What is Islam
AL HAJJ (The Pilgrimage).

1 O mankind! fear your Lord! for the convulsion of the hour (of Judgement) will be a thing terrible!
2 The day ye shall see it, every mother giving suck shall forget her suckling babe, and every pregnant female shall drop her load (unformed): thou shalt see mankind as in a drunken riot, yet not drunk: but dreadful will be the wrath of Allah.
3 And yet among men There are such as dispute about Allah, without knowledge, and follow every evil one obstinate in rebellion!
4 About the (Evil one) It is decreed that whoever turns to him for friendship, Him will he lead astray, And he will guide him To the penalty of the fire.
5 O mankind! if ye have a doubt about resurrection, (consider) that we created you out of dust, then out of Sperm, then out of a leech like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh, partly unformed, in order that We may manifest (our power) to you; and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs For an appointed term, Then do we bring you out as babes, then (foster you) that ye may reach your age Of full strength; and some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, So that they know nothing after having know (much). And (further), thou seest the earth barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).
6 This is so, because Allah Is the Reality: it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who has power over all things.
7 And verily the hour will come: there can be no doubt about it, or about (the fact) that Allah will raise up all who are in the graves.
8 Yet there is among men such a one as disputes about Allah, without knowledge, without guidance, and without a Book of enlightenment,
9 (Disdainfully) bending his side, in order to lead (men) astray from the path of Allah: For him there is disgrace In this life, and on the day of Judgment we shall make him taste the penalty of burning (fire).
10 (It will be said): this is because of the deeds which thy hands sent forth, for verily Allah is not unjust to his servants.
11 There are among men some who serve Allah, As it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, Therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that Is loss for all to see!
12 They call on such deities, besides Allah, as can neither hurt nor profit them: that is straying far indeed (from the way)!
13 (Perhaps) they call on one Whose hurt is nearer than his profit: evil, indeed, is the patron, and evil The companion (for help)!
14 Verily Allah will admit those who believe and work righteous deeds, to Gardens, beneath which rivers flow: for Allah carries out all that He plans.
15 If any think that Allah will not help him (His Messenger) in this world and the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling and cut (himself) off: then let him see whether his plan will remove that which enrages (him)!
16 Thus have we sent down Clear Signs; and verily Allah doth guide whom he will!
17 Those who believe (in the Quran), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians, Christians, Magians, and Polytheists, Allah will judge between them On the day of Judgment: For Allah is witness of all things.
18 Seest thou not that To Allah bow down in worship all things that are in the heavens and on earth, The sun, the moon, the stars; the hills, the trees, the animals; and a great number among Mankind? But a great number are (also) such as are fit for punishment: and such as Allah shall disgrace, none can raise to honour: for Allah carries out all that He wills.
19 These two antagonists dispute with each other about their Lord: but those who deny (their Lord), for them will be cut out a garment of Fire: over their heads will be poured out boiling water.
20 With it will be scalded what is within their bodies, as well as (their) skins.
21 In addition there will be maces of iron (to punish) them.
22 Every time they wish to get away therefrom from anguish, they will be forced back therein, and (It will be said), taste ye the Penalty of burning!
23 Allah will admit those Who believe and work righteous deeds, to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow: they shall be Adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments there will be of silk.
24 For they have been guided (In this life) to the purest of speeches; they have been guided to the path of Him Who is worthy of (all) praise.
25 As to who have rejected (Allah), and would keep back (men) from the way of Allah, and From the Sacred Mosque, which We have made (open) to (all) men Equal is the dweller there and the visitor from the country and any whose purpose therein Is profanity or wrong doing them will we cause to taste Of a most grievous penalty.
26 Behold! We gave the site, to Abraham, of the (sacred) house, (saying): associate not anything (in worship) with me; and sanctify my House for those who compass it round, or stand up, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer).
27 And proclaim the pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) On every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways;
28 That they may witness the benefits (provided) for them, and celebrate the name Of Allah, through the Days Appointed, over the cattle which he has provided for them (for sacrifice): then eat ye Thereof and feed the distressed Ones in want.
