غَیۡر

4:70; 5:21; 19:59.

2:62, 91; 3:113; 5:61, 79.

3:91; 5:78; 18:105.

Important Words:

انعمت (Thou hast bestowed blessings) is derived from نعم which means, he became well off. نعم عیشه means: his life became happy and full of comfort and ease. انعم فلانا or انعم علی فلان means: he made his life comfortable; he bestowed favour on him. نعمة means: favour, blessing; anything which affords happiness (Aqrab). The word انعام is used with reference to rational beings only. For instance, we would say انعم علی عبدہ i.e. he bestowed a favour on his slave or servant, and not انعم علی فرسه i.e. he bestowed a favour on his horse (Mufradat).

المغضوب (those who have incurred displeasure) is derived from غضب which means: he was angry, he showed anger. غضب علیه means: he was angry with him, he was wrathful against him, his anger and wrath being combined with the intention of punishing or retaliating (Aqrab & Mufradat).

الضالین (those gone astray) is derived from ضل which means: he went astray, he lost his way, he deviated from the right path. ضل سعیه means: his effort was lost, being unsuccessful. ضل الرجل means: the man perished and his body became converted into dust (Aqrab). The word ضلالة is also used to indicate the state of being engrossed or lost in some effort or pursuit. Says the Quran:

الذین ضل سعیھم فی الحیوة الدنیا

i.e. those whose labour is all lost in search after things pertaining to the life of this world (18:105).

Again: ووجدک ضالا فھدی i.e. and He (God) found thee engrossed in search (after Him), so He showed thee the way (93:8).

Commentary:

In the last verse, God taught us to pray for guidance to the right path. In the present verse the idea has been further advanced by adding the words, the path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings. This has been done with a twofold purpose:

1. That a true believer should not be satisfied with only being guided to the right path or with performing certain acts of righteousness. He should set his goal higher, and try to attain to a position in which God begins to bestow His special favours on His servants. He should not merely pass the test but excel in it.

2. That a true believer should look up to the historical examples of divine favours and receive en-couragement from them. But he is not to stop at that particular point. He should try to join the favoured company and become one of them. And as the topmost in a class is still one of the class, the goal set before a believer is very high indeed.

For a description of الذین انعمت علیھم i.e. the favoured ones, we read elsewhere in the Quran: فاولئك مع الذین انعم اللّٰه علیھم من النبیین والصدیقین والشھداء والصالحین i.e. those who believe in God and follow the Prophet are among the favoured ones—the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous (4:70).

Here the favoured ones have been divided into four classes, the topmost being the Prophets and the lowermost the righteous. Thus a Muslim has been enjoined to pray to God for the bestowal of such spiritual favours upon him as may enable him to belong to one of these favoured classes. Even the highest favours, pertaining to prophethood are not denied to Muslims. This indeed is a lofty goal!

The point needs further elaboration. The verse, as hinted above, beautifully points out that a Muslim should not only desire mere virtue but should aim at inclusion in the class of men who have won the special favours of God. One who loves God does not remain content with an inferior state. Love of the Supreme Being engenders in the heart of man such a burning aspiration that he is not satisfied with an ordinary stage of progress. Indeed, one who understands God cannot look upon any stage of progress as final. Not only is the desire for unending progress found in the heart of the true believer, but God Himself wishes man not to remain content with a low stage, but to pray for ever-increasing righteousness; the righteousness of those who have won special prizes.

As already pointed out, the word انعام (favour) is not confined to any particular gift but includes everything which is given to a person as a token of pleasure, be it worldly or spiritual.

Again, though every favour is a divine blessing, it cannot be denied that there are certain favours which particularly deserve to be so called, for they rank among the topmost favours. The Quran says, And remember when Moses said to his people, O my people, call to mind Allah’s favour upon you when He appointed Prophets among you and made you kings and gave you what He gave not to any other among the peoples (5:21). This verse pointedly refers to the things which can be held to be special favours for man; and the Israelites are told that they have been given a goodly portion of all these favours.

Human excellences are of three kinds: (1) worldly and personal, (2) spiritual and personal, and (3) worldly or spiritual excellences in relation to others, i.e. excellences that are of a relative nature and pertain to the superiority of an individual or a people relative to others. A man naturally likes to attain this last kind of excellence also, which confers upon him a superiority over his rivals and compatriots. In the verse quoted above (i.e. 5:21) Moses ascribes all these three kinds of favours to the Israelites:

(1) They received worldly favours, so much so that they remained rulers of a land for a long time. All worldly excellences require kingship or government administration for their right growth and development, and a people who become rulers get this important means of development, irrespective of whether they benefit by it or not. The very fact that kingship is granted to a people means that all avenues of worldly progress are thrown open and made secure for them.

(2) They also received high spiritual favours. Just as kingship is a means of attaining worldly greatness and constitutes its culminating point, prophethood is the means of attaining spiritual greatness and constitutes the culminating point of spiritual progress. This is why Moses tells his people that prophethood, the greatest spiritual favour, has also been conferred upon them. Indeed they were granted this favour through a long series of Prophets.

(3) The third class of favours being relative, Moses most fittingly tells his people that God gave you what He had not given to any other among the peoples. In the above expression, though the idea is that of Moses, the words are Quranic and, as usual, the Quran has combined brevity of words with vastness of meaning in a manner which cannot fail to impress a thoughtful person.

The words: the path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, coming after the words: Guide us in the right path, greatly enhance the significance of the former. The words indicate that the objective of a Muslim is not to merely pray that God show him the right way. They direct him to pray for loftier objects and to implore God that He may not only show him the ways of guidance but that He may lead him to those special paths of spiritual knowledge which had been revealed to the favoured ones before him. By raising such high aspirations in the minds of the believers, God has indeed conferred a great boon on Muslims.

