3137 This is a combination of three Abbreviated Letters, as to which, generally, see Appendix I, printed at the end of S. 2- This particular combination occurs here and at the head of S. 28, while the intervening Surah 27 has it in the syncopated form Ta ' Sin. None of the explanatory conjectures which 1 have seen carries conviction for me. If the letters stand for Tur Sinin ( Mount Sinai ) and Musa (Moses), whose story fills a large part of this Surah, why is the letter Mi m omitted in S. 27. where the same meaning would apply? There is, however, one fact to which I should like to draw attention. There are eleven sections in this Surah, and eight of them end with the word Rahim (with the final Mim). The three exceptions are sections 2 and 3, and section 11. But sections 2 and 3 are part of the story of Moses, which is completed in section 4, and that ends with "Rahim", The main argument in section 11 ends at verse 217 , which ends with Rahim. We can say that the whole Surah is based on a refrain in the word "Rahim". Whether this has any bearing on our present enquiry I cannot say. My own position is that where we have material, we should pursue our researches, but we should never be dogmatic in such matters, as some Mysteries can never be solved by mere research.

3138 Cf. 5:15 , and n. 716 . The comparison of Allah's revelations with Light is continued.

3139 "They" are the Pagans of Makkah. From a human point of view it was a great disappointment to Allah's Messenger in the middle period of his Makkan ministry that the Makkans could not be brought to believe in the Truth.

3140 If it had been Allah's Will and Plan to force people's will, He could quite easily have forced the Makkans. But His Will and Plan work differently. His revelation is meant to train man's own will so that it conforms to Allah's beneficent purpose.

3141 They may laugh at Allah's Message of righteousness, but they will soon see the power of Truth and realise the real significance of the movement which they opposed. Where were the Pagans of Makkah after Badr, and still more, after the bloodless surrender of Makkah? The meaning may be applied universally throughout history.

3142 If evil has a little run in this life, let them not run away with the notion that the world is for evil. They have only to look around at the physical and moral world around them, and they would be undeceived. But they are blind and without the Faith (the Light) which would open their eyes.

3143 One Who is able to carry out all His Will and Plans. See n. 2818 to 22:40 .

3144 The part of the story of Moses told here is how Moses felt diffident about undertaking his commission; how Allah reassured him; how he went to Pharaoh with "the Signs"; how Pharaoh and his people rejected him; how their blasphemy recoiled on themselves, but the cause of Allah triumphed; in other words, the point here is the reaction of a wicked people to the Light that was held up to them, considered in its relation to the mind of Allah's Messenger.

3145 As we should say in English, "My heart would fail me, and my tongue cleave to my mouth." Moses had an impediment of speech, and his mission was risky: see next note. But Allah's Plan works in wondrous ways. Aaron was given to assist him in his mission, and Moses's shortcomings were transformed by Allah's grace into power, so that he became the most powerful leader of Israel .

3146 Moses was brought up in the palace of Pharaoh , as narrated in his personal story in 20:39-40 and n. 2563 . When he was grown-up he saw an Egyptian smiting an Israelite, and as the Israelites were being generally oppressed by the Egyptians, Moses's anger was roused, and he slew the Egyptian. He then fled to the Midianite country in the Sinai peninsula , where he received the divine commission. But the charge of slaying the Egyptian was hanging against him. He was also apparently irascible. But Allah's grace cured his temper and he became wise; his impediment in speech, for he stood up boldly to speak to Pharaoh; and his fear, for he dared the Egyptians with Allah's Signs, and they were afraid of him.

3147 There is a little play of wit here on the part of Pharaoh. When Moses speaks of the "Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds", Pharaoh says: "Who cherished you? Did we not bring you up as a child? Did you not grow up among us?" By implication Pharaoh suggests that he is the cherisher of Moses, and in any case Pharaoh laid claim to godhead himself.

3148 Further, Pharaoh reminds Moses of his having slain the Egyptian, and taunts him: "You are not only a murderer: you are an ungrateful wretch" (using kafir again in a double sense) "to have killed one of the race that brought you up!"

