2865 Aflaha: win through, prosper, succeed, achieve their aims or obtain salvation from sorrow and all evil. This verse connects on with verses 10 and 11 below. The success or victory may come in this world, but is certain and lasting in the world to come.

2866 Humility in prayer as regards (1) their estimate of their own worth in Allah's presence, (2) as regards their estimate of their own powers or strength unless they are helped by Allah, and (3) as regards the petitions they offer to Allah.

2867 The Muslim must guard himself against ever;' kind of sex abuse or sex perversion. The new psychology associated with the name of Freud traces many of our hidden motives to sex, and it is common knowledge that our refinement or degradation may be measured by the hidden workings of our sex instincts. But even the natural and lawful exercise of sex is restricted to the marriage bond, under which the rights of both parties are duly regulated and maintained.

2868 This is further explained and amplified in 4:25 . It will be seen there that the status of a captive when raised to freedom by marriage is the same as that of a free woman as regards her rights, but more lenient as regards the punishment to be inflicted if she falls from virtue.

2869 Trusts may be express or implied. Express trusts are those where property is entrusted or duties are assigned by some one to some other whom he trusts, to carry out either immediately or in specified contingencies, such as death. Implied trusts arise out of power, or position, or opportunity; e.g., a king holds his kingdom on trust from Allah for his subjects: the Afghan official phrase for their kingdom used to be Dawlat-i-Khuda-dad (' God-given kingdom'). The subject of covenants, express and implied, has been discussed in n. 682 to 5:1 . Covenants create obligations, and express and implied trusts and covenants taken together cover the whole field of obligations.

2870 In verse 2 we were directed to the spirit of humility and earnestness in our prayers. Here we are told how necessary the habit of regular prayer is to our spiritual well-being and development, as it brings us closer to Allah, and thus sums up the light of the seven jewels of our Faith, viz.: (1) humility, (2) avoidance of vanity, (3) charity, (4) sex purity, (5) fidelity to trusts, and (6) to covenants, and (7) an earnest desire to get closer to Allah.

2871 Cf. 21:105 , where it is said that the righteous will inherit the earth. In the first verse of this Surah, the final success or victory is referred to. Truth will prevail even on this earth, but it may not be for any individual men of righteousness to see it: it may be in the time of their heirs and successors. But in the life to come, there is no doubt that every man will see the fruit of his life here, and the righteous will inherit heaven, in the sense that they will attain it after their death here.

2872 In this beautiful passage, Allah's creative work, as far as man is concerned, is recapitulated, in order to show man's real position in this life, and the certainty of the future: to which he was referred for his reward in verses 10-11 above. For the various stages of creation, see n. 120 to 2:117 . Here we are not concerned with the earliest stage, the creation of primeval matter out of nothing. It is also a process of creation when inorganic matter becomes living matter. Thus inorganic constituents of the earth are absorbed into living matter by way of food and living matter reproduces itself by means of sperm. This is deposited in the ovum and fertilises it and rests for a time in security in the mother's womb. The first change in the fertilised ovum is the conversion into a sort of clot of thickly congealed blood; the zygote cells grow by segmentation; then the mass gradually assumes shape in its growth as a foetus. From the lump develop bones and flesh and organs and a nervous system. So far man's growth is like that of an animal, but a further process takes place which makes the infant animal into the infant man. This is the breathing of Allah's spirit into him ( 15:29 ): that process need not be precisely at a given point of time. It may be a continuous process parallel to that of physical growth. The child is born: it grows; it decays and dies; but after death another chapter opens for the individual, and it is to remind us of this most momentous chapter that the previous stages are recapitulated.

2873 The growth in the foetal stage is silent and unseen. The foetus is protected in the mother's womb like a king in a castle; it is firmly fixed, and gets the protection of the mother's body, on which it depends for its own growth until birth.

2874 From a mere animal, we now consider man as man. Is it not a Sign of wonder in itself that from dry dust (turab, 22:5) or inorganic matter should be made protoplasm (moist clay or organic matter); from it should grow a new animal life; and out of it should grow human life, with all its capacities and responsibilities? Man carries within himself Signs of Allah's wisdom and power, and he can see them every day in the universe around him.

2875 Our physical death in this mortal life seems to make a break. But if it were the end of all, our life becomes meaningless. Our own instinct tells us that it cannot be so, and Allah assures us that there will be a resurrection for judgement.

