What The Qur'an Is All About Vol.I With Arabic

What
The
Qur’an
Is All About
This is a Volume I
And will be continue to Vol. II
Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi

Compiled and Edited by
Akm Fakhrul Islam
New York, USA
What the Qur’an Is All About Vol. I 2
About the Author
Mawlana Sayyid Abdul A 'La Mawdudi (1903-1979),
one of the chief architects and leaders of the
contemporary Islamic resurgence, was an outstanding
Islamic thinker and writer of his time. He devoted his
entire life to expounding the meaning and message of
Islam, inviting individuals to renew their
commitment to their Creator, and to organising a
movement to establish Islam fully. In this struggle, he
had to pass through all kinds of suffering: between
1948 and 1967, he was put behind bars on four
occasions, spending a total of five years in different
prisons of Pakistan; in 1953, he was also sentenced to
death by a Martial Law Court for writing a
'seditious'pamphlet, this sentence later being
commuted to life imprisonment. In 1941, he founded
Jama'at-e-Islami, of which he remained Amir (chief)
until 1972 and which is one of the most prominent
Islamic Movements of our day. He authored more
than a hundred works on Islam, both scholarly and
popular, and his writings have been translated into
forty languages.
© All Rights Reserved by the Compilator.
What the
Qur’an Is All About Vol. I
by
Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi
Compiled and Edited by
Akm Fakhrul Islam
First Edition: December, 2007
Published by:
Sharif Abdullah Al-Masud Tel: 01712-532-557
Shaker Abdullah Al-Morshed Tel: 01817-510-685
Sadek Abdullah Al-Mujahid Tel: 01818-642-460
Nurul Alam Tel: 01714-088-875
For
Islamic Foundation of North
America (IFNA)
Akm Fakhrul Islam
161 Park Ave # 1
Brooklyn, NY 11205, USA.
Tel: 646-610-3804(Cell)
E-mail: islamakm@yahoo.com
In the words of Qur’an:
Nothing from me,

Except with the help of God Almighty.
Compilation and comparison for

Enrichment
Qur’anul Kareem
Mufti Mohammad Shafi
Meaning of the Holy Qur’an

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Maryland, USA
The Glorious Qur’an

I-877-WHY-ISLAM PUBLICATIONS
New Jersy, USA
The Meaning of the Qur’an

Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi
The Noble Qur’an

Dr. Muhammad Taqiuddin Al-Hilali
Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan
New Delhi, India
Index of the Holy Qur’an

Dr. A. Majeed Ahmed, Lahore, Pakistan
The Encyclopedic
Index of the Qur’an
Syed Muhammad Osama
New Delhi, India
What the Qur’an Is All About vol.I

Contents
Sl. Subjects Page
01.00.00:The Meaning of the Word ‘Qur’an’
01.01.00:What is Qur’an
01.02.00: What are the characteristics
of the Qur’anic text
01.02.01: Gradualness of Revelation
01.02.02:Revealed Status
01.02.03:Status as a miracle
Both in its text and concept
01.02.04:Status as instrument of Worship
01.02.05:Status as God’s own speech
02.00.00: The Prophet (pbuh) Described
the terms of the Qur’an
03.00.00: Allah Revealed the Qur’an
03.01.00: Qur’an revealed gradually
03.02.00: Why the Qur’an
Revealed Gradually?
03.03.00:In which night the
Qur’an was revealed?
03.04.00:The Qur’an was revealed
in the night of Qadar
03.05.00:The bearer of the
Qur’an is Ruhul Kudus
03.06.00:Qur’an was not sent
down to non-Arab Messenger
03.07.00:Neither any Satan nor Jinn never
ever able to brought down the Qur’an
Contents
Sl. Subjects Page
03.08.00:Allah has sent down the Qur’an
with strong protection and guard
03.09.00:Some of the Jinns surprised to
hear the Qur’an from the Prophet
03.10.00:Is the Qur’an a new thing?
03.11.00: Difference between the
Qur’an and the Previous Books
04.00.00: The Revealed
Book is an Arabic Qur’an
04.01.00: Why the Qur’an
Revealed in pure Arabic?
04.02.00:Revealed Qur’an is
the inspiration of Allah
04.02.01:Why was not this Qur’an
sent down to one of the great
man from the two cities?
04.02.02:What a nice answer
to their objections has
been expressed by Allah
04.02.03:The disbelievers say:
This Al-Furqan is a forgery
which this man himself has devised
04.02.04:The disbelievers say
This is nothing but the same old story
04.02.05:The Quraish leaders were making
plots to capture or to slay or to exile
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)
04.03.00:Qur’an Revealed with Truth
05.00.00:Seven of the oft repeated verses
Contents
Sl. Subjects Page
06.00.00:Commanded to recite the Qur’an
06.01.00:During recitation of the Qur’an
seek Allah’s refuge against Satan
06.02.00:Recite the Qur’an
calmly in a measured tone
06.03.00:Recite as much of the Qur’an
as you easily can in Salah
06.04.00:Hearing to the recital
Qur’an attentively
06.05.00:Invisible curtain is placed
between recital Qur’an and
Unbelievers in the Hereafter
06.06.00:Recital of the Qur’an
at the dawn is witnessed
07.00.00:How Prophet prescribed
the definite form of Salat?
07.01.00:Why it is used to recite
Long passages from the Qur’an
during the Morning Prayer?
07.02.00:How to establish Salat
at the prescribed timings?
07.03.00:Timings of refrain from
any Salat and its causes
08.00.00:Do they not ponder on the Qur’an?
09.00.00:Examples in Qur’an a lot
10.00.00:Qur’an Guides to the Straight Path
11.00.00: Man undertook to bear
the trust of the Qur’an
Contents
Sl. Subjects Page
12.00.00:What the disbelievers say about the
Qur’an and Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)
12.01.00:In response of their comments Prophet
Mohammad also ordained to say:
Say to them, ‘I am not a novel Messenger’.
12.02.00:Allah said to Prophet (pbuh)
to tell them ‘If you denied this Qur’an
What would be your end?’
12.03.00: This Qur’an is indeed the Truth
12.04.00: A witness from among the children
of Israil has already borne witness
to the like of this Qur’an
12.05.00:The Quraish said:
If it had been any good to
believe in this Book, they would
not have believed in it before us
13.00.00:They accused the Holy Prophet
of practicing magic
13.01.00:The reason why they accused
the Holy Prophet of practicing magic
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Foreword
By Dr.Muhammad Majibur Rahman, M,M, (Dhaka),
M,O,L,(Lahore), M,A; Ph.D, (Raj). Formerly Professor
and President, Arabic and Islamic Studies Department,
Rajshahi University;
Director: Higher Education Center, New York, USA.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, Who says

in His Holy Qur’an, ‘There has come to you from
Allah a Light and a plain Book’, and peace and
blessings of Allah Sobhanahu Wata A’la be upon the
noblest of the Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet
Mohammad who has said, ‘The best of you is he who
learns the Holy Qur’an and teaches it.’
The Qur’an is sent to all mankind, despite the fact of

its Arabic revelation; and its Prophet, while an Arab,
is a Prophet for all mankind. How, then Book’s
Message be proclaimed to the world? ISNA, ICNA,
Why Islam.Com and many other Dawa groups have
been trying to preach the message of the Book and
distribute the Holy Qur’an to the people all over the
world and also in the USA. But could you imagine
how many people study the complete Qur’an for
getting the Hidaiyah or guideline? Moreover, before
study the complete Qur’an, most of the western
people are very much interested to study on ‘what the
Qur’an is All About’. They are asking about the
identity what’s why and how it is? In consideration of
the demands of the people of the USA and all over
the world Mr. Akm Fakhrul Islam, a young scholar
have been studying and doing research work for the
long time on the Meaning of the Holy Qur’an
(Tafhim al-Qur’an) of Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi in
comparison with the commentators such as
Mohammad Yusuf Ali, Pro. Dr. Ali Ozek, Dr.
Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, Dr. Muhammad
Muhsin Khan, Why Islam.Com and so on.
I praise to Allah subhanahu wa ta a’la for His favor to

this brother Akm Fakhrul Islam in completing this
great work, and praying to Allah to do this
compilation and edition of ‘What the Qur’an is All
About’ in several volumes followed mainly Tafhimul
al-Qur’an of Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi as a sincere
service for his sake and sacrifice, and for the benefit
of all mankind.
It is Allah, Who bestows success, and guides to the

Straight Path.
[Dr. Majibur Rahman]

What The Qur’an Is All About
Volume I
Introduction
ِ‫سمِ الِ الرّ ْحمٰنِ الرّحِْيم‬
ْ ‫ِب‬
In the name of Allah
The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of

(the ‘Alamin) the Universe and Peace and Blessings
of Allah be upon Muhammad, the leader of the
Messengers and guide of the faithful.
Scholars have defined The Holy Qur’an as ‘the words

of Allah Revealed to Muhammad (pbuh), the
recitation of which is form worship’.
Reading and recitation of The Holy Qur’an is an

important form of worship for which a Muslim can
expect reward and benefit in the Hereafter. There was
a definite purpose behind the strong encouragement
given by the Prophet (pbuh) in several authentic
Hadiths for recitation of The Holy Qur’an. That
purpose is clearly stated in The Holy Qur’an itself:
َ‫ِكتَا بٌ أَنزَلْنَا هُ إَِليْ كَ ُمبَارَ كٌ ّليَ ّدبّرُوا آيَاتِ هِ وَلَِيتَذَ ّكر‬

ِ‫ُأوْلُوا اْلأَْلبَاب‬
This is a highly blessed Book, which We have sent
down to you (O Mohammad!), so that these people
may ponder over its verses and the men of
understanding may learn lessons from it. (Surah
Suad, v.38:29)
The Qur’an has been called a blessed Book in the

sense that it is highly useful for all mankind. It gives
the mankind the best guidance to improve and reform
their life; by following it they have only to gain and
nothing to lose.
‫َأفَلَا َيتَ َدبّرُونَ الْ ُقرْآَنَ أَمْ َعلَى قُلُوبٍ َأقْفَالُهَا‬

Have they not pondered over the Qur’an, or are there
locks upon their hearts? (Surah Mohammad, 47:24)
Either these people do not ponder over the Qur’an at

all, or if they try to ponder over it, its teachings and
meaning do not enter their hearts, because they have
put locks on them. As for this: ‘There are such locks
on them as are specially meant for the hearts which
are not susceptible to the truth.’
ِ‫َأفَلَ َيتَدَّبرُو نَ الْ ُقرْآ نَ وَلَوْ كَا نَ مِ نْ عِندِ َغْيرِ اللّ ه‬

‫لفًا َكثِيًا‬
َ ِ‫َلوَجَدُواْ فِيهِ ا ْخت‬
Do they not ponder over the Qur’an? Had it been
from any other than Allah, surely there would have
been many contradictions in it. (Surah An-Nisa,
v.4:82)
The main cause of the wrong attitude of the

hypocrites and the people of weak faith, who had
been warned in the foregoing verses, they had doubts
that the Qur’an was from Allah. They could not
believe that Allah was sending it down to the Holy
Prophet and that the Commandments contained in it
were directly coming from Him. That is why they are
being admonished to consider the Qur’an by giving
close attention to it, and to verify whether their
doubts are genuine and whether it is from Allah or
not. The Qur’an itself bears witness to the truth that it
is from none other than Allah, for none else, however
wise and intelligent he might be, could have gone on
delivering addresses under different circumstances
about variant topics so as to form a connected,
balanced and coherent Book at the end of twenty
three years and that too, without showing any
contradiction whatever from the beginning to the end,
and without there arising any need to revise or make
any change in it.
Many scholars have stated that it is the responsibility

of all the Muslims to learn the Arabic language in
order to understand The Holy Qur’an. Ibn Katheer,
author of the well-known Arabic tafseer, maintained
that it is also the duty of Muslim scholars to make its
meanings known to the people.
No person can afford to be ignorant of The Holy

Qur’an, for it is the constitution revealed by Allah to
regulate and govern human life. It speaks with the
perfect knowledge of the creator about His creation.
It exposes the truth and invites man to the way of
truth. It contains important information about human
destiny and that of the individual. It educates and
raises men to the highest moral, intellectual and
social level when they strive to comprehend it and
apply its teachings to life.
Qur’an is the actual words of Allah not created by

anybody, but revealed by Him through the angel
Gabriel to a human messenger, Muhammad (pbuh)
bin Abdullah, for the benefit of humanity. It is an
eternal miracle given to the final Prophet,
Muhammad (pbuh), as proof of his prophet hood and
a challenge to all succeeding generations. It is of
unique and inimitable quality. Revealed fourteen
centuries ago, it remains today completely intact and
unaltered in its original Arabic form.
What does one discovers when he understands the

meanings of The Holy Qur’an? The answers to this
question can be classified in the following categories:
(1) That he can know his Creator as He has described

Himself.
(2) That he can know the purpose of life on this earth
and what is expected of every person during this
life.
(3) That he becomes aware of the consequences of his
attitudes and his behavior.
(4) How he should relate to all things:
(a) To Allah by worship and obedience,
(b) To his fellow man by justice to all; or by ihsan
(a higher degree); and
(c) To the universe in general by putting those
things under his control to good use.
This divine message was revealed to confirm and

renew the relationship between man and his creator
and to reinstate the sincere and correct worship of the
one true God (Allah), who says:
َ‫َوإِذَا سَأَلَكَ ِعبَادِي َعنّي َفإِنّي َقرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ َد ْعوَة‬

ْ‫ستَجِيبُواْ لِي وَْليُؤْ ِمنُواْ بِي لَعَّلهُم‬
ْ َ‫الدّاعِ ِإذَا دَعَانِ فَ ْلي‬
َ‫َيرْشُدُون‬
And if My servants ask you, O Prophet, concerning
Me, tells them that I am quite near to them. I hear and
answer the prayer of the suppliant, when he calls to
Me. So let them respond to My call and believe in
Me. Convey this to them, O Prophet; perhaps they
may be guided aright. (Surah Al-Baqarah, v.2:186)
Although you cannot see Me nor perceive Me with

your senses, yet you must never imagine that I am far
from you. Nay, I am so near to every servant of Mine
that he can invoke Me and place his request before
Me wherever he is. So much so that I hear and
answer even those requests, which are not expressed
in words but are made only in the innermost heart. As
to the false and impotent gods you have created in
your ignorance and folly, you have to travel to them,
and even then they do not hear and answer you. But
here am I, the Sovereign, the absolute Ruler of the
boundless universe and Possessor of all powers and
authority, so near to hear and answer you that you
need to recommendation of intercession for making
any request anywhere at any time you like. Therefore,
you should free yourselves from the folly of running
from door to door after false gods, and accept My
invitation and turn to Me and trust in Me and submit
to Me and become My servants.
Convey this message (Qur’an) to them, they may

learn this truth from you O Prophet, and adopt the
right attitude, in which lies their own good.
Allah Sobhanahu Wata’ala said to His Prophet to

pray to Him regarding the power which has been
expressed:
‫صص ْدقٍ َوأَ ْخ ِرجْن ِي‬

ِ َ‫وَق ُل رّب ّ َأدْخِلْن ِي مُدْ َخل‬
‫ص ْدقٍ وَاجْعَل لّي مِن لّدُنكَ سُ ْلطَانًا ّنصِيًا‬
ِ َ‫خرَج‬
ْ ‫ُم‬
And pray, ‘Lord, whereto Thou takest me, take me
with truth, and wherefrom Thou takest me out cause
me to go out with truth; and grant me a power from
Thee to help me. (Surah Bani Israil, 17:80)
This prayer clearly shows that the time of Hijrah

(Migration) had come near. That is why Allah has
instructed the Holy Prophet to this effect. You should
follow the truth wherever and in whatever condition
you are. If you migrate from a place, you should
migrate for the sake of the truth, and wherever you
go, you should go for the sake of the truth.
That is why, Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) prayed to

Allah, ‘O my Lord! Either grant me power and
authority or make some government my helper so
that I may use its power to reform the corrupt world.’
This is because power is required to check indecency
and sin and to enforce the law of justice.
[Hadrat Hasan Basri and Hadrat Qatadah have made
the same interpretation of this verse and the great
commentators like Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir have
adopted the same]
This is supported by a Tradition of the Holy prophet:
‘Innallaha Layajha’u Bissultoa-ni ma-la-yajha’u Bil-

Qur’an’.
• Allah eradicates by the power of government

those evils, which are not eradicated by the
teachings of the Qur’an.
This is a clear proof that according to Islam, political
power is also required to introduce reform, for
admonition alone is not enough for this. Besides this,
when Allah Himself has taught this prayer to His
Prophet for the establishment of His Way and
enforcement of His Law, it is not only lawful but
desirable to acquire power and those, who consider
this to be worldly thing, are obviously in the wrong.
What is really ‘worldliness’ is that one should desire
and acquire power for one’s own interest. On the
contrary, the desire of power for the sake of Allah’s
Way to establish the Qur’anic society is not the
worship of the world but the worship of almighty
God.
Akm Fakhrul Islam

161 Park Ave#1
Brooklyn, New York,
NY11205, USA
01.00.00
The Meaning of the Word Qur’an
The Arabic word ‘Qur’an’ is a verbal noun, which
gives the sense of ‘reading and reciting’.
Although it has this general meaning, the word

‘Qur’an’ in the course of time came to be applied to
the Mushaf, the entirety of the revealed text which is
composed of Surahs (chapters) and Ayats(verses), and
which begins with Surah al-Fatiha and ends with
Surah Al-Nas.
Allah has expressed the meaning of the word

‘Qur’an’ :
َ‫ِإنّا أَنزَْلنَاهُ ُقرْآنًا َعرَِبيّا لّعَلّكُمْ تَعْقِلُون‬

We have sent it down as Qur’an in Arabic so that you
(Arabs) may understand it well. (Surah Yusuf, v.12:2)
The Arabic word ‘Qur’an’ means to read is originally

the infinitive form of the verb ‘Qara’a’ when the
infinitive form of a verb in Arabic is used as a name;
it implies that that thing or person possesses the
characteristics in their perfection. This Book has been
named ‘Qur’an’ to indicate that it is means to read by
all and sundry and is to be read often and over and
over again.
01.01.00
What is Qur’an
The Holy Qur’an is a Book of Guidance, which is
itself a miracle. It is a ‘Book of Guidance’ because it
was sent to direct mankind along the path of
happiness and salvation, and it is a miracle in fact,
the greatest of all the miracles because it was
vouchsafed as a revelation to the blessed Prophet of
Islam. (The Glorious Qur’an).
Qur’an is a Book, which only confirms, restates, and

completes those divine instructions which people
mutilated or lost in antiquity.(Towards understanding
Islam, P.95).
‫وَمَا كَا نَ هَ صذَا الْ ُقرْآ نُ أَن يُفَْترَى مِن دُو نِ اللّ ِه‬
ِ‫وَلَصكِن تَ صْدِيقَ الّذِي بَيْ نَ يَ َديْ هِ َوتَفْ صِيلَ الْ ِكتَا ب‬
َ‫لَ َريْبَ فِيهِ مِن رّبّ الْعَالَمِي‬
And this Qur'an is such that it could not be composed
by any unless it be revealed from Allah. It is a
confirmation of the revelation made before it and a
detailed exposition of the Book. *45 Beyond doubt it
is from the Lord of the universe. (Surah Yunus,
v.10:37).
45 The Qur’an is that Book, which explains in detail

and amplifies the fundamental principles and
teachings contained in it, that is, the Scriptures
brought by the former Prophets, and adds a more
evidence and explanations to it so that it may be
better understood and practiced. (Tafhimul Qur’an)
The Qur’an contains Allah’s guidance for all

mankind in its original form and language,
unchanged and undistorted. It restates in clear and
unambiguous language the message of Allah, which
the followers of earlier Prophets have lost. The
message of the Qur’an is valid for all times and
climes. (Islam Beliefs and Teachings: Professor
Ghulam Sarwar, London, P.30).
In other place Allah said:
‫ش ُر‬
ّ َ‫﴾ إِنّ هَصذَا الْقُرْآ نَ ِيهْدِي لِّلتِي هِ يَ َأ ْقوَ مُ َويُب‬9﴿
‫الْ ُمؤْ ِمنِيَ الّذِي نَ يَعْمَلُو نَ ال صّالِحَاتِ أَنّ َلهُ مْ َأ ْجرًا‬
‫﴾ وأَنّ الّذِي نَ لَ ُيؤْمِنُو نَ بِال ِخرَةِ أَ ْعتَدْنَا‬10﴿ ‫َكبِيًا‬
‫َلهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا‬
(9) Indeed the Qur’an shows that way which is

perfectly straight: To those who believe in it and do
good deeds, it (the Qur’an) gives the good news that
there is a great reward for them (10) And to those
who do not believe in the Hereafter, it(the Qur’an)
gives the warning that a painful torment has been
made ready for them. (Surah Bani Isra’il, v.17:9-10).
This means to warn those persons or people or

nations who do not take a lesson from the
admonitions of the Qur’an to be ready to undergo that
chastisement which Israelites had to suffer.
01.02.00
What are the characteristics
of the Qur’anic text
The Holy Qur’anic text is distinguished by the
following characteristics:
01.02.01:Gradualness of revelation,
01.02.02: Revealed status,
01.02.03: Status as a miracle, both in its text
and concepts,
01.02.04: Status as an instrument of worship, and
01.02.05: Status as God’s own speech.
01.02.01
Gradualness of revelation
The Holy Qur’an was revealed gradually, over a 23
years period, reflects the human need for gradual,
progressive education and guidance. To grow
accustomed to something radically new, and then to
adopt it, requires a good deal of time and energy, both
for habituation and reflection. More than anything, a
new religion should give people time to grow used to
its injunctions and norms. Thus the Holy Qur’an
gradually revealed.
01.02.02
Revealed status
The Holy Qur’an is a revelation from Heaven, cast by
the Archangel Zibrail (Alaihis Salam) in the heart of
Muhammad (pbuh). It is hence the word of God
(Allah), not of man. The Blessed Prophet received it
as revelation, and he, in turn, recited it to his people
without the least addition or subtraction. Every word
and letter is hence from Allah.
01.02.03
Status as a miracle,
Both in its text and concepts
Both the words and the concepts of The Holy Qur’an

are miraculous.
A miracle:
In Islam, a miracle is defined as an event, which
cannot be emulated by man.
Difference between the Qur’an and

Literatures produced by human beings:
In all the specific features of the Holy Qur’an:
(a) Its revelation;
(b) Its recitation;
(c) Its writing;
(d) Its preservation;
(e) Its scientific arrangement;
(f) Style of addressing issues;
(g) Furnishing of information about the Hereafter;
(h) And the necessary of the facts it brings to
mankind;
It differs from the works of literature, which are
produced by human minds.
The ancient Arabs used to call a

(a) Poetic anthology a diwan;
(b) Whose parts were termed gasida;
(c) Its lines bayt; and
(d) Its rhyme gafiya.
The Holy Qur’an:
(a) But the Book sent from Allah to His Messenger is
called The Holy Qur’an;
(b) Its parts are called Surah;
(c) Its verses Ayah; and
(d) The ends of its Ayahs, Fasila.
Text of the Human literatures:

Human literary productions are either in poetry or
prose.
Text of the Holy Qur’an:

(a) The Holy Qur’an, however, is in neither of these
genres i.e. no poetry or prose.
(b) Neither can it be termed music;
(c) Although it possesses a system of tonality and
rhythm that is aesthetically superb;
(d) It’s being of Divine authorship.
[See details in the book ‘Why the Qur’an Strongest

and most Powerful Book’ compi8led by us the same
compilator of this book]
01.02.04
Status as an
Instrument of worship
The Holy Qur’an is the Book, the recitation of which
is itself an act of worship. In addition to its liturgical
use in the Salat (Salah) that is the indispensable five
times a day worship of the Muslims, it is recited
independently as a devotional act. To teach it, to learn
it, to hear it; even to look at its writing, is an act of
worship. As the Salah i.e. five times pray is a duty
upon every Muslim, male and female, and reciting
passages from The Holy Qur’an is an indispensable
part of the Salah, it is necessary for every Muslim to
learn and be able to recite at least a few verses of the
Book (Qur’an). And this must be done in the Arabic
of the original Revelation.
01.02.05
Status as God’s own speech
The Holy Qur’an is the eternally pre-existent Speech
of the Great Almighty Allah. The text, and its
constituent verses, which we recite with our tongues,
listen to with our ears, write with our hands, look at
with our eyes, and touch with our fingers, is a
manifestation of God’s pre-existent Speech in this
material world.
Source of The Holy Qur’an:

The source of The Holy Qur’an is called al-Lawh al-
Mahfuz that is the ‘Well preserved Tablet’.
Bayt al-‘Izza or the ‘Adobe of Glory’:

The first stage in its manifestation took place when
Allah revealed it collectively or inzal to the
metaphysical location known as Bayt al-‘Izza or the
‘Adobe of Glory’.
Tanzil:
From there it was revealed to our Prophet
Mohammad (Peace be upon him and blessings)
through Hadrat Zibrail (Peace be upon him)
individually, and the process of revelation known as
Tanzil.
Qur’an:
Words revealed by Allah literally to His prophet
Mohammad (peace be upon him and blessings) are
thus called Qur’an.
Hadith Qudsi (‘Scared Tradition’):

And are distinguished from words revealed in
meaning only, not in literal form, which are called
Hadith Qudsi (‘Scared Tradition’).
Hadith Nabawi (‘Prophetic Tradition’):

Words, acts and affirmations proceeding from the
Blessed Prophet are called Hadith Nabawi [Prophetic
Tradition]
02.00.00
The Prophet (pbuh) described
The terms of the Qur’an
The Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be blessings
and peace) described the Holy Qur’an in the
following terms:
“The Holy Qur’an is the Book of God. It contains the
story of those who lived before you, news of those
who will come after you, and a Law which judges
between you. It is definitive: it is not a test. God will
destroy whoever abandons it because of a tyrant, and
whoever seeks guidance apart from it will be caused
to stray by Him. It is God’s strong rope. It is the Wise
Reminder. It is the Straight Path. It is that which
caprice cannot divert, and tongues cannot pervert.
The scholars are never sated of it. It does not wear
thin following much repetition. Its marvels are
unceasing. It is the Book concerning which the Jinns
said, when they heard it:
ّ‫صمَعَ نَ َفرٌ مّنَص الْجِن‬

َ‫﴾ ُقلْ أُوحِيَصإِلَيّ أَنّهُص اس ْت‬72:1﴿
‫جبًا‬
َ َ‫فَقَالُوا ِإنّا سَمِ ْعنَا ُقرْآنًا ع‬
O Prophet, say: It has been revealed to me that a
company of the jinn listened, *1 then (returning to
their folks) they said, "We have indeed heard a
wonderful Qur'an *2 [Surah Al-Jinn, 72:1]
‫شرِكَ ِب َربّنَا أَحَدًا‬

ْ ّ‫َيهْدِي إِلَى الرّشْدِ فَآ َمنّا بِهِ وَلَن ن‬
Which guides to the right way, so we have believed
in it, and now we shall never associate a anyone with
our Lord." *3[Surah Al-Jinn, v.72:2]
Whoever speaks with it is given to speak the truth.
Whoever summons to it guides men to a Straight
Path.”[Prof: Dr. Ali Ozek, Istanbul]
03.00.00
Allah Revealed the Qur’an
Allah says:
ِ‫إِنّا أَنزَْلنَاهُ فِي َليْلَةِ الْقَدْر‬

We have sent down this (Qur'an) in the Night of
Glory. *1 [Surah Al-Qadar, v.97:1)
The words in the original are anzalna-hu means ‘We

Ourselves have sent it down.’ But although there is
no mention of the Qur’an before it, the Qur’an is
implied, for ‘sending down’ by 'itself' points out that
the Qur’an is meant. And there are numerous
instances of this in the Qur’an that if from the
context, or the style, the antecedent of a pronoun is
apparent, the pronoun is used even if the antecedent
has not been mentioned anywhere before or after it.
It has been expressed in the Surah An-Najm, v.53:10
‫﴾ فََأ ْوحَى إِلَى َعبْدِهِ مَا َأوْحَى‬53:10﴿

Then he revealed to the servant of Allah whatever he
had to reveal.(Surah An-Najm, v.53:10)
The sentence ‘fa auha ila ‘abd-i-hi ma auha’

Of the Text might have two translations:
(1) He revealed to His (Allah’s) servant

whatever he revealed; and
(2) He (Allah) revealed to His own servant whatever
He revealed.
According to the first translation, the meaning would

be: ‘Hadrat Gabriel revealed to the servant of Allah
whatever he had to reveal’; and according to the
second translation: ‘Allah revealed through Gabriel
to His servant whatever He had to reveal.’ The
commentators have given both these meanings; the
first meaning, however, fits in better with the context,
and the same has been reported from Hadrat Hasan
Basri and Ibn Zaid.
Here, the question may be asked: ‘how can the

pronoun of ‘abd-i-hi’ turn to Allah instead of to the
subject of ‘auha’, whereas Allah has nowhere been
mentioned from the beginning of the Surah to this
place?’ The answer is that wherever it becomes
apparent from the context that the antecedent of a
pronoun refers to a particular person, the pronoun
turns to him automatically whether it has been
mentioned before or not. There are several instances
of this available in the Qur’an itself. Allah says:
ِ‫﴾ إِنّا أَنزَْلنَاهُ فِي َليْلَةِ الْقَدْر‬97:1﴿

We have sent it down in the Night of Glory. (In Surah
Al-Qadr, v.97:1)
There is no mention of the Qur’an in this sentence,

but the context explicitly shows that the antecedent of
the pronoun is the Qur’an. At another place Allah
says:
• If Allah were to seize the people because of their

misdeeds, He would not leave any creature
(unpunished) on its back.
‘In this sentence there is no mention of the earth

anywhere, but the context clearly shows that ‘its
back’ implies ‘the earth’s back.’
The Qur’an says:
ُ‫﴾ وَمَا عَلّ ْمنَاهُ الشّ ْعرَ وَمَا يَنبَغِي َله‬36:69﴿

We have not taught him poetry, nor does poetry
behoove him. (In Surah Yasin, v.36:69)
Here, there is no mention of the Holy Prophet, neither

before this sentence nor after it, yet the context is
explicit that the antecedent of the pronouns is the
Holy Prophet himself. The Qur’an says:
ٍ‫﴾ ُكلّ َمنْ عََلْيهَا فَان‬55:26﴿

Whatever exists on it shall perish. (In Surah Ar-
Rahman, v. 55:26)
There is no mention of the earth either before or after

it, but the style clearly shows that the pronoun of
‘alaiha’ turns to it. The Qur’an says:
‫﴾ ِإنّا أَنشَ ْأنَا ُهنّ إِنشَاء‬56:35﴿

We shall have created them especially. (In Surah Al-
Waqi’ah, v.56:35)
The pronoun in Arabic is in the feminine gender, but

lest grosser ideas of Adultery should intrude, it is
made clear that these companions for heavenly
society will be of special creation-of virginal purity,
grace, and beauty inspiring and inspired by love, with
the question of time and age eliminated. Thus every
person Among the Righteous will have the Bliss of
Heaven and the peace of Allah.
[The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an: ‘Abdullah Yusuf
‘Ali, Amana Publications, Maryland, USA]
There is no noun or pronoun before or after it to

which the pronoun of ‘hunna’ may be referring. It is
apparent from the context that it signifies the women
of Paradise.
Thus, as auha-ila ‘abd-i-hi cannot at all mean that

Hadrat Gabriel revealed to his servant, the meaning
necessarily would be that ‘Gabriel revealed to the
servant of Allah’, or that ‘Allah revealed to His own
servant through Gabriel.’
Here, it has been said: ‘We have sent down the

Qur’an in the night of Destiny’, and:
﴿2:185﴾ ُ‫َش ْهرُ رَ َمضَانَ الّ ِذيَ أُن ِزلَ فِيهِ الْ ُقرْآن‬
Ramadan is the month in which the Qur’an was sent
down. (Surah Al-Baqarah, v.2:185)
This shows that the night in which the Angel of God

had brought down revelation for the first time to the
Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah’s peace) in the
Cave of Hira, was a night of the month of Ramadan.
This night has been described as Lailatul Qadr here
and as Lailat-im-mubarakah in Surah Ad-Dukhan,
v.44:3
َ‫﴾ إِنّا أَنزَْلنَاهُ فِي َليْلَةٍ ّمبَارَكَةٍ ِإنّا ُكنّا مُنذِرِين‬44:3﴿

We have sent it down in a highly blessed night, for
We intended to warn the people. *1(44:3)
03.01.00
Qur’an Revealed Gradually
Allah says in the Qur’an:
‫ص عَلَى‬
ِ ‫ص عَلَى النّاس‬
ُ ‫ص ِلتَقْ َرأَه‬
ُ ‫﴾ َوقُرْآنا َفرَ ْقنَاه‬17:106﴿
ً‫مُ ْكثٍ َونَزّْلنَاهُ تَنِيل‬
And We have sent down this Qur’an piecemeal so
that you may recite it to the people gradually piece by
piece, and We have sent it down by gradual
Revelations (to suit particular occasions). (Surah
Bani Israil, v. 17:106)
This is an answer to this objection: ‘Why has not

Allah sent down His Message as a whole? Why is
He sending it piecemeal? Has Allah any need to think
deliberately what to send down? The answer of their
objection has been given like:
‫﴾ َوإِذَا بَدّلْنَا آيَةً مّكَا نَ آيَةٍ وَاللّ هُ أَعْلَ مُ بِمَا‬16:101﴿

َ‫ُيَنزّلُ قَالُواْ ِإنّمَا أَنتَ مُ ْفَترٍ َبلْ أَكَْثرُهُمْ لَ يَعْلَمُون‬
And when We send down one verse to elaborate upon
the other-and Allah knows best what to send down-
they say, "You forge this Qur'an yourself. " *102 The
fact is that most of them do not know the reality.
(Surah An-Nahl, v.16:101)
*102 This May also mean, ‘To send down one
Commandment to elaborate upon the other, for the
Commandments were sent down piecemeal in The
Holy Qur’an.’ The Holy Qur’an has added details of
one theme and explained the same with different
kinds of illustrations at different places. Likewise it
has related a story in different words at different
places and presented its different aspects and details
at other places. It has put forward one argument at
one place to prove a theme and another at another
place to prove the same theme. It has related one
theme concisely at one place and in detail at the
other. That is what the disbelievers of Makkah put
forward as proof that Muhammad (pbuh) forged The
Holy Qur’an himself. They argued like this: Had The
Holy Qur’an been the Word of Allah it would have
related in full one thing at one place, for Allah’s
knowledge is not defective that He should have to
think out gradually the details of a theme and to give
different versions to explain the same thing. In
contrast to this, the knowledge of a human being is
defective. A man has to think out gradually as has
been done in the case of The Holy Qur’an, which is a
clear, proof that you have forged it, yourself.
In the next verse Allah says:
ّ‫﴾ ُقلْ نَزّلَ هُ رُو حُ الْقُدُ سِ مِن ّربّ كَ بِالْحَق‬16:102﴿

َ‫سلِمِي‬
ْ ُ‫شرَى لِلْم‬
ْ ُ‫ِلُيثَبّتَ الّذِينَ آ َمنُواْ وَهُدًى َوب‬
(102) Tell them (O Prophet!), ‘The Holy Spirit has
brought it down piecemeal 103 intact from my Lord
(a) so that He may make firm the faith of those who
have believed, 104 (b) and to show the Right
Way,105 (c) and to give good news to those who
surrender themselves to Allah.106 (Surah An-Nahl,
v.16:102)
This May also mean, ‘To send down one

Commandment to elaborate upon the other, for the
Commandments were sent down piecemeal in The
Holy Qur’an.’ The Holy Qur’an has added details of
one theme and explained the same with different
kinds of illustrations at different places. Likewise it
has related a story in different words at different
places and presented its different aspects and details
at other places. It has put forward one argument at
one place to prove a theme and another at another
place to prove the same theme. It has related one
theme concisely at one place and in detail at the
other. That is what the disbelievers of Makkah put
forward as proof that Muhammad (pbuh) forged The
Holy Qur’an himself. They argued like this: Had The
Holy Qur’an been the Word of Allah it would have
related in full one thing at one place, for Allah’s
knowledge is not defective that He should have to
think out gradually the details of a theme and to give
different versions to explain the same thing. In
contrast to this, the knowledge of a human being is
defective. A man has to think out gradually as has
been done in the case of The Holy Qur’an, which is a
clear, proof that you have forged it, yourself.
Here mentioned ‘The Holy Spirit’ i.e. Hadrat Gabriel

(Alai-hissalam); instead of using the name of the
Angel who brought Revelations; his title has been
deliberately mentioned to warn the disbelievers that
the ‘Holy Spirit’ who brought Revelation, is free
from human frailties. He is neither dishonest that he
should add something to or take away so0mething
from the message he brought, nor is he a liar and
forger that he should invent and state something in
the name of Allah. Nor does he suffer from any
human lust that he should practice a deceit. He is
wholly pure and holy and conveys the Word of Allah
intact.
Allah says:
‫حنُ نَزّْلنَا عََليْكَ الْ ُقرْآنَ تَنِيلًا‬

ْ َ‫﴾ ِإنّا ن‬76:23﴿
O Prophet, it is We Our self Who have sent down this
Qur’an piecemeal to you.27 (Surah Ad-Dahr,
v.76:23)
Though the addressee here apparently is the holy

Prophet (pbuh), the discourse is directed to the
disbelievers, who said ‘Mohammad (pbuh) himself
composes the Qur’an deliberately piece by piece; had
it been from Allah, it would be revealed all at once.
At some places on the Qur’an this objection has been
cited and answered as mentioned above. Here Allah
has answered it without citing it, saying
emphatically: ‘It is We Our self who is sending it
down: it is not the composition of Mohammad: and it
is We Our self Who is sending it gradually. That is, it
is the requirement of Our wisdom that We should not
send down Our Message all together in book form,
but should send it piece by piece.’
03.02.00
Why the Qur’an
Revealed Gradually?
The Qur’an says:
ّ‫﴾ ُقلْ نَزّلَ هُ رُو حُ الْقُدُ سِ مِن ّربّ كَ بِالْحَق‬16:102﴿

َ‫سلِمِي‬
ْ ُ‫شرَى لِلْم‬
ْ ُ‫ِلُيثَبّتَ الّذِينَ آ َمنُواْ وَهُدًى َوب‬
Tell them (O Prophet!), ‘The Holy Spirit has brought
it down piecemeal intact from my Lord (a) so that He
may make firm the faith of those who have believed,
(b) and to show the Right Way, (c) and to give good
news to those who surrender themselves to Allah.
(Surah An-Nahl, v.16:102)
(a) The first reason:
‘li-u-sabbitallajiina a-manu’ : It means
‘So that He may make firm the
Faith of those who have believed.’
Allah sent down His Message piecemeal does not
mean that Allah’s knowledge and wisdom are
defective as you consider because of your folly. Allah
sends His Revelations gradually because:
(1) Human intelligence and capacity to grasp are
limited and defective, which do not let him
understand the whole theme at one and the same
time, make it firm in his mind.
(2) Therefore, Allah in His wisdom conveyed His
Revelation piecemeal through the Holy Spirit.
(3) He sends a theme gradually; and
(4) Gives its’ details by and by uses different methods
and ways;
(5) He make it plain to human beings; so that:
(6) They might grasp it according to their abilities and
capabilities and become firm in their faith and
knowledge.
(b) The Second reason:

‘Ohu-dao’: It means
So that it could show the Right Way
to those who completely surrendered to
Allah Or Hidayah to the surrendered Muslims.
The second practical wisdom of sending down the
Qur’an piecemeal was that those Believers, who
obediently followed it, should get necessary
instructions for the propagation of Islam and the
solution of other problems of life at the time when
they were actually needed. It is obvious that if those
instructions had been sent down before time and at
one and the same time they would not have been
useful.
(c) The third reason:

‘Obushra-Lil muslimiin’: It means,
And to give good news to those
who surrender themselves to Allah.
The practical wisdom of not sending down the
Qur’an as a whole at one and the same time was to
give good tidings and encouragement to the obedient
servants who were suffering from persecution and
encountering great obstacles because they needed it
over and over again. That is why they were assured
of ultimate success time and again to fill them with
hope to carry on their mission.
(d) The Fourth reason:

Arguments of the disbelievers:
‫﴾ َوقَالَ الّذِينَص كَ َفرُوا َلوْلَا ُن ّزلَ عََليْهِص الْ ُقرْآنُص‬25:32﴿

ً‫جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَة‬
The disbelievers say, ‘Why has not the entire Qur'an
been sent down to this man all at once?’ *44 (Surah
Al-Furqan, v.25:32)
44 As the disbelievers of Makkah considered this

objection to be very strong, they repeated it over and
over again. The Qur’an also has cited it with its
answer at several places of the Qur’an. Their question
implied: ‘Had the Qur’an been really the Word of
Allah, it would have been sent as a complete book all
at once; for Allah has the knowledge of everything
and every human affair. Thus it is obvious that
nothing is being sent down from above; but this man
himself fabricates all its themes or gets these from
other people or other books.’
In response Allah says:
‫كَذَلِكَ ِلنَُثبّتَ بِهِ ُفؤَادَكَ وَ َرتّ ْلنَاهُ تَ ْرتِيلًا‬

Well, this has been done to impress it deeply on
your(O Prophet!) mind, and (for the same object) We
have sent it down piecemeal by decrees. (Surah Al-
Furqan, v.25:32)
َ‫كَذَلِكَ ِلنَُثبّتَ بِهِ ُفؤَادَك‬

It means: ‘This has been done to impress it deeply on
your mind’.
Another translation can be:

So that by it We may strengthen your heart and imbue
it with courage.
The words are comprehensive and imply both

meanings. This concise sentence contains the
following explanation why the Qur’an was revealed
piecemeal by decrees:
(1) So that the Holy Prophet may commit it to
memory perfectly and recite it to his people, who
are illiterate, rather than present it in a written
form.
(2) So that it may leave a deep impression on the
minds due to the teachings and messages of the
Qur’an.
(3) So that the way of life it teaches, may be followed
with complete conviction, which would not be
possible if all the commandments and the whole
system of life had been sent down all at once.
(4) So that during the conflict between the

Truth and falsehood the hearts of the prophet and
his followers may be imbued with courage. This
required that the Divine Guidance and messages
of encouragement should be revealed as and when
needed according to the practical situation.
Obviously, this could not have been possible if
these had been sent down all at once. This also
showed that Allah had not left His Messenger
alone admits persecution to counter all sorts of
resistance and opposition after appointing him to
the mission, but He Himself was watching the
struggle with concern and guiding His Prophet
through every difficulty by direct communion in
every critical situation.
(e) The Fifth reason:
‫﴾ وَلَا يَ ْأتُونَك صَ بِ َمَثلٍ إِلّا ِجئْنَاك صَ بِالْحَقّص‬25:33﴿

‫سنَ تَفْسِيًا‬ َ ْ‫َوأَح‬
And (there is another wisdom in this : whenever they
brought to you an odd thing (or a strange question),
We sent its right answer to you in time and explained
it all in the best manner, *46 (Surah Al-Furqan,
v.25:33)
This is yet another point of wisdom of sending down

the Qur’an by decrees. Allah did not intend to
produce a book on ‘Guidance’ and spread its
teachings through the agency of His prophet. Had it
been so the disbelievers would have been justified in
their objection as to why the Qur’an had not been
sent down as a complete book all at once? The real
object of the revelation of the Qur’an was that Allah
intended to start a movement of faith, piety and
righteousness to combat disbelief, ignorance and sin,
and he had raised a Prophet to lead and guide the
Movement.
Then, on the one hand: Allah had taken it upon

Himself to send necessary instructions and guidance
to the leader and his followers as and when needed.
And on the other hand: he had also taken the

responsibility to answer the objections and remove
the doubts of opponents and give the right
interpretation of things, which they misunderstood.
Thus the Qur’an was the collection of the different
discourses that were being revealed by Allah; it was
not merely meant to be a code of laws or of moral
principles, but a Book, which was being sent down
piecemeal to guide the Movement in all its stages to
suit its requirements on different occasions.
03.03.00
In which night the
Qur’an was revealed?
Allah said:
‫﴾ حم‬1﴿
ِ‫﴾ وَالْ ِكتَابِ الْ ُمبِي‬2﴿
َ‫﴾ ِإنّا أَنزَْلنَاهُ فِي َليْلَةٍ ّمبَارَ َكةٍ ِإنّا ُكنّا مُنذِرِين‬3﴿
ٍ‫﴾ فِيهَا يُ ْف َرقُ ُكلّ أَ ْمرٍ حَكِيم‬4﴿
(1) Ha-Mim. (2) By this lucid Book, (3) We have sent
it down in a highly blessed night, for We intended to
warn the people. (4) This was a night in which, every
matter is decided wisely by Our Command. (Surah
Dukhan, v.44:1-4)
Allah Sworn: ‘By this lucid Book; We have sent it

down in a highly blessed night, for We intended to
warn the people.’ Here what has been sworn by is
that Mohammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace and
blessings) is not the author of this Qur’an but ‘We’
(Allah), and this Book by itself is enough to provide a
proof of this. Furthermore, it has been said that the
night in which it was sent down was full of blessings.
That is, the foolish and ignorant people, who have no
idea of their own well-being or otherwise, regard the
revelation of this Book as a disaster for themselves
and are deeply anxious as how to get rid of it. But, as
a matter of fact, the Hour when ‘We’ decided to send
down this Book(Qur’an) to arouse the heedless, was
highly blessed for them and for all mankind.
Some commentators have expressed the opinion that

the meaning of sending down The Holy Qur’an in
that night is that its revelation began during that
night, and some others think that the whole of The
Holy Qur’an was transferred from ‘Umm-al kitab’
and entrusted to the bearers of Revelation (angels),
and then revealed to the Holy Prophet and when
required and demanded by the accession and
circumstances during 23 years. As to what actually
happened Allah alone has the best knowledge.
The night implies the same night, which has been

called lailat-ul qadr in Surah Al-Qadr (97). There it
has been said, ‘We sent it down in a Night of Glory,’
and here, ‘We sent it down in a blessed Night.’ Then
The Holy Qur’an itself has told that it was a night of
the month of Ramadan (Al-Baqarah, v.185).
The word ‘amrin hakim’ as used in the Text has two

meanings:
(a) That the Command is wholly based on wisdom,
there is no likelihood of any error or weakness in
it; and
(b) That it is a firm and stable decision: it lies in no
one’s power to change it.
The Qur’an says:

ّ‫تََن ّزلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرّو حُ فِيهَا ِبِإذْ نِ َربّهِم مّ ن ُكل‬

ٍ‫أَ ْمر‬
The angels and the Spirit 3 (Angel Gabriel) descend
in it with every decree, by the leave of their Lord.4
(Surah Al-Qadar, v.97:4)
This shows that it is such a Night in the Divine

administration of Allah in which He decides the
destinies of the individuals and nations and countries
and entrusts His decisions to His angels, who then
implement them accordingly. Some commentators
among whom Hadrat ‘Ikrimah is the most prominent,
have been involved in the misunderstanding that this
is the 15th night of Sha’ban, for in some traditions it
has been said that the destinies of people are decided
during that night. But Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar,
Mujahid, Qatadah, Hasan Basri, Sa’d bin Jubair, Ibn
Zaid, Abu Malik, Dahhak and many other
commentators are agreed that this is the same night of
Ramadan, which has been called ‘lailat-ul-qadr,’ for
The Holy Qur’an itself has stated this, and where any
Qur’anic statement exists, no other view can be
formed on the basis of random reports.
Ibn Kathir says, ‘The traditions that Imam Zuhri has

related from ‘Uthman bin Muhammad that destinies
are decided from one Sha’ban to the next Sha’ban is
an indirect tradition and such traditions cannot be
cited as against the clear texts of The Holy Qur’an.’
Qazi Abu Bakr Ibn al ‘Arabi says, ‘No Hadith in

respect of the 15th of Sha’ban is reliable, either in
respect of its merit, or about this that decisions with
regard to the destinies are taken I it, therefore, ‘they
do not merit attention.’[Ahkam-ul-Qur’an]
03.04.00
The Qur’an was revealed
in the night of Qadar
The Qur’an says:
‫﴾ وَمَا َأدْرَا كَ مَا َليْلَ ُة‬2﴿ ِ‫﴾ ِإنّا أَنزَْلنَا هُ فِي َليْلَةِ الْقَدْر‬1﴿
ُ‫﴾ تََن ّزل‬4﴿ ٍ‫ص َش ْهر‬ِ ‫ص أَلْف‬ ْ ‫﴾ َليْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ َخيْرٌ مّن‬3﴿ِ‫الْقَدْر‬
ْ‫الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرّوحُ فِيهَا ِبإِذْنِ َربّهِم مّن ُكلّ أَم‬
ِ‫جر‬
ْ َ‫﴾ سَلَامٌ هِيَ َحتّى َمطْلَعِ الْف‬5﴿ٍ
(1) We have sent down this (Qur’an) in the Night of

Glory. (2) And what do you know what the Night of
Glory is? (3) The Night of Glory is better than a
thousand months. (4) The angels and the Sprit
descend in it with every decree, by the permission of
their Lord. (5) That Night is peace, until the rising of
the dawn. (Surah Al-Qadar, v.97:1-5)
Allah said,We have sent down

the Qur’an in the Night of Glory:
The words in the original are ‘anzalna-hu’ means ‘We
Ourselves have sent it down’. But although there is
no mention of the word ‘Qur’an’ before it, the Qur’an
is implied, for ‘sending down’ by it points out that the
Qur’an is meant. And there are numerous instances of
this in the Qur’an that if from the context, or the
style, the antecedent of a pronoun is apparent, the
pronoun is used even if the antecedent has not been
mentioned anywhere before or after it. (For further
details see E.N. of Surah An-Najm, The Meaning of
the Qur’an : S.A.A.Mawdudi))
Here, it has been said: ‘We have sent down the

