create the universe and then step back or hand it to others; He actively rules and sustains it, and no one can override His decisions or force an intercession. Because lordship (rububiyyah), meaning sustenance, ownership and sovereignty, belongs to Him alone, worship (ʿibadah) in its three senses of devotion, servitude and obedience is due to Him alone. The second principle is accountability in the Hereafter, which the notes defend with three rational arguments in logical sequence. A second life is possible, because God created the first. It is necessary, because moral responsibility creates a claim to reward and punishment that this world does not settle. It is certain, because an All-Wise Creator, whose purposeful design is visible in the sun, moon and the alternation of night and day, will not leave that demand unmet. The notes add that these signs guide only those who are free of prejudice and sincerely want the truth. They then offer an empirical argument: wherever the sense of answerability to God is lost, individual and collective conduct decays. Morality without God, they argue, collapses into self-interested utilitarianism, and any virtue an atheist does show is borrowed from religious influence. The notes then explain that Paradise is earned through faith that is truly absorbed into character, just as food nourishes only when it is digested. Finally, they portray the believers in Paradise as carrying their noble character into it: their delight is in glorifying God and wishing peace upon one another, not in sensual indulgence.

Urdu translation

حقیقت یہ ہے کہ تمہارا ربّ وہی خدا ہے جس نے آسمانوں اور زمین کو چھ دنوں میں پیدا کیا، پھر تختِ حکومت پر جلوہ گر ہوا اور کائنات کا انتظام چلارہا ہے۔⁴ کوئی شفاعت ﴿سفارش﴾ کرنے والا نہیں ہے اِلّا یہ کہ اس کی اجازت کے بعد شفاعت کرے۔⁵ یہی اللہ تمہارا ربّ ہے لہٰذا تم اُسی کی عبادت کرو۔⁶ پھر کیا تم ہوش میں نہ آوٴ گے؟⁷
اسی کی طرف تم سب کو پلٹ کا جانا ہے⁸، یہ اللہ کا پکا وعدہ ہے۔ بے شک پیدائش کی ابتداء وہی کرتا ہے، پھر وہی دوبارہ پیدا کرے گا،⁹ تاکہ جو لوگ ایمان لائے اور جنہوں نے نیک اعمال کیے ان کو پورے انصاف کے ساتھ جزا دے، اور جنہوں نے کُفر کا طریقہ اختیار کیا وہ کھولتا ہوا پانی پئیں اور دردناک سزا بُھگتیں اُس انکارِحق کی پاداش میں جو وہ کرتے رہے۔¹⁰
وہی ہے جس نے سُورج کو اُجیالا بنایا اور چاند کو چمک دی کہ گھَٹنے بھڑھنے کی منزلیں ٹھیک ٹھیک مقرر کر دیں تا کہ تم اُس سے برسوں اور تاریخوں کے حساب معلوم کر و۔ اللہ نے یہ سب کچھ﴿ کھیل کے طور پر نہیں بلکہ﴾ با مقصد ہی بنایا ہے۔ وہ اپنی نشانیوں کو کھول کھول کر پیش کر رہا ہے اُن لوگوں کے لیے جو علم رکھتے ہیں۔ یقیناً رات اور دن کے اُلٹ پھیر میں اور ہر اُس چیز میں جو اللہ نے زمین اور آسمانوں میں پیدا کی ہے، نشانیاں ہیں اُن لوگوں کے لیے جو ﴿غلط بینی و غلط روی سے﴾ بچنا چاہتے ہیں۔¹¹
حقیقت یہ ہے کہ جو لوگ ہم سے ملنے کی توقع نہیں رکھتے اور دُنیا کی زندگی ہی پر راضی اور مطمئن ہو گئے ہیں ، اور جو لوگ ہماری نشانیوں سے غافل ہیں، اُن کا آخری ٹھکانہ جہنم ہو گااُن برائیوں کی پاداش میں جن کا اکتساب وہ ﴿اپنے اُس غلط عقیدے اور غلط طرزِ عمل کی وجہ سے ﴾ کرتے رہے۔¹²
اور یہ بھی حقیقت ہے کہ جو لوگ ایمان لائے ﴿یعنی جنہوں نے اُن صداقتوں کو قبول کر لیا جو اس کتاب میں پیش کی گئی ہیں﴾ اور نیک اعمال کرتے رہے اُنہیں اُن کا ربّ اُن کےایمان کی وجہ سے سیدھی راہ چلائے گا، نعمت بھری جنتّوں میں اُن کے نیچے نہریں بہیں گی،¹³ وہاں اُن کی صدا یہ ہوگی کہ”پاک ہے تُو اے خدا“، اُن کی یہ دُعا ہوگی کہ ” سلامتی ہو “ اور اُن کی ہر بات کا خاتمہ اِس پر ہو گا کہ ” ساری تعریف اللہ ربّ العالمین ہی کے لیے ہے¹⁴۔“ ؏ ١

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

In truth, your Lord is the God who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then established Himself on the Throne of sovereignty, and He is running the affairs of the universe.⁴ No one can intercede except after His permission.⁵ This is Allah, your Lord, so worship Him alone.⁶ Will you not then come to your senses?⁷

To Him you will all return.⁸ This is Allah’s firm promise. He is the one who begins creation, and He is the one who will create it again.⁹ He does this to reward with full justice those who believed and did good deeds. Those who chose the way of disbelief will drink boiling water and suffer a painful punishment for the denial of truth they persisted in.¹⁰

He is the one who made the sun radiant and gave the moon its light. He precisely fixed the moon’s stages of waxing and waning so that you may know the count of years and the reckoning of dates. Allah has not created all this [as a game]; He created it with purpose. He lays out His signs in detail for people who have knowledge. In the alternation of night and day, and in everything Allah has created in the earth and the heavens, there are signs for people who want to guard themselves [against false perception and wrong conduct].¹¹

