Surah
33, Al-Ahzaab (The Clans), Verses 35-73 &
Surah
34, As-Saba (The Saba), 54 Verses &
Surah
35, Al-Faatir (The Originator), 45 Verses &
Surah
36, Yaseen, Verses 1-27
Continuing with Surah 33, Al-Ahzaab
and the remaining 5 sections.
Surah 33, Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)
Section 5: No believer shall
have any choice against the command of the Prophet of God, verses 35-40
"Lo! men who surrender unto
Allah, and women who surrender, and men who believe and women who believe, and
men who obey and women who obey, and men who speak the truth and women who
speak the truth, and men who persevere (in righteousness) and women who
persevere, and men who are humble and women who are humble, and men who give
alms and women who give alms, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who
guard their modesty and women who guard (their modesty), and men who remember
Allah much and women who remember - Allah hath prepared for them forgiveness
and a vast reward." (Verse 35)
"And when thou saidst unto him on
whom Allah hath conferred favour and thou hast conferred favour: Keep thy wife
to thyself, and fear Allah. And thou didst hide in thy mind that which Allah
was to bring to light, and thou didst fear mankind whereas Allah hath a better
right that thou shouldst fear Him. So when Zeyd had performed that necessary
formality (of divorce) from her, We gave her unto thee in marriage, so that
(henceforth) there may be no sin for believers in respect of wives of their
adopted sons, when the latter have performed the necessary formality (of
release) from them. The commandment of Allah must be fulfilled." (Verse 37)
"Muhammad is not the father of
any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the
Prophets; and Allah is ever Aware of all things." (Verse 40)
Verse 35 highlights all the virtues that are
required of mankind to show our love to Allah. Note how for every single virtue
it states men and women separately indicating how there is no
superiority of either sex in anything but strength of faith. Verse 37 makes mention of the Holy Prophet's
marriage to Zaynab after her divorce with the Holy Prophet's adopted son as
discussed in the last chapter. He was instructed to marry her, by Allah, to
save her from further shame and embarrassment.
Section 6: The Prophet sent as
a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, verses 41-52
"O ye who believe! Remember Allah
with much remembrance. And glorify Him early and late." (Verses 41-42)
"O Prophet! Lo! We have sent thee
as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And as a summoner unto
Allah by His permission, and as a lamp that giveth light. And announce unto the
believers the good tidings that they will have great bounty from Allah." (Verses 45-47)
"O Prophet! Lo! We have made
lawful unto thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those
whom thy right hand possesseth of those whom Allah hath given thee as spoils of
war, and the daughters of thine uncle on the father's side and the daughters of
thine aunts on the father's side, and the daughters of thine uncle on the
mother's side and the daughters of thine aunts on the mother's side who
emigrated with thee, and a believing woman if she give herself unto the Prophet
and the Prophet desire to ask her in marriage - a privilege for thee only, not
for the (rest of) believers - We are Aware of that which We enjoined upon them
concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess - that thou
mayst be free from blame, for Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful." (Verse 50)
"It is not allowed thee to take
(other) women henceforth, nor that thou shouldst change them for other wives
even though their beauty pleased thee, save those whom thy right hand
possesseth. And Allah is ever Watcher over all things." (Verse 52)
The Holy Prophet came as a
witness to all men about the truths which had been obscured by the falsehood of
ignorance and superstition. He came as a bearer of glad tidings of the mercy
and reward of Allah to those believers who do good and also to those
transgressors who believe, repent and then live a good life. He came also as a Warner
to those who are heedless of the hereafter. He also came as one who has a
right to invite all men to the religion of Allah. Above all he came "as a lamp that giveth light," to
illuminate the right path.
The Holy Prophet was married to
Bibi Khadija for 25 years, in that time he married no-one else. After her
death, he married several women for different reasons, out of compassion, to
prevent shame on a particular family or to help his mission. Verse 50 indicates who we are permitted to
marry. After verse 52 was revealed, the Holy Prophet was instructed
not to marry anymore.
