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

Imagination Is the Source of Polytheism

VERSE NO.19ِ25

The last argument was on that, there is an aim, intention, and will, behind the creation of all things that are created; individually or generally. Here in these verses that are complementary to the aforementioned ones, Allah has revealed that:ِ ``And to Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and earth, and those who are with him are humble in His worship; nor do they impair in that. They glorify him night and day, and droop not.'' Even the angels whom we know them to be the purest, and most glorious of creatures, that are made out of light, and who are dears and nears to God; they worship the Lord with sincerity and humility, and are proud of their worship. Why should then He need the prayer or the worship of a Man like me and you? If we hear of His compelling commandments, telling us, to do this, or not to do that; it is only for our own good, and it merely ends to our physical and spiritual development. He wants to cleanse us through worship, and to purify us by a tittle charity of alms giving. [ 161 ]

After the aim and intention, in the creation of every creature has been emphasized; the stress is laid upon the UNITY and ONENESS of the Creator Himself. All reasons are on the favour of UNITY OF GOD; that there is Allah the only one God, with no partner or any co-sharer besides Him. This is the Major and Main Message of Mohammad (SA), and all his followers, and also the message of all the prophets who came before him.

In the next verses (NO.21ِ23), the false gods are all rebuked and sharply reprehended, that they have no power of repelling a gnat from themselves, how can you then expect them to help you or give you a hand in a misfortune, calamity, or a victory? Here by false gods; all sorts of idols, fetishes, deified heros, kings, animals, natural forces, and heavenly bodies, are meant that Man has ever worshipped them. Such gods are nothing except imaginations of their foolish worshippers, who in times, dared to offer their children to the cursed Altars of Satans, as sacrifices to their gods.

THE REASONING BY OBSTACLE

The reasoning of verse NO.22, to prove Monotheism; in its simplest form, is a minute philosophical reason, used to prove the oneness of Creator, throughout His creation. Islamic Philosophers have called it; ``THE REASONING BY OBSTACLE'' Without any doubt, we observe that a single system governs the whole universe. A system which is harmonious in all aspects, and concordant in all respects, throughout the creation. Its rules and laws are all firm, fixed, and constant, and are executed in the skies, and are effective in the earth as well. The plans and programmes of the said system, read with one another all over the world, and all its parts and subsystems are proportional too!

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Such a wonderful harmony proves to have its origin taken from a single source. It is as if only one single commander commands throughout the kingdom or dominion of EXISTENCE. Had there been numerous origins, and different wills effective, such a harmony could never exist, and what the verse (NO.22) speaks of corruption, would occur. It would then easily prove that; ``Too many cooks will spoil the broth.'' If we become a little more considerate, and study the matter carefully, we may easily come to know whether a certain book has been written by a single writer, or it has two or more authors. A book which has been written by a single author, has all its phrases, sentences, and passages, in perfect harmony with one another. Even the style of writing, the measure of eloquency, the choice of words, and the use of idioms, proverbs, and examples; are of the same kind all over the book.

But if two or more authors have shared the writing, and different parts or articles have been written by different writers, a wide variety of everything specially in regulations of literature, will be found throughout the book. The composition, the style, even the dictation of various parts of the book, may prove a different author. This is because two writers are two different writers, and if the two could be similar in all aspects and all respects, they were one and not two. This matter is also true with the great book of universe, the grandeur of which is wonderfully limitless! It is true that we as a Man, will not be able to study the whole infinitely extensive book of universe in such a short life that we have; but that portion of study to which Man has gained access, has proved the said harmony and the unity of the Creator, and oneness of the owner of the world who is our Merciful Lord.

If the rules and laws that govern the universe, were not fixed, consistent, and valid in all parts of the world; how could a rocket manned by a trained astronaut perform a space travel, and land safely on the moon or other planets? If different intentions and wills were to [ 163 ]

govern the nature no such things were ever possible, and science and scientific laws had no meaning then. If two or more wills and intention were to govern the universe, each one of them would follow his own idea and demand, and nothing could be made free of impediment, and hence the valid reasoning by obstacle, in the verse NO.22.

وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَلَداً سُبْحَانَهُ بَلْ عِبَادٌ مُّكْرَمُونَ(( 26 ))

26- AND THEY SAID:ِ ``THE MERCIFUL GOD HAS TAKEN A CHILD!'' GLORY TO HIM! THEY RATHER ARE (HIS) HONOURED SERVANTS.

لاَ يَسْبِقُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَهُمْ بِأَمْرِهِ يَعْمَلُونَ(( 27 ))

27- WHO DO NOT PRECEDE HIM IN SPEECH, AND WHO ACT BY HIS ORDER.

يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلاَ يَشْفَعُونَ إِلاَّ لِمَنِ ارْتَضَى وَهُمْ مِّنْ خَشْيَتِهِ مُشْفِقُونَ(( 28 ))

28- HE KNOWS WHAT IS BEFORE THEM, AND WHAT IS BEHIND THEM, AND THEY DO NOT INTERCEDE EXCEPT FOR THOSE WITH WHOM GOD IS PLEASED. (ALLAH APPROVES THEIR INTERCESSION) AND THEY ARE KIND FOR AWE OF HIM.

وَمَنْ يَقُلْ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّى إِلَهٌ مِّنْ دُونِهِ فَذَلِكَ نَجْزِيهِ جَهَنَّمَ كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى الظَّالِمِينَ(( 29 ))

29- AND IF ANY ONE OF THEM SAY:ِ ``I AM A GOD APART OF HIM'' WE RECOMPENSE HIM WITH HELL. SO DO WE RECOMPENSE THE OPPRESSORS.

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THE COMMENTARY ANGELS ARE THE HONOURED SERVANTS OF GOD

VERSE NO.26ِ29

In the aforementioned verses, the argument was about the prophets, and the negation of all sorts of polytheism, and in particular about attributing children to God, such as saying the angels are the daughters of God's; as the Pagan Arabs used to say. Now the argument has been moved to a wider field which may also include the TRINITY; and the Trinitarians false idea that God has begotten a son! Saying Jesus Christ is the SON OF GOD, is none the better than what the Pagan Arabs said, that, the angels are the daughters of God. This is because all the prophets, saints, and angels, are no more than God's honoured servants. They deserve our respect but not our worship, because whatever they do or say, they do and say it as per the order of God and by His inspiration.

Then the angels are qualified with six qualifications, namely:ِ

1- They are the SERVANTS of God. 2- They are HONOURED by God. 3- They are PROUD of being God's servants. 4- They are so POLITE that they do not precede God in speech. 5- They ACT as per order of God. 6- They are KIND for awe of God.

The Arabic, ``KHASHYAT'' literally means dread or fear, but not all kinds of fear. It is a profound and reverent dread caused by veneration and solemn wonder which might be inspired to man of God. أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّموَاتِ وَالاَْرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقاً فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَىْء حَىّ أَفَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ(( 30 ))

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30- DO THE UNBELIEVERS NOT SEE THAT, THE SKIES AND THE EARTH WERE CONNECTED TOGETHER, (AS ONE MASS) THEN WE OPENED THEM. AND WE MADE EVERYTHING ALIVE OF WATER. DO THEY THEN NOT BELIEVE?

وَجَعَلْنَا فِى الاَْرْضِ رَوَاسِىَ أَنْ تَمِيدَ بِهِمْ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجاً سُبُلا لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ(( 31 ))

31- AND WE SET ON THE EARTH THE FIRM MOUNTAINS, NOT TO SHAKE THEM, AND WE SET IN IT VALLEYS (TO SERVE AS) WAYS, THAT THEY MAY BE GUIDED.

وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ سَقْفاً مَّحْفُوظاً وَهُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ(( 32 ))

32- AND WE MADE THE SKY A PROTECTED CEILING, AND THEY TURN AWAY FROM ITS SIGNS.

وَهُوَ الَّذِى خَلَقَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ فِى فَلَك يَسْبَحُونَ (( 33 ))

33- AND HE IS WHO CREATED THE NIGHT AND DAY, AND THE SUN AND THE MOON, EACH SWIMMING IN AN ORBIT.