3149 What is Moses's reply? He is no longer afraid. He tells the whole truth, extenuating nothing in his own favour. "Yes I did it: but I did it under an error." There are three implications in this: "(1) 1 was wrong in doing it in a temper and in being hasty: (2) I was wrong in taking the law into my own hands, but I repented and asked for Allah's pardon ( 28:15-16 ): (3) that was a time when I was under your influence, but since then I am a changed man, as Allah has called me."

3150 He accounts for all his movements, much more than Pharaoh had asked for. He has nothing to hide. At that time, he was under the influence of fear, and he had fled from him. Now he is serving Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. He has no fear: he is a messenger.

3151 Pharaoh had called Moses ungrateful and reproached him with all the favours which Moses had received from the Egyptians. "What favours?" he says: "Do you count it also as a favour to me that you have enslaved my brethren the Children of Israel?" Moses was now speaking as a Prophet of Allah, not as an individual. Any individual favours he may have received were blotted out by the oppression of his people. (R).

3152 Moses having eliminated all personalities, the argument now comes up to the highest plane of all-the attributes of Allah and His mercies. Moses had put forward this before, as implied in verse 16 above, but Pharaoh had twisted it into personalities. Now we come back to the real issue. It may have been in the same sitting, or it may have been in a later sitting. (R).

3153 Moses had stirred up the wrath of Pharaoh, both by putting forward the name of the One True God as against Pharaoh's pretended godhead, and by suggesting that any man of judgement would understand Allah's majesty. While Pharaoh turns to his people in indignation, Moses drives the nail in further: "He is the God of the heavens and the earth and all between: therefore He is also your God, and the God of your fathers from the beginning. Any other pretensions are false!"

3154 Pharaoh is further perturbed. In reply to Moses's statement that Allah, the One True God is also the God of the Egyptians and Pharaoh also, Pharaoh says sarcastically to his Court: "Look at this 'Messenger' of yours; he seems to be mad!" But Moses is not abashed. He boldly says what is the truth: "It is you who are mad! The God of Whom I preach is the Universal Lord-of the East and of the West. He reigns wherever you go!" (R).

3155 Now we come to the crisis. Pharaoh threatens Moses with prison for treason. Moses remains calm and still argues: "What if I show you a miracle? Will it convince you that I am not mad, and that I have behind me the Lord of all the Worlds?"

3156 The Egyptians were addicted to magic and sorcery, which was mostly false. It a true miracle were shown to them, would they believe? Perhaps they would see the hollowness of their own magic. In fact this actually happened with the Egyptian sorcerers themselves and perhaps with the commonalty. But Pharaoh and his Court were too arrogant, and battened too much on frauds to yield to Truth.

3157 Cf. 7:107-8 . See the whole passage there, and the notes thereon.

3158 In 7:109 it is the Chiefs who say this. The fact is that it was a general consultation, and this was the general feeling, expressed in words by each to the others.

3159 A day well-known: a solemn day of festival: see 20:59 . The object was to get together as large a concourse of people as possible. It was confidently expected that the Egyptian sorcerers with all their organisation would win with their tricks against these amateur Israelites, and so the State cult of the worship of Pharaoh would be fastened on the necks of the people more firmly than ever.

3160 See the last note. The people are to come and witness the triumph of the State religion, so that they may become the more obedient to Pharaoh and more compliant with the demands of the priests. The State religion induded magic and the worship of Pharaoh.

3161 There was no such thing as pure loyalty to an exploiting ruler like this Pharaoh. The sorcerers, who were probably also priests, were venal, and they hoped to establish their own hold on both king and people by further enrichment of themselves and their order.

3162 The euphemism implies a taunt, as if Moses had said: "I know about your tricks! You pretend to throw ropes and rods, and make people believe they are snakes. But now come on!"

3163 Though Pharaoh claimed to be a god, it is not likely that those nearest to him-his priests and sorcerers-believed such a thing! But it was a game of mutual pretence before the world. And so they appeal to his "divine" power.

3164 The sorceres' ropes and rods seemed to have become serpents, but the rod of Moses was mightier than all of them and quickly swallowed them up. So truth is more powerful than tricks and will expose and destroy them.

3165 The sorcerers knew that they had met something very different from their tricks. Allah's spirit worked on them and they professed the True God. As they represented the intelligence of the community, it may be presumed that they carried the intelligence of Eygpt with them and perhaps some of the commonalty, who were impressed by the dramatic scene! Hence Pharaoh's anger, but it is the beginning of his decline!

3166 This is the core of the lesson enforced on this passage. What was the reaction of the environment to the Light or Message of Allah? (1) It transformed Moses so that he became a fearless leader, one of the foremost in faith. (2) From men like Pharaoh and his corrupt court, it called forth obstinacy, spite, and all the tricks and snares of evil, but Evil was defeated on its own ground. (3) The very dupes of Evil were touched by the glorious Light of Allah, and they were ready to suffer tortures and death, their sole ambition (in their transformed state) being to be foremost in Faith!

3167 The rest of the story-of the plagues of Egypt -is passed over as not germane to the present argument. We come now to the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt , pursued by Pharaoh. Here again there are three contrasts; (1) the blind arrogance of the Egyptians, against the development of Allah's Plan; (2) the Faith of Moses, against the fears of his people: and (3) the final deliverance of the seed of righteousness, against the destruction of the host of brute force (Cf. 2:38 ).

3168 The Children of Israel certainly inherited the gardens, springs, treasures, and honourable positions in Palestine after many years' wanderings in the wilderness. But when they were false to Allah, they lost them again, and another people (the Muslims) inherited them when they were true in Faith. These latter not only inherited Palestine but also Egypt , and the old Pharaonic power and institutions were lost forever, Of such things: literally, "of them". (R).

3169 In deference to almost unanimous authority I have translated this passage {verses 58-60 ) as if it were a parenthetical statement of Allah's purpose. Personally I prefer another construction. According to that, verses 58-59 will be part of Pharaoh's proclamation: "We have dispossessed the Israelites from everything good in the land, and made them our slaves"; and verse 59 only will be parenthetical: "Poor ignorant men! You may oppress those who are helpless, but We (i.e. Allah) have declared that they shall inherit all these things", as they certainly did (for a time) in the Land of Promise , Palestine .

3170 The story is here resumed after the parenthesis of verses 57-59 .

3171 Guide me: i.e., show me some way of escape from danger. This actually happened, for Pharaoh's host was drowned. The faith of Moses stands in strong contrast to the fears of his people.

3172 The miracle was twofold: (1) Moses with his people passed safely through the sea; and (2) Pharaoh and his great host were drowned in the sea.

3173 As it was then, so it is now. In spite of the obvious Signs of Allah, people who are blind in their obstinate resistance to Truth accomplish their own destruction, while humble, persecuted men of Faith are transformed by the Light of Allah, and obtain salvation.

3174 Nothing that the powers of Evil can do, will ever defeat the merciful Purpose of Allah. Evil, in resisting good, will effect its own destruction.

3175 For the argument of this Surah the incidents in Abraham's life are not relevant and are not mentioned. What is mentioned is: (1) the steps by which he taught about the sin of false worship, in the form of a Dialogue; (2) the aims of a righteous man not only for his individual life, but for his ancestors and posterity, in the form of a Prayer; and (3) a picture of the Future Judgement, in the form of a vision. (1) is covered by verses 70-82 ; (2) by 83-86; and (3) by 88-102.

3176 They want to show their true and assiduous devotion. But Abraham goes at once to the heart of the matter by asking: "To whom is your devotion paid? Is the object worthy of it?"

