24. Surah An-Noor

Commentary Some injunctions regarding marriage It has been pointed out earlier that Surah an-Nur contains mostly the injunctions relating to protection of chastity and continence, and prevention of obscenity and shamelessness. In this connection severe punishments against adultery and related matters are mentioned, then istidhan is highlighted, and after that hijab for women is described. Since Islamic jurisprudence is based on the precept of moderation, all its injunctions are moderate, and have affinity with natural human emotions and desires. It is also based on the principle to control the tendency of excessiveness and transgression. When it is enjoined to desist strictly from unlawful lust, it is equally important to provide a lawful access for the natural human emotions and desires. At the same time it is also needed both from a rational and religious point of view that men and women are shown a way for the lawful copulation for the preservation of human race. In the terminology of Qur'an and Sunnah it is called nikah (marriage). In the verse under consideration the guardians of unmarried girls and the owners of slave girls and boys are enjoined to marry them off. وَأَنكِحُوا الْأَيَامَىٰ مِنكُمْ And arrange the marriage of the spouse-less among you - 24:32. Ayama (أَيَامَىٰ ) is the plural of Aym (اَیم)which is used for all those men and women who are not married, irrespective of the situation whether they have not yet been married or were married earlier and have become divorcee or widow /widower. The guardians of such men and women are directed in this verse to arrange their marriage. Scholars and jurists are unanimous on the point that according to the manner of address of this verse the preferable and masnun way of marriage is that men and women have it arranged through their guardians, rather than arranging it directly. There are many a worldly and religious benefits in this tradition, especially in the case of girls it is a sort of indecency that they arrange their own marriages. Also, there is a risk that this system may open the doors for obscenity. Therefore, in some narrations of hadith women are prohibited to contract their own marriages without the mediation of guardians. Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) and some other Imams have ruled that this instruction describes a sunnah and the preferred way for the contract of marriage. But if an adult girl marries someone within her own kuf without her guardian's permission, it is a proper marriage, although she would be reprehensible for this act, because it is against the sunnah, unless she has done so under unavoidable circumstances. Imam Shafi` i (رح) and some other Imams have ruled that her marriage will be null and void if carried out without her guardian's mediation. It is not the intention to describe and argue here the details of approach and arguments put forward by the two jurists on their different points of view, but this much is obvious from the verse under discussion that it is preferable to have guardian's mediation in the matter of marriage. But the Qur'anic verse itself is silent on the issue of status of marriage, if solemnized without the consent of guardians. The other reason is that in the word Ayama (أَيَامَى) both male and female adults are included, and there is consensus that the marriage of adult boys is perfectly valid if solemnized without the mediation of guardians. No one considers that marriage to be null and void. But this is true that in either case it is against the sunnah, for which both should be reproached. The status of marriage in Shari'ah Jurists are almost all unanimous that whoever has a strong apprehension that in case he does not marry, he would not be able to maintain the prescribed limits of Shari’ ah and will get involved in sins, and he has the means to get married, it is obligatory on him to get married. As long as he does not get married, he will remain a sinner. But in case he does not have the means to get married, or a suitable woman is not available, or he does not possess the needed prompt dower etc., for all such situations the injunction is given in the next verse that he should keep striving to obtain what is required and until such time that the needful is arranged, he should keep his emotions under control and wait with patience. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has advised such persons in this situation to fast continuously, for fasting calms down the sexual desire. It is reported in Masnad of Ahmad that the Holy Prophet ﷺ enquired from Sayyidna ` Akkaf whether he had a wife, to which he replied in the negative. Then the Holy Prophet ﷺ enquired whether he had a lawful slave girl. He again replied in the negative. Then he asked ` Do you have the means?' To this he replied in the affirmative. The purpose of this enquiry was to find out whether he possessed the means to arrange his marriage, to which he answered in the positive. After that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said ` In that case you are a brother of Shaitan, for our sunnah is to get married. The worst persons among you are those who are unmarried, and the most mean among your men are those who die without