In truth, some people do not expect to meet Us and are content and at ease with the life of this world, and some are heedless of Our signs. Their final abode will be Hell, as recompense for the evils they kept earning [through their false beliefs and wrong conduct].¹²

It is equally true that those who believed [that is, accepted the truths presented in this Book] and kept doing good deeds will be guided on the straight path by their Lord because of their faith. In gardens of bliss, rivers will flow beneath them.¹³ Their call there will be, “Glory be to You, O God!” Their greeting will be, “Peace!” And their every word will end with, “All praise belongs to Allah alone, Lord of all the worlds.”¹⁴

[End of Section 1]

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Explanatory foot notes

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Surah Yunus, Note 4

In other words, after creating the universe He did not withdraw into inactivity. He Himself took His seat on the throne of sovereignty over the universe He created, and the management of the whole world is now actually in His hands. Foolish people imagine that God created the universe and then simply left it to run however it would, or handed it over to others to control as they please.

The Quran presents the opposite as the truth. Allah Himself rules over the entire workshop of His creation. All authority is in His own hands, and He alone holds the reins of power. Whatever happens in every corner of the universe, at every moment, happens directly by His command or permission. His relationship with this world of existence is not merely that He brought it into being at some point in the past. He is its constant planner and manager: it stands because He sustains it, and it runs because He runs it. (See Surah Al-A’raf, Notes 40 and 41.)

Surah Yunus, Note 5

In other words, far from anyone else having a share in running and managing the world, no one even has enough authority to intercede with God and get one of His decisions changed, or to have someone’s fortune made or ruined. The most anyone can do is pray to God, and whether that prayer is accepted depends entirely on God’s will. In all of God’s dominion there is no one so powerful that his word must prevail and his intercession cannot be refused, no one who can cling to the leg of the Throne and refuse to budge until he gets his way.

Surah Yunus, Note 6

The three preceding sentences stated an objective reality: God alone is in fact your Lord. Now you are being told how you should conduct yourselves given this fact. Since lordship (rububiyyah) belongs entirely to God, it necessarily follows that you should worship (‘ibadah) Him alone.

The word rububiyyah carries three meanings: nurturing and sustaining, ownership and mastery, and rule and sovereignty. In the same way, the word ‘ibadah, its counterpart, carries three meanings: devotion, servitude and obedience.

First meaning: devotion. Because God is the only Sustainer, people should be grateful to Him alone, make their supplications to Him alone, and bow their heads before Him alone in love and reverence.

Second meaning: servitude. Because God is the only Owner and Master, people should live as His servants and slaves. They should not act independently of Him, and they should not accept mental or practical servitude to anyone besides Him.

Third meaning: obedience. Because God is the only [Ruler], people should obey His command and follow His law. They should neither make themselves their own rulers nor accept the sovereignty of anyone other than Him.

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Surah Yunus, Note 7

In other words, this reality has now been laid open before you, and you have been told plainly what the right conduct is in light of it. Will your eyes still not open? Will you remain caught in the same misconceptions that have kept the whole course of your life at odds with reality until now?

Surah Yunus, Note 8

This is the second fundamental principle of the Prophet’s teaching. The first principle is that Allah alone is your Lord, so worship Him alone. The second principle is that you must return from this world and give an account to your Lord.

Surah Yunus, Note 9

This sentence contains both a claim and its proof. The claim is that God will create human beings again. The proof offered for it is that He is the one who created them the first time.

Anyone who accepts that God began creation cannot call it impossible or unreasonable that the same God will bring that creation back again. And who could deny that God began creation, apart from the atheists who, simply to escape the religion of the clergy, have been willing to adopt a theory as foolish as creation without a Creator?

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Surah Yunus, Note 10

This is the need on account of which Allah will create human beings again. The argument given above was enough to prove that bringing creation back is possible and that it is wrong to consider it far-fetched. Now we are told that this repetition of creation is necessary according to reason and justice, and that this need cannot be met in any way except by a second creation.

Those who accept God as their only Lord and adopt the proper attitude of servitude deserve the full reward for their right conduct. Those who deny reality and live in opposition to it also deserve to see the evil result of their wrong conduct. If this need is not being met in the present worldly life, and anyone who is not obstinate knows that it is not, then another life is certainly unavoidable to meet it. (For further explanation, see Surah Al-A’raf, Note 30, and Surah Hud, Note 105.)

Surah Yunus, Note 11

This is the third argument for belief in the Hereafter. God’s works are visible everywhere in the universe, and some of their greatest signs are there for everyone to see in the sun and the moon and the cycle of night and day. They give the clearest proof that the Creator of this magnificent workshop of existence is not a child who made it all just to play with, only to smash the toy house once he has had his fill. It is plainly evident that there is order, wisdom and purpose in all His works, and deep intention in the creation of every single particle. He is All-Wise, and the marks and signs of His wisdom are openly before you. How, then, can you expect Him to leave unanswered the entitlement to reward and punishment that necessarily arises from giving human beings reason and moral responsibility?

In this way, these verses present belief in the Hereafter together with three arguments for it, set out in precise logical order:

First: a second life is possible, because the first life actually exists, which proves such a life can exist.

Second: a second life is necessary. In this present life people carry out their moral responsibility rightly or wrongly, and that creates an entitlement to punishment or reward. Reason and justice therefore demand another life in which everyone sees the result their moral conduct deserves.

Third: since reason and justice require a second life, that requirement will certainly be met. The Creator of humanity and the universe is All-Wise, and no one can expect the All-Wise to hold back from bringing about what wisdom and justice demand.