29 Then let them complete The rites prescribed For them, perform their vows, And (again) circumambulate The Ancient House.
30 Such (is the Pilgrimage): Whoever honours the sacred Rites of Allah, for him It is good in the sight Of hid Lord. Lawful to you (For food in Pilgrimage) are cattle, Except those mentioned to you (As exceptions): but shun The abomination of idols, And shun the word That is false,
31 Being true in Faith to Allah, And never assigning partners To Him: if anyone assigns Partners to Allah, he is As if he had fallen From heaven and been snatched up By birds, or the wind Had swooped (like a bird On its prey) and thrown him Into a far distant place.
32 Such (is his state): and Whoever holds in honour The Symbols of Allah, (In the sacrifice of animals), Such (honour) should come truly From piety if heart.
33 In them ye have benefits For a term appointed: In the end their place Of Sacrifice is near The Ancient House.
34 To every people did We Appoint rites (of sacrifice), That they might celebrate The name of Allah over The sustenance He gave them From animals (fit for food). But your God is One God: Submit then your wills to Him (In Islam): and give thou The good news to those Who humble themselves,
35 To those whose hearts, When Allah is mentioned, Are filled with fear, Who show patient perseverance Over their afflictions, keep up Regular prayer, and spend (In Charity) out of what We have bestowed upon them.
36 The sacrificial camels We have made for you As among the Symbols from Allah: in them is (much) Good for you: then pronounce The name of Allah over them As they are down On their sides (after slaughter), Eat ye thereof, and feed Such as (beg not but) Live in contentment, And such as beg With due humility: thus have We made animals subject To you, that ye May be grateful.
37 It is not their meat Nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety That reaches Him: He Has thus made them subject To you, that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: And proclaim the good news to all who do right.
38 Verily Allah will defend (From ill) those who believe: Verily, Allah loveth not Any that is a traitor To Faith, or shows ingratitude.
39 To those against whom War is made, permission Is given (to fight), because They are wronged; and verily, Allah is Most Powerful For their aid;
40 (They are) those who have Been expelled from their homes In defiance of right, (For no cause) except That they say. Our Lord Is Allah. Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, There would surely have been Pulled down monasteries, churches, Synagogues, and mosques, in which The name of Allah is commemorated In abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid His (cause); for verily Allah is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (Able to enforce His Will).
41 (They are) those who, If We establish them In the land, establish Regular prayer and give Regular Charity, enjoin The right and forbid wrong: With Allah rests the end (And decision) of (all) affairs.
42 If they treat thy (mission) As false, so did the Peoples Before them (with their Prophets), The People of Noah, And Aad and Thamud;
43 Those of Abraham and Lut;
44 And the companions of the Madyan people; and Moses was rejected (in the same way). But I Granted respite to the Unbelievers, and (only) after that did I punish them: but now (terrible) was my rejection (of them)!
45 How many populations have We Destroyed, which were given To wrong doing? They tumbled down On their roofs. And how many Wells are lying idle and well built?
46 Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are In their breasts.
47 Yet they ask thee to hasten on the Punishment! But Allah will not fail in His promise. verily a Day in the sight of thy Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning.
48 And to how many populations Did I give respite, which were given to wrong doing? In the end I punished them. To Me is the destination (of all).
49 Say: O men! I am (Sent) to you only to give a clear warning:
50 Those who believe and work Righteousness, for them is forgiveness and a sustenance most generous.
51 But those who strive against Our Signs, to frustrate them, they will be Companions of the Fire.
52 Never did We send a messenger or a prophet before thee, but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire: but Allah will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in, (and establish) His Signs: For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom:
53 That He may make the suggestions thrown in by Satan, but a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and who are hardened of heart: verily the wrongdoers are in a schism far (from the Truth):
54 And that those on whom knowledge has been bestowed may learn that the (Quran) is the Truth from thy Lord, and that they may believe therein, and their hearts may be made humbly (open) to it: for verily Allah is the Guide of those who believe, to the Straight Way.
55 Those who reject Faith will not cease to be in doubt concerning (Revelation) until the Hour (of Judgment) comes suddenly upon them, or there comes to them the Penalty of a Day of Disaster.
