The Light of the Holy Qur'an Interpretation of Sura Al-fatir
Commentary : Verse 10
(10) مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعاً اِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيّـِبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ وَالَّذِينَ يَمْكُرُونَ السَّيّـِئَاتِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَكْرُ أُوْلَئِكَ هُوَ يَبُورُ
10.“Whoever desires glory, the glory belongs to Allah wholly to Him do ascend the good words and the righteous deed, He uplifts it; but those who devise evil deeds, for them is a terrible chastisement, and their plot shall come to naught.”
Commentary:
The real glory is with Allah, not with people, and it is found under the light of ‘Faith’ and ‘righteous deed.’
Following to this monotheistic discussion, this verse points to the great error of the pagans who asked their glory from their idols and thought that believing in the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) caused the dispersion of people from around them. They used to say: “… ‘If we follow the guidance with you, we shall be driven out from our land.’ …” The Qur’a-n says:
“Whoever desires glory, the glory belongs to Allah wholly …”
As Ra-qib has said in Mufrada-t, the Arabic word /‘izzat/ originally means that state that makes man resisting and mighty. It is for this reason that the hard and firm lands are called /‘aza-z/ in Arabic.
Since it is only the Pure Essence of Allah that is Mighty, else, because of their limitation, all creatures can be defeated. Therefore, the whole glory belongs to Him, and whoever obtains any glory it is from the endless ocean of His blessing.
During the last hours of his lifetime when Imam Hassan (a.s.) was asked by one of his companions named Juna-dat-ibn-’Abi-Sufya-n to advise him, Imam stated some valuable and effective admonitions for him, among which was this: “If you wish to be ‘honoured’ without having any tribe, and to have reverence without the power of government, then come out from the shade of sin of Allah, and settle in the glory of the obedience of Allah.”
And if we see that some verses of the Qur’a-n introduce glory, besides Allah, for the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and the believers, (like Sura Muna-fiqu-n, No. 63, verse 8 which says: “… Honour belongs to Allah and His Messenger and to the Believers, …”, it is for the reason that they have earned glory from the rays of the glory of Allah, too.
Then the verse introduces the way of reaching to glory as follows:
“… to Him do ascend the good words and the righteous deed, He uplifts it; …”
The Qur’a-nic phrase: /’al kalimut?-t?ayyib/ means: ‘pure words’, and the purity of a speech depends on the purity of its content, and the purity of content relates to the concepts which adapt to the pure, brilliant, objective facts. What reality is higher than the Pure Essence of Allah and His right and just religion, as well as the pure righteous ones who pave the way of its distribution? Therefore, this holy phrase has been rendered into correct belief in Origin, Resurrection and Allah’s religion.
Some of the commentators have rendered the Qur’a-nic phrase: /’al kalimut?-t?ayyib/ into: ‘there is no god but Allah’, while some others have rendered it into: /subha-n-allah-i-wal-hamd-u-lilla-h-i-wala--’ila-ha-’illalla-h-u-wa-lla-h-u-’akbar/, and some commentators have rendered it, after mentioning there is no god but Allah, into “Muhammad rasu-l-ulla-h wa ‘Aliyyan waliyyulla-h wa xali-fata rasu-lihi-”.
Or in some Islamic narrations the Qur’a-nic phrase /’al kalimut?-t?ayyib/ and /’al ‘amal-us?-s?a-lih/ have been rendered into the love of Ahl-ul-Bayt (a.s.) or the like of it. All of them are of the kind of the statement of clear extensions for that vast concept, and they do not create any limitation in its concept, because every statement which has a pure and excellent content is entirely found in this title.
However, the same Lord Who, according to the previous verse, makes the dead land alive by life-giving drops of rain, furnishes ‘the pure word and righteous deed’, too, and causes them to reach to the neighbourhood of His Mercy.
Then the Qur’a-n refers to the opposite point of it, where it says:
“… but those who devise evil deeds, for them is a terrible chastisement, and their plot shall come to naught.”
Although the corruptive persons imagine that, by injustice, cruelty, falsehood, and plot, they can obtain a kind of glory for them by means of wealth, property, and power but at the end they shall understand that not only they have provided a chastisement for them, but also their efforts in this way will become naught.
As the Qur’a-n says, there were some people who behaved like this: “And they have taken gods besides Allah that they might be for them a glory.” [^1] And there were some hypocrites who imagined themselves as some honoured ones and the believers as the meaner: “They say: ‘If we return to Medina, surely the more honourable (element) will expel there from the meaner’ …” [^2]
[^1] Sura Maryam, No. 19, verse 81
[^2] Sura Al-Muna-fiqu-n, No. 63, verse 8
There were some other persons, who considered the deceit of the Pharaohs as their own glory, or they sought honour from sin, injustice, and cruelty, but all of them were defeated. So, it is only faith and righteous deed which go up toward Allah.
In philology the Arabic word /makr/ means any kind of device, but in some instances it is used in the sense of the devices that are accompanied with mischief, and the verse under discussion is among those instances.
The term /sayyi’a-t/, mentioned in the above verse, refers to all ugly and evil things which occur, irrespective of creedal evils and practical ones, and that some commentators have rendered it into the pagans’ plots for killing or banishing the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h.) from Mecca is, in fact, one of the expansions of it, not its whole concepts.
The Qur’a-nic word /yabu-r/ is derived from /bawa-r/ and /bu-ra-n/ which originally means excess dullness of market, and since this kind of dullness of market often causes destruction, this word has been used in the sense of destruction and annihilation.
The whole glory belongs to Allah. Does this state mean something save reaching to the stage of being Almighty? If it is so, where can glory be sought, and what can give glory to man?
By a clear analysis we reach this fact that the reality of glory, at the first degree, is the power which appears in the heart and entity of man and dissuades him from having humility submission, and collusion in relation with disobedient and rebellious persons to the command of Allah. It is a power that with having it one never surrenders to unlawful lusts and he never obeys his low desires.
It is a power which usually elevates him up to the stage of impenetrability before any wealth and force.
Does this power originate from any source save from the Faith in Allah, which is the main source of power and glory?
What was said is only in the stage of thought, belief, soul and spirit; but in the stage of action, glory originates from some deeds that have correct root and an accurate program and style. In other words, glory can be found in ‘righteous deeds’. These two elements give man honour, greatness, might, and glory.
The world loving sorcerers, contemporary to Pharaoh, began their tricks in his name and glory. “… and said: ‘By Pharaoh’s dignity we shall certainly be the victors.”[^1] Yet, before long, they failed from the shepherd-stick of Moses (a.s.), but when they came out from the cover of the disgraceful flag of Pharaoh and went under the light of Monotheism and believed, they became so strong and mighty that the most severe threats of Pharaoh did not affect on them. They eagerly lost their hands, feet, and even souls in the cause of Allah and suffered martyrdom. By this action, they proved that they would surrender neither to money nor to force. They remained mighty and, today, their honourable history contains a great deal of instructive lessons for us.
[^1] Sura Ash-Shu'ara-, No. 26, verse 44
Commentary : Verse 11
(11) وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُم مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَكُمْ أَزْوَاجاً وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنثَي وَلاَ تَضَعُ اِلاَّ بِعِلْمِهِ وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُعَمَّرٍ وَلاَ يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلاَّ فِي كِتَابٍ اِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَي اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
- “And Allah did create you from dust; then from a sperm-drop, then He made you pairs. And no female conceives nor does she bring forth, save with His knowledge and none is given long life who is given long life neither is any diminished in his life, but it is in a Book. Verily this, for Allah, is easy.”
Commentary:
The Arabic word /mu‘ammar/ is called to the owners of a long-life. The word /‘umr/ is derived from /‘imra-n/ (flourishing state), and since a person has the ability of flourishing during the time he is alive, the length of his life is called ‘life-time’.
Some Islamic narrations indicate that charity and visiting one’s kin cause the life-time to be long, but ‘breaking off connections with one’s kindred’ and to disgrace parents cause the lifetime to be shortened. [^1]
In this holy verse, the Qur’a-n states another part of the extroversive and introversive verses which are, on one side, the evidence over the Power of Allah and, on the other side, over His Knowledge.
At first, it points to the creation of man in different stages, when it says:
[^1] Mi-za-n-ul-Hikmah, the word 'life-time'
“And Allah did create you from dust; then from a sperm- drop, then He made you pairs. …”
These are three stages among the whole stages of the creation of man: soil, sperm-drop, and the stage of matrimony.
