Sura (41)
FUSSILAT (HA MIM) (Abbreviated
Letters) Aya 1 to 54 in 6 Sections
Revealed in Makka
SECTION 1
Qur’an, the Book with verses fully expounded
Qur’an revealed from ALLAH (SWT) ---It is a Book in Arabic with verses
fully expounded---The Holy Prophet Muhammad, a man in communion with ALLAH
(SWT).
حم {41:1}
[Q41:1] Haa-Meeem.
[Q41:1] Ha Mim!
[Q41:1] Ha Mim!
Refer to the commentary
of Baqarah
2:1. This Book is the
manifestation of ALLAH (SWT)’s Grace and Mercy in the aspects of ‘Rahmaniyat’ and ‘Rahimiyat’
--- refer commentary of verse 1:1.
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(41:1) Ha’. Mim.
تَنْزِيلٌ مِنَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ {41:2}
[Q41:2] Tanzeelum
Minar-Rahmaanir-Raheem;
[Q41:2] A revelation from the Beneficent, the Merciful ALLAH (SWT):
[Q41:2] A revelation from the Beneficent, the Merciful ALLAH (SWT):
Refer to the commentary
of Zumar
39:1 and 2; Baqarah 2:2 and Yusuf 10:2.
THE QUR’AN IS A #BEARER OF GLAD TIDINGS
AS WELL AS A #WARNER, ***so is the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala
Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) as said in Baqarah 2:119;
Bani Israil 17:105; Furqan 25:56; Ahzab 33:45; Saba 34:28 and Fatir 35:24,
AND those
who are from him and he is from them, the Ahlul Bayt.
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(41:2) This is a revelation from the
Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,
كِتَابٌ فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا
لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ {41:3}
[Q41:3] Kitaabun
fussilat Aayaatuhoo Qur-aanan 'Arabiyyal liqawminy ya’lamoon;
[Q41:3] A Book of which the verses are made plain, an Arabic Quran for a people who know:
[Q41:3] A Book of which the verses are made plain, an Arabic Quran for a people who know:
[Q41:3] Sebuah Kitab yang dijelaskan ayat-ayatnya satu persatu; iaitu Al-Quran
yang diturunkan dalam bahasa Arab bagi faedah orang-orang yang mengambil tahu
dan memahami kandungannya.
THE HOLY QUR’AN IS A BOOK NOT OF ANY AMBIGUOUS
AND MYSTIC SAYINGS BUT WITH EVERY VERSE OF IT, DULY EXPLAINED.
Ø
It is in Arabic, the language of the
people through whom it has been divinely willed to reach every nation in the
various parts of the world, SO THAT the people,
the Arabs, to whom it was first introduced, might easily know the truth
and spread it to the others.
ARABIC here does not mean Arabian language
BUT is an adjective [1] meaning the
best, [2] the most expressive, [3] the
most eloquent language. Opposed to this the Arabs called ‘Ajam’ meaning the reverse---Non-expressive, slang dialects.
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(41:3) a Book whose verses have been
well-expounded; an Arabic Qur’an for those who have knowledge,
بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا فَأَعْرَضَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ فَهُمْ
لَا يَسْمَعُونَ {41:4}
[Q41:4] Basheeranw
wa nazeeran fa-a'rada aksaruhum fahum laa yasma‘oon.
[Q41:4] A herald of good news and a warner, but most of them turn aside so they hear not.
[Q41:4] A herald of good news and a warner, but most of them turn aside so they hear not.
[Q41:4] Dia membawa berita yang menggembirakan (bagi orang-orang yang beriman)
dan membawa amaran (kepada orang-orang yang ingkar); dalam pada itu kebanyakan
mereka berpaling ingkar (tidak mahu mengetahui dan memahaminya), maka dengan
sebab itu mereka tidak menerima dan tidak mematuhinya.
The qualities ‘Bashir’
and ‘Nazir’
mentioned in this verse refer to the
believers and the righteous ones AND
as well as warning to the disbelievers and the evil
doers.
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(41:4) one bearing good news and warning. *1 Yet
most of them turned away and are not wont to give heed.
*1 This is a brief introduction to
the Surah. A study of the following discourse can show what relevance the
things mentioned in it have with the theme that follows. The first thing said is that this Word is
being sent down by God, as if to say: "You, O people, may go on saying
again and again that this Word is being composed by Muhammed (upon whom be
Allah's peace) but the fact is that its revelation is from God, Lord of the
worlds." Furthermore, the addressees have also been warned, so as to say:
"If you express your displeasure on hearing this discourse this
displeasure is not against Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) tart against
God. If you reject it, you reject Allah's Word, not of a man, and if you turn
away from it, you do not turn away from a mart but from Allah." Secondly, that the one sending it down is
that God, Who is extremely Merciful (Rehman and Rahim) to His creatures. The
mention of the attribute of mercy of the Sender of Revelation, instead of any
other attributes, points to the truth that He has sent down this Word under the
requirement of His mercifulness. By this the addressees have been warned, so as
to say: °If someone spurns this Word, or rejects it or expresses displeasure at
it, he in fact is his own enemy "Thts is indeed a supreme blessing which
God has sent down, out of this infinite mercy, for the guidance and well-being
and happiness of man if God were merciless to mankind, He would have left them
to wander about in darkness and would have least cared what pit they fell into.
But this is His bounty and beneficence that along with bringing men into
existence and providing for them He has taken on Himself the responsibility to
show them the light of knowledge also in order to adorn their lives, and is
sending down this Word to a servant of His for the same purpose. Now, who could
be more ungrateful and a greater enemy of himself than the ono who instead of
benefiting from this mercy made up his mind to fight it?" Thirdly that the verses of this Book are
well-expounded. That is, there is nothing confusing and ambiguous in it so that
somebody might excuse himself from accepting it on the ground that he was
unable to understand the contents of the Book.It has been plainly told m it
what is the truth and what is the falsehood, what arc the right beliefs and
what are the wrong beliefs, what is good and what is evil, what is high
morality and what is vice, in what way lies the good of tnan and in what he
incurs loss for himself. If a person rejects such clear and manifest guidance, or
pays no heed to it, he cannot offer any excuse for it. His attitude clearly
unplies that he wants to remain in the wrong wilfully. Fourthly, that this is an Arabic Qur'an,
which implies this: "If this Qur'an had been sent down in some other
language, the Arabs would have presented the excuse that they were ignorant of
the language in which God had sent His Book. But this is their own language.
They cannot put forward the excuse that they cannot understand it. (Here, one
should keep in view verse 44 also, in which the same theme has been expressed
in a different way, and the suspicion that in that case there is a reasonable
excuse for the non-Arabs not to accept the message of the Qur'an, we have
already removed in our commentary of Surah Yusuf: 2 and E.N. 2 on it. Please
also see Rasa'il-o-Masa'il. Vol. I, pp. 19-23). Fifthly,
that this Book is for those who possess knowledge. That is, only the people of
understanding can draw any benefit from this Book. For the ignorant it is as
useless as a precious diamond for the one who cannot distinguish it from a mere
stone. b,
that this Book gives good news and administers warning. That is, it does not
consist of mere fantasy, or a philosophy, or a specimen of good literary
composition, which one may accept or reject without entailing any consequence,
but it is openly administering a warning to the whole world that the results of
accepting and believing in it are marvellous and of rejecting it very dreadful.
Thus only a fool could reject it with scant attention.
وَقَالُوا قُلُوبُنَا فِي أَكِنَّةٍ مِمَّا
تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ وَفِي آذَانِنَا وَقْرٌ وَمِنْ بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌ
فَاعْمَلْ إِنَّنَا عَامِلُونَ {41:5}
[Q41:5] Wa
qaaloo quloobunaa feee akinnatim mimmaa tad'oonaaa ilaihi wa feee aazaaninaa
waqrunw wa mim baininaa wa bainika bijaabun fa'mal innanaa 'aamiloon.
[Q41:5] And they say: Our hearts are under coverings from that to which you call us, and there is a heaviness in our ears, and a veil hangs between us and you, so work, we too are working.
[Q41:5] And they say: Our hearts are under coverings from that to which you call us, and there is a heaviness in our ears, and a veil hangs between us and you, so work, we too are working.
[Q41:5] Dan mereka berkata: Hati kami dalam tutupan yang berlapis-lapis
(menghalang kami) daripada memahami apa yang engkau serukan kami kepadanya dan
pada telinga kami penyumbat (menjadikan kami tidak dapat mendengarnya), serta
di antara kami denganmu ada sekatan (yang memisahkan fahaman kita); oleh itu,
bekerjalah engkau (untuk agamamu), sesungguhnya kami juga tetap bekerja (untuk
mempertahankan kepercayaan kami)!