Qur’an in the night of destiny’, and in Surah Al-
Baqarah, v.2:185, ‘Ramadan is the month in which
the Qur’an was sent down.’ This shows that the night
in which the angel of God had brought down
revelation for the first time to the Holy Prophet (upon
whom be Allah’s peace and blessings) in the Cave of
Hira, was a night of the month of Ramadan. This
night has been described as ‘Lailat-ul-Qadar’ here
and as ‘Lailat-im-mubarakah’ in Surah Ad-Dukhan,
v.44:3.
What does it mean to send

down the Qur’an in Qadar Night?
There can be two meanings of sending down the
Qur’an in this night:
(1) That in this night the entire Qur’an was entrusted
to the bearers (angels) of Revelation, and then
Gabriel (peace be on him) continued to reveal its
verses and Surahs, from time to time, to the Holy
Prophet (upon whom be Allah’s peace and
blessings) during 23 years as the occasion and
conditions demanded. This meaning has been
given by Hadrat Ibn ‘Abbas. Ibn Jarir, Ibn Al-
Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Hakim, Ibn Marduyah,
Baihaqi.
(2) That the revelation of the Qur’an began in this
night. This is Imam Sha’bi’s view, although from
him too the other view also is related, which is the
view of Ibn ‘Abbas as cited above-(Ibn Jarir).
Anyhow, in both cases, the meaning is the same that

the revelation of the Qur’an to the Holy prophet
(upon whom be Allah’s peace and blessings) began in
this very night, and this was the night in which the
five opening verses of Surah Al-‘Alaq were revealed.
The fact, however, is that Allah did not compose the
verses of the Surahs of the Qur’an right at the time
guidance was needed by the Holy Prophet for his
message of Islam in respect of an occasion or affair.
But even before the creation of the universe, in the
very beginning, Allah had a full plan:
(a) Of the creation of mankind on the earth;
(b) Of raising the Prophets in it;
(c) Of sending down the Books to the Prophets;
(d) Of raising the Holy Prophet Mohammad (upon
whom be Allah’s peace and blessings) at the end
of the line of the Prophets; and
(e) Of sending down the Qur’an to him.
In the night of destiny only the execution of the final

phase of the plan (sending down the Qur’an) began.
No wonder if at that very time the entire Qur’an was
entrusted to the bearers of Revelation.
Some commentators have interpreted Qadar to mean

destiny (taqdir), i.e. it is the night in which Allah
entrusts the decrees of destiny to the angels to be
enforced. This is supported by verse 44:3 of Surah
Ad-Dukhan where Allah said:
َ‫﴾ إِنّا أَنزَْلنَاهُ فِي َليْلَةٍ ّمبَارَكَةٍ ِإنّا ُكنّا مُنذِرِين‬44:3﴿

(44:3) We have sent it down in a highly blessed night,
for We intended to warn the people. *1
Here Allah says: This is a night in which Our

Command decides every matter wisely.
On the contrary, Imam Zuhri says that Qadar means

glory and honor, thereby implying that it is a Night of
Destiny. This meaning is supported by the words
‘Lailat-ul-Qadar is better than a thousand months’ of
this Surah itself.
As for the question as to which night it was, it is

disputed and there are as many as 40 different views
on this subject. However, a great majority of scholars
hold the opinion that one of the odd nights of the last
ten nights of the month of Ramadan is Lailat-ul-
Qadar, and among these also most scholars think that
it is the 27th night. Below we give the authentic
Hadiths which have been reported in this connection:
According to Hadrat Abu Hurairah, the Holy Prophet

(upon whom be Allah’s peace and blessings) said, in
connection with Lailat-ul-Qadar, that it is the 27th
night. [Abu Da’ud Tayalisi]
According to another tradition from Hadrat Abu

Hurairah, it is the last night of Ramadan. [Musnad
Ahmad]
When Zirr bin Hubaish asked Hadrat Ubayy bin Ka’b

about Lailat-ul-Qadar, he stated on oath, and did not
make any exception, that it is the 27th night.
[Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Da’ud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’I, Ibn
Hibban]
When Hadrat Abu Zarr was asked about it, he said:

Hadrat ‘Umar, Hadrat Hudhaifah and many other
Companions of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be
Allah’s peace and blessings) had no doubt that it is
the 27th night. [Ibn Abi Shaibah]
Hadrat ‘Ubadah bin as-Samit says that the Holy

Prophet (upon whom be Allah’s peace and blessings)
said: Lailat-ul-Qadar is one of the odd nights of the
last ten nights of Ramadan: 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th,
or the last night.’
Hadrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas says that the Holy

Prophet (upon whom be Allah’s peace and blessings)
said: ‘Search for it among the last ten nights of
Ramadan when there are still nine days in the month,
or seven days, or five days.’ [Bukhari]
Most of the scholars have understood it to mean that
by this the Holy Prophet meant the odd nights.
Hadrat Abu Bakr said: ‘When nine days remain in the

month, or seven days, or five days, or three days, or
the last night.’ What he meant was that Lailat-ul-
Qadar should be sought among these dates. [Tirmidi,
Nasa’I]
According to Hadrat ‘A’isha, the Holy Prophet (upon

whom be Allah’s peace and blessings) said: ‘Search
for Lailat-ul-Qadar among the odd nights of the last
ten nights of Ramadan. [Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad,
Tirmidhi]
Hadrat ‘A’ishah and Hadrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar

have also reported that the Holy Prophet (upon whom
be Allah’s peace and blessings) observed I’tiqaf
(seclusion in the mosque) during the last ten nights of
Ramadan every year during his lifetime. [Bukhari,
Muslim, Ahmad, Tirmidhi]
On the basis of the traditions related in this regard on

the authority of a great Companions like Hadrat
Mu’awiyah, Hadrat Ibn ‘Umar, Hadrat Ibn ‘Abbas
and others, a large number of the earliest scholars
regard the 27th of Ramadan as Lailat-ul-Qadar.
Probably Allah and His Messenger have not specified
any one night for the reason so that the people, in
their zeal to benefit from the virtues of Lailat-ul-
Qadar, should spend more and more nights in
worship and devotion and should not remain content
with only one night.
Here the question arises that when it is night at

Makkah, it is day in a large part of the world,
therefore, the people of those parts can never take
advantage of Lailat-ul-Qadar.
The answer is that the world night in Arabic is mostly

used for the combination of the day and night.
Therefore, the night proceeding the day on any one of
these dates of Ramadan can be Lailat-ul-Qadar for
that part of the world.
The Night of Glory is better

than a thousand months :
The Commentators in general have understood this to
mean that the good acts performed in this Night are
superior in value to the good acts of a thousand
months in which Lialat-ul-Qadar is not included.
There is no doubt that this is in itself correct and the
Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah’s peace and
blessings) has described great Excellencies and virtue
of the good acts and devotions of this Night.
According to a tradition related in Bukhari and

Muslim, on the authority of Hadrat Abu Hurairah, the
Holy Prophet said: The one who remained standing in
worship in the state of belief and for the state of
rewards from Allah during Lailat-ul-Qadar, would
have all his previous sins forgiven.
And in Musnad Ahmad, there is a tradition from

Hadrat ‘Ubadah bin as-Samit, saying that the Holy
Prophet said: Lailat-ul-Qadar is among the last ten
nights of Ramadan. The one who stood up in worship
in order to take advantage of their rewards, Allah will
forgive all the former and latter sins.
But, the verse does not say: To act righteously in

Lailat-ul-Qadar is better than acting righteously in a
thousand months, but it says: Lailat-ul-Qadar is better
than a thousand months. And ‘a thousand months’
also does not imply 83 years and 4 months exactly,
but a very long period of time as ‘a thousand’ denoted
among the Arabs. Therefore, the verse means that in
this one night a task was accomplished for the
welfare of mankind the like of which had not been
accomplished even during an indefinitely long period
of history.
03.05.00
The bearer of the
Qur’an is Ruhul Kudus
Allah said to His Prophet:
‫جْبرِيلَ َفإِنّ هُ َنزّلَ هُ عَلَى‬

ِ ّ‫﴾ ُقلْ مَن كَا نَ عَ ُدوّا ل‬2:97﴿
‫ْنص يَ َديْه ِص وَهُدًى‬
َ ‫ُصصدّقا لّمَا َبي‬ َ ‫ّهص م‬ِ ‫قَ ْلبِك َص ِبإِذْن ِص الل‬
َ‫شرَى ِللْ ُمؤْمِنِي‬ْ ُ‫َوب‬
Say to them, "Whoever is enemy to Gabriel, *100
should understand that he has, by Allah's command,
revealed to your heart the Qur'an *101 which confirms
what was revealed before it, *102 and brings Guidance
and glad tidings *103 to the Believers. (Surah Al-
Baqarah, v.2:97)
In the next verse:

ِ‫ُسصِله‬
ُ ‫ِهص وَر‬
ِ ‫ّهص وَمَلئِ َكت‬ ِ ‫َانص عَ ُدوّا لّل‬
َ ‫﴾ مَصن ك‬2:98﴿
َ‫وَ ِجْبرِيلَ وَمِيكَالَ فَإِنّ الّلهَ عَ ُدوّ لّلْكَافِرِين‬
(If their enmity to Gabriel is due to this, let them
understand that) whoever is enemy to Allah, His
Angels, His Messengers, Gabriel and Michael, Allah
is enemy to such disbelievers." (Surah Al-Baqarah,
v.2:98)
Whoever is enemy to Gabriel:
The Jews not only reviled Mohammad (upon whom
be Allah’s peace and blessings) and the believers, but
also spoke abusively of Gabriel, the chosen Divine
Messenger. They said, ‘He is our enemy: He is not an
angel of blessings but of affliction.’
Revealed to your heart the Qur’an:

It means, as Gabriel revealed the Qur’an to
Mohammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace and
blessings) by Allah’s Command, so by abusing
Gabriel they actually abused Allah.
This confirms what was revealed before it:

It means, ‘You abuse Gabriel for no other reason than
that he has brought down the Qur’an, whereas the
Qur’an confirms the teachings of the Torah; so, in a
way, you abuse the Torah as well.
It brings Guidance and

Glad tidings to the Believers:
It means, in the preceding verses, the Jews have been
warned of the consequences of their attitude towards
the Qur’an and the mission of the Holy Prophet
(upon whom be Allah’s peace and blessings). In this
part of the verse, they have been admonished to
consider the matter from another point of view. As
the Qur’an shows the way to right guidance and
brings good tidings to the believers, it is sheer folly to
oppose it and reject it. Thus they harm none but
themselves by depriving themselves of the true
success, which follows its acceptance.
It has been expressed that:
ِ‫﴾ َويَ سْأَلُونَكَ عَ نِ الرّو حِ ُقلِ الرّو حُ مِ نْ أَمْر‬17:85﴿

ً‫َربّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مّن الْعِلْمِ إِلّ قَلِيل‬
(O Prophet!) They (the disbelievers) ask you about
‘The Spirit’. Say, ‘This Spirit comes by the
Command of my Lord, but you have been given only
a little of the ‘Knowledge’. (Surah Bani Isra’il,
v.17:85)
It is generally understood that the Arabic word ‘Ruh’

stands here for ‘soul’ as if the people asked the Holy
Prophet about the soul of man in regard to its nature,
and the answer was that it came by the Command of
Allah. But have great hesitation in accepting this
meaning for it could be taken only if the verse be
isolated from its context: otherwise these words
would become quite incoherent for there is no reason
why the question about the ‘soul’ should have
intervened between the preceding three verses and
following verses which deal with the theme of the
Qur’an.
If we read the verse in its context, it becomes quite

obvious that here the word ‘Ruh’ (The Spirit) stands
for the angel who brings Revelation. This was in
answer to the question of the mushriks, ‘Where from
do you bring the Qur’an?’ as if to say, O Mohammad!
These people ask you about ‘The Spirit’, that is, the
source of the Qur’an or the means of acquiring it’, so
tell them, ‘This Spirit comes to me by the Command
of my Lord but your knowledge is so little that you
cannot distinguish between the nature of human
words and the Divinely revealed words. That is why
you suspect that this has been fabricated by some
man.’
The above interpretation is to be preferred, because it

fits in excellently between the preceding and the
succeeding verses. This is also supported by the
Qur’an itself:
ْ‫﴾ َرفِيعُ الدّرَجَاتِ ذُو الْ َعرْشِ يُلْقِي الرّوحَ مِن‬40:15﴿

ِ‫أَ ْمرِهِ َعلَى مَن يَشَاء ِمنْ ِعبَادِهِ ِليُنذِرَ َيوْمَ التّلَاق‬
He sends down by His Command ‘The Spirit’ to any
of His servants; He wills so that they should warn the
people of the Day, when they shall be assembled
together. (Surah Mu’min, v.40:15). And Likewise:
‫﴾ وَكَذَلِ كَ َأوْ َحْينَا إَِليْ كَ رُوحًا مّ نْ أَ ْمرِنَا مَا‬42:52﴿

ُ‫كُن تَ تَدْرِي مَا الْ ِكتَا بُ وَلَا اْلِإيَا نُ وَلَكِن جَعَ ْلنَا ه‬
‫نُورًا ّنهْدِي بِ هِ مَ نْ نّشَاء مِ نْ ِعبَا ِدنَا وَِإنّ كَ َلَتهْدِي‬
ٍ‫ستَقِيم‬
ْ ّ‫صرَاطٍ م‬
ِ ‫إِلَى‬
(42:52) He is the Exalted, the All-Wise. *82 Even so
We have, (O Muhammad), revealed a Spirit to you by
Our Command. *83 You did not know at all what was
the Book and what Was the Faith, *84 but We made
that Spirit a light by which We show the way to any
of Our servants We will. You are indeed guiding to
the Right Way. (Surah Ash-Shura, v.42:52).
Besides this, Ibn ‘Abbas, Qatadah and Hasan Basri

(may Allah bestow His mercy upon them all) have
also adopted the same interpretation. Ibn Jarir has
attributed the same thing to Ibn ‘Abbas on the
authority of Qatadah, but at the same time he tells a
strange thing that Ibn ‘Abbas stated this thing only in
secret.
Again the author of Ruh-ul-Ma’ani cites these words

of Hasan and Qatadah: ‘By Ruh is meant Jibril; the
question was about the nature of his coming down
and inspiring the heart of the Holy Prophet with
Revelation.’
03.06.00
Qur’an was not sent
down to non-Arab Messenger
Allah says:
ُ‫﴾ فَ َق َرأَ ه‬199﴿َ‫جمِي‬

َ ْ‫﴾ وََلوْ َنزّلْنَا هُ َعلَى بَعْ ضِ الْأَع‬198﴿
َ‫عََلْيهِم مّا كَانُوا بِهِ ُمؤْمِنِي‬
(198) (But they are obdurate to the extent) that even
if We (Allah) had sent it down to some non-Arab,
(199) and he had recited this (discourse in lucid
Arabic) before them, they would still not have
believed in it. (Surah Ash-Shu’arah, v.26:198-199)
‘When a man from among themselves (the Arabs) is

reciting to them this Divine Revelation in lucid
Arabic, they say that he himself has composed it, and
therefore it cannot be from Allah. But if Allah had
sent down the same Revelation in eloquent Arabic to
a non-Arab as a miracle, and he had recited it before
them in perfect Arabic accent, they would have
invented some other excuse for not believing in him.
They would have said that he is under the power and
influence of a Jinn, who speaks Arabic through a
non-Arab.’
As a matter of fact, a lover of the truth considers the

thing presented before him coolly and forms an
opinion about it after due thought. But an obdurate
person who is unwilling to believe, pays no attention
to it at all, but instead seeks all sorts of excuse to
reject it, and will, in any case, invent an excuse for
his denial. This obduracy of the unbelieving Quraish
has been exposed over and over again in the Qur’an,
and they have clearly told that even if a miracle were
shown to them, they would certainly have found an
excuse to deny it because they are not inclined to
believe:
Allah said:
‫﴾ وََلوْ َنزّلْنَا عََليْ كَ ِكتَابًا فِي ِقرْطَا سٍ فَلَمَ سُو ُه‬6:7﴿

ٌ‫حر‬
ْ ِ‫بَِأيْدِيهِ مْ لَقَالَ الّذِي نَ كَ َفرُواْ إِ نْ هَ صذَا إِلّ س‬
ٌ‫ّمبِي‬
O Messenger, even if We had sent down to you a
Book written on paper, and even if they had touched
it with their own hands, the disbelievers would have
said, ‘This is nothing but manifest sorcery’. (Surah
Al-An’am, v.6:7).
And
‫﴾ وََلوْ فَتَحْنَا عََليْهِم بَابًا مّ نَ ال سّمَاء َفظَلّواْ فِي ِه‬14﴿

ُ‫﴾ لَقَالُواْ إِنّمَا سُ ّكرَتْ َأبْ صَا ُرنَا َبلْ نَحْ ن‬15﴿َ‫يَ ْعرُجُو ن‬
َ‫َقوْمٌ مّسْحُورُون‬
(14) Even if We had opened a gate for them in
heaven, and they had begun to ascend through it, (15)
They would have said, ‘Our eyes have been dazzled,
nay, we have been bewitched’. (Surah Al-Hijr,
v.15:14-15)
03.07.00
Neither any Satan nor Jinn
never ever able to brought
down the Qur’an
Allah said:
ْ‫﴾ وَمَا يَنبَغِي َلهُ م‬211﴿ُ‫شيَاطِي‬ ّ ‫﴾ وَمَا َتنَزّلَ تْ بِ هِ ال‬210﴿

َ‫﴾ إِّنهُمْ َعنِ السّمْعِ لَمَ ْعزُولُون‬212﴿ َ‫سَتطِيعُون‬ ْ َ‫وَمَا ي‬
(210) No Satan had not brought down this (Lucid
Book); (211) nor does this work behoove them, nor
are they able to do it. (212) They have indeed been
kept out of its hearing. (Surah Ash-Shu’arah,
v.26:210-212)
No Satan had not brought

Down this (Lucid Book):
After the positive aspect as stated in vv. 192-193, it
has been mentioned there that the Lord of the worlds
has revealed this Book. The trustworthy Spirit has
come down with it. The negative aspect is being
stated here that Satans have not brought down the
Qur’an as the enemies of the Truth allege. The
unbelieving Quraish in their campaign to spread lies
and slander against the Holy Prophet were facing a
real difficulty. They did not know how to account for
the wonderful discourses which were being presented
before the people in the form of the Qur’an and
which were moving their hearts deeply. They could
not stop the Qur’an from reaching the people. The
only thing they could do to counteract its effect and
influence was to create doubts and suspicions about it
in their minds and hearts. Therefore, in their
desperation they charged that Mohammad (upon
whom be Allah’s peace and blessings) was a sorcerer,
who was being inspired by the Satans, and they
considered this charge of theirs to be the most
effective because it could neither be easily verified
nor refuted.
Nor does this work

(Revelation of the Qur’an)
Behoove them (Satan):
It means these revelations and themes do not at all
suit the Satans. Any person who has a little common
sense can well understand that:
(a) The Satans cannot inspire the sublime discourses
being presented in the Qur’an.
(b) Never has it happened that the Satans might have
taught the people through the sorcerers to worship
God and scare Him; or
(c) Forbidden them from shirk and idol-worship; or
(d) Warned them of the accountability of the
hereafter; or
(e) Prohibited them from tyranny and sexual and
moral evils, and exhorted them instead of act
righteously and do well to others.
(f) Such works cannot behoove the Satans.
Their only pastime:

(1) Can be to sow the seeds of discord among the
people; and
(2) To arouse them to mischief and vice.
(3) The common observation is that:
(a) People visit the sorcerers to find out whether
they will succeed in their love affairs or not;
(b) What move would suit them in gambling,
(c) What trick and stratagem would be helpful
against the enemy; or
(d) Who had stolen the camel of so and so?
Apart from such affairs and problems, the sorcerers

and their patron-saints cannot be expected to worry
themselves about matters like reforming the people,
teaching them morals and cleansing their lives of vice
and evil.
Nor are they (Satan) able

To do it (reveal the Qur’an):
Even if the Satans wanted they could not impart
Truth and Goodness to the people like a true teacher
and reformer as the Qur’an does. Even if to deceive
the people, they came out under the guise of a
benefactor, their work would not be free from
blemishes, which would betray their ignorance and
their hidden satanic nature. Similarly the life and the
teachings of a person who poses to be a religious
guide, under the influence and inspiration of Satans,
would inevitably reflect the wickedness of intention
and design. Thus the Satans can neither inspire others
with pity and goodness, nor can those, who have any
relation with the Satans, become pious and righteous
themselves. Then in hidden to its high and noble
teachings, the Qur’an is a lucid and eloquent Book,
which contains the knowledge of Reality. That is why
it has over and over again put forward the challenge
that human beings and Jinns would never be able to
produce a book like Qur’an even if they collaborated
with all their energies and capacities.
‫﴾ قُل ّلئِ نِ ا ْجتَمَعَ تِ الِن سُ وَالْجِنّ عَلَى أَن‬17:88﴿

َ‫يَ ْأتُواْ بِ ِمثْلِ هَصذَا الْ ُقرْآ نِ لَ يَ ْأتُو نَ بِمِثْلِ هِ وََلوْ كَا ن‬
‫ضهُمْ ِلبَ ْعضٍ َظهِيًا‬ ُ ‫بَ ْع‬
(O Prophet) declare this, ‘Even if human beings and
Jinns should cooperate with one another to bring
forth a book like the Qur’an, they will never be able
to bring anything like it, even though all of them help
one another.’ (Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:88)
‫ِهص‬
ِ ‫َاهص ُقلْ فَ ْأتُواْ بِسصُورَةٍ ّمثْل‬
ُ ‫ُونص افَْتر‬
َ ‫َمص يَقُول‬
ْ ‫﴾ أ‬10:38﴿
‫ُمص‬
ْ ‫ّهص إِن كُنت‬ ِ ‫ُونص الل‬
ِ ‫اسصتَطَ ْعتُم مّنص د‬ ْ ‫َنص‬ِ ‫وَادْعُواْ م‬
َ‫صَادِقِي‬
Tell them: if what you say be true, then produce one
Surah like this, and you may call to your assistance
anyone you can other than Allah. (Surah Yunus,
10:38)
The Satans have indeed

been kept out of its hearing:
Not to speak of interfering with the revelation of the
Qur’an, the Satans are not even given a chance to
hear the Qur’an any moment from the time Angel
Gabriel receives it from Allah till he reveals it to the
heart of Holy Prophet. They are so kept out of its
hearing that they cannot get any hint as to its words
and contents so as to tell their friends that the Holy
Prophet was going to give such and such a message
to his followers, or that his address would contain
such and such a thing that day.
03.08.00
Allah has sent down
The Qur’an with strong
Protection and guard
It has been expressed the conversation of the Jinn in
the Surah Al-Jinn, v.72:8-9
‫سنَا ال سّمَاء َفوَجَ ْدنَاهَا مُِلئَ تْ َحرَ سًا‬ْ َ‫﴾ َوأَنّا لَم‬72:8﴿
َ‫﴾ َوَأنّاص ُكنّاصنَقْعُدُ ِمنْهَا مَقَاعِد‬72:9﴿ ‫شَدِيدًا وَ ُشهُبًا‬
‫ستَمِعِ الْآنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ ِشهَابًا رّصَدًا‬
ْ َ‫لِلسّ ْمعِ فَمَن ي‬
(8) And that: ‘We searched the heavens and found it
filled with guards and shooting stars.’ (9) And that:
‘before this we used to find a seat in heaven for
eavesdropping, but now if some one tries to
eavesdrop, he finds a shooting-star lying in ambush
for him.’
This is the reason why these Jinn were now out

searching as to what particularly had happened, or
was going to happen on the earth, which had
necessitated strict security measures against
eavesdropping so that they were driven away from
wherever they tried to eavesdrop in any way.
‫﴾ إِلّ ا‬27﴿ ‫﴾ عَالِ مُ الْ َغيْ بِ فَلَا يُ ْظ ِهرُ عَلَى َغْيبِ هِ أَحَدًا‬26﴿
ِ‫مَ نِ ا ْرَتضَى مِن رّ سُولٍ َفإِنّ هُ يَ سْلُكُ مِن َبيْ نِ يَ َديْ ه‬
ِ‫﴾ ِليَعْلَمَ أَن قَدْ َأبْلَغُوا رِسَالَات‬28﴿ ‫وَ ِمنْ خَلْ ِفهِ رَصَدًا‬
‫َربّهِمْ َوأَحَاطَ بِمَا لَ َدْيهِمْ َوأَ ْحصَى ُكلّ شَيْءٍ عَ َددًا‬
(26) He alone is the knower of the unseen; He does
not reveal His secrets to anyone; (27) except to the
Messenger whom He may choose (for the purpose).
Then He appoints before him and behind him guards
that He may know that they have truly delivered the
messages of their Lord; (28) and He encompasses all
their surroundings and keeps a count of each and
every thing. (Surah Al-Jinn, v.72:26-28)
Allah alone is the knower of the unseen:

It means, the knowledge of the unseen wholly rests
with Allah. He does not give the whole of this
knowledge to anyone.
Allah does not reveal His secrets to anyone;

Except to the Messenger whom He may choose:
It means the Messenger by himself is no knower of
the unseen, but when Allah chooses him to perform
the mission of Prophet hood, He grants him the
knowledge of those of the unseen truths, which He is
pleased to grant.
Then Allah appoints before

Him and behind him Guards:
It means when Allah sends down the knowledge of
the unseen realities to the Messenger by revelation,
He appoints angels on every side to safeguard it so
that the knowledge reaches the Messenger in a safe
condition, free from every kind of adulteration. This
is the same thing which has been expressed in
vv.72:8-9 of this Surah as mentioned above. After the
appointment of the Holy Messenger the Jinn found
that all the doors to the heavens had been closed, and
they noticed that strict security measures had been
adopted because of which no room had been left for
them to eavesdrop.
Allah may know that they have

truly Delivered the messages of their Lord:
This can have three meanings:
(1) That the Messenger may know that the angels
have delivered the messages of Allah to him
precisely and accurately;
(2) That Allah may know that the angels have
conveyed the messages of their Lord to His
Messenger precisely and accurately; and
(3) That Allah may know that the Messenger has
conveyed the Messages of his Lord to His
servants precisely and accurately.
The words of the verse are comprehensive and may

passively imply all the three meanings. Besides, the
verse also points out two other things:
(1) That the Messenger is given that knowledge of the
unseen, which is necessary for him to perform his
mission of Prophet hood;
(2) That the angels keep watch that the Revelation
reaches the Messenger safely and also that the
Messenger conveys the messages of his Lord to
His servants precisely and accurately.
Allah encompasses all their surroundings

and keeps a count of each and every thing:
It means Allah’s power so encompasses the
Messenger as well as the angels that if they swerve
even a little from His will, they can be detected
immediately. Moreover, a complete record has been
kept of each letter of the messages sent down by
Allah. The Messengers and the angels cannot dare
add or subtract even a letter from them.

ِ ِ‫﴾ ِإنّا َزّينّا السّمَاء الدّْنيَا بِزِينَةٍ الْكَوَاك‬6﴿

‫ب‬
َ‫﴾ لَا يَ سّمّعُون‬8﴿ ٍ‫﴾ وَحِفْظًا مّ ن ُكلّ َشْيطَا نٍ مّا ِرد‬7﴿
ٍ‫إِلَى الْمََلإِ الَْأعْلَى َويُقْ َذفُونَ مِن ُكلّ جَانِب‬
‫ص‬
ْ ‫﴾ إِلّا مَن‬10﴿ ٌ‫صب‬ ِ ‫ص وَاص‬ ٌ ‫ص َعذَاب‬ ْ ‫﴾ دُحُورًا وََلهُم‬9﴿
ٌ‫خطْفَةَ فََأْتبَعَهُ ِشهَابٌ ثَاقِب‬َ ْ‫َخطِفَ ال‬
(6) We have adorned the lower heaven with the

adornment of the stars; (7) and have secured it
against every rebel Satan. (8) These Satan cannot
hear the words of the exalted ones; they are darted at
and driven off from every side; (9) and for them there
is a perpetual torment. (10) However, if some one
snatches away something, a flashing flame follows
him. (Surah As-Saffat, v.37:6-10)
We have secured the lower

Heaven against every rebel Satan:
Heaven is not merely empty space so that anyone
who likes may enter it, but it has been fortified
strongly, and such strong barriers that it is impossible
for any rebel Satan to exceed them have bound its
different regions. Every star and planet in the
universe has its own circle and sphere escaping from
which is as difficult as entering it. With the necked
eye one can only see empty space, but, in reality,
there are countless regions in space, which have been
even more strongly fortified and protected than they
could be by steel walls. One can imagine and
estimate the strength of these barriers by the
difficulties man is experiencing in the way of
reaching the moon, which is our nearest neighbor in
space. Similar difficulties prevent the other creation
of the earth, the Jinn, from ascending towards the
heavens.
If some one snatches away

Something, a flashing flame follows him:
To understand this one should keep in view the fact
that in the time of the Holy Prophet, soothsaying was
in great vogue in Arabia.
The soothsayers:
(a) Used to make predictions;
(b) Give news of the unseen;
(c) Tell the whereabouts of the lost properties and
articles; and
(d) The people used to visit them to know the events
of their past and future lives.
These soothsayers claimed that they had some Jinns
and Satan under their control, which brought them all
sorts of news.
In this environment:
(a) When the Holy Prophet was appointed to Prophet
hood; and
(b) He began to recite the verses of the Qur’an;
(c) Which described the past history; and
(d) Contained news of the future; and also
(e) Stated that an angel brought him these verses.
At this his opponents immediately:
(a) Branded him a soothsayer; and
(b) Started telling others that, like the other
soothsayers, he too associated with a Satan, who
brought him news from the heavens, which he
presented as revelations from Allah.
To refute this accusation, Allah says:

(a) The Satan has no access to heaven.
(b) They have no power to hear the conversations of
the angels and bring its news for others;
(c) If by chance a little of it enters the ear of a Satan,
and he tries to bring it down, he is followed by a
flashing flame.
In other words, it means:

(a) The grand system of the universe, which is
functioning under the agency of the angels, has
been firmly guarded and secured against the
interference of the Satan.
(b) Not to speak of interfering in it, they do not even
have the power to obtain any kind of information
about it.
The same thing has been mentioned in the Surah Al-

Hijr, v.15:16-18
‫﴾ وَلَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِي السّصمَاء ُبرُوجًا وَ َزيّنّاهَا‬15:16﴿

‫َانص‬
ٍ ‫ص مِصن ُكلّ َشيْط‬ ‫﴾ وَحَ ِف ْظنَاهَ ا‬15:17﴿ ‫ِينص‬
َ ‫لِلنّا ِظر‬
ٍ‫رّجِيم‬
ٌ‫﴾ إِلّ َمنِ اسَْت َرقَ السّمْعَ فََأْتبَعَهُ ِشهَابٌ ّمبِي‬15:18﴿
(16) It is We Who have divided the heavens into
many fortified spheres for the sake of administration;
and Adorned and decked them out fair to the
beholders, (17) and guarded them from every
accursed Satan. No Satan can pass through them, (18)
except that an eavesdropper might hear something,
but a fiery flame pursues that eavesdropper.
It is We Who have divided the

Heavens into many fortified spheres:
Here, ‘fortified spheres’ (Buruj) are the signs of Allah
for it is not possible to pass through one sphere of the
Heaven into another, as each sphere of the space has
been fortified by invisible boundaries. In this
connection, it may be noted that literally the Arabic
word ‘buruj’ means ‘a fortified place’ but as a
technical term of ancient astronomy this stood for
each of the twelve Signs of the Zodiac, which marked
the sun’s path through the heavens. This has led some
of the commentators to form the opinion that in this
verse the word buruj refers to the same. But there are
some others who think that it means ‘planets’. In the
next verse 15:19 of Surah Al-Hijr where Allah said:
َ‫َاسصي‬
ِ ‫ْضص مَ َد ْدنَاهَا وَأَلْ َقيْنَا فِيهَا َرو‬
َ ‫﴾ وَالَر‬15:19﴿
ٍ‫َوأَنَبتْنَا فِيهَا مِن ُكلّ شَيْءٍ ّموْزُون‬
(15:19) We stretched forth the Earth, and set
mountains firmly upon it, and caused to grow therein
every kind of vegetable in balanced measure. *13
However, if we consider the word ‘buruj’ in the

context of this verse 19, we are led to the conclusion
that probably it stands for ‘sphere’.
For the sake of administration;

and adorned and decked
them out fair to the beholders:
Here Allah said, ‘We have adorned and decked the
‘fortified spheres’. That means, ‘We have placed a
shinning star or planet in each of these spheres and
made them look beautiful.’ In other words, it means:
‘We have not made the boundless universe dismal,
desolate and frightful, but so beautiful that one finds
marvelous order and harmony in it everywhere, and
sights therein are so attractive that each one of these
charms hearts and minds. This wonderful structure of
the universe is a clear proof of the fact that its Creator
is not only Great and All wise but is also a perfect
Artist. The Qur’an has also stated this aspect of the
Creator in Surah As-Sajdah, v.32:7
‫ْقص‬
َ ‫َهص َوبَ َدأَ َخل‬
ُ ‫ْسصنَ ُكلّ شَيْءٍ خَلَق‬
َ ‫﴾ الّذِي أَح‬32:7﴿
ٍ‫اْلإِنسَانِ مِن طِي‬
(32:7) Allah is that God Who has created in perfect
beauty everything He has created. He began the
creation of man from clay.
And guarded them

from every accursed Satan:
These spheres are so fortified that they are beyond
the reach of every Satan, for all Satan including those
of Jinn, have been confined to that sphere in which
the Earth has been placed and they enjoy no more
access to visit other spheres than the other dwellers of
this sphere. This has been mentioned in order to
remove a common misunderstanding. The common
people believed, and still believe, that Satan and his
descendents have a free access to every place in the
universe. On the contrary, the Qur’an says that Satan
cannot go beyond a certain limit and they have no
unlimited power of ascension.
No Satan can pass through them,

Except that an eavesdropper
Might hear something:
This is the answer to the false claim of the
soothsayers, diviners, hermits, conjurers and the like
who pretended to receive communications from the
Heaven. The Qur’an says that in fact they do not
possess any means of obtaining information about
unseen things. Satan, however, try to eaves drop
because they are by nature more like angels than
human beings, but in reality, they succeed in
obtaining very little information about it.
But a fiery flame

Pursues that eavesdropper:
In Arabic the word shihab-i-mubin literally means
‘fiery flame’. In the Surah As-Saffat, v.37:10 as
mentioned above, the same thing has been called
‘shihab-i-thaqib’ means ‘flame that pierces through
darkness’. This may or may not necessarily be a
‘meteor’ for it is just possible that it may be some
type of rays such as ‘Cosmic Rays’ or even a stronger
type, which we have not been able to discover as yet.
Anyhow if the ‘Fiery flame’ that pursues Satan may
be taken to be a meteor, a countless number of these
can form a fortification around our sphere of the
universe. Scientific observations made with the help
of the telescope have shown that billions of these
meteors are rushing from space in mass of ‘rainfall’
towards the earth’s atmosphere. Such a scene was
witnessed in an eastern part of North America on
November 13, 1833. This is so strong a fortification
that it can prevent Satan from passing through any
fortified sphere.
[Encyclopedia Britannica, 1946, vol.15, pages 337-
339]
With the help of the above, one can form a mental

picture of the ‘fortified spheres’? Though there is no
visible ‘wall’ to keep distinct and separate one sphere
from the others. Allah has securely guarded each of
these spheres by invisible ‘walls’ against each other.
That is why our ‘planet’ has remained safe in spite of
the occasional ‘rainfall’ of countless meteors. For as
soon as they cross the protective wall of our sphere,
they are burnt to ashes. But sometimes a meteorite
reaches the earth from outer space as if to warn the
dwellers of this planet of the existence of the ‘power’
of the Creator. For instance, the biggest of these
weighs 645 pounds and it is obvious from this that if
the earth had not been made safe and secure by
means of ‘fortified spheres’ the rain of the shooting
stars would have utterly annihilated it long ago. It is
these ‘fortified spheres’, which the Qur’an calls
‘buruj’.
03.09.00
Some of the Jinn surprised to
hear the Qur’an from the Prophet
Allah said in the Surah Al-Ahqaf, v.46:29-31)
‫جنّ يَ سْتَمِعُو َن‬ِ ْ‫ص َر ْفنَا إَِليْ كَ نَ َفرًا مّ نَ ال‬

َ ْ‫﴾ َوِإذ‬46:29﴿
‫صتُوا فَلَمّا ُقضِ يَ وَّلوْا‬
ِ ‫ضرُو هُ قَالُوا أَن‬ َ ‫الْ ُقرْآ نَ فَلَمّا َح‬
َ‫إِلَى َقوْ ِمهِم مّنذِرِين‬
(46:29) (And recall the event) when We brought to
you a group of jinns so that they might listen to the
Qur'an. *33 When they reached the place (where you
were reciting it), they said to one another, "Be silent."
When the recitation was over, they returned to their
people as warners.
‫﴾ قَالُوا يَا َقوْمَنَا ِإنّ ا سَمِ ْعنَا ِكتَابًا أُن ِزلَ مِن‬46:30﴿
ّ‫حق‬
َ ْ‫بَعْدِ مُو سَى مُ صَ ّدقًا لّمَا بَيْ نَ يَدَيْ هِ َيهْدِي إِلَى ال‬
ٍ‫ستَقِيم‬ْ ّ‫َوإِلَى َطرِيقٍ م‬
(46:30) They said to them, "O our people! We have
just listened to a Book that has been sent down after
Moses. It contains the Books that came before it and
it guides to the Truth and to a Straight Way. *34
ْ‫﴾ يَا َقوْمَنَا أَجِيبُوا دَاعِ يَ اللّ هِ وَآ ِمنُوا بِ هِ يَغْ ِفر‬46:31﴿
ٍ‫جرْكُم ّمنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيم‬ ِ ُ‫لَكُم مّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَي‬
(46:31) O our people! Accept the invitation of the one
calling to Allah and believe in him. Allah will forgive
you your sins and will save you from a painful
torment. " *35
When We brought to (O Prophet!)

a group of Jinn so that they
might listen to the Qur’an:
The traditions that have been related from Hadrat
‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud, Hadrat Zubair, Hadrat
‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas, Hasan Basri, Sa’id bin Jubair,
Zarr bin Hubaish, Mujahid, ‘Ikrimah and others in
connection with the commentary of this verse concur
that this incident of the first visit of the Jinn, which
has been mentioned in the verse, had occurred in the
valley of Nakhlah.
And according to Ibn Ishaq, Abu Nu’aim Isfahani and

Waqidi, this incident occurred during the Holy
Prophet’s return journey from Ta’if to Makkah. On
the way, when he halted at Nakhlah, and was reciting
the Qur’an in Salatul ‘Isha or Salatul Fajr, or the
Tahajjud Prayer, a group of the Jinn happened to pass
by and stopped to listen to him. In this connection, all
the traditions agree that on this occasion the Jinn did
not appear before the Holy Prophet, nor did he feel
their presence, but Allah informed him afterwards by
revelation that they had come and listened to the
Qur’anic recitation.
The place where this incident took place was either

Az-Zaimah or As-Sayl-ul-Kabir, for both these places
are situated in the valley of Nakhlah and at both
water is available and are green; if the travelers from
Ta’if have to halt in this valley, they can halt at either
of the places. Please see the map for the location of
these places.
[Fig. P-668 of vol. IV of ‘The meaning of the

Qur’an’: S.A.A.Mawdudi]
Then the Jinn said:

O our people! We have just listened to
a Book that has been sent down after Moses.
It contains the Books that came before it
and it guides to the Truth and to a Straight Way:
This shows that these Jinn had already had faith in
the Prophet Moses and in the Divine Books. After
hearing the Qur’an they felt that it gave the same
teachings as the former Prophets had been preaching.
Therefore, they believed in this Book forthwith and
also in the Holy Prophet who had brought it.
Then they said:

O our people! Accept the invitation
of the one calling to Allah and believe
in him. Allah will forgive you your sins
and will save you from a painful torment:
Authentic traditions show that after this several
deputations of the Jinn visited the Holy Prophet, one
after the other, and met him face to face. When all the
traditions related in the collections of Hadith on this
subject are read together, it appears that at least six
deputations had visited him in Makkah before the
Hijrah.
About one of these deputations:
• Hadrat ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud relates: ‘One day

the Holy Prophet remained missing from Makkah
for the whole night. We could not know his
whereabouts and scared he might have been
attacked by somebody. Early in the morning we
saw him coming from the direction of Hira’. On
enquiring he said that a Jinn had come to invite
him and he had accompanied him and recited the
Qur’an to a gathering of them there.’ [Muslim,
Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidi, Abu Da’ud]
• Hadrat ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud has related another
tradition, saying: ‘Once the Holy Prophet asked
his Companions in Makkah as to which of them
would accompany him that night to meet the Jinn.
I became ready to go with him. At a place in the
upper quarters of Makkah the Holy Prophet drew
a line and told me not to cross it. Then he went
forward and stood and began to recite the Qur’an.
I saw that a number of the people had gathered
around him and they stood between me and him.’
[Ibn Jarir, Baihaqi: Dala’il an-Nubuwwat; Abu
Nu’aim Ishfahani: Dala’il an-Nubuwuat]
• On another occasion also during the night Hadrat

‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud was with the Holy Prophet
and he decided a case of the Jinn at Hajun in
Makkah. Many years later Ibn Mas’ud saw a
group of the villagers at kufa and said that the
group of the Jinn he had seen at Hajun closely
resembled those people. [Ibn Jarir]
03.10.00
Is the Qur’an a new thing?
Allah asked the people:
‫﴾ َأوَلَ مْ يَكُن ّلهُ مْ آيَةً أَن يَعْلَمَ هُ عُلَمَاء بَنِي‬26:197﴿

َ‫إِ ْسرَائِيل‬
Is it not a Sign for the people (of Makkah) that the
learned men of the Children of Israel know it? (Surah
Ash Shu’ara, v.26:197)
That is, ‘The learned men of the Israelites know that

the teachings of the Qur’an are the same as of the
former Scriptures. Though the people of Makkah
themselves are un-initiated in the knowledge of the
Book, there are many scholars among the Israelites
living in the surrounding areas, who fully understand
that the Qur’an did not bring a novel ‘message’,
which was being presented by Mohammad bin
‘Abdullah for the first time, but it was the same
message which had been brought and preached by
Prophets of Allah one after the other since thousands
of years. Is it not then a convincing proof of the fact
that the Qur’an has been sent down by the same Lord
of the universe, Who sent down the former Books?’
According to Ibn Hisham, vol.2nd, p32, a little before

the revelation of these verses a deputation of 20
people, who had been influenced by the preaching of
Hadrat Ja’far, came to Makkah from Habsha. They
met the holy Prophet in Masjid Al-Haram and asked
him in the presence of the unbelieving Quraish what
his teachings were. In response, the Holy recited a
few verses of the Qur’an, whereupon tears came
down from their eyes and they believed in him there
and then to be a true Messenger of Allah. When they
took leave of the Holy Prophet, Abu Jahl met them
along with a few other people of the Quraish and
rebuked them, saying, ‘Never has a more stupid
company come here before: O foolish men, you were
sent here by your people with a view to inquiring
about this man, but no sooner did you meet him than
you gave up your faith!’ Those gentle people did not
like to have a dispute with Abu Jahl, so they left him,
saying, ‘we have no wish to enter an argument with
you; you are responsible for your faith and we are for
ours; we adopted something in which we saw some
good for ourselves.’
This same incident has been mentioned thus:

(52) ‘Those to whom We had given the Book before
this, believe in The Holy Qur’an and when it is
recited to them, they say, ‘We have believed in it’.
(53) This is the very Truth from our Lord; we were
even before these followers of Islam. -------------(55)
And when they heard vain and meaningless talk, they
refrained from entering an argument, saying, ‘For us
are our deeds and for you yours, peace be to you, we
do not like the ways of the ignorant!’ (Surah Al-
Qasas, v.28:52-55); and
Let’s see in details as follows:
ِ‫﴾ الّذِي نَ آتَْينَاهُ مُ الْ ِكتَا بَ مِن َقبْلِ هِ هُم بِ ه‬28:52﴿

َ‫ُيؤْ ِمنُون‬
(28:52) The people whom We gave the Book before
this, believe in this (Qur'an), *72
*72 This does not mean that all the people of the
Book (the Jews and the Christians) affirm faith in it.
This, in fact, contains an allusion to the event that
occurred during the period when this Surah was
revealed, and was meant to put to shame the people
of Makkah, as if to say, "You are denying and
rejecting a blessing that has been sent in your own
city, whereas the people from far off places, when
they hear of it, come to recognize its worth and
benefit from it."
This event has been related by lbn Hisham, Baihaqi

and others on the authority of Ibn Ishaq, thus: "After
the migration to Habash when the news about the
Holy Prophet's advent and message spread in that
land, a deputation of about twenty Christians came to
Makkah to find out the truth, and they met the Holy
Prophet in the Masjid-al-Haram A crowd of the
Quraish also gathered around them to watch what
happened. The members of the deputation asked the
Holy Prophet some questions, which he answered.
Then he invited them to accept Islam and recited
some verses of the Qur'an before them. When they
heard the Qur'an, tears came down from their eyes
and they confirmed its being Allah's Word and
believed in the Holy Prophet. When the meeting was
over and the people left, Abu Jahl and some of his
men overtook them on the way, and rebuked them
severely, saying, "Never has a more stupid company
come here before: O foolish men you were sent here
by your people with a view to inquiring about this
man. but no sooner did you meet him than you gave
up your own faith! " Those gentle people answered,
"Peace be to you! We have no wish to enter all
argument with you: you are responsible for your faith
and we are for ours: we cannot afford to deprive
ourselves knowingly of goodness." [Ibn Hisham, Vol.
II, p. 32; Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah, Vol. III, p. 82]
‫حقّ مِن‬
َ ْ‫﴾ َوِإذَا ُيتْلَى عََلْيهِمْ قَالُوا آ َمنّا بِهِ ِإنّهُ ال‬28:53﴿
َ‫ّربّنَا ِإنّا ُكنّا مِن َقبْلِهِ مُسْلِمِي‬
(28:53) And when it is recited to them, they say, ‘We
have believed in it: this is indeed the Truth from our
Lord: we were Muslims even before this.’ *73
*73 That is, "Even before this we were believers in
the Prophets and the Divine Books. Therefore, we
had no other Faith than Islam and we have believed
in that Book too, which this Prophet has brought
from Allah. Thus, no change has occurred in our
religion: we were Muslims before even as we are
Muslims now.’
This saying clearly indicates that Islam is not the

name of the Faith brought by the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the term
"Muslim" is not only applicable to his followers, but
Islam has been the Faith of all the Prophets since the
very beginning and their followers were Muslims in
every age. These Muslims became disbelievers only
when they refused to acknowledge a true Prophet
who came afterwards. But no interruption occurred in
the Islam of those people who believed in the former
Prophet and also affirmed faith in the Prophet who
succeeded him. They continued to be Muslims as
they had been Muslims before.
It is strange that even some learned men also have
failed to comprehend this fact, and this clear verse
also could not satisfy them. Àllama Suyuti wrote a
treatise on the subject that the term "Muslim" was
only reserved for the followers of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (may Allah's peace be upon him). Then,
as he himself says, when this verse came before him
he was stunned: he prayed to God that He guide him
in the matter. At last, instead of revising his opinion
he stuck to it even more firmly and gave several
interpretations of the verse, each to which is more
meaningless than the other. For example, one of his
interpretations is: "We were Muslims even before
this" means: We intended to become Muslims even
before the revelation of the Qur'an, because we had
been foretold by our Scriptures that it would come,
and we had the intention that when it came we would
accept Islam." Another interpretation is: "In this
sentence, the word bi-hi after muslimin is omitted,
implying: We believed in the Qur'an beforehand,
because we expected it would come, and had
believed in it in anticipation. Therefore, we were
Muslims, not because we believed in the Torah and
the Gospels, but because we had believed in the
Qur'an as Allah's Word even before its revelation."
The third interpretation is: "It had been divinely
destined for us that we would accept Islam on the
advent of the Holy Prophet and the revelation of the
Qur'an; therefore, we were Muslims even before
this." None of these interpretations bears any impress
that Divine help had become available for the right
understanding of this verse.
The fact is that the Qur'an has expressed this

fundamental principle not only here, but at scores of
other places also that the real Way of life is only
Islam (submission to Allah), and in God's universe
there can be no other way of life than this for His
creatures. Since the beginning of the creation every
Prophet who came for the guidance of mankind
brought this very Way of Life: the Prophets
themselves have always been Muslims, and they
impressed upon their followers also to live as
Muslims, and all their followers who submitted to the
Divine Command brought by the Prophets, were also
Muslims in every age.
Consider the following few verses for instance:
﴿3:19﴾ ُ‫إِنّ الدّينَ عِندَ الّلهِ الِ ْسلَم‬

