Commentary By Maulana Wahiduddin khan
1-3. In ancient Arabia, the deeds of…
In ancient Arabia, the deeds of those who denied the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad and opposed him, counted for nothing. In other words, since they did not prove to be religious on the level of moral awareness, their achievements, performed as a matter of conventional and traditional religiosity, became valueless.
The people of ancient Arabia used to consider themselves the community of Abraham and Ishmael. They also had the honour of being the custodians of the Kabah. The customs of prayer, fasting and Hajj in some form or the other were also prevalent among them. The serving of Hajj pilgrims, good treatment of relatives, and hospitality towards guests were also social requirements. Though the ancient Arabs acquitted themselves well on all these scores, their actions were not the outcome of their conscious religiousness. They performed all these deeds simply because it had been the custom to do so for centuries. In order to recognise the prophet of the time, it was necessary for them to have heightened their own awareness. At that time, the force of ancient traditions had not yet built up around the Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, only one who was capable of recognising reality through deep personal perception could have acknowledged him. In this context, when they rejected their contemporary prophet, it was clearly established that their religiousness was based purely on tradition and not on personal realization. And God requires religiousness in spirit not in form devoid of spirit.
Those, however, who embraced the faith of the Prophet of their own times, proved that they were capable of being religious at a heightened level of consciousness.
4-6. Here, disbelievers or rejectors…
Here, disbelievers or rejectors refers to those who did not embrace the Faith despite compelling arguments having been put forward in its favour. Moreover, they unjustifiably waged war against the Prophet Muhammad and thus compelled the Prophet to take defensive steps. As regards such people, it has been ordained that in case of confrontation with them, they should be fought against and crushed, so that they should not be able to place impediments in the way of the mission of Truth.
It has ever been the rule of God that those who rejected their Prophet would be destroyed after the conclusion of arguments. But in case of the last prophet, it was the will of God that, through him and his companions, the age of polytheism should be brought to an end and a new era of history should be brought into existence on the strength of the oneness of God. For this, epoch-making men were needed and their selection could be done only under the most trying circumstances: this purpose was achieved by sending the companions of the Prophet of God into the war waged by his opponents.
Paradise is the most familiar and best known concept for a believer. He not only hears about it from the Prophet, but also, by means of his developed inner knowledge (ma‘rifah), gains an intuitive understanding of it. It is still this deep understanding of the unseen, hidden Paradise that inspires and encourages man to seek it, regardless of the sacrifices to be made. Had it not been so, nobody would have sacrificed today’s world in the hopes of entering tomorrow’s Paradise.
7-11. The One who causes events to…
The One who causes events to occur is God. But He does so through the chain of cause and effect. Such is the case with religion also. It is God’s desire that the force of falsehood should be destroyed and Truth should eternally prevail throughout the world. But in order that this should happen, Almighty God requires certain individuals to serve as the human medium for this Divine Action. This process is termed here as ‘assisting God’.
When a group rises to assist God it simultaneously performs another task, i.e. it proves unbelievers to be such. The individuals assisting God with extreme seriousness and sincere well-wishing call the people towards God. Distancing themselves from such behaviour as is opposed to the Truth, they bear testimony to the truth of religion (din). They establish the Truth as such to the ultimate degree. In this way, the process of the conclusion of argument in missionary work is completed; this is required by Almighty God for His judgement in the Hereafter.
The upholders of truth become dominant over the upholders of untruth, provided the former do dawah work which is a prerequisite for seeking divine support.
11-13. The people of Arabia, who had…
The people of Arabia, who had rejected the Prophet of God, were forewarned by him that they should not imagine that they would remain unscathed, simply because they were free to eat and drink at that time. They were completely within the grip of God and the proof of this was that if they persisted in rejecting the truth, they would be destroyed in accordance with the system of God.
Things happened exactly according to the prediction. The upholders of Truth became dominant, while the rejectors of Truth were destroyed.
14-15. Abiding by rational argument…
Abiding by rational argument (bayyinah) means building one’s life on realistic facts, while following one’s own desires (ahwa’) means deviating from the truth. This is wanting to build one’s own world in God’s world against God’s will.
In this present world of trial, both the realists and the self-indulgent apparently have equal opportunities. But in the real world of the Hereafter, only the first group will have a share in the eternal bounties of God, while the second group will be an utter failure and will be forever in disgrace.
16-17. It is characteristic of a hypoc…
It is characteristic of a hypocrite when he is in a serious-minded gathering, to seem to be outwardly very serious while his mind is busy with other things. He does not pay any attention to the words spoken by the preacher. When he comes out of the gathering, he asks other knowledgeable persons, ‘What did the venerable gentleman say?’
This is the price they have to pay on account of their desire-worship. They mire themselves in desire-worship and then are overwhelmed by it. Instead of allowing reason to prevail, they follow their own desires. The result is that their sensitivities become blunted and their minds do not remain capable of grasping the finer shades of reality.
Unlike them, those who give importance to reality, and who bow down before true arguments, activate their intellect in the process. The inner knowledge and intense realisation of such individuals increase day-by-day. Their faith is never vitiated by their falling into a state of inertia.
