*64. The purpose of the statement is to console the Prophet (peace be on him) and to warn his enemies. On the one hand, the Prophet (peace be on him) is being reassured that the resoluteness, diligence and perseverance which characterize his efforts in preaching the truth and attempting to reform people is well known to God. It can hardly be conceived that after entrusting to the Prophet (peace be on him) a perilous task that God would leave him alone, unassisted. God knows full well all what the Prophet (peace be on him) does, and is also well aware of how others behave towards him. At the same time what is being said also constitutes a warning to the Prophet's opponents. If they obstruct the efforts of the Messenger of the truth, of one engaged in reforming mankind out of sincerity and goodwill, there is no reason for them to assume that no one is observing their deeds, or that they will never be called to account. They ought to take heed for all their deeds are being duly recorded on the Divine Scroll.
 

 

 

 

 

 

*65. What is being said here in a summary fashion requires some elaboration. The statement refers to philosophical inquiry which aims atdiscovering the reality underlying the physical phenomena of the universe. All those who do not look up to revelation in order to know what such reality is, have to fall back, willy-nilly, on philosophical inquiry. Whether a person ends up with atheism, polytheism or monotheism, he perforce has recourse to philosophical inquiry of some sort in order to arrive at some conclusion about reality. Likewise, the worth of the religious doctrines propounded by the Prophets can also be determined by resort to philosophical reflection after which a person is likely to arrive at some conclusion as to whether the reality to which the physical phenomena allude makes any sense or not. The soundness of the conclusion at which a person arrives totally depends, however, on the soundness of the method of philosophical inquiry that is adopted. If the method is sound, so would the conclusion be; and vice versa.
Let us now examine the methods that were adopted by different groups in this pursuit. Of these, the method used by the polytheists is based on superstition. As for the gnostic and ascetic hermits, even though they flaunt meditation as their characteristic method and claim their ability to penetrate the reality that lies beyond the phenomenal veil, their quest is based merely on conjecture. Likewise, what they claim to have observed is actually a product of their fancy. Swayed by it, they mistake their fancies for the truth.
Now, philosophers are guided in their quest for reality by speculation which, it would seem, is nothing less than conjecture. But realizing that their conjecture has no respectable ground upon which to stand, philosophers provide the crutches of logical reasoning and phoney rationalism to support their quest, and give it the imposing title of philosophical inquiry.
Then we come across scientists. In their own field, they resort to scientific methods of inquiry, but as soon as they enter the realm of the metaphysical, they abandon this method and proceed with guesswork and conjecture. The outlook of all these groups is impaired, afflicted with bias and prejudice of one sort or another. This makes them impervious to everything which is alien to them with the net result that they cling adamantly to their cherished ways. The Qur'an brands this kind of intellectual quest as essentially fallacious. It tells such people that the real cause of their malady is guesswork and conjecture in their pursuit of reality, and that they do not heed the reasonable counsel of others because of their deep-seated prejudices. The result is not only are they incapable of independently grasping reality, but their prejudice renders them incapable of arriving at any sound judgement regarding it even when it is expounded by the Prophets.
In sharp contrast to these fallacious methods, the Qur'an lays down an altogether different method to guide men in their quest of reality. This requires, first of all, that one should heed with open ears and consider with open minds the statements of those who claim to be expounding their doctrine about reality not on the basis of speculation or conjecture, nor on the basis of meditation or intuitive conviction, but on the basis of 'knowledge'. They should then proceed to consider the phenomena which form a part of man's observation or experience of the universe (called ayat - signs - in the Qur'anic parlance); to systematize all that they come to know in this manner and to seriously reflect whether the phenomena seem to testify to the reality underlying the phenomena to which these people [i.e. the Prophets] have drawn their attention. If one finds sufficient grounds to affirm the truths propounded by the Prophets, why on earth should anyone contradict such truths? In our view, this very method is the basis of the philosophy of Islam and it is regrettable that even Muslim philosophers abandoned it and set out to follow in the footsteps of Plato and Aristotle.
Not only does the Qur'an urge people, over and over again, to follow this method, but by frequently drawing attention to the physical phenomena and then showing how right conclusions can be derived from them, it also seems to train them to follow this method. Were one to consider even the present verse by way of example one would encounter reference to a couple of physical phenomena - night and day. The alternation of day and night is the outcome of an absolutely precise and well-regulated movement of the earth around the sun. This is an incontrovertible sign of the existence of an all-encompassing controller, of an all-powerful Lord Whose dominion embraces the whole universe. This alternation of day and night is also indicative of the infinite wisdom and purposiveness of the Creator since a lot of creatures of the earth depend upon it. This alternation is also indicative of the Providence, Mercy and Lordship of the Creator since it is evident that He Who has created all beings on earth has also made arrangements to cater to all their requirements.
What this unmistakably proves is that the Creator is the One Who fully controls the entire universe and that far from being arbitrary and capricious. He is Wise. His actions also go to show that in view of His benevolence and providence He alone deserves to be served and worshipped. Also, this alternation of day and night clearly reveals that anything which is subject to the system of alternation of night and day is a servant and not the Lord. All this being the testimony of the natural phenomena, how can it ever be entertained that the religious doctrines developed by polytheists on the basis of their guesswork and conjecture have even a shred of legitimacy?
 

