22:1. O humankind, fear your Lord, for verily the convulsion of the Hour will be a terrible thing.

22:2. On the day you see it, every nursing mother will be distracted from the infant she is nursing and every pregnant woman will miscarry. You will see people as though they are drunk, although they are not drunk, but the punishment of Allah will be severe indeed.

Here Allah addresses all people, telling them to fear their Lord Who has bestowed upon them all sorts of blessings, both visible andhidden. Therefore they should fear Him and refrain from ascription of partners to Him, evildoing and sin; and they should comply with His commands as much as possible.

Then He tells them that He will help them to fear Him, and He warns them against not doing that, by telling them of the horrors of the Day of Resurrection.

﴾:for verily the convulsion of the Hour will be a terrible thing﴿ and no one can estimate how terrible it will be and what its nature will be. When the Hour begins, the earth will shake and convulse, and there will be earthquakes. The mountains will begin to collapse and crumble, and will become like heaps of shifting sand, then like scattered dust. Then humankind will be divided into three groups.

The heaven will be rent asunder, the sun and the moon will be rolled up, and the stars will be scattered. There will be such turmoil and upheaval that hearts will crack, children will turn grey and the solid mountains will melt. Hence Allah says:

﴾On the day you see it, every nursing mother will be distracted from the infant she is nursing)﴿, even though the nursing mother naturally has a deep love for her child, especially at this stage, at which the infant cannot survive without her.

﴾and every pregnant woman will miscarry﴿ because of the intensity of terror and horror.

﴾You will see people as though they are drunk, although they are not drunk﴿ that is, you would think - if you saw them - that they were drunk from imbibing alcohol, but they will not be drunk.

﴾but the punishment of Allah will be severe indeed﴿ and as a result they will lose their minds, and their hearts will be filled with fear and panic; their hearts will reach their throats and they will stare fixedly in horror. On that day, no father will avail his child and no child will avail his father anything. On that day:﴾...a man will flee from his own brother, and from his mother and his father, and from his wife and his children. Every one of them, on that day, will have too many concerns of his own to care about

On that day:

﴾f...the wrongdoer will bite on his hands and say: Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger. Alas for me! Would that I had not taken So-and-so as a friend!﴿ (al-Furqan 25: 27-28)

On that day, some faces will turn dark and others will turn bright. The Balance will be set up which will weigh the smallest particle of good or evil. The records of deeds will be spread out, with all that they contain of deeds, words and intentions, small or great. The sirat (the path leading to paradise that passes over hellfire) will be set up over hell, paradise will be brought near to the pious, and hell will be placed in full view of those who went astray. ﴾When it sees them from afar, they will hear its raging and roaring. When they are cast into a narrow place therein, bound together in shackles, they will call out [wishing] for death.﴿ (al-Furqan 25:

But it will be said to them:

([...Do not call out once [wishing] for death today; rather call out many times.﴿ (al-Furqan 25: 14)

But when they call upon their Lord, asking Him to bring them out of it. He will say:

﴾f...Away with you! Be humiliated therein and do not speak to Me.﴿

The Most Merciful Lord will be angry with them; the painful punishment will befall them, and they will despair of all good. They will find all their deeds recorded, with nothing omitted, not even the tiniest detail.

On the other hand, the pious will be in a garden, rejoicing (30:15), enjoying all kinds of pleasures, abiding forever in that which their hearts desire (21:102).

The wise person who knows that all of this lies ahead of him is expected to prepare the means that will enable him to reach it, and he should not hope to live long (in this world) and give up striving. He should fear Allah, and love and remembrance of Allah should be the essence of all his deeds.

22:3. Among people there are some who dispute about Allah without knowledge, and they follow every rebellious devil,

22:4. about whom it is decreed that whoever takes him as an ally, he will lead him astray and guide him to the punishment of the raging fire.

That is, among people there are some who followed the path of misguidance, and began to argue on the basis of falsehood against the truth, wanting to prove and support falsehood and invalidate the truth. But in fact they are extremely ignorant and do not have any knowledge. All they have is blind imitation of the leaders of misguidance, and of every rebellious devil who stubbornly rebelled against Allah and His Messengers, opposing them and going against what they said, thus becoming leaders of those who called people to hell.

﴾about whom it is decreed﴿ that is, it is decreed against this rebellious devil

﴾that whoever takes him as an ally﴿ that is, follows him﴾he will lead him astray﴿ from the truth, and will keep him away from the straight path

﴾and guide him to the punishment of the raging fire﴿.

The person who disputes about Allah has combined his own misguidance with attempts to misguide other people. He is a follower and imitator of every rebellious devil. This is darkness upon darkness, and it includes the majority of the disbelievers and innovators, for most of them are mere imitators who argue without knowledge.

22:5. O humankind, if you are in doubt about the resurrection, then consider that We created you from dust, then from a drop of semen, then from a clinging clot, then from a lump of flesh, shaped and unshaped,- so that We may make clear to you [Our power]. And We cause to remain in the wombs whomever We

- ({shaped and unshaped j»: the developing embryo is initially unshaped, then its features start to appear until it is fully shaped. This is what is seen in the event of miscarriage; the embryo is either undeveloped (unshaped) or has distinct features (shaped).

will for an appointed term. Then We bring you forth as infants, then [We cause you to grow] so that you may reach your age of full strength. Then some of you die and some are sent back to a feeble age, so that, after having had knowledge, they then know nothing at all. You see the earth dry and barren, but when We send down rain upon it, it stirs and swells, and brings forth beautiful plants of every kind.

22:6. That is because Allah alone is the Truth; He alone brings the dead to life, and He has power over all things.

22:7. For verily the Hour is coming; there can be no doubt about it. And verily Allah will raise up those who are in the graves.

﴾0 humankind, if you are in doubt about the resurrection﴿ and you do not know when it will happen, even though all that is required of you is to believe your Lord and believe His Messengers with regard to this matter. But if you must doubt it, then here are two rational proofs that you can see, either one of which definitively points to that which you doubt, and will dispel the doubts from your heart.

Firstly, Allah gives as evidence the beginning of man’s creation, for the One Who initiated his creation will repeat it.

﴾then consider that We created you from dust﴿ - this refers to the creation of the father of humankind, Adam (عليه السلام)

﴾then from a drop of semen- this is the beginning of the creation process ﴾then from a clinging clot﴿ that is, the drop of semen turns into red blood, by Allah’s leave

﴾then from a lump of flesh﴿ that is, the blood turns into a lump of flesh the size of a morsel of food. That lump of flesh is sometimes ﴾shaped﴿ that is, it has human features; or sometimes it is ﴾unshaped﴿, when the womb miscarries it before it is shaped.

﴾so that We may make clear to you﴿ how you are created and the stages of your development. Even though He is able to completecreation in a single moment, He highlights to us the perfect nature of His wisdom, the greatness of His might and the vastness of His mercy.

﴾And We cause to remain in the wombs whomever We will for an appointed term﴿ that is, We cause to become established in the womb and not expelled thereby whatever We will, for an appointed term, which is the duration of pregnancy.

﴾Then We bring you forth﴿ from your mothers’ wombs ?fas infants﴿, not knowing anything and having no power. We cause your mothers to look after you and We grant you provision at their breast, then you move through one stage after another until you reach your age of full strength, which is the peak of your physical and mental faculties.

﴾Then some of you die﴿ before reaching the age of full strength, and some pass that stage and are sent back to a feeble age, which is the worst stage. That is senile old age and dementia, in which the individual’s mental capacity diminishes and is lost, as are all his other strengths, and he becomes weak.

﴾so that, after having had knowledge, they then know nothing at all﴿ that is, so that this elderly person will know nothing that he knew before, because his mind has grown weak. Human strength begins and ends with weakness: the weakness of childhood and the weakness of old age, as Allah says:

?(It is Allah Who created you in a state of weakness, then after weakness He gave you strength, then after strength, weakness and grey hair. He creates as He wills, and He is the All-Knowing, Omnipotent.﴿

Secondly, Allah gives as evidence the revival of the earth after it was dead, concerning which He says:

﴾You see the earth dry and barren﴿ that is, lifeless and dusty, with no vegetation or greenery.

﴾but when We send down rain upon it, it stirs﴿ with the movement of plants beginning to grow

﴾and swells﴿ that is, it rises up after it was subdued, due to increased growth

﴾fand brings forth beautiful plants of every kind﴿ that is, all kinds of plants, the beauty of which brings delight to the beholder and brings joy to those who reflect. These two definitive proofs highlight the following points:

﴾That is because Allah﴿ is the One Who created man from that which He described to you, and gave life to an earth that was dead, and He ﴾alone is the Truth﴿ that is. He alone is the Lord Who is deserving of worship, and none should be worshipped except Him. Worship of Him is the truth and worship of anything other than Him is false. ﴾He alone brings the dead to life﴿ - as He initiated creation and as He gave life to an earth that was dead

﴾and He has power over all things)-﴿ - as He has made you see the brilliance of His power and creation.

﴾For verily the Hour is coming﴿ so there is no reason to think that it is not possible

﴾And verily Allah will raise up those who are in the graves﴿, then He will requite them for their deeds, both good and bad.

22:8. Among people there are some who dispute about Allah without knowledge, without guidance and without any clear revealed text.

22:9. They turn their faces away in scorn, so as to lead people astray from the path of Allah. For them there is disgrace in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection We will cause them to taste the punishment of the scorching fire.

22:10. [It will be said to them:] This is because of what your hands sent on ahead. For Allah is never unjust to [His] slaves.

The ﴾dispute﴿ mentioned above [vv. 3-4] refers to the argument of one who argues on the basis of imitation (and has no knowledge of his own). Here the ﴾dispute﴿ refers to the argument of the rebellious devil who calls people to innovation. Allah tells us that he ﴾dispute[s] about Allah ﴿ that is, he disputes with the Messengers of Allah and their followers on the basis of falsehood in an attempt to refute the truth ﴾without knowledge﴿ that is, without sound knowledge ﴾without guidance﴿ that is, without following in his argument anyone who could guide him, and without being guided by rational thinking, or following someone who is guided

﴾and without any clear revealed text﴿ that is, without any rational or textual proof. It is nothing but specious arguments with which the Shaytan inspires him.

﴾...But the devils whisper to their friends [among humankind] to argue with you...﴿ (al-An'am 6: 121)

Despite that, ﴾They turn their faces away in scorn﴿. This refers to their being too arrogant to follow the truth and their scorn for people. They rejoice in what they have of knowledge that is not beneficial and they look down upon the people of truth and the truth that they follow. ﴾fso as to lead people astray from the path of Allah﴿ that is, so that they may be promoters of misguidance. This includes all the leaders of disbelief and misguidance.

