لوگوں نے کہہ دیا کہ اللہ نے کسی کو بیٹا بنایاہے66، سُبحان اللہ!67وہ تو بے نیاز ہے، آسمانوں اور زمین میں جو کچھ ہے سب اُس کی مِلک ہے۔68تمہارے پاس اِس قول کے لیے آخر دلیل کیا ہے؟ کیا تم اللہ کے متعلق وہ باتیں کہتے ہو جو تمہارے علم میں نہیں ہیں؟ اے محمد ؐ ، کہہ دو کہ جو لوگ اللہ پر جھوٹے افترا باندھتے ہیں وہ ہر گز فلاح نہیں پا سکتے۔ دُنیا کی چند روزہ زندگی میں مزے کر لیں، پھر ہماری طرف اُن کو پلٹنا ہے، پھر ہم اُس کُفر کے بدلے میں جس کا وہ ارتکاب کر تے رہے ہیں ان کو سخت عذاب کا مزہ چکھائیں گے۔ ؏ ۷
Surah Yunus (10:68–70)
People have said that Allah has taken a son.⁶⁶ Glory be to Allah!⁶⁷ He is Self-Sufficient. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him.⁶⁸ What proof do you have for this claim? Do you say things about Allah that you do not know? O Muhammad ﷺ, say: those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper. Let them enjoy themselves for a few days in the life of this world. Then they must return to Us, and then, in recompense for the disbelief they kept committing, We shall make them taste a severe punishment. (Ruku 7
English: God Has No Need of a Son — Why?
The verse (Yunus 10:68): People have said that Allah has taken a son. Glory be to Allah! He is Self-Sufficient. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. What proof do you have for this claim? Do you say about Allah what you do not know?
The Quran asks those who make this claim for their proof. The belief rests on conjecture, not knowledge, and every way of understanding it reduces God to the level of His creatures.
Three ways people imagine a “son of God”
A begotten son likens God to a mortal animal, which needs a mate and offspring to live on through its descendants.
An adopted son as heir likens God to a childless man, who adopts someone to inherit from him and make up for what he lacks.
An adopted son out of special affection likens God to a human swayed by emotion, who singles out one person among many.
The Quran’s three-part answer
Subhan Allah: God is free from every defect and weakness these ideas attribute to Him.
He is Self-Sufficient (al-Ghani): He has none of the needs — survival, legacy, compensation, companionship — that lead humans to seek children.
Everything belongs to Him: all in the heavens and the earth are His servants and His property; none can be raised to a share in His divinity.
Love, not sonship. God does love some servants more than others for their righteousness. That love brings them freedom from fear and grief, and good tidings in this world and the next (Yunus 10:62–64). It never lifts a servant from servanthood to sonship.
For reflection: Is any belief about God that we cannot prove from knowledge a belief we should hold?
اردو: اللہ کو بیٹے کی کوئی حاجت نہیں — کیوں؟
آیت (یونس 10:68): لوگوں نے کہہ دیا کہ اللہ نے کسی کو بیٹا بنایا ہے، سبحان اللہ! وہ تو بے نیاز ہے، آسمانوں اور زمین میں جو کچھ ہے سب اُس کی مِلک ہے۔ تمہارے پاس اِس قول کے لیے آخر دلیل کیا ہے؟ کیا تم اللہ کے متعلق وہ باتیں کہتے ہو جو تمہارے علم میں نہیں ہیں؟
قرآن یہ دعویٰ کرنے والوں سے دلیل طلب کرتا ہے۔ یہ عقیدہ علم پر نہیں بلکہ گمان پر قائم ہے، اور اسے جس طرح بھی سمجھا جائے، یہ خدا کو اُس کی مخلوق کی سطح پر لے آتا ہے۔
“خدا کے بیٹے” کے تین ممکنہ تصورات
صُلبی بیٹا: یہ خدا کو اُس فانی حیوان پر قیاس کرنا ہے جسے اپنی نسل باقی رکھنے کے لیے جوڑے اور اولاد کی ضرورت ہوتی ہے۔
وارث کے طور پر متبنّیٰ: یہ خدا کو اُس بے اولاد انسان پر قیاس کرنا ہے جو کسی کو اس لیے بیٹا بناتا ہے کہ وہ اس کا وارث ہو اور اس کی کمی کی کچھ تلافی ہو۔
خاص محبت کی بنا پر متبنّیٰ: یہ خدا کو اُس انسان پر قیاس کرنا ہے جو جذبات کے زیرِ اثر بہت سے لوگوں میں سے کسی ایک کو چُن لیتا ہے۔
قرآن کا تین نکاتی جواب
سبحان اللہ: اللہ ہر اُس عیب اور کمزوری سے پاک ہے جو یہ تصورات اُس کی طرف منسوب کرتے ہیں۔
وہ بے نیاز (الغنی) ہے: اُسے بقا، وراثت، تلافی یا رفاقت کی وہ کوئی حاجت نہیں جس کی وجہ سے انسان اولاد کا طالب ہوتا ہے۔
سب کچھ اُسی کی مِلک ہے: آسمانوں اور زمین میں سب اُس کے بندے اور مملوک ہیں؛ کسی کو بھی اُس کی خدائی میں شریک کا مقام نہیں دیا جا سکتا۔
محبت، بیٹا ہونا نہیں: اللہ اپنے بعض بندوں کو اُن کی نیکی کی بنا پر دوسروں سے زیادہ محبوب رکھتا ہے۔ یہ محبت انہیں خوف اور رنج سے نجات اور دنیا و آخرت میں بشارت عطا کرتی ہے (یونس 10:62–64)، مگر کسی بندے کو بندگی کے مقام سے اٹھا کر بیٹا ہونے کے مقام تک نہیں پہنچاتی۔
غور و فکر کے لیے: اللہ کے بارے میں جس عقیدے کو ہم علم سے ثابت نہ کر سکیں، کیا ہمیں وہ عقیدہ رکھنا چاہیے؟
हिन्दी: अल्लाह को बेटे की कोई ज़रूरत नहीं — क्यों?
आयत (यूनुस 10:68): लोगों ने कह दिया कि अल्लाह ने किसी को बेटा बनाया है। सुब्हान अल्लाह! वह तो बेनियाज़ है, आसमानों और ज़मीन में जो कुछ है सब उसी की मिल्कियत है। तुम्हारे पास इस बात की आख़िर दलील क्या है? क्या तुम अल्लाह के बारे में वे बातें कहते हो जिनका तुम्हें इल्म नहीं?
क़ुरआन यह दावा करने वालों से दलील माँगता है। यह अक़ीदा इल्म पर नहीं बल्कि गुमान पर टिका है, और इसे जिस तरह भी समझा जाए, यह ख़ुदा को उसकी मख़लूक़ के स्तर पर ले आता है।
“ख़ुदा के बेटे” की तीन संभावित धारणाएँ
सगा (जन्म से) बेटा: यह ख़ुदा को उस नश्वर जानदार जैसा मानना है जिसे अपनी नस्ल बाक़ी रखने के लिए जोड़े और औलाद की ज़रूरत होती है।
वारिस के तौर पर गोद लिया बेटा: यह ख़ुदा को उस बेऔलाद इंसान जैसा मानना है जो किसी को इसलिए बेटा बनाता है कि वह उसका वारिस बने और उसकी कमी की कुछ भरपाई हो।
ख़ास मुहब्बत की वजह से गोद लिया बेटा: यह ख़ुदा को उस इंसान जैसा मानना है जो जज़्बात में आकर बहुत से लोगों में से किसी एक को चुन लेता है।
क़ुरआन का तीन-सूत्री जवाब
सुब्हान अल्लाह: अल्लाह हर उस ऐब और कमज़ोरी से पाक है जो ये धारणाएँ उसकी तरफ़ जोड़ती हैं।
वह बेनियाज़ (अल-ग़नी) है: उसे बक़ा, विरासत, भरपाई या साथ की वह कोई ज़रूरत नहीं जिसकी वजह से इंसान औलाद चाहता है।
सब कुछ उसी की मिल्कियत है: आसमानों और ज़मीन में सब उसके बंदे और उसकी मिल्कियत हैं; किसी को भी उसकी ख़ुदाई में शरीक का दर्जा नहीं दिया जा सकता।
मुहब्बत, बेटा होना नहीं: अल्लाह अपने कुछ बंदों को उनकी नेकी की वजह से दूसरों से ज़्यादा प्यारा रखता है। यह मुहब्बत उन्हें डर और ग़म से नजात और दुनिया व आख़िरत में ख़ुशख़बरी देती है (यूनुस 10:62–64), लेकिन किसी बंदे को बंदगी के दर्जे से उठाकर बेटा होने के दर्जे तक नहीं पहुँचाती।
ग़ौर-ओ-फ़िक्र के लिए: अल्लाह के बारे में जिस अक़ीदे को हम इल्म से साबित न कर सकें, क्या हमें वह अक़ीदा रखना चाहिए?
يطالب القرآنُ أصحابَ هذه الدعوى بالبرهان. فهذه العقيدة قائمة على الظن لا على العلم، وأيًّا كان وجه فهمها فإنها تنزل بالخالق إلى مستوى مخلوقاته.
ثلاثة تصورات محتملة لـ”ابن الله”
الابن من الصُّلب: وفيه تشبيه الله بالكائن الفاني الذي يحتاج إلى زوج وذرية ليبقى نوعه من بعده.
الابن بالتبنّي ليكون وارثًا: وفيه تشبيه الله بالرجل العقيم الذي يتبنّى غيره ليرثه ويعوّض شيئًا مما فاته.
الابن بالتبنّي لمحبة خاصة: وفيه تشبيه الله بالإنسان الذي تحكمه العواطف فيختار واحدًا من بين كثيرين.
جواب القرآن في ثلاث نقاط
﴿سُبْحَانَهُ﴾: الله منزَّه عن كل عيب ونقص تنسبه إليه هذه التصورات.
﴿هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ﴾: لا حاجة به إلى بقاء أو إرث أو تعويض أو أُنس مما يدفع البشر إلى طلب الولد.
﴿لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾: كل من في السماوات والأرض عبيده ومِلكه، فلا يُرفع أحد منهم إلى مقام الشركة في الألوهية.
محبةٌ لا بُنوّة: إن الله يحب بعض عباده أكثر من بعض لصلاحهم وتقواهم، وثمرة هذه المحبة أنه لا خوف عليهم ولا هم يحزنون، ولهم البشرى في الحياة الدنيا وفي الآخرة (يونس 10:62–64). لكنها لا ترفع عبدًا من مقام العبودية إلى مقام البُنوّة.
للتأمل: هل يصح أن نعتقد في الله أمرًا لا نملك عليه برهانًا من العلم؟
The Quran (Yunus 10:68) challenges those who claim God has taken a son: what proof do you have, or are you saying about God what you do not know? Such a belief rests on conjecture, not knowledge. Every way of understanding it reduces God to the level of His creatures.
A begotten son would make God like a mortal animal. An animal needs a mate and offspring because it cannot last on its own and must live on through its descendants.
An adopted son as an heir would make God like a childless man. Such a man adopts someone to inherit from him and to make up for what he lacks.
An adopted son out of special affection would make God like a human being swayed by emotion, who singles out one person among many.
The Quran answers all three with three truths:
Subhan Allah: God is free from every defect and weakness that these ideas attribute to Him.
He is Self-Sufficient: He has none of the needs (survival, legacy, compensation, companionship) that lead humans to seek children.
Everything belongs to Him: all in the heavens and the earth are His servants and His property, so none can be raised to a share in His divinity.
God does love some servants more than others for their righteousness. That love brings them peace and good tidings in this world and the next. It never lifts a servant from servanthood to sonship.
لوگوں نے کہہ دیا کہ اللہ نے کسی کو بیٹا بنایاہے66، سُبحان اللہ!67وہ تو بے نیاز ہے، آسمانوں اور زمین میں جو کچھ ہے سب اُس کی مِلک ہے۔68تمہارے پاس اِس قول کے لیے آخر دلیل کیا ہے؟ کیا تم اللہ کے متعلق وہ باتیں کہتے ہو جو تمہارے علم میں نہیں ہیں؟ اے محمد ؐ ، کہہ دو کہ جو لوگ اللہ پر جھوٹے افترا باندھتے ہیں وہ ہر گز فلاح نہیں پا سکتے۔ دُنیا کی چند روزہ زندگی میں مزے کر لیں، پھر ہماری طرف اُن کو پلٹنا ہے، پھر ہم اُس کُفر کے بدلے میں جس کا وہ ارتکاب کر تے رہے ہیں ان کو سخت عذاب کا مزہ چکھائیں گے۔ ؏ ۷
Surah Yunus (10:68–70)
People have said that Allah has taken a son.⁶⁶ Glory be to Allah!⁶⁷ He is Self-Sufficient. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him.⁶⁸ What proof do you have for this claim? Do you say things about Allah that you do not know? O Muhammad ﷺ, say: those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper. Let them enjoy themselves for a few days in the life of this world. Then they must return to Us, and then, in recompense for the disbelief they kept committing, We shall make them taste a severe punishment. (Ruku 7)
سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :66
اوپر کی آیات میں لوگوں کی اس جاہلیت پر ٹوکا گیا تھا کہ اپنے مذہب کی بنا علم کے بجائے قیاس و گمان پر رکھتے ہیں، اور پھر کسی علمی طریقہ سے یہ تحقیق کرنے کی بھی کوشش نہیں کرتے کہ ہم جس مذہب پر چلے جا رہے ہیں اس کی کوئی دلیل بھی ہے یا نہیں۔ اب اسی سلسلہ میں عیسائیوں اور بعض دوسرے اہلِ مذاہب کی اس نادانی پر ٹوکا گیا ہے کہ انہوں نے محض گمان سے کسی کو خد اکا بیٹا ٹھیرا لیا۔
سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :67
سبحان اللہ کلمہ تعجب کے طور پر کبھی اظہارِ حیرت کے لیے بھی بولا جاتا ہے، اور کبھی اس کے واقعی معنی ہی مراد ہوتے ہیں، یعنی یہ کہ”اللہ تعالیٰ ہر عیب سے منزّہ ہے“۔ یہاں یہ کلمہ دونوں معنی دے رہا ہے۔ لوگوں کے اِس قول پر اظہارِ حیرت بھی مقصود ہے اور ان کی بات کے جواب میں یہ کہنا بھی مقصود ہے کہ اللہ تو بے عیب ہے ، ا س کی طرف بیٹے کی نسبت کس طرح صحیح ہو سکتی ہے۔
سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :68
یہاں ان کے اس قول کی تردید میں تین باتیں کہی گئی ہیں: ایک یہ کہ اللہ بے عیب ہے۔ دوسرے یہ کہ وہ بے نیاز ہے ۔ تیسرے یہ کہ آسمان و زمین کی ساری موجودات اُس کی ملک ہیں ۔ یہ مختصر جوابات تھوڑی سی تشریح سے بآسانی سمجھ میں آسکتے ہیں:
ظاہر بات ہے کہ بیٹا یا تو صلبی ہو سکتا ہے یا متبنّٰی۔ اگر یہ لوگ کسی کو خدا کا بیٹا صُلبی معنوں میں قرار دیتے ہیں تو اس کے معنی یہ ہیں کہ خدا کو اُس حیوان پر قیاس کرتے ہیں جو شخصی حیثیت سے فانی ہوتا ہے اور جس کے وجود کا تسلسل بغیر اس کے قائم نہیں رہ سکتا کہ اس کی جوئی جنس ہو اور اس جنس سے کوئی اس کا جوڑا ہو اور ان دونوں کے صنفی تعلق سے اس کی اولاد ہو جس کے ذریعہ سے اس کا نوعی وجود اور اس کا کام باقی رہے۔ اور اگر یہ لوگ اس معنی میں خدا کا بیٹا قرار دیتے ہیں کہ اس نے کسی کو متبنّٰی بنایا ہے تو یہ دو حال سے خالی نہیں۔ یا تو انہوں نے خدا کو اس انسان پر قیاس کیا ہے جو لاولد ہونے کی وجہ سے اپنی جنس کے کسی فرد کو اس لیے بیٹا بناتا ہے کہ وہ اس کا وارث ہو اور اُس نقصان کی، جو اسے بے اولاد رہ جانے کی وجہ سے پہنچ رہا ہے، برائے نام ہی سہی، کچھ تو تلافی کر دے۔ یا پھر ان کا گمان یہ ہے کہ خدا بھی انسان کی طرح جذباتی میلانات رکھتا ہے اور اپنے بے شمار بندوں میں سے کسی ایک کےساتھ اس کو کچھ ایسی محبت ہو گئی ہے کہ اس نے اسے بیٹا بنا لیا ہے۔
ان تینوں صورتوں میں سے جو صورت بھی ہو ، بہر حال اس عقیدے کے بنیادی تصورات میں خدا پرست بہت سے عیوب ، بہت سی کمزوریوں ، بہت سے نقائص اور بہت سی احتیاجوں کی تہمت لگی ہوئی ہے۔ اسی بنا پر پہلے فقرے میں فرمایا گیا ہے کہ اللہ تعالیٰ ان تمام عیوب ، نقائص اور کمزوریوں سے پاک ہے جو تم اس کی طرف منسوب کررہے ہو۔ دوسرے فقرے میں ارشاد ہوا کہ وہ اُن حاجتوں سے بھِ بے نیاز ہے جن کی وجہ سے فانی انسانوں کو اولاد کی یا بیٹا بنانے کی ضرورت پیش آتی ہے۔ اور تیسرے فقرے میں صاف کہہ دیا گیا کہ زمین و آسمان میں ب اللہ کے بندے اور اس کی مملوک ہیں ، ان میں سے کسی کے ساتھ بھی اللہ کا ایسا کوئی مخصوص ذاتی تعلق نہیں ہے کہ سب کو چھوڑ کر اسے وہ اپنا بیٹا یا اکلوتا یا ولی عہد قرار دے لے۔ صفا ت کی بنا پر بے شک اللہ بعض بندوں کو بعض کی بہ نسبت زیادہ محبوب رکھتا ہے، مگر اس محبت کے یہ معنی نہیں ہیں کہ کسی بندے کو بندگی کے مقام سے اٹھا کر خدائی میں شرکت کا مقام دے دیا جائے۔ زیادہ سے زیادہ اس محبت کا تقاضا بس وہ ہے جو اس سے پہلے کی ایک آیت میں بیان کر دیا گیا ہے کہ ”جو ایمان لائے اور جنہوں نے تقویٰ کا رویہ اختیار کیا ان کے لیے کسی خوف اور رنج کا موقع نہیں ، دنیا اور آخرت دونوں میں ان کے لیے بشارت ہی بشارت ہے۔
Footnote 66
The preceding verses reproached people for the ignorance of basing their religion on speculation and conjecture instead of knowledge. They also make no attempt, by any scholarly method, to find out whether the religion they keep following has any proof behind it. Continuing the same theme, this verse reproaches the Christians and followers of certain other religions for the folly of declaring someone to be God’s son on the basis of mere conjecture.
Footnote 67
Subhan Allah is sometimes said as an exclamation of astonishment. At other times its literal meaning is intended, namely that “Allah is free from every defect.” Here the phrase carries both meanings. It expresses astonishment at what these people say. It also answers them: Allah is free from all defects, so how could a son possibly be attributed to Him?
Footnote 68
Three points are made here in refutation of their claim:
Allah is free from all defects.
He is Self-Sufficient.
Everything that exists in the heavens and the earth is His property.
A little explanation makes these brief answers easy to understand.
Obviously, a son is either begotten or adopted.
If they mean a begotten son, they are likening God to an animal. An animal is mortal as an individual. Its existence can continue only if it belongs to a species, has a mate from that species, and has offspring through their sexual union, so that its kind and its work carry on through them.
If they mean that God has adopted someone as a son, there are two possibilities:
The childless man. They may be likening God to a man who has no children. Such a man adopts a member of his own species as a son, so that the son may become his heir. The adoption makes up, at least in name, for some of the loss he suffers from being childless.
Human emotions. They may suppose that God, like a human being, has emotional inclinations. On this view, God came to love one of His countless servants so much that He took him as a son.
Whichever of these three cases applies, the basic concepts of this belief charge God with many defects, many weaknesses, many shortcomings and many needs.
That is why the verse answers in three phrases:
The first phrase says that Allah is free from all the defects, shortcomings and weaknesses you attribute to Him.
The second phrase says that He is also free from the needs that lead mortal human beings to require children or to adopt a son.
The third phrase states plainly that everyone in the heavens and the earth is Allah’s servant and His property. Allah has no special personal relationship with any of them that would lead Him to single one out above all the rest as His son, His only son, or His heir.
Allah certainly loves some of His servants more than others because of their qualities. That love, however, does not mean that a servant is raised from the station of servitude to a share in divinity. At most, this love entails what an earlier verse has already stated: those who believe and adopt the way of taqwa have no cause for fear or grief, and for them there is nothing but good tidings, both in this world and in the Hereafter.
Alhamdulillah, the credit goes to the clarity of Maulana Maududi’s original reasoning. If you’d like, I can turn this into a one-page handout for a study circle, or translate it into any of the languages you work in.
And Alhamdulillah to cloude ai for helping in translation, summarizing this difficult topic.
آگاہ رہو! آسمان کے بسنے والے ہوں یا زمین کے، سب کے سب اللہ کے مملوک ہیں۔ اور جو لوگ اللہ کے سوا ﴿ اپنے خود ساختہ﴾ شریکوں کو پکار رہے ہیں وہ نِرے وہم و گمان کے پیرو ہیں اور محض قیاس آرائیاں کرتے ہیں66۔ وہ اللہ ہی ہے جس نے تمہارے لیے رات بنائی کہ اس میں سکون حاصل کرو اور دن کو روشن بنایا۔ اس میں نشانیاں ہیں اُن لوگوں کے لیے جو ﴿ کُھلے کانوں سے پیغمبر کی دعوت کو﴾ سُنتے ہیں67 ۔65
INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY
In his commentary on Surah Yunus (10:66–67), Maulana Maududi explains that anyone who seeks the truth about religion without direct revelation must rely on some form of philosophical inquiry, and that the soundness of their conclusions depends entirely on the method they use. He surveys the approaches people have taken: polytheists relying on fancy, mystics and yogis on meditation built upon conjecture, philosophers on speculative reasoning dressed up as logic, and scientists who abandon their own method once they enter metaphysics. All of these are compounded by prejudice that closes the mind to other views. Against this, the Quran sets out a sound method. First, listen without bias to the prophets, who speak from knowledge. Then test their claims against the “signs” observable in the universe. Using the alternation of night and day as an example, Maududi shows how a single natural phenomenon testifies to one wise, purposeful and merciful Lord who alone deserves worship. He concludes that religions invented through guesswork cannot stand against such evidence.
Surah Yunus (10:66–67)
Behold! Whoever dwells in the heavens or on the earth, all of them belong to Allah. Those who call upon their self-made partners besides Allah follow nothing but conjecture and surmise, and do nothing but guess.⁶⁶ It is Allah who made the night for you, so that you may find rest in it, and made the day bright. Surely in this are signs for those who hear (the Prophet’s call with open ears).⁶⁷
Footnote 65
This subject needs explanation, though the verse states it in very few words.
Philosophical inquiry tries to discover whether some reality lies hidden behind what we outwardly see and perceive in this universe, and if so, what that reality is. For everyone who does not receive knowledge of reality directly through revelation and inspiration, this inquiry is the only means of forming an opinion about religion. No one can reach any conclusion about religion without some kind of philosophical inquiry, whether he ends up in atheism, polytheism or belief in God.
The religion presented by the prophets can also be tested only in this way. A person must reflect philosophically, as far as he is able, and try to satisfy himself whether the reality that the prophets say lies concealed behind the phenomena of the universe appeals to the heart. Whether this inquiry is right or wrong depends entirely on its method. A wrong method leads to a wrong opinion, and a right method to a right one. Let us now survey the methods that different groups in the world have adopted for this inquiry:
The polytheists based their search on pure fancy (wahm).
The illuminationists (ishraqis) and yogis put on a show of meditation (muraqabah). They claim that they look past the outward and directly observe the inner reality. In fact, they based their investigation on conjecture (gumān). What they meditate on is really their own conjecture. They first form a notion through conjecture, then fix their imagination on it and press their minds upon it, until that same notion begins to appear to them as if it were alive and moving. That is all there is to what they claim to see.
The formal philosophers made analogical reasoning (qiyās) the basis of their inquiry. In essence it is still only conjecture. They sensed that this conjecture was lame, so they tried to make it walk on the crutches of logical argument and artificial reasoning, and they named the result qiyās.
The scientists adopted a scientific method for investigation within the domain of science. As soon as they stepped into metaphysics, however, they too abandoned that method and followed speculation, conjecture, estimates and guesswork.
The fancies and conjectures of all these groups were then, in one way or another, also afflicted by the disease of prejudice. Prejudice made them refuse to listen to anyone else. It made them turn onto their own favoured path, and once they had turned, it kept them on it.
The Quran declares this method of inquiry fundamentally wrong. It says that the root cause of your going astray is that you base your search for truth on conjecture and speculation, and then, out of prejudice, you are not even willing to listen to a reasonable word from anyone. Because of this twofold error, finding the reality on your own was impossible for you from the start. It has now also become impossible for you to examine the religion presented by the prophets and reach a correct opinion about it.
In contrast, the Quran teaches the correct scholarly and rational method of philosophical inquiry:
First, listen with open ears and without prejudice to those who describe reality. They claim that they are telling you what reality is on the basis of knowledge (‘ilm), not on the basis of speculation and conjecture, or meditation and istidraj (spiritual exercises that produce extraordinary effects).
Then reflect on the traces of the universe that come within your observation and experience. The Quran calls these traces “signs.”
Gather and arrange the testimony of these signs, and examine it.
Keep searching whether this outward world itself contains indications that point toward the reality these people describe as lying behind it.
If such indications appear and what they point to is clear, there is no reason to deny for no reason those people whose account is found to agree with the testimony of the evidence. … This very method is the foundation of the philosophy of Islam. It is regrettable that even Muslim philosophers abandoned it and followed in the footsteps of Plato and Aristotle.
Throughout the Quran, this method is not only enjoined but practised. The Quran repeatedly presents the signs of the universe and draws conclusions from them to arrive at the reality. In this way it gives what amounts to a regular training, so that this manner of thinking and searching becomes firmly rooted in people’s minds.
In this verse too, as an example, attention is drawn to only two signs: night and day. The alternation of night and day comes about because of an extremely regular change in the relative positions of the sun and the earth. This regularity points to several things:
A single universal Regulator. It is a clear sign of the existence of a universal Regulator, a Sovereign who holds overriding authority over the entire universe. It also shows that this universal Regulator is One.
Wisdom and purpose. Countless interests of all the beings on earth depend on this cycle of night and day. This shows evident wisdom and purposefulness. The Regulator is not frivolous and does not act in play. He is Wise and acts with purpose.
Lordship and mercy. The cycle shows clear signs of lordship (rububiyyah), mercy and providence. It is proof that the One who created these beings on earth also provides for the needs of their existence.
The right to worship. As Benefactor and Sustainer, He alone deserves worship.
No other lord. Whoever is subject to the cycle of night and day is not a lord but one who is sustained by a lord (marbūb). He is not a master but a slave.
Against this testimony of the evidence, how can the religions that the polytheists invented out of conjecture and speculation possibly be right?
سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :65
یہ ایک تشریح طلب مضمون ہے جسے بہت مختصر لفظوں میں بیان کیا گیا ہے۔ فلسفیانہ تجسّس ، جس کا مقصد یہ پتہ چلانا ہے کہ اس کائنات میں بظاہر جو کچھ ہم دیکھتے اور محسُو س کرتے ہیں اس کے پیچھے کوئِ حقیقت پوشیدہ ہے یا نہیں اور ہے تو وہ کیا ہے، دنیا میں اُن سب لوگوں کے لیے جو وحی و الہام سے براہِ راست حقیقت کا علم نہیں پاتے ، مذہب کے متعلق رائے قائم کرنے کا واحد ذریعہ ہے۔ کوئی شخص بھی خواہ وہ دہریت اختیار کرے یا شرک یا خدا پرستی، بہرحال ایک نہ ایک طرح کا فلسفیانہ تجسّس کیے بغیر مذہب کے بارے میں کسی نتیجے پر نہیں پہنچ سکتا۔ اور پیغمبروں نے جو مذہب پیش کیا ہے اس کی جانچ بھی اگر ہو سکتی ہے تو اسی طرح ہو سکتی ہے کہ آدمی، اپنی بساط بھر، فلسفیانہ غور و فکر کر کے اطمینان حاصل کرنے کی کوشش کرے کہ پیغمبر ہمیں مظاہرِ کائنات کے پیچھے جس حقیقت کے مستور ہونے کا پتہ دے رہے ہیں وہ دل کو لگتی ہے یا نہیں۔ اس تجسّس کے صحیح یا غلط ہونے کا تمام تر انحصار طریقِ تجسّس پر ہے۔ اس کے غلط ہونے سے غلط رائے اور صحیح ہونے سے صحیح رائے قائم ہوتی ہے۔ اب ذرا جائزہ لے کر دیکھیے کہ دنیا میں مختلف گروہوں نے اس تجسّس کے لیے کون کون سے طریقے اختیا ر کیے ہیں:
مشرکین نے خالص وہم پر اپنی تلاش کی بنیاد رکھی ہے۔
اِشراقیوں اور جوگیوں نے اگرچہ مراقبہ کا ڈھونگ رچایا ہے اور دعویٰ کیا ہے کہ ہم ظاہر کے پیچھے جھانک کر باطن کا مشاہدہ کر لیتے ہیں، لیکن فی الواقع اُنہوں نے اپنی اس سراغ رسانی کی بنا گمان پر رکھی ہے۔ وہ مراقبہ دراصل اپنے گمان کا کرتے ہیں، اور جو کچھ وہ کہتے ہیں کہ ہمیں نظر آتا ہے اس کی حقیقت اس کے سوا کچھ نہیں ہے کہ گمان سے جو خیال اُنہوں نے قائم کر لیا ہے اسی پر تخیل کو جما دینے اور پھر اس پر ذہن کا دباؤ ڈالنے سے ان کو وہی خیال چلتا پھرتا نظر آنے لگتا ہے۔
اصطلاحی فلسفیوں نے قیاس کو بنائے تحقیق بنایا ہے جو اصل میں اصل میں تو گمان ہی ہے لیکن اس گمان کے لنگڑے پن کو محسوس کر کے انہوں نے منطقی استدلال اور مصنوعی تعقل کی بیساکھیوں پر اسے چلانے کی کوشش کی ہے اور اس کا نام”قیاس“ رکھ دیا ہے۔
سائنس دانوں نے اگرچہ سائنس کے دائرے میں تحقیقات کے لیے علمی طریقہ اختیار کیا ہے ، مگر مابعد الطبیعیات کے حدود میں قدم رکھتے ہی وہ بھی علمی طریقے کو چھوڑ کر قیا س و گمان اور اندازے اور تخمینے کے پیچھے چل پڑے۔
پھر ان سب گروہوں کے اوہام اور گمانوں کو کسی نہ کسی طرح سے تعصب کی بیماری بھی لگ گئی جس نے انہیں دوسرے کی بات نہ سننے اور اپنی ہی محبوب راہ پر مُڑنے ، اور مُڑ جانے بعد مُڑے رہنے پر مجبور کر دیا ۔
قرآن اِس طریقِ تجسّس کو بنیادی طور پر غلط قرار دیتا ہے۔ وہ کہتا ہے کہ تم لوگوں کی گمراہی کا اصل سبب یہی ہے کہ تم تلاشِ حق کی بنا گمان اور قیاس آرائی پر رکھتے ہو اور پھر تعصب کی وجہ سے کسی کو معقول بات سُننے کے لیے بھی آمادہ نہیں ہوتے۔ اسی دُہری غلطی کا نتیجہ یہ ہے کہ تمہارے لیے خود حقیقت کو پالینا تو ناممکن تھا ہی، انبیاء کے پیش کردہ دین کو جانچ کر صحیح رائے پر پہنچنا بھی غیر ممکن ہو گیا۔
اس کے مقابلہ میں قرآن فلسفیانہ تحقیق کے لیے صحیح علمی و عقلی طریقہ یہ بتاتا ہے کہ پہلے تم حقیقت کے متعلق اُن لوگوں کا بیان کھلے کانوں سے، بلاتعصب سُنو جو دعویٰ کرتے ہیں کہ ہم قیاس و گمان یا مراقبہ و استدراج کی بنا پر نہیں بلکہ”علم“ کی بنا تمہیں بتا رہے ہیں کہ حقیقت یہ ہے۔ پھر کائنات میں جو آثار(باصطلاح قرآن ”نشانات“) تمہارے مشاہدے اور تجربے میں آتے ہیں ان پر غور کرو، ان کی شہادتوں کو مرتب کر کے دیکھو، اور تلاش کرتے چلے جاؤ کہ اس ظاہر کے پیچھے جس حقیقت کی نشاندہی یہ لوگ کر رہے ہیں اُس کی طرف اشارہ کرنے والی علامات تم کو اسی ظاہر میں ملتی ہیں یا نہیں۔ اگر ایسی علامات نظر آئیں اوران کے اشارے بھی واضح ہوں تو پھر کوئی وجہ نہیں تم خواہ مخواہ اُن لوگوں کو جھٹلاؤ جن کا بیان آثار کی شہادتوں کے مطابق پایا جا رہا ہے۔ ۔۔۔۔۔ یہی طریقہ فلسفۂ اسلام کی بنیا د ہے جسے چھوڑ کر افسوس ہے کہ مسلمان فلاسفہ بھی افلاطون اور ارسطو کے نقش ِ قدم پر چل پڑے۔
قرآن میں جگہ جگہ نہ صرف اِس طریق کی تلقین کی گئی ہے ، بلکہ خود آثارِ کائنات کو پیش کر کر کے اس سے نتیجہ نکالنے اور حقیقت تک رسائی حاصل کرنے کی گویا باقاعدہ تربیت دی گئی ہے تاکہ سوچنے اور تلاش کرنے کا یہ ڈھنگ ذہنوں میں راسخ ہو جائے۔ چنانچہ اس آیت میں بھی مثال کے طور پر صرف دو آثار کی طرف توجہ دلائی گئی ہے ، یعنی رات اور دن۔ یہ انقلابِ لیل و نہار دراصل سورج اور زمین کی نسبتوں میں انتہائی باضابطہ تغیر کی وجہ سے رونما ہوتا ہے۔ یہ ایک عالمگیر ناظم اور ساری کائنات پر غالب اقتدار رکھنے والے حاکم کے وجود کی صریح علامت ہے۔ اِس میں صریح حکمت اور مقصدیت بھی نظر آتی ہے کیونکہ تمام موجودات زمین کی بے شمار مصلحتیں اسی گردشِ لیل و نہار کے ساتھ وابستہ ہیں۔ اس میں صریح ربوبیت اور رحمت اور پروردگار ی کی علامتیں بھی پائی جاتی ہیں کیونکہ اس سے یہ ثبوت ملتا ہے کہ جس نے زمین پر یہ موجودات پیدا کی ہیں وہ خود ہی ان کے وجود کی ضروریات بھی فراہم کرتا ہے۔ اس سے یہ بھی معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ وہ عالمگیر ناظم ایک ہے، اور یہ بھی کہ وہ کھلنڈرا نہیں بلکہ حکیم ہے اور با مقصد کام کرتا ہے، اور یہ بھی کہ وہی محسن و مربّی ہونے کے حیثیت سے عبادت کا مستحق ہے، اور یہ بھی کہ گردش ِ لیل و نہار کے تحت جو کوئی بھی ہے وہ رب نہیں مربوب ہے، آقا نہیں غلام ہے ۔ اِن آثاری شہادتوں کے مقابلہ میں مشرکین نے گمان و قیاس سے جو مذہب ایجاد کیے ہیں وہ آخر کس طرح صحیح ہو سکتے ہیں۔
Arabic verses, Urdu and English translations with tafseer in English footnotes and Urdu tafseer.
