Preface

Faith, deepest meaning of

3 I.e., the night on which the revelation of the Qur'an began: see surah 97.

4 The revelation of the Qur'an is but a continuation and, indeed, the climax of all divine revelation which has been going on since the very dawn of human consciousness. Its innermost purpose has always been the warning extended by God to man not to abandon himself to mere material ambitions and pursuits and, thus, to lose sight of spiritual values.

5 Lit., "was made distinct everything wise", i.e., "wisely" or "in wisdom": a metonymical attribution of the adjective "wise" – which in reality relates to God, the maker of that distinction – to what has thus been made distinct (Zamakhshari and Razi). The meaning is that the revelation of the Qur'an, symbolized by that "blessed night" of its beginning, provides man with a standard whereby to discern between good and evil, or between all that leads to spiritual growth through an ever-deepening realization (ma'rifah) of God's existence, on the one hand, and all that results in spiritual blindness and self-destruction, on the other.

6 Lit., "if you had but inner certainty". According to Abn Muslim al-Isfahani (as quoted by Razi), this means, "you would know it if you would but truly desire inner certainty and would pray for it".

7 Lit., "are toying in doubt": i.e., their half-hearted admission of the possibility that God exists is compounded of doubt and irony (Zamakhshari) – doubt as to the proposition of God's existence, and an ironical amusement at the idea of divine revelation.

God and His creation (it all belongs to Him)

20:6 Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, as well as all that is between them and all that is beneath the sod.

God – beyond description or definition

Surah 6

6:100 Limitless is He is His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition: (88)

Surah 30

(30:27) His is the essence of all that is most sublime in the heavens and on earth, (19) and He alone is almighty, truly wise.

Note on Surah 6

88 I.e., utterly remote is He from all imperfection and from the incompleteness which is implied in the concept of having progeny. The very concept of "definition" implies the possibility of a comparison or correlation of an object with other objects; God, however, is unique, there being "nothing like unto Him" (42:11) and, therefore, "nothing that could be compared with Him" (112:4) – with the result that any attempt at defining Him or His "attributes" is a logical impossibility and, from the ethical point of view, a sin. The fact that He is undefinable makes it clear that the "attributes" (sifat) of God mentioned in the Qur'an do not circumscribe His reality but, rather, the perceptible effect of His activity on and within the universe created by Him.

Notes on Surah 30

19 Primarily, the term mathal denotes a "likeness" or "similitude", and hence is often used in the Qur'an (e.g., in the next verse) in the sense of "parable". Occasionally, however, it is synonymous with sifah, which signifies the intrinsic "attribute", "quality" or "nature" of a thing, concept or living being (cf. the reference to "the nature of Jesus" and "the nature of Adam" in 3:59). With reference to God, who is "sublimely exalted above anything that men may devise by way of definition" (see 6:100 and the corresponding note 88), the expression mathal clearly points to a quality of being entirely different from all other categories of existence, inasmuch as there is "nothing like unto Him" (42:11) and "nothing that could be compared With Him" (112:4): hence, the rendering of mathal as 'essence" is most appropriate in this context.

God’s existence, signs of

51:20 AND ON EARTH there are signs [of God's existence, visible] to all who are endowed with inner certainty, (51:21) just as [there are signs thereof] within your own selves: (13) can you not, then, see?

13 See note 3 on 45:4.

God – sovereign ruler of the universe

(39:67) And no true understanding of God have they [who worship aught beside Him], inasmuch as the whole of the earth will be as a [mere] handful to Him on Resurrection Day, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand: (66) limitless is He in His glory, and sublimely exalted above anything to which they may ascribe a share in His divinity!

66 I.e., the whole universe is as nothing before Him: for this specific allegory of God's almightiness, see 21:104. There are many instances, in the Qur'an as well as in authentic ahadith, of the clearly metaphorical use of the term "hand" in allusions to God's absolute power and dominion. The particular reference, in the above, to the Day of Resurrection is due to the fact that it will be only on his own resurrection that a human being shall fully grasp the concept of God's almightiness; referred to in the subsequent words, "limitless is He in His glory" (subhanahu)".

God – the ultimate reality

57:1 ALL THAT IS in the heavens and on earth extols God's limitless glory: for He alone is almighty, truly wise! (57:2) His is the dominion over the heavens and the earth; He grants life and deals death; and He has the power to will anything. 57:3 He is the First and the Last, (1) and the Outward as well as the Inward: (2) and He has full knowledge of everything. (57:4) He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness. (3) He knows all that enters the earth, and all that comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that ascends to them. (4) And He is with you wherever you may be; and God sees all that you do. 57:5 His is the dominion over the heavens and the earth; and all things go back unto God [as their source].

1 I.e., His Being is eternal, without anything preceding His existence and without anything outlasting its infinity: an interpretation given by the Prophet himself, as recorded in several well-authenticated Traditions. Thus, "time" itself – a concept beyond man's understanding – is but God's creation.

2 I.e., He is the transcendental Cause of all that exists and, at the same time, immanent in every phenomenon of His creation – cf. the oft-repeated Qur'anic phrase (e.g., in verse S), "all things go back unto God [as their source]"; in the words of Tabari, "He is closer to everything than anything else could be". Another – perhaps supplementary – rendering could be, "He is the Evident as well as the Hidden": i.e., "His existence is evident (zahir) in the effects of His activity, whereas He Himself is not perceptible (ghayr mudrak) to our senses" (Zamakhshari).

3 Cf. the identical phrase in 7:54 and the corresponding note 43.

4 See 4 note 1 on 34:2.

Necessary existence

3:2 GOD – there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being!

Confer 20:111, where the phrase “the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being” is also found.

4. Faith and wisdom

Philosopher Blaise Pascal has said that “In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.” Alternatively rendered as “There is enough light for those who only desire to see, and enough obscurity for those who have a contrary disposition”, or “There is enough light for those who want to see, and enough darkness for those who do not want to.”

Confer Surah 7 which speaks of men who “cling to the earth” (i.e., adopt a predominantly materialistic or “earthly” outlook on life; verse 176), “have hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear” (verse 179), fail to properly consider the wonders of God’s creation (verse 185; quoted under God's mighty dominion over the heavens and the earth), and thus become characterised by “overweening arrogance” (verse 186).

Pride and arrogance are the antitheses of humility, and the latter is an essential element of any true religion. The final verse of Surah 7 says: “Behold, those who are near unto thy Sustainer are never too proud to worship Him; and they extol His limitless glory, and prostrate themselves before Him [alone]” (verse 206), and 23:2 speaks of “those who humble themselves in their prayer” (similar expressions are found, e.g., in 21:19 and 57:16).

If you are searching for formal proofs of God’s existence, you are likely to be disappointed. If you are humble enough to observe and take to heart the innumerable signs of God’s existence, of His wisdom and love, as well as of His grace and mercy, you will be overwhelmed by joy.

The Qur’an recommends that, in order to approach God, we should (1) think, we should (2) strive to be knowledgeable, and to the best of our ability we should (3) use our God-given reason (see 30:21-30 below).

And, in all of this, we must be willing to listen and also willing to receive God’s gift of faith; see 7:203 below. These are essentials that could help us move in the direction of wisdom.

Carefully note that willingness to listen to the still, small voice of the heart (fitrah; confer 30:30 below) requires humility, without which true wisdom cannot be achieved (confer Humility and inner purity as well as Religious humility versus the pitfalls of arrogance and exclusivism).

Keywords	Qur’an quote	Notes and comments
Faith, deepest meaning of	4:162 But as for those from among them who are deeply rooted in knowledge, (176) and the believers who believe in that which has been bestowed upon thee from on high as well as that which was bestowed from on high before thee, and those who are [especially] constant in prayer, (177) and spend in charity, and all who believe in God and the Last Day – these it is unto whom We shall grant a mighty reward. See also: Allegory in the Qur’an.	176 I.e., those from among the Jews who do not content themselves with a mere observance of rituals, but try to penetrate to the deepest meaning of faith. 177 According to the grammarians of the Basrah school, and especially Sibawayh, the use of the accusative (mansub) case in the expression al-muqimin as-salah ("those who are constant in prayer") – instead of the nominative al-muqimun – is a legitimate grammatical device meant to stress the special, praiseworthy quality attaching to prayer and to those who are devoted to it (see Zamakhshari and Razi); hence my interpolation of "especially" between brackets.
Faith, no coercion in matters of	2:256 THERE SHALL BE no coercion in matters of faith. (249) See also: Heart, deafness and blindness of.	249 The term din denotes both the contents of and the compliance with a morally binding law; consequently, it signifies "religion" in the widest sense of this term, extending over all that pertains to its doctrinal contents and their practical implications, as well as to man's attitude towards the object of his worship, thus comprising also the concept of "faith". The rendering of din as "religion", "faith","religious law" or "moral law" (see note 3 on 109:6) depends on the context in which this term is used. – On the strength of the above categorical prohibition of coercion (ikrah) in anything that pertains to faith or religion, all Islamic jurists (fuqaha), without any exception, hold that forcible conversion is under all circumstances null and void, and that any attempt at coercing a non-believer to accept the faith of Islam is a grievous sin: a verdict which disposes of the widespread fallacy that Islam places before the unbelievers the alternative of "conversion or the sword".
Heart, deafness and blindness of	Surah 27 27:80 [But,] verily, thou canst not make the dead hear: and [so, too] thou canst not make the deaf [of heart] hear this call when they turn their backs [on thee] and go away, (27:81) just as thou canst not lead the blind [of heart] out of their error; none canst thou make hear save such as [are willing to] believe in Our messages, and thus surrender themselves unto Us. (72) Confer 30:52-53. Surah 28 28:56 VERILY, thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest: but it is God who guides him that wills [to be guided]; (55) and He is fully aware of all who would let themselves be guided. (56) Surah 17 (17:72) for whoever is blind [of heart] in this [world] will be blind in the life to come [as well], and still farther astray from the path [of truth]. (87) Surah 2 2:272 It is not for thee [O Prophet] to make people follow the right path, (260) since it is God [alone] who guides whom He wills. See also: · Remembering God. · Self-destruction. · God’s guidance. · Faith, no coercion in matters of.	Note on Surah 27 72 This passage corresponds to the oft-repeated Qur'anic statement that "God guides him that wills [to be guided] (yahdi man yasha')". Notes on Surah 28 55 Or: "God guides whomever He wills" – either of these two renderings being syntactically correct. According to several extremely well-authenticated Traditions, the above verse relates to the Prophet's inability to induce his dying uncle Abu Talib, whom he loved dearly and who had loved and protected him throughout his life, to renounce the pagan beliefs of his ancestors and to profess faith in God's oneness. Influenced by Abu Jahl and other Meccan chieftains, Abu Talib died professing, in his own words, "the creed of 'Abd al-Muttalib" (Bukhari) or, according to another version (quoted by Tabari), "the creed of my ancestors (al-ashyakh)". However, the Qur'anic statement "thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest" has undoubtedly a timeless import as well: it stresses the inadequacy of all human endeavours to "convert" any other person, however loving and loved, to one's own beliefs, or to prevent him from falling into what one regards as error, unless that person wills to be so guided. 56 The above rendering of the expression al-muhtadin conforms to the interpretations offered in this context by many classical commentators – e.g., "those who accept guidance" (Zamakhshari), "everyone who in time would find the right way" (Razi), "those who are prepared (musta'iddin) for it" (Baydawi), "all who deserve guidance" (Ibn Kathir), and so forth. Thus, God's guidance is but the final act of His grace with which He rewards all who desire to be guided. For a further consideration of this problem, the reader is referred to Zamakhshari's illuminating remarks quoted in note 4 on 14:4 (found in this compendium under God’s guidance I). Note on Surah 17 87 Cf. 20: 124-125. This passage shows that man's life in the hereafter is not merely conditioned by the manner of his life on earth, but is also an organic extension of the latter, manifested in a natural development and intensification of previously-existing tendencies. Note on Surah 2 260 Lit., "their guidance is not upon thee" – i.e., "thou art responsible only for conveying God's message to them, and not for their reaction to it": the people referred to being the needy spoken of in the preceding verses. It appears that in the early days after his migration to Medina, the Prophet – faced by the great poverty prevalent among his own community – advised his Companions that "charity should be bestowed only on the followers of Islam" – a view that was immediately corrected by the revelation of the above verse (a number of Traditions to this effect are quoted by Tabari, Razi and Ibn Kathir, as well as in Manar III, 82 f.). According to several other Traditions (recorded, among others, by Nasa'i and Abu Da'ud and quoted by all the classical commentators), the Prophet thereupon explicitly enjoined upon his followers to disburse charities upon all who needed them, irrespective of the faith of the person concerned. Consequently, there is full agreement among all the commentators that the above verse of the Qur'an – athough expressed in the singular and, on the face of it, addressed to the Prophet – lays down an injunction binding upon all Muslims. Razi, in particular, draws from it the additional conclusion that charity – or the threat to withhold it – must never become a means of attracting unbelievers to Islam: for, in order to be valid, faith must be an outcome of inner conviction and free choice. This is in consonance with verse 256 of this surah: "There shall be no coercion in matters of faith."
Heart, disease of	(2:10) In their hearts is disease, and so God lets their disease increase; and grievous suffering awaits them because of their persistent lying. (8) See also: · Falsehood – should be shunned. · Sinning against oneself. · Suppressing testimony from God.	8 i.e., before God and man – and to themselves. It is generally assumed that the people to whom this passage alludes in the first instance are the hypocrites of Medina who, during the early years after the hijrah, outwardly professed their adherence to Islam while remaining inwardly unconvinced of the truth of Muhammad's message. However, as is always the case with Quranic allusions to contemporary or historical events, the above and the following verses have a general, timeless import inasmuch as they refer to all people who are prone to deceive themselves in order to evade a spiritual commitment.
Knowledge – always to be sought after	20:114 [...] [always] say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!" (101) See also: Qur’an – to be read in its entirety.	101 Although it is very probable that – as most of the classical commentators point out – this exhortation was in the first instance addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, there is no doubt that it applies to every person, at all times, who reads the Qur'an. The idea underlying the above verse may be summed up thus: Since the Qur'an is the Word of God, all its component parts – phrases, sentences, verses and surahs – form one integral, coordinated whole (cf. the last sentence of 25:32 and the corresponding note 27). Hence, if one is really intent on understanding the Qur'anic message, one must beware of a "hasty approach" – that is to say, of drawing hasty conclusions from isolated verses or sentences taken out of their context – but should, rather, allow the whole of the Qur'an to be revealed to one's mind before attempting to interpret single aspects of its message. (See also 75:16-19 and the corresponding notes.)
Majority, be not led astray by	6:116 Now if thou pay heed unto the majority of those [who live] on earth, they will but lead thee astray from the path of God: they follow but [other people's] conjectures, and they themselves do nothing but guess. (103) (6:117) Verily, thy Sustainer knows best as to who strays from His path, and best knows He as to who are the right-guided.	103 Le., regarding the true nature of human life and its ultimate destiny, the problem of revelation, the relationship between God and man, the meaning of good and evil, etc. Apart from leading man astray from spiritual truths, such guesswork gives rise to the arbitrary rules of conduct and self-imposed inhibitions to which the Qur'an alludes, by way of example, in verses 118 and 119.
Messages unto people of [innate] knowledge, people who can grasp the truth, and people who will believe	Surah 6 (6:96) [He is] the One who causes the dawn to break; and He has made the night to be [a source of] stillness, and the sun and the moon to run their appointed courses: (81) [all] this is laid down by the will of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. 6:97 And He it is who has set up for you the stars so that you might be guided by them in the midst of the deep darkness of land and sea: clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people of [innate] knowledge! (6:98) And He it is who has brought you [all] into being out of one living entity, (82) and [has appointed for each of you] a time-limit [on earth] and a resting-place [after death]: (83) clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people who can grasp the truth! 6:99 And He it is who has caused waters to come down from the sky; and by this means have We brought forth all living growth, and out of this have We brought forth verdure. (84) Out of this do We bring forth close-growing grain; and out of the spathe of the palm tree, dates in thick clusters; and gardens of vines, and the olive tree, and the pomegranate: [all] so alike, and yet so different! (85) Behold their fruit when it comes to fruition and ripens! Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for people who will believe!	Notes on Surah 6 83 The commentators differ widely as to the meaning of the terms mustaqarr and mustawda' in this context. However, taking into account the primary meaning of musstagarr as "the limit of a course" – i.e., the point at which a thing reaches its fulfilment or end – and of mustawda' as "a place of consignment" or "repository", we arrive at the rendering adopted by me above. This rendering finds, moreover, strong support in 11:6, where God is spoken of as providing sustenance for every living being and knowing "its time-limit [on earth] and its resting-place [after death]" (mustagarraha wa-mustawda'aha), as well as in verse 67 of the present surah, where mustaqarr is used in the sense of "a term set for the fulfilment [of God's tiding]". 84 In contrast with its sequence, which is governed by the present tense, the whole of the above sentence is expressed in the past tense – thus indicating, obliquely, the original, basic aspect of God's creating life "out of water" (cf. 21:30 and the corresponding note 39). 85 I.e., all so alike in the basic principles of their life and growth, and yet so different in physiology, appearance and taste.
People who will not use their reason	Surah 8 8:22 Verily, the vilest of all creatures (23) in the sight of God are those deaf, those dumb ones who do not use their reason. […] (8:55) Verily, the vilest creatures in the sight of God are those who are bent on denying the truth and therefore do not believe. (58) Surah 59 (59:14) [...] Severe is their warlike discord among themselves: thou wouldst think that they are united, whereas [in fact] their hearts are at odds [with one another]: this, because they are people who will not use their reason. […] 59:18 O YOU who have attained to faith! Remain conscious of God; and let every human being look to what he sends ahead for the morrow! And [once again]: Remain conscious of God, for God is fully aware of all that you do; (59:19) and be not like those who are oblivious of God, and whom He therefore causes to be oblivious of [what is good for] their own selves: [for] it is they, they who are truly depraved! (25)	Notes on Surah 8 23 Lit., "animals that walk or crawl" (dawab, sing. dabbah), including man as well. […] 58 Cf. verse 22 of this surah, where the same epithet is applied to human beings "who do not use their reason". In the present instance, it should be noted, the particle fa at the beginning of the phrase fa-hum la yu'minun has the meaning of "and therefore" ("and therefore they do not believe"): thus showing that lack of belief in spiritual verities is a consequence of one's being "bent on denying the truth". Expressed in positive terms, this amounts to the statement that belief in any ethical proposition depends on one's readiness to consider it on its merits and to admit the truth of whatever one's mind judges to be in conformity with other – empirically or intuitively established – truths. As regards the expression alladhina kafaru, the use of the past tense is meant here, as so often in the Qur'an, to stress the element of intention, and is, therefore, consistently rendered by me – wherever the context warrants it – as "those who are bent on denying the truth" (see also surah 2, note 6). Notes on Surah 59 20 Sc., "with a view to achieving what is good for themselves": implying that people who have no real faith and no definite moral convictions can never attain to true unity among themselves, but are always impelled to commit acts of aggression against one another. […] 25 I.e., by having made a deliberately wrong use of the faculty of reason with which God has endowed man, and – by remaining oblivious of Him – having wasted their own spiritual potential.
True believers	Surah 2 2:2 HIS DIVINE WRIT – let there be no doubt about it is [meant to be] a guidance for all the God-conscious (2) (2:3) who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception, (3) and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance; (4) (2:4) and who believe in that which has been bestowed from on high upon thee, [O Prophet,] as well as in that which was bestowed before thy time: (5) for it is they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come! Surah 8 8:2 Believers are only they whose hearts tremble with awe whenever God is mentioned, and whose faith is strengthened whenever His messages are conveyed unto them, (3) and who in their Sustainer place their trust – (8:3) those who are constant in prayer and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance (4) (8:4) it is they, they who are truly believers! Theirs shall be great dignity in their Sustainer's sight, and forgiveness of sins, and a most excellent sustenance. (5)	Notes on Surah 2 2 The conventional translation of muttaqi as "God-fearing" does not adequately render the positive content of this expression – namely, the awareness of His all-presence and the desire to mould one's existence in the light of this awareness; while the interpretation adopted by some translators, "one who guards himself against evil" or "one who is careful of his duty", does not give more than one particular aspect of the concept of God-consciousness. 3 Al-ghayb (commonly, and erroneously, translated as "the Unseen") is used in the Qur'an to denote all those sectors or phases of reality which lie beyond the range of human perception and cannot, therefore, be proved or disproved by scientific observation or even adequately comprised within the accepted categories of speculative thought: as, for instance, the existence of God and of a definite purpose underlying the universe, life after death, the real nature of time, the existence of spiritual forces and their interaction, and so forth. Only a person who is convinced that the ultimate reality comprises far more than our observable environment can attain to belief in God and, thus, to a belief that life has meaning and purpose. By pointing out that it is "a guidance for those who believe in the existence of that which is beyond human perception", the Qur'an says, in effect, that it will – of necessity – remain a closed book to all whose minds cannot accept this fundamental premise. 4 Ar-rizq ("provision of sustenance") applies to all that may be of benefit to man, whether it be concrete (like food, property, offspring, etc.) or abstract (like knowledge, piety, etc.). The "spending on others" is mentioned here in one breath with God-consciousness and prayer because it is precisely in such selfless acts that true piety comes to its full fruition. It should be borne in mind that the verb anfaqa (lit., "he spent") is always used in the Qur'an to denote spending freely on, or as a gift to, others, whatever the motive may be. 5 This is a reference to one of the fundamental doctrines of the Qur'an: the doctrine of the historical continuity of divine revelation. Life – so the Qur'an teaches us – is not a series of unconnected jumps but a continuous, organic process: and this law applies also to the life of the mind, of which man's religious experience (in its cumulative sense) is a part. Thus, the religion of the Qur'an can be properly understood only against the background of the great monotheistic faiths which preceded it, and which, according to Muslim belief, culminate and achieve their final formulation in the faith of Islam. Notes on Surah 8 3 Lit., "and whenever His messages are conveyed to them, they increase them in faith" 4 See surah 2, note 4 (above). 5 I.e., in paradise. According to Razi, however, the "most excellent sustenance" is a metonym for "the spiritual raptures arising from the knowledge of God, the love of Him, and the self-immersion (istighraq) in worshipping Him". In Razi's interpretation, this expression refers to the spiritual reward of faith in this world. Some commentators (cf. Manar IX, 597) regard the above definition of true believers as the most important passage of this surah. – The phrase rendered by me as "theirs shall be great dignity" reads, literally, "they shall have degrees", namely, of excellence and dignity.
Two seas (allegory)	Surah 18 18:60 AND LO! (67), [In the course of his wanderings,] Moses said to his servant: "I shall not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I [have to] spend untold years [in my quest]!" Surah 55 55:50 In [each of] these two [gardens (of paradise)] two springs will flow. (24) Confer 18:65.	Note on Surah 18 67 The subsequent parable of Moses and his quest for knowledge (verses 60-82) has become, in the course of time, the nucleus of innumerable legends with which we are not concerned here. [...] Baydawi offers, in his commentary on verse 60, a purely allegorical explanation: the "two seas" represent the two sources or streams of knowledge – the one obtainable through the observation and intellectual coordination of outward phenomena ('ilm az-zahir), and the other through intuitive, mystic insight ('ilm al-batin) – the meeting of which is the real goal of Moses' quest. Note on Surah 55 24 The "two springs" of paradise call to mind the "two seas" spoken of in 18:60-61, which, according to Baydawi, symbolize the two sources or streams of knowledge accessible to man: the one obtained through the observation and intellectual analysis of external phenomena ('ilm az-zahir), and the other through inward, mystic insight ('ilm al-batin).
Wisdom – some essential prerequisites	Surah 30:21-24, 30:30 30:21 And among His wonders is this: He creates for you mates out of your own kind, (15) so that you might incline towards them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think! (30:22) And among his wonders is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colours: for in this, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are possessed of [innate] knowledge! 30:23 And among His wonders is your sleep, at night or in daytime, as well as your [ability to go about in] quest of some of His bounties: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who [are willing to] listen! 30:24 And among His wonders is this: He displays before you the lightning, giving rise to [both] fear and hope, (16) and sends down water from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who use their reason! […] 30:30 AND SO, set thy face (25) steadfastly towards the [one ever-true] faith, turning away from all that is false, (26) in accordance with the natural disposition which God has instilled into man: (27) Confer 6:96-99 Surah 7 7:203 Say [, O Prophet]: "I only follow whatever is being revealed to me by my Sustainer: this [revelation] is a means of insight from your Sustainer, and a guidance and grace unto people who will believe. (7:204) Hence, when the Qur'an is voiced, hearken unto it, and listen in silence, so that you might be graced with [God's] mercy." (7:205) And bethink thyself of thy Sustainer humbly and with awe, and without raising thy voice, at morn and at evening; and do not allow thyself to be heedless. Alternative endings of 7:203 Yusuf Ali: ... for any who have faith. Shakir: ... for a people who believe. Muhammad Sarwar: ... for those who have faith. Arberry: ... for a people of believers. See also: Fitrah (original disposition, natural constitution, innate nature).	Notes on Surah 30 15 Lit., "from among yourselves" (see surah 4, note 1). 16 I.e., hope of rain – an oft-recurring Qur'anic symbol of faith and spiritual life (cf. 13:12). […] 25 I.e., "surrender thy whole being"; the term "face" is often used metonymically in the sense of one's "whole being". 26 For this rendering of hanif, see note 110 on 2:135 (found under keyword Hanif in this compendium). 27 See 7:172 and the corresponding note 139 (found under keyword Fitrah in this compendium). The term fitrah, rendered by me as "natural disposition", connotes in this context man's inborn, intuitive ability to discern between right and wrong, true and false, and, thus, to sense God's existence and oneness. Cf. the famous saying of the Prophet, quoted by Bukhari and Muslim: "Every child is born in this natural disposition; it is only his parents that later turn him into a 'Jew', a 'Christian', or a 'Magian'." These three religious formulations, best known to the contemporaries of the Prophet, are thus contrasted with the "natural disposition" which, by definition, consists in man's instinctive cognition of God and self-surrender (islam) to Him. (The term "parents" has here the wider meaning of "social influences or environment").

Keywords

Qur’an quote

Notes and comments

4:162 But as for those from among them who are deeply rooted in knowledge, (176) and the believers who believe in that which has been bestowed upon thee from on high as well as that which was bestowed from on high before thee, and those who are [especially] constant in prayer, (177) and spend in charity, and all who believe in God and the Last Day – these it is unto whom We shall grant a mighty reward.

See also: Allegory in the Qur’an.

176 I.e., those from among the Jews who do not content themselves with a mere observance of rituals, but try to penetrate to the deepest meaning of faith.

177 According to the grammarians of the Basrah school, and especially Sibawayh, the use of the accusative (mansub) case in the expression al-muqimin as-salah ("those who are constant in prayer") – instead of the nominative al-muqimun – is a legitimate grammatical device meant to stress the special, praiseworthy quality attaching to prayer and to those who are devoted to it (see Zamakhshari and Razi); hence my interpolation of "especially" between brackets.

Faith, no coercion in matters of

2:256 THERE SHALL BE no coercion in matters of faith. (249)

See also: Heart, deafness and blindness of.

249 The term din denotes both the contents of and the compliance with a morally binding law; consequently, it signifies "religion" in the widest sense of this term, extending over all that pertains to its doctrinal contents and their practical implications, as well as to man's attitude towards the object of his worship, thus comprising also the concept of "faith". The rendering of din as "religion", "faith","religious law" or "moral law" (see note 3 on 109:6) depends on the context in which this term is used. – On the strength of the above categorical prohibition of coercion (ikrah) in anything that pertains to faith or religion, all Islamic jurists (fuqaha), without any exception, hold that forcible conversion is under all circumstances null and void, and that any attempt at coercing a non-believer to accept the faith of Islam is a grievous sin: a verdict which disposes of the widespread fallacy that Islam places before the unbelievers the alternative of "conversion or the sword".

Heart, deafness and blindness of

Surah 27

27:80 [But,] verily, thou canst not make the dead hear: and [so, too] thou canst not make the deaf [of heart] hear this call when they turn their backs [on thee] and go away, (27:81) just as thou canst not lead the blind [of heart] out of their error; none canst thou make hear save such as [are willing to] believe in Our messages, and thus surrender themselves unto Us. (72)

Confer 30:52-53.

Surah 28

28:56 VERILY, thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest: but it is God who guides him that wills [to be guided]; (55) and He is fully aware of all who would let themselves be guided. (56)

Surah 17

(17:72) for whoever is blind [of heart] in this [world] will be blind in the life to come [as well], and still farther astray from the path [of truth]. (87)

Surah 2

2:272 It is not for thee [O Prophet] to make people follow the right path, (260) since it is God [alone] who guides whom He wills.

See also:

· Remembering God.

· Self-destruction.

· God’s guidance.

· Faith, no coercion in matters of.

Note on Surah 27

72 This passage corresponds to the oft-repeated Qur'anic statement that "God guides him that wills [to be guided] (yahdi man yasha')".

Notes on Surah 28

55 Or: "God guides whomever He wills" – either of these two renderings being syntactically correct. According to several extremely well-authenticated Traditions, the above verse relates to the Prophet's inability to induce his dying uncle Abu Talib, whom he loved dearly and who had loved and protected him throughout his life, to renounce the pagan beliefs of his ancestors and to profess faith in God's oneness. Influenced by Abu Jahl and other Meccan chieftains, Abu Talib died professing, in his own words, "the creed of 'Abd al-Muttalib" (Bukhari) or, according to another version (quoted by Tabari), "the creed of my ancestors (al-ashyakh)". However, the Qur'anic statement "thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest" has undoubtedly a timeless import as well: it stresses the inadequacy of all human endeavours to "convert" any other person, however loving and loved, to one's own beliefs, or to prevent him from falling into what one regards as error, unless that person wills to be so guided.

56 The above rendering of the expression al-muhtadin conforms to the interpretations offered in this context by many classical commentators – e.g., "those who accept guidance" (Zamakhshari), "everyone who in time would find the right way" (Razi), "those who are prepared (musta'iddin) for it" (Baydawi), "all who deserve guidance" (Ibn Kathir), and so forth. Thus, God's guidance is but the final act of His grace with which He rewards all who desire to be guided. For a further consideration of this problem, the reader is referred to Zamakhshari's illuminating remarks quoted in note 4 on 14:4 (found in this compendium under God’s guidance I).

Note on Surah 17

87 Cf. 20: 124-125. This passage shows that man's life in the hereafter is not merely conditioned by the manner of his life on earth, but is also an organic extension of the latter, manifested in a natural development and intensification of previously-existing tendencies.

Note on Surah 2

260 Lit., "their guidance is not upon thee" – i.e., "thou art responsible only for conveying God's message to them, and not for their reaction to it": the people referred to being the needy spoken of in the preceding verses. It appears that in the early days after his migration to Medina, the Prophet – faced by the great poverty prevalent among his own community – advised his Companions that "charity should be bestowed only on the followers of Islam" – a view that was immediately corrected by the revelation of the above verse (a number of Traditions to this effect are quoted by Tabari, Razi and Ibn Kathir, as well as in Manar III, 82 f.). According to several other Traditions (recorded, among others, by Nasa'i and Abu Da'ud and quoted by all the classical commentators), the Prophet thereupon explicitly enjoined upon his followers to disburse charities upon all who needed them, irrespective of the faith of the person concerned. Consequently, there is full agreement among all the commentators that the above verse of the Qur'an – athough expressed in the singular and, on the face of it, addressed to the Prophet – lays down an injunction binding upon all Muslims. Razi, in particular, draws from it the additional conclusion that charity – or the threat to withhold it – must never become a means of attracting unbelievers to Islam: for, in order to be valid, faith must be an outcome of inner conviction and free choice. This is in consonance with verse 256 of this surah: "There shall be no coercion in matters of faith."

Heart, disease of

(2:10) In their hearts is disease, and so God lets their disease increase; and grievous suffering awaits them because of their persistent lying. (8)

See also:

· Falsehood – should be shunned.

· Sinning against oneself.

· Suppressing testimony from God.

8 i.e., before God and man – and to themselves. It is generally assumed that the people to whom this passage alludes in the first instance are the hypocrites of Medina who, during the early years after the hijrah, outwardly professed their adherence to Islam while remaining inwardly unconvinced of the truth of Muhammad's message. However, as is always the case with Quranic allusions to contemporary or historical events, the above and the following verses have a general, timeless import inasmuch as they refer to all people who are prone to deceive themselves in order to evade a spiritual commitment.

Knowledge – always to be sought after

20:114 [...] [always] say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!" (101)

101 Although it is very probable that – as most of the classical commentators point out – this exhortation was in the first instance addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, there is no doubt that it applies to every person, at all times, who reads the Qur'an. The idea underlying the above verse may be summed up thus: Since the Qur'an is the Word of God, all its component parts – phrases, sentences, verses and surahs – form one integral, coordinated whole (cf. the last sentence of 25:32 and the corresponding note 27). Hence, if one is really intent on understanding the Qur'anic message, one must beware of a "hasty approach" – that is to say, of drawing hasty conclusions from isolated verses or sentences taken out of their context – but should, rather, allow the whole of the Qur'an to be revealed to one's mind before attempting to interpret single aspects of its message. (See also 75:16-19 and the corresponding notes.)

Majority, be not led astray by

6:116 Now if thou pay heed unto the majority of those [who live] on earth, they will but lead thee astray from the path of God: they follow but [other people's] conjectures, and they themselves do nothing but guess. (103) (6:117) Verily, thy Sustainer knows best as to who strays from His path, and best knows He as to who are the right-guided.

103 Le., regarding the true nature of human life and its ultimate destiny, the problem of revelation, the relationship between God and man, the meaning of good and evil, etc. Apart from leading man astray from spiritual truths, such guesswork gives rise to the arbitrary rules of conduct and self-imposed inhibitions to which the Qur'an alludes, by way of example, in verses 118 and 119.

Messages unto people of [innate] knowledge, people who can grasp the truth, and people who will believe

Surah 6

(6:96) [He is] the One who causes the dawn to break; and He has made the night to be [a source of] stillness, and the sun and the moon to run their appointed courses: (81) [all] this is laid down by the will of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.

6:97 And He it is who has set up for you the stars so that you might be guided by them in the midst of the deep darkness of land and sea: clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people of [innate] knowledge!

(6:98) And He it is who has brought you [all] into being out of one living entity, (82) and [has appointed for each of you] a time-limit [on earth] and a resting-place [after death]: (83) clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people who can grasp the truth!

6:99 And He it is who has caused waters to come down from the sky; and by this means have We brought forth all living growth, and out of this have We brought forth verdure. (84) Out of this do We bring forth close-growing grain; and out of the spathe of the palm tree, dates in thick clusters; and gardens of vines, and the olive tree, and the pomegranate: [all] so alike, and yet so different! (85) Behold their fruit when it comes to fruition and ripens! Verily, in all this there are messages indeed for people who will believe!

Notes on Surah 6

83 The commentators differ widely as to the meaning of the terms mustaqarr and mustawda' in this context. However, taking into account the primary meaning of musstagarr as "the limit of a course" – i.e., the point at which a thing reaches its fulfilment or end – and of mustawda' as "a place of consignment" or "repository", we arrive at the rendering adopted by me above. This rendering finds, moreover, strong support in 11:6, where God is spoken of as providing sustenance for every living being and knowing "its time-limit [on earth] and its resting-place [after death]" (mustagarraha wa-mustawda'aha), as well as in verse 67 of the present surah, where mustaqarr is used in the sense of "a term set for the fulfilment [of God's tiding]".

84 In contrast with its sequence, which is governed by the present tense, the whole of the

above sentence is expressed in the past tense – thus indicating, obliquely, the original,

basic aspect of God's creating life "out of water" (cf. 21:30 and the corresponding note 39).

85 I.e., all so alike in the basic principles of their life and growth, and yet so different

in physiology, appearance and taste.

People who will not use their reason

Surah 8

8:22 Verily, the vilest of all creatures (23) in the sight of God are those deaf, those dumb ones who do not use their reason.

[…]

(8:55) Verily, the vilest creatures in the sight of God are those who are bent on denying the truth and therefore do not believe. (58)

Surah 59

(59:14) [...] Severe is their warlike discord among themselves: thou wouldst think that they are united, whereas [in fact] their hearts are at odds [with one another]: this, because they are people who will not use their reason.

[…]

59:18 O YOU who have attained to faith! Remain conscious of God; and let every human being look to what he sends ahead for the morrow! And [once again]: Remain conscious of God, for God is fully aware of all that you do; (59:19) and be not like those who are oblivious of God, and whom He therefore causes to be oblivious of [what is good for] their own selves: [for] it is they, they who are truly depraved! (25)

Notes on Surah 8

23 Lit., "animals that walk or crawl" (dawab, sing. dabbah), including man as well.

[…]

58 Cf. verse 22 of this surah, where the same epithet is applied to human beings "who do not use their reason". In the present instance, it should be noted, the particle fa at the beginning of the phrase fa-hum la yu'minun has the meaning of "and therefore" ("and therefore they do not believe"): thus showing that lack of belief in spiritual verities is a consequence of one's being "bent on denying the truth". Expressed in positive terms, this amounts to the statement that belief in any ethical proposition depends on one's readiness to consider it on its merits and to admit the truth of whatever one's mind judges to be in conformity with other – empirically or intuitively established – truths. As regards the expression alladhina kafaru, the use of the past tense is meant here, as so often in the Qur'an, to stress the element of intention, and is, therefore, consistently rendered by me – wherever the context warrants it – as "those who are bent on denying the truth" (see also surah 2, note 6).

Notes on Surah 59

20 Sc., "with a view to achieving what is good for themselves": implying that people who have no real faith and no definite moral convictions can never attain to true unity among themselves, but are always impelled to commit acts of aggression against one another.

[…]

25 I.e., by having made a deliberately wrong use of the faculty of reason with which God has endowed man, and – by remaining oblivious of Him – having wasted their own spiritual potential.

True believers

Surah 2

2:2 HIS DIVINE WRIT – let there be no doubt about it is [meant to be] a guidance for all the God-conscious (2) (2:3) who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception, (3) and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance; (4) (2:4) and who believe in that which has been bestowed from on high upon thee, [O Prophet,] as well as in that which was bestowed before thy time: (5) for it is they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come!

Surah 8

8:2 Believers are only they whose hearts tremble with awe whenever God is mentioned, and whose faith is strengthened whenever His messages are conveyed unto them, (3) and who in their Sustainer place their trust – (8:3) those who are constant in prayer and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance (4) (8:4) it is they, they who are truly believers! Theirs shall be great dignity in their Sustainer's sight, and forgiveness of sins, and a most excellent sustenance. (5)

Notes on Surah 2

2 The conventional translation of muttaqi as "God-fearing" does not adequately render the positive content of this expression – namely, the awareness of His all-presence and the desire to mould one's existence in the light of this awareness; while the interpretation adopted by some translators, "one who guards himself against evil" or "one who is careful of his duty", does not give more than one particular aspect of the concept of God-consciousness.

3 Al-ghayb (commonly, and erroneously, translated as "the Unseen") is used in the Qur'an to denote all those sectors or phases of reality which lie beyond the range of human perception and cannot, therefore, be proved or disproved by scientific observation or even adequately comprised within the accepted categories of speculative thought: as, for instance, the existence of God and of a definite purpose underlying the universe, life after death, the real nature of time, the existence of spiritual forces and their interaction, and so forth. Only a person who is convinced that the ultimate reality comprises far more than our observable environment can attain to belief in God and, thus, to a belief that life has meaning and purpose. By pointing out that it is "a guidance for those who believe in the existence of that which is beyond human perception", the Qur'an says, in effect, that it will – of necessity – remain a closed book to all whose minds cannot accept this fundamental premise.

4 Ar-rizq ("provision of sustenance") applies to all that may be of benefit to man, whether it be concrete (like food, property, offspring, etc.) or abstract (like knowledge, piety, etc.). The "spending on others" is mentioned here in one breath with God-consciousness and prayer because it is precisely in such selfless acts that true piety comes to its full fruition. It should be borne in mind that the verb anfaqa (lit., "he spent") is always used in the Qur'an to denote spending freely on, or as a gift to, others, whatever the motive may be.

5 This is a reference to one of the fundamental doctrines of the Qur'an: the doctrine of the historical continuity of divine revelation. Life – so the Qur'an teaches us – is not a series of unconnected jumps but a continuous, organic process: and this law applies also to the life of the mind, of which man's religious experience (in its cumulative sense) is a part. Thus, the religion of the Qur'an can be properly understood only against the background of the great monotheistic faiths which preceded it, and which, according to Muslim belief, culminate and achieve their final formulation in the faith of Islam.

Notes on Surah 8

3 Lit., "and whenever His messages are conveyed to them, they increase them in faith"

4 See surah 2, note 4 (above).

5 I.e., in paradise. According to Razi, however, the "most excellent sustenance" is a metonym for "the spiritual raptures arising from the knowledge of God, the love of Him, and the self-immersion (istighraq) in worshipping Him". In Razi's interpretation, this expression refers to the spiritual reward of faith in this world. Some commentators (cf. Manar IX, 597) regard the above definition of true believers as the most important passage of this surah. – The phrase rendered by me as "theirs shall be great dignity" reads, literally, "they shall have degrees", namely, of excellence and dignity.

Two seas (allegory)

Surah 18

18:60 AND LO! (67), [In the course of his wanderings,] Moses said to his servant: "I shall not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I [have to] spend untold years [in my quest]!"

Surah 55

55:50 In [each of] these two [gardens (of paradise)] two springs will flow. (24)

Confer 18:65.

Note on Surah 18

67 The subsequent parable of Moses and his quest for knowledge (verses 60-82) has become, in the course of time, the nucleus of innumerable legends with which we are not concerned here. [...] Baydawi offers, in his commentary on verse 60, a purely allegorical explanation: the "two seas" represent the two sources or streams of knowledge – the one obtainable through the observation and intellectual coordination of outward phenomena ('ilm az-zahir), and the other through intuitive, mystic insight ('ilm al-batin) – the meeting of which is the real goal of Moses' quest.

Note on Surah 55

24 The "two springs" of paradise call to mind the "two seas" spoken of in 18:60-61, which, according to Baydawi, symbolize the two sources or streams of knowledge accessible to man: the one obtained through the observation and intellectual analysis of external phenomena ('ilm az-zahir), and the other through inward, mystic insight ('ilm al-batin).

Wisdom – some essential prerequisites

Surah 30:21-24, 30:30

30:21 And among His wonders is this: He creates for you mates out of your own kind, (15) so that you might incline towards them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think! (30:22) And among his wonders is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colours: for in this, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are possessed of [innate] knowledge! 30:23 And among His wonders is your sleep, at night or in daytime, as well as your [ability to go about in] quest of some of His bounties: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who [are willing to] listen! 30:24 And among His wonders is this: He displays before you the lightning, giving rise to [both] fear and hope, (16) and sends down water from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who use their reason!

[…]

Confer 6:96-99

Surah 7

7:203 Say [, O Prophet]: "I only follow whatever is being revealed to me by my Sustainer: this [revelation] is a means of insight from your Sustainer, and a guidance and grace unto people who will believe. (7:204) Hence, when the Qur'an is voiced, hearken unto it, and listen in silence, so that you might be graced with [God's] mercy." (7:205) And bethink thyself of thy Sustainer humbly and with awe, and without raising thy voice, at morn and at evening; and do not allow thyself to be heedless.

Alternative endings of 7:203

Yusuf Ali: ... for any who have faith.

Shakir: ... for a people who believe.

Muhammad Sarwar: ... for those who have faith.

Arberry: ... for a people of believers.

Notes on Surah 30

15 Lit., "from among yourselves" (see surah 4, note 1).

16 I.e., hope of rain – an oft-recurring Qur'anic symbol of faith and spiritual life (cf. 13:12).

[…]

25 I.e., "surrender thy whole being"; the term "face" is often used metonymically in the sense of one's "whole being".

26 For this rendering of hanif, see note 110 on 2:135 (found under keyword Hanif in this compendium).

27 See 7:172 and the corresponding note 139 (found under keyword Fitrah in this compendium). The term fitrah, rendered by me as "natural disposition", connotes in this context man's inborn, intuitive ability to discern between right and wrong, true and false, and, thus, to sense God's existence and oneness. Cf. the famous saying of the Prophet, quoted by Bukhari and Muslim: "Every child is born in this natural disposition; it is only his parents that later turn him into a 'Jew', a 'Christian', or a 'Magian'." These three religious formulations, best known to the contemporaries of the Prophet, are thus contrasted with the "natural disposition" which, by definition, consists in man's instinctive cognition of God and self-surrender (islam) to Him. (The term "parents" has here the wider meaning of "social influences or environment").

5. The Qur’an

This section provides several examples of what the Qur’an says about itself. The entry labelled Allegory in the Qur’an may, according to Asad, be regarded as a key to our understanding of the Qur'an (for a more thorough discussion of the Qur’an’s use of symbolism and allegory, see Appendix C).

Keywords	Qur’an quote	Notes and comments
Allegory in the Qur’an	3:7 He it is who has bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, containing messages that are clear in and by themselves – and these are the essence of the divine writ – as well as others that are allegorical. (5) Now those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the divine writ (6) which has been expressed in allegory, seeking out [what is bound to create] confusion, (7) and seeking [to arrive at] its final meaning [in an arbitrary manner]; but none save God knows its final meaning. (8) Hence, those who are deeply rooted in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole [of the divine writ] is from our Sustainer – albeit none takes this to heart save those who are endowed with insight. Confer 4:162 and its corresponding note 176 where those [from among the Jews] “who are deeply rooted in knowledge”, are described by Asad as people “who do not content themselves with a mere observance of rituals, but try to penetrate to the deepest meaning of faith.” For a full rendering of 4:162 and its notes, see: Faith, deepest meaning of.	5 The above passage may be regarded as a key to the understanding of the Qur'an. Tabari identifies the ayat muhkamat ("messages that are clear in and by themselves") with what the philologists and jurists describe as nass – namely, ordinances or statements which are self-evident (zahir) by virtue of their wording (cf. Lisan al-'Arab, art. nass). Consequently, Tabari regards as ayat muhkamat only those statements or ordinances of the Qur'an which do not admit of more than one interpretation (which does not, of course, preclude differences of opinion regarding the implications of a particular ayah muhkamah). In my opinion, however, it would be too dogmatic to regard any passage of the Qur'an which does not conform to the above definition as mutashabih ("allegorical"): for there are many statements in the Qur'an which are liable to more than one interpretation but are, nevertheless, not allegorical – just as there are many expressions and passages which, despite their allegorical formulation, reveal to the searching intellect only one possible meaning. For this reason, the ayat mutashabihat may be defined as those passages of the Qur'an which are expressed in a figurative manner, with a meaning that is metaphorically implied but not directly, in so many words, stated. The ayat muhkamat are described as the "essence of the divine writ" (umm al-kitab) because they comprise the fundamental principles underlying its message and, in particular, its ethical and social teachings: and it is only on the basis of these clearly enunciated principles that the allegorical passages can be correctly interpreted. (For a more detailed discussion of symbolism and allegory in the Qur'an. see Appendix 1.) 6 Lit., "that of it". 7 The "confusion" referred to here is a consequence of interpreting allegorical passages in an "arbitrary manner" (Zamakhshari). 8 According to most of the early commentators, this refers to the interpretation of allegorical passages which deal with metaphysical subjects – for instance, God's attributes, the ultimate meaning of time and eternity, the resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgment, paradise and hell, the nature of the beings or forces described as angels, and so forth – all of which fall within the category of al-ghayb, i.e., that sector of reality which is beyond the reach of human perception and imagination and cannot, therefore, be conveyed to man in other than allegorical terms. This view of the classical commentators, however, does not seem to take into account the many Qur'anic passages which do not deal with metaphysical subjects and yet are, undoubtedly, allegorical in intent and expression. To my mind, one cannot arrive at a correct understanding of the above passage without paying due attention to the nature and function of allegory as such. A true allegory – in contrast with a mere pictorial paraphrase of something that could equally well be stated in direct terms – is always meant to express in a figurative manner something which, because of its complexity, cannot be adequately expressed in direct terms or propositions and, because of this very complexity, can be grasped only intuitively, as a general mental image, and not as a series of detailed "statements": and this seems to be the meaning of the phrase, "none save God knows its final meaning".
Divine authorship	10:37 Now this Qur'an could not possibly have been devised by anyone save God: nay indeed, it confirms the truth of whatever there still remains [of earlier revelations]
Divine inspiration	Surah 16 16:2 He causes the angels to descend with this divine inspiration, (2) [bestowed] at His behest upon whomever He wills of His servants: "Warn [all human beings] that there is no deity save Me: be, therefore, conscious of Me!" Surah 34 34:1 ALL PRAISE is due to God, to whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs; and to Him will be due all praise in the life to come. For He alone is truly wise, all-aware: (34:2) He knows all that enters the earth, and all that comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that ascends to them. (1) And He alone is a dispenser of grace, truly-forgiving.	Note on Surah 16 2 The term ruh (lit., "spirit", "soul" or "breath of life") is often used in the Qur'an in the sense of "inspiration" – and, more particularly, "divine inspiration" – since, as Zamakhshari points out in connection with the above verse as well as with the first sentence of 42:52, "it gives life to hearts that were [as] dead in their ignorance, and has in religion the same function as a soul has in a body". A very similar explanation is given by Razi in the same context. The earliest instance in which the term ruh has been used in this particular sense is 97:4. Note on Surah 34 1 This definition comprises things physical and spiritual: waters disappearing underground and reappearing; the metamorphosis of seed into plant, and of decaying plant into oil and coal; traces of old artifacts and entire civilizations buried in the earth and then reappearing within the sight and consciousness of later generations of men; the transformation of dead bodies of animals and men into elements of nourishment for new life; the ascent of earthy vapours towards the skies, and their descent as rain, snow or hail; the ascent towards the heavens of men's longings, hopes and ambitions, and the descent of divine inspiration into the minds of men, and thus a revival of faith and thought and, with it, the growth of new artifacts, new skills and new hopes: in short, the endless recurrence of birth, death and re-birth which characterizes all of God's creation.
Divine writ	21:10 [O MEN!] We have now bestowed upon you from on high a divine writ containing all that you ought to bear in mind: (13) will you not, then, use your reason?	(13) The term dhikr, which primarily denotes a "reminder" or a "remembrance", or, as Raghib defines it, the "presence [of something] in the mind", has also the meaning of "that by which one is remembered", i.e., with praise – in other words, "renown" or "fame" – and, tropically, "honour", "eminence" or "dignity". Hence, the above phrase contains, apart from the concept of a "reminder", an indirect allusion to the dignity and happiness to which man may attain by following the spiritual and social precepts laid down in the Qur'an. By rendering the expression dhikrukum as "all that you ought to bear in mind", I have tried to bring out all these meanings.
Message from God (Qur’an)	17:59 And nothing has prevented Us from sending [this message, like the earlier ones,] with miraculous signs [in its wake], save [Our knowledge] that the people of olden times [only too often] gave the lie to them: (71)	71 This highly elliptic sentence has a fundamental bearing on the purport of the Qur'an as a whole. In many places the Qur'an stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, despite his being the last and greatest of God's apostles, was not empowered to perform miracles similar to those with which the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. His only miracle was and is the Qur'an itself – a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical comprehensiveness, destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not merely to the feelings but also to the minds of men, open to everyone, whatever his race or social environment, and bound to remain unchanged forever. Since the earlier prophets invariably appealed to their own community and their own time alone, their teachings were, of necessity, circumscribed by the social and intellectual conditions of that particular community and time; and since the people to whom they addressed themselves had not yet reached the stage of independent thinking, those prophets stood in need of symbolic portents or miracles (see surah 6, note 94) in order to make the people concerned realize the inner truth of their mission. The message of the Qur'an, on the other hand, was revealed at a time when mankind (and, in particular, that part of it which inhabited the regions marked by the earlier, Judaeo-Christian religious development) had reached a degree of maturity which henceforth enabled it to grasp an ideology as such without the aid of those persuasive portents and miraculous demonstrations which in the past, as the above verse points out, only too often gave rise to new, grave misconceptions.
Nothing new (in Muhammad’s message)	41:43 [And as for thee, O Prophet,] nothing is being said to thee but what was said to all [of God's] apostles before thy time. (36)	36 This is an allusion to the allegation of the Prophet's opponents that he himself was the "author" of what he claimed to be a divine revelation, as well as to their demand that he should "prove" the truth of his prophetic mission by producing a miracle: a scornful attitude with which all the earlier prophets had been confronted at one time or another, and which is epitomized in the "saying" of the unbelievers mentioned in verse 5 of this surah.
Qur’an – appealing to man’s reason and moral sense	50:1 Qaf. (1) CONSIDER this sublime Qur'an! (50:2) But nay – they deem it strange that a warner should have come unto them from their own midst; (2) and so these deniers of the truth are saying, "A strange thing is this!	1 Chronologically, the above is the second occurrence (after surah 68) of one of the disjointed letter-symbols which precede some of the Qur'anic surahs. For the theories relating to these symbols, see Appendix II. As regards my rendering of the adjurative particle wa which opens the next sentence as "Consider", see first half of note 23 on 74:32, where this adjuration appears for the first time in the chronological order of revelation. 2 This is the earliest Qur'anic mention – repeated again and again in other places of people's "deeming it strange" that a purportedly divine message should have been delivered by someone "from their own midst", i.e., a mortal like themselves. Although it is undoubtedly, in the first instance, a reference to the negative attitude of the Meccan pagans to Muhammad's call, its frequent repetition throughout the Qur'an has obviously an implication going far beyond that historical reference: it points to the tendency common to many people, at all stages of human development, to distrust any religious statement that is devoid of all exoticism inasmuch as it is enunciated by a person sharing the social and cultural background of those whom he addresses, and because the message itself relies exclusively – as the Qur'an does – on an appeal to man's reason and moral sense. Hence, the Qur'an explicitly mentions people's "objections" to a prophet "who eats food [like ordinary mortals] and goes about in the market-places" (25:7; see also note 16 on 25:20).
Qur’an – consistent (i.e., free of inner contradictions)	4:82 Will they not, then, try to understand this Qur'an? Had it issued from any but God, they would surely have found in it many an inner contradiction! (97)	97 I.e., the fact that it is free of all inner contradictions – in spite of its having been revealed gradually, over a period of twenty-three years – should convince them that it has not been "composed by Muhammad" (an accusation frequently levelled against him not only by his contemporaries but also by non-believers of later times), but could only have originated from a supra-human source.
Qur’an – convincing, and fulfilling an old promise	17:107 Behold, those who are already (130) endowed with [innate] knowledge fall down upon their faces in prostration as soon as this [divine writ] is conveyed unto them, (17:108) and say, "Limitless in His glory is our Sustainer! Verily, our Sustainer's promise has been fulfilled!" (131)	130 Lit., "before it" – i.e., before the Qur'an as such has come within their ken. 131 This may be an allusion to the many Biblical predictions of the advent of the Prophet Muhammad, especially to Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18 (cf. surah 2, note 33). In its wider sense, however, the "fulfilment of God's promise" relates to His bestowal of a definitive revelation, the Qur'an, henceforth destined to guide man at all stages of his spiritual, cultural and social development.
Qur’an – divinely inspired	16:103 whereas this is Arabic speech, clear [in itself] and clearly showing the truth [of its source].	For an explanation of this composite rendering of the descriptive term mubin, see surah 12, note 2. 'the term is used here to stress the fact that no human being – and certainly no non-Arab – could ever have produced the flawless, exalted Arabic diction in which the Qur'an is expressed.
Qur’an – full of wisdom	(36:2) Consider this Qur'an full of wisdom: (36:3) verily, thou [Muhammad] art indeed one of God's message-bearers, (2) (36:4) pursuing a straight way (36:5) by [virtue of] what is being bestowed from on high by the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace, (3)	2 This statement explains the adjurative particle wa (rendered by me as "Consider") at the beginning of the preceding verse – namely: "Let the wisdom apparent in the Qur'an serve as an evidence of the fact that thou art an apostle of God". As regards my rendering of al-qur'an al-hakim as "this Qur'an full of wisdom", see note 2 on 10:1. 3 Cf. 34:50 – "if I am on the right path, it is but by virtue of what my Sustainer reveals unto me".
Qur’an – inimitable	17:88 Say: "If all mankind and all invisible beings would come together with a view to producing the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce its like even though they were to exert all their strength in aiding one another!" (17:89) For, indeed, many facets have We given in this Qur'an to every kind of lesson [designed] for [the benefit of] mankind!
Qur’an – its messages should be pondered in humble realization that their understanding requires insight	38:29 [All this have We expounded in this] blessed divine writ which We have revealed unto thee, [O Muhammad,] so that men may ponder over its messages, and that those who are endowed with insight may take them to heart. Sahih International: [This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded. Pickthall: (This is) a Scripture that We have revealed unto thee, full of blessing, that they may ponder its revelations, and that men of understanding may reflect. Yusuf Ali: (Here is) a Book which We have sent down unto thee, full of blessings, that they may mediate on its Signs, and that men of understanding may receive admonition. Shakir: (It is) a Book We have revealed to you abounding in good that they may ponder over its verses, and that those endowed with understanding may be mindful. Muhammad Sarwar: It is a blessed Book which We have revealed for you so that you will reflect upon its verses and so the people of understanding will take heed. Mohsin Khan: (This is) a Book (the Quran) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember. Arberry: A Book We have sent down to thee, Blessed, that men possessed of minds may ponder its signs and so remember.
Qur’an – its truth and purport will gradually dawn on us	(38:87) [SAY O Prophet]: "This [divine writ], behold, is no less than a reminder to all the worlds – (38:88) and you will most certainly grasp its purport after a lapse of time!" Sahih International: And you will surely know [the truth of] its information after a time. Pickthall: And ye will come in time to know the truth thereof. Yusuf Ali: "And ye shall certainly know the truth of it (all) after a while." Muhammad Sarwar: You will certainly know its truthfulness after a certain time. Mohsin Khan: "And you shall certainly know the truth of it after a while."
Qur’an – repeating truths in manifold forms	39:23 God bestows from on high (27) the best of all teachings in the shape of a divine writ fully consistent within itself, repeating each statement [of the truth] in manifold forms (28) – [a divine writ] whereat shiver the skins of all who of their Sustainer stand in awe: [but] in the end their skins and their hearts do soften at the remembrance of [the grace of] God. ... Such is God's guidance: He guides therewith him that wills [to be guided] (29) – whereas he whom God lets go astray can never find any guide. (30)	27 Lit., "has been bestowing from on high", i.e., step by step. The verbal form nazzala indicates both gradualness and continuity in the process of divine revelation and may, therefore, be appropriately rendered by the use of the present tense. 28 This is the most acceptable meaning, in this context, of the term mathani (pl. of mathna), as explained by Zamakhshari in his commentary on the above verse. Another possible meaning, preferred by Razi, is "pairing its statements", i.e., referring to the polarity stressed in all Qur'anic teachings (e.g., command and prohibition, duties and rights, reward and punishment, paradise and hell, light and darkness, the general and the specific, and so forth). As regards the inner consistency of the Qur'an, see also 4:82 and 25:32, as well as the corresponding notes. 29 Or: "He guides therewith whomever He wills", either of these two formulations being syntactically correct. 30 See note 4 on 14:4.
Qur’an – revealed over a long time period	25:32 Now they who are bent on denying the truth are wont to ask, "Why has not the Qur'an been bestowed on him from on high in one single revelation?" (26) [It has been revealed] in this manner so that We might strengthen thy heart thereby – for We have so arranged its component parts that they form one consistent whole. (27) – (25:33) and [that] they [who deny the truth] might never taunt thee with any deceptive half-truth (28) without Our conveying to thee the [full] truth and [providing thee] with the best explanation. (29)	26 Lit., "in one piece" or "as one statement" (jumlatan wahidatan) – implying, in the view of the opponents of Islam, that the gradual, step-by-step revelation of the Qur'an points to its having been "composed" by Muhammad to suit his changing personal and political requirements. 27 I.e., free of all inner contradictions (cf. 4:82). See also 39:23, where the Qur'an is spoken of as "fully consistent within itself". The concise phrase rattalnahu tartilan comprises the parallel concepts of "putting the component parts [of a thing] together and arranging them well" as well as "endowing it with inner consistency". Inasmuch as full consistency and freedom from contradictions in a message spread over twenty-three years of a life as full of movement and drama as that of the Prophet does give a clear indication of its God-inspired quality, it is bound to strengthen the faith of every thinking believer: and herein lies, according to the Qur'an itself, the deepest reason. for its slow, gradual revelation. (When applied to the reciting of the Qur'an – as in 73:4 – the term tartil refers to the measured diction and the thoughtful manner in which it ought to be enunciated.) 28 Lit., "come to thee with a parable (mathal)" – i.e., with all manner of seemingly plausible parabolic objections (exemplified in verses 7-8, 21 and 32 of this surah as well as in many other places in the Qur'an) meant to throw doubt on Muhammad's claim to prophethood and, hence, on the God-inspired character of the Qur'anic message. 29 Sc., "of the problem or problems involved": an allusion to the self-explanatory character of the Qur'an. Throughout this section (verses 30-34) the personal pronoun "thou" (in the forms "thy" and "thee") relates not only to the Prophet but also to every one of his followers at all times.
Qur’an – revealed step by step	3:3 Step by step has He bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, (2)	2 The gradualness of the Qur'anic revelation is stressed here by means of the grammatical form nazzala.
Qur’an – self-evident	2:185 It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was [first] bestowed from on high as a guidance unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard by which to discern the true from the false. […]
Qur’an – source of eminence	43:43 So hold fast to all that has been revealed to thee: for, behold, thou art on a straight way; (43:44) and, verily, this [revelation] shall indeed become [a source of] eminence for thee and thy people: (36) but in time you all will be called to account [for what you have done with it]. (37)	36 For the above rendering of dhikr as "[a source of] eminence", see first half of note 13 on 21:10 (found in this compendium under Divine writ). 37 The meaning is that on the Day of Judgment all prophets will be asked, metaphorically, as to what response they received from their people (cf. 5:109), and those who professed to follow them will be called to account for the spiritual and social use they made – or did not make – of the revelation conveyed to them: and thus, the "eminence" promised to the followers of Muhammad will depend on their actual behaviour and not on their mere profession of faith.
Qur’an – to be read in its entirety	20:114 [Know,] then, [that] God is sublimely exalted. the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth: (99) and [knowing this,] do not approach the Qur'an in haste, (100) ere it has been revealed unto thee in full, but [always] say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!" (101) See also: Qur’an – to be seen as its own commentary.	Note 99 is found in this compendium under Truth, ultimate. 100 Lit., "be not hasty with the Qur'an" (see next note). 101 Although it is very probable that – as most of the classical commentators point out – this exhortation was in the first instance addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, there is no doubt that it applies to every person, at all times, who reads the Qur'an. The idea underlying the above verse may be summed up thus: Since the Qur'an is the Word of God, all its component parts – phrases, sentences, verses and surahs – form one integral, coordinated whole (cf. the last sentence of 25:32 and the corresponding note 27). Hence, if one is really intent on understanding the Qur'anic message, one must beware of a "hasty approach" – that is to say, of drawing hasty conclusions from isolated verses or sentences taken out of their context – but should, rather, allow the whole of the Qur'an to be revealed to one's mind before attempting to interpret single aspects of its message. (See also 75:16-19 and the corresponding notes.)
Qur’an – to be seen as its own commentary	75:16 MOVE NOT thy tongue in haste, [repeating the words of the revelation:] (6) (75:17) for, behold, it is for Us to gather it [in thy heart,] and to cause it to be read [as it ought to be read]. (7) (75:18) Thus, when We recite it, follow thou its wording [with all thy mind]: (8) (75:19) and then, behold, it will be for Us to make its meaning clear. (9) See also: Qur’an – to be read in its entirety.	6 Lit., "Move not thy tongue therewith so that thou might hasten it" – the pronoun undoubtedly referring to the contents of revelation. In order to understand this parenthetic passage (verses 16-19) more fully, one should read it side by side with the related passage in 20:114, together with the corresponding note 101. Both these passages are in the first instance addressed to the Prophet, who is said to have been afraid that he might forget some of the revealed words unless he repeated them at the very moment of revelation; but both have also a wider import inasmuch as they apply to every believer who reads, listens to or studies the Qur'an. In 20:114 we are told not to draw hasty – and therefore potentially erroneous – conclusions from isolated verses or statements of the Qur'an, since only the study of the whole of its message can give us a correct insight. The present passage, on the other hand, lays stress on the need to imbibe the divine writ slowly, patiently, to give full thought to the meaning of every word and phrase, and to avoid the kind of haste which is indistinguishable from mechanical glibness, and which, moreover, induces the person who reads, recites or listens to it to remain satisfied with the mere beautiful sound of the Qur'anic language without understanding – or even paying adequate attention to – its message. 7 I.e., "it is for Us to make thee remember it and to cause it to be read with mind and heart". As pointed out in the preceding note, the Qur'an can be understood only if it is read thoughtfully, as one integral whole, and not as a mere collection of moral maxims, stories or disjointed laws. 8 Lit., "follow thou its recitation", i.e., its message as expressed in words. Since it is God who reveals the Qur'an and bestows upon man the ability to understand it, He attributes its "recitation" to Himself. 9 I.e., if the Qur'an is read "as it ought to be read" (see note 7 above), it becomes – as stressed by Muhammad Abduh – "its own best commentary".
Qur’an – to be studied deeply	3:79 [...] but rather [did he exhort them], "Become men of God (62) by spreading the knowledge of the divine writ, and by your own deep study [thereof]."	62 According to Sibawayh (as quoted by Razi), a rabbani is "one who devotes himself exclusively to the endeavour to know the Sustainer (ar-rabb) and to obey Him": a connotation fairly close to the English expression "a man of God".
Qur’an versus poetry	36:69 AND [thus it is:] We have not imparted to this [Prophet the gift of] poetry, nor would [poetry] have suited this [message]: (38) it is but a reminder and a [divine] discourse, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth, (39) (36:70) to the end that it may warn everyone who is alive [of heart], and that the word [of God] may bear witness (40) against all who deny the truth.	38 This passage resumes the theme enunciated in the opening verses of this surah, namely, the revelation of the Qur'an. As in 26:224, we have here an allusion to the allegation of Muhammad's opponents, in his own as well as in later times, that what he described as divine revelation was in reality an outcome of his own poetic invention. This the Qur'an refutes by alluding to the fundamental difference between poetry – especially Arabic poetry – and divine revelation as exemplified by the Qur'an: whereas in the former the meaning is often subordinated to the rhythm and the melody of language, in the Qur'an the exact opposite is the case, inasmuch as here the choice of words, their sound and their position in the sentence – and, hence, its rhythm and melody – are always subordinated to the meaning intended. (Cf. also 26: 225 and the corresponding note 100.) 39 For this composite rendering of the adjective mubin, see surah 12, note 2. Literally, the above phrase reads, "a reminder and a [divine] discourse ..., etc., with the conjunctive particle wa ("and") being used here, as in 15:1, to point out that the Qur'an is an integral element in the process of divine revelation. 40 Lit., "may come [or "be proved"] true", i.e., on the Day of Judgment (cf. verse 7 of this surah).
Qur'an – will cease to be of benefit to people who have lost their moral virtues and their faith	32:23 AND, INDEED, [O Muhammad,] We did vouchsafe revelation unto Moses [as well]: so be not in doubt of [thy] having met with the same [truth in the revelation vouchsafed to thee). (18) And [just as] We caused that [earlier revelation] to be a guidance for the children of Israel, (32:24) and [as] We raised among them leaders who, so long as they bore themselves with patience and had sure faith in Our messages, guided [their people] in accordance with Our behest (19) – [so, too, shall it be with the divine writ revealed unto thee, O Muhammad]. (20)	18 With this passage the discourse returns to the theme enunciated at the beginning of this surah – namely, the divine origin of the revelation granted to Muhammad, which, as the present passage points out, proceeds from the same source as that granted to Moses (the last of the great apostles of God accepted as such by all the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Furthermore, the identity of the fundamental truths in all divine revelations, stressed in the above verse, implies an identity of the moral demands made of the followers of those revelations irrespective of period, race or social environment. 19 I.e., in accordance with the divine ordinances enunciated in and for their time in the Torah: an allusion to the decline of faith, frequently mentioned in the Qur'an, among the children of Israel of later times, and the tendency among many of their leaders and learned men to corrupt the text of the Torah and, thus, to "overlay the truth with falsehood" (see, e.g., 2:42, 75, 79, and the corresponding notes). 20 This interpolation reflects Zamakhshari's commentary on the above passage, to the effect that the Qur'an is destined to provide guidance and light so long as the community's religious leaders are patient in adversity and steadfast in their faith: an interpretation which implies that the Qur'an will cease to be of benefit to people who have lost their moral virtues and their faith.
Revealed words – not to be taken out of context	4:46 Among those of the Jewish faith there are some who distort the meaning of the [revealed] words, taking them out of their context and saying, [as it were,] "We have heard, but we disobey," and, "Hear without hearkening," (59) and, "Hearken thou unto us, [O Muhammad]" – thus making a play with their tongues, and implying that the [true] Faith is false. (60) […] Confer 5:13, 5:41.	59 Cf. 2:93. figure of speech "hear without hearkening" addressed, as it were, by the Jews to themselves, describes their attitude towards both their own scriptures and the message of the Qur'an. 60 Lit., "making a thrust (ta'n) against the Faith" – i.e., attributing to it a fundamental defect. The saying "Hearken thou unto us" is meant to convey the conviction of the Jews that they had nothing to learn from the teaching propounded by the Prophet Muhammad, and that he should rather defer to their views on religious matters. See, in this connection, their assertion, "Our hearts are already full of knowledge", in 2:88.

Keywords

Qur’an quote

Notes and comments

Allegory in the Qur’an

3:7 He it is who has bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, containing messages that are clear in and by themselves – and these are the essence of the divine writ – as well as others that are allegorical. (5) Now those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the divine writ (6) which has been expressed in allegory, seeking out [what is bound to create] confusion, (7) and seeking [to arrive at] its final meaning [in an arbitrary manner]; but none save God knows its final meaning. (8) Hence, those who are deeply rooted in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole [of the divine writ] is from our Sustainer – albeit none takes this to heart save those who are endowed with insight.

Confer 4:162 and its corresponding note 176 where those [from among the Jews] “who are deeply rooted in knowledge”, are described by Asad as people “who do not content themselves with a mere observance of

rituals, but try to penetrate to the deepest meaning of faith.”

For a full rendering of 4:162 and its notes, see: Faith, deepest meaning of.

5 The above passage may be regarded as a key to the understanding of the Qur'an. Tabari identifies the ayat muhkamat ("messages that are clear in and by themselves") with what the philologists and jurists describe as nass – namely, ordinances or statements which are self-evident (zahir) by virtue of their wording (cf. Lisan al-'Arab, art. nass). Consequently, Tabari regards as ayat muhkamat only those statements or ordinances of the Qur'an which do not admit of more than one interpretation (which does not, of course, preclude differences of opinion regarding the implications of a particular ayah muhkamah). In my opinion, however, it would be too dogmatic to regard any passage of the Qur'an which does not conform to the above definition as mutashabih ("allegorical"): for there are many statements in the Qur'an which are liable to more than one interpretation but are, nevertheless, not allegorical – just as there are many expressions and passages which, despite their allegorical formulation, reveal to the searching intellect only one possible meaning. For this reason, the ayat mutashabihat may be defined as those passages of the Qur'an which are expressed in a figurative manner, with a meaning that is metaphorically implied but not directly, in so many words, stated. The ayat muhkamat are described as the "essence of the divine writ" (umm al-kitab) because they comprise the fundamental principles underlying its message and, in particular, its ethical and social teachings: and it is only on the basis of these clearly enunciated principles that the allegorical passages can be correctly interpreted. (For a more detailed discussion of symbolism and allegory in the Qur'an. see Appendix 1.)

6 Lit., "that of it".

7 The "confusion" referred to here is a consequence of interpreting allegorical passages in an "arbitrary manner" (Zamakhshari).

8 According to most of the early commentators, this refers to the interpretation of allegorical passages which deal with metaphysical subjects – for instance, God's attributes, the ultimate meaning of time and eternity, the resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgment, paradise and hell, the nature of the beings or forces described as angels, and so forth – all of which fall within the category of al-ghayb, i.e., that sector of reality which is beyond the reach of human perception and imagination and cannot, therefore, be conveyed to man in other than allegorical terms. This view of the classical commentators, however, does not seem to take into account the many Qur'anic passages which do not deal with metaphysical subjects and yet are, undoubtedly, allegorical in intent and expression. To my mind, one cannot arrive at a correct understanding of the above passage without paying due attention to the nature and function of allegory as such. A true allegory – in contrast with a mere pictorial paraphrase of something that could equally well be stated in direct terms – is always meant to express in a figurative manner something which, because of its complexity, cannot be adequately expressed in direct terms or propositions and, because of this very complexity, can be grasped only intuitively, as a general mental image, and not as a series of detailed "statements": and this seems to be the meaning of the phrase, "none save God knows its final meaning".

Divine authorship

10:37 Now this Qur'an could not possibly have been devised by anyone save God: nay indeed, it

confirms the truth of whatever there still remains [of earlier revelations]

Divine inspiration

Surah 16

16:2 He causes the angels to descend with this divine inspiration, (2) [bestowed] at His behest upon whomever He wills of His servants: "Warn [all human beings] that there is no deity save Me: be, therefore, conscious of Me!"

Surah 34

34:1 ALL PRAISE is due to God, to whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs; and to Him will be due all praise in the life to come. For He alone is truly wise, all-aware: (34:2) He knows all that enters the earth, and all that comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that ascends to them. (1) And He alone is a dispenser of grace, truly-forgiving.

Note on Surah 16

2 The term ruh (lit., "spirit", "soul" or "breath of life") is often used in the Qur'an in the sense of "inspiration" – and, more particularly, "divine inspiration" – since, as Zamakhshari points out in connection with the above verse as well as with the first sentence of 42:52, "it gives life to hearts that were [as] dead in their ignorance, and has in religion the same function as a soul has in a body". A very similar explanation is given by Razi in the same context. The earliest instance in which the term ruh has been used in this particular sense is 97:4.

Note on Surah 34

1 This definition comprises things physical and spiritual: waters disappearing underground and reappearing; the metamorphosis of seed into plant, and of decaying plant into oil and coal; traces of old artifacts and entire civilizations buried in the earth and then reappearing within the sight and consciousness of later generations of men; the transformation of dead bodies of animals and men into elements of nourishment for new life; the ascent of earthy vapours towards the skies, and their descent as rain, snow or hail; the ascent towards the heavens of men's longings, hopes and ambitions, and the descent of divine inspiration into the minds of men, and thus a revival of faith and thought and, with it, the growth of new artifacts, new skills and new hopes: in short, the endless recurrence of birth, death and re-birth which characterizes all of God's creation.

Divine writ

21:10 [O MEN!] We have now bestowed upon you from on high a divine writ containing all that you ought to bear in mind: (13) will you not, then, use your reason?

(13) The term dhikr, which primarily denotes a "reminder" or a "remembrance", or, as Raghib defines it, the "presence [of something] in the mind", has also the meaning of "that by which one is remembered", i.e., with praise – in other words, "renown" or "fame" – and, tropically, "honour", "eminence" or "dignity". Hence, the above phrase contains, apart from the concept of a "reminder", an indirect allusion to the dignity and happiness to which man may attain by following the spiritual and social precepts laid down in the Qur'an. By rendering the expression dhikrukum as "all that you ought to bear in mind", I have tried to bring out all these meanings.

Message from God (Qur’an)

17:59 And nothing has prevented Us from sending [this message, like the earlier ones,] with miraculous signs [in its wake], save [Our knowledge] that the people of olden times [only too often] gave the lie to them: (71)

71 This highly elliptic sentence has a fundamental bearing on the purport of the Qur'an as a whole. In many places the Qur'an stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, despite his being the last and greatest of God's apostles, was not empowered to perform miracles similar to those with which the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. His only miracle was and is the Qur'an itself – a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical comprehensiveness, destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not merely to the feelings but also to the minds of men, open to everyone, whatever his race or social environment, and bound to remain unchanged forever. Since the earlier prophets invariably appealed to their own community and their own time alone, their teachings were, of necessity, circumscribed by the social and intellectual conditions of that particular community and time; and since the people to whom they addressed themselves had not yet reached the stage of independent thinking, those prophets stood in need of symbolic portents or miracles (see surah 6, note 94) in order to make the people concerned realize the inner truth of their mission. The message of the Qur'an, on the other hand, was revealed at a time when mankind (and, in particular, that part of it which inhabited the regions marked by the earlier, Judaeo-Christian religious development) had reached a degree of maturity which henceforth enabled it to grasp an ideology as such without the aid of those persuasive portents and miraculous demonstrations which in the past, as the above verse points out, only too often gave rise to new, grave misconceptions.

Nothing new (in Muhammad’s message)

41:43 [And as for thee, O Prophet,] nothing is being said to thee but what was said to all [of God's] apostles before thy time. (36)

36 This is an allusion to the allegation of the Prophet's opponents that he himself was the "author" of what he claimed to be a divine revelation, as well as to their demand that he should "prove" the truth of his prophetic mission by producing a miracle: a scornful attitude with which all the earlier prophets had been confronted at one time or another, and which is epitomized in the "saying" of the unbelievers mentioned in verse 5 of this surah.

Qur’an – appealing to man’s reason and moral sense

50:1 Qaf. (1) CONSIDER this sublime Qur'an! (50:2) But nay – they deem it strange that a warner should have come unto them from their own midst; (2) and so these deniers of the truth are saying, "A strange thing is this!

1 Chronologically, the above is the second occurrence (after surah 68) of one of the disjointed letter-symbols which precede some of the Qur'anic surahs. For the theories relating to these symbols, see Appendix II. As regards my rendering of the adjurative particle wa which opens the next sentence as "Consider", see first half of note 23 on 74:32, where this adjuration appears for the first time in the chronological order of revelation.

2 This is the earliest Qur'anic mention – repeated again and again in other places of people's "deeming it strange" that a purportedly divine message should have been delivered by someone "from their own midst", i.e., a mortal like themselves. Although it is undoubtedly, in the first instance, a reference to the negative attitude of the Meccan pagans to Muhammad's call, its frequent repetition throughout the Qur'an has obviously an implication going far beyond that historical reference: it points to the tendency common to many people, at all stages of human development, to distrust any religious statement that is devoid of all exoticism inasmuch as it is enunciated by a person sharing the social and cultural background of those whom he addresses, and because the message itself relies exclusively – as the Qur'an does – on an appeal to man's reason and moral sense. Hence, the Qur'an explicitly mentions people's "objections" to a prophet "who eats food [like ordinary mortals] and goes about in the market-places" (25:7; see also note 16 on 25:20).

Qur’an – consistent (i.e., free of inner contradictions)

4:82 Will they not, then, try to understand this Qur'an? Had it issued from any but God, they would surely have found in it many an inner contradiction! (97)

97 I.e., the fact that it is free of all inner contradictions – in spite of its having been revealed gradually, over a period of twenty-three years – should convince them that it has not been "composed by Muhammad" (an accusation frequently levelled against him not only by his contemporaries but also by non-believers of later times), but could only have originated from a supra-human source.

Qur’an – convincing, and fulfilling an old promise

17:107 Behold, those who are already (130) endowed with [innate] knowledge fall down upon their faces in prostration as soon as this [divine writ] is conveyed unto them, (17:108) and say, "Limitless in His glory is our Sustainer! Verily, our Sustainer's promise has been fulfilled!" (131)

130 Lit., "before it" – i.e., before the Qur'an as such has come within their ken.

131 This may be an allusion to the many Biblical predictions of the advent of the Prophet Muhammad, especially to Deuteronomy xviii, 15 and 18 (cf. surah 2, note 33). In its wider sense, however, the "fulfilment of God's promise" relates to His bestowal of a definitive revelation, the Qur'an, henceforth destined to guide man at all stages of his spiritual, cultural and social development.

Qur’an – divinely inspired

16:103 whereas this is Arabic speech, clear [in itself] and clearly showing the truth [of its source].

For an explanation of this composite rendering of the descriptive term mubin, see surah 12, note 2. 'the term is used here to stress the fact that no human being – and certainly no non-Arab – could ever have produced the flawless, exalted Arabic diction in which the Qur'an is expressed.

Qur’an – full of wisdom

(36:2) Consider this Qur'an full of wisdom: (36:3) verily, thou [Muhammad] art indeed one of God's message-bearers, (2) (36:4) pursuing a straight way (36:5) by [virtue of] what is being bestowed from on high by the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace, (3)

2 This statement explains the adjurative particle wa (rendered by me as "Consider") at the beginning of the preceding verse – namely: "Let the wisdom apparent in the Qur'an serve as an evidence of the fact that thou art an apostle of God". As regards my rendering of al-qur'an al-hakim as "this Qur'an full of wisdom", see note 2 on 10:1.

3 Cf. 34:50 – "if I am on the right path, it is but by virtue of what my Sustainer reveals unto me".

Qur’an – inimitable

17:88 Say: "If all mankind and all invisible beings would come together with a view to producing the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce its like even though they were to exert all their strength in aiding one another!" (17:89) For, indeed, many facets have We given in this Qur'an to every kind of lesson [designed] for [the benefit of] mankind!

Qur’an – its messages should be pondered in humble realization that their understanding requires insight

38:29 [All this have We expounded in this] blessed divine writ which We have revealed unto thee, [O Muhammad,] so that men may ponder over its messages, and that those who are endowed with insight may take them to heart.

Sahih International: [This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.

Pickthall: (This is) a Scripture that We have revealed unto thee, full of blessing, that they may ponder its revelations, and that men of understanding may reflect.

Yusuf Ali: (Here is) a Book which We have sent down unto thee, full of blessings, that they may mediate on its Signs, and that men of understanding may receive admonition.

Shakir: (It is) a Book We have revealed to you abounding in good that they may ponder over its verses, and that those endowed with understanding may be mindful.

Muhammad Sarwar: It is a blessed Book which We have revealed for you so that you will reflect upon its verses and so the people of understanding will take heed.

Mohsin Khan: (This is) a Book (the Quran) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember.

Arberry: A Book We have sent down to thee, Blessed, that men possessed of minds may ponder its signs and so remember.

Qur’an – its truth and purport will gradually dawn on us

(38:87) [SAY O Prophet]: "This [divine writ], behold, is no less than a reminder to all the worlds – (38:88) and you will most certainly grasp its purport after a lapse of time!"

Sahih International: And you will surely know [the truth of] its information after a time.

Pickthall: And ye will come in time to know the truth thereof.

Yusuf Ali: "And ye shall certainly know the truth of it (all) after a while."

Muhammad Sarwar: You will certainly know its truthfulness after a certain time.

Mohsin Khan: "And you shall certainly know the truth of it after a while."

Qur’an – repeating truths in manifold forms

39:23 God bestows from on high (27) the best of all teachings in the shape of a divine writ fully consistent within itself, repeating each statement [of the truth] in manifold forms (28) – [a divine writ] whereat shiver the skins of all who of their Sustainer stand in awe: [but] in the end their skins and their hearts do soften at the remembrance of [the grace of] God. ... Such is God's guidance: He guides therewith him that wills [to be guided] (29) – whereas he whom God lets go astray can never find any guide. (30)

27 Lit., "has been bestowing from on high", i.e., step by step. The verbal form nazzala indicates both gradualness and continuity in the process of divine revelation and may, therefore, be appropriately rendered by the use of the present tense.

28 This is the most acceptable meaning, in this context, of the term mathani (pl. of mathna), as explained by Zamakhshari in his commentary on the above verse. Another possible meaning, preferred by Razi, is "pairing its statements", i.e., referring to the polarity stressed in all Qur'anic teachings (e.g., command and prohibition, duties and rights, reward and punishment, paradise and hell, light and darkness, the general and the specific, and so forth). As regards the inner consistency of the Qur'an, see also 4:82 and 25:32, as well as the corresponding notes.

29 Or: "He guides therewith whomever He wills", either of these two formulations being syntactically correct.

30 See note 4 on 14:4.

Qur’an – revealed over a long time period

25:32 Now they who are bent on denying the truth are wont to ask, "Why has not the Qur'an been bestowed on him from on high in one single revelation?" (26) [It has been revealed] in this manner so that We might strengthen thy heart thereby – for We have so arranged its component parts that they form one consistent whole. (27) – (25:33) and [that] they [who deny the truth] might never taunt thee with any deceptive half-truth (28) without Our conveying to thee the [full] truth and [providing thee] with the best explanation. (29)

26 Lit., "in one piece" or "as one statement" (jumlatan wahidatan) – implying, in the view of the opponents of Islam, that the gradual, step-by-step revelation of the Qur'an points to its having been "composed" by Muhammad to suit his changing personal and political requirements.

27 I.e., free of all inner contradictions (cf. 4:82). See also 39:23, where the Qur'an is spoken of as "fully consistent within itself". The concise phrase rattalnahu tartilan comprises the parallel concepts of "putting the component parts [of a thing] together and arranging them well" as well as "endowing it with inner consistency". Inasmuch as full consistency and freedom from contradictions in a message spread over twenty-three years of a life as full of movement and drama as that of the Prophet does give a clear indication of its God-inspired quality, it is bound to strengthen the faith of every thinking believer: and herein lies, according to the Qur'an itself, the deepest reason. for its slow, gradual revelation. (When applied to the reciting of the Qur'an – as in 73:4 – the term tartil refers to the measured diction and the thoughtful manner in which it ought to be enunciated.)

28 Lit., "come to thee with a parable (mathal)" – i.e., with all manner of seemingly plausible parabolic objections (exemplified in verses 7-8, 21 and 32 of this surah as well as in many other places in the Qur'an) meant to throw doubt on Muhammad's claim to prophethood and, hence, on the God-inspired character of the Qur'anic message.

29 Sc., "of the problem or problems involved": an allusion to the self-explanatory character of the Qur'an. Throughout this section (verses 30-34) the personal pronoun "thou" (in the forms "thy" and "thee") relates not only to the Prophet but also to every one of his followers at all times.

Qur’an – revealed step by step

3:3 Step by step has He bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, (2)

2 The gradualness of the Qur'anic revelation is stressed here by means of the grammatical form nazzala.

Qur’an – self-evident

2:185 It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was [first] bestowed from on high as a guidance unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard by which to discern the true from the false. […]

Qur’an – source of eminence

43:43 So hold fast to all that has been revealed to thee: for, behold, thou art on a straight way; (43:44) and, verily, this [revelation] shall indeed become [a source of] eminence for thee and thy people: (36) but in time you all will be called to account [for what you have done with it]. (37)

36 For the above rendering of dhikr as "[a source of] eminence", see first half of note 13 on 21:10 (found in this compendium under Divine writ).

37 The meaning is that on the Day of Judgment all prophets will be asked, metaphorically, as to what response they received from their people (cf. 5:109), and those who professed to follow them will be called to account for the spiritual and social use they made – or did not make – of the revelation conveyed to them: and thus, the "eminence" promised to the followers of Muhammad will depend on their actual behaviour and not on their mere profession of faith.

Qur’an – to be read in its entirety

20:114 [Know,] then, [that] God is sublimely exalted. the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth: (99) and [knowing this,] do not approach the Qur'an in haste, (100) ere it has been revealed unto thee in full, but [always] say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!" (101)

Note 99 is found in this compendium under Truth, ultimate.

100 Lit., "be not hasty with the Qur'an" (see next note).

Qur’an – to be seen as its own commentary

75:16 MOVE NOT thy tongue in haste, [repeating the words of the revelation:] (6) (75:17) for, behold, it is for Us to gather it [in thy heart,] and to cause it to be read [as it ought to be read]. (7) (75:18) Thus, when We recite it, follow thou its wording [with all thy mind]: (8) (75:19) and then, behold, it will be for Us to make its meaning clear. (9)

6 Lit., "Move not thy tongue therewith so that thou might hasten it" – the pronoun undoubtedly referring to the contents of revelation. In order to understand this parenthetic passage (verses 16-19) more fully, one should read it side by side with the related passage in 20:114, together with the corresponding note 101. Both these passages are in the first instance addressed to the Prophet, who is said to have been afraid that he might forget some of the revealed words unless he repeated them at the very moment of revelation; but both have also a wider import inasmuch as they apply to every believer who reads, listens to or studies the Qur'an. In 20:114 we are told not to draw hasty – and therefore potentially erroneous – conclusions from isolated verses or statements of the Qur'an, since only the study of the whole of its message can give us a correct insight. The present passage, on the other hand, lays stress on the need to imbibe the divine writ slowly, patiently, to give full thought to the meaning of every word and phrase, and to avoid the kind of haste which is indistinguishable from mechanical glibness, and which, moreover, induces the person who reads, recites or listens to it to remain satisfied with the mere beautiful sound of the Qur'anic language without understanding – or even paying adequate attention to – its message.

7 I.e., "it is for Us to make thee remember it and to cause it to be read with mind and heart". As pointed out in the preceding note, the Qur'an can be understood only if it is read thoughtfully, as one integral whole, and not as a mere collection of moral maxims, stories or disjointed laws.

8 Lit., "follow thou its recitation", i.e., its message as expressed in words. Since it is God who reveals the Qur'an and bestows upon man the ability to understand it, He attributes its "recitation" to Himself.

9 I.e., if the Qur'an is read "as it ought to be read" (see note 7 above), it becomes – as stressed by Muhammad Abduh – "its own best commentary".

Qur’an – to be studied deeply

3:79 [...] but rather [did he exhort them], "Become men of God (62) by spreading the knowledge of the divine writ, and by your own deep study [thereof]."

62 According to Sibawayh (as quoted by Razi), a rabbani is "one who devotes himself exclusively to the endeavour to know the Sustainer (ar-rabb) and to obey Him": a connotation fairly close to the English expression "a man of God".

Qur’an versus poetry

36:69 AND [thus it is:] We have not imparted to this [Prophet the gift of] poetry, nor would [poetry] have suited this [message]: (38) it is but a reminder and a [divine] discourse, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth, (39) (36:70) to the end that it may warn everyone who is alive [of heart], and that the word [of God] may bear witness (40) against all who deny the truth.

38 This passage resumes the theme enunciated in the opening verses of this surah, namely, the revelation of the Qur'an. As in 26:224, we have here an allusion to the allegation of Muhammad's opponents, in his own as well as in later times, that what he described as divine revelation was in reality an outcome of his own poetic invention. This the Qur'an refutes by alluding to the fundamental difference between poetry – especially Arabic poetry – and divine revelation as exemplified by the Qur'an: whereas in the former the meaning is often subordinated to the rhythm and the melody of language, in the Qur'an the exact opposite is the case, inasmuch as here the choice of words, their sound and their position in the sentence – and, hence, its rhythm and melody – are always subordinated to the meaning intended. (Cf. also 26: 225 and the corresponding note 100.)

39 For this composite rendering of the adjective mubin, see surah 12, note 2. Literally, the above phrase reads, "a reminder and a [divine] discourse ..., etc., with the conjunctive particle wa ("and") being used here, as in 15:1, to point out that the Qur'an is an integral element in the process of divine revelation.

40 Lit., "may come [or "be proved"] true", i.e., on the Day of Judgment (cf. verse 7 of this surah).

Qur'an – will

cease to be of benefit to people who have lost their moral virtues and their faith

32:23 AND, INDEED, [O Muhammad,] We did vouchsafe revelation unto Moses [as well]: so be not in doubt of [thy] having met with the same [truth in the revelation vouchsafed to thee). (18) And [just as] We caused that [earlier revelation] to be a guidance for the children of Israel, (32:24) and [as] We raised among them leaders who, so long as they bore themselves with patience and had sure faith in Our messages, guided [their people] in accordance with Our behest (19) – [so, too, shall it be with the divine writ revealed unto thee, O Muhammad]. (20)

18 With this passage the discourse returns to the theme enunciated at the beginning of this surah – namely, the divine origin of the revelation granted to Muhammad, which, as the present passage points out, proceeds from the same source as that granted to Moses (the last of the great apostles of God accepted as such by all the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Furthermore, the identity of the fundamental truths in all divine revelations, stressed in the above verse, implies an identity of the moral demands made of the followers of those revelations irrespective of period, race or social environment.

19 I.e., in accordance with the divine ordinances enunciated in and for their time in the Torah: an allusion to the decline of faith, frequently mentioned in the Qur'an, among the children of Israel of later times, and the tendency among many of their leaders and learned men to corrupt the text of the Torah and, thus, to "overlay the truth with falsehood" (see, e.g., 2:42, 75, 79, and the corresponding notes).

20 This interpolation reflects Zamakhshari's commentary on the above passage, to the effect that the Qur'an is destined to provide guidance and light so long as the community's religious leaders are patient in adversity and steadfast in their faith: an interpretation which implies that the Qur'an will cease to be of benefit to people who have lost their moral virtues and their faith.

Revealed words – not to be taken out of context

4:46 Among those of the Jewish faith there are some who distort the meaning of the [revealed] words, taking them out of their context and saying, [as it were,] "We have heard, but we disobey," and, "Hear without hearkening," (59) and, "Hearken thou unto us, [O Muhammad]" – thus making a play with their tongues, and implying that the [true] Faith is false. (60) […]

Confer 5:13, 5:41.

59 Cf. 2:93. figure of speech "hear without hearkening" addressed, as it were, by the Jews to themselves, describes their attitude towards both their own scriptures and the message of the Qur'an.

60 Lit., "making a thrust (ta'n) against the Faith" – i.e., attributing to it a fundamental defect. The saying "Hearken thou unto us" is meant to convey the conviction of the Jews that they had nothing to learn from the teaching propounded by the Prophet Muhammad, and that he should rather defer to their views on religious matters. See, in this connection, their assertion, "Our hearts are already full of knowledge", in 2:88.

6. God’s relationship with mankind

God is gracious and merciful. He is calling us to recognise Him as the ultimate source of all that exists, as well as the ultimate source of all truth. And therefore, He asks us to surrender ourselves unto Him. He will lead us on the right path if we allow Him to, but He will not in any way force us.