Then Allah mentions their punishment in this world and the hereafter:tfFor them there is disgrace in this world﴿ that is, they will be exposed to shame in this world, before the hereafter. This is one of the wondrous signs of Allah, for you will not find anyone who calls to disbelief and misguidance but he will be resented, cursed, hated and blamed by people and he will have what he deserves, each according to his situation.

﴾and on the Day of Resurrection We will cause them to taste the punishment of the scorching fire﴿ that is, We will cause him to taste its intense scorching heat. That is because of what their hands sent on ahead. ﴾For Allah is never unjust to [His] slaves﴿.

22:11. Among people there are some who worship Allah on the edge [of faith]. If something good comes to them, they are content with it, but if a trial befalls them, they make an about-face, thus forfeiting both this world and the hereafter. That is indeed manifest loss.

22:12. They call, besides Allah, upon that which can neither harm them nor benefit them. That is straying far into error.

22:13. They call upon that which is more likely to harm them than benefit them. What a wretched protector and what a wretched associate!

That is, among people there are some who are weak in faith; faith has not truly entered their hearts and they have never felt the joy offaith. Rather they entered the religion either out of fear or by way of following a custom, and they cannot be steadfast when faced with trials and tribulations.

﴾If something good comes to them, they are content with it﴿ if provision continues to come easily, and they are not faced with any hardship, they are content with that life of ease, not with their faith. Allah may give them well-being and not put them through trials which could cause them to give up their religion.

﴾but if a trial befalls them﴿ such as being faced with hardship or the loss of someone or something dear to them

﴾they make an about-face﴿ that is, they apostatise and give up their religion.

﴾thus forfeiting both this world and the hereafter﴿. With regard to this world, this means that they do not get what they hope for by apostatising. The one who made his apostasy his capital, giving up his faith in return for something that he thought he would achieve, will find that his efforts were to no avail and he will not get anything but what is decreed for him. With regard to the hereafter, it is obvious. They will be deprived of paradise which is as vast as the heavens and the earth, and they will deserve hell.

﴾That is indeed manifest loss﴿ that is, clear and obvious loss.

﴾They﴿ that is, those who do an about-face ﴾call, besides Allah, upon that which can neither harm them nor benefit them﴿. This description is applicable to everything that is called upon and worshipped instead of Allah: it has no power to bring benefit or cause harm to itself or to anyone else.

﴾That is straying far into error﴿ which has reached the ultimate level, when people turn away from worshipping the One Who can bring benefit and cause harm, the One Who is Self-Sufficient and can suffice others, and they focus instead on worshipping a created being that is like them or lower in status, that has no power or control at all; rather they are more likely to find the opposite of what they seek to attain. Hence Allah says:

﴾They call upon that which is more likely to harm them than benefit them﴿ because the harm it causes, that will affect them in both mind and body, in this world and the hereafter, is well known. ﴾What a wretched protector﴿ - this refers to that object of worship ﴾and what a wretched associated that is, the companion who was always there. The purpose of a protector and associate is to attain benefit and ward off harm, but in this case none of that was achieved, so this protector and associate is indeed deserving of blame.

22:14. Verily Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds to gardens through which rivers flow; verily Allah does whatever He wills.

Having mentioned those who argue on the basis of falsehood, and explained that they are of two types: those who imitate others and those who are leaders of the call to falsehood, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) now tells us that those who claim to have faith are also of two types: those for whom faith has not truly entered their hearts, as mentioned above, and a second category, namely those who are truly believers and who confirm their faith by doing righteous deeds. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He will admit them to gardens through which rivers flow.

Paradise is described as jannah because it contains dwellings, palaces, trees and plants that cover (tujinnu) those who are in them, and they are concealed by them because they are so abundant and plentiful.

﴾verily Allah does whatever He wills﴿. Whatever He wills, He does without any resistance or opposition. That includes causing thepeople of paradise to reach it; may Allah make us among them by His grace and generosity.

22:15. Whoever thinks [and hopes] that Allah will not grant victory to him [His Messenger] in this world and in the hereafter, let him tie a rope to heaven [and climb up], so as to stop the victory [from coming down from Allah to the Prophet], then let him see whether his action will do away with that which has enraged him.^{1What is meant is that the hopes and wishes of those enemies will not change anything, and the Prophet’s victory is inevitable, so they may as well give up and kill themselves.}

That is, whoever thinks that Allah will not grant victory to His Messenger (ﷺ), and that the religion of Islam will diminish, then he should understand that victory is from Allah and He sends it down from heaven.

﴾let him tie a rope to heaven [and climb up], so as to stop the victory﴿ that is coming down from heaven.

﴾then let him see whether his action will do away with that which has enraged him﴿ that is, let him see whether the plot he is hatching against the Prophet (ﷺ), the effort he is putting into fighting him and his eagerness to destroy his religion will do away with that which has enraged him of the religion of Islam prevailing.

This verse confirms that this can never happen, and that he will never be able to do away with that which has enraged him, no matter what measures he takes.

What this verse means is: O you who oppose the Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ) and are striving to extinguish his religion, thinking on the basis of ignorance that your efforts will benefit you, you should understand that no matter what measures you take and no matter what efforts you make to oppose and harm the Messenger (ﷺ), that will not take away your rage and will not give you any satisfaction. You have no power to do that, but We will point out something that could take away your rage and help you to stop the victory from reaching the Messenger (ﷺ), if that was possible: take a rope and tie it to heaven, then climb up until you reach the gates of heaven from which victory comes; then block those gates and put an end to them. Thus you will do away with that which has enraged you. This is the right plan; you should never think that any other plan could help you to do away with that which has enraged you, no matter how many people help you.

This verse contains a promise and glad tidings that Allah will grant victory to His religion, His Messenger (ﷺ), and His believing slaves, as is quite clear, and He will cause the disbelievers who seek to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths to lose hope, for Allah will perfect His light even though the disbelievers hate that and no matter how hard they strive.

22:16. Thus We have sent down to you clear revelations; verily Allah guides whomever He wills.

That is, as We have explained issues clearly in this Qur’an, We have made it of clear verses that explain all that is needed of beneficial issues. But guidance is in the Hand of Allah; whomever Allah wishes to guide, he will be guided by this Qur’an, and he will adhere to it andfollow its teachings, and he will benefit from its light. But whomever Allah does not wish to guide, even if all signs come to him he will not believe, and the Qur’an will not benefit him in the slightest; rather it will be proof against him.

22:17. Verily those who believe, those who are Jews, the Sabians, the Christians, the Magians and those who ascribe partners to Allah - Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Verily Allah is Witness over all things.

22:18. Do you not see that to Allah prostrate all those who are in the heavens and on earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the animals, and many people? But there are also many for whom punishment is inevitable. Whomever Allah disgraces, none can honour him. Verily Allah does whatever He wills.

22:19. These are two opposing groups who are disputing about their Lord. As for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, and scalding water will be poured over their heads,

22:20. which will cause their insides and their skins to melt.

22:21. They will be lashed with rods of iron.

22:22. Every time they want to escape from it, in their anguish, they will be driven back into it and [it will be said to them]: Taste the punishment of the scorching fire!

22:23. Verily Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds to gardens through which rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and of pearls, and their garments therein will be of silk.

22:24. For they were guided to the best of words and they were guided to the path of Him Who is Worthy of all praise.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us about the groups among the people of earth, those who were given the scriptures, the believers, the Jews, the Christians, the Sabians, the Magians and the polytheists. He will gather them all together on the Day of Resurrection, will pass judgement between them on the basis of His just rule, and requite them for their deeds that He recorded, wrote down and witnessed. Hence He says: Verily Allah is Witness over all things﴿.

Then He explains this judgement between them: ﴾These are two opposing groups who are disputing about their Lord﴿, each group claiming that it is following the right path.

﴾As for those who disbelieve﴿ - this includes all disbelievers, such as the Jews, Christians, Magians, Sabians and polytheists, ^garments of fire will be cut out for them﴿ that is, garments of pitch will be made for them, then they will be set on fire, so that the punishment will envelop them from all directions.﴾fand scalding water﴿ that is, extremely hot water ﴾will be poured over their heads﴿; it will cause whatever is inside them of flesh, fat and intestines to melt, due to the severity of its heat.

﴾They will be lashed with rods of iron﴿ in the hands of stem angels who will strike them with those rods and subdue them.

﴾Every time they want to escape from it, in their anguish, they will be driven back into it)﴿. The punishment will never be reduced for them and they will never be given any respite. It will be said to them, by way of rebuke: ﴾Taste the punishment of the scorching fire! ﴿ That is, the fire that bums hearts and bodies.

﴾Verily Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds to gardens through which rivers flow﴿. It is well known that this description does not apply to anyone other than the Muslims, who believe in all the Books and all the Messengers.

﴾They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and of pearls﴿ which will adorn their arms; both their men and their women will wear bracelets of gold

﴾fand their garments therein will be of silk)&. Allah completes the description of their joy by referring to different kinds of delicious food, which may be implied by the word gardens; by referring to rivers going in all directions, which are rivers of water, milk, honey and wine; by referring to different kinds of clothing and splendid jewellery. That is because ﴾they were guided to the best of words﴿, the best and most virtuous of which is the word of sincere faith (la ilaha ilia Allah), then all good words, including remembrance of Allah and kind words to the slaves of Allah.

tfand they were guided to the path of Him Who is Worthy of all praise﴿ that is, they were guided to the path of Allah, the Most Praiseworthy, for Allah often ascribes the path to Himself, because it leads the one who follows it to Allah. Moreover, the path itself may be described as praiseworthy, because all its teachings are based on wisdom and praise, for everything that is enjoined in Islam is good and everythingthat is forbidden is bad. This is the religion of the middle path between two extremes, a religion that encourages the pursuit of beneficial knowledge and doing righteous deeds.

The fact that Allah is mentioned here as He ﴾Who is Worthy of all praise﴿ indicates that they attained guidance by virtue of their praising their Lord and by virtue of His blessings upon them. Hence they will say in paradise:

﴾f... Praise be to Allah Who has guided us to this, for we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided us...﴿ (al-A 'rafl: 43)

In the midst of this passage (in 22: 18), Allah mentions the prostration of all creatures to Him, all those who are in the heavens and on earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the animals and many people, namely the believers.