Although in the presence of this clear and plain teaching it is not necessary to give any further evidence to show that the doors to every kind of progress have been thrown open to the believers, yet, as the latter-day Muslims have generally given way to despair, it is necessary to turn to the Quran to see what it means by prayer for the grant of favours, and whether it holds out any promise of the acceptance of this prayer. As partly quoted above, we read in 4:67-70: And if they had done what they are exhorted to do, it would surely have been better for them, and conducive to greater strength, and then We would have surely given them a great reward from Ourself, and We would have surely guided them in the right path. And whoso obeys Allah and this Messenger (of His), shall be among those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings, namely, the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous, and excellent companions are these.

The above-quoted verse clearly speaks of the favours that are in store for the true Muslims and uses the very words which occur in the verse under comment, viz. the path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings. As already noted, the recipients of blessings have been explained to mean the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous. This shows that the divine gifts which Muslims are asked to pray for embody the highest stages of spiritual progress, and the Quran informs us that all these stages are attainable, and indeed will be attained, by Muslims.

The objection is sometimes raised that while prophethood is a موھبة i.e. a free gift and not a کسب i.e. something to be earned, it is meaningless to offer any prayer for its attainment. The answer to this objection is that a Muslim does not pray particularly for the gift of prophethood. He only prays in a general way and implores God to bestow the highest spiritual favours on Muslims, and it rests with God to confer His favours on whomsoever He pleases. The Quran says, Allah knows best where to place His message (6:125), i.e. He alone knows whom to make His Messenger. This is why God has taught this prayer in the plural number, saying Guide us, and not "Guide me"—to point out that prayer for such spiritual blessings should be general and not particular. Moreover, though it is true that prophethood is a free gift, yet it is not wholly so, for there is undoubtedly some element of "earning" in it, otherwise why was this gift conferred on Muhammad (on whom be peace) and not on Abu Jahl?

Another objection in this connection is that when the Holy Prophet has been declared to be خاتم النبیین (Seal of Prophets), there is no possibility of any Prophet appearing after him. This objection has also been clearly answered in the verses quoted above (4:67-70); for there the words used are whoso obeys Allah and this Messenger (of His) which definitely means that the spiritual boons, including that of prophethood, promised to Muslims will be given only to such as will obey God and His Messenger—the Holy Prophet; and it is evident that the work of one who is subordinate to the Prophet cannot be considered as separate from the work of the Prophet, nor can such a one bring a new Law. Hence the appearance of a Prophet from among the followers of the Holy Prophet is not inconsistent with the latter’s being the Seal of Prophets. On the contrary, such a Prophet will only complete the significance of خاتم النبیین. But of this we will speak later at its proper place. In short, the verse clearly tells us that the door of the highest spiritual blessings—even that of prophethood—is open to Muslims.

It should, however, be noted that "a favour" or "a blessing" spoken of in the verse is not to be understood in the spiritual sense only. It covers the entire field of human activity, and in its wider significance, the prayer includes the seeking of what may be called earthly eminence. Knowledge, honour, power, wealth are all among the favours of God and a true believer may pray for the attainment of these along with the spiritual blessings.

The latter portion of the verse contains a dreadful warning. Man receives favours from God and then begins to abuse them. Or he loses the right path, encounters a fall, and becomes rejected by God. It is to guard against this danger that the latter portion of the verse contains a warning for mankind in general and for Muslims in particular. God enjoins us to pray that after becoming His favoured ones, we should not incur His displeasure nor stray from the right path, so that our progress, be it spiritual or temporal, may be continuous with no falling back.

The words المغضوب علیھم and الضالین have been used to denote two kinds of dangers. One is that one should outwardly stick to the right path but lose the inner spirit, retaining the shell without the kernel. The other is that one should lose the path itself and wander away into the wilderness. It is to these two kinds of dangers that the words المغضوب علیھم and الضالین refer. The Holy Prophet said:

إن المغضوب علیھم الیھود والضالین ھم النصاری i.e. by المغضوب علیھم are meant Jews, and by الضالین Christians (Tirmidhi & Musnad). These words of the Prophet are full of meaning. Not only do they describe the nature of the two dangers but also warn Muslims that if they are not watchful, they may fall a prey to them. They may either lose the spirit of faith just as the Jews did, who stuck to the letter of the Law but lost its spirit; or they may lose the path itself just as the Christians did, who strayed from the true teachings of Jesus and began to tread a different path altogether. The Quran speaks of the wrath of God falling on the Jews time after time (2:62; 2:91; 3:113; 5:61). It also refers to the drifting away of the Christians from the real teaching of Jesus (5:78).

The words المغضوب علیھم and الضالین also refer to another set of dangers. As is well known, the Holy Prophet had prophesied the second coming of Jesus Christ which meant the coming of a Reformer and a Messiah among Muslims in the spirit and power of Jesus. By using the words المغضوب علیھم, which the Holy Prophet said refer-red to the Jews, the Quran warns Muslims against meeting the fate of the Jews by rejecting the Promised Messiah when he appears among them. This prophecy of the second advent of Jesus has been fulfilled in the person of Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement.

The other danger is alluded to in الضالین which, according to the Holy Prophet, refers to Christians. The verse foretells a time when Christian nations would dominate the world, and it warns Muslims to be on their guard against the false beliefs and evil culture of these nations. A most dreadful warning, but most deplorably neglected!

