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This verse connects directly with verse {99}: "No more is the Apostle bound to do than deliver the message." Read in conjunction with the sentence, "Today have I perfected your religious law for you" (occurring in verse {3} of this surah), the above statement implies that the believers should not try to deduce "additional" laws from the injunctions clearly laid down as such by the Qur'an or by the Prophet, since this "might cause you hardship" - that is, might (as has indeed happened in the course of the centuries) impose additional burdens on the believers above and beyond anything that has been stipulated in terms of law in the Qur'an or in the authentic commandments of the Prophet. On the basis of this verse, some of the greatest Muslim scholars have concluded that Islamic Law, in its entirety, consists of no more than the clear-cut injunctions forthcoming from the self-evident (zahir) wording of the Qur'an and the Prophet's commandments, and that, consequently, it is not permissible to extend the scope of such self-evident ordinances by means of subjective methods of deduction. (A most enlightening discussion of this problem is to be found in the Introduction to Ibn Hazm's Muhalla, vol. I, 56 ff.) This, of course, does not prevent the Muslim community from evolving, whenever necessary, any amount of additional, temporal legislation in accordance with the spirit of the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet: but it must be clearly understood that such additional legislation cannot be regarded as forming part of Islamic Law (the shari'ah) as such.
I.e., with possibly unfortunate consequences. An illustration of this problem has been provided in the following authentic Tradition, quoted by Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah. In one of his sermons, the Prophet said: "O my people! God has ordained the pilgrimage (al-hajj) for you; therefore perform it." Thereupon somebody asked, "Every year, O Apostle of God?" The Prophet remained silent; and the man repeated his question twice. Then the Prophet said: "Had I answered 'yes', it would have become incumbent on you [to perform the pilgrimage every year]: and, indeed, it would have been beyond your ability to do so. Do not ask me about matters which I leave unspoken: for, behold, there were people before you who went to their doom because they had put too many questions to their prophets and thereupon disagreed [about their teachings]. Therefore, if I command you anything, do of it as much as you are able to do; and if I forbid you anything, abstain from it." Discussing this Tradition, Ibn Hazm observes: "It circumscribes all the principles of religious law (ahkam ad-din) from the first to the last - namely: what the Prophet has left unspoken - neither ordering nor forbidding it - is allowed (mubah), that is, neither forbidden nor obligatory; whatever he ordered is obligatory (fard), and whatever he forbade is unlawful (haram); and whatever he ordered us to do is binding on us to the extent of our ability alone" (Muhalla I, 64). It should be borne in mind that the term "the Prophet" comprises, in this context, the Qur'an as well, since it was through the Prophet that the Qur'anic message was communicated to mankind.
I.e., by leaving certain matters unspoken, God has left them to man's discretion, thus enabling him to act in accordance with his conscience and the best interests of the community.
This implies that either these minor details have been overlooked by Allah out of His mercy or that Allah has forgiven them for these unnecessary questions.
Many secrets are wisely hidden from us. If the future were known to us, we need not necessarily be happy. In many cases we should be miserable. If the inner meaning of some of the things we see before our eyes were disclosed to us, it might cause a lot of mischief. Allah's Message, in so far as it is necessary for shaping our conduct, is plain and open to us. But there are many things too deep for us to understand, either individually or collectively. It would be foolish to pry into them, as some people tried to do in the time of the Prophet. Where a matter is mentioned in the Qur-an, we can reverently ask for its meaning. That is not forbidden. But we should never pass the bounds of (1) our own capacity to understand, (2) the time and occasion when we ask questions, and (3) the part of the Universal Plan which it is Allah's purpose to reveal to us.
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Following Ibn Hazm's principles of jurisprudence, Rashid Rida' thus explains the above verse: "Many of our jurists (fuqaha') have, by their subjective deductions, unduly widened the range of man's religious obligations (takalif), thus giving rise to the very difficulties and complications which the clear wording [of the Qur'an] had put an end to; and this has led to the abandonment, by many individual Muslims as well as by their governments, of Islamic Law in its entirety" (Manar VII, 138).