Keywords	Qur’an quote	Notes and comments
Best conformation	(95:4) Verily, We create man in the best conformation; (2) (95:5) and thereafter We reduce him to the lowest of low (3) (95:6) excepting only such as attain to faith and do good works: and theirs shall be a reward unending! (95:7) What, then, [O man,] could henceforth cause thee to give the lie to this moral law? (4) (95:8) Is not God the most just of judges?	2 I.e., endowed with all the positive qualities, physical as well as mental, corresponding to the functions which this particular creature is meant to perform. The concept of "the best conformation" is related to the Qur'anic statement that everything which God creates, including the human being or self (nafs), is "formed in accordance with what it is meant to be" (see 91:7 and the corresponding note 5, as well as in a more general sense – 87:2 and note 1). This statement does not in any way imply that all human beings have the same "best conformation" in respect of their bodily or mental endowments: it implies simply that irrespective of his natural advantages or disadvantages, each human being is endowed with the ability to make the, for him, best possible use of his inborn qualities and of the environment to which he is exposed. (See in this connection 30:30 and the corresponding notes, especially 27 and 28.) 3 This "reduction to the lowest of low" is a consequence of man's betrayal – in another word, corruption – of his original, positive disposition: that is to say, a consequence of man's own doings and omissions. Regarding the attribution, by God, of this "reduction" to His Own doing, see note 7 on 2:7. 4 I.e., to the validity of the moral law – which, to my mind, is the meaning of the term din in this context – outlined in the preceding three verses. (For this specific significance of the concept of din, see note 3 on 109:6.) The above rhetorical question has this implication: Since the moral law referred to here has been stressed in the teachings of all monotheistic religions (cf. verses 1-3 and note 1 above), its truth ought to be self-evident to any unprejudiced person; its negation, moreover, amounts to a negation of all freedom of moral choice on man's part and, hence, of justice on the part of God, who, as the next verse points out, is – by definition – "the most just of judges".
Bond with God	2:27 [the iniquitous,] who break their bond with God after it has been established [in their nature], (19) and cut asunder what God has bidden to be joined, and spread corruption on earth: these it is that shall be the losers. See also: · Nafs – the human self. · Covenant; insight; true faith.	19 The "bond with God" (conventionally translated as "God's covenant") apparently refers here to man's moral obligation to use his inborn gifts – intellectual as well as physical – in the way intended for them by God. The "establishment" of this bond arises from the faculty of reason which, if properly used, must lead man to a realization of his own weakness and dependence on a causative power and, thus, to a gradual cognition of God's will with reference to his own behaviour. This interpretation of the "bond with God" seems to be indicated by the fact that there is no mention of any specific "covenant" in either the preceding or the subsequent verses of the passage under consideration. The deliberate omission of any explanatory reference in this connection suggests that the expression "bond with God" stands for something that is rooted in the human situation as such, and can, therefore, be perceived instinctively as well as through conscious experience: namely, that innate relationship with God which makes Him "closer to man than his neck-vein"(50:16). For an explanation of the subsequent reference to "what God has bidden to be joined", see surah 13, note 43.
Borderline of faith	22:11 And there is, too, among men many a one who worships God on the border-line [of faith]: (8) thus, if good befalls him, he is satisfied with Him; but if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly, (9) losing [thereby both] this world and the life to come: [and] this, indeed, is a loss beyond compare. (10) 22:12 [By behaving thus,] he invokes, instead of God, something that can neither harm nor benefit him: (11) [and] this is indeed the utmost one can go astray. (12) (22:13) [And sometimes] he invokes [another human being –] one that is far more likely to cause harm than benefit: vile, indeed, is such a patron, and vile the follower! (13)	8 I.e., wavering between belief and disbelief, and not really committed to either. 9 Lit., "he turns about on his face" the "face" (wajh) of man signifying metonymically his whole being. 10 Lit., "the [most] obvious loss". 11 By failing to commit himself unreservedly to the faith which he professes, man is often inclined to attribute to all manner of extraneous forces, be they real or imaginary, a decisive "influence" on his own destiny, and thus invests them, as it were, with divine qualities. 12 Lit., "this, this (dhalika huwa) is the straying far-away". For an explanation of my paraphrase, see note 25 on the last sentence of 14:18. 13 The interpolation of "another human being" in the opening clause of this verse is necessitated by the relative pronoun man ("one that" or "who"), which almost always relates to an animate person – in this case, a human being who, by allowing himself to be idolized by those who "worship God on the border-line of faith", causes infinite spiritual harm to himself and to his followers.
Condition of man, dependent on our inner selves	13:11 Verily, God does not change men's condition unless they change their inner selves; (26) See also: Communities that go extinct.	26 Lit., "that which is in themselves". This statement has both a positive and a negative connotation: i.e., God does not withdraw His blessings from men unless their inner selves become depraved (cf. 8:53), just as He does not bestow His blessings upon wilful sinners until they change their inner disposition and become worthy of His grace. In its wider sense, this is an illustration of the divine law of cause and effect (sunnat Allah) which dominates the lives of both individuals and communities, and makes the rise and fall of civilizations dependent on people's moral qualities and the changes in "their inner selves".
Covenant; insight; true faith	13:19 CAN, THEN, he who knows that whatever has been bestowed from on high upon thee by thy Sustainer is the truth, be deemed equal to one who is blind? Only they who are endowed with insight keep this in mind: (13:20) they who are true to their bond with God and never break their covenant; (42) (13:21) and who keep together what God has bidden to be joined, (43) and stand in awe of their Sustainer and fear the most evil reckoning [which awaits such as do not respond to Him]; (13:22) and who are patient in adversity out of a longing for their Sustainer's countenance, and are constant in prayer, and spend on others, secretly and openly, out of what We provide for them as sustenance, and [who] repel evil with good. (44) Confer 24:22 and the corresponding note 27. See also: · Nafs – the human self. · Bond with God.	42 The "covenant" is, in this context, a general term embracing the spiritual obligations arising from one's faith in God and the moral and social obligations, resulting from that faith, towards one's fellow-men (Zamakhshari) – I see in this connection the first sentence of 5:1 (where the term 'aqd is used) and the corresponding note 1. As regards my rendering of 'ahd Allah as "bond with God", see surah 2, note 19. 43 This refers to all ties arising from human relationships – e.g., the bonds of family, responsibility for orphans and the poor, the mutual rights and duties of neighbours – as well as the spiritual and practical bonds which ought to exist between all who belong to the brotherhood of Islam (cf. 8:75 and the corresponding notes). In its widest sense, the phrase "what God has bidden to be joined" applies to the spiritual obligation, on the part of man, to remain conscious of the unity of purpose underlying all of God's creation, and hence – according to Razi – man's moral duty to treat all living beings with love and compassion. 44 Some of the commentators take this to mean that "if they have committed a sin, they repel it [i.e., its effect] by repentance" (Ibn Kaysan, as quoted by Zamakhshari), while others think that the "repelling" connotes the doing of a good deed in atonement of a – presumably unintentional – bad deed (Razi), or that it refers to endeavours to set evil situations to rights by word or deed (an alternative interpretation mentioned by Zamakhshari). But the great majority of the classical commentators hold that the meaning is "they repay evil with good"; thus Al-Hasan al-Basra (as quoted by Baghawi, Zamakhshari and Razi): "When they are deprived [of anything], they give; and when they are wronged, they forgive." Tabari's explanation is very similar: "They repel the evil done to them by doing good to those who did it"; and "they do not repay evil with evil, but repel it by [doing] good". See also 41:34-36.
Devotion, utter	73:8 But [whether by night or by day,] remember thy Sustainer's name, and devote thyself unto Him with utter devotion.
Doubts, toying with	(44:9) Nay, but they [who lack inner certainty] are but toying with their doubts. (7) See also: · Follow not the crowd. · God – always warning man (and thus calling every one of us unto Himself). · Inner certainty. · Self-deception.	7 Lit., "are toying in doubt": i.e., their half-hearted admission of the possibility that God exists is compounded of doubt and irony (Zamakhshari) – doubt as to the proposition of God's existence, and an ironical amusement at the idea of divine revelation.
Ethics, perverted by “revelations” having sources other than God	42:21 Is it that they [who care for no more than this world] believe in forces supposed to have a share in God's divinity, (25) which enjoin upon them as a moral law something that God has never allowed? (26) Sahih International: Or have they other deities who have ordained for them a religion to which Allah has not consented? Muhammad Sarwar: Do they have idols who have established a religion without the permission of God?	25 Lit., "Is it that they have partners [of God]" – i.e., "do they believe that circumstantial phenomena like wealth, power, 'luck', etc.., have something divine about them?" – the implication being that belief in such "forces" is usually at the root of men's pursuance of exclusively worldly ends. (For my above explanatory rendering of the term shuraka' – lit., "partners" or "associates" [of God] – see note 15 on 6:22.) 26 I.e., which cause them to abandon themselves with an almost religious fervour to something of which God disapproves – namely, the striving after purely materialistic goals and a corresponding disregard of all spiritual and ethical values. For my rendering of din, in this context, as "moral law", see note 3 on 109:6.
Excuses for not believing	46:11 But they who are bent on denying the truth speak thus of those who have attained to faith: "If this [message] were any good, these [people] would not have preceded us in accepting it!" (13) And since they refuse to be guided by it, they will always say, "This (14) is [but] an ancient falsehood!"	13 Lit., "towards it". Almost all of the classical commentators assume that this refers, specifically, to the contempt with which the pagan Quraysh looked down upon the early followers of Muhammad, most of whom came from the poorest, lowliest strata of Meccan society. However, the above "saying" has undoubtedly a timeless import inasmuch as the poor and lowly have always been among the first to follow a prophet. Moreover, it may also have a bearing on our times as well, inasmuch as the materially powerful nations, whom their technological progress has blinded to many spiritual verities, are increasingly contemptuous of the weakness of those civilizations in which religion still plays an important, albeit largely formalistic, role; and so, not realizing that this very formalism and the ensuing cultural sterility, and not religious faith as such, is the innermost cause of that weakness, they attribute it to the influence of religion per se, saying as it were, "If religion were any good, we would have been the first in holding on to it" – thus "justifying" their own materialistic attitude and their refusal to be guided by spiritual considerations. 14 I.e., the concept of divine revelation as such, as is evident from the subsequent reference to the revelation of Moses.
Faith – what it really implies	42:52 And thus, too, (54) [O Muhammad,] have We revealed unto thee a life-giving message, (55) [coming] at Our behest. [Ere this message came unto thee,] thou didst not know what revelation is, nor what faith [implies]: (56) but [now] We have caused this [message] to be a light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants, and, verily, [on the strength thereof] thou, too, shalt guide [men] onto the straight way – (42:53) the way that leads to God, to whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs. Oh, verily, with God is the beginning and the end of all things! (57)	54 I.e., in all the three ways mentioned in the preceding verse. 55 The term ruh (lit., "spirit" or "soul") has in the Qur'an often the meaning of "divine inspiration" (see surah 16, note 2). In the present context, it evidently denotes the contents of the divine inspiration bestowed on the Prophet Muhammad, i.e., the Qur'an (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir), which is meant to lead man to a more intensive spiritual life: hence my above rendering. 56 I.e., that the very concept of "faith" implies man's complete self-surrender (islam) to God. 57 Lit., "unto God do all things (al-umur) pursue their course": i.e., all things go back to Him as their source, and from His will depends the course which they take (Baydawi).
Empty formalism	57:27 And thereupon We caused [other of] Our apostles to follow in their footsteps; and [in the course of time] We caused them to be followed by Jesus, the son of Mary, upon whom We bestowed the Gospel; (46) and in the hearts of those who [truly] followed him We engendered compassion and mercy. But as for monastic asceticism (47) – We did not enjoin it upon them: they invented it themselves out of a desire for God's goodly acceptance. (48) But then, they did not [always] observe it as it ought to have been observed: (49) and so We granted their recompense unto such of them as had [truly] attained to faith, whereas many of them became iniquitous. (50) Confer 9:19 and its footnote 29, which mentions “the immense superiority of real self-surrender to God over mere ritual”. See also: Going astray (by inventing rules, regulations, and doctrines beyond God’s revelation – at the risk of, e.g., lapsing into empty formalism).	46 See surah 3, note 4. 47 The term rahbaniyyah combines the concepts of monastic life with an exaggerated asceticism, often amounting to a denial of any value in the life of this world – an attitude characteristic of early Christianity but disapproved of in Islam (cf. 2:143 – "We have willed you to be a community of the middle way" – and the corresponding note 118). 48 Or: "they invented it themselves, [for] We did not enjoin it upon them: [We enjoined upon them] only the seeking of God's goodly acceptance". Both these interpretations are equally legitimate, and are accepted as such by most of the classical commentators. The rendering adopted by me corresponds to the interpretation given by Sa'id ibn Jubayr and Qatadah (both of them cited by Tabari and Ibn Kathir). 49 I.e., not all of them observed it in the right spirit (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Iba Kathir), inasmuch as in the course of time many of them – or, rather, many of those who came after the early ascetics (Tabari) – corrupted their devotions by accepting the ideas of Trinity and of God's incarnation in Jesus, and by lapsing into empty formalism (Razi). 50 Sc., "and were deprived of Our grace".
Faith, the purpose of	57:16 IS IT NOT time that the hearts of all who have attained to faith should feel humble at the remembrance of God and of all the truth that has been bestowed [on them] from on high, (22) lest they become like those who were granted revelation aforetime, (23) and whose hearts have hardened with the passing of time so that many of them are [now] depraved? (24) 57:17 [But] know that God gives life to the earth after it has been lifeless! (25) We have indeed made Our messages clear unto you, so that you might use your reason.	22 I.e., "Should not the remembrance of God and His revelation make them humble rather than proud?" This is an emphatic warning against all smugness, self-righteousness and false pride at having "attained to faith" – a failing which only too often attains to such as consider themselves "pious". 23 This is apparently an allusion to the spiritually arrogant among the Jews, who regard themselves as "God's chosen people" and, therefore, as predestined for His acceptance. 24 I.e., so that now they act contrary to the ethical precepts of their religion: implying that the purpose of all true faith is to make man humble and God-conscious rather than self-satisfied, and that a loss of that spiritual humility invariably results in moral degeneration. 25 According to most of the commentators – and, particularly, Zamakhshari, Razi and Ibn Kathir this is a parabolic allusion to the effect of a re-awakening of God-consciousness in hearts that had become deadened by self-satisfaction and false pride.
Fitrah (original disposition, natural constitution, innate nature)	(7:172) AND WHENEVER thy Sustainer brings forth their offspring from the loins of the children of Adam, He [thus] calls upon them to bear witness about themselves: "Am I not your Sustainer?" – to which they answer: "Yea, indeed, we do bear witness thereto!" (139)	139 In the original, this passage is in the past tense ("He brought forth", "He asked them", etc.), thus stressing the continuous recurrence of the above metaphorical "question" and "answer": a continuity which is more clearly brought out in translation by the use of the present tense. According to the Qur'an, the ability to perceive the existence of the Supreme Power is inborn in human nature (fitrah); and it is this instinctive cognition – which may or may not be subsequently blurred by self-indulgence or adverse environmental influences – that makes every sane human being "bear witness about himself" before God. As so often in the Qur'an, God's "speaking" and man's "answering" is a metonym for the creative act of God and of man's existential response to it.
Follow not the crowd	45:18 And, finally, (17) [O Muhammad,] We have set thee on a way by which the purpose [of faith] may be fulfilled: (18) so follow thou this [way], and follow not the likes and dislikes of those who do not know [the truth]. (19) (45:19) Behold, they could never be of any avail to thee if thou wert to defy the will of God (20) – for, verily, such evildoers are but friends and protectors of one another, whereas God is the Protector of all who are conscious of Him. 45:20 This [revelation, then,] (21) is a means of insight for mankind, and a guidance and grace unto people who are endowed with inner certainty. See also: · Doubts, toying with. · God – always warning man (and thus calling every one of us unto Himself). · Inner certainty. · Self-deception.	17 Lit., "thereafter" or "in the end" (thumma) – i.e., after the failure of the earlier communities to realize the ideal purpose of faith in their actual mode of life. 18 Lit., "on a way of the purpose [of faith]": see note 15 above. It is to be borne in mind that the literal meaning of the term shari'ah is "the way to a watering-place", and since water is indispensable for all organic life, this term has in time come to denote a "system of laws", both moral and practical, which shows man the way towards spiritual fulfilment and social welfare: hence, "religious law" in the widest sense of the term. (See in this connection note 66 on the second part of 5:48.) 19 I.e., who are not – or not primarily – motivated by God-consciousness and, hence, are swayed only by what they themselves regard as "right" in accordance with worldly, changing circumstances. 20 Lit., "against [i.e., "in defiance of"] God". 21 I.e., the Qur'an, which unfolds to man the purpose of all faith.
Forgiveness	17:25 Your Sustainer is fully aware of what is in your hearts. If you are righteous, [He will forgive you your errors]: for, behold, He is much-forgiving to those who turn unto Him again and again.
Free will	36:67 And had it been Our will [that they should not be free to choose between right and wrong], We could surely have given them a different nature (35) [and created them as beings rooted] in their places, so that they would not be able to move forward, and could not turn back. (36)	35 Lit., "transformed [or "transmuted"] them". 36 I.e., if it had been God's will that men should have no freedom of will or moral choice, He would have endowed them from the very beginning with a spiritually and morally stationary nature, entirely rooted in their instincts ("in their places"), devoid of all urge to advance, and incapable either of positive development or of retreat from a wrong course.
Fulfilment in life	20:1 O MAN!(1) (20:2) We did not bestow the Qur'an on thee from on high to make thee unhappy,(2) (20:3) but only as an exhortation to all who stand in awe [of God]: (20:4) a revelation from Him who has created the earth and the high heavens – (20:5) the Most Gracious, established on the throne of His almightiness.(3)	2 I.e., the ethical discipline imposed upon man by the teachings of the Qur'an is not meant to narrow down his feel of life, but, on the contrary, to enhance it by deepening his consciousness of right and wrong. 3 For my rendering of the metaphorical term al-'arsh as "the throne of His almightiness", see note 43 on 7:54.
Future, (belongs to the God-conscious)	Surah 11 11:49 Be, then, [like Noah,] patient in adversity – for, behold, the future belongs to the God-conscious! Confer 20:132, 28:83. Surah 6 6:134 Verily, that [reckoning] which you are promised is bound to come, and you cannot elude it! (6:135) Say: "O my [unbelieving] people! Do yet all that may be within your power, [while] I, behold, shall labour [in God's way]; and in time you will come to know to whom the future belongs. (118) Verily, never will evildoers attain to a happy state!"	Note on Surah 6 118 Lit., "to whom the [happy] end of the abode shall belong". The term "abode" (dar) is used in the Qur'an with reference to both the life of this world (dar ad-dunya) and the life to come (dar al-akhirah). Most of the commentators are of the opinion that it refers here to the life to come; Zamakhshari, however, relates it to life on earth. Since either of these interpretations is agreeable with the text, I have chosen the above rendering which comprises both.
Godlessness, consequences of	(16:26) Those who lived before them did, too, devise many a blasphemy (19) – whereupon God visited with destruction all that they had ever built, (20) [striking] at its very foundations, so that the roof fell in upon them from above (21) and suffering befell them without their having perceived whence it came.	19 Lit., "schemed" (makara): i.e., they blasphemed by describing the divine revelations as "fables of ancient times" and by refusing to admit the truth of God's existence or of His oneness and uniqueness. 20 Lit., "their building" (see next note). 21 This is obviously a metaphor (Razi) describing the utter collapse of all endeavours – both individual and social – rooted in godlessness and false pride.
God – do not attribute unto Him aught but what is true	7:169 Have they not been solemnly pledged through the divine writ not to attribute unto God aught but what is true, (136) and [have they not] read again and again all that is therein?	136 A reference to their erroneous idea that God's forgiveness could be obtained without sincere repentance. The divine writ mentioned twice in this passage is obviously the Bible.
God – our only source of light and guidance	24:40 Or [else, their deeds (60) are] like the depths of darkness upon an abysmal sea, made yet more dark by wave billowing over wave, with [black] clouds above it all: depths of darkness, layer upon layer, (61) [so that when one holds up his hand, he can hardly see it: for he to whom God gives no light, no light whatever has he!	60 I.e., their bad deeds, as contrasted with their good deeds, which in the preceding verse have been likened to a mirage. 61 Lit., "one above another". The Study Quran comments thus on 24:40 (italics in original): The three kinds of darkness mentioned here – the sea, the waves, the clouds – are interpreted [by some of the classical commentators] to be the darkness of one’s heart, one’s sight, and one’s hearing (R); see 2:7c for the notion of hearts and spiritual faculties being sealed or covered. […] That the disbeliever can hardly see his hand suggests that human beings can never be left in total darkness, and the light of guidance is available as long as they are still alive.
God’s blessings – in this life, and in the life to come	8:2 Believers are only they whose hearts tremble with awe whenever God is mentioned, and whose faith is strengthened whenever His messages are conveyed unto them,; and who in their Sustainer place their trust – (8:3) those who are constant in prayer and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance (4) (8:4) it is they, they who are truly believers! Theirs shall be great dignity in their Sustainer's sight, and forgiveness of sins, and a most excellent sustenance. (5)	4 See surah 2, note 4. 5 I.e., in paradise. According to Razi, however, the "most excellent sustenance" is a metonym for "the spiritual raptures arising from the knowledge of God, the love of Him, and the self-immersion (istighraq) in worshipping Him". In Razi's interpretation, this expression refers to the spiritual reward of faith in this world. Some commentators (cf. Manar IX, 597) regard the above definition of true believers as the most important passage of this surah. – The phrase rendered by me as "theirs shall be great dignity" reads, literally, "they shall have degrees", namely, of excellence and dignity.
God’s compassion	2:143 God is most compassionate towards man, a dispenser of grace. Sahih International: Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful. Pickthall: for Allah is Full of Pity, Merciful toward mankind. Yusuf Ali: For Allah is to all people Most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful. Mohsin Khan: Truly, Allah is full of kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind. Arberry: truly, God is All-gentle with the people, All-compassionate.
God’s grace (holding people accountable for conscious wrongdoings only)	6:131 And so it is that thy Sustainer would never destroy a community (116) for its wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of right and wrong]: (6:132) for all shall be judged according to their [conscious] deeds (117) – and thy Sustainer is not unaware of what they do.	116 Lit., "communities". The term qaryah (lit., "town", "village" or "land") denotes also the people of a town or land – in short, a "community" – and it is in this sense that this term is mostly, though not always, used in the Qur'an. 117 Lit., "all shall have grades out of what they did", i.e., consciously – since God does not take people to task for any wrong they may have committed unless it was done in conscious contravention of a moral law already made clear to them by the prophets.
God’s guidance I	Surah 6 6:125 And whomsoever God wills to guide, his bosom He opens wide with willingness towards self-surrender [unto Him]; and whomsoever He wills to let go astray, his bosom He causes to be tight and constricted, as if he were climbing unto the skies: it is thus that God inflicts horror upon those who will not believe. (6:126) And undeviating is this thy Sustainer's way. (111) Clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people who [are willing to] take them to heart! (6:127) Theirs shall be an abode of peace with their Sustainer; and He shall be near unto them in result of what they have been doing. Surah 14 14:4 AND NEVER have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people's tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them; (3) but God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides him that wills [to be guided] – for He alone is almighty, truly wise. (4) Confer 24:46, 28:56. See also: · Christianity and other faiths based on earlier revelations. · Heart, deafness and blindness of.	Note on Surah 6 111 Lit., "and this thy Sustainer's way is straight" – i.e., unchanging in its application of the law of cause and effect to man's inner life as well. – The term rijs occurring in the preceding sentence, and rendered by me as "horror", signifies anything that is intrinsically loathsome, horrible or abominable; in this case, it would seem to denote that awesome feeling of utter futility which, sooner or later, overcomes everyone who does not believe that life has meaning and purpose. Notes on Surah 14 3 Since every divine writ was meant to be understood by man, it is obvious that each had to be formulated in the language of the people whom the particular prophet was addressing in the first instance; and the Qur'an – notwithstanding its universal import (cf. note 126 on 7:158) – is no exception in this respect. 4 Or: "God lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills". All Qur'anic references to God's "letting man go astray" must be understood against the background of 2:26-27 – "none does He cause to go astray save the iniquitous, who break their bond with God" (regarding which latter expression, see surah 2, note 19): that is to say, man's "going astray" is a consequence of his own attitudes and inclinations and not a result of an arbitrary "predestination" in the popular sense of this word (cf. surah 2, note 7). In his commentary on the above verse, Zamakhshari stresses this aspect of free choice on the part of man and points out that "God does not cause anyone to go astray except one who, as He knows, will never attain to faith; and He does not guide anyone aright except one who, as He knows, will attain to faith. Hence, the [expression] 'causing to go astray' denotes [God's] leaving [one] alone (takhliyah) and depriving [him] of all favour, whereas [the expression] 'guidance' denotes [His] grant of fulfilment (tawfiq) and favour. ... Thus, He does not forsake anyone except those who deserve to be forsaken, and does not bestow His favour upon anyone except those who deserve to be favoured." Commenting on the identical phrase occurring in 16:93, Zamakhshari states: "[God] forsakes him who, as He knows, will [consciously] choose to deny the truth and will persevere in this [denial]; and ... He bestows His favour upon him who, as He knows, will choose faith: which means that He makes the issue dependent on [man's] free choice (al ikhtiyar), and thus on his deserving either [God's] favour or the withdrawal of [His] aid ... and does not make it dependent on compulsion [i.e., predestination], which would rule out [man's] deserving anything of the above."
God’s guidance II	19:58 THESE WERE some of the prophets upon whom God bestowed His blessings – [prophets] of the seed of Adam and of those whom We caused to be borne [in the ark] with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham and Israel: and [all of them were] among those whom We had guided and elected;
God’s guidance III	19:76 And God endows those who avail themselves of [His] guidance with an ever-deeper consciousness of the right way; (64) and good deeds, the fruit whereof endures forever, are, in thy Sustainer's sight, of far greater merit [than any worldly goods], and yield far better returns.	64 Lit., "God increases in guidance those who ...", etc.
God’s guidance IV	(20:123) [...] None the less, there shall most certainly come unto you guidance from Me: and he who follows My guidance will not go astray, and neither will he be unhappy.
God’s Light, parable of	24:35 God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is, as it were, (50) that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star: (51) [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree – an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west (52) – the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! (53) God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; (54) and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things. (55) Confer 24:46.	50 The particle ka ("as if" or "as it were") prefixed to a noun is called kaf at-tashbih ("the letter kaf pointing to a resemblance [of one thing to another]" or "indicating a metaphor"). In the above context it alludes to the impossibility of defining God even by means of a metaphor or a parable – for, since "there is nothing like unto Him" (42:11), there is also "nothing that could be compared with Him" (112:4). Hence, the parable of "the light of God" is not meant to express His reality – which is inconceivable to any created being and, therefore, inexpressible in any human language but only to allude to the illumination which He, who is the Ultimate Truth, bestows upon the mind and the feelings of all who are willing to be guided. Tabari, Baghawi and Ibn Kathir quote Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud as saying in this context: "It is the parable of His light in the heart of a believer." 51 The "lamp" is the revelation which God grants to His prophets and which is reflected in the believer's heart – the "niche" of the above parable (Ubayy ibn Ka'b, as quoted by Tabari) – after being received and consciously grasped by his reason ("the glass [shining brightly] like a radiant star"): for it is through reason alone that true faith can find its way into the heart of man. 52 It would seem that this is an allusion to the organic continuity of all divine revelation which, starting like a tree from one "root" or proposition – the statement of God's existence and uniqueness – grows steadily throughout man's spiritual history, branching out into a splendid variety of religious experience, thus endlessly widening the range of man's perception of the truth. The association of this concept with the olive-tree apparently arises from the fact that this particular kind of tree is characteristic of the lands in which most of the prophetic precursors of the Qur'anic message lived, namely, the lands to the east of the Mediterranean: but since all true revelation flows from the Infinite Being, it is "neither of the east nor of the west" – and especially so the revelation of the Qur'an, which, being addressed to all mankind, is universal in its goal as well. 53 The essence of the Qur'anic message is described elsewhere as "clear [in itself] and clearly showing the truth" (cf. note 2 on 12:1); and it is, I believe, this aspect of the Qur'an that the above sentence alludes to. Its message gives light because it proceeds from God; but it "would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it": i.e., even though one may be unaware that it has been "touched by the fire" of divine revelation, its inner consistency, truth and wisdom ought to be self-evident to anyone who approaches it in the light of his reason and without prejudice. 54 Although most of the commentators read the above phrase in the sense of "God guides unto His light whomever He wills", Zamakhshari gives it the sense adopted in my rendering (both being syntactically permissible). 55 I.e., because of their complexity, certain truths can be conveyed to man only by means of parables or allegories: see notes 5 and 8 on 3:7.
*God’s messages – called into question only by those who are bent* on denying the truth**	40:4 NONE BUT THOSE who are bent on denying the truth would call God's messages in question. But let it not deceive thee that they seem to be able to do as they please on earth Yusuf Ali: None can dispute about the Signs of Allah but the Unbelievers. Let not, then, their strutting about through the land deceive thee!	OJA: Asad renders the word "bent" in italics when quoting verse 4 in his introduction to Surah 40; hence my use of italics in the heading here.
God’s messages – God’s wonders	(30:46) for among His wonders is this: He sends forth [His messages as He sends forth] the winds that bear glad tidings, (42) so that He might give you a taste of His grace [through life-giving rains], and that ships might sail at His behest, and that you might go about in quest of some of His bounties, and that you might have cause to be grateful.	42 The mention of God's messages, interpolated by me between brackets, is justified by the verses which precede and follow this passage. Moreover, it is only by means of such an interpolation that the symbolic purport of the above reference to "the winds that bear glad tidings" can be made fully obvious.
God’s Own fire – God’s own light (which bestows illumination)	(27:8) But when he (Moses) came close to it, a call was sounded: "Blessed are all who are within [reach of] this fire, and all who are near it! (7) And limitless in His glory is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!"	7 Thus Zamakhshari explains the expression hawlaha (lit., "around it"). According to some of the earliest commentators, quoted by Tabari, the "fire" (nar) is in this context synonymous with "light" (nur), namely, the illumination which God bestows on His prophets, who – one may presume – are a priori "near it" by virtue of their inborn spiritual sensitivity. Alternatively, the phrase man fi 'n-nar wa-man hawlaha may be understood as referring to God's Own light, which encompasses, and is the core of, all spiritual illumination.
God’s spirit – breathed into man	32:7 Thus, He begins the creation of man out of clay; (7) (32:8) then He causes him to be begotten (8) out of the essence of a humble fluid; (32:9) and then He forms him in accordance with what he is meant to be, and breathes into him of His spirit: (9) and [thus, O men,] He endows you with hearing, and sight, and feelings as well as minds: (10)	7 Cf. note 4 on 23:12. In view of the next verse, this "beginning" of man's creation seems to allude to the basic composition of the human body as such, as well as to each individual's pre-natal existence in the separate bodies of his parents. 8 Lit., "He caused [i.e., as pointed out in note 6 above, "He causes"] his procreation [or "his begetting"] to be out of ..., etc. 9 As in 15:29 and 38:72, God's "breathing of His spirit into man" is a metaphor for the divine gift of life and consciousness, or of a "soul" (which, as pointed out in surah 4, note 181, is one of the meanings of the term ruh). Consequently, "the soul of every human being is of the spirit of God" (Razi). Regarding the verb sawwahu – rendered by me as "He forms him in accordance with what he is meant to be" – see note 1 on 87:2 and note 5 on 91:7. 10 Lit., "hearts" (af'idah), which in classical Arabic is a metonym for both "feelings" and "minds"; hence my composite rendering of this term. Confer Asad’s note on Surah 21 87 […] As a matter of fact, the Qur'an uses the same expression in three other places with reference to the creation of man in general – namely in 15:29 and 38:72, "when I have formed him ... and breathed into him of My spirit"; and in 32:9, "and thereupon He forms [lit., "formed"] him fully and breathes lit., "breathed"] into him of His spirit". In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted phrase is a part (i.e., 32:7-9) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear that God "breathes of His spirit" into every human being.
God, unto whom there are many ways of ascent	(70:3) [...] God, unto whom there are many ways of ascent: (3) Pickthall: Lord of the Ascending Stairways. Yusuf Ali: Lord of the Ways of Ascent.	3 Lit., "He of the [many] ascents": a metonymical phrase implying that there are many ways by which man can "ascend" to a comprehension of God's existence, and thus to spiritual "nearness" to Him – and that, therefore, it is up to each human being to avail himself of any of the ways leading towards Him (cf. 76:3).
God with us	Surah 8 (8:12) Lo! Thy Sustainer inspired the angels [to convey this His message to the believers]: "I am with you!" (13) Surah 5 5:12 And God said: "Behold, I shall be with you [i.e., the children of Israel]! If you are constant in prayer, and spend in charity, and believe in My apostles and aid them, and offer up unto God a goodly loan, (23) I will surely efface your bad deeds and bring you into gardens through which running waters flow. But he from among you who, after this, denies the truth, will indeed have strayed from the right path!" Surah 20 20:45 The two [brothers] said: "O our Sustainer! Verily, we fear lest he act hastily with regard to us, (29) or lest he [continue to] transgress all bounds of equity." 20:46 Answered He: "Fear not! Verily, I shall be with you two, hearing and seeing [all]. (20:47) Go, then; you two unto him and say, 'Behold, we are apostles sent by thy Sustainer: let, then, the children of Israel go with us, and cause them not to suffer [any longer]. (30) We have now come unto thee with a message from thy Sustainer; and [know that His] peace shall be [only] on those who follow [His] guidance: (20:48) for, behold, it has been revealed to us that [in the life to come] suffering shall befall all who give the lie to the truth and turn away [from it]!'" Surah 26 26:15 Said He: "Not so, indeed! Go forth, then, both of you, with Our messages: verily, We shall be with you, listening [to your call]! […] (26:60) And so [the Egyptians] caught up with them at sunrise; (26:61) and as soon as the two hosts came in sight of one another, the followers of Moses exclaimed: "Behold, we shall certainly be overtaken [and defeated]!" 26:62 He replied: "Nay indeed! My Sustainer is with me, [and] He will guide me!" […] (26:67) In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto all men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]. (26:68) And yet, verily, thy Sustainer – He alone – is almighty, a dispenser of grace! Surah 57 57:3 He is the First and the Last, (1) and the Outward as well as the Inward: (2) and He has full knowledge of everything. (57:4) He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness. (3) He knows all that enters the earth, and all that comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that ascends to them. (4) And He is with you wherever you may be; and God sees all that you do.	Note on Surah 8 13 The phrase "I am with you" is addressed (through the angels) to the believers – "for, the purport of these words was the removal of fear, since it was the Muslims, and not the angels, who feared the deniers of the truth" (Razi). Confer these two Biblical verses: Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Mathew 1:23 (NIV) "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). Note on Surah 5 23 I.e., by doing righteous deeds. Notes on Surah 57 1 I.e., His Being is eternal, without anything preceding His existence and without anything outlasting its infinity: an interpretation given by the Prophet himself, as recorded in several well authenticated Traditions. Thus, "time" itself – a concept beyond man's understanding – is but God's creation. 2 I.e., He is the transcendental Cause of all that exists and, at the same time, immanent in every phenomenon of His creation – cf. the oft-repeated Qur'anic phrase (e.g., in verse 5), "all things go back unto God [as their source]"; in the words of Tabari, "He is closer to everything than anything else could be". Another – perhaps supplementary – rendering could be, "He is the Evident as well as the Hidden": i.e., "His existence is evident (zahir) in the effects of His activity, whereas He Himself is not perceptible (ghayr mudrak) to our senses" (Zamakhshari). 3 Cf. the identical phrase in 7:54 and the corresponding note 43. 4 See 4 note 1 on 34:2.
Grace and love	11:90 Hence, ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance – for, verily, my Sustainer is a dispenser of grace, a fount of love!
Gradually finding one’s way to the truth	10:19 And had it not been for a decree – that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, all their differences would indeed have been settled [from the outset]. (29) See also: Revelation, step by step.	29 […] Since, however, such a uniformity would have precluded men's intellectual, moral and social development, God has left it to their reason, aided by prophetic guidance, gradually to find their way to the truth.
Grieved (be not)	10:65 And be not grieved by the sayings of those [who deny the truth]. Behold, all might and glory belong to God alone: He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing.
Guidance (i.e., having received understanding from God)	2:143 those whom God has guided aright. (120) Shakir: ... those whom Allah has guided aright Muhammad Sarwar: ... those to whom God has given guidance.	120 I.e., "whom He has given understanding" (Razi). ...
*Hanif* (inclining towards truth and that which is right)	2:135 Say: "Nay, but [ours is] the creed of Abraham, who turned away from all that is false, (110) and was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God." Sahih International: Abraham, inclining toward truth, and he was not of the polytheists. Pickthall: Abraham, the upright, and he was not of the idolaters. Yusuf Ali: Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with Allah. Confer 16:120, 123. See also: Truth, men and women of.	110 The expression hanif is derived from the verb hanafa, which literally means "he inclined [towards a right state or tendency]" (cf. Lane II, 658). Already in pre-Islamic times, this term had a definitely monotheistic connotation, and was used to describe a man who turned away from sin and worldliness and from all dubious beliefs, especially idol-worship; and tahannuf denoted the ardent devotions, mainly consisting of long vigils and prayers, of the unitarian God-seekers of pre-Islamic times.
Health, physical	Surah 26 Said [Abraham]: (26:77) "Now [as for me, I know that,] verily, these [false deities] are my enemies, [and that none is my helper] save the Sustainer of all the worlds, (26:78) who has created me and is the One who guides me, (26:79) and is the One who gives me to eat and to drink, (26:80) and when I fall ill, is the One who restores me to health, (26:81) and who will cause me to die and then will bring me back to life – (26:82) and who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on Judgment Day! Surah 41 41:44 Say: "Unto all who have attained to faith, this [divine writ] is a guidance and a source of health; but as for those who will not believe in their ears is deafness, and so it remains obscure to them: they are [like people who are] being called from too far away." (38) Confer 16:69.	Note on Surah 41 38 Lit., "from a far-off place": i.e., they only hear the sound of the words, but cannot understand their meaning.
Health, spiritual	Surah 17 17:82 THUS, step by step, We bestow from on high through this Qur'an all that gives health [to the spirit] and is a grace unto those who believe [in Us], the while it only adds to the ruin of evildoers: (98) (17:83) for [it often happens that] when We bestow Our blessings upon man, he turns away and arrogantly keeps aloof [from any thought of Us]; and when evil fortune touches him, he abandons all hope. Surah 27 (27:77) and, verily, it [i.e., The Qur’an] is a guidance and a grace unto all who believe [in it]. See also: Health, physical.	Note on Surah 17 98 By "evildoers" are meant people who, out of self-conceit or an excessive "love of this world"; reject out of hand any suggestion of divine guidance – and, with it, any belief in the existence of absolute moral values – and in the end, as the sequence shows, fall prey to spiritual nihilism.
Hearts – peace and rest for the hearts of the believers (as opposed to those who are bent on denying the truth, and who prefer to go astray)	13:27-29 NOW THOSE who are bent on denying the truth [of the Prophet's message] say, "Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed upon him from on high by his Sustainer?" (49) Say: "Behold, God lets go astray him who wills [to go astray] (50), So just as He guides unto Himself all who turn unto Him – (13:28) those who believe, and whose hearts find their rest in the remembrance of God – for, verily, in the remembrance of God [men's] hearts do find their rest –: (13:29) [and so it is that] they who attain to faith and do righteous deeds are destined for happiness [in this world] and the most beauteous of all goals [in the life to come]!"	49 See verse 7 of this surah and the corresponding note 16. The repetition of this question at this place points to its connection with the reference to "those who break their bond with God after it has been established [in their nature]" in verse 25 above (elucidated in note 19 on 2:27). The abandonment of their original, innate faculty to realize the existence of God and their own dependence on His guidance – caused by their utter immersion in the passing pleasures of this world's life – makes it impossible for "those who are bent on denying the truth" to sense the breath of the divine in the message propounded to them by Muhammad: and so they refuse to accept it as true unless it is supported by an outward "miracle". (See in this connection note 94 on 6:109.) 50 Or: "God lets go astray whomever He wills". Regarding the rendering adopted by me, see surah 14, note 4.
Hidden knowledge and understanding	19:64 ...unto Him belongs all that lies open before us [i.e., the angels] and all that is hidden – from us and all that is in-between. (50)	50 I.e., that which even the angels can only glimpse but not fully understand.
Human soul, illumination of	17:78 BE CONSTANT in [thy] prayer from the time when the sun has passed its zenith till the darkness of night, and [be ever mindful of its] recitation at dawn: (95) for, behold, the recitation [of prayer] at dawn is indeed witnessed [by all that is holy]. (96)	96 Most of the classical commentators take this to mean "witnessed by the angels of night as well as those of day", since dawn is the time between night and day. Razi, however, is of the opinion that the "witness" to which the Qur'an refers here is the spark of God-given illumination in man's own soul – the heightening of his inner perception at the time when the darkness and stillness of night begins to give way to the life-giving light of day, so that prayer becomes a means of attaining to deeper insight into the realm of spiritual truths and, thus, of achieving communion with all that is holy.
Humility and inner purity	Surah 7 7:55 Call unto your Sustainer humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts. See also: Religious humility versus the pitfalls of arrogance and exclusivism. Surah 23 23:1 TRULY, to a happy state shall attain the believers: (23:2) those who humble themselves in their prayer, (23:3) and who turn away from all that is frivolous, (23:4) and who are intent on inner purity; (1) (23:5) and who are mindful of their chastity, (2) (23:6) [not giving way to their desires] with any but their spouses – that is, those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock]: (3) – for then, behold, they are free of all blame, (23:7) whereas such as seek to go beyond that [limit] are truly transgressors; (23:8) and who are faithful to their trusts and to their pledges, (23:9) and who guard their prayers [from all worldly intent]. 23:10 It is they, they who shall be the inheritors (23:11) that will inherit the paradise; [and] therein shall they abide.	Notes on Surah 23 1 Lit., "working for" or "active in behalf of [inner] purity", which is the meaning of zakah in this context (Zamakhshari; the same interpretation has been advanced by Abu Muslim). 2 Lit., "who guard their private parts" 3 Lit., "or those whom their right hands possess" (aw ma malakat aymanuhum). Most of the commentators assume unquestioningly that this relates to female slaves, and that the particle aw ("or") denotes a permissible alternative. This conventional interpretation is, in my opinion, inadmissible inasmuch as it is based on the assumption that sexual intercourse with one's female slave is permitted without marriage: an assumption which is contradicted by the Qur'an itself (see 4:3, 24, 25 and 24:32, with the corresponding notes). Nor is this the only objection to the above-mentioned interpretation. [...]
Hypocrites	29:10 [...] Is not God fully aware of what is in the hearts of all creatures? 29:11 [Yea –] and most certainly will God mark out those who have [truly] attained to faith, and most certainly will He mark out the hypocrites. (7) Confer 63:1-8.	7 This is probably the earliest occurrence of the term munafiq in the chronology of Qur'anic revelation. Idiomatically, the term is derived from the noun nafaq, which denotes an "underground passage" having an outlet different from the entry, and signifying, specifically, the complicated burrow of a field-mouse, a lizard, etc., from which the animal can easily escape or in which it can outwit a pursuer. Tropically, the term munafiq describes a person who is "two-faced", inasmuch as he always tries to find an easy way out of any real commitment, be it spiritual or social, by adapting his course of action to what promises to be of practical advantage to him in the situation in which he happens to find himself. Since a person thus characterized usually pretends to be morally better than he really is, the epithet munafiq may roughly be rendered as "hypocrite". It should, however, be noted that whereas this Western term invariably implies conscious dissembling with the intent to deceive others, the Arabic term munafiq may also be applied – and occasionally is applied in the Qur'an to a person who, being weak or uncertain in his beliefs or moral convictions, merely deceives himself. Hence, while using in my rendering of the Qur'anic text the conventional expression "hypocrite", I have endeavoured to point out the above differentiation, whenever possible and necessary, in my explanatory notes.
Hypocrisy – a sure way to earn God’s wrath	48:6 And [God has willed] to impose suffering [in the life to come] on the hypocrites, both men and women, and on those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, both men and women: all who entertain evil thoughts about God. (6)	6 I.e., who deny His existence or man's responsibility to Him, or offend against the concept of His oneness.
Ignorance – know and respect your own limitations; be humble	17:36 And never concern thyself with anything of which thou hast no knowledge: (45) verily, [thy] hearing and sight and heart – all of them – will be called to account for it [on Judgment Day]!	(45) Or: "do not follow [or "pursue"] anything ...", etc. This would seem to relate to groundless assertions about events or people (and hence to slander or false testimony), to statements based on guesswork unsupported by evidence, or to interfering in social situations which one is unable to evaluate correctly.
Ignorance followed by repentance	16:119: And once again: Behold, thy Sustainer [shows mercy] to those who do evil out of ignorance and afterwards repent and live righteously: behold, after such [repentance] thy Sustainer is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
Inherit the earth	21:105-106 AND, INDEED, after having exhorted [man], We laid it down in all the books of divine wisdom that My righteous servants shall inherit the earth: (101) herein, behold, there is a message for people who [truly] worship God.	101 Zabar (lit., "scripture" or "book") is a generic term denoting any "book of wisdom": hence, any and all of the divine scriptures revealed by God to the prophets [Tabari]. The statement that "My righteous servants shall inherit the earth" is obviously an echo of the promise, "You are bound to rise high if you are [truly] believers" (3:139) – the implication being that it is only through faith in God and righteous behaviour on earth that man can reach the heights envisaged for him by his Creator's grace.
Inner certainty	45:3 Behold, in the heavens as well as on earth there are indeed messages for all who [are willing to] believe. (2) (45:4) And in your own nature, and in [that of] all the animals which He scatters [over the earth] there are messages for people who are endowed with inner certainty. (3) 45:5 And in the succession of night and day, and in the means of subsistence (4) which God sends down from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless, and in the change of the winds: [in all this] there are messages for people who use their reason. See also: · Doubts, toying with. · Follow not the crowd. · God – always warning man (and thus calling every one of us unto Himself). · Insight and inner assurance. · Self-deception.	2 Cf. 2:164, where the term ayat has been rendered by me in the same way, inasmuch as those visible signs of a consciously creative Power convey a spiritual message to man. 3 Cf. 7:185 and the corresponding note 151. – The intricate structure of human and animal bodies, and the life-preserving instincts with which all living creatures have been endowed, make it virtually impossible to assume that all this has developed "by accident"; and if we assume, as we must, that a creative purpose underlies this development, we must conclude, too, that it has been willed by a conscious Power which creates all natural phenomena in accordance with an inner truth" (see note 11 on 10:5). 4 I.e., rain, with the symbolic connotation of physical and spiritual grace often attached to it in the Qur'an.
Inner strength and vision	38:45 AND CALL to mind Our servants Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, [all of them] endowed with inner strength and vision: (38:46) for, verily, We purified them by means of a thought most pure: the remembrance of the life to come. (42) (38:47) And, behold, in Our sight they were indeed among the elect, the truly good! 38:48 And call to mind Ishmael and Elisha, (43) and every one who [like them] has pledged himself [unto Us]: (44) for, each of them was of the truly good!	42 Lit., "of the [final] abode". 43 Al-Yasa' in Arabic – the Biblical prophet who succeeded Elijah (see surah 37, note 48). 44 For an explanation of this rendering of dhu'l-kifl, see surah 21, note 81.
Insight and inner assurance	(6:75) And thus We gave Abraham [his first] insight into [God's] mighty dominion over the heavens and the earth – and [this] to the end that he might become one of those who are inwardly sure. […] "[...] (6:79) Behold, unto Him who brought into being the heavens and the earth have I turned my face, having turned away from all that is false; and I am not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him." 6:80 And his people argued with him. He said: "Do you argue with me about God, when it is He who has guided me? But I do not fear anything to which you ascribe divinity side by side with Him, [for no evil can befall me] unless my Sustainer so wills. (67) All things does my Sustainer embrace within His knowledge; will you not, then, keep this in mind? (6:81) And why should I fear anything that you worship side by side with Him, seeing that you are not afraid of ascribing divinity to other powers beside God without His ever having bestowed upon you from on high any warrant therefor? [Tell me,] then, which of the two parties has a better right to feel secure – if you happen to know [the answer]? (6:82) Those who have attained to faith, and who have not obscured their faith by wrongdoing – it is they who shall be secure, since it is they who have found the right path!" 6:83 And this was Our argument (68) which We vouchsafed unto Abraham against his people: [for] We do raise by degrees whom We will. (69) Verily, thy Sustainer is wise, all-knowing. See also: Inner certainty.	67 Lit., "unless my Sustainer wills a thing". 68 The description of Abraham's reasoning as God's own argument implies that it was divinely inspired, and is therefore valid for the followers of the Qur'an as well. 69 This is evidently an allusion to Abraham's gradual grasp of the truth, symbolized by his intuitive progress from an adoration of celestial bodies – stars, moon and sun – to a full realization of God's transcendental, all-embracing existence. Alternatively, the expression "by degrees" may be taken to mean "by many degrees", signifying the great spiritual dignity to which this forerunner of a long line of prophets was ultimately raised (see 4:125).
Intellectual approach, differing in	10:19 And had it not been for a decree – that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, all their differences would indeed have been settled [from the outset]. (29)	29 Lit., "it would indeed have been decided between them regarding all that they were differing in": i.e., had it not been for God's decree – which is the meaning, in this context, of the term kalimah (lit., "word") – that men should differ in their intellectual approach to the problems touched upon by divine revelation, "they would not have contended with one another after having received all evidence of the truth", but would all have held from the very outset, and would continue to hold, the same views (cf. 2:253 and the corresponding note 245). Since, however, such a uniformity would have precluded men's intellectual, moral and social development, God has left it to their reason, aided by prophetic guidance, gradually to find their way to the truth. (See also surah 2, note 198.) The above parenthetic passage must be read in conjunction with 2:213.
Intellectual insight	19:43 [Abraham spoke [thus] unto his father:] "O my father! Behold, there has indeed come to me [a ray] of knowledge such as has never yet come unto thee: (32) follow me, then; I shall guide thee onto a perfect way."	32 I.e., a cognition of God's existence and uniqueness through intellectual insight (cf. 6:74-82).
Intellectual quality and progressive realization	21:51 AND, INDEED, long before [the time of Moses] We vouchsafed unto Abraham his consciousness of what is right; (59) and We were aware of [what moved] him (21:52) when he said unto his father and his people, "What are these images to which you are so intensely devoted?"	59 The possessive pronoun "his" affixed to the noun rushd (which, in this context, has the meaning of "consciousness of what is right") emphasizes the highly personal, intellectual quality of Abraham's progressive realization of God's almightiness and uniqueness (cf. 6:74-79 as well as note 69 on 6:83); while the expression min qabl – rendered by me as "long before [the time of Moses]" – stresses, once again, the element of continuity in man's religious insight and experience.
Jesus	Surah 19 19:20 Said she: "How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me? – for, never have I been a loose woman!" (19:21) [The angel] answered: "Thus it is; [but] thy Sustainer says, 'This is easy for Me; (15) and [thou shalt have a son,] so that We might make him a symbol unto mankind and an act of grace from Us.'" (16) Surah 21 21:91 AND [remember] her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed into her of Our spirit (87) and caused her, together with her son, to become a symbol [of Our grace] Unto all people. (88) Surah 23: (23:50) And [as We exalted Moses, so, too,] We made the son of Mary and his mother a symbol [of Our grace], (25)	Notes on Surah 19 15 (omitted here). 16 One of the several meanings of the term dyah is "a sign" or, as elaborately defined by Raghib. "a symbol" (cf. surah 17, note 2). However, the sense in which it is most frequently used in the Qur'an is "a [divine] message": hence, its metonymic application to Jesus may mean that he was destined to become a vehicle of God's message to man – i.e., a prophet – and, thus, a symbol of God's grace. – As regards the words "thou shalt have a son" interpolated by me between brackets, a statement to this effect is implied in the subsequent phrase beginning with "so that" (Zamakhshari and Razi). Notes to Surah 21 87 This allegorical expression, used here with reference to Mary's conception of Jesus, has been widely – and erroneously – interpreted as relating specifically to his birth. As a matter of fact, the Qur'an uses the same expression in three other places with reference to the creation of man in general – namely in 15:29 and 38:72, "when I have formed him ... and breathed into him of My spirit"; and in 32:9, "and thereupon He forms [lit., "formed"] him fully and breathes lit., "breathed"] into him of His spirit". In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted phrase is a part (i.e., 32:7-9) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear that God "breathes of His spirit" into every human being. Commenting on the verse under consideration, Zamakhshari states that "the breathing of the spirit [of God] into a body signifies the endowing it with life": an explanation with which Razi concurs. (In this connection, see also note 181 on 4:171.) As for the description of Mary as allati ahsanat farjaha; idiomatically denoting "one who guarded her chastity" (lit., "her private parts"), it is to be borne in mind that the term ihsan – lit., "[one's] being fortified [against any danger or evil]" – has the tropical meaning of "abstinence from what is unlawful or reprehensible" (Taj al-'Arus), and especially from illicit sexual intercourse, and is applied to a man as well as a woman: thus, for instance, the terms muhsan and muhsanah are used elsewhere in the Qur'an to describe, respectively, a man or a woman who is "fortified [by marriage] against unchastity". Hence, the expression allati ahsanat farjaha, occurring in the above verse as well as in 66:12 with reference to Mary, is but meant to stress her outstanding chastity and complete abstinence, in thought as well as in deed, from anything unlawful or morally reprehensible: in other words, a rejection of the calumny (referred to in 4:156 and obliquely alluded to in 19:27-28) that the birth of Jesus was the result of an "illicit union". 88 For my rendering of the term ayah as "symbol", see surah 17, note 2, and surah 19, note 16 (the latter is included above, here in this compilation). Note on Surah 23: 25 For my rendering of ayah, in this instance, as "symbol", see surah 19, note 16. Jesus and his mother Mary are mentioned here specifically because they, too, had to suffer persecution and slander at the hands of "those who were bent on denying the truth".
Judgment according to gravity of sins	Please refer to: · Self-destruction. · Heart, deafness and blindness of.
Judgment belongs to God alone	Surah 26 (26:112) Said he [i.e., Noah]: "And what knowledge could I have as to what they were doing [before they came to me]? (26:113) Their reckoning rests with none but my Sustainer: if you could but understand [this]! (50) (26:114) Hence, I shall not drive away [any of those [who profess to be] believers; (26:115) I am nothing but a plain warner." Surah 68 68:44 Hence, leave Me alone with such as give the lie to this tiding. (23) See also: Kafir.	Note on Surah 26 50 This is obviously a retort to the unbelievers' suggestion (elliptically implied here) that those "abject" followers of Noah had declared their faith in him, not out of conviction, but only in order to gain some material advantages. Noah's answer embodies a cardinal principle of Qur'anic ethics and, hence, of Islamic Law: No human being has the right to sit in judgment on another person's faith or hidden motives; whereas God knows what is in the hearts of men, society may judge only by external evidence (az-zahir), which comprises a person's words as well as deeds. Thus, if anyone says, "I am a believer", and does not act or speak in a manner contradicting his professed faith, the community must consider him a believer. Note on Surah 68 23 I.e., to divine revelation in general, and to the tiding of resurrection and judgment, in particular – the implication being that God alone has the right to decide whether or how to chastise them.
Justice, do not deviate from	5:8 O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of anyone (19) lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do.	19 Lit., "of people".
*Kafir*	Surah 2 2:6 BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the truth (6) – it is all one to them whether thou warnest them or dost not warn them: they will not believe. (2:7) God; has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil; (7) and awesome suffering awaits them. See also: · Laws of nature – God’s way – sunnat Allah. · Truth. Surah 74 74:8 And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded, (9) that very Day shall be a day of anguish, (10) not of ease, for all who [now] deny the truth! (4) 74:11 LEAVE Me alone [to deal] with him whom I have created alone, (5)	Notes on Surah 2 6 In contrast with the frequently occurring term al-kafirun ("those who deny the truth"), the use of the past tense in alladhina kafaru indicates conscious intent, and is, therefore, appropriately rendered as "those who are bent on denying the truth". This interpretation is supported by many commentators, especially Zamakhshari (who, in his commentary on this verse, uses the expression, "those who have deliberately resolved upon their kufr"). Elsewhere in the Qur'an such people are spoken of as having "hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear" (7:179). – For an explanation of the terms kufr ("denial of the truth"), kafir ("one who denies the truth"), etc., see note 4 on 74:10, where this concept appears for the first time in Qur'anic revelation. 7 A reference to the natural law instituted by God, whereby a person who persistently adheres to false beliefs and refuses to listen to the voice of truth gradually loses the ability to perceive the truth, "so that finally, as it were, a seal is set upon his heart" (Raghib). Since it is God who has instituted all laws of nature – which, in their aggregate, are called sunnat Allah ("the way of God") – this "sealing" is attributed to Him: but it is obviously a consequence of man's free choice and not an act of "predestination". Similarly, the suffering which, in the life to come, is in store for those who during their life in this world have wilfully remained deaf and blind to the truth, is a natural consequence of their free choice – just as happiness in the life to come is the natural consequence of man's endeavour to attain to righteousness and inner illumination. It is in this sense that the Qur'anic references to God's "reward" and "punishment" must be understood. Notes on Surah 74 4 Since this is the earliest Qur'anic occurrence of the expression kafir (the above surah having been preceded only by the first five verses of surah 96), its use here – and, by implication, in the whole of the Qur'an – is obviously determined by the meaning which it had in the speech of the Arabs before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad: in other words, the term kafir cannot be simply equated, as many Muslim theologians of post-classical times and practically all Western translators of the Qur'an have done, with "unbeliever" or "infidel" in the specific, restricted sense of one who rejects the system of doctrine and law promulgated in the Qur'an and amplified by the teachings of the Prophet – but must have a wider, more general meaning. This meaning is easily grasped when we bear in mind that the root verb of the participial noun kafir (and of the infinitive noun kufr) is kafara, "he [or "it"] covered [a thing]": thus, in 57:20 the tiller of the soil is called (without any pejorative implication) kafir, "one who covers", i.e., the sown seed with earth, just as the night is spoken of as having "covered" (kafara) the earth with darkness. In their abstract sense, both the verb and the nouns derived from it have a connotation of "concealing" something that exists or "denying" something that is true. Hence, in the usage of the Qur'an – with the exception of the one instance (in 57:20) where this participial noun signifies a "tiller of the soil" – a kafir is "one who denies [or "refuses to acknowledge"] the truth" in the widest, spiritual sense of this latter term: that is, irrespective of whether it relates to a cognition of the supreme truth – namely, the existence of God – or to a doctrine or ordinance enunciated in the divine writ, or to a self-evident moral proposition, or to an acknowledgment of, and therefore gratitude for, favours received. (Regarding the expression alladhina kafaru, implying conscious intent, see surah 2, note 6.) 5 Or: "...whom I alone have created". The above sentence can be understood in either of these two senses, depending on whether one relates the expression "alone" (wahid) to God – thus stressing His uniqueness as Creator – or to this particular object of His creation, man, who begins and ends his life in a state of utter loneliness (cf. 6:94 and 19:80 and 95). In either case, our attention is drawn to the fact of man's inescapable dependence on God. Beyond that, the phrase in question carries a further meaning, namely, "Leave it to Me alone to decide what to do with him who forgets that I am his Creator and Sustainer" – thus forbidding any human punishment of "those who deny the truth".
Knowledge (innate)	Surah 29 29:49 Nay, but this [divine writ] consists of messages clear to the hearts of all who are gifted with [innate] knowledge (48) – and none could knowingly reject Our messages unless it be such as would do wrong [to themselves]. Confer 41:3. Surah 30 30:21 And among His wonders is this: He creates for you mates out of your own kind, so that you might incline towards them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think! (30:22) And among his wonders is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colours: for in this, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are possessed of [innate] knowledge!	Note on Surah 29 48 Lit., "self-evident (bayyinat) in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge" – the term 'ilm having here the connotation of intuitive, spiritual perception.
Life – not always easy	Surah 90 (90:4) Verily, We have created man into [a life of] pain, toil and trial. (3) Surah 93 93:1 CONSIDER the bright morning hours, (93:2) and the night when it grows still and dark. (1) (93:3) Thy Sustainer has not forsaken thee, nor does He scorn thee: (2) (93:4) for, indeed, the life to come will be better for thee than this earlier part [of thy life]!	Note on Surah 90 3 The term kabad, comprising the concepts of "pain", "distress", "hardship", "toil", "trial"', etc., can be rendered only by a compound expression like the one above. Notes on Surah 93 1 The expression "bright morning hours" apparently symbolizes the few and widely-spaced periods of happiness in human life, as contrasted with the much greater length of "the night when it grows still and dark", i.e., the extended periods of sorrow or suffering that, as a rule, overshadow man's existence in this world (cf. 90:4). The further implication is that, as sure as morning follows night, God's mercy is bound to lighten every suffering, either in this world or in the life to come – for God has "willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy" (6:12 and 54). 2 Sc., "as the thoughtless might conclude in view of the suffering that He has willed thee to bear".
Life – rejoice in the life of this world	13:26 GOD GRANTS abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto whomever He wills; and they [who are given abundance] rejoice in the life of this world – even though, as compared with the life to come, the life of this world is nought but a fleeting pleasure.
Life renewed	28:85 VERILY, [O believer,] He who has laid down this Qur'an in plain terms, making it binding on thee, (95) will assuredly bring thee back [from death] to a life renewed. (96)	95 According to Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari), the phrase farada 'alayka is almost synonymous with a'taka, "He gave [it] to thee". This, however, elucidates only one part of the above complex expression, which, I believe, has here a meaning similar to that of faradnaha ("We laid it down in plain terms") occurring in the first verse of surah 24 (An-Nur) and explained in the corresponding note 1. In the present context, the particle 'alayka ("upon thee"), with its pronominal suffix, gives to the above clause the additional meaning of a moral obligation on the part of the recipient of the Qur'anic message to conform his or her way of life to its teachings; hence my compound rendering of the phrase. 96 The term ma'ad denotes, literally, "a place [or "a state"] to which one returns", and, tropically, one's "ultimate destination" or "ultimate condition"; in the present context, it is obviously synonymous with "life in the hereafter". This is how most of the classical authorities interpret the above phrase. But on the vague assumption that this passage is addressed exclusively to the Prophet, some commentators incline to the view that the noun has here a specific, purely physical connotation – "a place of return" – allegedly referring to God's promise to His Apostle (given during or after the latter's exodus from Mecca to Medina) that one day he would return victoriously to the city of his birth. To my mind, however, the passage has a much deeper meaning, unconnected with any place or specific point in history: it is addressed to every believer, and promises not only a continuation of life after bodily death but also a spiritual rebirth, in this world, to anyone who opens his heart to the message of the Qur'an and comes to regard it as binding on himself.
Light (versus darkness) – faith and reason	17:12 And We have established the night and the day as two symbols; and thereupon We have effaced the symbol of night and set up [in its place] the light-giving symbol of day, (14) so that […]	14 I.e., the message of the Qur'an, which is meant to lead man out of spiritual ignorance and error into the light of faith and reason.
Lying, bent on	39:3 [...] God does not grace with His guidance anyone who is bent on lying [to himself (3) and is] stubbornly ingrate!	3 Cf. 6:22-24 and the corresponding notes.
Man – taught by God	(96:3) Read – for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One (96:4) who has taught [man] the use of the pen (96:5) taught man what he did not know! (3) 96:6 Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening (96:7) whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient: (96:8) for, behold, unto thy Sustainer all must return. (4)	3 "The pen" is used here as a symbol for the art of writing or, more specifically, for all knowledge recorded by means of writing: and this explains the symbolic summons "Read!" at the beginning of verses 1 and 3. Man's unique ability to transmit, by means of written records, his thoughts, experiences and insights from individual to individual, from generation to generation, and from one cultural environment to another endows all human knowledge with a cumulative character; and since, thanks to this God-given ability, every human being partakes, in one way or another, in mankind's continuous accumulation of knowledge, man is spoken of as being "taught by God" things which the single individual does not – and, indeed, cannot – know by himself. (This double stress on man's utter dependence on God, who creates him as a biological entity and implants in him the will and the ability to acquire knowledge, receives its final accent, as it were, in the next three verses.) Furthermore, God's "teaching" man signifies also the act of His revealing, through the prophets, spiritual truths and moral standards which cannot be unequivocally established through human experience and reasoning alone: and, thus, it circumscribes the phenomenon of divine revelation as such. 4 Lit., "is the return (ar-ruj'a)". This noun has here a twofold implication: "everyone will inescapably be brought before God for judgment", as well as "everything that exists goes back to God as its source". In ultimate analysis, the statement expressed in verses 6-8 rejects as absurd the arrogant idea that man could ever be self-sufficient and, hence, "master of his own fate"; furthermore, it implies that all moral concepts – that is, all discrimination between good and evil, or right and wrong – are indissolubly linked with the concept of man's responsibility to a Supreme Power: in other words, without such a feeling of responsibility – whether conscious or subconscious – the concept of "morality" as such loses all its meaning.
Man’s heart – a house of worship	(52:2) Consider [God's] revelation, inscribed (52:3) on wide-open scrolls. (2) (52:4) Consider the long-enduring house [of worship]! (3) (52:5) Consider the vault [of heaven] raised high! (52:6) Consider the surf-swollen sea! (4)	2 I.e., always open to man's understanding (Razi). 3 This is a metonym for the fact that ever since the dawn of human consciousness men have persistently – although often but dimly – realized the existence of God and have tried, spurred on by the continuous, direct revelation granted to His prophets, to come closer to Him through worship. Hence, Baydawi regards the expression al-bayt al-ma'mur as a metaphor for the heart of the believer. 4 I.e., "Consider the immensity and wonderful configuration of the visible universe as an evidence of a conscious Creator."
