Surah
25, Al-Furqaan (The Criterion), Verses 21-77 & Surah 26, Ash-Shuaraa (The Poets),
227 Verses & Surah 27, An-Naml (The Ant), Verses 1-66
Continuing with the 25th Surah
of the Holy Quran and the remaining 4 sections.
Surah 25, Al-Furqaan (The
Criterion)
Section 3: The Quran revealed
gradually, verses 21-34
"And those who look not for a
meeting with Us say: Why are angels not sent down unto us and (Why) do we not
see our Lord! Assuredly they think too highly of themselves and are scornful
with great pride. On the day when they behold the angels, on that day there
will be no good tidings for the guilty; and they will cry: A forbidding
ban!" (Verses 21-22)
"The Sovereignty on that day will
be the True (Sovereignty) belonging to the Beneficent One, and it will be a
hard day for disbelievers. On the day when the wrong-doer gnaweth his hands, he
will say: Ah, would that I had chosen a way together with the messenger (of
Allah)! Alas for me! Ah, would that I had never taken such an one for
friend!" (Verses 26-28)
"And those who disbelieve say:
Why is the Qur'an not revealed unto him all at once? (It is revealed) thus that
We may strengthen thy heart therewith; and We have arranged it in right order.
And they bring thee no similitude but We bring thee the Truth (as against it),
and better (than their similitude) as argument." (Verses 32-33)
Many clear signs of Allah were made visible to the disbelievers on several
occasions but they belied each of them because of their rebellious nature. The
Jews insisted upon seeing the angels and Allah with their own eyes out of spite
towards the Holy Prophet.
The unjust referred to in verse 27 are those who had gone astray after
receiving the guidance. They were among those who declared belief in Allah and
His Prophet and His religion. After seeing and accepting the clear evidences
they had deviated from the right path. There were quite a few like these among
the companions of the Holy Prophet.
The Holy Quran was revealed
gradually to the followers of the Holy Prophet so that each verse could be
properly understood and put into practice as necessary depending on the
situation in which it was revealed.
Section 4: What happened to the
disbelievers in the past, verses 35-44
"And when they see thee (O
Muhammad) they treat thee only as a jest (saying): Is this he whom Allah
sendeth as a messenger? He would have led us far away from our gods if we had
not been staunch to them. They will know, when they behold the doom, who is
more astray as to the road. Hast thou seen him who chooseth for his god his own
lust? Wouldst thou then be guardian over him? Or deemest thou that most of them
hear or understand? They are but as the cattle - nay, but they are farther
astray?" (Verses 41-44)
Verses 35-41 speak of the destruction of the
disbelievers of Prophet Musa, Nuh and Lot and also the people of Ad and Thamud
as has been discussed in previous chapters. Verses 41-44 refer to the mistreatment of the Holy
Prophet and the disbelievers have been compared to cattle.
Section 5: The guidance man
gets from the working of nature, verses 45-60
"Hast thou not seen how thy Lord
hath spread the shade - And if He willed He could have made it still - then We
have made the sun its pilot; Then We withdraw it unto Us, a gradual withdrawal?
And He it is Who maketh night a covering for you, and sleep repose, and maketh
day a resurrection. And He it is Who sendeth the winds, glad tidings heralding
His mercy, and We send down purifying water from the sky, That We may give life
thereby to a dead land, and We give many beasts and men that We have created to
drink thereof." (Verses 45-49)
"And He it is Who hath created
man from water, and hath appointed for him kindred by blood and kindred by
marriage; for thy Lord is ever Powerful. Yet they worship instead of Allah that
which can neither benefit them nor hurt them. The disbeliever was ever a
partisan against his Lord." (Verses 54-55)
"And We have sent thee (O
Muhammad) only as a bearer of good tidings and a warner. Say: I ask of you no
reward for this, save that whoso will may choose a way unto his Lord." (Verses 56-57)
Verses 45-49 describe some of the blessing of Allah
that have been bestowed upon us. He has created the sun to provide light and
energy to the Earth, he has sent wind and rain to help nourish the Earth and
provide for animal and man. All these are his blessing and further proof of his
existence.
In verses 56-57, all the Prophets
who were sent before the Holy Prophet conveyed the message and guidance from
Allah to the people, but obviously as commanded by Allah did not ask of them
any recompense for the toils of the Prophethood. Only the Holy Prophet had the
unique distinction of receiving Allah's command to say to those of his
followers who want to take the way to Allah and asked for love of his
family/relatives.
