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

What Is the Spirit (verse No. 85)

Commentators have had very long discussions about this verse (NO.85) in general, and about Man's ``SPIRIT'', or what is called the, ``SOUL'' in particular.

In our comments we shall begin to explain the literal meaning of the word, then we shall see how the word is used in Qura"n; and finally will give our comments:ِ

1ِ The Arabic, ``ROOH'' and, ``RIH'' which means, ``WIND'' both are from the same root. It has many connotations and shades of meaning, like, RA"HAT=COMFORT, HAPPINESS, KINDNESS, INSPIRATION, HOLY SPIRIT, GOD'S AID, FINE, MERCURY and etc.

Therefore, if the Spirit of Man which is an independent, and incorporeal created essence is called ROOH, it is due to its similarity with the wind, in movement, life inducing, invisibility, and etc.

2ِ

A) The word, ``ROOH'' has been used in Qura"n in a various way to bear a diversity of meanings:ِ

In S 2:253, it is used to show the HOLY SPIRIT which came from God to strengthen the Apostles in their missions;ِ

``And those Messengers We have exalted; some above the athers. Among them are some to whom Allah spoke. (MOSES THE INTERLOCUTOR) Others He raised in grades, and We gave Jesus the son of MARY, evidences, and We strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.''

B) In some passages it is used to mean SPIRITUAL POWER by which Allah strengthens the believers, e.g. in S 52:22;ِ

``They are those on whose heart, the faith is written, and Allah has strengthened them with a SPIRIT from Himself.''

C) Sometimes it is used in Qura"n to illustrate the angel of inspiration as in, S 26:193:ِ

``This is a revelation from the Lord of the world, with which comes down the Trustworthy Spirit.''

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D) In other cases it is used to imply an Arch angel such as Gabriel, as we read in S 97:4:ِ

``There comes down in the night of Ghadr, the angels and the SPIRIT, by Allah's permission, on every affair.''

The verse implies that the Spirit (GABRIEL) does not come down of his own accord. He, in accompany with the other angels, come down to dispose every affair of Man.

E) And finally the word may mean the soul, or the life bearing Spirit which God has blown it to Man. An instance of this is found in S 32:9:ِ

``He fashioned Man in due proportion and breathed into him of His Spirit.''

3ِ We now come to know what the word, ``ROOH'' that is translated to, ``SPIRIT'' may mean in the verse under our discussion. (NO.85) In other word, find the answer that what sort of a ROOH was the object of their question from our prophet?

All evidences prove that the questioners wanted to know what sort of a creature is the SPIRIT, or the SOUL of Man, which distinguishes him from other animals. What is the intelligent power which is the main source and the foundation of all our faculties, such as the wisdom, memory, knowledge, seeing, hearing, decision, love, faith, and etc.?

The Spirit has a structure which is different from that of our material body, and the laws and regulations that govern the Spirit are not similar to the laws that govern the body, and what we know about our soul is indeed very little, to compare it to what we must come to know.

Therefore our prophet is instructed to answer:ِ

``The Spirit is of the order of my Lord, and you are not given of knowledge, but a little.''

So the Spirit is one of the high mysteries which cannot be explained in our physical and material terms. Imam Sadiq (AS) has said:ِ ``Rooh is a creature created by God, which has power and can see. It belongs to the kingdom of heavens.''

Although our Spirit is nearer to us than everything else, we know [ 590 ]

very little about it. Our knowledge of past and present have not given us enough information about our ownself and soul. We cannot yet answer even to some of the fundamental question about our Spirit like;ِ Of what sort of material is it made of. Or how is its structural form?

Inspite of all the mysteries of the Spirit, and so many unanswered questions about it, we are not very stranger with the matter, that no one denies that a fact or an entity which is named Spirit exists in us, or we exist in it.

*****

OUR SOUL, THE IMMATERIAL ENTITY

HAZRAT AYATULLAH-AL-OZMA" MAKA"REM has a long discussion about Man's Soul in his great Example Commentary, a summary of which I have quoted and translated in the above passage. The whole commentary needs a great amount of knowledge to understand, and a high skill to translate.

On the other hand, my style in this translation and all the books that I have written and published, has been to write the most complex matters that I may understand, in the simplest possible language. This is because my aim is to write for the common people, and not for the learned and scholars. I therefore left the translation of the article about Spirit for an expert and skilled translator that I hope will in future translate the complete work of his holiness. But in order to fill up the vacancy of the matter, in the following Translator's Note, our dear readers will have the results of my own studies in the field of the Spirit, and the views of some of the Persian Great scholars and philosophers, like FARABI and AVICENNA.

