The verse continues saying :

"... We have explained Our Signs for a people who know."

That is, Allah has stated His verses and has reasoned for the people who gain knowledge through the way of contemplation.

* * *

" And it is He Who has produced you from one person, ..."

Allah has created humankind from Adam. All of us have been created from Adam, and Eve, our mother. She had been created from the side of Adam. This creation itself is one of the favours of Allah upon human beings, because when all human beings are the children of one parents, the circumstances among them are more favourable in the fields of cooperation, friendship and intimacy.

The verse adds :

"... Then there is a place of sojourn and a provisional repository ..."

You have a place in the womb and a settlement in the grave, until the time you will be quickened. In other words, you have a place on the ground and a place for the Hereafter with Allah.

The Qur'an concludes the verse stating :

"... We have explained Our Signs for a people who understand."

That is, Allah has stated His reasons and verses in detail for those people who possess understanding and take an example.

The question is that why the Qur'an says : "... for a people who understand." To answer this question, it can be said that the reason is that only these people are those who utilize the Qur'anic reasonings. Similar to this meaning is the phrase which says that only the pious are those who enjoy the guidance of the Qur'an.

This concluding sentence of the verse has been mentioned both in the previous verse and in this verse in order to indicate that each one of these matters are separately worthy of being taken care and they are some evidences upon Oneness and Glory of Allah.

* * *

(99) وَ هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّماءِ ماءً فَأَخْرَجْنا بِهِ نَباتَ كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ فَأَخْرَجْنا مِنْهُ خَضِراً نُخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّا مُتَراكِباً وَ مِنَ النَّخْلِ مِنْ طَلْعِها قِنْوانٌ دانِيَةٌ وَ جَنَّاتٍ مِنْ أَعْنابٍ وَ الزَّيْتُونَ وَ الرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهاً وَ غَيْرَ مُتَشابِهٍ انْظُرُوا إِلى‏ ثَمَرِهِ إِذا أَثْمَرَ وَ يَنْعِهِ إِنَّ فِي ذلِكُمْ لَ‏آياتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

99. " And He it is Who sends down water from the sky and thereby We bring forth the shoot of every growing thing, then from it We bring forth green (foliage) from which We produce grain piled up (in the ears); and of the palm-tree, of the sheaths of it, come forth clusters (of dates) within reach, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, alike and unalike. Look upon its fruit when it fructifies and ripens. Verily, there are signs in that for a people who believe."

Commentary :

Following the former matters, which were stated upon the reasoning of Unity and Glory of Allah, this verse says that Allah sends down rain from cloud in the sky, by which the growth and development of all things come forth. That is the nutrition of beasts, birds, wild animals, and human beings are produced by means of it, in order that they consume it and develop. The verse says :

" And He it is Who sends down water from the sky and thereby We bring forth the shoot of every growing thing, ..."

Thus, the purpose of the Qur'anic phrase /nabat-a-kull-i-s§ay'in/ (the shoot of every growing thing) is something by which everything grows and develops.

The meaning of the verse may be that Allah has grown all kinds of plants by means of rain. Therefore, the purpose of /kull-i-s§ay'/ is kinds of plants. Then, water is the cause of appearance of plants and the growth of the living things.

The verse adds:

"... then from it We bring forth green (foliage)

Allah brings forth from rain, or from plants, some vegetations, and from the vegetations He brings forth grains and clusters like the clusters of wheet, sesame, and the like.

" ... from which We produce grain piled up (in the ears); and of the palm-tree, of the sheaths of it, come forth clusters (of dates) within reach, ..."

And from the spathes of the palm-tree, He brings forth some clusters of dates which are low-hanging and within reach. It is evident that a palm-tree can sometimes be tall when its fruit is not always within reach, but when it is short, its fruit is naturally within reach. In this holy verse only the second sort is mentioned and the first sort has not been stated. In fact, the Qur'an has sufficed citing one kind and the other kind has not been mentioned, because the hearer can guess the other one by the frame of reference in the context.

Some of commentators have said that the purpose of the term /daniyah/ (within reach), mentioned in the verse, is that the fruit of the palm-tree, as a result of abundance and heaviness, has come down near the ground. Viz. the fruit of some of palm-trees is so abundant and heavy, that its branches reach near the ground.

