| Chapter 22 : Surah Al-Hajj |
(Revealed partly before and partly after Hijrah) Date of Revelation and Context This was done in Surah Maryam where by shedding light on the incidents attending his birth Jesus was shown to have been in no way different from, or superior to, other Messengers of God. In Chapter Ta Ha, the Christian doctrine that Law is a curse was fully and completely repudiated, while in Surah Al-Anbiya' the same subject was treated in a different manner, and the doctrine of original sin was shown to be quite untenable. It was made clear that if man suffered from the legacy of original sin and being devoid of free will he could not get rid of it, then the very object of the advent of Divine Messengers was defeated and man could not have been regarded as accountable for his actions and deeds. In the present Surah, however, we are told that if Jesus had attained the highest stage of spiritual perfection, then there was no need of a new Shari'ah (Law) and a new Messenger. But the fact that the Holy Prophet had claimed to be a new Messenger and to have brought a new Law, in itself constitutes a challenge to this Christian belief. Subject-Matter (1) The disbelievers are threatened with Divine punishment because they reject the claim of the Holy Prophet which rests on the following very sound hypotheses: (a) His teachings are indispensable for mankind and are based on truth and wisdom and have sound and solid arguments to establish their abiding utility and the emptiness of the objections of disbelievers. (b) Heavenly Signs uphold the Prophet's cause-his followers are prospering both materially and spiritually and his enemies like those of the former Prophets are suffering defeat at his hands. (c) He will be blessed with Divine boons and blessings in an unusual measure. (d) His teachings are designed to bring about peace, harmony and goodwill among nations of the world. (e) All false Faiths and religious systems including Christianity will retreat before the invincible onrush of Islam and will eventually be completely routed. (2) All Divine Messengers were opposed and satanic people placed all sorts of obstacles and impediments in their way. But God removed all those obstacles and the cause of Truth ultimately prevailed. (3) The advent of the Holy Prophet has fulfilled that Divine purpose for which Patriarch Abraham had prayed to God in the barren and arid Valley of Mecca when he left his son Ishmael and his wife Hagar there. (4) The Holy Prophet has met with long and hard opposition and has endured untold hardships with great patience and fortitude, and the time has now arrived that he be granted permission to fight his opponents in self-defence. Defensive warfare isnot only permissible but is commendable when the cause of Truth is at stake; and Divine succour comes to those who fight in its defence. If fighting in defence of Truth had not been allowed, man would have become deprived of freedom of conscience which is his most precious heritage, and God would have ceased to be worshipped and sin and iniquity would have reigned supreme in the world. (5) Divine Teaching like fresh rain gives new life and vigour to a spiritually dead world and is, therefore, bound to succeed. The cycle of a new Revelation taking the place of an old one continues. When a particular Teaching completes its allotted span of life and serves its intended purpose, a new Teaching replaces it and becomes the vehicle of Divine Will and Purpose. The Surah ends with the Divine promise that Heavenly help will come to the Holy Prophet because he is the Promised Teacher. His followers should, therefore, give him full and unconditional allegiance. This is the way to victory and success.
يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّا أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَى وَمَا هُمْ بِسُكَارَى وَلَكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ
يَاأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِنْ الْبَعْثِ فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ مُضْغَةٍ مُخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَنُقِرُّ فِي الأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاءُ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلاً ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُتَوَفَّى وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرَدُّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْلاَ يَعْلَمَ مِنْ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا وَتَرَى الأَرْضَ هَامِدَةً فَإِذَا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ وَأَنْبَتَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ
وَمِنْ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةَ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ مَنْ كَانَ يَظُنُّ أَنْ لَنْ يَنصُرَهُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ بِسَبَبٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ لِيَقْطَعْ فَلْيَنظُرْ هَلْ يُذْهِبَنَّ كَيْدُهُ مَا يَغِيظُ
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالصَّابِئِينَ وَالنَّصَارَى وَالْمَجُوسَ وَالَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ أَلَمْ تَرَى أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ وَالْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ وَالدَّوَابُّ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْ النَّاسِ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ وَمَنْ يُهِنْ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ مُكْرِمٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ هَذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قُطِّعَتْ لَهُمْ ثِيَابٌ مِنْ نَارٍ يُصَبُّ مِنْ فَوْقِ رُءُوسِهِمُ الْحَمِيمُ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ وَلُؤْلُؤًا وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ الَّذِي جَعَلْنَاهُ لِلنَّاسِ سَوَاءً الْعَاكِفُ فِيهِ وَالْبَادِي وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا ِلأَبْرَاهِيمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَنْ لاَ تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْقَائِمِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ
لِيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَعْلُومَاتٍ عَلَى مَا رَزَقَهُمْ مِنْ بَهِيمَةِ الأَنْعَامِ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْبَائِسَ الْفَقِيرَ
ذَلِكَ وَمَنْ يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَاتِ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ وَأُحِلَّتْ لَكُمْ الأَنْعَامُ إِلاَّ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاجْتَنِبُوا الرِّجْسَ مِنْ الأَوْثَانِ وَاجْتَنِبُوا قَوْلَ الزُّورِ حُنَفَاءَ لِلَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنْ السَّمَاءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ
وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنْسَكًا لِيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَى مَا رَزَقَهُمْ مِنْ بَهِيمَةِ الأَنْعَامِ فَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ فَلَهُ أَسْلِمُوا وَبَشِّرْ الْمُخْبِتِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ عَلَى مَا أَصَابَهُمْ وَالْمُقِيمِي الصَّلاَةِ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ وَالْبُدْنَ جَعَلْنَاهَا لَكُمْ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ كَذَلِكَ سَخَّرْنَاهَا لَكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ لَنْ يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلاَ دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِنْ يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنْكُمْ كَذَلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَبَشِّرْ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَقُولُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ وَلَوْلاَ دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لَهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنصُرُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ الَّذِينَ إِنْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَآتَوْا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنْ الْمُنْكَرِ وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الأُمُورِ
فَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ فَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا وَبِئْرٍ مُعَطَّلَةٍ وَقَصْرٍ مَشِيدٍ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا أَوْ آذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا فَإِنَّهَا لاَ تَعْمَى الأَبْصَارُ وَلَكِنْ تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَنْ يُخْلِفَ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَلاَ نَبِيٍّ إِلاَّ إِذَا تَمَنَّى أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُمْنِيَّتِهِ فَيَنْسَخُ اللَّهُ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ لِيَجْعَلَ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ لَفِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ فَيُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ فَتُخْبِتَ لَهُ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهَادِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ وَلاَ يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي مِرْيَةٍ مِنْهُ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمٍ عَقِيمٍ
وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قُتِلُوا أَوْ مَاتُوا لَيَرْزُقَنَّهُمْ اللَّهُ رِزْقًا حَسَنًا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ
أَلَمْ تَرَى أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَالْفُلْكَ تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَيُمْسِكُ السَّمَاءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ
لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكًا هُمْ نَاسِكُوهُ فَلاَ يُنَازِعُنَّكَ فِي الأَمْرِ وَادْعُ إِلَى رَبِّكَ إِنَّكَ لَعَلَى هُدًى مُسْتَقِيمٍ
وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الْمُنْكَرَ يَكَادُونَ يَسْطُونَ بِالَّذِينَ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِنَا قُلْ أَفَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِنْ ذَلِكُمْ النَّارُ وَعَدَهَا اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ يَاأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَنْ يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَابًا وَلَوْ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ وَإِنْ يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئًا لاَ يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ
وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ هُوَ سَمَّاكُمْ الْمُسْلِمينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَفِي هَذَا لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللَّهِ هُوَ مَوْلاَكُمْ فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَى وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ
1929. Al-Sa'ah (Hour), or al-Qiyamah, is used in three senses: (a) Death of a great and famous person (al-Sa'at al-Sughra): (b) a national calamity (al-Sa'at al- Wusta): (c) the Day of Judgment (al-Sa'at al-Kubra). The word has been used in the Qur'an in the last two senses. The context shows that here it has been used in the sense of a national calamity that shakes the very foundations of a people. It may have particular reference to the impending doom of the Arabs when Mecca, the citadel of their political power, was to fall and their political power and their social system were to break and crumble; or it may refer to a terrible calamity that would overtake mankind in the form of a global war and would bring calamitous changes in its wake. The present verse, read along with 2:213, lends further support to the inference that the words "the Hour'' or "the Day of Judgment" used in the Qur'an generally signify a great national calamity that overtakes a whole people. 1930. The verse has used three metaphors or similes to express the extreme severity of the earthquake of the Hour, referred to in the preceding verse. Nothing is dearer to a mother than the baby to which she gives suck, and there could be no terror more dreadful in its effects than the one that makes a woman cast down her burden and which drives men to frenzy and yet the verse says that the suddenness and severity of the terror inspired by the dreadful event would be such that mothers would abandon the babes at their breasts and pregnant women would cast down their burdens and people would go mad with fright and, like drunken men, would lose all control over their actions. 1931. Only those are led astray by Satan who make friends with him and follow him. At another place the Qur'an says that Satan has no power over righteous servants of God. It is only those who accept his evil suggestions that are led astray (16:100, 101; 17:66). 1932. Man's creation and physical development constitutes a strong argument in favor of Life after death. This creation is a process of evolution, a gradual unfolding, a development from one stage to another, from lifeless matter to a seed, then to a fertilized ovum, then to a fetus and then it culminates in the birth of a perfectly formed human being. This process of evolution, however, does not stop with man's birth. It continues. The wonderful physical growth of man from lifeless matter to a fully developed human being constitutes an irrefutable proof that the Creator of man and the Author of all these stages of his development possesses the power to give him a new life after he is dead. The inference also seems to be that just as the creation and physical development of man is a process of evolution and gradual growth, so is his spiritual development. Another argument is taken from nature, viz., that the barren, bleak or dead earth vibrates with new life when rain falls upon it. This phenomenon also leads to the same conclusion that God, Who has the power to make the dead and barren earth vibrate with new life, has the power to bring man to life after his death. 1933. 'Ilm (knowledge) signifies, intellectual proofs and arguments, Huda Divine guidance and Kitab Munir scriptural evidence. 1934. Two kinds of punishment are in store for the deniers of truth, viz., defeat and discomfiture in the present life and disgrace and ignominy in the life to come. The punishment in this life constitutes a proof of punishment in the life to come. 1935. The Arabs say, Fulanun 'Ala Harfin min Amrihi, i.e., such a one is in a vacillating condition, looking to the result of an affair he turns to it if he sees what he likes and turns away from it if he sees what does not please him (Lane). The Quranic expression means; one who serves Allah standing aloof with respect to religion, in a fluctuating state, like the person who is in the outskirts of the army, so that if he is sure of victory and spoil, he stands firm, otherwise he flees away. The sense of the expression 'on the verge' is explained in the very next sentence, viz., "if good befalls him, he is content therewith; and if there befalls him a trial, he returns to his former way." Or, the expression may signify that people of weak faith are always in a state of doubt and suspense. If; by accepting the truth, they hope to get some material benefit they remain and behave as believers, but if belief is attended with trials and tribulations, they turn back on their heels. 