Section 7: Those who annoy God
and his Prophet Muhammed, verses 53-58
"It is no sin for them (thy
wives) to converse freely) with their fathers, or their sons, or their
brothers, or their brothers' sons, or the sons of their sisters or of their own
women, or their slaves. O women! Keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is ever
Witness over all things." (Verse 55)
"Lo! Allah and His angels shower
blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him
with a worthy salutation." (Verse 56)
"Lo! those who malign Allah and
His messenger, Allah hath cursed them in the world and the Hereafter, and hath
prepared for them the doom of the disdained. And those who malign believing men
and believing women undeservedly, they bear the guilt of slander and manifest
sin." (Verses 57-58)
Verse 55 covers the concept of hijab and lists the people
women are not required to wear the veil. In verse 56 the believers are commanded to invoke
Allah to send blessing on the Holy Prophet - salawat.
If a believer really desires fulfilment of his or her supplication, salawat must be recited before and also at the
end of the prayer because in that case whatever the prayer contains in the
beginning, in the middle, and in the end will be accepted by Allah as the salawat has covered and encircled the whole
supplication, and as salawat is always accepted by Allah (because
He Himself recites salawat on the Holy Prophet) the entire prayer
is accepted by Him.
Section 8: The knowledge of the
hour of Judgement, verses 59-68
"O Prophet! Tell thy wives and
thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round
them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised
and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful." (Verse 59)
"Men ask thee of the Hour. Say:
The knowledge of it is with Allah only. What can convey (the knowledge) unto
thee? It may be that the Hour is nigh." (Verse 63)
"On the day when their faces are
turned over in the Fire, they say: Oh, would that we had obeyed Allah and had
obeyed His messenger! And they say: Our Lord! Lo! we obeyed our princes and
great men, and they misled us from the Way. Our Lord! Oh, give them double
torment and curse them with a mighty curse." (Verses 66-68)
Verse 59 clearly prescribes the wearing of the hijab when outside. Only
Allah knows the exact time of the Day of Judgement. The fate of verse 68 will
of those self-proclaimed leaders who ignored the command of the Holy Prophet at
Ghadir Khum.
Section 9: He who obeys God and
his apostle, achieves a might success, verses 69-73
"O ye who believe! Guard your
duty to Allah, and speak words straight to the point; He will adjust your works
for you and will forgive you your sins. Whosoever obeyeth Allah and His
messenger, he verily hath gained a signal victory. Lo! We offered the trust
unto the heavens and the earth and the hills, but they shrank from bearing it
and were afraid of it. And man assumed it. Lo! he hath proved a tyrant and a
fool." (Verses 70-72)
"So Allah punisheth hypocritical
men and hypocritical women, and idolatrous men and idolatrous women. But Allah
pardoneth believing men and believing women, and Allah is ever Forgiving,
Merciful." (Verse 73)
"The trust," in verse 72 refers to the Holy Prophet and the
Ahlul-Bayt. The disbelievers have abused that trust because of their iniquity
and ignorance. Those who accept and follow the trust will be blessed in the
hereafter.
With that we move on to Surah
34, As-Saba (The Saba). Revealed at Mecca, it contains 54 verses in 6 sections.