﴾But there are also many for whom punishment is inevitable﴿ that is, it has been decreed, because of their disbelief and failure to believe. Allah did not guide them to faith, because He has disgraced them, and ﴾Whomever Allah disgraces, none can honour him﴿ and none can resist His will or object to His will.

As all creatures prostrate to their Lord and submit to His greatness and power, this indicates that He alone is the Lord Who is deserving of worship, the Sovereign Who is deserving of all praise. Whoever turns away from Him to worship something other than Him has gone far astray and is clearly a loser.

22:25. As for those who disbelieve and bar [people] from the path of Allah and from the Sacred Mosque - which We have made for all people, residents and visitors alike - and any who intend to profane it by deliberate evildoing. We will cause them to taste a painful penalty.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us about the abhorrent ways of the polytheists who disbelieved in their Lord: they combined disbelief in Allah and His Messenger with barring people from the path of Allah and preventing them from believing, and also barring them from the Sacred Mosque, which did not belong to them or their forefathers; rather all people have equal rights to it, both residents and visitors. Indeed, they barred from it the best of humankind, namely Muhammad (ﷺ) and his Companions. In fact, because the Sacred Mosque is a holy and venerated place, whoever intends to profane it by deliberate evildoing. We will cause them to taste a painful penalty.

Merely intending to do wrong or commit profane acts in the sanctuary makes punishment inevitable, although in other cases a person will not be punished unless he actually does the wrong deed. So how about those who actually committed the worst of wrongdoing, such as disbelieving, ascribing partners to Allah, barring people from His path and preventing those who wanted to visit the Sacred Mosque? What do you think Allah will do to them?

This verse highlights the obligation to respect and venerate the sanctuary, and warns against wanting to commit sin therein and actually doing that.

^OuUall(r*-n:

22:26. And [remember] when We showed to Ibraheem the site of the [Sacred] House, [saying]: Do not associate anything in worship with Me, and purify My House for those who circumambulate it, those who stand to pray, and those who bow and prostrate.

22:27. And proclaim to all people the duty of pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every distant land.

22:28. so that they may avail themselves of benefits and mention the name of Allah [at the time of sacrifice], during the appointed days, over the livestock that He has provided for them; then eat thereof and feed the wretched poor.

22:29. Then let them complete their rites, fulfil their vows, and [again] circumambulate the Ancient House.

Here Allah mentions the greatness and majestic nature of the Sacred House, and the greatness of the one who built it, namely the close friend of the Most Gracious:

﴾And [remember] when We showed to Ibraheem the site of the [Sacred] House﴿ and We caused him to stay there, and We caused some of his progeny to reside permanently in that place. Allah instructed him to build it, so he built it on the basis of piety and obedience to Allah. He built it along with his son lsma‘eel, instructing him not to associate anything with Allah, to make his deed sincerely for the sake of Allah alone, and to build it in the name of Allah.

﴾and purify My House﴿ that is, purify it from polytheism and sin, and cleanse it of impurity and dirt. The Most Gracious called it HisHouse in order to highlight its great status and virtue, and so that people would have great love for it, their hearts would long to come to it from all directions, and people would be motivated to purify it and venerate it, because it is the House of the Lord, purifying it for those who circumambulate it and those who worship at that place, and those who stay there to perform some acts of worship such as remembering Allah, reading Qur’an, acquiring knowledge and teaching it, and other acts by means of which one may draw closer to Allah, tfand those who bow and prostrate﴿ that is, people who come and pray there. In other words, purify it for those good people whose main aim is to worship and serve their Lord, and to draw near to Him at His House. These people have the right and deserve to be honoured and welcomed. Part of honouring them is to purify the House for their sake. Purifying it includes purifying it of loud voices talking of idle things that disturb those worshippers who come to pray and circumambulate the Kaaba. Circumambulation is mentioned before standing to pray, because it is unique to this House; then prayer is mentioned, because it is something that is common to every mosque.

﴾And proclaim to all people the duty of pilgrimage﴿ that is, tell them about it, summon them to it, and convey to near and far how obligatory and virtuous it is. If you call them, they will come to you to perform Hajj and ‘umrah. They will come on foot, walking with longing (to visit the sacred places) ﴾and on every lean camel﴿, crossing wildernesses and deserts, travelling great distances, until they reach the holiest of places, ﴾coming from every distant land﴿ that is, from every faraway land.

Ibraheem (عليه السلام) did that, as did his descendant Muhammad (ﷺ); he called people to come on pilgrimage to this House, and they both did that repeatedly. And what Allah promised came to pass: people came to it on foot and riding, from east and west. Then Allah mentions the benefits of visiting the sacred House of Allah, so as to encourage people to do that:

﴾so that they may avail themselves of benefits﴿ that is, so that they may avail themselves at the House of Allah of spiritual benefits such as acts of worship, including acts of worship that can only be done at that place, and worldly benefits such as earning income and making some worldly gains. All of this happens, as everyone knows, ﴾and mention the name of Allah [at the time of sacrifice], during the appointed days, over the livestock that He has provided for them﴿ - this refers to another of the spiritual and worldly benefits. In other words: mention the name of Allah at the time of slaughtering the sacrificial animals, in gratitude to Allah for what He has bestowed thereof and made easy for the pilgrims. When you have slaughtered them, ﴾then eat thereof and feed the wretched poor﴿ that is, those who are very poor.

﴾Then let them complete their rites﴿ that is, let them complete their pilgrimage rituals, which includes removing dirt that has got onto them during the state of ihram.

﴾fulfil their vows﴿ that they took upon themselves, to perform Hajj and ‘umrah, and offer the sacrifice.

﴾and [again] circumambulate the Ancient House﴿, the best of all mosques. This command to circumambulate the Kaaba is a specific instruction that comes after the command to perform the rituals in general, to highlight its special virtue, and because it is the ultimate act; everything that comes before it is a means to get to this point.

Perhaps - and Allah knows best - it is also for another reason, which is that circumambulation is prescribed at all times, whether it is connected to a pilgrimage or is done separately.(r\

22:30. Such [is the pilgrimage]; whoever honours the sacred rites of Allah, that is better for him with his Lord. All livestock has been made lawful for you except that mentioned to you [as unlawful]. So shun the abomination of idols and shun all words of falsehood,

22:31. being true in faith to Allah alone, not ascribing any partner to Him. Whoever ascribes partners to Him, it is as if he has fallen from heaven and been snatched up by birds or carried away by the wind to a far-off place.

﴾Such [is the pilgrimage] That is, what We have mentioned to you of those rulings that have to do with the pilgrimage and what they involve of venerating, showing respect to and honouring the sacred rites of Allah; venerating the sacred rites of Allah is something that is beloved to Him and is a means of drawing closer to Him for the one who venerates and honours those rites. Allah will reward him greatly for that, and it will be good for him in his spiritual and worldly affairs, and in the hereafter with his Lord.

The sacred rites of Allah include everything that is sacred and that we are instructed to respect, such as acts of worship and other matters, including all the rituals, the Haram zone, ihram, the sacrificial animals, and all the acts of worship that Allah has instructed His slaves to adhere to and perform.

Venerating them means respecting them in one’s heart, loving them and showing complete servitude when doing them, without taking the matter lightly, feeling lazy or showing reluctance.

Then Allah mentions His blessing and kindness, as He has made permissible to His slaves the livestock animals such as camels, cattleand sheep, and has made them part of the rituals through which one draws closer to Him. Thus His blessing is shown to be great on two counts (namely making their meat permissible and making them part of the rituals).

﴾A11 livestock has been made lawful for you except that mentioned to you [as unlawful]﴿ in the Qur’an, in the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Forbidden to you [for food] are: the meat of animals found dead, blood, the flesh of swine...﴿ (al-Ma 'idah 5. 3)

But what He forbade to them was because of His mercy towards His slaves; He forbade it to them for the purpose of purifying them and cleansing them from the sin of polytheism and speaking falsehood. Hence He says:

﴾So shun the abomination﴿ that is, the filth and evil ﴾of idols﴿ that they regarded as gods besides Allah, for they are the worst kind of innovation.

﴾and shun all words of falsehood﴿ that is, all forbidden kinds of speech, for they come under the heading of words of falsehood. This includes lying and bearing false witness.

Having forbidden them to ascribe partners to Him, worship idols and speak words of falsehood, Allah now enjoins them to be ﴾true in faith to Allah alone﴿ that is, turning to Him and focusing on His worship, turning away from all besides Him, ﴾not ascribing any partner to Him﴿.

4 Whoever ascribes partners to Him, it is as if he has fallen from heaven and been snatched up﴿ quickly ﴾by birds or carried away by the wind to a far-off place﴿ that is, a distant place. Such is the polytheist, for faith is like the heavens: it is protected and elevated. But whoever shuns faith is like the one who has fallen from heaven and is exposed to troubles and problems. He may be snatched up by the birds, who will tear him limb from limb. This is like the polytheist:when he shuns the protection of faith, the devils snatch him from all directions and tear him apart, spoiling his spiritual and worldly well-being.

22:32. That [is the command]. And whoever honours the rites of Allah, verily that stems from piety of the hearts.

22:33. You may derive benefit [from the sacrificial animals] for an appointed term, then their place of sacrifice is near the Sacred House.

That is, what we have mentioned to you about venerating the sacred rites and symbols of Allah. What is meant by symbols is the visible symbols of Islam, including all the rituals, as Allah (ik) says elsewhere:

Verily, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah...

It also includes offering the sacrifice in Makkah.

We stated above that what is meant by honouring them is venerating them and doing them in the most perfect manner possible. That includes the sacrificial animals: they are to be respected and the animals chosen for the sacrifice should be of high quality and healthy, perfect in all ways. Honouring the sacred rites of Allah stems from piety of the hearts. The one who honours them is proving his piety and the soundness of his faith, because honouring them results from honouring and venerating Allah.

﴾You may derive benefit [from the sacrificial animals] for an appointed term)J this refers to the sacrificial animals that are broughtto Makkah, camels and others. The owner may derive benefits from them by riding them, milking them, and so on, so long as that does not cause any harm to them

﴾for an appointed term﴿ that is, for a limited time, which is until they are slaughtered. When the animals reach their place of sacrifice, which is the Ancient House - this refers to the entire Haram zone, Mina and elsewhere - then when they are slaughtered, eat from their meat, give some as a gift, and feed the desperate poor.

22:34. For every nation We ordained rites of sacrifice, so that they might mention the name of Allah [at the time of sacrifice] over the livestock that He provided for them. But your God is One God, so submit to Him alone. And give glad tidings [O Muhammad] to the humble.