For example, the merely fractious questions asked of Moses by the Jews: ii. 68- 71. They showed that they had no faith. When foolish questions are asked, and there is no answer, it also shakes the faith of the foolish ones.
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Lit., "God has not ordained anything [in the nature] of a bahirah, nor a sa'ibah, nor a wasilah, nor a ham." These expressions denote certain categories of domestic animals which the pre-Islamic Arabs used to dedicate to their various deities by setting them free to pasture and prohibiting their use or slaughter. They were selected mainly on the basis of the number, sex and sequence of their offspring; but the lexicographers and commentators are by no means unanimous in their attempts at definition. For this reason - as well as because of their inherent complexity - the above four terms cannot be translated into any other language; consequently, I am rendering them in the text as "certain kinds of cattle marked out by superstition and set aside from the use of man": this being, in the consensus of all authorities, the common denominator of the four categories. It is obvious that their mention at this place (as well as, by implication, in {6:138-139} and {143-144}) serves as an illustration of the arbitrary invention of certain supposedly "religious" obligations and prohibitions alluded to in the preceding two verses and explained in the corresponding notes.
These camels were allowed by pagan Arabs to pasture freely and were not to be used for labour or transportation after fathering or giving birth to a certain number of male or female camels.
i.e., the pagans.
A number of Arab Pagan superstitions are referred to. The Pagan mind, not understanding the hidden secrets of nature, attributed certain phenomena to divine anger and were assailed by superstitious fears which haunted their lives. If a she-camel or other female domestic animal had a large number of young, she (or one of her offspring) had her ear slit and she was dedicated to a god: such an animal was a bahira. On return in safety from a journey, or on recovery from an illness a she-camel was similarly dedicated and let loose for free pasture: she was called a saiba. Where an animal bore twins, certain sacrifices or dedications were made to idols: an animal so dedicated was a wasila. A stallion-camel dedicated to the gods by certain rites was a ham. The particular examples lead to the general truth: that superstition is due to ignorance, and is degrading to men and dishonouring to Allah.
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Cf. ii. 170. Where a Messenger of Truth comes to teach us the better way, it is foolish to say: "What our ancestors did is good enough for us."
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After fulfilling their obligation of delivering the truth, enjoining what is good, and forbidding what is evil.
The unity of the one Judge will do perfect justice to each one's conduct, however different in form it may have appeared in this world.
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Lit., "[let there be] testimony between you" - i.e., between you and your heirs - "when death approaches any of you, at the time of [making a] bequest".
Lit., "travelling on earth". According to most of the commentators (cf. Razi), the expression minkum (lit., "from among you") signifies here "from among your own people", i.e., from among the Muslim community.
Lit., "we shall not conceal God's testimony".
If no Muslim witnesses can be found.
Ordinarily this oath should be decisive, and the matter must rest here. But if it gets known that the oath was false, other evidence may be taken as in the next verse.
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I.e., from among the rightful heirs of the deceased.
Istahaqqa = Deserved having something (good or evil) attributed to one; hence the alternative meanings: (1) committed or was guilty (of a sin): (2) had or claimed a lawful right (to property). The procedure was followed in an actual case in the Prophet's life-time. A man from Madinah died abroad, having made over his goods, to two friends, to be delivered to his designated heirs in Madinah. They, however, kept back a valuable silver cup. When this was found out, oaths were taken from those who knew, and justice was done.
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Lit., "lest [contradictory] oaths be proffered after their oaths".
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Cf. verse {99} above: "No more is the Apostle bound to do than deliver the message" - for, neither can he force people to follow the right path, nor can he know what is in their hearts. (See also {4:41-42}.)
A scene of the Day of Reckoning is put before us in graphic words, showing the responsibility and the limitations of the Prophets of Allah, sent to preach His Message to men, with special reference to the Message of Jesus. The Messengers are sent to preach the Truth. What fantastic forms the Message takes in men's reactions to it was beyond their knowledge, at the time, and beyond their responsibility.
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Regarding my occasional rendering of idh (at the beginning of a sentence) as "lo", see surah {2}, note [21]. In the above context, this interjection connects with the preceding passage, which states, by implication, that the apostles are not responsible for the reactions of those to whom they communicate the divine message: a connection that is brought out fully in verses {116-117} below.
