The Holy Quran Text. Translation & Commentary(the Example Commentary in Brief)(volume Four)

The Signs of Allah in Existing

VERSE NO.63ِ66

The immediate reference here is to the nature of the earth, its vegetation, and their connection with rain, that is sent down from the sky through the universal plan of God, and in MEASURE. Then we see the soil on the land covered with a green velvet on which are painted all colours of flowers, various fruits, and all sorts of produces. He who is the first and the main cause of this phenomenon, is no one and nothing except the Sacred Substance, Who is All-subtle and All-aware. The Arabic, ``LATIF'' is one of the names of God which is found in many verses in Qura"n, but it is a little difficult to grasp its real applied meaning, for having many denotation and connotations, such as; Fine, Fair, Kind. Subtle, Pure, and Delicate, Tender, Thin, Elegant, and the one who is always inclined to bestow gifts.

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Allah is the Creator and the Owner of everything and everyone that exists in the universe. Here in the second verse (NO.64), another two of the names of God have been mentioned, namely, ``Hamid'' which is translated to, ``Praiseworthy'' and, ``GHANI'' with several shades of meanings, such as, ``Free of want'', ``Self-sufficient''. So also it means one who needs nothing and is able to satisfy the needs of others. It also means, ``Saturated'', and ``Rich'' but the meaning which we grasp is that our Praiseworthy Lord, depends in no way whatever, on His creatures, and He will never become in need of any one other than Himself.

As to the protecting quality of the sky and the hazards of its fall; ``....And He withholds the sky from falling upon the earth.'' Please refer to our translator's note on commenting S 21:33 page 166 of volume 4. Then the last verse above (NO.66), refers to another important sign of God's Infinite Power and knowledge which is the life and death:ِ ``It is He who gave you life, then He will cause you to die, and again He will Give you life, but Man is ungrateful.'' Allah gives us life. He causes us to die. Once again He causes the dead to get up and live a new life! What sort of a power or knowledge is this, through which Allah has subjectd to us whatever is in the sky, in the earth, and in the oceans? And why in spite of all these favours and wonderful gifts, we are still thankless!?

لِّكُلِّ أُمَّة جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكاً هُمْ نَاسِكُوهُ فَلاَ يُنَازِعُنَّكَ فِى الاَْمْرِ وَادْعُ إِلَى رَبِّكَ إِنَّكَ لَعَلَى هُدىً مُّسْتَقِيم(( 67 )) [ 262 ]

67- FOR EVERY (RELIGIOUS) NATION WE HAVE ORDAINED A RITUAL WHICH THEY OBSERVE. SO THEY SHOULD NOT WRANGLE WITH YOU UPON THE MATTER. INVITE THEM TO YOUR LORD THAT YOU ARE ON A DIRECT GUIDANCE.

وَإِنْ جَادَلُوكَ فَقُلِ اللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ(( 68 ))

68- AND IF THEY DISPUTE WITH YOU, THEN SAY:ِ ``ALLAH KNOWS BEST WHAT ARE YOU DOING.''

اللهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِيمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ(( 69 ))

69- ALLAH WILL JUDGE BETWEEN YOU IN THE DAY OF RESURRECTION, UPON THAT IN WHICH YOU WERE AT VARIANCE.

أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى السَّمَاءِ وَالاَْرْضِ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ فِى كِتَاب إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللهِ يَسِيرٌ(( 70 ))

70- DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT ALLAH KNOWS WHATEVER IS IN THE SKY AND EARTH. VERILY THAT (KNOWLEDGE) IS IN A BOOK. AND THAT IS EASY FOR ALLAH.

THE COMMENTARY EVERY NATION HAS RITUALS VERSE NO.67ِ70

The opposition party of the prophet, raised up hot disputes on account of some rituals of Islam that seemed new to them; and insisted to remain with their old cult and creed. So in the first verse here, it has been stated that, for every nation God has ordained a ritual that they observe it.

