Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

.

(2) Presence or glory (Baqarah: 115 - Rahman: 27).

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Al kitab, the book, has been named Quran, derived from the verb qura-a, which means to recite or to read. Therefore, the literal meaning of Quran is recitation, in the light of verses 16 to 19 of al Qiyamah, and in view of verse 185 of al Baqarah, it is a guidance with clear proofs, and a distinction.

It is furqan - that which teaches us to distinguish between good and evil, according to verse 1 of al Furqan, on account of its containing the principles of good and evil, and also the conditions of reward and punishment. It is also called furqan because of its gradual delivery, part by part, according to verses 106 and 107 of Bani Israil. According to verse 9 of al Hijr, it is dhikr, the reminder.

Al kitab is hakim (a decisive book of divine wisdom), aziz (a unique book of natural beauty), hamid (praiseworthy), majid (glorious), karim (bounteous and honoured) and mubin (clear and expressive).

It is also ummul kitab, the mother book. The application of this title is with regard to the clear revelations, beyond all ambiguity (ayat ul muhkamat) - they are the substance of the book as per verse 7 of Ali Imran, in the light of which the rest of the book is explained.

There are many other substitute expressions of the above noted description of al kitab, mentioned in the verses of the Quran, some of which have been listed on page 1. Also many important aspects of the book have been discussed in the "essentials for the readers of the Quran", from page 1 to 7.

The Quran has been specified as the book, as well as, the word or sentence of Allah. The book and the word are the vehicles of thought and will. When the expression of thought or will, or both, are written, giving stability and simultaneity to the components, it is a book, whereas the word is only the spoken expression. Although the expression, whether written or spoken, is attributable to the knowledge and the ability of the author or speaker, it is absurd to refer to the work of the author or speaker as his attribute, because knowledge or ability, and not its outcome, is the attribute.

In normal sense, the word is produced by highly organised functions of the vocal organs of living beings; and a book is the result of the elaborate labour of man's hand, pen, paper and ink etc. This does not apply to the word and the book of Allah. According to Imam Ali ibna abi Talib, the word of Allah is not a spoken expression in the sense of sound but is a divine will. He said:

His work, originated by Him, had stability and simultaneity prior to its gradual delivery to the visible world; and after the appearance in the lowest sphere of manifestation, this stable and simultaneous work became His book. Therefore, it has continuity, in the order of descent, by the continuity of His will. In view of these two aspects, all that has been created (the whole and its parts) is His word, the effect of His creative will. On account of its stability and the simultaneity of its parts the whole creation is a book of Allah i.e. the written expression of His will and thought.

Generally, the endurance of the written expression does not depend upon the existence of its author, or the continuity of his attention. But the relation between the created and the creator, as pointed out by the Quran, is like the ray of light to its source; the reaction to the action; the reflection to the radiation; the speech to the continuity of attention and the will to speak; or the mental process to the attention. Also, as the speech is related to the speaker, so too the genesis, survival, continuity and simultaneity of the parts of every finite being is related to the continuity of the attention and will of the infinite, the creator. Viewing the creation from this angle, it is the word of Allah. Therefore, the effect or outcome of the divine will and knowledge is the book, as well as, the word of Allah.

Allah is the absolute and the ultimate authority in the domain of creation (what is), as well as, in the domain of legislation (what ought to be). In the "what is", there is no place for the will of the creature. In the "what ought to be", the will of the creature operates as a reaction. With reference to the "what is", the book of Allah is the kitab ul takwini. In connection with the "what ought to be", it is the kitab ul tashri-i. The source of both the books, the takwini and the tashri-i (under the process of tanzil, the gradual delivery), is with Allah, immeasurable, but the revealed form, He had sent down, is in a known measure (see verse 21 of al Hijr). Nazul or the revelation is a term applied in the Quran to the process of descent from the infinite to the finite, in creation as well as in legislation. The divine revelation, in legislation, passes through the same stages of intellectual, angelical and non-material agencies, as it does in creation. In creation, the last stage of revelation is that when it is exposed to our senses, termed as alam shahadat (the visible world), and alam malak (the world of cause and effect). In legislation the last stage of revelation is the heart (power to visualise) of the Holy Prophet, prior to its utterance. Therefore, this revelation (legislation) is in complete conformity with the revelation regarding creation.

Imam Ali ibna abi Talib says:

Thus man is the synthesis of kitab ul takwini, or a brief summary of the universe, a microcosm (alam saghir), and the universe is a universal man (insan ul kabir). Each can be viewed in the light of the other. This is only applicable to a man who has reached the superlative sphere of intellectual attainment and is capable of direct communion with the absolute, which is the highest stage of obedience (ububiyat). It is applicable to the last prophet of Allah. And it is applicable to those whom he had identified with himself in such attainment. It is unanimously agreed and universally acknowledged by all schools of Islam that the Holy Prophet did not identify anyone with himself nor himself with anyone save Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, Husayn and the other nine Imams of his house.

The Holy Prophet had said:

Next to the Holy Prophet and those mentioned above, are the other prophets and messengers of Allah, according to their various degrees of attainment. To each of them the word and the book of Allah, in the realm of legislation, had been revealed, keeping in view their respective degree of attainment as the microcosm and purposeful book of creation. The higher a prophet was in his attainment, the more comprehensively was the word and the book revealed to him. The last prophet, in his ascent, reached the maximum stage of qaba aw adna (two bows length, or even nearer - Najm:9), therefore, the word and the book revealed to him was the most comprehensive, the most expressive, and the final revelation, tammat kalimatu rabbika sidqan wa adla (and perfect is the word of your Lord in truth and justice) - See verses 115 and 116 of al An-am.

While explaining the word and the book, in their origin and in the various stages of their revelation down to the visible world, the process of descent from the infinite to the finite and from the absolute unity to manifold multiplicity has been dealt with. Now it must be mentioned, as pointed out earlier, that the process of creation is circular in nature, and all that which has been created should return to the original source, therefore, the ascent, from the finite to the infinite, and from multiplicity to unity, necessarily follows the same stages of the descent in reverse.

Also refer to verse 2 of al Saba, and verse 11 of al Rum.

Whatever comes into existence in the lowest realm, be it a substance, an accident, or an action, appears in the highest in a refined form, or correspondingly retains its refined impression. These impressions may be termed as the divine books of the hereafter (kutub ma badut tabiyy) i.e. books post-physical, in the same way as the impressions present in the process of revelation, prior to the visible world, may be termed as book pre-physical. The origin and the absolute reality behind the phenomenon, the universe, in all its stages and phases, is identified with the infinite excellence. Therefore, it must be said that the stages, in both the arcs of descent and ascent, together with their contents, closer to the infinite, are more real than the stages further from the absolute. In fact the lower stages are the impressions, images and reflections of the real entities in the higher stages.

(HIJR: 21 )

In the initial stages of contemplation, the things perceptible to the senses look real, and all that which is out of sight (beyond perception) appears to be imaginary, but when the intellectual observation and vision grasps the above view point and reaches beyond, this state of mind will give the impression of unreality and the ideas beyond take the shape of reality. So, the things which appear in the sensual realm are merely of an illusory nature, unreal; because their reality lies in the realm beyond. This imperative condition is applicable to the book of creation (kitab ul takwini), the visible phenomenon of creation, as well as the revealed book of legislation (kitab ul tashri-i). To deny the existence of the Quran, or the other sacred scriptures, prior to their advent in their visible form, means the denial of the proceeding of the universe from the infinitely perfect absolute. It would be an unreasonable denial based upon a negative approach (from the imperfect to the perfect and from the unconscious to the conscious), because the basis of pure scientific investigation is that "a thing cannot come out of nothing." Or were they created by nothing? (Tur: 35) The truth that whatever appears in the visible world has had a pre-existence in some form in the book (the unseen world), as stated in verse 22 of al Hadid, has to be accepted.

The Quran, in verses 38 and 39 of al Rad says that "for every term (age) there is a book (a written record) prescribed; (of it) Allah effaces what He wills, and confirms (what He wills); and with Him is the mother of the book (basic source)." It means that for every fixed term or period there is a book which is subject to change. Also for every soul and for every community there is a book (see verse 10 of al Munafiqun) and each of these has two books, the book prior to its existence and the book after its existence (see verses 27 and 28 of al Jathiyah, and verses 13 and 14 of Bani Isra-il). All these partial books, dealing with conduct and character and various aspects, prior to or after the visible appearance, are included in the ummul kitab, which is with Allah (see verses 38 and 39 of al Rad), represented here by the Quran which is ummul kitab, as well as, kitab ul mubin. Therefore, all references to al-kitab indicate the Quran either in its revealed form or in its form prior to revelation.

The Quran is the sum total of the word and the book of Allah. It is the map of the universe. Its letters, words, clauses, sentences, chapters, parts, and symbols, jointly or severally, signify the facts of the creation in its circular process. To read and understand any map, a fixed scale is required, without which it would be a meaningless mass of unrelated and irrelevant dots and lines having no value or significance. Therefore, in the case of the Quran, those who do not make use of the "real scale", remain unattached, go astray and wander in the wilderness of ignorance and confusion. The Quran refers to this fact.

Reason, with its limitations, can be applied as a scale, but the Quran provides the clear guidance as to who are the true scale.

(WAQI-AH: 77 to 79)

The touch, mentioned in the above verse, is not physical in nature, but is purely intellectual and spiritual, which implies total identification of the known, the knowing and the knower, inseparable from each other. Therefore, only the thoroughly purified souls, as shown in the above verse, can be in touch with the Quran in its pre-revealed form, as it is in the hidden book. The Quran clearly identifies such persons who have been thoroughly purified by Allah Himself to the perfect degree in verse 33 of al Ahzab. They are the Ahl ul Bayt, the people of the holy house. The well known and the most authentic declaration of the Holy Prophet (Hadith Thaqalayn) is the confirming interpretation of these verses. The holy book and the holy Ahl ul Bayt are inseparably identified with each other from their origin, down in the arc of descent, and up again in their ascent (return) to the presence of the maliki yawmid din. It makes no difference whether the term imamum mabin, in verse 12 of Ya Sin, is interpreted either as the Ahl ul Bayt or as the Quran, for these two are neither separate from each other nor will ever be separable, because one reflects the other.

The revealed book, in our hands, does not speak, and is therefore mute (samit); whereas the Ahl ul Bayt by being able to speak are eloquent (natiq). This conclusion is based upon the Quran and the wording of the Holy Prophet. Whoever does not accept it, does so, based on his own conjectural discretion. Whatever is said while explaining the verses of the Quran, throughout this commentary, is based upon the unambiguous verses of the book itself, the authentic traditions of the Holy Prophet, the holy Ahl ul Bayt and true logical reasoning.

In view of the explanation of the word and the book of Allah, the opinion held by some people of importance, as an article of faith, that the Quran is uncreated, eternal and co-existing with the being of Allah, like His attributes, becomes unacceptable. The word or writing of Allah is His work, not His essential attribute. The idea of coexistence of His work with His being was imported from the Christian ideology which was borrowed from Jewish Alexandrian philosophy. The Quran repeatedly presents the whole creation and its every part and particle as the word (work) of Allah, the outcome of His creative will and attention, or His legislative will and attention.

By disclosing the correct meaning of the term word, applicable to every creature, the Quran refutes the efforts of the Christian theologists to establish Christ as the co-existing being with God by calling him the divine word after (erroneously) assuming that the word of God is uncreated and eternal. According to the Quran the unusual birth of Isa does not exempt him from being a created obedient servant of Allah.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Those who want to be led on the right path must remember that a perfect standard of the attribute is in view whenever the definition or description of any quality is referred to. For example, any one or every one who merely professes to be pious or faithful can never be included among the group described as muttaqin, and muttaqun, or muminin, and muminun, in the holy book. They, who possess the referred qualities to the maximum possible degree of perfection, are addressed in the holy book. Others may claim suitable categories according to the degrees of qualities they possess. A thorough and impartial search takes us to the Holy Prophet and his holy Ahl ul Bayt who (alone) possess all the qualities mentioned in verses 2,3,4 and 5 of this surah, to the maximum, who never, in their lives, committed any minor or major sin, because, as mentioned in verse 33 of al Ahzab, they are the only muttaqin thoroughly purified by Allah Himself. No doubt, the book is a guidance to others also to the extent of every individual's personal purity and to the degree these qualities are developed by following the infallible Ahl ul Bayt.

As the Quran is the manifestation of the absolute rahman and rahim, its guidance is also universal as well as particular. Wherever it is mentioned in the Quran that the Holy Prophet has been sent as Allah's grace or blessing for the worlds, or the book has been revealed to him so that he may warn the people, the reference is made to the universal aspect of guidance. Allah does not reserve His bounty for a particular group. His grace is universal, but the creatures are responsible, according to their ability to receive, for obtaining the benefits, or not getting anything at all, or going in reverse direction, and harming themselves. Here, in this verse, the guidance has been mentioned with reference to the particular group of the muttaqin, the pious, to make known the group of people who have obtained the highest benefits due to their purest degree of piety. The Quran describes a few qualities of this pious group in verses 3, 4 and 5 of this surah. In one of his sermons, Ali ibna abi Talib, the authority after the Holy Prophet, enumerates the properties of piety in detail, which gives a clear view of the nature and significance of piety. Please also refer to verse 177 of this surah.

(see commentary for verse 1). Shirk (polytheism), according to verse 13 of Luqman, is the greatest injustice, therefore, it is directly opposite to wasat.

There are three type of shirk:

1. JALLIYY - evident.
2. KHAFIYY - concealed.
3. AKHFA - most concealed.

The Holy Prophet has compared the shirk, hidden in the hearts of men, to the movement of a black ant on a black stone in the darkness of the night. Everyone is involved with shirk of one kind or another, in the heart of his hearts. Strictly speaking, trying to assert one's own wish against a decree of Allah is no less than a shirk of equalising one's self or ego with the authority of the divine will. Those who have been praised by Allah as wasatan (just) had never been contaminated with shirk at any time. In the days of the Holy Prophet, he, Ali and Fatimah alone had this distinction, otherwise all the companions had worshipped many gods other than Allah, therefore, this word wasat can only be applied to the Holy prophet, Fatimah, Ali and the holy Imams. Also refer to the commentary of verse 124 of this surah.

(3) Shahid means witness, used in the sense of raqib (who observes attentively, guards and preserves) or mahaymin (who confirms, protects and fulfils). Witness is he who can testify every aspect of the event, manifest as well as hidden. In verse 17 of al Hajj the word shahid has been used for Allah. "Allah is witness over all things." In verse 43 of al Rad and in verse 17 of al Hud, Ali ibna abi Talib is the witness (see page 4 for details). In verse 41 of al Nisa and in verse 89 of al Nahl it is said that Allah will bring of every people a witness and will bring the Holy Prophet as a witness to verify all the witnesses. (See commentary of these verses).

'We are the witnesses of Allah," said Imam Ali bin Husayn al Zaynal Abidin and Imam Ali ibna abi Talib.

The holy Imams are the ummatan wasatan. Every true believer in Allah should turn unto them for guidance in order to know what is goodness or virtue. According to the degree of closeness and attachment with the holy Imams, one gets the blessings and bounties of Allah. The example of Salman must be kept in mind. On account of his close attachment with the Ahl ul Bayt, the Holy Prophet had bestowed the highest honour on him - "One among the Ahl ul Bayt," a privilege given to none, except him, outside the family of the Holy Prophet.

(4) Li-na-lama. "We might know" is the literal meaning. As Allah is all-knowing, He does not need a test to know whether one is a believer or not. With reference to Allah this phrase means "to make manifest or to express openly." The change in the direction of qiblah was made to make known those who really believe in Allah and those who will turn back upon their heels.

(5) Illa alalladhina hadallah means that the change of qiblah was surely hard except for those whom Allah had guided aright. Sa-bi reports that one day in the court of Hajjaj at Basra, Hasan al Basri was present. Hajjaj and his courtiers were abusing Ali ibna abi Talib. Hasan al Basri was silent. Hajjaj invited him to give his opinion. Hasan al Basri said that illaa alalladhina hadallah was revealed for Ali ibna abi Talib.

Among those who were praying behind the Holy Prophet when the divine communication to change the qiblah was received, it was Ali ibna abi Talib who alone turned towards Makka simultaneously with the Holy Prophet.

(6) Ma kanallaku li-yudis imanakam

The true faithful in the family of the Holy Prophet knew, through their belief in the almighty Allah, the ultimate direction of qiblah, therefore they were certain that their prayers in the direction of Jerusalem did not go waste. According to Ibna Abbas this part of the verse was revealed to allay the fears of those who thought that their prayers offered towards Jerusalem might be rendered useless.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The literal meanings of iman, islam and din, used frequently in the Quran, are very close to each other. The submission of thoughts and feelings to the object of belief is iman. To surrender willingly, inwardly as well as outwardly, to the will (of a supreme being) is islam. A deeply rooted dutiful, devoted, submissive and abiding approach, by nature and in appearance, towards "the approved discipline" is din. Din has been used variously to mean judgement, subjugation, religion, to do good, to obey, to advance a loan, to take into account, to reward and to punish, but the root is that which has been stated above, which also implies all the given meanings.

According to verses 14 and 15 of al Hujurat islam is the outward obedience and iman is the inward submission. Islam and iman become synonymous when islam is used with reference to inward submission and iman is used with reference to outward obedience. Let us examine the state of mind in connection with iman and din. All the mental tendencies and faculties together with their allied phenomenon is rooted in the human ego or the conscious-self, referred to as "I". The ego, endowed with self-consciousness, loves itself. This self-love is followed by the involvement and concern for self-protection, self-maintenance and self-advancement .

Self-love creates and promotes the emotions of devotion, hatred, lust, and anger, also feelings and imagination, thinking and contemplation. The love for self-preservation creates the lust (hunger) for food, which is responsible for the development of the sense of taste. It also enables to feel repulsion for that food which is harmful. This repulsion is termed as anger. The desire to preserve the self, in all times, through reproduction, is carried out by the sexual lust. It is because of self-love, that man loves that which belongs to him and to which he refers to as "mine" - parents, children, relatives, community and surroundings with which, in some way or the other, he is associated. Things which he feels as not his own or opposed to his interest, create repulsion in him. Man's activities are the expression of either the love or repulsion that he feels, whether or not the object of love or repulsion is within the control of his will power. With regard to those objects which are within the control of his will power, a lust for domination is developed. But if the object, loveable or repulsive, useful or harmful, is beyond his control, a sense of awe and reverence associated with the desire for an approach through surrender, submission and appeasement is developed, believing that the object is sacred. This submissive state of mind is described as din, and its expression takes the form of sacrifice (qurbani). In this sense din and iman are one and the same, i.e. the inclination of the mind and heart towards the object believed to be effective in one's destiny. Mere belief, or just to be sure of anything is not iman, but belief in its reality and its effectiveness in one's destiny, beyond the domination of one's own will power, is true iman. No one, not even those who pose as atheists, can be devoid of this subjective aspect of din and iman. The objective aspect or methods of approach bring in the differences. People may differ as to who or what should be held as sacred and how to pray and offer sacrifice, but no one can do without holding something or other as sacred and bowing down before that sacred object, and adopting a method of approach and adoration. The sacred objects and the methods of prayers and sacrifice have gone through an evolutionary process with the development of man's intellect, knowledge, experience, power of reasoning, contemplation, and, above all, on account of the instructions and guidance given by the divinely commissioned teachers.

The necessary consequence of religious tendency, natural in every man, as the result of self-love, is prayer and sacrifice. Sacrifice is an effort to break one's bonds so as to come in contact with the sacred being, the ultimate object of faith, by parting with some of his possessions, which, on account of his faith, are regarded as gifts received from the sacred being. Prayer is a demand put forward to the object of adoration and veneration; and when the demand is met, the bounties received are given to others, in charity, to please the fulfiller. So to take and to give, in religious adoration, go together. Only in how and what is given people are distinguished from each other. Din and iman, in the highest form, is yuminuna bil ghayb, a total and perfect inclination and commitment of the mind and the heart, on the strength of pure reasoning, to the unseen and the inconceivable reality, realised by all as beyond the grasp of human means and intellect. The loftier the object the more intense will be the faith in it. Although there are beings beyond the empirical knowledge like angels and jinn etc., yet they are created beings, definable and within the conceptual capacity of man; despite the fact that they cannot be verified through observation and experiment. Only Allah, beyond all definitions and limitations, is ghayb ul mutlaq, the incomprehensible absolute, the loftiest object of din and iman, the ultimate of iman bil ghayb, and not anything else created by Him. This iman bil ghayb is a dynamic force which takes man towards the absolute in a progressive and unfaltering stride. If any other unseen, except the ghayb ul mutlaq, is held as an object of faith, it will cause stoppage, obstruction and stagnancy, which results in idolatry. In verses 52 to 56 of al Anbiya this stagnancy has been condemned.

Imam Jafar bin Muhammad al Sadiq says:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The literal meaning of salat is the middle of the backbone. When used as a verb, it means the bending and unbending of the backbone. It is particularly employed when an animal is curved at the time of delivery. Figuratively, it was used for a bending posture at the time of giving or taking something. From this, it was adopted for prayer, to signify a submissive attitude. The Quran has drawn on this word to describe man's praying attitude towards Allah, as well as Allah's turning towards His creatures.

The natural religious tendency of man, as the result of self-love, makes him bend before the absolute, in prayer, to express his wants and needs in order to obtain fulfilment. The bending of the absolute means His turning towards the supplicant to give that which he deserves.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Please refer to the commentary of yumununa bil ghayb about spending in the way of the Lord which is the essential property of iman. Spending in the way of Allah, as prescribed by Him pleases Him because it is a source of great benefit to His creatures.

(see commentary for verse 1).

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Akhirat literally means the end, but in the Quran this word has mostly been used in the sense of the hereafter, the life after death. In some places it means the world beyond the visible world.

(RUM: 7)

The use of the word zahir (apparent), and ghafil (negligent) makes clear that akhirat referred to in the above-noted verse is an antonym of zahir, which is known to most people, yet they are negligent. The word negligence is justified when something is known but paid no attention. The life after death is not the antonym of the apparent, nor it is the neglected known. It is something to come. Therefore, in the above verse, the "other phase" means the world beyond the range of physical experience, which is the world of subjective insight and conscious self. In this connection, it must be noted that even the material world is not known to us through the physical experience of senses because they are affected by the qualities and conditions of the matter, not by the matter itself; and the conscious self is closer to the other world than to the lower world, which is more akin to the senses. For this reason ghafilun, not jahilun has been used. To know the true meaning, it is essential to take into consideration the context in which this word has been applied in the Quran.

Here, in this verse akhirat has been utilised in the sense of hereafter, the life after death, or after

(see commentary for verse 1)(see commentary for verse 3).

(5) Essence, self or the nature of the inner being (Ma-idah : 108 - Qasas: 88 - Rahman: 27).

Here it means total submission.

Mere verbal profession of faith does not bring salvation, as the Jews and the Christians thought, but guidance and its rewards are for him who submits himself entirely to Allah and acts in the way of Allah, in conformity with Allah's will, uncompromisingly, in full awareness of his goal, shedding all strings of attachments and desires. There is no fear for him, nor shall he grieve. At the time of migrating from Makka to Madina, the Holy Prophet had a companion with him. They took refuge in a cave to avoid the pursuing enemies. The companion was miserable with fear and grief. The Holy Prophet asked him not to fear because Allah was present with them. Also there were companions who deserted the Holy Prophet when the terror and fright of death made them flee from the battle of Uhad.

(see commentary for verse 2) Belief in the revealed scriptures, as the true word of Allah, is one of the articles of faith (Baqarah: 285).

His reliance upon Allah's ability to protect whom He wills, was unqualified;

5. and, above all, being from one and the same divine light, they were so closely integrated that one had

to be in the shoes of another all the time.

While the assassins were lying in wait for the planned strike, they, on several occasions, looked slyly at the bed, and were assured by the blanket of the Holy Prophet that he was sleeping inside it. They did not realise that it was Ali under the blanket, whilst the Holy Prophet opened the door and walked away unnoticed. As planned, the assassins, naked swords in their hands, broke in and removed the blanket from the sleeper's face. They were surprised to find Ali there instead of the Holy Prophet. They viewed his composure and steady expression of resolute courage, and having failed to obtain any information about the whereabouts of the Holy Prophet, disappointed, they stepped out one by one.

The Holy Prophet had asked his companions not to leave their homes on the night of the migration, but he found Abu Bakr following him on his way to Madina. However, he allowed him to accompany him and they took refuge in a cave, because after finding Ali in the bed, the conspirators at once started the quest for the Holy Prophet. By Allah's will, a spider wove a web across the mouth of the cave, and in front of it a pigeon laid her eggs. Seeing this, the pursuers presumed that no one had entered the cave for a long time and did not search it. Inside the cave, the companion of the Holy Prophet was frightened and had started crying in anguish when he heard the voices of the enemy. The Holy Prophet recited the following verse to console him.

Do not fear. Allah is with us. (Tawbah: 40) On the next morning, Ali returned to the depositors all that which they kept with the Holy Prophet in trust and left Makka, with the ladies of the house, to join the Holy Prophet in Madina. It must be noted that even his opponents called the Holy Prophet al-amin, the trustworthy, and kept their valuables in his custody. And it was Ali, the executor of his will, who discharged all his commitments on his behalf. But the Muslim ummah, after the departure of the Holy Prophet, went along with the frightened companion and forgot him whose unshakeable faith in Allah, love for His messenger, and matchless courage entitled him to obtain mardatillah, the pleasure and discretion of Allah. Ali's risking his life for the Holy Prophet pleased Allah so much that He revealed this verse in his honour, referring to Ali's actions as selling his soul for earning Allah's pleasure and permission.

The use of ula-ika, the demonstrative pronoun for remote things or persons, as the subject of the sentence implies "those only" (a restriction) who depend on and follow the guidance from their Lord, and are successful in their life-journey. The reason for this restriction is obvious, as, although His guidance is universal, but only people of such calibre (described as muttaqin), and none else, can avail and use the guidance, in its minutest detail, in letter and spirit, to the full satisfaction and pleasure of the guide.

(see commentary for verse 1)(see commentary for verse 3)(see commentary for verse 4)(see commentary for verse 2) Those Jews and Christians who believe in some prophets and not in others (Nisa: 150) are, in fact, the real unbelievers (Nisa: 151 ).

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Kufr means to cover or to conceal. In the Quran covering the truth, or the fault, has been described as kufr. Covering or concealing the truth is turning the mind from it. Covering the fault is redeeming or redressing, or wiping it out, as per verse 31 of al Nisa. It is mostly used in a sense directly opposite to iman.

In the sense of concealment of truth, kufr is a wilful act, (may be) not out of ignorance, but due to ulterior motives or unreasonable bigotry. Therefore the disbelievers (kafirs), devoid of faith, do not follow guidance, whether they are warned or not. In view of verse 1 of al Furqan, it would be wrong to say that the Holy Prophet has been advised not to carry on his mission. It points out the obstinacy of the infidels and their expected reaction to the warnings, on account of their trend and tendency to suppress the truth.

(see commentary for verse 1)(see commentary for verse 3)(see commentary for verse 4)(see commentary for verse 2) "Nor shall you attain unto righteousness until you spend of that which you love", says verse 92 of Ali Imran.

Islam does not demand indifference to worldly possessions but makes it obligatory to subordinate the love of possession to the spirit of giving it away in the name and cause of Allah, the real owner of the bounties, which are given to some of His servants as a favour. They should hold these bounties as a trust to be distributed according to His command. Emancipation of the captives or liberation of slaves is an essential condition of the genuine faith in Allah.

Of all the religions, only Islam condemns slavery. It treats liquidation of the institution of slavery as a prime virtue. In verse 13 of al Balad freeing a slave has been highly praised. In verse 89 of al Ma-idah and in verse 3 of al Mujadalah the liberation of slaves has been prescribed as kaffarah (expiation).

The Holy Prophet said:

Once the Holy Prophet gave a slave to Abu Dhar with instructions to treat him kindly and to do with him as he would with himself. As soon as Abu Dhar brought the slave home, he set him free. "Allah will bless you", said the Holy Prophet when he heard the news.

Sealing of the disbelievers' hearts, who make a willing choice of the life of sin, is a happening

in the usual course. Lack of proper use of the faculties of discernment and understanding blunts their judgement and reasonableness, a logical penalty, referred to in verse 179 of al Araf, and verse 5 of Ha Mim, wherein they themselves bear witness to the penalty they had been inflicted with. According to the commentator of Majma ul Bayan, seal means witness or testimony.

Allah bears witness to the loss of usefulness of the disbelievers' faculties to see, hear and understand,

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Qalb (heart) in the Quran, refers to the functions of the conscious self. It is the centre of total human consciousness, known as "I", like the physical heart which is the centre of the blood circulation system. The mind receives information ; through the experiences of the senses, which are developed into ideas by a mental operation, which also perceives feelings. These feelings are translated into actions, and the actions return back to the mind, undergoing the same process. It resembles the circular movement of the blood into the physical heart. Another justification is the close relation of the feelings with the physical heart, the main organ of the body, which, moved by the feeling, acts. The qalb reacts to the suggestions and guidance received through the experiences of the senses as well as subjective insight, corresponding to the individual peculiarities. Some qalbs are more receptive to goodness, refined thoughts and feelings of a higher spiritual nature. Some qalbs are more inclined towards evil and worldly pleasures. A "one and the same" suggestion may cause different reactions in the two directly opposite qalbs. One qalb receives the divine command and carries it out, while the other rejects it and revolts.

Aqa Mahdi Puya Says:

Those disbelievers, who put on a show of coming into the fold of Islam in order to avail safety and security, to serve their self-interest, and to protect their social position, have been described as the hypocrites (munafiqin).

Although a large number of commentators find it suitable to point to Abdullah bin Obay and his comrades, exclusively, as the hypocrites referred to here and in other places, but the use of the word munafiqin is not restricted to Madani surahs. In verse 11 of al Ankabut, revealed in Makka, when Abdullah bin Obay and his active partisans did not appear on the scene, this word was used to identify, in general, one and all, in any age, who may possess this evil.

Among those who accepted Islam and agreed to follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet, some were reluctant converts; some were uncertain about the bonafides of the Holy Prophet as the messenger of Allah; some, under protest and with a heavy heart, followed the mainstream but at heart were pagans; some only put up a front. Such half-hearted, unwilling, or deceptive acceptance of faith is devoid of the higher spiritual conceptions, therefore, sincere and perfect practice of the faith was not possible. And men and women belonging to this category could never fulfil any of the demands of the faith, particularly that which did not serve their interest, because, in their minds, something else, not the faith in Allah and the Holy Prophet, was more likely and feasible. The incident about the cutting down of trees during the siege of Bani Nadhir, referred to in verse 5 of al Hashr; the abandonment in time of trouble by running away from the battle of Uhad, referred to in verses 153 to 155 of Ali Imran; the expression of doubt about the bonafides of the messenger of Allah, throws light on the conduct of those companions who were weak or indecisive in their belief.

In between the two directly opposite groups, the thoroughly purified muttaqin and the munafiqin whose hearts, ears and eyes have been sealed, there is the type of above-noted group of converts who agreed to give answer to the call of the Holy Prophet to worship one Allah and follow His commandments, but on account of their inability to detach themselves completely from the habits, customs and mental attitude of the "days of ignorance" and infidelity, failed, on many occasions, to meet the demands of pure faith,

because of the infiltration of doubts and suspicions about the genuineness of the prophethood of the

Holy Prophet.

(i) According to Tabari (Vol. 3, page 21, published from Egypt), Shibli (Al Faruq), Ibna Kathir (Badayah Wan Nahayah: Volume 4, page 28, published in 1351 Hijra from Egypt), the second and the third caliphs were among the deserters in the battle of Uhad.

(ii) According to Tarikh Khamis, Vol. 2, page 24, published in 1302 Hijra from Egypt), Sahih Bukhari (Vol. 2; page 82 published in 1355 Hijra from Egypt), Tafsir Durr Manthur (Vol.2; page 77 published in 1314 Hijra from Egypt), and Tafsir Kathir (Vol. 3; page 351 published in 1402 from Beirut), the second caliph Hazrat Umar bin Khattab, as per his own version, had never before suspected so strongly the bonafides of Muhammad the true messenger of Allah, as at the time of the treaty of Hudaybiya.

There are different classes of believers. No doubt the types described above are not hypocrites, but, as pure and perfect faith is a very refined state of mind and heart, they cannot be counted in the highest category of believers. It is very difficult for an individual to know the degree of his own faith (verse 9 refers to the self-delusion of such believers), until he comes across a test and trial. The true quality of the faith of the confused companions was laid bare whenever tested, yet such indecisive believers, after the Holy Prophet, were acclaimed as the heroes of Islam.

Many a commentator wrongly refers to Abdullah bin Obay and his associates whenever munafiqin are discussed in the Quran, as a scapegoat substitute for the really dangerous hypocrites whose subversive activities proved more harmful to Islam than Abdullah bin Obay and his comrades. It is an attempt to restrict the general view of the Quran. In fact Abdullah bin Obay's activities never amounted to a real threat. He had no influence even over his own family. He was a very wealthy man, and therefore, wanted to be the chief of Madina, but his chances of success disappeared after the arrival of the Holy Prophet. He was a man of no importance. Had his schemes been really harmful to Islam, the Holy Prophet would not have led his funeral prayers.

The verses in the Quran, about the hypocritical attitude of some of the disciples of the Holy Prophet, are more applicable to the people of Quraysh than any other group. The aim of the Quran is to describe the psychological condition of the companions surrounding the Holy Prophet, in order to classify the reaction of mankind, in general, till eternity, to the final message of Allah, conveyed through the last prophet. The reaction to the divine message divides people in different groups. Those whose commitment is total on account of their complete concord with the prophetic guidance, occupy the highest position nearest to Allah. Those who are not fully convinced, due to lack of wisdom, may not oppose and go astray, but only manage to keep themselves from denying the faith.

Apart from these two groups, there are some who openly oppose Allah and his prophet, with no hope of any improvement in their attitude.

There is another class of people who profess the faith in a hypocritical manner, with a rigid antagonistic attitude of mind and heart. They are those whose heart, hearing and sight have not yet been sealed. There is a hope of improvement if they come out of their wavering. They come under the definition of munafiqin until the improvement takes place. This wavering in most of the disciples of the Holy Prophet was due to their attachment with the old habits, customs and creeds. The force of the new mission tried to detach them from their "days of ignorance" psyche. This conflict between the tendency of the "days of ignorance" and the irresistible energy of truth created the mental conflict which was responsible for their activities both during and after the lifetime of the Holy Prophet. This wavering has been pointed out by the Quran in verses 144 and 149 of Ali Imran, and verses 25 and 26 of Muhammad. There are many authentic traditions that the Holy Prophet also expressed his concern about this "turning back" of his companions. It must be noted that though the Quran deals with the hypocrites in many surahs in various shades and descriptions, but the Muslim historians, however, do not mention the far reaching influence of the policies and activities carried out by the hypocrites, as rulers, after the departure of the Holy Prophet. On the contrary, a general view is presented that every one of the companions was a true faithful, a bright star, and a symbol of guidance, in total disregard to the indisputable role of the hypocrites during and after the lifetime of the Holy Prophet. They did not die before the Holy Prophet. They emerged with full force after him and exercised full control over the destiny of the ummah.

The Holy Prophet says:

In fact there were very few among the companions who, detached from their old habits, customs and creeds, submitted wholeheartedly to the religion of Allah.

The Holy Quran says:

(SABA:13)

Verse 9 confirms the position of the people, described and discussed in the previous verse, who are under the delusion that their state of mind is hidden from Allah. To obtain wealth and power they try to attract the attention of the people by putting on a superficial show of virtuousness. They may win the goodwill of the common people but their expectation of getting a reward from Allah ends in frustration, because He is fully aware of the intentions of His creatures.

He does not take them out of their delusion. Hypocrisy lurks in the hearts of those who are not thoroughly purified. Circumstances and lure of worldly gains, and not independent conviction, motivated many an early convert to come into the camp of the Holy Prophet. When, the doings and sayings of the messenger of Allah, under the strict commands of Allah, began to make clear that authority to guide and administer the society belonged to the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt, the thoroughly purified, as the fulfilment of the divine will according to the verse 33 of al Ahzab, their envy and grudge against the Holy Prophet and his holy Ahl ul Bayt came into the open. In the light of verse 80 of al Nisa whosoever opposes and subverts the authority of the Holy Prophet, in fact disobeys Allah.

The Quran says:

(AHZAB:57)

The Holy Prophet says:

(Sahih Bukhari: Vol. 2; page 206 published in 1355 Hijra from Egypt, Sahih Muslim: Vol. 4; page 125 published in 1349 Hijra from Egypt).

Many books of history and traditions clearly mention the disgraceful attitude of the companions towards the dearest daughter of the Holy Prophet, after his death. For example in Vol. 1, page 64 of Tarikh Abul Fida, published from Egypt, it is written that the two caliphs were among those who went to the house of Fatima for setting it on fire. Also Abi Fat-ha Shahrastani in Al Milal Wan Nahal on page 25 and 26 mentions the events which took place at the house of Bibi Fatimah.

Anfusahum means themselves as well as their associates. "And they do not perceive" represent the men who imagine themselves to be good and those who follow such men. In fact they do not know what they are. They are actually self-deluded. This is the state of mind of all those who are misguided and misled by their own false judgement.

To follow the true guidance, communicated through the word of Allah, it is essential not only to know those upon whom, on account of their knowledge and total commitment to the divine guidance, bounties had been bestowed, but also to identify those who defied it and went astray, in order to avoid following their wickedness.

The policy to verbally profess faith in Allah and His messenger, so as to deceive the faithful, in the hope of getting material gains, is termed in verse 10, and in many other verses as the "disease of the heart", the result of which may be disbelief (kufr), or hypocrisy (nifaq). Envy and jealousy took hold of those who did not sincerely believe in the supreme authority of the Holy Prophet. The disbelief, the envy and the jealousy of the hypocrites has been termed as a disease. Since it is Allah who bestowed the supreme authority on the Holy Prophet, therefore, the envy and jealousy in the hearts of the hypocrites, as a disease, which increased proportionately to the enhancement in the glory of the Holy Prophet, is the result of Allah's will.

The duplicity in the conduct of the hypocrites, pointed out in verse 11, was a mutual arrangement between them and the infidels to check and upset the growing honour and status of the Holy Prophet and the dominance of Islam, through intrigue and subversion; but, to pacify the questioning of the believers, they said it was to bring the infidels to friendly terms with the Muslims, whereas, truly, they were planning to usurp the political power in order to lay hands on the material gains which would be there to possess after the departure of the Holy Prophet. It became plain to them that during the lifetime of the messenger of Allah such schemes could not be implemented, therefore, the enemies of the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt, in the garb of peace-makers, played a waiting game. It must be noted that though, after the Holy Prophet, they took the control of the government, but earned the displeasure of almighty Allah who has promised painful punishment on the liars, a fact which they did not perceive.

For ordinary people it is very difficult to detach themselves from the clutches of old ideologies which serve their selfish interest, and follow or believe in a new faith, free from the lure of profit or the fear of loss, particularly when the new faith demands a complete rejection of the viciousness of the animal self which clings to raw passions and crude urges. They were proud of their social position and possessions under the old system. This misconceived individual and group pride made the infidels look down upon the true believers (with really awakened minds) as inferiors, because they (the infidels) could not use reason or put forward arguments to contradict the true faith, Islam. Verse 13 makes it clear that, in truth, it is they who are mean and stupid, not those who believe in Allah and His messenger by discarding false notions of pride and conceit

As you sow so shall you reap. It is the law of nature. In verse 14 and 15 "the making fun" of the believers by the infidels has been compared to deviltry, but the paying back in the same coin by Allah is the scorn (or the last laugh) they shall experience on the day of judgement in the form of eternal punishment. In this world they have been given (enough) rope, pelf and power, to hang themselves in the end.

In verse 16 the wilful adoption of error has been likened to a bad bargain.

Believing in the truth, according to verse 17, is like the illumination of a fire which lights up the surrounding. The spark of faith which had just been kindled could have been turned into a bright floodlight but evils like envy, malice and love of material possessions put out the spark of faith, therefore, Allah, in view of the prevalent evil, took away the light of faith and abandoned them to the utter darkness of ignorance and disbelief.

In verse 18 the loss of the "inner light" is illustrated as becoming deaf, dumb and blind, due to which there is no possibility of finding the way leading to the truth.

Rain makes the earth grow life-giving and life-preserving provisions. In verse 19, Islam has been compared to an abundant rain. The lightning is the victories Islam won against the forces of infidelity.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The new mission, Islam, is like a heavy shower coming down from heaven, a promising event every one welcomes, but the thunder, lightning and darkness, coming along with it, create fright and make people take precaution against the impending threat. In the days of early Islam some people anticipated reaping a good harvest if they joined the ranks of the believers, yet they were reluctant to give up the privileges enjoyed by them under the old system. For example the Quraysh, as custodians of the Kabah, were respected by the people of Arabia. This sanctity gave them the opportunity of monopolising the trade from the Indian Sea to the Mediterranean, and from the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and Red Sea upto the African coast. By giving up idolatry, they had to renounce class distinction and agree to the equality of human beings, preached by Islam, which would have certainly affected their economic interests. On the other hand, they could not close their eyes to the grand possibility of taking control of the ever progressing active energy of a highly advanced society, created by the lofty ideals of Islam, which would spread like a wild fire all over the world, so as to rule over vast lands and countless people and appropriate the wealth of the nations. The result was a continuous wavering. Neither did they want to detach themselves from the old order, which appeared to them as a frightful darkness, nor could they resist the unlimited produce the abundant rain, Islam, would yield. These wavering hypocrites do not belong to the class of those disbelievers whose hearts, ears and eyes have been sealed.

After classifying the people according to their reactions to the divine message, the Quran addresses mankind as a whole, irrespective of their classes, because the mission of the Holy Prophet is universal; for all times. The aim of the Quran is to stimulate the reaction to the divine message and develop the aptitude for choosing good to the highest degree so that man individually and collectively may take his due place and position in the arc of ascent or the evolutionary upward curve of existence, the full manifestation of which will appear on the final day of resurrection, qiyamat ul kubra.

(see commentary for verse 1)(see commentary for verse 3)(see commentary for verse 4)(see commentary for verse 2) and pay the (prescribed) poor-tax;

10. and bear with patience that which torments in distress, affliction and in times of conflict.

Those who own the righteousness, described above, are the ones who are true to themselves and safeguard themselves with thorough awareness of the divine laws.

Notes concerning some of the above factors are given below:-

Please refer to the commentary of verse 40 of this surah. Fulfilment of the promise made with Allah is also included.

Faithful adherence to treaties and fulfilment of commitments by Muslim governments have been prescribed by Islam.

If verse 2 of this surah is read in the light of this verse it becomes clear that the Quran is a guidance to the pious who possess all the qualities mentioned in this verse - they are the Holy Prophet and the twelve holy Imams in whom each quality is manifest in its highest perfection and completeness. They are those who have been chosen by Allah to guide mankind towards the path of Allah through the Quran. Therefore, Shias, after the Holy Prophet, follow only Ali and the holy Imams as their guides because of their unique merits, acknowledged even by their enemies. The whole Muslim world, without exception, knows and accepts the fact that it was Ali alone who earned the unique title of mazhar ul aja-ib - the manifestation of (divine) wonders, because Ali and the Holy Prophet are the manifestations of one and the same divine light.

Those who do not sell their souls to Allah tremble, fear and lose heart and confidence whenever they encounter distress or misfortune, because their profession of the faith in Allah is pretentious, sly and artful, not real.

To know the true significance of this verse, it is sufficient to quote the saying of the Holy Prophet that whoever acts upon this (one) verse attains perfection in faith.

19. Akhu Rasulullah - The brother of the messenger of Allah.

In this verse, through la-alla (so that), the emphasis is laid on the freedom of choice given to every individual. In Islam there is no merit in any virtue imposed by force. Willing service to the Lord, in the spirit of thankfulness, is a must for the creature, in return for the countless gifts, favours and bounties He bestows on His creatures. Imam Ali ibna abi Talib defines obedience (service) as under:

(1) The service offered out of fear is the obedience of a slave.

(2) The service offered for gain is the obedience of a businessman or trader.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Faruq al Azam - The greatest distinguisher of truth and falsehood.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Abul A-imma - The father of the Imams.

In this verse the almighty all-wise Allah throws an open challenge to mankind for making an effort to compose even one surah in the style and manner of the Quran, not only to assert the genuineness of the divine words revealed to a man who did not receive any type of education from any mortal, but also to put an end to doubts and speculations, for ever, that it could be the fabrication of any human mind.

This challenge refers to the Quran as a work of literature and wisdom, and not to its effects as some commentators wrongly try to prove. The inimitable literary excellence and the pure and perfect wisdom of the Quran has been and will always be beyond the reach of the literary and intellectual genius of mankind.

(BANI ISRAIL: 88)

Also refer to Yunus: 38, Hud: 13.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Since the beginning of Islam till today, the enemies of Islam have been trying to belittle Islam but they never dared to answer the challenge, in spite of repeated attempts made by the most celebrated scholars and men of letters, jointly and severally.

In what respect is the Quran an unchallengable miracle? How is it the proof of its own truthfulness? Several views have been put forward by both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars.

(1) Eloquence and rhetorical excellence.

(2) Prophecies.

(3) Precepts and laws.

(4) Effect of its forceful and fascinating tone on the human mind and heart.

Abu Turab - The father of the earth.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The threat of making the disbelievers and hypocrites the fuel of the fire (hell) is real. The faith in Allah as the creator and the law-giver, and the belief in the hereafter wherein every individual will be rewarded in proportion to his obedience, or will be punished because of his disobedience to the divine law, are the two essential principles of Islam. It is downright dishonesty to interpret the fire as the miseries, torments, discomforts and calamities of the life in this world. This attribution of giving fanciful meanings, unsupported by the Quran or the sayings of the Holy Prophet, betrays the materialistic bias of such interpreters who do not agree that there is a real existence beyond this world.

Sayfullah - The sword of Allah.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The expression that the heavenly fruits, which the believers will enjoy, are similar, in taste, to that which they were familiar with, shows the continuity of the human consciousness and memory of the experiences in the life of this world; otherwise there is no sense in the concept of reward or punishment. The emphasis on the continuance of consciousness by Islam is to make man guard against evil. The theory of Karma (transmigration), advanced by the Vedantic school, states that man loses the consciousness and memory of the experiences of his previous life as soon as he dies and takes another form of life. This theory is of no use to man as it does not stimulate him to do good or avoid evildoing.

The rewards, mentioned in this verse, are obtainable through a creative power bestowed upon the faithful who win the pleasure of Allah by doing good and avoiding evil, in love of the creator. Azwaj means spouses, husbands or wives. Men will have women and women will have men as their mates.

This verse through wa hum fiha khalidun declares that the reward to the virtuous and the punishment to the wicked shall continue for ever.

Ba of Bismillah - The essence of the Quran.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Mawla - The Lord-Master.

It is not surprising that, throughout the centuries, the Muslims, in every age, in every place, never address any one as "Mawla" except Allah, Muhammad and Ali, though some restrict it to Allah alone, but whoso includes the Holy Prophet has to have Ali as the part of the sacred whole, in view of the Prophet's announcement "man kuntu Mawla fa hadha Aliyyun Mawla" at Ghadir Khum. So it is common among the Muslims to call out Muhammad and Ali as "Mawla"

The wisdom of Ali in the form of lectures and discourses is available to mankind in the "Nahj al Balagha". It is a book, considered in style and substance, next to the Quran, by all those Muslim and non-Muslim scholars who have studied these two books in depth.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Which covenant?

Every soul, before coming into this world, makes a promise with the Lord that it will exist only to fulfil the will of the Lord, and never shall rebel against His authority, known as the original or the latent covenant. The second or the manifest covenant is that which an individual agrees to be bound by when he or she embraces Islam, which, in fact, is a surrender of the self to the will of Allah.

The covenant referred to here is that by which the believers bound themselves before Allah through

the Holy Prophet at Ghadir Khum when the verse 67 of al Ma-idah was revealed. Every believer accepted the declaration of the messenger of Allah that of whomsoever the Holy Prophet was the lord-master, Ali son of Abu Talib was also his lord-master. After the unanimous undertaking of the believers, the following verse was revealed.

Therefore, fulfilment of the covenant made with Allah is demanded in verses 20, 21 and 25 of al Rad, so that after the departure of the Holy Prophet, the believers might not follow any other person save Ali ibna abi Talib, who alone was declared worthy and able to carry out the mission of Islam, as the lawful authority (lord-master), in the absence of the Holy Prophet.

The declaration was not a mere fancy of the Holy Prophet to honour Ali, but in compliance with Allah's command to save the followers of Islam from yielding to those who make mischief in the earth and spread corruption in the garb of religious leaders. According to verse 217 of al Baqarah, mischief is more grievous than carnage. Islam stands for peace and harmony. And when is peace disturbed? Only when anyone wants to have (usurp) something which rightfully is not his.

Islam has prescribed a well-knit structure of human relationship to maintain peace and harmony in the society. In addition to various aspects of human relations, Allah has, with a purpose in view, made it obligatory for the believers to know and adhere to the relationship prescribed between them and the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt. To avoid the overwhelming delusions of falsehood it is essential to accept the authority of the Holy Prophet, Ali ibna abi Talib, and the divinely commissioned rightly guided guides, in his progeny.

This verse applies to everyone who opposes the divinely established authority of imamat (the guidance through the holy Imams) immediately succeeding the risalat (the prophethood of the Holy Prophet) which is the covenant every faithful adherent of Islam has to make good.

True knowledge about Allah is the basis of the faith. The whole system of religion is a natural consequence of that generative factor. The most practical method of acquiring this knowledge is to observe and contemplate on the creation before our eyes, as repeatedly advised by the Quran, known to the modern world as scientific, proceeding from the concrete to the abstract.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The human ego, which was not as it is now - a conscious self - is addressed here. The previous state is termed as "being dead". "Giving life" is the present conscious state. The departure of the conscious self from the body is death. The state after this departure is revivification. It is a continuous evolutionary transformation of a conscious self upto the communion with the infinite, not in the sense of annihilation, nor the absorption of the finite into the infinite, but in the sense of the realisation of the fact that nothing is real save Allah.

After departing from one life to live another life, the pain or pleasure in the succeeding life is the result of the mode of life adopted in the preceding life. Therefore the return is for the final retribution.

The Holy Prophet said:

In Arabic language, according to Lisanul kitab, sab-a is used (in addition to denote number seven) to say seven or more, several or many. Therefore, the seven heavens mentioned in this verse may mean a large number of heavens.

What we see above is sama. Raghib Isphani says that every sama is a heaven in relation to what is beneath it.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

To understand this verse the following explanations should be carefully studied:

ANGELS

Angels, according to the Quran, are finite creatures, devoid of substance, in the sense of matter, therefore, imperceptible by our senses.