See surah {2}, note [71].
Lit., "and the Torah and the Gospel". The conjunction "and" at the beginning of this clause is meant to stress the fact that both the Torah and the Gospel were included in the revelation (al-kitab) vouchsafed to Jesus. Although the Torah was an earlier revelation, it is described as "imparted to Jesus" because his own prophetic mission was based on the Law of Moses, which was only confirmed, and not abrogated, by the Gospel (cf. Matthew v, 17-19). As regards the expression "in thy cradle", see surah {3}, note [33] (first sentence).
See 3:49 , as well as the corresponding note [37].
See surah {3}, note [38].
i.e., the angel Gabriel.
In a solemn scene before the Court of Judgment, Jesus is asked to recount all the mercies and favours shown to him, so that his followers should become ashamed of their ingratitude in corrupting that Message, when they could have done so much in profiting by its purity and spiritual truth. This argument continues to the end of the Sura.
Cf. ii. 87, and iii. 62, n. 401.
Cf. iii. 46, and n. 388.
Cf. iii. 48.
Note how the words "by My leave" are repeated with each miracle to emphasize the fact that they arose, not out of the power or will of Jesus, but by the leave and will and power of Allah, who is supreme over Jesus as He is over all other mortals.
The Jews were seeking to take the life of Jesus long before their final attempt to crucify him: see Luke iv. 28-29. Their attempt to crucify him was also foiled, according to the teaching we have received: Q. iv. 157.
According to Luke (xi. 15), when Christ performed the miracle of casting out devils, the Jews said he did it through the chief of the devils. i.e., they accused him of black magic. No such miracle of casting out devils is mentioned in the Qur-an. But Moses, Jesus. and Muhammad were all accused of magic and sorcery, by those who could find no other explanation of Allah's power.
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I.e., the disciples of Jesus (see surah {3}, note [42]).
lit., Muslims.
"Thou" refers to Jesus, who is being addressed by his Disciples. Cf. iii. 52.
Before or after Muhammad's life on this earth, all who bowed to Allah's Will were Muslims, and their religion is Islam. Cf. iii, 52, and n. 392.
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The relevant words, in the generally accepted reading of the Qur'an, are hal yastati' rabbuka, meaning "can thy Sustainer", or "could thy Sustainer", or "is thy Sustainer able". Inasmuch as, on the face of it, this reading would imply a fundamental doubt in God's power to do anything that He wills (an imputation which does not agree with the characterization, in the Qur'an, of Jesus' disciples as firm believers), most of the commentators see in the query of the disciples something similar to one person's asking another, "Could you go with me?" - that is to say, not implying a doubt as to the other's ability to go but, rather, an uncertainty as to his willingness to do it (cf. in this respect, Tabari, Baghawi, Razi, Raghib; also Manar VII, 250ff.). We have, however, positive evidence of the fact that several of the most outstanding Companions of the Prophet - 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, 'A'ishah and Mu'adh ibn Jabal - read the words in question in the spelling hal tastati' rabbaka, which might be rendered as "Couldst thou prevail upon thy Sustainer?" (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Baghawi, Razi, Ibn Kathir): a reading which implies the disciples' uncertainty as to Jesus' ability (in the spiritual sense of this word) to make the above request of God. Thus, 'A'ishah, refusing to accept the more common reading hal yastati' rabbuka ("can" or "could thy Sustainer"), is reported to have said: "The disciples of Jesus knew better than to ask whether God is able to do anything: they merely asked [of Jesus], 'Art thou able to request thy Sustainer?'" (Razi). Moreover, according to an authentic Tradition quoted in the Mustadrak, Mu'adh ibn Jabal stated unequivocally that the Prophet himself had imparted to him the reading hal tastati' rabbaka ("Couldst thou prevail upon thy Sustainer?"). To my mind, the weight of evidence points to this second alternative: but in view of the more general reading, I have rendered the phrase as above. As regards the disciples' request - and Jesus' subsequent prayer - for a heavenly "repast" (ma'idah, the word which gave the title to this surah), it might possibly be an echo of the request for daily bread contained in the Lord's Prayer (cf. Matthew vi, 11), since, in religious terminology, every benefit that accrues to man is "sent down from heaven" - that is, by God - even if it comes into being through man's own efforts. But, on the other hand, the manner in which the disciples are said to have asked for the "repast" - and particularly their explanation given in the next verse - rather seems to point to a request for a miracle which would assure them of God's "acceptance" of their faith. (See also next note.)
