Qur’an verses on truth honesty

Ala-Maududi

(2:23) If you are in any doubt whether it is We Who have revealed this Book to Our servant, thenproduce just a surah like it, and call all your supporters and seek in it the support of allothers save Allah. Accomplish this if you are truthful.^[24]

24. Before this, in Makka, opponents had often been challenged to produce anything of comparablemerit if they believed the Qur’an to be the work of a human being. In Madina the same challengewas reiterated. For similar challenges made elsewhere in the Qur’an, see (Surah Yunus, ayat 38); (Surah Hud, ayat 13); (Surah Al-Isra, ayat 88) and (Surah At-Tur, ayat 33)

Ala-Maududi

(2:31) Then Allah taught Adam the names of all things^[42] and presented them to theangels and said: “If you are right (that the appointment of a vicegerent will cause mischief)then tell Me the names of these things.”

42. The nature of man’s knowledge is such that he acquires information of different thingsthrough their names. Hence it might be said that the sum total of man’s knowledge consists ofthe names of things. To teach Adam the names of all things means, therefore, imparting theknowledge of those things. us.43 you, only You, are All-Knowing, All Wise.’

Ala-Maududi

(2:94) Say to them: “If indeed the Last Abode with Allah is yours, in exclusion of other people,then long for death^[98] if you are truthful.”

98. This is a subtle, satirical reference to their excessive worldliness. Those who really carefor the Hereafter neither set their hearts on earthly life, nor are they unduly frightened ofdeath. The condition of the Jews was the reverse of this.

Ala-Maududi

(2:111) They say: “None shall enter the Garden unless he be a Jew or (according to theChristians), a Christian.” These are their vain desires.^[112] Say: “Bring your proofif you are speaking the truth.”

112. That is, all this is merely wishful thinking, even though they express thoughts as if theywere really going to happen.

Ala-Maududi

(2:177) Righteousness does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or towards thewest;^[175] true righteousness consists in believing in Allah and the Last Day, theangels, the Book and the Prophets, and in giving away one’s property in love of Him to one’skinsmen, the orphans, the poor and the wayfarer, and to those who ask for help, and in freeingthe necks of slaves, and in establishing Prayer and dispensing the Zakah. True righteousness isattained by those who are faithful to their promise once they have made it and by those whoremain steadfast in adversity and affliction and at the time of battle (between Truth andfalsehood). Such are the truthful ones; such are the God-fearing.

175. Turning one’s face towards the east or the west is mentioned here only by way ofillustration. The actual purpose of the verse is to emphasize that the observance of certainoutward religious rites, the performance of certain formal religious acts out of conformism, andthe manifestation of certain familiar forms of piety do not constitute that essentialrighteousness which alone carries weight with God and earns His recognition and approval.

Ala-Maududi

(3:17) men who are steadfast,^[13] truthful, obedient, spend (in the way of Allah) andimplore the forgiveness of Allah before daybreak.

13. That is, they are those who remain steadfast in the cause of Truth; who do not lose heartwhen they either suffer losses or are subjected to afflictions; who do not despair when theyencounter reverses; who are not seduced by temptations. They are the ones who remain faithful tothe Truth, even when it apparently stands no chance of prevailing see also (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 45) note 60

Ala-Maududi

(3:93) All food (that is lawful in the Law revealed to Muhammad) was lawful to the Children ofIsrael,^[76] except what Israel^[77] made unlawful to themselves before therevelation of the Torah. Tell them: ‘Bring the Torah and recite any passage of it if you aretruthful.’

76. When the Jewish rabbis found no grounds for criticizing the fundamental teachings of theProphet (there was no difference between the teachings of the previous Prophets and that of theArabian Prophet on matters which constitute the core of religion), they raised objections aboutthe details of religious law. The first objection was that the Prophet (peace be on him) haddeclared lawful a number of things which had been reckoned as unlawful since the time of theancient Prophets. What is said here is a refutation of that objection.

77. If ‘Israel’ is taken to mean the ‘Children of Israel’ then the interpretation of this versemust be that before the revelation of the Torah they treated a number of things as prohibited onthe grounds of custom and usage alone. If, however, ‘Israel’ signifies Jacob (Ya’qub) then, themeaning is that he avoided the use of certain foods, which his descendants wrongly understood tobe religiously prohibited, as a result of either a temperamental dislike or an ailment. Thislatter version is more commonly accepted. It becomes clear from the next verse that the Biblicalinjunction regarding the prohibition of the flesh of camels and rabbits was not part of theoriginal Torah but an interpolation by Jewish doctors. For a detailed discussion see (Surah Al-Anam, ayat 146) note 122.

Ala-Maududi

(3:95) Say: ‘Whatever Allah has said is true. Follow, then, the way of Abraham in total devotionto Allah. He was not one of those who associate others with Allah in Hisdivinity.^[78]

78. The Jews had enmeshed themselves in legalistic minutiae and these had become their majorconcern. They had abandoned service to the One True God and had allowed their religious life tobecome corrupted by polytheism. Instead of attending to the fundamentals of religion theyindulged in discussions about questions that had only arisen because of the hair-splittinglegalism of their scholars during their centuries of decadence.

Ala-Maududi

(3:152) Allah surely fulfilled His promise (of succour) when you were slaying them by His leaveuntil the moment when you flagged and quarrelled among yourselves about the matter, and actedagainst the order of (the Prophet). Soon He showed you what you had intensely desired – for someamong you sought this world and some of you sought the Next. Thereupon, in order to put you to atest He turned you away from your foes. Still He pardoned you after that^[109] forAllah is Bounteous to those who believe.

109. The failure of the Muslims was of such a serious nature that had God not pardoned them theymight have been obliterated there and then. It was out of God’s grace, support and patronagethat after the Muslims had been overpowered by the enemy the latter were seized with perplexityand confusion, and withdrew.

Ala-Maududi

(3:168) These are the ones who stayed away, saying about their brothers: Had they followed us,they would not have been slain.’ Say: ‘If you speak the truth then avert death when it comes toyou.’

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(3:183) To those who say: ‘Allah has directed us that we accept none as Messenger until he makesan offering that the fire will consume’, say: ‘Other Messengers came to you before me with clearsigns, and with the sign you have mentioned. So why did you slay them, if what you say istrue?^[129]

129. The Bible mentions at several places that the token of Divine acceptance of a person’ssacrificial offering was the appearance of a mysterious fire which consumed the offering. (SeeJudges 6: 20-1 and 13: 19-20; 2 Chronicles 7: 1-2.) The Bible does not state, however, that theconsuming fire was an indispensable token of prophethood and that anyone not endowed with thatmiracle could not be a Prophet. The Jews in discussing the claim of Muhammad (peace be on him)to be a Messenger of God brought up the question of this miraculous sign, and used it as apretext for denying that claim. There was even clearer evidence of the Jews’ hostility to Truth:they had not hesitated to murder a number of Prophets who had been endowed with the miracle ofconsuming fire. The Bible mentions, for example, the Prophet Elijah who had challenged theworshippers of Ba’l to sacrifice a bull, promising that he too would sacrifice a bull. He statedthat the offering of the one who was truthful would be consumed by the miraculous fire. Theconfrontation took place before a large crowd and it was Elijah’s sacrifice which was consumedby the fire. This so antagonized the Ba’1-worshipping Queen that the henpecked King decided toput the Prophet Elijah to death. Elijah was forced to leave his homeland and take refuge in themountains of Sinai. (See 1 Kings 18 and 19.) The Jews are told in effect: ‘How dare you ask forthe miracle of the consuming fire when in the past you have not even refrained from murderingProphets who performed that miracle?’

Ala-Maududi

(4:69) And he who obeys Allah and the Messenger -they shall be with those whom Allah has favoured-the Prophets, those steadfast in truthfulness^[99], the martyrs, and the righteous.”How excellent will they be for companions!^[100]

99. Siddiq denotes someone who is utterly honest, someone whose devotion to truth has reached avery high point. Such a person is always upright and straightforward in his dealings. Hesupports nothing but right and justice and does so with sincerity. He opposes whatever iscontrary to truth, and does not waver in his opposition to falsehood. His life is so unblemishedand selfless that even enemies, let alone friends, expect of him unadulterated probity andjustice.

The term shahid (pi. shuhada’) means ‘witness’. It signifies one who attests to the truth of hisfaith with his whole life. He who lays down his life fighting for God is called a shahid becauseby this sacrifice he confirms that his confession of faith was backed by a deep, genuineconviction of its truth, and that he valued it above his own life. The term shahid is alsoapplied to those outstandingly honest people who are so trustworthy that their testimony, on anymatter, is accepted without hesitation. Salih denotes one whose belief and thinking, motives andintentions, words and deeds, are based on righteousness. In short, he is a person whose life asa whole is oriented to righteousness.

100.He who enjoys, in this world, the company of the kind of people mentioned in this verse, andwhom God judges worthy of the same company in the Hereafter is fortunate. The fact is thatunless a man’s natural sensitivity has atrophied, the companionship of corrupt and wicked peopleis a painful punishment even in this transient world, let alone that one should be subjected tothe perpetual companionship of such people in the abiding life of the Hereafter. Good peoplehave always longed for the company of like people, both in this world and the Next.

Ala-Maududi

(4:87) There is no god but Allah. He will certainly gather you all together on the Day ofResurrection – the Day regarding which there can be no doubt. Whose word can be truer thanAllah’s?^[115]

115.Whatever the unbelievers, polytheists and atheists may do does not impair God’s godhead. ThatGod is the One and Absolute Lord of all is a fact which none can alter. And a Day will come whenHe will gather together all human beings and will make them see the consequences of their deeds,and no one will be in a position to escape His retribution. God therefore does not require Hisgood creatures to maltreat, on His behalf, those who are lost in error. This is the link betweenthe present verse and the one preceding it. The same verse also concludes the theme runningthrough the last twenty verses or so (see verses 71 ff). The present verse outlines that a mancan follow whichever course he deems fit, and expend his energy in any direction he likes, butultimately all men will have to stand before the One True God for His judgement and will see theconsequences of their deeds.

Ala-Maududi

(4:122) But those who believe and do good, We shall cause them to enter the Gardens beneath whichrivers flow. Here they will abide for ever. This is Allah’s promise in truth and whose word istruer than Allah’s?

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(5:75) The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger before whom many Messengers havepassed away; and his mother adhered wholly to truthfulness, and they both ate food (as othermortals do). See how We make Our signs clear to them; and see where they are turningaway!^[100]

100. In these few words the Christian doctrine of the divinity of Christ is repudiated. Thenature of the Messiah is clear from the indications given here; he was merely a human being. Hewas one born from the womb of a woman, who had a known genealogy, who possessed a physical body,who was subject to all the limitations of a human being and who had all the attributescharacteristic of human beings. He slept, ate, felt the discomfort of heat and cold and was sohuman that he was even put to the test by Satan. How could any reasonable person believe thatsuch a being was either God or a partner or associate of God in His godhead? But the Christianscontinue to insist on the divinity of the Messiah, whose life has been portrayed in their ownScriptures as that of a human. The fact of the matter is that they do not believe at all in thehistorical Messiah. They have woven a Messiah out of their imagination and have deified thatimaginary being.

Ala-Maududi

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(5:119) Thereupon Allah will say: ‘This day truthfulness shall profit the truthful. For them areGardens beneath which rivers flow. There they will abide for ever. Allah is well- pleased withthem, and they well-pleased with Allah. That indeed is the mighty triumph.’

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(6:40) Say: ‘What do you think if some chastisement of Allah or the Hour suddenly overtakes you:do you cry to any other than Allah? Answer, if you speak the truth.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(6:115) The Word of your Lord is perfect in truthfulness and justice; no one can change Hiswords. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(6:143) These are eight couples, two of sheep, two of goats. Now ask them: Is it either the twomales that Allah has forbidden or the two females, or what the wombs of the two females maycontain? Tell me about this on the basis of sure knowledge, if you speak thetruth.’^[119]

119. That is, they should come forward with arguments based on sound, reliable knowledge, ratherthan with arguments which have no authority except that of ancestral tradition, conjecture orsuperstition.

Ala-Maududi

(6:146) And to those who had Judaized We have forbidden all beasts with claws, and the fat ofoxen and sheep except the fat which is either on their backs or their entrails, or that whichsticks to the bones. Thus did We requite them for their rebellion.^[122] Surely Westate the Truth.

122. This is discussed at three places in the Qur’an. (Surah Al-Imran, ayat 93) states: ‘Allfood was lawful to the Children of Israel except what Israel made unlawful to themselves beforethe revelation of the Torah. Tell them: “Bring the Torah and recite any passage of it if you aretruthful”.’ (Surah Al-Nisa, ayat 160)mentions that because of the misdeeds of the Children of Israel: ‘We forbade them many cleanthings which had earlier been made lawful to them.’ And now the present verse says that becauseof the transgression of the Jews, God forbade unto them ‘all beasts with claws; and the fat ofoxen and the sheep except the fat which is either on their backs or their entrails or that whichsticks to the bones’. If these three verses are taken together, it becomes clear that thedifferences between Islamic law and Jewish law with regard to what is lawful and what isunlawful in animal foods stem from two considerations. First, that several centuries before therevelation of the Torah, Isra’il (Jacob, peace be on him) had given up the use of certainthings, which his descendants also abstained from consuming. The result was that Jewish juristsconsidered them to be absolutely unlawful and recorded their prohibition in the Torah. Theyincluded the camel, the hare and the rock-badger, the prohibition of which is mentioned in thefragments of the Torah embodied in the Bible. (See Leviticus ll: 4; Deuteronomy 14: 7) But theOur’an challenges the Jews to come forward with the Torah itself and show where any of thosethings had been declared unlawful. Their inability to do so shows that those interdictions musthave been later interpolations into the Torah.