2876 Tara'iq. tracts, roads, orbits, or paths of motion in the visible heavens. These seven are regular and clearly marked to our eyes, in the immense space that we see around us. We must go to astronomy to form any plausible theories of these motions. But their simplest observation gives us a sublime view of beauty, order, and grandeur in the universe. The assurance given in the next clause, that Allah cares for us and all His Creation, calls our attention to Allah's goodness, which is further illustrated in the subsequent verses.

2877 Allah's care for His Creation is ceaseless. A few examples of His care for our physical well-being are given in verses 18-22 , and for our spiritual well-being, in Sections 2 to 5.

2878 Normally the rain comes well distributed; it soaks into the soil; the moisture is retained for a long time in all high grounds; it soaks and penetrates through many layers of soil and forms the architecture of physical geography; the retentive powers of higher soil enable rivers to flow perennially even where, as in India, the rainfall is seasonal and confined to a few months in the year. Another form in which water comes down from the sky according to due measure is in snow and hail: these also have their place in the economy of air and soil. Were it not for snow and glaciers in the higher mountain regions, some of the rivers would fail in their abundant flow. As wonderful as the supply of water and moisture is its drainage. It returns to the sea and air in all sorts of ways, and the formation of mist and clouds repeats the cycle. Were it not for the drainage and the clearance of the waters, we should have floods and waterlogging, as happens when the normal processes of nature are temporarily obstructed. The same thing happens when the rain comes down in other than due measure. These abnormal conditions also have their value. But how grateful should man be for Allah's gifts in the ceaseless processes of nature on such an enormous scale!

2879 Cf. 7:19 and n. 776 to 5:66 .

2880 For Arabia the best olives grow round about Mount Sinai . The fig, the olive, Mount Sinai, and the sacred city of Makkah are mentioned together in association in 95:1-3 , where we shall consider the mystic meaning. Olive oil is an ingredient in medicinal ointments and in ointments used for religious ceremonies such as the consecration of kings. It has thus a symbolic meaning. If used for food, the olive has a delicious flavour. Cf. also 24:35 , where the olive is called a Blessed Tree, and n. 3000 .

2881 'Ibrah: the root meaning of the verb is "to interpret, to expound, or instruct', as in 12:43 ; the noun means an interpretation, or example or Sign that instructs, as here and in 16:66 , or gives a warning, as in 3:13 . From cattle we get milk and meat; also from their skins we make leather for shoes, boots, straps, saddlery, and numerous other uses; from camel's hair and sheep's wool we weave cloth, hangings, carpets, etc.: from the horns of cattle we make cups and articles of ornament or use; and camels, horses, donkeys, mules, etc., are used for riding, carrying loads, or drawing vehicles (Cf. 36:71-73 ).

2882 The material gifts having been mentioned, which we receive from a wise and kindly Providence , our attention is now directed to Allah's Providence in spiritual matters. He sent Teachers to instruct and guide us, and though they were mocked, rejected, and accused of falsehood and selfishness, they were protected by Allah, and Allah's Truth at length prevailed.

2883 "People" here is almost equivalent to "contemporaries".

2884 Cf. 7:59 . To fear Allah is to lead righteous lives and eschew evil.

2885 They attribute altogether wrong motives to him (such as they would have actuated themselves), in saying that he was trying to establish his own personal superiority over them by his preaching. Then they accuse him of falsehood in claiming to bring a message of Allah. "If, they say, "Allah had wished to send us messengers, He would have sent angels, not a man like ourselves and from among ourselves. Our ancestors did not worship One God: why should we?"

2886 I construe this to be a speech of another group among them. They thought he was mad, and best left alone. His madness would run out, or he would come to an evil end.

2887 Cf. this whole passage with 11:36-49 , and notes thereon.

2888 See n. 1533 to 11:40 , where the word Tannur is explained.

2889 See n. 1534 to 11:40 .

2890 See n. 1535 to 11:40 .

2891 For istawa see 1386 to 10:3 . Here the meaning is: mounted on board, ascended, embarked.

2892 This second prayer was inspired when the Flood subsided, and the time came for disembarkation.

2893 Noah's contemporaries had all sorts of chances and warnings, but they refused to believe and perished. But Allah's Truth survived, and it went to the next and succeeding generations. Will not mankind understand?

