SURAH AL-A RAAF (AYA 171 to 190)
وَإِذْ نَتَقْنَا الْجَبَلَ فَوْقَهُمْ كَأَنَّهُ
ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُ وَاقِعٌ بِهِمْ خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُمْ بِقُوَّةٍ
وَاذْكُرُوا مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ {7:171}
[Q7:171] Wa iz nataqnal jabala fawqahum ka annahoo zullatunw
wa zannooo annahoo waaqi'um bihim khuzoo maaa aatainaakum biquwwatinw wazkuroo
maa feehi la'allakum tattaqoon.
[Q7:171] And when We shook the mountain over them as if it were a covering overhead, and they thought that it was going to fall down upon them: Take hold of what We have given you with firmness, and be mindful of what is in it, so that you may guard (against evil).
[Q7:171] And when We shook the mountain over them as if it were a covering overhead, and they thought that it was going to fall down upon them: Take hold of what We have given you with firmness, and be mindful of what is in it, so that you may guard (against evil).
[Q7:171] Dan
(ingatlah wahai Muhammad) ketika Kami mengangkat gunung (Tursina) ke atas
mereka (Bani Israil) seolah-olah gunung itu awan (yang menaungi mereka) dan
mereka yakin bahawa gunung itu akan jatuh menimpa mereka, (sambil Kami
berfirman kepada mereka): Terimalah dengan bersungguh-sungguh (Kitab Taurat) yang
telah Kami berikan kepada kamu dan ingatlah (amalkanlah) apa yang terkandung di
dalamnya, supaya kamu menjadi orang-orang yang bertakwa.
See
commentary of al
Baqarah 2:63.
The
word fawq (over) in
this verse and al
Baqarah 2:63 and rafa-na (we raised) in al Baqarah 2:63 clearly
establish the fact that the mountain was hanging as if it was a canopy or a
covering over the heads of the people. To say that the people
were made to stand at the foot of the mountain is to change the meaning and
application of the words of ALLAH (SWT), because a mountain is always higher and towering than the people if
they stand beside it, THEREFORE, the use of words "we
raised the mountain over their head as if it was a canopy" become unnecessary.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:171) And recall when We shook the mountain over them as though it were a
canopy, and they thought that it was going to fall over them; and We said:
'Hold firmly to that which We have given you, and remember what is in it, that
you may guard against evil. *132
*132. The allusion here is to the event which took
place when Moses proclaimed God's Divine Law at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. (Exodus 19: 17-18.)
This awesome atmosphere was created by God at the time when He made the people of Israel enter into a covenant with Him in order to impress upon them the gravity of the event and the supreme importance of the covenant. It should not be mistakenly assumed, however, that the people of Israel, who were reluctant to make the covenant, were forced to enter into it. In fact they were all believers and had gone to the Mount merely to make the covenant. The extraordinary conditions which God created were such as to make the Israelites realize that making a covenant with God was not an ordinary matter. They were rather made to feel that they were entering into a covenant with none other than Almighty God and that violating it could spell their disaster.
This concludes the discourse especially addressed to the Israelites. From here on the discourse is directed to all mankind, and particularly to the people whom the Prophet (peace be on him) addressed directly.
Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. (Exodus 19: 17-18.)
This awesome atmosphere was created by God at the time when He made the people of Israel enter into a covenant with Him in order to impress upon them the gravity of the event and the supreme importance of the covenant. It should not be mistakenly assumed, however, that the people of Israel, who were reluctant to make the covenant, were forced to enter into it. In fact they were all believers and had gone to the Mount merely to make the covenant. The extraordinary conditions which God created were such as to make the Israelites realize that making a covenant with God was not an ordinary matter. They were rather made to feel that they were entering into a covenant with none other than Almighty God and that violating it could spell their disaster.
This concludes the discourse especially addressed to the Israelites. From here on the discourse is directed to all mankind, and particularly to the people whom the Prophet (peace be on him) addressed directly.
SECTION 22
The Progeny of Adam will bear witness
against itself.
The
Progeny of Adam shall bear witness against each other---Similarities of the
disbelievers---All beautiful names of ALLAH.
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ
ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ
بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَا ۛ أَنْ تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَٰذَا غَافِلِينَ {7:172}
[Q7:172] Wa iz akhaza Rabbuka mim Baneee Aadama min
zuhoorihim zurriyyatahum wa ash hadahum 'alaa anfusihim alastu bi Rabbikum
qaaloo balaa shahidnaaa; an taqooloo Yawmal Qiyaamati innaa kunnaa 'an haazaa
ghaafileen.
[Q7:172] And when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their backs, their descendants, and made them bear witness against their own souls: Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes! We bear witness. Lest you should say on the day of resurrection: Surely we were heedless of this.
[Q7:172] And when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their backs, their descendants, and made them bear witness against their own souls: Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes! We bear witness. Lest you should say on the day of resurrection: Surely we were heedless of this.
[Q7:172] Dan (ingatlah wahai Muhammad)
ketika Tuhanmu mengeluarkan zuriat anak-anak Adam (turun-temurun) dari (tulang)
belakang mereka dan Dia jadikan mereka saksi terhadap diri mereka sendiri,
(sambil Dia bertanya dengan firmanNya): Bukankah Aku tuhan kamu? Mereka semua
menjawab: Benar (Engkaulah Tuhan kami), kami menjadi saksi. Yang demikian
supaya kamu tidak berkata pada hari kiamat kelak: Sesungguhnya kami adalah
lalai (tidak diberi peringatan) tentang (hakikat tauhid) ini.
[A] SOME COMMENTATORS refer
to mithaq
ul alast -that after the creation of Adam ALLAH (SWT) brought
forth from the loins of Adam all his descendants (all humanity, born or unborn,
without any limit of time), conscious of their existence, on the earth or in
some state before coming on earth, and
that a covenant about His rububiyat was taken from all of
them, which is binding on each individual.
[B] Some Shia commentators say that the covenant ALSO
INCLUDED 1. The finality of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)
and 2. Imamat of Ali ibne Abi Talib.
ì It is also said that some accepted and some rejected the covenant. Those who accepted
it there accept it here also, AND
those who rejected it there reject it here also.
The theory of a covenant taken in the state of
pre-existence [A] is found unreasonable in view
of the following facts:
(1) The words in the text refer to the descendants (dhurriyyatahum) of the children
of Adam, who were brought forth from their loins, NOT FROM THE LOINS
OF ADAM.
(2) The question "Am I not your Lord?" was addressed to all. ALL OF THEM
said "yes". It was a unanimous reply. There was no difference of
opinion.
(3) ALLAH (SWT) made each of them witness over himself so that no one may
say: "I was not aware (conscious) of
this," OR THAT, having no choice
of his or her own, blindly followed the ancestors. IF THIS REFERS to the state of pre-existence nobody would remember it, nor
the reminders or warnings of any prophet would help to recall as to what took
place prior to existence, therefore,
on the day of reckoning every person will say: "I do not remember."
(4) It suggests compulsion, WHEREAS man has free choice to believe or not to believe.
THE TRUE MEANING OF THE VERSE IS THAT ALLAH (SWT) BRINGS FORTH FROM EVERY HUMAN BEING HIS OFFSPRING
AND MAKES EACH ONE AWARE OF ONE'S SELF OR SOUL WHEN ONE REACHES MATURITY; AND AT THAT STAGE OF FULL CONSCIOUSNESS HE
KNOWS THAT THERE IS A (SUPREME AND UNCAUSED) CREATOR WHO HAS BROUGHT HIM INTO
EXISTENCE. This acknowledgement is the result of an inherent awareness
in every human being, WHICH MAKES HIM RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS BELIEF OR
DISBELIEF, HIS GOOD DEEDS OR EVIL DEEDS. AT THIS STAGE EACH INDIVIDUAL BECOMES FREE FROM THE BLIND
INFLUENCE OF OTHERS.
This verse does not refer to any
state of development prior to the state when every man becomes a witness over
himself.
**TO PRESUME the existence of the cognitive self (I) prior to the present life, is to
accept the possibility of the transmigration of the soul from one body to
another body-a doctrine rejected by Islam on the basis of theological and rational
arguments.
**THERE ARE STAGES THROUGH
WHICH THE HUMAN SOUL PASSES TILL IT REACHES FULL CONSCIOUSNESS, BUT
there is no possibility of the existence of any conscious stage, prior to the
present consciousness, which cannot be remembered. All that has been said in this connection about the
existence of cognitive self in the state of pre-existence is based upon
conjecture relied upon by the old
pagan cults to believe in the false theories of transmigration. Sayyid Murtada,
Shaykh Mufid and Abul Ali Tabrasi have rejected the
possibility of a conscious life in any state of pre existence.
Also
refer to the commentary of Ali Imran 3:81.
»
Another interpretation of this verse is as under:
ALLAH (SWT), the omnipotent creator, after creating Adam from clay, asked him and every soul to be born in his progeny,
who, in the infinite knowledge of the almighty ALLAH (SWT), would come on this earth:
"Am I not your Lord?" All of them said: "Yes. We bear
witness". It was done so that men may not say that they did not know
who their Lord-Creator is.
