For explanation of this verse, refer to the commentary of Surah Al-Faatihah.

The separately read letters in the beginning of some Surahs of the Qur'an are generally called 'Huroof-e-Muqatta`aat' (i.e. broken - separately read - letters). Although there are a number of explanations given for these letters, yet it seems that these are the Qur'anic names of the Surahs upon which they are placed.

i.e. those who fear God's punishments, have faith in His promises, adhere to His directives and control themselves from transgressing against His commandments. The word is generally translated as 'the God-Fearing', which entails all the stated implications, as it is primarily the fear of God's punishments and the desire of pleasing Him that is basis of pious behavior (see verse 177).

The prime addressees of this Surah are the Banu Israel. They have been directly addressed from verse 40 to 141. In the opening of the Surah, the Prophet (pbuh) is comforted and consoled for his distress and disturbance on the avoidance of the Banu Israel in response to his call to the path of God. In this opening part of the Surah, the Prophet (pbuh) is consoled by the fact that the Muttaqun (the God-fearing) in the Banu Israel, those who truly and sincerely upheld the guidance that God had given them previously, have accepted his message. They are the ones who shall benefit from the Qur'an. The others do not deserve to be guided to the path of eternal bliss.

The Qur'an has pointed out at other instances that the Israelites had generally become devoid of these qualities.

That is their main interest is to submit to what they have understood to be God's directives. They are free of the Israelite prejudices, which according to the Qur'an was one of the major causes of their rejection of the Prophet (pbuh) and the Qur'an.

i.e. the Day of Judgment is not merely an article of faith for them, they are certain of its coming .This is the prime reason for their lack of prejudice and their surpassing others in accepting faith.

The setting of the seal upon the hearts, sight and vision of the rejecters implies that in response to their negative attitude toward the truth revealed by God, they have now been deprived of the very ability to recognize and submit to God's truth and thereby find the way to eternal bliss.

In the first two paragraphs, those who have taken a clear stance - whether positive or negative - regarding the Prophet (pbuh) and the Qur'an have been referred to. In this paragraph, those who have neither clearly rejected nor clearly accepted the Prophet (pbuh) and the Qur'an are being referred to.

The context of these verses evidences the fact that the statement 'We believe in God and the Day of Judgment' is not merely a declaration of their faith, but actually a negation of the fact that they must also believe in the new prophet and the new revelation.

The day when they are made to face the consequences of their deceptions, they shall then realize that all their efforts of deceptions had succeeded only in deceiving themselves.

That is, their hearts were already burning with hatred and malice at the selection of the last prophet from the Banu Ishmael. God aggravated their pain by giving stability and by exalting the Prophet's message.

That is, rather than being a source of guidance for the people by taking lead in believing in the Prophet and the Qur'an, you are deceiving and hindering them from following the messenger of God. This, in effect, is the promotion of rebellion against God.

That is, in contrast to the two extreme groups - the proclaimed believers and the declared rejecters - we are a source of reconciliation between them by joining neither of the two groups and opting for a middle course.

That is the true Muslims among the Muhajireen (who came from Mecca) and the Ansaar (the residents of Medinah).

That is, these people who are willing to give up all their worldly possessions to help the Prophet (pbuh), without yet knowing, who would be successful among the two conflicting groups of the followers of the Prophet and his adversaries.

They will fully realize it when the believers are rewarded for their sincerity while they, themselves, are made to face the punishment of their actions.

One of the groups among the Israelites would say that even though we accept that Muhammad (pbuh) is a true prophet of God, yet it is only essential for the Ishmaelites to believe in his prophethood. The Israelites are only obliged to believe in the prophets, who come from within themselves. Thus, they would say, that even though we believe that Muhammad (pbuh) is a true prophet of God, yet we are not obliged to follow him.

That is, their leaders.

That is, according to the divine law of guidance, when a person refuses to accept the truth and adopt an attitude of mockery toward the truth, God lets him gather all the wrong that he can gather, so that on the Day of Judgment, he is neither left with any excuse nor is left with any chance of salvation. This is the joke that God is playing upon these people. But they realize it not.

Compare the 'person who lights the fire in the dark of the night' with the Prophet of God, who in the darkness of ignorance lit the environment with the 'light' of divine guidance. The 'darkness' symbolizes the ignorance of the path of eternal success.

Because these people refused to benefit from the light, God rendered them permanently incapable of benefiting from His guidance (also refer to footnote 7 of this Surah).

Rain coming from the skies' symbolizes the Qur'an coming from God.

The second example gives a picture of the confused avoidance that the group mentioned in verse 8 - 16 has resorted to.

That is, if they do not correct their behavior, they too, like the first group, shall be rendered incapable of accepting and submitting to the truth revealed by God.

The reference to “those, who have gone before you” may seem unnecessary to the common reader. However the knowledge that among other things, the Arabs used to worship their ancestors, makes it absolutely pertinent. The Qur’an has not only reminded the addressees of the fact that because they are the creation of God alone, therefore they should worship Him alone, but has also reminded them that those whom they worship, from amongst their ancestors, were naught but creations of the One God.

God is not only the Sole Creator but also the Sole source of all blessings for man. The polytheists held different gods for the earth and the sky. The verse points out the coherence in the whole universe, which can only be possible if it was planned and created by one God. After all, if the earth belongs to one god and the skies are owned by another, they why would the two be so interdependent on each other? Thus, if God is truly the Sole Creator and the Sole Provider for all that exists, Who, then, besides Him can qualify for our extreme reverence and our veneration (i.e. worship)?

That is the message of worshiping and serving the One God only.

It is clear from all related portions of the Qur’an that the verse is actually a response to those, who, in an attempt to reduce the importance that the Qur’an had started gaining in the eyes of its listeners, would arrogantly say that Muhammed has himself forged it and is falsely ascribing it to God (see Yunus 10: 38, Hu’d 11: 13, Al-Israa 17: 88, and Al-Toor 52: 34) and would also sometimes go to the extent of declaring that they themselves can easily produce a book like the one which Muhammed says is revealed from God (see: Al-Anfaal 9: 31).

Whether from among men or jinn or your worshiped deities. The Arabs had traditionally held that their most eloquent poets were taught by jinn. This is precisely the reason why some of the rejecters also proposed that Muhammed (pbuh) was taught by some eloquent jinn and, therefore, it was not possible for anyone else to match his production.

That is if, according to your claim, Muhammed (pbuh) has forged it on his own, then it should not be much of a problem for you to join together all your powers and abilities and produce, at least, one surah like the Surahs of the Qur’an. It may, however, be mentioned that, generally, the Arabs acknowledged the quality of the Qur’anic language and the effect that it had on its listeners, but were still not willing to submit to it. It was as an excuse for their aversion to submitting to it that they had started promoting the idea that Muhammed had himself forged it and then ascribed it to God. It is as a response to this criticism that the Qur’an has challenged them that if they truly believe that the Qur’an has been fabricated by Muhammed alone, then it should not be a problem for them – the eloquent Arabs – to produce at least one surah like its Surahs. These verse have generally, wrongly been construed as a universal challenge of the Qur’an. This is not correct. The stated challenge was given to the Arabs of the times of the Prophet, as a response to one of their criticisms. These were the Arabs, who not only deeply appreciated the depth and the beauty of the Qur’anic style but were also in the best position to produce anything like the Qur’an, had it been possible to do so.

That the Qur’an has been fabricated by Muhammed (pbuh) himself.

The stones, which the people held as gods and saviors, would also be thrown in the fire, as an eternal and continuous reminder of their stupidity.

Fuel is food for the fire. The statement signifies that the favorite food for the fire of hell shall be the rejecting people and the worshiped stones.

That is, whatever the pious are blessed with shall never cease to give them new and, yet, unknown pleasures. Even the fruits that may apparently resemble those given in previous servings shall have a new and improved taste in them, in each of their subsequent servings.

The Arabic word Mutahharah implies not only the purification and the chastity of these spouses, but also their suitability for the particular person who is blessed with their company. In other words, these spouses would be as if they were specially created, raised and trained to be spouses for the particular person, who is blessed with their companionship.

The Israelites were so averse to the Qur’an that they would try their best to find faults in it. This attitude led them to make fun of even the vague examples and the parables of the Qur’an. These parables and examples were primarily to give a broad idea about things and concepts, which could not be taught in a direct way. Such is generally the case with things and concepts that we are not directly exposed to and, therefore, do not have a designated word for them in our languages (details shall follow in the explanation of Aal Imraan 3: 7). The things and concepts so explained through these examples, generally pertained to the rewards and the punishments of the life hereafter. For instance, in the preceding paragraph, to give an idea of the continually renewing and evolving pleasures of the life in paradise, the Qur’an has given an example of fruits, the tastes of which are continually improving in every subsequent serving. Now, obviously, the message given in this example is quite clear. However, if one were to start making an in depth analysis of such examples and parables and seek detailed explanations for them (which due to the lack of direct exposure is not even possible), one could easily succeed in finding points, answers to which cannot be provided till one has a physical experience of the times to which such examples refer. It was this attitude of the Israelites of making fun of such examples, rather than being receptive to the message entailed in them, which the Qur’an has referred in the verse that follows. God has admonished the unlettered Arabs to avoid the attitude preferred by the Israelites, in this respect – the attitude, which had caused the Israelites to stray, rather than get guidance even from the Book of God. The correct attitude, on the contrary, would be to try and benefit from the broad idea given in such examples and parables.

This is a reference to the Jews, as is clear from the following attributes.

The history of the Israelites, with special reference to their consistent attitude of breaking God’s covenants is referred to in the later part of this Surah.

This is a reference to the maintenance, rather than the severing of relations. The Qur’an has used this phrase at a number of places for maintaining and strengthening mutual relations, especially close and direct (blood) relations. The Israelites were also guilty of severing their mutual relations, as is also referred in a later part of this Surah.

Their action of breaking their covenants with God, when combined with severing relations results in spreading mischief in the land, as the basis of a sound society, according to the Qur’an, is obedience to God, on the one hand, and respect and sanctity of close relations, on the other.

As is clear from the following arguments, the phrase ‘denial of God’ over here refers to ‘the denial of the hereafter’. The denial of the hereafter is, in fact, a denial of God’s most obvious attributes of power, wisdom, mercy, providence and knowledge, which in turn is the denial of the very existence of God. It is due to this reason that the denial of the hereafter is referred to with the phrase ‘denial of God’.

If God has the power to bring man to life from the death of non-existence, then why can He not do it a second time, after man’s death. This part is, in fact, an answer to one of the objections of the rejecters, which the Qur’an has recorded at various instances as: “When we have become dust and bones, how can we be returned back to life?”.

After rejecting the impossibility of resurrection, the following part of the verse gives arguments for the necessity of resurrection. It refers to God’s providence, His power and wisdom and His knowledge of all things – all of which necessitate resurrection and the separation of the good from the bad.

As is clear from Saad 38: 26, the word “Khaleefah”, as is used for a vicegerent and a deputy, is also used for one bestowed with authority and power.

The angels, desiring to know more details of God’s plan, pointed out a negative repercussion of giving authority to the new creation (i.e. man). Obviously, giving authority implied that man would also be allowed to misuse that authority, which will easily result in creating disturbance in the land and shedding each others' blood.

At this point, God introduced Adam to those among his progeny, who shall use the authority bestowed upon them in the promotion of righteousness and piety. Those who shall prove themselves to be an epitome of faithfulness, obedience and submission to God, even while they were given the freedom to loose themselves in the menial pleasures and ignore the call of their conscience as well as that of God. In fact, it is the selection of such souls, which constitutes one of the basic purposes of the test, during the life of this world.

That is, the angels submit that whatever they said was not to challenge God’s decision, as God is absolutely clear of all wrong. All of God’s decisions are based on all-encompassing knowledge and absolute wisdom.

That is, the desire to know more about the plan.

This directive entailed a test for the angels on the one hand and a few lessons for Adam and his progeny, on the other. Through this directive, Adam was taught that greatness and success lie not in one’s ancestry or in one’s substance of creation, but in one’s obedience to the directives of God. Therefore, like the angels, Adam should also submit to the Truth and the directives that he receives from God and never allow his ego to hinder him in this submission. Furthermore, Adam should not forget that God had bestowed upon him a great honor by directing the angels to prostrate to him. Adam and his progeny should prove themselves deserving of this honor and never hold the angels or any other of God’s creation as deities. The Israelites, through this narration, are prompted to reconsider their rejection of the Prophet (pbuh) and to follow the example set by the angels in submitting to the directives and decisions of God, without allowing their ego in hindering them from it.

Because this prostration was directed by God Himself, therefore, it can, by no means be termed a polytheistic prostration. In other words, because it was in response to God’s directive, therefore, it was, in fact, a prostration to God Himself. The Muslim prostration, while facing the Ka`bah is of the same nature. It is not the Ka`bah that the Muslims worship, but all their worship is directed toward the Ka`bah, according to the directives of the One God. Thus, it is the One God, Who is worshiped, while facing the Ka`bah.

At other instances the Qur’an has clarified that Iblis refused prostration because he considered himself a nobler creation than man. Once again, the verse prompts the Israelites to refrain from following the example set by Satan. As has been stated earlier, the major reason for the rejection of the Israelites, according to the Qur’an, was the nobility that they ascribed to their ancestry. The considered the Ishmaelites far inferior to themselves and were, therefore, not prepared to accept Muhammed (pbuh) – an Ishmaelite – a prophet of God. Believing Muhammed to be a true prophet of God would actually have meant a refutation of their claim to be God’s loved ones as a nation.

The Qur’an has not explained this prohibited tree. However, in view of some of the indications in the Qur’an, it seems that the forbidden tree is, in fact, a metaphor for sexual relations between a man and a woman.

Man and Satan can never be each others’ friends. Their relationship is one of enmity, not of friendship. Therefore, man should always be mindful of Satan’s hatred for him and never consider him to be his friend and be deceived once again.

When, after committing a mistake, man sincerely regrets for his deeds, God not only gives him a chance seeks forgiveness but also inspires appropriate words for expressing his repentance and seeking God’s forgiveness.

Man is indeed prone to errors. Nevertheless, salvation, even after committing grave mistakes, lies not in intercession (as is held by polytheism) nor in atonement, but in sincere repentance and correction.

The institution of prophethood is nothing new. God had promised to open the door of His guidance for man, at the time of man’s inception. This is also an indication of the fact that even though man is bestowed with the great virtue of intellect and reason, yet the test in the life of this world, requires God to guide man to the path of His liking. This guidance, on the one hand, provides man the opportunity to succeed in this test and is, therefore, a manifestation of God’s abounding mercy. While, on the other hand, because the result of failing in this test is eternal punishment, it was only befitting that only those be considered as having failed, who persist in adhering to the wrong path even after the truth has become absolutely clear. Thus, this guidance is also a manifestation of God’s justice.

This is a phrase used in the Qur’an for the everlasting bliss of the life hereafter. A close look at this phrase shows that in just a few words, the Qur’an has comprehensively described the eternal bliss that shall be bestowed upon those who succeed in the test of this world. ‘Fear of the future’ and ‘remorse of the past’ is a permanent feature of every person’s life in this world. In the hereafter, however, this feature shall be removed and man shall then be able to enjoy his present to the utmost.

‘Israel’ is an appellation for Jacob (pbuh), the son of Isaac (pbuh) and the grandson of Abraham (pbuh). ‘Israel’ is a Hebrew, which has the same connotation in Hebrew as the phrase ‘Abd Allah’ in Arabic. The phrase ‘children of Israel’ is used for the Jews.

As you have forgotten the great favors of your Lord and refuse to fulfill the responsibilities that these favors entailed.

The word ‘blessings’, over here especially refers to prophethood, revelation of God’s laws and the vast rule that the Israelites were given. It was because of these ‘blessings’, that the Israelites remained a source of guidance for the rest of mankind. This ‘blessing’ upon the Israelites has been referred to in the Qur’an in Al-Baqarah 2: 47, Al-Maaidah 5: 7 and Al-Maaidah 5: 20.