22:35. those whose hearts are filled with awe when Allah is mentioned, who endure with patience whatever befalls them, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.

That is, for each of the previous nations, We ordained rites of sacrifice. Therefore hasten to do good deeds so that We may see which of you is best in deeds. The wisdom behind Allah’s ordaining rites of sacrifice for each nation was so as to establish remembrance of Him and focus on giving thanks to Him. Hence He says:

﴾so that they might mention the name of Allah [at the time of sacrifice] over the livestock that He provided for them. But your Godis One God﴿. Even though the types of rituals differed, they were all agreed on this principle, namely the divinity of Allah and the fact that He alone is to be worshipped, and no partners are to be ascribed to Him. Hence He says:

﴾so submit to Him alone﴿ that is, submit and surrender to Him and no other, for submission to Him is the path that leads to paradise. ﴾And give glad tidings﴿ in this world and the hereafter ﴾fto the humble﴿ that is, those who humble themselves before their Lord and submit to His command, and are humble towards His slaves.

Then Allah describes the characteristics of the humble:

﴾those whose hearts are filled with awe when Allah is mentioned﴿ that is, their hearts are filled with fear and veneration, and for that reason they refrain from that which is forbidden, because of their fear and awe of Allah alone.

﴾who endure with patience whatever befalls them﴿ of hardship, sickness or other kinds of harm. They do not become discontent with any of that; rather they bear it with patience for the sake of their Lord, seeking His reward and hoping for it.

﴾establish prayer﴿ that is, those who establish it properly and perfectly, by doing that which is obligatory and that which is recommended, with complete submission and servitude, both outward and inward.

﴾and spend out of what We have provided for them﴿ this includes all kinds of obligatory expenditure, such as zakah, expiation, spending on wives, dependents and relatives, as well as recommended kinds of spending such as charity of all kinds.

It says ﴾out of what﴿ so as to highlight that it is only some of it, so as to indicate how easy the commands of Allah are, and to encourage people to do that, because it is only a small part of that which Allah has provided. The individual could not have obtained it, were it not that Allah made it easy for him and provided it to him. This command is addressed to one who has received provision from the bounty of Allah: spend out of what Allah has provided for you, and Allah will spend on you and give you more.

22:36. We have ordained the sacrificial camels for you as one of the rites of Allah. There is much good for you in them. So mention the name of Allah over them [at the time of sacrifice] as they are standing, then after they have fallen lifeless to the ground, eat thereof and feed [the poor] who do not ask as well as those who do. Thus We have made these animals subservient to your needs, so that you may give thanks.

22:37. It is not their flesh or their blood that reaches Allah; rather it is your piety that reaches Him. Thus He has subjected them to you, so that you may glorify Allah for having guided you. And give glad tidings to those who do good.

This indicates that the rites of Allah include all visible symbols of Islam. We noted above that Allah tells us that if a person respects His rites, that stems from the piety of the hearts. Here He tells us that one of His rites is the sacrificial camels - and cows according to one of the two scholarly views. They are to be respected, and healthy and good specimens are to be chosen for the sacrifice.

﴾There is much good for you in them﴿ that is, for the one who offers the sacrifice and others, as their meat may be eaten and given in charity, bringing benefit and reward.

﴾So mention the name of Allah over them﴿) that is, at the time of slaughter, say: “bismillah (in the name of Allah)” and slaughter them.

﴾as they are standing﴿. The camel is to be made to stand on all four legs, then the left foreleg is to be tied up, then it is to be slaughtered.

﴾then after they have fallen lifeless to the ground﴿ on their sides, then the carcass is skinned and cut into pieces by the butcher, and the pieces fall to the ground, at that point it is ready to be eaten from. ﴾eat thereof﴿. This is addressed to the one who offers the sacrifice; it is permissible for him to eat from his sacrifice.

﴾fand feed [the poor] who do not ask as well as those who do﴿ that is, the poor person who does not ask out of dignity, and the poor person who does ask. Both of them have a right to a share of it.

﴾Thus We have made these animals﴿ namely the sacrificial camels subservient to your needs, so that you may give thanks﴿ to Allah for making them subservient to your needs, for if He had not made them subservient to your needs, you would not be able to control them (and benefit from them). But He has subjugated them to you out of mercy and kindness towards you, so praise Him.

﴾It is not their flesh or their blood that reaches Allah﴿ that is, the aim of the sacrifice is not merely to slaughter the animals, for nothing of their flesh or blood reaches Allah, because He is the Self-Sufficient, Most Praiseworthy. Rather what reaches Him is sincerity in the deed, seeking of His reward, and good intention. Hence He says: ﴾rather it is your piety that reaches Him﴿.

This encourages and urges the believer to be sincere to Him when offering the sacrifice. The aim should be to seek the pleasure of Allah alone, not pride, showing off, seeking to enhance one’s reputation or merely following custom. The same applies to all acts of worship: if they are not accompanied by sincerity and fear of Allah, then they are merely empty shells, like a body without a soul.

t﴾Thus He has subjected them to you, so that you may glorify Allah﴿ that is, venerate and honour Him ﴾for having guided you﴿ that is, in return for His having guided you, for He is deserving of the most perfect praise and highest veneration.

﴾And give glad tidings to those who do good﴿ by worshipping Allah, in that they worship Allah as if they see Him. If they have not reached that level, then let them worship Him believing at the time of their worship that He is watching them and sees them. This also refers to those who do good to other people in all ways, whether by offering financial help, teaching knowledge, using their position to help, offering sincere advice, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, saying a kind word, and so on.

Those who do good have glad tidings from Allah of happiness in this world and the hereafter; Allah will show them kindness as they did good by worshipping Him and they did good to His slaves.

﴾jls the reward of goodness anything but goodness?﴿ (ar-Rahman 55:60) ﴾For those who do good there will be the best reward and more

22:38. Verily, Allah will defend those who believe; verily Allah does not love the treacherous and the ungrateful.

This is a promise and glad tidings from Allah to those who believe, that Allah will ward off from them all hardships and will ward off from them all evil - because of their faith - and He will protect them from the evil of the disbelievers, the evil of the whispers of the Shaytan, the evil of their own selves and their bad deeds. He will help them when hardship comes and they are faced with something beyond that which they can bear, and He will reduce it greatly. Every believer has a share of this defence and the virtue of being defended, commensurate with his faith; some will have a little and some will have a great deal.

﴾verily Allah does not love the treacherous﴿ that is, the one who betrays his trust that Allah made obligatory upon him, so he does not carry out his duties towards Allah and he betrays that trust, and he betrays people too.

﴾and the ungrateful﴿ that is, those who are ungrateful for the blessings of Allah that He persistently bestows, and in return he persists in disbelief and disobedience. Allah does not love such a person; rather He hates him and despises him, and He will requite him for his disbelief and treachery. What this verse means is that Allah loves every trustworthy person who fulfils his trust and gives thanks to his Lord.

22:39. Permission [to fight] is given to those who are attacked, because they have been wronged. Verily Allah is able to grant them victory.

22:40. those who have been driven from their homes unjustly, only because they say: Our Lord is Allah. Were it not for Allah restraining the people, some by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is mentioned much, would surely have been destroyed. Allah will surely help those who help His cause. Verily Allah is Strong, Almighty.

22:41. [They are] those who, if We establish them in the land, will establish regular prayer and give zakah, and will enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. Allah decides the outcome of all matters.

In the beginning, the Muslims were forbidden to fight the disbelievers and were enjoined to show patience with them, as dictated by divine wisdom. But when they migrated to Madinah and gained some strength and power, permission was given to them to fight. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said:

﴾Permission [to fight] is given to those who are attacked﴿. From this it is understood that prior to that they had been forbidden to fight, then Allah gave them permission to fight those who attacked them. Such permission was given to them only because they had been wronged by being prevented from following their religion; they had been persecuted for that and had been expelled from their homes.

﴾Verily Allah is able to grant them victory﴿ so let them seek His help and support. Then Allah mentions the nature of the wrong that was done to them:

﴾those who have been driven from their homes﴿ they were forced to leave, because of the harm and persecution that were done to them ﴾unjustly﴿ that is, their “fault” for which their enemies resented them was ﴾only because they say: Our Lord is Allah﴿. In other words, it was only because they affirmed the oneness of Allah and devoted their worship solely to Him. If this is a fault, then that was their fault. This is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Their only grievance against them was that they believed in Allah, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy.﴿ (al-Burooj 85: 8)

This is indicative of the wisdom behind jihad, the purpose of which is to establish the religion of Allah and stand up to those disbelievers who are persecuting the believers and who are the ones who startedthe aggression, so as to ward off their wrongdoing and persecution in order that the believers will be able to worship Allah and establish the visible symbols and rituals of Islam. Hence Allah says:

﴾Were it not for Allah restraining the people, some by means of others﴿ for Allah wards off the harm of the disbelievers by means of those who strive in jihad in His cause

﴾monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is mentioned much, would surely have been destroyed﴿ that is, these main places of worship for various groups of the People of the Book - the places of worship of the Jews and Christians, and the mosques of the Muslims - would have been destroyed. t﴾in which the name of Allah is mentioned much﴿ that is, in these places of worship prayers are held, the Books of Allah are recited and the name of Allah is mentioned in different ways. Were it not for Allah restraining the people, some by means of others, the disbelievers would gain control over the Muslims, and they would destroy their places of worship and force them to give up their religion. This indicates that jihad is prescribed for the purpose of warding off the aggressor and the one who causes harm. And there are also other aims of jihad.

This indicates that the countries in which people feel safe to worship Allah, the mosques are maintained and all the rituals of Islam are established, are part of the virtue resulting from the efforts of those who strive in j ihad, for by virtue of their blessed efforts Allah warded off the disbelievers from that country. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

..Were it not for Allah restraining the people, some by means of others, the earth would indeed be filled with mischief. But Allah is most gracious to all the worlds.﴿ (al-Baqarah 2: 251)

If you were to say: nowadays we see the mosques of the Muslims being maintained and frequented, and they are not destroyed, even though many are in small Muslim countries with governments that are not powerful, and they have no power to fight in neighbouringnon-Muslim countries; in fact we even see mosques in countries under the control of non-Muslims that are maintained and frequented, and their people are safe and secure, even though the non-Muslim rulers are able to destroy them, but Allah has told us that were it not for Allah restraining the people, some by means of others, these places of worship would be destroyed. But we do not see the application of this concept of some people being restrained by others.