The request of the Disciples savours a little of (1) want of faith, (2) too much attention to physical food, and (3) a childish desire for miracles or Signs. All these three can be proved from the Canonical Gospels. (1) Simon Peter, quite early in the story, asked Jesus to depart from him, as he (Simon) was a sinful man (Luke v. 8). The same Peter afterwards denied his Master three times shamelessly when the Master was in the power of his enemies. And one of the Disciples (Judas) actually betrayed Jesus. (2) Even in the Canonical Gospels, so many of the miracles are concerned with food and drink, e.g., the turning of the water into wine (John, ii, 1-11); the conversion of five loaves and two small fishes into food for 5,000 men (John vi. 5-13), this being the only miracle recorded in all the four Gospels; the miraculous number of fishes caught for food (Luke V. 4-11); the cursing of the fig tree because it had no fruit (Matt. xxi. 18-19); the allegory of eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood (John vi. 53-57). (3) Because the Samaritans would not receive Jesus into their village, the Disciples James and John wanted a fire to come down from heaven and consume them (Luke ix. 54).
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The words of the Prayer seem to suggest the Last Supper. Cf. also the vision of Peter in "The Acts of the Apostles." x. 9-16.
As in Islam, so in Christ's Prayer, sustenance should be taken for both physical and spiritual strength, especially the latter. "Give us this day our daily bread" seems the rendering of a literalist whose attention was fixed too much on bread.
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The grammatical form munazzil in the phrase inni munazziluha (lit., "I am sending it down") implies a continued recurrence of bestowal - a continuity which I have expressed by interpolating the word "always" between brackets. This stress on God's ever-recurrent provision of sustenance, both physical and spiritual, explains the extreme severity of His condemnation of all who - in their arrogant presumption that man is self-sufficient and independent - deny this obvious truth; and, in addition, it implies a condemnation of any demand for a miracle as a "proof" of God's existence.
It is a wicked generation that asks for Signs and Miracles. Usually they are not vouchsafed. But where they are, the responsibility of those who ask for them is increased. If, after that, they reject faith, invent lies, and go after false gods or false ideals, their penalty will be worse than that of other people. How this works out practically among those who call themselves Christians is exemplified in such books as the late Mr. W.T. Stead's "If Christ Came to Chicago?"
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Sc., "after Jesus' death": this is fully evident from Jesus' subsequent reference, in the past tense, to his own death ("since Thou hast caused me to die") in verse {117}. On the other hand, the verb qala (lit., "He said") can also have the meaning of "He will say" (see note [141] below).
Jesus disclaims here any knowledge of the sort of things that are attributed to him by those who take his name. The worship of Mary, though repudiated by the Protestants, was widely spread in the earlier churches, both in the East and the West.
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The definite article in anta'r-raqib expresses God's exclusiveness in His function as raqib ("keeper"), and can only be rendered by an interpolation of the (elliptically implied) word "alone". Similar expressions relating to God are very often met with in the Qur'an - e.g., at the end of the next verse.
This refers to the ascension of Jesus Christ. See footnote for 3:54.
Jesus here acknowledges that he was mortal, and that his knowledge was limited like that of a mortal.
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i.e., as your creation, they cannot escape the punishment.
A Master can justly punish His servants for disobedience: no one can say Him nay, for He is high above all. But if He chooses to forgive. He in His wisdom sees things that we mortals cannot see. This is the limit of intercession that men of God can make on behalf of sinners.
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Lit., "said" - but many of the classical commentators understand the verb qala as denoting here the future tense ("He will say"), sc., "on the Day of Judgment".
Fauz = Felicity, happiness, achievement, salvation, the attainment or fulfilment of desires. What a beautiful definition of salvation or the end of life!-that we should win Allah's good pleasure and that we should reach the stage at which His good pleasure is all-in-all to us.
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