The phrase ‘which I bestowed upon you’ after the phrase ‘My blessings’ is to remind the Israelites that they should not construe these ‘blessings’ as their birth right. These ‘blessings’ were, in fact, a special favor of God upon them. Thus, rather than become proud and arrogant for being the chosen ones, they should be thankful to God for these ‘blessings’ and fulfill the responsibilities that these ‘blessings’ entail.

The ‘covenant’ mentioned here refers to abiding by the directives of the Law, in general, and believing in the last Prophet (pbuh), in particular. The covenant regarding the last Prophet (pbuh) has been mentioned in Deuteronomy as:
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken… I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (18: 15 – 19)

That is, in fulfilling My covenant, you should have no other consideration. Nothing should be able to deviate you from My path and from fulfilling My covenant.

That is, the Qur’an.

By fulfilling the prophecies of the Torah, the Qur’an has testified that the Torah – and its prophecies – were true.

That is, the Torah.

You should have been the ones to excel in believing in it, but your behavior is absolutely contrary to what it should have been.

This is with particular reference to Abraham’s sacrifice, the place of that sacrifice and the center of worship built by Abraham (pbuh). These were the primary facts, which were altered and rendered into confusion by the Israelites for these facts provided irrefutable evidence of the last Prophet (pbuh), who was to emerge from the Ishmaelites. By rendering these facts into confusion, the Israelites tried to remove all evidence of the last Prophet from their scriptures.

This is a call to the Israelites to accept Islam. Establishing Sala’h and payment of Zaka’h are the two apparent symbols of the acceptance of Islam. It is clear from the Qur’an that without these two symbols, one shall not be accepted as a Muslim, neither in this world nor in the hereafter. It should further be noted that the style of usage of these terms in the Qur’an evidences the fact that they were well known to its addressees. According to the Qur’an, Salah – the ritual prayer – and Zakah – the obligatory amount paid to the collectivity, for use in collective welfare – both have been an essential ingredient of God’s guidance and directives, at all times.

It is clear from this verse that the addressees in these verses are the Jewish Rabbis, teachers and scholars, who used to teach God’s directives to others. This character of the Jewish Rabbis, Pharisees and scholars of the law has also been condemned by Jesus (pbuh). Luke reports Jesus (pbuh) as having said:
But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.” One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.” But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.” (11: 39 – 46)

‘It’ refers to submitting to God’s will and decisions.

The accountability of the Day of Judgment, when man shall meet the Lord is the basic source of true fear of the Almighty.

That is nothing shall be able to save them from His justice. He alone shall pass judgment for their deeds, with absolute justice, and only those shall be successful, who prove themselves worthy of His mercy and forgiveness.

Once again the Israelites are reminded of the great blessing that God bestowed upon them. In the previous paragraph (verse 40 – 46), they are reminded of the great blessing from the perspective that in return of this great blessing, they should accept the new Prophet of God (as they had promised to do so), as this would guarantee the continuation of God’s blessings upon them. In this set of verses, they are reminded of the great blessing from a slightly different perspective. In these and the following verses, they are reminded of the fact that God’s preferring them over the rest of mankind does not make them immune to God’s judgment and punishment. It should be kept in mind that one of the major psychological impediments for the Israelites in the way of believing in the Prophet (pbuh) was the Israelite belief that they are the chosen people of God and because of that even if they are guilty of rejecting the Prophet, they shall not be subject to the everlasting punishment of Hellfire. In the verses that follow, the Qur’an has refuted this belief of the Israelites.

On that Day, each person shall only benefit from his/her own deeds. Thus, do not be led astray by the fact that God preferred you for His guidance over the rest of mankind, for on that Day, you too shall only benefit from your own deeds.

The word ‘Aal’ in the Arabic language does not only refer to one’s progeny but is also used for the followers of a person.

The ‘appointed term’ refers to the time when Moses (pbuh) was called upon the Mount to be delivered the law of God. The term of forty nights was for the mental and spiritual preparation of fulfilling the responsibility entailed in being delivered with the law of God. Initially, this term was set at thirty days. However, when, in his great desire to meet the Lord, Moses (pbuh) reached the appointed place before the fixed time, God increased this time from thirty to forty days, for the purpose of his training. This has been clarified in Al-Aa`raaf 7: 142.

This is a reference to the calf, which some of the Israelites made with their hands and started worshiping. Although the scribes of the Torah have implicated Aaron (pbuh) as one of the pioneers of this injustice, yet the Qur’an has emphatically refused Aaron’s involvement in the sin. The Bible has referred to the incident in the following words:
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”… The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.” (Exodus 32: 1 – 10)

According to Al-Baqarah 2: 213 the purpose of the revelation of all books was to give the people the criterion of distinguishing between truth and falsehood in matters pertaining to beliefs and divine laws. The same aspect has been referred in Al-Hadeed 57: 25 in the words: ‘so that people may live their lives according to justice’.

It should be kept in mind that if a people, among whom God sends His messenger (Rasu’l), persist in ascribing partners or equals to God, then they are punishable by death. The implementation of this death sentence may vary according to the circumstances of the messenger and his followers. If the messenger and his followers have not succeeded in establishing an independent rule, then the punishment is implemented through the direct intervention of God (as was the case with the people of Noah, Lot, Shu`aib etc.), while if the messenger and his followers succeed in establishing an independent rule, then this punishment is implemented through the swords of the believers (thus punishing the sinners, on the one hand, and testing the believer’s faith, on the other). At the time of the referred incident, because Moses (pbuh) and his followers enjoyed the privilege of an independent rule, after having been bestowed freedom from the Pharaoh, therefore, the punishment was implemented through the believers. Exodus refers to the referred incident in the following words:
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. He said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.’“ The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand of the people fell on that day. Moses said, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the LORD [that is, revived your pledge of obedience to God], each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day.” (32: 26 – 29)

Even though the desire, per se, to see God, is not condemnable, yet when a person refuses to believe in God, until he sees the Almighty or if he rejects the belief in God, merely because he cannot see God, then that person, as the verses signify, deserves severe punishment.

In the Arabic language, if the context and the construction of the sentence so allows, the word ‘death’ may be used for stupor, slumber, sleep or unconsciousness.

That is, in the desert, where there was no shade from the scorching heat of the sun.

According to the Bible, Munn would fall on the earth like dew and, subsequently, would become like flaky frost. The Israelites were required to collect it before it melted by the heat of the sun. ‘Munn’ means blessing. It seems that it was given the name because of the great blessing it entailed for the Israelites, when in the wilderness of the desert, it provided them food, without having to work for it. According to Exodus:
… and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat…” Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. (16: 13 – 21)

This is a reference to the birds, which God sent as a blessing for the Israelites, during their stay at the Sinai. These birds resembled quails. According to Exodus:
The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” … The LORD spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’” In the evening quails came up and covered the camp… (16: 3 – 13)

This seems to be a reference to one of the Palestinian towns.

It seems that the directive to seek forgiveness from God was later altered and replaced by other words by some of the transgressors.

This is probably a reference to the time when the Israelites started having sexual relations with the women of Moab and worshiping their idols (see: Numbers 25). In retribution, over twenty-four thousand men and women were killed in a great plague (Numbers 25: 9).

According to the Bible, this incident took place at the wilderness of Zin. Numbers, Chapter 20 reads as follows:
The Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh… Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had died when our kindred died before the LORD! Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink.” Then Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting; they fell on their faces, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron, and command the rock before their eyes to yield its water. Thus you shall bring water out of the rock for them; thus you shall provide drink for the congregation and their livestock. So Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he had commanded him. Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank. (1 – 12)

Of Munn and Salwa.

This demand of the Israelites has been referred to in the Bible in the following passage:
The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” (Numbers 11: 4 – 6)

The ‘exalted’ refers to the simple food granted to them with their freedom from the Pharaoh’s shackles; while ‘mean’ refers to the various foods that they used to eat under the bonds of slavery.

That is, every time God granted them an opportunity to prove themselves deserving of His abounding mercy and His increased blessings, they consistently responded with an attitude that made them deserving of nothing but God’s wrath.

Unjustly taking life, in itself, is a big crime. The Israelites committed this crime against the prophets of God, which makes this crime even graver.

Some of the well known prophets killed by the Israelites were Zechariah (2Chronicles 24: 20 – 22), John the Baptist (Mark 6: 17 – 20), Uriah (Jeremiah 26: 20 – 23). This great crime of the Israelites is also mentioned in 2Chronicles 36: 16, Jeremiah 2: 29 – 30, Nehemiah 9: 26, Matthew 23: 31 – 36, Matthew 23: 37 and Luke 13: 34.

It is clear from the Gospels that initially the Christians were called by the name ‘Nazarenes’ (Acts 24: 5). In fact, according to the Gospels, even the Christ was called ‘Nazarene’ (Matthew 2: 23). However, the title was considered derogatory by the early Christians. Albert Barnes in his NT Commentary, while explaining Acts 24: 5 writes:
This [i.e. ‘Nazarene’] was the name usually given to Christians by way of contempt. They were so called because Jesus was of Nazareth.
Later on, during the times of disciples that the title ‘Christian’ was first used for them (Acts 11: 26). However, it seems that unlike the Pauline Christians, the Arab Christians did not consider it derogatory to be called ‘Nazarene’ but, on the contrary, they liked the referred appellation for themselves (See: Al-Maaidah 5: 14, 82)

This seems to be a reference to a religious group, which was quite well known among the Arabs, at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an. However, with the passage of time, we seem to have lost such authentic information, on the basis of which the beliefs and practices of this group could have been described with any degree of certainty.

This is a phrase used in the Qur'an for the everlasting bliss of the life hereafter. A close look at this phrase shows that in just a few words, the Qur'an has comprehensively described the eternal bliss that shall be bestowed upon those who succeed in the test of this world. 'Fear of the future' and 'remorse of the past' is a permanent feature of every person's life in this world. In the hereafter, however, this feature shall be removed and man shall then be able to enjoy his present to the utmost.

Over here, ‘Covenant’ refers to God’s directives and laws entailed in the Torah. God’s directives and laws are indeed a covenant between Him and the adherents of these laws and directives.

This covenant was taken from the Israelites at the base of the Mount; where the mountain appeared as if it would fall on their heads.

That is, following the directives that it entails under all circumstances.

i.e. keep in mind and adhere to each of its directives in letter and spirit, under all circumstances.

That is, a large number of people among you.

This is one of the instances of the Israelites’ ‘turning away’ from God’s directives, mentioned in the previous verse.

Although most of the commentators of the Qur’an have taken this to be a statement implying a moral curse of God upon the referred people – i.e. they become devoid of all human morality and, thereby, of the basic human trait – yet it is obvious from the following verse that this curse had its apparent effects as well, on the basis of which, the town become a source of great admonition for the God-fearing people.

This is another of the instances of the Israelites’ ‘turning away’ from God’s directives and their trying their utmost to invent excuses in carrying out God’s simple and clear directives, mentioned in verse 64.

As is obvious from the indefinite article, the directive would have been fulfilled had the Israelites sacrificed a reasonable cow. Nevertheless, in their effort to avoid carrying out the directive, the Israelites started asking questions to determine the attributes of the cow, which should be offered.

According to the law of the Torah, in case of a blind murder, the leaders of the tribes living around the scene of the crime were to offer a sacrifice and, washing their hands over the offering (as a sign of sanctity), were to declare under oath that they were neither themselves guilty of the crime nor were aware of the murderer. Deuteronomy 21: 1 – 7 states:
If, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess, a body is found lying in open country, and it is not known who struck the person down, then your elders and your judges shall come out to measure the distances to the towns that are near the body. The elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked, one that has not pulled in the yoke; the elders of that town shall bring the heifer down to a wadi with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the wadi. Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to him and to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD, and by their decision all cases of dispute and assault shall be settled. All the elders of that town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi, and they shall declare: "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor were we witnesses to it…”

i.e. what sort of a law would require of us to sacrifice a cow to absolve ourselves from such a crime?

‘So foolish’ as to play pranks in matters relating to God’s laws.

i.e. rather than asking such unnecessary questions and making it more and more difficult upon yourself to carryout the directive. It should be noted that the directive would have been carried out, simply by slaughtering any cow.

The color which is most favored in cows.

i.e. the dead person.

It seems that as a special sign, when they did strike the corpse with a part of the sacrificed cow, he became alive again and himself pointed out the criminal. This not only brought the criminal to justice, but was also a great reminder of God’s powers in bringing the dead back to life in the hereafter.

i.e., which, by their very nature, are soft in the core.

i.e., which are softened by their external circumstances. Water falling on them breaks them asunder to allow its flow.

i.e., even if they don't break, they fall down in God's fear.

One of the groups among the Israelites would say that even though we accept that Muhammad (pbuh) is a true prophet of God, yet it is only essential for the Ishmaelites to believe in his prophethood. The Israelites are only obliged to believe in the prophets, who come from within themselves. Thus, they would say, that even though we believe that Muhammad (pbuh) is a true prophet of God, yet we are not obliged to follow him.

i.e. the Muslims.

Relating to the prophecies in their scriptures regarding the last messenger of God. It seems that in accepting the truthfulness of the messenger, they would sometimes even refer to the prophecies of their scriptures regarding the last messenger.

i.e. God will hold them accountable for their true knowledge and awareness regarding the truth, irrespective of whether they hide that knowledge within their breasts or make it known to others.

This clearly shows that the preceding verses refer to the knowledgeable scholars among the Israelites.

In the following passages, the Qur’an has mentioned some of their vain desires. For instance, they believed that however grave their crimes may be, they shall be punished only for a few days; that eternal success shall only be granted to those, who ascribed either to Judaism or Christianity; that the Israelites are the sons and the loved ones of God etc.

This clearly shows that they held eternal salvation and success to be based solely upon lineage rather than submission to the truth and doing good deeds.

i.e. when a person is completely drowned in the ocean of sin. He is so deeply engrossed in sin that he loses all desire and inclination toward seeking God’s forgiveness and mercy. Contrary to what the Israelites believe, such people, whichever religious group, sect or creed they may ascribe to, they shall be made to face the consequences of their evil deeds, which is the everlasting punishment in hellfire.

After mentioning the incorrect criteria of success in the hereafter, held by the Israelites, the actual criteria of success and failure has been mentioned in the last two verses.

As in verse 63, ‘covenant’ refers to God’s laws and the directives (the Shari`ah).

The first and the foremost directive in God’s laws has always been strict adherence to ‘Tawheed’ – i.e. the belief that nothing, except God, deserves our worship. There is no god, but the One God. Deuteronomy 6: 13 – 15 says:
The LORD your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, because the LORD your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the LORD your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 10: 20 reads:
You shall fear the LORD your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear.

God’s directives comprise primarily of fulfilling our duties toward God, on the one hand, and toward our fellow human beings, on the other. In our duties toward our fellow human beings, the first and the foremost is our duty toward our parents. According to the Torah, striking or cursing one’s parents was a capital crime. The Torah says:
Whoever strikes father or mother shall be put to death… Whoever curses father or mother shall be put to death. (Exodus 21: 15 – 17)
The Encyclopedia of Judaism writes:
“The Talmud and Midrashim go to considerable length in their praise of the honor of parents. Bringing children into the world was considered particularly meritorious, and parents were accorded the status of partners in the creation. Thus one who honored his parents as prescribed, was by extension honoring God Himself (Kid. 30b)”. (Note on ‘Parent and Child’)

i.e. committing such crimes was not a matter of chance for you, but, on the contrary, turning back on your covenants with God has become your second nature.

i.e. first they would secretly conspire against their own brethren resulting in their exile and captivation. Later on, when the captives were brought before them, they would release them by paying their ransoms, as a public display of their piety and love for their brethren.

i.e. do you only believe in that part of God’s law, which says that if your brethren are brought to you as captives, you should arrange for their release by paying their ransom; and reject the part, which had made it unlawful for you to turn them out of their dwellings in the first place?

i.e. they preferred the trivial gains of the life of this world over the eternal bliss of the hereafter.