THIS APPLIES TO VERSE 173 ALSO.
The
Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad) said that if only men knew when Ali was appointed mawla and amir al muminin, they
would not deny his superiority over all other created beings.
µ According to Firdaws
al Akhyar by Dayami, chap. 14, p.
274; and Tafsir of al Ayyashi, when the almighty Lord decided to create the universe, He assembled
all His creatures together before Himself and asked them: "Who is your Lord?"
THEREUPON the first to answer was the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), and next was Ali ibne
Abi Talib, and then all the Imams who were to be his descendants.
They
all said: "You are our Lord." THEN THE
ALMIGHTY LORD made them the repositories of divine knowledge and said to
the angels: "Behold, these are the repositories of My knowledge and
these are the trusted ones from among all My creatures and they shall be the
guides of all in everything."
Then the Lord commanded all the
descendants of Adam to acknowledge Him as their Lord and to promise obedience
to them, and all said: "We promise." The angels also said: "We
bear witness".
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:172) And recall (0 Prophet) *133 when
your Lord brought forth descendants from the loins of the sons of Adam, and
made them witnesses against their ownselves. asking them: 'Am I not your Lord?'
They said: 'Yes, we do testify.' *134 We did so lest you claim on the Day of
Resurrection: 'We were unaware of this.'
*133. The preceding discourse concluded with the note
that God made the Israelites enter into a covenant with their Lord. In the
following passages all men are told that a covenant with God is not the
exclusive privilege of Israel. In fact all human beings are bound in a covenant
with God and a Day will come when they will be made to answer how well they
were able to observe that covenant.
*134. This event, according to several traditions, took place at the time of the creation of Adam. Apart from the prostration of the angels before Adam and the proclamation that man would be God's vicegerent on earth, all the future progeny of Adam were gathered, and were endowed with both existence and consciousness in order to bear witness to God's lordship. The best interpretation of this event is found in a statement by, 'Ubayy b. Ka'b, who has probably given the substance of what he had heard from the Prophet (peace be on him):
God gathered all human beings, divided them into different groups, granted them human form and the faculty of speech, made them enter into a covenant, and then making them witnesses against themselves He asked them: 'Am I not your Lord?' They replied: 'Assuredly you are Our Lord.' Then God told them: 'I call upon the sky and the earth and your own progenitor, Adam, to be witness against you lest you should say on the Day of Judgement that you were ignorant of this. Know well that no one other than Me deserves to he worshipped and no one other than Me is your Lord. So do not ascribe any partner to Me. I shall send to you My Messengers who will remind you of this covenant which you made with Me. I shall send down to you My Books.' In reply all said: 'We witness that You are Our Lord and our Deity. We have no lord or deity other than You.' (Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 5, p. 135 - Ed.)
This event has also been interpreted by some commentators in a purely allegorical sense. They are of the opinion that the purpose of the Qur'an is merely to emphasize that the acceptance of God's lordship is innate in human nature. However, this was narrated in such a way as to suggest that the event did actually take place. We do not subscribe to this allegorical interpretation of the primordial covenant of man with God. For both the Qur'an and Hadith recount it not only as an actual happening, but also affirm that the covenant would be adduced as an argument against man on the Day of Judgement. There remains, therefore, no ground whatsoever to interpret the event in terms of mere allegory.
In our own view the event did take place. God caused all human beings whom He intended to create until the Last Day to come into existence. He endowed upon them life, consciousness and the faculty of speech, and brought home to them that there is no god or lord besides Him, and that Islam alone is the right way to serve Him.
If someone considers calling all human beings together in one assembly impossible, that shows, more than anything else the woeful paucity of his imagination. For if someone accepts that God has the power to create countless human beings in succession, there is no reason to suppose that He did not have the power to create them all at some given moment prior to the creation of the universe, or that He will be unable to resurrect them all at some given moment in the future. Again, it stands to reason that at a time when God wanted to designate man as His vicegerent on earth after endowing him with reason and understanding, He took from him an oath of allegiance. All this is so reasonable that the actual occurrence of the covenant should not cause any wonder. On the contrary, one should wonder if the event did not take place.
*134. This event, according to several traditions, took place at the time of the creation of Adam. Apart from the prostration of the angels before Adam and the proclamation that man would be God's vicegerent on earth, all the future progeny of Adam were gathered, and were endowed with both existence and consciousness in order to bear witness to God's lordship. The best interpretation of this event is found in a statement by, 'Ubayy b. Ka'b, who has probably given the substance of what he had heard from the Prophet (peace be on him):
God gathered all human beings, divided them into different groups, granted them human form and the faculty of speech, made them enter into a covenant, and then making them witnesses against themselves He asked them: 'Am I not your Lord?' They replied: 'Assuredly you are Our Lord.' Then God told them: 'I call upon the sky and the earth and your own progenitor, Adam, to be witness against you lest you should say on the Day of Judgement that you were ignorant of this. Know well that no one other than Me deserves to he worshipped and no one other than Me is your Lord. So do not ascribe any partner to Me. I shall send to you My Messengers who will remind you of this covenant which you made with Me. I shall send down to you My Books.' In reply all said: 'We witness that You are Our Lord and our Deity. We have no lord or deity other than You.' (Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 5, p. 135 - Ed.)
This event has also been interpreted by some commentators in a purely allegorical sense. They are of the opinion that the purpose of the Qur'an is merely to emphasize that the acceptance of God's lordship is innate in human nature. However, this was narrated in such a way as to suggest that the event did actually take place. We do not subscribe to this allegorical interpretation of the primordial covenant of man with God. For both the Qur'an and Hadith recount it not only as an actual happening, but also affirm that the covenant would be adduced as an argument against man on the Day of Judgement. There remains, therefore, no ground whatsoever to interpret the event in terms of mere allegory.
In our own view the event did take place. God caused all human beings whom He intended to create until the Last Day to come into existence. He endowed upon them life, consciousness and the faculty of speech, and brought home to them that there is no god or lord besides Him, and that Islam alone is the right way to serve Him.
If someone considers calling all human beings together in one assembly impossible, that shows, more than anything else the woeful paucity of his imagination. For if someone accepts that God has the power to create countless human beings in succession, there is no reason to suppose that He did not have the power to create them all at some given moment prior to the creation of the universe, or that He will be unable to resurrect them all at some given moment in the future. Again, it stands to reason that at a time when God wanted to designate man as His vicegerent on earth after endowing him with reason and understanding, He took from him an oath of allegiance. All this is so reasonable that the actual occurrence of the covenant should not cause any wonder. On the contrary, one should wonder if the event did not take place.
أَوْ تَقُولُوا إِنَّمَا أَشْرَكَ آبَاؤُنَا مِنْ
قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةً مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ ۖ أَفَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ
الْمُبْطِلُونَ {7:173}
[Q7:173] Aw taqoolooo innamaaa ashraka aabaaa 'unaa min
qablu wa kunnaa zurriyyatam mim ba'dihim afatuhlikunna bimaa fa'alal mubtiloon.
[Q7:173] Or you should say: Only our fathers associated others (with ALLAH (SWT) before, and we were an offspring after them: Wilt Thou then destroy us for what the vain doers did?
[Q7:173] Or you should say: Only our fathers associated others (with ALLAH (SWT) before, and we were an offspring after them: Wilt Thou then destroy us for what the vain doers did?
[Q7:173] Atau
supaya kamu tidak mengatakan: Sesungguhnya ibu bapa kamilah yang melakukan
syirik dahulu sedang kami ialah keturunan (mereka) yang datang kemudian
daripada mereka. Oleh itu, patutkah Engkau (wahai Tuhan kami) hendak
membinasakan kami disebabkan perbuatan orang-orang yang sesat itu?
(see commentary for verse 172)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:173) Or say: 'Our forefathers before us who associated others with Allah in
His divinity; we were merely their offspring who followed them. And would You
destroy us for that which the unrighteous did?' *135
*135. The verse describes the
purpose of the primordial covenant. The purpose is to make every person
responsible for his deeds so that if he rebels against God he will be held
fully accountable for that rebelfion. Because of the covenant, no one will be
able either to plead for acquittal on grounds of ignorance, or blame his
misdeeds on his ancestors. In other
words, this primordial covenant has been mentioned as the reason for the
inherent awareness in every single person that God is the only Lord and Deity.
THUS, none can totally absolve himself of his responsibility on the plea that
he was altogether ignorant, or transfer the blame for his error to the corrupt
environment in which he was brought up. NOW, it can be argued that even if the
covenant did take place, no human being remembers its occurrence. No human
being is aware that a long time ago, at the time of creation, he had affirmed,
in response to God's query, that God indeed was his Lord. THIS BEING THE CASE,
it can be further argued that no charge can be legitimately brought against man
on the ground of a covenant with God which he no longer remembers to have made.