1936. Th e moral injury which the worship of false gods does to their votaries is immediate and patent inasmuch as they degrade themselves before lifeless things and thus do a great injury to their own dignity and self-respect, but any benefit that they hope to get from it is only illusory and far-fetched. 1937. The verse seems to hold out a challenge to disbelievers to do their worst against the Holy Prophet and then see if they can stop Divine help which he is constantly receiving and will continue to receive from On High. It is decreed in the heavens that Islam shall make steady and uninterrupted progress and that no one can alter the Divine decree: and that only death will save disbelievers from the humiliating and painful sight of seeing Islam making rapid progress. If the word Sama be interpreted as "roof' or "ceiling" (Lane), the verse would signify, 'If the opponents of the Holy Prophet are enraged at the success of his mission, then let them hang themselves by fixing a rope to the ceiling and cutting it off, even then Divine assistance will not stop coming.' This meaning is supported by 3:120 where disbelievers are reproved and reprimanded in the words, Perish in your rage. Surely. Allah has full knowledge of what is hidden In your breasts. 1938. In later Arabic literature, the word has been also used to denote the people of northern Europe (Enc. of Islam). 1939. This verse and vv. 2:63 and 5:70 do not signify that Christians. Jews and Sabians are equally eligible to salvation along with true believers. The Qur'an does' not support any suchbelief. According to it the only religion acceptable to God is Islam (3:20, 86). The presentverse only lays down a criterion to test the truth of all the different religions and not that itregards all of them as true. The implied criterion is, that of all religions the true one willprevail over others in the "Hour of Decision." Or, the verse may mean that false beliefs of aperson constitute no reason that he should be punished in this life. That matter will be decidedon the Day of Judgment. 1940. God has fixed certain laws-natural laws, which all created things, animate or inanimate, have to obey. There is no escape from submission to these laws. There are, however, certain other laws-the laws of the Shari'ah which God has revealed for the guidance of man. Man may obey or disobey and defy these laws and may suffer the consequences of his defiance. The verse further brings home to idolaters the folly and futility of their taking the objects of nature for worship beside Allah. It says that all these things depend upon Him for their very existence. They submit to the laws He has fixed for them and cannot live independently of God for a moment. It is sheer folly, therefore, to adore and worship things and beings which are themselves subject to God-made laws. 1941. The reference in the words "These are two" is to two classes of men-the believers and disbelievers 1942. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said, 'The Nile and the Euphrates are two of the streams of Paradise' (Muslim, ch. al-Jannah). The Holy Prophet and his Companions knew that they were promised "gardens" not only in the next life but in this world also and they also knew that by "gardens" in this world were meant rich and fertile lands once ruled by the Kings of Persia and the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire. During the Caliphate of 'Umar, Muslim armies fought on two fronts, in Mesopotamia and Syria, and when some Arab chiefs presented themselves before him and offered their services, he asked them to which of "the two promised lands" (Mesopotamia or Syria) they would like to go. The prophecy was literally fulfilled when 'Umar asked Suraqah bin Malik to wear the bracelets of gold which the Kings of Iran used to wear on special State ceremonies. 1943. The verse shows that the site of the Ka'bah had existed long before Abraham's time. In fact, the Ka'bah was built by Adam. It was the first House of worship built in the world (3:97). By the time of Abraham it had fallen into ruins and its site having been disclosed to him by revelation, he and his son Ishmael, the Holy Prophet's great progenitor, rebuilt it. See also 146. 1943A. The Ka'bah is variously mentioned in the Qur'an as "My House" (2:126 & 22:27), "The Sacred House" (14:38), "The Sacred Mosque" (2: 15 1). "The House"(2: 128, 159; 3:98; 8:36; 22:27), "The Ancient House" (22:30, 34), and "The Frequented House" (525). All these different appellations point to the eminence of the Ka'bah as the greatest centre of worship for mankind. 