14:1الٓر كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ لِتُخْرِجَ النَّاسَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ
Alif, Lam, Ra. [This is] a Book We have sent down to you that you may bring mankind out from darkness into light, by the command of their Lord, to the path of the All-mighty, the All-laudable
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 14:1
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:1]
For Alif, Lam, Ra (huruf muqatta-at) see commentary of al Baqarah: 1.
"(This is) a book We have sent down to you" implies that the whole Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet in a complete book form; it was neither edited nor arranged nor compiled by any one after its revelation. See Aqa Puya's essay "The genuineness of the Holy Quran", and commentary of al Baqarah: 2.
The purpose of the revelation of the book is to lead mankind out of the depths of darkness (ignorance and false beliefs) into the light of truth, knowledge and virtue. The divine guidance is for all mankind, not for a particular community or nation. Also see Araf: 158 and Saba: 28.
Allah's exalted position is above all creation; His goodness is all for the good of Man and His creatures; His control over His creation is complete; so He carries out His will and plan. All praise belongs to Him.
The disbelievers love this ephemeral life and its vanities and reject the true life of the hereafter. By doing so they not only harm themselves but also mislead others; and draw down on themselves the wrath to come. They search for something crooked in Allah's path and go farther and farther from the truth.
Surely those who hinder or lay obstruction in the path of Allah include those who had harassed, persecuted and killed the children of the Holy Prophet by corrupting the true faith and introducing the false doctrines of the days of ignorance, so they are rightly condemned and cursed as the infidels.
14:2اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَوَيْلٌ لِّلْكَافِرِينَ مِنْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ
—Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Woe to the faithless for a severe punishment
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 14:2
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:2] (see commentary for verse 1)
14:3الَّذِينَ يَسْتَحِبُّونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْآخِرَةِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا أُولَئِكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ بَعِيدٍ
—those who prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter, and bar [others] from the way of Allah, and seek to make it crooked. They are in extreme error.
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 14:3
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:3] (see commentary for verse 1)
14:4وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ فَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
We did not send any apostle except with the language of his people, so that he might make [Our messages] clear to them. Then Allah leads astray whomever He wishes, and He guides whomsoever He wishes, and He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 14:4
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:4]
To every people was sent a messenger of Allah who conveyed the divine message to them in their language, but it did not restrict his mission to that particular people. Through them it reached all mankind. The most distressed area was selected to start the campaign of "guidance unto order through knowledge of divine laws'' to put an end to disorder and ignorance prevailing in the society, which also served other such areas. As a matter of course the language of the people who were originally addressed had to be used. Although the Holy Prophet was sent with a book in Arabic, his mission was universal. To say that his mission was restricted to the Arabic speaking people is an unclad for restriction of his universal mission. According to Bible prophet Isa was sent to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and to them alone" (Matthew 15: 24) to whom he spoke in Hebrew, and he himself restricted his field of activity to the children of Israel as stated in the New Testament; and further, Matthew 10:5 says that Isa sent out his twelve disciples with the instructions: "Do not take the road to gentile lands, and do not enter any Samaritan town; but go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," but today he is accepted as a universal teacher. As a matter of fact Nisa: 79; Araf: 158; Bani Israil: 105; Anbiya: 107; Ahzab: 45 and Saba: 28 clearly proclaim that Islam is an universal religion for all peoples in all times.
The final book of Allah and the Holy Prophet were sent as "the mercy unto the worlds". To understand the true meanings of their teachings for universal application attachment with the Ahl ul Bayt has been made obligatory through hadith al thaqalayn (see page 6).
The Holy Prophet said:
"I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate."
14:5وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَى بِآيَاتِنَا أَنْ أَخْرِجْ قَوْمَكَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَذَكِّرْهُم بِأَيَّامِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ
Certainly We sent Moses with Our signs: ‘Bring your people out from darkness into light and remind them of Allah’s [holy] days. There are indeed signs in that for every patient and grateful [servant].’
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 14:5
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:5]
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
"The days of Allah" refers to any period in which a new development takes place in the course of evolution-the six days in which the process of creation of the heavens and the earth took place, the period of the geological changes, the rise and fall of the nations, any celestial or terrestrial changes, the intermediary stages to the day of resurrection and the life of the hereafter, and the events mentioned in the subsequent verses are all ayyamillah.