2894 If this refers to any particular prophet, it must be Hud whose mission was to the 'Ad people, or to Salih, whose mission was to the Thamud people. That is the sequence after Noah in 11:50-60 and 11:61-68 . But 1 think that as the name is not mentioned, we are to understand in general the type of post-Flood prophets until we come later on to Moses and Jesus. The object here is not to recount the stories, but to show that the resistance of the wicked made no difference to the triumph of Allah's Holy Truth.

2895 The type of the narrow Sybarite, who enjoys the good things of this life, denies a future life, and is jealous of any one who presumes to widen his horizon, is here described in a few masterly strokes. He is bored by any mention of the serious things beyond his ken. What good is it, he says, to talk about the future? Enjoy the present. The gain is all in the present: the loss is all in the future.

2896 They seem to say: "There is no future life: that we shall die is certain; that we have this life is certain: some die, some are born, some live; and so the cycle continues: but how can dead men be raised to life?" (Cf. n. 4763 )

2897 "He is only a fool, and invents things, and attributes them to Allah's inspiration! We are too wise, to believe such things!"

2898 See above, 23:26 . Every prophet is maligned and persecuted: it is always the same story with them, told in different ways.

2899 When the Punishment conies, they will be sorry for themselves, but it will be too late then.

2900 See 11:66 , and notes n. 1563 and n. 1561 .

2901 Ghutha ': rubbish of dead leaves, or scum floating on a torrent.

2902 Their habitations and their organisation have been wiped out. What remains is merely a vague story of their existence, a tale that is told. Where their name remains, which is not always the case, it is only a byword, suggesting all that is unstable and ephemeral-"to point a moral and adorn a tale".

2903 Moses and Aaron had a twofold mission: (1) to Pharaoh and his Court, which failed because of Egyptian arrogance; (2) to the Israelites, for whom the Law was received on Mount Sinai , but they repeatedly rebelled against Allah. In both cases there were miracles ("Clear Signs") and other proofs which showed that they came at Allah's command and were inspired by His authority.

2904 Racial arrogance made the Egyptians say, 'These men belong to a race which we hold in subjection as our slaves: how can we accept them as messengers of Allah?'

2905 Here the reference is to the second part of the mission of Moses, that to the Israelites, which the Israelites rendered ineffective by their want of faith. See n. 2903 above.

2906 The virgin birth of Jesus was a miracle both for him and his mother. She was falsely accused of unchastity, but the child Jesus triumphantly vindicated her by his own miracles ( 19:27-33 ), and showed by his life the meanness of the calumny against his mother.

2907 There is no need to look far for the place where mother and child were given secure shelter. It is described in 19:22-26 . It was the place to which she withdrew to be delivered when the time drew near. There was a fruitful palm tree, evidently on high ground, for beneath it flowed a spring. She retired there in seclusion, and she and her child rested there until it was time for her to go to her people with her child.

2908 Literally, "eat". See n. 776 to 5:66 . The prophets of Allah do not pose as ascetics, but receive gratefully all Allah's gifts, and show their gratitude by their righteous lives. (R).

2909 Cf. 21:92-93 . All prophets form one Brotherhood: their Message is one, and their religion and teaching are one: they serve the One True God, Who loves and cherishes them; and they owe their duty to Him and Him alone.

2910 The people who began to trade on the names of the prophets cut off that unity and made sects; and each sect rejoices in its own narrow doctrine, instead of taking the universal teaching of Unity from Allah. But this sectarian confusion is of man's making. It will last for a time, but the rays of Truth and Unity will finally dissipate it.

2911 Worldly wealth, power, and influence may be but trials. Let not their possessors think that they are in themselves things that will necessarily bring them happiness.

2912 Their hearts are full of reverence for Allah and fear lest their charity or their hearts be not good enough for acceptance before their Lord; for they have the certainty of a future life, in which they will stand before the Judgement Seat. They fear for their own worthiness, but they hope in Faith.

2913 Cf. 2:286 and n. 339 .

2914 The record speaks clearly, and shows exactly what each soul has done and thought, and what is due to it in justice. The worst will receive full justice. The best will receive far more than their due: 28:84 .

2915 This is said of the Unbelievers who rejected Faith and rejoiced in the vanities of this world. In spite of the proclamation of Truth, they are doubtful of the future Life and Judgement.

2916 In addition to their rejection of Faith, they have against them positive deeds of wrongdoing, from which, on account of their contempt of the Light from Allah, they will not desist until they are sharply pulled up for punishment: and then repentance will be too late!

2917 Samir: one who remains awake by night, one who passes the night in talk or in the recital of stories of romances, a favourite amusement in the Days of Ignorance. (Cf. n. 2605 and n. 2608 )

2918 If they ponder over the matter, they will find that Allah's Message to humanity is as old as Adam. It is good for all ages. It never grows old, and it is never new.

2919 Allah is All-Wise and All-Good, and His architecture of the universe is on a perfect Plan. If these poor, low, selfish, ignorant creatures were to plan it according to their hearts' desires, it would be a dreadful world, full of confusion and corruption.

2920 This is the last of the questions, beginning with 23:68 above, showing the absurdity of the position taken up by the Unbelievers. (1) The Message of Allah is as old as humanity; why do they fight shy of it? (2) They have known their Prophet to be true and righteous: why do they deny him? (3) Is it madness to bring the bitter Truth before them? (4) Does the Prophet ask any worldly reward from them? If not, why do they reject his unselfish efforts for their own good?

2921 The reference is to a very severe famine felt in Makkah, which was attributed by the Unbelievers to the presence of the Prophet among them and his preaching against their gods. As this is a Makkan Surah, the famine referred to must be that described by Ibn Kathir as having occurred in the 8th year of the Mission , say about four years before the Hijrah. There was also a post-Hijrah famine, which is referred to by Bukhan, but that was a later event.

2922 Some Commentators understand the battle of Badr to be meant here: if so, this particular verse would be of the Madinah period. But it is better to understand it as referring to the same "distress" as in the preceding verse, or to punishments in general, which obstinate sinners refuse to take as warnings given to them to mend their ways and turn in repentance to Allah.

2923 Cf. 6:44 . If the little trials in the present life will not open their eyes, will great trials do so? Unfortunately they only cause in the wicked a feeling of despair. In the final Punishment after the Judgement, it will be too late for them to repent, and despair will be their only lot.

2924 As elsewhere, "heart" is to be understood as the seat both of feeling and intelligence. 'All the means by which knowledge can be gathered, judgement formed, and goodness cultivated, are provided for you by Allah. If you were grateful, you would use those in His service, which is expressed in your service to your fellow men. But instead you ignore these gifts, question Allah's Providence , and blaspheme against Him!'

2925 The alternation of Night and Day stands here as a symbol for all the beneficent processes of Nature provided by Allah for the comfort and growth of man's outer and inner life.

2926 And they are the more culpable, as they have received a later and more complete revelation. Why should they now stand on the primitive ideas of their ancestors?

2927 If their argument is that such things about a future life cannot be known or proved, they are referred to the things which are actually before them. The tangible things of the earth-can they postulate their order or government except by a Power of Force or Energy outside them? They will admit that there is such a Power or Force or Energy, We call it Allah. Go a step further. We see a sublime Universe in the heavens above, stretching far, far beyond our ken. They will admit its existence and its grandeur. We ask them to entertain a feeling of reverence for the Power behind it, and to understand their own littleness and their dependence upon that Power (Cf. 29:61 and 31:25 ).

2928 Cf. 9:129 .

2929 See n. 2927 above. 'If this great and glorious Universe inspires you with awe, surely the Power behind is more worthy of your awe, especially if you compare your dependence and its dependence upon Him.'

2930 The order and unity of purpose in the Universe argue unity of design and goodness in its Maker. Is it not then sheer madness for you to run after fancies and fail to understand and obey His Will? It is delusion in you to seek other than Allah.'

2931 Cf. 17:42 . The multiplicity of gods is intellectually indefensible, considering the unity of Design and Purpose in His wonderful Universe.

2932 To suppose that Allah has a son or a family or partners or companions is to have a low idea of Allah, Who is high above all such relationships. He is the One True God, and there can be none to compare with Him.

2933 In the first instance, this applied to the Prophet. His subsequent Hijrah from Makkah and the eventual overthrow of the Makkan oligarchy amply prove the fulfillment of the prophecy. But in general meaning it applies to all. We are taught that evil will be visited with a terrible punishment, not only in a future life, but in this life when its cup is full and the time comes for punishment in Allah's Plan. If it has to come while we are still on the scene of this life, we are asked to pray that we may not be found in the company of those who draw such punishment on themselves. In other words we must eschew the society of evil ones.

