Surah Ash-Shu'ara - The Poets: Exegesis / Tafsir 26th Chapter of the Holy Quran - Part III

Sūrah Ash-Shuʻarāʼ is the twenty sixth surah with 227 ayahs with eleven rukus, part of the 19th Juzʼ  of the Holy Qur'an. The Surah takes its name from verse 224 in which the word Ash-Shu`araa' occurs.

As already mentioned in the Overview of this surah, since this surah is very long, the exegesis / tafseer has been broken down into parts for better understanding as under and will be presented separately in our subsequent posts: 

• Part I:   Rukhu 1-4 (Verses 1-68) - Mention of Prophet Moses and Pharaoh
• Part II:  Rukhu 5 (verses 69-104) - Mention of Prophet Abraham
• Part III: (This Part) Rukhu 6-7 (Verses 105-140) - Mention of Prophets Noah and Hüd
• Part IV: Rukhu 8-10 (Verses 141-191) - Mention of Prophets Sälih, Lüt, and Shu'aib
• Part V:  Rukhu 11 (Verses 192-227) - The Revelation of the Qur'an 

Just a reminder of the overview, from Sūrah Ash-Shuʻarāʼ, a new series of four Surahs (Chapters 26-29), begins which illustrate the contrast between the spirit of Prophecy and spiritual Light and the reactions to it in the communities among whom it appeared, by going back to old Prophets and the stories of the Past. In this particular Surah the story of Moses in his fight with Pharaoh and of Pharaoh's discomfiture has been mentioned. Other Prophets mentioned are Abraham, Noah, Hüd, Sälih, Lüt, and Shu'aib. The lesson is drawn that the Qur'an is a continuation and fulfillment of previous Revelations, and is pure Truth, unlike This Surah begins the poetry of vain poets Chronologically the Surah belongs to the middle Makkan period, when the contact of the Light of Prophecy with the milieu of Pagan Makkah was testing the Makkans in their most arrogant mood.

Let us now read the translation and exegesis / tafseer in English of the Surah segmented into portions as per the subject matter. For Arabic Text, please refer to the references given at the end and may also listen to its recitation in Arabic with English subtitles:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

Rukhu 6 [Verses 105-122]
105-122 Story of Prophet Nuh (Noah, peace be upon him), his dialogue with his people, they disbelieved and as a result faced destruction.

The people of Noah also rejected their Messenger.  He was gentle and mild, and asked for no payment, but they considered him and those who followed him to be poor and worthless.  Noah said he would never drive away a believer; he was nothing but a warner.  They asked him to desist or he would be stoned.  Noah called out to God asking for a decisive judgement.   God saved Noah and the believers in a ship, the others were drowned.  This is a great lesson, but most do not believe.  God is Mighty and Merciful.

( 105 )   The people of Noah denied the messengers

The mention of people of Noah also appears in  (Surah AI-Aaraf, Ayats 59-64); (Surah Younus, Ayats 71-73); (Surah Houd, Ayats 25-48); (Surah Bani Israil, Ayat 3); (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayats 76-77); (Surah Al-Mominoon, Ayats 23-30); and (Surah Al-Furqan, Ayat 37). For the details of the story of Prophet Noah, see (Surah Al-Ankabut, Ayat 15); (Surah As-Saffat, Ayats 75-82); (Surah Al-Qamar, Ayats 9-15) and Surah Nooh itself.

Though Noah's people had rejected only one Messenger, it amounted to rejecting all the messengers because all of them had brought one and the same message from Allah. This is an important fact which the Quran has mentioned over and over again in different ways. Thus, even those people who rejected just one Prophet have been regarded as unbelievers though they believed in all other Prophets, for the simple reason that the believer in the truth of one Messenger cannot deny the same truth in other cases unless he does so on account of racial prejudice, imitation of elders, etc.

( 106 )   When their brother Noah said to them, "Will you not fear Allah?

The address of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) to his people, is also mentioned at other places in the Quran: O my people, worship Allah alone, you have no deity other than Him. Are you not afraid (of Him)? (Surah Al-Mominoon, Ayat 23); and Worship Allah and fear Him and obey me. (Surah Nooh, Ayat 3). That is, are you not afraid of the consequences of adopting an attitude of rebellion against Allah and worshiping others than Him?

( 107 )   Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger.

This verse has two meanings. (1) I present before you nothing but what Allah reveals to me. (2) I am a Messenger whom you have already known to be a trustworthy and honest and righteous man. When I have been honest and true in my dealings with you, how can I be dishonest and untrustworthy in conveying the message of God? Therefore, you should rest assured that whatever I am presenting is the truth.

( 108 )   So fear Allah and obey me.

That is, when I am a truthful and trustworthy Messenger, you are duty-bound to obey me alone as against all other patrons, and carry out my commands and instructions, because I represent the will of God. Obedience to me is in fact obedience to God and disobedience to me is disobedience to Him. In other words, the people are not only required to accept a Messenger as a true Messenger sent by Allah, but it inevitably implies that they have to obey him and follow his Law against all other laws. To reject a Prophet, or to disobey him after accepting him as a Prophet, is tantamount to rebellion against Allah, which inevitably leads to His wrath. The words “fear Allah” are, therefore, a warning that every hearer should clearly understand the consequences of rejecting the message of a Messenger or of disobeying his commands.

( 109 )   And I do not ask you for it any payment. My payment is only from the Lord of the worlds.

This is the second of the two arguments of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) about the truth of his message, the first being that they had known him as a trustworthy man during his earlier life, which he had lived among them. This second argument implies this: I do not have any selfish motive or personal interest in conveying the message which I am propagating day and night in spite of all sorts of opposition and antagonism from you. At least you should understand this that 1 am sincere in my invitation, and am presenting honestly only that which I believe to be the truth and in following which I see the true success and well-being of humanity at large. I have no personal motive in this that I should fabricate falsehood to fool the people.

These two arguments are among the most important arguments which the Quran has advanced repeatedly as proofs of the truthfulness of the Prophets, and which it presents as criterion for judging Prophethood. A man who before Prophethood has lived a life in a society and has always been found to be honest, truthful and righteous, cannot be doubted even by a prejudiced person that he would suddenly start fabricating falsehood in the name of Allah and making people believe that he has been appointed a Prophet by Him, whereas he has not been. More important than that, such a lie cannot be fabricated with a good intention unless somebody has a selfish motive attached to this kind of fraud. And even when a person indulges in this sort of fraud, he cannot hide it completely from the people. The foul means and devices adopted by him to promote his business become known and all the various selfish interests and gains become all too apparent. Contrary to this, the personal life of a Prophet is full of moral excellencies. It has no trace of the employment of foul means and devices. Not to speak of any personal interest, he expends whatever he has for the cause of a mission which to all appearances is fruitless. No person who possesses any common sense and also has a sense of justice, can ever imagine that a sensible man who was leading a perfectly peaceful life, would come out all of a sudden with a false claim, when such a false claim does not do him any good, but on the contrary, demands all his money, time and energy and earns him nothing in return but the antagonism and hostility of the whole world. Sacrifice of personal interests is the foremost proof of a man’s sincerity; therefore, doubting the intentions and sincerity of a person who has been sacrificing his personal interests for years and years can only be the pastime of the one who himself is selfish and insincere.