14:6وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ أَنجَاكُم مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ وَيُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ وَفِي ذَلِكُم بَلَاءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ
When Moses said to his people, ‘Remember Allah’s blessing upon you when He delivered you from Pharaoh’s clan who inflicted a terrible torment on you, and slaughtered your sons and spared your women, and in that there was a great test from your Lord.
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 14:6
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:6]
Refer to the commentary of al Baqarah: 49
14:7وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ
And when your Lord proclaimed, “If you are grateful, I will surely enhance you [in blessing], but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is indeed severe.” ’
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 14:7
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:7]
14:8وَقَالَ مُوسَى إِن تَكْفُرُوا أَنتُمْ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ
And Moses said, ‘Should you be faithless,—you and everyone on the earth, all together—indeed Allah is all-sufficient, all-laudable.’
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 14:8
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:8]
14:9أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ وَالَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ لَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا اللَّهُ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَرَدُّوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ فِي أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَقَالُوا إِنَّا كَفَرْنَا بِمَا أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِ وَإِنَّا لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَنَا إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍ
Has there not come to you the account of those who were before you—the people of Noah, ‘Ad and Thamud, and those who were after them, whom no one knows [well] except Allah? Their apostles brought them manifest proofs, but they did not respond to them, and said, ‘We disbelieve in what you have been sent with. Indeed we have grave doubts concerning that to which you invite us.’
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 14:9
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:9]
Refer to the commentary of Araf: 59 to 156 and Hud: 25 to 98 for the people of Nuh, the Ad and the Thamud and those after them.
14:10قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ أَفِي اللَّهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى قَالُوا إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ
Their apostles said, ‘Is there any doubt about Allah, the originator of the heavens and the earth?! He calls you to forgive you a part of your sins, and grants you respite until a specified time.’ They said, ‘You are nothing but humans like us who desire to bar us from what our fathers used to worship. So bring us a manifest authority.’
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:10]
14:11قَالَتْ لَهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ إِن نَّحْنُ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَمُنُّ عَلَى مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَمَا كَانَ لَنَا أَن نَّأْتِيَكُم بِسُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
Their apostles said to them, ‘Indeed we are just human beings like yourselves; but Allah favours whomever of His servants that He wishes. We may not bring you an authority except by Allah’s leave, and in Allah let all the faithful put their trust.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:11]
Tawakkal means reliance on Allah in trial and tribulation and never seeking help from any other than Allah except from the sources and in the way approved by Him.
Imam Musa bin Jafar al Kazim said:
"Tawwakal means to happily accept what Allah wills with the conviction that no created being can ever give you or take away from you anything, and there can be no help available from any one unless Allah so wills."
14:12وَمَا لَنَا أَلَّا نَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَقَدْ هَدَانَا سُبُلَنَا وَلَنَصْبِرَنَّ عَلَى مَا آذَيْتُمُونَا وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ
And why should we not put our trust in Allah, seeing that He has guided us in our ways? Surely, we will put up patiently with whatever torment you may inflict upon us, and in Allah let all the trusting put their trust.’
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:12]
14:13وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِرُسُلِهِمْ لَنُخْرِجَنَّكُم مِّنْ أَرْضِنَا أَوْ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِي مِلَّتِنَا فَأَوْحَى إِلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ لَنُهْلِكَنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ
But the faithless said to their apostles, ‘Surely we will expel you from our land, or you shall revert to our creed.’ Thereat their Lord revealed to them: ‘We will surely destroy the wrongdoers,
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:13]
14:14وَلَنُسْكِنَنَّكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامِي وَخَافَ وَعِيدِ
and surely We will settle you in the land after them. This [promise] is for someone who is awed to stand before Me and fears My threat.’
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:14]
"My presence" refers to the day of reckoning.
14:15وَاسْتَفْتَحُوا وَخَابَ كُلُّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ
They prayed for victory [against the infidels], and every obstinate tyrant was defeated,
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:15]
14:16مِّن وَرَائِهِ جَهَنَّمُ وَيُسْقَى مِن مَّاءٍ صَدِيدٍ
with hell lying ahead of him, [where] he shall be given to drink of a purulent fluid,
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:16]
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
The hell will be in front of the evil-doers, but as they never look forward-they are involved in the immediate past or the present-the Quran uses wara which literally means "behind", because from the standpoint of application of the heart and mind their future is always behind them.
For "a festering or putrid water" see commentary of al Kahf: 29 and Muhammad: 15.
