Surah 14: Ibrahim
The Holy Qur’an with English Translation and Commentary (Five Volume Commentary)
[a]In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.[1655]
[a] 1:1.
[1655] Commentary:
See note on 1:1.
[b]Alif Lam Ra. This is a Book which We have revealed to thee that [c]thou mayest bring mankind out of darkness into light, by the command of their Lord, to the path of the Mighty, the Praiseworthy—[1656]
[b] 10:2; 11:2; 12:2; 13:2; 15:2.
[c] 2:258; 5:17; 14:6; 65:12.
[1656] Commentary:
For an explanation of the abbreviated letters Alif Lam Ra, see 2:2 & 10:2.
This verse represents the Holy Qur’an as a "torch" by means of which the Holy Prophet led men from darkness into "light," which is "the path of the Mighty, the Praiseworthy."
Commentators differ as to what is meant by "light." In popular parlance, students of modern philosophy or sciences or those who follow no revealed Law or, for that matter, know no religion, are spoken of by some as "men of light." Christians look upon their own religion as the source of all light, while according to Hindus their religion alone is light and all else is darkness. For the followers of Islam it is their faith which, of all religious systems, deserves to be called by this name. The verse under comment lays down a sure criterion by which true "light" may be judged and tested. According to it "light" means "coming out of darkness and attaining nearness to God," so only those who betake themselves to Him may be said to have received the "light."
The verse mentions two attributes of God, "the Mighty" and "the Praiseworthy." The attribute, "the Mighty," pertains to outward light, while "the Praiseworthy" refers to inward light. He who develops in himself the first attribute is enabled to overcome his external enemies and become safe from physical afflictions, privations and hardships, while he who develops the second attribute overpowers his inward enemy, Satan, and gets rid of the darkness of doubts, misgivings, evil suggestions and ignorance. The Arabs were delivered from both these kinds of darkness through the Holy Prophet. They were not only revived into a new life but superstition, ignorance, idolatry and moral depravity also took leave of them. Through the Holy Prophet they became not only the temporal rulers, but also the moral and spiritual teachers of the world.
The path of Allah, to Whom belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. And [a]woe to the disbelievers for a terrible punishment.[1657]
[1657] Commentary:
This verse is grammatically connected with the one that precedes it, the word "Allah" used here being in apposition with the words "Mighty" and "Praiseworthy" occurring in the preceding verse. The expression, to Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, means that the whole universe bears witness to God’s being "the Mighty," for both heavens and earth are governed by the same law. Similarly, by the entire absence of any defect or flaw, they bear witness to His being "the Praiseworthy." So those who establish their connection with such a God will naturally experience a great inner change as a result of which they will be vouchsafed the dominion of both heaven and earth. It is noteworthy how magnificently this promise was fulfilled in the time of the Holy Prophet. So great was the temporal power of Islam that the Khalifah issued orders from his seat of government and the whole Muslim world, which practically coincided with the then known world, reverently obeyed him. Similarly, early Muslims were looked upon as models of moral integrity and spiritual eminence, and history abounds in examples of the purity of their character.
[a] 19:38; 38:28; 51:61.
[b]Those who prefer the present life to the Hereafter, and [c]hinder men from the way of Allah and seek to make it crooked. It is these who have gone far off in error.[1658]
[1658] Important Words:
عوجا (crooked) is the noun-infinitive from عوج (‘awija) which means, it was or became crooked, curved, bent, winding, distorted or uneven. They say عوج العود i.e. the wood was or became crooked, curved, bent or distorted. عوج الامر means, the affair was or became difficult, arduous or troublesome. عوج (‘iwajun) means, crookedness or curvity; unevenness; corruption or deviation from rectitude; evilness of natural disposition (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The verse means that those who forsake the way of the Mighty and Praiseworthy God can never hope to attain power and praise. Such people become lost in error and not only deprive themselves of divine favours but also seek to deprive others by preventing them from accepting truth. The words, seek to make it crooked, mean that, whereas outwardly they profess to seek true guidance, inwardly they are bent upon crookedness and refuse to give up the evil ways of their forefathers. The inevitable result of such an attitude is that, in order to satisfy their uneasy conscience, they call their self-devised practices the religion of God. This false satisfaction deprives them and their followers of true guidance.
[b] 16:108.
[c] 3:100; 7:46; 11:20.
