An Enlightening Commentary to the Holy Quran - EC_TLHQ_vol_10_sura_21_through_Sura_22_complete

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Explanations 32-33 Section 2: Everything in the universe belongs to Allah ... 34 Commentary, verse 11-13 34-35 -When the Divine chastisement is cast none can escape 35 Commentary, verse 14-15 36 - Efforts for changing fates in Hereafter is of no avail 36 Commentary, verse 16-17 37 - The creation of the world is not aimless 37 Explanations ......................................... 38-39 Commentary, verse 18 40-41 - This world is a collection of Truth and reality 40 Commentary, verses 19-21 42-43 - The commandments of Allah are for our benefit ... 43 Commentary, verse 22 44-45 - Allah is the Lord of the whole world of existence .... 45 Commentary, verse 23 46-47 - People will be questioned of all their affairs..... .... 47 Commentary, verse 24 48-49 - The Qur’an has condemned reliance on majority .... 49 Commentary, verse 25 .......................... ............... .... 50 - No prophet invited to polytheism at all............. .... 50 Commentary, verses 26-27 51-52 - Angels are the honoured servants who act His orders 52 Explanation............................................................ 52-53 Commentary, verse 28 54-55

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- Angels cannot intercede from their own accord ... 55 Commentary, verse 29............................................ .... 56 - Angels never claim deity................................. .... 56 Section 3: Every soul shall taste death.................... .... 57 K' 'j Commentary, verse 30.............................................. 57-60 - Tangible living creatures are made from water .... 60 Commentary, verse 31 ............................................. .... 61 - Mountains are bounties of Allah on the earth .. ... 61 Explanation ........................................................... .... 62 Hi (o Commentary, verse 32............................................. .... 63 - Atmosphere protects the earth against aerolites ... 63 Commentary, verse 33.............................................. 64-65 - The night has also an orbit for itself.......................... 64 Commentary, verses 34-35 .......................................... 66-67 - The main abode of man is not in this world............. 67 Commentary, verse 36 ................................................. 68-69 -The impacts of favour of Allah have covered the world 69 Commentary, verses 37-38 .......................................... 70-72 - Man has been created of haste................................... 70 Commentary, verse 39 ................................................. 73-74 - The Hell Fire will surround the disbelievers............ 73 Commentary, verse 40........................................................ 75 - No one can repel the divine punishment.................... 75 Commentary, verse 41 ........................................................ 76 - All prophets were ridiculed........................................ 76 ■?' • ■ i

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Page Section 4: The Divine Mercy............................................ 77 Commentary, verses 42-43 ........................................ 77-78 S’ - Committing sins causes the wrath of the Beneficent. 78 Commentary, verse 44............................................ .... 79 v:v - Divine blessings sometimes cause pride in Man .... 79 80-81 Commentary, verse 45 -Receptive ears are needed for hearing the Truth ... 80 /X) Commentary, verse 46............................................ .... 82 - When the Divine punishment comes, it is too late ... 82 Commentary, verse 47 ............................................... 83-84 - The entire acts will minutely be reckoned................. 83 Commentary, verses 48-49 .............................................. 85 - The pious fear their Lord in secret............................. 85 b Explanation............................................................... 86 Commentary, verse 50 ............................................... 87-88 - The sanctity of the Qur’an is not deniable................. 87 Section 5: Abraham argues against idolatry.................... 89 Commentary, verses 51-52 ........................................ 89-90 - All the prophets invited people to the Truth............ 89 Commentary.r, verses 53-54............................................... 91 ; ' ■; - With th the past of time sciences develop...................... 91 A few traditions about misguidance....................... 92-93 Commentary, verses 55-56 ........................................ 94-95 - The Creator of man and all beings is worshipped .... 95 Commentary, verse 57................................................ 96-97

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- All beings are often busy glorifying Allah 121 Commentary, verses 80-81 122-123 - Everything is humble before the knowledge of Allah 123 124-125 Commentary, verses 82 125 - The Qur’an says some facts about Solomon 126- 127 Commentary, verses 83-84 127 - Allah accepted Job’s invocation and prayer 127- 130 - A few points about Job (a.s.) 131-133 Commentary, verses 85-86 - Enoch invited people for 365 years but none believed 133 Commentary, verses 87-88 134-135 - Allah delivers the believers of grief 135 Some explanations about the Life of Yunus (a.s.) 135-136 What darkness means here................................. 136 What was Yunus’ leaving the better................... 137 An Instructive lesson 137-139 Commentary, verses 89-90 140-141 - The proper meanings of two words of the verse 141 Commentary, verse 91 .............................................. 142 - Mary was mentioned in the row of prophets ... .. 142 A few points about this verse 143-145 Section 7: The righteous shall inherit the earth...... 146 Commentary, verses 92-94 146-151 - Prosperity requires faith and righteous deeds 150 Commentary, verses 95-97 152-156

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Page - Gog and Magog are also referred to in Al-Kahf 153 Commentary, verses 98-100 157-159 - False gods will be thrown into fire first 157 Commentary, verse 101 160 - Allah will fulfill what He has promised 160 Commentary, verse 102 161-162 - The blessings of Paradise are qualified by verses ... 162 Commentary, verse 103 163-164 .... 163 - Angels of grace will receive the believers ... Commentary, verse 104 165-166 166 - Men will return to life barefooted and naked 167-172 Commentary, verse 105 - The belief in the advent of Mahdi (a.s.) is incumbent 172 A few traditions upon expecting for Mahdi 172-176 Expectation means ‘full prepared’ 176-182 1- Personal self-improvement 178 2- Social succours 178-179 3- The expectants assume no corruption 179-180 Commentary, verse 106 183 - The servant of Allah must create eligibility in them 183 Commentary, verse 107 184-186 - Practicing Islam puts an end to all miseries 185 Commentary, verses 108-109 187-191 - The promise of Hereafter is very nigh to happen ... 189 Commentary, verses 110-111 192-193

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The End of Sura Al-’Anbiya’

. ; Sura Al-Hajj, No. 22 (78 verses)

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- The delay of Divine punishment has two philosophies 193 Commentary, verse 112 194-195 - Allah is the support of the believers 195

t The Feature of Sura Al-Hajj The virtue of reciting the Sura Section 1: The Awful Day of Judgment Commentary, verses 1-2 ;................... Commentary, verse 3 Commentary, verse 4 Commentary, verse 5 Commentary, verses 6-7 Man’s seven stages of life Resurrection of the body What does ‘the worse part of the life’ means? .. Commentary, verses 8-10 Section 2: The Weak in Faith Commentary, verses 11-13 Commentary, verse 14 The occasion of Revelation of verses 15-16 Commentary, verses 15-16

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196 197 198 199-200 201 202 203-205 206-208 208-211 211 212-213 214-217 146 219-223 224-225 226 227-229

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In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

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Introduction Fortunately, by the help of Allah, the gap between books 6 ' / and 9 was filled very soon and now book 7 and book 8 are available for the readers of the commentary of the Qur’an to study. In the introduction of book 3 it was explained that every volume of this series was decided to be compiled rather concisely, containing two parts of the Qur’an in one volume, in order that the series of the rest of the commentarv of the Qur’an could be translated, published and distributed sooner than before. Now, again this volume. No. 10, contains the commentary of the verses of one part of the Qur’an, part 17, because the exegesis of the verses of this pan became fairly more detailed. This case may also happen for a few volumes of -..-.'t later parts of the Qur’an. For obtaining further information about the source and purpose of providing this endeavour and ±at how the reader of it can utilize this commentary best, we may recommend you to study the introduction detailed at the beginning of book No. 1 (part one) which will surely be helpful. _____ .. 5$ As usual, again and again we ask Allah, the Almighty, to this sacred help us, as ever before, and assist us to complete i endeavour successfully. May He (s.w.t.) guide and succour all of us by the light of the Qur’an to pave its Straight Path further and further, for we are always in need of His favours.

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The Scientific and Religious Research Center Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (a.s.) Public Library Sayyid ‘Abbas Sadr-‘Amili The Translator

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Sura Al-’Anbiya’, No. 21

verse 1

(Revealed in Mecca) No. 21 (112 verses in 7 sections)

Section 1

Judgment getting nigh

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Judgment getting nigh and nigh, yet warnings are unheeded - The infidels still doubt about the bonafide of the Apostle (Muhammad) sent unto them with the Reminder (the Qur’an) - People still demanding miracles.

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1. “ Nigh unto mankind has drawn (the day) of their Reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness.” Commentary:

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This Sura begins with a vigorous warning unto all people, a shaking and an awakening warning. It says: “ Nigh unto mankind has drawn (the day) of their Reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness.” The people’s daily action shows that this negligence has occupied their whole entity; else, how is it possible that a mortal believes in the fact that Reckoning is nigh, a reckoning done by an extraordinary exact Performer, and yet he takes all the matters perfunctorily so that he pollutes himself with any kind of vice?