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Rites and ceremonies concerning the worship of God, is a need in man's soul and social organization. Their effect is very positive on the individuals, as well as the community:ِ ``For every religious nation (OMMAT) We have ordained a ritual which they observe.'' So, why should a non-Muslim wrangle with us, for the Islamic Rituals that our Lord Has ordained for us? Do they themselves have not rituals somehow the like of ours? Such a wrangling means that the objector knows nothing about the matter on which he disputes.

Then Qura"n, in the next verse (NO.68) advises the prophet in particular, and Muslims in general, saying:ِ ``If they continue disputing with you tell them that Allah knows best what are you doing.'' In the day of Resurrection, God will judge between all groups of people, and all the creeds, which are at variance, and will make distinct to the parties, what is wrong and what is right:ِ ``Do you not know that Allah knows whatever is in the sky and earth?''

وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَاناً وَمَا لَيْسَ لَهُمْ بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ نَّصِير(( 71 ))

71- AND THEY WORSHIP APART FROM ALLAH THAT FOR WHICH NO AUTHORITY HAS BEEN SENT DOWN, AND THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF IT. AND FOR OPPRESSORS, THERE IS NO HELPER.

وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَات تَعْرِفُ فِى وُجُوهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الْمُنْكَرَ يَكَادُونَ يَسْطُونَ بِالَّذِينَ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِنَا قُلْ أَفَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرّ مِّنْ ذَلِكُمُ النَّارُ وَعَدَهَا اللهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ(( 72 ))

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72- AND WHEN OUR CLEAR SIGNS (VERSES OF QURA"N) ARE REHEARSED TO THEM, YOU MAY RECOGNIZE IN THE FACES OF THE UNBELIEVERS DENIAL, SO MUCH SO, THAT THEY ARE INCLINED TO RAISE UP THEIR HANDS (TO ATTACK ON) THOSE WHO REHEARSE OUR SIGNS TO THEM.

SAY:ِ ``SHALL I THEN INFORM YOU OF (SOMETHING) WORSE THAN THAT? THE FIRE! WHICH ALLAH HAS PROMISED IT TO THE UNBELIEVERS, AND WHAT A BAD DESTINATION IS IT!''

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ لَنْ يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَاباً وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ وَإِنْ يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئاً لاَّ يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ(( 73 ))

73- O, PEOPLE! A PARABLE HAS BEEN STRUCK, THEN LISTEN TO IT. VERILY THOSE WHOM YOU CALL APART FROM ALLAH, CAN NEVER CREATE (EVEN) A FLY, THOUGH THEY GATHER TO DO IT; AND IF A FLY TAKES SOMETHING AWAY OF THEM, THEY CANNOT TAKE IT BACK FROM IT. WEAK IS THE SEEKER AND THE SOUGHT.

مَا قَدَرُوا اللهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِنَّ اللهَ لَقَوِىٌّ عَزِيزٌ(( 74 ))

74- THEY DID NOT APPRAISE ALLAH AS HE DESERVES, THAT ALLAH IS POWERFUL AND EXALTED IN POWER.

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THE COMMENTARY DEITIES WEAKER THAN FLY

VERSE NO.71ِ74

The first verse here implies that; if man worships anything or any one apart from Allah, his service and faith is supported by no reason and logic of whatever, and he is void of knowledge or any authority for his false worship. Any one with a common sense can easily apprehend the absurdity of serving idols or worshipping the false gods. Behind this manifest falsehood, and clear mistake of Man, lays the material profits and physical advantages and social privileges of some selfish and evil priests who encourage the common people to observe the ridiculous rituals, and to dishonour our Merciful Lord by such false religious services. And thus, such falsehood and useless deeds will become the adopted custom and cult of a community, however small in the lap of Mankind's society. Such a people are then not willing to see or listen to the truth that is sent down from their Gracious and Compassionate God:ِ

``And when our clear signs are rehearsed to them, you may recognize in the faces of the unbelievers denial, so much so that they are inclined to raise up their hands to attack on those who rehearse our signs to them!'' The above verse (NO.72) refers to the obstinate reaction of the idolaters and unbelievers, against the revelations of God. In other word, they receive the revelation of God as something inauspicious and bad, due to their compound ignorance and lack of knowledge. So Qura"n, through the said verse informs them of something which is worse than that which they think of, through an irony; and that is the dreadful and inevitable punishment that awaits them in the Blazing Fire of Hell.

