• People left to enjoy this world are only respited

• God Himself promises the protection of the Qur’an (against any corruption or getting extinct as it happened in the case of the previous scriptures). Verses of the Qur’an described

Al-Hijr (The Rock) Verses 1 – 15

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful

الر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُبِينٍ

Alif, Lam, Ra, (A. L. R.) These are the verses of the Book and (of) a 1Qur’an (that maketh things) 2manifest. (15:1)

رُبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ

Often will wish those who disbelieved that had they been 3Muslims.4(15:2)5

ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا وَيُلْهِهِمُ الْأَمَلُ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ

Leave them (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) that they may eat and enjoy themselves and (that) beguileth them the 6hope, for soon will they know. (15:3)7

وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَعْلُومٌ

And We destroyed not any town but it had an (already) fixed term. (15:4)

مَا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ

Neither can hasten on any of the people their doom, and nor can they delay (it). (15:5)8

وَقَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ

And say they, “O’ thou! (Our Apostle Muhammad) on whom hath come down the 9Reminder (the Qur’an) verily thou art insane.” (15:6)

لَوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِالْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ

“Why dost thou bring not unto us the angels, if thou art of the truthful ones?” (15:7)

مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوا إِذًا مُنْظَرِينَ

We send not down the angels, but with truth, and they would not then be respited. (15:8)

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

Verily We have sent down the Reminder (the Qur’an), and verily We (Ourself) unto it will certainly be the Guardian. (15:9)10

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فِي شِيَعِ الْأَوَّلِينَ

And indeed We did send apostles before thee among the people of yore.11(15:10)

وَمَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ

And there came not unto them any apostle but they used to mock12(at him). (15:11)

كَذَٰلِكَ نَسْلُكُهُ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ

Even13so do We cause it to traverse into the hearts of the guilty ones, (15:12)

لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ سُنَّةُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

(That)14They believe not in it, and indeed hath already gone before, the example of the people of yore. (15:13)

وَلَوْ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَابًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَظَلُّوا فِيهِ يَعْرُجُونَ

And15even if We open unto them a gateway of the heaven, that they all the while16may ascend into it, (15:14)

لَقَالُوا إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَارُنَا بَلْ نَحْنُ قَوْمٌ مَسْحُورُونَ

Certainly would they say: “(It is) only (that) our eyes have been intoxicated17rather we are a people bewitched (by some sorcery). (15:15)

Commentary

Verse 1

Alif Lam Ra (A. L. R.)18

These few verses differentiate the truth from falsehood and guide towards the right belief and correct conduct. It has already been said that Qur’an can never serve the purpose of guidance without the prerequisite or the essential need in each individual reader, i.e., Piety.19 It is only a statement for ordinary men but a Guidance and Admonition to the Pious.20 and for the description of a true or perfect piety refer to verse 2:177.

Besides, the correct interpretation of the verses in which has been treasured the fuller knowledge and the higher thoughts about the Absolute divinity, can never be had from anyone and every one who poses himself to be a scholar of this Holy Book, save those with whom the Holy Prophet entrusted the Qur’an, i.e., the holy Ahl al-Bayt.21

Since the Holy Qur’an is said to comprehend the knowledge of every thing in the universe22; a sincere seeker of the correct knowledge of it needs necessarily to study the Holy Book only under the light of the guidance from the holy Ahl al-Bayt with whom the Holy Prophet left this Book and declared that those who hold fast to these Two, i.e., the Holy Book and his Ahl al-Bayt, shall never get astray - which otherwise means that those who follow the Qur’an, directed by the others, will get astray.

Verse 3

The Holy Prophet is desired by God to leave the disbelievers to themselves for their lust for the enjoyment of this world in their lengthy ages of respite, to intoxicate them further against the consequences that await them. This is to indicate that the people are so deeply sunk in their infidelity and wickedness that they would never be guided aright hence no amount of preaching on the part of the Holy Prophet would be of any avail to them. God does not want the Holy Prophet to unnecessarily worry himself about the arrogant ones who are persistent in their infidelity and wickedness.