The consequence of their willful rejection and
belying of the revelation created a distance between the
disbelievers and the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala
Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) who came to teach them. THIS WAS EITHER a superiority complex adopting the
sarcastic tone of an inferiority complex, or it expressed calculated
indifference to the divine guidance.
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(41:5) They say: “Our hearts are securely wrapped up
against what you call us to, *2 and in our ears is a heaviness,
and between you and us there is a veil. *3 So act; we too are acting.” *4
*2 That
is, "It has no way open to reach our hearts."
*3 That is "This invitation has divided us: it has cut us off from you it leas become a hindrance for us to join you."
*4 It has two meanings: (1) "That we have nothing to do with you ;" and (2) "that if you do not desist from your preaching, you may go on doing your mission, we also will not stop our opposition to you, and we will do whatever we can to defeat and frustrate your mission. "
*3 That is "This invitation has divided us: it has cut us off from you it leas become a hindrance for us to join you."
*4 It has two meanings: (1) "That we have nothing to do with you ;" and (2) "that if you do not desist from your preaching, you may go on doing your mission, we also will not stop our opposition to you, and we will do whatever we can to defeat and frustrate your mission. "
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰ
إِلَيَّ أَنَّمَا إِلَٰهُكُمْ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ فَاسْتَقِيمُوا إِلَيْهِ
وَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ۗ وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ {41:6}
[Q41:6] Qul
innamaaa ana basharum mislukum yoohaaa ilaiya annamaaa ilaahukum Ilaahunw Waahidun
fastaqeemooo ilaihi wastagfirooh; wa wailul lil Mushrikeen
[Q41:6] Say: I am only a mortal like you; it is revealed to me that your ALLAH (SWT) is one ALLAH (SWT), therefore follow the right way to Him and ask His forgiveness; and woe to the polytheists;
[Q41:6] Say: I am only a mortal like you; it is revealed to me that your ALLAH (SWT) is one ALLAH (SWT), therefore follow the right way to Him and ask His forgiveness; and woe to the polytheists;
[Q41:6] Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): Sesungguhnya aku hanyalah seorang manusia
seperti kamu; diwahyukan kepadaku bahawa Tuhan kamu hanyalah Tuhan yang Satu;
maka hendaklah kamu tetap teguh di atas jalan yang betul lurus (yang membawa
kepada mencapai keredaanNya), serta pohonlah kepadaNya mengampuni (dosa-dosa
kamu yang telah lalu) dan (ingatlah), kecelakaan besar bagi orang-orang yang
mempersekutukanNya (dengan sesuatu yang lain),
THE BRINGER OF THE MESSAGE WAS NEITHER AN ANGEL NOR A GOD, BUT, in appearance, a man
likes them, so that there should have been no barrier between him and his
hearers. "I am a man like you" has been qualified by
"it is revealed to me." SO
A MAN CHOSEN FOR RECEIVING REVELATION AND CONVEYING IT AS BASHIR AND NASEER (SEE COMMENTARY OF VERSES 2 TO 4 ABOVE) MUST BE THE UNIQUELY SUPERIOR MOST
INDIVIDUAL AMONG ALL THE CREATED BEINGS, ENDOWED WITH VERY SPECIAL SINGULAR *POWERS OF INTELLECT, *UNDERSTANDING,
*WISDOM, *CONSCIENCE
AND APPLICATION. Like him are his true
inheritors (see commentary of Baqarah 2:124).
SO
TO TREAT the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala
Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) like other ordinary men
is the policy of those who try to undermine the true position of the HOLY
PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)
AND his Ahlul Bayt, in order to highlight the ordinary abilities of rulers in the eyes of
the people. They want to rule and dominate.
The life accounts of the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and his Ahlul Bayt establish
beyond all doubts that
they were not like the ordinary men who surrounded them as companions.
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(41:6) Tell them, (O Prophet): “I am only a human
being like you. *5 It is revealed to me that your God is One
God; *6 so direct yourselves straight to Him, *7 and
seek His forgiveness. Woe to those who associate others with Allah in His
Divinity, *8
*5 That is, "It is not in my
power to remove the covering that envelops your hearts, open your ears, and
tear away the curtain which you have drawn between me and yourselves, I am only
a man: I can make only him understand who is inclined to listen, and can only
meet him who is ready to meet me."
*6 That is. "You may if you so like put coverings on your hearts and make your ears deaf, but the fact is that you don't have many gods: then is only One God, whose servants you are. And this is no philosophy, which I might have thought out myself, and which might have equal probability of being true or false, but this reality has been made known to me through revelation, which cannot admit of any likelihood of error."
*7 That is, "Do not make any other your God: do not serve and worship any other deity: do not invoke and bow to any other for help: and do not obey and follow the customs and laws and codes made and set by others."
*8 "Ask for His forgiveness": Ask for His forgiveness for the unfaithfulness that you have been showing so far towards Him, for the shirk and disbelief and disobedience that you have been committing till now, and for the sins that you happened to comfit due to forgetfulness of God.
*6 That is. "You may if you so like put coverings on your hearts and make your ears deaf, but the fact is that you don't have many gods: then is only One God, whose servants you are. And this is no philosophy, which I might have thought out myself, and which might have equal probability of being true or false, but this reality has been made known to me through revelation, which cannot admit of any likelihood of error."
*7 That is, "Do not make any other your God: do not serve and worship any other deity: do not invoke and bow to any other for help: and do not obey and follow the customs and laws and codes made and set by others."
*8 "Ask for His forgiveness": Ask for His forgiveness for the unfaithfulness that you have been showing so far towards Him, for the shirk and disbelief and disobedience that you have been committing till now, and for the sins that you happened to comfit due to forgetfulness of God.
الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ
بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ {41:7}
[Q41:7] Allazeena
laa yu'toonaz Zakaata wa hum bil-Aakhiratihum kaafiroun.
[Q41:7] (To) those who do not give poor-rate and they are unbelievers in the hereafter.
[Q41:7] (To) those who do not give poor-rate and they are unbelievers in the hereafter.
[Q41:7] Iaitu orang-orang yang tidak memberi zakat (untuk membersihkan jiwa dan
hartabendanya) dan mereka pula kufur ingkar akan adanya hari akhirat.
This verse implies that even if the disbelievers give
charity it cannot be termed zakat BECAUSE
unless ALMS
ARE GIVEN FOR THE SAKE AND IN THE WAY OF ALLAH (SWT) IT DOES NOT BECOME AN
ACT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The ungodly motives of the disbelievers make their alms--- giving pretence or a trick to hoodwink
people and exploit them for their material gains.
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(41:7) who do not pay Zakah, *9 and
who deny the Hereafter.
*9 Here,
the meaning of the word zakat has been disputed by the commentators. Ibn `Abbas
and his illustrious pupils, `Ikrimah and Mujahid, say that zakat here
implies the purity of the soul and self which accrues from belief in Tauhid and
obedience to Allah. According to this explanation, the translation of the
verse would be: "Woe to the mushriks, who do not adopt purity." The
other group which includes commentators like Qatadah, Suddi, Hasan Basri,
Dahhak, Muqatil and Ibn as-Sa'ib take this word here also in the meaning of the
zakat on property and wealth. According to this explanation, the verse means:
"Woe to those who do not fulfil the right of Allah by committing shirk and
the right of the men by withholding the zakat.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ {41:8}
[Q41:8] Innal
lazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati lahum ajrun ghairu mamnoon.
[Q41:8] (As for) those who believe and do good, they shall surely have a reward never to be cut off.
[Q41:8] (As for) those who believe and do good, they shall surely have a reward never to be cut off.
[Q41:8] Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang beriman dan mengerjakan amal yang soleh,
mereka beroleh balasan pahala yang tidak putus-putus.
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(41:8) As
to those who have faith and do good works, surely theirs shall be a
never-ending reward. *10
*10 The words ajrun ghaira mamnun in the
original have two other meanings also: (1) That it
will be a reward which will never decrease and diminish; and (2) that this reward will not be given with reminders of
good done, like the gift made by a miserly person, who keeps on reminding the
beneficiary of his favour if at all he gives away anything.
SECTION 2
The creation of the Earth and the Heavens
The Might of ALLAH (SWT) which create the earth and all the heavens with
the luminaries to adorn them---The people of Ad and Thamood; their pride and
disbelief which committed them to perdition.
قُلْ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَ
الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَتَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ أَنْدَادًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ رَبُّ
الْعَالَمِينَ {41:9}
[Q41:9] Qul
a'innakum latakfuroona billazee khalaqal arda fee yawmaini wa taj'aloona lahooo
andaadaa; zaalika Rabbul ‘Aalameen.