An Ahmadi commentator describes the angels as energy without any freedom of will and consciousness, which proves untrue in view of the reply the angels gave to Allah's declaration about His will to send a khalifa on the earth. It means that the angels have been endowed with freedom of will to give expression to their views whenever they choose to do so, and that they are liable to err, because Allah told them that they did not know what Allah knew when they made known their opinion.

In whatever manner created and wherever found, the angels, finite creatures of light, endowed with consciousness and intelligence, act to fulfil the divine plan. They take any physical form (except pigs, dogs and other base animals) to become visible to human vision, but belong to the celestial realm.

JINN

Jinn are also conscious beings. Angels are made of light, therefore, on account of their illuminating gracious nature only good comes out from them. Jinn are made of fire, therefore, more often than not, evil is associated with them. They can also take any physical form, including debased animals. The word mala-ik is derived from the Arabic malk, not from the Hebrew root alaka. The meaning of malk, mulk, milk and malakut is possession, which is also ownership or holding. The holding authority is malik or maalik or malak, who is also the owner or the sovereign, exclusively used by the Quran to refer to Allah. The whole universe is milk or mulk and the holder is the absolute owner, Allah. Between the absolute owner and the held mulk there are dominions over which the intermediary authorities exercise control, with Allah's consent, in relation to the dominion above them. Each of these dominions is termed as malakut and each holding authority is called malak. The pagans worship these mala-ik, under misconceived conclusion, as the independent authorities, either the sons or the daughters of the absolute authority, who can speak or advocate on their behalf to the king of kings. It is because they do not have the insight, or true guidance, to view the spiritual world, as pointed out by verses 26 to 31 of al Najm.

Allah alone holds the authority. No interceding authority shall be accepted by Him, save those to whom He Himself has delegated the authority, according to verse 87 of Maryam and such other verses in the Quran.

Therefore worship of no one is acceptable, in Islam, save the worship of Allah.

KHALIFA

The literal meaning of khalaf is to come after, follow, succeed etcetera. In this verse it has been used in the sense of succeeding, in fact, representing Allah on the earth, to exercise His authority in terms of "reacting" to His will, as His vicegerent. This is the basis of prophethood. Some schools of thought hold the view that reason and intellect, at the disposal of man, are enough to represent Allah, and there is no need of the delegation of authority. In this verse however the necessity of a vicegerent of Allah on the earth has been conclusively proved, appointment of whom cannot and shall not be made by any one save Allah. Khalifatullah, the representative of Allah, is he whom Allah Himself delegates His authority.

(AN-AM 89 and 90)

Neither the consensus of public opinion, nor a group, nor an individual has the right to represent the will of Allah. Even the prophets or the angels did not have the right to say anything in the matter of appointment of the khalifa. Allah does not allow any one to interfere with the execution of His will, nor can any one question Him. Here and in many other places, dealing with the delegation of authority, it has been asserted that His will and choice is not arbitrary but is always based on the recognition of merit. Adam was appointed as His vicegerent, in preference to the angels, on the merit of possessing the knowledge which they did not have. According to verse 124 of al Baqarah Allah appointed prophet Ibrahim as the Imam after He had tried Ibrahim with a number of things which he fulfilled, with the clear provision that although there would be Imams in his progeny, but those who were unjust would not receive this authority. In verse 947 of al Baqarah, Saul is appointed as an authority over the people because of his wisdom and strength, in preference to those who claimed to be more worthy than him on account of their worldly position. In verses 17 to 25 of al Sad, Allah appoints Dawud as His vicegerent on the merit of wisdom, power of judgement and obedience to Allah's will.

The most important qualifications, mentioned in the Quran, are given below:

(i) Untiring and continuous remembrance of Allah, with no drift or diversion under any type

of circumstance.

(ii) Never giving in to the demands motivated by self-oriented interests.

3. Following only the divine revelations.
1. Being the first and the foremost in establishing and carrying out every virtue to the point of perfection.

(v) Awareness and wisdom of all laws (physical and moral) made by Allah, and their operation, so as not to make any mistakes; and for this awareness received no guidance or education from any one save Allah.

(vi) No type of adversity, crisis or temptation should affect the tranquillity of the mind and the heart, described as sakinah in the Quran.

(vii) The purity of birth, character and conduct because of which they are the most honoured with Allah (Hujurat:13), the foremost in faith and virtue, in receiving the rewards, and in their nearness to Allah (Waqi-ah:10,11).

(viii) Ruling over the people with justice as pointed out in verse 26 of al Sad.

Keeping in view the above-noted qualities, Allah, in verses 33 and 34 of Ali Imran, says that He had, on account of certain basic qualities, chosen Adam, Nuh, the descendants of Ibrahim and Imran and the Holy Prophet, the descendant of Ibrahim through Isma-il. The Quran does not advocate hereditary rights of succession but asserts that this lineage had a distinctive divine peculiarity for which they had been chosen as vicegerents of Allah. The reason for bestowing this privilege on the descendants of Ibrahim is known to Allah only, because as said by Allah in the event of appointing Adam as khalifa, He knows that which His creatures do not know. We must accept the limitations of our knowledge and glorify the grace and justice of Allah.

The above-noted verse refers to the Holy Prophet as the last prophet in the lineage of prophet Ibrahim.

The vicegerency of Allah did not come to an end after the Holy Prophet. It continued. In verse 77 of Bani Israil the almighty Allah says:

So it is confirmed that there is no change or modification in the principle and the method of appointing His vicegerent. In verse 55 of al Nur it is further made clear that the vicegerency continues after the Holy Prophet in the same way and manner as was in vogue before him. According to verses 31 and 32 of Fatir the holy book, in completed form, was given in inheritance to those servants of Allah whom He had selected. They belong to the children of Ibrahim excluding those who were zalimin, unjust, meaning those who, at any time in their lives, had worshipped a ghayr-allah (other than Allah). A careful study of "the essentials for the readers of the Quran", page 1 to 7, and the commentary of verse 2 of this surah makes it clear that Ali ibna abi Talib was the true vicegerent of Allah, appointed by Allah and His Holy Prophet.

The Holy Prophet was the perfector of Adam's mission of khalifatullah on the earth and the executor of the final will of the Lord of the worlds. Therefore his khalifa was also chosen and appointed by Allah to carry out the responsibilities of the divine office. The choice was not left to the fancy of the people, nor was any consultation needed. Inni ja-ilun fil ardi khalifah is an open declaration of His will and decision. Likewise the successor of the Holy Prophet could neither be chosen by the companions nor by the Holy Prophet himself. From the "feast of the near relations" to the event of "Ghadir Khum", narrated in detail on page 6 on the authority of well-known Muslim scholars, it was the will and command of Allah which the Holy Prophet had carried out.

History also testifies to the fact that on all occasions, it was Ali who came forward to meet the challenge, and proved his qualities for the entitlement to the divine office of vicegerency, although all the companions had equal opportunities to rise to the occasion.

After the conclusion and the termination of the office of prophethood, the infinite mercy of the merciful Lord did not leave mankind to go astray, misled by false leaders who usurped temporal authority, but commanded the Holy Prophet to declare the vicegerency of Ali and his progeny (the twelve Imams). The Holy Prophet, therefore, appointed Ali ibna abi Talib as his and Allah's khalifa on the earth.

Now the people have the freedom of choice either to follow the divinely chosen Imams or run after the self-appointed false leaders.

(DAHR: 3)

In addition to that which has been stated on pages 1 to 7 there are countless merits and qualifications of Ali ibna abi Talib, mentioned and discussed on the authority of well-known Muslim scholars, in several publications like "The Right Path", "Peshawar Nights" and other books which can be studied to know the truth. It is not possible to refer to all these here. In the commentary of other verses of the Quran, his merits have been mentioned and discussed. They also give conclusive answers to the point of view of those who say that after the Holy Prophet, the authority for the application of divine legislation has been delegated by Allah to the faithful followers of Islam in general, therefore, every Muslim is the vicegerent of Allah, to exercise His authority according to the book and the sunnah of the Holy Prophet. The reference to the book of Allah and the sunnah (doings and sayings) of the Holy Prophet, for the sake of justifying their conduct after the Holy Prophet, appears self-defeating and contradictory, when these two agencies (they purport to follow), as explained above and at many suitable occasions in this book, have irrefutably established the vicegerency of Ali and his progeny, which only the followers of "Muhammad and Ali Muhammad" faithfully accept and follow.

ADAM

While talking about the creation of Adam the appearance of visible form (matter) in the "arc of ascent" must be reviewed. Matter, in its primitive mode of being, carries the potentiality to develop into various forms - minerals, vegetables, animals and human beings. The capability of matter to give form to different species is determined by the "unlike in nature" potency of its elements or components. Earth, a product of matter, carried the capacity to bring some of its elements to a more advanced and highly organised body of a human being. Likewise its other components could develop other animate or inanimate objects. In form and substance each individual human being differs from the other. It is on account of the diversity in the potentiality of the components of the matter.

The development in the "arc of ascent" was gradual. The graduality (in time) is motion. Motion is the transfer of potentiality into actuality.

(NUH: 14 and 17)

According to the following verses of the Quran man is made of the finest essence of the matter.

(HIJR: 26)

(MUMINUN: 1 2)

The distinctive aspects of each of the beings in the "arc of ascent" are reflections of the corresponding beings in the "arc of descent". Those angels who administer the development of the animal life belong to a higher order compared to those angels who control the development of the plant life. The human spirit (ruh) is the reflection emanated directly from the absolute (min ruhi), according to verse 29 of al Hijr. It does not mean separation because the absolute is indivisible. It refers to His direct attention or command. The other beings in the "arc of ascent" are also the reflections of His attention or command but through angelic medium.

Tinat (nature or disposition) is the extract of the total skill or worth in the matter under Allah's direct attention. The spirit, also referred to as "I", is the reflection of the divine command or attention referred to as min ruhi- My spirit, by Allah, but conditioned by its tinat. Ruh may be one but the reflections may be many and may differ in reflecting that which they have received. The total energy in the "arc of descent" conditions the tinat in its primitive stage, after which its developed state reflects the divine spirit. These two factors ruh and tinat constitute the creation of man. Through this evolutionary movement, from the

potential state to the actual form, as the Quran says, man in particular and all other species in general, have been developed from their respective origins which carry their respective potentialities.

Ruh, according to the Quran and the Holy Prophet's sayings refers to that which proceeds from the absolute through the "arc of descent". The nafs (soul, ego or self) is the corresponding reflection or the reaction in the "arc of ascent". As this reflection is conditioned by the tinat, it cannot have any existence prior to the development of the tinat. On the contrary, the ruh or the corresponding action in the arc of descent has its existence prior to the reflection in the arc of ascent. If the reference is to the radiation or the acting source in the "arc of descent", it exists before the body, and is eternal with the eternity of the source. If the reference is made to the reflection (human ego, or self) it comes into being after the formation of the tinat. Therefore, the nafs of each individual is developed after the preparation of the body. It depends on the matter for its development but becomes independent in the process of growth. The ruh exists independently before the matter and remains so, for ever. It, the ruh, never joins the matter and never becomes dependent on it. It acts on the matter. The nafs, with no prior existence as it is only a reaction of the ruh, acts through the body, and when it develops into a state, free from the influence of matter, the ruh operates and makes it independent. Thereafter it neither deteriorates nor becomes dependent again. Through progress and development into a higher state of spirituality, passive matter reaches the condition of a conscious active form.

It is not true that the body is blind and the soul is light, and, joined together, they help each other temporarily, but after separation each remains as before, devoid of any progress and development, as the theory of transmigration tries to make man believe.

That which the Quran says about the creation of man and other species is true beyond any doubt. It negates the theory of the evolution of all species from one origin, and the affinity between the protoplasm of all the species, describing the variation as a secondary stage caused by the external factors - heredity, environment, struggle for existence, natural selection, survival of the fittest. Its detailed analysis is not possible here but it is enough to state that the protoplasm of each species is of a peculiar and different design. The variation is in the protoplasm itself and not due to the external factors in its development.

ALLAH'S ANNOUNCEMENT

The angels as conscious beings are the intermediary agents in the process of development and administration of the physical world, operating under the laws of cause and effect; therefore, Allah informed them about the creation of Adam, a new phase, and says:

It was in the knowledge of the angels that struggle and conflict among the living beings in the pre-Adam period brought about bloodshed and destruction. Many a religious school confirms that there were semi-men, jinn and demons (afrit) before the advent of Adam, on the earth. According to some traditions they were living beings of furious nature and fiery temperament, devoid of intellect, reasoning and contemplation, fighting each other for survival. The angels who always worship Allah and carry out His orders presumed that Adam would also be like the above noted creatures. Allah rightly points out their ignorance about the excellence of the vicegerency He has bestowed upon Adam.

NAMES

Angels are obedient beings. There is no "becoming" (change) in the angelic sphere. Each of them has a fixed status to carry out a particular function. Man, on the other hand, made of matter, endowed with vast potentialities and scope for progress and development, is more fit to reflect or to react to the various aspects of the higher will. The potentiality of matter reveals itself in many forms, but it is only through the organism of man that its highly refined potentiality develops into intellect, reason and contemplation, the essential requirements for wisdom and knowledge. According to verse 75 of Sad, Allah has created Adam with His two hands, matter and spirit, which gives man the distinctive power of expression, termed as biyan by the Quran. This expressive power is related to His vicegerency, because the vicegerent, as the representative of the principal, gives expression to His will and command. The higher the ability of recepiency and the reflective power, the greater will be the scope and canvas of representation. It is on this basis that all the messengers and prophets of Allah will be standing under the standard of the Holy Prophet, which will be in the hand of Ali, on the day of resurrection.

The names Adam learned from Allah were not in the knowledge of the angels, because these names did not refer to the phenomena known to them. The hum of aradahum does not refer to the "names" but to the "named", and as a plural term cannot be used for Allah, therefore, it cancels the possibility of interpreting these names as the names of Allah. When reference is made in Arabic to several objects of inanimate nature, a singular feminine pronoun is used, but when the objects are conscious beings, a plural masculine pronoun is used, as done here through aradahum, to point out the "named ones". If the object referred to is inanimate, the singular feminine pronoun, tilka or hadhihi should have been used. Here the personal demonstrative pronoun refers to the conscious beings of a superior-most status, knowledge of whose names entitled Adam to the vicegerency of Allah. Thus the existence of the beings of the highest status has been established. Due to the affinity between Adam and these highest beings (alin), he was capable to function as the medium of their manifestation. Verse 4 of al Tin says that the status of man, in the order of creation, is the highest in excellence. The alin, the highest beings, referred to in this verse, are the most perfect and the most blessed human beings, for whose manifestation in the arc of ascent, Adam was chosen. Till then the names of the highest beings along with the insight and vision of their realities, their latent qualities and inherent endowments were unknown to the angels.

Through Adam the angels became acquainted with the glory of the glorious beings. When Adam, at the command of Allah, stated the names, qualities and symbols of those highest beings whose collective and comprehensive status can be termed as wisdom personified, the angels witnessed the glory of the infinite power and wisdom of the Lord that could create such perfect beings of the highest calibre, in substance as well as in style, like of whom they did not know till then.

In Durr Manthur, Jalaluddin Sayuti says that the Holy Prophet had said: "The objects shown to the angels were five lights. Allah informed the angels pointing to each of the lights respectively:

O angels! It is in love of these five that I have created the universe."

It becomes a logical conclusion that since Allah willed these five lights of glory to be manifested through Adam, he had been appointed as the khalifa of Allah, and through these lights Allah's light had been destined to be manifested.

As Allah is aware of all the "unseen" in the universe, He knew that the angels secretly thought themselves more deserving than Adam to be chosen as Allah's khalifa. After seeing the glory of the five lights, endowed in the seed of Adam, they accepted their ignorance and submitted to Allah's decision.

Satisfied with the proof of the absolute wisdom and mercy of Allah, the angels prostrated themselves before Adam, as ordered by Allah, and acknowledged the superiority of the khalifa of Allah. Iblis, jinn, as described by verse 50 of al Kahf, overcome with grief and despair, under the burden of arrogance (kabar), refused to come into the camp of knowledge and mercy surrounded by iman. According to this verse, prostration (sajdah) by one created being, in order to pay homage and accept superiority of another created being, is permissible. The sajdah of total submission and unconditional surrender is for the creator only.

With his opposite and complementary companion, Hawwa, the woman, Adam, the man was given the garden to dwell in, unrestrained. Only a tree was out of bounds.

According to many a tradition, it was not the perpetual heavenly garden. The garden referred to here was an area of expansion, comfort and ease, everything that was needed and desired was available without toil and effort. The out of bound tree is the symbol of temptation, covetousness, envy and greed. Imam Ali bin Musa al Rida says:

Imam Ali bin Husayn says:

The command of Allah was not to go near the tree. Eating the fruit of the tree was not definitely forbidden.

Adam was endowed with infinite potentiality to reach the ultimate through rational thinking and be able to discriminate and choose. Shaytan, the furious and the fiery, obstinate and perverse, devoid of iman, became an enemy of Adam. The stimulating warning of the divine command "not to go near the tree" awakened Adam's latent ambition to march unto those "highest beings" whose status Allah had shown him. To begin this journey, Adam, in a way, apparently gave Shaytan the opportunity to use his guile and rebellious energy in order to take advantage of the situation and get even with his adversary who caused his downfall. Adam and Hawwa slipped out of the condition of peace and contentment into the realm of struggle where peace and conflict, love and hate, and such opposites are at full play. Thereafter the two opposite groups faced each other. It was a conflict between good and evil, right and wrong. Ihbitu, also used in verse 61 of al Baqarah, means a change from the easy life of joy and happiness to the life of toil, suffering and misery.

There was no chance of going back to the dwelling of joy and happiness. They were at the mercy of the Lord. They turned repentant unto Allah. The merciful and oft-forgiving Lord blessed Adam with the most extraordinary words of prayer through which Adam, and after him any one in his progeny (mankind), could invoke the mercy of the Lord. These were the holy names of those highest beings whom Allah had already introduced to Adam. So the oft-forgiving merciful Lord took Adam and his wife under His mercy when they invoked Him through these names.

Now to enter the real paradise, going back to the land of eternal bliss, man must use his intelligence, and make a choice of the right path shown by Allah through the guidance He has made available to man in this world of opposite forces. This guidance was already shown to Adam, which he disclosed to the angels who prostrated themselves immediately, but Shaytan refused to follow it. He is here, till the human beings dwell in this world, to lead man astray from the true guidance Allah has made available through His last prophet Muhammad and the divinely commissioned Imams. Those who follow these divinely chosen guides shall walk on the right path, will be safe from fear and grief, and earn the right to enter the heavenly garden.

The literal meaning of ayat is sign. Every verse of the Quran is a sign (ayat) because it draws the attention of the reader to its meaning. But Allah's signs, in the perfect sense, are those beings whose holy personalities draw the attention of the human beings to the glory of Allah. Every prophet of Allah, during his time, was a sign of Allah, and the Holy Prophet, the Twelve Imams and Bibi Fatimah are the conclusive signs of Allah. Allah gives a fair warning to those who, under the influence of the eternal enemy of man, Shaytan, go astray from the right path, the path of "Muhammad and Ali Muhammad", that their abode will be the fire.

REVIEW OF VERSES 30 TO 39

The term "Adam", in the Quran, refers to the first man who came out of a state of ease and comfort to make effort and reach the ultimate excellence. In this journey, within the sphere of time and space, he, as the most well-equipped creature among all the created beings, has, at his disposal, divine guidance, to fight and overcome the obstacles and evil of satanic forces. Prior to the advent of Adam, life on earth for the living beings had no other meaning except to struggle for survival. Adam gave a new significance to life on earth. Man was given the knowledge to learn how to choose between good and evil, right and wrong. Through this knowledge his conscience directed him what to do and what not to do, to adopt harmony and to avoid discord. As Adam came out of the earthly paradise, blessed with the divine guidance, he, due to the potentiality he carried in himself, aspired for the ultimate good, by using all his faculties to curb the drift unto greed, lust, hatred, anger etcetera and walk on the right path.

The Holy Prophet says:

Man is originally sinless. The evil takes roots in him through external factors. Therefore, the Christian theory of "original sin" has no place in the interpretation of the history of Adam by the Quran. The approaching to the out-of-bounds tree, when he was in the earthly paradise, was prior to his coming into this world, therefore, on account of his record, after shouldering the responsibility of the vicegerency of Allah on the earth, he is clean and sinless.

According to the traditions of Muhammad and Ali Muhammad there were several Adams, which indicate that there may be several worlds like ours. The symbolic value of the advent of Adam is applicable to human life because man is born in the paradise of ease and comfort, and as a child is pure and free from the responsibility of making efforts to fulfil his wants. As he grows to maturity, he has to make use of his faculties to get what he used to have without effort. The sense of duty and responsibility, and the consciousness of good and evil prepare him to fight against satanic forces working against him. It is not possible for him to get out of the trouble caused by the conflicting desires and satanic temptations unless he turns towards the ultimate reality as the sole object of his life. It gives him peace and tranquillity, saves him from fear and grief, does not let him fall from the state of humanity to the state of animal nature. To reach the ultimate reality it is essential to know the holy names because of whom Adam was blessed and forgiven. In these holy persons the divine vicegerency reached its destination. They are Muhammad (Nabuwwat), and his Ahl ul Bayt (Imamat).

In view of the creation of man, his responsibilities to the creator and to the institution of divine vicegerency and its continuity on earth till the day of resurrection, as a covenant between "man and God", and the submission to the universal will of the absolute, as the law governing all aspects of his life, it is necessary to point out a few guiding factors to have a clear understanding about the beginning and development of the prophetic mission.

Allah, who alone knows everything, has reserved the right of the appointment of the vicegerent with Himself.

The appointment is not an arbitrary act of choosing but the vicegerent is selected on merit after the test of inherent excellence.

The created beings, be they angels or prophets, have no right or say in the appointment of the vicegerent. The essential imperative is the knowledge of the holy names which alone help the candidate for the vicegerency to cross terrestrial barriers and reach the glorious heavenly heights in order to establish communion with the universal grace and will of the almighty Lord, as has been observed in the case of Adam.

Adam conveyed the appointment of Shith, his son, as the vicegerent of Allah to his other children, but a large number of his sons opposed this declaration. The tendency of the majority to revolt against the declared will of Allah is on record, as mentioned in the Quran, throughout the history of the appointments of the prophets of Allah - Nuh, Sam, Ibrahim, Is-haq, Isma-il, Yaqub, Yusuf, Musa, Talut, Dawud, and Isa.

The declarations of Musa, and other prophets after him, about the advent of Isa, llyas and the "promised prophet" in the progeny of Isma-il and the "twelve princes" succeeding him, were opposed tooth and nail by the Jews. The pagan Romans, instigated by the Jews, executed Yahya and put Isa on the cross, but Allah raised him to heaven. Isa announced the coming of the "Paraclete" (Muhammad or Ahmed) before he left this world.

(The Book of John).

Isa had appointed Simon as his successor and as the rock of divinity on whom the edifice of the faith will be based, but Paul opposed him. To make people discard Simon, Paul claimed the appearance of Isa in his vision, and by accommodating the pagan cult of the Romans he corrupted the true faith and established the orthodox Christian Church.

The Holy Prophet, on several occasions, appointed Ali ibna abi Talib as his successor and vicegerent, in compliance with the commands of Allah. Some of the important traditions and the verses of the Quran which make clear and confirm the vicegerency of Ali ibna abi Talib have been mentioned in the "Essentials for the readers of the Quran" (page 1 to 7), and in the commentary of verses 2 and 30 to 39 of this surah. From his birth in the holy Kabah to the "tradition of qartas", there are several events and occasions, recorded by well-known Muslim scholars in many books of history, traditions and commentaries (mentioned in the commentary of relevant verses in this book) which can be referred to for arriving at the conclusion that in his own right and on the basis of his matchless merits, he alone was the divinely chosen vicegerent to succeed the Holy Prophet.

Some of the titles of Ali ibna abi Talib, which are exclusively his, are given below:

1. Mawlud Kabah - Born in the house of Allah.
2. Nafs al Rasul - The "self" of the messenger.
3. Kullu Iman - The total faith.
4. La Fata - The hero who has no equal.
5. Karrar Ghayra Farrar - The unconquerable attacker who never runs away from the battlefield.
6. Bab al Ilm - The gateway to wisdom.
7. Al Murtada - The chosen (by Allah).
8. Amir al Muminin - The commander of the faithful.
9. Imam al Muttaqin - The leader of the pious.
10. Mazhar al Aja-ib The manifestor of wonders.
11. Imam al Awliya - The original source of the friends of Allah who seek His closest nearness.
12. Sayyid al Awsiya - The chief (or the first) of the successors of the Holy Prophet.

The Bani Israil are reminded to be faithful to their covenant with Allah.

(Deut 26: 16 and 17)

And Allah would fulfil His covenant with the Bani Israil. Musa said:

(Deut 18: 5)

(Deut 1 8: 1 8, 1 9)

The Holy Prophet was the promised prophet.

To say that Isa was the promised Prophet is a false claim by the Christian Church because Isa himself said:

(John 16: 7 to 14)

(Acts 3: 22 to 25)

(The Book of John)

Isa himself never claimed to have come in the fulfilment of the prophecy about the advent of the promised prophet, nor any other prophet, after him did so, except the Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustafa. In view of these undeniable facts the Christian Church had no alternative but to give currency to the belief in the second advent of Isa. Musa and Muhammad were the law-givers, whereas Isa was the follower of the laws preached by Musa. Therefore, the phrase "like you" applies to Muhammad, not to Isa.

Similarities between Muhammad and Musa are many. No two prophets, in historical background, resembled each other more than these two. It must also be noted that Allah helped and protected Musa through his brother Harun and Muhammad through his brother Ali.

