[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:1] Abu Ishaq Thalabi, in Tafsir al Kabir, while commenting on al Ma-arij has recorded from two authentic sources the tradition that on the day of Ghadir Khum the Holy Prophet summoned the people and said: "Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla" (see commentary of Ma-idah: 67). The news quickly spread over all urban and rural areas. When Harith ibn Numan al-Fahri came to know of it he rode his she-camel and came to Madina to see the Holy Prophet. When he reached his destination he made the she-camel sit, alighted from it, approached the Holy Prophet and said: "You commanded us to testify that there is no god but Allah and that you are the messenger of Allah. We obeyed you. You ordered us to say prayers five times a day and we obeyed. You directed us to pay zakat and we obeyed. You ordered us to observe fasts during Ramadan and we obeyed. Then you commanded us to perform pilgrimage to kabah and we obeyed. But you are not satisfied with all this and you raised your cousin by the hand and imposed him upon us as our master by saying: 'Ali is the mawla of whom I am mawla' Is this imposition from you or from Allah?" The Holy Prophet said: "By Allah who is the only God, this is from Allah, the mighty, the glorious." On hearing this Harith turned back and proceeded towards his she-camel saying: "O Allah, if what Muhammad says is true then fling on us a stone from the sky and make us suffer severe pain and torture." He had not yet reached his she-camel when a stone came at him and struck him on his head, penetrated into his body and passed out through his anus leaving him dead. It was on this occasion that Allah revealed these verses of al Ma-arij. This is a literal translation of the tradition recorded by Thalabi. Many eminent Muslim traditionists have copied this tradition from Thalabi, e.g., Shablanji in his book Nur al Absar on page 11; it is also mentioned in Sirat al Halabiyah, vol. 2, page 214; and Mustadrak, vol. 2, page 502. Verse 32 of Anfal refers to the disbelievers who denied the Quran, and these verses refer to the hypocrite who refused to accept Ali as his mawla. On both occasions immediate punishment was brought upon them. Dhil ma-arij means the lord of the ways (or means) of ascent. Allah has given the privilege to angels and men, as man is gifted with the ruh from Allah according to Hijr: 29, to reach "the nearness" of Allah by developing divine attributes. Aqa Mahdi Puya says: The disbelievers, as stated in the commentary of Anfal: 32, and a hypocrite as stated in these verses, demanded to experience torment from Allah, which on both occasions seized them. According to Quran punishment to the unjust, sooner or later, in some stage or other, in the course of the progress of the worldly material life to spiritual hereafter is inevitable, as stated in Waqi-ah and Haqqah.

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:2] (see commentary for verse 1)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:3] (see commentary for verse 1)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:4] Nearness to Allah and His pleasure are attainable with the spiritual exertion in obtaining the divine attributes in the spiritual realm in a day or a moment, which if measured according to the time of this earth may be thousands of years. See commentary of Yunus: 3; Hajj: 47; Ha Mim: 9 for the use of the word yawm and its application.

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:5] Genuine patience is without complaints, expressed or suppressed. The patience the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt exercised was contentment with and total submission to the will of Allah; because they knew and believed that whatever He does is good, so they used to bear with patience persecution and torture inflicted upon them by their enemies. They always cared for the well being of their adversaries and prayed to Allah to make them see the path of salvation. Such patience arises from the purest faith and trust in Allah. The best example of such patience, after the Holy Prophet, was demonstrated by Imam Husayn in Karbala.

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:6] The evil doers, ignorant of the laws of time and space in various realms, imagine that the retribution for their sins is so far off that it may not came at all but the theories of time as we know them are not in force in the spiritual world, so in view of the divine universal plan it may be very very near. It is bound to come and it may suddenly come at any moment. Verses 8 and 9 describe the condition of the sky and the mountains when the day of resurrection begins. The sinners will be so overcome with terror at the realisation of their horrible end that they will desert their most intimate friends, offer their children, their families and those who had protected and sheltered them, in fact everything they can, as a ransom to obtain salvation, but nothing will save them from the fire of hell. Sin begins when man turns his back to goodness and abandons himself to greed, to the collection of unlimited riches and acquisition of countless material advantages which is almost impossible without hypocrisy, fraud and crime; thus he deprives others from the use of the resources Allah has made available for the benefit of all mankind. Man has been given freedom of action, but generally he uses this free will to make himself weak (Nisa: 28), or hasty (Banu Israil: 11) or greedy as the word halu-a suggests in this verse. In adversity he complains and despairs. In prosperity he becomes arrogant and forgets other people's rights. As referred to in Hajj: 35 (see commentary) there are men who rise above the material temptations and reach sublime spiritual heights. They are those who are devoted to worship of Allah and His religion, not merely by performing certain rites and rituals, but by surrendering completely their being and will to Allah to seek His nearness and pleasure, manifesting the attributes of Allah in thoughts, words and deeds. They live the life on this earth in the interest of the life of hereafter. The perfect models of such beings are the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt. There are others also who should be recognised and respected according to the degree of their submission to the will of Allah. Refer to the commentary of Nur: 37 and Baqarah: 177. According to Imam Ali verse 23 refers to those who do not fail to do any good which they are able to do. If they fail to do it at one time they find another occasion to do it. Haqqun ma-lum refers to the prescribed zakat, khums and other charities which are the recognised rights of the needy in the wealth of the wealthy. Mahrum refers to those needy who do not beg. Refer to Dhariyat: 19. A true fear of Allah is to safeguard oneself against evil by the awareness of the divine laws. It is therefore akin to the love of Allah. It proceeds from the realisation that all true peace and tranquillity comes from surrendering our will to and bringing it into full accord with the will of Allah. Fear of the penalty is the acknowledgement of the authority, and such obedience of the divine laws after understanding the universal divine plan and purpose of creation obtains love and pleasure of Allah which are the most superior rewards a man can aspire and achieve. Discord, disorder and disobedience are the consequences of sin and evildoing which destroy peace and tranquillity, and the sinners and evildoers are deprived of mercy, pleasure and security from Allah. It is essential to keep away from every kind of sex abuse. Refer to the commentary of Muminun: 5 and 6. For "those who fulfil their trusts and covenants" refer to the commentary of Ma-idah: 1. For salat refer to the commentary of Baqarah: 3 and Ta Ha: 132. The honoured ones in the hereafter are those who are described above.

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:7] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:8] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:9] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:10] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:11] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:12] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:13] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:14] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:15] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:16] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:17] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:18] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:19] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:20] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:21] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:22] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:23] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:24] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:25] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:26] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:27] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:28] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:29] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:30] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:31] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:32] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:33] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:34] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:35] (see commentary for verse 6)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:36] The disbelievers not only do not believe in the hereafter but also ridicule the bliss of the hereafter when it is described to them. Man's natural growth from a living germ, without discipline and good deeds, will not result in virtue. The animal part of man is nothing to be proud of. It is by spiritual effort, and hard preparation through a good life that man can obtain the dignity and honour of a noble human being which is his destiny. Refer to Anfal: 55; Furqan: 44 and Muhammad: 12.

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:37] (see commentary for verse 36)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:38] (see commentary for verse 36)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:39] (see commentary for verse 36)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:40] Allah calls to witness His own power and glory manifested in the splendour of sunrise and sunset at different points through the solar year. Refer to the commentary of Saffat : 5; Waqi-ah: 75 and Haqqah: 38 and 39. By scepticism and obstinate negation of rational arguments and signs visible in the working of creation the disbelievers not only do not find any sense of direction in their individual and social life in this world but also shall be certain losers in the hereafter.

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:41] (see commentary for verse 40)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:42] (see commentary for verse 40)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:43] (see commentary for verse 40)

[Pooya/Ali Commentary 70:44] (see commentary for verse 40)