Wednesday, 29 September 2021

QN 25 Al-Furqān

 

QN 25

02092021

 

 

Sura 25 of the Quran

الفرقان
Al-Furqān
The Criterion

·       Arabic text

·       English translation

Classification

Meccan

Other names

The Statute Book

Position

Juzʼ 18 to 19

No. of Rukus

6

No. of verses

77

 

 

(V 60 – Sajdah ?)

 

 

 

The name Al-Furqan,[1] or "The Criterion" refers to the Qur'an itself as the decisive factor between good and evil. This Surah is named Al-Furqan from the word appearing in the 1st ayat.[note 1]

The chapter emphasizes (25:68–70) that there is no sin, however great, that cannot be forgiven if sincerely repented, showing faith and working with righteous deeds.[2][3]

The al-Furqan includes the Torah, given that "We sent Moses The Book, and appointed his brother Aaron with him as minister" (Sura 25, verse 35).[2][4]

 

1-9 [1]        >4
10-20 [2]   16, 20
21-34 [3]   24,31,34
35-44 [4]   >39
45-60 [5]   50,,60
61-77 [6]   >68

 

 

Verse Theme

Surah 25. Al-Furqan

1-9 Blessed is Allah Who revealed this Al-Quran, the criterion to distinguish right from wrong and Wrongdoers are those who reject the truth and disbelieve a Rasool be cause he is a human being

10-16 Those who deny the Hour and life after death will be cast in the blazing fire

17-20 On the day of Judgement, those deities whom the Mushrikin invoke will deny any claim of divinity and hold the Mushrikin responsible for their shirk

21-24 Unbelievers who ask for angels today will ask for a stone barrier between them and the angels of punishment

25-31 Disbelievers shall regret on the Day of Judgement not adopting the Right Path

32-34 Allah explains the wisdom behind revealing Al-Quran piecemeal rather than all at once

35-44 All nations which rejected Allah's revelations and His Rasools were utterly destroyed and Those who have taken their desires as their gods are nothing but animals

45-50 Allah has made the night a mantle, sleep to rest, and the day to work

51-60 Do not yield to the unbelievers; make Jihad against them with Al-Quran and Put your trust in Ever-Living (Allah), Who will never die

61-77 Characteristics of the True Servants (believers) of Allah

(25:1) Most blessed is He1 Who sent down this Criterion2, 3 on His servant, to be a warner to all mankind;4

1.    The Arabic word tabaraka is very comprehensive, and cannot be understood fully and completely by “blessed”, not even by a sentence. However, its meanings may be grasped by keeping in view the remaining portion of (verses 1-2). 

4. “Warner to all mankind”: This has been stated at several places in the Quran. For instance: O Muhammad, say, O mankind, I am a Messenger to all of you from Allah (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 158). And this Quran has been revealed to me so that I should thereby warn you all and to whom it may reach. (Surah Al Anaam, Ayat 19). We have sent you only as a bearer of good news and as a warner to all mankind. (Surah Saba, Ayat 28). We have sent you as a mercy to all mankind. (Surah Al Anbiya, Ayat 107).

The Prophet (peace be upon him)  said: I have been sent to all men, the red and the black. Before me a Prophet was sent only to his own people, but 1 have been sent to all mankind. (Bukhari, Muslim). I have been sent to all mankind, and I am the last of the Prophets. (Muslim).

(25:2) He to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth;5 Who has taken to Himself no son6 nor has He taken any partner in His kingdom;7 Who created everything and then determined its destiny.8

This is one of the most comprehensive verses of the Quran with regard to the doctrine of Tauhid. According to traditions, the

 Prophet (peace be upon him) himself taught this verse to every child of his family as soon as it was able to speak and utter a few words. Thus, this verse is the best means of impressing the doctrine of Tauhid on our minds, and every Muslim should use it for educating his children as soon as they develop understanding.

03092021

(25:16) the Garden wherein whatever they desire will be fulfilled. In it they shall abide for ever. This is a promise whose fulfilment Your Lord has made incumbent on Himself.23

23. Literally: It is a promise whose fulfillment can be demanded (from Allah)

04092021

(25:21) Those who do not look forward to meet Us say:33 "Why should angels not be sent to us, or why do we ourselves not observe our Lord?"34 Surely they are too proud of themselves35 and have gone beyond all limits in their rebellion

05092021

25:30) And the Messenger will say: "My Lord! My own people had made this Qur'an an object of laughter."41

41. The Arabic word mahjur is capable of several meanings. As such, the sentence may mean: these people did not regard the Quran as worthy of their consideration: they neither accepted it nor followed it. Or they considered it to be nonsense or the delirium of insanity. Or they made it the target of their ridicule and mockery

06092021

(25:32) Those who disbelieve say: "Why was the Qur'an not revealed to him all at once?"44 It was revealed thus that We may fully impress it on your mind;45 (and for the same end) We have revealed it gradually (according to a scheme) in fragments.

