Ayah 10:8886. These verses are related to the early period of Moses' (peace be on him) mission whereas the prayer itself probably belongs to his last days in Egypt. The intervening period spans several years, the detailed events of which have not been mentioned here. At other places in the Qur'an, however, there are references to the events that took place in that intervening period.
87. This alludes to the pomp and splendour and the glamour of cultural refinement because of which people had become enamoured of them and their life-style, and which had created in the former an irrepressible urge to ape the ways of the latter.
88. This refers to the abundance of material resources which are available to the unbelievers to execute their plans, whereas the believers, insofar as they lack those resources, are forced to defer the execution of their plans.
89. This prayer, as we have pointed out earlier (see n. 86 above), was made by the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) during his very last days in Egypt. Moses resorted to this prayer when, although Pharaoh and his nobles had witnessed a series of signs betokening the truth, and even though Moses (peace be on him) had made the truth all too patently clear to them, they still obdurately persisted in their hostility to it. Moses' prayer that God may 'obliterate their riches and harden their hearts' is a prayer that Prophets are wont to make at a time when they are faced with opposition like that mentioned above. The prayer is substantially in accord with God 's own judgement against those who obdurately oppose the truth - that they may never be enabled to have faith.
Ayah 10:8990. Those who are ignorant of reality and who have no grasp of the beneficent considerations underlying God's decisions are liable to misunderstand things. Such people observe the weakness of the forces that stand for truth as against the forces of falsehood. They observe that those who seek to make the truth prevail suffer a series of reverses. By way of contrast, they observe the dazzling worldly success of those who stand for falsehood. On such occasions they fall prey to several misconceptions. They begin to suspect that perhaps God Himself wants that His rebels should continue to hold sway over the earth, that perhaps even He - Who Himself is the Truth - is not willing to support the truth in its encounter with falsehood. Under the influence of such a fallacious line of reasoning, they conclude that the struggle for establishing the hegemony of the truth is an exercise in futility. They feel, therefore, satisfied with the freedom to practise religious principles in a very narrow domain of human life; this is provided within the framework of a system of life which is based on denial of the true faith and the 'right' to violate the injunctions of God.
In the present verse God has directed Moses (peace be on him) and his followers not to fall prey to such erroneous ideas. God's directive, as embodied in this verse, amounts to saying that people should patiently persist in their efforts in the face of adverse circumstances, lest they also fall prey to the same mistake as committed by those who lack knowledge and wisdom.
Ayahs 10:90–9191. Though this event is not mentioned in the Bible, it is explicitly recorded in the Talmud in the following words: 'Who is like Thee, O Lord, among the gods?'
We settled the Children of Israel in a blessed land,94 and provided them with all manner of good things. They only disagreed among themselves after knowledge (of the truth had) come to them.95 Surely your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning their disagreements.
Ayah 10:9292. Even to this day the exact place where Pharaoh's dead body was found afloat on the surface of the sea is known. Lying on the western coast of the Sinaitic peninsula, it is presently known as the Mount of Pharaoh (Jabal Fir'awn). A warm spring, situated in its vicinity, is also still called the Bath of Pharaoh (Hammam Fir'awn) after Pharaoh. Located a few miles away, Abu Zanimah is identified as the precise spot at which Pharaoh's dead body was found. If the name of the Pharaoh who died by drowning was Minpetah, as has been established by current research, his embalmed body still lies in the museum of Cairo. In 1907 when Sir Grafton Elliot Smith removed bandages from the mummified body of this Pharaoh, it was found to be coated with a layer of salt. This is clear proof of his death by drowning at sea.
Ayahs 10:93–9493. God continues to confront people with instructive signs, even though most of them, in total disregard of such signs, fail to derive any lesson from them.
94. That is, God provided an abode for them in Palestine for their exodus from Egypt.
95. Here reference is made to the schisms and dissensions which the Israelites caused and the ever new religious cults which they invented. It is pointed out here that they had not acted in ignorance of the truth; their actions rather emanated from mischievous designs. For they had been provided by God with the true religion and they knew its fundamental principles, its requirements, and the features which distinguish the true faith from the false ones. They were also well aware of what constitutes disobedience, on what matters man will be held to account by God, and on what principles man should fashion his life. Despite these clear directives the Israelites transformed their true faith into a multitude of religious cults, and developed them all on foundations altogether divergent from those provided by God.
