فصلت

1:1.

Commentary:

See. 1:1.

40:2; 42:2; 44:2:45:2; 46:2.

Commentary:

For an explanation of the abbreviated letters حم see 40:2.

32:3; 36:6; 40:3; 45:3; 46:3.

Commentary:

See 40:3.

11:2.

Important Words:

عربیا (clear, eloquent language) is derived from عرب (‘ariba or ‘aruba). The root meanings of this word denote fulness, abundance and plainness coupled with chasteness. Hence all the words formed from this root express the idea of fulness, abundance and clearness. Thus the words قرآنا عربیا would mean, the Book which is most extensively and regularly read and which expresses its ideas and themes in a most clear, eloquent and comprehensive language. See also 12:3 & 20:114.

5:20; 25:27; 35:25; 48:9.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that the most distinctive feature of this most perspicuous of all Divine Books is that it gives a message of hope and good cheer to those who accept and follow it and warns disbelievers that they would meet with a sad fate, if they persisted in disbelief.

6:26; 17:47; 18:58.

Commentary:

The verse depicts disbelievers as saying ironically and sarcastically to the Holy Prophet, "your teaching is too good for us sinners to accept and your ideals too sublime to be understood and realized by us." If the words are taken to be spoken seriously they would mean: "We are fully determined not to accept your teaching. We have closed all the avenues of our hearts, eyes and ears against it."

14:12; 18:111; 21:109.

Commentary:

This verse answers the sarcasm of disbelievers referred to in the previous verse. The Holy Prophet is told to say to them that he is but a man like them and no god or angel. Therefore, there is no reason why they should not be able to understand the message of which the bearer is a human being and which is meant for human beings.

Commentary:

The verse mentions two very prominent characteristics of disbelievers—they do not pay to the competent authorities, out of their hoarded wealth, the Zakah which is due from them and do not believe in the accountability for their actions in the life to come.

11:12; 84:26; 95:7.

Important Words:

غیر ممنون (that will never end) is derived from من (manna). They say من الرجل i.e. he weakened or tired out the man. من الحبل means, he cut off or tore off the rope. من الشیء means, he diminished the thing. من علیه means, he did a favour to him; مـمنون therefore means, obliged, diminished, broken or cut off; weak; strong, etc. (Aqrab).

Commentary:

The word یوم (of which the dual is یومین) properly means, time absolutely (see 1:4; 10:4). It is in this sense that the word has been used in this and the next verse. It is not possible to surmise the length of these "two days." They may have extended over thousands of years. Even in the Quran یوم (day) has been spoken of as equal to a thousand years (22:48) or even equal to fifty thousand years (70:5). So یوم (day) in this and the next verse does not denote the day as determined by the rising and setting of the sun. The word denotes time absolutely, or may signify an indefinite period or stage in the development of a thing.

The making of the earth in two days may signify the two stages through which the earth passed from a formless matter into a gradually evolved form after it had cooled down and become condensed.

13:4; 15:20; 16:16; 77:28.

Important Words:

اقواتھا (its foods) is the plural of قوت (qut) which is derived from قات which means, he fed, nourished or sustained or fed with what would sustain the body. أقات علی الشیء means, he had power or ability to do the thing. أقاته means, he guarded or protected him. قوت means, provision, food, sustenance, etc. (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The "two days" or stages mentioned in the previous verse through which the earth had to pass before it assumed its present form are included in the number "four days" mentioned in the present verse; the additional "two days" signifying the two stages of the placing on it of mountains, rivers, etc. and the growth on it of vegetable and animal life. See also verse 13 below.

The words, "provided its foods in proper measure," signify that the earth is fully capable of providing food for all the creatures that live on it.

