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

Abraham Pleads For Sodom & Gomorrah

20ِThen the Lord said to Abraham:ِ ``There are terrible accusations against Sodom and Gomorrah and their sin is very great. I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations that I have heard is true or not!'' 22ِThen the two men left and went on towards Sodom, but the Lord remained with ABRAHAM. ABRAHAM approached the Lord and said:ِ ``Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty? If there are 50 innocent people in the city, will you destroy the whole city?'' The Lord said:ِ ``If I find 50 innocent people in Sodom I will spare the whole city for the sake of them.'' (Then ABRAHAM haggled with the Lord to reduce the number of the innocent people without the town being destroyed and finally ABRAHAM said to the Lord:)

32ِ``Please don't be angry Lord! I will speak just once more. What if only ten are found?'' He said:ِ ``I will not destroy it if there be ten.'' After He had finished speaking with ABRAHAM. The Lord went away and ABRAHAM returned home.

[ 197 ]

THE ANGELS IN THE HOUSE OF LOT GENESIS ِ 19

1ِWhen the two angels came to Sodom that evening Lot was sitting at the city gate. As soon as he saw them he went to them and bowed down before them and said:ِ ``Sirs! I am here to serve you. Please come to my house. You can wash your feet and stay at night....'' But they answered no; we will spend the night here in the city square and by urging them they finally went with him to his house. 4- Before the guests went to bed the men of Sodom surrounded the house. All the men of the city, both young and old were there! They said:ِ ``Where are the men who came to stay with you tonight? Bring them to us.'' The men of Sodom wanted to have sex with them! Lot said to them:ِ ``Friends! I beg you don't do such a wicked thing. I have two daughters who are still virgins. Let me bring them out to you and you can do whatever you want with them. But don't do anything to the men!....''

9ِBut they said:ِ ``Get out of our way you foreigner. Who are you to tell us what to do!?''

They pushed Lot back and moved on to break the door. But the two men came out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11ِThen they struck all the men outside with blindness, so that they could not find the door.

12ِThe two men said to Lot:ِ ``If you have anyone else hereِsons, daughters, sons-in Law, or any other relative living in the cityِget them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place.''

15ِAt dawn the angels tried to make Lot hurry.

17ِThen one of the angels said run for your life. Don't look behind and don't stop in the valley. Run to the hills so that you won't be killed.

23ِThe sun was rising when Lot reached the small town called Zoar. Suddenly the Lord rained burning sulphur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them and the whole valley along with all the people there and everything that grew on the land. But Lot's wife looked back and was turned into pillar of salt.

[ 198 ]

27ِEarly next morning Abraham hurried to the place where he stood in the presence of the Lord. He looked at Sodom and Gomorrah, and saw smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

LOT IS MADE BLIND DRUNK BY HIS DAUGHTERS!

30ِBecause Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar, he and his two daughters moved up into the hills and lived in a cave.

31ِThe elder daughter said to her sister:ِ ``Our father is getting old, and there are no men in this land to marry us, so that we can have children. Let us make our father drunk, so that we can sleep with him and have children by him.''

33ِThat night they gave him wine to drink, and the elder daughter had intercourse with him. But he was so drunk that he didn't know it.

34ِThe next day the elder daughter said to her sister:ِ ``I slept with him last night. Now let us make him drink tonight, and you sleep with him. Then each of us will have a child by our father.'' So, that night, they made him drunk, and the younger daughter had intercourse with him. Again he was so drunk that he didn't know it. In this way both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their own father!!!

My Lord! I commend myself to your care of the personified Devils, who forge such heinous lies against your pure, clean and innocent apostles! TRANSLATOR'S NOTE)

وَإِلَى مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْباً قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَه غَيْرُهُ وَلاَ تَنقُصُوا الْمِكْيَالَ وَالْمِيزَانَ إِنِّي أَرَاكُمْ بِخَيْر وَإِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْم مُحِيط (( 84 ))

84- AND TO MEDIAN THEIR BROTHER SHUAIB. HE SAID:ِ ``O, MY PEOPLE! WORSHIP ALLAH. YOU HAVE NO OTHER GOD EXCEPT HIM. AND DO NOT LESSEN THE MEASURE AND THE BALANCE. (DO NOT DEAL IN FRAUD) I AM YOUR WELL-WISHER.

[ 199 ]

AND I FEAR FOR YOU THE TORMENT OF AN ENCOMPASSING DAY.''

وَيَا قَوْمِ أَوْفُوا الْمِكْيَالَ وَالْمِيزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلاَ تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ وَلاَ تَعْثَوْا فِي الاَْرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ (( 85 ))

85- AND, O, MY PEOPLE! GIVE THE MEASURE AND BALANCE IN FULL, (JUSTLY) AND DO NOT DIMINISH THE GOODS OF PEOPLE. (GIVE THEM THEIR DUE) AND MAKE NO MISCHIEF IN THE LAND.

بَقِيَّةُ اللهِ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظ (( 86 ))

86- WHAT REMAINS WITH ALLAH IS BETTER FOR YOU IF YOU ARE BELIEVERS, AND I AM NOT A GUARDIAN OVER YOU.

THE COMMENTARY MEDIAN THE LAND OF SHUAIB (VERSE NO. 84 - 86)

The fate of Medyan people has been described in Qura"n in the same terms as that of the Thamood an earthquake seized them by night and they were burried in their own homes as if had never been in that houses in which they had flourished! Median was a land inhabited by a people who were the offspring of Ishmael stretched on the eastern side of the Gulf of Aqaba, and now it is called Moa"n. The Medians were a commerical people, and had many successful merchants. Their commerical caravans travelled to Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon. It is said that it was the medianite commerical caravan to which JOSEPH was sold into slavery, and then he was taken to Egypt. According to the above verses the medianite's major sins were:ِ

[ 200 ]

1. Being idolaters. 2) Giving short weights and dealing in fraud. 3) Depriving people of their rightful dues. 4) Making mischief in the land, such as highway robbery and agitating the orders. Shuaib their prophet who was as well-wisher as a brother to them, began his preaching with faith in God, which is the source of all virtues, saying:ِ ``O, my people! Worship Allah that you have no other God except Him.'' He told them not diminish the goods of people and give them their just dues, that your fraudulent dealings in weight and measure, may ruin your spirit and destruct your prosperity.

That the bad and harmful effects of your evil deeds will eventually encompass you, so that you won't be able to escape it. But his people rejected the truthful Message that Shuaib had brought to them from their Lord. They disobeyed their prophet, and the wrath of Allah seized them in a night, the morning of which their houses had turned to their graves!

قَالُواْ يَا شُعَيْبُ أَصَلَوتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ نَّتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا أَوْ أَنْ نَّفْعَلَ فِي أَمْوَالِنَا مَا نَشَؤُاْ إِنَّكَ لاََنْتَ الْحَلِيمُ الرَّشِيدُ (( 87 ))

87- THEY SAID:ِ ``O, SHUAIB! DOES YOUR PRAYER COMMAND YOU THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE WHAT OUR FATHERS WORSHIPPED, AND NOT TO DO WITH OUR PROPERTIES WHAT WE LIKE? INDEED YOU ARE A FORBEARING, RIGHT-MINDED.''

قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُنتُ عَلَى بَيِّنَة مِنْ رَبِّي وَرَزَقَنِي مِنْهُ رِزْقاً حَسَناً وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَى مَا أَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ إِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلاَّ الاِْصْلاَحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ وَمَا تَوْفِيقِي إِلاَّ بِاللهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ (( 88 ))

88- HE SAID:ِ ``O, MY PEOPLE! HAVE YOU CONSIDERED IF I STAND ON EVIDENCES FROM MY LORD, AND HE HAS

[ 201 ]

SUSTAINED ME WITH A NICE SUSTENANCE FROM HIS PRESENCE. (CAN I THEN DISOBEY MY LORD?) I DO NOT WANT TO OPPOSE YOU BY DOING THAT WHICH I FORBID YOU TO DO. I ONLY SEEK TO REFORM YOU AS FAR AS I CAN, AND MY SUCCESS DEPENDS ON ALLAH. ON HIM I HAVE PUT MY TRUST, AND TO HIM I TURN IN REPENTANCE.''

وَيَا قَوْمِ لاَ يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شِقَاقِي أَنْ يُصِيبَكُمْ مِثْلُ مَا أَصَابَ قَوْمَ نُوح أَوْ قَوْمَ هُود أَوْ قَوْمَ صَالِح وَمَا قَوْمُ لُوط مِنْكُمْ بِبَعِيد(( 89 ))

89- AND O, MY PEOPLE! LET NOT YOUR ENMITY TOWARDS ME LEAD YOU TO SUFFER THE SAME AFFLICTION THAT AFFLICTED THE PEOPLE OF NOAH, OR THE PEOPLE OF HOOD, OR THE PEOPLE OF SALIHِAND THE PEOPLE OF LOT ARE NOT FAR FROM YOU.

وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رَبِّي رَحِيمٌ وَدُودٌ(( 90 ))

90- SO ASK FORGIVENESS OF YOUR LORD, THEN REPENT TO HIM THAT MY LORD IS COMPASSIONATE, ALL-LOVING.

THE COMMENTARY THE BASELESS LOGIC OF THE OBSTINATE PEOPLE (VERSE NO. 87 - 90)

Those who took the idols for the relics and cultural monuments of the past; and gained a lot from dealing in fraud, and giving less to the customers, said to their prophet Shuaib:ِ ``Does your prayer command you that we should leave the idols that our

[ 202 ]

fathers worshipped, and not to do with our properties what we want?'' They put the stress on Shuaib's prayer because he is said to have been praying too much, and saying to people that the prayer prevents man from doing evil. In fact, the people of Shuaib were so material- minded, that spiritual things and matters meant nothing to them, and so they scoffed at Shuaib's prayer! On the other hand they saw not any right in their wealth for anyone other than themselvesِeven for God, or for the poor and needy. So they spoke ironically to their prophet and taunted him, saying:ِ ``You are indeed a forbearing right-minded man!'' That was a saying through a metaphor and irony that:ِ

``You think too much of yourself, and believe that you are the only right-minded man among us! You are putting our old customs and relics, and the monuments of the past, beneath your foot, and invade people's freedom in their wealth and property. All these prove that you have neither a right mind, nor any useful suggestion or idea!'' In answer to their rude and ironical reasoning or dispute, Shuaib answered them in a kind, brotherly, and gentle, tone of speech, saying:ِ ``O, my people! Have you considered if I stand on clear signs and obvious evidences from my Lord, and you have belied me!? You better think a little deeper about my mission and message, and beware of Allah. How do I dare to forge a lie against my Lord, and He is aware of whatever we do, and that He has sustained me with a fair physical and spiritual sustenance. I am indeed your well wisher brother, and only seek to reform you as far as I can. I have put my trust on our Lord, and to Him I have turned in repentance. You can see that, if I forbid you doing anything, I avoid it myself before I bid you to abstain. So, I don't want to oppose you by doing that which I forbid you.''

And finally he told them:ِ ``My people! I see things that you do not see. Please stop your hostility against me, and let it not afflict you with that sort of afflictions which smote down the obstinate people of Noah, Hood, Salih, and the execution site of the people of Lot is not so far from youِneither chronologically

[ 203 ]

nor geographically. So ask forgiveness of your Compassionate All-loving God and cease your obstinacy and hostility.''

قَالُوا يَا شُعَيْبُ مَا نَفْقَهُ كَثِيراً مِّمَّا تَقُولُ وَإِنَّا لَنَرَاكَ فِينَا ضَعِيفاً وَلَوْلاَ رَهْطُكَ لَرَجَمْنَاكَ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْنَا بِعَزِيز(( 91 ))

91- THEY SAID:ِ ``O, SHUAIB! WE DON'T UNDERSTAND MUCH OF WHAT YOU SAY, AND WE SEE YOU WEAK AMONG US; AND IF IT WAS NOT FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR LITTLE TRIBE, WE WOULD HAVE STONED YOU, AND YOU ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO STAND AGAINST US.''

قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَهْطِي أَعَزُّ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّنَ اللهِ وَاتَّخَذْتُمُوهُ وَرَاءَكُمْ ظِهْرِيّاً إِنَّ رَبِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ(( 92 ))

92- HE SAID:ِ ``O, MY PEOPLE! IS MY TRIBE MORE ESTEEMED BY YOU THAN ALLAH, THAT YOU HAVE CAST HIM BEHIND YOUR BACKS NEGLECTED; WHILE MY LORD ENCOMPASSES WHATEVER YOU DO?''

وَيَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّي عَامِلٌ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ وَارْتَقِبُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ(( 93 ))

93- AND O, MY PEOPLE! DO WHATEVER YOU CAN (AGAINST ME) AND I AM DOING. (MY DUTY) SOON SHALL YOU KNOW TO WHOM WILL COME THE PUNISHMENT TO DISGRACE HIM; AND WHO IS THE LIAR. AND YOU WAIT WATCHING, I TOO WILL WAIT WITH YOU.

[ 204 ]

THE COMMENTARY THE MUTUAL THREATS OF SHUAIB AND HIS PEOPLE (VERSE NO. 90 - 93)

Shuaib who has the title of, ©PROPHETS ORATOR¨ for his skill and art of speaking eloquently, expressed his Message to his people calmly and with compassion and patience, but his obstinate people answered him with pertinacy and grudge, saying:ِ ``Shuaib! We don't understand much of what you say. In our sight you are no more than a weak teacher. We only spare you for the sake of your little tribe, or else we would have stoned you so far!'' It is not difficult to understand spiritual and divine matters if we do not deliberately shut our eyes to God's signs, as the people of Shuaib did.

Shuaib was not discouraged by the impolite disputes of his people, and he became not nervous by their obstinacy and rejection of his message, just as our prophet Mohammad (AS) was so. Inspite of all that rude and rough oppositions, he continued with compassion and tranquility, asserting himself and insisting upon his assertion. In an expressive preaching he said in answer to his perverted people:ِ ``O, my people! Is my tribe dearer to you and more esteemed by you than Allah!? The compassionate Merciful Lord, the commands of whom you have cast away, and have turned your backs to Him!'' If the wicked want to continue to blaspheme and mock, what else can the Godly tell him except:ِ ``Go on your way and do as you likeِbut, wait and watch, and I too will wait with youِGod's mill grinds slow but without fail. Calm, quiet, but bravely Shuaib gave an end to their dispute by saying:ِ

Do whatever you can against me, but know that nothing will stop me doing my duty, and soon will our Lord judge among us, and His judgement is true and just.''

[ 205 ]

الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ (( 94 ))

94- AND WHEN OUR DECREE WAS ISSUED, WE SAVED SHUAIB AND THOSE WHO BELIEVED WITH HIM BY A MERCY FROM US, AND A DREADFUL CRY SEIZED THOSE WHO OPPRESSED. THEN WHEN MORNING CAME, THEY WERE FALLEN ON THEIR BREASTS (DEAD) IN THEIR HOMES.

كَأَنْ لَمْ يَغْنَوْا فِيهَا أَلاَ بُعْداً لِمَدْيَنَ كَمَا بَعِدَتْ ثَمُودُ (( 95 ))

95- AS IF THEY HAD NEVER DWELT THERE-IN. BEHOLD! AWAY WITH MEDIAN, AS THAMOOD WAS DONE AWAY. (FROM GOD'S MERCY)

THE COMMENTARY THE DOOM OF THE EVILِDOERS (VERSE NO. 94 - 95)

The story of the ancient people who were doomed, has almost always been the same, and such that; when they filled their society with mischief-corruption, and oppression, and caused various mental, spiritual and corporeal, diseases; some apostle or Divine Teacher began to advise, admonish, and warn them, so that they might reform, repent, and return. The teachers had a good news for them in their right hand, and a warning in their left, asking the people to submit to the will of their Lord God, and to seek His forgiveness, and to stop doing evil deeds. When all the endeavours to bring the wicked people to the right path of truth failed, God's command of punishment was issued and within a couple of hours doomed all the objectors and rejectors! The

[ 206 ]

faithfuls were saved and the faithless were punished. And so was the case with the people of Shuaib, who did not pay heed to the warnings of their prophet; and therefore a tremendous noise seized them at night, and in the morning they were fallen on their faces deads; as if they had never dwelt there. The noise, thunderbolt, earthquake, volcanic eruption, or whatever the means of their punishment and ruin should have been, it certainly must have been able to distinguish between wrong and right, and bad and good! This is why Shuaib and those who believed with him were all rescued, while the oppressors and disbelievers perished!:ِ

``And when our command for their punishment came to pass, we saved Shuaib and those who believed with him, and a dreadful cry seized the oppressors.''

God's universal plan is just and perfect and in general calamities and afflictions, he saves those who have done well; by His special grace, and afflicts those who have oppressed. In His general plan, God has all the movements and dispositions under his control, and even a leaf can not fall down the branch, unless he knows it! The useful lessons that the incident of Shuaib can teach us are many, some of which are as follows in brief:ِ

1ِ Economical affairs are very important and we must take care of the transactions, and not to deal in fraud, or lessen the share and rights of our counterparts.

2ِ We should never sacrifice the principles for excessive enthusiasm and unreasoning Zeal and neither for personal hatred and private grudges forget the truth and ignore the rights of other people.

3ِ Prayer calls us to monotheism and piety. So we should not take it easy, and perform it perfunctorily and carelessly.

4ِ Self-conceit, and overweening opinion of our own natural endowments, faculties, and knowledge, will give a halt to our progress, and prevent our physical and spiritual development.

5ِ Faith and act are not two separate and distinguished things,

[ 207 ]

but one is the fruit of the other. So the sweet fruit of the tree of faith is good deeds, and without doing good, faith is fruitless.

6ِ The aim of the apostles were to reform and to put matters and affairs aright, so that the people and their societies could move on, and progress in the path of evolution.

In this goal, their best means of success was their trusts in God, and their constancy and perseverance which was due to that confidence and trust.

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَى بِآيَاتِنَا وَسُلْطَان مُّبِين (( 96 ))

96- AND WE SENT MOSES WITH OUR SIGNS AND PERSPICUOUS AUTHORITY.

إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلاَِيْهِ فَاتَّبَعُوا أَمْرَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَا أَمْرُ فِرْعَوْنَ بِرَشِيد(( 97 ))

97- TO PHARAOH AND HIS HIGH OFFICIALS. BUT THEY FOLLOWED PHARAOH'S ORDER, AND PHARAOH'S ORDER WAS NOT MATURED.

يَقْدُمُ قَوْمَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَوْرَدَهُمْ النَّارَ وَبِئْسَ الْوِرْدُ الْمَوْرُودُ (( 98 ))

98- HE WILL GO A HEAD OF HIS PEOPLE IN THE DAY OF RESURRECTION, LEADING THEM INTO THE FIRE, (IN HELL) AND SO BAD IS THE PLACE TO WHICH THEY ARE LED.