Reference has been made here to the covenant taken from the Bani Israil to believe in the Holy Prophet and walk in the way of the Lord. The Holy Prophet rightly claimed to be the promised prophet.

The Bani Israil are exhorted, in this verse, to believe in the Quran, which verifies Tawrat and Injil, particularly about the fulfilment of the prophecy about the advent of the promised prophet, Muhammad al Mustafa, as explained above.

It refers to the scriptures, revealed prior to the Quran, which had been profusely tampered with, restyled and disguised by the Christians. Many rabbis knew the true text of the scriptures in the time of the Holy Prophet but concealed the truth, and when a few less careful, now and then, quoted them as mentioned in verse 76 of this surah they were rebuked for giving secret information to the Muslims.

Due to the system of optional asceticism among the Jews and the Christians, only a very few could adopt the life of piety and devotion (essential for a human being to be initiated into the realm of spiritual bliss), leaving the rest of the majority of the people to sink deep into hypocritical ritual practices. Islam, on the other hand, educates every human being, through salat, to keep their involvement with the material gains and enjoyment at a reasonable level and give sufficient time to the worship of Allah in order to reach the heights of spiritual glory, which in fact is the purpose of existence in this world. As explained in the commentary of verse 3 of this surah, salat has been made obligatory for all believers because, on account of its style and substance, man gets rid of pride and arrogance. Zakat, giving in the way of Allah, has also been dealt with in detail therein. These injunctions make every man join the stream of worshippers and seekers of nearness to the ultimate truth.

It is essential to create in-built discipline through reason, and then, as a model, advise others to do good, otherwise empty advice is likely to be ineffective .

Wasta-inu (seek help) applies to worldly as well as spiritual matters as stated in verse 5 of al Fatihah. Sabr (patience) and salat (prayer) curb vain desires, pride and self-indulgence and lead to humility, acceptance and obedience. The Arabic word sabr has many shades of implied suggestions - willingness to endure, submission, self-control, serenity, poise, and ability to continue. Salat has been explained in verse 3 of this surah. To liberate the human ego from the clutches of the excessive attachment to bodily wants and material success, a refined discipline has to be built through subordinating the body to the control of the spiritual energy, otherwise mere formal rituals and recitation of chants and charms do not help man to rise above the level of animal life, as has been shown by Ali ibna abi Talib. The whole world bears witness to the fact that in wisdom, spiritual achievements, and bodily strength there is no one who can be compared with him. He stands high and above in the select company of the most devoted servants of Allah. The lives of the Holy Prophet, Bibi Fatimah, his daughter and the Holy Imams is a brilliant light which throws light on the path to be followed by the sincere faithful who seek assistance (wasta-inu) to build up the balanced character mentioned above, and referred to in this verse. It is reported that whenever the Holy Prophet or any of the holy Imams, or Bibi Fatimah faced any difficulty, they prayed salat and sought Allah's help.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The word liqa (meeting or encounter) has been used in the Quran many times. It is wrong to interpret it as seeing. The theory of the possibility of seeing Allah (ruyat) in this world or in the hereafter assumes the personification of God, which is a fanciful conjecture against the fundamental article of the faith (the absolute unity), therefore, has been rejected by the Holy Quran: "vision perceives Him not" (An-am: 103), and the Holy Prophet and the holy Imams.

Ali ibna abi Talib says:

Therefore, liqa means realisation through insight and not by physical vision.

Aqa Mahdi Pooya says:

On the day of resurrection absolute justice will prevail. The chosen people also will be judged in view of their actions.

If "nor shall intercession be accepted" is not understood by knowing its particular use in this verse, and by making reference to other verses of the Quran in this connection, every ordinary reader comes to a wrong conclusion.

Allah has prescribed for Himself mercy (An-am: 12 and 54), and says in verse 87 of Yusuf that verily, none despairs of Allah's mercy save disbelieving people. The just Allah is also the merciful Lord. His mercy conditions His justice.

The verses, which make certain that in the divine scheme of reward and punishment the "institution" of intercession has been firmly established, are quoted below:

(BAQARAH: 255)

(MARYAM: 87)

(TAHA: 109)

(YUNUS: 3)

There are several such verses in the Quran which prove untrue the theory of non-availability of intercession propagated by a misguided school of thought among the Muslims.

The Holy Prophet and the thoroughly purified Imams (Ahzab: 33) are those upon whom Allah has bestowed (an-amta alayhim - Fatihah :7) the power of intercession.

The word shafa (to pair or to join a thing to its like) is the root of shafa-at, which means intercession. It can be favourable or unfavourable, as per verse 85 of al Nisa. It signifies the loving attachment of a person with his ideal or model whom he follows. On the day of judgement the wicked and the virtuous will be separated, therefore, it will be a day of pairing of the souls according to their affinity and attachment in this world - "remember the day when We will summon every people with their Imam (leader)", says verse 71 of Bani Israil.

The inadmissibility of intercession here is in the case of those who not only do not avoid evil but make a choice of wickedness as their mode of life; which is the direct result of their wilful rejection of the path of the thoroughly purified, adherence to whose guidance would have saved them from eternal damnation.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The word yawm, in this verse, refers to the life of the hereafter which includes the term of life beginning with the departure of the soul till the final resurrection. In some verses of the Quran it is said that every human being will undergo a trial on the day of final resurrection as an individual, whereas some other verses suggest groups of people, along with their leaders, will come before the Lord. According to some verses the wicked will be condemned without being permitted to put forward their lame excuses, whereas other state that some of the wicked will accuse their leaders for misleading them. There is no contradiction. In fact there are several varying stages in the intermediary period as well as in the final phase. The examination of every soul according to its individual deeds may differ from the accountability of its social behaviour. A man may be condemned as an individual but on account of his attachment to the divinely chosen wasilah (support and influence), he may be redeemed. The Quran, in many places, asserts the effectiveness of intercession, therefore, the negation here either refers to a particular condition or to the fact that no intercession offered by a soul on its own behalf shall be accepted. Only those who have been authorised by Allah shall have the right to intercede.

Specifically, this verse reminds the Bani Israil of the miseries the Fir-awns inflicted upon them and how they were saved. In general, it is a reminder to all who have been saved from past afflictions and given the knowledge of wisdom arising from such circumstances. The details of their sorry plight under the Fir-awns have been given in the old testament:

(Exodus 1: 13 to 16)

Allah kept them safe from the King's designs:

(Exodus-1: 17 to 20)

The cleaving of the (Red) sea was a real occurrence. In this way Allah saved the Bani Israil because at that time they were in submission to the truth.

A detailed account of the event is given in the old testament. Please refer to Exodus 14: 1 to 31.

To escape from the pursuing Fir-awn and his army Musa and his followers reached the Red Sea. Fir-awn was almost upon them when the Jews looked up and saw the Egyptians close behind. Then Allah commanded Musa to strike the water with his rod, as there were no boats to carry them across the sea. Musa did as was told. A dry path appeared. They easily reached the other side After their crossing

Fir-awn with his army followed the same path but in midway the water in the sea again began to flow and the pursuing enemy was drowned, while the Bani Israil were watching from the shore. Also refer to verse 90 of Yunus.

Since a self-appointed prophet, the founder of the Ahmadi school, could not rise above the level of ordinary human beings, he tried to deprive every genuine prophet of Allah of the special honours Allah had bestowed upon His chosen representatives. To him there is no extraordinary (miraculous) aspect in this occurrence. He and his followers do not believe in the divinely endowed spiritual strength of the true prophets of Allah. They say that bahr means a river, not sea (which is not true according to Arabic literature); and that at the time when Musa and his followers crossed, it was shallow, but the army of Firawn was swept away by a tide. In the line of wilful misinterpretation it is forgotten that the tide which saved Musa and his followers from the pursuit of the Firawn's army was a miracle, else how could the coming of tide in shallow waters be justified, unless it is attributed to the will of Allah.

Musa stayed on the mount for forty days after which the law of Tawrat was given to him. He observed fast on all the forty days. According to verse 142 of al Araf the stay was for thirty days, but subsequently the term was extended by ten more days. The delay created doubts in the minds of the Bani Israil about the genuineness of the prophethood of Musa, and unjustly they took up the worship of the calf.

Musa had appointed his brother, Harun, as his successor and deputy, during his absence. Likewise the Holy Prophet, at the time of migrating to Madina from Makka, had chosen Ali to sleep in his bed, during the night of hijrat, and to return the deposits, kept in trust with him, to the owners; commissioned Ali to take charge of the administration in Madina when he went to Tabuk to encounter the enemy; and he had also assigned to Ali the responsibility of delivering al Barat to the people of Makka, because as per the divine command only he or Ali could deliver the divine revelation. "Ali is to me as Harun was to Musa", declared the Holy Prophet. As the people of Musa violated their oath of loyalty to Harun and followed Samayri the magician, the ummah of Muhammad also turned their back upon Ali and pursued their own fancies. In this way the iman of the people was tested, and they were found doing injustice to themselves. As stated in verse 3 of this surah a true believer must believe in the unseen. In view of the limitations of human wisdom, reliance upon the divinely chosen guides is the surest way to the right path. If one does not follow the Holy Prophet and his divinely chosen holy Imams, it is the deviator who suffers the consequences by being unjust to himself because the guides remain independent of the mischief of the deserters.

Gratitude and glorification of Allah are the rewards of submission and recognition of the state of submission. Gratefulness is contentment.

Furqan means that which teaches to distinguish between good and evil or between truth and falsehood. In verse 41 of al Anfal it is used to refer to the mental awakening experienced by the Muslims after the battle of Badr. The Quran is referred to as furqan in verse one of al Furqan.

The outer meaning is that the righteous among the Bani Israil should get rid of the evil ones, the calf-worshippers, even if they were their own beloved kith and kin. It is stated in the Bible that three thousand persons were killed. The inner meaning could be the annihilation of selfishness, pride and other base passions. In any event, as stated here, carrying out Allah's command brings about purity and forgiveness.

As stated in verse 51 of this surah those who sin, in fact, do injustice to themselves, go astray and become poorer by missing the divine mercy.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

A group of seventy (stupid) elders demanded to see Allah and hear His voice, but when the manifestation of the divine glory came on them, they were destroyed (see Araf: 155). The lightning appeared on the demand of the people, therefore, it was not a punishment, and the word mawt refers to cessation of life, not stupor, as the Ahmadi commentator tries to misinterpret this verse. In verse 143 of al Araf wa kharra Musa sa-iqa means Musa fell down senseless, and falamma afaqa means when he recovered, whereas, here, in the case of the elders the word mawt (death or cessation of life) and ba-atha (raising after death) are used.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

"When the Bani Israil departed from Egypt towards the Philistine via the Red Sea, the Lord all the time went before them, by day a pillar of cloud to guide them on their journey, by night a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel night and day." (Exodus 13)

Manna and salwa are two heavenly foods not requiring toil to obtain.

Traditions confirm that there was always a similar pillar of cloud over the head of the Holy Prophet during his journeys to Syria, before he was commissioned to make public his mission of prophethood.

The city mentioned here may be in the land of Canaan according to Numbers 33:52 of the Old Testament.

As commanded by Allah, Musa gave instructions to the Bani Israil to enter the city through its gate prostrating, and saying: "I seek forgiveness of the Lord and turn repentant unto Him", because therein they would live in peace and harmony with plenty of provisions.

The Holy Prophet informed his followers, Muslims, about another city with its gate. He said:

If anyone wants to come into contact with the divinely endowed wisdom of the Holy Prophet, he should first get familiar with Ali not only by building up close attachment with him but also by paying homage to him with expression of reverence. In Tafsir Durr al Manthur, Jalaluddin Suyuti quotes Ali ibna abi Talib:

Those who do good to others get more bounties from Allah.

The Bani Israil changed the saying (hitta - pardon) which had been spoken to them for another saying (hinta-wheat), also mentioned in verses 161 and 162 of al Araf.

Those who unjustly change the word or covenant or command of Allah for something other than the original, are duly punished.

(Number 25: 9)

Those who do not pay attention to the declaration of the Holy Prophet (I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate) suffer spiritual degradation and go astray.

Exodus 17: 1 to 6 narrate that when there was no water for the people to drink Allah asked Musa to take with him some of the elders of Israil and the staff with which he had struck the Red Sea. When Musa struck the rock, water poured out of it. Twelve springs for the twelve tribes of the Bani Israil gushed out from that rock, as each tribe wanted to have a separate spring for its use.

To deny the extraordinary (miraculous) events in the lives of the prophets, the Ahmadi commentator misinterprets this verse. He says that Musa was commanded to walk into the mountains where he found already flowing springs, and wrongly quotes Exodus 5:27 which, in fact, refers to some other occasion when salty water was turned sweet for the Bani Israil. This is plain mischief-making .

Islam prevents man from making mischief and lays stress on peace and harmony.

One sin leads to another. Disobedience at a lower level gradually makes man bold and he begins to exceed the limits until he finally finds himself engulfed into the deep waters of sinfulness, disconnecting all his links with the grace and mercy of the Lord. This is how the Bani Israil became the murderers of the prophets of Allah because they all came with one message:

(Matthew 23: 30)

(Matthew 23: 34 and 35)

Exactly in the same manner, the Muslims neglected the commands of the Holy Prophet about his Ahl ul Bayt. First they ignored the high status of the Ahl ul Bayt and then deprived them of their rights; ultimately they killed the holy Imams one by one. So, those who hear or write or read the accounts of the sufferings of the holy Imams caused by the people, with whom they feel closely associated in one way or the other, and quietly ignore their heinous crimes without expressing dislike, disgust and contempt, should be held responsible for those crimes as if they themselves have committed them. Particularly in the case of Imam Husayn, such persons will stand in the row of the actual murderers on the day of judgement.

Covetous for the material products of the earth, dissatisfied with the heavenly (spiritual) aspects of life, a better nourishment, the Bani Israil fell into abasement and humiliation, because they exchanged that which was better for that which was worse.

To know the behaviour of the Bani Israil, please refer to Numbers 11: 1 to 27 .

Sabeans belonged to Chaldean religion. Their religion was much modified at various times and places by Jewish, Gnostic and Zoroastrian influences, and so there are conflicting accounts of them in various Muslim authors. Star-worship was the distinctive feature of their religion, otherwise they were monotheists.

Before saying that whoever believes in Allah and the last day, and does good, not becoming a Muslim even after Islam has been chosen as the religion of Allah, is entitled to be blessed by Allah, the following verse should be taken into consideration:

(Ali Imran: 85)

And to remove misunderstanding, it should be noted that this verse refers to those Sabeans, Jews and Christians who, as sincere faithful, followed the original teachings of their respective prophets, without ever corrupting the true message, and believing in the prophecy of the advent of Muhammad made known by Musa, Isa and other prophets (see Baqarah: 40), and also those of them who lived in the days of the Holy Prophet but died before the news of his proclamation of the promised prophethood could reach them, because surely they would have come into the fold of Islam if they had known about it. Belief in the unity of Allah and the day of judgement and doing good is the spirit of Islam. This was the religion all the messengers of Allah preached to their people.

The Ahmadi commentator again denies the lifting of the mountain over the Bani Israil, because of his inability to read history in its true perspective, explained in the commentary of verse 56 of this surah. In verse 171 of al Araf the almighty Allah says: "We shook the mountain above them as if it were a covering and they thought that it was going to fall upon them;" therefore, the dishonesty or the lack of good sense in the thinking of the Ahmadi commentator is clearly evident.

"Hold fast" means to be sure of that good which has been bestowed so that certainty becomes second nature; and to remember is to be saved from darkness, loss and agony of non-remembrance. Be firm and aware of what is evil and harmful so that it is avoided.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Sabbath day was reserved exclusively for prayers. To do anything else was forbidden. The people invented crafty methods through which the fish got trapped. In this way they resorted to fishing which was also forbidden on the Sabbath days. In view of their persistent violations in spite of the repeated warnings given by the prophets., they were transformed into apes. After three days all of them died. A powerful wind swept their corpses into the sea. This incident took place in the town of Elah, on the coast of the Red Sea, during the time of prophet Dawud.

This transformation has again been stated in verse 166 of al Araf.

Misinterpreting the Quran, by inappropriately comparing the wording of one passage to the other passages without any grammatical reasoning or the identity of the meaning, is an attempt to confuse the purport of one with the other, which the Holy Prophet has strongly prohibited, and declared that it is as bad as infidelity.

The following wonderful events, which became operative as supernatural phenomena, are narrated in the Quran as the miracles given to Musa to furnish the proof of his prophethood.:

If a man was murdered and the people were unable to trace out the murderer, according to the original law of Musa, 50 men of the suspected tribe had to swear their innocence and ignorance and pay the blood-money to the inheritors of the deceased. When a case like this actually took place the Bani Israil rebelled, argued, doubted and rejected the doctrine of truthful submission and guidance. They insisted that Musa should pray to Allah to reveal the name of the murderer, which Musa was rightly refusing because it was contrary to the divine laws in force. In fact it was a conspiracy to test the prophetic powers of Musa. In answer, Allah commanded them to sacrifice a cow. They were greatly disturbed by this command because under the influence of the heathen ideologies, cows and bulls were held in high veneration. They again started to pester Musa with endless questions. They thought that narrowing down the specification of the cow would result in non-availability of such an animal. Imam Ali bin Musa al Rida has rightly observed that any cow would have been sufficient, but the more the Bani Israil made a fuss, the more did Allah impose restrictions as a punishment to their persistent demands for unnecessary details. Musa, under the divine command, was able to make them purchase the prescribed cow by paying a large sum to a very holy and pious man who owned such a cow. It was a reluctant compliance.

The cow was slain and its tail was put on the sacrum of the dead man. The dead man came to life and pointed out the same man as the murderer, who had raised the cry for his blood-money. The murderer was his nephew. The body was concealed in a nearby village. The Bani Israil, as said above, wanted to test Musa. They were sure that Musa had no means of finding out the murderer to the full satisfaction of the people. The unfolding event proved their limitations. Allah brought forth that which they were going to hide.

The patience of the prophet of Allah with the doubters is a proof of his divinely inspired concern for the people. In a similar way, after the departure of the Holy Prophet, many of the Muslims quarrelled over his judgement and doubted his will and intention that Ali ibna abi Talib should lead and establish Islam-original.

Since all human beings have been created by Allah, killing a person and what he represents is like destroying the entire creation (see verse 32 of al Ma-idah).

The Ahmadi commentator says that the meaning of qatl in verse 72 is "almost dead" and refers to verses 157 and 158 of al Nisa wherein "the raising of Isa alive unto Allah" has been mentioned, and tries to make people believe that this verse also refers to Isa. In his zeal to fabricate falsehood he has overlooked the sentence: "And Allah brings forth what you hide". The Jews had no doubt about the crucifixion of Isa, nor concealed it, nor did they dispute about it. It makes clear that the Ahmadi school does not believe in the omnipotent power of Allah.

Even after witnessing the soul-stirring event the Bani Israil lost no time in reverting to disbelief. They were like stones, worse. than stones, because even a stone follows its nature. It does not rebel. In

the thin layers of stones water is stored, which can be drawn out. Springs issues out of them. The nature of qalb (heart) is to turn - to change old habits and be intimate with truth; live, and die for the truth. If a man has the required degree of faith in Allah and develops the strength of conviction, he can make use of nature around him, because by native volition every object yields to the laws operative under the will of Allah. Therefore the messengers of Allah and the representatives of Allah had demonstrated extraordinary events (miracles) to prove that on account of the divine endowments in them, they could make the material phenomena yield to their will in complete submission to the will of Allah. The Quran repeatedly declares that everything, even inanimate objects, which seem to be fixed and immovable and unable to do anything of their own accord, volunteer and surrender to their creator. And there is none in the universe who does not sing or celebrate the glory of the Lord. See verse 44 of Bani Israil. So to deny "there are some of them which fall down for fear of Allah" under the cover of allusive symbolism is a guessing game of the Ahmadi and other of its kind theoreticians, who are apparently ignorant of the latest scientific findings. In the opinion of many scholars inanimate matter possesses a kind of rudimentary sensibility which can be stimulated to respond to a proper stimulus. The law of gravitation which maintains the form and movement of the whole universe confirms this theory.

People who are not aware of the truth readily become believers when they see the light of truth, but those who know the truth and yet deny it remain disbelievers.

The Jews and the Christians of Arabia were expecting the advent of the Holy Prophet, in view of the prophecies made by Musa, Isa and other Prophets, (see Baqarah: 40), therefore, they used to warn the pagans:

Their attitude towards Islam, before hijrat, was not hostile, if not friendly, but as the influence and the power of the Muslims increased, they stopped talking about the prophecies mentioned in their scriptures and prevented others from referring to them. Though yuharrifunahu here means misinterpretation and not any material change in the wording, yet it is proved that the pre-Islamic scriptures had been misinterpreted (tahrif ma-nawi) as well as tampered with by omission, addition, and substitution of letters, words and sentences (tahrif lafzi), as mentioned in the Encyclopaedia Brittanica and the periodicals published by the Watch Tower Society. What has been discovered today after extensive research by independent scholars has been disclosed by the Quran in this verse.

Those Jews, who only pretended to have accepted Islam, had close relations with the rabbis. In their meetings, the clever rabbis, as stated in the commentary of Baqarah: 42, reprimanded the less-careful converts for their unscrupulous utterings about the prophecies written in their scriptures regarding the advent of the Holy Prophet. They were afraid of giving the believers, through such disclosures, an upper hand at the time of argumentation, which could make the true seekers of the truth among them go into the fold of Islam in sincerity.

In continuation of verses 75 and 76 of this surah this verse says that the truth will prevail in spite of the false notion of the Jews that if they do not make known the prophecies about the advent of Muhammad, the last prophet of Allah, the people will never accept Islam.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The word ummi generally means one who can neither write nor read. Here it is used for those Jews who could neither read nor write. In many places the Quran addresses the Arabs as ummies. With reference to the use of ummi for the Holy Prophet, commentators say that it is either because the Holy Prophet could neither write nor read, or because he was one of the Arabs, or because he was the inhabitant of the city of Makka known as the Ummul-Qura.

Ummi can also be derived from the word umm-the mother. Ummi means the person who remains the same in his native endowments as was born, without receiving any education or training from any (outside) source. The Holy Prophet did not receive knowledge or education from any mortal but by Allah Himself. He was born with divinely endowed .wisdom and remained the same, without letting any worldly agency influence his self, tutored and perfected by Allah Himself.

(NISA: 113)

Please refer to verse 12 of Ya Sin, verses 1 to 4 of al Rahman and verses 4 and 5 of al Najm.

It is He who raised among the ummies a messenger from amongst them, who recites His signs to them, reforms them and teaches them the book and the wisdom (JUMU-AH: 2), so it is absurd to believe that Allah had sent an illiterate to teach the book and the wisdom to the illiterates.

In order to confuse the people so that they could not see in the Holy Prophet the qualities mentioned in their books and rightly identify him as the promised prophet, they had made alterations in the holy scriptures. By corrupting the books they had corrupted themselves.

According to George Sale, "the Jews believe that no person, be he ever so wicked, or of whatever sect, shall remain in hell above eleven months or at the most a year except Dathan or Abiram. the atheists who will be tormented there to all eternity ."

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The covenant is a contract of guidance. Every clause is a command of Allah. Tawhid, worship and adoration of none other than Allah, is the first and the foremost command.

(ARAF: 29)

Turning to a ghayrallah is as bad as surrendering to Shaytan who is an open enemy of man.

(FATIHAH: 4)

For this reason recitation of al Fatihah has been made obligatory in every salat.

One is born into this world through parents, and therefore he who is on the path of guidance cannot but do good to parents (Luqman: 13). Parents should be loved, respected, obeyed and looked after in health and sickness. To walk ahead of them, to shout in their presence, to lose temper on account of any of their actions, or even to look at them with displeasure is unworthy of a true believer. In a wider sense, teachers and guardians are also parents - the spiritual source of guidance.

The Holy Prophet said:

In the Old Testament the covenant made with the Bani Israil has been referred to as under:

(Deut 4: 13)

(Exodus 20: 3)

(Exodus 23: 25)

(Deut 14: 28 and 29)

In this verse the significance of the religion of Allah, Islam, has been pointed out. If the commandments of this verse are carried out how peaceful and pleasant would life on earth be!

Ibna Hisham in "Siratun Nabi", and Amir Ali in the "Spirit of Islam" say that this reminder is directed to the Bani Israil, who entered into a treaty with the Holy Prophet at Madina.

A few clauses are quoted below:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Although the Jews acknowledged and witnessed the divine command not to shed blood of their people, nor drive them away out of their habitations, yet they transgressed. This Jewish attitude was conspicuously noticeable in the nature of the Muslim ummah, when they killed, tormented and abused the holy family of the Holy Prophet in Kerbala and after Kerbala.

Imam Ali bin Husayn al Zaynul Abidin had said:

They persecuted the Ahl ul Bayt in whichever town they took shelter, forced them to drift from place to place, and at last surrounded them from all sides in the desert of Kerbala, and then murdered in cold blood, all the male friends, relatives and companions of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Holy Prophet They spared no one, not even the six month infant son of the Holy Imam. The persecutors, in devilish frenzy, trampled the bodies of the devoted martyrs under the hooves of their horses, plundered, looted and set the tents of the Ahl ul Bayt on fire. It was a premeditated, ruthless and satanic dance of death. The ladies and children of the holy house in chains, along with the severed heads of the martyrs, walked through the streets of Kufa and Damascus (to the court of Yazid). The tragedy of Kerbala casts a gloom upon every refined, compassionate and God-fearing soul. It makes hearts bleed, and tears flow. Cries of lamentation reach the heavens.

In the court of Yazid, Bibi Zaynab binta Ali stood up and said in a clear, definite and strong voice:

It is said by some commentators that this verse refers to the dual standards of the Jews of Madina.

