*1. In keeping with the context, the word Kitab has here been rendered as 'Divine command'. The word Kitab in its Arabic usage denotes not only book or inscription, but also writ and command. There are several instances in the Qur'an of the use of the word in the latter sense. (See, for instance, al-Baqarah 2: 235, al-Ra'd 13: 38. The significance of 'command' is especially evident from the usage of k t b derivates in the passive tense: see al-Baqarah 2: 180, 183, 216, 246, etc. - Ed.)
*2. The contents of this 'command' are firm and unalterable. In addition, the Qur'an is free from the verbosity of orators, the fanciful imagination of poets, the spellbinding rhetoric of litterateurs. Instead, the teachings of the Qur'an have been set forth with remarkable clarity and precision. Thus, in the Qur'anic text we do not find even a single word that is superfluous, nor a single word that is lacking. Moreover, the verses expound the teachings of the Qur'an in such a manner that they are at once elaborate and lucid.
 

 

*3. If a person turns to God in sincere devotion, He will enable him to spend his life felicitously. God will lavish upon him His bounties, confer a variety of benedictions, provide a life of prosperity, grant peace and tranquillity, and cause him to live honourably rather than in ignominy and disgrace. The same idea has been brought forth elsewhere in the Qur'an in the following words:
Whoever acts righteously - whether male or female - the while he is a believer, We will surely grant him a clean life . . . (al-Nahl 16: 97). This verse dispels the Satanic misconception to which simpletons often succumb. The misconception consists of believing that piety, honesty and responsible behaviour might at the most lead to man's well-being in the Next Life, but they certainly play havoc with his life in the present world. Under this mistaken notion it is believed that good people are inevitably destined to live in abject poverty and utter misery. In refuting this misconception, God makes it clear that righteous behaviour is conducive to man's success in both worlds. Those who live a righteous and God-fearing life will achieve success and esteemed position in this world as in the Next. For, a position of true honour in this world falls only to those who, out of their devotion to God, act righteously, who are known for their excellent morals, who adhere to propriety in their dealings with others, who are considered by people to be trustworthy, of whom all expect nothing but goodness and benevolence, and of whom none entertains the fear of any evil.
Implicit in the Qur'anic expression 'a fair enjoyment of life' is another point which should not escape our attention. According to the Qur'an, 'enjoyment of life' is of two kinds: one. which leads people, who are heedless of God, to temptations with the result that they immerse themselves in worldliness and forget God even more. Thus, 'enjoyment of life', though apparently a divine blessing, proves a curse. It becomes the precursor of God's punishment. This is what the Qur'an brands as 'illusory enjoyment'. (See Al 'Imran 3: 185; al-Hadid 57: 20 - Ed.) By contrast, the other kind of enjoyment of life adds to a person's prosperity and physical vitality in such a way that he becomes even more grateful to God. This kind of 'enjoyment of life' prompts man to fulfil the obligations incumbent upon him towards God, towards God's creatures and towards himself. Strengthened by the resources provided by God, man finds himself in a stronger position to effectively promote the cause of good and righteousness and to strive to obliterate evil and mischief. This is the Qur'anic concept of 'fair enjoyment of life' - an enjoyment which does not end with the life of this world, but extends to the Next Life as well.
*4. The more a person excels in moral conduct and good deeds, the higher will be the status that God confers upon him. God does not let anyone's good deeds go to waste. In the same way as God does not show any appreciation for evil, He does not show any lack of appreciation for goodness and virtue. In God's kingdom there is no place for the kind of atrocious injustice and stupidity to which a Persian poet has given expression in the following couplet:
The Arabian steed lies suffering from the wounds of the saddle-pack while a golden necklace adorns the neck of a donkey! God deals with His creatures in such a way that anyone who deserves a reward, is fully granted that reward.
 

 

*5. When the Prophet's mission became the talk of the day in Makka, some people showed considerable aversion to it, even if they did not actively oppose it. These people were unwilling to listen to the Prophet (peace be on him) and made a point of avoiding him. If they saw him somewhere they would turn their faces away or try to hide themselves. Such people made every effort to avoid any encounter with the Prophet (peace be on him) lest he might invite them to accept his teaching.
The present verse refers precisely to such people; they are portrayed as being frightened at the prospect of facing the truth. Ostrich-like they dug their heads in the sand, fancying that the reality itself had vanished. The fact, however, is that the reality remains, and testifies to the folly of those who hide from it.
 

*6. God is, on the one hand, All-Knowing. He knows exactly where each of His creatures is, be it the nest of a small bird or the hole of a tiny worm. On the other hand, God provides sustenance to all, and provides for them wherever they might be. He is aware at all times of where His creatures spend their lives and where they will breathe their last. It would be sheer stupidity if someone were to think that by resorting to methods such as covering one's face, or closing one's eyes one would be able to escape God's punishment. Even if someone succeeds in eluding the Prophet's observation it is to no avail. For no one can escape God's observation. Nor should anyone entertain the illusion that God is unaware of the fact that the Prophet (peace be on him) was doing his best to communicate the truth to the unbelievers, and that the latter were trying their utmost to clog their ears lest the truth reached them.
 

*7. This is a parenthetical statement which was presumably made in response to some such query: 'If there was a time when the heavens and the earth did not exist, and then they were created - what is it that existed before?' Without explicitly mentioning any such query, an answer is briefly provided. The answer is: before all the heavens and the earth were created there was water everywhere. However, we are not in a position to state with certainty the meaning of the word 'water' used in the verse. Does it mean the 'water' known to us by that name now? Or has it been used metaphorically to refer to matter in its liquid form before it assumed its present form? As for the statement that God's Throne was on water, it means - as far as we have been able to grasp -that God's kingdom was over water.
*8. God created the earth and the heavens because He wanted to create man. Furthermore, He created man so as to entrust him with moral responsibility and to invest him with the power of God's vicegerency. Thereafter, it was to be seen how each human being would acquit himself of that responsibility and how he would make use of the power entrusted to him. It is possible to imagine that this was not the purpose of creating man and that God had willed man to have the powers that he now has and yet not put him to any test, nor question him about whether he used the powers granted to him appropriately or not. It is also possible to imagine that man would not be required to render any account to God nor be rewarded or punished for his deeds. It is also possible to imagine that man. who has been encumbered with moral responsibility, would simply end in dust. If all this is true, then we have no alternative but to consider this entire act of creation a senseless ploy, and human life an absolute futility.
*9. The unbelievers are so downright foolish that they consider the universe no more than the playhouse of some sportive fellow, and regard themselves merely as pranks to amuse him. They are so elated with this foolish concept that even when they are informed of the true purpose of creation and of their own life in it, they simply laugh it all away. They also go to the extent of flinging the gibe of sorcerer at the Prophet (peace be on him).
 

 

 

*10. There are weaknesses in human beings which they themselves can observe if only they engage in self-introspection. It is a measure of man's shallowness and short-sightedness that whenever he has power and wealth he brags and swaggers. In times of prosperity, he becomes incapable of even imagining that his spring can suffer a winter. The result is that whenever he is afflicted with adversity, he is driven to utter despair, becomes an incarnation of grief and despondency so much so that at times he tries to make himself forget his misfortunes by flinging abuses and taunts at God. But when these bad days are over and good days return, he once again becomes boastful. Drunk with success and prosperity, he returns to his old intemperate revelries. Why has this despicable trait of man been mentioned at this point? The purpose is to subtly remind the Makkan unbelievers of the warning the Prophet (peace be on him) gave them while they enjoyed security and well-being. He warned them that if they continued to disobey God they would be struck by a severe punishment. On hearing this warning, they had burst into laughter and, in effect, said to the Prophet (peace be on him): 'Are you blind to the bounties that are being lavished upon us? Do you not see that the standards of our greatness are fluttering all around? What makes you, then, day-dream that a scourge is about to be let loose upon us?' This disparaging response to the Prophet's sincere counsel and admonition was an abject expression of man's despicable trait referred to above. God has deferred the infliction of punishment and granted the unbelievers a reprieve in order that they may mend their ways. They, however, failed to seize the opportunity on account of the illusion that their prosperity would endure.
 

*11. This brings out another aspect of 'patience'; a quality in sharp contrast to that undignified trait just mentioned. Those who are patient exhibit poise and equanimity in the midst of vicissitudes of fortune. They do not allow changes of fortune to change their attitude and character. If circumstances are favourable and they enjoy wealth, power and fame, that does not make them power-drunk. Again, when they are visited with adversity, their dignity is not crushed out of all existence. Whenever God puts them to any test - be it that of prosperity or of adversity - they maintain their dignified posture of moderation. Whatever the circumstance, their mettle never fails them.
*12. God forgives the sins of those who are patient and do good and He also rewards them amply for their good deeds.
 

*13. In order to fully understand the verse one should take mental note of the circumstantial background of its revelation. At the time this verse was revealed, Makka was the centre of the Quraysh who had a preponderant influence over the whole of Arabia because of their religious prestige, wealth, trade, and political power. At the very moment when the Quraysh were at the zenith of their power and authority, a Makkan - the Prophet - stood up and vehemently denounced the religion of which they were custodians as a bundle of ignorance and error. He also condemned the social system of which they were standard-bearers, calling it rotten to the core. He also warned them of an impending punishment from God. He emphasized that the only way to avert this punishment was to accept the true faith and righteous order of life which he had expounded to them on God's behalf.
The only thing which this man had to make people believe he had been appointed by God to communicate His message, was the purity of his character and the utter reasonableness of his teaching. In addition, there was apparently nothing in the milieu except the deep-rooted wrongs which had corrupted the religious, moral and social life of the Quraysh that would suggest that God's punishment was close at hand. On the contrary, all portents indicated that the Makkans enjoyed God's plenteous favours and of the deities which they worshipped. Thus, apparently they had every reason to believe that they were on the right path.
If, under such circumstances, someone in the manner of the Prophet (peace be on him) were to strongly denounce the prevalent way of life, it was hardly surprising that all except a very few right-thinking people who had access to the truth would become his inveterate enemies. This enmity found its expression in a myriad of forms. Some people sought to suppress the Prophet (peace be on him) by resorting to harsh methods of repression. Others tried to undermine his position by false accusations and vicious propaganda. Some discouraged him with their bigoted indifference and frowning, while others resorted to jests, pranks, taunts, and ridicule in order to dismiss his message as absurd.
It is clear that such a hostile attitude would have been heart-breaking for the Prophet (peace be on him). This would have been especially so since the hostility persisted for several years. It is under these trying circumstances that God consoled the Prophet (peace be on him). He comforted him by saying that it is people of low mettle who turn boastful in prosperity and become downcast and despondent in adversity. A worthy person in God's sight pursues righteousness with patience and courage. Hence, the Prophet (peace be on him) should not be shaken by the bigoted opposition, the aversion, the ridicule and mockery, and the foolish objections which he was subjected to by the unbelievers. On the contrary, he should have no hesitation, despite all the opposition he faced, in calling people to the truth revealed by God. In fact, he should not even permit a moment's reluctance in proclaiming the truth for fear that he would be ridiculed for propagating those teachings. Nor should he shrink from performing his duty to preach because some of those teachings would be too unpalatable for his people even to hear. For the main task of the Prophet (peace be on him) was to continuously state the truth, uncompromisingly and fearlessly, and regardless of those who accepted it and those who did not. Once this duty had been performed, it was pointless worrying whether it would be of any effect. In that regard, the Prophet (peace be on him) ought to place his reliance entirely on God.
 