وَأُتْبِعُوا فِي هَذِهِ لَعْنَةً وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِئْسَ الرِّفْدُ الْمَرْفُودُ (( 99 ))

99- AND THEY ARE FOLLOWED BY A CURSE IN THIS (LIFE) AND IN THE DAY OF RESURRECTION. SO BAD IS THE OFFERING TO BE OFFERED. (TO THEM)

[ 208 ]

THE COMMENTARY THE CHAMPION OF CONTEST AGAINST PHARAOH (VERSE NO. 96 - 99)

The story of Moses and Pharaoh has been referred to, in many passages of Qura"n; and much more than any other apostle. In more than 30 chapters and in over than a hundred passages, the story is referred to, and in each case with some special points to be illustrated. The peculiarity of the incident of Moses, compared with the other apostles, lays in the strive and struggle of Moses against an arrogant and selfish dictator king, who misled his people against the truth; while the other apostles strived to amend and reform their people. Water must be refined at its source and spring. When some false leaders and arrogant governors rule people according to their caprices and fancies through dictatorship, it is very difficult to put things aright in that realm and dominion. This was why Moses and Aaron were sent first to advise and admonish Pharaoh:ِ

``We sent Moses with our signs and perspicuous authority to Pharaoh and his high officials.'' Pharaoh's courtiers and high officials found their secular interests endangered by the spiritual and Divine message of Moses. They frightened Pharaoh of the advent of the Messenger of God, and so he began his propagations against Moses, and accused him by saying:ِ ``The two brothers have come here to discharge you from your native country! (S 7:110) And I am afraid of him to change your religion, and to corrupt your faith and land! (S 40:26)'' Pharaoh's people believed him and followed him and obeyed his order, and Pharaoh's order was not matured. He therefore misled his people towards an everlasting misfortune. As a matter of fact, man falls under false leadership, by his own Free-Will, and deliberate choice, and perishes with his false leader accordingly. Pharaoh was an example of such false, selfish, arrogant, and ignorant, leaders who not

[ 209 ]

only ruin themselves, that also mislead their people to misery and perdition:ِ ``They followed Pharaoh's order, and the command of him was not matured and reasonable.'' He led them into a pit of fire instead of a spring of cold clean water. The Arabic, ©VERD¨ is the watering place that Man or cattle arrive at, and the metaphor here is very suited and fit. Instead of taking his followers to a cool and clean watering place, Pharaoh led his people down to the Fire of eternal torment and everlasting misery, in the life to come.

Next world is a life in which our deeds and conducts that we have done here, will take form and shape there, and all things that exist there, are the very incarnation of our deeds here in the present life!

ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْهَا قَائِمٌ وَحَصِيدٌ(( 100 ))

100- THESE ARE THE NEWS OF THE TOWNS THAT WE RELATE IT TO YOU. OF THEM ARE SOME STANDING, (LIKE EGYPT) AND (SOME OTHER LIKE SODOM AND GOMMORAH) MOWN DOWN.

وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ وَلَكِنْ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ فَمَا أَغْنَتْ عَنْهُمْ آلِهَتُهُمْ الَّتِي يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ مِنْ شَيْء لَّمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ وَمَا زَادُوهُمْ غَيْرَ تَتْبِيب (( 101 ))

101- WE DID NOT OPPRESS THEM, BUT THEY OPPRESSED THEMSELVES. AND THEIR GODS WHOM THEY CALL APART FROM ALLAH, AVAILED THEM NOTHING (WERE OF NO USE TO THEM) WHEN THE DECREE (ORDER) OF YOUR LORD WAS ISSUED; AND THEY ADDED NOTHING TO THEM SAVE DESTRUCTION.

[ 210 ]

وَكَذَلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَا أَخَذَ الْقُرَى وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ إِنَّ أَخْذَهُ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ(( 102 ))

102- AND SUCH WAS THE SEIZURE OF YOUR LORD WHEN HE SEIZED THE TOWNS WHEN THEY WERE OPPRESSORS, THAT HIS SEIZURE IS SEVERELY PAINFUL.

