Hatred of the Jews towards the apostle of God, Abrogation of the preceding scriptures, The vain thought of the Jews and the Christians that none but hey shall have salvation.

Al-Baqarah Verses 104 - 112

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقُولُوا رَاعِنَا وَقُولُوا انْظُرْنَا وَاسْمَعُوا وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

“O’ye who believe, say not ‘Raina’ but say: ‘Unzurna’ and hearken; And there is for the disbelievers a grievous punishment” (2:104).

مَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلَا الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنْ يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ

“(O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) Like not those who disbelieve among the people of the scripture nor the idolaters that anything good should be sent unto you from your Lord. But, God chooseth for His (exclusive) Mercy whomsoever He liketh, for God is (the Lord) of Mighty Grace” (2:105).

مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنْسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

“Whatever We abrogate of a sign or We bypass it We bring (in its place) one better than it or its like; Knowest thou not that God over all things is Powerful!” (2:106).

أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ

“Knowest thou not that unto God belongeth the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; and there is not for you, besides God, any guardian or a helper?” (2:107).

أَمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَسْأَلُوا رَسُولَكُمْ كَمَا سُئِلَ مُوسَىٰ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمَنْ يَتَبَدَّلِ الْكُفْرَ بِالْإِيمَانِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَاءَ السَّبِيلِ

“Do ye like to question your Apostle (Muhammad) as Moses was questioned aforetime? And he who exchangeth faith for infidelity verily he hath lost the right path” (2:108).

وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ فَاعْفُوا وَاصْفَحُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

“Many of the people of the scripture wish to turn you back to infidelity after ye had believed, out of selfish envy on their part after the Truth had been manifested unto them; But forgive ye and overlook ye till God bringeth about His command; Verily God is over all things Powerful” (2:109).

وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

“Establish ye prayer and give ye the poor rate and whatever of good ye send forth before (you) for yourselves, that shall ye find with God; verily God Seeth what all ye do” (2:110).

وَقَالُوا لَنْ يَدْخُلَ الْجَنَّةَ إِلَّا مَنْ كَانَ هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَىٰ تِلْكَ أَمَانِيُّهُمْ قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

“And they say, none shall enter Paradise except he be a Jew or a Christian; these are their vain wishes Say (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad), “bring ye your proof if ye be truthful” (2:111).

بَلَىٰ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

“Yea! whosoever Submitteth his self (entirely) to God and is a doer of good for him there shall be his reward with his Lord, on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve” (2:112).

Commentary

Verse 104

‘Ra’ina’ is equivalent to have regard for us, or give ear to us or hearken, or listen to us, but with a slight twist in the accent, it becomes ‘ra’ina’ meaning ‘‘Stupid’ or ‘Cattle - tender’ foolish, unsound in intellect. The root in the first form of the word is ‘Ra’a’ i.e. being mindful and in the second is Ra’in i.e. foolish. The Jews in ridiculing the Holy Prophet Muhammad, used to change the accent and made it a term of reproach1. Therefore, the word ‘Unzurna’ which gives the plain meaning ‘Wait for us’ or ‘grant us a little delay’ is suggested for there is no room for the enemy to twist it in any way to serve the purpose of their derision.

This verse speaks of the hatred the Jews bore against the Holy Prophet Muhammad and it also preaches against using any words bearing any sinister meaning.

Verse 105

‘Khair’ or good which the Jews did not like the Muslims to have from God was the Holy Qur’an which was the collection of all the Khair or good. Or Khair, good stands for ‘Rahmat’ i.e. Mercy i.e. the Holy Prophet being the Last or the Final Law - Giver Apostle of God which the Jews did not like to have an advent in the seed of the Holy Apostle Ismail, son of the Holy Prophet Ibrahim for the Jews were from the seed of the Holy Apostle of God, Isaac (i.e. Isra’ilites). They wanted the promised last apostle of God to be from among the Isra’ilites.

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ

“We sent thee not O’ Our Apostle Muhammad but the Mercy unto the worlds” (21:107).