This, the last verse of Al-Fatihah, embodies yet another great prophecy. As we have seen, this chapter was revealed early in Mecca when the Holy Prophet was surrounded by idolaters and Islam had not yet come in contact with either Jews or Christians. Yet the prayer in this verse refers to the danger of Jews and Christians and not to the danger of idolatry. This unexpected omission in the case of idol-worshippers and this unexpected reference to the People of the Book is not without significance. Idol-worship was to be swept out of Arabia and was no longer to be a danger to Islam, but dangers far more formidable were to confront it in the Latter Days—the internal danger of Muslims becoming like Jews, and the external danger of their becoming like Christians. The prophecy in this verse therefore has a threefold significance: (1) it refers to the early extinction of idolatry from Arabia; (2) it speaks of the danger of Muslims drifting into a state like that of Jews, and (3) it alludes to the universal ascendance of Christian nations in the Latter Days, and warns Muslims against adopting their faith and imbibing their culture. All these prophecies have been literally ful­filled.

The Holy Prophet says that when a Muslim comes to the end of the prayer contained in Al-Fatihah, he should say آمین (Amen), i.e. ‘Accept our prayer, o Lord!’ It is therefore customary with Muslims to say 'Amen' after reciting Al-Fatihah.

A General Note on the Chapter Al-Fatihah

Al-Fatihah, the opening Surah of the Quran, reveals a beautiful order in the arrangement of its words and sentences. It is divided, as the Holy Prophet has said, into two halves. The first half pertains to God, the second to man, and the different parts of each portion correspond to one another in a most remarkable manner. Corresponding to the name اللّٰه (Allah), which stands for the Being possessing all noble attributes, in the first half, we have the words, Thee alone do we worship. In the second half, as soon as the devotee thinks of God as being free from all defects and possessing all perfect attributes, the cry of Thee alone do we worship spontaneously rises from the depths of his heart.

Again, corresponding to the attribute رب العالمین (Lord of all the worlds) in the first part, we have the words Thee alone do we implore for help in the second part. When a Muslim knows God to be the Lord, i.e. the Creator and Sustainer of the worlds and the Source of all development, he at once takes shelter in Him, saying: Thee alone do we implore for help.

Again, corresponding to the attribute الرحمن (the Gracious, i.e. the Giver of innumerable blessings, and the Liberal Provider of our needs) in the first part, we have the words Guide us in the right path in the second; for the greatest of the blessings provided for man is guidance which God provides for him by sending revelation through His Messengers.

Again, corresponding to the attribute الرحیم (the Merciful, i.e. the Giver of the best rewards for man’s works) in the first part, we have the words The path of those on whom Thou had bestowed Thy blessings in the second, for it is Ar-Rahim Who bestows merited blessings on His favoured servants.

Yet again, corresponding to مالك یوم الدین (Master of the Day of Judgement) in the first half, we have the concluding part of the last verse in the second, viz. those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray. When man thinks of giving an account of his deeds, he dreads failure; so, pondering over the attribute of Master of the Day of Judgement, he begins to pray to God to be saved from His displeasure and from straying from the right path.

Another special feature of the prayer contained in this chapter is that it appeals to the inner instincts of man in a perfectly natural manner. There are two fundamental motives in human nature which prompt submission, viz. love and fear. Some people are touched by love, while others are moved by fear. The motive of love is certainly nobler but there may be, indeed there are, men to whom love makes no appeal. They will only submit through fear. In Al-Fatihah an appeal has been made to both of these human motives.

First come those attributes of God which inspire love, i.e. الرب (the Creator and Sustainer of the world), الرحمن (the Gracious) and الرحیم (the Merciful). Then in their wake, as it were, comes the attribute of مالك یوم الدین (Master of the Day of Judgement) which reminds man that if he does not mend his ways and does not respond to love, he should prepare to give an account of his deeds before God. Thus the motive of fear is brought into play side by side with that of love. But as God’s mercy far excels His anger, even the fourth attribute, i.e. that of مالك یوم الدین (Master of the Day of Judgement), which is the only fundamental attribute designed to evoke fear, has not been left without a reference to mercy. In fact, here too God’s mercy transcends His anger, for we are told that we are not appearing before a Judge but before a Master Who has the power to forgive and Who will punish only where punishment is absolutely necessary.

Similarly, at the end of the prayer, the motives of hope and fear have been brought into play. First God appeals through the motive of love by putting into the mouth of the supplicant the words: Guide us in the right path, the path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings; and then He follows it up with the words: Those who have not incurred Thy displeasure and those who have not gone astray. Thus both the motives of hope and fear have been brought into action. But here too the first appeal is to the motive of love.

In short, Al-Fatihah, the Opening Chapter of the Quran, is a wonderful storehouse of spiritual knowledge. It is a short chapter of seven brief verses, but it is a mine of knowledge and wisdom. Aptly called the "Mother of the Book," it is the very essence of the Quran.

Beginning with the name of Allah, the Fountainhead of all blessings, the chapter goes on to narrate the four fundamental attributes of God, i.e. (1) the Creator and Sustainer of the world; (2) the Gracious, Who provides for all the requirements of man even before he is born and without any effort on his part for them; (3) the Merciful, Who determines the best possible results of man’s labour, and Who rewards him most liberally; and (4) Master of the Day of Judgement, before Whom all will have to stand to give an account of their actions, Who will punish the wicked but will not treat His creatures as a mere Judge but as a Master, tempering justice with mercy and Who is eager to forgive whenever forgiveness is calculated to bring about good results. This is the portrait of the God of Islam given in the very beginning of the Quran––a God Whose power and dominion know no bounds and Whose mercy and beneficence have no limitations.

Then comes the declaration by man that, his God being the possessor of such lofty attributes, he is ready, nay eager, to worship Him and throw himself at His feet in complete sub­mission; however, God knows that man is weak and liable to err, so He mercifully exhorts His servant to seek His help at every step in his onward march and for every need that may confront him.