*66. In the preceding verses, the polytheists were reproached for basing their religious doctrines on guesswork and conjecture, and then failing to examine, on scientific grounds, whether those doctrines were backed up by any supporting proof or not. In this verse, the Christians and followers of some other religions are being taken to task for another error - for their designating someone, again by resort to sheer conjecture, as God's son.
*67. This Arabic expression ***** is used both in its literal sense and also by way of exclamation. As an exclamatory expression it emphasizes one's utter amazement about God. In its literal sense, it signifies that God is free of every defect and flaw. The above verse in question employs both meanings. For, apart from expressing amazement at the notion that God took someone as His son, it also stresses the perfection, the absolute flawlessness of God. Since God is perfect and flawless, how does it make any sense to say that He took someone as His son?
*68. In refuting the notion that God took anyone as His son, three arguments are advanced:
(i) God is free of all defects;
(ii) God is All-Sufficient; and
(iii) all that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him.
A brief elucidation of these statements will enable one to appreciate the meaning and significance of what is being said here. To be a son can have only two meanings: either he has sprung from his father's loins, that is, he is his father's son in the true sense of the term, and thus of his father's loins, or that he is not a son in the literal sense of the word but has merely been adopted as such. Now, if someone is considered to be a son of God in its true, literal sense, that would obviously amount to considering God akin to a mortal. Like any other mortal, God is conceived to belong to one gender or the other, and to stand in need of a spouse, and of some sort of conjugal relationship to enable the birth of offspring, and thus to ensure the continuity of his progeny. Alternatively, God is believed to have adopted someone as His son. Such a statement could either mean that God is akin to that issueless human who resorts to adoption in order that the adopted son might inherit Him and thus secure Him against the loss that would ensue from his being issueless, or at least partially offset that loss. The other possibility is that God also has certain emotional predilections and it is for this reason that He has fallen in love with one of His creatures to the extent of adopting him as His son. In each of the above-mentioned cases, the concept of God is marred by investing Him with several flaws, defects and weaknesses, and He is conceived as One lacking self-sufficiency, as One Who perforce must depend on others.
Hence, the opening part of the verse clearly proclaims God to be free of all defects, deficiencies and weaknesses which people ascribe to Him. This is followed by saying that God is All-Sufficient, that is, He is free of all those needs which impel an issueless mortal to adopt someone as his son. This is further followed by the assertion that all that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to God and hence all human beings, without any exception, are His servants and bondsmen. This makes ii clear that there is no personal relationship between God and any of His creatures that would prompt Him to choose any, to the exclusion of others, for elevation to the level of godhead. For sure, He holds certain people, on grounds of their merit, to be dearer than others. But God's love for someone does not mean that he is lifted up from the rank of being God's servant to becoming His associate and partner in godhead. What God's special love for some person means can be gauged from the following verse of the Qur'an: 'Oh, surely the friends of Allah have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve - the ones who believe and are God-fearing. For them are glad tidings in this world and in the Hereafter' (see verses 62-4 above).
 

 

 

*69. In the preceding verses a combination of convincing arguments and persuasive instruction was employed to drive home to the people that their intellectual outlook and way of life were faulty. As opposed to that, the right way for mankind was highlighted and it was shown why that way was right. Thereafter, attention was paid to candidly exposing the attitude which the unbelievers had adopted during the past eleven years: instead of mending their ways in the light of the reasonable criticism to which they had been subjected and in response to the right guidance offered to them, they became inveterate enemies of the very man who was expounding a message that could ensure their salvation and who sought their well-being and had no axe of his own to grind. Regrettably, they responded to his arguments by throwing brickbats and answered his sincere counsels by hurling filthy abuses at him. They found even the existence of this man in their midst, of one whose main fault was that he called a spade a spade, absolutely insufferable. They virtually said that if in a group of blind persons there is anyone possessed of sight, the only right course for him is to blind himself rather than try to restore the vision of others. And if such a person refused to do so, it was for them to pluck out his eyes and make him blind like themselves.
No direct comment is made here with regard to the attitude of those people. Instead, God asks His Prophet (peace be on him) to narrate to them the story of Noah. Through this story the unbelievers would be able to see clearly their own predicament as well as the predicament of the believers.
*70. Faced with determined opposition from the unbelievers, Noah made it quite clear that he would not cease to strive for his cause, regardless of what the unbelievers might do for it is in God that he put his trust. (Cf. Hud 11: 55.)
 

 

 

*71. 'Those who transgress' mentioned in the present verse are those who, once they commit a wrong, cling to it out of adamance and obstinacy. These are the ones who, out of sheer arrogance and egotism, would like to stick to the stand they once took even if it was erroneous. Such people remain unmoved
 

*72. For a full appreciation of the story of Moses and Pharaoh, see the explanatory notes in Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. III, al-A'raf7, n. 83 ff. The points elucidated in these notes will not be repeated here.
*73. Intoxicated by their riches, political power and glory they considered themselves to be well above the level of ordinary human beings. Thus, instead of humbly submitting themselves to God, they waxed proud.
 

