Ayah 14:7The Outcome of Gratitude and Ingratitude
In the third verse (7), it was said: وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ (And when your Lord declared, "If you express gratitude, I shall certainly give you more, and if you are ungrateful, then My punishment is severe." ). The word: تَأَذَّنَ (ta'adhdhana) is used in the sense of making known or announcing. The sense of the verse is that Allah Ta’ ala has announced it for all to hear: 'If you are thankful for My blessings and do not waste them in acts of disobedience to Me and in deeds which have been prohibited, and try your best to mould your deeds to suit My pleasure, then, I shall increase these blessings for you.' This increase could be in the amount and volume of blessings, or it could be in their continuity and permanence as well. The Holy Prophet وَأَنذِرْ عَشِيرَ‌تَكَ الْأَقْرَ‌بِينَ said: 'A person who is blessed with the Taufiq to be grateful shall never be deprived of barakah and increase in blessings.' (Reported by Ibn Marduwayh from Ibn ` Abbas ؓ - Mazhari)
And then it was said: If you are ungrateful for My blessings then severe is My punishment too. The sum total of ungratefulness is that one spends out the blessings given by Allah Ta` ala in acts disobedient to Him and in things and ways which are impermissible; or, that one is tardy in fulfilling what has been made obligatory on him or her. As for the severe punishment against ungratefulness for blessings in the present world, it is possible that these blessings may be taken back all of a sudden; or, one may fall into some unwelcome circumstances as a result of which he remains unable to make use of that blessing, and finds punishment waiting for him in the Hereafter as well.
It is worth remembering at this point that in this verse, Allah Tad does promise good return, reward and increase in blessing, and that too in an emphatic manner: لَازِیدَنَّکُم (I shall certainly give you more). But, in contrast to this, for the ungrateful it was not said: لَاُعُذِّبَںَّکُم (I shall certainly punish you). Instead of that, given here is a limited warning which conveys the sense that 'My punishment too, to whomsoever it reaches, is very severe.' In this particular interpretation, there is a hint that it is not necessary that every ungrateful person has to undergo punishment - the likelihood of forgiveness also exists.
Ayahs 14:8–25In the last verse here (8), it was said: قَالَ مُوسَىٰ إِن تَكْفُرُ‌وا أَنتُمْ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ جَمِيعًا (And Musa said, "If you are ungrateful, you and all those on earth, then, Allah is free of all needs, worthy of every praise.) " This was said by Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) to his people. He is telling them that should they or, for that matter, all inhabitants of the earth become ungrateful to Allah Ta’ ala, it is not going to cause any loss to Allah Ta’ ala. As for Him, He needs no praise or gratitude for Himself. He is Independent. He is beyond that. He is intrinsically Praised and deserving of praise. If you do not praise Him, the angels do, all of them, and so does every particle of this universe.
So, whatever good there is in gratitude, that is for you alone. There-fore, when you are asked to be grateful by Allah Ta’ ala, there is no gain for Him in doing so. In fact, it is His infinite mercy reaching out to you in your interest.
Ayah 14:26Commentary
In verse 18, Allah Ta` ala has likened the deeds of disbelievers to ashes which, if blown away by the wind, would scatter all over leaving no traces behind and making it impossible for someone interested to retrieve them and put them back to some use. So, the verse: مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا بِرَبِّهِمْ ۖ أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَرَ‌مَادٍ اشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ الرِّ‌يحُ فِي يَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍ (The deeds of those who disbelieve their Lord are like ashes blown away by the wind on a stormy day - 18) means that the deeds of disbelievers - though, they may obviously be good too - still, they too do not find acceptance with Allah Ta’ ala. There-fore, they are all wasted.
After that, in the verses cited immediately above, the similitude of a believer and his deeds has been given first (24) which is followed by a similitude of disbelievers and hypocrites (26). In the earlier verse, a believer and his deeds have been likened to a tree with strong trunks, and roots going deep down the ground watered by underground streams. Deep-set roots give strength and stability to this tree so that strong winds would not throw them off the ground. And being high above the ground level, its fruit too remains protected against polluting agents. Then, another attribute of this tree is that its branches should be fairly elevated skywards. And the third attribute of this tree is that its fruit could be eaten during all seasons and under all conditions.