Second, when the Jews rebelled against the Law revealed by God and set themselves up as their ownlaw-givers, they made several things unlawful for themselves, and as a punishment God allowedthem to remain a prey to that misunderstanding. These include birds with claws such as theostrich, seagull and water-hen, and also the fat of oxen and sheep. In the Bible prohibitions ofthese kinds have been interpolated among the injunctions of the Torah. (See Leviticus 3:17;7:22-3; ll:16-18; Deuteronomy 14:14-16.) But (Surah Al-Nisa, ayat 160) shows thatthose things had not been made unlawful by the Torah itself. They had rather been prohibitedafter the time of Jesus, and history bears witness to the fact that the present Jewish law wasgiven a definitive formulation by the Jewish jurist, Yehudah, towards the end of the secondcentury of the Christian calendar.

It might be asked in view of what has been mentioned above, why the expression ‘We forbade forthem’ is employed in (Surah Al-Nisa, ayat 160) The answer is that declaration through a Prophet or a heavenly Book is not God’sonly way of prohibiting. Another way is to allow fraudulent law-makers and sham jurists to gainpredominating influence upon God’s rebels. These in turn deprive them of many good, clean thingsof life by making them believe that they are prohibited. The first kind of prohibition is an actof His mercy, whereas the second kind is in the nature of a curse and punishment from God.

Ala-Maududi

(7:70) They said: ‘Have you come to us that we should worship none other than Allah and forsakeall whom our forefathers were wont to worship?^[53] Then bring upon us the scourgewith which you have threatened us if you are truthful?’

53. It is worth noting that the people of ‘Ad neither disbelieved in God nor refused to worshipHim. They did not, however, follow, the teachings of Hud who proclaimed God alone should heworshipped, and that none other may be associated in servitude to Him.

Ala-Maududi

(7:106) Pharaoh said: if you have brought a sign, then bring it forth if you are truthful.’

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(7:194) Those whom you invoke other than Allah are creatures like you. So invoke them. and see ifthey answer your call, if what you claim is true.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(9:43) (O Prophet), may Allah forgive you! Why did you give them leave to stay behind before itbecame clear to you as to who were truthful and who were liars?^[45]

45. Allah did not approve of the exemption which the Prophet (peace be upon him) had granted tothe hypocrites who had put forward lame excuses. Though he knew it well that they were inventingfalse excuses, he gave them leave to stay behind because of his inherent kindness. But Allahwarned him that such a leniency was not well placed as he gave them an opportunity of hidingtheir hypocrisy. Had they remained behind without getting an exemption, the false profession oftheir faith would have been exposed.

Ala-Maududi

(9:119) Believers! Have fear of Allah and stand with those that are truthful.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(10:2) Does it seem strange to people that We should have revealed to a man from amongthemselves, directing him to warn the people (who lie engrossed in heedlessness); and to givegood news to the believers that they shall enjoy true honour and an exalted status with theirLord?^[2] (Is this so strange that) the deniers of the truth should say: ‘This man isindeed an evident sorcerer’?^[3]

2. This question has been posed to impress on them that if they considered the matter coolly,they themselves would come to the conclusion that:

(a) There is nothing strange in appointing a man to warn his fellow men of the consequences ofneglecting the Message. For it is obvious that a man, and not a jinn nor an angel nor any otherbeing, was the proper messenger for human beings.

(b) There is nothing strange in it that the Creator and Lord of mankind should make arrangementsfor the guidance of erring human beings; nay, it would have been strange if He had made no sucharrangements, and

(c) There is nothing strange in this that real honor and success should come to those who acceptthe guidance and not to those who reject it.

3. They dubbed him “evident sorcerer” but did not consider whether the epithet appropriatelyapplied to him or not. It is obvious that the mere fact that he was moving the hearts andinfluencing the minds of the believers with his eloquence was not a sufficient proof that he wasusing magic to achieve this object. And it is not difficult at all to distinguish rhetoric of aMessenger from that of an sorcerer for these are quite distinct from each other in their nature,in the objectives for which they are used and in the effect they produce on the lives of thebelievers. The irresponsible sorcerer does not care at all whether what he utters is correct,just and righteous because his only object is to influence the hearts of the hearers in order toachieve his own unlawful ends. That is why he does not hesitate at all to utter any false,exaggerated or unjust thing, if it serves his purpose. For his only aim is to produce anemotional effect in order to deceive the people by using an artificially ornamented andexaggerated language rather than to state things of wisdom. As a result of this, his talk iscontradictory, imbalanced and unsystematic. As his sole object is self-interest, he abuses hisrhetoric for exploitation, or for sowing seeds of discord or for setting one party against theother. Therefore, the sorcerer fails to produce any high moral effects on the lives of thepeople or to imbue them with any righteous thoughts or to urge them to noble deeds or to bringabout any healthy change in their lives; nay, as a result of his magic the people begin toexhibit even worse qualities than they did before.

Thus it is implied that by the application of this criterion, the charge of the unbelievers that“This man is a manifest sorcerer” is refuted, for it means to say to them: You yourselves arewitnessing that the talk of this person is wise, systematic, balanced, right and just. Everyword he utters is well-thought out and everything he says is most valuable and precious. Hiseloquence aims at nothing but reform of the people. There is not the least tinge of personal,family, national or any other worldly interest in his talk. His only intention and desire is towarn the people of the consequences of their negligence and to invite them to the way of theirown good. Then consider the effects of his eloquence and you will find that they are quitedifferent from those produced by the rhetoric of the enchanters. The lives of all those who havebeen influenced by him have been so reformed that they have become models of high moralcharacter and excellent conduct. Therefore, you should consider the matter and decide foryourselves whether he is an enchanter or a prophet.

Ala-Maududi

(10:38) Do they say that the Messenger has himself composed the Qur’an? Say: In that case bringforth just one surah like it and call on all whom you can, except Allah, to help you if you aretruthful.^[46]

46. There is a general misunderstanding that the challenge of the Quran to produce a book, nay, aSurah like this, is in regard to its eloquent, pure and unique literary excellence. This hasbeen the natural result of the way in which discussions have been carried on to prove themiracle of the Quran. But the Quran is far above this that it should claim to be a unique andmatchless book because of its excellent diction. There is no doubt at all that it is unique andmatchless in this respect also, but the real basis of its claim and challenge, that no humanbrain is capable of producing a book like this, is its subject matter and teachings. The Quranitself has stated at different places those aspects which are a sure proof of its revelationfrom Allah and the refutation of the false aspersions that it was a human invention. This hasalready been explained at appropriate places and will be explained in the succeeding pages. See(Surah At-Toor, ayat 33-34) note 26-27.

Ala-Maududi

(10:48) They say:’If what you promise is true, when will this threat be fulfilled?’

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(10:93)We settled the Children of Israel in a blessed land,^[94] and provided them withall manner of good things. They only disagreed among themselves after knowledge (of the truthhad) come to them.^[95] Surely your Lord will judge between them on the Day ofResurrection concerning their disagreements.

94. That is, in Palestine after their exodus from Egypt.

95. This refers to the dissensions the Israelites had caused in the divine way and the newreligions they had invented. This verse accuses them of falling into variances, even though theypossessed the divine knowledge, which had provided them with the criterion of judging betweenthe right way and the wrong ways. They did this because of mischief of their hearts in spite ofthe fact that the right way had been made clear to them, and its fundamental principles had beenimparted to them and instructions had been given about its implications and demands and itsboundaries had been distinctly demarcated from those of the ways of unbelief. Besides, they hadbeen admonished to follow the path of obedience and guard against the paths of disobedience, andestablish their lives entirely in accordance with the rules and regulations based on thatknowledge, for they shall have to render an account of all they did in this life. But in spiteof all the instructions that were given to them, they divided one original religion into manydivergent sects and built different ways on foundations other than those laid down by Allah.

Ala-Maududi

(11:13) Do they say: ‘He has invented this Book himself?’ Say: ‘If that is so, bring ten surahsthe like of it of your composition, and call upon all (the deities) you can other than Allah toyour help. Do so if you are truthful.’

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(11:32) They said: ‘O Noah! Surely you have disputed with us and have prolonged your dispute. Nowbring upon us the chastisement that you threaten us with; do so, if you are truthful.’

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(12:17) and said: “Father! We went racing with one another and left Joseph behind with ourthings, and then a wolf came and ate him up. We know that you will not believe us howsoevertruthful we might be.”

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(12:26) Joseph said: “It is she who was trying to tempt me to herself.” And a witness belongingto her own household testified^[24] (on grounds of circumstantial evidence): “If hisshirt is torn from the front, then she is telling the truth and he is a liar.

24. It appears that when the master of the house came on the scene, he was accompanied by aperson of his wife’s household. When he heard the story of the incident, he made this proposal:As each of them accuses the other and there is no eye witness of what happened between the two,the matter should be decided by the help of the circumstantial evidence, by examining thecondition of Joseph’s shirt. Obviously this was a very reasonable way of deciding the matter,and there was, therefore, no need to resort to a miracle. According to some traditions thiswitness was an infant, lying in the cradle, whom Allah had given the power of speech for givingthis evidence. As this story is not supported by any authority, there is no reason why theobvious, plain and reasonable thing should not be accepted that the witness was a wise andexperienced member of the family of the wife, instead of having resort to a miracle based on anunauthentic tradition.

Ala-Maududi

(12:27) But if his shirt is torn from behind, then she has lied, and he istruthful.”^[25]

25. This is what was implied in the evidence: If Joseph’s shirt is torn from the front, it meansthat Joseph is the aggressor and she has struggled to defend her honor. But if the shirt is rentfrom the back, it is obvious that he must have been running away from her and she must have beentugging from behind. The circumstantial evidence implied another thing. As the witness invitedthe master’s attention to Prophet Joseph’s shirt only, it meant that there was no sign at all ofviolence on the garments of the woman, for had he been the aggressor, there must have been somesigns of violence on her garments.

25a. A comparative study of the story as given in the Quran and in the Bible and the Talmud willbe worthwhile. The Bible says: And she caught him by his garment, saying: Lie with me: and heleft his garment in her hand and fled, and got himself out. And it came to pass, when she sawthat he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, that she called unto the men ofher house, and spake unto them, saying: See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; hecame in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: And it came to pass, when heheard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and gothimself out. And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home…And it came to pass,when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying: After this mannerdid thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him, and put himinto the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound. (Gen. 39: 12-16, 19-20).

The clumsy manner of the above version is obvious. It appears from this that Prophet Joseph’sgarment was so shaped that the whole of it fell into her hands when she tugged it. Then he ranaway all naked, leaving it with her, as if to supply her with a clear proof of his own guilt.

Now let us turn to the Talmud. It says: ….hearing the accusation, Potiphar commanded at once thatthe lad should be whipped severely. Then he carried Joseph before the judges…………They orderedthat the torn garment should be brought to them and upon an examination of the same, theypronounced Joseph not guilty. (The Talmud Selections, H. Polano, pp. 81-82). Obviously thisversion is also faulty, for it cannot be imagined that a person of such a high rank wouldhimself take the case to a court that his own slave had tried to assault his wife criminally.Incidentally, this Quranic version of the story is a clear proof of the fact that it has nocopied stories from the Israelite traditions as the pseudo-orientalists allege, but has, on theother hand, corrected them and told the real facts to the world.

Ala-Maududi

(12:46) Then he went to Joseph and said to him: “Joseph, O truthfulness incarnate,^[39]tell the true meaning of the dream in which seven fat cows are devoured by seven lean ones; andthere are seven green ears of corn and seven others dry and withered so that I may return to thepeople and they may learn.”^[40]

39. The Arabic word Siddiq is used for the one who is an embodiment of truth and righteousness.Thus it shows that the butler had been so deeply impressed with the pure character of ProphetJoseph that even years had failed to blot it from his heart. For its meaning please refer to (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 69) note 99.

40. That is, they might understand your true worth and realize their own error in keeping you inprison without any just cause. And in a way I may get the opportunity of fulfilling the promiseI made with you during my imprisonment.

Ala-Maududi

(12:51) Thereupon the king asked the women:^[44] “What happened when you sought totempt Joseph?” They said: “Allah forbid! We found no evil in him.” The chief’s wife said: “Nowthe truth has come to light. It was I who sought to tempt him. He is indeedtruthful.”^[45]

44. As regards to the way in which this inquiry was held, it is just possible that the king mighthave summoned the women to his presence or gotten their evidence through a trusted officer ofhis court.

45. The inquiry and the evidences must have helped to pave the way for Prophet Joseph’s rise inthe land by concentrating the public attention on him, especially under the circumstances whenthe inquiry had been demanded by him. He had interpreted the dream of the king, when all thewise men, sooth sayers and the magicians had failed. Then he had refused to quit prison eventhough the king himself had ordered that he should be brought before him, and, instead of this,demanded an inquiry of the matter which had been the cause of his imprisonment. Naturally thisthing would have filled the people with wonder and they would have been looking eagerly for theresult of the inquiry. Thus it can be imagined how the evidences and the result of the inquiryraised his prestige so high that the king and his courtiers declared that he was the only fitperson to save the country from the coming calamity. It is no wonder, then, that Prophet Josephproposed that all the resources of the land should be placed in his hands, and the king acceptedthis proposal as soon as it was made. For, had it been merely the matter of the interpretationof a dream, the most he would have deserved was some reward and his release from prison. But hecould not have said: Place the resources of the land in my hands, and the king would not havereadily acceded to his proposal and given him all the powers in the land, as is contained in (Surah Yusuf, Ayat 55-56), and confirmedby the Bible and the Talmud.

