Surah
27, An-Naml (The Ant), Verses 67-93 & Surah 28, Al-Qasas (The Stories), 88
Verses & Surah 29, Al-Ankaboot (The Spider), Verses 1-45
Continuing with Surah 27 from
yesterday and the remaining 2 sections.
Surah 27, An- Naml (The Ant)
Sections 6 & 7: The
resurrection, sure 7 The coming of the Day of Judgement, verses 67-93
"Say (unto them, O Muhammad):
Travel in the land and see the nature of the sequel for the guilty! And grieve
thou not for them, nor be in distress because of what they plot (against
thee)." (Verses 69-70)
"Lo! thy Lord is full of bounty
for mankind, but most of them do not give thanks. Lo! thy Lord knoweth surely
all that their bosoms hide, and all that they proclaim. And there is nothing
hidden in the heaven or the earth but it is in a clear Record." (Verses 73-75)
"Therefor (O Muhammad) put thy
trust in Allah, for thou (standest) on the plain Truth. Lo! thou canst not make
the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call when they have
turned to flee; Nor canst thou lead the blind out of their error. Thou canst
make none to hear, save those who believe Our revelations and who have
surrendered." (Verses 79-81)
"And when the word is fulfilled
concerning them, We shall bring forth a beast of the earth to speak unto them
because mankind had not faith in Our revelations. And (remind them of) the Day
when We shall gather out of every nation a host of those who denied Our
revelations, and they will be set in array; Till, when they come (before their
Lord), He will say: Did ye deny My revelations when ye could not compass them
in knowledge, or what was it that ye did? And the Word will be fulfilled
concerning them because they have done wrong, and they will not speak." (Verses 82-85)
"And (remind them of) the Day
when the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and the earth
will start in fear, save him whom Allah willeth. And all come unto Him,
humbled." (Verse 87)
"(Say): I (Muhammad) am commanded
only to serve the Lord of this land which He hath hallowed, and unto Whom all
things belong. And I am commanded to be of those who surrender (unto Him), And
to recite the Qur'an. And whoso goeth right, goeth right only for (the good of)
his own soul; and as for him who goeth astray - (Unto him) say: Lo! I am only a
warner." (Verses 91-92)
In the final two sections the
coming of the Day of Judgement is discussed in some detail. Firstly Allah is
reassuring the Holy Prophet about his role on Earth - he has been sent as a
messenger, a Warner - he cannot make the disbelievers change their attitudes.
For them, God's judgement awaits.
In verse 82, the beast has
been described by commentators as one of the first signs of the Day of
Judgement. A slow moving creature that will touch the believers with the staff
of Prophet Musa and mark the disbelievers with the seal of Prophet Suleyman. Verse 87 reveals another sign, the blowing of
the trumpet which will herald the start of the Day of Judgement.
Surah 27 finished and now
moving on to Surah 28, Al-Qasas (The Stories). It was revealed at Mecca and has
88 verses in 9 sections.
Surah 28, Al-Qasas (The
Stories)
Sections 1 & 2: The
narrative of Moses, verses 1-14
"We narrate unto thee (somewhat)
of the story of Moses and Pharaoh with truth, for folk who believe. Lo! Pharaoh
exalted himself in the earth and made its people castes. A tribe among them he
oppressed, killing their sons and sparing their women. Lo! he was of those who
work corruption. And We desired to show favour unto those who were oppressed in
the earth, and to make them examples and to make them the inheritors, And to
establish them in the earth, and to show Pharaoh and Haman and their hosts that
which they feared from them.
And We inspired the mother of Moses,
saying: Suckle him and, when thou fearest for him, then cast him into the river
and fear not nor grieve. Lo! We shall bring him back unto thee and shall make
him (one) of Our messengers. And the family of Pharaoh took him up, that he
might become for them an enemy and a sorrow, Lo! Pharaoh and Haman and their
hosts were ever sinning. And the wife of Pharaoh said: (He will be) a
consolation for me and for thee. Kill him not. Peradventure he may be of use to
us, or we may choose him for a son. And they perceived not.
And the heart of the mother of Moses became void, and she would have betrayed
him if We had not fortified her heart, that she might be of the believers. And
she said unto his sister: Trace him. So she observed him from afar, and they
perceived not. And We had before forbidden foster-mothers for him, so she said:
Shall I show you a household who will rear him for you and take care of him? So
We restored him to his mother that she might be comforted and not grieve, and
that she might know that the promise of Allah is true. But most of them know
not.