[Q41:9] Say: What! Do you indeed disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two periods, and do you set up equals with Him? That is the Lord of the Worlds.
[Q41:9] Say: What! Do you indeed disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two periods, and do you set up equals with Him? That is the Lord of the Worlds.
[Q41:9] Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): Sesungguhnya tidak patut kamu kufur kepada
Tuhan yang menciptakan bumi dalam dua masa dan kamu adakan sekutu-sekutu bagiNya!
Yang demikian (sifatNya dan kekuasaanNya) ialah ALLAH (SwT) Tuhan sekalian
alam,
In Araf 7:54; Yunus 10:3; Hud 11:7 and Sajdah
32:4; the creation is stated to have
taken place in six days. As explained in the commentary of Ibrahim 14:5,
Hajj 22:47, Sajdah 32:5 the term yawm
(day) used in various places in the Qur’an is
not the day of the earth, measured according to the movement of the earth in
relation to the sun. When there was no sun or suns in the universe yawm (day) may refer to any period of time known to ALLAH
(SWT) alone. Here
it may mean stages or periods. SO THE TWO DAYS MAY MEAN TWO STAGES,
PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL.
Ø The four days mentioned
in verse 10 refer to the several stages in which the creation
of the heavens and the earth took place, and the sequence of the order in which
the various components of the universe were brought into existence. Refer to Baqarah 2:29;
Rad 13:3; Nahl 16:15 and Saffat 37:6.
Ø Verse 11 may refer to the theory of nebula.
According to Hijr 15:16 and
17 all illuminating stars are
arranged in the lower heaven. Then the other six heavens may be in the nebula.
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(41:9) Tell them, (O Prophet): “Do you
indeed disbelieve in Him and assign compeers to Him Who created the earth in
two days? He is the Lord of all beings of the Universe.
وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا وَبَارَكَ
فِيهَا وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ سَوَاءً
لِلسَّائِلِينَ {41:10}
[Q41:10] Wa
ja'ala feehaa rawaa siya min fawqihaa wa baaraka feehaa wa qaddara feehaaaa
aqwaatahaa feee arba'ati ayyaamin sawaaa'al lissaaa‘ileen.
[Q41:10] And He made in it mountains above its surface, and He blessed therein and made therein its foods, in four periods: alike for the seekers.
[Q41:10] And He made in it mountains above its surface, and He blessed therein and made therein its foods, in four periods: alike for the seekers.
[Q41:10] Dan Dia menjadikan di bumi gunung-ganang yang menetapnya (tersergam
tinggi) di atasnya, serta Dia melimpahkan berkat padanya dan Dia menentukan ada
padaNya bahan-bahan keperluan hidup penduduknya, sekadar yang menyamai hajat
yang diminta dan dikehendaki oleh keadaan mereka; (semuanya itu berlaku) dalam
empat masa.
(see
commentary for verse 9)
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(41:10) (After creating the earth) He set up firm
mountains on it, blessed it, *11 and provided it with sustenance in proportion
to the needs of all who seek (sustenance). *12 All
this was done in four days. *13
*11 "Blessings
of the earth" imply those measureless and countless things which have been
continuously coming out of it since millions and millions of years, and are
fulfilling the ever increasing needs and requirements of all the creatures from
the microscopic germs to the highly civilized man. Among these the principal
blessings are the air and the water by which alone vegetable, animal and then
human life became possible on the earth.
*12 This sentence has been interpreted by the commentators in different ways: Some of them interpret it to mean: "The provisions of the earth were placed in it precisely according to the needs and requirements of those who ask, in exactly four days." That is, it took exactly four days, neither more nor less. Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah and Suddi interpret it to mean: "The provisions of the earth were placed in it in four days. The answer to those who ask is completed." That is, whoever asks as to how long it took, his complete answer is that it took four days. According to Ibn Zaid it means: "The provisions of the earth were placed in it for those who ask within four days, precisely in accordance with the demand and need of everyone." As far as the rules of the language are concerned, the words of the verse admit of all these three meanings, but in our opinion the first two meanings have no merit. In view of the context, it is immaterial whether the work was completed in exactly four days and not in more or less four days. There is no need whatever for such an addition to make up for any deficiency in supporting the description of Allah's perfect power, perfect providence and perfect wisdom. Likewise, the commentary: "The answer to those who ask is completed," is a very weak commentary. There is no indication in the theme preceding the verse and following it, to show that at that time somebody had asked the question as to how long it had taken for those works to be completed, and this verse was sent down as an answer to it. That is why we have adopted the third meaning in our translation. In our opinion the correct meaning of the verse is this: "Allah placed within the earth the full provisions of food precisely and exactly in accordance with the demands andneeds of every kind of creature that AIIah had to create in the earth from the beginning of the creation till Resurrection. There are countless kinds of vegetation found on land and in water and the food requirements of each kind are different from those of other kinds. Allah has created countless species of living creatures in the air and on land and in water, and every species demands a different kind of food. Then unique among all these is the species of man, who requires different kinds of food not only for the development and nourishment of his body but also for the satisfaction of his taste. Who beside Allah could know how many members of the different kinds of creatures would be born on this globe, from the beginning of life till its end, and when and where they would be born and how much and what kind of food would be required for their nourishment? Just as He had made the plan of creating those creatures who stood in need of food in His scheme of creation, so He made full arrangements of food also to meet their requirements and demands. In the modern age, the people who have brought out the Islamic edition of the Marxist conception of Socialism in the name of "the Qur'anic order of providence", translate the words sawa-al-lis-sa'-ilin as `equal for all those who ask", and raise the edifice of reasoning on it, saying that Allah has kept equal provisions for All the people in the earth; therefore, in order to fulfil the intention of the verse a system of the state is needed which may provide equal rations of food to everybody. For in the system of individual ownership the equality which the °Qur'anic law" demands cannot be established. But these people, in their enthusiasm to press the Qur'an in the service of their theories, forget that °those who ask", who have been mentioned in this verse, are not only human beings but All those different species of animals and plants who need food for survival. Has Allah really established equality among all of them, or even among all the members of each different species of the creatures, in the matter of the provision of food? Do you find anywhere in this entire system of nature the arrangement of the distribution of equal rations of food? If that is not the case, it means that in the vegetable and animal kingdom, where the distribution of the provisions is dicectly being arranged by the State of Allah, and not by the human state, Allah Himself is violating His own this "Qur'anic law", rather, God forbid, is practicing injustice! Then, they also forgo that "those who ask" also include those animals which man domesticates and arranging provisions for which is also his responsibility, e.g. sheep, goats, cows, buffaloes, horses, asses, mules, camels, etc: If the Qur'anic law is that equal food be given to all those who ask, and to enforce the same law a state is needed, which may administer the order of providence, will that state establish economic equality between men and animals also?
*13 Here, the commentators generally have been confronted with this question: If it is admitted that the creation of the earth took two days and the setting up of the mountains and placing of the provisions and blessings in it took four days, and the creation of the heavens, as mentioned below, took another two days, the total number of the days would be eight, whereas at several places in the Qur'an Allah has said that the creation of the earth and heavens took six days in all. (For example, see AI-A raf: 54, Yunus: 3, Hud: 7, AI-Furqan: 59). On this very basis, almost all the commentators agree that these four days include the two days of the creation of the earth. That is, two days were taken for the creation of the earth and two days for the creation of the rest of the things within the earth, as mentioned below. Thus, the earth along with its provisions became complete in four days in all. But this not only is against the apparent words of the Qur'an, but the difficulty also is, in fact, an imaginary difficulty, to avoid which need for this interpretation has been felt. The two days of the creation of the earth arc, in fact, not separate from the two days in which this universe as a whole was created. If we consider the following verses, we see that in them the creation of both the earth and the heavens has been mentioned together, and then it has been stated that Allah made the seven heavens in two days. These seven heavens imply the whole universe, one part of which is also our earth. Then, when like the other countless stars and planets of the universe this earth also took the shape of a unique globe within two days, Allah began to prepare it for animate creatures, and in four days created in it all those provisions which have been mentioned in the above verse. What development works were carried out in the other stars and planets in these four days have not been mentioned by Allah, for not to speak of the man of the period of the revelation of the Qur'an, even the man of the present age does not have the capability to digest and assimilate this information.