*74. The response of the Pharaonites to the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) was exactly the same as the response of (he Makkan unbelievers to the Prophet (peace be on him). This response bar, been mentioned earlier (see verse 2 above) in these words: 'This man is indeed an evident sorcerer.'
The context makes it clear that the Prophets Moses and Aaron (peace be on them) were entrusted with the same mission which had formerly been entrusted to Prophet Noah (peace be on him), then to the Prophets who followed him and finally to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) who was the last in the chain of such Prophets.
From the outset, the thrust of the surah has been the same - that man should take God, the Lord of the universe, and Him alone, as his Lord and as the sole object of his worship, service and obedience, and that he has to render to Him an account of all his deeds. Now, those who had rejected the message of the Prophet (peace be on him) are being told that their well-being as well as that of all human beings rests on affirming their belief in the One True God and in the Hereafter, a belief which has been invariably expounded by the Prophets down the ages. Man's well-being depends on affirming this belief, and on fashioning his entire behaviour on the basis of that.
This constitutes the pivotal point of the whole surah. The reference to other Prophets (peace be on them) in this surah by way of historical illustration indicates that the message of all the Prophets was the same as the one embodied in this surah. The Prophets Moses and Aaron (peace be on (hem) had conveyed the same message to Pharaoh and his chiefs. Had the mission of these two Prophets been merely to liberate a specific nation, as some people are inclined to believe, reference to this event for the purpose of historical illustration would have been quite discordant with the context in which it occurs. There can be no doubt that the mission of Moses and Aaron partially aimed at bringing about the liberation of the Israelites (then, a Muslim people) from the domination of an unbelieving nation. This was, however, a secondary rather than the central purpose of raising those Prophets. According to the Qur'an the main objective of the mission of these two Prophets was the same as that of all other Prophets. An objective which has been clearly set forth in the following verses of: 'Go to Pharaoh for he has certainly transgressed all bounds (of servitude to Allah). And say to him: "Would you rather be purified; and that I guide you to your Lord that you may fear Him" ' (al-Nazi'at 79: 17-19). Now, since Pharaoh and his nobles did not respond positively to this call, the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) was ultimately left with no other choice but to secure the liberation of his people, who were Muslims, and to take them away from the area dominated by Pharaoh. This was of course a fairly important event, and the Qur'anic narration of it also treats it as such. However, all those who are not inclined to view the detailed teachings of the Qur'an in isolation from its general principles, can never commit the mistake of considering the liberation of a people to be the basic purpose of raising a Prophet whereas inviting people to the true faith is of secondary significance, (For further details see Ta Ha 20: 44-52; al-Zukhruf 43: 46-56; and al-Muzzammil 73: 15-16.)
 

*75.In view of the apparent similarity between sorcery and miracle the Israelites hastily branded Moses (peace be on him) a sorcerer. In relegating Moses to the role of a sorcerer, however, these simpletons ignored the fact that the character and conduct as well as the motives underlying the activity of sorcerers are entirely different from those of the Prophets. Is it consistent with the known character of a sorcerer that he should fearlessly make his way to the court of a tyrant, reproach him for his error, and summon him to exclusively devote himself to God and to strive for his self-purification? What would rather seem to be consistent with the character of a sorcerer is that if he had gained access to the courtiers he would have gone about flattering them, soliciting their help in securing an opportunity to show his tricks. And if ever he succeeded in Finding his way to the royal court, he would probably have resorted to flattery in an even more abject and dishonourable manner, would have made himself hoarse in publicly praying for the long life and abiding glory of the ruler, and would then have humbly pleaded that he might be allowed to perform his show. And once the show was over, he would have disgracefully stretched forth his hands in the style of a beggar, entreating for an appropriate award.
All this has been condensed into the succinct statement that 'sorcerers never come to a happy end'.
 

*76.Had the sole demand of Moses and Aaron (peace be on him) been the liberation of the Israelites, Pharaoh and his courtiers would not have suspected that the spread of these Prophets' message would transform the religion of the land and that the supremacy of Pharaoh and his courtiers would be undermined. What made them uneasy was the fact that Prophet Moses (peace be on him) was inviting the people of Egypt to the true faith and that this posed a threat to the whole polytheistic way of life which was the very cornerstone of the predominance of Pharaoh and his chiefs and clergy. (For further details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, al-A'raf7, n. 44 and al-Mu'min 40, n. 43 -Ed.)
 

 

 

*77. What Moses (peace be on him) presented before the court was no sorcery; rather it was the sorcerers who had made a show of their tricks of sorcery.
 