And when he reached his full strength and was ripe, We gave him wisdom and
knowledge. Thus do We reward the good." (Verses 3-14)
The first part of the story of
Prophet Musa is narrated in the first section of Surah 28. As the above verses
describe, the Pharaoh was killing every newborn son in his kingdom, but by the
mercy of Allah, Prophet Musa was protected. His mother cast him away in the
river and he was found by the wife of the Pharaoh who decided to raise him
herself. His mother's sister saw that he was taken into Pharaoh's care and sent
her sister, the Prophet's mother, to suckle the baby and hence reunite the
pair.
Section 2: Moses saved by God
from being murdered, verses 15-21
"And he entered the city at a
time of carelessness of its folk, and he found therein two men fighting, one of
his own caste, and the other of his enemies; and he who was of his caste asked
him for help against him who was of his enemies. So Moses struck him with his
fist and killed him. He said: This is of the devil's doing. Lo! he is an enemy,
a mere misleader. He said: My Lord! Lo! I have wronged my soul, so forgive me.
Then He forgave him. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (Verses 15-16)
"And morning found him in the
city, fearing, vigilant, when behold! he who had appealed to him the day before
cried out to him for help. Moses said unto him: Lo! thou art indeed a mere
hothead. And when he would have fallen upon the man who was an enemy unto them
both, he said: O Moses! Wouldst thou kill me as thou didst kill a person
yesterday. Thou wouldst be nothing but a tyrant in the land, thou wouldst not
be of the reformers." (Verses 18-19)
"And a man came from the
uttermost part of the city, running. He said: O Moses! Lo! the chiefs take counsel
against thee to slay thee; therefor escape. Lo! I am of those who give thee
good advice. So he escaped from thence, fearing, vigilant. He said: My Lord!
Deliver me from the wrongdoing folk." (Verses 20-21)
Prophet Musa witnessed an
Egyptian attacking a Jew whilst he was walking past. He went to defend the Jew
at his request and struck the Egyptian. The blow was too forceful and the man
was killed. Allah forgave him for the incident. However, the same Jew tried to
get Prophet Musa's help once more and this time he was admonished for trying to
cause trouble for the Prophet and so he taunted the Prophet (verse 19). Because
he had accidentally killed an Egyptian man, the authorities wanted to punish
him accordingly. Prophet Musa was warned of the plan and sought the protection
of Allah (verse 21).
Section 3: Moses weds, verses
22-28
"And when he came unto the water
of Midian he found there a whole tribe of men, watering. And he found apart
from them two women keeping back (their flocks). He said: What aileth you? The
two said: We cannot give (our flocks) to drink till the shepherds return from
the water; and our father is a very old man. So he watered (their flock) for
them. Then he turned aside into the shade, and said: My Lord! I am needy of
whatever good Thou sendest down for me.
Then there came unto him one of the
two women, walking shyly. She said: Lo! my father biddeth thee, that he may
reward thee with a payment for that thou didst water (the flock) for us. Then,
when he came unto him and told him the (whole) story, he said: Fear not! Thou
hast escaped from the wrongdoing folk.One of the two women said: O my father!
Hire him! For the best (man) that thou canst hire in the strong, the
trustworthy.
He said: Lo! I fain would marry thee to one of these two daughters of mine on
condition that thou hirest thyself to me for (the term of) eight pilgrimages.
Then if thou completest ten it will be of thine own accord, for I would not
make it hard for thee. Allah willing, thou wilt find me of the righteous." (Verses 23-27)
After his escape from the
Egyptians, Prophet Musa went towards Midian and arrived at an oasis, hungry and
weak. He sat under a tree near a well and saw shepherds giving water to their
flocks while two girls waited with their flocks for their turn. The shepherds
were drawing water for their own flocks but none drew water for the girls.
These two girls were Safura and Safra, daughters of Prophet Shuaib, who was
very old and could not come to give water to the flocks. Prophet Musa asked the
shepherds to help the young ladies but they told him to draw water for the
flocks of the girls himself.