There are some other trees the fruit of which has a sheath and a shell, too. It is only that of palm-date that has not a sheath and a shell. Yet, Allah, the Glorious, has pointed to only the latter aspect in the verse and He has restrained from stating the rest aspects. The reason of this manner may be that ' date ' contains many other advantages and it is also full of nutritives.

The verse continues saying :

"... and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, ..."

By the means of water, Allah produces gardens of grapes, olives, and pomegranates. Olives and pomegranates are mentioned with together because their branches seem to Arab full of leaves from top to bottom.

"... alike and unalike ..."

Trees are rather similar to each other, but the tastes of their fruits are different. Some other commentators say that the phrase means that their leaves are similar to each other but their fruits are not.

It is better to say that all of them from one point are similar to each other, but from another point they are different.

"... Look upon its fruit when it fructifies and ripens. ..."

Look as an exemplary that how trees fructify and how their fruits ripen and are used. That is, you may follow these stages which happen in it, from the day when the fruit appears on the branch of the tree until the day when the fruit ripens, together with the changes that occur in its taste, color, odour, and also its smallness and bigness, so that you comprehend that there is a Wise Creator in the course of both its creation and administration.

The concluding sentence of the verse is as follows :

"... Verily, there are signs in that for a people who believe."

Yes, in the creation of fruits and plants, with all the proper differences that they have, and the exact wise elaborateness which have been done in their structure, there are some clear and convincing evidences for the believing people that denote they have a Creator Who has adorned them with the ornament of creation knowingly and discerningly.

Regarding what we study today in botany about fruits when they come forth and then ripen, the proper importance that the Qur'an has considered for fruits will be made manifest. The explanation of it is that fruits come into being like the birth of the offsprings in the world of animals. By some particular means (such as winds, insects and the like) stamens are separated in some special bags and are put down on the pistil of plant. After the act of pollinating and combining with each other, the first seed is formed. Then, some kinds of nutritive stuff around it, like some flesh, encompasses it.

From the point of combination, this nutritious stuff contains various substances. Also, from the point of taste, and medical properties and nutritive properties these substances are extraordinarily different. Sometimes one fruit (like pomegranates and grapes) contains hundreds seeds each of which, in potency, can itself be considered a tree. Every fruit, with its several levels, has an elaborate structure.

This explanation is from one side. On the other side, from the time a fruit is green until when it completely ripens, there are different stages that the fruit mast pass. This subject is greatly considerable, since the innate laboratories of a fruit are continuously busy changing its chemical combinations until it reaches the last stage and when the conditions of its chemical structure will be fixed.

Every one of these stages by itself is an indication to the Glory and Power of the Creator.

But, it should be noted that, as the Qur'an points out, only the believers, i.e. the observers of right and the seekers of truth can see these facts. Otherwise, with the eye of enmity and quarrelsomeness, or with heedlessness and carelessness, it is impossible for anybody to see these facts.

* * *

(100) وَ جَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكاءَ الْجِنَّ وَ خَلَقَهُمْ وَ خَرَقُوا لَهُ بَنِينَ وَ بَناتٍ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ سُبْحانَهُ وَ تَعالى‏ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

100. " And they set up the jinn associates with Allah, while He created them, and they falsely attributed to Him sons and daughters without knowledge. Glory be to Him, and highly Exalted is He above what they ascribe (to Him)."

Commentary :

Allah Is the Creator of All Things !

In this verse, and some verses next to it, the Qur'an points to a part of improper and superstitious beliefs of pagans and the believers of some wrong schools of thought, accompanied with a logical answer to them. At first, it says :

" And they set up the jinn associates with Allah, ..."

Then, the Qur'an answers to this superstitious imagination and, pointing to the creation of jinn, it says :

"... while He created them, ..."

How is it possible that a created being can be the associate of the Creator ? Association is the sign of being of the same class and in the same level, while a created creature can never be in the same level with the Creator.

Other supestition was that they believed in the existence of children for the Lord. The verse continues saying :

"...and they falsely attributed to Him sons and daughters without knowledge. ..."

In fact, the best reason for proving that these superstitious opinions are false is the same fact which can be understood from the phrase :"without knowledge". This means that they have no rational reason nor evidence for these superstitions.

The question is that which sects attributed sons to Allah. In some other verses, the Qur'an has mentioned two groups who towed that false idea. One of those two groups were Christians who believed Jesus was God's son. And the other was the Jews who believed Ezra was His son. But, Sura Taubah, No. 9, verse 30 denotes that the belief in the existence of son for the Lord was not allocated to the Christians and the Jews. This wrong idea had existed among the former people with superstitious schools of thought, too.