14:17يَتَجَرَّعُهُ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُسِيغُهُ وَيَأْتِيهِ الْمَوْتُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمَيِّتٍ وَمِن وَرَائِهِ عَذَابٌ غَلِيظٌ
gulping it down, but hardly swallowing it: death will assail him from every side, but he will not die, and there is [yet] a harsh punishment ahead of him.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:17]
14:18مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَرَمَادٍ اشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي يَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍ لَّا يَقْدِرُونَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا عَلَى شَيْءٍ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَالُ الْبَعِيدُ
A parable of those who defy their Lord: their deeds are like ashes over which the wind blows hard on a tempestuous day: they have no power over anything they have earned. That is extreme error.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:18]
14:19أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَأْتِ بِخَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ
Have you not regarded that Allah created the heavens and the earth with justice? If He wishes, He will take you away, and bring about a new creation,
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:19]
The people are addressed through the Holy Prophet .
14:20وَمَا ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٍ
and that is not a formidable thing for Allah.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:20]
14:21وَبَرَزُوا لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا فَقَالَ الضُّعَفَاءُ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًا فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّغْنُونَ عَنَّا مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ قَالُوا لَوْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ لَهَدَيْنَاكُمْ سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْنَا أَجَزِعْنَا أَمْ صَبَرْنَا مَا لَنَا مِن مَّحِيصٍ
Together they will be presented before Allah. Then those who were weak will say to the arrogant [leaders], ‘Indeed we were your followers. So will you avail us against Allah’s punishment in any wise?’ They will say, ‘Had Allah guided us, surely we would have guided you. It is the same to us whether we are restless or patient: there is no escape for us.’
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:21]
The future is presented as the past because Allah knows what will happen.
Each soul bears its own burden. It cannot be shifted to others. The evil-doers will turn to those who misled them in the hope that they may help them but they themselves will find no way of escape from the wrath of Allah.
14:22وَقَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ لَمَّا قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ وَمَا كَانَ لِيَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن سُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا أَن دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِي فَلَا تَلُومُونِي وَلُومُوا أَنفُسَكُم مَّا أَنَا بِمُصْرِخِكُمْ وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُصْرِخِيَّ إِنِّي كَفَرْتُ بِمَا أَشْرَكْتُمُونِ مِن قَبْلُ إِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
When the matter is all over, Satan will say, ‘Indeed Allah made you a promise that was true and I [too] made you a promise, but I failed you. I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot respond to your distress calls, neither can you respond to my distress calls. Indeed I disavow your taking me for [Allah’s] partner aforetime. There is indeed a painful punishment for the wrongdoers.’
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:22]
The promise of Allah was true, but the evildoers believed in Shaytan who had no power to force them. He merely called them and they came running to him. They must blame themselves. Shaytan knew well that he was not and never could be equal to Allah, so the evildoers must suffer the penalty.
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
The satanic forces, their false promises and their self-proclaimed authority attract the attention of those who wilfully separate themselves from the true guidance of Allah made available to mankind through the Quran, the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt. Their response to Shaytan is purely their own choice, so they must suffer the consequences-a painful eternal chastisement.
14:23وَأُدْخِلَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ تَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَامٌ
Those who have faith and do righteous deeds will be admitted into gardens with streams running in them, to remain in them [forever], by the leave of their Lord. Their greeting therein will be ‘Peace!’
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:23]
Refer to the commentary of Yunus: 10.
14:24أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ
Have you not regarded how Allah has drawn a parable? A good word is like a good tree: its roots are steady and its branches are in the sky.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:24]
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
Kalimatan tayyibah (a goodly word) is usually interpreted as the divine word, thought or deed, but, in a more general sense, it may be interpreted as a thought, word or deed of goodness of any other good and noble agency, other than Allah, which emanates from a true understanding and application of the religion of Allah-it is like a goodly tree which is firmly rooted and grows higher and higher with ever green branches, always yielding fruit; and the heavens is the limit.
Kalimatin khabithah (an evil word), likened to an evil tree, is the opposite of the goodly tree.
The Holy Prophet said:
"Islam is the goodly tree. Belief in Allah is its root. Salat, sawm, zakat, khums and jihad are its branches. Reliance upon Allah, good manners, piety and abstinence from whatever is forbidden are its leaves."
According to Imam Jafar bin Muhammad al Sadiq, the Holy Prophet also said:
"I am the root of the goodly tree. Ali is its trunk, my divinely chosen Ahl ul Bayt are its branches and the pious followers of my Ahl ul Bayt are its leaves."