"The Jewish tribes Bani Qurayza and Bani Nadhir living side by side at Madina made an alliance with Aus and Khazraj, the two rival tribes of Madina respectively, and when the latter fought against each other their allies took part in fighting and thus one Jewish tribe slaughtered and imprisoned the other and laid waste their habitations; but afterwards collected subscriptions for the release of Jewish prisoners, giving reason for this that their law commanded them to redeem the prisoners and they fought for the honour of their allies."

They carried out one command of Allah by ransoming their people but violated the other command that they should have not slain their people and laid waste their habitations.

They who bought the life of this world for personal gain and fulfilment of their treacherous designs by using unfair, wicked and brutal means to suppress and usurp the rights of the Ahl ul Bayt, are included among those who shall be punished in the hereafter.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Although, according to verse 22 of al Mujadilah, Allah guides and inspires every virtuous individual through the spirit, but the repeated mention of ruhul quds (the holy spirit), in the verses of the Quran, has a special significance. It is, as far as we know, a very highly refined spiritual entity whose function is to guide, inspire and infuse the prophetic spirit. It also equips the divinely selected individual to exercise miraculous powers.

An impostor, who did not have such a spirit or an angel to guide him, yet claimed prophethood, interprets ruh as guidance, which every virtuous individual receives from Allah. According to him, even the help which prophet Isa received from Allah was merely in the form of guidance. In this way he purposely tries to discredit every true messenger of Allah from having any angelic service at his command.

The repeated mention of ruhul quds in connection with the prophet Isa clearly establishes the fact that he was particularly chosen for this distinction.

Please refer to the following verses wherein the word holy spirit or spirit has been used:

Through fa-fariqan kadhdhabtum, the obstinate refusal to believe in the true messengers of Allah,

and to carry out those commands which do not serve selfish interests, is disclosed.

In fariqan taqtuluna, the change of tense from the past to the present refers to the attempts the Jews were making to kill the Holy Prophet.

Ghulf can be interpreted either to say "our hearts are covered and encased, therefore, we cannot hear and understand that which the Holy Prophet says", or "our hearts are (already) the repositories (of knowledge), therefore, we do not need any guidance". In either case, devoid of iman, they deserve to be cursed.

In Islam empty declaration of faith carries no weight. Those who believe must translate their intentions and love of truth into correct actions. People who do so shall dwell in the eternal land of bliss and fulfilment.

As has been explained in the commentary of verse 40 of this surah, and further elaborated in verses 75 to 79, the Jews should have known and accepted that the Holy Prophet was the promised prophet of Allah and he was preaching the truth, since his message was similar in form and language to that which they already had. But the Jews, had more of arrogance and pride in them than faith, and so belied him, thus earning Allah's curse.

These verses are in reply to the arrogance of the Jews. The Jews, out of envy, denied that Allah had sent down Injil on the prophet Isa and the Quran on the Holy Prophet. Although they said that they only believed in what was revealed to the Israelite prophets, despite the prophecy of the promised prophet in their book (see verse 40 of this surah), they still killed their own prophets.

There is no end to the wrath brought about on them which they themselves had earned.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The Jews thought that they were Allah's favourites to the exclusion of all other people, and they alone would go to paradise. This preposterous idea made them deny the Holy Prophet in spite of the clear proofs available in their book (see commentary of verse 40 of this surah).

"Desire death, if you are truthful", is a challenge. Tamannul Mawta means desire or wish (not invoke or pray) death. If they were so specially favoured by Allah, they did not have to even take the trouble of praying for death; merely desiring it would have received His response. He who loves Allah loves death -to depart from this world and enter the eternal land of bliss and happiness. Also refer to verses 6 and 7 of al Jumu-ah. Everyone of the holy Ahl ul Bayt was always prepared for death and loved it. After receiving the fatal blow Imam Ali said: "By the Lord of the holy Kabah, I have attained success."

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

"Desire death, if you are truthful" is an open challenge. Whoso thinks that the blissful life of the hereafter is exclusively his must always be ready to die. He who is sure of a better life in the hereafter, as the favour of Allah, would not like to prolong his earthly life but would expedite his departure from here. According to Imam Ali, a genuine devotee, the lover or the favourite of Allah, would not let his soul stay in his body for fraction of a moment if his term of life has not been ordained by Allah, because he knows what awaits him in the life of the hereafter. Therefore he is never afraid of death.

Imam Ali said:

According to the book of Daniel (12: 1) , Mika-il is the great captain who stands guard over the Jews. So Mika-il was their guardian angel. They disliked Jibra-il, who they thought, always brought punishment. It was Jibra-il through whom the prophets came to know the perverse behaviour of the Jews, and, therefore, they cursed the Jews. It was Jibra-il who announced the birth of John the Baptist, and conveyed the glad tidings to virgin Maryam about the birth of Isa whom the Jews obstinately hated. It was Jibra-il who saved Nebuchadnezzar from their clutches when he was a boy, and he, afterwards, destroyed their temple. Jibra-il was their enemy. This prejudice led them to believe that he was asked to convey the office of prophethood to one of the Jews but he inadvertently went to the Holy Prophet. Abdulla bin Suriya, a Jew, came to the Holy Prophet and asked some questions to test his genuineness. He was convinced that Muhammad was a true messenger of Allah, but when he came to know that it was Jibra-il who conveyed the divine message, he said that he would not believe in his prophethood because Jibra-il was the enemy of the Jews. In fact, the Jews were the enemies of Jibra-il, who brought Allah's commands and revelations to His prophets, which contained guidance and good news for the believers. Whosoever is the enemy of Allah, His messengers and His angels is an unbeliever. Allah is the enemy of the unbelievers who are described as infidels. Therefore, those who troubled, tortured and killed the Ahl ul Bayt, the beloved darlings of the Holy Prophet and Allah, are the enemies of the Holy Prophet and Allah. When the Holy Prophet was leaving this world to meet his creator, the so-called followers of the true religion of Allah deserted him and held a conference in Saqifa to choose a ruler in complete disregard to their oath of allegiance, which they had promised to uphold, at Ghadir Khum, just a few months before. They had accepted Ali as their Mawla, but soon after the departure of the Holy Prophet, they deprived Ali of his right to succeed the Holy Prophet, and, to show their power in this world, arrested him and dragged him to the court of the ruler. The daughter of the Holy Prophet, Bibi Fatima Zahra, was not only publicly insulted during the trial of Fadak, but that which the Holy Prophet had given her by the command of Allah was taken away from her, and her house was also set on fire. An aggressor kicked the door of her house which fell on her and killed the child she was carrying in her womb, and which finally proved to be the cause of her death. Ali was killed in the mosque. Hasan, the grandson of the Holy Prophet was killed by poison. Husayn, the other grandson of the Holy Prophet, and his friends and relatives, were slain in Kerbala, and the ladies of the holy family were chained, tortured and held captive for a long time. One after the other, the Holy Imams were killed. Sayyids, the sons and daughters of the family of Ahl ul Bayt, were hunted, captured and were either murdered or tortured. Those who were responsible, directly or indirectly, for such heinous crimes are certainly the enemies of the Holy Prophet, because no reasonable person can say that these were the acts of friends. Such people are unbelievers, and Allah is the enemy of the unbelievers. In verse 57 of al Ahzab, Allah has cursed those who annoy or displease Allah and His messenger in this world and has prepared a painful punishment for them in the hereafter. The Holy Prophet said:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Angels and angelic functions have been explained in the commentary of the earlier verses of this surah. Now the functions of the four arch-angels are given below:

(1) JIBRA-IL

He communicated the will of Allah to His messengers. He also destroyed the enemies of Allah and His messengers.

(2) MIKA-IL

He supplies nourishment and provisions.

(3) ISRAFIL

He gives forms and shapes. He also assimilates nature.

(4) IZRA-IL

He disengages living beings from one state of existence to initiate into another state of existence .

These are, in fact the functions of the rububiyat, the cherishing aspect of Allah's grace. There are many angels working under the arch-angels. The various angelic functions are closely linked together. One cannot function without the other. The single exclusive authority of Allah controls these functions according to His supreme will. So, there is no room for the angels to act in contravention to the command of Allah. Only ignorant fools indulge in the theory of possible disobedience by the angels. In verse 6 of al Tahrim, the almighty Allah says that the angels do not disobey Him in that which He commands them; they do that which they are commanded to do.

The verses of the Quran are clear signs. "Signs" also refer to the miracles which the messengers of Allah put into operation (under Allah's command) when the unbelievers denied their divinely commissioned role. Allah's authority is absolute. What His will brings about none can ever undo. Covered with ignorance, the perverse unbelievers disbelieve in the "signs" of Allah.

Those who break the covenant made with Allah through any of His messengers are indeed the accursed unbelievers. Such a covenant was made with Allah by the Muslims through the Holy Prophet at Ghadir Khum. After him, they threw the sacred covenant to the winds and usurped the right to guide the people in lure of worldly gains which they obtained by corrupting and converting the religion of Allah into a heathen system of government, like of which there were many in this world before Islam.

This verse refers to the obstinate Jewish denial of the prophecy about the Holy Prophet in their books. Please refer to verse 40 of this surah.

Prophet Sulayman was endowed with extraordinary powers to control the forces of nature. To discredit him in the eyes of the people the devils had forged a book in the name of Sulayman on the art of sorcery in order to give currency to the idea that it was witchcraft, not divine endowment, through which Sulayman directed the operation of created phenomena and exercised various super natural acts. As sorcery demands belief in ungodly agencies and false deities, he who makes use of witchcraft is an infidel. To cast aspersion on the prophet of Allah was a blasphemy. Sulayman worshipped the true God (Yahweh). He was not an unbeliever. It was the devilish beings who disbelieved .

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

According to the first book of Kings 11: 1 to 11, in the Old Testament, Sulayman defected from true worship and the Lord was angry with him because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel. This verse refutes the Jewish allegation. The following inferences can be drawn from this verse:

(1) Sorcery is not altogether ineffective.

(2) Sorcery can do no harm if Allah so wills.

(3) To learn witchcraft or sorcery is not profitable, but harmful.

Instead of guarding themselves against evil and relying upon that which Allah gives as a reward, a large number of people had fallen prey to the belief in sorcery.

The doubters, and all those with the outlook of Bani Israil, take to twisting any word necessary to suit their purpose. Ra-ina means "listen to us", but it was turned by a little twist in accent into a word of reproach (meaning "stupid") by the Jews (also refer to verse 46 of al Nisa). Therefore the word unzurna (look upon us) was suggested which gave no room to the enemy for casting aspersion on the Holy Prophet. This verse shows how much the Jews disliked the Holy Prophet. It also prohibits use of any word bearing sinister meaning with reference to him.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

An interesting conversation between the second caliph and Ibna Abbas, recorded by Tabari and other historians, is quoted below, which throws light on the influence of the Jewish mentality on the behaviour and mental attitude of the non-Hashimite Muslims.

The second caliph said:

"O son of Abbas! Do you know why your family has been deprived of Khilafat? The Quraysh did not like that prophethood (nubuwwat) and vicegerency (khilafat) be combined in the family of Hashim, lest their vanity increases. So they chose some one else, really their choice was good."

Ibna Abbas said:

"There is nothing unusual so far as the hatred of the Quraysh for the family of Hashim is concerned, because right from the beginning they did not like the message, nor the messenger. 'That is because they were averse to what Allah has sent down, so He shall render their deeds null and void (Muhammad: 9)'. And the apprehension about the vanity of the people who have been (thoroughly) purified, by Allah himself, from every type of uncleanness is an (unfounded) accusation. It would have been most appropriate if the Quraysh had chosen he whom Allah had chosen, and .."

At this stage the caliph interrupted and said:

"Behold! O son of Abbas! I have already been informed about your utterances. Beware! You may fall in my estimation."

Ibna Abbas said:

"Yes. If my opinions are true, they should not cause my downfall, and if they be untrue, you should remind me to put them in order."

The caliph got angry and left the place.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Naskh, as a Quranic term, means substitution of one current law by another. It is called bada if the substitution is in the law of creation, and naskh if it is in the law of legislation.

Substitution has been effected in "creation" as well as in "legislation". The sudden changes in the course of creation, caused by the supreme will of Allah, a factor apparently incomprehensible for the human intellect, are known as miracles - like the birth of Adam and Isa, and the extraordinary performances carried out by the prophets and divinely chosen representatives of Allah. These miracles cannot be taken as effects without any cause, but are caused by a factor inconceivable by the human intellect. The effect of the creature's prayer in the course of providence is also based on the phenomenon of bada. These types of activities on the part of the creatures are a reaction to the divine action. They are governed by the possibility of bada, provided there is no contradiction. For example the "creation of a self-existing being" is a self-contradictory idea. Allah alone is the self-existing creator, and what He creates cannot be self-existing. The term "creation" itself suggests that it is not self-existing but was created whereas the term "self-existing" means that it was not created by anyone. Another example is of an "even number". It is impossible to stop it from being divided into two equal whole numbers. In view of the infinite power, possibilities and potentialities at the command of Allah it has been believed and accepted that every known operation in the creation can be changed, substituted or abrogated by His supreme will or action. The human knowledge may not comprehend the use of that which has happened and that which will happen, in the sphere of bada. It must be kept in mind that there can be no limitation to the power and ability of Allah. Imam Ali ibna Abi Talib says: "Allah has effected changes (bada) and will also effect many changes in the operation (system) of the universe."

Change {Naskh) in the "legislation" became necessary due to the gradual development of the human society. Though the spirit might have been the same but the laws and teachings for mankind in a developed society had to be other than what they were in the primitive age. The conditions and circumstances of a particular age do not appear again. There are teachings, applicable in every age, but they, keeping the essential spirit intact, take to new forms till they reach the final stage. From Adam to Muhammad, the divinely appointed teachers took into consideration the receptive capacity of the people. For example prophet Isa, knowing the limitations of his people, put off the delivery of the final message and asked them to wait for the promised prophet.

(John 16: 19 and 13)

The divine order "to do" or "not to do" a thing is based upon reason - alms should be given for helping the poor; or liquor is prohibited in order to avoid its ill-effects. The justifying reason is in the thing ordered to be done or not to be done.

Sometimes the justifying reason is in the order itself. This is true of the orders issued merely as a test of the obedience of the believers. For example, the change in the direction of Qiblah was made (Baqarah: 149) to test the obedience of the believers; or when prophet Ibrahim was asked to sacrifice his son

In the first category naskh takes place only when the substitution is necessary in view of the new development. In the second category change is made, without making less its scope and intensity, so that it may fully serve the purpose of the trial. Through naskh as well as bada the withdrawal of the previous procedure or legislation is made known. If the time-limit has already been prescribed for any law or procedure then the term naskh or bada cannot be used. Every aspect of the creation or the legislation, together with their possible manifestations, are known to the creator. Naskh or bada (substitution) cannot be attributed to Allah's ignorance or change of mind. These terms are used in relation to the creatures' knowledge of the divine will. Some orders or processes carry the restriction of the period of validity at the time of their revelation in which case the term bada or naskh cannot be applied. Sometimes it manifests afterwards. In both cases of naskh and bada, the change or substitution means notification of the discontinuation of the procedure or legislation which was in force. In connection with the events of creation or the procedures of legislation the prophets of Allah, now and then, received definite revelations about the taking place of an event, with its details, without any possibility of any change; and at times the nature of the predictions of the consequences of an act was indefinite, which, subject to conditions, could be changed. When the development reaches the ultimate stage, as verse 115 of al An-am says, there is no changing in His words. In the gradual revelation of the laws to the Holy Prophet, no abrogation of any portion of the Quran has been effected. It is generally believed that some Quranic laws, had been abrogated by its own verses, or by the sayings of the Holy Prophet; a list of which has been prepared by the jurists and the commentators, but the context of the traditions, in view of the external evidence, has been, with ulterior motives, twisted and misapplied. A careful study of the Quran with a thorough knowledge of the conclusively proved laws of the faith, passed on to us by the Holy Ahl ul Bayt, the divinely chosen purified custodians of the word of Allah, makes clear the view and proves that there are very few, not exceeding five, abrogations; and even those cannot be described as real or actual naskh. For example the order to pay alms in verse 12 of al Mujadalah was given to test the sincerity of the persons who wanted to meet and talk to the Holy Prophet privately, because most of the companions, without any reason at all, sought his audience for the sake of personal vanity. After this order none paid the prescribed alms save Ali. The purpose of the test was to make public the insincerity of the companions, therefore, it was removed when their deception was proved. This order was totally withdrawn, after condemning the niggardly attitude of the companions, in verse 13 of al Mujadalah. This order resembles the order given to prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. When it was proved beyond doubt that Ibrahim was certainly carrying out the divine command, the order was withheld (Saffat: 103 to 107). In the same manner when only Ali carried out the order of verse 12 of al Mujadalah, it was proved that he alone, and no one else among the companions, was in the category of prophet Ibrahim, therefore, the order was withdrawn.

In every age, among all human societies, in different parts of the earth, the representatives of Allah were sent to put in order the affairs of the people through laws applicable to the time and environment in which they lived. Ability of man to apply reason and understand things and events progressed and advanced with the passage of time, therefore, certain laws and commandments (pertaining to theoretical, practical, intellectual, religious and legal matters concerning day to day life) which bring harmony and peace in every aspect of existence upon the earth, as well as make man ready to explore the higher regions of spiritual satisfaction, in certain cases and circumstances had to be changed or substituted to pave way for further progress. At last the last messenger of Allah, the greatest and the most manifest sign of Allah (the term Ayat or sign taken in a broader and higher sense means the best human soul created), endowed with the divine wisdom, power and authority, was sent to give effect to the concluding part of the plan of educating and training for the final unification of mankind through the true knowledge of the immediate as well as the ultimate. In the chain of the prophets of Allah, among whom some had been made to excel others (Baqarah: 253), the last prophet, Muhammad al Mustafa, the superior-most, the seal of prophethood, came with the final discipline and guidance. Once the development had reached its maximum height, there remained no need for any further change of any kind. Therefore, no prophet was sent after his departure (see commentary of verse 7 of al Fatihah), but a man like him, after him, is necessary as an Imam, in every age, for the authentic, true, and proper explanation of the word of Allah, the Quran, and also to serve as an ideal to guide and keep mankind on the right path. The following saying of the Holy Prophet is a true interpretation of this verse:

Only men of understanding know that the same quality of divine energy which activated the prophethood was also manifested in imamat with equal force.

The whole universe is Allah's kingdom, He is the owner, the sovereign. Therefore, it. is a waste of time and energy, serving no purpose, if persons, i.e. polytheists and idol-worshippers, worship imaginary gods or deities.

Squabbling or hankering after proofs and miracles, as the Bani Israil did for disbelieving in that which a messenger of Allah had said, in order to disobey his orders and as well as to create doubts in the minds of the believers, is the lower nature of man, which is clearly condemned in this verse as losing the right direction of the true path.

There is a warning particularly to Muslims who must always remember that the Holy Prophet did not (ever) speak of his own desire, and that whatever he said was nothing but a revelation that was revealed to him (Najm: 3 and 4). According to verse 65 of al Nisa, even in personal matters, the messenger of Allah's orders should be accepted and carried out.

The Jews always looked for opportunities to create doubts in the minds of the people who had accepted Islam so as to bring them back to their idolatrous creeds. After the battle of Uhad they said to Ammar and Hudhayfa:

Ammar replied:

When the Holy Prophet heard of this incident and played for Allah's blessings upon Ammar, this verse was revealed.

The Jewish prejudice against Islam is also stated in verse 51 of al Nisa. "Until Allah brings about His command" means the victories the Holy Prophet won one after the other thereafter, and the complete triumph of Islam.

Our good as well as bad deeds run before us into the court of Allah for His judgement. The influence of our deeds begins to operate as soon as they are committed. It is an effective warning to remain alert and careful at every step of our life in this world.

The Holy Prophet was fully aware of the original text of every scripture revealed to the messengers of Allah before him, and he also knew the additions, omissions and alterations made in them by their followers in the course of time. It was, therefore, made clear by him that the idea of "no one shall enter paradise except a Jew or a Christian" was a false concoction, not mentioned in any original scripture. Also refer to the commentary of verse 80 of this surah.

Wajh means face, but it also implies the following meaning:

Ala shay-in means confirming anything worthy of consideration. Alladhina la ya-lamun (those who have no knowledge) means the heathens whose beliefs. are not based upon any heavenly scripture but upon their own personal conjectures. The Quran makes known the ignorance of the Jews and the Christians who accused each other for lack of goodness in their respective creeds in spite of the fact that both of them followed the Old Testament. Among the followers of the messengers of Allah there should have been no discord if the true text of the revealed books was kept intact and applied sincerely. On the day of judgement they will know that it was bias, pride and prejudice which prevented them from accepting the true faith, Islam.

The people of Quraysh did not even allow the Holy Prophet and his companions to visit Makka in 7 Hijra for the pilgrimage. This verse is a general prophecy of the ultimate triumph of Islam and the downfall of its opponents. It also refers to the complete annihilation of the enemies of Islam, the Quraysh, after the fall of Makka. It must be noted that there is no evidence of a plan to destroy the masjids of Allah by the Quraysh of Makka. Evidently this verse refers to the plan of the hypocrites who had hatched a conspiracy to kill the Holy Prophet, when he was returning from Tabuk, and then to demolish all the masjids in Madina and other places. In true meaning, a masjid is the place where Allah is remembered and adored, therefore, all the sacred shrines of the holy Ahl ul Bayt, where only Allah, and none else, is remembered, adored and invoked, are also the masjids of Allah in a wider sense. So whoever stops people from going into these shrines and destroys them shall be disgraced in this world and shall be severely punished in the hereafter.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Wajh means face - the manifesting aspect (side) of a thing. Imam Ali ibna Abi Talib says:

(Bihar ul Anwar).

The east and the west mentioned here should not be confined to the directions we know in relation to the rising and setting of the sun. It also refers to the whole cosmos where there are several moons and suns, therefore, the hold of the omnipotence of Allah, the absolute, controls and directs (manifest) in all the easts and the wests of the universe. He is the all-pervading omniscient who is in everything and everything is in Him. His manifestation (wajh) serves the purpose of man. In whichever direction the mind turns there is His manifestation. (Araf: 137, Shu-ara: 28, Saffat: 5, Zukhruf: 38, Rahman: 17). The interpretation of wajh, as Allah's purpose, by the Ahmadi commentator, is a linguistic misappropriation to effect a motivated confusion.

The verb sharaqa means to beam or radiate with light. It may be physical or spiritual (Zumar: 69). The place or the direction from which the light beams is mashriq (the east), and the place or direction in which the light disappears is maghrib (the west). The terms mashriq and maghrib should be taken in a wider and more comprehensive sense to include all the lights, physical and spiritual, coming from the absolute to enlighten the various spheres of existence in the universe. In this sense Allah is the wasi-un alim.

(Tafsir Kabir).

Tawalla (to turn) means, in this verse, that in whichever direction the Muslims turn they will win victory, or whichever direction the infidels choose to flee, they will encounter the might of Allah.

The Jews and the Christians metaphorically referred to the virtuous prophets of Allah, from Adam to Isa, as the sons of God, but this metaphorical usage gave opportunity to some theologians to corrupt the true religions and made the common people believe that Ezra or Jesus were sons of God. The pagans believed that the angels were the daughters of God. Therefore the use of the term "son" or "daughter" of Allah, as a doctrine or as a metaphor, has been condemned as the greatest sin (Luqman: 13).

When everything in the heavens and the earth and in between them is the creation of Allah, it becomes meaningless to believe that anything, in any sense, can be equal to Him. The basic and the main doctrine of Islam is "the absolute unity" of Allah.

Badi means the originator who designs, makes, begins and brings into existence for the first time, without any pre-existing similar example. Ali ibna abi Talib says:

(Nahj al Balagha)

Kun fa-yakun (Be, and it is.) is a term to bring home to the human mind the omnipotent will which can never be translated into any verbal expression.

Imam Ali ibna Abi Talib says:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

To refute the Christian theory of "the son of God", here and in many other verses of the Quran, the word badi has been used.

The four principles of the causative factors responsible for the existence of the finite beings are material cause, formal cause, initial cause and final cause. Anything made, owes its existence to the material out of which it is made, and the particular shape or form it has been given. These are the structural causes. The agency through which a thing is made is called the agential cause:

(1) The person who brings the material into shape is called the agential cause.

(2) The motive or the purpose which moves the agent is the final cause.

Creation (badi ) means bringing a thing into being out of nothing through the agency of the will of the agential cause without the slightest change in the essence or the attributes of the agent.

It is wrong to use this verse to prove that the Holy Prophet did not have the power to perform miracles. The Quran bears witness that he had rent asunder the moon, yet the infidels said:

Besides those mentioned in the Quran, a large number of miracles, performed by him, have been recorded in the books of history reported on the authentic and unbreakable evidence of the traditions. Not only the Holy Prophet, but also the divinely chosen holy Imams had performed miracles whenever they deemed it necessary and thought that it could serve a definite purpose but refused to put them to use as an answer to the challenge of any antagonistic individual or group, who even after witnessing a miracle would not accept the truth. It is also true that the belief, generated by a miracle, deprives the individual of the possibility of enjoying the real value of the faith acquired through reason and conviction. The demand for miracles (as stated in verses 90 to 93 of Bani Israil) was made to satisfy the lust for witnessing wonders. It was not the true mission of the last prophet of Allah to satisfy the vain desires of the people who merely wanted to watch and enjoy miracles, The signs of Allah are enough for those who are sure. Likewise when prophet Isa was brought before Herod to perform a miracle, he, who had already performed a large number of miracles and whose very birth was the greatest miracle ever witnessed, refused to comply with the request. At another place he said to the Pharisees:

(Matthew 12: 39)

Every messenger of Allah was put under pressure by the people either to persuade Allah to speak to them directly or make clear through some heavenly signs that whatever revealed was from Him.

