Search Results for "ٱلْأَوَّلِ"

Important Words:

اَولیان (the two who were in a better position) is derived from ولی being the dual of اولی which means, one more worthy or more competent or more entitled or more deserving or better fitted or having a better claim to do a thing, etc. (Lane). See also 4:136.

استحقااثما (the two are guilty of sin) and استحق علیھم (against whom they sinfully deposed). The word استحق is derived from حقwhich means, it was or became suitable to the requirements of wisdom, justice, right and truth; it was or became right, proper, correct or true; it became established as a truth. استحقه means, he demanded it as his right or due; he had a right or title or claim to it; he deserved or merited it. They say استحق اثما i.e. he did what necessitated sin; or he was guilty of a sin and deserved it being said of him that he was a sinner. The expression علیھم added the word استحق means "against them", the particle علی sometimes meaning "against". استحقھا علی المشتری means, he has a right to it in preference to the purchaser, i.e. he has a better claim to it as against the buyer. The words استحق علیھم therefore, would mean, they (the two witnesses who were in a better position to give true evidence) gave false evidence against their just rights, seeking to deprive them (heirs of the deceased) of their rights by giving false evidence against them.

Commentary:

See collective note on 5:109.

10:43; 17:48.

17:47; 41:6.

Commentary:

For an explanation of "veils" and "deafness", see 2:8.

What the Quran calls "signs" are described by disbelievers as mere "fables of the ancients," which saying of theirs is condemned by God. This shows that in the sight of God the stories of past Prophets and past nations given in the Quran are not meant as "tales" or "stories" but as "signs", being prophecies of future events which, when fulfilled, will serve as "signs".

6:26; 68:16; 83:14.

Commentary:

The disbelievers alleged that they could produce a composition like that of the Quran. It was, however, nothing but an empty boast on their part, which they never attempted to carry into effect; and the challenge of the Quran, which declared that they would never be able to produce even a short chapter like any chapter of the Quran, has ever remained unanswered. The disbelievers also thought that the Quran contained nothing but the tales of the ancients. The verse under comment contradicts this assertion by drawing their attention to the powerful prophecies contained in the Quran which unmistakably prove it to be the Word of God, it being beyond the power of man to produce a composition containing such powerful prophecies. The Battle of Badr, for instance, fulfilled many a mighty prophecy, foretold by the Quran (e.g 54:45-47; 34:30, 31)—a fact which rendered it impossible for man to imitate a production like it, and which fully exposed the absurdity of the assertion that the Quran was nothing but tales of the ancients.

Commentary:

After the Battle of Badr, in which the opponents of Islam suffered a crushing defeat, they are once more invited to desist from fighting, and it is promised to them that if they cease hostilities against Islam, their past offences will be forgiven them. But they are at the same time warned that if they return to war, they will meet the same fate which the former opponents of truth met. See also 8:20 above.

58:23; 98:9.

Important Words:

السابقون (foremost) is the plural of السابق being derived from سبق. They say سبقه i.e. he got or went or came before him or ahead of him; he outstripped him in a race, etc. So سابق is one who outstrips others in faith and actions (Lane).

الاولون (the first) is the plural of الاول which is derived from وأل being the opposite of الآخر i.e. the last. اول means, the first; one preceding all others (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The verse mentions two distinctive qualifications of prominent believers: (1) السابقون i.e. those who are foremost in spiritual rank, outstripping others in faith and actions; and (2) الاولون i.e. those who are the first to believe, others only following them.

The Companions of the Holy Prophet are thus held up here as models for others, being both foremost in rank and the first to believe. Nay, even those, who sincerely followed in their footsteps, became the favoured ones of God. Incidentally, the verse also constitutes a forcible refutation of the Shia accusations against the first three Successors of the Holy Prophet and his prominent Companions.

Important Words:

شیع (parties) is the plural of شیعة (a party) which is derived from شاع meaning, it (a thing or a piece of news) became spread or disclosed. اشاع الخبر means, he spread or disclosed the news. شیع بالابل (shayya‘a) means, he (a pastor) called to the camels whereupon they (gathered together and) followed one another. شیعة of which the plural is شیع means, a separate or distinct party of men, so called from their agreeing together and following one another; the followers or assistants of a man; any people that have combined in or for an affair; any people or party whose affair or case is one and who follow one another’s opinion (Lane).

Commentary:

In the word شیع (parties or more literally, parties forming groups) all the former peoples have been spoken of as groups. This negatives the assertion of those so-called in-dependent people who describe themselves as not belonging to any group, for every man must belong to one group or another whether old or new, known or unknown. Herding, according to psychologists, is one of the strongest instincts of man, and it is in reference to this fact that the former peoples have been spoken of as forming so many شیع (parties or groups). For the meaning of the word شیع see Important Words.

The verse purports to state that the Prophet of Islam is not the first Prophet. There have been Prophets before him and God extended His protection to their teachings also. Similarly He will protect his teaching, the Quran. On the occasion of the appearance of a Prophet who brings a new Law, this protection is afforded to his teaching, among other things, by his followers being invested with political power which enables them to give a practical demonstration of the truth of his teaching. His followers may not attain to political power very early in their career, nevertheless they achieve such influence as enables them to demonstrate by actual practice the truth of his teachings. It is indeed surprising that the opponents of every Prophet have always refused to test the truth of his claim by the criteria of the history of past Prophets, which is the easiest way to ascertain the merits of any such claim. This attitude of disbelievers proves that they are not honest or earnest about ascertaining the truth but intend only to confuse the issues.

26:202.

Commentary:

The evil habit of ridiculing God’s Prophets referred to in v. 12 results in the hardening of the heart and debars the mockers from believing in their Prophet in spite of seeing clear signs in his support. The verse means to say that such has been the end of the scoffers of the Prophets in the past and such will be the end of those who mock at the Holy Prophet now.

8:32; 68:16; 83:14.

Commentary:

The verse reverts to the original theme and says that when deniers of the Unity of God and Resurrection listen to arguments in support of these doctrines, instead of giving them proper consideration they make light of them by saying that these arguments are a mere repetition of the sayings of the ancients. By such remarks they seek to divert the attention of their followers from the truth. This is a common device of the opponents of truth. They always assert that there is nothing new in the teachings of their Prophet, and think that this assertion alone constitutes a sufficient refutation of his claims. As a matter of fact, Prophets of God come to remind men of the old truths that the latter had forgotten. If the later Prophets had taught what had not been taught by their predecessors they would indeed be impostors. Of course, every Prophet presents old truths in a new garb and, if necessary, makes some additions or alterations as required by the circumstances and conditions of his age.

17:95; 18:56.

Important Words:

ظلموا بھا (unjustly rejected it). The word ظلم means, (1) he did wrong; or acted wrongfully, unjustly or tyrannically, (2) he put a thing in a wrong place or in a place not its own. They say من اشبه اباہ فما ظلم i.e. whoso resembles his father, he has not put the likeness in a wrong place; (3) he made him suffer loss as in وما ظلمونا ولکن کانوا انفسھم یظلمون i.e. and they made not Us to suffer loss or detriment but it was themselves they made to suffer loss or detriment. ظلم الارض means, he dug the ground in what was not the place of digging. ظلمه also means, he imposed upon him a thing that was above his power or ability. The word is also used transitively by means of ب as in the Quranic words فظلموا بھا i.e. and they disbelieved in them (the Signs) or unjustly rejected them (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:36, 52.

Commentary:

The verse beautifully states that heavenly signs will never cease to appear. It warns Muslims not to entertain such a foolish belief and proceeds to refute and demolish the only possible objection against the appearance of heavenly signs. The objection is: When the people to whom the signs were first shown did not profit by them, where was the warrant that their successors would do so? The arguments given in refutation of this objection are: (a) If the rejection of heavenly signs had been a reasonable ground, no Prophet after the very first Prophet—Adam––would have appeared. But this did not happen and fresh Prophets continued to appear in all ages and fresh signs continued to be shown at their hands, which showed that the rejection of signs never proved a barrier in the way of the appearance of new signs. (b) Prophets are sent in the world in order to warn wrongdoers of their transgressions and iniquities and of the impending Divine punishment in consequence of those iniquities. Any such punishment without a previous warning and without showing signs would be contrary to Divine mercy.

As an illustration of the claim that wrongdoers never go unpunished if they do not repent, special mention has been made of the tribe of Thamud because the Thamud were an Arab tribe and their history was a matter of common knowledge with pagan Arabs as well as with the Jews of Arabia.

7:18.

4:121; 14:23.

Important Words:

استفزز (entice thou) is derived from فز which means, he was or became frightened. استفزmeans, it (fear) excited him to lightness, unsteady-ness; or it unsettled him; he incited or excited him to be promptly obedient and submissive to him; he deceived or beguiled him so as to cast him into destruction; he expelled him from his land; he slew him. The Quranic expression واستفزز من استطعت منھم بصوتک means, and excite thou to lightness and unsteadiness or unsettle thou whom thou canst with thy voice. And the expression وان کادوا لیستفزونک من الارض means, and verily they were near to unsettling thee from the land or, some say, they were near to frightening thee so as to excite thee to promptness of flight from the land (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

This verse shows that man is by nature good. It is only when he falls a victim to satanic influences that he gives up the path of virtue for the ways of sin and iniquity. This Islamic conception of human nature is in striking contrast with that of Christianity according to which man is evil by nature and Jesus alone can redeem him from his original sin.

The verse describes the three kinds of devices that are adopted by the sons of darkness to entice men away from the right way: (1) They try to intimidate the poor and the weak by holding out threats of violence to them. This is the significance of the words, And entice…with thy voice. (2) They use more drastic measures against those who are not frightened away by verbal threats of violence by forming alliances against them and making a concerted attack upon them and persecuting and oppressing them in every way. This is the sense of the words, urge against them thy horsemen and footmen. (3) They seek to entice away the powerful and the more influential among the followers of a Prophet by offering to make them their leaders if only they give up his cause.

All these measures and stratagems have been adopted by the enemies of truth against the Prophets of God and their followers throughout the ages. But they have never succeeded in arresting or retarding the progress of truth.

17:95.

Commentary:

The Quran has explained all matters that concern man’s belief and conduct so completely and comprehensively that no room is left to an honest person but to accept truth and obey the Divine Call. But so perverse and wayward are disbelievers that they refuse to see reason and accept truth. Their obstinacy and hardness of heart seems to show that they will not be satisfied with anything but Divine punishment.

By the words سنة الاولین is meant the last and final Divine punishment which completely destroys disbelievers, while the expression اویاتیھم العذاب قبلا refers to intermediate punishments which come only to warn disbelievers and rouse them from their state of indifference and lethargy. The verse means to say that people to whom reference has been made in the foregoing verses will have both kinds of punishment.

Commentary:

Moses is here comforted that his people would not remain permanently wedded to idolatry and other evil practices but the instant they came under his fostering care, they would again become his good and God-fearing companions. See also 7:108.

Commentary:

Moses’s reply to Pharaoh’s query contained in the previous verse seemed to have entirely confounded him (Pharaoh), so he adroitly turned away from the subject which he himself started and presented Moses with a new question. He asked Moses whether his God knew anything about the former generations who were dead and gone, meaning how they would fare when they had not had the benefit of receiving guidance from him (Moses). Thus, in a subtle manner Pharaoh sought to incite his people against Moses by making an oblique hint that he (Moses) regarded their forefathers as bereft of heavenly guidance and therefore deserving of Divine punishment.

Important Words:

آیة here means a great sign or the Sign of punishment. See also 2:130 & 19:11.

Commentary:

The words, Has there not come to them clear evidence of what is contained in the former Books, may mean: (1) is not the argument sufficient to convince them that in the times of former Prophets also disbelievers continued to demand Signs in spite of many Signs having been shown to them and that this fact is recorded in the former Scriptures; (2) does not the fact constitute a sufficient guide to them that the prophecies made in the former Scriptures about the advent of a great Prophet are being fulfilled in the person of the Holy Prophet; and (3) is not the fact sufficient to convince them that similar signs have been shown to them as were shown in the times of the former Prophets?

52:31.

Important Words:

آیة may here mean a Sign of punishment; or a Sign of the disbelievers’ own choice. See also 19:11.

اضغاث احلام (confused dreams). See 12:45.

Commentary:

In this verse three different objections of disbelievers with regard to the Quran have been mentioned. The first is that the Quran is a mixture of confused dreams. But realizing the untenability of their position, as there exists a beautiful arrangement and order in it and that it forms a connected whole and contains excellent teachings, the disbelievers shift their ground and say that the Holy Prophet has forged it himself. But again realizing that throughout his life the Prophet was by common consent known and looked upon as "the trusty" and "the truthful," they give up this objection also and proceed to accuse him of being a poet and a magician. These objections have been mentioned in an ascending order and the continuous shifting of the ground by disbelievers implies an admission on their part that their objections can stand no examination or scrutiny. The Quran has therefore refused to entertain them here because they carry their own refutation and are self-contradictory and foolish. Further on, however, it has answered these objections in another context.

The demand, let him then bring us a Sign just as the former Prophets were sent with Signs, is clearly foolish and insolent. There has never appeared a Prophet in the world who was not confronted with a similar demand. Jesus was so infuriated with the Scribes and the Pharisees when they said: "Master, we should see a sign from thee" (Matt. 12:38), that he exclaimed in extreme anger: "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas" (Matt. 12:39). The refusal on the part of the Quran to entertain the disbelievers’ demand in the manner they expected it, does not imply that no sign had been or was to be shown to them. It only means to demonstrate that the demand is foolish and insolent and that heavenly Signs differ from age to age and therefore the signs that would be shown by the Holy Prophet would be different from those that were shown by Moses or Jesus and for that matter by any other Prophet.

The word شاعر (poet) while meaning one who composes verses also signifies a person who plays with the sentiments and susceptibilities of men. Here the word has been used preferably in the latter sense.

7:61; 11:28; 17:95; 34:44.

17:96.

Commentary:

The disbelievers have always suffered from a superiority complex and therefore have always rejected Divine Messengers on the plea that they cannot accept the lead of one who is "only a man like ourselves."

The verse incidentally implies that belief in the existence of angels was entertained from time immemorial. As far back as Noah’s time his opponents wanted to see angels descending on them. See also 11:28.

Important Words:

ام (or) possesses a variety of meanings, some of which are the following:

It is a conjunction connected with what precedes it so that neither what precedes it nor what follows it is independent, the one of the other. It denotes interrogation or is used in a case of interrogation corresponding to the interrogative أ and meaning ای. They say أزید فی الدار ام عمرو i.e. is Zaid in the house or ‘Amr i.e. which of the two (ایھما), therefore what follows امand what precedes it compose one sentence and what follows it must correspond to what precedes it in the quality of noun and of verb. They say أ أنذرتھم ام لم تنذرھم i.e. whether thou warn them or warn them not (2:7). أ زید قائم ام قائد means, is Zaid standing or sitting? It is also used as simple interrogative in the sense of ھل as in ام کنتم شھداء i.e. were you present? (2:134)

Commentary:

The verse means to say, why do not disbelievers understand this simple thing that the Holy Prophet’s Message is no new thing. It is the same Message which from time immemorial the Prophets of God have been bringing in the world, the selfsame message which was given to the forefathers of these people.

Commentary:

The verse purports to say that disbelievers continue to harp on the old tune that after they are reduced to dust, their coming to life again was an impossible thing and that it was an old story which they and their forebears had been hearing from very old times.

27:69.