Now, what about the belief in the existence of daughters for the Lord ? In Sura Az-Zukhruf, No. 43, verse 19, the Qur'an itself says :

"And they make the angels who are the servants of the Beneficent (God) -female (divinities) ..."

But, at the end of the verse under discussion the Qur'an nulifies all these superstitious imaginations and these vain baseless fancies, and, by an expressive and clear sentence, it says :

"...Glory be to Him, and highly Exalted is He above what they ascribe (to Him)."

* * *

Section 13

Allah the Creator and Knower of everything

Allah the Creator of the heavens and the earth, The Divine Unity - polytheism to be gradually wiped out - Not to abuse false gods lest the infidels might ignorantly abuse Allah.

(101) بَدِيعُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَ لَمْ تَكُنْ لَهُ صاحِبَةٌ وَ خَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَ هُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ عَلِيمٌ
(102)ذلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ خالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ فَاعْبُدُوهُ وَ هُوَ عَلى‏ كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَكِيلٌ

101. " (He is the) Diviser of the heavens and the earth ! How can He have a child while there is for Him no consort, and He created everything, and He is All-Knowing of all things ? "

102. " That is Allah your Lord, there is no god but He, the Creator of everything. Therefore worship Him, for He is Guardian over all things."

Commentary :

This verse answers to the superstitious beliefs. At first, it says :

" (He is the) Diviser of the heavens and the earth ! ..."

The Qur'anic term /badi'/ means 'the producer of something new without having a precedent'. That is, Allah, Glory be to Him, has brought the heavens and the earth into being without any previous substance, or design and plan.

Moreover, how is it possible that He can have a child while He has not a spouse ? The verse says :

"... How can He have a child while there is for Him no consort, ..."

Basically, He does not need a spouse, and who can be His spouse when He has created all creatures ?

Once more the Qur'an emphasizes the rank of Allah's creative power in respect to all existing things and all human beings, and His Scientific Omnipotence in respect to all of them, and says :

"... and He created everything, and He is All-Knowing of all things ? "

* * *

After mentioning the creative power of Allah in respect to all things, and bringing the heavens and the earth into existence, and that He is Glorified to have body and bodily issues, or to have any spouse and child, and that His Scientific Omnipotence in respect to everything and all affairs, it concludes thus :

" That is Allah your Lord, ..."

And, since there is none to have some attributes like them, then none is eligible to be worshipped save Allah. He is both the Lord and the Creator. Therefore, only Allah (s.w.t) can be the deity. Thus do worship Him.

The verse continues saying :

"... there is no god but He, the Creator of everything. Therefore worship Him, ..."

In order to cut out any hope to anything except the hope to Allah, and to eradicate any idolatry and, in general, any reliance to other than Allah, at the end of the verse it adds :

"... for He is Guardian over all things."

* * *

(103) لا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصارُ وَ هُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصارَ وَ هُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ

103. " The eyes do not perceive Him, but He perceives the eyes, He is the All-Subtle, the All-Aware."

Commentary :

In order to prove Allah's sovereignty and Guardianship over every thing, and to prove His difference from the whole creatures, it says :

" The eyes do not perceive Him, but He perceives the eyes, ..."

Allah is the bestower of kinds of blessings, and He is aware of all details and cognizant of everything. He knows the expedients of the servants as well as their needs. Therefore, He treats them as His Grace requires.

"... He is the All-Subtle, the All-Aware"

In fact, the one who wants to be guardian, educator, and shelter of every existence should be qualified with these attributes.

Allah is not Seen by the Eyes

Rational demonstrations (proofs) testify that Allah can never be seen by vision, because eyes can see only substances, or some of the qualities of substances. Then, something which is not a substance, nor it is the quality of a substance, is never seen by vision. In other words, if something is seen by vision, it certainly should have place, direction, and material, while He, the Exalted, is above all these things. Allah is an infinite Essence, that is why He is beyond the world of material. In the world of material, everything is finite and limited.

