Clueless Mankind

Qur'aanic Verse 89:5:

Transliteration:

5. Hal fee thalika qasamun lithee hijrin

Translation:

5. Is there in this an oath for one with understanding?¹

^{Study Note:}

1. For quite some time in the past, I have been thinking about the divine oaths mentioned in the first four Verses of this Surah – particularly about the ten nights. What particular ten nights could those be? I have not been able to get a definite, satisfactory, answer. I looked for the answers in various published commentaries, and I found them varied and based purely on conjecture. And, in this fifth Verse, Allah Almighty is posing a question to the clueless mankind. Can anyone understand the significance of the objects on which the oath is taken? It appears rather to be a divine challenge to those who claim to be endowed with deep understanding. It is as if Allah Ta’ala is telling us that our intelligence would be of no avail at all without divine Guidance!

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An extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi

Wrong-doers' Illusion

Qur'aanic Verse 58:18:

Transliteration:

18. Yawma yabAAathuhumu Allahu jameeAAan fayahlifoona lahu kama yahlifoona lakum wayahsaboona annahum AAala shay-in ala innahum humu alkathiboona

Translation:

18. The Day Allah will resurrect them all, they will swear to Him as they swear to you and think they are standing on something solid. Are they indeed not those who are the liars?⁶

^{Study Note:}

6. Some wrong-doers in this world repeatedly swear to gullible people at large that they are the epitomes of virtue, and they push their ill deeds under the carpet of their swearing. Their repeated swearing creates the illusion in their own selves that they really are virtuous, and they extend their swearing before their Creator as well! They forget their lies would not stand before Him.

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An extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi