الجاثية
Al-Jathiyah
The Crouching • makkah • 37 Verses
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تَنزِيلُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَكِيمِ
32:3; 36:6; 40:3; 41:3.
إِنَّ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَءَايَٰتٍ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
2:165; 42:30.
Commentary:
Like the preceding five chapters which have the abbreviated letters Ha Mim placed in their beginning, the present Surahopens with the subject of Quranic revelation and with its principal theme—the Unity of God. In this and the next two verses the creation of heavens and the earth, the beautiful and perfect design and order that exist in the universe, the creation of man and all the creatures that have been created on earth for his use and service, and that of the whole solar system, have been adduced as arguments to prove that there must be, and actually is, an All-Powerful and All-Knowing Being Who has created this universe and Who is controlling it. And then in the words, and the provision that Allah sends down from the heaven, whereby He quickens the earth after its death, the Surah proceeds to dwell upon the need and necessity of Divine revelation. The verse purports to say that when God has made such ample and complete provision for the physical needs and requirements of man as to have created heavens and earth and the whole universe for his benefit. He could not have neglected to make similar provision for his spiritual needs, and just as rain is sent down from the clouds to give new life to dead earth; similarly, Divine revelation is sent down from heaven for the spiritual regeneration and resuscitation of mankind.
2:165; 42:30.
وَفِى خَلْقِكُمْ وَمَا يَبُثُّ مِن دَآبَّةٍ ءَايَٰتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ
Commentary:
See preceding verse.
وَٱخْتِلَٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن رِّزْقٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَتَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَٰحِ ءَايَٰتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
2:165; 3:191; 10:7.
16:66; 22:6; 30:51; 35:28; 39:22.
Commentary:
This verse further says that as light follows darkness, similarly when spiritual darkness spreads over the entire earth, God creates new light in the form of a Prophet or Divine Reformer to whom He reveals Himself. And just as winds carry pollen from male to female trees in order to fecundate them, in the same way the spiritually elevating ideas that emanate from a Divine Reformer impregnate the minds of men and bring about spiritual revolution in them.
16:66; 30:51.
Just as light follows darkness, similarly when spiritual darkness spreads over the entire earth, God creates a new light in the form of a Prophet or Divine Reformer to whom He reveals Himself. And just as winds carry pollen from male to female trees in order to fecundate them, in the same way the spiritually elevating ideas that emanate from a Divine Reformer impregnate the minds of believers and bring about spiritual revolution in them.
تِلْكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ وَءَايَٰتِهِۦ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Important Words:
بعد (after) has a variety of meanings, some of which are: after or afterwards; behind; before; yet; now; in spite of; contrary to or against; in addition to, or furthermore (Lane & Aqrab).
حدیث (word) means, a piece of information; an announcement; an important news; an account; a narration; a tradition; a thing or matter that is talked of; any discourse that one hears (Lane & Aqrab). See also 4:43.
Commentary:
In view of different meanings of the words بعد and حدیث given above under Important Words, the expression فبأی حدیث بعدہ یؤمنون would mean:
(i) In what word or discourse, after rejecting the Word of Allah and after rejecting His signs, will they believe?
(ii) In what word, contrary to the Word of Allah and His signs, will they believe?
(iii) In what word, after the Word of Allah and His signs have come, will they believe?
(iv) In spite of the fact that the Word of God and His signs have come to them, they do not believe in them. Then in what else would they believe?
Ba‘d means, after; in spite of; contrary to or against; in addition to (Lane).
وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ
Commentary:
Evidently a man who rejects clear signs of God is a forger and teller of lies and a committer of abominations and, therefore, legitimately deserves a painful punishment.
يَسْمَعُ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ يُصِرُّ مُسْتَكْبِرًا كَأَن لَّمْ يَسْمَعْهَا ۖ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
وَإِذَا عَلِمَ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَا شَيْـًٔا ٱتَّخَذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ
2:232; 31:7.
31:7.
مِّن وَرَآئِهِمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَلَا يُغْنِى عَنْهُم مَّا كَسَبُوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا مَا ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
14:17-18.
Commentary:
The verse means to say that the Unity of God, for the establishment of which Divine Scriptures have been revealed and Prophets raised, is the quintessence of Divine guidance and those who reject and deny it are bound to meet with a sad fate.