What tree is that and where is it found? About that, the sayings of the commentators differ. In all likelihood, that is a date-palm. This view is supported by experience, observation, and by Hadith narrations as well. That the trunk of the date-palm is high and strong can be noticed physically. That its roots go deep down the ground is also well-known, and its fruit too is eaten at all times and in different ways and conditions. From the time its fruit shows up on the tree upto the time it becomes ripe, it is eaten in all possible forms and situations as is or as transformed into chutneys and jams and in a myriad other preparations. After the fruit becomes ripe, it can be stored throughout the year. It somehow comes handy morning and evening, day and night, summer and winter, almost every season, every time. Even the pith of the tree is eaten while sweet juice is extracted from it. Mats and other articles of use are made from its leaves. Date stones make fine fodder for animals. In contrast, other trees yield their fruit during particular seasons and they become available within those seasons. They are not stored naturally, nor everything in them is put to some or the other use.
Based on a narration of Sayyidna Anas , Tirmidhi, Al-Nasai, Ibn Hibban and Hakim have reported that the Holy Prophet said: The good tree (شَجَرَ‌ةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ mentioned in the Quran) is the date-tree; and the bad tree (شَجَرَ‌ةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ - also mentioned in the Quran) is the tree of Hanzal [ colocynth, citrullus colocynthis ] (Mazhari)
According to a report from Mujahid appearing in the Musnad of Ahmad, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ said: Once we were present in the company of the Holy Prophet ﷺ when someone brought the pith of a date-palm for him. At that time, he asked his Companions: Out of the many trees, there is the tree which is like a believer (at this point, in a narration of Sahih al-Bukhari, it has been mentioned that the Holy Prophet ﷺ also said: The leaves of this tree do not fall in any season). Tell me which tree is that? Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ says that he felt like telling him that it was the date tree. But, present there in the sitting were many senior Companions like Sayyidna Abu Bakr and Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ observed their silence and did not have the courage to say that. After that, the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself said: That is the date tree.
One of the reasons why a believer has been likened to this tree is that the faith in Kalimah Tayyibah is his root, which is deep-set and strong. The accidents of the world cannot shake it out. There is no dearth of examples among the most perfect of all believers, the Sahabah and the Tabi` in, rather among the staunch believers of every period of time, that they cared more about their Iman and less for their life or wealth or anything else. The second reason is their concern for purity and taste for decency in that they are not affected by the pollutants of the world - just like a large tree which remains unaffected by the impur-ities of the land surface. As for these two attributes, they bear similarity to: أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ (with its roots firm - 24) while the third reason is that the way the branches of the date-palm are high and skyward so are the fruits of the Iman of a believer, that is, their deeds which are also raised toward the heavens. It appears in the Quran: إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ that is, good words are raised towards Allah Ta’ ala. The sense is that what a believer does in the form of Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah, Tasbih (proclaiming His purity), Tahlil (saying la ilaha illallah) and the recitation of the Quran keeps reaching Allah Ta’ ala morning and evening.
The fourth reason is that the way the date fruit is eaten day and night at all times, in all seasons and under all conditions, it is in the same way that the good deeds of a believer continue day and night at all times, in all seasons and under all conditions. And the way everything about the date-palm is useful and beneficial, in the same way, every word and deed, movement and rest, and the effects generated by them, prove beneficial for the whole world - on condition that he or she be a perfect believer, and be a faithful practitioner of the teachings of Allah and His Rasul ﷺ .
The Similitude of Disbelievers (Kuffar)
In contrast, the second image given is that of disbelievers. They have been likened to a bad tree شَجَرَ‌ةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ. It is similar to the example of the good tree which refers to the statement of Muslim creed: لا إله إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah : There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah), that is, Iman or faith. And, in this manner, the equation of the bad word with the bad tree denotes words and deeds of disbelief. As stated in the Iladith quoted earlier, the bad tree has been identified as: حَنظَل۔ (hanzal) and, according to others, it is garlic.
As for the bad tree, the Quran describes it by saying that its roots do not go deep into the earth, therefore, anyone can pull out the whole of it at will. This is what the expression: اجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ الْأَرْ‌ضِ (translated as: re-moved from the top soil) means - because the real meaning of the word: اجْتُثَّتْ (ujtuththat) is to remove the body of something as a whole.
That the deeds of a disbeliever have been likened to such a tree is fairly obvious. First of all, the beliefs of a disbeliever have no root or foundation. In no time, they would lose their ground. Secondly, they are affected by the filth of the world around them. Thirdly, the fruits of their tree, that is, their deeds, are worthless in the sight of Allah.