This verse speaks eloquently that it was the psychological influence of personal prejudice among the Jews and the Christians that generated the spirit of aversion against accepting Islam which had been presented to them through an agency which their personal fancy hated to be the medium. Otherwise, the sacred scriptures in their own hands did not in any way fall short of the necessary guidance and they also in fact knew the genuineness of the ministry of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and the truthfulness of Islam. This same complex of envy against the family to which the Holy Prophet belonged created the venomous group of the Munafiqs or the hypocrites which played their devilish role during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and after his departure they played havoc against the godly members of his family the Ahl Al-Bayt and also against the faithful supporters of their cause. The original distinction of an Isra’ilite and a non-Isra’ilite was succeeded by the distinction between Hashimites and the non-Hashimites and along with it an envy against the Bani Fathima i.e. the direct descendants of the Holy Prophet through his daughter Fatima, the Lady of Light, which later, after the departure of the Holy Prophet, gained strength in the culmination with the Omayyad and the Abbaside enmity against the family of the Holy Prophet. In 2:90 and 2:91 it is clearly stated that God sends down His grace upon whomsoever He pleases though those who do not like it, may believe in it or not or be envious of it. It is clearly said that God chooses for His grace whomsoever He pleases.

The statement of ‘Umar recorded by Tabari and the other historians, in the course of his conversation with Abd Allah Ibn - Abbas, throws light on the Jewish prejudicial mentality developed by the non-Hashimites against the Hashimites:

Asked ‘Umar:

“O’ Son of Abbas! Knowest thou what deprived thy family, of the Khalifat?”

‘Umar himself said:

“O’ yes! The Quraish liked it not that Nubuwwah (the apostleship) and the Khalifat (The Vicegerency) being combined in the house of Hashim, lest their vanity increaseth. So did they choose someone else, and really their choice was good”

Retorted Ibn - Abbas:

“Nothing new was the hatred of the Quraish against the Hashimites for ever since the start of the mission of Islam, they did dislike the Message as well as the Messenger” Saying this Ibn Abbas quoted the Holy Qur’an 47:9 and continued saying:

“As about the apprehension saying that the vanity of the Hashimites would have increased it is an accusation against the people who have been purified by God Himself from all sorts dirt and uncleanliness, and regarding the choice of the Quraish, had they chosen the one whom God had chosen, it would have been the best for them”

As Ibn Abbas was saying this - ‘Umar interrupted and stopped him saying:

“Behold thou! O’ son of Abbas! I had already been informed of thy talks - Beware! thou mightest not fall in my view!

Ibn Abbas replied:

“Yes! If my talks be correct, they should not cause me any fall and if they be incorrect, thou shouldst correct them”

Hearing Ibn Abbas say this, ‘Umar angrily got up and left the place, leaving Ibn Abbas there.

This incident itself throws sufficient light on the most vital issue which divided the Muslims into various schools of thought and the consequent differences in the religious ideology and their cause. (A.P.)

Verse 106

‘Naskh’ means changing or removing as in ‘Nasakhatish - Shams - azzil’ meaning the sun removed the shade. The word is used in law to denote an order superseding or cancelling the other. When an order is abrogated, it would naturally mean that it was a temporary step, taken by the Law - Giver. The fixation of the former ‘Qiblah’ has been clearly stated to have been made as a Test to see as to who among the people obeys the Lord and who disobeys Him2.

If the aim or the object of a religious order or a system is the moral and the spiritual development of man and his initiation into the truth about his own existence and that of the world around him and the objects immediate as well as the ultimate, all matters theoretical as well as practical, laws and regulations relating to the methods of devotions and the personal control and self-discipline and every legal matter concerning the day to day life of the various groups of the people inhabiting the different parts of the globe should necessarily vary according to the variant demands of the conditions of the native differences, in the varying kinds of the societies. The laws once given for a people for a particular time or age must and will naturally change, obliterated, or be abrogated as the situation changes or be improved to pave the way for further progress. Thus, any change ordered in any law or command once given can never mean inconsistency. It is on the other hand the enforcement of a definite policy based upon a well-determined plan of perfect wisdom.

When the various groups of the human family in the different parts of the earth had been given reformers in their respective languages, with the one chief or sole aim of bringing the members of the human family together and maintaining it under a universal bond of the fundamentals of human life on earth, the Last Apostle of God endowed with the divine wisdom was given his advent to give effect to the concluding part of the plan of training humanity as a whole for the final unification of the race as a whole, to set it on the march towards the spiritual elevation through the knowledge of the truth about the immediate as well as the ultimate. As the people under this training progressed and advanced, certain laws and commandments given in the initial stages had naturally to be improved through some amendments or even substitution.