marrying'. (Mazhari). Majority of the jurists have attributed this narration as well to that condition when there is a predominant risk of sinning by abstaining from marriage. The Holy Prophet ﷺ must have known the situation of ` Akkaf that he would not be able to resist. Similarly, it is reported in Masnad of Ahmad on the authority of Sayyidna 'Anas ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had instructed him to get married, and warned against remaining bachelor. (Mazhari). There are some other similar narrations of the hadith as well, and majority of the jurists have held them to be applicable only in those situations where there is a strong apprehension of being involved in a sin if one avoids marriage. Similarly, jurists are almost all unanimous that if someone has strong notion that he would indulge in sin by marrying a woman, for instance he is not capable of meeting conjugal rights of the wife or will get involved for sure in some other sin, in such a situation marriage is prohibited or unbecoming for him. Now the case of that person has to be looked at who is in an even position. For him neither the risk of sin is very strong by abstaining from marriage, nor there is a strong risk of sin if the marriage is performed. For this situation there are different views of the jurists, that is, which act is better; to get married or abstaining from marriage and get involved in extra prayers. Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) has ruled that getting married is better than offering extra prayers, while Imam Shafi` i (رح) has recommended that getting involved in prayers is preferable. The reason for the different views is that by itself the marriage is a lawful act, just like eating, drinking sleeping etc. or as any other necessity of life is lawful, and the element of worship is included in marriage for the simple reason that one can save himself from sin by this act, and when the righteous children are born, it will add up to his reward. When one performs any lawful act with the intent of pleasing Allah Ta’ ala, it becomes an indirect worship for him. Eating, drinking, sleeping etc. all become indirect worship when carried out with this intention. Since occupation in prayers is a direct worship in itself, hence, Imam Shafi` i (رح) regards prayers to be preferable to marriage. But in the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) the element of worship is greater in marriage than other lawful acts. In many Sahih ahadith it is emphasized repeatedly to follow this tradition of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . In the light of all these ahadith it becomes evident that marriage is not just lawful like other lawful acts, but is a sunnah (practice) of the messengers, and has also been emphasized repeatedly in hadith. It is a worship not only from the viewpoint of intention but also being a tradition of the messengers. If someone suggests that by the same token eating, drinking and sleeping should also be regarded as sunnah, because all messengers used to perform them. The answer to this is very clear that despite these acts being performed by all messengers, no one has said or narrated in any hadith that eating, drinking and sleeping are sunnah of the messengers. Instead these acts are regarded as common human habits, which were observed by messengers as well. As against this, marriage is clearly declared as sunnah of the messengers and the sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself. Tafsir Mazhari has given a moderate view on the subject that, if someone is on an even position, that is neither he is helpless or overcome by prevalence of lust, nor feels the risk of indulging in sin by abstaining from marriage, and thinks that if he gets married, his involvement in household would not be a hindrance in his worships and remembrance of Allah Ta’ ala, then it is preferable for him to get married. This was exactly the case of the messengers of Allah and the righteous people of the Ummah. But if he has a hunch that his marriage and involvement in household will not let him promote his religious status and will hinder Allah's remembrance, then for him abstaining from marriage for performing worship would be preferable, provided he is in an even position, described above. Many a Qur'anic verses are in support of this position, one of them being: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِاللَّـهِ believers, let not your possessions nor your children divert you from Allah's remembrance - 63:9).This verse advises that the wealth and children should not come in the way of remembering Allah Ta’ ala. وَالصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ عِبَادِكُمْ وَإِمَائِكُمْ And the capable from among your bond-men and bond-girls - 24:32. This sentence is addressed to the masters of the slaves. Here the word salihin is used in its literal meaning, that is whoever among them has the means and capacity of marrying; arrangement of his/her marriage is made incumbent upon their owners and masters. Here the word capacity is purported to have the means to fulfill the conjugal rights of wife and ability to make payment of maintenance and prompt dower. If the word salihin is taken in its common