The Special Effect of Iman
Described in the second verse (27) is the special effect of the Iman or faith of a believer and the saying of la ilaha illallah: لا إله إلا اللہ "Allah keeps the believers firm with the stable word in the worldly life and in the Hereafter". It means that the Kalimah Tayyibah, the pivotal guiding principle of a believer, is a stable word, stable like a strong and firmly established tree which is kept standing powerfully and surviving eternally by Allah Ta’ ala, in this world, and in the Hereafter as well. However, the condition is that this blessed statement is uttered with unalloyed sincerity and that the sense of لا إله إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah : there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah) is understood fully and clearly following which it should be adopted as the guiding principle of life.
In other words, one who believes in Kalimah Tayyibah is supported and strengthened with the grace of Allah Ta’ ala because of which he or she stands firm by this conviction right upto the time of death, no matter how many challenges and unwelcome happenings have to be encountered in its defence. As for the Akhirah or the Hereafter, one is helped with this Kalimah when it is made to stay on and keep emitting its beneficial effects. It has been said in a Hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari that "Akhirah (Hereafter) in this verse means Barzakh (the post-death and pre-Resurrection state of life) that is, the world of the grave.
The Reward and Punishment of the Grave Stand Proved from the Quran and Sunnah
According to Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When a believer will be questioned in the grave, he or she will remain firm on this Kalimah, even in a place so awesome and a state so punishing, of course, with Divine will and support, and bear witness to the blessed statement: لا إله إلا اللہ la ilaha illallah. And then he said: This is what the saying of the Quran: يُثَبِّتُ اللَّـهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَ‌ةِ (Allah keeps the believers firm with the stable word in the worldly life and in the Hereafter - 27) means. (This Hadith was narrated by Sayyidna Bara ibn ` Azib). Similar ahadith have been reported from about forty Sahabah ؓ with reliable chains of authorities which Ibn Kathir has put together at this stage of his Tafsir. Ash-Shaykh Jalaluddin As-Suyuti, in his versified treatise At-Tathbit ` Ind at-Tabyit, and by referring to seventy alhadith in Sharh As-Sudur, has confirmed that these narrations have come to us in an uninterrupted (mutawatir) succession. A11 these noble Sahabah رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہم ، have declared that "Akhirah (Hereafter) in this verse refers to the grave and the verse itself relates to the reward and punishment of the grave.
That man, after his death and burial, lives again, answers the questions asked by the angels, then the coming of reward or punishment as a result of success or failure in this test has been mentioned in almost ten verses of the Holy Qur’ an, by way of hint; while, in seventy mutawatir ahadith (those passed on in uninterrupted succession), these have been mentioned very clearly and explicitly - in which there remains no room for a Muslim to doubt. As for the commonplace doubts like - in this world of our experience, nobody sees these rewards and punishments - there is no room here to accommodate detailed answers to them. However, it is quite sufficient to understand that not being able to see something is no proof of its being not present. Nobody sees the Jinn and angels, but they are there. The air is not seen, but it is present there. The deep space which is being probed and examined in our time through rockets and space vehicles was something nobody could see before this, but it did exist. A dreamer dreams of being in some trouble in his dream, even writhes under the pain of punishment, but people around him remain to-tally unaware of what is happening to him.
As a matter of principle, it can be said that taking one world on the analogy of the conditions prevailing in the other is wrong by itself. When the Creator of the universe has told us through His Messenger that once we pass on to another world, there is reward and punishment there, it becomes necessary for us to believe in it.
Ayah 14:27Towards the end of the verse (27), it was said: وَيُضِلُّ اللَّـهُ الظَّالِمِينَ (And Allah lets the unjust go astray). It means: As for the believers, Allah Ta` ala keeps them firm on Kalimah Taiyyibah, the 'stable word' as a result of which things of comfort assemble around them right from the grave. But, the unjust, that is, the disbelievers and polytheists, remain deprived of this Divine help and support. They cannot answer the questions asked in the grave by angles Munkar and Nakir correctly. The out-come is that they start experiencing a sort of punishment right from that point onwards.