 

*14. The argument advanced here serves to establish the divine origin of the Qur'an as well as the oneness of God. The argument, put succinctly, is as follows:
(i) If the unbelievers thought that the Qur'an had been authored by some human being, then it ought to be possible for them to compose something which would be the like of it. Now, unbelievers claim that it is the Prophet (peace be on him) - a human being rather than God - who has produced the Qur'an. In such a case it should be possible for them - for they too are human - to produce such a book. However, despite the repeated challenges for them to produce something like the Qur'an no one, not even all of them combined, has succeeded in achieving it. The conclusion is quite evident: the Book was revealed by God and there is no question that it is the work of any human being.
(ii) The Qur'an quite openly and vehemently denounced the deities which the unbelievers worshipped, and urged them to abandon these as they had no share in God's godhead. The unbelievers were also asked to mobilize all whom they wished, including their deities - provided they had any power - to assist them in establishing the falsity of the Prophet's claim by producing a book equal to the Qur'an. But if at such a crucial stage, their deities fail to come to their aid and do not grant them the power to produce something like the Qur'an, what then does that prove? Quite obviously, it proves that these so-called deities had neither the power nor even a shred of the attributes necessary for godhead. The fact of their becoming deities was purely the work of a few human beings who had invested such weak, mortal creatures with godhead.
Incidentally, this verse also establishes the fact that in terms of chronological sequence the present surah - Hud- was revealed before Surah Yunus. For in the present surah, the unbelievers have been challenged to produce ten surahs like the Qur'anic ones. Subsequently, after the unbelievers failed to do so, they were asked in Surah Yunus to produce just one surah like it. (See Yunus 10: 38, n. 46.)
 

*15. What prompted this Qur'anic remark is the fact that the kind of people who rejected the message of the Qur'an both in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) and subsequently have one major characteristic in common - they are all steeped in worldliness. Many of the arguments which they advance in order to reject the Qur'an are probably after-thoughts, merely rationalized excuses for not accepting the truth. What lies at the root of these people's rejection is the hypothesis that everything other than this world and its gains are worthless, and that everyone should have the fullest opportunity to seize the optimum portion of worldly benefits.
 

*16. Those who keep their attention focused on this world and its benefits will reap worldly benefits in proportion to their efforts. However, since such people have not been concerned with, nor did they direct their efforts to achieving success and well-being in the Hereafter, there is no reason to suppose that their efforts, aimed merely at achieving worldly benefits, will also embrace the benefits of the Hereafter. A person can expect that his action in this world will be of some benefit to him in the Next Life only if he has engaged himself in tasks which are beneficial in the Next Life as well. This can be illustrated by example. A person wants to have a stately mansion to live in and to that end he adopts the means that are ordinarily adopted for its construction.
Now, if he has adopted the requisite means he will indeed have a stately mansion. Even if such a person happens to be an unbeliever, this fact will not prevent the mansion from being constructed. However, when such a person breathes his last, he will have to leave behind that mansion and its belongings and will be able to take nothing of it to the Next World. Now, if he has not taken the necessary steps to obtain a mansion in the Next World, he will simply not obtain any such mansion there. Only those who performed deeds which, according to God's Law, would make him deserve a mansion in the Next World will be able to have it.
One might be inclined to say: "This line of argument at best leads to the conclusion that such a person who cares only for this world, should be denied a mansion in the Next World. But does that also call for consigning him, in the Next World, to Hell-Fire?' On this point the Qur'an explains on more than one occasion that all those who work in total disregard of the Hereafter necessarily engage in acts which lead them to end up in a heap of Fire in the Next Life rather than in a mansion in Paradise. (See, for instance, Yunus 10, n. 12.)
 

*17. This shows that even apart from revelation, there is ample evidence in man's own self, in the structure of the heavens and the earth, and in the order that prevails in the universe to prove that God is the only creator, master, lord and sovereign of the universe. The evidence referred to above also inclines man to believe that the present life will be followed by another one in which man will be required to render an account of his deeds and wherein he might be requited.
*18. The 'witness from Him' is the Qur'an. The testimony of the natural phenomena combined with that provided by man's own self had already created in man the disposition to affirm the truths mentioned earlier. All that was further reinforced by the Qur'an which came as reassurance that what he was predisposed to believe in was indeed true.
*19. In the present context the verse means that those who are overly infatuated with the allurements of a worldly life will be inclined to reject the message of the Qur'an. Distinguishable from these are those who take full note of the testimony furnished by their own beings and by the structure and order prevailing in the universe in support of God's unity. This testimony was further reinforced by the heavenly books revealed before the Qur'an. How could such persons close their eyes to such overwhelming testimony as this and join their voice with those of the unbelievers?
This verse clearly indicates that even before the Qur'an was revealed, the Prophet (peace be on him) had reached the stage of belief in the Unseen. We have seen in al-An'am (see 6: 75 ff.) the case of Abraham. Before being appointed a Prophet, Abraham (peace be on him) was led by a careful observation of the natural phenomena to knowledge of God's unity. Likewise, the present verse makes it clear that by his reflection, the Prophet (peace be on him), had been led to believe in the Unseen even before the Qur'an was revealed. Subsequently, when the Qur'an was revealed it not only confirmed what he had already become inclined to accept, but also provided definite knowledge about it.
 

*20.To invent a lie against God consists of stating that beings other than God also have a share with God in His godhead, that like God they are also entitled to be served and worshipped by God's creatures. Inventing a lie against God also consists of stating that God is not concerned with providing guidance to His creatures, that He did not raise Prophets for that purpose, and that He rather left men free to behave as they pleased. Inventing a lie against God also consists of stating that God created human beings by way of jest and sport and that He will not have them render an account to Him, and that He will not requite them for their deeds.
*21. Such a proclamation would be made on the Day of Judgement.
 

*22. This is a parenthetical statement. That is, that God's curse will be proclaimed in the Hereafter against those who are guilty of the crimes mentioned.
*23. Such persons do not like the Straight Way being expounded to them. They would rather have the Straight Way rendered crooked by altering it under the influence of lust, prejudice, fancy, and superstition. It is only after the way that was once straight has been rendered crooked that they will be willing to accept it.
 

*24. This, again, refers to what will happen in the Next Life.
*25. They will suffer punishment for being in error and for misleading others and leaving behind a legacy of error and misguidance for coming generations. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Ill, al-A'raf, n. 30, pp. 23-6 -Ed.)
 

*26. All their conjectures regarding God, the universe and their own selves will prove to be absolutely baseless in the Next Life. Similarly, the notions they entertained about the help and support they would receive from those they considered to be either their deities, or their intercessors with God, or their patrons will prove to be false. Likewise, it will become obvious that all their notions about the After-life were utterly untrue.
 

 

*27. This concludes the account about the Hereafter.
 

*28. Can the attitude and ultimate end of both these types of people be the same? Obviously, he who fails to see the right way and ignores the instruction of the guide who directs him to the right way will necessarily stumble and meet with some terrible mishap. However, he who perceives the right way and follows the instructions of his guide will reach his destination, and reach it safely.
The same difference is found between the two parties mentioned here. One of these carefully observes the realities of the universe and pays heed to the teachings of God's Messengers. The other party, however, neither uses their eyes properly to perceive God's signs, nor pays heed to His Messengers. The behaviour of the two parties is, therefore, bound to be different. And when their behaviour is different, there is no reason to believe that their ultimate end will be identical.
 

*29. It is pertinent at this stage to bear in mind Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. III. al-A'raf 7: 59-64. nn. 47-50, pp. 37-42.
 

 

*30. Substantially, the same warning was delivered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) in the first few verses (viz. 2-3) of this surah.
*31. This is exactly the same absurd objection which the Makkans raised against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). They found it inconceivable that a mortal like themselves who ate arid drank, walked and slept, and who also had a family could be designated a Messenger by God. (See Ya Sin 36, n. Il;al-Shura42,n.41.)
*32. Again, it is noteworthy that the same objection raised by Noah's people against him was raised by the Makkans against the Prophet (peace be on him). The objection being that it is only persons of insignificant position who joined the Prophet's (peace be on him) ranks. They, thus, tried to belittle both the Message and the Messenger by highlighting that his followers were either a few raw youths, a bunch of slaves, or a group of feeble-minded and superstitious commoners from the lower rungs of society. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Il,al-An'arn6,nn. 34-7,pp. 235-7, and Yunus 10, n. 78. p. 57 above.)
*33. The believers claimed that they enjoyed God's favour and mercy, and that those who chose to deviate from their way were subject to God's wrath.
 

*34. This amounts to virtually repeating the statement mentioned earlier (see verse 17 and n. 17 ff. above). The statement suggested that the Prophet (peace be on him) had reached the stage of affirming the unity of God as a result of his own reflection. Whereafter, God favoured him by designating him a Prophet and providing him with direct knowledge of the truths about which his heart was already convinced.
This also shows that the Prophets attain belief regarding the realm of the Unseen before they are appointed to the office of prophethood. When they are subsequently designated Prophets, they are endowed with faith in the truths belonging to the realm of the Unseen as a result of direct knowledge of those truths.
 

*35. The Prophet Noah (peace be on him) told his people that he had sincerely counselled his people about what was conducive to their well-being. Noah bore all kinds of hardship and suffering, and all for the well-being of his people. Noah sought to achieve no personal benefit out of his striving to call
*36. The worth of the believers is best known only to their Lord which will become fully evident when they encounter Him on the Day of Judgement. If they indeed are true gems, they will not then become pieces of ordinary rock just because some people in this world had disparagingly thrown them aside. But if, on the contrary, they are indeed nothing but mere pieces of ordinary rock, their Lord has every right to cast them wherever He pleases. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. II, al-An'am 6: 52, and al-Kahf 18:28.)
 

 

*37. This is a rejoinder to the Prophet Noah's opponents. His opponents tried to discredit him by saying that he appeared to them to be merely an ordinary human being just like any one of them. In response to this Noah acknowledges that he is indeed nothing more than a human being, and that he has never claimed to be anything other than that. Hence, any attack on him on the grounds that he was merely a human being was pointless.
Noah (peace be on him), like other Prophets, had claimed no more than what God had intimated to him about the Straight Way comprising right beliefs and sound principles of behaviour. His people were free to test him in regard to that claim. It was strange, however, that they asked him about a matter which lay beyond the ken of human perception, something which he had never claimed to know They also made strange demands of him which suggested that he possessed the keys to God's treasures. They even taunted him on the grounds that like other human beings he also ate and drank and walked around.
All this was meaningless for Noah (peace be on him) had never claimed to he an angel and that as such he could dispense with necessary physical and biological requirements. All that Noah (peace be on him) had claimed was that he possessed the knowledge needed to guide human beings in matters of belief, moral conduct, and social behaviour. Now, what sense did it make to ask such a person what gender a cow's calf would be? By what stretch of the imagination can one establish a nexus between the pregnancy of a cow and sound principles of individual and social conduct? (See also Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. II, al-An'am 6, nn. 31-2, pp. 234-5.)
 

 

 

*38. Such was their obduracy, mischievousness and absolute disregard for righteous behaviour that quite understandably God should decide not to direct them to the right way and instead let them, as they wished, stumble in error. Once God had made such a decision no one's effort to direct them to the right way - not even the Prophet's - could be of any avail.
 

*39. The context seems to suggest how the opponents reacted to the narration of Noah's story. It seems they would have objected to it on the grounds that the true purpose of narrating Noah's story was to show how it was applicable to the unbelievers. They presumably pointed out that the Prophet (peace be on him) had invented such stories merely to ridicule and disgrace them; that these stories were merely a means whereby he could malign them.
The main theme of the discourse has been interrupted here in order to respond to this objection. Petty people are apt to misinterpret things. Their mental baseness allows them only to perceive that which is evil and to disregard those aspects which are good. If someone offers a piece of wisdom, or seeks to convey a piece of good advice, or draws the attention of someone to any of his weaknesses, a wise person will benefit from what is said and will reform himself. But a petty person will always be inclined to see something evil in it. Such an attitude will reduce to naught the wisdom or sincere counsel that was offered. Moreover, such a person will continue to adhere to his evil ways. Not only that but he is also likely to attribute some evil motive to the person who had sought to say a word of wisdom or to furnish him with sincere advice.
Even the best advice goes to waste if someone misunderstands it. For it is possible that someone may construe a piece of advice as arising not out of sincere concern for but out of a desire to taunt. In such instances, instead of dispassionately examining his own life with a view to identifying his flaws and weaknesses, this person is likely to feel offended. Such a person will be wont to assume, and will often go about saying, that the advice was actuated by ulterior motives and was meant to insult him. Suppose a reformer mentions, for instructive purposes, what is going on in society. It is possible that some of the things mentioned might also be applicable to a person's case and might seem to allude to some actual flaw or shortcoming in his character. Now, it is quite possible that the reformer did not intend to point an accusing finger at any particular person. Instead, he merely wanted to bring to people's attention the unhealthy attitudes found in society. If the person concerned is wise, he will not enmesh himself with questions about whether the reformer's statement was meant to cast a slur on his character. He will recognize instead the worth of the statement, will seize its instructive aspects, and will make an effort to mend his behaviour accordingly.
However, if a man has a warped mind and is given only to seeing evil intentions in people's actions, he is likely to fling accusations at the reformer. He will go about condemning his statement as a bundle of fabrications concocted with a view to bringing him into disrepute. It is for this reason that the Prophet (peace be on him) was asked to say that if he had fabricated something, he would be responsible for the sin of such a fabrication. This would not, however, absolve others of the guilt and evils they had committed in the past and which they continued to commit.
 

 

*40. This demonstrates that when a Messenger communicates his Message to his people, they are granted respite from punishment only as long as it remains possible for the social milieu to produce a reasonable number of good people. As soon as that milieu becomes shorn of good people, and none but the iniquitous remain, then the term of respite ends. At this juncture, God's Mercy itself calls for the destruction of these incorrigible rogues lest they also contaminate others. For to show any further leniency to them would amount to perpetrating an injustice on the whole world and on future generations.
 

 

*41. This fascinating story illustrates how man can be deluded by the appearance of things. When the Prophet Noah (peace be on him) was busy building the Ark on a tract of land far from any sea or river, it must have appeared a very silly thing to do. Noah's people would surely have laughed at him, mocking at the old fellow's apparently senile plan. They may even have called it an adventure of sailing on the Ark across dry land! At that moment it would have simply been inconceivable for anyone to think that the Ark would one day indeed sail on that very tract of land as it became flooded with water. Hence they perhaps went around telling people that if anyone needed proof of Noah's mental derangement, this was now no longer needed.
The same act would, however, have been perceived quite differently by anyone who really knew what was going to happen, who knew that soon enough a ship would indeed be a necessity for anyone who wished to move around. Such a person could only have laughed at the ignorance and stupid complaisance of his people. Noah (peace be on him), who knew these things well, would often have said to himself: 'How stupid are these people! God's chastisement is just about to afflict them, and I have been warning them of this. That moment has all but come and they even see me making an effort to escape the impending chastisement. Is it not strange that they remain totally unperturbed? Not only that, but they look upon me as an utter lunatic.'
This offers a good illustration of two contrasting attitudes. One is based on knowledge of the apparent, one that is grasped by the senses. The other is based on true knowledge, a knowledge of truths that lie beyond the range of the apparent. If one were to be satisfied with what is apparent, one would regard many a thing as sheer folly. Now, if there is someone who knows truths that lie beyond the range of the apparent, that person will consider these apparent follies the very zenith of wisdom. Such a person would indeed consider the flair of smartness displayed by the superficially knowledgeable to be no more than ignorance and stupidity.
 

*42.Commentators on the Qur'an have offered different explanations of this incident. In our view, the place from which the Flood began was a particular oven. It is from beneath it that a spring of water burst forth. This was followed by both a heavy downpour and by a very large number of springs which gushed forth. Surah al-Qamar provides relevant information in some detail: So We opened the gates of the heaven, with water intermittently pouring forth, and We caused the earth to be cleaved and the springs to flow out everywhere. Then the water (from both the sources - the heaven and the earth) converged to bring about that which had been decreed (al-Qamar, 54: 11-12).
In the present verse, the word tannur has been preceded by the article al: According to Arabic grammar, this indicates that the reference is to a particular tannur (oven). Thus, it is evident that God had determined that the Flood should commence from a particular oven. As soon as the appointed moment came, and as soon as God so ordained, water burst forth from that oven. Subsequently, it became known as the Flood-Oven. The fact that God had earmarked a certain oven to serve as the starting-point of the Flood is borne out by al-Mu'minun 23: 27.
*43. Information that some members of Noah's family were unbelievers and so were unworthy of God's mercy had already been given. Noah (peace be on him) had also been directed not to provide them with space in the Ark. Presumably these were only two persons. One was Noah's own son; the story of his drowning will be referred to shortly (see verse 43 below). The other was Noah's wife (see al-Tahrim 66: 15). It is possible that some other members of Noah's family also belonged to this category. Be that as it may, the Qur'an does not expressly mention any others.
*44. This refutes the opinion of those historians and genealogists who trace the ancestry of all human beings to Noah's three sons. This misconception has arisen from the Israelite traditions which suggest that Noah, his three sons and their wives were the only survivors of the Flood. (See Genesis 6: 18, 7: 7, p. 1 and 9: 19.) The Qur'an, however, repeatedly says that apart from Noah's family, at least some other people belonging to his nation - even if only a few - were also saved by God from the Flood. The Qur'an, therefore, considers the future generations of mankind to have descended not only from Noah, but also from those believers who, under God's directive, were accommodated in the Ark by Noah. It is significant that the Qur'an mentions post-Flood mankind as the 'offspring of those whom We carried along with Noah' (al-Isra 17: 3) and the 'offspring of Adam and those whom We carried along with Noah' (Maryam 19: 58). It does not refer to them simply as 'the offspring of Noah'.
 

*45. Trust in God is the quintessential characteristic of the believer. True, like any other person, the believer also has recourse to worldly measures. It is, in fact, necessary to use them on account of the laws of nature under which all human beings live and operate. One thing, however, differentiates a believer from a man of the world. A believer, while having recourse to worldly measures, places his reliance on God rather than on the measures he adopts. He is well aware that none of his measures can be of any avail unless they coincide with God's favour and mercy.
 

 

 

*46. Mount Judi is situated to the north-east of the Island of Ibn 'Umar in Kurdistan. According to the Bible, the Ark's resting place was Ararat, which is the name of a particular mountain as well as of a whole range of mountains in Armenia. Ararat, in the sense of a mountain range, extends from the Armenian plateau to southern Kurdistan. The mount called Judi is part of this range and is known even today by the same name. In ancient historical accounts, Mount Judi is mentioned as the place where the Ark rested. Around 250 B.C., a Babylonian priest, Berasus, wrote a history of his country based on Chaldean traditions. He mentions Judi as the resting-place of Noah's Ark. The history written by Abydenus, a disciple of Aristotle, also corroborates this. Abydenus further remarks that many people in Mesopotamia possessed pieces of the Ark which they used as a charm. They ground those pieces in water and gave the preparation to the sick so as to cure them of their ailments.
In connection with this great incident one is also faced with the question of whether the Flood was universal or whether it was limited to the area inhabited by the people of Noah. This question remains unanswered to this day. Under the influence of Israelite traditions, it is believed that it was a universal Flood (Genesis 7: 18-24). The Qur'an, however, does not explicitly say so. There are several allusions in the Qur'an which indicate that subsequent generations of mankind are the descendants of those who were saved from the Flood. But that does not necessarily mean that the Flood covered the whole world. For, it is quite plausible that at that point in history the human population was confined only to the area which was overtaken by the Flood, and that those born after the Flood gradually dispersed to other parts of the world.
This view is supported by two things. Firstly, ancient historical traditions, archaeological discoveries and geological data provide evidence that a great flood took place at some period in the distant past in the Tigris-Euphrates region. There is no such evidence for a universal flood. Secondly, traditions about a great flood have been popular among all communities of the world down the ages. Such traditions are found even in the folklore of such distant regions as Australia, America and New Guinea. One may thus conclude that at some time in the past the ancestors of all these communities lived together in some region which was overtaken by the Flood. Since presumably their descendants subsequently dispersed to, and settled down in. different parts of the world, they transmitted and preserved the traditions of this great Flood. (For details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Ill, al-A'raf 7 n. 47, pp. 37-8.)
 

*47. Noah (peace be on him) reminds God of His promise to spare his family. Since his son was quite obviously part of his family. Noah requests of God that he be spared.
*48. Noah (peace be on him) acknowledges that God's judgement is final; that it is one against which there can be no appeal. Moreover, God's judgement is also based on absolute knowledge and perfect justice.
 

*49. The import of this Qur'anic verse may best be appreciated by analogy to the limbs on a person's body. A limb may become rotten and a physician may decide to remove it by surgical operation. Now, the patient may ask his doctor not to amputate because it is a part of his body. The natural reply of the physician would be that the rotten limb was not truly a part of his body. Such a reply does not amount to denying, in a literal sense, the obvious fact that the limb is a part of that person's body. What such a statement actually means is that a person's body requires sound and healthy limbs rather than those which are rotten. For rotten limbs are not only useless, they are even able to damage other healthy limbs. In view of the above, it makes sense that that limb be surgically removed. In a similar way a righteous father may be told that his corrupt son is not a part of his family. The biological fact of his being the son of his father is not being negated here. Rather, it is being said that on a moral plane the son has nothing to do with his father's righteous household.
It is also pertinent to remember the context in which the present pronouncement was made. A judgement was needed in the encounter between faith and unbelief so as to determine who had faith and who was devoid of it. The righteous were to be saved and the evil were to be destroyed. The pronouncement was not intended to suggest that those of a certain stock would be saved while others would be destroyed.
By mentioning Noah's son as 'one of unrighteous conduct', the Qur'an draws our attention to another significant fact. A worldly person brings up his children and holds them dear for the simple reason that they happen to be his offspring regardless of their conduct. However, for a believer, the main consideration is how his children actually behave. A believer's view of his children is governed by the conception that his children are God's trust placed in his care such that he may bring them up in a manner that allows them to pursue the end for which God has created man. It is possible, however, that in spite of their best efforts parents may not succeed in the proper upbringing of their children and that the latter, when they grow up, fail to obey their Lord. If this happens, parents should realize that all their efforts have been wasted and that there is no reason for them to hold such children dear to their hearts.
The Qur'an is firm in its suggestion of such an attitude. It is obvious, therefore, that the same holds true for other relatives who are not as close as one's own children. For faith, as we know, is essentially an ideational and moral quality, and people are called believers or men of faith by dint of possessing that quality. It is man's faith which creates affinity between him and all other believers. The essential nexus of this relationship is thus ideational and moral. Those who happen to be a person's kin through blood ties are indeed relatives. If they do not share their faith, however, a believer will fulfil and be required to fulfil only the duties he owes to them on account of the accident of this blood relationship. This relationship, however, is bound to be devoid of the true cordiality and spiritual affinity which characterizes his relationship with believers. And should there be any conflict between belief and unbelief whereby a believer's relatives confront him, the believer is required to treat them exactly as any other unbeliever.
*50. God's observation should not give even the slightest misunderstanding that Noah (peace be on him) in any way lacked the true spirit of faith or that his faith was, to any degree, tainted by Ignorance (Jahiliyah). What perhaps one ought to remember, in order to fully appreciate what is being said here is that even Prophets are human. As human beings, it is not always possible even for them to maintain the very high standards of excellence laid down for men of faith. At some psychologically-charged moment even Prophets, despite their extraordinary spiritual excellence and sublimity, become vulnerable albeit momentarily to human weaknesses. However, as soon as they realize or are made to realize by God that their conduct is falling short of the high standards required of them, they repent. Without the least hesitation or delay, they strive to mend their ways.
In fact there cannot be any better proof of Noah's moral excellence than the present incident mentioned in the Qur'an. Just consider what had happened. Only a few moments previously Noah's son had drowned before his very eyes, something that would have simply shattered his father's whole being. At such an agonizing moment Noah (peace be on him) was reminded by God that his son had identified himself with falsehood rather than with truth. Noah (peace be on him) was told that this feeling that his son belonged to him merely because he was from his loins was a vestige jahiliyah. What is significant is that Noah (peace be on him) immediately re-oriented himself and fully adopted the attitude required of him by Islam, doing so despite the fact that the wound that he had sustained was fresh.
 

*51. By relating the story of Noah's son, God has unequivocally and effectively made it clear that His justice is free from all biases, that His judgement is perfect and absolute. The Makkan unbelievers had entertained the illusion that God's wrath would not overtake them no matter how they behaved. They thought so because they happened to be the descendants of Abraham (peace be on him) and the devotees of a number of well-known gods and goddesses. In the past, Jews and Christians also entertained, as they still entertain, illusions of the same kind. In fact, there are also many deviant Muslims who place their reliance on false hopes. They believe that since they are descendants or devotees of some saints, the intercession of those saints will enable them to escape God's justice.
However, the Qur'an portrays how one of the great Prophets helplessly watches his own flesh and blood drown. In a state of severe emotional agitation, he piteously implores God to forgive his son. In response, God rebukes him. Thus, we see that even a person of a Prophet's ranking failed to salvage an iniquitous son.
 

*52. Noah (peace be on him) was directed to disembark on the mountain on which the Ark had rested.
 

*53. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) is consoled by the statement that in the same way that Noah (peace be on him) and his righteous people ultimately succeeded, so will he and his Companions. It is God's law that the opponents of the truth seem to achieve some measure of success in the beginning. But ultimate success is the lot of those who, out of their God-fearing, avoid all erroneous ways while seeking to serve the cause of the truth. The import of the story, therefore, is that the believers should not feel heart-broken by their ephemeral sufferings or the successes of their opponents. Instead, they should persevere, with courage and fortitude, in their struggle for the cause of the truth.
 

*54. For a detailed account see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. III, al-A'raf 7, nn. 51-6, pp. 42-5.
*55. Those whom the Makkan unbelievers associated with God in His divinity actually possessed none of the attributes and powers of God. There was, therefore, no grounds whatsoever for anyone to worship them. Some people had mistakenly taken them as their deities, and looked to those deities to answer their prayers and fulfil their needs.
 

*56. This is a very eloquent statement which also embodies a very weighty argument. The Makkan unbelievers had summarily rejected the Prophet's Message without even seriously considering it. This was indicative of the fact that they did not use their brains. For, had they used them, they would certainly have been impressed by the veracity of the Prophet (peace be on him) and the truth of his teachings. For here was someone who had gone through immense suffering in the course of his calling his people to the truth and in sincerely counselling and admonishing them. Again, it was quite evident from all the Prophet's activities that there was no intention of seeking any benefit for himself or his family. The conclusion was very clear. Such a person must have had a very strong reason to be totally convinced about the truth of his faith. For it is in the cause of his faith that he had renounced all his ease and comfort, eschewed the ambitions of material prosperity, and ventured to undertake the perilous task of challenging the beliefs, customs and ways of life which were so deeply rooted in the history of his people. Such an undertaking naturally exposed him both to the hostility of his own people and to many others. It is obvious that the teaching of such a person could not have been so flimsy and trivial as to be casually cast aside without giving it even a serious thought.
 

*57. This is a reiteration of what was said earlier, 'that you may seek forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him in repentance whereupon He will grant you a fair enjoyment of life until an appointed term'. (See verse 3 above.) We learn from this that the rise and fall of a nation's fortunes depends on moral factors. For God's rule over the world is based on moral rather than physical laws which are bereft of all distinction between good and evil. The Qur'an has repeatedly mentioned that when a nation receives God's Message through a Prophet, the fate of that nation depends entirely on how it responds to it. If that nation accepts the Message, God lavishes His bounties and blessings upon it. However, if that nation spurns the Message, it is destroyed.
This is a provision of the moral law according to which God deals with human beings. Another provision of this law is that any nation which, deluded by its worldly prosperity, has recourse to wrong-doing and sin, is doomed to destruction. However, if the people in question while proceeding speedily towards their tragic end, realize their mistake, give up their disobedience of God and sincerely return to His worship and service, their evil end is averted and their term is extended. Not only that but they are also judged to be deserving of reward instead of punishment, and God even ordains that they may attain well-being and ascendancy.
 

*58. The unbelievers contended that Hud (peace be on him) had no clear evidence to prove that it is God Who had designated him to communicate a message, and that his teachings were true.
 

*59. The unbelievers presumably thought that because of his sacrilegious behaviour towards some saint or deity, Prophet Hud (peace be on him) had been smitten with madness. Consequently, both words of abuse and stones were hurled at him even though he had once enjoyed much esteem and respect.
*60. In response to this. Hud (peace be on him) pointed out that it was true that he had not put forth specific evidence in support of his claim. He contended that rather than bring a set of minor evidence in support of his claim, he had instead brought the weightiest evidence of all - Almighty God Himself. For God and His entire universe bear witness to the truths he enunciated. The same evidence also established that the conceptions entertained by the unbelievers were pure concoctions and lacked even an atom's worth of truth.
*61. The unbelievers were adamant. They would not forsake their deities just because Hud asked them to do so. In response, Prophet Hud (peace be on him) made it vehemently clear to them that he could not care less for their deities.
 

*62. This is in answer to the unbelievers' contention that Hud was suffering because he had invited the wrath of their deities upon himself. (Cf. Yunus 10, n. 71.)
 

*63. Whatever God does is absolutely right. All His actions are rightly- directed and sound. None of His actions are arbitrary. He governs the universe, and metes out full justice to all. It is, thus, impossible for someone to follow erroneous doctrines, and to engage in evil-doing and still attain salvation. Nor is it possible that someone who is truthful and righteous will end up a loser.
 

*64. This is a rejoinder to the unbelievers' statement that they would in no way forsake their deities and believe in the teachings of Hud.
 

 

*65. It is true that only one Messenger (viz. Hud) had come to them. However, his teachings were the same as those of all the other Messengers who had been raised among different nations and at different times. Hence their rejection of Hud's message is referred to here as a rejection of all Messengers.
 

 

*66. For further information see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Ill, al-A'raf, nn. 57-62, pp. 45-8.
*67. This substantiates the fact that there is no god other than the One True God; and that He should be the sole object of worship and service. Now, even those who associated others with God in His divinity acknowledged that it is Allah alone Who created them. Using this obvious premise, Prophet Salih (peace be on him) sought to persuade people to affirm that God alone should be worshipped. He emphasized that it is God alone Who had made them into human beings out of the lifeless materials from the earth, and had subsequently settled them on earth. In view of this, who else than God could claim godhead? Likewise, who else could claim that he ought to be served and worshipped?
*68. The Thamud had been guilty of worshipping others besides God. They are now urged to seek God's forgiveness for this grave sin.
*69. This verse is aimed at removing a major misconception which had been prevalent among the polytheists. This misconception is in fact one of the major reasons which prompted men to associate others with God in His divinity. One of man's most persistent faults is that he has conceived God to be similar to those worldly rulers who immerse themselves in a life of ease and luxury in their grand palaces. Such rulers are normally far removed from their subjects. To all intents and purposes they are well beyond the direct access of their subjects. The only way for their subjects to reach them is through the auspices of their favourite courtiers. And even if a subject succeeds in conveying his pleadings through a courtier, these rulers are often too arrogant to directly respond to such pleadings. This is one aspect of the function of a courtier - to communicate to a ruler the pleadings of his subjects, and also to communicate to the subjects the response of the ruler.
Since God was often conceived in the image of such worldly rulers many people fell prey to the false belief that God is well above the reach of ordinary human beings. This belief spread further because many clever people found it quite profitable to propagate such a notion. No wonder many people felt God could only be approached through powerful intermediaries and intercessors. The only way that a person's prayer could reach God and be answered by Him was to approach Him through one of the holy men. It was, therefore, considered necessary to grease the palm of the religious functionaries who supposedly enjoyed the privilege of conveying a man's offerings and prayers to the One on high. This misconception gave birth to a pantheon of small and large deities and intercessors who are supposed to act as intermediaries between man and God. This misconception has given rise to institutionalized priesthood, according to which no ritual, whether relating to birth or death, can be performed without the active participation of the priests.
Prophet Salih (peace be on him) strikes at the root of this ignorant system, and totally demolishes its intellectual infrastructure. This he does by emphasizing two facts: that God is extremely close to His creatures and that He answers their prayers. Thus he refutes many misconceptions about God: that He is far away, altogether withdrawn from human beings, and that He does not answer their prayers if they are to directly approach Him. God, no doubt, is transcendent, and yet He is extremely close to every person. Everyone will find Him just beside himself. Everyone can whisper to Him the innermost desires of his heart. Everyone can address his prayers to God both in public and in private, by verbally expressing those prayers or addressing them to Him without so much as uttering a single word. Moreover, God answers the prayers of all His creatures directly. The fact is that God's court with all its majesty is just around everyone's corner, so close to one's threshold, and always open to all. How silly it is, therefore, for people to search for those intercessors who they think will help them approach God, (See also Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, al-Baqarah 2, n. 188.)
 

*70 The people of Salih (peace be on him) centred many expectations around him. On account of his wisdom, intelligence, maturity, and dignified personality they expected Salih to rise to great heights. They also believed that he would not only achieve personal greatness and prosperity, but would also assist his people in their bid to excel against other tribes and nations in terms of worldly benefits. However, no sooner had Salih begun to teach his people that they are obligated to exclusively worship and serve the One True God and pay due heed to the Hereafter than they became altogether disenchanted with him.
It may be recalled that the predicament of the Makkan unbelievers was no different from that of the people of Salih (peace be on him). The Makkans also recognized that Muhammad (peace be on him) was a person of outstanding qualities. They were confident that he would grow into a very successful merchant and that they would also benefit from his trading acumen. But then they found that the Prophet (peace be on him), contrary to their expectations, began to invite them to serve and worship the One True God. He also began to urge (hem to pay heed to the Next Life and to observe moral excellence. They were instantly disappointed and became totally averse to him. They even began to give vent to the idea that the Prophet (peace be on him) who for so long had been a perfectly normal person, was now seized by some strange mental disease. In their view it was because of this mental derailment that he had ruined his own life and also threw cold water on the hopes and expectations of his people.
*71. This was the main reason which the unbelievers advanced to support their view, the rationale they offered for the worship of the deities in which they believed. The simple reason was, as stated here and elsewhere in the Qur'an, that their ancestors had also worshipped them! This brings into sharp relief the fundamental difference between the rationale offered by Islam and that offered by jahiliyah. Salih (peace be on him) had said that none but God deserves to be worshipped. He argued that since God had created human beings and had enabled them to settle on earth, they, therefore, ought to worship Him. The unbelievers responded by saying that their deities also deserved to be worshipped, indeed had been worshipped by their ancestors and so they could not just forsake them. In other words, they proclaimed their commitment to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors even if those ancestors had been altogether ignorant and stupid.
*72. The Qur'an does not specify the 'disquieting doubt' to which the unbelievers were subjected. The reason for this is that although all of them had doubts, the doubt entertained by each was different. It may even be said that whenever people are asked to accept the truth, all those who believe in one kind of falsehood or the other feel disturbed. The complacent faith which they had before they became acquainted with the truth is simply gone, and a 'disquieting doubt' creeps in and begins to agitate them. Although each of them may feel this differently, an amount of disquiet is nevertheless common to all unbelievers.
Before the unbelievers were invited to the truth, they may never have felt the need to critically examine their position. But after the call to the truth has been made such an attitude can no longer persist. This is so because the trenchant criticism of jahiliyah made by the Prophet of the day together with his weighty arguments in support of his teachings is bound to have its effect. Moreover, his lofty morals, his firmness, his forbearance, his grace and dignity, his straightforward and honest ways, and his wisdom and sagacity create a certain respect for him even among his staunchest enemies. Not only that but the people concerned cannot help but notice that the best elements in the society of the day are continually drawn to the call of the truth. They also observe that as a result of embracing the truth the lives of these people are perceptibly transformed. Taken together, all these factors agitate the minds of those who wish to cling to and even promote the old jahiliyah even after the truth has been made known to them.
 

*73. Prophet Salih (peace be on him) makes it clear to his people that if he were to follow the advice which they offered him, it would virtually lead to his perdition. Were Salih (peace be on him) to act contrary to his conscience and in opposition to the knowledge and guidance intimated to him by God, he would be liable to God's punishment, and his people would be helpless in their efforts to rescue him from that punishment. Moreover, Salih (peace be on him) was not an ordinary person but a Prophet. This made his dereliction in the sight of God even more grave. For, God would take him to task on the grounds that although he had been encumbered with the duty to direct his people to the right way, he had consciously led them to error.
 

 

 

*74. The folk traditions of the Sinaitic Peninsula indicate that when a severe punishment afflicted the Thamud, Salih (peace be on him) migrated to Sinai. Hence, close to the Mount of Moses there is a hillock called Nabi Salih. These traditions make one believe that it is here that Prophet Salih (peace be on him) lived.
 

 

 

*75. This shows that the angels visited Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) in human form and that initially they did not disclose their identity. Prophet Abraham (peace be on him), therefore, thought that they were strangers, and immediately arranged a good meal for them.
 

*76. Some commentators on the Qur'an are of the view that when the guests hesitated to take food Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) felt suspicious about their intentions. He even became apprehensive that they had come with some hostile design. For, in Arabia when someone declines the food offered to him by way of hospitality, this gives rise to the fear that he has not come as a guest but rather with subversive purposes. The very next verse, however, does not lend any support to this view.
*77. The words as well as the tone of the verse suggest that as soon as Abraham (peace be on him) noticed that his guests were disinclined to eat, he realized that they were angels. Since angels appear in human form only in very exceptional circumstances, what terrified Abraham (peace be on him) was the possibility that the angels may have been sent to inflict punishment on account of any lapses that he himself, his family, or his people may have committed. Had Abraham (peace be on him) not been sure about the identity of his guests - as some Qur'an-commentators believe - they would have said: 'Do not fear, we are angels sent by your Lord.' However, they did not say so. They rather tried to allay Abraham's fears by saying: 'Do not be afraid, we have been sent to the people of Lot.' It is, thus, clear that Abraham had become aware of their true identity. What caused Abraham (peace be on him) to worry was the idea that the angels had been sent to his people, that his people were about to suffer a severe chastisement. However, he was soon to feel relieved that the angels had been sent to the people of Lot rather than to his own. So there was no reason to fear that his own people would soon suffer destruction.
 