The elementary demands which could have been expected of the primitive human beings could not be the same when humanity has risen day by day in the heights of advanced civilization and intellectual awakening. It is but quite natural and essential that the laws given to govern the human society in the initial stages of its advent into existence should be substituted by improved laws when it has advanced as it is today. The Ahmadi Commentator restricts the application of this natural phenomena to the Jewish law but has not given any reason for it nor does it itself sound in any way reasonable.

The word ‘ayat’ means a sign. Taking the meaning of the word in a broader and a higher sense the best, the greatest and the most manifest sign of God is the human soul, called His apostle who is sent on the earth, duly endowed with godly powers, strength, and authority over men, matters and the natural energies serving the divine purpose in the world.

When one apostle of God was taken away by death another one better than him i.e. with a superior authority or at least one equal in office was sent in his place. In the sequence of this same order came into the world apostles from God, one after another until came the Last one of them the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Superior - most in the office of the ministry with the most Advanced and the Final code of discipline and guidance for mankind as a whole.

When the Holy Prophet Muhammad who was the Superior - most, the Best of all the apostles of God, had to depart from this world the apostleship concluded, for, with the delivery of the final heavenly code the Holy Qur’an and the completion or the perfection of the religion Islam, chosen for mankind for all times until the end of the World3, there remained no need for any other apostle to convey or deliver any new code or creed. The need now still left was of a Guide or Imam for an authentic, or correct or proper explanation of the Word of God, the Holy Qur’an and to be a model follower of the religion or the most faithful Abider of the Holy Qur’an. Thus, this verse clarifies the position of the Holy Imams after the Holy Prophet as those equal to him in their personal purity and spiritual position as the fountain - heads of the knowledge, wisdom, and godly guidance. There are a large number of the announcements of the Holy Prophet about the position of the Holy Imams particularly Ali, in relationship to him in his office of the divine ministry for the guidance of mankind.

About Ali the Holy Prophet had declared:

‘I and Ali are of the same Light. The position of Ali with me is like that of Aaron with Moses.’

About the Holy Imams it has been declared by the Holy Prophet:

“First of us is Muhammad, the Last of us is Muhammad, the Middle of us is Muhammad, all of us are Muhammad”

Ordinary minds may doubt about this equity between the Holy Prophet and the Imams but there is no room for the well - informed intellectuals who know that though the various electrical implements serve various and different purposes viz. generating heat and cold, producing action in the fan, sound in the radio set and light in the bulb, yet they are one and the same in their property of being one and the same electrical energy which works differently as demanded by the variation of the device of the implement. The same Divine Light of God shone in the Holy Prophet serving the purpose of the apostleship of God manifesting the supreme glory of the ministry, in the Imams did manifest the various and the different divine attributes which were endowed exclusively in each one of them.

‘Naskh’ i.e., change, as a Qur’anic term means the substitution of an established law by another one. It may refer to the law of creation or to the law of legislation dealing with human action. If it be the case of creation, it is generally called ‘Bada’ and in the case of legislation it is called ‘Naskh’. The points to be noted are:

1. Substitution ‘Naskh’ has been affected in the order of both creation as well as the legislation. A deep study of the history of creation back to its genesis shows that sudden bends and turns in the order have taken place, proving the substitution of an old process by a new one. These may be termed as the miracles of nature which cannot be taken as effects without any cause, but as caused by a factor unrecognisable for the human mind which ultimately is the supreme will of God. To this order belongs the miraculous birth of Adam and Jesus and the miracles and the spiritual performances enacted by the apostles and the chosen ones of God. The effect of the creature’s prayers and their activities in the course of Providence, is an issue based on the possibility of ‘Bada.’ As already pointed out, the activities of the creatures are nothing but reaction to the divine action. The question is, can a creature produce a different action on the part of Providence? In other words, can man’s action change his destiny. It depends on the possibilities of ‘Bada4.’

2. Any one believing in the infinite might and the power of the Absolute and the infinite possibilities and potentialities in the matter, has to believe that all the known and the established procedures of creation are subject to change, substitution, and abrogation. Hazrat Ali says that God has affected ‘Bada’ i.e., changes and will also effect many changes in the system of the universe. Hence the limitation of the human knowledge of what has happened and what would happen. This is the phenomenon of ‘Bada.’ The only exception to the law of possibility is the law of contradiction i.e., any idea or proposition self-contradictory or that which leads to a self-contradictory idea or proposition (‘Tarjeeh’ bila Murajje) or (‘Tanaqus’) for example the creation of a self-existing being is a self-contradictory idea i.e., the term ‘self-existing’ itself suggests the being to exist by itself without any one bringing it into its being and ‘creation’ means bringing a non-existing being into existence. Hence the impossibility of God’s creating one like Himself. Another example is that it is impossible to deprive any even number of its being divided into two equal sound - numbers. This does not mean any limitation of the power of the Absolute, but it suggests the absurdity of the idea or the proposition.