2934 Whether people speak evil of you, in your presence or behind your back, or they do evil to you in either of those ways, all is known to Allah. It is not for you to punish. Your best course is not to do evil in your turn, but to do what will best repel the evil. Two evils do not make a good. Cf. 41:34 . n. 4504 , and n. 2840

2935 But in any case, shun evil for yourself, and you cannot do this without seeking the help and protection of Allah. Not only must you shun all promptings of evil, but you must shun its proximity. It may be that in retaliating on evil, or even in your curiosity to discover what evil is, you may fall into evil yourself. You should avoid going near it or anything which brings it near to you. And in this matter you should seek Allah's help.

2936 This verse I think connects on with 23:90 above. Though Allah proclaims His Truth everywhere, the wicked cling to Falsehood until they face the reality of Death.

2937 The verb for "send me back" is in the plural in Arabic, which is construed either (1) as an emphatic form, as if the singular were repeated, or (2) as a plural of respect, though such a plural is not ordinarily used in addressing Allah, or (3) as a plural addressed to the angels, after the address to Allah in "O my Lord!"

2938 The unrighteous will ask for another chance. But it will be too late then. The time for repentance will then have passed.

2939 Their request will mean nothing. It will be treated merely as an empty word of excuse. They had plenty of chances in this life. Not only did they reject them, but they did not even believe in Allah or ask for His assistance.

2940 Barzakh: a partition, a bar or barrier; the place or state in which people will be after death and before Judgement. Cf. 25:53 and 55:20 . Behind them is the barrier of death, and in front of them is the Barzakh, partition, a quiescent state until the judgement comes.

2941 The old relationships of the world will then be dissolved. Each soul will stand on its merits.

2942 Good and evil deeds will be weighed against each other. If the good deeds prevail, the soul will attain falah, i.e., prosperity, well-being, bliss, or salvation; if the contrary, there will be the misery and anguish of Hell.

2943 The loss or perdition will not mean that they will die and feel no more: 14:17 . The punishment will mean nothing, if there was no sensibility, but total annihilation.

2944 That is to say, their faces will be disfigured with anguish, and their lips will quiver and fall out of place, exposing their teeth.

2945 'The evil in us conquered us; it was our misfortunes that we surrendered to evil, and went astray.' They forget that it was by their own deliberate choice that they surrendered to evil, and they are reminded in verses 109-110 of the ridicule with which they covered godly men in their life on earth.

2946 After their flouting of Allah's Signs and their mockery of godly men on earth, they have forfeited their right to plead for mercy before Allah's Throne.

2947 Literally, 'they make you forget My Message'. The ungodly were so occupied in the backbiting and ridicule of the godly that the godly themselves became the unconscious cause of the ungodly forgetting the warnings declared by Allah against those who do not treat His Signs seriously. Thus evil often brings about its own ruin through the instrumentality of those whom it would make its victims.

2948 The Hafs reading is "Qala", "He will say". This follows the Kufah Qira'ah. The Basrah Qira'ah reads "Qut", "Say" (in the imperative). The point is only one of grammatical construction. See n. 2666 to 21:4 . (R).

2949 The question and answer about Time imply two things. (1) The attention of the ungodly is drawn to the extremely short time of the life in this world, compared to the eternity which they face: they are made to see this, and to realise how mistaken they were in their comparative valuation of things spiritual and things material. (2) Time, as we know it now, will have faded away and appear as almost nothing. It is just a matter relative to this life of temporary probation. Cf. the experience of the Companions of the Cave: 18:19 .

2950 Allah's Creation is not without a high serious purpose. It is not vain, or for mere play or sport. As far as man is concerned, the highest issues for him hang on his behaviour in this life. "Life is real, life is earnest, And the grave is not its goal", as Longfellow truly says. We must therefore earnestly search out Allah's Truth, encouraged by the fact that Allah's Truth is also, out of His unbounded mercy, searching us out and trying to reach us.

2951 Not with any one else whatever, as Allah is the Eternal Reality. If men, out of the figments of their imagination, fancy other gods, they will be rudely undeceived. And Allah is Lord, i.e., our Cherisher as well as our Creator. In spite of all our shortcomings and our rebellions, He will forgive us if we go to Him not on our merits but on His grace. (R).

2952 See the same word used in describing the contrast with the Believers, in the first verse of this Surah. Righteousness must win and all opposition to it must fail. Thus the circle of the argument is completed.