sense, that is good and pious people, then their exclusiveness from the rest will be on the basis that marriage is basically the means to keep away from the sins, a trait which only the good persons possess. So, it is made incumbent upon the masters of the slaves and slave girls that those among them who have the ability to get married, their marriage should be arranged. It is purported to mean here that if they show their need and desire to get married, then according to some jurists it is binding on the owners to marry them off. But the majority of jurists have ruled that in such a situation it is incumbent upon the masters not to place any hindrance in their marriage and allow them to get married, because the marriage of slaves and slave girls cannot be performed without the permission of their owners. Thus, this injunction is similar in nature with another verse of the Holy Qur'an فَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ أَن يَنكِحْنَ أَزْوَاجَهُنَّ that is ` It is incumbent upon the guardians of women not to stop the women under their charge from marriage'. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has also said on the subject that ` If someone of that kind comes to you with the proposal and you like his morals, then surely may him off. If you do not do it then great mischief will be created on earth'. (Tirmidhi) The gist of this all is that the owners are instructed here not to make any delay in granting permission of marriage to their subjects, notwithstanding that arrangement of their marriage may not be their responsibility. (Allah knows best) إِن يَكُونُوا فُقَرَ‌اءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّـهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ If they are poor, Allah will enrich them out of His grace - 24:32. There is a good news in this verse for such poor Muslims who want to marry for the security of their religious obligation, but they have no means. If they marry with the good intention for the security of their religion and to follow the sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، Allah Ta’ ala will grant them sufficient means. There is also an advice in the verse to those who might reject the proposal of marriage from poor people on the basis of their current condition. Wealth is something which does not always stay. The important thing is merit of a person. If they possess merit then their proposal for marriage should not be turned down. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has said that Allah Ta’ ala has persuaded all Muslims for marriage in this verse, for which He has included every one, either free or slave, and has promised to enrich ti em if they marry. (Ibn Kathir). And Ibn Abi Hatim has reported that Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ while addressing the Muslims said that ` You follow the injunction of Allah Ta’ ala for marriage, and He will fulfill His promise for granting the riches'. Then he recited this verseإِن يَكُونُوا فُقَرَ‌اءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّـهُ (32) Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Masud ؓ has said ` If you want to be rich, then get married, because Allah Ta’ ala has said إِن يَكُونُوا فُقَرَ‌اءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّـهُ (Ibn Kathir)

Warning It is commented in Tafsir Mazhari that it should, however, be noted that Allah Ta’ ala's promise to grant riches to the one who will marry is only on the condition that his intention is to safeguard his chastity and to follow the sunnah. After that he should have trust and faith in Allah Ta’ ala, for which the confirmation is available in the next verse, which reads: وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ الَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّىٰ يُغْنِيَهُمُ اللَّـهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ (And those who cannot afford marriage should keep chaste until Allah enriches them out of His grace - 24:33). ` It means that the people who do not have the material wealth for the marriage, and in case they marry, there is the risk of not fulfilling the rights of wife and their becoming sinners, they should wait with patience until Allah grants them riches from His bounty. A method has been stated in the hadith for achieving the required patience, which is keeping fasts abundantly. If they will follow the advice, Allah Ta` a1a will grant them so much material resources that they will be able to afford the expenses of marriage. Commentary Owners of the slaves and slave girls were advised in the previous verse that they should allow their subjects to marry if they so desire. They should not delay their marriage to curb their natural urge for their own expediency. The essence of this advice is to save the subjects from trouble and that they be treated graciously. In the same context another direction is given in this verse to the owners of slaves and slave girls that if their subjects wish to enter into a deal with them for making payment against their freedom, then it is desirable for the owners to concede to this wish, which will bring them good reward. This instruction is commonly taken by the jurists, like the author of Hidayah, as a recommendatory instruction