And We have not sent any Messenger except with the language of his people in order that he might make things clear to them. [a]Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.[1659]
[1659] Commentary:
The verse does not mean that a Divine Messenger should receive his revelation only in the language of his people. What it means is that the major and fundamental part of his revelation must be in the tongue of his people, otherwise the conveying of his Message to those who are its first recipients would become difficult. Occasionally, however, a Prophet may receive a revelation in a foreign tongue. In fact, such exceptional revelation would serve as a divine sign or miracle.
It is wrong to infer from this verse, as the Rev. Mr. Wherry and other Christian writers have done, that the Message of the Holy Prophet was confined to the Arabs. Such an assumption is forcefully belied by other verses of the Holy Qur’an in which the Prophet is clearly and unequivocally declared to be a Prophet sent for the whole world (7:159; 34:29). Not only does the Holy Qur’an claim a universal mission for the Holy Prophet, but the Prophet himself also claimed to be a Messenger for all mankind. For instance, he is reported to have said, بعثت الی الاسود و الاحمر i.e. I have been sent to the black and the red, meaning the whole of mankind (Bihar). Similarly, he said, بعثت الی الناس عامة i.e. I have been raised for all mankind (Bukhari). According to yet another hadith he is reported to have said, ارسلت الی الخلق کافة i.e. I have been sent to the whole creation (Mishkat).
Incidentally, this verse proves that Arabic is the mother of all tongues, because the fact that the Holy Prophet was sent to the whole of mankind shows that the language which the Wise God made the vehicle of His Message, must, in one way or another, be the mother of all languages. This was actually proved to be the truth by Ahmad, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam (see "Minan-ur-Rahman").
The fact that the words, Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills, have been placed after the words, that he might make things clear to them, shows that it is only after the truth is brought home to men that they become deserving of punishment for rejecting it. Thus, although all non-Muslims are technically called disbelievers or Kafirs, yet all of them will not go to Hell; for, as the verse shows, only those disbelievers become deserving of punishment who reject the truth after it has been made clear to them. Mere technical disbelief does not render one liable to punishment.
[a] 13:28; 74:32.
And We did send Moses with Our Signs, saying, [a]‘Bring forth thy people from darkness into light, and remind them of the days of Allah.’ Surely, therein are Signs for every patient and thankful person.[1660]
[1660] Commentary:
The example of Moses has been mentioned here to show that, the Holy Prophet being like him, his opponents shall come to grief like the enemies of Moses. The Prophet’s enemies are thus warned that, while denying him, they should not forget the case of Moses and his enemies.
By the words, the days of Allah, are meant the days when God assisted believers against their enemies; also the days when He punished the enemies of the Prophets for their evil deeds. The verse means that the right way to bring men from darkness into light is to draw their attention to both the favours of God and His punishments. It is not at all right to think that faith based on fear lacks elements of reality. Such a view, indeed, betrays ignorance of human nature. Many people refrain from evil only due to the fear of punishment. If the incentive of fear were altogether dispensed with, nothing could wean such people from their evil ways. The Holy Qur’an, being a perfect book, has provided guidance for men of all sorts of dispositions and temperaments and has made use of the incentives both of love and of fear.
In the words, Surely, therein are Signs for every patient and thankful person, Muslims are warned that, like the followers of Moses, they will have to pass through trials and tribulations and it is only when they have patiently borne the ordeal and come out of it with untarnished faith and sincerity that they will inherit the favours of God. But if, like the people of Moses, they prove ungrateful to God, they will be visited with punishment.
[a] 14:2.
And call to mind when Moses said to his people, [a]‘Remember Allah’s favour upon you when He delivered you from Pharaoh’s people who afflicted you with grievous torment, slaying your sons and sparing your women; and in that there was a great trial for you from your Lord.’[1661]
[1661] Commentary:
The verse means that Pharaoh afflicted the Israelites with grievous torment. He imposed heavy taxes and forced labour upon them and killed their male children. But God came to their help and saved them from this grievous torment. In this connection see Exod. 1:14, 22.
[a] 2:50; 7:142; 28:5.
And remember also the time when your Lord declared, [b]‘If you are grateful, I will, surely, bestow more favours on you; but if you are ungrateful, then know that My punishment is severe indeed.’[1662]
[1662] Important Words:
شکرتم (you are grateful) is formed from شکر. They say, شکرالله or شکرلله i.e. he thanked God; or he praised God for His beneficence; or he was grateful to God; or he acknowledged the beneficence of God, and spoke of it largely, and acted in the manner incumbent on him in rendering Him obedience and abstaining from disobedience.