(1)

Our soul is an inmaterial entity, distinguishable from, and superior to our body. It is the animating principle, and actuating cause of life, manifested in thinking, willing, and knowing. The Soul is a [ 591 ]

substance of the spiritual world, which takes no form, and cannot be pointed out. It has no motion or repose. It can perceive that which is lost, and conceive that which is expected. The Soul goes to sightseeing in the kingdom of heavens. We do not know much about it, as the knowledge that has been vouchsafed to us is only a little. The wisdom may reach the Soul, but imagination never.

(2) THE SOUL IS IMMORTAL AND SEPARABLE FROM THE BODY

There are so many reasons by which we prove that Man's Soul is immortal and separable from his body. Some of the reasons that are given to prove the proposition by Persian Scholars Like FARA"BI and AVICENNA; SHAIKH ESHRA"GH, and other philosophers are as follows:ِ

Aِ No one can forget his own very self, which is his soul; but every one does forget his body, and most of his organs. There are some organs in our body, that we may never know them in the whole life; but we know the self all the times, and we can never forget that we are, and we exist, in any condition! This fact proves that the Soul and the Body are two different and two separate entities.

Bِ Our material body has some function that matter and material is not able to accomplish them. Our intellect, and understanding, for instance, are not the function of Matter. How can a stone or a piece of gold or any other material understand, think, and distinguish and finally decide!? Therefore it follows that the Soul is something other than the body.

Cِ The body changes all the time. No one is like his childhood. The body changes all the time but the self never changes! Yes! You old man are that boy who....

There are millions of billions of cells in our body. The red blood cells number to some twenty-five trillions, and yet each one of us has been originated as a single cell, or what they call it a fertilized egg. It was from this single egg that all our cells were then derived by a [ 592 ]

process of cleavage, or division!

Cells are continually dying and being replaced in our body. Millions of dead cells are washed from the surface of the skin, every time we bathe. It has been scientifically estimated that during every second of our life ten millions of our red cells die, and are replaced by the new ones!

It follows therefore, that our body is periodically dying a natural death, and is then revived! Thus far in your life, you have died a natural death so many times, and your old body has been perished, and replaced with a new one, and you have always been yourself without any change!

Doesn't this change of our body prove that we are not the body, and that our body is only a veil upon us, or something like our clothes that are easily replaced?

Dِ If all the organs of the body; like the heart, the head, the lungs, the limbs and etc., be replaced with that of another person, still the self and personality of the donor and acceptor will remain fixed and unchanged!

Eِ A material body will never take a new form, unless the old form is destroyed. But the mind takes one form upon another up to millions of new forms, and retains the original forms as they are introduced to it.

Millions of forms of knowledge, memories, poetries, and observances, are stored, and piled up, in your mind with their original forms all preserved; and you may remember and distinguish them whenever you want. This also proves that the mind and the material body are different substances.

Fِ No material body can comprehend itself, but the self of Man does! A hand, for example, can never know its condition of being hot or cold, long or short, white or black; but, the soul does comprehend its existence; which is a proof that the soul is something other than the body.

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Gِ Too much work wears out every material instrument, and in particular the body organs, but will refresh the soul and renew its power for continuous working. Gaze at the sun for a while; and your eyes shall get temporarily blind, but the more you think, the more you will know, and the stronger your mental power shall become! This also can prove that our mind and body are two different substances.

(3) HYPNOSIS

By hypnosis one easily prove that the ``self'' is not the body.

Hypnosis is a psychological state of altered attention and awareness in which the individual is usually receptive and responsive to suggestions.

The outstanding characteristic of the hypnotic state is the suggestibility of the object. He readily accepts and responds to ideas offered by the hypnotist. He may even carry out suggestions offered to him while in hypnosis sometimes after he emerges from the hypnotized state!

Psychiatrists use hypnosis to enable the patients to recall early painful or happy experiences that he may otherwise not recall.

Hypnosis has also been used in surgery. It is also used to overcome undesirable habits such as smoking, overeating, and nail-biting.

I have seen myself, hypnotizers who have made their objects absolutely soul-less! They concentrated all the sensations and emotions of object into another pieces of a material body. Therefore, when the body of their object was severely pinched or harmed, by say a pin, or a nail, the object felt no pain! But when the material body, say a handkerchief, in which the object's soul was concentrated, was pinched or pinned, the object really suffered the pain!

