• The disbelievers disappointed by the Devil who shall forsake them

• The faithful shall enter the ever-blissful life

• Good and bad words compared in a parable

• God acts as He pleases

Ibrahim (Abraham) Verses 22 – 27

وَقَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ لَمَّا قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَوَعَدْتُكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ وَمَا كَانَ لِيَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا أَنْ دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِي فَلَا تَلُومُونِي وَلُومُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ مَا أَنَا بِمُصْرِخِكُمْ وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُصْرِخِيَّ إِنِّي كَفَرْتُ بِمَا أَشْرَكْتُمُونِ مِنْ قَبْلُ إِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

And shall say Satan after the affair is decided: “Verily God promised you the promise of truth, and I gave you promises but failed to keep them to you; and I had no 1authority over you except I called you and ye responded unto me; so blame me not but (rather) blame yourselves; I cannot be your aider (now), nor can ye be my aiders; Verily I disbelieved in your associating me with God from before; Verily the unjust ones, for them shall be a painful chastisement.” (14:22)

وَأُدْخِلَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ تَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَامٌ

And will be admitted those who believe and do good deeds to Gardens (of bliss) beneath which flow rivers, to abide in them by the permission of their Lord; their greeting therein will be ‘Salam’ 2(Peace).” (14:23)3

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ

Seest thou not how setteth forth God a parable? of a goodly word (being) like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) heavens, in the heavens, (14:24)

تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

Yielding its fruit on every moment by the permission of its Lord. And setteth forth God parables for the people that they may reflect.4(14:25)

وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ اجْتُثَّتْ مِنْ فَوْقِ الْأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِنْ قَرَارٍ

And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree rooted5upon the surface of the earth, it hast naught of stability.6(14:26)

يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ وَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ

Establisheth God (in strength) those who believe, with the firm7word in the life of this world and in the hereafter; and God leaveth the unjust ones to stray; and doeth God what He willeth. (14:27)

Commentary

Verse 22

This clearly indicates the status of Satan and the Satanic forces and the extent of the authority exercised by them in relation to man and the false promises based on the partial view of the things and their authority is only to call and draw attention and nothing more. The response is purely the choice of man and therefore the responsibility is man’s. (A.P.).

Verse 23

See verses 10:10 & 56:26. In 56:26 it is said that they shall not hear in Paradise any vain talk save the mention of the blissful peace which they enjoy.

Verses 24 – 25

The Sixth Holy Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq says that the Holy Prophet said: “I am the root of the Good Tree, Ali Ibn Abi Talib its trunk and the Divinely chosen ones; of the issues of Ali are its branches and the faithful ones attached to the Holy Ahl al-Bayt, its leaves.” One other Hadith or the saying of the Holy Prophet says – that, Lady Fatema is its branch, the holy ones of her issues are its fruits.8

The Holy Prophet said: “The Good Tree is Islam - Its root is the faith in God, its branches are Prayer, Zakat and Khums and Fasting its bark, and morals and etiquette its leaves”.

It is related from the Eighth Holy Imam Ali Ibn Musa ar-Riza that “A tree is not complete without its roots sunk deep, its trunk firm and its branches starting high. Likewise Islam or the faith is proved by Three Things: Conviction at heart, Declaration in words and Practice strictly as prescribed.”

The First Holy Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib said: “Faith is the Conviction at heart. Declaration by the tongue and the Practice of the faith according to the prescribed steps.” The Holy Prophet said: “The likeness of this faith, Islam, is like a Firmly Planted Tree, Faith its roots, the Poor-rate and Fasting its Branches - Dependence upon God its firmness. Good morals and Etiquette its leaves and Abstinence from the forbidden things and good deeds its Fruits!” He again said: ‘The Tree (of Islam or faith) is not complete without abstinence from the forbidden things and deeds’.9

The word ‘Kalemah’ used here, is in its widest sense including thought or the word spoken and the work done by God or any other agency good and noble one which has a firm and deep root having a constant and continuous growth, high to the heavens, and evergreen and ever yielding fruits See for opp.10 (A.P.)

Verse 26

The Holy Prophet said: The parable of the evil tree refers to the ‘Bani Umayyah’ (the Umayyads).

Anything opposed to verse 14:24, superficial with no root, with no power of growth or consistency, of utility at all or limited to a particular time and place. The principles forwarded in this parable and in verse 14:24, apply to every living being as a living phenomenon. It applies to noble families and the ignoble ones as well, applicable to all doctrines and scientific or philosophic or religious theories. Therefore, its application to the religion of Islam, to the Holy Prophet and his family is obvious. (A.P.).

Verse 27

The ‘Qauluth-Sabith’ the firmness of or the strong conviction of faith in the hearts of the faithful.

The First Holy Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib says that in the agony of death three things come in front of man Firstly, his wealth - the man asks if it could help him - it would say that it can give him only a shroud that is all. Secondly, come his issues, he would appeal to them for help and they would say that they can only accompany his body to the grave and give him a burial. Thirdly, come his own deeds, good and bad, which tell him that they will accompany him to the last. After death each individual is questioned about his faith and if he or she gives complete satisfaction about the correct belief in God, the individual is left to rest in a bliss and if otherwise convicted to sufferings until the Day of the Final Judgment.

• 1. Refer to verses 15:42, 34:21 & 17:65.
• 2. Refer to verses 10:10 & 56:26.
• 3. They shall not hear in Paradise any vain talk save the mention of bliss and peace which they will enjoy therein. See verses 19:62 & 36:58.
• 4. Or remember.
• 5. Grown up.
• 6. Base.
• 7. Stable.
• 8. Umdat al-Bayan (commentary by Maulvi Syed Ammar Ali)
• 9. Minhaj as-Sadiqin (Tafsir [Persian]) and Umdat al-Bayan (commentary [Urdu] by Maulvi Syed Ammar Ali).
• 10. Refer to note on verse 14:26.