••• •••• •••••• •••••• www.quran411.com Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an 1. Al Fatiha (The 2. Al Baqarah (The 3. Al i Imran (The 4. An Nisa (The Opening) Cow) Family of Imran) Women) 5. Al Maidah (The 6. Al Anaam (The 7. Al Aaraf (The 8. Al Anfal (The Spoils Table Spread) Cattle) Heights) of War) 9. At Taubah (The 10. Yunus (Jonah) 11. Hud 12. Yusuf (Joseph) Repentance) 13. Ar Ra'ad (The 14. Ibrahim (Abraham) 15. Al Hijr (The Rocky 16. An Nahl (The Thunder) Tract) Honey Bee) 17. Al Isra (The Night 18. Al Kahf (The Cave) 19. Maryam (Mary) 20. Ta Ha Journey), also known as Bani Israil (The Children of Israel) 21. Al Anbiyaa (The 22. Al Hajj (The Hajj) 23. Al Muminoon (The 24. An Noor (The Prophets) Believers) Light) 25. Al Furqan (The 26. Ash Shuaraa (The 27. An Naml (The Ant) 28. Al Qasas (The Criterion) Poets) Story) 29. Al Ankabut (The 30. Ar Rum (The 31. Luqman 32. As Sajdah (The Spider) Romans) Prostration) 33. Al Ahzab (The 34. Saba (The 35. Fatir (The 36. Ya Sin Clans) Sabaeans) Originator), also known as Al Malaika (The Angels) 37. As Saaffat (Those 38. Saad 39. Az Zumar (The 40. Al Mu'min (The who set the ranks) Troops) Believer), also known as Al Ghafir (The Forgiver) 41. Ha Mim As Sajdah, 42. Ash Shura (The 43. Az Zukhruf (The 44. Ad Dukhan (The also known as Fussilat Consultation) Ornaments of Gold) Smoke) (Explained in Detail) 45. At Jathiya (The 46. Al Ahqaf (The 47. Muhammad (The 48. Al Fath (The Kneeling) Wind Curved Sand Praised One) Victory) Dunes) 49. Al Hujaraat (The 50. Qaf 51. Adh Dhariyat (The 52. At Tur (The Mount) Private Apartments) Winds) 53. An Najm (The Star) 54. Al Qamar (The 55. Ar Rahman (The 56. Al Waqia (The Moon) Most Merciful) Inevitable Event) 57. Al Hadid (The Iron) 58 Al Mujadilah (The 59. Al Hashr (The 60. Al Mumtahina (The Pleading Woman) Banishment) Woman Under Questioning) 61. As Saff (The Ranks) 62. Al Jumuah (The 63. Al Munafiqoon 64. At Taghabun Friday Congregation) (The Hypocrites) (Mutual Loss and Gain) 65. At Talaq (Divorce) 66. At Tahrim (The 67. Al Mulk (The 68. Al Qalam (The Pen) Prohibition) Kingdom) 69. Al Haaqqa (The 70. Al Maarij (The 71. Nuh (Noah) 72. Al Jinn (The Jinn) Inevitable) Ascending Steps) 73. Al Muzzammil 74. Al Muddaththir 75. Al Qiyama (The 76. Al Insan (Man), (The One Who is (The Cloaked One) Resurrection) also known as Ad Dahr Covered Up) (Time) 77. Al Mursalat (The 78. An Naba (The 79. Naziat (Those Who 80. Abasa (He Winds Which Are Sent) News) Tear Out) Frowned) 81. At Takwir (The 82. Al Infitar (The 83. Al Mutaffifin 84. Inshiqaq (The Folding Up) Cleaving) (Those Who Deal in Splitting) Fraud) 85. Al Burooj (The 86. Al Tariq (The 87. Al Ala (The Most 88. Al Ghashiya (The Constellations) Morning Star) High) Overwhelming Event) 89. Al Fajr (The Dawn) 90. Al Balad (The City) 91. As Shams (The Sun) 92. Al Lail (The Night) 93. Ad Dhuha (The 94. Al Inshirah (The 95. At Tin (The Fig) 96. Al Alaq (The Clot) Morning Light) Opening Up) 97. Al Qadr (Power) 98. Al Bayyina (The 99. Az Zalzala (The 100. Al Adiyat (Those Clear Evidence) Earthquake) That Run) 101. Al Qaria (The 102. At Takathur (The 103. Al Asr (The 104. Al Humaza (The Disaster) Mutual Rivalry) Declining Day, The One Who Slanders) Time) 105. Al Fil (The 106. Quraish 107. Al Ma'un (The 108. Al Kauthar (The Elephant) Small Kindnesses) Abundance) 109. Al Kafirun (The 110. An Nasr (The 111. Al Lahab (The 112. Al Ikhlas (The Disbelievers) Help) Flame) Purity) 113. Al Falaq (The 114. An Nas (Mankind) Translator's Preface Daybreak) ••• •••• •••••• •••••• http://www.quran411.com Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an 1. Surah Al Fatihah (The Opening) Name This Surah is named Al-Fatihah because of its subject-matter. Fatihah is that which opens a subject or a book or any other thing. In other words, Al-Fatihah is a sort of preface. Period of Revelation It is one of the very earliest Revelations to the Holy Prophet. As a matter of fact, we learn from authentic Traditions that it was the first complete Surah which was revealed to Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). Before this, only a few miscellaneous