( 110 )   So fear Allah and obey me."

Repetition of this sentence is not without reason. In the first case (verse 108), it implied this: You should fear Allah if you treat as false a true and trustworthy Messenger from Him, whom you yourselves have been regarding as a true and trustworthy man in the past. Here it means: You should fear Allah if you doubt the intention of a person who is working sincerely only for the reformation of the people without any personal interest. This thing has been stressed because the chiefs of Prophet Noah’s (peace be upon him) people, in order to find fault with his message of truth, accused him of struggling merely for his personal superiority: He merely intends to obtain superiority over you. (Surah Al-Mominoon, Ayat 24).

( 111 )   They said, "Should we believe you while you are followed by the lowest [class of people]?"

This answer to Prophet Noah’s (peace be upon him) message of truth was given by the chiefs, elders and nobles of his people as mentioned in (Surah Houd, Ayat 27). In answer to this, those chiefs of his people, who had rejected his message: said, We see that you are no more than a mere man like ourselves, and we also see that only the meanest from among us have become your followers without due consideration, and we find nothing in you that might give you superiority over us. This shows that those who believed in Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) were mostly the poor people, and ordinary workmen, or some youth who enjoyed no position in society. As for the influential and rich people, they had become his bitter opponents, and were trying by every trick and allurement to keep the common man behind them. One of the arguments they advanced against Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) was this: Had there been some weight and substance in Noah’s message, the rich people, scholars, religious divines, nobles and wise people of the community should have accepted it, but none of them has believed in him; the only people to follow him are the foolish people belonging to the lowest stratum of society, who have no common-sense. Now how can the noble and high ranking people like us join the company of the common people?

Precisely the same thing was being said by the unbelieving Quraish about the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his followers. Abu Sufyan in reply to the questions asked by Heraclius had said: Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been followed by the poor and weak of our people. What they seemed to be thinking was that truth was that which was considered as truth by the chiefs and elders of the community, for only they had the necessary common-sense and power of judgment. As for the common people, their being common was a proof that they lacked sense and judgment. As such, if a thing was accepted by them but rejected by the chiefs, it meant that the thing itself was without worth and value. The disbelievers of Makkah even went further. They argued that a Prophet could not be a common man. If God had to appoint a Prophet, He would have appointed a great chief to be a Prophet. They say: why has not the Quran been sent down to a prominent man of our two cities (Makkah and Taif)? (Surah Az-Zukhruf, Ayat 31).

( 112 )   He said, "And what is my knowledge of what they used to do?( 113 )   Their account is only upon my Lord, if you [could] perceive.

This is the first answer to their objection, which was based on the assumption that the poor people belonging to the working classes and lower social strata who performed humble duties, did not possess any mental maturity and were without intelligence and common sense. Therefore, their belief was without any rational basis, and so unreliable, and their deeds were of no value at all. To this Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) replies: I have no means of judging the motives and assessing the worth of the deeds of the people who accept my message and act accordingly. This is not my concern but the responsibility of God.

( 114 )   And I am not one to drive away the believers. ( 115 )   I am only a clear warner."

Verse 105 gives the second answer to their objection, which implied that since those who were gathering around Noah (peace be upon him) as believers, belonged to the lowest social strata, none of the nobles would like to join them, as if to say: O Noah, should we believe in you in order to be counted among the low-ranking people like the slaves and servants and workmen? To this Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) answers: How can I adopt this irrational attitude that I should attend earnestly to those who do not like to listen to me, but drive away those who have believed and followed me? I am simply, a warner, who has declared openly that the way you are following is wrong and will lead you to ruin, and the way that I am inviting to is the way of salvation far all. Now it is up to you whether you heed my warning and adopt the right path, or go on following blindly the way to your ruin. It does not behoove me that I should start inquiring into the castes and ancestry and trades of the people who have heeded my warning and adopted the right path. They might be mean in your sight, but I cannot drive them away and wait to see when the nobles will give up the path of destruction and adopt the way of salvation and success instead.

Precisely the same thing was going on between the Holy Prophet and the disbelievers of Makkah when these verses were revealed, and one can fully understand why the dialogue between Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) and the chiefs of his people, has been related here. The chiefs of the disbelievers of Makkah thought exactly the same way. They said how they could sit side by side with the slaves like Bilal, Ammar and Suhaib and other men of the working class, as if to say: Unless these poor people are turned out, there can be no possibility that the nobles may consider to become believers; it is impossible that the master and the slave should stand shoulder to shoulder with each other. In answer to this the Prophet (peace be upon him) was commanded by Allah to tell the vain and arrogant disbelievers plainly that the poor believers could not be driven out of Islam just for their sake: O Muhammad, you attend earnestly to him who has shown indifference (to your message), whereas you have no responsibility if he does not reform himself; and the one who comes to you earnestly, fearing Allah, to him you pay no attention. Nay, this indeed is an admonition, so let him, who wills, accept it. (Surah Abasa, Ayats 5-12).

And do not drive away those who invoke their Lord morning and evening and are engaged in seeking His favor. You are not in any way accountable for them, nor are they in any way accountable for you: so, if you should drive them away, you shall be counted among the unjust. As a matter of fact, in this way We have made some of them a means of test for others, so that, seeing them, they should say: Are these the people from among us upon whom Allah has showered His blessings? Yes, does Allah not know His grateful servants better than they? (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayats 52-53).

( 116 )   They said, "If you do not desist, O Noah, you will certainly become one of the accursed."

The words in the text may have two meanings. (1) You will be stoned to death. (2) You will be showered with abuses from all sides, and cursed and reviled wherever you go.

( 117 )   He said, "My Lord, indeed my people have denied me.

That is, they have rejected me completely and absolutely and now there is no hope of their becoming believers. Here nobody should have the misunderstanding that just after this conversation between Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) and the chiefs of his people, and the rejection of his message by them, the Prophet submitted a report to Allah that his people had rejected him and now He should settle the accounts between them.

The Quran has mentioned at different places the details of the long struggle that went on for centuries between Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) and his people, who persisted in unbelief. According to (verse 14 of Surah Al-Ankabut), the struggle continued for 950 years: He (Noah) remained among them for a thousand years save fifty years. Prophet Noah during this long period studied their collective behavior, generation after generation, and came to the conclusion that they had no inclination to accept the truth, and formed the opinion that in their future generations also there was no hope of anybody becoming a believer and adopting the righteous attitude: My Lord, if You should leave them, they will lead Your servants astray, and they will bear as children none but sinners and disbelievers. (Surah Nooh, Ayat 27). Allah Himself confirmed this opinion of Noah, saying: No more of your people will believe in you now than those who have already believed. So do not grieve at their misdeeds. (Sura Houd, Ayat 36).

( 118 )   Then judge between me and them with decisive judgment and save me and those with me of the believers."

That is You, O Allah, should not only give Your judgment as to who is in the right and who is in the wrong, but deliver Your Judgment in such a manner that the followers of the truth are saved and the followers of falsehood are completely annihilated from the earth.