Summary: Verses 9–10 of Surah Yunus promise that Allah will guide sincere believers who do righteous deeds and admit them to Gardens of bliss with flowing streams. There, their prayer will be “Glory to Thee, O Lord,” their greeting “Peace,” and their closing words “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the universe.” The commentary explains the reasoning in steps. Believers earn Paradise because they followed the right way in every part of life, individually and collectively. It was Allah who gave them the discernment and strength to do so at every critical moment. He granted this because of their faith, but only a faith that shapes conduct and character, not mere verbal profession. This is like food, which nourishes only when it is digested and circulates through the body, not just when it is eaten. The second note says the description of Paradise highlights the believers’ noble character. Rather than rushing after luxuries, wine, and pleasures, as some distorted portrayals suggest, they will praise and glorify Allah and wish peace for one another. These are the same refined qualities and disciplined desires they built in this world, which will shine even more fully in Paradise’s pure surroundings.
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
Verses 9-10
[9-10] And it is also a fact that, because of their faith, Allah will guide aright those who believe (sincerely in the Truths that have been presented in this Book) and do righteous deeds; and canals will be flowing underneath there in the Gardens of bliss.13 Therein their prayers will be. “Glory to Thee, O Lord,” and their greeting, “Peace be to you,” and the burden of their hymn will be, “Praise is for Allah alone, the Lord of the universe.”14
13We should not pass cursorily over this verse and should consider it deeply in the order it has been presented:
(1) Why will they be given Gardens of bliss in the life of the Hereafter? This will be because they followed the Right Way in the life of this world and adopted the right ways in every aspect of life, both as individuals and as a community, and discarded the false and erroneous ways.
(2) How did they obtain at every step, at every turning and at every crossroad the correct criterion of judging between the right and the wrong, the true and the false, the righteous and the erroneous? Then from where did they get the power to remain stead-fast on the Right Way, avoiding scrupulously wrong ways, after getting the right sort of discernment? It was their Lord Who is the real source of everything, Who gave them the guidance and the power of doing good works on every critical occasion.
(3) Why did their Lord give them that guidance and power? He gave them these things because of their Faith.
(4) What is that characteristic of the Faith which produces the above results ? The Faith which produces those results does not comprise mere profession but it is that Faith which becomes the moving spirit of one’s conduct and character and has the power of reforming one’s morals and deeds.
In order to illustrate this point, let us consider, in the physical life of man, the case of food that is consumed for nourishment, health, energy and happiness. It is obvious that these results cannot be produced by the mere taking in of any food, but by that “food” which is so digested as turns into blood and circulates into every vein to provide energy to every part of the body for its proper functioning. In the same way, in the moral life, guidance, righteous attitude and pure conduct and true success, depend on those right creeds that get deeply embedded in the mind, heart and soul. Otherwise, creeds which are merely professed by the tongue or lie dormant in some corner of the mind and the heart, cannot produce such results, for they cannot influence one’s conduct, character, way of thinking and attitude towards life for the better. Just as one may eat food and still not obtain those useful results which arc produced only if it is digested properly according to the physical laws of God, in the same way, one who professes those right creeds merely with his tongue, but does not make them a part of his mind, heart and soul, does not deserve those rewards which are only for those whose deeds correspond to the creeds.
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 lift 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.
سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :13
اس جملے پر سے سرسری طور پر نہ گزر جائیے۔ اس کے مضمون کی ترتیب گہری توجہ کی مستحق ہے:
ان لوگوں کو آخرت کی زندگی میں جنت کیوں ملے گی؟ ۔۔۔۔۔۔ اس لیے کہ وہ دنیا کی زندگی میں سیدھی راہ چلے۔ ہر کام میں ، ہر شعبہ زندگی میں ، ہر انفرادی و اجتماعی معاملے یں انہوں نے برحق طریقہ اختیار کیا اور باطل طریقوں کو چھوڑ دیا۔
یہ ہر ہر قدم پر زندگی کے ہر موڑ اور ہر دوراہے پر ، اُن کو صحیح اور غلط ، حق اور باطل ، راست اور ناراست کی تمیز کیسے حاصل ہوئی؟ اور پھر اس تمیز کے مطابق راست روی پر ثبات اور کج روی سے پرہیز کی طاقت انہیں کہاں سے ملی؟ ۔۔۔۔۔۔ ان کے رب کی طرف سے، کیونکہ وہی علمی رہنمائی اور عملی توفیق کا منبع ہے۔
ان کا رب انہیں یہ ہدایت اور یہ توفیق کیوں دیتا رہا؟ ۔۔۔۔۔۔ ان کے ایمان کی وجہ سے۔
یہ نتائج جو اوپر بیان ہوئے ہیں کس ایمان کےنتائج ہیں؟ ۔۔۔۔۔ اُس پر ایمان کے نہیں جو محض مان لینے کے معنی میں ہو، بلکہ اُس ایمان کے جو سیرت و کردار کی روح بن جائے اور جس کی طاقت سے اخلاق و اعمال میں صلاح کا ظہور ہونے لگے۔ اپنی جسمانی زندگی میں آپ خود دیکھتے ہیں کہ بقائے حیات ، تندرستی، قوتِ کار، اور لذتِ زندگانی کا حصول صحیح قسم کی غذا پر موقوف ہوتا ہے۔ لیکن یہ نتائج اُس تغذیہ کہ نہیں ہوتے جو محض کھا لینے کے معنی میں ہو، بلکہ اُس تغذیے کے ہوتے ہیں جو ہضم ہو کر خون بنے اور رگ رگ میں پہنچ کر ہر حصہ جسم کو وہ طاقت بخشے جس سےوہ اپنے حصے کا کام ٹھیک ٹھیک کرنے لگے۔ بالکل اسی طرح اخلاقی زندگی میں بھی ہدایت یابی ، راست بینی، راست روی اور بالآخر فلاح و کامیابی کا حصول صحیح عقائد پر موقو ف ہے، مگر یہ نتائج اُن عقائد کے نہیں جو محض زبان پر جاری ہوں یا دل و دماغ کے کسی گوشے میں بے کار پڑے ہوئے ہوں، بلکہ ان عقائد کے ہیں کو نفس کے اندر جذب و پیوست ہو کر اندازِ فک اور مذاقِ طبع اور افتادِ مزاج بن جائیں، اور سیرت و کردار اور رویہ زندگی میں نمایاں ہوں۔ خدا کے قانونِ طبیعی میں وہ شخص جا کھا کر نہ کھانے والے کی طرح رہے ، اُن انعامات کا مستحق نہیں ہوتا جو کھا کر ہضم کرنے والے کے لیے رکھے گئے ہیں۔ پھر کیوں توقع کی جائے کہ اُس کے قانونِ اخلاقی میں وہ شخص جو مان کر نہ ماننے والے کی طرح رہے اُن انعامات کا مستحق ہو سکتا ہے جو مان کر صالح بننے والے کے لیے رکھے گئے ہیں؟
سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر 14
۱۴۔ جنت کی زندگی کے یہ حالات اس لیے بیان کیے گئے ہیں کہ اہلِ ایمان کی بلند فکری اور اعلیٰ اوصاف نمایاں ہو جائیں۔ دنیا کے امتحان میں کامیاب ہو کر جب وہ جنت میں داخل ہوں گے تو وہاں بھی ان کے کردار کی وہی بلند خوبیاں ظاہر ہوں گی جو دنیا میں ان کی تھیں۔ وہ وہاں پہنچتے ہی عیش و عشرت کے خوبصورت سامان، ساز و موسیقی، شراب اور عورتوں کے فوری مطالبے نہیں کریں گے، بلکہ اپنے رب کی حمد کے ترانے گائیں گے۔
اس سے جنت کی زندگی کی اُس تصویر کی بھی تردید ہوتی ہے جو بعض کج فہم لوگوں نے اپنے ذہن میں بنا رکھی ہے۔ حقیقت یہ ہے کہ اہلِ ایمان دنیا میں جو پاکیزہ شخصیتیں تعمیر کرتے ہیں، جو بلند طرزِ فکر اور اعلیٰ اخلاق پیدا کرتے ہیں، اور اپنے جذبات، احساسات اور خواہشات کی جو سخت اور مضبوط تربیت کرتے ہیں، وہ جنت کے پاکیزہ ماحول میں اور بھی زیادہ نکھر کر سامنے آئے گی۔ یہی وجہ ہے کہ وہاں انہیں سب سے زیادہ محبوب یہی ہوگا کہ اللہ کی حمد و تسبیح کریں، جیسے وہ دنیا میں کیا کرتے تھے۔ اس کے علاوہ جنت میں ان کی سب سے بڑی آرزو اور تمنا ایک دوسرے کے لیے سلامتی ہوگی، جیسا کہ دنیا کی اجتماعی زندگی میں تھی۔
Arabic verses, Urdu and English translations with tafseer in English footnotes and links of Urdu tafseer.
Belief in the Hereafter is not blind faith. It rests on clear reasoning, drawn from the existence of creation, the demands of justice and the evident wisdom of the Creator. It is open to anyone who reflects honestly and wants the truth.
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
4] To Him you shall all return:8 this is the true and sure promise of Allah. Indeed He originates creation and He will bring it back to life9 so that He may recompense with perfect justice those who believed and did righteous deeds. As for those who disbelieved, they shall drink boiling water and undergo a painful chastisement for their rejection of the Truth.10
[5-6] It is He Who gave the sun his brightness and the moon her light, and ordained her phases precisely so that you may calculate years and dates from this. Allah has not created all this (for mere fun) but for a serious end. He makes His Signs manifest for those people who possess knowledge. In the alternation of the night and day and in all that Allah has created in the heavens and the earth, surely there are Signs for those who intend avoiding (deviation from the Truth)11
8This is the second basic principle of the teachings of every prophet; “You shall have to return to your Lord and render an account of all you did in this world.” The first principle has been stated in the preceding verse: “Allah alone is your Lord: therefore worship Him only.
9This sentence contains both a statement and its proof. The statement is, “Allah will again bring to life all human beings,” and the proof is, “This is as easy for Allah as it was to create them first. ” The one who acknowledges that Allah has originated all creation (and who can deny this except those atheists who accepted the absurd theory of “Creation without a Creator” merely to get a plea for discarding the religion of the Christian clergy?) cannot consider this as impossible or irrational.
10The reason why Allah will again bring the whole mankind to life is to reward the believers and to punish the disbelievers. After showing that this is possible to raise the dead, it is stated that it is absolutely necessary to fulfill the demands of common-sense and justice, for full justice cannot be done without this. Common-sense and justice demand that those who believe and do righteous deeds should be given their full rewards, and those who disbelieve and reject the Truth and do evil deeds, should be duly punished. As every sensible and just person knows that this demand of justice is not fulfilled in its entirety, and cannot be fulfilled in this world, it is absolutely essential that the whole of mankind should again be brought to life for this purpose. (Please see also E.N. 30, Al-A ‘araf and E.N. 105, Hud.)
11This is the third argument in proof of the doctrine of the life in the Hereafter. It is based on Allah’s manifestations in the heavens and on the earth. The greatest and most manifest of these are the sun, the moon and the alternation of the night and day, for these are ever present before each and every human being. All these clearly show that the Creator of this great and vast universe is not a child who has made all this for mere fun and will break it up when he is satiated with it. These manifestations of His are a clear proof of the fact that the Creator is All-Wise, for there is a system, a wisdom, a design and a serious object in each and every particle of His creation. These seem, as it were, to say. “When you yourselves learn from the signs and manifestations of His wisdom that He is All Wise, how can you, then, expect that He will not call man to account after granting him common-sense, moral feelings, independent responsibility and authority to exploit His endless resources, and that He will not reward those who make the right use of these and punish those who abuse them?”
Thus, it has become obvious that in vv. 4-6, three arguments have been given in their logical order to present the doctrine of the Hereafter:
(1) The fact of the origination of life in this world is a proof that life in the Next World is also possible.
(2) There must be life in the Hereafter, because it is essential for the recompense of the deeds that one does, and of the use or abuse one makes of the moral responsibilities that have been entrusted to man. Therefore, it is the demand of common-sense and justice that there must be another world in which one should bear the consequences of one’s deeds, for this is not possible in this world.
(3) When common-sense and justice demand that there must be life in the Hereafter, this need will surely be satisfied, for the Creator of man and the universe is All-Wise, and it cannot be conceived that the All-Wise will not satisfy the demands of common-sense and justice.
A deep thinking will show that these are the only possible arguments for the proof of the life in the Hereafter and these suffice, too. After this the only thing that might be demanded in this connection is that it should be actually demonstrated before man to convince him that this thing is possible, necessary and demanded by the Wisdom of Allah. But it is obvious that this will not be done in this world for this is for the trial of man and not for recompense, and Allah wills to test whether man believes in the Hereafter without seeing it, merely by his reasoning on the right lines.
Besides this, the words, “He makes His Signs manifest for those people, who possess knowledge” and “…in all that Allah has created… there are Signs for those, who intend avoiding (deviation from the Truth)” are worthy of serious consideration. These words imply this: “Allah has in His wisdom spread such signs in each and every manifestation of His as clearly point to the realities that are hidden behind them; but only those people can reach to those realities, who (a) free themselves from the prejudices of ignorance and acquire knowledge from the sources with which Allah has provided man for this purpose, and (b) have the intention of avoiding wrong ways and following the Right
Summary of above discussion
Introductory summary: Surah Yunus, Verses 4–6
In brief: These verses set out the second pillar of the Prophet’s message, which is that every human being will return to Allah and be held to account. They back it with three arguments in logical order: resurrection is possible, justice makes it necessary, and Allah’s wisdom guarantees that it will happen.
The previous verse established the first principle of every prophet’s teaching: Allah alone is your Lord, so worship Him alone. Verses 4–6 give the second principle: “To Him you shall all return,” and everyone must answer to Him for their life in this world. The passage does more than state this belief. It builds a reasoned case for it, step by step.
1. Resurrection is possible (v. 4). The One who began creation can bring it back again. Anyone who accepts that Allah originated life cannot reasonably call a second creation impossible. Maududi notes that only those who adopt the absurd idea of “creation without a Creator” can deny this.
2. Resurrection is necessary (v. 4). Allah will raise people again “so that He may recompense with perfect justice.” Those who believe and do good deserve their full reward, and those who reject the truth and do evil deserve its consequences. Anyone honest can see that this justice is not fully done in this world, so reason and justice require another life.
3. Resurrection is certain (vv. 5–6). The sun, the moon, their exact phases, and the cycle of night and day all show order, precision and purpose. The Creator of such a universe is not a child playing with a toy he will one day smash. He is All-Wise. Someone so wise would not give human beings reason, moral responsibility and freedom and then leave their choices without consequence. What justice requires, His wisdom will surely bring about.
Maududi observes that these three are the only possible rational proofs of the Hereafter, and that they are enough. The only thing left would be to show it to people with their own eyes. That will not happen in this life, because this life is a test of whether a person will accept unseen realities through sound reasoning.
Who benefits from the signs: The verses end by saying that the signs are made clear “for those who possess knowledge” and “for those who intend to avoid deviation.” Allah’s signs are spread throughout creation, but only two kinds of people reach the realities behind them. The first are those who set aside ignorant prejudice and use the means of knowledge Allah has given them. The second are those who sincerely want to avoid error and follow the right path.
The core point: Belief in the Hereafter is not blind faith. It rests on clear reasoning, drawn from the existence of creation, the demands of justice and the evident wisdom of the Creator. It is open to anyone who reflects honestly and wants the truth.
Arabic verses, Urdu and English translations with tafseer in English footnotes and links of Urdu tafseer.
Summary of the topic:
Thematic
When the Quraysh demanded a different Qur’an, the Prophet ﷺ answered with forty years of his own life as evidence.
Revelation is not open to negotiation: three verses on why the Messenger could not change a single word.
“Bring us another Qur’an”: the oldest demand for a compromised religion/ version , and the Qur’an’s answer.
Argument-focused 4. One of the Qur’an’s strongest proofs of its divine origin isn’t a miracle. It is the Prophet’s life before revelation. 5. Forty years without a lie, then a Book no one could match: how Surah Yunus asks its audience to use their common sense.
Reflective / dawah-oriented 6. What if the message were adjusted to suit us? These verses explain why true guidance never bends to our desires. 7. Real success in the Qur’an’s sense is not worldly prosperity. These verses and Maududi’s commentary show the difference.
Urdu 8. جب قریش نے کہا کہ کوئی اور قرآن لاؤ، تو جواب میں نبی ﷺ نے اپنی چالیس سالہ زندگی پیش کر دی۔ 9. وحی میں سودے بازی نہیں ہوتی: سورۂ یونس کی تین آیات اور ان کا پیغام۔
جب انہیں ہماری صاف صاف باتیں سُنائی جاتی ہیں تو وہ لوگ جو ہم سے ملنے کی توقع نہیں رکھتے ، کہتے ہیں کہ ” اِس کے بجائے کوئی اور قرآن لاوٴ یا ا س میں کچھ ترمیم کرو“۔19 اے محمد ؐ ، ان سے کہو ” میرا یہ کام نہیں ہے کہ اپنی طرف سے اِس میں کوئی تغیّر و تبدّل کر لوں، میں تو بس اُس وحی کا پیرو ہوں جو میرے پاس بھیجی جاتی ہے۔ اگر میں اپنے ربّ کی نافرمانی کروں تو مجھے ایک بڑے ہولناک دن کے عذاب کا ڈر ہے۔“20 اور کہو” اگر اللہ کی مشیّت یہی ہوتی تو میں یہ قرآن تمہیں کبھی نہ سُناتا اور اللہ تمہیں اس کی خبر تک نہ دیتا ۔ آخر اس سے پہلے میں ایک عمر تمہارے درمیان گُزار چُکا ہوں ، کیا تم عقل سے کام نہیں لیتے 21؟ پھر اُس سے بڑھ کر ظالم اور کون ہوگا جو ایک جھوٹی بات گھڑ کر اللہ کی طرف منسُوب کرے یا اللہ کی واقعی آیات کو جھوٹا قرار دے۔22 یقیناً مجرم کبھی فلاح نہیں پا سکتے۔“23
[15-17] When Our clear revelations are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet Us say, “Bring another Qur’an in its stead or make some amendment in it.”19 O Muhammad, say to them, “It is not for me to make any alteration in it of my own accord. I follow only what is revealed to me. Indeed, if I disobey my Lord, I fear the chastisement of a dreadful Day.”20 Say also, “Had Allah willed so, I would never have recited this Qur’an to you, nor would I have told you anything (about its existence). I have already lived a lifetime among you before its revelation. Do you not use your common-sense?21 And Who can be a greater sinner than the one who himself forges a lie and then ascribes it to Allah or falsifies22 His real Revelations? Indeed, criminals can never attain (true) success.”23
19They implied two things when they said these words. First, they meant that what Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him) was presenting as Divine Revelation was really the product of his own mind but he was ascribing it to Allah merely to make his claim weighty. Secondly, they implied this: “If you want to be the leader of your people, present something that may make them prosperous in the world and give up the doctrines of Tauhid and the Hereafter and the moral restrictions you are prescribing in yow teaching. And if it be not possible, make some amendments in the Qur’an so that a compromise may be effected between you and us on the principle of give and take so that there should be some scope for ow shirk in yow Tauhid and for our self-worship and for our salvation in the Hereafter, irrespective of what we do in this world. You should also note it well that we cannot accept yow absolute morality: therefore you should make an allowance for ow prejudices, ow rites and customs, ow personal and national interests and ow lusts. We propose that with mutual agreement we should make a list of those religious demands which should be obligatory on us for the fulfillment of Allah’s rights, and beyond that we should be free to conduct ow worldly affairs in any way we like. This compromise is necessary because we cannot accept yow demand that human life in all its aspects should entirely be led in accordance with the implications of the doctrines of Tauhid and the Hereafter and the regulations of the Islamic Code of life. ”
20This is the answer to the two about-mentioned demands: “I have no authority of making any alterations in this Book for I am not its author but Allah is the One Who is sending it down to me. Therefore there is no question of any compromise about it. If you want to accept its Way, you will have to accept it as it is; otherwise you are free to reject it. ”
21This is a very strong argument against their accusation that Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him) was himself the author of the Qur’an but was ascribing it to Allah, and in support of the Holy Prophet’s claim that it was being sent down to him by Allah, Who was its Author. The argument is this: “You yourselves have witnessed the forty years of his life before his appointment to Prophethood. He was born in yow own city and passed his boyhood, youth and middle age before yow very eyes. He lived among you and had all kinds of relations-social, marital, economic, etc. with you. So much so that no aspect of his life was hidden from you. Did you notice anything in his whole life that might show that he could be the author of this Book? Do you not use your commonsense?”
The question posed in the Qur’an implied two things which were well known to everyone in Makkah about the Holy Prophet:
First, during the forty years of his life before Prophethood, he had neither received any education nor training nor sat in any company that should have enabled him to become the author of such a Book as was full of unique things that were unknown to the people around him. No one had ever heard from him anything about the problems that had been dealt with in different Surahs of the Qur’an. So much so that not even a relative or close friend of his had ever noticed anything in his talk or in anything about him that might have shown any signs of gradual development towards it, before he made his great claim to Prophethood when he reached the age of forty. This was a clear proof of the fact that the Qur’an was not the invention of his own brain and that it must have been sent down to him from outside. For it is impossible for a human being to produce anything like this, all of a sudden and without ever manifesting any signs of its evolution and development in his earlier life. That is why when some intelligent people of Makkah felt the absurdity of this accusation, they began to say that it was some other person who taught these things to him. But this was even more absurd than the first thing because they could not point out specifically a single person in the whole of Arabia, not to say of Makkah, who had the ability of producing such unique things as were contained in the Qur’an. They also knew that a person of his high caliber could not have remained obscure in some unknown corner for forty years.
The second thing, that had distinguished him during those forty years of his life, was his noble character both from the negative and from the positive aspects. He was never known to have told a single lie or practiced any kind of deceit, forgery, cunning, craftiness and the like in any way whatsoever, On the other hand, all those people with whom he had come into contact in any capacity bore witness to the fact that he had been truthful, honest, and trustworthy without any blemish whatsoever. As an instance, a most well-known historical fact may be cited. Only five years before his Prophethood, the Ka`abah was damaged by rains. When they were re-building it, a quarrel arose among the different clans of the Quraish as to who should have the honor of setting Hajr-I-Aswad (the Black Stone) in its proper place. Therefore it was agreed that the one who would be the first to enter into the Haram next morning should arbitrate in the quarrel. Next morning the first person who entered the Haram was Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him). At this all the people cried out with joy, “He is an absolutely trust- worthy man, and we are fully satisfied with him; he is Muhammad. ” This is how Allah had made that large gathering of the Quraish bear witness to the fact that he was “The Trustworthy”, before appointing him as His Messenger. Therefore there was no justification for anyone to accuse the man who had never told a lie nor ever practiced forgery nor craftiness in his whole life, of ascribing falsely to Allah his own literary creation, and claiming categorically and persistently that it was of ‘ Divine Origin.
That is why Allah has asked His Messenger to refute their absurd charge by saying, as it were, only this: “O my people, use your commonsense before making this absurd accusation, for I am not a stranger or a foreigner among you. I have lived a life-time of forty years among you before making a claim that I have received Revelation from Allah. How can you expect from my past that I would present the Qur’an to you as Allah’s Book, without gaining knowledge from Him and without His Command?” (For further details sec Surah Al-Qasas, E.N. 109).
22That is, “If these Revelations are not from Allah and I myself compose them and present them as Revelations from Him, there can be no greater sinner than I. On the other hand, if these Revelations are truly from Allah and you are falsifying these, then there can be no greater sinner than you. ”
23Some foolish people draw wrong and misleading conclusions from this verse, by a fallacious reasoning. They confine the meanings of (falah) to “long lift” or “worldly prosperity” or “worldly success” and argue like this: This verse declares categorically that “criminals can never attain success.” The converse of this proposition, that is, “anyone who is successful cannot be a criminal” must also be true. Hence, if a claimant should live a long life after his claim to Prophethood or prosper in the world or his claim receives a good response in the world from the people, he should be acknowledged as a true prophet. For they argue, if he had been a false prophet he could not have “prospered,” but would have been killed or starved to death or rendered unsuccessful in his mission, as soon as he had claimed to be a prophet. But even a little thinking will show that this “argument” is fallacious on the face of it. Firstly, the converse of every proposition is not always true. Secondly, the Qur’an does not use the word falah in this limited sense. Thirdly, Allah deals with the criminals according to His Divine Law of respite.
Now let us consider the matter in detail. The words “Indeed the criminals cannot attain success”, have not been used, in the context they occur, to prescribe a criterion for judging a true Prophet from a false one, so that if a claimant is “successful”, he should be accepted, and if he is not, he should be rejected. As a matter of fact, these words have been put in the mouth of the Messenger to make a declaration like this: “I know it for certain that the criminals cannot attain (true) success: therefore I cannot commit the crime of making a false claim to Prophethood. But as regards you, I am absolutely sure that you cannot attain true success because you are guilty of falsifying me who is a true Prophet of Allah.”
The other thing is that the word falah is not used in the limited sense of “worldly success”, but it has been used to denote the permanent ‘success’ which never suffers any loss whatsoever irrespective of the fact whether the claimant gains or does not gain any worldly success in the initial stage. Nay, it is just possible that a false “claimant” who invites people to misguidance should attain great worldly “success” and his misguidance might also prosper. This is, however, not success in the terminology of the Qur’an, but this would be an utter failure. On the other hand, it is also possible that the inviter to the Truth should suffer untold afflictions or fall a prey to the persecutions of the transgressors, and leave this world without winning over anyone to the side of the Truth, but this will be, in the terminology of the Qur’an, true success and not a failure.
The other thing that refutes the fallacy of these foolish people is that they do not take into consideration the “Divine Law of Respite”, according to which the mere fact that a false prophet enjoyed a long “prosperous” life is not a proof that he was a true prophet. The Qur’an has made it clear at many places that Allah does not expedite the matter of the punishment of the criminals, but gives them respite to mend their ways; nay, He also lets them loose in their deviation if they abuse that respite and become more corrupt. Sometimes He makes them even more “prosperous” so that they should fully manifest all the evils they had hidden in their hearts and incur full punishment which they really deserve for their evil deeds. The “Divine Law of Respite” takes its due course in the case of false prophets as it does in the case of other criminals. And there is no reason why they should be an exception to this. Satan, the greatest of all criminals, has been allowed to practice every kind of deception up to the Day of Judgment, and there is no mention of any exception to this effect that he will not be allowed to set up a false prophet.
As a last resort, such perverse interpreters of the Qur’an turn to vv. 44-47 of Surah Al-Haqqah: “If Muhammad had fabricated something himself and ascribed that to Us, We would have seized his hand and cut off his heart’s vein.” But these cannot serve their purpose, for what they imply is only this: “If the true Prophet appointed by Allah were to ascribe any false thing to Allah, he would be seized forthwith” . Therefore it is no more than a fallacy to argue from this to the erroneous conclusion that the impostor who is not seized is a true prophet, for this Divine principle applies only to a true Prophet and not to an impostor. In order to grasp this point, let us take the instance of the government servants. It is obvious that the rules and regulations which are prescribed for government servants apply only to those who are actually government servants and not to impostors. Those who pretend to be government servants are dealt with according to the criminal code like other criminals and villains and not according to the code of employment. Besides this, the context in which these verses occur clearly shows that these are not laying down any criterion of judging whether a claimant is a true Prophet or an impostor. For, in continuation of the preceding verse (43), the passage will, so to say, read like this: “This is the Revelation sent down from the Lord of the universe. If Muhammad had himself fabricated this and ascribed that to Us, We would have……..” Moreover, a true Prophet can easily be distinguished from an impostor by his high character, his noble mission and the unique Message he presents. Hence there was no need of setting up such an irrational and unnatural standard of distinguishing a true Prophet from an impostor. “
Arabic verses, Urdu and English translations with tafseer in English footnotes and links of Urdu tafseer.
belief in the Hereafter is more than a doctrine about the future. It is the only secure foundation for moral life in the present, and the moral collapse that follows its loss is itself evidence of its truth.
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
سُوْرَةُ یُوْنُس حاشیہ نمبر :12 یہاں سے پھر دعوے کے ساتھ ساتھ اس کی دلیل بھی اشارۃً بیان کر دی گئی ہے ۔ دعویٰ یہ ہے کہ عقیدۂ آخرت کے انکار کا لازمی اورقطعی نتیجہ جہنم ہے، اور دلیل ہے کہ اس عقیدے سے منکر یا خالی الذہن ہو کر انسان اُ ن برائیوں کا اکتساب کرتا ہے جن کی سزا جہنم کے سوا اور کچھ نہیں ہو سکتی۔ یہ ایک حقیقت ہے کہ اور ہزارہا سا ل کے انسانی رویّے کا تجربہ اس پر شاہد ہے ۔ جو لوگ خدا کے سامنے اپنےآپ کو ذمہ دار اور جواب دہ نہیں سمجھتے ، جو اس بات کا کوئی اندیشہ نہیں رکھتے کہ انہیں آخر کار خدا کو اپنے پورے کارنامۂ حیات کا حساب دینا ہے ، جو اس مفروضے پر کام کرتے ہیں کہ زندگی بس یہی دنیا کی زندگی ہے ، جن کے نزدیک کامیابی و ناکامی کا معیار صرف یہ ہے کہ اس دنیا میںّ آدمی نے کس قدر خوشحالی ، آسائش ، شہرت اور طاقت حاصل کی، اور جو اپنے انہی مادّہ پرستانہ تخیلات کی بنا پر آیات الہٰی کو ناقابل توجہ سمجھتے ہیں ، ان کی پوری زندگی غلط ہو کر رہ جاتی ہے۔ وہ دنیا میں شتر بے مہار بن کر رہتے ہیں ، نہات برے اخلاق و اوصاف کا اکتساب کرنے میں ، خدا کی زمین کو ظلم و فساد اور فسق و فجور سے بھر دیتے ہیں، اور اس بنا پر جہنم کے مستحق بن جاتے ہیں۔
یہ عقیدہ ٔ آخرت پر ایک اور نوعیت کی دلیل ہے ۔ پہلی تین دلیلیں عقلی استدلال کے قبیل سے تھیں، اور یہ تجربی استدلال کے قبیل سے ہے۔ یہاں اسے صرف اشارۃ بیان کیا گیا ہے، مگر قرآن میں مختلف مواقع پر ہمیں اس کی تفصیل ملتی ہے۔ اس استدلال کا خلاصہ یہ ہے کہ انسان کا انفرادی رویّہ اور انسانی گروہوں کا اجتماعی رویّہ کبھی اس وقت تک درست نہیں ہوتا جب تک یہ شعور اور یہ یقین انسانی سیرت کی بنیاد میں پیوست نہ ہو کہ ہم کو خدا کے سامنے اپنے اعمال کا جواب دینا ہے۔ اب غور طلب یہ ہے کہ آخر ایسا کیوں ہے؟ کیا وجہ ہے کہ اس شعور و یقین کے غائب یا کمزور ہوتے ہی انسانی سیرت و کردار کی گاڑی برائی کی راہ پر چل پڑتی ہے۔ اگر عقیدۂ آخرت حقیقتِ نفس الامری کے مطابق نہ ہوا اور اُ س کا انکار حقیقت کے خلاف نہ ہوتا تو ممکن نہ تھا کہ اس اقرار و انکار کے نتائج ایک لزومی شان کے ساتھ مسلسل ہمارے تجربے میں آتے۔ ایک ہی چیز سے پیہم صحیح نتائج کا برآمد ہونا اور اس کے عدم سے نتائج کا ہمیشہ غلط ہو جانا اس بات کا قطعی ثبوت ہے کہ وہ چیز بجائے خود صحیح ہے۔
اس کے جواب میں بسا اوقات یہ دلیل پیش کی جاتی ہے کہ بہت سے منکرین ِ آخرت ایسے ہیں جن کا فلسفہ ٔ اخلاق اور دستورِ عمل سراسر دہریت و مادّہ پرستی پر مبنی ہے پھر بھی وہ اچھی خاصی پاک سیرت رکھتے ہیں اور ان سے ظلم و فساد اور فسق و فجور کا ظہور نہیں ہوتا۔ بلکہ وہ اپنے معاملات میں نیک اور خلق خدا کے خدمت گزار ہوتے ہیں۔ لیکن اس استدلال کی کمزوری بادنیٰ تامل واضح ہو جاتی ہے۔ تمام مادّہ پرستانہ لادینی فلسفوں اور نظامات فکر کی جانچ پڑتال کر کے دیکھ لیا جائے۔ کہیں اُن اخلاقی خوبیوں اور عملی نیکیوں کے لیے کوئی بنیاد نہ ملے گی جن کا خراج تحسین اِن”نیکوکار“ دہریوں کو دیا جاتا ہے۔ کسی منطق سے یہ ثابت نہیں کیا جا سکتا کہ ان لادینی فلسفوں میں راست بازی ، امانت، دیانت ، وفائے عہد ، عدل ، رہم، فیاضی ، ایثار، ہمدردی ، ضبط نفس، عفت ، حق شناسی، اور ادائے حقوق کے لیے محرکات موجود ہیں ۔ خدا اور آخرت کو نظر انداز کر دینے کے بعد اخلاق کے لیے اگر کوئی قابل عمل نظام بن سکتا ہے تو وہ صرف افادیت(Utilitarianism ) کی بنیادوں پر بن سکتا ہے ۔ باقی تمام اخلاقی فلسفے محض فرضی اور کتابی ہیں نہ کہ عملی۔ اور افادیت جو اخلاق پیدا کرتی ہے اسے خواہ کتنی ہی وسعت دی جائے ، بہرحال وہ اس سے آگے نہیں جاتا کہ آدمی وہ کام کرے جس کا کوئی فائدہ اِس دنیا میں اُس کی ذات کی طرف ، یا اُس معاشرے کی طرف جس سے وہ تعلق رکھتا ہے ، پلٹ کر آنے کی توقع ہو۔ یہ وہ چیز ہے جو فائدے کی امید اور نقصان کے اندیشے کی بنا پر انسان سے سچ اور جھوٹ ، امانت اور خیانت، ایمانداری اور بے ایمانی ، وفا اور غدر، انصاف اور ظلم، غرض ہر نیکی اور اس کی ضد کا حسبِ موقع ارتکاب کرا سکتی ہے۔ اِن اخلاقیات کا بہترین نمونہ موجودہ زمانہ کی انگریز قوم ہے جس کواکثر اس امر کی مثال میں پیش کیا جاتا ہے کہ مادّہ پرستانہ نظریۂ حیات رکھنے اور آخرت کے بہترین تصور سے خالی ہونے کے باوجود اس قوم کے افراد بالعموم دوسروں سےزیادہ سچے، کھرے، دیانت دار، عہد کے پابند، انصاف پسنداور معاملات میں قابل اعتماد ہیں۔ لیکن حقیقت یہ ہے کہ افادی اخلاقیات کی ناپائیداری کا سب سے زیادہ نمایاں عملی ثبوت ہم کو اسی قوم کے کردار میں ملتا ہے۔ اگر فی الواقع انگریزوں کی سچائی، انصاف پسندی، راستبازی اور عہد کی پابندی اس یقین و اذعان پر مبنی ہوتی کہ یہ صفات بجائے خود مستقل اخلاقی خوبیاں ہیں تو آخر یہ کس طرح ممکن تھا کہ ایک ایک انگریز تو اپنے شخصی کردار میں ان کا حامل ہوتا مگر ساری قوم مل کر جن لوگوں کو اپنا نمائندہ اور اپنے اجتماعی امور کا سربراہ کار بناتی ہے وہ بڑے پیمانے پر اس کی سلطنت اور اس کے بین الاقوامی معاملات کے چلانے میں علانیہ جھوٹ، بدعہدی، ظلم ، بے انصافی اور بددیانتی سے کام لیتے اور پوری قوم کا اعتماد ان کو حاصل رہتا ؟ کیا یہاس بات کا صریح ثبوت نہیں ہے کہ یہ لوگ مستقل اخلاقی قدروں کے قائل نہیں ہیں بلکہ دنیوی فائدے اور نقصان کے لحاظ سے بیک وقت دو متجاد اخلاقی رویّے اختیار کرتے ہیں اور کر سکتے ہیں؟
تاہم اگر کوئی منکر خدا و آخرت فی الواقع دنیا میں ایسا موجود ہے جو مسقل طور پر بعض نیکیوں کا پابند اور بعض بدیوں سے مجتنب ہے تو درحقیقت اس کی یہ نیکی اور پرہیز گاری اس کے مادّہ پرستانہ نظریۂ حیات کا نتیجہ نہیں ہے بلکہ اُن مذہبی اثرات کا نتیجہ ہے جو غیر شعور ی طور پر اس کے نفس میں متمکن ہیں۔ اس کا اخلاقی سرمایۂ مذہب سے چُرایا ہوا ہے اور اس کو وہ ناروا طریقے سے لامذہبی میں استعمال کر رہا ہے ۔ کیونکہ وہ اپنی لامذہبی و مادّہ پرستی کے خزانے میں اِس سرمائے کے ماخذ کی نشان دہی ہرگز نہیں کر سکتا۔
Summary of the discussion:
Introductory summary: Note 12
In brief: Maududi argues that belief in the Hereafter is the only secure foundation for moral life. Wherever accountability to God is denied, character and society decline. That consistent pattern in human experience is itself evidence that the belief is true.