Man’s intellectual and emotional evolution	2:213 ALL MANKIND were once one single community; [then they began to differ –] whereupon God raised up the prophets as heralds of glad tidings and as warners, and through them bestowed revelation from on high, setting forth the truth, so that it might decide between people with regard to all on which they had come to hold divergent views. (197) Yet none other than the selfsame people who had been granted this [revelation] began, out of mutual jealousy, to disagree about its meaning after all evidence of the truth had come unto them. But God guided the believers unto the truth about which, by His leave, they had disagreed: for God guides onto a straight way him that wills [to be guided]. (198)	197 By using the expression ummah wahidah ("one single community") to describe the original state of mankind, the Qur'an does not propound, as might appear at first glance, the idea of a mythical "golden age" obtaining at the dawn of man's history. What is alluded to in this verse is no more than the relative homogeneity of instinctive perceptions and inclinations characteristic of man's primitive mentality and the primitive social order in which he lived in those early days. Since that homogeneity was based on a lack of intellectual and emotional differentiation rather than on a conscious agreement among the members of human society, it was bound to disintegrate in the measure of man's subsequent development. As his thought-life became more and more complex, his emotional capacity and his individual needs, too, became more differentiated, conflicts of views and interests came to the fore, and mankind ceased to be "one single community" as regards their outlook on life and their moral valuations: and it was at this stage that divine guidance became necessary. (It is to be borne in mind that the term al-kitab refers here – as in many other places in the Qur'an – not to any particular scripture but to divine revelation as such.) This interpretation of the above Qur'anic passage is supported by the fact that the famous Companion 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud used to read it thus: "All mankind were once one single community, and then they began to differ (fakhtalafu) – whereupon God raised up ...... etc. Although the word fakhtalafu interpolated here by Ibn Mas'ud does not appear in the generally-accepted text of the Qur'an, almost all of the authorities are of the opinion that it is implied in the context. 198 Or: "God guides whomever He wills onto a straight way." As is made clear in the second part of verse 253 of this surah, man's proneness to intellectual dissension is not an accident of history but an integral, God-willed aspect of human nature as such: and it is this natural circumstance to which the words "by His leave" allude. For an explanation of the phrase "out of mutual jealousy", see 23:53 and the corresponding note 30.
Men of God	3:79 [...] but rather [did he exhort them], "Become men of God (62) by spreading the knowledge of the divine writ, and by your own deep study [thereof]."	62 According to Sibawayh (as quoted by Razi), a rabbani is "one who devotes himself exclusively to the endeavour to know the Sustainer (ar-rabb) and to obey Him": a connotation fairly close to the English expression "a man of God".
Message tremendous	38:65 SAY [O Muhammad]: "I am only a warner; and there is no deity whatever save God, the One, who holds absolute sway over all that exists, (38:66) the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, the Almighty, the All-Forgiving!" 38:67 Say: "This is a message tremendous: (38:68) [how can] you turn away from it?" (38:69) [Say, O Muhammad:] "No knowledge would I have had of [what passed among] the host on high when they argued [against the creation of man]; (52) (38:70) had it not been revealed unto me [by God] – to no other end than that I might convey [unto you] a plain warning." (53)	52 For the allegorical contention of the angels ("the host on high") against the creation of man, see 2:30 ff. and the corresponding notes 22-24. The allegory of man's creation, of God's command to the angels to "prostrate themselves" before the new creature, and of Iblis' refusal to do so appears in the Qur'an six times (2:30-34, 7:11 ff., 15:28-44, 17:6l-65, 18:50, and 38:69-85), each time with an accent on a different aspect of this allegory. In the present instance (which is undoubtedly the earliest in the chronology of revelation) it is connected with the statement, in 2:31, that God "imparted unto Adam the names of all things", i.e., endowed man with the faculty of conceptual thinking (see note 23 on 2:31) and, thus, with the ability to discern between what is true and what false. Since he possesses this faculty, man has no excuse for not realizing God's existence and oneness – the "message tremendous" – referred to in the preceding passage. 53 Lit., "otherwise than that I be (illa annama ana) a plain warner" – i.e., of the prospect of spiritual self-destruction inherent in a wilful disregard of the fact of God's existence and oneness, which is the core of all religious cognition and, hence, of all true prophethood.
Migrating unto God – forsaking the domain of evil	2:218 Verily, they who have attained to faith, and they who have forsaken the domain of evil (203) and are striving hard in God's cause – these it is who may look forward to God's grace: for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace. Confer: · 4:97 and its note 124, which says that “the spiritual exodus from the domain of evil to that of righteousness continues to be a fundamental demand of Islam”. · 4:100 and its note 126, which speaks of “'a lonely road' – a metaphor of that heartbreaking loneliness which almost always accompanies the first steps of one who sets forth on his 'exodus from evil unto God'”. · 3:195, 8:74-75, 9:20, 9:100, 9:117, 16:110, 24:22, 29:26, 59:8, 60:10.	203 The expression alladhina hajaru (lit., "those who have forsaken their homelands") denotes, primarily, the early Meccan Muslims who migrated at the Prophet's bidding to Medina – which was then called Yathrib – in order to be able to live in freedom and in accordance with the dictates of Islam. After the conquest of Mecca by the Muslims in the year 8 H., this exodus (hijrah) from Mecca to Medina ceased to be a religious obligation. Ever since the earliest days of Islam, however, the term hijrah has had a spiritual connotation as well – namely, a "forsaking of the domain of evil" and turning towards God: and since this spiritual connotation applies both to the historical muhajirun ("emigrants") of early Islam and to all believers of later times who forsake all that is sinful and "migrate unto God", I am using this expression frequently.
Mocking that which you cannot (or are unwilling to) understand	(45:27) For, God's is the dominion over the heavens and the earth; and on the Day when the Last Hour dawns – on that Day will be lost all who [in their lifetime] tried to reduce to nothing [whatever they could not understand]. (29) […] 45:33 And [on that Day,] the evil of their doings will become obvious to them, and they will be overwhelmed by the very thing which they were wont to deride. (30) 45:34 And [the word] will be spoken: "Today We shall be oblivious of you as you were oblivious of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]; and so your goal is the fire, and you shall have none to succour you: (45:35) this, because you made God's messages the target of your mockery, having allowed the life of this world to beguile you!" (31)	29 I.e., whatever they could not "prove" by direct observation or calculation. For the above rendering of al-mubtilun, see surah 29, note 47. 30 Lit., "and that which they were wont to deride will have enfolded them". 31 Lit., "since the life of this world has beguiled you": implying that this self-abandonment to worldly pursuits was the cause of their scornful disregard of God's messages.
Native tongues – crucial for each human being’s understanding of God’s message	19:96 VERILY, those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds will the Most Gracious endow with love: (80) (19:97) and only to this end have We made this [divine writ] easy to understand, in thine own tongue, [O Prophet,] (81) so that thou might convey thereby a glad tiding to the God-conscious, and warn thereby those who are given to [futile] contention: (19:98) for, how many a generation (82) have We destroyed before their time – [and] canst thou perceive any one of them [now], or hear any whisper of them? Confer 44:58.	80 I.e., bestow on them His love and endow them with the capability to love His creation, as well as cause them to be loved by their fellow-men. As is shown in the next verse, this gift of love is inherent in the guidance offered to man through divine revelation. 81 Since man is incapable of understanding the "word" of God as such, it has always been revealed to him in his own, human tongue (cf. 14:4 – "never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people's tongue"), and has always been expounded in concepts accessible to the human mind: hence the reference to the Prophet's revelations as "brought down upon thy heart" (2:97), or "[divine inspiration] has alighted with it upon thy heart" (26:193-194). 82 I.e., civilization – a meaning which the term qarn has also in the identical phrase in verse 74.
New heaven, new earth	Surah 14 (14:48) [His promise will be fulfilled] on the Day when the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens (63) and when [all men] shall appear before God, the One who holds absolute sway over all that exists. Surah 39 39:69 And the earth will shine bright with her Sustainer's light. (69)	Note on Surah 14 63 This is an allusion to the total, cataclysmic change, on the Last Day, of all natural phenomena, and thus of the universe as known to man (cf. 20:105-107 and the corresponding note 90). Since that change will be beyond anything that man has ever experienced or what the human mind can conceive, all the Qur'anic descriptions – in the next two verses as well as in many other places – of what is to happen on that Last Day are, of necessity, expressed in allegorical terms: and this applies also to all descriptions of man's condition, good or bad, in, the life to come. (Cf. note 37 above, relating to the term "parable" often used in the Qur'an.) Note on Surah 39 69 I.e., with a clear revelation of His will. See also 14:48, where it is stated that on Resurrection Day "the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens". A further allusion to this transformation (and not annihilation) of the universe is found in 20:105-107.
Objects of worship must never be anything else but God and God alone (not even His Temple)	22:26 For, when we assigned unto Abraham the site of this Temple, (34) [We said unto him:] "Do not ascribe divinity to aught beside Me!" (35) – and: "Purify My Temple for those who will walk around it, (36) and those who will stand before it [in meditation], and those who will bow down and prostrate themselves [in prayer]."	34 I.e., the Ka'bah: see note 102 on 2:125. 35 In view of the oft-repeated Qur'anic statement that Abraham was beyond all temptation to ascribe divinity to anything but God, it seems to me that the above injunction has a specific import, namely, "Do not allow this Temple to become an object of worship, but make it clear that it is holy only by virtue of its being the first temple ever dedicated to the worship of the One God" (cf. 3:96). Apart from that, it refers to "those who are bent on denying the truth" spoken of at the beginning of the preceding verse. 36 See surah 2, note 104.
Path of God	22:25 BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the truth and bar [others] from the path of God (31) and from the Inviolable House of Worship which We have set up for all people alike – [both] those who dwell there and those who come from abroad – and all who seek to profane it (32) by [deliberate] evildoing: [all] such shall We cause to taste grievous suffering [in the life to come.]	31 This connects with the allusion, in the preceding verse, to "the way that leads to the One unto whom all praise is due". 32 Lit., "who aim therein at a deviation from the right course (ilhad)" – a term which circumscribes every perversion of religious tenets.
Peace	10:25 AND [know that] God invites [man] unto the abode of peace, and guides him that wills [to be guided] onto a straight way. Confer 24:46.
People (each people is cared for and dealt with by God)	30;47 And indeed, [O Muhammad, even] before thee did We send forth apostles – each one unto his own people (43) – and they brought them all evidence of the truth: and then, [by causing the believers to triumph,] We inflicted Our retribution upon those who [deliberately] did evil: for We had willed it upon Ourselves to succour the believers.	43 Lit., "did We send apostles to their [own] people": see note 96 on 10:74.
Preachers, some responsibilities of theirs	26:214 And warn (whomever thou canst reach, beginning with] thy kinsfolk, (93) (26:215) and spread the wings of thy tenderness over all of the believers who may follow thee; (94) (26:216) but if they disobey thee, say, "I am free of responsibility for aught that you may do!" – (26:217) and place thy trust in the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace, (26:218) who sees thee when thou standest [alone], (95) (26:219) and [sees] thy behaviour among those who prostrate themselves [before Him]: (96) (26:220) for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing!	93 A believer is morally obliged to preach the truth to all whom he can reach, but obviously he must begin with those who are nearest to him, and especially those who recognize his authority. 94 For an explanation of the metaphorical expression "lower thy wing" rendered by me as "spread the wings of thy tenderness" see 17:24 and the corresponding note 28. The phrase "all of the believers who follow thee" shows that (contrary to the assumption of most of the commentators) the above passage is not addressed to the Prophet – since all who believe in him are, by definition, his followers, and vice versa – but to everyone who chooses to be guided by the Qur'an, and who is herewith called upon to extend his loving kindness and care to all believers who may "follow" him, i.e., who may regard him as spiritually or intellectually superior or more experienced. This interpretation also explains verse 213 above: for whereas the exhortation contained in that verse is meaningful with regard to all who may listen to or read the Qur'an, it would be meaningless with reference to its Prophet, for whom the principle of God's oneness and uniqueness was the unquestionable beginning and end of all truth. 95 According to Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari), this means "wherever thou mayest be". Other commentators take it to mean "when thou standest up for prayer", but this seems to be too narrow an interpretation. 96 I.e., among the believers. as contrasted with those who "disobey thee" (see verse 216 above).
Power on earth	24:55 God has promised those of you who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds that, of a certainty, He will cause them to accede to power on earth, (71) even as He caused [some of] those who lived before them to accede to it; and that, of a certainty, He will firmly establish for' them the religion which He has been pleased to bestow on them; (72) and that, of a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear to be replaced by a sense of security (73) – [seeing that] they worship Me [alone], not ascribing divine powers to aught beside Me. (74) But all who, after [having understood] this, choose to deny the truth – it is they, they who are truly iniquitous! 24:56 Hence, [O believers,] be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, (75) and pay heed unto the Apostle, so that you might be graced with God's mercy. See also: Nations, rise and fall of.	71 Lit., "cause them to be successors on earth" – i.e., enable them to achieve, in their turn, power and security and, thus, the capability to satisfy their worldly needs. This Qur'anic reference to God's "promise" contains an oblique allusion to the God-willed natural law which invariably makes the rise and fall of nations dependent on their moral qualities. 72 Cf. 5:3 – "I have willed that self-surrender unto Me (al-islam) shall be your religion". Its "firm establishment" (tamkin) relates to the strengthening of the believers' faith as well as to the growth of its moral influence in the world. 73 Lit., "exchange for them, after their fear [or "danger"], security". It is to be noted that the term amn signifies not merely outward, physical security but also – and, indeed, originally – "freedom from fear" (Taj al-'Arus). Hence, the above clause implies not only a promise of communal security after an initial period of weakness and danger (which, as history tells us, overshadows the beginnings of every genuine religious movement), but also the promise of an individual sense of inner security – that absence of all fear of the Unknown which characterizes a true believer. (See next note.) 74 I.e., the believer's freedom from fear is a direct outcome of his intellectual and emotional refusal to attribute to anyone or anything but God the power to shape his destiny. 75 The specific mention of the "purifying dues" (az-zakah) in this context is meant to stress the element of unselfishness as an integral aspect of true faith. According to Zamakhshari, the above verse connects with, and concludes, verse 54.
Purpose, firmness of	20:115 AND, INDEED, long ago did We impose Our commandment on Adam; (102) but he forgot it, and We found no firmness of purpose in him.	102 The relevant divine commandment – or, rather, warning – is spelled out in verse 117. The present passage connects with the statement in verse 99, "Thus do We relate unto thee some of the stories of what happened in the past", and is meant to show that negligence of spiritual truths is one of the recurrent characteristics of the human race (Razi), which is symbolized here – as in many other places in the Qur'an – by Adam.
Queen of Sheba	27:41 [And] he continued: "Alter her throne so that she may not know it as hers: let us see whether she allows herself to be guided [to the truth] or remains one of those who will not be guided." (36) (27:42) And so, as soon as she arrived, she was asked: "Is thy throne like this?" She answered: "It is as though it were the same!" (37) [And Solomon said to his nobles: "She has arrived at the truth without any help from us, (38)] although it is we who have been given [divine] knowledge before her, and have [long ago] surrendered ourselves unto God! (27:43) [And she has recognized the truth] although that which she has been wont to worship instead of God (39) had kept her away [from the right path]: for, behold, she is descended of people who deny the truth!" (40) [After a while] she was told: "Enter this court!" – but when she saw it, she thought that it was a fathomless expanse of water, and she bared her legs. (41) Said he: "Behold, it is [but] a court smoothly paved with glass!" (42) Cried she: "O my Sustainer! I have been sinning against myself [by worshipping aught but Thee]: but (now) I have surrendered myself, with Solomon, unto the Sustainer of all the worlds!"	36 I.e., whether she remains satisfied with perceiving only the outward appearance of things and happenings, or endeavours to fathom their spiritual reality. Seeing that the people of Sheba were, until then, motivated by love of luxury and worldly power, Solomon intends to show the Queen her "throne", or the image of her dominion, as it could be if it were inspired by faith in God and, hence, by a consciousness of moral responsibility. 37 Sc., "and yet not quite the same": thus, she expresses doubt – and doubt is the first step in all spiritual progress. She realizes that the "altered throne" is outwardly the same as that which she has left behind; but she perceives intuitively that it is imbued with a spiritual quality which the other did not possess, and which she cannot yet quite understand. 38 Thus Tabari, Zamakhshari and Ibn Kathir, on whose interpretation of this passage my rendering and the above interpolation are based. 39 An allusion to her and her people's worship of celestial bodies (cf. verses 24-25 and the corresponding notes 20 and 21). 40 Lit., "she was [sc., "born"] of people ...", etc. – thus stressing the role of the idolatrous tradition in which she had grown up, and which in the past had made it difficult for her to find the right path. Considering this cultural background, Solomon points out, her awakening at the very moment of her leaving her ancestral environment must be deemed most remarkable and praiseworthy. 41 I.e., in order to wade into it, or perhaps to swim through it, thus braving the seemingly fathomless deep: possibly a symbolic indication of the fear which a human being may feel when his own search after truth forces him to abandon the warm, soothing security of his erstwhile social and mental environment, and to venture into the – as yet – unknown realm of the spirit. 42 I.e., not a dangerous, bottomless deep, as it appeared at first glance, but, rather, the firm, glass-clear light of truth: and with her perception of the ever-existing difference between appearance and reality, the Queen of Sheba comes to the end of her spiritual journey.
Reality, hidden	Surah 2 2:2-3 HIS DIVINE WRIT – let there be no doubt about it is [meant to be] a guidance for all the God-conscious (2) who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception, (3) … Surah 11 11:123 And God alone comprehends the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth: for, all that exists goes back to Him [as its source]. Surah 27 27:65 Say: "None in the heavens or on earth knows the hidden reality [of anything that exists: none knows it] save God." (63) Surah 35 35:38 VERILY, God knows the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth: [and,] behold, He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men]. Confer 49:18.	Notes on Surah 2 2 The conventional translation of muttaqi as "God-fearing" does not adequately render the positive content of this expression – namely, the awareness of His all-presence and the desire to mould one's existence in the light of this awareness; 3 Al-ghayb (commonly, and erroneously, translated as "the Unseen") is used in the Qur'an to denote all those sectors or phases of reality which lie beyond the range of human perception and cannot, therefore, be proved or disproved by scientific observation or even adequately comprised within the accepted categories of speculative thought: as, for instance, the existence of God and of a definite purpose underlying the universe, life after death, the real nature of time, the existence of spiritual forces and their interaction, and so forth. Only a person who is convinced that the ultimate reality comprises far more than our observable environment can attain to belief in God and, thus, to a belief that life has meaning and purpose. By pointing out that it is "a guidance for those who believe in the existence of that which is beyond human perception", the Qur'an says, in effect, that it will – of necessity – remain a closed book to all whose minds cannot accept this fundamental premise. Note on Surah 27 63 In this context, the term al-ghayb – rendered by me here as "the hidden reality" – apparently relates to the "how" of God's Being, the ultimate reality underlying the observable aspects of the universe, and the meaning and purpose inherent in its creation. My repetition, within brackets, of the words "none knows it", i.e., save God, is necessitated by the fact that He is infinite, unlimited as to space, and cannot, therefore, be included among the beings "in the heavens or on earth", who have all been created by Him.
Reason, all that runs counter to	16:90 BEHOLD, God enjoins justice, and the doing of good, and generosity towards [one's] fellowmen; and He forbids all that is shameful and all that runs counter to reason (109), as well as envy; [and] He exhorts you [repeatedly] so that you might bear [all this] in mind. Confer 24:21.	109 The term al-munkar (rendered by me in other places as "that which is wrong") has here its original meaning of "that which the mind [or the moral sense] rejects", respectively "ought to reject". Zamakhshari is more specific, and explains this term as signifying in the above context "that which [men's] intellects disown" or "declare to be untrue" (ma tunkiruhu al-'uqul): in other words, all that runs counter to reason and good sense (which, obviously, must not be confused with that which is beyond man's comprehension). This eminently convincing explanation relates not merely to intellectually unacceptable propositions (in the abstract sense of the term) but also to grossly unreasonable and, therefore, reprehensible actions or attitudes and is, thus, fully in tune with the rational approach of the Qur'an to questions of ethics as well as with its insistence on reasonableness and moderation in man's behaviour. Hence my rendering – of al-munkar, in this and in similar instances, as "all that runs counter to reason".
Reason, conscious insight accessible to	See Truth-seekers.
Reasonable compliance	24:53 Now [as for those half-hearted ones,] they do swear by God with their most solemn oaths that if thou [O Apostle] shouldst ever bid them to do so, they would most certainly go forth [and sacrifice themselves]. (69) Say: "Swear not! Reasonable compliance [with God's message is all that is required of you]. (70) Verily, God is aware of all that you do!" Shakir: Swear not; reasonable obedience (is desired); surely Allah is aware of what you do. Arberry: Say: 'Do not swear; honourable obedience is sufficient. Surely God is aware of the things you do.' See also: · Religious law – should be natural, simple, and liberal in its straightforwardness. · Religious practice – should avoid excess commandments and prohibitions.	69 This is an allusion to the ephemeral, self-deceiving enthusiasms of the half-hearted and their supposed readiness for "self-sacrifice", contrasting with their obvious reluctance to live up to the message of the Qur'an in their day-to-day concerns. 70 This elliptic phrase alludes to the principle – repeatedly stressed in the Qur'an – that God does not burden man with more than he can easily bear.
Religious law – should be natural, simple, and liberal in its straightforwardness	2:71 [Moses] answered: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow not broken-in to plough the earth or to water the crops, free of fault, without markings of any other colour." Said they: "At last thou hast brought out the truth!" – and thereupon they sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undone. (55) See also: · Reasonable compliance. · Religious practice – should avoid excess commandments and prohibitions.	55 i.e., their obstinate desire to obtain closer and closer definitions of the simple commandment revealed to them through Moses had made it almost impossible for them to fulfil it. In his commentary on this passage; Tabari quotes the following remark of Ibn 'Abbas: "If [in the first instance] they had sacrificed any cow chosen by themselves, they would have fulfilled their duty; but they made it complicated for themselves, and so God made it complicated for them." A similar view has been expressed, in the same context, by Zamakhshari. It would appear that the moral of this story points to an important problem of all (and, therefore, also of Islamic) religious jurisprudence: namely, the inadvisability of trying to elicit additional details in respect of any religious law that had originally been given in general terms – for, the more numerous and multiform such details become, the more complicated and rigid becomes the law. This point has been acutely grasped by Rashid Rida, who says in his commentary on the above Qur'anic passage (see Manar I, 345 f.): "Its lesson is that one should not pursue one's [legal] inquiries in such a way as to make laws more complicated ... This was how the early generations [of Muslims] visualized the problem. They did not make things complicated for themselves – and so, for them, the religious law (din) was natural, simple and liberal in its straightforwardness. But those who came later added to it [certain other] injunctions which they had deduced by means of their own reasoning (ijtihad); and they multiplied those [additional] injunctions to such an extent that the religious law became a heavy burden on the community." For the sociological reason why the genuine ordinances of Islamic Law – that is, those which have been prima facie laid down as such in the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet – are almost always devoid of details, I would refer the reader to my book State and Government in Islam (pp. 11 ff. and passim). The importance of this problem, illustrated in the above story of the cow – and correctly grasped by the Prophet's Companions – explains why this surah has been entitled "The Cow". (See also 5 : 101 and the corresponding notes 120-123.)
Religious practice – should avoid excess commandments and prohibitions	2:168 O MANKIND! Partake of what is lawful and good on earth, and follow not Satan's footsteps: for, verily, he is your open foe, (2:169) and bids you only to do evil, and to commit deeds of abomination, and to attribute unto God something of which you have no knowledge. (137) 2:170 But when they are told, "Follow what God has bestowed from on high," some answer, "Nay, we shall follow [only] that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing." Why, even if their forefathers did not use their reason at all, and were devoid of all guidance? See also: · Reasonable compliance. · Religious law – should be natural, simple, and liberal in its straightforwardness.	137 This refers to an arbitrary attribution to God of commandments or prohibitions in excess of what has been clearly ordained by Him (Zamakhshari). Some of the commentators (e.g., Muhammad 'Abduh in Manar 11, 89 f.) include within this expression the innumerable supposedly "legal" injunctions which, without being clearly warranted by the wording of the Qur'an or an authentic Tradition, have been obtained by individual Muslim scholars through subjective methods of deduction and then put forward as "God's ordinances". The connection between this passage and the preceding ones is obvious. In verses 165-167 the Qur'an speaks of those "who choose to believe in beings that supposedly rival God": and this implies also a false attribution, to those beings, of a right to issue quasi-religious ordinances of their own, as well as an attribution of religious validity to customs sanctioned by nothing but ancient usage (see next verse).
Remembering God	20:14 Verily, I – I alone – am God; there is no deity save Me. Hence, worship Me alone, and be constant in prayer, so as to remember Me! (10) (20:124) But as for him who shall turn away from remembering Me – his shall be a life of narrow scope; (109) and on the Day of Resurrection We shall raise him up blind. See also: Heart – deafness and blindness of.	10 Thus, conscious remembrance of God and of His oneness and uniqueness is declared to be the innermost purpose, as well as the intellectual justification of all true prayer. 109 I.e., sterile and spiritually narrow, without any real meaning or purpose: and this, as is indicated in the subsequent clause, will be a source of their suffering in the hereafter.
Repentance, importance of	Surah 24 24:31 ... And [always], O you believers – all of you – turn unto God in repentance, so that you might attain to a happy state! (41) Surah 38 38:24 And [suddenly] David understood that We had tried him: (24) and so he asked his Sustainer to forgive him his sin, and fell down in prostration, and turned unto Him in repentance. […] (38:35) [Solomon] prayed: "O my Sustainer! Forgive me my sins, and bestow upon me the gift of a kingdom which may not suit anyone after me: (33) verily, Thou alone art a giver of gifts!" Surah 3 (3:133) And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious (3:134) who spend [in His way] in time of plenty and in time of hardship, and hold in check their anger, and pardon their fellow-men because God loves the doers of good; (3:135) and who, when they have committed a shameful deed or have [otherwise] sinned against themselves, remember God and pray that their sins be forgiven – for who but God could forgive sins? – and do not knowingly persist in doing whatever [wrong] they may have done. 3:136 These it is who shall have as their reward forgiveness from their Sustainer, and gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide: and how excellent a reward for those who labour! See also: David – psalmist and a prophet of God.	Note on Surah 24 41 The implication of this general call to repentance is that since "man has been created weak" (4:28), no one is ever free of faults and temptations so much so that even the Prophet used to say, "Verily, I turn unto Him in repentance a hundred times every day" (Ibn Hanbal, Bukhari and Bayhaqi, all of them on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar). Notes on Surah 38 24 Sc., "and that he had failed" (in the matter of Bath-Sheba). 33 I.e., a spiritual kingdom, which could not be inherited by anyone and, hence, would not be exposed to envy or worldly intrigue.
Requiting evil – may, too, become an evil	42:40 But [remember that an attempt at] requiting evil may, too, become an evil: (40) hence, whoever pardons [his foe] and makes peace, his reward rests with God – for, verily, He does not love evildoers. (41) (42:41) Yet indeed, as for any who defend themselves after having been wronged – no blame whatever attaches to them: (42:42) blame attaches but to those who oppress [other] people and behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right: for them there is grievous suffering in store! 42:43 But withal, if one is patient in adversity and forgives – this, behold, is indeed something to set one's heart upon! (42)	40 Lit., "is [or "may be"] an evil like it". In other words, successful struggle against tyranny (which latter is the meaning of the noun baghy in the last sentence of the preceding verse) often tends to degenerate into a similarly tyrannical attitude towards the erstwhile oppressors, Hence, most of the classical commentators (e.g., Baghawi, Zamakhshari, Razi, Baydawi) stress the absolute prohibition of "going beyond what is right" (i'tida') when defending oneself against tyranny and oppression. (Cf. the passage relating to fighting against "those who wage war again you" in 2:190 ff.) 41 I.e., in this context, such as succumb to the temptation of indulging in undue acts of revenge against their former oppressors. 42 Cf. 41:34-35, as well as note 44 on 13:22.
Resurrection, logical necessity of	27:65 […] And neither can they [who are living] perceive when they shall be raised from the dead: (27:66) nay, their knowledge of the life to come stops short of the truth: (64) nay, they are [often] in doubt as to its reality: nay, they are blind to it. (65) 27:67 And so, they who are bent on denying the truth are saying: "What! After we have become dust – we and our forefathers – shall we [all], forsooth, be brought forth [from the dead]? (27:68) Indeed, we were promised this – we and our forefathers – in the past as well; it is nothing but fables of ancient times!" 27:69 Say: "Go all over the earth and behold what happened in the end to those [who were thus] lost in sin (27:70) But do not grieve over them, and neither be distressed by the false arguments which they devise [against God's messages]. (67)	64 I.e., they cannot truly visualize the hereafter because its reality is beyond anything that man may experience in this world: and this, it cannot be stressed often enough, is an indirect explanation of the reason why all Qur'anic references to the conditions, good or bad, of man's life after death are of necessity expressed in purely allegorical terms. 65 I.e., blind to its logical necessity within God's plan of creation. For, it is only on the premise of a life after death that the concept of man's moral responsibility and, hence, of God's ultimate judgment can have any meaning; and if there is no moral responsibility, there can be no question of a preceding moral choice; and if the absence of choice is taken for granted, all differentiation between right and wrong becomes utterly meaningless as well. 66 I.e., those who denied the reality of a life after death and, hence, of man's ultimate responsibility for his conscious doings. As pointed out in the preceding note, the unavoidable consequence of this denial is the loss of all sense of right and wrong: and this, in its turn, leads to spiritual and social chaos, and so to the downfall of communities and civilizations. 67 Lit., "by their scheming". For the Qur'anic use of the term makr in the sense of "devising false arguments [against something]", see 10:21 and the corresponding note 33.
Resurrection, parable of	Surah 7 7:55 Call unto your Sustainer humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts. Verily, He loves not those who transgress the bounds of what is right: (7:56) hence, do not spread corruption on earth after it has been so well ordered. And call unto Him with fear and longing: verily, God's grace is ever near unto the doers of good! 7:57 And He it is who sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace – so that, when they have brought heavy clouds, We may drive them towards dead land and cause thereby water to descend; and by this means do We cause all manner of fruit to come forth. Even thus shall We cause the dead to come forth: [and this] you ought to keep in mind. (44) (7:58) As for the good land, its vegetation comes forth [in abundance] by its Sustainer's leave, whereas from the bad it comes forth but poorly. Thus do We give many facets to Our messages for [the benefit of] people who are grateful! Surah 27 (27:63) Nay – who is it that guides you in the midst of the deep darkness of land and sea, (58) and sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace? (59)	Note on Surah 7 44 This is the key-sentence of the parable set forth in verses 57-58: by the exercise of the same life-giving power by which God causes plants to grow, He will resurrect the dead at the end of time. The next sentence continues the parable by likening those whose hearts are open to the voice of truth to fertile earth, and those who are bent on denying it, to barren earth. Notes on Surah 27 58 I.e., metonymically, through all the seemingly insoluble complexities of human life. 59 See 7:57 and the corresponding note 44.
Revelation, refusal to accept	15:14 Yet even had We opened to them a gateway to heaven and they had ascended, on and on, up to it, (15:15) they would surely have said, "It is only our eyes that are spellbound! Nay, we have been bewitched!" (14)	14 Lit., "we are people bewitched". Cf. 6:7, as well as the last paragraph of 10:2 and the corresponding note 5. The confusing of revealed truths with illusory "enchantment" or "sorcery" is often pointed out in the Qur'an as characteristic of the attitude of people who a priori refuse to accept the idea of revelation and, thus, of prophethood. The above two verses, implying that not even a direct insight into the wonders of heaven could convince "those who are bent on denying the truth", are a prelude to the subsequent passage, which once again draws our attention to the wonders of nature as an evidence of God's creative activity.
Revelation, step by step	16:101 And now that We replace one message by another – since God is fully aware of what He bestows from on high, step by step Confer 17:105-106. See also: Gradually finding one’s way to the truth.	I.e., the gradualness of revelation (implied in the verbal form yunazzil) corresponds to God's plan, according to which He has gradually unfolded His will to man, substituting one dispensation for another in the measure of mankind's intellectual and social development, bringing it to its culmination in the message of the Qur'an.
Revelations and prophesies – true if and only if they come from God	34:6 NOW THEY who are endowed with [innate] knowledge are well aware that whatever has been bestowed upon thee from on high by thy Sustainer is indeed the truth, and that it guides onto the way that leads to the Almighty, the One to whom all praise is due!
Revelation – the ultimate source of light	22:8 And yet, among men there is many a one that argues about God without having any knowledge [of Him], without any guidance, and without any light-giving revelation – (22:9) scornfully turning aside [from the truth] so as to lead [others] astray from the path of God.
Revelation – the standard by which to discern the true from the false	21:48 AND, INDEED, We vouchsafed unto Moses and Aaron [Our revelation as] the standard by which to discern the true from the false, (57) and as a [guiding] light and a reminder for the God-conscious (21:49) who stand in awe of their Sustainer although He is beyond the reach of human perception, (58) and who tremble at the thought of the Last Hour. 21:50 And [like those earlier revelations,] this one, too, is a blessed reminder which We have bestowed from on high: will you, then, disavow it?	57 See note 38 on 2:53. The reference to the revelation bestowed on the earlier prophets as "the standard by which to discern the true from the false" (al-furqan) has here a twofold implication: firstly, it alludes to the Qur'anic doctrine – explained in note 5 on 2:4 – of the historical continuity in all divine revelation, and, secondly, it stresses the fact that revelation – and revelation alone – provides an absolute criterion of all moral valuation. Since the Mosaic dispensation as such was binding on the children of Israel alone and remained valid only within a particular historical and cultural context, the term al-furqan relates here not to the Mosaic Law as such, but to the fundamental ethical truths contained in the Torah and common to all divine revelations. 58 For an explanation of the above rendering of the expression bi'l-ghayb, see note 3 on 2:3. OJA: Asad states above “that revelation – and revelation alone – provides an absolute criterion of all moral valuation”. I find this a bit puzzling, but perhaps Asad’s point is simply that revelation is the ultimate source here, and that revelation plus reason must be used (confer his many statements that Islam is a religion for people who think and use their reason).
Righteousness and faith	Surah 11 11:84 He said: "O my people! Worship God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him; and do not give short measure and weight [in any of your dealings with men]. (117) …” Surah 23 (23:102) And they whose weight [of righteousness] is heavy in the balance – it is they, they who will have attained to a happy state; (23:103) whereas they whose weight is light in the balance – it is they who will have squandered their own selves, [destined] to abide in hell: ... Surah 55 55:7 And the skies has He raised high, and has devised [for all things] a measure, (3) (55:8) so that you [too, O men,] might never transgress the measure [of what is right]: (55:9) weigh, therefore, [your deed] with equity, and cut not the measure short! Surah 83 83: 1 WOE UNTO THOSE who give short measure: (2) those who, when they are to receive their due from [other] people, demand that it be given in full (3) but when they have to measure or weigh whatever they owe to others, give less than what is due! (1)	Note on Surah 11 117 Thus, belief in the One God and justice in all dealings between man and man (see surah 6, note 150) are here placed together as the twin postulates of all righteousness. Note on Surah 55 3 The noun mizan, usually denoting a "balance", has here the more general connotation of "measure" or "measuring" by any means whatsoever (Zamakhshari), in both the concrete and abstract senses of the word. (Cf. also the parabolic use of the term mizan in 42:17 and 57:25.) Note on Surah 83 1 This passage (verses 1-3) does not, of course, refer only to commercial dealings but touches upon every aspect of social relations, both practical and moral, applying to every individual's rights and obligations no less than to his physical possessions. OJA: Surah 83 is called Al-Mutaffifin, which means Those Who Give Short Measure.
Salvation (and light)	5:16-17 Now there has come unto you from God a light, a clear divine writ, through which God shows unto all that seek His goodly acceptance the paths leading to salvation.
Salvation (God responding to those who seek Him)	11:61 Ask Him, therefore, to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance – for, verily, my Sustainer is ever-near, responding [to the call of whoever calls unto Him]!
Salvation (for the God-conscious)	(19:72) And once again: (56) We shall save [from hell] those who have been conscious of Us; but We shall leave in it the evildoers, on their knees. (57)	56 For this particular rendering of thumma, see surah 6, note 31. 57 I.e., utterly humbled and crushed by their belated realization of God's judgment and of the ethical truths which they had arrogantly neglected in life.
Sectarianism	Surah 30 30:31 [Turn, then, away from all that is false,] turning unto Him [alone]; and remain conscious of Him, and be constant in prayer, and be not among those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, (30:32) [or] among those who have broken the unity of their faith and have become sects, each group delighting in but what they themselves hold [by way of tenets]. (29) From Surah 21 21:92 VERILY, [O you who believe in Me,] this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: worship, then, Me [alone]! (89) (21:93) But men have torn their unity wide asunder, (90) [forgetting that] unto Us they all are bound to return. From Surah 23 23:51 O YOU APOSTLES! Partake of the good things of life, (27) and do righteous deeds: verily, I have full knowledge of all that you do. (23:52) And, verily, this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: remain, then, conscious of Me! (28) 23:53 But they [who claim to follow you] have torn their unity wide asunder, (29) piece by piece, each group delighting in [but] what they themselves possess [by way of tenets]. (30) (23:54) But leave them alone, lost in their ignorance, until a [future] time. (31)	Note on Surah 30 29 See 6:159, 21:92-93 and 23:52-53, as well as the corresponding notes. Notes on Surah 21 89 After calling to mind, in verses 48-91, some of the earlier prophets, all of whom stressed the oneness and uniqueness of God, the discourse returns to that principle of oneness as it ought to be reflected in the unity of all who believe in Him. (See 23:51 ff.) 90 This is the meaning of the idiomatic phrase, taqatta'u amrahum baynahum. As Zamakhshari points out, the sudden turn of the discourse from the second person plural to the third person is indicative of God's severe disapproval – His "turning away", as it were, from those who are or were guilty of breaking the believers' unity. (See also 23:53 and the corresponding note 30.) Notes on Surah 23 27 This rhetorical apostrophe to all of God's apostles is meant to stress their humanness and mortality, and thus to refute the argument of the unbelievers that God could not have chosen "a mortal like ourselves" to be His message-bearer: an argument which overlooks the fact that only human beings who themselves "partake of the good things of life" are able to understand the needs and motives of their fellow-men and, thus, to guide them in their spiritual and social concerns. 28 As in 21:92, the above verse is addressed to all who truly believe in God, whatever their historical denomination. By the preceding reference to all of God's apostles the Qur'an clearly implies that all of them were inspired by, and preached, the same fundamental truths, notwithstanding all the differences in the ritual or the specific laws which they propounded in accordance with the exigencies of the time and the social development of their followers. (See notes 66-68 on the second paragraph of 5:48.) 29 Cf. 21:93. 30 Lit.; "in what they have [themselves]". In the first instance, this verse refers to the various religious groups as such: that is to say, to the followers of one or another of the earlier revelations who, in the course of time, consolidated themselves within different "denominations", each of them jealously guarding its own set of tenets, dogmas and rituals and intensely intolerant of all other ways of worship (manasik, see 22:67). In the second instance, however, the above condemnation applies to the breach of unity within each of the established religious groups; and since it applies to the followers of all the prophets, it includes the latter-day followers of Muhammad as well, and thus constitutes a prediction and condemnation of the doctrinal disunity prevailing in the world of Islam in our times – cf. the well-authenticated saying of the Prophet quoted by Ibn Hanbal, Abu Da'ud, Tirmidhi and Darimi: "The Jews have been split up into seventy-one sects, the Christians into seventy-two sects, whereas my community will be split up into seventy-three sects." (It should be remembered that in classical Arabic usage the number seventy" often stands for "many" – just as "seven" stands for "several" or "various" – and does not necessarily denote an actual figure; hence, what the Prophet meant to say was that the sects and divisions among the Muslims of later days would become many, and even more numerous than those among the Jews and the Christians.) 31 I.e., until they themselves realize their error. This sentence is evidently addressed to the last of the apostles, Muhammad, and thus to all who truly follow him.
Self-deception	45:6 These messages of God do We convey unto thee, setting forth the truth. In what other tiding, if not in God's messages, (5) will they, then, believe? (45:7) Woe unto every sinful self-deceiver (6) (45:8) who hears God's messages when they are conveyed to him, and yet, as though he had not heard them, persists in his haughty disdain! Hence, announce unto him grievous suffering – (45:9) for when he does become aware of any of Our messages, he makes them a target of his mockery! For all such there is shameful suffering in store. (45:10) Hell is ahead of them; and all that they may have gained [in this world] shall be of no avail whatever to them, and neither shall any of those things which, instead of God, they have come to regard as their protectors: (7) for, awesome suffering awaits them. 45:11 [To pay heed to God's signs and messages:] this is [the meaning of] guidance; on the other hand, (8) for those who are bent on denying the truth of their Sustainer's messages there is grievous suffering in store as an outcome of [their] vileness. (9) See also: · Doubts, toying with. · Follow not the crowd. · God – always warning man (and thus calling every one of us unto Himself). · Inner certainty.	5 Lit., "in what tiding after God and His messages". 6 The term affak, which literally signifies a "liar" – and, particularly, a "habitual liar" – has here the connotation of "one who lies to himself" because he is ma'fuk, i.e., 'perverted in his intellect and judgment" (Jawhari). 7 I.e., anything to which they may attribute a quasi-divine influence on their lives, whether it be false deities or false values, e.g., wealth, power, social status, etc. 8 Lit., "and" or "but". 9 For an explanation of this rendering of the phrase min rijzin, see note 4 on 34:5.
Self-destruction	27:82 Now, [as for the deaf and blind of heart –] when the word [of truth] stands revealed against them, (73) We shall bring forth unto them out of the earth a creature which will tell them that mankind had no real faith in Our messages. (74) 27:83 And on that Day We shall gather from within every community a host of those who gave the lie to Our messages; and they will be grouped [according to the gravity of their sins] (27:84) until such a time as they shall come [to be judged. And] He will say: "Did you give the lie to My messages even though you failed to encompass them with [your] knowledge? (75) Or what was it that [you thought] you were doing?" (27:85) And the word [of truth] will stand revealed against them in the face of (76) all the wrong which they had committed, and they will not [be able to] utter a single word [of excuse]: (27:86) for, were they not aware that it is We who had made the night for them, so that they might rest therein, and the day, to make [them] see? (77) In this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who will believe! See also: Heart, deafness and blindness of.	73 Lit., "comes to pass against them" – i.e., when the truth becomes obvious to them against all their expectations, and thus confounds them utterly: an allusion to the approach of the Last Hour, Resurrection and God's Judgment, all of which they were wont to regard as "fables of ancient times" (cf. verses 67-68 above). Alternatively, the phrase idha waqa'a al-qawi 'alayhim may be understood as "when the sentence [of doom] is passed on them", i.e., at the approach of the Last Hour, when it will be too late for repentance. 74 The "creature brought forth out of the earth" is apparently an allegory of man's "earthly" outlook on life – in other words, the soul-destroying materialism characteristic of the time preceding the Last Hour. This "creature" parabolically "tells" men that their submergence in exclusively materialistic values – and, hence, their approaching self-destruction – is an outcome of their lack of belief in God. (See also 7:175-176 and the corresponding note 141.) 75 I.e., without having understood them or made any attempt to understand them (Zamakhshari). 76 Or: "the sentence [of doom] will have been passed on them in recompense of ...", etc. (see note 73 above). 77 In the present context (as in 10:67 or 40:61) the reference to "night" and "day" has a symbolic significance: namely, man's God-given ability to gain insight through conscious reasoning ("the day that makes them see") as well as through the intuition that comes from a restful surrender to the voice of one's own heart ("the night made for rest") – both of which tell us that the existence of God is a logical necessity, and that a rejection of His messages is a sin against ourselves.
Self-loathing	40:10 [But,] behold, as for those who are bent on denying the truth – [on that same Day] a voice will call out unto them: (6) "Indeed, greater than your [present] loathing of yourselves (7) was God's loathing of you [at the time] when you were called unto faith but went on denying the truth!" (8)	6 Lit., "they will be called" or "summoned". 7 I.e., "on realizing, belatedly, your past sinfulness". 8 Since it is impossible to attribute to God a purely human emotion, "God's loathing" of those sinners is obviously a metonym for His rejection of them (Razi), similar to the metonymic use of the expression "God's wrath (ghadab)" in the sense of His condemnation (see first sentence of note 4 on 1:7).
Self-surrender (unto God)	Surah 3 3:19-20 Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him; […] And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path; but if they turn away – behold, thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures. Surah 36 36:15 [The others] answered: "You are nothing but mortal men like ourselves; moreover, the Most Gracious has never bestowed aught [of revelation] from on high. You do nothing but lie!" (11)	Note on Surah 36 11 Cf. 6:91 "no true understanding of God have they when they say, 'Never has God revealed anything unto man.'" See also 34:31 and the corresponding note 38. Both these passages, as well as the one above, allude to people who like to think of themselves as "believing" in God without, however, allowing their "belief" to interfere in the practical concerns of their lives: and this they justify by conceding to religion no more than a vaguely emotional role, and by refusing to admit the fact of objective revelation for the concept of revelation invariably implies a promulgation, by God, of absolute moral values and, thus, a demand for one's self-surrender to them.
Servants of God shall inherit the earth	21:105 AND, INDEED, after having exhorted [man], (100) We laid it down in all the books of divine wisdom that My righteous servants shall inherit the earth: (101) (21:106) herein, behold, there is a message for people who [truly] worship God.	100 Lit., "after the reminder (adh-dhikr)". For the deeper implications of the Qur'anic term dhikr, see note 13 on verse 10 of this surah. 101 Zabar (lit., "scripture" or "book") is a generic term denoting any "book of wisdom": hence, any and all of the divine scriptures revealed by God to the prophets [Tabari]. The statement that "My righteous servants shall inherit the earth" is obviously an echo of the promise, "You are bound to rise high if you are [truly] believers" (3:139) – the implication being that it is only through faith in God and righteous behaviour on earth that man can reach the heights envisaged for him by his Creator's grace.
Shirk, deliberate	22:17 … and those who are bent on ascribing divinity to aught but God, …
Shirk, ideological (and its consequences)	50:24 [Whereupon God will command:] "Cast, cast (17) into hell every [such] stubborn enemy of the truth, (50:25) [every] withholder of good [and] sinful aggressor [and] fomentor of distrust [between man and man – everyone] (50:26) who has set up another deity beside God: (18) cast him, then, cast him into suffering severe!" […] 50:36 AND HOW MANY a generation have We destroyed before those [who now deny the truth] (25) – people of greater might than theirs: – but [when Our chastisement befell them,] they became wanderers on the face of the earth, seeking no more than a place of refuge. (26) 50:37 In this, behold, there is indeed a reminder for everyone whose heart is wide-awake (27) – that is, [everyone who] lends ear with a conscious mind (28) – (50:38) and [who knows that] We have indeed created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six aeons, and [that] no weariness could ever touch Us. (29)	17 In this instance, as well as in verse 26, the imperative "cast" has the dual form (alqiya). As many classical philologists (and almost all of the commentators) point out, – this is linguistically permissible for the sake of special stress, and is equivalent to an emphatic repetition of the imperative in question. Alternatively, the dual form may be taken as indicative of an actual duality thus addressed: namely, the two manifestations within man's psyche alluded to in verse 17 and described in verse 21 as sa'iq and shahid (see note 14 above), both of which, in their interaction, are responsible for his spiritual downfall and, hence, for his suffering in the life to come. 18 This relates not merely to the veneration of real or imaginary beings or forces to which one ascribes divine qualities, but also to the "worship" of false values and immoral concepts to which people often adhere with an almost religious fervour. […] 25 This connects with verses 12-14 above. It should be borne in mind that in ancient Arabic usage the term qarn – here rendered as "generation" – often denotes "a period of time succeeding another": hence, a "century", or "people of one and the same period" and, finally, a "civilization" in the historical sense of this word, That this last significance is intended here becomes evident from the sequence. 26 Lit., "they wandered searching (naqqabu) in the lands: Is there any place of refuge?" – implying that after the destruction of their civilization they could do no more than strive for bare survival. 27 Thus Zamakhshari; literally, the phrase reads, "who has a heart". 28 Lit., "or lends ear and is withal a witness (wa-huwa shahid)", which latter phrase Zamakhshari explains as meaning "is present with his intellect", i.e., with a conscious mind. (Cf. the same use of the term shahid in verse 21.) The conjunctive particle "or" (aw) which precedes the above clause does not signify an alternative but has – as is often the case in Qur'anic usage – an explanatory function, similar to phrases like "that is" or "in other words", followed by an amplification of what was said before. 29 The whole of this passage (verses 36-38) stresses God's omnipotence, which can be perceived by "anyone whose heart is wide-awake". The above reference to God's having created the universe in six aeons' is the oldest in the chronology of Qur'anic revelation. In this connection it is to be noted that in ancient Arabic usage the term yawm does not always denote the twenty-four hours of the earthly "day", but is also applied to any period of time, however long or short. In the cosmic sense in which it is used here and elsewhere in the Qur'an, the plural ayyam is best rendered as "aeons". The mention of the impossibility of God's ever being "wearied" by the process of creation connects the present passage with verse 15 of this surah and, thus, alludes to God's power to resurrect the dead.
Shirk (idol worship)	Surah 14 14:35 [Said Abraham:] Make this land secure (49), and preserve me and my children from ever worshipping idols (50) Surah 36 36:74 But [nay,] they take to worshipping deities other than God, (43) Surah 37 (37:86) Do you want [to bow down before] a lie – [before] deities other than God? Sahih International: Is it falsehood [as] gods other than Allah you desire? See also: · False imagery. · Borderline of faith. · Falsehood, evil, shirk.	Notes on Surah 14 49 I.e., the land in which the Kabah is situated (see surah 2, note 102) and, more specifically, Mecca. 50 The term "idols" (asnam, sing. sanam) does not apply exclusively to actual, concrete representations of false "deities": for shirk – that is, an attribution of divine powers or qualities to anyone or anything beside God – may consist also, as Razi points out, in a worshipful devotion to all manner of "causative agencies and outward means to an end" – an obvious allusion to wealth, power, luck, people's favour or disfavour, and so forth – "whereas genuine faith in the oneness and uniqueness of God (at-tawhid al-maha) consists in divesting oneself of all inner attachment to [such] causative agencies and in being convinced that there exists no real directing power apart from God". Note on Surah 36 43 Or: "other deities beside God" – alluding, in either case, to objects of worship consciously conceived as such – i.e., idols, imaginary deities, deified persons, saints, etc. – as well as to abstract concepts like power, wealth or "luck", which may not be consciously "worshipped" but are nevertheless often revered in an almost idolatrous fashion. The verb ittakhadhu (lit., "they took [or "have taken"] for themselves"), used in the Qur'an in this and in similar contexts, is particularly suited for the wide range of meanings alluded to inasmuch as it bears the connotation of adopting something – whether it be concrete or abstract – for one's own use or adoration.
Shirk (implicit)	16:99-100 Behold, [Satan] has no power over those who have attained to faith and in their Sustainer place their trust: he has power only over those who are willing to follow him, and who [thus] ascribe to him a share in God's divinity.	I.e., inasmuch as they pay an almost worshipful reverence to such blandishments as wealth, power, social position, etc.
Sincerity – in faith and in search for the truth	16:106-107 As for anyone who denies God after having once attained to faith – and this, to be sure, does not apply to one who does it under duress, the while his heart remains true to his faith, but [only, to] him who willingly opens up his heart to a denial of the truth: – upon all such [falls] God's condemnation, and tremendous suffering awaits them: (16:107) all this, because they hold this world's life in greater esteem than the life to come, and because God does not bestow His guidance upon people who deny the truth.
Sinning against oneself	Surah 34 34:19 (19) But now they would say, "Long has our Sustainer made the distance between our journey-stages!" (27) for they had sinned against themselves. And in the end We caused them to become [one of those] tales [of things long past], and scattered them in countless fragments. (28) Herein, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply grateful [to God]. See also: Heart, disease of. Surah 22 22:53 [And He allows doubts to arise] so that He might cause whatever aspersion Satan may cast [against His prophets] to become a trial for all in whose hearts is disease (68) and all whose hearts are hardened: for, verily, all who are [thus] sinning [against themselves] (69) are most deeply in the wrong. Surah 35 35:32 And so, We have bestowed this divine writ as a heritage unto such of Our servants as We chose: and among them are some who sin against themselves; and some who keep half-way [between right and wrong]; (22) and some who, by God's leave, are foremost in deeds of goodness: [and] this, indeed, is. a merit most high!	Notes on Surah 34 27 In its generally-accepted spelling – based on the reading adopted by most of the early scholars of Medina and Kufah – the above phrase reads in the vocative rabbana and the imperative ba'id ("Our Sustainer! Make long the distances ...", etc.), which, however, cannot be convincingly explained. On the other hand, Tabari, Baghawi and Zamakhshari mention, on the authority of some of the earliest Qur'an-commentators, another legitimate reading of the relevant words, namely, rabbuna (in the nominative) and ba'ada (in the indicative), which gives the meaning adopted by me: "Long has our Sustainer made the distances ...", etc. To my mind, this reading is much more appropriate since (as pointed out by Zamakhshari) it expresses the belated regrets and the sorrow of the people of Sheba at the devastation of their country, the exodus of large groups of the population, and the resultant abandonment of many towns and villages on the great caravan routes. 28 An allusion to the mass-migration of South-Arabian tribes in all directions – particularly towards central and northern Arabia – subsequent to the destruction of the Dam of Ma'rib. Notes on Surah 22 68 See 2:10 and the corresponding note. 69 Lit., "all [such] evildoers". Note on Surah 35 22 See 7:46 and the corresponding note 37.
Spiritual life	Surah 42 42:52 And thus, too, (54) [O Muhammad,] have We revealed unto thee a life-giving message, (55) [coming] at Our behest. Surah 67 (67:30) Say [unto those who deny the truth]: "What do you think? If of a sudden all your water were to vanish underground, who [but God] could provide you with water from [new] unsullied springs?" (22)	Notes on Surah 42 54 I.e., in all the three ways mentioned in the preceding verse. 55 The term ruh (lit., "spirit" or "soul") has in the Qur'an often the meaning of "divine inspiration" (see surah 16, note 2). In the present context, it evidently denotes the contents of the divine inspiration bestowed on the Prophet Muhammad, i.e., the Qur'an (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir), which is meant to lead man to a more intensive spiritual life: hence my above rendering. Note on Surah 67 22 Apart from a further reminder of God's providential power (thus continuing the argument touched upon in verses 19-21), the above verse has a parabolic significance as well. Just as water is an indispensable element of all organic life, so is a constant flow of moral consciousness an indispensable prerequisite of all spiritual life and stability: and who but God could enable man to regain that consciousness after all the older ethical stimuli have dried up and "vanished underground"?
Spiritual rebirth	See Life renewed.
Superstition, freeing man from	12:37-38 "Behold, I have left behind me the ways of people who do not believe in God,38 and who persistently refuse to acknowledge the truth of the life to come; (12:38) and I follow the creed of my forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is not conceivable that we should [be allowed to] ascribe divinity to aught beside God: this is [an outcome] of God's bounty unto us and unto all mankind (39) – but most people are ungrateful.	39 Since God is almighty and self-sufficient, it is not for His sake that man is warned not to ascribe divine qualities to aught beside Him: the absolute condemnation of this sin is solely designed to benefit man by freeing him from all superstition, and thus enhancing his dignity as a conscious, rational being.
Think	16:69 In all [of the just mentioned wonders of nature], behold, there is a message indeed for people who think!
Throne of God’s almightiness – being conscious of	Surah 7 7:54 VERILY, your Sustainer is God, who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness. (43) He covers the day with the night in swift pursuit, with the sun and the moon and the stars subservient to His command: oh, verily, His is all creation and all command. Hallowed is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds! Surah 40 40:7 THEY WHO BEAR [within themselves the knowledge of] the throne of [God's] almightiness, as well as all who are near it, (4) extol their Sustainer's limitless glory and praise, and have faith in Him, and ask forgiveness for all [others] who have attained to faith: "O our Sustainer! Thou embracest all things within [Thy] grace and knowledge: forgive, then, their sins unto those who repent and follow Thy path, and preserve them from suffering through the blazing fire!	Note on Surah 7 43 The conjunctive particle thumma which precedes this clause does not always denote order in time ("then" or "thereupon"). In cases where it is used to link parallel statements it has often the function of the simple conjunction wa ("and") – as, for instance, in 2:29 ("and has applied His design...", etc.) As regards the term 'arsh (lit., "throne" or "seat of power"), all Muslim commentators, classical and modern, are unanimously of the opinion that its metaphorical use in the Qur'an is meant to express God's absolute sway over all His creation. It is noteworthy that in all the seven instances where God is spoken of in the Qur'an as "established on the throne of His almightiness" (7:54, 10:3, 13:2, 20:5, 25:59, 32:4 and 57:4), this expression is connected with a declaration of His having created the universe. – The word yawm, commonly translated as "day" – but rendered above as "aeon" – is used in Arabic to denote any period, whether extremely long ("aeon") or extremely short ("moment"): its application to an earthly "day" of twenty-four hours is only one of its many connotations. (Cf. in this respect note 26 above, where the meaning of sa'ah – lit., "hour" – is explained.) Note on Surah 40 4 Lit, "around it": cf. Zamakhshari's explanation of the expression hawlaha occurring in 27:8 in the sense of "near it". In his commentary on the verse which we are now considering, Baydawi states explicitly that the "bearing" of God's throne of almightiness (al-'arsh – see note 43 on 7:54) must be understood in a metaphorical sense: "Their carrying it and surrounding it [or "being near it"] is a metaphor of their being mindful of it and acting in accordance therewith (majaz 'an hifzihim wa tadbirihim lahu), or a metonym (kinayah) for their closeness to the Lord of the Throne, their dignity in His sight, and their being instrumental in the realization of His will." My rendering of the above verse reflects Baydawi's interpretation. – As regards the beings which are said to be close to the throne of God's almightiness, most of the classical commentators – obviously basing their view on the symbolic image of "the angels surrounding the throne of [God's] almightiness" on the Day of Judgment (39: 75) – think in this instance, too, exclusively of angels. But whereas it cannot be denied that the present verse refers also to angels, it does not follow that it refers exclusively to them. In its abstract connotation, the verb hamala frequently signifies "he bore [or "took upon himself"] the responsibility [for something]": and so it is evident that it applies here not only to angels but also to all human beings who are conscious of the tremendous implications of the concept of God's almightiness, and hence feel morally responsible for translating this consciousness into the reality of their own and their fellow-beings' lives.
Tribal partisanship	28:15 And [one day] he entered the city at a time when [most of] its people were [resting in their houses,] unaware of what was going on [in the streets]; (13) and there he encountered two men fighting with one another – one of his own people, (14) and the other of his enemies. And the one who belonged to his own people cried out to him for help against him who was of his enemies – whereupon Moses struck him down with his fist, and [thus] brought about his end. [But then] he said [to himself]: "This is of Satan's doing! Verily, he is an open foe, leading [man] astray!" (15)	13 Lit., "at a time of its people's unawareness". 14 I.e., of the Hebrews. 15 Regarding the reference to "Satan's doing", see first half of note 16 on 15:17. In the present instance, verses 16-17 seem to indicate that it was the Israelite, and not the Egyptian, who had been in the wrong (cf. next note). Apparently, Moses had come to the assistance of the Israelite out of an instinctive sense of racial kinship without regard to the rights and wrongs of the case; but immediately afterwards he realized that he had committed a grave sin not only by killing, however inadvertently, an innocent person, but also by basing his action on a mere tribal – or, as we would describe it today, racial or national – prejudice. Evidently, this is the purport of the above Qur'anic segment of the story of Moses. Its moral has been stressed and explained by the Prophet on many occasions: cf. his famous saying, "He is not of us who proclaims the cause of tribal partisanship ('asabiyyah); and he is not of us who fights in the cause of tribal partisanship; and he is not of us who dies in the cause of tribal partisanship" (Abu Da'ud, on the authority of Jubayr ibn Mut'im). When he was asked to explain the meaning of "tribal partisanship", the Prophet answered, "It means helping thine own people in an unjust cause" (ibid., on the authority of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa').
True believers – people who seek the truth, prefer the truth, love the truth	Surah 24 24:46 INDEED. from on high have We bestowed messages clearly showing the truth; but God guides onto a straight way [only] him that wills [to be guided]. (64) (24:47) For, [many are] they [who] say, "We believe in God and in the Apostle, and we pay heed!" – but then, some of them turn away after this [assertion]: and these are by no means [true] believers. (24:48) And [so it is that] whenever they are summoned unto God and His Apostle in order that [the divine writ] might judge between them, (65) lo! some of them turn away; (24:49) but if the truth happens to be to their liking, they are quite willing to accept it! (66) 24:50 Is there disease in their hearts? Or have they begun to doubt [that this is a divine writ]? Or do they fear that God and His Apostle might deal unjustly with them? (67) Nay, it is [but] they, they who are doing wrong [to themselves]! (24:51) The only response of believers, whenever they are summoned unto God and His Apostle in order that [the divine writ] might judge between them, can be no other than, (68) "We have heard, and we pay heed!" – and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state: (24:52) for, they who pay heed unto God and His Apostle, and stand in awe of God and are conscious of Him, it is they, they who shall triumph [in the end]! Shakir (24:49): And if the truth be on their side, they come to him quickly, obedient. Arberry (24:49): but if they are in the right, they will come to him submissively. Surah 25 25:72 And [know that true servants of God are only] those who never bear witness to what is false, (54) and [who], whenever they pass by [people engaged in] frivolity, pass on with dignity; (25:73) and who, whenever they are reminded of their Sustainer's messages, do not throw themselves upon them [as if] deaf and blind; (55) (25:74) and who pray: "O our Sustainer! Grant that our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes,56 and cause us to be foremost among those who are conscious of Thee!" Muhammad Sarwar: those who do not testify falsely and when they come across something impious, pass it by nobly, who, when reminded of the revelations of their Lord, do not try to ignore them as though deaf and blind. Rather, they try to understand and think about them. Mohsin Khan: And those who do not witness falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass by it with dignity. And those who, when they are reminded of the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat. Arberry: And those who bear not false witness and, when they pass by idle talk, pass by with dignity; who, when they are reminded of the signs of their Lord, fall not down thereat deaf and blind; See also: · True piety. · True servants.	Notes on Surah 24 64 Or: "God guides whomever He wills onto a straight way". The rendering adopted by me in this instance seems preferable in view of the preceding, intensive stress on the evidence, forthcoming from all nature, of God's creative, planning activity and the appeal to "all who have eyes to see" to let themselves be guided by this overwhelming evidence. 65 I.e., in order that the divine writ – which is implied in the preceding expression "God and His Apostle" might determine their ethical values and, consequently, their social behaviour. 66 Lit., "if the truth happens to be with them, they come to it willingly": cf. 4:60-6l and the corresponding notes, especially note 80. 67 I.e., by depriving them of what they choose to regard as "legitimate" liberties and enjoyments, or by supposedly preventing them from "keeping up with the times". As in verses 47 and 48 (as well as in verse 51 below) the expression "God and His Apostle" is here a synonym for the divine writ revealed to the Apostle. 68 Lit., "The only saying of the believers is that they say" – i.e., without any mental reservation. The term qawl (lit., "saying") has here the sense of a genuine spiritual "response" in contrast to the mere lip-service alluded to in verse 47 above. Notes on Surah 25 54 Implying that neither do they themselves ever bear false witness (i.e., in the widest sense of this expression, tell any lie), nor do they knowingly take part in anything that is based on falsehood (Razi). 55 Explaining this verse, Zamakhshari remarks that whereas the average run of people approach the divine writ with a mere outward show of eagerness, "throwing themselves upon it" for the sake of appearances but, in reality, not making the least attempt to understand the message as such and, hence, remaining deaf and blind to its contents – the truly God-conscious are deeply desirous of understanding it, and therefore "listen to it with wide-awake ears and look into it with seeing eyes". 56 I.e., by living a righteous life.
True faith	49:13 [...] Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware. [...] 49:16 Say: "Do you, perchance, [want to] inform God of [the nature of] your faith (20) – although God knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth? Indeed, God has full knowledge of everything!"	20 Like the preceding passage, this, too, is addressed in the first instance to certain contemporaries of the Prophet, but its meaning extends to all people, at all times, who think that their mere profession of faith and outward adherence to its formalities makes them "believers". From Asad’s introduction to Surah 49: The concluding passage (verses 14 ff.) points out the difference between true faith and a mere outward observance of religious formalities.
True piety (including care for refugees)	2:177 True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west – but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his substance – however much he himself may cherish it – upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer (145), and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God. See also: · True believers. · True servants. · Kin (and others in need).	145 The expression ibn as-sabil (lit., "son of the road") denotes any person who is far from his home, and especially one who, because of this circumstance, does not have sufficient means of livelihood at his disposal (cf. Lane IV, 1302). In its wider sense it describes a person who, for any reason whatsoever, is unable to return home either temporarily or permanently: for instance, a political exile or refugee.
Veils of the heart	17:46 for, over their hearts We have laid veils which prevent them from grasping [The Qur’an’s] purport, and into their ears, deafness. Confer 18:57. See also: · Universes extol God’s limitless glory and praise. · Heaven and earth extol the limitless glory of God.
Willingness to listen (to God’s message through His creation)	16:65 AND GOD sends down water from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless: (74) in this, behold, there is a message indeed for people who [are willing to] listen.	74 As so often in the Qur'an, a reference to the spiritual life engendered by divine revelation is followed here by a reference to the miracle of organic life as another indication of God's creative activity.
Willingness to listen (to revelation from God)	(16:9) And [because He is your Creator,] it rests with God alone to show you the right path: (7)	7 Lit., "upon God rests the [showing of the] goal of the path" – i.e., the establishing of the goals of ethics and morality implied in the concept of the "right path". In further analysis of this phrase, the expression "it rests upon God" ('ala 'llah) is similar in intent to the statement in 6:12 and 54 that He "has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy": in other words, God invariably shows the right path to everyone who is willing to follow it.
Wisdom (hidden from man)	13:13 And yet, they stubbornly argue about God, notwithstanding [all evidence] that He alone has the power to contrive whatever His unfathomable wisdom wills! (29)	29 According to Raghib, the expression shadrd al-mihdi (which occurs in the Qur'an only in this one place) signifies "powerful in contriving, in a manner hidden from man, that wherein wisdom lies"; hence my rendering.
Wishful thinking	Surah 57 57:14 They [who will remain without] will call out to those [within], "Were we not with you?" – [to which] the others will answer: "So it was! But you allowed yourselves to succumb to temptation, (16) and you were hesitant [in your faith (17)], and you were doubtful [of resurrection]; and your wishful thinking beguiled you until God's command came to pass: (18) for, [indeed, your own] deceptive thoughts about God deluded you! (19) Surah 31 31:33 O MEN! Be conscious of your Sustainer, and stand in awe of the Day on which no parent will be of any avail to his child, nor a child will in the least avail his parent! Verily, God's promise [of resurrection] is true indeed: let not, then, the life of this world delude you, and let not [your own] deceptive thoughts about God delude you! (30) Confer 4:123.	Notes on Surah 57 16 Sc., "by the prospect of worldly gains" or "by fear for your personal safety" – both of which characterize the half-hearted as well as the hypocrites. 17 Thus Ibn Zayd (quoted by Tabari), explaining the verb tarabbastum. 18 I.e., "until your death". 19 See note 30 on the last sentence of 31:33. Note on Surah 31 30 For instance, the self-deluding expectation, while deliberately committing a sin, that God will forgive it (Sa'id ibn Jubayr, as quoted by Tabari, Baghawi, Zamakhshari). According to Tabari, the term gharur denotes "anything that deludes" (ma gharra) a person in the moral sense, whether it be Satan, or another human being, or an abstract concept, or (as in 57:14) "wishful thinking".