56 On that Day the Dominion will be that of Allah: He will judge between them: so those who believe and work righteous deeds will be in Gardens of Delight.
57 And for those who reject Faith and deny Our Signs, there will be a humiliating Punishment.
58 Those who leave their homes in the cause of Allah, and are then slain or die, on them will Allah bestow verily a goodly provision: truly Allah is He Who bestows the best provision.
59 Verily He will admit them to a place with which they be will be pleased: most Forbearing.
60 That (is so). And if one has retaliated to no greater extent than the injury be received, and is again set upon inordinately, Allah will help him: for Allah is one that blots out (sins) and forgives (again and again).
61 That is because Allah merges night into day, and He merges day into night, and verily it is Allah who hears and sees (all things).
62 That is because Allah He is the Reality; and those besides Him whom they invoke, they are but vain Falsehood: verily Allah is He, Most High, Most Great.
63 Seest thou not that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and forthwith the Earth becomes clothed with green? for Allah is He Who understands the finest mysteries, and is will acquainted (with them).
64 To Him belongs all that is in the Heavens and on Earth: for verily Allah, He is free of all wants, worthy of all praise.
65 Seest thou not that Allah has made subject to you (men) and that is on the Earth, and the ships that sail through the Sea by His command? He withholds the Sky (rain) from falling on the Earth except by His leave: for Allah is the Most Kind ant Most Merciful to man.
66 It is He Who gave you life, will cause you to die, and will again give you life: truly man is a most ungrateful creature!
67 To every people have We appointed rites and ceremonies which they must follow: let them not then dispute which thee on the matter, but do thou invite (them) to thy Lord: for thou art assuredly on the right way.
68 If they do wrangle with thee, say, Allah knows best what it is ye are doing.
69 Allah will judge between you on the Day of Judgement concerning the matters which ye differ.
70 Knowest thou that Allah knows all that is in Heaven and on Earth? indeed it is all in a record, and that is easy for Allah.
71 Yet they worship, besides Allah, things for which no authority has been sent to them, and of which they have (really) no knowledge: for those that do wrong there is no helper.
72 When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them, thou wilt notice a denial on the faces of the Unbelievers! they nearly attack with violence those who rehearse Our Signs to them. Say, shall I tell you of some thing (far) worse than these Signs? it is the fire (of Hill)! Allah has promised it to the Unbelievers! and evil is that destination!
73 O men! Here is a parable set forth! listen to it! those on whom, besides Allah, ye call, cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! and if the fly should snatch a way anything from them, they would have no power to realize it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition!
74 No just estimate have they made of Allah: for Allah is He Who is strong and able to carry out his will.
75 Allah chooses Messengers from angels and from men for Allah is He Who hears and sees (all things).
76 He knows what is before them and what is behind them: and to Allah go back all questions (for decision).
77 O ye who believe! bow down, prostrate yourselves, and adore your Lord; and do good; that ye may prosper.
78 And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive, (with sincerity and under discipline). He has chosen you, and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the cult of your father Abraham. It is He Who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (Revelation); that the Messenger may be a witness for you, and ye be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular Prayer, give regular Charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector the best to protect and the best to help!
