Qxpiv May, 2007 By Shabbir Ahmed, M. D., Florida Chief Adviser and Editor: Hossein Kowsari, California Reviewed by: Abdullah Ali Bashoeb, Hijaz

Surah 66. At-Tehreem – Prohibition

[Author’s Note] This is the 66th Surah of the Qur’an. It has 12 verses. A Noble Ideology must form the basis of lasting relationships. God alone has the Authority of declaring something Lawful or Unlawful. And these laws are given in the Qur’an.

The Surah has no room for the contradictory and irrational stories of the exalted Prophet prohibiting honey for himself or of divorcing Maria, the Coptic. Among the historical accounts the one that stands up to reason is this: The exalted Prophet had mentioned to his wife Hafsah r.a. that Abu Bakr r.a. would likely be his successor followed by Umar r.a. Then, Hafsah r.a. shared this confidential information with another wife Ayesha r.a. (It is a well-known saying that a secret between more than two persons is no more a secret.) The exalted Prophet probably did not wish to announce his foresight in order to let the believers mutually consult and elect their leader after him.

With the Glorious Name of Allah, the Instant and Sustaining Source of all Mercy and Kindness

66:1 O Prophet! Would you prohibit something that God has made Lawful for you, even to please your wives? For, God is Absolver of (their) imperfections, Merciful.

[The big question: What would the exalted Prophet ban on himself that is Lawful and that would please his wives? My humble understanding: In his compassion, the Prophet wished to promise his wives that he would not divorce any of them under any circumstances. (He never did anyhow.) Divorce, although a very unpleasant last resort, is not prohibited by God. To my knowledge no exponent of the Qur’an has answered the big question as stated above, however, it sounds reasonable keeping in view the context and the flow of the verses. The conjecture of Shaan-e-Nuzool (circumstances of a revelation) leads people into thinking of weird situations such as: One night, the Prophet (S) stayed a bit too long with a wife since she offered him honey. Then Hazrat Ayesha and Hazrat Hafsah became jealous and told him that his mouth had an odor. The Prophet (S) then declared honey Haraam for himself. What an insult!]

66:2 God has already decreed for you believers the procedure for dealing with your oaths. God is your Master, and He is the Knower, the Wise. [2:225, 5:89]

66:3 [Family life must be a relation of mutual trust. Now follows an example for the believers] The Prophet confided a certain statement to one of his wives but then she divulged it. And God made this known to him. He then informed his wife of part of the issue and disregarded part. She asked him, “Who informed you of this?” He said, “The Knower, the Aware has informed me.”

66:4 You two should turn in repentance to God, since your hearts had deviated. But if you back up each other against him (in divulging family matters), then, remember, God is with him, and so is Gabriel (who brings the Revelation in truth), and the righteous believers. Also angels are his helpers. [‘Angels’ here denotes perseverance, restraint, courage, resolve, contentment 3;126, 8:9, 9:26, 33:56]

[Here is the absolute refutation of the Hadith collectors who obnoxiously try to spy into fabricated accounts of the Prophet’s private life]

66:5 If he divorces any of you, his Lord may substitute other wives in your stead who are better than you, completely submissive to God, staunch in Faith, strongly devoted to Divine Ideology, quick to turn toward making amends, serving God by helping His creation, picking up lessons from history when they travel, whether widows or maidens.

66:6 O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! [Family life must be a matter of trust and confidence] So guard yourselves and your families against a Fire whose fuel is people and their stone hearted leaders. The guardians of this Fire are the invincible, changeless Divine Laws that never fail to execute God’s ordinance, and carry it out without exception.

66:7 O You rejecters of the Truth! Make no excuses for yourselves this Day. You are only being paid for what you used to do.

66:8 O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Turn to God in sincere repentance. Your Lord will then erase your misdeeds, and admit you into the Gardens underneath which rivers flow – on the Day when God will not let be degraded His Messenger and those who are with him in Faith. Their Light will run ahead of them as Grace for them. They will say, “Our Lord! Perfect our Light for us making it last forever, and absolve our imperfections. Surely, You are Controller of all things.”

66:9 O Prophet! Strive against the rejecters of the Truth and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Hell will be their home - how pathetic a journey’s end!

66:10 God cites an example for those who deny the Truth. The wife of Noah and the wife of Lot, they were wedded to two of Our righteous servants yet each one betrayed her husband so that neither of them (their husbands) could avail them at all against God. And it was said, “Enter the Fire along with others who enter it.”