THE COMMENTARY AGAIN THE SIGNS OF GOD

VERSE NO.30ِ33

Here a series of God's signs in the system of the existence has been pointed to in brief:ِ ``Do the unbelievers not see that the skies and the earth were connected together as one mass, then We opened them?'' Commentators have had a long discussion as to what the [ 166 ]

connection, and then the separation of the heavens and earth may mean. The most accepted view is that, the whole solar system has at first been one burning gaseous mass, and through its internal explosion it has been divided to huge parts, and then they have solidated to form the existing heavenly bodies, or the planets of the solar system that spin around themselves, and swim in their elliptical orbits.

Another comment about it, is that; at the beginning, it did not rain, and the doors of the sky was closed. Then Allah opened it to rain down, and by that the earth began to grow its plant, and to produce its vegetation and fruit. The verses of Qura"n are usually mainfold in meanings. Each verse may have a high meaning for a learned scholar, in spite of giving a lower meaning to a layman.

Then reference is made to the importance of water:ِ ``And We have made everything alive of water.'' Some commentators have understood this verse to mean that the main source of life is water, and that the first living creatures have been made in the oceans. Some other commentators have taken the water here to be the SPERMATOZOON which is the male reproductive cell, or gamete, able to fertilize a female ovum.

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THE ROLE OF WATER IN LIFE

Some details of the role of water in our life, and in the life of all the creatures, seems to be needed in order to clear the matter more. The verse here (NO.30) implies that everything is made alive of water. With reference to some biological books, we got some quotations to put light upon the matter as follows:ِ

Water (H2O) is the world's most abundant chemical compound. It [ 167 ] is one of the few ingredients necessary to sustain life. Man uses water to drink, to prepare food and fruit, and to keep cool in summer and warm in winter. Water is essential to growth of all living things. It is the medium in which all plant and animal cells exist, and by means of which they function. Life on earth began in the water of the oceans. Water is vital to animal and plant life. It is also a major factor in weather.

Ancient cities developed where water was available for farming, transportation and other uses. Modern industrial civilizations use water in enormous quantities for purposes ranging from washing dishes, to making steam in atomic power plants. In early times, men believed water to be an element along with air, fire, and earth. However in 1783, the French Chemist, ANTOINE LAVOISIER found water to be composed of oxygen and hydrogen. The melting and boiling points of water is; 0³C and 100³C respectively. The density of water is the usual standard for specific gravity, the specific gravity (SG) of water being taken as one (1).

From the Encyclopedia International

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE

Then in the next verse (NO.31), the immediate reference is to the importance of mountains, and the role which they play in Man's life:ِ ``And We set on the earth, the firm mountains not to shake them, and set in it valleys to serve as ways that they may be guided.'' Mountains are fixed in the earth, and have pierced down through it as a further source of safety to life against vibrations caused by winds or explosions. The mountains are also barriers to various invasions, and yet God has provided valleys and roads between them, to afford high ways in order to direct men in the way they should go.

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SWIMMING IN THEIR ORBIT

The next verse (NO.33) refers to the movements of the sun and the moon and other stars:ِ ``And He is who created the night and day, and the sun and the moon, each swimming in an orbit.'' Like the other celestial bodies in the heavens, the sun seems to be constantly moving. Not only does it apparently rise and set each day, but it seems to be changing its position with respect to other stars. This apparent movement of the sun is because our earth is moving around the sun at a speed of about 18 miles a second. Its path around the sun is elliptical and it takes the earth about one year to complete its journey. Of course, the sun does have its own movements of spinning round itself as well as a simultaneous movement of the sun and its planets, (i.e. The whole solar system) around a polar star.

THE SKY IS A FIRM CEILING

As we have already said elsewhere in this book, the Arabic word, ``SAMAA'' has been used with various meanings in Qura"n, like; overhead, the whole universe, the solar system; and here it means the atmosphere, or the ocean of air, which surrounds our globe. Frank Alen, the professor of physic, has said that the atmosphere consists of gases which protect our life. The air has such a volume and height that can do as a chain mail in protecting the earth against the rush of some twenty millions pieces of deathful meteores everyday. These transient celestial bodies, large and small, enter the atmosphere with a great velocity of 50Km per second. They possibly may hit the earth in a collision and cause calamities by their clashes, but the sky is usually protected from such a danger wisely. When the meteore reach the atmosphere, through the power of friction with the particles of the air, they become enormously hot and then melt and finally turn to ashes and fine particles before coming down to the earth. However, there are occasions when a remainder or residue of them do reach the earth. As an instance of this, in 1908 one such great [ 169 ]

meteore hit the ground in Siberia in a part of Soviet Russia, the diameter of which covered a length of 40 miles and caused a great casualty: ``And We made the sky a protected ceiling, and they turn away from its signs.''