 

*78. The word dhurriyah used in this verse literally means 'offspring'. We have, however, rendered this into English as 'a few youths'. We have preferred this translation because the Qur'an employed this particular expression so as to convey the idea that it was a few youths - male and female - who had the courage of their convictions to embrace and champion the truth in those perilous times whereas their parents and the more elderly members of the community were unable to do so. The older segment of the population was too deeply concerned with its materialistic interests, too engrossed in worldliness and too eager to enjoy a life of security to stand by the truth when that seemed to invite all kinds of peril. On the contrary, this older generation tried to persuade the young ones to stay away from Moses for the simple reason that it would invite the wrath of Pharaoh upon themselves and upon others.
The Qur'an underscores this point, for once again those who came forward and courageously supported the Prophet (peace be on him) were not the elderly. They were rather a few courageous Makkan youths. Those who embraced Islam at this very early period in its history - the period of revelation of these verses - and who supported the message of truth despite fierce persecution, were all young people. This group was altogether bereft of the aged doters of a life free of peril and hazard. 'Ali ibn abi Talib, Ja'far ibn al-'Aqil, Zubayr, Talhah, Sa'd ibn abi Waqqas, Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, 'Abd
Allah ibn Mas'ud were all young people and each one of them, at the time of embracing Islam, was under twenty. Likewise, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, Bilal and Suhayb were all in their twenties while Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Zayd ibn Harithah, 'Uthman ibn 'Affan and 'Umar ibn al-Khattab were between thirty and thirty-five years of age. The oldest among these Companions was Abu Bakr. and when he embraced Islam he too was no older than thirty-eight. 'Ammar ibn Yasir was the same age as the Prophet (peace be on him), and only one Companion, 'Ubaydah ibn Harith al-Muttalibi was older than he.
*79. The words ***** which occur in the present verse have given rise to the misunderstanding that all the Israelites were unbelievers, and that in the early phases of Moses' 'prophethood' only a very few persons were believers. The use of the preposition ***** when applied to ***** signifies 'to obey and follow someone'. What these words, therefore, mean is that except for a few young people none in the whole nation of Israel was prepared to accept Moses as his leader, to follow him and support him in his Islamic mission. The part of the verse which follows makes it quite clear that this was not because they had any doubts about the veracity of Moses (peace be on him) or about the truth of his mission. The only reason for them not joining hands with him was that they - especially their elders and nobles - were unwilling to risk Pharaoh's fierce persecution.
These people both in terms of pedigree and faith, belonged to the ummah of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (peace be on them) and were, therefore, Muslims. Yet the long subjugation of the Israelites had created such moral degeneration and faint-heartedness among them that they had been rendered altogether incapable of championing the cause of faith and truth or of opposing falsehood and unbelief, or even supporting those who had set out to champion that cause. The overall attitude of the Israelites during the whole of this conflict between Moses and Pharaoh may be gauged by the following statement in the Bible:
They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came forth from Pharaoh; and they said to them, 'The Lord look upon you and judge, because you have made us offensive in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us' (Exodus 5: 20-1).
According to the Talmud, the Israelites used to tell the Prophets Moses and Aaron (peace be on them): 'Yea', said the overburdened children of Israel to Moses and Aaron, 'we are like a lamb which the wolf has carried from its flock, the shepherd strives to take it from him, but between the two the lamb is pulled to pieces; between ye and Pharaoh will we all be killed' (H. Polano, The Talmud Selections, p. 152).
The Qur'an also refers to much the same when it mentions what the Israelites said to Prophet Moses (peace he on him): We were oppressed before your coming to us and after it (al-A'raf 7: 129).
*80. The word ***** which has been used here signifies transgressors, those who exceed the limits. But this literal translation hardly conveys the true spirit of the wored. For it has been used to refer to those who, in order to achieve their objectives, are not deterred from using any means, howsoever evil they may be. Such people do not mind committing injustice, or indulging in acts of moral turpitude. They are also wont to go to any extent in pursuing their desires. Once they have something in mind, they simply know no bounds.
 

*81. Such an address could, obviously, not be directed to a community of unbelievers. The Prophet Moses' statement makes it absolutely clear that the Israelites of those days were believers. Accordingly, Moses; (peace be on him) exhorted them not to be unnerved by Pharaoh's might, that they put their trust in God's power if indeed they were true believers as they claimed,
 