verses were revealed which form parts of `Alaq, Muzzammil, Muddaththir, etc. Theme This Surah is in fact a prayer which Allah has taught to all those who want to make a study of His book. It has been placed at the very beginning of the book to teach this lesson to the reader: if you sincerely want to benefit from the Quran, you should offer this prayer to the Lord of the Universe. This preface is meant to create a strong desire in the heart of the reader to seek guidance from the Lord of the Universe, Who alone can grant it. Thus Al-Fatihah indirectly teaches that the best thing for a man is to pray for guidance to the straight path, to study the Quran with the mental attitude of a seeker- after-truth and to recognize the fact that the Lord of the Universe is the source of all knowledge. He should, therefore, begin the study of the Quran with a prayer to him for guidance. From this theme, it becomes clear that the real relation between Al-Fatihah and the Quran is not that of an introduction to a book but that of a prayer and its answer. Al-Fatihah is the prayer from the servant and the Quran is the answer from the Master to his prayer. The servant prays to Allah to show him guidance and the Master places the whole of the Quran before him in answer to his prayer, as if to say, "This is the Guidance you begged from Me." [1-3] In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.1 Praise is only for Allah,2 the Lord of the Universe,3 the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful,4 the Master of the Day of Judgment.5 [4-7] Thee alone we worship6 and to Thee alone we pray for help.7 Show us the straight way,8 the way of those whom Thou hast blessed;9 who have not incurred Thy wrath, nor gone astray.10 1Islamic culture requires a man to commence everything with the name of Allah. If this is done consciously and sincerely, it will surely produce three good results. First, it will keep him away from evil, because the very name of Allah will impel him to consider whether he is justified in associating His name with a wrong deed or an evil intention. Secondly, the very mention of the name of Allah will create in him the right attitude of mind and direct him to the right direction. Thirdly,he will receive Allah's help and blessing and will be protected from the temptations of Satan, for Allah turns to a man when he turns to Him. 2It has been stated in the Introduction to this Surah that AI-Fatihah is a prayer. It begins with the praise of Allah to Whom it is addressed in order to teach us the right way of making a supplication. We should not put forward our request bluntly and abruptly without an appropriate introduction. The right way is to acknowledge the excellences and the favors and the high position of the One to Whom we address our prayer. That is why we begin our prayer with the praise of Allah, for He is the perfection of all excellences and .is also our Benefactor. We pay homage to Allah to show that we sincerely acknowledge His excellences and also are grateful to Him for His countless favours. It should also be noted that not only Praise is for Allah but also Praise is only for Allah. This distinction is very important because it cuts at the root of the worship of any of His creation. As none of them is worthy of praise, none is worthy of worship. No man, no angel, no prophet, no so-called god, no star, no idol, in short. none of His creation inherently possesses any good quality. If one has any, it is given by Allah. Hence the Creator of these qualities alone deserves devotion, worship, gratitude, and none of His creation. 3The word Rab which has been translated into `Lord' stands for (a) Master and Owner, (b) Sustainer, Provider and Guardian, (c) Sovereign, Ruler, Administrator and Organizer. Allah is the Lord of the Universe in all these senses. 4Although the Arabic word Rahman itself is in the superlative form and denotes the attributes of beneficence and mercy in the highest degree, even this word fails to express the boundless extent of these attributes of Allah. Hence another word Rahim of the same root has been added to make up for the deficiency. 