66:11 And God gives an example for those who have chosen to be graced with belief: The wife of Pharaoh when she said, “My Lord! Build for me a mansion in the Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his doings, and save me from the oppressors.”

66:12 And Mary, daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, and We breathed into her (baby) from Our Energy. And she put faith in the Words of her Lord and His revelations, and was of the devoted servants. [In very adverse circumstances, Mary guarded her chastity and revolted against the non-Divine institution of monasticism, and got married adopting the natural family life. ‘from Our Energy’ = Free will, as all human beings are granted. 2:30]

Surah 67. Al-Mulk – The Supreme Kingdom

[Author’s Note] This is the 67th Surah of the Qur’an. It has 30 verses. The Surah drives home the point that the Creator of the Universe is Impeccable and we can see His Perfection in His creation. The Book sent by such Perfect Creator has to be perfect. Having said that, it is up to us, anyone of us, to read the Book and see for ourselves the Truth of this statement.

Verse 5 of this Surah has frequently been misinterpreted giving the impression as if there are some invisible creatures, Jinns and Satans who ascend to the heaven and try to listen to God’s secret conference with angels. Then missiles in the form of meteorites are thrown upon them. This fallacy arises from the Biblical and fabricated Hadith concept of God sitting on a Throne in the heavens. According to the Qur’an God is everywhere. He is High Above anthropomorphism (a physical form). And Satan is nothing but our own selfish desire. Satans are people who succumb to their selfish desire or incite others into wrongdoing. And Jinns denote the uncivilized nomads living distant from Ins, the urban people. Contrary to the Bible, the Qur’an does not acknowledge the existence of any demons either.

It is tragic that the ancient and the modern commentators of the Qur’an have only rarely been able to free their minds of the Israelite, or the Judeo-Christian traditions. Furthermore, they disregard a reported saying of the exalted Prophet, “La Ghoul” = There is no such thing as demons, witches, Dracula, evil spirits, mysterious beings possessing humans or harassing them.

With the Glorious Name of Allah, the Instant and Sustaining Source of all Mercy and Kindness

67:1 Eternally Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Supreme Kingdom of the Universe, and He is the Powerful Designer of His Laws for everything.

67:2 He has created death and life to let you go through diverse circumstances and, thus, distinguish for yourselves who would do better.

[The real existence on earth is of the one who benefits humankind 13:17. Men and women who create balance in the society, help the needy, and strive for the betterment of humanity with their God-given resources of wealth and person, advance their ‘selves’. Such men and women have made themselves eligible for the higher form of life in Paradise, attaining immortality. Men and women who fail to develop their ‘selves’, find the Insurmountable Barrier in front of their ‘selves’. This lack of progression makes them eligible only for mere survival in Hellfire. Life without progress is a Hell in itself 11:7, 18:7]

The Almighty, the Absolver of imperfections, has designed this System in His Infinite wisdom.

67:3 He has created seven Cosmic Systems in great harmony. Look! No fault will you see in the creation of the Beneficent. Turn your vision upon it once more. Can you see any flaw?

67:4 Then look again and yet again, and every time your vision will fall back upon you, dazzled and defeated.

67:5 And indeed, We have beautified the sky of the world with shining lamps. And made them objects of futile guesses for the Satans. And for them We have prepared the doom of blazing flames. [15:17, 37:6-9, 72:8. Astrologers, fortune-tellers, clairvoyants, mystics, and Sufis who, for selfish gains, claim knowledge of the Unseen and the future, are either themselves deceived or deceive others. Rajm also denotes speaking out of conjecture like throwing stones randomly, or shooting in the dark]

67:6 Suffering in Hell awaits all who thus blaspheme against their Sustainer. What a miserable destination!

67:7 When they are flung into Hell, they will hear and feel its fury as it fumes.

67:8 As if it would burst with rage. Whenever a group is cast in it, the guardians of Hell will ask them, "Did you not receive a warner?"

67:9 They will say, "Yes, certainly, a warner did come to us but we denied him saying that God has not revealed anything! You are but lost in a great error."

67:10 And they will say, "If we really listened and used our sense, we would not be among the dwellers of the Flames." [7:179]

67:11 They will acknowledge that they did trail behind in humanity. Thus, far removed are the dwellers of the Flames from Divine Grace.

67:12 Those who fear (violating the Laws of) their Lord even in privacy, for them is the protection of forgiveness and a great Reward. [They keep in mind that every action has a consequence, even though it may not be immediately apparent]

67:13 Whether you hide your word and thought or make it known, behold, He is the Knower of what is in the hearts. [Qaul = Word = Saying = Utterance. It also signifies thought, opinion, belief and idea]

67:14 How could it be that He Who has created all should not know all things and events? For, He is the Unfathomable, the Aware.

67:15 He it is Who has made the earth humble at your service. So move through its tracts and enjoy His provisions. Bear in mind that the revival to New Life will again be in His Dominion.

67:16 Can you ever feel secure that the High Sovereign will not cause the earth to swallow you up when it begins to quake? [Life of the world is too brief and unpredictable to postpone the good until tomorrow 67:21, 67:30, 80:25. Mun fis Sama = He Who is in the heaven = Since God is Omnipresent, the correct understanding is ‘The High Sovereign’ = Lord Supreme]

67:17 Or can you ever feel secure that the High Sovereign will not let loose on you a deadly hurricane? But you shall know how strict My Warning was.

67:18 And certainly nations before them rejected, then, how awesome was My rejection of them!

67:19 Have they, then, never seen the birds above them spreading their wings and drawing them in? Nothing holds them but the Beneficent - for, certainly, He is ever Seer of all things.

67:20 Nay, who is there to help you besides the Beneficent, even if it were a formidable army? They who deny this Truth, are but lost in self-deception.

67:21 Who is there to provide for you if He should withhold His providence? Nay, they are victims of their own pride and hatred (for the poor).

67:22 But then, is he that goes along upon his face better guided or he that walks upright on a straight path? [Going along upon one’s face brings to our attention the earthworm; a lowly inhuman existence. It also alludes to preoccupation with immediate, worldly concerns only, without rising to higher objectives of life]

67:23 Say, "He it is Who brought you into being and gave you hearing, sight and the faculty of understanding. But how seldom are you grateful!” (By using them to full potential.)

67:24 Say, "He it is Who has multiplied you throughout the earth, and to Him shall you be gathered." [You will always remain within His Supreme Kingdom 23:79]

67:25 But they say, "When will this promise be fulfilled if you are men of Truth?"

67:26 Say, "This knowledge rests with God alone and I am only a plain warner."

67:27 But when they see it close at hand, grieved will be the faces of the rejecters, and they will be told, "This is what you were calling for."

67:28 Say (O Messenger), "Have you ever thought? … Whether God causes me and my companions to perish or embraces us in His Grace, who will protect the rejecters from the doom of suffering?"

67:29 Say, "He is the Beneficent. In Him we believe and in Him we place our trust, (so our Mission will succeed). And soon you will come to know who it is that is in obvious error."

67:30 Say, "Have you thought? What if all your water sinks away, who will, then, give you fresh water?" [56:63-74, 67:21]

Surah 68. Al-Qalam – The Pen

[Author’s Note] This is the 68th Surah of the Qur’an. It has 52 brief verses.

No Messenger ever asked of his people any wages.

God in His Infinite Mercy, grants the individuals and nations a period of respite to mend their behavior before they meet chastisement.

verses 68:10-16 are traditionally made to refer to a particular enemy of the exalted Prophet. But the Qur’anic verses are timeless and must not be tied, and thus limited, to the conjecture of Shaan-e-Nuzool (Circumstances of the revelation of a particular verse). This practice not only limits the Message but, furthermore, becomes an issue of futile argumentation among the exponents.

This Qur’an is a Reminder that can give eminence to all nations.

With the Glorious Name of Allah, the Instant and Sustaining Source of all Mercy and Kindness

68:1 N. Noon. (The Inkpot. And the Pen, and all that they write, stand witness. The high domain of knowledge will bear out that),

68:2 You (O Messenger), by the Grace of your Lord, are not a madman.

68:3 And, behold, yours will be an everlasting reward.

68:4 For, certainly, you are of the noblest moral character!

68:5 And soon you will see and they will see.

68:6 Which of you is the demented. [Superb knowledge and sublime character can only indicate a great man]

68:7 Surely, your Lord knows best him who strays from His Way, and He knows best those who are rightly guided.

68:8 Hence, pay no heed to the rejecters.