Ayah 10:9596. Though this admonition is apparently addressed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), in point of fact it is directed to those who entertained doubts about the Prophet's message. Reference is made to the People of the Book because the common Arabs were not conversant with the Scriptures. But so far as the People of the Book were concerned, there were doubtlessly some pious religious scholars among them who were in a position to corroborate the fact that the Qur'anic message was essentially the same as that delivered by the earlier Prophets.
Ayahs 10:96–9797. The statement 'the word of your Lord has been fulfilled' refers to those who are not interested in seeking truth; who, by dint of their apathy, bigotry, stubbornness, excessive worldliness and total unconcern about the After-life, make their hearts immune to the truth. God's judgement about such persons is that they will not be blessed with faith.
Ayah 10:9898. Even though the Prophet Yunus, called Jonah in the Bible (860-784 BC). was of Israeli descent, he was sent to Iraq in order to guide the Assyrians. The Assyrians are, therefore, called here 'the people of Yunus'. Ninevah. the famous ancient town, was their capital, a great many ruins of which are still to be found on the left bank of the Tigris, opposite the present city of Mosul. One of the mounds in this area is still named after the Prophet Jonah. The splendour of the Assyrians may be gauged from the fact that their capital, Ninevah. spread over a radius of sixty miles.
99. Although there are allusions to this incident in three places in the Qur'an, there is no mention of any detail. (See al-Anbiya', 21: 87-8; al-Saffat 37: 139-48; and al-Qalam 68: 48-50.) In view of the above, it cannot be stated with confidence why the Assyrians were singled out for being spared God's punishment even though God's Law is that if a people decide to believe after God has decided to punish them, their believing afterwards does not profit them.
The 'Book of Jonah' in the Bible contains some material relevant to the matter, but unfortunately that information is barely reliable. For, the 'Book of Jonah' is in no sense a heavenly revelation, nor was it even authored by the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him). What actually happened is that some four or five hundred years after Jonah's death some anonymous person produced the 'Book of Jonah' and had it incorporated into the Bible. Moreover, some of the contents of the 'Book of Jonah' are too absurd to be acceptable. However, were one to reflect on the allusions to the people of Yunus in the Qur'an and on the information provided by the 'Book of Jonah', one is inclined to support the view of the Qur'an-commentators, namely that since the Prophet Jonah (peace be on him) had left his station without obtaining God's permission to do so and since the Assyrians repented and sought pardon from God as soon as they saw the signs of God's impending punishment, God pardoned them.
One of the basic principles mentioned in the Qur'an concerning God's punishment of the world's nations is that He does not punish any nation until God's Message has been fully conveyed to them so that the people are left with no justification to claim that they were not aware of His Message. (See the Qur'an. al-Nisa' 4: 165 in conjunction with al-Isra' 17: 15-Ed.) Now in this case, as we can see, the admonition of the Assyrians did nor continue till the very end of the period granted to them by God because Prophet Yunus (peace be on him) migrated from his station. It is presumably for this reason that God in His justice decided not to punish them since all the requisite conditions of punishment had not been fulfilled. (For details see al-Saffat 37, n. 85.)
100. When the Assyrians embraced the true faith, they were granted a fresh lease of life. However, they once again became wayward both in matters of belief and conduct. Though the Prophet Nahum (720-698 BC) warned them, it still had no effect on them. The final warning was delivered to them by the Prophet Zephaniah (709-640 BC) but that too was of no avail. Ultimately, God sent the Medes against them in 612 BC. The king of the Medes, with the assistance of the Babylonians, invaded Assyria, The Assyrian army was routed and besieged within the walls of Ninevah. Although they put up some resistance for a time, the flooded Tigris swept away the city walls, enabling the invaders to break through the defences and capture the city. Subsequently they set fire to the whole city and its environs. The Assyrian king set his own palace ablaze and was himself burnt to death. This brought to an end the Assyrian empire and civilization. However, recent excavations in the area have brought to light many traces of massive conflagration.