*****

THE PROTECTING CEILING

The verse NO.32, refers to the sky overhead, as a protected or protecting ceiling that we usually ignore its signs. This ceiling is nothing other than the huge ocean of air that we call it the ATMOSPHER, in the bottom of which we live and we die. It surrounds the more solid part of the earth, the land and water, but it is just as truly a part of the earth as they are. If we were to be removed from this airy envelope somehow, we should gasp and die, as fishes die when they are taken out of water. The sky or the atmosphere which seems blue consists of a mixture of different gases.... Nitrogen makes up almost four fifth of it, and oxygen a little more than one fifth. There are also small quantities of other gases like argon, neon, helium, krypton, xenon, carbon-dioxid, hydrogen and OZON, which is a form of heavy oxygen.

The atmosphere also contains a considerable amount of water vapor. The earth holds the atmosphere by gravitational attraction.

The oxygen in the atmosphere makes fire possible, because BURNING, chemically means combination of oxygen with carbon. Our breathing is also part of a burning process, that provides the heat or necessary temperature of our body. Nitrogen which is a gas chemically inactive, slows down the process of burning or oxidation. We cannot breath pure oxygen for long because the burning in pure oxygen will be too intensly hot and dangerous. Nitrogen is also necessary for the growth of plant life. It is also an essential element in all explosives. [ 170 ]

Plants absorb the carbon dioxide which is in the air and utilize it in the manufacture of food in the green leaf through PHOTOSYNTHESIS. Man and animal inhale oxygen and give off carbon dioxide as a waste product of breathing. About fifteen miles above the earth, there is a layer of OZONE which is a kind of supercharged oxygen. Each OZON molcule contains three atoms of oxygen instead of the two atoms in the ordinary one. This layer of ozone absorbs a great deal of the ultraviolet rays of the sun. If this layer of OZON was not to filter out the rays, the ultraviolet beams would sunborn us to death. This is one of the many purposes that the verse (NO.32) is driving at, by saying:ِ ``We made the sky a protecting ceiling for you.''

The atmosphere moderates the extremes of heat and cold upon the earth, which is another protecting character of it. It also protects man from a steady hail of meteoric particles that would otherwise make his life upon earth a constant nightmare. Meteores range in size from small fragments to huge rocks. The vast majority are small. It is estimated that over a hundred billions of meteores strike the earth's atmosphere every twenty four hours, but as they come in contact with the air most of them are reduced to gas and dust through friction. It is probable that the atmosphere protects Man not only from the meteores, but also from certain types of electrically charged particles from the sun.

Without the atmosphere, there would be no rain to fall upon the parched ground, and make plants grow. There would be no wind, and no clouds. If there was no air, there could be no sound, no hearing, and Man's ear would be useless and hence the verse:ِ ``And We made the sky a protected ceiling, and they turn away from its signs.'' QUOTED FROM:ِ ``THE BOOK OF POPULAR SCIENCE''

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE

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وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَر مِنْ قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ أَفَإِيْن مِّتَّ فَهُمُ الْخَالِدُونَ(( 34 ))

34- AND WE MADE NOT ETERNAL LIFE FOR ANY HUMAN BEING BEFORE YOU. THEN IF YOU DIED, WILL THEY LIVE FOR EVER?

كُلُّ نَفْس ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَنَبْلُوكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ(( 35 ))

35- EVERY ONE WILL TASTE THE DEATH, AND WE TEST YOU BY BAD AND GOOD AS A TRIAL, AND TO US YOU WILL RETURN.

