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Al-Qalam Section 2 - How The Guilty Will Be Punished

The reward awaiting the righteous, Prophet counselled to wait, Jonah’s example, Qur’an a Reminder to the whole mankind.

Al-Qalam Verses 34 – 52

إِنَّ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

“Verily, for the pious ones1with their Lord are the Gardens of bliss” (68:34).

أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ

“What! shall We then make the ‘Muslims’2like unto the guilty ones3?” (68:35).

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

“What is the matter with you? How judge ye4“ (68:36).

أَمْ لَكُمْ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ تَدْرُسُونَ

“Or have ye a scripture wherein ye read?” (68:37).

إِنَّ لَكُمْ فِيهِ لَمَا تَخَيَّرُونَ

“Verily, therein is for you what ye choose?” (68:38).

أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَانٌ عَلَيْنَا بَالِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ

“Or have ye a sworn covenant from Us tending to the Day of Judgment that ye shall surely have whatever ye judge?” (68:39).

سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَٰلِكَ زَعِيمٌ

“Ask them (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) which of them will guarantee that!” (68:40).

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فَلْيَأْتُوا بِشُرَكَائِهِمْ إِنْ كَانُوا صَادِقِينَ

“Or have they any ‘Partners’ (to Us)? Then let them bring their partners (associate gods) if they be truthful!” (68:41)

يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ وَيُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

“On the Day that the shin5shall be laid bare, (i.e. befalleth an affliction), and they shall be called upon to prostrate in obeisance, but they shall not be able (to do it)” (68:42).

SAJDAH (Sunnat) – Prostration Recommended

خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ

“Casting down their looks, shall cover them abasement, and indeed they had been called upon to prostrate in obeisance, while yet they were whole6(healthy)” (68:43)

فَذَرْنِي وَمَنْ يُكَذِّبُ بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

“So leave Me and him who belieth this announcement, We will lead them on (to ruin) by steps7from whence they know not” (68:44).

وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ

“And yet respite8them; for verily My device9is firm” (68:45).

أَمْ تَسْأَلُهُمْ أَجْرًا فَهُمْ مِنْ مَغْرَمٍ مُثْقَلُونَ

“Or askest10thou from them a recompense that they are burdened with a load of debt11?” (68:46).

أَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ

“Or with them is the knowledge of the unseen, that they write (it) down12?” (68:47).

فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُنْ كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ

“So wait thou patiently for the judgment of thy Lord! Be not thou like unto the Companion13of the fish! when cried he when he was confined14“ (68:48).

لَوْلَا أَنْ تَدَارَكَهُ نِعْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ لَنُبِذَ بِالْعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ

“Had not a bounty from his Lord reached him, he would certainly have been cast forth on the naked shore while in disgrace” (68:49).

فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

“Then chose him his Lord and made him of the righteous ones15“ (68:50).

وَإِنْ يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ

“And those who disbelieve would almost smite thee with their eyes16when they hear the Reminder, and say they: “Verily he is mad” (68:51).

وَمَا هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ

“And it is naught but a Reminder unto the worlds (the whole Mankind)” (68:52).

Commentary

Verse 34

Those who guard themselves against evil. (A.P.)

Verse 42

When the anklets shall he disclosed stands for the vanishing of all pretences and mysteries and the reality about each individuals faith and conduct being laid bare, i.e., fully manifested. Some commentators interpret it as ‘the day when the affair shall become hard and formidable and say that the origin of the expression is in the fright and the flight and the tucking up of the garments to facilitate fleeing from any dreadful situation. When all the secrets of every individual will be laid bare (MS).

Ibn Abbas says that the Holy Prophet said that: of all the situations on the Day of Judgment, this hour will be the grievest. Under this situation, every aggressor will be brought to account along with the aggressed one, even the one who mixed, i.e., adulterated milk with water will be asked to separate it. Every people will be asked to march to the hell, following their respective leaders whom they followed in this life17. Those who followed Pharaoh, will be made to march behind him to the hell-fire and those who worshipped Uzair (Ezra) and Jesus as gods, would be placed behind two angels resembling the apostles and be made to march to hell. And those who worshipped the One true God, would be asked as to who they worshipped, and the reply will be ‘God’ there will be the burst of a glorious light before them, and they will be asked to pay obeisance to the great light. All the sincere believers will fall prostrating before it, in obeisance to the Lord but the hypocrites among the believers will be stiffened like logs of dried wood. The sincere believers will be asked to follow the Light to heaven, while the hypocrites will be left behind.

Shin becoming bare, is figuratively used for a calamity reaching its climax for an effort to reach its decisive stage. In both the senses, it is true of the Resurrection Day. (A.P.)

When befalleth an affliction. (A.P.)

Verse 43

‘Saalimoon’ whole - with the sense of judgment and the strength of executing their will in tact - not constrained and yet they did not act as commanded by God - Their mind and body in a wholesome state and yet they abstained from adoring the Lord in their mind, on earth.

Verse 44

Since the conduct of the people worried the Holy Prophet much, to console him, God told him to leave the matter of those who reject His Word to Himself to deal with them.

When anyone in spite of wickedness seems to us to flourish it may be, that the punishment is evolutionary and gradual. The ways of the Lord are mysterious and His plans none can ever know or understand beforehand18.

Verse 45

Respite is given to the sinners and the disbelievers but if it is not availed of, then, the punishment is enforced.

Verse 48

‘Companion of the fish’, i.e., ‘Zun-Noon’ or Jonah19 - There is a mention of Jonah and his people in 6:87 and 10:98. Who thought that he would not be put into hardship by God. (A.P.)

Verse 49

The use of ‘Lau la’ had not - acquits the apostle Yunus of all possible blame and makes him worthy of being chosen. (A.P.)

Verse 51

‘Smiting with eye’, i.e., the disbelievers having become helpless against the irresistible truth in the message of the Holy Qur’an, now gaze at the Holy Prophet as if they would smite him, if not with any other weapon, at least with their sight, their evil eye, which was in vain.

The Verse apparently depicts the attitude of the angry looks of the disbelievers whenever they heard the recitation of Qur’an and their remarks against the Holy Prophet, but most of the commentators have given a different account for the revelation of this passage, i.e., the disbelievers’ attempts to do harm to the Holy Prophet through the stroke of the evil eye. That may be true but there is no justification of connecting it with the passage. However, the remark against the Holy Prophet is rejected on the evidence of Qur’an itself, i.e., such an outstanding Book containing universal reminders and guidance for mankind cannot be from a mad man - and by no means such a man could be affected by such foolish attempts. (A.P.)

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