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Then through an expressive parable, the weakness of these kinds of worshippers and their false gods, has been illustrated. This is to show how poor, feeble, helpless, and ineffectual, both of these creatures; the worshipped and the worshippers are:ِ ``They can never create anything, even a fly; and if a fly snatches something from them, they cannot get it back from the fly; that weak is the seeker and the sought.'' In other word; all the idols, deities, and deified men, including the scholars, inventors, educated, skilled and thoughtfuls, can never create a gnat, even if they all unite and gather for that purpose.

After striking the above parable; Qura"n concludes that, no man knows Allah as He may, and no one appraises Him as He deserves; in His might and exalted power.

اللهُ يَصْطَفِى مِنَ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ رُسُلا وَمِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ(( 75 ))

75- ALLAH CHOOSES FROM AMONG THE ANGELS MESSENGERS; AND FROM AMONG PEOPLE. VERILY ALLAH IS ALL-HEARING, ALL-SEEING.

يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَإِلَى اللهِ تُرْجَعُ الاُْمُورُ(( 76 ))

76- HE KNOWS WHATEVER IS BEFORE THEM, AND WHATEVER IS BEHIND THEM; AND AFFAIRS WILL RETURN TO ALLAH.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ارْكَعُوا وَاسْجُدُوا وَاعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَافْعَلُوا الْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ(( 77 ))

77- O, YOU WHO HAVE BELIEVED;ِ BOW DOWN, AND PROSTRATE YOURSELVES, AND WORSHIP YOUR LORD, AND DO GOOD DEEDS; THAT YOU MAY PROSPER.

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وَجَاهِدُوا فِى اللهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَج مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ هُوَ سَمَّاكُمْ الْمُسْلِمينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَفِى هَذَا لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيداً عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللهِ هُوَ مَوْلاَكُمْ فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَى وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ(( 78 ))

78- AND STRIVE IN (THE WAY OF) ALLAH AS HE DESERVES. HE HAS ELECTED YOU, AND IMPOSED NOT ON YOU ANY DIFFICULTY BY THE RELIGION, (WHICH IS) THE CREED OF YOUR FATHER ABRAHAM. IT WAS HE WHO NAMED YOU MUSLIMS, FROM BEFORE (IN THE OLD SCRIPTURES) AND IN THIS (QURA"N), THAT THE MESSENGER MIGHT BE A WITNESS OVER YOU, AND YOU BE WITNESSES OVER PEOPLE. SO, PERFORM THE PRAYER, AND PAY THE ALMSِTAX, AND HOLD FAST TO ALLAH: HE IS YOUR MASTER, SO GOOD A MASTER, AND SO GOOD A HELPER.

THE COMMENTARY OCCASION OF THE REVELATION VERSE NO.75ِ78

Some of the chiefs and nominal lettered and learned men from among the pagan Arabs, such as VALID-IBN-MAGHEEREH; who thought too much of himself, in a surprising tone used to say:ِ ``In spite of a gentleman like me, why should Allah have elected a man such as Mohammad, who is not rich, nor learned, as His Messenger?'' So the above verse (NO.75) revealed to teach them that Allah who is All-seeing, All-hearing knows [ 268 ] the best who has the necessary merits and qualifications, to be elected as the Messenger of God:ِ ``Allah chooses from among the angels Messengers, and from among people too, that He is the All-hearing, All-seeing.''