*12 This sentence has been interpreted by the commentators in different ways: Some of them interpret it to mean: "The provisions of the earth were placed in it precisely according to the needs and requirements of those who ask, in exactly four days." That is, it took exactly four days, neither more nor less. Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah and Suddi interpret it to mean: "The provisions of the earth were placed in it in four days. The answer to those who ask is completed." That is, whoever asks as to how long it took, his complete answer is that it took four days. According to Ibn Zaid it means: "The provisions of the earth were placed in it for those who ask within four days, precisely in accordance with the demand and need of everyone." As far as the rules of the language are concerned, the words of the verse admit of all these three meanings, but in our opinion the first two meanings have no merit. In view of the context, it is immaterial whether the work was completed in exactly four days and not in more or less four days. There is no need whatever for such an addition to make up for any deficiency in supporting the description of Allah's perfect power, perfect providence and perfect wisdom. Likewise, the commentary: "The answer to those who ask is completed," is a very weak commentary. There is no indication in the theme preceding the verse and following it, to show that at that time somebody had asked the question as to how long it had taken for those works to be completed, and this verse was sent down as an answer to it. That is why we have adopted the third meaning in our translation. In our opinion the correct meaning of the verse is this: "Allah placed within the earth the full provisions of food precisely and exactly in accordance with the demands andneeds of every kind of creature that AIIah had to create in the earth from the beginning of the creation till Resurrection. There are countless kinds of vegetation found on land and in water and the food requirements of each kind are different from those of other kinds. Allah has created countless species of living creatures in the air and on land and in water, and every species demands a different kind of food. Then unique among all these is the species of man, who requires different kinds of food not only for the development and nourishment of his body but also for the satisfaction of his taste. Who beside Allah could know how many members of the different kinds of creatures would be born on this globe, from the beginning of life till its end, and when and where they would be born and how much and what kind of food would be required for their nourishment? Just as He had made the plan of creating those creatures who stood in need of food in His scheme of creation, so He made full arrangements of food also to meet their requirements and demands. In the modern age, the people who have brought out the Islamic edition of the Marxist conception of Socialism in the name of "the Qur'anic order of providence", translate the words sawa-al-lis-sa'-ilin as `equal for all those who ask", and raise the edifice of reasoning on it, saying that Allah has kept equal provisions for All the people in the earth; therefore, in order to fulfil the intention of the verse a system of the state is needed which may provide equal rations of food to everybody. For in the system of individual ownership the equality which the °Qur'anic law" demands cannot be established. But these people, in their enthusiasm to press the Qur'an in the service of their theories, forget that °those who ask", who have been mentioned in this verse, are not only human beings but All those different species of animals and plants who need food for survival. Has Allah really established equality among all of them, or even among all the members of each different species of the creatures, in the matter of the provision of food? Do you find anywhere in this entire system of nature the arrangement of the distribution of equal rations of food? If that is not the case, it means that in the vegetable and animal kingdom, where the distribution of the provisions is dicectly being arranged by the State of Allah, and not by the human state, Allah Himself is violating His own this "Qur'anic law", rather, God forbid, is practicing injustice! Then, they also forgo that "those who ask" also include those animals which man domesticates and arranging provisions for which is also his responsibility, e.g. sheep, goats, cows, buffaloes, horses, asses, mules, camels, etc: If the Qur'anic law is that equal food be given to all those who ask, and to enforce the same law a state is needed, which may administer the order of providence, will that state establish economic equality between men and animals also?
*13 Here, the commentators generally have been confronted with this question: If it is admitted that the creation of the earth took two days and the setting up of the mountains and placing of the provisions and blessings in it took four days, and the creation of the heavens, as mentioned below, took another two days, the total number of the days would be eight, whereas at several places in the Qur'an Allah has said that the creation of the earth and heavens took six days in all. (For example, see AI-A raf: 54, Yunus: 3, Hud: 7, AI-Furqan: 59). On this very basis, almost all the commentators agree that these four days include the two days of the creation of the earth. That is, two days were taken for the creation of the earth and two days for the creation of the rest of the things within the earth, as mentioned below. Thus, the earth along with its provisions became complete in four days in all. But this not only is against the apparent words of the Qur'an, but the difficulty also is, in fact, an imaginary difficulty, to avoid which need for this interpretation has been felt. The two days of the creation of the earth arc, in fact, not separate from the two days in which this universe as a whole was created. If we consider the following verses, we see that in them the creation of both the earth and the heavens has been mentioned together, and then it has been stated that Allah made the seven heavens in two days. These seven heavens imply the whole universe, one part of which is also our earth. Then, when like the other countless stars and planets of the universe this earth also took the shape of a unique globe within two days, Allah began to prepare it for animate creatures, and in four days created in it all those provisions which have been mentioned in the above verse. What development works were carried out in the other stars and planets in these four days have not been mentioned by Allah, for not to speak of the man of the period of the revelation of the Qur'an, even the man of the present age does not have the capability to digest and assimilate this information.
ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ
فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ائْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا
طَائِعِينَ {41:11}
[Q41:11] Summas
tawaaa ilas-samaaa'i wa hiya dukhaanun faqaala lahaa wa lil ardi'tiyaaa taw'an
aw karhan qaalataaa atainaa taaa‘i‘een.
[Q41:11] Then He directed Himself to the heaven and it is a vapor, so He said to it and to the earth: Come both, willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly.
[Q41:11] Then He directed Himself to the heaven and it is a vapor, so He said to it and to the earth: Come both, willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly.
[Q41:11] Kemudian Dia menunjukkan kehendakNya ke arah (bahan-bahan) langit
sedang langit itu masih berupa asap; lalu Dia berfirman kepadanya dan kepada
bumi: Turutlah kamu berdua akan perintahKu, samada dengan sukarela atau dengan
paksa! Keduanya menjawab: Kami berdua sedia menurut patuh dengan
sukarela;
(see
commentary for verse 9)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:11) Then He turned to the heaven while it was all
smoke. *14 He said to the heaven and the earth: “Come
(into being), willingly or unwillingly.” They said: “Here we come (into being)
in willing obeisance.” *15
*14 Three things
need to be explained here: First, by
"heaven" is meant the whole universe, as becomes obvious from the
following sentences. In other words, "turning to the heaven" means
that Allah turned to the creation of the universe. Second, by "smoke" is implied
the initial and primary stage of matter, in which it lay diffused in space in a
shapeless, dust like condition before the formation of the universe. Scientists
of the modern age describe the same thing as nebulae, and the same also is
their view about the beginning of the universe: that is, before creation the
matter of which the universe was built lay diffused in smoke-like nebulous
form. Third, it would be wrong to interpret
"then He turned to the heaven" to mean that first He created the
earth, then set mountains in it, then arranged blessings and provisions of food
in it, and then, at the end, He turned towards the crcation of the universe. This
misunderstanding is removed by the following sentence: "He said to the
heavens and the earth: Come into being; and they said: we come in submission
" This makes it clear that in this verse and in the following verses,
mention is being made of the time when there was neither the earth nor the
heaven, but the creation of the universe was being started. Only the word
thumma (then) cannot be made the argument to say that the earth had been
created before the heavens. There are several instances of this in the Qur'an that
the word thumma is not necessarily used w show the chronological order but it
is also used for the order of Presentation. (Please see E.N. 12 of Surah
Az-Zumar). Among the earliest commentators the dispute has been going on for
ages as to what was created first according to the Qur'an, the earth or the
heavens. One group of them argues on the basis of this verse and verse 29 of
AI-Baqarah that the earth was created first. The other group argues from verses
27-33 of AnNazi'at that the heavens were created first, because there it has
been clearly stated that the earth was created after the heavens. But the fact
is that nowhere in the Qur'an has the mention of the creation of the universe
been made to teach Physics or Astronomy, but while inviting towards belief in
the doctrines to Tauhid and the Hereafter, like countless other Signs, the
creation of the heavens and the earth also has been presented as food for
thought. For this purpose it was not at All necessary that the chronological
order of the creation of the heavens and the earth should have been presented,
and it should have been told whether the heavens were created first or the
earth. No matter whether this was created first or that, in any case both are
an evidence of Allah Almighty's being the One and only Deity, and are a
testimony that their Creator has not created this whole universe as a plaything
for a care-fret person. That is why the Qur'an sometimes mentions the creation
of the earth first and sometimes the creation of the heavens first. Where the
object is to make man realize the blessings of God, there generally it has
mentioned the earth first, for it is closer to man; and where the object is to
give man the concept of God's greatness and His omnipotence there it has
generally mentioned the heavens first, for the scene of the revolving heavens
has always been awe-inspiring for man.
*15 In these words Allah has described the nature of His method of creation in a manner as to differentiate between Divine creation and human workmanship. When man wants to make something, he prepares a plan for it in his mind: then gathers together the necessary material; then works persistently hard to mould the material according to his plan, and in the process of his effort the material which he wants to mould according to his mental plan constantly resists lute; so much so that sometimes the resistance of the material succeeds and the thing is not made precisely according to the desired plan, and sometimes man's effort overcomes the resistance and he succeeds in giving it the desired form and shape. For example, when a tailor wants to make a shirt, he first conceives in his mind the shape of the shirt, then arranging the cloth he tries to cut and sew it according to his concept of the shirt, and during this effort, he has constantly to face the resistance of the cloth, for it does not easily yield to be moulded according to the tailor's concept; so much so that sometimes the resistance of the cloth dominates and the shirt doesn't take the desired shape, and sometimes the tailor's effort dominates and he is able to shape it precisely according to his concept. Now, consider Allah's mode of creation. The matter of the universe lay scattered and diffused in the form of smoke. Allah willed to give it the shape of the universe as it is now. For this purpose, He did not have to sit down, like a human artisan, and chisel and mould the earth and the moon and the sun and the other stars and planets, but He only commanded the scheme of the universe that was in His Mind to cane into being, i.e. the smoke like diffused matter to take the shape of the galaxies and stars and planets, which He wanted to create. This matter did not have the power to resist the Command of Allah. Allah did not have to make any effort to give it the shape of the universe.No sooner was the Command given than the matter started contracting and condensing and taking shape obediently according to the scheme of its Master, so that the whole universe including the earth became ready in 48 hours. This same scheme of Allah's method of creation has been described at several other places in the Qur'an like this: When Allah decides to do something He only commands it to be and it is done. (See AI-Baqarah: 117, AI-'Imran: 47, 59: An-Nahl: 40. Maryam: 35, Ya Sin: 82, Al-Mu'min: 68).
*15 In these words Allah has described the nature of His method of creation in a manner as to differentiate between Divine creation and human workmanship. When man wants to make something, he prepares a plan for it in his mind: then gathers together the necessary material; then works persistently hard to mould the material according to his plan, and in the process of his effort the material which he wants to mould according to his mental plan constantly resists lute; so much so that sometimes the resistance of the material succeeds and the thing is not made precisely according to the desired plan, and sometimes man's effort overcomes the resistance and he succeeds in giving it the desired form and shape. For example, when a tailor wants to make a shirt, he first conceives in his mind the shape of the shirt, then arranging the cloth he tries to cut and sew it according to his concept of the shirt, and during this effort, he has constantly to face the resistance of the cloth, for it does not easily yield to be moulded according to the tailor's concept; so much so that sometimes the resistance of the cloth dominates and the shirt doesn't take the desired shape, and sometimes the tailor's effort dominates and he is able to shape it precisely according to his concept. Now, consider Allah's mode of creation. The matter of the universe lay scattered and diffused in the form of smoke. Allah willed to give it the shape of the universe as it is now. For this purpose, He did not have to sit down, like a human artisan, and chisel and mould the earth and the moon and the sun and the other stars and planets, but He only commanded the scheme of the universe that was in His Mind to cane into being, i.e. the smoke like diffused matter to take the shape of the galaxies and stars and planets, which He wanted to create. This matter did not have the power to resist the Command of Allah. Allah did not have to make any effort to give it the shape of the universe.No sooner was the Command given than the matter started contracting and condensing and taking shape obediently according to the scheme of its Master, so that the whole universe including the earth became ready in 48 hours. This same scheme of Allah's method of creation has been described at several other places in the Qur'an like this: When Allah decides to do something He only commands it to be and it is done. (See AI-Baqarah: 117, AI-'Imran: 47, 59: An-Nahl: 40. Maryam: 35, Ya Sin: 82, Al-Mu'min: 68).
فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ
وَأَوْحَىٰ فِي كُلِّ سَمَاءٍ أَمْرَهَا ۚ وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا
بِمَصَابِيحَ وَحِفْظًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ {41:12}
[Q41:12] Faqadaahunna
sab'a samaawaatin fee yawmaini wa awhaa fee kulli samaaa'in amarahaa; wa
zaiyannassa maaa'ad dunyaa bimasaabeeha wa hifzaa; zaalika taqdeerul 'Azeezil ‘Aleem.
[Q41:12] So He ordained them seven heavens in two periods, and revealed in every heaven its affair; and We adorned the lower heaven with brilliant stars and (made it) to guard; that is the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing.
[Q41:12] So He ordained them seven heavens in two periods, and revealed in every heaven its affair; and We adorned the lower heaven with brilliant stars and (made it) to guard; that is the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing.
[Q41:12] Lalu Dia menjadikannya tujuh langit, dalam dua masa dan Dia memberitahu
kepada tiap-tiap langit akan urusan dan keperluannya masing-masing dan Kami
hiasi langit yang dekat (pada pandangan mata penduduk bumi) dengan
bintang-bintang yang bersinar cemerlang serta memelihara langit itu dengan
sebaik-baiknya. Demikianlah ketentuan ALLAH (SwT) Yang Maha Kuasa, lagi Maha
Mengetahui.
(see
commentary for verse 9)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:12) Then He made them seven heavens in two days and
revealed to each heaven its law. And We adorned the lower heaven with lamps,
and firmly secured it. *16 All this is the firm plan of the All-Mighty,
the All-Knowing.
*16 To
understand these verses well, it would be useful to study the following
portions of the Tafhim al-Qur'an: AI-Baqarah: 29, Ar-Ra'd: 2, AI-Hijr: 1G-18,
AI-Anbiya': 30-33, Al-Hajj: 65. Al-Mu'minun: 17, Ya Sin: E.N. 37, and E.N.'s 5,
G of As-Saaffat.
فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا فَقُلْ أَنْذَرْتُكُمْ صَاعِقَةً
مِثْلَ صَاعِقَةِ عَادٍ وَثَمُودَ {41:13}
[Q41:13] Fa-in
a'radoo faqul anzartukum saa'iqatam misla saa'iqati 'Aadinw wa Samood.
[Q41:13] But if they turn aside, then say: I have warned you of a scourge like the scourge of Ad and Samood.
[Q41:13] But if they turn aside, then say: I have warned you of a scourge like the scourge of Ad and Samood.
[Q41:13] Oleh itu, kalau mereka (yang musyrik) berpaling (daripada mengesakan ALLAH
(SwT) dan menurut jalan yang lurus), maka katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): Aku
memberi amaran kepada kamu dengan (azab yang dahsyat, iaitu) petir, seperti
petir yang telah menyambar kaum Aad dan kaum Thamud!
Sa-iqa refers
to any agency that causes instant destruction like thunder, lightning or meteor
etcetera.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:13) But if they turn away, *17 tell
them: “I warn you against a sudden scourge like that which struck Ad and
Thamud.”
*17 That is,
"Ifthey do not believe that God and Deity is One and only One, who has
created this earth and the whole universe, and still persist in their ignorance
that they would make others also, who are in fact His creatures and slaves,
deities beside Him, and regard them as His associates in His Being and rights
and powers.
إِذْ جَاءَتْهُمُ الرُّسُلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ
وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۖ قَالُوا لَوْ شَاءَ
رَبُّنَا لَأَنْزَلَ مَلَائِكَةً فَإِنَّا بِمَا أُرْسِلْتُمْ بِهِ
كَافِرُونَ {41:14}
[Q41:14] Iz
jaaa'at humur Rusulu mim baini aydeehim wa min khalfihim allaa ta'budooo illaL Laaha
qaaloo law shaaa'a Rabunaa la anzala malaaa 'ikatan fa innaa bimaaa ursiltum
bihee kaafiroon.
[Q41:14] When their messengers came to them from before them and from behind them, saying, Serve nothing but ALLAH (SWT), they said: If our Lord had pleased He would certainly have sent down angels, so we are surely unbelievers in that with which you are sent.
[Q41:14] When their messengers came to them from before them and from behind them, saying, Serve nothing but ALLAH (SWT), they said: If our Lord had pleased He would certainly have sent down angels, so we are surely unbelievers in that with which you are sent.
[Q41:14] (Mereka ditimpa azab itu) kerana semasa mereka didatangi Rasul-rasul
(memberikan berbagai penjelasan) mengenai keadaan hidup mereka di dunia dan di
akhirat (sambil melarang mereka): Janganlah kamu menyembah melainkan ALLAH
(SwT), mereka menjawab: Jika Tuhan kami hendak (mengutus Rasul-rasul) tentulah
Dia akan menurunkan malaikat; oleh itu sesungguhnya kami kufur ingkar akan apa
yang (kamu katakan): Kamu diutus membawanya!
THEY WERE WARNED BY THE PROPHETS FROM EVERY
POINT OF VIEW. Refer to Hijr 15:6 to 9 and Furqan 25:21.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:14) When the Messengers (of Allah) came to them
from the front and from the rear, *18 saying: “Do not serve any but
Allah”; they said: “Had our Lord so willed, He would have sent down angels. So
we deny the Message you have brought.” *19
*18 This
sentence can have several meanings: (1) That
the Messengers continued to come to them one after the other; (2) that
the Messengers tried in every wav to make them understand the truth and did not
leave any stone unturned to bring them to the Right Path; and (3) that
the Messengers came to them in their own country as well as in the adjoining
countries.
*19 That is "If Allah had disapproved of our religion, and had willed to send a messenger to us to keep us away from it, He would have sent the angels. As you are not an angel but a man like us, we do not believe that you have been sent by God, and sent for the purpose that we give up our religion and adopt the way of life that you arc presenting." The disbelievers' saying that they deny "what you have been sent with", was only sarcastic. It does not mean that they believed him to have been sent by God and then denied what he said. But this is a sarcastic expression of the type that Pharaoh had uttered before his courtiers about the Prophet Moses: "This messenger of yowl, who has been sent to you, seems to be utterly mad." (Ash-Shua'ra' 27). For further explanation, see E.N. 11 of Surah Ya Sin.
*19 That is "If Allah had disapproved of our religion, and had willed to send a messenger to us to keep us away from it, He would have sent the angels. As you are not an angel but a man like us, we do not believe that you have been sent by God, and sent for the purpose that we give up our religion and adopt the way of life that you arc presenting." The disbelievers' saying that they deny "what you have been sent with", was only sarcastic. It does not mean that they believed him to have been sent by God and then denied what he said. But this is a sarcastic expression of the type that Pharaoh had uttered before his courtiers about the Prophet Moses: "This messenger of yowl, who has been sent to you, seems to be utterly mad." (Ash-Shua'ra' 27). For further explanation, see E.N. 11 of Surah Ya Sin.
فَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ
بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَقَالُوا مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً ۖ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا
أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُمْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً ۖ وَكَانُوا
بِآيَاتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ {41:15}
[Q41:15] Fa
ammaa 'Aadun fastak baroo fil ardi bighairul haqqi wa qaaloo man ashaddu minnaa
quwwatan awalam yaraw annaL Laahal lazee khalaqahum Huwa ashaddu minhum
quwwatanw wa kaanoo bi Aayaatinaa yajhadoon.
[Q41:15] Then as to Ad, they were unjustly proud in the land, and they said: Who is mightier in strength than we? Did they not see that ALLAH (SWT) Who created them was mightier than they in strength, and they denied Our communications?
[Q41:15] Then as to Ad, they were unjustly proud in the land, and they said: Who is mightier in strength than we? Did they not see that ALLAH (SWT) Who created them was mightier than they in strength, and they denied Our communications?
[Q41:15] Adapun kaum Aad, maka mereka berlaku sombong takbur di muka bumi dengan
tiada sebarang alasan yang benar, serta berkata: Siapakah yang lebih kuat dari
kami? Dan (mengapa mereka bersikap demikian?) Tidakkah mereka memerhatikan
bahawa ALLAH (SwT) yang menciptakan mereka (dari tiada kepada ada) adalah lebih
besar kekuatanNya dari mereka? Dan sememangnya mereka sengaja mengingkari
tanda-tanda kekuatan Kami (sedang mereka sedia mengetahuinya).
Refer to Araf 7:65 to 72 for the people of Ad, and Araf 7:73 to 79 for the people of Thamud.
It is reported by Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari that in a meeting called by Abu Jahl the tribal chiefs of the Quraysh
decided to send a man well versed in poetry and know-how of sorcery and
soothsaying to the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) for a dialogue. Utbah bin Rabi-a was selected.
He
came to the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and said: "Are you better than your ancestors? Abdullah,
Abdul Muttalib and Hashim did not condemn our gods. If you are aspiring for
power we will make you our supreme chief, put our most beautiful women at your
disposal, and amass mountains of gold and silver in your courtyard."
The HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad), in reply, recited the first 18 verses of this surah.
When the fate of the people of Ad and Thamud was mentioned, Utbah requested the
HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) to stop.
He stood up and left his presence. He went
directly to his home.
The
Quraysh chiefs thought that Utbah had also fallen under the spell of the son of
Abdullah. They went to him and began to cast aspersion on his integrity. In
plain words he told them: "What
Muhammad told me was neither poetry nor soothsaying. He simply recited
something from the Qur’an. I am afraid that if we oppose him a painful torment
may also seize us."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:15) As
for Ad, they waxed proud in the land without justification and said: “Who is
greater than we in strength?” Did they not see that Allah, Who created them, is
greater in strength than they? They continued to deny Our Signs,
فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا صَرْصَرًا فِي
أَيَّامٍ نَحِسَاتٍ لِنُذِيقَهُمْ عَذَابَ الْخِزْيِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ
وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَخْزَىٰ ۖ وَهُمْ لَا يُنْصَرُونَ {41:16}
[Q41:16] Fa
arsalnaa 'alaihim reehan sarsaran feee ayyaamin nahisaatil linuzeeqahum
'azaabal khizyi fil hayaatid dunyaa wa la'azaabul Aakhirati akhzaa wa hum laa yunsaroon.
[Q41:16] So We sent on them a furious wind in unlucky days, that We may make them taste the chastisement of abasement in this world's life; and certainly the chastisement of the hereafter is much more abasing, and they shall not be helped.
[Q41:16] So We sent on them a furious wind in unlucky days, that We may make them taste the chastisement of abasement in this world's life; and certainly the chastisement of the hereafter is much more abasing, and they shall not be helped.
[Q41:16] Lalu Kami hantarkan kepada mereka angin ribut yang kencang dalam
beberapa hari yang nahas malang, kerana Kami hendak merasakan mereka azab seksa
yang menghina dalam kehidupan dunia dan sesungguhnya azab seksa hari akhirat
lebih besar kehinaannya; sedang mereka tidak diberikan pertolongan
(menghindarkan azab itu).
(see
commentary for verse 15)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:16) whereupon We sent upon them a fierce wind on
inauspicious days *20 that We might make them taste a degrading
chastisement in the life of this world. *21 And surely the chastisement of
the Hereafter is even more degrading. There will be none to help them there.
*20 "III-omened
days" does not mean that the days in themselves were illomened, and the
torrent came because the people of 'Ad met with those illomened days. If this
were the meaning and there were some ill omen in the days themselves, the
torment would have visited all the nations of the world. The cornet meaning, therefore,
is that since in those days God's torment descended on this nation, the days
were ill-omened for the people of 'Ad. It is not cornet to argue on the basis
of the verse that some days are iII-omened and some auspicious. The
lexicographers have disputed the meaning of the words rih-an sarsaran, which
have been used for the stormy wind. Some say that they imply an intensely hot
wind; others say that they imply an extremely cold wind; and some others say
that they imply a wind which produces a great noise when it blows. In any cast,
they All agree that the words are used for a severe storm. The details of this
torment given at other places in the Qur'an show that this wind continued to
rage for seven nights and eight days consecutively. It swept the people off the
ground and they fell down dead and lay scattered here and there like hollow
trunks of the palm-tree. (AI-Haaqqah: 7). It left rotting everything on which
it blew. (Adh-Dhariyat 42). When the people of 'Ad saw it advancing, they
rejoiced with the hope that the dense clouds would bring much rain, which would
water their withering crops. But when it came it laid waste the entire
land." (Al-Ahqaf: 24-25).
*21 This ignominious torment was an answer to their arrogance and vanity because of which they had assumed greatness in the land without any right, and would boast that there was none more powerful than they on the entire earth. Allah disgraced them and destroyed the major part of their population along with their civilization. The remnant of their population was humbled and debased before those very nations whom they used to overawe by their show of power and might (for the details of the story of 'Ad see AI-A'raf : 65-72; Hud: 50-60; AlMu'minun: 32-41; Ash-Shua'ra' : 123-140; AI-'Ankabut; 40 and the relevant E.N.'s).
*21 This ignominious torment was an answer to their arrogance and vanity because of which they had assumed greatness in the land without any right, and would boast that there was none more powerful than they on the entire earth. Allah disgraced them and destroyed the major part of their population along with their civilization. The remnant of their population was humbled and debased before those very nations whom they used to overawe by their show of power and might (for the details of the story of 'Ad see AI-A'raf : 65-72; Hud: 50-60; AlMu'minun: 32-41; Ash-Shua'ra' : 123-140; AI-'Ankabut; 40 and the relevant E.N.'s).
وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّوا
الْعَمَىٰ عَلَى الْهُدَىٰ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ صَاعِقَةُ الْعَذَابِ الْهُونِ بِمَا
كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ {41:17}
[Q41:17] Wa
ammaa Samoodu fahadinaahum fastahabbul 'ama 'alal huda fa akhazathum saa'iqatul
'azaabil hooni bimaa kaanoo yaksiboon
[Q41:17] And as to Samood, We showed them the right way, but they chose error above guidance, so there overtook them the scourge of an abasing chastisement for what they earned.
[Q41:17] And as to Samood, We showed them the right way, but they chose error above guidance, so there overtook them the scourge of an abasing chastisement for what they earned.
[Q41:17] Adapun kaum Thamud, maka Kami beri petunjuk kepadanya, lalu mereka
mengutamakan kesesatan dari hidayat petunjuk lantas mereka disambar oleh petir
azab yang menghina dengan sebab apa yang mereka telah lakukan.
(see
commentary for verse 15)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:17) As for Thamud, We bestowed
guidance upon them, but they preferred to remain blind rather than be guided.
At last a humiliating scourge overtook them on account of their misdeeds.
وَنَجَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا
يَتَّقُونَ {41:18}
[Q41:18] Wa
najjainal lazeena aamanoo wa kaanoo yattaqoon.
[Q41:18] And We delivered those who believed and guarded (against evil).
[Q41:18] And We delivered those who believed and guarded (against evil).
– i.e., those who believed in ALLAH
(SWT) and lived a righteous life were saved.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:18) Yet We delivered those who believed and were
God-fearing. *22
*22 For the
details of the story of Thamud see AI-A'raf: 73-79; Hud: 61.68; AI-ZHjr: 80-84;
Bani Isra'il: 59; Ash-Shua`ara' :141.159; An-Naml: 45-53 and the E.N.'s.
SECTION 3
One’s own eyes, ears etc. shall bear witness
against one’s self
One’s own eyes, ears, etc.
shall bear witness about one’s own conduct during his life on earth.
وَيَوْمَ يُحْشَرُ أَعْدَاءُ اللَّهِ إِلَى النَّارِ
فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ {41:19}
[Q41:19] Wa
yawma yuhsharu a'daaa'uL Laahi ilan Naari fahum yooza'oon.
[Q41:19] And on the day that the enemies of ALLAH (SWT) shall be brought together to the fire, then they shall be formed into groups.
[Q41:19] And on the day that the enemies of ALLAH (SWT) shall be brought together to the fire, then they shall be formed into groups.
[Q41:19] Dan (ingatlah) hari dihimpun musuh-musuh ALLAH (SwT) untuk dibawa ke
Neraka, lalu mereka dijaga serta diatur keadaan dan perjalanannya
masing-masing.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:19) Imagine
the Day when Allah’s enemies will be mustered to the Fire, *23 and the people of the former
times will be detained until the arrival of people of the later times, *24
*23 What
is meant to be said have is: "When they will be rounded up to be presented
in the Court of Allah," though the words used are to the effect: "When
they will be gathered to be driven to Hell," for Hell in any case will be
their final destination.
*24 That is, All the former and latter generations and races will be gathered together at a time and called to account together, For whatever a person does in his lifetime, whether good yr evil, its influence and impact dces not end with his life; but continues to operate even after his death for long periods of time, for which he is totally responsible. Likewise, whatever a generation does in its own time, its influence continues to affect the later generations for centuries, and it is responsible for its heritage. It is inevitable to examine all these influences and their results and to collect their evidences. For that very reason, generation after generation of the people will go on arriving and will be withheld. The Court will start its work when all the former and latter generations will have assembled together in the Plain of Resurrection. (For further explanation, see AI-A'raf: 3839 and E.N. 30 on it).
*24 That is, All the former and latter generations and races will be gathered together at a time and called to account together, For whatever a person does in his lifetime, whether good yr evil, its influence and impact dces not end with his life; but continues to operate even after his death for long periods of time, for which he is totally responsible. Likewise, whatever a generation does in its own time, its influence continues to affect the later generations for centuries, and it is responsible for its heritage. It is inevitable to examine all these influences and their results and to collect their evidences. For that very reason, generation after generation of the people will go on arriving and will be withheld. The Court will start its work when all the former and latter generations will have assembled together in the Plain of Resurrection. (For further explanation, see AI-A'raf: 3839 and E.N. 30 on it).
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا مَا جَاءُوهَا شَهِدَ عَلَيْهِمْ
سَمْعُهُمْ وَأَبْصَارُهُمْ وَجُلُودُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ {41:20}
[Q41:20] Hattaaa
izaa maa jaaa'oohaa shahida 'alaihim samu'uhum wa absaaruhum wa julooduhum
bimaa kaanoo ya’maloon.
[Q41:20] Until when they come to it, their ears and their eyes and their skins shall bear witness against them as to what they did.
[Q41:20] Until when they come to it, their ears and their eyes and their skins shall bear witness against them as to what they did.
[Q41:20] Sehingga apabila mereka sampai ke Neraka, (maka) pendengaran dan
penglihatan serta kulit-kulit badan mereka menjadi saksi terhadap mereka,
mengenai apa yang mereka telah kerjakan.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:20) and
when all have arrived, their ears, their eyes, and their skins shall bear
witness against them, stating all that they had done in the life of the world. *25
*25 The
explanation of this given in the Hadith is that when a stubborn culprit will go
on denying his crimes, and will even belie All the witnesses, then the limbs of
his body will bear the witness, one after the other, by the Command of Allah,
and will tell what offences he had committed through them. This thing has been
reported by Hadrat Anas, Hadrat Abu Musa Ash'ari, Hadrat Abu Said Khudri and
Hadrat Ibn 'Abbas from the Holy Prophet, and traditionists like Muslim, Nasa'i,
Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Bazzar and others have related these in their books. (For
further explanation, see E.N. 55 of Surah Ya Sin). This verse is one of those
many verses which prove that the Hereafter will not only be a spiritual world
but human beings will be resurrected with the body and soul as they are now in
this world. Not only this: they will be given the same body in which they live
now. The same particles and atoms which composed their bodies in the world,
will be collected on the Day of Resurrection, and they will be resurrected with
the same previous bodies in which they had lived and worked in the world.
Evidently, the limbs of man can bear the witness in the Hereafter only in case
they are the same limbs with which he committed a crime in his previous lift.
This subject is borne out decisively and absolutely by the following verses of
the Qur'an: Bani Isra'il: 49 51, 98; AI-Mu'minun: 35-38, 82-83; An-Nur: 24;
AsSajdah: 10; Ya Sin: 65, 78, 79; As-Saafat: 16-18; AI-Waqi'ah: 47-50;
AnNazi'at: 10-14.
وَقَالُوا لِجُلُودِهِمْ لِمَ شَهِدْتُمْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ
قَالُوا أَنْطَقَنَا اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنْطَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ خَلَقَكُمْ
أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ {41:21}
[Q41:21] Wa
qaaloo lijuloodihim lima shahittum 'alainaa qaaloo antaqanaL Laahul lazeee
antaqa kulla shai'inw wa Huwa khalaqakum awwala marratinw wa ilaihi turja‘oon.
[Q41:21] And they shall say to their skins: Why have you borne witness against us? They shall say: ALLAH (SWT) Who makes everything speak has made us speak, and He created you at first, and to Him you shall be brought back.
[Q41:21] And they shall say to their skins: Why have you borne witness against us? They shall say: ALLAH (SWT) Who makes everything speak has made us speak, and He created you at first, and to Him you shall be brought back.
[Q41:21] Dan (setelah berlaku yang demikian), berkatalah mereka kepada
kulit-kulit badan mereka: Mengapa kamu menjadi saksi terhadap kami? Kulit-kulit
badan mereka menjawab: ALLAH (SwT) yang berkuasa menjadikan tiap-tiap sesuatu
pandai berkata-kata - telah menjadikan kami dapat berkata-kata dan Dialah yang
menciptakan kamu pada mulanya dan kepadaNyalah kamu dikembalikan (untuk
menerima balasan).
The enemies of ALLAH
(SWT) think that if they conceal their evil deeds from the rest of the world,
nothing will happen to them, BUT
they do not know that their limbs and faculties they use for evil will be used
against them on the Day of Judgment. ALLAH (SWT) KNOWS EVERYTHING.
The HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA
SALLI ALAA MUHAMMAD WA ALI MUHAMMAD) recited verse 23 and said:
§ "There is not an individual in whose mind there are noble and good
thoughts and ALLAH (SWT) is not with him to guide unto the right path."
