The Light of the Holy Qur'an Interpretation of Sura Maryam (mary)

Commentary : Verse 75

75- قُلْ مَن كَانَ فِى الضَّلاَلَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ لَهُ الرَّحْمَنُ مَدّاً حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَوْا مَا يُوعَدُونَ إِمَّا الْعَذَابَ وإِمَّا السَّاعَةَ فَسَيَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ هُوَ شَرٌّ مَكَاناً وَأَضْعَفُ جُنْداً

  1. " Say: 'Whoever goes astray, the Beneficent (Allah) will prolong his span of life until, when they see what they were promised, whether it be the chastisement (in this world), or the Hour (of Doom), then they will know who is worse in position and weaker in hosts'.”

Commentary:

The Arabic terms /madd/ and /'imdad/ are used with the same sense, but, as Raqib says, the term /'imdad/ is usually used for some praiseworthy and pleasing actions, and the term /madd/ is usually used for some disagreeable and indecent deeds.

Allah respites all those who choose a vice and go astray. This respite is for the sake that they may repent, or some righteous offspring from them come into being. But some misguided people misuse this respite and commit some more vice by which they increase their own punishment. However, Allah respites them and prolongs their lifetime.

The structure of this sentence in Arabic in imperative form denotes to the certainty of the performance of the affair. The sentence has been stated in an imperative form in order that there remains no pretext for the misguided one, since he has been given a length of lifetime during which he might think of a way. The imperative verb may be taken in the sense of invocation in which he has asked Allah to give him a respite,

or He may let him live in the world as long as he desires, because his lifetime is of no avail for him. The verse says:

" Say: 'Whoever goes astray, the Beneficent (Allah) will prolong his span of life …"

Allah will prolong the life of such people in order that they see with their own eyes what they have been promised. His promise may either be the chastisement of this world: that the Muslims overcome them and, by killing them or capturing them, punish them, or that they be involved with the chastisements of Hereafter. At that time, they will realize that they have considered wrongly, i.e. their position is worse and their troop is weaker than that they thought, and they used to say that they would have a higher position and a better assembly. The verse continues saying:

" …until, when they see what they were promised, whether it be the chastisement (in this world), or the Hour (of Doom), then they will know who is worse in position and weaker in hosts'."

Abu-Basir narrates a tradition upon the phrase: "…until when they see what they were promised, …" from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) who said: "It is the promise of the advent of Hadrat Gha'im (a.s.), and 'worse in position' means that on the day of the raise of Gha'im it will be known who in an indecent and weak position is."(1)

1- At-Tafsir-ul-Burhan, vol. 3, p. 20; Tafsir-us-Safi, vol.3 p. 291; Al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 431

Commentary : Verse 76

76- وَيَزِيدُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا هُدى وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبّـِكَ ثَوَاباً وَخَيْرٌ مَّرَدّاً

  1. " And Allah increases in guidance those who are guided aright, and the everlasting good deeds are better with your Lord in reward, and better in return.”

Commentary:

The Arabic word /?awab/ means the recompense of man's deed which returns to him, whether it is good or evil, but it is often used for a good deed.(1)

The previous verse referred to the fate of the oppressors and those who were deluded by the dazzling glare and lusts of the world, while this verse refers to situation of the believers and those who are guided. It says:

" And Allah increases in guidance those who are guided aright, …"

It is evident that guidance has some degrees. When the beginning degrees of guidance are practiced by a person, Allah may help him to gain some higher and higher degrees of it. Similar to a fruitful tree, which develops to a new stage of growth and perfection every day, these guided ones, too, in the light of their Faith and good deeds, promote to some higher stages every day.

At the end of the verse, the Qur'an gives an answer to those who have relied on their fleeting ornaments in this life and have taken it as a means of boasting to others. It implies

1- Al-Mizan, the Commentary

that the end and the value of the righteous deeds is better with the Lord.(1) The verse says:

"…and the everlasting good deeds are better with your Lord in reward, and better in return."

However, some Islamic traditions indicate that the purpose of the phrase 'the everlasting good deeds' is the invocation saying: "Glory be to Allah; Praise belongs to Allah; and there is no god save Allah. Allah is the greatest." (Tafsir-i-Nur-uth-Thaqalatn; and Tafsir-i-Burhan)

1- The Arabic word 'marad' is either 'an infinitive' with the sense of 'to pass, to return', or it is a 'noun of place' with the sense of 'the site of return', which here means Paradise.