1944. The words, keep My house clean, embodied both a commandment and a prophecy. The commandment was that the Ka'bah was not to be polluted with idol-worship as it had been built for the worship of the One True God, and the prophecy lay in the fact that this commandment would be defied and the House of God would become a house of idols but would eventually be completely cleared of them. 1945. This verse serves as an introduction to the subject of Pilgrimage which is the central theme of this Surah. Circumambulation of the Sacred Mosque is the most important ceremony of the Pilgrimage, so a brief reference to the sanctity and importance of the Ka'bah forms a befitting introduction to the subject of Hajj. 1946. The Pilgrimage as an institution began with the Patriarch Abraham as the words, And proclaim unto men the Pilgrimage, show. It was not an idolatrous institution incorporated into Islam by the Holy Prophet to conciliate the idol-worshipping Arabs as some Christian writers have been led to think. From the time of Abraham Pilgrimage has continued without break to this day. The gathering in Mecca every year of many hundreds of thousands of Muslims from very distant lands bears an irrefutable testimony to the fulfillment of this prophecy. 1947. Apart from the spiritual good that the Pilgrimage does to a Muslim, it possesses great social and political significance. It also possesses great potentialities to weld Muslims of different nationalities into one strong international brotherhood of Islam. Muslims from all parts of the world who meet at Mecca once a year can exchange views on matter of international importance, renew old and establish new contacts. They have opportunities to acquaint themselves with problems that confront their brethren in Faith in other countries, to profit by one another's experience and to cooperate with one another in many other ways. Mecca being God's appointed Centre of Islam, the Pilgrimage can serve as a sort of a United Nations Organization for the whole of the Muslim world. 1948. Al-Bait al-'Atiq means, free, excellent and very old House (Lane). The epithet 'free' implies a prophecy that no hostile power will ever be able to conquer it. It shall always remain free. The epithet, 'excellent' signifies that the Ka'bah shall always occupy a position of honor in the world. The fact that the Ka'bah is a very ancient House of worship in the world finds corroboration in another verse of the Qur'an (3:97). It was in existence long before Abraham brought his wife Hagar and his son Ishmael to settle in the barren, bleak and arid valley of Mecca (14:38). Noah is believed by some to have performed the circuit of the Ka'bah (Tabari as quoted by Enc. of Islam). Historians of established repute and authority, including even some very hostile critics of Islam, have admitted that the Ka'bah had been held sacred from time immemorial. Diodorus Siculus writing about the region now known as the Hijaz says: 'There is in this country a temple greatly revered by all the Arabs to which the neighboring peoples throng from all sides.' 'These words,' says Sir William Muir, 'must refer to the Holy House of Mecca, for we know of no other which ever commanded the universal homage of Arabia.. . Tradition represents the Ka'bah as from time immemorial the scene of pilgrimage from all quarters of Arabia ... so extensive an homage must have had its beginning in an extremely remote age' (Muir, p. ciii). It seems that the Ka'bah was first built by Adam and, after it was washed away by the great Deluge in the time of Noah, was later 1949. Man is the noblest creation of God. The whole universe-the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the oceans, the mountains, etc., have been made to serve him. He can rise morally and spiritually so high as to reflect in his person Divine attributes. So if he degrades himself so low as to worship lifeless objects, he falls, as it were, from the heights of spiritual eminence to the depths of moral and intellectual degradation. 1950. The verse implies that the object underlying all the commandments and ordinances of Islam is to inculcate righteousness and purity of heart. All Islamic rites and acts of worship are only means that lead to this supreme goal. 1951. The animals that are brought to Mecca for sacrifice may be used for riding and carrying burdens or their milk may be used before they are sacrificed. They can serve many other useful purposes. 1952. Nasaka Lillahi means, he sacrificed and did good deeds willingly and spontaneously to win nearness to God. Mansak, therefore, means, rites of sacrifice; place where such rites are performed (Aqrab). With this verse begins the subject of Sacrifice, one of the three main themes with which this Surah deals, the other two being Hajj and Jihad. The verse further shows that the commandment relating to Sacrifice is not confined to Islam. It is common to all religions because they have proceeded from the same Divine Source. The verse also shows that it was the sacrifice of animals that was originally enjoined on the followers of all religions and that the cruel practice of offering human beings as sacrifice was a later innovation. In view of the different meanings of the root-word Nasaka (Lane), true sacrifice possesses three essential characteristics: (a) It should be voluntary and spontaneous. (b) It should be offered with the purest of motives. (c) It should not be offered from material considerations. 