صٰدِقِیۡنَ
Appears 31 times in Quran
Occurrences in Quran
Found 31 verses containing "صٰدِقِیۡنَ".
اَمَّنۡ یَّبۡدَؤُا الۡخَلۡقَ ثُمَّ یُعِیۡدُہٗ وَمَنۡ یَّرۡزُقُکُمۡ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ ۗ اَءِلٰہٌ مَّعَ اللّٰہِ ۚ قُلۡ ہَاتُوۡا بُرۡہٰنَکُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
10:35; 29:20; 30:12, 28.
10:32; 34:25; 35:4.
The words, originates creation and then repeats it, signify creation and procreation.
10:35; 29:20; 30:12, 28.
10:32; 34:25; 35:4.
Commentary:
The words, "originates creation and then repeats it," signify creation and procreation.
a
10:35; 29:20; 30:12, 28.
b
10:32; 34:25; 35:4.
953
“原始创造, 继而再造它们” 这些字, 意示创造和再创造新的。
a
10:35; 29:20; 30:12, 28.
b
10:32; 34:25; 35:4.
2857A
Commentary:
The words, "originates creation and then repeats it," signify creation and procreation.
c
10:35; 29:20; 30:12, 28.
d
10:32; 34:25; 35:4.
2186
The words, originates creation and then repeats it, signify creation and procreation.
وَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰی ہٰذَا الۡوَعۡدُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
10:49; 21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
10:49; 21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
10:49; 21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
Commentary:
The disbelievers tauntingly ask the Holy Prophet not to refer to what had happened to other peoples in the past but to "let us know when the punishment about which you hold out to us a threat will overtake us."
e
10:49; 21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
b
10:49; 21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
2861
Commentary:
The disbelievers tauntingly ask the Holy Prophet not to refer to what had happened to other peoples in the past but to "let us know when the punishment about which you hold out to us a threat will overtake us."
e
10:49; 21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
وَاِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ فِیۡ رَیۡبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلۡنَا عَلٰی عَبۡدِنَا فَاۡتُوۡا بِسُوۡرَۃٍ مِّنۡ مِّثۡلِہٖ وَادۡعُوۡا شُہَدَآءَکُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
10:39; 11:14; 17:89; 52:35.
«古兰经» 无可比拟的优美绝伦的主题, 在五个不同的地方被述及, 即: 2:24; 10:39; 11:14; 17:89与52:34, 35中。五处中有两处 (2:24与10:39) 的挑战是相同的, 而在其余三处, 曾向不信道的人提出了三个不同的要求。初看, 三个不同地方的挑战的不同形式似乎不协调。其实并非如此。实际上, 这些经文内一定的要求是时常存在的, 挑战在穆圣时代, 甚至到现在, 在 «古兰经» 所述及的所有不同形式中都是开放的。
在解释这些不同形式挑战以前, 值得注意的是: «古兰经» 提到这些要求时, 始终不忘财产与权力。如前所述, 除了在本节经文中, 没有新的挑战, 而只是重复10:39 中的那个挑战, 由此得到一个肯定的结论:在财产与权力问题和创作像 «古兰经» 或其一部分的挑战之间存在着一种紧密的连系。这一连系在于这样一个事实:即 «古兰经» 是以一种无价之宝向不信道的人提出的。当不信道的人向穆圣要求各种物质财宝时 (11:13), 他告诉他们, 他的 «古兰经» 是他的无与伦比的财宝; 当他们问: “为什么没有一个天使同他一起来?” (11:13) 他回答他们说, 天使确已降临于他, 因为天使们的使命是带来主的启示, 而主的启示已赐给了他。因此, 这两种要求—对于财宝与天使降临的要求—已由天使带来的无与伦比的财宝 «古兰经» 全被满足了, 创作此类天经的挑战是为证明它的无可匹敌的素质而提出的。
现在可以把含有这项挑战的不同经文分开来看。17:89 中提出的最大一个要求, 要求不信道的人拿一本具有像 «古兰经» 全文那样包含多种多样素质的书来。那节经文中并不要求不信道的人把他们的文章做为主的言语陈述。他们可以拿出他们自己的文章并宣称它可与 «古兰经» 相提并论, 或甚至超过 古兰经»。但是, 由于当时提出那个挑战时, 全部 «古兰经» 尚未降下, 并不要求不信道的人当时当地写出像 «古兰经» 那样的经文; 这种挑战因此暗示他们永远也写不出像 «古兰经» 那样的文章, 既写不出当时那种形式的
«古兰经», 也将写不出像将要降示完整的 «古兰经»。而且, 此一挑战并不只局限於穆圣时代的不信道的人, 也可延续到所有时代抱有疑问的人以及评论家。在11:14 节经文中, 不信道的人们被约照写十章而不是写全部 «古兰经», 理由是, 那节经文中的问题并不全面涉及整部 «古兰经» 的完美而是仅涉及其部分的完美。不信道的人反对其中某些部分, 说它们有缺陷。因此, 未曾要求他们写出像全部 «古兰经» 那样一本完整的经典, 而只是用十章来替代他们认为有缺陷的那些 «古兰经» 部分, 这样就可检验它们主张的真实性。说到选择十章这个特定数目, 可以这么说, 因为在17:89 中, 全部 «古兰经» 被声称为一部完美无缺的经典, 反对 «古兰经» 的人就被约照写 «古兰经» 那样的全部经典; 但是在11:14 节经文中的问题是, 某些部分受到反对, 因此请他们挑选他们认为最有缺陷的十个部分, 然后写出类似那些部分的文章。在10:39 节中, 只要求不信教的人写出类似 «古兰经» 中的一章。这是因为, 不像上述的两节经文, 那节经文的挑战是支持 «古兰经» 本身所作出的一个宣称, 而不是驳斥不信教者的反对意见的。在10:38节经文中, «古兰经» 声称有五种非常显著的特点。为了支持这一声称, 10:39 节经文对那些否认或怀疑它的人们提出一个挑战, 要他们以同样完美的形式写出一个单章, 其中要含有像第十章所含有的这些素质。第五次挑战写出像 «古兰经» 那样的经典, 是在这节注释 (2:24) 经文中, 这节像10:39 节一样也约请不信道者写出诸如 «古兰经» 那样的一个单章。这个挑战是在
«古兰经» 被声称为引导正直的人达到精神进步最高阶段之后。不信道的人被告知, 假如他们对 «古兰经» 是源自安拉有怀疑的话, 他们应该写出一章, 使之可与 «古兰经» 对其信者那样产生精神影响方面相比拟。请看我会出版的英文较大版本的古兰注释 (The Larger Edition of Commentary, PP.58-62)。
以上解说可以表明, 这些约请不信教的人写出诸如 «古兰经» 的挑战十分明显而一一分开的, 这些挑战始终存在, 其中没有一个可以替代或取消另一个。可是, 由于 «古兰经» 包含崇高的思想, 必然要用最美丽的措词与最简洁朴实的风格来作为表示那些思想的工具; 否则它的主题就会含糊不清, 使人产生疑问, «古兰经» 的绝美经文就会损毁。这样, 不论用什么形式, 不论在哪一方面, 不信教的人所受到的写出类如 «古兰经» 的文章的挑战, 文体优美与措词雅致使之与 «古兰经» 媲美, 都形成其挑战的一部分。
10:39; 11:14; 17:89; 52:35.
The subject of the incomparable excellence of the Qur’an has been dealt with at five different places, i.e. in 2:24; 10:39; 11:14; 17:89 & 52:34, 35. In two of these five verses (2:24 & 10:39) the challenge is identical, while in the remaining three verses three separate and different demands have been made from disbelievers. At first sight this difference in the form of the challenge at different places seems to be incongruous. But it is not so. In fact, these verses contain certain demands which stand for all time. The challenge is open even today in all the different forms mentioned in the Qur’an as it was in the time of the Holy Prophet.
Before explaining the various forms of these challenges it is worth noting that their mention in the Qur’an is invariably accompanied by a reference to wealth and power, except in the present verse which, as already stated, does not contain a new challenge but only repeats the challenge made in 10:39. From this it may be safely concluded that there
10:39; 11:14; 17:89; 52:35.
Important Words:
عبد (servant). For the root meaning of the word see note under 1:5. As explained there, the verb عبد means, he showed complete submissiveness and humility; or he received the imprint of a thing. So عبد would mean a person who, through complete submission and humility to God, has become, as it were, an image of God. The word has been used here about the Holy Prophet by way of endearment and is expressive of the exalted position he holds in the sight of God.
شھداء (helpers) is the plural of شھید which is derived from شھد i.e. he was present; or he gave witness, etc. Thus شھیدmeans, one who is present; one who sees or witnesses; one who gives testimony or evidence; one who possesses much knowledge; one from whose knowledge nothing is hidden (Aqrab & Lane); also a helper (Mufradat). Following the last mentioned signification the word may also refer here to the Jews who were friends of the disbelievers (5:81) and spoke of the idolaters as being better guided in religion than those who believe (4:52).
Commentary:
In the preceding two verses the Quran gave its first commandment to the people. Having been thus directly addressed by God, the polytheistic disbelievers felt a natural reaction to repudiate the monotheistic teaching of the Quran, because they felt that its acceptance meant that they should give up their long cherished beliefs.
In the present verse God says that if the Quran created doubts and disquietude in their minds and is not worthy of acceptance, the disbelievers should produce one like it. If they cannot, then this very fact would prove them to be wrong.
The subject of the incomparable excellence of the Quran, has been dealt with at five different places in the Quran, i.e. in 2:24; 10:39; 11:14; 17:89; & 52:34, 35, and disbelievers have been challenged, to produce its equal.
In two of these five verses (2:24 & 10:39) the challenge is identical, while in the remaining three verses three separate and different demands have been made from disbelievers. Thus, to begin with the largest demand in 17:89, disbelievers are challenged to produce the like of the whole Quran, and they have been told that even if all jinn and men should join together, they would not be able to produce it. In 11:14 the challenge is limited to the production of ten chapters. In 2:24 and 10:39, however, it has been confined to one Surah only; while in 52:34-35, the condition of even one Surahhas been omitted and disbelievers have been given the option of producing even a single narration similar to any one narration (i.e. announcement) of the Quran. On the face of it, this difference in the form of the challenge at different places seems to be incongruent and to spring from a lack of harmony in the Quran. Some commentators have endeavoured to explain away this seeming incongruity by saying that it was due to the challenge having been made at different times. At first disbelievers were called upon to produce the like of the whole Quran. When they failed to do so, the challenge was whittled down to the production of the like of any ten chapters. When, however, they were unable to produce even ten chapters, the challenge was further reduced to the production of a single chapter; and, lastly, disbelievers were asked to produce even a single narration like any narration of the Quran. This explanation, however, does not seem to be satisfactory. The different Surahs containing these different challenges were revealed, in the following order: (1) 52:34, 35; (2) 17:89; (3) 11:14; (4) 10:39; (5) 2:24 (Rodwell). Now in Surah 52, the first to be revealed, the challenge is not qualified by any condition as regards size, disbelievers having been given the choice of producing even one single narration similar to any narration of the Quran. It is very strange that, whereas at first the challenge was unqualified and disbelievers were called upon to produce something comparable to any narration of the Quran, later it began to be hedged round by conditions and stipulations, first requiring disbelievers to produce the like of the whole book, then reducing the challenge to ten Surahs, and last of all reducing it to a single chapter. The order is most unnatural.
Moreover, some of the Surahs which contain this challenge were revealed on occasions so close to one another that some commentators have found it difficult to fix their order of priority with certainty. Hence it is unwise to settle this question on the basis of the chronological order of the Surahs containing this challenge.
Another point worth considering in this connection is that the verses in question do not mention any historical event but contain only a general challenge which stands for all time. Now the question is, in what form should the challenge be delivered to the world? Should disbelievers be called upon to produce the like of the whole Quran, or to produce ten Surahs like any ten Surahs of the Quran, or should they be called upon to bring forward the like of one Surah only or the like of any single piece of the Quran? If it is enough to make a demand for the like of a single piece of the Quran, why should a demand for the like of a Surah be made, and if it is enough to make a demand for the like of one Surah, the demand for the production of ten Surahs or, for that matter, for the whole of the Quran seems extravagant.
The fact is that these verses contain certain demands which stand for all time, and there is no need to enter into the question of their chronological order. The challenge can be made even today in all the different forms mentioned in the Quran as it was made at the time of the Holy Prophet.
Before explaining the various forms of these challenges it is worth noting that mention of them in the Quran is invariably accompanied by a reference to wealth and power, except in 2:24, which, as already stated, does not contain a new challenge but only repeats the challenge made in 10:39. From this it may be concluded that there exists a close connection between the question of wealth and power and the challenge for the production of the like of the Quran or a part thereof. This connection lies in the fact that the Quran has been held out to disbelievers as a priceless treasure. When disbelievers demanded material treasures from the Holy Prophet and asked, Wherefore has not a treasure been sent down to him (11:13), they were told in reply that he possessed a matchless treasure in the Quran. The same reply was repeated when disbelievers asked, Wherefore has not an angel come with him? (11:13). They were told in reply that angels did descend upon him; for their function was to bring the word of God, and the Divine Word had already been vouchsafed to him. Thus both the demand for a treasure and the demand for the descent of angels have been jointly met by offering the Quran as a matchless treasure brought down by angels, and the challenge to produce the like of the Quran has been put forward as a proof of its peerless quality.
Let us now take the different verses containing this challenge separately. The greatest demand is that made in 17:89, where disbelievers are required to bring a book like the whole of the Quran in all its manifold qualities. In this verse disbelievers are not required to represent their composition as the word of God. They may bring it forward as their own composition and declare it to be the equal of or, for that matter, better than the Quran. As, however, it was necessary to define in what respect the work to be produced was to resemble the Quran, the Quran says in the next verse, And of a truth We have (herein) set forth for mankind in various ways, all kinds of similitudes, but most of men would reject everything but disbelief (17:90), hinting thereby that if disbelievers reject the Divine origin of the Quran and believe it to be the work of the Prophet himself, then let them produce a book which, like the Quran, should possess the following excellences: (a) it should throw light on every essential subject pertaining to religion; (b) its discussion of these subjects should be exhaustive, offering detailed guidance on every question; (c) it should be free from all harm and contain nothing but good; and (d) it should aim not at the good of any particular people or community but at the well-being of all mankind, containing guidance for all temperaments and dispositions as well as for all circumstances and conditions. But as at the time when this challenge was made the whole of the Quran had not yet been revealed, disbelievers were not required to produce the like of the Quran there and then; and the challenge thus implied a prophecy that they would not be able to produce the like of it, neither in the form in which it then was nor when it became complete. Again, the challenge was not confined to the disbelievers of the Prophet’s time alone, but extended to doubters and critics of all times.