I have also seen myself persons that practise asceticism such as the Indian Fakirs. They do incredible things! For instance they thrust nails and bars in every point of their bodies, including their heads and [ 594 ]

their faces! And even in their eyes. They then drive the nail out, and prevent any blood shed with the help of their spit! When you ask them about it they answer:ِ ``We do not live with our body. We rather live with our God, and our soul. It is the self that makes our body. The body does not make the self.''

(4) TELEPATHY

The thought transference which is known as TELEPATHY, is another reason to show that the body and mind are two different substances. Telepathy is apparent communication from one mind to another, otherwise than through the channel of senses. There are many persons who can transfer their thoughts to some other who is far away. There are also persons who can see the absent, or who can read the others mind.

(5) TRUE DREAMS

True dreams that are conformable to facts and reality, are among the reasons to prove the distinction of the soul from body. As a matter of fact, the soul leaves the body during sleep, and participates in the dream activity.

That, which Freud considered the dream to be an expression of our suppressed wishes, or the outcome of unresolved problems arising in real life, does not explain the existence of True Dreams; or the dreams that come to pass exactly as they were dreamt.

Many a time, a person dreams of something unknown to him, and yet the dream comes to pass a couple of years later more or less.

Once I myself dreamt of a house of three stories, situated in another city with such a special form that I had never thought of. There were two young girls in a certain place of the house, one of them known and the other unknown to me. I tried to catch the one I knew but I failed.

Two years later it happened that I went to that city, and to that [ 595 ]

very house, and things happened to be as I saw them in my dream a hundred percent true!

Almost all people have had some sort of a true dream that have come to pass. In QURA"N, it is narrated that Joseph explained the Pharaoh's dream of seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean cows, as a prophecy of seven years of famine following seven good years.

(6)

Aِ Prophets, apostles, saints and all the men of God, have been convinced that the soul is immortal and separable from the body. Such godly persons never tell lies and are truthful and trustworthy, and we better deny them not.

Bِ ``Self'' is indivisible, but the body is divisible and therefore they should be different entities.

Cِ The Soul is attracted by morals, philosophy and divine phenomenons, and knowledge. It must therefore be of the divine nature, as the birds of a feather fly together, or flock together.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE)

وَلَئِنْ شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ لاَ تَجِدُ لَكَ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا وَكِيلا(( 86 ))

56- IF WE WILL WE CAN TAKE AWAY THAT WHICH WE HAVE INSPIRED IN YOU, THEN YOU WILL FIND NO ONE TO DEFEND YOU AGAINST US.

إِلاَّ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ رَبِّكَ إِنَّ فَضْلَهُ كَانَ عَلَيْكَ كَبِيراً(( 87 ))

87- EXCEPT A MERCY FROM YOUR LORD; THAT HIS GRACE TO YOU HAS BEEN GREAT.

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THE COMMENTARY

WHATEVER YOU HAVE IS A BLESSING OF HIS MERCY (VERSE NO. 86 - 87)

Here Allah addresses His prophet saying:ِ

``It is We who have inspired you with all that knowledge and wisdom that you have, in order to lead and to guide my servants. We can easily take them back and make you forget all that you knew, and no one can help if we do so except our own Mercy.

If we take the verse in a wider sense; all our knowledge come to us from God, and through His Grace and Mercy.

If He takes them back, no one else can teach them to us, except his own Mercy. So was also the case with our prophet, who never read nor he wrote anything for being illiterate, and yet all the learned and scholars bow their heads to him for his great knowledge and wisdom! Indeed the Grace of God to His Messenger, Mohammad (AS) has been great.

قُلْ لَّئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الاِْنسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَى أَنْ يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ لاَ يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْض ظَهِيراً(( 88 ))

88- SAY:ِ ``IF MAN AND JINN GATHER TOGETHER, SO AS TO BRING THE LIKE OF THIS QURA"N, THEY WILL NOT BRING THE LIKE OF IT, EVEN IF SOME OF THEM BACK UP SOME OTHER.''

وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِي هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَثَل فَأَبَى أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ إِلاَّ كُفُوراً(( 89 ))

89- AND VERILY WE HAVE EXPLAINED FOR PEOPLE, EVERY KIND OF SIMILITUDE IN THIS QURA"N; YET MOST OF THE PEOPLE ACCEPT NOTHING BUT PROFANITY.