Surah 34, As-Saba (The Saba)
Section 1: Those given the
knowledge by God, verses 1-9
"Praise be to Allah, unto Whom
belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. His is
the praise in the Hereafter, and He is the Wise, the Aware. He knoweth that
which goeth into the earth and that which cometh forth from it, and that
descendeth from the heaven and that which ascendeth into it. He is the
Merciful, the Forgiving." (Verses 1-2)
"Those who disbelieve say: The
Hour will never come unto us. Say: Nay, by my Lord, but it is coming unto you
surely. (He is) the Knower of the Unseen. Not an atom's weight, or less than
that or greater, escapeth Him in the heavens or in the earth, but it is in a
clear Record, That He may reward those who believe and do good works. For them
is pardon and a rich provision." (Verses 3-4)
"Those who have been given
knowledge see that what is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the truth and
leadeth unto the path of the Mighty, the Owner of Praise." (Verse 6)
"Have they not observed what is
before them and what is behind them of the sky and the earth? If We will, We
can make the earth swallow them, or cause obliteration from the sky to fall on
them. Lo! herein surely is a portent for every slave who turneth (to Allah)
repentant." (Verse 9)
Everything in the heavens and the earth and in between them belongs to none but
Allah; hence praise of every kind and in any degree is His. Everything hidden
and manifest is known to Allah. Man in his ignorance thinks that whoever is
dead and buried is lost. The water absorbed into the earth replenishes numerous
streams and the seeds planted in the soil come out in various forms of
vegetation and provide food to all living beings. It is a constant cycle of
generation, decay and re-generation.
Every single deed will be
analysed and dealt with appropriately. Good deeds earn mercy and bad deeds earn
wrath. Allah's mercy can be freely earned; but by straying away from the right
path, mankind betrays the trust.
In verse 6 "those
who have been given knowledge," refers to the Holy
Prophet and his daughter Fatima (as) and the twelve holy Imams of the Ahlul-Bayt,
who never learnt anything from any mortal in this world, and yet were the
fountainheads of knowledge and wisdom, given to them directly by Allah.
Section 2: The destruction of
Saba, verses 10-21
"And assuredly We gave David
grace from Us, (saying): O ye hills and birds, echo his psalms of praise! And
We made the iron supple unto him, Saying: Make thou long coats of mail and
measure the links (thereof). And do ye right. Lo! I am Seer of what ye
do." (Verses 10-11)
"And unto Solomon (We gave) the
wind, whereof the morning course was a month's journey and the evening course a
month's journey, and We caused the fount of copper to gush forth for him, and
(We gave him) certain of the jinn who worked before him by permission of his
Lord. And such of them as deviated from Our command, them We caused to taste
the punishment of flaming Fire. They made for him what he willed: synagogues
and statues, basins like wells and boilers built into the ground. Give thanks, O
House of David! Few of My bondmen are thankful.
And when We decreed death for him, nothing showed his death to them save a
creeping creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. And when he fell
the jinn saw clearly how, if they had known the Unseen, they would not have
continued in despised toil." (Verses 12-14)
"There was indeed a sign for
Sheba in their dwelling-place: Two gardens on the right hand and the left (as
who should say): Eat of the provision of your Lord and render thanks to Him. A
fair land and an indulgent Lord! But they were froward, so We sent on them the
flood of 'Iram, and in exchange for their two gardens gave them two gardens
bearing bitter fruit, the tamarisk and here and there a lote-tree. This We
awarded them because of their ingratitude. Punish We ever any save the
ingrates?" (Verses 15-17)
"And Satan indeed found his
calculation true concerning them, for they follow him, all save a group of true
believers. And he had no warrant whatsoever against them, save that We would
know him who believeth in the Hereafter from him who is in doubt thereof; and
thy Lord (O Muhammad) taketh note of all things." (Verses 20-21)
Three stories are touched upon
in this section with important messages. Firstly Prophet Dawood is mentioned
with his ability to speak to birds. At the time of his rule he initially did
not work and withdrew funds from the public treasury. After praying to Allah he
was blessed with the strength to bend and mould iron and hence start to create
armour and chains which he would sell for a living.
Prophet Suleyman was also able
to speak with birds and animal and also had command over the jinns. With their help he
constructed a grand masjid.
Whilst over viewing the construction he stood at the highest point of his
kingdom. It was then that the Angel of Death was sent to him and peacefully
took his soul. His body remained leaning on his staff for a year and people
continued their work thinking he was still alive. It was only when an ant
chewed away his staff did his body fall and people realise that he was dead.