THE COMMENTARY ALL WILL DIE

VERSE NO.34ِ35

The Pagan Arabs raised various objections against our prophet that if he is the Last and the Seal of the prophets, he must not die in order to look after his religion which he claims to last! Others said:ِ ``Let us be patient, because his death will soon give an end to all these ados, and nervous agitations.''

They had forgotten that duration of a religion or a school, depends not on its founder's duration. Moses and Jesus had died long before, and their religions existed and exists thousands of years after them. This is because a Divine Religion depends on our Everlasting Lord, Who is its true founder, and not on a prophet or a Messenger, that a Messenger is not the founder of the Message. Here is where the verse tells this sort of people in answer that:ِ

``We made not eternal life for any human being before you. Then if you died, do they live for ever?'' Life upon this earth is not given to any creature without death. Of course, it is our body that finally resolves into its constituent elements; a process that we call it death. But the soul of Man will not die, that its constituents are not matter or material. In this period of our life on this planet, we all live on a probation. Here we are tested by fortunes and misfortunes as a trial. If we pass the trial with success, we shall be lucky in our life after death, and vice versa. [ 172 ]

وَإِذَا رَآكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلاَّ هُزُواً أَهَذَا الَّذِى يَذْكُرُ آلِهَتَكُمْ وَهُمْ بِذِكْرِ الرَّحْمنِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ(( 36 ))

36- AND WHEN THE UNBELIEVERS SEE YOU, THEY TAKE YOU NOT, EXCEPT FOR AN OBJECT OF MOCKERY. (THEY SAY:ِ ) ``IS HE WHO TALKS AGAINST YOUR GODS?'' AND THEY THEMSELVES BLASPHEME AT THE MENTION OF THE MERCIFUL.

خُلِقَ الاِْنسَانُ مِنْ عَجَل سَأُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِى فَلاَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ(( 37 ))

37- MAN HAS BEEN CREATED OF HASTE. SOON WILL I SHOW YOU MY SIGNS. THEN DO NOT ASK ME TO HASTEN.

وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَى هَذَا الْوَعْدُ إِنْ كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ(( 38 ))

38- AND THEY SAY:ِ ``WHEN IS THE PROMISE COMING TO PASS, IF YOU ARE TRUTHFULS?''

لَوْ يَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا حِينَ لاَ يَكُفُّونَ عَنْ وُجُوهِهِمُ النَّارَ وَلاَ عَنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يُنْصَرُونَ(( 39 ))

39- IF THE UNBELIEVERS COULD ONLY KNOW WHEN THEY CANNOT WARD OFF THE FIRE FROM THEIR FACES, NOR FROM THEIR BACKS, AND NEITHER ARE THEY HELPED.

بَلْ تَأْتِيهِمْ بَغْتَةً فَتَبْهَتُهُمْ فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ رَدَّهَا وَلاَ هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ(( 40 ))

40- IT WILL COME UPON THEM AT ONCE, AND CONFOUNDS THEM SO THAT THEY CANNOT BYِPASS IT; NOR WILL THEY BE RESPITED. [ 173 ]

THE COMMENTARY MAN IS CREATED OF HASTE

VERSE NO.36ِ40 These verses here, reveal the disposition of the unbelievers with respect to prophet Mohammad:ِ ``When the unbelievers see you, they take you not except for an object of mockery.'' The unbelievers took the prophet and the worship of God lightly and sometimes as an object of mockery. When the Merciful God was mentioned against their false gods they became angry and blasphemed. It is wonderful that when some one said some truth about the falsehood of their idols which they had made them out of wood and stone, and who were void of intelligent or power of any kind, they became furious. But when the All-knowing, All-mighty Merciful was on the tongues they abused and called names!

Then another bad quality of Man in general, and the heathens in particular, has been criticized that:ِ ``Man has been created of haste. Soon will I show you my signs. Then do not ask me to hasten.'' It seems that the flesh and skin of Man is mingled with haste. They waste the respite that has been granted them for repentance and return. But when the punishment of God comes near to them, they moan and lament with grief. Again when they are delivered from their painful grief, they forget all, and deny everything, and say:ِ

``When is the promise coming to pass if you are telling us the truth?'' The above verse (NO.38) alludes to another hasty request of the unbelievers; but what is to be answered to the poor creature of haste!? Woe unto them when the Fire of God's wrath encompasses them from all sides, catching their faces and their backs suddenly, and no help is then possible, and no Fire Fighter can deliver them!