Ala-Maududi

(12:82) You may inquire of the dwellers of the city where we were, and of the people of thecaravan with whom we travelled. We are altogether truthful in what we say.”

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(15:7) Why do you not bring down angels upon us if you are indeed truthful?”

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(15:64) We truly tell you that we have brought to you the Truth.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(17:80) And pray: “My Lord! Cause me to enter wherever it be, with Truth, and cause me to exit,wherever it be, with Truth,^[99] and support me with authority fromYourself.”^[100]

99. This prayer clearly shows that the time of Hijrah (Migration) had come near. That is whyAllah has instructed the Prophet (peace be upon him) to this effect: You should follow the truthwherever and in whatever condition you be. If you migrate from a place, you should migrate forthe sake of the truth, and wherever you go, you should go for the sake of the truth.

100. That is, either grant me power and authority or make some government my helper so that I mayuse its power to reform the corrupt world. This is because power is required to check indecencyand sin and to enforce the law of justice.

Hasan Basri and Qatadah have made the same interpretation of this verse, and the greatcommentators like Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir have adopted the same. This is supported by atradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him): Allah eradicates by the power of government thoseevils, which are not eradicated by the teachings of the Quran. This is a clear proof thataccording to Islam, political power is also required to introduce reform, for admonition aloneis not enough for this. Besides this, when Allah Himself has taught this prayer to His Prophet(peace be upon him) for the establishment of His way and enforcement of His law, it is not onlylawful but desirable to acquire power and those, who consider this to be a worldly thing, areobviously in the wrong. What is really worldliness is that one should desire and acquire powerfor his own interest. On the contrary, the desire of power for the sake of Allah’s way is notthe worship of the world but the worship of God.

Ala-Maududi

(19:41) (O Muhammad), recite in the Book the account of Abraham.^[26] Most surely hewas a man of truth, a Prophet.

26. From here the address is directed towards the people of Makkah, who had forced their own nearand dear relatives to emigrate from their homes, just as Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) hadbeen exiled by his own father and brethren. The story of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) hasbeen selected for this purpose because the Quraish professed to accept him as their religiousleader and were proud of being his descendants.

Ala-Maududi

(19:50) and We bestowed on them Our mercy, and granted them a truly lofty renown.^[28]

28. This is to give comfort to the migrants who had been forced to migrate from their homes. Theywere told that they would be honored and blessed with true renown just as Prophet Abraham (peacebe upon him) had been blessed with true renown after his migration.

Ala-Maududi

(19:54) And recite in the Book the account of Ishmael. He was ever true to his promise, and was aMessenger, a Prophet.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(19:56) And recite in the Book the account of Idris.^[33] He was a man of truth, aProphet;

33. There is a difference of opinion as to who Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) was. Somecommentators opine that he was a Prophet from among the Israelites, but the majority of them areinclined to the view that he was a Prophet before Noah (peace be upon him). There is noauthentic tradition which may help determine his identity. The next (Surah Maryam, ayat 58), however,supports the view that he appeared before Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). For of all theProphets mentioned, he alone was the one who may be said to be from the descendants of Adam.

The commentators are of the opinion that Idris was Enoch of the Old Testament, about whom it issaid:

And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after hebegat Methuselah three hundred years…. and he was not; for God took him. (Gen. 5: 21-24).

In Talmud, there are greater details about Enoch, which are briefly as follows: Before Noah whenthe descendants of Adam began to degenerate, the angel of God called to Enoch, who led a piouslife away from the people, and said: O Enoch, arise, come out from seclusion, and go about amongthe people of the earth, guiding them to the path which they should follow and the ways whichthey should adopt.

Receiving this Divine Command, Enoch left his seclusion and gathered the people together andpreached to them what he had been commanded, with the result that they listened to him andadopted the worship of God. Enoch ruled over mankind for 353 years: his rule was based onjustice and truth, and consequently God favored mankind with all kinds of blessings.” (H.Polano: The Talmud Selections, pp. 18-21)

Ala-Maududi

(21:9) Then We fulfilled the promise We had made to them: We rescued them and those whom Wewished, and We destroyed those who exceeded all bounds.^[11]

11. History not only tells us that the former Messengers were human beings but it also contains alesson that they all received Allah’s succor as promised by Him and their enemies werecompletely destroyed. Therefore you should seriously consider the goal for which you areheading.

Ala-Maududi

(21:38) They say: “(Tell us) when will the threat of punishment come to pass if you aretruthful?”

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(24:6) As for those who accuse their wives (of unchastity), and have no witnesses exceptthemselves: the testimony of such a one is that he testify, swearing by Allah four times, thathe is truthful (in his accusation),

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(24:9) and a fifth time that the wrath of Allah be on her if the man be truthful (in hisaccusation).^[7]

7. These verses were revealed some time after the preceding verses. The law of qazf prescribedthe punishment for the person who accused the other man or woman of zina, and did not producewitnesses to prove his charge, but the question naturally arose, what should a man do if hefinds his own wife involved in zina? If he kills her, he will be guilty of murder andpunishable. If he goes to get witnesses, the offender might escape. If he tries to ignore thematter, he cannot do so for long. He can, of course, divorce the woman, but in this case therewill be no moral or physical punishment either for the woman or her seducer. And if the illicitintercourse results in pregnancy, he will have to suffer the burden of bringing up anotherperson’s child. Initially this question was raised by Saad bin Ubadah as a hypothetical case,who said that if he happened to see such a thing in his own house, he would not go in search ofwitnesses, but would settle the matter there and then with the sword. (Bukhari, Muslim). Butsoon afterwards actual cases were brought before the Prophet (peace be upon him) by the husbandswho were eyewitnesses of this thing. According to traditions related by Abdullah bin Masud andIbn Umar, an Ansar Muslim (probably Uwaimir Ajlani) came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) andsaid: O Messenger of Allah, if a person finds another man with his wife, and utters anaccusation, you will enforce the prescribed punishment of qazf on him; if he commits murder, youwill have him killed; if he keeps quiet, he will remain involved in anguish; then, what shouldhe do? At this the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed: O Allah, give a solution of this problem.(Muslim, Bukhari, Abu Daud, Ahmad, Nasai). Ibn Abbas has reported that Hilal bin Umayyahpresented the case of his wife whom he had himself witnessed involved in the act of sin. TheProphet (peace be upon him) said: Bring your proof, otherwise you will have the prescribedpunishment of qazf inflicted on you. At this a panic spread among the companions, and Hilaisaid: I swear by Allah Who has sent you as a Prophet that I am speaking the truth. I have seenit with my eyes and heard it with my ears. I am sure Allah will send down a command, which willprotect my back (from the punishment). So, this verse was revealed. (Bukhari, Ahmad, Abu Daud).The legal procedure which has been laid down in this verse is termed as the law of lian.

The details of the cases which the Prophet (peace be upon him) judged in accordance with the lawof lian are found in the books of Hadith and these form the source and basis of this law.

According to the details of Hilai bin Umayyah’s case as reported in sihah-sitta, Musnad Ahmad andTafsir Ibn Jarir, on the authority of Ibn Abbas and Anas bin Malik, both Hilai and his wife werepresented before the Prophet (peace be upon him), who first of all apprised them of the divinelaw, and then said: You should note it well that the punishment of the Hereafter is much severerthan the punishment of this world. Hilai submitted that his charge was absolutely correct. Thewoman denied it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said: Let us proceed according to the lawof lian. So, Hilai stood up first and swore oaths according to the Quranic command. The Prophet(peace be upon him) went on reminding them again and again: Allah knows that one of you iscertainly a liar: then, will one of you repent? Before Hilai swore for the fifth time, thepeople who were present there, said to him: Fear God, the punishment of the world is lighterthan of the Hereafter. The fifth oath will make the punishment obligatory on you. But Hilai saidthat God Who had protected his back (from punishment) in this world, will also spare him in theHereafter. After this he swore the fifth oath, too. Then the woman began to swear oaths. Beforeshe swore the fifth oath, she was also stopped and counseled: Fear God, the worldly punishmentis easier to bear than the punishment of the Hereafter. This last oath will make the divinepunishment obligatory on you. Hearing this the woman hesitated a little. The people thought thatshe was going to make the confession. But instead of that she said: I do not want to put my clanto disgrace for ever, and swore for the fifth time, too. At this the Prophet ordered separationbetween them and ruled that her child after birth would be attributed to her and not to the man;that nobody after that would blame her or her child; that anybody who accused either of themwould incur the punishment of qazf and that she had no right left to claim maintenance, etc.from Hilai during her legal waiting period, because she was being separated neither on accountof divorce nor due to the husband’s death. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the peopleto see whether the child on birth looks after Hilai or the man who was being accused inconnection with the woman. After delivery when it was seen that the child looked after the otherman, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If there had been no swearing of the oaths (or ifAllah’s Book had not settled the matter before this), I would have dealt with this woman mostseverely.

The details of the case of Uwaimir Ajlani have been cited in Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Nasai,Ibn Majah and Musnad Ahmad, on the authority of Sahl bin Saad Saidi and Ibn Umar (may Allah bepleased with them both). According to these, Uwaimir and his wife were both summoned to theProphet’s Mosque. Before proceeding against them in accordance with the law of lian, the Prophet(peace be upon him) warned them thrice, saying: Allah knows well that one of you is a liar;then, will one of you repent? When neither repented, they were told to exercise lian. After thatUwaimir said: O Messenger of Allah, now if I keep this woman, I would be a liar and then hedivorced her thrice there and then even without the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) permission todo so. According to Sahl bin Saad, the Prophet (peace be upon him) enforced the divorce toseparate them, and said: There shall be separation between the husband and the wife if theyexercise lian. This became established as a Sunnah that the couple who swore against each otherwould separate never to marry again. Ibn Umar only says this that the Prophet (peace be uponhim) enforced separation between them. Sahl bin Saad, however, adds that the woman was pregnantand Uwaimir said that it was not due to his seed; so the child was attributed to the mother. Thepractice that thus became established was that such a child would inherit the mother and themother him.

Apart from these two cases, we find several other traditions also in the books of Hadith, whichmay or may not be related to these cases, but some of these traditions mention other cases aswell, which provide important components of the law of lian.

Ibn Umar has reported traditions according to which the Prophet (peace be upon him) orderedseparation between the spouses after lian and ruled that in case of pregnancy the child would beattributed to the mother (sihah Sitta, Ahmad). According to another tradition of Ibn Umar, theProphet (peace be upon him) said to a man and woman after lian: Now your affair is with Allah,in any case one of you is a liar. Then he said to the man: Now she is not yours, you have noright on her, nor can you treat her vindictively in any way. The man requested to have my dowryreturned. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: You have no right to have the dowry back. If youare true in your accusation, the dowry is the price of the pleasure you had from her when shewas lawful to you; and if your accusation is false, the dowry has receded farther away from youthan it is from her. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud).

Daraqutni has quoted Ali bin Abi Talib and Ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with them both) assaying: The Sunnah that has become established is that the spouses who have exercised lianagainst each other, can never re-unite in marriage. Again Daraqutni has quoted Abdullah binAbbas as saying: The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself has ruled that the two can neverre-unite in wedlock.

Qabisah bin Zuaib has reported that a man in the time of Umar alleged that his wife was pregnantby illicit intercourse, then admitted that it was by his own seed, but after delivery againdenied that the child was his. The case was brought to the court of Umar, who enforced theprescribed punishment of qazf on the man and ruled that the child would be attributed to him.(Daraqutni, Baihaqi).

Ibn Abbas has reported that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: I have a wifefor whom I have great love; but her weakness is that she does not mind if the other man touchesher. (By this he might have meant zina or a lesser moral evil). The Prophet (peace be upon him)replied: You may divorce her. The man said: But I cannot live without her. Thereupon the Prophet(peace be upon him) said: Then you should pull on with her. The Prophet (peace be upon him) didnot ask the man for any explanation, nor took his complaint as an accusation of zina, norapplied the law of lian. (Nasai).

Abu Hurairah has narrated the case of a beduin who came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) andsaid that his wife had given birth to a dark-coloured son and he was doubtful that it was his.(That is, the child’s color had caused him the suspicion, otherwise there was no ground with himto accuse her of zina). The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him: Do you have any camels? Theman replied in the affirmative. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then asked, What is their color?He said they were red. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Is any of them grey also? He said:Yes, some are gray also. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: What caused that color? He said:Might be due to some ancestor of theirs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: The same mightbe the cause for your child’s color. And he did not allow him to doubt and deny the child’sfatherhood. (Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Daud).

According to another tradition of Abu Hurairah, explaining the verse of lian the Prophet (peacebe upon him) said: The woman who brings a child into a family which does not actually belong toit (i.e. marries a man of the family with illicit pregnancy), has no relation with Allah. Allahwill never admit her into Paradise. Similarly, the man who denies the fatherhood of his child,whereas the child looks up towards him, will never see Allah on the Day of Judgment, and Allahwill put him to disgrace in front of all mankind. (Abu Daud, Nasai, Darimi).

Thus, the verse of lian, the traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the precedents andthe general principles of the Shariah together form the basis of the law of lian, which thejurists have formulated a complete code with the following main clauses.

(1) There is a difference of opinion about the man who sees his wife involved in zina withanother man and kills him instead of having recourse to lian. One group holds that he will beput to death because he had no right to take the law in his own hand and enforce the punishment.The other group says that he will not be put to death nor will he be held accountable for hisact in any way provided that it is confirmed that he killed the man (adulterer) on account ofzina and nothing else. Imam Ahmad and Ishaq bin Rahaviyah maintain that the man will have toproduce two witnesses to confirm that he killed the adulterer only on account of zina. Ibnal-Qasim and Ibn Habib, from among the Malikis, attach an additional condition that the murderedperson should be a married man; otherwise the murderer will be made subject to the law ofretaliation for killing an unmarried adulterer. But the majority of jurists are of the opinionthat the man will be exonerated from retaliation only when he produces four witnesses toestablish zina, or if the murdered person himself confesses before death that he committed zinawith the wife of the murderer, and if it is also confirmed that the murdered person was amarried man. (Nail al-Autar, vol. IV, p. 228).

(2) The law of lian cannot be applied mutually at home, but in a court of law in front of thejudge.

(3) Exercise of lian is not the sole right of the man; the woman also has a right to demand it ina court of law if her husband accuses her of zina, or denies fatherhood of her child.

(4) There is a difference of opinion among the jurists as to whether lian can be resorted tobetween any husband and his wife, or whether they have to satisfy certain conditions. ImamShafai holds that only that husband whose oath is legally reliable and who can exercise theright of divorce, can swear the oaths of lian. In other words, sanity and maturity according tohim, are the sufficient conditions which entitle a husband to exercise lian no matter whetherthe spouses are Muslim or non-Muslim, slave or free, and whether their evidence is acceptable ornot, and whether the Muslim husband has a Muslim or a zimmi wife. Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad havealso given almost the same opinion. But the Hanafis maintain that lian can be exercised only byfree Muslim spouses, who should not have been convicted of qazf previously. If both husband andwife are non Muslim, or slaves, or convicted of qazf previously, they cannot exercise lianagainst each other. Further more, if the woman was ever found guilty of an illicit or doubtfulrelationship with another man, exercise of lian will not be valid. The Hanafis have imposedthese conditions, because according to them, there is no other difference between lian and qazfthan this: the other man commits qazf, he is given the prescribed punishment, but if the husbandhimself commits it, he can escape the punishment by exercising lian. In all other respects, lianand qazf are identical. Moreover, since according to the Hanafis, the oaths of lian are in thenature of evidence, they do not concede this right to a person who is not legally fit to giveevidence. But the truth is that in this matter the position of the Hanafis is weak, and theopinion of Imam Shafai is correct, because the Quran has not made the accusation of the wife acomponent part of the verse of qazf, but has prescribed a separate law for it. Therefore, itcannot be linked with the law of qazf and treated under the conditions prescribed for qazf.Then, the wording of the verse of lian is different from the wording of the verse of qazf andthe two lay down separate injunctions. Therefore, the law of lian should be derived from theverse of lian and not from the verse of qazf. For instance, according to the verse of qazf, theperson who accuses chaste women (muhsanat) of zina, deserves to be punished. But in the verse oflian, there is no condition of the chastity of the wife. A woman might have committed sins inlife, but if she repents later on and marries somebody, the husband is not authorised by theverse of lian to accuse her unjustly whenever he likes, and to deny fatherhood of her childrensimply because she had once lived in sin. The other equally important reason is that there is aworld of difference between accusing a wife and accusing the other woman. The law cannot treatthe two alike. A man has nothing to do with the other woman. He is neither attached to heremotionally, nor his honor, nor his family relations and rights are at stake, nor his lineage.The only meaningful interest he can have in the woman’s character can be his desire to see amorally pure and clean society. Contrary to this, his relationship with his wife is deep and ofvaried nature. She is the custodian of the purity of his race, of his property and his house;she is his life partner, sharer of his secrets, and with her he is attached in most delicate anddeep feelings. If she is morally corrupt, it will deal a serious blow to his honor, hisinterests and his progeny. These two things, therefore, cannot be considered alike, and the lawcannot treat them as equal to each other. Is an evil affair of the wife of a zimmi, or a slave,or a convicted husband in any way different, or less serious, in consequences than that of thewife of a free, mature and sound Muslim? If the husband himself sees his wife involved in zinawith another person, or has reasons to believe that his wife is pregnant by illicit intercourse,how can he be denied the right of lian? And if he is denied this right, what else is there inour law which can help him out of his awkward situation? The intention of the Quran seems to beto open a way out of a difficult situation for married couples in which a husband may findhimself placed due to the wife’s immorality or illicit pregnancy, or a wife due to the husband’sfalse accusation or unjustified denial of the fatherhood of her child. This is not particularlythe need of the free and sound Muslims alone; there is in fact nothing in the Quranic text whichmay confine it to them only. As for the argument that the Quran has described the oaths of lianas evidence (shahadat), and therefore the conditions of evidence will apply here, the logicalimplication would be that in case a righteous and just husband whose evidence is acceptable,takes the necessary oaths, and the wife declines to take the oaths, she would have to be stonedto death, because her immorality would thus become established. But it is strange that in thiscase the Hanafis do not recommend stoning. This is a clear proof of the fact that they too donot regard the oaths as exactly identical with evidence. The truth is that though the Qurandescribes the oaths of lian as evidence, it does not regard them as evidence in the technicalsense, otherwise it would have required the woman to swear eight oaths and not four.

(5) Lian is not necessitated by an allusion or expression of doubt or suspicion, but only whenthe husband accuses his wife clearly of zina, or denies in plain words that the child is his.Imam Malik and Laith bin Saad impose an additional condition that the husband while exercisinglian must say that he has himself seen his wife involved in zina. But this is an unnecessaryrestriction which has no basis whatever in the Quran and Hadith.

(6) If after accusing his wife, the husband declines to swear the oaths, the verdict of Imam AbuHanifah and his companions is that he will be imprisoned and shall not be released until heexercises lian or confesses the falsehood of his accusation, in which case he will be awardedthe prescribed punishment of qazf. On the contrary, Imam Malik, Shafai, Hasan bin Saleh andLaith bin Saad express the opinion that refusal to exercise lian itself amounts to confessingone’s being a liar, which makes the prescribed punishment of qazf obligatory.

(7) If after the swearing of oaths by the husband, the wife declines to take the oaths, theHanafis give the opinion that she should be imprisoned and should not be released until sheexercises lian, or else confesses her guilt of zina. On the contrary, the other Imams (asmentioned in clause 6 above) say that in this case she will be stoned to death. They base theirargument on the Quranic injunction: “it shall avert the punishment from her if she swears fourtimes by Allah,” Now that she declines to swear the oaths, she inevitably deserves thepunishment. But the weakness in this argument is that the Quran does not specify here the natureof punishment; it simply mentions punishment. If it is argued that punishment here means thepunishment of zina only, the answer is that for the punishment of zina the Quran has imposed thecondition of four witnesses in clear words, and this condition cannot be fulfilled by four oathssworn by one person. The husband’s oaths can suffice for him to escape the punishment of qazfand for the wife to face the injunction of lian, but they are not enough to prove the charge ofzina against her. The woman’s refusal to swear the oaths in self-defense certainly creates asuspicion, and a strong suspicion indeed, but a prescribed punishment cannot be enforced on thebasis of suspicions. This thing cannot be considered as analogous with the prescribed punishmentof qazf for the man, because his qazf is established, and that is why he is made to exerciselian. But contrary to this, the woman’s guilt of zina is not established unless she herselfmakes a confession of it or four eyewitnesses are produced to prove it.

(8) If the woman is pregnant at the time of lian, according to Imam Ahmad, lian itself sufficesto absolve the husband from the responsibility for pregnancy whether he has denied accepting itor not. Imam Shafai, however, says that accusation of zina by the husband and his refusal toaccept responsibility for pregnancy are not one and the same thing. Therefore, unless thehusband categorically refuses to accept the responsibility for pregnancy, he will be consideredas responsible for it in spite of the accusation of zina by him, because the woman’s beingadulterous does not necessarily mean that her pregnancy is also due to zina.

(9) Imam Malik, Imam Shafai and Imam Ahmad concede the husband’s right to deny responsibility forpregnancy during pregnancy, and allow him the right of lian on that basis. But Imam Abu Hanifahsays that if the basis for the man’s accusation is not zina, but only this that he has foundpregnancy in the woman when it could not possibly be due to him, exercise of lian should bedeferred until after delivery because sometimes symptoms of pregnancy appear due to some diseaseand not actual pregnancy.

(10) If a husband denies fatherhood of a child, there is a consensus that lian becomes necessaryThere is also a consensus that after he has accepted e child once (whether it is in clear wordsor by implication, e.g. by receiving congratulatory messages on its birth, or by treating itlovingly like one’s own child and taking due interest in its bringing up), he loses his right todeny him later, and if he does so, he makes himself liable to the prescribed punishment of qazf.

There is, however, a difference of opinion as to how long the father retains a right to denyfatherhood of the child. According to Imam Malik, if the husband was present at home while thewife was pregnant, he can deny the responsibility from the time of pregnancy till the time ofdelivery; after that he will have no right. However, if he was away from home and delivery tookplace in his absence, he can deny the child’s fatherhood as soon as it comes to his knowledge.According to Imam Abu Hanifah, if he denies within a day or two of the child’s birth, he will beabsolved from the responsibility of the child after exercising lian, but if he denies after ayear or two, lian will be valid, but he will not be absolved from the responsibility of thechild. According to Imam Abu Yusuf, the father has the right to deny fatherhood within 40 daysof the child’s birth or knowledge of its birth; after that he will have no right. But thisrestriction of 40 days is meaningless. The correct view is that of Imam Abu Hanifah thatfatherhood can be denied within a day or two of the child’s birth or knowledge of its birth,unless one is hindered from doing so due to a sound and genuine reason.

(11) If a husband accuses a divorced wife of zina, according to Imam Abu Hanifah, this will be acase of qazf and not of lian. Lian can be resorted to between the spouses and cannot be extendedto a divorced woman unless it is a retractable divorce and the accusation is made within theperiod of retraction. But Imam Malik holds that this will be qazf only if it does not involvethe question of accepting or denying the responsibility of pregnancy or fatherhood of the child.If it is not that, the man has the right to exercise lian even after pronouncing the finaldivorce, because in that case he would not be having recourse to lian for the purposes ofbringing infamy on the woman but to absolve himself from the responsibility of the child who, hebelieves, is not his. The same almost is the opinion of Imam Shafai.

(12) There is a complete consensus of opinion in respect of certain legal implications of lian,but certain others have been disputed by the jurists. The agreed ones are the following. Neitherthe woman nor the man is liable to punishment. If the man denies fatherhood of the child, itwill be attributed to the mother alone; it will neither be attributed to the father nor willinherit him; the child will inherit the mother and the mother him. Thereafter nobody will havethe right to call the woman adulterous nor the child illegitimate, whether the people might becompletely sure of her being adulterous under the circumstances at the time of lian. Any personwho repeats the old charge against the woman or her child, will make himself liable to thepunishment of qazf. The woman’s dowry will remain intact, but she will not be entitled to claimmaintenance, etc. from the man, and she will become forbidden to him forever. There is, however,a difference of opinion in respect of two things.

(a) After lian how will separation be effected between the husband and the wife?

(b) Is it possible for them to re-unite in marriage after they have been separated on account oflian?

As regards to the first question, Imam Shafai holds the opinion that as soon as a man hasexercised his lian, the woman stands automatically separated whether she refutes the man’scharge by her lian or not. Imam Malik, Laith bin Saad and Zufar maintain that separation iseffected when both a man and a woman have exercised their lian one after the other. Imam AbuHanifah, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad hold that separation does not take place automatically afterlian, but it is affected by the judge. If the husband pronounces divorce, it takes effectotherwise the judge will announce their separation.

Regarding the second, question, the opinion of Imam Malik, Abu Yusuf, Zufar, Sufyan Thauri, Ishaqbin Rahaviyah, Shafai, Ahmad bin Hanbal and Hasan bin Zaid is that the spouses who have beenseparated due to lian are forbidden to each other forever. Even if they wish to remarry, theycannot do so in any case. The same is the opinion also of Umar, Ali and Abdullah bin Masud.Contrary to this, Said bin Musayyab, Ibrahim Nakhai, Shabi, Said bin Jubair, Abu Hanifah andMuhammad (may Allah be pleased with them all) opine that if the husband confesses his lie, andhe is awarded the prescribed punishment for qazf, the two can re-unite in marriage. They arguethat it is lian which makes them unlawful for each other. As long as they stand by their lian,they will remain forbidden for each other, but when the husband confesses his lie and receivesthe punishment, lian will become null and void and so will their prohibition to marry each otheragain.

Ala-Maududi

(26:31) Pharaoh said: “Then bring it if you are truthful at all.”^[26]

26. This reply of Pharaoh shows that he was not in any way different from the common polytheistsof the ancient and modern times. Like all other polytheists, he believed in Allah’s being thehighest Deity in the supernatural sense. Who wielded greater power and authority than all othergods and goddesses. That is why Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) said to him: If you do notbelieve that I have been appointed by Allah, I can present such clear signs as will prove that Ihave really been sent by Him. And that is why Pharaoh said: If you are true in your claim, comeout with your sign, otherwise if he had any doubt about the existence of Allah or His beingMaster of the universe, he would not have asked for the sign.