*78. According to this verse, the whole of Abraham's family was worried about the visit of the angels in human form. From sheer anxiety Abraham's wife also came out. However, when she came to know that the coming of the angels did not forebode any evil, she was reassured and became joyful.
*79. The angels gave the glad tidings of the birth of Isaac to Sarah rather than to Abraham. For Abraham (peace be on him) already had a son called Ishmael, born of his first wife Hagar. At that time Sarah was without any issue, and for this reason she felt sad. When the angels gave her the glad tidings they foretold her not only of the birth of Isaac, but also of her grandson, Jacob. It is needless to say, perhaps, that both of them - Isaac and Jacob - became Messengers of great standing.
 

*80. This expression does not, in any way, suggest that Sarah, instead of feeling happy, considered this prediction the foreboding of a calamity. In point of fact the expression is an exclamation to which women, in particular, resort to in a state of wonder and amazement. Thus, what is intended is not what the
*81. According to the Bible, Abraham was one hundred years and Sarah ninety years old at that time.
 

*82. Ordinarily, it is uncommon for women to bear children at such an advanced age. However, such a thing is not at all beyond the range of God's power. And since the tiding had been conveyed at the instance of God, there was no reason why a staunch believer such as Sarah should feel astonished, let alone entertain any doubts about it.
 

*83. The word 'dispute' here expresses the nexus of affection and endearment between Abraham (peace be on him) and God. Perusal of this verse brings to one's mind Abraham's persistent pleading to God that He may spare Lot's people His chastisement. To this God replied that since they were totally devoid of all good and had exceeded all reasonable limits, they did not deserve any leniency. Yet Abraham (peace be on him) continued to plead for them and presumably submitted that if there was even the least bit of good left in them, their chastisement be deferred so that this good may come to the fore.
It is interesting to note that the Bible also recounts this 'dispute' between God and Abraham. However, the Qur'anic account, though brief, is much more meaningful, and significant. (Cf. Genesis 18: 23-32.)
 

 

*84 The mention of Abraham's story as a preamble to the story of the people of Lot may appear somewhat out of tune with the purpose for which the events of the past are being narrated here. However, to better appreciate this, two things should be borne in mind. Firstly, that the immediate addressees of She Qur'an were the Quraysh. The Quraysh, since they were the descendants of Abraham (peace be on him), were the custodians of the Ka'bah - the shrine of God. For the same reason, they also had a predominant influence over the religious, moral, cultural and political life of Arabia. The Quraysh believed that since they were the offspring of a Prophet who enjoyed God's favour, they would never be punished by God. They felt sure that Abraham (peace be on him) would intercede effectively with God on their behalf.
The Qur'an strikes a powerful blow to the Makkans' misconceptions. They are told, in the first instance, the story of the Prophet Noah (peace be on him) in graphic detail: how he watched his own son drown and how he distressfully prayed to God to show mercy to him. And yet, as we know, Noah's prayer was to no avail. Not only was Noah's prayer not granted, he was even rebuked for praying on behalf of his unrighteous son.
Noah's story is followed by a narration of Abraham's story. Abraham (peace be on him) enjoys, on the one hand, the innumerable blessings of God. He is also addressed by God in terms which are clearly indicative of God's special love and affection for him. On the other hand, when Abraham interferes in a manner that amounted to compromising justice with regard to an evil-doing nation, God sets his intercession aside.
The second thing that ought to be borne in mind is that the present discourse emphasizes to the Quraysh that God's law of retribution has always been operative in history. The Quraysh had become altogether oblivious of that law and were no longer afraid of it. The Qur'an, therefore, drew their attention to its constant manifestation in human history, including the traces of its operation in their immediate surroundings.
Their attention was also drawn to Abraham (peace be on him) who had migrated for the sake of the truth and had settled down in an alien land. Apparently, he had no power or resources at his disposal. Nonetheless, God rewarded him for his righteousness. He also caused Abraham's wife to deliver a child when she had reached the age of barrenness and when Abraham himself had also reached an advanced age. This child was Isaac (peace be on him) who was to become the father of another Prophet, Jacob (peace be on them). The progeny of Isaac and Jacob are known as the Children of Israel. They were indeed a great people who retained, for centuries, their ascendancy in the region - Palestine and Syria - where Abraham (peace be on him) had first set his foot as an uprooted, homeless refugee.
Distinguishable from the Israelites were the people of Lot. They remained immersed in their evil deeds and continued to bask in the warmth of their prosperity. They had no idea at all that on account of this iniquity they would be overtaken by God's punishment in the near future. Hence, whenever the Prophet Lot (peace be on him) attempted to admonish them, they scornfully brushed his counsel aside. However, the same day on which it was decided to exalt the progeny of Abraham (peace be on him) into a very outstanding nation, it was also decided to annihilate the people of Lot who had become exceedingly wicked. So thorough was the destruction to which they were subjected that to-day there exists no trace of their habitation.
 

*85. For details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Ill, al-A'raf, nn. 63-8, pp. 49-53 - Ed.
*86. What seems to be evident from the story as related in the Qur'an is that the angels had come to Lot (peace be on him) in the form of handsome young boys. It also seems that Lot (peace be on him) was unaware that they were angels. He also felt quite disturbed, therefore, at the sight of the visiting young boys. His reaction was natural in view of the known degeneration and unabashed perversity prevalent among his people.
 

*87. It is possible that Lot (peace be on him) used the word 'daughters' to refer to the totality of females in his nation as such. For a Messenger is indeed like a father to his people, and all the females of that nation are to him like his own daughters. It is also possible that when Lot used the word 'daughters' he meant his own daughters. Whatever is the correct interpretation, one should not misunderstand the statement and think it an invitation for Lot's people to indulge in illegitimate sex. For the very next part of his remark, viz. 'they are purer for you', excludes all justification for such a misunderstanding. The whole thrust of Lot's statement was that if they wished to satisfy their sex-urge, they should do so in the natural and legitimate manner as laid down by God. Lot (peace be on him) wished to underscore the fact that the natural and legitimate means of sexual satisfaction were readily available as there was no dearth of women in their society.
 

*88. This Qur'anic statement vividly portrays the moral degradation and perversity of those people. They had brazenly deviated from the natural way of satisfying their sexual desires and had adopted instead an altogether perverse and filthy way. What was even more heinous was that their interest had become confined only to those perverse forms of sexual gratification which had come into vogue in their society. This perversity had reached such a point where they felt no shame in stating that they were not interested at all in what was universally held to be the natural and legitimate way of sexual satisfaction.
This is the lowest conceivable depth of moral degeneration and perversity. Such a case is very different from that of a person who might commit a sin in a moment of weakness when he is overwhelmed by his passions, but has not ceased to distinguish good from evil. For it is quite possible for such a person to mend his ways.
But even if he does not mend his ways, he may, at the most, be considered a man who has lapsed into evil ways. But a person who becomes so thoroughly perverse that his interest is confined only to what is forbidden and sinful, and who believes that all that is right and permissible is simply not meant for him, is altogether a different situation. Such a person is not only wicked, but has sunk so low that he cannot be truly considered a human being. Such a person is a worm that thrives only on filth and finds all that is clean and pure totally disagreeable. Were such a worm to be found in the house of someone who loves cleanliness, he would use insecticide to get rid of it at the first available opportunity! Such being the case, how is it conceivable that God, the Lord of this universe, can allow such worms to concentrate and become strong at any given place or time?
 

 

*89. The warning implied in directing Lot (peace be on him) and his household to depart at their earliest was loud and clear. They were told not to tarry behind in the region which had been marked for total destruction.
*90. This is the third instructive event related in this surah. The purpose of relating it is to underscore the fact that family connections with, and the intercession of, people of high spiritual standing can be of no avail in rescuing a people from the punishment they invite upon themselves by their evil deeds.
 

*91. This scourge probably took the form of a severe earthquake combined with volcanic eruptions. The earthquake turned their dwellings upside down and by means of a volcanic eruption they were subjected to a severe rain of stones. The expression 'stones of baked clay' perhaps refers to the stones formed by the underground heat and lava in volcanic regions. The signs of this volcanic eruption can be noticed almost everywhere in the region south and east of the Dead Sea even today.
 

*92. This implies that each stone had been earmarked for a specific act of destruction.
*93. The moral of the story is that those who engage in acts of transgression should not delude themselves into believing that they are safe from God's punishment. For, if the people of Prophet Lot (peace be on him) could be overtaken by a severe chastisement, so can they. For none can overwhelm God or frustrate His plan: neither the people of Lot nor any other.
 

*94. For details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Ill, al-A'raf, nn. 69-75, pp. 53-7.
 

 

*95. Shu'ayb (peace be on him) made it clear to his people that he had no power to compel them to adopt one kind of behaviour or another. His task was merely that of a sincere adviser. All he could do was to admonish and warn them. It was up to them either to pay heed to that advice or to disregard it. What really mattered was that one day all human beings will be mustered by God to render an account of their deeds. It is this - the rendering of an account before God - that people should truly fear. It matters little whether they care for Shu'ayb or not. What really matters is whether they have any fear of standing before God's judgement. If they do fear this, it is essential that they give up the iniquity in which they are engrossed.
 