44.

45. So that by it We may strengthen your heart and imbue it with courage. The words are comprehensive. This concise sentence contains the following explanation why the Quran was revealed piecemeal by degrees:

(1) So that the Prophet (peace be upon him) may commit it to memory perfectly and recite it to his people, who are illiterate, rather than present it in a written form.

(2) So that its teachings and messages may be impressed deeply on the minds.

(3) So that the way of life it teaches, may be followed with complete conviction, which would not be possible if all the commandments and the whole system of life had been sent down all at once.

(4) So that the hearts of the Prophet and his followers may be imbued with courage during the conflict between the truth and falsehood. This required that the divine guidance and messages of encouragement should be revealed as and when needed according to the practical situation. Obviously, this could not have been possible if these had been sent down all at once. This also showed that Allah had not left His Messenger alone amidst persecution to counter all sorts of resistance and opposition after appointing him to the mission, but He Himself was watching the struggle with concern and guiding His Prophet through every difficulty by direct communion in every critical situation.

07092021

(25:35) Verily We granted Moses the Book48 and appointed his brother Aaron with him as his helper

48. Here by the Scripture is not meant the Torah, which was given to Prophet Moses after the exodus from Egypt, but it implies that divine guidance which was given to him after his appointment as a Prophet up to the Exodus. It included the orations delivered by him in the court of Pharaoh and also the instructions given to him during his conflict with Pharaoh as mentioned in the Quran here and there. Most probably, these things were not included in the Torah; the Torah began with the Ten Commandments which were given to Moses engraved on stone tablets on Mount Sinai after the exodus.

(25:38) And in like manner were the 'Ad and the Thamud destroyed and the people of al-Rass52 and many a nation in the centuries in between.

52. There is no definite knowledge about the people of the Raas. Different commentators have said different things about them, but nothing is convincing. The only thing that may be said about them is that they were a people who had killed their Prophet by throwing him into or hanging him down a Rass (an old or dry well).

07092021

(25:40) They have surely passed by the town which was rained upon by an evil rain.53 Have they not seen it? Nay; but they do not believe in being raised up after death.54

53. The habitation referred to was that of the people of Prophet Lot (peace be upon him), which was destroyed by a rain of stones. The people of Hijaz while traveling to Palestine and Syria, passed by its ruins and heard the horrible tales of its destruction.

(25:43) Have you ever considered the case of him who has taken his carnal desire for his god?56 Can you take responsibility for guiding him to the Right Way?

56. “The person who makes his desire as his god” is the one who becomes the slave of his lusts and desires. As he serves his lust like the one who warships his deity. He becomes as much guilty of shirk as the one who worships an idol. According to a tradition, related by Abu Hurairah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Of all the false gods being worshipped and served instead of Allah, the worst in the sight of Allah is one’s own lust. (Tabarani). For further explanation, see (E.N. 50 of Surah Al-Kahf).

 

(25:44) Do you think that most of them hear or understand? For they are merely like cattle; nay, even worse than them.57

. The only difference between the two is that the cattle have no intelligence and will not be accountable as to the place where they are being taken by the driver. But it is a pity that human beings who are endowed with reason, should behave like cattle; therefore their condition is worse than that of cattle.

08092021

(25:45) Have you not seen how your Lord spreads the shade? If He will, He could have made it stationary; instead, We have made the sun its pilot.58

58. The word dalil has been used in the sense of the pilot,

 (25:46) So (as the sun rises), We gradually roll up that shade unto Us.59

59. We annihilate it or cause it to disappear, for everything which is annihilated returns to Allah, because everything comes from Him and returns to Him.