(1) Indeed, Islam is the only rightway of life in the
sight of Allah." (Al-'Imran, v.3:19)
ُ‫﴾ وَمَن َيبْتَ غِ َغْيرَ الِ ْسلَمِ دِينًا فَلَن يُ ْقبَلَ ِمنْ ه‬3:85﴿
َ‫وَ ُهوَ فِي ال ِخرَةِ ِمنَ الْخَا ِسرِين‬
(2)And whoever seeks a way other than this way of
submission (Islam), will find that it will not be
accepted from him and in the Life to come he will be
among the losers. (Al-i-ìmran, v.3:85)
َ‫﴾ إِ نْ َأ ْجرِ يَ إِلّ عَلَى اللّ هِ َوأُ ِمرْ تُ أَ نْ أَكُو ن‬10:72﴿

َ‫ِمنَ الْمُسْلِمِي‬
(3) My reward lies only with Allah, and I am
commanded to be of those who totally submit (to
Allah) or to believe like a Muslim. (Yunus, v.10:72)
(4) About Prophet Abraham and his descendants it

has been said:
ّ‫َسصلِمْ قَالَ أَس ْصلَمْتُ ِلرَب‬

ْ ‫َهص َربّه ُص أ‬
ُ ‫﴾ ِإذْ قَالَ ل‬2:131﴿
َ‫الْعَالَمِي‬
(2:131) When his Lord said to him, "Surrender," *130
he promptly responded, "I have surrendered to the
Lord of the Universe (and become a Muslim)."
ّ‫﴾ َووَ صّى بِهَا ِإبْرَاهِي مُ بَنِي هِ وَيَعْقُو بُ يَا َبنِي‬2:132﴿

‫صطَفَى لَكُ مُ الدّي نَ فَلَ تَمُوتُنّ إَلّ َوأَنتُم‬ ْ ‫إِنّ اللّ هَ ا‬
َ‫مّسِْلمُون‬
(2:132) He also enjoined on his children to follow the
same way. Jacob also did the same *131 and his last
will to his sons was, "O my children, Allah has
chosen the same way of life *132 for you. Hence
remain Muslims up to your last breath."
ُ‫ضرَ يَعْقُو بَ الْ َموْ ت‬ َ ‫﴾ أَ مْ كُنتُ مْ ُشهَدَاء ِإذْ َح‬2:133﴿

ُ‫ُونص م ِن بَعْدِي قَالُواْ نَ ْعبُد‬َ ‫ِيهص م َا تَ ْعبُد‬
ِ ‫ِإذْ قَالَ ِلبَن‬
َ‫صمَاعِيل‬ ْ ‫ص وَإِس‬ َ ‫ص ِإْبرَاهِيم‬
َ ‫إِلَصصهَكَ وَإِلَصصهَ آبَائِك‬
َ‫حنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُون‬
ْ َ‫حقَ إِلَصهًا وَاحِدًا َون‬َ ْ‫َوإِس‬
(2:133) Were you present at the time when Jacob was
on the point of death? He asked his children, "Whom
will you worship after me?" They all answered, "We
will worship the same One Allah Whom you, your
forefathers Abraham. Ismail and Isaac acknowledged
as their Allah and to Him we all surrender as
Muslims." *133 (Al-Baqarah, v.2:131-133)
‫صرَاِنيّا وَلَكِن‬
ْ َ‫﴾ مَا كَا نَ ِإْبرَاهِي مُ َيهُودِيّا وَلَ ن‬3:67﴿
َ‫شرِكِي‬ ْ ُ‫سلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ ِمنَ الْم‬ ْ ّ‫كَانَ َحنِيفًا م‬
(5) Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; he
was a Muslim, wholly devoted to God or sound in
faith. *59 And he certainly was not amongst those who
associate others with Allah in His divinity. (Al-i-
Ìmran, v.3:67)
(6) Prophets Abraham and Ishmael themselves

prayed:
‫﴾ َربّنَا وَاجْعَ ْلنَا مُ سْلِ َمْينِ لَ كَ وَمِن ذُ ّرّيِتنَا أُمّ ًة‬2:128﴿

َ‫مّ سْلِمَةً لّ كَ وَأَ ِرنَا َمنَا سِكَنَا َوتُ بْ عََلْينَآ ِإنّ كَ أَن ت‬
ُ‫الّتوّابُ الرّحِيم‬
Lord, make us Your Muslims (submissive servants)
and also rise from our offspring a community that
should be Muslim (submissive to Your Will). Show
us the ways of Your worship and forbear our
shortcomings: You are Forgiving and Merciful. (AI-
Baqarah, v.2:128)
(7) In connection with the story of the Prophet Lot it

has been said:
َ‫﴾ فَمَا وَجَ ْدنَا فِيهَا َغْيرَ َبيْتٍ ّمنَ الْمُسْلِمِي‬51:36﴿

We did not find in it any house of the Muslims except
one. *34(Adh-Dhariyat,v.51:36)
(8) The Prophet Joseph prayed to Allah:
‫﴾ رَبّ قَدْ آتَْيتَنِي مِ نَ الْمُلْ كِ وَعَلّ ْمتَنِي مِن‬12:101﴿

َ‫تَ ْأوِيلِ الَحَادِي ثِ فَاطِرَ ال سّمَاوَاتِ وَالَرْ ضِ أَن ت‬
‫وَِليّ ي فِي الدّنُيَا وَال ِخرَةِ َت َوفّنِي مُ سْلِمًا َوأَلْحِقْنِي‬
َ‫بِالصّالِحِي‬
(12:101) Lord, Thou hast given me kingdom and
taught me how to probe into problems. Creator of the
earth and the heavens! Thou art my Guardian in this
world and the Hereafter: Let me die as a Muslim, and
join me with the righteous in the end. " *71 (Yusuf,
v.12:101)
(9) Prophet Moses says to his people:

ِ‫﴾ َوقَالَ مُو سَى يَا َقوْ مِ إِن كُنتُ مْ آمَنتُم بِاللّ ه‬10:84﴿
َ‫فَعََليْهِ َتوَكّلُواْ إِن كُنتُم مّسْلِمِي‬
Moses said: 'My people! If you believe in Allah and
are truly Muslims *81 then place your reliance on Him
alone.' (Yunus, v.10:84)
(10) The real religion of the Israelites was not

Judaism but Islam as was known to their friends and
foes alike. That is why the last words that Pharaoh
said while drowning were:
‫ُمص‬
ْ ‫حرَ فََأتْبَ َعه‬
ْ َ‫ِسصرَائِيلَ اْلب‬
ْ ‫﴾ وَجَاوَزْن َا بِبَن ِي إ‬10:90﴿
‫َهص‬
ُ ‫ُهص بَغْي ًا وَعَ ْدوًا َحتّىص ِإذَا َأدْرَك‬ ُ ‫ْنص وَ ُجنُود‬ ُ ‫ِفرْ َعو‬
ِ‫الْ َغرَ قُ قَالَ آمَن تُ أَنّ هُ ل إِلِصهَ إِلّ الّذِي آ َمنَ تْ بِ ه‬
َ‫َبنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ َوأََناْ ِمنَ الْمُسْلِمِي‬
And We led the Children of Israel across the sea.
Then Pharaoh and his hosts pursued them in iniquity
and transgression until Pharaoh cried out while he
was drowning: 'I believe that there is no god but
Allah in Whom the Children of Israel believe, and I
am also one of those who submit to Allah i.e. of the
Muslims. *91(Yunus, v.10:90)
(11) Islam was the Way of life of all the Israelite

Prophets. Allah says:
‫﴾ إِنّا أَنزَْلنَا الّتوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ ِبهَا‬5:44﴿

‫ّونص‬
َ ‫ِينص هَادُواْ وَالرّبّانِي‬َ ‫َسصلَمُواْ لِلّذ‬
ْ ‫ِينص أ‬ َ ‫ّونص الّذ‬َ ‫الّنبِي‬
ْ‫وَالَ ْحبَارُ بِمَا ا ْستُحْ ِفظُواْ مِن ِكتَا بِ اللّ هِ وَكَانُوا‬
َ‫ص وَل‬ ِ ‫شوْن‬َ ْ‫ص وَا خ‬َ ‫ش ُواْ النّاس‬
َ ْ‫ص ُشهَدَاء َفلَ تَخ‬ ِ ‫عََليْه‬
َ‫شَترُواْ بِآيَاتِي ثَ َمنًا قَلِيلً وَمَن لّ مْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَن َزل‬ْ َ‫ت‬
َ‫اللّهُ فَُأوْلَصئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُون‬
Surely We revealed the Torah, wherein there is
guidance and light. Thereby did Prophets - who had
submitted themselves (to Allah) - judge for the
Judaized folk; *72 and so did the scholars and
jurists. *73 They judged by the Book of Allah for they
had been entrusted to keep it, and bear witness to it.
So (O Jews!) do not fear men but fear Me, and do not
barter away My signs for a trivial gain. Those who do
not judge by what Allah has revealed are indeed the
unbelievers. (Surah Al-Ma’idah, v.5:44)
(12) The same was the Prophet Solomon's way of

life. So when the queen of Sheba believed in him, she
said:
‫سَبتْ ُه‬
ِ َ‫صرْحَ فَلَمّ ا َرَأتْ هُ ح‬
ّ ‫﴾ قِيلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِي ال‬27:44﴿
ٌ‫صرْحٌ مّ َم ّرد‬
َ ُ‫لُجّةً وَكَشَفَ تْ عَن سَاقَْيهَا قَالَ ِإنّ ه‬
‫ْتص نَفْسصِي‬ ُ ‫َتص رَبّصإِنّيص ظََلم‬ ْ ‫مّنص َقوَارِيرَ قَال‬
َ‫َوأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ ُسَليْمَانَ لِلّهِ رَبّ الْعَالَمِي‬
She was asked to enter the palace. When she saw it,
she thought it was a 'pool of water, so she tucked up
her skirt to enter it. Solomon said, "It is the glossy
floor of glass. " *55 At this she exclaimed, "O my
Lord! I have (hitherto) been unjust to myself; now I
submit myself (as a Muslim), with Solomon, to Allah,
Lord of the worlds. " *56 (An-Naml, v.27:44).
(13) And the same was the religion of the disciples of

the Prophet Jesus:
‫حوَا ِريّيَ أَ نْ آ ِمنُواْ بِي‬ َ ْ‫﴾ َوِإذْ َأوْ َحيْ تُ إِلَى ال‬5:111﴿
َ‫َوِبرَسُولِي قَاُلوَاْ آ َمنّا وَا ْشهَدْ بَِأنّنَا مُسْلِمُون‬
And recall when I revealed to the disciples to believe
in Me and in My Messenger, they said: "We do
believe, and we bear witness that we indeed are the
ones who submit to Allah" *127 i.e. we are Muslim.
(AlMa'idah, v.5:111).
*127. Jesus is being told that the faith of the disciples
in him was also the result of God's grace and succor,
for he, himself, did not have the power to produce
even one man of faith in that land of disbelief. It is
also made clear that the true religion of the disciples
of Jesus was Islam.
In this connection, if somebody expresses the doubt

that the Arabic words "lslam" and "Muslims" could
not have been used in different languages and
countries, it would obviously be a foolish objection.
For the real thing is not the Arabic words but the
meaning in which they are used in Arabic. In fact,
what has been stressed in the above-cited verses is
that the real Way of life sent by God was neither
Christianity nor Mosaicism nor Muhammadanism,
but to surrender to the Divine Commands taught by
the Prophets and the Scriptures, and whoever adopted
this Way anywhere and at any time in the world, is
the follower of the same universal, eternal and
everlasting true Way of Life. For those who have
adopted this Way consciously and sincerely, it is no
change of the faith to believe in Jesus after Moses
and in Muhammad after Jesus (may Allah's peace be
upon all of them), but a natural and logical demand
following the same real Way of life (Islam). Contrary
to this, those people who got into the Prophets'
communities without due understanding or were born
in them, and for whom nationalistic and racial and
tribal prejudices were the religion, became mere Jews
or Christians, and on the advent of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) their ignorance was
exposed. For by refusing to believe in the Last
Prophet of Allah, they not only refused to ,remain
Muslims in the future but also proved that they were
not "Muslims" even before: they had been charmed
by the personality of a Prophet or Prophets, or had
taken blind conformity to their forefathers for
religion.
‫صَبرُوا‬
َ ‫﴾ ُأوَْلئِ كَ يُ ْؤَتوْ نَ أَ ْجرَهُم ّمرَّتيْ نِ بِمَا‬28:54﴿
َ‫سنَةِ السّّيئَةَ وَمِمّا َر َز ْقنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُون‬
َ َ‫َويَدْ َرؤُونَ بِالْح‬
(28:54) These are the people who shall be given their
reward twice *74 for the fortitude they showed; *75
they repel evil with good *76 and spend out of what
We have provided them with. *77
*74 That is, one reward for affirming faith in the
Prophet Jesus (Allah's peace be upon him) and the
second for affirming faith in Muhammad (may
Allah's peace be upon him). The same thing has been
expressed in the Hadith which Bukhari and Muslim
have related on the authority of Hadrat Abu Musa
Ashàri. He says that the Holy Prophet said: "One of
the three persons who will get a double reward is he
who belonged to the people of the Book, had full
faith in his Prophet and then affirmed faith in
Muhammad (may Allah's peace be upon him)."
*75 That is, "They will get a double reward for the
reason that they avoided nationalistic, racial and
tribal prejudices and remained steadfast on the way
of true Faith. When, on the advent of the new
Prophet, they were confronted by a hard test, they
proved by their conduct that they were not Christ-
worshippers but God worshippers: they were not
charmed by Christ's personality but were followers of
"Islam". That is why when the new Prophet after
Christ brought the same Islam that Christ had
brought, they adopted the way of Islam under his
leadership; without any hesitation, and gave up the
way of those who remained stuck to Christianity."
*76 That is, "They answer evil and falsehood with

what is good and right: they repel injustice and
mischief with what is just and noble; and they do not
pay the other man back in the same coin."
*77 That is, "They also make monetary sacrifices in

the way of the truth. There might also be in it an
allusion to this that those people had traveled from
Habash to Makkah in search of the truth: they had no
material gain in view when they undertook a toilsome
journey involving a lot of expenses. When they heard
that a man in Makkah had made a claim to be a
Prophet, they thought it necessary to go and find out
the truth, so that if a prophet had really been sent by
God, they should not be deprived of affirming faith in
him and being guided aright."
‫﴾ َوِإذَا سَصمِعُوا اللّ ْغوَ أَ ْعرَضُوا َعنْهُص َوقَالُوا لَنَا‬28:55﴿

‫أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُم ْصأَعْمَالُكُم ْص سَصلَامٌ عََليْكُم ْصلَا َنبْتَغِي‬
َ‫الْجَا ِهلِي‬
(28:55) And when they heard vain talk, *78 they
withdrew from it, saying, "Our deeds are for us and
your deeds are for you: peace be on you: we do not
seek the way of the ignorant."
03.11.00
Difference between the
Qur’an and the Previous Books
The Holy Prophet taught us to believe on those
Books what Allah revealed to other Prophets. Allah
revealed 100 Books other than the Torah, Jabur, Bible
and Qur’an. All the revealed Books, which are still
present in the earth, have been changed and altered
except the Holy Qur’an. Qur’an is the final
revelation. There is lot of difference between the
Qur’an and the other Books:
(1) Previous Books: The original manuscripts of the

previous revealed Books have been lost from the
earth forever, but remains only the translations of
some of the Books.
Al-Qur’an: The Qur’an as a whole contains the
original letters, words, and sentences intact and
unchanged what Allah revealed and not a single
dot has been changed.
(2) Previous Books: The people mixed their

own words with the words of Almighty Allah.
They mixed their words in such a way that the
words of Allah couldn’t be find out from the
Books.
Al-Qur’an: Each and every words of the Holy
Qur’an is completely the words of Allah. Not a
single dot is mixed with the words of Allah in the
Holy Qur’an.
(3) Previous Books: There are no Books having
among the different nations of the world, which
could be historically proved that these were
originally revealed to the Prophets.
Al-Qur’an: There is a strong historical proof
regarding the Qur’an that no body could doubt the
relationship between the Qur’an and Prophet
Mohammad (peace of Allah be upon him and
blessings). It has been found the historical proof
and evident of the revelation time of each and
every verses of the Qur’an.
(4) Previous Books: The original languages of the
previous Books have been remaining dead for
long time in which languages the Books were
revealed. Nobody remains now days that can
speak and understand those languages. Nobody
couldn’t understand and couldn’t follow those
Books if it would found as intact and
unchangeable condition.
Al-Qur’an: But the language of the Qur’an is a
live language in which it was revealed. Millions of
people of the world speak in this Quranic
language. The teachings of the Qur’an spread all
over the world. Millions of people understand and
follow the language of the Qur’an and will
continue till the Day of Judgment.
(5) Previous Books: Some of the previous Books
were confined for a particular time, age, and
nation. None of those Books were revealed for all
mankind.
Al-Qur’an: But the Qur’an has been revealed for
all the ages and eras for all the human beings of
the world. Each and every laws and orders of the
Qur’an could be fitted and implemented
everywhere in the world.
(6) Previous Books: All the previous Books
contained the guidelines other than the all sorts of
qualities.
Al-Qur’an: Only the Qur’an contains all the
qualities and the guidelines. It has been revealed
as the complete guide Book for all the human
beings.
04.00.00
The Revealed
Book is an Arabic Qur’an
It has been expressed regarding the Arabic Qur’an
like:
‫﴾ حم‬43:1﴿
ِ‫﴾ وَالْ ِكتَابِ الْ ُمبِي‬43:2﴿
َ‫﴾ إِنّا جَعَ ْلنَاهُ ُقرْآنًا َع َربِيّا لّعَلّكُمْ تَعْقِلُون‬43:3﴿
ٌ‫﴾ َوإِنّهُ فِي أُمّ الْ ِكتَابِ لَ َديْنَا لَعَلِيّ حَكِيم‬43:4﴿
(1) Ha-Mim. (2) By this lucid Book. (3) We have
made it an Arabic Qur’an so that you (O people!)
may understand it. (4) And, in fact, it is inscribed in
Umm al-Kitab, a Book truly sublime and full of
wisdom with Us. (Surah Az-Zukhruf, v.43:1-4)
The object of taking an oath by The Holy Qur’an is

to impress this fact: ‘We (Allah) are the Author of
this Book and not Muhammad (upon whom be
Allah’s peace),’ and the attribute of The Holy Qur’an
chosen for the oath is that it is a ‘lucid Book’. To
swear by The Holy Qur’an itself with its, this
attribute in order to impress that The Holy Qur’an is
Divine Word by itself implies this: ‘O people, this is
an open Book before you. Read it intelligently. Its
clear and un-ambiguous themes, its language and
literary style, its teaching which distinguishes the
truth from falsehood, all are testifying to the fact that
none but the Lord of the Universe could be its
Author.’
Then the sentence: ‘We have made it an Arabic

Qur’an so that you may understand,’ It has two
meanings:
(1) ‘It is not in any foreign tongue but in your own
language; therefore, you can have no difficulty in
assessing its value and worth. Had it been in a
non-Arabic language, you could have offered the
excuse that you could not determine its being
Divine, or otherwise, for you did not understand
it. But you cannot offer this excuse about this
Arabic Qur’an. Its each word is clear to you, its
each passage and discourse, both in language and
in theme, is plain for you. Now you may see it for
yourself whether this could be the word of
Muhammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace) or of
some other Arab.’
(2) ‘We have sent this Book in Arabic because We are

addressing the Arabs; who can only understand an
Arabic Qur’an. The person who disregards this
expressly rational ground for sending down The
Holy Qur’an in Arabic and regards it is the word
of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace)
instead of Divine Word only because of
Muhammad’s mother tongue is also Arabic,
commits a grave injustice.’
To understand this second meaning, lets have a look

in the Surah Ha-Mim As-Sajdah, v. 41:44
‫ص ُقرْآنًصا أَعْجَ ِميّاص لّقَالُوا َلوْلَا‬ ُ ‫﴾ وََلوْ جَعَ ْلنَاه‬41:44﴿

‫فُ صَّلتْ آيَاتُ هُ َأأَ ْعجَمِيّ وَ َع َربِيّ قُلْ ُهوَ لِلّذِي نَ آ َمنُوا‬
ٌ‫هُدًى وَشِفَاء وَالّذِينَصلَا ُيؤْ ِمنُون َص فِي آذَاِنهِم ْص َوقْر‬
ٍ‫وَ ُهوَ عََلْيهِمْ َعمًى ُأوْلَئِكَ ُينَا َدوْنَ مِن مّكَانٍ بَعِيد‬
(41:44) Had We sent this Qur’an in a foreign tongue,
the people would have said, ‘Why have not its verses
been well expounded? What! The scripture in a
foreign language and the listeners are Arabs? Say to
them, ‘This Qur’an is a guidance and a healing for
the believers, but to those who do not believe, it is a
plug in their ears and a covering over their eyes. It is
as though they are being summoned from afar.
This is the kind of stubbornness that the Holy Prophet

was confronting. The disbelievers said, ‘Muhammad
(upon whom be Allah’s peace) is an Arab. Arabic is
his mother tongue. How can one believe that the
Arabic Qur’an that he presents has not been forged
by him but has been revealed to him by God? The
Holy Qur’an could be believed to be the Revelation
of God if he had started speaking fluently in a foreign
language unknown to him, like Persian, Latin, or
Greek.’ Allah, saying, has refuted this argument of
theirs ‘now when The Holy Qur’an has been sent
down in their own tongue so that they may
understand it, they raise the objection: Why has it
been sent down to an Arab in Arabic? But if it had
been sent down in a foreign tongue, these very people
would have said, ‘How strange! An Arab Messenger
has been sent to the Arabs, but the Revelations being
sent to him are in a tongue which is neither
understood by him nor by his people.’
Now have to go back to the Surah Az-Zukhruf:

‘Umm al-Kitab’ the ‘Original Book’ the Book from
which all the Books sent down to the Prophets has
been derived. In Surah Al-Waqi’ah the same thing
has been described as Kitab-um-Maknun (the hidden
and preserved Book) and in Surah Al-Buruj, v. 85:22
Fi Lauh him-mahfuj means preserved in well guarded
tablet, that is the tablet whose writing cannot be
effaced, which is secure from every kind of
interference. By saying that The Holy Qur’an is
inscribed in Umm al-Kitab, attention has been drawn
to an important truth. Different Books had been
revealed by Allah in different ages to different
Prophets for the guidance of different nations in
different languages, but all these Books:
(a) Invited mankind to one and the same Faith;
(b) They regarded one and the same thing as the
Truth;
(c) They presented one and the same criterion of good
and evil;
(d) They propounded the same principles of morality
and civilization;
(e) In short, they brought one and the same Deen
(Religion).
The reason was that their source and origin was the
same, only words were different, they had the same
meaning and theme, which is inscribed in a Source
Book with Allah, and whenever there was a need. He
raised a Prophet and sent down the same meaning
and subject matter clothed in a particular diction
according to the environment and occasion. Had
Allah willed to raise the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
in another nation instead of the Arabs? He would
have sent down the same Qur’an in the language of
that nation. In it the meaning and content would be
expressed according to the environments and
conditions of the people and; land: the words would
have been different and the language also different
but the teaching and guidance the same basically, and
it would be the same Qur’an though not the Arabic
Qur’an.
The Qur’an says like:

‫ِهص‬
ِ ‫﴾ نَ َزلَ ب‬193﴿ َ ‫ّهص َلتَنِيلُ رَب ّ الْعَالَمِي‬ ُ ‫﴾ َوِإن‬192﴿
‫ص‬
َ ‫ص مِن‬ َ ‫ص ِلتَكُون‬ َ ‫﴾ عَلَى قَ ْلبِك‬194﴿ ‫ص الْأَمِيُص‬ ُ ‫الرّوح‬
‫﴾ َوِإنّ هُ لَفِي‬196﴿ ٍ‫﴾ بِلِ سَانٍ َع َربِيّ ّمبِي‬195﴿ َ‫الْمُنذِرِي ن‬
َ‫ُزبُرِ الَْأوّلِي‬
(192) And truly, this (The Holy Qur’an) is a
revelation from the Lord of the ‘Alamin’ (worlds).
(193) With it the trustworthy Ruh (Jibril) came down.
(194) Upon your heart (O Muhammad!) so that you
may become one of those who are (appointed by
God) to warn (the people). (195) In plain Arabic
language. (196) And this is also contained in the
Scriptures of the former people. (Surah Ash Shu’ara,
thus: v.26:192-196)
Now before discussing on these verses lets go back to

the verse 4 of Surah Az-Zukhruf :
This sentence is related both to ‘Kitabum-mubin’ and

to ‘Ummul-Kitab’. Thus, it is in praise of both The
Holy Qur’an and the Original Book from which The
Holy Qur’an has been derived. This praise is meant
to I; press the fact that if a person does not recognize
the true worth of this Book and does not benefit from
its wise teachings because of his own folly, it would
be his own misfortune. If someone tried to degrade it
and found fault with it, it would be his own
meanness. It cannot become worthless on account of
someone’s lack of appreciation of it, and its wisdom
cannot be eclipsed by anyone’s throwing dust at it.
This is by itself a glorious Book, which stands
exactly by its matchless teaching, miraculous
eloquence, faultless wisdom and the sublime
personality of its great Author. Therefore, none can
succeed in minimizing its value and worth.
In the verse 43:44 below Allah said to his Prophet:

The fact is that this Book (this Qur’an) is a great
honor for you and your people, and soon you will be
called to account for it (Az-Zukhruf, 43:44).
There can be no greater good fortune for a person

than that Allah should choose him from among all
men to become the recipient of His Book (Qur’an).
And there can be no greater good fortune also for a
nation than that Allah should send down His Book in
its tongue, and give it the opportunity to rise as the
standard-bearer of Divine message in the world. If
the Quraish and the people of Arabia have no sense
of this great honor, and spurn it, a time will come
when they will be called upon to account for it.
Now lets have a look to the verses, 26:192-196 of

Surah Ash-Shu’araa:
َ‫﴾ َوإِنّهُ َلتَنِيلُ رَبّ الْعَالَمِي‬26:192﴿

(26:192) This *118 (Book) has been
revealed by the Lord of the worlds. *119
This lucid Book (Qur’an) whose verses are being

recited to you, and this ‘Admonition’ from which the
people are turning away, is not the product of the
whims of a man, it has not been written and compiled
by Muhammad (pbuh) himself, but it consists of the
Revelation of the Lord of this Universe.
ُ‫﴾ نَ َزلَ بِهِ الرّوحُ الْأَمِي‬26:193﴿

(26:193) The trustworthy Spirit *120 has come down
with it.
Here ‘Ruhul Amin’ means ‘Angel Gabriel’, as also

mentioned like:
‫جْبرِيلَ َفإِنّ هُ َنزّلَ هُ عَلَى‬
ِ ّ‫﴾ ُقلْ مَن كَا نَ عَ ُدوّا ل‬2:97﴿
‫ْنص يَ َديْه ِص وَهُدًى‬
َ ‫ُصصدّقا لّمَا َبي‬ َ ‫ّهص م‬ِ ‫قَ ْلبِك َص ِبإِذْن ِص الل‬
َ‫شرَى ِللْ ُمؤْمِنِي‬ْ ُ‫َوب‬
Say to them, "Whoever is enemy to Gabriel, *100
should understand that he has, by Allah's command,
revealed to your heart the Qur'an *101 which
confirms what was revealed before it, *102 and
brings Guidance and glad tidings *103 to the
Believers. (Surah Al-Baqarah, v.2:97)
Here(26:193) the object of using the title of ‘the
trustworthy Spirit’ for Gabriel implies that Allah is
not sending down The Holy Qur’an through some
material agency, which is subject to change and
vacillation, but through a pure Spirit, having no tinge
of materialism, and who is perfectly trustworthy. This
Spirit conveys the Messages of Allah precisely in the
same form and with the same content as they are
entrusted to him; it is not possible for him to tamper
with the Message, or to make his own additions to
them in any way.
َ‫﴾ عَلَى قَ ْلبِكَ ِلتَكُونَ ِمنَ الْمُنذِرِين‬26:194﴿

(26:194) Upon your heart so that you may become
one of those who are (appointed by God) to warn (the
people).
ٍ‫﴾ بِلِسَانٍ َع َربِيّ ّمبِي‬26:195﴿

(26:195) in plain Arabic language; *121
‘In plain Arabic language’

This sentence is related to: ‘the trustworthy Spirit has
come down’ and also to ‘who are (appointed by God)
to warn. In the first case, it will mean that the
trustworthy Spirit has brought it down in plain Arabic
language, and in the second case, it will mean that the
Holy Prophet is included among those Prophets who
were appointed to warn the people in the Arabic
language, i.e. Hud, Salih, Ismael and Shu’aib (Allah’s
peace upon them). In both cases the object is the
same, the Divine Message has not been sent down in
a dead or mysterious language, or in a language of
riddles and enigmas, but in such clear and lucid
Arabic, which every Arab and every non-Arab who
has learnt Arabic can understand easily. As such, the
people who are turning away from it, cannot have the
excuse that they could not understand the message of
The Holy Qur’an. The only reason of their denial and
aversion is that they are afflicted with the same
disease with which Pharaoh, the people of Abraham
the people Noah, the people of Lot, the ‘Ad and the
Thamud, and the people of Aiykah were afflicted.
َ‫﴾ َوإِنّهُ لَفِي ُزُبرِ الَْأوّلِي‬26:196﴿

(26:196) and this is also contained in the Scriptures
of the former people. *122
Mentioned in the verse, 196 ‘That is, this very

Admonition and Divine Message and teachings’ are
contained in the former Scriptures also. The same
message of submission to One God, the same belief
in the Hereafter and the same invitation to follow the
Prophets has been given in all those Books. All the
Books sent down by God condemn ‘shirk’ and the
materialistic philosophy of life and invite people to
accept the true and sound philosophy of life, which is
based on the concept of man’s accountability before
God, and demands that man should give up his
independence in deference to Divine Commands
brought and preached by the Prophets. None of these
things is new, which The Holy Qur’an may be
presenting for the first time, and none can blame the
Holy Prophet of saying something which had never
been said before by the former Prophets.
Among other arguments this verse also is quoted in

support of Imam Abu Hanifah’s early opinion that if a
person recites the translation of The Holy Qur’an in
the prayer, his prayer will be in order and valid,
whether he is able to recite The Holy Qur’an in
Arabic or not.
According to Allama Abu Bakr al-Jassas, the basis of

this argument is: ‘Allah says that The Holy Qur’an
was contained in the former Scriptures also,
obviously this could not be in Arabic words, As such,
if translated and presented in another language, it will
still be The Holy Qur’an.’
[Ahkam-ul-Qur’an, vol. III, P. 429]
But the weakness of this argument is obvious. The

Holy Qur’an, or any other Divine Book, was never
revealed in a manner that Allah inspired the Prophet
with its meaning and then he presented it before the
people in his own words. The fact is that every Book,
in whatever language it came, was revealed in Divine
words and meanings together. As such, the teachings
of The Holy Qur’an were contained in the former
Scriptures in Divine words and not in human, and
none of their translations could be considered as the
Divine Book or its representation. As regards The
Holy Qur’an, it has been stated over and over again
that it was literally revealed in the Arabic language: It
has been expressed like:
َ‫﴾ إِنّا أَنزَْلنَاهُ ُقرْآنًا َع َربِيّا لّعَلّكُمْ تَعْقِلُون‬12:2﴿

(12:2) We have sent it down as Qur'an *1 in Arabic
so that you (Arabs) may understand it well. *2 (Surah
Yusuf, v.12:2)
It has been expressed in the Surah Ar-Ra’d, v.13:37
َ ْ‫﴾ وَكَذَلِ كَ أَنزَْلنَا هُ حُكْمًا َع َرِبيّا وََلئِ نِ اتّبَع‬13:37﴿

‫ت‬
ِ‫أَ ْهوَاءهُم بَعْدَ مَا جَاء كَ مِ نَ الْعِلْ مِ مَا لَ كَ مِ نَ الّل ه‬
ٍ‫مِن وَلِيّ وَلَ وَاق‬
(13:37) It is with this instruction that We have sent
this Command in Arabic to you. Now if you follow
the desires and lusts of the people in spite of the
knowledge you have received there shall be none to
defend you nor to protect you against Allah.
It has been expressed in the Surah Az-Zumar, v.39:28
َ‫﴾ ُقرْآَنًا َعرَِبيّا َغْيرَ ذِي ِعوَجٍ لَ َعّلهُمْ يَتّقُون‬39:28﴿

(39:28) It is a Qur'an in Arabic *46 without any
crookedness in it, *47 so that they may guard against
the evil end.
It is a Qur'an in Arabic 46:

*46 That is, "It has not been sent down in a
foreign language so that the people of
Makkah and Arabia should stand in need of a
translator or interpreter, but it is in their own
language, which they can understand
directly."
Without any crookedness in it, *47:

*47 That is, "There is nothing of double-
dealing in it so that a common man should
find it difficult to understand, but everything
has been presented in it in a straightforward
manner, from which everyone can know what
this Book states as wrong and why, what it
states as right and on what ground, what it
wants the people to accept and what it wants
them to reject, and what it enjoins and what it
forbids."
Then just before this verse, it has been said that the
trustworthy Spirit has brought it down in Arabic.
Now how can it be said that the translation of The
Holy Qur’an made into another language will also be
The Holy Qur’an and its words will represent the
Words of Allah?
It appears that later the Imam himself felt this

weakness in the argument and, according to authentic
traditions, gave up his earlier opinion, and adopted
the opinion of Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam
Muhammad, who held that a person who could not
recite Arabic words, could recite the translation of
The Holy Qur’an in his prayer till he was able to
pronounce Arabic words. However, the prayer of a
person, who was able to recite The Holy Qur’an in
Arabic, would not be valid if he recited its
translation. The fact is that the two Imams had
proposed this concession only for that non-Arab
converts who were not able to offer their prayer in
Arabic immediately after embracing Islam. In this the
basis of their argument was not that the translation of
The Holy Qur’an was The Holy Qur’an itself, but
that just as a person unable to perform Ruku’ and
Sajdah was allowed to offer his prayer by making
signs, so a person unable to pronounce Arabic words
could recite the translation. Then just as the prayer of
a person who offered it by making signs could not be
valid as soon as the cause inability was removed, so
the prayer of a person who recited the translation
would not be valid as soon as he became able to
pronounce Arabic words. (For a detailed discussion,
see Al-Mabsut by Sarkhashi, volume-I, p.37, Fath ul-
Qadir and Shahr Inayah ‘alal-Hedaya, vol. I pp.190-
201).
04.01.00
Why the Qur’an
Revealed in pure Arabic?
Allah says:
َ‫﴾ إِنّا أَنزَْلنَاهُ ُقرْآنًا َع َربِيّا لّعَلّكُمْ تَعْقِلُون‬12:2﴿

We have sent it down as Qur'an *1 in Arabic so that
you (Arabs) may understand it well. *2 (Surah Yusuf,
v.12:2)
*1 The Arabic word (Quràn: "to read") is
originally the infinitive form of the verb When
the infinitive form of a verb in Arabic is used
as a name, it implies that that thing (or
person) possesses the characteristics in their
perfection. This Book has been named
"Qur'an" to indicate that it is meant to be
read by all and sundry and is to be read often
and over and over again.
*2 This does not mean that this Book has

been sent down exclusively for the Arabs.
What it means is only this: "Of all the people,
O Arabs, you should understand the
excellences of the Qur'an, which are a sure
proof of its being Divine Revelation, for it is in
your own language and you have no excuse
to put forward that it is in a foreign language
which you do not understand."
Some people wrongly infer from this verse

that this Book had been sent down for the
Arabs and not for the non-Arabs; therefore,
they assert, it cannot be claimed that it is the
Guidance for the whole mankind. But
obviously this is a frivolous objection raised
by hose who do not understand its real
significance. It is obvious that a book, though
meant for universal guidance, will necessarily
have to be put in words in some language so
that the people speaking that language
should understand its teachings and then
become the means of conveying its guidance
to other peoples. This is the only natural way
of spreading the message of a movement on
a universal scale.
The word ‘Arabian’ does not mean that this Book

(Qur’an) has been sent down exclusively for the
Arabs. What it means is only this: ‘of all the people,
O Arabs! You should understand the excellences of
the Holy Qur’an, which are sure proof of its being
Divine Revelation, for it is in your own language and
you have no excuse to put forward that it is in a
foreign language which you do not understand.’
Some people wrongly infer from this verse that this
Book (Qur’an) had been sent down for the Arabs and
not for the non-Arabs. Therefore, they assert, it
cannot be claimed that is the Guidance for the whole
mankind. But obviously this is frivolous objection
raised by those who do not understand its real
significance. It is obvious that a book, though meant
for universal guidance, will necessarily have to be put
I words in some language so that the people speaking
that language should understand its teachings and
then become the means of conveying its guidance to
other peoples. This is the only natural way of
spreading the message of a movement on a universal
scale.
َ ْ‫﴾ وَكَذَلِ كَ أَنزَْلنَا هُ حُكْمًا َع َرِبيّا وََلئِ نِ اتّبَع‬13:37﴿

‫ت‬
ِ‫أَ ْهوَاءهُم بَعْدَ مَا جَاء كَ مِ نَ الْعِلْ مِ مَا لَ كَ مِ نَ الّل ه‬
ٍ‫مِن وَلِيّ وَلَ وَاق‬
(O Prophet!) It is with this instruction that We have
sent this Command in Arabic to you. Now if you
follow the desires and lusts of the people in spite of
the knowledge you have received there shall be none
to defend you or to protect you against Allah. (Surah
Ar-Raad, v.13:37)
‫ش ٌر‬
َ َ‫﴾ وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَ مُ َأّنهُ مْ يَقُولُو نَ ِإنّمَا يُعَلّمُ هُ ب‬16:103﴿
ٌ‫لّ سَانُ الّذِي يُلْحِدُو نَ إِلَيْ هِ أَ ْعجَمِيّ َوهَصذَا لِ سَان‬
ٌ‫َعرَبِيّ ّمبِي‬
(16:103) We know very well what they say about
you: "Surely a certain person teaches him. " *107 But
the person to whom they allude speaks a foreign
tongue, and this (Qur'an) is in plain Arabic.
*107 In this connection, traditions mention the names of
several persons, one of whom (Jabar), according to the
disbelievers of Makkah taught the Holy Prophet;
however, one thing particularly noteworthy about all
these persons is that they were non-Arab slaves.
Whosoever he might be, the fact that he used to recite the
Torah and the Gospel and had an acquaintance with the
Holy Prophet, gave an opportunity to the disbelievers for
spreading this false report that it was the particular slave
who was the real author of the Holy Qur'an, but
Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) presented it as
the Word of God. This not only shows that his opponents
were very impudent in spreading false accusations against
the Holy Prophet but also that, in general, people are not
just in judging the worth of their contemporaries.
They were ill-treating like this that great personality who

has had no parallel in history. Nevertheless, these people
who had become blind in their opposition, preferred to
attribute the authorship of the matchless Arabic Qur'an to
a non-Arab slave who had a smattering of the Torah and
the Gospel. Instead of accepting the claim of the Holy
Prophet, who was an embodiment of truth, they attributed
its authorship to an insignificant foreign slave.
َ‫ّهص ل‬
ِ ‫َاتص الل‬
ِ ‫ُونص بِآي‬
َ ‫ِينص لَ ُيؤْمِن‬
َ ‫﴾ إِن ّ الّذ‬16:104﴿
ٌ‫َيهْدِيهِمُ الّلهُ وََلهُمْ َعذَابٌ أَلِيم‬
(16:104) It is a fact that Allah does not show
guidance to those who do not believe in His
Revelations, and there is a painful torment for them.
‫ُونص‬
َ ‫ِينص لَ ُيؤْمِن‬
َ ‫ِبص الّذ‬
َ ‫﴾ إِنّم َا يَفَْترِي الْكَذ‬16:105﴿
َ‫بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ َوأُوْلصئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُون‬
(16:105) (The Prophet is not forging any false thing
but) those, who do not believe in the Revelations of
Allah, are inventing falsehoods *108 they are indeed
the liars. (Surah An-Nahl, v.16:105)
*108 This verse can also be rendered like this:
"A Prophet does not forge any false thing but
those, who do not believe in the Revelations
of Allah, invent falsehoods. "
[The Meaning of the Qur’an, S.A.A.Maududi:

Islamic Publications Pvt. Ltd Lahore, Pakistan]
The wicked attribute to Prophets of Allah just such

motives and springs of action as they themselves
would be guilty of in such circumstances. The Pagans
and those who were hostile to the revelation of Allah
is Islam could not and cannot understand how such
wonderful words could flow from the tongue of the
Holy Prophet. They must postulate some human
teacher. Unfortunately for their postulate, any
possible human teacher they could think of would be
poor in Arabic speech if he had all the knowledge
that the Qur’an reveals of previous revelations. Apart
from that, even the most eloquent Arab could not, and
cannot, produce anything of the eloquence, width,
and depth of Quranic teaching, as is evident from
every verse of the Book.
[The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an: Abdullah Yusuf
It has been expressed in other place:
ِ‫ص ّر ْفنَا فِي ه‬

َ َ‫﴾ وَكَذَلِ كَ أَنزَْلنَا هُ ُقرْآنًا َع َربِيّ ا و‬20:113﴿
‫ِمنَ اْلوَعِيدِ لَعَّلهُمْ يَتّقُونَ َأوْ يُحْدِثُ َلهُمْ ذِ ْكرًا‬
And O Mohammad! Thus have We sent this down as
an Arabic Qur’an and have given therein warnings in
various ways, perhaps these people may be saved
from perverseness or that this may help arouse
understanding in them. (Surah Ta-Ha, v.20:113)
‫ص ُقرْآنًصا أَعْجَ ِميّاص لّقَالُوا َلوْلَا‬ ُ ‫﴾ وََلوْ جَعَ ْلنَاه‬41:44﴿
‫فُ صَّلتْ آيَاتُ هُ َأأَ ْعجَمِيّ وَ َع َربِيّ قُلْ ُهوَ لِلّذِي نَ آ َمنُوا‬
ٌ‫هُدًى وَشِفَاء وَالّذِينَصلَا ُيؤْ ِمنُون َص فِي آذَاِنهِم ْص َوقْر‬
ٍ‫وَ ُهوَ عََلْيهِمْ َعمًى ُأوْلَئِكَ ُينَا َدوْنَ مِن مّكَانٍ بَعِيد‬
Had We sent this Qur’an in a foreign tongue, the
people would have said, ‘why have not its verses bee
well expounded? What! The scripture in a foreign
language and the listeners are Arabs? O Prophet! Say
to them, ‘This Qur’an is a guidance and a healing for
the believers, but to those who do not believe, it is a
plug in their ears and a covering over their eyes. It is
as though they are being summoned from afar. (Surah
Ha-Mim-As-Sajdah or Fussilat, v.41:44)
This is the kind of the stubbornness that the Holy

Prophet was confronting. The disbelievers said,
‘Mohammad (pbuh) is an Arab. Arabic is his mother
tongue. How can one believe that the Arabic Qur’an
that he presents has not been forged by him but has
been revealed to him by God? The Qur’an could be
believed to be the Revelation of God if he had started
speaking fluently in a foreign language unknown to
him, like Persian, Latin, or Greek.’ Allah has refuted
this argument of theirs; saying, ‘now when the
Qur’an has been sent down in their own tongue so
that they may understand it, they raise the objection:
Why has it been sent down to an Arab in Arabic? But
if it had been sent down in a foreign tongue, these
very people would have said, ‘How strange! An Arab
Messenger has been sent to the Arabs, but the
Revelations being sent to him are in a tongue which
is neither understood by him nor by his people.’
When a person is summoned from a far, he hears a

voice but does not understand what is being said to
him. This is a wonderful simile, which fully depicts
the psychology of the stubborn opponents.
Naturally when you talk to a person who is free from

prejudice, he will listen to you, will try to understand
what you say, will accept it if it is reasonable, with an
open mind.
On the contrary, the person who is not only

prejudiced against you but it is also malicious and
spiteful, will not at all listen to you however hard you
may try to make him understand your viewpoint. In
spite of hearing you all the time he will not
understand at all what you had been saying.
[The Meaning of the Qur’an, S.A.A.Mawdudi:
Islamic Publications Pvt. Ltd., Lahore, Pakistan]
• Had We sent this as a Qur’an (in a language) other

than Arabic, they would have said: ‘Why are not
its verses explained in detail? What! (A Book) not
in Arabic, and a Messenger an Arab? Say: ‘It is a
guide and a healing to those Who believe not,
there is a deafness in their ears, and it is blindness
in their eyes; They are (as it were) being called
from a place far distant!
It was most natural and reasonable that the messenger

being Arab, the Message should be in his own
tongue, that he might explain it in every detail, with
the greatest power and eloquence. Even though it was
to be for the all worlds, its initial exposition was thus
to be in Arabic. But if the people had no faith on it,
and were spiritually deaf or blind: it would not matter
in what language it came.
They pretended that it was too deep for them, when

they meant that they were superior to it! The fact was
that by putting themselves in an artificially false
position, they rendered themselves impervious to the
message. The voice of Revelation or the voice of
conscience sounded to them as if it came from a far
off place! They themselves made themselves
strangers to it.
[The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an: Abdullah Yusuf
‫﴾ َوقَالُوا قُلُوبُنَا فِي أَ ِكنّةٍ مّمّا تَ ْدعُونَا إِلَيْ ِه‬41:5﴿

‫وَفِي آذَانِنَا َو ْقرٌ وَمِن بَ ْينِنَا َوبَ ْينِكَب حِجَابٌب‬
َ‫فَاعْ َملْ إِنّنَا عَامِلُون‬
They say: our hearts are under veils, (concealed)
from that to which thou Dost invite us, and in our
ears is a deafness, and between us and thee is a
screen; so do thou (what thou wilt); For us, we shall
do (what we wilt). (Surah Ha-Mim-As-Sajdah or
Surah Fussilat, v.41:5)
It has been expressed like:
َ‫﴾ ُقرْآَنًا َعرَِبيّا َغْيرَ ذِي ِعوَجٍ لَ َعّلهُمْ يَتّقُون‬39:28﴿

It is a Qur’an in Arabic without any crookedness in it,
so that they may guard against the evil end. (Surah
Az-Zumar, v. 39:28)
It has not been sent down the Qur’an in a foreign

language so that the people of Makkah and Arabia
should stand in need of a translator or interpreter. But
the Qur’an has been sent down in their language,
which they can understand directly.
There is nothing of double dealing in it so that a

common man should find it difficult to understand
but everything has been presented in it in a
straightforward manner, from which everyone can
know what this Book states as wrong and why, what
it states as right and on what ground, what it wants
the people to accept and what it wants them to reject,
and what it enjoins and what it forbids.
It has been expressed like:
‫ْمص‬
ٍ ‫ُهص ُقرْآن ًا َع َرِبيّاص لّ َقو‬
ُ ‫ُصصلَتْ آيَات‬
ّ ‫َابص ف‬
ٌ ‫﴾ ِكت‬41:3﴿
َ‫يَعْلَمُون‬
A Book whose verses are well expounded, an Arabic
Qur'an for those who have knowledge. (Surah Ha-
mim As- Sajdah, v. 41:3)
‫ص لَا‬
ْ ‫ص َفهُم‬
ْ ‫ص أَ ْكثَرُهُم‬
َ ‫﴾ بَشِيًا وَنَذِيرًا َفأَ ْعرَض‬41:4﴿
َ‫يَسْمَعُون‬
The Qur’an is a giver of good news and a warner. *1
Yet most of these people have turned away from it,
and they pay no heed. (Surah Ha-mim As- Sajdah, v.
41:4)
A study of the following discourse can show what

relevance the things mentioned in it have with the
theme that follows:
(1) The verses of this book are well expounded. That
is, there is nothing confusing and ambiguous in it
so that somebody might excuse himself from
accepting it on the ground that he was unable to
understand the contents of the Book. It has been
plainly told in it what is the truth and what is the
falsehood, what are the right beliefs and what are
the wrong beliefs, what is good and what is evil,
what is high morality and what is vice, in what
way lies the good of man and in what he incurs
loss for himself. If a person rejects such clear and
manifest guidance, or pays no heed to it, he cannot
offer any excuse for it. His attitude clearly implies
that he wants to remain in the wrong willfully.
(2) That this is an Arabic Qur’an, which implies this:

‘If this Qur’an had been sent down in some other
language, the Arabs would have presented the
excuse that they were ignorant of the language in
which God had sent His Book. But this is their
language. They cannot put forward the excuse that
they cannot understand it.
(3) That this Book is for those who possess
knowledge. That is, only the people of
understanding can draw any benefit from this
Book. For the ignorant it is as useless as a
precious diamond for the one who cannot
distinguish it from a mere stone.
(4) That this Book gives good news and administers
warning. That is, it does not consist of mere
fantasy, or a philosophy, or a specimen of good
literary composition, which one may accept or
rejects without entailing any consequence, but it is
openly administering a warning to the whole
world that the results of accepting and believing in
it are marvelous and of rejecting it very dreadful.
Thus only a fool could reject it with scant
attention.
ّ‫﴾ وَكَذَلِ كَ َأوْ َحْينَا إَِليْ كَ ُقرْآنًا َع َرِبيّا ّلتُنذِرَ أُم‬42:7﴿