شکر (Shukr i.e. thankfulness) is of three kinds:
(1) with the heart or mind, which consists in forming an adequate idea of the benefit received;
(2) with the tongue, which consists in praising, eulogizing or commending the benefactor; and
(3) with the limbs, which consists in requiting the benefit received according to what it deserves. It rests upon five foundations: (a) humility of him who renders it towards him to whom it is rendered; (b) his love of him; (c) his acknowledgment of his benefit; (d) his eulogizing him for it; and (e) his not making use of the benefit in a manner which he (who has conferred it) may dislike. This is شکر on the part of man. شکر on the part of God consists in forgiving a person or commending him, or regarding him with satisfaction, goodwill or favour, and hence necessarily recompensing or rewarding him. The expression شکرالله سعیه means, May God recompense or reward his work (Lane).
Commentary:
The verse enunciates the great principle that all advancement is bound up with شکر (thankfulness) which, as explained under Important Words, denotes acknowledgment of the benefits received. One can render true شکر to God only when one makes a right and proper use of His gifts. If right use is not made of divine gifts, the act of eulogizing God by man is mere verbal praising; it is not real شکر. Now, as the verse explains, the Merciful God has ordained that divine gifts increase by their proper use. If, for instance, one makes a right use of knowledge, which is a great divine gift, it is bound to increase. Similarly, if proper use is made of the organs of the body, they develop further. This divine law founded on God’s eternal mercy applies to all men irrespective of their caste, colour or creed. It holds equally good as regards both spiritual and material gifts. It operates not only in تقدیر عام (the general law of God) but also in تقدیر خاص (the special law of God).
[b] 3:116; 4:148.
And Moses said, [a]‘If you disbelieve, you and those who are in the earth all together, you can do no harm to God; verily, Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.’[1663]
[1663] Commentary:
The verse represents Moses as saying that God’s sending down His guidance through His Prophets should not be taken to mean that the acceptance of Divine guidance by man in any way conduces to God’s own good. It is all for the good of man himself, for God is Self-Sufficient and above all needs.
[a] 31:13.
[a]Have not the tidings come to you of those before you, the people of Noah, and the tribes of ‘Ad and Thamud, and those after them? None knows them now save Allah. Their Messengers came to them with clear Signs, but they turned their hands to their mouths, and said, ‘We disbelieve in what you have been sent with and surely, we are in disquieting doubt concerning that to which you call us.’[1664]
[1664] Important Words:
نبأ (tidings) is the noun-infinitive, from نبأ (naba’a). They say انباہ ایاہ i.e. he informed him of it. نبأ means, information or a piece of information; an announcement; news or tidings; an account; a narrative or story; an announcement of great utility, from which results either great knowledge or predominance of opinion; news which fills the heart of a person with horror and makes it tremble (Lane, Aqrab & Kulliyat).
ایدیھم (their hands). ایدی is the plural of ید which among other things means, the arm from the shoulder-joint to the extremities of the fingers; palm of the hand; honour; dignity; power; predominance or mastery; good or favour done to a person (Aqrab & Lane). See also 5:65; 9:29.
Commentary:
The words, and those after them. None knows them now save Allah, clearly indicate that Prophets were also raised among nations other than the progeny of Abraham, for, as the verse makes clear, the tribes of ‘Ad and Thamud were followed by some about whom None knows now save Allah, whereas the Prophets that appeared among the progeny of Abraham have been mentioned both in the Holy Qur’an and the Bible. So the words, None knows them now save Allah, evidently refer to Prophets other than those that appeared among the descendants of Abraham. The words signify that the Prophets referred to have not been mentioned in any of the revealed Books which have remained partially or wholly intact.
The words, they turned their hands to their mouths, have been taken by some commentators to mean that disbelievers turned their hands to their own mouths in amazement at the high-sounding claims of the Prophets. To express wonder in this way is really a form of derision. In this sense the expression would mean that disbelievers treated the Prophets of God with contempt. The words may, however, also mean that disbelievers put their hands on their mouths in a way so as to wish the Prophets to be silent and cease talking about their claims. It is a general practice that when a person desires another person to keep silent, he sometimes puts his hand or occasionally one of his fingers on his own mouth as a sign for the other person to keep silent.