In the last sentence of verse 27, it was said: وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّـهُ مَا يَشَاءُ (And Allah does what He wills). It means that there is no power which can block His intention and will. Revered Sahabah, Sayyidna Ubaiyy, ibn Ka'b, ` Abdullah ibn Mas’ ud and Hudhayfah ibn Yamani ؓ have said: For a believer, it is mandatory to believe that everything received by him or her was received through the intention and will of Allah. Not to have received it was impossible. Similarly, what was not received, it was not possible to have received that. And they said: If you do not believe in it, and place your trust in that, your abode is Hell.
Ayahs 14:28–29Finally, said in verses 28 and 29 was:
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّـهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّوا قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْقَرَارُ
Have you not seen those who changed the favour of Allah with disbelief and landed their people in the house of destruction, the Jahannam? They shall enter it. And it is an evil abode.
Here, نِعمَۃ اللہ (the favour of Allah) could mean the common physical blessings of Allah Ta’ ala. These are tangible and perceptible and relate to outward benefits of human beings such as food, drink, land, home and things like that. Then it could also mean spiritual blessings and favours as well which have come from Allah Ta’ ala for the guidance of human beings, for example, the prophets, the scriptures, and the signs of Divine power and wisdom which have been placed in every inch of the human existence, and in its countless creations, and in the heavens and its unfathomable and incomprehensible universe. All these serve as logistics for the guidance of human beings.
These two kinds of blessings and favours demanded that human beings should have recognized the greatness and the power of Allah Ta’ ala, been grateful to His gifts and devoted to His command. But, the disbelievers and the polytheists elected to shun gratitude and obedience and opted for ingratitude and disobedience. The result was that they led their people to their mutual abode of destruction, that is, in Hell.
The Lesson given by these verses
Described in these verses is the greatness, virtues, blissfulness and fruitfulness of the belief in the Oneness of Allah and in the Kalimah Taiyyibah: لا إله إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah). Also identified there are the ill effect and evil outcome of refusing to believe in them. It goes without saying that Tauhid, the belief in the Oneness of Allah, is an everlasting treasure which is full of barakah in many ways. In the present world of our experience, it brings Divine support with it, and which continues after that too, in the 'Akhirah and the grave. And the act of rejecting them amounts to changing what was the blessing and favour of Allah into what is punishment.
Ayah 14:30Commentary
Appearing at the beginning of Surah Ibrahim there were subjects related to the mission of messengers and prophets, and to the states of one's ultimate return, and to the Hereafter. Mentioned after that was the commendation of the belief in Tauhid, the Oneness of Allah and, along with it, a condemnation of the profession of disbelief and the ascription of partners in the divinity of Allah which was clarified through examples. Then, those who adopted the later attitude were censured for the reason that they, rather than being grateful for the blessings of Allah Ta’ ala, chose to take the way of ingratitude and rejection.
Out of the verses cited above, the first deplores the behaviour of disbelievers and polytheists and points out to their evil end. The second verse describes the distinction of believers and tells them to abide by some Divine injunctions in order that they can fulfill the obligation of gratitude. In the third, fourth and fifth verses (32-34), by mentioning the great blessings of Allah Ta` ala, people have been induced that they should not channelize and consume these blessings to promote acts of disobedience to Allah.
The Explanation of Verses
The word: اَندَاد (andad) is the plural of نِدّ (nidd) which means like and equal. Idols are called 'andad' because the disbelievers, through their deeds, used to regard them the like or equal of God. The word: تَمَتُّعَ (tamattu`) appearing in verse 30 means the driving of temporary benefit out of something. The verse censures the erratic view of disbelievers in that they had set up idols as partners with Allah, and the Holy Prophet ﷺ was asked to warn these people of their coming end. Enjoy the blessings of the mortal world for a while, they were told, but their ultimate abode is the fire of Hell.