1953. The verse has twofold significance: (1) The fact that the rite of Sacrifice is common to all religions, although they are so widely separated from one another as regards the time and place of their origin, shows that originally they all emanated from the same Supreme Source and that the God of all nations is One God. (2) That the object underlying Sacrifice is to realize and proclaim the Oneness of God by sacrificing our ambitions and aspirations, all our ideas and ideals and even life and honor for His sake. The concept of Sacrifice according to Islam does not consist in appeasing an offended deity or in atoning for one's sins but in sacrificing one's all for the sake of God and in the way of God. 1954. The slaughtering of camels which are brought to Mecca for sacrifice is but a symbol of man's readiness to lay down his life for the sake of his Creator and Master just as camels lay down their lives for their own masters. This is the supreme object and purpose of Sacrifice, other objects mentioned in the verse being of secondary importance. The pilgrim is reminded of the significance of Sacrifice when he slaughters an animal which serves as a Sign of God. The verse also shows that the flesh of the slaughtered animal should be properly distributed and not wasted. 1955. The verse throws a flood of light on the essence, inwardness and real object and purpose of Sacrifice. It teaches the supreme lesson that it is not the outward act of sacrifice which pleases God but the spirit underlying it and the motive behind it. The flesh or blood of the slaughtered animal does not reach God; it is righteousness of the heart which is acceptable to Him. God demands and accepts total sacrifice of all that is near and dear to us-our material possessions; the ideals that are dear to us; our honor and life itself. In reality; God wants and demands no offering from us in the form of flesh and blood of animals but demands the offering of our hearts. It is, however, a mistake to think that because it is not the outward act of sacrifice but the motive behind it that really matters; the outward act is of no importance. True, the outward act of sacrifice is the shell, and the spirit underlying it is the kernel and essence, yet the shell or the body of a thing, like its spirit or kernel, is of very great importance because no soul can exist without a body and no kernel without a shell. 1956. With this verse is introduced the subject of Jihad. The theme of Sacrifice has formed a befitting prelude to this all-important subject. Before the permission to fight in self-defense was given to Muslims, they were apprised of the importance of Sacrifice. The verse throws a flood of light on the Islamic conception of Jihad. Jihad, as the verse shows, is fighting in defense of Truth. But whereas Islam allows no aggressive war, it regards the waging of it to defend one's honor, country or Faith as an act of the highest virtue. Man is God's noblest handiwork. He is the acme of His creation, its aim and end. He is God's vicegerent on earth and the king of His whole creation (2:3 1). This is the Islamic conception of man's high place in the universe. It is, therefore, only natural that the religion which has raised man to such a high pedestal should also have attached very great importance and sanctity to human life. Of all things man's life, according to the Qur'an; is most sacred and inviolable. It is a sacrilege to take it except under very rare circumstances which the Qur'an has specifically mentioned (5:33; 17:34). But no less important, according to Islam, is freedom of conscience. It is man's most precious heritage-perhaps more precious than life itself. The Qur'an, which has attached the greatest sanctity to man's life, could not have failed to acknowledge and declare the sacredness and inviolability of this, his most precious possession. It is in defense of this most precious of their possessions that the Muslims were allowed to take up arms. 1957. According to consensus of scholarly opinion this is the first verse which gave Muslims the permission to take up arms in self-defense. It lays down principles according to which Muslims can wage a defensive war, and sets forth along with the following verses the reasons which led a handful of Muslims, without arms and other material means, to fight in self-defense after they had suffered at Mecca ceaseless persecution for years and had been pursued with relentless hatred to Medina and were harassed and harried there too. The first reason given in this verse is that they have been wronged. 1958. This verse gives the second reason. It is that Muslims were driven out from their hearths and homes without a just and legitimate cause; their only offence being that they believed in One God. For years the Muslims were persecuted at Mecca, then they were driven out from it and were not left in peace even in their exile at Medina. Islam was threatened with complete extirpation by a combined attack by the Arabian tribes around Medina, among whom the influence of the Quraish, on account of their being the custodians of the Ka'bah, was very great. Medina itself was honeycombed with sedition and treachery. The Jews, compact and united, were opposed to the Holy Prophet whose difficulties instead of lessening had greatly increased by Emigration. It was under these highly unfavorable circumstances that Muslims had to take up arms to save themselves, their Faith and the Holy Prophet from extermination. If ever a people had a legitimate cause to fight, it were the Holy Prophet Muhammad and his Companions, and yet the unconscionable critics of Islam have accused him of waging aggressive wars to impose his Faith on an unwilling people. 