IN RESPONSE to this it can be said that had the covenant been made fully in
man's conscious memory, it would be meaningless for God to put man to the test
in this world. Hence, there can be no denying that the covenant is not
preserved in man's conscious memory. BUT IT HAS DOUBTLESSLY BEEN PRESERVED
IN MAN'S SUB-CONSCIOUS MIND. IN THIS RESPECT THE PRIMORDIAL COVENANT IS NO
DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PIECES OF KNOWLEDGE IN MAN'S SUB-CONSCIOUS MIND. Whatever man has so far achieved in the way
of culture and civilization can be attributed to his latent potentialities. All
external factors and internal motivations simply account for helping the
actualization of those potentialities. Neither education nor training nor
environmental factors can bring out anything which is not potentially found in
the human mind. LIKEWISE, external factors have no power to root out man's
latent potentialities. External factors may, at the most, cause a person to
deflect from the course dictated by sound human nature. However, man's sound
nature is inclined to resist the pressure of external forces and exert itself
in order to find an outlet. As we have said earlier, this is not peculiar to
man's religious propensity alone, but is equally true of all his mental
potentialities. In this regard the
following points are particularly noteworthy:
(1) All man's potentialities exist in the sub-conscious mind and prove their existence when they manifest themselves in the form of human action.
(2) The external manifestation of these potentialities requires external stimuli such as instruction, upbringing and attitudinal orientation. In other words, our actions consist of the responses of our inherent potentialities to external stimuli.
(3) Man's inner potentialities can be suppressed both by false urges within him as well as external influences by trying to pervert and distort those latent potentialities. The potentialities themselves, however, cannot he totally rooted out.
The same holds true of man's intuitive knowledge regarding his position in the universe and his relationship with his Creator. In this connection the following points should be borne in mind:
(1) That man has always had such intuitive knowledue is evident from the fact that this knowledge has surfaced throughout history in every period and in every part of the world, and which no power has so far been able to extirpate.
(2) That this intuitive knowledge conforms to objective reality, is borne out by, the fact that whenever this knowledge has influenced human life, it has had beneficial results.
(3) That in order to manifest itself in his practical life, man's intuitive knowledge has always required external stimuli. The stimuli have consisted of the advent of the Prophets (peace be on them), the revelation of the Heavenly Books, and the striving of those who have tried to follow them and invite others to do the same.
(1) All man's potentialities exist in the sub-conscious mind and prove their existence when they manifest themselves in the form of human action.
(2) The external manifestation of these potentialities requires external stimuli such as instruction, upbringing and attitudinal orientation. In other words, our actions consist of the responses of our inherent potentialities to external stimuli.
(3) Man's inner potentialities can be suppressed both by false urges within him as well as external influences by trying to pervert and distort those latent potentialities. The potentialities themselves, however, cannot he totally rooted out.
The same holds true of man's intuitive knowledge regarding his position in the universe and his relationship with his Creator. In this connection the following points should be borne in mind:
(1) That man has always had such intuitive knowledue is evident from the fact that this knowledge has surfaced throughout history in every period and in every part of the world, and which no power has so far been able to extirpate.
(2) That this intuitive knowledge conforms to objective reality, is borne out by, the fact that whenever this knowledge has influenced human life, it has had beneficial results.
(3) That in order to manifest itself in his practical life, man's intuitive knowledge has always required external stimuli. The stimuli have consisted of the advent of the Prophets (peace be on them), the revelation of the Heavenly Books, and the striving of those who have tried to follow them and invite others to do the same.
**It is for this reason that the Qur'an has been
desienated as mudhakkir (the reminder): dhikr (remembrance); tadhkirah (admonition). and the function of the Qur'an has
been characterized as tadhkir (reminding). What this
suggests is that the Prophets, the Heavenly Books and those who invite
people to the truth do not seek to provide human beings with something new,
something which exists outside of them. Their task rather consists of bringing
to the surface and rejuvenating what is latent, though dormant, in man
himself.
Throughout the ages man has always positively responded to this 'Reminder'. This itself is testimony to the fact that it is embodied in a knowledge which has always been recognized by; man's soul.
Forces arising from ignorance and obscurantism, lust and bigotry, and the erroneous teachings and promptings of devils - human as well as jinn - have always attempted to suppress, conceal, and distort the fact that the truth preached by the Prophets is embedded in man's soul. These attempts gave rise to polytheism, atheism, religious misdirection and moral corruption. Despite the combined efforts of the forces of falsehood, however, this knowledge has always had an imprint on the human heart. Hencel, whenever any effort was made to revive that knowledge, it has proved successful.
Doubtlessly those who are bent on denying the truth can resort to a great deal of sophistry in order to deny or at least create doubt and confusion about the existence of this knowledge. However on the Day of Resurrection the Creator will revive in man the memory of the first assembly when man made his covenant with God and accepted Him as his Only Lord. On that occasion God will provide evidence to the effect that the covenant always remained imprinted on man's soul. He will also show how from time to time man tried to suppress his inner voice which urged him to respond to the call of the covenant; how again and again his heart pressed him to affirm the truth; how his intuition induced him to denounce the errors of belief and practice; how the truth ingrained in his soul tried to express itself and respond to those who called to it; and how on each occasion he lulled his inner self to sleep because of his lust and bigotry.
However a Day will come when man will no longer be in a position to put forth specious arguments to justify his false claims. That will be the Day when man will have no option but to confess his error. It will then be impossible for people to say that they were ignorant, or negligent. In the words of the Qur'an: '...and they will bear witness against themselves that they had disbelieved' (al-An'am 6: 130).
Throughout the ages man has always positively responded to this 'Reminder'. This itself is testimony to the fact that it is embodied in a knowledge which has always been recognized by; man's soul.
Forces arising from ignorance and obscurantism, lust and bigotry, and the erroneous teachings and promptings of devils - human as well as jinn - have always attempted to suppress, conceal, and distort the fact that the truth preached by the Prophets is embedded in man's soul. These attempts gave rise to polytheism, atheism, religious misdirection and moral corruption. Despite the combined efforts of the forces of falsehood, however, this knowledge has always had an imprint on the human heart. Hencel, whenever any effort was made to revive that knowledge, it has proved successful.
Doubtlessly those who are bent on denying the truth can resort to a great deal of sophistry in order to deny or at least create doubt and confusion about the existence of this knowledge. However on the Day of Resurrection the Creator will revive in man the memory of the first assembly when man made his covenant with God and accepted Him as his Only Lord. On that occasion God will provide evidence to the effect that the covenant always remained imprinted on man's soul. He will also show how from time to time man tried to suppress his inner voice which urged him to respond to the call of the covenant; how again and again his heart pressed him to affirm the truth; how his intuition induced him to denounce the errors of belief and practice; how the truth ingrained in his soul tried to express itself and respond to those who called to it; and how on each occasion he lulled his inner self to sleep because of his lust and bigotry.
However a Day will come when man will no longer be in a position to put forth specious arguments to justify his false claims. That will be the Day when man will have no option but to confess his error. It will then be impossible for people to say that they were ignorant, or negligent. In the words of the Qur'an: '...and they will bear witness against themselves that they had disbelieved' (al-An'am 6: 130).
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ
يَرْجِعُونَ {7:174}
[Q7:174] Wa kazaalika nufassihul Aayaati wa la'allahum
yarji'oon.
[Q7:174] And thus do We make clear the communications, and that haply they might return.
[Q7:174] And thus do We make clear the communications, and that haply they might return.
[Q7:174] Dan
demikianlah Kami menjelaskan ayat-ayat keterangan Kami satu persatu (supaya
nyata segala kebenaran) dan supaya mereka kembali (kepada kebenaran).
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:174) And thus do We expound the signs *136 that
they may turn back (to the right path). *137
*136. 'Signs'
here refer to the imprints made by knowledge of the truth on the human heart
which help towards cognition of the truth.
*137. 'To return' here signifies giving up rebellion, and reverting to obedience to God.
*137. 'To return' here signifies giving up rebellion, and reverting to obedience to God.
وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِي آتَيْنَاهُ
آيَاتِنَا فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَكَانَ مِنَ
الْغَاوِينَ {7:175}
[Q7:175] Watlu 'alaihim naba allazeee aatainaahu Aayaatinaa
fansalakha minhaa fa atba'a hush Shaytaano fakaana minal ghaaween.
[Q7:175] And recite to them the narrative of him to whom We give Our communications, but he withdraws himself from them, so the Shaitan overtakes him, so he is of those who go astray.
[Q7:175] And recite to them the narrative of him to whom We give Our communications, but he withdraws himself from them, so the Shaitan overtakes him, so he is of those who go astray.
[Q7:175] Dan bacakanlah kepada mereka
(wahai Muhammad), khabar berita seorang yang kami beri kepadanya (pengetahuan
mengenai) ayat-ayat (Kitab) Kami, kemudian dia menjadikan dirinya terkeluar
dari mematuhinya, lalu dia diikuti oleh Syaitan (dengan ALLAH (SWT)aannya),
maka menjadilah dari orang-orang yang sesat.
IT IS SAID THAT "The news
of the man whom We gave Our signs" refers to Balam, in the days of Firawn, who knew the ism al azam. Firawn
asked him to pray for Musa's arrest.
He agreed and sat on his donkey to go to a particular place to recite the ism al azam for Musa's arrest, BUT the donkey did not budge. He beat the animal to
its death. Then he realised that he had totally forgotten the ism al azam. He died as an infidel.
°
SOME
COMMENTATORS think the narrative relates to Balam.
°
SOME think
the person referred here is Umayya ibn
Abu Salt who read the old scriptures and knew that ALLAH (SWT) would send a
prophet about that time, BUT WHEN the
promised prophet, the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) did arrive, he refused to
acknowledge him.
°
SOME think
it relates to Amru ibn Numan ibn Sayfi,
an ascetic, who believed in the creed of Ibrahim
BUT mixed it with the false beliefs of Christian monks, and when he was
censured by the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali
ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), he turned against him.
Imam
Muhammad bin Ali al Baqir said: "Though it relates
to Balam, but ALLAH (SWT) intends to
set an example for those who receive true guidance from ALLAH (SWT), yet prefer to act according to their
own desires in order to lay hands on the worldly gains."
Earthly
desires eventually bring man low to the level of beasts and even worse. If he follows
the guidance he receives from ALLAH (SWT) he is blessed with exalted spiritual
honour. He who rejects ALLAH (SWT) and His guidance is like a dog who
lolls out his tongue, whether he is attacked and pursued, or left alone.
It is part of his nature to slobber and be contemptible.
µ Imam Ali has
compared such men to a restive she camel who shows unwillingness to tackle when
her rider draws rein, and goes aimlessly in any direction, and stumbles when he
applies no check to her.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:175) And recite to them [O Muhammad] the story of the man to whom We gave Our
signs *138 and who turned away from them; then ultimately Satan caught up with him
and he was led astray.
*138. The words of the text seem to indicate that the
person mentioned must indeed be a specific rather than an imaginary figure
mentioned for the sake of parable. It may, be borne in mind that God and His
Messenger (peace be on him) usually mention evil without specific references to
any individual. This is obviously in keeping with their dignity. Only examples
of evil are mentioned since those examples are meant for didactic purposes, and
this is done without smearing anyone's reputation.
Some commentators on the Qur'an, however, have applied the statement made here to some persons who lived in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) as well as before him. Some of them mention the name of Bal'am b. Ba'ura', others that of Umayyah b. Abi al-Salt, and still others that of Sayfi b. al-Rahib. (See the comments of Qurtubi on verses 175 and 176 - Ed.) Nonetheless, in the absence of any authentic information about the identity of the persons under discussion, we might as well consider the description made here to fit a certain type of person.
Some commentators on the Qur'an, however, have applied the statement made here to some persons who lived in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) as well as before him. Some of them mention the name of Bal'am b. Ba'ura', others that of Umayyah b. Abi al-Salt, and still others that of Sayfi b. al-Rahib. (See the comments of Qurtubi on verses 175 and 176 - Ed.) Nonetheless, in the absence of any authentic information about the identity of the persons under discussion, we might as well consider the description made here to fit a certain type of person.
وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَاهُ بِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّهُ
أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ ۚ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ
إِنْ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَثْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مَثَلُ
الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۚ فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ
يَتَفَكَّرُونَ {7:176}
[Q7:176] Wa law shi'naa larafa'naahu bihaa wa laakin nahooo
akhlada ilal ardi watta ba'a hawaah; famasaluhoo kamasalil kalb; in tahmil
'alaihi yalhas aw tatruk hu yalhas; zaalika masalul qawmil lazeena kazzaboo bi
Aayaatinaa; faqsusil qasasa la'allahum yatafakkaroon.
[Q7:176] And if We had pleased, We would certainly have exalted him thereby; but he clung to the earth and followed his low desire, so his parable is as the parable of the dog; if you attack him he lolls out his tongue; and if you leave him alone he lolls out his tongue; this is the parable of the people who reject Our communications; therefore relate the narrative that they may reflect.
[Q7:176] And if We had pleased, We would certainly have exalted him thereby; but he clung to the earth and followed his low desire, so his parable is as the parable of the dog; if you attack him he lolls out his tongue; and if you leave him alone he lolls out his tongue; this is the parable of the people who reject Our communications; therefore relate the narrative that they may reflect.
[Q7:176] Dan
kalau Kami kehendaki nescaya Kami tinggikan pangkatnya dengan (sebab
mengamalkan) ayat-ayat itu. Tetapi dia bermati-mati cenderung kepada dunia dan
menurut hawa nafsunya; maka bandingannya adalah seperti anjing, jika engkau
menghalaunya: Dia menghulurkan lidahnya termengah-mengah dan jika engkau
membiarkannya: Dia juga menghulurkan lidahnya termengah-mengah. Demikianlah
bandingan orang-orang yang mendustakan ayat-ayat Kami. Maka ceritakanlah
kisah-kisah itu supaya mereka berfikir.
(see commentary for verse 175)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:176) Now had We so willed We could indeed have exalted him through those
signs, but he clung to earthly life and followed his carnal desires. Thus his
parable is that of the dog who lolls out his tongue whether you attack him or
leave him alone. *139 Such is the parable of those who reject Our signs as false. Narrate to
them these parables that they may reflect.
*139. Since the statement here embodies a very
significant point, it needs to be carefully examined. The person mentioned in
the verse as the representative of the evil type possessed knowledge of God's
signs, and hence of the truth. This should have helped him to give up an
attitude which he knew to be wrong, and to act in a manner which he knew to be
right. Had he followed the truth and acted righteously God would have enabled
him to rise to higher levels of humanity. He, however, overly occupied himself
with the advantages, pleasures, and embellishments of the worldly life. Instead
of resisting worldly temptations, he totally, succumbed to them so much so that
he abandoned altogether his lofty spiritual ambitions and became indifferent to
the possibilities of intellectual and moral growth. He even brazenly, violated
all those limits which, according to his knowledge should have been observed.
Hence when he deliberately turned away from the truth merely because of his
moral weakness, he was misled by Satan who is ever ready to beguile and mislead
man. Satan continually led him from one act of depravity to another until he
landed him in the company of those who are totally under Satan's control and
who have lost all capacity for rational judgement.
This is followed by a statement in which God likens the person in question to a dog. A dog's protruding tongue and the unceasing flow of saliva from his mouth symbolize unquenchable greed and avarice. The reason for likening the human character described above to a dog is because of his excessive worldliness. It is known that in several languages of the world it is common to call people overly devoted to worldliness as 'dogs of the world'. For what, after all, is the characteristic of a dog? It is nothing else but greed and avarice. Just look at the dog! As he moves around, he continuously sniffs the earth. Even if a rock is hurled at him he runs at it in the hope that it might be a piece of bone or bread. Before he discovers it to be a rock, he hastens to seize it in his mouth. Even a person's indifference does not deter a dog from waiting expectantly for food - panting for breath, his tongue spread out and drooping, and a whole world from one perspective alone - that of his belly! Even if he discovers a large carcass, he would not be content with his portion of it, but would try to make it exclusively his and would not let any other dog even come close. It seems that if any urge other than appetite tickles him, it is the sexual urge. This metaphor of the dog, highlights the fate of the worldly man who breaks loose from his faith and knowledge, who entrusts his reins to blind lust and who ends up as one wholly devoted to gratifying his own appetite.
This is followed by a statement in which God likens the person in question to a dog. A dog's protruding tongue and the unceasing flow of saliva from his mouth symbolize unquenchable greed and avarice. The reason for likening the human character described above to a dog is because of his excessive worldliness. It is known that in several languages of the world it is common to call people overly devoted to worldliness as 'dogs of the world'. For what, after all, is the characteristic of a dog? It is nothing else but greed and avarice. Just look at the dog! As he moves around, he continuously sniffs the earth. Even if a rock is hurled at him he runs at it in the hope that it might be a piece of bone or bread. Before he discovers it to be a rock, he hastens to seize it in his mouth. Even a person's indifference does not deter a dog from waiting expectantly for food - panting for breath, his tongue spread out and drooping, and a whole world from one perspective alone - that of his belly! Even if he discovers a large carcass, he would not be content with his portion of it, but would try to make it exclusively his and would not let any other dog even come close. It seems that if any urge other than appetite tickles him, it is the sexual urge. This metaphor of the dog, highlights the fate of the worldly man who breaks loose from his faith and knowledge, who entrusts his reins to blind lust and who ends up as one wholly devoted to gratifying his own appetite.
سَاءَ مَثَلًا الْقَوْمُ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا
بِآيَاتِنَا وَأَنْفُسَهُمْ كَانُوا يَظْلِمُونَ {7:177}
[Q7:177] Saaa'a masalanil qawmul lazeena kazzaboo bi
Aayaatinaa wa anfusahum kaanoo yazlimoon.
[Q7:177] Evil is the likeness of the people
who reject Our communications and are unjust to their own souls.
[Q7:177] Amatlah buruknya bandingan orang-orang yang mendustakan ayat-ayat Kami dan mereka pula berlaku zalim kepada diri merela sendiri.
[Q7:177] Amatlah buruknya bandingan orang-orang yang mendustakan ayat-ayat Kami dan mereka pula berlaku zalim kepada diri merela sendiri.
(see commentary for verse 175)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:177) Evil
is the example of the people who reject Our signs as false and perpetrate wrong
against their own selves.
مَنْ يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِي ۖ وَمَنْ
يُضْلِلْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ {7:178}
[Q7:178] mai yahdil laahu fa huwal muhtadee wa mai yudlil fa
ulaaa'ika humul khaasiroon.
[Q7:178] Whomsoever ALLAH (SWT) guides, he is the one who follows the right way; and whomsoever He causes to err, these are the losers.
[Q7:178] Whomsoever ALLAH (SWT) guides, he is the one who follows the right way; and whomsoever He causes to err, these are the losers.
[Q7:178] Sesiapa
yang diberi petunjuk oleh ALLAH (SwT) (dengan sebab persediaannya) maka dialah
yang beroleh petunjuk dan sesiapa yang disesatkan oleh ALLAH (SwT) (dengan
sebab keingkarannya) maka merekalah orang-orang yang rugi.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:178) He whom Allah guides, he alone is rightly
guided; and he whom Allah lets go astray - it is they who are the loser.'
وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ
الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ ۖ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ
لَا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ
كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ {7:179}
[Q7:179] Wa laqad zaraanaa li jahannama kaseeram minal jinni
wal insi lahum quloobul laa yafqahoona bihaa wa lahum a'yunul laa yubisiroona bihaa
wa lahum aazaanul laa yasma'oona bihaa; ulaaa'ika kal an'aami bal hum adall;
ulaaa'ika humul ghaafiloon.
[Q7:179] And certainly We have created for hell many of the jinn and the men; they have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear; they are as cattle, nay, they are in worse errors; these are the heedless ones.
[Q7:179] And certainly We have created for hell many of the jinn and the men; they have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear; they are as cattle, nay, they are in worse errors; these are the heedless ones.
[Q7:179] Dan
sesungguhnya Kami jadikan untuk Neraka Jahannam banyak dari jin dan manusia
yang mempunyai hati (tetapi) tidak mahu memahami dengannya (ayat-ayat ALLAH
(SwT)), dan yang mempunyai mata (tetapi) tidak mahu melihat dengannya (bukti
keesaan ALLAH (SwT)) dan yang mempunyai telinga (tetapi) tidak mahu mendengar
dengannya (ajaran dan nasihat); mereka itu seperti binatang ternak, bahkan
mereka lebih sesat lagi; mereka itulah orang-orang yang lalai.
THOSE WHO DO NOT USE THE PROFIT YIELDING FACULTIES, GIVEN TO THEM, WHICH
CAN HELP THEM TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH, have been referred to in this verse.
ä
Those who misuse or neglect the faculties, which can make them
real human beings, superior to all created beings, finally
deteriorate to the animal state.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:179) And certainly We have created for Hell many of the jinn and
mankind; *140 they have hearts with which they fail to understand; and they have eyes
with which they fail to see; and they have cars with which they fail to hear.
They are like cattle - indeed, even more astray. Such are utterly heedless.
*140. This does not mean that God has created some
people for the specific purpose of fuelling Hell. What it does mean is that
even though God has bestowed upon men faculties of observation, hearing and
reasoning, some people do not use them properly. Thus, because of their own
failings, they end up in Hell.
The words employed to give expression to the idea are ones which reflect deep grief and sorrow. This can perhaps be grasped by the occasional outbursts of sorrow by human beings. If a mother is struck by the sudden death of her sons in a war, she is prone to exclaim: 'I had brought up my sons that they might serve as cannon fodder!' Her exclamatory, utterance does not mean that that was the real purpose of the upbringing. What she intends to convey by such an utterance is a strong condemnation of those criminals because of whom all her painful efforts to bring up her sons have gone to waste.
The words employed to give expression to the idea are ones which reflect deep grief and sorrow. This can perhaps be grasped by the occasional outbursts of sorrow by human beings. If a mother is struck by the sudden death of her sons in a war, she is prone to exclaim: 'I had brought up my sons that they might serve as cannon fodder!' Her exclamatory, utterance does not mean that that was the real purpose of the upbringing. What she intends to convey by such an utterance is a strong condemnation of those criminals because of whom all her painful efforts to bring up her sons have gone to waste.
وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا
ۖ وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا
يَعْمَلُونَ {7:180}
[Q7:180] Wa lillaahil Asmaaa'ul Husnaa fad'oohu bihaa wa
zarul lazeena yulhidoona feee Asmaaa'ih; sa yujzawna maa kaanoo ya'maloon.
[Q7:180] And ALLAH (SWT)'s are the best names, therefore call on Him thereby, and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of His names; they shall be recompensed for what they did.
[Q7:180] And ALLAH (SWT)'s are the best names, therefore call on Him thereby, and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of His names; they shall be recompensed for what they did.
[Q7:180] Dan ALLAH
(SwT) mempunyai nama-nama yang baik (yang mulia), maka serulah (dan berdoalah)
kepadaNya dengan menyebut nama-nama itu dan pulaukanlah orang-orang yang berpaling
dari kebenaran dalam masa menggunakan nama-namaNya. Mereka akan mendapat
balasan mengenai apa yang mereka telah kerjakan.
EXCELLENT OR MOST BEAUTIFUL NAMES OF ALLAH (SWT) ARE THOSE WHICH GIVE US THE
IDEA OF HIS INFINITE ATTRIBUTES, SUCH
AS RAHMAN AND RAHIM, RABBUL ALAMIN AND MALIKI YAWMIDDIN etcetera. There are people who use His
names profanely - which suggest things derogatory to
His unity and infiniteness-SUCH AS calling Him the father of Isa.
Ø [1] Violating
the sanctity of His holy names, [2] Assigning to Him attributes which negate His
absoluteness, omnipotence and hayy al qayyum (self-subsisting)
existence, or [3]
Calling others with names exclusively owned by Him is polytheism.
ONLY THE NAMES THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA
MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) HAS TAUGHT US IN VIEW OF HIS UNITY, WISDOM, MIGHT AND WILL, AND THE NAMES MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN SHOULD BE USED.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:180) Allah has the most excellent names. *141 So
call on Him by His names and shun those who distort them. They shall soon be
requited for their deeds. *142
*141. Here the present discourse is nearing its end.
Before concluding, people are warned in a style which combines admonition with
censure against some basic wrongs. People are here being warrned particularly
against denial combined with mockery which they, had adopted towards the
teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him).
*142. The name of a thing reflects how it is conceptualized. Hence, inappropriate concepts are reflected in inappropriate names, and vice versa. Moreover, the attitude a man adopts towards different things is also based on the concepts he entertains of those things. If a concept about a thing is erroneous, so will be man's relationship with it. On the other hand. a right concept about a thing will lead to establishing, the right relationship with it. In the same way, as this applies to relationships with worldly objects, so it applies to relationships with God. If a man is mistaken about God - be it about His person or attributes - he will choose false words for God. And the falsity of concepts about God affects man's whole ethical attitude. This is understandable since man's whole ethical attitude is directly related to man's concept of God and God's relationship with the universe and man. It is for this reason that the Qur'an asks man to shun profanity in naming God. Only the most beautiful names befit God, and hence man should invoke Him by them. Any profanity in this respect will lead to evil consequences.
The 'most excellent names' used of God express His greatness and paramountcy, holiness, purity, and the perfection and absoluteness of all His attributes. The opposite trend has been termed ilhad in this verse. The word ilhad literally means 'to veer away from the straight direction'. The word is used, for instance, when an arrow misses the mark and strikes elsewhere. (See Raghib al-Isfahani, al-Mufradat, q.v. ilhad - Ed.) The commitment of ilhad in naming God mentioned in the verse consists of choosing names which are below His majestic dignity and which are inconsistent with the reverence due to Him; names which ascribe evil or defect to God, or reflect false notions about Him. Equally blasphemous is the act of calling some creature by a name which befits God alone, The Qur'anic exhortation in the above verse to 'shun those who distort God's names' implies that if misguided people fail to see reason, the righteous should not engross themselves in unnecessary argumentation with them. For such men will themselves suffer dire consequences.
*142. The name of a thing reflects how it is conceptualized. Hence, inappropriate concepts are reflected in inappropriate names, and vice versa. Moreover, the attitude a man adopts towards different things is also based on the concepts he entertains of those things. If a concept about a thing is erroneous, so will be man's relationship with it. On the other hand. a right concept about a thing will lead to establishing, the right relationship with it. In the same way, as this applies to relationships with worldly objects, so it applies to relationships with God. If a man is mistaken about God - be it about His person or attributes - he will choose false words for God. And the falsity of concepts about God affects man's whole ethical attitude. This is understandable since man's whole ethical attitude is directly related to man's concept of God and God's relationship with the universe and man. It is for this reason that the Qur'an asks man to shun profanity in naming God. Only the most beautiful names befit God, and hence man should invoke Him by them. Any profanity in this respect will lead to evil consequences.