Finally comes a prayer—comprehensive and far-reaching––a prayer in which man supplicates his Maker to lead him to the right path in all matters, spiritual or temporal, whether relating to his present or future needs. He prays to God that he may not only withstand all trials but, like the chosen ones of God, do so with credit and become the recipient of His most bounteous favours; that he may forever go on treading the right path, pressing on nearer and yet nearer to his Lord and Master without stumbling on the way, as did many of those who have gone before. This is the theme of the Opening Chapter of the Quran which is constantly repeated, in one form or another, in the main body of the Book which we are now approaching.

7:163.

Important Words:

رجز (a punishment) means: (1) filth; (2) punishment; (3) idol-worship (4) iniquity or sin (Aqrab).

من السماء (from heaven). For سماء see note on 2:20. As سماء means a "height" or "anything that is high above us", therefore the expression من السماء would mean "from on high" or "from God", implying that the punishment meted out to the Israelites was not brought about through earthly means but, as it were, descended from above.

Commentary:

This verse is a continuation of the previous one. God commanded the Israelites to behave submissively and to pray to Him for the forgiveness of their sins, but they, mischievous and arrogant as ever, disobeyed the injunctions given to them and changed the words of prayer taught by God, whereupon He chastised them with a punishment that was not of this earth, i.e. He visited them with a pestilence or plague that destroyed a number of them. Or the expression رجزا من السماء may mean that their disobedience recoiled on their own souls in the sense of moral degradation and filthiness of heart and mind.

The question of the word which the Israelites used in place of the one taught to them is immaterial. According to some, they used the word حبة or حنطة i.e. "give us corn to eat" instead of حطة i.e. "remove our sins" (Bukhari & Jarir). The words sound alike and afforded a playful opportunity to the mischief-minded among the Israelites. But as already said, the word substituted is not material. What matters is that they, i.e. many of them as the Quran hints, disobeyed the Lord and made religion a plaything. Hence the punishment.

3:113.

2:91; 3:113; 5:61.

2:88; 3:22, 113, 184; 5:71.

Important Words:

فومھا (its wheat). فوم means: (1) wheat; (2) any corn suitable for making bread; (3) garlic; (4) chick-pea (Aqrab).

مصر (a town) means:(1) a town or a city; (2) the frontier between two countries; (3) the thing that intervenes between two things (Aqrab).

یقتلون (would kill) is derived from قتل i.e. he killed. The infinitive means: (1) killing with a sword or with a stone or with poison or by any other means; (2) attempting to kill; (3) making up the mind to kill; (4) boycotting or cutting off all connections; (5) killing one’s carnal desires; (6) weakening the strength of a thing, as alcohol is "killed" with the addition of water, or hunger is "killed" with food, etc.; (7) humbling a person completely; (8) rendering a person like unto one killed either physically or morally or spiritually; (9) acquiring complete and certain knowledge about a thing; and (10) cursing a person or thing (Aqrab, Mufradat & Lisan)

Commentary:

In this verse another instance is cited to show how the Israelites made no effort to turn the favours of God to good account. When they were in the desert, God sent them Manna and Salwa. But soon after this they began to exhibit discontent with one kind of food and to clamour for a variety of grain, onions, salad and green-stuff (Num. 11:5-11). It may be noted that both Manna and Salwa taken together were considered one kind of food as they were taken continuously for a long time. It is further learnt from the Bible that the supply of Salwa was discontinued after a while and the Israelites were thus left to live on Manna alone (Num. 11:6). As the demand was not based on a right understanding of the wisdom of God Who wanted the Israelites to breathe the free air of the desert for a time, they met with disgrace and drew upon themselves the wrath of God.

God’s displeasure with the Israelites was not due to their demand for other food. The real cause lay elsewhere. Having lived for a long time in bondage and a state of dependence, they had become cowardly and indolent. So God wished them to stay in the desert for sometime, living on game and wild herbs, that they might get rid of their cowardice and indolence by living an independent life in the desert. Thus revitalized, they were to be led to the Promised Land and made rulers of Palestine. The Israelites, however, failed to understand the real purpose of God or having understood it, failed to appreciate it, and foolishly insisted upon living in a town. God pointed out their error, saying that they had asked for a life of agriculture in preference to what was to lead them to sovereignty. He wanted to prepare them for rule over the Promised Land, but they hungered for husbandry. So He indignantly ordered them to go down to a town where they would get the desired things.

The Israelites deserved punishment, because their impatience was the outcome of a want of faith in the promise of God. This lack of faith in God was due to their opposition to His Prophets and, disbelief in His Signs, and they opposed the Prophets because they were transgressors and evildoers. The Prophets invited them to guidance and virtue which they disliked, and, as a result, they opposed them. Thus the Quran admirably traces the causal sequence of every evil to its origin and strikes at its very root so as to prevent all possibility of recurrence.

The words, we will not remain content with one kind of food, contain a threat and are full of arrogance. If the Israelites had meant simply to express a wish, the words would have been "we are unable to remain content with one kind of food," and not as they stand in the Quran. The Bible gives a vivid picture of their insolent and almost rebellious attitude on this occasion (Num. 11:5-15).

The words یقتلون النبیین translated in the verse as "would kill the Prophets" do not mean that the Israelites actually killed the Prophets, because, up to the time of Moses, no Prophet is known to have been slain by them. As a matter of fact, Moses is the first Prophet who was sent to the Israelites as a nation. Thus Moses and his brother, Aaron, are the only persons to whom the words can be applied; but obviously these two Prophets were not killed by the Israelites, although the latter often opposed them and were sometimes even bent upon killing them (Exod. 17:4). Hence, the word قتل in the verse cannot possibly mean actual killing. Its only meaning here is that they severely opposed the Prophets and were even prepared to kill them. This interpretation finds corroboration not only in Arabic lexicons, for which see Important Words, but the Quran itself supports it in a number of verses where the word قتل has been used undoubtedly, not in the sense of actual killing but in that of attempting to kill or intending to kill (3:22 and 40:29). Bukhari also relates a tradition to the effect that once certain hot-headed Quraish youths brutally assaulted the Holy Prophet in the precincts of the Ka‘bah, whereupon Abu Bakr rushed to his rescue, saying, اتقتلون رجلا ان یقول ربی الله "Do you kill a man because he says Allah is his Lord and Master?" (chapter on Tafsir). In this hadith the word قتل is clearly used in the sense of attempting to kill or intending to kill and not actual killing.