Ayah 10:99101. Had it been God's will that only those who are true believers and obey God should inhabit the earth and that there should remain no trace of unbelief and disobedience, God would have caused only the faithful and obedient ones to be born. Nor would-it have been difficult for Him to providentially direct everyone to faith and obedience in such a manner that it would have been impossible for people to do otherwise. However, there is a profound wisdom underlying man's creation which would have been totally defeated by such a compulsion. For it was God's will to grant man the free-will to make his choice between faith and unbelief, between obedience and disobedience.
102. What has been said here does not mean that the Prophet (peace be on him) sought to compel people into believing whereas God had dissuaded him from doing so. The technique employed in the above verse is the same as employed at many places in the Qur'an, viz. that although at times certain things are addressed apparently to the Prophet (peace be on him), they are meant, in fact, for the instruction of others. What is being said here is that the Prophet (peace be on him) had been assigned the task of making the right way abundantly clear to people with the help of convincing arguments. Thus the Prophet (peace be on him) had fulfilled the task assigned to him. Now, if they have no intent to follow the right way, and they feel sure that unless they are overpoweringly compelled to they should know well that it is no part of a Prophet's task. Had God desired that people be made to have faith compulsively, He could have done so without raising any Prophet.
Ayah 10:100103. All God's bounties are solely at His disposal and one can neither have access to any of these without His leave, nor can one confer them on others. The bounty of having faith and being directed to the right path is also fully contingent upon God's leave. Hence, it is simply inconceivable that without God's leave anyone can attain this bounty or confer it on anyone else. Even if the Prophet (peace be on him) sincerely wants people to believe, it does not lie in his power to accomplish that without God's leave and succour.
104. This fully explains that God's leave and succour are not bestowed on people arbitrarily. God does not capriciously permit or disallow people to embrace faith. There is a definite law - a law that is based on wisdom - according to which God disposes such matters. The law is that those who in their quest for the truth use their reason properly, and in an unbiased manner, are assisted by God. Owing to God's concern, the means of arriving at the truth are made available to them in proportion to the extent of the sincerity of their quest for the truth and their efforts to reach it. They are also granted the succour required for their success in grasping the truth. As for those who are not really in search of the truth, who keep their reason enmeshed in biases, or fail to make use of their reason in their search for the truth, such people are able to find nothing but the abomination of ignorance and misguidance, of false thinking and evil-doing. Their attitude makes it very clear that they merit nothing but ignorance and misguidance and, hence, that is what they are destined for.
Ayahs 10:101–103105. This is the final and categorical response to the unbelievers. The unbelievers had asked that they be shown some convincing sign that would make them confirm the truth of the Prophet's claim to prophethood. Here they are being told that if the unbelievers had any desire to seek and accept the truth, there are innumerable signs scattered throughout the heavens and the earth, signs that are more than sufficient to convince them about the truth of the Prophet's message. All one needed to do was to look around with open eyes and to reflect on what one observes. Conversely, if there are some people who have no inclination to seek the truth, then no signs - howsoever extraordinary and wonder-provoking they may be - will help them to have faith. For, whenever such people witness any such sign, they cry out, as did Pharaoh and his chiefs, that it is 'plain sorcery' (see verse 76 above). Those who are afflicted with such a sickness, wake up to the truth only when God's punishment befalls them in all its horror. An instance in point is Pharaoh's realization of the truth as he faced death by drowning (see verse 90 above). But to repent only when one is being seized by God's wrath is of no avail.
Ayah 10:104106. The theme broached at the beginning of (his discourse is now resumed at the point of its conclusion. (Cf. verses 1-10.)
107. The Qur'anic expression _ literally means 'who causes you to die'. This literal rendering, however, does not convey the spirit of the statement made here. For what is being said amounts to the following: God is the One Who has the power over your lives and Who enjoys such absolute control over you that as long as He wishes you to remain alive, you live, and no sooner than He signals you to surrender your lives to Him, you do so. It is Him alone that I worship, and it is to His service and obedience that I am bound.
In this context, it should be borne in mind that the Makkan polytheists believed, as do the present-day polytheists, that only God, the Lord of the universe, has the absolute power to cause death, a power that no one else shares with Him. They also believed that even those whom they associated with God in His attributes and authority were all too helpless to avert their own death. It is to be noted that of the numerous divine attributes, this particular attribute of God - viz. that He alone has the power to cause death - is mentioned here alongside the doctrine that men ought to give themselves in total devotion and service to God alone. The reason for it seems to be that in addition to being the statement of an important fact, it also provides a rationale for exclusively serving and worshipping God.