The 'most excellent names' used of God express His greatness and paramountcy, holiness, purity, and the perfection and absoluteness of all His attributes. The opposite trend has been termed ilhad in this verse. The word ilhad literally means 'to veer away from the straight direction'. The word is used, for instance, when an arrow misses the mark and strikes elsewhere. (See Raghib al-Isfahani, al-Mufradat, q.v. ilhad - Ed.) The commitment of ilhad in naming God mentioned in the verse consists of choosing names which are below His majestic dignity and which are inconsistent with the reverence due to Him; names which ascribe evil or defect to God, or reflect false notions about Him. Equally blasphemous is the act of calling some creature by a name which befits God alone, The Qur'anic exhortation in the above verse to 'shun those who distort God's names' implies that if misguided people fail to see reason, the righteous should not engross themselves in unnecessary argumentation with them. For such men will themselves suffer dire consequences.
وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ
وَبِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ {7:181}
[Q7:181] Wa mimman khalaqnaaa ummatuny yahdoona bilhaqqi wa
bihee ya'diloon.
[Q7:181] And of those whom We have created
are a people who guide with the truth and thereby they do justice.
[Q7:181] Dan di antara orang-orang yang Kami ciptakan itu, ada satu umat yang memberi petunjuk dengan kebenaran dan dengannya mereka menjalankan keadilan.
[Q7:181] Dan di antara orang-orang yang Kami ciptakan itu, ada satu umat yang memberi petunjuk dengan kebenaran dan dengannya mereka menjalankan keadilan.
THOSE
WHO HAVE BEEN THOROUGHLY PURIFIED BY ALLAH (SWT) (Ahzab 33:33), THE AHLUL BAYT OF
THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), ARE THE PEOPLE WHO GUIDE MANKIND WITH TRUTH. Also refer to
the commentary of al Baqarah 2:143.
SINCE THE CREATION OF MAN THERE HAD BEEN AND SHOULD ALWAYS BE A PERSON, PRESENT IN THIS WORLD, TO GUIDE OTHERS
WITH TRUTH.
In view of this fact the Holy
Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad) has said: "Whosoever
dies without recognising the Imam (guide) of his age (in order to follow his
guidance) dies the death of an ignorant pagan."
According to many authentic
traditions this condition remains valid up to the
reappearance of the last Imam of the house of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad),
the al Qa-im, BECAUSE after the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), the number of such persons was restricted to twelve by the Holy
Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad) himself.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:181) And
of those whom We have created there is a party who guide men through the truth
and act justly according to it.
SECTION 23
The Resurrection
ALLAH’s
plan is unbreakable---The Time or The Day of Resurrection known only to
ALLAH---The Doom shall be sudden.
وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا
سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ {7:182}
[Q7:182] Wallazeena kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa sanastadrijuhum
min haisu laa ya'lamoon.
[Q7:182] And (as to) those who reject Our communications, We draw them near (to destruction) by degrees from whence they know not.
[Q7:182] And (as to) those who reject Our communications, We draw them near (to destruction) by degrees from whence they know not.
[Q7:182] Dan
orang-orang yang mendustakan ayat-ayat Kami, Kami akan menarik mereka sedikit
demi sedikit (ke jurang kebinasaan), menurut cara yang mereka tidak mengetahuinya.
THE MOST IMPORTANT SIGNS OF ALLAH (SWT) have been referred to in the preceding verse. The beliers of His signs in verse 182 may enjoy a temporary
respite BUT ALLAH (SWT) shall punish them in a way that they will not know.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:182) As for those who reject Our signs as false, We
shall lead them, step by step, to their ruin without their even perceiving it.
وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ {7:183}
[Q7:183] Wa umlee lahum; inna kaidee mateen.
[Q7:183] And I grant them respite; surely My scheme is effective.
[Q7:183] And I grant them respite; surely My scheme is effective.
[Q7:183] Dan Aku memberi tempoh kepada
mereka; sesungguhnya rancangan balasanKu amatlah teguh.
(see commentary for verse 182)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:183) And (for this purpose) I will grant them
respite. My design is incontrovertible.
أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا ۗ مَا بِصَاحِبِهِمْ مِنْ
جِنَّةٍ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ {7:184}
[Q7:184] Awalam yatafakkaroo maa bisaahibihim min jinnah; in
huwa illaa nazeerum mubeen.
[Q7:184] Do they not reflect that their companion has not unsoundness in mind; he is only a plain warner.
[Q7:184] Do they not reflect that their companion has not unsoundness in mind; he is only a plain warner.
[Q7:184] Patutkah mereka (ingkar dan)
tidak mahu memikirkan (dengan fikiran yang siuman bahawa) sahabat mereka (Muhammad)
tidak sekali-kali mengidap penyakit gila (sebagaimana yang mereka tuduh itu),
bahkan dia hanyalah seorang (Pesuruh ALLAH (SwT)) yang memberi amaran yang
jelas.
THE TOTAL ABSORPTION OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) IN PRAYER AND COMMUNION WITH ALLAH (SWT) MISLED HIS OPPONENTS TO THINK THAT HE WAS
SEIZED WITH MADNESS.
Refer
to Najm 53:2
to 5. If he was possessed he was possessed by ALLAH (SWT).
THAT IS WHY HE
WAS NEVER DAZZLED BY WORLDLY POWER, WEALTH OR POSITION. TRUE IN THOUGHT, WORD AND DEED, KIND AND CONSIDERATE TO THE WEAK,
MERCIFUL EVEN TO ADVERSARIES, UNDETERRED BY FEAR OF THE STRONG OR THE MOCKERY
OF THE CYNICS OR THE INDIFFERENCE OF THE HEEDLESS, HE STOOD OUT FIRMLY AGAINST THE EVIL OF
POLYTHEISM.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:184) Have
they not pondered that their companion [i.e. the Prophet Muhammad] is not
afflicted with insanity? He is only a plain warner.
أَوَلَمْ يَنْظُرُوا فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَأَنْ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ
اقْتَرَبَ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ {7:185}
[Q7:185] Awalam yanzuroo fee malakootis samaawaati wal ardi
wa maa khalaqal laahu min shai'inw wa an 'asaaa ai yakoona qadiqtaraba ajaluhum
fabi aiyi hadeesim ba'dahoo yu'minoon.
[Q7:185] Do they not consider the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever things ALLAH (SWT) has created, and that may be their doom shall have drawn nigh; what announcement would they then believe in after this?
[Q7:185] Do they not consider the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever things ALLAH (SWT) has created, and that may be their doom shall have drawn nigh; what announcement would they then believe in after this?
[Q7:185] Patutkah
mereka (membutakan mata) tidak mahu memperhatikan alam langit dan bumi dan
segala yang diciptakan oleh ALLAH (SwT) dan (memikirkan) bahawa harus telah
dekat ajal kebinasaan mereka? Maka kepada perkataan yang mana lagi sesudah
(datangnya Kalamullah Al-Quran) itu mereka mahu beriman?
THE UNIVERSE, CREATED BY HIM, SHOULD CONVINCE A THINKING MIND OF MAN'S LIMITATIONS AND ALLAH (SWT)'S POWER, GLORY AND
GOODNESS. Man's term will draw to an end. If he does not pay
attention to His signs and believe, he shall never have another chance.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:185) Have they not observed the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and all
that Allah has created *143 and that their term of life might have drawn near *144 After this warning from the Prophet, what will it be that will make them
believe?
*143. The word 'companion' here refers to the Prophet (peace be on him)
who was born, brought up, grew into youth, in short, spent his whole life
including his old age in their midst. Before the advent of his prophethood,
Muhammad (peace be on him) was known to all the Quraysh as good natured and of
sound mind. However, as he started calling people to accept the Message of God,
they immediately dubbed him insane. Now it is obvious that they were not
attributing insanity to him as regards his pre-prophetic life, for they had
nothing evil to say about that period of his life. The charge of insanity,
therefore, was levelled against the Message he began to preach when he was
designated a Prophet.
The Qur'an, therefore, asks them to give serious thought to the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him) and to see if there is anything that is inconsistent with sanity, or is meaningless and irrational. Had people reflected on the order of the universe, or carefully considered even one single creation of God, they would have been convinced of the truth of the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him). They would have realized that whatever he said to refute polytheism, or to establish God's unity or the accountability of man in the Hereafter, or about the necessity of man's surrender to God, was corroborated by the entire order of the universe and every single atom of God's creation.
*144. The unbelievers, feeble-minded as they are, fail to understand that no one knows when he will die. For death overtakes man totally unawares. This being the case, what will be the end of those who waste the time at their disposal until death overtakes them and fail to find the direction to their salvation?
The Qur'an, therefore, asks them to give serious thought to the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him) and to see if there is anything that is inconsistent with sanity, or is meaningless and irrational. Had people reflected on the order of the universe, or carefully considered even one single creation of God, they would have been convinced of the truth of the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him). They would have realized that whatever he said to refute polytheism, or to establish God's unity or the accountability of man in the Hereafter, or about the necessity of man's surrender to God, was corroborated by the entire order of the universe and every single atom of God's creation.
*144. The unbelievers, feeble-minded as they are, fail to understand that no one knows when he will die. For death overtakes man totally unawares. This being the case, what will be the end of those who waste the time at their disposal until death overtakes them and fail to find the direction to their salvation?
مَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ ۚ
وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ {7:186}
[Q7:186] Mai yadlilil laahu falaa haadiyaa lah; wa yazaruhum
fee tughyaanihim ya'mahoon.