Regarding the law of ‘Naskh’ or change in the divine legislation, the necessary consequence in the gradual development of the human society. The teaching needed for a man of the primitive age cannot be the same as for the modem man though the spirit be the same. From Adam up to the last Prophet of Islam, the divine teachers dealt with mankind as their students the people, according to their respective capacities to receive the divine lessons. There were many lessons owing to the lack of the capacity on the part of the people the heavenly teacher i.e., the apostle of God left it over to his succeeding apostle as Jesus had to do5.

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now”

“How be it when the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you unto all truth: for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak, and he will shew you things to come”

And there were many teachings which were necessitated by the conditions and the circumstances of a particular time and period which cannot recur.

And there are teachings necessary for all times but in different forms. The spirit is retained, and the form undergoes the change till it reaches the final stage.

The divine orders and the prohibitions arc of two kinds with regard to the reason justifying them. The justifying reason may be in the thing itself ordered to be done or prohibited. For example the order to give alms, the justification being to help the poor. The prohibition against the drinking of wine the reason being the harmfulness itself of the drink. Sometimes the justifying reason is in the order to do or in the prohibition itself. This is true of the divine orders issued as the test of the obedience of the believers as in the case of the order about the change in the ‘Qiblah’ i.e., the direction6 and the order regarding many parts of the performance of Hajj (the pilgrimage).

To this category belongs the divine order to Abraham to sacrifice his son. In the case of the first category ‘Naskh’ only takes place when the substitution would be the best to suit the change of the times, but the substitution in the second category need not be the better but should not be less. It should serve the purpose of the trial. In both cases of ‘Naskh’ as well as ‘Bada,’ the change or the substitution mean nothing but the declaration of the time - limit of the previous procedure and legislation which appeared to be everlasting. Sometimes the time - limit is given along with the law or the procedure in which case the term ‘Naskh’ or ‘Bada’ cannot be used. And sometimes the law or the procedure is laid down without any indication of the time limit, and the restriction of the time limit is imposed later.

In such cases the restriction or the exception is termed as ‘Naskh’ when it is in the case of law, and ‘Bada’ if it is in the case of the process of creation. It is obvious that by no means this can be termed as the change of the mind or the ignorance on the part of God; to Whom everything of the laws with their concern with either creation or the legislation and their restriction, limitation or exception are known before their manifestation in their respective spheres. These terms stand in relation to the creature’s knowledge of the divine will and order, be the creatures the angels or human beings. The revealed order or process sometimes carries with it its time limit and sometimes the time limit manifests later.

Whatever is revealed to the prophets in connection with events of the creation or the matter of legislation sometimes is of definite nature viz., the taking place of an event with its details, and sometimes it is indefinite viz., the prediction of the consequences of an act. Regarding the definite prophecy, there is no possibility of any change but in the case of the latter, the change is in store, subject to the conditions.

As already stated, the very fact of the gradual development of the human mind, culture and the civilization effected by the divine revelation through the heavenly ministers, the apostles, implies not only the possibility of changes, substitution and abrogation but also the necessity of their taking place to which fact the sacred scriptures bear testimony. But once the development reaches its possible maximum heights there will be no question of any further changes of any kind7.

Now the only question which remains is whether any ‘Naskh’ or change was affected during the gradual revelation of the laws during the last ministry. Here too the very fact of the gradual revelation implies the introduction of the rules and the regulations one after another. But whether a law or a portion of the Holy Qur’an revealed to the Holy Prophet had been abrogated by a subsequent substitutive revelation or not, so far the Holy Qur’an is concerned no such abrogation of any portion of it has undoubtedly been effected, though there are some traditions of the Sunni school of thought giving accounts of the Qur’anic passages as ‘Mansookhut - tilawat’ i.e., the abrogated recital but the context of the traditions besides the external evidence proves the traditions as purposefully spurious.