Keywords

Qur’an quote

Notes and comments

Best conformation

(95:4) Verily, We create man in the best conformation; (2) (95:5) and thereafter We reduce him to the lowest of low (3) (95:6) excepting only such as attain to faith and do good works: and theirs shall be a reward unending! (95:7) What, then, [O man,] could henceforth cause thee to give the lie to this moral law? (4) (95:8) Is not God the most just of judges?

2 I.e., endowed with all the positive qualities, physical as well as mental, corresponding to the functions which this particular creature is meant to perform. The concept of "the best conformation" is related to the Qur'anic statement that everything which God creates, including the human being or self (nafs), is "formed in accordance with what it is meant to be" (see 91:7 and the corresponding note 5, as well as in a more general sense – 87:2 and note 1). This statement does not in any way imply that all human beings have the same "best conformation" in respect of their bodily or mental endowments: it implies simply that irrespective of his natural advantages or disadvantages, each human being is endowed with the ability to make the, for him, best possible use of his inborn qualities and of the environment to which he is exposed. (See in this connection 30:30 and the corresponding notes, especially 27 and 28.)

3 This "reduction to the lowest of low" is a consequence of man's betrayal – in another word, corruption – of his original, positive disposition: that is to say, a consequence of man's own doings and omissions. Regarding the attribution, by God, of this "reduction" to His Own doing, see note 7 on 2:7.

4 I.e., to the validity of the moral law – which, to my mind, is the meaning of the term din in this context – outlined in the preceding three verses. (For this specific significance of the concept of din, see note 3 on 109:6.) The above rhetorical question has this implication: Since the moral law referred to here has been stressed in the teachings of all monotheistic religions (cf. verses 1-3 and note 1 above), its truth ought to be self-evident to any unprejudiced person; its negation, moreover, amounts to a negation of all freedom of moral choice on man's part and, hence, of justice on the part of God, who, as the next verse points out, is – by definition – "the most just of judges".

Bond with God

2:27 [the iniquitous,] who break their bond with God after it has been established [in their nature], (19) and cut asunder what God has bidden to be joined, and spread corruption on earth: these it is that shall be the losers.

See also:

· Nafs – the human self.

· Covenant; insight; true faith.

19 The "bond with God" (conventionally translated as "God's covenant") apparently refers here to man's moral obligation to use his inborn gifts – intellectual as well as physical – in the way intended for them by God. The "establishment" of this bond arises from the faculty of reason which, if properly used, must lead man to a realization of his own weakness and dependence on a causative power and, thus, to a gradual cognition of God's will with reference to his own behaviour. This interpretation of the "bond with God" seems to be indicated by the fact that there is no mention of any specific "covenant" in either the preceding or the subsequent verses of the passage under consideration. The deliberate omission of any explanatory reference in this connection suggests that the expression "bond with God" stands for something that is rooted in the human situation as such, and can, therefore, be perceived instinctively as well as through conscious experience: namely, that innate relationship with God which makes Him "closer to man than his neck-vein"(50:16). For an explanation of the subsequent reference to "what God has bidden to be joined", see surah 13, note 43.

Borderline of faith

22:11 And there is, too, among men many a one who worships God on the border-line [of faith]: (8) thus, if good befalls him, he is satisfied with Him; but if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly, (9) losing [thereby both] this world and the life to come: [and] this, indeed, is a loss beyond compare. (10)

22:12 [By behaving thus,] he invokes, instead of God, something that can neither harm nor benefit him: (11) [and] this is indeed the utmost one can go astray. (12) (22:13) [And sometimes] he invokes [another human being –] one that is far more likely to cause harm than benefit: vile, indeed, is such a patron, and vile the follower! (13)

8 I.e., wavering between belief and disbelief, and not really committed to either.

9 Lit., "he turns about on his face" the "face" (wajh) of man signifying metonymically his whole being.

10 Lit., "the [most] obvious loss".

11 By failing to commit himself unreservedly to the faith which he professes, man is often inclined to attribute to all manner of extraneous forces, be they real or imaginary, a decisive "influence" on his own destiny, and thus invests them, as it were, with divine qualities.

12 Lit., "this, this (dhalika huwa) is the straying far-away". For an explanation of my paraphrase, see note 25 on the last sentence of 14:18.

13 The interpolation of "another human being" in the opening clause of this verse is necessitated by the relative pronoun man ("one that" or "who"), which almost always relates to an animate person – in this case, a human being who, by allowing himself to be idolized by those who "worship God on the border-line of faith", causes infinite spiritual harm to himself and to his followers.

Condition of man, dependent on our inner selves

13:11 Verily, God does not change men's condition unless they change their inner selves; (26)

See also: Communities that go extinct.

26 Lit., "that which is in themselves". This statement has both a positive and a negative connotation: i.e., God does not withdraw His blessings from men unless their inner selves become depraved (cf. 8:53), just as He does not bestow His blessings upon wilful sinners until they change their inner disposition and become worthy of His grace. In its wider sense, this is an illustration of the divine law of cause and effect (sunnat Allah) which dominates the lives of both individuals and communities, and makes the rise and fall of civilizations dependent on people's moral qualities and the changes in "their inner selves".

Covenant; insight; true faith

13:19 CAN, THEN, he who knows that whatever has been bestowed from on high upon thee by thy Sustainer is the truth, be deemed equal to one who is blind? Only they who are endowed with insight keep this in mind: (13:20) they who are true to their bond with God and never break their covenant; (42) (13:21) and who keep together what God has bidden to be joined, (43) and stand in awe of their Sustainer and fear the most evil reckoning [which awaits such as do not respond to Him]; (13:22) and who are patient in adversity out of a longing for their Sustainer's countenance, and are constant in prayer, and spend on others, secretly and openly, out of what We provide for them as sustenance, and [who] repel evil with good. (44)

Confer 24:22 and the corresponding note 27.

See also:

· Nafs – the human self.

· Bond with God.

42 The "covenant" is, in this context, a general term embracing the spiritual obligations arising from one's faith in God and the moral and social obligations, resulting from that faith, towards one's fellow-men (Zamakhshari) – I see in this connection the first sentence of 5:1 (where the term 'aqd is used) and the corresponding note 1. As regards my rendering of 'ahd Allah as "bond with God", see surah 2, note 19.

43 This refers to all ties arising from human relationships – e.g., the bonds of family, responsibility for orphans and the poor, the mutual rights and duties of neighbours – as well as the spiritual and practical bonds which ought to exist between all who belong to the brotherhood of Islam (cf. 8:75 and the corresponding notes). In its widest sense, the phrase "what God has bidden to be joined" applies to the spiritual obligation, on the part of man, to remain conscious of the unity of purpose underlying all of God's creation, and hence – according to Razi – man's moral duty to treat all living beings with love and compassion.

44 Some of the commentators take this to mean that "if they have committed a sin, they repel it [i.e., its effect] by repentance" (Ibn Kaysan, as quoted by Zamakhshari), while others think that the "repelling" connotes the doing of a good deed in atonement of a – presumably unintentional – bad deed (Razi), or that it refers to endeavours to set evil situations to rights by word or deed (an alternative interpretation mentioned by Zamakhshari). But the great majority of the classical commentators hold that the meaning is "they repay evil with good"; thus Al-Hasan al-Basra (as quoted by Baghawi, Zamakhshari and Razi): "When they are deprived [of anything], they give; and when they are wronged, they forgive." Tabari's explanation is very similar: "They repel the evil done to them by doing good to those who did it"; and "they do not repay evil with evil, but repel it by [doing] good". See also 41:34-36.

Devotion, utter

73:8 But [whether by night or by day,] remember thy Sustainer's name, and devote thyself unto Him with utter devotion.

Doubts, toying with

(44:9) Nay, but they [who lack inner certainty] are but toying with their doubts. (7)

See also:

· God – always warning man (and thus calling every one of us unto Himself).

Fitrah (original disposition, natural constitution, innate nature)

Ethics, perverted by “revelations” having sources other than God

42:21 Is it that they [who care for no more than this world] believe in forces supposed to have a share in God's divinity, (25) which enjoin upon them as a moral law something that God has never allowed? (26)

Sahih International: Or have they other deities who have ordained for them a religion to which Allah has not consented?

Muhammad Sarwar: Do they have idols who have established a religion without the permission of God?

25 Lit., "Is it that they have partners [of God]" – i.e., "do they believe that circumstantial phenomena like wealth, power, 'luck', etc.., have something divine about them?" – the implication being that belief in such "forces" is usually at the root of men's pursuance of exclusively worldly ends. (For my above explanatory rendering of the term shuraka' – lit., "partners" or "associates" [of God] – see note 15 on 6:22.)

26 I.e., which cause them to abandon themselves with an almost religious fervour to something of which God disapproves – namely, the striving after purely materialistic goals and a corresponding disregard of all spiritual and ethical values. For my rendering of din, in this context, as "moral law", see note 3 on 109:6.

Excuses for not believing

46:11 But they who are bent on denying the truth speak thus of those who have attained to faith: "If this [message] were any good, these [people] would not have preceded us in accepting it!" (13) And since they refuse to be guided by it, they will always say, "This (14) is [but] an ancient falsehood!"

13 Lit., "towards it". Almost all of the classical commentators assume that this refers, specifically, to the contempt with which the pagan Quraysh looked down upon the early followers of Muhammad, most of whom came from the poorest, lowliest strata of Meccan society. However, the above "saying" has undoubtedly a timeless import inasmuch as the poor and lowly have always been among the first to follow a prophet. Moreover, it may also have a bearing on our times as well, inasmuch as the materially powerful nations, whom their technological progress has blinded to many spiritual verities, are increasingly contemptuous of the weakness of those civilizations in which religion still plays an important, albeit largely formalistic, role; and so, not realizing that this very formalism and the ensuing cultural sterility, and not religious faith as such, is the innermost cause of that weakness, they attribute it to the influence of religion per se, saying as it were, "If religion were any good, we would have been the first in holding on to it" – thus "justifying" their own materialistic attitude and their refusal to be guided by spiritual considerations.

14 I.e., the concept of divine revelation as such, as is evident from the subsequent reference to the revelation of Moses.

Faith – what it really implies

42:52 And thus, too, (54) [O Muhammad,] have We revealed unto thee a life-giving message, (55) [coming] at Our behest.

[Ere this message came unto thee,] thou didst not know what revelation is, nor what faith [implies]: (56) but [now] We have caused this [message] to be a light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants, and, verily, [on the strength thereof] thou, too, shalt guide [men] onto the straight way – (42:53) the way that leads to God, to whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs.

Oh, verily, with God is the beginning and the end of all things! (57)

54 I.e., in all the three ways mentioned in the preceding verse.

55 The term ruh (lit., "spirit" or "soul") has in the Qur'an often the meaning of "divine inspiration" (see surah 16, note 2). In the present context, it evidently denotes the contents of the divine inspiration bestowed on the Prophet Muhammad, i.e., the Qur'an (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Razi, Ibn Kathir), which is meant to lead man to a more intensive spiritual life: hence my above rendering.

56 I.e., that the very concept of "faith" implies man's complete self-surrender (islam) to God.

57 Lit., "unto God do all things (al-umur) pursue their course": i.e., all things go back to Him as their source, and from His will depends the course which they take (Baydawi).

Empty formalism

57:27 And thereupon We caused [other of] Our apostles to follow in their footsteps; and [in the course of time] We caused them to be followed by Jesus, the son of Mary, upon whom We bestowed the Gospel; (46) and in the hearts of those who [truly] followed him We engendered compassion and mercy. But as for monastic asceticism (47) – We did not enjoin it upon them: they invented it themselves out of a desire for God's goodly acceptance. (48) But then, they did not [always] observe it as it ought to have been observed: (49) and so We granted their recompense unto such of them as had [truly] attained to faith, whereas many of them became iniquitous. (50)

Confer 9:19 and its footnote 29, which mentions “the immense superiority of real self-surrender to God over mere ritual”.

46 See surah 3, note 4.

47 The term rahbaniyyah combines the concepts of monastic life with an exaggerated asceticism, often amounting to a denial of any value in the life of this world – an attitude characteristic of early Christianity but disapproved of in Islam (cf. 2:143 – "We have willed you to be a community of the middle way" – and the corresponding note 118).

48 Or: "they invented it themselves, [for] We did not enjoin it upon them: [We enjoined upon them] only the seeking of God's goodly acceptance". Both these interpretations are equally legitimate, and are accepted as such by most of the classical commentators. The rendering adopted by me corresponds to the interpretation given by Sa'id ibn Jubayr and Qatadah (both of them cited by Tabari and Ibn Kathir).

49 I.e., not all of them observed it in the right spirit (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Iba Kathir), inasmuch as in the course of time many of them – or, rather, many of those who came after the early ascetics (Tabari) – corrupted their devotions by accepting the ideas of Trinity and of God's incarnation in Jesus, and by lapsing into empty formalism (Razi).

50 Sc., "and were deprived of Our grace".

Faith, the purpose of

57:16 IS IT NOT time that the hearts of all who have attained to faith should feel humble at the remembrance of God and of all the truth that has been bestowed [on them] from on high, (22) lest they become like those who were granted revelation aforetime, (23) and whose hearts have hardened with the passing of time so that many of them are [now] depraved? (24) 57:17 [But] know that God gives life to the earth after it has been lifeless! (25) We have indeed made Our messages clear unto you, so that you might use your reason.

22 I.e., "Should not the remembrance of God and His revelation make them humble rather than proud?" This is an emphatic warning against all smugness, self-righteousness and false pride at having "attained to faith" – a failing which only too often attains to such as consider themselves "pious".

23 This is apparently an allusion to the spiritually arrogant among the Jews, who regard themselves as "God's chosen people" and, therefore, as predestined for His acceptance.

24 I.e., so that now they act contrary to the ethical precepts of their religion: implying that the purpose of all true faith is to make man humble and God-conscious rather than self-satisfied, and that a loss of that spiritual humility invariably results in moral degeneration.

25 According to most of the commentators – and, particularly, Zamakhshari, Razi and Ibn Kathir this is a parabolic allusion to the effect of a re-awakening of God-consciousness in hearts that had become deadened by self-satisfaction and false pride.

(7:172) AND WHENEVER thy Sustainer brings forth their offspring from the loins of the children of Adam, He [thus] calls upon them to bear witness about themselves: "Am I not your Sustainer?" – to which they answer: "Yea, indeed, we do bear witness thereto!" (139)

139 In the original, this passage is in the past tense ("He brought forth", "He asked them", etc.), thus stressing the continuous recurrence of the above metaphorical "question" and "answer": a continuity which is more clearly brought out in translation by the use of the present tense. According to the Qur'an, the ability to perceive the existence of the Supreme Power is inborn in human nature (fitrah); and it is this instinctive cognition – which may or may not be subsequently blurred by self-indulgence or adverse environmental influences – that makes every sane human being "bear witness about himself" before God. As so often in the Qur'an, God's "speaking" and man's "answering" is a metonym for the creative act of God and of man's existential response to it.

Follow not the crowd

45:18 And, finally, (17) [O Muhammad,] We have set thee on a way by which the purpose [of faith] may be fulfilled: (18) so follow thou this [way], and follow not the likes and dislikes of those who do not know [the truth]. (19) (45:19) Behold, they could never be of any avail to thee if thou wert to defy the will of God (20) – for, verily, such evildoers are but friends and protectors of one another, whereas God is the Protector of all who are conscious of Him.

45:20 This [revelation, then,] (21) is a means of insight for mankind, and a guidance and grace unto people who are endowed with inner certainty.

See also:

· God – always warning man (and thus calling every one of us unto Himself).

God – do not attribute unto Him aught but what is true

17 Lit., "thereafter" or "in the end" (thumma) – i.e., after the failure of the earlier communities to realize the ideal purpose of faith in their actual mode of life.

18 Lit., "on a way of the purpose [of faith]": see note 15 above. It is to be borne in mind that the literal meaning of the term shari'ah is "the way to a watering-place", and since water is indispensable for all organic life, this term has in time come to denote a "system of laws", both moral and practical, which shows man the way towards spiritual fulfilment and social welfare: hence, "religious law" in the widest sense of the term. (See in this connection note 66 on the second part of 5:48.)

19 I.e., who are not – or not primarily – motivated by God-consciousness and, hence, are swayed only by what they themselves regard as "right" in accordance with worldly, changing circumstances.

20 Lit., "against [i.e., "in defiance of"] God".

21 I.e., the Qur'an, which unfolds to man the purpose of all faith.

Forgiveness

17:25 Your Sustainer is fully aware of what is in your hearts. If you are righteous, [He will forgive you your errors]: for, behold, He is much-forgiving to those who turn unto Him again and again.

Free will

36:67 And had it been Our will [that they should not be free to choose between right and wrong], We could surely have given them a different nature (35) [and created them as beings rooted] in their places, so that they would not be able to move forward, and could not turn back. (36)

35 Lit., "transformed [or "transmuted"] them".

36 I.e., if it had been God's will that men should have no freedom of will or moral choice, He would have endowed them from the very beginning with a spiritually and morally stationary nature, entirely rooted in their instincts ("in their places"), devoid of all urge to advance, and incapable either of positive development or of retreat from a wrong course.

Fulfilment in life

20:1 O MAN!(1) (20:2) We did not bestow the Qur'an on thee from on high to make thee unhappy,(2) (20:3) but only as an exhortation to all who stand in awe [of God]: (20:4) a revelation from Him who has created the earth and the high heavens – (20:5) the Most Gracious, established on the throne of His almightiness.(3)

2 I.e., the ethical discipline imposed upon man by the teachings of the Qur'an is not meant to narrow down his feel of life, but, on the contrary, to enhance it by deepening his consciousness of right and wrong.

3 For my rendering of the metaphorical term al-'arsh as "the throne of His almightiness", see note 43 on 7:54.

Future, (belongs to the God-conscious)

Surah 11

11:49 Be, then, [like Noah,] patient in adversity – for, behold, the future belongs to the God-conscious!

Confer 20:132, 28:83.

Surah 6

6:134 Verily, that [reckoning] which you are promised is bound to come, and you cannot elude it! (6:135) Say: "O my [unbelieving] people! Do yet all that may be within your power, [while] I, behold, shall labour [in God's way]; and in time you will come to know to whom the future belongs. (118) Verily, never will evildoers attain to a happy state!"

Note on Surah 6

118 Lit., "to whom the [happy] end of the abode shall belong". The term "abode" (dar) is used in the Qur'an with reference to both the life of this world (dar ad-dunya) and the life to come (dar al-akhirah). Most of the commentators are of the opinion that it refers here to the life to come; Zamakhshari, however, relates it to life on earth. Since either of these interpretations is agreeable with the text, I have chosen the above rendering which comprises both.

Godlessness, consequences of

(16:26) Those who lived before them did, too, devise many a blasphemy (19) – whereupon God visited with destruction all that they had ever built, (20) [striking] at its very foundations, so that the roof fell in upon them from above (21) and suffering befell them without their having perceived whence it came.

19 Lit., "schemed" (makara): i.e., they blasphemed by describing the divine revelations as "fables of ancient times" and by refusing to admit the truth of God's existence or of His oneness and uniqueness.

20 Lit., "their building" (see next note).

21 This is obviously a metaphor (Razi) describing the utter collapse of all endeavours – both individual and social – rooted in godlessness and false pride.

7:169 Have they not been solemnly pledged through the divine writ not to attribute unto God aught but what is true, (136) and [have they not] read again and again all that is therein?

136 A reference to their erroneous idea that God's forgiveness could be obtained without sincere repentance. The divine writ mentioned twice in this passage is obviously the Bible.

God – our only source of light and guidance

24:40 Or [else, their deeds (60) are] like the depths of darkness upon an abysmal sea, made yet more dark by wave billowing over wave, with [black] clouds above it all: depths of darkness, layer upon layer, (61) [so that when one holds up his hand, he can hardly see it: for he to whom God gives no light, no light whatever has he!

60 I.e., their bad deeds, as contrasted with their good deeds, which in the preceding verse have been likened to a mirage.

61 Lit., "one above another".

The Study Quran comments thus on 24:40 (italics in original): The three kinds of darkness mentioned here – the sea, the waves, the clouds – are interpreted [by some of the classical commentators] to be the darkness of one’s heart, one’s sight, and one’s hearing (R); see 2:7c for the notion of hearts and spiritual faculties being sealed or covered. […] That the disbeliever can hardly see his hand suggests that human beings can never be left in total darkness, and the light of guidance is available as long as they are still alive.

God’s blessings – in this life, and in the life to come

8:2 Believers are only they whose hearts tremble with awe whenever God is mentioned, and whose faith is strengthened whenever His messages are conveyed unto them,; and who in their Sustainer place their trust – (8:3) those who are constant in prayer and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance (4) (8:4) it is they, they who are truly believers! Theirs shall be great dignity in their Sustainer's sight, and forgiveness of sins, and a most excellent sustenance. (5)

4 See surah 2, note 4.

5 I.e., in paradise. According to Razi, however, the "most excellent sustenance" is a metonym

for "the spiritual raptures arising from the knowledge of God, the love of Him, and the self-immersion (istighraq) in worshipping Him". In Razi's interpretation, this expression refers to the spiritual reward of faith in this world. Some commentators (cf. Manar IX, 597) regard the above definition of true believers as the most important passage of this surah. – The phrase rendered by me as "theirs shall be great dignity" reads, literally, "they shall have degrees", namely, of excellence and dignity.

God’s compassion

2:143 God is most compassionate towards man, a dispenser of grace.

Sahih International: Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful.

Pickthall: for Allah is Full of Pity, Merciful toward mankind.

Yusuf Ali: For Allah is to all people Most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful.

Mohsin Khan: Truly, Allah is full of kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind.

Arberry: truly, God is All-gentle with the people, All-compassionate.