The second verse which contains a challenge is 11:14. In this verse the disbelievers’ objection that the Prophet had not come with a treasure, nor had an angel come to him, has been met by calling upon them to bring similar Surahswhich they should represent as the word of God. The latter demand, i.e. that pertaining to the representation of the required production as the word of God, has a reference to the objection of the disbelievers that no angel has come down to the Prophet. They are told that if no angel has really come to him and his claim to receive divine revelation through the medium of angels is false, then let them also produce ten Surahs, claiming, like him, that they have been brought down to them by angels, and then see what their end would be. If they had not the courage to forge a lie against God, how could they think that the Prophet could be guilty of such fabrication or, if he had dared to commit this forgery, why had he remained secure from God’s punishment?
The reason why the disbelievers in this verse have been called upon to produce ten Surahs and not the whole Quran is that the question here did not relate to the perfection of the Quran in all respects, but to that of only a portion of it. The disbelievers had objected to some parts of it being defective, as is evident from the words: They imagine that thou art now perhaps going to abandon part of that which has been revealed to thee (11:13). Hence, they have not been required here to bring a complete book like the whole Quran, but only ten Surahs in place of those parts of the Quran which they deem to be defective, in order that the truth of their assertion may be tested.
As for the selection of the specific number 10 for this purpose, it should be noted that in Arabic 10 represents a complete number. As the object was to refute the assertion of the disbelievers that certain portions of the Quran were defective, therefore the disbelievers were given the option of making as many as ten efforts to substantiate their claim. They were thus asked to produce ten Surahs not because they could produce less than that number but because the best way to refute their objection was to afford them several opportunities to substantiate the truth of their assertion. In short, since in 17:89 the whole Quran was claimed to be a perfect Book, its opponents were called upon to produce the like of the whole Quran; but since in 11:14 the point was that certain portions of it were objected to, so they were asked to choose ten such portions as appeared to them to be most defective and then, produce a composition even like those portions.
The third verse where the Quran has been declared to be matchless is 10:39. Here disbelievers have been called upon to produce the like of only one Surah of the Quran. This is so because, unlike the above-mentioned two verses, the challenge made in this verse is in support of a claim made by the Quran itself and not in refutation of any objection on the part of disbelievers. In the verses preceding 10:39, it was claimed that God possessed full authority over all things (see 10:32-36), and as a proof of this, in 10:38 the Quran was put forward as possessing the following excellences: (a) it contains teachings which could not be devised by man; (b) it has come in fulfilment of the prophecies contained in the previous Scriptures; (c) in it the imperfect teachings of the previous Scriptures have been perfected; (d) the word of God embodied in it has been made secure from being interpolated or tampered with by man; and (e) its teachings are meant for all men and all time. In support of this claim, verse 10:39 throws out a challenge to those who deny or doubt it to produce a single chapter containing these excellences in the same perfect form in which they are contained in this chapter, i.e. ch.10.
The verses 52:34, 35 contain the smallest of all demands. In these verses disbelievers are challenged to produce a single piece or a single announcement like any piece or announcement of the Quran. This demand also has been made in support of a claim made by the Quran itself and not in refutation of any objection on the part of disbelievers. Hence the smallness of the demand. The claim in question is made in the opening verses of chapter 52, i.e. Surah At-Tur, to the effect that the Quranic revelation which was promised to mankind through Moses on Mount Sinai, will continue to be written, read and published throughout the world and that its followers will continue to multiply and will comprise not only common men but persons of great spiritual and temporal eminence, and that the fountain of the new faith will continue to provide the water of eternal life to all the countries of the world so that the fulfilment of these prophecies will constitute a proof of the fact that there is a Day of Judgement. Thereafter the Quran proceeds in 52:34, 35 to challenge disbelievers that, if they look upon the revelation of the Quran to be a fabrication, then they should come forward and make a prophecy like the one made above. This challenge is unconditional and without qualification. Disbelievers are not required to represent what they produce as the word of God, nor is it laid down as a condition that their prophecy should be of their own devising. They may as they like either make a prophecy of their own devising or borrow it from any other Scripture. Again, disbelievers are not asked to bring forward as many prophecies as there are in the Quran—and these are legion—but to bring forward only one single prophecy similar to any one of the prophecies made in the beginning of the Surah. They are told that they will not be able to fulfil this demand, for such a prophecy could be made only by the Being Who is the Creator and Owner of the heavens and the earth, along with their treasures, and Who not only knows, but possesses mastery of, the unseen. This challenge also stands for all time.
The fifth challenge to produce a like of the Quran is contained in the verse under comment (2:24) and here also, as in 10:39, disbelievers have been called upon to bring a Surah like that of the Quran, not in refutation of any of their objections, but in support of a claim made by the Quran itself. In the case of the verse under comment this claim is stated in the beginning of the Surah in 2:3 which says: This is a perfect Book; there is no doubt in it; it is a guidance for the righteous. Similarly, 10:39 is also preceded with the words: there is no doubt about it (10:38). This shows that the challenge to produce a chapter like one of the Quran has special reference to the peculiarity which is described by the words, there is no doubt about it. The challenge given in the present Surah is preceded by the claim that the Quran is a guidance for those who fear God (2:3), which means that it guides the righteous to the highest stages of spiritual progress. Hence in the above challenge it has been declared that if disbelievers are in doubt as to the Divine origin of the Quran, then they should bring forward a Surah that may be comparable to the Quran in the spiritual influence it exercises over its followers.
One of the characteristics of the Quran is that, whatever chapter of it we may read, it casts a subtle and sublime spiritual influence over our minds. Thus, instead of creating doubts it dispels them and takes men to a stage where no doubt can possibly survive, which is the stage of communion with God. This stage can be attained only by the study of the Quran; no other Book can compare with it in this respect.
The above explanation will show that all these challenges calling upon disbelievers to produce the like of the Quran are quite distinct and separate one from another, and all of them stand for all time, none of them superseding or cancelling any other. The misconception that these challenges are one and the same seems to have arisen from the wrong notion that in all of them it is the elegance of the Quranic style and diction that has been held out as unique and incomparable and that it is such elegance of Arabic diction that disbelievers have been called upon to produce. But this is not the case. The challenges made in the five Surahs referred to above are not one or identical nor do they make the same demand; each has a distinct and separate demand of its own and it is in keeping with the nature of these demands that disbelievers have been called upon to produce the like of the whole Quran or a part of it.
The question now remains whether these demands also include a challenge to produce a work comparable to the Quran in elegance of style and diction. The answer is that they certainly do so, but only in an indirect way and not as a direct and fundamental demand, for sublime ideas can only be expressed in sublime language. As the Quran comprises sublime and lofty ideas, it was inevitable that the most beautiful diction and the most chaste style should have been employed as the vehicle for the expression of those ideas; otherwise, the subject matter was liable to remain obscure and doubtful and the perfect beauty of the Quran would have become marred. Thus, in whatever form and in whatever respect disbelievers have been challenged to produce a composition like the Quran, the demand for beauty of style and elegance of diction comparable to those of the Quran also forms a part of the challenge.
d
10:39; 11:14; 17:89; 52:35.
29Q
«古兰经» 无可比拟的优美绝伦的主题, 在五个不同的地方被述及, 即: 2:24; 10:39; 11:14; 17:89与52:34, 35中。五处中有两处 (2:24与10:39) 的挑战是相同的, 而在其余三处, 曾向不信道的人提出了三个不同的要求。初看, 三个不同地方的挑战的不同形式似乎不协调。其实并非如此。实际上, 这些经文内一定的要求是时常存在的, 挑战在穆圣时代, 甚至到现在, 在 «古兰经» 所述及的所有不同形式中都是开放的。
在解释这些不同形式挑战以前, 值得注意的是: «古兰经» 提到这些要求时, 始终不忘财产与权力。如前所述, 除了在本节经文中, 没有新的挑战, 而只是重复10:39 中的那个挑战, 由此得到一个肯定的结论:在财产与权力问题和创作像 «古兰经» 或其一部分的挑战之间存在着一种紧密的连系。这一连系在于这样一个事实:即 «古兰经» 是以一种无价之宝向不信道的人提出的。当不信道的人向穆圣要求各种物质财宝时 (11:13), 他告诉他们, 他的 «古兰经» 是他的无与伦比的财宝; 当他们问: “为什么没有一个天使同他一起来?” (11:13) 他回答他们说, 天使确已降临于他, 因为天使们的使命是带来主的启示, 而主的启示已赐给了他。因此, 这两种要求—对于财宝与天使降临的要求—已由天使带来的无与伦比的财宝 «古兰经» 全被满足了, 创作此类天经的挑战是为证明它的无可匹敌的素质而提出的。
现在可以把含有这项挑战的不同经文分开来看。17:89 中提出的最大一个要求, 要求不信道的人拿一本具有像 «古兰经» 全文那样包含多种多样素质的书来。那节经文中并不要求不信道的人把他们的文章做为主的言语陈述。他们可以拿出他们自己的文章并宣称它可与 «古兰经» 相提并论, 或甚至超过 古兰经»。但是, 由于当时提出那个挑战时, 全部 «古兰经» 尚未降下, 并不要求不信道的人当时当地写出像 «古兰经» 那样的经文; 这种挑战因此暗示他们永远也写不出像 «古兰经» 那样的文章, 既写不出当时那种形式的
«古兰经», 也将写不出像将要降示完整的 «古兰经»。而且, 此一挑战并不只局限於穆圣时代的不信道的人, 也可延续到所有时代抱有疑问的人以及评论家。在11:14 节经文中, 不信道的人们被约照写十章而不是写全部 «古兰经», 理由是, 那节经文中的问题并不全面涉及整部 «古兰经» 的完美而是仅涉及其部分的完美。不信道的人反对其中某些部分, 说它们有缺陷。因此, 未曾要求他们写出像全部 «古兰经» 那样一本完整的经典, 而只是用十章来替代他们认为有缺陷的那些 «古兰经» 部分, 这样就可检验它们主张的真实性。说到选择十章这个特定数目, 可以这么说, 因为在17:89 中, 全部 «古兰经» 被声称为一部完美无缺的经典, 反对 «古兰经» 的人就被约照写 «古兰经» 那样的全部经典; 但是在11:14 节经文中的问题是, 某些部分受到反对, 因此请他们挑选他们认为最有缺陷的十个部分, 然后写出类似那些部分的文章。在10:39 节中, 只要求不信教的人写出类似 «古兰经» 中的一章。这是因为, 不像上述的两节经文, 那节经文的挑战是支持 «古兰经» 本身所作出的一个宣称, 而不是驳斥不信教者的反对意见的。在10:38节经文中, «古兰经» 声称有五种非常显著的特点。为了支持这一声称, 10:39 节经文对那些否认或怀疑它的人们提出一个挑战, 要他们以同样完美的形式写出一个单章, 其中要含有像第十章所含有的这些素质。第五次挑战写出像 «古兰经» 那样的经典, 是在这节注释 (2:24) 经文中, 这节像10:39 节一样也约请不信道者写出诸如 «古兰经» 那样的一个单章。这个挑战是在
«古兰经» 被声称为引导正直的人达到精神进步最高阶段之后。不信道的人被告知, 假如他们对 «古兰经» 是源自安拉有怀疑的话, 他们应该写出一章, 使之可与 «古兰经» 对其信者那样产生精神影响方面相比拟。请看我会出版的英文较大版本的古兰注释 (The Larger Edition of Commentary, PP.58-62)。
以上解说可以表明, 这些约请不信教的人写出诸如 «古兰经» 的挑战十分明显而一一分开的, 这些挑战始终存在, 其中没有一个可以替代或取消另一个。可是, 由于 «古兰经» 包含崇高的思想, 必然要用最美丽的措词与最简洁朴实的风格来作为表示那些思想的工具; 否则它的主题就会含糊不清, 使人产生疑问, «古兰经» 的绝美经文就会损毁。这样, 不论用什么形式, 不论在哪一方面, 不信教的人所受到的写出类如 «古兰经» 的文章的挑战, 文体优美与措词雅致使之与 «古兰经» 媲美, 都形成其挑战的一部分。
a
10:39; 11:14; 17:89; 52:35.
30
Important Words:
عبد (servant). For the root meaning of the word see note under 1:5. As explained there, the verb عبد means, he showed complete submissiveness and humility; or he received the imprint of a thing. So عبد would mean a person who, through complete submission and humility to God, has become, as it were, an image of God. The word has been used here about the Holy Prophet by way of endearment and is expressive of the exalted position he holds in the sight of God.
شھداء (helpers) is the plural of شھید which is derived from شھد i.e. he was present; or he gave witness, etc. Thus شھیدmeans, one who is present; one who sees or witnesses; one who gives testimony or evidence; one who possesses much knowledge; one from whose knowledge nothing is hidden (Aqrab & Lane); also a helper (Mufradat). Following the last mentioned signification the word may also refer here to the Jews who were friends of the disbelievers (5:81) and spoke of the idolaters as being better guided in religion than those who believe (4:52).
Commentary:
In the preceding two verses the Quran gave its first commandment to the people. Having been thus directly addressed by God, the polytheistic disbelievers felt a natural reaction to repudiate the monotheistic teaching of the Quran, because they felt that its acceptance meant that they should give up their long cherished beliefs.
In the present verse God says that if the Quran created doubts and disquietude in their minds and is not worthy of acceptance, the disbelievers should produce one like it. If they cannot, then this very fact would prove them to be wrong.
The subject of the incomparable excellence of the Quran, has been dealt with at five different places in the Quran, i.e. in 2:24; 10:39; 11:14; 17:89; & 52:34, 35, and disbelievers have been challenged, to produce its equal.
In two of these five verses (2:24 & 10:39) the challenge is identical, while in the remaining three verses three separate and different demands have been made from disbelievers. Thus, to begin with the largest demand in 17:89, disbelievers are challenged to produce the like of the whole Quran, and they have been told that even if all jinn and men should join together, they would not be able to produce it. In 11:14 the challenge is limited to the production of ten chapters. In 2:24 and 10:39, however, it has been confined to one Surah only; while in 52:34-35, the condition of even one Surahhas been omitted and disbelievers have been given the option of producing even a single narration similar to any one narration (i.e. announcement) of the Quran. On the face of it, this difference in the form of the challenge at different places seems to be incongruent and to spring from a lack of harmony in the Quran. Some commentators have endeavoured to explain away this seeming incongruity by saying that it was due to the challenge having been made at different times. At first disbelievers were called upon to produce the like of the whole Quran. When they failed to do so, the challenge was whittled down to the production of the like of any ten chapters. When, however, they were unable to produce even ten chapters, the challenge was further reduced to the production of a single chapter; and, lastly, disbelievers were asked to produce even a single narration like any narration of the Quran. This explanation, however, does not seem to be satisfactory. The different Surahs containing these different challenges were revealed, in the following order: (1) 52:34, 35; (2) 17:89; (3) 11:14; (4) 10:39; (5) 2:24 (Rodwell). Now in Surah 52, the first to be revealed, the challenge is not qualified by any condition as regards size, disbelievers having been given the choice of producing even one single narration similar to any narration of the Quran. It is very strange that, whereas at first the challenge was unqualified and disbelievers were called upon to produce something comparable to any narration of the Quran, later it began to be hedged round by conditions and stipulations, first requiring disbelievers to produce the like of the whole book, then reducing the challenge to ten Surahs, and last of all reducing it to a single chapter. The order is most unnatural.
Moreover, some of the Surahs which contain this challenge were revealed on occasions so close to one another that some commentators have found it difficult to fix their order of priority with certainty. Hence it is unwise to settle this question on the basis of the chronological order of the Surahs containing this challenge.
Another point worth considering in this connection is that the verses in question do not mention any historical event but contain only a general challenge which stands for all time. Now the question is, in what form should the challenge be delivered to the world? Should disbelievers be called upon to produce the like of the whole Quran, or to produce ten Surahs like any ten Surahs of the Quran, or should they be called upon to bring forward the like of one Surah only or the like of any single piece of the Quran? If it is enough to make a demand for the like of a single piece of the Quran, why should a demand for the like of a Surah be made, and if it is enough to make a demand for the like of one Surah, the demand for the production of ten Surahs or, for that matter, for the whole of the Quran seems extravagant.
The fact is that these verses contain certain demands which stand for all time, and there is no need to enter into the question of their chronological order. The challenge can be made even today in all the different forms mentioned in the Quran as it was made at the time of the Holy Prophet.
Before explaining the various forms of these challenges it is worth noting that mention of them in the Quran is invariably accompanied by a reference to wealth and power, except in 2:24, which, as already stated, does not contain a new challenge but only repeats the challenge made in 10:39. From this it may be concluded that there exists a close connection between the question of wealth and power and the challenge for the production of the like of the Quran or a part thereof. This connection lies in the fact that the Quran has been held out to disbelievers as a priceless treasure. When disbelievers demanded material treasures from the Holy Prophet and asked, Wherefore has not a treasure been sent down to him (11:13), they were told in reply that he possessed a matchless treasure in the Quran. The same reply was repeated when disbelievers asked, Wherefore has not an angel come with him? (11:13). They were told in reply that angels did descend upon him; for their function was to bring the word of God, and the Divine Word had already been vouchsafed to him. Thus both the demand for a treasure and the demand for the descent of angels have been jointly met by offering the Quran as a matchless treasure brought down by angels, and the challenge to produce the like of the Quran has been put forward as a proof of its peerless quality.
Let us now take the different verses containing this challenge separately. The greatest demand is that made in 17:89, where disbelievers are required to bring a book like the whole of the Quran in all its manifold qualities. In this verse disbelievers are not required to represent their composition as the word of God. They may bring it forward as their own composition and declare it to be the equal of or, for that matter, better than the Quran. As, however, it was necessary to define in what respect the work to be produced was to resemble the Quran, the Quran says in the next verse, And of a truth We have (herein) set forth for mankind in various ways, all kinds of similitudes, but most of men would reject everything but disbelief (17:90), hinting thereby that if disbelievers reject the Divine origin of the Quran and believe it to be the work of the Prophet himself, then let them produce a book which, like the Quran, should possess the following excellences: (a) it should throw light on every essential subject pertaining to religion; (b) its discussion of these subjects should be exhaustive, offering detailed guidance on every question; (c) it should be free from all harm and contain nothing but good; and (d) it should aim not at the good of any particular people or community but at the well-being of all mankind, containing guidance for all temperaments and dispositions as well as for all circumstances and conditions. But as at the time when this challenge was made the whole of the Quran had not yet been revealed, disbelievers were not required to produce the like of the Quran there and then; and the challenge thus implied a prophecy that they would not be able to produce the like of it, neither in the form in which it then was nor when it became complete. Again, the challenge was not confined to the disbelievers of the Prophet’s time alone, but extended to doubters and critics of all times.
The second verse which contains a challenge is 11:14. In this verse the disbelievers’ objection that the Prophet had not come with a treasure, nor had an angel come to him, has been met by calling upon them to bring similar Surahswhich they should represent as the word of God. The latter demand, i.e. that pertaining to the representation of the required production as the word of God, has a reference to the objection of the disbelievers that no angel has come down to the Prophet. They are told that if no angel has really come to him and his claim to receive divine revelation through the medium of angels is false, then let them also produce ten Surahs, claiming, like him, that they have been brought down to them by angels, and then see what their end would be. If they had not the courage to forge a lie against God, how could they think that the Prophet could be guilty of such fabrication or, if he had dared to commit this forgery, why had he remained secure from God’s punishment?
The reason why the disbelievers in this verse have been called upon to produce ten Surahs and not the whole Quran is that the question here did not relate to the perfection of the Quran in all respects, but to that of only a portion of it. The disbelievers had objected to some parts of it being defective, as is evident from the words: They imagine that thou art now perhaps going to abandon part of that which has been revealed to thee (11:13). Hence, they have not been required here to bring a complete book like the whole Quran, but only ten Surahs in place of those parts of the Quran which they deem to be defective, in order that the truth of their assertion may be tested.
As for the selection of the specific number 10 for this purpose, it should be noted that in Arabic 10 represents a complete number. As the object was to refute the assertion of the disbelievers that certain portions of the Quran were defective, therefore the disbelievers were given the option of making as many as ten efforts to substantiate their claim. They were thus asked to produce ten Surahs not because they could produce less than that number but because the best way to refute their objection was to afford them several opportunities to substantiate the truth of their assertion. In short, since in 17:89 the whole Quran was claimed to be a perfect Book, its opponents were called upon to produce the like of the whole Quran; but since in 11:14 the point was that certain portions of it were objected to, so they were asked to choose ten such portions as appeared to them to be most defective and then, produce a composition even like those portions.
The third verse where the Quran has been declared to be matchless is 10:39. Here disbelievers have been called upon to produce the like of only one Surah of the Quran. This is so because, unlike the above-mentioned two verses, the challenge made in this verse is in support of a claim made by the Quran itself and not in refutation of any objection on the part of disbelievers. In the verses preceding 10:39, it was claimed that God possessed full authority over all things (see 10:32-36), and as a proof of this, in 10:38 the Quran was put forward as possessing the following excellences: (a) it contains teachings which could not be devised by man; (b) it has come in fulfilment of the prophecies contained in the previous Scriptures; (c) in it the imperfect teachings of the previous Scriptures have been perfected; (d) the word of God embodied in it has been made secure from being interpolated or tampered with by man; and (e) its teachings are meant for all men and all time. In support of this claim, verse 10:39 throws out a challenge to those who deny or doubt it to produce a single chapter containing these excellences in the same perfect form in which they are contained in this chapter, i.e. ch.10.
The verses 52:34, 35 contain the smallest of all demands. In these verses disbelievers are challenged to produce a single piece or a single announcement like any piece or announcement of the Quran. This demand also has been made in support of a claim made by the Quran itself and not in refutation of any objection on the part of disbelievers. Hence the smallness of the demand. The claim in question is made in the opening verses of chapter 52, i.e. Surah At-Tur, to the effect that the Quranic revelation which was promised to mankind through Moses on Mount Sinai, will continue to be written, read and published throughout the world and that its followers will continue to multiply and will comprise not only common men but persons of great spiritual and temporal eminence, and that the fountain of the new faith will continue to provide the water of eternal life to all the countries of the world so that the fulfilment of these prophecies will constitute a proof of the fact that there is a Day of Judgement. Thereafter the Quran proceeds in 52:34, 35 to challenge disbelievers that, if they look upon the revelation of the Quran to be a fabrication, then they should come forward and make a prophecy like the one made above. This challenge is unconditional and without qualification. Disbelievers are not required to represent what they produce as the word of God, nor is it laid down as a condition that their prophecy should be of their own devising. They may as they like either make a prophecy of their own devising or borrow it from any other Scripture. Again, disbelievers are not asked to bring forward as many prophecies as there are in the Quran—and these are legion—but to bring forward only one single prophecy similar to any one of the prophecies made in the beginning of the Surah. They are told that they will not be able to fulfil this demand, for such a prophecy could be made only by the Being Who is the Creator and Owner of the heavens and the earth, along with their treasures, and Who not only knows, but possesses mastery of, the unseen. This challenge also stands for all time.
The fifth challenge to produce a like of the Quran is contained in the verse under comment (2:24) and here also, as in 10:39, disbelievers have been called upon to bring a Surah like that of the Quran, not in refutation of any of their objections, but in support of a claim made by the Quran itself. In the case of the verse under comment this claim is stated in the beginning of the Surah in 2:3 which says: This is a perfect Book; there is no doubt in it; it is a guidance for the righteous. Similarly, 10:39 is also preceded with the words: there is no doubt about it (10:38). This shows that the challenge to produce a chapter like one of the Quran has special reference to the peculiarity which is described by the words, there is no doubt about it. The challenge given in the present Surah is preceded by the claim that the Quran is a guidance for those who fear God (2:3), which means that it guides the righteous to the highest stages of spiritual progress. Hence in the above challenge it has been declared that if disbelievers are in doubt as to the Divine origin of the Quran, then they should bring forward a Surah that may be comparable to the Quran in the spiritual influence it exercises over its followers.
One of the characteristics of the Quran is that, whatever chapter of it we may read, it casts a subtle and sublime spiritual influence over our minds. Thus, instead of creating doubts it dispels them and takes men to a stage where no doubt can possibly survive, which is the stage of communion with God. This stage can be attained only by the study of the Quran; no other Book can compare with it in this respect.
The above explanation will show that all these challenges calling upon disbelievers to produce the like of the Quran are quite distinct and separate one from another, and all of them stand for all time, none of them superseding or cancelling any other. The misconception that these challenges are one and the same seems to have arisen from the wrong notion that in all of them it is the elegance of the Quranic style and diction that has been held out as unique and incomparable and that it is such elegance of Arabic diction that disbelievers have been called upon to produce. But this is not the case. The challenges made in the five Surahs referred to above are not one or identical nor do they make the same demand; each has a distinct and separate demand of its own and it is in keeping with the nature of these demands that disbelievers have been called upon to produce the like of the whole Quran or a part of it.
The question now remains whether these demands also include a challenge to produce a work comparable to the Quran in elegance of style and diction. The answer is that they certainly do so, but only in an indirect way and not as a direct and fundamental demand, for sublime ideas can only be expressed in sublime language. As the Quran comprises sublime and lofty ideas, it was inevitable that the most beautiful diction and the most chaste style should have been employed as the vehicle for the expression of those ideas; otherwise, the subject matter was liable to remain obscure and doubtful and the perfect beauty of the Quran would have become marred. Thus, in whatever form and in whatever respect disbelievers have been challenged to produce a composition like the Quran, the demand for beauty of style and elegance of diction comparable to those of the Quran also forms a part of the challenge.
d
10:39; 11:14; 17:89; 52:35.
44
The subject of the incomparable excellence of the Qur’an has been dealt with at five different places, i.e. in 2:24; 10:39; 11:14; 17:89 & 52:34, 35. In two of these five verses (2:24 & 10:39) the challenge is identical, while in the remaining three verses three separate and different demands have been made from disbelievers. At first sight this difference in the form of the challenge at different places seems to be incongruous. But it is not so. In fact, these verses contain certain demands which stand for all time. The challenge is open even today in all the different forms mentioned in the Qur’an as it was in the time of the Holy Prophet.
Before explaining the various forms of these challenges it is worth noting that their mention in the Qur’an is invariably accompanied by a reference to wealth and power, except in the present verse which, as already stated, does not contain a new challenge but only repeats the challenge made in 10:39. From this it may be safely concluded that there
وَعَلَّمَ اٰدَمَ الۡاَسۡمَآءَ کُلَّہَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَہُمۡ عَلَی الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ فَقَالَ اَنۡۢبِـُٔوۡنِیۡ بِاَسۡمَآءِ ہٰٓؤُلَآءِ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
7:181; 17:111; 20:9; 59:24-25.
“一切” 这词在这里并不是指绝对的总数。它只是指 “所必需的一切”。«古兰经» 也在别的地方按此意义使用这词 (6:45; 27:17, 24; 28:58)。
اَسْمَاء (Asma’) 是 اِسْم (Ism) 的复数, 意思是名称或属性; 一种事物的标记或迹象 (Lane和مُفْرَدَات)。注释者们关于 اَسْمَاء (名称) 这词在这里的意义有不同的看法, 有的认为安拉教了阿丹不同事物的名称, 即他教了阿丹语言的原则。毫无疑问, 人类为了文明, 需要语言, 而安拉一定已经教了阿丹语言的原则, 但是 «古兰经» 指出, 有一些 اَسْمَاء (名称或常德) 是人类为了在他道德上的完美所必须学习的, 这在 (7:181) 中提到了。这表明如果缺乏对安拉常德的正确概念和理解, 人就不能知道安拉, 而这只能由安拉来教导。因而有必要在最初时, 安拉就把他的常德知识传授给阿丹 (人), 以便他知道并辨认他 (安拉), 从而取得与他相接近而不致远离他。按照 «古兰经» 所述, 人与天使的不同在于前者可以培养安拉所有的完美常德, 而后者只是体现出其中一部分。天使没有他们自己的意愿, 而只是被动地执行安拉分配给他们的职责 (66:7)。另一方面, 被赋予意志和自由选择的人与天使不同的地方还在于他具有能力使他完美地表现所有安拉常德。简言之, 本节经文表明了安拉最先灌输给阿丹以自由意愿及理解各种安拉的常德所必需的智能, 然后给予他那些常德的知识。
代名词هُمْ (hum, 他们) 指示这里所提到的对象不是无生命的东西。因为阿文中这类代名词仅用于有理性的生命。所以这一词句的意义是, 安拉赐予了天使阿丹子孙中显著的敬畏人士将来表现安拉常德的一个精神境界, 继而他们被问到他们能否表现像那些人们所表现的安拉常德。在这方面, 他们表示他们是无能力的。这就是本节中这句话 “就把他们的名称告诉我吧!” 的意义。
عَلَّمَ اٰدَمَ الۡاَسۡمَآءَ : اِسم کے معنے اِسمِ ذات یعنی نام کے بھی ہوتے ہیں اور صفت کے بھی۔ اس آیت میں اسماء سے مراد صفاتِ الٰہیہ ہیں‘ جن کا صحیح علم خداتعالیٰ کے سکھانے سے ہی آسکتا ہے۔ آدمؑ چونکہ مذہب کے قیام اور اللہ تعالیٰ سے اس کی مخلوق کے وصال کی غرض سے مبعوث ہوئے تھے اس لئے ضروری تھا کہ انہیں اسماء الٰہیہ سکھائے جاتے تاکہ ان کی امت ان ناموں کے ذریعہ سے خداتعالیٰ کو شناخت کرتی اور اس سے تعلق پیدا کرتی۔ اگر یہ نام نہ سکھائے جاتے تو ان کی امت کے ملحد اور بے دین ہونے کا خطرہ تھا۔ اس کے ایک اور معنے یہ بھی ہو سکتے ہیں کہ چونکہ انسانوں کو متمدن ہونے کی صورت می
’’اگر تم درست بات کہہ رہے ہو‘‘یہ ترجمہ اِنْ کُنْتُمْ صٰدِقِیْنَ کا ہے۔ عربی زبان میں کہتے ہیں صَدَقَنِیْ فُلاَ نٌ اَیْ قَالَ لِیَ الصِّدْقَ۔ یعنی اس نے جو بات کہی درست تھی (تاج) اسی طرح حدیث میں آتا ہے کہ ایک دفعہ جبرائیل علیہ السلام نے آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم سے ایک سوال کیا اور آپ کے جواب پر اس نے کہا صَدَقْتَ یعنی آپ نے درست کہا ہے اس کے یہ معنے نہیں تھے کہ آپ نے سچ بولا ہے۔
اَنۡۢبِـُٔوۡنِیۡ بِاَسۡمَآءِ ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ : چونکہ ملائکہ کو آدم کے خلیفہ بنائے جانے پر اس لئے تعجب تھا کہ اس کے سبب سے خون ریزی اور فساد ہوگا۔اس لئے اللہ تعالیٰ نے ملائکہ کو آئندہ پیدا ہونے والے کاملین کشفی طور پر دکھائے خواہ وہ تقویٰ کے لحاظ سے کامل بننے والے تھے یا کفر کے لحاظ سے۔ اور پوچھا کہ اگر تمہاری بات درست ہے تو پھر ان کے نام بتاؤ‘ یعنی اللہ تعالیٰ کے رحم یا غضب کی صفات جس طرح ان لوگوں کے ذریعہ ظاہر ہونے والی ہیں کیا تم ان کی تفصیل دوسرں کو بتا سکتے ہو۔ دوسرے معنے اس آیت کے یہ بھی ہو سکتے ہیں کہ آدمؑ کی اولاد میں جو لوگ نیکی میں کامل ہونے والے تھے ان کے
7:181; 17:111; 20:9; 59:24-25.
The word "all" used here does not imply absolute totality. It simply means all that was necessary. The Qur’an uses this word in this sense elsewhere also (6:45; 27:17, 24; 28:58).
Asma’ is plural of Ism which means, name or attribute; a mark or a sign of a thing (Lane & Mufradat). Commentators differ as to what is here meant by the word Asma’ (names). Some think that God taught Adam the names of different things and objects, i.e. He taught him the principles of language. There is no doubt that man needed language in order to become civilized and God must have taught Adam its principles, but the Qur’an indicates that there are Asma’ (names or attributes) which man must learn for the perfection of his morals. They are referred to in 7:181. This shows that man cannot attain to Divine knowledge without a correct conception and comprehension of God’s attributes and that they can be taught only by God. So it was necessary that God should have, in the very beginning, given Adam (man) knowledge of His attributes so that he should know and recognize Him and attain His nearness and should not drift away from Him. According to the Qur’an, man differs
The pronoun hum (these) shows that the objects referred to here are not inanimate things; for in Arabic this form of pronoun is used only for rational beings. The meaning of the expression, therefore, would be that God granted to the angels a vision of the outstandingly righteous persons from among the progeny of Adam who were to become the manifestation of Divine attributes in the future, and were then asked whether they themselves could manifest the Divine attributes like them, to which they signified their inability. This is what is meant by the words, Tell Me the names of these, occurring in the present verse.
7:181; 17:111; 20:9; 59:24, 25.
Important Words:
اسماء (names) is the plural of اسم for which see note on 1:1. اسم means, (1) the name of a thing, i.e. a word fixed for a thing or attribute for the purpose of distinction; (2) a mark or sign of a thing (Aqrab); (3) fame or reputation of a person or thing (Lane); (4) a word, its meanings and combinations (Mufradat).
صادقین (right) is the plural of صادق which is derived from صدق. They say صدق فی ظنه i.e. he was or is correct in his opinion (Lane). صدق فی الحدیث means, he spoke the truth. صدقه means, he was sincere to him or he was his well-wisher (Aqrab). صدقتmeans: (1) you are speaking the truth, not a lie (2) what you say is right, not wrong. It is in the latter sense that the word has been used in the present verse.
Commentary:
Commentators differ as to what is here meant by the word اسماء (names). Some think that God taught Adam the names of different things and objects, i.e. He taught him language. Others hold that God taught him the names of his offspring.
There is no doubt that man needed language in order to become civilized and God must have taught Adam a language, but the Quran indicates that there are اسماء (names or attributes) which man must learn for the perfection of his religion and morals. They are referred to in the verse: And to Allah alone belong all perfect attributes; so call on Him by these and leave alone those who deviate from the right way with respect to His attributes. They shall be requited with what they do (7:181). This verse shows that man cannot attain to divine knowledge without a correct conception of God’s اسماء or attributes and that this can be taught only by God. So it was necessary that God should have, in the very beginning, given Adam knowledge of His attributes so that man should know and recognize Him and attain His nearness, and should not drift away from Him.
The verse quoted above (7:181) shows that the word اسماء (names) is used to signify the attributes of God and that a Muslim must be familiar with those attributes, so that he may pray to Him, invoking attributes most suited to the nature of the prayer. For example, if one prays for forgiveness and mercy, one should invoke the attributes of forgiveness and mercy; and if the prayer be for the attainment of righteousness, God should be invoked by names which pertain to that quality. The above verse also indicates that man must not of himself devise the attributes of God, because it is only God who can describe His attributes; man, being himself the creation of God, cannot do so. In fact, those who try to devise God’s attributes have been threatened with divine punishment.
In short, we learn from this verse that a Muslim must know God’s اسماء (names) which can be taught by Him alone, and which man has no right to devise out of his own fancy. There is strong evidence that God gave Adam a knowledge of His attributes. The view gains further strength when we take into consideration the difference between man and angel. According to the Quran, man differs from angels in that, whereas the former can be an image or reflex of الاسماءالحسنی i.e. all the divine attributes, the latter represent only a few of them. The Quran says: They (the angels) do what they are bidden to do (66:7) which implies that the angels cannot act of their own free will. They have no will of their own, but passively perform the functions allotted to them by Providence. On the other hand, man, endowed with volition and free choice, differs from angels in that he has capabilities which make him a perfect manifestation of all divine attributes. A saying of the Holy Prophet—"the best morals in man are those which are in conformity with the great attributes of God" (‘Ummal, ii. 2)—also points to this. As God is Merciful, we should also show mercy to men; as He is Forgiving, so we must also be ready to forgive our fellow beings; as He connives at faults, so we must try to imitate Him in this particular; and as He protects the weak, so we must be ready to protect the weak, and so on. This injunction of the Holy Prophet justifies the inference that man has the capability to manifest in himself all the attributes of God. Thus, both the Quran and the Holy Prophet’s sayings are agreed that man and angel differ in the manifestation of divine attributes, and the "names" in the clause, He taught Adam all the names, refer to the attributes of God.
The verse means that God first implanted in Adam free will and the needful capacity for the comprehension of the various divine attributes, and then gave him the knowledge of those attributes, which was impossible without the power of assimilation. The verse that follows corroborates this meaning; for therein it is stated that the اسماء (attributes) were such as were not wholly known to the angels and it is evident that such اسماء are only the divine attributes. The word اسماء may also mean the qualities of different things in nature. As man was to make use of the forces of nature, God gave Adam the capacity of knowing their qualities and properties. The word كل (all) used here does not imply absolute totality. It simply means all that was necessary. The Quran uses this word in this sense elsewhere also (see 6:45; 27:7, 24; 28:58). The pronoun in the words عرضھم (He put the objects of these names) shows that the objects referred to here are not inanimate things; for in Arabic this form of pronoun is used only for rational beings. The meaning of the expression, therefore, would be that God showed Adam in a kashf (vision) certain human beings from among his progeny who were to be the manifestations of divine attributes in the future. Such beings were the Prophets or other holy persons who were to enjoy such nearness to God as to become His image and through whom God was to reform mankind. The angels were then asked whether they could manifest the divine attributes like them. This is what is meant by the words, Tell Me the names of these, occurring in the present verse.
a
7:181; 17:111; 20:9; 59:24-25.
35
“一切” 这词在这里并不是指绝对的总数。它只是指 “所必需的一切”。«古兰经» 也在别的地方按此意义使用这词 (6:45; 27:17, 24; 28:58)。
36
اَسْمَاء (Asma’) 是 اِسْم (Ism) 的复数, 意思是名称或属性; 一种事物的标记或迹象 (Lane和مُفْرَدَات)。注释者们关于 اَسْمَاء (名称) 这词在这里的意义有不同的看法, 有的认为安拉教了阿丹不同事物的名称, 即他教了阿丹语言的原则。毫无疑问, 人类为了文明, 需要语言, 而安拉一定已经教了阿丹语言的原则, 但是 «古兰经» 指出, 有一些 اَسْمَاء (名称或常德) 是人类为了在他道德上的完美所必须学习的, 这在 (7:181) 中提到了。这表明如果缺乏对安拉常德的正确概念和理解, 人就不能知道安拉, 而这只能由安拉来教导。因而有必要在最初时, 安拉就把他的常德知识传授给阿丹 (人), 以便他知道并辨认他 (安拉), 从而取得与他相接近而不致远离他。按照 «古兰经» 所述, 人与天使的不同在于前者可以培养安拉所有的完美常德, 而后者只是体现出其中一部分。天使没有他们自己的意愿, 而只是被动地执行安拉分配给他们的职责 (66:7)。另一方面, 被赋予意志和自由选择的人与天使不同的地方还在于他具有能力使他完美地表现所有安拉常德。简言之, 本节经文表明了安拉最先灌输给阿丹以自由意愿及理解各种安拉的常德所必需的智能, 然后给予他那些常德的知识。
37
代名词هُمْ (hum, 他们) 指示这里所提到的对象不是无生命的东西。因为阿文中这类代名词仅用于有理性的生命。所以这一词句的意义是, 安拉赐予了天使阿丹子孙中显著的敬畏人士将来表现安拉常德的一个精神境界, 继而他们被问到他们能否表现像那些人们所表现的安拉常德。在这方面, 他们表示他们是无能力的。这就是本节中这句话 “就把他们的名称告诉我吧!” 的意义。
2
عَلَّمَ اٰدَمَ الۡاَسۡمَآءَ : اِسم کے معنے اِسمِ ذات یعنی نام کے بھی ہوتے ہیں اور صفت کے بھی۔ اس آیت میں اسماء سے مراد صفاتِ الٰہیہ ہیں‘ جن کا صحیح علم خداتعالیٰ کے سکھانے سے ہی آسکتا ہے۔ آدمؑ چونکہ مذہب کے قیام اور اللہ تعالیٰ سے اس کی مخلوق کے وصال کی غرض سے مبعوث ہوئے تھے اس لئے ضروری تھا کہ انہیں اسماء الٰہیہ سکھائے جاتے تاکہ ان کی امت ان ناموں کے ذریعہ سے خداتعالیٰ کو شناخت کرتی اور اس سے تعلق پیدا کرتی۔ اگر یہ نام نہ سکھائے جاتے تو ان کی امت کے ملحد اور بے دین ہونے کا خطرہ تھا۔ اس کے ایک اور معنے یہ بھی ہو سکتے ہیں کہ چونکہ انسانوں کو متمدن ہونے کی صورت می
3
’’اگر تم درست بات کہہ رہے ہو‘‘یہ ترجمہ اِنْ کُنْتُمْ صٰدِقِیْنَ کا ہے۔ عربی زبان میں کہتے ہیں صَدَقَنِیْ فُلاَ نٌ اَیْ قَالَ لِیَ الصِّدْقَ۔ یعنی اس نے جو بات کہی درست تھی (تاج) اسی طرح حدیث میں آتا ہے کہ ایک دفعہ جبرائیل علیہ السلام نے آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم سے ایک سوال کیا اور آپ کے جواب پر اس نے کہا صَدَقْتَ یعنی آپ نے درست کہا ہے اس کے یہ معنے نہیں تھے کہ آپ نے سچ بولا ہے۔
4
اَنۡۢبِـُٔوۡنِیۡ بِاَسۡمَآءِ ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ : چونکہ ملائکہ کو آدم کے خلیفہ بنائے جانے پر اس لئے تعجب تھا کہ اس کے سبب سے خون ریزی اور فساد ہوگا۔اس لئے اللہ تعالیٰ نے ملائکہ کو آئندہ پیدا ہونے والے کاملین کشفی طور پر دکھائے خواہ وہ تقویٰ کے لحاظ سے کامل بننے والے تھے یا کفر کے لحاظ سے۔ اور پوچھا کہ اگر تمہاری بات درست ہے تو پھر ان کے نام بتاؤ‘ یعنی اللہ تعالیٰ کے رحم یا غضب کی صفات جس طرح ان لوگوں کے ذریعہ ظاہر ہونے والی ہیں کیا تم ان کی تفصیل دوسرں کو بتا سکتے ہو۔ دوسرے معنے اس آیت کے یہ بھی ہو سکتے ہیں کہ آدمؑ کی اولاد میں جو لوگ نیکی میں کامل ہونے والے تھے ان کے
a
7:181; 17:111; 20:9; 59:24, 25.
38
Important Words:
اسماء (names) is the plural of اسم for which see note on 1:1. اسم means, (1) the name of a thing, i.e. a word fixed for a thing or attribute for the purpose of distinction; (2) a mark or sign of a thing (Aqrab); (3) fame or reputation of a person or thing (Lane); (4) a word, its meanings and combinations (Mufradat).