68:9 They wish that you strike a deal with them so that they can strike a deal. [and compromise on a middle grounds between Truth and Falsehood. 10:15, 11:113, 17:74]

68:10 Do not yield to any feeble oath-monger. [Repeated swearing hurts the credibility of a person]

68:11 Or to a defamer that goes about spreading slander.

68:12 Hinderer of the good, transgressing beyond limits, harming the community.

68:13 Or to one greedy to the extent of insensitivity, and, in addition, has made himself worthless to the society.

[Zanama = Folds of skin beneath the ears of a goat that serve no known practical purpose. Zaneem = A man who makes himself worthless to the society]

68:14 Or he who because of his riches and party,

68:15 Says, “Fables of ancient times”, whenever Our messages are conveyed to him.

68:16 We shall brand such a person with manifest disgrace! ['Branding the snout' alludes to bringing to visible disgrace to a person who chooses to live at the subhuman level]

68:17 Indeed, We have tried such people as We tried the owners of the garden who swore that they would pluck its fruit in the morning. [18:32-44]

68:18 And made no exception (for the needy poor).

68:19 Then a tornado from your Lord struck it while they slept.

68:20 So that by the morning it was barren, bleak.

68:21 In the morning, they called out unto one another.

68:22 "Go early to your field if you want to pick the fruit."

68:23 So they went off whispering unto one another.

68:24 "Let not a single poor come near you today."

68:25 And early they went strong in their resolve (to keep the poor away).

68:26 But when they saw it, they said, "Indeed, we have lost our way.”

68:27 (Then they realized), "Ah! Now we are destitute."

68:28 The most balanced among them said, "Did I not tell you? Why did you not strive (for the poor)?" [Sabh = Swim in strides = Work hard = Labor for a noble cause]

68:29 They said, "Glorified is our Lord! Surely, it is we who have been offenders.” [Refusing the Divinely ordained right of the needy]

68:30 And then they confronted one another, blaming.

68:31 They said, "Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed!"

68:32 It may be that our Lord grants us something better than this. Indeed, we turn to our Lord affectionately.

[This was an example that only the System of Life based on collective good shall endure. God does not punish people out of rage, and reward and punishment are built-in in our own actions]

68:33 Such is the suffering! But far greater is the suffering of the Hereafter - if they knew it.

68:34 Indeed, for the righteous are Gardens of Bliss with their Lord.

68:35 Shall We, then, treat those who submit (to Our Laws) like the guilty?

68:36 What is the matter with you? How do you judge (the right and wrong and their logical consequences)?

68:37 Or do you have a Scripture wherein you learn -

68:38 That you shall have through it whatever you choose?

68:39 Or do you have a solemn oath, binding on Us till Resurrection Day, that you shall have all that you demand?

68:40 Ask them which of them guarantees it.

68:41 Do they have 'partners'? Then let them bring their 'partners' if they are truthful.

68:42 On the Day when they are confronted with the stark reality and are summoned to submit, they shall not be able to show sincere submission. [It will be too late]

68:43 Their eyes drooping, humiliation will overwhelm them. And they had been repeatedly invited to submit when they were able.

68:44 So leave his affair unto Me, him who denied this Message. We shall lead them step by step to a reprisal from directions they had never conceived. [39:23]

68:45 Though I give them respite, behold, unwavering is My Plan.

68:46 Or is it that you ask them any reward so that they are burdened?

68:47 Or is it that theirs is the future that they have written down?

68:48 (O Prophet) Go ahead steadfastly in establishing your Lord’s Command. And be not like him (Jonah) of the fish who cried out in distress. [21:87, 37:139]

68:49 If it were not for the Bliss of his Lord, he would have been cast into the wilderness and in the wilderness of thought. [37:146]

68:50 But his Lord had elected him and included him among those who have worked for reform and to actualize their ‘selves’.

68:51 And behold, those who deny the Truth, offend you (O Prophet) with their eyes when they hear the Reminder. And they say, "Indeed, he is a madman."

68:52 Nay, this Reminder is a giver of eminence to all nations.

Surah 69. Al-Haaqqah – The Inevitable Reality

[Author’s Note] This is the 69th Surah of the Qur’an. It has 52 brief verses. Many verses in the Qur’an pertain simultaneously to this life as well as to the next life. For example, Qiyamah, Resurrection or Apocalypse involves a great Cosmic Metamorphosis. And Qiyamah or Resurrection also refers to humanity standing at its feet or to awakening of an individual or nation. In the first instance 'mountains' would be understood in the literal sense. In the second instance 'mountains' would mean the great ones or the leaders. Life here and life there is a process continuum.