( 119 )   So We saved him and those with him in the laden ship.( 1

Laden ship: because the ship became loaded with the believers and the pairs of animals from every species. For further details, see Surah Houd, Ayat 40.

20 )   Then We drowned thereafter the remaining ones.( 121 )   Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.( 122 )   And indeed, your Lord - He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.

Rukhu 7 [Verses 123-140]
123-140 Story of Prophet Hüd (peace be upon him), his address to his people, they disbelieved and as a result faced destruction.

The people of Aad disbelieved in their Messenger Hüd.  He asked them to fear God and requested no payment.  They built strong, tall buildings as if they expected to live forever and were cruel tyrants.  Hüd reminded them that God provided them with their sustenance.  Hüd’s people replied that they had no fear of torment and such talk was nothing but an ancient myth.  God utterly destroyed them.  He is Mighty as well as Merciful.

A word about People of Aad: Ad (also called Aad) was the great-grandson of Shem, son of Noah (Arabic: Sam ibn Nuh سام بن نوح) who came from the northeast and was the progenitor of the Adites. The Adites are believed to be among the first inhabitants of the country of the Arabians. They belong to what is known as the perished Arabs (العرب البائدة). Iram (إرم) is the place to which the prophet Hüd (هود) was sent in order to guide its people back to the righteous path of God. The citizens continued in their idolatrous ways, and Allah destroyed their city in a great storm. [Wikipedia]

( 123 )   'Aad denied the messengers

For details see (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayats 65-72); (Surah Houd, Ayats 50-60); and for further details of this story, see (Surah HaMim Sajdah, Ayats 13-16); (Surah Al- Ahqaf, Ayats 21-26); (Surah Az-Zariyat, Ayats 41,45); (Surah Al-Qamar, Ayats 18-22); (Surah Al-Haqqah, Ayats 4-8); and (Surah AI-Fajr, Ayats 6-8).

( 124 )   When their brother Hüd said to them, "Will you not fear Allah?

In order to understand this discourse of Prophet Hüd fully, we should keep in mind the various details about the people of Aad which the Quran has given at different places: For instance, it says:

• (1) After the destruction of the people of Noah (Peace be upon him), the Aad were given power and prominence in the world: Do not forget that after Noah’s people your Lord made you the successors. (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 69).
• (2) Physically they were very robust and powerful people: And made you very robust. (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 69).
• (3)They had no parallel as a nation in the world: The like of which was not created in the lands. (Surah Al-Fajr, Ayat 8).
• (4) They were civilized and were well-known in the world for their great skill and art in erecting lofty buildings with tall columns: Have you not seen what your Lord did with Aad lram, of lofty columns? (Surah Al-Fajr, Ayat 6, 7).
• (5) This material progress and physical power had made them arrogant and vain: As for Aad, they deviated from the right path and adopted an arrogant attitude in the land and said: Who is mightier than us in power? (Surah Ha Mim Sajdah, Ayat 15) .
• (6) Their political power was in the hands of a few tyrants before whom none could dare raise his voice: And they followed and obeyed every tyrannous enemy of the Truth. (Surah Houd, Ayat 59).
• (7) They were not disbelievers in the existence of Allah, but were involved in shirk; they only denied that Allah alone should be worshiped and none else: They said (to Houd), Have you come to us (with the demand) that we should worship Allah alone and discard those whom our elders have been worshiping? (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 70). 

The next three verses contain similar conversation that Prophet Noah had with his people and even all following prophets:

( 125 )   Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger.( 126 )   So fear Allah and obey me.( 127 )   And I do not ask you for it any payment. My payment is only from the Lord of the worlds.

( 128 )   Do you construct on every elevation a sign, amusing yourselves,

That is, you build grand buildings merely to show off your wealth and power, whereas they have no use and purpose except that they stand as monuments to your grandeur and glory.

( 129 )   And take for yourselves palaces and fortresses that you might abide eternally?

That is, though you have built other buildings also for dwelling purposes, in order to make them grand, beautiful and strong, you expend your wealth and mental and physical abilities in a manner as if you were going to live forever, and there was no purpose of life except seeking of comfort and pleasure and nothing beyond this worldly life which might deserve your attention.

Prophet Hüd’s (peace be upon him) criticism of his people’s extravagant and luxurious architecture was not simply aimed at the high castles and monuments, but he was actually criticizing their corrupt civilization and social system, whose glaring symptoms could be seen everywhere in the land in the shape of castles and monuments.

In Surah Al Fajr, chapter 89, verses 6–14 the mention of People of Aad (and others) is made and the torment they received as punishment of their continued disobedience and mocking of the prophets sent to them:

6: Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ‘Aad -
7: [With] Iram – who had lofty pillars, 8: The likes of whom had never been created in the lands 9: And [with] Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley? 10: And [with] Pharaoh, owner of the stakes? – 11: [All of] whom oppressed within the lands 12: And increased therein the corruption. 13: So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment. 14: Indeed, your Lord is in observation.

( 130 )   And when you strike, you strike as tyrants.

That is, in order to meet the demands of your ever rising standards of life, you do not rest content with small living quarters but you build castles and fortresses, and yet being unsatisfied you erect lofty edifices unnecessarily just for ostentation. But as human beings you have become so depraved that there is no mercy in your hearts for the weak, no justice for the poor, and all people of lower social strata, living inside or around your land, are being oppressed tyrannically and none is safe from your barbarities.

Verse 131-135 once again are similar repetition of conversation which Prophet Noah had with his people, but to no avail:

( 131 )   So fear Allah and obey me.( 132 )   And fear He who provided you with that which you know,( 133 )   Provided you with grazing livestock and children( 134 )   And gardens and springs.( 135 )   Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a terrible day."

( 136 )   They said, "It is all the same to us whether you advise or are not of the advisors

This can have two meanings. (1) Whatever we are doing is not new but has been happening from the time of our elders since centuries: they had the same creed, the same way of life, the same morality and the same kind of dealings and yet they remained unharmed and safe from every calamity. If there was any evil in this way of life, we should have met the doom with which you are threatening us. (2) The things you are preaching have also been preached and said before by religious maniacs and so-called moralists, but they could not change the ways of the world. It has never happened that the world suffered a disaster only because people refused to listen to preachers like you.

( 137 )   This is not but the custom of the former peoples,( 138 )   And we are not to be punished."

( 139 )   And they denied him, so We destroyed them. Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.

According to the Quran, the people of Aad were destroyed by a violent windstorm. When they saw it advancing towards their valleys, they rejoiced with the hope that those were dense clouds which would bring much rain for them, but in reality it was Allah’s scourge. The windstorm continued to rage for eight days and seven nights and destroyed everything. The people were swept away like straw and everything on which the hot, dry wind blew was left rotting. The storm did not abate until the last man of the wicked tribe had met his doom. Only ruins of their habitations remained to tell the tale of their terrible fate, and today even the ruins have become extinct. The whole territory of Ahqaf has turned into dreadful desert dunes. 