صادقین (right) is the plural of صادق which is derived from صدق. They say صدق فی ظنه i.e. he was or is correct in his opinion (Lane). صدق فی الحدیث means, he spoke the truth. صدقه means, he was sincere to him or he was his well-wisher (Aqrab). صدقتmeans: (1) you are speaking the truth, not a lie (2) what you say is right, not wrong. It is in the latter sense that the word has been used in the present verse.
Commentary:
Commentators differ as to what is here meant by the word اسماء (names). Some think that God taught Adam the names of different things and objects, i.e. He taught him language. Others hold that God taught him the names of his offspring.
There is no doubt that man needed language in order to become civilized and God must have taught Adam a language, but the Quran indicates that there are اسماء (names or attributes) which man must learn for the perfection of his religion and morals. They are referred to in the verse: And to Allah alone belong all perfect attributes; so call on Him by these and leave alone those who deviate from the right way with respect to His attributes. They shall be requited with what they do (7:181). This verse shows that man cannot attain to divine knowledge without a correct conception of God’s اسماء or attributes and that this can be taught only by God. So it was necessary that God should have, in the very beginning, given Adam knowledge of His attributes so that man should know and recognize Him and attain His nearness, and should not drift away from Him.
The verse quoted above (7:181) shows that the word اسماء (names) is used to signify the attributes of God and that a Muslim must be familiar with those attributes, so that he may pray to Him, invoking attributes most suited to the nature of the prayer. For example, if one prays for forgiveness and mercy, one should invoke the attributes of forgiveness and mercy; and if the prayer be for the attainment of righteousness, God should be invoked by names which pertain to that quality. The above verse also indicates that man must not of himself devise the attributes of God, because it is only God who can describe His attributes; man, being himself the creation of God, cannot do so. In fact, those who try to devise God’s attributes have been threatened with divine punishment.
In short, we learn from this verse that a Muslim must know God’s اسماء (names) which can be taught by Him alone, and which man has no right to devise out of his own fancy. There is strong evidence that God gave Adam a knowledge of His attributes. The view gains further strength when we take into consideration the difference between man and angel. According to the Quran, man differs from angels in that, whereas the former can be an image or reflex of الاسماءالحسنی i.e. all the divine attributes, the latter represent only a few of them. The Quran says: They (the angels) do what they are bidden to do (66:7) which implies that the angels cannot act of their own free will. They have no will of their own, but passively perform the functions allotted to them by Providence. On the other hand, man, endowed with volition and free choice, differs from angels in that he has capabilities which make him a perfect manifestation of all divine attributes. A saying of the Holy Prophet—"the best morals in man are those which are in conformity with the great attributes of God" (‘Ummal, ii. 2)—also points to this. As God is Merciful, we should also show mercy to men; as He is Forgiving, so we must also be ready to forgive our fellow beings; as He connives at faults, so we must try to imitate Him in this particular; and as He protects the weak, so we must be ready to protect the weak, and so on. This injunction of the Holy Prophet justifies the inference that man has the capability to manifest in himself all the attributes of God. Thus, both the Quran and the Holy Prophet’s sayings are agreed that man and angel differ in the manifestation of divine attributes, and the "names" in the clause, He taught Adam all the names, refer to the attributes of God.
The verse means that God first implanted in Adam free will and the needful capacity for the comprehension of the various divine attributes, and then gave him the knowledge of those attributes, which was impossible without the power of assimilation. The verse that follows corroborates this meaning; for therein it is stated that the اسماء (attributes) were such as were not wholly known to the angels and it is evident that such اسماء are only the divine attributes. The word اسماء may also mean the qualities of different things in nature. As man was to make use of the forces of nature, God gave Adam the capacity of knowing their qualities and properties. The word كل (all) used here does not imply absolute totality. It simply means all that was necessary. The Quran uses this word in this sense elsewhere also (see 6:45; 27:7, 24; 28:58). The pronoun in the words عرضھم (He put the objects of these names) shows that the objects referred to here are not inanimate things; for in Arabic this form of pronoun is used only for rational beings. The meaning of the expression, therefore, would be that God showed Adam in a kashf (vision) certain human beings from among his progeny who were to be the manifestations of divine attributes in the future. Such beings were the Prophets or other holy persons who were to enjoy such nearness to God as to become His image and through whom God was to reform mankind. The angels were then asked whether they could manifest the divine attributes like them. This is what is meant by the words, Tell Me the names of these, occurring in the present verse.
a
7:181; 17:111; 20:9; 59:24-25.
62
The word "all" used here does not imply absolute totality. It simply means all that was necessary. The Qur’an uses this word in this sense elsewhere also (6:45; 27:17, 24; 28:58).
62A
Asma’ is plural of Ism which means, name or attribute; a mark or a sign of a thing (Lane & Mufradat). Commentators differ as to what is here meant by the word Asma’ (names). Some think that God taught Adam the names of different things and objects, i.e. He taught him the principles of language. There is no doubt that man needed language in order to become civilized and God must have taught Adam its principles, but the Qur’an indicates that there are Asma’ (names or attributes) which man must learn for the perfection of his morals. They are referred to in 7:181. This shows that man cannot attain to Divine knowledge without a correct conception and comprehension of God’s attributes and that they can be taught only by God. So it was necessary that God should have, in the very beginning, given Adam (man) knowledge of His attributes so that he should know and recognize Him and attain His nearness and should not drift away from Him. According to the Qur’an, man differs
62B
The pronoun hum (these) shows that the objects referred to here are not inanimate things; for in Arabic this form of pronoun is used only for rational beings. The meaning of the expression, therefore, would be that God granted to the angels a vision of the outstandingly righteous persons from among the progeny of Adam who were to become the manifestation of Divine attributes in the future, and were then asked whether they themselves could manifest the Divine attributes like them, to which they signified their inability. This is what is meant by the words, Tell Me the names of these, occurring in the present verse.
قُلۡ اِنۡ کَانَتۡ لَکُمُ الدَّارُ الۡاٰخِرَۃُ عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ خَالِصَۃً مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُا الۡمَوۡتَ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
2:112; 62:7.
یعنی رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم سے مباہلہ کرو۔ جیسا کہ سورۃ آل عمران آیت ۶۲ میں ہے۔
2:112; 62:7.
The meaning is that if the Jews are convinced that they are justified in their claim that God will bestow His favours upon them alone, and that the Holy Prophet’s claim is false, then they should invoke death and destruction upon the liar.
d
2:112; 62:7.
3
یعنی رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم سے مباہلہ کرو۔ جیسا کہ سورۃ آل عمران آیت ۶۲ میں ہے۔
a
2:112; 62:7.
101
Commentary:
See under 2:96 below.
c
2:112; 62:7.
122A
The meaning is that if the Jews are convinced that they are justified in their claim that God will bestow His favours upon them alone, and that the Holy Prophet’s claim is false, then they should invoke death and destruction upon the liar.
وَقَالُوۡا لَنۡ یَّدۡخُلَ الۡجَنَّۃَ اِلَّا مَنۡ کَانَ ہُوۡدًا اَوۡ نَصٰرٰی ۗ تِلۡکَ اَمَانِیُّہُمۡ ۗ قُلۡ ہَاتُوۡا بُرۡہٰنَکُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
2:63.
اس کلام کے یہ معنے ہیں کہ یہودی کہتے ہیں کہ صرف یہودی‘ اور مسیحی کہتے ہیں کہ صرف مسیحی جنت میں داخل ہوں گے۔ یہ مرادنہیں کہ یہودی یہ سمجھتے ہیں کہ یہودی اور مسیحی ہی جنتی ہیں اور مسیحی سمجھتے ہیں کہ مسیحی اور یہودی ہی جنتی ہیں۔
2:95; 62:7.
Important Words:
ھود (the Jews) has by some been looked upon as the plural of ھائد which is active participle from ھاد meaning, he repented and turned towards the truth or towards God. In this sense ھود would mean, a people who have turned to God with repentance. The word ھود is a proper name for the Jews. The original and commoner word, however, is الیھود or یھود from which, according to some, the letter یا has been dropped, leaving the word ھود (Aqrab). See also 2:63.
Commentary:
So far Christians were not separately addressed. But now the Quran mentions them along with the Jews, indicating that their case was no better than that of the latter, both being under the delusion that one could obtain salvation merely by becoming a Jew or a Christian. They forgot the fact that when God had established a fresh covenant, salvation could not be possible without conforming thereto. If, however, the Jews and the Christians were justified in their claims, they should advance some reasons or scriptural evidence to show that it was enough for the purposes of salvation to join their folds. And they could not do it, because in their very Scriptures was foretold the appearance of a Prophet whom they were enjoined to accept and whose rejection was stated to lead to estrangement from God.
Christianity, as well as Judaism, was meant for the guidance of the Israelites alone. The mission of Jesus was not meant for the whole world (Matt. 7:6; 10:6; 15:24; Mark 7:27). Though later on the followers of Jesus violated the limit imposed upon his mission and claimed universality for it, yet the hard fact remains that he was sent only for the Israelites, and his mission was to uplift that people alone. As other nations of the world are also the creation of God, it is therefore only right to believe that God must have made some arrangement for their guidance as well. Hence, it is quite unreasonable on the part of the Jews and Christians to hold that the door of salvation was closed against the followers of other faiths. Such a view would mean that God had confined salvation to certain tribes, to the exclusion of others, which is evidently absurd.
Islam, however, is not exposed to that objection. In the first place, it is not a tribal faith, but is universal in character. In the Quran, God enjoins the Holy Prophet to Say, O mankind! truly I am a Messenger to you all from Allah (7:159). Similarly, there is a saying of the Holy Prophet to the effect, "I have been sent for the whole mankind while the Prophets before me were sent to particular peoples only" (Musnad).
Secondly, unlike Judaism and Christianity, Islam does not hold Hell to be ever-lasting, but a place of reformation, where sinners will be purged of their sins to enable them to find their way ultimately to Heaven and enjoy the reward of whatever good deeds they had done in this world. On the other hand, Islam looks upon the bounties of Heaven to be everlasting. With Jews and Christians, it is only the wish that has been father to the thought and nothing else. Produce your proof, if you are truthful, says the Quran.
f
2:63.
2
اس کلام کے یہ معنے ہیں کہ یہودی کہتے ہیں کہ صرف یہودی‘ اور مسیحی کہتے ہیں کہ صرف مسیحی جنت میں داخل ہوں گے۔ یہ مرادنہیں کہ یہودی یہ سمجھتے ہیں کہ یہودی اور مسیحی ہی جنتی ہیں اور مسیحی سمجھتے ہیں کہ مسیحی اور یہودی ہی جنتی ہیں۔
c
2:95; 62:7.
118
Important Words:
ھود (the Jews) has by some been looked upon as the plural of ھائد which is active participle from ھاد meaning, he repented and turned towards the truth or towards God. In this sense ھود would mean, a people who have turned to God with repentance. The word ھود is a proper name for the Jews. The original and commoner word, however, is الیھود or یھود from which, according to some, the letter یا has been dropped, leaving the word ھود (Aqrab). See also 2:63.
Commentary:
So far Christians were not separately addressed. But now the Quran mentions them along with the Jews, indicating that their case was no better than that of the latter, both being under the delusion that one could obtain salvation merely by becoming a Jew or a Christian. They forgot the fact that when God had established a fresh covenant, salvation could not be possible without conforming thereto. If, however, the Jews and the Christians were justified in their claims, they should advance some reasons or scriptural evidence to show that it was enough for the purposes of salvation to join their folds. And they could not do it, because in their very Scriptures was foretold the appearance of a Prophet whom they were enjoined to accept and whose rejection was stated to lead to estrangement from God.
Christianity, as well as Judaism, was meant for the guidance of the Israelites alone. The mission of Jesus was not meant for the whole world (Matt. 7:6; 10:6; 15:24; Mark 7:27). Though later on the followers of Jesus violated the limit imposed upon his mission and claimed universality for it, yet the hard fact remains that he was sent only for the Israelites, and his mission was to uplift that people alone. As other nations of the world are also the creation of God, it is therefore only right to believe that God must have made some arrangement for their guidance as well. Hence, it is quite unreasonable on the part of the Jews and Christians to hold that the door of salvation was closed against the followers of other faiths. Such a view would mean that God had confined salvation to certain tribes, to the exclusion of others, which is evidently absurd.
Islam, however, is not exposed to that objection. In the first place, it is not a tribal faith, but is universal in character. In the Quran, God enjoins the Holy Prophet to Say, O mankind! truly I am a Messenger to you all from Allah (7:159). Similarly, there is a saying of the Holy Prophet to the effect, "I have been sent for the whole mankind while the Prophets before me were sent to particular peoples only" (Musnad).
Secondly, unlike Judaism and Christianity, Islam does not hold Hell to be ever-lasting, but a place of reformation, where sinners will be purged of their sins to enable them to find their way ultimately to Heaven and enjoy the reward of whatever good deeds they had done in this world. On the other hand, Islam looks upon the bounties of Heaven to be everlasting. With Jews and Christians, it is only the wish that has been father to the thought and nothing else. Produce your proof, if you are truthful, says the Quran.
f
2:95; 62:7.
134
The Jews and the Christians both suffer from the delusion that only a Jew or a Christian could obtain salvation.
قُلۡ فَاۡتُوۡا بِکِتٰبٍ مِّنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰہِ ہُوَ اَہۡدٰی مِنۡہُمَاۤ اَتَّبِعۡہُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
这节经文提到, 在天经中 «古兰经» 和 «摩西五经» 都有很高的地位。«古兰经» 是最高的, 在所有安拉启示的经典中是最好的, 而 «摩西五经» 占第二位。
The verse alludes to the very high position which both the Qur’an and the Torah hold among heavenly Scriptures, the Qur’an being par excellence the best among the revealed Books and the Torah taking the second place.
Commentary:
The verse alludes to the very high position which both the Quran and the Torah hold among heavenly Scriptures, the Quran being par excellence the best among the revealed Books and the Torah standing only second to it. It further says to disbelievers that if the revelations of the Quran and the Torah do not satisfy them, then let them produce a Book which is better suited to be humanity’s guide and which has brought about greater transformation in the lives of men than these Books have done.
964
这节经文提到, 在天经中 «古兰经» 和 «摩西五经» 都有很高的地位。«古兰经» 是最高的, 在所有安拉启示的经典中是最好的, 而 «摩西五经» 占第二位。
2912
Commentary:
The verse alludes to the very high position which both the Quran and the Torah hold among heavenly Scriptures, the Quran being par excellence the best among the revealed Books and the Torah standing only second to it. It further says to disbelievers that if the revelations of the Quran and the Torah do not satisfy them, then let them produce a Book which is better suited to be humanity’s guide and which has brought about greater transformation in the lives of men than these Books have done.