Ala-Maududi

(26:84) and grant me an honourable reputation among posterity,^[62]

62. That is, grant me true renown among posterity. Grant me the grace that posterity shouldremember me as a good and pious man after my death and not as one of the unjust people, who werenot only wicked themselves, but who left nothing but wickedness behind them in the world. Enableme to perform such high deeds that my life should become a source of light for others for alltimes to come, and I should be counted among the benefactors of humanity. This is not a prayerfor worldly greatness and renown, but for true greatness and renown, which can be achieved onlyas a result of solid and valuable services. A person’s achieving such true renown and glory hastwo good aspects:

(1) The people of the world get a good example to follow, as against bad examples, which inspiresthem with piety and encourages them to follow the right way; and

(2) The righteous person will not only get the rewards of works done by posterity who were guidedaright by the good example left and set by him, but in addition to his own good works, he willhave the evidence of the millions of people in his favor that he had left behind him in theworld fountains of guidance, which went on benefiting people, generation after generation, tillthe Day of Resurrection.

Ala-Maududi

(26:154) you are no different from a mortal like us. So produce a sign if you aretruthful.”^[102]

102. That is, we cannot believe you to be a Messenger from God because you are just like us andwe see no distinction in you. However, if you are true in your claim that God has appointed youas His Messenger, you should present such a clear miracle as should make us believe that youhave really been sent by the Creator and Master of the universe.

Ala-Maududi

(26:187) So cause a piece of the sky to fall upon us if you are truthful.”

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(27:27) Solomon said: “Soon shall we see whether you have spoken the truth or are one of thosethat lie.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(27:49) They said: “Swear to one another in the name of Allah that we shall make a sudden nightswoop on Salih and his family and will then tell their heirs^[63] that we did notwitness the destruction of his family. We are indeed truthful.”^[64]

63. “The guardian”: the chief of the Prophet Salih’s (peace be upon him) tribe, who, according tothe ancient tribal tradition and custom, could make a claim to blood vengeance. The same was theposition in Makkah of the Prophet’s uncle (peace be upon him), Abu Talib. The Quraish werehesitant that if they attacked and killed the Prophet (peace be upon him), Abu Talib, the chiefof Bani Hashim, would come out with a claim to blood vengeance on behalf of his clan.

64. This precisely was the kind of plot which the Makkan chiefs of the clans were devisingagainst the Prophet (peace be upon him), and they devised the same ultimately on the occasion ofmigration (Hijrah) to kill him. They decided that men from all the clans would attack him in abody so that the Bani Hashim could not hold any one of the clans as responsible for the murder,and, therefore, would find it impossible to fight all of them at one and the same time.

Ala-Maududi

(27:64) Who is it Who creates in the first instance and then repeats it?^[80] Who is itWho provides you with sustenance from the heavens and the earth?^[81] Is there any godassociated with Allah (in these tasks)? Say: “Bring forth your evidence, if you aretruthful.”^[82]

80. The simple fact that has been expressed in this one sentence is so vast in meaning and detailthat as one considers it more and more deeply, one goes on getting new and ever new proofs ofAllah’s existence and His unity. To the first place, take the question of the creation itself.Man by his knowledge has not been able to discover what life is, and how and where it comesfrom. So far the admitted scientific fact is that the mere arrangement of inanimate matter byitself cannot bring about life. Though the atheists assume, unscientifically, that life comesinto existence automatically when all the elements essential for its creation combine togetheraccidentally in the right proportion, yet if the mathematical law of chance is applied to it,the possibility of its occurrence comes to naught. All attempts made so far to produce animatematter out of inanimate matter experimentally in the laboratory have met with utter failure inspite of employing every possible care. At the most what has been created is DNA, which is thebasic constituent of the living cell. This is the essence of life but not life itself. Life initself even now is a miracle which cannot be explained scientifically except by saying that itis the result of a Creator’s will and command and design.

Furthermore, life does not exist in a solitary form but in a limitless variety of forms. Man hasso far discovered more or less a million species of animals and two hundred thousand species ofplants on the earth, which in their constitution and special characteristics are so clearly andabsolutely different from one another, and have been maintaining their distinctive featuressince the earliest known times so consistently that no Darwin could ever give any rationalexplanation of this great variety of life except the existence of the creative design of OneGod. Not a link has so far been discovered between any two species, which might have broken upthe form of the characteristics and constitution of one species and might be struggling toattain the characteristics and constitution of another species. The whole record of the fossilsis without such a precedent, and among the existing animals also there is no such “eunuch” inits physical form. Any member of any species that exists is found with the distinctive featuresof its own species, and every story that is invented and announced from time to time about thediscovery of some missing link is destroyed by the facts themselves. Therefore, the inevitablefact is that it is the All-Wise Designer, the Planner of creation, its Enforcer and itsFashioner, who has endowed life with all its countless different forms.

This was about the beginning of the creation. Now let us consider its reproduction. The Creatorhas placed in the constitution and make-up of every animal and vegetable species such awonderful mechanism, which goes on producing through its countless members an endless raceexactly with its own distinctive form and nature and characteristics, and it never has happenedeven by mistake that in these millions and millions of tiny sex workshops a certain workshop ofa species may have turned out a specimen of a different species. The observations of modernGenetics in this connection present wonderful facts. Every plant has been so endowed with thecapability of procreating its species that the new generation should possess all the distinctivecharacteristics of its own species and its every member should be distinguished in its specialfeatures from the members of all other species. This element for the survival of the species andits procreation is contained in a part of a cell of every plant, which can be seen with effortonly through a most powerful microscope. This tiny engineer directs the whole development theplant precisely and definitely on the way which is the way of its own distinctive species. Thatis why all the plants that have emerged from a grain of wheat anywhere in the world have in turnproduced only wheat. In no climate and in no region has it ever happened that from the wholerace of a grain of wheat even a single grain of barley might have emerged. The same is the casewith animals and men. None of them has been created just for once, but on an inconceivably highscale a huge factory of reproduction is functioning every where, which is constantly bringinginto existence, from the members of every species, countless other members of the same species.If one considers the microscopic germ of procreation which along with all the distinctivefeatures and hereditary characteristics of its species is found in a small portion of its tinyself and then looks at the extremely delicate and complex physiological system and the subtle,intricate processes by which the procreative seed of every member of every species produces amember of the same species, one cannot conceive for a moment that such a tine and subtle systemcould come into being by itself, and then keeps on functioning by itself in millions andmillions of the members of different species. This thing stands in need of an All-Wise Designernot only for its beginning but for its proper and perpetual functioning. It also needs anAdministrator Who is at once Wise and Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent, who is ever watching andguiding the work of these workshops.

These facts destroy the very basis of an atheist’s denial of God as also of a polytheist’s creedof polytheism. A foolish person only can think that an angel or a jinn or a prophet or a sainthas any hand in this work of God, but no unbiased person possessed of a little common sense canever say that this huge workshop of production and reproduction with all its underlying wisdomand order started working just accidentally and has since been working so automatically.

81. The question of the provision of sustenance also is not so simple as a person may feel it tobe from a cursory study of this brief sentence. There exist on this earth millions of animal andvegetable species, each comprising billions of members having different food requirements. TheCreator has arranged the means of sustenance for each species in such abundance and so withineasy reach that members of no species ever go without food. Then the agencies of the earth andsky which combine and work together in this system are varied and countless. Unless there is theright kind of coordination and harmony between the heat, light, air, water and the diversesubstances of the earth, not a single particle of food can be produced. Can anyone conceive thatthis wise system could come about just accidentally without the intelligent planning and designof an All-Wise Creator? And can anybody in his senses imagine that in this system there could beany hand of a jinn or an angel or the spirit of a pious man?

82. That is, “You should either bring a proof to show that someone else is an associate of Allahin these works, or, if that is not possible, you should at least explain by an argument why youshould worship and serve any other god beside Allah, when One Allah alone has done, and isdoing, all these works.”

Ala-Maududi

(27:71) They also say: “Tell us when this threat will come to pass, if you aretruthful.”^[88]

88. The same threat which is implied in the preceding verse. What they meant was: “When will thescourge with which you threaten us overtake us? Why are we not being punished when we have notonly rejected you but have also done whatever we could to frustrate your mission?”

Ala-Maududi

(28:34) My brother Aaron is more eloquent in speech than I: so send him with me as a helper toconfirm my truthfulness for I fear that they will reject me as a liar.”

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(28:49) Tell them, (O Prophet): “Then do bring a Book from Allah which is a better guide thaneither of them, and I will follow it!^[70] Do so if you are truthful!”

70. That is, “I have to follow the guidance in any case, provided that it is not forged but isreal guidance from God. If you possess a divine Book which gives better guidance than the Quranand the Torah, you should produce it: I shall follow it without any hesitation.”

Ala-Maududi

(29:3) for We indeed tested those who went before them?^[2] Allah will most certainlyascertain^[3] those who spoke the truth and those who lied.

2. That is, this is not a new thing which you alone may be experiencing. The same has also beenhappening before you. Whoever made a claim to the faith, he was made to pass through trials andtribulations. And when the others were not given anything without the trial, you are in no wayany special people that you should be favored and rewarded merely on verbal profession of thefaith.

3. Literally, “It is necessary that Allah should find out.” A question may be asked: “When Allahalready knows the truth of the truthful and the untruth of the liar, why should He put thepeople to the test for the sake of these” The answer is: Until a person has manifested hispotential and capability to do a thing in practical terms, justice requires that he neitherdeserves any rewards nor any punishment. One man, for example, is capable of being trustworthyand another man of being un-trustworthy. Unless both are tried and one manifests trustworthinessand the other the lack of it practically, it will not be justice on the part of Allah that Heshould reward one for trustworthiness and punish the other for the lack of it only on the basisof His knowledge of the unseen. Therefore the knowledge Allah already possesses about thecapabilities of the people and about their conduct in the future is not enough to satisfy therequirements of justice until the people have manifested their potentialities in practical ways.Justice with Allah is not based on the knowledge that a person possesses a tendency to steal andwill commit a theft, but on the knowledge that he has actually committed a theft. Likewise,Allah does not bestow favors and rewards on the basis of the knowledge that a person has thepotential and capability to become a great believer and fighter in His way, but on the basis ofthe knowledge that the person concerned has practically proved by deed and action that he is asincere believer and a brave fighter in His way. That is why we have translated the words of theverse as: “Allah will surely make evident.”

Ala-Maududi

(29:29) What! Do you go to men^[51] (to satisfy your lust), engage in highway robbery,and commit evil deeds in your gatherings?”^[52] Then they had no answer to offer otherthan to say: “Bring Allah’s chastisement upon us if you are truthful.”

51. That is, “You satisfy your sex desire with the males.” As stated in (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 81), “yougratify your lust with men instead of women.”

52. That is, “You do not even hide yourself when you commit this filthy act, but commit it openlyin your assemblies, in front of others.” The same has been stated in (Surah An-Naml, Ayat 54), thus: “Do youcommit the indecency while you see it?”

Ala-Maududi

(32:28) They say: “If you are truthful, (tell us) when will the Judgement come?”^[41]

41. That is, “You say that Allah’s succor will at last reach you and your rejectors will bestruck down by His wrath. Then, tell us: When will this happen? When will judgment be passedbetween you and us?”

Ala-Maududi

(33:8) so that (their Lord) may question the truthful about their truthfulness.^[16] Asfor the unbelievers, He has kept a painful chastisement in store for them.^[17]

16. That is, Allah has not just taken the covenant but will also question as to how far it hasbeen kept. Then only those who will have kept Allah’s covenant faithfully, will be declared tobe the truthful.

17. To understand the theme of(Surah Al-Ahzab, Ayat 1-8) fully, these should be read together with (Surah Al-Ahzab, Ayat 36-41).

Ala-Maududi

(33:22) As for the true believers,^[36] when they saw the invading confederates, theycried out: “This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and what Allah and HisMessenger said was absolutely true.”^[37] This only increased their faith andsubmission. ^[38]

36. After drawing attention to the model of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Allah now presentsthe model of his companions so that the character of the false claimants to faith and of thesincere followers of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is clearly contrasted.

Although both were alike apparently in the affirmation of the faith, both were counted asMuslims, and both attended at the Prayers, they were separated from each other as soon as thetime of the trial approached, and it became clear who were loyal to Allah and His Messenger(peace be upon him) and who were Muslims only in name.

37. Here, one should keep( verse 12) in view. There it was said that when the hypocrites and thepeople with diseased hearts found themselves surrounded by a huge force of ten to twelvethousand men from the front and by the Bani Quraizah from behind, they openly started saying:“The promises that Allah and His Messenger had made with us were nothing but a delusion. We werepromised that if we believed in Allah’s religion, His succor would be at our back and we wouldrule Arabia and the world outside and all the wealth of Caesar and Chosroes will be ours, buthere we are that the whole of Arabia is bent upon exterminating us, and there is no sign yet ofthe armies of the angels in sight, who would save us and protect us against this gravecalamity.” Now they are being told: “One meaning of the promise of Allah and His Messenger(peace be upon him) was that which was understood by these false claimants to faith. The othermeaning is that which is understood by the sincere and true Muslims. When they saw the storms ofdanger gathering, they too remembered the promises of Allah, but these promises did not meanthat as soon as they affirmed the faith they would overwhelm and subdue the whole world withoutthe slightest effort, and the angels would come to perform their coronation, but the promisesactually meant that they would have to pass through severe trials, endure extreme hardships andafflictions, offer supreme sacrifices; then only will Allah bless them with His grace and theywill be granted successes of the world and the Hereafter, which Allah has promised to Hisbelieving servants.

“Do you think that you will enter Paradise without undergoing such trials as were experienced bythe believers before you? They met with adversity and afflictions and were so shaken by trialsthat the Prophet of the time and his followers cried out: When will Allah’s help come?” “Yes,Allah’s help is near.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 214).