God’s grace (holding people accountable for conscious wrongdoings only)

6:131 And so it is that thy Sustainer would never destroy a community (116) for its wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of right and wrong]: (6:132) for all shall be judged according to their [conscious] deeds (117) – and thy Sustainer is not unaware of what they do.

116 Lit., "communities". The term qaryah (lit., "town", "village" or "land") denotes also the people of a town or land – in short, a "community" – and it is in this sense that this term is mostly, though not always, used in the Qur'an.

117 Lit., "all shall have grades out of what they did", i.e., consciously – since God does not take people to task for any wrong they may have committed unless it was done in conscious contravention of a moral law already made clear to them by the prophets.

God’s guidance I

Surah 6

6:125 And whomsoever God wills to guide, his bosom He opens wide with willingness towards self-surrender [unto Him]; and whomsoever He wills to let go astray, his bosom He causes to be tight and constricted, as if he were climbing unto the skies: it is thus that God inflicts horror upon those who will not believe. (6:126) And undeviating is this thy Sustainer's way. (111)

Clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people who [are willing to] take them to heart! (6:127) Theirs shall be an abode of peace with their Sustainer; and He shall be near unto them in result of what they have been doing.

Surah 14

14:4 AND NEVER have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people's tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them; (3) but God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides him that wills [to be guided] – for He alone is almighty, truly wise. (4)

Confer 24:46, 28:56.

· Heart, deafness and blindness of.

Note on Surah 6

111 Lit., "and this thy Sustainer's way is straight" – i.e., unchanging in its application of the law of cause and effect to man's inner life as well. – The term rijs occurring in the preceding sentence, and rendered by me as "horror", signifies anything that is intrinsically loathsome, horrible or abominable; in this case, it would seem to denote that awesome feeling of utter futility which, sooner or later, overcomes everyone who does not believe that life has meaning and purpose.

Notes on Surah 14

3 Since every divine writ was meant to be understood by man, it is obvious that each had to be formulated in the language of the people whom the particular prophet was addressing in the first instance; and the Qur'an – notwithstanding its universal import (cf. note 126 on 7:158) – is no exception in this respect.

4 Or: "God lets go astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills". All Qur'anic references to God's "letting man go astray" must be understood against the background of 2:26-27 – "none does He cause to go astray save the iniquitous, who break their bond with God" (regarding which latter expression, see surah 2, note 19): that is to say, man's "going astray" is a consequence of his own attitudes and inclinations and not a result of an arbitrary "predestination" in the popular sense of this word (cf. surah 2, note 7). In his commentary on the above verse, Zamakhshari stresses this aspect of free choice on the part of man and points out that

"God does not cause anyone to go astray except one who, as He knows, will never attain to faith; and He does not guide anyone aright except one who, as He knows, will attain to faith. Hence, the [expression] 'causing to go astray' denotes [God's] leaving [one] alone (takhliyah) and depriving [him] of all favour, whereas [the expression] 'guidance' denotes [His] grant of fulfilment (tawfiq) and favour. ... Thus, He does not forsake anyone except those who deserve to be forsaken, and does not bestow His favour upon anyone except those who deserve to be favoured."

Commenting on the identical phrase occurring in 16:93, Zamakhshari states:

"[God] forsakes him who, as He knows, will [consciously] choose to deny the truth and will persevere in this [denial]; and ... He bestows His favour upon him who, as He knows, will choose faith: which means that He makes the issue dependent on [man's] free choice (al ikhtiyar), and thus on his deserving either [God's] favour or the withdrawal of [His] aid ... and does not make it dependent on compulsion [i.e., predestination], which would rule out [man's] deserving anything of the above."

God’s guidance II

19:58 THESE WERE some of the prophets upon whom God bestowed His blessings – [prophets] of the seed of Adam and of those whom We caused to be borne [in the ark] with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham and Israel: and [all of them were] among those whom We had guided and elected;

God’s guidance III

19:76 And God endows those who avail themselves of [His] guidance with an ever-deeper consciousness of the right way; (64) and good deeds, the fruit whereof endures forever, are, in thy Sustainer's sight, of far greater merit [than any worldly goods], and yield far better returns.

64 Lit., "God increases in guidance those who ...", etc.

God’s guidance IV

(20:123) [...] None the less, there shall most certainly come unto you guidance from Me: and he who follows My guidance will not go astray, and neither will he be unhappy.

God’s Light, parable of

24:35 God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is, as it were, (50) that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star: (51) [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree – an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west (52) – the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! (53) God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; (54) and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things. (55)

Confer 24:46.

50 The particle ka ("as if" or "as it were") prefixed to a noun is called kaf at-tashbih ("the letter kaf pointing to a resemblance [of one thing to another]" or "indicating a metaphor"). In the above context it alludes to the impossibility of defining God even by means of a metaphor or a parable – for, since "there is nothing like unto Him" (42:11), there is also "nothing that could be compared with Him" (112:4). Hence, the parable of "the light of God" is not meant to express His reality – which is inconceivable to any created being and, therefore, inexpressible in any human language but only to allude to the illumination which He, who is the Ultimate Truth, bestows upon the mind and the feelings of all who are willing to be guided. Tabari, Baghawi and Ibn Kathir quote Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud as saying in this context: "It is the parable of His light in the heart of a believer."

51 The "lamp" is the revelation which God grants to His prophets and which is reflected in the believer's heart – the "niche" of the above parable (Ubayy ibn Ka'b, as quoted by Tabari) – after being received and consciously grasped by his reason ("the glass [shining brightly] like a radiant star"): for it is through reason alone that true faith can find its way into the heart of man.

52 It would seem that this is an allusion to the organic continuity of all divine revelation which, starting like a tree from one "root" or proposition – the statement of God's existence and uniqueness – grows steadily throughout man's spiritual history, branching out into a splendid variety of religious experience, thus endlessly widening the range of man's perception of the truth. The association of this concept with the olive-tree apparently arises from the fact that this particular kind of tree is characteristic of the lands in which most of the prophetic precursors of the Qur'anic message lived, namely, the lands to the east of the Mediterranean: but since all true revelation flows from the Infinite Being, it is "neither of the east nor of the west" – and especially so the revelation of the Qur'an, which, being addressed to all mankind, is universal in its goal as well.

53 The essence of the Qur'anic message is described elsewhere as "clear [in itself] and clearly showing the truth" (cf. note 2 on 12:1); and it is, I believe, this aspect of the Qur'an that the above sentence alludes to. Its message gives light because it proceeds from God; but it "would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it": i.e., even though one may be unaware that it has been "touched by the fire" of divine revelation, its inner consistency, truth and wisdom ought to be self-evident to anyone who approaches it in the light of his reason and without prejudice.

54 Although most of the commentators read the above phrase in the sense of "God guides unto His light whomever He wills", Zamakhshari gives it the sense adopted in my rendering (both being syntactically permissible).

55 I.e., because of their complexity, certain truths can be conveyed to man only by means of parables or allegories: see notes 5 and 8 on 3:7.

God’s messages – called into question only by those who are bent on denying the truth

40:4 NONE BUT THOSE who are bent on denying the truth would call God's messages in question. But let it not deceive thee that they seem to be able to do as they please on earth

Yusuf Ali: None can dispute about the Signs of Allah but the Unbelievers. Let not, then, their strutting about through the land deceive thee!

OJA: Asad renders the word "bent" in italics when quoting verse 4 in his introduction to Surah 40; hence my use of italics in the heading here.

God’s messages – God’s wonders

(30:46) for among His wonders is this: He sends forth [His messages as He sends forth] the winds that bear glad tidings, (42) so that He might give you a taste of His grace [through life-giving rains], and that ships might sail at His behest, and that you might go about in quest of some of His bounties, and that you might have cause to be grateful.

42 The mention of God's messages, interpolated by me between brackets, is justified by the verses which precede and follow this passage. Moreover, it is only by means of such an interpolation that the symbolic purport of the above reference to "the winds that bear glad tidings" can be made fully obvious.

God’s Own fire – God’s own light (which bestows illumination)

(27:8) But when he (Moses) came close to it, a call was sounded: "Blessed are all who are within [reach of] this fire, and all who are near it! (7) And limitless in His glory is God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!"

7 Thus Zamakhshari explains the expression hawlaha (lit., "around it"). According to some of the earliest commentators, quoted by Tabari, the "fire" (nar) is in this context synonymous with "light" (nur), namely, the illumination which God bestows on His prophets, who – one may presume – are a priori "near it" by virtue of their inborn spiritual sensitivity. Alternatively, the phrase man fi 'n-nar wa-man hawlaha may be understood as referring to God's Own light, which encompasses, and is the core of, all spiritual illumination.

God’s spirit – breathed into man

32:7 Thus, He begins the creation of man out of clay; (7) (32:8) then He causes him to be begotten (8) out of the essence of a humble fluid; (32:9) and then He forms him in accordance with what he is meant to be, and breathes into him of His spirit: (9) and [thus, O men,] He endows you with hearing, and sight, and feelings as well as minds: (10)

7 Cf. note 4 on 23:12. In view of the next verse, this "beginning" of man's creation seems to allude to the basic composition of the human body as such, as well as to each individual's pre-natal existence in the separate bodies of his parents.

8 Lit., "He caused [i.e., as pointed out in note 6 above, "He causes"] his procreation [or "his begetting"] to be out of ..., etc.

9 As in 15:29 and 38:72, God's "breathing of His spirit into man" is a metaphor for the divine gift of life and consciousness, or of a "soul" (which, as pointed out in surah 4, note 181, is one of the meanings of the term ruh). Consequently, "the soul of every human being is of the spirit of God" (Razi). Regarding the verb sawwahu – rendered by me as "He forms him in accordance with what he is meant to be" – see note 1 on 87:2 and note 5 on 91:7.

10 Lit., "hearts" (af'idah), which in classical Arabic is a metonym for both "feelings" and "minds"; hence my composite rendering of this term.

Confer Asad’s note on Surah 21

87 […] As a matter of fact, the Qur'an uses the same expression in three other places with reference to the creation of man in general – namely in 15:29 and 38:72, "when I have formed him ... and breathed into him of My spirit"; and in 32:9, "and thereupon He forms [lit., "formed"] him fully and breathes lit., "breathed"] into him of His spirit". In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted phrase is a part (i.e., 32:7-9) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear that God "breathes of His spirit" into every human being.

God, unto whom there are many ways of ascent

(70:3) [...] God, unto whom there are many ways of ascent: (3)

Pickthall: Lord of the Ascending Stairways.

Yusuf Ali: Lord of the Ways of Ascent.

3 Lit., "He of the [many] ascents": a metonymical phrase implying that there are many ways by which man can "ascend" to a comprehension of God's existence, and thus to spiritual "nearness" to Him – and that, therefore, it is up to each human being to avail himself of any of the ways leading towards Him (cf. 76:3).

God with us

Surah 8

(8:12) Lo! Thy Sustainer inspired the angels [to convey this His message to the believers]: "I am with you!" (13)

Surah 5

5:12 And God said: "Behold, I shall be with you [i.e., the children of Israel]! If you are constant in prayer, and spend in charity, and believe in My apostles and aid them, and offer up unto God a goodly loan, (23) I will surely efface your bad deeds and bring you into gardens through which running waters flow. But he from among you who, after this, denies the truth, will indeed have strayed from the right path!"

Surah 20

20:45 The two [brothers] said: "O our Sustainer! Verily, we fear lest he act hastily with regard to us, (29) or lest he [continue to] transgress all bounds of equity." 20:46 Answered He: "Fear not! Verily, I shall be with you two, hearing and seeing [all]. (20:47) Go, then; you two unto him and say, 'Behold, we are apostles sent by thy Sustainer: let, then, the children of Israel go with us, and cause them not to suffer [any longer]. (30) We have now come unto thee with a message from thy Sustainer; and [know that His] peace shall be [only] on those who follow [His] guidance: (20:48) for, behold, it has been revealed to us that [in the life to come] suffering shall befall all who give the lie to the truth and turn away [from it]!'"

Surah 26

26:15 Said He: "Not so, indeed! Go forth, then, both of you, with Our messages: verily, We shall be with you, listening [to your call]!

[…]

(26:60) And so [the Egyptians] caught up with them at sunrise; (26:61) and as soon as the two hosts came in sight of one another, the followers of Moses exclaimed: "Behold, we shall certainly be overtaken [and defeated]!" 26:62 He replied: "Nay indeed! My Sustainer is with me, [and] He will guide me!" […] (26:67) In this [story], behold, there is a message [unto all men], even though most of them will not believe [in it]. (26:68) And yet, verily, thy Sustainer – He alone – is almighty, a dispenser of grace!

Surah 57

57:3 He is the First and the Last, (1) and the Outward as well as the Inward: (2) and He has full knowledge of everything. (57:4) He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, and is established on the throne of His almightiness. (3) He knows all that enters the earth, and all that comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that ascends to them. (4) And He is with you wherever you may be; and God sees all that you do.

Note on Surah 8

13 The phrase "I am with you" is addressed (through the angels) to the believers – "for, the purport of these words was the removal of fear, since it was the Muslims, and not the angels, who feared the deniers of the truth" (Razi).

Confer these two Biblical verses:

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Mathew 1:23 (NIV) "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").

Note on Surah 5

23 I.e., by doing righteous deeds.

Notes on Surah 57

1 I.e., His Being is eternal, without anything preceding His existence and without anything outlasting its infinity: an interpretation given by the Prophet himself, as recorded in several well authenticated Traditions. Thus, "time" itself – a concept beyond man's understanding – is but God's creation.

2 I.e., He is the transcendental Cause of all that exists and, at the same time, immanent in every phenomenon of His creation – cf. the oft-repeated Qur'anic phrase (e.g., in verse 5), "all things go back unto God [as their source]"; in the words of Tabari, "He is closer to everything than anything else could be". Another – perhaps supplementary – rendering could be, "He is the Evident as well as the Hidden": i.e., "His existence is evident (zahir) in the effects of His activity, whereas He Himself is not perceptible (ghayr mudrak) to our senses" (Zamakhshari).

3 Cf. the identical phrase in 7:54 and the corresponding note 43.

4 See 4 note 1 on 34:2.

Grace and love

11:90 Hence, ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance – for, verily, my Sustainer is a dispenser of grace, a fount of love!

Gradually finding one’s way to the truth

10:19 And had it not been for a decree – that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, all their differences would indeed have been settled [from the outset]. (29)

See also: Revelation, step by step.

29 […] Since, however, such a uniformity would have precluded men's intellectual, moral and social development, God has left it to their reason, aided by prophetic guidance, gradually to find their way to the truth.

Grieved (be not)

10:65 And be not grieved by the sayings of those [who deny the truth]. Behold, all might and glory belong to God alone: He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing.

Guidance (i.e., having received understanding from God)

2:143 those whom God has guided aright. (120)

Shakir: ... those whom Allah has guided aright

Muhammad Sarwar: ... those to whom God has given guidance.

120 I.e., "whom He has given understanding" (Razi). ...

Hanif (inclining towards truth and that which is right)

2:135 Say: "Nay, but [ours is] the creed of Abraham, who turned away from all that is false, (110) and was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God."

Sahih International: Abraham, inclining toward truth, and he was not of the polytheists.

Pickthall: Abraham, the upright, and he was not of the idolaters.

Yusuf Ali: Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with Allah.

Confer 16:120, 123.

See also: Truth, men and women of.

110 The expression hanif is derived from the verb hanafa, which literally means "he inclined [towards a right state or tendency]" (cf. Lane II, 658). Already in pre-Islamic times, this term had a definitely monotheistic connotation, and was used to describe a man who turned away from sin and worldliness and from all dubious beliefs, especially idol-worship; and tahannuf denoted the ardent devotions, mainly consisting of long vigils and prayers, of the unitarian God-seekers of pre-Islamic times.

Health, physical

Surah 26

Said [Abraham]: (26:77) "Now [as for me, I know that,] verily, these [false deities] are my enemies, [and that none is my helper] save the Sustainer of all the worlds, (26:78) who has created me and is the One who guides me, (26:79) and is the One who gives me to eat and to drink, (26:80) and when I fall ill, is the One who restores me to health, (26:81) and who will cause me to die and then will bring me back to life – (26:82) and who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on Judgment Day!

Surah 41

41:44 Say: "Unto all who have attained to faith, this [divine writ] is a guidance and a source of health; but as for those who will not believe in their ears is deafness, and so it remains obscure to them: they are [like people who are] being called from too far away." (38)

Confer 16:69.

Note on Surah 41

38 Lit., "from a far-off place": i.e., they only hear the sound of the words, but cannot understand their meaning.

Health, spiritual

Surah 17

17:82 THUS, step by step, We bestow from on high through this Qur'an all that gives health [to the spirit] and is a grace unto those who believe [in Us], the while it only adds to the ruin of evildoers: (98) (17:83) for [it often happens that] when We bestow Our blessings upon man, he turns away and arrogantly keeps aloof [from any thought of Us]; and when evil fortune touches him, he abandons all hope.

Surah 27

(27:77) and, verily, it [i.e., The Qur’an] is a guidance and a grace unto all who believe [in it].

See also: Health, physical.

Note on Surah 17

98 By "evildoers" are meant people who, out of self-conceit or an excessive "love of this world"; reject out of hand any suggestion of divine guidance – and, with it, any belief in the existence of absolute moral values – and in the end, as the sequence shows, fall prey to spiritual nihilism.

Hearts – peace and rest for the hearts of the believers (as opposed to those who are bent on denying the truth, and who prefer to go astray)

13:27-29 NOW THOSE who are bent on denying the truth [of the Prophet's message] say, "Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed upon him from on high by his Sustainer?" (49) Say: "Behold, God lets go astray him who wills [to go astray] (50), So just as He guides unto Himself all who turn unto Him – (13:28) those who believe, and whose hearts find their rest in the remembrance of God – for, verily, in the remembrance of God [men's] hearts do find their rest –: (13:29) [and so it is that] they who attain to faith and do righteous deeds are destined for happiness [in this world] and the most beauteous of all goals [in the life to come]!"

49 See verse 7 of this surah and the corresponding note 16. The repetition of this question at this place points to its connection with the reference to "those who break their bond with God after it has been established [in their nature]" in verse 25 above (elucidated in note 19 on 2:27). The abandonment of their original, innate faculty to realize the existence of God and their own dependence on His guidance – caused by their utter immersion in the passing pleasures of this world's life – makes it impossible for "those who are bent on denying the truth" to sense the breath of the divine in the message propounded to them by Muhammad: and so they refuse to accept it as true unless it is supported by an outward "miracle". (See in this connection note 94 on 6:109.)

50 Or: "God lets go astray whomever He wills". Regarding the rendering adopted by me, see surah 14, note 4.

Hidden knowledge and understanding

19:64 ...unto Him belongs all that lies open before us [i.e., the angels] and all that is hidden – from us and all that is in-between. (50)

50 I.e., that which even the angels can only glimpse but not fully understand.

Human soul, illumination of

17:78 BE CONSTANT in [thy] prayer from the time when the sun has passed its zenith till the darkness of night, and [be ever mindful of its] recitation at dawn: (95) for, behold, the recitation [of prayer] at dawn is indeed witnessed [by all that is holy]. (96)

96 Most of the classical commentators take this to mean "witnessed by the angels of night as well as those of day", since dawn is the time between night and day. Razi, however, is of the opinion that the "witness" to which the Qur'an refers here is the spark of God-given illumination in man's own soul – the heightening of his inner perception at the time when the darkness and stillness of night begins to give way to the life-giving light of day, so that prayer becomes a means of attaining to deeper insight into the realm of spiritual truths and, thus, of achieving communion with all that is holy.

Humility and inner purity

Surah 7

7:55 Call unto your Sustainer humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts.

Surah 23

23:1 TRULY, to a happy state shall attain the believers: (23:2) those who humble themselves in their prayer, (23:3) and who turn away from all that is frivolous, (23:4) and who are intent on inner purity; (1) (23:5) and who are mindful of their chastity, (2) (23:6) [not giving way to their desires] with any but their spouses – that is, those whom they rightfully possess [through wedlock]: (3) – for then, behold, they are free of all blame, (23:7) whereas such as seek to go beyond that [limit] are truly transgressors; (23:8) and who are faithful to their trusts and to their pledges, (23:9) and who guard their prayers [from all worldly intent].

23:10 It is they, they who shall be the inheritors (23:11) that will inherit the paradise; [and] therein shall they abide.

Notes on Surah 23

1 Lit., "working for" or "active in behalf of [inner] purity", which is the meaning of zakah in this context (Zamakhshari; the same interpretation has been advanced by Abu Muslim).

2 Lit., "who guard their private parts"

Hypocrites

29:10 [...] Is not God fully aware of what is in the hearts of all creatures? 29:11 [Yea –] and most certainly will God mark out those who have [truly] attained to faith, and most certainly will He mark out the hypocrites. (7)

Confer 63:1-8.

7 This is probably the earliest occurrence of the term munafiq in the chronology of Qur'anic revelation. Idiomatically, the term is derived from the noun nafaq, which denotes an "underground passage" having an outlet different from the entry, and signifying, specifically, the complicated burrow of a field-mouse, a lizard, etc., from which the animal can easily escape or in which it can outwit a pursuer. Tropically, the term munafiq describes a person who is "two-faced", inasmuch as he always tries to find an easy way out of any real commitment, be it spiritual or social, by adapting his course of action to what promises to be of practical advantage to him in the situation in which he happens to find himself. Since a person thus characterized usually pretends to be morally better than he really is, the epithet munafiq may roughly be rendered as "hypocrite". It should, however, be noted that whereas this Western term invariably implies conscious dissembling with the intent to deceive others, the Arabic term munafiq may also be applied – and occasionally is applied in the Qur'an to a person who, being weak or uncertain in his beliefs or moral convictions, merely deceives himself. Hence, while using in my rendering of the Qur'anic text the conventional expression "hypocrite", I have endeavoured to point out the above differentiation, whenever possible and necessary, in my explanatory notes.

Hypocrisy – a sure way to earn God’s wrath

48:6 And [God has willed] to impose suffering [in the life to come] on the hypocrites, both men and women, and on those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, both men and women: all who entertain evil thoughts about God. (6)

6 I.e., who deny His existence or man's responsibility to Him, or offend against the concept of His oneness.

Ignorance – know and respect your own limitations; be humble

17:36 And never concern thyself with anything of which thou hast no knowledge: (45) verily, [thy] hearing and sight and heart – all of them – will be called to account for it [on Judgment Day]!

(45) Or: "do not follow [or "pursue"] anything ...", etc. This would seem to relate to groundless assertions about events or people (and hence to slander or false testimony), to statements based on guesswork unsupported by evidence, or to interfering in social situations which one is unable to evaluate correctly.

Ignorance followed by repentance

16:119: And once again: Behold, thy Sustainer [shows mercy] to those who do evil out of ignorance and afterwards repent and live righteously: behold, after such [repentance] thy Sustainer is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

Inherit the earth

21:105-106 AND, INDEED, after having exhorted [man], We laid it down in all the books of divine wisdom that My righteous servants shall inherit the earth: (101) herein, behold, there is a message for people who [truly] worship God.

101 Zabar (lit., "scripture" or "book") is a generic term denoting any "book of wisdom": hence, any and all of the divine scriptures revealed by God to the prophets [Tabari]. The statement that "My righteous servants shall inherit the earth" is obviously an echo of the promise, "You are bound to rise high if you are [truly] believers" (3:139) – the implication being that it is only through faith in God and righteous behaviour on earth that man can reach the heights envisaged for him by his Creator's grace.

Inner certainty

45:3 Behold, in the heavens as well as on earth there are indeed messages for all who [are willing to] believe. (2) (45:4) And in your own nature, and in [that of] all the animals which He scatters [over the earth] there are messages for people who are endowed with inner certainty. (3)

45:5 And in the succession of night and day, and in the means of subsistence (4) which God sends down from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless, and in the change of the winds: [in all this] there are messages for people who use their reason.

See also:

· God – always warning man (and thus calling every one of us unto Himself).

· Insight and inner assurance.

Insight and inner assurance

2 Cf. 2:164, where the term ayat has been rendered by me in the same way, inasmuch as those visible signs of a consciously creative Power convey a spiritual message to man.

3 Cf. 7:185 and the corresponding note 151. – The intricate structure of human and animal bodies, and the life-preserving instincts with which all living creatures have been endowed, make it virtually impossible to assume that all this has developed "by accident"; and if we assume, as we must, that a creative purpose underlies this development, we must conclude, too, that it has been willed by a conscious Power which creates all natural phenomena in accordance with an inner truth" (see note 11 on 10:5).

4 I.e., rain, with the symbolic connotation of physical and spiritual grace often attached to it in the Qur'an.

Inner strength and vision

38:45 AND CALL to mind Our servants Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, [all of them] endowed with inner strength and vision: (38:46) for, verily, We purified them by means of a thought most pure: the remembrance of the life to come. (42) (38:47) And, behold, in Our sight they were indeed among the elect, the truly good! 38:48 And call to mind Ishmael and Elisha, (43) and every one who [like them] has pledged himself [unto Us]: (44) for, each of them was of the truly good!

42 Lit., "of the [final] abode".

43 Al-Yasa' in Arabic – the Biblical prophet who succeeded Elijah (see surah 37, note 48).

44 For an explanation of this rendering of dhu'l-kifl, see surah 21, note 81.

(6:75) And thus We gave Abraham [his first] insight into [God's] mighty dominion over the heavens and the earth – and [this] to the end that he might become one of those who are inwardly sure.

[…]

"[...] (6:79) Behold, unto Him who brought into being the heavens and the earth have I turned my face, having turned away from all that is false; and I am not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him."

6:80 And his people argued with him. He said: "Do you argue with me about God, when it is He who has guided me? But I do not fear anything to which you ascribe divinity side by side with Him, [for no evil can befall me] unless my Sustainer so wills. (67) All things does my Sustainer embrace within His knowledge; will you not, then, keep this in mind? (6:81) And why should I fear anything that you worship side by side with Him, seeing that you are not afraid of ascribing divinity to other powers beside God without His ever having bestowed upon you from on high any warrant therefor? [Tell me,] then, which of the two parties has a better right to feel secure – if you happen to know [the answer]? (6:82) Those who have attained to faith, and who have not obscured their faith by wrongdoing – it is they who shall be secure, since it is they who have found the right path!" 6:83 And this was Our argument (68) which We vouchsafed unto Abraham against his people: [for] We do raise by degrees whom We will. (69) Verily, thy Sustainer is wise, all-knowing.

See also: Inner certainty.

67 Lit., "unless my Sustainer wills a thing".

68 The description of Abraham's reasoning as God's own argument implies that it was divinely inspired, and is therefore valid for the followers of the Qur'an as well.

69 This is evidently an allusion to Abraham's gradual grasp of the truth, symbolized by his intuitive progress from an adoration of celestial bodies – stars, moon and sun – to a full realization of God's transcendental, all-embracing existence. Alternatively, the expression "by degrees" may be taken to mean "by many degrees", signifying the great spiritual dignity to which this forerunner of a long line of prophets was ultimately raised (see 4:125).

Intellectual approach, differing in

10:19 And had it not been for a decree – that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, all their differences would indeed have been settled [from the outset]. (29)

29 Lit., "it would indeed have been decided between them regarding all that they were differing in": i.e., had it not been for God's decree – which is the meaning, in this context, of the term kalimah (lit., "word") – that men should differ in their intellectual approach to the problems touched upon by divine revelation, "they would not have contended with one another after having received all evidence of the truth", but would all have held from the very outset, and would continue to hold, the same views (cf. 2:253 and the corresponding note 245). Since, however, such a uniformity would have precluded men's intellectual, moral and social development, God has left it to their reason, aided by prophetic guidance, gradually to find their way to the truth. (See also surah 2, note 198.) The above parenthetic passage must be read in conjunction with 2:213.

Intellectual insight

19:43 [Abraham spoke [thus] unto his father:] "O my father! Behold, there has indeed come to me [a ray] of knowledge such as has never yet come unto thee: (32) follow me, then; I shall guide thee onto a perfect way."

32 I.e., a cognition of God's existence and uniqueness through intellectual insight (cf. 6:74-82).

Intellectual quality and progressive realization

21:51 AND, INDEED, long before [the time of Moses] We vouchsafed unto Abraham his consciousness of what is right; (59) and We were aware of [what moved] him (21:52) when he said unto his father and his people, "What are these images to which you are so intensely devoted?"

59 The possessive pronoun "his" affixed to the noun rushd (which, in this context, has the meaning of "consciousness of what is right") emphasizes the highly personal, intellectual quality of Abraham's progressive realization of God's almightiness and uniqueness (cf. 6:74-79 as well as note 69 on 6:83); while the expression min qabl – rendered by me as "long before [the time of Moses]" – stresses, once again, the element of continuity in man's religious insight and experience.

Jesus

Surah 19

19:20 Said she: "How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me? – for, never have I been a loose woman!" (19:21) [The angel] answered: "Thus it is; [but] thy Sustainer says, 'This is easy for Me; (15) and [thou shalt have a son,] so that We might make him a symbol unto mankind and an act of grace from Us.'" (16)

Surah 21

21:91 AND [remember] her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed into her of Our spirit (87) and caused her, together with her son, to become a symbol [of Our grace] Unto all people. (88)

Surah 23:

(23:50) And [as We exalted Moses, so, too,] We made the son of Mary and his mother a symbol [of Our grace], (25)

Notes on Surah 19

15 (omitted here).

16 One of the several meanings of the term dyah is "a sign" or, as elaborately defined by Raghib. "a symbol" (cf. surah 17, note 2). However, the sense in which it is most frequently used in the Qur'an is "a [divine] message": hence, its metonymic application to Jesus may mean that he was destined to become a vehicle of God's message to man – i.e., a prophet – and, thus, a symbol of God's grace. – As regards the words "thou shalt have a son" interpolated by me between brackets, a statement to this effect is implied in the subsequent phrase beginning with "so that" (Zamakhshari and Razi).

Notes to Surah 21

87 This allegorical expression, used here with reference to Mary's conception of Jesus, has been widely – and erroneously – interpreted as relating specifically to his birth. As a matter of fact, the Qur'an uses the same expression in three other places with reference to the creation of man in general – namely in 15:29 and 38:72, "when I have formed him ... and breathed into him of My spirit"; and in 32:9, "and thereupon He forms [lit., "formed"] him fully and breathes lit., "breathed"] into him of His spirit". In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted phrase is a part (i.e., 32:7-9) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear that God "breathes of His spirit" into every human being. Commenting on the verse under consideration, Zamakhshari states that "the breathing of the spirit [of God] into a body signifies the endowing it with life": an explanation with which Razi concurs. (In this connection, see also note 181 on 4:171.) As for the description of Mary as allati ahsanat farjaha; idiomatically denoting "one who guarded her chastity" (lit., "her private parts"), it is to be borne in mind that the term ihsan – lit., "[one's] being fortified [against any danger or evil]" – has the tropical meaning of "abstinence from what is unlawful or reprehensible" (Taj al-'Arus), and especially from illicit sexual intercourse, and is applied to a man as well as a woman: thus, for instance, the terms muhsan and muhsanah are used elsewhere in the Qur'an to describe, respectively, a man or a woman who is "fortified [by marriage] against unchastity". Hence, the expression allati ahsanat farjaha, occurring in the above verse as well as in 66:12 with reference to Mary, is but meant to stress her outstanding chastity and complete abstinence, in thought as well as in deed, from anything unlawful or morally reprehensible: in other words, a rejection of the calumny (referred to in 4:156 and obliquely alluded to in 19:27-28) that the birth of Jesus was the result of an "illicit union".

88 For my rendering of the term ayah as "symbol", see surah 17, note 2, and surah 19, note 16 (the latter is included above, here in this compilation).

Note on Surah 23:

25 For my rendering of ayah, in this instance, as "symbol", see surah 19, note 16. Jesus and his mother Mary are mentioned here specifically because they, too, had to suffer persecution and slander at the hands of "those who were bent on denying the truth".

Judgment according to gravity of sins

Please refer to:

· Self-destruction.

· Heart, deafness and blindness of.

Judgment belongs to God alone

Surah 26

(26:112) Said he [i.e., Noah]: "And what knowledge could I have as to what they were doing [before they came to me]? (26:113) Their reckoning rests with none but my Sustainer: if you could but understand [this]! (50) (26:114) Hence, I shall not drive away [any of those [who profess to be] believers; (26:115) I am nothing but a plain warner."

Surah 68

68:44 Hence, leave Me alone with such as give the lie to this tiding. (23)

See also: Kafir.

Note on Surah 26

50 This is obviously a retort to the unbelievers' suggestion (elliptically implied here) that those "abject" followers of Noah had declared their faith in him, not out of conviction, but only in order to gain some material advantages. Noah's answer embodies a cardinal principle of Qur'anic ethics and, hence, of Islamic Law: No human being has the right to sit in judgment on another person's faith or hidden motives; whereas God knows what is in the hearts of men, society may judge only by external evidence (az-zahir), which comprises a person's words as well as deeds. Thus, if anyone says, "I am a believer", and does not act or speak in a manner contradicting his professed faith, the community must consider him a believer.

Note on Surah 68

23 I.e., to divine revelation in general, and to the tiding of resurrection and judgment, in particular – the implication being that God alone has the right to decide whether or how to chastise them.

Justice, do not deviate from

5:8 O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of anyone (19) lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do.

19 Lit., "of people".

Kafir

Surah 2

2:6 BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the truth (6) – it is all one to them whether thou warnest them or dost not warn them: they will not believe. (2:7) God; has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil; (7) and awesome suffering awaits them.

· Truth.

Surah 74

74:8 And [warn all men that] when the trumpet-call [of resurrection] is sounded, (9) that very Day shall be a day of anguish, (10) not of ease, for all who [now] deny the truth! (4)

74:11 LEAVE Me alone [to deal] with him whom I have created alone, (5)

Notes on Surah 2

6 In contrast with the frequently occurring term al-kafirun ("those who deny the truth"), the use of the past tense in alladhina kafaru indicates conscious intent, and is, therefore, appropriately rendered as "those who are bent on denying the truth". This interpretation is supported by many commentators, especially Zamakhshari (who, in his commentary on this verse, uses the expression, "those who have deliberately resolved upon their kufr"). Elsewhere in the Qur'an such people are spoken of as having "hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear" (7:179). – For an explanation of the terms kufr ("denial of the truth"), kafir ("one who denies the truth"), etc., see note 4 on 74:10, where this concept appears for the first time in Qur'anic revelation.

7 A reference to the natural law instituted by God, whereby a person who persistently adheres to false beliefs and refuses to listen to the voice of truth gradually loses the ability to perceive the truth, "so that finally, as it were, a seal is set upon his heart" (Raghib). Since it is God who has instituted all laws of nature – which, in their aggregate, are called sunnat Allah ("the way of God") – this "sealing" is attributed to Him: but it is obviously a consequence of man's free choice and not an act of "predestination". Similarly, the suffering which, in the life to come, is in store for those who during their life in this world have wilfully remained deaf and blind to the truth, is a natural consequence of their free choice – just as happiness in the life to come is the natural consequence of man's endeavour to attain to righteousness and inner illumination. It is in this sense that the Qur'anic references to God's "reward" and "punishment" must be understood.

Notes on Surah 74

4 Since this is the earliest Qur'anic occurrence of the expression kafir (the above surah having been preceded only by the first five verses of surah 96), its use here – and, by implication, in the whole of the Qur'an – is obviously determined by the meaning which it had in the speech of the Arabs before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad: in other words, the term kafir cannot be simply equated, as many Muslim theologians of post-classical times and practically all Western translators of the Qur'an have done, with "unbeliever" or "infidel" in the specific, restricted sense of one who rejects the system of doctrine and law promulgated in the Qur'an and amplified by the teachings of the Prophet – but must have a wider, more general meaning. This meaning is easily grasped when we bear in mind that the root verb of the participial noun kafir (and of the infinitive noun kufr) is kafara, "he [or "it"] covered [a thing]": thus, in 57:20 the tiller of the soil is called (without any pejorative implication) kafir, "one who covers", i.e., the sown seed with earth, just as the night is spoken of as having "covered" (kafara) the earth with darkness. In their abstract sense, both the verb and the nouns derived from it have a connotation of "concealing" something that exists or "denying" something that is true. Hence, in the usage of the Qur'an – with the exception of the one instance (in 57:20) where this participial noun signifies a "tiller of the soil" – a kafir is "one who denies [or "refuses to acknowledge"] the truth" in the widest, spiritual sense of this latter term: that is, irrespective of whether it relates to a cognition of the supreme truth – namely, the existence of God – or to a doctrine or ordinance enunciated in the divine writ, or to a self-evident moral proposition, or to an acknowledgment of, and therefore gratitude for, favours received. (Regarding the expression alladhina kafaru, implying conscious intent, see surah 2, note 6.)

5 Or: "...whom I alone have created". The above sentence can be understood in either of these two senses, depending on whether one relates the expression "alone" (wahid) to God – thus stressing His uniqueness as Creator – or to this particular object of His creation, man, who begins and ends his life in a state of utter loneliness (cf. 6:94 and 19:80 and 95). In either case, our attention is drawn to the fact of man's inescapable dependence on God. Beyond that, the phrase in question carries a further meaning, namely, "Leave it to Me alone to decide what to do with him who forgets that I am his Creator and Sustainer" – thus forbidding any human punishment of "those who deny the truth".

Knowledge (innate)

Surah 29

29:49 Nay, but this [divine writ] consists of messages clear to the hearts of all who are gifted with [innate] knowledge (48) – and none could knowingly reject Our messages unless it be such as would do wrong [to themselves].

Confer 41:3.

Surah 30

30:21 And among His wonders is this: He creates for you mates out of your own kind, so that you might incline towards them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think! (30:22) And among his wonders is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colours: for in this, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are possessed of [innate] knowledge!

Note on Surah 29

48 Lit., "self-evident (bayyinat) in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge" – the term 'ilm having here the connotation of intuitive, spiritual perception.

Life – not always easy

Surah 90

(90:4) Verily, We have created man into [a life of] pain, toil and trial. (3)

Surah 93

93:1 CONSIDER the bright morning hours, (93:2) and the night when it grows still and dark. (1) (93:3) Thy Sustainer has not forsaken thee, nor does He scorn thee: (2) (93:4) for, indeed, the life to come will be better for thee than this earlier part [of thy life]!

Note on Surah 90

3 The term kabad, comprising the concepts of "pain", "distress", "hardship", "toil", "trial"', etc., can be rendered only by a compound expression like the one above.

Notes on Surah 93

1 The expression "bright morning hours" apparently symbolizes the few and widely-spaced periods of happiness in human life, as contrasted with the much greater length of "the night when it grows still and dark", i.e., the extended periods of sorrow or suffering that, as a rule, overshadow man's existence in this world (cf. 90:4). The further implication is that, as sure as morning follows night, God's mercy is bound to lighten every suffering, either in this world or in the life to come – for God has "willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy" (6:12 and 54).

2 Sc., "as the thoughtless might conclude in view of the suffering that He has willed thee to bear".

Life – rejoice in the life of this world

13:26 GOD GRANTS abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto whomever He wills; and they [who are given abundance] rejoice in the life of this world – even though, as compared with the life to come, the life of this world is nought but a fleeting pleasure.

Life renewed

28:85 VERILY, [O believer,] He who has laid down this Qur'an in plain terms, making it binding on thee, (95) will assuredly bring thee back [from death] to a life renewed. (96)

95 According to Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari), the phrase farada 'alayka is almost synonymous with a'taka, "He gave [it] to thee". This, however, elucidates only one part of the above complex expression, which, I believe, has here a meaning similar to that of faradnaha ("We laid it down in plain terms") occurring in the first verse of surah 24 (An-Nur) and explained in the corresponding note 1. In the present context, the particle 'alayka ("upon thee"), with its pronominal suffix, gives to the above clause the additional meaning of a moral obligation on the part of the recipient of the Qur'anic message to conform his or her way of life to its teachings; hence my compound rendering of the phrase.

96 The term ma'ad denotes, literally, "a place [or "a state"] to which one returns", and, tropically, one's "ultimate destination" or "ultimate condition"; in the present context, it is obviously synonymous with "life in the hereafter". This is how most of the classical authorities interpret the above phrase. But on the vague assumption that this passage is addressed exclusively to the Prophet, some commentators incline to the view that the noun has here a specific, purely physical connotation – "a place of return" – allegedly referring to God's promise to His Apostle (given during or after the latter's exodus from Mecca to Medina) that one day he would return victoriously to the city of his birth. To my mind, however, the passage has a much deeper meaning, unconnected with any place or specific point in history: it is addressed to every believer, and promises not only a continuation of life after bodily death but also a spiritual rebirth, in this world, to anyone who opens his heart to the message of the Qur'an and comes to regard it as binding on himself.

Light (versus darkness) – faith and reason

17:12 And We have established the night and the day as two symbols; and thereupon We have effaced the symbol of night and set up [in its place] the light-giving symbol of day, (14) so that […]

14 I.e., the message of the Qur'an, which is meant to lead man out of spiritual ignorance and error into the light of faith and reason.

Lying, bent on

39:3 [...] God does not grace with His guidance anyone who is bent on lying [to himself (3) and is] stubbornly ingrate!