ِ‫الْ ُقرَى وَمَ نْ َحوَْلهَا َوتُنذِرَ َيوْ مَ الْجَمْ عِ لَا َريْ بَ فِي ه‬
ِ‫جنّةِ َوَفرِيقٌ فِي السّعِي‬ َ ْ‫َفرِيقٌ فِي ال‬
Yes: thus have We revealed to you, O Prophet, this
Arabic Qur'an *8 so that you may warn those who
dwell in the centre of habitations (i.e. Makkah) and
around it, *9 and warn them of the Day of Gathering
*10which is sure to come: one group shall go to
Paradise and the other to Hell. (Surah Ash-Shura,
v.42:7)
Arouse them from slumber and warn them that there

is nothing but destruction in store for them in
consequence of the errors of morality and conduct in
which they are involved and of the perverse principle
on which they have ordered their individual and
collective lives.
O Prophet, Warn them also that this destruction is not

confined only to this world but the Day has to come
when Allah will gather together all mankind and
subject them to accountability. Even if a person
escaped the evil consequences of his deviation and
wickedness in the world, there will be no chance of
his escape on that Day, and highly unfortunate is he,
who is doomed to a tragic fate both in this world and
in the hereafter.
‫َابص مُوسصَى إِمَامًا َورَحْمَ ًة‬ ُ ‫ِهص ِكت‬ ِ ‫﴾ وَمِن قَبْل‬46:12﴿

‫ِينص‬
َ ‫ّصصّدقٌ لّسصَانًا َع َربِيّاص ّليُنذِرَ الّذ‬
َ ‫َابص م‬ ٌ ‫وَهَذَا ِكت‬
َ‫سنِي‬
ِ ْ‫شرَى لِلْمُح‬
ْ ُ‫َظلَمُوا وَب‬
(46:12) Yet before it there has come the Book of
Moses as a guide and a mercy, and this Book has
been revealed to confirm it in the Arabic tongue so as
to warn the wrongdoers *17 and to give good news to
those who have adopted the righteous conduct.
(Surah Al-Ahqaaf, v.46:12)
This Qur’an revealed in Arabic to warn the wrong

doers. That is to warn the evil end those who are
being unjust to themselves and to the truth itself by
disbelieving in Allah and serving others than Allah,
and are involved because of this deviation of theirs in
the evils of morals and deeds, which have filled
human society with every kind of wickedness and
injustice.
04.01.01
Why the Non-Arabs
believe on the Arabic Qur’an?
Or
?Is the Qur’an Only For Arabs
Question:
A Sikh friend of mine was given some literature to
read. While reading it, he raised this objection: “You
say that Allah speaks to the prophets and through
these special people He sent a universal way of life
for all mankind. The question is, why is such an
important way of life prescribed in this one particular
language [Arabic], which is used only in one
particular geographic location? Why could not that
Almighty Allah create one universal language for all
of mankind so that all people could benefit from that
equally? Arabic Qur'an is certainly beneficial for the
Arabs only.”
Answer
Had your Sikh friend who raised this objection
pushed his imagination a bit further, he could have
also asked “Why did God not send a copy of the
Qur'an directly to every human being? Since He is
the Almighty, He could have done this too!”
These people actually do not try to understand one

basic point: For guiding the humanity, Allah
Almighty does not adopt a method that would require
an alteration in the natural workings and systems of
the universe. The variety of languages, and due to
that the emergence of various small and large ethnic
groups—all this is but a natural phenomenon which
came into existence by the will of Allah. And in this
are lots of benefits and goodness that Allah would not
want to destroy. Yes, He is the Almighty, but He is
also the Wise. In His universe, things are running
under a perfect set of laws and principles. Due to
these principles, variance between languages,
cultures, and traditions emerges. Even if Allah had
created some separate type of language, that still
could not have been the mother tongue of all
nationalities, nor could the literature in that language
affect and influence the minds of all people on earth.
They would not have appreciated the beauty of that
language [as one appreciates one’s mother tongue]. If
Allah—by some supernatural way—eliminated all
the mother tongues of all people and then imposed,
supernaturally, one language on the entire humanity,
then that is a different matter. However, since one
action of Allah does not come to nullify another
action of His, He has sent guidance to humanity
while sustaining the natural systems and frameworks
of all languages.
Arabic Qur'an can only be beneficial for the Arabs—

this allegation could have been true had Allah only
sent a book. But the reality is that Allah sent the book
together with a guide. That guide first addressed a
particular nation in whose language the book came.
Then, according to the prescriptions laid in the book,
he educated them, purified them, gave them practical
training, and completely reshaped their lives in a full
social revolution. Then he charged them with this
responsibility that they, on his behalf, would transmit
this guidance to other nations, educate them, purify
them, train them, and reshape their lives the same
way as he had done to them. Thus, once one nation
adopts this ideal, it would bear the responsibility of
taking it to other nations. This was the natural way
for universalizing that teaching and guidance. Every
great movement of the world that wanted to
universalize its teaching has adopted this same
method, be that a movement to establish God’s way
or any other type of movement.
If one accepts the argument that a book is only

beneficial for the particular nation in whose language
it is written, then one will have to consider the history
of all the sciences of the world as wrong. All the
books of the world will need to be divided and
segregated according to language. All the benefits of
translations and various mediums of international
mass communications will have to be denied. Yet, it
is through these mediums that the messages of great
world movements and the words of great leaders are
reaching the far corners of the earth. Then what crime
did the book of Muhammad commit that it has to be
considered confined only for the Arabs just because it
is in Arabic?
If one is still not assured after this and he thinks that

Allah should have done things as he thought He
should have, then he has the right to remain firm in
his opinion. But the question is, if by putting up such
questions as hindrance one does not benefit from a
book or a message, then whose loss is it? This is not
the policy of the truth seekers. They search for the
ray of light everywhere and from all sources. If one
closes one’s mind with one objection or another
against every book or teaching, then one will not be
able to make even a single step on life’s simple and
straight path.
* Excerpted, with some modifications, from Welcome Back,
Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi, Rasael wa Masael. Originally
published in Tarjumanul Qur’an, July-October, 1944.
04.02.00
Revealed Qur’an is
the inspiration of Allah
The Qur’an says:
‫ص الْ ِكتَابصَ وَالْحِكْمَ َة‬

َ ‫ص عََليْك‬
ُ ‫﴾ َوأَن َزلَ اللّه‬4:113﴿
ِ‫ضلُ الّل ه‬
ْ َ‫وَ َعلّمَ كَ مَا لَ مْ تَكُ نْ تَعْلَ مُ وَكَا نَ ف‬
‫عََليْكَ َعظِيمًا‬
O Prophet! Allah has sent down the Book (Qur’an)
and the Wisdom to you and taught what you did not
know; great indeed is His bounty to you. (Surah An-
Nisa, v.4:113)
It has been expressed:

‫خرِ جَ النّا سَ مِ َن‬ ْ ُ‫﴾ الَر ِكتَا بٌ أَنزَلْنَا هُ إَِليْ كَ ِلت‬14:1﴿
ِ‫صرَاطِ الْعَزِيز‬ِ ‫الظّلُمَا تِ إِلَى النّورِ ِبِإذْ نِ َربّهِ مْ إِلَى‬
‫﴾ اللّ هِ الّذِي لَ هُ مَا فِي ال سّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا‬14:2﴿ ِ‫الْحَمِيد‬
ٍ‫فِي الَ ْرضِ َو َويْلٌ لّلْكَاِفرِينَ ِمنْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيد‬
(1) Alif-Laam-Raa, O Mohammad! This is a Book
which We have sent down to you so that you may
bring mankind by the help of their Lord out of the
dark ways (of ignorance) into the light (of
knowledge) to the Way of that God, Who is all-
powerful and inherently worthy of All Praise. (2)
Allah to whom the owner of whatever is in the
heavens and the earth. (Surah Ibrahim, v.14:1-2)
This is the purpose for which for which the Holy

Prophet had been sent with the Holy Qur’an. He was
entrusted with the mission that he should bring
mankind back from the ways of darkness (ways of
wickedness) into the Way of God by the help of the
Light of the Qur’an. For everyone, who is not on the
Way of God, is, in fact, wandering about in the ways
of the darkness (of ignorance), even though he might
consider himself to be very enlightened and full of
knowledge. On the other hand, the one who finds the
Way of Allah comes into the light of knowledge, even
though he might be an illiterate person.
As regards ‘by the help of their Lord’, this implies

that the most of missionary of Islam (even though he
be a Messenger of Allah) can do is to present the
Right Way. It is not in his power to bring anyone
forcibly to the Way, for this can only happen by the
help and permission of Allah. That is why only that
person whom Allah helps and permits gets guidance;
otherwise even a perfect Missionary like a Messenger
fails to bring a person to the Way. As regards the
Divine Law, according to which Allah helps and
permits a person to gain guidance, we learn from
different passages of the Qur’an that Allah gives help
only to that person who himself has a desire to get
guidance: who frees himself from obduracy,
obstinacy and prejudice; who is not a follower of his
lust, nor a slave of his desires; who is inclined to see
with open eyes, and hear with open ears and think
with a clear mind, and is ready to accede to any
reasonable thing.
It has been expressed in the Surah Ta-Ha, v.20:1-4
‫﴾ طه‬20:1﴿
‫﴾ مَا أَنزَْلنَا عََليْكَ الْ ُقرْآنَ ِلتَشْقَى‬20:2﴿
‫﴾ إِلّا تَذْ ِكرَةً لّمَن يَخْشَى‬20:3﴿
‫﴾ تَنِيلًا مّ ّمنْ خََلقَ الْأَرْضَ وَالسّمَاوَاتِ الْعُلَى‬20:4﴿
(1) Ta-Ha. (2) We have sent down the Qur’an to you
to put you in distress. (3) This is an Admonition for
every such person who fears (God). (4) This (Qur’an)
has been sent down by that Being, who has created
the earth and the high heavens.
The object of the Revelation of the Holy Qur’an is

not to make the Holy Prophet do something
impossible and to put him to unnecessary distress by
demanding from him to imbrute the hearts of the
obdurate people with Faith, but to admonish those
people who have fear of Allah. Therefore the Holy
Prophet should not waste his efforts on those people,
who have no fear of God left in them, and who do not
bother at all about what is Truth and what is
falsehood.
َ‫﴾ تَبَارَ كَ الّذِي َن ّزلَ الْفُ ْرقَا نَ عَلَى َعبْدِ هِ ِليَكُو ن‬25:1﴿
‫لِلْعَالَمِيَ نَذِيرًا‬
(25:1) Highly blessed *1 is He, Who has sent down
Al-Furqan *2, *3 to His servant so that it may be a
warner to all mankind: *4 (Surah Al-Furqan, v.25:1)
1 The Arabic word tabaarak is very comprehensive,

and cannot be understood fully and completely by
‘highly blessed’, not even by a sentence. However, its
meanings may be grasped by keeping in view the
remaining portion of vv.1-2. Here it has been used to
convey the following meanings:
(1)The great almighty Allah is the most Beneficent:

that is why He has bestowed the great blessing of
Al-Furqan by degrees on His servant so that he
may admonish all mankind.
(2) He is the most Exalted and great: for the
Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth belongs
to Him.
(3) He is the most Holy, Pure and Perfect: He is free
from every time have shirk and has neither a
partner in his Godhead, nor needs a son to succeed
Him for He is Ever-Lasting.
(4) He is the Highest and the Most Supreme in rank:
the Kingdom and the Dominion wholly and solely
belong to Him, and there is none who has any
share in His Authority and Powers.
(5) He is the sole creator of the universe and has
created each and everything in it and
predetermined its destiny.
2 Al-Furqan means the Criterion. The Qur’an has

been called Al-Furqan because it is the Criterion for
judging right and wrong, virtue and vice, truth and
falsehood.
‘It is the Warner to all mankind’4: To warn all

mankind of the evil consequences of their
heedlessness and deviation. The Warner may be Al-
Furqan or the Holy Prophet to whom it was revealed.
In fact, both were the Warner because they were both
sent for one and the same purpose. The message of
the Qur’an and Prophet hood of Mohammad (pbuh)
were not meant for any particular country but for the
whole world; and not for their own time, but for all
times to come. This has been stated at several places
in the Qur’an; for instance:
ْ‫﴾ ُقلْ يَا َأيّهَا النّا سُ إِنّ ي رَ سُولُ الّل هِ إِلَيْكُ م‬7:158﴿
َ‫جَمِيعًا الّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السّمَاوَاتِ وَالَ ْرضِ ل إِلَصه‬
ّ‫حيِصي َويُمِيتُ فَآ ِمنُواْ بِالّلهِ وَرَسُولِهِ الّنبِي‬
ْ ُ‫إِلّ ُهوَ ي‬
ْ‫الُمّيّ الّذِي ُيؤْمِ نُ بِاللّ هِ وَكَلِمَاتِ هِ وَاّتبِعُو هُ لَعَلّكُ م‬

َ‫َت ْهتَدُون‬
[Say, O Muhammad]: 'O men! I am Allah's
Messenger to you all - of Him to Whom belongs the
dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no
god but He. He grants life and deals death. Have faith
then, in Allah and in His Messenger, the ummi
Prophet who believes in Allah and His words; and
follow him so that you may be guided aright.' (Surah
Al-A’raf, v. 7:158)
‫ص َشهِي ٌد‬ ِ ‫﴾ ُقلْ أَيّص شَ ْيءٍ أَ ْكَبرُ َشهَادةً ُقلِ اللّه‬6:19﴿

ِ‫ِبيْنِي َوَبيْنَكُ مْ َوأُوحِ يَ إِلَيّ هَذَا الْ ُقرْآ نُ لُنذِرَكُم بِ ه‬
‫شهَدُو نَ أَنّ مَ عَ اللّ هِ آِلهَةً أُ ْخرَى‬
ْ َ‫وَمَن بَلَ غَ َأِئنّكُ مْ َلت‬
ٌ‫قُل لّ أَ ْشهَدُ قُلْ ِإنّمَا ُهوَ إِلَصهٌ وَاحِدٌ َوإِّننِي بَرِيء‬
َ‫شرِكُون‬ ْ ُ‫مّمّا ت‬
Ask them: 'Whose testimony is the greatest?' Say:
'Allah is the witness between me and you; *11 and
this Qur'an was revealed to me that I should warn you
thereby and also whomsoever it may reach.'
Do you indeed testify that there are other gods with
Allah? *12 Say: 'I shall never testify such a thing.'
*13Say: 'He is the One God and 1 am altogether
averse to all that you associate with Him in His
divinity.' (Surah Al-An’am, v.6:19)
‫﴾ وَمَا أَرْ سَ ْلنَاكَ إِلّا كَافّةً لّلنّا سِ بَشِيًا َونَذِيرًا‬34:28﴿

َ‫وَلَ ِكنّ أَ ْكثَرَ النّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُون‬
And (O Prophet,) We have sent you to the entire
mankind as a' bearer of good news and a Warner, but
most people do not know. *47 (Surah Saba, v.34:28)
*47 That is, "You have not been sent as a Prophet for
the people of this city, or this country, or this age
alone, but for the people of the entire world and
forever, but your compatriots do not recognize your
worth and they do not realize how great a person has
been raised among them as a Prophet and how
uniquely they have been blessed by Allah."
The fact that the Holy Prophet has not been appointed
a Prophet only for his own country or for his own age
but for all mankind till Resurrection has been stated
at several places in the Qur'an. For instance,
َ‫﴾ وَمَا أَرْسَ ْلنَاكَ إِلّا رَحْمَةً لّلْعَالَمِي‬21:107﴿

(O Muhammad!) We have sent you to be a real
blessing for the people of the world. *100 (Al-Anbiya,
v.21:107)
*100 This verse (107) can also be translated as: "We
have sent you only as a blessing for the people of the
world".
In both cases it will mean that the appointment of the
Holy Prophet is indeed a blessing and mercy of Allah
to the whole world. This is because he aroused the
neglectful world froth its heedlessness and gave it the
knowledge of the criterion between truth and
falsehood, and warned it very clearly of both the
ways of salvation and. ruin. This fact has been stated
here 'to tell the disbelievers of Makkah that they were
quite wrong in their estimate of the Holy Prophet that
he was an affliction and distress for them because
they said, "This man has sown seeds of discard
among our clans and separated near relatives from
each other." They have been told here, "O foolish
people, you are wrong to presume that he is an
affliction for you; but he is in reality a blessing and
mercy of Allah for you."
The Holy Prophet himself has stated this clearly in

the Hadith, for instance, he said:
• I have been sent to all men-the red and the black.
• Before me a Prophet was sent only to his own

people, but I have been sent to all mankind.
[Bukhari, Muslim]
• I have been sent to all mankind, and I am the Last

of the Prophets. [Muslim]
• I have been sent to all mankind, the black as well

as the white.
[Musnad Ahmad: Marwiyat Abu Musa Ash ari]
• I have been sent to all mankind as a whole,

whereas every Prophet before me was only sent to
his own people.
[Musnad Ahmad: Marwiyat 'Abdullah bin 'Amr
bin 'As]
• Before me every Prophet was specifically sent to

his own people; but I have been sent for all
mankind.
[Bukhari and Muslim: From Traditions related by
Jabir bin 'Abdullah]
• My appointment as a Prophet and Resurrection are

like this. Saying this the Holy Prophet raised his
two fingers. [Bukhari and Muslim]
What he meant by this was: ‘Just as no third finger

intervenes between these two fingers, so there is no
prophethood between me and Resurrection. After me
there will be Resurrection only, and I shall be the
Prophet till Resurrection.’
[Surah Saba, v.34:28 nn.47]
It has been expressed in other place in the Qur’an:

َ‫﴾ َوإِنّهُ َلتَنِيلُ رَبّ الْعَالَمِي‬26:192﴿

This *118 Book (Qur’an) has been revealed by the
Lord of the worlds. *119(Surah Ash-Shuara,
v.26:192)
This lucid Book whose verses are being recited to

you, and this ‘Admonition’ from which the people are
turning away, is not the product of the whims of a
man; it has not been written and compiled by
Mohammad (pbuh) himself, but it consists of the
Revelations of the Lord of this universe.
ٍ‫﴾ َوإِنّكَ َلتُلَقّى الْ ُقرْآنَ مِن لّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ َعلِيم‬27:6﴿

(27:6) And (O Muhammad), you are most surely
receiving this Qur'an from the One, Who is All Wise,
All-Knowing. *7
*7 That is, the things being mentioned in the Qur'an

are not imaginary nor are they based on the
presumptions and opinions of a man, but they are
being revealed by the One Who is All-Wise and All-
Knowing, Who is perfect in Wisdom and Knowledge,
Who has full knowledge of the affairs of His creation
and of its past and present and future, and Whose
Wisdom devises the best schemes for the reform and
guidance of His servants.
‫﴾ َوإِن كُنتُ مْ فِي َريْ بٍ مّمّ ا َنزّلْنَا َعلَى َعبْدِنَا‬2:23﴿

ِ‫فَ ْأتُواْ بِ سُورَةٍ مّن ّمثْلِ هِ وَادْعُواْ ُشهَدَاءكُم مّن دُو ن‬
َ‫اللّهِ إِنْ ُكْنتُمْ صَا ِدقِي‬
(2:23) And if you be in doubt whether the Book We
have sent down to Our Servant is from Us or not,
then produce, at least, one Surah like this *24. You
may call all your associates to assist you and avail
yourselves of the help of any one other than Allah. If
you are genuine in your doubt, do this. (Surah Al-
Baqarah, v.2:23)
*24. Before this, in Makka, opponents had often been

challenged to produce anything of comparable merit
if they believed the Qur'an to be the work of a human
being. In Madina the same challenge was reiterated.
(For similar challenges made elsewhere in the Qur'an,
see 10:38; 11: 13; 17: 88 and 52: 33
‫ّمص تَفْعَلُواْ وَلَن تَفْعَلُواْ فَاتّقُواْ النّارَ الّتِي‬

ْ ‫﴾ َفإِن ل‬2:24﴿
َ‫َوقُودُهَا النّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ ُأعِدّتْ لِلْكَاِفرِين‬
(2:24) But if you do not do this, and you can never do
this, then fear the Fire which has been prepared for
the disbelievers and which shall have men and stones
for fuel *25. (Surah Al-Baqarah, v.2:24)
*25. This suggests, in a subtle manner, that in the

Next Life not only will the unbelievers become the
fuel of hell
ٌ ‫﴾ وَلَمّ ا جَاءهُ مْ ِكتَا بٌ مّ نْ عِندِ اللّ هِ مُ صَ ّد‬2:89﴿

‫ق‬
َ‫ستَ ْفتِحُونَ عَلَى الّذِي ن‬ ْ َ‫لّمَا مَ َعهُ مْ وَكَانُواْ مِن َقبْلُ ي‬
‫كَ َفرُواْ فَلَمّ ا جَاءهُم مّ ا َع َرفُواْ كَ َفرُواْ بِ هِ فَلَ ْعنَةُ اللّه‬
َ‫عَلَى الْكَافِرِين‬
And how are they behaving now towards a Book
(Qur’an), which has come to them from Allah? In
spite of the fact that it confirms the Scriptures which
they already possessed, and in spite of the fact that,
before it came, they used to pray for a signal victory
over the disbelievers, they rejected it when it came,
although they recognized it. May Allah’s curse be
upon such disbelievers! (Surah Al-Baqarah, v.2:89)
Before the advent of the Holy Prophet, the Jews were
looking forward with great longings to the Prophet
about whom there were many prophecies in their own
Scriptures. They used to pray: ‘May he come soon so
that we should triumph over the disbelievers and
regain our lost glory!’ The people of Medina
themselves bore witness that the Jews live in this
expectation. It had become a bye-word with them to
proclaim: ‘Let the pagan’s tyrannies over us as much
as they like. When that Prophet comes, we will settle
accounts with them.’ Accordingly, when the people of
Medina learnt that Mohammad (Allah’s peace be
upon him) had declared himself to be a Prophet, they
recalled these things and thought that he might be the
very Prophet about whom they had heard so much
from the Jews. So they said to one another, ‘Let us go
and accept him lest the Jews should forestall us.’ That
was the reason why the Muslims of Medina could not
understand the attitude of the Jews who, instead of
accepting him as the Prophet for whom they had been
so anxiously waiting, had become his greater
opponents.
As to the fact that ‘they did recognize the Holy

Prophet,’ many proofs were furnished in that very
time. The most authentic evidence is that of Hadrat
Safiyyah (one of the wives of the Holy Prophet), who
was the daughter of one learned Jew and the niece of
another. She says, ‘When the Holy Prophet migrated
to Medina, my father and uncle went to see him.
When they returned home, I myself heard the
following conversation between them:
Uncle: Is he really the same Prophet about whom

there occur prophesies in our books?
Father: By God, he is the same.
Uncle: Are you quite sure of it?
Father: Yes.
Uncle: Then is your intention?
Father: I will oppose him as long as I live and will
not let his mission succeed.
[Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, P.165, Cairo Edition, 1936]
َ‫ُمص وَم َا أَن َزل‬ْ ‫ّهص عََليْك‬

ِ ‫َتص الل‬
َ ‫﴾ وَاذْ ُكرُواْ نِعْم‬2:231﴿
ْ‫عََليْكُ مْ مّ نَ الْ ِكتَا بِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ يَ ِعظُكُم بِ هِ وَاتّقُوا‬
ٌ‫اللّهَ وَاعْلَمُواْ أَنّ اللّهَ بِ ُكلّ شَ ْيءٍ َعلِيم‬
And remember that Allah has blessed you with a
great favor. He admonishes you to show due respect
to the Book (Qur’an) and the Wisdom He has sent to
you. Fear Allah and know that He is fully aware of
everything. (Surah Al-Baqarah, v.2:231)
Do not forget the fact that Allah has appointed you to

a position of the highest responsibility. He has given
you the Book (the Qur’an) and taught you wisdom
and entrusted you with the duty of guiding the world.
You have been made the ‘Community of the Golden
mean’ and the witnesses of virtue and truth. It does
not, therefore, behoove you to play with the
Revelations by means of sophistry and take undue
advantage of the letter of the Law and lead wicked
and unjust lives in your homes, when you are
expected to show the Right Way to the world.’
‫ّهص وَرَسصُولِ ِه‬

ِ ‫ِينص آ َمنُواْ آ ِمنُواْ بِالل‬
َ ‫﴾ يَا َأيّهَا الّذ‬4:136﴿
َ‫وَالْ ِكتَا بِ الّذِي َن ّزلَ عَلَى رَ سُولِهِ وَالْ ِكتَا بِ الّذِ ي‬
ِ‫لئِكَتِ هِ وَ ُكتُبِ ه‬
َ َ‫أَنزَلَ مِن َقْبلُ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِاللّ هِ وَم‬
‫ضلَلً بَع ِيدًا‬ َ ّ‫ضل‬ َ ْ‫وَرُ ُسلِهِ وَاْلَيوْمِ ال ِخرِ فَقَد‬
O you, who profess to have believed, believe
sincerely in Allah and His Messenger and the Book
(Qur’an) which He has sent down to His Messenger
and in every Book that He sent down before
this(Qur’an): for whoever disbelieves in Allah and
His Angels and His Books and His Messengers and
the Last Day, most surely strays far away into
deviation. (Surah An-Nisa, v.4:136)
Here all those, who profess to believe, have been told

to believe sincerely in the fundamental articles of the
Muslim Faith with all their implications. This is
because profession of Faith merely brings one into
the fold of Islam but does not satisfy the real
demands required of a true Muslim. Therefore one
who profess to embrace Islam has been asked to
believe sincerely and seriously in Islam and mould
one’s thoughts, tastes, likes, attitudes and conduct in
accordance with one’s belief and establish friendship
and enmity accordingly, and put in all one’s efforts in
accordance with one’s belief.
And in this verse Kufr implies two things:

(1) A person may reject Islam outright.
(2) One may pay lip service to Islam but may not
(sincerely) believe in it or may show by one’s
conduct that one does not, in fact, believe in
Islam, in spite of one’s profession.
Here kufr implies both these things, and the verse

warns that neither kind of kufr can go side by side
with the fundamental articles of Islamic Faith and
will mislead the one who adopts it, away from the
Truth into the paths of deviation.
‫ص إِذَا‬
ْ ‫ص أَن‬ِ ‫ص فِصي الْ ِكتَاب‬ ْ ‫﴾ َوقَدْ َن ّزلَ عََليْكُم‬4:140﴿
َ‫ُسص ْه َزأُ بِهَا فَل‬
َ‫ّهص يُكَ َفرُ بِهَا َوي ْت‬ ِ ‫َاتص الل‬
ِ ‫سصمِ ْعتُمْ آي‬ َ
‫ِهص‬
ِ ‫ِيثص َغْير‬
ٍ ‫ُمص َحتّىص يَخُوضُواْ فِي حَد‬ ْ ‫تَقْعُدُواْ مَ َعه‬
ِ ‫ِإنّكُ مْ ِإذًا ّمثُْلهُ مْ إِنّ اللّ هَ جَامِ عُ الْ ُمنَافِقِيَ وَالْكَافِر‬
‫ينَ فِي َج َهنّمَ جَمِيعًا‬
Allah has already sent down you in this Book
(Qur’an) the Commandment: you should not sit in a
company wherein you hear things of unbelief
concerning the Revelations of Allah, and wherein
these are being ridiculed, until those people are
engaged in some other talk. Now if you remain here
you shall be guilty like them. Rest assured that Allah
is going to gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers
all together in Hell. (Surah An-Nisa, v.4:140)
‫ُونص ف ِي آيَاتِن َا‬

َ ‫ِينص يَخُوض‬ َ ‫ْتص الّذ‬َ ‫﴾ َوإِذَا َرَأي‬6:68﴿
ِ‫فََأ ْعرِ ضْ َعنْهُ مْ َحتّ ى يَخُوضُواْ فِي حَدِي ثٍ َغْيرِ ه‬
َ‫سَينّكَ الشّْيطَا نُ َفلَ تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذّ ْكرَى مَ ع‬
ِ ‫َوإِمّا يُن‬
َ‫الْ َقوْمِ الظّالِمِي‬
And O Mohammad, when you see that people are
finding fault with Our Revelations, withdraw from
them till they engaged in some other talk; and, if ever
Satan causes you to forget this, quit the company of
such unjust people when you realize your mistake.
(Surah Al-An’am, v.6:68)
َ‫﴾ إِنّ وَِليّصصيَ اللّهُص الّذِي َنزّلَ الْ ِكتَابَص وَ ُهو‬7:196﴿

َ‫َيَتوَلّى الصّالِحِي‬
My Protector and Helper is Allah who has sent down
this Book (Qur’an) and who protects the righteous
people. *149 (Surah Al-‘Aaraf, v.7:196)
This is the answer to the threats, which the pagan

Arabs held out to the Holy Prophet to this effect. ‘If
you do not refrain from opposing our deities and
from preaching against them, they will inflict their
wrath on you and destroy you.
‫ْآنص أَن يُفَْترَى مِن‬

ُ ‫َانص هَصصذَا الْ ُقر‬
َ ‫﴾ وَمَا ك‬10:37﴿
‫ْهص‬
ِ ‫ْنص يَ َدي‬
َ ‫َصصدِيقَ الّذِي َبي‬
ْ ‫ّهص وَلَصصكِن ت‬ ِ ‫ُونص الل‬
ِ ‫د‬
َ‫َوتَ ْفصِيلَ الْ ِكتَابِ لَ َرْيبَ فِيهِ مِن رّبّ الْعَالَمِي‬
And this Qur’an is not a thing that could be
composed without Allah’s Revelation: nay, it is the
confirmation of what was revealed before it, and full
explanation of ‘the Book’. *45 There is no doubt
about this that it is from the Lord of the universe.
(Surah Yunus, 10:37)
The arguments contained here may be elaborated like

this:
(1)The Qur’an confirms that which had been revealed
before and presents the same fundamental
principles and teachings, which were taught by the
Prophets who came before Mohammad (pbuh).
Had he invented the Qur’an, he would have made
additions to the truths of the former books in order
to make himself conspicuous.
(2) The Qur’an explains in detail and amplifies the
fundamental principles and teachings contained in
‘the Book’, that is, the Scriptures brought by the
former Prophets, and adds more evidence and
explanations to it so that it may be better
understood and practiced.
Allah said in the Qur’an:

‫﴾ نَحْن ُص نَقُصّص عََليْك َصأَحْسَصنَ الْقَصَصصِ بِمَا‬12:3﴿

ِ‫َأوْ َحيْنَا إَِليْ كَ هَ صذَا الْ ُقرْآ نَ َوإِن كُن تَ مِن قَبِْل ه‬
َ‫لَ ِمنَ الْغَافِلِي‬
(O Muhammad), by revealing this Qur'an to you, We
narrate to you events and truths in the best manner:
though before this you were utterly unaware (of these
things). *3 (Surah Yusuf, v.12:3)
*3 This was to impress indirectly on the unbelievers

of Makkah the fact that the Messenger did not know
anything about the story of the settlement of the
Israelites in Egypt, but was being informed of this by
Revelation from Allah. This introduction was
necessary because the disbelievers had put an abrupt
question concerning this matter in order to ‘expose’
the Holy Prophet by this test. The answer is to this
effect: ‘Tell them, O Mohammad, that, though you
did not know anything about the settlement of the
Israelites in Egypt before this, you have now received
a Revelation about this from Us’.
Allah said to the human being through the Prophet:
َ‫حنُ َنزّلْنَا الذّ ْكرَ َوِإنّا َلهُ لَحَاِفظُون‬

ْ َ‫﴾ إِنّا ن‬15:9﴿
(15:9) As regards this Admonition, it is We Who have
sent it down, and We Ourself will preserve it. *6
(Surah Al-Hijr, v.15:9)
*6 That is, "You should note it well that it is We Who

have sent this `Word'. Thus it is not Our Messenger
whom you are calling ìnsane' but in fact this abusive
remark applies to Us. Moreover, you should know
that it is Our 'Word' and We are preserving it;
therefore, you can do no harm to it; nor can you
discredit it by your ridicules, taunts and objections:
nor can you hamper its progress, whatever you may
do against it: nor will anyone be ever able to change
or tamper with it. "
Allah says:
َ‫﴾ بِاْلبَّينَا تِ وَال ّزبُرِ َوأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْ كَ الذّ ْكرَ ِلُتبَيّ ن‬16:44﴿
َ‫لِلنّاسِ مَا ُن ّزلَ إَِلْيهِمْ وَلَعَّلهُمْ َيتَفَكّرُون‬
We sent the former Messengers with clear Signs and
Books, and now We have sent the Admonition to you
(O Mohammad!), so that you should make plain and
explain to the people the teaching of the ‘Book which
has been sent for them; and so that they (themselves)
should ponder over it. (Surah An-Nahl, v.16:44)
In this connection, it is worthwhile to note that:

(1) This duty of ‘making plain and explaining the
teachings of the Book’ was to be performed by
Prophet not only by word of mouth but also
practically.
(2) It was required that he should organize, under
his own guidance, a Muslim Community.
(3) And establish it in accordance with the
principles of the Book.
This duty of the Holy Prophet has been stated here

especially to show the wisdom of sending a man as a
Messenger, for; otherwise the Book could have been
sent through the angels or could have been printed
and sent directly to each man. But in this way, that
purpose for which Allah in His Wisdom and Bounty
and Providence designed to send the Book could not
have been served. For, That purpose demanded that:
(1) The Book should be brought by a perfect man.

(2) He should present it piece by piece.
(3) He explains it’s meaning to those who don’t
understand.
(4) Remove the difficulties and doubts on the verses
of the Qur’an, and answer objections of the
disbelievers.
(5) And above all, he should show towards those who
rejected and opposed it that kind of attitude, which
is worthy of the bearer of this Book (Qur’an).
(6) On the other hand, he should guide those who
believed in it in every aspect of life and set before
them his own excellent pattern of life.
(7) Then he should train them individually and
collectively on the principles of the Book; so as to
make them a model society for the rest of
mankind.
Let us consider this verse 16:43 from another point of

view. Just as it cuts at the root of the argumentation
of those who rejected the Creed that a human Prophet
could bring the Book (Qur’an), in the same way, it
repudiates the view of those who plead that the Book
should be accepted without any exposition of it from
the Prophet. This latter view is contradictory to this
verse, whatever be the position taken by its
exponents. They might either be of the opinion that:
(a) The Prophet did not give any explanation of
the Book he presented or that
(b) The only acceptable thing is the Book and not
any ‘Exposition’ thereof by the Prophet, or that
(c) Now the Book alone suffices us, for its
‘Exposition, by the Prophet has lost its utility
or that
(d) Now the Book alone is authentic for the
‘Exposition’ by the Prophet has ceased to exist,
or if it does exist, it cannot be relied upon.
If they take the position (a), it will mean that the

Prophet did not fulfill the purpose for which he was
chosen to be the bearer of the Book; otherwise Allah
could send it through an angel or directly to each
person.
If they take the position (b) or (c), (God forbid) they

will be accusing Allah of doing a useless thing by
sending His Book through a Prophet, when he could
have printed copies of the Qur’an and sent those
directly to the people.
If they take the position (d), they, in fact, repudiate

both the Qur’an and its ‘Exposition by the Holy
Prophet. Then the only rational course left for them
would be to accept the view of those who believe in
the necessity of a new Prophet and a new revelation;
whereas Allah Himself considers the ‘Exposition’ of
the Book by the Prophet as an essential thing, and
puts it forward as an argument for the necessity of a
Prophet.
Now if the view of the rejecters of Tradition that the

Explanation of the Holy Prophet has disappeared
from the World is to be accepted, then two
conclusions are inevitable:
First: The Prophet hood of Mohammad (pbuh) as a

pattern for us has ceased to exist, and the only
relation we have with him is the same that we have
with the other former Prophets, e.g. Hadrat Hud,
Hadrat Salih, Shu’aib, etc. (May Allah’s peace be
upon them). That is, we have only to testify that they
were Prophets but we have no obligation to follow
their patterns, for we have none with us. This position
obviously leads to the need of a new Prophet, for it
automatically refutes the doctrine of the Finality of
Prophethood.
Second: The second inevitable conclusion will be

that a new Book is needed because in that case the
Qur’an alone could not, according to its author,
suffice.
Thus in the face of this verse, there is no argument

left to prove that the Qur’an is self-sufficient to
explain itself, for it itself says that a new Book must
be sent down. May Allah destroy such! In their
enthusiasm to repudiate Tradition, they are really
cutting at the very root of Islam itself.
‫﴾ َوَيوْ مَ َنبْعَ ثُ فِي ُكلّ أُمّةٍ َشهِيدًا عََلْيهِم مّ ْن‬16:89﴿

‫سهِمْ وَ ِجئْنَا بِ كَ َشهِيدًا َعلَى هَ صؤُلء َوَنزّلْنَا‬ ِ ُ‫أَنف‬
ً‫َابص ِتْبيَانًا لّ ُكلّ شَ ْيءٍ وَهُدًى َورَحْمَة‬
َ ‫ْكص الْ ِكت‬ َ ‫عََلي‬
َ‫شرَى ِللْمُسْلِمِي‬ ْ ُ‫َوب‬
(O Muhammad, warn them of) the Day when We
shall call a witness from among every community to
testify against it. And We shall call you to testify
against these people; (that is why) We have sent
down to you this Book which makes plain
everything *86 and is guidance, blessing and good
news to those who have surrendered themselves
entirely.' *87(Surah An-Nahl, v.16:89)
The Qur’an makes manifest everything:

(a) On which depends guidance or deviation,
success or failure;
(b) Whose knowledge is essential for following the
Right Way;
(c) Which clearly distinguishes Truth from
falsehood.
In this connection one should guard against that

meaning of this sentence and the like in the Qur’an
according to which some people interpret
‘everything’ to mean ‘the knowledge of all sciences,
arts, etc.,’ and in order to prove the correctness of
their interpretation, they have to pervert the real
meaning of the Qur’an.
This Book is guidance for those:

(a) Who surrender to it as a Divine Book?
(b) And follow it in every aspect of life.
(c) Then it will bring Allah’s blessings upon them,
and will give them the good news that they will
come out successful in the Court of Allah on the
Day of Judgment.
On the contrary:
(a) Those people who reject it (Qur’an) shall not
only be derived of guidance and blessing but
will also find it as testimony against themselves
on the Day of Resurrection when Allah’s
Messenger will stand up to testify against them.
(b) The Book will prove to be a strong argument
against them, for Allah’s Messenger will say that
he had conveyed its Message which made
manifest the distinction between Truth and
falsehood.
Allah said to Prophet:
ٌ‫ْآنص م َا ُهوَ شِفَاء وَ َرحْمَة‬

ِ ‫ِنص الْ ُقر‬
َ ‫﴾ َوُننَ ّزلُ م‬17:82﴿
‫لّلْ ُمؤْ ِمنِيَ وَلَ َيزِيدُ الظّالِمِيَ إَلّ خَسَارًا‬
We are sending down to you through the revelation of
the Qur’an what is a healing and mercy to the
Believers, though it adds nothing but loss to the
workers of iniquity. (Surah Bani Israil, 17:82)
Qur’an is the healing

and mercy to the Believers:
Those people who make the Qur’an their guide and
their book of law, are favored with the blessing of
Allah and are cured of all their mental, psychological,
moral and cultural diseases.
Qur’an adds nothing but

loss to the workers of iniquity:
Those wicked people who reject the Qur’an and turn
their back on its guidance, in fact, are unjust to
themselves. Therefore, the Qur’an does not allow
them to remain even in that bad condition in which
they were before its revelation or its knowledge but
involves them in a greater loss than before. This is
because before the revelation of the Qur’an or their
acquaintance with it, they suffered from ignorance
alone but when the Qur’an came before them and
made distinct the difference between Truth and
falsehood, no excuse was left with them to remain in
their previous condition of ignorance. After this, if
they reject its guidance and persist in their deviation,
it is a clear proof that they are not ignorant but
workers of iniquity and worshippers of falsehood,
which are averse to the Truth. For then, their position
is of the one who, when presented both poison and
elixir, makes a choice of poison. Therefore, they
themselves are in that case fully responsible for their
deviation and whatever crimes they commit after that
shall incur them full punishment. It is obvious that
the consequent loss of wickedness must be far greater
than the loss of ignorance. The Holy Prophet has
summed this up in this concise and comprehensive
sentence:
‘Al-Qur’anu Hujjatullaka o-alaika’
• The Qur’an is either an argument in your favor or

against you.
ِ‫سرّ فِي ال سّمَاوَات‬

ّ ‫﴾ ُقلْ أَنزَلَ هُ الّذِي يَعْلَ مُ ال‬25:6﴿
‫وَالْأَ ْرضِ ِإنّهُ كَانَ غَفُورًا رّحِيمًا‬
And O Mohammad! Say to them, ‘This has been sent
down by Him, Who knows the secret of the heavens
and the earth.’ The fact is the He is very Forgiving
and Merciful.(Surah Al-Furqan, v.25:6)
It has been expressed regarding who believe and who

not believe on this Qur’an in the Surah An-Kabut:
‫ِينص‬
َ ‫َابص فَالّذ‬
َ ‫ْكص الْكِت‬ َ ‫ِكص أَنزَلْن َا إَِلي‬ َ ‫﴾ وَكَذَل‬29:47﴿
ُ‫آَتيْنَاهُ مُ الْ ِكتَا بَ ُيؤْمِنُو نَ بِ هِ وَمِ نْ َهؤُلَاء مَن ُيؤْمِ ن‬
َ‫جحَدُ بِآيَاتِنَا إِلّا الْكَاِفرُون‬
ْ َ‫بِهِ وَمَا ي‬
(29:47) (O Prophet,) We have likewise sent down the
Book to you: *84 therefore, those to whom We gave
the Book before this, believe in it, *85 and so do many
of these people, *86 and none but the disbelievers
deny Our Revelations. *87(v.29:47)
*84 ‘We have likewise sent down the Book to you’,

this can have two meanings:
(1) Just as We had sent down the Books to the former
Prophets, so We have sent down this Book to you.
(2) We have sent down this Book with the teaching
that it should be believed in not by rejecting Our
former Books but by affirming faith in all of them.
‘Those to whom We gave the Book before this,

believe in it’. *85
Here the context itself shows that this does not imply
all the people of the Book but only those who were
blessed with the right understanding and the
knowledge of the Divine Scriptures, and were ‘the
people of the Book’ in the true sense. When this last
Book of Allah came before them, confirming His
earlier Books, they did not show any stubbornness or
obstinacy but accepted it sincerely as they had
accepted the previous Books.
The truth loving people whether they already possess

a Divine Book or do not possess any, are also
affirming faith in it means faith in this Qur’an
everywhere.
But the disbelievers turn away from the Qur’an who

is not prepared to give up their prejudices and accept
the truth, or those who reject the truth because they
do not want their lusts and their unbridled freedom to
be subjected to restrictions.
It has been expressed regarding the Revelation of the

Qur’an in the Surah Al-Jasiah, v.45:2 and Surah Al-
AhQaaf, v.46:2:
ِ‫﴾ تَنِيلُ الْ ِكتَابِ ِمنَ اللّهِ الْ َعزِيزِ الْحَكِيم‬45:2﴿

The revelation of this Book(Qur’an) is from Allah,
the All-Mighty, and the All-Wise.
In this brief introduction to the Surah, the listeners

have been warned of two things:
(1) That, this Book is not the composition of

Mohammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace)
himself, but it is being sent down to him by
Allah.
(2) That, Allah Who is sending it (Qur’an) down is
All Mighty as well as All Wise.
Here Almighty means:

His being the All-Mighty demands that man should
not dare disobey His Commands, for if he disobeys
Him, he cannot escape His punishment.
All Wise means:

And His being the All-Wise demands that man should
obey and follow His Guidance and His Commands
with full satisfaction and willingness of the heart, for
there can be no possibility of His teachings being
wrong or inadequate or harmful in any way.
Now it has been expressed regarding the reason of
the Revelation of the Qur’an that:
‫ص‬
ٍ ‫ص َبّينَات‬ ٍ ‫ص آيَات‬ ِ ‫﴾ ُهوَ الّذِي ُيَنزّلُ عَلَى َعبْدِه‬57:9﴿
ْ‫خرِجَكُم مّ نَ الظّلُمَا تِ إِلَى النّورِ َوإِنّ اللّ هَ بِكُ م‬ْ ُ‫ِلي‬
ٌ‫َل َرؤُوفٌ رّحِيم‬
Allah it is who is sending down clear Revelations to
his servants that he may bring you out of the darkness
into the light. And the fact is that Allah is most Kind
and Most Merciful to you. (Surah Al-Hadid, v.57:9)
04.02.01
Why was not this Qur’an
Sent down to one of the great men
from the two Cities?
One of the objections of the disbelievers of Makkah
is that:
َ‫﴾ َوقَالُوا َلوْلَا ُنزّلَ هَذَا الْ ُقرْآ نُ عَلَى رَ ُجلٍ مّ ن‬43:31﴿
ٍ‫الْ َق ْريََتْينِ َعظِيم‬
They say, ‘Why was not this Qur’an sent down to one
of the great men from the two cities?’ (Surah Az-
Zukhruf, v.43:31)
‘The two cities’ means Makkah and Ta’if. What

disbelievers meant was: ‘Had Allah really willed to
send a messenger and intended to send down a book
to him, He would have selected a great man from our
these central cities for the purpose. For Allah could
not have selected for this great mission:
(a) A person who was born an orphan;
(b) Who did not inherit much property;
(c) Who passed his youth by tending goats;
(d) Who even at present earned his living through
business with his wife’s money; and
(e) Who was neither the chief of a tribe nor the head
of a family?
That is why they had questions like:

(a) Were not there well-known chiefs like Walid bin
Mughirah and ‘Utbah bin Rabi’ah in Makkah?
And,
(b) Nobles like ‘Urwah bin Mas’ud, Habib bin ‘Amr,
Kinanah bin ‘Add-i-‘Amr and Ibn ‘Abd Yalil in
Ta’if?
This was their reasoning in the first instance; they
were also not inclined to believe that a man could be
a Messenger. But when the Qur’an refuted this
misconception by argument and reason and they were
told that in the past only men had come as
Messengers and a man only could be a Messenger for
the guidance of the people, and not another kind of
being and the Messenger who came did not descend,
suddenly from heavens, but were born in the same
ordinary dwellings, walked about in the streets, had
children and families and stood in need of food and
drinks. (See Surah An-Nahl, v.16:43; Surah Bani
Isra’il, v.17:94-95; Surah Yusuf, v.12:109; Surah Al-
Furqan, v.25:7 and 20; Surah Al-Ambiya, v.21:7-8;
Surah Ar-Ra’d, v.13:38 and ‘All the Prophets were
human beings’ compiled and edited by Akm Fakhrul
Islam).
Then they took this stand, saying: ‘well, even if a

human being, he should be a big man:
(a) Who should be wealthy;
(b) Influential; and
(c) Awe-inspiring; and
(d) Having a large following.
How could Mohammad bin ‘Abdullah (upon whom
be Allah’s peace and blessings) be fit for this
appointment?’
04.02.02
What a nice answer
to their objections has been
Expressed by Allah
Allah said to His Prophet in response of the
disbelievers objections:
‫﴾ أَهُ مْ يَقْ سِمُونَ َرحْمَةَ َربّ كَ نَحْ نُ قَ سَ ْمنَا‬43:32﴿

ْ‫ضهُ م‬ َ ‫حيَاةِ ال ّدنْيَا َو َرفَعْنَا بَ ْع‬
َ ْ‫شَتهُ مْ فِي ال‬
َ ‫َبيْنَهُم مّعِي‬
‫خرِيّا‬ ْ ‫ضهُم بَ ْعضًا ُس‬ ُ ‫َفوْ قَ بَعْ ضٍ دَ َرجَا تٍ ِليَتّخِذَ بَ ْع‬
َ‫وَ َرحْمَتُ َربّكَ َخيْرٌ مّمّا يَجْمَعُون‬
(O Prophet!) Is it they who distribute the mercy of
your Lord? It is We Who have distributed the means
of their sustenance in the life of this world and raised
some of them above others in ranks so that they may
take one another in service; and your Lord’s Mercy is
far greater in worth than the wealth, which (their
chiefs) is amassing. (Surah Az-Zukhruf, v.43:32)
‫﴾ وََلوْلَا أَن يَكُونَص النّاسُصأُمّةً وَاحِدَةً لَجَعَلْنَا‬43:33﴿
ٍ‫سصقُفًا مّنص َفضّة‬ ُ ‫ِمص‬ ْ ‫َنص ِلبُيُوِته‬
ِ ‫لِم َن يَكْ ُفرُ بِالرّحْم‬
َ‫وَمَعَارِجَ عََلْيهَا َي ْظهَرُون‬
But for the scare that all mankind would follow the
same way, We would have made for those who
disbelieve in the Merciful God, houses with roofs of
silver and gold, and stairways by which they go to
upper chambers; (Surah Az-Zukhruf, v.43:33)
َ‫﴾ وَِلُبيُوِتهِمْ أَْبوَابًا وَ ُسرُرًا َعَلْيهَا َيتّكِؤُون‬43:34﴿