*82. This was the reply of the youths who came forward to support Moses (peace be on him). It is evident from the context that the ones who said: 'We place our reliance on Allah' were not the 'wrong-doing folk' [mentioned in the present verse] but the 'youths' [mentioned in verse 83 above].
*83. The supplication of these devout youths: 'Our Lord! Do not make us a trial for the oppressors', covers a very wide range of meanings. Whenever a people rise to establish the truth in the midst of prevalent falsehood, they encounter oppressors of all sorts. On the one hand, there are protagonists of falsehood who would like to crush the standard-bearers of the truth with all the force at their disposal. There is also a sizeable group of people who claim to champion the truth but who, despite their claim to be its devotees, are so cowed by the all-round supremacy of falsehood that they look upon the struggle to make the truth prevail as an unnecessary, futile and absurd pursuit. Such people are inclined, in order to somehow justify their insincerity to the cause of the truth, to prove that those who are engaged in the struggle to make the truth prevail are in fact in error. By so doing they seek to calm the uneasiness felt by their conscience concerning the desirability of struggling for the cause of the truth. Over and above all these are the common people who observe, as silent spectators, the encounter between truth and falsehood, and ultimately support the party which appears to be winning regardless of what aspect that party supports.
In this scenario, every reverse that the votaries of the truth suffer, every affliction or hardship that they endure, any mistake that they commit, and any weakness that they show becomes a cause of trial for all these groups. If the votaries of the truth are crushed or defeated, the protagonists of falsehood jubilantly claim that it was they, rather than those whom they opposed, who were in the right. The lukewarm supporters of the truth would cry: 'Look! Did we not foretell that the conflict with such mighty forces would merely result in a loss of many precious lives, that it would be an act of sheer self-destruction, an act of wanton suicide, which has not been made incumbent on us by the Law of God. So far as the fundamental requirements of faith are concerned, they are being fulfilled by the performance of basic religious duties and rituals. As for the rulers, however oppressive they may be, they did not prevent them from performing those duties.' As for the masses, their attitude is that the truth is known by the fact that it achieves victory. Hence, if a group comes forth as triumphant, the fact of its triumph proves that it was in the right. Similarly, if in the course of a struggle, the protagonists of the truth commit any lapse or betray any weakness in the face of heavy odds, or if even a single person succumbs to any act of immorality, this provides a good many opponents with a pretext to cling to falsehood. If the struggle meets with failure, people are so wont to lose heart that it becomes extremely difficult for any similar movement to rise for a very long time. Viewed against this background, the prayer of the companions of Moses (peace be on him) appears very meaningful: 'Our Lord! Do not make us a trial for the oppressors.' This prayer sought from God His grace that would protect them from their shortcomings and weaknesses, and would render their struggle successful in this world in order that their very existence might become a blessing for fellow human beings rather than a means, in the hands of oppressors, to inflict harm.
 

 

*84. The Qur'an-commentators disagree about the meaning of this verse. After carefully considering the actual words of the verse and reflecting over the context in which these words were said, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps because of the oppression prevailing in Egypt, and because the faith of the Israelites had become quite weak, congregational prayer had become defunct among both the Israeli and Egyptian Muslims,* The abandonment of congregational prayer was a major cause of the disintegration of their collective entity and the virtual extinction of their religious life. That is why Moses (peace be on him) was directed to re-establish congregational prayer and to construct or acquire a few houses in Egypt specifically for that purpose.
* The author's expression 'Egyptian Muslims' denotes those Egyptians who had embraced the faith of the Prophets, the faith of Moses (peace be on him) - Ed.
The reason for such a directive is that when a group of Muslims falls prey to degeneration and dissolution, the necessary effort to revive their religious spirit and to restore their shattered integrity, if it is to conform to a truly Islamic pattern, must begin with the revival of congregational prayer.
The directive to 'make your houses a direction for men to pray' suggests, in my opinion, that these prayer-houses should become pivotal points for the entire people. That the directive to 'establish Prayer' immediately follows this statement means that rather than offer Prayer at different places, they should congregate in the houses set aside for Prayer and perform it collectively. For certainly one of the implications of the expression 'to establish Prayer' which frequently occurs in the Qur'an, is its observance in congregation.
*85. Moses (peace be on him) was directed to banish those feelings of despair, awe and dismay which had seized the believers. To 'give glad tidings' encompasses the whole range required by this task.
 

*86. These verses are related to the early period of Moses' (peace be on him) mission whereas the prayer itself probably belongs to his last days in Egypt. The intervening period spans several years, the detailed events of which have not been mentioned here. At other places in the Qur'an, however, there are references to the events that took place in that intervening period.
*87. This alludes to the pomp and splendour and the glamour of cultural refinement because of which people had become enamoured of them and their life-style, and which had created in the former an irrepressible urge to ape the ways of the latter.
*88. This refers to the abundance of material resources which are available to the unbelievers to execute their plans, whereas the believers, insofar as they lack those resources, are forced to defer the execution of their plans.
*89. This prayer, as we have pointed out earlier (see n. 86 above), was made by the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) during his very last days in Egypt. Moses resorted to this prayer when, although Pharaoh and his nobles had witnessed a series of signs betokening the truth, and even though Moses (peace be on him) had made the truth all too patently clear to them, they still obdurately persisted in their hostility to it. Moses' prayer that God may 'obliterate their riches and harden their hearts' is a prayer that Prophets are wont to make at a time when they are faced with opposition like that mentioned above. The prayer is substantially in accord with God 's own judgement against those who obdurately oppose the truth - that they may never be enabled to have faith.
 

