THE CRITERION【Quran commentary】Surah 25 al Furqan

Commentary By Maulana Wahiduddin khan

1-2. “The distinguisher” is the literal…

“The distinguisher” is the literal translation of ‘al-furqan’, which is the criterion for distinguishing between truth and falsehood. In this context “the distinguisher” means the Quran. God is all knowing and all aware and also the Absolute Sovereign. Revelation of the Book, on behalf of God, has two aspects to it. One is that it is certainly true and there is no doubt about its authenticity. The other is that, acceptance or denial of it cannot have the same outcome.

God alone is the Possessor of all Powers. Nobody can influence His decision and nobody can intervene between Him and His decisions. This very fact ensures that one who adopts the Quran as his mentor, will be successful, while one who ignores it will find it impossible to save himself from failure, which is the fate ordained by God for one who ignores the Truth.

3-6. Those who denied the truth used to…

Those who denied the truth used to denigrate the Quran as a false testament, but in fact the target of their allegation was the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet appeared to them as an ordinary man. They were unable to understand how an ordinary man could be the possessor of an extraordinary Book.

The Quran touches upon various topics of a historical, psychological and social nature, etc., but no factual error has ever been pointed out in it. This proves that the Quran was authored by a Being who is aware of the secrets of the universe to the fullest extent. Had it not been so, the Quran also would have been full of mistakes – as are found in other man-made books. This fact in itself is the greatest argument in favour of the Quran being a Book of God.

Those who make baseless statements against the Quran, are indulging in undue bravado. Such people will definitely be seized upon by God. However, if they come back to the right path, it is not God’s way to take revenge after their repentance. God looks at the individual’s present and not his past.

7-9. Every preacher giving the call for…

Every preacher giving the call for Truth has had to face the same experience, as that of a Prophet. While his contemporaries looked down upon him with contempt, the people of succeeding ages venerated the preacher like a god. This is so because during his lifetime, a prophet lives the life of an ordinary human being and his contemporaries therefore fail to appreciate the wisdom he propagates. They see him cast in an overly idealized form, wearing the halo conferred by legend, and therefore, feel obliged to pay homage to him and glorify him in an exaggerated manner.

The minds of succeeeding generations develop such deep-seated notions about the extraordinary greatness of the prophet, that nobody is held superior to or even at par with him. A living prophet, however, is treated scornfully by the majority of his contemporaries. The few who develop a reasoned understanding of his message are also ‘advised’ to disassociate themselves from one who is “possessed”. Having no rational arguments, the unrelenting contemporaries of a prophet, resort to unfair vilification of his image so as to curb the preaching of his message.

10-16. The opponents of Truth frequently…

The opponents of Truth frequently make the character of the preacher of Truth their target. In order to prove him untrustworthy, they indulge in all sorts of slander. Thus they give the impression that they would have accepted what the preacher had to say, had he been up to their standard. But this is not correct. Their real problem is not that they do not find the preacher of truth trustworthy. Their real problem is that they have no fear of the reckoning of Judgement Day. Therefore, they go on casting aspersions in an irresponsible manner.

The matter of Truth and untruth is important because they will be examined on this basis in the life hereafter. Those who are fearless about being censured in the Hereafter are consequently not serious about Truth or untruth. And when a man is not serious about something, he does not realise its importance, though numerous arguments may be advanced in its support. The meaningless utterances of such people will cease only when the terrible roar of Doomsday snatches away their words.

17-19. The Quranic commentator Ibn Kat…

The Quranic commentator Ibn Kathir explains the reminder when he writes,‘They forgot the message You had sent to them through the messengers (prophets) about worshipping You alone and no other.’

The addressee communities of the various prophets were not deniers of the truth or polytheists per se. The prophets sent to them had brought to them the message of worshipping one God alone. But, with the passage of time, they became engrossed in worldly affairs, and developed the belief that their elders and prophets, etc. would become the intermediate means of obtaining God’s pardon. But, on the Day of Judgement, all such beliefs will prove false. At that time, people will come to know that the only saviour from God’s reckoning is God Himself and no other.