In the second Verse (31), the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked: (Though, the disbelievers of Makkah have turned their backs on the favour of Allah and have chosen the way of infidelity, a strange exchange indeed, so then) 'you tell my believing servants that they should establish Salah and be particular about it, and spend in the way of Allah from the sustenance We have given to them, spending it both secretly and openly.' This verse carries significant glad tidings for all believing servants of Allah, and showers on them a great honour indeed. To begin with, Allah Ta’ ala has addressed them as 'His servants.' Then, He attributes the quality of faith to them. And then, He tells them how they can achieve eternal peace and comfort and honour, which is: Be particular and punctual in offering Sal. Avoid being sluggish when the time of Salah becomes due. Do not fall short in observing it as true to its required etiquette. And spend out of the sustenance given to you in My way as well. Here, both forms of spending have been declared to be permissible. This can be done secretly or openly. It means that Sadaqah and Khayrat (charities in the way of Allah) can be given in a way that no one knows about it, or these can be done in a way that others could get to know about it. Some ` Ulama say that the obligatory Zakah and Sadaqatul-Fitr should be given openly so that others are prompted to do the same. As for voluntary (Nafl) Sadaqah and Khayrat, it is better to give these secretly, so that there remains no danger of having done it for the sake of recognition and fair name. However, it all depends on one's intention (Niyyah) and attending conditions. If by doing it openly and publi-cly, there emerges the least likelihood of having done it for the sake of name and fame, the intrinsic merit of the charity (Sadaqah) so given is destroyed, whether obligatory (Fard) or voluntary (Nafl). If the intention is that others may also be induced to do the same, then, open and pronounced giving is permissible both in what is obligatory (Fard) and what is voluntary (Nafl).
Ayah 14:31Said in the last sentence of verse 31 was: مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَّا بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلَا خِلَالٌ (be-fore there comes a day in which there is neither trade nor friendship). The word: خِلَال (khilal) used here can be taken as the plural form of خُلَّۃُ (khullah) which means selfless friendship. Then, this word could also be taken as a verbal noun of the derived form of مُفَاعلۃ (mufa` alah), such as qital, difa` etc. In that case, it would mean a friendship between two per-sons which is mutual and sincere. This sentence relates to both the injunctions of Salah and Sadaqah described above.
The core sense of the injunction is that now is the time to act. Allah Ta` ala has blessed you with the necessary strength and time to make your Salah. And if you have missed any of your Salah in the past due to negligence, make amends and do the qala' (replacement of missed Salah) for it. Similarly, your wealth is in your possession today and by spending it in the way of Allah you can make it work for you particularly for the good of your eternal life. But, lest you forget, the day is coming when both these options will be taken away from you. Neither will your bodies remain active enough to make your Salah, nor will you have any wealth in your possession which you could use to pay for rights wasted. And on that day, there is going to be no buying and selling, no transactions through which you could buy something, through which you could expiate for shortcomings and sins. And on that day, mutual friendships and personal relationships will not work as well. No friend, no matter how dear, will be able to carry the burden of sins committed by another, nor will he find any way to somehow remove the punishment due against him.
The word: یَوم (yowm: a day) obviously means the day of Resurrection (Al-Hashr) and the day of Doom (Al-Qiyamah). Then, it could also be said that it may be the day of one's death because all these signs start showing up immediately from the time of death when one is left without any ability to do anything, nor does wealth stay in the possession of its owner ready to leave the world of his experience behind.
Injunctions and Instructions
As for the statement that no friendship will work for anyone on the day of Qiyamah (31), it means what will not work there will be friend-ships based solely on material interests. But, those who maintain friend-ships and relationships for the sake of Allah and for what is done to serve the interests of His revealed religion will still work at that time as well, for the good servants of Allah who are accepted in His sight will intercede on behalf of others as it has been reported in many ahadith. And the Qur'an itself says: 'those who were friends to each other in the life of the world will turn into enemies to one another wishing to put the blame for their sin on a friend and absolve themselves of it, except those who fear Allah - 43:67.' This is so because there too the people of Taqwa, those who act right in fear of Allah, will be able to put in a good word for each other by way of helping them out.
In the third, fourth and fifth verses (32-34), after recounting the major blessings of Allah Ta’ ala, human beings have been invited to worship and obey Him. They are told that it is Allah alone who has created the heavens and the earth on which depends the emergence and survival of human existence. Then, He sent water down from the sky through which He created produce of many kinds so that they can serve as sustenance for them. The word: الثَّمَرات (ath-thamarat) is the plural form of ثَمَرَہ (thamarah) which is the end product of everything. Therefore, included under 'ath-thamarat' is everything which becomes for human beings their food, dress or a home to live in - because, the word: رِزَق (rizq) translated as 'sustenance' in this verse covers all human needs. (Mazhari)
Ayah 14:32After that it was said that Allah Ta’ ala has subjugated boats and ships to work for you for they move over the waters with His command. The word: سَخِّرَ (sakhkhara) appearing in this verse means that Allah Ta` ala has made the use of these things easy on you. Of course, there is wood and steel and the instrumentation and technology to build boats and ships, but when it comes to having the intelligence and ability to use them correctly and expertly, it must be admitted that they were all given by Him. Therefore, those who feel proud of having invented, manufac-tured or produced things like that should better think twice and feel shy of ascribing all credit of such innovations to themselves. The simple reason is that things used in this process are things none of which was created by them, nor they could. How can someone who works with wood, iron, copper and things like that, utilizes them to serve his end product and then goes about declaring himself as its inventor? Otherwise, if we were to look at hard reality, it will not be difficult to realize that this very existence of ours, our hands and feet, our mind and our in-telligence are not what we have made or invented.