The last story is about the
people of Saba. They had a rich and abundant water supply which enabled the
growth of beautiful gardens. The 12 tribes of Saba were sent 12 separate
Prophets, all calling on their people to turn towards Allah and to worship only
Him. In their arrogance and pride they turned away from Allah and he duly
destroyed their gardens and habitations.
Shaitan had prayed for a
respite from Allah to try and lead mankind astray, the people of Saba, save a
few, were misled by Shaitan and their destruction was inevitable. Similarly,
the same waywardness has occurred among the followers of every prophet of
Allah, and also among the Muslims. Except the holy Ahlul-Bayt and those who
follow them faithfully, the others have been led astray by the agents of
Shaitan who appeared in the guise of the false leaders of the faith.
Section 3: The Holy Prophet
Muhammed, the apostle for humanity as a whole, verses 22-30
"Say (O Muhammad): Call upon
those whom ye set up beside Allah! They possess not an atom's weight either in
the heavens or in the earth, nor have they any share in either, nor hath He an
auxiliary among them. No intercession availeth with Him save for him whom He
permitteth. Yet, when fear is banished from their hearts, they say: What was it
that your Lord said? They say: The Truth. And He is the Sublime, the
Great." (Verses 22-23)
"And We have not sent thee (O
Muhammad) save as a bringer of good tidings and a warner unto all mankind; but
most of mankind know not. And they say: When is this promise (to be fulfilled)
if ye are truthful? Say (O Muhammad): Yours is the promise of a Day which ye
cannot postpone nor hasten by an hour." (Verses 28-30)
Verse 22 refers to the false, imaginary deities
that people believed in. These gods possess no power or authority whatsoever to
help themselves; and, more so, they are completely impotent to help their
followers during times of distress. Verse 23 once again allows intercession only
with those whom Allah has granted permission - namely the Holy Prophet and the
Ahlul-Bayt.
Section 4: The disbelievers and
their leaders, verses 31-36
"And those who disbelieve say: We
believe not in this Qur'an nor in that which was before it; but oh, if thou
couldst see, when the wrong-doers are brought up before their Lord, how they
cast the blame one to another; how those who were despised (in the earth) say
unto those who were proud: But for you, we should have been believers.
Those who were proud say unto those who were despised: Did we drive you away
from the guidance after it had come unto you? Nay, but ye were guilty.
Those who were despised say unto those who were proud: Nay but (it was your)
scheming night and day, when ye commanded us to disbelieve in Allah and set up
rivals unto Him. And they are filled with remorse when they behold the doom;
and We place carcans on the necks of those who disbelieved. Are they requited
aught save what they used to do?" (Verses 31-33)
"Say (O Muhammad): Lo! my Lord
enlargeth the provision for whom He will and narroweth it (for whom He will).
But most of mankind know not." (Verse 36)
The reference is to the people who not only rejected the Quran, but also
corrupted the other previous scriptures which contained the prophecies about
the advent of the last Prophet of Allah. The people of the book, in their proud
assumption of being on the right path, and superior to all others, disbelieved
in the prophecies of their own scriptures, and also prevented others from
accepting what had been revealed in the Quran. On the day of judgement each
would accuse the other - the leaders will accuse the followers and vicer-versa.
Section 5: Wealth and children
shall be of no avail, verses 37-45
"And it is not your wealth nor
your children that will bring you near unto Us, but he who believeth and doeth
good (he draweth near). As for such, theirs will be twofold reward for what
they did and they will dwell secure in lofty halls." (Verse 37)
"And if Our revelations are
recited unto them in plain terms, they say: This is naught else than a man who
would turn you away from what your fathers used to worship; and they say: This
is naught else than an invented lie. Those who disbelieve say of the truth when
it reacheth them: This is naught else than mere magic. And We have given them
no scriptures which they study, nor sent We unto them, before thee, any
warner." (Verses 43-44)
Verses 43-44 refer to those who used to classify
the Holy Quran as mere sorcery which was trying to change their polytheistic
beliefs. Verse 44 confirms that no book & no Prophet
were ever sent that preached polytheism.