Regarding the abrogation in the laws revealed in the Holy Qur’an by another Qur’anic passage or by the sayings of the Holy Prophet, it is generally believed to have taken place and the commentators and the jurists have also prepared a list of such abrogated and abrogating verses of the Holy Qur’an and the sayings of the Holy Prophet. But a thorough study of the Holy Qur’an with a thorough knowledge of the established laws of the faith handed down to us by the Holy Ahl Al-Bayt, the divinely warranted custodians of the Word of God, succeeding the Holy Prophet, prove to the contrary.

There are very few examples of such abrogations, not exceeding five and even those cannot be termed as real or actual ‘Naskh’ but only a testing order8 to test the bonafide of the approach to the Holy Prophet in private just for the sake of merely an approach to him. And as none responded to this order save Ali Ibn Abi Talib and as the purpose of the test was served and when the companions of the Holy Prophet had been accused for their failure in complying with it and when their insincerity was proved, the order was removed. The Ahmadi Commentator has wrongly translated the passage misinterpreting the word ‘Ashfaqu’ as ‘fear’ when it actually means acting niggardly, and has changed the tense into present while it is actually in the past to twist the accusation of the companions originally meant by the passage to camouflage the failure on their part, and unwarrantedly assigns the nature or the quality of compulsion and option to the passage and arbitrarily declares the order in the passages to have become optional whereas it was totally withdrawn at the companions not acting to it, condemning the failure in Verse 13. And no one has ever said that this order was ever practised by any one thereafter.

This order resembles the order to Abraham to sacrifice his son, for when Abraham had acted duly to the limit to prove his compliance with the order, the enforcement of the order was withheld9 since the order had served the purpose of the tests both in the cases of Ali and Abraham. This leaves no room whatsoever for anyone to boast of his contribution towards the cause of Islam in absolute obedience to the Word of God or the sincerity or the bonafide of the companionship of the Holy Prophet.

Regarding the ‘Naskh’ of any Qur’anic law by the sayings of the Holy Prophet, it is not impossible also as God has said that the Holy Prophet utters not but that which is revealed to him. The differences between these two revelations i.e., the Holy Qur’an and the Prophetic utterance is only a matter of form as already dealt with here before but whether such abrogations have taken place or not is a matter of doubt. The example given of that is of ‘Muta’ i.e., the question of the temporary marriage. It is a controversial issue which will be dealt with in its place 4:24.

The point to be noted here is that the Holy Qur’an in part and also as a whole is undoubtedly the divine revelation with the utmost degree of certainty and authenticity. Abrogation of the contents of the passage of such a nature can only be accepted if the abrogating one be of the same degree of authenticity. Any tradition of a lesser degree of authenticity cannot be taken as a proof for the abrogation of any Qur’anic order, particularly when the traditions are themselves conflicting. (A.P.)

Verse 107

This verse is a definite denial to the misconceived belief of the idolaters and the other polytheists, who imagining different gods for the various parts of energies, worshipped the several imaginary gods or deities and offered fanciful services to them. The verse declares in clearest words that the whole universe is one Dominion of the One True God and He and He alone is the Owner of everything in the earth and the heavens.

Verse 108

The Jews or the Isra’ilites, as a habit, used to frequently disbelieve in what apostle Moses commanded them to do and they questioned the apostle Moses about what he enjoined upon them although they witnessed the clear signs viz., the miracles which have made the position of Moses as a true apostle of God. Disbelieving in the commands of an apostle of God is condemned. What is demanded of a faithful believer in God, is implicit obedience.

This is a clear warning particularly to the Muslims who have been informed that the Holy Prophet Muhammad does not speak of his own fancy but that which he is informed by God10 This same quality of this apostle of God has been mentioned in the ancient scriptures11. Hence what is demanded of a faithful believer is to accept whatever the apostle gives and to abstain from whatever he commands to be away from. A believer has to consult and obey the apostle of God even in matters which may be personal12. The questioning was also to create doubts in the minds of the other believers. The believers questioning the Holy Prophet as to the why and the wherefore of his commands, is clearly reprimanded.

Verse 109

The Jews did not relish people remaining faithful to Islam. They were always out to create some doubt or the other against the faith and watched for opportunities to delude persons towards their former idolatrous creeds.