Imam Ali bin Musa al Rida has quoted lmam Ali to say that root, trunk and branches are the essential parts of a tree, likewise (if Islam is compared to a goodly tree) sincere belief in the true faith, ingrained in the heart and mind of a believer, is the root, declaration is the trunk and practice of the prescribed religious laws is the leaves.
The Holy Prophet said:
"The parable of the evil tree refers to Bani Umayyah."
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
The opposite of the goodly tree mentioned in verse 24 of this surah is the evil tree which has no root, no growth and no utility at all.
The parable of the goodly tree refers to Islam, the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt, and the evil tree refers to enemies of Islam, the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt.
14:25تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
It gives its fruit every season by the leave of its Lord. Allah draws these parables for mankind so that they may take admonition.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:25] (see commentary for verse 24)
14:26وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ اجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ الْأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍ
And the parable of a bad word is that of a bad tree: uprooted from the ground, it has no stability.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:26] (see commentary for verse 24)
14:27يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ وَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ
Allah fortifies those who have faith with a constant creed in the life of this world and in the Hereafter, and Allah leads astray the wrongdoers, and Allah does whatever He wishes.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:27]
Qawlith thabit means the firm word or the word that stands firm (undeniable assertion or unshakeable belief or conviction). It refers to the strong and sincere belief in the true faith ingrained in the heart and mind of a believer.
Imam Ali ibn abi Talib has said that in the agony of death every man remembers his wealth, children and deeds to seek help from them, but his wealth cannot do more than buying a shroud for him, his children will only take him to the graveyard and put him in the grave, but his deeds, good and bad, will accompany him to his ultimate destination- the day of reckoning.
After death those who lived in this world like the goodly tree will live in peace and bliss while those who lived like the evil tree will suffer untold miseries till the day of resurrection and eternal punishment after the day of judgement.
14:28أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّوا قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ
Have you not regarded those who have changed Allah’s blessing with ingratitude, and landed their people in the house of ruin?
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:28]
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
There were selfish and ungrateful men who responded to Allah's favours with disobedience to Him and His Prophet. It refers not only to the disbelievers but also to those who did not fulfil the covenant they accepted as true and final at Ghadir Khum, and also led others astray.
14:29جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا وَبِئْسَ الْقَرَارُ
—hell, which they shall enter, and it is an evil abode!
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:29] (see commentary for verse 28)
14:30وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا لِّيُضِلُّوا عَن سَبِيلِهِ قُلْ تَمَتَّعُوا فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى النَّارِ
They have set up equals to Allah, to lead [people] astray from His way. Say, ‘Enjoy [for a while], for indeed your destination is hellfire!’
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:30]
14:31قُل لِّعِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُنفِقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَّا بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلَا خِلَالٌ
Tell My servants who have faith to maintain the prayer and to spend out of what We have provided them with, secretly and openly, before there comes a day on which there will be neither any bargaining nor friendship.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:31]
14:32اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْفُلْكَ لِتَجْرِيَ فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْأَنْهَارَ
It is Allah who created the heavens and the earth, and He sends down water from the sky and with it He brings forth crops for your sustenance. And He disposed the ships for you[r benefit] so that they may sail at sea by His command, and He disposed the rivers for you.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:32]
14:33وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ دَائِبَيْنِ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ
He disposed the sun and the moon for you, constant [in their courses], and He disposed the night and the day,
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:33]
14:34وَآتَاكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ
and He gave you all that you had asked Him. If you enumerate Allah’s blessings, you will not be able to count them. Indeed man is most unfair and ungrateful!
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:34]
14:35وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ
When Abraham said, ‘My Lord! Make this city a sanctuary, and save me and my children from worshiping idols.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:35]
Prophet Ibrahim prayed to Allah to make the city of Makka a place of security and non-violence, by declaring its precincts sacred and inviolable. See commentary of al Baqrah: 124 to 129 and Ali Imran: 95 to 97. Ibrahim asks Allah to protect him and his sons (baniyya) from going astray and worshipping the idols. The idolatrous tribes of Quraysh were also the descendants of Ibrahim through Ismail, therefore the word baniyya in his prayer refers to those of his descendants who were like him in purity and excellence, mentioned in the commentary of al Baqarah: 124.
As verse 95 of Ali Imran says Ibrahim was an upright monotheist, yet he says wajnubni (preserve or save or protect me) and includes his descendants like him.
14:36رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ فَمَن تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
My Lord! Indeed they have misled many people. So whoever follows me indeed belongs to me, and as for those who disobey me, well, You are indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:36]
In this verse Ibrahim makes clear as to who he wants to be saved alongwith him namely that only those who follow him would be among his Ahl ul Bayt. Please refer to the commentary of al Baqarah: 124 to 129.
Once a man, in the time of Imam Jafar bin Muhammad as Sadiq, tried to make fun of the Ahl ul Bayt by stating that they were the descendants of the idolaters.
The Imam said:
"Your statement is wrong. Neither Ibrahim nor Ismail nor his sons for whom Ibrahim prayed did ever worship any one other than Allah. Faman tabiani in Ibrahim's prayer refers to us who have always been saved by Allah from going astray. We follow his faith and we are from him. He prayed for Allah's forgiveness for those who deviated from his path."
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
The ancestors of the Holy Prophet ascending upto Ibrahim were free from the dirt of polytheism. All of them followed the creed of Ibrahim. The Holy Prophet claimed that Allah kept his ancestors upto Adam free from polytheism. The continuity of spiritual inheritance was severed whenever any one of them deviated from the path of true faith, like the son of Nuh about whom Allah has said that he was not the son (inheritor) of Nuh.
14:37رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ
Our Lord! I have settled part of my descendants in a barren valley, by Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may maintain the prayer. So make the hearts of a part of the people fond of them, and provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:37]
Please refer to the commentary of al Baqarah: 124 to 129.
Imam Muhammad bin Ali al Baqir said:
"We the Ahl ul Bayt are meant by "them" whom Ibrahim mentioned in his prayer when he said: 'Make You (O Allah) therefore the hearts of some of the people to yearn towards them."
The people mentioned in his prayer are those who remain faithfully attached to the Ahl ul Bayt, known as their Shi-ahs (devout followers)."
14:38رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ مَا نُخْفِي وَمَا نُعْلِنُ وَمَا يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ
Our Lord! Indeed You know whatever we hide and whatever we disclose, and nothing is hidden from Allah on the earth or in the sky.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:38]
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
Some of Ibrahim's descendants might have been compelled under unavoidable circumstances to conceal their true faith, but Allah knows the truth. It is reported that Ibrahim himself concealed his true faith to avoid unnecessary complications as similarly Abu Talib did to save the Holy Prophet from the clutches of his enemies.
14:39الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ
All praise belongs to Allah, who gave me Ishmael and Isaac despite [my] old age. Indeed my Lord hears all supplications.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:39]
14:40رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ
My Lord! Make me a maintainer of prayer, and my descendants [as well]. Our Lord, accept my supplication.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:40]
There shall always be an inheritor of Ibrahim's creed among his descendants to defend and promote the religion of Allah. See commentary of al Baqarah: 124.
14:41رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ
Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and all the faithful, on the day when the reckoning is held.’
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:41]
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
Ibrahim asks Allah to favour his parents with divine grace and forgiveness and keep them safe from sinfulness, therefore there is no doubt that his parents were true believers. See commentary of An-am: 75 to 84 to know that Azar was not his father but an uncle whom Ibrahim tried to bring into the fold of true faith but failed, and finally disassociated himself from him (Bara-at: 114).
14:42وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ
Do not suppose that Allah is oblivious of what the wrongdoers are doing. He is only granting them respite until the day when the eyes will be glazed.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:42]
"Think not" is addressed to the people through the Holy Prophet.
14:43مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِي رُءُوسِهِمْ لَا يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَاءٌ
Scrambling with their heads upturned, there will be a fixed gaze in their eyes, and their hearts will be vacant.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:43]
14:44وَأَنذِرِ النَّاسَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمُ الْعَذَابُ فَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رَبَّنَا أَخِّرْنَا إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُّجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ الرُّسُلَ أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوا أَقْسَمْتُم مِّن قَبْلُ مَا لَكُم مِّن زَوَالٍ
Warn the people of the day when the punishment will overtake them, whereat the wrongdoers will say, ‘Our Lord! Respite us for a short time so that we may respond to Your call and follow the apostles.’ [They will be told,] ‘Did you not use to swear earlier that there would be no reverse for you,
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:44]
14:45وَسَكَنتُمْ فِي مَسَاكِنِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمْ كَيْفَ فَعَلْنَا بِهِمْ وَضَرَبْنَا لَكُمُ الْأَمْثَالَ
while you dwelt in the dwellings of those who had wronged themselves [before], and it had been made clear to you how We had dealt with them [before you], and We had [also] cited examples for you?’