FIVE IMPORTANT ORDERS

The aforesaid verses reprehended the worship of all sorts of gods, idols, deified men, and fetishes. Now owing to the fact that there were men who worshipped the angels and apostles and took them as gods, the verse is to tell them that all the angels and the apostles too, are servants of God Who has created them and chosen some from among them as His Messengers. God chooses from among His angels some one like GABRIEL as His Messenger, in order to convey God's Messages to His apostles, whose duties are to communicate God's orders to Mankind. Both of the angel and man Messengers are chosen servants of God and subject to His will. Therefore, no one should ever worship an angel or a prophet, or take them for gods.

In the next two verses, which are the ending of this chapter, (HAJJ), as a happy conclusion a series of instructions have been recommended that can protect man's Here and Hereafter, and bring him prosperity in his physical and spiritual life. Four of such important and useful instructions have been included in verse NO.77:ِ

``O, you who have believed; bow down, and prostrate yourself, and worship your Lord, and do good deeds; that you may prosper.''

Then in the next verse (NO.78), we receive the fifth order of our Lord concerning JIHAD:ِ

``And strive in Allah as He deserves.''

Most of the commentators have taken JIHAD in this verse in its general sense of meaning.

The Arabic, ``JIHAD'' translated here to, ``STRIVING'' in its narrow [ 269 ]

sense, is the sacred fight against the heathens, and its religious term is ``JIHAD''. But the word in its broad and general meaning implies all sorts of endeavours that a believer may do for the sake of God. Here, ``JIHAD as God deserves'' may mean an endeavour in the way of God, that is done with utmost purity and sincerity, an important and great kind of Jihad is the combat and challenge of Man against his own selfishness, lusts, and caprices. Then paying Alms-tax is the sixth of the commandments.

THE END OF SUREH THE PILGRIMAGE (22)

[ 270 ] سُورَةَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

THE BELIEVERS

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيمِ IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MERCIFUL THE COMPASSIONATE

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ(( 1 ))

1- VERILY THE BELIEVERS HAVE PROSPERED.

الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلاَتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ(( 2 ))

2- THOSE WHO ARE HUMBLE IN THEIR PRAYER.

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ(( 3 ))

3- AND THOSE WHO AVOID VANITY. (IN THEIR WORDS AND DEEDS)

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ(( 4 ))

4- AND THOSE WHO ARE ACTIVE IN ALMS-TAX.

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ(( 5 ))

5- AND THOSE WHO GUARD THEIR SEXUAL ORGANS.

إِلاَّ عَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ (( 6 ))

6- EXCEPT FROM THEIR WIVES, AND WHAT THEIR RIGHT HANDS OWN. THEN THEY ARE NOT BLAMEWORTHY.

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فَمَنِ ابْتَغَى وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ(( 7 ))

7- BUT HE WHO SEEKS TO GO BEYOND THAT, THEN THEY ARE THE TRANSGRESSORS.

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لاَِمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ(( 8 ))

8- AND THOSE WHO TAKE CARE OF TRUSTS AND THEIR COVENANT.

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ(( 9 ))

9- AND THOSE WHO GUARD THEIR PRAYERS.

أُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِثُونَ(( 10 ))

10- THOSE ARE THE INHERITORS.

الَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ(( 11 ))

11- THOSE WHO SHALL INHERIT THE PARADISE, WHEREIN THEY ABIDE FOR EVER.

THE COMMENTARY THE SIGNIFICANT QUALITIES OF BELIEVERS VERSE NO.1ِ11

This chapter is named, ``THE BELIEVERS'' after its verse NO.1, saying:ِ ``Verily the believers have prospered.'' They are prosperous for achieving their aims in all aspects. They have obtained salvation. Their sins have been forgiven them. Victory and success in this world is theirs, and in the Hereafter they will inherit the Paradise. [ 272 ]

Then the significant qualities of the true believers have been mentioned for those who are interested in such prosperity. The first of their attributes mentioned here, is their humility in prayer. Here, the performance of the prayer itself is not brought among the distinct characteristics of believers, but their humbleness in prayer is in a top class. In fact, it is the humility and sincerity in prayer which is weighty, and gives valour and value to the prayer.