“Do the people think that they will be left alone after they have once said, We have believed,and they will not be tested? The fact is that We have put to the test all those who have gonebefore them. Surely, Allah has to see who are the truthful and who the liars.” (Surah Al-Ankabut, Ayats 2-3).

38. That is, “On seeing the hard times of affliction approaching, they did not waver in theirfaith but were strengthened in it all the more, and instead of giving up Allah’s obedience, theybecame ready to resign and surrender to Him whatever they had with complete conviction andsatisfaction of the heart.”

Here, one should fully understand that faith and resignation is indeed a quality of the selfwhich is put to trial and test at every command and demand of the faith. At every step in lifeman comes across situations where the faith either enjoins something or forbids something, orrequires one to make sacrifices of life and wealth and time and desires of the self. At everysuch occasion the faith and conviction of the person who deviates from obedience will sufferdecline and the faith and conviction of him who submits to the command and demand will bestrengthened and enhanced. Although in the beginning a man becomes a believer and Muslim only byembracing the fundamental creed (Kalimah) of Islam, yet his state of faith does not remainstatic but is open to both deterioration and development. Decline in sincerity and the spirit ofobedience causes it to deteriorate; so much so that constant retrogression may cause the personto reach the last limits of the faith where the slightest move backward may turn him from abeliever to a hypocrite. Contrary to this, the more sincere a person is, the more perfect hisobedience and the greater his devotion and dedication to the cause of the true faith, thestronger and more sound will he grow in faith and may even attain the supreme rank of thetruthful. But this increase and decrease in the faith has only the moral significance which canbe judged and reckoned by none but Allah. As for the man, faith is simply the act of affirmationby which a Muslim enters Islam and is regarded as a Muslim as long as he remains steadfast toit. In this regard, we cannot say that so and so is half a Muslim, or one third a Muslim, andanother one a double Muslim or a triple Muslim. Likewise, in legal rights the Muslims are equaland alike. It cannot be that one is regarded a greater believer and given more rights andanother one a lesser believer and given less rights. In these aspects there can be no questionof the increase and decrease in the faith, and in fact, in this very sense has Imam Abu Hanifahsaid: “faith in Islam neither increases nor decreases.”

Ala-Maududi

(33:23) Among the believers there are those who have remained true to the covenant they made withAllah. Among those some of them have fulfilled their vow and others await the appointedtime.^[39] They have not changed in the least.

39. That is, “Someone has already offered his life in the way of Allah, and someone is awaitingthe time when he will offer it for the sake of his faith.”

Ala-Maududi

(33:24) (All this is) in order that Allah may reward the truthful for their truthfulness, andeither punish the hypocrites or, if He so wills, accept their repentance. Verily Allah is MostPardoning, Most Compassionate.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(33:35) Surely^[53] the men who submit (to Allah) and the women who submit (toAllah),^[54] the men who have faith and the women who have faith,^[55] themen who are obedient and the women who are obedient,^[56] the men who are truthful andthe women who are truthful;^[57] the men who are steadfast and the women who aresteadfast,^[58] the men who humble themselves (to Allah) and the women who humblethemselves (to Allah),^[59] the men who give alms and the women who givealms,^[60] the men who fast and the women who fast,^[61] the men who guardtheir chastity and the women who guard their chastity,^[62] the men who remember Allahmuch and the women who remember Allah much:^[63] for them has Allah preparedforgiveness and a mighty reward.^[64]

53. Presentation of this theme immediately after the foregoing paragraph contains a subtleallusion to the fact that the instructions given above to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him)wives are not exclusively meant for them but the Muslim society as a whole should reform itselfin accordance with them.

54. Who have surrendered themselves to Allah: Who have accepted Islam as a code of life forthemselves, and have decided to follow it in their lives, and who have no wish to resist theIslamic way of life and thought, but have adopted the way of obedience and submission to it.

55. Who are believing: Whose obedience is not merely outward, nor unwilling but who sincerelyregard the guidance given by Islam as based on the truth. Whose faith is that the way shown bythe Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the only right and straight way. Andin following which alone lies their true success. That which has been declared as wrong by Allahand His Prophet (peace be upon him) is certainly wrong. And that which has been declared asright by Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) is certainly right. Also, psychologically andintellectually, they do not regard as improper any injunction that has been enjoined by theQuran and Sunnah, and do not remain on the lookout to change it somehow to suit their owndesires or mold it according to the current trends of the world, avoiding at the same time theblame that they have effected a change in the command given by Allah and His Prophet (peace beupon him). The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) has described the true state of faith in aHadith in these words:

“He who reconciled himself to Allah as his Lord and to Islam as his way of Life and to Muhammadas his Messenger, has the true taste of faith.” (Sahih Muslim).

In another Hadith, he has explained it thus:

“None of you becomes a believer until the desires of his self become subordinate to what I havebrought.” (Sharh-as- Sunnah).

56. That is, they do not rest content with mere belief but are obedient practically also. Theyare not the sort of the people who would honestly believe that what Allah and His Messenger(peace be upon him) have commanded was true but would violate it in practice: that they wouldsincerely regard what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden as bad but would go on followingthe same in practical life.

57. That is, hey are truthful in their speech and honest in thou dealings. They do not deal inlies, deceptions, frauds and forgeries. They utter with their tongues only what their conscienceapproves as true. They practice and perform only what they honestly find to be in accordancewith righteousness and truth, and they are honest in all their dealings with others.

58. That is, they patiently and steadfastly bear and face all the obstacles, dangers,difficulties and losses that they might have to encounter in following the right way taught byAllah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) and in establishing Allah’s religion in the world;no fear and no temptation and no desire of the self can succeed in diverting them from the rightway.

59. That is, they are free from pride, vanity and haughtiness: they have full understanding ofthe reality that they arc servants and they have no other position than that of servitude.Therefore, their hearts as well as their bodies remain bowed before Allah, dominated by fear ofHim. They never display the attitude which is the hallmark of the lives of those who arefearless of God and arc involved in arrogance. From the sequence it appears that the mention ofKhushu (expression of humility) in particular along with the general attitude of the fear of Godimplies the Prayer, for the mention of the practice of charity and fast has been made just afterit.

60. This does not only imply payment of the obligatory Zakat, but it also includes generalcharity. It means to say that they spend their wealth freely in the way of Allah and they arenot at all niggardly in the matter of helping the servants of Allah as much as they can. Noorphan and no sick or afflicted person, no weak or disabled person, no poor and needy oneremains deprived of their support in their dwelling; and if there arises the need for monetaryhelp for promoting the cause of Allah’s religion, they are never miserly in spending theirwealth for that purpose.

61. This includes both the obligatory and the voluntary fasts.

62. This has two meanings: (1) They refrain from adultery, and (2) they avoid nudity. One shouldalso note that nudity does not only mean being naked but it is also nudity to put on a thindress which shows the body, or is so tight fitting that it reveals all the outlines of the body.

63. Remember Allah much means that one should mention Allah’s name in one way or other at alltimes in every business of life. Man cannot develop such a state of the mind unless the thoughtof God becomes deeply embedded in his heart. When this idea has passed beyond his conscious mindand settled deep in his subconscious and unconscious mind, then only he will remember andmention God’s name in whatever he does and in whatever he says. He will begin with bismillahwhen he eats and say al-hamdu lillah when he finishes. He will remember Allah when he goes tobed, and mention Allah’s name when he gets up. In his conversation also he will again and againpronounce bismillah, al-hamdu-lillalh, insha-Allah, masha Allah, etc. and ask for Allah’s helpin every matter, and thank Him for every blessing. He will seek His mercy in every affliction,and turn to Him in every trouble. He will fear Him on encountering every evil, and ask for Hisforgiveness when he happens to have committed an error and will pray to Him for fulfillment ofevery need. In short, in every state and in every business of life his function will be toremember Allah.

This, in fact, is the essence of the Islamic life. For all other acts of worship there is aprescribed time when they are performed, and one is free when one has performed them. But thisis the worship which has no special time; it has to be performed constantly so that it links upthe man’s life with Allah and His service permanently. The other worships and religious actsthemselves also become meaningful only when the heart of man remains inclined to Allah not onlyat the time when the act is actually being carried out but at all times when the tongue isuttering Allah’s name constantly. In such a state as this worship and religious acts develop andflourish in a man’s life precisely in the same manner as a plant grows in a congenial climateand environment. Contrary to this, the example of the religious services and worships which arecarried out only on special times and occasions in the life which is devoid of this constantremembrance of Allah is of the plant which has been planted in an un-congenial climate, andwhich is growing only due to the special attention and care of the gardener. This very thing hasbeen explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a Hadith, thus:

Muadh bin Anas Juhani relates that a person asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) of Allah, “Whoamong those who fight in the way of Allah will get the highest reward?” He replied: “The one whoremembers Allah the most.” The man asked: “Who among the observers of the fast will get thehighest reward?” He replied: “The one who remembers Allah the most.” The man then asked the samequestion about the performer of the Prayer, the payer of the Zakat and charities and theperformer of Hajj and the Prophet (peace be upon him) in every case gave the same answer,saying: He who remembers Allah the most. (Musnad Ahmad).

64. This verse plainly tells what qualities and characteristics are of real worth in the sight ofAllah. These are the basic values of Islam which have been compressed into one sentence. Asregards these, there is no difference between the man and woman. However, as for their lifeactivity, the two sexes have separate spheres to function. The males have to function in somepartic

Ala-Maududi

(34:20) Iblis found his estimate of them to be true, and they followed him, except a party of thebelievers.^[35]

35. History shows that in ancient times there lived among the Sabaeans a small group of thepeople, who believed in one God, apart from all other gods. The inscriptions that have beendiscovered in the ruins of Yaman as a result of modern archaeological research point to theexistence of this small element. Some inscriptions of the period about 650 B.C. indicate that atseveral places in the kingdom of Saba there existed such houses of worship as were exclusivelymeant for the worship of dhu-samavi or dhusamaavi (i.e. Rabb as-samaa: Lord of the heavens). Insome places this Deity has been mentioned as Malikan dhusamavi (the King who is the Owner of theheavens). This remnant of the Sabaeans continued to live in Yaman for centuries afterwards.Thus, in an inscription of 378 A.D. there is also mention of a house of worship built in thename of Ilah dhu-semevi. Then, in an inscription dated 465 A.D. the words are; Bi-nasr wa ridailah-in baal samin wa ardin (i.e. with the help and support of that God who is the Owner of theheavens and the earth). In another inscription of the period dated 458 A.D., the word Rahman hasbeen used for the same God, the actual words being bi-rida Rahmanan (i. e. with the help ofRahman.

Ala-Maududi

(34:29) They ask you: “When will this promise (of Resurrection) be fulfilled, if what you say istrue?”^[48]

48. That is, “When will the time come about which you say: Our Lord will gather you together,then He will judge between us rightly? We have been denying you persistently and opposing youopenly for so long. Why is not then the judgment being passed against us?

Ala-Maududi

(36:48) They^[44] say: “When will this threat (of Resurrection) come to pass? Tell usif indeed you are truthful.”^[45]

44. After Tauhid the other question about which a dispute was raging between the Prophet (peacebe upon him) and the disbelievers was the question of the Hereafter. Rational arguments aboutthis have been given in the end of the discourse. Here, before giving the arguments, theHereafter has been depicted with all its horrors so that the people should know that what theyare refusing to believe in cannot be averted by their denial, but they have to meet andexperience it one day inevitably.

45. The question did not mean that they wanted to know the exact date of the coming of theHereafter, and if, for instance, they were told that it would take place on such and such a datein such and such a month and year, their doubts would have been removed and they would havebelieved in it. Such questions, in fact, were put as a challenge only for the sake of argument.What they meant to say was that there would be no Resurrection whatever, as if to say: You arethreatening us with Resurrection without rhyme or reason. That is why in reply it has not beensaid that Resurrection will take place on such and such a day, but that it shall come and shallbe accompanied by such and such horrors.

Ala-Maududi

(36:52) (nervously) exclaiming. “Alas for us! Who roused us out of oursleeping-place?”^[48] “This is what the Merciful One had promised, and what (His)Messengers had said was true.”^[49]

48. That is, at that time they will not realize that they had been dead and had been raised backto life after a long period, but they will be thinking that they had fallen asleep, and had beenwoken up suddenly by some terrible catastrophe, and were running away from it. For furtherdetails, see Surahs (Surah TaHa, Ayat 103); (Surah Al-Hajj, Ayat 1-2).

49. Here, it is not clear as to who will give this answer. It may be that they themselves wouldrealize after some time to their horror that it was the same thing of which the Messengers ofGod used to inform them and they used to belie them. It may also be that the believers willremove their misunderstanding and tell them that it was not waking up from sleep but the secondlife after death. And it may also be that they will understand this from the general conditionsprevailing on the Day of Resurrection and the angels might tell them this.

Ala-Maududi

(37:37) (They say so although) he brought the Truth and confirmed the veracity of theMessengers.^[21]

21. Confirmation of the Messengers has three meanings and all the three are implied here.

(1) That he had not opposed any former Messenger so that the believers of that Messenger couldhave a rational ground of prejudice against him; he had rather confirmed all the formerMessengers sent by God.

(2) That he had not brought any new or novel thing, but he had presented the same that the formerMessengers of God had been presenting from the very beginning.

(3) That he truly fulfilled and corresponded to the predictions that the former Messengers hadmade concerning him.

Ala-Maududi

(37:105) you have indeed fulfilled your dream.^[63] Thus do We reward thegood-doers.”^[64]

63. That is, “We did not make you see in the dream that you had actually slaughtered your son andhe had died, but that you were slaughtering him. That vision you have fulfilled. Now, it is notOur will to take the life of your child. The actual object of the vision has been fulfilled byyour submission and preparation to sacrifice him for Our sake.”