On careful reflection, these three arguments turn out to be the only ones possible for proving life after death by reasoning, and they are also sufficient. After them, only one thing could be added: showing people with their own eyes that the thing which is possible, which needs to exist, and which God’s wisdom requires Him to bring about, is standing right before them. That will not be done in this present worldly life, however, because believing after seeing means nothing. The very test God intends for human beings is whether they will accept realities beyond sense and observation through pure reflection, thought and sound reasoning.

In this connection, another important point is made that deserves close attention. The verses say that God “lays out His signs in detail for people who have knowledge,” and that “in everything Allah has created there are signs for people who want to guard themselves against false perception and wrong conduct.” This means that God, in His great wisdom, has spread signs throughout the phenomena of life that clearly point to the realities hidden behind them. But only people who have two qualities can reach the reality through these signs:

First, they must be free of ignorant prejudice and must use the means of acquiring knowledge that God has given to human beings.

Second, they must themselves want to avoid error and take the right path.

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Surah Yunus, Note 12

Here again, a claim is made and its proof is indicated alongside it. The claim is that the necessary and certain result of denying the Hereafter is Hell. The proof is that a person who denies this belief, or is simply indifferent to it, goes on earning evils whose punishment can be nothing other than Hell.

This is a fact, and thousands of years of human experience bear witness to it. Consider people who do not see themselves as responsible and answerable before God, who have no fear that they must eventually account to God for the full record of their lives, and who act on the assumption that this worldly life is the only life. For them the only measure of success and failure is how much prosperity, comfort, fame and power a person gains in this world, and because of these materialist notions they regard God’s signs as unworthy of attention. The whole of their lives goes wrong. They live in the world like unbridled camels, acquire the worst morals and qualities, fill God’s earth with oppression, corruption, sin and immorality, and so become deserving of Hell.

This is a different kind of argument for belief in the Hereafter. The first three arguments were rational ones, while this one is empirical. It is only alluded to here, but the Quran gives it in detail in various places. In short, the argument is this: neither an individual’s conduct nor the collective conduct of human groups is ever set right unless the awareness and conviction that we must answer to God for our deeds is embedded at the foundation of human character.

The question to consider is why this should be so. Why does human character and conduct head down the path of evil as soon as this awareness and conviction disappear or weaken? If belief in the Hereafter did not correspond to objective reality, and denying it did not go against reality, the results of affirming or denying it could not keep appearing in our experience with such inevitable consistency. When one thing consistently produces right results, and its absence always produces wrong ones, that is conclusive proof that the thing itself is right.

In response, people sometimes argue that many who deny the Hereafter base their moral philosophy and way of life entirely on atheism and materialism. They say such people still have fairly upright characters, do not commit oppression, corruption, sin or immorality, and are good in their dealings and devoted to serving others.

The weakness of this argument becomes clear with a moment’s thought. Examine every materialist, irreligious philosophy and system of thought. You will find no foundation anywhere for the moral excellences and good deeds for which these “virtuous” atheists are praised. No logic can show that these irreligious philosophies provide any motive for truthfulness, trustworthiness, honesty, keeping one’s word, justice, compassion, generosity, self-sacrifice, sympathy, self-control, chastity, recognition of what is right, and fulfilling the rights of others.

Once God and the Hereafter are set aside, the only workable system of morality that can be built rests on utilitarianism. All other moral philosophies are merely hypothetical and bookish, not practical. However far the morality produced by utilitarianism is extended, it never goes beyond one thing: a person does whatever is expected to bring some benefit in this world to himself or to the society he belongs to. Driven by hope of gain and fear of loss, such a morality can lead a person to commit truth or falsehood, trustworthiness or betrayal, honesty or dishonesty, loyalty or treachery, justice or oppression, as the occasion demands. In short, it can lead him to any virtue or its opposite.

The best example of this morality is the modern nations. It is often cited to show that, despite holding a materialist view of life and lacking any concept of the Hereafter, its individuals are generally more truthful, straightforward, honest, faithful to their commitments, just-minded and reliable in their dealings than others. In reality, however, the character of this very nation gives us the most striking practical proof of how unstable utilitarian morality is.

If the truthfulness, fairness, uprightness and fidelity to agreements of the liberal really rested on a firm conviction that these qualities are permanent moral virtues in themselves, how could the following be possible? Each individual liberals/citizens carry these qualities in his personal character. Yet the people of the whole nation choose ( leaders) as its representatives and the heads of its collective affairs openly use lies, broken promises, oppression, injustice and dishonesty on a vast scale in running its empire and its international affairs, and they keep the trust of the entire nation. Is this not clear proof that these people do not believe in permanent moral values? It shows that, according to worldly gain and loss, they adopt, and are able to adopt, two contradictory moral attitudes at the same time.

Still, suppose there really is someone in the world who denies God and the Hereafter and yet consistently practises certain virtues and avoids certain vices. His virtue and restraint are not the result of his materialist view of life. They result from religious influences that have unconsciously settled in his soul. His moral capital has been stolen from religion, and he is using it improperly in irreligion, because he can never point to the source of this capital anywhere in the treasury of his irreligion and materialism.

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Surah Yunus, Note 13

Do not pass over this sentence casually. The sequence of its ideas deserves close attention.

Why will these people receive Paradise in the life of the Hereafter? Because they walked the straight path in the life of this world. In every task, in every area of life, and in every individual and collective matter, they chose the right way and abandoned false ways.

How did they gain the ability to tell right from wrong, truth from falsehood and straight from crooked at every step, at every turn and at every crossroads of life? And where did they find the strength to hold firm to the right course that this discernment showed them, and to avoid going astray? From their Lord, because He is the source of guidance in knowledge and of enabling grace in action.

Why did their Lord keep granting them this guidance and this enabling grace? Because of their faith.

What kind of faith produces the results described above? Not a faith that means mere acceptance, but a faith that becomes the soul of one’s character and conduct, and by whose power goodness begins to show in one’s morals and deeds.

In your physical life you can see for yourself that staying alive, being healthy, having the strength to work, and enjoying life all depend on the right kind of food. But these results do not come from nourishment that means merely eating. They come from nourishment that is digested, becomes blood, and reaches every vein. There it gives every part of the body the strength to do its own work properly.

In exactly the same way, in the moral life, being guided, seeing rightly, acting rightly and finally attaining success all depend on right beliefs. But these results do not come from beliefs that are merely spoken or lie idle in some corner of the heart and mind. They come from beliefs that are absorbed into the self and become one’s way of thinking, one’s taste and one’s temperament. They then show clearly in one’s character, conduct and way of life.

Under God’s physical law, a person who eats but remains like one who has not eaten does not earn the benefits reserved for one who eats and digests. Why, then, should anyone expect that under His moral law a person who believes but remains like one who does not believe can deserve the rewards reserved for one who believes and becomes righteous?

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14These facts about the life in Paradise have been stated in order to make conspicuous the high thinking and the noble qualities of the Believers. When they enter Paradise after coming out successful in this worldly test they will manifest the same high qualities of character that they had in this world. Instead of making urgent and immediate demands for beautiful articles of luxury, musical instruments, wine and women, they will sing hymns of praise to their Lord. This also belies that picture of the life in Paradise that some crooked people have formed of it. The fact is that the noble personalities which the Believers build in this world and the high ways of thinking and the excellent moral characters they form in this world and the great and rigid training they give to their feelings, emotions and desires, will become all the more prominent in the pure surroundings and environments of Paradise. That is why they will love it most to sing hymns of praise to Allah and glorify His name just as they did in this world. Besides this, their greatest wish and desire in Paradise will be peace for one another, as it was in their collective life in this world. 

Verses translated, explanations in footnotes

Link for audio discussions: https://voiceofquran5.com/2026/10/10/influencer-vs-hones-leader/

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

الٓرٰ ۟ تِلۡکَ اٰیٰتُ الۡکِتٰبِ الۡحَکِیۡمِ ﴿۱﴾ اَکَانَ لِلنَّاسِ عَجَبًا اَنۡ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلٰی رَجُلٍ مِّنۡہُمۡ اَنۡ اَنۡذِرِ النَّاسَ وَ بَشِّرِ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَنَّ لَہُمۡ قَدَمَ صِدۡقٍ عِنۡدَ رَبِّہِمۡ ؕؔ قَالَ الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ اِنَّ ہٰذَا لَسٰحِرٌ مُّبِیۡنٌ ﴿۲﴾

اللہ کے نام سے جو رحمان و رحیم ہے۔

ا ل ر، یہ اُس کتاب کی آیات ہیں جو حکمت و دانش سے لبریز ہے۔¹
کیا لوگوں کے لیے یہ ایک عجیب بات ہو گئی کہ ہم نے خود اُنہی میں سے ایک آدمی کو اشارہ کیا کہ ﴿غفلت میں پڑے ہوئے﴾ لوگوں کو چونکا دے اور جو مان لیں ان کو خوشخبری دیدے کہ ان کے لیے اُن کے ربّ کے پاس سچی عزت و سرفرازی ہے؟² ﴿کیا یہی وہ بات ہے جس پر ﴾ منکرینِ نے کہا کہ یہ شخص تو کھُلا جادوگر ہے؟³

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Alif Lam Ra. These are the verses of the Book that is full of wisdom.¹

Is it something strange to people that We inspired a man from among themselves to rouse the [heedless] people, and to give those who believe the good news that true honour and high rank await them with their Lord?² [Is this why] the deniers said, “This man is plainly a sorcerer”?³

Introductory summary:

These opening notes on Surah Yunus answer the Quraysh’s dismissive reaction to the Prophet’s message. The first verse warns them that the Quran is not verbal magic, poetic fancy, or soothsayer’s talk, but the verses of a Book full of wisdom, and ignoring it means forfeiting that wisdom. Their astonishment that a man was sent to warn them is itself the real surprise: a human messenger is the natural choice for guiding humans, and it would be stranger for the Creator to leave a heedless people without guidance than to provide it. Their charge of sorcery also collapses under honest scrutiny. Eloquence alone proves nothing; what matters is the purpose and effect of the speech. A manipulative orator is careless with truth, inconsistent, self-serving and divisive, and he leaves people worse than before. The Prophet’s discourse is balanced, coherent, scrupulously truthful and free of any personal or worldly motive, aimed only at reforming people and warning them of where their heedlessness leads. It has visibly reformed the character and conduct of everyone who accepted it, and no sorcerer’s words have ever produced results like that.

سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :1

اس تمہیدی فقرے میں ایک لطیف تنبیہ مضمر ہے، نادان لوگ یہ سمجھ رہے تھے کہ پیغمبر قرآن کے نام سے جو کلام ان کو سنا رہا ہے وہ محض زبان کی جادوگری ہے، شاعرانہ پوازِ تخیل ہے اور کچھ کاہنوں کی طرح عالم بالا کی گفتگو ہے۔ اس پر انہیں متنبہ کیا جا رہاہے کہ جو کچھ تم گمان کر رہے ہو یہ وہ چیزنہیں ہے۔ یہ تو کتابِ حکیم کی آیات ہیں۔ اِن کی طرف توجہ نہ کرو گے تو حکمت سے محروم ہو جاؤ گے۔

سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :2

یعنی آخر اس میں تعجب کی بات کیا ہے؟ انسانو ں کو ہوشیار کر نے کے لیے انسان نہ مقرر کیا جاتا تو کیا فرشتہ یا جن یا حیوان مقرر کیا جاتا؟ اور اگر انسان حقیقت سے غافل ہو کر غلط طریقے سے زندگی بسر کر رہے ہوں تو تعجب کی بات یہ ہے کہ ان کا خالق و پروردگار انہیں ان کے حال پر چھوڑ دے یا یہ کہ وہ ان کی ہدایت و رہنمائی کے لیے کوئی انتظام کرے؟ اور اگر خدا کی طرف سے کوئی ہدایت آئے تو عزت و سرفرازی اُن کے لیے ہونی چاہیے جو اسے مان لیں یا ان کے جو اسے رد کر دیں؟ پس تعجب کرنے والوں کو سوچنا تو چاہیے کہ آخر وہ بات کیا ہے جس پر وہ تعجب کر رہے ہیں۔

سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :3

یعنی جادوگر کی پھبتی تو انہوں نے اس پر کس دی مگر یہ نہ سوچا کہ وہ چسپاں بھی ہوتی ہے یا نہیں ۔ صرف یہ بات کہ کوئی شخص اعلیٰ درجہ کی خطابت سے کام لے کر دلوں اور دماغوں کو مسخر کر رہا ہے ، اُس ہپر یہ الزام عائد کر دینے کے لیے تو کافی نہیں ہو سکتی کہ وہ جادوگری کر رہا ہے۔ دیکھنا یہ ہے کہ اس خطابت میں وہ بات کیا کہتا ہے، کس غرض کے لیے قوت تقریر کو استعمال کر رہا ہے، اور جو اثرات اس کی تقریر سے ایمان لانے والوں کی زندگی پر مترتب ہو رہے ہیں وہ کس نوعیت کے ہیں جو خطیب کسی ناجائز غرض کے لیے جادو بیانی کی طاقت استعمال کرتا ہے وہ تو ایک منہ پھٹ بے لگام، غیر ذمہ دار مقرر ہوتا ہے ۔ حق اور صداقت اور انصاف سے آزاد ہو کر ہر وہ بات کہہ ڈالتا ہے جو بس سننے والوں کو متاثر کر دے ، خوا ہ بجائے خود کتنی ہی جھوٹی، مبالغہ آمیز اورغیر منصفانہ ہو۔ اس کی باتوں میں حکمت کے بجائے عوام فریبی ہوتی ہے کسی منظم فکر کے بجائے تناقض اور ناہمواری ہوتی ہے ۔ اعتدال کے بجائے بے اعتدالی ہو ا کرتی ہے وہ تو محض اپنا سکہ جمانے کے لیے زبان درازی کرتا ہے یا پھر لوگوں کو لڑانے اور ایک گروہ کو دوسرے کے مقابلہ میں ابھارنے کے لیے خطابت کی شراب پلاتا ہے۔ اس کے اثر سے لوگوں میں نہ کوئِ اخلاقی بلندی پیدا ہوتی ہے، نہ ان کی زندگیوں میں کوئِ مفید تغیر رونما ہوتا ہے اور نہ کوئی صالح فکر یا صالح عملی حالت وجود میں آتی ہے ، بلکہ لوگ پہلے سے بدتر صفات کا مظاہرے کر نے لگتے ہیں۔ مگر یہاں تم دیکھ رہے ہو کہ پیغمبر جو کلام پیش کر رہا ہے اس میں حکمت ہے ، ایک متناسب نظام ِ فکر ہے، غایت درجے کا اعتدال اور حق و صداقت کا سخت التزام ہے، لفظ لفظ جچا تُلا اور بات بات کانٹے کی تول پوری ہے۔ اس کی خطابت میں تم خلق خدا کی اصلاح کے سوا کسی دوسری غرض کی نشاندہی نہیں کر سکتے۔ جو کچھ وہ کہتا ہے اس میں اس کی اپنی ذاتی یا خاندانی یا قومی یا کسی قسم کی دنیوی غرض کا کوئی شائبہ نہیں پایا جاتا۔ وہ صرف یہ چاہتا ہے کہ لوگ جس غفلت میں پڑے ہوئے ہیں اس کے بُرے نتائج سے ان کو خبر دار کرے اور انہیں اُس طریقے کی طرف بلائیں جس میں ان کا اپنا بھلا ہے۔ پھر اس کی تقریر سے جو اثرات مترتب ہوئے ہیں وہ بھی جادوگروں کے اثرات سے بالکل مختلف ہیں۔ یہاں جس نے بھی اس کا اثر قبول کیا ہے اس کی زندگی سنور گئی ہے ، وہ پہلے سے زیادہ بہتر اخلاق کا انسان بن گیا ہے اور اس کے سارے طرزِ عمل میں خیر و صلاح کی شان نمایاں ہو گئی ہے۔ اب تم خود ہی سوچ لو، کیا جدوگر ایسی ہی باتیں کرتے ہیں اور ان کا جادو ایسے ہی نتائج دکھایا کرتا ہے؟

Explanatory foot notes

Surah Yunus, Note 1

This opening sentence carries a subtle warning. Foolish people thought that what the Prophet recited to them in the name of the Quran was nothing more than verbal magic, a poetic flight of imagination, or talk of the higher realm like the utterances of soothsayers. This verse warns them that it is not what they imagine. These are the verses of a Book full of wisdom, and if they do not pay attention to them, they will deprive themselves of that wisdom.

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Surah Yunus, Note 2

In other words, what is so surprising about this? If a human being were not appointed to warn human beings, should an angel, a jinn or an animal have been appointed instead? And if people have become heedless of reality and are living the wrong way, which would be surprising: that their Creator and Sustainer leaves them to their own devices, or that He makes some arrangement to guide and direct them? And if guidance does come from God, who should receive honour and high rank: those who accept it, or those who reject it? So those who express surprise ought to stop and think about what it is they are actually surprised at.

Surah Yunus, Note 3

In other words, they were quick to brand him a sorcerer, but never stopped to ask whether the label actually fit. That a man is winning over hearts and minds through eloquence of the highest order is not enough, on its own, to accuse him of sorcery. The real questions are these: what is he saying through that eloquence, for what purpose is he using his power of speech, and what kind of effect is his speech having on the lives of those who believe in him?

Regular influencers/ politicians approaches as we notice

An orator who uses the power of enchanting speech for an illegitimate end is brash, unrestrained and irresponsible. Unbound by truth, honesty or fairness, he says whatever will sway his listeners, however false, exaggerated or unjust it may be. His words contain demagoguery instead of wisdom, contradiction and inconsistency instead of coherent thought, and excess instead of balance. He talks only to establish his own dominance, or he intoxicates people with his rhetoric to set them against one another and stir up one group against another. His influence produces no moral elevation in people and no beneficial change in their lives. It gives rise to no sound thinking and no sound practical conduct. Instead, people begin to display worse traits than before.

PROPHETS TEACHINGS/MESSAGES

Here, however, you can see that the discourse the Prophet presents is full of wisdom. It has a well-proportioned system of thought, the utmost balance, and a strict commitment to truth and honesty. Every word is carefully measured, and every statement is exactly weighed. In his speech you cannot point to any purpose other than the reform of God’s creatures. Nothing he says carries the slightest trace of any personal, family, national or other worldly interest. His only wish is to warn people of the evil consequences of the heedlessness they have fallen into, and to call them to the way that is for their own good.

The effects of his speech are also entirely different from those of sorcerers. Everyone here who has accepted his influence has had their life set right. They have become people of better character than before, and goodness and righteousness now show clearly in all their conduct. Now think for yourselves: is this how sorcerers speak, and does their sorcery produce results like these?

Verse translations, summary of the topic and footnotes in urdu & English

 اٰمَنَ لِمُوۡسٰۤی اِلَّا ذُرِّیَّۃٌ مِّنۡ قَوۡمِہٖ عَلٰی خَوۡفٍ مِّنۡ فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَ مَلَا۠ئِہِمۡ اَنۡ یَّفۡتِنَہُمۡ ؕ وَ اِنَّ فِرۡعَوۡنَ لَعَالٍ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ ۚ وَ اِنَّہٗ لَمِنَ الۡمُسۡرِفِیۡنَ ﴿۸۳﴾

﴿پھر دیکھو کہ﴾ موسیٰ ؑ کو اِس قوم میں سے چند نوجوانوں⁷⁸ کے سوا کسی نے نہ مانا⁷⁹ ، فرعون کے ڈر سے اور خود اپنی قوم کے سربرآوردہ لوگوں کے ڈر سے ﴿ جنہیں خوف تھا کہ﴾ فرعون اُن کو عذاب میں مبتلا کرے گا۔ اور واقعہ یہ ہے کہ فرعون زمین میں غلبہ رکھتا تھا اور وہ اُن لوگوں میں سے تھا جو کسی حد پر رُکتے نہیں ہیں۔⁸⁰

Explanation summarized

Surah Yunus 10:83 says that only a few young people from Moses’ people accepted him, out of fear of Pharaoh and of their own leaders, because Pharaoh was dominant in the land and knew no limits. Note 78 explains that the word dhurriyyah (offspring) stresses that only youths found the courage to stand with the truth in a dangerous time. Their parents and elders, ruled by expediency, worldly interests, and love of comfort, held back and even discouraged the young. The Qur’an highlights this because Muhammad’s ﷺ early followers in Makkah were also mostly young. Ali, Ja’far, Zubayr, Sa’d, Mus’ab, and Ibn Mas’ud were under twenty, and even Abu Bakr was no older than thirty-eight. Note 79 clarifies that amana li here means following and obeying, not belief alone. The Israelites, as descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, were Muslims by faith. But long moral decline and the timidity bred by subjugation left them unwilling to follow Moses and face Pharaoh’s wrath. The Bible and the Talmud reflect this attitude, as does Surah al-A’raf. Note 80 explains that musrifin means those who will use any means, however cruel or immoral, to get what they want, and who stop at no limit.

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سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :78

متن میں لفظ ذُرِّ یَّۃٌ استعمال ہوا ہے جس کے معنی اولاد کے ہیں۔ ہم نے اس کا ترجمہ ”نوجوان“ کیا ہے۔ مگر دراصل اس خاص لفظ کے استعمال سے جو بات قرآن مجید بیان کرنا چاہتا ہے وہ یہ ہے کہ اُس پر خطر زمانے میں حق کا ساتھ دینے اور علمبردارِ حق کو اپنا رہنما تسلیم کرنے کی جرأت چند لڑکوں اور لڑکیوں نے تو کی مگر ماؤں اور باپوں اور قوم کے سن رسیدہ لوگوں کو اس کی توفیق نصیب نہ ہوئی۔ ان پر مصلحت پرستی اور دنیوی اغراض کی بندگی اور عافیت کوشی کچھ اس طرح چھائی رہی کہ وہ ایسے حق کا ساتھ دینے پر آمادہ نہ ہوئے جس کا راستہ اُن کو خطرات سے پُر نظر آرہا تھا، بلکہ وہ اُلٹے نوجوانوں ہی کو روکتے رہے کہ موسیٰ کے قریب نہ جاؤ، ورنہ تم خود بھی فرعون کے غضب میں مبتلا ہو گے اور ہم پر بھی آفت لاؤگے۔