The previous notes gave three rational arguments for the Hereafter: a second life is possible, it is necessary, and God’s wisdom guarantees it will happen. In Note 12, Maududi adds a fourth argument of a different kind. It is based on experience and observation of how people actually behave.
He starts with verse 7, which says that those who do not expect to meet God and are content with this world will end up in Hell “for what they used to earn.” From this he draws a claim and its proof. The claim is that denying the Hereafter leads inevitably to Hell. The proof is that denying accountability to God corrupts a person’s character and conduct. Someone who believes this life is all there is, and who measures success only by wealth, comfort, fame and power, lives like an “unbridled camel.” Such a person fills the earth with oppression and wickedness, and so deserves the punishment that follows.
He then turns this into a general argument. Wherever the conviction that we must answer to God is present, individual and collective conduct is sound. Wherever it weakens or disappears, conduct declines. A belief that consistently produces good results, while its absence consistently produces bad ones, must correspond to reality. So human moral history itself testifies to the truth of the Hereafter.
He also addresses an obvious objection: some atheists are clearly decent, honest and helpful people. He gives two answers.
Philosophically, materialism offers no real foundation for virtue. Without God and the Hereafter, the only workable ethic is utilitarianism, and that judges every act by worldly gain or loss. Truth and lies, loyalty and betrayal all become permissible depending on what pays. Writing in the colonial era, he took the English of his day as a case study. In his view they were honest in personal dealings, yet their national leaders practised deceit and injustice in running the empire, and the public still backed them. He saw this double standard as evidence that their morality rested on expediency, not fixed values.
Historically, wherever a genuinely principled atheist does exist, his goodness comes from religious influences that have quietly shaped him, not from his materialist worldview. In Maududi’s phrase, his “moral capital has been stolen from religion,” because his own philosophy cannot account for where that capital came from.
The core point: belief in the Hereafter is more than a doctrine about the future. It is the only secure foundation for moral life in the present, and the moral collapse that follows its loss is itself evidence of its truth.
12This passage also contains both a statement and its proof. The statement is that those who reject the doctrine of the Hereafter shall inevitably go to Hell and its proof is that those who reject or pay no heed to this, commit such evil deeds as deserve nothing less than the fire of Hell. The fact which is supported by the experience of thousands of years, is that those who do not consider themselves responsible and accountable to God in the Hereafter, go astray into wrong ways for lack of any control over themselves, and commit immoralities and fill God’s earth with tyranny, chaos and filth and thus merit Hell. This is inevitable. If a man leads his life on the presumption that there is no other life, he will have no fear that he shall have to render a full account of all his deeds in this world. Therefore his sole aim in this life will be to win, by hook or by crook, prosperity, happiness, fame and power in this world. Naturally these materialistic attitudes make people heedless of the Signs of Allah and mislead them into wrong ways that lead to Hell. The above argument for the doctrine of the Hereafter is in its nature different from the previous three arguments. This is based on the knowledge gained by human experience while the former were based on rational reasoning. Though here only a hint has been given about it, the same has been stated in detail in other places in the Qur’an. This is the argument in brief. Human beings cannot adopt individually or collectively the right attitude towards life unless the doctrine of accountability to God is deeply embedded in their hearts. The fact that human beings begin to behave erroneously, if and when their belief in this doctrine disappears or becomes weak, is borne out by a long experience. Had not the creed of the Hereafter been real, its acceptance or rejection would not have produced the results inevitably and continuously for centuries. The fact that the acceptance of a doctrine should have continuously produced right sort of results, and its denial wrong results, is a clear proof that it is real. Though the premises of the above argument and the conclusion drawn from these arc clear and closely connected, there arc some people who do not agree with this proposition. They argue their point like this. There are many instances of people who deny the Hereafter and base their moral philosophy and their rule of conduct on atheism and materialism: still they possess high moral characters and abstain from every sort of evil; in short, they are virtuous in their affairs and render great services to the people. But a little thinking will show that this is a weak argument. If we probe into the materialistic philosophies and systems, we shall find that all these lack solid foundations for the moral excellence and practical virtuous deeds; therefore they cannot produce those qualities with which the atheists and the materialists are credited. Indeed no such motivating factors exist in those philosophies as may produce the qualities of righteousness, honesty, trust-worthiness, justice, compassion, generosity, sacrifice, sympathy, self-control, purity, the fulfillment of duties, obligations and pledges and the like. The only alternative to the doctrines of Tauhid and the Hereafter is “utilitarianism” which might become the basis for a practical moral system, for all the other philosophies are merely hypothetical and impracticable. It is quite obvious that the motivating power of utilitarianism is very limited because it is incapable of carrying a person farther than “utility” itself. Therefore the one who believes in this doctrine will consider a virtue a “virtue” only as long as it is useful to his own person, family, society etc., and will direct all his efforts towards promoting their welfare and happiness and will adhere to moral qualities only as long as they are conducive to his own good or to that of his own people. But he will discard these “virtues”, when he is convinced that these will be harmful. That is why a utilitarian does not believe in absolute morality but adopts truth or falsehood, honesty or dishonesty, faithfulness or treachery, justice or injustice, in short, any virtue or vice that may suit the occasion and be useful for his own interests. The English people are the most appropriate example of utilitarian morality. Their example will serve our purpose as they are cited by its supporters to prove their proposition that one may possess a high moral character even though one were to deny the existence of God and the Hereafter for, they say, the English people in general are more truthful, more honest, more just and more trust-worthy than others though they arc materialists; whereas the fact is that the English people provide the most appropriate practical proof of the instability of utilitarian character. Is it not a fact that the representatives of the English nation make a very poor show of their morality in regard to international affairs? They tell brazen-faced lies and are guilty of treachery, tyranny, injustice and dishonesty, and the whole nation backs them up as its champions. Had their morality been founded on sound basis, it could not have been possible that as individuals they should be truthful, honest, just, righteous and observe pledges, but as a nation they would discard all these moral values. This is a clear proof that these people do not believe in moral values as such but only if these are useful for their self-interest: otherwise they could not have adopted two contradictory positions as individuals and as a nation. Morality is morality only if it is absolute, otherwise it is a policy and expediency. Nevertheless, if there be any up-holders of absolute morality from among the disbelievers of Allah and the Hereafter, they could not have got these virtues from the doctrine of utilitarianism but from those latent religious influences that might have remained embedded in their hearts without their conscious knowledge. Such a person is, in fact, indebted to religion for his moral excellences, though he be attributing these to secularism and materialism, for he cannot point out anything, whatsoever, in them that might have motivated those virtues.
Claud translation: 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 English nation. 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 English really rested on a firm conviction that these qualities are permanent moral virtues in themselves, how could the following be possible? Each individual Englishman carries these qualities in his personal character. Yet the people the whole nation chooses 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.
Sharing the chapter of Al Quran “YUSUF(JOSEPH)”. Links are provided for English and Urdu translations.
Chapter begins with introduction, over all view of the chapter including time period of revelation, topics discussed.
Verses in Arabic are grouped with a theme translated with embedded numbered links which will take you to the great explanations of the topics in theses verses, historical backgrounds, its implications, the struggles faced by prophets in general and prophet Mohammed sas in particular and the same opposition to this message is noted as of now.
May Allah Subhanautala reward Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi RA for his work and the translators, their teams in putting his work in digital format.
There may be some missing areas, mistakes during this endeavor. Please refer to his original TAFSEER in Urdu printed and is also available on line freely. Quranurdu.com. For audio files , one can download app islam360 and listen to great reciters of choice, translated in Urdu and tafseer.
As is customary, the name of this surah is taken merely as a label from verse 98, which alludes to Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him). The story of Prophet Yunus is not the subject of the surah.
Place of Revelation
The narrations indicate, and the content itself confirms, that the entire surah was revealed in Makkah. Some have supposed that a few of its verses belong to the Madinan period, but this is only a superficial conjecture. The flow of the discourse makes it clear that it is not a collection of separate speeches or of verses revealed on different occasions. It is one connected discourse from beginning to end, which must have been revealed all at once, and its content clearly shows that it belongs to the Makkan period.
Period of Revelation
We have not found any narration about when it was revealed. The content, however, suggests that it was revealed in the last phase of the Prophet’s stay in Makkah. Its tone clearly shows several things:
• The opposition to the message has reached its full intensity.
• The opponents are no longer willing to tolerate the Prophet and his followers among them.
• There is no longer any hope that explanation and exhortation will bring them to the right path.
• The time has come to warn them of the fate they must inevitably face if they finally and decisively reject the Prophet.
These features of the content are what tell us which surahs belong to the last Makkan phase. However, this surah contains no allusion to the Hijrah, so it should be dated before those surahs that contain some allusion to the Hijrah, whether subtle or explicit. With the period fixed in this way, there is no need to describe the historical background here. The background of this period has already been given in the introductions to Surah Al-An’am and Surah Al-A’raf.
Subject
The theme of the discourse is invitation, admonition and warning. The discourse opens along these lines:
People are astonished that a human being should come with the message of prophethood, and they needlessly accuse him of sorcery. Yet nothing in what he presents is strange, and none of it has anything to do with magic or soothsaying. He is only making you aware of two important realities.
The first is that the God who created this universe, and who is actually running its affairs, is alone your Master and Lord. He alone has the right to be served.
The second is that another phase of life will come after this worldly one. In it you will be raised again and will give an account of everything you did in your present life. You will then be rewarded or punished on one fundamental question: did you accept that same God as your Master and live righteously according to His will, or did you keep acting against it?
These two realities are facts in themselves, whether you accept them or not. He invites you to accept them and to shape your life according to them. If you accept his invitation, your own end will be good; otherwise you yourselves will see the evil result.
Topics Discussed
After this introduction, the following topics come up in a deliberate order:
1. Arguments for Tawhid and the Hereafter. The surah gives arguments for the oneness of God’s lordship and for the life of the Hereafter. These arguments can satisfy the reason and conscience of people who are free of ignorant prejudice. Such people care less about winning or losing an argument and more about protecting themselves from false thinking and its evil consequences.
2. Misconceptions and heedlessness. It clears up the misconceptions, and warns against the heedlessness, that were keeping people from accepting belief in Tawhid and the Hereafter (as they always do).
3. Objections to the Prophet. It answers the doubts and objections raised about the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the message he brought.
4. The next life. It gives advance news of what will happen in the second life. The purpose is that people take warning from it and correct their present conduct, so that they do not come to regret it later.
5. This life as a trial. It warns that the present worldly life is really a life of trial. The only time you have for this trial is the time you are alive and breathing in this world. If you waste that time and do not prepare to succeed by accepting the Prophet’s guidance, you will get no second chance. The coming of this Prophet, and the knowledge of reality that reaches you through this Quran, is the best opportunity you will have and the only one. If you do not benefit from it, you will regret it forever in the eternal life to come.
6. Ignorance and misguidance. It points to the open ignorance and misguidance found in people’s lives, which existed only because they were living without divine guidance.
The Stories of Nuh and Musa
In this connection, the story of Nuh (peace be upon him) is told briefly and that of Musa (peace be upon him) in somewhat more detail. Four points are meant to be impressed on the reader through them.
First: the way you are treating Muhammad (peace be upon him) resembles the way your predecessors treated Nuh and Musa (peace be upon them). Be certain that you will meet the same end that they met for that conduct.
Second: you see Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions helpless and weak today, but do not conclude that things will always stay this way. You do not know that the same God who stood behind Musa and Harun stands behind these people. He overturns circumstances in ways no one can foresee.
Third: God is giving you time to mend your ways. If you waste it, and then repent at the very last moment after God has seized you, as Pharaoh did, you will not be forgiven.
Fourth: those who had believed in Muhammad (peace be upon him) should not despair when they see how hostile their surroundings have become and how helpless they are against them, and they should understand how to work under such conditions. They are also warned about what comes after. When Allah, by His grace, delivers them from this state, they must not follow the course the Children of Israel took after being delivered from Egypt.
Conclusion
At the end, it is declared that this is the creed and the way of life that Allah has directed His Messenger to follow. No change whatsoever can be made to it. Whoever accepts it does good for himself, and whoever abandons it and strays onto wrong paths harms only himself.
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
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
Notes
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.)
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.)
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.
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 English nation. 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 English really rested on a firm conviction that these qualities are permanent moral virtues in themselves, how could the following be possible? Each individual Englishman carries these qualities in his personal character. Yet the people the whole nation chooses 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.
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?
Note 14. [Not yet translated. The source text for this note was not supplied.]
If¹⁵ Allah were as quick to deal harshly with people as they are to ask for worldly good, their time to act would have ended long ago. [But that is not Our way.] So We leave those who do not expect to meet Us to wander blindly in their rebellion.
Such is man: when hard times strike him, he calls on Us whether standing, sitting or lying down. But when We remove his hardship, he carries on as though he had never called on Us in any hour of distress. In this way the deeds of those who go beyond all limits are made to seem attractive to them.
People, We destroyed the nations before you¹⁶ [each of which was at its height in its own time] when they took the path of wrongdoing.¹⁷ Their messengers came to them with clear signs, and they would not believe. This is how We repay criminals for their crimes. Now We have made you their successors on the earth, to see how you will act.¹⁸
When Our clear verses are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet Us say, “Bring a different Quran instead of this, or make some changes to it.”¹⁹ O Muhammad, tell them, “It is not for me to change anything in it on my own. I only follow the revelation sent to me. If I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a terrible Day.”²⁰
And say, “Had Allah willed otherwise, I would never have recited this Quran to you, and Allah would not even have made it known to you. After all, I have already spent a lifetime among you before this. Do you not use your reason?²¹ Who, then, is more unjust than someone who invents a lie and attributes it to Allah, or who denies Allah’s true verses?²² Criminals will certainly never succeed.”²³
Besides Allah, these people worship things that can neither harm them nor benefit them, and they say, “These are our intercessors with Allah.” O Muhammad, tell them, “Are you informing Allah of something He does not know, either in the heavens or on the earth?”²⁴ Glory be to Him! He is far above the partners they associate with Him.
In the beginning, all people were a single community. Later they formed different beliefs and ways.²⁵ Had a word not already been decided by your Lord, the matter they differ over would have been settled between them.²⁶
As for their saying, “Why has no sign been sent down to this Prophet from his Lord?”,²⁷ tell them, “The unseen belongs to Allah alone. So wait. I too am waiting with you.”²⁸
Notes
Note 15. After the introductory sentences above, the discourse of admonition and explanation now begins. Before reading it, two points about its background should be kept in mind.
First, not long before this discourse, a prolonged and severely distressing famine had ended, and the people of Makkah had cried out under its hardship. During that famine, the stiff necks of the arrogant leaders of Quraysh had bowed low. They prayed and wept, idol worship declined, and turning to the One God increased. It reached the point where Abu Sufyan finally came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked him to pray to God to remove the calamity. But once the famine was over, the rains came and prosperity returned, the same rebellion, the same misdeeds and the same campaign against the true religion began again. The hearts that had started turning to God sank back into their old heedlessness. (See An-Nahl, verse 113; Al-Mu’minun, verses 75–77; Ad-Dukhan, verses 10–16.)
Second, whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) warned these people of the consequences of rejecting the truth, they would reply: why doesn’t the divine punishment you keep threatening us with actually come? What is taking it so long?
In response, they are told that God is quick to show mercy and kindness to people, but not equally quick to punish them and seize them for their sins. You want Him to send punishment at once in response to your challenges and your rebellion, just as He quickly removed the famine after hearing your prayers. But that is not God’s way. However rebellious people may be, He gives them ample opportunity to reform before He seizes them. He sends repeated warnings and keeps the rope slack. Only when the limit of leniency has been reached is the law of recompense enforced.
That is God’s way. The opposite is the way of small-minded people, the way you have followed: when calamity struck, you remembered God and began to wail and plead, and as soon as ease returned, you forgot everything. These are exactly the habits through which nations make themselves deserving of God’s punishment.
Note 16. The original word is qarn. In Arabic it generally means “the people of an era.” However, the way the Quran uses this word in various places suggests that qarn refers to a nation that was at its height in its own time and held leadership of the world, wholly or partly.
The destruction of such a nation does not necessarily mean that its people are wiped out entirely. Being brought down from its position of power and leadership is also a form of destruction. So are the ruin of its civilization and culture, the erasing of its identity, and the scattering of its parts until they are lost among other nations.
Note 17. The word zulm (wrongdoing) is not used here in the limited sense usually given to it. It covers every sin a person commits by going beyond the bounds of servitude to God. (For explanation, see Surah Al-Baqarah, Note 49.)
Note 18. Keep in mind that the Arabs are being addressed here. They are being told that earlier nations were each given the opportunity to act in their own time, but in the end they chose the path of wrongdoing and rebellion. They did not listen to the prophets sent to show them the right path, so they failed Our test and were removed from the field.
Now, O Arabs, your turn has come. You are being given the opportunity to act in their place. You stand in the same examination hall from which your predecessors were expelled after failing. If you do not want your end to be like theirs, make proper use of the opportunity you are being given. Learn from the history of earlier nations, and do not repeat the mistakes that caused their ruin.
Note 19. Their demand rested, first, on the assumption that what Muhammad (peace be upon him) was presenting did not come from God. They assumed it was the product of his own mind, and that he attributed it to God only to give his words more weight.
Second, they meant something like this: why have you started this debate about Tawhid, the Hereafter and moral restrictions? If you have risen to lead us, offer something that benefits the nation and visibly improves its worldly affairs. And if you refuse to change your message altogether, at least make it flexible enough for us to reach a compromise, more or less. We will accept some of what you say, and you accept some of what we say.
Your Tawhid should make some room for our shirk. Your worship of God should make some room for our worship of our desires and of the world. Your belief in the Hereafter should make some room for our hope that we can do whatever we like in this world and still somehow be saved in the Hereafter. Your absolute, uncompromising moral principles are also unacceptable to us. They should make room for our prejudices, our customs and traditions, our personal and national interests, and our desires.
Why not agree between us on a reasonable sphere for religion’s demands, within which we give God His due? After that, we should be left free to run our worldly affairs however we like. But you are going too far by trying to bind all of life and every affair to the belief in Tawhid and the Hereafter and to the rules of the Shari’ah.
Note 20. This answers both points above. It states, first, that I am not the author of this Book. It has come to me through revelation, and I have no authority to change anything in it. It also states that there is absolutely no possibility of compromise in this matter. If you accept it, accept this entire religion exactly as it is; otherwise, reject all of it.
Note 21. This is a powerful argument. It refutes their idea that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was making up the Quran himself and attributing it to God. It also supports his claim that he was not its author and that it was being revealed to him from God. The other arguments were comparatively remote, but the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him) was right before these people’s eyes.
Before prophethood he had spent a full forty years among them. He was born in their city and grew from childhood to youth to middle age in front of them. He lived among them, mixed with them, did business with them and married among them. In short, every kind of social tie he had was with them, and no aspect of his life was hidden from them. What clearer testimony could there be than something so well known and so closely observed?
Two things about his life were perfectly plain, and every single person in Makkah knew them.
First: in the whole forty years before prophethood, he received no education, training or company from which he could have gained the knowledge that suddenly began to pour from his tongue once he claimed prophethood. He had never before been seen taking an interest in these questions, discussing these subjects or voicing these ideas, which were now being taken up in surah after surah of the Quran. Indeed, throughout those forty years, not even his closest friend or nearest relative noticed anything in his words or behaviour that could be called a prelude to the tremendous call he suddenly began to give at the age of forty.
This was clear proof that the Quran was not the product of his own mind but something that had come into him from outside. At no stage of life can the human mind produce something without clear signs of its growth and development in the stages before it. For this reason, when some of the shrewder people of Makkah realized that calling the Quran the product of his mind was plainly absurd, they began saying instead that someone else was teaching Muhammad these things. But this second claim was even more absurd than the first. Not just in Makkah but in all of Arabia, there was no one of such ability that anyone could point to him and say he was, or could be, the author of this speech. How could a man of such ability stay hidden in any society?
Second: his earlier life showed plainly that there was not the slightest trace in his character of lying, deceit, forgery, cunning, trickery or any similar trait. No one in the whole society could say that in forty years of living together they had experienced any such trait from him. On the contrary, everyone who had dealt with him knew him only as an utterly truthful, spotless and trustworthy person (al-Amin).
Just five years before prophethood, the well-known incident during the rebuilding of the Ka’bah had taken place. The different clans of Quraysh quarrelled over who would set the Black Stone in place. They agreed among themselves that the first person to enter the Haram the next morning would be accepted as arbiter. The next day, the one who entered was Muhammad (peace be upon him). As soon as they saw him, they all cried out, “Hadha al-Amin, radina, hadha Muhammad”: “This is the trustworthy one; we accept him. This is Muhammad.”
In this way, before appointing him as Prophet, Allah had already taken testimony from the entire tribe of Quraysh, in a crowded gathering, that he was al-Amin. Here was a man who had never once in his life used falsehood, forgery or deceit, even in the smallest matter. What grounds were there now to imagine that he had suddenly come forward with such an enormous lie and such a colossal fraud, composing words in his own mind and attributing them to God with full force and open challenge?
That is why Allah tells the Prophet (peace be upon him) to answer their absurd accusation by telling them: O servants of Allah, use some reason. I am not a stranger who has come from outside. I have already spent a lifetime among you. Given my past life, how can you expect that I could have presented this Quran to you without God’s teaching and command? (For further explanation, see Surah Al-Qasas, Note 109.)
Note 22. In other words, if these verses are not from God, and I am composing them myself and presenting them as divine verses, then no one is more unjust than I am. But if they truly are Allah’s verses and you are denying them, then no one is more unjust than you.
Note 23. Some ignorant people take falah (success) to mean long life, worldly prosperity or worldly advancement. They then try to conclude from this verse that anyone who claims prophethood and stays alive, prospers in the world, or sees his message spread should be accepted as a true prophet, because he has attained falah. If he were not a true prophet, they argue, he would have been killed the moment he made the false claim, or starved to death, and his message would never have gained any hold in the world.
Only someone who fails to understand three things could make this foolish argument. He does not know what the Quranic term falah means. He is unaware of the law of respite (imhal) that, according to the Quran, Allah has set for criminals. And he does not understand the sense in which this sentence appears in the flow of the discourse.
First, in this context the statement “criminals never succeed” was not given as a test for judging anyone’s claim to prophethood. It is not meant to let ordinary people decide for themselves to accept a claimant who is “succeeding” and reject one who is not. It is said here in this sense: “I know with certainty that criminals cannot attain success, so I myself cannot commit the crime of falsely claiming prophethood. But I am certain that you are committing the crime of denying a true prophet, and so you will not attain success.”
Second, the word falah in the Quran does not carry the limited meaning of worldly success. It means lasting success that does not end in loss, whether or not it includes any kind of success in this early stage of worldly life. A caller to misguidance may live comfortably in this world, prosper greatly, and see his error spread widely, yet in the Quran’s terminology this is not falahbut sheer loss. Likewise, a caller to the truth may face severe hardship in this world. He may leave the world early, worn down by suffering or victimized by oppressors, with no one accepting his message. Yet in the Quran’s language this is not loss but true falah.
Moreover, the Quran explains in many places that Allah is not quick to seize criminals. He gives them ample time to reform. If they misuse that respite and grow worse, Allah gives them more rope, and often even showers them with blessings. This lets them bring every hidden wickedness of their souls fully into the open, so that by their own deeds they earn the punishment they truly deserve because of their evil qualities.
So if a false claimant’s rope is being lengthened and worldly “success” is raining down on him, it would be a serious mistake to treat his condition as proof that he is rightly guided. God’s law of respite and gradual approach to ruin (imhal wa istidraj) applies to false claimants to prophethood just as it applies to all criminals, and there is no evidence that they are exempt from it. Nor does the respite Allah granted Satan until the Day of Judgment mention any exception such as: “All your other deceptions will be allowed to work, but if you raise up a prophet of your own, that deception will not be allowed to work.”
Someone might answer this point by citing Surah Al-Haqqah, verses 44–47: وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ, meaning: “If Muhammad had invented something himself and attributed it to Us, We would have seized him by the hand and cut his heart’s artery.”
What this verse says, however, is that a person whom God has truly appointed as a prophet would be seized at once if he invented something false and presented it as revelation. To infer from this that any claimant to prophethood who is not being seized must be truthful is nothing but a logical fallacy. The exception to God’s law of respite and gradual ruin that this verse establishes applies only to a true prophet. It does not follow that someone who falsely claims prophethood is also exempt.
Obviously, a law the government makes for its employees applies only to people who really are government employees. Those who fraudulently present themselves as government officials are not subject to the service regulations. They are dealt with under criminal law, like ordinary scoundrels and criminals.
Furthermore, the verse of Surah Al-Haqqah was also not revealed to give people a test for judging a prophet, as if they should conclude that he is false if a hand appears from the unseen and suddenly cuts his heart’s artery, and otherwise accept that he is true. Such an unreasonable test might have been needed only if it were impossible to judge a prophet’s truthfulness or falsehood by his character, his work and what he presents.
Note 24. For something to be unknown to Allah means that it does not exist at all, since everything that exists is within Allah’s knowledge. This is therefore a very subtle way of stating that the intercessors do not exist. Allah does not know of anyone in the earth or the heavens who will intercede for you before Him, so what intercessors are you telling Him about?
Note 25. For explanation, see Surah Al-Baqarah, Note 230, and Al-An’am, Note 24.
Note 26. In other words, Allah decided beforehand to keep reality hidden from human senses and so put people’s reason, understanding, conscience and inner sense to the test. He also decided that those who fail this test and want to go the wrong way will be given the opportunity to take that path and follow it. Had He not made this decision, reality could have been unveiled today and every dispute settled.
This point is made here to clear up a major misunderstanding. People today are generally caught in the same confusion as people were when the Quran was revealed. There are many religions in the world, and the followers of each consider their own religion to be the truth. In that situation, how can it be decided who is right and who is not?
The answer given is that this diversity of religions is actually a later development. In the beginning, all humankind had one religion, and that religion was the truth. People then differed over that truth and went on forming different beliefs and religions.
Now, perhaps you think this tumult of religions can only be settled if God Himself unveils the truth and brings it before you, rather than through the proper use of reason and understanding. If so, that will not happen in this present worldly life. This life exists precisely as a test, and the whole test here is whether you recognize the truth through reason and understanding without seeing it.
Note 27. That is, a sign proving that he truly is a genuine prophet and that everything he presents is entirely correct.
Keep in mind that their demand for a sign was not made because they were sincerely ready to accept the call to truth. They were not prepared to reshape their morals, habits, social and civic order, and indeed their whole lives according to its demands, holding back only because they had not yet seen a sign in the Prophet’s support that would convince them of his prophethood. In reality, the demand for a sign was only an excuse for not believing. Whatever they were shown, they would still say that no sign had been shown to them at all, because they did not want to believe.
In their worldly lives they enjoyed the freedom to act however their desires and inclinations dictated, and to chase whatever they found pleasurable or profitable. They were not willing to give up that freedom to accept unseen realities (Tawhid and the Hereafter). Accepting those realities would have forced them to bind their entire way of life to permanent moral principles.
Note 28. In other words, I have presented what Allah has sent down. What He has not sent down is “unseen” for both you and me, and no one but God has any say over it. He may send it down if He wills, and not if He does not. If your belief depends on His sending down what He has not sent, then sit and wait for it. I too will watch to see whether your stubborn demand is met.
When We let people taste mercy after hardship has touched them, they immediately begin scheming against Our signs.²⁹ Tell them, “Allah is swifter in scheming than you. His angels are recording all your cunning.”³⁰
It is Allah who enables you to travel on land and sea. You sail in ships, rejoicing in a favourable wind. Then suddenly a violent contrary wind strikes, waves batter you from every side, and the travellers realize they are trapped. At that moment they all call on Allah, devoting their religion sincerely to Him alone: “If You save us from this calamity, we will surely be grateful servants.”³¹ But once He rescues them, those same people turn away from the truth and begin rebelling on the earth.
People, your rebellion is only turning against yourselves. [Enjoy] the few days of worldly pleasure. Then you must return to Us, and at that time We will tell you everything you used to do.
This worldly life [whose intoxication makes you neglect Our signs] is like this. We sent down water from the sky, and the earth’s vegetation, which people and animals alike eat, grew thick and lush. Then, just when the earth was at its most beautiful, the crops stood fully adorned, and their owners thought they were now able to enjoy their harvest, Our command came suddenly, by night or by day. We laid it waste so completely that it was as if nothing had been there the day before. In this way We explain Our signs in detail for people who reflect.
[You are being deceived by this fleeting life,] while Allah is inviting you to the Home of Peace.³² [Guidance is in His hands;] He shows the straight path to whomever He wills.
Those who chose the way of goodness will have goodness, and more besides.³³ No darkness or disgrace will cover their faces. They deserve Paradise, where they will remain forever.
Those who earned evil will receive a recompense equal to their evil.³⁴ Disgrace will overwhelm them, and no one will protect them from Allah. Their faces will be covered in darkness,³⁵ as if dark veils of night had been drawn over them. They deserve the Fire, where they will remain forever.
On the Day We gather them all together [in Our court], We will say to those who associated partners with Allah, “Stay where you are, you and the partners you made up.” Then We will remove the veil of unfamiliarity between them.³⁶ Their partners will say, “It was not us you worshipped. Allah is sufficient as a witness between us and you that [even if you did worship us,] we were completely unaware of your worship.”³⁷
At that time every soul will taste the result of what it did. All will be returned to their true Master, and every lie they had invented will vanish.
Notes
Note 29. This again refers to the famine mentioned earlier in verses 11–12. The point is: how can you have the nerve to ask for a sign? During the famine you just went through, you lost all hope in the deities you had made your intercessors with Allah. You used to say that an offering at such-and-such a shrine never fails, and that one only has to present an offering at such-and-such a tomb for one’s wish to be granted. You saw for yourselves that these so-called gods have nothing in their hands, and that Allah alone holds all power. That is exactly why you finally began praying to Allah alone.
Was that not a sufficient sign to convince you that the teaching Muhammad (peace be upon him) is giving you is true? Yet what did you do after seeing this sign? As soon as the famine ended and merciful rain brought your hardship to an end, you began inventing a thousand explanations and interpretations (schemes) for why the calamity had come and then gone. You did this to avoid accepting Tawhid and to hold on to your shirk. Now, what sign could be shown to people who have corrupted their conscience to such a degree, and what would be gained by showing it?
Note 30. Allah’s “scheming” means this: if you do not accept reality and correct your conduct accordingly, He will leave you free to continue on your rebellious course. As long as you live, He will keep favouring you with provision and blessings, so that the intoxication of life keeps you in its daze. Throughout that daze, Allah’s angels will quietly sit and record everything you do. Then, suddenly, the message of death will arrive, and you will be seized to give an account of your deeds.
Note 31. This sign of the truth of Tawhid is present within every human being. As long as circumstances are favourable, a person forgets God and prides himself on his worldly life. But once the means he relied on abandon him and all the supports he lived by collapse, even the most hardened polytheist and the most stubborn atheist feel this testimony well up from their hearts: some God is in control of this whole world of causes, and He is the one, all-powerful and all-mighty God. (See Al-An’am, Note 29.)
Note 32. That is, to the way of living in this world that will make you deserving of Dar as-Salam in the life of the Hereafter. Dar as-Salam means Paradise. It means “the Home of Peace,” a place free of every calamity, loss, grief and hardship.
Note 33. That is, they will not receive a reward matching only their good deeds. Allah, out of His grace, will also grant them further rewards.
Note 34. That is, unlike the righteous, the wrongdoers will be dealt with this way: they will be punished exactly in proportion to their evil. They will never be punished even a particle more than their crime. (For further explanation, see An-Naml, Note 109a.)
Note 35. This is the darkness that falls over the faces of criminals when they have been caught and have lost all hope of escape.
Note 36. The original text has the words فَزَيَّلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ (fa-zayyalna baynahum). Some commentators take this to mean “We will break the bonds and ties between them,” so that they no longer show each other any consideration on account of a relationship. That meaning, however, does not fit Arabic idiom. According to Arabic usage, the correct meaning is “We will create a distinction between them” or “We will set them apart from one another.”
To convey this meaning, I have used the phrase “We will remove the veil of unfamiliarity between them.” That is, the polytheists and the beings they worshipped will stand face to face, and each group’s identity will become clear to the other. The polytheists will realize, “These are the ones we made our deities in the world,” and their deities will realize, “These are the ones who made us their deities.”
Note 37. That is, all the angels who were worshipped in the world as gods and goddesses, and all the jinn, spirits, forebears, ancestors, prophets, saints, martyrs and others who were made partners in God’s attributes and given rights that truly belonged to God, will tell their worshippers plainly there: “We did not even know that you were worshipping us. None of your prayers, entreaties, cries or pleas reached us. None of your vows and offerings reached us, nor anything you presented to us, nor any praise or glorification, nor any chanting of our names. None of your prostrations, your kissing of thresholds or your circling of shrines ever reached us.”
Ask them: “Who provides for you from the sky and the earth? Who controls these faculties of hearing and sight? Who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? Who is managing the order of the universe?” They will surely say, “Allah.” Say, “Then will you not guard yourselves [against going against reality]? This Allah, then, is your true Lord.³⁸ After the truth, what remains but misguidance? Where, then, are you being turned?”³⁹ [O Prophet, see] how your Lord’s word has come true about those who chose disobedience: they will not believe.⁴⁰
Ask them: “Is there any among the partners you have set up who begins creation and then repeats it?” Say, “It is Allah alone who begins creation and then repeats it.⁴¹ So on what backward path are you being led?”⁴²
Ask them: “Is there any among the partners you have set up who guides to the truth?”⁴³ Say, “It is Allah alone who guides to the truth. Tell me, then: which is more worthy of being followed, the One who guides to the truth, or one who cannot find guidance unless he is guided? What is wrong with you? How perverse your judgements are!”
The truth is that most of them are only following conjecture and guesswork,⁴⁴ and guesswork can in no way serve as a substitute for the truth. Allah knows full well what they are doing.
This Quran is not something that could be composed without Allah’s revelation and teaching. Rather, it confirms what came before it and is a detailed exposition of the Book.⁴⁵ There is no doubt that it is from the Sovereign of the universe.
Do they say that the Prophet has composed it himself? Say, “If you are truthful in this accusation, then produce one surah like it, and call for help on anyone you can besides the One God.”⁴⁶ The truth is that they [recklessly, by guesswork,] denied something that their knowledge has not grasped and whose outcome has not yet come before them.⁴⁷ The people before them denied in exactly the same way, so see what became of those wrongdoers.
Some of them will believe and some will not, and your Lord knows the corrupters best.⁴⁸
Notes
Note 38. In other words, if all these works belong to Allah, as you yourselves admit, then Allah alone is your true Sustainer, Owner and Master, and He alone has the right to your servitude and worship. How did others, who have no share in any of these works, become partners in His lordship?
Note 39. Note that the address is to people in general. The question put to them is not “Where are you turning?” but “Where are you being turned?” This clearly shows that some misleading person or group is present, diverting people from the right direction and turning them in the wrong one.
That is why the appeal to people is: why are you blindly following those who mislead you? Why don’t you use your own reason and ask, when this is the reality, where you are being led?
The Quran uses this form of question in many such places. Each time, instead of naming those who mislead, it hides them behind the passive voice. This lets their followers reflect calmly on their own situation. It also denies anyone the chance to provoke them and upset their mental balance by saying, “Look, your elders and leaders are being attacked.” Hidden in this is an important principle of wisdom in conveying the message, which should not be overlooked.