*90. Those who are ignorant of reality and who have no grasp of the beneficent considerations underlying God's decisions are liable to misunderstand things. Such people observe the weakness of the forces that stand for truth as against the forces of falsehood. They observe that those who seek to make the truth prevail suffer a series of reverses. By way of contrast, they observe the dazzling worldly success of those who stand for falsehood. On such occasions they fall prey to several misconceptions. They begin to suspect that perhaps God Himself wants that His rebels should continue to hold sway over the earth, that perhaps even He - Who Himself is the Truth - is not willing to support the truth in its encounter with falsehood. Under the influence of such a fallacious line of reasoning, they conclude that the struggle for establishing the hegemony of the truth is an exercise in futility. They feel, therefore, satisfied with the freedom to practise religious principles in a very narrow domain of human life; this is provided within the framework of a system of life which is based on denial of the true faith and the 'right' to violate the injunctions of God.
In the present verse God has directed Moses (peace be on him) and his followers not to fall prey to such erroneous ideas. God's directive, as embodied in this verse, amounts to saying that people should patiently persist in their efforts in the face of adverse circumstances, lest they also fall prey to the same mistake as committed by those who lack knowledge and wisdom.
 

*91. Though this event is not mentioned in the Bible, it is explicitly recorded in the Talmud in the following words: 'Who is like Thee, O Lord, among the gods?'
We settled the Children of Israel in a blessed land,94 and provided them with all manner of good things. They only disagreed among themselves after knowledge (of the truth had) come to them.95 Surely your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning their disagreements.
 

 

*92. Even to this day the exact place where Pharaoh's dead body was found afloat on the surface of the sea is known. Lying on the western coast of the Sinaitic peninsula, it is presently known as the Mount of Pharaoh (Jabal Fir'awn). A warm spring, situated in its vicinity, is also still called the Bath of Pharaoh (Hammam Fir'awn) after Pharaoh. Located a few miles away, Abu Zanimah is identified as the precise spot at which Pharaoh's dead body was found. If the name of the Pharaoh who died by drowning was Minpetah, as has been established by current research, his embalmed body still lies in the museum of Cairo. In 1907 when Sir Grafton Elliot Smith removed bandages from the mummified body of this Pharaoh, it was found to be coated with a layer of salt. This is clear proof of his death by drowning at sea.
 

*93. God continues to confront people with instructive signs, even though most of them, in total disregard of such signs, fail to derive any lesson from them.
*94. That is, God provided an abode for them in Palestine for their exodus from Egypt.
*95. Here reference is made to the schisms and dissensions which the Israelites caused and the ever new religious cults which they invented. It is pointed out here that they had not acted in ignorance of the truth; their actions rather emanated from mischievous designs. For they had been provided by God with the true religion and they knew its fundamental principles, its requirements, and the features which distinguish the true faith from the false ones. They were also well aware of what constitutes disobedience, on what matters man will be held to account by God, and on what principles man should fashion his life. Despite these clear directives the Israelites transformed their true faith into a multitude of religious cults, and developed them all on foundations altogether divergent from those provided by God.
 

 

*96. Though this admonition is apparently addressed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), in point of fact it is directed to those who entertained doubts about the Prophet's message. Reference is made to the People of the Book because the common Arabs were not conversant with the Scriptures. But so far as the People of the Book were concerned, there were doubtlessly some pious religious scholars among them who were in a position to corroborate the fact that the Qur'anic message was essentially the same as that delivered by the earlier Prophets.
 

*97. The statement 'the word of your Lord has been fulfilled' refers to those who are not interested in seeking truth; who, by dint of their apathy, bigotry, stubbornness, excessive worldliness and total unconcern about the After-life, make their hearts immune to the truth. God's judgement about such persons is that they will not be blessed with faith.
 

 

*98. Even though the Prophet Yunus, called Jonah in the Bible (860-784 BC). was of Israeli descent, he was sent to Iraq in order to guide the Assyrians. The Assyrians are, therefore, called here 'the people of Yunus'. Ninevah. the famous ancient town, was their capital, a great many ruins of which are still to be found on the left bank of the Tigris, opposite the present city of Mosul. One of the mounds in this area is still named after the Prophet Jonah. The splendour of the Assyrians may be gauged from the fact that their capital, Ninevah. spread over a radius of sixty miles.
*99. Although there are allusions to this incident in three places in the Qur'an, there is no mention of any detail. (See al-Anbiya', 21: 87-8; al-Saffat 37: 139-48; and al-Qalam 68: 48-50.) In view of the above, it cannot be stated with confidence why the Assyrians were singled out for being spared God's punishment even though God's Law is that if a people decide to believe after God has decided to punish them, their believing afterwards does not profit them.
The 'Book of Jonah' in the Bible contains some material relevant to the matter, but unfortunately that information is barely reliable. For, the 'Book of Jonah' is in no sense a heavenly revelation, nor was it even authored by the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him). What actually happened is that some four or five hundred years after Jonah's death some anonymous person produced the 'Book of Jonah' and had it incorporated into the Bible. Moreover, some of the contents of the 'Book of Jonah' are too absurd to be acceptable. However, were one to reflect on the allusions to the people of Yunus in the Qur'an and on the information provided by the 'Book of Jonah', one is inclined to support the view of the Qur'an-commentators, namely that since the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) had left his station without obtaining God's permission to do so and since the Assyrians repented and sought pardon from God as soon as they saw the signs of God's impending punishment, God pardoned them.
One of the basic principles mentioned in the Qur'an concerning God's punishment of the world's nations is that He does not punish any nation until God's Message has been fully conveyed to them so that the people are left with no justification to claim that they were not aware of His Message. (See the Qur'an. al-Nisa' 4: 165 in conjunction with al-Isra' 17: 15-Ed.) Now in this case, as we can see, the admonition of the Assyrians did nor continue till the very end of the period granted to them by God because Prophet Yunus (peace be on him) migrated from his station. It is presumably for this reason that God in His justice decided not to punish them since all the requisite conditions of punishment had not been fulfilled. (For details see al-Saffat 37, n. 85.)
*100. When the Assyrians embraced the true faith, they were granted a fresh lease of life. However, they once again became wayward both in matters of belief and conduct. Though the Prophet Nahum (720-698 BC) warned them, it still had no effect on them. The final warning was delivered to them by the Prophet Zephaniah (709-640 BC) but that too was of no avail. Ultimately, God sent the Medes against them in 612 BC. The king of the Medes, with the assistance of the Babylonians, invaded Assyria, The Assyrian army was routed and besieged within the walls of Ninevah. Although they put up some resistance for a time, the flooded Tigris swept away the city walls, enabling the invaders to break through the defences and capture the city. Subsequently they set fire to the whole city and its environs. The Assyrian king set his own palace ablaze and was himself burnt to death. This brought to an end the Assyrian empire and civilization. However, recent excavations in the area have brought to light many traces of massive conflagration.
 