Section 6: The triumph of
truth, verses 46-54
"Say (unto them, O Muhammad): I
exhort you unto one thing only: that ye awake, for Allah's sake, by twos and
singly, and then reflect: There is no madness in your comrade. He is naught
else than a warner unto you in face of a terrific doom. Say: Whatever reward I
might have asked of you is yours. My reward is the affair of Allah only. He is
Witness over all things." (Verses 46-47)
"Say: If I err, I err only to my
own loss, and if I am rightly guided it is because of that which my Lord hath
revealed unto me. Lo! He is Hearer, Nigh." (Verse 50)
"Couldst thou but see when they
are terrified with no escape, and are seized from near at hand, And say: We
(now) believe therein. But how can they reach (faith) from afar off, When they
disbelieved in it of yore. They aim at the unseen from afar off." (Verses 51-53)
In verses 46-47 we are invited to follow Allah but not
blindly. The Holy Prophet is commanded by Allah to invite the people to
independent thinking about Allah, and his Prophethood. The suggestion is to use
individual reflection over the matter, and not to follow a crowd mentality.
Verse 50 does not mean the Holy Prophet was
prone to error, in fact it is the complete opposite. From birth, the Holy
Prophet was divinely guided and hence infallible. Without the divine guidance
he may have been subject to error.
In verses 51-53, death
removes man far away from this world. Any repentance shown at the time of death
will not be enough, by then it will be too late. The Quran asserts that the
disbelievers could never understand the reality of the unseen because of its
immense distance from them.
Chapter 22 continues with Surah
35, Al-Fatir (The Originator). It was revealed at Mecca and has 45 verses in 5
sections.
Surah 35, Al-Fatir (The
Originator)
Section 1: Humanity exhorted to
hold Satan as its enemy, verses 1-7
"Praise be to Allah, the Creator
of the heavens and the earth, Who appointeth the angels messengers having wings
two, three and four. He multiplieth in creation what He will. Lo! Allah is Able
to do all things. That which Allah openeth unto mankind of mercy none can
withhold it; and that which He withholdeth none can release thereafter. He is
the Mighty, the Wise." (Verses 1-2)
"O mankind! Lo! the promise of
Allah is true. So let not the life of the world beguile you, and let not the
(avowed) beguiler beguile you with regard to Allah. Lo! the devil is an enemy
for you, so treat him as an enemy. He only summoneth his faction to be owners
of the flaming Fire." (Verses 5-6)
Allah is the creator or the originator of the primal cause which began the genetic
process of the creation of the universe and its every progressive functioning
in innumerable forms, and in countless ways. As man's knowledge of the
processes of nature advances, he sees how complex is the working of the
creation itself.
Man is exhorted to remember that he has come from Allah and will return to
Allah, whereupon he will be required to render an account of the life he spent
in this world. Man should constantly remind himself that in the life of the
next realm, he will receive either the reward or punishment which he himself
has earned from his good or bad actions while in this world. Man should not be
deluded by the deceptive instigation of satanic thoughts to commit sins, while
counting on Allah's mercy for forgiveness, or believing erroneously that he
will have time to repent. Death may come at any time. Shaitan is evil
personified. Hence every evil should be treated as our enemy and shunned.
Shaitan spreads his snare everywhere because he wants man to share his
damnation.