The humbleness in prayer includes considering the importance of God's presence, and being present in mind, when glorifying or supplicating. And confessing how helpless and weak a man is, when he relies not upon the power of God. The second description of the true believer is avoidance of vanity. They keep aloof of vain deeds, and idle talks. There is an honest aim beyond whatever they say, or in whatever they do. They do not tell lies. They do not call people bad names.

Then the next verse, (NO.4) points out the third distinction of believers, that they are active in alms giving and charity. The fourth speciality of them is their chastity. They control their sex affairs and guard their sexual organs, with the exception of their wives, or what their right hands have owned. A Muslim's sexual relation is restricted to marriage bond, under which the rights of both parties are maintained. Even when a Muslim marries a slave girl, her status of rights become equal to that of a free woman.

Then through verse NO.8, the fifth and the sixth special features of believers have been mentioned:ِ ``They take care of their trusts, and observe their covenants and promises.'' Trusts may be a property entrusted, or it might be a duty assigned by someone to some other whom he trusts. The most significant one among the trusts that man may carry upon his shoulder is, his duties to God. To this effect HA"FIZ, our great poet has composed:ِ

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The heaven could not carry the heavy load of trust; The lot fell upon me, a mad creature! ZARRA"RIH, a great disciple of Hazrat Imam Bagher (AS) was of opinion that kingdom and rulership is a trust from God. In other word; a king or ruler holds his kingdom on trust from God for his subjects, and therefore according to the following verse, (S 4:58) trusts must be delivered back to their owners, which have the merits and necessary power and knowledge to guard the trusts:ِ ``Allah commands you to deliver trusts back to their owner, and when you judge between people judge with justice.''

And at last, the verse NO.9, mentions the eighth prominent quality of the believers; which is being watchful on their prayers. In the above mentioned series of eight significant qualifications, the first was humbleness in prayer, and the last is watchfulness in prayer, which means to observe all its important conditions like; time, place, cleansing and ablutions, direction, good recital, and presence of mind to show humbleness and sincerity.

*****

JALAL-AL-DIN RUMI has a beautiful poem in this relation, saying:ِ

``If I direct not my heart's face to their presence, I do not reckon my prayer a prayer. My object in prayer is to open my heart, to say; How painful and sad is being far from You. If not that; what a prayer is this, to be faced to sanctum, With the heart in BAZAAR!''

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE

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وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الاِْنسَانَ مِنْ سُلاَلَة مِّنْ طِين (( 12 ))

12- AND VERILY WE CREATED MAN FROM AN EXTRACTIVE OF CLAY.

ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُطْفَةً فِى قَرَار مَّكِين(( 13 ))

13- THEN WE MADE HIM A SPERM IN A FIRM PLACE.

ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَاماً فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْماً ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقاً آخَرَ فَتَبَارَكَ اللهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ(( 14 ))

14- THEN WE CREATED A CLOT (FROM THE) SPERM. THEN WE MADE THE CLOT A LUMP (OF FLESH). THEN WE CREATED BONES OUT OF THE LUMP, AND WE CLOTHED THE BONES WITH FLESH. AFTER THAT WE BEGAN FOR HIM (i.e. FOR THE BODY) ANOTHER (KIND) OF CREATION. SO GLORIOUS IS ALLAH THE BEST OF CREATORS.

ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ(( 15 ))

15- THEN AFTER THAT YOU ARE TO DIE.

ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ(( 16 ))

16- THEN IN THE RESURRECTION DAY YOU WILL BE RAISED UP.