1959. After giving reasons why the Muslims were obliged to take up arms, the verse mentions the object and purpose of the wars of Islam. The object was never to deprive other people of their homes and possessions or to deprive them of national freedom and compel them to submit to foreign yoke, or to explore new markets and get new colonies as the Western Powers do. It was to fight in self-defense and to save Islam from extermination and to establish freedom of conscience and liberty of thought. It was also to defend places of worship belonging to other religions-the churches, the synagogues, the temples, the cloisters, etc. (2:194; 2:257; 8:40 & 8:73). Thus the first and foremost object of the wars of Islam was, and will always be, to establish freedom of belief and worship and to fight in defense of country, honor and freedom against an unprovoked attack. Could there be a better cause to fight for than this? 1960. The verse implies a commandment for the Muslims that when they get power, they should not use it for the furtherance of their own selfish ends but should employ it to ameliorate the lot of the poor and the down trodden people and to establish peace and security in their dominions, and that they should respect and protect places of worship. 1961. It is clear from this verse that the dead, the blind and the deaf spoken of here and elsewhere in the Qur'an are the spiritually dead, blind and deaf. 1961A. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said that the first three centuries of Islam would be its best period after which falsehood would spread and a period of darkness would set in which would extend to over a thousand years (Tirmidhi). This period of thousand years is likened to one day (32:6). In this period a people, having blue eyes would arise and spread all over the earth (20:103, 104). It is these people having blue eyes who in their conceit and arrogance. born of their material glory and political power, are depicted as challenging the Holy Prophet to hasten on the punishment which, he said, would overtake them at the appointed and promised time. 1962. This verse has been deliberately misinterpreted and its meaning purposely distorted by prejudiced Christian writers. They say that one day at Mecca when the Holy Prophet recited the 20th and 21st verses of Surah AI-Najm: Now tell me about Lat and 'Uzza, and Manat; the third one; another goddess, Satan put in his mouth the words Tilkal-Gharaniq al-'Ula, wa lnna Shafi'atahunna Laturtaja, i.e., these are exalted goddesses and their intercession is hoped for. They call it the 'Lapse of Muhammad' or his 'Compromise with idolatry.' The Holy Prophet never made any compromise with idolatry nor was there any lapse on his part. The charge is a case of wish being father to the thought. These critics are always on the lookout to discover a lapse in the Holy Prophet and when they can find none, they invent one and impute it to him. They say that the verse refers to the above incident. We shall deal at length with the whole episode when we come to the relevant verses (53:20, 21). Suffice it to say here that the whole story is belied by the fact that 53rd Chapter was, according to consensus of scholarly opinion, revealed in the 5th year of the Call at Mecca while the present Surah was revealed at Medina or on the eve of the Holy Prophet's departure from Mecca in the 13th year of the Call. It is inconceivable that God should have waited for eight long years to refer to that incident in this verse. Moreover, the story has been rejected as totally unfounded by all learned Commentators of the Qur'an. Besides, there is nothing in the words of the verse itself to warrant the forging of such a blatant lie. The meaning of the verse is quite clear. It purports to say that whenever a Prophet desires to attain his object, i.e., whenever he preaches the message of truth and desires that Divine Unity may be established in the earth, satanic persons seek to retard the progress of truth by putting all sorts of obstacles in his way. They wish to see his mission fail. But they cannot frustrate the Divine plan and God removes all those impediments and makes the cause of Truth prevail and triumph. The verse is of general import. There is no warrant for the suggestion that it applies exclusively to the Holy Prophet. Moreover, it is not possible for Satan to interfere with the purity of the Quranic revelation. God has taken upon Himself to protect and safeguard it against all interference and interpolation (15:10; 72:27-29), and even Christian scholarly opinion has confirmed the truth of this Quranic claim. 1963. This verse also supports the interpretation we have placed on the preceding verse. There is no warrant for the baseless story which some ignorant Commentators have taken into their heads to forge in connection with that verse. The verse purports to say that satanic people seek to place all sorts of obstacles in the way of the propagation of the mission of a Prophet in order that its progress may be retarded and 'those in whose hearts is a disease' may be misled. But God removes all such obstacles and after initial and temporary setbacks Truth marches on its course of uniform progress. 