2221
The verse alludes to the very high position which both the Qur’an and the Torah hold among heavenly Scriptures, the Qur’an being par excellence the best among the revealed Books and the Torah taking the second place.
وَاِذَا تُتۡلٰی عَلَیۡہِمۡ اٰیٰتُنَا بَیِّنٰتٍ مَّا کَانَ حُجَّتَہُمۡ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ قَالُوا ائۡتُوۡا بِاٰبَآئِنَاۤ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
حُجَّة (Hujjah) 意谓辩论;抗辩;词托;争论。(Lane)
Hujjah means, argument; plea; excuse; contention (Lane).
1249
حُجَّة (Hujjah) 意谓辩论;抗辩;词托;争论。(Lane)
2714
Hujjah means, argument; plea; excuse; contention (Lane).
۞ کُلُّ الطَّعَامِ کَانَ حِلًّا لِّبَنِیۡۤ اِسۡرٰٓءِیۡلَ اِلَّا مَا حَرَّمَ اِسۡرٰٓءِیۡلُ عَلٰی نَفۡسِہٖ مِنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ تُنَزَّلَ التَّوۡرٰٮۃُ ۗ قُلۡ فَاۡتُوۡا بِالتَّوۡرٰٮۃِ فَاتۡلُوۡہَاۤ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
حضرت یعقوب علیہ السلام کا ایک کشفی نام اسرائیل تھا(پرانا عہدنامہ پیدائش باب۳۲ آیت۲۸)۔
بعض چیزوں سے ان کی بیماری کی وجہ سے ان کو روکا گیا تھا۔ بنو اسرائیل نے غلطی سے ان کو حرام سمجھ لیا (پیدائش باب۳۲)۔
Certain foods which the Jews abstained from were allowed by Islam. One such thing was the sciatic nerve, to which reference is made in Gen. 32: 32. Jacob suffered from sciatica, and, for medical reasons he forbade himself the sciatic nerve as food. This was his personal matter but the Israelites made it a rule of conduct to abstain from eating the sinew.
The name Israel was bestowed upon Jacob in a vision (Gen. 32: 28).
Important Words:
کل (all) is a very common Arabic word used to express two senses: (1) all members of a group; (2) all parts of an individual thing. The word may generally be rendered as, all; whole; each; every one, etc. It is also sometimes used in the sense of "the majority of", and rarely even in the sense of "some" or "part of" (Aqrab & Taj)
Commentary:
The preceding verses emphasize the importance of complete submission to the will of God. The highest good cannot be attained without the sacrifice of most beloved things, including personal and national sentiments. The present verse cites an apt illustration. Whereas God had allowed "all food" to the Jews, the Israelites forbade themselves parts thereof on the ground that Jacob, for personal and medical considerations, abstained from partaking of them. But as the word Israel, primarily the name of Jacob, is also used about his children and descendants and has been so used in the Bible, it may also be taken in this sense in the second clause of the present verse.
By saying, All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, the Quran also refutes an objection of the People of the Book, which served as an obstacle in the way of their accepting Islam. There were certain kinds of food which the Jews abstained from eating but which were allowed by Islam. One such thing was the sciatic nerve, to which reference is made in Gen. 32:32. Jacob suffered from sciatica, and, therefore, for medical reasons he forbade himself the use of the sciatic nerve as food. This was a personal matter but the Children of Israel followed his example blindly and made it a rule of conduct to abstain from the eating of the sinew. It was not forbidden by Law, the abstention being purely voluntary.
Moreover, the incident which led to the abandonment of the sciatic nerve as food by Israel and later by the Israelites took place long before the Torah was revealed. The Torah itself does not forbid it but merely mentions it as a practice of the Jews who had, therefore, no right to object to its use by the Muslims. The objection, if valid, also held good against Abraham and many other Prophets. Besides, there are some foods which were used by Abraham and his descendants but were later forbidden by the Torah. The camel is an instance of this kind. Hence, the verse purports to say that if certain foods used by the patriarchs are allowed to other peoples, the Jews have no right to object.
It may be pointed out here that there is a difference of meaning between کل طعام (kullu-ta‘amin) and کل الطعام (kullut-ta‘ami) as used in the present verse. The former means, every kind of food, while the latter means, all food, i.e. the whole food. It appears that the Jews objected that the Muslims ate the whole meat, not excepting even the nerve.
1
حضرت یعقوب علیہ السلام کا ایک کشفی نام اسرائیل تھا(پرانا عہدنامہ پیدائش باب۳۲ آیت۲۸)۔
2
بعض چیزوں سے ان کی بیماری کی وجہ سے ان کو روکا گیا تھا۔ بنو اسرائیل نے غلطی سے ان کو حرام سمجھ لیا (پیدائش باب۳۲)۔
380
Important Words:
کل (all) is a very common Arabic word used to express two senses: (1) all members of a group; (2) all parts of an individual thing. The word may generally be rendered as, all; whole; each; every one, etc. It is also sometimes used in the sense of "the majority of", and rarely even in the sense of "some" or "part of" (Aqrab & Taj)
Commentary:
The preceding verses emphasize the importance of complete submission to the will of God. The highest good cannot be attained without the sacrifice of most beloved things, including personal and national sentiments. The present verse cites an apt illustration. Whereas God had allowed "all food" to the Jews, the Israelites forbade themselves parts thereof on the ground that Jacob, for personal and medical considerations, abstained from partaking of them. But as the word Israel, primarily the name of Jacob, is also used about his children and descendants and has been so used in the Bible, it may also be taken in this sense in the second clause of the present verse.
By saying, All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, the Quran also refutes an objection of the People of the Book, which served as an obstacle in the way of their accepting Islam. There were certain kinds of food which the Jews abstained from eating but which were allowed by Islam. One such thing was the sciatic nerve, to which reference is made in Gen. 32:32. Jacob suffered from sciatica, and, therefore, for medical reasons he forbade himself the use of the sciatic nerve as food. This was a personal matter but the Children of Israel followed his example blindly and made it a rule of conduct to abstain from the eating of the sinew. It was not forbidden by Law, the abstention being purely voluntary.
Moreover, the incident which led to the abandonment of the sciatic nerve as food by Israel and later by the Israelites took place long before the Torah was revealed. The Torah itself does not forbid it but merely mentions it as a practice of the Jews who had, therefore, no right to object to its use by the Muslims. The objection, if valid, also held good against Abraham and many other Prophets. Besides, there are some foods which were used by Abraham and his descendants but were later forbidden by the Torah. The camel is an instance of this kind. Hence, the verse purports to say that if certain foods used by the patriarchs are allowed to other peoples, the Jews have no right to object.
It may be pointed out here that there is a difference of meaning between کل طعام (kullu-ta‘amin) and کل الطعام (kullut-ta‘ami) as used in the present verse. The former means, every kind of food, while the latter means, all food, i.e. the whole food. It appears that the Jews objected that the Muslims ate the whole meat, not excepting even the nerve.
439
Certain foods which the Jews abstained from were allowed by Islam. One such thing was the sciatic nerve, to which reference is made in Gen. 32: 32. Jacob suffered from sciatica, and, for medical reasons he forbade himself the sciatic nerve as food. This was his personal matter but the Israelites made it a rule of conduct to abstain from eating the sinew.
440
The name Israel was bestowed upon Jacob in a vision (Gen. 32: 28).
اَلَّذِیۡنَ قَالُوۡا لِاِخۡوٰنِہِمۡ وَقَعَدُوۡا لَوۡ اَطَاعُوۡنَا مَا قُتِلُوۡا ۗ قُلۡ فَادۡرَءُوۡا عَنۡ اَنۡفُسِکُمُ الۡمَوۡتَ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
3:155.
4:79.
The words "said of their brethren" may mean "said concerning their brethren," i.e. Muslims; or "talked among themselves about the Muslims."
3:155.
4:79.
Commentary:
The word اخوان (brethren) may refer to both the Muslims and the hypocrites. If taken to refer to the Muslims, the expression قالوا لاخوانھم (said of their brethren) would either mean, "said concerning their brethren, the Muslims", or it would mean, "said to their brethren, the Muslims." If, however, it is taken to refer to the hypocrites, the expression would mean, "said to their own brethren", i.e. talked among themselves.
The expression, Then avert death from yourselves, embodies a prophecy about the destruction of the hypocrites. The clause would thus signify, "You stayed in your homes in order to save yourselves. Now, the time of your destruction has arrived. So protect yourselves if you can."
a
4:79.
d
3:155.
a
3:155.
b
4:79.
451
Commentary:
The word اخوان (brethren) may refer to both the Muslims and the hypocrites. If taken to refer to the Muslims, the expression قالوا لاخوانھم (said of their brethren) would either mean, "said concerning their brethren, the Muslims", or it would mean, "said to their brethren, the Muslims." If, however, it is taken to refer to the hypocrites, the expression would mean, "said to their own brethren", i.e. talked among themselves.
The expression, Then avert death from yourselves, embodies a prophecy about the destruction of the hypocrites. The clause would thus signify, "You stayed in your homes in order to save yourselves. Now, the time of your destruction has arrived. So protect yourselves if you can."
a
3:155.
b
4:79.
526
The words "said of their brethren" may mean "said concerning their brethren," i.e. Muslims; or "talked among themselves about the Muslims."
اَلَّذِیۡنَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَہِدَ اِلَیۡنَاۤ اَلَّا نُؤۡمِنَ لِرَسُوۡلٍ حَتّٰی یَاۡتِیَنَا بِقُرۡبَانٍ تَاۡکُلُہُ النَّارُ ۗ قُلۡ قَدۡ جَآءَکُمۡ رُسُلٌ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِیۡ بِالۡبَیِّنٰتِ وَبِالَّذِیۡ قُلۡتُمۡ فَلِمَ قَتَلۡتُمُوۡہُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
مراد یہ نہیں کہ آگ کہیں سے آکر اسے بھسم کر دیتی تھی بلکہ مراد اس قربانی سے تھی جو آگ میں جلا دی جاتی اور اسے سوختنی قربانی کہا جاتا تھا۔ ایسی قربانی کا رواج ہندوؤں، ایرانیوں اور یہود میں بہت تھا۔
5:33; 14:10; 40:84.
The verse answers the objection of the Jews about the burnt offerings by saying that the observance of the law regarding such offerings was no criterion to test the truth of a Prophet, because that could easily be done by an impostor. It was only "clear signs" that demonstrated and established the truth of a claimant. But even if observance of burnt offerings was the criterion of a true Prophet, the Jews had no right to raise an objection. The charge is driven home to them in the words, "Why did they reject those Prophets who strictly conformed to that law?"
5:33; 14:10; 40:84.
Commentary:
The enemies of truth never admit their defeat. They continue to seek new pretexts for refusing to believe in it. When the Jews were told that they had opposed the Prophets of God through covetousness (3:181-182), they retorted by saying that they did not oppose Muslims through covetousness but because, animals unlike them, the Muslims devoured even that which they offered as sacrifices, instead of burning them at the altar according to the Jewish Law (Lev. 1:11-17). Thus, it was not they but the Muslims who were greedy and covetous and they could not, therefore, consistently with the Law of Moses, accept the Prophet who did not observe that Law.
The Quran answers this objection by saying that the observance of the law about burnt offerings was no criterion to test the truth of a Prophet, because that could easily be done by an impostor. It was البینات (clear signs) only that demonstrated and established the truth of a claimant. But even if observance of burnt offerings was the criterion of a true Prophet, the Jews had no right to raise an objection; for in that case the question arose, why did they reject those Prophets who strictly conformed to that law? The fact that the Jewish demand referred to in the words, that which you speak of, has been mentioned in the verse separately from clear signs, shows that what the Jews spoke of was not a miracle, but that they were only referring to the law about burnt offerings, and not to the miracle of fire descending from heaven to consume a sacrifice, as is generally but wrongly believed.
a
5:33; 14:10; 40:84.
296
本节经文回答了犹太人反对火焚供品的理由。经文说, 遵守有关这种供品的法规绝不是考验先知的真诚的标准, 因为骗子也能轻而易举的做到这一点。只有 “明显的迹象” 才能证实宣称者的真诚。但即使遵守火焚供品是考验一个真诚的先知的标准, 犹太人也没有权利提出反对。这句话可使他们了解他们是应该谴责的; “他们为什么要否认那些严格遵守那条法规的先知?”
1
مراد یہ نہیں کہ آگ کہیں سے آکر اسے بھسم کر دیتی تھی بلکہ مراد اس قربانی سے تھی جو آگ میں جلا دی جاتی اور اسے سوختنی قربانی کہا جاتا تھا۔ ایسی قربانی کا رواج ہندوؤں، ایرانیوں اور یہود میں بہت تھا۔
b
5:33; 14:10; 40:84.
466
Commentary:
The enemies of truth never admit their defeat. They continue to seek new pretexts for refusing to believe in it. When the Jews were told that they had opposed the Prophets of God through covetousness (3:181-182), they retorted by saying that they did not oppose Muslims through covetousness but because, animals unlike them, the Muslims devoured even that which they offered as sacrifices, instead of burning them at the altar according to the Jewish Law (Lev. 1:11-17). Thus, it was not they but the Muslims who were greedy and covetous and they could not, therefore, consistently with the Law of Moses, accept the Prophet who did not observe that Law.
The Quran answers this objection by saying that the observance of the law about burnt offerings was no criterion to test the truth of a Prophet, because that could easily be done by an impostor. It was البینات (clear signs) only that demonstrated and established the truth of a claimant. But even if observance of burnt offerings was the criterion of a true Prophet, the Jews had no right to raise an objection; for in that case the question arose, why did they reject those Prophets who strictly conformed to that law? The fact that the Jewish demand referred to in the words, that which you speak of, has been mentioned in the verse separately from clear signs, shows that what the Jews spoke of was not a miracle, but that they were only referring to the law about burnt offerings, and not to the miracle of fire descending from heaven to consume a sacrifice, as is generally but wrongly believed.
a
5:33; 14:10; 40:84.
539
The verse answers the objection of the Jews about the burnt offerings by saying that the observance of the law regarding such offerings was no criterion to test the truth of a Prophet, because that could easily be done by an impostor. It was only "clear signs" that demonstrated and established the truth of a claimant. But even if observance of burnt offerings was the criterion of a true Prophet, the Jews had no right to raise an objection. The charge is driven home to them in the words, "Why did they reject those Prophets who strictly conformed to that law?"