The response to that is that this question is included in the general meaning of this verse. The one who knows about how countries are run nowadays is aware that according to their system every community under its authority and subject to its rule is regarded as part of the society that plays a role in its government, even if that community has power because of its numbers or what it possesses of equipment or wealth, or the work it does and the services it offers. Governments pay attention to both the religious and worldly interests of that community, because they fear that if they do not do that it will lead to trouble or loss of some of their support. For that reason, they pay attention to some aspects of the religion, especially mosques which, praise be to Allah, are well established even in the capitals of the superpowers.

Those independent states and governments pay attention to the feelings of their Muslim subjects. Moreover there is mutual envy and enmity among some Christian nations, which Allah has told us will continue until the Day of Resurrection. So you will find that the Muslim government, even though it may not be able to defend itself, is safe from much of their harm because of that enmity that exists among them. So not one of them can cause harm to the Muslim state, lest the Muslim state seek the protection of another Christian state. Moreover, Allah will show His slaves support for Islam and the Muslims, as He has promised in His Book.

The signs of divine support began to appear - praise be to Allah - when the Muslims realised the necessity of turning back to theirreligion and of striving hard. We praise Him and we ask Him to complete His blessing.

Hence Allah says in a true promise, the fulfilment of which can be seen in real life: ﴾Allah will surely help those who help His cause﴿ that is, those who support His religion with sincerity to Him alone, fighting for His sake so that the word of Allah will be supreme.

﴾Verily Allah is Strong, Almighty﴿ that is, He is perfect in His might and strength, and none can resist Him. He has subjected all creatures and has control over them. So be of good cheer, O Muslims, for even though you are weak in numbers and in weapons and equipment, and the numbers and weapons of your enemy are greater, your support is Allah, the Strong, the Almighty, and you are relying on the One Who created you and created all that you do. So take the measures that are enjoined upon you, then seek His support, and He will inevitably grant you victory.

﴾O you who believe, if you help Allah’s cause, He will help you and steady your footsteps.﴿ (Muhammad47: 7)

So fulfil your duties, O Muslims, as dictated by your faith, and do righteous deeds, for:

﴾Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors [to power] in the land, as He made those before them successors; that He will surely establish for them their religion that He has chosen for them; and that He will surely cause their [present] state of fear to be replaced by peace and security. [That is because] they worship Me alone and do not associate anything with Me...﴿ (an-Noor 24: 55)

Then Allah mentions the sign of the one who supports and helps His cause and the means by which it is known who supports Allah’s cause and His religion, and whoever does not fit this description is lying. Allah says: ﴾[They are] those who, if We establish them in the land﴿ that is, if We give them control in it and give them powerover it, without anyone disputing their authority or opposing them, they ﴾will establish regular prayer﴿, offering their prayers on time, performing them properly, doing all the obligatory parts of the prayer and fulfilling the necessary conditions, in Jumu'ah (Friday) prayer and prayers in congregation.

﴾fand give zakah﴿ which is obligatory upon them in particular and upon their subjects in general; they give it to those who are entitled to it.

﴾and will enjoin what is right﴿ that includes everything that is right and good according to Islamic teaching and common sense, with regard to the rights of Allah and the rights of other people.

﴾and forbid what is wrong﴿ everything that is wrong according to Islamic teaching and common sense is known to be reprehensible. The command to do a thing or the prohibition on doing it includes that without which it cannot be done. If the commands and prohibitions are dependent upon learning and teaching, then it is to be made mandatory for people to leam and teach; if they are dependent upon discipline and punishment, whether that is specified by Islamic laws or otherwise, such as certain kinds of disciplinary punishments, then that must be done. If it depends on appointing people to carry out this task, then that must be done, and so on; this applies to everything without which enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong cannot be done.

﴾Allah decides the outcome of all matters﴿ that is, all matters are decided by Allah, and He has told us that the best outcome results from piety or fear of Him. Whoever is given authority and power over people by Allah, and he complies with the commands of Allah, he will have a good end and his well-being will be sound. But whoever behaves as a tyrant, ruling over them according to his whims and desires, even if he has power for a while, his outcome will not be good; his reign will bode ill for people and his end will be bad.

22:42. If they reject you [O Muhammad], the people of Nooh, ‘Ad and Thamood before them also rejected [their Prophets],

22:43. as did the people of Ibraheem and the people of Loot,

22:44. and the people of Madyan. And Moosa was also rejected. But I granted respite to the disbelievers, then I punished them, and how [severe] was My punishment of them!^{1As Allah changed the way He had been dealing with them, changing abundance to scarcity and well-being to destruction. (at-Tabari)}

22:45. How many cities that were given to wrongdoing have We destroyed! They lie in ruins, their wells abandoned and their lofty palaces [deserted].

22:46. Have they not travelled in the land so that their hearts might understand and their ears might hear?^{2This verse urges the disbelievers to travel to the lands of past nations like them who disbelieved and rejected their Messengers, and see how Allah punished them, so that they may take heed and begin to understand the signs of Allah and listen to the truth. (at-Tabari)} Verily it is not the eyes that are blind, but the hearts in their chests.

Here Allah tells His Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) If these polytheists reject you, you are not the first Messenger to be rejected, and theyare not the first nation to reject its Messenger. ﴾the people of Nooh, ‘Ad and Thamood before them also rejected [their Prophets], as did the people of Ibraheem and the people of Loot, and the people of Madyan﴿ that is, the people of Shu‘ayb.

﴾And Moosa was also rejected. But I granted respite to the disbelievers﴿ who rejected their Messengers. I did not hasten the punishment for them; rather I gave them respite until they persisted in wandering blindly in their transgression, increasing in their disbelief and evil.

t﴾then I punished them﴿ with the punishment of One Who is Almighty, Omnipotent

﴾and how [severe] was My punishment of them)i that is, My punishment of them because of their disbelief and their rejection of the Messengers was the most severe and terrible of punishments. Some of them were drowned, some of them were overcome by the blast, some of them were destroyed by the devastating wind, some of them were swallowed up by the earth, some of them were overtaken by the punishment of the day of the overshadowing cloud (26: 189). So let these disbelievers leam from them, lest there befall them what befell those earlier peoples, for they are no better than them, and they have not been given any exemption in the scriptures that were revealed by Allah. How many disbelievers were punished and destroyed who were just like these people. Hence Allah says:

﴾(How many cities that were given to wrongdoing have We destroyed﴿ with severe punishment and disgrace in this world because of their disbelief in Allah and their rejection of His Messengers. Our punishment of them was not wrongdoing on Our part.

﴾They lie in ruins﴿ that is, their houses, palaces and walls are destroyed; they have fallen down and have been abandoned after having been populated, desolate after having been filled with life and people.﴾their wells abandoned and their lofty palaces [deserted]﴿ that is, how many wells there are, around which people used to crowd to get water for themselves and for their flocks, but now they are deserted; no one comes and goes around them. And how many palaces that are, which people worked hard to build, fortify and adorn, but when the decree of Allah came to pass, nothing availed those people; those palaces are also now deserted and have become a lesson for those who will learn and an example for those who reflect and ponder.

Hence Allah calls upon His slaves to travel in the land, in order to see and leam. He says: ﴾Have they not travelled in the land so that their hearts might understand﴿ the signs of Allah, and reflect upon them and leam lessons

﴾and their ears might hear﴿ the stories of past nations who were subject to punishment. However, merely looking, listening and travelling without reflecting and learning lessons is of no benefit and does not serve the purpose.

Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾Verily it is not the eyes that are blind, but the hearts in their chests﴿ that is, the kind of blindness that is detrimental to one’s religious commitment is blindness of the heart to the truth, so that it does not see it, just as the blind man does not see things that are visible to others. As for physical blindness, it is limited only to worldly issues.

22:47. They ask you to hasten on the punishment, but Allah will not fail in His promise, for verily a day with your Lord is like a thousand years by your reckoning.

22:48. To how many cities that were given to wrongdoing have I granted respite, then I punished them. And unto Me is the return [of all].

That is, these disbelievers ask you to hasten the punishment due to their ignorance, wrongfully and stubbornly, thinking that they can outwit Allah, to express their rejection of His Messengers. But Allah will never break His promise: what He has promised them of punishment will inevitably come to them, and nothing can prevent it reaching them. As for seeking to hasten it and bring it upon them quickly, that is not up to you, O Muhammad (ﷺ), and you cannot respond to their demands for haste. Ahead of them lies the Day of Resurrection, on which the first of them and the last of them will be gathered together and they will be requited for their deeds, and the eternal, everlasting punishment will befall them. Hence Allah says:

sffor verily a day with your Lord is like a thousand years by your reckoning﴿, because it will be so long and difficult, and filled with terrors. It is all the same whether punishment befalls them in this world or is delayed, for this day will inevitably come.

It may be that what is meant is that Allah is forbearing; even if they seek to hasten the punishment, one day with Him is like a thousand years by your reckoning, so even if you think that the period of waiting is long and is passing slowly, and that the punishment will not come, you should know that Allah may give respite for a long time but He never forgets, and when He seizes the wrongdoers with His punishment, He will not let them escape.

﴾To how many cities that were given to wrongdoing have I granted respite﴿ that is, a lengthy period of respite, even though they were doing wrong. The fact that they hastened to do wrong does not mean that We should hasten to punish them.

﴾-(then I punished them. And unto Me is the return [of all]﴿ that is, in addition to their punishment in this world, they will be broughtback to Allah, and He will punish them for their sins. So let these evildoers beware of the punishment of Allah, and let them not be deceived by the respite.

22:49. Say [O Muhammad]: O people, verily I am to you but a clear warner.

22:50. Those who believe and do righteous deeds will have forgiveness and a generous provision.

22:51. But those who strive against Our revelations, seeking to discredit them, will be inhabitants of the blazing fire.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) instructs His slave and Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ) to call people, telling them that he is indeed the Messenger of Allah, who brings glad tidings to the believers of the reward of Allah, and warns the disbelievers and wrongdoers of His punishment.

﴾a clear warner﴿ that is, bringing a warning that is clear, which is a warning that explains that of which they are warned, because he has established clear proof of the truth of what he has warned them of.

Then Allah mentions details of the warning and glad tidings: ﴾Those who believe﴿ in their hearts, with sincere and sound faith ﴾and do righteous deeds﴿ in terms of physical actions ﴾will be in gardens of delight﴿ (22: 56) that is, gardens in which they will enjoy all manner of delightful food, drink, spouses, images and sounds, and they will have the joy of beholding the Most Generous Lord and hearing His words.﴾And for those who disbelieve﴿ (22: 57) that is, those who deny the blessings of their Lord and reject His Messengers and His signs, will be the inhabitants of hell: they will abide therein and remain there at all times; its torment will never be reduced or its punishment halted even for a moment.