*96. This, in fact, is a taunting remark. Remarks which are expressive of the same spirit are heard today among every group of people who are heedless of God and who are engrossed in sin and evil. Prayer is obviously the first and the most obvious symbol of man's religious orientation. That orientation is not simply considered a dangerous disease, but the most dangerous one by irreligious people. Hence, Prayer is looked upon by these people as a manifestation of mental derailment rather than what it actually is - an act of worship. Irreligious people are also aware that those who become religiously committed are not content merely with self-reform. Such people are wont to go a step further and strive to reform others. Not only that, but it even becomes difficult for such people to refrain from criticizing attitudes opposed to religion and morality. Hence, irreligious people feel jittery because they fear that Prayer is not simply performed as a religious ritual but that it is the precursor of endless sermonizing on religion and morality. In addition, it may even lead to scathing criticisms of every aspect of social life. It is for this reason that Prayer is often singled out for every kind of taunt and reproach. Moreover, if those who observe Prayer criticize the evils rampant in their society and urge people to act righteously, this inspires opponents of religion to direct every possible invective against Prayer and to lash out at it as the source of every conceivable evil.
*97. This is a full-blooded expression of the world-view of Ignorance (Jahiliyah) as distinguished from that of Islam. The Islamic view is that all worship except the worship of God is erroneous. It is erroneous because worshipping any other than the One True God is supported by nothing - neither reason, knowledge, nor revelation. Moreover, God should not only be worshipped in the limited sphere of life called 'religion'. God's worship should extend to all aspects of life - social, cultural, economic and political. For all that man has in the world belongs only to God. Man, therefore, has no right to consider any aspect of his life to be independent of God's guidance.
The contrary of this is Jahiliyah. According to this view, man ought to observe the customs and usages he inherits from his ancestors, and he ought to do so merely because they come down from the past. This world-view considers religion to be confined to the domain of ritual; the ritual of worship. As for the ordinary affairs of worldly life, man ought to act as he pleases.
It is thus quite clear that there is nothing so 'modern' about the tendency of driving a wedge between the religious and secular spheres of life. For some three and a half thousand years ago the nation of Shu'ayb was as emphatically insistent on bifurcating life into two water-tight compartments - the secular and the religious - as Westerners and their Eastern disciples of our time are wont to do. There seems little justification, therefore, to characterize the attitude of the present-day secularists as something altogether novel, as an attitude that has emerged in modern times as a result of the cumulative intellectual progress of mankind. Far from it, the new-fangled ideology which is being played up everywhere for its freshness and newness is, in fact, the same stale, old-fashioned obscurantism which characterized Jahiliyah several thousand years ago. Likewise, the Islamic defiance of, and opposition to, Jahiliyah is also a perennial reality of human history.
 

*98. 'Provision' in this context has two connotations. It might signify, in the first place, the provision of knowledge of the truth communicated by God to someone. Secondly, it might also signify, as it commonly does, the provision of the means bestowed by God on His creatures in order that they may be able to live.
Were we to understand this word in the first sense, the verse substantially repeats the same point that has been expressed earlier in this surah through the Prophets Muhammad, Noah and Salih (peace be on them). Common to their statements is their affirmation that they found the signs of the truth in their own beings and in the universe around them. Those signs were corroborated by direct knowledge of the truth intimated to them by God. (See verses 17,28 and 63 above - Ed.) Hence it was not possible for them to join their people in their errors of belief and in their acts of wickedness.
However, if the word is taken in the latter sense, it amounts to a response to the sarcastic remark hurled at Shu'ayb: 'Do you fancy that you, and only you, are forbearing and right-directed?' (See verse 87 above.) It is noteworthy that the answer to this most bitter and caustic query is couched in exceedingly moderate and dispassionate words. The answer amounts to telling his opponents that if his Lord had granted Shu'ayb knowledge of reality and also a livelihood that is pure and lawful, how could their sarcastic remarks change the fact that Shu'ayb had received God's favours? Also, in view of the favours which God had lavished upon Shu'ayb, how could it be appropriate for him to act ungratefully towards God by legitimizing their erroneous beliefs and acts of corruption?
*99. Shu'ayb pointed out to his detractors that they could measure his integrity by only one thing: whether he practised what he preached. Had he forbidden others from visiting false deities, and then had become the custodian of some such shrine, people would have been justified in reproaching him for inconsistency and self-contradiction. They could have rightly criticized him for preaching something and practising its opposite. Had he asked them to abstain from unlawful earnings and had himself resorted to dishonest practices they would have been perfectly justified in accusing him of talking of honesty merely to build up a good image of himself and then exploiting it for his personal ends.
It was clear, however, that Shu'ayb could be accused of nothing like that. It was crystal clear that he had stayed well away from all those vices which he asked others to abstain from. He had no stains on him of which he wanted others to remain free. Shu'ayb also practised all those acts of goodness to which he invited others. All this was sufficient to establish that Shu'ayb was fully sincere about his mission.
 

*100. Shu'ayb reminded his people of the story of the people of Lot (peace be on him). This tragic episode took place not far from where the people of Shu'ayb lived. In addition, it was no more than six or seven centuries previously that the people of Lot were utterly destroyed.
 

*101. God is neither callous nor merciless. He has no enmity towards His own creatures. It cannot even be conceived that God would want to punish people just for the fun of it. It is only when people exceed all reasonable limits and exercise no restraint in their wickedness that God punishes them, and then only reluctantly. He is so prone to forgiveness that no matter how sinful a person may have become, God's mercy encompasses him if only he sincerely repents and turns to God. For God's love and compassion for His creatures is simply immense.
The Prophet (peace be on him) fully illustrated this by two examples. One is that of a man who had a camel carrying his food and water provisions. The camel strays away in a dreary desert. The person continues to search for the camel until he retires under the shade of a tree in utter despair. Then, suddenly, he finds the camel standing right in front of him. When a sinner repents and turns to God, He is even more joyous than the owner of the camel who suddenly finds his lost beast in a moment of total despair. (See Muslin-, al-Tawbah, Bab fi al-Hadd 'ala al-Tawbah, traditions 1-8.)
The second example is perhaps even more moving. 'Umar narrated that once a few prisoners of war were brought to the Prophet (peace be on him). One of them was a woman whose infant child had been left behind. Her motherly compassion overwhelmed her to such an extent that she would grab any baby she could lay her hands on, would clasp him to her bosom, and start suckling him. When the Prophet (peace be on him) saw that woman in such a state of mind he asked the Companions whether they thought she would cast her children into fire. The Companions replied in the negative. They said that rather than throw her children into a fire, she would make every possible effort lest they slide into it. The Prophet (peace be on him) added: 'God is even more merciful to His servants than this woman is to her child.' (Muslim, al-Tawbah, Bab Sa'at Rahmat Allah - Ed.)
A little reflection may help one appreciate that it is God Who has created compassion in the hearts of parents for their children. Had God not created this compassion for children, their parents may, in fact, have been quite inimical to them. For a child is indeed one of the greatest causes of parents' discomfort and annoyance. If one remembers that it is God Who planted love and compassion for children in the hearts of parents it is quite easy to grasp the extent of God's love and compassion for His creatures.
 

*102. When Shu'ayb's people stated that they did not understand much of what Shu'ayb said, they did not say so because Shu'ayb (peace be on him) spoke in some foreign language, or because he talked in an ambiguous or complicated manner. On the contrary, Shu'ayb's teaching was quite clear and simple and was conveyed to his people in a language they fully understood - their own. The difficulty in understanding Shu'ayb's teaching arose from the fact that his people had become simply too perverse to grasp it. It is always the case that when some people become fully seized by their prejudice, are overpowered by their lusts, or begin to move vehemently in one particular intellectual direction, they hardly have the patience to give ear to any idea which is different from their own. But even if they were to listen to any unfamiliar idea, it would only sound to them as gibberish, as something coming to them from some other planet.
*103. It should be borne in mind that exactly the same situation that had obtained in the past among the people of Shu'ayb also obtained in Makka at the time these verses were revealed. The Quraysh were seething with enmity towards Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and wanted to put an end to his life in much the same way as Shu'ayb's people were inimical to him. The only reason which prevented the Quraysh from violently laying their hands on the Prophet (peace be on him) was that his clan, Hashim, stood firmly behind him.
Thus, the story of Shu'ayb in relation to his people was exactly the same as that of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) in relation to the Quraysh. The story of Shu'ayb is narrated here precisely because of the obvious resemblance it bears to the predicament of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him).
Soon we will also come across (see verse 93) a very instructive statement of Shu'ayb's in response to the harsh expression of hostility (see verse 91). The implication is quite clear. The same statement would be addressed by Muhammad (peace be on him) to his own unbelieving people.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*104. It clearly emerges from this verse as well as from other verses of the Qur'an that those who lead a nation or a group of people in the present world will also be their leaders on the Day of Resurrection. If the leaders had directed their people to truth, virtue and righteousness their followers will gather under their banner on the Day of Resurrection and will march to Paradise under their leadership. On the other hand, if these leaders called their people to erroneous beliefs, to immorality, or to false ways of conduct, they will continue to follow them even on the Day of Resurrection and until they end up in Hell. This seems evident from the remark made by the Prophet (peace be on him) about Imr al-Qays: 'Imr al-Qays will bear the standard of the poets of Jahiliyah to the Fire.' (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 2, p. 228 - Ed.)
Now everyone can visualize what kind of procession both these would be, each pressing on to their destined goal. There would be the procession of those who had been misled by their so-called leaders. On that Day they would be fully conscious of the dangerous end to which they would be in due course dragged. They would, therefore, quite naturally look upon those leaders as the ones responsible for all their suffering and misfortune. In the front line of the procession would be the so-called leaders and behind them would be throngs of their followers hurling abuses and curses at them. In sharp contrast, will be the other procession, the one led by those whose leadership made their followers merit entry into Paradise. With this blissful end in view, the followers will joyously press ahead, lavishing prayers and grateful tributes on their leaders.
 

 

 

 

 

*105. In such incidents of history there are instructive signs for all people. Only a little reflection will make them realize that the punishment of the unrighteous is inevitable and that the information provided by the Prophets (peace be on them) in this respect is absolutely true. These signs can also help men have some idea of how horrible the Day of Judgement will be. This realization is likely to create in man's heart a fear which will direct him to righteous behaviour.
One may well ask, what are the signs in human history which indicate that there is an After-life, one in which people are liable to suffer punishment? These signs can easily be appreciated by those who do not consider history to consist merely of a series of unrelated events and who are inclined to reflect over the underlying logic of those events and so derive some conclusion from them. What is most conspicuous in the long record of history is the constantly recurring phenomenon of the rise and fall of nations. Moreover, this rise and fall seems to be tied up with certain moral factors. The way in which certain nations have encountered significant falls and have suffered destruction clearly indicates that man, in this universe, is under a dispensation in which blind physical laws do not predominate. Instead, under that dispensation a moral law is also in operation. The result is that the nations which maintain a given minimum level of adherence to moral principles are rewarded. Those who slide below that minimum level of adherence to moral principles, are granted a temporary respite. However, once a nation falls perceptibly below that minimum level, it meets its tragic end and is made a lesson of for future generations. The occurrence and repetition of these events at regular intervals leaves no doubt whatsoever that retribution is a permanent feature, a fully-fledged law that operates in human history.
Moreover, were one to carefully reflect upon the different forms of punishment which visited these different nations of the world, one would also realize that those punishments only partially accord with the requirements of justice and retribution. Were total justice to be meted out, it would be necessary to do a great deal more. For the punishments which struck the nations of the world in the past, struck only those generations which lived at the time when the punishment visited them. But there are generations of men who sowed the wind of wickedness but disappeared when that wind developed into a whirlwind. The consequences of their evil deeds were faced by the generations that followed after them. It is obvious in this case that the real culprits escaped retribution.
Now, if we are able to grasp the inner workings of this universe by our study of history, this should lead us to the conclusion that the unfulfilled requirements of justice call for a new order of existence to be brought into being. It is only then that those transgressors and wrong-doers who escaped divine punishment in the worldly life can be duly punished and their punishment will be much more severe than that suffered by the evil-doers in the world. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Ill, al-A'raf, n. 30, pp. 23-6 and vol. IV, Yunus 10, n. 10, p. 9.)
 