Ayah 14:33After that, it was said that 'We have subjugated the sun and the moon for you' as they both keep moving, always in the same state. The word: دَائِبَيْنِ ۖ (da'ibayn) is a derivation from دَأب da'b which means habit. The sense is that moving at all times and under all conditions has been made the habit of these two planets as it never happens contrary to that. The expression: سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ' (sakhkhara lakum: He subjugated for you) does not mean that they should be moving on your command. Had the sun and the moon been subjugated for human beings in a way that they would be moving under human command, then, there would have been mutual differences among them with the result that one of them would demand that the sun should better rise today two hours later than usual because he had too much work to do in the night. And the other would want to have it rise two hours earlier than usual because he had too many daytime jobs at hand. Therefore, the great Lord did, in a way, subjugate the sun and the moon for human beings, but He did so in the sense that they have been subjugated to serve human beings all the time and under all conditions under a wise Divine arrangement - not that their rising and setting and their speed become subservient to human pleasure.
Similarly, the statement that We have subjugated the night and the day for you' also means that both of them have been put in the service of human beings to provide convenience and comfort.
Ayah 14:34Then, in the first sentence of verse 34, it was said: وَآتَاكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ (And He gave you whatever you asked for) - though, what Allah Tad is pleased to give does not depend on being asked by someone for, the truth of the matter is, that we had never asked for our existence itself. This is what He gave to us in His infinite grace without the asking.
Similarly, who had raised hands of prayer that the skies, the earth, the moon, the sun and so many things other than them be created for us? The Master just gave all this to us without our asking for them. Therefore, Al-Qadi Al-Baydawi has explained the meaning of this statement by saying: 'Allah Ta’ ala given you everything which is worth asking for, even if you have not actually asked for it'. But, should it be that the meaning intended here is what the words literally suggest, still then, it poses no problem - for what man generally asks for is usually given to him anyway. However, wherever that which he asks for is not given to him in the outward form it was sought, then, in that there is some expedient consideration for the person asking or for the rest of the world, something he does not know about. But, He who is All-Knowing and All-Aware, He knows that, should that which he is asking for were to be given to him, it would become for him or for his family or for the whole world - a curse. In a situation like this, not giving what has been asked for becomes, in itself, a great blessing. But man, because of his lack of knowledge, cannot realize that, therefore, he feels disappointed.
In the next sentence of verse 34, it was said: وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّـهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا (And if you count the bounties of Allah, you cannot count them all) that is, even if all human beings combined together were to count them, they would still remain uncountable. A human being is, as is, a little world, per se. In his or her eyes, nose, ears, hands, feet and in every joint, rather in every muscle and vein, hidden there are endless blessings through which this wonderful walking plant pulsating with hundreds of very delicate micro-machines keeps busy doing all sorts of things. Then, we have the mind-boggling range of Divine creations, up, on and down our earth, in seas and mountains which, despite the revealing research done in modern times and despite the devotion of thousands of experts who have spent their lives trying to determine such life forms, still remain undocumented or unidentified. Then, there is our own concept of Divine blessings whereby we tend to take things which are generally considered as blessings in a positive and perceptible way. In fact, blessings are not re-stricted by such a definition. If we remain safe from diseases, hardships, pain, loss and sorrows, that is a standing blessing in its own right. A person may suffer from so many diseases or discomforts of body and soul in this life and he or she could hardly be expected to keep a count of all that. From this we can guess that it is just impossible for anyone to count out the full array of the blessings, bounties and favours of Allah Ta` ala.
Justice demanded that, in return for these countless blessings, equally countless acts of obedience to Allah and equally countless demonstrations of gratitude to Him should have been made mandatory. But, Allah Ta` ala, in His infinite grace, showed leniency towards intrinsic human weakness. The option granted was: When man looks at reality and con-fesses that fulfilling the demands of the obligatory gratitude is not within his control, then, this very confession has been declared to be sufficient as the alternate of the ideal fulfillment of the obligation of gratitude - as was said by Allah Ta’ ala when Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) made a similar confession: اَلاٰنَ قد شکرت یا داؤد which means that his making this confession is sufficient to show his gratefulness.
