يَخْشَ

Commentary:

The verse contains a strong and highly forceful appeal in favour of orphans. Those to whom the guardianship of orphans is entrusted are told to imagine just how they would feel if they knew that they were to die leaving behind little children and no one to take care of them. The implication is that they should treat their wards as kindly as they would like their own little children to be treated in case of their own death.

2:247; 4:67.

14:45; 63:11.

9:38; 57:21.

See 4:50.

Commentary:

This verse refers to a class of men who show eagerness to fight when they are told not to fight, but when the actual time for fighting arrives, they refuse to fight or try to avoid it by various pretexts, thus showing that their former eagerness for fighting was either insincere or was only due to a temporary excitement.

The verse may also be regarded as referring to انصار (Helpers) of Medina who, before the advent of Islam to that city, were constantly at war among themselves. But when they accepted Islam, they were asked to cease fighting. When, however, they were called upon to take up arms to defend Islam, a section of them, who were always fighting among themselves before they embraced Islam, became afraid of fighting in the cause of God.

Commentary:

The verse means to say that the kaleidoscopic variety in form, colour, and kind to which reference has been made in the preceding verse does not only exist in flowers, fruits and rocks, but in men, beasts and cattle as well. The words الناس (men), الدواب (beasts) and الانعام(cattle) may also represent men of different capabilities, dispositions and natural aptitudes. The words, "only those of His servants who possess knowledge fear God," further lend weight to the view that these three words stand for three classes of men from among whom only those endowed with right knowledge fear God. Knowledge, here, however, does not necessarily mean spiritual knowledge but also knowledge of the laws of nature. A reverent study of nature and its laws inevitably leads one to realise the great powers of God and consequently makes him hold God in reverential awe.

67:13.

Commentary:

Though the Holy Prophet knew that Zainab being the divorced wife of Zaid known to be his adopted son, his marriage to her would give rise to much criticism among the Arabs, he did not at all hesitate to marry her when he found that it was God’s command to do so. In the performance of his sacred mission the Holy Prophet never cared for the feelings and susceptibilities of anybody. In fact, God’s Prophets do not fear anyone in the discharge of their duties. So, the words "thou didst fear men" in v. 38 should be taken as signifying that the Holy Prophet did not fear men but he feared for them, lest by regarding Zainab’s marriage with Zaid a miscalculation of the Prophet, they might injure their own souls.

Important Words:

عسی (may be) is meant to express desire or hope of obtaining something good or to express fear lest one should fall into an evil way (Aqrab). The word thus implies either desire or hope of good or fear of evil. They say عسی زید ان یقوم i.e. Zaid is near to standing; or I eagerly desire or I hope that Zaid may be performing the act of standing; or it may be that Zaid is, or will be, standing. عسیmay thus be explained as meaning, it may be that, or simply may be. When uttered by God, the word is expressive of an event of necessary occurrence (Lane). See also the meaning of the word لعل under 2:22. Though desire or hope are not attributable to God, yet the words لعل and عسی are used by God to point to the fact that a certain thing is such that people may base their desire or hope on it (Mufradat).

Commentary:

The prosperity of a Mosque of God, and for that matter of the Ka‘bah itself, lies in the fulfilment of the noble object for which it is built. This object is the glorification and the remembrance of the name of God in it; and certainly this object is much the better realized by prohibiting those from visiting it who, instead of glorifying God, attribute co-partners to Him, and by encouraging and exhorting true believers to frequent it.

The words, these it is who may be among those who reach the goal, signify that, since believers are destined to prosper, even the material prosperity of the Ka‘bah will not suffer from the exclusion of infidels; for, believers will go on pilgrimage to it in ever-increasing numbers.

Commentary:

This verse contains a few more signs of "the men of understanding" mentioned in v. 20. After fulfilling their covenant with God and establishing a true and real connection with Him, they turn to His creatures and form a true connection with them also, in the manner and to the extent prescribed by God. Thus, after faithfully discharging their duties to God, they fulfil the obligations they owe to His creatures; and for the performance of this double duty and the fulfilment of the twofold covenant, they make use of the means created by Him.

The expression, fear their Lord, means that after having established a true relationship with God and man, they are ever on their guard lest it should be broken through negligence on their part.

The verse thus embodies another sign of "the men of understanding." Whereas, on the one hand, they are watchful and anxious lest they should be deprived of the nearness of God after they have once attained it, on the other, they fear lest they should incur the displeasure of God by showing laxity in the performance of their duty to their fellow beings. See also 2:28.

6:165; 39:8; 53:39.

36:12.

Important Words:

مثقلة (heavily laden soul) is derived from ثقل which means, it was or became heavy, weighty or ponderous; it was or became heavy, weighty or preponderant ideally; he was or became slow, lazy, wanting in activity or intelligence. ثقلت المرأةmeans, her pregnancy became apparent. أثقله means, he overburdened him. مثقل of which مثقلة is feminine gender means, heavily burdened or burdened beyond his power; overburdened; weighed down or oppressed by disease, debt, etc. (Lane & Aqrab). See also 4:41.

Commentary:

The word وزر may here signify the burden of duty or responsibility; or it may mean the remorse or shame which a person feels when he commits a sin or crime. Taking it in the first sense, the expression لا تزر وازرة وزر أخری would mean that the personal duty or responsibility of one person cannot be shifted to, or discharged by another. Everyone has to carry his own cross. Taking the word in the second sense the expression cuts at the root of the doctrine of Atonement on which the whole fabric of Christianity stands. The verse purports to say that no person can relieve any other person of his grief or sorrow, nor can he share with him the remorse or regret that afflicts his conscience after he has committed a crime. Evidently as these feelings have their origin in the heart of man, they cannot be transferred to or shared by another person. The punishments of Hell are only the spiritual embodiments of man’s evil actions done in this life and the person who committed the evil deeds quite clearly will not share these spiritual embodiments of his actions with another person who had not committed those evil deeds.

73:20; 74:55; 76:30; 80:12.

Commentary:

The word تذکرة (exhortation) being derived from ذکر and meaning eminence and honour (Lane), the verse purports to say that Muslims will achieve honour and eminence by following the teachings of the Quran and that their enemies will come to grief by rejecting it. The expression یخشی (who fears) implies that for achievement of the great and noble object of the establishment of Divine Unity on earth, which the Muslims have in view, the perfect teaching of the Quran alone is not sufficient unless it is accompanied by the purification of their hearts. The verse further says that the Quran not only guides to the right path those who grope in the darkness of doubt and disbelief but also leads the believers to the highest pinnacles of spiritual eminence and glory.

Important Words:

لعله (that haply he might). لعل when expressing hope or fear is not used with regard to God. Hope or fear combined with expectation expressed by لعل pertains sometimes to the speaker and sometimes to the person spoken of and sometimes to the addressee. In the verse under comment it expresses hope on the part of Moses and Aaron meaning that they should preach the Divine Message to Pharaoh hoping that he might accept it. When used about God it signifies certainty. See also 2:22 & 11:13.

Commentary:

The verse teaches a two-fold lesson to religious teachers and preachers. A religious teacher must use gentle language when preaching his Message. He should also show due respect to those whom God has endowed with worldly honour or whom He has placed in the seat of authority.

67:13.

Commentary:

The expression بالغیب (in secret) may signify that the righteous servants of God fear Him while He is hidden from their eyes or when they are themselves hidden from the eyes of the people.