in that it is not compulsory for the owners to concede for freedom of their subjects against payment, yet it is preferable to do so. The procedure for entering into a deal of freedom is that the subject asks his owner to set up an amount with mutual consent for the freedom, which he should earn with his labour and pay to the owner. Alternatively, the owner can also initiate the deal and with mutual consent on payment of a certain amount whereby the slaves can earn their freedom. When such a deal is struck with mutual consent between the owner and the slave, then it becomes mandatory under Islamic law, and the owner has no authority to call it off. As soon as the slave makes the payment of the agreed amount, he gets free automatically. The amount of money so agreed for the freedom of slave is called badal-al-kitabah for which Islamic law has fixed no limit. It may be the same as the cost of slave, or more or less. The amount on which the parties mutually agree will be regarded as badal-al-kitabah. The essence behind the advice given in this verse is to open up the doors of freedom for the slaves. This is but one such instruction which points out toward the underlying objective of Islamic law of allowing freedom for slaves. In all types of expiations, a common injunction is freedom of slaves. Even otherwise, there is a promise of generous blessings for freeing the slaves. Arrangement of the treaty for freedom in exchange of money is one such route. This is why there is so much persuasion and emphasis on this. However, a condition has also been placed with this treaty إِنْ عَلِمْتُمْ فِيهِمْ خَيْرً‌ا (33). The treaty will only be in order when you notice signs of goodness in them. Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ and many other scholars have explained that here the word 'Khair' (good) is purported to mean the strength to earn. Hence, it means that someone who has the strength to earn and can make payment should be allowed to enter the deal, otherwise his labour will be wasted on one hand and the owner will also suffer loss. Some other scholars have given another explanation that goodness and betterment mean here that there should be no risk of any harm to the Muslims because of his freedom. For instance, the slave may be an infidel and he might have been helping his infidel brethren. As a matter of, fact the word 'Khair' (good) stands here for both the meanings, that is the slave should have the strength to earn, and there should be no risk of any harm to the Muslims as a result of his freedom. (Mazhari) وَآتُوهُم مِّن مَّالِ اللَّـهِ الَّذِي آتَاكُمْ Give them out of the wealth of Allah that He has given to you - 24:33. This address is directed towards Muslims in general, and to the owners of the slaves in particular. When the freedom of a slave is dependent on a fixed amount to be given to his owner, then it is incumbent upon Muslims to help him collect that money. For this they can pay from the zakah money as well. And the owners are induced to contribute on their own or reduce the amount of the treaty. It was the practice of the Companions to reduce the amount of treaty by one third or one fourth, depending upon their capacity. (Mazhari) An important economic issue and the Qur’ anic verdict on it The present day world is totally materialistic. Everyone seems to have forgotten about the life hereafter and has completely entangled himself in money making. All types of researches, contemplation: and developments, revolve round economic uplift only. Detailed discussions and researches on finer economic points have raised its status many fold, and now it has assumed the position of greatest art. The world thinkers have propounded two well-known theories, which, paradoxically, are in conflict with each other. Because of the inherent conflict between them, the world at large is divided in two groups, who are unfortunately at daggers drawn with each other, resulting in the loss of peace and tranquility of the world. One theory has given birth to capitalist system, commonly known as capitalism. The other one is the socialist system which is called as socialism or communism. It is an everyday common experience, which neither of the two systems can deny, that whatever the man earns or produces in this world through his hard work, its basic source of production is the natural resources, like water, the produce from earth or any other natural produce. The man produces millions of things of his need and use from natural resources through his skill, hard work, ingenuity and composing or decomposing their certain elements. It is but natural to think that there is someone who creates the natural resources. They have not come into being of their own. It also goes without saying that the One who has created the natural resources is the real owner and master of them all. The natural resources have been passed on to man for a limited period (his life span) for his benefit and use. It does not mean that the man has become the master of natural resources for all times, because his own life is so short. Moreover, man does not, and cannot, exercise total control and authority on all natural resources for all the time. For instance, man can irrigate the fields with