قُلۡ اَرَءَیۡتَکُمۡ اِنۡ اَتٰٮکُمۡ عَذَابُ اللّٰہِ اَوۡ اَتَتۡکُمُ السَّاعَۃُ اَغَیۡرَ اللّٰہِ تَدۡعُوۡنَ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
6:48; 12:108; 43:67.
Commentary:
The word "Hour" refers to the Hour of the decisive victory of Islam, or, in other words, the Fall of Mecca. Thus, whereas "punishment" refers to ordinary afflictions, "Hour" refers to the final and decisive event of the struggle. The question put in this verse is answered in the next.
d
6:48; 12:108; 43:67.
425
“时候” 指的是伊斯兰教获得决定性胜利的时候, 即攻克麦加的时候。
b
6:48; 12:108; 43:67.
787
Commentary:
The word "Hour" refers to the Hour of the decisive victory of Islam, or, in other words, the Fall of Mecca. Thus, whereas "punishment" refers to ordinary afflictions, "Hour" refers to the final and decisive event of the struggle. The question put in this verse is answered in the next.
e
6:48; 12:108; 43:67.
847
"Hour" refers to the hour of the decisive victory of Islam, or, to the Fall of Mecca.
ثَمٰنِیَۃَ اَزۡوٰجٍ ۖ مِّنَ الضَّاۡنِ اثۡنَیۡنِ وَمِنَ الۡمَعۡزِ اثۡنَیۡنِ ۗ قُلۡ آٰلذَّکَرَیۡنِ حَرَّمَ اَمِ الۡاُنۡثَیَیۡنِ اَمَّا اشۡتَمَلَتۡ عَلَیۡہِ اَرۡحَامُ الۡاُنۡثَیَیۡنِ ۖ نَبِّـُٔوۡنِیۡ بِعِلۡمٍ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
39:7.
39:7.
Important Words:
ازواج (mates) is the plural of زوج (a mate). The word is used to signify, one of the pair, whether male or female and whether among human beings or among animals, or whether among plants or among any class of things.
الضأن (sheep is the plural of الضائن (one sheep). The word is applied to all animals of the class of غنم (which cover both sheep and goats) having wool (Aqrab & Lane).
المعز (goats) is he generic plural of الماعز (one goat). The word is applied to all animals of the class of غنم (for which see above) having hair (not wool) and small tails (Aqrab & Lane).
Commentary:
See note under the following verse.
c
39:7.
a
39:7.883
Important Words:
ازواج (mates) is the plural of زوج (a mate). The word is used to signify, one of the pair, whether male or female and whether among human beings or among animals, or whether among plants or among any class of things.
الضأن (sheep is the plural of الضائن (one sheep). The word is applied to all animals of the class of غنم (which cover both sheep and goats) having wool (Aqrab & Lane).
المعز (goats) is he generic plural of الماعز (one goat). The word is applied to all animals of the class of غنم (for which see above) having hair (not wool) and small tails (Aqrab & Lane).
Commentary:
See note under the following verse.
b
39:7.
وَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰی ہٰذَا الۡفَتۡحُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
فتح سے مراد کفار کی اس تباہی کی خبر ہے جس کا پہلے ذکر ہو چکا ہے کہ اُخروی عذاب سے پہلے اس دنیا میں بھی ان پر عذاب آئے گا۔ تاکہ وہ نصیحت حاصل کر لیں اور پھر آیت۲۷ میں کہا گیا ہے کہ ان سے پہلے زمانہ کے لوگوں کو بھی ہلاک کیا گیا تھا۔ کیا یہ ان سے نصیحت حاصل نہیں کرتے کہ ان کی باری بھی آنے والی ہے‘ ان کا ملک ان کو ملا ہے تو ویسے ہی اعمال کرنے پر سزا بھی تو ان کو ملے گی۔
1
فتح سے مراد کفار کی اس تباہی کی خبر ہے جس کا پہلے ذکر ہو چکا ہے کہ اُخروی عذاب سے پہلے اس دنیا میں بھی ان پر عذاب آئے گا۔ تاکہ وہ نصیحت حاصل کر لیں اور پھر آیت۲۷ میں کہا گیا ہے کہ ان سے پہلے زمانہ کے لوگوں کو بھی ہلاک کیا گیا تھا۔ کیا یہ ان سے نصیحت حاصل نہیں کرتے کہ ان کی باری بھی آنے والی ہے‘ ان کا ملک ان کو ملا ہے تو ویسے ہی اعمال کرنے پر سزا بھی تو ان کو ملے گی۔
اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ تَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ عِبَادٌ اَمۡثَالُکُمۡ ۖ فَادۡعُوۡہُمۡ فَلۡیَسۡتَجِیۡبُوۡا لَکُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
35:15.
The verse constitutes an open challenge to idol-worshippers to the effect that all animate and inanimate things that they call on besides Allah can never answer their prayers, because the idols do not possess the power to do so. But the Living God answers the prayers of His devotees.
35:15.
Commentary:
The verse constitutes an open challenge to the idol-worshippers or believers in the plurality of gods that all animate and inanimate things that they call on beside Allah will never answer their prayers, because they do not possess the power to do so.
f
35:15.
532
这节经文对偶像崇拜者是一个公开的挑战, 其大意是, 所有生物和非生物除了向安拉呼唤以外其它的都不能回答他们的祈求, 因为偶像没有能力这样做。但是永生的安拉能答复信仰他的人们的祈祷。
a
35:15.
1080
Commentary:
The verse constitutes an open challenge to the idol-worshippers or believers in the plurality of gods that all animate and inanimate things that they call on beside Allah will never answer their prayers, because they do not possess the power to do so.
d
35:15.
1085
The verse constitutes an open challenge to idol-worshippers to the effect that all animate and inanimate things that they call on besides Allah can never answer their prayers, because the idols do not possess the power to do so. But the Living God answers the prayers of His devotees.
اَمۡ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ افۡتَرٰٮہُ ۖ قُلۡ فَاۡتُوۡا بِسُوۡرَۃٍ مِّثۡلِہٖ وَادۡعُوۡا مَنِ اسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
یعنی پہلی کتب جو الہامی کہلاتی ہیں ان کی مدد بھی لے لو۔ ورنہ مسیح وغیرہ سے مدد لینے کا تو عقلاًاور شرعاً کوئی سوال ہی نہیں۔ اس آیت میں بتایا گیا ہے کہ انجیل قرآن کریم کے مقابلہ میں بالکل ہیچ ہے۔ وہ اس کے مقابلہ میں نہیں آسکتی۔ گو بقول عیسائیوں کے وہ ابن اللہ کی بنائی ہوئی کتاب ہے۔
2:24; 11:14; 17:89; 52:34, 35.
The verse challenges disbelievers that if a book with such excellences as the Qur’an possesses could be a human forgery, then why do they not produce a similar one themselves? This challenge stands for all time. See also {44}.
2:24; 11:14; 17:89; 52:34-35.
Commentary:
Notwithstanding the great excellences of the Quran mentioned in the preceding verse, disbelievers had the hardihood to allege that it was a fabrication of the Holy Prophet. The verse under comment asks, if a book with such excellences as the Quran possesses could be a human fabrication, then why do disbelievers not produce a similar one themselves? Similar challenges have been made in the Quran at different places, in different words. At one place the Quran calls upon disbelievers to produce a book like the whole of the Quran; at another it challenges them to produce ten chapters comparable to the Quranic Surahs; at yet another place it requires them to produce even a single Surah like those of the Quran. This shows that each of the passages containing these challenges deals with the subject from a different standpoint and offers a different challenge. In the verse under comment, for instance, the pronoun "it" in the expression مثله (like unto it) does not refer to the whole of the Quran but only to the previous verse of the present Surah. As we have seen, the previous verse has advanced five arguments to show that the Quran is the revealed word of God and in the present verse disbelievers are told that if they still persist in looking upon the Quran as the word of man, then let them produce a book which, let alone all the five arguments embodied in the previous verse, should possess only one of them. It is a patent fact, however, that not one of these five arguments about the Divine origin of the Quran is to be found in any work of man. This is a claim which nobody has ever dared to contradict, nor is there a possibility of future contradiction. The challenge stands for all time. The heavens and the earth may pass away, but no man will ever be able to produce a book like the Quran.
If the word Surah in this verse be taken to mean a chapter, then the verse would mean that disbelievers are called upon to produce even a chapter comparable with the Quran. But then the challenge will not be so pointed. For, in that case disbelievers would be called upon to bring a full chapter characterized by all the five qualities mentioned in the previous verse, while in the other case they are required to produce any composition containing only one of the five qualities. For a detailed treatment of this important subject see 2:24.
c
2:24; 11:14; 17:89; 52:34, 35.
592
这节经文向不信道的人挑战说: 假如像 «古兰经» 具有那样精美绝伦内容的一本经典, 可以是一种人 (类) 造出来的假东西的话, 那么, 为什么他们自己不去造这样一本类似的经典? 这一挑战可以永远向他们提出•见注释29Q。
1
یعنی پہلی کتب جو الہامی کہلاتی ہیں ان کی مدد بھی لے لو۔ ورنہ مسیح وغیرہ سے مدد لینے کا تو عقلاًاور شرعاً کوئی سوال ہی نہیں۔ اس آیت میں بتایا گیا ہے کہ انجیل قرآن کریم کے مقابلہ میں بالکل ہیچ ہے۔ وہ اس کے مقابلہ میں نہیں آسکتی۔ گو بقول عیسائیوں کے وہ ابن اللہ کی بنائی ہوئی کتاب ہے۔
a
2:24; 11:14; 17:89; 52:34-35.
1314
Commentary:
Notwithstanding the great excellences of the Quran mentioned in the preceding verse, disbelievers had the hardihood to allege that it was a fabrication of the Holy Prophet. The verse under comment asks, if a book with such excellences as the Quran possesses could be a human fabrication, then why do disbelievers not produce a similar one themselves? Similar challenges have been made in the Quran at different places, in different words. At one place the Quran calls upon disbelievers to produce a book like the whole of the Quran; at another it challenges them to produce ten chapters comparable to the Quranic Surahs; at yet another place it requires them to produce even a single Surah like those of the Quran. This shows that each of the passages containing these challenges deals with the subject from a different standpoint and offers a different challenge. In the verse under comment, for instance, the pronoun "it" in the expression مثله (like unto it) does not refer to the whole of the Quran but only to the previous verse of the present Surah. As we have seen, the previous verse has advanced five arguments to show that the Quran is the revealed word of God and in the present verse disbelievers are told that if they still persist in looking upon the Quran as the word of man, then let them produce a book which, let alone all the five arguments embodied in the previous verse, should possess only one of them. It is a patent fact, however, that not one of these five arguments about the Divine origin of the Quran is to be found in any work of man. This is a claim which nobody has ever dared to contradict, nor is there a possibility of future contradiction. The challenge stands for all time. The heavens and the earth may pass away, but no man will ever be able to produce a book like the Quran.
If the word Surah in this verse be taken to mean a chapter, then the verse would mean that disbelievers are called upon to produce even a chapter comparable with the Quran. But then the challenge will not be so pointed. For, in that case disbelievers would be called upon to bring a full chapter characterized by all the five qualities mentioned in the previous verse, while in the other case they are required to produce any composition containing only one of the five qualities. For a detailed treatment of this important subject see 2:24.
b
2:24; 11:14; 17:89; 52:34, 35.
1262
The verse challenges disbelievers that if a book with such excellences as the Qur’an possesses could be a human forgery, then why do they not produce a similar one themselves? This challenge stands for all time. See also {44}.
وَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰی ہٰذَا الۡوَعۡدُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
Commentary:
Strange, indeed, are the ways of disbelievers! In the preceding verse it was indirectly stated that rejection of, and separation from, a Prophet of God lead to ruin, while those who accept a Prophet are saved. At this disbelievers, instead of seeking God’s mercy, at once begin to ask when the threatened punishment will come. They do not seem to be satisfied with anything except punishment.
b
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
b
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
1324
Commentary:
Strange, indeed, are the ways of disbelievers! In the preceding verse it was indirectly stated that rejection of, and separation from, a Prophet of God lead to ruin, while those who accept a Prophet are saved. At this disbelievers, instead of seeking God’s mercy, at once begin to ask when the threatened punishment will come. They do not seem to be satisfied with anything except punishment.
b
21:39; 27:72; 34:30; 36:49.
اَمۡ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ افۡتَرٰٮہُ ۖ قُلۡ فَاۡتُوۡا بِعَشۡرِ سُوَرٍ مِّثۡلِہٖ مُفۡتَرَیٰتٍ وَّادۡعُوۡا مَنِ اسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
2:24; 10:39; 17:89; 52:34, 35.
اس کی تشریح کے لئے دیکھئے تفسیر کبیر جلد۳ صفحہ ۱۵۵ تا ۱۶۱
2:24; 10:39; 17:89; 52:34, 35.
2:24; 10:39; 17:89; 52:34-35.
Commentary:
This verse corroborates the interpretation put on the previous one. The latter gave two answers to the disbelievers’ vain hope that the Holy Prophet might abandon a portion of the Quran for fear of their objections, viz.: (1) that the Holy Prophet was only a Warner; he did not lay claim to Godhead that he might be required to have with him treasures and angels; (2) that he was only the bearer of a Message from God and his duty was confined to delivering that Message to the people. Now disbelievers could have replied to these arguments by saying that his claim to have come from God was but an empty assertion and that he was an impostor, as he was not attended with any special power. The verse under comment answers this objection by saying that although the Holy Prophet did not possess treasures of gold or silver, yet he possessed vast spiritual treasures the like of which were not possessed by the whole world collectively; and that those treasures were embodied in the Quran. So if they objected that the Holy Prophet was not a true Prophet and that certain portions of his Message were defective and needed to be altered, then let them bring forward a work comparable not to the whole of the Quran, but only to ten such chapters of it as they deemed to be defective. If, however, they could not produce a book comparable even to these so-called defective portions, which they thought needed to be changed, then they would have to admit that the Prophet of Islam did indeed possess a treasure the like of which none could produce. For full discussion of this subject, see under 2:24 where all similar verses of the Quran have been collectively treated.
g
2:24; 10:39; 17:89; 52:34, 35.
2
اس کی تشریح کے لئے دیکھئے تفسیر کبیر جلد۳ صفحہ ۱۵۵ تا ۱۶۱
a
2:24; 10:39; 17:89; 52:34-35.