Note 40. In other words, the matter is explained with such clear and easily understood arguments, yet those who have decided not to believe will not accept it in any way because of their stubbornness.
Note 41. As for the beginning of creation, the polytheists already accepted that it was Allah’s work alone and that none of their partners had any share in it. As for repeating creation, it is obvious that the one who created in the first place can also repeat that act of creation. How could anyone unable to create in the first place be able to create again?
This is plainly reasonable, and the polytheists’ own hearts testified inwardly that it was entirely sound. Yet they hesitated to admit it, because once they accepted it, denying the Hereafter would become difficult. That is why, in the earlier questions, Allah said that they themselves would answer that these works belong to Allah. Here, instead, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is told to declare openly that the work of beginning creation and repeating it also belongs to Allah alone.
Note 42. In other words, the thread of your beginning is in Allah’s hands, and so is the thread of your end. So be your own well-wishers and think for a moment: how are you being persuaded that someone other than Allah has acquired the right to your servitude and devotion in between?
Note 43. This is a very important question and deserves to be understood in some detail. Human needs in this world are not limited to obtaining food, drink, clothing and the means of living, and to being protected from calamities, hardships and losses. People also have another need, and in fact their greatest need: to know the right way to live in this world. They need to know how to deal with:
• their own selves
• their own powers and abilities
• the resources on earth placed under their control
• the countless people they deal with in various capacities
• the whole order of the universe, under which they must work in any case
They need to know what to do and how to do it, so that their life as a whole succeeds and their efforts and labours are not wasted on wrong paths that end in ruin and destruction. This right way is called al-haqq (the truth), and the guidance that leads a person to it is hidayat al-haqq, guidance to the truth.
Now the Quran asks all the polytheists, and everyone who refuses to accept the Prophet’s teaching: is there anyone among those you serve besides God who is, or could be, a means of obtaining guidance to the truth for you? Obviously, the only possible answer is no. The beings people serve besides God fall into two broad categories.
The first category is the goddesses, gods and living or dead human beings who are worshipped. People turn to them only so that they may fulfil their needs and protect them from calamities by supernatural means. Guidance to the truth has never come from them, no polytheist has ever turned to them for it, and no polytheist claims that these deities teach him principles of morality, society, culture, economics, politics, law, justice and so on.
The second category is the human beings whose principles and laws are followed and obeyed. They are certainly guides, but the question is whether they really are, or could be, guides to the truth.
Does the knowledge of any of them cover all the realities one must know in order to lay down sound principles for human life? Does the vision of any of them take in the whole range across which the problems of human life are spread? Is any of them free of the weaknesses, prejudices, personal or group interests, selfish aims and desires, and inclinations and leanings that prevent the making of just laws for human society?
If the answer is no, and obviously no sane person can answer these questions with yes, how can such people be the source of guidance to the truth?
That is why the Quran asks: O people, among these religious deities and cultural gods of yours, is there anyone who can guide you to the right path? Taken together with the questions before it, this final question settles the entire matter of religion.
All human needs are of two kinds.
The first kind is the need for someone to be one’s Sustainer, a refuge and shelter, someone who hears prayers and fulfils needs. Living among the unstable supports of this world of causes, a person needs a permanent support to hold on to. The earlier questions settled that no one but God can meet this need.
The second kind is the need for a guide who can teach the right principles for living in this world, whose laws of life can be followed with complete trust and confidence. This final question settled that this too is God alone.
After this, nothing remains but stubbornness and obstinacy to keep a person clinging to polytheistic religions and to secular principles of culture, morality and politics.
Note 44. In other words, those who founded religions, composed philosophies and devised laws of life did all this on the basis of conjecture and guesswork, not knowledge. And those who followed these religious and worldly leaders did not do so knowingly and with understanding either. They followed them only on the assumption that such great people must surely be right: after all, their forefathers had been accepting them, and a whole world was following them.
Note 45. “It confirms what came before it” means that, from the beginning, fundamental teachings have been sent to humankind through the prophets (peace be upon them). This Quran does not present anything new that departs from them; it confirms and endorses them. If it were the product of the mind of some new religion’s founder, it would certainly show an attempt to mix a distinctive colour of his own into the old truths, in order to highlight his own originality.
“It is a detailed exposition of the Book” means that the fundamental teachings forming the essence of all revealed scriptures (al-Kitab, “the Book”) are set out in it at length. They are presented with arguments and evidence, with exhortation and explanation, with commentary and clarification, and with application to practical situations.
Note 46. People generally think this challenge concerned only the Quran’s eloquence, rhetoric and literary excellence. Given the way the inimitability of the Quran (i’jaz al-Quran) has usually been discussed, this misunderstanding is not surprising. But the Quran stands far above basing its claim to uniqueness on its verbal beauty alone. The Quran is certainly unmatched in its language as well. Yet the real reason it is said that the human mind cannot produce such a book is its content and its teachings.
The Quran itself sets out, in various places, the aspects of its inimitability and the reasons that make its divine origin certain and a human author impossible. I have explained all such passages before and will continue to do so. To avoid excessive length, I will not go into that discussion here. (For explanation, see At-Tur, Notes 26 and 27.)
Note 47. This Book could reasonably be denied on only two grounds. Either these people had established through investigation that it was a forged book, or the realities it describes and the news it gives had been proven false. Neither ground exists here.
No one can claim to know that this Book was fabricated and attributed to God. No one has looked behind the veil of the unseen and seen that there really are many gods and that this Book is needlessly announcing only one God. Nor has anyone seen that God, angels and revelation have no reality and that this Book has needlessly invented the whole story. And no one has died and seen that the news this Book gives about a second life, its reckoning, and its reward and punishment is false.
In spite of all this, the Book is being denied on the basis of mere doubt and guesswork, with as much confidence as if its forgery and falsehood had been established through research.
Note 48. About those who do not believe, it is said that “your Lord knows the corrupters best.” In other words, they may silence the world by saying, “Sir, we simply don’t understand it, so we reject it in good faith.” But God knows the hidden secrets of hearts and consciences. He knows about each one of them exactly how that person:
• locked his heart and mind
• lost himself in heedlessness
• suppressed the voice of his conscience
• kept the heart’s testimony to the truth from rising
• destroyed his mind’s capacity to accept the truth
• heard and yet did not hear
• tried not to understand even while understanding
• put his prejudices, worldly interests, tangled inner motives, and desires and cravings ahead of the truth
That is why they are not “innocent people who went astray” but corrupters in reality.
If they deny you, say: “My deeds are mine and your deeds are yours. You are free of responsibility for what I do, and I am free of responsibility for what you do.”⁴⁹
Many of them listen to you, but can you make the deaf hear, even when they understand nothing?⁵⁰ Many of them look at you, but can you guide the blind, even when they see nothing?⁵¹ The truth is that Allah does not wrong people at all; people wrong themselves.⁵²
[Today they are intoxicated with the life of this world,] but on the Day Allah gathers them together, [this same worldly life will feel to them] as if they had stayed only an hour to get acquainted with one another.⁵³ [At that time it will become clear that] those who denied the meeting with Allah were truly the great losers,⁵⁴ and they were never on the right path.
Whether We show you some of the evil consequences We are warning them of during your lifetime, or take you before that, in any case they must return to Us, and Allah is witness to everything they are doing.
Every community has a messenger.⁵⁵ When a community’s messenger comes to it, its case is decided with complete justice, and it is not wronged in the least.⁵⁶
They say, “If your threat is true, when will it be fulfilled?” Say, “I have no power even over my own benefit or harm; everything depends on Allah’s will.⁵⁷ Every community has a term of respite. When that term is complete, it is not delayed or advanced by even an hour.”⁵⁸
Say to them, “Have you ever considered what [you could do] if Allah’s punishment came upon you suddenly, by night or by day? What is it about this that makes criminals so eager to hurry it on? Will you believe in it only when it actually falls upon you? Now you want to escape it? Yet you yourselves were demanding that it come quickly!” Then the wrongdoers will be told, “Now taste everlasting punishment. What recompense can you be given other than the consequence of what you kept earning?”
They ask, “Is what you say really true?” Say, “Yes, by my Lord, it is absolutely true, and you do not have the power to stop it from happening.”
Notes
Note 49. In other words, there is no need for pointless quarrels and perverse arguments. If I am inventing lies, I alone am responsible for my deeds, and none of that responsibility falls on you. And if you are denying the truth, you do me no harm; you harm only yourselves.
Note 50. One kind of hearing is the way even animals hear a sound. Another kind involves attention to meaning and a readiness to accept what is said if it is reasonable. Some people are gripped by prejudice and have decided in advance never to accept anything, however reasonable, that goes against their inherited beliefs and customs or against their desires and interests. They hear everything and still do not hear.
The same is true of people who live in the world heedlessly like animals, caring for nothing beyond grazing and feeding. It is also true of those so intoxicated with pleasures and desires that they never ask whether what they are doing is even right. Such people are not deaf in their ears, but they are deaf in their hearts.
Note 51. The same point is made here as in the previous sentence. Having the eyes in one’s head open is of no use by itself; after all, even an animal sees with those. What really matters is that the eyes of the heart be open. A person who lacks this sees everything and still sees nothing.
In these two verses, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is addressed, but the reproach is aimed at the people he was striving to reform. Even this reproach is not meant merely to reproach. The sharp barb of sarcasm is driven in so that its sting might awaken their dormant humanity a little, and open the path from their eyes and ears to their hearts, so that reasonable words and heartfelt counsel can reach them.
This style of speech is like the following situation. A good man lives among corrupt people with the highest moral character. With complete sincerity and concern, he tries to make them aware of the degraded state they have fallen into. With great reason and seriousness, he tries to explain what is wrong with their way of life and what the right way of life is. Yet no one learns from his pure life, and no one pays attention to his well-meaning advice.
Then, at the very moment he is busy explaining things to them and they are ignoring every word, a friend of his comes up and says: “My friend, what deaf people are you trying to make hear, and what blind people are you trying to show the way? The ears of their hearts are shut, and the eyes of their hearts are put out.” In saying this, the friend does not mean that the righteous man should give up his efforts at reform. His real aim is that perhaps this very sarcasm and reproach might bring these sleepers to their senses a little.
Note 52. In other words, Allah has given them ears, eyes and hearts. He has not been stingy in giving them anything needed to see and understand the difference between truth and falsehood. But people, enslaved to their desires and infatuated with the world, have put out their own eyes and deafened their own ears. They have so disfigured their hearts that no trace remains in them of the ability to tell good from bad, of the understanding of right and wrong, or of a living conscience.
Note 53. That is, on one side the boundless life of the Hereafter will be before them, and on the other they will look back on their worldly life. Compared with that future, their past will seem utterly insignificant. At that moment they will realize how great a folly they committed by ruining their eternal future for the sake of a few pleasures and gains in their earlier life.
Note 54. That is, the fact that one day they must appear before Allah.
Note 55. The word ummah here does not simply mean a nation. After a messenger comes, everyone his message reaches is his ummah. It is also not necessary for the messenger to be alive among them. Even after the messenger is gone, as long as his teaching survives and anyone can find out what he actually taught, all the people of the world count as his ummah, and the ruling stated next applies to them.
In this sense, since the coming of Muhammad (peace be upon him), all of humanity is his ummah, and it will remain so as long as the Quran continues to be available in its pure form. That is why the verse does not say “every nation has a messenger,” but rather “every ummah has a messenger.”
Note 56. The point is that when a messenger’s call reaches any group of people, Allah’s proof against that group is complete. After that, only the judgement remains; no further completion of proof is needed. That judgement is made with the utmost justice. Those who accept the messenger’s message and correct their conduct are counted worthy of Allah’s mercy. Those who reject it become deserving of punishment, whether that punishment is given in both this world and the Hereafter, or only in the Hereafter.
Note 57. In other words, when did I ever say that I would pass this judgement and punish those who refuse to believe? So why ask me when the threatened judgement will be carried out? The threat was made by Allah. He will pass the judgement, and it is up to Him when to decide and in what form to bring it before you.
Note 58. The point is that Allah is not hasty. It is not His way to treat whoever believes the moment a messenger’s call reaches a person or group as deserving mercy, and at once enforce a judgement of punishment on anyone who rejects it or hesitates to accept it.
Allah’s rule is this: after delivering His message, He gives ample time to think, understand and reform. He gives it to each individual according to his individual position, and to each group and nation according to its collective position. This period of respite sometimes stretches over centuries, and Allah alone knows best how much respite each should receive.
Then, when that respite, set with complete justice, has run out and the person or group still has not turned back from their rebellious course, Allah enforces His judgement upon them. That moment of judgement cannot come even an hour before the term Allah has fixed, and once the time has arrived, it cannot be put off for even a moment.
If every person who has done wrong owned all the wealth on earth, he would readily offer it as ransom to escape that punishment. When they see the punishment, they will regret it in their hearts.⁵⁹ But judgement will be passed between them with complete justice, and they will not be wronged.
Listen! Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. Know well that Allah’s promise is true, but most people do not know. He gives life and He causes death, and to Him you will all return.
People, admonition has come to you from your Lord. It is a cure for the diseases of the heart, and guidance and mercy for those who accept it. O Prophet, say: “It is by Allah’s grace and mercy that He has sent this. It is this that people should rejoice over. It is better than all the things they are hoarding.”
O Prophet, say to them: “Have you ever considered the provision⁶⁰ Allah sent down for you, from which you yourselves declared some unlawful and some lawful?”⁶¹ Ask them, “Did Allah give you permission for this, or are you inventing lies against Allah?”⁶²
What do those who invent lies against Allah think will happen to them on the Day of Resurrection? Allah looks upon people with kindness, but most of them are not grateful.⁶³
Notes
Note 59. They denied it all their lives and spent their whole lives on wrong deeds, treating it as a lie. They hurled all kinds of accusations at the prophets who warned them of it. When that very thing suddenly stands before them, completely contrary to their expectations, the ground will slip from under their feet. Their own consciences will tell them what must now be the outcome of everything they did in the world, given that this was the reality all along.
As the Persian saying goes, khud karda ra ilaje nist: there is no remedy for harm one has brought on oneself. Their tongues will be silent, and their hearts will sink within them from remorse and regret. Someone who staked his entire capital on a deal built on conjecture and guesswork, and refused to listen to anyone who wished him well, has no one to blame but himself once he is bankrupt.
Note 60. In Urdu, the word rizq is applied only to food and drink. That is why people assume the reproach here targets only the rules people have made, out of religious superstition or custom, within the small world of the dining table. Not only the ignorant and the general public but even scholars share this misunderstanding.
In Arabic, however, rizq is not limited to food. It broadly means a gift, a bestowal, one’s allotted portion. Everything Allah has given a person in this world is his rizq; even children are rizq. The biographical dictionaries of hadith narrators contain many narrators named Rizq, Ruzayq and Rizqullah, which mean roughly what the Urdu name “Allah Diye” means (God-given).
A well-known prayer says, اللَّهُمَّ أَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا وَارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهُ: “O Allah, show us the truth as truth, and grant us (urzuqna) the ability to follow it.” In common usage one says ruziqa ‘ilman, “so-and-so was granted knowledge.” A hadith says that Allah sends an angel into the womb of every pregnant woman, and the angel writes down the child’s rizq, lifespan and deeds. Clearly, rizq here does not mean only the food the child will later receive, but everything he will be given in the world. The Quran itself says, وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ, “and they spend out of what We have given them.”
So it is a serious mistake to confine rizq to the borders of the dining table and to think Allah objects only to the restrictions and freedoms people have adopted on their own regarding food and drink. Nor is it a minor mistake. Because of it, a major foundational teaching of God’s religion has been lost from people’s sight.
This very mistake is why the lawfulness or unlawfulness of food and drink is treated as a religious matter, while the broader affairs of civilization are not. Suppose it is established there that human beings have the right to set their own limits, and on that basis laws are made without regard to God and His Book. Not only ordinary people but even religious scholars, muftis, Quran commentators and hadith masters fail to sense the problem. This too clashes with religion, exactly as setting one’s own limits of lawful and unlawful in food and drink does, without regard to divine law.
Note 61. In other words, do you have any sense of how grave an act of rebellion you are committing? The provision belongs to Allah, and you yourselves belong to Allah. Where, then, did you get the right to set your own limits for how you handle, use and benefit from Allah’s property?
What would you think of a servant who claimed the right to set the limits of his own control and authority over his master’s property, and said the master had no need to say anything at all in the matter? If your own employee claimed this kind of freedom and independence to act as he liked in your house and with everything in it, how would you deal with him?
The case of a servant who does not even accept that he is anyone’s servant, that he has a master, or that the property in his hands belongs to someone else, is a different matter altogether. The position of that villainous usurper is not under discussion here. The question here concerns a servant who admits that he is someone’s servant and that the property belongs to the one he serves, yet still says, “I have the right to set the limits of my own control over this property myself, and there is no need to ask the master.”
Note 62. In other words, your position could be valid only if the master himself had authorized you: “Handle my property however you like. I have handed you every right to make all the limits, laws and rules for your own conduct and use.” Now the question is: do you really have any proof that the master gave you these powers? Or are you claiming without any proof that he has handed all those rights to you? If it is the former, kindly show us the proof. Otherwise, it is plain that you are adding the further crime of lying and fabrication to your rebellion.
Note 63. In other words, it is the master’s supreme kindness that he himself tells the servant which conduct, in his house, with his property and with the servant’s own self, will earn his pleasure, reward and promotion, and which course will bring on his anger, punishment and demotion. But many foolish servants do not give thanks for this favour.
It is as if, in their view, the master should simply have brought them into his house and left them there, handed all his property over to them, and then watched in secret to see what each servant did. Then, whenever anyone did something against his wishes, wishes no servant knew anything about, he would punish him. Yet had the master put his servants through so harsh a test, not one of them could have escaped punishment.
O Prophet, whatever state you are in, and whatever you recite from the Quran, and, people, whatever you do, We are watching you throughout. Not even the weight of a particle in the heavens or the earth, whether smaller or larger, is hidden from your Lord, and none of it is left unrecorded in a clear register.⁶⁴
Listen! Those who are Allah’s friends, who believed and adopted the way of taqwa, have no cause for fear or grief. For them there is nothing but good news, in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. Allah’s words cannot change. This is the great success.
O Prophet, do not let what these people say about you grieve you. All honour is entirely in God’s control, and He hears and knows everything.
Be aware! Whether they dwell in the heavens or on the earth, all belong to Allah. Those who call on [self-made] partners besides Allah follow nothing but fancy and guesswork, and they only speculate. It is Allah who made the night for you to rest in and made the day bright. In this there are signs for people who listen [with open ears to the Prophet’s call].⁶⁵
People have said that Allah has taken a son.⁶⁶ Glory be to Allah!⁶⁷ He is free of all need. Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him.⁶⁸ What proof do you have for this claim? Do you say things about Allah that you do not know?
O Muhammad, say: “Those who invent lies against Allah will never succeed.” Let them enjoy themselves for a few days of worldly life. Then they must return to Us, and We will make them taste a severe punishment for the disbelief they kept committing.
Notes
Note 64. The purpose of mentioning this here is to comfort the Prophet and to warn his opponents.
On one side, the Prophet is told that We see the diligence, self-sacrifice, patience and forbearance with which you are working to convey the message of truth and reform God’s creatures. It is not as though We assigned you this dangerous task and then left you to fend for yourself. We see what you are doing, and We are not unaware of what is being done to you.
On the other side, the Prophet’s opponents are warned: while you obstruct the reforming efforts of a caller to truth who wishes his fellow creatures well, do not imagine that no one sees what you are doing, or that you will never be called to account for your deeds. Be warned that everything you are doing is being recorded in God’s register.
Note 65. This point needs explanation, since it is stated very briefly. Philosophical inquiry asks whether some reality lies hidden behind what we outwardly see and sense in this universe, and if so, what it is. For everyone in the world who does not receive direct knowledge of reality through revelation and inspiration, such inquiry is the only means of forming an opinion about religion.
No one, whether he adopts atheism, polytheism or belief in God, can reach any conclusion about religion without some kind of philosophical inquiry. The religion the prophets presented can also be tested only in this way. A person must reflect philosophically, as far as he is able, and try to satisfy himself whether the reality the prophets say lies hidden behind the phenomena of the universe rings true to the heart.
Whether this inquiry is right or wrong depends entirely on its method. A wrong method produces a wrong opinion, and a right method produces a right one. Now consider the methods different groups in the world have adopted for this inquiry:
• Polytheists have based their search on pure fancy.
• Illuminationists and yogis have made a show of meditation and claim that they look behind the outward and observe the inner reality. In fact, they have based their detective work on guesswork. What they meditate on is really their own guess. What they claim to see is nothing but an idea they formed by guessing: they fix their imagination on it and press their minds upon it until that very idea seems to move about before their eyes.
• Philosophers, in the technical sense, have made qiyas(speculative reasoning) the basis of their inquiry. It is really just guesswork, but sensing its lameness, they tried to make it walk on the crutches of formal logic and artificial rationalism, and named it qiyas.
• Scientists have used a scholarly method for research within the domain of science. But as soon as they step into the realm of metaphysics, they too abandon that method and follow speculation, guesswork, estimates and conjecture.
On top of this, the fancies and guesses of all these groups have caught the disease of prejudice in one way or another. It has forced them to refuse to listen to anyone else, to turn onto their own favourite path, and, once turned, to stay on it.
The Quran declares this method of inquiry fundamentally wrong. It says that the real cause of your going astray is that you base your search for truth on guesswork and speculation, and then, because of prejudice, you are not even willing to hear anything reasonable. The result of this double error is that finding the reality by yourselves was impossible to begin with, and now it has also become impossible for you to examine the religion presented by the prophets and reach a correct opinion.
Against this, the Quran lays out the correct scholarly and rational method of philosophical inquiry. First, listen with open ears and without prejudice to the account of reality given by those who say: “We are telling you what reality is, not on the basis of speculation, guesswork, meditation or mystical practice, but on the basis of knowledge.” Then reflect on the traces in the universe that come within your observation and experience, which the Quran calls “signs.” Arrange their evidence and examine it. Keep searching to see whether, within this outward world itself, you find indications pointing to the reality these people say lies behind it.
If you see such indications, and their pointers are clear, there is no reason to needlessly deny those whose account turns out to match the evidence of the signs. This very method is the foundation of Islamic philosophy. Sadly, even Muslim philosophers abandoned it and followed in the footsteps of Plato and Aristotle.
In many places the Quran not only urges this method but, by presenting the signs of the universe one after another, gives what amounts to regular training in drawing conclusions from them and reaching reality. The aim is for this way of thinking and searching to become firmly rooted in people’s minds.
So in this verse too, attention is drawn to just two signs as examples: night and day. The alternation of night and day actually arises from a perfectly regular change in the relative positions of the sun and the earth. This is a clear sign of the existence of a universal Organizer and a Ruler with sovereign power over the whole universe.
It also shows clear wisdom and purpose, since countless interests of all the beings on earth are bound up with this cycle of night and day. It contains clear signs of lordship, mercy and nurturing as well, because it proves that the One who created these beings on earth also provides what they need to exist. It shows too that this universal Organizer is one, and that He is not playful but wise and acts with purpose. As Benefactor and Nurturer, He alone deserves worship. And whoever is subject to the cycle of night and day is not a lord but one who is nurtured, not a master but a servant.
Against this evidence from the signs, how can the religions the polytheists invented out of guesswork and speculation possibly be right?
Note 66. The preceding verses rebuked people for the ignorance of basing their religion on speculation and guesswork instead of knowledge, and for not even trying to investigate, by any scholarly method, whether the religion they follow has any proof. Continuing the same theme, this verse rebukes the folly of the Christians and some followers of other religions, who on mere guesswork declared someone to be the son of God.
Note 67. Subhan Allah is sometimes said as an exclamation of astonishment, and sometimes in its literal meaning: “Allah is free of every defect.” Here it carries both meanings. It expresses astonishment at what these people say, and it also answers them: Allah is free of every defect, so how can a son be attributed to Him?
Note 68. Three points are made here to refute their claim: first, Allah is free of all defects; second, He is free of all need; and third, everything in the heavens and the earth is His property. These brief answers are easy to understand with a little explanation.
Obviously, a son can be either a biological son or an adopted one.
If these people call someone God’s son in the biological sense, they are comparing God to an animal. An animal is mortal as an individual, and its existence can continue only if it belongs to some species, has a mate from that species, and has offspring through their sexual union. Those offspring then carry on its species and its work.
If they call someone God’s son in the sense that He adopted him, there are only two possibilities. Either they have compared God to a childless man who adopts someone of his own kind to be his heir, and so to make up, even if only nominally, for the loss he suffers by remaining childless. Or they imagine that God, like a human being, has emotional inclinations, and has come to love one of His countless servants so much that He has made him His son.
Whichever of these three it is, the basic ideas of this belief accuse God of many defects, weaknesses, imperfections and needs.
That is why the first phrase says that Allah is free of all the defects, imperfections and weaknesses you attribute to Him. The second says that He is also free of the needs that lead mortal human beings to want children or to adopt a son. The third states plainly that everything in the earth and the heavens consists of Allah’s servants and His property. He has no special personal relationship with any one of them that would lead Him to set all the others aside and declare that one His son, His only-begotten or His heir.
Allah certainly loves some servants more than others because of their qualities. But this love does not mean that any servant is raised from the position of servanthood to a share in divinity. At most, this love requires what was stated in an earlier verse: “Those who believed and adopted the way of taqwa have no cause for fear or grief; for them there is nothing but good news, in this world and in the Hereafter.”
Tell them the story of Nuh,⁶⁹ of the time he said to his people: “My brothers, if my living among you and rousing you from heedlessness by reciting Allah’s verses to you has become unbearable to you, then my trust is in Allah. Gather your partners and reach a united decision. Think through whatever plan you have in mind so thoroughly that no part of it escapes you. Then carry it out against me, and give me no respite at all.⁷⁰ If you have turned away from my advice, [what harm have you done me?] I asked no reward from you; my reward rests with Allah alone. And I have been commanded to remain a Muslim myself [whether anyone else accepts or not].”
They denied him, and the result was that We saved him and those with him in the Ark, made them the successors on the earth, and drowned all who had denied Our verses. So see what became of those who had been warned [and still refused to believe].
After Nuh We sent various messengers to their peoples, and they came to them with clear signs. But those people would not accept what they had already denied before. This is how We seal the hearts of those who go beyond all limits.⁷¹
⁷²Then after them We sent Musa and Harun with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs. But they were arrogant about their own greatness,⁷³ and they were a criminal people. So when the truth came to them from Us, they said, “This is plain sorcery.”⁷⁴
Musa said, “Is this what you say about the truth when it has come to you? Is this sorcery? Sorcerers never succeed.”⁷⁵
They replied, “Have you come to turn us away from the way we found our forefathers following, so that the two of you can have greatness in the land?⁷⁶ We are not going to believe you.”
Pharaoh said [to his men], “Bring me every skilled sorcerer.” When the sorcerers came, Musa said to them, “Throw whatever you have to throw.” When they had thrown down their spells, Musa said, “What you have thrown is sorcery.⁷⁷ Allah will now bring it to nothing. Allah does not let the work of corrupters prosper. Allah proves the truth true by His commands, however much the criminals may hate it.”
Notes
Note 69. Up to this point, these people were shown, through reasonable arguments and heartfelt advice, what was wrong with their beliefs, ideas and ways and why, and what the right path was and why it was right. Now attention turns to the attitude they were adopting in response to this plain and straightforward explanation and exhortation.
For ten or eleven years their course had been this. Instead of reflecting on this reasonable criticism and sound guidance and reconsidering their errors, they had become deadly enemies of the man presenting these things. He was presenting them not for any personal gain but for their own good. They answered arguments with stones and advice with abuse. The presence in their town of a man who called wrong wrong and tried to point out what was right had become deeply offensive to them, and even unbearable.
Their demand was this: the one person among us blind people who has eyes should close his own eyes instead of opening ours. Otherwise we will put out his eyes by force, so that nothing like sight will be found in our land.
Instead of saying anything further about this attitude of theirs, Allah commands His Prophet to tell them the story of Nuh. In that story they will find the answer to their case and to yours.
Note 70. This was a challenge: “I will not give up my work. Do whatever you want to do against me; my trust is in Allah.” (For comparison, see Hud, verse 55.)
Note 71. “Those who go beyond all limits” are people who, having once made a mistake, cling to it out of stubbornness, obstinacy and a refusal to back down from what they have said. Once they have refused to accept something, they will not accept it through any explanation, any exhortation, or even the most reasonable argument. Such people are finally struck by such a curse that they are never again granted the ability to come to the right path.
Note 72. At this point, keep in mind the notes I wrote on the story of Musa and Pharaoh in Surah Al-A’raf (Sections 13–21). Matters already explained there will not be repeated here.
Note 73. In other words, intoxicated by their wealth, power, grandeur and splendour, they considered themselves above the position of servanthood. Instead of bowing their heads in obedience, they displayed arrogance.
Note 74. In other words, on hearing Musa’s message, they said exactly what the disbelievers of Makkah said on hearing the message of Muhammad (peace be upon him): “This man is plainly a sorcerer.” (See verse 2 of this same surah.)
Keeping the flow of the discourse in view here makes one thing plainly clear. Musa and Harun (peace be upon them) were appointed to the very same mission as Nuh and all the prophets after him, up to our master Muhammad (peace be upon him).
From its beginning, this surah has carried a single theme: accept only Allah, the Lord of the worlds, as your Lord and God, and acknowledge that after this life you must appear before Allah in a second life and give an account of your deeds. Those who refused to accept the Prophet’s call are being made to understand something. Not only their own success, but the success of all human beings at all times, has depended on this one thing: accepting the call to belief in Tawhid and the Hereafter that God’s prophets have presented in every age, and building one’s whole way of life on that foundation. Only those who did this succeeded, and every nation that rejected it was ultimately destroyed.
This is the central theme of the surah. In this context, when other prophets are mentioned as historical precedents, it necessarily means that the call given in this surah was the call of all those prophets, and that Musa and Harun also went to Pharaoh and his chiefs with this same call.
Some people have supposed that the mission of Musa and Harun was to free one particular nation from slavery to another. If that were so, presenting this episode as a historical precedent in this context would make no sense at all.
Admittedly, one part of their mission was also to deliver the Children of Israel, a Muslim nation, from the domination of a disbelieving nation, if that nation persisted in its disbelief. But this was a secondary aim, not the real purpose of their being sent. The real purpose was the same one that, according to the Quran, all prophets were sent for. Surah An-Nazi’at states it plainly: اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ فَقُلْ هَل لَّكَ إِلَىٰ أَن تَزَكَّىٰ وَأَهْدِيَكَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَتَخْشَىٰ: “Go to Pharaoh, for he has transgressed the bounds of servitude, and say to him: Are you willing to reform yourself, so that I may guide you to your Lord and you may fear Him?”
However, Pharaoh and the leading men of his kingdom did not accept this call, and in the end Musa had no choice but to lead his Muslim people out from under their rule. So this part of his mission became prominent in history, and the Quran also presents it with the same prominence it actually has in history.
Some people make the mistake of looking at the Quran’s details in isolation from its general principles. Anyone who avoids that mistake, and always sees and understands the details in light of those principles, can never fall into the misconception that freeing a nation could be the real purpose of a prophet’s mission, and calling people to the true religion merely a secondary aim. (For further explanation, see Ta Ha, verses 44–82; Az-Zukhruf, 46–56; Al-Muzzammil, 15–16.)
Note 75. The point is that because a miracle and sorcery look alike on the surface, you readily declared this to be sorcery. But, you fools, you did not stop to consider what kind of character and morals sorcerers have, and for what purposes they practise sorcery.
Is it a sorcerer’s way to come, fearless and wanting nothing, into the court of a tyrannical ruler, rebuke him for his misguidance, and call him to worship God and purify himself? If a sorcerer had come to you, he would first have gone around flattering the courtiers: “Please get me a chance to show my skills before His Majesty.” Then, once he gained access to the court, he would have bowed and saluted with even more servility than the ordinary flatterers. He would have shouted prayers for long life and good fortune, and begged with great humility, “Would Your Majesty kindly observe some of this humble servant’s accomplishments too?” And once you had watched his show, he would have held out his hand: “Your Honour, a little reward, please.”
This whole idea has been compressed into a single sentence: sorcerers never succeed.
Note 76. Obviously, if Musa and Harun’s real demand had been the release of the Children of Israel, Pharaoh and his courtiers would have had no reason to fear that the spread of these two men’s call would change the religion of Egypt and establish their greatness in the land instead of their own.
The reason for this fear was that Musa was calling the people of Egypt to servitude to the true God. That endangered the polytheistic system on which Pharaoh’s kingship, his chiefs’ leadership and the religious leaders’ authority all rested. (For further explanation, see Al-A’raf, Note 66; Al-Mu’min, Note 43.)
Note 77. In other words, what I showed you was not sorcery; what you are showing is sorcery.
[Then see how] none believed in Musa except a few young people⁷⁸ from his nation,⁷⁹ out of fear of Pharaoh and of the leading men of their own people [who feared that] Pharaoh would subject them to torment. The fact is that Pharaoh held sway in the land and was one of those who stop at no limit.⁸⁰
Musa said to his people, “My people, if you truly believe in Allah, then put your trust in Him, if you are Muslims.”⁸¹ They replied,⁸² “In Allah alone we have put our trust. Our Lord, do not make us a trial for the wrongdoing people,⁸³ and by Your mercy deliver us from the disbelieving people.”
We instructed Musa and his brother: “Provide some houses in Egypt for your people, make those houses of yours a qiblah, establish prayer,⁸⁴ and give good news to the believers.”⁸⁵
Musa prayed:⁸⁶ “Our Lord, You have granted Pharaoh and his chiefs splendour⁸⁷ and wealth⁸⁸ in the life of this world. Our Lord, is it so that they may lead people astray from Your path? Our Lord, destroy their wealth and harden their hearts, so that they do not believe until they see the painful punishment.”⁸⁹ Allah replied, “The prayer of you both has been accepted. Stand firm, and never follow the way of those who do not know.”⁹⁰
We brought the Children of Israel across the sea. Pharaoh and his armies pursued them out of oppression and aggression. When Pharaoh began to drown, he cried out, “I believe that there is no true God except the One in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of those who submit.”⁹¹
[He was answered:] “Now you believe! Yet until now you were disobedient and were one of the corrupters. Today We will save only your body, so that you may be a lesson for those who come after you,⁹² although many people are heedless of Our signs.”⁹³
Notes
Note 78. The original text uses the word dhurriyyah, which means offspring. I have translated it as “young people.” What the Quran really wants to convey by using this particular word is this: in that dangerous time, a few young men and women found the courage to side with the truth and accept its standard-bearer as their leader. The mothers, fathers and elders of the nation, however, did not.
They were so dominated by expediency, servitude to worldly interests and the desire for safety that they would not side with a truth whose path looked full of danger to them. On the contrary, they kept holding the young people back: “Don’t go near Musa, or you will bring Pharaoh’s wrath on yourselves and disaster on us as well.”
The Quran highlights this point specifically because, among the people of Makkah too, those who came forward to side with Muhammad (peace be upon him) were not the nation’s elders and old men, but a handful of courageous young people. The early Muslims who were championing the truth of Islam against the fierce opposition of the whole nation when these verses were revealed, and whose chests served as shields for Islam in that storm of oppression, included no calculating old man. All of them were young.
• Under 20 when they accepted Islam: Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ja’far al-Tayyar, al-Zubayr, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, Mus’ab ibn Umayr and Abdullah ibn Mas’ud.
• Between 20 and 30: Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Bilal and Suhayb.
• Between 30 and 35: Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Zayd ibn Harithah, Uthman ibn Affan and Umar al-Faruq.
• Older than all of these: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, who was still no more than 38 when he believed.
Among the early Muslims, we find the name of only one Companion older than the Prophet (peace be upon him): Ubaydah ibn al-Harith al-Muttalibi. And probably only one Companion in the whole group was the Prophet’s age: Ammar ibn Yasir.
Note 79. The original text has the words فَمَا آمَنَ لِمُوسَىٰ (fa-ma amana li-Musa). This has led some people to suspect that the Children of Israel were all disbelievers and that at first only a few of them believed. However, when iman is followed by the preposition lam, it usually means obedience and submission: accepting someone’s word and following what he says.
So these words really mean this: apart from a few young people, no one in the entire nation of the Children of Israel was willing to accept Musa as their leader, follow him, and support him in the work of this Islamic call.
