sura mursalat
(those sent forth)
(no.77 ( verses 41-50)

41. "the righteous are amidst shades and fountains (of heaven), "
42. "and fruits such as they desire".

43. "eat ye and drink ye pleasantly (until you are satiated)
in return for
what ye did".
44. "thus do we certainly reward the doers of goad".
45."ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth".
46. "(o ye unjust!) eat and enjoy yourselves (on earth)
a little while, (but
be warned that an evil end in the
hereafter awaits you) for that ye are sinners

47. "ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth".
48. "and when it is said unto them: bow down, they bow not down". 49. "ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth".
50. "(if they do not believe in holy qur`an) then what statement, after that, will they believe in?"

commentary:
what statement will they believe in, if they do not believe in holy qur'an?
we know that the qur'anic style generally couples warning with
glad tidings, threats with encouragement, and the fate of the righteous with
that of the sinners, so that the affairs are better understood. on
this basis, after describing various punishments of the sinners, in the
hereafter, in the aforementioned verses, there follows a short, but
meaningful verse about the state of the righteous on that day:
"the righteous are amidst shades and fountains (of heaven)".

meanwhile, the sinners are in the shade of stifling smoke from

fire, as it was understood from the previous verses. the arabic word
/zilal/ `shadows' is the plural form of "zill" `shadow'; whether in the shade
of a tree and the like, during the day, or in the shadows of the darkness
at night, while "fi" is `to cast a shadow by only a single source of light' such
as the shadow of trees which intercepts the rays of the sun.

* * * *
then it says: "and fruits such as they desire".

it is clear that fruits, shadows, and fountains are a small part of
the blessings that allah will bestow on them: a small part, describable
in human language, is in comparison with all the blessings in heaven,
but so plentiful and beyond the imagination of the earth's dwellers, that
it is indescribable.

* * * *

it is interesting to note that they will be entertained so excellentlym
and abundantly at allah's feast that they are told: "eat ye and drink ye
pleasantly (until you are satiated) in return for what you did".


the statement which is said to them directly, whether by allah or

by angels, is full of kindness and affection; clearly is a sustenance for
their soul.

the phrase,
"for what you did", denotes that these gifts are not
given to anyone undeserving, and nothing is obtained by raw claim or
imagination but, is actually prepared by good deeds.

as raqib cited in mufradat: "hani" means anything that is

wholesome and has no pain afterward. so, water and the daily meal are
thus called and it is sometimes used for life, too.

therefore, this shows that the fruits, foods and drinks, in heaven,

are not the same as those in this world; of which we sometimes suffer
malnutrition, pain and undesirable effects.

some commentators believe that this imperative sentence denotes

to the allowance of using these blessings, lawfully, while some others
believe that this is just a command.

but, on the whole, it should be understood that, at ceremonies,

these commands are a kind of hospitality and the host's desire is that the
guests would be asked to help themselves, as a kind of respect and
dignity shown to them, because he likes that his meal will be eaten
completely, by the guests, and this shows that they honor him.

* * * *

the next verse emphasizes that these gifts are not undeservedly given:

"thus do we certainly reward the doers of good".

* * * *

note that the first verse insists on `righteousness' and `devotion',
then another verse is based on `deed', and this verse emphasizes on
'doing good'.

`righteousness'
or `virtuousness' means avoidance of any sin,
corruption, paganism and the denial of allah and `doing good' is used
for any good action; while `deed' refers only to the activities which are
piously done. so, the blessings bestowed by allah are for these groups,
not for the false claimants of faith and committers of various kinds of
sin, though they appear to he among the faithful people.

* * * *

at the end of this part, the refrain is, again, mentioned: "ah woe,
that day, to the rejecters of truth".

woe to those who are deprived of these blessings and affections.

the pain of the regret of this deprivation is not minor to the blazing fire
of hell.

* * * *

since being busy with worldly pleasures and the desire of having
unconditional freedom for following after carnality, is one of the factors
of the denial of resurrection, the next verse addresses the sinners and
in a threatening tone says: "(o ye unjust!) eat and enjoy yourselves (on
earth) a little while, (but be warned that an evil end, in the hereafter,
awaits you) for that ye are sinners".

the term "qalila"
`a little' can refer either to the short period of
life in this world, or to the few blessings of this world in comparison with
the countless, immense blessings of the next world.

in fact, the righteous are highly regarded in the hereafter and are

addressed with this affectionate sentence: "eat ye and drink ye pleasantly
(until you are satiated)...;
but worldly men are addressed with this
threatening sentence: "(o ye unjust) eat and enjoy yourselves (on earth)
a little while...".

the righteous are told:
"...in return for what ye did", but the
unjust are told: "..for that ye are sinners".

further, it makes it clear that it is man's sin, originating from

faithlessness or lusts, that paves the way for allah's punishment.

* * * *

then, the aforementioned warning is followed again by:

"ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth".

woe to those who were deceived by this scintillating world and its
lusts, and consequently prepared allah's punishment for themselves.

* * * *

in the next verse another source of their disaster, that is: 'pride
and self-conceit', is touched on where it says:

"and when it is said unto them: bow down, they bow not down"

* * * *

many of the commentators have said that this verse was revealed
about the thaqif tribe when the prophet (p.b.u.h.) told them to say
prayers and they answered that they would never bow; that it would be a
disgrace for them. then he (p.b.u.h.) said: "religion is worthless without
bowing and prostration".

they not only refused bowing and prostration, but also had this

quality of pride throughout their life and permeating their ideas. they
resigned neither to allah's will nor to the prophet's instructions nor to
people's rights; they were humble neither to the creator nor to other
human beings. in fact, these two elements, pride and carnality', are the
most important factors in committing crimes, sins, cruelties, and denial.

* * * *

then, finally, for the tenth time in this sura, it says: "ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth".

* * * *

in the last verse of sura mursalat, in a scorning tone and with
profound astonishment, it questions:
"(if they do not believe in holy qur'an) then what statement, after that, will
the believe in?"

one who does not believe in qur'an; that which if it were sent

down on a mountain, that mountain would humble itself and cleave
asunder for fear of allah would not resign to believe in any holy
book or any rational logic, and this is a sign of enmity and obstinacy.

* * * *

as it was mentioned, at the beginning of this sura, the verse: "ah woe, that day, to the rejecters of truth," is repeated ten times for
emphasis on one important fact: resurrection. repetitions, like this one,
are found in the statements of all eloquent speakers for what they want
to emphasize on; whether it be prose or verse.

but some commentators believe that each time the verse is

repeated, it means that it is about a new subject, and which comes just
before the one that the rejecters deny; so, therefore, actually there is no
repetition of the verse.

we conclude this sura with a sentence from `ruh-al-bayan' which

says: "this sura was revealed to the prophet (p.b.u.h.) in a cave somewhere
close to `qif mosque' in mina and i have seen the cave myself.

* * * *

supplication:

o lord!
bestow on us your grace not to reject your verses.


o lord!
protect us against pride and carnal desires; the
main sources of sin.

o lord!
set us in the bliss of the righteous among those
who will be highly regarded at your feast.

 

 

the end

 

sura mursalat
(those sent forth)