[ 597 ]

THE COMMENTARY

NO ONE CAN EVER PRODUCE THE LIKE OF QURA"N

EXCEPT ALLAH

VERSE NO. 88 - 89

The above verse is a prelude to the next discussion which is about the flimsy pretexts and vain excuses of the idolaters, to imply that Qura"n is the everlasting wonderful miracle of our prophet, if they could only apprehend. Here the prophet is commanded to tell the unbelievers that:ِ

``If man and Jinn gather together, so as to bring the like of this Qura"n, they will not be able to do it, even if some of them back up some other.''

Here the Jinn and Man, are challenged to produce a book the like of Qura"n; and Qura"n has claimed that all endeavours to reach this goal, will fail in every time and in every place! Qura"n is the only Divine Scripture which has stood pure and unchanged throughout ages.

The second verse (NO.89) refers to the perfection of Qura"n, which is another miraculous aspect of this wonderful book:ِ

``And verily We have explained for people every kind of similitude in this Qura"n.''

Anything that is good for the guidance of Man to prosperity and salvation, has been eloquently explained in this Book through stories, commands, prohibitions, similitude, examples, warnings, and etc.

The Arabic, ``KAFUR'' translated to, ``PROFANITY'' may mean to violate or treat with irreverence, obloquy, or contempt a truth, a fact, or something that is regarded as sacred.

وَقَالُوا لَنْ نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الاَْرْضِ يَنْبُوعاً(( 90 ))

90- THEY SAID:ِ ``WE WILL NEVER BELIEVE YOU UNTIL YOU MAKE A SPRING FOR US TO GUSH OUT OF THE LAND.

[ 598 ]

أَوْ تَكُونَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّنْ نَّخِيل وَعِنَب فَتُفَجِّرَ الاَْنهَارَ خِلاَلَهَا تَفْجِيراً(( 91 ))

91- OR THERE SHOULD BE YOURS A GARDEN OF DATE-PALM AND GRAPE, AND YOU GUSH OUT STREAMS TO FLOW IN THEIR WHOLE INTERIOR.

أَوْ تُسْقِطَ السَّمَاءَ كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفاً أَوْ تَأْتِىَ بِاللهِ وَالْمَلاَئِكَةِ قَبِيلا(( 92 ))

92- OR MAKE THE SKY TO FALL DOWN ON US, AS YOU THINK SO, IN PIECES; (IN METEORES); OR BRING ALLAH AND ANGELS FACE TO FACE (WITH US).

أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِّنْ زُخْرُف أَوْ تَرْقَى فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلَنْ نُّؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّى تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَاباً نَقْرَؤُه قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّي هَلْ كُنتُ إِلاَّ بَشَراً رَسُولا(( 93 ))

93- OR YOU OWN A HOUSE ADORNED WITH GOLD; OR ASCEND TO THE SKY. AND WE WILL NEVER BELIEVE YOUR ASCENSION UNTIL YOU BRING DOWN FOR US A BOOK THAT WE MAY READ!

SAY:ِ``GLORY TO MY LORD! AM I (ANY ONE) OTHER THAN A HUMAN MESSENGER?''

THE COMMENTARY

OCCASION OF THE REVELATION (VERSE NO. 90 - 93)

A group of the pagan Arabs including some of their high ups and chiefs of tribes gathered together in the Sacred Shrine of Mecca, and [ 599 ]

also invited the Messenger of God, too, to attend their meeting which he accepted.

They said to the prophet:ِ ``Tell us frankly what is your aim and object in despising our gods, and contempting our religion? If you look forward to become wealthy, we promise to give you enough to satisfy you. If you are driving at rank and position, we shall raise you up to our head.''

The prophet said to them:ِ

``The Lord has guided me to a way that is straight; to an upright religion, that of Abraham, who was true in faith and not a polytheist. So, my prayer and service, my life and death, belongs all to Allah who has no partner; and I am the first Muslim who submits to Allah who is the Lord and the Cherisher of everything. I am the Messenger of God who has created you and all things, and I convey God's Message to you through the Book that Allah has inspired to me. A Book which is indeed a cause of prosperity for you in this present life, and a source of felicity in the life to come, and I want nothing of you, but, to follow your Lord's order and religion.''