1395
Commentary:
This verse corroborates the interpretation put on the previous one. The latter gave two answers to the disbelievers’ vain hope that the Holy Prophet might abandon a portion of the Quran for fear of their objections, viz.: (1) that the Holy Prophet was only a Warner; he did not lay claim to Godhead that he might be required to have with him treasures and angels; (2) that he was only the bearer of a Message from God and his duty was confined to delivering that Message to the people. Now disbelievers could have replied to these arguments by saying that his claim to have come from God was but an empty assertion and that he was an impostor, as he was not attended with any special power. The verse under comment answers this objection by saying that although the Holy Prophet did not possess treasures of gold or silver, yet he possessed vast spiritual treasures the like of which were not possessed by the whole world collectively; and that those treasures were embodied in the Quran. So if they objected that the Holy Prophet was not a true Prophet and that certain portions of his Message were defective and needed to be altered, then let them bring forward a work comparable not to the whole of the Quran, but only to ten such chapters of it as they deemed to be defective. If, however, they could not produce a book comparable even to these so-called defective portions, which they thought needed to be changed, then they would have to admit that the Prophet of Islam did indeed possess a treasure the like of which none could produce. For full discussion of this subject, see under 2:24 where all similar verses of the Quran have been collectively treated.
c
2:24; 10:39; 17:89; 52:34, 35.
قَالُوۡا یٰۤاَبَانَاۤ اِنَّا ذَہَبۡنَا نَسۡتَبِقُ وَتَرَکۡنَا یُوۡسُفَ عِنۡدَ مَتٰعِنَا فَاَکَلَہُ الذِّئۡبُ ۖ وَمَاۤ اَنۡتَ بِمُؤۡمِنٍ لَّنَا وَلَوۡ کُنَّا صٰدِقِیۡنَ
The words bespoke their nervousness and betrayed their guilty minds.
Commentary:
This verse also indicates that when Joseph was cast into a well he was a mere lad of eleven or twelve, otherwise his brothers would not have said that they made him take care of their things while they were playing. A young man of seventeen or eighteen is not entrusted with work of this kind. He himself can take part in all kinds of sports. Nor is he, when armed, likely to be attacked by a wolf, unless there be a pack of wolves, and Palestine is not a land where wolves roam in packs.
The words, thou wilt not believe us even if we speak the truth, show that Joseph’s brethren were not habitual criminals, otherwise they would not have uttered words which bespoke nervousness and betrayed their offence.
1521
Commentary:
This verse also indicates that when Joseph was cast into a well he was a mere lad of eleven or twelve, otherwise his brothers would not have said that they made him take care of their things while they were playing. A young man of seventeen or eighteen is not entrusted with work of this kind. He himself can take part in all kinds of sports. Nor is he, when armed, likely to be attacked by a wolf, unless there be a pack of wolves, and Palestine is not a land where wolves roam in packs.
The words, thou wilt not believe us even if we speak the truth, show that Joseph’s brethren were not habitual criminals, otherwise they would not have uttered words which bespoke nervousness and betrayed their offence.
1366
The words bespoke their nervousness and betrayed their guilty minds.
وَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰی ہٰذَا الۡوَعۡدُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
21:39; 36:49; 67:26.
21:39; 36:49; 67:26.
21:39; 36:49; 67:26.
b
21:39; 36:49; 67:26.
c
21:39; 36:49; 67:26.
a
21:39; 36:49; 67:26.
وَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰی ہٰذَا الۡوَعۡدُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
34:30; 36:49; 67:26.
34:30; 36:49; 67:26.
34:30; 36:49; 67:26.
Commentary:
The reference in the words, when will this promise be fulfilled, is to the sign of punishment referred to in the preceding verse. The disbelievers demanded that they should be punished for their rejection of the Holy Prophet there and then. It is to this impatience of theirs that the verse refers.
b
34:30; 36:49; 67:26.
a
34:30; 36:49; 67:26.
2379
Commentary:
The reference in the words, when will this promise be fulfilled, is to the sign of punishment referred to in the preceding verse. The disbelievers demanded that they should be punished for their rejection of the Holy Prophet there and then. It is to this impatience of theirs that the verse refers.
a
34:30; 36:49; 67:26.
وَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰی ہٰذَا الۡوَعۡدُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
21:39; 34:30; 67:26.
21:39; 34:30; 67:26.
21:39; 34:30; 67:26.
c
21:39; 34:30; 67:26.
b
21:39; 34:30; 67:26.
c
21:39; 34:30; 67:26.
فَاۡتُوۡا بِکِتٰبِکُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
No Divine Book accords the slightest countenance to this most foolish and obnoxious doctrine.
Commentary:
The verse purports to say that apart from human reason and intelligence which repudiate all forms of shirk (idolatry), no Divine Book accords the slightest countenance to this most foolish and obnoxious doctrine; on the contrary all of them refute and contradict it in strong and scathing terms.
3360
Commentary:
The verse purports to say that apart from human reason and intelligence which repudiate all forms of shirk (idolatry), no Divine Book accords the slightest countenance to this most foolish and obnoxious doctrine; on the contrary all of them refute and contradict it in strong and scathing terms.
2508
No Divine Book accords the slightest countenance to this most foolish and obnoxious doctrine.
فَاۡتُوۡا بِاٰبَآئِنَاۤ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
قُلۡ اَرَءَیۡتُمۡ مَّا تَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ اَرُوۡنِیۡ مَاذَا خَلَقُوۡا مِنَ الۡاَرۡضِ اَمۡ لَہُمۡ شِرۡکٌ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ ۖ اِئۡتُوۡنِیۡ بِکِتٰبٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ ہٰذَاۤ اَوۡ اَثٰرَۃٍ مِّنۡ عِلۡمٍ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
35:41.
Only that Being can command adoration and is fit to be worshipped Who as the Architect and Creator of the universe controls our destinies. But the false gods of idolaters not only have not created anything but themselves have been created (25:4).
In reality no authority except that of a revealed Scripture and also human science and reason can form the basis for determining whether a certain belief is right or wrong.
35:41.
Important Words:
أثارة (vestige) is the inf. noun from أثر and means, a remain or relic of a thing; a trace; sign or mark; vestige or track; a footprint; impression or mark made by the foot of a man upon the ground (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
With this verse begins a systematic refutation and condemnation of شرک i.e. idolatry. It means to say that only that Being can command adoration and is fit to be worshipped Who as the Architect and Creator of the universe controls our destinies. But the false gods of idolaters not only have not created anything but are themselves created. They do not even possess any power to harm or benefit themselves, nor have they any power over death, life or Resurrection (25:4). Then what title or right have they to man’s worship of them? The verse further says that in reality no authority except that of a revealed Scripture can form the basis for determining whether a certain belief is right or wrong. The words "Or some vestige of knowledge in your support" signify that human science and reason as well lend no support to idolatrous beliefs or practices. Thus this little verse embodies three very strong and cogent arguments to repudiate and demolish polytheistic and idolatrous doctrines.
e
35:41.
1251
安拉是宇宙的设计师和创造者, 掌管着我们的命运, 只有安拉博得敬爱, 应受礼拜。但偶像崇拜者的虚假的偶像不仅什么也没有创造, 而是被创造的 (25:4)。
1252
实际上, 只有天经启示的、人类的科学和理智的权威才是判断某一种信仰是非的基础。
a
35:41.
3761
Important Words:
أثارة (vestige) is the inf. noun from أثر and means, a remain or relic of a thing; a trace; sign or mark; vestige or track; a footprint; impression or mark made by the foot of a man upon the ground (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
With this verse begins a systematic refutation and condemnation of شرک i.e. idolatry. It means to say that only that Being can command adoration and is fit to be worshipped Who as the Architect and Creator of the universe controls our destinies. But the false gods of idolaters not only have not created anything but are themselves created. They do not even possess any power to harm or benefit themselves, nor have they any power over death, life or Resurrection (25:4). Then what title or right have they to man’s worship of them? The verse further says that in reality no authority except that of a revealed Scripture can form the basis for determining whether a certain belief is right or wrong. The words "Or some vestige of knowledge in your support" signify that human science and reason as well lend no support to idolatrous beliefs or practices. Thus this little verse embodies three very strong and cogent arguments to repudiate and demolish polytheistic and idolatrous doctrines.
e
35:41.
2718
Only that Being can command adoration and is fit to be worshipped Who as the Architect and Creator of the universe controls our destinies. But the false gods of idolaters not only have not created anything but themselves have been created (25:4).
2719
In reality no authority except that of a revealed Scripture and also human science and reason can form the basis for determining whether a certain belief is right or wrong.
یَمُنُّوۡنَ عَلَیۡکَ اَنۡ اَسۡلَمُوۡا ۖ قُل لَّا تَمُنُّوۡا عَلَیَّ اِسۡلٰمَکُمۡ ۖ بَلِ اللّٰہُ یَمُنُّ عَلَیۡکُمۡ اَنۡ ہَدٰٮکُمۡ لِلۡاِیۡمٰنِ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
3:165.
3:165.
3:165.
Commentary:
True and sincere faith is the most precious possession of a Muslim. By accepting Islam he does no favour to anybody; on the contrary, it is a favour of God that one is guided to the Truth.
c
3:165.
c
3:165.
3854
Commentary:
True and sincere faith is the most precious possession of a Muslim. By accepting Islam he does no favour to anybody; on the contrary, it is a favour of God that one is guided to the Truth.
c
3:165.
فَلۡیَاۡتُوۡا بِحَدِیۡثٍ مِّثۡلِہٖۤ اِنۡ کَانُوۡا صٰدِقِیۡنَ
The verse refutes the disbelievers’ allegation of forgery against the Holy Prophet. If the Holy Prophet, it seems to hold out a challenge to them, receives no revelations from God and the Qur’an is his own fabrication, then let them produce a book like it, couched in such beautiful style and inapproachably exquisite diction as the Qur’an, and should, like the Qur’an, deal thoroughly and effectively with all the complex and difficult moral and spiritual human problems and satisfy the multitudinous and multifarious needs of man, and exert such powerful influence on the lives of its followers, and above all, should be the repository of all eternal truths and imperishable teachings. The disbelievers are further challenged to produce a book like the Qur’an with their combined and concerted effort, calling in "all the men and jinn" to help and assist them in its composition. The Qur’an emphatically declares that they will not be able to produce such a book because the Qur’an is God’s own revealed
Commentary:
The verse refutes the disbelievers’ allegation of forgery against the Holy Prophet. If the Prophet (the verse seems to hold out a challenge to them) receives no revelations from God and the Quran is his own fabrication, then let them produce a book like it which should possess such a simple and beautiful style and inapproachably exquisite diction as the Quran, and should thoroughly and effectively deal with all the complex and difficult moral and spiritual human problems, and should satisfy the multitudinous and multifarious needs of man, and should exert such powerful influence on the lives of its followers, and, above all, should be the repository of all eternal truths and imperishable teachings. The disbelievers are further challenged to produce a book like the Quran with their combined and concerted effort, calling in "all the men and jinn" to help and assist them. The Quran emphatically asserts that they will not be able to produce such a book because the Quran is God’s own revealed Word. See also 2:24; 14:25 and 17:89.
3953
Commentary:
The verse refutes the disbelievers’ allegation of forgery against the Holy Prophet. If the Prophet (the verse seems to hold out a challenge to them) receives no revelations from God and the Quran is his own fabrication, then let them produce a book like it which should possess such a simple and beautiful style and inapproachably exquisite diction as the Quran, and should thoroughly and effectively deal with all the complex and difficult moral and spiritual human problems, and should satisfy the multitudinous and multifarious needs of man, and should exert such powerful influence on the lives of its followers, and, above all, should be the repository of all eternal truths and imperishable teachings. The disbelievers are further challenged to produce a book like the Quran with their combined and concerted effort, calling in "all the men and jinn" to help and assist them. The Quran emphatically asserts that they will not be able to produce such a book because the Quran is God’s own revealed Word. See also 2:24; 14:25 and 17:89.
2861
The verse refutes the disbelievers’ allegation of forgery against the Holy Prophet. If the Holy Prophet, it seems to hold out a challenge to them, receives no revelations from God and the Qur’an is his own fabrication, then let them produce a book like it, couched in such beautiful style and inapproachably exquisite diction as the Qur’an, and should, like the Qur’an, deal thoroughly and effectively with all the complex and difficult moral and spiritual human problems and satisfy the multitudinous and multifarious needs of man, and exert such powerful influence on the lives of its followers, and above all, should be the repository of all eternal truths and imperishable teachings. The disbelievers are further challenged to produce a book like the Qur’an with their combined and concerted effort, calling in "all the men and jinn" to help and assist them in its composition. The Qur’an emphatically declares that they will not be able to produce such a book because the Qur’an is God’s own revealed
تَرۡجِعُوۡنَہَاۤ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
قُلۡ یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ ہَادُوۡۤا اِنۡ زَعَمۡتُمۡ اَنَّکُمۡ اَوۡلِیَآءُ لِلّٰہِ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُا الۡمَوۡتَ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
2:95.
The Promised Messiah will challenge the so-called Muslim Ulema, who will reject his claim, to Mubahalah, i.e. prayer-contest by which Divine curse is invoked upon those who forge lies against God (3:62).
2:95.
Commentary:
The verse shows that the Promised Messiah will challenge the Muslim ulema who will reject his claim to مباھله i.e. a prayer contest in which Divine curse is invoked against those who forge lies against God (3:62).
a
2:95.
1428
主许迈喜合将提出挑战, 要求反对他的主张的所谓穆斯林学者进行 مُبَاهَلَة (Mubahalah), 即祈祷辩真, 那些制造安拉的谎言的人由此遭到安拉的诅咒 (3:62)。
a
2:95.
4239
Commentary:
The verse shows that the Promised Messiah will challenge the Muslim ulema who will reject his claim to مباھله i.e. a prayer contest in which Divine curse is invoked against those who forge lies against God (3:62).
a
2:95.
3047
The Promised Messiah will challenge the so-called Muslim Ulema, who will reject his claim, to Mubahalah, i.e. prayer-contest by which Divine curse is invoked upon those who forge lies against God (3:62).
وَیَقُوۡلُوۡنَ مَتٰی ہٰذَا الۡوَعۡدُ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِیۡنَ
21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
a
21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
c
21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
4304
Commentary:
"This promise" may refer to the promise of Divine punishment made in 17-22 above.
c
21:39; 34:30; 36:49.
اَمۡ لَہُمۡ شُرَکَآءُ فَلۡیَاۡتُوۡا بِشُرَکَآئِہِمۡ اِنۡ کَانُوۡا صٰدِقِیۡنَ