 

*106. Some people entertain the misconception that their saintly patrons will intercede on their behalf and obtain salvation for them on the Day of Resurrection. They believe that some of the saints will simply stage a sit-in protest before God, and will thus virtually extract from Him a pardon for their devotees. All this, of course, is sheer nonsense. For in God's majestic court, everyone - howsoever great they may otherwise be, including angels - will be in a state of spellbinding awe. At that awe-inspiring moment - the Day of Judgement - none will even dare speak until God Himself permits him to do so.
There are of course many in this world who make offerings at the altars of many beside God in the belief that they will simply have an overwhelming influence with God. Many people continue to commit misdeeds in the hope that the intercession of such beings will bring about their rescue. Such people will face utter disappointment on that Day.
 

 

*107. There are two possible interpretations for the words, 'as long as the heavens and the earth endure'. One possibility is that they refer to the heavens
*108. There is no power other than God's that can prevent the sinners from suffering eternal punishment. However, God may Himself will that someone may be spared His unending punishment. He may also decide to pardon such a person after he has been made to suffer a period of punishment in the After-life. In such cases, God certainly has both the authority and the power to do that. For if there is any law, it is God Who has made it, and hence that law can set no limit upon His power and authority.
 

*109. A person's permanent stay in Paradise is equally not contingent upon some higher law that would compel God to facilitate this. On the contrary, people will be able to stay there permanently only by dint of God's grace and mercy. If God were to act otherwise, He obviously has both the power and the authority to do so.
 

*110. This does not mean that the Prophet (peace be on him) entertained any 'doubts' concerning the deities whom the unbelievers associated with God in His divinity. Though this verse is ostensibly addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him), it is really aimed at conveying a message to the people of Makka. The thrust of the verse is that no sensible person should entertain the notion that those who worship false gods and pray to them have any plausible grounds for doing so and for expecting some benefit from such worship.
The fact of the matter is that the worship of false deities and the offerings, sacrifices and invocations addressed to them were supported neither by knowledge, careful observation, nor any scientific experimentation. The only basis for such worship was blind imitation of their ancestors. The same shrines found amongst today's polytheists were also found among several past nations of the world. The same miraculous feats which are popular today were equally popular in the past among other nations. However, when God's punishment seized those nations which worshipped false deities, they were utterly destroyed. Their shrines proved altogether unavailing.
 

*111. If people launch scurrilous attacks on the Qur'an, this is not altogether novel. The same happened before. When Moses (peace be on him) was granted the scripture, people raised a variety of objections against it. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) should not, therefore, feel disheartened that his people rejected the teachings of the Qur'an despite their lucidity.
*112. This is being said in order to comfort the Prophet (peace be on him) and his Companions. They are being asked to be patient and not to seek a hasty judgement from God concerning those who differ about the Qur'an. For God will soon come forth with His judgement. He has determined that this judgement will neither come a moment before, nor a moment after the expiry of the term. It is true human beings wish God's judgement to come hastily. As for God, He never judges hastily.
 

 

 

 

*113. The 'two ends of the day' refer to the morning and the sunset. Similarly, the 'first hours of the night' refer to the time of the 'Isha' Prayer. We thus learn that this Qur'anic verse dates back to the time when the five daily Prayers had as yet not been prescribed. The Prophet's ascension took place at a later time than the revelation of these verses and it is then that the five daily Prayers were prescribed. (For further explanation see alIsra 17, n. 95; Ta Ha 20: 111; and al-Rum 30: 124.)
*114. The Qur'an informs the believers of the best way to drive away the evils which are rampant in the world and how to obliterate the wrongs perpetuated by the inveterate enemies of Islam. It counsels the believers to become increasingly righteous. For the righteousness of the believers will ultimately overwhelm evil and corruption. Now, since Prayers constantly remind people of God, they are the best means of making people righteous. The power that the believers receive from Prayer will not only enable them to repulse the onslaught of the organized forces of evil, but also to establish a righteous and benevolent order in the world. (For further elaboration see al-'Ankabut 29, nn. 77-9.)
 

 

 

*115. These verses bring out, in a significantly instructive manner, the real factors which caused the destruction of those nations whose history has been narrated earlier (see verse 36 ff. above). Reviewing that history, the Qur'an points out the single common denominator of all those nations which met their doom in the past. All those nations had formerly been favoured with God's blessings. But drunk with affluence, they resorted to mischief on earth. Their collective conscience was also completely vitiated. The result was that no righteous person was left among them to prevent them from committing evils. And if any such person did exist, their number was either too small, or their voice too feeble to prevent evils from predominating. This situation eventually invited God's wrath upon them. Had they not been so evil, there was no reason why God should punish them. After all, He bears no such grudge against His creatures that would prompt Him to punish people even when they act righteously.
The above statement is intended to underscore three points. Firstly, that it is imperative that there should always be a good number of righteous people in every society; those who would invite people to righteousness and prevent them from evil. For God likes to see that there is righteousness in the world. And if God does tolerate the existence of evil in human society, He does so since the potential for righteousness continues to exist in that society. But such tolerance endures only as long as that potential remains. However, if the condition of a community deteriorates, rendering it altogether devoid of good people, or if the good people in that community become an insignificant minority, too weak to prevent it from proceeding along its evil ways, then God's chastisement begins to loom large over it. That much can be said for sure. However, it is difficult to say with any precision when God's chastisement will actually smite that community and destroy it.
Secondly, a community that is prepared to put up with everything except a group of righteous people in its midst - people that call men to do good and forbid them from doing evil - is certainly destined for self-destruction. The attitude of that community clearly shows that it cherishes all that would lead to its destruction, and that it is intolerant of all that would ensure its survival.
Thirdly, God's final decision whether to punish a community or not depends on the extent to which that community is possessed of the elements that would enable it to respond to the call of truth. If it has such people in good numbers that would suffice to extirpate evil and establish a righteous order, such a community is spared the kind of chastisement which embraces whole communities and totally destroys them. If it is subjected to some partial rather than an all-embracing chastisement, the purpose of it is to enable its righteous elements to mend their ways.
It is possible, however, that in spite of continued efforts, the community will be unable to throw up a sufficient number of good people needed to bring about its reform. It is also possible that the community will demonstrate by its action that it is full of corrupt people and altogether bereft of virtuous ones. The community, in such a case, has obviously become a heap of coal in which no diamonds are left. When such a stage is reached God causes a fire to erupt, a fire that reduces this heap of coal to a heap of ashes. (For further elaboration see al-Dhariyat 51, n. 34.)
 

 

*116. This is being said in order to remove misconceptions which are often put forward under the appellation 'fate'. The explanation of the destruction of those ancient nations mentioned above is liable to give rise to serious objections. For, in the context of the above explanation it might be pointed out that the non-existence of righteous persons in a nation, or their existence in very small numbers, depends entirely on God's will. If such is the case, how can any blame be directed at those nations'? For, after all, why did God not create a large number of good people in those nations?
In the course of clarifying this misconception, it is pointed out here that God's will with regard to human beings does not consist of binding them to follow an inalterable course of conduct in the manner of plants, animals and other similar living beings who, as we know, have no choice except to follow the course determined for them either by the laws of nature or their instincts. Had such been the case, there would be no point in inviting human beings to believe, to raise Prophets, to reveal scriptures. All human beings would have been born as ones who would believe and submit to God's command. However, it was God's will regarding man that he should be granted free will and be vested with the power to follow the ways of his choice. It was God's will that the ways leading both to Paradise and Hell should remain open to him, and that everyone be provided with the opportunity to make a choice between them. Thus, whatever one is able to acquire is the fruit of his own labour.
Now, the very scheme of man's creation consists of granting him free will and providing the opportunity to choose between belief and unbelief. In such a case it is simply inconceivable that a nation would wilfully decide to go astray and God compel it to righteousness. If a nation decides to set up a system that produces rogues who try to excel one another in their evil, wrong-doing and sin, how can God forcibly direct them, by means of His direct interference, to the course of righteousness? Such an interference is simply not apart of God's scheme of things. Members of a community become good or bad as a result of the measures taken by that nation itself. But a time may come when a community immerses itself so deeply in evil that no sizeable group of good people are left in it to champion righteousness. Alternatively, the social system of that community may be so geared as to leave no room for reform. When such a stage is reached, God simply lets that community proceed to the tragic end that it has chosen for itself.
Those nations which deserve God's mercy are possessed of altogether different characteristics. Such nations abound in persons who respond to the call of righteousness. Moreover, their social values make it possible for righteous people to carry on their efforts to bring about reform. (For further elaboration see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. II, al-An 'am o, n 24, pp. 228-9.)
 

 

 

 

*117. God is cognizant of all that is being done by the two panics engaged in the encounter between belief and unbelief. It is simply inconceivable that there should be chaos and disorder in God's realm. For God's realm is not the realm of a negligent, heedless sovereign who is unaware of what is going on, However, since God is Wise and Forbearing, He does not resort to punishing people hastily. However, justice is eventually meted out and those who deserve punishment are ultimately punished. Thus, all those who are engaged in the effort to bring about reform, should feel reassured that their efforts will not be wasted.
On the other hand, there are also those who are engaged in making and perpetuating mischief, who have focused all their efforts on brutally persecuting reformers and suppressing their reform efforts. Such people should know that all their evil deeds are known to God, and that they will be made to pay very dearly for these misdeeds.