As a continual reminder of the covenants mentioned above, God gave Moses (pbuh) the Torah and then after Moses (pbuh) He sent His messengers, one after the other, among the Israelites.

'Holy Spirit' has been used in the Qur'an for the arch angel Gabriel. The Qur’an, while mentioning Jesus (pbuh), at some of the instances, has specially mentioned that Jesus (pbuh) was strengthened by the holy spirit. This is because the Israelites ascribed the magnificent miracles of Jesus (pbuh) to Beelzebul, whom they considered to be the leader of the demons. Matthew’s Gospel narrates:
Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit…” (Matthew 12: 22 – 33)

They would say that God has provided cover and protection for our hearts against believing in any falsehood and it is because of this cover that we do not believe in the new prophet.

i.e. those prophesies the fulfillment of which they were waiting for.

i.e. they used to pray to God to reveal the final book and to grant them permanent victory over the rejecters of God’s guidance. The ‘rejecters’ over here is used for the polytheists of Arabia.

This verse explains the primary reason of the rejection of the Israelites. The Qur’an has termed the reason as their grudge against the Almighty, Himself, for raising the last Prophet (pbuh) from among the Ishmailites, rather than the Israelites. In rejecting the Prophet (pbuh), the Israelites succeeded in upholding their grudge, but only at the cost of eternally losing their souls.

i.e. they were already a target of God’s wrath, due to continually breaking their covenant with God (see verse 61). Yet when God provided them with an opportunity of making amends of their past sins by believing in the Prophet (pbuh), submitting to God’s will and, thereby, proving themselves deserving of God’s mercy and forgiveness, they only succeeded in increasing God’s wrath for themselves.

i.e. except that, which was revealed upon them, that is the Torah.

i.e. even according to the prophesies of the Torah, the Qur’an is the true word of God.

i.e. the prophesies regarding the last Prophet and the Book, which were in circulation among them.

According to the Qur’an, ascribing false partners to God, which includes making images for worship, is the greatest of injustice.

i.e. your history provides evidence to the fact that you have not even been true in your belief in your own book and prophets.

This is what the Israelites have traditionally believed.

Obviously, a people who are so certain of enjoying the eternal blessings of the life hereafter would have their hearts and minds fixed on getting these blessings of the hereafter, rather than delaying them through living on in this world full of worries and traumas.

Even the polytheists of Arabia, who had remained without any Divine guidance for a long time, since the times of Ishmael (pbuh) and, because of that, did not even have a clear concept of the hereafter, were not as enchanted with the life of this world as these so-claimed loved ones of God, who believed the eternal bliss of the hereafter as the right solely of their own creed and family.

The reason for their enmity toward Gabriel is that he has revealed the Qur’an upon the heart of an Ishmaelite.

Because Gabriel has revealed it upon Muhammad’s (pbuh) heart, according to the directives of God, therefore, their enmity should actually be toward God, rather than His angel.

Because the Book has been revealed according to the prophesies of their own books, therefore, their enmity should include their own scriptures as well.

Had they honestly pondered over the message of the book that Gabriel has revealed, rather than being blinded by their prejudices, they would have seen that this book is for their own eternal good.

Although this part of the sentence has been suppressed in the Arabic, yet the suppression is not only obvious from the context, but has also been expressed in the following sentence.

Special reference is made to Michael because of the fact that the Jews believed that he was the angel given the charge of the Jews. While, on the other hand, by delivering the revelation to Muhammad (pbuh), they considered Gabriel to be against them.

i.e. enmity toward Gabriel is, in fact, enmity toward God Himself, all of His angels and all of His messengers.

i.e. Muhammad (pbuh).

‘Casting something behind ones back’ implies to ignore something.

i.e. they ignored the prophesies – regarding the last Prophet – of their own books, as if they were completely unaware of them.

As is clarified in the following verses, this refers to the magical practices that the Israelites resorted to for the purpose of harming the Prophet (pbuh).

This is an indication to the effect that the referred practices entailed an element of profanity and polytheistic rituals.

By mentioning the practices taught by the two angels separately, the Qur’an has evidenced the fact that even though it was similar to ‘magic’ (mentioned earlier) in its affects, yet it did not entail any polytheistic rituals like magic. There is extensive evidence which indicates that the practice of magic, sorcery, divination and such other occult practices was quite common among the Babylonians. Amin Ahsen Islahi, in his commentary of the Qur’an “Tadabbur-e-Qur’an” (Urdu) has opined that it was probably to provide a shield against these occult practices of the Babylonians that God sent the two angels to teach the Israelites some spells. The Qur’an has also stated that while teaching these spells, the angels admonished the Israelites of the fact that this information (of occult spells) was a great trial for them and that learning these spells entailed a great potential of deviating from the straight path. From this admonition of the angels, it seems that these teachings of the angels was like a double-edged sword: it could be used for the right purposes and also had the potential of being used for the wrong ones. In the following part of the verse, the Qur’an has mentioned that even after these admonitions of the angels, the Israelites used these occult practices for all the wrong causes – like sowing discord among a husband and a wife etc. The point that the teaching of the angels was primarily to provide the Israelites with a shield against the expert Babylonian sorcerers is supported by the fact that the Israelites were, indeed, aware of certain, apparently magical spells, which were clear of any profane beliefs and rituals, and are reported to have utlized them for various purposes. The Encyclopedia Judaica writes:
While repudiating the power of sorcery, biblical religion at times utilizes means and methods, which were borrowed from magical practice, but were subordinated to the new faith and hence not regarded as acts of sorcery. Notable examples are healing with the aid of the copper serpent (Nehushtan) and the examination of the woman suspected of infidelity (Adultery; Ordeal). (Article on ‘Magic’)

This should be the attitude of a person, who truly believes in the wisdom, the power and the control of the Merciful God.

There is extensive evidence in the early Jewish literature, which suggests that magic was considered to be highly condemnable. The Bible says:
When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you must not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass through fire, or who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead. For whoever does these things is abhorrent to the LORD; it is because of such abhorrent practices that the LORD your God is driving them out before you. (Deuteronomy 18: 9 – 12)
The Encyclopedia Judaica writes:
The religion of Israel flourished in a cultural milieu permeated with magical concepts, as is reflected in the strong biblical opposition to sorcery. Any belief in the efficacy of magic is seen as contradicting the Israelite belief in the exclusive and supreme rule of the one God Whose will cannot be influenced by any human means. Hence magic as a whole is regarded as an abomination of the non-Israelites (Ex. 22:17; Lev. 20:27). (Article on ‘Magic’)
The Encyclopedia further writes:
The strict prohibition against magic found in the Bible also finds expression in the Talmud, especially the Mishnah, which equates magic with idolatry (Sanh. 7:7). Magic remedies are denounced as being “the customs of the Amorites” (Shab. 6:10). A person who pronounces a magic formula over a wound loses his share of the world to come (Sanh. 10:1). (Article on ‘Magic’)

Both these phrases were used when the listener could not fully understand what the speaker had said and, therefore, wanted him to repeat it, as we say: ‘I beg your pardon’ in the English language. While sitting in the Prophet’s company, the Jews would keep saying ‘ra`inaa’, mincing the phrase in such a way that it would change the meaning of the phrase. Because the altered meaning entailed a derogatory implication and derision for the Prophet of God, the Qur’an directed the Muslims to refrain from using the phrase, while sitting in the company of the Prophet (pbuh).

Who come to the Prophet not in search for God’s truth but to deride him, even after having recognized him to be a true prophet of God.

i.e. their attitude of deriding the Prophet (pbuh) is because of their jealousy toward the believers.

In their propaganda against the Qur’an and the Prophet (pbuh), the Israelites would say that if the Qur’an accepts the Torah to entail Divine Law, then why does it make changes in that law.

It should be kept in mind that ‘abrogation’ applies only to the laws (the Shari`ah) there is no abrogation or alteration in the essential beliefs propounded by Divine revelation over time.

This is a reference to those directives of the Torah, which because of the disregard of the Israelites were subsequently forgotten by them, yet the Qur’an did not give any directives for their renewed implementation.

‘A more appropriate one’ refers to the appropriateness of the new directives for the present times. One of the prime reasons for the abrogation of certain directives has been the evolution of human cultures and societies.

i.e. in case of abrogation, the abrogated directive was replaced by a more appropriate directive, while in the case of causing the directive to be forgotten, the forgotten directive was replaced by a different directive, which was as appropriate as the previous one.

i.e. why should anyone think that after having given a particular law to the Israelites, God has lost power over altering that law or replacing it by a more appropriate one?

i.e. If you refuse to accept God’s decisions, then you will neither find any helper nor any friend to save you from His wrath.

In the context, the phrase ‘asking questions’ actually implies asking questions of the nature of objections. Such ‘questions’, even though presented as such, can actually entail sarcastic remarks.

By including the phrase ‘As Moses was asked earlier’, the Qur’an has also indicated that the referred objections were also actually instigated by the Israelites.

The Muslims are directed to ignore and to control any retaliation against such conspiracies of the Jews.

This decision was ultimately revealed in Al-Tawbah 9: 29, according to which the Jews were allowed to live in the Arabian Peninsula and other areas conquered by the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) only if they accepted political subordination to the Muslims and, as a symbol of this subordination, agreed to pay them the prescribed amount of Jizyah (a kind of a monetary tax imposed upon the Jews and the Nazarenes, which served as an indication of their political subordination to the Muslims.

Establishing Salah and paying Zakah are the two bases of the whole corpus of Islam. Salah establishes, enhances and maintains one’s relationship with God, while Zakah establishes and strengthens one’s relationship with his collectivity. It is, therefore, that the Qur’an has prescribed that the Muslims should establish Salah and pay Zakah, especially in times of difficulty and as a safeguard against the conspiracies of their adversaries, as these two practices strengthen his relationship with his Creator as well as with his fellow human beings.

The goodness required of us is for our own benefit. God is absolutely clear of all need.

That is, none of your deeds, however insignificant it may seem to be, shall be wasted or overlooked by the All Knowing God.

This was a part of the propaganda of the rejecters among the Jews and the Nazarenes. It should be remembered that the Jews and the Nazarenes were not only traditionally recognized as creeds based upon Divine revelation but the Qur’an had also recognized them to be so. In view of this recognition of the Qur’an, the Jews and the Nazarenes had started promoting the idea that this new religion (i.e. Islam) does not have any basis and that for the eternal salvation in the life hereafter, it is imperative that an individual should either ascribe to the Jewish or the Nazarene creed.

That is, who accepted and surrendered to all of God’s directives. Who, in other words, became a model of obedience toward God.

The Arabic word ‘Ihsan’ implies to do a good deed in the best of manners. ‘Ihsan’ is a degree above merely carrying out God’s directives, it implies carrying out these directives in the best of manners, through which the spirit of the directive is fully accomplished without compromising its apparent nature. Thus, the Prophet (pbuh) is ascribed to have explained ‘Ihsan’ as carrying out God’s directives in the same manner, as one would do so, if he were consciously aware of the presence of God.

That is, it is not the ascription of an individual to any particular creed that would open the gates of paradise upon him. It is actually the attitude of the individual toward the directives of God, which would decide his fate in the hereafter.

i.e. for the same reason of trying to hinder others from believing in the Prophet (pbuh).

Reference is to the Quraysh, who represented the Banu Ishmael – the polytheists of Arabia.

Over here, ‘decide between them’ is used in its ultimate, practical implication. That is to say, God will implement and show them His decision, regarding this issue in which they dispute, on the Day of Judgment. As for the decision of God, in this matter, it has already been explained in this verse, in the words: “whoever surrendered himself completely to God and did good deeds with excellence, he shall have his reward with his Lord and he shall neither have any fear [for the future] nor any regrets [for the past].” This verse is warning the Jews, the Nazarenes and the Polytheists of the consequences of their self-proclaimed exclusivity in the eyes of God, on the one hand, and is directing the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions to ignore their false claims and to concentrate only upon the deliverance of God’s message, on the other.

This is a reference to the severe religious persecution of the groups at the others' hands.

The Jews held that during worship, a person should face toward the west. Alfred Edersheim in his book “Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” writes:
Another, and perhaps more important rule was as to the direction in which Synagogues were to be built, and which worshipers should occupy during prayer. Here two points must be kept in view: 1st. Prayer towards the east was condemned, on the ground of the false worship towards the east mentioned in Ezek. 8:16. [a Comp. Jer. Ber. 4:5; Baba B. 25 a.] 2ndly. The prevailing direction in Palestine was towards the west, as in the Temple. Thus, we read [b Tos. Megill.iii. 3.] that the entrance into the Synagogue was by the east, as the entrance through the Beautiful Gate into the Sanctuary. This, however, may refer, not to the door, but to the passage (aisle) into the interior of the building. In other places, [c Baba B. 25 a and b; Jer. Ber. 4:5.] the advice is simply given to turn towards Jerusalem, in whatever direction it be. (Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Edersheim, Alfred, Volume 1, Chapter X)
The Christians, on the contrary, held that a person should face the East, during worship. One of the Early Church Fathers writes:
It is not without reason or by chance that we worship towards the East. But seeing that we are composed of a visible and an invisible nature, that is to say, of a nature partly of spirit and partly of sense, we render also a twofold worship to the Creator; just as we sing both with our spirit and our bodily lips, and are baptized with both water and Spirit, and are united with the Lord in a twofold manner, being sharers in the mysteries and in the grace of the Spirit.
Since, therefore, God is spiritual light, and Christ is called in the Scriptures Sun of Righteousness and Dayspring, the East is the direction that must be assigned to His worship. For everything good must be assigned to Him from Whom every good thing arises. (Early Church Fathers, The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Series Two, Volume 9, St. Hilary of Poitiers, John of Damascus, John of Damascus: Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book IV, Chapter 12 Concerning Worship towards the East)

It is primarily man’s ‘imperfections’, which inflame within him the desire for progeny. God is clear of all such imperfections.

Over here, ‘obedience’ implies the absolute subjugation of everything that exists to the laws of God.

The Arabic word ‘Badee`’ (Originator) has an additional implication as compared to ‘Khaaliq’ (Creator). ‘Creation’ can take place even through the manipulation and restructure of pre-existing elements. While ‘Badee`’ implies to bring something into existence out of nothing.

As in the case of the origination of the heavens and the earth, He does not need to make elaborate arrangements in fulfilling the pre-requisites of His decisions, for in carrying out His decisions, there are no pre-requisites.

That is, when God is clear of all need for a progeny, His Kingdom and control knows no bounds, then why would He take a son for Himself. The last part of the verse refutes the physical aspect in the idea of God’s progeny. One may easily be enticed into believing that when both a father and a mother are pre-requisites for the birth of a child and when Jesus (pbuh), for instance, was born without a father, while God has Himself borne witness of the chastity of Jesus’ mother, then as a natural corollary Jesus (pbuh) should be taken as God’s son. The Qur’an has refuted the whole argument by simply reiterating the fact that if God could bring the heavens and the earth into existence out of nothing, then why would such an originator be restricted in creating a man, without a father (and even without a mother).

Reference is to the Banu Ishmael, who had remained unaware of God’s revelations for centuries.

The leaders of the Quraysh, in their arrogance and pride, would reject the Prophet’s call and say that if anyone was to be selected as God’s prophet, it should have been them; if God had to speak to some human, it should have been them, rather than Muhammad (pbuh). The Qur’an has given an answer to this demand at other instances. However, at this instance, the Qur’an has simply ignored their demand, implying that it is not even worthy of any response, let alone fulfillment.

The Qur’an, at other instances, has also explained the kind of ‘clear sign’ that these rejecters would demand. These demands were primarily of two kinds. Firstly, they demanded that a clear physical and irrefutable sign be given to the Prophet (pbuh). For instance, God should send with him an angel who convinces others of his truthfulness; Secondly, in response to the warnings of the Qur’an relating to the worldly consequences of their rejection, the rejecters would demand a small sample of the approaching doom.