Taking the word ید in the sense of favour or gift, the expression would mean that disbelievers threw the favours of the Prophets in their faces, telling them to keep their teachings to themselves as they (the disbelievers) did not want them. The words that follow support this meaning.
[a] 9:70; 40:32; 50:13-15.
Their Messengers said, ‘Are you in doubt concerning Allah, [a]Maker of the heavens and the earth? He calls you that He may forgive you your sins, and grant you respite till an appointed term.’ They said, [b]‘You are but men like ourselves; you desire to turn us away from that which our fathers used to worship. Bring us, then, some clear proof.’[1665]
[1665] Important Words:
فاطر (Maker) is the active participle from فطر. They say فطرہ i.e. he clove, split, rent or cracked it; He (God) created it, or produced it or brought it into existence, namely, for the first time, it not having existed before; originated it; commenced or began it. فاطرالسموات means, the Originator or Creator of the heavens. Ibn ‘Abbas says, "I did not know what was the meaning of فاطرالسموات until two Arabs of the desert came to me, disputing together respecting a well, and one of them said, انا افطرتھا i.e. 'It was I who originated or began it.' " فطرالعجین means, he made the dough into bread, or baked it, without leavening it, he kneaded the dough and made it into bread or baked it immediately (Lane & Aqrab). From the Holy Qur’an it appears that there are four stages of creation: (a) the stage when nothing existed and the process of creation began for the first time, nothing having existed before; (b) the stage when matter had come into existence but had not yet taken a definite material form; (c) the stage when, as the result of combination, matter began to acquire diverse properties, the consummation of this process being known by the name of the law of nature; and (d) the last stage when, in accordance with the law of nature, the process of procreation or repetition in creation began, viz. man was born out of man and grain out of grain, etc. The attribute of فاطر (Maker) points to the second stage.
Commentary:
The verse gives the creation of the heavens and the earth as an argument to prove the Divine origin of the teaching given to the Prophets. The Prophets are here represented as saying to their opponents: "It is by the command of Allah that we preach. We say nothing of our own accord. How can you entertain doubt about the fact that God can send down revealed guidance? He is the Creator of heaven and earth, and it is unreasonable to think that, after having created man, He should have left him without guidance. Equally, it is inconsistent with reason to think that, whereas God has made ample provision for the material welfare and advancement of man by creating heaven and earth, He should have neglected to provide for his spiritual welfare."
The words, He calls you that He may forgive you your sins, and grant you respite till an appointed term, refute an objection of disbelievers that God was too dignified and exalted to invite humble beings like themselves to Him. They are told that it is indeed inconsistent with the dignity of God to call humble beings to His aid, but it is not at all below His dignity to come to their help. Nay, such an act is quite in keeping with His supreme dignity. God had therefore sent His Messengers that, through them, He might satisfy the moral and spiritual needs of man and grant him a new and higher life.
The expression, you are but men like ourselves;…Bring us then some clear proof, contains another objection of disbelievers that, if God at all was to have raised Messengers, they should have been beings befitting His dignity and not weak and humble men like themselves. The answer is given in the succeeding verse.
[a] 6:15; 12:102; 35:2; 39:47.
[b] 11:28; 23:25.
Their Messengers said to them, [a]‘We are indeed only men like yourselves, but [b]Allah bestows favour on whomsoever He wills from among His servants. And it is not for us to bring you a proof except by the command of Allah. And in Allah alone should the believers put their trust.[1666]
[1666] Commentary:
This verse constitutes a reply to the objections of disbelievers mentioned in the preceding verse.
The reply is to the effect that a Messenger of God who is sent for the guidance of men and to serve as a model or exemplar for them must be a man like themselves; for, without being a human being like themselves, he could not be a model for them. If he were a "co-partner" of God or a so-called "son" or an angel or any other superhuman being, he could not be a model for men. So God chooses of His servants whom He pleases. There is none to set limits to His powers and choice.
The words, And it is not for us to bring you a proof except by the command of Allah, do not mean that the Messengers of God could not adduce a proof in support of their claim. They are meant only to answer the demand of disbelievers that the Prophets should prove their power and superiority over them. They are told by the Messengers that power and victory all come from God and that, as human beings, they (the Messengers) possess no superiority over them.
[a] 18:111; 41:7.
[b] 3:165; 6:125.