20. The initial addressees of the Quran…

The initial addressees of the Quran were those who accepted as their prophets Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses and others. Despite this, they refused to accept Muhammad. One of the reasons for this is that people of later ages always devise, of their own accord, legendary accounts of their past prophets with a view to glorifying them. In the light of these stories, the personality of their past prophet assumes an almost magical character. Subsequently, when the contemporary prophet comes before them, he strikes them as being an ordinary human being. In their minds, on the one hand, there is the image of the past prophet who appears to them as a superhuman personality, while on the other hand, there is the present, living prophet who appears to them simply in the form of a human being. In the light of this comparison, they find themselves unable to believe in the present prophet. While accepting the institution of prophethood, they reject the prophet.

For the disbelievers, the Prophet and the believers are a source of trial, and for the Prophet and the believers the disbelievers are a source of trial. The trial of those who deny the truth is that they should be able to recognise the latent greatness in the apparently ordinary appearance of the prophet, while for the believers it is that they should not lose patience with the meaningless and provocative utterances of the unbelievers.

21-24. Those who demand, as a precon…

Those who demand, as a precondition, the physical appearance of God and His angels, before they accept a missionary’s message, are not really sincere about it. Frivolous in their attitude, they do not know the implication or meaning of the appearance of God and His angels. The fact is that it is only when the Truth is revealed through a preacher of truth that they will have an opportunity to accept it. The moment Truth shows itself by the appearance of God and His angels, it will be the time for reckoning and judgement, and not the time for acceptance.

Many people labour under the misapprehension that on Judgement Day, when God asks them about their deeds, they will escape His verdict by showing off some good deed of theirs and by saying that they have the patronage of some saint or the other. But, on Judgement Day, all this wishful thinking will vanish into thin air, as if a drop of water had fallen on a red hot iron sheet and disappeared. On that Day, only righteous deeds will be of avail, and not false hopes.

25-31. Whenever a preacher of the Tru…

Whenever a preacher of the Truth calls for its acceptance, those who represent untruth in the name of Truth, become his enemies. They raise a variety of objections and try to cast doubt upon his veracity. In so doing, they are successful in winning wide support.

On the Day of Judgement, those who, taken in by the assertions of false leaders, and not having co-operated with the preacher of Truth, will clearly see that the arguments of their leaders had no real basis in fact. They were simply false objections which they had accepted, as they suited their self-interests, and they had used them as excuses for distancing themselves from the Truth. On the Day of Reckoning they will regret having been taken in by the false arguments of their leaders and not supporting the preacher of God’s word.

32-34. When the Quran was revealed, it…

When the Quran was revealed, it was not revealed all at once, but part by part over a period of 23 years. Those who denied the truth made this an excuse to say that this was a man-made book and not the book of God, because it would not have been difficult for God to prepare the whole book at one time.

It was clarified that the Quran was not simply the work of any author. It was a divine proclamation of the Truth. One of the strategies of preaching God’s will is that it is presented to people gradually, so that it progressively takes root in society.

Every objection against such activity?which is based on perfect Truth?is a false one. Whenever such an objection is raised, but then is properly clarified, the authenticity of the preacher’s call is reinforced; it is never in doubt at any stage.

35-40. The names of many of the prophe…

The names of many of the prophets to whom the Quran refers again and again do not find a place in the recorded history of humanity. This shows that the scholars who were their contemporaries did not attach any importance to them. They wrote zealously about kings and military heroes, because there was political colour in their lives, but they ignored the prophets, because there was nothing in their lives to feed their political tastes.

Surprisingly, this attitude is prevalent even today. Those who attain prominence on the political platform, immediately find a place in the media. Those who work in non-political fields are not considered either mentionable or memorable.

The most important thing required of a man is that he should learn lessons from events, but this is exactly what he fails to do. This is as true now as it was in the past.

41-42. The response of those who fail to…

The response of those who fail to accept the truth shows that the reason for their being steadfast in their faith, was their prejudice and not the force of any argument. They had become defenceless in the matter of arguments, but they adhered to the religion of their forefathers on the strength of prejudice. This is the position of the majority of the people. The majority are simply swayed by prejudice, though they profess that their case rests on sound arguments.

There are two methods of opposing a mission. One is to reject it on the basis of arguments, while the other is to ridicule it. The first method is legitimate, while the second is quite improper. Those who heap scorn on a mission, actually demonstrate that they have lost the game when it comes to arguments, and that they simply want to cover up their defeat by falling back on ridicule.

43. According to a tradition the Prophet…

According to a tradition the Prophet is reported to have said, ‘Among all the deities besides God being worshipped under the sky, the most serious before God is that desire which is followed.’