3177 The things that you worship are enemies to mankind: let me testify from my own personal experience: they are enemies to me: they can do me no good, but would lead me astray. Contrast with their importance or their power of mischief the One True God Whom I worship: He created me and all the Worlds; He cherishes me and guides me; He takes care of me; and when I die, He will give me new life; He will forgive me and grant me final Salvation. Will you then come to this true worship? How can you doubt, after seeing the contrast of the one with the other? Is it not as the contrast between Light and Darkness?'

3178 Having shown clearly the distinction between the False and the True, Abraham now shows in the form of a Prayer what his inmost wishes are. (1) He wants his soul enlightened with divine wisdom, and (2) his heart and life filled with righteousness; (3) he will not be content with working for himself or his own generation; his view extends to all future generations; (4) and of course he wishes to attain the goal of the righteous, the Garden of the Bliss of the Divine Countenance; but he is not content with this; for (5) he wants his father and relatives to share in his spiritual joy, so that he can proudly see all whom he can reach, in an honourable station (contrasted with disgrace) on the Day of Judgement.

3179 Cf. 19:50 . The whole of the passage about Abraham there may be compared with this passage.

3180 Now we have a vision of the Day of Judgement. Nothing will then avail except a pure heart; all sorts of the so-called "good deeds" of this world, without the motive of purity, will be useless. The contrast of the Garden of Bliss with the Fire of Misery will be plainly visible. Evil will be shown in its true colours -isolated, helpless, cursing and despairing, and all chances will then have been lost.

3181 The Good will only see good (the Garden of Bliss ), and the Evil will only see evil (the Fire of Hell). This type of contrast is shown to us in the world of our spiritual sense even in this life.

3182 The false gods, being devils or personified false fancies, will all be involved in the punishment of Hell, together with their worshippers, and the ultimate sources of evil, the hosts of Iblis or Satan (Cf. 25:17-18 ).

3183 Error manifest: 'our error is now plainly manifest, but it should have been manifest to us before it was too late, because the Signs of Allah were always around us'. This will be said by the ungodly, whose eyes will then be fully opened.

3184 They now see that the people who seduced them were themselves evil and subject to the penalties of evil, and their seductions were frauds. They feel that they ought to have seen it before, for who would deliberately follow the paths of those condemned to misery and punishment? How simple they were not to see the true character of their seducers, though they had been warned again and again against them! It was their own folly that made them accept such obviously false guidance!

3185 This apparent longing for a chance of return is dishonest. If they were sent back, they would certainly return to their evil ways: 6:27 -28. Besides, they have had numerous chances already in this life, and they have used them for mischief or evil.

3186 Noah's generation had lost all faith and abandoned themselves to evil. They had rejected the Message of messengers previously sent to the world. Noah was sent to them as one of themselves ("their brother"). His life was open before them: he had proved himself pure in heart and conduct (like the Prophet of Arabia long after him), and worthy of every trust. Would they fear Allah and follow his advice? They could see that he had no ends of his own to serve. Would they not listen to him?

3187 Amin=one to whom a trust had been given, with several shades of meaning implied: e.g., (1) worthy of trust, (2) bound to deliver his trust, as a prophet is bound to deliver his Message, (3) bound to act entirely as directed by the trust, as a prophet is bound to give only the Message of Allah, and not add anything of his own, and (4) not seeking any interest of his own ( Cf. n. 3224 ).

3188 Note the repetition rounds off the argument. See n. 3186 above.

3189 The leaders of the people are speaking, as the Quraysh leaders spoke in the time of the Holy Prophet. "We know that thou hast been trustworthy in thy life. But look at the 'rag tag and bob tail' that follow thee! Dost thou expect us to be like them or to be classed with them?" His answer was: "I know nothing against them; if they have done any wrong, or are only hypocrites, they are answerable to Allah; how can I drive them away from me, seeing that I am expressly sent to admonish all people?"

3190 Cf. 11:29 . All people who have faith have the right to come and listen to Allah's Word and receive Allah's Mercy, whether they are publicans and sinners, "Harijans" and "low-caste" men, men of "superior" or "inferior" races. The Prophet of Allah welcomes them all, as His Message had to shine before the whole world. (R).