22:52. We did not send any Messenger or Prophet before you but, when he recited [the revelations], the Shaytan threw [some falsehood] into his recitation. But Allah cancels out anything [false] that the Shaytan throws in, then Allah confirms His revelations, for Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise.

22:53. [That is] so that He may make what the Shaytan throws in [of falsehood] a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and those whose hearts are hardened, for verily the wrongdoers go much too far in opposition;

22:54. And so that those who were given knowledge may know that it [the Qur’an] is the truth from your Lord, so they may believetherein and their hearts may be certain of it. Verily Allah guides those who believe to a straight path.

22:55. Those who disbelieve will not cease to be in doubt concerning it [the Qur’an] until the Hour comes upon them suddenly or there comes upon them the punishment of a day devoid of all hope.

22:56. On that day all dominion will belong to Allah. He will judge between them, then those who believed and did righteous deeds will be in gardens of delight.

22:57. And for those who disbelieve and reject Our revelations, there will be a humiliating punishment.

Here Allah B§) tells us of His great wisdom in testing His slaves, for before Muhammad (ﷺ) He never sent ﴾any Messenger or Prophet... but, when he recited [the revelations] p by means of which he reminded people, enjoining that which is right and forbidding that which is wrong, ﴾the Shaytan threw [some falsehood] into his recitation﴿, as part of his plots and schemes, that was contrary to that recitation. Although Allah protected the Messengers from error with regard to what they conveyed from Him, and He protected His revelation from being tampered with or mixed with something else, this introduction or throwing in of falsehood by the Shaytan did not remain in the text; rather it was something temporary that might happen then be removed. Hence Allah says:

﴾(But Allah cancels out anything [false] that the Shaytan throws in﴿ that is, He removes it and takes it away, and clearly shows that it is not part of His revelation t-ithen Allah confirms His revelations﴿ that is, He keeps them precise, frees them from error and preserves them as they originally were; thus they remain free of that material that was thrown in by the Shaytan.

﴾for Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise﴿ and does what is appropriate. By His perfect wisdom. He allowed the devils to throwin falsehood as mentioned, so that the purpose referred to in the following verse would be achieved:

([[That is] so that He may make what the Shaytan throws in [of falsehood] a trial﴿ for two groups of people about whom Allah does not care. They are:

﴾those in whose hearts is a disease﴿ that is, weakness or lack of perfect faith and firm belief, hence the slightest doubt that occurs to them may shake their faith. When they hear that which the Shaytan throws in, they begin to doubt and it becomes a test for them;

﴾and those whose hearts are hardened'﴿ and they are not influenced by rebukes or reminders, and they do not understand what Allah and His Messengers say, because of their hardheartedness. When they hear that which the Shaytan throws in, they use it to support their arguments and opposition to Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). Hence Allah says:

﴾for verily the wrongdoers go much too far in opposition﴿ that is, in opposition to Allah and in stubborn rejection of the truth, going against it and straying far from the right path. So what the Shaytan throws in becomes a trial to these two groups, thus exposing what is in their hearts of concealed evil. As for the third group, it is a mercy in their case. They are the ones who are mentioned in the following verse:

﴾And so that those who were given knowledge may know that it [the Qur’an] is the truth from your Lord)﴿ because Allah has blessed them with knowledge through which they recognise the truth as distinct from falsehood, and guidance as distinct from misguidance. So they distinguish between the two matters - established truth that Allah confirms and makes precise, and falsehood of a temporary nature that Allah cancels out on the basis of indications that are available for both, so that they may know that Allah is Most Wise; He decrees some types of tests so as to show what is hidden in people’s hearts of good and evil.

﴾so they may believe therein﴿ because of that, and increase in faith, when they ward off passing doubts and confusion﴾and their hearts may be certain of it﴿ that is, so that their hearts inav be humbled and submit to His wisdom. This is part of His guidance to them; ﴾Verily Allah guides those who believe﴿, because of their faith, ﴾jto a straight path﴿ that is, knowledge of the truth and acting accordingly. Allah will make steadfast those who believe, with the word that stands firm, in this world and in the hereafter (cf. 14: 27).

These verses highlight the fact that the Messenger had the example of his fellow Messengers with regard to what happened to him when he recited Soorat an-Najm. When he reached the words: ﴾Have you thought about al-Lat and al-‘Uzza, and Manat, the third

- the Shaytan threw into his recitation the words “These are the exalted ghardneeq (cranes), whose intercession is hoped for”, which caused great sorrow and distress for the Messenger (ﷺ) and confusion for the people, as Allah stated. So Allah revealed these verses: ﴾s﴾Those who disbelieve will not cease to be in doubt concerning it [the Qur’an] until the Hour comes upon them suddenly or there comes upon them the punishment of a day devoid of all hope. On that day all dominion will belong to Allah. He will judge between them, then those who believed and did righteous deeds will be in gardens of delight. And for those who disbelieve and reject Our revelations, there will be a humiliating punishment.﴿ (22: 55-57)

Here Allah tells us of the state of the disbelievers, and that they will continue to doubt that which you have brought to them, O Muhammad (ﷺ), because of their stubbornness and aversion, and that they will persist in this attitude, ﴾until the Hour comes upon them suddenly﴿ and catches them unawares, ﴾jor there comes upon them the punishment of a day devoid of all hope﴿ that is, in which there is nothing good, namely the Day of Resurrection.

When the Hour comes upon them, or that day comes, those who disbelieve will realise that they were lying, and they will be filledwith regret at a time when regret will not avail them anything. They will give up all hope and despair of all good, and they will wish that they had believed in the Messenger (ﷺ) and followed his path. In this there is a warning against persisting in suspicion and fabrication.

﴾On that day﴿ namely the Day of Resurrection, ﴾all dominion will belong to Allah﴿ may He be exalted, and to no other.

﴾)He will judge between them﴿ with justice, and His judgement will be decisive.

﴾then those who believed﴿ in Allah and His Messengers, and what they brought

﴾fand did righteous deeds﴿ that confirmed their faith

﴾will be in gardens of delight﴿ that will bring to their hearts, souls and bodies delights that can barely be described or comprehended.

﴾And for those who disbelieve﴿ in Allah and His Messengers, and reject His revelations that guide to the truth and what is right, so they stubbornly turn away from them,

﴾there will be a humiliating punishment﴿ that will be severe and painful for them, and will reach their hearts. As they tried to humiliate His Messengers and ridicule His revelations, Allah will humiliate them with the punishment.

22:58. As for those w ho migrate in the cause of Allah and are slain or die, Allah will surely bestow upon them a goodly provision. Verily Allah is the best of providers.

22:59. He will surely admit them to a place with which they will be well pleased, for verily Allah is All-Knowing, Most Forbearing.

This is great glad tidings for those who migrated in Allah’s cause, leaving behind their homes, native lands, children and wealth, seeking the pleasure of Allah and in support of His religion. The reward of such a person has become incumbent upon Allah, whether he dies in his bed or is killed fighting in jihad in Allah’s cause.

Allah will surely bestow upon them a goodly provision﴿ in al-barzakh, and on the Day of Resurrection, by admitting them to paradise, where they will find peace and tranquillity, beauty and delight, and spiritual and physical bliss.

It may be that what is meant is that for the one who migrates for the sake of Allah, his provision is guaranteed in this world, goodly and abundant provision, whether Allah knows that he will die in his bed or he will be killed as a martyr. All of them are guaranteed provision, so no one should ever think that if he migrates and leaves behind his property and wealth, that he will become poor and needy, for his Provider is the best of providers. And it happened as He said: the earlier migrants left behind their property, children and wealth in support of the religion of Allah, but it was not long before Allah enabled them to conquer various lands and gave them power over people. Thus they accumulated wealth by means of which they became the richest of people. Based on this view, what is meant by the words ﴾He will surely admit them to a place with which they will be well pleased﴿ is that either Allah would enable them to conquer various lands, especially the conquest of Makkah, for they entered it in a state of joy and happiness, or it refers to provision in the hereafter, and this refers to admission to paradise. Thus this verse combines two types of provision: provision in this world and provision in the hereafter. The wording is appropriate for both interpretations and both meanings are sound; therefore there is no reason why it should not refer to both.

for verily Allah is All-Knowing﴿ of all affairs, both apparent and hidden, what comes earlier and what comes later ﴾Most Forbearing﴿ - people disobey Him and defiantly commit grievous sins, yet He does not hasten the punishment for them, although He is perfectly able to do so; rather He continues to grant them His provision and bestow His bounty upon them.

22:60. That is so. Whoever retaliates only to the extent of the wrong that was done to him, and then is wronged again, Allah will surely help him. Verily Allah is Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving.

If a person is wronged and injustice is committed against him, it is permissible for him to retaliate and do a similar wrong to the one who wronged him. If he does that, there is no blame on him and he is not to be criticised, and if he is wronged after that, Allah will help him, because he has been wronged. So it is not permissible for anyone to wrong him again because he settled the score. If the one who settled the score in return for a wrong done to him is wronged again, Allah will help him. In the case of the one who did not settle the score and is wronged again, divine help is even closer to him.

﴾Verily Allah is Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving﴿ that is. He pardons sinners and does not hasten to punish them; He forgives their sins and removes them, and removes the effects and consequences thereof.

This is how Allah always is, and this is how He deals with His slaves at all times, offering pardon and forgiveness. So you who have been wronged and mistreated should pardon, overlook and forgive, so that Allah may treat you as you treated His slaves.﴾...but whoever forgives and reconciles, his reward is with Allah... )?

22:61. That is because Allah causes the night to encroach upon the day, and the day to encroach upon the night. And verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.

22:62. That is because Allah is the Truth, and those they call upon besides Him are sheer falsehood. Verily Allah is the Most High, the Most Great.

Such is the One Who has prescribed for you these good and just rulings. He is good in His control and planning, the One Who ﴾causes the night to encroach upon the day﴿, so He brings the night after the day, and the day after the night, and He causes the one to increase by as much as the other decreases, then vice versa, which results in the passage of the seasons and causes the alternation of night and day, sun and moon, which is one of His greatest blessings and is something that is essential for people.

﴾And verily Allah is All-Hearing﴿; He hears the sound of all voices, in all languages, expressing various needs ﴾All-Seeing﴿; He sees a black ant walking on a solid rock in the darkness of night.