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Sura Al-’Anbiya’, No. 21

verse 1 1

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The purpose of “nigh is the day of Reckoning and Hereafter’ is that the remaining life of this world, in comparison with that which has passed, is a little time, therefore, Resurrection is nigh. It is a relative nearness, in particular that once the Prophet (p.b.u.h.), pointing to his two fingers in one hand, said 1 ->J. that his auspicious advent and the Day of Hereafter were like r those two fingers. There arises a question here that, regarding to the fact that ‘Negligence’ is ‘to be inattentive to something’, and /’i‘rad/ (to M turn away) is an action which is done with attention, then how is it that ‘negligence’ and ‘turning away’ are usually referred to beside each other? The answer to this question is that negligence is of two kinds: 1) The negligence that the person may become aware by a v —< warning. 2) The negligence which is a preparation for desertion. R/ Such a negligent person does not desire to be aware; like a & person who pretends to be asleep and does not open his eyes even when he is called. C’j A

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Sura Al-’Anbiya’, No. 21

verses 2-4

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2. “ Never comes to them a new reminder from their Lord, but they listen to it while they play.” 3. “ Their hearts trifling, and those who did wrong (to themselves) counsel together in secret (saying): ‘Is this (man) other than a human being like yourselves? Will you then go to sorcery while you see (it)?’” 4. “ He said: ‘My Lord knows (every) word (spoken) in the heaven and the earth, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-knowing’.”

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Commentary:

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One of the signs of their turning back from the Truth has V.' ' been pointed out in this verse, where it says: 1 Never comes to them a new reminder from their Lord, but they listen to it while they play.” &L But, if, even for one time, they take it earnestly, the path of their life may change at the same time. ****

Again, for a more emphasis, the verse implies that thenhearts have sunk in vanity and ignorance. The verse says: “ Their hearts trifling, ...”

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At last, the court started its job with the presence of the chiefs of the people. It has also been said that Namriid himself was attending the court. The first question which was asked from Abraham was as follows: “ They said: ‘Are you the man that did this with our gods, O Abraham’?” Abraham answered them in such a way that they felt they were seriously surrounded, so that they could not save themselves from it. Here is Abraham’s response: “ (Abraham) said: ‘Nay, it was done by this, the chief of them! Ask them if they can speak’.” The principals of the job of the specialists of felony indicate that the accused person is the one who has the effects of the crime with him. Here, the ‘effects of the crime’ is with the chief idol. Abraham wanted to say why they went to him, and why did they not accuse the chief god of theirs? He inquired whether they did not think that the chief idol probably had considered that other idols were as its future rival and, therefore, had destroyed them totally. Since this interpretation, from the view point of the commentators, did apparently not adapt to the reality, and in view of the fact that Abraham is a prophet, and an immaculate person never tells a lie, there have been stated different matters upon this Qur’anic sentence. What seems the best of all is that Abraham (a.s.) decisively attributed this action to the great idol, but all references testified to the fact that he did not intended to say it earnestly. He wanted to make the baseless superstitious notions of the idol worshippers manifest to them, He decided to make them understand that those soulless pieces of stone and wood were so feeble that they could not say even

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Sura Al-’Anbiya’, No. 21

verses 61-63

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a sentence in order to ask help from their worshippers, much less they wanted them to solve their problems. In our daily sayings there are many instances similar to this meaning when, in order to nullify the speech of the opposite party and to condemn him, we put his indisputable affairs in front of him in the form of an imperative, declarative, or interrogative sentence, and this is not a lie at all. A lie is something that has not a frame of reference with it. There has been cited a tradition in the book of Kafr narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) who said: “He (Abraham) said this: ‘Nay, it was done by this, the chief of them’ for he intended to improve their thoughts and to tell them the idols could not do such an action.” Then the Imam added: “By Allah, the idols had not done it nor did Abraham tell a lie.”1 However, some commentators also think that probably Abraham (a.s.) uttered this subject in the form of a conditional sentence, implying that if the idols can speak, they have done such an action. Certainly the meaning was not contrary to the actuality, because neither did the idols speak, nor had they done such a job. There is also a tradition close to this very commentary cited in Burhan, Safi, and Nur-uth-Thaqalayn.

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1 Nur-uth-Thaqalayn and Burhan, following of the verse

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verses 64-65

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Sura Al-’Anbiya\ No. 21

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64. “ So they turned to themselves and said: ‘Verily, you yourselves are the unjust’.” 65. “ Then they were made to hang down their heads, (saying:) ‘Very well indeed you know these (idols) do not speak’.”

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Commentary:

Arousing the inner senses, self finding, returning to one’s self, and heeding the natural disposition of people are among J 3 the main aims of the divine prophets (a.s.). Therefore, the words of Abraham (a.s.) moved the idol ■”X worshippers and aroused their sleeping conscience. As a storm __________ _i_____ i___ x -_1- r______ _______ xi_ _ n_______ ____ i which takes the abundant ash from over the flames of fire and makes its brightness clear, Abraham made manifest thenmonotheistic nature from behind the curtains of their bigotry - .•» and ignorance. PA During a short and fleeting time, they awoke from that J deep and death-like sleep and returned to their conscience and nature and told themselves that they were truly unjust to themselves. They were unjust not only to themselves, but also £y. to the society to which they belonged, and also to the holy presence of Allah, the Bestower of the blessings.1 The verse says:

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1 Some commentators have also probabied that the objective meaning of the sentence “So they turned to themselves” is that, as for this saying, they returned one another and blamed themselves.