It will not be out of place to point out here that the purport of verse 2:59 discussed above is altogether different from the one under comment. Though in both of them God apparently orders the Israelites to go to some habitation, yet the meaning is entirely different, rather quite the opposite in each case. As a matter of fact, whereas in verse 2:59 God Himself willingly commands the Israelites to go to some habitation, His ordering them to "go down into a town" in the verse under comment is expressive of definite displeasure and anger. In the previous verse the قریة or habitation meant only a habitation found in the desert by going into which the Israelites did not leave the free desert life but rather combined it with the facilities of a habitation. On the contrary, by "going down into" a مصر i.e. a town or city as mentioned in the verse under comment, they altogether abandoned the desert life and adopted a life of ease, as is led in towns and cities. Hence the difference. This is why the Quran uses the simple word ادخلوا i.e. "enter" in 2:59 and the word اھبطوا i.e. "go down", a term expressive of decline, in the verse under comment. Similarly, whereas in verse 2:59 the Quran follows up the commandment with the words eat therefrom plentifully wherever you like, in the present verse the commandment is followed by the words and they were smitten with abasement and destitution. The difference is apparent. The former expression is indicative of the freedom of life in the desert, and the latter of the suffocating atmosphere and mental slavery of towns and cities.

5:4; 6:146; 16:116.

Important Words:

المیتة (that which dies of itself) is derived from مات i.e. he died. میتة means: (1) an animal that has died a natural death (Aqrab); (2) an animal that has not been slaughtered in a manner prescribed by Law (Lane & Mufradat).

الخنزیر (swine). Authorities differ as to the derivation of this word, some deriving it from خنزر and others from خزر. The word الخنزرة means, hard and rugged land; or a clumsy, badly-finished axe. خزر الرجل means, the man looked with the hinder parts or outer angles of his eyes (Lisan). خزرت العین means, the eye was or became narrow and small. خزر الرجل means, the man looked from the outer angle of the eye; or he had a distortion of one of his eyes. The Arabs say: کل خنزیراخزر i.e. all swine look from the outer angles of their eyes. خزر المرء means the man affected or pretended to be cunning. الخنزیر means, the swine, the hog, the pig; a certain well-known foul animal the eating of whose flesh is said to be forbidden by every Prophet (Lane). The Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement says of the word خنزیر: "The very name of this foul animal contains an allusion to the prohibition of its flesh. It is a combination of خنز and ار, the first part meaning, 'very foul' and the second, 'I see'. The word thus literally means, 'I see it very foul'…What is yet more remarkable is that in Hindi this animal is known by the name سؤر which is similarly composed of two words, i.e. سوء and ار, the latter part being identical with the latter part of the Arabic word and the former being the exact equivalent of the first part of the Arabic form. The Hindi word, therefore, exactly means the same as the Arabic, viz. 'I see it very foul'…In Hindi this animal is also known as بد meaning bad or foul which is probably a translation of the original Arabic word" (Teachings of Islam).

أھل (invoked) is derived from ھل meaning, it (the moon) made its appearance; he (the man) cried aloud. اھل also means, it made its appearance; he called or cried aloud. اھل بالتسمیة علی الذبیحة means, he invoked or pronounced the name of God while slaughtering an animal. اھل السیف بفلان means, the sword cut into him ( Aqrab). اھلال which is the infinitive-noun from اھل means, to raise one’s voice aloud by way of exclamation, on seeing the ھلال or the moon of the first night (Mufradat). Thus اھل به لغیر الله would mean, on which the name of anything besides God has been invoked at the time of slaughter; or which has been cut or slaughtered for a being other than God.

اضطر (driven by necessity) is derived from ضر which means, it did harm. ضرہ الی کذا means, it forced him to resort to that. اضطره means, he compelled him against his will. اضطره الی کذا means, he compelled him against his will to have recourse to that (Aqrab).

باغ (disobedient) is derived from بغی meaning, he rebelled; he disobeyed; he committed a wrong. باغ is really باغی being the active participle from بغی meaning, one who disobeys; one who is rebellious (Aqrab).

عاد (exceeding the limit) is the active participle from عدا i.e. he exceeded the proper or the prescribed limit. عدی علیهmeans, he transgressed against him. عاد is really عادی meaning, one who exceeds the limit (Aqrab).

اثم (sin). The verb اثم means, he did a thing which was unlawful for him; he did a thing which made him deserving of punishment. Thus the noun اثم means: (1) anything unlawful, i.e. a sin; (2) anything which makes a person deserving of punishment (Aqrab); (3) anything that pricks the mind as something evil (Mufradat).

Commentary:

This verse speaks only of food that is حرام or unlawful. It makes no mention of طیبات or pure and wholesome things to which reference has already been made in the preceding verse. It should not be supposed that the four things mentioned in this verse are the only things prohibited in Islam. As a matter of fact, Islam prohibits the use of many things; but they are divided into grades or classes, some of them being حرام or unlawful and others being ممنوع or simply forbidden. The verse under comment mentions only the former class. The forbidden things have been stated by the Holy Prophet and are mentioned in Hadith. They must not be used by the Faithful but they cannot be called حرام or unlawful. In fact, there is a great difference between unlawful (حرام) and forbidden (ممنوع) things. Islam recognizes due difference in the importance of different things, and so all prohibitions cannot be classed together and treated as of equal importance. The use of حرام or an unlawful thing has a great and direct bearing on the moral and spiritual development of man but it is not so with a ممنوع or forbidden thing which stands on a lower level of importance, though both are prohibited.