Section 2: The triumph of truth
prophesied, verses 8-14
"Whoso desireth power (should
know that) all power belongeth to Allah. Unto Him good words ascend, and the
pious deed doth He exalt; but those who plot iniquities, theirs will be an
awful doom; and the plotting of such (folk) will come to naught. Allah created
you from dust, then from a little fluid, then He made you pairs (the male and
female). No female beareth or bringeth forth save with His knowledge. And
no-one groweth old who groweth old, nor is aught lessened of his life, but it
is recorded in a Book, Lo! that is easy for Allah." (Verses 10-11)
"He maketh the night to pass into
the day and He maketh the day to pass into the night. He hath subdued the sun
and moon to service. Each runneth unto an appointed term. Such is Allah, your
Lord; His is the Sovereignty; and those unto whom ye pray instead of Him own
not so much as the white spot on a date-stone." (Verse 13)
Those who wish for honour and reward in this world, as in the next, should turn
only to Allah. Every good word and action is never lost. Man's physical body is
from dust; created by a drop of semen. The sexual relationship shows that no
individual among mankind is independent. Absolute glory, power, authority,
knowledge and life belong only to Allah.
Section 3: Every people on
earth had a warner, verses 15-26
"And no burdened soul can bear
another's burden, and if one heavy laden crieth for (help with) his load,
naught of it will be lifted even though he (unto whom he crieth) be of kin.
Thou warnest only those who fear their Lord in secret, and have established
worship. He who groweth (in goodness), groweth only for himself, (he cannot by
his merit redeem others). Unto Allah is the journeying." (Verse 18)
"Thou art but a warner. Lo! We
have sent thee with the Truth, a bearer of glad tidings and a warner; and there
is not a nation but a warner hath passed among them." (Verses 23-24)
The Christian concept of Jesus
dying for their sins has been rebutted in the Quran and is so once more in verse 18. We get the
reward/punishment for our own deeds, they are not transferable.
Section 4: The inheritors of
the Quran, verses 27-37
"Lo! those who read the Scripture
of Allah, and establish worship, and spend of that which We have bestowed on
them secretly and openly, they look forward to imperishable gain, That He will
pay them their wages and increase them of His grace. Lo! He is Forgiving,
Responsive." (Verses
29-30)
"Then We gave the Scripture as
inheritance unto those whom We elected of Our bondmen. But of them are some who
wrong themselves and of them are some who are lukewarm, and of them are some
who outstrip (others) through good deeds, by Allah's leave. That is the great
favour!" (Verse 32)
"But as for those who disbelieve,
for them is fire of hell; it taketh not complete effect upon them so that they
can die, nor is its torment lightened for them. Thus We punish every ingrate.
And they cry for help there, (saying): Our Lord! Release us; we will do right,
not (the wrong) that we used to do. Did not We grant you a life long enough for
him who reflected to reflect therein? And the warner came unto you. Now taste
(the flavour of your deeds), for evil-doers have no helper." (Verses 36-37)
The chosen servants of Allah could be only those who are rightly guided by
their knowledge of the word of Allah. The correct knowledge could be only that
which has been given by Allah Himself, namely the Holy Prophet and the
Ahlul-Bayt (verse 32).
Allah has allowed mankind respite for repentance in this world, because in the
next world no repentance will be of any avail. One should hasten to repent for
sins and amend one's life duly before being overtaken by death.
Section 5: Never can anyone see
God's plan ever getting altered or changed, verses 38-45
"He it is Who hath made you
regents in the earth; so he who disbelieveth, his disbelief be on his own head.
Their disbelief increaseth for the disbelievers, in their Lord's sight, naught
save abhorrence. Their disbelief increaseth for the disbelievers naught save
loss. Say: Have ye seen your partner-gods to whom ye pray beside Allah? Show me
what they created of the earth! Or have they any portion in the heavens? Or
have We given them a scripture so they act on clear proof therefrom? Nay, the
evil-doers promise one another only to deceive." (Verse 39-40)
"If Allah took mankind to task by
that which they deserve, He would not leave a living creature on the surface of
the earth; but He reprieveth them unto an appointed term, and when their term
cometh - then verily (they will know that) Allah is ever Seer of His
slaves." (Verse 45)
Surah 35 ends with the rather
depressing note that were it not for Allah's respite, most of mankind would be
destroyed on this Earth as punishment for their actions and misdeeds.