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verses 64-65

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“ So they turned to themselves and said: ‘Verily, you yourselves are the unjust’.” ® But, the amount of the rust of their ignorance, bigotry and ■fblindly imitation was more than that it could be completely ? wiped out and burnished by the call of this Champion of Monotheism. Alas! That holy spiritual awakening state did not last long, and there appeared an opposition against this monotheistic light from the side of the evil powers, and because of ignorance existed in their dark polluted innate, everything - < returned to its first state. What a beautiful and narrow sense /7 V the Qur’an has, where it says: “ Then they were made to hang down their heads, ...” So, in order to bring an excuse for their deaf and dumb lift gods, they announced: “... (saying:) ‘Very well indeed you know these (idols) do not speak’.” They wanted to say that their idols are always silent and they never break the dignity of silence. The idol worshippers, in fact, wanted to hide the weakness, vileness and abasement of the idols by this hollow excuse.

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verses 66-68

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Sura Al-’Anbiya’, No. 21

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“ (Abraham) said: ‘Do you then worship, besides Allah, that which profits you nothing, neither hurts you?” 67. “ Fie on you and on what you worship besides Allah! Have you then no sense?” 68. “ They said: ‘If you would do aught, burn him, and help your gods’.”

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The godly men generally always pursue their holy aims in whatever condition they may be, and they do not stop even for a while, although their struggles may seem to be fulfilled in different shapes. Along the way of his messengership, at first, Abraham (a.s.) goes toward his own uncle and relatives and invites them unto monotheism and Unity, but when he does not gain any positive result, for the second stage, he hastens to the idols and breaks them all. After that, addressing their innate disposition disposition, he tries to awaken them, and, finally, next to his advice and reprimand, he makes them contemplate. He attacks them using his most violent words, and puts their minds under the frequent logical awakening blames, as the verse says: “ (Abraham) said: ‘Do you then worship, besides Allah, that which profits you nothing, neither hurts you?”

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Sura Al-’Anbiya’, No. 21

verses 66-68

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Again, this teacher of monotheism goes on his own speech further than that, and by striking the whips of scorn upon their painless souls, he said to them: “ Fie on you and on what you worship besides Allah! Have you then no sense?” However, in blaming and scorning them, Abraham did not leave clemency, lest they would become more obstinate. Thus, by the practical and logical reasoning of Abraham, all of the idol worshippers were condemned, but their intense obstinacy and bigotry hindered them to accept the Truth, and that was why they made a very harsh and dangerous decision about Abraham (a.s.). As for the reaction of the crowd, the Qur’an says: “ They said: ‘If you would do aught, burn him, and help your gods’.” Similar to that, they said many vain things about Abraham, and they incited people to revolt against him in a way that, instead of a few loads of wood which could be sufficient to bum several persons, the inhabitants piled thousands of loads of wood over there which made a mountainous heap of wood, and, consequently, an ocean of fire was provided. ****

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Sura Al-’Anbiya’, No. 21

verse 73

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73. “ And We made them leaders guiding (the people) by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, and the establishing prayer, and the giving of alms. and they were worshippers of Us (alone).” Commentary:

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This verse in a general sense refers to the rank of Imamate and Leadership of these great prophets as well as a part of their important and valuable programs. Here, on the whole, six specialties of these qualities are mentioned, to which if we add the specialty of being righteous, which was referred to in the previous verse, they will totally be seven specialties. At first, it says: “ And WeW U.uuv made them leaders ... .. ” This means that, in addition ; to the rank of prophethood and messengership, Allah gave them the rank of Imamate, too. As it was also mentioned before, divine Imamate is the last stage of development course of man which means the absolute leadership of people; whether: material and spiritual, exoteric and esoteric, physical and mental. The difference of prophethood and messengership with Imamate lies in this fact that the divine prophets in the rank of prophethood and messengership only receive the command of Allah and inform people of it in order to convey it to them, and this communication is often accompanied with glad tidings and warning. While in the stage of Imamate, they put these divine programs into action, whether it is done by formation of just

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3. The guidance of prophets is neither from their own accord nor is it by their own personal tastes, but it is guidance by Allah’s command: “... guiding (the people) by Our Command, ...” 4. Ritual prayers and almsgiving (zakat) are two basic principles in all religions, since without prayer and Zakat none reaches the rank of servitude. The verse says: and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, and the establishing prayer, and the giving of alms, and they were worshippers of Us (alone).”

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5. One can comprehend from this verse that religion is not separate from government. “And We made them leaders, guiding (people) by Our Command, ... 95 ****

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