That is, their persistence in rejection, even after the Truth has become manifest upon them, has hardened their hearts as was the case with the rejecters of earlier Messengers. They too, because of their attitude are now incapable of accepting and submitting to the Truth.

That is, for all those, who are not bent upon rejection and are willing to accept and submit to the Truth, We have adequately clarified and explained Our signs.

Those, who have sealed their fates because of their attitude toward the Truth.

If seen in the context of the preceding verse, ‘vain desires’ over here refers specially to their desire that the new prophet and his followers should either become Jews or Nazarenes. Although, under normal circumstances, the desire to propagate one’s beliefs and to pursue someone to convert to one’s religion can be a very positive and commendable desire, yet, under the specific circumstances, when a Messenger of God was delivering God’s message in front of these people and calling them to the path of God, their desire to stick to their own traditions translated into the rejection of God’s Truth and preferring their traditions over God’s words. Desiring others to follow one’s traditions, even after it has become manifest that these traditions conflict with the Truth, is what the Qur’an has termed as ‘vain desires’.

Although the verse addresses the Prophet (pbuh), yet the severe warning entailed in it is directed toward those, who were trying to hinder others from accepting the Truth. This style of address, on the one hand, conveys the anger of the speaker towards these people, due to which he is not even willing to address them directly and, on the other, conveys the point that adopting the referred attitude is such a grave crime that even if the prophet of God is guilty of it, he would find no savior against God. How, then, can the others hope to escape God’s punishment for this crime?

That is, those, who sincerely tried to live according to the Truth, which they already possessed, shall be allowed further elevation in the path of eternal success. This is a part of the Divine law relating to guidance. Jesus (pbuh) referred to the same Divine law in the following words:
For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. (Matthew 13: 12)
Jesus (pbuh) explained the same Divine law in a parable of a Master (God) and a Slave (man), explaining that the Master would put more trust in those among his slaves, who have proved themselves to be trustworthy in what the master had trusted them in the past, saying:
Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master. (Matthew 25: 21)
At another instance, the same Divine law has been mentioned thus:
Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. (Luke 16: 10)

These two verses are almost the same as verses 47 – 48. This is as if a new aspect relating to the same point, which was under discussion, is now being initiated. To fully appreciate the relationship of the succeding verses with the preceding part of the Surah, we should keep in mind that there were primarily two bases upon which, the Israelites believed that even if they rejected the Prophet (pbuh), they would not face the extreme punishment of the hereafter: Firstly, they believed that because they are the selected people of God, upon whom God had revealed His laws, therefore, their position in the hereafter as well would not be comparable to the others; Secondly, they believed that because they are children of Abraham (pbuh), to whose progeny God had promised material and spiritual prosperity, therefore, they are neither subject to the same severe laws of God, in this world or in the hereafter, nor required to believe in any prophet, who is not from among themselves. In the preceding part of the Surah, the first basis has been refuted. While in the succeeding part of the Surah, the second basis is now being refuted. In this section the Qur’an has strongly reiterated the point that 1) Abraham (pbuh) was given the elevated position in this world only because of his submission and obedience toward God and 2) that he always taught his followers to adopt the same attitude of submission and obedience toward God; 3) The promise that God made regarding the spiritual prosperity of the progeny of Abraham (pbuh) was conditional upon their obedience to Him; 4) The new Prophet (pbuh) is as much from the progeny of Abraham (pbuh), as the Israelites; 5) The Prophet (pbuh) is calling people to the exactly the same attitude of obedience and submission toward God, as Abraham (pbuh); 6) It is this attitude of obedience and submission to God, which guarantees success in the hereafter.

That is, do not be deceived by the idea that being Abraham’s progeny shall save you of the accountability of the hereafter. On the Day of Judgment, only the deeds of each individual shall be his savior. Nothing except deeds shall be able to save any individual.

Although the nature of these ‘matters’ has not been explained here, yet the kind of tests that Abraham (pbuh) was put through is a well known fact and does not need any explanation. Obviously, the most difficult among these tests was when God directed Abraham (pbuh) to sacrifice his only son. Abraham (pbuh) did not hesitate in fulfilling even that ‘test’.

This promise inherently entails the point that the Abrahamic tradition of obedience and submission shall remain alive in the world, through his generations. This aspect of the promise is detailed in Torah in the following words:
Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." (Genesis 22: 15 – 18)

That is, you shall be the standard and the epitome for all those people who desire to tread the path of submission and obedience toward their Lord.

These words entail a question as well as a request and a persuasion. At being promised the elevated spiritual position, Abraham (pbuh) requested the Almighty that this position be granted to people among his progeny as well.

This is to remind the Israelites that the promise that God made to Abraham (pbuh) was conditional upon the obedience and submission of his progeny. History bears witness that the progeny of Abraham (pbuh) has remained in the position of leading the world – politically as well as religiously – for as long as they remained sincerely obedient to their Lord. However, as soon as they became deviant from the paths of their Lord – and thereby became unjust – this elevated position was snatched away from them. An objective analysis of the political rise and fall of the Israelites, and subsequently that of the Ishmaelites, clearly shows the implementation and application of this Divine promise.

‘This House’ refers to the Ka`bah. In these verses, the Qur’an has reminded the Israelites that even though they tried their utmost to sever all relationship between Abraham (pbuh) and the Ka`bah, yet this fact cannot be doubted. The traditional position of this House as well as the religious tradition of the Banu Ishmael confirm the fact that Abraham (pbuh) built this house and made it a place of worship and gathering for his progeny, according to the directives of God.

If seen in the light of the tribal feuds spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula, it is nothing less than a great sign that this house retained its sanctity in the eyes of all the Arab tribes, due to which it still maintained the position of a center of assembly and a place of peace and security among them.

i.e. the progeny of Abraham (pbuh).

This House was made for the worship of the one God only. It was made binding upon the original engineers of this house to keep it clean from all polytheistic defilement.

Tawaaf is an act of worship in which a person circumambulates around the Ka`bah. The circumambulation of the Ka`bah is symbolic of one’s willingness and readiness to sacrifice oneself and all that one possesses for God. It is, thus, symbolic of living one’s life in complete obedience and submission towards God – a submission and obedience which emanates from extreme love of the Merciful and extreme fear of the Just.

Ai`tikaaf is a kind of a worship in which a person confines himself to a place for sometime, generally in seclusion, for God’s remembrance and prayer.

This is a reference to Salah – the ritual prayer. The Qur’an has, at various places, referred to Salah by mentioning any of its major components. It should be noted here that these acts of worship – Tawaaf, Ai`tikaaf and Sala’h (referred as Ruku` and Sujood) – were not introduced by the Prophet (pbuh), but were, in fact, already practiced at the time of his advent. This verse clearly indicates that these acts of worship were practiced in continuation of the Abrahamic tradition, which had passed on through generations.

When Abraham (pbuh) settled Ishmael (pbuh) in Makkah, Makkah was then not only a wilderness, devoid of civilization as well as greenery, but was also continuously haunted by wild tribes. Abraham’s supplication for the well being and security of his progeny, which was being settled in this city, according to the directives of God, should be seen in this background.

Previously (verse 124), when Abraham (pbuh) had prayed for the continuation of the blessing of ‘leadership’ in his progeny, he was told that the unjust among his progeny shall not be endowed with the great blessing. Taking heed from this exception, in this verse, Abraham (pbuh) is careful in praying only for the well being of the pious among his progeny.

Unlike spiritual elevation and well being, material well being, during the test of this world, is not restricted to the pious only.

i.e. the prayer that follows.

These are the two attributes of God, which give man the confidence to call upon Him in times of need and for the fulfillment of his desires.

It is to remind the Israelites that this supplication of Abraham (pbuh) and Ishmael (pbuh) is being fulfilled with the advent of the group of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh).

The word used in this verse is especially used for the symbols of worship during Hajj.

i.e. Our progeny. Over here, this clearly refers to the progeny of Abraham (pbuh) through Ishmael (pbuh).

The words used in Arabic entail an element of authority. That is, a Messenger, who would read out the divine directives on the authority of God.

‘Al-Kitaab’ (lit: The Book, the Law) and ‘Al-Hikmah’ (lit: The Wisdom) are used as terms in the Qur’an. The Qur’an has used these words to imply two separate aspects entailed in the divine verses, which the messenger reads out to his people. “Al-Kitaab” refers to the Shari`ah or the Law, while “Al-Hikmah” refers to the system of beliefs, the moral teachings and the spirit of the Law taught by these verses.

The ultimate purpose for which the prophets and messengers give their people the knowledge of the divine laws and wisdom is to guide them to the path of cleansing and purification and, thereby, rendering them fit for the eternal bliss of the life in God’s Paradise. The Arabic word “Tazkiyah” entails both the aspect of removal of the unwanted qualities as well as the development and elevation of the desired attributes. It is not only a cleaning process but is also a process of development and elevation in the right direction. Furthermore, it should be noted that the contents of “Al-Hikmah” (that is, the corpus of beliefs, morality and the spirit of the law) contribute to the cleansing and purification of intellectual and the mental side of the human being, while that of “Al-Kitaab” cleanse and purify his physical side. In combination, Al-Kitaab and Al-Hikmah guides man to the path of comprehensive cleansing and purification of the complete human being – the mind, body and soul.

Because You are Mighty, Your laws (Al-Kitaab) deserve to be followed the most; and because You are Wise, grant Your creation a knowledge of Your Al-Hikmah.

The same as is now being revived by the new Prophet (pbuh).

These verses, it should be remembered, address the Israelites, who were bent upon the rejection of the Prophet (pbuh) and, thereby, turning away from the Truth, which God had manifested upon them through His messenger. This rejection of God’s Truth was in clear contrast to Abraham’s attitude of complete obedience and submission to God. Yet, intoxicated by their lineage to Abraham (pbuh), these Israelites were arrogantly refusing to accept God’s decision.

The selection referred here is the same as the one explained in verse 124.

Whatever position Abraham enjoyed in this world or would get in the hereafter, is due only to his complete submission and obedience to God.

This one sentence: ‘I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds’ depicts the whole life of Abraham (pbuh).

Of all the prophets of God from among the progeny of Abraham Jacob has been specially mentioned because it is to him that Israelites ascribed themselves to, as is clear from the phrase ‘Banu Israel’ (children of Israel). It should be kept in mind that ‘Israel’ was the appellation of Jacob.

This is what the Sons of Jacob – the forefathers of the Israelites – promised their father at the time of his death. Although Jacob (pbuh) must have called his sons to the path of the worship of the one God and of remaining completely obedient and submissive to him many a times during his life, yet the Qur’an has specially referred to the incident, which took place at the time of Jacob’s death. The reference to this particular incident is very important from at least two aspects: Firstly, it signifies that Jacob (pbuh) not only lived his entire life adhering to this belief, but he adhered to this belief at the time of his death. There could, obviously, not be any change in his beliefs after his death. Secondly, the reference to this incident reminds the Israelites of the promise that their forefathers made to Israel (Jacob) at the time of his death. Promises made at the time of a father’s death held a special significance for the progeny and fulfilling such promises was considered a matter of honor by the progeny.

Remaining steadfast on the worship of the One True God and remaining completely obedient to him is precisely the path to which the Prophet (pbuh) is calling them to – this is the path of Islam.

This is a reference to the pious forefathers of the Israelites – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his sons – who have been mentioned in the previous verses.

That is, even though you are the children of these pious prophets of God, yet you will not share in the reward of their deeds. You will have to qualify for the rewards of the hereafter on the basis of your own deeds.

Though their forefathers called towards the path of Abraham, the path of Islam – submission to God – yet these Jews and Nazarenes, persist in calling people towards their own set of prejudices.

That is, like the Jews and Nazarenes, we do not believe in some of God’s prophets and reject others.

That is, believe in all the prophets of God, without any distinction, as the Muslims have been directed to believe and declare in the previous verse.

‘Coloring oneself in God’s dye’ is an allegorical reference to steadfastly ascribing to those beliefs, which God has prescribed. With reference to the context, it implies, more specifically, the complete submission and obedience towards God and believing in all the prophets of God, without any distinction. This allegorical reference also entails a hint toward the Jewish baptism. In this hint, the Qur’an has implied that the mere process of baptism does not dye one’s soul in the color prescribed by God. On the contrary, it is ascribing to the beliefs prescribed by God, which gives one’s soul the prescribed color.

By believing in some of God’s prophets and revelations and rejecting others, these people are being selective in accepting God’s decisions. Being selective in God’s decisions, in turn, is, in effect, to refute God’s authority.

i.e. whatever had to be said, has already been said. There is no need to carry on fighting with arguments and counter arguments. Now let each of us work according to his beliefs and wait for the day, when God separates the right from the wrong. This sentence is, in fact, a declaration to the effect that all hope of acceptance of the Truth by these Israelites, has now expired.

i.e. accepting all his commands and believing in all of his prophets and revelations.

The claim was so clearly wrong that the Qur’an has not even considered it appropriate to refute it and has, on the contrary, posed another question to the claimants, which entails an answer to their claim as well as a comment on their stupidity of making such claims.

At the beginning of this section, in verse 124, while answering Abraham’s request to grant religious and spiritual leadership upon his progeny, God had declared: “My promise does not include the unjust”. This verse (140), coming at the end of this section has declared that the Israelites, because they have rendered themselves ‘unjust’ do no longer qualify for the position that was bestowed upon Abraham and the ‘just’ among his progeny.

See note on verse 134.

In the foregoing section, it had become quite clear that 1) God directed Abraham (pbuh) and Ishmael (pbuh) to build the Ka`bah for His worship - v. 125 – 127; 2) God had designated the Ka`bah as the center of worship and congregation for the followers of Abraham (pbuh) – v. 125; and 3) the Qur’an was, in fact, a call to the path of Abraham (pbuh) – v 130 – 131. In view of these facts, it was now expected that the believers would soon be directed to make the Ka`bah as their Qiblah.

The change of the Qiblah was a practical application of the basic principle of guiding to the path of Abraham (pbuh). The Qur'an had declared in verse 130 that only such people can be averse in adhering to Abraham's path, who have given themselves up to stupidity. Now, once again, when the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers were being directed to change the direction of their Qiblah and to turn their faces towards the mosque, which Abraham (pbuh) had built for this purpose, it is declared that the idiots among the Israelites, shall object to this move in their attempt to dissuade people from following the Prophet (pbuh). The obvious stupidity in this objection of the Israelites was that even though they claimed to be the followers of Abraham (pbuh), yet were averse in facing the direction of the mosque, which Abraham (pbuh) had built for the purpose.

Historical sources show that initially the Muslims used to face the Bayet al-Maqdas (in Jerusalem) during their prayers. The Qur'an has clarified in the following verse that God had Himself directed the facing of the Bayet al-Maqdas and has also given the reasons for it as well as for the subsequent change.

As has been clarified earlier, this is a reference to the practices of the Jews and the Nazarenes, one of whom used to face the West, while the other used to face the East.

As the following part of the verse clarifies, the word 'center' over here is used in its literal connotation. This word is used for the Banu Ishmael, who were literally in the 'center', playing the role of a 'link' between the Prophet (pbuh) and the rest of humankind.

Just as a 'witness' manifests the Truth and removes all doubts about it, similarly the Qur'an has used the phrase 'witness of the Truth' to imply the manifestation of God's Truth at a level, which removes all excuse for rejecting that Truth.

This verse clearly evidences the fact that the position of the Banu Ishmael, from the perspective of being witnesses of God's Truth upon the humankind, is the same as that of the person of the Prophet (pbuh) in his capacity of being a witness of God's Truth upon the Banu Ishmael. Thus, just as the Banu Ishmael received their guidance through the person of the Prophet (pbuh), the rest of the humankind, which accepted Islam received its guidance through the Banu Ishmael.

This statement clearly shows that the initial Qiblah was also set according to God's directions.