3 Cf. 6:22-24 and the corresponding notes.

Man – taught by God

(96:3) Read – for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One (96:4) who has taught [man] the use of the pen (96:5) taught man what he did not know! (3)

96:6 Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening (96:7) whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient: (96:8) for, behold, unto thy Sustainer all must return. (4)

3 "The pen" is used here as a symbol for the art of writing or, more specifically, for all knowledge recorded by means of writing: and this explains the symbolic summons "Read!" at the beginning of verses 1 and 3. Man's unique ability to transmit, by means of written records, his thoughts, experiences and insights from individual to individual, from generation to generation, and from one cultural environment to another endows all human knowledge with a cumulative character; and since, thanks to this God-given ability, every human being partakes, in one way or another, in mankind's continuous accumulation of knowledge, man is spoken of as being "taught by God" things which the single individual does not – and, indeed, cannot – know by himself. (This double stress on man's utter dependence on God, who creates him as a biological entity and implants in him the will and the ability to acquire knowledge, receives its final accent, as it were, in the next three verses.) Furthermore, God's "teaching" man signifies also the act of His revealing, through the prophets, spiritual truths and moral standards which cannot be unequivocally established through human experience and reasoning alone: and, thus, it circumscribes the phenomenon of divine revelation as such.

4 Lit., "is the return (ar-ruj'a)". This noun has here a twofold implication: "everyone will inescapably be brought before God for judgment", as well as "everything that exists goes back to God as its source". In ultimate analysis, the statement expressed in verses 6-8 rejects as absurd the arrogant idea that man could ever be self-sufficient and, hence, "master of his own fate"; furthermore, it implies that all moral concepts – that is, all discrimination between good and evil, or right and wrong – are indissolubly linked with the concept of man's responsibility to a Supreme Power: in other words, without such a feeling of responsibility – whether conscious or subconscious – the concept of "morality" as such loses all its meaning.

Man’s heart – a house of worship

(52:2) Consider [God's] revelation, inscribed (52:3) on wide-open scrolls. (2) (52:4) Consider the long-enduring house [of worship]! (3) (52:5) Consider the vault [of heaven] raised high! (52:6) Consider the surf-swollen sea! (4)

2 I.e., always open to man's understanding (Razi).

3 This is a metonym for the fact that ever since the dawn of human consciousness men have persistently – although often but dimly – realized the existence of God and have tried, spurred on by the continuous, direct revelation granted to His prophets, to come closer to Him through worship. Hence, Baydawi regards the expression al-bayt al-ma'mur as a metaphor for the heart of the believer.

4 I.e., "Consider the immensity and wonderful configuration of the visible universe as an evidence of a conscious Creator."

Man’s intellectual and emotional evolution

2:213 ALL MANKIND were once one single community; [then they began to differ –] whereupon God raised up the prophets as heralds of glad tidings and as warners, and through them bestowed revelation from on high, setting forth the truth, so that it might decide between people with regard to all on which they had come to hold divergent views. (197) Yet none other than the selfsame people who had been granted this [revelation] began, out of mutual jealousy, to disagree about its meaning after all evidence of the truth had come unto them. But God guided the believers unto the truth about which, by His leave, they had disagreed: for God guides onto a straight way him that wills [to be guided]. (198)

197 By using the expression ummah wahidah ("one single community") to describe the original state of mankind, the Qur'an does not propound, as might appear at first glance, the idea of a mythical "golden age" obtaining at the dawn of man's history. What is alluded to in this verse is no more than the relative homogeneity of instinctive perceptions and inclinations characteristic of man's primitive mentality and the primitive social order in which he lived in those early days. Since that homogeneity was based on a lack of intellectual and emotional differentiation rather than on a conscious agreement among the members of human society, it was bound to disintegrate in the measure of man's subsequent development. As his thought-life became more and more complex, his emotional capacity and his individual needs, too, became more differentiated, conflicts of views and interests came to the fore, and mankind ceased to be "one single community" as regards their outlook on life and their moral valuations: and it was at this stage that divine guidance became necessary. (It is to be borne in mind that the term al-kitab refers here – as in many other places in the Qur'an – not to any particular scripture but to divine revelation as such.) This interpretation of the above Qur'anic passage is supported by the fact that the famous Companion 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud used to read it thus: "All mankind were once one single community, and then they began to differ (fakhtalafu) – whereupon God raised up ...... etc. Although the word fakhtalafu interpolated here by Ibn Mas'ud does not appear in the generally-accepted text of the Qur'an, almost all of the authorities are of the opinion that it is implied in the context.

198 Or: "God guides whomever He wills onto a straight way." As is made clear in the second part of verse 253 of this surah, man's proneness to intellectual dissension is not an accident of history but an integral, God-willed aspect of human nature as such: and it is this natural circumstance to which the words "by His leave" allude. For an explanation of the phrase "out of mutual jealousy", see 23:53 and the corresponding note 30.

Men of God

3:79 [...] but rather [did he exhort them], "Become men of God (62) by spreading the knowledge of the divine writ, and by your own deep study [thereof]."

Message tremendous

38:65 SAY [O Muhammad]: "I am only a warner; and there is no deity whatever save God, the One, who holds absolute sway over all that exists, (38:66) the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, the Almighty, the All-Forgiving!" 38:67 Say: "This is a message tremendous: (38:68) [how can] you turn away from it?"

(38:69) [Say, O Muhammad:] "No knowledge would I have had of [what passed among] the host on high when they argued [against the creation of man]; (52) (38:70) had it not been revealed unto me [by God] – to no other end than that I might convey [unto you] a plain warning." (53)

52 For the allegorical contention of the angels ("the host on high") against the creation of man, see 2:30 ff. and the corresponding notes 22-24. The allegory of man's creation, of God's command to the angels to "prostrate themselves" before the new creature, and of Iblis' refusal to do so appears in the Qur'an six times (2:30-34, 7:11 ff., 15:28-44, 17:6l-65, 18:50, and 38:69-85), each time with an accent on a different aspect of this allegory. In the present instance (which is undoubtedly the earliest in the chronology of revelation) it is connected with the statement, in 2:31, that God "imparted unto Adam the names of all things", i.e., endowed man with the faculty of conceptual thinking (see note 23 on 2:31) and, thus, with the ability to discern between what is true and what false. Since he possesses this faculty, man has no excuse for not realizing God's existence and oneness – the "message tremendous" – referred to in the preceding passage.

53 Lit., "otherwise than that I be (illa annama ana) a plain warner" – i.e., of the prospect of spiritual self-destruction inherent in a wilful disregard of the fact of God's existence and oneness, which is the core of all religious cognition and, hence, of all true prophethood.

Migrating unto God – forsaking the domain of evil

2:218 Verily, they who have attained to faith, and they who have forsaken the domain of evil (203) and are striving hard in God's cause – these it is who may look forward to God's grace: for God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

Confer:

· 4:97 and its note 124, which says that “the spiritual exodus from the domain of evil to that of righteousness continues to be a fundamental demand of Islam”.

· 4:100 and its note 126, which speaks of “'a lonely road' – a metaphor of that heartbreaking loneliness which almost always accompanies the first steps of one who sets forth on his 'exodus from evil unto God'”.

· 3:195, 8:74-75, 9:20, 9:100, 9:117, 16:110, 24:22, 29:26, 59:8, 60:10.

203 The expression alladhina hajaru (lit., "those who have forsaken their homelands") denotes, primarily, the early Meccan Muslims who migrated at the Prophet's bidding to Medina – which was then called Yathrib – in order to be able to live in freedom and in accordance with the dictates of Islam. After the conquest of Mecca by the Muslims in the year 8 H., this exodus (hijrah) from Mecca to Medina ceased to be a religious obligation. Ever since the earliest days of Islam, however, the term hijrah has had a spiritual connotation as well – namely, a "forsaking of the domain of evil" and turning towards God: and since this spiritual connotation applies both to the historical muhajirun ("emigrants") of early Islam and to all believers of later times who forsake all that is sinful and "migrate unto God", I am using this expression frequently.

Mocking that which you cannot (or are unwilling to) understand

(45:27) For, God's is the dominion over the heavens and the earth; and on the Day when the Last Hour dawns – on that Day will be lost all who [in their lifetime] tried to reduce to nothing [whatever they could not understand]. (29)

[…]

45:33 And [on that Day,] the evil of their doings will become obvious to them, and they will be overwhelmed by the very thing which they were wont to deride. (30)

45:34 And [the word] will be spoken: "Today We shall be oblivious of you as you were oblivious of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]; and so your goal is the fire, and you shall have none to succour you: (45:35) this, because you made God's messages the target of your mockery, having allowed the life of this world to beguile you!" (31)

29 I.e., whatever they could not "prove" by direct observation or calculation. For the above rendering of al-mubtilun, see surah 29, note 47.

30 Lit., "and that which they were wont to deride will have enfolded them".

31 Lit., "since the life of this world has beguiled you": implying that this self-abandonment to worldly pursuits was the cause of their scornful disregard of God's messages.

Native tongues – crucial for each human being’s understanding of God’s message

19:96 VERILY, those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds will the Most Gracious endow with love: (80) (19:97) and only to this end have We made this [divine writ] easy to understand, in thine own tongue, [O Prophet,] (81) so that thou might convey thereby a glad tiding to the God-conscious, and warn thereby those who are given to [futile] contention: (19:98) for, how many a generation (82) have We destroyed before their time – [and] canst thou perceive any one of them [now], or hear any whisper of them?

Confer 44:58.

80 I.e., bestow on them His love and endow them with the capability to love His creation, as well as cause them to be loved by their fellow-men. As is shown in the next verse, this gift of love is inherent in the guidance offered to man through divine revelation.

81 Since man is incapable of understanding the "word" of God as such, it has always been revealed to him in his own, human tongue (cf. 14:4 – "never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a message] in his own people's tongue"), and has always been expounded in concepts accessible to the human mind: hence the reference to the Prophet's revelations as "brought down upon thy heart" (2:97), or "[divine inspiration] has alighted with it upon thy heart" (26:193-194).

82 I.e., civilization – a meaning which the term qarn has also in the identical phrase in verse 74.

New heaven, new earth

Surah 14

(14:48) [His promise will be fulfilled] on the Day when the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens (63) and when [all men] shall appear before God, the One who holds absolute sway over all that exists.

Surah 39

39:69 And the earth will shine bright with her Sustainer's light. (69)

Note on Surah 14

63 This is an allusion to the total, cataclysmic change, on the Last Day, of all natural phenomena, and thus of the universe as known to man (cf. 20:105-107 and the corresponding note 90). Since that change will be beyond anything that man has ever experienced or what the human mind can conceive, all the Qur'anic descriptions – in the next two verses as well as in many other places – of what is to happen on that Last Day are, of necessity, expressed in allegorical terms: and this applies also to all descriptions of man's condition, good or bad, in, the life to come. (Cf. note 37 above, relating to the term "parable" often used in the Qur'an.)

Note on Surah 39

69 I.e., with a clear revelation of His will. See also 14:48, where it is stated that on Resurrection Day "the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens". A further allusion to this transformation (and not annihilation) of the universe is found in 20:105-107.

Objects of worship must never be anything else but God and God alone (not even His Temple)

22:26 For, when we assigned unto Abraham the site of this Temple, (34) [We said unto him:] "Do not ascribe divinity to aught beside Me!" (35) – and: "Purify My Temple for those who will walk around it, (36) and those who will stand before it [in meditation], and those who will bow down and prostrate themselves [in prayer]."

34 I.e., the Ka'bah: see note 102 on 2:125.

35 In view of the oft-repeated Qur'anic statement that Abraham was beyond all temptation to ascribe divinity to anything but God, it seems to me that the above injunction has a specific import, namely, "Do not allow this Temple to become an object of worship, but make it clear that it is holy only by virtue of its being the first temple ever dedicated to the worship of the One God" (cf. 3:96). Apart from that, it refers to "those who are bent on denying the truth" spoken of at the beginning of the preceding verse.

36 See surah 2, note 104.

Path of God

22:25 BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the truth and bar [others] from the path of God (31) and from the Inviolable House of Worship which We have set up for all people alike – [both] those who dwell there and those who come from abroad – and all who seek to profane it (32) by [deliberate] evildoing: [all] such shall We cause to taste grievous suffering [in the life to come.]

31 This connects with the allusion, in the preceding verse, to "the way that leads to the One unto whom all praise is due".

32 Lit., "who aim therein at a deviation from the right course (ilhad)" – a term which circumscribes every perversion of religious tenets.

Peace

10:25 AND [know that] God invites [man] unto the abode of peace, and guides him that wills [to be guided] onto a straight way.

Confer 24:46.

People (each people is cared for and dealt with by God)

30;47 And indeed, [O Muhammad, even] before thee did We send forth apostles – each one unto his own people (43) – and they brought them all evidence of the truth: and then, [by causing the believers to triumph,] We inflicted Our retribution upon those who [deliberately] did evil: for We had willed it upon Ourselves to succour the believers.

43 Lit., "did We send apostles to their [own] people": see note 96 on 10:74.

Preachers, some responsibilities of theirs

26:214 And warn (whomever thou canst reach, beginning with] thy kinsfolk, (93) (26:215) and spread the wings of thy tenderness over all of the believers who may follow thee; (94) (26:216) but if they disobey thee, say, "I am free of responsibility for aught that you may do!" – (26:217) and place thy trust in the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace, (26:218) who sees thee when thou standest [alone], (95) (26:219) and [sees] thy behaviour among those who prostrate themselves [before Him]: (96) (26:220) for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing!

93 A believer is morally obliged to preach the truth to all whom he can reach, but obviously he must begin with those who are nearest to him, and especially those who recognize his authority.

94 For an explanation of the metaphorical expression "lower thy wing" rendered by me as "spread the wings of thy tenderness" see 17:24 and the corresponding note 28. The phrase "all of the believers who follow thee" shows that (contrary to the assumption of most of the commentators) the above passage is not addressed to the Prophet – since all who believe in him are, by definition, his followers, and vice versa – but to everyone who chooses to be guided by the Qur'an, and who is herewith called upon to extend his loving kindness and care to all believers who may "follow" him, i.e., who may regard him as spiritually or intellectually superior or more experienced. This interpretation also explains verse 213 above: for whereas the exhortation contained in that verse is meaningful with regard to all who may listen to or read the Qur'an, it would be meaningless with reference to its Prophet, for whom the principle of God's oneness and uniqueness was the unquestionable beginning and end of all truth.

95 According to Mujahid (as quoted by Tabari), this means "wherever thou mayest be". Other commentators take it to mean "when thou standest up for prayer", but this seems to be too narrow an interpretation.

96 I.e., among the believers. as contrasted with those who "disobey thee" (see verse 216 above).

Power on earth

24:55 God has promised those of you who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds that, of a certainty, He will cause them to accede to power on earth, (71) even as He caused [some of] those who lived before them to accede to it; and that, of a certainty, He will firmly establish for' them the religion which He has been pleased to bestow on them; (72) and that, of a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear to be replaced by a sense of security (73) – [seeing that] they worship Me [alone], not ascribing divine powers to aught beside Me. (74) But all who, after [having understood] this, choose to deny the truth – it is they, they who are truly iniquitous!

24:56 Hence, [O believers,] be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, (75) and pay heed unto the Apostle, so that you might be graced with God's mercy.

See also: Nations, rise and fall of.

71 Lit., "cause them to be successors on earth" – i.e., enable them to achieve, in their turn, power and security and, thus, the capability to satisfy their worldly needs. This Qur'anic reference to God's "promise" contains an oblique allusion to the God-willed natural law which invariably makes the rise and fall of nations dependent on their moral qualities.

72 Cf. 5:3 – "I have willed that self-surrender unto Me (al-islam) shall be your religion". Its "firm establishment" (tamkin) relates to the strengthening of the believers' faith as well as to the growth of its moral influence in the world.

73 Lit., "exchange for them, after their fear [or "danger"], security". It is to be noted that the term amn signifies not merely outward, physical security but also – and, indeed, originally – "freedom from fear" (Taj al-'Arus). Hence, the above clause implies not only a promise of communal security after an initial period of weakness and danger (which, as history tells us, overshadows the beginnings of every genuine religious movement), but also the promise of an individual sense of inner security – that absence of all fear of the Unknown which characterizes a true believer. (See next note.)

74 I.e., the believer's freedom from fear is a direct outcome of his intellectual and emotional refusal to attribute to anyone or anything but God the power to shape his destiny.

75 The specific mention of the "purifying dues" (az-zakah) in this context is meant to stress the element of unselfishness as an integral aspect of true faith. According to Zamakhshari, the above verse connects with, and concludes, verse 54.

Purpose, firmness of

20:115 AND, INDEED, long ago did We impose Our commandment on Adam; (102) but he forgot it, and We found no firmness of purpose in him.

102 The relevant divine commandment – or, rather, warning – is spelled out in verse 117. The present passage connects with the statement in verse 99, "Thus do We relate unto thee some of the stories of what happened in the past", and is meant to show that negligence of spiritual truths is one of the recurrent characteristics of the human race (Razi), which is symbolized here – as in many other places in the Qur'an – by Adam.

Queen of Sheba

27:41 [And] he continued: "Alter her throne so that she may not know it as hers: let us see whether she allows herself to be guided [to the truth] or remains one of those who will not be guided." (36) (27:42) And so, as soon as she arrived, she was asked: "Is thy throne like this?" She answered: "It is as though it were the same!" (37)

[And Solomon said to his nobles: "She has arrived at the truth without any help from us, (38)] although it is we who have been given [divine] knowledge before her, and have [long ago] surrendered ourselves unto God! (27:43) [And she has recognized the truth] although that which she has been wont to worship instead of God (39) had kept her away [from the right path]: for, behold, she is descended of people who deny the truth!" (40)

[After a while] she was told: "Enter this court!" – but when she saw it, she thought that it was a fathomless expanse of water, and she bared her legs. (41) Said he: "Behold, it is [but] a court smoothly paved with glass!" (42) Cried she: "O my Sustainer! I have been sinning against myself [by worshipping aught but Thee]: but (now) I have surrendered myself, with Solomon, unto the Sustainer of all the worlds!"

36 I.e., whether she remains satisfied with perceiving only the outward appearance of things and happenings, or endeavours to fathom their spiritual reality. Seeing that the people of Sheba were, until then, motivated by love of luxury and worldly power, Solomon intends to show the Queen her "throne", or the image of her dominion, as it could be if it were inspired by faith in God and, hence, by a consciousness of moral responsibility.

37 Sc., "and yet not quite the same": thus, she expresses doubt – and doubt is the first step in all spiritual progress. She realizes that the "altered throne" is outwardly the same as that which she has left behind; but she perceives intuitively that it is imbued with a spiritual quality which the other did not possess, and which she cannot yet quite understand.

38 Thus Tabari, Zamakhshari and Ibn Kathir, on whose interpretation of this passage my rendering and the above interpolation are based.

39 An allusion to her and her people's worship of celestial bodies (cf. verses 24-25 and the corresponding notes 20 and 21).

40 Lit., "she was [sc., "born"] of people ...", etc. – thus stressing the role of the idolatrous tradition in which she had grown up, and which in the past had made it difficult for her to find the right path. Considering this cultural background, Solomon points out, her awakening at the very moment of her leaving her ancestral environment must be deemed most remarkable and praiseworthy.

41 I.e., in order to wade into it, or perhaps to swim through it, thus braving the seemingly fathomless deep: possibly a symbolic indication of the fear which a human being may feel when his own search after truth forces him to abandon the warm, soothing security of his erstwhile social and mental environment, and to venture into the – as yet – unknown realm of the spirit.

42 I.e., not a dangerous, bottomless deep, as it appeared at first glance, but, rather, the firm, glass-clear light of truth: and with her perception of the ever-existing difference between appearance and reality, the Queen of Sheba comes to the end of her spiritual journey.

Reality, hidden

Surah 2

2:2-3 HIS DIVINE WRIT – let there be no doubt about it is [meant to be] a guidance for all the God-conscious (2) who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human

perception, (3) …

Surah 11

11:123 And God alone comprehends the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth: for, all that exists goes back to Him [as its source].

Surah 27

27:65 Say: "None in the heavens or on earth knows the hidden reality [of anything that exists: none knows it] save God." (63)

Surah 35

35:38 VERILY, God knows the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth: [and,] behold, He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men].

Confer 49:18.

Notes on Surah 2

Note on Surah 27

63 In this context, the term al-ghayb – rendered by me here as "the hidden reality" – apparently relates to the "how" of God's Being, the ultimate reality underlying the observable aspects of the universe, and the meaning and purpose inherent in its creation. My repetition, within brackets, of the words "none knows it", i.e., save God, is necessitated by the fact that He is infinite, unlimited as to space, and cannot, therefore, be included among the beings "in the heavens or on earth", who have all been created by Him.

Reason, all that runs counter to

16:90 BEHOLD, God enjoins justice, and the doing of good, and generosity towards [one's] fellowmen; and He forbids all that is shameful and all that runs counter to reason (109), as well as envy; [and] He exhorts you [repeatedly] so that you might bear [all this] in mind.

Confer 24:21.

109 The term al-munkar (rendered by me in other places as "that which is wrong") has here its original meaning of "that which the mind [or the moral sense] rejects", respectively "ought to reject". Zamakhshari is more specific, and explains this term as signifying in the above context "that which [men's] intellects disown" or "declare to be untrue" (ma tunkiruhu al-'uqul): in other words, all that runs counter to reason and good sense (which, obviously, must not be confused with that which is beyond man's comprehension). This eminently convincing explanation relates not merely to intellectually unacceptable propositions (in the abstract sense of the term) but also to grossly unreasonable and, therefore, reprehensible actions or attitudes and is, thus, fully in tune with the rational approach of the Qur'an to questions of ethics as well as with its insistence on reasonableness and moderation in man's behaviour. Hence my rendering – of al-munkar, in this and in similar instances, as "all that runs counter to reason".

Reason, conscious insight accessible to

See Truth-seekers.

Reasonable compliance

24:53 Now [as for those half-hearted ones,] they do swear by God with their most solemn oaths that if thou [O Apostle] shouldst ever bid them to do so, they would most certainly go forth [and sacrifice themselves]. (69) Say: "Swear not! Reasonable compliance [with God's message is all that is required of you]. (70) Verily, God is aware of all that you do!"

Shakir: Swear not; reasonable obedience (is desired); surely Allah is aware of what you do.

Arberry: Say: 'Do not swear; honourable obedience is sufficient. Surely God is aware of the things you do.'

· Religious practice – should avoid excess commandments and prohibitions.

69 This is an allusion to the ephemeral, self-deceiving enthusiasms of the half-hearted and their supposed readiness for "self-sacrifice", contrasting with their obvious reluctance to live up to the message of the Qur'an in their day-to-day concerns.

70 This elliptic phrase alludes to the principle – repeatedly stressed in the Qur'an – that God does not burden man with more than he can easily bear.

Religious law – should be natural, simple, and liberal in its straightforwardness

2:71 [Moses] answered: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow not broken-in to plough the earth or to water the crops, free of fault, without markings of any other colour." Said they: "At last thou hast brought out the truth!" – and thereupon they sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undone. (55)

See also:

· Reasonable compliance.

· Religious practice – should avoid excess commandments and prohibitions.

55 i.e., their obstinate desire to obtain closer and closer definitions of the simple commandment revealed to them through Moses had made it almost impossible for them to fulfil it. In his commentary on this passage; Tabari quotes the following remark of Ibn 'Abbas: "If [in the first instance] they had sacrificed any cow chosen by themselves, they would have fulfilled their duty; but they made it complicated for themselves, and so God made it complicated for them." A similar view has been expressed, in the same context, by Zamakhshari. It would appear that the moral of this story points to an important problem of all (and, therefore, also of Islamic) religious jurisprudence: namely, the inadvisability of trying to elicit additional details in respect of any religious law that had originally been given in general terms – for, the more numerous and multiform such details become, the more complicated and rigid becomes the law. This point has been acutely grasped by Rashid Rida, who says in his commentary on the above Qur'anic passage (see Manar I, 345 f.): "Its lesson is that one should not pursue one's [legal] inquiries in such a way as to make laws more complicated ... This was how the early generations [of Muslims] visualized the problem. They did not make things complicated for themselves – and so, for them, the religious law (din) was natural, simple and liberal in its straightforwardness. But those who came later added to it [certain other] injunctions which they had deduced by means of their own reasoning (ijtihad); and they multiplied those [additional] injunctions to such an extent that the religious law became a heavy burden on the community." For the sociological reason why the genuine ordinances of Islamic Law – that is, those which have been prima facie laid down as such in the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet – are almost always devoid of details, I would refer the reader to my book State and Government in Islam (pp. 11 ff. and passim). The importance of this problem, illustrated in the above story of the cow – and correctly grasped by the Prophet's Companions – explains why this surah has been entitled "The Cow". (See also 5 : 101 and the corresponding notes 120-123.)

Religious practice – should avoid excess commandments and prohibitions

2:168 O MANKIND! Partake of what is lawful and good on earth, and follow not Satan's footsteps: for, verily, he is your open foe, (2:169) and bids you only to do evil, and to commit deeds of abomination, and to attribute unto God something of which you have no knowledge. (137)

2:170 But when they are told, "Follow what God has bestowed from on high," some answer, "Nay, we shall follow [only] that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing." Why, even if their forefathers did not use their reason at all, and were devoid of all guidance?

See also:

· Reasonable compliance.

· Religious law – should be natural, simple, and liberal in its straightforwardness.

137 This refers to an arbitrary attribution to God of commandments or prohibitions in excess of what has been clearly ordained by Him (Zamakhshari). Some of the commentators (e.g., Muhammad 'Abduh in Manar 11, 89 f.) include within this expression the innumerable supposedly "legal" injunctions which, without being clearly warranted by the wording of the Qur'an or an authentic Tradition, have been obtained by individual Muslim scholars through subjective methods of deduction and then put forward as "God's ordinances". The connection between this passage and the preceding ones is obvious. In verses 165-167 the Qur'an speaks of those "who choose to believe in beings that supposedly rival God": and this implies also a false attribution, to those beings, of a right to issue quasi-religious ordinances of their own, as well as an attribution of religious validity to customs sanctioned by nothing but ancient usage (see next verse).

Remembering God

20:14 Verily, I – I alone – am God; there is no deity save Me. Hence, worship Me alone, and be constant in prayer, so as to remember Me! (10)

(20:124) But as for him who shall turn away from remembering Me – his shall be a life of narrow scope; (109) and on the Day of Resurrection We shall raise him up blind.

10 Thus, conscious remembrance of God and of His oneness and uniqueness is declared to be the innermost purpose, as well as the intellectual justification of all true prayer.

109 I.e., sterile and spiritually narrow, without any real meaning or purpose: and this, as is indicated in the subsequent clause, will be a source of their suffering in the hereafter.

Repentance, importance of

Surah 24

24:31 ... And [always], O you believers – all of you – turn unto God in repentance, so that you might attain to a happy state! (41)

Surah 38

38:24 And [suddenly] David understood that We had tried him: (24) and so he asked his Sustainer to forgive him his sin, and fell down in prostration, and turned unto Him in repentance.

[…]

(38:35) [Solomon] prayed: "O my Sustainer! Forgive me my sins, and bestow upon me the gift of a kingdom which may not suit anyone after me: (33) verily, Thou alone art a giver of gifts!"

Surah 3

(3:133) And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious (3:134) who spend [in His way] in time of plenty and in time of hardship, and hold in check their anger, and pardon their fellow-men because God loves the doers of good; (3:135) and who, when they have committed a shameful deed or have [otherwise] sinned against themselves, remember God and pray that their sins be forgiven – for who but God could forgive sins? – and do not knowingly persist in doing whatever [wrong] they may have done.

3:136 These it is who shall have as their reward forgiveness from their Sustainer, and gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide: and how excellent a reward for those who labour!

Note on Surah 24

41 The implication of this general call to repentance is that since "man has been created weak" (4:28), no one is ever free of faults and temptations so much so that even the Prophet used to say, "Verily, I turn unto Him in repentance a hundred times every day" (Ibn Hanbal, Bukhari and Bayhaqi, all of them on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar).

Notes on Surah 38

24 Sc., "and that he had failed" (in the matter of Bath-Sheba).

33 I.e., a spiritual kingdom, which could not be inherited by anyone and, hence, would not be exposed to envy or worldly intrigue.

Requiting evil – may, too, become an evil

42:40 But [remember that an attempt at] requiting evil may, too, become an evil: (40) hence, whoever pardons [his foe] and makes peace, his reward rests with God – for, verily, He does not love evildoers. (41) (42:41) Yet indeed, as for any who defend themselves after having been wronged – no blame whatever attaches to them: (42:42) blame attaches but to those who oppress [other] people and behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right: for them there is grievous suffering in store!

42:43 But withal, if one is patient in adversity and forgives – this, behold, is indeed something to set one's heart upon! (42)

40 Lit., "is [or "may be"] an evil like it". In other words, successful struggle against tyranny (which latter is the meaning of the noun baghy in the last sentence of the preceding verse) often tends to degenerate into a similarly tyrannical attitude towards the erstwhile oppressors, Hence, most of the classical commentators (e.g., Baghawi, Zamakhshari, Razi, Baydawi) stress the absolute prohibition of "going beyond what is right" (i'tida') when defending oneself against tyranny and oppression. (Cf. the passage relating to fighting against "those who wage war again you" in 2:190 ff.)

41 I.e., in this context, such as succumb to the temptation of indulging in undue acts of revenge against their former oppressors.

42 Cf. 41:34-35, as well as note 44 on 13:22.

Resurrection, logical necessity of

27:65 […] And neither can they [who are living] perceive when they shall be raised from the dead: (27:66) nay, their knowledge of the life to come stops short of the truth: (64) nay, they are [often] in doubt as to its reality: nay, they are blind to it. (65)

27:67 And so, they who are bent on denying the truth are saying: "What! After we have become dust – we and our forefathers – shall we [all], forsooth, be brought forth [from the dead]? (27:68) Indeed, we were promised this – we and our forefathers – in the past as well; it is nothing but fables of ancient times!"

27:69 Say: "Go all over the earth and behold what happened in the end to those [who were thus] lost in sin (27:70) But do not grieve over them, and neither be distressed by the false arguments which they devise [against God's messages]. (67)

64 I.e., they cannot truly visualize the hereafter because its reality is beyond anything that man may experience in this world: and this, it cannot be stressed often enough, is an indirect explanation of the reason why all Qur'anic references to the conditions, good or bad, of man's life after death are of necessity expressed in purely allegorical terms.

65 I.e., blind to its logical necessity within God's plan of creation. For, it is only on the premise of a life after death that the concept of man's moral responsibility and, hence, of God's ultimate judgment can have any meaning; and if there is no moral responsibility, there can be no question of a preceding moral choice; and if the absence of choice is taken for granted, all differentiation between right and wrong becomes utterly meaningless as well.

66 I.e., those who denied the reality of a life after death and, hence, of man's ultimate responsibility for his conscious doings. As pointed out in the preceding note, the unavoidable consequence of this denial is the loss of all sense of right and wrong: and this, in its turn, leads to spiritual and social chaos, and so to the downfall of communities and civilizations.

67 Lit., "by their scheming". For the Qur'anic use of the term makr in the sense of "devising false arguments [against something]", see 10:21 and the corresponding note 33.

Resurrection, parable of

Surah 7

7:55 Call unto your Sustainer humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts. Verily, He loves not those who transgress the bounds of what is right: (7:56) hence, do not spread corruption on earth after it has been so well ordered. And call unto Him with fear and longing: verily, God's grace is ever near unto the doers of good!

7:57 And He it is who sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace – so that, when they have brought heavy clouds, We may drive them towards dead land and cause thereby water to descend; and by this means do We cause all manner of fruit to come forth. Even thus shall We cause the dead to come forth: [and this] you ought to keep in mind. (44) (7:58) As for the good land, its vegetation comes forth [in abundance] by its Sustainer's leave, whereas from the bad it comes forth but poorly. Thus do We give many facets to Our messages for [the benefit of] people who are grateful!

Surah 27

(27:63) Nay – who is it that guides you in the midst of the deep darkness of land and sea, (58) and sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His coming grace? (59)

Note on Surah 7

44 This is the key-sentence of the parable set forth in verses 57-58: by the exercise of the same life-giving power by which God causes plants to grow, He will resurrect the dead at the end of time. The next sentence continues the parable by likening those whose hearts are open to the voice of truth to fertile earth, and those who are bent on denying it, to barren earth.

Notes on Surah 27

58 I.e., metonymically, through all the seemingly insoluble complexities of human life.

59 See 7:57 and the corresponding note 44.

Revelation, refusal to accept

15:14 Yet even had We opened to them a gateway to heaven and they had ascended, on and on, up to it, (15:15) they would surely have said, "It is only our eyes that are spellbound! Nay, we have been bewitched!" (14)

14 Lit., "we are people bewitched". Cf. 6:7, as well as the last paragraph of 10:2 and the corresponding note 5. The confusing of revealed truths with illusory "enchantment" or "sorcery" is often pointed out in the Qur'an as characteristic of the attitude of people who a priori refuse to accept the idea of revelation and, thus, of prophethood. The above two verses, implying that not even a direct insight into the wonders of heaven could convince "those who are bent on denying the truth", are a prelude to the subsequent passage, which once again draws our attention to the wonders of nature as an evidence of God's creative activity.

Revelation, step by step

16:101 And now that We replace one message by another – since God is fully aware of what He bestows from on high, step by step

Confer 17:105-106.

I.e., the gradualness of revelation (implied in the verbal form yunazzil) corresponds to God's plan, according to which He has gradually unfolded His will to man, substituting one dispensation for another in the measure of mankind's intellectual and social development, bringing it to its culmination in the message of the Qur'an.

Revelations and prophesies – true if and only if they come from God

34:6 NOW THEY who are endowed with [innate] knowledge are well aware that whatever has been bestowed upon thee from on high by thy Sustainer is indeed the truth, and that it guides onto the way that leads to the Almighty, the One to whom all praise is due!

Revelation – the ultimate source of light

Revelation – the standard by which to discern the true from the false

21:48 AND, INDEED, We vouchsafed unto Moses and Aaron [Our revelation as] the standard by which to discern the true from the false, (57) and as a [guiding] light and a reminder for the God-conscious (21:49) who stand in awe of their Sustainer although He is beyond the reach of human perception, (58) and who tremble at the thought of the Last Hour. 21:50 And [like those earlier revelations,] this one, too, is a blessed reminder which We have bestowed from on high: will you, then, disavow it?

57 See note 38 on 2:53. The reference to the revelation bestowed on the earlier prophets as "the standard by which to discern the true from the false" (al-furqan) has here a twofold implication: firstly, it alludes to the Qur'anic doctrine – explained in note 5 on 2:4 – of the historical continuity in all divine revelation, and, secondly, it stresses the fact that revelation – and revelation alone – provides an absolute criterion of all moral valuation. Since the Mosaic dispensation as such was binding on the children of Israel alone and remained valid only within a particular historical and cultural context, the term al-furqan relates here not to the Mosaic Law as such, but to the fundamental ethical truths contained in the Torah and common to all divine revelations.

58 For an explanation of the above rendering of the expression bi'l-ghayb, see note 3 on 2:3.

OJA: Asad states above “that revelation – and revelation alone – provides an absolute criterion of all moral valuation”. I find this a bit puzzling, but perhaps Asad’s point is simply that revelation is the ultimate source here, and that revelation plus reason must be used (confer his many statements that Islam is a religion for people who think and use their reason).

Righteousness and faith

Surah 11

11:84 He said: "O my people! Worship God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him; and do not give short measure and weight [in any of your dealings with men]. (117) …”

Surah 23

(23:102) And they whose weight [of righteousness] is heavy in the balance – it is they, they who will have attained to a happy state; (23:103) whereas they whose weight is light in the balance – it is they who will have squandered their own selves, [destined] to abide in hell: ...

Surah 55

55:7 And the skies has He raised high, and has devised [for all things] a measure, (3) (55:8) so that you [too, O men,] might never transgress the measure [of what is right]: (55:9) weigh, therefore, [your deed] with equity, and cut not the measure short!

Surah 83

83: 1 WOE UNTO THOSE who give short measure: (2) those who, when they are to receive their due from [other] people, demand that it be given in full (3) but when they have to measure or weigh whatever they owe to others, give less than what is due! (1)

Note on Surah 11

117 Thus, belief in the One God and justice in all dealings between man and man (see surah 6, note 150) are here placed together as the twin postulates of all righteousness.

Note on Surah 55

3 The noun mizan, usually denoting a "balance", has here the more general connotation of "measure" or "measuring" by any means whatsoever (Zamakhshari), in both the concrete and abstract senses of the word. (Cf. also the parabolic use of the term mizan in 42:17 and 57:25.)

Note on Surah 83

1 This passage (verses 1-3) does not, of course, refer only to commercial dealings but touches upon every aspect of social relations, both practical and moral, applying to every individual's rights and obligations no less than to his physical possessions.

OJA: Surah 83 is called Al-Mutaffifin, which means Those Who Give Short Measure.

Salvation (and light)

5:16-17 Now there has come unto you from God a light, a clear divine writ, through which God shows unto all that seek His goodly acceptance the paths leading to salvation.

Salvation (God responding to those who seek Him)

11:61 Ask Him, therefore, to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance – for, verily, my Sustainer is ever-near, responding [to the call of whoever calls unto Him]!

Salvation (for the God-conscious)

(19:72) And once again: (56) We shall save [from hell] those who have been conscious of Us; but We shall leave in it the evildoers, on their knees. (57)

56 For this particular rendering of thumma, see surah 6, note 31.

57 I.e., utterly humbled and crushed by their belated realization of God's judgment and of the ethical truths which they had arrogantly neglected in life.

Sectarianism

Surah 30

30:31 [Turn, then, away from all that is false,] turning unto Him [alone]; and remain conscious of Him, and be constant in prayer, and be not among those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, (30:32) [or] among those who have broken the unity of their faith and have become sects, each group delighting in but what they themselves hold [by way of tenets]. (29)

From Surah 21

21:92 VERILY, [O you who believe in Me,] this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: worship, then, Me [alone]! (89) (21:93) But men have torn their unity wide asunder, (90) [forgetting that] unto Us they all are bound to return.

From Surah 23

23:51 O YOU APOSTLES! Partake of the good things of life, (27) and do righteous deeds: verily, I have full knowledge of all that you do. (23:52) And, verily, this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: remain, then, conscious of Me! (28) 23:53 But they [who claim to follow you] have torn their unity wide asunder, (29) piece by piece, each group delighting in [but] what they themselves possess [by way of tenets]. (30) (23:54) But leave them alone, lost in their ignorance, until a [future] time. (31)

Note on Surah 30

29 See 6:159, 21:92-93 and 23:52-53, as well as the corresponding notes.

Notes on Surah 21

89 After calling to mind, in verses 48-91, some of the earlier prophets, all of whom stressed the oneness and uniqueness of God, the discourse returns to that principle of oneness as it ought to be reflected in the unity of all who believe in Him. (See 23:51 ff.)

90 This is the meaning of the idiomatic phrase, taqatta'u amrahum baynahum. As Zamakhshari points out, the sudden turn of the discourse from the second person plural to the third person is indicative of God's severe disapproval – His "turning away", as it were, from those who are or were guilty of breaking the believers' unity. (See also 23:53 and the corresponding note 30.)

Notes on Surah 23

27 This rhetorical apostrophe to all of God's apostles is meant to stress their humanness and mortality, and thus to refute the argument of the unbelievers that God could not have chosen "a mortal like ourselves" to be His message-bearer: an argument which overlooks the fact that only human beings who themselves "partake of the good things of life" are able to understand the needs and motives of their fellow-men and, thus, to guide them in their spiritual and social concerns.

28 As in 21:92, the above verse is addressed to all who truly believe in God, whatever their historical denomination. By the preceding reference to all of God's apostles the Qur'an clearly implies that all of them were inspired by, and preached, the same fundamental truths, notwithstanding all the differences in the ritual or the specific laws which they propounded in accordance with the exigencies of the time and the social development of their followers. (See notes 66-68 on the second paragraph of 5:48.)

29 Cf. 21:93.

30 Lit.; "in what they have [themselves]". In the first instance, this verse refers to the various religious groups as such: that is to say, to the followers of one or another of the earlier revelations who, in the course of time, consolidated themselves within different "denominations", each of them jealously guarding its own set of tenets, dogmas and rituals and intensely intolerant of all other ways of worship (manasik, see 22:67). In the second instance, however, the above condemnation applies to the breach of unity within each of the established religious groups; and since it applies to the followers of all the prophets, it includes the latter-day followers of Muhammad as well, and thus constitutes a prediction and condemnation of the doctrinal disunity prevailing in the world of Islam in our times – cf. the well-authenticated saying of the Prophet quoted by Ibn Hanbal, Abu Da'ud, Tirmidhi and Darimi: "The Jews have been split up into seventy-one sects, the Christians into seventy-two sects, whereas my community will be split up into seventy-three sects." (It should be remembered that in classical Arabic usage the number seventy" often stands for "many" – just as "seven" stands for "several" or "various" – and does not necessarily denote an actual figure; hence, what the Prophet meant to say was that the sects and divisions among the Muslims of later days would become many, and even more numerous than those among the Jews and the Christians.)

31 I.e., until they themselves realize their error. This sentence is evidently addressed to the last of the apostles, Muhammad, and thus to all who truly follow him.

Self-deception

45:6 These messages of God do We convey unto thee, setting forth the truth. In what other tiding, if not in God's messages, (5) will they, then, believe? (45:7) Woe unto every sinful self-deceiver (6) (45:8) who hears God's messages when they are conveyed to him, and yet, as though he had not heard them, persists in his haughty disdain!

Hence, announce unto him grievous suffering – (45:9) for when he does become aware of any of Our messages, he makes them a target of his mockery!

For all such there is shameful suffering in store. (45:10) Hell is ahead of them; and all that they may have gained [in this world] shall be of no avail whatever to them, and neither shall any of those things which, instead of God, they have come to regard as their protectors: (7) for, awesome suffering awaits them.

45:11 [To pay heed to God's signs and messages:] this is [the meaning of] guidance; on the other hand, (8) for those who are bent on denying the truth of their Sustainer's messages there is grievous suffering in store as an outcome of [their] vileness. (9)

See also:

· God – always warning man (and thus calling every one of us unto Himself).