And their doors and their couches on which they
recline (all of silver and gold).(Surah Az-Zukhruf,
v.43:34)
ِ‫حيَاة‬
َ ْ‫﴾ وَ ُز ْخرُفًا َوإِن ُكلّ ذَلِكَصلَمّاص َمتَاعُص ال‬43:35﴿
َ‫ال ّدْنيَا وَالْآ ِخرَةُ عِندَ َربّكَ لِلْ ُمتّقِي‬
(35) But all these are merely a provision of this
worldly life; and the Hereafter with your Lord is only
for the righteous. (Surah Az-Zukhruf, v.43:35)
‘(O Prophet!) Is it they who distribute the mercy of

your Lord? It is We Who have distributed the means
of their sustenance in the life of this world and raised
some of them above others in ranks so that they may
take one another in service.’ This is the answer to
their objection, which briefly mentions many
important things:
(1) It asks: ‘since when have these people become
responsible for distributing the mercy of your
Lord? Is it for them to decide whom Allah should
favor with His mercy and whom He should not?
(Here, by Allah’s mercy is implied His general
mercy from which everyone has a share).
(2) Allah says: ‘Prophet hood is a great blessing: We
have even kept the distribution of the common
means of life in the world in Our own hand, and
have not entrusted it to anyone else. So:
(a) We create someone beautiful and another ugly,
someone with a sweet voice and another with a
harsh voice, someone robust and strong and
another weak and frail, someone intelligent and
another dull, someone with a strong memory
and another forgetful, some with healthy limbs
and another a cripple, or blind or deaf and
dumb, someone in a rich family and another
among the poor, someone in an advanced
country and another in a backward community.
No one can do anything about this destiny
concerning birth.
(b) One is compelled to be what We have made
him. And it is in no one’s power to avert the
impact one’s circumstances of birth have on
one’s destiny.
(c) Then it is We our self Who are distributing
provisions, power, honor, fame, wealth,
government, etc. among men.
(d) No one can degrade the one whom We have
blessed with good fortune; and
(e) No one can save from ruin the one whom We
have afflicted with misfortune.
(f) All plans and schemes of man become
ineffective against Our decrees.
(g) In this universal Divine System, therefore, how
can these people decide as to whom, should the
Master of the universe make His Prophet and
whom He should not?
(3) An abiding principle that We have kept in view in
this Divine System is that everything should not
be given to one and the same person, or
everything should not be given to everybody. If
you look around carefully, you will see that great
differences exist between the people in every
respect:
(a) We have given one thing to one person but
deprived him of another, and given the same to
another one. This is based on the wisdom that
no human being should become independent of
others, but everyone should remain dependent
on the other in one way or the other.
(b) Now it would be foolish on your part to think
that we should have given the Prophet hood
also to the same person whom, We had blessed
with wealth and nobility.
(c) Likewise, will you also say that wisdom,
knowledge, wealth, beauty, power, authority
and all other excellences should be assembled
in one and the same person, and the one who
has not been given one thing, should not be
given anything else?’
And your Lord’s Mercy is far

greater in worth than the wealth,
which (their chiefs) is amassing :
Here ‘Your Lord’s Mercy’: the Prophet hood. It
means: ‘Your leaders and chiefs whom you regard as
big people because of their wealth and dignity and
chief ship, are not worthy of this wealth, which has
been given to Mohammad bin ‘Abdullah (upon
whom be Allah’s peace and blessings). This wealth is
far superior to that and for this the criterion is
different. If you think that every noble and rich man
is worthy of becoming prophet, it would only show
your own thinking. Why do you expect Allah to be so
ignorant and simple?’
04.02.03
The disbelievers says:
This Al-Furqan is a forgery
which this man himself has devised
It has been expressed in the Surah Al-Furqan, v.25:4-
6
ُ‫﴾ َوقَالَ الّذِي نَ كَ َفرُوا إِ نْ هَذَا إِلّا ِإفْ كٌ افَْترَا ه‬25:4﴿

‫َوأَعَانَهُ عََليْهِ َقوْمٌ آ َخرُونَ فَقَدْ جَاؤُوا ُظلْمًا وَزُورًا‬
(25:4) Those who have rejected the Message of the
Prophet, say, "This (A1-Furgan) is a forgery which
this man himself has devised, and some others have
helped him at it. " What a cruel injustice *11 and an
impudent lie!
*11 Another translation may be: "a great
injustice."
‫﴾ َوقَالُوا أَسصَاطِيُ الَْأوّلِيَ ا ْكتََتبَهَا َفهِيَصتُمْلَى‬25:5﴿

‫عََليْهِ بُ ْكرَةً َوأَصِيلًا‬
(25:5) They say, "These things are the writings of the
ancients which he has got copied down for himself,
and then these are recited to him in the morning and
evening.''
ِ‫سرّ فِي ال سّمَاوَات‬

ّ ‫﴾ ُقلْ أَنزَلَ هُ الّذِي يَعْلَ مُ ال‬25:6﴿
‫وَالْأَ ْرضِ ِإنّهُ كَانَ غَفُورًا رّحِيمًا‬
(25:6) O Muhammad, say to them, "This has been
sent down by Him, Who knows the secret of the
heavens and the earth." *12 The fact is that He is very
Forgiving and Merciful. *13
This is same objection, which the modern Orientals

have raised against The Holy Qur’an, but strange as it
may seem, no contemporary of the Holy Prophet ever
raised such an objection against him. Nobody, for
instance, ever said that Muhammad (pbuh) as a boy
had met Buhairah, the monk, and had attained
religious knowledge from him, nor did anybody
claim that he had obtained all that information from
the Christian’s monks and Jewish rabbis during the
trade journeys in his youth. In fact, they knew that he
had never traveled alone but in the caravans and if
they said such a thing, it would be refuted by
hundreds of their own people from the city.
Then, one could ask, if he had gained all that

knowledge from Buhairah when he was about 12, and
during trade journeys when he was 25, why did he
keep it secret from the people till he became 40?
Whereas he did not leave his country even for a
single day, but lived for years among his own people
in the same city. That is why the people of Makkah
dared not bring such an impudent and baseless charge
against him. Their objections related to the time when
he claimed to be a Prophet of Allah and not to the
time preceding that claim. Their argument was like
this: ‘this man is illiterate and cannot obtain any
knowledge through books. He has lived among us for
forty years, but we have never heard from him
anything that might have shown that he had any
acquaintance with what he is preaching; therefore he
must have had the help of other people who copied
these things from the writings of the ancients for him;
he learns these things from them and recites them as
Divine Revelations; this is a fraud.’ So much so that
according to some traditions, they named some of his
‘helpers’, who were the people of the Book, were
illiterate and lived in Makkah.
They were:
(1) Addas, a freed slave of Huvaitib bin ‘Abdul ‘Uzza
(2) Yasar, a freed slave of ‘Ala bin Al-Hadrami, and
(3) Jabr, a freed slave of ‘Amir bin Rabbi’ah.
Apparently this is a weighty argument. For there can

be no greater proof of the ‘fraud’ of Prophet hood
than to specify its source. But it looks strange that no
argument has been put forward to refute this charge
except a mere denial, as if to say, ‘Your charge is an
impudent lie; you are cruel and unjust to bring such a
false charge against Our Messenger; for The Holy
Qur’an is the Word of Allah Who knows all the
secrets in the heavens and the earth.’ Had their charge
been based on facts, it would not have been rejected
with contempt, for in that case the disbelievers would
have demanded a detailed and clear answer. But they
realized the strength of the arguments and did not
make such a demand. Moreover, the fact that the
‘weighty’ argument failed to produce any doubt in the
minds of the new Muslims, was a clear proof that it
was a lie.
The enigma is clearly explained if we keep in view
the prevalent circumstances:
1) The disbelievers of Makkah did not take any

decisive steps to prove their charge, although they
could, had there been any truth in their charge. For
instance, they could have made raids on the
houses of the alleged helpers and on the house of
the Holy Prophet himself and taken hold of the
whole ‘material’ which was being used in this
‘fraud’, and made it public to expose his Prophet
hood. And this was not difficult for them because
they never hesitated to resort to anything to defeat
him, including persecution, as they were not
bound by any moral code.
2) The alleged helpers were not strangers. As they
lived in Makkah, everyone knew it well how
learned they were. The disbelievers themselves
knew that they could never have helped to
produce a unique and sublime Book like The Holy
Qur’an, which had the highest literary excellence
and merit. That is why none of them challenged
the answer to the charge. That is why even those
people, who did not know them, considered this
frivolous. Then if the alleged helpers were such
geniuses, why did they not claim to be prophets
themselves?
3) Then, all the alleged helpers were freed slaves

who were attached to their former masters even
after their freedom according to the customs of
Arabia; therefore they could not have become
willing accomplices of the Holy Prophet in this
‘fraud’ of false prophet hood because their former
masters could have coerced them to expose it. The
only reason for them to help the Holy Prophet in
his claim could have been some greed or interest,
which under the circumstances, could not even be
imagined. Thus, apparently there was no reason
why they should have offended those whose
protection and patronage they needed and
enjoined, and become accomplices in the ‘fraud’.
4) Above all, all these alleged helpers embraced

Islam. Could it be possible that those very
persons, who had helped the Holy Prophet to
make his ‘fraud’ successful, could have possibly
become his devoted followers? Moreover, if, for
the sake of argument, it were admitted that they
helped him, why was not any of them raised to a
prominent rank as a reward of his help? Why were
not ‘Addas and Yasar and Jabr exalted to the same
status as were Abu Bakr and ‘Umar and Abu
‘Ubaidah?
Another odd thing is that if the ‘fraud’ of prophesied

was being carried on with the help of the alleged
helpers, how could it remain hidden from Zaid bin
Harisah, Ali bin Abi Talib, Abu Bakr and other
people, who were the Holy Prophet’s closest and
most devoted Companions? Thus the charge was not
only frivolous and false, but it was also below the
dignity of The Holy Qur’an to give any answer to it.
The charge has been cited merely to prove that those
people had been so blinded by their opposition to the
Truth that they could say anything.
It has been expressed the arguments of (Mu’jija)

Miracle too of the Holy Qur’an in the Surah At-Tuur,
v.52:33-34:
َ‫﴾ أَمْ يَقُولُونَ تَ َقوّلَهُ بَل لّا يُؤْ ِمنُون‬52:33﴿

(52:33) Do they say, "This man himself has forged
this Qur'an" The fact is that they do not want to
believe. *26
َ‫﴾ فَ ْليَ ْأتُوا بِحَدِيثٍ ّمثْلِهِ إِن كَانُوا صَادِقِي‬52:34﴿

(52:34) Let them then produce a discourse like it, if
they are true in what they say. *27
26 It means that, the Quraish who think that

Muhammad (pbuh) himself is the author of the
Qur’an know it in their innermost hearts that it
cannot be his word, and those others also whose
mother tongue is Arabic not only clearly feel that it is
far more sublime and superior to human speech but
any one of them who knows Muhammad (pbuh)
personally cannot ever suspect that this is actually his
own word and speech. Therefore, the thing plainly is
that those who ascribe the authorship of the Qur’an to
the Holy Prophet do not in fact wish to affirm faith.
That is why they are inventing false excuses one of
which is this excuse. (For further explanation, see EN
21 of Yunus, EN 12 of Al-Furqan, EN 64 of Al-
Qasas, EN 88-89 of Al-Ankabut, EN 1 to 4 of As-
Sajdah, EN 54 of Ha-Mim As sajdah, EN 8 to 10 of
Al-Ahqaf in the Tafhimat).
27In the verse no 34 it is expressed that Qur’an is a

Miracle. It has mentioned that, “Not only is the
Qur’an not the word of Muhammad (pbuh) but the
truth is that it is not human at all. It is beyond the
power of man to compose and produce it. If you think
it is human, you are challenged to produce the like of
it, which should also be human.” This challenged had
been given not only to the Quraish but also to all the
disbelievers of the world first of all in this verse.
Then it was repeated thrice in Makkah and then
finally in Madinah (please see Yunus 38, Hud 13,
Bani Israil 88, Al-Baqara 23). But no one could dare
meet this challenge of the Qur’an at that time, nor has
any one else had so far the ability to compose and
produce a man made work like the Qur’an.
Since people because of lack of understanding the

real nature of the challenge, say that not to speak of
the Qur’an, no one has the power to write prose or
consequence poetry to the style of another person.
Homer, Rumi, Shakespeare, Goethe, Ghalib, Tagore,
Iqbal, all is unique in his or her styles: it lies in no
one’s power to produce poetry like theirs by
imitation. Those who give this answer to the
challenge of the Qur’an are in fact, involve in the
misunderstanding that the meaning of ‘let them then
produce a discourse like it’, is a challenge to man to
compose and write a book like the Qur’an, in the
style of the Qur’an, whereas it does not imply any
resemblance in literary style but it implies this. Bring
a book of the same sublimity and quality and rank,
not only in Arabic but on any language of the world,
which may be regarded as a match for the Qur’an in
respect of the characteristics for which the Qur’an is
a miracle. The following are in brief some of the
main characteristics because of which the Qur’an has
been a miracle (mu’jija) before as it is a miracle
today:
(1) The Qur’an is the highest and most perfect model

of the literature of the language in which it was
revealed. No word and no sentence in the entire
Book is sub-standard. Whatever theme has been
presented in it, has been presented in the most
appropriate words and in the most suitable style.
One and the same theme has been presented over
and over again but every time in a new style
avoiding the defect or repatriation everywhere.
The entire Book, from the beginning to the end, is
set in the choicest words, like chiseled and
polished gems, that cannot be replaced. The
discourses are so impressive that no one who
knows the language, even if he is a disbeliever,
can help being moved ecstasies on hearing them.
Even after 1400 years this Book is still the model
of Arabic literature and no other Arabic book can
approach it in literary excellence not to speak of
equaling it. Not only this: this Book (Qur’an) has
so controlled the Arabic language that even after
the passage of 14 centuries the standard of this
language’s beauty and eloquence is the same that
had been set by it; whereas in such long periods
languages change out of recognition. No other
language of the world has remained in the same
state in so far as its spelling and diction, idiom,
rules of language and usages are concerned. But it
is only the power of the Qur’an that has held the
Arabic language in place; each idiom of it is still
use in Arabic literature; its literature is still the
standard of Arabic; and in writing and speech still
the same language is regarded as good Arabic that
had been in the Qur’an 1400 years ago. Is there
any man made book in any language of the world
that bears the same characteristics?
(2) This is the one single book in the world, which

has no extensively and so universally influenced
mankind’s thoughts, morals, civilization and way
of life, as has no precedent in history. In the first
instance, its impact changed one nation, then that
nation rose and changed a major part of the world.
No other Book has proved to be so revolutionary.
This book has not remained confined to writing on
paper but in the practical world its each word has
formed and molded ideas and thoughts and built
up a lasting civilization. Its influence has
continued being operative for 1400 years and its
circle of influence and impact is still expanding in
every day.
(3) The theme that this Book discusses is the most

expensive theme, which comprehends the whole
Universe, from eternity to eternity. It deals with
the reality of the Universe, its beginning and end,
its system and law. It tells us to who is the Creator
and Controller and Disposer of this Universe,
what are His attributes, what are His powers and
what is that essence and basis on which He has
established this entire system of the world. It
specifies man’s position and his place, which he
cannot change. It tells what is the write and
correct way of thought and action for man in view
of this place and position, which corresponds to
the reality, and what are the wrong ways, which
clash with the reality. Then to prove why the right
way is right and the wrong ways wrong, it
presents countless arguments from various
phenomena of the earth and heavens, from
different aspects of the system of the Universe,
from man’s own self and existence and from
man’s own history. Besides, it also tells how and
for what reasons man adopts the wrong ways, by
what means he can find out the right Way, which
has always been one and shall remain one, and
how he has been guided to it in every age. It does
not merely point to the Right Way but presents a
plan of the complete system of life for following
that way, which contains a derailed and systematic
code concerning beliefs, morals, purification of
self, worship, social life, civilization, economy,
politics, justice, law and every other aspect of
human life. Furthermore, it also tells in full detail
what are the results of following this Right Way
and of adopting the wrong ways in this world and
what consequences of this will appear in the Next
World after the present system of the world has
come to an end. It depicts fully the coming to an
end of the present world and of the establishment
of the New World. It gives every detail of the
process of change; it portrays the Next World and
describes fully how man will find a totally new
life there, how his deeds from worldly life will be
subjected to accountability, what things he will be
questioned about, how his complete record, which
he will not be able to deny or dispute, will be
placed before him, what strong evidence will be
produced in proof thereof, why the culprits will be
punished and the righteous rewarded, what
rewards will be bestowed on the righteous and in
what forms will the culprits suffer the evil
consequences of their misdeeds. The way this vast
theme has been dealt with in this Book is not of
the nature of some conclusions that its Author
might have reached from some syllogistic
premises but its nature is that its Author has the
direct knowledge of the Reality.
He (Allah, the Author of this Holy Qur’an) sees

everything happening from eternity to eternity. All
the realities are manifest for Him and the entire
Universe is like an open book before Him. He
sees the entire life of mankind, from its origin to
its end, even beyond the present life into the
second life simultaneously, and He is guiding man
not on the basis of conjecture and speculation but
on the basis of knowledge. Not a single truth that
He presents as knowledge has been proved to be
wrong so far. The concept of the Universe and
Man that He presents fully explains all the
phenomena and events and can become the basis
of research in every branch of knowledge. His
word contains the answer to all the ultimate
problems of philosophy and natural and social
sciences, and they are so coherent and consistent
logically that a perfect, consistent and
comprehensive system of thought can be built on
their basis. Then from the practical aspect the
guidance that He has given to man about various
spheres of life is not only highly rational and pure
but countless men have been living according to it
in actual fact in different parts of the earth for
1400 years and have found it by experience to be
the only valid way. Is there any man made book of
the unique quality present in the world, or has
ever been, which may be produced to match this
Book?
(4) This Book was not composed and written all at

once and presented before the world, but
reformatory movement was started with some
basic and initial instructions and then for 23 years
as the movement passed through different stages
of its development, its parts were presented by the
tongue of the leader, sometimes as lengthy
discourses and sometimes as brief sentences, as
the conditions and requirements of the occasion
demanded. Then, when the Mission was brought
to completion, these parts that had been issued at
different times were compiled in the form of a
complete Book, which has been known by the
name of the ‘Qur’an’. The leader of the movement
states that this discourses and sentences are not his
original work but were sent down to him by the
Lord of all creation. If a person asserts that they
are the original work of the leader him self, he
should produce a precedent from history to prove
his contention. He should show whether it is
possible that the speeches made and the
instructions given by a man at different times
while leading a powerful collective movement for
years continuously by himself in different
capacities, sometimes as a preacher and teacher of
morals, sometimes as a leader of an oppressed
class, sometimes as the ruler of a state, sometimes
as the commander of a fighting army, sometimes
as a victor, sometimes as a law giver and
legislator, could form a complete and consistent
and comprehensive system of thought and action,
which should be free from every contradiction and
inconsistency, which should appear to be
dominated by the same central idea and pattern of
thought, which should show that the leader has
been building up a universal system of belief and
action on the basis of the same foundation of his
message with which he has started his work, and
which should be a system each element and part
of which is in perfect harmony and consistency
with the other parts. Then the one who reads this
collection of the discourses with a discerning eye
cannot help realizing that the founder of the
movement at the outset had a full plan of the
movement in view till the last stage, and it never
happened that a new idea might have struck him at
some later stage, which was unknown to him
before, or which he had to change later. If ever
there has been a man of this caliber, his name
should be made known to the world.
(5) The leader who had been made to give these

discourses and speak these sentences did not
suddenly emerge from a hidden place to present
these before the people nor would disappear after
he had done so. He had lived his life in full view
of the society before he started his movement as
well as continued to live in the same society after
that till his last breath. The people were well
aware of the language and style of his
conversation and speech. Hadith still presents a
major part of it and by going through it the people
who know Arabic can easily find out even today
what was the leader’s own style of speech and
conversation. His contemporaries who spoke his
language felt then and those who know Arabic
feel today that the language and the style of this
Book is very different from the language and style
of that leader. So much so that whenever in the
midst of a sermon delivered by the leader there
occurs a sentence or two of this Book, the
distinction between the two becomes all too
obvious. The question is: Has a man in the world
ever had the power, or can he have capability, that
he should go on conversing in two absolutely
different styles consistently for years at a stretch
and it should never become known that the two
separate styles are, in fact, of one and the same
person? It is possible that one may succeed in
such affectation temporarily but it is not at all
possible that one for twenty-three years
continuously a person should have different
diction and style when he recites the Revelations
from Allah and a wholly different diction and
style when he speaks in his personal capacity.
(6) The leader while leading and guiding the

movement met with different sorts of conditions.
Sometimes he became the target of ridicule,
humiliation and severe persecution of his fellow
countrymen and the people of his own tribe and
clan; sometimes his companions were so harshly
treated that they were compelled to emigrate from
the country; sometimes the enemies plotted
against his life; sometimes he had to pass through
extreme poverty and starvation; sometimes he had
to fight wars successfully in which he suffered
defeats as well as won victories; sometimes he
overcome the enemies and the same enemies who
had persecuted him, came before him humbled;
sometimes he achieved such power which few
people in the world have been able to achieve.
Under all such conditions a person’s feelings
obviously cannot remain the same. When on these
different occasions the leader spoke in his
personal capacity, his words and speeches carried
the clear impression of his personal feelings,
which naturally arise in the heart of a man on such
occasions. But the discourses that were heard
from him as Allah’s Revelations in these different
conditions are wholly devoid of human feelings.
At no place can even an acute observer and critic
point out the play of human feelings in them.
(7) The vast and comprehensive knowledge that is

contained in this Book is not possessed even by
any of the distinguished learned people of this 20th
century, not to speak of the people of Arabia and
Rome and Greece and Iran of those days. The
condition of today is that after a man has spent his
whole life-time studying a branch of philosophy
or a natural or social science, he comes to know
what ultimate problems of his field of study are,
but when he studies the Qur’an seriously he
comes to know that this Book contains a clear
answer to those problems. This thing is not
confined to any one branch of knowledge but
holds good in respect of all those sciences which
have anything to do with the Universe and Man.
How can one believe that 1400 years ago an un-
lettered man in the Arabian desert posed such
deep insight into every branch of knowledge, and
he had thought over every basic problem and
thought out an absolute and final answer to it?
Although there are several other aspects also of the

Qur’an’s being a miracle, if a man ponders over these
few aspects only he will realize that the Qur’an’s
being a miracle is far more evident today than it was
at the time when it was revealed and if Allah so wills,
it will go on becoming more and more evident and
manifest as time passes till the Day of Resurrection.
04.02.04
The disbelievers say
This is nothing but the same old story
‫ِينص‬
َ ‫َكص يَقُولُ الّذ‬
َ ‫ُوكص يُجَادِلُون‬
َ ‫﴾ َحتّىص ِإذَا جَآؤ‬25﴿
‫ُمص‬
ْ ‫﴾ وَه‬26﴿ َ ‫ِنص هَذَآ إِلّ أَسصَاطِيُ ا َلوّلِي‬
ْ ‫كَ َفرُواْ إ‬
ْ‫سهُم‬
َ ُ‫َيْنهَوْ نَ َعنْ هُ َوَينَْأوْ نَ َعنْ هُ وَإِن ُيهْلِكُو نَ إِلّ أَنف‬
َ‫وَمَا يَشْ ُعرُون‬
(25) So much so that when they come you, they
dispute with you, those, who disbelieve contend:
(after hearing all), say, ‘this is nothing but fables of
the ancient times.’ (26) As for others, they prevent
them from embracing the Truth or to believe in this
Truth; and themselves, they flee from it or turn away
from it, (so as to harm you), But they court their own
ruin, although they do not realize it or perceive it.
(Surah Al-An’am, v.6:25-26)
‘This is nothing but the same old story.’ It means:

This is the excuse that the foolish people put forward
for rejecting the Message. They say, ‘There is nothing
new in the Message towards which the Messenger is
inviting us. This is the same old Message that we
have been hearing before.’ According to these foolish
people, in order to be true, a Message must also be
new because according to them that which is old
cannot be true. Whereas the fact is that the Message
has always been one and the same and will ever
remain so. The Messengers of Allah, who had been
coming from the earliest times for the guidance of
mankind, have always been communicating the same
Message, likewise, the Holy Prophet was also
presenting the same old Message. Of course, only
those, who being devoid of Divine Light, cannot see
the aforesaid eternal reality, might invent something
new and by forging some theories present them as
truth, saying, ‘We have a new Message, which has
never been given by anyone before us.’
It has been expressed in other place that:
ْ‫﴾ َوِإذَا قِيلَ لَهُصصم مّاذَا أَنزَلَ َربّكُمصصْ قَالُوا‬16:24﴿

َ‫أَسَاطِيُ ا َلوّلِي‬
And when they are asked, ‘What is it that your Lord
has sent down?’ they say these are mere fairy tales of
the ancients. (Surah An Nahl, v.16:24)
Here, the Qur’an takes up those ‘deeds’ one by one

and deals with the arguments they presented against
the Messenger, the objections they raised and the
lame excuses they invented for their rejection, and
reproaches and admonishes them.
‘They say these are mere fairy tales of the ancients.’

This is the answer from the people of Makkah when
they have been asked about the Qur’an and the
Prophet. One of their cunning devices was to create
doubts about the Qur’an. Whenever outsiders came to
visit Makkah, they would naturally make enquiries
about the Qur’an, which the Holy Prophet declared,
was being sent down to him by Allah. The
disbelievers would answer that it contained merely
fairy tales of the ancients. They would say such
things in order to create doubts in the minds of the
inquirers so that they should not take any interest in
the Message of the Holy Prophet.
It has been expressed in other place that:
َ ِ‫﴾ ِإذَا ُتتْلَى َعَليْهِ آيَاُتنَا قَالَ أَسَاطِيُ الَْأوّل‬13﴿

‫ي‬
َ‫﴾ كَلّا َبلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوِبهِم مّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُون‬14﴿
(13) When Our Revelations are recited to him, he
says: ‘These are tales of the ancient times.’ (14) By
no means! But the fact is that their evil deeds have
stained their hearts. (Surah Al Mutaffifin, 83:13-14)
They have no good reason for regarding the meting

out of rewards and punishments as unreal. What has
made them say this is that their hearts have become
rusty because of their sins; therefore, a thing, which
is thoroughly reasonable, appears unreal and
unreasonable to them. The explanation of this rust as
given by the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace and
blessings) is as follows:
• When a servant commits a sin, it marks a black

stain on his heart. If he offers repentance, the stain
is washed off, but if he persists in wrongdoing, it
spreads over the whole heart.
[Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ibn

Jarir, Hakim, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Hibban and others]
04.02.05
The Quraish leaders were making plots
to capture or to slay or
to exile Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)
Allah said regarding those who planned or plotted to
kill the Prophet Mohammad (upon whom be Allah’s
peace and blessings):
ْ‫ص َأو‬ َ ‫ص كَ َفرُواْ ِلُيثِْبتُوك‬َ ‫ص الّذِين‬ َ ‫﴾ َوإِذْ يَمْ ُكرُ بِك‬30﴿

ُ‫خرِجُو كَ وَيَمْ ُكرُو نَ َويَمْ ُكرُ اللّ هُ وَاللّ ه‬ْ ُ‫يَ ْقتُلُو كَ َأوْ ي‬
ْ‫ِمص آيَاتُنَا قَالُوا‬ ْ ‫﴾ َوإِذَا ُتتْلَى عََلْيه‬31﴿ ‫ِينص‬
َ ‫َخيْرُ الْمَا ِكر‬
ّ‫قَدْ سَمِ ْعنَا َلوْ نَشَاء لَ ُق ْلنَا ِمْثلَ هَصذَا إِ نْ هَصذَا إِل‬
َ‫أَسَاطِيُ الوّلِي‬
(30) (O Prophet!) It is worthwhile to remember the
time when those who rejected the Truth, were making
plots or schemed against you to capture you or slay
or kill you or to exile you or drive away you. They
were plotting their plots and Allah was devising His
schemes: and Allah’s schemes are most effective of
all. (31) When Our Revelations were recited to them,
they said, ‘Well, we have heard: if we will, we also
can fabricate such things: for these are the same
ancient tales which have already been told again and
again by the former people.’ (Surah Al-Anfal, v.8:30-
31)
‘(O Prophet!) It is worthwhile to remember the time

when those who rejected the Truth, were making
plots against you to capture you or slay you or to
exile you.’ This plot was made at the time when the
Quraish realized that the Holy Prophet also was
going to migrate to Al-Medina. They felt that if he
succeeded in emigrating from Makkah, he would be
out of their reach and become formidable.
Accordingly they held an urgent meeting of their
chiefs in Dar-un-Nadvah (Council House) to discuss
the matter and come to final decision in regard to
him. The opinions from different leaders are as
follows:
(1) Some were of the opinion that he should be

chained and imprisoned for life. But this plan was
not approved for it was scared that this
Companions would go on working for the mission
and would do their best to realize him, even at the
risk of their own lives, as soon as they would gain
some power.
(2) The others proposed that he should be exiled from

Makkah for that would at least relieve them of the
‘disorder’ he was creating among them. Then it
would not matter for them where he lived and
what he did. But the chiefs rejected this plan,
saying, ‘this man possesses the art of a charming
speech and of winning hearts. If he leaves this
place, he may go to the other Arab clans; and win
them over to his side, and then after gaining
power, he may attack Makkah’.
(3) At last Abu Jahl, putting forward his plan, said,

‘Let us select from each of our families one
strong, stout and smart young man of high rank.
They should all attack Mohammad at one and the
same time and kill him. In this way, the
responsibility for his blood will be divided equally
among all the families of the Quraish, and it will
not be possible for Banu ‘Abd Mannaf, the family
of Mohammad, to fight with all of them and they
will be forced to accept blood-money for him’.
They approved this plan unanimously and
nominated young men to kill him at the appointed
time.
Accordingly the would be murderers reached their

places on the night fixed for the crime, but the Holy
Prophet, throwing dust in their eyes, escaped safely
from Makkah. Thus their plot ended in utter failure at
the eleventh hour.
04.03.00
Qur’an Revealed with Truth
The Qur’an says:
َ‫﴾ َن ّزلَ عََليْ كَ الْكِتَا بَ بِالْحَقّ مُ صَدّقا لّمَا بَيْ ن‬3:3﴿

َ‫يَ َديْهِ َوأَن َزلَ الّتوْرَاةَ وَالِنِيل‬
(O Mohammad!) He(Allah) has sent down to you the
Book(Qur’an), which has brought the Truth and
confirms the Scriptures which preceded it. Before
this (Qur’an), He sent down the Torah and the
Gospel. (Surah Al-Imran, v.3:3)
Allah says to His Prophet:
َ‫حقّ ِلتَحْكُ مَ َبيْ ن‬

َ ْ‫﴾ ِإنّا أَنزَْلنَا إَِليْ كَ الْ ِكتَا بَ بِال‬4:105﴿
‫النّاسِ بِمَا أَرَاكَ اللّهُ وَلَ تَكُن لّلْخَآئِنِيَ َخصِيمًا‬
O Prophet! We have sent this Book to you with the
Truth so that you may judge between people in
accordance with the right way, which Allah has
shown you. So do not plead for the dishonest people.
(Surah An-Nisa, v.4:105)
َ‫حقّ َنزَلَ وَمَا أَرْسَ ْلنَاك‬

َ ْ‫حقّ أَنزَْلنَاهُ َوبِال‬َ ْ‫﴾ َوبِال‬17:105﴿
‫شرًا َونَذِيرًا‬
ّ َ‫إِلّ ُمب‬
We have sent down the Qur’an with the truth and
with the truth it has come down. And O Mohammad!
We have sent you only to give good news (to the
Believers) and warning (to the disbelievers). (Surah
Bani Israil, v.17:105)
Allah said to the Believers through the Prophet, ‘It is

not your responsibility to cause, in a supernatural
manner, springs to gush forth or gardens to grow or
pieces of the sky to fall down in order to convince
those people who do not judge the Qur’an by its
teachings nor decide between the truth and falsehood
on merit. As the Qur’an has been sent down with
truth, you should present it before the people and tell
them plainly that the one, who believes, does so for
his own good and the one who rejects it, does it as his
own peril.’
‫حقّ مُصَ ّدقًا لّمَا بَيْ َن‬ َ ْ‫﴾ َوأَنزَلْنَا إَِليْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِال‬5:48﴿
‫يَ َديْ هِ مِ نَ الْ ِكتَا بِ وَ ُمهَيْ ِمنًا عََليْ هِ فَاحْكُم َبيَْنهُم بِمَا‬
ّ‫حق‬ َ ْ‫أَنزَلَ الّل هُ وَلَ تَّتبِ عْ أَ ْهوَاءهُ مْ عَمّا جَاء كَ مِ نَ ال‬
ُ‫لِ ُكلّ جَعَ ْلنَا مِنكُ مْ ِشرْعَةً وَمِ نْ هَاجًا وََلوْ شَاء الّل ه‬
‫ُمص فِي مَآ‬ ْ ‫ُمص أُمّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَصصكِن ّلَيبُْلوَك‬ ْ ‫لَجَ َعلَك‬
‫لْيرَا تِ إِلَى ال َمرْجِعُكُ مْ جَمِيعًا‬َ ‫آتَاكُم فَا ْستَبِقُوا ا‬

َ‫ختَلِفُون‬
ْ َ‫َفُينَّبئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ ت‬
Then, O Mohammad! We sent this Book (Qur’an) to
you, who have brought the Truth; it confirms
whatever has remained intact from the Book at the
time of its revelation and safeguards and protects it.
Therefore you should judge between the people by
the Law sent down by Allah and do not follow their
desires by turning aside from the Truth that has come
to you. (First part of the verse) (Surah Al-Ma’idah,
v.5:48)
The use of the word Al-Kitab (the Book) here is very

significant. Instead of saying, ‘The Qur’an confirms
whatever has remained intact from the former
Books,’ it says, ‘from the Book.’ This is to show that
the Qur’an and all the Books that were sent down by
Allah in different languages and in different ages are
in reality one and the same Book which has one and
the same Author and one and the same object and
aim; they impart one and the same knowledge and
teaching to mankind with the only difference that
they are couched in different languages and employ
different methods to suit the various addresses.
Therefore the fact that these Books support and do
not refute, confirm and do not contradict, one
another, shows that they are all different versions of
one and the same Book (Al-Kitab).
The Arabic word Muhaimin is very comprehensive in

meaning. It means one, who safe guards, watches
over, stands witness, preserves, and upholds. So the
meaning will stands like this:
(a) The Qur’an safeguards ‘the Book’ for it has
preserved within it the teachings of all the
former Books.
(b) It watches over them in the sense that it will not
let go waste their true teachings.
(c) It supports and upholds these Books in the sense
that it corroborates the Word of God, which has
remained intact in them.
(d) It stands a witness because it bears testimony to
the Word of God contained in those Books and
helps to sort it out from the interpretations and
commentaries of the people, which were mixed
with it. What the Qur’an confirms is the Word of
God and what is against it is that of the people.
And Allah said, ‘We prescribed … … … to differ’ is

a parenthesis, which answer a perplexing question
that might arise from the preceding passage. The
Question is:
Q: Why are there differences in the details of their
laws, if all the Prophets and all the Books taught
the same way of life and all of them confirmed
and supported one another? For instance,
Q: How is it that there are some differences in the
details of the form of worship, in the limits of the
lawful and the unlawful and in cultural and social
regulations taught by different Prophets and
Books?
Here is the answer to the above-mentioned question:
We have prescribed a law and a way of life for each

of you, though your Lord could have made all of you
a single community, if He had so willed. But (He
willed otherwise) in order to test you in what He has
bestowed upon each of you; therefore try to excel one
another in good deeds. Ultimately, you shall all
returns to Him, and then He will let you know the
truth about that in which you have been differing.
[Surah Al-Ma’idah, v.5:48 (2nd part of the verse)]
In the verse the answers to the above mentioned

questions are as follows:
(1) It is wrong to infer from the above-mentioned
differences in the details of the different Laws that
they have been derived from different sources and
have different origins. As a matter of fact, they all
have come from Allah, Who prescribed different
regulations to suit different communities and
different ages.
(2) No doubt Allah could have prescribed one and the

same Law for all human beings from every
beginning and made them a single community but
he did not do so for many good reasons. One of
these reasons is to test people whether they obey
or not what is given to them by Allah. By this test
two categories of people came in:
(a) Those people, who understand the real nature
and spirit of the Divine Way and the position
of the regulations in it and are not prejudiced,
will recognize and accept the Truth in whatever
forms it comes. Such people will never hesitate
to submit to the new regulations sent by Allah
to replace the former ones.
(b) On the contrary, those, who do not understand

the true spirit of the Way, but consider the
regulations and their details alone to be the
Way and who have become static and
prejudiced because of their own additions to it,
will reject every new thing that comes from
Allah to replace what they already possess.
And such a test was essential to distinguish the

two above-mentioned kinds of people; therefore
different laws and regulations were prescribed.
(3) As the real object of all the laws is the cultivation

of virtues, Allah has commanded the people to
excel one another in virtues, without paying heed
to the apparent differences in different Laws. This
is why those people, who keep in view the real
aim of the Law, should advance towards it on the
lines indicated by the Divine Laws and
regulations.
(4) As regards the differences, which have

been produced by the prejudices, obduracy’s and
wrong mental attitudes, these can neither be
resolved in polemical symposiums nor on the
battlefield, but will be decided by Allah Himself
in His Final Judgment. Then the reality will be
revealed and the people will come to know the
amount of truth or falsehood that lay hidden in the
arguments in which they were engaged throughout
their lives.
It has been expressed in Surah Az-Zumar, v.39:2
َ‫﴾ إِنّ ا َأْنزَلْنَا إِلَيْ كَ الْ ِكتَا بَ بِالْحَقّ فَا ْعبُدِ اللّ ه‬39:2﴿
َ‫ُمخِْلصًا لَهُ الدّين‬
(39:2) (O Muhammad,) We have sent down this Book
to you with the truth *2; so worship Allah alone,
making your religion His exclusively. *3
The Qur’an contains nothing but the Truth, and there

is no element of falsehood in it. This is why you have
to worship to Allah alone which has been expressed
in the second part of this verse as follows:
*3 This is a very important verse, which stasis the

real objective of the message of Islam. Therefore, one
should not pass over it superficially, but should try to
understand its meaning and intention well. It has two
basic points without grasping which one cannot
understand the verse:
(1) That the demand is to worship Allah; and
(2) That the demand is of such worship as may be
performed by making religion exclusively Allah's.
Ibadat is derived from 'abd, and this word is used as
an antonym of freeman" for the "slave" and
`bondsman" in Arabic.
Accordingly, 'ibadat contains two meanings:
(1) Worship and devotion; and
(2) Humble and willing obedience, as is borne out by
the well-known and authoritative Arabic Lexicon
Lisan al-'Arab. Thus, according to the authentic
lexical explanation, the demand is not only of Allah's
worship but also of willing and sincere obedience to
His Commands and His Law. The Arabic word din
contains several meanings:
(1) Domination and sovereignty, ruler ship and
political power and authority to enforce one's
decisions on others.
(2) Obedience, compliance with commands and
servitude.
(3) The practice and the way that a man follows. In
view of these three meanings, din in this verse
means: ‘The way of life and attitude which a man
adopts after acknowledging the supremacy and
accepting the obedience of another;’ and `to worship
Allah making one's religion exclusively His" means
that one should refrain from combining another's
worship with the worship of Allah, but should
worship Allah alone, should follow His Guidance
alone, and should comply with His Commands and
injunctions only.
It has been expressed in Surah Az-Zumar, v.39:41

ِ‫حقّ فَمَن‬
َ ْ‫﴾ ِإنّا أَْنزَْلنَا عََليْكَ الْ ِكتَابَ لِلنّاسِ بِال‬39:41﴿
‫ضلّ عََليْهَا وَمَا‬
ِ ‫ضلّ َفِإنّمَا َي‬َ ْ‫ا ْهتَدَى فَِلنَفْ سِهِ وَمَ ن‬
ٍ‫َأنْتَ عََلْيهِمْ ِبوَكِيل‬
(39:41) (O Prophet:) We have sent down to you for
all mankind this Book with the truth. Now whosoever
adopts the right way, will do so for his own sake, and
whosoever goes astray, will himself bear the burden
of his deviation: you are not responsible for
them. *59
Allah said to Prophet, ‘It is not for you to bring them

to the Right Path. Your only duty is to present the
Right Path before them. If they prefer to remain
astray after that, you are not responsible for that.’
َ‫﴾ اللّ هُ الّذِي أَنزَلَ الْ ِكتَا بَ بِالْحَقّ وَالْمِيزَا ن‬42:17﴿

ٌ‫وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَ َعلّ السّاعَةَ َقرِيب‬
It is Allah Who has sent down this Book with the
truth and the Balance; *32 and what will make you
understand that the Hour of Judgement might well
have drawn near at hand? *33 (Surah Ash-Shura,
v.42:17)
32 Here the word ‘Mizan’ means Balance: Shariah of

Allah, which, like a balance, brings out clearly the
distinction between the right and the wrong, the Truth
and the falsehood, justice and injustice, and
righteousness and wickedness. In the verse 42:15 the
Holy Prophet has been made to say” ‘I have been
commanded to do justice between you.’ Here, it has
been told that with this Holy Book the ‘Balance’ has
come by which justice will be established.
ّ‫حق‬
َ ْ‫﴾ وَالّذِي َأوْ َحيْنَا إِلَيْ كَ مِ نَ الْ ِكتَا بِ ُهوَ ال‬35:31﴿
ٌ‫خبِيٌ َبصِي‬
َ ‫ُمصَ ّدقًا لّمَا َبْينَ يَدَيْهِ إِنّ اللّهَ بِ ِعبَادِهِ َل‬
(35:31) (O Prophet,) the Book that We have sent to
you by revelation is the very Truth, which confirms
the previous Scriptures. *53 Allah is indeed well
aware of His servants, and watchful over
everything. *54 (Surah Al Fatir, v.35:31)
This Book (the Qur’an) is not presenting anything

new which might be opposed to the teaching brought
by the former Prophets, but it is presenting the same
eternal Truth, which all the Prophets have been
presenting from the very beginning.
The object of mentioning these attributes of Allah

here is to arouse the people to the aims and ideas in
which their true well-being lies; to the principles
which alone can afford the right guidance and to the
rules and regulations which are precisely in
accordance with them. None can know these except
Allah, because He alone is aware of the nature of His
servants and its demands, and He alone watches over
their well being and affairs. The people do not know
their own selves as much as their Creator knows
them. Therefore, the truth is that, and can only be
that, which He has taught by Revelation.
05.00.00
Seven of the oft repeated verses
‫ْآنص‬
َ ‫ّنص الْ َمثَانِي وَالْقُر‬
َ ‫سصعًا م‬
ْ‫َاكص َب‬
َ ‫﴾ وَلَقَدْ آَتيْن‬15:87﴿
َ‫الْ َعظِيم‬
(O Prophet!) We have given you seven verses that are
worthy of recitation over and over again,49 and We
have also bestowed on you the glorious Qur’an.50
(Surah Al-Hijr, v.15:87)
49 The expression ‘seven oft-repeated verses’ stands

for the seven verses of the opening surah of the
Qur’an, al-Fatihah. Some scholars however consider
the expression to refer to the seven long surahs each
of which has more than two hundred verses. These
surahs are Al-Baqarah, Al-Imran, An-Nisa, Al-
Ma’idah, Al-An’am, Al-A’raf, and Yunus or Al-Anfal
or At-Tawbah. All the above-mentioned surahs are
among the longer surahs of the Qur’an. [It is not
accurate to say that each of these surahs has two
hundred or more verses. For the number of verses in
al-Nisa’ is 176; in al-Ma’idah, 120; in al-An’am, 165;
in al-Tawbah, 129 and in Yunus, 109-Ed.]
The vast majority of the Muslim scholars, however,

are agreed that the expression refers to Al-Fatihah.
Imam Al-Bukhari mentions two traditions which
show that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) clarified that the ‘the seven repeated verses’
signified al-Fatihah. [See Al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir,
‘Bab Ma Ja’ fi Fatihat al-Kitab’, Tafsir Surat al-Hijr,
and ‘Bab Qawluh Wa la qad Ataynak Sab’an min al-
Mathani wa al-Qur’an al-Azim-Ed.]
Allah says to His Prophet: ‘We have

also bestowed on you the glorious Qur’an.’50
50 This was also said with a view to comforting and
consoling the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) and his companions. At that time they were in a
state of miserable suffering. Some time after the
assumption of his onerous responsibilities, the
Prophet’s trade activities virtually came to a halt. The
savings of his wife Khadijah were also exhausted
during the course of about ten years. This much
should suffice to explain the financial predicament of
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
So far as the rest of the Muslims are concerned, some

young men were expelled from their homes. Those
who were engaged in trade, or had some vocation,
were financially crippled as a result of the economic
boycott. In addition to these, many Muslims lacked
any financial locus standi since their social status was
that of slaves or clients (mawali). Thus, the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) and his
Companions had quite a miserable existence in
Makkah and the areas around it owing to the severe
persecution to which they were subjected.
Everywhere they were ridiculed, insulted, and
vilified. As if mental torture was not enough, they
were also subjected to cruel physical chastisements.
In sharp contrast to the lot of the Muslims, was the
situation of the unbelievers of the Quraysh. Their
chiefs were conspicuously prosperous. All kinds of
worldly enjoyments were plentifully available to
them. On the other side, the Quraysh, their opponents
and persecutors, enjoyed all the good things of this
world, and lived lives of happiness and luxury.
It is in the context of these circumstances that the

believers are being asked not to lose heart. For, Allah
has blessed them with something, which is far more
valuable than all worldly riches. The moral and
intellectual wealth granted to the Muslims is
incomparably superior to the unlawfully earned
material wealth in possession of the unbelievers. The
latter kind of wealth will be of no avail to them for
they will be utterly bankrupt when they appear before
their Lord on the Day of Judgement.
[Towards understanding the Qur’an (Tafhimul
Qur’an) Sayyid Abu A’la Mawdudi, Islamic
Foundation, London]
06.00.00
Commanded to recite the Qur’an
Allah says:
‫﴾ وَاْتلُ مَا أُوحِ يَ إِلَيْ كَ مِن ِكتَا بِ َربّ كَ لَا‬18:27﴿

‫ُمبَ ّدلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَلَن تَجِدَ مِن دُونِهِ ُم ْلتَحَدًا‬
(27) O Prophet! Recite (the very same) that has been
revealed to you in the Book of your Lord, for no one
is authorized to make any change whatsoever in the
Word of your Lord and (if you will make any change
to please or satisfy any one) you will find no place of
refuge to protect you from Him. (Surah Al-Qahaf,
v.18:27)
This does not mean at all that, God forbid, the Holy
Prophet was inclined to make any changes to please
or satisfy the disbelievers of Makkah and was
thinking of some formula of compromise with the
chiefs of the Quraish, which necessitated a warning
that he was not authorized to do so. As a matter of
fact, though this was apparently addressed to the
Holy Prophet, it was really meant for the disbelievers
that they should not entertain any hope whatsoever
for anything like this, as if to say, ‘You must
understand it once for all that Our Messenger is not
authorized to make any changes in Our Revelation,
for he has to recite and convey precisely just as it is
sent down to him. If you want to accept it, you will
have to accept it in its entirety as it is being sent by
the Lord of the Universe and if you want to reject it,
you may do so but you must understand it well that
no modification even in the least, will be made in it
to please you.’ This was the answer of the repeated
demand of the disbelievers. ‘If you do insist, O
Mohammad (Allah’s peace be upon him), that we
should accept your Message in its entirety, then make
certain modifications in it to accommodate some
creeds and customs of our forefathers, and we will
accept your Message. This is our offer for a
compromise and this will save our people from
un-union.’ This demand of the disbelievers has been
cited in the Qur’an at several places and the same
answer has been given. For instance,
‫﴾ َوِإذَا ُتتْلَى عََلْيهِ مْ آيَاُتنَا َبيّنَا تٍ قَالَ الّذِي نَ َل‬10:15﴿

ْ‫َيرْجُو نَ لِقَاءنَا ائْ تِ بِقُرْآ نٍ َغْيرِ هَصذَا أَوْ بَدّلْ هُ ُقل‬
ّ‫مَا يَكُو نُ لِي أَ نْ ُأبَدّلَ هُ مِن تِلْقَاء نَفْسِي إِ نْ َأّتبِ عُ إِل‬
َ‫صيْتُ َربّي عَذَا ب‬ َ َ‫مَا يُوحَى إِلَيّ ِإنّي أَخَا فُ إِ نْ ع‬
ٍ‫َيوْمٍ َعظِيم‬
(10:15) And whenever Our clear revelations are
recited to them, those who do not expect to meet Us
say: 'Bring us a Qur'an other than this one, or at least
make changes or some amendments in it. *19 Tell
them (O Muhammad): 'It is not for me to change it of
my accord. I only follow what is revealed to me.
Were I to disobey my Lord, I fear the chastisement of
an Awesome Day. *20 (Surah Yunus, v.10:15)
In the next verse Allah added more commands for

him to follow such as:
‫صبِرْ نَفْ سَكَ مَ عَ الّذِينَصيَدْعُو نَ َربّهُم‬ ْ ‫﴾ وَا‬18:28﴿

‫َاكص‬
َ ‫َهص وَلَا تَعْدُ َعْين‬ ُ ‫ُونص وَ ْجه‬
َ ‫بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيّ ُيرِيد‬
‫حيَاةِ ال ّدنْيَا وَلَا تُطِ عْ مَ نْ أَغْفَلْنَا‬
َ ْ‫َعنْهُ مْ ُترِيدُ زِينَةَ ال‬
‫قَ ْلبَهُ عَن ذِ ْك ِرنَا وَاتّبَعَ َهوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَ ْمرُهُ ُفرُطًا‬
And keep yourself whole-heartedly content with
those who pray to their Lord morning and evening in
order to win His approval, and do not turn your
attention away from them. Do you desire the
allurements of the world? Do not follow the one
whose heart We have made neglectful of Our
remembrance and who follows his own lust and goes
to extremes in the conduct of his affairs. (Surah Al-
Qahaf, v.18:28)
Though these words have also been addressed to the