In other words, the statement of the Prophet here amounts to saying that he is exclusively devoted to the service of God since the latter alone has all power over life and death. Conversely, why should anyone devote himself to worshipping others who, let alone having power over the life and death of others, do not have power even over their own life and death? The rhetorical force of the verse is also significant, for instead of saying that 'He has power over my death', the verse says: 'He has power over your death'. Thus one simple sentence pithily embraces three things - the thesis, its supporting argument, and the exhortation to accept that thesis. Had it been said that: T only serve Allah Who has power over my death', its logical implication would have been that in view of the fact that He had control over the Prophet's life and death, the latter should have served only Allah. However, it has been said that: 'I only serve Allah Who has power over your death', in this form, the implication of the verse is that not only the Prophet but also others should serve only God and this even though they had succumbed to the error of serving others than God.
Ayahs 10:105–109108. The emphatic form in which people have been urged to adhere to true faith is noteworthy. Here people are not simply being asked to 'embrace the faith', or to 'follow the faith', or to 'become adherents of the faith'. Apparently such expressions were too weak and feeble to convey the idea of a total, firm, and steady adherence to faith as required of man. The actual words of the verse, suggest that one should focus one's attention on the true faith, that one ought not to waver and let one's attention wander, that one ought to refrain from, occasionally moving a step forward and another step backward, or turning alternately left and right. What one is rather required to do is to keep moving straight ahead on the path to which one has been directed. This is clear and forceful enough in itself. However, the Qur'an does not stop at that. It adds the condition that the attention should be , that is, one characterized by exclusive and sincere devotion. What is thus being demanded is that one should adhere to this religion, this way of serving God, this way of life comprising worship, service, servitude, and obedience and in such a way that man's devotion and service to God are total. Once the true faith has been adopted, there should remain no trace of any liking for the false ways which have been forsaken.
109. The Prophet (peace be on him) is asked not to be one of those who associate others with God in His being, His attributes, His claims against His creatures, and His authority over those who set up others than God as partners to God. These others could be either one's own self, or some other person, or a group of persons; a spirit, a jinn, an angel, or any tangible or imagined being. Thus, the demand is not just a positive one to follow the path of serving the One True God with total devotion and steadfastness - there is also a negative aspect of the demand - that one ought to detach oneself from those who associate others with God in His divinity in whatever form. Moreover, one is required to be exclusively devoted to God not only in the realm of belief but also in the realm of conduct; not only in the individual but also in the collective sphere of life; not only when one is in a mosque, but also when one is in an educational institution, or in a court of law, or a legislative body, or in stately palaces where political decisions are made, or in market places bristling with trade and commerce. In short, one should adhere wherever one might be, to the doctrine of exclusive devotion to God. This is a way that should be quite distinct from the way of those who have developed in their lives a hodgepodge of two opposites: devotion to God and devotion to others than God. In short, one who believes in worshipping the One True God alone can never go hand-in-hand with those who believe in polytheism. For how could a Muslim conceivably be satisfied to go step-by-step with, let alone follow the way of those who associate others with God in His divinity? For in the latter eventuality the believer will be unable to fulfil the basic requisite of his faith, viz. the doctrine of monotheism.
Moreover, the Qur'an asks the believer not only to shun overt but also covert and subtle forms of polytheism. One should be especially cautious about the latter since the consequences of any kind of polytheism are dreadful. Some people, out of their naivety, however, are inclined to take a light view of covert polytheism, considering it to be of less consequence than the open variety. One should be wary of such complaisance for covert polytheism may, in fact, be even more serious than the open variety. For an enemy out in the open can be more effectively countered than the one who is hidden from sight, or one who masquerades as a friend. One may well ask: which disease is more fatal, the one with the obvious symptoms, or the insidious one which develops within, eating at the vital organs, and yet which shows no external symptoms?
This analogy holds true for the subtle form of polytheism. For the danger of open polytheism, of one that can be easily identified, is obvious to all and sundry. However, it is the subtle form of polytheism whose diagnosis calls for unusual insight and a mature grasp of the requisites of monotheism. For polytheism in its subtle form goes about striking its roots imperceptibly. The result is that in the course of time the roots of the true faith are eaten away even before anyone is alerted to such a dangerous development.