18th Section (Juzu')

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Explination of the Surah


Name This Surah takes its name from v. 27. Period of Revelation As this Surah contains the characteristics of both the Makki and the Madani Surahs, the commentators have differed as to its period of revelation, but in the light of its style and themes we are of the opinion that a part of it (vv. 1-24) was sent down in the last stage of the Makki life of the Holy Prophet a little before migration and the rest (vv. 25-78) during the first stage of his Madani life. That is why this Surah combines the characteristics of both the Makki and the Madani Surahs. The sudden change of the style from v. 25 shows that probably vv. 25-78 were sent down in the month of Zul-Hijjah in the very first year after Hijrah This is indicated by vv. 25-41 and confirmed by the occasion of the revelation of vv. 39-40. It appears that the month of Zul-Hijjah must have brought to the immigrants nostalgic memories of their homes in Makkah and naturally they must have thought of their Sacred City and of their Hajj congregation there, and grieved to think that the mushrik Quraish had debarred them from visiting the Sacred Mosque. Therefore, they might even have been praying for and expecting Divine permission to wage war against those tyrants who had expelled them from their homes and deprived them of visiting the House of Allah and made it difficult for them to follow the way of Islam. It was at this psychological occasion that these verses were sent down. That is why the purpose for which Masjid al Haram was built has been specifically mentioned. It has been made plain that Hajj (pilgrimage) had been enjoined for the worship of One Allah. But it is an irony that afterwards it had been dedicated to the rituals of shirk and the worshippers of One Allah had been debarred from visiting it. Therefore, permission for waging war against those tyrants has been given to oust them from there and to establish the righteous way of life for establishing virtue and eradicating evil. According to Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Urwah bin Zubair, Zaid bin Aslam, Muqatil bin Hayyan, Qatadah and other great commentators, v. 39 is the first verse that grants the Muslims permission to wage war. Collections of Hadith and books on the life of the Holy Prophet confirm that after this permission actual preparations for war were started and the first expedition was sent to the coast of the Red Sea in Safar AH 2, which is known as the Expedition of Waddan or Al-Abwa. Subject Matter and Theme This Surah is addressed to: (1) The mushriks of Makkah, (2) the wavering Muslims, and (3) the True Believers. The mushriks have been warned in a forceful manner to this effect: "You have obdurately and impudently persisted in your ideas of ignorance and trusted in your deities instead of Allah, though they possess no power at all and you have repudiated the Divine Messenger. Now you will meet the same end as has been the doom of those like you before. You have only harmed yourselves by rejecting Our Prophet and by persecuting the best element of your own community; now your false deities shall not be able to save you from the wrath of God". At the same time, they have been admonished time and again for their creed of shirk and sound arguments have been given in favor of Tauhid and the Hereafter. The wavering Muslims, who had embraced Islam but were not prepared to endure any hardship in its way, have been admonished to this effect: "What is this faith of yours? On the one hand, you are ready to believe in Allah and become His servants provided you are given peace and prosperity but, on the other, if you meet with afflictions and hardships in His Way, you discard your Allah and cease to remain His servant. You should bear in mind that this wavering attitude of yours cannot avert those misfortunes and losses which Allah has ordained for you. " As regards the true Believers, they have been addressed in two ways: (1) in a general way so as to include the common people of Arabia also, and (2) in an exclusive way: (1) The Believers have been told that the mushriks of Makkah had no right to debar them from visiting the Holy Mosque. They had no right to prevent anyone from performing Hajj because the Holy Mosque was not their private property. This objection was not only justified but it also acted as an effective political weapon against the Quraish. For it posed this question to the other clans of Arabia: Were the Quraish mere attendants of the Holy Mosque or its owners? It implied that if they succeeded in debarring the Muslims from Hajj without any protest from others, they would feel encouraged in future to debar from Hajj and Umrah the people of any other clan, who happened to have strained relations with the Quraish. In order to emphasize this point, the history of the construction of the Holy Mosque has been cited to show that it was built by Prophet Abraham by the Command of Allah and he had invited all the peoples to perform Hajj there. That is why those coming from outside had enjoyed equal rights by the local people from the very beginning. It has also been made clear that that House had not been built for the rituals of shirk but for the worship of One Allah. Thus it was sheer tyranny that the worship of Allah was being forbidden there while the worship of idols enjoyed full license. (2) In order to counteract the tyranny of the Quraish, the Muslims were allowed to fight with them. They were also given instructions to adopt the right and just attitude as and when they acquired power to rule in the land. Moreover, the Believers have been officially given the name of "Muslims", saying, "You are the real heirs to Abraham and you have been chosen to become witnesses of the Truth before mankind. Therefore you should establish salat and pay the zakat dues in order to become the best models of righteous life and perform Jihad for propagating the Word of Allah. " (vv. 41, 77, 78. ) It will be worth while to keep in view the introductions to Chapters II (Al-Baqarah) and VIII (Al Anfal).