Holy Prophet, they are really meant for the chiefs of
the Quraish. According to a Tradition:
• Related by Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah pleased on him), the
chiefs of the Quraish would say to the Holy
Prophet that they considered it below their dignity
to sit with such people as Hadrat Bilal, Hadrat
Suhaib, Hadrat ‘Ammar, Hadrat Khabab, Hadrat
Ibn Mas’ud (Allah pleased on them), and the like
who generally remained in his company and that
if he should send them away, they would be
willingly to attend his meetings in order to learn
about his Message.
• At this Allah revealed this verse (Surah Al-Qahaf,

v.18:28): ‘And keep yourself whole-heartedly
content with those who pray to their Lord morning
and evening in order to win His approval and do
not turn your attention away from them, (Do you
desire to discard these sincere but poor people so
that the chiefs of the Quraish, the well-to-do
people, should come and sit near you?)’
This was meant to warn the chiefs of the Quraish to

this effect: ‘Your wealth, your pomp and show of
which you are so proud, has no value at all in the
sight of Allah and His Messenger; nay, those poor
people are really more worthy in the sight of Allah
and His Messenger, for they are sincere and always
remember Allah.’
Allah also said to His Prophet:
‫ص َربّهُصم بِالْغَدَا ِة‬ َ ‫ص يَدْعُون‬ َ ‫﴾ وَلَ َت ْطرُدِ الّذِين‬6:52﴿

‫وَالْعَشِيّ ُيرِيدُونَ وَ ْجهَهُ مَا َعَليْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مّن‬
ْ‫شَيْءٍ وَمَا مِ نْ حِ سَابِكَ عََلْيهِم مّن شَ ْيءٍ َفتَ ْط ُردَهُ م‬
َ‫َفتَكُونَ ِمنَ الظّالِمِي‬
And do not drive away those who invoke their Lord
morning and evening and are engaged in seeking His
favor. You are not in any way accountable for them,
nor are they in any way accountable for you; so if
you should drive away, you shall be counted among
the unjust. (Surah Al-An’am, v.6:52)
In this passage Allah has answered one of the

objections that the big chiefs of the Quraish used to
raise in regard to the followers of the Holy Prophet.
They would say that none but the lowest stratum of
society, consisting of slaves, menials and the like, had
accepted Islam; they would taunt him of having such
companions as Bilal, ‘Ammar, Suhaib, Khabbab, etc.,
and ask in a jeering way, ‘Are these the only
(honorable) people from amongst us, upon whom
Allah has showered His blessings?’ They did not rest
content with making fun of their poor condition, but
also passed stinging remarks about their past short
comings, saying, ‘Just have a look at the past history
of such and such people, who are today forming the
pious group of the believers.’ Allah has advised His
Prophet not to be disheartened by their unkind
remarks.
If they had done something wrong in the past, they

themselves shall accountable for it and not you, for
everyone shall get the reward of the good or evil one
has done. Therefore, no good deed of yours will be
put to their credit, nor will you be burdened with any
evil deed of theirs. They come to you merely as
seekers after truth and it will be injustice to look
down upon them and drive them away.
It has been expressed in the Qur’an:
ْ‫﴾ لَ تَمُدّنّ َعْينَيْكَ إِلَى مَا َمتّ ْعنَا بِهِ أَ ْزوَاجًا ّمْنهُم‬88﴿
َ‫َكصلِلْ ُمؤْ ِمنِي‬
َ ‫ِضص َجنَاح‬ ْ ‫ِمص وَاخْف‬ ْ ‫َنص عََلْيه‬
ْ ‫حز‬ ْ َ‫وَلَ ت‬
ُ‫﴾ َوقُلْ ِإنّي َأنَا النّذِيرُ الْ ُمبِي‬89﴿
(88) Do not even look at the worldly wealth We have
given to different people from among them nor grieve
at their condition. Leave them alone and attend to the
Believers. (89) Tell (the Believers), ‘I am a plain
Warner only. (Surah Al-Hijr, v.15:88-89)
Do not grieve that they consider you as their enemy,

though you are their sincere well-wisher; that they
regard their vices as their virtue; that they are not
only themselves following but leading their followers
on that way which inevitably leads to destruction:
nay, they are doing their worst to oppose the
reformative efforts of the one who is showing them
the way of peace.
The same was the attitude of the chiefs of Prophet

Noah’s people, who said:
‫﴾ فَقَالَ الْ َملُ الّذِي نَ كَ َفرُواْ مِن ِقوْمِ هِ مَا َنرَا َك‬11:27﴿
‫ُمص‬
ْ ‫ِينص ه‬
َ ‫َكص إِلّ الّذ‬ َ ‫َاكص اّتبَع‬
َ ‫شرًا ّمثْلَنَا وَمَا َنر‬ َ َ‫إِلّ ب‬
ٍ‫ضل‬
ْ ‫أَرَاذُِلنَا بَادِ يَ ال ّرأْ يِ وَمَا نَرَى لَكُ مْ عََلْينَا مِن َف‬
َ‫َبلْ َنظُنّكُمْ كَا ِذبِي‬
(11:27) The notables among Noah's own people, who
had refused to follow him, responded: 'We merely
consider you a human being like ourselves. *31 Nor
do we find among those who follow you except the
lowliest of our folk, the men who follow you without
any proper reason. *32 We see nothing in you to
suggest that you are any better than us. *33 Rather,
we believe you to be liars.' (Surah Hud, v.11:27)
Prophet Noah replied:

‫﴾ َويَا َقوْمِ ل أَسْأَلُكُمْ عََليْهِ مَالً إِنْ أَ ْجرِيَ إِ ّل‬11:29﴿

‫عَلَى اللّ هِ وَمَآ َأَناْ ِبطَا ِردِ الّذِي نَ آ َمنُواْ ِإنّهُم ّملَقُو‬
َ‫جهَلُون‬
ْ َ‫َربّهِمْ وَلَصكِنّيَ أَرَاكُمْ َقوْمًا ت‬
(11:29) My people! I seek no recompense from
you. *35 My recompense is only with Allah. Nor will
I drive away those who believe. They are destined to
meet their Lord. *36 But I find you to be an ignorant
people. ( Surah Hud, v.11:29) and
‫﴾ وَلَ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِي َخزَآئِنُ اللّهِ وَلَ أَعْلَ ُم‬11:31﴿

‫الْ َغيْبَ وَلَ َأقُولُ ِإنّي َملَكٌ وَلَ َأقُولُ لِلّذِينَ َتزْدَرِي‬
‫أَ ْعُينُكُ مْ لَن ُي ْؤتَِيهُ مُ اللّ هُ َخْيرًا اللّ هُ أَعْلَ مُ بِمَا فِي‬
َ‫سهِمْ إِنّي ِإذًا لّ ِمنَ الظّالِمِي‬ِ ُ‫أَنف‬
(11:31) I do not say to you that I possess Allah's
treasures, nor that I have access to the realm beyond
the ken of sense-perception, nor do I claim to be an
angel. *37 Nor do I say regarding those whom you
look upon with disdain that Allah will not bestow any
good upon them. Allah knows best what is in their
hearts. Were I to say so I would be one of the
wrongdoers.'(Surah Hud, v.11:31)
Now let’s come back to Surah Al-Qahaf, v.18:28:
‫صبِرْ نَفْ سَكَ مَ عَ الّذِينَصيَدْعُو نَ َربّهُم‬ ْ ‫﴾ وَا‬18:28﴿

‫َاكص‬
َ ‫َهص وَلَا تَعْدُ َعْين‬ ُ ‫ُونص وَ ْجه‬
َ ‫بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيّ ُيرِيد‬
‫حيَاةِ ال ّدنْيَا وَلَا تُطِ عْ مَ نْ أَغْفَلْنَا‬
َ ْ‫َعنْهُ مْ ُترِيدُ زِينَةَ ال‬
‫قَ ْلبَهُ عَن ذِ ْك ِرنَا وَاتّبَعَ َهوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَ ْمرُهُ ُفرُطًا‬
(18:28) And keep yourself whole-heartedly content
with those who pray to their Lord morning and
evening in order to win His approval, and do not turn
your attention away from them. Do you desire the
allurements of the world *28? Do not follow the
one" *29 whose heart We have made neglectful of
Our remembrance and who follows his own lust and
goes to extremes in the conduct of his affairs. *30
Here, Allah also said to Prophet Mohammad, ‘Do not

follow the one whose heart We have made neglectful
of Our remembrance means:
(a) Do not yield to what he says,
(b) Nor submit to him,
(c) Nor fulfill his desire,
(d) Nor follow his bidding.’
In the last part of the verse ‘ Oka-na amruhu furutoa’

means: ‘Who follows his own lust and goes to
extremes in the conduct of his affairs.’ The original
Arabic text may also mean, ‘who discards the truth,
breaks all moral limits and rushes on headlong.’ But
in both cases it comes to this:
(a) The one, who is neglectful of Allah and becomes
a slave of his lust, inevitably transgresses all limits
(b) And becomes a victim of immoderation.
Therefore, ‘the one, who will submit to him, will also

follow the same way and wander about in deviation
after him.’
Al-Mu'min: 40.
‫﴾ ِإنّمَا أُ ِمرْ تُ أَ نْ أَ ْعبُدَ رَبّ هَذِ هِ اْلبَلْدَةِ الّذِي‬27:91﴿

‫ِنص‬
َ ‫ُونص م‬
َ ‫َنص أَك‬ ْ ‫ْتص أ‬ُ ‫َهص ُكلّ شَيْءٍ َوأُمِر‬ ُ ‫َحرّمَهَا وَل‬
َ‫الْمُسْلِمِي‬
(O Muhammad, say to them:) "What 1 have been
commanded is that I should worship the Lord of this
City, Who has made it sacred, and Who is the Owner
of everything. *110 I have been commanded to live as
a Muslim. (Surah An Naml, v.27:91)
*110 As this Surah was sent down at a stage when the
message of Islam was confined to Makkah and its
addressees were the people of that City only, it was
said, "I have been commanded that I should worship
the Lord of this City." And the characteristic of the
Lord was stated to be that He had made that City
sacred. This was meant to warn the disbelievers of
Makkah, as if to say, " You may if you so like prove
thankless to that God Who has done you the great
favour of making this City of yours a haven of peace
in the strife-ridden land of Arabia, and Who by His
grace has made it the centre of spiritual affiliation for
the whole of Arabia, but I have been commanded to
be grateful to him and bow down before Him. None
of your deities had the power to make this City a
sanctuary and make the quarrelsome and plundering
tribes of Arabia have respect for it. I cannot abandon
my real Benefactor and bow down before those who
have done me no favor at all."
‫﴾ َوأَ نْ َأتُْلوَ الْ ُقرْآ نَ فَمَ نِ ا ْهتَدَى َفِإنّمَا يَ ْهتَدِي‬27:92﴿

َ‫ضلّ فَ ُقلْ ِإنّمَا َأنَا ِمنَ الْمُنذِرِين‬َ ‫ِلنَفْسِهِ وَمَن‬
And to recite the Qur'an." Now whosoever follows
the guidance, will follow it for his own good, and to
him who goes astray, say, "I am only a Warner.”
(Surah An Naml, v.27:92)
‫اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ ِإلَيْكَ مِ َن الْكِتَابِ وََأِقمِ الصّلَاةَ إِنّ الصّلَاةَ تَْنهَى‬
‫حشَاء وَاْلمُنكَرِ َولَ ِذكْرُ اللّهِ َأكْبَرُ وَاللّهُ يَعَْلمُ مَا‬
ْ ‫َع ِن الْ َف‬
29:45﴿ َ‫﴾َتصْنَعُون‬
(O Prophet!) Recite this Book, which has been
revealed to you, and establish the Salaat; surely the
Salaat restrains from indecent and evil acts, and the
remembrance of Allah is a thing even greater than
this; Allah knows whatever you do.(Surah Al-
Ankabut, v, 29:45).
It has been mentioned three points here;

1) Recite or study the Qur’an
2) Establish the Salah or Prayer and
3) Remembrance of Allah
There is a Hadith about the recitation of the Holy

Qur’an :
They will recite the Qur’an, but the Qur’an will not
go beyond their throats; they will leave the Faith just
as the arrow leaves the bow. (Bukhari, Muslim,
Mu’atta’).
As a matter of fact, the recitation which does not

effect any change in a man’s way of thinking, and his
morals and character, and he goes on doing what the
Qur’an forbids, is not the recitation of a believer at
all. About such a one the Holy Prophet has said:
He, who makes lawful what the Qur’an has declared
unlawful, has not believed in the Qur’an at all.
(Tirmidhi, on the authority of Suhaib Rumi).
06.01.00
During recitation of the Qur’an
Seek Allah’s refuge against Satan
Then the Qur’an says:
‫شْيطَا ِن‬ ّ ‫﴾ َفإِذَا َقرَأْ تَ الْ ُقرْآ نَ فَا ْستَعِذْ بِاللّ هِ مِ نَ ال‬98﴿
ْ‫﴾ إِنّ هُ َليْ سَ لَ هُ سُ ْلطَانٌ عَلَى الّذِي نَ آ َمنُوا‬99﴿ ِ‫الرّجِي م‬
‫سصْلطَانُهُ عَلَى‬ُ ‫﴾ إِنّم َا‬100﴿ ‫ُونص‬ َ ‫ِمص يََتوَكّل‬ ْ ‫وَ َعلَى َرّبه‬
َ‫شرِكُون‬ ْ ُ‫الّذِينَ يََتوَّلوْنَهُ وَالّذِينَ هُم بِهِ م‬
(98) Then, when you begin to recite the Qur’an, seek
Allah’s refuge against the accursed Satan. (99) For no
power has he over those who believe and put their
trust in their Lord. (100) He has power only over
those who make him their patron and practice shirk
by his temptation. (Surah An Nahl, v.16:98-100)
This does not mean that one should merely repeat the
Arabic words:
Aa’uju Billahi Minash shaitoanir Rajiim’
• I seek Allah’s refuge against the accursed Satan.
It means that:
(a) One should have a sincere desire and do one’s
utmost to guard against Satan’s evil suggestions
when one is reciting the Holy Qur’an and should
not allow wrong and irrelevant doubts and
suspicions to enter one’s heart.
(b) One should try to see everything contained in the

Qur’an in its true light, and refrain from mixing it
up with one’s self-invented theories or ideas
foreign to the Qur’an so as to construe its meaning
against the will of Allah.
(c) Moreover, one should feel that the most sinister
and avowed design of Satan is that the reader
should not obtain any guidance from the Qur’an.
This is why Satan tries his utmost to delude the
reader and pervert him from getting guidance
from it, and mislead him into wrong ways of
thinking.
(d) Therefore, the reader should be fully on his guard
against Satan and seek Allah’s refuge for help so
that Satan should not be able to deprive him of the
benefits from this source of guidance, for one who
fails to get guidance from this source, will never
be able to get guidance from anywhere else.
(e) Above all, the one who seeks to obtain deviation
from this Book is so entangled in deviation that he
can never get out of this vicious circle.
The context in which this verse occurs here is to

serve as an introduction to the answers to the
Questions, which the mushriks of Makkah were
raising against the Qur’an. They have been warned
that they could appreciate the blessing of the Qur’an
only if they would try to see it in its true light by
seeking Allah’s protection against Satan’s misleading
suggestions, and not by raising objections against it.
Otherwise Satan does not let a man understand the
Qur’an and its teachings.
06.02.00
Recite the Qur’an
Calmly in a measured tone
Allah ordained to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh):
‫وَ َرّتلِ الْ ُقرْآنَ تَ ْرتِيلًا‬ ﴾47:4﴿
And recite the Qur’an calmly in a measured tone.

(Surah Al Mozammel, v.73:4)
Recite the Qur’an calmly in a measured tone. Do not

recite it quickly and in haste, but slowly and
distinctly. The reasons for that are as follows:
(1) Pause at every verse so that the mind
understands the meaning and purport of Divine
Revelation well and takes effect from it.
(2) If it contains the mention of Allah’s Being and
Attributes, it may awe-inspire the heart with His
glory and majesty.
(3) It expresses His mercy; the heart may be filled
with feelings of gratitude to Him.
(4) If it mentions His wrath and His punishment, the
heart may be overwhelmed by fear of Him.
(5) If it enjoins something or forbids something, one
may understand what has been enjoined and
what has been forbidden.
In short, the recital does not only consist in uttering
the words with the tongue, but it should involve
thoughtful consideration of the meaning.
Some Traditions are as follows regarding the

recitation of the Qur’an in the Salah:
• When Hadrat Anas was asked about the Holy

Prophet’s method of reciting the Qur’an he
replied: The Holy Messenger stretched the words
when reciting them. For example, when he recited
‘Bismillahir Rahmaanir Rahiim’ he would stretch
and prolong the sound of Allah, Rahman and
Rahim. (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
• When Hadrat Umme Salamah was asked the same

Question, she replied that the Holy Prophet (pbuh)
recited every verse separately and distinctly and
observed a pause at the end of every verse. For
instance, he recited ‘Al-hamdu-lillahi Rabbil
‘alamiin’, and paused, then recited ‘Ar-Rahmaanir
Rahiim’, and paused, and then recited ‘maaliki
yaumiddiin.’(Musnad Ahmad, Abu Da’ud,
Tirmidhi).
In another tradition:
• Hadrat Umme Salamah has stated that the Holy
Prophet recited each word distinctly and
clearly.(Tirmidi, Nasa’i).
• Hadrat Hudhaifah bin Yaman says: Once I stood

beside the Holy Prophet in the Night Prayer to see
how he recited the Qur’an. I noticed that he
glorified Allah where he should be glorified,
invoked and supplicated Allah where He should
be invoked and supplicated, and sought refuge of
Allah where His refuge should be sought.
(Muslim, Nasa’i).
• Hadrat Abu Dharr has stated that once during the

Night Prayer when the Holy Prophet(pbuh) came
to the sentence:
‫ُمص‬
ْ ‫ُكص َوإِن تَغْفِرْ َله‬
َ ‫ُمص ِعبَاد‬
ْ ‫ُمص َفإِّنه‬
ْ ‫﴾ إِن تُعَ ّذْبه‬5:118﴿
ُ‫َفِإنّكَ أَنتَ الْ َعزِيزُ الْحَكِيم‬
If you punish them, then they are Your servants;
and if you forgive them, then you are Almighty,
All-Wise. (Surah Al Ma’idah, v.5:118),
He went on repeating it over and over again until
it became dawn. (Musnad Ahmad, Bukhari).
06.03.00
Recite as much of the Qur’an
as you easily can in Salah
Allah give permission to Prophet for recitation of the
Holy Qur’an in Salah as much as he could:
ُ‫سرَ ِمنْه‬
ّ َ‫فَاقْ َرؤُوا مَا تَي‬
Now you may read as much of the Qur’an as you
easily can. (Surah Al Mozammel, v.73:20)
As the prayer is prolonged due mainly to a lengthy

recital of the Qur’an, it is said: You may recite as
much of the Qur’an as you easily can in the Tahajjud
Prayer. This would automatically cause the Prayer to
be shortened.’ Although the words here are
apparently in the imperative mood, it is agreed by all
that Tahajjud is not an obligatory but a voluntary
Prayer.
In the Hadith also it has been explained that:
• On an enquiry by a person the Holy Prophet

(pbuh) replied: ‘Five times Prayer in the day and
night is obligatory on you. He asked: is anything
besides this also binding on me? The Holy
Prophet said: No, unless you may like to offer
something of your own accord.’ (Bukhari,
Muslim).
The above verse also shows another thing. Just as the

bowing (ruku’) and prostration (sajdah) are
obligatory in the Prayer, so is the recital of the
Qur’an. For just as Allah at other places has used the
words Ruku’ and Sajdah for the prayer, so here He
has mentioned recital of the Qur’an, which implies its
recital in the prayer.
If somebody objects to this conclusion, saying: When

the Tahajjud Prayer itself is voluntary, how can recital
of the Qur’an in it be obligatory? The answer is:
Even in case of the voluntary Prayer it is incumbent
on one to fulfill all the pre-requisites of the Prayer
and to perform all its basic elements and obligatory
parts. No one can say that in case of the voluntary
Prayer, purity of the garments and body, ablutions
and concealment of the Satar (minimal part of the
body to be covered) are not obligatory, and the
standing up, and sitting and performance of ruku’ and
sajdah also in it are only voluntary.
06.04.00
Hearing to the recital
Qur’an attentively
Allah said :
ْ‫صُوا‬
‫صمِعُواْ لَهُص َوأَنصِت‬
َ‫﴾ َوِإذَا ُقرِىءَ الْ ُقرْآنُص فَاس ْت‬7:204﴿
َ‫لَعَلّكُمْ تُرْ َحمُون‬
When the Qur’an is recited to you, listen to it with
attention and keep silence: it may be that you also are
blessed with mercy. (Surah Al-A’araf, v.7:204)
It means, ‘In your bigotry and obduracy you turn a

deaf ear to the Qur’an when it is being recited, and
make a loud noise so that no one should be able to
listen to it. Leave this wrong attitude towards it and
listen to it with attention and consider teachings
contained in it. It is just possible that your
acquaintance with it may enlighten your hearts and
make you co-sharers with the believers in the mercy
of your Lord.’
Incidentally, it should be noted that the above answer

to the taunts of the opponents is so nice and sweet
and appealing to the hearts that words cannot
describe its excellence. There is also a lesson of
wisdom for those who are engaged in the missionary
work.
Though the real object of this verse is the same that

has been stated above. Incidentally, it also enjoins the
hearers to remain silent and listen to it as a mark of
respect, which is due to the Book of Allah. It is also
deduced from this that when the Imam recites the
Qur’an during the Salat, the followers in the
congregation should listen to it in silence, and they
should not recite anything. There is, however,
difference of opinion among the Imams in regard to
its interpretation:
Opinion-1:
According to Imam Abu Hanifah and his
companions, the followers in the congregation should
not recite anything whether the Imam is reciting the
Qur’an aloud or silently in his mind.
Opinion-2:
However, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad are of the
opinion that only in that case when the Imam is
reciting the Qur’an aloud, the followers should not
recite anything, but in the other case they should
recite Surah Al-Fatihah.
Opinion-3:
But according to Imam Shafi’i, the followers must
recite Surah Al-Fatihah, whether the Imam is reciting
loudly or silently in his mind. He bases his opinion
on the Traditions according to which one’s Salat is
not complete without the recited of Surah Al-Fatihah.
06.05.00
Invisible curtain is
placed between recital Qur’an
and Unbelievers in the Hereafter
‫﴾ َوِإذَا َق َرأْتَ الْقُرآنَ جَعَ ْلنَا بَْينَكَ َوَبيْنَ الّذِي َن‬17:45﴿

‫﴾ وَجَعَ ْلنَا‬17:46﴿ ‫ستُورًا‬ ْ ّ‫لَ ُيؤْمِنُو نَ بِال ِخرَةِ حِجَابًا م‬
‫ِمص َو ْقرًا‬
ْ ‫ُوهص وَفِي آذَاِنه‬ ُ ‫ِمص أَ ِكنّةً أَن يَفْ َقه‬
ْ ‫عَلَى قُلُوِبه‬
‫َوِإذَا ذَ َكرْتَص َربّكَص فِي الْ ُقرْآنِص َوحْدَهُص وَّلوْاْ عَلَى‬
‫َأ ْدبَا ِرهِمْ نُفُورًا‬
(45) (O Prophet!) When you recite the Qur’an, We
place an invisible curtain between you and those who
do not believe in the Hereafter (46) And We cover
their hearts with a covering so that they understand
nothing and we make their ears heard hearing. And
when in the Qur’an you mention your one Lord only,
they turn their faces away in aversion. (Surah Bani
Israil, v.17:45-46)
This refers to the Divine Law according to which

those people, who do not believe in the Hereafter,
cannot benefit from the Qur’an.
Allah has attributed this law to Himself, as if to say:

The natural result of disbelief in the Hereafter is that
the heart of such a man becomes dull and his ears
become deaf to the Message of the Qur’an, for
Qur’an bases its invitation on the belief in the
Hereafter. And the invitation of the Qur’an are as
follows:
(1) So it warns the people that they should not be

deluded by this apparent aspect of the worldly life
if there appears to be none to call them to account
here; for it does not mean they are not at all
accountable and answerable to anyone.
(2) Likewise if Allah allows freedom of belief to
practice shirk, atheism, disbelief or Tauhid with
impunity in this world, and their practice does not
appear to make any practical difference in this
world, it does not mean that these things do not
produce any results at all.
Everyone shall be accountable and answerable:

(1) For, in fact, everyone shall be accountable and
answerable but after death in the Next World.
Then everyone will realize that the doctrine of
Tauhid alone is true and all other doctrines are
false. For, if at present the consequences of deeds
do not appear after death they shall inevitably
appear, but now the Reality has been hidden
behind an invisible curtain.
(2) There is an inevitable moral law according to
which submission to it will bear its fruit and
disobedience shall incur its losses. As decisions
according to this moral law will be made in the
Hereafter, you should not be enticed by the
charms of this transitory life.
(3) You should, therefore, keep in view that
ultimately you shall have to render an account of
all your deeds in this world before your Lord, and
adopt that true creed and moral attitude which
may be conducive to your success in the
Hereafter.
From this it must have become obvious that if a man

does not believe in the Hereafter, he will never
consider the message of the Qur’an worth his while
but will hanker after this world and its joys which he
can feel and experience. Naturally his ears will not
listen to the Message and it will never reach the
depths of his heart. Allah has stated this
psychological fact in this verse.
In this connection, it should be recommended that the

words contained in this verse were uttered by the
disbelievers of Makkah as quoted in the Qur’an:
‫﴾ َوقَالُوا قُلُوُبنَا فِي أَ ِكنّةٍ مّمّا تَدْعُونَا إَِليْ هِ َوفِي‬41:5﴿

‫آذَانِنَا َو ْقرٌ وَمِن َبيْنِنَا َوَبيْنِ كَ ِحجَا بٌ فَاعْ َملْ ِإنّنَا‬
َ‫عَامِلُون‬
They say, O Mohammad, a covering has fallen over
our hearts, and our ears are deaf for the Message you
give and there is a curtain between you and us. You
may go on with your work and we will do whatever
we desire. (Surah Ha-Mim-As-Sajdah, v.41:5)
Here the same words have been cited, as if to say,

‘You consider this state of yours to be a virtue,
whereas this is a curse which has fallen on you
according to the Divine Law because of your
disbelief of the Hereafter.’
Allah also said to Mohammad, ‘They do not like it at

all that you should consider Allah alone as your Lord
and not mention the Lords they have set up.’ Their
disliking are:
(1) They seem to think it strange that one should go
on praising Allah and never mention the miracles of
their elders and saints nor praise them for their
favors.
For, according to them:

Allah has delegated the powers of His Godhead to
their great ones. Therefore they say:
(1) What a strange fellow he is!
(2) He believes that the knowledge of the unknown,
and all the power and authority belong to One
Allah alone.
(3) Why does he not pay tribute to those:
(a) Who give us children;
(b) Cure us of diseases;
(c) And make our commerce flourish;
(d) In short, fulfill all our wishes and desires?
06.06.00
Recital of the Qur’an
at the dawn is witnessed
The Qur’an says:
ِ‫َسصق‬
َ ‫ْسص إِلَى غ‬ِ ‫ُوكص الشّم‬ ِ ‫الصصلَةَ لِدُل‬ّ ‫ِمص‬ ِ ‫﴾ َأق‬17:78﴿
‫شهُودًا‬
ْ َ‫جرِ كَانَ م‬
ْ َ‫جرِ إِنّ قُرْآنَ الْف‬
ْ َ‫الّلْيلِ َوقُرْآنَ الْف‬
(17:78) Establish Salat *91 from the declining of the
sun *92 to the darkness of the night, *93 and be
particular about the recital of the Qur'an *94 at the
dawn of the morning, for the recital of the Qur'an at
the dawn is witnessed. *95 (Surah Bani Israil,
v.17:78)
َ‫صلَة‬
ّ ‫َأقِمِ ال‬
The Muslims have been commanded to establish
Salat immediately after the mention of obstacles and
adversities. This implies that the establishment of
Salat obtains the perseverance required to face
adverse circumstances.
ِ‫لِدُلُوكِ الشّمْس‬
The Arabic text ‘Dulukish Shamsi’ means ‘the
declining of the sun’.
Opinion-1: Though some of the Companions and
their followers are of the opinion that it
means ‘the sunset’.
Opinion-2: The majority of them are of the opinion
that it means ‘the declining of the sun
from its zenith’.
Opinion-3: The Companions Caliph ‘Umar, Ibn
‘Umar, Anas bin Malik(Allah be pleased
with them all) are of this opinion..
Opinion-4: Tabaee, Tabe-Tabee and world famous
commentators Abu Barza-tal-Aslami,
Hasan Basri, Sha’abi, Ata’, Mujahid
and, according to a Tradition Ibn ‘Abbas
(Allah be pleased with them all) are of
this opinion.
Opinion-5: Imam Mohammad Baqir and Imam
Ja’afar Sadiq also are of the same
opinion.
Opinion-6: Besides this, there are some Traditions
from the Holy Prophet to the same
effect, though they are not so authentic.
ِ‫سقِ الّلْيل‬
َ َ‫إِلَى غ‬
According to some Commentators, the original words
of the Arabic text ‘Gasakil Laili’ mean ‘complete
darkness of the night’, while others take it to mean
‘midnight’. If the first opinion is accepted, it will
imply the beginning of the time of the ‘Isha Prayer
and according to the other it will mean ‘the last limit
of the time of ‘Isha’.
The literal meaning of the word ‘Fajr’ is ‘dawn’. That

is ‘the beginning of the morning after the darkness of
night’.
07.00.00
How Prophet prescribed
the definite form of Salat?
ِ‫جر‬
ْ َ‫َوقُرْآنَ الْف‬
As mentioned in the verse of Surah Bani Israil,
v.17:78, the ‘recital of the Qur’an in the morning’
stands for the ‘Morning Prayer’ means ‘Salatul Fajr’.
At some places the Qur’an has used the word ‘Salat’
or ‘Salah’ for ‘Prayer’ and other places a particular
part of Salat for Prayer as a whole, e.g., Tasbih,
Hamd, Zikr, Qayam, Ruku’, Sujud etc. Likewise,
here ‘recital of the Qur’an at dawn’ does not mean
the mere recital of the Qur’an but its recital during
the Prayer. Thus, the Qur’an has also incidentally
referred to the different parts of which Salat is
composed and these guided the Holy Prophet to
prescribe the definite form of Salat in which the
Muslims perform it today.
07.01.00
Why it is used to recite
long Passages from the Qur’an
during the Morning Prayer?
As mentioned in the verse Surah Bani Israil, v.17:78:
ْ َ‫إِنّ ُقرْآنَ الْف‬
The recital of the Qur’an at dawn is witnessed the
angels of Allah to testify it have as explained in the
Traditions. Though the angels witness each prayer
and each good deed, the special mention of their
being witnesses at the time of the recital of the
Qur’an during the Morning Prayer gives it a
particular Importance. That is why the Holy Prophet
used to recite long passages from the Qur’an during
the Morning Prayer. The Companions followed his
example, and the succeeding Muslim Scholars held it
to be a desirable thing.
07.02.00
How to establish Salat
at the prescribed timings?
The Qur’an says:
ْ َ‫إِنّ ُقرْآنَ الْف‬
As mentioned in the verse Surah Bani Israil, v.17: 78,
95 it has been briefly stated how to establish Salat
which was made obligatory on the occasion of Mi’raj
at the prescribed timings. It has been ordained that
the first prayer is to be offered before the sunrise and
the remaining four after the declining of the sun till
the darkness of the night. Afterwards Angel Jibril was
sent to the Holy Prophet to define the limits of the
timings of each Prayer.
• According to a Tradition of Abu Da’ud and

Tirmizi related by Ibn ‘Abbas, the Holy Prophet
said: Jibril led me in the five Prayers twice near
the Ka’abah:
A. On the First day:
(1) Juhr Prayer:
He offered the Juhr Prayer just after the declining
of the sun, when the shadow of everything was the
shortest.
(2) ‘Asar Prayer:
Then he offered the ‘Asar Prayer when the
shadow of each thing was equal to its own length.
(3) Magrib Prayer:
Then the Magrib Prayer at the time when one
breaks one’s fast.
(4) Isha Prayer:

And the Isha Prayer was offered just at the time
when twilight had disappeared.
(5) Fajr Prayer:
And Fajr Prayer offered at the time when it
becomes unlawful to eat and drink anything for
the one who intends to observe a Fast.
B. On the next day:

(1) Juhr Prayer:
He offered the Juhr Prayer at the time when the
shadow of each thing became equal to its own
length.
(2) ‘Asar Prayer:
And offered the ‘Asar Prayer when the shadow
had doubled.
(3) Magrib Prayer:
The Magrib Prayer was offered as on the previous
day.
(4) Isha Prayer:
And the Isha Prayer offered when one third of the
night had passed away.
(5) Fajr Prayer:
And the Morning Prayer offered when light had
spread all over.
After this Hadrat Jibril turned towards me and
said: O Mohammad! These are the timings of
Salat i.e. Prayer of the Prophets and the right
timings are between these two extreme limits.
The Qur’an has also pointed to these five times of

Salat or Prayer on different occasions:
ِ‫صلَةَ َط َرفَيِ الّنهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مّنَ الّلْيل‬ ّ ‫﴾ َوأَقِمِ ال‬11:114﴿

‫ِكص ذِ ْكرَى‬
َ ‫ْنص السصّصّيئَاتِ ذَل‬ َ ‫َسصَاتِ يُذْ ِهب‬
‫إِنّ الْح َن‬
َ‫لِلذّا ِكرِين‬
And establish the Prayer at the two ends of the day
and in the first hours of the night. *113 Indeed the
good deeds drive away the evil deeds. This is a
Reminder to those who are mindful of Allah. *114
(Surah Hud, v.11:114)
Let’s see in the 1st part of the verse:
ِ‫صلَةَ َط َرفَيِ الّنهَارِ وَزُلَفًا ّمنَ الّليْل‬

ّ ‫َوأَقِمِ ال‬
And establish the Prayer at the two ends of the day
and in the first hours of the night. *113
*113. The 'two ends of the day' refer to the morning
and the sunset. Similarly, the 'first hours of the night'
refer to the time of the 'Isha' Prayer. We thus learn
that this Qur'anic verse dates back to the time when
the five daily Prayers had as yet not been prescribed.
The Prophet's ascension took place at a later time
than the revelation of these verses and it is then that
the five daily Prayers were prescribed. (For further
explanation see al-Isra 17, n. 95; Ta Ha 20:130; and
al-Rum 30:124.)
In support of EN 113 of 11:114, Allah says
‫َسصبّحْ بِحَمْ ِد‬

َ ‫ُونص و‬َ ‫َاصصِبرْ عَلَى م َا يَقُول‬ْ ‫﴾ ف‬20:130﴿
‫َربّ كَ َقْبلَ طُلُو عِ الشّمْ سِ َوَقبْلَ ُغرُوِبهَا وَمِ نْ آنَاء‬
‫سبّحْ َوأَ ْطرَافَ الّنهَارِ لَعَلّكَ َترْضَى‬
َ َ‫الّلْيلِ ف‬
(20:130) Therefore (O Muhammad), endure what
they say and glorify your Lord with His praise before
the rising of the sun and before its setting, and glorify
Him during the hours of the night and at the extremes
of the day: *111 perhaps you may feel satisfied. *112
(Surah Toaha, v.20:130)
*111 This is to comfort and console the Holy

Prophet, as if to say, "Allah does not intend to destroy
them yet, for He has appointed for them a term of
respite, so you should endure with patience whatever
they do against you and hear their harsh talk and go
on performing the obligations of your Mission. For
this purpose you should offer Salat in accordance
with the prescribed times because it will create in you
necessary forbearance and fortitude".
"Glorify your Lord" means: "Offer your prescribed

Prayers", as is clear from v. 20:132:
‫َاصص َطِبرْ عََليْهَا لَا‬

ْ ‫ِالصصلَاةِ و‬ ّ ‫َكص ب‬ َ ‫﴾ َوأْمُرْ أَ ْهل‬20:132﴿
‫حنُ َنرْ ُزقُكَ وَالْعَاِقبَةُ لِلتّ ْقوَى‬
ْ ّ‫نَسْأَلُكَ رِ ْزقًا ن‬
Enjoin Salat on the members of your family *114 and
yourself also observe it strictly. We do not ask any
provision of you, for it is We Ourselves Who give
you provision. And the ultimate good is for piety. *115
(Surah Toa a ha, v.20:132)
*114 That is, "Teach your children also that lawful

provision is much better than the unlawful riches of
the wicked people. For this purpose, enjoin them to
say their prescribed Prayers, for this will change their
attitude, their standard of values, and make them
contented with pure provisions and virtuous life in
preference to the life of sin and luxury."
*115 It implies this: "We do not ask you to offer your

Prayers for any benefit of Our own. We ask you to do
that for your own good, because this will create piety
in you which will bring about true success for you in
this world and in the Hereafter."
Incidentally in the verse (20:130) the times of Salat

have been prescribed: (1) Fajr Prayer before sunrise,
(2) Àsr Prayer before sunset, (3) Ìsha and Tahajjud
Prayers during the hours of night. Morning and
Afternoon (Dhuhr) and Evening (Maghrib) Prayers
"at the extremes of the day." (See also E.N.'s. 91 to
97 of Chapter XV11.)
‫لَعَلّكَ َترْضَى‬
Perhaps you may feel satisfied. *112
*112 of verse(20:130) The original Arabic Text
admits of two meanings:
(1) "Rest content with your present condition in

which you have to hear many unpleasant things for
the sake of your Mission, and submit to this decree
that they are not being punished for the time being,
for they will continue to persecute you and at the
same time lead prosperous lives."
(2) "Go on performing your Mission, for as a result

of this, you will be fully satisfied."
This second meaning is supported by :
(a)
‫حمُودًا‬
ْ ّ‫عَسَى أَن يَبْ َعثَكَ َربّكَ مَقَامًا م‬
That time is not far when your Lord may exalt you to
a laudable position. *98(Surah Bani Israi’l, v.17:79)
which follows the commandment about Salat.
*98 " That time is not far when your Lord may exalt
you to a laudable position": "You may attain such a
high position in this world and in the next world that
people from everywhere may be full of praise for
you, and you may become a praiseworthy
personality." This is, as if to say, "Now your
opponents are engaged in calling you names and arc
trying to defame you throughout the country, and
have raised a storm of false accusations against you
but that time is not far when the world will ring with
the echoes of your praise and in the Hereafter you
will become worthy of praise by all creatures. " The
exaltation of the Holy Prophet to the high position of
intercession on the Day of Resurrection is also a part
of that "laudable position."
(b)
‫﴾ وَلَلْآ ِخرَةُ َخْيرٌ لّكَ ِمنَ اْلأُولَى‬93:4﴿

And surely the later period is better for you than the
earlier period, *4 (Surah Ad-Duha, v.93:4)
*4 Allah gave this good news to the Holy Prophet

(upon whom be peace) in a state when he had only a
handful of Muslims with him, the entire nation was
hostile and there was no remote chance of success
even. The candle of Islam was flickering only in
Makkah and storms were brewing all around to blow
it out. At that juncture Allah said to His Prophet "Do
not at all grieve at the hardships of the initial stage:
every later period of life will be better for you than
the former period. Your power and glory, your honor
and prestige, will go on enhancing and your influence
will go on spreading. This promise is not only
confined to the world, but it also includes the promise
that the rank and. position you will be granted in the
Hereafter will be far higher and nobler than the rank
and position you attain in the world. " Tabarani in A
wsat and Baihaqi in Ad-dala il have related, on the
authority of Ibn Àbbas that the Holy Prophet said:
"All the victories which would be attained by my
Ummah after me, were presented before me. This
pleased me much. Then, Allah sent down this Word,
saying: 'The Hereafter is far better for you than the
world'."
And
‫سوْفَ يُ ْعطِيكَ َربّكَ َفَترْضَى‬

َ َ‫﴾ وَل‬93:5﴿
And soon your Lord shall give you so much that you
shall be well pleased or fully satisfied. *5 (Surah Ad-
Duha, v.93:4)
*5 That is "Although it will take some time, yet the

time is not far when your Lord will bless you with so
much that you will be well pleased "This promise
was fulfilled during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet
and all Arabia, from the southern coasts to the Syrian
frontiers of the Byzantine empire and the Iraqi
frontiers of the Persian empire in the north, and from
the Persian Gulf in the east to the Red Sea in the
west, carne under his control. For the first time in the
history of Arabia this land became subject to one law
and rule. Whichever power clashed with it was
doomed to destruction. The slogan La ilaha ill Allah u
Muhammad ur-Rasul-Allah reverberated throughout
the land where the polytheists and the followers of
the earlier scriptures had tried their utmost to keep
their false creeds and slogans aloft till the last. The
people not only bowed their heads in obedience, their
hearts also were conquered, and their beliefs, morals
and acts were revolutionized. There is no precedent
in human history that nation sunk in paganism might
have completely changed in only 33 years. Then the
movement started by the Holy Prophet gathered such
power that it spread over a large part of Asia, Africa
and Europe and its influence reached every nook and
corner of the world. This much Allah gave His
Messenger in the world, the glory and extent of what
he will give him in the Hereafter cannot be
imagined." (Also see E.N. 112 of Surah Ta Ha).
In the second part of 11:114

‫ِكص ذِ ْكرَى‬
َ ‫ْنص السصّصّيئَاتِ ذَل‬
َ ‫َسصَاتِ يُذْ ِهب‬
‫إِنّ الْح َن‬
َ‫لِلذّا ِكرِين‬
Indeed the good deeds drive away the evil deeds.
This is a Reminder to those who are mindful of
Allah. *114 (Surah Hud, v.11:114)
*114. The Qur'an informs the believers of the best

way to drive away the evils, which are rampant in the
world and how to obliterate the wrongs perpetuated
by the inveterate enemies of Islam. It counsels the
believers to become increasingly righteous. For the
righteousness of the believers will ultimately
overwhelm evil and corruption. Now, since Prayers
constantly remind people of God, they are the best
means of making people righteous. The power that
the believers receive from Prayer will not only enable
them to repulse the onslaught of the organized forces
of evil, but also to establish a righteous and
benevolent order in the world. (For further
elaboration see al-'Ankabut 29, nn. 77-9.)
In support of EN 113 of 11:114, Allah says:
‫ص حِيَص تُمْسصُونَ َوحِيَص‬

ِ ‫صبْحَانَ اللّه‬
ُ ‫﴾ فَس‬30:17﴿
َ‫صبِحُون‬
ْ ‫ُت‬
So, *22 glorify Allah *23 when it is evening for you
(Magrib), and when it is morning (Fajr Prayer).
(Surah Ar-Rum, v.30:17)
22 "So", here, implies: "When you have come to

know the good results of belief and righteous acts and
the evil consequences of disbelief and denial of the
Truth, you should adopt the following conduct." It
also means: "By holding the life Hereafter to be
impossible, the polytheists and disbelievers are, in
fact, holding Allah to be helpless. Therefore, as
against them, you should glorify Allah, and proclaim
that He is free from this weakness." This Command
has been addressed to the Holy Prophet and through
him to all the believers.
*23 "To glorify Allah" means to proclaim Allah's
being free from and exalted above the defects and
faults and weaknesses, which the mushriks ascribe to
Him due to their shirk and denial of the Hereafter.
The best form of this proclamation and expression is
the Prayer. That is why Ibn 'Abbas; Mujahid,
Qatadah, lbn Zaid and other commentators say that
here "to glorify" means to offer the prescribed Prayer.
A clear indication in favor of this commentary is
contained in the verse itself. It lays down certain
definite times for the glorification of Allah.
Evidently, if it was meant to instill the belief that
Allah is free from all defects and weaknesses, there
should be no question of the restriction of the times
of the morning and evening, and the early and late
afternoon, for a Muslim should always have this
belief. Similarly, if it was meant to teach Glorifying
Allah merely verbally, it' should be meaningless to
specify the tunes, for a Muslim should express Allah's
glory at all times. Therefore, inevitably the Command
to glorify Allah with the restriction of the times
points to its particular practical form, which is none
other than the Prayer.
‫شيّا‬
ِ َ‫﴾ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي السّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَع‬30:18﴿
َ‫وَحِيَ ُتظْ ِهرُون‬
Praise is due to Him alone in the heavens and the
earth; and (glorify Him in the later part of the
afternoon (‘Asar Prayer) and in the afternoon (Juhr
Prayer). *24 (Surah Ar-Rum, v.30:18)
*24 This verse clearly points to the times of the Fajr
(morning), Maghrib (evening). 'Asr (late afternoon)
and the Zuhr (early afternoon) Prayers. Besides this,
the other allusions made to the times of the Prayer in
the Qur'an are as follows:
"Establish the Salat from the declining of the sun to

the darkness of the night, and be particular about the
recital of the Qur'an at dawn." (Bani Isra'il, v.17:78)
"Establish the Salat at the two ends of the day and in
the early part of the night." (Hud, v.11:114).
"And glorify your Lord with His praise before the
rising of the sun and before it’s setting, and glorify
Him again during the hours of the night and at the
extremes of the day. " (Ta Ha, v.20:130)
The first of these verses tells that the times of the

Prayer are from the declining of the sun to the
darkness of the night (Ìsha`) after which is the time
of the morning prayer (Fajr). In the second verse, the
`"two ends of the day" imply the times of the
morning (Fajr) and the evening (Maghrib) Prayers,
and "in the early part of the night" implies the time of
'Isha`. In the third verse, "before the rising of the sun"
implies the Fajr time and "before its’ setting" the Asr
tune, and "during the hours of the night" implies the
times of both the Maghrib and the 'Isha' Prayers; and
the "extremes of the day" are three: the morning, the
declining of the sun and the evening.
Thus, the Qur'an at different places has pointed to the

five Prayer times at which the Muslims the world
over offer their Prayers. But, obviously, no one by
merely reading these verses could have determined
the Prayer times unless the divinely appointed teacher
of the Qur'an, the Holy Prophet himself, had given
guidance to these by his word and deed.
Let us pause a while here and consider the boldness

of the deniers of Hadith. They make fun of "offering
the Prayer", and say that the Prayer that the Muslims
offer today is not at alt the thing prescribed by the
Qur'an. They assert that the Qur'anic injunction to
establish the Salat does not mean the offering of the
Prayer but establishing the Nizam-i-Rububiyat (Order
of Providence). Ask that as: "What is that hove!
Order of Providence, which cans either, be
established before the rising of the sun or after the
declining of the sun till the early hours of the night?
And what is that order of Providence, which is
required to be established especially on Fridays? As it
has been expressed that:
‫﴾ يَا َأيّهَا الّذِي نَ آ َمنُوا ِإذَا نُودِي لِل صّلَاةِ مِن‬62:9﴿

‫ْعص‬
َ ‫ّهص َوذَرُوا اْلبَي‬
ِ ‫َاسصعَوْا إِلَى ذِ ْكرِ الل‬
ْ ‫ْمص الْجُمُعَةِ ف‬ِ ‫َيو‬
َ‫ذَلِكُمْ َخيْرٌ لّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُون‬
(62:9) O you who have believed, when the call is
made to the Prayer on Friday,' *14 hasten to the
remembrance of Allah and leave off your trading. *15
This is better for you only if you knew. (Surah Al-
Jumuah, v.62: 9).
07.02.01
Cleanliness is obligatory to
perform Salah
And what is that special kind of the order of

Providence for establishing which one has first to
wash one's face and the hands up to the elbows and
the feet up to the ankles and wipe one's head with wet
hands, otherwise one will not establish it? As it has
been expressed that:
‫ُمص إِلَى الصصّل ِة‬

ْ ‫ِينص آ َمنُواْ ِإذَا قُ ْمت‬
َ ‫﴾ يَا َأيّهَا الّذ‬5:6﴿
‫ص‬
ِ ‫ص إِلَى الْ َمرَافِق‬ ْ ‫ص َوأَيْ ِديَكُم‬ ْ ‫صلُواْ وُجُوهَكُم‬ ِ ‫فاغْس‬
‫وَامْ سَحُواْ ِب ُرؤُو سِكُمْ َوأَرْ ُجلَكُ مْ إِلَى الْكَ ْعبَيِ َوإِن‬
‫ُمص ُجنُبًا فَا ّطهّرُواْ َوإِن كُنتُم ّمرْضَى َأوْ عَلَى‬ ْ ‫كُنت‬
ُ‫ستُم‬ ْ َ‫سَف َرٍ َأوْ جَاء أَحَدٌ مّنكُم مّ نَ الْغَائِ طِ َأوْ لَم‬
‫صعِيدًا َطيّبًصا‬ َ ‫ص تَجِدُواْ مَاء َفتَيَمّمُواْ ص‬ْ ‫النّسصَاء فَلَم‬
ُ‫فَامْ سَحُواْ ِبوُجُوهِكُ مْ َوَأيْدِيكُم ّمنْ هُ مَا ُيرِيدُ اللّ ه‬
ْ‫ِليَجْ َعلَ عََليْكُم مّنْ َحرَجٍ وَلَصكِن ُيرِيدُ ِلُيطَهّ رَكُم‬