water, but he cannot create water if there is a drought. Therefore, it is clear that man is not free to use or control them, and hence should follow the instructions given to him by their Crea or and Master. But in the frenzy of materialism everyone has forgotten even the concept of real Master and Creator. The only controversy between them is that whether the one who possesses the factors of production becomes their owner, or all these resources are common to all and everyone has a right to benefit from them. The first theory is that of the capitalist system which grants freedom of ownership to man in that he can acquire anything by any means, and is also free to use and spend it any way he likes. There is absolutely no restriction on him. The infidels and disbelievers of the olden times professed the same belief, who objected before Sayyidna Shu` aib ؓ as to why should he place any restriction on their wealth, which belonged to them and they were its owners. They claimed that the prophet had no right to tell them as to where the spending was permitted and where it was not? The meaning of Qur'anic verse أَوْ أَن نَّفْعَلَ فِي أَمْوَالِنَا مَا نَشَاءُ (or that we do with our wealth what we wish - 11:87) is the same. The other theory is that of socialism, which does not allow ownership to anyone of anything, and professes common ownership of everyone and equal right to all. This is the original theory of communism, but when they felt that this is not practicable, they exempted some objects from the common ownership. As against these two extremes the Holy Qur'an has given a system in which the most fundamental concept is that everything belongs to Allah Ta’ ala, who has given the charge of some things to man temporarily by His grace and bounty. For such things where man has been given the charge and possession, others have been debarred to make any claim on their use, without the permission of the owner. But despite the possession and ownership being given to man, he is not granted freedom to earn or spend them in any manner he likes. Both for earning and spending there are wise and equitable rules and regulations which are clearly defined, and which clearly identify the permissible and impermissible ways of earning and spending. In addition to this, it has also been made incumbent upon him to pass on certain part of his possession to others, which is made the right of recipients on those things. Although the verse under reference deals with a different subject yet it contains some important principles relating to this economic issue. So, look at the wordings of the verse rather intently وَآتُوهُم مِّن مَّالِ اللَّـهِ الَّذِي آتَاكُمْ. ` Give them out of the wealth of Allah that He has given to you - 33'. Three things come out of this statement. One, that Allah is the real owner of everything. Two, that He has given the possession of certain things to man by His grace. Three, that there are certain restrictions on things which He has given to man. Spending of certain things has been prohibited, and spending of other things is made obligatory, while spending of some others is made preferable. The other injunction given in this verse is for the eradication of an uncouth custom, and for curbing adultery and obscenity وَلَا تُكْرِ‌هُوا فَتَيَاتِكُمْ عَلَى الْبِغَاءِ ` Do not compel your maid to prostitution - 33'. During the pre-Islamic period many people used to have this business done by their slave girls. When Islam placed strict punishments on adultery, both on free and slave individuals, then it was necessary to enjoin special strict orders to stop and eradicate this uncivilized custom. إِنْ أَرَ‌دْنَ تَحَصُّنًا (If they wish to observe chastity - 24:33). It means that when those slave girls express their wish to avoid adultery and remain pure, then pressurizing them on your part is extremely imprudent and shameless. Although the wording of the injunction is conditional, yet there is consensus of Ummah that the intention here is not to press the slave girls for adultery, irrespective of the situation whether they express their wish to avoid it or not. In other words, it is not meant here that in case they do not wish to avoid adultery, then it is permitted to force them into it. What is intended here is to tell that in the pre-Islamic days obscenity was common, so the slave girls did not mind adultery. Although after the advent of Islam they repented and wished not to be involved in this practice, yet their owners still forced them for the crime, which they resented. On this situation this injunction was revealed, in which their owners are warned and reproached that while they (the slave girls) want to avoid a shameful act, you are trying to force it on them. فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ مِن بَعْدِ إِكْرَ‌اهِهِنَّ غَفُورٌ‌ رَّ‌حِيمٌ Then after their being compelled, Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful - 33. The gist of this sentence is that it is prohibited to force the slave girls to adultery. If someone does that and the slave girl gets involved in adultery because of the compulsion exercised by her owner, then Allah Ta’ ala will pardon her sin and that sin will be passed on to the one who had forced her. (Mazhari).