3191 Two other cases occur to me where prophets of Allah were threatened with death by stoning: one was Abraham ( 19:46 ), and the other was 'Shu'ayb ( 11:91 ). In neither case did the threats deter them from carrying out their mission. On the contrary, the threats recoiled on those who threatened. So also did it happen in the case of Noah and the Prophet.

3192 The story of Noah's Flood is told in 11:36-48 . Here, the point emphasised in Noah's patience and constancy against threats, and the triumph and preservation of Allah's truth even though the world was ranged against it.

3193 This and the following verse run like a refrain throughout this Surah, and give the keynote to the subject matter: how the Message of Allah is preached, how it is rejected in all ages, and how it triumphs at last, through the Mercy of Allah. See 26:8-9 , 26:67-68 , 26:103-104 , here ( 26:121-122 ), 26:139-140 , 26:158-159 , 26:174-175 , and 26:190-191 . (R).

3194 See n. 1040 to 7:65 for the 'Ad people and their location. Here, the emphasis is on the fact that they were materialists believing in brute force, and felt secure in their fortresses and resources, but were found quite helpless when Allah's Message came and they rejected it.

3195 See n. 3187 to 26:107 above.

3196 Any merely material civilisation prides itself on show and parade. Its votaries scatter monuments for all sorts of things in conspicuous places-monuments which commemorate deeds and events which are forgotten in a few generations! Cf. Shelley's poem on Ozymandias: "I am Ozymandias. King of Kings! Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!...Boundless and bare the lonely and level sands stretch far away!"

3197 "Without any responsibility or consideration for those who come within your power?"

3198 See n. 3188 above.

3199 The gifts are described generally, immaterial and material. "All that ye know" includes not only material things, but knowledge and the faculties by which knowledge may be used for human well-being, all that makes life beautiful and refined. "Cattle" means wealth generally, and "sons" means population and manpower. "Gardens and Springs" are things that contribute to the delight and pleasure of man.

3200 "But you have misused all those gifts, and you will suffer the inevitable penalties for your misuse and for your ingratitude."

3201 "We are not going to attend to you whether you preach to us or not." The construction of the second clause, "or be not among our admonishers" is a rapier cut at Hud, as if they had said: "Oh yes! we have heard plenty of admonishers like you!" See the next verse.

3202 They said, as many of our modern enemies of religion say, "you are only reviving an ancient superstition, a dope of the crowd; there is no such thing as a Hereafter, or the sort of punishments you announce!"

3203 For the Thamud people see n. 1043 to 7:73 . They were great builders in stone and a people with agricultural wealth, but they were an exclusive people and oppressed the poor. The point emphasised here is: "How long will your wealth last, especially if you depress your own people and dishonour Allah's Signs by sacrilege?" The inscriptions on Thamud remains of rock-cut buildings in Al Hijr are described in Appendix VII at the end of this Surah.

3204 The date palm flowers on a long spathe: when the flowers develop into fruit, the heavy ones hang with the load of fruit. Thamud evidently were proud of their skill in producing corn and fruit and in hewing fine dwellings out of rocks, like the later dwellings of Roman times in the town of Petra .

3205 They are told: "All your skill is very well; but cultivate virtue and do not follow the ways of those who put forward extravagant claims for men's powers and material resources, or who lead lives of extravagance in luxury and self-indulgence; that makes mischief: but the door to repentance is open: will you repent?"

3206 They think he is talking like a madman, and they say so.

3207 For this she-camel, see n. 1044 to 7:73 . The she-camel was to be a Sign and a test case. Would they respect her rights of watering (and pasturage)?

3208 Their regrets were too late. They had themselves asked for a Sign. The Sign had been given them in the she-camel, which their prophet Salih had put forward as a test case. Would they, through that symbol, respect the law of equity by which all people had rights in water and in the gifts of nature? They refused to respect that law, and committed sacrilege by deliberately killing the she-camel. They themselves came to an evil end.