At the end of the verse (34), it was said:إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ (Surely, man is very unjust, very ungrateful). It means that he should face hardship with patience, keep his words and feelings free from any complaint thinking that the fate he faces has come from a wise Master and that too, being in His infinite Wisdom is nothing but a blessing, and when he is blessed with what is good and comforting, let him be thankful for it from his heart both verbally and practically - as is the dictate of justice. But, common human habit works differently from this norm. A little discomfort or pain would make them lose patience and go about broadcasting their problem. And if they find some blessing or a little wealth, they would get intoxicated with it and forget all about Allah Ta’ ala, their Benefactor. Therefore, in a verse appearing earlier (5), the attribute of sincere believers has been identified as Sabbar (very patient) and Shakur (very grateful).
Ayah 14:35Commentary
Stated in the previous verses was the rational strength and cardinal position of Tauhid, the belief in the Oneness of Allah. And also mentioned there in contrast was the gross ignorance of Shirk, the ascribing of partners in the pristine divinity of Allah, and a condemnation thereof. Among the group of prophets (علیہم السلام) the most successful Jihad waged to establish pure monotheism was that of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . Therefore, the religion preached by him is known particularly as the upright religion.
In view of this, reference has been made to the story of Sayyidna Ibrahim علیہ السلام in the cited verses. However, there is another reason too. In a previous verse (28): الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّـهِ كُفْرًا (those who changed the favour of Allah with disbelief), condemned were people from among the disbelievers of Makkah who had changed faith for disbelief and Tauhid (Oneness of Allah) for Shirk (ascribing of partners to Allah) because that was what their forefathers have been doing. They have been told in these verses about the belief and behaviour of their patriarch, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) so that these people so eager to follow the lead of their ancestors would just look at this model and would, hopefully, abstain from their disbelief. (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)
And as it is already clear to us that by describing the stories and conditions of blessed prophets, the Qur’ an never aims to narrate their history only. Instead of that, in them there are guiding principles for every department of human life. It is to make them become available continuously that these events about prophets are repeated in the Qur'an time and again.
At this place, there are in the first verse (35) two prayers made by Sayyidna Ibrahim (1) رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَـٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا 'My Lord, make this city (of Makkah) peaceful.' This prayer appears in Sarah Al-Baqarah (2:126) as well. But, there the word: بَلَد (balad : city) appears as: بَلَداً (baladan) without the definite article Alif Lam which means an indefinite city. The reason is that this prayer belonged to a time when the city of Makkah was not inhabited. Therefore, the words of the prayer made were general when he said: 'My Lord, make this a city of peace.'
In the prayer which he made when Makkah was already a populated city, he made a definite reference to the city of Makkah saying: 'My Lord, make this city peaceful.'
(2) The second prayer made by him was: 'and keep me and my children away from worshiping idols.'
Though, prophets on whom be peace are protected by Allah, so Shirk, idol-worship, or a sin cannot issue forth from them. But, in this prayer, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has included himself as well. The reason for this is either that prophets too live under a constant fear of being in danger, or that his main purpose was to pray for the safety of his children against the danger of disbelief and idol-worship. It was to impress his children with the gravity of the matter that he included himself too with-in the prayer.
Allah jalla thana'uh granted the prayer of His 'friend.' His children remained protected from Shirk and idol-worship. This brings up a question. The people of Makkah are generally from among the progeny of
Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . Idol-worship was very much present with them. Tafsir Al-Bahr Al-Muhit answers it on the authority of Sufyan ibn ` Uyaiynah that no one from among the progeny of Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) did really take to idol-worship. In fact, when people of the tribe of Jurhum took over Makkah and expelled the children of Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) from the حَرَم Haram, they carried away with them some stones from there out of love and respect for the sacred place. These they used to keep as a momento of the sacred House of Allah before them when they worshipped or went round them making Tawaf. Initially, in doing so, they had no desire to turn back from Allah. They thought that the way making prayers turning towards Baytullah or making Tawaf round it was nothing but devoting to the worship of Allah, so when they turn to that stone from there and make their Tawaf round it, that would not be counter to the worship of Allah. After a passage of time, this very method became the cause of idol-worship.