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لاَيَةً لِّمَنْ خَافَ عَذَابَ الاْخِرَةِ ذَلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَجْمُوعٌ لَهُ النَّاسُ وَذَلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَّشْهُودٌ (( 103 ))

103- SURELY IN THAT IS A SIGN FOR HIM WHO FEARS THE PUNISHMENT OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT. THAT IS A DAY FOR WHICH PEOPLE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER; AND THAT IS A DAY TO BE SEEN BY ALL.

وَمَا نُؤَخِّرُهُ إِلاَّ لاَِجَل مَّعْدُود (( 104 ))

104- AND WE DELAY IT NOT EXCEPT FOR AN APPOINTED TERM.

THE COMMENTARY VERSE NO. 100 - 104

In the aforementioned verses, the stories of seven communities of the ancient, and part of the life and histories of their prophets; and also the adventurous life of man, and some of its hazardous enterprises, has been related. And then the latter four verses close up the narration briefly:ِ ``There are the news of the towns that We relate it to you. Of them some are standing like Egypt, and some have been mown down by the sickle of their sin.'' ``Don't you ever think that We oppress our servants. Never so! They oppressed themselves by transgressing the natural bounds of their life.'' God is always kind and Merciful to His creatures. If He punishes them, his

[ 211 ]

punishment too is just, and for some sort of amendment; and it too is a Mercy from Him. People adhered to their idols and false gods who added nothing to them except perdition or misery! Falsehood will eventually vanish, and give its place to truth; so, those who grasp the false things and false gods will earn nothing of them, except misery and distress. It is a general Divine Law, and a natural programme in the God's universal plan, that, when a people stretch out their hands in oppression and sin, and transgress the bounds that God has established for their own good; and worst of all, they pay no heed to the admonitions and warnings of the apostles, God will seize them by their sins and throw them in a trap of painful punishment.

In the above stories that have been narrated, there are clear signs from our Lord, and useful lessons to be taken, if a person seeks for salvation, and want to get rid of the punishments of this present life, and that of the Last Judgment in the Resurrection Day.

يَوْمَ يَأْتِ لاَ تَكَلَّمُ نَفْسٌ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ فَمِنْهُمْ شَقِىٌّ وَسَعِيدٌ (( 105 ))

105ِTHE DAY IT COMES (i.e. IN THE RESURRECTION DAY) NO SOUL SHALL SPEAK EXCEPT BY HIS PERMISSION. THEN SOME OF THEM ARE FORTUNATE, AND SOME UNFORTUNATE. (WRETCHED OR BLESSED)

فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ شَقُوا فَفِي النَّارِ لَهُمْ فِيهَا زَفِيرٌ وَشَهِيقٌ (( 106 ))

106ِAS FOR THE UNFORTUNATES:ِ THEY ARE IN (HELL) THE FIRE. FOR THEM IS THERE-IN SIGHS AND SOBS. (MOANING AND WAILING)

[ 212 ]

خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالاَْرْضُ إِلاَّ مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِمَا يُرِيدُ(( 107 ))

107- THEREIN THEY DWELL FOREVER, SO LONG AS THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH ENDURE, EXCEPT AS YOUR LORD WILL; (SOMETHING ELSE) THAT YOUR LORD ACCOMPLISHES WHAT HE WANTS.

وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ سُعِدُوا فَفِي الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالاَْرْضُ إِلاَّ مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ عَطَاءً غَيْرَ مَجْذُوذ(( 108 ))

108ِAND AS FOR THE FORTUNATES; THEY SHALL BE IN PARADISE, THEREIN THEY DWELL FOREVER, SO LONG AS THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH ENDURE, EXCEPT AS YOUR LORD WANTS. (SOMETHING ELSE) A GIFT THAT NOT BE CEASED.