The messenger of Allah was sent to preach the truth and create discipline by setting practical examples. He was not responsible for the reaction of the people. He was a warner. He will not be called upon to answer for the behaviour of the transgressors .

In view of verse 33 of al Ahzab wherein the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt had been thoroughly purified, leaving no room for infiltration of any kind of ignorance or carelessness, and the divine command in verse 7 of al Hashr that "whatever the messenger gives you accept it and whatever he forbids, abstain from it", and his supreme position as the last law-giver and the chief of the prophets, it is the people who go astray that are warned in this verse, and not the Holy Prophet. He has been addressed in order to make the people seriously take precautions against the schemes of the Jews and the Christians. The Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt were thoroughly purified and infallible, therefore, their following the desires of the Jews and the Christians was an impossibility.

Had it been possible for him to err, it would mean a fault in the judgement of the all-wise Lord in selecting him as a final warner. But any fallible believer is liable, at some time or other, to be careless and to make mistakes, so extreme care and vigilance have to be applied in following the path shown by the Holy Prophet.

The Quran was given to the Holy Prophet and those who were his flesh and blood. Their spirit was one. They were created from one light.

They are his Ahl ul Bayt. See "the essentials for the readers of the Quran" on pages 1 to 7.

The Holy Prophet had said:

According to the verse of Mubahilah (Ali Imran: 61) Ali was the nafs (self) of the Holy Prophet. It was Ali who stood by the Holy Prophet and protected him in the battle of Uhad when all his companions ran away. In all the battles which guided the course of Islamic history, it was Ali who won victories for the Muslims. It is evident from these and other incidents in history that only the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt (the Imams in his progeny) are those who studied and followed the book as it ought to be done, and it is only they who are referred to in this verse.

Please refer to the commentary of verses 47 and 48 of this surah.

This verse guides mankind to identify the genuine leaders of the true faith as well as the impostors. It also helps to understand risalat and imamat.

The covenant was made with Ibrahim, the father of Isma-il as well as Is-haq, long before either of the sons was born.

Allah chose Hajirah to bear the first child of Ibrahim and named him Isma-il.

The angel also said:

And the angel of the Lord said to her:

(Genesis 16: 9 to 11)

Immediately after the birth of Isma-il, Allah made a covenant with Ibrahim. Is-haq was not born at that time.

(Genesis 17: 2, 3, 4 and 7)

Allah further blessed Isma-il with twelve princes in his progeny.

The covenant was made with Ibrahim and not with Is-haq, a fact which the Jews overlook when they claim that the promised prophet (Deut 18: 18) should be a Jew.

According to Genesis 17: 7 the covenant was between Allah and Ibrahim and his descendants, generation after generation, when Isma-il was born, so it is logical to say that it pertains to the children of Isma-il, not the children of Is-haq who was born much after this covenant. Again, after the prophecy of the birth of Is-haq when Ibrahim showed concern about Isma-il, this covenant was renewed (Genesis 17: 20), with added blessings - the Twelve Princes in the progeny of Isma-il. It differs with the covenant made with Ibrahim which includes both of his sons, Isma-il and Is-haq, and their descendants:

Circumcision is obligatory for the Jews as well as the Muslims. The descendants of Ibrahim had the right to possess the land of Canaan but as the children of Is-haq, the Jews and the Christians, had corrupted the true faith of Ibrahim, the children of Isma-il thus became the rightful owners. In fact after the advent of the Holy Prophet, the true representative of the house of Isma-il, according to Deut: 18 : 18, all the Jews and the Christians should have embraced Islam, the religion of Allah, which Ibrahim had followed. Ibrahim was a prophet. In spite of his holding the office of the prophethood he was tested and tried by Allah before He made him an Imam. It means that a prophet is not necessarily an Imam and imamat is an office of a decidedly higher order which is granted only when one proves himself suitable and worthy after undergoing a test. "Verily, I make you an Imam for mankind" clearly indicates that like risalat, imamat is also bestowed upon the chosen representatives of Allah by Allah Himself. It is a position no one, however virtuous or godly he may be, not even Ibrahim, the prophet of Allah, could claim for himself, nor can it be conferred on any one by any individual, group or community. It is an exclusively divine action.

What was the nature of the test which Ibrahim passed to qualify himself for the imamat? To test a prophet of Allah of the calibre of Khalilullah in the elementary matters of personal cleanliness and ethics, as some commentators say, sounds meaningless. It was not an ordinary test, definitely not connected with daily habits, behavioural patterns and acts of personal cleanliness. The word kalimat has been used here in the same sense invested in verse 37 of this surah-Allah turned to Adam mercifully when he received the kalimat from his Lord. See commentary of verse 37 of this surah.

Ibrahim's trial was a test of the steadfastness of his faith in Allah. In his dream prophet Ibrahim received the command of Allah to slay his son, Isma-il. Awake, he at once carried out the command (Saffat: 105 to 108). His faith in Allah was on trial. He was certain that what he saw in his dream was the command of Allah. Allah made him an Imam of mankind, yet he had no right to hand over the office of imamat to his descendants, therefore, he requested Allah to let his descendants inherit it. He could only pray for it, which he did. And it is Allah who alone has the right to appoint an Imam. "My covenant does not include the zalim (unjust)" indicates that imamat is given only to those who have not sinned. Only an infallible can be an Imam. Like Ibrahim, Imam Husayn, his descendant, readily sacrificed his sons in the way of Allah.

Zalim (unjust) in the view of the Quran, is he who worships, or has worshipped a ghayrallah. Shirk (idolatry) in the words of the Quran is the greatest zulm or injustice. Therefore he who, at any time in his life, has been a mushrik (idolater) can never be an Imam. Besides the Holy Prophet there was no one, among his companions, who had not been an idol-worshipper, save his cousin, Ali ibna abi Talib, who alone could be rightfully chosen by providence "to receive the covenant of imamat". The Holy Prophet, therefore, under the command of Allah transferred the imamat to Ali, and after Ali to the eleven Imams in the progeny of Muhammad and Ali. In this way the covenant of Allah with Ibrahim was fulfilled, and in the progeny of Isma-il the twelve princes, the twelve holy Imams, were born.

Ismat (infallibility) required for imamat applies to purity from all kinds of sins, great or small, hidden or open, because the conduct of an individual is the outcome of his inherent character and in-built discipline. Therefore, it is downright hypocrisy to accept any man of questionable character as an Imam, arguing that hidden sinfulness should be left alone, and only outward justice should be taken into consideration. Those who have sinned but turned repentant to Allah and gave up sinning can not claim infallibility. Firstly, no one knows for sure that his sins have been forgiven by the Lord. Secondly, repentance may bring forgiveness but the term sinner can never be removed from the name of the person who has sinned. He will be called a forgiven or pardoned sinner. He cannot be equal to a man who has never sinned at all at any time in his life, like Ibrahim. The covenant made with an infallible prophet (Ibrahim) can only be fulfilled by giving imamat to those who are, inwardly and outwardly, as pure and infallible as the great prophet Ibrahim was.

The work of legislation was ended with the ministry of the Holy Prophet. Through the last messenger of Allah, the perfected and completed religion of Allah was conveyed to mankind for their material welfare and spiritual progress for all times till the end of the world; yet the mercy of the Lord must continue because an everlasting covenant was made with Ibrahim:

Therefore there must be an infallible Imam, a divinely commissioned guide, with power and authority delegated to him by Allah, in every age, to keep the people on the right path and direct them unto the destination determined by the merciful Lord of the worlds.

The Holy Prophet said:

Allah made Ibrahim an Imam of mankind. He was neither a ruler nor a political force, yet it was made obligatory on mankind to obey him in all temporal as well as spiritual matters, and after him, to obey those of his descendants who have been chosen as Imams. Therefore it is the duty of all Muslims to obey and follow the Imam of the age in all matters, because, as in the case of Ibrahim, political or temporal power is not necessary for an Imam in order to demand obedience from the people.

The office of imamat is not hereditary. It is Allah's covenant, which is only bestowed upon an infallible devotee of Allah who comes out successful from the tests and trials specifically prescribed for him by Allah. A sinner or a forgiven sinner cannot be an Imam. The names of the twelve Imams, the descendants of Ibrahim in the progeny of Isma-il, divinely commissioned in fulfilment of the covenant made with Ibrahim, are given below:

(According to verse 33 of Ali Imran, Allah chose and preferred Adam and Nuh and the descendants of Ibrahim and the descendants of Imran above all His creatures. The requisite merits were known to Allah only but whosoever was chosen had to undergo an evident test or trial. After Ibrahim the lineage was divided into two branches. The lineage Is-haq terminated in Isa who was raised to heavens. The descendants of Isma-il carried the light to Abdul Muttalib. Again it was bifurcated through his two sons - Abdullah, the father of Muhammad al Mustafa, and Abu Talib, the father of Ali al Murtada. Muhammad and Ali were identical with each other in spirit, character and wisdom. One reflected the other. This identity and unity was integrated in one entity through the marriage of Ali and Fatimah, the holy daughter the Holy Prophet.)

1 Ali al Murtada.

2 Hasan al Mujtaba-the elder son of Ali and Fatima.

3 Husayn al Shahid ul Shuhada-the younger son of Ali and Fatimah.

4 Ali bin Husayn al Zayn al Abidin.

5 Muhammad bin Ali al Baqir.

6 Jafar bin Muhammad al Sadiq.

7 Musa bin Jafar al Kazim.

8 Ali bin Musa al Riza.

9 Muhammad bin Ali al Taqi.

10 Ali bin Muhammad al Naqi.

11 Hasan bin Ali al Askari.

12 Muhammad bin Hasan al Mahdi.

All the above mentioned Imams were infallible from birth to their martyrdom and never received any formal education or training at the hands of any mortal, yet were the fountainheads of knowledge, wisdom and guidance.

The merit for selection to the divine office of nubuwwat, risalat, imamat, or khilafat is the degree of submission to the divine will and the ability to reflect (or to convey) the same to others, the measure of perfection which determines the state of nearness to the absolute. The test (ibtila) is the theoretical and functional knowledge of the kalimat (the most comprehensive names) on account of which Adam was given the khilafatullah (vicegerency of Allah). These kalimat are accommodated in the essence of Muhammad and Ali Muhammad. They are the manifestation of the light of the kalimat appeared before Adam for the first time.

Mathabatan and amnan, with reference to bayt, means a place of refuge, rest and peace where one earns ample recompense from Allah.

Ahdina (We took a promise or We enjoined) refers to Allah's covenant that the eternally blessed descendants of Ibrahim should keep the holy Kabah pure, and should remove the false gods whenever installed in it. In 7 Hijra the Holy Prophet, the promised prophet, for whose advent Ibrahim prays in verses 128 and 129 of this surah, after the fall of Makka, visited the holy Kabah. There, Ali stood on the shoulders of the Holy Prophet and pulled down all the idols, firmly fixed in the walls, in order to purify the sacred house of Allah

Tahhira (to purify) implies that a house for the worship of Allah already existed there before Ibrahim, which like the Kabah in the times of the Holy Prophet, was despoiled with idols. It was in ruins. Ibrahim rebuilt it. As verse 127 of this surah suggests, after purification, the place was reserved for worship of Allah only. According to verse 96 of Ali Imran, the first house made for the worship of Allah was the Kabah in Makka, and in verse 29 of al Hajj it has been referred to as bayt ul atiq (the ancient house).

Muir, Burton, Rodwel and Fretyag have tried to mislead the Christians by stating that Ibrahim had never gone to Arabia to build the holy Kabah.

It is a fact that Kedar has been connected with Arabia in the Old Testament.

Also refer to Isaiah 42: 11 and 60: 7. In Genesis 21: 14 to 21 Hajirah's wandering in the wilderness of Beersheba with her son Ismail, the appearance of the well (Zamzam) and Allah's promise to make of Ismail a great nation have been clearly mentioned.

The events concerning Ibrahim, Hajirah and Ismail, which actually took place, are given below: Ibrahim's wife Sarah had borne him no children. She had a handmaid whose name was Hajirah. She gave her to Ibrahim as a wife. Hajirah bore Ibrahim a son. Ibrahim named the child Ismail. After his birth, the peace and harmony of the family was disturbed. Sarah ill-treated Hajirah. Ibrahim was vexed on Ismail's account. He sought Allah's help. Allah, in view of Sarah's past goodness, directed Ibrahim to send away Hajirah and Ismail to a place now called Makka. Ibrahim, with the help of Jibrail, took Hajirah and Ismail out of the native land and reached Arabia. They stopped at the place where hajar aswad or the black stone is stationed. Jibrail informed Ibrahim that it was a land full of Allah's blessings and bounties, and there used to be a house (known as baytul mamur) in that place, which was held sacred and venerated by mankind in ancient times, and that it was Allah's will that Ibrahim and Ismail should rebuild the ruined house again. A shelter was made for Hajirah and Ismail so that they could live there in Ibrahim's absence because Allah had commanded Ibrahim to go back to his native land. At the time of his departure Hajirah said:

Ibrahim said:

Hajirah said:

When Ibrahim reached the mount Zi-Tavi, he stopped and turned towards the place where he left Hajirah and Ismail and prayed:

When the water in the waterskin, Ibrahim left for them, was finished, there was no water any where near them to quench their thirst. There was no milk in her breasts. The heat in the desert had dried it. The scorching sun brought the situation from bad to worse. The child was restless. He cried, cried and cried. The mother ran hither and thither, between Safa and Marwa.

From Safa to Marwa and Marwa to Safa she ran seven times because when she was on the mount of Safa she heard a voice from the mount of Marwa, and when she reached Marwa she heard a voice from Safa. There was no one in sight. Unable to see her son dying, she left him where he was lying and stood alone on the mount of Marwa. Dejected, helpless, yet worried for her son she came back. There she saw a spring of fresh and sweet water gushing forth from the earth under the feet of Ismail. In her absence Jibrail, under the command of Allah, came and produced a well full of water (known as Zamzam) - also recorded in Genesis 21: 14 to 21. She heard a voice (saying):

The flow of water increased day by day and the surrounding land became fertile. People began to come and settle there. Soon it became a flourishing town. Trade and commerce developed. When Ibrahim returned he found the wasteland in the desert a busy trade centre.

The running of Hajirah between Safa and Marwa has been prescribed as one of the essential rites of hajj.

When Ibrahim and Ismail raised the foundations of the holy Kabah, they prayed to Allah to accept their service, make them both Muslims (submissive to Allah), and also make their descendants Muslims, and raise up in them a messenger who would recite to them Allah's revelation, teach them the book and the wisdom and purify them.

This prayer shows that there had always been some men and women in the progeny of Ibrahim who were true Muslims, through whom the divine light of Muhammad and Ali passed till it reached Abdul Muttalib. Then his two sons Abdullah and Abu Talib carried it separately. Abdullah transferred it to Muhammad. and Abu Talib transferred it to Ali, the vicegerent and the successor of the Holy Prophet the first of the twelve Imams the divinely commissioned rightly guided guides for mankind. "I and Ali are from one and the same light", said the Holy Prophet

The word ummat does not always means a community or a nation. In verse 120 of al Nahl it refers to a single individual.

This prayer also shows how difficult it is to be a true Muslim. Even a distinguished prophet of Allah like Ibrahim makes a request to Allah to let him remain a Muslim.

Only those men of understanding who know and apply reason become Muslims. Those who reject Islam are fools. They are damned and disgraced for ever. Safiha nafsahu means he who makes a fool of himself, therefore, is liable to be condemned.

Aslim means to submit. The root of the word is islam (complete submission to Allah). Ibrahim submitted and surrendered to the will of Allah and became a true Muslim in the perfect sense of the word.

Having been blessed by accepting the religion of Allah, Islam, Ibrahim charged his offspring to acknowledge the purity of the path that has been chosen and asked them not to die except as Muslims. Prophet Yaqub also did the same. In Genesis I 8 : 19 this advice has been mentioned.

1t should be noted that Ismail, who was a paternal uncle of Yaqub, has been cited as the father of the descendants of Yaqub, and also in the following verses:

Ali Imran :84

Nisa: 163

An-am: 85 to 88

Sad : 45 to 48

It is evident that people used to address a paternal uncle as father. In the same way Ibrahim had addressed Azar, his uncle, as father.

The message of Allah, Islam,. is continuous, for all times.

The doctrine of personal responsibility is the most important principle of Islam. Please refer to the commentary of verse 48 of this surah.

The religion of Ibrahim the hanif (hanafa means to turn, to bend, to incline - to righteousness) is the true path, not the path of the Jews or the Christians. Therefore the path of the faithful representatives and advocates of the Ibrahimic faith is the right path.

The religion of Islam is universal, for all people, in every age. Therefore, it is necessary for every follower of Islam to believe in all the prophets and messengers of Allah and in what was revealed to them. No other religion besides Islam demands from its followers to believe equally in the sinless purity of the conduct and character of other prophets of Allah, and in the truthfulness of other sacred scriptures as the revealed words of Allah.

The Jews and the Christians would have become the followers of the true faith if they had accepted the teachings of the earlier prophets and acknowledged the prophethood of the Holy Prophet, but they opposed the Holy Prophet right from the beginning and on many occasions tried to kill him

Sibgh means dye-colouring or immersion in water. The Christian church has adopted it as a religious ceremony of baptism. By immersion in or sprinkling water on every convert, he or she is admitted to their faith. The Christian baptism, this verse reminds, does not really introduce a man to the true faith. The true faith is universal. The Christian baptism rejects and denies all prophets and messengers of Allah. The divine baptism inspires love for goodness (tawalla) and dislike for evil (tabarra) which is the true nature of man. It colours or conditions the mind and behaviour of the believers so that he or she should adhere to godliness and reject godlessness.

The dye-colouring of Allah means to take on the colour of the attributes of Allah and involve the soul deeply in the divinity of the Lord. It inspires the believer with the conviction that the Lord of the universe is one. He loves every created being.

Those who love Allah must love every thing Allah loves.

Allah is the Lord of all created beings. He is the Lord of the worlds - the universe. He is not biased against anyone, nor shows favouritism towards any. Those who sincerely devote themselves to Him receive, in return of their goodness, His special grace.

This is a warning to the Jews and the Christians and all those who believe that they alone are the "beloved children of God."

"Whosoever goes on the right path, verily he does so for himself; and he who goes astray does so to his own loss; and no one who carries a burden shall bear another's burden; and We never punish until We have sent a messenger (among them)." (Bani Israil: 15)

Verse 18 of al Fatir and verse 7 of al Zumar also refer to this truth.

Please refer to the commentary of verses 20 and 135 of this surah. The question put in this verse is, in fact, a disapproval of the belief of the Jews and the Christians, as it has been used in verse 195 of al Araf to condemn the idolworshippers.

Please refer to the commentary of verses 23, and 134 to 139 of this surah.

For "the east and the west belong to Allah" see commentary of verses 107 and 115 of this surah.

Qiblah is the direction towards which the face is turned. In Makka, the Holy Prophet used to face Jerusalem at the time of praying salat, but the holy Kabah was always between him and the first qiblah Even in Madina, he continued to pray towards Jerusalem for seventeen months, after which Allah accepted the Holy Prophet's request to change the qiblah, because the Jews of Madina had been mocking the Muslims for not having their own qiblah.

In fulfilment of the divine promise to bless Ibrahim and Ismail, it was necessary to make the house built by them, the final qiblah for the worship of Allah, by the followers of the perfected and completed religion of Allah, for all times.

Reference to surah al Fil makes it clear that to keep safe the highly venerated house of Allah, Allah Himself destroyed the army of Abraha who came to demolish the holy Kabah. This change was also a prophecy that Makka would, one day, come into the hands of the Muslims, and that it would be cleared of the false gods, because a centre of idolatry could never have been the qiblah of a thoroughly monotheistic faith.

To understand this verse it is necessary to know the meanings of some important words and phrases used in it.

(1) Ummat does not always mean a community or a nation. In verse 120 of al Nahl it refers to a single individual-Verily Ibrahim was a people (ummat) obedient to Allah.

Madina is located between Makka and Jerusalem. Facing Jerusalem, standing in Madina, meant turning the hinder parts of the body towards Makka. Since the Holy Prophet knew that the holy Kabah in Makka was going to be the ultimate qiblah, he did not like to turn his back towards it.

The Jews knew that the Holy Prophet was the final messenger of Allah (see verse 40 of this surah)

They also knew that the holy Kabah, with the "black stone" set in one of its corners, was destined to be the qiblah of the true believers.

(Psalms: 118 : 22 and Matthew 2 1 : 42).

Prophet Isa said: "He will bring those bad men to a bad end, and hand the vineyard over to other tenants, who will let him have his share of the crop when the season comes." It was a parable narrated to the Jews. It happened exactly as the Jews were warned. When the Jews failed to fulfil the covenant, the covenant of Allah was transferred to the descendants of Ismail.

The kingdom of God, the spiritual leadership of mankind, transferred to the descendants of Ismail, remains with the family of the Holy Prophet, the divinely chosen holy Imams.

Isa said:

Allah informed the Holy Prophet that nothing, not even Allah's signs, would make the Jews and the Christians follow his qiblah, the true religion of Allah - Islam, because, out of their stupidity and arrogance, they did not like a descendant of Ismail to be the promised prophet. Also the Jews and the Christians did not follow each other's qiblah or religion.

Allah warns the Muslims (through the Holy Prophet) that if they try to make a compromise with the Jews and the Christians, after the knowledge (Islam) has come to them, then they will certainly be among the disbelievers.

As explained in many verses of this surah (40,41,42,75,77,78,79,89,90,91,101,105, 109, 124) the Jews and the Christians knew that the Holy Prophet was the promised prophet as clearly mentioned in their books, but they deliberately concealed the truth.

The Jews and the Christians concealed the truth because it threatened the continuity of their attachments, old habits and position, otherwise they knew the truth of the "prophetic message" clearly but withheld it and denied its exposure to others. It is a reiteration of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet to reassure those believers who were weak in faith, and a positive statement to exhort the disbelievers who refused to believe in him as a genuine messenger of Allah. It is a warning to the followers of the Holy Prophet (through him) not to be of doubters.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

As has already been pointed out in the commentary of verse 115 of this surah, specific direction does not mean that manifestation of Allah is restricted to that direction only. He is manifest in all directions. The order to turn to a particular direction, while praying, was a test of obedience for the followers of the faith as mentioned in verse 143 of this surah, and also to create unity of purpose in the minds of the praying believers.

Every one has a direction in life, the ultimate object of which is Allah. As mentioned in verse 177 of this surah performing good deeds in the overall interest of the society (to possess the theoretical and functional virtues, the root of which is faith in Allah - Tawhid) minimises the importance of the turning towards the east or the west as a virtue.

Huwa (He) is generally translated to mean "everyone" (kul), but the Shia grammarians assert that it refers to Allah.

The importance and the sanctity of the holy Kabah has been established by binding all Muslims to turn their faces towards it, wherever and in whatever circumstances they may be.

Yazid destroyed the holy Kabah. Walid held a feast of debauchery on the roof of the house of Allah. Abdul Malik and Mansur constructed their own Kabahs in Damascus and Baghdad respectively for pilgrimage. Yet these rulers are respected by {non-Shia) Muslims as khalifatul muslimin and spiritual leaders (Tamaddun Islam-Tabari).

Alaykum hujjatun - so that people (the Jews and the Quraysh) will have no accusation against you. The Jews used to boast that Muhammad bowed towards their temple in Jerusalem. The Quraysh observed that instead of turning to the religious centre of the Jews, Muhammad should have preferred the house built by Ibrahim and Ismail.

Wa-li-utimma nia-mati alaykum refers to the perfection of religion and completion of Allah's favour (Ma-idah: 3). In 11 Hijra, on the 18th Dhil Hajj, at Ghadir Khum, the Holy Prophet chose Ali as his successor (refer to page 6 for details). After this event verse 3 of al Ma-idah was revealed. In other words the religion of Allah, Islam, was perfected when imamat was established to succeed risalat, which is the completion of Allah's favour. It also refers to the fulfilment of the promise Allah made with Ibrahim in connection with the descendants of Ismail (see commentary of verse 124 of this surah and Genesis 17:20).

La-allakum tahtadun also refers to the divinely established institution of imamat for the guidance of the faithful for all times, in fulfilment of the promise made by Allah in connection with the descendants of Ismail.

By making Kabah the qiblah Allah had fulfilled his covenant made with Ibrahim and Ismail. None but the unjust refuse to believe in the risalat of the Holy Prophet and imamat of his holy Ahl ul Bayt.

To fulfil the prayer of Ibrahim (Baqarah: 129), Allah sent the Holy Prophet as a messenger, to make known His commands and signs, to educate and refine the people, to teach them the book and the wisdom and that which they did not know, and establish the sacred house built by Ibrahim and Ismail (Baqarah: 125) as a sanctuary (duly purified by the Holy Prophet and Ali ibna abi Talib), and show the true qiblah towards which all the devotees must turn their faces.

The journey in this life is from darkness into light, from ignorance to knowledge. An open heart will receive that knowledge if it is directed to the message and the messenger.

If you remember Allah, avoiding other than He, you are in the midst of reality. Allah, reality, will reflect the remembrance - if the sincere seeker remembers Allah, Allah remembers him.

Forgetfulness can never be attributed to the all-perfect. His remembrance refers to His special favours and bounties bestowed on those who remember Him.

To be grateful {shukr) is the key to the fulfilment and application of remembrance which neutralises desires and generates joy of inner contentment - deep and peaceful.