*101. Had it been God's will that only those who are true believers and obey God should inhabit the earth and that there should remain no trace of unbelief and disobedience, God would have caused only the faithful and obedient ones to be born. Nor would-it have been difficult for Him to providentially direct everyone to faith and obedience in such a manner that it would have been impossible for people to do otherwise. However, there is a profound wisdom underlying man's creation which would have been totally defeated by such a compulsion. For it was God's will to grant man the free-will to make his choice between faith and unbelief, between obedience and disobedience.
*102. What has been said here does not mean that the Prophet (peace be on him) sought to compel people into believing whereas God had dissuaded him from doing so. The technique employed in the above verse is the same as employed at many places in the Qur'an, viz. that although at times certain things are addressed apparently to the Prophet (peace be on him), they are meant, in fact, for the instruction of others. What is being said here is that the Prophet (peace be on him) had been assigned the task of making the right way abundantly clear to people with the help of convincing arguments. Thus the Prophet (peace be on him) had fulfilled the task assigned to him. Now, if they have no intent to follow the right way, and they feel sure that unless they are overpoweringly compelled to they should know well that it is no part of a Prophet's task. Had God desired that people be made to have faith compulsively, He could have done so without raising any Prophet.
 

*103. All God's bounties are solely at His disposal and one can neither have access to any of these without His leave, nor can one confer them on others. The bounty of having faith and being directed to the right path is also fully contingent upon God's leave. Hence, it is simply inconceivable that without God's leave anyone can attain this bounty or confer it on anyone else. Even if the Prophet (peace be on him) sincerely wants people to believe, it does not lie in his power to accomplish that without God's leave and succour.
*104. This fully explains that God's leave and succour are not bestowed on people arbitrarily. God does not capriciously permit or disallow people to embrace faith. There is a definite law - a law that is based on wisdom - according to which God disposes such matters. The law is that those who in their quest for the truth use their reason properly, and in an unbiased manner, are assisted by God. Owing to God's concern, the means of arriving at the truth are made available to them in proportion to the extent of the sincerity of their quest for the truth and their efforts to reach it. They are also granted the succour required for their success in grasping the truth. As for those who are not really in search of the truth, who keep their reason enmeshed in biases, or fail to make use of their reason in their search for the truth, such people are able to find nothing but the abomination of ignorance and misguidance, of false thinking and evil-doing. Their attitude makes it very clear that they merit nothing but ignorance and misguidance and, hence, that is what they are destined for.
 

*105. This is the final and categorical response to the unbelievers. The unbelievers had asked that they be shown some convincing sign that would make them confirm the truth of the Prophet's claim to prophethood. Here they are being told that if the unbelievers had any desire to seek and accept the truth, there are innumerable signs scattered throughout the heavens and the earth, signs that are more than sufficient to convince them about the truth of the Prophet's message. All one needed to do was to look around with open eyes and to reflect on what one observes. Conversely, if there are some people who have no inclination to seek the truth, then no signs - howsoever extraordinary and wonder-provoking they may be - will help them to have faith. For, whenever such people witness any such sign, they cry out, as did Pharaoh and his chiefs, that it is 'plain sorcery' (see verse 76 above). Those who are afflicted with such a sickness, wake up to the truth only when God's punishment befalls them in all its horror. An instance in point is Pharaoh's realization of the truth as he faced death by drowning (see verse 90 above). But to repent only when one is being seized by God's wrath is of no avail.
 

 

 

*106. The theme broached at the beginning of (his discourse is now resumed at the point of its conclusion. (Cf. verses 1-10.)
*107. The Qur'anic expression *****_ literally means 'who causes you to die'. This literal rendering, however, does not convey the spirit of the statement made here. For what is being said amounts to the following: God is the One Who has the power over your lives and Who enjoys such absolute control over you that as long as He wishes you to remain alive, you live, and no sooner than He signals you to surrender your lives to Him, you do so. It is Him alone that I worship, and it is to His service and obedience that I am bound.
In this context, it should be borne in mind that the Makkan polytheists believed, as do the present-day polytheists, that only God, the Lord of the universe, has the absolute power to cause death, a power that no one else shares with Him. They also believed that even those whom they associated with God in His attributes and authority were all too helpless to avert their own death. It is to be noted that of the numerous divine attributes, this particular attribute of God - viz. that He alone has the power to cause death - is mentioned here alongside the doctrine that men ought to give themselves in total devotion and service to God alone. The reason for it seems to be that in addition to being the statement of an important fact, it also provides a rationale for exclusively serving and worshipping God.
In other words, the statement of the Prophet here amounts to saying that he is exclusively devoted to the service of God since the latter alone has all power over life and death. Conversely, why should anyone devote himself to worshipping others who, let alone having power over the life and death of others, do not have power even over their own life and death? The rhetorical force of the verse is also significant, for instead of saying that 'He has power over my death', the verse says: 'He has power over your death'. Thus one simple sentence pithily embraces three things - the thesis, its supporting argument, and the exhortation to accept that thesis. Had it been said that: T only serve Allah Who has power over my death', its logical implication would have been that in view of the fact that He had control over the Prophet's life and death, the latter should have served only Allah. However, it has been said that: 'I only serve Allah Who has power over your death', in this form, the implication of the verse is that not only the Prophet but also others should serve only God and this even though they had succumbed to the error of serving others than God.
 

*108. The emphatic form in which people have been urged to adhere to true faith is noteworthy. Here people are not simply being asked to 'embrace the faith', or to 'follow the faith', or to 'become adherents of the faith'. Apparently such expressions were too weak and feeble to convey the idea of a total, firm, and steady adherence to faith as required of man. The actual words of the verse, ***** suggest that one should focus one's attention on the true faith, that one ought not to waver and let one's attention wander, that one ought to refrain from, occasionally moving a step forward and another step backward, or turning alternately left and right. What one is rather required to do is to keep moving straight ahead on the path to which one has been directed. This is clear and forceful enough in itself. However, the Qur'an does not stop at that. It adds the condition that the attention should be *****, that is, one characterized by exclusive and sincere devotion. What is thus being demanded is that one should adhere to this religion, this way of serving God, this way of life comprising worship, service, servitude, and obedience and in such a way that man's devotion and service to God are total. Once the true faith has been adopted, there should remain no trace of any liking for the false ways which have been forsaken.
*109. The Prophet (peace be on him) is asked not to be one of those who associate others with God in His being, His attributes, His claims against His creatures, and His authority over those who set up others than God as partners to God. These others could be either one's own self, or some other person, or a group of persons; a spirit, a jinn, an angel, or any tangible or imagined being. Thus, the demand is not just a positive one to follow the path of serving the One True God with total devotion and steadfastness - there is also a negative aspect of the demand - that one ought to detach oneself from those who associate others with God in His divinity in whatever form. Moreover, one is required to be exclusively devoted to God not only in the realm of belief but also in the realm of conduct; not only in the individual but also in the collective sphere of life; not only when one is in a mosque, but also when one is in an educational institution, or in a court of law, or a legislative body, or in stately palaces where political decisions are made, or in market places bristling with trade and commerce. In short, one should adhere wherever one might be, to the doctrine of exclusive devotion to God. This is a way that should be quite distinct from the way of those who have developed in their lives a hodgepodge of two opposites: devotion to God and devotion to others than God. In short, one who believes in worshipping the One True God alone can never go hand-in-hand with those who believe in polytheism. For how could a Muslim conceivably be satisfied to go step-by-step with, let alone follow the way of those who associate others with God in His divinity? For in the latter eventuality the believer will be unable to fulfil the basic requisite of his faith, viz. the doctrine of monotheism.
Moreover, the Qur'an asks the believer not only to shun overt but also covert and subtle forms of polytheism. One should be especially cautious about the latter since the consequences of any kind of polytheism are dreadful. Some people, out of their naivety, however, are inclined to take a light view of covert polytheism, considering it to be of less consequence than the open variety. One should be wary of such complaisance for covert polytheism may, in fact, be even more serious than the open variety. For an enemy out in the open can be more effectively countered than the one who is hidden from sight, or one who masquerades as a friend. One may well ask: which disease is more fatal, the one with the obvious symptoms, or the insidious one which develops within, eating at the vital organs, and yet which shows no external symptoms?
This analogy holds true for the subtle form of polytheism. For the danger of open polytheism, of one that can be easily identified, is obvious to all and sundry. However, it is the subtle form of polytheism whose diagnosis calls for unusual insight and a mature grasp of the requisites of monotheism. For polytheism in its subtle form goes about striking its roots imperceptibly. The result is that in the course of time the roots of the true faith are eaten away even before anyone is alerted to such a dangerous development.