The following sentence then makes clear the real reason for their behaviour. It was not that they doubted Musa’s truthfulness or the truth of his call. The only reason was that they, and especially their elders and nobles, were not prepared to expose themselves to Pharaoh’s harshness by siding with Musa.
By both descent and religion, these people were the ummah of Ibrahim, Ishaq, Ya’qub and Yusuf (peace be upon them), and so they were obviously all Muslims. But long moral decline, and the faint-heartedness that subjugation had produced, had left them without the strength to rise themselves with the banner of faith and guidance against the rule of disbelief and misguidance, or to support the one who had risen.
The Bible gives an idea of how ordinary Israelites behaved in this struggle between Musa and Pharaoh. It relates that as they came out from Pharaoh, they found Musa and Harun standing in the road to meet them, and said to them: “May the Lord look upon you and judge you. 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 Musa and Harun (peace be upon them): “We are like a goat seized by a wolf. The shepherd came and tried to save it, and in the struggle between the two the goat was torn to pieces. In the same way, we will be finished off in the tug-of-war between you and Pharaoh.”
Surah Al-A’raf also alludes to this, where the Children of Israel said to Musa: أُوذِينَا مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَأْتِيَنَا وَمِن بَعْدِ مَا جِئْتَنَا, “We were persecuted before you came to us and after you came to us” (verse 129).
Note 80. The original text uses the word musrifin, meaning those who exceed limits. But this literal translation does not bring out its real spirit. Musrifin really means people who do not hesitate to adopt even the worst methods for their own ends. They stop short of no oppression, immorality, savagery or barbarity. They can go to any extreme in pursuit of their desires, and there is no limit at which they will stop.
Notes 81–93. [Not yet translated. The source text for these notes was not supplied.]
We settled the Children of Israel in an excellent place⁹⁴ and provided them with the finest means of life. They did not fall into disagreement until after knowledge had come to them.⁹⁵ Your Lord will surely judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning what they used to differ over.
Now, if you have any doubt about the guidance We have sent down to you, ask those who have been reading the Book before you. The truth has indeed come to you from your Lord, so do not be among those who doubt, and do not join those who denied Allah’s verses, or you will be among the losers.⁹⁶
The truth is that those against whom your Lord’s word has been fulfilled⁹⁷ will not believe, whatever sign comes to them, until they see the painful punishment coming. Is there any example of a town that believed on seeing the punishment and found its faith of benefit? [There is none,] except the people of Yunus.⁹⁸ When that people believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world⁹⁹ and let them enjoy life for a while.¹⁰⁰
Had your Lord willed [that everyone on earth be believing and obedient], all the people of the earth would have believed.¹⁰¹ Will you, then, force people to become believers?¹⁰² No soul can believe except by Allah’s leave,¹⁰³ and Allah’s way is to cast filth upon those who do not use their reason.¹⁰⁴
Say to them, “Open your eyes and look at what is in the heavens and the earth.” But what use are signs and warnings to people who simply do not want to believe?¹⁰⁵ What are they waiting for now, if not to see the same evil days that those before them saw? Say to them, “Very well, wait. I too am waiting with you.”
Then [when such a time comes,] We save Our messengers and those who have believed. This is Our way. It is a duty upon Us to save the believers.
Notes
Note 94. That is, “in Palestine after their exodus from Egypt”
Note 95. This refers to the dissensions the Israelites had caused in the Divine Way and the new religions they had invented. This verse accuses them of falling into variances, even though they possessed the Divine Knowledge, which had provided them with the criterion of judging between the Right Way and the wrong ways. They did this because of mischiefs of their hearts in spite of the fact that the Right Way had been made clear to them, and its fundamental principles had been imparted to them and instructions had been given about its implications and demands and its boundaries had been distinctly demarcated from those of the ways of unbelief. Besides, they had been admonished to follow the path of obedience and guard against the paths of disobedience, and establish their lives entirely in accordance with the rules and regulations based on that Knowledge, for they shall have to render an account of all they did in this life. But in spite of all the instructions that were given to them, they divided one original Religion into many divergent sects and built different ways on foundations other than those laid down by Allah.
Note 96. Though these words were addressed to the Holy Prophet, they were meant for those who expressed doubts about his Message. As regards the reference to the people of the Book, it is because they possessed the Knowledge of the Scriptures, whereas the common people of Arabia lacked this, and were, therefore, strangers to the voice of the Quran. It was also expected that their just and pious scholars would testify that its Message was the same as that of the Scriptures of the former Prophets.
Note 97. Allah’s decree that had become applicable to them was this: Allah does not thrust the Faith on those who do not seek after the Truth: who obstinately and obdurately shut their hearts against it with prejudice: who are so lost in the love of this world that they do not care at all about the Hereafter.
Note 94. Though Prophet Jonah (860-784 B.C.) was an Israelite Prophet, he was sent to ‘Iraq for the guidance of the Assyrians, who have been called the people of Jonah for this reason. At that time, Nineveh, a very ancient and famous city, was their capital. Its vast remains are scattered on the left bank of the Tigris, opposite to the city of Mosul, and one of the mounds bears the name of ‘Prophet Jonah’ . In order to form an estimate of the glory of these people, suffice it to say that the circumference of their capital Nineveh was 60 miles or so.
Note 99. As regards the question why the threatened torment was warded off from the people of Jonah as an exception to the Divine principle, “After the decision of the torment, the profession of faith by any community does not benefit it,” the Qur’an does not give any details of this, but merely refers to the story at three places. (See XXI: 87, 88; XXXII: 139-148; LXVIII: 48-50). Though the story contained in the Book of Jonah gives some details, these cannot be depended upon because it was neither composed by Prophet Jonah nor it is a Revealed Book but was written by some unknown person and then inserted in the Bible. Besides this, it contains some apparently absurd things which cannot be accepted as true. Nevertheless if we consider this deeply in the light of the allusions made in the Qur’an and details in the Book of Jonah, the explanation given by various commentators of the Qur’an seems to be correct.-Prophet Jonah left the place of his Mission without Divine permission after warning the people of the torment. Therefore Allah forgave the Assyrians, when they repented after seeing some Signs of the coming torment. This was in accordance with the Divine principles as stated in the Qur’an. For, according to one of these, Allah does not inflict any torment on any people, till He has the Message fully demonstrated to them. As the Prophet did not continue his admonition in accordance with the appointed term and left the place of his Mission of his own accord, Allah’s justice did not inflict the chastisement because the legal argument against his people had not been fulfilled. (For further explanation see E.N. 85 of XXXVI).
Note 100. When the Assyrians believed in the Message, they were given a new lease of life. But after some time, they adopted the wrong ways of thought and deed. Prophet Nahum (720-698 B.C.) warned and admonished them but without any effect. Then Prophet Zephaniah (640-609 B.C.) gave them the last warning that “he …. will destroy Assyria and will make Nineveh a desolation” but it also proved in vain. At last in about 612 B.C., Allah made the Medes dominant over them.
The Median king, with the help of the Babylonians, invaded Assyria, and their army was defeated and was besieged within the walls of Nineveh. They put up a stiff resistance for some time but then the floods in the Tigris swept away the city wall and the invaders swarmed into the city and burnt it to ashes along with the surrounding countryside. The Assyrian king set fire to his palace and was himself burnt to death. Thus the Assyrian Empire and its culture came to an end for ever. The recent archaeological excavations reveal widespread effects of the fire.
Note 101. This refers to the freedom that Allah has granted to mankind to believe or not to believe in Him. Otherwise He could have very easily created all the people as born believers and obedient servants and there would have been no disbelief and disobedience at all on the earth. Or He could have very easily inspired them to turn towards belief and obedience. But these methods would have defeated the wisdom that underlies the creation of mankind.
Note 102. This does not at all mean that the Holy Prophet desired to force people to become believers, and that Allah was forbidding him to do this. In fact, the Qur’an has here adopted the same method of admonishing the people that it has adopted at many other places, that is, though the words have apparently been addressed to the person of the Holy Prophet, in fact, these have been addressed to the people. The implication is this: “O people! Our Messenger has made the distinction between the Guidance and deviation quite clear and plain by argument and pleading. Now, therefore, it is for you to believe or not to believe in the Guidance. If you accept that some one should force you to adopt the Right Way, you should know that this `duty’ has not been assigned to Our Prophet. Had Allah willed this, He could have done it Himself: then there would have been no need of sending any Prophet to you.”
Note 103. This is to emphasize the principle that the bestowal of all these blessings is in the power of Allah alone: therefore none can acquire or bestow on anyone any blessing without the permission of Allah. As faith and guidance also are blessings, they, too, can be acquired only with Allah’s permission; and no one can acquire these without His permission nor bestow these on anyone else even though one should desire to do so. That is why, even if the Prophet had sincerely desired to make people believers forcibly, he could not have done this, for this could be done only with Allah’s permission and help.
Note 104. This points out clearly that the above principle is not applied blindly and irrationally so as to bestow the blessing of faith on or withhold it from anyone without any rhyme or reason, but it works according to a system which is based on wisdom. Allah bestows this on anyone who uses his common sense properly in starch of the Truth, for Allah provides for such a one the means of attaining it in proportion to the sincerity of his intention and the extent of his exertion and grants him its correct knowledge required for faith. But He throws the filth of ignorance, deviation, wrong thinking and wrong doing on the one who is not a seeker after the Truth and does not seek the Truth and does not use his common-sense properly because of his prejudices, or does not use it at all in search of the Truth. And this is what such people deserve.
Note 105. This is the answer to the condition that they would believe him to be a true Prophet, if a Sign would be shown to them. The Holy Prophet has been asked to say to them, “There are countless Signs in the heaven and the earth, which confirm and testify the Message I am giving you. You could have easily recognized them, had you observed and considered them with open eyes and open hearts. But if you lack this urge and desire for the Truth, you will not accept and acknowledge it, however wonderful, miraculous and supernatural the sign may be, for you will declare that it was a piece of sorcery like Pharaoh and his chiefs. The fact is that the people, who suffer from this malady, see the Truth only when the torment with all its horrors overtakes them, just as Pharaoh came to believe only when he was drowning. But you should note it well that the repentance at the time of punishment is of no avail.
O Prophet,¹⁰⁶ say: “People, if you are still in any doubt about my religion, then hear this. I do not serve those you serve besides Allah. I serve only the God in whose hands your death lies.¹⁰⁷ I have been commanded to be one of the believers. And I have been told: ‘Set yourself firmly and wholeheartedly upon this religion,¹⁰⁸ and never be one of the polytheists.¹⁰⁹ Do not call on anyone besides Allah who can neither benefit nor harm you. If you do, you will be one of the wrongdoers. If Allah afflicts you with some hardship, no one but He can remove it, and if He intends some good for you, no one can turn back His grace. He bestows His grace on whichever of His servants He wills, and He is Forgiving and Merciful.'”
O Muhammad, say: “People, the truth has come to you from your Lord. Whoever now takes the right path, his right conduct benefits only himself, and whoever stays astray, his misguidance ruins only himself. I am not your keeper.”
And O Prophet, keep following the guidance being sent to you through revelation, and be patient until Allah gives His judgement. He is the best of judges.
Notes
Note 106. In this concluding portion, the same thing that was stated at the beginning of the discourse, has been reiterated. Therefore it will be worthwhile to keep in view the introductory passage (vv. 1-10).
Note 107. The Arabic word literally means “gives you death”, but it has been purposely translated into “who has power to cause your death” in order to convey its real spirit in the content it occurs. It implies this: “I worship only that One, who has full power over your life: He has complete authority and power to let you live as long as He wills and cause you to die at any moment He wills. That is why I am fully convinced that I should submit and surrender, worship, serve and obey Him alone.”
Now let us consider why of all His characteristics, this quality of Allah was specifically cited here. This was to bring home to the mushriks of Makkah that the doctrine of shirk was absolutely false. For they also believed (and all the mushriks have always believed) that death is entirely in the hands of Allah, the Lord of the universe, and none else has any power over it; so much so that they confessed that even those beings, whom they believed to be partners with God in other qualities and powers of, His, could not avert death even from themselves. Thus the mention of this quality of Allah along with the statement of the Doctrine of Tauhid has been made to serve as a proof of that creed. That is, “I serve Him only for He alone has the full power over life and death. Why should, then, I serve others who have no power at all over their own lives and deaths, not to mention the lives and deaths of others?” The eloquence and force of the statement has been enhanced manifold by saying, “…….Who gives you life and death” instead of “…..Who gives me life and death”. For this contains the statement of the Doctrine, its proof and invitation to it, all the three combined in one concise sentence. Had it been said, “…I serve that one Who gives me death,” then it would have implied, “I alone should serve Him”. But by saying. “……Who gives you death” the implication is: “It is not only I, who should serve Him, but you also should serve Him. For it is absolutely wrong to serve any other than Allah, Who alone has such powers.”
Note 108. The force of the Arabic words of the text “Dedicate yourself sincerely, exclusively and steadfastly to this Faith”, is worth deep consideration. The purpose might have been served by the use of such words as “Adopt this Faith” or “Follow this Faith”. But Allah considered such expressions as weak and incapable of serving the real purpose, which is implied in the wording of the Text. For the literal meaning is “Set your face steadfastly”, which implies, “You should steadfastly turn your face in one direction only, without turning it even slightly to right or left, or backward, and go on marching in the same direction.” Though these words were in themselves quite sufficient, the addition of the word made it all the more forceful. For (Hanif) is one who turns away from all others and exclusively turns to one direction. Thus what Allah demands is this: “Adopt this Faith, this Way of the worship of Allah and this way of life in such a manner that your worship, subjection, submission, servitude and obedience should be dedicated exclusively to Allah, the Lord of the universe, so that you do not deviate in the least after adopting this Way, you should have nothing to do with those ways that you have discarded and that you should not even have a look at the crooked paths that erroneous people follow.”
Note 109. This negative way of forbidding shirk has been purposely adopted. It implies this: “You should not at all be one of those, who set up in any way whatsoever other gods as partners with Allah in His essence, His attributes, His rights and His powers, whether that god be one’s own self or another man or a group of men or some spirit or Jinn or angel or some material or imaginary being.” The demand of Tauhid has been made both in the positive form, “Dedicate…. Faith”, and in the negative form, “and be not….other gods with Allah. ” Thus it forbids shirk both in creed and in deed, in individual and in collective life, in places of worship and in education, in courts and in legislative assemblies in political and in economic activities. Therefore it demands from the worshiper of Tauhid to adopt a different way in every aspect of life from the way of those who adulterate God-worship with ungodly worships, for the former can never be a fellow traveler with those who practice shirk. As such things can never be expected from him, it can never be imagined that he would follow them.
Thus it is clear that it cuts at the very root of shirk, both (Jali) open and (khafi) hidden. As a matter of fact, shirk in its latter form is even more dangerous and should therefore be avoided most scrupulously. This warning is necessary, as some foolish people consider it to be almost harmless just because it is hidden. The fact is that open shirk is like an avowed enemy who makes an attack in the open and hidden shirk is like an enemy in the guise of a friend. Or the former is like a disease of which the symptoms arc quite apparent and the latter like the hidden disease that gradually undermines one’s health. Thus it is obvious that when the ‘open’ shirk comes into conflict with the Faith of Tauhid, it may be cured. But the one who suffers from the `hidden’ shirk does not realize the threat posed by it and slowly and gradually succumbs to it, while the victim remains quite unaware that his Faith is being devoured by the deadly secret enemy.
[End of Section 11]
Editor’s Notes
The Arabic text above each section is the Uthmani script as published by Tanzil.net (via the AlQuran Cloud API), used with attribution.
Chapter 10, introduction, verses translated in Urdu & English, links of footnotes and English translation of footnotes.
Name: The name of this surah is taken merely as a label from verse 98, which alludes to Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him). The story of Prophet Yunus is not the subject of the surah.
Place of Revelation
The narrations indicate, and the content itself confirms, that the entire surah was revealed in Makkah. Some have supposed that a few of its verses belong to the Madinan period, but this is only a superficial conjecture. The flow of the discourse makes it clear that it is not a collection of separate speeches or of verses revealed on different occasions. It is one connected discourse from beginning to end, which must have been revealed all at once, and its content clearly shows that it belongs to the Makkan period.
Period of Revelation
We have not found any narration about when it was revealed. The content, however, suggests that it was revealed in the last phase of the Prophet’s stay in Makkah. Its tone clearly shows several things:
The opposition to the message has reached its full intensity.
The opponents are no longer willing to tolerate the Prophet and his followers among them.
There is no longer any hope that explanation and exhortation will bring them to the right path.
The time has come to warn them of the fate they must inevitably face if they finally and decisively reject the Prophet.
These features of the content are what tell us which surahs belong to the last Makkan phase. However, this surah contains no allusion to the Hijrah, so it should be dated before those surahs that contain some allusion to the Hijrah, whether subtle or explicit. With the period fixed in this way, there is no need to describe the historical background here. The background of this period has already been given in the introductions to Surah Al-An’am and Surah Al-A’raf.
Subject
The theme of the discourse is invitation, admonition and warning. The discourse opens along these lines:
People are astonished that a human being should come with the message of prophethood, and they needlessly accuse him of sorcery. Yet nothing in what he presents is strange, and none of it has anything to do with magic or soothsaying. He is only making you aware of two important realities.
The first is that the God who created this universe, and who is actually running its affairs, is alone your Master and Lord. He alone has the right to be served.
The second is that another phase of life will come after this worldly one. In it you will be raised again and will give an account of everything you did in your present life. You will then be rewarded or punished on one fundamental question: did you accept that same God as your Master and live righteously according to His will, or did you keep acting against it?
These two realities are facts in themselves, whether you accept them or not. He invites you to accept them and to shape your life according to them. If you accept his invitation, your own end will be good; otherwise you yourselves will see the evil result.
Topics Discussed
After this introduction, the following topics come up in a deliberate order:
Arguments for Tawhid and the Hereafter. The surah gives arguments for the oneness of God’s lordship and for the life of the Hereafter. These arguments can satisfy the reason and conscience of people who are free of ignorant prejudice. Such people care less about winning or losing an argument and more about protecting themselves from false thinking and its evil consequences.
Misconceptions and heedlessness. It clears up the misconceptions, and warns against the heedlessness, that were keeping people from accepting belief in Tawhid and the Hereafter (as they always do).
Objections to the Prophet. It answers the doubts and objections raised about the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the message he brought.
The next life. It gives advance news of what will happen in the second life. The purpose is that people take warning from it and correct their present conduct, so that they do not come to regret it later.
This life as a trial. It warns that the present worldly life is really a life of trial. The only time you have for this trial is the time you are alive and breathing in this world. If you waste that time and do not prepare to succeed by accepting the Prophet’s guidance, you will get no second chance. The coming of this Prophet, and the knowledge of reality that reaches you through this Quran, is the best opportunity you will have and the only one. If you do not benefit from it, you will regret it forever in the eternal life to come.
Ignorance and misguidance. It points to the open ignorance and misguidance found in people’s lives, which existed only because they were living without divine guidance.
The Stories of Nuh and Musa
In this connection, the story of Nuh (peace be upon him) is told briefly and that of Musa (peace be upon him) in somewhat more detail. Four points are meant to be impressed on the reader through them.
First: the way you are treating Muhammad (peace be upon him) resembles the way your predecessors treated Nuh and Musa (peace be upon them). Be certain that you will meet the same end that they met for that conduct.
Second: you see Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions helpless and weak today, but do not conclude that things will always stay this way. You do not know that the same God who stood behind Musa and Harun stands behind these people. He overturns circumstances in ways no one can foresee.
Third: God is giving you time to mend your ways. If you waste it, and then repent at the very last moment after God has seized you, as Pharaoh did, you will not be forgiven.
Fourth: those who had believed in Muhammad (peace be upon him) should not despair when they see how hostile their surroundings have become and how helpless they are against them, and they should understand how to work under such conditions. They are also warned about what comes after. When Allah, by His grace, delivers them from this state, they must not follow the course the Children of Israel took after being delivered from Egypt.
Conclusion
At the end, it is declared that this is the creed and the way of life that Allah has directed His Messenger to follow. No change whatsoever can be made to it. Whoever accepts it does good for himself, and whoever abandons it and strays onto wrong paths harms only himself.
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 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.
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
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]
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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 libral/citizen carries these qualities in his personal character. Yet the people of the whole nation chooses 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.
——————
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?
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 lift 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.
اگر کہیں 15اللہ لوگوں کے ساتھ بُرا معاملہ کرنے میں بھی اتنی ہی جلدی کرتا جتنی وہ دُنیا کی بھلائی مانگنے میں جلدی کرتے ہیں تو ان کے مہلت ِعمل کبھی کی ختم کر دی گئی ہوتی۔ ﴿مگر ہمارا یہ طریقہ نہیں ہے﴾ اِس لیے ہم اُن لوگوں کو جو ہم سے ملنے کی توقع نہیں رکھتے اُن کی سرکشی میں بھٹکنے کے لیے چھُو ٹ دے دیتے ہیں ۔ انسان کا یہ حال ہے کہ جب اُس پر کوئی سخت وقت آتا ہے تو کھڑے اور بیٹھے اور لیٹے ہم کو پُکارتا ہے، مگر جب ہم اُس کی مصیبت ٹال دیتے ہیں تو ایسا چل نکلتا ہے کہ گویا اُس نے کبھی اپنے کسی بُرے وقت پر ہم کو پُکارا ہی نہ تھا۔ اِس طرح حد سے گزر جانے والوں کے لیے ان کے کرتُوت خوشنما بنا دیے گئے ہیں۔ لوگو، تم سے پہلے کی قوموں کو 16﴿ جو اپنے اپنے زمانہ میں برسرِ عرُوج تھیں﴾ ہم نے ہلاک کر دیا جب انہوں نے ظلم کی روِش17 اختیار کی اور اُن کے رسول اُن کے پاس کھُلی کھُلی نشانیاں لے کر آئے اور انہوں نے ایمان لاکر ہی نہ دیا۔ اِس طرح ہم مجرموں کو اُن کے جرائم کا بدلہ دیا کرتے ہیں۔ اب اُن کے بعد ہم نے تم کو زمین میں ان کی جگہ دی ہے ، تا کہ دیکھیں تم کیسے عمل کرتے ہو۔18 جب انہیں ہماری صاف صاف باتیں سُنائی جاتی ہیں تو وہ لوگ جو ہم سے ملنے کی توقع نہیں رکھتے ، کہتے ہیں کہ ” اِس کے بجائے کوئی اور قرآن لاوٴ یا ا س میں کچھ ترمیم کرو“۔19 اے محمد ؐ ، ان سے کہو ” میرا یہ کام نہیں ہے کہ اپنی طرف سے اِس میں کوئی تغیّر و تبدّل کر لوں، میں تو بس اُس وحی کا پیرو ہوں جو میرے پاس بھیجی جاتی ہے۔ اگر میں اپنے ربّ کی نافرمانی کروں تو مجھے ایک بڑے ہولناک دن کے عذاب کا ڈر ہے۔“20 اور کہو” اگر اللہ کی مشیّت یہی ہوتی تو میں یہ قرآن تمہیں کبھی نہ سُناتا اور اللہ تمہیں اس کی خبر تک نہ دیتا ۔ آخر اس سے پہلے میں ایک عمر تمہارے درمیان گُزار چُکا ہوں ، کیا تم عقل سے کام نہیں لیتے 21؟ پھر اُس سے بڑھ کر ظالم اور کون ہوگا جو ایک جھوٹی بات گھڑ کر اللہ کی طرف منسُوب کرے یا اللہ کی واقعی آیات کو جھوٹا قرار دے۔22 یقیناً مجرم کبھی فلاح نہیں پا سکتے۔“23 یہ لوگ اللہ کے سوا اُن کی پرستش کر رہے ہیں جو ان کو نا نقصان پہنچا سکتے ہیں نہ نفع اور کہتے یہ ہیں کہ یہ اللہ کے ہاں ہمارے سفارشی ہیں۔ اے محمد ؐ ، ان سے کہو ” کیا تم اللہ کو اُس بات کی خبر دیتے ہو جسے نہ وہ آسمانوں میں جانتا ہے نہ زمین میں؟24“ پاک ہے وہ اور بالا وبرتر ہے اُس شرک سے جو یہ لوگ کرتے ہیں۔ ابتداءً سارے انسان ایک ہی اُمّت تھے ، بعد میں انہوں نے مختلف عقیدے اور مسلک بنا لیے25، اور اگر تیرے ربّ کی طرف سے پہلے ہی ایک بات طے نہ کر لی گئی ہوتی تو جس چیز میں وہ باہم اختلاف کر رہے ہیں اس کا فیصلہ کر دیا جاتا۔26 اور یہ جو وہ کہتے ہیں کہ اِس نبی ؐ پر اِ س کے ربّ کی طرف سے کوئی نشانی کیوں نہ اُتاری گئی،27 تو اِن سے کہو ” غیب کا مالک و مختار تو اللہ ہی ہے، اچھا، انتظار کرو ، میں بھی تمہارے ساتھ انتظار کرتا ہوں۔“28 ؏ ۲
Section 2
If¹⁵ Allah were as quick to deal harshly with people as they are to ask for worldly good, their time to act would have ended long ago. [But that is not Our way.] So We leave those who do not expect to meet Us to wander blindly in their rebellion.
Such is man: when hard times strike him, he calls on Us whether standing, sitting or lying down. But when We remove his hardship, he carries on as though he had never called on Us in any hour of distress. In this way the deeds of those who go beyond all limits are made to seem attractive to them.
People, We destroyed the nations before you¹⁶ [each of which was at its height in its own time] when they took the path of wrongdoing.¹⁷ Their messengers came to them with clear signs, and they would not believe. This is how We repay criminals for their crimes. Now We have made you their successors on the earth, to see how you will act.¹⁸
When Our clear verses are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet Us say, “Bring a different Quran instead of this, or make some changes to it.”¹⁹ O Muhammad, tell them, “It is not for me to change anything in it on my own. I only follow the revelation sent to me. If I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a terrible Day.”²⁰
And say, “Had Allah willed otherwise, I would never have recited this Quran to you, and Allah would not even have made it known to you. After all, I have already spent a lifetime among you before this. Do you not use your reason?²¹ Who, then, is more unjust than someone who invents a lie and attributes it to Allah, or who denies Allah’s true verses?²² Criminals will certainly never succeed.”²³
Besides Allah, these people worship things that can neither harm them nor benefit them, and they say, “These are our intercessors with Allah.” O Muhammad, tell them, “Are you informing Allah of something He does not know, either in the heavens or on the earth?”²⁴ Glory be to Him! He is far above the partners they associate with Him.
In the beginning, all people were a single community. Later they formed different beliefs and ways.²⁵ Had a word not already been decided by your Lord, the matter they differ over would have been settled between them.²⁶
As for their saying, “Why has no sign been sent down to this Prophet from his Lord?”,²⁷ tell them, “The unseen belongs to Allah alone. So wait. I too am waiting with you.”²⁸
[End of Section 2]
I read ان کے مہلت as ان کی مہلت and نا نقصان as نہ نقصان.
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Surah Yunus, Note 15
After the introductory sentences above, the discourse of admonition and explanation now begins. Before reading it, two points about its background should be kept in mind.
First, not long before this discourse, a prolonged and severely distressing famine had ended, and the people of Makkah had cried out under its hardship. During that famine, the stiff necks of the arrogant leaders of Quraysh had bowed low. They prayed and wept, idol worship declined, and turning to the One God increased. It reached the point where Abu Sufyan finally came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked him to pray to God to remove the calamity. But once the famine was over, the rains came and prosperity returned, the same rebellion, the same misdeeds and the same campaign against the true religion began again. The hearts that had started turning to God sank back into their old heedlessness. (See An-Nahl, verse 113; Al-Mu’minun, verses 75–77; Ad-Dukhan, verses 10–16.)
Second, whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) warned these people of the consequences of rejecting the truth, they would reply: why doesn’t the divine punishment you keep threatening us with actually come? What is taking it so long?
In response, they are told that God is quick to show mercy and kindness to people, but not equally quick to punish them and seize them for their sins. You want Him to send punishment at once in response to your challenges and your rebellion, just as He quickly removed the famine after hearing your prayers. But that is not God’s way. However rebellious people may be, He gives them ample opportunity to reform before He seizes them. He sends repeated warnings and keeps the rope slack. Only when the limit of leniency has been reached is the law of recompense enforced.
That is God’s way. The opposite is the way of small-minded people, the way you have followed: when calamity struck, you remembered God and began to wail and plead, and as soon as ease returned, you forgot everything. These are exactly the habits through which nations make themselves deserving of God’s punishment.
I read وپر as اوپر, رکھینی as رکھنی, and آکیوں as آ کیوں.
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Surah Yunus, Note 16
The original word is qarn. In Arabic it generally means “the people of an era.” However, the way the Quran uses this word in various places suggests that qarnrefers to a nation that was at its height in its own time and held leadership of the world, wholly or partly.
The destruction of such a nation does not necessarily mean that its people are wiped out entirely. Being brought down from its position of power and leadership is also a form of destruction. So are the ruin of its civilization and culture, the erasing of its identity, and the scattering of its parts until they are lost among other nations.
Surah Yunus, Note 17
The word zulm (wrongdoing) is not used here in the limited sense usually given to it. It covers every sin a person commits by going beyond the bounds of servitude to God. (For explanation, see Surah Al-Baqarah, Note 49.)
Surah Yunus, Note 18
Keep in mind that the Arabs are being addressed here. They are being told that earlier nations were each given the opportunity to act in their own time, but in the end they chose the path of wrongdoing and rebellion. They did not listen to the prophets sent to show them the right path, so they failed Our test and were removed from the field.
Now, O Arabs, your turn has come. You are being given the opportunity to act in their place. You stand in the same examination hall from which your predecessors were expelled after failing. If you do not want your end to be like theirs, make proper use of the opportunity you are being given. Learn from the history of earlier nations, and do not repeat the mistakes that caused their ruin.
I read گئ as گئے.
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Surah Yunus, Note 19
Their demand rested, first, on the assumption that what Muhammad (peace be upon him) was presenting did not come from God. They assumed it was the product of his own mind, and that he attributed it to God only to give his words more weight.
Second, they meant something like this: why have you started this debate about Tawhid, the Hereafter and moral restrictions? If you have risen to lead us, offer something that benefits the nation and visibly improves its worldly affairs. And if you refuse to change your message altogether, at least make it flexible enough for us to reach a compromise, more or less. We will accept some of what you say, and you accept some of what we say.
Your Tawhid should make some room for our shirk. Your worship of God should make some room for our worship of our desires and of the world. Your belief in the Hereafter should make some room for our hope that we can do whatever we like in this world and still somehow be saved in the Hereafter. Your absolute, uncompromising moral principles are also unacceptable to us. They should make room for our prejudices, our customs and traditions, our personal and national interests, and our desires.
Why not agree between us on a reasonable sphere for religion’s demands, within which we give God His due? After that, we should be left free to run our worldly affairs however we like. But you are going too far by trying to bind all of life and every affair to the belief in Tawhid and the Hereafter and to the rules of the Shari’ah.
I read یے as لیے.
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Surah Yunus, Note 20
This answers both points above. It states, first, that I am not the author of this Book. It has come to me through revelation, and I have no authority to change anything in it. It also states that there is absolutely no possibility of compromise in this matter. If you accept it, accept this entire religion exactly as it is; otherwise, reject all of it.
Surah Yunus, Note 21
This is a powerful argument. It refutes their idea that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was making up the Quran himself and attributing it to God. It also supports his claim that he was not its author and that it was being revealed to him from God. The other arguments were comparatively remote, but the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him) was right before these people’s eyes.
Before prophethood he had spent a full forty years among them. He was born in their city and grew from childhood to youth to middle age in front of them. He lived among them, mixed with them, did business with them and married among them. In short, every kind of social tie he had was with them, and no aspect of his life was hidden from them. What clearer testimony could there be than something so well known and so closely observed?
Two things about his life were perfectly plain, and every single person in Makkah knew them.
First: in the whole forty years before prophethood, he received no education, training or company from which he could have gained the knowledge that suddenly began to pour from his tongue once he claimed prophethood. He had never before been seen taking an interest in these questions, discussing these subjects or voicing these ideas, which were now being taken up in surah after surah of the Quran. Indeed, throughout those forty years, not even his closest friend or nearest relative noticed anything in his words or behaviour that could be called a prelude to the tremendous call he suddenly began to give at the age of forty.
This was clear proof that the Quran was not the product of his own mind but something that had come into him from outside. At no stage of life can the human mind produce something without clear signs of its growth and development in the stages before it. For this reason, when some of the shrewder people of Makkah realized that calling the Quran the product of his mind was plainly absurd, they began saying instead that someone else was teaching Muhammad these things. But this second claim was even more absurd than the first. Not just in Makkah but in all of Arabia, there was no one of such ability that anyone could point to him and say he was, or could be, the author of this speech. How could a man of such ability stay hidden in any society?
Second: his earlier life showed plainly that there was not the slightest trace in his character of lying, deceit, forgery, cunning, trickery or any similar trait. No one in the whole society could say that in forty years of living together they had experienced any such trait from him. On the contrary, everyone who had dealt with him knew him only as an utterly truthful, spotless and trustworthy person (al-Amin).
Just five years before prophethood, the well-known incident during the rebuilding of the Ka’bah had taken place. The different clans of Quraysh quarrelled over who would set the Black Stone in place. They agreed among themselves that the first person to enter the Haram the next morning would be accepted as arbiter. The next day, the one who entered was Muhammad (peace be upon him). As soon as they saw him, they all cried out, “Hadha al-Amin, radina, hadha Muhammad”: “This is the trustworthy one; we accept him. This is Muhammad.”
In this way, before appointing him as Prophet, Allah had already taken testimony from the entire tribe of Quraysh, in a crowded gathering, that he was al-Amin. Here was a man who had never once in his life used falsehood, forgery or deceit, even in the smallest matter. What grounds were there now to imagine that he had suddenly come forward with such an enormous lie and such a colossal fraud, composing words in his own mind and attributing them to God with full force and open challenge?
That is why Allah tells the Prophet (peace be upon him) to answer their absurd accusation by telling them: O servants of Allah, use some reason. I am not a stranger who has come from outside. I have already spent a lifetime among you. Given my past life, how can you expect that I could have presented this Quran to you without God’s teaching and command? (For further explanation, see Surah Al-Qasas, Note 109.)
I read کود as خود, محسوس کیا کر لیا as محسوس کر لیا, آپ میں as آپس میں, and اک as ایک.
———————
Surah Yunus, Note 22
In other words, if these verses are not from God, and I am composing them myself and presenting them as divine verses, then no one is more unjust than I am. But if they truly are Allah’s verses and you are denying them, then no one is more unjust than you.
Surah Yunus, Note 23
Some ignorant people take falah (success) to mean long life, worldly prosperity or worldly advancement. They then try to conclude from this verse that anyone who claims prophethood and stays alive, prospers in the world, or sees his message spread should be accepted as a true prophet, because he has attained falah. If he were not a true prophet, they argue, he would have been killed the moment he made the false claim, or starved to death, and his message would never have gained any hold in the world.
Only someone who fails to understand three things could make this foolish argument. He does not know what the Quranic term falah means. He is unaware of the law of respite (imhal) that, according to the Quran, Allah has set for criminals. And he does not understand the sense in which this sentence appears in the flow of the discourse.
First, in this context the statement “criminals never succeed” was not given as a test for judging anyone’s claim to prophethood. It is not meant to let ordinary people decide for themselves to accept a claimant who is “succeeding” and reject one who is not. It is said here in this sense: “I know with certainty that criminals cannot attain success, so I myself cannot commit the crime of falsely claiming prophethood. But I am certain that you are committing the crime of denying a true prophet, and so you will not attain success.”
Second, the word falah in the Quran does not carry the limited meaning of worldly success. It means lasting success that does not end in loss, whether or not it includes any kind of success in this early stage of worldly life. A caller to misguidance may live comfortably in this world, prosper greatly, and see his error spread widely, yet in the Quran’s terminology this is not falahbut sheer loss. Likewise, a caller to the truth may face severe hardship in this world. He may leave the world early, worn down by suffering or victimized by oppressors, with no one accepting his message. Yet in the Quran’s language this is not loss but true falah.