[Q7:186] Whomsoever ALLAH (SWT) causes to
err, there is no guide for him; and He leaves them alone in their inordinacy,
blindly wandering on.
[Q7:186] Sesiapa yang disesatkan oleh ALLAH (SwT) (kerana keingkarannya), maka tidak ada sesiapa pun yang akan dapat memberi petunjuk kepadanya dan ALLAH (SwT) membiarkan mereka meraba-raba (dengan bingung) dalam kesesatan mereka.
[Q7:186] Sesiapa yang disesatkan oleh ALLAH (SwT) (kerana keingkarannya), maka tidak ada sesiapa pun yang akan dapat memberi petunjuk kepadanya dan ALLAH (SwT) membiarkan mereka meraba-raba (dengan bingung) dalam kesesatan mereka.
Refer
to the commentary of al Baqarah 2:8 to 20.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:186) For
those whom Allah lets go astray, there is no guide; and He will leave them in
their transgression to stumble blindly.
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا ۖ
قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ رَبِّي ۖ لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَا إِلَّا هُوَ
ۚ ثَقُلَتْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةً ۗ
يَسْأَلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِيٌّ عَنْهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ
اللَّهِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ {7:187}
[Q7:187] Yas'aloonaka 'anis Saa'ati aiyaana mursaahaa qul
innamaa 'ilmuhaa 'inda Rabbee laa yujallaeehaa liwaqtihaaa illaa Hoo; saqulat
fis samaawaati wal ard; laa taateekum illaa baghtah; yas'aloonaka ka annaka
hafiyyun 'anhaa qul innamaa 'ilmuhaa 'indal laahi wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa
ya'lamoon.
[Q7:187] They ask you about the hour, when will be its taking place? Say: The knowledge of it is only with my Lord; none but He shall manifest it at its time; it will be momentous in the heavens and the earth; it will not come on you but of a sudden. They ask you as if you were solicitous about it. Say: Its knowledge is only with ALLAH (SWT), but most people do not know.
[Q7:187] They ask you about the hour, when will be its taking place? Say: The knowledge of it is only with my Lord; none but He shall manifest it at its time; it will be momentous in the heavens and the earth; it will not come on you but of a sudden. They ask you as if you were solicitous about it. Say: Its knowledge is only with ALLAH (SWT), but most people do not know.
[Q7:187] Mereka
bertanya kepadamu (wahai Muhammad) tentang hari kiamat: Bilakah masa datangnya?
Katakanlah: Sesungguhnya pengetahuan mengenainya hanyalah ada di sisi Tuhanku,
tidak ada sesiapa pun yang dapat menerangkan kedatangannya pada waktunya
melainkan Dia. (Huru-hara) hari kiamat itu amatlah berat (menggerunkan
makhluk-makhluk yang ada) di langit dan di bumi; ia tidak datang kepada kamu
melainkan secara mengejut. Mereka bertanya kepadamu seolah-olah engkau sedia
mengetahuinya. Katakanlah: Sesungguhnya pengetahuan mengenai hari kiamat itu
adalah di sisi ALLAH (SwT), tetapi kebanyakan manusia tidak mengetahui.
Isa also gave a similar reply when asked about the end of this world and the day of judgement.
"But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in
heaven, not even the son; only the Father." (Matthew 24: 36
and Mark 13: 32)
About the sa-at (hour) and
"when will be its appointed time" the Qur’an
says that none knows it save ALLAH (SWT). See Nazi-at 79:42 to 44. "To your Lord is the
end of it" says verse 44 of an Nazi-at.
The word sa-at refers
to the end of the creatures'
striving unto their destiny. THE DESTINY IS FIXED. It may be individual or
collective. There are many
grades also. It is a relative term applicable to resurrection
or destiny of an individual, or a community or any part of the universe.
Many worlds have been
created and reached their destinies and experienced their resurrections. There
are many worlds which are in the early stages of becoming, and many are drawing
to their end. So no finite being knows the hour of termination.
ALLAH (SWT) IS THE END, UNTO HIM EVERYTHING IS JOURNEYING AND TO HIM
EVERYTHING SHALL RETURN. HE IS FREE AND INDEPENDENT OF THE APPLICATION OF TIME
AND SPACE, because they are
finite, applicable only to dimensional beings. THE
RESURRECTION IS BEYOND DIMENSIONS.
THE
FACT OF COMING OF THE FINAL HOUR IS A CERTAINTY. THE
APPOINTED TIME IS NOT KNOWN TO FINITE BEINGS. OUR
DUTY IS TO BE PREPARED FOR IT AT ALL TIMES.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:187) They
ask you concerning the Hour, when will its coming be? Say: 'The knowledge of it
is with my Lord alone: none but He will disclose it at its time. That will
weigh heavily on the heavens and the earth; and it shall not come to you other
than all of a sudden.' They ask you - as if you are eagerly inquisitive about
it - concerning it. Say to them: 'The knowledge of it is with none except
Allah. But most people are unaware of this reality.'
قُلْ لَا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا
إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ وَلَوْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ
مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ ۚ إِنْ أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ
لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ {7:188}
[Q7:188] Qul laaa amliku linafsee naf'anw wa laa darran
illaa maa shaaa'al laah; wa law kuntu a'alamul ghaiba lastaksartu minal khairi
wa maa massaniyas soo'; in ana illaa nazeerunw wa basheerul liqawminy yu'minoon.
[Q7:188] Say: I do not control any benefit
or harm for my own soul except as ALLAH (SWT) please; and had I known the
unseen I would have had much of good and no evil would have touched me; I am
nothing but a Warner and the giver of good news to a people who believe.
[Q7:188] Katakanlah: Aku tidak berkuasa mendatangkan manfaat bagi diriku dan
tidak dapat menolak mudarat kecuali apa yang dikehendaki ALLAH (SwT) dan kalau
aku mengetahui perkara-perkara yang ghaib, tentulah aku akan mengumpulkan
dengan banyaknya benda-benda yang mendatangkan faedah dan (tentulah) aku tidak
ditimpa kesusahan. Aku ini tidak lain hanyalah (Pesuruh ALLAH (SwT)) yang
memberi amaran (bagi orang-orang yang ingkar) dan membawa berita gembira bagi
orang-orang yang beriman.
THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI
ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) HAD TO PRONOUNCE THESE WORDS, LEST HIS FOLLOWERS MAY DEIFY HIM **AS THE FOLLOWERS OF ISA MADE HIM, ALLAH (SWT) OR **SON OF ALLAH (SWT).
IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED
THAT HE WAS THE LAST PROPHET OF ALLAH (SWT), SO HE COULD NOT LEAVE BEHIND THE
SLIGHTEST POSSIBILITY OF THIS NATURE.
µ He was a nadhir (warner)
to the sinners -the eternal punishment they will be
afflicted with in the hereafter.
µ He was a bashir (giver of
glad tidings) to the virtuous -the reward of
eternal happiness they will enjoy in the hereafter.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:188) Tell them [O Muhammad]: 'I have no power to benefit or harm myself except
as Allah may please. And had I knowledge of the unseen, I should have amassed
all kinds of good, and no evil would have ever touched me. *145 I am merely a warner and the herald of glad tidings to those who have
faith.'
*145. The time of the advent of the Last Day is known
to God alone Who knows the Unseen which, in fact, is not known even to the
Prophet (peace be on him). Being human, he is not aware what the morrow has in
store for him and his family. Had his knowledge encompassed everything - even things
that lie beyond the ken of sense-perception and events that lie hidden in the
future - he would have accumulated immense benefit and would have been able to
avoid a great deal of loss owing to such foreknowledge. That being the case, it
is sheer naivety to ask the Prophet about the actual time for the advent of the
Last Day.
SECTION 24
The Conclusive Warnings against
Polytheism
The helplessness
ogods---Prayer and humility enjoined---To seek refuge in ALLAH against the
Devil’s incitement.
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ
وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا ۖ فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّاهَا حَمَلَتْ
حَمْلًا خَفِيفًا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِ ۖ فَلَمَّا أَثْقَلَتْ دَعَوَا اللَّهَ
رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ آتَيْتَنَا صَالِحًا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ {7:189}
[Q7:189] Huwal lazee khalaqakum min nafsinw waahidatinw wa
ja'ala minhaa zawjahaa liyas kuna ilaihaa falammaa taghash shaahaa hamalat
hamlan khafeefan famarrat bihee falammaaa asqalad da'awal laaha Rabbahumaa
la'in aayaitanaa saalihal lanakoo nanna minash shaakireen.
[Q7:189] He it is Who created you from a single being, and of the same (kind) did He make his mate, that he might incline to her; so when he covers her she bears a light burden, then moves about with it; but when it grows heavy, they both call upon ALLAH (SWT), their Lord: If Thou givest us a good one, we shall certainly be of the grateful ones.
[Q7:189] He it is Who created you from a single being, and of the same (kind) did He make his mate, that he might incline to her; so when he covers her she bears a light burden, then moves about with it; but when it grows heavy, they both call upon ALLAH (SWT), their Lord: If Thou givest us a good one, we shall certainly be of the grateful ones.
