40. Al-Ghafir (The Forgiver (God) ) |
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Maududi's Introduction |
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The Surah takes its name Al Mu'min from verse 28, implying thereby,
that it is a Surah in which Al Mu'min (the Believer of Pharaoh's
people) has been mentioned.
According to Ibn 'Abbas and Jabir bin Zaid, this Surah was sent down
consecutively after Surah Az-Zumar, and its present position in the
order of the Surahs in the Quran is the same as its chronological order.
There are clear indications in the subject matter of this Surah to the
conditions in which it was revealed. The disbelievers of Makkah at
that time were engaged in two kinds of the activities against the Prophet
(Allah's peace be upon him). First, they were creating every kind of suspicion and
misgiving in the minds of the people about the teaching of the Quran
and the message of Islam and about the Prophet (Allah's peace be upon him) himself by
starting many disputes and discussions, raising irrelevant objections
and bringing ever new accusations so that the Prophet (Allah's peace be upon
him) and the
believers were sick of trying to answer them. Second, they were
preparing the ground for putting an end to the Prophet (Allah's peace be upon
him) himself.
They were devising one plot after the other, and on one occasion had
even taken the practical steps to execute a plot. Bukhari has related
a tradition on the authority of Hadrat Abdullah bin Amr bin 'As saying
that one day when the Prophet (Allah's peace be upon him) was offering his Prayer in the
precinct's of the Kabbah, suddenly 'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ait, rushed
forward and putting a piece of cloth round his neck started twisting
it so as to strangle him to death. Hadrat Abu Bakr, who happened to go
there in time, pushed him away. Hadrat Abdullah says that when Abu
Bakr was struggling with the cruel man, he was saying words to the
effect: "Would you kill a man only because he says: Allah is my Lord?"
With a little variation this event has also been mentioned in Ibn
Hisham, Nasa'i and Ibn Abi Hatim .
Both aspects of this have been clear]y stated at the very outset, and
then the whole following discourse is a most effective and instructive
review of them.
As an answer to the conspiracies of murder, the story
of the Believer of the people of Pharaoh has been narrated (vv. 23 - 55) and through this story three different lessons have been taught to the three groups:
Now as for the conspiracies, which were continuing in Makkah day and night to defeat the Truth, on the one hand, arguments have been given to prove the doctrines of Tauhid and the Hereafter as true, which were the real basis of the dispute between the Prophet (Allah's peace be upon him) and the disbelievers, and it has been stated plainly and openly that the disbelievers are wrangling over those truths without any knowledge. On the other, the motives which were the real cause of the Quraishite chiefs' conflict against the Prophet (Allah's peace be upon him), have been exposed. Apparently they were trying to have the common people believe that they had some genuine objections against the teaching of the Prophet and his claim to prophethood; that is why they were not prepared to listen to him. But, in fact, this was their struggle for power. In verse 56, they have been openly warned, so as to say" "The real cause of your denial is your arrogance and vanity. You think that if you acknowledge the prophethood of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him), your power and authority will come to an end. That is why you are straining every nerve to frustrate and defeat him." In the same connection, the disbelievers have been warned again and again to the effect:"If you do not desist from wrangling against the Revelations of Allah, you will be doomed to the same fate as the nations of the past. Much worse torment awaits you in the Hereafter. Then you will repent, but it will be too late. |
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