He then walked the two girls
back to their home and whilst walking, he told them to walk behind him and in
case he needed guidance they could throw a small stone in that direction before
him, so as to protect their modesty. Prophet Shuaib met Prophet Musa and gave
him food and water to drink. After his daughter's recommendation, Prophet Musa
stayed and worked with Prophet Shuaib and was wedded to his daughter.
Section 4: Moses commission
with Prophethood, verses 29-42
This section addressed the
announcement of Prophet Musa's mission and support from Prophet Harun to face
the Pharaoh and invite him to believe in one true God as discussed in previous
chapters.
Section 5: Moses' mission
referred to, verses 43-50
"And We verily gave the Scripture
unto Moses after We had destroyed the generations of old: clear testimonies for
mankind, and a guidance and a mercy, that haply they might reflect. And thou
(Muhammad) wast not on the western side (of the Mount) when We expounded unto
Moses the commandment, and thou wast not among those present; But We brought
forth generations, and their lives dragged on for them. And thou wast not a
dweller in Midian, reciting unto them Our revelations, but We kept sending
(messengers to men). And thou was not beside the Mount when We did call; but
(the knowledge of it is) a mercy from thy Lord that thou mayst warn a folk unto
whom no warner came before thee, that haply they may give heed." (Verses 43-46)
"But when there came unto them
the Truth from Our presence, they said: Why is he not given the like of what
was given unto Moses? Did they not disbelieve in that which was given unto
Moses of old? They say: Two magics that support each other; and they say: Lo!
in both we are disbelievers. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Then bring a
scripture from the presence of Allah that giveth clearer guidance than these
two (that) I may follow it, if ye are truthful." (Verses 48-49)
Although the Holy Prophet was
not present during the time of Prophet Musa, he has been blessed with the
knowledge of his time and his book, the Torah, by Allah. Allah sent the Holy
Prophet as a Warner and bearer of glad tidings to mankind in order to save them
from eternal chastisement, and more so because if messengers were not sent then
disbelievers could say that if one had been sent they would have followed
Allah's signs and obeyed the prophets, and become believers. They still
disbelieved and tried to challenge the authenticity of the Torah (in its
original form) and the Holy Quran
Section 6: Guidance from God
has been continuous, verses 51-60
"And now verily We have caused
the Word to reach them, that haply they may give heed. Those unto whom We gave
the Scripture before it, they believe in it, And when it is recited unto them,
they say: We believe in it. Lo! it is the Truth from our Lord. Lo! even before
it we were of those who surrender (unto Him)." (Verses 51-53)
"And when they hear vanity they
withdraw from it and say: Unto us our works and unto you your works. Peace be
unto you! We desire not the ignorant. Lo! thou (O Muhammad) guidest not whom
thou lovest, but Allah guideth whom He will. And He is Best Aware of those who
walk aright." (Verses 55-56)
"And never did thy Lord destroy
the townships, till He had raised up in their mother(-town) a messenger
reciting unto them Our revelations. And never did We destroy the townships
unless the folk thereof were evil-doers. And whatsoever ye have been given is a
comfort of the life of the world and an ornament thereof; and that which Allah
hath is better and more lasting. Have ye then no sense?" (Verses 59-60)
Prior to the Holy Prophets
mission, there were believers who followed the previous scriptures and then
followed the Holy Prophet after he announced his message, they are mentioned
and praised in verses 51-56. Once again
in verses 59-60 Allah reminds us that every folk had a
messenger. The towns that were destroyed were only after they rejected the
message.
Section 7: Unity of God, verses
61-75
"On the day when He will call
unto them and say: Where are My partners whom ye imagined? Those concerning
whom the Word will have come true will say: Our Lord! These are they whom we
led astray. We led them astray even as we ourselves were astray. We declare our
innocence before Thee: us they never worshipped.And it will be said: Cry unto
your (so-called) partners (of Allah). And they will cry unto them, and they
will give no answer unto them, and they will see the Doom. Ah, if they had but
been guided! And on the Day when He will call unto them and say: What answer
gave ye to the messengers?" (Verses 62-65)
"Thy Lord bringeth to pass what
He willeth and chooseth. They have never any choice. Glorified be Allah and Exalted
above all that they associate (with Him)!" (Verse 66)
"Say: Have ye thought, if Allah
made night everlasting for you till the Day of Resurrection, who is a god
beside Allah who could bring you light? Will ye not then hear? Say: Have ye
thought, if Allah made day everlasting for you till the Day of Resurrection,
who is a god beside Allah who could bring you night wherein ye rest? Will ye
not then see?" (Verses 71-72)
"And We shall take out from every
nation a witness and We shall say: Bring your proof. Then they will know that
Allah hath the Truth, and all that they invented will have failed them." (Verse 75)
On the Day of Judgement the
disbelievers will be called to bring forward the idols and gods that they
worshipped. They will disown them and deny that they wanted to be worshipped.