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وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِىءَ بِرُسُل مِّنْ قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُون(( 41 ))

41- AND THE MESSENGERS WHO CAME BEFORE YOU, WERE ALSO MOCKED AT, BUT THEIR MOCKERIES SURROUNDED THOSE OF THEM WHO SCOFFED.

قُلْ مَنْ يَكْلَؤُكُمْ بِالَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الرَّحْمنِ بَلْ هُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِمْ مُّعْرِضُونَ(( 42 ))

42- SAY; WHO GUARDS YOU IN THE NIGHT AND DAY FROM THE (WRATH) OF THE MERCIFUL? AYE! THEY TURN AWAY AT THE REMEMBRANCE OF THEIR LORD.

أَمْ لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُمْ مِّنْ دُونِنَا لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ(( 43 ))

43- OR DO THEY HAVE GODS TO DEFEND THEM APART FROM US?

(THESE FABRICATED GODS OF THEM) ARE NOT ABLE TO HELP THEMSELVES, NOR ARE THEY HELPED BY US.

بَلْ مَتَّعْنَا هَؤُلاَءِ وَآبَاءَهُمْ حَتَّى طَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْعُمُرُ أَفَلاَ يَرَوْنَ أَنَّا نَأْتِى الاَْرْضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا أَفَهُمُ الْغَالِبُونَ(( 44 ))

44- AYE! WE BESTOWED ON THESE AND THEIR FATHERS, (THE ENJOYMENTS) UNTIL THEIR LIFE WAS PROLONGED. (AND CAUSED THEM TO REBEL)

DO THEY NOT SEE THAT WE ARE SHRINKING THE EARTH FROM ITS SIDES? ARE THEY THEN THE CONQUERORS?

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أُنذِرُكُمْ بِالْوَحْىِ وَلاَ يَسْمَعُ الصُّمُّ الدُّعَاءَ إِذَا مَا يُنذَرُونَ(( 45 ))

45- SAY:ِ ``I WARN YOU THROUGH INSPIRATION. BUT THOSE WHO ARE DEAF WILL NOT HEAR WHEN THEY ARE WARNED.''

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THE COMMENTARY

IF THE EAR IS THAT OF YOURS.....

VERSE NO.41ِ45 In the first of the above group of verses, Allah proceeds to console His Messenger, that, you are not the only prophet of God the unbelievers mock at:ِ

``And the Messengers who came before you were also mocked at....'' In other word, the Messengers who were sent to Man before our prophet were also mocked at by the unbelievers of their time, but the history is a good teacher, and has many good and useful lessons to be learnt. Their dreadful ends has made the way clear. The heathens contemporary to our prophet, and those in ages after him, will have to be the objects of their own mockery in due time. Therefore grieve not, and let not such insanities, and extreme follies affect your Grand Soul, or soften your ironic will.

If our Lord had not made the sky overhead, a protecting ceiling, as commented in the previous verse (NO.32), it would be enough to turn our life to a nightmare. Our Lord Has appointed various kinds of guards over us to protect us day and night.

God's Grace and Mercy will deal moderately with us, and will let us have enough respite. But if we transgress the bounds of decency, and become rebellious, and incur God's wrath; He will defame and disgrace us, and His punishment may seize and afflict us at any time by night or day.

In the next verse (NO.44), a strange impression has been put forth that:ِ

``....Do they not see that We are shrinking the earth from its sides? Are they then the conquerors?'' [ 176 ]

As to the meaning of the shrinkage of the earth, various comments have been made by different commentators:ِ

1ِSome say, it means that Allah gradually takes the lands from the hands of the heathens, and hands it over to the hands of Muslims. However, this can't be, because this chapter (Sِ21) was revealed in Mecca, and then Muslims had not such conquests.

2ِSome other have taken it to mean the lands are gradually wasted and destroyed with the nations living on them.

3ِSome have understood the object of shrinkage to be the inhabitants of the earth, particularly the learned scholars and men of knowledge.