The pagans said again;ِ ``O.K.! You know well that we have not enough land to live in, and we are surrounded by high mountains. Tell your God then to push back the mountains to make a fertile land for us, like the Syrians and Iraqies. So, also tell your Lord to raise up some of our forefathers including GHAIS-IBN-AL-KALA"B to testify that you are truly the Messenger of God.''

Mohammad (AS) said to them:ِ ``These things that you request for, are none of my business; and not in my power.''

They said again:ِ ``Then if you are the Messenger of God; and you are in contact with God's Archangel, ``GABRIEL'', bring down with you some angels to testify your truthfulness. And also, tell them to make you have gardens of fruits well-watered, and a beautiful house adorned with gold; like those that you promise your followers to have in the life to come.''

The prophet answered:ِ

``My mission is not to perform such things that you people ask.''

The pagans said again to the prophet:ِ

[ 600 ]

``In this case, make the pieces of sky (THE METEORES) to fall upon us as you may think so; or at least ascend to the sky....''. One heathen from among them shouted loudly:ِ

``Even if you ascend to the sky, we will not believe your ascension until you bring down for us a Book that we may feel it and read it!''

All these flimsy pretexts and foolish excuses were rejected by the prophet; and eventually ABUJAHL said:ِ

``My People! Let him go away! He can do nothing except abusing our gods, and insulting the religion of our forefathers. I will give him his deserved reward; and when he is in a prostration, I will give an end to all this, by casting a stone upon his head!''

VARIOUSLYِCOLOURED EXCUSES

Following the argument about Qura"n's miraculous greatness and limitless wonders, reference is made to some of the flimsy pretexts, and foolish excuses of the heathens and idolaters. In order to accept the prophetic mission of the Messenger of God, they proposed six request as follows:ِ

1ِ Make a spring for us to gush out of the land.

2ِ Have a garden of date-palm and grapes well-watered.

3ِ Make the sky to fall down upon us, as you threaten.

4ِ Bring Allah and his angels down and face them with us.

5ِ Have a beautiful house adorned with gold.

6ِ Ascend to the sky and bring down to us a book.

At the end, Allah instructs His Messenger to answer the pagans with the following words:ِ

``Am I anyone other than a human Messenger?''

The Arabs were a thirsty people dwelling in a hot dry land in which vegetation and plants was very rare. To this effect, finding another spring of water like ZAMZAM, meant a great bounty to them, and the most valuable miracle too. They of course, did not know what [ 601 ]

does crude oil and petroleum mean, and in the lands that seas of oil exist, springs of water are rare. To them having a house adorned with gold and silver, and a fruitful garden well-watered was a sign of felicity and prosperity. A disbeliever is usually secular minded, and can only think of physical and material profits. He forgets or ignores all about the spiritual matters. Their ridiculous demands like seeing God, face to face, the God who has not a visible face at all; or the fall of sky and stones from overhead; ascension to the sky and bringing down a book to be read, are all the signs and symptoms of their materialistic ideas.

On the other hand a Messenger's duty is only to convey his message, and can do nothing other than following what he is ordered to. So the Messenger of God would say nothing except that with which he was inspired. He was not sent to satisfy the mean fancies, and vain desires of some foolish unbelievers.

وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا إِذْ جَاءَهُمْ الْهُدَى إِلاَّ أَنْ قَالُوا أَبَعَثَ اللهُ بَشَراً رَّسُولا(( 94 ))

94ِAND NOTHING PREVENTED PEOPLE TO BELIEVE WHEN THE GUIDANCE CAME TO THEM; EXCEPT THAT THEY SAID:ِ

``HAS ALLAH RAISED UP A HUMAN AS (HIS) MESSENGER?''

قُلْ لَّوْ كَانَ فِي الاَْرْضِ مَلاَئِكَةٌ يَمْشُونَ مُطْمَئِنِّينَ لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ مَلَكاً رَسُولا(( 95 ))

95- SAY:ِ ``HAD THERE BEEN ANGELS IN THE EARTH WALKING IN SURETY, WE WOULD CERTAINLY SEND DOWN ON THEM AN ANGEL FROM THE SKY AS MESSENGER.''

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THE COMMENTARY

THE EXCUSE OF CONFORMITY (VERSE NO. 94 - 95)

One of the factors that may hinder some people from believing, is the conformity of the kind. They say:ِ ``How such a great and high rank of being the Messenger of God, which is becoming to an Archangel; may be given to a Mortal Man like me and you!?'':ِ ``Nothing prevented the people to believe, when the guidance of God came to them, except that they said; has indeed Allah elected a Messenger for Himself from among men?''