It is certain that man is from dust, not only from this point that all materials that form the man’s body are derived from dust, and that which man takes food from, or wherefrom his sperm-drop originates all are finally found in the materials which are in soil.
Some commentators believe that the concept of ‘the creation of man from dust’ probably refers only to the first creation, while the creation from sperm-drop refers to later stages. The first one is the stage of men’s compendious creation, (because the entity of all human beings has been extracted in the entity of Adam); and the second is the expansive stages which are separate from each other.
However, the stage of person’s matrimony is the stage of continuation of generation and man’s reproduction.
Then it refers to the fourth and the fifth stage of man’s life, viz., the subject of ‘pregnancy’ of mothers and their delivery. It says:
“… And no female conceives nor does she bring forth, save with His knowledge …”
Yes, the subject of pregnancy, and the complicated and very amazing changes of foetus, then reaching the stage of delivery and the wonderful variations that, at that sensitive moment, come forth to mothers, from one side, and to the foetus, on the other side, are so tender and accurate that is not possible save by relying on the infinite knowledge of Allah. It is done in a manner that if the governing regulation over it changes, even very slightly, the program of delivery or delivery itself will face with disturbance and confusion, and it will come to destruction.
Each of these five stages of man’s life is more wonderful than the other.
The inanimate dust is in one side and the wise, alert, and originative man, the alive, is on the other side. How different they are!
The sperm-drop which has been formed of a few drops of fetid water is on one end, and the handsome, beautiful, and talented man equipped with different senses and organs is on the other end.
Next to this stage, there is the subject of variety of man into two genders: male and female.
Regarding to the abundant differences in the body and soul, there will come some physiological problems into being each of which takes its own separate way from the very beginning of the combination of semen and everyone of them goes toward the duty which has been given to them and thus they develop.
The next subject is the responsibility of mother which is the acceptance and bearing of this burden, its protection, its nutrition and its growth, which has attracted the thoughts of great scientists to them, and they confess that it is one of the most surprising subjects of the world of existence.
The last stage of this part of foetus is the stage of birth. It is a revolutionary stage and completely dangerous, that is accompanied with a great deal of wonders.
What factors command foetus to come out from the mother’s womb?
How is the complete harmony arranged between this command and readiness of the limbs of the mother for its execution.
How can foetus totally change the situation to which it has been accustomed for nine months just in a moment: ceases its relation with the mother, uses the fresh air, the way of his food from umbilical cord is suddenly closed, the new way, i.e., the mouth begins to work, the dark environment of mother is left and the bright environment full of light is used, and it resists against all these changes and it immediately adapts itself to them?
Are these things not the best signs to the endless power and knowledge of Allah? It is a complete injustice that man judges so vainly about his own creation.
Then the Qur’a-n refers to the sixth and seventh stages of this wonderful program. It says:
“… and none is given long life who is given long life neither is any diminished in his life, but it is in a Book. …”
What factors are effective in the length of man’s life? What factors fight against the continuation of his life? And in short, what factors must gather and help each other in order that man can continue his living for one hundred years or less and more! And, finally, what factors cause the difference in man’s life-time?
All of these things have also some complicated and exact computations of which none is aware but Allah; and whatever we know in these fields today comparing with what we do not know is very little and worthless.
The Arabic word /mu‘ammar/ is derived from the word /‘umr/ which is originally derived from /‘ima-rat/ in the sense of ‘habitation’, and the fact that the length of man’s living is called lifetime is for the sake that the habitation of his body is in this time.
This word, /mu‘ammar/, means a person who has a long life. So, the Qur’a-n concludes the verse with this sentence , saying:
“… Verily this, for Allah, is easy.”
The creation of this wonderful being from ‘dust’ and the initiation of the creation of a complete man from ‘sperm-drop’, and also the whole facts concerning ‘genetic state’, conjugality, pregnancy, delivery, increase and decrease in life-time, whether from the point of power and from the point of knowledge, and computation of all of them is entirely easy and simple for Him. These are as a small part of the extroversive verses that, from one side, they relate and acquaint us with the world of existence, and, on the other side, they are counted as some valid proofs upon the possibility of Resurrection.
He Who was able to create a being from ‘dust’ and from sperm-drop for the first time, is He not able to revive men?
And does He, Who is aware of the minutes of these laws, have any difficulty in protecting and reckoning of the deeds of people in the scene of Resurrection?