﴾flt is the same [to Him] whether any of you conceals his speech or declares it openly, and whether he hides under the cover of the night or walks openly in the light of day.﴿ (ar-Ra'd 13: 10)

﴾That is because Allah is the Truthand is eternal; He always was and always will be. He is the First, before Whom there was nothing, and the Last, after Whom there will be nothing, and He is the most perfect in His names and attributes. He fulfils His promise, and His promise is true, the meeting with Him is true, His religion is true, worship of Him is true and brings benefits that will last forever.

sfand those they call upon besides Him﴿ of idols and rivals, both animate and inanimate,

﴾are sheer falsehood﴿; they are false in and of themselves and worship of them is false because it is connected to something transient that will inevitably perish and therefore is false and invalid.

﴾Verily Allah is the Most High, the Most Great﴿ in and of Himself, for He is high above all created things. He is also Most High and Most Great in His decree, for He is perfect in all His attributes and in His subduing of all creatures. And He is Most Great in and of Himself, and in His names and attributes. One sign of His greatness and pride is that on the Day of Resurrection He will hold the entire earth in His grasp and fold up the heavens in His Right Hand (cf. 39: 67). As a sign of His pride. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the earth. As a sign of His greatness and pride, the forelocks of all people are in His Hand, so they do not do anything at all except by His will.

No one knows the true nature of His pride except He, not any angel who is close to Him or any Prophet who was sent. The real nature thereof is that every attribute of perfection, majesty, pride and greatness is confirmed and affirmed for Him, and of each of these attributes He is possessed of the most sublime and perfect degree thereof. As a sign of His pride, the purpose of all acts of worship done by the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth is to magnify Him. glorify Him, venerate Him and honour Him. Hence the takbeer (saying Allahii akbar - Allah is most great) is the slogan of major acts of worship such as the prayer and others.

22:63. Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky, whereupon the earth becomes green? Verily Allah is the Knower of subtleties, the All-Aware.

22:64. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. And verily Allah is Self-Sufficient, Worthy of all praise.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) encourages us to look at the signs which point to His oneness and perfect nature.

﴾Do you not see﴿ that is, have you not seen with your eyes and reflected with your intellect

﴾that Allah sends down water from the skyK which is the rain; it comes down to an earth that is barren, desolate and dusty, its trees and plants dry, then it becomes green, covered with all kinds of vegetation, a delight to behold. The One Who brought it back to life after it was dead and lifeless will revive the dead after they have turned to dust.

﴾Verily Allah is the Knower of subtleties, the All-Aware﴿. He is the Knower of subtleties, Who knows the hidden part of things and their secrets. He brings good things to His slave and wards off evil from him in very subtle ways that are hidden from people. By His knowledge of subtleties, He shows His slaves His might and perfect power when He wreaks vengeance, then He shows His kindness after a person was about to die. By His knowledge of subtleties, He knows where the raindrops fall on earth, and where the seeds are in the earth, so He sends that rain to those seeds that are hidden and unknown to people, and brings forth all kinds of plants from them.

﴾the All-Aware﴿ of all secrets, what is hidden in people’s hearts, and all hidden things.

﴾To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth﴿ because He created them and they are all His slaves; He controls them as He is the Sovereign, Most Wise, Almighty; no one else has any control at all.

﴾And verily Allah is Self-Sufficient﴿ in and of Himself; He is completely independent of means in all aspects. One aspect thereof is that He does not need any of His creation and does not take them as friends because of any need for help and support. Because He is Self-Sufficient, He has never taken a spouse or begotten a child. He is entirely Self-Sufficient; He does not eat or drink, and He does not need what people need in any way. He feeds but is not fed. Because He is Self-Sufficient, all people need Him to bring them into existence, to make them adaptable to their environment and to provide for them, and to guide them with regard to their religious and worldly affairs. Because He is Self-Sufficient, if all those who are in the heavens and on earth were to come together, both the living and the dead, in a single plain, and each of them were to ask Him for what he wishes for, and He were to give them more than they wished for, that would not detract from His sovereignty in the slightest. Because He is Self- Sufficient, His Hand is outstretched to bestow goodness and blessings by night and by day; His bounty keeps coming down at every moment. Because He is Self-Sufficient and Most Generous, what He has stored up in paradise is such that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it ever crossed the mind of man.

﴾Worthy of all praise﴿ that is. He is praiseworthy in and of Himself; in His names, for they are beautiful; in His attributes, because they are all attributes of perfection; in His deeds, because they are all based on justice, kindness, mercy and wisdom; in His laws, for He does not enjoin anything but that which is completely of benefit or its benefits outweigh its harms, and He does not forbidanything but that which is completely bad or its harms outweigh any benefits. To Him be praise that fills everything in the heavens and on earth and in between, and whatever He wills after that, for people cannot praise Him enough; rather He is as He has praised Himself, far above the praise that His slaves give. He is worthy of praise for helping whomever He helps and forsaking whomever He forsakes. He is Self-Sufficient in His praise, and Most Praiseworthy in His self-sufficiency.

22:65. Do you not see that Allah has made all that is on earth to be of service to you, and the ships that sail on the sea by His command? And He holds back the sky so that it cannot fall on the earth except by His leave. Verily Allah is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful to humankind.

22:66. It is He Who gave you life, then will cause you to die, then He will bring you back to life. Verily man is indeed ungrateful.

That is, have you not seen with your own eyes and intellect the comprehensive blessings and favours of your Lord?

﴾Allah has made all that is on earth to be of service to you﴿ including animals, plants and inanimate objects. Everything that is on earth has been made to be of service to the sons of Adam: animals which they use for riding, carrying loads and other purposes, as well as food and other kinds of benefits; trees and fruits that they eat, for man has beengiven the ability to plant them and make use of them; and minerals that man extracts from the earth and makes use of them.

﴾and the ships﴿ have also been made to be of service to you, as they ﴾sail on the sea by His command﴿, carrying you and your trade goods, and they take you from one place to another. And you extract from the sea ornaments that you wear. By His mercy towards you, Allah ﴾holds back the sky so that it cannot fall on the earth﴿. Were it not for His mercy and might, the sky would have fallen onto the earth, destroying all that is on it and killing everyone on it.

﴾Verily, Allah sustains the heavens and the earth, lest they decline, and if they were to decline, there is no one who could sustain them other than Him. Verily, He is Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving. ﴿ (Fatir35:41)

﴾Verily Allah is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful to humankind﴿ - He is more merciful to them than their parents and than their own selves. Hence He wants what is good for them, whereas they want that which is evil and harmful for themselves. By His mercy. He has caused all these things to be of service to them.

﴾It is He Who gave you life﴿ when He created you from nothing ﴾then will cause you to die﴿ after giving you life ﴾then He will bring you back to life﴿ after your death, in order to requite the doer of good for his good deeds and the doer of evil for his evil deeds. ﴾Verily man)* in general, except those whom Allah blesses ﴾fis indeed ungrateful﴿ for the blessings of Allah; he is ungrateful to Allah and does not acknowledge His kindness; rather he may disbelieve in the resurrection and the might of his Lord.

22:67. For every nation We decreed ways of worship which they follow, so do not let them dispute with you concerning this matter. But call them to your Lord, for you are indeed rightly guided.

22:68. And if they do dispute with you, then say: Allah knows best what you are doing.

22:69. Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein you differ.

22:70. Do you not know that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and on earth? Verily that is [inscribed] in a record; verily that is easy for Allah.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He decreed for every nation its *fways of worship﴿, which may differ in some aspects, but they are all based on justice and wisdom, as Allah Ofe) says elsewhere: d...To each [community] among you. We have prescribed a law and a clear way. If Allah had so willed. He would have made you a single community, but [He willed it otherwise] in order to test you in what He has given you. So hasten to do good deeds. To Allah you will all return, then He will inform you about the matters concerning which you differed.(al-Ma'idah 5: 48)

﴾which they follow﴿ that is, they act in accordance with that, according to their situations. So there should not be any objection to any set of divine laws, especially from the illiterate polytheists who are clearly ignorant. Once the message of the Messenger (ﷺ) is proven with evidence, it becomes obligatory to respond to everything he brought by accepting it and submitting, and not raising objections. Hence Allah says:﴾fso do not let them dispute with you concerning this matter﴿) that is, do not let those who reject you dispute with you and object to some of what you have brought to them, on the basis of their corrupt thinking, such as when they disputed the issue of meat found dead, on the basis of their false analogy, saying: “You eat what you kill, but you do not eat what Allah kills”, and when they said “Selling is like usury”, and similar objections, concerning which there is no need to answer these particular objections when they are denying the message, and there is no point in arguing about these issues in isolation from the main issue (which is the message itself), because issues should be discussed within the right framework and context.

If the one who raises these objections whilst denying the message of the Messenger (ﷺ) claims that he is arguing in order to learn and find the right answer, it should be said to him: What we discuss with you is whether the message is sound or not, otherwise his limiting the discussion to this issue is indicative of his stubbornness and attempts to frustrate you. Hence Allah instructed His Messenger (ﷺ) to call people to his Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and to focus on that, regardless of whether anyone objects or not. Nothing should deter you from calling people to Allah, because you are ﴾indeed rightly guided﴿, for the path you are following is moderate and will bring you to your goal, as it includes knowledge of the truth and acting upon it. So you are sure of the matter that you are following, and you are certain of your religion, which requires you to adhere strongly to what your Lord has enjoined upon you. You are not following a matter that is doubtful or something that is fabricated, such that you would go along with people and follow their whims and desires, and be hindered by their objections. This is similar to the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾So put your trust in Allah, for you are on the path of clear truth.﴿

Moreover, the words ﴾for you are indeed rightly guided﴿ are a response, based on sound rational thought, to the objections of those who object to minor issues of Islamic teaching, because the Messenger (ﷺ) is following guidance, and all that the Messenger (ﷺ) brought, whether minor or major issues, is part of that guidance. The beauty, justice, fairness and wisdom of these issues may be known by means of reasoning and sound thinking, and may be reached by reflecting on the details of what is enjoined and what is prohibited.

Hence Allah instructed him to refrain from disputing with them in this situation, as He said: ﴾And if they do dispute with you, then say: Allah knows best what you are doing﴿ that is, He knows your aims and intentions, and He will requite you for that on the Day of Resurrection, on which Allah will judge between you concerning that wherein you differed. So whoever follows the straight path will be among the people of paradise, and whoever deviates from it will be one of the people of hell.