14:17, 18.
هَٰذَا هُدًى ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مِّن رِّجْزٍ أَلِيمٌ
2:40; 22:58.
2:40; 22:58.
۞ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلْبَحْرَ لِتَجْرِىَ ٱلْفُلْكُ فِيهِ بِأَمْرِهِۦ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
16:15; 17:67; 30:47; 31:32; 35:13.
16:15; 17:67; 35:13.
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مِّنْهُ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
22:66.
Commentary:
In vv. 4, 5 and 6 one kind of argument, viz. the creation of man and all life on earth, and the alternation of day and night, had been given to prove the existence, the Almightiness and the Unity of God. The present verse gives another kind of argument to prove the same thesis, viz. that the whole universe has been created to serve man. See also 2:165.
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ ٱللَّهِ لِيَجْزِىَ قَوْمًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
Important Words:
لایرجون (fear not) is formed from رجا. They say رجا الشیء i.e. he hoped to get the thing; he feared the thing. The word رجا is used in the sense of hoping to get a thing when the thing hoped for is good and pleasant and fearing a thing that should be feared (Aqrab & Mufradat). See also 10:8.
ایام الله (days of Allah) means, the favours and punishment of God (Aqrab). See also 14:6.
Commentary:
The Surah under comment was revealed at Mecca in the early period of the Holy Prophet’s ministry when Islam was in a very weak state and Muslims were being persecuted. It was at that time that Muslims were enjoined to forgive those who persecuted them and who did not fear the punishment of God. The verse clearly embodied a great prophecy that the time was fast approaching when the persecutors of the poor and defenceless Muslims would be at the latter’s mercy. So Muslims were told in advance that in such an eventuality they should forgive their persecutors and forget the wrongs done to them, and leave them to God to deal with them as He, in His infallible wisdom, deemed fit.
The words ایام الله signify the days when God helped the Muslims against their enemies and punished the latter.
See {1454}.
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَٰلِحًا فَلِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَنْ أَسَآءَ فَعَلَيْهَا ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ
6:161; 29:7.
29:7.
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْحُكْمَ وَٱلنُّبُوَّةَ وَرَزَقْنَٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَٰهُمْ عَلَى ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
6:90.
10:94.
Commentary:
The mention of prophethood, separate from "the Book" (which means the Law or the Shari‘ah), shows that while Moses was given the Law, the Prophets who came after him brought no new Law but followed the Torah—the Book of Moses. Elsewhere, the Quran says: Surely, We sent down the Torah wherein was guidance and light. By it did the Prophets who were obedient to this judge for the Jews (5:47),
6:90.
10:94.
Mention of Prophethood, separate from "the Book" (which means the Law or the Shari‘ah) shows that while Moses was given the Law, the Prophets who came after him brought no new Law but followed the Torah—the Book of Moses (5: 45).
وَءَاتَيْنَٰهُم بَيِّنَٰتٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ ۖ فَمَا ٱخْتَلَفُوٓا۟ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعِلْمُ بَغْيًۢا بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَقْضِى بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ فِيمَا كَانُوا۟ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ
42:15; 98:5.
Commentary:
"The Affair" signifies "the Affair of the Holy Prophet" (see next verse) and the verse purports to say that the Book of Moses contains many clear prophecies about the advent of the Holy Prophet and that the Israelites rejected him not because there was any dearth of arguments and signs and divine prophecies to support and establish his claim but because of "mutual envy", i.e. they did not like the very idea that a Prophet should have appeared from among the non-Israelites.
42:15; 98:5.
"The Affair" signifies "the Affair of the Holy Prophet" and the verse purports to say that the Book of Moses contains many clear prophecies about the advent of the Holy Prophet and that the Israelites did not reject him because there was any dearth of arguments and Signs and Divine prophecies to support and establish his claim but because of 'mutual envy,' i.e. they did not like the very idea that a Prophet should have appeared from among the non-Israelites.
ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَٰكَ عَلَىٰ شَرِيعَةٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ فَٱتَّبِعْهَا وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
5:49; 6:151.
Commentary:
This verse makes it quite clear that "the Affair" or "Matter" referred to in the preceding verse signifies the advent of the Holy Prophet and Quranic revelation.