RENAISSANCE DECEMBER 2020

7 Monthly Renaissance December 2020 Qur’ ā nic Exegesis S ū rah Mu ḥ ammad Javed A ḥ mad Gh ā mid ī ٰ ﻟﺮﺣۡﻤٰﻦ ﻟﺮﺣﻴۡﻢ ﺑﺴۡﻢ ﷲ ٰ ﺿﻞ ﻋۡﻤﺎﻟﻬﻢۡ ﴿ ﻟﺬﻳۡﻦ ﻛ! وۡ و ﺻﺪوۡ ﻋﻦۡ ﺳﺒﻴۡﻞ ﷲ ١﴾ و ﻟﺬﻳۡﻦ ٰﻣﻨﻮۡ و ﻋﻤﻠﻮ ﻟﺼٰﻠﺤٰﺖو ٰﻣﻨﻮۡ ﺑﻤﺎﻧﺰلﻋ-ٰ,ﻣﺤﻤ ﻛ! ﻋﻨۡﻬﻢۡ ﺳﻴﺎٰﺗﻬﻢۡ و ﺻۡﻠﺢﺑﺎﻟﻬﻢۡ ﴿ 5 ۡ ﺪٍ وﻫﻮ ﻟۡﺤﻖﻣﻦۡ رﺑﻬﻢ ٢﴾ ذٰﻟﻚﺑﺎن ﻟﺬﻳۡﻦﻛ! و ﺗﺒﻌﻮ ﻟۡﺒﺎﻃﻞو ن ﻟﺬﻳۡﻦ ٰﻣﻨﻮ ﺗﺒﻌﻮ ﻟۡﺤﻖﻣﻦۡ رﺑﻬﻢۡ @ﻛﺬٰﻟﻚ In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Ever-Merciful. God has laid waste the deeds of those who denied and stopped [others] from the path of God. 1 And those who professed faith and did righteous deeds and believed in what has been revealed to Mu ḥ ammad 2 – and it precisely is the truth from their Lord – God has distanced their sins from them and has set right their affairs. 3 This is because those who denied followed evil and the believers have followed the truth which has come from their Lord. 4 Thus 1. This s ū rah begins without any prior introduction after the note of threat on which S ū rah al-A ḥ q ā f ended. The mention of rendering deeds in vain actually refers to rendering in vain the efforts of these people to stop people from the path of God. These are glad tidings for the future which are stated in the past tense to express the certainty of God’s decision. 2. Ie., they were not influenced by the propoganda of people who were talking about a compromise between Islam and disbelief. They wanted that they be given some leeway and belief in the prophethood of Mu ḥ ammad not be insisted upon. The matter of such people has been discussed in earlier s ū rahs . In the coming verses, it is for this very reason it is specified that the Qur’ ā n alone is the truth. 3. This is a comprehensive expression and covers both inner and outer circumstances and situations. 4. This is stated because once conclusive communication of the truth takes place from God’s messenger, the verdict referred to earlier is necessarily passed between good and evil.