Commentary The scholars call this verse as the ` Verse of Radiance', because it describes in great detail the radiance of faith and the darkness of disbelief.

The definition of Nur (Light) Imam Ghazzali (رح) has given the definition of Nur (light) as الظاھر بنفسہٖ وا؛مظھر لغیرہ that is something which is bright and manifest on its own, and makes other things bright and evident. Tafsir Mazhari has explained that Nur is in fact that condition which is initially perceived by man's sense of sight, and then through that perception he comprehends all those things which can be seen by eye, such as in the case of rays of sun and the moon, which on falling on a solid mass brightens it up, and then through the reflection from solid mass brightens other things. Hence, it is evident that the word Nur cannot be used for Allah Ta ala in its literal or common meaning, because He is free from body and materiality. Therefore, there is consensus among the scholars that the use of word Nur for Allah Ta’ ala in the verse under reference is purported for Munawwir, meaning the one who brightens, or may be the master of brightening is referred here as Nur, in the same way as the possessor of grace is sometimes called Grace, or the possessor of justice is called the Justice. So, meaning of the verse is that Allah bestows Nur to earth and the heaven, and to everything living there, and the Nur is purported to be the Nur of righteousness. Ibn Kathir has reported the explanation put forward by Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہما that اللہ ھادی اھل السمٰوٰت والارض (that is, Allah is the Guide of all living in the heavens and the earth). Nur of the believer مَثَلُ نُورِ‌هِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ (The example of His light is that of a niche in which there is a lamp - 24:35). This is a nice example of Allah Ta’ ala's Nur of guidance, which penetrates into the heart of the believer. Ibn Jarir ؓ has reported its explanation put forward by Sayyidna Ubayy bin Ka` b ؓ . ھو المؤمِن الّذی جعل اللہ الایمان و القراٰن فی صدرہ، فضرب اللہ مثلہ فقال : اللَّـهُ نُورُ‌ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ ، فبداء بنور نفسہٖ ثم ذکر نورالمؤمن ، فقال : مثل نور من آمن بہٖ ، فکان اُبّی بن کعب یقرأھا مثل نور من آمن بہٖ (ابن کثیر) It means that this is the example of the believer in whose heart Allah Ta'ala has laid down the Nur of faith and of the Qur’ an. In this verse Allah Ta'ala has first mentioned His own Nur and then the Nur of the believer's heart and the following example is for the one who believes in Him. Sayyidna Ubayy Ibn Ka` b ؓ used to recite this verse as مثل نور من آمن بہٖ instead of مَثَلُ نُورِ‌هِ (to explain this). Said Ibn Jubair ؓ has also reported the same meaning and recitation of the verse from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . Ibn Kathfr has narrated all these explanations and then remarked that there are two view points among the jurists about the pronoun of مَثَلُ نُورِ‌هِ (the example of his light). One, that this pronoun has reference toward Allah Ta'ala, and thus the meaning of the verse is ` Allah's Nur placed in the heart of believers naturally', and the example of that is كَمِشْكَاةٍ (like a niche). This explanation is put forward by Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas ؓ . The other explanation is that the personal pronoun refers to the believers, who are presumed to have been referred to by the context. So, the example given in the verse can be explained as follows: The chest of a believer is like a niche, while the heart of the believer placed in the chest is like a lamp (placed in the niche). Then the transparent oil of olive is the example of the natural nur (light) of guidance which is deposited in the nature of a believer and which has the inherent capability to accept the truth (which is indicated in the verse by the words 'Its oil is about to emit light even if. fire has not touched it). Then as the olive oil produces brightness when caused to burn with the flame of fire, the same way natural Nur of guidance which is placed in the heart of the believer, when joins the message and knowledge of Allah Ta'ala, then it gets brightened and also brightens the world. When the companions and their pupils confined this example to the heart of a believer alone, they have most probably done so because it is only the believer who draws benefit from this Nur. Otherwise the natural Nur of guidance which is placed in the hearts of humans at the time of their creation, is not confined to believers, but