Moreover, the Quran explains in many places that Allah is not quick to seize criminals. He gives them ample time to reform. If they misuse that respite and grow worse, Allah gives them more rope, and often even showers them with blessings. This lets them bring every hidden wickedness of their souls fully into the open, so that by their own deeds they earn the punishment they truly deserve because of their evil qualities.
So if a false claimant’s rope is being lengthened and worldly “success” is raining down on him, it would be a serious mistake to treat his condition as proof that he is rightly guided. God’s law of respite and gradual approach to ruin (imhal wa istidraj) applies to false claimants to prophethood just as it applies to all criminals, and there is no evidence that they are exempt from it. Nor does the respite Allah granted Satan until the Day of Judgment mention any exception such as: “All your other deceptions will be allowed to work, but if you raise up a prophet of your own, that deception will not be allowed to work.”
Someone might answer this point by citing the verse in Surah Al-Haqqah, verses 44–47: وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ, meaning: “If Muhammad had invented something himself and attributed it to Us, We would have seized him by the hand and cut his heart’s artery.”
What this verse says, however, is that a person whom God has truly appointed as a prophet would be seized at once if he invented something false and presented it as revelation. To infer from this that any claimant to prophethood who is not being seized must be truthful is nothing but a logical fallacy. The exception to God’s law of respite and gradual ruin that this verse establishes applies only to a true prophet. It does not follow that someone who falsely claims prophethood is also exempt.
Obviously, a law the government makes for its employees applies only to people who really are government employees. Those who fraudulently present themselves as government officials are not subject to the service regulations. They are dealt with under criminal law, like ordinary scoundrels and criminals.
Furthermore, the verse of Surah Al-Haqqah was also not revealed to give people a test for judging a prophet, as if they should conclude that he is false if a hand appears from the unseen and suddenly cuts his heart’s artery, and otherwise accept that he is true. Such an unreasonable test might have been needed only if it were impossible to judge a prophet’s truthfulness or falsehood by his character, his work and what he presents.
Surah Yunus, Note 24
For something to be unknown to Allah means that it does not exist at all, since everything that exists is within Allah’s knowledge. This is therefore a very subtle way of stating that the intercessors do not exist. Allah does not know of anyone in the earth or the heavens who will intercede for you before Him, so what intercessors are you telling Him about?
Surah Yunus, Note 25
For explanation, see Surah Al-Baqarah, Note 230, and Al-An’am, Note 24.
Surah Yunus, Note 26
In other words, Allah decided beforehand to keep reality hidden from human senses and so put people’s reason, understanding, conscience and inner sense to the test. He also decided that those who fail this test and want to go the wrong way will be given the opportunity to take that path and follow it. Had He not made this decision, reality could have been unveiled today and every dispute settled.
This point is made here to clear up a major misunderstanding. People today are generally caught in the same confusion as people were when the Quran was revealed. There are many religions in the world, and the followers of each consider their own religion to be the truth. In that situation, how can it be decided who is right and who is not?
The answer given is that this diversity of religions is actually a later development. In the beginning, all humankind had one religion, and that religion was the truth. People then differed over that truth and went on forming different beliefs and religions.
Now, perhaps you think this tumult of religions can only be settled if God Himself unveils the truth and brings it before you, rather than through the proper use of reason and understanding. If so, that will not happen in this present worldly life. This life exists precisely as a test, and the whole test here is whether you recognize the truth through reason and understanding without seeing it.
I read نمرب as نمبر.
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Surah Yunus, Note 27
That is, a sign proving that he truly is a genuine prophet and that everything he presents is entirely correct.
Keep in mind that their demand for a sign was not made because they were sincerely ready to accept the call to truth. They were not prepared to reshape their morals, habits, social and civic order, and indeed their whole lives according to its demands, holding back only because they had not yet seen a sign in the Prophet’s support that would convince them of his prophethood. In reality, the demand for a sign was only an excuse for not believing. Whatever they were shown, they would still say that no sign had been shown to them at all, because they did not want to believe.
In their worldly lives they enjoyed the freedom to act however their desires and inclinations dictated, and to chase whatever they found pleasurable or profitable. They were not willing to give up that freedom to accept unseen realities (Tawhid and the Hereafter). Accepting those realities would have forced them to bind their entire way of life to permanent moral principles.
I read لےی as لیے, and “بہانے کے طور پیش جاتا تھا” as “بہانے کے طور پر پیش کیا جاتا تھا”.
——————
Surah Yunus, Note 28
In other words, I have presented what Allah has sent down. What He has not sent down is “unseen” for both you and me, and no one but God has any say over it. He may send it down if He wills, and not if He does not. If your belief depends on His sending down what He has not sent, then sit and wait for it. I too will watch to see whether your stubborn demand is met.
لوگوں کا حال یہ ہے کہ مصیبت کے بعد جب اُنہیں رحمت کا مزا چکھاتے ہیں تو فوراً ہی وہ ہماری نشانیوں کے معاملے میں چال بازیاں شروع کر دیتے ہیں۔29 ان سے کہو” اللہ اپنی چال میں تم سے زیادہ تیز ہے، اُس کے فرشتے تمہاری سب مکّاریوں کو قلمبند کر رہے ہیں۔“30 وہ اللہ ہی ہے جو تم کو خشکی اور تری میں چلاتا ہے۔ چنانچہ جب تم کشتیوں میں سوار ہو کر با دِ موافق پر فرحاں و شاداں سفر کر رہے ہوتے ہو اور پھر یکایک بادِ مخالف کا زور ہوتا ہے اور ہر طرف سے موجوں کے تھپیڑے لگتے ہیں اور مسافر سمجھ لیتے ہیں کہ گھِر گئے،اُس وقت سب اپنے دین کو اللہ ہی کے لیے خالص کر کے اُس سے دعائیں مانگتے ہیں کہ ” اگر تُو نے ہم کو اِس بلا سے نجات دے دی تو ہم شُکر گزار بندے بنیں گے ۔“31 مگر جب وہ اُن کو بچا لیتا ہے تو پھر وہی لوگ حق سے مُنحرف ہو کر زمین میں بغاوت کرنے لگتے ہیں ۔ لوگو، تمہاری یہ بغاوت اُلٹی تمہارے ہی خلاف پڑ رہی ہے۔ دُنیا کے چند روزہ مزے ہیں ﴿لُوٹ لو﴾ ، پھر ہمارے طرف تمہیں پلٹ کر آنا ہے ، اُس وقت ہم تمہیں بتا دیں گے کہ تم کیا کچھ کرتے رہے ہو۔ دنیا کی یہ زندگی ﴿جس کے نشے میں مست ہو کر ہماری نشانیوں سے غفلت برت رہے ہو ﴾ اس کے مثال ایسی ہے جیسے آسمان سے ہم نے پانی برسایا تو زمین کی پیداوار جسے آدمی اور جانور سب کھاتے ہیں ، خُوب گھنی ہوگئی پھر عین اُس وقت جب کہ زمین اپنی بہار پر تھی اور کھیتیاں بنی سنوری کھڑی تھیں اور اُن کے مالک سمجھ رہےتھے کہ اب ہم ان سے فائدہ اُٹھانے پر قادر ہیں، یکایک رات کو یا دن کو ہمارا حکم آگیا اور ہم نے اسے ایسا غارت کر کے رکھ دیا کہ گویا کل وہاں کُچھ تھا ہی نہیں۔ اس طرح ہم نشانیاں کھول کھول کر پیش کرتے ہیں اُن لوگوں کے لیے جو سوچنے سمجھنے والے ہیں۔﴿ تم اس ناپائیدار زندگی کے فریب میں مبتلا ہو رہے ہو﴾ اور اللہ تمہیں دارالسلام کی طرف دعوت دے رہا ہے۔32 ﴿ہدایت اُس کے اختیار میں ہے﴾ جس کو وہ چاہتا ہے سیدھا راستہ دکھا دیتا ہے ۔ جن لوگوں نے بھلائی کا طریقہ اختیار کیا اُن کے لیے بھلائی ہے اور مزید فضل۔33 ان کے چہروں پر رُو سیاہی اور ذلّت نہ چھائے گی ۔ وہ جنّت کے مستحق ہیں جہاں وہ ہمیشہ رہیں گے۔ اور جن لوگوں نے بُرائیاں کمائیں ان کی برائی جیسی ہے ویسا ہی وہ بدلہ پائیں گے،34 ذلّت ان پر مسلّط ہو گی ، کوئی اللہ سے ان کو بچانے والا نہ ہو گا ، ان کے چہروں پر ایسی تاریکی چھائی ہوئی ہو گی35 جیسے رات کے سیاہ پردے ان پر پڑے ہوئے ہوں، وہ دوزخ کے مستحق ہیں جہاں وہ ہمیشہ رہیں گے۔ جس روز ہم ان سب کو ایک ساتھ ﴿اپنی عدالت میں﴾ اکٹھا کریں گے، پھر ان لوگوں سے جنہوں نے شرک کیا ہے کہیں گے کہ ٹھہر جاوٴ تم بھی اور تمہارے بنائے ہوئے شریک بھی ، پھر ہم ان کے درمیان سے اجنبیت کا پردہ ہٹا دیں گے36 اور ان کے شریک کہیں گے کہ ” تم ہماری عبادت تو نہیں کرتے تھے ہمارے اور تمہارے درمیان اللہ کی گواہی کافی ہے کہ ﴿ تم اگر ہماری عبادت کرتے بھی تھے تو ﴾ ہم تمہاری اس عبادت سے بالکل بے خبر تھے۔“ 37اُس وقت ہر شخص اپنے کیے کا مزا چکھ لے گا، سب اپنے حقیقی مالک کی طرف پھیر دیے جائیں گے اور وہ سارے جھوٹ جو انہوں نے گھڑ رکھے تھے گُم ہو جائیں گے۔ ؏ ۳
Section 3
When We let people taste mercy after hardship has touched them, they immediately begin scheming against Our signs.²⁹ Tell them, “Allah is swifter in scheming than you. His angels are recording all your cunning.”³⁰
It is Allah who enables you to travel on land and sea. You sail in ships, rejoicing in a favourable wind. Then suddenly a violent contrary wind strikes, waves batter you from every side, and the travellers realize they are trapped. At that moment they all call on Allah, devoting their religion sincerely to Him alone: “If You save us from this calamity, we will surely be grateful servants.”³¹ But once He rescues them, those same people turn away from the truth and begin rebelling on the earth.
People, your rebellion is only turning against yourselves. [Enjoy] the few days of worldly pleasure. Then you must return to Us, and at that time We will tell you everything you used to do.
This worldly life [whose intoxication makes you neglect Our signs] is like this. We sent down water from the sky, and the earth’s vegetation, which people and animals alike eat, grew thick and lush. Then, just when the earth was at its most beautiful, the crops stood fully adorned, and their owners thought they were now able to enjoy their harvest, Our command came suddenly, by night or by day. We laid it waste so completely that it was as if nothing had been there the day before. In this way We explain Our signs in detail for people who reflect.
[You are being deceived by this fleeting life,] while Allah is inviting you to the Home of Peace.³² [Guidance is in His hands;] He shows the straight path to whomever He wills.
Those who chose the way of goodness will have goodness, and more besides.³³ No darkness or disgrace will cover their faces. They deserve Paradise, where they will remain forever.
Those who earned evil will receive a recompense equal to their evil.³⁴ Disgrace will overwhelm them, and no one will protect them from Allah. Their faces will be covered in darkness,³⁵ as if dark veils of night had been drawn over them. They deserve the Fire, where they will remain forever.
On the Day We gather them all together [in Our court], We will say to those who associated partners with Allah, “Stay where you are, you and the partners you made up.” Then We will remove the veil of unfamiliarity between them.³⁶ Their partners will say, “It was not us you worshipped. Allah is sufficient as a witness between us and you that [even if you did worship us,] we were completely unaware of your worship.”³⁷
At that time every soul will taste the result of what it did. All will be returned to their true Master, and every lie they had invented will vanish.
[End of Section 3]
I read ہمارے طرف as ہماری طرف and اس کے مثال as اس کی مثال.
———————
Surah Yunus, Note 29
This again refers to the famine mentioned earlier in verses 11–12. The point is: how can you have the nerve to ask for a sign? During the famine you just went through, you lost all hope in the deities you had made your intercessors with Allah. You used to say that an offering at such-and-such a shrine never fails, and that one only has to present an offering at such-and-such a tomb for one’s wish to be granted. You saw for yourselves that these so-called gods have nothing in their hands, and that Allah alone holds all power. That is exactly why you finally began praying to Allah alone.
Was that not a sufficient sign to convince you that the teaching Muhammad (peace be upon him) is giving you is true? Yet what did you do after seeing this sign? As soon as the famine ended and merciful rain brought your hardship to an end, you began inventing a thousand explanations and interpretations (schemes) for why the calamity had come and then gone. You did this to avoid accepting Tawhid and to hold on to your shirk. Now, what sign could be shown to people who have corrupted their conscience to such a degree, and what would be gained by showing it?
Surah Yunus, Note 30
Allah’s “scheming” means this: if you do not accept reality and correct your conduct accordingly, He will leave you free to continue on your rebellious course. As long as you live, He will keep favouring you with provision and blessings, so that the intoxication of life keeps you in its daze. Throughout that daze, Allah’s angels will quietly sit and record everything you do. Then, suddenly, the message of death will arrive, and you will be seized to give an account of your deeds.
Surah Yunus, Note 31
This sign of the truth of Tawhid is present within every human being. As long as circumstances are favourable, a person forgets God and prides himself on his worldly life. But once the means he relied on abandon him and all the supports he lived by collapse, even the most hardened polytheist and the most stubborn atheist feel this testimony well up from their hearts: some God is in control of this whole world of causes, and He is the one, all-powerful and all-mighty God. (See Al-An’am, Note 29.)
Surah Yunus, Note 32
That is, to the way of living in this world that will make you deserving of Dar as-Salam in the life of the Hereafter. Dar as-Salam means Paradise. It means “the Home of Peace,” a place free of every calamity, loss, grief and hardship.
Surah Yunus, Note 33
That is, they will not receive a reward matching only their good deeds. Allah, out of His grace, will also grant them further rewards.
Surah Yunus, Note 34
That is, unlike the righteous, the wrongdoers will be dealt with this way: they will be punished exactly in proportion to their evil. They will never be punished even a particle more than their crime. (For further explanation, see An-Naml, Note 109a.)
Surah Yunus, Note 35
This is the darkness that falls over the faces of criminals when they have been caught and have lost all hope of escape.
I read بنائَ as بنائے.
————-
Surah Yunus, Note 36
The original text has the words فَزَيَّلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ (fa-zayyalna baynahum). Some commentators take this to mean “We will break the bonds and ties between them,” so that they no longer show each other any consideration on account of a relationship. That meaning, however, does not fit Arabic idiom. According to Arabic usage, the correct meaning is “We will create a distinction between them” or “We will set them apart from one another.”
To convey this meaning, I have used the phrase “We will remove the veil of unfamiliarity between them.” That is, the polytheists and the beings they worshipped will stand face to face, and each group’s identity will become clear to the other. The polytheists will realize, “These are the ones we made our deities in the world,” and their deities will realize, “These are the ones who made us their deities.”
Surah Yunus, Note 37
That is, all the angels who were worshipped in the world as gods and goddesses, and all the jinn, spirits, forebears, ancestors, prophets, saints, martyrs and others who were made partners in God’s attributes and given rights that truly belonged to God, will tell their worshippers plainly there: “We did not even know that you were worshipping us. None of your prayers, entreaties, cries or pleas reached us. None of your vows and offerings reached us, nor anything you presented to us, nor any praise or glorification, nor any chanting of our names. None of your prostrations, your kissing of thresholds or your circling of shrines ever reached us.”
I read یعن as یعنی, ارو as اور, کوئِ as کوئی, and چڑہاوے کی چیر as چڑھاوے کی چیز.
اِن سے پوچھو ، کون تم کو آسمان اور زمین سے رزق دیتا ہے ؟ یہ سماعت اور بینائی کی قوتیں کس کے اختیار میں ہیں؟ کون بے جان میں سے جاندار کو اور جاندار میں سے بےجان کو نکالتا ہے؟ کون اِس نظمِ عالم کی تدبیر کر رہا ہے؟ وہ ضرور کہیں گے کہ اللہ ۔ کہو، پھر تم ﴿حقیقت کے خلاف چلنے سے﴾ پرہیز نہیں کرتے؟ تب تو یہی اللہ تمہارا حقیقی ربّ ہے۔38 پھر حق کے بعد گمراہی کے سوا اور کیا باقی رہ گیا؟ آخر یہ تم کدھر پھرائے جار ہے ہو؟39 ﴿اے نبی ؐ ، دیکھو﴾ اس طرح نافرمانی اختیار کرنے والوں پر تمہارے ربّ کی بات صادق آگئی کہ وہ مان کر نہ دیں گے۔40 اِن سے پوچھو، تمہارے ٹھہرائے ہوئے شریکوں میں کوئی ہے جو تخلیق کی ابتداء بھی کرتا ہو اور پھر اس کا اعادہ بھی کرے؟۔۔۔۔ کہو وہ صرف اللہ ہے جو تخلیق کی ابتداء کرتا ہے اور اس کا اعادہ بھی،41 پھر تم یہ کس اُلٹی راہ پر چلائے جا رہے ہو ؟42 اِن سے پوچھو تمہارے ٹھہرائے ہوئے شریکوں میں کوئی ایسا بھی ہے جو حق کی طرف رہنمائی کرتا ہو؟43۔۔۔۔ کہو وہ صرف اللہ ہے جو حق کی طرف رہنمائی کرتا ہے ۔ پھر بھلا بتاوٴ جو حق کی طرف رہنمائی کرتا ہے وہ اِس دنیا کا زیادہ مستحق ہے کہ اس کی پیروی کی جائے یا وہ جو رہنمائی نہیں کر سکتا اِلّا یہ کہ اس کی رہنمائی کی جائے؟ آخر تمہیں ہو کیا گیا ہے، کیسے اُلٹے فیصلے کرتے ہو؟ حقیقت یہ ہے کہ اِن میں سے اکثر لوگ محض قیاس و گمان کے پیچھے چلے جارہے ہیں 44، حالانکہ گمان حق کی ضرورت کو کچھ بھی پُورا نہیں کرتا۔ جو کچھ یہ کر رہے ہیں اللہ اُس کو خوب جانتا ہے۔ اور یہ قرآن وہ چیز نہیں ہے جو اللہ وحی و تعلیم کے بغیر تصنیف کر لیا جائے۔ بلکہ یہ تو جو کچھ پہلے آچکا تھا اس کی تصدیق اور الکتاب کی تفصیل ہے۔45 اِس میں کوئی شک نہیں کہ یہ فرمانروائے کائنات کی طرف سے ہے۔ کیا یہ لوگ کہتے ہیں کہ پیغمبر ؐ نے اسے خود تصنیف کر لیا ہے؟ کہو، ” اگر تم اپنے اس الزام میں سچے ہو تو ایک سُورة اس جیسی تصنیف کر لاوٴ اور ایک خدا کو چھوڑ کر جس جس کو بُلا سکتے ہو مدد کے لیے بلا لو۔46“ اصل بات یہ ہے کہ جو چیز اِن کے علم کی گرفت میں نہیں آئی اور جس کا مآل بھی ان کے سامنے نہیں آیا اُس کو اِنہوں نے ﴿خواہ مخواہ اٹکل پِچّو﴾ جھُٹلا دیا۔47 اِسی طرح تو ان سے پہلے کے لوگ بھی جھُٹلا چکے ہیں پھر دیکھ لو اُن ظالموں کا کیا انجام ہُوا۔ اِن میں سے کچھ لوگ ایمان لائیں گے اور کچھ نہیں لائیں گے اور تیرا ربّ اُن مفسدوں کو خوب جانتا ہے۔48 ؏ ۴
Section 4
Ask them: “Who provides for you from the sky and the earth? Who controls these faculties of hearing and sight? Who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? Who is managing the order of the universe?” They will surely say, “Allah.” Say, “Then will you not guard yourselves [against going against reality]? This Allah, then, is your true Lord.³⁸ After the truth, what remains but misguidance? Where, then, are you being turned?”³⁹ [O Prophet, see] how your Lord’s word has come true about those who chose disobedience: they will not believe.⁴⁰
Ask them: “Is there any among the partners you have set up who begins creation and then repeats it?” Say, “It is Allah alone who begins creation and then repeats it.⁴¹ So on what backward path are you being led?”⁴²
Ask them: “Is there any among the partners you have set up who guides to the truth?”⁴³ Say, “It is Allah alone who guides to the truth. Tell me, then: which is more worthy of being followed, the One who guides to the truth, or one who cannot find guidance unless he is guided? What is wrong with you? How perverse your judgements are!”
The truth is that most of them are only following conjecture and guesswork,⁴⁴ and guesswork can in no way serve as a substitute for the truth. Allah knows full well what they are doing.
This Quran is not something that could be composed without Allah’s revelation and teaching. Rather, it confirms what came before it and is a detailed exposition of the Book.⁴⁵ There is no doubt that it is from the Sovereign of the universe.
Do they say that the Prophet has composed it himself? Say, “If you are truthful in this accusation, then produce one surah like it, and call for help on anyone you can besides the One God.”⁴⁶ The truth is that they [recklessly, by guesswork,] denied something that their knowledge has not grasped and whose outcome has not yet come before them.⁴⁷ The people before them denied in exactly the same way, so see what became of those wrongdoers.
Some of them will believe and some will not, and your Lord knows the corrupters best.⁴⁸
[End of Section 4]
I read “اللہ وحی و تعلیم” as “اللہ کی وحی و تعلیم” and “اِس دنیا کا زیادہ مستحق” as “اِس بات کا زیادہ مستحق.” The line “تب تو یہی اللہ تمہارا حقیقی ربّ ہے” follows the Prophet’s question in the source, so I kept it inside the Prophet’s reply rather than moving it.
—————-
Surah Yunus, Note 38
In other words, if all these works belong to Allah, as you yourselves admit, then Allah alone is your true Sustainer, Owner and Master, and He alone has the right to your servitude and worship. How did others, who have no share in any of these works, become partners in His lordship?
Surah Yunus, Note 39
Note that the address is to people in general. The question put to them is not “Where are you turning?” but “Where are you being turned?” This clearly shows that some misleading person or group is present, diverting people from the right direction and turning them in the wrong one.
That is why the appeal to people is: why are you blindly following those who mislead you? Why don’t you use your own reason and ask, when this is the reality, where you are being led?
The Quran uses this form of question in many such places. Each time, instead of naming those who mislead, it hides them behind the passive voice. This lets their followers reflect calmly on their own situation. It also denies anyone the chance to provoke them and upset their mental balance by saying, “Look, your elders and leaders are being attacked.” Hidden in this is an important principle of wisdom in conveying the message, which should not be overlooked.
Surah Yunus, Note 40
In other words, the matter is explained with such clear and easily understood arguments, yet those who have decided not to believe will not accept it in any way because of their stubbornness.
Surah Yunus, Note 41
As for the beginning of creation, the polytheists already accepted that it was Allah’s work alone and that none of their partners had any share in it. As for repeating creation, it is obvious that the one who created in the first place can also repeat that act of creation. How could anyone unable to create in the first place be able to create again?
This is plainly reasonable, and the polytheists’ own hearts testified inwardly that it was entirely sound. Yet they hesitated to admit it, because once they accepted it, denying the Hereafter would become difficult. That is why, in the earlier questions, Allah said that they themselves would answer that these works belong to Allah. Here, instead, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is told to declare openly that the work of beginning creation and repeating it also belongs to Allah alone.
Surah Yunus, Note 42
In other words, the thread of your beginning is in Allah’s hands, and so is the thread of your end. So be your own well-wishers and think for a moment: how are you being persuaded that someone other than Allah has acquired the right to your servitude and devotion in between?
Surah Yunus, Note 43
This is a very important question and deserves to be understood in some detail. Human needs in this world are not limited to obtaining food, drink, clothing and the means of living, and to being protected from calamities, hardships and losses. People also have another need, and in fact their greatest need: to know the right way to live in this world. They need to know how to deal with:
their own selves
their own powers and abilities
the resources on earth placed under their control
the countless people they deal with in various capacities
the whole order of the universe, under which they must work in any case
They need to know what to do and how to do it, so that their life as a whole succeeds and their efforts and labours are not wasted on wrong paths that end in ruin and destruction. This right way is called al-haqq (the truth), and the guidance that leads a person to it is hidayat al-haqq, guidance to the truth.
Now the Quran asks all the polytheists, and everyone who refuses to accept the Prophet’s teaching: is there anyone among those you serve besides God who is, or could be, a means of obtaining guidance to the truth for you? Obviously, the only possible answer is no. The beings people serve besides God fall into two broad categories.
The first category is the goddesses, gods and living or dead human beings who are worshipped. People turn to them only so that they may fulfil their needs and protect them from calamities by supernatural means. Guidance to the truth has never come from them, no polytheist has ever turned to them for it, and no polytheist claims that these deities teach him principles of morality, society, culture, economics, politics, law, justice and so on.
The second category is the human beings whose principles and laws are followed and obeyed. They are certainly guides, but the question is whether they really are, or could be, guides to the truth.
Does the knowledge of any of them cover all the realities one must know in order to lay down sound principles for human life? Does the vision of any of them take in the whole range across which the problems of human life are spread? Is any of them free of the weaknesses, prejudices, personal or group interests, selfish aims and desires, and inclinations and leanings that prevent the making of just laws for human society?
If the answer is no, and obviously no sane person can answer these questions with yes, how can such people be the source of guidance to the truth?
That is why the Quran asks: O people, among these religious deities and cultural gods of yours, is there anyone who can guide you to the right path? Taken together with the questions before it, this final question settles the entire matter of religion.
All human needs are of two kinds.
The first kind is the need for someone to be one’s Sustainer, a refuge and shelter, someone who hears prayers and fulfils needs. Living among the unstable supports of this world of causes, a person needs a permanent support to hold on to. The earlier questions settled that no one but God can meet this need.
The second kind is the need for a guide who can teach the right principles for living in this world, whose laws of life can be followed with complete trust and confidence. This final question settled that this too is God alone.
After this, nothing remains but stubbornness and obstinacy to keep a person clinging to polytheistic religions and to secular principles of culture, morality and politics.
I read طریوے as طریقے, رحجانات as رجحانات, and ملجا و مادیٰ as ملجا و ماویٰ.
————
Surah Yunus, Note 44
In other words, those who founded religions, composed philosophies and devised laws of life did all this on the basis of conjecture and guesswork, not knowledge. And those who followed these religious and worldly leaders did not do so knowingly and with understanding either. They followed them only on the assumption that such great people must surely be right: after all, their forefathers had been accepting them, and a whole world was following them.
Surah Yunus, Note 45
“It confirms what came before it” means that, from the beginning, fundamental teachings have been sent to humankind through the prophets (peace be upon them). This Quran does not present anything new that departs from them; it confirms and endorses them. If it were the product of the mind of some new religion’s founder, it would certainly show an attempt to mix a distinctive colour of his own into the old truths, in order to highlight his own originality.
“It is a detailed exposition of the Book” means that the fundamental teachings forming the essence of all revealed scriptures (al-Kitab, “the Book”) are set out in it at length. They are presented with arguments and evidence, with exhortation and explanation, with commentary and clarification, and with application to practical situations.
I read گا اتباع as کا اتباع and تحا as تھا. The opening quotation mark before “جو کچھ پہلے آچکا تھا” is also missing in the source.
—-
Surah Yunus, Note 46
People generally think this challenge concerned only the Quran’s eloquence, rhetoric and literary excellence. Given the way the inimitability of the Quran (i’jaz al-Quran) has usually been discussed, this misunderstanding is not surprising. But the Quran stands far above basing its claim to uniqueness on its verbal beauty alone. The Quran is certainly unmatched in its language as well. Yet the real reason it is said that the human mind cannot produce such a book is its content and its teachings.
The Quran itself sets out, in various places, the aspects of its inimitability and the reasons that make its divine origin certain and a human author impossible. I have explained all such passages before and will continue to do so. To avoid excessive length, I will not go into that discussion here. (For explanation, see At-Tur, Notes 26 and 27.)
Surah Yunus, Note 47
This Book could reasonably be denied on only two grounds. Either these people had established through investigation that it was a forged book, or the realities it describes and the news it gives had been proven false. Neither ground exists here.
No one can claim to know that this Book was fabricated and attributed to God. No one has looked behind the veil of the unseen and seen that there really are many gods and that this Book is needlessly announcing only one God. Nor has anyone seen that God, angels and revelation have no reality and that this Book has needlessly invented the whole story. And no one has died and seen that the news this Book gives about a second life, its reckoning, and its reward and punishment is false.
In spite of all this, the Book is being denied on the basis of mere doubt and guesswork, with as much confidence as if its forgery and falsehood had been established through research.
Surah Yunus, Note 48
About those who do not believe, it is said that “your Lord knows the corrupters best.” In other words, they may silence the world by saying, “Sir, we simply don’t understand it, so we reject it in good faith.” But God knows the hidden secrets of hearts and consciences. He knows about each one of them exactly how that person:
locked his heart and mind
lost himself in heedlessness
suppressed the voice of his conscience
kept the heart’s testimony to the truth from rising
destroyed his mind’s capacity to accept the truth
heard and yet did not hear
tried not to understand even while understanding
put his prejudices, worldly interests, tangled inner motives, and desires and cravings ahead of the truth
That is why they are not “innocent people who went astray” but corrupters in reality.
I read یلے as لیے, کہ کہ as کہ, ک ہ as کہ, and درحقیت as درحقیقت. I translated “اپنی باطن سے اُلجھی ہوئی اغراض” as “tangled inner motives.” It may be a typo for “باطل سے اُلجھی ہوئی اغراض” (“motives entangled with falsehood”), so you may want to check it against the printed edition.
اگر یہ تجھے جھُٹلاتے ہیں تو کہہ دے کہ ” میرا عمل میرے لیے ہے اور تمہارا عمل تمہارے لیے، جو کچھ میں کرتا ہوں اس کی ذمہ داری سے تم بَری ہو اور جو کچھ تم کر رہے ہو اُس کی ذمہ داری سے میں بَری ہوں۔“49 ان میں بہت سے لوگ ہیں جو تیری باتیں سُنتے ہیں ، مگر کیا تُو بہروں کو سُنائے گا خواہ وہ کچھ نہ سمجھتے ہوں؟50 اِن میں سے بہت سے لوگ ہیں جو تجھے دیکھتے ہیں ، مگر کیا تُو اندھوں کو راہ بتائے گا خواہ انہیں کچھ نہ سُو جھتا ہو؟51 حقیقت یہ ہے کہ اللہ لوگوں پر ظلم نہیں کرتا، لوگ خود ہی اپنے اُوپر ظلم کرتے ہیں۔52 ﴿آج یہ دُنیا کی زندگی میں مست ہیں﴾ اور جس روز اللہ اِن کو اکٹھا کرے گا تو ﴿یہی دُنیا کی زندگی اِنہیں ایسی محسُوس ہوگی﴾ گویا یہ محض ایک گھڑی بھر آپس میں جان پہچان کرنے کو ٹھہرے تھے۔53 ﴿اُس وقت تحقیق ہو جائے گا کہ﴾ فی الواقع سخت گھاٹے میں رہے وہ لوگ جنہوں نے اللہ کی ملاقات کو جھُٹلایا54 اور ہر گز وہ راہِ راست پر نہ تھے ۔جِن بُرے نتائج سے ہم انہیں ڈرا رہے ہیں ان کا کوئی حصہ ہم تیرے جیتے جی دکھا دیں یا اس سے پہلے ہی تجھے اُٹھالیں، بہرحال اِنہیں آنا ہماری ہی طرف ہے اور جو کچھ یہ کر رہے ہیں اس پر اللہ گواہ ہے۔ ہر اُمّت کے لیے ایک رسُول ہے55، پھر جب کسی اُمّت کے پاس اُس کا رسُول آجاتا ہے تو اس کا فیصلہ پُورے انصاف کے ساتھ چُکا دیا جاتا ہے اور اس پر ذرہ برابر ظلم نہیں کیا جاتا۔56 کہتے ہیں اگر تمہاری یہ دھمکی سچی ہے تو آخر یہ کب پُوری ہوگی؟ کہو ” میرے اختیار میں خُود اپنا نفع و ضرر بھی نہیں، سب کچھ اللہ کی مشیّت پر موقوف ہے۔57 ہر اُمّت کے لیے مہلت کی ایک مدّت ہے، جب یہ مدّت پُوری ہو جاتی ہے تو گھڑی بھر کی تقدیم و تاخیر بھی نہیں ہوتی۔“58 اِن سے کہو ، کبھی تم نے یہ بھی سوچا کہ اگر اللہ کا عذاب اچانک رات کو یا دن کو آجائے﴿تو تم کیا کر سکتے ہو؟﴾۔ آخِر یہ ایسی کون سی چیز ہے جس کے لیے مجرم جلدی مچائیں؟ کیا جب وہ تم پر آپڑے اسی وقت تم اسے مانو گے؟۔۔۔۔اب بچنا چاہتے ہو؟ حالانکہ تم خود ہی اس کے جلدی آنے کا تقاضا کر رہے تھے ! پھر ظالموں سے کہا جائے گا کہ اب ہمیشہ کا عذاب چکھو، جو کچھ تم کماتے رہے ہو اس کی پاداش کے سوا اور کیا بدلہ تم کو دیا جا سکتا ہے؟ پھر پُوچھتے ہیں کیا واقعی یہ سچ ہے جو تم کہہ رہے ہوِ کہو ” میرے ربّ کی قسم، یہ بالکل سچ ہے اور تم اتنا بل بُوتا نہیں رکھتے کہ اسے ظہُور میں آنے سے روک دو۔“ ؏ ۵
Section 5
If they deny you, say: “My deeds are mine and your deeds are yours. You are free of responsibility for what I do, and I am free of responsibility for what you do.”⁴⁹
Many of them listen to you, but can you make the deaf hear, even when they understand nothing?⁵⁰ Many of them look at you, but can you guide the blind, even when they see nothing?⁵¹ The truth is that Allah does not wrong people at all; people wrong themselves.⁵²
[Today they are intoxicated with the life of this world,] but on the Day Allah gathers them together, [this same worldly life will feel to them] as if they had stayed only an hour to get acquainted with one another.⁵³ [At that time it will become clear that] those who denied the meeting with Allah were truly the great losers,⁵⁴ and they were never on the right path.
Whether We show you some of the evil consequences We are warning them of during your lifetime, or take you before that, in any case they must return to Us, and Allah is witness to everything they are doing.
Every community has a messenger.⁵⁵ When a community’s messenger comes to it, its case is decided with complete justice, and it is not wronged in the least.⁵⁶
They say, “If your threat is true, when will it be fulfilled?” Say, “I have no power even over my own benefit or harm; everything depends on Allah’s will.⁵⁷ Every community has a term of respite. When that term is complete, it is not delayed or advanced by even an hour.”⁵⁸
Say to them, “Have you ever considered what [you could do] if Allah’s punishment came upon you suddenly, by night or by day? What is it about this that makes criminals so eager to hurry it on? Will you believe in it only when it actually falls upon you? Now you want to escape it? Yet you yourselves were demanding that it come quickly!” Then the wrongdoers will be told, “Now taste everlasting punishment. What recompense can you be given other than the consequence of what you kept earning?”
They ask, “Is what you say really true?” Say, “Yes, by my Lord, it is absolutely true, and you do not have the power to stop it from happening.”
[End of Section 5]
I read “کہہ رہے ہوِ کہو” as “کہہ رہے ہو؟ کہو”.
—————-/
Surah Yunus, Note 49
In other words, there is no need for pointless quarrels and perverse arguments. If I am inventing lies, I alone am responsible for my deeds, and none of that responsibility falls on you. And if you are denying the truth, you do me no harm; you harm only yourselves.
Surah Yunus, Note 50
One kind of hearing is the way even animals hear a sound. Another kind involves attention to meaning and a readiness to accept what is said if it is reasonable. Some people are gripped by prejudice and have decided in advance never to accept anything, however reasonable, that goes against their inherited beliefs and customs or against their desires and interests. They hear everything and still do not hear.
The same is true of people who live in the world heedlessly like animals, caring for nothing beyond grazing and feeding. It is also true of those so intoxicated with pleasures and desires that they never ask whether what they are doing is even right. Such people are not deaf in their ears, but they are deaf in their hearts.
Surah Yunus, Note 51
The same point is made here as in the previous sentence. Having the eyes in one’s head open is of no use by itself; after all, even an animal sees with those. What really matters is that the eyes of the heart be open. A person who lacks this sees everything and still sees nothing.
In these two verses, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is addressed, but the reproach is aimed at the people he was striving to reform. Even this reproach is not meant merely to reproach. The sharp barb of sarcasm is driven in so that its sting might awaken their dormant humanity a little, and open the path from their eyes and ears to their hearts, so that reasonable words and heartfelt counsel can reach them.
This style of speech is like the following situation. A good man lives among corrupt people with the highest moral character. With complete sincerity and concern, he tries to make them aware of the degraded state they have fallen into. With great reason and seriousness, he tries to explain what is wrong with their way of life and what the right way of life is. Yet no one learns from his pure life, and no one pays attention to his well-meaning advice.
Then, at the very moment he is busy explaining things to them and they are ignoring every word, a friend of his comes up and says: “My friend, what deaf people are you trying to make hear, and what blind people are you trying to show the way? The ears of their hearts are shut, and the eyes of their hearts are put out.” In saying this, the friend does not mean that the righteous man should give up his efforts at reform. His real aim is that perhaps this very sarcasm and reproach might bring these sleepers to their senses a little.
Surah Yunus, Note 52
In other words, Allah has given them ears, eyes and hearts. He has not been stingy in giving them anything needed to see and understand the difference between truth and falsehood. But people, enslaved to their desires and infatuated with the world, have put out their own eyes and deafened their own ears. They have so disfigured their hearts that no trace remains in them of the ability to tell good from bad, of the understanding of right and wrong, or of a living conscience.
Surah Yunus, Note 53
That is, on one side the boundless life of the Hereafter will be before them, and on the other they will look back on their worldly life. Compared with that future, their past will seem utterly insignificant. At that moment they will realize how great a folly they committed by ruining their eternal future for the sake of a few pleasures and gains in their earlier life.
Surah Yunus, Note 54
That is, the fact that one day they must appear before Allah.
I read دلارہا ہوں as دلا رہا ہو, and ھِیے کی آنکھیں as ہیے کی آنکھیں (“the eyes of the heart”).
———-
Surah Yunus, Note 55
55Here the word (ummat) does not merely mean a nation or a community but includes all those people whom the Message of a Messenger reaches after his appointment, even though he be not alive among them. More than this: as long as his teachings remain intact and within the reach of everyone to ascertain what they really are, all such people will be treated and judged as his ummat and their cases decided with justice in accordance with v. 47. According to this standard, all the people of the world are the ummat of Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him), and will remain so, as long as the Qur’an continues to be published in its original and complete form as today. That is why it has not been . said, “There is a Messenger in every ummat” but “There is a Messenger for every ummat. ”
Surah Yunus, Note 56
56That is, when the Message of a Messenger reaches a people, they should know that henceforth they are on trial and that no excuse would be accepted that they were ignorant of it. Then judgment is passed on them with scrupulous justice. Those, who accept the Message and mend their way in accordance with it, are declared to be worthy of Allah’s blessings, and those who reject it are doomed to a torment that may be inflicted both in this world and in the next World or only in the Hereafter.
( from cloude noticing of wrong / copy paste problem…“
Surah Yunus, Note 55
The word ummah here does not simply mean a nation. After a messenger comes, everyone his message reaches is his ummah. It is also not necessary for the messenger to be alive among them. Even after the messenger is gone, as long as his teaching survives and anyone can find out what he actually taught, all the people of the world count as his ummah, and the ruling stated next applies to them.
In this sense, since the coming of Muhammad (peace be upon him), all of humanity is his ummah, and it will remain so as long as the Quran continues to be available in its pure form. That is why the verse does not say “every nation has a messenger,” but rather “every ummah has a messenger.”
Surah Yunus, Note 56
The point is that when a messenger’s call reaches any group of people, Allah’s proof against that group is complete. After that, only the judgement remains; no further completion of proof is needed. That judgement is made with the utmost justice. Those who accept the messenger’s message and correct their conduct are counted worthy of Allah’s mercy. Those who reject it become deserving of punishment, whether that punishment is given in both this world and the Hereafter, or only in the Hereafter.
The opening of this note in your text is out of place and seems to have been pasted from Surah Al-Baqarah, from the note introducing Bani Isra’il. It explains that Isra’il means “servant of God,” Ya’qub’s God-given title, and that a long address to that nation runs until the fourteenth section. It breaks off mid-sentence, and the actual Yunus note starts at “مطلب یہ ہے”. I’ve translated only the Yunus portion above. You may want to check the source file for this note.”
Surah Yunus, Note 57
In other words, when did I ever say that I would pass this judgement and punish those who refuse to believe? So why ask me when the threatened judgement will be carried out? The threat was made by Allah. He will pass the judgement, and it is up to Him when to decide and in what form to bring it before you.
Surah Yunus, Note 58
The point is that Allah is not hasty. It is not His way to treat whoever believes the moment a messenger’s call reaches a person or group as deserving mercy, and at once enforce a judgement of punishment on anyone who rejects it or hesitates to accept it.
Allah’s rule is this: after delivering His message, He gives ample time to think, understand and reform. He gives it to each individual according to his individual position, and to each group and nation according to its collective position. This period of respite sometimes stretches over centuries, and Allah alone knows best how much respite each should receive.
Then, when that respite, set with complete justice, has run out and the person or group still has not turned back from their rebellious course, Allah enforces His judgement upon them. That moment of judgement cannot come even an hour before the term Allah has fixed, and once the time has arrived, it cannot be put off for even a moment.
اگر ہر اُس شخص کے پاس جس نے ظلم کیا ہے، رُوئے زمین کی دولت بھی ہو تو اُس عذاب سے بچنے کے لیے وہ اُسے فدیہ میں دینے پر آمادہ ہو جائے گا۔ جب یہ لوگ اس عذاب کو دیکھ لیں گے تو دل ہی دل میں پچھتائیں گے۔59 مگر ان کے درمیان پورے انصاف سے فیصلہ کیا جائے گا، کوئی ظلم ان پر نہ ہو گا۔ سُنو! آسمانوں اور زمین میں جو کچھ ہے اللہ کا ہے۔ سُن رکھو ! اللہ کا وعدہ سچا ہے مگر اکثر انسان جانتے نہیں ہیں۔ وہی زندگی بخشتا ہے اور وہی موت دیتا ہے اور اسی کی طرف تم سب کو پلٹنا ہو گا۔ لوگو، تمہارے پاس تمہارے ربّ کی طرف سے نصیحت آگئی ہے۔ یہ وہ چیز ہے جو دلوں کے امراض کی شفا ہے اور جو اسے قبول کر لیں ان کے لیے رہنمائی اور رحمت ہے۔ اے نبی ؐ ، کہو کہ” یہ اللہ کا فضل اور اُس کی مہربانی ہے کہ یہ چیز اُس نے بھیجی، اس پر تو لوگوں کو خوشی منانی چاہیے، یہ اُن سب چیزوں سے بہتر ہے جنہیں لوگ سمیٹ رہے ہیں۔“ اے نبی ؐ ، ان سے کہو”تم لوگوں نے کبھی یہ بھی سوچا ہے کہ جو رزق60 اللہ نے تمہارے لیے اُتارا تھا اس میں سے تم نے خود ہی کسی کو حرام اور کسی کو حلال ٹھہرا لیا61“اِن سے پوچھو، اللہ نے تم کو اس کی اجازت دی تھی؟ یا تم اللہ پر افترا کر رہے ہو؟62 جو لوگ اللہ پر یہ جھوٹا افترا باندھتے ہیں ان کا کیا گمان ہے کہ قیامت کے روز ان سے کیا معاملہ ہو گا؟ اللہ تو لوگوں پر مہربانی کی نظر رکھتا ہے مگر اکثر انسان ایسے ہیں جو شکر نہیںکرتے۔ 63 ؏ ٦
Section 6
If every person who has done wrong owned all the wealth on earth, he would readily offer it as ransom to escape that punishment. When they see the punishment, they will regret it in their hearts.⁵⁹ But judgement will be passed between them with complete justice, and they will not be wronged.
Listen! Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. Know well that Allah’s promise is true, but most people do not know. He gives life and He causes death, and to Him you will all return.
People, admonition has come to you from your Lord. It is a cure for the diseases of the heart, and guidance and mercy for those who accept it. O Prophet, say: “It is by Allah’s grace and mercy that He has sent this. It is this that people should rejoice over. It is better than all the things they are hoarding.”
O Prophet, say to them: “Have you ever considered the provision⁶⁰ Allah sent down for you, from which you yourselves declared some unlawful and some lawful?”⁶¹ Ask them, “Did Allah give you permission for this, or are you inventing lies against Allah?”⁶²
What do those who invent lies against Allah think will happen to them on the Day of Resurrection? Allah looks upon people with kindness, but most of them are not grateful.⁶³
[End of Section 6]
Surah Yunus, Note 59
They denied it all their lives and spent their whole lives on wrong deeds, treating it as a lie. They hurled all kinds of accusations at the prophets who warned them of it. When that very thing suddenly stands before them, completely contrary to their expectations, the ground will slip from under their feet. Their own consciences will tell them what must now be the outcome of everything they did in the world, given that this was the reality all along.
As the Persian saying goes, khud karda ra ilaje nist: there is no remedy for harm one has brought on oneself. Their tongues will be silent, and their hearts will sink within them from remorse and regret. Someone who staked his entire capital on a deal built on conjecture and guesswork, and refused to listen to anyone who wished him well, has no one to blame but himself once he is bankrupt.
I read “قیاس ق گمان کو سودے پر” as “قیاس و گمان کے سودے پر”.
——————
Surah Yunus, Note 60
In Urdu, the word rizq is applied only to food and drink. That is why people assume the reproach here targets only the rules people have made, out of religious superstition or custom, within the small world of the dining table. Not only the ignorant and the general public but even scholars share this misunderstanding.
In Arabic, however, rizq is not limited to food. It broadly means a gift, a bestowal, one’s allotted portion. Everything Allah has given a person in this world is his rizq; even children are rizq. The biographical dictionaries of hadith narrators contain many narrators named Rizq, Ruzayq and Rizqullah, which mean roughly what the Urdu name “Allah Diye” means (God-given).
A well-known prayer says, اللّٰهُمَّ أَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا وَارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهُ: “O Allah, show us the truth as truth, and grant us (urzuqna) the ability to follow it.” In common usage one says ruziqa ‘ilman, “so-and-so was granted knowledge.” A hadith says that Allah sends an angel into the womb of every pregnant woman, and the angel writes down the child’s rizq, lifespan and deeds. Clearly, rizq here does not mean only the food the child will later receive, but everything he will be given in the world. The Quran itself says, وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ, “and they spend out of what We have given them.”
So it is a serious mistake to confine rizq to the borders of the dining table and to think Allah objects only to the restrictions and freedoms people have adopted on their own regarding food and drink. Nor is it a minor mistake. Because of it, a major foundational teaching of God’s religion has been lost from people’s sight.
This very mistake is why the lawfulness or unlawfulness of food and drink is treated as a religious matter, while the broader affairs of civilization are not. Suppose it is established there that human beings have the right to set their own limits, and on that basis laws are made without regard to God and His Book. Not only ordinary people but even religious scholars, muftis, Quran commentators and hadith masters fail to sense the problem. This too clashes with religion, exactly as setting one’s own limits of lawful and unlawful in food and drink does, without regard to divine law.
Surah Yunus, Note 61
In other words, do you have any sense of how grave an act of rebellion you are committing? The provision belongs to Allah, and you yourselves belong to Allah. Where, then, did you get the right to set your own limits for how you handle, use and benefit from Allah’s property?
What would you think of a servant who claimed the right to set the limits of his own control and authority over his master’s property, and said the master had no need to say anything at all in the matter? If your own employee claimed this kind of freedom and independence to act as he liked in your house and with everything in it, how would you deal with him?
The case of a servant who does not even accept that he is anyone’s servant, that he has a master, or that the property in his hands belongs to someone else, is a different matter altogether. The position of that villainous usurper is not under discussion here. The question here concerns a servant who admits that he is someone’s servant and that the property belongs to the one he serves, yet still says, “I have the right to set the limits of my own control over this property myself, and there is no need to ask the master.”
Surah Yunus, Note 62
In other words, your position could be valid only if the master himself had authorized you: “Handle my property however you like. I have handed you every right to make all the limits, laws and rules for your own conduct and use.” Now the question is: do you really have any proof that the master gave you these powers? Or are you claiming without any proof that he has handed all those rights to you? If it is the former, kindly show us the proof. Otherwise, it is plain that you are adding the further crime of lying and fabrication to your rebellion.
Surah Yunus, Note 63
In other words, it is the master’s supreme kindness that he himself tells the servant which conduct, in his house, with his property and with the servant’s own self, will earn his pleasure, reward and promotion, and which course will bring on his anger, punishment and demotion. But many foolish servants do not give thanks for this favour.
It is as if, in their view, the master should simply have brought them into his house and left them there, handed all his property over to them, and then watched in secret to see what each servant did. Then, whenever anyone did something against his wishes, wishes no servant knew anything about, he would punish him. Yet had the master put his servants through so harsh a test, not one of them could have escaped punishment.
Source typos read by their intended words:
ردو as اردو
چیزوّ as چیزوں کی
بنا ہر as بنا پر
بھِ as بھی
ہوچھنے as پوچھنے
اس کو کوئی سند as اس کی کوئی سند
Other clean-up: “مشہور دعا ہے” is repeated in Note 60, and Note 63 opens with a stray quotation mark.
اے نبی ؐ ، تم جس حال میں بھی ہوتے ہو اور قرآن میں سے جو کچھ بھی سُناتے ہو، اور لوگو، تم بھی جو کچھ کرتے ہو اس سب کے دوران میں ہم تم کو دیکھتے رہتے ہیں۔ کوئی ذرہ برابر چیز آسمان اور زمین میں ایسی نہیں ہے، نہ چھوٹی نہ بڑی، جو تیرے ربّ کی نظر سے پوشیدہ ہو اور ایک صاف دفتر میں درج نہ ہو۔64 سُنو! جو اللہ کے دوست ہیں، جو ایمان لائے اور جنہوں نے تقوٰی کا رویّہ اختیار کیا، ان کے لیے کسی خوف اور رنج کا موقع نہیں ہے۔ دُنیا اور آخرت دونوں زندگیوں میں ان کے لیے بشارت ہی بشارت ہے۔ اللہ کی باتیں بدل نہیں سکتیں۔ یہی بڑی کامیابی ہے۔ اے نبی ؐ ، جو باتیں یہ لوگ تجھ پر بناتے ہیں وہ تجھے رنجیدہ نہ کریں، عزّت ساری کی ساری خدا کے اختیار میں ہے، اور سب کچھ سُنتا اور جانتا ہے۔ آگاہ رہو! آسمان کے بسنے والے ہوں یا زمین کے، سب کے سب اللہ کے مملوک ہیں۔ اور جو لوگ اللہ کے سوا ﴿ اپنے خود ساختہ﴾ شریکوں کو پکار رہے ہیں وہ نِرے وہم و گمان کے پیرو ہیں اور محض قیاس آرائیاں کرتے ہیں۔ وہ اللہ ہی ہے جس نے تمہارے لیے رات بنائی کہ اس میں سکون حاصل کرو اور دن کو روشن بنایا۔ اس میں نشانیاں ہیں اُن لوگوں کے لیے جو ﴿ کُھلے کانوں سے پیغمبر کی دعوت کو﴾ سُنتے ہیں۔65 لوگوں نے کہہ دیا کہ اللہ نے کسی کو بیٹا بنایاہے66، سُبحان اللہ!67وہ تو بے نیاز ہے، آسمانوں اور زمین میں جو کچھ ہے سب اُس کی مِلک ہے۔68تمہارے پاس اِس قول کے لیے آخر دلیل کیا ہے؟ کیا تم اللہ کے متعلق وہ باتیں کہتے ہو جو تمہارے علم میں نہیں ہیں؟ اے محمد ؐ ، کہہ دو کہ جو لوگ اللہ پر جھوٹے افترا باندھتے ہیں وہ ہر گز فلاح نہیں پا سکتے۔ دُنیا کی چند روزہ زندگی میں مزے کر لیں، پھر ہماری طرف اُن کو پلٹنا ہے، پھر ہم اُس کُفر کے بدلے میں جس کا وہ ارتکاب کر تے رہے ہیں ان کو سخت عذاب کا مزہ چکھائیں گے۔ ؏ ۷
Section 7
O Prophet, whatever state you are in, and whatever you recite from the Quran, and, people, whatever you do, We are watching you throughout. Not even the weight of a particle in the heavens or the earth, whether smaller or larger, is hidden from your Lord, and none of it is left unrecorded in a clear register.⁶⁴
Listen! Those who are Allah’s friends, who believed and adopted the way of taqwa, have no cause for fear or grief. For them there is nothing but good news, in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. Allah’s words cannot change. This is the great success.
O Prophet, do not let what these people say about you grieve you. All honour is entirely in God’s control, and He hears and knows everything.
Be aware! Whether they dwell in the heavens or on the earth, all belong to Allah. Those who call on [self-made] partners besides Allah follow nothing but fancy and guesswork, and they only speculate. It is Allah who made the night for you to rest in and made the day bright. In this there are signs for people who listen [with open ears to the Prophet’s call].⁶⁵
People have said that Allah has taken a son.⁶⁶ Glory be to Allah!⁶⁷ He is free of all need. Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him.⁶⁸ What proof do you have for this claim? Do you say things about Allah that you do not know?
O Muhammad, say: “Those who invent lies against Allah will never succeed.” Let them enjoy themselves for a few days of worldly life. Then they must return to Us, and We will make them taste a severe punishment for the disbelief they kept committing.
[End of Section 7]
Surah Yunus, Note 64
The purpose of mentioning this here is to comfort the Prophet and to warn his opponents.
On one side, the Prophet is told that We see the diligence, self-sacrifice, patience and forbearance with which you are working to convey the message of truth and reform God’s creatures. It is not as though We assigned you this dangerous task and then left you to fend for yourself. We see what you are doing, and We are not unaware of what is being done to you.
On the other side, the Prophet’s opponents are warned: while you obstruct the reforming efforts of a caller to truth who wishes his fellow creatures well, do not imagine that no one sees what you are doing, or that you will never be called to account for your deeds. Be warned that everything you are doing is being recorded in God’s register.
Surah Yunus, Note 65
This point needs explanation, since it is stated very briefly. Philosophical inquiry asks whether some reality lies hidden behind what we outwardly see and sense in this universe, and if so, what it is. For everyone in the world who does not receive direct knowledge of reality through revelation and inspiration, such inquiry is the only means of forming an opinion about religion.
No one, whether he adopts atheism, polytheism or belief in God, can reach any conclusion about religion without some kind of philosophical inquiry. The religion the prophets presented can also be tested only in this way. A person must reflect philosophically, as far as he is able, and try to satisfy himself whether the reality the prophets say lies hidden behind the phenomena of the universe rings true to the heart.
Whether this inquiry is right or wrong depends entirely on its method. A wrong method produces a wrong opinion, and a right method produces a right one. Now consider the methods different groups in the world have adopted for this inquiry:
Polytheists have based their search on pure fancy.
Illuminationists and yogis have made a show of meditation and claim that they look behind the outward and observe the inner reality. In fact, they have based their detective work on guesswork. What they meditate on is really their own guess. What they claim to see is nothing but an idea they formed by guessing: they fix their imagination on it and press their minds upon it until that very idea seems to move about before their eyes.
Philosophers, in the technical sense, have made qiyas (speculative reasoning) the basis of their inquiry. It is really just guesswork, but sensing its lameness, they tried to make it walk on the crutches of formal logic and artificial rationalism, and named it qiyas.
Scientists have used a scholarly method for research within the domain of science. But as soon as they step into the realm of metaphysics, they too abandon that method and follow speculation, guesswork, estimates and conjecture.
On top of this, the fancies and guesses of all these groups have caught the disease of prejudice in one way or another. It has forced them to refuse to listen to anyone else, to turn onto their own favourite path, and, once turned, to stay on it.
The Quran declares this method of inquiry fundamentally wrong. It says that the real cause of your going astray is that you base your search for truth on guesswork and speculation, and then, because of prejudice, you are not even willing to hear anything reasonable. The result of this double error is that finding the reality by yourselves was impossible to begin with, and now it has also become impossible for you to examine the religion presented by the prophets and reach a correct opinion.
Against this, the Quran lays out the correct scholarly and rational method of philosophical inquiry. First, listen with open ears and without prejudice to the account of reality given by those who say: “We are telling you what reality is, not on the basis of speculation, guesswork, meditation or mystical practice, but on the basis of knowledge.” Then reflect on the traces in the universe that come within your observation and experience, which the Quran calls “signs.” Arrange their evidence and examine it. Keep searching to see whether, within this outward world itself, you find indications pointing to the reality these people say lies behind it.
If you see such indications, and their pointers are clear, there is no reason to needlessly deny those whose account turns out to match the evidence of the signs. This very method is the foundation of Islamic philosophy. Sadly, even Muslim philosophers abandoned it and followed in the footsteps of Plato and Aristotle.
In many places the Quran not only urges this method but, by presenting the signs of the universe one after another, gives what amounts to regular training in drawing conclusions from them and reaching reality. The aim is for this way of thinking and searching to become firmly rooted in people’s minds.
So in this verse too, attention is drawn to just two signs as examples: night and day. The alternation of night and day actually arises from a perfectly regular change in the relative positions of the sun and the earth. This is a clear sign of the existence of a universal Organizer and a Ruler with sovereign power over the whole universe.
It also shows clear wisdom and purpose, since countless interests of all the beings on earth are bound up with this cycle of night and day. It contains clear signs of lordship, mercy and nurturing as well, because it proves that the One who created these beings on earth also provides what they need to exist. It shows too that this universal Organizer is one, and that He is not playful but wise and acts with purpose. As Benefactor and Nurturer, He alone deserves worship. And whoever is subject to the cycle of night and day is not a lord but one who is nurtured, not a master but a servant.
Against this evidence from the signs, how can the religions the polytheists invented out of guesswork and speculation possibly be right?
Source typos read by their intended words:
کوئِ as کوئی
The doubled “اصل میں اصل میں” as a single “اصل میں”
مُڑ جانے بعد as مُڑ جانے کے بعد
“علم کی بنا تمہیں” as “علم کی بنا پر تمہیں”
ہونے کے حیثیت as ہونے کی حیثیت
Worth checking against the printed edition: “مراقبہ و استدراج” reads oddly, since استدراج normally means “gradual leading to ruin.” It may be a slip for another word, so I rendered it loosely as “mystical practice.”
——————-
Surah Yunus, Note 66
The preceding verses rebuked people for the ignorance of basing their religion on speculation and guesswork instead of knowledge, and for not even trying to investigate, by any scholarly method, whether the religion they follow has any proof. Continuing the same theme, this verse rebukes the folly of the Christians and some followers of other religions, who on mere guesswork declared someone to be the son of God.
Surah Yunus, Note 67
Subhan Allah is sometimes said as an exclamation of astonishment, and sometimes in its literal meaning: “Allah is free of every defect.” Here it carries both meanings. It expresses astonishment at what these people say, and it also answers them: Allah is free of every defect, so how can a son be attributed to Him?
Surah Yunus, Note 68
Three points are made here to refute their claim: first, Allah is free of all defects; second, He is free of all need; and third, everything in the heavens and the earth is His property. These brief answers are easy to understand with a little explanation.
Obviously, a son can be either a biological son or an adopted one.
If these people call someone God’s son in the biological sense, they are comparing God to an animal. An animal is mortal as an individual, and its existence can continue only if it belongs to some species, has a mate from that species, and has offspring through their sexual union. Those offspring then carry on its species and its work.
If they call someone God’s son in the sense that He adopted him, there are only two possibilities. Either they have compared God to a childless man who adopts someone of his own kind to be his heir, and so to make up, even if only nominally, for the loss he suffers by remaining childless. Or they imagine that God, like a human being, has emotional inclinations, and has come to love one of His countless servants so much that He has made him His son.
Whichever of these three it is, the basic ideas of this belief accuse God of many defects, weaknesses, imperfections and needs.
That is why the first phrase says that Allah is free of all the defects, imperfections and weaknesses you attribute to Him. The second says that He is also free of the needs that lead mortal human beings to want children or to adopt a son. The third states plainly that everything in the earth and the heavens consists of Allah’s servants and His property. He has no special personal relationship with any one of them that would lead Him to set all the others aside and declare that one His son, His only-begotten or His heir.
Allah certainly loves some servants more than others because of their qualities. But this love does not mean that any servant is raised from the position of servanthood to a share in divinity. At most, this love requires what was stated in an earlier verse: “Those who believed and adopted the way of taqwa have no cause for fear or grief; for them there is nothing but good news, in this world and in the Hereafter.”
Source typos read by their intended words:
جوئی جنس as کوئی جنس
خدا پرست as خدا پر
بھِ as بھی
ب اللہ as سب اللہ
The closing quotation mark at the end of Note 68 is also missing in the source.
اِن کو نوحؑ 69کا قصہ سُناوٴ، اُس وقت کا قصہ جب اُس نے اپنی قوم سے کہا تھا ” اے برادرانِ قوم، اگر میرا تمہارے درمیان رہنا اور اللہ کی آیات سُنا سُنا کر تمہیں غفلت سے بیدار کرنا تمہارے لیے ناقابلِ برداشت ہو گیا ہے تو میرا بھروسہ اللہ پر ہے، تم اپنے ٹھہرائے ہوئے شریکوں کو ساتھ لے کر ایک متفقہ فیصلہ کر لو اور جو منصُوبہ تمہارے پیشِ نظر ہو اس کے خوب سوچ سمجھ لو تاکہ اس کا کوئی پہلو تمہاری نگاہ سے پوشیدہ نہ رہے، پھر میرے خلاف اس کو عمل میں لے آوٴ اور مجھے ہر گز مہلت نہ دو ۔70 تم نے میری نصیحت سے منہ موڑا ﴿ تو میرا کیا نقصان کیا﴾ میں تم سے کسی اجر کا طلب گار نہ تھا، میرا اجر تو اللہ کے ذمّہ ہے۔ اور مجھے حکم دیا گیا ہے کہ ﴿ خواہ کو ئی مانے یا نہ مانے﴾میں خود مسلم بن کر رہوں“۔۔۔۔انہوں نے اُسے جھُٹلایا اور نتیجہ یہ ہوا کہ ہم نے اُسے اور اُن لوگوں کو جو اُس کے ساتھ کشتی میں تھے، بچا لیا اور اُنہی کو زمین میں جانشین بنایا اور اُن سب لوگوں کو غرق کر دیا جنہوں نے ہماری آیات کو جُھٹلایا تھا۔ پس دیکھ لو کہ جنہیں متنبّہ کیا گیا تھا ﴿اور پھر بھی اُنہوں نے مان کر نہ دیا﴾ اُن کا کیا انجام ہوا۔ پھر نوح ؑ کے بعد ہم نے مختلف پیغمبروں کو اُن کی قوموں کی طرف بھیجا اور وہ اُن کے پاس کھُلی کھُلی نشانیاں لے کر آئے، مگر جس چیز کو اُنہوں نے پہلے جُھٹلا دیا تھا اسے پھر مان کر نہ دیا۔ اِس طرح ہم حد سے گزر جانے والوں کے دلوں پر ٹَھپّہ لگا دیتے ہیں۔71 72پھر ان کے بعد ہم نے موسیٰ ؑ اور ہارون ؑ کو اپنی نشانیوں کے ساتھ فرعون اور اس کے سرداروں کی طرف بھیجا، مگر انہوں نے اپنی بڑائی کا گھمنڈ کیا 73 اور وہ مجرم لوگ تھے ۔ پس جب ہمارے پاس سے حق اُن کے سامنے آیا تو اُنہوں نے کہہ دیا کہ یہ تو کُھلا جادُو ہے۔74 موسیٰ ؑ نے کہا: ” تم حق کو یہ کہتے ہو جب کہ وہ تمہارے سامنے آگیا؟ کیا یہ جادُو ہے؟ حالانکہ حالانکہ جادُو گر فلاح نہیں پایا کرتے۔“75 اُنہوں نے جواب دیا” کیا تُو اِس لیے آیا ہے کہ ہمیں اُس طریقے سے پھیر دے جس پر ہم نے اپنے باپ دادا کو پایا ہے اور زمین میں بڑائی تُم دونوں کی قائم ہو جائے؟76 تمہاری بات تو ہم ماننے والے نہیں ہیں۔“اور فرعون نے ﴿ اپنے آدمیوں سے ﴾ کہاکہ ” ہر ماہرِ فن جادوگر کو میرے پاس حاضر کرو“۔۔۔۔جب جادوگر آگئےتو موسیٰ ؑ نے اُن سے کہا ” جو کچھ تمہیں پھینکنا ہے پھینکو۔“پھر جب اُنہوں نے اپنے اَنچھر پھینک دیے تو موسیٰ ؑ نے کہا” یہ جو کچھ تم نے پھینکا ہے یہ جادُو ہے77، اللہ ابھی اسے باطل کیے دیتا ہے، مفسدوں کے کام کو اللہ سُدھرنے نہیں دیتا، اور اللہ اپنے فرمانوں سے حق کو حق کر دکھاتا ہے ، خواہ مجرموں کو وہ کتنا ہی ناگوار ہو۔“ ؏ ۸
Section 8
Tell them the story of Nuh,⁶⁹ of the time he said to his people: “My brothers, if my living among you and rousing you from heedlessness by reciting Allah’s verses to you has become unbearable to you, then my trust is in Allah. Gather your partners and reach a united decision. Think through whatever plan you have in mind so thoroughly that no part of it escapes you. Then carry it out against me, and give me no respite at all.⁷⁰ If you have turned away from my advice, [what harm have you done me?] I asked no reward from you; my reward rests with Allah alone. And I have been commanded to remain a Muslim myself [whether anyone else accepts or not].”
They denied him, and the result was that We saved him and those with him in the Ark, made them the successors on the earth, and drowned all who had denied Our verses. So see what became of those who had been warned [and still refused to believe].
After Nuh We sent various messengers to their peoples, and they came to them with clear signs. But those people would not accept what they had already denied before. This is how We seal the hearts of those who go beyond all limits.⁷¹
⁷²Then after them We sent Musa and Harun with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs. But they were arrogant about their own greatness,⁷³ and they were a criminal people. So when the truth came to them from Us, they said, “This is plain sorcery.”⁷⁴
Musa said, “Is this what you say about the truth when it has come to you? Is this sorcery? Sorcerers never succeed.”⁷⁵
They replied, “Have you come to turn us away from the way we found our forefathers following, so that the two of you can have greatness in the land?⁷⁶ We are not going to believe you.”
Pharaoh said [to his men], “Bring me every skilled sorcerer.” When the sorcerers came, Musa said to them, “Throw whatever you have to throw.” When they had thrown down their spells, Musa said, “What you have thrown is sorcery.⁷⁷ Allah will now bring it to nothing. Allah does not let the work of corrupters prosper. Allah proves the truth true by His commands, however much the criminals may hate it.”
[End of Section 8]
I read “اس کے خوب سوچ سمجھ لو” as “اسے خوب سوچ سمجھ لو” and dropped the doubled “حالانکہ”.
——————-
Surah Yunus, Note 69
Up to this point, these people were shown, through reasonable arguments and heartfelt advice, what was wrong with their beliefs, ideas and ways and why, and what the right path was and why it was right. Now attention turns to the attitude they were adopting in response to this plain and straightforward explanation and exhortation.
For ten or eleven years their course had been this. Instead of reflecting on this reasonable criticism and sound guidance and reconsidering their errors, they had become deadly enemies of the man presenting these things. He was presenting them not for any personal gain but for their own good. They answered arguments with stones and advice with abuse. The presence in their town of a man who called wrong wrong and tried to point out what was right had become deeply offensive to them, and even unbearable.
Their demand was this: the one person among us blind people who has eyes should close his own eyes instead of opening ours. Otherwise we will put out his eyes by force, so that nothing like sight will be found in our land.
Instead of saying anything further about this attitude of theirs, Allah commands His Prophet to tell them the story of Nuh. In that story they will find the answer to their case and to yours.
Surah Yunus, Note 70
This was a challenge: “I will not give up my work. Do whatever you want to do against me; my trust is in Allah.” (For comparison, see Hud, verse 55.)
I read سیدھ as سیدھی, رہنمائیج as رہنمائی, ذانی as ذاتی, and “بجائے اس کے اس” as “بجائے اس کے کہ اس”.
—————
Surah Yunus, Note 71
“Those who go beyond all limits” are people who, having once made a mistake, cling to it out of stubbornness, obstinacy and a refusal to back down from what they have said. Once they have refused to accept something, they will not accept it through any explanation, any exhortation, or even the most reasonable argument. Such people are finally struck by such a curse that they are never again granted the ability to come to the right path.
I read مرتب as مرتبہ.
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Surah Yunus, Note 72
At this point, keep in mind the notes I wrote on the story of Musa and Pharaoh in Surah Al-A’raf (Sections 13–21). Matters already explained there will not be repeated here.
Surah Yunus, Note 73
In other words, intoxicated by their wealth, power, grandeur and splendour, they considered themselves above the position of servanthood. Instead of bowing their heads in obedience, they displayed arrogance.
Surah Yunus, Note 74
In other words, on hearing Musa’s message, they said exactly what the disbelievers of Makkah said on hearing the message of Muhammad (peace be upon him): “This man is plainly a sorcerer.” (See verse 2 of this same surah.)
Keeping the flow of the discourse in view here makes one thing plainly clear. Musa and Harun (peace be upon them) were appointed to the very same mission as Nuh and all the prophets after him, up to our master Muhammad (peace be upon him).
From its beginning, this surah has carried a single theme: accept only Allah, the Lord of the worlds, as your Lord and God, and acknowledge that after this life you must appear before Allah in a second life and give an account of your deeds. Those who refused to accept the Prophet’s call are being made to understand something. Not only their own success, but the success of all human beings at all times, has depended on this one thing: accepting the call to belief in Tawhid and the Hereafter that God’s prophets have presented in every age, and building one’s whole way of life on that foundation. Only those who did this succeeded, and every nation that rejected it was ultimately destroyed.
This is the central theme of the surah. In this context, when other prophets are mentioned as historical precedents, it necessarily means that the call given in this surah was the call of all those prophets, and that Musa and Harun also went to Pharaoh and his chiefs with this same call.
Some people have supposed that the mission of Musa and Harun was to free one particular nation from slavery to another. If that were so, presenting this episode as a historical precedent in this context would make no sense at all.
Admittedly, one part of their mission was also to deliver the Children of Israel, a Muslim nation, from the domination of a disbelieving nation, if that nation persisted in its disbelief. But this was a secondary aim, not the real purpose of their being sent. The real purpose was the same one that, according to the Quran, all prophets were sent for. Surah An-Nazi’at states it plainly: اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ فَقُلْ هَل لَّكَ إِلَىٰ أَن تَزَكَّىٰ وَأَهْدِيَكَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَتَخْشَىٰ: “Go to Pharaoh, for he has transgressed the bounds of servitude, and say to him: Are you willing to reform yourself, so that I may guide you to your Lord and you may fear Him?”
However, Pharaoh and the leading men of his kingdom did not accept this call, and in the end Musa had no choice but to lead his Muslim people out from under their rule. So this part of his mission became prominent in history, and the Quran also presents it with the same prominence it actually has in history.
Some people make the mistake of looking at the Quran’s details in isolation from its general principles. Anyone who avoids that mistake, and always sees and understands the details in light of those principles, can never fall into the misconception that freeing a nation could be the real purpose of a prophet’s mission, and calling people to the true religion merely a secondary aim. (For further explanation, see Ta Ha, verses 44–82; Az-Zukhruf, 46–56; Al-Muzzammil, 15–16.)
Surah Yunus, Note 75
The point is that because a miracle and sorcery look alike on the surface, you readily declared this to be sorcery. But, you fools, you did not stop to consider what kind of character and morals sorcerers have, and for what purposes they practise sorcery.
Is it a sorcerer’s way to come, fearless and wanting nothing, into the court of a tyrannical ruler, rebuke him for his misguidance, and call him to worship God and purify himself? If a sorcerer had come to you, he would first have gone around flattering the courtiers: “Please get me a chance to show my skills before His Majesty.” Then, once he gained access to the court, he would have bowed and saluted with even more servility than the ordinary flatterers. He would have shouted prayers for long life and good fortune, and begged with great humility, “Would Your Majesty kindly observe some of this humble servant’s accomplishments too?” And once you had watched his show, he would have held out his hand: “Your Honour, a little reward, please.”
This whole idea has been compressed into a single sentence: sorcerers never succeed.
Surah Yunus, Note 76
Obviously, if Musa and Harun’s real demand had been the release of the Children of Israel, Pharaoh and his courtiers would have had no reason to fear that the spread of these two men’s call would change the religion of Egypt and establish their greatness in the land instead of their own.
The reason for this fear was that Musa was calling the people of Egypt to servitude to the true God. That endangered the polytheistic system on which Pharaoh’s kingship, his chiefs’ leadership and the religious leaders’ authority all rested. (For further explanation, see Al-A’raf, Note 66; Al-Mu’min, Note 43.)
Surah Yunus, Note 77
In other words, what I showed you was not sorcery; what you are showing is sorcery.
Source typos read by their intended words:
پیغبروں as پیغمبروں
حدّی بندگی as حدِّ بندگی
فدوی کی کمالات as فدوی کے کمالات
جودو گر as جادوگر
Note 75 also opens with a stray quotation mark in the source.
﴿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 موسیٰؑ نے اپنی قوم سے کہا کہ ” لوگو، اگر تم واقعی اللہ پر ایمان رکھتے ہو تو اُس پر بھروسہ کرو اگر مسلمان ہو۔81“ اُنہوں نے جواب دیا”82 ہم نے اللہ ہی پر بھروسہ کیا ، اے ہمارے ربّ، ہمیں ظالم لوگوں کے لیے فتنہ نہ بنا83 اور اپنی رحمت سے ہم کو کافروں سے نجات دے۔“ اور ہم نے موسیٰ ؑ اور اس کے بھائی کو اشارہ کیا کہ ” مصر میں چند مکان اپنی قوم کے لیے مہیّا کرو اور اپنے ان مکانوں کو قبلہ ٹھہرا لواور نماز قائم کرو 84 اور اہلِ ایمان کو بشارت دے دو۔“85 موسیٰؑ نے دعا 86کی” اے ہمارے ربّ ، تُو نے فرعون اور اُس کے سرداروں کو دُنیا کی زندگی میں زینت87 اور اموال88 سے نواز رکھا ہے ۔ اے ربّ ، کیا یہ اِس لیے ہے کہ وہ لوگوں کو تیری راہ سے بھٹکائیں؟ اے ربّ ، ان کے مال غارت کر دے اور ان کے دلوں پر ایسی مُہر کر دے کہ ایمان نہ لائیں جب تک دردناک عذاب نہ دیکھ لیں۔“89 اللہ تعالیٰ نے جواب میں فرمایا ” تم دونوں کی دعا قبول کی گئی ۔ ثابت قدم رہو اور ان لوگوں کے طریقے کی ہرگز پیروی نہ کرو جو علم نہیں رکھتے ۔“90 اور ہم بنی اسرائیل کو سمندر سے گُزار لے گئے۔ پھر فرعون اور اُس کے لشکر ظلم اور زیادتی کی غرض سے اُن کے پیچھے چلے۔۔۔۔ حتٰی کہ جب فرعون ڈوبنے لگا تو بول اُٹھا ” میں نے مان لیا کہ خدا وند ِ حقیقی اُس کے سوا کوئی نہیں ہے جِس پر بنی اسرائیل ایمان لائے، اور میں بھی سرِاطاعت جھکا دینے والوں میں سے ہوں۔ 91“﴿ جواب دیا گیا﴾ ” اب ایمان لاتا ہے !حالانکہ اس سے پہلے تک تُو نافرمانی کرتا رہااور فساد برپا کرنے والوں میں سے تھا۔ اب تو ہم صرف تیری لاش ہی کو بچائیں گے تا کہ تُو بعد کی نسلوں کے لیے نشانِ عبرت بنے92 اگرچہ بہت سے انسان ایسے ہیں جو ہماری نشانیوں سے غفلت برتتے ہیں۔“93 ؏ ۹
Section 9
[Then see how] none believed in Musa except a few young people⁷⁸ from his nation,⁷⁹ out of fear of Pharaoh and of the leading men of their own people [who feared that] Pharaoh would subject them to torment. The fact is that Pharaoh held sway in the land and was one of those who stop at no limit.⁸⁰
Musa said to his people, “My people, if you truly believe in Allah, then put your trust in Him, if you are Muslims.”⁸¹ They replied,⁸² “In Allah alone we have put our trust. Our Lord, do not make us a trial for the wrongdoing people,⁸³ and by Your mercy deliver us from the disbelieving people.”
We instructed Musa and his brother: “Provide some houses in Egypt for your people, make those houses of yours a qiblah, establish prayer,⁸⁴ and give good news to the believers.”⁸⁵
Musa prayed:⁸⁶ “Our Lord, You have granted Pharaoh and his chiefs splendour⁸⁷ and wealth⁸⁸ in the life of this world. Our Lord, is it so that they may lead people astray from Your path? Our Lord, destroy their wealth and harden their hearts, so that they do not believe until they see the painful punishment.”⁸⁹ Allah replied, “The prayer of you both has been accepted. Stand firm, and never follow the way of those who do not know.”⁹⁰
We brought the Children of Israel across the sea. Pharaoh and his armies pursued them out of oppression and aggression. When Pharaoh began to drown, he cried out, “I believe that there is no true God except the One in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of those who submit.”⁹¹
[He was answered:] “Now you believe! Yet until now you were disobedient and were one of the corrupters. Today We will save only your body, so that you may be a lesson for those who come after you,⁹² although many people are heedless of Our signs.”⁹³
[End of Section 9]
Surah Yunus, Note 78
The original text uses the word dhurriyyah, which means offspring. I have translated it as “young people.” What the Quran really wants to convey by using this particular word is this: in that dangerous time, a few young men and women found the courage to side with the truth and accept its standard-bearer as their leader. The mothers, fathers and elders of the nation, however, did not.
They were so dominated by expediency, servitude to worldly interests and the desire for safety that they would not side with a truth whose path looked full of danger to them. On the contrary, they kept holding the young people back: “Don’t go near Musa, or you will bring Pharaoh’s wrath on yourselves and disaster on us as well.”
The Quran highlights this point specifically because, among the people of Makkah too, those who came forward to side with Muhammad (peace be upon him) were not the nation’s elders and old men, but a handful of courageous young people. The early Muslims who were championing the truth of Islam against the fierce opposition of the whole nation when these verses were revealed, and whose chests served as shields for Islam in that storm of oppression, included no calculating old man. All of them were young.
Under 20 when they accepted Islam: Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ja’far al-Tayyar, al-Zubayr, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, Mus’ab ibn Umayr and Abdullah ibn Mas’ud.
Between 20 and 30: Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Bilal and Suhayb.
Between 30 and 35: Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Zayd ibn Harithah, Uthman ibn Affan and Umar al-Faruq.
Older than all of these: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, who was still no more than 38 when he believed.
Among the early Muslims, we find the name of only one Companion older than the Prophet (peace be upon him): Ubaydah ibn al-Harith al-Muttalibi. And probably only one Companion in the whole group was the Prophet’s age: Ammar ibn Yasir.
Surah Yunus, Note 79
The original text has the words فَمَا آمَنَ لِمُوسَىٰ (fa-ma amana li-Musa). This has led some people to suspect that the Children of Israel were all disbelievers and that at first only a few of them believed. However, when iman is followed by the preposition lam, it usually means obedience and submission: accepting someone’s word and following what he says.
So these words really mean this: apart from a few young people, no one in the entire nation of the Children of Israel was willing to accept Musa as their leader, follow him, and support him in the work of this Islamic call.
The following sentence then makes clear the real reason for their behaviour. It was not that they doubted Musa’s truthfulness or the truth of his call. The only reason was that they, and especially their elders and nobles, were not prepared to expose themselves to Pharaoh’s harshness by siding with Musa.
By both descent and religion, these people were the ummah of Ibrahim, Ishaq, Ya’qub and Yusuf (peace be upon them), and so they were obviously all Muslims. But long moral decline, and the faint-heartedness that subjugation had produced, had left them without the strength to rise themselves with the banner of faith and guidance against the rule of disbelief and misguidance, or to support the one who had risen.
The Bible gives an idea of how ordinary Israelites behaved in this struggle between Musa and Pharaoh. It relates that as they came out from Pharaoh, they found Musa and Harun standing in the road to meet them, and said to them: “May the Lord look upon you and judge you. 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 6:20–21)
The Talmud records that the Children of Israel used to say to Musa and Harun (peace be upon them): “We are like a goat seized by a wolf. The shepherd came and tried to save it, and in the struggle between the two the goat was torn to pieces. In the same way, we will be finished off in the tug-of-war between you and Pharaoh.”
Surah Al-A’raf also alludes to this, where the Children of Israel said to Musa: أُوذِينَا مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَأْتِيَنَا وَمِن بَعْدِ مَا جِئْتَنَا, “We were persecuted before you came to us and after you came to us” (verse 12).
Surah Yunus, Note 80
The original text uses the word musrifin, meaning those who exceed limits. But this literal translation does not bring out its real spirit. Musrifin really means people who do not hesitate to adopt even the worst methods for their own ends. They stop short of no oppression, immorality, savagery or barbarity. They can go to any extreme in pursuit of their desires, and there is no limit at which they will stop.
References to check against the printed edition:
Exodus 6:20–21: the passage quoted is Exodus 5:20–21.
Al-A’raf verse 12: the verse quoted is Al-A’raf 7:129.
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Surah Yunus, Note 81
81The fact that Prophet Moses in his address called his people “Muslims” shows that all the people of the community of Israel were Muslims; otherwise he could not say to them, “-if you arc Muslims” . He meant to urge them to be brave, saying, “If you are true Muslims, as you profess to be, do not fear the might of Pharaoh but put your trust in the might of Allah.”
Surah Yunus, Note 82
82Those, who responded to the appeal of Prophet Moses, were those “youth” who obeyed and followed him, and not the Israelites, as a community, as is obvious from the context.
Surah Yunus, Note 83
83The prayer, “Our Lord, do not make us a cause of trial for the unjust people,” is very comprehensive in meaning. Whenever the standard-bearers of the Truth rise up to establish virtue and eradicate the prevalent evil, they come into conflict with unjust people, who, for one reason or the other, are always on the look-out to find fault with them. First, there are the champions of falsehood, who try their level best to crush down with full force the champions of the Truth. Then there are the so-called champions of the Truth who profess to believe in it but are not prepared to enter into conflict with the powerful government of the time. Therefore they declare it to be a useless and foolish effort, and begin to invent excuses to justify the wrong stand they take in regard to the struggle with falsehood in order to silence the prick of conscience they feel for their criminal attitude of cowardice. Accordingly, they try to prove that it is these standard-bearers of the Truth who are in the wrong and not they. Lastly, there are the common people, who watch the conflict as by-standers and join forces with those who prove to be more powerful of the two, whether they are the supporters of the Truth or of falsehood.
Now let us consider how the champions of the Truth are liable to become a cause of trial for these unjust people. If they are crushed down or defeated, the first group declares, “We were in the right and not these foolish people: otherwise they could not have been defeated. ” The second group says, “Their defeat has proved that they did not make the correct estimate of the circumstances and caused the destruction of valuable lives by coming in conflict with the mighty powers. Moreover, the Shari`at has not made it obligatory on unto expose ourselves to risk, when we are fulfilling the most essential religious duties without any restrictions from the tyrants of the day.” As regards the common people, their criterion of judging the Truth is this: “Whatever triumphs is truth. Therefore their defeat has proved that the champions of the Truth must be in the wrong. ” Likewise every mistake and error the champions of the Truth commit, every weakness they show in the face of overwhelming odds against them, every moral fault to which anyone of them succumbs, becomes a good excuse for those who intend to stick to falsehood. Consequently, the “invitation” to the Truth becomes dormant for years after their “defeat”.
Thus it has become quite clear that this prayer of the companions of Prophet Moses was well-timed and meaningful: “Our Lord, have mercy upon us so that we might not become a cause of trial for the unjust people: protect us from errors, defects and, weaknesses and make our efforts successful in this world so that we may become a source of goodness to Thy creatures and not a source of evil for the unjust people.”
Surah Yunus, Note 84
84There is a difference of opinion among the Commentators in regard to the meaning of this verse. As for me, I have considered deeply its wording and the circumstances under which this was sent down, and have come to the conclusion that Prophet Moses was commanded to build or acquire some houses for the establishment of Salat in congregation This was necessitated because the system of Salat in congregation had been abandoned by the Israelites and the Egyptian Muslims as a result of their persecution by the government, and owing to the weakness of their faith. As this had brought about their disintegration and killed their religious spirit, it was essential to re-establish the system of Salat in congregation, which is indeed the first and foremost thing for the revival of that spirit and the integration of a scattered Muslim community and its powers.
As regards ” …. appoint your houses as qiblah”, I am of the opinion that it means:”…. set apart these houses as common places of worship for offering Salat in congregation and the central places for holding their meetings. That is why it is followed by ‘and establish Salat’,” which means that they should offer their Salat collectively in congregation instead of individually.
Surah Yunus, Note 85
85The Arabic word (bashshir) means: “Fill them with hope and courage by giving them the good news of success by the grace of Allah. ” And they needed that very badly at that time, for they were full of despair, fear and depression.
Surah Yunus, Note 86
86This prayer was offered by Prophet Moses during the last period of his stay in Egypt. There was a long interval between this and the events mentioned in the preceding verse which happened during the early days of his Mission. The details of this intervening period are available at other places in the Qur’an.
Surah Yunus, Note 87
87The Arabic word (zinat) includes the magnificence, grandeur, glory and the apparent brilliance of their culture and civilization which attracted other people towards them with the desire of imitating them.
Surah Yunus, Note 88
88“Possessions”: resources and means which help the people like Pharaoh to put into practice all their devices and plans, and the lack of which prevents the standard-bearers of the Truth from carrying out their plans.
Surah Yunus, Note 89
89As it has already been stated, Prophet Moses made this prayer during the last period of his stay in Egypt. When he had shown many Signs, one after the other, to Pharaoh and his chiefs and pointed out the Way clearly to them, but they had persisted obdurately in their antagonism to the Truth, the, Prophet begged his Lord to destroy their possessions and harden their hearts. And this was in accordance with the decree of Allah. As they had merited this punishment according to the Divine Law of retribution, Allah decreed that they should not get the light of Faith, which they themselves had extinguished with their persistent disbelief.
Surah Yunus, Note 90
90In this verse, Allah has urged Prophet Moses and his followers to guard against a common misunderstanding that is likely to arise in such cases. It so happens that those people who have no knowledge of the reality and who do not understand the wisdom of Allah’s ways are liable to believe from the apparent success of His rebels that perhaps it is His will that they should dominate in the world. When they witness the failures of the upholders of the Truth in their conflict with falsehood in contrast to the splendor and vast possessions of the champions of falsehood, they begin to think that Allah does not will to help the Truth in its conflict with falsehood. Therefore some foolish people further conclude from these wrong suppositions that it is useless to exert for the establishment of the Truth. Then they consider it to be the best and most proper thing to rest content with the little religiosity that the sovereignty of falsehood and unbelief allows them. That is why Allah has urged Prophet Moses and his followers to guard against such a misunderstanding and to carry on the Mission entrusted to them with patience under the adverse circumstances.
Surah Yunus, Note 91
91The Bible does not mention this happening but the Talmud says explicitly that when he was drowning he said, “Who is like Thee, O Lord, among the gods?”
Surah Yunus, Note 92
92Even today the place, where the dead body of Pharaoh was found floating, is pointed out by the inhabitants of that region. It lies on the western coast of the Sinai Peninsula and is now known by the name of Jabl-i-Fir`aun (Pharaoh’s Mount). There is also near it a hot spring called Hammam-i-Fir`aun (Pharaoh’s Bath), which is situated at a distance of a few miles from Abu Zenimah, where, they say, Pharaoh’s dead body was found lying.
If the Pharaoh who was drowned was Mineptah, who ruled over Egypt when Prophet Moses was sent to him, his embalmed dead body is still lying in the Cairo Museum. When Sir Grafton E. Smith removed the bandages from his mummy, a layer of salt was found on the body, which was a clear proof that he was drowned in the sea.
Surah Yunus, Note 94
93That is, “We show Signs to the people over and over again so that these should serve as warnings and be the means of teaching them lessons, but it is a pity that they do not learn lessons even from such Signs as the dead body of Pharaoh
ہم نے بنی اسرائیل کو بہت اچھا ٹھکانہ دیا94 اور نہایت عمدہ وسائل ِ زندگی انہیں عطا کیے۔ پھر اُنہوں نے بہم اختلاف نہیں کیا مگر اُس وقت جب کہ علم اُن کے پاس آچکا تھا۔95 یقیناً تیرا ربّ قیامت کے روز اُن کے درمیان اُس چیز کا فیصلہ کر دے گا جس میں وہ اختلاف کر تے رہے ہیں۔ اب اگر تجھے اُس ہدایت کی طرف سے کچھ بھی شک ہو جو ہم نے تجھ پر نازل کی ہے تو اُن لوگوں سے پوچھ لے جو پہلے سے کتاب پڑھ رہے ہیں۔ فی الواقع یہ تیرے پاس حق ہی آیا ہے تیرے ربّ کی طرف سے لہٰذا تُو شک کرنے والوں میں سے نہ ہو اور ان لوگوں میں شامل نہ ہو جنہوں نے اللہ کی آیات کو جُھٹلایا ہے، ورنہ تُو نقصان اُٹھانے والوں میں سے ہو گا۔96 حقیقت یہ ہے کہ جن لوگوں پر تیرے ربّ کا قول راست آگیا 97ہے اُن کے سامنے خواہ کوئی نشانی آجائے وہ بھی ایمان لا کر نہیں دیتے جب تک کہ دردناک عذاب سامنے آتا نہ دیکھ لیں۔ پھر کیا ایسی کوئی مثال ہے کہ ایک بستی عذاب دیکھ کر ایمان لائی ہو اور اُس کا ایمان اس کے لیے نفع بخش ثابت ہوا ہو؟ یونسؑ کی قوم کے سوا98 ﴿ اِس کی کوئی نظیر نہیں﴾ ۔ وہ قوم جب ایمان لے آئی تھی تو البتہ ہم نے اُس پر سے دُنیا کی زندگی میں رُسوائی کا عذاب ٹال دیا تھا99 اور اُس کو ایک مدّت تک زندگی سے بہرہ مند ہونے کا موقع دے دیاتھا۔100 اگر تیرے ربّ کی مشیّت یہ ہوتی ﴿ کہ زمین میں سب مومن و فرمانبردار ہی ہوں﴾ تو سارے اہلِ زمین ایمان لے آئے ہوتے۔ 101پھر کیا تُو لوگوں کو مجبور کرے گا کہ وہ مومن ہو جائیں؟102 کوئی متنفس اللہ کے اذن کے بغیر ایمان نہیں لاسکتا،103 اور اللہ کا طریقہ یہ ہے کہ جو لوگ عقل سے کام نہیں لیتے وہ ان پر گندگی ڈال دیتا ہے۔ 104 اِن سے کہو” زمین اور آسمانوں میں جو کچھ ہے اُسے آنکھیں کھول کر دیکھو ۔“ اور جو لوگ ایمان لانا ہی نہیں چاہتے اُن کے لیے نشانیاں اور تنبیہیں آخر کیا مُفید ہو سکتی ہیں۔105 اب یہ لوگ اس کے سوا اور کس چیز کی منتظر ہیں کہ وہی بُرے دن دیکھیں جو اِن سے پہلے گُزرے ہوئے لوگ دیکھ چُکے ہیں؟ اِن سے کہو ”اچھا، انتظار کرو، میں بھی تمہارے ساتھ انتظار کرتا ہوں۔“ پھر ﴿جب ایسا وقت آتا ہے تو﴾ ہم اپنے رسولوں کو اور اُن لوگوں کو بچا لیا کرتے ہیں جو ایمان لائے ہوں۔ ہمارا یہی طریقہ ہے۔ ہم پر یہ حق ہے کہ مومنوں کو بچا لیں۔؏ ١۰
Section 10
We settled the Children of Israel in an excellent place⁹⁴ and provided them with the finest means of life. They did not fall into disagreement until after knowledge had come to them.⁹⁵ Your Lord will surely judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning what they used to differ over.
Now, if you have any doubt about the guidance We have sent down to you, ask those who have been reading the Book before you. The truth has indeed come to you from your Lord, so do not be among those who doubt, and do not join those who denied Allah’s verses, or you will be among the losers.⁹⁶
The truth is that those against whom your Lord’s word has been fulfilled⁹⁷ will not believe, whatever sign comes to them, until they see the painful punishment coming. Is there any example of a town that believed on seeing the punishment and found its faith of benefit? [There is none,] except the people of Yunus.⁹⁸ When that people believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world⁹⁹ and let them enjoy life for a while.¹⁰⁰
Had your Lord willed [that everyone on earth be believing and obedient], all the people of the earth would have believed.¹⁰¹ Will you, then, force people to become believers?¹⁰² No soul can believe except by Allah’s leave,¹⁰³ and Allah’s way is to cast filth upon those who do not use their reason.¹⁰⁴
Say to them, “Open your eyes and look at what is in the heavens and the earth.” But what use are signs and warnings to people who simply do not want to believe?¹⁰⁵ What are they waiting for now, if not to see the same evil days that those before them saw? Say to them, “Very well, wait. I too am waiting with you.”
Then [when such a time comes,] We save Our messengers and those who have believed. This is Our way. It is a duty upon Us to save the believers.
[End of Section 10]
Surah younus explanatory notes:
94: That is, “in Palestine after their exodus from Egypt”
95: This refers to the dissensions the Israelites had caused in the Divine Way and the new religions they had invented. This verse accuses them of falling into variances, even though they possessed the Divine Knowledge, which had provided them with the criterion of judging between the Right Way and the wrong ways. They did this because of mischiefs of their hearts in spite of the fact that the Right Way had been made clear to them, and its fundamental principles had been imparted to them and instructions had been given about its implications and demands and its boundaries had been distinctly demarcated from those of the ways of unbelief. Besides, they had been admonished to follow the path of obedience and guard against the paths of disobedience, and establish their lives entirely in accordance with the rules and regulations based on that Knowledge, for they shall have to render an account of all they did in this life. But in spite of all the instructions that were given to them, they divided one original Religion into many divergent sects and built different ways on foundations other than those laid down by Allah.
96: Though these words were addressed to the Holy Prophet, they were meant for those who expressed doubts about his Message. As regards the reference to the people of the Book, it is because they possessed the Knowledge of the Scriptures, whereas the common people of Arabia lacked this, and were, therefore, strangers to the voice of the Quran. It was also expected that their just and pious scholars would testify that its Message was the same as that of the Scriptures of the former Prophets.
97: Allah’s decree that had become applicable to them was this: Allah does not thrust the Faith on those who do not seek after the Truth: who obstinately and obdurately shut their hearts against it with prejudice: who are so lost in the love of this world that they do not care at all about the Hereafter.
98: Though Prophet Jonah (860-784 B.C.) was an Israelite Prophet, he was sent to ‘Iraq for the guidance of the Assyrians, who have been called the people of Jonah for this reason. At that time, Nineveh, a very ancient and famous city, was their capital. Its vast remains are scattered on the left bank of the Tigris, opposite to the city of Mosul, and one of the mounds bears the name of ‘Prophet Jonah’ . In order to form an estimate of the glory of these people, suffice it to say that the circumference of their capital Nineveh was 60 miles or so.
99: As regards the question why the threatened torment was warded off from the people of Jonah as an exception to the Divine principle, “After the decision of the torment, the profession of faith by any community does not benefit it,” the Qur’an does not give any details of this, but merely refers to the story at three places. (See XXI: 87, 88; XXXII: 139-148; LXVIII: 48-50). Though the story contained in the Book of Jonah gives some details, these cannot be depended upon because it was neither composed by Prophet Jonah nor it is a Revealed Book but was written by some unknown person and then inserted in the Bible. Besides this, it contains some apparently absurd things which cannot be accepted as true. Nevertheless if we consider this deeply in the light of the allusions made in the Qur’an and details in the Book of Jonah, the explanation given by various commentators of the Qur’an seems to be correct.-Prophet Jonah left the place of his Mission without Divine permission after warning the people of the torment. Therefore Allah forgave the Assyrians, when they repented after seeing some Signs of the coming torment. This was in accordance with the Divine principles as stated in the Qur’an. For, according to one of these, Allah does not inflict any torment on any people, till He has the Message fully demonstrated to them. As the Prophet did not continue his admonition in accordance with the appointed term and left the place of his Mission of his own accord, Allah’s justice did not inflict the chastisement because the legal argument against his people had not been fulfilled. (For further explanation see E.N. 85 of XXXVI).
100: When the Assyrians believed in the Message, they were given a new lease of life. But after some time, they adopted the wrong ways of thought and deed. Prophet Nahum (720-698 B.C.) warned and admonished them but without any effect. Then Prophet Zephaniah (640-609 B.C.) gave them the last warning that “he …. will destroy Assyria and will make Nineveh a desolation” but it also proved in vain. At last in about 612 B.C., Allah made the Medes dominant over them.
The Median king, with the help of the Babylonians, invaded Assyria, and their army was defeated and was besieged within the walls of Nineveh. They put up a stiff resistance for some time but then the floods in the Tigris swept away the city wall and the invaders swarmed into the city and burnt it to ashes along with the surrounding countryside. The Assyrian king set fire to his palace and was himself burnt to death. Thus the Assyrian Empire and its culture came to an end for ever. The recent archaeological excavations reveal widespread effects of the fire.
101: This refers to the freedom that Allah has granted to mankind to believe or not to believe in Him. Otherwise He could have very easily created all the people as born believers and obedient servants and there would have been no disbelief and disobedience at all on the earth. Or He could have very easily inspired them to turn towards belief and obedience. But these methods would have defeated the wisdom that underlies the creation of mankind.
102: This does not at all mean that the Holy Prophet desired to force people to become believers, and that Allah was forbidding him to do this. In fact, the Qur’an has here adopted the same method of admonishing the people that it has adopted at many other places, that is, though the words have apparently been addressed to the person of the Holy Prophet, in fact, these have been addressed to the people. The implication is this: “O people! Our Messenger has made the distinction between the Guidance and deviation quite clear and plain by argument and pleading. Now, therefore, it is for you to believe or not to believe in the Guidance. If you accept that some one should force you to adopt the Right Way, you should know that this `duty’ has not been assigned to Our Prophet. Had Allah willed this, He could have done it Himself: then there would have been no need of sending any Prophet to you.”
103: This is to emphasize the principle that the bestowal of all these blessings is in the power of Allah alone: therefore none can acquire or bestow on anyone any blessing without the permission of Allah. As faith and guidance also are blessings, they, too, can be acquired only with Allah’s permission; and no one can acquire these without His permission nor bestow these on anyone else even though one should desire to do so. That is why, even if the Prophet had sincerely desired to make people believers forcibly, he could not have done this, for this could be done only with Allah’s permission and help.
104: This points out clearly that the above principle is not applied blindly and irrationally so as to bestow the blessing of faith on or withhold it from anyone without any rhyme or reason, but it works according to a system which is based on wisdom. Allah bestows this on anyone who uses his common sense properly in starch of the Truth, for Allah provides for such a one the means of attaining it in proportion to the sincerity of his intention and the extent of his exertion and grants him its correct knowledge required for faith. But He throws the filth of ignorance, deviation, wrong thinking and wrong doing on the one who is not a seeker after the Truth and does not seek the Truth and does not use his common-sense properly because of his prejudices, or does not use it at all in search of the Truth. And this is what such people deserve.
105: This is the answer to the condition that they would believe him to be a true Prophet, if a Sign would be shown to them. The Holy Prophet has been asked to say to them, “There are countless Signs in the heaven and the earth, which confirm and testify the Message I am giving you. You could have easily recognized them, had you observed and considered them with open eyes and open hearts. But if you lack this urge and desire for the Truth, you will not accept and acknowledge it, however wonderful, miraculous and supernatural the sign may be, for you will declare that it was a piece of sorcery like Pharaoh and his chiefs. The fact is that the people, who suffer from this malady, see the Truth only when the torment with all its horrors overtakes them, just as Pharaoh came to believe only when he was drowning. But you should note it well that the repentance at the time of punishment is of no avail.
اے نبیؐ !106 کہہ دو کہ لوگو، ” اگر تم ابھی تک میرے دین کے متعلق کسی شک میں ہو تو سُن لو کہ تم اللہ کے سوا جن کی بندگی کرتے ہو میں اُن کی بندگی نہیں کرتا بلکہ صرف اُسی خدا کر بندگی کرتا ہوں جس کے قبضے میں تمہاری موت ہے۔107 مجھے حکم دیا گیا ہے کہ میں ایمان لانے والوں میں سے ہوں۔ اور مجھ سے فرمایا گیا ہےکہ تُویکسُو ہو کر اپنے آپ کو ٹھیک ٹھیک اس دین پر قائم کر دے108 ، اور ہرگز ہرگز مشرکوں میں سے نہ ہو۔109 اور اللہ کو چھوڑ کو کسی ایسی ہستی کو نہ پُکار جو تُجھے نہ فائدہ پہنچا سکتی ہے نہ نقصان۔ اگر تُو ایسا کرے گا تو ظالموں میں سے ہوگا۔ اگر اللہ تجھے کسی مصیبت میں ڈالے تو خود اُس کے سوا کوئی نہیں جو اُس مصیبت کو ٹال دے، اور اگر وہ تیرے حق میں کسی بھلائی کا ارادہ کرے تو اُس کے فضل کو پھیرنے والا بھی کوئی نہیں ہے۔ وہ اپنے بندوں میں سے جن کو چاہتا ہے اپنے فضل سے نوازتا ہے اور وہ درگزر کر نے والا اور رحم فرمانے والا ہے۔ “ اے محمد ؐ ، کہہ دو کہ ” لوگو، تمہارے پاس تمہارے ربّ کی طرف سے حق آچکا ہے ۔ اب جو سیدھی راہ اختیار کرے اُس کی راست روی اُسی کے لیے مفید ہے ، اور جو گمراہ رہے اُس کی گمراہی اُسی کے لیے تباہ کُن ہے۔ اور میں تمہارے اُوپر کوئی حوالہ دار نہیں ہوں۔“ اور اے نبی ؐ ، تم اس ہدایت کی پیروی کیے جاوٴ جو تمہاری طرف بذریعہ وحی بھیجی جا رہی ہے، اور صبر کرو یہاں تک کہ اللہ فیصلہ کر دے، اور وہی بہترین فیصلہ کرنے والا ہے۔ ؏ ١١
Section 11
O Prophet,¹⁰⁶ say: “People, if you are still in any doubt about my religion, then hear this. I do not serve those you serve besides Allah. I serve only the God in whose hands your death lies.¹⁰⁷ I have been commanded to be one of the believers. And I have been told: ‘Set yourself firmly and wholeheartedly upon this religion,¹⁰⁸ and never be one of the polytheists.¹⁰⁹ Do not call on anyone besides Allah who can neither benefit nor harm you. If you do, you will be one of the wrongdoers. If Allah afflicts you with some hardship, no one but He can remove it, and if He intends some good for you, no one can turn back His grace. He bestows His grace on whichever of His servants He wills, and He is Forgiving and Merciful.’”
O Muhammad, say: “People, the truth has come to you from your Lord. Whoever now takes the right path, his right conduct benefits only himself, and whoever stays astray, his misguidance ruins only himself. I am not your keeper.”
And O Prophet, keep following the guidance being sent to you through revelation, and be patient until Allah gives His judgement. He is the best of judges.
[End of Section 11]
Explanatory foot notes
106: In this concluding portion, the same thing that was stated at the beginning of the discourse, has been reiterated. Therefore it will be worthwhile to keep in view the introductory passage (vv. 1-10).
107: The Arabic word literally means “gives you death”, but it has been purposely translated into “who has power to cause your death” in order to convey its real spirit in the content it occurs. It implies this: “I worship only that One, who has full power over your life: He has complete authority and power to let you live as long as He wills and cause you to die at any moment He wills. That is why I am fully convinced that I should submit and surrender, worship, serve and obey Him alone.”
Now let us consider why of all His characteristics, this quality of Allah was specifically cited here. This was to bring home to the mushriks of Makkah that the doctrine of shirk was absolutely false. For they also believed (and all the mushriks have always believed) that death is entirely in the hands of Allah, the Lord of the universe, and none else has any power over it; so much so that they confessed that even those beings, whom they believed to be partners with God in other qualities and powers of, His, could not avert death even from themselves. Thus the mention of this quality of Allah along with the statement of the Doctrine of Tauhid has been made to serve as a proof of that creed. That is, “I serve Him only for He alone has the full power over life and death. Why should, then, I serve others who have no power at all over their own lives and deaths, not to mention the lives and deaths of others?” The eloquence and force of the statement has been enhanced manifold by saying, “…….Who gives you life and death” instead of “…..Who gives me life and death”. For this contains the statement of the Doctrine, its proof and invitation to it, all the three combined in one concise sentence. Had it been said, “…I serve that one Who gives me death,” then it would have implied, “I alone should serve Him”. But by saying. “……Who gives you death” the implication is: “It is not only I, who should serve Him, but you also should serve Him. For it is absolutely wrong to serve any other than Allah, Who alone has such powers.”
108: The force of the Arabic words of the text “Dedicate yourself sincerely, exclusively and steadfastly to this Faith”, is worth deep consideration. The purpose might have been served by the use of such words as “Adopt this Faith” or “Follow this Faith”. But Allah considered such expressions as weak and incapable of serving the real purpose, which is implied in the wording of the Text. For the literal meaning is “Set your face steadfastly”, which implies, “You should steadfastly turn your face in one direction only, without turning it even slightly to right or left, or backward, and go on marching in the same direction.” Though these words were in themselves quite sufficient, the addition of the word made it all the more forceful. For (Hanif) is one who turns away from all others and exclusively turns to one direction. Thus what Allah demands is this: “Adopt this Faith, this Way of the worship of Allah and this way of life in such a manner that your worship, subjection, submission, servitude and obedience should be dedicated exclusively to Allah, the Lord of the universe, so that you do not deviate in the least after adopting this Way, you should have nothing to do with those ways that you have discarded and that you should not even have a look at the crooked paths that erroneous people follow.”
109: This negative way of forbidding shirk has been purposely adopted. It implies this: “You should not at all be one of those, who set up in any way whatsoever other gods as partners with Allah in His essence, His attributes, His rights and His powers, whether that god be one’s own self or another man or a group of men or some spirit or Jinn or angel or some material or imaginary being.” The demand of Tauhid has been made both in the positive form, “Dedicate…. Faith”, and in the negative form, “and be not….other gods with Allah. ” Thus it forbids shirk both in creed and in deed, in individual and in collective life, in places of worship and in education, in courts and in legislative assemblies in political and in economic activities. Therefore it demands from the worshiper of Tauhid to adopt a different way in every aspect of life from the way of those who adulterate God-worship with ungodly worships, for the former can never be a fellow traveler with those who practice shirk. As such things can never be expected from him, it can never be imagined that he would follow them.
Thus it is clear that it cuts at the very root of shirk, both (Jali) open and (khafi) hidden. As a matter of fact, shirk in its latter form is even more dangerous and should therefore be avoided most scrupulously. This warning is necessary, as some foolish people consider it to be almost harmless just because it is hidden. The fact is that open shirk is like an avowed enemy who makes an attack in the open and hidden shirk is like an enemy in the guise of a friend. Or the former is like a disease of which the symptoms arc quite apparent and the latter like the hidden disease that gradually undermines one’s health. Thus it is obvious that when the ‘open’ shirk comes into conflict with the Faith of Tauhid, it may be cured. But the one who suffers from the `hidden’ shirk does not realize the threat posed by it and slowly and gradually succumbs to it, while the victim remains quite unaware that his Faith is being devoured by the deadly secret enemy