The position of the Banu Ishmael has just been explained. The Banu Ishmael, in their collective capacity, have to play the role of 'witnesses of God's Truth upon the humankind'. Because of this position, it was extremely important to cleanse this collectivity of all undesirable elements. This cleansing process of the Banu Ishmael, according to the Qur'an, was achieved by taking them through various testing situations. The directive relating to the change of the Qiblah was one such testing situation. It should be intersting to note that while living in Mekkah, where the majority of the followers of the Prophet (pbuh), since their childhood, held the Ka`bah in great esteem and revered it as the House of God's worship, the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions were directed to face the Bayet al-Maqdas during their prayers. However, later on, when the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers migrated to Medinah, where the Israelites enjoyed significant religious influence, the Muslims were directed to face the Ka`bah during their prayers.

That is, the test entailed in the initial setting and the subsequent alteration of the direction of the Qiblah was indeed very strenuous, as it actually demanded a deviation from a strong religious tradition of the community. Only those people could have succeeded in this test, who were sincere in their submission to and worship of the Almighty. While those, who held their traditions as their gods did not stand a chance of success in this test.

The purpose of such tests is not to render people faithless. On the contrary, even these tests are a manifestation of God's mercy and kindness. It is on the basis of these tests that the true and the sincere believers are distinguished from the hypocrites; it is on the basis of such tests, that the true believers are guided to the furtherance in their spiritual development and in their relationship with and their reliance upon their Creator. These indeed are the qualities which ultimately would grant man the life of eternal bliss in God's Paradise.

The two attributes given at the end of this paragraph are: Al-Ra'uf and Al-Raheem. In the foregoing context, these two attributes complement each other in the sense that "Al-Ra'uf" implies the one, who corrects the others' mistakes with kindness, while "Al-Raheem" implies the one, who augments the desirable qualities in the others, with extreme mercy. The referred kind of tests, trying as they are, are in fact a sign of the referred attributes of God: Through such tests, God provides people the opportunity to not only cleanse themselves of the undesirable qualities, but also augments in them the desirable attributes.

The Qur'an had clearly stated, time and again, that it had come to guide people to the path of Abraham (pbuh). Now, especially after it was acknowledged by the Qur'an that the Bayt Allah – the Ka`bah – was indeed constructed by Abraham (pbuh), as the center of God's worship, the Prophet (pbuh) was naturally anticipating and was even desirous of the directive regarding the change of the Qiblah.

That is, whether you are in or around the Masjid al-Haraam or far away from it, you should turn your faces towards it, while offering your prayers. This clarification is specially relevant in view of the deviations of the Israelites. Even though they held the Bayt al-Maqdas to be their Qibla, yet when away from it, they would turn towards the west.

That is, these Israelites are well aware of the fact that Ka`bah is indeed the appointed Qiblah, yet in their prejudice, against the Ishmaelites, they refuse to accept it.

Obviously, if God is aware of their deeds, then their deeds will surely meet their justified end.

The Qur'an has clarified that the apparent doubt expressed by the Israelites was, in fact, only an excuse for their rejection. The Prophet (pbuh), as the representative of all the believers, is directed on behalf of all the believers, not to allow the conspiracies of these rejecters to affect them and to create any doubts regarding God's guidance in their hearts.

Due to the strength of their tradition and their prejudice against the Ishmaelites, they will not change the direction of their Qiblah, even though it has become manifest to them that the Ka`bah is, in fact, the Qiblah, which was appointed by Abraham (pbuh) for his progeny.

When there is no chance in their following your Qiblah, then rather than continue debating with them on this issue, you should concentrate on following the Truth that has come to you and on excelling in deeds of piety and goodness.

As for the judgment regarding who has truly submitted to the Truth and who has preferred his tradition and the satisfaction of his prejudice over the Truth, that shall be given by God, when He gathers you all for the Day of Judgment.

In verse 143, the believers were directed to face the Qiblah, whether they resided in and around the Ka`bah or far away from it. Now, in this verse, they have been directed to adhere to facing the Ka`bah during their prayers, even during their journeys.

That is, no one should make travel an excuse to face another direction or to be careless in facing the Ka`bah during his prayers, for that would be a sin and the person shall be held accountable for it.

The directive regarding facing the Ka`bah, whether in journeys or while stationed at one's place of residence has been repeated as a preamble for explaining the three basic reasons for this directive, which immediately follow this part of the verse.

Just as the Qur'an has implicitly criticized the Israelites and the Christians for their carelessness regarding their Qiblah, it does not want the Muslims to be criticized for their carelessness relating to their Qiblah.

The referred 'favor' is the one related to raising an "obedient group" from among the progeny of Ishmael (pbuh), as was entailed in the supplication of Abraham and Ishmael (pbut) mentioned in verse 128 of this Surah. The role of the Ka`bah – as a common Qiblah – in the subsequent formation, strengthening and unity of the "obedient group" from among the Ishmaelites is obvious and requires no elaboration.

Another request in the supplication of Abraham and Ishmael was "and teach us [the methods of] our worship" (Al-Baqarah 2: 128). The third reason given for the stress in facing the Ka`bah is that it is a part of God's guiding the progeny of Abraham and Ishmael (pbut) to the correct and the prescribed mode of His worship.

For the explanation of the various parts of this verse, please refer to the explanatory notes on Al-Baqarah 2: 129.

That is, if you remain mindful of My directives and likes and dislikes, I shall fulfill My promise of bestowing upon you My blessings in the Life of this world as well as in the Hereafter.

The primary aspect of remaining thankful for the guidance that God has bestowed upon man relates to one's adherence to these directives. Turning away from the path prescribed by God is to refuse God's favor and to be ungrateful towards Him.

With the change in the direction of the Qiblah, the Abrahamic legacy was now being transferred to the followers of the Prophet (pbuh). It was expected that this point would not be easily accepted by the rejecters whether from among the Qureish or from among the Israelites, as both these groups considered themselves to be the rightful inheritors of the Abrahamic legacy. Thus, aggression from these groups was now clearly on the cards.

Salah is the starting point, the way as well as the peak of our relationship with our Creator. It is only through this relationship with our Creator, that we can steadfastly face the trying times in life. Perseverance in the way of God does not merely imply that one should silently go through any difficult times. On the contrary, perseverance actually entails man's unwavering trust and faith in the Almighty and in His guidance and promises. Thus, Salah and perseverance on God's Truth in times of trouble – which are the result of man's strong relationship with and trust in God's guidance and promises – provide man with the spiritual strength with which he can face and go through times of extreme difficulty.

Those people, who live their lives as witnesses of God's Truth and do not hesitate even in giving their lives for this Truth, their rewards shall not be deferred till the Day of Resurrection. On the contrary, they immediately start receiving their rewards and the gracious blessings of their Lord, in return for their faithfulness and trust in the promises of the Almighty.

Though, in the light of the details given in God's revelations, we can develop some understanding of the rewards and punishments in the Hereafter. However, because the 'life' referred to in this verse – between physical death and physical resurrection – is completely spiritual in its nature, therefore, man, in his present state, cannot even remotely understand the reality of that 'life'.

The group, which is designated to serve as the witness of God's Truth upon humankind, has to be cleansed of all insincere and faithless elements. These tests are, in fact, a part of the Divine plan of cleansing this group of such elements.

Although these tests of perseverance on the path of Truth, shall also entail various kinds of losses, yet by using the word "بشىء" (i.e. "some"), the Qur'an has indicated that the losses entailed in these tests shall only be to the extent necessary to cleanse the group of the insincere elements, on the one hand, and to augment the desirable quality of steadfastness and perseverance among the sincere, on the other.

The test of "Fear" refers to the fear of being attacked by the rejecters of God's Truth.

At the time most of the economic activity in the land was controlled by either the Israelites or the Quraysh. Thus, the economic exploitation of the Muslims at the hands of these rejecters was also on the cards.

The situation of war, continually faced by the Muslims, made significant demands on their lives and property.

Fruits, especially dates, were a major source of commerce as well as of livelihood for the Arabs, in general, and for the people of Madinah, in particular.

This is a declaration of reliance on and entrustment to the Lord. As has been stated earlier, it is in fact our reliance and trust in the Almighty, from which the desirable quality of perseverance emanates. Thus, when faced with a loss or a calamity, a true believer reminds himself of the fact that his life and wealth, in fact, belong to God and are at His disposal and soon he too shall return to his Lord and Owner.

Safaa and Marwah are the names of two hills near the Ka`bah, between which Sa`iy is performed during Hajj and Umrah. Marwah was the real location at which Abraham offered the sacrifice of his son. Due to this significance of the place, the Israelites had removed all reference to it from their scriptures and continually tried to undermine and raise questions about their significance in the religious traditions of the Arabs as well. (for details, see Hameeduddin Farahi's "الرأي الصحصح في من هو الذبيح" – "Al-Ra'y al-Sahih fi Mun Huwa Al-Zabeeh")

"Symbols", over here, refer to actions promulgated by God's messenger for the purpose of preserving the awareness and the memory of another significant religious reality. The promulgated actions in these cases are, in fact, a symbolic representation and a reminder of the reality, which they stand for. Thus, we see that offering a sacrifice is, in fact, a Symbol for the spirit of submission; Istilaam of the Hajr e Aswad is a symbolic renewal of our pledge of allegiance to God; and Ramiy is a symbolic representation of our continual war against the forces of evil. Likewise, the Sa`iy (between the hills of Safaa and Marwah) is also a 'Symbol' representing our personal preparedness of striving with all our might in the way of the Almighty. This Sa`iy is a reminder of the time when Abraham (pbuh) walked his only and beloved son, from the Safaa towards the Marwah, to offer his sacrifice. Thus, the Sa`iy, in fact, a reminder of Abraham's (pbuh) preparedness to submit to the directives of the Almighty, even if it implied giving up his only and beloved son. A few aspects, with reference to the 'Symbols' of Islam need to be stressed: 1) Firstly, the most important aspect in these 'Symbols' is to be aware and mindful of those realities, which they represent. Without the awareness of these realities, these 'Symbols' are rendered spiritless; 2) Secondly, because of these symbols are fixed and promulgated by the Prophet of God, their apparent structure and appearance is also to be respected and carefully followed and no alteration is to be made in this structure by anyone; 3) Thirdly, after the Prophet of God, no one has the authority of making any additions to and/or deletions from the set of 'Symbols' entailed in the corpus of Islam; and 4) Fourthly, the limits of the show of respect and reverence towards these 'Symbols' are also prescribed by the Prophet (pbuh). No alterations can be made in these limits either.

This part of the verse shows that Sa`iy of the Safaa and Marwah can only be undertaken during Hajj or Umrah.

Sa`iy of the Safaa and Marwah is not an essential element of Hajj and Umrah. However, whoever undertakes it, it would be considered a pious deed for him.

That is, the Torah.

True repentance must entail a sincere commitment of correcting one's behavior, for which he is expressing repentance.

This is a part of the commitment to correct their behavior. It specifically refers to the efforts of the Israelites to conceal the Truth about the last Prophet (pbuh), which was revealed in the Torah.

That is, did not repent for their rejection or correct their behavior till the end of their time.

From here starts the third section of the Surah. After the appointment of the new group (i.e. the Ishmaelites), as 'Witnesses of God's Truth' on the humankind, in place of the Israelites, the basic teachings of the Abrahamic Creed are being revived for this group. This revival begins with the most important and basic tenet of the Abrahamic Creed, i.e. the belief in one God only, which is followed by those elements of individual and collective law, which could be given at the time of the revelation of the Surah.

The word "إله" (Ilaah) in the Arabic language is primarily used for a being, who is worshiped and who is believed capable of extending its help even beyond the scope of the physical and material chain of "cause and effect".

Even though God is the Lord and Master of the vast universe, yet because no one is more compassionate and merciful than Him, therefore, it is only befitting that man should seek only His help and bow down only for His worship.

That is, in the form and structure of the heavens and earth, in their extra-ordinary structure, in the deep wisdom, which are embedded in them and in the provisions, which they entail. These aspects are indeed indicative of the great power, knowledge, wisdom, mercy and providence of their Creator.

The changing winds, resulting in the changes in the weather.

It is indicative of God's providence that all things are put in place to serve man's requirements.

That is, in these phenomena, there are clear signs of the fact that there is only One God – the sole Creator of all the variety of things that enjoy existence. A deliberation on this verse shall show that it has pointed towards the coherence, unity of purpose and consistency in the apparently opposite phenomena of the physical world – the earth and the sky, the night and the day, blocks of wood, iron and steel sailing in waters, the sky-based waters making provisions for all kinds of life on earth, alterations in the weather and the clouds which hang in between the heavens and the earth. With this coherence, unity of purpose and consistency, how can man a wise and thinking individual ascribe these phenomena to different deities. If all these opposite phenomena were creations of and controlled by separate deities, then how would there have been such cohesion, unity of purpose and consistency even in these apparently opposing phenomena of the physical world.

That is, they desire the pleasures of God more than anything else. Love for God is depicted by adherence to His likes and directives and refraining from His dislikes.

Over here, "deeds" refers specially to those which they considered as deeds of piety.

The Qur'an has mentioned some of these concocted prohibitions in Al-An`am 6: 136 – 145 and in Al-Ma'idah 5: 103.

That is, the rejecters.

Even though it is quite natural to be inclined towards adhering to one's traditions, yet this natural inclination requires to be controlled, when it becomes manifest that these traditions are in disregard to the directives of God.

That is, those who have preferred to stick to their traditions over the Truth revealed by God.

They are like animals, devoid of all those qualities, which make humans superior to animals.

It is extremely difficult to go against traditions of old. Nevertheless, now that it has been clarified that many of the traditional prohibitions were not backed by God's authority, then, as a requirement of our belief in God and His Prophet (pbuh), we must be prepared to absolve ourselves of these unfounded traditions.

In the case of edibles, the Shari`ah has only prohibited the four mentioned things. All other things mentioned in narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) are, in fact, things, which by their very nature are not suitable for eating. In other words, all those things are a part of natural prohibitions in the case of edibles, not the prohibitions of the Shari`ah.

Reference is to the Israelites.

True belief in God entails unshakable trust and reliance in Him and must, as a necessity, be followed by the desire to please Him by adhering to all His likes and abstaining from all His dislikes, to all possible extent.

A person, who truly believes in the Day of Resurrection cannot practically be unmindful of the approaching accountability of that Day. A true believer in the approaching Day of Reckoning shall try to gather all such deeds in his record, which would benefit him on that Day and shall try to save himself from all such other activities, which weaken his potential of success on that Day.

Belief in the angels entails trust in them as reliable and trustworthy messengers of God's revelations to His (human) prophets and as God's appointed agents in the implementation of His decisions. This element of belief should be seen with special reference to verses 97 to 98 of this Surah.

True belief in the Book must necessarily follow acting upon and shaping one's life according to its directives.

True belief in the prophets of God must entail confidence and trust in the teachings of these prophets, as believing someone to be a prophet of God actually implies holding him as God's representative and spokesperson for other human beings.

One's kinsfolk and relatives have the first right on one's spending.

Even though the verse seems to refer to all agreements and covenants in general, yet in the context, it refers particularly to the covenant of Israelites, mentioned in Deuteronomy 18: 15 in the following words:
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken…

The Arabic word translated as 'times of adversity', over here refers to times of bodily or physical ailment and stress.

These indeed are the 'God-Fearing' – the Muttaqeen, who shall be guided by the Qur'an, as was declared in the opening of the Surah (see Verse 2 of this Surah) and it is these truly God fearing people, who shall deserve the eternal bliss of the hereafter.

Qisaas" means to follow suit. The punishment prescribed for murder and for inflicting physical injury is to subject the perpetrator to a similar injury as he himself had inflicted upon the victim.

i.e. this law must be implemented with complete justice and equity.

According to the law prescribed by the Qur'an, a person guilty of inflicting physical injury may be granted forgiveness by the victim or, in the case of murder, by his heirs.

Even if a perpetrator is granted forgiveness by the victim or, in the case of murder, by his heirs, he shall then have to pay the amount of Diyah, as determined by the custom of the society, to the victim or his heirs. It is clear from the verse that the amount of Diyah is not fixed by the Shari`ah and may, therefore, vary from one society to another and from one time to another.

i.e. the implementation of this law with justice shall be a source of protection of life in the society and a source of discouraging people from transgressing the limits set by the Almighty regarding the sanctity of life.

It is quite apparent from this directive and the words that follow that even though giving a share in one's wealth to one's parents and the near ones was a recognized custom of the nobles in the society, yet deviations from this custom had become a common practice and, as a result, all the wealth was transferred to one's children after his death. The Qur'an, through this directive, has corrected this deviation.

For all those relations, including one's parents, whose share in the deceased person's wealth is fixed and prescribed in Surah Al-Nisa (verse 11 – 12 and 176), this directive should be considered as replaced by the later one. However, the directive entailed in this verse remains in tact for all such relations, whose share is not prescribed in Surah Al-Nisa.

A trustee cannot alter the will of his own accord, yet, in case of partiality and injustice done to someone through the will, the trustees may try to bring about a mutual settlement among the beneficiaries.

Piety implies abiding by the limits prescribed by God, emanating from the fear of losing the good will of God.

As is clear from the subsequent verses, this allowance was later abrogated.

i.e. even though the prescribed penance for a missed fast is to feed one poor person, yet if a person does any additional good deed, of his own accord – as for instance feed more poor persons etc. – then such deeds shall be for his own benefit.

That is, rather than taking advantage of the allowance of expiation, completing the number of fasts is more desirable.

The Arabic word "فليصمه" implies that a person should fast during all the days of this month.

The allowance of expiation and penance has now been removed. This is also evidence of the fact that these verses were revealed sometime after the revelation of the first two verses.

i.e., I am fully attentive to their questions.

Although, this statement is as true for ordinary circumstances, yet, over here, it refers specifically to the fact that at the time of the revelation of the Qur'an and in the presence of the Prophet (pbuh), when a sincere believer would ask the Prophet (pbuh) regarding the clarification or explanation of a particular directive and would pray to God to guide him to the correct answer, God would answer his call and, wherever necessary, would reveal the required clarification and explanation sought by the suppliant heart.

When a question arises in one's mind regarding God's directives, the right attitude is to sincerely seek clarifications regarding it, while praying to God for guidance and while remaining obedient to His directives.

This verse is, in fact, a preamble for the clarifications relating to fasting, which were revealed later and which are placed after this verse.

i.e. Sexual contact with one's spouse is permitted during the nights of fasting.

Dress provides us cover. Like one's dress, the sacred relationship between a husband and a wife covers the individuals' sexual drives and instincts from the rest of the world; Dress provides us protection. Like one's dress, the relationship between a husband and a wife protects them from evil instigations, especially those instigations, which are of a sexual nature. Dress is also a source of adornment and decoration. Like one's dress, the relationship between a husband and a wife adorns and decorates the individual's life with love, sharing, trust and the satisfactory fulfillment of one's needs.

Under the influence of the Israelites, Muslims seem to have been of the opinion that sexual contact with one's spouse, even during the nights of fasting, was not allowed. Nevertheless, some of them seem to have had succumbed to their physical desires and, thereby, involved themselves in something, which they themselves considered to be prohibited. Because of their opinion regarding the issue, it is obvious that the conscience of such Muslims must have pinched them severely for involving themselves in what they considered to be prohibited.

Every person is required to live his life according to what he truly understands to be the requirement of the Shari`ah. A person may not be correct in his understanding, yet as long as he considers a particular mode of action to be a requirement of the Shari`ah, he should act accordingly, till the time that his understanding is corrected. Failing to live one's life in accordance with one's understanding of the Shari`ah, as the verse implies, can render a person answerable and punishable.

The stated permission does not only relate to sexual contact, but also extends to the potential results of this sexual contact. In other words, it is not merely the sexual contact, which is permitted during the nights of Ramadan, but there is also no harm in a woman's conceiving a child, as a result of this sexual contact.

The restrictions entailed in fasting are to be observed from dawn till the beginning of the night.

The provision of sexual contact with one's spouse during the nights of Ramadan is not available, while one is sitting in Ai`tikaf in a mosque.

This verse is generally followed by a clarification of a given directive, which was revealed sometime after the actual directive. Thus, after the revelation of the initial directive of fasting given in verse 183 and 184 and later in 185, verse 187 provides some clarification and explanation relating to these initial directives.

This directive is the foundation of all the prohibitions of the Shari`ah, relating to economic and financial activities.

i.e. wealth.

This clearly refers to bribery.

Man is inherently aware of the sin involved in such acts.

The Qur'an has generally recorded the questions of its addressees with extreme brevity, as the actual question becomes quite clear through some deliberation on the answer given to it. Thus, as a principle, the details of the addressees' questions recorded in the Qur'an should be interpreted in the light of the answers given by the Qur'an.

The word "الأهلة" is actually the plural form of "الهلال", which is used for the crescent. Because the Arabs traditionally followed the lunar calendar, the word "الهلال" was also used to imply "month", especially when used in its plural form. Because of the definite article, here the word is used for some specific months. From the answer given in the following part of the verse, it becomes quite clear that the question was asked specifically with reference to the sanctity of the sacred months.

That is, respecting ceasefire during these months not only provides the people an opportunity for their trading activities, but also gives them a chance to undertake the journey for Hajj in peace and security.

This question has been recorded here as a preamble for the following discussion regarding Jihad and Hajj. After the directives relating to the change of the Qiblah (verses 142 – 150), it was quite natural for the believers to desire to undertake the journey for Hajj and Umrah. Nevertheless, at that time, the rejecters of Quraysh stood in their way of undertaking the Abrahamic legacy of Hajj and Umrah and any effort on their part to enter Makkah could very easily have resulted in fighting, which would clearly have been against the centuries old traditional custom of observing complete ceasefire during the sacred months. This is the background, which prompted the stated question in the addressees' minds and, as has been stated earlier, the Qur'an has recorded it here, as a preamble for the directives relating to Jihad and Hajj, which immediately follow the answer of this question.

As was considered to be a religious custom by the Arabs.

Jihad – fighting at a collective level – is allowed only after the establishment of the Muslim state (See: Al-Hajj 22: 39). Before the establishment of a Muslim state fighting is not allowed. It is clear from the timing of this permission that the directive of Jihad is addressed only to an independent and organized collectivity of Muslims.

The word "إله" (Ilaah) in the Arabic language is primarily used for a being, who is worshiped and who is believed capable of extending its help even beyond the scope of the physical and material chain of "cause and effect".

The ordained fighting is neither for the acquisition of wealth or land nor for securing freedom or establishing a rule. It is neither to earn respect of friends or to instill fear in the hearts of foes nor to satisfy one's hatred against a people or love for a people. This fighting is specifically for God and shall be fought strictly according to the directives of God.

Even in a state of war, which is fought specifically for God, all moral and ethical limits must be respected, without any exception.

i.e., those, who fight you.

Even though their turning the Prophet (pbuh) out of the sacred city was itself a sufficient crime to be subjected to God's wrath, yet God gave them respite for a time. But now, if they prevent you from Hajj, then you should turn them out of the city of Abraham (pbuh) and slay them, wherever you find them, for this has always been the punishment of those, who reject God's Truth even after it has been manifested by His appointed messengers.

This is the reason for which the directive relating to Jihad is being given. Even though the sanctity of the sacred months should be respected and there should be a complete cease fire during these months, yet persecution of the people is such a grave crime that it should be stopped even if it requires fighting the persecutors during the sacred months.

Like the Sacred Months, the vicinity of the Ka`bah was traditionally held as a sacred land. Any bloodshed within this vicinity was traditionally considered to be sacrilegious. The Qur'an has directed the believers to refrain from starting a fight within the vicinity of the Ka`bah. Nevertheless, if the believers are attacked by the rejecters even within this vicinity, then they are allowed to fight back; for the sanctity of the Ka`bah is not to tie the hands of the oppressed and give a license to the oppressors.

Those, who not only refuse to accept the Truth even after it has become manifest upon them through a messenger of God, but also persecute those, who have accepted this Truth and turn them out of their homes and then hinder them from undertaking Hajj and Umrah.

This verse gives the two ultimate targets of the Jihad that is ordained in the previous verses. These two targets are: a) To stop the religious persecution of which many Muslims were becoming a target and due to which many potential Muslims were being hindered from accepting Islam; and b) to make God's true religion the only dominant religion in the Arabian Peninsula, as a part of God's law relating to His messengers. According to this Divine law, when God sends a messenger among a people, the Truth becomes absolutely distinct from falsehood. Thus, the rejecters among the direct addressees of a messenger of God are, in effect, rejecters of manifest Truth. As a punishment of their rejection of the manifest Truth, God subjects these people to humiliation, subjugation and, in case of being polytheists, to death. The Jihad ordained in these verses is, in fact, the implementation of this Divine punishment, which was ultimately to result in the complete annihilation of the polytheists from the Peninsula and the political and economic subjugation of the non-polytheist creeds – the Jews and the Christians – living in the Peninsula. As a result, Islam – the True religion prescribed by God – was to become the only dominant religion in the land.

That is, if such a mutually held sanctity – as lack of aggression during the sacred month – is not respected by any one of the parties, then the other party can show a similar aggression in retaliation.

That is, even this retaliation should be strictly within the limits prescribed by God.

The Arabic word "إحسان", translated as "doing one's deeds in the best of manners" has been most eloquently explained in one of the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) as: "To do your deeds as if you were performing them while seeing God right in front of yourself, for even if you cannot see God, He is always seeing you".

i.e. without even a shade of any polytheistic belief.

The number of these fasts or the amount of charity or the nature of sacrifice has not been determined in this verse and, therefore, should be construed as having been left to the discretion of the individual. In one of the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh), he is reported to have said that fasting for three days or feeding six poor people or offering the sacrifice of a goat would be sufficient.

It is clear from this part of the verse that combining both Hajj and Umrah in one journey is a permission granted only to those, who have to travel a long way to perform these acts of worship. Nevertheless, even in such a situation, whoever takes advantage of this permission must offer a sacrifice as a penance. This clearly implies that it is more recommended to perform Hajj and Umrah in separate visits to the Ka`bah.

Hajj, over here, is used generally for Hajj as well as Umrah.

i.e., by wearing the Ihram.

Hajj, in fact, is a symbol of complete concentration towards and adoration of God. All requirements, stimulation and incitements of our worldly relations – whether of love or of hatred – must cease during these days. Hajj, in a way, is the maximum limit of asceticism, allowed in Islam and that too for a prescribed number of days only.

Even though the primary intention of a person undertaking Hajj should be to earn the pleasures of God, yet it is not prohibited for people to earn any economic gains, during this journey, through trading etc.

As had become a tradition among the Arabs.

i.e., at Muzdalfah.

i.e., from `Arafat.

Over time, the Quraysh had started considering the visit to `Arafat as obligatory only upon other non-Qurayshites. This distinction was promoted as one symbolizing special honor for the Quraysh. The Qur'an has corrected this state of affairs by rendering the visit of `Arafat obligatory upon all those, who undertake Hajj, including the Quraysh.

The stop over at Minaa had become more of a cultural gathering among the Arabs. At this point, they would render poetry and speeches praising their forefathers, which, in fact, was a show of pride for their noble lineage. The Qur'an has corrected this state of affairs and has directed the people that the stop over at Minaa should not be treated as a cultural gathering. It is, in fact, a time of worship and the celebration of God's praises, offering prayers and seeking His bounties in the life of this world as well as in the Hereafter.

A person may stay at Minaa till the 13th of Zul-Hajj or he may return on the 12th.

The length of one's stay at Minaa is not important – one may stay for two or three days – what is important, however, is that during his stay, the person should remain involved in glorifying and remembering God and should honor all His commandments relating to this period.

The universal gathering of Hajj should also serve as a reminder of our ultimate gathering in God's presence – when man, devoid of all his worldly possessions, shall be taken to God's court of justice.

This is a reference towards the hypocrites among the ranks of the Muslims. These hypocrites, in their effort to impress the Prophet (pbuh) about their sincerity and commitment with Islam would make high claims of their whole-hearted participation in all confrontations with the rejecters. Nevertheless, the Qur'an has clarified in the following part of the verse that these people are, in fact, the worst of enemies who are hiding extreme hatred for Islam and the Prophet (pbuh) in their hearts.

'During the life of this world', when a person's true intentions and motives remain hidden from other human beings and, thus, his actual sincerity or otherwise may not be known.

Like all lying hypocrites, these people would be swift in taking oaths and hold God a witness upon their false claims.

This is a reference to their efforts of inciting others to wage a war against the Believers.

i.e., their inclination towards sin combined with their arrogance takes charge of them and hinders them from turning towards God and from seeking His forgiveness.

The addressee here are primarily the hypocrites that are referred in verses 204 – 206.

'God is Dominant', that is, neither would your turning away from His path harm Him or His Prophet in the least nor would you ever be able to escape the punishment that He has prepared for those, who, even after the Truth has become completely manifest upon them, refuse to accept it with sincerity.

'God is Wise', that is, if He continues to allow people to live and benefit from His blessings, even after their insincerity towards Him, it is not because God is indifferent towards the behavior of man. Man should not forget that God is not indifferent towards Good and evil and that all of God's decisions are full of wisdom and based upon His absolute knowledge.

God has bestowed upon man the faculties of reason and understanding. He wants man to appreciate, understand and accept these realities, on the basis of these faculties, rather than on the basis of physical observation.

That is, the matter shall be settled in a manner that God has decided, not in the manner that these rejecters desire.

Because the Israelites were inciting skepticism in hearts of the hypocrites and prompting them to ask for physical signs, the Qur’an has directed these hypocrites to ask the Israelites about the benefit of the extremely clear signs that were shown to them through Moses (pbuh) and later through Jesus (pbuh).

That is, God is not bound by the likes and desires of these rejecters. In the hereafter, God will bestow His favors and blessings upon those who deserve to be blessed by these favors and in taking this decision, no nation or peoples shall be able to influence the decision of the Just. It should be kept in mind that the Israelites as well as the Quraysh considered themselves to be the selected people of God. As a result, when the Prophet (pbuh) admonished them about the Day of Judgment, they would turn away from these admonitions saying that even if there were to be a hereafter, they would remain the favored people of God, just as God has selected them for His favors during the life of this world. The words " God bestows His unrestricted blessings upon whomsoever He wills" are, in fact, a response to the stated claim of the rejecters from among the Quraysh as well as from among the Quraysh.

Man has always been prone to blaming the differences of opinions with regard to religion for his own lack of commitment with the Truth. Even today one can hear such 'philosophical' arguments as: All religions cannot be correct, why then should one ascribe to any religion at all?

i.e. with these prophets.

i.e. the purpose of the revelation of the book is to serve as the ultimate criterion between right and wrong.

The great blessing of guidance to the path of salvation and success is granted only to those who – according to God's absolute knowledge, wisdom and justice – are found deserving of this great favor.

The Qur'an was continually promoting people to participate in this war against the rejecters to stop their persecution of the Muslims. With reference to this directive of the Qur'an, these people wanted to know how much should they spend for this cause. Rather than stipulating any limits for this spending, the Qur'an has informed these people that participation in this war is not for any personal gains of the Prophet (pbuh), but is ultimately for the benefit of their own people. This answer not only spells out the spirit with which a God fearing person should participate in a pious cause but also entails an indication of the limit of this spending. The fact that this spending is for the well being and benefit of their own people clearly implies that one should not impose any limits on this spending. On the contrary, he should spend for this cause as much as he can (see Al-Baqarah 2: 219).

The addressees are the same as in the previous few verses.

It is an interesting fact that all such things that entail the potential of moral and spiritual elevation of man do not attract him as much as things which are harmful for him.

Even though this question had already been answered earlier, yet, in their desire to avoid fighting, these hypocrites had once again raised the question regarding the gravity of fighting during the sacred months. In response to this question, the Qur'an has not only reiterated the Divine Law regarding the Sacred Months, but has also warned them of the results of their inclination of renouncing their religion.