یہ بات خاص طور پر قرآن نے نمایاں کر کے اس لیے پیش کی ہے کہ مکہ کی آبادی میں سےبھی محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کا ساتھ دینے کے لیے جو لوگ آگے بڑھے تھے وہ قوم کے بڑے بوڑھے اور سن رسیدہ لوگ نہ تھے بلکہ چند با ہمت نوجوان ہی تھے۔ وہ ابتدائی مسلمان جو اِن آیات کی نزول کی وقت ساری قوم کی شدید مخالفت کے مقابلے میں صداقتِ اسلامی کی حمایت کر رہے تھے اور ظلم و ستم کے اس طوفان میں جن کے سینے اسلام کے لیے سپر بنے ہوئے تھے، ان میں مصلحت کوش بوڑھا کوئی نہ تھا۔ سب کے سب جوان لوگ ہی تھے۔ علی ابن ابی طالبؓ، جعفر ؓ طیّار، زبیرؓ، سعد بن ؓ ابی وقاص، مُصعَبؓ بن عُمَیر، عبداللہؓ بن مسعود جیسے لوگ قبول ِ اسلام کے وقت ۲۰ سال سے کم عمر کے تھے۔ عبد الرحمٰن ؓ بن عوف، بلالؓ، صُہَیب ؓ کی عمریں ۲۰ سے ۳۰ سال کی درمیان تھیں۔ ابو عبیدہ بن الجراحؓ، زید بن حارثہؓ، عثمان بن عفانؓ اور عمر فاروقؓ ۳۰ سے ۳۵ سال کے درمیان عمر کے تھے۔ ان سے زیادہ سن رسیدہ ابوبکر صدیقؓ تھے اور ان کی عمر بھی ایمان لانے کے وقت ۳۸ سال سے زیادہ نہ تھی۔ ابتدائی مسلمانوں میں صرف ایک صحابی کا نام ہمیں ملتا ہے جن کی عمر نبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم سے زیادہ تھی، یعنی حضرت عبیدہ بن حارثؓ مُطَّلبی ۔ اور غالبًا پورے گروہ میں ا یک ہی صحابی حضور کے ہم عمر تھے، یعنی عَمّار بن یاسرؓ۔

سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :79

متن میں فَمَآ اٰمَنَ لِمُوْسیٰ کے الفاظ ہیں۔ اس سے بعض لوگوں کو ہوا کہ شاید بی اسرائیل سب کے سب کافر تھے اور ابتداءً ان میں سے صرف چند آدمی ایمان لائے۔ لیکن ایمان کے ساتھ جب لام کا صلہ آتا ہے تو وہ بالعموم اطاعت و انقیاد کے معنی دیتا ہے ، یعنی کسی کی بات مانن اور اس کے کہے پر چلنا۔ پس دراصل ان الفاظ کا مفہوم یہ ہے کہ چند نوجوانوں کو چھوڑ کر بنی اسرائیل کی پوری قوم میں سے کوئی بھی اس بات پر آمادہ نہ ہوا کہ حضرت موسیٰ کو اپنا رہبر و پیشوا مان کر ان کی پیروی اختیار کر لیتا اور اس دعوتِ اسلامی کے کام میں ان کا ساتھ دیتا۔ پھر بعد کے فقرے نے اس بات کو واضح کر دیا کہ ان کے اس طرزِ عمل کی اصل وجہ یہ نہ تھی کہ انہیں حضرت موسیٰ کے صادق اور ان کی دعوت کے حق ہونے میں کوئی شک تھا ، بلکہ اس کی وجہ صرف یہ تھی کہ وہ اور خصوصًا ان کے اکابر و اشراف، حضرت موسیٰ کا ساتھ دے کر اپنے آپ کو فرعون کی سخت گیری کے خطرے میں ڈالنے کے لیے تیار نہ تھے۔ اگرچہ یہ لوگ نسل اور مذہبی دونوں حیثیتوں سے ابراہیم، اسحاق ، یعقوب اور یوسف علیہم السلام کے اُمتی تھے اور اس بنا پر ظاہر ہے کہ سب مسلمان تھے، لیکن ایک مدّتِ دراز کے اخلاقی انحطاط نے اور اُس پست ہمتی نے جو زیردستی سے پیدا ہوئی تھی ، ان میں اتنا بل بوتا باقی نہ چھوڑا تھا کہ کفر و ضلالت کی فرمانروائی کے مقابلہ میں ایمان و ہدایت کا عَلَم لے کر خود اُٹھتے، یا جو اُٹھا تھا اُس کاساتھ دیتے۔

حضرت موسیٰ ؑ اور فرعون کی اس کشمکش میں عام اسرائیلیوں کا طرزِ عمل کیا تھا، اس کا اندازہ بائیبل کی اس عبارت سے ہو سکتا ہے:

” جب وہ فرعون کے پاس سے نکلے آرہے تھے تو اُن کو موسیٰ اور ہارون ملاقات کے لیے راستہ پر کھڑے ملے۔ تب انہوں نے ان سے کہا کہ خداوند ہی دیکھے اور تمہارا انصاف کرے، تم نے تو ہم کو فرعون اور اس کے خادموں کی نگاہ میں ایسا گھِنَونا کیا ہے کہ ہمارے قتل کے لیے اُن کے ہاتھ میں تلوار دے دی ہے“۔ (خروج ۶ : ۲۰ – ۲۱)