3209 The story of Lut ( Lot ) will be found in 7:80-84 : see n. 1049 . Here the point is that the people of the Cities of the Plain were shamelessly addicted to vice against nature, and Lut's warning only exasperated them, until they were destroyed by a shower of brimstone.

3210 Their threat to cast him out has a grim significance in what actually happened. They were destroyed where they were, and he was glad to escape the dreadful Punishment according to the warning he had received.

3211 He was only among them from a stern sense of duty. The whole atmosphere there was detestable to him, and he was glad to escape when duty no longer demanded his presence there. He prayed for deliverance from such surroundings.

3212 This was Lut's wife, who lingered behind and was among those who perished. See n. 1051 to 7:83 .

3213 See n. 1052 to 7:84 .

3214 See n. 2000 to 15:78 .

3215 For Shu'ayb see n. 1054 to 7:85 .

3216 They were a commercial people, but they were given to fraud, injustice, and wrongful mischief (by intermeddling with others). They are asked to fear Allah and follow His ways: it is He Who also created their predecessors among mankind, who never prospered by fraud and violent wrongdoing, but only justice and fair dealing.

3217 They deny that he is a prophet or that they are doing wrong, or that any former generations behaved differently. They think they are the true exponents of human nature, and that such as he-idealists-are mere madmen.

3218 'If you really claim any real contact with Allah, let us see if you can bring down a piece of the sky to fall on us!' (Cf. 52:44 ).

3219 The challenge to bring down a piece of the sky was merely empty bravado, on the part of those who had called him a liar. But S hu'ayb does not insult them. He merely says: "Allah is the best judge of your conduct: what more can I say?" And Allah did punish them.

3220 Perhaps a shower of ashes and cinders accompanying a volcanic eruption. If these people were the same as the Midianites, there was also an earthquake. See 7:91 and n. 1063 .

3221 It must have been a terrible day of wholesale destruction-earthquake, volcanic eruption, lava, cinders and ashes and rumbling noises to frighten those whose death was not instantaneous.

3222 See above, n. 3193 to 26:121 .

3223 The hostile reception of some of the previous Messengers having been mentioned, the special characteristics of the Qur'an are now referred to, to show (1) that it is true, and (2) that its rejection by the Makkan Pagans was of a piece with the previous experience in the history of man: vested interests resist Truth, but it conquers.

3224 Al Ruh al Amin, the epithet of Gabriel, who came with the inspired Messages to the Holy Prophet, is difficult to render in a single epithet in translation. In n. 3187 to 26:107 I have described some of the various shades of meaning attached to the adjective Amin as applied to a Prophet. A further signification as attached to the Spirit of Inspiration is that it is the very quintessence of Faith and Truth, unlike the lying spirits which delude men with falsehood. On the whole, I think, "the Spirit of Faith and Truth" will best represent the original here.

3225 Qalb (Heart) signifies not only the seat of the affections, but also the seat of the memory and understanding. The process of inspiration is indicated by the impression of the divine Message on the inspired one's heart, memory, and understanding, from which it was promulgated in human speech to the world. In this case the human speech was the perspicuous Arabic tongue, which would be plainly intelligible to the audience who would immediately hear it and be through them transmitted to all the world.

3226 The word Zubur, used here, is plural of Zabur, which is mentioned in the Qur'an as the Book revealed to the Prophet Dawud. It has also been used in the Qur'an in the generic sense of "Book" ( 54:52 ). Here the word refers to the earlier Revelations. (Eds.). (Cf. n. 2759 ).

3227 Many of the Jewish Doctors recognised the Prophet's Message as a Message from Allah, e.g., 'Abdullah ibn Salam and Mukhayriq. The latter was a man of property, which he left for Islam. (There were also Christian monks and learned men who recognised the Prophet's mission.)

3228 The turn of Arabia having come for receiving Allah's Revelation, as was foretold in previous Revelations, it was inevitable that it should be in the Arab tongue through the mouth of an Arab. Otherwise it would have been unintelligible, and the Arabs could not have received the Faith and become the vehicles for its promulgation as actually happened in history.