After the battle of Uhud the Jews taunted Ammar and Hozaifa saying ‘if your prophet (Muhammad) had been on the right he would not have suffered this defeat; this is an opportunity for you, you would do better, if you listen to our advice even now to join us in our faith.’ Ammar replied ‘Victory or defeat in a battle can never be a criterion of truth or falsehood for it can be a Test or a Trial of the believers. We will never under any circumstances give up the faith of Islam.’ When the Holy Prophet heard of this incident, he prayed for God’s blessings upon Ammar and this verse was revealed to the Holy Prophet.

By Until God bringeth about His command’ means to wait until the complete triumph of Islam in the land.

The Jewish prejudice against Islam is clearly stated in Verse 4:51.

Verse 110

This expression is often used in the Holy Qur’an, particularly while referring to sins. Such passages as in 81:14 mean that both good as well as evil deeds go before us to God’s judgment even before we ourselves do.

They are evidence for or against us. The influence of our own deeds begins to operate ere we even know of it. Timothy Verse 24. of the New Testament gives out this same truth. ‘Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before the judgment; and some men they follow after.’ The eloquence of the Holy Qur’an in presenting this idea is quite obvious. It is a very effective warning to every conscientious member of the human family who is in the least mindful of his or her life after death, to be careful in the practical life in this world.

Verse 111

This verse firstly indicates the Holy Prophet’s profound knowledge of the other scriptures followed by the followers of the other faiths as well as what has been engrafted upon the original doctrines laid down in them, or what has been subsequently added to them by the advocates of those creeds.

The belief of the Jews that salvation is confined only to Judaism has been declared by the Holy Prophet as the mere imagination or thinking of the Jews and not a fact. This clearly indicates that the originals of the scriptures of the Jews do not at all say it. It is a clear warning to the people against their believing in such grossly motivated and fanciful claims being based upon any scriptural authority.

Verse 112

The word ‘Wajh’ literally means face, but it is a comprehensive word, also meaning:

• Countenance or favour as in 92:20.

• Honour, glory, presence of God as in 2:115, 18:27.

• Cause, for the same of as in 76:9.

• The first part, the beginning as in 3:71.

• Nature of the inner being, essence, self as in 5:111, 18:27, 28:88, 30:38.

Here the word means the entire self-i.e. submission of everything what the word ‘Wajh’ means i.e. the inner as well as the outer aspect of the human self, which is the meaning of the word Islam.

The verse is an answer to the fanciful and imaginary assertions of the Jews and the Christians that salvation is not confined to mere verbal profession of their faith but to one’s resigning his self as a whole to God or the entire submission of the human being to God to the extent that God’s will shall always be done through the being or the individual and not in the least any of the desires of the individual (man or the woman). The quality of those who have genuinely or duly submitted themselves to God has been given in this and many other verses as that they shall have neither fear, nor shall they grieve. But an intelligent student of the earliest Muslim history finds the one who accompanied the Holy Prophet Muhammad when he, as per the divine instructions to him, migrated from Mecca, got terribly frightened of the approach of the enemy and was very miserably grieved upon his apprehension of having been lost by taking refuge in the cave with the Holy Prophet.

The Holy Prophet had to console him reminding him of the presence of the Almighty God with both of them. This incident has been reported by all the translators and the commentators of the Holy Qur’an. The question arises in the mind of every intelligent reader what could be said of those who had been so dreadfully frightened of the approach of the enemy and were also so miserably perturbed that the Holy Prophet had to console them by informing them of the very presence of God with them.

Besides a similar question arises in the mind of every intelligent student of the Muslim history about those who so much dreaded the enemy that they deserted the Holy Prophet in the dense of the battles of Badr and Uhud and fled away from the battlefield to save their own lives. Can such cowards who even in the immediate presence of the Holy Prophet Muhammad himself could not allay their fears and keep themselves away from grief, be reasonably called the faithful companions of the Holy Prophet or the true believers in Islam? Such intelligent questions are the natural results of impartial study of men and matters and the correct answer to such queries can always be expected only of a dispassionate judgment irrespective of any personal notions or opinions formed previous to the proper study of the historic facts.

• 1. Vide: 4:46.
• 2. Vide: Verse 2:143.
• 3. Vide: 5:3.
• 4. For details about ‘Bada’ see note to Vr. 13:39; 72:26-27 & 72:28.
• 5. Vide: John 16/12, 13.
• 6. Vide: 2:142.
• 7. Vide: 6:115.
• 8. Vide: 58:12.
• 9. Vide: 37:103-108.
• 10. Vide: 53:3-4.
• 11. Vide: Deuteronomy. 18/18.
• 12. Vide: 4:65.