This question has always been raised up throughout the history of Man. The people of Noah did shout out; ``He is nothing except a Mortal Man like ourselves.'' The people of Hud, as well as the people of Mohammad (AS), said also to their prophets:ِ ``What sort of a Messenger of God is this man who eats and drinks, and walks in the markets? If you obey a man who is like yourself you will join the group of losers!''

In answer to such a futile objection, and unreasoned suggestion, Allah said:ِ

``Had there been angels in the earth, walking in surety, we would certainly send down on them an angels from the heavens as Messenger.''

Mutual understanding between the leader and the leaded is a very important factor that must be considered. When there is no conformity, harmony, and congruity between the parties, there won't be co-operation and success. Therefore, if even a population of angels inhabited this earth, only an angel from the earth or from the heaven could be sent down to guide as an apostle, so that they could mutually understand each other; and communicate with the language of their kind.

But now that the earth is inhabited by mankind, there must be sent a Man Messenger from the presence of our Lord for the said reasons, in order to carry an effective mission among men.

[ 603 ]

قُلْ كَفَى بِاللهِ شَهِيدا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرا بَصِيراً(( 96 ))

96- SAY:ِ ``ENOUGH IS ALLAH FOR A WITNESS BETWEEN ME AND YOU, THAT HE IS AWARE AND SEEING HIS SERVANTS.

وَمَنْ يَهْدِ اللهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِهِ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْياً وَبُكْماً وَصُمّاً مَّأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيراً(( 97 ))

97- AND HE WHOM ALLAH GUIDES, THEN HE IS (REALLY) GUIDED. AND HE WHOM HE LEAVES ASTRAY; YOU WILL NEVER FIND THEM GUARDIANS OTHER THAN HIM. AND WE MUSTER THEM ON THE RESSURRECTION DAY UPON THEIR FACES, (WHILE THEY ARE) BLIND, DUMB, AND DEAF. THEIR ABODE SHALL BE THE HELL. WHENEVER (ITS FIRE) DIMINISHES, WE INCREASE THEM THE BLAZE.

THE COMMENTARY

THE REAL GUIDANCE (VERSE NO. 96 - 97)

The next verse (NO.97) implies that, the only real guidance is the guidance of Allah, whose knowledge encomposes all the events and [ 604 ]

phenomenones. The Merciful who loves His servants more than all, even their mother. He is the best of friends, protectors, and guides.

The verse also warns us, not to fall in the claws of evil, so that we incur the wrath of Allah; and lose the care of our Merciful Lord and His guidance too. If so we may come to shame and ignominy in here, and in the Hereafter. This results in being affected with mysterious diseases that renders us blind of seeing the signs of God, will make us so dumb that we may not utter a word of truth, and we shall lose our ear of hearing what is wrong and what is right. When so, the Fire of punishment which overtakes us, will not lessen, and even if it diminishes, God will increase its blaze!

ذَلِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالُوا أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَاماً وَرُفَاتاً أَئِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقاً جَدِيداً(( 98 ))

98- THAT IS THEIR REWARD THAT THEY DISBELIEVED OUR SIGNS, AND SAID:ِ ``WHEN WE BECAME BONES, AND SCATTERED DUST, SHALL WE BE RAISED UP TO A NEW CREATION?''

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالاَْرْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَنْ يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلا لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَأَبَى الظَّالِمُونَ إِلاَّ كُفُوراً(( 99 ))

99- DO THEY NOT SEE THAT ALLAH WHO CREATED THE HEAVENS AND EARTH IS ABLE TO CREATE THE LIKE OF THEM? AND APPOINTED A TERM FOR THEM IN WHICH THERE IS NO DOUBT. BUT THE OPPRESSORS REFUSE ALL, EXCEPT PROFANITY.

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قُلْ لَّوْ أَنتُمْ تَمْلِكُونَ خَزَائِنَ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّي إِذاً لاََّمْسَكْتُمْ خَشْيَةَ الاِْنفَاقِ وَكَانَ الاِْنْسَانُ قَتُوراً(( 100 ))

100- SAY:ِ``IF YOU OWNED THE TREASURES OF MY LORDS MERCY, IN THAT CASE YOU WOULD WITH-HOLD (CHARITY) FOR THE FEAR OF (BEING POOR BY) SPENDING. AND MAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN NIGGARDLY.''

THE COMMENTARY