تَلمُود میں لکھا ہے کہ بنی اسرائیل موسیٰ اور ہارون علیہما السلام سے کہتے تھے:

”ہماری مثال تو ایسی ہے جیسے ایک بھیڑیے نے بکری کو پکڑا اور چرواہے نے آکر اس کو بچانے کی کوشش کی اور دونوں کی کشمکش میں بکری کے ٹکڑے ہو گئے۔ بس اسی طرح تمہاری اور فرعون کی کھینچ تان میں ہمارا کام تمام ہو کر رہے گا“۔

انہی باتوں کی طرف سورۂ اعراف میں بھی اشارہ کیا گیا ہے کہ بنی اسرائیل نے حضرت موسیٰ سے کہا کہ اُوْ ذِیْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِ اَنْ تَاْ تِیَنَا وَمِنْم بَعْدِ مَا جِئْتَنَا (آیت ۱۲)۔

سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :80

متن میں لفظ مُسْرِ فِیْنَ استعمال ہوا ہے جس کے معنی ہیں حد سے تجاوز کرنے والا۔ مگر اس لفظی ترجمے سے اسس کی اصل روح نمایاں نہیں ہوتی ۔ مسرفین سے مراد دراصل وہ لوگ ہیں جو اپنے مطلب کے لیے کسی بُرے سے بُرے طریقے کو بھی اختیار کرنے میں تامل نہیں کرتے ۔ کسی ظلم اور کسی بداخلاقی اور کسی وحشت و بربریت کے ارتکاب سے نہیں چوکتے۔ اپنی خواہشات کے پیچھے ہر انتہا تک جا سکتے ہیں ۔ ان کے لیے کوئی حد نہیں جس پر جا کر وہ رُک جائیں۔ 

Footnote s

Surah Yunus, Verse 83

(Then see that) none obeyed Moses except a few youths⁷⁸ of his people,⁷⁹ out of fear of Pharaoh and of the chiefs of their own people (who feared) that Pharaoh would subject them to torment. And the fact is that Pharaoh was dominant in the land, and he was among those who stop at no limit.⁸⁰

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Note 78

The text uses the word dhurriyyah, which means offspring. We have translated it as “youths.” But what the Qur’an really wants to convey by this particular word is that, in that perilous time, a few young men and women did find the courage to side with the truth and accept its bearer as their leader. The mothers, fathers, and elders of the nation were not granted this ability. Expediency, servitude to worldly interests, and the pursuit of comfort so overwhelmed them that they would not side with a truth whose path looked full of danger. Instead, they kept holding the young back, saying: “Do not go near Moses, or you will fall under Pharaoh’s wrath yourselves and bring disaster upon us too.”

The Qur’an highlights this point because, in Makkah as well, those who came forward to support Muhammad ﷺ were not the elders of the nation but a few courageous young people. When these verses were revealed, the early Muslims were upholding the truth of Islam against the fierce opposition of the whole nation, and their chests had become shields for Islam in that storm of persecution. There was not a single expedient old man among them; all of them were young.

People like Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ja’far al-Tayyar, Zubayr, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, Mus’ab ibn Umayr, and Abdullah ibn Mas’ud were under twenty when they accepted Islam. Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Bilal, and Suhayb were between twenty and thirty. Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Zayd ibn Harithah, Uthman ibn Affan, and Umar al-Faruq were between thirty and thirty-five. Older than these was Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, and even he was no more than thirty-eight when he believed. Among the early Muslims, we find only one Companion who was older than the Prophet ﷺ: Ubaydah ibn al-Harith al-Muttalibi. And probably only one in the whole group was the Prophet’s ﷺ own age: Ammar ibn Yasir.

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Note 79

The text reads fa-ma amana li-Musa. This has led some people to think that perhaps all the Children of Israel were unbelievers and that at first only a few of them believed. But when iman is followed by the preposition lam, it generally means obedience and submission, that is, accepting someone’s word and acting on what he says.

So the real meaning of these words is that, apart from a few youths, no one in the entire nation of Bani Isra’il was willing to accept Moses as guide and leader, follow him, and support him in the work of this Islamic call. The next phrase then makes clear that the real reason for this behavior was not doubt about Moses’ truthfulness or the truth of his message. The reason was simply that they, and especially their elders and nobles, were not prepared to expose themselves to Pharaoh’s harshness by siding with Moses.

These people were, by both lineage and religion, the ummah of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (peace be upon them), and so were evidently all Muslims. But a long period of moral decline, and the low spirit born of subjugation, had left them without the strength to rise themselves with the banner of faith and guidance against the rule of unbelief and misguidance. Nor could they support the one who had risen.

The attitude of the ordinary Israelites in this struggle between Moses and Pharaoh can be judged from this passage of the Bible:

“As they came out from Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron standing in the way to meet them. And they said to them, ‘May the Lord look upon you and judge, for you have made us so loathsome in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants that you have put a sword in their hand to kill us.'” (Exodus 5:20–21)

The Talmud records that the Children of Israel used to say to Moses and Aaron:

“Our case is like that of a goat seized by a wolf. The shepherd came and tried to rescue it, and in the struggle between the two, the goat was torn to pieces. In the same way, in this tug-of-war between you and Pharaoh, we will be finished off.”

Surah al-A’raf also alludes to this, where the Children of Israel say to Moses: “We were persecuted before you came to us and after you came to us” (7:129).

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Note 80

The text uses the word musrifin, which means those who transgress limits. But this literal translation does not bring out its real spirit. Musrifin actually means people who do not hesitate to use even the worst methods for their ends. They do not shrink from any oppression, any immorality, or any savagery and barbarity. They will go to any extreme in pursuit of their desires, and there is no limit at which they will stop.

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