One aspect of the perfect nature of His judgement is that it is based on knowledge; therefore Allah tells us that His knowledge and His record are all-encompassing.

﴾Do you not know that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and on earth?jj Nothing is hidden from Him of either visible or hidden matters, what has already happened and what is yet to come. Allah has inscribed in a record that knowledge which encompasses all that is in heaven and on earth; that record is al-Lawh al-Mahfoodh, and that knowledge was inscribed when Allah created the Pen and:

«He said to it: Write. It said. What should I write? He said: Write what will happen until the Day of Resurrection.» (A sound hadith recorded by Abu Dawood)

﴾verily that is easy for Allah﴿; it is easy for Him even if your imagination cannot grasp it, for it is easy for Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to encompass all things with His knowledge and to inscribe that in a record in such a way that events will unfold exactly as written in that record.

22:71. Yet they worship, besides Allah, that for which no authority has been sent down to them and that of which they have no knowledge. For the wrongdoers there will be no helpers.

22:72. When Our clear revelations are recited to them, you will notice repugnance in the faces of those who disbelieve. They can barely restrain themselves from assaulting those who recite Our revelations to them. Say [O Muhammad]: Shall I tell you of something worse than what you feel at present? It is the fire, which Allah has promised to those who disbelieve - a hapless journey's end.

Here Allah describes the true nature of the polytheists who regard others as equal to Him, and tells us that they are in the worst condition, for they have no basis for what they do (of equating others to Him). They have no knowledge to support that; rather it is blind imitation of what they learned from their misguided forefathers.

A person may have no knowledge of what he does although, at the same time, there is proof for what he does, of which he has no knowledge. But in this case, Allah tells us that He has not sent down any authority for that. In other words, there is no proof to support it or permit it; rather what has been sent down is definitive proof that it is invalid and false.

Then Allah warns the wrongdoers among them who stubbornly reject the truth:

﴾For the wrongdoers there will be no helpers﴿ to protect them from the punishment of Allah when it befalls them. Do these people - who have no knowledge of what they are following - have any intention of following the signs and guidance that have come to them? Or are they content with what they are following of falsehood?

Allah refers to that when He says:

﴾When Our clear revelations﴿ that are the great revelations of Allah that make truth distinct from falsehood «fare recited to them'p, they pay no attention to them and make no effort to understand them. Rather ﴾you will notice repugnance in the faces of those who disbelieve﴿. Because of their hatred and resentment, you see their faces frowning and displeased.

﴾They can barely restrain themselves from assaulting those who recite Our revelations to them﴿ that is, they can barely restrain themselves from attacking them in order to kill them or beat them severely, because of the severity of their resentment and animosity towards them and towards the truth. This attitude of the disbelievers is the worst of attitudes, and its evil is the greatest of evils, but there is something that is even worse than that, namely the state which they will ultimately reach. Hence Allah says:

﴾Say [O Muhammad]: Shall I tell you of something worse than what you feel at present? It is the fire, which Allah has promised to those who disbelieve - a hapless journey’s end﴿. Its evil is immense and its hardship and pain will constantly increase.^ 4 #

22:73. O people, an example is being presented, so listen to it: those on whom you call besides Allah can never create even a fly, even if they all came together to do that. And if the fly snatches something away from them, they cannot recover it from it. How weak are both the pursuer and the pursued!

22:74. They have not given due recognition to Allah. Verily Allah is indeed Strong, Almighty.

This is an example that Allah gives of the abhorrent nature of idol worship, highlighting the fact that those who worship them have no sense, for all the idols are weak. He says:

﴾fO people﴿ this is addressed to both believers and disbelievers; the believers increase in knowledge and insight, whilst proof is established against the disbelievers.

﴾fan example is being presented﴿ that is, listen attentively and understand what it implies. You should not receive it heedlessly or listen inattentively; rather you should listen properly and pay attention. This is the example given:

﴾those on whom you call besides Allah﴿ that is, everything that is called upon besides Allah

﴾can never create even a fly﴿ which is the most insignificant and ignoble of created beings. They are not able to create even this feeble creature, so it is more unlikely that they could create anything greater than that.

﴾even if they all came together to do that﴿ and, what is more, ﴾if the fly snatches something away from them, they cannot recover it from it﴿ - this is the utmost helplessness.

﴾How weak are both the pursuer﴿ namely the one that is worshipped besides Allah﴾and the pursued﴿) namely the fly. Both of them are weak, and even weaker than both of them is the one who gets attached to this weak entity and gives it the same status as the Lord of the worlds.

Such a one has not given ﴾due recognition to Allah﴿, as he has regarded that which is lacking and incapable in all aspects as equal to the One Who is self-sufficient and most strong in all aspects. He has regarded that which has no power to bring benefit or ward off harm from itself or from anyone else, and has no power to cause death, give life or resurrect, as equal to the One Who brings benefits and wards off harm. Who gives and withholds, the ultimate Sovereign Who controls him in all ways.

﴾Verily Allah is indeed Strong, Almighty!) that is. He is perfect in strength and perfect in might, and because of the perfect nature of His strength and might, the forelocks of all creatures are in His Hand and nothing moves or halts except by His will. Whatever Allah wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen. By His perfect strength. He keeps a firm hold on the heavens and the earth, lest they fall apart. By His perfect strength. He will resurrect all people, the first and the last of them, with a single trumpet blast. By His perfect strength. He destroyed the tyrants and stubborn nations with something that is very easy for Him, and some of His punishment.

22:75. Allah chooses messengers from among the angels and from among humankind. Verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.

22:76. He knows what was before them and what will be after them, and it is to Allah that all things will return.

Having explained His perfect nature and the weakness of the idols, and that He alone is deserving of worship, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) now speaks of the Messengers, and how they differ from other people, because of their distinct virtues.

Allah chooses messengers from among the angels and from among humankind﴿ that is, He selects messengers from among the angels and messengers from among humankind, to be the best of their type, as they combine all noble characteristics and are the most deserving of being chosen. The Messengers can only be from among the very best of humankind, for the One Who chose and selected them is not unaware of the reality of things, and it is not the case that He knows some things and not others. Rather the One Who chooses them is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, Whose knowledge, hearing and vision encompass all things. His choice of them is based on His knowledge that they are qualified for that and that they are fit to receive revelation, as He says elsewhere:

﴾.. .Allah knows best where to place His message...﴿ (al-An am 6:124)

﴾fand it is to Allah that all things will return﴿ that is, He sends the Messengers, who call people to Allah, then some of the people respond and some reject the call. This is the role of the Messengers. As for the requital for those deeds, it is up to Allah, and He will judge on the basis of His grace and justice.

22:77. O you who believe, bow and prostrate, and worship your Lord, and do good, so that you may prosper.

22:78. Strive in the cause of Allah as you ought to strive. He has chosen you and has not imposed any hardship on you in religion, the religion of your father Ibraheem. It is He [Allah] Who named you Muslims, both before and in this [Qur’an], so that the Messenger might be a witness over you and you might be witnesses over humankind. So establish prayer, give zakah, and hold fast to Allah, for He is your Protector, an excellent Protector and an excellent Helper!

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) enjoins His believing slaves to pray, and mentions in particular bowing and prostration, because of the virtue of these deeds and because they are an essential part of the prayer and of worshipping Him which brings comfort and consolation to one who is grieved. His Lordship and generosity towards His slaves require them to devote their worship to Him alone and make it incumbent upon them to do good deeds in general.

Allah (tfe) has made prosperity and success dependent upon these things, as He says: ﴾so that you may prosper﴿ that is, so that you may attain what you seek and be saved from what you fear. There is no way to prosper and succeed except by being sincere in worship of the Creator alone and striving to be of benefit to His slaves. Whoever is enabled to do that will attain a high level of happiness, success and prosperity.

﴾Strive in the cause of Allah as you ought to strive﴿ - striving means doing one’s utmost to attain the desired goal. Striving in the cause of Allah as one ought to strive means complying in full with the commands of Allah, and calling people to His path by all possible means, such as offering sincere advice, teaching, fighting, disciplining, rebuking, exhorting, and so on.

﴾(He has chosen you﴿ that is, He has selected you, O Muslims, from among humankind, and has chosen and approved of Islam for you, and He has chosen for you the best of Books and the best of Messengers. So respond to this immense blessing by striving as you should.

Because some people may imagine that the phrase ﴾Strive in the cause of Allah as you ought to strive﴿ may imply imposition of a duty that is beyond their ability to fulfil, or is too difficult to carry out, Allah dispels this notion by saying:

﴾and has not imposed any hardship on you in religion﴿ that is. He has not imposed any difficulty; rather He has made it very easy and straightforward. Firstly, He never enjoins or makes binding anything but that which is easy to carry out and is not burdensome or too hard. If there is some reason to reduce the burden, He reduces some of what He has enjoined, waiving it in full or in part.

An important principle is based on this verse, which is that if a command becomes too difficult, it becomes a cause for the scholars to review the matter and issue a fatwa to make it easier, and necessity makes prohibited things permissible. Based on that, there are many minor rulings that are well known in the books of the scholars.

﴾the religion of your father Ibraheem﴿ that is, the religion and commands mentioned are the religion of your father Ibraheem, in which he persisted, so adhere to it and cling to it.

﴾It is He [Allah] Who named you Muslims, both before﴿ that is, in the previous Books, which are well known.

﴾fand in this [Qur’an]﴿ so this name of yours is well known, past and present.

﴾so that the Messenger might be a witness over you﴿, to your deeds, both good and bad

﴾and you might be witnesses over humankind﴿, because you are the best community ever brought forth for (the benefit of) humankind (3: 110), a moderate, fair and exemplary community; you testify that the Messengers indeed conveyed the message to their nations, and you testify that the nations did indeed receive the message conveyed by their Messengers, as Allah has told you in His Book.

﴾So establish prayer﴿, with all its essential parts, fulfilling its conditions and performing it properly.

﴾give zakah﴿ as you are obliged to, giving it to those who are entitled to it, out of gratitude to Allah for what He has bestowed upon you. ﴾and hold fast to Allah﴿ that is, seek His help and put your trust in Him, and do not trust in your own power and strength ﴾for He is your Protector﴿ Who is taking care of your affairs and managing them well, disposing of your affairs in your best interests, ﴾an excellent Protector﴿ that is, the best protector for the one who takes Him as an ally, so He helps him to attain what he is seeking tfand an excellent Helper﴿ to the one who seeks His help, so He wards off from him what he fears.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat al-Hajj.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.C.-'