Commentary : Verse 77.78.79.80

77- أَفَرَأيْتَ الَّذِى كَفَرَ بِاَيَاتِنَا وَقَالَ لاُوتَيَنَّ مَالاً وَوَلَداً

78- أَطَّلَعَ الْغَيْبَ أَمِ اتَّخَذَ عِندَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَهْداً

79- كَلاَّ سَنَكْتُبُ مَا يَقُولُ وَنَمُدُّ لَهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ مَدّاً

80- وَنَرِثُهُ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأْتِينَا فَرْداً

  1. " Have you seen him who disbelieves in Our revelations and says: 'I shall surely be given wealth and children (abundantly)?"

  2. " Has he got the (knowledge of) Unseen, or has taken from the Beneficent (Allah) a promise?"

  3. " No, We will write down what he says and We will prolong for him the chastisement."

  4. " And We will inherit what he talks of, and he shall come unto Us all alone."

Commentary:

Leaving hold of Allah and refuging to wealth and children is a false and superstitious cogitation.

Some people think that faith, sincerity, and piety are not favourable to them and they cause the world to set them a side, and when they live without Faith and piety the world will look upon them with favor so that their wealth will increase.

This imagination, whether it can be as a result of simple-mindedness and following superstitions, or as a cover for fleeing from religious responsibilities and promises, whatever it may be, is a dangerous consideration.

Sometimes it happens that these superstitious persons have based the wealth of some faithless people and the poverty of a group of believers as an evidence to prove this superstition. But, we know that neither the properties gained by means of transgression, disbelief, and abandoning the foundations of piety are the source of honour, nor is the Faith, piety, and virtuousness a hinder on the way of legitimate and lawful activities.

However, at the time of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) , like our time, there were some ignorant people who had such a consideration or, at least, they pretended to have that sort of consideration.

In connection with the former discussion, stated about the fate of the disbelievers and transgressors, in these verses the Qur'an points to this kind of imagination and its end. In the first verse, it says:

" Have you seen him who disbelieves in Our revelations and says: 'I shall surely be given wealth and children (abundantly)?"

Then, the Qur'an answers them as follows:

" Has he got the (knowledge of) Unseen, or has taken from the Beneficent (Allah) a promise?"

Only the one who has the knowledge of Unseen can predict such a thing and may introduce a relation between infidelity and having property and children, because we do not see any relation between these two. Or, that the one would have taken a promise from Allah in this regard. Such a statement is also meaningless.

Then, with a serious and decisive tone, the Qur'an implies that it is not such, and never disbelief and infidelity causes the wealth and children of a person to be increased. The verse says:

" No, We will write down what he says …"

Yes, these baseless sayings, which may cause some simple-minded persons to go astray, will all be recorded in their file of deeds. The verse continues saying:

"…and We will prolong for him the chastisement."

This part of the verse may be a hint to the continuous eternal chastisement of Hereafter. It may also be a hint to the punishments which encompass them in this world as a result of infidelity and faithlessness. This probability is also notable that the wealth and children, which are the source of their pride and aberration, may themselves be a continual punishment for them. The verse says:

" And We will inherit what he talks of, and he shall come unto Us all alone."

Yes, at last, he will leave all these material facilities and pass away, and he will attend in that Divine court of Justice without any righteous work with him, while his book of deeds is recorded with sins wholly. It is in that place that he will see the fruit of his baseless sayings in the world.

Commentary : Verse 81.82

81- وَاتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ ءَالِهَةً لّـِيَكُونُوا لَهُمْ عِزّاً

82- كَلاَّ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدّاً

  1. " And they have taken gods besides Allah that they might be for them a glory."

  2. " No, soon they (gods) shall deny their worship, and become adversaries against them.”

Commentary:

This verse points to another motive of the idolaters in worshipping idols when it says:

" And they have taken gods besides Allah that they might be for them a glory."

They worship idols in order that they intercede for them with Allah and help them in their difficulties; but what a vain and wrong imagination! Never it is such that they imagined. The idols not only do not create honour for them but also cause their disgrace and painful punishment, and soon, i.e. in Hereafter, these idols will deny their worship and repudiate them, and they will be some enemies against them. The holy verse says:

" No, soon they (gods) shall deny their worship, and become adversaries against them."

It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) who has said: "On Hereafter Day the gods, which they had taken besides Allah, will be against them and will repudiate them and their worships." That is, these idols, by the command of Allah, will be able to speak on the Day of Judgment and will repudiate from pagans and the worshippers of them.

It is interesting that there has been cited a short and expressive sentence below this tradition about the reality of worship. It says: "Worship is not (only) prostration and bowing, but the reality of worship is to obey men. Whoever obeys a mortal in disobedience to Allah, he has obeyed him." (And, therefore, his fate will be the same as the fate of pagans and idolaters.)(1)

1- Nur-uth-Thaqalayn, vol. 3, p. 357, and Tafsir-ul-Burhan, Tafsir-us-Safi