The opposite of this condition is Kufr-the falling over hurdles on the road of disobedience.

Refer to the commentary of verse 45 of this surah.

Those, who die and give themselves fully for the sake and in the way of Allah, are not dead. They are alive, attached and closely connected with the ever-living Allah.

It is reported that verse 154 was revealed for the Muslims who were slain in the battle of Badr. In those days the new converts to Islam, like the disbelievers, thought that death means loss of life for ever.

Fisabilillah means "in the way of Allah" or "for the cause of truth". "The way of the devils" means "for the cause of falsehood" (Nisa: 76). Sale's interpretation of fisabilillah (wars fought against non-Muslims to propagate Islam) is a deliberate distortion. There is no compulsion in religion (Baqarah: 256), therefore, the Holy Prophet went to war only when it was forced upon him.

All the created beings are given the opportunity to prove their potential, therefore, everyone is tried with something of fear, hunger, and loss of possessions and children. Those who have attained the highest spiritual maturity through personal virtues, ability to exercise patience, with faith and reliance upon Allah, face the trials successfully and reach the highest stations nearest to Allah. Each individual occupies a different status according to the degree of faith and patience he employs to encounter the test and trial. Some souls are not considered fit to be tried. It is their misfortune. The exemption may be to let their infidelity or hypocrisy grow to its full scope for which there is a painful punishment. (Ali Imran: 178).

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The soul of every conscious being will taste death (Ali Imran: 185), therefore, this verse does not refer to the departure of the soul from the body. It refers to a particular state of blissful life which the souls of the non-Muslims are deprived of.

The term "life" and "death" has also been used in the Quran to signify "knowledge" and "ignorance" (Ya Sin: 70), or "belief" and "disbelief" (An-am: 123) respectively.

The life the soul lives after its departure from the body can be termed as death if it is more painful and miserable than the life of this world when it was in the body, because it has been deprived of the bliss it enjoyed here. And if the life of the hereafter is more blissful than here, the life of this world should be described as death.

The Holy Prophet has rightly observed:

A poor Jew once asked Imam Hasan to tell him how could his poverty be a paradise and Imam's plenty be a prison?

The Imam replied:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

It is reported that when Ali ibna abi Talib heard the news of the martyrdom of Hamza, his and the Holy Prophet's dearest uncle, in the battle of Uhad, he said:

INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAYHI RAJI-UN

And afterwards Allah revealed these words to the Holy Prophet in this verse.

Those who face misfortunes with a smile, knowing that it is the Lord's way of teaching patience and understanding, are the followers of the right path. The Lord prays for and blesses them - salawat is the word for Allah's blessings. In view of the extraordinary merits, achievements and excellence, mentioned on pages I to 7, and in the commentary of verse 7 of al Fatihah, and verses 2 to 5 and 30 to 39 and 124 of al Baqarah, and other verses of the Quran, only the holy Ahl ul Bayt of Muhammad al Mustafa can be joined with him for receiving Allah's salawat (see verse 56 of al Ahzab). Therefore, every true faithful says: "ALLAHUMMA SALLI ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALI MUHAMMAD".

Safa and Marwa are two clusters of rocks between which the pilgrims run back and forth during hajj. They are the scene of Hajirah's running to and fro in search of water, after being left alone with Ismail in the blistering heat and wilderness of Makka. Please see the commentary of verses 125 and 126 of this surah. Before the Holy Prophet had purified and perfected the rituals of hajj, Usaf, an idol, was kept on Safa, and Nu-allah, another idol, was kept on Marwah, therefore, people did not like to go to these rocks. Through this verse, the said stigma has been removed and running between the two rocks has been made an obligatory function of the hajj.

Sha-a-irillah means signs of Allah, which remind a person of Allah or a representative of Allah - a prophet or an imam, whose remembrance itself would be an act of virtue or devotion to Allah. It is in this sense that the followers of Muhammad and Ali Muhammad give respect to alams, tazias, zarihs, associated with the holy Imams.

Allah is grateful {shakir) means appreciation of good deeds and liberal rewarding in return.

Those who withhold what has been revealed to them of the book, be they Jews (who knew the truth about the Holy Prophet - refer to verse 40, 75 to 79, 89 to 91, 101, 105, 109 and 124 of this surah; and the holy Kabah - Psalms 118: 22 and Matthew 21: 42) or be they the Muslim hypocrites (who know the true interpretation and application of verses - Ahzab: 33; Shura: 23; Nisa: 54 and 59; Ali Imran: 61 and 103;

Tawbah: I 19; Rad: 43, Hud: 17; and Ma-idah: 3, 55, 67 in connection with the event of Ghadir Khum) are cursed by Allah and by the angels and by those who follow His right path. In verses 86 and 87 of al Nisa also the angels and the believers join Allah to curse the wicked. In verse 56 of al Ahzab, Allah and His angels bless the Holy Prophet; and Allah commands the believers to send blessings on him. Unless we join Allah and His angels to curse the enemies of the Holy Prophet, our asking Allah for sending blessings on him will be incomplete. Therefore, the followers of Muhammad and Ali Muhammad bless the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt and curse their enemies. Justice demands that we identify the devil as a devil, and curse him even if he is disguised in the garb of a Muslim like Yazid and others. Cursing and expression of dislike and disgust for any evil or evildoer is essential to remain on guard against wickedness, as has been made clear in the above-noted verse and verse 7 of al Fatihah, therefore, tabarra has been prescribed as one of the fundamentals of the religion.

The Jews were most vehemently cursed by Musa for not observing all his commandments (Deut 28: 15-68).

Those who recognise falsehood and condemn it, undoubtedly revert to the path of reality through repentance and true submission. Allah is ever-available for those who turn away from their nafs. As a consequence of this real repentance, they will be mending their way of life, that is, unifying their intentions and actions along the path that will bring them the promised bliss and mercy.

Kufr is the rejection of truth, wilfully by perversity or indolence, or it is disbelief in that which is preached by the Holy Prophet. All disbelievers or non-Muslims are not included in this category. A clear exception is mentioned in verse 98 of al Nisa. Those mentioned in verse 106 of al Barat have to wait for the command of Allah to be punished or to be pardoned. Hell is only for those who wilfully and perversely reject the truth, or those who have the means to know the truth but do not care to do so.

( 162)

Those who will be punished will abide in hell according to the state they have reached in this life, without respite. The chastisement is eternal.

Imam Jafar bin Muhammad al Sadiq says:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The word wahid (one) is not used in any numerical sense, nor in the sense of order (the first of any second), nor in the sense of the oneness of a genus or a specie, nor in any other general term, but it is used in the sense that He is indivisible, unanalysable organically, chemically, geometrically, logically, mentally or physically, or in any sense whatsoever. This unity, in essence, does not correspond to any limitation. Since He is unlimited, a second, an equal, or an opposite to Him is not conceivable.

Ibna Babwah writes in the book of Tawhid:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The harmony in the working of the universe is referred to in the Quran as a sign of the unity of the maker. Man is asked to reflect over this creation and realise the divine unity in the midst of diversity and amongst the various forces of nature that work in perfect harmony. (See quotation from Nahj al Balagha on page 20).

As has been pointed out by Imam Musa bin Jafar al Kazim to his disciple, Hisham bin Hakam: Verily Allah perfected His arguments with reasoning, assisted His messengers with miracles, and proved His rububiyat with His signs.

( 165)

To love, adore and worship a ghayrallah (other-than-Allah) is bound to bring about punishment .

The Arabic phrase ka-hubbillah means the love of idol-worshippers for their idols and their leaders which should have been for Allah. This also refers to the followers of the false and self-appointed leaders among the Muslims who usurped authority to keep them away from the true divinely commissioned rightly guided religious leaders. Those believers who are stronger in love for Allah not only love everything that Allah loves but also love the true leaders of the religion of Allah because they love to love that which Allah loves in order to please Allah. Therefore the followers of Muhammad and Ali Muhammad love or hate anything or anyone for the sake and in the cause of Allah

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The Ahmadi interpretation of fire as intense feelings of regret and deprivation, instead of physical suffering, is to belittle the gravity of the divine punishment from which the transgressors shall never come out.

To determine what food is lawful or unlawful is a very intricate procedure. The injunction is to eat all that is suitable and good, and avoid causes of harm based on the satanic pattern. Unlawful are not only those things which Allah prohibits but even unforbidden things acquired unlawfully - by usurpation, by theft and cheating etcetera. Those who lay stress only on the apparent aspects of religion make a show of dislike to unlawful things but devour things unlawfully acquired (Ma-idah: 63).

"Follow not the footsteps of Shaytan" means follow the way of Allah which has been shown by

the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt.

To be far off the mainstream of divine order and mercy and to fall away from the ordered direction into disorder, cast off and cut away from the light of knowledge, is the fate of those who seek guidance from Shaytan, who misleads, misguides, transgresses, and makes people speak against Allah what they do not know.

To blindly follow in the footsteps of one's forefathers or leaders, is to discard the sacred responsibility of seeking the truth. The fathers or those who came first before the true message was delivered through the Holy Prophet, were in senseless ignorance, and whoever follows their direction will be away from the guided path. The greatest barrier which the Holy Prophet broke was that of narrow-minded tribal despotism and nationalism. This verse strongly condemns blind following of those traditions of the ancestors which do not tally with sound reasoning and divine guidance.

Those who cover themselves with the dark veil of ignorance (Kufr-infidelity) are deaf, dumb and blind, therefore, the impact of the call of the message of Allah is lost. There is no response. The kafir is devoid of understanding.

The Holy Prophet and the holy Imams have enjoined to say bismillah before eating, and to say Alhamdulillah after eating. In this way eating, an act of unification at the physical level, becomes a function of devotion. The state of gratitude to Allah is bound to increase love for Allah, and thus increases the quality of worship and devotion.

There is a clear description of some of the forbidden edibles. These foods were also forbidden by the law of Musa, and by Isa. The Jews had forbidden some foods to themselves without any authority (Ali Imran: 93). In verse 147 of al An-am prohibitions, exclusively imposed upon the Jews due to their rebellion, have been mentioned. Also refer to al Ma-idah: 3, and al Nahl: 115.

Innama excludes everything besides that which has been mentioned.

"The animals over which any other name than Allah has been invoked" brings to light the fact that everything in the universe belongs to Allah whose name is invoked when we eat or drink anything lawful.

Ghayra baghin means "not for enjoyment" but to satisfy an unavoidable necessity.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The Muslims are warned not to act like the Jews who conceal that which Allah has revealed and buy error for right direction and punishment for forgiveness.

Concealing of truth is compared to eating nothing but fire into their bellies or reducing the soul to ashes. On the day of reckoning, such persons will be isolated from communion with Allah. His mercy which purifies polluted souls will not include them. It indicates that on the day of judgement Allah will speak to some sinners, purify them of their sins, and grant them amnesty.

Allah's book is true. It contains and encompasses the knowledge of the diversity of creation. Dispute and difference can only relate to the diversity of creation, not to the laws that govern it. Those who go against the book doubt the genuineness of the Quran as the revealed word of Allah. The opponents of the book among the Jews concealed or misinterpreted the prophecy about the advent of the Holy Prophet, clearly mentioned in their scripture. See al Baqarah: 40.

According to the Holy Prophet whoever puts this verse into practice attains perfection in faith. The theory and practice of piety have clearly been mentioned in this verse. Faith in Allah and welfare of the mankind have been founded as the essence of the religion of Allah, Islam.

Please refer to the "note" written by Aqa Mahdi Puya in verse 148 of this surah.

Righteousness is this that one should believe:

1. in the unity of Allah with all His attributes;
2. in the last day of judgement;
3. in the angels;
4. in the book of Allah;
5. in all the prophets and messengers of Allah;
6. and give away wealth out of love for Allah to the near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the liberation of slaves;
7. and keep up the (obligatory) prayers,

In this verse the law of qisas (requital, settlement) is set forth in detail. It is enforceable strictly according to the demands of justice tempered with the spirit of mercy. Allah is the forgiving, and therefore man must be able to forgive. The heirs of the slain have the choice to pardon the murderer if someone on behalf of him pays them the blood-price, after which brotherhood is again restored among the parties concerned. Before the advent of Islam, more often than not, the scenario after a murder was a chain of brutal and bloodthirsty reactions. The families and the tribes of both the slayer and the slain used to engage themselves into a war of attrition, generation after generation, involving innocent men, women and children. Islam, through the Holy Prophet, put a stop to this barbaric collective human behaviour and gave a just and kind system of justice to the human race, which for the first time, without ignorance and superstition, applied compassion and understanding in order to live in peace and harmony. "Payment should be made according to recognised usage in a good manner" is called diyat (blood-money). In the end this verse says that moderation in punishment is an alleviation from the Lord. Verse 92 of al Nisa prescribes moderation when the murder is not premeditated and intentional. Verse 93 of al Nisa clearly declares that a great punishment awaits the murderer who kills a believer intentionally. In addition to the legal penalty, in the hereafter, he will abide in hell for ever.

Verse 9 of al Hujurat says that if two groups of believers fight one another, promote peace between them. Then if one of them turns aggressive against the other, fight against the aggressive party till it returns to Allah's authority. If it does so, make peace among them equitably and be impartial.

Compare these practical ways of ensuring peace and harmony among the conflicting forces, a regular and day-to-day phenomenon in the human society, with the imaginary, decorative and unreasonable slogans introduced by the Christian Church:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Ma-ruf means anything known, recognised, approved, and according to customary usage. Its opposite is munkar - rejected, disapproved and contrary to common sense and religious laws.

Qassa, the root of qisas, means to cut, divide and differentiate. Life is balanced by discrimination between good and bad, light and darkness, life and death. The proper justice of retaliation is discrimination without which we become transgressors by not enforcing Allah's law of balance. Therefore, the guilty should be paid back in the same coin. The people against whom the crime is committed should know what punishment has been given and how it is carried out. This way the boundaries of transgression are clearly marked and made known.

La-allakam tattaqun points out that the purpose of ordaining penalty for the crime is to make people abstain from evildoing.

What one leaves behind should be clearly defined, according to the law of inheritance as well as one's own wishes. No vagueness is allowed in Islam, because the path is that of awareness, discrimination, and knowledge.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

To alter or to misinterpret the word of Allah is a major sin. Beware. He is hearing, knowing. The wishes of a departed being should not be altered. In case of disagreement, proper settlement, within shari-ah, should be made so as not to deprive the rightful heirs, nor let those, in whose favour the bequest has been made, suffer any undue loss.

Fasting is a means of restraining and controlling the nafs, so that contentment (rida), and all the other blessings of this great discipline may be experienced. The fasting of the ordinary man is to withhold only from food and drink. The fasting of the pious man is to curb sensory desires, to refrain from looking at the unlawful, hearing the harmful, and thinking about the distasteful, or about what stimulates the lower nature. The fasting of a true believer is to seal the heart from paying any attention to other-than-Allah (ghayrallah), and safeguard himself with thorough awareness of the divine laws. Fasting (sawm) is one of the obligatory functions of the faith, next only to the prescribed 5 times a day prayers (salat), in importance. It trains the Muslims to guard themselves against evil as well as conditions them to suffer physical affliction and exercise self control in the defence of faith and the faithful.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Fasting is prescribed "for a certain number of days" - and as per the next verse they are the days of the month of Ramadan. The deeper benefits of fasting are gained when one is in good health. However, both in sickness and travel, these benefits are unlikely to be realised, therefore, exemption from fasting is provided, but a number of other days should be selected to fast in lieu of the obligatory fasts that have not been observed due to sickness or travel, and also a redemption (fidyah) should be effected by feeding a poor man for every missed fast. Aged people, nursing mothers and other cases in which the health is sure to be harmed by fasting can forego fasting altogether, but feed the poor instead, giving away the equivalent of one man's food daily for each fast missed.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The month of Ramadan is that in which the complete Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet in the night of Qadr (Dukhan: 3; Qadr: I ). Thereafter he was intimated to deliver it gradually to the people as and when Allah deemed it suitable.

All schools of Islam agree that the whole Quran was sent to baytul ma-mur and thereafter it was revealed to the Holy Prophet on suitable occasions during a period of 23 years. Bayt ul ma-mur is said to be the celestial counterpart of the holy Kabah. It is an allegorical term used for the heart of the Holy Prophet. The book of Allah and its connection with the Holy Prophet has been explained in detail in the commentary of verse 2 of this surah. The readers are requested to please study it carefully to know that the divinely chosen Holy Prophet was commissioned to guide the whole mankind till eternity after he had received the whole guidance and wisdom (the Quran), and that he delivered it to the people gradually whenever he received the divine command.

The Quran is a guidance to mankind, and the Holy Prophet according to Nisa : 79; A-raf: 158, Anbiya: 107, had been sent as a messenger to all mankind; therefore, Islam is a universal religion.

According to Matthew 15: 24 prophet Isa had said:

Allah is very near, nearer than the jugular vein. Awareness of this fact serves two purposes-it stops man from drifting towards evil, and secondly it gives him heart and confidence to rely upon Allah alone, independent of all created beings, making him understand the ever-living reality of Allah who alone controls the whole universe and that which takes place in it.

He answers the prayer of every sincere supplicant when he calls on Him. Allah hears every cry of help and gives to His devotee that which is best in his interest, known to His infinite wisdom alone. Acceptance of prayer does not mean immediate fulfilment of whatever is sought.

"So they should answer My call" means man should carry out Allah's will expressed through His commandments to regulate and discipline the life of this world.

"And believe in Me" means awareness of the ever-living presence of the almighty and all-knowing Lord creator, equal to or like unto whom is no one.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Imam Ali ibna abi Talib says:

During the fast eating and drinking, after the whiteness of the day becomes distinct from the blackness of the night, is prohibited until night. (For other conditions see books of fiqh). In the beginning cohabitation between man and wife was not allowed for those who observed fast, whether night or day, but the future second caliph and some other companions confessed to the Holy Prophet that they had transgressed this prohibition (Tafsir Baydawi). Through this verse cohabitation between man and wife during the night was made lawful.

Man's actions must follow certain patterns, starting with the gross, and gradually ascending to the subtlest of the subtle. There were very few truly obedient devotees of Allah (the Ahl ul Bayt) who observed every command of Allah, but the merciful Lord also takes into consideration the wishes of the "not so careful Muslims."

It is incumbent upon each one of the faithful to seek the roots of justice and right balance deeply. The purpose of sawm is to curb mean and lower tendencies such as wrongfully consuming even things lawfully possessed and letting greed dominate every aspect of life.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Swallowing up other people's rights and usurping unjustly the possessions of others have been declared unlawful (also see Nisa: 29).

In Islam religious duties and other prescribed actions like fasts, festivals and pilgrimage, are carried out according to the lunar calculation. The reasons are given below:

(1) Even an illiterate person can determine the day of the month and the month of the year according to the different shapes and forms of the moon, which cannot be calculated from the sun.

(2) Man can experience the joy and satisfaction of fulfilment in every type of season, which is not possible if solar calendar is followed.

(3) Acts of worship do not become seasonal rituals.

(4) The lunar year is shorter than the solar year. So the devotee gets more opportunities, in his lifetime, to turn to Allah, and obtain more benefits.

On account of superstitious customs before Islam, the Arabs, after putting the 'Ihram' did not enter their houses through the regular doors, but made new back entrances to get into their abodes. This verse put an end to this false belief.

The true interpretation of this verse is that every occasion has its own door of approach. Every arena, physical, intellectual, or spiritual, has its natural point of entry. The intelligent man recognises the right door, unsuperstitiously, and in order to enter depends on knowledge. Entering from behind is a figurative expression for rejecting the right course, and entering through the (regular) door means following the right path. The house is the "house of guidance". Righteousness is this that one should approach the "house of guidance" through its door, the right path. "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate", said the Holy Prophet. To know the true guidance one has to turn to Ali as the Shia school (Islam original) rightly does. The Mutazali sect of Sunni school and the sufis also follow the teachings of Imam Ali ibna abi Talib.

The message of Islam is universal. From early times the Muslims were only permitted to fight in self defence. When there is no option, and in the face of persecution, however, the Muslims must fight. The strength of Islam lies in its certainty of ultimate victory over aggression, transgression, and ascribing falsehood to Allah and His last prophet. Fitna can mean oppression, persecution, seduction - all implying the "discord" that attachment with ghayrallah (other-than-Allah) brings about. It is used as in verse 217 of this surah - war is detestable but fitna is worse than slaughter. Islam promotes peace, order and harmony in the human society and keeps man on the right path. When the enemies of Islam found that the light of this message was sweeping darkness from every corner, the disbelievers vowed to annihilate it. It was only then that, no recourse being left for the believers, they had to resolutely take up the sword in defence. Verses 39 and 40 of al Hajj also give permission to fight when any people is wronged, oppressed and persecuted.

So in the way of Allah, the prophets were commanded to put an end to the activities of the disbelievers who wanted to destroy the true devotees of Allah in order to stop the advancement and progress of the religion of Allah. The Quran commands the Muslims not to exceed the limits but to fight evil until its power base is dislodged, and if the kafirs desist then to show mercy. Compared to what the other prophets did, as commanded by Allah, to destroy the unbelievers, the role assigned to the Holy Prophet as the "mercy unto the worlds" was the most benign of all the campaigns undertaken by His messengers to liberate mankind from the clutches of the enemies of Allah. He fought and killed the enemy whenever war was imposed on him.

Nobody who has any idea of the miserable conditions of the early Muslims, would for a moment imagine that this handful of people could have wantonly set themselves to provoke the active hostility of the whole world about them. They would quietly have borne any provocation rather than take the risk of fighting numberless hordes. If they did engage themselves in this way, one would presume that circumstances had forced them to it; unless their very existence was in peril, they could not possibly have thought to plunge themselves into a mortal struggle. This is so clear a priori that even if the initiative did appear to be taken by Muslims, no sane minded person would for a moment suppose that they were really offensive wars - they must have been offensive with a defensive import. The circumstances had forced them to take action, and if the Holy Prophet had not been quick to it and had waited for a formal assault from the other side, he would only have given the enemy time to collect their forces; and who can doubt that in that case, the world would soon have heard the last of this little band of Muslims.

Yet such is the perversity of prejudice that no such considerations, obvious as they are, are allowed to have any weight with writers like Muir, Sale, Neoldeke and others. All they can see is that in the battle of Badr and its prelude, the raid of Abdullah bin Jahsh, it was the Muslims that began the quarrel with the infidels. What the infidels had been doing all the time before is, as a matter of principle, ignored and forgotten.

How deep-rooted was the acrimony which drove the infidels on against the new converts, may be easily judged from their pursuing them down even to Abyssinia, to where the Muslims had fled to avoid the horrible tortures they were suffering at their hands. The infidels would not let them live in peace even in other lands. Could it be imagined that they could all complacently see them flourish and develop their mission from a centre only 70 miles away from themselves? What are the facts? Soon after the emigration of the Holy Prophet, they wrote to the chief of Madina, Abdullah ibna Obay, as follows:

Obay bin Kab says, "When the Holy Prophet and his people came to Madina and the Ansars took them under their protection, all the Arabs were united to make an assault upon them. They never lay down to sleep except with their weapons with them."

This is not the place to give an account of the various wars and battles that were fought. They will be described under the various verses relating to them.

This is merely an introduction that may help us to understand the true state of things at the time. All this is quietly passed over by European critics of Islam.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

In spite of all that has been said that Islam prefers peaceful methods of preaching the truth, and that it never took any initiative in waging wars against its opponents, the fact is that Islam recognises the right of taking the initiative in using force against those who persist in ungodly activities causing human degradation or social and moral deterioration. But this measure can only be adopted by the prophet of Allah or his vicegerents, authorised by Him, and none else. As Imam Muhammad bin Ali al Baqir says: "A war may be termed as holy or godly (jihad) if the object is to make people give up submission to the ghayrallah and to submit only to Allah's authority and the divine will. But if the purpose is to make them give up submission to one creature in order to submit to any other, it is the usual war waged for selfish and worldly gain. Hence it is unholy and thus condemned by Islam." Taking this definition in view, it is obvious that no war is holy unless it is sanctioned and allowed by the person who is perfectly pure from every kind of ungodliness and is constantly in communion with the universal will of the absolute.

The order is to kill the enemy (against whom fighting has been enjoined) wherever they are found, whilst the war goes on. It does not refer to unbelievers in general.

Fitna means subversive activities to destroy peace and rule of law. With reference to other verses like this verse (Nisa: 135; Ma-idah: 2 and 8) it must be said that Islam advocates universal peace and harmony in the human society and teaches us to tolerate and accommodate other creeds so far as their followers do not hatch plots and generate ill-will to destroy the Muslims and ascribe falsehood to Allah and His religion. In verses 1, 8 and 9 of al Mumtahanah, the believers are advised to show kindness and do justice to the unbelievers who are not hostile to them, but at all events, friendship with the enemies of Allah has been discouraged. Islam avoids killing and destruction, but when public peace and safety is at stake, prompt and severe action is taken to bring order and eliminate lawlessness. Islam has no room for wilful aggressors and cunning mischief-makers. The sanctity of the holy Kabah and the sacred months is very important, but when attacked all considerations should be kept in abeyance till the aggressors are destroyed completely. Keeping this principle in view, the Holy Prophet fought against the infidels of Makka and their (Jewish) associates, in self defence, because they wanted to exterminate the religion of Allah and its followers. When the Syrian vassals of the Roman empire advised Hercules to help and support the Makkan pagans and liquidate the Muslims, the Holy Prophet had to go to war against the Christians. No peaceful person, tribe or community was ever attacked by him. He did not allow his followers, either in his lifetime or after, to needlessly attack any people. There are many traditions and verses of the Quran which enjoin peaceful preaching of the truth through argument and reason, with wisdom and kind exhortation in the best way possible. (Nahl: 125). The sword which was used to defend the cause of Islam right from the beginning was the dhulfiqar, and the man who devoted his life to the cause of Islam was Ali. A divine voice informed the Holy Prophet in the midst of the battle of Uhad.