[Q7:189] Dialah (ALLAH (SwT)) yang
menciptakan kamu semua dari (hakikat) diri yang satu dan Dia mengadakan
daripada hakikat itu pasangannya (diri suami isteri), untuk bersenang-senang
(bertenang tenteram) satu diri kepada yang lain. Ketika suami mencampuri
isterinya, mengandunglah dia dengan kandungan yang ringan, serta teruslah dia
dengan keadaan itu (ke suatu waktu). Kemudian ketika dia merasa berat (dan
menaruh bimbang) berdoalah suami isteri itu kepada Tuhan mereka (dengan
berkata): Sesungguhnya jika Engkau (wahai Tuhan kami) mengurniakan kami nikmat
yang baik, tentulah kami menjadi orang-orang yang bersyukur.
Refer to an Nisa 4:1.
THERE
IS A GENERAL REFERENCE TO THE CREATION OF MAN, WHETHER MALE OR FEMALE, FROM A
SINGLE SOURCE. They must live in peace and harmony with love and
affection for each other. When a child is born to a
mother, the parents vow to make the child a true servant of ALLAH (SWT) if He
gives them a goodly child, BUT neglect their duties
when the child begins to grow. That
is how polytheism took roots in human society.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:189) It
is He - Allah -Who created you from a single being, and out of it He made its
mate, that he may find comfort in her. And when he covers her, she bears a
light burden and goes about with it. Then, when she grows heavy, they pray to
their Lord: 'If You bestow upon us a healthy child, we will surely give
thanks.'
فَلَمَّا آتَاهُمَا صَالِحًا جَعَلَا لَهُ شُرَكَاءَ
فِيمَا آتَاهُمَا ۚ فَتَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ {7:190}
[Q7:190] Falammaaa aataahumaa saalihan ja'alaa lahoo
shurakaaa'a feemaaa aataahumaa; fata'aalal laahu 'ammaa yushrikoon.
[Q7:190] But when He gives them a good one, they set up with Him associates in what He has given them; but high is ALLAH (SWT) above what they associate (with Him).
[Q7:190] But when He gives them a good one, they set up with Him associates in what He has given them; but high is ALLAH (SWT) above what they associate (with Him).
[Q7:190] Kemudian
ketika ALLAH (SwT) mengurniakan kepada keduanya nikmat yang baik (sebagaimana
yang mereka pohonkan), mereka berdua menjadikan sekutu bagi ALLAH (SwT) dalam
urusan wujudnya nikmat yang dikurniakan ALLAH (SwT) kepada mereka. Maha Suci ALLAH
(SwT) dari apa yang mereka sekutukan itu.
(see commentary for verse 189)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(7:190) But when He vouchsafes them a healthy child, they attribute to Him
partners regarding what Allah had bestowed upon them. Subliminally exalted is
Allah above that which they associate with Him. *146
*146. The present and succeeding verses (190-8) seek
to refute polytheism. These verses are devoted to highlighting the implications
of the postulate which even the polytheists affirmed - that it is God Who
originally created the human species. They also acknowledge that every human
being owes his existence to God. God also holds absolute power over the entire
process leading to man's birth, right from the fertilization of the ovurn in
the uterus to its onward development in the form of a living being, then
investing it with numerous faculties and ensuring its birth as a sound, healthy
baby. No one has the power to prevent God, if He so willed, from causing a
wornan to give birth to an animal or to odd creature, or to a physically or
mentally handicapped baby. This fact is also equally acknowledged by
monotheists and polytheists. It is for this reason that in the final stage of
pregnancy, people are inclined to turn to God and pray for the birth of a sound
and healthy baby.
It is, however, the very, height of man's ignorance and folly that after a sound and healthy baby has been born as a result of God's will, man makes offerings at the altars of false gods, goddesses, or saints. Occasionally the names given to the child (e.g., 'abd al-Rasul, 'abd al-'Uzza, 'abd Shams, etc.) also indicate that man feels grateful to others than God and regardsthe child as a gift either of sorne Prophet, some noted Companion of the Prophet (peace be on him), or some other noted personality such as his spiritual mentor rather than a gift from God.
There has been some misunderstanding with regard to the point emphasized here. This misunderstanding has been further reinforced by traditions of doubtful authenticity. The Qur'an mentions that human being's are created from a single person, and obviously here that person means Adam (peace be on him). Now this reference to one person is soon followed by reference to his spouse, and that both prayed to God for the birth of a sound and healthy baby. And when that prayer was accepted, the couple are mentioned as having associated others with God in the granting of His favour.
The misunderstanding consists in considering this couple, who fell prey to polytheism, to be Adam and Eve. People resorted to unauthentic traditions to explain the above verse and the story which thus gained acceptance was the following. It was claimed that Eve suffered several mishaps since her offspring would die after birth. Satan seized this opportunity to mislead her into naming her baby Abd al-Harith (the slave of Satan). (See the comments of Ibn Kathir on verse 190. Cf. Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 5, p. 11 - Ed.) What is most shocking is that some of these unsubstantiated traditions have been ascribed to the Prophet (peace be on him). The fact, however, is that the above account does not have even an iota of truth. Nor is it, in any way, corroborated by the Qur'an itself. The only point brought home by the Qur'an is that it is God alone, to the total exclusion of every one else, Who brought the first human couple into being. And again it is God alone Who causes the birth of each baby born out of the intercourse between a man and a woman. The Qur'an also points out that the of this truth is innate in human nature which is evident from the fact that in states of distress and crisis man turns prayerfully to God alone. Ironically, however, after God blesses those prayers with acceptance, a number of people associate others with God in His divinity. The fact is that the present verses do not refer to any particular man and woman. The allusion is in fact to every man and woman enmeshed in polytheism.
Here another point deserves attention. These verses condemn the Arabian polytheists on account of the fact that when God granted them sound children in response to their prayers they associated others with God in offering thanks. But what is the situation of many Muslims of today who strongly believe in the unity of God? Their situation seems even worse. It is not uncommon for them to ask others than God to grant children. They, make vows during pregnancy to others than God, and make offerings to others than God after child-birth. Yet they are satisfied that they have a full guarantee of Paradise since they are believers in the One True God whereas the Arabian polytheists would inevitably be consigned to Hell. It is only the doctrinal errors of the pre-Islamic Arabian polytheists which may be condemned. The doctrinal errors of Muslims are beyond all criticism and censure.
It is, however, the very, height of man's ignorance and folly that after a sound and healthy baby has been born as a result of God's will, man makes offerings at the altars of false gods, goddesses, or saints. Occasionally the names given to the child (e.g., 'abd al-Rasul, 'abd al-'Uzza, 'abd Shams, etc.) also indicate that man feels grateful to others than God and regardsthe child as a gift either of sorne Prophet, some noted Companion of the Prophet (peace be on him), or some other noted personality such as his spiritual mentor rather than a gift from God.
There has been some misunderstanding with regard to the point emphasized here. This misunderstanding has been further reinforced by traditions of doubtful authenticity. The Qur'an mentions that human being's are created from a single person, and obviously here that person means Adam (peace be on him). Now this reference to one person is soon followed by reference to his spouse, and that both prayed to God for the birth of a sound and healthy baby. And when that prayer was accepted, the couple are mentioned as having associated others with God in the granting of His favour.
The misunderstanding consists in considering this couple, who fell prey to polytheism, to be Adam and Eve. People resorted to unauthentic traditions to explain the above verse and the story which thus gained acceptance was the following. It was claimed that Eve suffered several mishaps since her offspring would die after birth. Satan seized this opportunity to mislead her into naming her baby Abd al-Harith (the slave of Satan). (See the comments of Ibn Kathir on verse 190. Cf. Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 5, p. 11 - Ed.) What is most shocking is that some of these unsubstantiated traditions have been ascribed to the Prophet (peace be on him). The fact, however, is that the above account does not have even an iota of truth. Nor is it, in any way, corroborated by the Qur'an itself. The only point brought home by the Qur'an is that it is God alone, to the total exclusion of every one else, Who brought the first human couple into being. And again it is God alone Who causes the birth of each baby born out of the intercourse between a man and a woman. The Qur'an also points out that the of this truth is innate in human nature which is evident from the fact that in states of distress and crisis man turns prayerfully to God alone. Ironically, however, after God blesses those prayers with acceptance, a number of people associate others with God in His divinity. The fact is that the present verses do not refer to any particular man and woman. The allusion is in fact to every man and woman enmeshed in polytheism.
Here another point deserves attention. These verses condemn the Arabian polytheists on account of the fact that when God granted them sound children in response to their prayers they associated others with God in offering thanks. But what is the situation of many Muslims of today who strongly believe in the unity of God? Their situation seems even worse. It is not uncommon for them to ask others than God to grant children. They, make vows during pregnancy to others than God, and make offerings to others than God after child-birth. Yet they are satisfied that they have a full guarantee of Paradise since they are believers in the One True God whereas the Arabian polytheists would inevitably be consigned to Hell. It is only the doctrinal errors of the pre-Islamic Arabian polytheists which may be condemned. The doctrinal errors of Muslims are beyond all criticism and censure.