Section 6: Repentance, belief
and good deeds, verses 61-77
"The (faithful) slaves of the
Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish ones
address them answer: Peace; And who spend the night before their Lord,
prostrate and standing, And who say: Our Lord! Avert from us the doom of hell;
lo! the doom thereof is anguish." (Verses 63-65)
"And those who cry not unto any
other god along with Allah, nor take the life which Allah hath forbidden save
in (course of) justice, nor commit adultery - and whoso doeth this shall pay
the penalty" (Verse 68)
"And whosoever repenteth and
doeth good, he verily repenteth toward Allah with true repentance - And those
who will not witness vanity, but when they pass near senseless play, pass by
with dignity. And those who, when they are reminded of the revelations of their
Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat.And who say: Our Lord! Vouchsafe us
comfort of our wives and of our offspring, and make us patterns for (all) those
who ward off (evil). They will be awarded the high place forasmuch as they were
steadfast, and they will meet therein with welcome and the ward of peace,
Abiding there for ever. Happy is it as abode and station!" (Verses 71-76)
The Surah finishes with a clear
instruction on how to behave, even to those who treat believers aggressively.
The Holy Prophet and the Holy Imams were treated inappropriately and harshly
throughout their lives and they never responded with anger or hatred.
Although verse 68 condemns false worship, the taking of
life and fornication, verse 71 says that even in the case of such
crimes, if there is true repentance and changed conduct, Allah's mercy is
available, and it will transform the repentants nature from evil to good.
We move on to Surah 26, Ash-Shuaraa
(The Poets). This Surah was revealed at Mecca and has 227 verses in 11
sections.
Surah 26, Ash-Shuaraa (The
Poets)
Section 1: Quran, the Book
manifest, verses 1-9
"It may be that thou tormentest
thyself (O Muhammad) because they believe not. If We will, We can send down on
them from the sky a portent so that their necks would remain bowed before
it." (Verses 3-4)
"Never cometh there unto them a
fresh reminder from the Beneficent One, but they turn away from it. Now they
have denied (the Truth); but there will come unto them tidings of that whereat
they used to scoff. Have they not seen the earth, how much of every fruitful
kind We make to grow therein?" (Verses 5-7)
The Holy Prophet wanted to save all human beings from the sure punishment Allah
will inflict upon those who have not believed and followed His religion. The
disbelievers who rejected the Quran had not been the first to belie the message
and the messenger of Allah; earlier men like them had also belied the
messengers of Allah and the scriptures they brought from Allah, but soon the
truth prevailed and the disbelievers were humiliated.
Sections 2, 3 & 4: Moses
and Aaron sent towards Pharaoh & Pharaoh's sorcerers embrace the truth
& Moses rescues the children of Israel, verses 10-68
The verses in this section
repeat the story of Prophet Musa and Prophet Harun as discussed in previous
chapters. Prophet Musa asks Allah for the assistance of his brother, Prophet
Harun and is then sent to confront the Pharaoh and ask him to deliver the
children of Israel to them and to turn towards Allah. The Pharaoh refused to
believe and demanded some miracles. Even after witnessing the miracles and his
own magicians turn towards Prophet Musa, he refuses to believe and is severely
punished
Section 5: Abraham exhorts his
father to discard idolatry, verses 69-104
"Recite unto them the story of
Abraham: When he said unto his father and his folk: What worship ye?
They said: We worship idols, and are ever devoted unto them.
He said: Do they hear you when ye cry? Or do they benefit or harm you?
They said: Nay, but we found our fathers acting on this wise." (Verses 69-74)
"Lo! they are (all) an enemy unto
me, save the Lord of the Worlds,Who created me, and He doth guide me." (Verses 77-78)
"And Who, I ardently hope, will
forgive me my sin on the Day of Judgment. My Lord! Vouchsafe me wisdom and
unite me to the righteous." (Verses 82-83)
"And forgive my father. Lo! he is
of those who err. And abase me not on the day when they are raised, The day
when wealth and sons avail not (any man)." (Verses 86-88)
Sections 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10:
Noah exhorts his people to worship the only true God & Hud exhorts his
people to guard themselves against evil & Saleh preaches righteousness to
the people of Thamud & Lot admonishes his people & Shuaib's mission to
the dwellers of the forest, verses 105-191
The stories of Prophet Nuh,
Hud, Saleh, Lot and Shuaib are covered in these sections and have been
discussed in previous chapters.