1964. "The Hour" signifies the final triumph of Islam. It may also refer to the Fall of Mecca, when the power of the disbelieving Quraish was finally and completely crushed. The Fall took place quite suddenly. The Quraish did not have the least inkling about the Muslim army till it had reached the very gates of Mecca. 1965. 'Imra'atun 'Aqimun means, a barren woman. Yaumun 'Aqimun means; a destructive day, a day of hard fighting, so called because many women having lost their sons in the fighting become 'Aqim (Lane). 1966. Besides being of general application the verse may particularly refer to the Fall of Mecca. On that day the Kingdom of God was established in Arabia and idolatry departed from its stronghold never to return, and Divine Judgment was pronounced in the words, 'Truth has come and falsehood has vanished away. Falsehood does indeed vanish away fast' (17:82). 1967. Those, who leave their hearths and homes and all that is dear to them for the sake of God and spend their lives in serving His cause and then die in harness; deserve to be classed with those who are actually slain fighting in the cause of God, for their sacrifice is as great as that of the actual martyrs; only, God in His infallible wisdom spares their lives. This is the significance of the words, 'or die.' 1968. The verse has twofold significance. It holds out a promise of help to Muslims and also implies a prophecy about their eventual success. In the former sense it purports to say that the Muslims have been oppressed and transgressed against. They may retaliate but their retaliation should not exceed legitimate bounds. The injury they should inflict on the enemy should be proportionate to the injury they receive. According to the second meaning, Muslims are told that they are going to have their enemies in their power and that they will be perfectly justified in inflicting as much injury on them as they had received from them, but it would be far better if in the hour of victory and success, by copying the Divine attributes of mercy and forgiveness, they pardoned and forgave them. 1969. Nahar (day) in the verse represents power and prosperity and Lail (night) signifies the loss of power combined with national decline and decadence. The verse uses this metaphor to point to the fact hinted at in the preceding verse that the night of misery and oppression to which Muslims were subjected for so long was about to pass away and the day of their glory and might was about to dawn. 1970. The verse draws the attention of disbelievers to the natural phenomenon that is unfolding itself before their very eyes. Do they not see, it purports to say, that Divine rain has fallen on the bleak, barren and spiritually dead land of Arabia and that it has begun to vibrate with new life and there is verdure and greenness all over, i.e., there is spiritual awakening all over the country and Islam has taken deep roots? 1971. The phenomenon of life and death operates simultaneously. Every death is followed by, and brings the hope of, a new life. A few Muslims killed on the battlefields of Badr, Uhud, etc., brought about the spiritual resurrection of the whole of Arabia. 1972. Divine worship is found in one form or another among all nations and peoples. This fact leads to the great truth which Islam, among all religions, was the first to proclaim that Divine Messengers appeared among all peoples to teach them the different forms and ways of worship. 1973. Three arguments have been given in this verse against idolatry: (a) There is found no authority in any revealed Book for idol-worship; (b) human reason and conscience are against it and idolaters can give no sound argument based on their personal experience and observation in support of it; and (c) during the ages in the struggle between idolaters and believers, the latter have invariably come off triumphant. Thus Divine revelation, human reason and the verdict of history are all against idolatry. 1974. The verse brings home to disbelievers the utter powerlessness and helplessness of their gods and their own folly in worshipping them. 1975. The fact that idolaters degrade themselves so low as to worship idols-gods made of wood and stone, shows that they have a very poor concept of the powers and attributes of the Almighty God, the Great Creator. In fact, all polytheistic beliefs and idolatrous ideas spring from this poor concept that God's powers and attributes are limited and defective like those of man. 1976. Jihad is of two kinds: (a) Jihad against one's evil desires and propensities; and (b) Jihad against the enemies of truth which includes fighting in self-defense. The first kind of Jihad may be termed 'Jihad in Allah' and the latter kind of Jihad; 'Jihad in the way of Allah.' The Holy Prophet has termed the first kind of Jihad as the greater Jihad and the latter kind of Jihad as the smaller Jihad. 1977. The words, 'He has named you Muslims both before, and in this Book,' refer to Isaiah's prophecy: 'And thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name.. . (Isa. 62:2 & 65: 15). 1977A. The allusion in the words 'and in this Book' is to Abraham's prayer quoted in the Qur'an; viz., 'Our Lord make us 'Muslims' to Thee and make our offspring a people submissive to Thee' (2: 129).
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