َ‫وَِلُيتِمّ نِعْمَتَهُ عََليْكُمْ لَعَلّكُمْ تَشْكُرُون‬
Believers! When you stand up for Prayer wash your
faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your
heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles. *24 And
if you are in the state of ritual impurity, purify
yourselves (by taking a bath). *25 But if you are
either ill, traveling, have satisfied a want of nature or
have had contact with women and find no water then
have recourse to clean earth and wipe your faces and
your hands therewith. *26 Allah does not want to lay
any hardship upon you; rather He wants to purify you
and complete His favors upon you *27 so that you
may give thanks. (Surah Al-Ma’idah, v. 5:6)
A. How to make Wudu before Salah:

The Qur’an says:
ْ‫يَا َأيّهَا الّذِينَ آ َمنُواْ ِإذَا قُ ْمتُمْ إِلَى الصّلةِ فاغْسِلُوا‬

ْ‫وُجُوهَكُمْ َوأَيْ ِديَكُمْ إِلَى الْ َمرَاِفقِ وَامْسَحُوا‬
ِ‫ِب ُرؤُوسِكُمْ َوأَ ْرجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَ ْعبَي‬
(5:6) Believers! When you stand up for Prayer wash
your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe
your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles. *24
*24. The explanation of this injunction by the

Prophet (peace be on him) indicates that washing of
the face includes rinsing one's mouth and inhaling
water into the nostrils. Unless this is done the
washing of the face is not considered complete.
Likewise, since the ears are part of the head, 'wiping
the head' includes wiping one's hands over the
external and internal parts of the ears as well.
Moreover, before starting to wash the other parts one
should first wash one's hands so that the instruments
of washing are themselves clean.
B. Cleanliness is obligatory
due to state of major ritual impurity:
The Qur’an says:
ْ‫َوإِن كُنتُمْ ُجُنبًا فَا ّط ّهرُوا‬

And if you are in the state of ritual impurity, purify
yourselves (by taking a bath). *25
*25. Janabah (the state of major ritual impurity) -

whether caused by the sexual act or merely by
seminal discharge - renders it unlawful to perform the
ritual Prayer and to touch the Qur'an (for further
details see Surah An-Nisa, v.4:43, nn. 67-69 below).
*26. For explanation see Surah An-Nisa, v.4:43, nn.

nn. 69-70 below)
*27. Just as purity of the soul is a blessing, so is

cleanliness of the body. God's favor to man can be
completed only when he has received comprehensive
direction in respect of both spiritual purity and
physical cleanliness.
And what is this peculiarity of this order of

Providence that one cannot establish it unless one has
completely washed oneself after sexual intercourse?
The Qur’an says:
‫صلَةَ وَأَنتُ ْم‬

ّ ‫﴾ يَا َأيّهَا الّذِي نَ آ َمنُواْ لَ تَقْ َربُواْ ال‬4:43﴿
ّ‫ُونص وَلَ ُجنُب ًا إِل‬
َ ‫سصكَارَى َحتّىَ تَعْلَمُواْ م َا تَقُول‬ ُ
ْ‫عَاِبرِي َسبِيلٍ َحتّىَ تَ ْغتَ سِلُواْ َوإِن كُنتُم ّمرْضَى َأو‬
ْ‫ِطص أ َو‬ِ ‫سصَفرٍ َأوْ جَاء أَحَدٌ مّنك ُم مّنص الْغَآئ‬ َ ‫عَلَى‬
‫صصعِيدًا‬
َ ْ‫َمص تَجِدُواْ مَاء َفتَيَمّمُوا‬ ْ ‫َسصتُمُ النّسصَاء فَل‬
ْ ‫لَم‬
َ‫َطّيبًا فَامْ سَحُواْ ِبوُجُوهِكُ مْ َوأَيْدِيكُ مْ إِنّ اللّ هَ كَا ن‬
‫عَ ُفوّا غَفُورًا‬
Believers! Do not draw near to the Prayer while you
are intoxicated *65 until you know what you are
saying *66 nor while you are defiled *67 - save when
you are traveling - until you have washed
yourselves. *68 If you are either ill or traveling or
have satisfied a want of nature or have had contact
with women *69 and can find no water, then betake
yourselves to pure earth, passing with it lightly over
your face and your hands. *70 Surely Allah is All-
Relenting, All-Forgiving. (Surah An-Nisa, v.4:43)
C. Injunctions concerning intoxicants:

*65. This is the second in the chronological sequence
of injunctions concerning intoxicants. We came
across the first injunction in Surah al-Baqarah 2: 219.
In that verse God merely indicated that drinking wine
was a great sin, making it clear that it was
reprehensible in His sight. This was quite enough to
make some Muslims give up liquor altogether,
though many others still took intoxicating drinks:
they sometimes stood up to pray while still under the
influence of alcohol, so that they even made mistakes
in their recitations. This second injunction was
probably revealed at the beginning of 4 A.H., making
it forbidden, thenceforth, to pray in a state of
intoxication. This led people to alter their drinking
times. They drank only at those hours when there was
no fear of their remaining under the influence of
intoxicants when the time for Prayer came. The
injunction embodying unconditional prohibition of
intoxicants was revealed not long afterwards. (See
Surah al-Ma'idah 5: 90-91.)
It should also be borne in mind that the word used in

the verse is derived from sukr, which embraces not
merely intoxicating liquors but everything, which
causes intoxication. The injunction contained in the
verse is valid even now, for though the use of
intoxicants as such has been completely prohibited,
praying in a state of intoxication is a graver sin.
*66. It is on this basis that the Prophet (peace be on

him) directed anyone who is under the influence of
sleep, and dozes off again and again during the
Prayer, to stop praying and go to bed. (Ibn Kathir,
vol. 4, p. 494-Ed.) Some people argue, on the basis of
this verse, that the Prayer of one who does not
understand the Arabic text of the Qur'an will not be
accepted. Apart from taking things too far such a
conclusion is not supported by the words in the text.
The expression used by the Qur'an is neither ( ) nor
even ( ). On the contrary, the expression is ( ) (i.e.
until you know what you are saying, rather than 'until
you understand' what you are saying). What is
required is that while praying one should at least be
conscious enough to know what one is uttering in the
Prayer.
Cleanliness is also obligatory

after have had contact with women:
Believers! Do not draw near to the Prayer,
ْ‫وَلَ ُجُنبًا إِلّ عَاِبرِي َسبِيلٍ َحتّىَ تَ ْغتَسِلُوا‬

While you are defiled *67:
*67. The term janabah denotes the state of major

ritual impurity, and is derived from the root meaning:
'to ward off'. The word ajnabi, meaning foreigner or
stranger, is also derived from the same root. In
Islamic terminology, janabah denotes the state of
ritual impurity (in both male and female), which
results from the act of intercourse or from seminal
emission (either from sexual stimulation or from a
wet dream).
*68. One group of jurists and Qur'anic commentators
interpret this verse to mean that one should not enter
a mosque in the state of major ritual impurity
(janabah), unless out of necessity. This is the opinion
of 'Abd Allah b. Mas'ud, Anas b. Malik, Hasan al-
Basri, Ibrahim al-Nakha'i and others. Another group
thinks that the reference here is to travel. In the
opinion of this group, if a traveler is in the state of
major ritual impurity he may resort to tayammum
(i.e. symbolic ablution attained through wiping the
hands and face with clean earth). (See Surah al-
Ma'idah 5: 6 and also n. 70 below - Ed.) This group
considers it permissible to stay in the mosque in this
state provided one has performed ablution. This is the
view of 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, Sa'id b. Jubayr and some
other authorities. The opinion that a traveller in the
state of major impurity may perform ablution if he is
unable to take a bath is supported by consensus, but
while some authorities infer it from traditions others
base it on the Qur'anic verse mentioned above. [See
Al-Jassas, vol. 2, pp. 201-6; and Ibn Kathir's
commentary on this verse - Ed.]
‫َوإِن كُنتُم ّمرْضَى َأوْ عَلَى سَ َفرٍ َأوْ جَاء أَحَدٌ مّنكُم‬
‫ستُمُ النّسَاء‬
ْ َ‫مّن الْغَآِئطِ أ َوْ لَم‬
If you are either ill or traveling or have satisfied a
want of nature or have had contact with women *69:
*69. There is disagreement as to what is meant here

by the verb lamastum, which literally means 'you
touched'. 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari,
Ubayy b. Ka'b, Sa'id b. Jubayr, Hasan al-Basri and
several other leading jurists are of the opinion that it
signifies sexual intercourse. * Abu Hanifah and his
school, and Sufyan al-Thawri follow this view. But
'Abd Allah b. Mas'ud and 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar hold
that it signifies the act of touching, the mere placing
of one's hand on a woman's body. This is the opinion
adopted by Shafi'i. Other jurists take an intermediate
position. Malik, for instance, is of the opinion that if
a man and a woman touch each other with sexual
desire, their ablution is nullified, and if they want to
perform the Prayer they are obliged to renew their
ablution. He sees nothing objectionable, however, in
the mere fact of a man touching a woman's body, or
vice versa, provided the act is not motivated by
sexual desire. (See Ibn Kathir's commentary on this
verse - Ed.-)
Tayammum when, why and how?

Believers! If you can
ْ‫فَلَمْ تَجِدُواْ مَاء َفتَيَمّمُواْ صَعِيدًا َطّيبًا فَامْسَحُوا‬

ْ‫ِبوُجُوهِكُمْ وََأيْدِيكُم‬
Find no water, then betake yourselves to pure earth,
passing with it lightly over your face and your
hands. *70
Or if you have touched women and you can find no

water, then cleanse yourselves with pure dust: strike
your palms on it and wipe your hands and faces with
it. (Surah An-Nisa, v.4:43).
*70. The detailed rules of tayammum are as follows:

A man who either needs to perform ablution or take a
bath to attain the state of purity for ritual Prayer may
resort to tayammum provided water is not available
to him. Only then may he perform the Prayer.
Permission to resort to tayammum, rather than make
ablution with water or take a bath, is also extended to
invalids whose health is likely to be harmed by the
use of water. *We have tried to convey both shades of
meaning in the translation of the verse by using the
expression 'have had contact with' instead of 'touched'
- Ed.
Tayammum literally means 'to turn to, to aim at, to

head for, to intend'. The relevance of the term in the
Islamic religious context is that when water is either
not available or when its use is likely to cause harm
one should 'turn to' clean earth.
There is some disagreement among jurists about the

manner of performing tayammum. According to
some, one should strike one's palms on the clean
earth, then gently wipe one's face, then strike one's
hands again and gently wipe one's hands and arms up
to the elbows. This is the view of Abu Hanifah,
Shafi'i, Malik and the majority of jurists. Among the
Companions and Successors, 'Ali, 'Abd Allah b.
'Umar, Hasan al-Basri, Sha'bi, Salim b. 'Abd Allah
and many others are of the same opinion. Other
jurists are of the view that it is sufficient to strike
one's palms once on the clean earth, then wipe one's
face and one's hands up to the wrist; it is not
necessary to wipe the arms between the wrist and the
elbow. This is the opinion of 'Ata', Makhul, Awza'i,
and Ahmad b. Hanbal, and is generally followed by
the Ahl al-Hadith. (Cf. Qurtubi, Ahkam al-Qur'an,
vol. 5, pp. 239-41.)
Striking one’s palms on earth proper does not

necessarily perform Tayammum. It is sufficient to
strike the palms on anything, which either has dust
over it, or anything consisting of the dry elements of
the earth. It may be asked how one attains purity by
striking one's palms on the earth and then wiping
one's hands and face with them. In fact tayammum is
a useful psychological device to keep the sense of
ritual purity and the sanctity of Prayer alive in man's
mind even when water - the principal agent of
purification - is not available. The value of
tayammum is that even if a man is unable to use
water - and no one knows how long this situation
may persist - his sensitivity to cleanliness and purity
will endure. He will continue to observe the
regulation lay down by the Law in respect of
cleanliness and purity, and the distinction between
the states in which one may and may not perform the
Prayer will not be erased.
And what is this odd thing that if one has touched the
women, one will have to strike one's hands on pure
dust and wipe thereby one's face and hands in case
one does not find water, for the purpose of
establishing this strange order of Providence?
Salah in the journeytime:

And what is this amazing order of Providence that
while on a journey one should establish only half of
it?
‫ُمص‬
ْ ‫ْسص عََليْك‬ َ ‫ْضص فََلي‬ ِ ‫ُمص فِي الَر‬ ْ ‫ض َربْت‬
َ ‫﴾ َوِإذَا‬4:101﴿
ُ‫صلَةِ إِنْ خِ ْفتُمْ أَن يَ ْفتِنَكُم‬
ّ ‫صرُواْ مِنَ ال‬ ُ ْ‫ُجنَاحٌ أَن تَق‬
‫الّذِينَ كَ َفرُواْ إِنّ الْكَاِفرِينَ كَانُواْ لَكُمْ عَ ُدوّا ّمبِينًا‬
When you go forth journeying in the land, there is no
blame on you if you shorten the Prayer, *132
(especially) if you fear that the unbelievers might
cause you harm. *133 Surely the unbelievers are your
open enemies. (Surah An-Nisa, v.4:101)
*132. Shortening Prayers (qasr) while traveling in

peacetime consists of praying two rak'ahs at those
appointed times when one is normally required to
pray four rak'ahs. The form of qasr during a state of
war has not been specified. Prayers should, therefore,
be performed as circumstances permit. People should
pray in congregation if possible, otherwise
individually. If it is not possible to turn towards the
qiblah, one may keep the direction in which one
happens to be facing. One may even pray while
seated either on the back of an animal or on a vehicle.
If actual bowing and prostrating are not possible, they
may be performed with hand signals. If absolutely
necessary, one may even pray while walking. One
may also pray even though one's clothes are soiled
with blood. If, in spite of these relaxations, a man still
fails to manage to perform a Prayer within the
prescribed time, he may defer it, following the
precedent set by the Prophet (peace be on him)
during the Battle of the Ditch.
There is disagreement as to whether one should also

perform the sunnah (recommended) Prayers, or
confine oneself to the obligatory ones. It is
established that the practice of the Prophet (peace be
on him) was to keep up the sunnah connected with
the fajr (morning) Prayers, and with the witr in the
'isha' (evening) Prayers. At the other prescribed
times, he performed only the obligatory Prayers. He
did, however, perform the nafl (supererogatory)
Prayers whenever he had the chance to do so,
sometimes even while he was mounted. For this
reason 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar expressed the opinion
that one ought not to perform the sunnah Prayers
while travelling, except for the sunnah in the fajr
Prayers. But a majority of scholars consider both the
performance and the omission of these Prayers as
equally permissible, leaving the matter entirely to the
discretion of the individual. The opinion held by the
Hanafi school, however, is that it is preferable for a
traveller actually on the move to omit the sunnah
Prayers, but when he makes an overnight stop and is
at his ease (even though in the legal sense he may
still be a traveller), their performance is preferable.
According to some eminent jurists, journeys on

which one may resort to qasr are those characterized
as being fi sabil Allah (in the cause of God), such as
military expeditions, Pilgrimage, the quest for
knowledge, and so on. This is the judgment of 'Abd
Allah b. 'Umar, 'Abd Allah b. Mas'ud and 'Ata'. On
the other hand, Shafi'i and Ahmad b. Hanbal are of
the view that such permission extends to all journeys
undertaken for lawful purposes, though not to those
undertaken for unlawful purposes: indeed, if one
travels for illegitimate purposes, one has no right
whatever to benefit from the relaxation of qasr.
Hanafi jurists, however, do not connect qasr with the
purpose of the journey; they consider it lawful on all
journeys, regardless of the purposes for which they
are undertaken. They hold that a traveler may be
either rewarded or punished by God, depending on
his purpose in traveling. That, however, has nothing
to do with the permissibility of qasr. (See the
commentaries on the verse by Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir
and Jassas. See also Ibn Rushd, Biddy at al-Mujtahid,
vol. 1, p. 163 - Ed.)
Other eminent jurists have inferred from the words:

'And there is no blame on you . . . ' that qasr is not
obligatory for a traveler: it is merely permitted. A
person may avail himself of it if he chooses, and he
may also perform his Prayers normally if he so
wishes. This is the view of Shafi'i, even though he
considers qasr recommended and holds its omission
to be tantamount to failure to adopt the preferable
alternative. According to Ahmad b. Hanbal, however,
while qasr is not obligatory, its omission falls under
the category of disapproved acts. In Abu Hanifah's
opinion, qasr is obligatory, and according to one
report, Malik is of the same opinion. (See the
commentaries on the verse by Qurtubi, Jassas and Ibn
al-'Arabi. See also al-Fiqh 'aid al-Madhdhib al-
Arba'ah, vol. 1, p. 471, and n. 1, pp. 471-3 and Ibn
Rushd, vol. 1, p. 161 - Ed.)
It is established by the Hadith that the Prophet (peace

be on him) always shortened his Prayers during his
journeys. There is no reliable tradition to the effect
that the Prophet (peace be on him) ever prayed four
full rak'ahs in these circumstances. Ibn 'Umar states
that he accompanied the Prophet (peace be on him) as
well as Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman on their
journeys, and never saw any of them fail to shorten
their Prayers. A number of authentic traditions which
have come down from Ibn 'Abbas and several other
Companions corroborate this. When 'Uthman prayed
four rak'ahs in Mina on the occasion of Hajj, some
Companions objected to his not shortening the
Prayer. 'Uthman convinced them that he had not
made any mistake in so doing by arguing that he had
got married in Makka and he had heard from the
Prophet (peace be on him) that the place a person
married in was in a sense his home. In that respect he
was, therefore, not a traveller. (See the commentaries
on the verse by Qurtubi, Jassas and Ibn Kathir, and
the chapters on 'Salat al-Qasr' in the major collections
of Hadith - Ed.)
In opposition to these numerous traditions are two

from 'A'ishah which indicate that it is equally valid
both to shorten the Prayers and to do them in full.
These traditions, however, have weak links in their
transmission and are also opposed to the
authenticated practice of 'A'ishah herself. It is also
true that there are intermediary states between travel
and non-travel. During a temporary stop, it is quite
proper for a man to shorten his Prayers on some
occasions and on others to complete them. It depends
upon the circumstances. It is probably in this context
that 'A'ishah states that the Prophet (peace be on him)
sometimes shortened his Prayers and sometimes
performed them in full.
The Qur'anic expression in the verse 'there shall be

no blame' also occurs in the Qur'anic verse on the
ritual of running between Safa and Marwah (see
Surah al-Baqarah 2: 158).
The actual words used in the verses apparently mean

that these acts were not blameworthy even though the
running, as we know, is part of the prescribed rites of
Pilgrimage and is obligatory: We can appreciate the
significance of both these Qur'anic verses if we
remember that the purpose in each case is to dispel
the misunderstanding that the acts concerned might
either entail some sin or jeopardize a man's reward.
Another question in regard to qasr is: What is the

minimum traveling distance in which Prayers may be
shortened? The Zahiri school recognizes no limit at
all: any traveling validates the shortening of Prayers.
According to Malik, however, one may not shorten
Prayers if the distance involved is either less than
forty-eight miles (seventy-seven kilometers) or
involves traveling for less than a day and a night.
This is also the opinion of Ahmad b. Hanbal and Ibn

'Abbas and a statement in support of it has also come
down from Shafi'i. The Companion Anas considers it
permissible to shorten Prayers if the traveling
distance is fifteen miles. Awza'i, Zuhri and 'Umar
consider one day's travelling to be sufficient; Hasan
al-Basri says that the journey should be two days
long, and Abu Yusuf says that it should be more than
two days. According to Abu Hanifah, one may
shorten the Prayers on any journey in which one has
to travel for three days either on foot or by camel, i.e.
a distance of eighteen farsakh. Ibn 'Umar, Ibn Mas'ud
and 'Uthman agree with this view. (See the
commentary on the verse by Qurtubi and Jassas. See
also al-Fiqh 'aid al-Madhahib al-Arba'ah, vol. 1, pp.
472 ff. and Ibn Rushd, vol. 1, pp. 163 ff. - Ed.)
If one stops over en route to one's destination, how

long may one stay in one place and still be allowed to
shorten one's Prayers? On this question, too, a variety
of opinions have been expressed. Ahmad b. Hanbal is
of the opinion that if a man decides to stay for four
days, he should perform his Prayers in full. Malik and
Shafi'i are of the opinion that a man may not shorten
his Prayers if he decides to stay at a place for more
than four days. Awza'i and Abu Hanifah are
respectively of the opinion that if a person intends to
stay at a place for more than thirteen or fifteen days,
he should pray in full. No categorical injunction has
come down from the Prophet (peace be on him) on
this matter. All jurists agree, however, that if a man
has been held up somewhere and cannot proceed
because of some constraint, he may shorten his
Prayers indefinitely provided he is in a constant state
of readiness to undertake the journey back to his
home as soon as the constraint is removed. Instances
are reported of Companions who continued to shorten
their Prayers for two years in this kind of
circumstance. Treating the situation of a prisoner as
analogous to this, Ahmad b. Hanbal holds that he
may shorten his Prayers throughout the period of his
imprisonment. (For legal discussions on the questions
discussed here see the commentaries on the verse by
Ibn Kathir, Jassas, Qurtubi and Ibn al-'Arabi. See also
Ibn Rushd, vol. 1, pp. 160-5 - Ed.)
*133. The Zahiris and Khawarij have interpreted this

to signify that the injunction of shortening Prayers is
confined to wartime alone and that it is against the
Qur'an to shorten Prayers while traveling in peace-
time. But it is established by an authentic tradition
that when 'Umar mentioned this misgiving to the
Prophet (peace be on him), he said: "This is a
charitable gift to you from God, so accept His
charitable gift.' (Muslim, 'Salat al-Musafirin', 12; Abu
Da'ud, 'Salat al-Safar', 1; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad,
vol. 3, pp. 129 and 190 - Ed.) It is more or less
established by an overwhelmingly large number of
traditions that the Prophet (peace be on him)
shortened his Prayers in times of both war and peace.
Ibn 'Abbas states categorically that the Prophet
(peace be on him) left Madina with the intention of
performing Pilgrimage to the Ka'bah, and during this
journey he prayed two rak'ahs (instead of four) even
though he could have nothing to fear except God.
(See Nasa'i, 'Taqsir al-Salah', 1 - Ed.) It is for this
reason that I have added the word 'especially' in
brackets to the text of the translation:
Salah in the wartime:
Then, what an odd thing that during a war half of the
soldiers should fall out, Carrying their weapons, in
order to' establish the order of Providence behind the
Imam, and the other half should stick to their
positions and continue fighting the enemy; when the
first group has performed one sajdah behind the
Imam in its effort to establish the "order of
Providence" it should go to relieve the other group,
which should fall out and start establishing the "order
of Providence" behind the Imam?
‫﴾ َوِإذَا كُنتَ فِيهِمْ فََأقَمْتَ َلهُمُ الصّلَةَ فَ ْلتَقُ ْم‬4:102﴿

‫حتَهُمْ َفِإذَا‬َ ‫طَآئِفَةٌ ّمنْهُصم مّعَكصَ وَْليَأْخُذُواْ أَسصِْل‬
ٌ‫ْتص طَآئِفَة‬ ِ ‫ُمص وَْلتَأ‬
ْ ‫سصجَدُواْ فَ ْليَكُونُواْ م ِن وَرَآئِك‬ َ
ْ ‫أُ ْخرَى لَ مْ يُ صَلّواْ فَ ْليُ صَلّواْ مَعَ كَ وَْليَ ْأخُذُواْ حِذ‬
ْ‫حَتهُمْ َودّ الّذِي نَ كَ َفرُواْ َلوْ تَغْفُلُو نَ عَ ن‬ َ ِ‫رَهُ مْ َوأَ سْل‬
ً‫حتِكُمْ َوأَمْتِ َعتِكُ مْ َفيَمِيلُو نَ عََليْكُم ّميْلَةً وَاحِدَة‬َ ِ‫أَ سْل‬
ْ‫وَلَ ُجنَا حَ عََليْكُ مْ إِن كَا نَ بِكُ مْ َأذًى مّن ّم َطرٍ َأو‬
ْ‫ص وَخُذُوا‬
ْ ‫حتَك ُم‬ َ ِ‫صل‬ْ ‫كُنتُصم ّمرْضَصى أَن َتضَعُواْ أَس‬
‫حِذْرَكُمْ إِنّ اللّهَ أَعَدّ لِلْكَاِفرِينَ َعذَابًا ّمهِينًا‬
(O Messenger!) If you are among the believers and
rise (in the state of war) to lead the Prayer for
them, *134 let a party of them stand with you to
worship, keeping their arms. *135 When they have
performed their prostration, let them go behind you,
and let another party who have not prayed, pray with
you, remaining on guard and keeping their
arms, *136 for the unbelievers love to see you
heedless of your arms and your baggage so that they
might swoop upon you in a surprise attack. But there
shall be no blame upon you if you were to lay aside
your arms if you are either troubled by rain or are
sick; but remain on guard. Surely Allah has prepared
a humiliating chastisement for the unbelievers. *137
(Surah An-Nisa, v.4:102)
*134. These words have led Abu Yusuf and Hasan b.

Ziyad to the view that Prayer in a state of insecurity
was confined to the time of the Prophet (peace be on
him) alone. There are numerous examples, however,
where a Qur'anic injunction was addressed
specifically to the Prophet (peace be on him), yet
holds good for the succeeding periods. Moreover, it is
established that many outstanding Companions also
resorted to this form of Prayer, even after the death of
the Prophet (peace be on him), and there are no
reports of disagreement on this question among the
Companions. (For discussion see Al-Jassas, vol. 2,
pp. 261-263 and Ibn Rushd, vol. 1, p. 169-Ed.)
*135. This injunction regarding Prayer in a state of

either fear or insecurity (salat al-khawf) refers to the
time when an enemy attack is anticipated, but the
fighting has not yet begun. When fighting is taking
place the ruling of the Hanafi school is that Prayer
may be deferred. Malik and Thawri are of the opinion
that if it is not possible to bow and prostrate in
Prayer, it is enough to perform these actions by
means of signs. Shafi'i argues that should the need
arise; one might even fight while still in the state of
Prayer. It is an established fact that on four occasions
during the Battle of the Ditch the Prophet (peace be
on him) missed Prayers during the appointed times,
but performed them subsequently in their correct
sequence, even though the above-mentioned
injunction regarding Prayer in the state of insecurity
had already been revealed. (See Al-Jassas, vol. 2, pp.
263 ff. - Ed.)
*136. The actual form of congregational Prayer in the
state of insecurity depends, to a large extent, on the
actual state of the hostilities. The Prophet (peace be
on him) prayed variously under different conditions.
A Muslim commander may use his discretion and
adopt whichever of the following forms of Prayer
seems to him most in keeping with the actual
circumstances of the conflict:
(1) That a group of soldiers may pray behind the

Prayer-leader, while the rest takes their positions
against the enemy. When one rak'ah is completed, the
first group may disperse to be replaced in the Prayer
by those who were at battle-stations, and who now
complete the second rak'ah behind the leader. In this
way the soldiers will have prayed one rak'ah each,
and the leader two rak'ahs.
(2) That a group of soldiers may pray first and then

another group may pray one rak'ah each behind the
leader. Subsequently, each of the two groups comes,
in turn, to complete the Prayer by performing one
rak'ah individually. In this way, each of the two
groups will have prayed one rak'ah congregationally
and one rak'ah individually.
(3) That a group may pray two rak'ahs behind the
leader, recite tashahhud and finish the Prayer by
reciting the salutation. Then the second group may
join the Prayer behind the leader and complete it with
him. Thus the Prayer-leader will have prayed four
rak'ahs and each of the two groups will have prayed
two.
(4) That a group may pray one rak'ah behind the

leader. When the leader rises to pray the second
rak'ah, those who have been following him may
complete the second rak'ah by themselves, including
the recitation of the tashahhud and salutation. Then
the second group joins the Prayer while the leader is
in the second rak'ah. After the leader has finished his
second rak'ah and his followers have prayed their
first, the latter may rise and complete their Prayer by
performing the second rak'ah by them. In this case,
the leader should prolong his standing in the second
rak'ah of the Prayer. The first form has been reported
by Ibn 'Abbas, Jabir b. 'Abd Allah and Mujahid. The
second form has been reported by 'Abd Allah b.
Mas'ud and is the basis of the Hanafi ruling on this
matter. Shafi’i and Malik have adopted the third form
of the Prayer with slight modification. The basis of
this ruling is a tradition from Sahl b. Abi Hathmah.*
There are certain other forms of Prayer in the state of
insecurity, details of which can be found in larger
works of Islamic Law.
*137. This is to emphasize that the precautions

recommended here are among the measures which
ought to be adopted with a view to minimizing * This
tradition reports that the Prophet (peace be on him)
led the Prayer of his Companions as prescribed for
the state of insecurity. The Companions stood in two
rows behind the Prophet (peace be on him). The
Companions in the first row completed the first
rak'ah with the Prophet (peace be on him), then rose
and remained standing until those in the second row
had prayed one rak'ah. The latter then rose and
stepped forward and the ones standing ahead of them
retreated behind them. Then the Prophet (peace be on
him) prayed with this group one rak'ah, and then sat
down until the back raw had prayed one rak'ah. Then
the Prophet (peace be on him) recited the salutation
(marking the end of the Prayer). See Muslim. 'Salat
al-Musafirin' - Ed. losses and ensuring good results.
Victory and defeat ultimately depend, however, on
the will of God; so even while taking these
precautionary measures one should feel sure that God
would humiliate those who are trying to extinguish
His light.
All these verses of the Qur'an clearly indicate that to

establish the Salat unplies the Prayer that the
Muslims offer everywhere in the world today. But the
deniers of Hadith seem to be bent upon changing the
Qur'an instead of changing themselves. The fact is
that unless a person becomes wholly fearless of
Allah, he cannot dare play with His Word as these
people do. Or, only such a person can engage in a
pastime like this with respect to the Qur'an who
believes it is not Allah's Word, but intends to mislead
the Muslims in the name of the Qur'an.
07.03.00
Timings of refrain from
any Salat and its causes
There is great wisdom in the above system of the
timings of Salat or Prayer. One of these is to avoid
the timings of the worship of the sun-worshippers.
This is because the sun has always been in every age
one of the greatest deities of the mushriks, who
worshipped it especially at the time of sunrise and
sunset. Therefore, these two times have totally been
forbidden for Salat. Besides this, they worshipped the
sun at the time of its zenith. That is why Islam has
ordained that the Muslims should offer their two
Prayers during the daytime after the sun has declined
and the Fajr Prayer before the sunrise. The Holy
Prophet himself has stated this wisdom of the timings
of Prayer in several Traditions. For instance: In the
Tradition related by ‘Amar bin ‘Abasah, the Holy
prophet is reported to have replied to a question to
this effect:
• Offer your Morning Prayer (Fajr Salat), but refrain

from it when the sun is about to rise until has risen
high. For, the sunrises between the horns of Satan
and the unbelievers fall prostrate before it at that
time.
Then after mentioning the ‘Asar Prayer, he said:
• After ‘Asar Prayer, refrain from any Prayer until

the sunset, for during that time the sun sets
between the horns of Satan and the unbelievers
fall prostrate before it.
The rising and the setting of the sun between the

horns of Satan is a symbolic expression that has been
used in this Tradition. This implies that Satan uses
both these times as temptations for the people. This
is, as if to say, that Satan is so pleased with the
worship of the unbelievers at the time of sunrise and
sunset that he appears to carry the sun on his head as
a mark of approval. This interpretation of the
Tradition is based on this remark of the Holy
Prophet:
• The unbelievers fall prostrate before it.

08.00.00
Do they not Ponder on the Qur’an?
Allah asked the people:
ِ‫﴾ َأفَلَ َيتَدَّبرُو نَ الْ ُقرْآ نَ وَلَوْ كَا نَ مِ نْ عِندِ َغْير‬4:82﴿

‫لفًا َكثِيًا‬َ ‫اللّهِ َلوَجَدُواْ فِيهِ ا ْخِت‬
Do they not ponder over the Qur’an? Had it been
from any other than Allah, surely there would have
been many contradictions in it. *111 (Surah An Nisa,
v.4:82)
The hypocrites and the people of weak faith had

doubts that the Qur’an was from Allah. They could
not believe that Allah was sending it down to the
Holy prophet and that the Commandments contained
in it were directly coming from Him. That is why
they are being admonished to consider the Qur’an by
giving close attention to it, and to verify whether
their doubts are genuine and whether it is from Allah
or not.
The Qur’an itself bears witness to the truth that:

(1) It is from none other than Allah;
(2) For none else, however wise and intelligent he
might be, could have gone on delivering addresses
under different circumstances about variant topics
so as to form a connected, balanced and coherent
Book at the end of twenty three years and that too;
(3) Without showing any contradiction whatever from
the beginning to the end; and
(4) Without arising any need to revise or make any
change in it. (The Meaning of the Qur’an: S.Abul
A’la Mawdudi, Islamic Publications, Pakistan)
Do they not consider the Qur’an (with care)? Had it

been from other than Allah, they would surely have
found therein much discrepancy. (Surah An Nisa,
v.4:82)
The unity of the Qur’an is admittedly greater than

that of any other sacred book. And yet how can we
account for it except through the unity of Allah’s
purpose and design? From a mere human point of
view, we should have expected much discrepancy,
because:
(1) The Messenger who promulgated it, was not a
learned man or philosopher.
(2) It was promulgated at various times and in
various circumstances.
(3) And it is addressed to all grades of mankind.
Yet, when properly understood, its various pieces fit

together better than a jigsaw puzzle even when
arranged without any regard to chronological order.
There was just the One Inspirer and the One Inspired.
(The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an: ‘Abdullah Yusuf
‘Ali, Amana Publications, Maryland, USA)
‫﴾ َأفَلَا َيتَدَّبرُونَ الْ ُقرْآَنَ أَمْ عَلَى قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَاُلهَا‬47:24﴿

Have they not pondered over the Qur’an, or are there
locks upon their hearts?*35 (Surah Muhammad,
v.47:24)
Either these people do not ponder over the Qur’an at

all, or if they try to ponder over it, its teachings and
meaning do not enter their hearts, because they have
put locks on them. As for this that ‘there are their
locks upon the hearts,’ it means this: ‘There are such
locks on them as are specially meant for the hearts
which are not susceptible to the truth.’
Allah said:
َ‫شرَ بِ هِ الْ ُمتّقِي‬

ّ َ‫س ْرنَاهُ بِلِ سَانِكَ ِلتُب‬
ّ َ‫﴾ َفِإنّمَا ي‬19:97﴿
‫َوتُنذِرَ بِهِ َقوْمًا لّدّا‬
So, O Mohammad! ‘We have made this Qur’an easy,
and sent it down in your tongue so that you should
give good news to the pious and warn the obdurate
people.’ (Surah Maryam, v.19:97)
َ‫س ْرنَاهُ بِلِسَانِكَ لَعَّلهُمْ يَتَذَ ّكرُون‬

ّ َ‫﴾ َفِإنّمَا ي‬44:58﴿
O Prophet! ‘We have made this Book (Qur’an) easy
in your own tongue so that they may take counsel.
(Surah Ad-Dukhan, v.44:58)
Easy means not only to understand, being in the

Arabic tongue; but mellifluous, whose rhythm carries
off our spirits to a higher spiritual plane. In another
sense, it is difficult; for to get its deepest meaning, we
shall have to strive hard, as the contents of this Surah
alone will show.
Allah has also expressed:
ٍ‫س ْرنَا الْ ُقرْآنَ لِلذّ ْكرِ فَ َهلْ مِن مّدّ ِكر‬
ّ َ‫﴾ وَلَقَدْ ي‬58:17﴿
We have made this Qur’an an easy means of
admonition. Then, is there any who would take
admonition? (Surah Al-Qamar, v.54:17,22,32,40)
Some people have misconstrued the words ‘Yassarnal

Qur’ana’ to mean that the Qur’an is an easy Book.
No knowledge is required to understand it. So much
so that a person even without the knowledge of the
Arabic language, can write a commentary on it, and
can deduce any injunctions he likes from its verses
independent of the Hadith and Islamic Law. Whereas
the context in which these words occur, indicates that
they are meant to make the people realize this:
(1) One means of the admonition are the dreadful
torments that descended upon the rebellious
nations.
(2) And the other means is this Qur’an, which guides
you to the right path by argument and instruction.
Obviously, this means of admonition is by far the

easier one; then, why don’t you take advantage of it
and insist on meeting with the torment instead? It is
indeed Allah’s bounty that He has sent this Book
through His Prophet and is warning you that the ways
you are following lead only to destruction and your
well-being lies only in following this way. This
method of admonition has been adopted so that you
are rescued even before you fall into the pit of
destruction. Now, who could be more foolish than the
one who does not believe in the admonition and
realizes his error only after he has fallen into the pit?
(The Meaning of the Qur’an: S.Abul A’la Maududi,
Islamic Publications, Pakistan)
While the Qur’an sums up the highest philosophy of

the inner life, it’s simple directions for conduct are
plain and easy to understand and act upon. Is this not
in itself a part of the Grace of Allah? And what
excuse is there for anyone to fail in receiving
admonition? (The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an:
‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali, Amana Publications,
Maryland, USA)
09.00.00
Examples in Qur’an a lot
Allah says:
‫ص ّرفْنَا لِلنّا سِ فِي هَصذَا الْ ُقرْآ نِ مِن‬ َ ْ‫﴾ وَلَقَد‬17:89﴿

‫ُكلّ َمثَلٍ فََأبَى أَ ْكَثرُ النّاسِ إِلّ كُفُورًا‬
In this Qur’an We employed different ways to make
the people understood the Message, but the majority
of them persisted in unbelief. (Surah Bani Israil,
v.17:89)
ّ‫ص ّر ْفنَا فِي هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ لِلنّاسِ مِن ُكل‬

َ ْ‫﴾ وَلَقَد‬18:54﴿
‫َمَثلٍ وَكَانَ اْلإِنسَانُ أَ ْكَثرَ شَيْءٍ جَدَلًا‬
(18:54) We have devised different ways in the Qur'an
to make the people understand its Message, but man
is by nature very contentious. (Surah Al-Qahaf,
v.18:54)
‫ص‬
ُ ‫ص أَن ُيؤْمِنُوا ِإذْ جَاءهُم‬ َ ‫ص النّاس‬ َ ‫﴾ وَمَصا َمنَع‬18:55﴿
َ‫اْلهُدَى َويَسْتَغْ ِفرُوا َرّبهُمْ إِلّا أَن َت ْأتَِيهُمْ ُسنّةُ الَْأوّلِي‬
‫َأوْ يَ ْأِتَيهُمُ الْعَذَابُ قُبُلًا‬
(18:55) (The question is) what kept them back from
accepting guidance when it came before them and
from asking the forgiveness of their Lord? It is
nothing more than this that they are waiting for the
same thing to happen to them that visited the former
communities; or that they should see the scourge of
Allah coming before them! *52 (Surah Al-Qahaf,
v.18:55)
*52 This is to warn the people that the Qur'an has left
no stone unturned in making the Truth plain. It has
employed all kinds of arguments, parables, and
similitudes and used all the possible effective ways to
appeal to the heart and the mind of man, and adopted
the best possible style. In short, nothing has been left
that could persuade the people to accept the Truth. If,
in spite of this, they do not accept the truth, it is
obvious that they are waiting for God's scourge like
the one that visited the former communities to make
them realize their error.
Then Allah asked them:

‫﴾ أَلَ مْ َترَ إِلَى َربّ كَ َكيْ فَ مَدّ ال ّظلّ وََلوْ شَاء‬25:45﴿
‫لَجَ َعلَهُ سَا ِكنًا ثُمّ جَعَ ْلنَا الشّمْسَ عََليْهِ دَلِيلًا‬
‫ضنَاهُ إَِلْينَا َقْبضًا يَسِيًا‬
ْ ‫﴾ ثُمّ َقَب‬25:46﴿
(45) Have you not seen how your Lord lengthens out
the shadow? Had He willed, He would have made it
constant, but We have made the sun its Pilot. (46)
Then (as the sun climbs up), We roll it up little by
little towards Ourselves.(Surah Al Furqan, v.25:45-
46)
*58 The Arabic word ‘Dalil’ has been used in the

sense of the ‘Pilot’, which is a person trained to take
ships safely in or out of a harbor, or along a
waterway. The sun has been made the pilot of the
shadow because the lengthening out of the shadow
and its being rolled up depends on the rising,
declining and setting of the sun.
‘We roll it up little by little towards ourselves.’ It

means that Allah said, ‘We annihilate it or cause it to
disappear’, for everything which is annihilated
returns to Allah, because everything comes from Him
and returns to Him.
The Qur’an has used the phenomenon of the shadow

caused by the sun for two purposes:
(a) Literal meaning;
(b) Metaphonical sense.
(a) In terms of literal meaning

the verse warn the disbelievers:
If it is taken literally, it is meant to warn the
disbelievers that they should learn a lesson from
this and should not behave like cattle, as if to say:
‘If you have considered the benefits of the shadow
in regard to your everyday experience, you would
have accepted without any hesitation the Doctrine
of Tauhid (Oneness of God).
Had the shadow been constant, there would have

been no life on the earth, for life depends on the
light and heat of the sun.
On the other hand, if there had been no shadow at

all, the constant heat and light of the sun would
have made life impossible.
Besides this, if there had been sudden changes in

the sun and the shadow, they would not have been
able to endure it for long; therefore you should
reflect on this phenomenon and understand it well
that it has been so ordained by the All-Wise and
the All-Powerful Creator so that it always
increases or decreases gradually in accordance
with fixed natural laws.
Thus it is obvious that it could not have come into

existence by itself nor produced by blind
mechanisms nor functioned so regularly and
continuously under many independent gods.’
(b) In terns of metaphorical sense

the verse warn the disbelievers:
But if it is taken in the metaphorical sense, there is
between the lines a subtle suggestion, and it is
this: Just as the shadow does not remain in one
and the same state, likewise the shadow of
disbelief and shirk, which appears to have spread
far and wide, will begin to shorten as the ‘Sun’ of
Guidance gradually rises; but it requires patience,
for Allah never brings about sudden changes.
It has been expressed in the Qur’an that
‫ْمص‬
َ ‫ُمص الّلْيلَ ِلبَاسصًا وَالّنو‬
ُ ‫﴾ وَ ُهوَ الّذِي جَ َعلَ لَك‬25:47﴿
‫ُسبَاتًا َوجَ َعلَ الّنهَارَ نُشُورًا‬
And it is Allah Who has ordained the night as a
garment *60 for you, and the sleep as a repose of
death, and the day as the time of return to
life. *61(Surah Al Furqan, v.25:47)
*61 The ‘night’ is a ‘garment’ in the sense that it

covers and hides things. And also the above
mentioned verse 25:47 provides three objects:
(a) It provides a proof of ‘Tauhid’ means oneness of
God.
(b) It furnishes a proof of the possibility of life after
death from everyday human experience, and
(c) It bears the good news that the night of ignorance
has come to an end and now the bright day of
Knowledge and Guidance has dawned. It is
therefore inevitable that those who were sleeping
the sleep of ignorance, will sooner or later wake
up, but those who have slept the sleep of death,
will nor wake up and will themselves be deprived
of life, while the business of the day will go on
thriving even without them.
‘Then He sends down

pure water from the sky’.
ْ‫شرًا َبيْ نَ يَدَ ي‬

ْ ُ‫﴾ وَ ُهوَ الّذِي أَرْ َسلَ ال ّريَا حَ ب‬25:48﴿
‫رَحْ َمتِهِ َوأَنزَلْنَا ِمنَ السّمَاء مَاء َطهُورًا‬
And it is He, Who drives the winds to be the
harbingers of His mercy: then He sends down pure
water *62 from the sky. (Surah Al Furqan, v.25:48)
*62 That is, such water as is pure and free from all
sorts of impurities, germs and poison, which cleanses
and washes away filth and becomes a source of life
for men, beasts as well as all kinds of plant life.
‫حيِ يَ بِ هِ بَلْدَةً ّميْتًا َونُ سْقِيَهُ مِمّ ا خَلَقْنَا‬

ْ ُ‫﴾ ِلن‬25:49﴿
‫َأنْعَامًا َوَأنَاسِيّ َكثِيًا‬
(25:49) So that He may revive the dead land, and
quench the thirst of many of His creatures from
among beasts and men. *63 (Surah Al Furqan,
v.25:49)
*63 And also this verse provides three objects:

(a) This verse gives the proofs of the Doctrine of
Tauhid
(b) Proofs of the Hereafter, and
(c) And it contains a subtle suggestion that the period
of the ‘drought’ of ignorance has been replaced
through Allah’s mercy by the ‘blessed rain’ of
Prophethood which is showering the life giving
knowledge of Revelation from which many
servants of Allah will certainly benefit, if not all.
Then Allah says:

‘We present the same phenomenon
over and over again before them.’
ُ‫ُمص ِليَذّ ّكرُوا َفأَب َى أَ ْكَثر‬

ْ ‫صصّرفْنَاهُ َبيَْنه‬
‫النّاسِ إِلّا كُفُورًا‬
(25:50) We present the same phenomenon over and
over again before them *64 so that they may learn a
lesson from it; but most people decline to adopt any
other attitude than of disbelief and ingratitude. *65
(Surah Al Furqan, v.25:50)
*65 This part of the verse may have three meanings:

(a) We have cited the phenomenon of rainfall over
and over again in the Qur’an in order to make
plain to them the Reality.
(b) We are time and again showing them the
wonderful phenomenon of the heat and drought,
seasonal winds and clouds, rainfall and its life
producing effects.
(c) We go on changing the system of the distribution
of rainfall throughout the world year after year, so
that the same place does not receive the dry,
another has more or less of rainfall than usual,
while some other is flooded with rain water. They
see all these different phenomena with their
countless different results in their daily life.
Now let’s see what does it mean in the afore

mentioned verse 25:50:
(a) As a Proof of Doctrine

of Tauhid(Oneness of God):
The verse means to impress that the wonderful
system of rainfall is by itself a proof of the existence
of Allah, of One Lord of the universe, and of His
attributes. Its' wonderful distribution during the year
and over different parts of the earth is a clear proof
that there is an All-Wise Designer. But the obdurate
disbelievers do not learn any lesson from it, and
persist in their ingratitude, though this has been cited
in the Qur’an repeatedly for this purpose.
(b) As a proof of life after death:

It is also a proof of the life after death, for the
disbelievers themselves see a time and again that
rainfall brings to life dead land year after year. This
clearly proves that Allah has the power to bring the
dead back to life, but the disbelievers do not learn
any lesson from it and persist in their irresponsible
ways.
(c) In metaphorical sense,

the ‘pure water’ of rain will
mean the blessings of Prophethood:
If verse 25:48 is taken in the metaphorical sense, the
‘pure water’ of rain will mean the blessings of
Prophethood. Human history shows that whenever
this blessing has been sent down, ignorance has been
replaced by knowledge, injustice by justice and
wickedness by righteousness. The coming of
Prophets has always proved to be the harbinger of a
moral revolution. But only those who accepted their
guidance benefited from it. This is the lesson of
history, yet the disbelievers reject it because of their
ingratitude.
And then it has been expressed in other place:
ٌ ‫ح َريْنِ هَذَا عَذْبٌ ُفرَا‬

‫ت‬ ْ َ‫﴾ وَ ُهوَ الّذِي َمرَجَ اْلب‬25:53﴿
‫جرًا‬
ْ ِ‫َاجص َوجَ َعلَ َبيَْنهُمَا َبرْزَخًا وَح‬
ٌ ‫ْحصأُج‬ ٌ ‫وَهَذَا مِل‬
‫مّحْجُورًا‬
And it is He, Who has let loose the two seas, one
palatable and sweet, the other bitter and saltiest, and
there is a partition between them, which is an
insurmountable barrier. *68 (Surah Al-Furqan,
v.25:53)
*68 This phenomenon has been perceived in many

places in the sea and on the land that sweet water and
bitter water has existed side by side. Turkish Admiral
Syed Ali Ra’is, in his book Mir’at-al-Mamalik,
th
written in the 16 century, has mentioned a place in
the Persian Gulf, where springs of sweet water exist
under the bitter waters of the sea, where he could get
drinking water for his fleet. The American Oil
Company at first obtained water from the same
springs in the Persian Gulf, before they dug up wells
near Dhahran for supply of drinking water. Near
Bahrain also there exist springs of sweet water at the
seabed from which people have been taking water
until quite recently.
Besides this apparent meaning which gives a rational

proof of Allah’s being the One and the only Lord of
the universe, the verse contains a subtle suggestion as
well; When Allah wills, He can raise up a righteous
community from among a large wicked society just
as He can cause springs of palatable and sweet water
to gush out from under the salty waters of the sea.
‫َهص‬
ُ ‫شرًا فَجَعَل‬
َ َ‫ِنص الْمَاء ب‬
َ ‫َقص م‬ َ ‫﴾ وَ ُهوَ الّذِي خَل‬25:54﴿
‫ص ْهرًا وَكَانَ َربّكَ قَدِيرًا‬
ِ َ‫سبًا و‬
َ َ‫ن‬
(25:54) And it is He, Who created man from water:
then from him He caused two kinds of kindred, by
blood and by marriage: *69 your Lord is
Al-Powerful. (Surah Al-Furqan, v.25:54)
*69 Here the miracle of the birth of man from a mere

sperm drop and the procreation of his offspring from
man and woman has been cited as a proof of ‘Tauhid’
means Oneness of God. Though both man and
woman belong to the same genus, they are two
species, having important common human
characteristics but different physical structures and
psychological traits. It is a proof of Tauhid that the
All Powerful Allah has used this ‘difference’ for
making the two as complements and not antagonists.
It is also the design of the All-Powerful Creator that
he is creating sons and daughters in the world in due
proportion. Then the sons marry and create blood
relationships, and the daughters are married and
become means of forming new relationships. This
process goes on widening to produce families, tribes
and nations belonging to the same race and bound by
the same civilization.
The verse has also a subtle suggestion: The whole of
life is being run on the principle of ‘difference’, for
example, the difference between the night and the
day, the summer and the winter, etc. Therefore, ‘O
Muslims, you should patiently endure the differences
you are having with your opponents for these are
certain to produce good results.’
‫َاتص‬
ٍ ‫َاحص ُمبَشّر‬
َ ‫ْسصلَ الرّي‬ ِ ‫ِهص أَن ُير‬ ِ ‫ِنص آيَات‬
ْ ‫﴾ وَم‬30:46﴿
‫ِهص‬
ِ ‫ْكص بِأَ ْمر‬
ُ ‫ِيص الْفُل‬
َ ‫جر‬ ْ َ‫ِهص وَِلت‬
ِ ‫وَِليُذِيقَكُم مّنص رّ ْح َمت‬
َ‫وَِلَتبْتَغُوا مِن َفضْلِهِ وَلَعَلّكُمْ تَشْ ُكرُون‬
(30:46) Of His Signs is this that He sends the winds
to give good news *68 and to bless you with His
Mercy and to make the ships sail by His
Command, *69 so that you may seek His bounty *70
and be grateful to Him. (Surah Ar-Rum, v.30:46)
And to bless you with His Mercy and

to make the ships sail by His Command, *69
*69 This refers to winds, which are helpful in sailing.
In ancient times, sailing boats and ships mostly
depended on favorable winds and adverse winds were
disastrous for them. Therefore, the mention of these
winds after the rain bringing winds has been made as
a special favor of Allah.
‫﴾ وَلَقَدْ أَرْ سَ ْلنَا مِن قَبْلِ كَ رُ سُلًا إِلَى َقوْ ِمهِ ْم‬30:47﴿
‫ِينصأَ ْجرَمُوا‬
َ ‫ِنص الّذ‬ َ ‫َاتص فَانتَقَمْنَا م‬ِ ‫فَجَاؤُوهُم بِالَْبيّن‬
َ‫صرُ الْ ُمؤْمِنِي‬
ْ ‫وَكَانَ حَقّا َعَليْنَا َن‬
(30:47) And We sent before you Messengers to their
peoples who came to them with clear Signs. *71 Then
We took vengeance on the guilty ones *72 and it was
their right on Us that We should help the believers.
‘And (O Mohammad!) We sent before you
Messengers to their peoples who came to them with
clear Signs.71’ It has been said regarding two kinds
of Signs are as follows:
(a) Natural Signs:
One kind of the Signs are those which are
scattered in the world around man, which he
comes across at every moment of his life, one of
which is the system of the circulation of winds, as
mentioned in the preceding verse.
(b)Miracles of the Prophets as the Signs:

The other kind of the Signs which the Prophets of
Allah brought in the form of the miracles and
Divine Revelations and the extraordinary pure
characters and their healthy and life giving
influence on human society.
Both kinds of the Signs point to the same Reality,

which is this:
(a) The Tauhid, which the Prophets reach, is based on
the Truth.
(b) Each of these Signs supports the other.
(c) The Signs of the universe testify to the truth of
what the Prophets say.
(d) And the Signs brought by the Prophets explain the
reality being pointed out by the Signs of the
universe.
‘Then We took vengeance on the guilty ones *72

means those who remained blind to these two kinds
of the Signs and persisted in their denial of Tauhid
and their rebellion against God.
It has been also expressed in the Qur’an:
‫ح فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا‬ َ ‫﴾ الُّ الّذِي ُيرْ سِلُ الرّيَا‬30:48﴿

ُ‫فَ َيبْس بُطُ ُه فِي الس بّمَاء كَيْف بَ َيشَاء وَيَجْ َعلُه ب‬
‫خرُجُب مِنْب خِلَلِهِب فَإِذَا‬ ْ َ‫كِسَبفًا فَ َترَى الْوَدْقَب ي‬
ْ‫أَص بَابَ بِه بِ مَبن َيشَاء مِن بْ عِبَادِه بِ إِذَا هُم ب‬
َ‫شرُون‬ ِ ‫َيسْتَ ْب‬
(30:48) It is Allah Who sends the winds, which raise
the cloud; then He spreads the clouds in the sky as He
pleases, and breaks them up; and then you see drops
of rainwater falling from the cloud. When He
showers this rain upon those of His servants He
pleases, they are filled with joy, (Surah Ar-Rum,
v.30:48)
‫﴾ وَإِن كَانُوا مِبن قَبْلِ أَن يُ َنزّلَ عََليْهِبم‬30:49﴿

َ‫مّن َقبْلِهِ َلمُبِْلسِين‬
Though before its coming they had lost all hope.
‫ظرْ ِإلَى آثَا ِر رَحْمَتببِ الِّب َكيْفبَب‬ ُ ‫﴾ فَان‬30:50﴿

‫لْرْضَب بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا إِنّ ذَلِكَب لَمُحْيِي‬
َ ‫يُحْيِي ا‬
ٌ‫شيْءٍ قَدِير‬َ ‫ل‬ ّ ‫الْ َموْتَى وَهُوَ عَلَى ُك‬
Just see the Signs of Allah's Mercy, how He brings
back to life the dead earth. *73 Likewise, He will
bring back the dead to life: He has power over
everything. (Surah Ar-Rum, v.30:50)
73 There is a subtle allusion in the mention of the

Prophethood and the rain, one after the other, to the
reality:
(a) The blessing for the believers:
The advent of a Prophet is a blessing for man’s
moral life even as the coming of the rain proves to
be a blessing for his material life. Just as the dead
earth awakens to life by a shower of the rain from
the sky and starts blooming and swelling and
vegetation, so is the morally and spiritually
desolate human world quickened to life at the
coming down of Divine Revelation and starts
blossoming with moral excellences and virtues.
(b)The misfortune for the disbelievers:
This is the disbelievers own misfortune that they
show ingratitude, and regard the blessing of
Prophethood as a portent of death for themselves
instead of good news of life.
‫﴾ وََلئِ نْ أَرْ سَ ْلنَا رِيًا َف َرَأوْ هُ مُ صْ َفرّا ّلظَلّوا مِن‬30:51﴿

َ‫بَعْدِهِ يَكْ ُفرُون‬
(30:51) And if We send a wind due to which they see
their crops turn yellow, *74 they do become even
more firm in their disbelief. *75 (Surah Ar-Rum,
v.30:51)
*74 That is, a frosty wind or a heat wave which ruins
their crops after they started flourishing by the
shower of rain.
*75 That is, they start cursing God and blaming Him
for all their misfortunes and troubles, whereas when
God had showered His blessings on them, they had
shown ingratitude instead of being grateful to Him.
Here again there is a subtle allusion to the theme that
when the Messengers of Allah bring the messages of
Mercy to the people, they do not listen to them and
reject the blessing; then when God imposes tyrants
and despots upon them in consequence of their
disbelief who persecute them severely, and destroy
their humanity, the same people start abusing and
blaming God for creating a world full of tyranny and
cruelty.
ّ‫﴾ َفِإنّ كَ لَا تُ سْمِعُ الْ َموْتَى وَلَا تُ سْمِعُ ال صّم‬30:52﴿

َ‫الدّعَاء ِإذَا وَّلوْا مُ ْدِبرِين‬
(30:52) (O Prophet,) you cannot make the dead hear
you, *76 nor can you make the deaf to hear your call,
when they show their backs and turn away *77
*76 That is, those whose consciences have become
dead, whose moral selves have become devoid of
life, who’s self-worship and stubbornness and
obstinacy have destroyed their capacity to understand
and accept the Truth.
*77 "The deaf”: those who have put locks on their

minds and hearts so that they do not understand
anything although they hear everything; then, when
such people also try that the message of the Truth
should not at all eater their ears, and they should
avoid and keep away from the inviter, nobody can
make them hear and understand anything.
‫ضلَالَِتهِ مْ إِن‬
َ ‫﴾ وَمَا أَن تَ ِبهَادِي الْعُمْ يِ عَن‬30:53﴿
َ‫سلِمُون‬
ْ ّ‫تُسْمِعُ إِلّا مَن ُيؤْ ِمنُ بِآيَاِتنَا َفهُم م‬
(30:53) nor can you take the blind out of their
deviation and guide them aright. *78 You can only
make those people to hear you, who believe in Our
Revelations and bow down in submission. (Surah Ar-
Rum, v.30:53)
*78 That is, "It is not for the Prophet that he should
help and guide the blind by the hand to the right way
all through the life. He can only show guidance to the
right path. But guiding those whose mind's eyes have
been blinded and who do not at all see the way that
the Prophet tries to show them, is not within the
power of the Prophets."
Allah said in other places such as:
‫ض َربْنَا لِلنّاسِ فِي هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ مِن ُك ّل‬ َ ْ‫﴾ وَلَقَد‬30:58﴿

ْ‫َمَثلٍ وََلئِن ِجْئتَهُم بِآيَةٍ َليَقُولَنّ الّذِينَ كَ َفرُوا إِنْ أَنتُم‬
َ‫إِلّا ُمْبطِلُون‬
We have set forth in this Qur’an every sort of
argument to make the people understand, but
whatever Signs you may bring, the disbelievers will
certainly say, ‘You are following falsehood.’ (Surah
Ar-Ruum, v.30:58)
ّ‫ض َربْنَا لِلنّاسِ فِي هَذَا الْقُرْآَنِ مِنْ ُكل‬

َ‫َمَثلٍ لَعَّلهُمْ َيتَذَ ّكرُون‬
We have cited for the people in this Qur’an every
kind of parabola, so that they may take heed. (Surah
Az-Zumur, v.39:27)
10.00.00
Qur’an Guides
To the Straight Path
Allah said:
‫﴾ إِنّ هَصصذَا الْ ُقرْآن َص ِيهْدِي لِلّتِي هِي َصَأ ْقوَمُص‬17:9﴿

ْ‫َوُيبَشّرُ الْ ُمؤْ ِمنِيَ الّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصّالِحَاتِ أَنّ َلهُم‬
‫أَ ْجرًا َكبِيًا‬
Indeed the Qur'an shows that way which is perfectly
straight: To those who believe in it and do good
deeds, it gives the good news that there is a great
reward for them (Surah Bani Isrtail, v.17:9)
ْ‫﴾ وأَنّ الّذِي نَ لَ ُيؤْ ِمنُو نَ بِال ِخرَةِ أَ ْعتَدْنَا َلهُ م‬17:10﴿
‫عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا‬
And to those who do not believe in the Hereafter, it
gives the warning that a painful torment has been
made ready for them. *11 (Surah Bani Isrtail, v.17:10)
*11 This means to warn those persons or people or

nations who do not take a lesson from the
admonitions of the Qur'an to be ready to undergo that
chastisement which Israelites had to suffer.
11.00.00
Man undertook to bear
the trust of the Qur’an

Allah said:
‫ص‬ُ ‫ص عَلَى َجبَلٍ ّل َرَأيْتَه‬

َ ‫﴾ َلوْ أَنزَلْنَصا هَذَا الْقُرْآن‬59:21﴿
ُ‫ْكص اْلأَ ْمثَال‬
َ ‫ّهص َوتِل‬
ِ ‫شيَةِ الل‬
ْ َ‫ّنص خ‬
ْ ‫َصصدّعًا م‬ َ ‫خَاشِعًا ّمت‬
َ‫ضرُِبهَا لِلنّاسِ لَعَّلهُمْ َيتَفَ ّكرُون‬
ْ ‫َن‬
Had We sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain, you
would have seen it humbling itself and splitting
asunder from the scare of Allah. We present these
parables before the people so that they may reflect
(on themselves). (Surah Al-Hashar, v.59:21)
Here, the parable means that if a huge creation like a

mountain had the sense and knowledge that it had
been made responsible and accountable, like man,
before the Great Allah Almighty, for its deeds, it
would have trembled from scare of it. But how
heedless, senseless and thoughtless is the man, who
understands the Qur’an and has known the whole
truth through it, yet he is neither seized by any scare
not feels worried as to what answer he would make to
his God about the responsibilities that have been
placed on him. On the contrary when he reads the
Qur’an, or hears it read, he remains go un-moved as
if he were a lifeless and senseless stone, which is not
supposed to hear and see and understand anything.
Allah said this same thing in other place:
ِ ْ‫ضنَا الْأَمَانَةَ َعلَى السّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَر‬

‫ض‬ ْ َ‫﴾ ِإنّا َعر‬33:72﴿
‫جبَالِ َفَأبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِ ْلَنهَا َوأَشْفَقْنَ ِمْنهَا وَحَ َمَلهَا‬
ِ ْ‫وَال‬
‫اْلإِنسَانُ ِإنّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا َجهُولًا‬
(33:72) We offered this trust to the heavens and the
earth and the mountains but they refused to bear it
and were afraid of it, the but man undertook to bear
it. Indeed, he is unjust and ignorant. *120 (Surah Al-
Ahzab, v.33:72)
Allah wants man to realize

his real position in the world:
In the end, Allah wants man to realize his real
position in the world. If in that position he regarded
the life of the world as mere fun and sport and
adopted a wrong attitude carelessly, he would only be
working for his own doom.
Why the word ‘amanat’ (trust) used here?
Here, the word ‘amanat’ means trust implies khilafat
or caliphate which according the Qur’an, man has
been granted in the earth. The inevitable result of the
freedom given to man to choose between obedience
and disobedience, and the powers and authority
granted him over countless creations for using that
freedom, is that he himself be held responsible for his
voluntary acts and should deserve rewards for his
righteous conduct and suffer punishment for his evil
conduct. Since man has not attained these powers by
his own efforts but has been granted these by Allah,
and he is answerable before Allah for their right or
wrong use, these have been described by the word
‘khilafat’ at other places in the Qur’an, and by
‘amanat’ here.
How important and

Heavy this ‘amanat’ or trust is:
In order to give an idea of how important and heavy
this ‘amanat’ or trust is, Allah says that the heavens
and the earth, in spite of their glory and greatness,
and the mountains, in spite of their size and firmness,
could not have the power and courage to bear it. But
man, the weak and frail man, has borne this heavy
burden on his tiny self.
Is the presentation of the trust

before the earth and the heavens and the
mountains literally true or metaphorically?
The presentation of the trust before the earth and the
heavens and their refusal to bear it and their being
scared of it may be true literally, or it may have been
said so metaphorically. We can neither know nor can
comprehend Allah’s relationship with His creations.
The earth and the sun and the moon and the
mountains are dumb, deaf and lifeless for us but they
may not be so also for Allah. Allah can speak to each
of His creations and it can respond to Him, though its
nature is incomprehensible for us. Therefore, it is just
possible that Allah, in fact, might have presented this
heavy trust before them, and they might have
shuddered to see it, and they might have made this
submission before their Master and Creator: ‘Lord,
we find our good and our convenience only in
remaining as Your powerless servants; we do not find
courage to ask for the freedom to disobey and do
justice to it and then suffer Your punishment in case
we cannot do justice to it.’
Likewise, it is also quite possible that before this

present life Allah might have given another kind of
existence to mankind and summoned it before
Himself, and it might have willingly undertaken to
accept the delegated powers and authority. We have
no rational argument to regard this as impossible.
Only such a person, who might have made a wrong
estimate of his mental and intellectual powers and
capabilities, can think of regarding it as impossible.
However, this also is equally possible that Allah may

have said so allegorically. In order to give an idea of
the extraordinary importance of the matter, He may
have depicted the sense as if the earth and the
heavens and the mountains like the Himalayas were
present before Him on one side and a 5 to 6 feet man,
on the other. Then Allah might have asked:
‘I want to invest someone of My creation with the

power that being a subject of My Kingdom:
(1) It may acknowledge My Supremacy and obey My
Commands of its own free will; otherwise it will
also have the power to deny Me, even rebel
against Me.
(2) After giving him this freedom I shall so conceal
myself from him as if I did not exist at all.
(3) And to exercise this freedom:
(a) I shall invest him with vast powers;
(b) Great capabilities; and
(c) Shall give him dominion over countless of My
creations;
(4) So that he may raise any storm that he may in the
universe.
(5) Then I shall call him to account at an appointed
time.
(6) The one who will have misused the freedom
granted by Me, will be made to suffer a most
terrible punishment; and
(7) The one who will have adopted My obedience in
spite of all chances and opportunities for
disobedience, will be raised to such high ranks as
no creation of Mine has ever been able to attain.
Now tell, which of you is ready to undergo this test?’
Hearing this discourse a hush might have prevailed

for a while all through the universe. Then one huge
creation after the other might have bowed down and
submitted that it should be excused from the severe
test.
Then, at last, this frail creation might have risen and

submitted: ‘O my Lord, I am ready to undergo this
test. I shall brave all the dangers inherent in the
freedom and independence only in the hope that I
shall be blessed with the highest office in Your
Kingdom if I pass the test.’
What’s the reason for calling

the person ‘unjust and ignorant’?
By imagining this sense through his mind’s eye only
can man judge exactly what delicate position he
holds in the universe. Allah in this verse has called
the person ‘unjust and ignorant’, who lives a carefree
life in the place of test, and has no feeling at all of
how great a responsibility he is shouldering, and what
consequences he will encounter of the right or wrong
decisions that he makes in choosing and adopting an
attitude for himself in the life of the world. He is
ignorant because the fool holds himself as
responsible to no one; he is unjust because he is
himself preparing for his doom and is also preparing
the doom of many others along with him.
‫ص‬
ِ ‫ص الْ ُمنَافِقِيَص وَالْ ُمنَافِقَات‬
ُ ‫ص اللّه‬
َ ‫﴾ ِليُعَذّب‬33:73﴿
‫ص عَلَى‬
ُ ‫ص اللّه‬
َ ‫ص َوَيتُوب‬ ِ ‫شرِكِيَص وَالْمُشْرِكَات‬ ْ ُ‫وَالْم‬
‫الْ ُمؤْ ِمنِيَ وَالْ ُمؤْ ِمنَاتِ وَكَانَ اللّهُ غَفُورًا رّحِيمًا‬
(The inevitable result of bearing the burden of the
trust is) that Allah should punish the hypocritical men
and women and mushrik men and women, and accept
the repentance of the believing men and women;
Allah is indeed Forgiving and Merciful. (Surah Al-
Ahzab,v.33:73)
12.00.00
What the disbelievers say about
The Qur’an and Prophet
Mohammad(pbuh)
Allah said regarding the disbelievers:
‫ِينص‬
َ ‫َاتص قَالَ الّذ‬
ٍ ‫ِمص آيَاتُنَا بَّين‬
ْ ‫﴾ َوإِذَا ُتتْلَى عََلْيه‬46:7﴿
ٌ‫حرٌ ّمبِي‬
ْ ِ‫حقّ لَمّا جَاءهُمْ هَذَا س‬ َ ْ‫كَ َفرُوا لِل‬
Whenever Our clear Revelations are recited to them
and the Truth comes before them, the disbelievers
say, "This is plain magic. " *8. (Surah Al Ahqaf,
v.46:7)
(a) The disbelievers say,

‘This (Qur’an) is plain magic.’
It means: When the Revelations of the Qur’an were
recited before the disbelievers of Makkah, they
realized that the Qur’an was far superior to human
speech. The compositions of their greatest poets,
orators and literary men were no match with the
un-paralleled elonquence, enchanting oratory,
sublime themes and heart-moving style of the
Qur’an. Above all, even the Holy Prophet’s own
words and speech were not comparable with the
discourses that were being sent down to him by God.
Those who had known him since childhood knew
that full well the vast difference that was there
between his language and words and the words of the
Qur’an, and it was not possible for them to believe
that a man who had been living day and night among
them for forty years would suddenly one day forge a
speech whose diction and style would bear no
resemblance with his familiar and known manner of
speech and style. This thing made the truth plain
before them, but since they were bent upon denial,
they would say: ‘This is plain magic,’ instead of
acknowledging it as Divine Word after witnessing
this manifest Sign.
َ‫﴾ أَ مْ يَقُولُو نَ ا ْفتَرَا هُ ُقلْ إِ نِ ا ْفتَ َرْيتُ هُ فَلَا تَمْلِكُو ن‬46:8﴿

‫لِي مِ نَ اللّ هِ َشْيئًا ُهوَ أَعَْل مُ بِمَا تُفِيضُو نَ فِي هِ كَفَى‬
ُ‫بِهِ َشهِيدًا َبيْنِي َوَبيْنَكُمْ وَ ُهوَ الْغَفُورُ الرّحِيم‬
Do they mean to say that the Messenger himself has
fabricated it? *9 Say to them, "If I have fabricated it
myself, you will not be able to do anything to save
me from Allah's punishment. Allah knows full well
whatever you utter. He is enough as a witness
between you; and me *10 and He is the All-Forgiving
the All-Merciful." *11 (Surah Al Ahqaf, v.46:7-8)
(b) Do they mean to say that the

Messenger himself has fabricated it?
This interrogative tone expresses great surprise and
amazement. It means to say: ‘are these people so
shameless that they accuse Mohammad (upon whom
be Allah’s peace) of fabricating the Qur’an himself?
Whereas they know that it cannot be his word; and
their calling it magic is by itself an express proof that
they regard it as an extraordinary word, which cannot
be of human composition even according to
themselves.’
In response Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said to them:
(c) ‘He is enough as a witness

between me and you.’
As it was quite evident that their accusation was
baseless and motivated by stubbornness, there was no
need to present arguments to refuse it. Therefore,
only this much was regarded as a sufficient response:
‘If I have really fabricated something and committed
a grave crime by imputing it to Allah, as you accuse
me of, you will not be able to rescue me from Allah’s
punishment. But if it is really Allah’s Word, and you
are rejecting it by bringing false accusations, Allah
Himself will deal with you. The reality is not hidden
from Allah, and He is sufficient to decide between the
truth and falsehood. If the Whole world calls
someone a liar, although he is truthful in Allah’s
knowledge, the final decision will be in his favor. On
the contrary: if the whole world regards someone as
truthful, though he is a liar in the knowledge of Allah,
he will be regarded as a liar in the final judgment.
Therefore, do not confuse things but pay heed to your
final end.’
(d) Prophet Mohammad also said

regarding Allah Sobhanahu Wata’ala:
‘He is the All-Forgiving,
the All-Merciful.’
Here, this sentence gives two meanings:
(1) It is in fact Allah’s mercy and His forbearance that
these people are surviving in the world, although
they have no hesitation in declaring Allah’s Word
as falsehood; otherwise if a merciless and cruel
god had been the master of this universe, he
would not have allowed such insolent people to
live even for a moment in the world.
(2) O unjust people, if you give up your stubbornness
even now, the door of God’s mercy is still open
for you, and whatever misdeeds you may have
committed heretofore can be forgiven.
12.01.00
In response of their comments
Prophet Mohammad also
ordained to say: Say to them,
‘I am not a novel Messenger’.
Allah says to Prophet:
‫﴾ ُقلْ مَا كُن تُ بِدْعًا مّ نْ الرّ ُسلِ وَمَا َأدْرِي مَا‬46:9﴿

‫يُفْ َعلُ بِي وَلَا بِكُ مْ إِ نْ أَّتبِ عُ إِلّا مَا يُوحَى إِلَيّ وَمَا‬
ٌ‫َأنَا إِلّا نَذِيرٌ ّمبِي‬
(46:9) Say to them, "I am not a novel Messenger, I do
not know what shall befall you tomorrow nor what
shall befall me. I only follow that which is revealed
to me, and I am no more than a Warner." *12 (Surah
Al Ahqaf, v.46:9)
*12 Its background is this:

When the Holy Prophet presented himself as Allah’s
Messenger, the people of Makkah raised different
kinds of objections against it. They said:
(1) What kind of a Messenger he is who has a family,
who moves about in the streets, eats and drinks
and lives a common man’s life.
(2) There is nothing special about him, which might
distinguish him above the other people and
therefore we may know that Allah has especially
made this man His Messenger.
(3) Then they said: had God appointed him a
Messenger, He would have sent an angel as an
attendant with him who would have announced
that he was God’s Messenger.
(4) And this angel would have punished with a
scourge every such person who had behaved
insolently towards him.
(5) How strange that God should appoint a person as
His Messenger and then should leave him alone to
roam the streets of Makkah and suffer every kind
of humiliation.
(6) If nothing else Allah should at least have created a
magnificent palace and a blooming garden for His
Messenger.
(7) He should not have been left to depend on his
Wife’s resources so that when they exhausted the
Messenger should be forced to go without food
and should not even afford a conveyance to Ta’if.
(8) Besides, these people demanded different kinds of
miracles from him and asked news of the unseen.
(9) They thought that a person’s being God’s
Messenger meant that
(a) He should possess supernatural powers;
(b) So that mountains should move at his bidding;
(c) And deserts at once turn into green fields;
(d) He should have the knowledge of the past and
the future events;
(e) And of everything hidden from others.
An answer to the same has been given in these
sentences, and each sentence contains a world of
meaning:
(a) (O Prophet!) Say to them,

‘I am not a novel Messenger.’
That is,
(1) My being appointed as a Messenger is not a novel
event of its kind in the world so that you may have
some confusion about the characteristics of a
Messenger.
(2) Many Messengers have come to the world before
me, and I am not any different from them.
(3) Never has a Messenger come to the world:
(a) Who did not have a family;
(b) Who did not eat and drink;
(c) Or who did not live a common man’s life.
(4) Never has an angel descended as an attendant with
a Messenger, heralding his Prophethood and
carrying a whip before him.
(5) Never have gardens and palaces been created for a
Messenger and never has a Messenger been
spared of the hardships, which I am suffering.
(6) Never has a Messenger shown a miracle by his
own power, or known everything by his own
knowledge.
(7) Then, how is it that you are bringing forth these
strange criteria only to judge my Prophethood?
(b) Then it is said: (O Prophet!) also tell them:

‘I do not know what shall befall you
tomorrow nor what shall befall me. I
only follow that which is revealed to me.’
That is:
(1) I am not a knower of the unseen so that everything
of the past and present and future should be
known to me, and I should have the knowledge of
everything in the world.
(2) Not to speak of your future, I do not even know
my own future.
(3) I only know that of which I am given knowledge
by revelation. More than that I have never claimed
to know.
(4) And there has never been a Messenger in the
world, which made that claim that is for unseen’s
knowledge.
(5) It is not a Messenger’s job to tell:
(i) The whereabouts of the lost articles;
(ii) Or tell whether a pregnant woman will
deliver a boy or a girl;
(iii) Or whether a sick patient will live or die.
(c) In conclusion, it is said:

‘(O Prophet!) Say to them,
I am no more than a plain warner.’
That is:
I do not possess Divine powers so that I may show
you the wonderful miracles that you demand from me
every next day. My only mission is that:
(1) I should present the right way before the people;
and
(2) Should warn of an evil end those who do not
accept it.
12.02.00
Allah said to Prophet (pbuh) to tell
Them ‘If you denied this Qur’an
What would be your end?’
Allah says to His prophet:
‫﴾ ُقلْ أَ َرَأيْتُمْ إِن كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ اللّهِ وَكَ َف ْرتُم بِ ِه‬46:10﴿
‫وَ َشهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مّنص بَنِي إِس ْصرَائِيلَ عَلَى ِمثْلِهِص فَآمَنَص‬
َ‫وَا ْستَكَْبرْتُمْ إِنّ اللّهَ لَا َيهْدِي الْ َقوْمَ الظّالِمِي‬
(46:10) O Prophet, say to them, "Have you ever
considered that if this (Qur'an) were really from
Allah, and yet you denied it, (what would be your
end)? *13 And a witness from among the children of
Israel has already borne witness to the like of it; he
believed while you showed arrogance. *14 Allah
does not show guidance to such wrongdoers." (Surah
Al Ahqaf, v.46:10)
This same thing has been said in other place:
‫﴾ ُقلْ أَ َرَأيْتُ مْ إِن كَا نَ مِ نْ عِندِ اللّ هِ ثُمّ كَ َفرْتُم‬41:52﴿

ٍ‫ضلّ مِ ّمنْ ُهوَ فِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيد‬ َ َ‫بِهِ َمنْ أ‬
(41:52) O Prophet, say to them, "Did you ever
consider this: If this Qur'an were really from Allah,
And you went on denying it, who could be more
astray than the one who had gone far off in
antagonism towards it?" *69 (Surah Ha-Mim-As-
Sajdah, v.41:52)
*69 It does not mean that they should believe in it

only owing to the danger that if it were really from
Allah they would be inviting their own doom by
denying it, but it means this ‘It is not wisdom that
you should be bent upon opposing it stubbornly
without seriously trying to understand what it says.
You cannot assert that you have come to know that
this Qur’an is not from God, and you have known
with certainly that God has not sent it. Obviously,
your refusal to believe in it as Divine Word is not
based on knowledge, but on conjecture, which may
possibly be right as well as wrong.
Now consider both the possibilities. If our conjecture

were right, then according to your own thinking, both
the believers and the unbelievers would be equal,
because both will become dust after death, and there
is no life hereafter where belief and unbelief might be
distinguished. But, if their Qur’an were really from
God, and that of which it is forewarning did really
take place, then think what doom you would invite
for yourselves by denying it and opposing it like that.
Therefore, your own interest demands that you
should give up stubbornness and consider this Qur’an
seriously; if even after the consideration, you decide
not to believe in it, you may not, but you should not
oppose it to the extent that you start employing
falsehood and deception and persecution to bar the
way of its message and prevent others from believing
in it, not being content with your own unbelief.
12.03.00
This Qur’an is indeed the Truth
Allah said:
‫﴾ َسُنرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَا قِ وَفِي أَنفُ سِهِ ْم‬41:53﴿

ُ‫َحتّ ى َيتََبيّ نَ َلهُ مْ أَنّ هُ الْحَقّ َأوَلَ مْ يَكْ فِ ِب َربّ كَ َأنّ ه‬
ٌ‫عَلَى ُكلّ شَ ْيءٍ َشهِيد‬
Soon shall We show them Our Signs in the World
around them, as well as in themselves, till it becomes
clear to them, that this Qur'an is indeed the Truth. *70
Is it not enough that your Lord watches
everything? *71 (Surah Ha-Mim-As-Sajdah, v.41:53)
*70 This verse has two meanings and the major

commentators have given both.
Firstly : that they will soon see with their own eyes
that the message of the Qur’an has spread in all the
adjoining lands, and they themselves have yielded to
it. Then they will realize that what they are being told
today, which they are denying, was absolutely true.
Some people have objected to this meaning, saying
that a message’s being dominant and overwhelming
vast areas is no argument to prove that it is the truth.
False messages also become dominant and their
adherents also go on subduing one country after the
other. But this is a superficial objection, which has
been raised without a thorough study of the matter.
Here, it has been expressed the difference between
the achievement of the false messages and the
wonderful conquests that Islam achieved are as
follows:
(A) Achievement of the false messages:

False messages also become dominant and their
adherents also go on subduing one country after the
other. This conquests of the world, which make one
man or family or one nation master of the life and
property of others and God’s earth is filled with
tyranny and injustice.
(B) The wonderful conquests

that Islam achieved :
(1) The wonderful conquests that Islam achieved in
the period of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) and
the rightly guided Caliphs were not the signs of
Allah only in the sense that the believers
conquered one country after the other.
(2) But in the sense that this conquest of the countries
was not like other conquests of the world.
(3) Contrary to this, this conquest brought with it a
great religious, moral, intellectual, cultural,
political, economic and social revolution;
(4) And whose influence, wherever it reached,
elicited what was best in man and suppressed
what was worst in him.
(5) This revolution developed and nurtured the moral
excellences which the world could hope to see
only in the hermits and the meditating recluses
and could never imagine that they could also be
found among the people responsible for running
the worldly affairs-in the politics of the rulers, in
the chambers of justice, in the wars of and
conquests of the commanders of forces, in the
work of the tax collectors and in the commerce of
the big businessmen.
(6) This revolution so raised the common people in
the society created by it in respect of the sense of
morality, character, cleanliness and purity that
even the select people of other societies seemed to
be much inferior to them.
(7) It took man out of the labyrinths of superstition
and whim and put him on the broad highway of
scientific research and rational thought and action.
(8) It treated and cured these diseases of the collective
life of whose treatment no idea existed in the other
systems, or if at all they tried to treat them, they
did not succeed in it. For example:
(i) Separation between men on the basis of
color, race, country and language;
(ii) Classification of men in the same society and
discrimination among them;
(iii) Non existence of legal rights and equality in
practical life;
(iv) Degeneration of women and their deprivation
of the basic rights;
(v) Prevalence of crime, liquor drinking and use
of all intoxicating drugs;
(vi) The governments being above criticism and
accountability;
(vii) Deprivation of the fundamental human rights
the masses;
(viii Disrespect of agreements in international
relations;
(ix) Barbarism in wars, and such other diseases.
(9) In Arabia itself this revolution brought about:

(i) Order in place of chaos;
(ii) Peace in place of bloodshed and anarchy;
(iii) Piety in place of wickedness;
(iv) Justice in place of tyranny and injustice;
(v) Purity and culture in place of filth indecency;
(vi) Knowledge in place of ignorance;
(vii) Brotherhood and love in place of long-
standing feuds;
(viii)And it made a nation whose people could not
dream of anything beyond chief ship of their
tribe, leaders of the world.
(10) These were the Signs, which the very generation
before whom the Holy Prophet had recited this
verse for the first time, saw with their own eyes.
(11) And after that till today Allah has been
constantly showing those Signs.
(12) The Muslims, even during their downfall,
displayed such high morals as could never be
attained by those people who represent as the
leaders of civilization and culture.
(13) No precedent can be found from any period of
the history of the Muslims of the tyrannical
treatment that has been melted out by the
European nations to the subdued nations of
Africa, America, Asia and Europe itself.
(14) This is the blessing of the Qur’an, which has so
humanized Muslims that they could not become
so tyrannical even when they had attained
domination as the non-Muslims have been in all
periods of history and are even today.
(15) A person who has eyes can himself see:

(a) How the Muslims treated the Christians in
Spain when they ruled it for centuries, and
how the Christians treated the Muslims when
they gained power.
(b) How the Muslims behaved towards Hindus
during their eight hundred years long rule in
India and how the Hindus are now treating
them after they have attained power.
(c) How the Muslims treated the Jews during the
past 1300 years and how the Jews are treating
the Muslims in Palestine right now.
Second: The other meaning of this verse is that Allah

will show the people in the external world around
them as well as in their own selves such signs as will
make manifest that the teaching the Qur’an is giving
is the very truth. Some people have raised the
objection that the people even at that time were
observing the world around them and also their own
selves; therefore, it would be meaningless to show
them any such Signs in the future. But this objection
also is as superficial as the objection against the first
meaning. No doubt, the external world is the same as
man has been seeing in the past and his own self also
is of the same nature as has been seen in every age,
yet in these the Signs of God are so numerous that
man has never comprehended them fully nor will
ever be able to do so. In every age man has met with
many new Signs and this will go on happening till the
Resurrection Day.
12.04.00
A witness from among the children
of Israil has already borne witness
to the like of this Qur’an
The Qur’an says:
‫وَ َشهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مّنص بَنِي إِس ْصرَائِيلَ عَلَى ِمثْلِهِص فَآمَنَص‬
َ‫وَا ْستَكَْبرْتُمْ إِنّ اللّهَ لَا َيهْدِي الْ َقوْمَ الظّالِمِي‬
And a witness from among the children of Israil has
already borne witness to the like of it; he believed
while you showed arrogance. *14 Allah does not
show guidance to such wrongdoers.’ (Surah Al
Ahqaf, v.46:10)
*14 A large number of commentators have taken this

‘witness’ to imply Hadrat ‘Abdullah bin Salam, who
was a famous Jewish scholar of Madinah, and who
believed in the Holy Prophet after the migration. As
this thing happened in Madinah, these Commentators
say that this verse was revealed at Madinah. This
commentary is based on a statement of Hadrat Sa’d
bin Abi Waqqas according to which this verse was
sent down in respect of Hadrat ‘Abdullah bin Salam.
(Bukhari, Muslim, Nasa’I, Ibn Jarir)
On the same basis have several major commentators

like Ibn ‘Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Dahhak, Ibn
Sirin, Hasan Basri, Ibn Zaid and ‘Auf bin Malik-al-
Ashja’i accepted this commentary. But, on other
hand, ‘Ikrimah and Sha’bi and Masruq say that this
verse cannot be about ‘Abdullah bin Salam(may
Allah be pleased on him) for this entire Surah was
sent down at Makkah. Ibn Jarir Tabari also has
preferred this view. He says: The whole previous
discourse is an address directed to the pagans of
Makkah and the following discourse also is directed
to them. In this context it is not conceivable that a
verse revealed at Madinah was inserted here. The
later commentators who have accepted this second
version, do not reject the tradition of Hadrat Sa’d bin
Abi Waqqas, but have opined that as this verse also
applies to Hadrat ‘Abdullah bin Salam’s affirmation
of the faith, Hadrat Sa’d expressed the opinion, in the
tradition of the ancients, that it was sent down with
regard to him. This does not however, mean that
when he believed, it was revealed then about him
only, but that this verse precisely applied to him and
his acceptance of Islam.
Apparently, this second view seems to be more

correct and reasonable. Now, the question that
remains to be answered is: Who is implied by this
‘witness?’ Some of the commentators who have
accepted the second view say that it implies the
Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), but the
following sentence ‘He believed while you showed
arrogance’, bears no relevance to this explanation.
What seems to be nearer the truth is that which
commentators Nishaburi and Ibn Kathir have stated.
They say: here, does not mean any particular person
but a common Israelite.
The meaning is this: ‘The teachings that the Qur’an is

presenting before you are not new so that you could
deny them by offering the excuse that they were
novel teachings which had never been presented
before man in the past. Before this these very
teachings have been similarly revealed and exist with
the Israelites in the form of the Torah and other
scriptures, and a common Israelite has already
believed in them, and also admitted that Allah’s
Revelation is a means of the coming down of these
teachings. Therefore, you cannot make the claim that
Revelation and these teachings are incomprehensible.
The only thing that hinders you from believing is
your arrogance and baseless conceit.
12.05.00
The Quraish said:
‘If it had been any good to
believe in this Book, they would
not have believed in it before us’
The Qur’an says:
‫َانص‬
َ ‫ِينص آ َمنُوا َلوْ ك‬َ ‫ِينص كَ َفرُوا لِلّذ‬ َ ‫﴾ َوقَالَ الّذ‬46:11﴿
َ‫سيَقُولُون‬
َ َ‫َخيْرًا مّا َسبَقُونَا إَِليْ هِ َوِإذْ لَ مْ َي ْهتَدُوا بِ هِ ف‬
ٌ‫هَذَا ِإفْكٌ قَدِي‬
Those who have refused to believe say with regard to
those who have believed, "If it had been any good to
believe in this Book, they would not have believed in
it before us." *15 As they have not received any
guidance from it, they will surely say, "'This is an
ancient falsehood." *16 (Surah Al-Ahqaf, v.46:11)
The Quraish said:

‘If it had been any good to believe in this Book,
they would not have believed in it before us.’*15 :
*15 This is one of those arguments that the chiefs of
the Quraish employed to beguile and mislead the
common people against the Holy Prophet. They said:
If the Qur’an were really based on the truth and
Mohammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace) were
inviting towards a right thing, the chiefs and the
elders and the noblemen of the community would
have been in the forefront to accept it. How could it
be that a few young boys and mean slaves only
should accept a reasonable thing but the distinguished
men of the nation, who are wise and experienced, and
who have been held as reliable by others, would
reject it? This was the deceptive reasoning by which
they tried to make the common people believe that
there was something wrong with the new message;
that is why the elders of the people did not believe it;
therefore, they also should avoid it.
As they have not received

any guidance from it, they will surely say,
‘This is an ancient falsehood.’*16
*16 It means, ‘they regard themselves as a criterion
of the truth and falsehood. They think that whatever
(guidance) they reject must be falsehood. But they
cannot dare call it a ‘new falsehood’ for before it also
the Prophets have been presenting the same
teachings, and all the heavenly scriptures which the
followers of the previous Books possess, are full of
the same beliefs and instructions. Therefore, they call
it ‘ancient falsehood’.
In other words, they seem to think that all those

people who have been presenting these truths and
those accepting them since thousands of years ago
were devoid of wisdom and knowledge, and the
whole wisdom has now become these people’s
monopoly.
‫َابص مُوسصَى إِمَامًا َورَحْمَ ًة‬ ُ ‫ِهص ِكت‬ ِ ‫﴾ وَمِن قَبْل‬46:12﴿

‫ِينص‬
َ ‫ّصصّدقٌ لّسصَانًا َع َربِيّاص ّليُنذِرَ الّذ‬
َ ‫َابص م‬ ٌ ‫وَهَذَا ِكت‬
َ‫سنِي‬
ِ ْ‫شرَى لِلْمُح‬
ْ ُ‫َظلَمُوا وَب‬
Yet before it there has come the Book of Moses as a
guide and a mercy, and this Book has been revealed
to confirm it in the Arabic tongue so as to warn the
wrongdoers *17 and to give good news to those who
have adopted the righteous conduct. (Surah Al Ahqaf,
v.46:12)
*17 "To warn the wrongdoers:" To warn of the evil

end those who are being unjust to themselves and to
the truth itself by disbelieving in Allah and serving
others than Allah, and are involved because of this
deviation of theirs in the evils of morals and deeds,
which have filled human society with every kind of
wickedness and injustice.
13.00.00
They accused the Holy Prophet
of practicing magic
Allah says:
‫﴾ َوِإذَا ُتتْلَى عََلْيهِ مْ آيَاُتنَا َبيّنَا تٍ قَالُوا مَا هَذَا‬34:43﴿

ْ‫إِلّا َر ُجلٌ ُيرِيدُ أَن يَ صُدّكُمْ عَمّا كَا نَ يَ ْعبُدُ آبَاؤُكُ م‬
‫َوقَالُوا مَا هَذَا إِلّا ِإفْ كٌ مّ ْفتَرًى َوقَالَ الّذِي نَ كَ َفرُوا‬
ٌ‫حرٌ ّمبِي‬ ْ ِ‫حقّ لَمّا جَاءهُمْ إِنْ هَذَا إِلّا س‬ َ ‫لِ ْل‬
When Our clear Revelations are recited to these
people, they say, "This person only wants to turn you
away from those deities whom your forefathers have
been worshipping." And they say, "This (Qur'an) is
only a forged falsehood." When the Truth came
before these disbelievers, they said, "This is plain
magic." (Surah Saba, v.34:43)
ِ‫حرٌ َوِإنّا بِه‬

ْ ِ‫حقّ قَالُوا َهذَا س‬
َ ْ‫﴾ وَلَمّا جَاءهُمُ ال‬43:30﴿
َ‫كَاِفرُون‬
(43:30) But when the Truth came to them, they said,
"This is a sorcery *29 and we refuse to believe in it."
(Surah Az-Zukhruf, v.43:30)
*29 For explanation, see Surah Al-Anbiya'
21:3 and E.N. 5 on it and E.N. 5 of Surah
Suad.
What! Will you, then, be enticed

by his sorcery while you perceive it?
It has been expressed in other place regarding the
disbelievers:
ْ‫جوَى الّذِي نَ ظَلَمُوا‬

ْ ّ‫﴾ لَا ِهيَةً قُلُوبُهُ مْ َوأَ َسرّواْ الن‬21:3﴿
‫ُمص‬
ْ ‫حرَ َوأَنت‬ْ ‫السص‬
ّ ‫ُونص‬َ ‫ُمص أََفتَ ْأت‬
ْ ‫شرٌ ّمثْلُك‬ َ َ‫َهلْ هَذَا إِلّا ب‬
َ‫ُتْبصِرُون‬
And the unjust people whisper to one another, saying,
"This man is no more than a human being like
yourselves. What! Will you, then, be enticed by his
sorcery while you perceive it?" *5 (Surah Al-
Anbiyaa, v.21:3)
What! Will you, then, be enticed by his sorcery while

you perceive it? This may also be translated as:
‘what, are you then being ensnared by his magic?’
The disbelievers, who were the chiefs of Makkah,
whispered to one another to this effect: ‘Anyhow this
man cannot be a Prophet because he is a human being
like us and eats and drinks and has wife and children
like us. We see nothing unusual about him that might
distinguish him from us and make him worthy of the
office of Prophethood. We, however, admit that there
is some magic in his talk and personality. That is why
any one who listens to him or goes near him is
charmed. Therefore, the best thing for you is not to
listen to him at all, nor go near him for listening to
him or going near him will only be involving
yourselves intentionally in his snare.’
13.01.00
The reason why they
Accused the Holy Prophet
of practicing magic
The reason why they accused the Holy Prophet of
practicing magic was that even his antagonists
‘charmed’ by his personality, when they met him.
Mohammad bin Ishaq (d.152 A.H.) says, ‘Once
Utbah bin Rabi’ah, the father-in-law of Abu Sufyan,
said to the chiefs that he wanted he wanted to see
Mohammad (pbuh) and give him counsel. They said,
‘We have full confidence in you; you may go and
have a talk with him.’ Accordingly, he went to the
Holy Prophet and said, ‘Dear nephew, you know that
you were held in great honor here before this and you
belong to a noble family. Why have you then brought
this affliction to your people? You have caused
discard among them; you consider your people to be
fools; you speak ill of their religion and deities, and
you declare their deceased forefathers to be
disbelievers.’
See details in
What the Qur’an Is All About (Volume-II)
Regarding the Attractive proposals of Quraish
Leader Utbah to Mohammad and
It’s response through Surah
Ha Mim As Sajdah v.1-38:

What The Qur'an Is All About Vol.I With Arabic

Cargado por

Información del documento

Descripción original:

Título original

Derechos de autor

Formatos disponibles

Compartir este documento

Compartir o incrustar documentos

Opciones para compartir

¿Le pareció útil este documento?

¿Este contenido es inapropiado?

Copyright:

Formatos disponibles

What The Qur'an Is All About Vol.I With Arabic

Cargado por

Copyright:

Formatos disponibles

What

Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi

In the words of Qur’an:

Nothing from me,

Compilation and comparison for

Meaning of the Holy Qur’an

The Glorious Qur’an

The Meaning of the Qur’an

The Noble Qur’an

Index of the Holy Qur’an

What the Qur’an Is All About vol.I

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, Who says

The Qur’an is sent to all mankind, despite the fact of

I praise to Allah subhanahu wa ta a’la for His favor to

It is Allah, Who bestows success, and guides to the

[Dr. Majibur Rahman]

All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of

Scholars have defined The Holy Qur’an as ‘the words

Reading and recitation of The Holy Qur’an is an

َ‫ِكتَا بٌ أَنزَلْنَا هُ إَِليْ كَ ُمبَارَ كٌ ّليَ ّدبّرُوا آيَاتِ هِ وَلَِيتَذَ ّكر‬

The Qur’an has been called a blessed Book in the

‫َأفَلَا َيتَ َدبّرُونَ الْ ُقرْآَنَ أَمْ َعلَى قُلُوبٍ َأقْفَالُهَا‬

Either these people do not ponder over the Qur’an at

ِ‫َأفَلَ َيتَدَّبرُو نَ الْ ُقرْآ نَ وَلَوْ كَا نَ مِ نْ عِندِ َغْيرِ اللّ ه‬

The main cause of the wrong attitude of the

Many scholars have stated that it is the responsibility

No person can afford to be ignorant of The Holy

Qur’an is the actual words of Allah not created by

What does one discovers when he understands the

(1) That he can know his Creator as He has described

This divine message was revealed to confirm and

َ‫َوإِذَا سَأَلَكَ ِعبَادِي َعنّي َفإِنّي َقرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ َد ْعوَة‬

Although you cannot see Me nor perceive Me with

Convey this message (Qur’an) to them, they may

Allah Sobhanahu Wata’ala said to His Prophet to

‫صص ْدقٍ َوأَ ْخ ِرجْن ِي‬

This prayer clearly shows that the time of Hijrah

That is why, Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) prayed to

This is supported by a Tradition of the Holy prophet:

‘Innallaha Layajha’u Bissultoa-ni ma-la-yajha’u Bil-

• Allah eradicates by the power of government

Akm Fakhrul Islam

Although it has this general meaning, the word

Allah has expressed the meaning of the word

َ‫ِإنّا أَنزَْلنَاهُ ُقرْآنًا َعرَِبيّا لّعَلّكُمْ تَعْقِلُون‬

The Arabic word ‘Qur’an’ means to read is originally

Qur’an is a Book, which only confirms, restates, and

45 The Qur’an is that Book, which explains in detail

The Qur’an contains Allah’s guidance for all

In other place Allah said:

(9) Indeed the Qur’an shows that way which is

This means to warn those persons or people or

Both the words and the concepts of The Holy Qur’an

Difference between the Qur’an and

The ancient Arabs used to call a

Text of the Human literatures:

Text of the Holy Qur’an:

[See details in the book ‘Why the Qur’an Strongest

Source of The Holy Qur’an:

Bayt al-‘Izza or the ‘Adobe of Glory’:

Hadith Qudsi (‘Scared Tradition’):

Hadith Nabawi (‘Prophetic Tradition’):