Imam Jafar bin Muhammad as Sadiq said:
§ "A believer must always be in fear of ALLAH (SWT)'s wrath which
throws its victim into the fire; and he must have utmost confidence in His
mercy which takes its favourite to the eternal abode of bliss and happiness. ALLAH
(SWT) is with the innermost thoughts of every individual. Noble thoughts are
rewarded and evil thoughts are punished."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:21) They will ask their skins: “Why did you bear
witness against us?” The skins will reply: “Allah gave us speech, *26 as
He gave speech to all others. He it is Who created you for the first time and
it is to Him that you will be sent back.
*26 This shows
that not only man's own limbs will bear witness on the Day of Resurrection, but
every such thing before which man would have committed any crime will also
speak out. The same thing has been said in Surah AI-Zilzal, thus: "The
earth will cast out all the burdens, which lie within her, and man will say:
what has befallen her? On that Day shall she relate whatever had happened (on
her), because your Lord will have commanded her (to do so)." (vv.
2-5).
وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ
عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَٰكِنْ
ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ{41:22}
[Q41:22] Wa
maa kuntum tastatiroona ai-yashhada 'alaikum sam'ukum wa laaa absaarukum wa laa
juloodukum wa laakin zanantum annaL Laaha laa ya'lamu kaseeram mimmaa ta’maloon.
[Q41:22] And you did not veil yourselves lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should bear witness against you, but you thought that ALLAH (SWT) did not know most of what you did.
[Q41:22] And you did not veil yourselves lest your ears and your eyes and your skins should bear witness against you, but you thought that ALLAH (SWT) did not know most of what you did.
[Q41:22] Dan semasa kamu berselindung (ketika melakukan dosa di dunia dahulu)
bukanlah kerana kamu bimbangkan pendengaran dan penglihatan serta kulit-kulit
badan kamu menjadi saksi terhadap perbuatan-perbuatan kamu yang berdosa itu,
akan tetapi kerana kamu menyangka bahawa ALLAH (SwT) tidak mengetahui
kebanyakan dosa yang kamu lakukan (secara bersembunyi itu).
(see
commentary for verse 21)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:22) When you used to conceal
yourselves (while committing misdeeds) you never thought that your ears or your
eyes or your skins would ever bear witness against you; you rather fancied that
Allah does not know a great deal of what you do.
وَذَٰلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ الَّذِي ظَنَنْتُمْ
بِرَبِّكُمْ أَرْدَاكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ {41:23}
[Q41:23] Wa
zaalikum zannukumul lazee zanantum bi-Rabbikum ardaakum fa asbahtum minal khaasireen.
[Q41:23] And that was your (evil) thought which you entertained about your Lord that has tumbled you down into perdition, so are you become of the lost ones.
[Q41:23] And that was your (evil) thought which you entertained about your Lord that has tumbled you down into perdition, so are you become of the lost ones.
[Q41:23] Dan sangkaan kamu yang demikian, yang kamu sangka terhadap Tuhan kamu,
itulah yang telah membinasakan kamu; (dengan sangkaan kamu yang salah itu) maka
menjadilah kamu dari orang-orang yang rugi!
(see
commentary for verse 21)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:23) This thought of yours about your Lord has led
to your perdition and you have become among the losers.” *27
*27 Hadrat Hasan
Basri (may Allah bless him) has explained this verse thus "Every man's attitude and conduct is determined by the thought and
conjecture that he has about his God. The conduct of a righteous believer is
right because his thought and conjecture about his Lord is right, and the
conduct of a disbeliever and a hypocrite and a sinful person is wrong because
his thought and conjecture about his Lord is wrong." This same theme
has the Holy Prophet expressed in a comprehensive and brief Hadith, thus:
"Your Lord says: I am with the thought and conjecture that My servant
holds about Me." (Bukhari, Muslim).
فَإِنْ يَصْبِرُوا فَالنَّارُ مَثْوًى لَهُمْ ۖ
وَإِنْ يَسْتَعْتِبُوا فَمَا هُمْ مِنَ الْمُعْتَبِينَ {41:24}
[Q41:24] Fa-iny
yasbiroo fan Naaru maswal lahum wa iny-yasta'tiboo famaa hum minal mu’tabeen.
[Q41:24] Then if they will endure, still the fire is their abode, and if they ask for goodwill, then are they not of those who shall be granted goodwill.
[Q41:24] Then if they will endure, still the fire is their abode, and if they ask for goodwill, then are they not of those who shall be granted goodwill.
[Q41:24] Oleh itu, samada mereka bersabar menderita azab atau sebaliknya (maka
sama sahaja) kerana Nerakalah tempat tinggal mereka dan jika mereka memohon
peluang untuk mendapat keredaan ALLAH (SwT), maka mereka bukanlah lagi dari
orang-orang yang diterima permohonannya.
There is sarcasm in the meaning. If they wait, they will surely find
that the fire is their abode. If they seek mercy and grace it would be too late.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:24) In this state, whether they bear with patience
(or not), Fire alone shall be their abode. And if they seek to make amends,
they will not be allowed to do so. *28
*28 m,
وَقَيَّضْنَا لَهُمْ قُرَنَاءَ فَزَيَّنُوا لَهُمْ
مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَوْلُ فِي أُمَمٍ
قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا
خَاسِرِينَ {41:25}
[Q41:25] Wa
qaiyadnaa lahum quranaaa'a fazaiyanoo lahum maa baina aideehim wa maa khalfahum
wa haqqa 'alaihimul qawlu feee umamin qad khalat min qablihim minal jinni
wal insi innahum kaanoo khaasireen.
[Q41:25] And We have appointed for them comrades so they have made fair-seeming to them what is before them and what is behind them, and the word proved true against them-- among the nations of the jinn and the men that have passed away before them-- that they shall surely be losers.
[Q41:25] And We have appointed for them comrades so they have made fair-seeming to them what is before them and what is behind them, and the word proved true against them-- among the nations of the jinn and the men that have passed away before them-- that they shall surely be losers.
[Q41:25] Dan Kami adakan untuk mereka teman-teman rapat (dari jin dan manusia),
lalu teman-teman itu memperhiaskan kepada mereka (fahaman-fahaman sesat)
mengenai perkara-perkara dunia yang ada di hadapan mereka, serta
perkara-perkara akhirat yang ada di belakang mereka dan (dengan sebab itu)
tetaplah hukuman (azab) atas mereka bersama-sama dengan umat (yang sesat) dari
jin dan manusia yang terdahulu daripada mereka. Sesungguhnya mereka semuanya
adalah golongan yang rugi (bawaan hidupnya).
Just as well-being gives more satisfaction in a
congenial society of rejoicing individuals, evil will be made to meet evil
in the "hours of torment" SO THAT
THOSE WHO MADE SIN FAIR-SEEMING IN THIS LIFE will be
there to share in the regrets, sorrows and mutual recriminations in order to
deepen the sorrow of eternal punishment.
µ Refer
to Anam
6:129 and 131 for the jinn. All spirits of wickedness and the unjust
among mankind will be under a common sentence.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(41:25) We had assigned to them companions who
embellished for them all that was before them and behind them. *29 Thus
the same decree (of chastisement) which had overtaken the previous generations
of jinn and human beings (also) became due against them. Surely they became the
losers.
*29 This is the
permanent and eternal way of Allah that He dots not let the men with evil
intentions and desires have good companions, but lets them have bad companions
according to their own inclinations. Then, as they go on descending into the
depths of vice, more and more evil and wicked men and devils go on joining them
as their associates and advisers and companions. Some people's saying that
so-and-so is himself a very good man but happens to have bad companions is, in
fact, contrary to fact. The law of nature is that every man gets the same sort
of friends as he himself is. If bad people happen to be associated with a good
man, they cannot remain associated with him for long. Likewise, if good and
noble men happen to be associated with evil intentioned and immoral men by
chance, their association cannot last long. An evil man naturally attracts only
evil men to himself and only evil men become attracted towards him just as
filth attracts flits and flits are attracted by the filth. The meaning of:
"They made every thing, in front of them and behind them, seem fair to
them," is this: They assured them that their past had been glorious and
their future would also be bright; they made them see everything attractive and
pleasant on every side; they told them that those who criticised them were
foolish, because they were not doing anything novel or strange: those who had
made any progress in the world before them had been doing the same that they
were doing; ahead of them there was no Hereafter at all in which they might
have to be called to account for their deeds, but if at all the Hereafter did
take place, as some foolish people assert it would, the God who was blessing
them in the world, would bless them there too. Hell had not been made for them
but for those whom God had deprived of His blessings here.
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