LA FATA ILLA ALI, LA SAYF ILLA DHULFIQAR

(There is no hero save Ali, there is no sword save dhulfiqar)

Showing mercy when one has the upper hand is enjoined in this verse. On all occasions, the lover of Allah attempts to draw near Him by taking on the appropriate attribute of Allah. Mercy and forgiveness for the enemies if they desist from fighting has been recommended. No other creed or religion has this provision.

Fighting evil should continue until its power base is dislodged, after which it should be stopped. Fitna has been explained in verse 191 of this surah.

"Din should be only for Allah" makes it clear that the purpose of fighting in the way of Allah is to remove persecution, corruption and mischief which suppress liberty and do not allow people to choose between truth and falsehood so that they may willingly believe in Allah and follow His commandments. The root of evil is in polytheism. It should be uprooted. When our living Imam returns, he will put an end to polytheism and make available true freedom for mankind. In verse 40 of al Hajj it is said that Allah repels some men by means of others to keep safe synagogues, churches and cloisters so that every man may have the freedom to remember God according to his own belief, because there is no compulsion in religion (Baqarah: 256). Only Islam, and no other religion, gives freedom to one and all to worship one true God - Allah.

"And if they desist" means when the polytheists renounce false gods and idol-worshipping and come into the fold of the true faith, Islam, and believe in the one and only true God.

Rajab, Dhilqad, Dhilhajj and Muharram are the sacred months. The men of Allah are allowed to inflict injury on those who violate the sanctity of the sacred months and attack the believers, because under the law of retaliation justice demands that the aggressors be punished, but when the enemy desist from continued confrontation, peace, bound by agreement, should prevail and be adhered to. The muttaqin have been described in verse 2 of this surah.

Muhsin (derived from ihsan) is he who acts well, does good deeds and spends in the way of the most perfect, good and bountiful Allah. Allah, therefore, loves the Muhsin. When a man gets what he deserves, proportionate to his deeds, it is called justice (adl); but if one is given more in view of one's needs, more than what one deserves, it is called ihsan (to give for a present).

Islam views closefisted miserliness as ungodliness, which keeps the miser away from paradise and throws him into hell.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

The date and the month for performing hajj is fixed, whereas umra, an abridged ritual, can be performed at any time.

To inculcate restraint, perseverance, sincerity and purity of intention, submission, and dedication to the service of Allah, a thorough discipline has been prescribed for performing hajj and umrah. [Please study "Hajj and Umrah guide" and "Supplications for Hajj and Umrah", published by the Peermahomed Ebrahim Trust, or any such publication published by the Shia publishing houses.

Hajj is a week of total loyalty. The body is denied all kinds of comforts. The mind and the heart are tuned to bask in the light of devotion. It enables man to rise to the glorious heights of spiritual bliss. The proud, rich and the egotistic celebrities are made to know and realise their true insignificance, otherwise, in any other situation, they would prefer to spend any amount to avoid association with the ordinary people and being brought to the level of the meek . No distinction of wealth, fame, birth, colour or nationality are of any use when the hajj begins. All are in the service of the Lord. It is a training ground to put the idea of the brotherhood of man into practice. Whoso fails to do in day-to-day life what he has experienced during the hajj, is not a true believer. There is no other religion which has such an institution to inspire effective voluntary control to curb brutality and pride, so easily acquired by the men of the world. Islam would have been labelled as an imperfect code of life if hajj has not been prescribed as an obligatory duty.

The criticism of the slaughter of animals by the opponents of Islam is unreasonable. Animals have been created by the creator to provide food for the human beings. There is "life" in everything man or animal eats or drinks. Therefore saving or sparing "life" is not possible. This is the law of nature. The very existence of life depends upon the proper consuming of life. Life in the lower stages of creation has been purposely created to be sacrificed to serve the survival of the species in the higher realm. Similarly, man has been created to sacrifice his self which is dearest to him, to reach the higher realms of divinity or spiritual bliss. It is true that purposeless slaughter of animals is a waste of Allah's bounty when it is carried out in contravention to the laws of the author of nature. Even for those who hold animals sacred, the surest way to show their concern is to slaughter them at the proper time, because one day they will be eliminated by death. So, if an animal is to die anyway, it is better to use it for sustenance of human life, rather than letting it go waste. The merciful creator, therefore, has allowed slaughter of animals for the sustenance of human life.

In the days of ignorance, man sacrificed man to please his man-made gods. Islam stopped this practice. Instead, to keep alive the spirit of the intended sacrifice of Ismail by Ibrahim, to show his obedience to his Lord, sacrifice of animals has been prescribed. On the other hand, Islam prohibits purposeless killing of animals. As long as a haji is in ihram he cannot kill even a mosquito. Hunting is not only forbidden during the hajj but also as a sport in ordinary life. Imam Ali, on his death bed, asked his children to take care of the birds he had domesticated, or else to set them free. Once a disciple of Imam Jafar al Sadiq killed some pigeons in exasperation. The Imam asked him to give one dinar in charity for every pigeon he had killed as an expiation.

The companions of Imam Hasan tried to make a dog run when the unclean animal came near them while they were having meals with the Imam. The Imam prevented them and began to eat one morsel himself and gave another to the dog. He said: "I should feel ashamed if a creature of Allah looks at my food and I turn it away."

At the call of duty a true believer must be ready to act as commanded, therefore, the impracticable and imaginary tenderness, which actually is not so, should not be allowed to take root. One must kill even a human being if proved guilty of murder and lawfully condemned to death. The misconceived feeling of tenderness is a moral weakness which can be removed by proper training.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

"Whoever profits by combining umrah with hajj means that after performing umrah, the

Shawwal, Dhilqad and Dhilhajj are the well known months. One can start the pilgrimage in these months but the principal performance of hajj has been prescribed in the month of Dhilhajj. During these days the pilgrim enters the state of purity in which he is entirely absorbed with Allah. Taqwa is the best provision, because by resigning oneself to Allah and abstaining from all that which connects with worldly matters, devotion to Allah becomes total. Everything which pertains to rafas (sexual intercourse), fasaq (fornication), jidal (quarrelling with one another) are forbidden.

"Take provision" means to plan and carry sufficient provisions for the journey so as not to be a burden on others. Some people used to go for pilgrimage to Makka without sufficient provisions, on the pretence that they trust in Allah's help, thus becoming a burden on their fellow travellers. Making provision may also mean making provision for the journey of life with piety and righteousness. Surely the best provision is taqwa - guarding against evil or safeguarding with full awareness of divine laws. If the men of understanding desire increase in provision, here and in the hereafter, then they should know the boundaries and fortify them.

Fazl means bounty, the sustenance one obtains by trade and commerce.

Mash-aril haram, the holy sign or monument, is the place known as muzdalifa, where the pilgrims halt for a night while returning from Arafat on the evening of the 9th Dhilhajj.

Despite the dissimilarity of colour, age and gender, the pilgrims stand equal in the eyes of Allah, on the plain of Arafat. The Quraysh and the Kanana tribes imagined themselves superior to other people, therefore, they used to stay behind and did not join the multitude.

Hajj is a meeting with the Lord . The ignorant Arabs used to boast about the achievements of their fathers. The father is merely a physical source, whereas the real source is Allah. The pilgrims are asked to remember and glorify only Allah.

Most men seek only physical fulfilment, therefore, they shall have no share in the hereafter. Those who pray only for the present life indicate that they feel themselves secure in the other life (for which they do not pray) and do not need the help of Allah. The true seekers, with inner certainty, glorify Allah and invoke Him to grant them good in this world, and good in the hereafter. Islam guides man to achieve success in both the worlds. This prayer, for both the lives taught to the Muslims by the Quran, indicates that Islam wants man to adopt the middle course between materialism and asceticism.

The doers of good deeds must call upon Allah to accept their accomplishments.

As soon as the good or the bad deeds are done by an individual, the result at once comes before him. Allah is swift in reckoning.

The specific reference here is to the three days after sacrifice-called the days of tashriq. The normal state of a true seeker is to be in perpetual remembrance of Allah, safeguarding himself with full awareness of His laws, knowing for certain that all shall be gathered before Him.

No particular person is referred to in these verses; the reference is to the miscreants in general. The enemy of truth and Islam is his own enemy. He is a shattered being, the breakdown between what is said and what is really meant, and, therefore, causes mischief and destruction of the natural order, and tries to break up the divine system. Such men assured the Holy Prophet to rely on their co-operation, but hatched plans, in secret, to make mischief both in his lifetime and after. They refused to adopt piety because pride and self-elevation led them astray. Hell is their resting-place.

Thalabi, Ghazali, the author of Ahya-ul Ulum, and all the Shia commentators say that this verse was revealed to praise Ali ibna abi Talib, when he slept in the bed of the Holy Prophet, during the night of hijrat.

Immediately after the death of Abu Talib, Abu Sufyan, the chief of the branch of Umayyah, succeeded to the principality of Makka. A zealous votary of the idols, a mortal foe of the line of Hashim, he convened an assembly of the Quraysh and their allies. All tribal heads held a conference on the instigation of Abu Sufyan and Abu Jahl. It was resolved that one man from every tribe should go to the Holy Prophet's house in the darkness of the night and kill him jointly, in order to divide the guilt, and baffle the vengeance of the Bani Hashim. In the stupidity of their ignorance, they forgot that Allah is seeing, hearing, and His hand (Ali) was alive, who, from his earliest days, had committed himself to save the Holy Prophet at all costs. In the dark night, the conspirators surrounded the house of the Holy Prophet. Meanwhile, Allah commanded the Holy Prophet to leave Makka at once and go to Madina. The Holy Prophet intimated Ali of the divine plan and asked him to lie down on his bed, in order to lead the enemies into thinking that it was the Holy Prophet himself who was sleeping, thus giving him enough time to go away from Makka (unnoticed). Ali asked the Holy Prophet if his lying down in his bed would save the Holy Prophet's life, to which he answered in the affirmative. So Ali lay down on the Holy Prophet's bed, covering himself with his blanket. Ali made a willing choice of certain death, as the blood-thirsty enemies were lurking around the house to kill the Holy Prophet in his bed at any time during the night.

Ali willingly agreed to die because:

(1) in his opinion the life of the Holy Prophet was more valuable than his own;

2. he was absolutely certain that it was the duty of a true believer to obtain the pleasure of Allah and His messenger, even if one's life has to be bartered;

3. he had the peace of mind which gave him courage to sleep, while the naked swords were flashing to

strike him - a singular example of willing surrender to Allah's will;

Silm means iman, the inner core or depth of the faith. The use of this word in this verse points out that "you who believe" are those who know and believe in the religion but are unaware of the scope and extent of the depth of iman, so they are invited to surrender and submit with perfect belief and thorough conviction; then alone they will not follow the footsteps of Shaytan, who is an open enemy.

As reported by Ayashi, Imam Muhammad bin Ali al Baqir had also explained this verse as above and added that it also means that all Muslims are enjoined to believe in imamat and follow its divine guidance after the risalat, which ended with the Holy Prophet.

By not following the imamat of Ali, after the Holy Prophet, the Muslim ummah was easily deceived by the whims and fancies of incompetent and selfish leaders, and by not paying attention to the command of Allah to submit, as given in this verse, the ignorant Muslims were caught in the web of sects, sub-sects, and many schismatic schools of thought. The safest way to enter into submission is to follow the Holy Prophet and the holy Imams of his Ahl ul Bayt.

Those who made a show of becoming Muslims to save their private interests will certainly backslide, but their defection shall not affect the cause of Allah in any way, nor cause any inconvenience to those who believe in Allah. Those who go astray shall be the losers.

"The coming of Allah" means the execution of Allah's will to punish the disbelievers through His laws which are absolute. Allah's decree encompasses all existence, seen or unseen. It operates in every situation and phenomenon. The total ecological balance, and the overall outcome of any system, are contained within the laws of reality, therefore, the result is already settled - all matters emanate from Allah and return to Allah. The disbelievers and those who backslide shall be punished in consequence of the inevitable execution of Allah's will. Verses 33 and 34 of al Nahl also state the same reality, using the same phrase. Similarly verse 2 of al Hashr refers to the arrogance of the Jews whose evil (persistent mischief-making to upset the peaceful life of the people of Madina) destroyed them, because the divine laws take their course without fail.

(21l)

Ni-mat means bounty or grace. In this verse it means the word of Allah, the Quran. Those who change its wording (or its meaning) after it has been revealed to the Holy Prophet (and duly explained by him) shall be severely punished.

The rich Jews who, through usury, had multiplied their wealth, used to jest at those believers who had migrated into Madina with the intention of settling in it. Since they had to leave behind everything they possessed in Makka, they were reduced to a state of extreme poverty. According to this verse, the true worth of a man is determined by his piety, independent of his wealth. Material possessions shall be of no use on the day of resurrection. Piety {taqwa) will reign supreme.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

"And only those to whom the scriptures were given differed concerning it, after clear proofs

had come to them, through hatred of one another", refers to the Jews and the Christians who profusely corrupted their scriptures.

It also refers to the Muslims who misinterpret the verses of the Quran.

This verse is reported to have been revealed at the time of the battle of Khandaq, when the restless Muslims kept on asking:

"When comes Allah's help?"

Before them the famous Arab warrior, Amr bin Abdwud, astride on his horse, was proudly repeating his challenge for a man-to-man combat. The Muslims were on the brink of losing faith in Allah and His prophet as they had done in the battle of Uhad. Every one, among them, was hiding his head, lest the messenger of Allah might command him to accept the challenge. Some, among them, began to narrate the daring acts of the dare-devil in order to discourage their friends. Though they are held as great heroes of Islam by their ignorant followers, they refused to go to fight the challenger when asked by the Holy Prophet, because they relied more upon the advice of their comrades than on Allah's help. After that the Holy Prophet wanted to know who would go to meet the enemy? He repeatedly asked this question. Every time only Ali came forward. At last Ali, "the total faith," as aptly described by the Holy Prophet, went to fight against Amar bin Abdwud, "the total disbelief". Ali, in no time, killed the formidable champion of the invaders. When the total faith of Ali in Allah and His messenger, through his matchless bravery, was established, there came a violent storm which ruined the enemy camp and routed their fighting forces. They dispersed in chaos and disorder and ran all the way to Makka in utter disappointment and defeat.

"Now surely Allah's help is near" was revealed in praise of the faith, strength and bravery of Ali.

Then the Holy Prophet declared:

"The one strike of Ali on the day of Khandaq is superior to the prayers of both the worlds."

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

This verse should be read in continuation of the commentary of the above verse. Also refer to the commentary of verse 194 of this surah. For fitna see commentary of verse 190 and 191 of this surah.

Jihad (from jahada) means to strive, take great pains, and to give away life, property and everything in the way of Allah (see commentary of verse 216 of this surah).

Actions such as taking intoxicants, or seeking quick and easy wealth through gambling, draw us away from reality and dull our sense of comprehending and distinguishing things. Man's reason for existence is to grasp reality. All intoxicating substances have been defined by the Holy Prophet and the holy Imams of his Ahl ul Bayt.

Abu Hanifah, the founder of the Hanafi school, says that any liquor, not prepared by grapes, is not prohibited.

Mawlvi Muhammad Ali, a Sunni scholar, in his translation of the Quran says:

"Those who think that the verse under discussion does not contain a prohibition have failed to understand the language of the Quran. When the harm of a thing is stated to be greater than its advantage, it is sufficient indication of its prohibition, for no sensible person would take a course which is sure to bring him a much greater loss than an advantage."

Even after the revelation of this verse some of the companions of the Holy Prophet used to drink non-grape wines and come to pray salat in the masjid, on account of which verse 43 of al Nisa and verses 90 and 91 of al Ma-idah were revealed to prohibit intoxicants and gambling.

The Holy Prophet said:

Imam Ali ibna abi Talib said:

Liquor is ummul khaba-ith, the mother of all vices. An intoxicated person ceases to be a human being, becomes a brute and loses the ability to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong.

The effect of these verses worked wonders with the Arab Muslims. In the opinion of the social reformers who labour day and night to put an end to the drinking habits of non-Muslim communities it is a miracle. Drinking was second nature to the heathen Arabs. The Jews and the Christians were also sunk deep into this wicked addiction.

Yasara, the root of maysir, means to divide a thing into parts or portions. Maysir means a game of chance to seek quick and easy wealth, an unearned profit. Gain or loss is a matter of chance. This verse prohibits all games of chance and gambling.

For al afwa see commentary of verse 215 of this surah.

Acting rightly and generously towards the orphans and those without guardians will not only directly benefit the giver as well as the receiver, but also be reflected in an improved human society. Therefore there are several verses, such as Baqarah: 177 and al Balad: 11 to 16, revealed to the Holy Prophet to provide the basis for doing good to fellowmen

Islam allows partnership with an orphan, and guardianship and trusteeship of an orphan, with strict injunctions to maintain correct separate accounts in order to safeguard the orphans's interest at all events.

Inter-marriage between the believers in God and the idolaters has also been prohibited by Tawrat and Injil.

According to verse 21 of al Rum, Allah created for us from ourselves spouses that we may find repose in them, and caused between us love and compassion, therefore, spiritual affinity is essential between two life-partners, which is not possible if one believes in Allah and the other is an infidel who, spiritually and intellectually, is on the animal level, caught in the cobweb of falsehood, wickedness and mental retardness. It would be an unholy alliance. The infidel partner may draw the faithful away from the Lord and make him or her worship the imaginary deities and false gods. More often than not the children are affected by the conflicting beliefs of the parents. The risk is quite unnecessary, because any adverse response will lead directly to hell.

The school of Ahl ul Bayt, in view of verse 5 of al Ma-idah, allows temporary marriage with the women of those who received the scriptures. (See books of Fiqh for details about marriage between the various schools of thought.)

The natural cyclical discharge of woman is a purifying process - it removes discarded cells and purifies her body. So men have been commanded not to approach women, during the menstrual discharge, until they become clean.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Yat-hurna means cessation of menstruation or the state after ghusl (bath) - for details refer to fiqh.

Min haythu amarakum means "as ordained"-see next verse.

Sexual relations among the human beings is a very delicate matter. The Quran deals with it in a manner which not only takes into consideration the physical sensuality but also makes certain that man should rise above the animal level and temper his sensual urges with moral and spiritual discipline. Even the language used to provide the essential guidance in this connection has been very carefully worded so as not to let the issue be described in a lewd style - the literary way and technique of the then Arabic poets.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Allah commands man to do good. Therefore, "not to do good" cannot be justified under any pretext, not even because of swearing by Allah. Allah cannot be made an urdah (obstacle) in the way of doing good, safeguarding against evil, and making peace between men. It is an injunction to abstain from making "swearing by Allah" a pretext for withholding oneself from doing good. Good must be done at all events. For example the "swearing by Allah" of a husband in anger, that he will not go to his wife, has been forbidden. (See also al Qalam: 10; al Ma-idah: 89).

Vain oath means unintentional swearing, which is a common habit with most people in their ordinary conversation. Allah will not hold any one accountable for vain oaths, but He will call His creatures to account for their real intentions and what they do. Verbal swearing has no value. However, swearing with full consciousness of the seriousness of the undertaking, binds the swearer to do as resolved provided the deed to be done is legal and good. Before Islam, it was a custom among the Arabs that when a husband avowed to discontinue conjugal relations with his wife, the wife was left in a lurch - neither a married woman nor a divorcee. The Quran ignores the swearing concerning disassociation with wives and gives four months for reconsideration and reconciliation; after which, if the husband still desires separation he should divorce his wife, otherwise the wife can refer the matter to the hakim shara (competent authority on Islamic laws) and obtain freedom from the bond of marriage to wed someone else.

Fa-in- fa-u means if they return to their wives within the prescribed four months Allah will forgive them.

Talaq means letting a woman free from the bond of marriage or dissolution of the contract of marriage. Talaq should be put to use only when reconciliation is not possible in spite of best efforts. To warn the husbands who, unjustly and without reason, divorce their wives, the phrase "Allah is surely hearing, knowing" has been added. Only Islam safeguards the interests of women. According to the Holy Prophet, of all the permissible acts, divorce is the one most disliked by Allah, so as to keep in check any indiscriminate use of this pragmatic sanction. Therefore, in Islam, divorce is the most loathsome of the permitted acts. Marriage is an alliance of two individuals who love each other. Without love and understanding, it becomes a soulless body. In this situation, the sooner it is undone the better. If due to events and reasons, beyond control, day to day life of a married couple becomes a burden and a misery, separation is necessary and is an act of charity. Islam has the essential and elastic laws to deal with every type of case and circumstance and to control the harmony of the society as well as to safeguard the interest of every individual.

Divorce, though legalised by Islam, has been so controlled and restricted through the observations of the Holy Prophet that its indiscriminate use is not possible by those who sincerely believe in Allah and follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet and his holy Ahl ul Bayt. For them it is almost impossible to resort to divorce.

Quru means menstrual period. The divorced woman is required to keep herself in waiting for three menstrual periods, during which the husband has to support and care for her. In the course of these three months, if it is found out that she is pregnant, then the parental propriety of the offspring is established. Above all, the door of reconciliation remains open. If there is real love between them, the husband can take the wife back before the expiry of iddat (prescribed period of waiting). Such a practical arrangement is not available in any religion except Islam.

The legal rights given to women by Islam brought a revolutionary change in human society for the first time. So far woman was a wicked creature, the agent of the devil, and therefore was treated like a chattel, occupying the lowest position in the family and community. Islam gave women an honourable status, similar to men. It was a dynamic change, unknown to history, because it was never even considered, in pre-lslamic period, that women could have rights over men.

"But the men are a degree above women" refers to the natural differences which separate men from women. Allah is all-wise, therefore, particularly in the case of divorce, man can initiate the course of divorce, but a woman cannot. She, no doubt, can go to a qadi to obtain separation on the ground of unbearable maltreatment and demand dissolution of marriage by surrendering her right to mahar (dowry). This provision is reasonable because it prevents women from obtaining separation on flimsy grounds.

Islam gives women the right of choosing her life-partner. No one can compel her to accept any man as her husband. The matter lies entirely on her independent judgement. So she does not have the right to take the initiative for annulment of wedlock. Yet she has a recourse. She can go to a mujtahid or hakim sharah and obtain separation and then marry again whomsoever she likes.

"Divorce may be pronounced twice". These two pronouncements can be revoked. It is an effective check to prevent divorce on account of emotional outbursts and high-handedness of a husband who may recover his balance of mind and reconsider his unreasonable pronouncement. Before Islam, a man could divorce his wife as many times as he liked and take her back. To stop this absurd farce, only two revocable pronouncements of Talaq have been prescribed by Islam. After the third announcement, the Talaq is complete and becomes irrevocable. Even after Talaq the husband has to treat the divorced wife with kindness. It is not lawful for the husband to take back or withhold any part of what he has given to his wife or promised to give her as mahar (dowry).

"What she gives up to become free" refers to khula or mubarat, the recourse a wife can avail to obtain separation, explained above, by the arbitration of the hakim sharah or mujtahid, by returning the dowry if she has taken it in advance, or by foregoing it.

"If you fear" refers to the lawfully constituted religious authority - hakim sharah or mujtahid. If the husband revokes his decision he must keep his wife in good relationship and honour, and respect her.

The pronouncement of Talaq more than once at a time is meaningless in view of the "divorce may be pronounced twice" (the opening words of this verse) because it stipulates chances of reconciliation after the first, and if not, after the second pronouncement.

As mentioned in verse 97 of al Barat, "these are the limits of Allah", are the divine commandments.

After the third, final and irrevocable pronouncement of divorce the husband cannot take his divorced wife back until she marries another man and the next husband agrees to divorce her. This is a sufficient reason to conclude that all the three pronouncements of Talaq cannot be said at one time. The consequences of the third pronouncement check indiscriminate pronouncement of Talaq.

A husband has the right to divorce his wife but he cannot abuse her or refuse to pay her dues. Whoever does this, exceeds the limits (disobeys Allah's commandments). He must set her free with kindness and give her all her entitlements. The laws of Allah should not be taken in mockery. It shows how serious is the matter of divorce. There are prescribed laws in Islam, yet people (men and women) have the freedom to act according to their conscience; and if they are mindful of the fact that Allah is the knower of all things, they shall not go astray and do injustice to their own souls.

The non-Shia schools do not observe the restrictions given in these verses in the matter of divorce.

No doubt the Islamic law of divorce has been criticised as contemptible and ridiculous.

The Shia school condemns all irregular forms of divorce. For Shias it is necessary that the man who pronounces a divorce be an adult, sane and free in his choice, will, design and intention. It does not take effect if given implicatively or ambiguously, even if there is intention. According to the teachings of the holy Imams, it is also absolutely necessary that the pronouncement must be made by the husband in the presence of two just witnesses; non-fulfilment of this condition renders the divorce null and void. If the husband pronounces the divorce, in an irregular manner, even a hundred times, the woman remains his wife. (For details see books of fiqh).

After the first or second Talaq, if both the husband and wife agree to be reunited, in a lawful manner, they are allowed to do so. The woman has a right to take her own decision. Her relatives or guardians are warned not to prevent her in any way from exercising her rights. Even though the period of waiting may elapse, the husband can marry the divorced wife, if the third irrevocable Talaq has not been pronounced.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

Aqa Mahdi Puya says:

There is no harm if some one desires to marry a widow who is keeping herself in waiting for the prescribed period (iddat), and indirectly speaks his mind, but there should be no confirmation of the marriage tie until the period of waiting is completed.