It is now 11pm an I have to
start the amaals of Layatul
Qadr. There are still the first 2 sections of Surah 36, Yaseen
remaining in this Chapter which I will update first thing tomorrow, after I
wake up! Apologies.
---------
I'm back on Ramadhan, Day 23 to
continue with the last bit of Chapter 22. That means the beginning of one of
the most important Surahs of the Holy Quran, Surah 36, Yaseen. It is considered
to be the "heart of the Quran," and is most frequently recited at the
deathbed of a believer and when he/she has passed away. It is said that if this
Surah is recited near a person on his deathbed, then for each letter recited,
12 angels are sent to pray for his forgiveness and they remain even when the
soul is being taken by the Angel of Death. The angels also take part in his
funeral rites.
Surah Yaseen was revealed at
Mecca and has 83 verses in 5 sections. Chapter 22 has the first 2 sections.
Surah 36, Yaseen
Section 1: The Quran, the
Apostle and the manifest guide, verses 1-12
"By the wise Qur'an, Lo! thou art
of those sent On a straight path, A revelation of the Mighty, the Merciful,
That thou mayst warn a folk whose fathers were not warned, so they are
heedless." (Verses 2-6)
"Lo! We have put on their necks
carcans reaching unto the chins, so that they are made stiff-necked. And We
have set a bar before them and a bar behind them, and (thus) have covered them
so that they see not. Whether thou warn them or thou warn them not, it is alike
for them, for they believe not." (Verses 8-10)
"Verily We and We alone give life
unto the dead, and We write down what they have sent before them and (even)
their footprints (which they leave behind them): And everything have We
confined (recorded) into a Manifesting Guide (Imam)." (Verse
12)
It has been narrated that when
Verse 12 was revealed, the Holy Prophet was asked by Abu Bakr and Umar who the "Manifesting Guide" is,
whether it was the Torah or the Bible or the Holy Quran. The Holy Prophet replied
that it was none other than Imam Ali (as). On the day of judgement every
individual, man or woman, will be brought to account for his or her deeds.
Section 2: Referring to the
apostles sent before, verses 13-32
"Coin for them a similitude: The
people of the city when those sent (from Allah) came unto them; When We sent
unto them twain, and they denied them both, so We reinforced them with a third,
and they said: Lo! we have been sent unto you.
They said: Ye are but mortals like
unto us. The Beneficent hath naught revealed. Ye do but lie!
They answered: Our Lord knoweth that we are indeed sent unto you, And our duty
is but plain conveyance (of the message).
(The people of the city) said: We augur ill of you. If ye desist not, we shall
surely stone you, and grievous torture will befall you at our hands." (Verses 13-18)
"It was said (unto him): Enter
paradise. He said: Would that my people knew With what (munificence) my Lord
hath pardoned me and made me of the honoured ones!
We sent not down against his people after him a host from heaven, nor do We
ever send. It was but one Shout, and lo! they were extinct." (Verses 26-29)
This sections tells the story
of the two disciples of Prophet Isa who were sent to the ancient city of
Antioch in Greece to invite the King to the true faith and belief in a single
God. The 2 were reinforced by a third disciple and the King accepted the true
faith.
Whenever Prophets are sent, the best proof of their genuineness is that
whenever people disbelieved them, the Prophets always invoked the authority and
mercy of Allah and patiently suffered the worst of persecution and tortures and
never yielded to any authority other than Allah. The people of Antioch were not
so welcoming and threatened physical harm towards the disciples and killed one
of them. The dead disciple was invited into heaven by the angels (verse 26) and the
disbelievers are reminded of the blissful afterlife if only they
believed. As with other disbelievers, God's wrath was inevitable and soon
the city was wiped out on account of their disbelief and actions towards the 3
disciples (verse 29)
That finally concludes Chapter
22 properly. Make sure you come back later today for Chapter 23.
Thank you for reading.
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