( 140 )   And indeed, your Lord - He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.

May Allah guide us to the path of truth and let not our hearts deviate from his fear and commandments, for Allah does not like tyrants and transgressors. Aameen

You may now like to listen to Arabic recitation of Surah Ash-Shu'ara with English subtitles:

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary / exegesis of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Juzʼ / Part backwards for chapters in 30th Juzʼ / Part are shorter and easier to understand). 

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Reading the Holy Quran should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:

• The plain translation has been taken from the Holy Quran officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
• The exegesis of the chapters of the Holy Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. 
• In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. 

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What is the Authenticity of the Qur'an? (Scholars' Viewpoint)

Islam is the youngest of all the Divine religions, yet it is the fastest growing religion and many non-Muslims fear that soon Islam will overtake Christianity by 2050 in most of the European countries. Whether this assumption is true or not, or it is just to create a scare around the world that "Muslims are coming", a notion that has in recent times given birth to the notion: Islamophobia. 

But despite all cautions, more and more non-Muslims are reverting to Islam on their free will and finding much more peace after finding the truth as being Muslims. I have shared many accounts of reverts, which in fact was the basic theme of my blog when Is tarted it, and all claims point toward one thing: Truth that only Islam provides through the Divine Commandments contained in the Holy Quran and life and sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which elaborated the Divine Commandments as Angel Jibraeel (Gabriel) told him on the sidelines of revelations contained in the Holy Quran. 

And when someone gets alarmed, one targets the very core concepts, and in case of Islam, the authenticity of the Divine Book, the Holy Qur'an. I have often come across allegations by non-Muslims who doubt the very basis of the Holy Qur'an and many of them believe, or have been made to believe, that Muhammad (Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) is the writer of the Qur'an and the 'book' is all about Muhammad (Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) and not the God. And one can come across very derogatory remarks and opinion about the last of the Prophets of Allah, which I purposely skip for it is beyond the dignity of a man to do so.

As for the disinformation about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), let me just quote one of the many "objections' by the Christians:

"The Quran tells us that Muhammad wrote down the Quran - Muhammad's contemporaries are quoted as saying, "These are tales from the past that he wrote down. They are being dictated to him day and night" (Quran 25:5)."

Now as can be seen this is a misquoted reference. The exact verse is as under:

"And they say, "Legends of the former peoples which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon." 

So, for those who say so, the next verse clears any doubt that anyone may have:

Say, [O Muhammad], "It has been revealed by He who knows [every] secret within the heavens and the earth. Indeed, He is ever Forgiving and Merciful."

Now coming to the authenticity of the Qur'an. Before I express my onion, though based on some authentic references, let me say a few words about the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament, the Bible:

• As per one Christian website, The Bible is not just one book, but an entire library, with stories, songs, poetry, letters and history, as well as literature that might more obviously qualify as 'religious'.
• The Christian Bible has two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the original Hebrew Bible, the sacred scriptures of the Jewish faith, written at different times between about 1200 and 165 BC. The New Testament books were written by Christians in the first century AD. [2]

Now just a few words about the above said history and contents of the Old and New Testaments:

• The Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, which is revered by Jews, took some 800 years to be 'written.' The Word of God does not take centuries to be written for it contains commandments and not songs, poetry, letters (from whom, from God?) and literature that might qualify as religious.
• it may be added that Prophet Moses lived between 1500 and 1300 BC, and the Old Testament started to be written even after 100 years of him from 1200 BC onward.
• So it is safe to assume that while the Old Testament does contain the Divine Commandments, is not all about Divine Commandments. And that religious people of the time had been adding things other than the Divine Commandments for good about 800 years.
• New Testament has 27 books, written between about 50 and 100 AD, and falling naturally into two sections: the Gospels, which tell the story of Jesus (written by four men, namely: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John); and the Letters (or epistles) - written by various Christian leaders to provide guidance for the earliest church communities. And it was 'written by Christians' who had never seen Prophet Eesa in their lives. What it means is that though New Testament may still contain words of God, it is not entirely the word of God. 
• Like the Old Testament, the New Testament has been written by men and contains 'stories' about Jesus and letters written by Christian leaders to provide guidance for the earliest church communities.
• So, it is safe to assume that many things other than the true word of God have been added to the New Testament as willed by the writers of the New Testament.

This really confuses an ordinary man as to how the so-called divine books by written much after the death of the prophets these are attributed to. And I would like to quote Dr. Laurence B. Brown, a Christian, who is author of the book "MisGod'ed." In his concluding remarks after comparing all Divine books including the Old and New Testaments and the Qur'an, the learned writer says: [7]

Despite Old and New Testament corruptions, despite all the additions, omissions and alterations, despite the forgery of entire books and the doctrinally motivated modifications of pre-existing texts, despite the fact that the authors of the New Testament gospels and half of Paul’s letters are anonymous, despite not knowing who wrote what, and precisely when, where or why, the argument can nonetheless be made that the word of God is still to be found in the Bible. This may be true! The problem is, a lot of questionable teachings are encountered as well. How, then, do we distinguish the word of God from the word of man? Some claim we can, others claim we can’t—only God can.

Here it is open admittance that Bible, despite containing words of God, has generally been corrupted and is liable to additions and omissions. There is even a long list of verses that are all completely removed from the New International Version (NIV) and most modern bibles. the bible was not corrupted? There are so many more verses that are removed, it's just to much to type. In one edition a verse is deleted and then a few years later another edition is back again?  [8]

This clearly vindicated the assertions of Dr Laurence B. Brown just quoted above. 

Now coming to the Holy Qur'an and its authenticity. In order to understand the authenticity of the Holy Qur'an the reader needs to know exactly how the Qur'an was revealed and how it was COMPILED and not Written as have been the Old and New Testaments, the NIV and the modern Bibles. Please read our earlier post "Brief History of the Compilation of the Holy Qur'an" for details, the gist is as under:

• The verses of Holy Qur'an were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the trusted Angel Jibraeel (Gabriel) in bits and pieces over a period of 23 years.
• The Prophet of Allah would listen to Angel Gabriel, and then repeat the verses so revealed so as to remember these by heart. The Angel Gabriel would also explain the meaning added instructions on the sidelines which later became part of Hadith and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
• Soon after when the Angel Gabriel used to be gone, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would call one or some of his trusted literate companions and read out the freshly revealed verses to them.  And would listen to them again and again until he was satisfied with the correctness of the verses. The learned listeners sometimes memorized these by heart and other time wrote those down on whatever means of writing were available.
• While reading out the verses, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would also tell them the exact place of the new verses vis.a.vis the older one so that these were well placed as per the context.
• After the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had embarked upon his heavenly journey, a large number of companions had memorized or written down the Qur'an directly learnt from the Prophet of Allah. 
• However, during the many battles, especially the Battle of Yamama, which was fought in the time of the first caliph Abu Bakr to quelch the false prophets who had proclaimed prophecy, a large number of those who had memorized the Qur'an got martyred and a fear arose in the heart of Abu Bakr that if with that rate memorizers of Qur'an kept on getting martyred, there will be left no one to know the actual Quran.
• So, he deputed a group of most trusted literate companions of the Prophet of Allah, under Zaid Ibn Thâbit the main scribe of the Prophet, who had memorized the Qur'an right under his supervision and guidance. Thus, the first "COMPILED" Quran came into being in hand written form. This was checked and rechecked and was found to be the authenticated Qur'an.
• However, there were many others who too had memorized the Qur'an while listening to the Prophet of Allah, but had not been corrected or OK-eyed by the Prophet of Allah. These Muslims in good faith made their personal copies and these came into circulation not only in Makkah and Medina, but in distant lands.
• The third caliph Othman feared that this unauthorized circulation may contain errors and may be misleading. So he again constituted a committee which checked the authenticity of the document produced under Abu Bakr which had remained in Abu Bakr's daughter Hafsa's possession until that time. The critical analysis of the authenticity of the text was carried out very rigorously. The agreement of the witnesses was deemed necessary before the slightest verse containing debatable material was retained.
• Many copies from the final and authentic compiled Quran were then sent to all Islamic centers of the Muslim world by the Caliph Uthman. At the same time Uthman ordered all other copies which had been personally prepared and were in circulation were ordered to be burned so that one authentic Qur'an exists all over. 
• The hand written final and authentic Qur'an is preserved in Istanbul. All printed copies of Qur'an all over the world are exact copies this hand written Qur'an.
• And because of the compilation of the Quran done under exert care and scrutiny that even after more than 1400 years since, the present-day Qur'an is exactly true copy of the agreed upon version.

Thus, unlike other creeds and religions. Islam has only one book. It is called the Qur'an. There is only one version of it. The same one revealed to the prophet pbuh. The Qur'an is protected by Allah who promised:

“ إنا نحن نزلنا الذكر و إنا له لحافظون “

"The fact is that we have mentioned this Quran, and we are about to protect it" [Surah Al Hajj, Chapter 15 verse 9]

In this ayat, Allah promises that he will protect this book and hence it can never be altered. 

Now my question to all non-Muslims questioning the authenticity of the Qur'an: Is the Qur'an compiled within 20 years of death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) authentic or the Old and New Testaments written by men centuries after the death of Prophets Moses and Jesus?

Herein under you may listen to prominent Muslim scholar Dr Zakir A Naik answering a Christian brother's question of authenticity of the Qur'an:

May Allah help us to know the truth ourselves by reading authentic references / sources rather than misinformation fed to them by those with vested interests. Because truth cannot be hidden, especially in this age of technology and the Internet. And this is the reason why more and more non-Muslims, especially Christians, reverting to Islam for they have ultimately found the truth.

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is our duty to convey only to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the video above are those of the scholar concerned. We have shared this view as added information in better understanding of Islam. The reader may or may not agree with the view owing to their own perception. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

For more Scholarly views and videos, please read our reference page: Scholars' Viewpoint on Important Issues Related to Islam.

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Surah Ash-Shu'ara - The Poets: Exegesis / Tafsir 26th Chapter of the Holy Quran - Part II

Sūrah Ash-Shuʻarāʼ is the twenty sixth surah with 227 ayahs with eleven rukus, part of the 19th Juzʼ  of the Holy Qur'an. The Surah takes its name from verse 224 in which the word Ash-Shu`araa' occurs.

As already mentioned in the Overview of this surah, since this surah is very long, the exegesis / tafseer has been broken down into parts for better understanding as under and will be presented separately in our subsequent posts: 

• Part I:   Rukhu 1-4 (Verses 1-68) - Mention of Prophet Moses and Pharaoh
• Part II:  (This Part) Rukhu 5 (verses 69-104) - Mention of Prophet Abraham
• Part III: Rukhu 6-7 (Verses 105-140) - Mention of Prophets Noah and Hüd
• Part IV: Rukhu 8-10 (Verses 141-191) - Mention of Prophets Sälih, Lüt, and Shu'aib
• Part V:  Rukhu 11 (Verses 192-227) - The Revelation of the Qur'an 

Just a reminder of the overview, from Sūrah Ash-Shuʻarāʼ, a new series of four Surahs (Chapters 26-29), begins which illustrate the contrast between the spirit of Prophecy and spiritual Light and the reactions to it in the communities among whom it appeared, by going back to old Prophets and the stories of the Past. In this particular Surah the story of Moses in his fight with Pharaoh and of Pharaoh's discomfiture has been mentioned. Other Prophets mentioned are Abraham, Noah, Hüd, Sälih, Lüt, and Shu'aib. The lesson is drawn that the Qur'an is a continuation and fulfillment of previous Revelations, and is pure Truth, unlike This Surah begins the poetry of vain poets Chronologically the Surah belongs to the middle Makkan period, when the contact of the Light of Prophecy with the milieu of Pagan Makkah was testing the Makkans in their most arrogant mood.

This part of the life-history of Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham, peace be upon him) relates to the time when after his appointment to Prophethood, a conflict had started between him and his people on the questions of shirk and Tauhid. In this connection, the reader should also see (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayats 258-260); (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayats 75-83); (Surah Maryam, Ayats 41-50); (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayats 51-70); (Surah As-Saffat, Ayats 83-113); and (Surah Al- Mumtahanah, Ayats 4-5).

The Quran has specially repeated this part of Prophet Abraham’s life story over and over again because the Arabs in general and the Quraish in particular regarded themselves as his followers and professed his way and creed. Besides them, the Christians and the Jews also claimed that Abraham was their religious leader and guide. That is why the Quran admonishes them over and over again that the creed brought by Abraham was Islam itself, which is now being presented by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and which they are opposing tooth and nail. Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) was not a mushrik, but an antagonist against shirk, and for the same reason he had to leave his home and country and live as a migrant in Syria, Palestine and Hejaz. Thus he was neither a Jew nor a Christian, because Judaism and Christianity appeared centuries after him. This historical argument could neither be refuted by the mushriks, nor by the Jews or the Christians, because the mushriks themselves admitted that idol-worship in Arabia had started several centuries after Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), and the Jews and the Christians also could not deny that Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had lived long before the beginning of Judaism and Christianity. This obviously meant that the special beliefs and customs which those people thought formed the basis of their religion, were not part of the original religion taught by Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). True religion was the one which had no tinge of those impurities, but was based on those worship and obedience of One Allah alone. That is why the Quran says:

Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a Muslim, sound in the faith, and he was not of those who set up partners with Allah. Surely only those people who follow Abraham are entitled to claim a relationship with him. Now this Prophet and the believers are better entitled to this relationship. (Surah Al Anaam, Ayats 67, 68).

Let us now read the translation and exegesis / tafseer in English of the Surah segmented into portions as per the subject matter. For Arabic Text, please refer to the references given at the end and may also listen to its recitation in Arabic with English subtitles:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

Rukhu 5 [Verses 69-104]
This part is the story of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) and his arguments against idol worshiping and Prayer of Prophet Ibrahim for this life and the life hereafter and Mushrikin and their gods both will be toppled into hell

( 69 )   And recite to them the news of Abraham,( 70 )   When he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?"

Obviously the object of this question was to remind the people that the deities which they worshiped were false and absolutely powerless. In Surah Al Anbiya the same question has been posed thus: What are these images to which you are so devoted. (verse 52).

( 71 )   They said, "We worship idols and remain to them devoted."

Though everybody knew that they worshiped idols, their answer implied that they were firm in faith and their hearts were satisfied with it, as if to say: We also know that these are idols of stone and wood, which we worship, but our faith demands that we should serve and worship them devotedly.

( 72 )   He said, "Do they hear you when you supplicate?( 73 )   Or do they benefit you, or do they harm?"

( 74 )   They said, "But we found our fathers doing thus."

That is, we do not worship and serve them because they hear our prayers and supplications, or that they can harm and benefit us, but because we have seen our elders worshiping and serving them. Thus, they themselves admitted that the only reason of their worshiping the idols was the blind imitation of their forefathers. In other words, they meant this: There is nothing new in what you are telling us, We know that these are idols of stone and wood, which do not hear anything, nor can harm or do good, but we cannot believe that our elders who have been worshiping them since centuries, generation after generation, were foolish people. They must have had some good reason for worshiping these lifeless images, so we are doing the same as we have full faith in them.

( 75 )   He said, "Then do you see what you have been worshiping,

( 76 )   You and your ancient forefathers?

That is, is it enough to say that a religion is true only because it has been held as such by their ancestors? Should people, generation after generation, go on following their ancestors in their footsteps blindly without ever caring to see whether the deities they worship possess any divine attribute or not, and whether they have any power to influence their destinies?

( 77 )   Indeed, they are enemies to me, except the Lord of the worlds,

That is, when I consider them, I see that if I worship them, I shall ruin myself both in this world and in the Hereafter. As their worship is clearly harmful, worshiping them is worshiping one’s enemy. These words of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) bear a close connection with (verses 81, 82 of Surah Maryam), which say: These people have set up gods other than Allah so that they may become their supporters. But they will have no supporter; all of them will not only disown their worship but also become their opponents (on the Day of Judgment).

It should be noted that Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) did not say: They are enemies to you, but said: They are enemies to me. In the first case, there was every chance that the people would have felt offended and provoked, because it would have been difficult for them to understand how their own gods could be their enemies. As a matter of fact, Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) appealed to the natural feeling of man that he is his own well-wisher and cannot wish ill of himself deliberately. This would inevitably have led the addressees to think whether what they were doing was really for their good and was in no way harmful.

Thus Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) told the idol worshipers: Of all the deities who are being worshiped in the world, there is only One Allah alone, Lord of the universe, in whose worship I find any good for myself, and Whose worship is the worship of one’s own Cherisher and Supporter, and not of one’s enemy. Then Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) briefly gives the arguments, which nobody could refute, as to why Allah alone is worthy of man’s worship and indirectly suggests that his addressees (the idol-worshipers) had no rational basis for worshiping deities other than Allah except in blind imitation of their forefathers.

( 78 )   Who created me, and He [it is who] guides me.

This is the first reason for which Allah, and One Allah alone, is worthy of man’s worship. The people also knew and believed that Allah alone was their Creator without any partner. Not only they but all the polytheists of the world also have always held the belief that even the deities they worshiped were the creation of Allah, and except for the atheists none have ever denied that Allah is the Creator of the whole universe. This argument of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) implied that being a creature, he could only worship his Creator, Who was alone worthy of his worship, and none else, because none besides Allah had any share in His creation.

( 79 )   And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink.

The second reason for worshiping Allah and Allah alone is that Allah has not become unconcerned with man after creating him and has not left him alone to seek other supporters for help, but has also taken the responsibility of making arrangements for his guidance, protection and fulfillment of his needs. The moment a human child is born, milk is produced for it in the breasts of his mother, and some unseen power teaches it the way to suck it and take it down the throat. From the first day of his life till his death, the Creator has provided in the world around him all necessary means required for every stage of his life for his development and guidance, sustenance and survival. He has also endowed him with all those powers and abilities which are needed to use the means with advantage and given him all necessary guidance for every sphere of life. 

( 80 )   And when I am ill, it is He who cures me

Then for the protection of human life against all sorts of disease, germs and poisons, He has created such effective antidotes that they have not yet been fully encompassed by human knowledge. If these natural arrangements had not been made, even a thorn-prick would have proved fatal. When this all-pervading mercy and providence of the Creator is supporting and sustaining man at all times in every way, there could be no greater folly and ingratitude on the part of man than this that he should bow down before others than Allah and seek their help in need and trouble.

( 81 )   And who will cause me to die and then bring me to life     

The third reason for worshiping none but Allah is that man’s relation with his God is not merely confined to this worldly life, which will end at death, but extends to life after death also. The same God Who brought him into existence, recalls him and there is no power which can stop his return from the world. No remedy, no physician, no god or goddess has ever been able to catch the hand which takes man out of this world. Even all those men who were made deities and worshiped could not ward off their own deaths. Only Allah judges and decides when a particular person is to be recalled from the world, and whenever somebody is recalled by Him, he has to leave this world in any case. 

( 82 )   And who I aspire that He will forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense."

Then it is Allah alone Who will decide as to when He should raise back to life all those people who were born in this world and died and buried here, and ask them to account for their worldly lives. Then also nobody will have the power to stop resurrection of himself or others. Every human being will have to rise at the command of Allah and appear in His court. Then Allah alone will be the Judge on that Day, and nobody else will be a partner in his judgment in any degree. To punish or to forgive will be entirely in Allah’s hand. Nobody will have the power to get somebody forgiven if Allah would want to punish him, and punished if Allah would want to forgive him. All those who are regarded as intercessors in the world, will themselves be hoping for Allah’s mercy and grace for their forgiveness.

In view of these facts anybody who worships others than Allah, is in fact preparing for his own doom. There can be no greater misfortune than this that man should turn away from Allah Who controls his life here as well as in the Hereafter, and should turn for help and support to those who are utterly powerless in this regard.

رَبِّ هَبۡ لِىۡ حُكۡمًا وَّاَلۡحِقۡنِىۡ بِالصّٰلِحِيۡنَۙ‏ 

( 83 )   [And he said], "My Lord, grant me authority and join me with the righteous.

Hukm here does not mean Prophethood, because at the time this prayer was made, Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had already been appointed a Prophet. Even if this prayer was made before that, Prophethood is not bestowed at request, but it is something which Allah Himself bestows on those He wills. That is why hukm has been translated wisdom, knowledge, right understanding and power of judgment. 

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is also reported to have made a similar prayer. Arinal-ashyaa kama hiya: O Allah, give us the power to see and understand a thing as it really is and to form an opinion about it according to its reality.

“Join me with the righteous”: Give me a righteous society to live here in this world and raise me along with the righteous in the Hereafter. To be raised back to life with the righteous and to attain one’s salvation have one and the same meaning. Therefore, this should be the prayer of every person who believes in the life-after-death and in reward and punishment. Even in this world a pious man cherishes the desire that God should save him from living a life in an immoral and wicked society and should join him with the righteous people. A pious and righteous person will remain ill at ease and restless until either his own society should become clean and pure morally, or he leaves it to join another society which is practicing and following the principles of truth and honesty.

( 84 )   And grant me a reputation of honor among later generations.

That is, grant me true renown among posterity. Grant me the grace that posterity should remember me as a good and pious man after my death and not as one of the unjust people, who were not only wicked themselves, but who left nothing but wickedness behind them in the world. Enable me to perform such high deeds that my life should become a source of light for others for all times to come, and I should be counted among the benefactors of humanity. This is not a prayer for worldly greatness and renown, but for true greatness and renown, which can be achieved only as a result of solid and valuable services. A person’s achieving such true renown and glory has two good aspects:

• (1) The people of the world get a good example to follow, as against bad examples, which inspires them with piety and encourages them to follow the right way; and
• (2) The righteous person will not only get the rewards of works done by posterity who were guided aright by the good example left and set by him, but in addition to his own good works, he will have the evidence of the millions of people in his favor that he had left behind him in the world fountains of guidance, which went on benefiting people, generation after generation, till the Day of Resurrection. 

( 85 )   And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of Pleasure.

( 86 )   And forgive my father. Indeed, he has been of those astray.

Some commentators have interpreted this prayer of Prophet Abraham for his father’s forgiveness to imply that he had prayed to God to grant his father the favor to accept Islam because forgiveness in any case is inter-linked with and dependent upon faith. But this interpretation is not borne out by the other verses of the Quran. The Quran says that when Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) left his home at the tyrannical treatment of his father, he said: I bid farewell to you; I shall pray to my Lord to forgive you for He is very kind to me. (Surah Maryam, Ayat 47). To fulfill this promise, he not only prayed for the forgiveness of his father, but for both his parents: Lord, forgive me and my parents. (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 41). But afterwards he himself realized that an enemy of the truth, even if he be the father of a believer, does not deserve a prayer of forgiveness. Thus according to (verse 114 of Surah At- Taubah): The prayer of Abraham for his father was only to fulfill a promise he had made to him, but when he realized that he was an enemy of Allah, he disowned him.

( 87 )   And do not disgrace me on the Day they are [all] resurrected

This may mean That do not put me to disgrace on the Day of Judgment by inflicting punishment on my father in front of all mankind, when I myself shall be witnessing his punishment helplessly.

( 88 )   The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children( 89 )   But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart."

It cannot be said with certainty whether verses 88, 89 are a part of Prophet Abraham’s (peace be upon him) prayer, or they are an addition by Allah. In the first case, they will mean that Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) while praying for his father had a full realization of these facts. In the second case, they will be a comment by Allah on Abraham’s (peace be upon him) prayer, as if to say: On the Day of Judgment, only a sound heart, sound in faith and free from disobedience and sin, will be of any avail to man and not wealth and children, for wealth and children can be useful only if one possesses a sound heart. Wealth will be useful if one would have spent it sincerely and faithfully for the sake of Allah, otherwise even a millionaire will be a poor man there. Children also will be of help only to the extent that a person might have educated them in faith and good conduct to the best of his ability; otherwise even if the son is a Prophet, his father will not escape punishment if he died in the state of unbelief, because such a father will have no share in the goodness of his children.

Verses 90-102 do not seem to be a part of Prophet Abraham’s (peace be upon him) speech, but they are Allah’s words.

( 90 )   And Paradise will be brought near [that Day] to the righteous.( 91 )   And Hellfire will be brought forth for the deviators,

That is, on the one hand, the righteous people will be shown the countless blessings which they will enjoy in Paradise by Allah’s grace, and on the other hand, Hell will be set open with all its dreads and horrors before the straying people, when they will still be in the Plain of Resurrection.

( 92 )   And it will be said to them, "Where are those you used to worship( 93 )   Other than Allah? Can they help you or help themselves?"( 94 )   So they will be overturned into Hellfire, they and the deviators( 95 )   And the soldiers of Iblees, all together.( 96 )   They will say while they dispute therein,( 97 )   "By Allah, we were indeed in manifest error( 98 )   When we equated you with the Lord of the worlds.

( 99 )   And no one misguided us except the criminals.

This is how the followers will treat their religious leaders and guides, whom they served and revered like deities in the world, whose words and patterns of behavior they took as authoritative and before whom they presented all sorts of offerings in the world. In the Hereafter when the people will find that their guides had misled them and caused their ruin as well as their own, they will hold them responsible for it and will curse them. The Quran has presented this horrible scene of the Hereafter at several places so as to admonish the blind followers to see and judge carefully whether their guides in this world were leading them on the right path or not. For instance: As each generation will be entering Hell, it will curse its preceding generation till all generations shall be gathered together there; then each succeeding generation will say regarding the preceding one: O Lord, these were the people who led us astray; therefore give them a double chastisement of the Fire. Allah will reply: There is a double chastisement for everyone but you know it not. (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 38). And the disbelievers will say: Our Lord, bring those jinns and men before us, who led us astray so that we may trample them under our feet and put them to extreme disgrace. (Surah Ha Mim Sajdah, Ayat 29). And they will say: Our Lord, we obeyed our chiefs and our great men and they misled us from the right path; our Lord, give them a double chastisement and curse them with a severe curse. (Surah Al-Ahzab, Ayat 67-68).

( 100 )   So now we have no intercessors

That is, those whom we regarded as our intercessors in the world and who, we believed, would take us safely into Paradise, are utterly helpless today and of no avail to us.

( 101 )   And not a devoted friend.

 That is, we have no sympathizer either who could feel for us and console us. The Quran says that in the Hereafter only the believers will continue to be friends; as for the disbelievers, they will turn enemies of one another even though they had been sworn friends in the world. Each will hold the other as responsible for the doom and try to get him maximum punishment. Friends on that Day will become enemies of one another except the righteous (who will continue to be friends). (Surah Az-Zukhruf, Ayat 67).

( 102 )   Then if we only had a return [to the world] and could be of the believers... "

That Quran has given an answer to this kind of longing and desire as well: Even if they be sent back to the earthly life, they would do all that they had been forbidden to do. (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 28). As for the reasons why they will not be allowed to return to the world, please see (E.Ns 90-92 of Surah Al-Mominoon) above.

( 103 )   Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.

There are two aspects of the sign in the story of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). (1) On the one hand, the mushriks of Arabia, especially the Quraish, claimed that they were the followers of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) and were proud of being his descendants, but on the other hand, they were involved in shirk against which Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had been engaged in a relentless struggle throughout his life. Then these people were opposing and treating the Prophet (peace be upon him) who was inviting them towards the religion brought by Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). They have been reminded that Abraham (peace be upon him) was an enemy of shirk and an upholder of Tauhid which they themselves admitted, and yet they persisted in their obduracy to follow the creed of shirk. (2) The people of Abraham (peace be upon him) were eliminated from the world. If any of them survived, it was the children of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) and his sons, Ishmael and Isaac (peace be upon them). Though the Quran does not mention the torment that descended on Abraham’s people after he had left them, it has included them among the tormented tribes: Has not the story reached them of those who had gone before them: the people of Noah, the tribes of Aad and Thamud, the people of Abraham, and the inhabitants of Midian and of the overturned cities? (Surah At-Taubah, Ayat 70).

وَاِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الرَّحِيۡمُ

( 104 )   And indeed, your Lord - He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.

Here in the end of this part, two attributes of Allah have been used, Al Aziz and Ar Raheem. Please visit our post for the meaning of all 99 Attributes of Allah.

You may now like to listen to Arabic recitation of Surah Ash-Shu'ara with English subtitles:

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary / exegesis of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Juzʼ / Part backwards for chapters in 30th Juzʼ / Part are shorter and easier to understand). 

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 
Reading the Holy Quran should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:

• The plain translation has been taken from the Holy Quran officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
• The exegesis of the chapters of the Holy Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. 
• In addition the references of  other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. 

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Understanding Islam: Kun, Fa Ya Kun - Be, and it is

Yesterday, someone asked me what does Kun fa Ya Kun "كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُ " means. Though I am not a scholar or alim or anything even closer to being even an interpreter, this phrase was not new to me for I have come across this phrase many a times while reciting the Holy Quran.

Since I recite Surah Ya Seen everyday, this phrase is read every day as it occurs almost at the end of the surah, verse 82:

اِنَّمَاۤ اَمۡرُهٗۤ اِذَاۤ اَرَادَ شَیْـًٔـا اَنۡ يَّقُوۡلَ لَهٗ كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُ‏ 

But His command, when He intendeth a thing, is only that He saith unto it: Be! and it is.

This small phrase in fact shows the highest of attributes of Allah, for none but He is the sole creator, designer, planner, and overseer of the functioning of not only our earth but the entire universe, which is fathomless, much beyond the imagination of man. In fact this phrase has been cited as a symbol or sign of God's mystical creative powers. It is about Allah's absolute will and absolute control over every creation and symbolizes Allah's matchless creative powers.

So when Allah intended to create the universe, He had just said: "Kun كُنۡ, Be" and the universe came into being as intended, planned and designed by Him. However, it must be understood that Allah does not have to issues a verbal command with the word 'Be', for it to be. In fact He merely wills something to exist it exists. There will be no time between that Will and its existence, not even a moment.

This phrase occurs in the Holy Qur'an at a number of places as under:

1. Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter 2, verse 117
2. Surah 'Ale-'Imran, Chapter 3, verse 47
3. Surah 'Ale-'Imran, Chapter .3, verse 59
4. Surah Al-An'-am, Chapter 6, verse 73
5. Surah An-Nahl, Chapter 16, verse 40
6. Surah Maryam, Chapter 19, verse 35
7. Surah Yasin, Chapter 36, verse 82
8. Surah Al-Mu'min, Chapter 40, verse 68

And each time it occurs, it occurs with reference to the context. For example in the Third Chapter of the Holy Qur'an in Surah 'Ale-'Imran,  in verse 47, it means:

قَالَتۡ رَبِّ اَنّٰى يَكُوۡنُ لِىۡ وَلَدٌ وَّلَمۡ يَمۡسَسۡنِىۡ بَشَرٌ ​ؕ قَالَ كَذٰلِكِ اللّٰهُ يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ​ ؕ اِذَا قَضٰٓى اَمۡرًا فَاِنَّمَا يَقُوۡلُ لَهٗ كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُ‏ 

She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has ever touched me?' The angel answered: Thus shall it be. Allah creates whatever He wills. When He decides something, He merely says: "Be" and it is.

This verse was revealed when Angel Jibraeel (Gabriel) had approached Maryam (Mary, mother of would be Prophet Eesa, Jesus, peace be upon him) to give her glad tidings of a baby boy to be born to him. Obviously a highly chaste woman like Maryam was stunned and flabbergasted for she had never been touched by a man before. The plain translation of the verse says it all as to how when Allah intends to do a thing, no matter how unique or unthinkable, it is done in no time.

Here it must be understood that Allah's absolute will and creativity is not without rules. For instance, if Allah wants a child to be born, He may just wills it and its born. But on the contrary, when Allah wills a child to be born, the rule and procedure He has drawn for it to happen will take place biologically. And during the process, at a particular time, the life is given to the still underdeveloped fetus. And this process strictly under rules is true for everything: whether it is sowing of the seeds and the time taken for it to germinate and then crop to mature or the rain to happen through a process.

Those who dispute the Divine claim that there will be a Resurrection, when all dead will come out of their grave alive and will be presented before their Lord to be accounted for their good or sinful deeds, Allah clears their doubts in Surah Al-An'-am, Chapter 6, verse 73:

وَهُوَ الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ بِالۡحَـقِّ​ؕ وَيَوۡمَ يَقُوۡلُ كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُ  قَوۡلُهُ الۡحَـقُّ​ ؕ وَلَهُ الۡمُلۡكُ يَوۡمَ يُنۡفَخُ فِى الصُّوۡرِ​ ؕ عٰلِمُ الۡغَيۡبِ وَ الشَّهَادَةِ​ ؕ وَهُوَ الۡحَكِيۡمُ الۡخَبِيۡرُ‏ 

And He it is Who has created the heavens and the earth in truth; and the very day He will say: "Be! (resurrection) there will be". His word is the Truth and His will be the dominion on the day when the Trumpet is blown. He knows all that lies beyond the reach of human perception as well as all that is visible to man; He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware.

So let those in any doubt about the Day of Resurrection take heed and be prepared for the Day will come, it only awaits a Kun to happen and it will. 

Continuing with the same theme in Surah An-Nahl, Chapter 16, verse 40, it is said:

اِنَّمَا قَوۡلُـنَا لِشَىۡءٍ اِذَاۤ اَرَدۡنٰهُ اَنۡ نَّقُوۡلَ لَهٗ كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُ 

(As for the possibility of resurrection, bear in mind that) whenever We do will something, We have to do no more than say: "Be", and it is. 

The verse in fact is the answer to those who imagined that it was the most difficult thing to raise the dead, and that, too, to raise together at once all the people who had died at any time. They have been told that it is an easy thing for Allah, Who has the power to bring into existence anything He desires, merely by His command, “Be,” for He does not stand in need of any provisions, any means and any favorable environment for this. His mere command produces necessary provisions, means and environment. This world was brought into existence by His mere command, “Be,” and likewise the next world will at once come into existence by His single command.

And then when it comes to giving life or taking life, the same command comes into forth as said in Surah Al Mu'min, Chapter 40, verse 68:

هُوَ الَّذِىۡ يُحۡىٖ وَيُمِيۡتُؕ فَاِذَا قَضٰٓى اَمۡرًا فَاِنَّمَا يَقُوۡلُ لَهٗ كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُ

He it is Who gives life and causes death. Whenever He decrees a thing, He only commands to it “Be”, and it is.

So whenever one is in need of something, he has to earnestly ask Allah for his need to be fulfilled. and in most cases, the need is realized by just one "kun." So never lose hope and never give up it, for Allah is all listening, caring, graciously giving and fulfilling one's needs.

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