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The Light of the Holy Quran
Sura Insan

There are different titles for this Sura. The most famous are "MAN" (Insan), "TIME" (Dahr) and "HAS THERE COME" (Hal-ata); each of which is taken from one of the words at the beginning of the Sura; however, in the traditions we will discuss, here, about the virtue of the Sura, only Hal-ata is mentioned.

In The Name Of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

Sura Insan

(Human)

No.76 (31 Verses)

(The Arabic meaning of 'Insan' is 'Human'. In the English language the words 'Mankind' and 'Man' are also used for 'Human' and we have used 'Man' in the text.)

Contents of the Sura:

In spite of its brevity, this Sura presents a deep, varied and comprehensive theme which can be divided into five sections:

1. Man's creation from a drop of mingled sperm; his guidance and his free-will.

2.The reward offered to the Righteous abrar (This part has a special occasion for its revelation in relation to the household of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.), ie. Ahlul-Bait; which will be discussed at a later point.)

3. The merits which cause one to deserve the rewards.

4. The importance of The Qur'an, the manner of conducting its principles and the demanding road of self-perfection.

5. The dominance of Allah's Will (even though man has limited free-will).

There are different titles for this Sura. The most famous are "MAN" (Insan), "TIME" (Dahr) and "HAS THERE COME" (Hal-ata); each of which is taken from one of the words at the beginning of the Sura; however, in the traditions we will discuss, here, about the virtue of the Sura, only Hal-ata is mentioned.

* * * *

Was the Sura revealed In Medina?

The consensus of scholars and commentators is that all or at least part of the beginning verses, which explain the position or dignity of the Righteous and their good deeds, were revealed in Medina. The occasion of revelation about them, that is, the story of Ali, Fatima, Hassan, Hosain (P.B.U.TH.) and Fezza (their house-helper); and their vows, will be explained in detail at the appropriate time.

From among the famous scholars, we can mention Qartabi the well-known commentator who points out: " The consensus of scholars believe that the Sura has been revealed in Medina."(1)

In addition to this, we can also mention the following:

1. Hakim Ab-aI-Qasim Haskani has, in detail, quoted from Ibn-Abbas the number of verses, which were separately revealed in Mecca and Medina. He has considered it as a Medinan Sura which has been revealed after Sura Al-Rahman and before Sura Al-Taha .(2) Prof. Ahmad Zahid, the writer of 'Idah', has also quoted the same from Ibn-Abbas. (3)

2. Abu 'Abdullah Zanjani, in his book, Tharikh-i-Qur'an (The history of the Qur'an) has quoted from 'Nazm-ad-Dorar wa Tanasiq-aI-Ayat-I wa'l-Sowar' that a group of scholars have considered this Sura among the Medinan ones.(4)

3. From the same source, (Tharikh-l-Qur'an, quoting from Fihrist-I- Ibn Nadim) is quoted from Ibn-Abbaas that this Sura is considered the eleventh Medinan Sura.(5)

4. Suyuti, in his book 'Itqan' has quoted from Dalayl-al-Nabowwa by Beyhaqi, who has in turn quoted from 'Akrama that: " Sura Insan was revealed in Medina.(6)

5. In Durr al-Manthur, the same comment from Ibn-Abbas is quoted in different forms.(7)

6.Tafsir-i Kashshaf, a commentary, is where Zamakhshari has pointed out that the occasion of revelation, in the beginning verses, was about the vows taken by Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hosain (P.B.U.TH.). (8)

7. There are still many other scholars, besides the aforementioned ones, who say that the beginning verses are about Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hosain (P.B.U.H.).(9)

This verifies that the Sura has been revealed in Medina (since we know that Hassan and Hosain (P.B.U.H.) were born in Medina). Among these scholars' books we can mention the master Vahidi's 'Asbas al-Nozul', Baqavi's 'Ma'alim-at-Tanzil', Sebt Ibn-Jouzi's "Tathkirah", Ganji Shafi'i's 'Kifayat-at-Ta1ib' and so on. This verification is so reputable and well known that Mohammad Ibn-Idris Shafi'i has referred to it in his poem:

"How longs, how longs. Up until when.
Will you reproach me my love
For this Sentle man?
Was not Fatima marries but only to him?
And was not Hal-ata revealed
About only but him?"

There are many other evidences supporting these views, some of which, will be pointed out later, when the occasion of revelation of the verses is discussed.

In spite of these facts, some enthusiasts still insist on counting the Sura among Meccan ones and rejectn all the narrations about the revelation of the Sura being revealed in Medina as well as the revelation of this Sura being about Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hosain (P.B.U.H.).

* * * *

The Virtue in studying Sura Insan (Man)

There is a tradition from the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) that says:"One who studies Sura Hal-ata will be rewarded Heaven and clothes of silk (in Heaven) by Allah."(10)

There is also a narration from Imam Baqir (P.B.U.H.) which says: "One of the rewards for a person who studies Sura Hal-ata every Thursday morning is that he will be with the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) on the Day of Judgment." (11)

(1) Tafsir-i-Qartabi, vol. 10, p. 6909.
(2) Majma'-al-Bayan, vol. 10, p. 405.
(3) Ibid
(4) Tarikh Qur'an, p. 55.
(5) Ibid
(6) Al-Mizan, vol. 20, p. 221.
(7) Ibid
(8) Kashshaf, vol. 4, p. 670.)
(9) Ihqaq-al-Haqq, vol. 3, p. 157-170.
(10) Majma'-al-Bayan, vol. 10, p. 402.
(11) Ibid

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

Sura Insan

(Human)

No. 76 (verses 1-4)

(1) هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى الْإِنسَانِ حِينٌ مِّنَ الدَّهْرِ لَمْ يَكُن شَيْئًا مَّذْكُورًا
(2) إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا
(3) إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا
(4) إِنَّا أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ سَلَاسِلَا وَأَغْلَالًا وَسَعِيرًا

1. Has there not been over Man a long period of Time when he was a thing not worth mentioning?

2. Surely We created Man from a drop of mingled semen, in order to try him: so We gave him hearing and sight.

3. Surely We showed him the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (is up to him).

4. We have prepared Chains, Yokes and a Blazing Fire for the Rejecters.

Commentary:

We transformed the lowly mixture of sperm (and egg) into Man, then We made all the faculties of guidance available to him.

Though most of the details in this Sura are about Resurrection and the Blessings of Heaven, there is, at the beginning of the Sura, some discussion on the creation of Man. It becomes understood that if one takes note of the creation then one may be able to act cautiously in anticipation of the Resurrection.

The question is asked, " Has there not been over Man a long period of Time when he was a thing not worth mentioning?" The answer, undoubtedly, is in the affirmative.

For a long time the tiny essential particles of his being were scattered in different places. They could have been in the soil, among the tiny droplets of water in the seas, or in the atmosphere. In fact, each of these three environments was so vast that the particles were lost within them and were so small as not to be worthy of mention.

Does the term 'Man', in the first verse, refer to all the members of mankind or does it only refer to 'Adam'? The next verse continues: " Surely we created 'Man' from a drop of mingled semen..." so, we can say this is a clear indication that it is referring to all of mankind; {since it is a known fact that this is definitely how Man reproduces. and not by any other means. It is not a condition of coming into existence only for Adam.}

However, some commentators believe that the term 'Man', in the first verse, refers to 'Adam' and that 'Man', in the second verse, indicates 'mankind' as a whole. However, this seems to be a contradiction in thought and does not appear to be probable.

In the following sentence, "...he was considered a thing not worth mentioning?" , there are various ideas put forth on this issue and one of them is that when Man was but mingled sperm (and egg), he was not worthy of mention, however, later when the entity possessed the higher stage of development it became a worthy being.

[It has been narrated from Imam Baqir (P.B.U.H.). the fifth Imam, that Man's existence was known to Allah', even though he was not mentioned as being a worthy entity until Allah created him in the physical form.] (1)

Other interpretations indicate that the term 'Man', in this verse, means 'learned people' who were not recognized at first, but subsequently became so, after having obtained their knowledge. They were, then, mentioned everywhere, among all people, while they were alive and even after their death.

Now, we come to the process of the second stage which is the creation of Man and his becoming worthy of mention. The verse says, "Surely We created Man from a drop of mingled semen, in order to try him:so We gave him hearing and sight."

The term /amshaj/ is the plural form of /mashaj/ or /mashij/ which means 'mingled' or 'mixed'. The creating of Man from 'mingled semen' probably refers to the mixture of sperm and egg and their unification, or it could refer to the various talents possessed by man through heritage; which exists in the genes, DNA, and Chromosomes that are in every sperm and egg. Or, perhaps it refers to a combination of all of the aforementioned cases. If so, the last idea is the most complete and suitable.

It may be possible that the term 'mingled' refers to the process of development, upon unification of sperm and egg; which leads the mixture to develop into a foetus and then into Man. With the term /nabtalih/"We try him...", we can understand that Man deserves the honor of duty, undertaking, responsibility, examination and trial, which is one of the greatest divine blessings Allah has gifted to Man.

Since duty and examination are not possible unless there is awareness; hence, hearing and sight are given to Man. This fact is mentioned at the end of the verse; making it clear for us that the former cannot exist without the latter.

Some commentators have also suggested that the intention for the examination is the process of developing the sperm to foetus and, then, to a complete Man. However, upon careful examination of the phrase "We try him..." and "Man", the first interpretation seems more suitable.

By accepting this definition, we can understand that the origin in all of the conception of 'Man' is in his sensational understanding. In other words, sensational understanding is the basis of all rationalities. Most Islamic philosophers support this idea and Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, approved of the idea, as well.

* * * *

Since, in the duty and examination of 'Man', two more factors are required, that is, 'guidance' and 'free-will' are added to understanding; the next verse insists, then, that "Surely We guided him to the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (is up to him)."

Guidance, it can be said, has a broad meaning containing the following three branches: divine guidance, natural guidance and religious guidance. This verse, of course, mostly intends to convey the third branch, i.e. 'religious guidance'.

Explanation:

Since Allah has created Man with a special goal in mind: 'examination and development' , He has prepared the necessary faculties for these fulfilments in his being. This can be considered 'divine guidance'.

Thereupon, He has made Man naturally eager to follow the Way and with the help of his natural inclinations, has shown him its direction. This can be considered natural guidance'.

Further, He has given a mission to some heavenly leaders and great prophets in order for them to train Man, show him the right direction and teach him the clear religious laws; so that he may perform his duty correctly. This can be considered 'religious guidance'. These three kinds of guidance, of course, are for all members of mankind; without any exception.

On the whole, this verse indicates three points which are important for the destiny in the life of Man: 'duty', 'guidance' and 'free-will'; all of which are both interdependent and complementary to each other. By the way, there will be no room for the case of fatalism to exist when it says: " Surely We guided him to the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (is up to him)."

The terms /shakiran/ 'grateful' and /kafuran/ 'ungrateful' are the most fitting, here, because those who obey Allah and assume to follow His guidance are thankful, but those who disobey and do not follow the direction are sinners gone astray.

No one can be completely thankful for Allah's blessings, but those who repay this favor with ingratitude are the worst. They have neither appreciation for Allah guidance nor the many ways that He has provided this guidance; which are always available. (In Arabic, there is only one term used for those who are 'ungrateful' and for the 'unbelievers': /kafur/.The same is noted in Mufradat by Raqib).

* * * *

In the next verse, there is a short, but meaningful point that relates to the fate of those who are ungrateful; it says: "We have prepared Chains, Yokes and a Blazing Fire for the Rejecters.

The sense derived from the term /a'tadna/, " We have prepared... is, an emphasis on the existence of punishment; which is unavoidable for the rejecters. We know that preparation is for common people who are limited in their abilities and must make prior arrangements for their supplies, so that when they are in need they are sure that they will have everything ready. This is not true when speaking of Allah because whenever JI Wills something to "Be" , it will be done at once and preparation is meaningless. However, to show the certainty of the existence of punishment for the rejecters, He insists that there is a means for the punishment; it is ready-made and there is no doubt about it.

Further along in the sentence, we see that /salasil/ 'chains' is the plural form of /silsilah/ which, here, means: 1.) A flexible series of jointed links or rings usually of some kind of metal. 2.) That which binds, as a prisoner held in chains. The term /aqlal/ 'yokes' is the plural form of 'qul' 'yoke' which means: a wooden frame or bar with loops or bows at either end, used for harnessing together a pair of oxen, etc. Here, 'yoke', is a heavy iron ring held on the neck or hands and is fastened with a chain.

On the whole, chains, yokes and blazing fire, which are mentioned in this verse, indicate a great harmful punishment for the rejecters. This sense is also pointed out in several other verses of the Qur'an. They denote both captivity and torture as punishment.

Man's using his free-will for following after his lusts during his lifetime, in this world, will be the reason for that pain in the next life. In fact, that 'blazing fire' that man will encounter later, is the incarnation of the fire he, himself, has made by his evil deeds in this world.

* * * *

Explanation:

THE FOETUS AND ITS DEVELOPMENT

We know that the human zygote is an entity formed by the unification of the male sperm and the female egg. The sperm, itself, its combination with the egg and the different steps of fetal development into Man is a great marvel in human existence. Some of the mysteries have been uncovered in the study of embryology, but there are some further areas yet to be discovered. A few of the above mentioned wonders are as follows:

1. Sperm: Floating in the semen of men is a very microscopic creature that has a head, neck and moving tail. (And what a miracle it is!: The tail propels it through the inhospitable environment, inside the vagina, on its journey to fertilize the egg. The environment of the vagina is very acidic and there are only a certain number of days in a month in which the platens are vertical, in the female secretions, so that the spermatozoa can travel the distance without hindrance. At other times the platens are in a hodge-podge array and this makes it virtually impossible for the sperm to move in a straight line. Also, some of the spermatozoa may be deformed and unable, themselves, to make the journey.)

Every time a man has an ejaculation, he discharges, in the seminal fluid, an average of 70 million sperm per milliliter or 100 million spermatozoa or more--this is equal to the population of several countries, but only one of them, most usually, succeeds in entering the ovum so that fertilization can take place. (2) This number is very large because, as mentioned above, many of the spermatozoa will be destroyed on their long and arduous journey.

2. Egg: The wonderful characteristic of the egg is that it allows one sperm to enter it. (However, on rare occasions more than one sperm enters resulting in 'identical' twins or more than one egg is released from the ovum sac resulting in 'fraternal' twins). Also, within the egg the miraculous cell division process takes place.

3. Uterus: The uterus is a muscular organ and serves as a place for reception, retention, and nutrition of the conceptus, which it expels during labor. It resembles a flattened pear in shape and the size varies depending on the age of the female. The remarkable ability of the cervix to dilate results from dissociation of collagen. The blood supply of the uterus is derived principally from the uterine and ovarian arteries.

4. Amnionic Fluid: The foetus is in a thick, essentially colorless, fluid in a sac called the 'placenta'. This fluid protects the foetus against the mother's various quick, sharp movements or any other violent disturbances. Moreover, it regulates the foetal temperature, so that the changes in the outside temperature cannot easily effect it. The most interesting point is that, most generally, the fluid keeps the foetus in a weightless state, which is very efficient and prevents limb stress.

5. Placenta and Cord: The foetus receives nourishment through the placenta and umbilical cord. The mothers' blood is accompanied by food materials and oxygen that arrives at the placenta and after a refining process goes to the foetus' heart through the umbilical cord and then moves through its body.

6. Conception: After fertilization, the mature ovum becomes a zygote, which then undergoes segmentation. Some biological scientists believe that the ovum carries positive electric charges and the sperm has negative electric charges, then they attract each other. However, when the sperms enter the ovum, the charge is changed to a negative charge. In so doing, the other sperms in the surrounding area will be repelled. Other scientists maintain that when the sperm enters the egg, some chemicals will be released causing the remaining spermatozoa to move away. Whichever the case may be, in a couple of days the zygote attaches itself to the wall of the uterine cavity. From there, if there are no complications in the growth and development process, a new being will enter this world.

From the beginning of the fourth month, the foetus is capable of respiratory movement sufficiently intense to move amnionic fluid in and out of the respiratory tract. (3) Air-breathing is initiated by the rapid replacement of bronchial and alveolar fluid by air. (4)

(1) Majma'-al-Bayan, vol. 10. p. 406.
(2) Williams Obstetrics, 15th Edition, p. 87.
(3) Williams Obstetrics, 15th Edition, p. 158.
(4) Williams Obstetrics, 15th Edition, p. 385.

Sura Insan

(Human)

No. 76 (verses 5-11)

(5) إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ يَشْرَبُونَ مِن كَأْسٍ كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا كَافُورًا
(6) عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا عِبَادُ اللَّهِ يُفَجِّرُونَهَا تَفْجِيرًا
(7) يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا كَانَ شَرُّهُ مُسْتَطِيرًا
(8) وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا
(9) إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا
(10) إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوْمًا عَبُوسًا قَمْطَرِيرًا
(11) فَوَقَاهُمُ اللَّهُ شَرَّ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ وَلَقَّاهُمْ نَضْرَةً وَسُرُورًا

5." Verily, the Righteous drink of a cup; the mixture of which is (like) camphor."

6. " A fountain, where the servants of Allah drink, flows in abundance (wherever they wish)"

7." They fulfill (their) vows and fear a Day, the chastisement of which is widespread."

8. " And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive."

9. (Saying): " We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks."

10. " We only fear from our Lord a Day, frowningly severe."

11. " Therefore, Allah will guard them against the evil of that Day, and will grant over them a Light of Beauty and a (blissful) joy."

The Occasion of Revelation:

A great evidence for the superiority and excellence of Ahlul-Bayt; the household of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.).

Ibn-Abbas says that Hassan and Hosain (P.B.U.H.) were sick The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) and a group of followers came to visit them. They suggested to Hazrat Ali to take a vow for their recovery. So, Ali Fatima and Fezza (their house-helper) took a vow that if Hassan and Hosain recovered, they would fast for three days. (According to the same narration, Hassan and Hosain (P.B.U.H.) made the same vow.)

After a short while both of them recovered. Therefore, the family fasted for the first day, but, as they were in dire need for food stuffs, Hazrat Ali borrowed some barley and Hazrat Fatima ground one-third of it into flour and baked some bread.

With the onset of evening, when they were preparing to break their fasts, an indigent person came to their door and said, " Peace be upon you, the Household of Mohammad. I am a needy Muslim, so please give me some food. May Allah bestow upon you, in kind, from divine sustenance." All of them gave priority to him and gave him their shares. That night, they broke their fast with only water.

The following day they fasted again, but, like the previous day, an orphan came to the door. Once more, they forfeited their bread and ate nothing but water.

The next day, they fasted for the third time. This day a captive came to their house and they repeated their charity.

On the fourth day, All took Hassan and Hosain with himself to see the Prophet. When the Prophet observed their condition; they were trembling with hunger, he said, "It grieves me to see you in this condition." Then, he stood up and walked with them. When he arrived at their home, he found Fatima praying. Her stomach was sunk in to her back- bone and her eyes had become sunken, too. The Prophet was greatly affected. At this moment Gabriel descended and said, " O, Mohammad receive this Sura. Allah congratulates you for having such a family." And then Gabrielrecited, to him, Sura Hal-Ata.(1)

Commentary:

The Great Reward for the Righteous

In the aforementioned verses (1-4)human beings were divided into two groups; the grateful and the ungrateful and reference was made to the 'punishment and penalty' for the ungrateful But, in these verses there is a recount of the 'Rewards' offered to the Righteous.

First, it says, " Verily, the Righteous drink of a cup; the mixture of which is (like) camphor

The term /abrar/ is the plural form of /barr/, which originally means 'broadness and expansiveness '. For this reason, dry land and vast deserts, as opposed to large bodies of water, are called /barr/ Thus, this term is applied to the Righteous (people who do good), because their good deeds have extensive effects on the society.

The word /birr/ means 'to be pious', 'just', or 'to act justly'. It is said that making the distinction between /khayr/ and /birr/ is for the reason that the former has a general meaning of goodness while the latter has the specific meaning of 'goodness accompanied by intention'.

The term /kafur/ has various meanings; one of which is 'good smelling'. Another meaning is 'fragrant plant' or a plant which has a sweet fragrance. Also, it has the common meaning of 'a sharp odor' that has medical applications, e.g. for sterilizing or disinfecting. The other meaning has its importance as an extraordinarly white and cool substance, and it is famous, because of its coolness and whiteness.

Furthermore, this verse indicates that this purifying drink is so fragrant that it is enjoyed both through the senses of taste and smell. On the whole, /kafur/ has been considered as having the same value as musk and ambegris; the famous sweet fragrances.

Then, it refers to the fountainhead from which this cup of divine drink is filled; and says, "A fountain, where from the servants of Allah drink, flows in abundance (wherever they wish)." This purified fountain is under their control in such a way that it flows wherever they wish.

It is worthy of mention that in a tradition from Imam Baqir (P.B.U.H.) it is quoted that in a description of the fountain he said that this fountain is placed in the house of the Prophet and from there it flows to the houses of the previous prophets (P.B.U.H.) and believers.

It is true that, as in this world, the fountains of knowledge and mercy flow from the Prophet's house toward the servants of Allah and the righteous, and in the next world (which is a great illustration of this condition) the fountain of the divine pure drink will originate from his house and therefore, to the houses of other believers.

The term /yufajjirun/ is based on the word /tafjjr/ which, itself, is derived from the root /fajara/ which means 'to cause water to flow' or 'to break' on a large scale, whether breaking the earth or anything else. When, as it seems, the light of the morning breaks the dark curtain of the night; this light is called /fajr/. Also, they call an evildoer /fajir/ (wicked), because he breaks open the curtain of modesty and piety. However, in this verse it means 'the opening of the ground'.

It is remarkable that among the many blessings of Heaven, referred to in this Sura, the first to be mentioned is this 'special pure fragrant drink'. Perhaps, because after passing their account on the Day of Judgment and on their arrival into Heaven, by drinking this drink, they clear their hearts from any grief, discomfort and impurity. Then, they can benefit from the other divine blessings, while they are basking in the love of Allah.

* * * *

In the following verses, the deeds and qualifications of the 'Righteous' and 'servants of Allah' are described. Their eligibility for such unparalleled blessings is reasoned through having five characteristics. It says: " They fulfill (their) vows and fear a Day; the chastisement of which is widespread ".

The terms 'they fulfill (their) vows' and 'fear Allah' (including some later sentences, which are all said infast, at the end of each day, but by only drinking water and their hea the present tense) indicate that this is their ever-existing, routine practice.

As was explained, earlier, regarding the occasion of revelation, the true essence of these verses is targeted at Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hosain (P.B.U.TH.), for they fulfilled their vows of fasting for three consecutive days, and did not break their rts were filled with the fear of Allah and the Day of Judgment.

The term /mustatir/ means 'vast', or 'scattered', which refers to the great and various punishments on that Great Day.

When they fulfilled their own vow, they definitely respected and fulfilled what Allah has made obligatory Their fear of the chastisement of the Great Day was due to their deep belief in the Resurrection, and to their intensive responsibility in regard to Allah's command.

They truly believed in the Resurrection and the penalties which are waiting for the wrong-doers. This belief is made manifest by their own sincere actions.

* * * *

Then, referring to the third worthy deed of the Righteous, it says:

And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive."

* * * *

Donating food at the time of severe self-need requires great generosity. It was not simply feeding someone, since their action demanded sacrifices at a time when they, themselves, were in the greatest need.

On the other hand, this has a broad implication which includes: the indigent, orphans and captives; and hence, their generosity covers a large variety of 'needy'. The embedded meaning in the Arabic text /'ala hubbihi/ refers to 'the food' and denotes the fact that they donated the food which they craved for. This conforms with the sense of Sura Al-i- 'Imran, No. 3, verse 92 which says: "By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give freely (benevolently) of that which you love,..."

The meaning of /miskin/ 'indigent', /yatim/ 'orphan' and /asir/ 'captive' are clear, but, among the commentators, there is no agreement as to the exact meaning and the kind of /asir/ 'captive' , which is mentioned in the verse; but on the whole, the word 'captive' refers to one who was taken captive in the wars with atheists or polytheists.

According to the occasion of revelation, a captive had come to the door of Ali's house, when usually a captive would have been put in prison.

As we understand from history, the explanation is that at the time of Mohammad (P.B.U.H.), there were no prisons at all The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) distributed the captives among the Muslims to guard, however, he told them to be kind to the captives and to take good care of them. At times when those Muslims had problems in providing for their captives, they asked for help from other fellow Muslims. The 'guards' went with the captive or they sent him alone to seek their help. It is known that at that period in history, Muslims had very difficult times. Later, as the Muslims' territory and rule spread and when the number of criminal captives increased, with the spread of government, jails were built and the expenses were paid from the Muslims' treasury.

In any event, we understand from the above verse that one of the best acts is feeding the poor and the needy; not only those of Muslims, but also the poor and the needy from other territories and even pagans are included as a matter of Islamic routine. It is so important that feeding them is considered one of the prominent good deeds of 'the righteous'.

It has been narrated that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) told the believers that they should treat the captives well and fair. When the Muslims heard this; giving priority to captives, they even, at times, donated their own food to them. (2)

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The fourth prominent characteristic of the Righteous is considered to be 'pureness and sincerity'; it says: "(Saying): 'We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.'

They behave, thus, not only in the case of feeding the needy, but what they do is also sincere and for the sake of Allah They desire no reward nor thanks from anyone.

Basically, in Islam, the value of an action is in its sincerity and pure immaculate intention, and hence, activities which have worldly motivations, whether they be hypocritical or for people's approval and appreciation or for lusts or for venal rewards, have no Islamic or moral value. A famous tradition from the Prophet (P.B.U.H.), which attests to this fact, says: " No deed is accepted unless (it is done) with the pure intention for Allah".

The term /wajh/ means literally 'face, countenance' then, the meaning of /wajh-i-llah/ is 'The face of Allah', but we know that Allah does not have a bodily face. 'Face' is the symbol of personality or self, then the meaning is 'the essence of Allah' as we read in Sura Baqarah No. 2, verse 272: " ...when you spend not except in search of Allah's countenance...".And also from Sura Kahf, No. 18 verse 28, it says: "And restrain yourself along with those who call on their Lord morning and evening desiring His countenance..."

On the last characteristic of 'The Righteous' it says: "We only fear from our Lord a day, frowningly severe". This statement can be made by their own tongue or by their mute mannerisms. The term 'frowning'is usually used to describe the persons who are distraught , hence it is used for the Day of Judgment, since the Day and its events are so stern and distressful that not only people are frowning, but the Day, itself, is also frowning. The term /qamtarir/ has often been used in the sense of 'being stern and calamitous'.

Here, a question arises: The Righteous act only for the sake of Allah, then why are they afraid of His punishment? Does their divine motive match with the motive of fear of the punishments on the Day of Judgment? Paying attention to one point makes the answer to the question clear.

The Righteous do everything, in any case, for the sake of Allah. If they are afraid of the punishments on the Day of Judgment, it is because they are His punishments and if they love for the Blessings of Heaven, it is because they are His blessings. This is the same fact that is discussed in Islamic jurisprudence about the intention of a devotional act which says: devotional acts, for gaining Allah's affinity, do not contradict the desire of reward and the fear of punishment or even asking Allah for worldly gifts, such as the prayer of asking for rain, because all of them relate to Allah; though the high stage of a devotional act is that it is done totally only for the love of Allah, not for the desire of the Blessings in Heaven or for the fear of punishment in Hell.

The verse: "We only fear from our Lord a Day, frowningly severe" attests to the fact that this fear is also like having the fear of Allah.

It is noteworthy that the second and the fifth characteristics are both on the subject of fear, but with a difference, in that, the former only mentions the fear of the Day of Judgment, while in the latter it refers to the fear of Allah on that Day. At one point, 'Day' is described by 'the chastisement of which is widespread' and another time it is characterized as 'frowning and calamitous'. In fact, one shows its vastness and the other refers to its spiritual quality.

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Verse No. 11 points to a part of the result of the good deeds and pure intentions of the Righteous. It says: "Therefore, Allah will guard them against the evil of that Day and will grant over them a Light of Beauty and a (blissful) joy."

The term /nadrah/ means 'a special refreshment and happiness resulting from the abundance of blessing and comfort'. Truly, their appearance shows their inner calmness and happiness on that Day. Therefore, if they feared the Day, because of their responsibility in this world, on that Day Allah would make them happy in return.

The term /laqahum/ 'they meet', used in this verse, is very interesting and meaningful. It shows that Allah receives them with He Grace, and places them in the Light of His Mercy and because of this, they are full of joy and happiness.

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