: If you had considered the benefits of the shadow in regard to your everyday experience, you would have accepted without any hesitation the doctrine of Tauhid. Had the shadow been constant, there would have been no life on earth, for life depends on the light and heat of the sun. On the other hand, if there had been no shadow at all, the constant heat and light of the sun would have made life impossible. Besides this, if there had been sudden changes in the sun and the shadow, they would not have been able to endure it for long; therefore you should reflect on this phenomenon and understand it well that it has been so ordained by the All-Wise and the All-Powerful Creator so that it always increases or decreases gradually in accordance with fixed natural laws. But if it is taken in the metaphorical sense, there is between the lines a subtle suggestion, and it is this: Just as the shadow does not remain in one and the same state, likewise the shadow of disbelief and shirk, which appears to have spread far and wide, will begin to shorten as the sun of guidance gradually rises; but it requires patience, for Allah never brings about sudden changes.

 (25:47) It is Allah Who has made night a garment for you,60 and sleep the repose (of death), and has made day the time of rising to life.61

60. The night is a garment in the sense that it covers and hides things.

61. This verse has three objects:

(1) It provides a proof of Tauhid.

(2) It furnishes a proof of the possibility of life-after-death from everyday human experience.

(3) It bears the good news that the night of ignorance has come to an end and now the bright day of knowledge and guidance has dawned.

(25:49) that We may revive through it a dead land and give it for drink to many cattle and human beings from among Our creation.63

63. This verse also gives proofs of the doctrine of Tauhid and the Hereafter. Besides, it contains a subtle suggestion that the period of the drought of ignorance has been replaced through Allah’s mercy by the blessed rain of Prophethood,

 (25:50) We present this wondrous phenomenon to them over and over again64 that they may learn a lesson from it. But most people simply decline everything except disbelief and ingratitude.65

 

64. “We have repeated it among them” may have three meanings:

(1) We have cited the phenomenon of rainfall over and over again in the Quran in order to make plain to them the reality.

 

 

09092021

(25:53) And He it is Who has joined the two seas: one sweet and palatable and the other saltish and bitter; and He has set a barrier and an insurmountable obstruction between the two that keeps them apart.68

68. This phenomenon has been perceived in many places in the sea and on the land that sweet water and bitter water has existed side by side. Turkish Admiral Syedi Ali Rais, in his book Mirat-al-Mamalik, written in the 16th century, has mentioned a place in the Persian Gulf, where springs of sweet waver exist under the bitter waters of the sea, where he could get drinking water for his fleet. The American Oil company at first obtained water from the same springs in the Persian Gulf, before they dug up wells near Dhahran for the supply of the drinking water. Near Bahrain also there exist springs of sweet water at the sea bed from which people have been taking water until quite recently. Besides this apparent meaning which gives a rational proof of Allah’s being the One and the only Lord of the universe, the verse contains a subtle suggestion as well: When Allah wills, He can raise up a righteous community from among a large wicked society just as He can cause springs of palatable and sweet water to gush out from under the salty waters of the sea.

(25:54) And He it is Who has created man from water and then produced from him two sorts of kindred: by descent and by marriage. Your Lord is All-Powerful.69

.

69. Here the miracle of the birth of man from a mere sperm drop and the procreation of his offspring from man and woman have been cited as a proof of Tauhid. Though both man and woman belong to the same genus, they are two species, having important common human characteristics but different physical structures and psychological traits. It is a proof of Tauhid that the All- Powerful Allah has used this difference for making the two as complements and not antagonists. It is also the design of the All-Powerful Creator that He is creating sons and daughters in the world in due proportion Then the sons marry and create blood relationships, and the daughters are married and become means of forming new relationships. This process goes on widening to produce families, tribes and nations belonging to the same race and bound by the same civilization.

The verse has also a subtle suggestion: The entire life is being run on the principle of difference. For example, the difference between the night and the day, the summer and the winter, etc. Therefore, O Muslims, you should patiently endure the differences you are having with your opponents for these are certain to produce good results.

(25:60) When they are told: "Prostrate yourselves before the Merciful One," they say: "What is the Merciful One? Shall we prostrate ourselves before whomsoever you command us to prostrate?"73 This even further increases their aversion.74

73.

74. All scholars agree that here a prostration of recital (Sajdah Talawat) has been enjoined, which means that every reader and every hearer must prostrate himself on reciting or hearing the recital of this verse. According to traditions, the one who hears this verse being recited should say: Zadan Allahu khuduan - aenama - zada liladaai nufura: May Allah increase us in humility - even as - the enemies are increased in their hatred.