It is a fact that the greatest object of worship is the ignoble desire of man; Many deities have been devised simply to justify the religion of desire-worship.

44. Responding to the lure of desire…

Responding to the lure of desire, a man descends to the level of an animal. Animals do not act as a result of thinking, but simply submit to the pressure of their natural instincts. Now, if a man does not utilise his thinking capacity and simply follows the dictates of his base desires, what is the difference between him and an animal?

45-49. The phenomenon which in the…

The phenomenon which in the present age is known as the axial rotation of the earth has been set down here in layman’s language. The earth rotates on its axis once in twenty-four hours, due to which day and night follow upon each other. This is a wonderful miracle of Almighty God’s power. Had there been no axial rotation of the earth, half of it would have been continuously under the blazing sun, while the other half would have been continuously enveloped by night. Thus it would have been extremely difficult to live on the earth.

There are many lessons in this system of the earth. Just as the light of day necessarily follows the darkness of night; in the same way untruth will be followed by Truth. Similarly, waking up in the morning after sleeping at night is symbolic of resurrection in the life after death.

Likewise, there is a lesson hidden in the system of the rains. Just as the dead earth is revived thanks to the rains, so also does God’s guidance instil faith and fear of God in a heart which otherwise would have become as lifeless as an arid land.

50-52. In the Quran, the topics of the…

In the Quran, the topics of the unity of God and the Hereafter have been described again and again in a number of different ways. If a man is serious, these discourses are enough to arouse his interest. But one who is unheeding is not influenced by any argument.

Undertaking the great jihad by means of the Quran means a peaceful struggle to spread the word of God. That is to say, peaceful struggle is the real jihad?nay, the greatest jihad. Even if opponents try to divert the attention of the believers from the realm of peaceful efforts, it should then be the endeavour of the believers to concentrate upon the field of preaching based on the teachings of the Quran. However, if, due to the distraction caused by opponents, the field of action appears to be changing at any time, then all possible efforts should be made to bring it back to the field of peaceful activity aimed at conveying the message of the Quran.

53. When two rivers meet or a river flo…

When two rivers meet or a river flows down into the sea, at the point of confluence, in spite of coming together, the two waters remain separate and a line of demarcation can be seen for quite a distance. The writer of these words has witnessed this scene at the meeting place of the rivers Ganges and Yamuna at Allahabad. This happens under the natural law which in the present age is known as ‘surface tension’. Similarly, at the sea coast when the tides are rising the salt sea water rides over the coastal river’s fresh water. But the surface tension keeps the two waters separate, and when the tide goes out, the saltish water withdraws from above (without affecting the water below), and the fresh water below maintains its natural character. Due to this surface tension law, it has been possible to find reservoirs of fresh water in the very midst of salt sea waters to meet the needs of voyagers.

54. The main constituent of the human…

The main constituent of the human body is water. That wonderful creation, called the human being, came into existence with water. Then by the natural process of procreation, generation followed upon generation. If we identify and study similar events which take place on the earth, we will find symbols of God’s power hidden in them.

55-57. God has placed man in a world in…

God has placed man in a world in which every thing and indeed the entire atmosphere bear testimony to the unity of God. But man does not avail of the light of guidance from it. He goes so far astray that he builds the system of his life on the basis of polytheism instead of the unity of God. If a servant of God takes up the task of proclaiming the unity of God, he meets with dire opposition.

However, the preacher of Truth is not allowed to go to the extent of indulging in violence. He has to pursue his mission keeping himself within the sphere of advice and admonition or persuasion. If his call is not being effective, it is not his duty to add violence to his preaching. The only additions he can make consist of praying to God, ending all material or worldly quarrels unilaterally and influencing people’s hearts by selflessness and good behaviour.

58-60. Here ‘six Days’ means six Days…

Here ‘six Days’ means six Days of God. In the language of human beings, it may be called six stages or six periods. The Creation of the Universe in six stages indicates that it was done in a well planned manner. Whatever is brought into existence on the basis of a plan and a specific arrangement cannot be futile.

In the question the stress is on the subject matter and not on the person to whom the question is put. The idea is that if a man is acquainted with God’s wonderful marvels, he will be able to tell you how High and Mighty is the Merciful God. The research undertaken by scientists in modern times partially fits the meaning of this verse. If a man learns the secrets of the universe which have come to light as a result of scientific research, he will become extremely excited, his hair will stand on end and his heart will spontaneously bow down before the Might of the Creator.

61. This passage possibly refers to what…

This passage possibly refers to what is known as the solar system. The original Arabic word buruj literally means a castle or fort, but scholars differ as to its exact meaning in this context.

62. Among the numerous phenomena…

Among the numerous phenomena of our solar system is the constant revolution of the earth around the sun. Its revolution has a fixed orbit and is completed in one year. Due to the elliptical shape of its orbit and the sun not being at its exact centre, the different seasons occur. Besides its revolution, the earth rotates on its axis and this is completed in twenty-four hours. This rotation is the cause of day and night.

In the vastness of space, the revolution and rotation of the earth with extreme precision and their being greatly subservient to human beings’ interests, are the most wonderful of happenings. One who ponders over these blessings will be overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude to God.

63-67. A man’s way of walking symb…

A man’s way of walking symbolises his whole personality. Those in whose hearts belief in God has taken firm root, become the embodiment of humility and modesty. The fear of God takes away any sense of superiority they may have. This sense of servitude to God permeates all aspects of their lives.

But this is not all. The realisation of God makes them (the believers) true advocates of His cause. In discharging this responsibility, they often face strong opposition from their addressees. The promulgation of the truth by the believers becomes unbearable to those who deny the truth and they take aggressive action against the preachers. But the fear of God prevents the believers from retaliating; they simply avoid conflict and pray for their opponents to be guided.

The realization of God results not only in their calling upon God during the daytime but also in their nights being filled with the remembrance of God.

Similarly, realisation of God makes them extremely prudent. They earn with a sense of responsibility and spend with a sense of responsibility. It is their sense of accountability to God which makes them moderate and cautious in the matter of income and expenditure. A tradition of the Prophet says, ‘Wisdom lies in man adopting the path of moderation.’

68. Three sins have been mentioned…

Three sins have been mentioned in this verse – polytheism, the killing of a person without justification and adultery. These three forms of wrongdoing are great sins against God and His subjects. The sign of real faith in God is that a man abstains from them. Those who have indulged in these sins can save themselves from retribution by repentance, but for those who die without repenting and reforming, there will be severe punishment before God at God’s behest, which they will in no way be able to avoid.

69-71. Real virtue in the eyes of God is…

Real virtue in the eyes of God is a man’s becoming God-fearing. Any virtue which makes a man fearless of God is, in fact, a sin, while that sin which makes a man God-fearing is in fact, in terms of its result, a virtue.

If a man happens to commit a sin but later on, seeing the error of his ways rushes towards Him in repentance (tawbah) and seeks His pardon, then God will mercifully add this sin to the list of his virtues, because that had made him turn towards Him.

72-74. In the present world, Satan has…

In the present world, Satan has been at pains to glamourize wrongdoing and has taught the worshipper of untruth to present his case in the most appealing way. People, deceived by appearances, are therefore drawn towards evil. But if the outer covering of deceit could be removed, the wickedness thus uncovered would appear so ugly that people would be sure to keep their distance from it.

From this point of view, every bad thing in which a man indulges is a falsehood. In the present world, the test of a man is that he should recognise falsehood. He should be able to tear down the outer curtain and see things in the light of reality.

When a man is given advice which goes against his whims and fancies, he immediately becomes annoyed. In the eyes of God, such a person is blind and deaf, because he has not used his eyes to see reality and has not used his ears to hear the voice of Truth. If he has not welcomed the advice, it is because he is like a man deprived of the powers of hearing and seeing. In the eyes of God, a man capable of seeing and hearing is one who avoids pointless things when he sees them, but if true advice comes his way, immediately accepts it.

Every man with a family is the leader (imam) of his family. If his family members are God-fearing, he is the imam of God-fearing people. But if his family members are forgetful of God, he is at the head of those who are oblivious of God.

75-77. Those who had humbled themse…

Those who had humbled themselves in this world for the sake of Truth, will be
lodged in the loftiest dwellings of paradise. They lived with humility in this world, so in the Hereafter God will reward them with high status. This was expressed by Jesus Christ as follows: ‘Blessed are those who are poor in this world. It is they who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’

Paradise is the place on high where all desires will be completely fulfilled; The qualities which take a human being to paradise may be developed by one who is prepared to exercise patience. For, in exercising patience, he will be able to fully curb his desires in this world. This is the price one has to pay for entering Paradise. One who is not prepared to pay the requisite price of patience in this world will be doomed to live forever in hell.