Among the things declared حرام or unlawful in this verse, the injuriousness of consuming blood and the flesh of a dead animal as food has been recognized by most authorities on medicine. The use of the flesh of swine has also proved to be injurious not only to the physical health of man, but also to his moral and spiritual health. The swine eats filth and takes delight in living in dirty places. It has indecent habits and possesses the evil trait of sex-perversion. Tape-worms, scrofula, cancer and encysted trichina are known to be more prevalent among pork-eating peoples. The use of pork also causes trichinosis.

The clause, and that on which the name of any other than Allah has been invoked, refers to that animal at the time of whose slaughter the name of any deity other than Allah is invoked or that animal which is slaughtered with a view to winning the pleasure of an idol or a saint etc., even though the name of Allah may have been mentioned while slaughtering it. Hence, all such animals as are sacrificed in order to propitiate a false deity or a saint, or any food that is cooked as an offering to a deceased person have been condemned as unlawful. Such foods are spiritually harmful. The incentive to these offerings is شرك (i.e. idolatry) and شرك is tantamount to rebellion against God.

In spite of the fact that the above mentioned things have been declared to be unlawful, the verse goes on to say that if for want of food the very life of a person should be in danger, considerations of the preservation of human life must temporarily prevail over other considerations. This is a case of choosing the lesser of two evils. Hence the verse very wisely makes an exception in case of a real and urgent necessity when no other food is available and one is in real danger of losing one’s life if one does not use the unlawful food. In fact, of the four unlawful things, the first three have been declared unlawful mostly on the basis of the fact that they are injurious to physical and moral health, and it is certainly wise to permit their use in case of urgent necessity when there is real danger to life. As for the fourth thing, i.e. a food consecrated to any other being beside Allah, it is evident that it is not injurious intrinsically. It is injurious only from the point of view of faith. Therefore when such a thing is used merely to save one’s life, which may be so usefully employed in the service of religion, there can be no real objection in eating it, because this extremely rare act cannot be considered as involving شرك or idolatry, particularly when it is performed with the sanction of God.

Permission for the exceptional use of such things is, however, qualified by two important conditions: (1) that one who resorts to this use must not be باغی (i.e. disobedient). There should be no lurking spirit of revolt or disobedience behind the act. The circumstances must be real and the condition genuine, and nothing should be done out of design and wilfulness; (2) that the user of unlawful food under exceptional circumstances should not become عاد i.e. he should not exceed the limit. He should confine himself to such quantity only as is absolutely essential to save life. Thus the exceptional use is permissible only at a time when one is under bona fide constraint and is in real danger, and then only to the extent which is absolutely necessary for saving life.

Though it has been declared in this verse that there is no sin in partaking of a prohibited food when no revolt or transgression is intended, yet as one might err in judging what is revolt or transgression and what is not, and thus be unconsciously guilty of breaking a divine commandment, the Quran adds the words: surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful, meaning that an unintentional deviation will be forgiven by the Merciful God. The clause also reminds a Muslim that though it has been made permissible for him to take unlawful food in exceptional circumstances, yet such circumstances may be due to certain hidden shortcomings of his own for which he should seek God’s forgiveness, and that if he does so he will find God Forgiving and Merciful. In this connection see also 5:4; 6:146 & 16:116.

3:15; 18:47; 57:21.

3:38; 24:39; 35:4; 40:41.

Important Words:

زین (is made to appear attractive) is passive voice from زین which is derived from زان. They say زان الشیء or زین الشیءmeaning, he decorated or embellished or beautified the thing so as to make it look attractive (Aqrab).

یسخرون (they scoff) is formed from سخر. They say سخر منه or سخربه i.e. (1) he mocked at or scoffed at or laughed at him; he derided or ridiculed him; (2) he cut a joke with him or made a jest of him; (3) he deemed him ignorant (Aqrab & Lane).

فوقھم (above them). The word فوق is the infinitive noun from فاق. They say فاقه i.e. he was above him or was superior to him (in any sense); he excelled him in rank, eminence, nobility, knowledge or any other good quality; he overcame him in argument (Aqrab & Lane).

یوم القیامة (the Day of Resurrection) is a compound expression being made up of یوم (day) and القیامة (resurrection). The word یوم (day) is also used to denote time generally as already explained in 1:4; and القیامة (resurrection) is derived from قام meaning, (1) he stood up, or (2) he stood still. The expression قامت الساعة means, the appointed hour of resurrection came to pass. القیامة therefore, means the rising of the dead or the Resurrection (Aqrab). The word is also used for such occasions on which people leave their homes and gather in a place in response to a call, as in the Friday Prayers (Taj). Thus figuratively the word القیامة (resurrection) may denote a state of unusual life and activity following a state of inertia and lifelessness. The word القیامة is really القیام (the act of standing) which is the noun-infinitive from قام, the final ة being added to denote the act of resurrection being sudden and all together (Mufradat).

Commentary:

As the preceding verse spoke of those who change the gift of God by rejecting it or refusing to act upon it, the present verse fittingly provides the underlying reason of such rejection or refusal. The attention of these people is devoted to the affairs of this world, which appear so attractive to them as to leave no room in their hearts for God and His Messenger. The فاعل or author of the act denoted by the verb زین which is in the passive voice, has not been named here; but elsewhere the Quran clearly states that it is Satan who has taken upon himself to make the things of this world look beautiful and attractive in the eyes of unbelieving people (15:40), who thus become engrossed in the affairs of the world.