The expression "alike for all seekers" may signify that the foods which God has provided in the earth are equally accessible to all seekers who try to get them according to the laws of nature. It may mean also that all the physical needs and requirements of man have been adequately met in the foods that grow out of earth. So the fear that the earth may not someday be able to grow sufficient food for the fast increasing population of the world is groundless. The world can provide food, fibre and all other agricultural requirements for 28 billion people, ten times the world’s present population (Professor Cohn Clark, Director of the Agriculture Economics Research Institute of Oxford University). Only recently the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation pointed out in its report, "The State of Food and Agriculture, 1959," that the world’s food supply grows twice as fast as its population.

Important Words:

دخان (smoke) is infinitive-noun from دخن. They say دخنت النار i.e. the fire sent up smoke. دخان means, smoke or gaseous matter; evil or mischief, dearth, drought, sterility; hunger (Lane & Aqrab).

کرھا (unwillingly) is derived from کرہ. They say کرہ الشیء (kariha) i.e. he did not desire, disapproved, disliked, hated or loathed the thing. أکرھه علی الامر means, he compelled him to do the thing against his will. کرھا (kurhan and karhan) in both forms is infinitive-noun from کرہ, the former کرھا i.e. (kurhan) meaning, what you yourself do not like and the latter (karhan) meaning, what you are compelled to do against your will by someone else. فعله کرھا (karhan) means, he did it unwillingly (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:217.

Commentary:

The verse signifies that everything in the universe is subject to certain laws which it obeys and according to which it works. It has no discretion. It is man alone who has been endowed with volition or discretion to obey or defy the Divine laws and it is not unoften that he uses his discretion to his detriment. This is also the meaning and significance of 33:73.

15:17; 37:7; 67:6.

15:18.

Commentary:

In vv. 10 and 11 above it is stated that the making of the earth took two days and the placing on it of the mountains, rivers, etc., and of vegetable and animal life, another two days. In the present verse, however, it is mentioned that like the earth the solar system with its planets and satellites also took two days to become complete. Thus the whole universe came into existence in six days or periods which is quite in harmony with vv. 7:55 and 50:39. Taking the word یوم in the sense of "stage," the three vv.10, 11 and 13 taken together would mean that the whole physical universe was completed in six stages. After the creation of the universe, man was created, whose creation also was completed in six stages. See also 23:13-15.

40:31-32.

Commentary:

The purport of the verse seems to be that when the vast and orderly universe, of which the earth forms but a small part, and the planets and satellites of which the universe is composed have been created for the service of man, it is inconceivable that man for whom everything was brought into existence, should have been created without a purpose. His life has a grim purpose and a great mission. He has been created to develop and manifest in himself, on human scale, Divine attributes in order to prove himself to be God’s vicegerent on earth. To help him to achieve this supreme and noble object, God sent His Messengers. These Divine Messengers came to all peoples in different periods of time. Invariably they were rejected by their peoples and the rejecters met with a sad fate. The Holy Prophet is asked to warn his own people that if they rejected and opposed him, they, too, will meet with no better fate. The verse under comment cites the examples of ‘Ad and Thamud who by rejecting their Prophets incurred God’s displeasure and punishment.

2:84; 12:41; 17:24.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that the Prophets of God used all possible means to make their people accept the Divine Message and also warned them of Divine punishment if they rejected it.

Commentary:

For a somewhat detailed account of ‘Ad and Thamud see 11:51 and 11:62.

46:25.

Important Words:

ریـحا (wind) has been used in the Quran in the sense of wind; good news; power and prestige. In the present verse it means, wind; in 12:95 it has been used in the sense of good news and in 8:47 it signifies power and prestige.

صرصرا (furious) is derived from صر. They say أصر علی فعله i.e. he persisted in doing what he was doing; he determined, resolved or decided upon it. ریـحا صرصرا means, a wind intensely cold or vehemently loud or roaring (Lane).

نـحسات (ominous) is the plural of نـحسة which is derived from نـحس which means, he or it was or became un-prosperous, unfortunate, inauspicious or unlucky. نـحس (nahsun) means, ill-luck; great injury; cold wind; یوم نـحس means, an inauspicious or cold day (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The word عمی (blindness) has been used here in the sense of blindness of the heart or mind.