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THE COMMENTARY THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOETUS VERSE NO.12ِ16

These verses will take us for a look through the inner world of ourselves, and through the steps and stages of our creation. They will teach us how Man the noblest of creatures, has been made out of the dead and worthless clay. This is the superior and amazing power of God, that from the simplest of materials has made the most complex of creatures! Man is created of clay! So in this passage the five various stages in the creation of Man has been beautifully summarized, in order to show in a glance, Man's position in this everchanging life; that how the inorganic materials turn to living matter:ِ ``Then We made him a semen in a safe and secure (FIRM) place.''

The first stage in the creation of Man is the conversion of clay to semen, which is the viscid whitish fluid produced in the male reproductive organs, containing the spermatozoon that serves to fertilize the ovum. This is performed with utmost safety and security in father's loins and mother's womb.

Then the wonderful movements and development of the sperm in the mother's womb has been mentioned in brief and one stage of creation after another, saying that the semen is changed into a clot of thickly congealed blood. The clot is then changed to a lump of flesh among which the bones are made. After the above wonderful steps of development, reference is made to another amazing stage of Man's creation, through which a further process takes place; giving the foetus a soul, so that the animal may become a Man. This process is the breathing of God's Spirit into him. From here on, the physical growth of the babe, is parallel to that of his spiritual progress.

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After stating the five stages of creation of Man which will end in clothing the bones with flesh, the word ``creation'', is no more repeated for the next stage of creation: ``....After that we began for him another kind of creation.'' This is the breathing of God's spirit in the developed foetus. The Arabic, ``AN, SHAA, NA", HO'' that we have translated to, ``We began for him'' means to originate a creation accompanied with teaching and training it too. This is the case with the foetus when it begins to develop physically as well as mentally.

*****

In fact, the physical body is a means to improve the spirit of God which is breathed in Man. When the spirit is developed enough, it is no more in need of the body and can easily leave it to live alone. Then the spiritless body will decay and die, and the soul or spirit which is the original in Man's existence, will continue living, by opening a new chapter of life in the Intermediate World. (BARZAKH) This new world is beyond time and space, in which the soul of Man lives until the solar system has changed enough; and is prepared for the Resurrection and raise up of the deads. Then the soul is granted a body, which is everlasting, and both of them will live together for ever, either in Paradise, or in Hell, so long as God will.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَائِقَ وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَافِلِينَ(( 17 ))

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وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَر فَأَسْكَنَّاهُ فِى الاَْرْضِ وَإِنَّا عَلَى ذَهَاب بِهِ لَقَادِرُونَ(( 18 ))

18- AND WE SENT DOWN FROM THE SKY WATER IN MEASURE, AND LOGED IT INTO EARTH; AND CERTAINLY WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE IT. (BACK)

فَأَنشَأْنَا لَكُمْ بِهِ جَنَّات مِنْ نَّخِيل وَأَعْنَاب لَّكُمْ فِيهَا فَوَاكِهُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ(( 19 ))

19- THEN BY IT WE MADE GARDENS OF PALMS AND GRAPES FOR YOU, IN WHICH THERE IS ABUNDANT SUPPLY OF FRUITS, AND OF WHICH YOU EAT.

وَشَجَرَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ تَنْبُتُ بِالدُّهْنِ وَصِبْغ لِّلاَْكِلِينَ(( 20 ))

20- AND THE TREE WHICH GROWS ON MOUNT SINAI, PRODUCES OIL AND STEW MATERIAL FOR THOSE WHO EAT.

وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِى الاَْنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُّسقِيكُمْ مِّمَّا فِى بُطُونِهَا وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ كَثِيرَةٌ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ(( 21 ))

21- AND SURELY IN THE CATTLE, THERE IS A LESSON FOR YOU; WE GIVE YOU TO DRINK OF WHAT IS INSIDE THEM, (THEIR MILK) AND IN THEM THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS FOR YOU, AND OF THEM YOU EAT.

وَعَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى الْفُلْكِ تُحْمَلُونَ(( 22 ))

22- AND UPON THEM, AND UPON THE SHIPS YOU RIDE.