It has been narrated from Imam Rida (a.s.) who said : "The objective meaning of /'absar/ (the eyes) is not the eyes of head, but it is the eye of heart, the insight. " That is, He (s.w.t.) is beyond apparition, suspicion, and imagination. He cannot be contained in any body's imagination, and none can comprehend the howness of His Essence. (At-Tafsir-ul-Burhan, Vol. 1, PP. 547, 548; Tafsir-us-Safi, P. 145; Tafsir. Jawami'-ul-Jami', P. 230; and Nur-uth-Thaghalayn, Vol. 1, P. 754.)

(104) قَدْ جاءَكُمْ بَصائِرُ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِ وَ مَنْ عَمِيَ فَعَلَيْها وَ ما أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظٍ

104. " Certainly clear proofs have come to you from your Lord. Whoever therefore sees (with insight), it is to his own gain, and whoever be blind, it is to his own loss; and I am not a keeper over you."

Commentary :

" Certainly clear proofs have come to you from your Lord, ..."

The term /basa'ir/ is the plural form of /basirat/ which means some indications and guidances by which the truth will be manifested. It also means the light of the heart (mind), while /basar/ means the light of the eye. Then the phrase means that they have come to you from your Lord with the purpose of paying attention to this matter that what is right to Allah and what is not.

By means of the divine revelation, there have come down some information which are considered as a light and the power of sight for your hearts (minds).

"... Whoever therefore sees (with insight), it is to his own gain, and whoever be blind, it is to his own loss;

That is, the person who looks at the Truth and believes in it, has worked for his own profit; and the one who relinquishes it, has acted toward his own loss.

It is understood from this verse that people are not obliged in doing their affairs. They are free and authorized in choosing them and performing them.

Then, the revelation commands the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) to tell those people that he is not a protector of them to keep their deeds and to give them rewards, but he is only an admonisher, while Allah is their protector. The verse says :

" ... and I am not a keeper over you."

* * *

(105) وَ كَذلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْ‏آياتِ وَ لِيَقُولُوا دَرَسْتَ وَ لِنُبَيِّنَهُ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ

105. " And thus do We repeat the Signs, that they may say (unto you): ' You have studied ', and that We may make it clear to a people who know."

Commentary :

In order to emphasize that the final decision for choosing the way of right and the way of wrong is upon the servants of Allah themselves, the verse says :

" And thus do We repeat the Signs ..."

But a group of the opponents may oppose you and, without having any authentic evidence or research, they say that you have learnt these lessons from the Jews and the Christians, which have been taken from their revealed Books.

"... that they may say (unto you): ' You have studied ', ..."

Yet, Our aim is that We make it manifest for those who have knowledge and understanding.

"... and that We may make it clear to a people who know."

* * *

(106) اتَّبِعْ ما أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ وَ أَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

106. " Follow what is revealed to you from your Lord; there is no god but He; and turn away from the polytheists."

Commentary :

Here, the Qur'an has defined the duty of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) against the quarrelsomenesses, rancours, and accusations of the opponents. This holy verse implies that his duty is to follow whatever has been revealed to him (p.b.u.h.) from the side of Allah (s.w.t.), the Lord, and that there is no diety but He.

The verse says:

" Follow what is revealed to you from your Lord; there is no god but He; ..."

His duty is also to be heedless toward polytheists, their undue accusations, and their vain words. It says :

"... and turn away from the polytheists."

In fact, this verse is a kind of soothing and spiritual strengthening for the Prophet (p.b.u.h.), so that he can be ever firm in his strong determination and that he withdraws aught.

* * *

(107) وَ لَوْ شاءَ اللَّهُ ما أَشْرَكُوا وَ ما جَعَلْناكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظاً وَ ما أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ

107. " And had Allah pleased, they would not have associated others (with Him), and We have not made you a keeper over them, nor are you over them a guardian."

Commentary :

This fact is confirmed again in this verse that Allah does not please to force them to believe in Truth.

" And had Allah pleased, they would not have associated others (with Him), ..."

Also, the holy verse emphasizes on the same subject which was mentioned before, saying :

"... and We have not made you a keeper over them, ..."

As your duty is not to force them to believe, then :

"... nor are you over them a guardian."

The tone of these verses are greatly considerable from this point of view that belief in Allah and in Islam can never have the obligatory state. Hence progression in this way should be performed through the way of logic, reasoning and penetrating in the souls and minds of people. The reason of this idea is that an obligatory belief is worthless. The important matter is that people comprehend the facts and accept them with their own authority and will.

* * *

(108) وَ لا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْواً بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ كَذلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلى‏ رَبِّهِمْ مَرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِما كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

108. " And do not abuse those whom they call upon besides Allah, or they will abuse Allah in revenge without any knowledge. Thus unto every nation have We made their behaviour seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return, so He will inform them of what they used to do."

Commentary :

In this verse, Allah emphasizes on this meaning that idols and deities of the pagans should never be abused. This action causes the holy Essence of Allah to be abused by them, revengefully and unjustly, because of their ignorance.

As it is understood from some Islamic traditions, it happened that sometimes some of the believers who were seriously unbecoming from the phenomenon of idolatry, used indecent language and abused the idols of the pagans. The Qur'an explicitly prohibited that action. From the point of Islam, having modesty and observing the principles of discipline, and courtesy in speech is necessary for a believer, even if it is before the most superstitious and the worst wrong religions. It is not possible to prevent a person from a wrong way by means of abusing him, because everybody is zealous unto his own beliefs and deeds. The verse says :

" And do not abuse those whom they call upon besides Allah, or they will abuse Allah in revenge without any knowledge, ..."

However, every sect or group of people think that their conduct is fair, because it is as their nature pleases, but, in the meantime, they have been introduced the Truth in order that they act accordingly and avoid the falsehood. The verse continues saying :

"... thus unto every nation have We made their behaviour seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return, so He will inform them of what they used to do."

(109) وَ أَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمانِهِمْ لَئِنْ جاءَتْهُمْ آيَةٌ لَيُؤْمِنُنَّ بِها قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْ‏آياتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَ ما يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّها إِذا جاءَتْ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ

109. " And they swore by Allah with the strongest of their oaths, that if a sign came to them they would most certainly believe in it. Say: ' Signs are only with Allah '. And what should make you know that when it comes they will not believe ? "

Commentary :

Once a group of pagans of the Quraysh (1) came to the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and said that he should bring some miracles like those of Moses and Jesus (a.s.), so that they could believe in him. The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) asked them what action he should do. They answered him that he should change the Safa mount (located in Mecca) into gold, restore the dead to life, show them the Lord and the angels, and so on. They swore that in that case they would believe.

Gabriel came down and revealed the verse to the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) indicating that miracles are done according to Allah's Will, not according to their desires.

Moreover, some suggestions that some ignorant people offer are sometimes opposite to human intelligence. It is not such that the world become the hall of exhibition and the system of existence changes with the desires of some pagans.

Gabriel brought the divine message to the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) indicating that if the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) wished, his invitation would be accepted; but if they did not believe in Islam, all of them would be punished seriously and they would be destroyed. So, if their desires were not performed and they were not paid attention to, they might repent and turn to the right way. Then, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) accepted it too, and the verse was revealed saying :

" And they swore by Allah with the strongest of their oaths, that if a sign came to them they would most certainly believe in it. Say: ' Signs are only with Allah '. And what should make you know that when it comes they will not believe ? "

* * *

(1) The Quraysh were the noblest tribe of Arabia, the tribe to which the holy Prophet himself (p.b.u.h.) belonged. They had the custody of the Ka'bah, the central shrine of Arabia.

(110) وَ أَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمانِهِمْ لَئِنْ جاءَتْهُمْ آيَةٌ لَيُؤْمِنُنَّ بِها قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْ‏آياتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَ ما يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّها إِذا جاءَتْ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ

110. " And (because of pertinacities of infidels) We will turn their hearts and their sights, even as they did not believe in it the first time; and We will leave them in their contumacy wandering blindly."

Commentary :

Here, in this verse, Allah announces that as the retribution of their sin and their wrong conduct, He will derange their sights and their hearts. That is, Allah is cognizant of the secrets of the hearts and the treachery of eyes, and He sees their inward (state) which is opposite to their apparent (aspect).

Allah, the Exalted, knew that there was something in those hearts and eyes which was different from what they claimed. Therefore, if the prophetic miracles that they asked for were performed, they could not believe in him yet. It was similar to the condition of their former people when they did not believe in the verses that were revealed for the first time.

Therefore, they will be left to themselves so that they be entangled with their own sins and disobedience. They will sink in their meanness, and remain bewildered. Hence, as a result of their disobedience, they will be punished in the Hereafter.

" And (because of pertinacities of infidels) We will turn their hearts and their sights, even as they did not believe in it the first time; and We will leave them in their contumacy wandering blindly."

* * *

(8)

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