In the process of creation and legislation, Allah is in complete control,
mankind has no say. Furthermore, Allah will also call witnesses to verify the
conduct of the people on the Day of Judgement.
Section 8: Korah's ruin, verses
76-88
"Now Korah was of Moses' folk,
but he oppressed them; and We gave him so much treasure that the stores thereof
would verily have been a burden for a troop of mighty men. When his own folk
said unto him: Exult not; lo! Allah loveth not the exultant;
But seek the abode of the Hereafter in that which Allah hath given thee and
neglect not thy portion of the world, and be thou kind even as Allah hath been
kind to thee, and seek not corruption in the earth; lo! Allah loveth not
corrupters,
He said: I have been given it only on account of knowledge I possess. Knew he
not that Allah had destroyed already of the generations before him men who were
mightier than him in strength and greater in respect of following? The guilty
are not questioned of their sins." (Verses 76-78)
"So We caused the earth to
swallow him and his dwelling-place. Then he had no host to help him against
Allah, nor was he of those who can save themselves. And morning found those who
had coveted his place but yesterday crying: Ah, welladay! Allah enlargeth the
provision for whom He will of His slaves and straiteneth it (for whom He will).
If Allah had not been gracious unto us He would have caused it to swallow us
(also). Ah, welladay! the disbelievers never prosper." (Verses 81-82)
"Whoso bringeth a good deed, he
will have better than the same; while as for him who bringeth an ill-deed,
those who do ill-deeds will be requited only what they did." (Verse 84)
"And cry not unto any other god
along with Allah. There is no Allah save Him. Everything will perish save His
countenance. His is the command, and unto Him ye will be brought back." (Verse 88)
Korah was a cousin of Prophet
Musa who apparently believed in his message but than Allah tested him with
wealth and abundance and he was proved to be a disbeliever. After Prophet Musa
and his people escaped through the Red Sea, Korah became jealous that Prophet
Harun was appointed as his deputy. He bribed woman to claim that she had
committed adultery with Prophet Musa. When Prophet Musa challenged her, she
revealed the truth and Prophet Musa called on Allah to punish Korah.
Immediately the earth began to
swallow him and his followers up and as they cried to Prophet Musa for mercy,
he refused and they were buried in the earth. Allah addressed Prophet Musa and
said that had Korah and his followers turned to the All Mighty for mercy he
would have stopped their punishment.
Moving on to Surah 29, Al-Ankabut
(The Spider). Surah 29 was revealed at Mecca and has 69 verses in 7 sections.
Chapter 20 has the first 4 sections. It is one of the Surahs that are recited
on the night of Layatul-Qadr.
Surah 29, Al-Ankabut (The
Spider)
Section 1: Every soul shall be
tried, verses 1-13
"Do men imagine that they will be
left (at ease) because they say, We believe, and will not be tested with
affliction?Lo! We tested those who were before you. Thus Allah knoweth those
who are sincere, and knoweth those who feign." (Verses 2-3)
"And as for those who believe and
do good works, We shall remit from them their evil deeds and shall repay them
the best that they did." (Verse 7)
"We have enjoined on man kindness
to parents; but if they strive to make thee join with Me that of which thou
hast no knowledge, then obey them not. Unto Me is your return and I shall tell
you what ye used to do. And as for those who believe and do good works, We
verily shall make them enter in among the righteous." (Verses 8-9)
"Those who disbelieve say unto
those who believe: Follow our way (of religion) and we verily will bear your
sins (for you). They cannot bear aught of their sins. Lo! they verily are
liars. But they verily will bear their own loads and other loads beside their
own, and they verily will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection concerning
that which they invented." (Verses 12-13)
Allah makes a clear, open
declaration in this section that all of mankind will be tested, it is not
enough to claims you believe, our faith will be tested. For those who strive in
the way of Allah, their sins will be forgiven on the Day of Judgement as a
result of their efforts. Mankind is also instructed to obey their parents at
all times, unless it compromises their faith in Allah. As for the disbelievers,
they will face punishment not only for their actions but also on behalf of
those who they led astray.