27092021

(25:67) (The true servants of the Merciful One are) those who are neither extravagant nor niggardly in their spending but keep the golden mean between the two;83

83. The true servants of Allah adopt the golden mean between the two extremes in spending their money. They neither go beyond prudence and necessity in expenditure nor live in wretched circumstances in order to save and hoard money but are frugal. This was the characteristic of the followers of the Prophet (peace be upon him), which distinguished them from the well-to-do people of Arabia, who were either spend thrifts in regard to the gratification of their own lusts or niggardly in spending their money on good works.

According to Islam extravagance is: (1) To spend even the smallest amount of money in unlawful ways. (2) To go beyond one’s own resources in expenditure even in lawful ways, or to spend money for one’s own pleasure. (3) To spend money in righteous ways not for the sake of Allah but for mere show. On the other hand, one is miserly if one does not spend money for his own needs and requirements and those of his family in accordance with his resources and position, or if one does not spend money for good works. The way taught by Islam is the golden mean between the two extremes. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has said: It is a sign of wisdom to adopt the golden mean in one's living. (Ahmad, Tabarani).

28092021`

25:70) unless he repents and believes and does righteous works. For such, Allah will change their evil deeds into good deeds.86 Allah is Ever Forgiving, Most Compassionate.

86. This is a good news for those people who repented and reformed themselves, for they will have the benefit of the general amnesty contained in (verse 70). This was regarded as a great blessing by the true servants because very few of those who embraced Islam had been free from those vices during their ignorance, and were terrified by the threat contained in (verses 63-69), but this amnesty not only redeemed them but filled them with hope.

Many instances of such people, who sincerely repented and reformed their lives, have been related in the traditions. For instance, Ibn Jarir and Tabarani have related an incident from Abu Hurairah, who savs: One day when 1 returned home after offering the lsha prayer in the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) Mosque, I saw a woman standing at my door. I saluted her and walked into my room, closed the door and busied myself in voluntary worship. After a while she knocked at the door. I opened the door and asked what she wanted. She said that she had come with a problem: She had committed zina, had become pregnant, given birth to a child and then killed it. She wanted to know if there was any chance of her sin being forgiven. I replied in the negative. She went back griefstricken, exclaiming, Ah! this beautiful body was created for the fire! The next morning, after the prayer, when I related the night’s incident before the Prophet (peace be upon him), he said: You gave a very wrong answer, Abu Hurairah: Haven’t you read the Quranic verse which says: (Those) who do not invoke any deity other than Allah...except the one who may have repented (after those sins) and have believed and done righteous deeds? Hearing this from the Prophet (peace be upon him), I went out in search of the woman, and had her traced again at the Isha time. I gave her the good news and told her what the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said in reply to her question. She immediately fell prostrate on the ground and thanked Allah, Who had opened a way for her forgiveness. Then she offered repentance and set a slave-girl, along with her son, free. A similar incident about an old man has been related in the traditions. He came before the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, all my life has passed in sin, there is no sin which I have not committed; so much so that if my sins were to be distributed over the people of the whole world, they would all be doomed. Is there any way out for my forgiveness? The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him: Have you embraced Islam? He said: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Go back, Allah is All-Forgiving and has the power to change your evil deeds into good deeds. He asked: Is it about all my crimes and errors? The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: Yes, it is about all your crimes and errors. (Ibn Kathir).

 (25:71) Whosoever repents87 and does good, he returns to Allah in the manner that he should.88

87. It has two meanings: (1) When he has repented sincerely, he will start a new life of belief and obedience to Allah and by His grace and help will start doing good deeds instead of evil deeds that he used to do in his life of unbelief, and his evil deeds will be replaced by good deeds. (2) Not only will his evil deeds done in the past be written off, but it will also be recorded in his conduct register that he was the servant who gave up rebellion against his Lord and adopted the way of His obedience. Then, as he will feel more and more sorry for his past sins and offer repentance, more and more good deeds will be credited to him. For repenting of one’s wrong doing and seeking forgiveness is in itself a good deed. Thus, good deeds will supersede all his evil deeds in his conduct register, and he will not only escape punishment in the Hereafter but, in addition, he will also be blessed with high favors by Allah.

88. That is, ultimately everyone has to return to Allah for Allah alone is man’s last and real refuge. He alone can reward him for his good deeds or punish him for his evil deeds. He alone is All-Merciful and All Compassionate, Who receives the penitent with forgiveness and Who does not rebuke him for his past errors provided that he has repented sincerely, and adopted the right attitude and reformed himself.

29092021

OOOXXXOOOXXX

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment