Surah 48. Al-Fat-h, Ayah 29
| مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا ۖ سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ ۚ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَىٰ عَلَىٰ سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ ۗ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا |
| Transliteration | : | muh.ammad rasol 'allaah wa- 'alladhena maca -hu ashiddaa' calaa al- kuffaar ruh.amaa' bayna -hum taraa -hum rukkac(an) sujjad(an) yabtaghon fad.l(an) min 'allaah wa- rid.waan(an) semaa -hum fe wujoh -him min 'athar as- sujod dhaalika mathal -hum fe at- tawraah wa- mathal -hum fe al- 'injel ka- zarc akhraja shat.' -hu fa- 'aazara -hu fa- istaghlaz.a fa- istawaa calaa soq -hi yucjib az- zurraac li- yaghez. bi- -him al- kuffaar wacada 'allaah 'alladhena 'aamano wa- camilo as.- s.aalih.aat min -hum maghfirah wa- 'ajr(an) caz.em(an) |
| Pickthall | : | Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah hath promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward. |
| Asad | : | MUHAMMAD is God's Apostle; and those who are [truly] with him are firm and unyielding43 towards all deniers of the truth, [yet] full of mercy towards one another.44 Thou canst see them bowing down, prostrating themselves [in prayer], seeking favour with God and [His] goodly acceptance: their marks are on their faces, traced by prostration.45 This is their parable in the Torah as well as their parable in the Gospel:46 [they are] like a seed that brings forth its shoot, and then He strengthens it, so that it grows stout, and [in the end] stands firm upon its stem, delighting the sowers.... [Thus will God cause the believers to grow in strengh,] so that through them He might confound47 the deniers of the truth. [But] unto such of them as may [yet] attain to faith and do righteous deeds, God has promised forgiveness and a reward supreme.48 |
| Malik | : | Muhammad, the Rasool of Allah, and those with him are strong against the unbelievers and compassionate to each other among themselves. When you see them, you will find them making Rakuh (bowing down) and Sajud (prostrate in prayers), and craving for the blessings from Allah and His good pleasure. They have mark of Sajud (prostration) on their foreheads, the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat (Torah); and their similitude in the Injeel (Gospel): they are like the seed which puts forth its sprout, then strengthens it, then becomes thick and stands firmly on its stem, delighting the sowers of the seed, so that through them He may enrage the unbelievers. Yet to those of them who will believe and do good deeds, Allah has promised forgiveness and a great reward. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer) seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Torah; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade then makes it strong; it then becomes thick and it stands on its own stem (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result it fills the Unbelievers with rage at him. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds Forgiveness and a great Reward. 4913 4914 4915 4916 4917 4918 |
Note - 43This composite gives, I believe, the full meaning of the
term ashidda' (sing. shadid) in the above context.
|
Note - 44Lit., "among themselves". Cf. 5:54 - "humble towards
the believers, proud towards all who deny the truth".
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Note - 45The infinitive noun sulud ("prostration") stands here for
the innermost consummation of faith, while its "trace"
signifies the spiritual reflection of that faith in the
believer's manner of life and even in his outward aspect.
Since the "face" is the most expressive part of man's
personality, it is often used in the Qur'an in the sense
of one's "whole being".
|
Note - 46Regarding the significance of the term Injil ("Gospel")
as used in the Qur'an, see surah {3}, note [4].
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Note - 47Lit., "infuse with wrath".
|
Note - 48Whereas most of the classical commentators understand the
above sentence as alluding to believers in general, Razi
relates the pronoun minhum ("of them" or "among them")
explicitly to the deniers of the truth spoken of in the
preceding sentence - i.e., to those of them who might yet
attain to faith and thus achieve God's forgiveness: a
promise which was fulfilled within a few years after the
revelation of this verse, inasmuch as most of the Arabian
enemies of the Prophet embraced Islam, and many of them
became its torchbearers. But in a wider sense, this
divine promise remains open until Resurrection Day
(Tabari), relating to everybody, at all times and in all
cultural environments, who might yet attain to the truth
and live up to it.
|
Note - 4913Cf. ix. 128. The devotees of Allah wage unceasing war
against evil, for themselves, and for others; but to
their own brethren in faith-especially the weaker ones-
they are mild and compassionate: they seek out every
opportunity to sympathise with them and help them.
|
Note - 4914Their humility is before Allah and His Apostle and all
who have authority from Allah, but they yield no power or
pomp, nor do they worship worldly show or glitter. Nor is
their humility before Allah a mere show for men.
|
Note - 4915The traces of their earnestness and humility are engraved
on their faces, i.e., penetrate their inmost being, the
face being the outward sign of the inner man. If we take
it in its literal sense, the traces might mean the marks
left by repeated prostration on their foreheads.
Moreover, a good man's face alone shows in him the grace
and light of Allah; he is gentle, kind and forbearing,
ever helpful, relying on Allah and possessing a blessed
Peace and Calmness (Sakina, xlviii. 26) that can come
from no other source.
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Note - 4916In the Book of Moses, which is now found in a corrupt
form in the Pentateuch, the posture of humility in prayer
is indicated by prostration: e.g., Moses and Aaron "fell
upon their faces", Num. xvi. 22.
|
Note - 4917The similitude in the Gospel is about how the good seed
is sown and grows gradually, even beyond the expectation
of the sower: "the seed should spring and grow up, he
knoweth not how; for the earth bringeth forth fruit of
herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the
full corn in the ear": Mark. iv. 27-28. Thus Islam was
preached by the holy Prophet; the seed seemed to human
eyes lost in the ground; but it put forth its shoot, and
grew, and became strong, until it was able to stand on
its own legs, and its worst enemies recognised its
existence and its right to live. Note how much more
complete the parable is in the Qur-an. The mentality of
the sowers of the seed is expressed in beautiful terms:
its growth and strength filled them "with wonder and
delight."
|
Note - 4918I construe the particle "li" as expressing not the
object, but the result. The result of the wonderful
growth of Islam in numbers and strength was that its
enemies were confounded, and raged furiously within their
own minds, a contrast to the satisfaction, wonder, and
delight of the Prophet and his Companions. The pronoun in
"rage at them" of course refers to the Prophet and his
Companions, and goes back to the earlier words, "on their
faces" etc.
|
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This composite gives, I believe, the full meaning of the term ashidda' (sing. shadid) in the above context. |
| |
Lit., "among themselves". Cf. 5:54 - "humble towards the believers, proud towards all who deny the truth". |
| |
The infinitive noun sulud ("prostration") stands here for the innermost consummation of faith, while its "trace" signifies the spiritual reflection of that faith in the believer's manner of life and even in his outward aspect. Since the "face" is the most expressive part of man's personality, it is often used in the Qur'an in the sense of one's "whole being". |
| |
Regarding the significance of the term Injil ("Gospel") as used in the Qur'an, see surah {3}, note [4]. |
| |
Whereas most of the classical commentators understand the above sentence as alluding to believers in general, Razi relates the pronoun minhum ("of them" or "among them") explicitly to the deniers of the truth spoken of in the preceding sentence - i.e., to those of them who might yet attain to faith and thus achieve God's forgiveness: a promise which was fulfilled within a few years after the revelation of this verse, inasmuch as most of the Arabian enemies of the Prophet embraced Islam, and many of them became its torchbearers. But in a wider sense, this divine promise remains open until Resurrection Day (Tabari), relating to everybody, at all times and in all cultural environments, who might yet attain to the truth and live up to it. |
| |
Cf. ix. 128. The devotees of Allah wage unceasing war against evil, for themselves, and for others; but to their own brethren in faith-especially the weaker ones- they are mild and compassionate: they seek out every opportunity to sympathise with them and help them. |
| |
Their humility is before Allah and His Apostle and all who have authority from Allah, but they yield no power or pomp, nor do they worship worldly show or glitter. Nor is their humility before Allah a mere show for men. |
| |
The traces of their earnestness and humility are engraved on their faces, i.e., penetrate their inmost being, the face being the outward sign of the inner man. If we take it in its literal sense, the traces might mean the marks left by repeated prostration on their foreheads. Moreover, a good man's face alone shows in him the grace and light of Allah; he is gentle, kind and forbearing, ever helpful, relying on Allah and possessing a blessed Peace and Calmness (Sakina, xlviii. 26) that can come from no other source. |
| |
In the Book of Moses, which is now found in a corrupt form in the Pentateuch, the posture of humility in prayer is indicated by prostration: e.g., Moses and Aaron "fell upon their faces", Num. xvi. 22. |
| |
The similitude in the Gospel is about how the good seed is sown and grows gradually, even beyond the expectation of the sower: "the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how; for the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear": Mark. iv. 27-28. Thus Islam was preached by the holy Prophet; the seed seemed to human eyes lost in the ground; but it put forth its shoot, and grew, and became strong, until it was able to stand on its own legs, and its worst enemies recognised its existence and its right to live. Note how much more complete the parable is in the Qur-an. The mentality of the sowers of the seed is expressed in beautiful terms: its growth and strength filled them "with wonder and delight." |
| |
I construe the particle "li" as expressing not the object, but the result. The result of the wonderful growth of Islam in numbers and strength was that its enemies were confounded, and raged furiously within their own minds, a contrast to the satisfaction, wonder, and delight of the Prophet and his Companions. The pronoun in "rage at them" of course refers to the Prophet and his Companions, and goes back to the earlier words, "on their faces" etc. |