These are the people who shall not only have to face the consequences of their rejection during the hereafter, but, because of the advent of God's messenger among them, they shall also have to face the consequences of their rejection during the life of this world.

It is clear from the Arabic literature that especially during winters, the pre-Islamic Arabs used to hold gatherings in which large quantities of intoxicants were consumed by the affluent, animals were sacrificed – their owners were later paid high prices for these animals – and then the intoxicated affluent would gamble on the flesh of these sacrificed animals. As a tradition, the winners in these gambling games would distribute their prize among the poor and the hungry. Because of this element of feeding the hungry, this tradition was looked upon as a great act of charity and generosity and those who did not participate in them were termed as "برم" (baram, i.e., ‘miserly’). It is this particular aspect of these gatherings, due to which people asked about intoxicants and gambling, when the Qur’an directed them to spend their wealth in the way of God.

The referred benefit – as explained in the previous note – was the provision of food for the hungry through these gatherings.

It should be noted that the Qur’an has not compared the ‘harm’ and the ‘benefit’ entailed in these things, but has, in fact, compared the ‘sin’ and the ‘benefit’ entailed in these things. This clearly indicates that the prohibitions of the Shari`ah are based not on the physical harm entailed in things, but are actually based on the moral and spiritual ‘sin’ entailed in these things and phenomena.

That is, that part of a person’s wealth, which is over and above his present and future – personal and business – is the right of the society. God’s directives regarding spending in His ways are related only to this part of a person’s wealth. No further responsibility is placed upon individuals in this regard.

That is, so that you should be able to maintain the desired balance in your affairs, giving due importance to the life of this world as well as your ultimate and everlasting life in the Hereafter. A close look at the preceding paragraphs shall show that each of the questions discussed in them relates, in one or another, to man’s becoming prone to imbalances with respect to the life of this world as well as with respect to His ultimate and everlasting destiny in the Hereafter.

That is, the ultimate goal should be to plan for their welfare. If this is more effectively achieved through keeping them separate, then plans should be made accordingly. While if the objective is likely to be achieved more effectively by including them in your family, then you may do so

That is, all of God’s directives are a manifestation of His wisdom and, therefore, man should abide by them and honor them in letter and spirit. If, however, man refuses to abide by the commands of the Wise, then he must not forget that the Merciful Creator is Mighty in punishing the disobedient as well.

The separation between husband and wife, during menstruation, as is prescribed by the Shari`ah, relates specifically to sexual contact.

The part: "…do not approach them till the time that they are clean [from menstrual blood]" indicates that the prohibition of sexual contact between husband and wife extends till the time that the menstrual blood continues to drip. This, obviously, implies that at the discontinuation of the flow of blood, the stated prohibition of sexual contact shall also be removed. However, the succeeding part "Later, when they clean themselves [with a bath], you may then approach them from where God has ordained for you" shows that even though the prohibition of sexual contact is removed with the discontinuation of the menstrual blood, yet it is recommended that sexual contact should be restored after the woman has cleaned herself with a thorough bathing.

The knowledge of which is inherently entailed in human nature. Perversions in the natural path of sexual intercourse are not acceptable in Islam.

That is, firstly, cleanliness is to the body what repentance is to the heart and soul. Secondly, the Islamic Shari`ah gives equal importance to physical cleanness as is given to mental and spiritual cleanness in it. Thirdly, all of the preceding directives relating to a) the restraint of sexual contact between men and women during menstruation; b) the woman's bath after the discontinuation of menstrual blood; and c) restricting sexual intercourse only to the naturally prescribed method are a part of the directives of the Shari`ah relating to the physical cleanness of man.

The freedom involved, the responsibility entailed in and the fruits gained from the husband-wife relationship are compared to those of a tilth that one possesses. Just like the owner of a tillage is free to enter into his property in any style, a husband is free to enjoy the physical companionship of his wife in any way that may be pleasurable for both. However, with this freedom, the owner of the tillage is also morally obliged to look after and plan for the well being of this tillage and also to properly plan and take advantage from the benefits and the fruits that the tillage has to offer.

The only restrictions that apply to the husband-wife relationship are those that are either entailed in human nature or are otherwise significant from the perspective of physical and moral cleansing of both the husband and the wife.

Children, generally, are the result of the husband-wife relationship. Proper planning for the good upbringing of children makes them the most valuable provision for man's future – not only in the life of this world but also in the Hereafter.

Man should not forget that soon he shall be presented before his Creator and shall be held accountable for all his actions as well as for all his responsibilities during the life of this world.

As shall be clear from the following paragraph, this paragraph is, in fact, a preamble for the directives that follow regarding oaths of severing relationship with one's wife.

Any oaths and pledges involving restraint from acts of piety or performing impious acts, even if such oaths and pledges have been made in the name of God, should be dissolved. The three kinds of acts mentioned in this verse encompass within themselves all acts of righteousness and piety. The first kind (بر) includes all acts of righteousness related to our general relations and responsibilities. It includes our responsibilities towards parents, relatives, the poor and the needy, the orphans etc. The second kind (تقوى) relates to our obligations towards God; while the third kind (إصلاح بين الناس) relates to our responsibility of maintaining and, wherever possible, promoting harmony and affection in the society, in general.

Even though all such oaths and pledges which fall in the aforementioned category must be dissolved, yet a person would be held accountable for these oaths and pledges if they have been made with the conscious intention of one's heart. Such a person should sincerely repent for first entering into such oaths and pledges and then breaking them and should also offer the atonement prescribed for breaking such pledges and oaths in Al-Ma'idah 5: 89.

The Arabic word "إيلاء" refers to a custom of the Arabs whereby a person would vow abstinence from conjugal relations with his wife. This custom would render the wife completely suspended and is, therefore, considered unjust by the Qur'an. Thus, the Qur'an has prescribed that in case of such a vow, the husband should take a final decision – of whether or not he would maintain his marriage with that woman – within a period of four months and should not prolong his wife's suspension any further. This directive clearly implies that severance of conjugal relations between husband and wife, except for an extremely justified cause, is considered so abominable by the Shari`ah that it has even directed people to dissolve their vows and pledges – taken in the name of God – which effect such a restraint.

Even though taking such an oath deprives a woman of her rights and, therefore, is a sin, yet if a person makes corrections then God will forgive him.

This is the waiting period, with a view to which divorce should be pronounced according to the directives of Surah Al-Talaq. More details regarding the prescribed time at which divorce should be pronounced shall be given in the explanation of Surah Al-Talaq.

This is the prescribed waiting period under normal circumstances. The prescribed waiting periods for some other situations, such as for a non-menstruating woman, for pregnant women, for women who have been divorced before the conjugation of marriage and for women who have crossed their menstruating age are given in Surah Al-Talaq 65: 1 – 7 and Surah Al-Ahzaab 33: 49.

That is, if they are pregnant, then they must not hide their pregnancy from their husbands, in particular, or from other relatives, in general. This directive is especially relevant considering that the waiting period of pregnant woman continues till the birth of the child, as is stipulated in Surah Al-Talaq, and a woman, in her desire to free herself from the husband as quickly as possible, may try to conceal her pregnancy from him as well as from others. It should be noted that the primary reason for the prescription of the waiting period is to determine the condition of the woman with reference to pregnancy. Thus, by concealing her true condition with reference to pregnancy, the woman would actually be contradicting the very reason for which the waiting period is being prescribed by the Shari`ah.

This right of reviewing and revoking the initial decision of divorce should not be used with the intention of making life more miserable for the wife by keeping her in one's marriage.

i.e., in their capacity of being put in charge of the household.

i.e., if any one misuses the rights that God has bestowed upon him, then he should, if he can, find for himself a refuge against God's might.

All of God's directives are based on His Absolute Wisdom. Abiding by these directives shall only provide man the benefits of the great wisdom entailed in these directives.

i.e., if a person, after pronouncing divorce, revokes his initial decision during the waiting period and decides to continue living with his wife and then, due to some reason, divorces his wife once again, he can still revoke his decision during the prescribed waiting period and, thereby, once again decide to continue living with his wife. However, this verse restricts the possibility of revocation of the decision of divorce and the consequent reconciliation during the waiting period to two times only. Thus, if divorce has been pronounced a third time during one marriage, this right of revocation of the decision of divorce and of possible reconciliation shall not be available. This situation is further discussed in the following verses.

This admonition relates to all of the directives given so far regarding divorce.

If a person has used his right of divorce a third time – after having revoked his decision of divorce during the waiting period in the first two instances – then the woman becomes completely prohibited for that man. Now, the man can neither revoke his decision of divorce during the waiting period nor enter into a new marriage contract with that woman after the waiting period has expired. This prohibition, arising out of the third instance of divorce, however, is removed if the woman marries another man. Now, like any other married woman, the woman would remain prohibited for marriage to her previous husband – and for all other men – till the time that her marriage continues.

This marriage should be a complete marriage in letter and spirit. Entering into a temporary arrangement, merely for the sake of rendering the wife lawful for her previous husband, is nothing less than fornication.

Firstly, this divorce should not be to provide the woman an opportunity to return to her previous husband but should be for reasons independent of this opportunity. Secondly, all the rules regarding divorce in these verses shall apply to that divorce as well.

i.e., the man and the woman who had been divorced three times.

By selecting you for the position of Imamah, which he had promised for the progeny of Abraham (pbuh).

This directive is especially relevant keeping in view the concept of honor in the Arab society, in particular, and the Eastern societies, in general, where the previous husband's misplaced honor would force him to continue to hinder the woman's marriage to any other man.

This marriage of the woman, as any other marriage, should be contracted according to the noble custom of the society.

i.e., even if the child's father has divorced the child's mother, yet if he desires to complete the term of suckling of the child, the mother shall then suckle the child for two years.

i.e., the divorcee's.

i.e., the standard of this food and clothing should be in keeping with the standard of the social and financial status of the husband, that of the wife and the general standard of food and clothing in similar households.

i.e., neither of the two parents should be harmed and exploited because of their children.

i.e., in case of the death of the husband during the period of suckling, the responsibility of making provisions for the food and clothing of the divorced woman would be transferred to the inheritor of the deceased.

The increase in the waiting period for a widow is primarily due to the fact that in the case of divorce, the husband is directed to divorce his wife during that period of cleanness – that is, non-menstruation period – of the wife during which copulation has not taken place (this point shall be further clarified in the Translation of Surah Al-Talaq). Thus, we see that if the directives regarding the pronunciation of divorce are followed then the maximum time involved in divorce can also be just over four months. An increased period of time has been prescribed as the waiting period of a widow – contrary to the time of waiting period after divorce which should be delivered as per the requirements of the Shari`ah – because the death of a husband cannot be pre-planned with a view to a woman's waiting period.

Because the reason for the prescription of the waiting period for a widow is exactly the same as that of the waiting period for a divorced woman, therefore, the exceptions in the law relating to the waiting period for various kinds (with reference to their pregnancy) of women after divorce shall also apply to the waiting period of the widow. Thus, the waiting period for a pregnant widow shall be till the time of the birth of the child. This point is substantiated by one of the decisions of the Prophet (pbuh) reported in Bukhari.

That is, after the expiry of the waiting period, the woman may choose to live a life of her choice, while abiding by the noble traditions of the society.

If any man is interested in marrying the widow, he may give a hint of his interest even during the waiting period, but it is not befitting for him to formally propose to the woman during this waiting period nor is it allowed for him to make a secret commitment of marriage with that woman. During this period the woman as well as anyone interested in marrying her should observe the decent and noble custom of the society. It is in this spirit that the Prophet (pbuh) has directed the widows to refrain from using any adornments, embellishments etc.

that is, without copulating with them.

It is quite clear from the succeeding part of the verse as well as from the next verse that the payment of Mehr is the real subject of this directive. It has been suppressed in the opening part of the verse, as it was obvious from the latter part of the directive.

i.e., give them provisions for their livelihood.

The word 'Muhsin' actually means a person who abides by the law, in letter and spirit, in the best of manners. This point has been explained in a narrative ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) as abiding by the law, as if one were watching God.

That is, the woman forgoes to take advantage of this right upon half of the amount settled as Mehr.

This is a reference to the husband, in whose hands is the contract of marriage. This is a reference to the fact that the husband has been granted the right of divorce by the Shari`ah.

That is, the husband, rather than taking advantage of the allowance given by the Shari`ah, remits the whole of the amount settled as Mehr.

That is, the husband.

That is, because the Qur'an has given a comparatively superior position to the husband, therefore, the husband should behave in a manner that is consonant with this position.

The time of the `Asr prayer, falling at almost the end of the day, was a time when the Arabs used to be most involved in their worldly activities. This time of high involvement may be different in different cultural settings. Thus, in a different social setting, the same special care should be given to the prayer which falls at a time of heightened involvement in worldly activities like commerce, trade etc...

This is the end of the third section of this Surah, which had started from verse 163. This section consisted of laws and ordinances. The directive regarding guarding one's prayers at the end of this section is clearly indicative of the true spirit and direction of the whole corpus of Islam as well as of the significance and position of prayers in it. 'Guarding prayers' shall, in turn, help an individual in guarding all the other directives of Islam and in abiding by all the ordinances of God.

Most of the commentators consider this directive regarding the bequest for the widows' maintenance to have been abrogated by the law of inheritance given in Surah Al-Nisaa. However, it seems clear that this directive is independent of the law of inheritance. This directive regarding one year's maintenance of the widow is only an extension of the husband's financial obligation of providing for the wife during his life. This directive ensures the provision of maintenance expenses for the widow for at least one year after her husband's death. The amount bequeathed by the husband under the provisions of this verse should be deducted from the total wealth and property of the husband – as is the case with all other liabilities and bequests – and then the balance remaining after the deduction of all liabilities and bequests, should be divided among the inheritors, according to the provisions of the law of inheritance given in Surah Al-Nisaa.

i.e., with regard to their marriage.

Those who ignore these limits and ordinances shall soon be faced with the retribution of the Powerful King.

Those who respect these limits shall most certainly benefit from the all-encompassing wisdom entailed in the laws of the All-Wise.

The words 'binding upon the righteous' clearly imply that a person who refuses to grant such provisions shall be held accountable for not doing so, in the hereafter.

This, or a similar, verse has been placed in the Qur'an where a directive has later been further clarified. It is clear that the two preceding verses are, in fact, a further clarification of the directives regarding widows and divorced women, which was given some time after the directives entailed in verses 228 – 237 and has been placed at the end of the section to indicate their status of being a clarification of the basic law.

This is a reference to the Philistines' aggression against the Israelites. The Bible says:
So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. And the ark of God was taken. (1Samuel 4: 10 – 11)
Although the Israelites were a large army of almost three hundred thousand men, yet they were badly defeated by the Philistines and fled their cities including Ekron and Gath. There is a clear reference in 1Samuel 7: 3 that a major cause of this defeat was the Israelites' transgressions against God and His ordinances:
Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines."

'Death' over here implies the extreme subservience and downfall of a nation.