Intoxicated with their material gains and worldly possessions, disbelievers, and for that matter, hypocrites also, look down upon believers and scoff at them when they see their apparently low worldly position and hear promises of victory and future greatness being made to them. In view of the utter helplessness of the believers, they cannot possibly bring themselves to conceive that believers will ever become heirs to that eminence and glory which is promised to them by God and, therefore, they treat such promises with contempt. But truth has always triumphed over falsehood in the end. The history of all religions and particularly that of Islam bears undeniable testimony to this fact.

The clause, but those who fear God shall be above them on the Day of Resurrection, does not mean that the triumph of the Faithful over disbelievers will be confined to the next world only. The words "the Day of Resurrection" have been added to point out that whereas believers will also triumph in this world, as borne out by the facts of history, their triumph in the next world will be complete and perpetual. These words may also refer, according to Arab usage, to the time of the downfall of disbelievers and the rise of the Faithful in this very world. In this sense the clause would signify, "wait a while, for the appointed time is not far distant when Muslims will triumph over their enemies and will be above them in all respects", i.e. in knowledge, wealth, power, etc.—a fact to which the early history of Islam in Medina, Damascus, Baghdad, Egypt, Spain, etc., bears ample testimony. To quote only one instance, i.e. that of the Arabs being in their time above the rest of the world in science, Robert Briffault says: "The debt of our science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries or revolutionary theories; science owes a great deal to Arab culture; it owes its existence" (The Making of Humanity).

It will be noted that while making the promise of future greatness, the verse substitutes the expression "those who fear God" for the expression "those who believe". This change has been made to point to the fact that to obtain triumph mere ایمان (belief) is not enough; the Muslims should effect a real change in themselves, by attaining تقوی or fear of God. The phrase "without reckoning" may mean three things: (1) that the favours and gifts of God know no ending; for a thing that does not end cannot be reckoned; (2) that God bestows upon believers more favours and more gifts than they appear to deserve, the more so because believers spend in the cause of God to the utmost of their power without keeping an account of what they spend, so God also showers His blessings upon them without reckoning; (3) that God treats the believers as friends; and as people do not keep an account of what they give to their friends, therefore God also keeps no account of what He gives to the Faithful.

As to the relevancy of this clause to the previous one, it may be noted that as God promised to grant special victory and unusual greatness to believers—so much so that they were to be "above" the disbelievers in all respects when the time of "resurrection" (i.e. the fall of the disbelievers and the rise of the believers) came—the question naturally arose, how out of all proportion to their efforts and resources were the handful of believers going to attain this glorious triumph? In reply to this implied question, the Quran says that the people need not doubt this prophecy for the matter is not to be settled by ordinary rules of cause and effect but by the fact, so amply borne out by history, that "Allah bestows His favours on whomsoever He pleases without reckoning." In this connection we may well quote from Carlyle who, while speaking of the spectacular rise of Islam to power, says: "These Arabs, the man Mohammad, one spark on a world of what seemed black unnoticeable sand; but lo, the sand proves explosive powder, blazes heaven-high from Delhi to Granada!" (On Heroes and Hero Worship).

Important Words:

یتراجعا (return to each other) is derived from رجع i.e. he returned; the word is used to indicate the coming together of people after their dispersal or separation, as they say تراجع القوم i.e. the people returned to the place from where they separated or left (Aqrab).

یقیما (observe) is derived from اقام which means, he made a thing stand upright; he observed or duly performed a religious commandment or duty, etc. (Lane). See also under 2:4.

تنکح (she marries) is derived from نکح. They say نکح or نکحت meaning (1) he or she married a spouse; (2) he or she had sexual intercourse with his or her spouse. In the present verse the word is used in the latter sense. See also 2:222.

Commentary:

This verse refers to the third and final pronouncement of divorce after which the husband loses all right of reunion with his wife unless the divorced woman marries another man and establishes conjugal relations with him, and is then formally divorced by him or he dies, leaving her free to marry another man. By the inclusion of this provision in the law of divorce, Islam has, on the one hand, enhanced the sanctity of the marriage tie which must not be trifled with and has declared unlawful the evil practice of حلالة (halalah); and, on the other, it has afforded yet another opportunity to the couple who once had lived as husband and wife to become reunited if they so desired. The practice of halalah referred to above consists in a divorced woman marrying a man, other than her former husband, with the object of obtaining divorce from him and thereby making herself lawful for the former husband. Islam condemns this practice as a thing accursed (Tirmidhi ch. on Nikah) and enjoins that marriage with and divorce from another husband must both be genuine.

2:235.

Commentary:

The middle verses, which came in like the middle Prayer, having ended, the Quran reverts to the original subject of conjugal relations. The verse under comment is erroneously believed by some to have been abrogated by 2:235 and 4:13. Apart from the fact that the abrogation theory is based on lack of the knowledge of true teaching of the Quran, there is nothing in the verses referred to above which contradicts the provision contained in the present verse. The period of waiting laid down for a widow in 2:235 is four months and ten days in which time she can, as of right, claim residence and maintenance from the heirs of her deceased husband. The period of one year mentioned in the present verse has nothing to do with the above-mentioned period of waiting, as the words, but if they themselves go out, there shall be no blame upon you; clearly show. The present verse only contains a concession or a favour for a widow in addition to her right of residence and maintenance mentioned in 2:235. One year is about the time conveniently required by a widow for making suitable arrangements about her future. It is also the requisite time for a pregnant widow to be delivered of the child and relieved of the encumbrances attending thereto. Nor has this verse anything to do with the share of a widow in the property left by her husband as stated in 4:13. The concession about residence and maintenance for one year mentioned in the present verse forms no part of her share in the inheritance. The verse contains no obligatory injunction, but only an additional exhortation to the heirs of the deceased person to show special kindness to the widow for a period of one year, just as the following verse embodies an identical exhortation in favour of a divorced woman.

