الطور

See 1:1.

Commentary:

See 1:1.

95:3.

Commentary:

The particle واو may mean: "I swear" "I cite as witness;" etc. For the philosophy, importance and significance of oaths see 37:2; 51:2 & 91:2.

الطور (the Mount) stands for Mount Sinai. For a collective note on vv. 2-7 see v. 7 below.

Commentary:

The expression "a Book inscribed," may refer to both the Quran and the Book of Moses, preferably to the former.

Important Words:

رق (parchment) is the substantive noun from (raqqa) which means, it was or became thin, delicate in texture. رق means, fine parchment; white or fine piece of paper or skin, used for the purpose of writing on it (Lane).

Commentary:

The words "parchment unfolded," qualify the expression, "the Book inscribed," which stands for the Quran or the Book of Moses.

Important Words:

المعمور (Frequented) is derived from عمر. They say عمر بالمکان i.e. he stayed in the house or he occupied, tenanted or inhabited it. عمر البناء means, he kept the building in a good state. عمر المکان means, he visited the place. دار معمور means, an inhabited or a visited or frequented house. عمرربه (‘ammara) means, he worshipped his Creator (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The words "the Frequented House," may refer to the tabernacle that Moses had constructed in the wilderness where the Israelites worshipped, or to the Temple at Jerusalem, or to any sacred house of worship. But preferably it refers to the Ka‘bah which is described in the Quran also as "a Resort" (2:126); "the Sacred House" (5:3); "the Sacred Mosque" (17:2); "the Ancient House" (22:30); and "the Town of Security" (95:4); etc.

Commentary:

'The Elevated Roof' may also refer to the tabernacle which Moses set up in the wilderness in the form of a canopy under which the Israelites worshipped. Or it may refer to the Ka‘bah or to the sky or heaven the last reference being more appropriate and relevant.

81:7.

Important Words:

المسجور (swollen) is derived from سجر. They say سجر الماء النھر i.e. the water filled the stream. سجر التنور (sajjara) means, he filled the oven with firewood and heated it. سجر الماء means, he made the water to flow forth whithersoever it would. مسجور means, filled; kindled; still or quiet, or still and full at the same time; empty (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

It is the characteristic of the Quran that when it has to make a firm declaration and impart emphasis and certainty to that declaration it swears by, or cites as witnesses, certain beings or objects or natural laws or phenomena. In the first few verses the Surah swears by certain things intimately connected with Moses—the counterpart of the Holy Prophet. It was on the Tur that the revelation was vouchsafed to Moses which embodied his Law and the prophecies which spoke about the appearance of a great Divine Prophet from among the brethren of the Israelites. That Prophet was to be the like of Moses and was to shine forth from mount Paran and to come with ten thousand saints, holding in his right hand a fiery law (Deut. 18:18 & 33: 2). Evidently, the Holy Prophet was the Divine Messenger spoken of in the prophecy. His advent is likened in the Quran to the advent of Moses (73:16). He shined forth from mount Paran, holding the Quran in his right hand and entered Mecca at the head of ten thousand saintly warriors. The Surah then cites, as evidence, the "Inscribed Book" which is the Bible or the Quran, preferably the latter, and which stands as a standing and incontrovertible testimony to the truth of the claims of the Holy Prophet. "The Frequented House"—the Ka‘bah,—more than anything else, shows that the religion of which it forms the citadel and the centre is God’s Final Dispensation. The site where the Ka‘bah stands was a dry barren waste where no sign of human or animal life was visible. Here, long centuries ago, a holy man of God—the Patriarch Abraham, aided and assisted by his son, Ishmael, while raising its foundations, had prayed that the place may become a haven of safety and security and may constitute the centre from where God’s Unity and Oneness may be proclaimed and preached. It was "this barren waste that didst not bear and didst not travail with child"which gave birth to the greatest son of man, as was spoken of old (Isa. 54:1). Here it was (as was foretold) that "the glory of God rose and shone; the multitudes of camels came, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all came from Sheba and brought gold and incense and shewed forth the praises of the Lord" (Isa. 60:1-6).

The reference in the words "the Elevated Roof," being to heaven, the verse (v.6) signifies that the disbelievers are so unwise as not to see this simple fact that whereas the Prophet continuously receives Divine help and his cause progresses and prospers, failure dogs their footsteps and all their designs and plans against the Prophet prove abortive. In the words"the Swollen Sea," the reference may be to the Mediterranean Sea where Pharaoh and his mighty hosts were drowned while pursuing the Israelites or they may refer to the battlefield of Badr where all the great leaders of the Quraish were killed, as it was known as البحر i.e. the sea (Nihayah). The words may also apply to the Quran which like a fathomless sea of spiritual knowledge continues to throw out treasures of divine knowledge. "Why do not the disbelievers," the verse purports to say, "take a lesson from these patent facts and realize that opposition to God’s Messengers does not pay and will end in their ruin?"

51:6.

Commentary:

All the facts mentioned in the preceding six verses show that if disbelievers do not give up their evil ways and opposition to the Holy Prophet, Divine punishment would descend upon them and would break them to pieces. "The punishment of thy Lord," may also refer to the punishment of the Day of Resurrection.

Commentary:

The verse may signify that on that day all the heavenly forces will operate in favour of the Holy Prophet. So did it happen on the Day of Badr.

18:48; 78:21; 81:4.

Commentary:

The verse means that on the day of retribution the leaders of disbelievers will meet with a terrible end. They will be blown away like chaff before the wind. Or it may signify that the Iranian and Byzantine Empires will be broken and shattered. This and the preceding verse make a subtle allusion to the new order of things before which the old decrepit and decayed systems would be swept away. These verses may also apply to the Day of Judgement.

18:54; 21:40; 38:86.

Commentary:

The dead bodies of leaders of the Quraish who were killed in the Battle of Badr were thrown into a pit and the Holy Prophet went up to its edge and, addressing the dead bodies, is reported to have said "Did you find the promise of punishment of your Lord true? What God had promised me has been fulfilled" (Bukhari & Tabari). The verse is equally applicable to the punishment which will be meted out to disbelievers on the Resurrection Day.

51:15; 55:44.

Commentary:

When disbelievers will be confronted with the consequences of their evil deeds on the Day of Reckoning, they will be asked if they had realized that what God’s Messengers had told them was not a fake or forgery, or whether they still did not see the utter futility and falsity of their beliefs and doctrines. The verse may also refer to the day or reckoning for disbelievers in this life.

14:22; 41:25.

Commentary:

The verse depicts the disbelievers’ condition after their guilt will be fully established and the time for repentance will have passed.

7:44; 15:46; 19:64; 43:73-74; 44:56; 77:42-43; 78:32-33.

Commentary:

The present and the following verses recount some of the Divine favours and blessings that are bestowed on the righteous. These may also be taken as embodying a prophecy which was literally fulfilled when the dwellers of the barren and sandy deserts of Arabia conquered the great Iranian and Byzantine Empires.