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:45]
14:46وَقَدْ مَكَرُوا مَكْرَهُمْ وَعِندَ اللَّهِ مَكْرُهُمْ وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ
They certainly devised their plots, but their plots are known to Allah, and their plots are not such as to dislodge the mountains.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:46]
The plots plotted by the disbelievers were so adroit that they could make the mountains move, yet Islam and its eternal laws remain unchanged and incorruptible because Allah has undertaken to protect them through the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt-"l leave behind, amongst you, two weighty authorities, the book of Allah and my Ahl ul Bayt. Should you be attached to these two, never, never shall you go astray, after me, for verily these two will never be separated from each other; and, joined together, they shall meet me at the spring of Kawthar;" said the Holy Prophet (see page 6 for hadith thaqalayn).
However much the enemies of Allah, the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt may try they will never be able to put out the light of Allah (Saff: 8).
14:47فَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ مُخْلِفَ وَعْدِهِ رُسُلَهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انتِقَامٍ
So do not suppose that Allah will break His promise to His apostles. Indeed Allah is all-mighty, avenger.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:47]
There had always been a messenger of Allah among the people, and there shall always be a chosen Imam among the people, to keep them on the right path.
14:48يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الْأَرْضُ غَيْرَ الْأَرْضِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ وَبَرَزُوا لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ
The day when the earth is turned into another earth and the heavens [as well], and they are presented before Allah, the One, the All-paramount
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:48]
According to the holy Imams of the Ahl ul Bayt on the day of judgement an entirely new and different earth will replace the present once.
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
A thorough study of the verses of the Quran, read with several authentic traditions, supports the idea that in the evolutionary course the heavens and the earth will reach a stage known as the day of resurrection when the laws of time and space shall cease to apply. All the terrestrial and the celestial distances will disappear. There will be no past, present and future. All will be before the Lord together to be judged.
CONCLUSION
Ibrahim's prayer forms the core of this surah.
Revelation (the Quran) leads man from darkness to light-the light of true knowledge about Allah and His omnipotent authority and sovereignty which He shares with no one. The whole universe (all that has been created by Him) willingly or unwillingly submit to His will and command. He sent His messengers to teach each nation in its own language and for its own special circumstances. There was a conflict of evil with good in the times of every prophet but evil was destroyed and good was preserved by the grace of Allah which man must always remember and give thanks to his Lord.
Thankfulness increases His blessings and ingratitude takes them away.
Miracles take place only when Allah wills. They cannot be shown to people as a sport or pastime particularly to such type of people whose ignorance and arrogance keep them from learning a lesson from the miracles shown by many prophets of Allah.
The disbelievers shall be punished and hell will be their final abode where they will abide for ever. The believers always rely upon Allah and adhere to the divinely chosen guides appointed by Him to guide mankind. They shall live in paradise for ever. The Holy Prophet, his Ahl ul Bayt and the religion of Allah they preached and practised have been compared to a goodly tree which bears fruits in all seasons. The disbelievers and the hypocrites are compared to an evil tree which shall be uprooted and destroyed for ever.
In Ibrahim's prayer there is a mention of the people who pray for Allah's grace so that He keeps them attached with the godly family of Ibrahim. This family of Ibrahim is in fact the family of the Holy Prophet-the Ahl ul Bayt. No evil force of the world can prevent the march of Islam.
14:49وَتَرَى الْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُّقَرَّنِينَ فِي الْأَصْفَادِ
—on that day you will see the guilty bound together in chains,
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:49]
14:50سَرَابِيلُهُم مِّن قَطِرَانٍ وَتَغْشَى وُجُوهَهُمُ النَّارُ
their garments made of pitch, and the Fire covering their faces,
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:50]
14:51لِيَجْزِيَ اللَّهُ كُلَّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ
so that Allah may reward every soul for what it has earned. Indeed Allah is swift at reckoning.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:51]
14:52هَذَا بَلَاغٌ لِّلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنذَرُوا بِهِ وَلِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَلِيَذَّكَّرَ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ
This is a proclamation for mankind, so that they may be warned thereby and know that He is indeed the One God, and those who possess intellect may take admonition.
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 14:52]