Section 11: The Spirit
faithful, descended with the Quran, verses 192-227
"And lo! it is a revelation of
the Lord of the Worlds, Which the True Spirit hath brought downUpon thy heart,
that thou mayst be (one) of the warners, In plain Arabic speech." (Verses 192-195)
"And if We had revealed it unto
one of any other nation than the Arabs, And he had read it unto them, they
would not have believed in it. Thus do We make it traverse the hearts of the
guilty. They will not believe in it till they behold the painful doom." (Verses 198-201)
"(How) that wherewith they were
contented naught availeth them? And We destroyed no township but it had its
warners For reminder, for We never were oppressors." (Verses 207-209)
"The devils did not bring it
down. It is not meet for them, nor is it in their power, Lo! verily they are
banished from the hearing. Therefor invoke not with Allah another god, lest
thou be one of the doomed." (Verses 210-213)
"Shall I inform you upon whom the
devils descend? They descend on every sinful, false one. They listen eagerly,
but most of them are liars. As for poets, the erring follow them. Hast thou not
seen how they stray in every valley, And how they say that which they do not?
Save those who believe and do good works, and remember Allah much, and
vindicate themselves after they have been wronged. Those who do wrong will come
to know by what a (great) reverse they will be overturned!" (Verses 221-227)
In this last section Allah
announces how the ruhal-ameen (faithful spirit) descended into
the heart of the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet had to be an Arab in order for
the people to listen to his message, otherwise he would've been even more
ignored. In verses 210-213, God categorically
states that the Quran was not sent down by the Shaitan neither does he have the
power to send down such a book.
The last few verses address the
practices of following poets which used to be done before the arrival of the
Holy Prophet. In pagan Arabia they were held in esteem and awe, believed to be
under the power of jinns. After the
announcement of the Holy Prophet's message the poets used to compose poems in
praise of their idols and attack the Holy Prophet and were in manifest error.
However, poetry composed in praise of Allah and righteousness and in
condemnation of falsehood as been praised.
Following on with the next
Surah, Surah 27, An-Naml (The Ant). This Surah was revealed at Mecca and has 93
verses in 7 sections. Chapter 19 has five of those sections.
Surah 27, An-Naml (The Ant)
Section 1: Moses commissioned
with Prophethood, verses 1-14
The first section once again
mentions the meeting of Prophet Musa with the burning bush and then speaking to
Allah. Allah declares his Prophethood and then shows him to two miracles that
we will later perform in front of the Pharaoh and his magicians as discussed in
previous chapters.
Sections 2 & 3: Solomon
inherits from David and Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, verses 15-44
"And Solomon was David's heir.
And he said: O mankind! Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have
been given (abundance) of all things. This surely is evident favour." (Verse 16)
"And there were gathered together
unto Solomon his armies of the jinn and humankind, and of the birds, and they
were set in battle order; Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an
ant exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush
you, unperceiving. And (Solomon) smiled, laughing at her speech, and said: My
Lord, arouse me to be thankful for Thy favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me
and my parents, and to do good that shall be pleasing unto Thee, and include me
in (the number of) Thy righteous slaves." (Verses 17-19)
In verse 16, Prophet
Suleyman was the heir of his father Prophet Dawood. They both had the ability
to speak with birds. This verse also proved that Prophets were allowed to leave
inheritance for their family - something that was denied Bibi Fatima (as) after
the Holy Prophets death by Abu Bakr. Prophet Suleyman could also speak with all
animals and heard the ants that were walking across his path and so stopped his
army ensuring their safety.
"And he sought among the birds
and said: How is it that I see not the hoopoe, or is he among the absent?" (Verse 20)
"But he was not long in coming,
and he said: I have found out (a thing) that thou apprehendest not, and I come
unto thee from Sheba with sure tidings. Lo! I found a woman ruling over them,
and she hath been given (abundance) of all things, and hers is a mighty throne.
I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allah; and Satan
maketh their works fairseeming unto them, and debarreth them from the way (of
Truth), so that they go not aright." (Verses 22-24)
"(Solomon) said: We shall see
whether thou speakest truth or whether thou art of the liars. Go with this my
letter and throw it down unto them; then turn away and see what (answer) they return,
(The Queen of Sheba) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains! Lo!
there hath been thrown unto me a noble letter.
Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent,
the Merciful; Exalt not yourselves against me, but come unto me as those who
surrender." (Verses 27-31)
"She said: Lo! kings, when they
enter a township, ruin it and make the honour of its people shame. Thus will
they do. But lo! I am going to send a present unto them, and to see with what
(answer) the messengers return.
So when (the envoy) came unto Solomon, (the King) said: What! Would ye help me
with wealth? But that which Allah hath given me is better than that which He
hath given you. Nay it is ye (and not I) who exult in your gift. Return unto
them. We verily shall come unto them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we
shall drive them out from thence with shame, and they will be abased." (Verses 34-37)
"He said: O chiefs! Which of you
will bring me her throne before they come unto me, surrendering? A stalwart of
the jinn said: I will bring it thee before thou canst rise from thy place. Lo!
I verily am strong and trusty for such work. One with whom was knowledge of the
Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And
when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) said: This is of the bounty of my
Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever
giveth thanks he only giveth thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and
whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my
Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful." (Verses 38-40)
"He said: Disguise her throne for
her that we may see whether she will go aright or be of those not rightly
guided. So, when she came, it was said (unto her): Is thy throne like this? She
said: (It is) as though it were the very one. And (Solomon said): We were given
the knowledge before her and we had surrendered (to Allah).And (all) that she
was wont to worship instead of Allah hindered her, for she came of disbelieving
folk.
It was said unto her: Enter the hall. And when she saw it she deemed it a pool
and bared her legs. (Solomon) said: Lo! it is a hall, made smooth, of glass.
She said: My Lord! Lo! I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon unto
Allah, the Lord of the Worlds." (Verses 41-44)
Verses 20-44 narrate the story of Prophet Suleyman
and the Queen of Sheba. The hoopoe bird reported to the Prophet that he had
witnessed a vast kingdom of Saba, ruled by the Queen of Sheba. The people of
Saba worshiped the sun. Prophet Suleyman sent her a letter inviting her to the
true message and unity of God, beginning the letter with bismillahir rahmanir rahim. The
Queen initially sent some gifts back to the Prophet but he refused them "What! Would ye help me with
wealth? But that which Allah hath given me is better than that which He hath
given you. Nay it is ye (and not I) who exult in your gift."
Prophet Suleyman then asked the
jinns who could bring her throne to him. One jinn replied "I will bring it thee before thou
canst rise from thy place. Lo! I verily am strong and trusty for such
work," before someone else announced "I will bring it thee before thy
gaze returneth unto thee." Allah
describes this person as "One with
whom was knowledge of the Scripture," and the Holy
Prophet has said that this person was none other that Imam Ali (as): "O Ali, you helped all the
prophets of Allah concealed from view, and you help me in in person
manifestly."
With the Queen on her throne in
front of Prophet Suleyman within the blink of an eye, she was invited to the
message of Allah once more and accepted the true message and unity of God.
Section 4: Saleh and Lot, verses 45-58
This section tells the stories
of Prophet Saleh and Lot once more and has been covered in previous chapters.
Section 5: God's chosen
servants, verses 59-66
"Say (O Muhammad): Praise be to
Allah, and peace be on His slaves whom He hath chosen! Is Allah best, or (all)
that ye ascribe as partners (unto Him)?" (Verse 59)
"Is not He (best) Who made the
earth a fixed abode, and placed rivers in the folds thereof, and placed firm
hills therein, and hath set a barrier between the two seas? Is there any Allah
beside Allah? Nay, but most of them know not!" (Verse 61)
"Is not He (best) Who answereth
the wronged one when he crieth unto Him and removeth the evil, and hath made
you viceroys of the earth? Is there any Allah beside Allah? Little do they
reflect!" (Verse 62)
"Is not He (best) Who produceth
creation, then reproduceth it, and Who provideth for you from the heaven and
the earth? Is there any Allah beside Allah? Say: Bring your proof, if ye are truthful!" (Verse 64)
"Say (O Muhammad): None in the
heavens and the earth knoweth the Unseen save Allah; and they know not when
they will be raised (again)." (Verse 65)
Verses 61-64 describe some of the bounties of Allah
including the Earth, rivers, wind, creation. Only Allah knows the unseen.
That concludes Chapter 19 and
inshallah we continue with Surah 27 tomorrow and also cover Surahs 28 & 29.
Thank you for reading.
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