Many previously given concepts are presented herein again in different shades of eloquence and meaning. Again, it is always helpful to bear in mind that many verses portraying Paradise and Hell, Cosmic events and great revolutions in this world easily apply to both situations.

With the Glorious Name of Allah, the Instant and Sustaining Source of all Mercy and Kindness

69:1 The Inevitable Reality.

69:2 How awesome is the Inevitable Reality?

69:3 Ah, what can give you an idea what the Inevitable Reality is!

69:4 Thamud and ‘Aad denied the day of Catastrophe (Resurrection, 101:1).

69:5 As for Thamud, they were destroyed by a thunderous blast.

69:6 And as for ‘Aad, they were annihilated with raging hurricane winds.

69:7 Which He made it rage upon them for seven long nights and eight long days. Such that you could imagine those people as uprooted hollow palm-trunks. [54:20]

69:8 Now, can you see any remnants of them?

69:9 And there came Pharaoh, and many others before him, and the townships that were overthrown. All of them committed fault upon fault.

69:10 For, they disobeyed the respective Messenger of their Lord. Consequently, He grasped them with a firm grasp.

69:11 Behold! When waters topped the levels, We carried you upon the watercraft.

[‘You’ denotes the remote ancestors of the Israelites and the Arabs. It also indicates ‘Your brethren in Faith’ among Noah’s people]

69:12 (These events are conveyed to you) so that We might make it a lesson for you, and that any attentive ear might take it to memory.

69:13 Hence, think when the Trumpet will be sounded with a single Blast.

69:14 And the earth will be moved and the mountains, and struck with a stroke.

69:15 Then, on that Day when the Episode will come to pass.

69:16 And when the sky will be rent asunder, so frail will it be that Day.

69:17 And the Divine Laws in Nature will rally around and your Lord’s Supreme Control will reign over eight Universes that Day. [Instead of the currently conceived seven]

69:18 On that Day you will be exposed; not a secret of you will remain hidden.

69:19 Then he who is given his record in his right hand, will say, “Come all of you around! Read this my record.

69:20 Indeed, I always thought that my account would be given to me.”

69:21 Then he will be in a state of Bliss.

69:22 In a lofty Garden.

69:23 With its fruit at hand.

69:24 Eat and drink gleefully for what you did in the days past.

69:25 But as for him who is given his record in his left hand, He will say, "Oh, I wish I was never given my record.

69:26 And knew not my account.

69:27 Oh, could this be the end of me!

69:28 Of no help is my wealth.

69:29 Vanquished is all my control.”

69:30 Take him and shackle him! [Halt from further development]

69:31 And then hurl him in the blazing flame of his deeds.

69:32 And then make him a link in the very long chain of people like him. [Seventy cubits = 70 arm-lengths = Very long]

69:33 Indeed, he failed to Grace himself with faith in God, the Tremendous.

69:34 And arranged not to feed the needy.

69:35 And so, he has no friend here today.

69:36 Nor any food but the discarded shreds he gave to others.

69:37 Which none eat but those who faulted through life.

69:38 But nay, I call to witness all that you see [that actions have consequences of their like]

69:39 And all that you see not [the subtle progression of the Law of Requital]

69:40 Certainly, this is the utterance of a noble Messenger. [The Revelation is uttered through his tongue]

69:41 This is not the utterance of a poet. Seldom do you choose to believe.

69:42 Nor is it the word of a soothsayer. Little of your intellect do you bring to use.

69:43 It is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.

69:44 And if he had ascribed his sayings unto Us.

69:45 We would have taken him by the right hand.

69:46 And would have cut off his Aorta.

[‘Wateen’ = Artery of the heart = Life line = Life-artery = Strength = Revelation to the Prophet. This implies that no true Prophet could possibly propagate falsehood]

69:47 And none of you could stop Us from doing that.

69:48 But, certainly, it is a Reminder and a giver of eminence to those who wish to live upright.

69:49 And behold, We know well that among you will be deniers.

69:50 And behold, this denial will become a source of regret for the rejecters.

69:51 For, certainly, it is Truth Absolute.

69:52 Therefore, work hard to manifest the Glory of your Lord’s Tremendous Name.