Section 2: Noah and Abraham's
mission, verses 14-22
"And verily we sent Noah (as Our
messenger) unto his folk, and he continued with them for a thousand years save
fifty years; and the flood engulfed them, for they were wrong-doers. And We
rescued him and those with him in the ship, and made of it a portent for the
peoples." (Verses 14-15)
"And Abraham! (Remember) when he
said unto his folk: Serve Allah, and keep your duty unto Him; that is better
for you if ye did but know. Ye serve instead of Allah only idols, and ye only
invent a lie. Lo! those whom ye serve instead of Allah own no provision for
you. So seek your provision from Allah, and serve Him, and give thanks unto
Him, (for) unto Him ye will be brought back." (Verses 16-17)
"Ye cannot escape (from Him) in
the earth or in the sky, and beside Allah there is for you no friend or
helper." (Verse 22)
The missions of Prophet Nuh and
Prophet Ibrahim are touched upon once more. Prophet lived for 950 years
preaching the message and unity of God. People continued to disbelieve and were
drowned. Prophet Ibrahim, similarly, advised strongly against idol-worship and
again people refused to believe and were punished accordingly.
Section 3: Abraham and Lot,
verses 23-35
"Those who disbelieve in the
revelations of Allah and in (their) Meeting with Him, such have no hope of My
mercy. For such there is a painful doom. But the answer of his folk was only
that they said: "Kill him" or "Burn him." Then Allah saved
him from the Fire. Lo! herein verily are portents for folk who believe." (Verses 23-25)
"And We bestowed on him Isaac and
Jacob, and We established the prophethood and the Scripture among his seed, and
We gave him his reward in the world, and lo! in the Hereafter he verily is
among the righteous." (Verse 27)
"And Lot! (Remember) when he said
unto his folk: Lo! ye commit lewdness such as no creature did before you. For
come ye not in unto males, and cut ye not the road (for travellers), and commit
ye not abomination in your meetings? But the answer of his folk was only that
they said: Bring Allah's doom upon us if thou art a truthteller! He said: My
Lord! Give me victory over folk who work corruption." (Verses 28-30)
"And when Our messengers brought
Abraham the good news, they said: Lo! we are about to destroy the people of
that township, for its people are wrong-doers. He said: Lo! Lot is there. They
said: We are best aware of who is there. We are to deliver him and his
household, all save his wife, who is of those who stay behind." (Verses 31-32)
Section 4: The mission of
Abraham, Lot, Shuaib and Moses, verses 35-45
"And unto Midian We sent Shu'eyb,
their brother. He said: O my people! Serve Allah, and look forward to the Last
Day, and do not evil, making mischief, in the earth. But they denied him, and
the dreadful earthquake took them, and morning found them prostrate in their
dwelling place." (Verses 36-37)
"And Korah, Pharaoh and Haman!
Moses came unto them with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), but they were
boastful in the land. And they were not winners (in the race). So We took each
one in his sin; of them was he on whom We sent a hurricane, and of them was he
who was overtaken by the (Awful) Cry, and of them was he whom We caused the
earth to swallow, and of them was he whom We drowned. It was not for Allah to
wrong them, but they wronged themselves." (Verses 39-40)
"The likeness of those who choose
other patrons than Allah is as the likeness of the spider when she taketh unto
herself a house, and lo! the frailest of all houses is the spider's house, if
they but knew." (Verse 41)
"Recite that which hath been
inspired in thee of the Scripture, and establish worship. Lo! worship
preserveth from lewdness and iniquity, but verily remembrance of Allah is more
important. And Allah knoweth what ye do." (Verse 45)
These verses discuss the
stories of Prophets Ibrahim, Shuiab and Musa once more. The last few verses
make the analogy of belief in falsehood is like a fragile spider's web which
cannot withstand the slightest of wind. Whenever the reason behind any logical
argument is brought to bear upon the false dogmas of wrong belief the whole
fabric of falsehood is torn to pieces, as a spider's web is blown away by wind.
Chapter 20 ends here and
inshallah we complete Surah 29 tomorrow and continue with Surahs 30, 31, 32 and
33.
Thank you for reading.
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