3229 "Thus" I think means through the medium of the Arabic language and the Arab people. The Qur'an penetrated through their language and their hearts. If the hardhearted among them did not believe, they will see when the Penalty comes, how grievous a mistake they made. For the Penalty must come; even when they least expected it. They will be caught saying or thinking, "There is plenty of time; we can get another respite," when already it will have become too late for them to turn over a new leaf.

3230 While some sinners out of negligence postpone the day of repentance till it is too late, others more bold actually ask out of bravado that Allah's Punishment should be brought down on them at once, as they do not believe in Allah or His Punishment! The answer to them is: It will come soon enough-too soon, they will think, when it comes! Cf. 22:47 and notes, 37:176 , and 38:16 .

3231 Allah will grant much respite to sinners, for He is Most Gracious and Merciful. But all this respite will profit them nothing if they are merely immersed in the vanities of this world. Again and again, in spite of their rebellion and their rejection, does Allah send warnings and warners before the final Punishment of Justice. For Allah knows human weakness, and He will never be unjust in the least.

3232 When anything extraordinary happens, there are always people desirous of putting the worst construction on it, and saying that it is the work of the evil ones, the devils. So when the Qur'an came with its Message in wondrous Arabic, its enemies could only account for its power by attributing it to evil spirits! Such a beneficent message can never suit the purposes of the evil ones, nor would it be in their power to produce it. In fact Good and Evil are poles asunder, and Evil cannot even hear words of Good, of tender Pity for sinners and Forgiveness for the penitent!

3233 That is, be kind, gentle, and considerate with them, as a highflying bird is when she lowers her wing to her offspring. Cf. 17:24 and n. 2205 , and 15:88 and n. 2011 .

3234 "Disobey thee" implied that they did something wrong, for the Prophet commanded what was right and forbade what was wrong. If, then, any of his flock did wrong the responsibility was not his, for he, like a good shepherd, tried to keep them right. What was he then to do? He would continue his teaching. But if any of them went so far wrong as to try to injure their own Teacher, Leader and guide, there was nothing for him to fear. His trust was only in Allah and Allah sees and appraises all men's actions at their true worth.

3235 Literally, the standing and prostration are postures of Muslim prayer: the Holy Prophet was equally earnest, sincere, and zealous in prayer for himself and for all his people. The Prophet's behaviour was exemplary in all the turns of fortune, and however foolish men may cavil, his purity and uprightness are fully known to Allah. (R).

3236 To people who maliciously suggested that the Prophet was possessed or inspired by evil spirits (26:210 above) the reply had already been made, but it is now declared that the suggestion is itself the work of Evil. Behind such suggestions are lying and wickedness, or at best same half-truths caught up in hearsay and twisted so as to show Allah in an evil light.

3237 The Poets: to be read along with the exceptions mentioned in verse 227 below. Poetry and other arts are not in themselves evil, but may, on the contrary, be used in the service of religion and righteousness. But there is a danger that they may, be prostituted for base purposes. If they are insincere ("they say what they do not") or are divorced from actual life or its goodness or its serious purpose, they may become instruments of evil or futility. They then wander about without any set purpose, and seek the depths (valleys) of human folly rather than the heights of divine light.

3238 Poetry and the fine arts which are to be commended are those which emanate from minds steeped in the Faith, which try to carry out in life the fine sentiments they express in their artistic work, aim at the glory of Allah rather than at self-glorification or the fulsome praise of men with feet of clay, and do not (as in Jihad) attack anything except aggressive evil. In this sense a perfect artist should be a perfect man. Perfection may not be attainable in this life, but it should be the aim of every man, and especially of one who wishes to become a supreme artist, not only in technique but in spirit and essentials. Among the commendable poets contemporary with the Holy Prophet may be mentioned Hassan and Labid: the latter had the honour of being one of the seven whose poems were selected for "hanging" (the Mu'allaqat) in the Days of Ignorance.

3239 These were the scurrilous rhymsters, who were doomed to come to an evil end.