64. That is, We do not subject the people who adopt the righteous way to trials in order toinvolve them in trouble and distress and affliction just for the sake of it, but these trialsare meant to bring out their excellencies and to exalt them to high ranks. And then We deliverthem safe and sound from the dilemma in which We place them for the sake of the trial. Thus,your willingness and preparation to sacrifice yow son is enough to entitle you to be exalted tothe rank that could be attained only by the one who would actually have slaughtered his son forOur approval and pleasure. Thus, We have saved the life of yow child as well as exalted you tothis high rank.

Ala-Maududi

(37:157) Bring your Book, if you are truthful.^[88]

88. That is, there can be only two bases for regarding the angels as the daughters of Allah.Either such a thing could be said on the basis of observation, or the one who asserted it shouldpossess a divine book in which Allah Himself might have stated that the angels were Hisdaughters. Now, if those who held such belief could neither make a claim to have observed such athing nor did they possess any divine book that might contain such a thing, there could be nogreater stupidity than this that one should base his religious belief on mere conjecture, andattribute to Allah, Lord of the worlds, such things as were patently ridiculous.

Ala-Maududi

(39:32) Who, then, can be more unjust than he who lied against Allah and denied the Truth when itcame to him, calling it a lie? Is there no room for such unbelievers in Hell?

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(39:33) But he who brought the Truth, and those who confirmed it as true, such are the ones whoshall be guarded against the chastisement.^[52]

52. It means this: As to who will receive punishment in the trial before Allah on the day ofResurrection, you should note it well that the punishment inevitably will be inflicted on thosewicked people who invented a false creed that there were also other associates with Allah, whohad a share in His Being, authority, powers and rights, and worse than that, when the truth waspresented before them, they not only paid no heed to it, but, on the contrary, treated the onewho presented it as an impostor. As far as the person who came with the truth, and those whoaffirmed faith in him, are concerned there can obviously be no question of their receiving anypunishment from the court of Allah.

Ala-Maududi

(39:74) They will say: “All thanks and praise be to Allah Who has made His promise to us cometrue, and Who gave us the earth to inherit.^[82] We may now dwell in Paradise whereverwe please.”^[83] How excellent is the reward of those who laboured!^[84]

82. For explanation, see (Surah TaHa, Ayat 106-107, 124); (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 106-107) andthe E.Ns thereof.

83. That is, the Paradise which has been granted to each of us, is now our property and wepossess full rights over it.

84. Maybe this is said by the dwellers of Paradise, or maybe this sentence is added by Allah towhat the dwellers of Paradise will say.

Ala-Maududi

(40:28) Then a man endowed with faith, from Pharaoh’s folk, who had kept his faith hidden, said:“Do you kill a person simply because he says: ‘My Lord is Allah’ even though he brought to youclear Signs from your Lord?^[45] If he is a liar, his lying will recoil uponhim;^[46] but if he is truthful, you will be smitten with some of the awesomeconsequences of which he warns you. Allah does not guide to the Right Way any who exceeds thelimits and is an utter liar.^[47]

45. That is, He has shown such manifest signs to you as have made it absolutely clear that he isa Messenger sent by your Lord. The Believer, from among the people of Pharaoh, was obviouslyreferring to the signs the details of which have already been given in (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 107-117), (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 130-133); (Surah Bani-Israil, Ayat 101-102); (Surah TaHa, Ayat 56-73); (Surah Ash-Shuara, Ayat 30-51); (Surah An-Naml, Ayat 10-13).

46. That is, if in spite of such manifest signs as he has shown you, you regard him as a liar,you should leave him alone, for the alternative probability, and a very strong probability too,is that he is truthful, and therefore you may involve yourselves in God’s torment by laying yourhands on him. Therefore, even if you think that he is a liar, you should leave him to himself.For if he is lying, in the name of Allah, Allah Himself will take him to task. Similar words hadthe Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) himself said to Pharaoh before this: If you do not believein me, do not harm me. (Surah Ad-Dukhan, Ayat 21).

Here one should keep in mind that the Believer of the people of Pharaoh had not openly disclosedin the beginning that he had affirmed faith in the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), but hespoke as if he also belonged to Pharaoh’s side, and was only wishing his people well. But whenPharaoh and his courtiers did not seem to see reason and continued to behave stubbornly, he atlast disclosed the secret of his faith, as becomes obvious from his speech in (Surah Ghafir, ayat 38-44).

47. This sentence can have two meanings and probably the Believer had intentionally employed it,because he did not yet want to express his belief openly. Its one meaning is: One and the sameperson cannot combine righteousness and lying and falsehood. You can clearly see that Moses is aman of very sublime and pure character. Therefore, how can you believe that, on the one hand, heshould be such a liar as to lay a baseless claim to prophethood in the name of Allah. And on theother hand, Allah should bless him with such high morals? The other meaning is: If you are bentupon taking the life of Moses (peace be upon him) by transgressing all limits and will executeyour evil designs by bringing false accusations against him, you should remember that Allah willnever show you the way to success.

Ala-Maududi

(44:36) Bring back to us our fathers if you are truthful.”^[31]

31. This was their reasoning: We have never seen a dead person resurrected to life. Therefore, webelieve that there will be no other life after death. If you claim that there will be anotherlife, then resurrect our forefathers from their graves, so that we are convinced of the lifeafter death. If you do not do this, we would think that your claim is false. This was, as theythought, a very strong argument for the refutation of life after death, whereas it was absurd.Nobody had told them that the dead would return to this very world after being raised back tolife, nor the Prophet (peace be upon him), nor any Muslim had ever claimed that he could raisethe dead back to life.

Ala-Maududi

(45:25) And when Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them,^[35] their only contention is:“Bring back to us our fathers if you are truthful.”^[36]

35. “Our clear verses”: the Revelations in which strong arguments have been given for thepossibility of the Hereafter and in which it has been stated that its occurrence is the demandof both wisdom and justice, and its non-occurrence renders the whole system of the universemeaningless and absurd.

36. In other words, what they meant to say was: When somebody tells them that there is life afterdeath, he must raise a dead person from the grave and present him before them. And if this isnot done, they cannot believe that the dead would ever be raised to life once again at some timein the future, whereas nobody ever told them that the dead would be raised to life in this worldas and when required separately, but what was said was: On the Day of Resurrection Allah willraise all human beings to life simultaneously and will subject them to accountability and punishand reward them accordingly.

Ala-Maududi

(46:4) Tell them, (O Prophet): “Did you consider those whom you call upon beside Allah? Show me,which part of the earth they created? Or do they have any share in creating the heavens? Bringto me any Scripture earlier than this one, or any vestige of knowledge (in support of yourbelief) if you are truthful.^[4]

4. As the addresses are a polytheistic people, they are being told the reality of the irrationalcreed in which they persisted carelessly due to lack of the sense of responsibility. Along withacknowledging Allah as the Creator of the universe they had made many other beings theirdeities. They invoked them, regarded them as fulfillers of their needs and removers ofhardships, prostrated themselves and made offerings before them, and thought they had the powersof making and unmaking of their destinies. About the same beings, they are being asked: On whatbasis have you made them your deities? Obviously, there can be only two bases for regardingsomeone as an associate in worship along with Allah: Either man himself should know through somemeans of knowledge that his deity too has a share in making the earth and heavens, or AllahHimself may have stated that so and so also is His associate in the functions of Godhead. Now,if a polytheist can neither make the claim that he possesses direct knowledge of his deity’sbeing an associate of God, nor he can show in a Book sent by God that God Himself has appointedsomebody as His associate, his creed would inevitably be baseless.

In this verse, “a Book revealed before this” implies a Book sent by Allah before the Quran, andsome remnant of knowledge, implies some part of the teachings of the Prophets and righteous menof the ancient times, which may have reached the later generations reliably. There is no tingeof shirk in whatever man has received through these two means. All the heavenly Booksunanimously present the same Tauhid to which the Quran invites the people, and no existingremnant of the ancient lore bears evidence to this that some Prophet or saint or righteous manmight have taught the people to serve and worship any other than God. Even if we do not take aBook to mean a divine Book and remnant of knowledge the knowledge bequeathed by the Prophets andrighteous men, no authentic book or the research made by a scholar of religious or secular lorehas pointed out that such and such a thing in the earth or the heavens has been created by suchand such a saint or god, or a certain blessing of the blessings of life which man is benefitingfrom in the universe has been created by such and such a deity instead of God.

Ala-Maududi

(46:16) Such are those from whom We accept their best deeds and whose evil deeds Weoverlook.^[21] They will be among the people of Paradise in consonance with the truepromise made to them.

21. That is, their ranks in the Hereafter will be determined by the best deeds they would havedone in the world, and their lapses and weaknesses and errors will be overlooked. It is justlike a generous and appreciative master who determines the worth of his loyal and obedientservant not by the petty services that he renders but by some work of merit that he mightaccomplish or a feat of devotion and dedication that he might perform. He will not call hisservant to account for his minor shortcomings and overlook his major services.

Ala-Maududi

(46:22) They said: “Have you come to us to turn us away from our gods? Then, bring upon us thescourge that you threaten us with. Do so if you are truthful.”

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(47:21) (They keep affirming their) obedience and saying good words. But when a course of actionwas clearly determined, it would have been better for them if they had proved true to Allah.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(48:27) Allah indeed showed His Messenger the true vision,^[47] one fully in accordwith reality. If Allah so wills^[48] you shall certainly enter the Inviolable Mosque,in full security,^[49] you will shave your heads and cut your hairshort,^[50] and do so without any fear. He knew what you did not know, and He grantedyou a victory near at hand even before (the fulfilment of the vision).

47. This is the answer to the question that was constantly agitating the minds of the Muslim.They said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) had seen in his vision that he had entered the Masjidal-Haram and went around the Kabah in worship. Then how is it that they were returning withoutperforming Umrah? In answer to this, although the Prophet (peace be upon him) had told them thatin his vision he had not seen that they would perform the Umrah that very year, still thereremained some suspicion in the hearts. Therefore, Allah Himself explained that it was He Who hadshown the vision and it was a true vision and it would certainly be fulfilled.

48. Here, about the words Insha-Allah (if Allah so wills), which Allah Himself has used with Hispromise, one can raise the objection that when Allah Himself is making this promise, what is themeaning of making it conditional upon His own willing it? The answer is: Here the words Insha-Allah have not been used in the sense that if Allah does not will, He will not fulfill Hispromise, but in fact these relate to the background in which this promise was made. Thepresumption on the basis of which the disbelievers of Makkah had played the drama of preventingthe Muslims from umrah was that only he whom they would allow would perform umrah, and wouldperform it only when they would allow it. At this Allah has said: This depends on Our, not ontheir, will. The reason why umrah has not been performed this year is not because thedisbelievers of Makkah did not allow it to be performed, but because We did not will it to beperformed. In the future umrah will be performed if We will, no matter whether the disbelieversallow it or disallow it. Besides, these words also contain the meaning that the Muslims too,will perform umrah not by their own power but because We would will that they should perform it.Otherwise, if We do not will, they do not possess any power to perform it by themselves.

49. This promise was fulfilled in the following year in Dhil- Qadah A.H.7. This Umrah is wellknown in history as Umrah al-Qada.

50. The words clearly point out that it is not obligatory to get the head shaved in umrah andHajj, but it is also right to get the hair cut short. However,

Ala-Maududi

(49:15) Indeed the ones possessed of true faith are those who believed in Allah and His Messengerand then they did not entertain any doubt and strove hard in the Way of Allah with their livesand their possessions. These are the truthful ones.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(49:17) They count it as a favour to you that they accepted Islam. Say: “Do not regard your(accepting) Islam as a favour to me; rather, Allah has bestowed a favour on you by guiding youto faith, if you are truthful (in your claim to be believers).

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(51:5) surely what you are being warned against^[3] is true,

3. The word used in the original is toadoona. If it is derived from waad, the meaning would be:That which you are promised; and if it is from waid, it would mean: That which you arethreatened with. As regards the context, the second meaning is preferable, for the addresseesare the people who were lost in disbelief, polytheism and sin, and were not prepared to believethat they would be held accountable some time in the future and would be rewarded or punishedaccordingly. That is why we have taken toadoona in the meaning of waid (threaten) and not ofwaad (promise).

Ala-Maududi

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(54:55) where they will be honourably seated in the presence of a King, Mighty in Power.

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(56:57) We have created you,^[22] then why would you not confirm it?^[23]

22. The arguments from here to verse 74 provide the reasoning to prove both the doctrines ofTauhid and of Hereafter rationally. For it was there two basic doctrines of the Prophet’s (peacebe upon him) teaching that the people of Makkah were debating and objecting to at that time.

23. That is, why don’t you confirm that We alone are your Lord and God and We have the power tocreate you once again.

Ala-Maududi

(56:87) why are you then not able to bring them back to life if you are truthful?

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(57:19) In Allah’s sight only those who truly believe in Allah and His Messengers^[32]are utterly truthful^[33] and true bearers of witness (for the sake ofAllah).^[34] For them is their reward and their light.^[35] As for those whogave the lie to Our Signs, they are the people of Hell.

32. Here, the believers imply those people of true faith whose attitude and conduct wasabsolutely different from that of the people of weak faith and the false claimants to Islam, andwho were at that time vying with one another in making monetary sacrifices and were strugglingwith their lives in the cause of the true faith.