That is, God granted them their lost glory once again. 1Samuel 7: 4 – 14 reads as under:
So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone. Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you." They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah. Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. Then the sons of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines." Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried to the LORD for Israel and the LORD answered him. Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were routed before Israel. The men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as below Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

Being witnesses of God's justice on earth, the verse has reminded the Ishmaelites that they too, like the Israelites, are subject to God's special law. According to this law, the nation which holds the position of being a witness of God's justice on earth is granted prosperity, supremacy and dominance over its adversaries, as long as it remains steadfast to God's ordinances; and is subjected to weakness, poverty and even subservience at the hands of its adversaries when it turns its back on God's ordinances. Deuteronomy 28 has clearly referred to this divine law in detail in the following words:
Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you. The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you. The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The LORD will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me. The LORD will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land where you are entering to possess it. The LORD will smite you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew, and they will pursue you until you perish. The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. The LORD shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. Your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. The LORD will smite you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed. The LORD will smite you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart; and you will grope at noon, as the blind man gropes in darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways; but you shall only be oppressed and robbed continually, with none to save you. You shall betroth a wife, but another man will violate her; you shall build a house, but you will not live in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but you will not use its fruit. Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat of it; your donkey shall be torn away from you, and will not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you will have none to save you. Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and yearn for them continually; but there will be nothing you can do. A people whom you do not know shall eat up the produce of your ground and all your labors, and you will never be anything but oppressed and crushed continually. You shall be driven mad by the sight of what you see. The LORD will strike you on the knees and legs with sore boils, from which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. The LORD will bring you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone. You shall become a horror, a proverb, and a taunt among all the people where the LORD drives you. You shall bring out much seed to the field but you will gather in little, for the locust will consume it. You shall plant and cultivate vineyards, but you will neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm will devour them. You shall have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives will drop off. You shall have sons and daughters but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity. The cricket shall possess all your trees and the produce of your ground. The alien who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you will go down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you will be the tail. So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young. Moreover, it shall eat the offspring of your herd and the produce of your ground until you are destroyed, who also leaves you no grain, new wine, or oil, nor the increase of your herd or the young of your flock until they have caused you to perish. It shall besiege you in all your towns until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout your land, and it shall besiege you in all your towns throughout your land which the LORD your God has given you. Then you shall eat the offspring of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you. The man who is refined and very delicate among you shall be hostile toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, so that he will not give even one of them any of the flesh of his children which he will eat, since he has nothing else left, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you in all your towns. The refined and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and refinement, shall be hostile toward the husband she cherishes and toward her son and daughter, and toward her afterbirth which issues from between her legs and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of anything else, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you in your towns. If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses. He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you. Also every sickness and every plague which, not written in the book of this law, the LORD will bring on you until you are destroyed. Then you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, because you did not obey the LORD your God. It shall come about that as the LORD delighted over you to prosper you, and multiply you, so the LORD will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you; and you will be torn from the land where you are entering to possess it. Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, 'Would that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, 'Would that it were morning!' because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see. The LORD will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I spoke to you, 'You will never see it again!' And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.

i.e., if you call Him for help, He'll hear and answer your calls, provided that you honor His laws.

i.e., He is fully aware of all sacrifices that you make in His way. Nothing that you do to win His favor shall go unnoticed.

Any amount spent for the protection, defense, promotion and supremacy of God's words has been given the status of a loan granted to the King and the Sustainer of all that enjoys existence, which is promised to be returned manifolds by the Most Gracious.

i.e., while you spend in the way of your Lord, keep in mind that He it is, Who not only controls your circumstances during the life of this world, but is also to Whom you shall soon be made to return.

In the following verses, details of the resurrection of the Israelites, referred to in verse 243, are given.

This is a reference to the prophet Samuel (pbuh).

Because the Qur'an has referred to this incident for an entirely different purpose, therefore, it has not mentioned that the Israelites' request for the appointment of a king over them was not approved by God, Who discouraged them from such a request, in view of the submission and subjugation to which kings generally subject their nations. The Bible has referred to this request of the Israelites in more details. 1Samuel 8: 4 – 20 reads:
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations." But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. "Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day – in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods – so they are doing to you also. "Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them." So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked of him a king. He said, "This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. "He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. "He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. "He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. "He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. "He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. "He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. "Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day." Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."

i.e., the Philistines.

This directive of fighting was given to allow the Israelites to save themselves, their religion and their wealth from the aggressions of the Philistines.

The Bible has called this king Saul. It seems that Talut – which apparently entails a reference to his extraordinary physical stature – was his appellation, while Saul was his name. The Bible has also referred to Saul's extraordinary physical stature in the following words:
… and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

This objection was raised by some of the mischievous and arrogant leaders of the Israelites.

i.e., His decisions are not restricted by your preferences.

As to who is more deserving of a given responsibility.

Reference is to the Ark of the Covenant, which the Israelites were deprived of by the Philistines.

The Ark was held in great reverence by the Israelites. Its presence was, in a way, symbolic of God's own presence among the Israelites. Thus, its presence in times of national distresses and in times of war was a source of tranquility and peace for the Israelites.

The following details regarding this incident are found in the Bible:
Now therefore, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. Take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you return to Him as a guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go. Watch, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance. Then the men did so, and took two milch cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. They put the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the box with the golden mice and the likenesses of their tumors. And the cows took the straight way in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh. Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark and were glad to see it.

This is a reference to the Israelites' attack against the Philistines. 1Samuel 17: 1 – 3 reads as:
Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines. The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.

It is clear that these people were actually required to completely avoid even tasting the water.

This indicates that those who had failed the test of the river were, in fact, not steadfast in their faith in God.

i.e., the river.

Willingly opting for death in the way of God is only the corollary of one's belief that one's death shall only open one's doors for meeting his Lord.

A similar sentence is reported in the Bible to have been said by Jonathan, Talut's son. 1Samuel 14: 6 reads:
Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, "Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few."

All possible material means of fighting for victory were gathered and made available. Yet, as in all our endeavors, success is not merely the outcome of the best preparations, but is actually the result of God allowing our preparations to not only work in our favor but also to be effective. David (pbuh) is reported to have said the same when he came face to face with Goliath:
Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands."

i.e., Moses (pbuh).

The Qur’an, while mentioning Jesus (pbuh), at some of the instances, has specially mentioned that Jesus (pbuh) was strengthened by the holy spirit. This is because the Israelites ascribed the magnificent miracles of Jesus (pbuh) to Beelzebul, whom they considered to be the leader of the demons. See Matthew 12: 22 – 24.

Though all messengers of God should have been held equally honorable, exalted and revered, yet the followers of each messenger consider his particular messenger to be the most exalted and honored to the extent that he even rejected the other messengers. The verse has pointed out that one of the reasons for the rejection of the Israelites was that they considered that by believing in Muhammad's (pbuh) prophethood, they would be giving the Law revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) the position of being final and supreme and, thereby, would be holding Muhammad (pbuh) as more exalted over Moses (pbuh).

Every person will be so engrossed in saving himself from the dreaded end that he would forget all affinities and friendships.

It will the day of the manifestation of God's justice. No intercession that refutes God's justice shall even be allowed to exist.

i.e., in the ultimate analysis, the rejecters of the Truth only hurt themselves.

Unlike all the false deities, the one true God is not only alive on His own but is also the maintainer of all that exists.

i.e., He is perpetually in a state of complete consciousness.

When there is no one equal to God; when He exists on His own and is not dependent upon anything external to Himself for His existence; when everything besides Him, exists only because He maintains its existence; when no one owns even a part of the heavens and the earth, then who could even dare to intercede for anyone else in His court of justice.

When the past, the present and the future of all people is clearly known to Him and no one can grasp even a part of His knowledge without His will, then on what basis can anyone open his mouth to intercede for someone else, in God's court?

The Arabic word "كرسي" is figuratively used for rule and throne.

i.e., He does not need any support for the preservation and maintenance of the heavens and the earth.

i.e., being fully aware of the sincere believers, He shall never allow evil to lead them astray.

This is a reference to the Divine Law of Guidance. According to this law, when a person truly believes in God and surrenders himself to Him, submits to His directives and puts his trust in Him, He, then, protects him from all forces of evil and deviation from the right path, augments his guidance and leads him to the one true path of enlightenment. On the other hand, if a person refuses to accept the Truth and takes to the path of transgression and arrogance then God, rather than protecting him from evil, allows the forces of evil to take charge of him and to lead him to the all encompassing darkness of disbelief and falsely ascribing partners to God.

This is a reference to the Divine Law of Guidance. When a person puts his trust and faith in God and accepts and surrenders to guidance given by Him, God guides him step by step out of all the depths of darkness to the straight and enlightened path of success and salvation. While if a person takes to avoidance from God's guidance, he is then given in charge of Satan and his progeny, which deprive him of all enlightenment and hope of salvation and guide him to the paths of eternal darkness.

The Talmud, mentions Abraham's interactions with a king, whose name is reported to be Nimrod (see, for instance, Pes. 118a). Because the king was also considered to be a god figure, therefore, the referred dialogue between Abraham (pbuh) and Nimrod that follows is quite conceivable. It is generally believed that his was the first great kingdom after the Flood. The Encyclopedia Judaica writes:
He was also "the first man of might on earth" (Gen. 10:8), i.e., the first to found a great empire after the flood. He is said to have ruled over the famous capitals of southern Mesopotamia, Babylon, Uruk (Erech), and Akkad as well as, apparently, over the great cities of Calah and Nineveh in the land of Assyria. (See: Article on 'Nimrod')

That is, by using my authority as a sovereign king, I can sentence anyone to death and allow anyone to live.

The "Book of Legends" gives a detailed reference to a strikingly similar dialogue between Abraham (pbuh) and Nimrod:
Nimrod asked Abraham: Are you Abraham son of Terah? Abraham: Yes. Nimrod asked: Do you not know that I am Lord of all [the heavenly] works – sun, moon, stars, and planets – and that all men go forth at my pleasure? Now, you – how dare you destroy what I hold in awe? In that instant the Holy One gave Abraham the capacity to argue ingeniously, so that he answered Nimrod: May I, with your permission, say something that will redound to your greatness? Nimrod: Say it. Abraham: It is the way of the world that, from the day the world was created until now, the sun goes forth in the east and sets in the west. Tomorrow, bid the sun to go forth in the west and set in the east, and I shall bear witness for you that you are indeed Lord of the world. More: If you are Lord of the world, surely all hidden things are known to you. If so, tell me now what is in my heart and what I intend to do. The wicked Nimrod stroked his beard in perplexity. Abraham said: Be not perplexed – you are not Lord of the world. You are the son of Cush. If you were Lord of the world, why could you not deliver your own father from death? The truth is, as you did not deliver your father from death, so will you not deliver your own self from death. (Book of Legends, The Deeds of the Fathers: 8, Pg. 32)

The word "ظالم", translated here as 'unjust', refers to those who, rather than being thankful of the blessings that the Merciful has bestowed upon them, consider these blessings to be their birthright and become haughty and arrogant about them. It is only befitting for man to submit himself to the Lord of the universe, but, in contrast, these people consider themselves to be the controllers of all blessings. The Qur'an has clearly stated here that God does not allow guidance to such 'unjust' people.

Most commentators hold this to be a reference to Ezra, while Amin Ahsen Islahi, in his commentary 'Tadabbur-e-Qur'an' considers this to be a reference to Ezekiel. Nevertheless, there seems to be no satisfactory bases to ascribe the stated incident to either of the two personalities. Under the circumstances, it seems difficult to say with any degree of certainty who exactly is the person referred in the stated incident.

The literal translation of the Arabic "وهي خاوية على عروشها"would be 'which had fallen on its roofs'. This presents a picture of a town that had faced destruction after which the roofs of its houses had fallen to the ground while most of the walls were still standing tall. This scene gave the impression that the houses had been turned upside down.

This question is not of the nature of rejection but is an expression of bewilderment and astonishment. Sometimes a person may believe in God's powers and wisdom, yet may not be able to comprehend how could something so big be brought about. Such questions are quite natural to arise if one's faith and belief is based on understanding and reason. When such questions arise in the minds of God's true servants, God, by His special mercy, opens doors of further understanding upon them.

He may decide to save something from the effects of time – as He did with the man's supplies of food and water in the incident – or He may decide to completely annul the effects of time – as was done with the dead donkey in the incident. God's powers are not limited by any of His own physical laws.

This is another example of the fact that God helps and grants strength of faith to those who truly believe in Him. Even to the extent that where His wisdom and knowledge so require, He even grants His selected servants such extraordinary experiences as the one that follows.

Abraham (pbuh) is directed to acquaint the birds with himself so that he can be certain that the same birds have risen after having been cut into pieces. This further educated Abraham (pbuh) that, just like the risen birds, all memory of the present life shall return when people are raised from the dead.

i.e., nothing that He does is without wisdom and He has all the power to do whatever is required by His absolute wisdom.

The phrase 'spending in the way of God' is used in the Qur'an for all such spending which are done for the purpose of serving God's religion and for the general welfare and well being of fellow humans.

Just as sowing a grain results in getting seven hundred grains in return, good deeds in the life of this world, depending upon one's circumstances and sincerity of one's heart, can be rewarded up to seven hundred times in the hereafter.

i.e., according to His all-embracing knowledge, wisdom, mercy and justice.

Their example is like that of a farmer who plants his seeds on a rock covered with earth and yet hopes to get a produce. However, as rain falls on the rock, it removes all earth that had gathered on the rock and leaves it bare of all earth. In a similar fashion, those who spend of their wealth only to be seen by others shall not gain anything out of their spending on the Day when the rain of God’s justice would wash away all earth from their sowing fields and leave these fields barren and bare.

That is, from the produce of the land.

That is, He possesses all the good attributes and is, therefore, praiseworthy.

According to His knowledge, mercy and justice.

That is, whatever vow you may pledge to spend any money in future. Making a vow to do a certain task – whether to give charity or to perform any other act of worship – is not a highly recommended deed. Nevertheless, if one has made a pledge with God, then it is obligatory upon him to fulfill it, except where the particular act that has been vowed is prohibited by the Shari`ah.

According to His perfect wisdom, absolute knowledge, abounding mercy and unerring judgment.

These were the migrants from Mekkah, who had left their home and belongings in the way of God and had not yet found a regular means for their living. These people (generally known as the As’haab al-Suffah) were putting up in the mosque and were dependent upon people’s contributions for even their daily bread.

Riba is a predetermined additional payment demanded by the lender or the seller of an asset from the borrower or the buyer, in return for allowing him a stipulated time to make the payment for the transacted sale.

Those who continue taking Riba even after knowing that it is forbidden by the Almighty are taking to the path of ungratefulness, disloyalty and disobedience towards the Almighty.

According to the Qur’an, taking Riba is, in fact, to unjustly deprive someone of his wealth. After having taken the whole of his lent money back from the borrower, the lender has no right to demand a predetermined increment on his lent amount.

That is, the Islamic state, under the rule of the Prophet (pbuh) shall take severe penal action against them.

Just as the lender does not have a right to ask for more than the value of the amount lent, similarly, the borrower does not have a right to return anything less than the value of the amount lent.

i.e., with respect to its affects in the hereafter.

i.e., the borrower or the debtor.

In contrast to calling witnesses for an incident – like theft, murder or a simple road accident – the parties to a contract have a choice while selecting the persons whom they want to hold as witnesses on the documentation of the contract.

This is particularly because the court room environment may overwhelm women, who were more used to running the household affairs.

It becomes morally binding for those people to make themselves present whenever they are called upon to present their testimony.

The verse entails directives for Muslim individuals to follow when they enter into a loan agreement with other individuals. These directives are meant to safeguard the mutual rights of the parties to that contract and to cater for any potential misunderstandings, which can easily flare the fires of hatred and animosity.

The Prophet himself is always the first believer in what God has revealed to him.

This is indicative of their belief in all the guidance revealed by God to each one of His prophet. This is the foremost quality of this group which consisted of the believers in the last of God’s prophets.

As was made by the Israelites in believing that they were only responsible to believe in the prophets raised from among the Israelites themselves.

This is the supplication of those who have submitted to the call of the messenger and are conscientious of the responsibility that God has placed upon them, as the torch bearers and as God’s witnesses on earth.

This is the supplication of those who have submitted to the call of the messenger and are conscientious of the responsibility that God has placed upon them, as the torch bearers and as God’s witnesses on earth.

This is a parenthetical clause placed within the supplication of the believers, reminding them of the fact that by appointing them as God’s witnesses on earth, God has not put upon them a responsibility that they cannot bear. They are only required to do their best. They will not be held accountable for deeds that are beyond their capacity. In the hereafter, ever man will only get the benefit of and will only be held accountable for his own doings. A person will neither be held accountable for things that are beyond his capacity or authority nor will one person’s faith or action benefit or harm another.

These refer to the stringent laws that were made a part of the Jewish tradition, as a result of their arrogance and haughtiness.

Those rejecters from amongst the Jews who had not only refused to submit to the call of God’s messenger but were so blinded in their hatred and jealousy that all their efforts were targeted towards suppressing God’s message.