The First Holy Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib says, ‘I am worried about Two things against you, the lust of your self to enjoy the pleasures of this world and the increase in your aspirations for the wealth of this world.’ The blind servitude to the lust of the self, keeps one away from God and the increase in the aspirations makes one forget the hereafter. The Holy Prophet said that when excellence dawns on man, he remembers death and all his aspirations withdraw themselves behind him and when misfortune encounters one, all the aspirations advance in front of him and death withdraws itself in the mind, i.e., he forgets death.

Verse 4

It is already there in the knowledge of God as to how far a respite is to be given to a people and when at last they would meet their perdition.

Verses 7 - 8

The people used to ask the apostles to bring down the angels to bear witness to their really being the apostles of God. In reply it was said that the angels are not sent as and when they are demanded by the people but to execute the decision of the Lord viz. the doom of the people, and once the angels are sent there shall be no respite against the doom. It is a great blessing of God that the chastisement is delayed and it is delayed in spite of the people’s hastening to have it.

Verse 9

It is one of the challenging announcements as well as a prophecy which stands today already proved. God Himself undertakes the task of securing the Holy Qur’an, his Final Word to mankind in its original form and meaning. The Holy Scriptures revealed through the several other apostles of God in the past, were either corrupted or made all together extinct. God would not allow a similar fate to befall His Final Word, for no other apostle had to come nor any other book had to be revealed. Hence the security of the Last and the Final Word of God becomes necessary and it could be done by none save by God Himself.

Hence God Himself undertakes to see that it remains secure in its originally revealed form. It was in the fulfilment of this divine undertaking that the Holy Qur’an was secured with the Ahl al-Bayt.23 Even if the world succeeds in achieving the impossible task of destroying all the copies of the Holy Qur’an in the world, yet (the Holy Book as a whole in its verbal order) can be reproduced on the paper in its present form, and the correct meaning of it is secured with the Ahl al-Bayt of the Holy Prophet. With this Divine assurance the question of tamper and Tahrif does not at all arise.

This Verse declares God Himself as the Protector of the Revealed Reminder (Holy Qur’an) from being tampered or destroyed or repealed; and this is proof positive of the Holy Qur’an remaining for ever as it was revealed to be within the reach of man and Jinn for all times as a challenging miracle. This Verse is in answer to Verse 15:6 - besides this factor about the aforesaid protection of the Holy Qur’an, it answers also to Verse 15:6 - that when the Holy Qur’an which the Holy Prophet presents as a challenging miracle remains ever current in its original purity, how much more could the personality of the Holy Prophet necessarily be protected from being affected by any ungodly influence. (A.P.).

Verse 10

‘Shiaya’, i.e., sects or nations, is the plural of ‘Shia’ which is derived from ‘Mushaiat’, i.e., following. The ‘Shia’s’ of Ali, means those who are attached to Ali Ibn Abi Talib following him as their guide immediately succeeding the Holy Prophet. The renowned Sunni authority of the ‘al-Ṣawaʿiq al-Muḥriqah’ says that the Holy Prophet said: “O’ Ali! Thou and thy Shias shall he in Paradise.”

Here in this verse the word ‘Shiaya’ stands for the previous nations.

• 1. Recital.
• 2. Expansive.
• 3. This will be the desire of the disbelievers when they will be Convicted to Hell.
• 4. Those resigned unto God’s will.
• 5. Refer to verses 14:30 & 47:12.
• 6. False hope.
• 7. The life of the disbelievers is depicted as that of the animals which have no aim or concern be sides the immediate gain and the sensual pleasures.
• 8. Refer to verses 63:11, 3:144, 62:8, 7:34 & 10:49.
• 9. Lit. Dhikr i.e. Qur’an.
• 10. This under taking has been fulfilled in securing the Qur’an with the Ahl al-Bayt - Refer to the ‘Hadith al-Thaqlayn’.
• 11. Old - Ancient.
• 12. Refers to the adamance of the disbelievers - applicable to the modern people who mock at religion and religiousness.
• 13. Indicates the determination not to believe at all even after witnessing manifest Signs proving the truth.
• 14. Same as above.
• 15. Same as above.
• 16. Continuously.
• 17. Enchanted.
• 18. See verses 2:2 & 2:185.
• 19. See verse 2:2.
• 20. See verse 3:137
• 21. See verses 3:6; 4:162; 21:7; 16:43; 29:49 & 35:32.
• 22. See verse 7:59.
• 23. Vide the Hadith al-Thaqalayn.