is part of the nature and instinct of every human being. It is for this reason that one can see all around the world that there are people in every nook and corner, in all societies and religions, who believe in the existence of God and His Omnipotence, and do turn towards Him. No matter one may make all types of errors in the perception and understanding of God, yet every individual does believe by nature in His existence, with the exception of a few atheists, who have lost their natural instinct. A Sahih hadith endorses this view, which says, کُلُّ مَولُودِ یُولَدُ عَلَی الفِطرَۃ that is ` Every child is born with natural instinct'. Later, his parents put him on the wrong path. This natural instinct is the guidance of faith. The guidance of faith and its Nur is bestowed to every individual at the time of his birth, and because of this Nur of guidance, one possesses the ability to accept the truth. When they come to know about the revelations of Allah through His messengers and their deputies, they readily accept them, except those unfortunate people who have erased the Divine Nur from their heart with their wrong doings. Perhaps this is the reason that in the beginning of the verse the bestowal of Nur is said to be common to all, which includes everyone on the earth and the heavens, without any difference between believers or disbelievers, but towards the end of the verse it is said يَهْدِي اللَّـهُ لِنُورِ‌هِ مَن يَشَاءُ that is ` Allah Ta’ ala guides to His light whomsoever He wills - 35'. Here the will of Allah is not pointing toward that Divine Nur which is bestowed to all humans, but toward the Qur'anic Nur, which is not availed by everyone, except those fortunate ones, to whom Divine help is granted. Otherwise even one's endeavor goes waste without Divine help, and sometimes becomes detrimental: اذلم یکن عون من اللہ للفتٰی فاوّل ما یجنیعلیہ اجتھادہ If there is no help to man from Allah, then his striving puts him to trouble instead'. The Nur of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Imam Baghawi (رح) has narrated that Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ once enquired from Ka'b al-Ahbar as to how would he explain this verse مَثَلُ نُورِ‌هِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ. Ka` b al-Ahbar, who was a great Muslim scholar of Torah and Injil, said that this example was meant for the heart of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Mishkat (the niche) stands for his chest, Zujajah (glass) for his heart and Misbah (lamp) for his prophethood. What was unique about this Nur of prophethood was that even before the declaration of prophethood it had the illumination of light for the people. When the revelation from Allah is coupled with the Nur of prophethood, then it turns into such radiance that the whole world is brightened. Before the declaration of prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، and even before his birth, some strange and amazing' events had taken place in the world, which were in fact advance notice of the incoming prophet, and are called Irhasat in the vocabulary of the scholars of hadith. The difference between this word and miracle is that the latter is used for such unusual events which are bestowed by Allah Ta’ ala to his messengers for the endorsement of their prophethood, while Irhasat are those unusual events which happen before the declaration of prophethood. There are a number of unusual incidents which are recorded by several authentic narrations, and have been compiled by Shaikh Jalaluddin Sayuti (رح) in his book (خَٓایٔص کُبرٰی۔Khasais Kubra - and by Abu Nu'aim in his دلایِٔل النّبوۃ۔ Dalail-un-Nubuwwah. Other scholars have also collected many such incidents in their books. Tafsir Mazhari has reproduced a good number of these events. Benefits of olive oil شَجَرَ‌ةٍ مُّبَارَ‌كَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ (A blessed tree, the olive - 35.). This is an endorsement that olive and its tree is blessed by Allah and is beneficial and useful. Scholars have commented that Allah Ta’ ala has instilled many a benefits in it. Olive oil is used in the burning of lamps. Its light is the brightest and clearest as against any other oil. It is eaten as a fruit and its oil is used in cooking. The interesting part is that there is no need of any machine for the extraction of its oil. When the fruit is ripe, the oil comes out automatically. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has asked to eat and massage the body with olive oil. (Baghawi - Mazhari)