33. Siddiq (most truthful) is the superlative from sidq; however, one should clearly understandthat sidq is not merely a statement conforming to the truth, but a statement which is not onlytrue in itself but its speaker also upholds it as a truth sincerely. For instance, if a personsays that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah’s Messenger, this is by itself preciselyaccording to the truth, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) is truly Allah’s Messenger, but theperson would be true in his statement only if he also believed and upheld him as Allah’sMessenger. Therefore, a thing would be sidq if what was said was in conformity with the truth aswell as with the speaker’s own conscience. Likewise, sidq also contains the sense offaithfulness, sincerity and practical righteousness. Sadiq-ul-waad would be the person who kepthis promise practically, who never broke it. Sadiq (true friend) would be he who did fulljustice to friendship in the time of need, and who never proved faithless to anybody in any way.In war, sadiq-fil-qital (true soldier) would be the one who fought with all his heart and bodyand established his valor practically. Thus, sidq in essence implies that one’s deed shouldfully conform to his word. The one who acts contrary to his word cannot be sadiq. On that verybasis, the one who preaches one thing and acts contrary to it is regarded as a false preacher.With this meaning of sidq and sadiq in view one can fully appreciate the meaning of thesuperlative sadiq. It would inevitably imply a righteous person who is free from every impurity,who has never swerved from the truth and piety, who could never be expected to say anythingagainst his conscience. Who believed in whatever he believed with full sincerity and remainedfaithful to it under all circumstances, and who has practically proved that he is a truebeliever in the full sense of the word. For further explanation, see (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 69) note 99.

34. The early commentators have differed about the explanation of this verse. Ibn Abbas, Masruq,Dahhak, Muqatil bin Hayyan and others say that the previous sentence ended with humsssiddiqun;and wash-shuhadauinda Rabbihim la-hum ajru-hum wa nuru-hum is a separate and independentsentence According to this explanation, the translation of the sentence would be: Those who havebelieved in Allah and His Messenger, are indeed the most truthful (as siddiqun); as for the truewitnesses (ash-shuhada), they will have their reward and their light from their Lord. Contraryto this, Mujahid and several other commentators regard this whole expression as one sentence.According to them the translation would be that which we have given in the text above. The twocommentaries differ because the first group has taken the word shahid in the meaning of themartyr in the way of Allah and seeing that every believer is not a shahid in this sense, hastaken wash-shuhadau inda Rabbi-him as a separate sentence. But the other group takes shahid inthe meaning of the witness of the truth, and not in the sense of the martyr, and in this senseevery believer is a shahid. We are of the opinion that this second commentary is preferable andthis is;

And thus We have made you a middle nation that you may be witnesses against mankind, and themessenger may be a witness against you. (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 143).

Allah had called you Muslims before this and has also called you (by the same name) in this(Quran) so that the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you and you may be witnesses inregard to the rest of mankind. (Surah Al-Hajj, Ayat 78).

In a Hadith, Bara bin Azib has related that he heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: Thebelievers of my Ummah are shahid (the witnesses); then he recited this very verse of SurahAl-Hadid. (Ibn Jarir). Ibn Marduyah has related on the authority of Abu ad-Darda the traditionthat the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The one who emigrates from a land in order to savehis life and his faith from temptation, is recorded as a siddiq (most truthful), and when hedies, Allah takes his soul as a shahid (true witness). Then after this, the Prophet (peace beupon him) recited this very verse. For the explanation of this meaning of shahadat, see (Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 143) note144; (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 69) note 99,(Surah Al-Ahzab, ayat 45) note 82.

35. That is, each one of them will receive the reward and the light of the measure and degree hedeserves. They will all get their own respective rewards and lights and their shares havealready been reserved for them.

Ala-Maududi

(59:8) It also belongs to the poor Emigrants who have been driven out of their homes and theirpossessions,^[16] those who seek Allah’s favour and good pleasure and help Allah andHis Messenger. Such are the truthful ones.

16. This implies those people who at that time had been expelled from Makkah and other parts ofArabia only because they had embraced Islam. Before the conquest of the territory of the Banian-Nadir these emigrants had no permanent means of sustenance. Therefore, it was commanded thatin the properties which were then taken, and in the fai properties which are taken in futurethere is also a share of these people along with the common poor people and the orphans and thewayfarers. With these properties all such people should be helped, who are forced to emigratefor the cause of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) to the abode of Islam. Accordingly,the Prophet (peace be upon him) distributed a part of the properties taken from the Banian-Nadir among the emigrants and the oases which the Ansar had set aside for the support andmaintenance of their emigrant brothers were returned to them. But it is not correct to thinkthat the emigrants had this share in the fai only at that time. In fact, the intention of theverse is to point out that till Resurrection it is the duty of the Islamic government of thecountry to settle the people who are exiled and compelled to take refuge in it because of beingMuslims and to enable them to stand on their feet economically; and it should also spend on thishead from the fai properties besides the zakat funds.

Ala-Maududi

(62:6) Tell them: “O you who have become Judaised,^[10] if you arrogantly fancy thatyou are Allah’s favourites^[11] to the exclusion of all people, then wish for death,if you are truthful in your claim.”^[12]

10. This point is noteworthy. It has not been said: O Jews. But: O you who have became Jews, orwho have adopted Judaism, the reason being that the way of life brought by the Prophet Moses(peace be upon him) and the Prophets after and before him, was Islam itself. None of thoseProphets was a Jew, nor had Judaism been born in their time, but Judaism as such came into beingmuch later. It is ascribed to the tribe which descended from Judah, the fourth son of theProphet Jacob (peace be upon him). When after the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him), hiskingdom broke into two parts, this tribe became ruler over the state which came to be known asJudea. The other tribes of the Israelites established their separate state which became famousas Samaria. Then Assyria not only destroyed Samaria but also wiped out those Israelite tribeswhich had founded that state. After that only the decedents of Judah besides those of Benjaminremained. Who because of the predominance of the descendants of Judah, began to be called theJews. Judaism is the name of the framework of the doctrines, customs, and religious rules andregulations which the priests, rabbis and learned men of this race prepared according to theirown ideas, theories and trends for many centuries. This framework started being shaped in the4th century B.C. and continued to develop till the 5th century A.D. It contains a very smallelement of the divine guidance brought by the Messengers of Allah, and even that element hasbeen corrupted. That is why at many places in the Quran they have been addressed as alladhinahadu, O you who have become Jews. All of these were not the Israelites but there were among themalso converts who had embraced Judaism. Whenever in the Quran the children of Israel have beenaddressed, the words are: O children of Israel, and where the followers of Judaism have beenaddressed, the words are; alladhina hadu, O you who have become Jews.

11. At several places in the Quran, their claim has been described in detail, as in (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 111), theysay: none shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew. In (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 80): The fireof Hell is not going to touch us, and even if it does at all, it will be only for a few days,and in (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 18): Weare the sons of Allah and His beloved ones. Same such claims are also found in the books of theJews themselves. The world at

Ala-Maududi

(65:12) Allah it is He Who created seven heavens, and, like them, the earth.^[23] Hiscommandment descends among them. (All this is being stated so that you know) that Allah haspower over everything, and that Allah encompasses all things in His knowledge.

23. “The like of them” does not mean that He created as many earths as the heavens, but it meansthat He has also created several earths as He has created several heavens. “Of the earth” meansthat just as this earth which is inhabited by man is serving as bed and cradle for the creaturesliving on it, so has Allah made and set other earths also in the universe. which serve as bedsand cradles for the creatures living on them. Moreover, there are clear pointers in the Qur’anto the effect that living creatures are not found only on the earth but also in the heavens. Forinstance, see (Surah Ash-Shura, ayat 29) & (Surah Ash-Shura, ayat 69) note 50. In other words! the countless stars and planets seen in the sky are not alllying desolate, but like the earth there are many among them which are inhabited.

From among the earliest commentators Ibn Abbas is the one, who had expressed this truth in theperiod when man was not even prepared to imagine that in the universe there are other habitatsalso, apart from the earth, where rational creatures live. Even the scientists of today are yetin doubt about this being a reality, nothing to say of the people living 1500 years ago, That iswhy Ibn Abbas felt hesitant about whether he should say such a thing before the common peopleare not, because he feared it might affect their faith. Mujahid says that when he was asked themeaning of this verse, he said: “If I give you the commentary of this verse, you will turndisbelievers, and your disbelief will be that you will deny it.” Almost the same thing has beenrelated from Sa’id bin Jubair, saying; Ibn Abbas said: what can be the guarantee that if I tellyou its meaning, you would not turn disbelievers?” (lbn Jarir, ‘Abd bin Humaid). However, IbnJarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Hakim and Baihaqi in Shu’ab al-Iman and Kitab al-Asma’ was Sifat havecited, on the authority of Abud-Doha, this commentary from Ibn Abbas in different words: “Ineach of those earths there is a Prophet like your Prophet, an Adam like your Adam, a Noah likeyour Noah, an Abraham like your Abraham, and a Jesus like your Jesus.” This tradition has beenrelated by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bat and by Ibn Kathir in his Commentary, and Imam Dhahbi says:“It has been reported authentically, but in my knowledge none apart from Abud-Doha has relatedit; therefore, it is an uncommon and rare tradition.” Some other scholars regard it as afalsehood and Mulla ‘AIi; Qari, in his Maudu at Kabir (p. 19), has described it as afabrication, and written: `Even if it is a tradition from Ibn ‘Abbas, it is based on Israelitetraditions.” But the truth is that the actual reason why the people have rejected it is theirregarding it as remote from reason and beyond understanding; otherwise there is nothing in itwhich may by itself be opposed to reason. Thus, Allama Alusi in his discussion of it in hiscommentary writes: “There is neither any intellectual barrier to taking it as correct norreligious. It only means that in every earth there is a creation which turns to its origin justas mankind in our earth turns to Adam (peace be upon him). and in every earth there areindividuals, who are distinguished among others just as the Prophets Noah and Abraham (peace beupon them) are distinguished among us. ” A little below the Allama writes: “The earths may bemore than seven, and likewise the heavens also may not be only seven. To rest content with thenumber seven, which is an indivisible integer, does not necessarily negate the higher numbers.”Then, about the distances between one heaven and another, which have been stated as five hundredyears or so in some Ahadith. the ‘Allama says: “This is not meant to give the exact measurementof the distances, but to express the truth in a manner easily comprehensible to the people.”

It is would be intresting to note that lately the Rand Corporation of America has estimated onthe basis of their astronomical observations that only in the Galaxy to which our earth belongsthere are about 600,000,000 (600 million) planets physical conditions on which closely resemblesthose on earth, and there is a possibility that they may be inhabited just as in the earth byliving creatures. (Economist, London, 26 July, 1969)

Ala-Maududi

(67:25) They say: “If you are truthful, tell us when will this promise (of the Hereafter) befulfilled?”^[35]

35. They did not ask this question in order to know the time and date of Resurrection so that ifthey were told the year, the month, the day and time of its occurrence, they would accept it.But, in fact, they thought that Resurrection was impossible, and its occurrence remote fromreason, and they asked this question in order to have an excuse for denying it. They meant tosay: When will this strange story of Resurrection and gathering together, that you are tellingus, materialize? What for has it been put off? Why don’t you make it appear forthwith so that weare assured of it? In this connection, one should understand that one can be certain ofResurrection only by rational arguments, and these have been elaborated at many places in theQuran. As for the date of its occurrence only an ignorant person could raise such a questionabout it, for even if it is told, it does not make any difference. The unbeliever would say:Well, when it does occur on the date you tell, I shall then believe in it; how can I believetoday that it will actually occur on that very day? For further explanation, see (Surah Luqman, ayat 33) note 63; (Surah Al-Ahzab, ayat 63) note 116; (Surah Saba, ayat 3) note 5; (Surah Saba, ayat 29) note 48; (Surah YaSeen, ayat 48) note 45.

Ala-Maududi

(68:41) Or has something been guaranteed by any of those whom they associate with Allah in HisDivinity?” If so, let them bring forth their associates, if they are truthful.^[23]

23. That is, the judgment you are passing concerning yourselves has no basis whatever. It isagainst reason and you cannot show any such thing written in any divine Book either. No one canmake the claim that he has made Allah promise some such thing, and you cannot make any of yourdeities vouch that they would take the responsibility of securing Paradise for you from God. Howthen have you been involved in such a misunderstanding.

Ala-Maududi

(70:26) those who firmly believe in the Day of Recompense,^[17]

17. “Who believe in the Day of Recompense”: Who do not think they are irresponsible but believethat one Day they will have to appear before their God and render to Him an account of theirdeeds.

Ala-Maududi

(75:31) But he did not verify the Truth, nor did he observe Prayer;

There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ala-Maududi

(92:6) and affirmed the Truth of goodness:^[2]

2. This is the first kind of endeavors, which includes three things, and a little considerationshows that they comprehend all virtues:

(1) That man should refrain from wealth-worship, but should spend whatever Allah has given himgenerously in rendering Allah’s and His servants’ rights, for good works and for helping others.

(2) That he should fear God and refrain from things which cause His displeasure in his moral,social, economic and other dealings with the people.

(3) That he should believe in goodness. Goodness is a comprehensive word, which includes goodnessof belief, morals and acts. Goodness of belief means that one should give up polytheism, atheism, and disbelief, and affirm faith in Tauhid, the Hereafter and Prophethood. Affirming belief in goodness of morals and acts is that one should not be doing good and right merely unconsciously, outside a definite system, but one should acknowledge as right and sound the system of goodness which God has sent, which combines every kind of goodness in all its form sand aspects into a system comprehensively called the divine shariah.