See 2:62.

Important Words:

یقتلون (seek to kill). See 2:62.

بشرھم (announce to them). See 2:26.

Commentary:

Disbelievers are here warned that if they do not accept the Signs of God and persist in rejecting and fighting His Messengers and are not prepared to accept the arbitrament of divine revelation and of reason, they cannot escape Divine punishment. No Prophet of God, whatever circumstances faced him, ever failed in his mission. No amount of persecution or attempts to murder the Prophets ever succeeded in arresting or retarding the progress of their faith. The history of religion provides a standing testimony to this fact; and the Holy Prophet of Islam—the Greatest of all Prophets—was not going to be an exception.

The expression فبشرھم بعذاب الیم translated as "announce to them a painful punishment" literally means, "give them the glad tidings of a painful punishment". The word بشر (give glad tidings) has been used with a twofold purpose; (1) to signify that the promised punishment is extraordinarily great, the word بشارة literally meaning a news that changes the colour of the skin of the listener; (2) to point to the fact that the disbelievers have been deprived of a great blessing. They were invited to God’s favour which was truly glad tidings but, having rejected it, they incurred His wrath and brought punishment on their heads.

7:55; 13:4; 22:62; 35:14; 39:6; 57:7.

6:96; 10:32; 30:20.

Commentary:

This and the preceding verse point to the immutable divine law that nations rise and fall as they conform to, or defy, the will of God, Who is the source of all power and glory. They also refer to the fulfilment of a great prophecy. A nation which had enjoyed temporal and spiritual sovereignty for a long time was going to be abased, because it had persistently violated the divine law and had become spiritually dead; and in place of it another nation, till now very low in the scale of humanity, was going to be raised to the highest pinnacle of temporal and spiritual power. The sovereignty or kingdom mentioned in the preceding verse refers to both the temporal and spiritual kingdom which was promised to the progeny of Abraham and which the Israelites had enjoyed for a long time. That kingdom was now going to be transferred to the House of Ishmael to find its completest manifestation in Islam. A living nation had suffered death and another, as good as dead, had arisen into life.

The word النھار (day) represents prosperity and power, and اللیل (night) signifies the loss of power combined with decline and decadence. By using this simile, the Quran draws attention to the fact that a people who wish that the night of woes and miseries should never overtake them and that they should ever continue to enjoy the day of prosperity and glory, should so place themselves in front of the Divine Sun as to continue to be illuminated by its ever-effulgent light. In this connection it may also be noted that the Quranic expression, Thou makest the night pass into the day and makest the day pass into the night, does not merely signify "the" alternate ending and beginning of day and: night, but also the conversion of part of the day into night and vice versa, thus hinting at the lengthening of the one at the cost of the other.

The clause, And Thou givest to whomsoever thou pleasest without measure, holds out a promise to Muslims that the glory of Islam will be unparalleled and will last forever. Islam will never be displaced as a religion and Muslims will always continue to be one of the most exalted peoples of the earth till the end of time. The appearance of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, at a time when the temporal power of Islam was at its lowest ebb and Muslims had also become morally and spiritually degenerate, was in fulfilment of this very promise. Through him Islam has found a new life. It will now bloom and blossom till whole nations shall come under its spiritual sway, and Muslims shall regain their pristine glory and shall become the most dominant people on the face of the earth.

Important Words:

کفلھا (made him her guardian) is derived from کفل. They say کفله i.e. he was or became responsible for him; he became his guardian. کفل خالدا زیدا means, he made Zaid the guardian of Khalid; he gave Khalid in the guardianship of Zaid (Aqrab).

زکریا (Zachariah or Zacharias) was the name of an Israelite holy person whom the Quran presents as a Prophet (6:86-90) but of whom the Bible speaks only as a priest (Luke 1:5). The person presented as a Prophet by the Bible is Zechariah (Zech. 1:1; mark the difference in spelling) of whom the Quran, however, makes no mention. زکریا of the Quran was the father of Yahya (John) who was a cousin of Jesus.

المحراب (chamber) is derived from حرب for which see 2:280. محرابmeans, a room in the uppermost story of a house; a chamber to which one ascends by stairs; the chief sitting place in a room or a house; the place or niche where the Imam stands while leading the Prayers in a mosque; a mosque or a place of worship (Aqrab & Lane). محراب (chamber of Prayer or the place of the Imam in a mosque) is probably so called because it is a place where one fights the forces of evil or where one gets divorced from the affairs and concerns of the world, the word حرب meaning fighting as well as being despoiled or deprived of all possessions (Mufradat).

Commentary:

Many fantastic stories have been woven round Mary’s reply to Zachariah’s question as to whence she got the gifts he found lying about her. The gifts were evidently brought by worshippers visiting the place and there was also nothing extraordinary in her reply that the gifts were from Allah, for every good thing that comes to man is really from God, He being the final agency. In fact, from a girl of Mary’s religious upbringing any other reply would rather have been surprising. The accounts of Mary having been provided with heavenly fruits by angels are, therefore, nothing but the figment of the commentators’ own minds and find no support whatsoever from the Quran or the sayings of the Holy Prophet. The pious reply of the child, however, made a deep impression on the mind of Zachariah and awakened in the depths of his soul the latent and natural desire of possessing a similarly virtuous child of his own.

The words, Surely Allah gives to whomsoever He pleases without measure, are most probably the words of God and not those of Mary. But if they are Mary’s words, they make her reply all the more impressive and Zachariah’s earnest prayer, referred to in the following verse, all the more justified.