5After saying that Allah is Beneficent and Merciful, it has immediately been added that He is the Master of the Day of Judgment, so that the qualities of mercy and kindness might not mislead anyone into forgetting that on that Day He will gather together all human beings from the first to the last and require each and every one to give an account of all of one's acts to Him. A Muslim should, therefore, always keep in view the fact that Allah is not only Merciful, but He is also Just. He has, however, full authority to pardon or punish anyone He pleases, for He has complete power over everything. Therefore we should have full conviction that it lies absolutely in His power to make our end happy or sorrowful. 6The Arabic word ibadat is used in three senses: (a)worship and devotion, (b) submission and obedience, (c) subjection and servitude. Here it implies all the three, that is, We are Thy worshipers, Thy subjects and Thy slaves and We keep these relations with Thee and Thee alone and "We make none else the object of our worship in all the three senses." 7It means, We ask for Thy help because we know that Thou art the Lord of the whole Universe and Thou hast all powers and Thou art the Master of every thing. Therefore we turn to Thee for help for the fulfillment of our needs and requirements. 8That is, "Show us that way which may lead us aright in every walk of life and keep us absolutely free from errors and evil consequences and bring us success in the end." , This is the request which the servant of Allah makes to Him when he begins the study of the Qur'an. He prays to Him to guide him in every walk of life and save him from the labyrinths of doubt and uncertainty, which result from the lack of true knowledge. The servant also requests the Master to show him the right and the straight way of life from among the many by-paths and crooked ways. 9The straight way for which we are praying is the way which has always been followed by the people favored by Thee and which has always brought Thy favors and blessings. 10This is to show that the favored people are not those who go astray and incur the wrath of Allah, though apparently they might be enjoying the transitory good things of life. The really favored people are those who receive blessings on account of their righteous living. From this it also becomes clear that by favors are meant those real and permanent rewards, which result from righteous living and from winning the pleasure of Allah, and not those transitory good things of life which have been enjoyed even by the tyrants and worshipers of mammon and which are being enjoyed even today by all sorts of evildoers who have gone astray from the straight way. ••• •••• •••••• •••••• http://www.quran411.com Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an 2. Surah Al Baqarah (The Cow) Name Why the name Al-Baqarah? Al-Baqarah (the Cow) has been so named from the story of the Cow occurring in this Surah (vv. 67-73). It has not, however, been used as a title to indicate the subject of the Surah. It will, therefore, be as wrong to translate the name Al-Baqarah into "The Cow" or "The Heifer" as to translate any English name, say Mr. Baker, Mr. Rice, Mr. Wolf etc., into their equivalents in other languages or vice versa, because this would imply that the Surah dealt with the subject of "The Cow". Many more Surahs of the Quran have been named in the same way because no comprehensive words exist in Arabic (in spite of its richness) to denote the wide scope of the subject discussed in them. As a matter of fact all human languages suffer from the same limitation. Sequence Though it is a Madani Surah, it follows naturally a Makki Surah Al- Fatihah, which ended with the prayer: "Show us the straight way." It begins with the answer to that prayer, "This is the Book (that)...is guidance..." The greater part of Al-Baqarah was revealed during the first two years of the Holy Prophet's life at Al-Madinah. The smaller part which was revealed at a later period has been included in this Surah because its contents are closely related to those dealt with in this Surah. For instance, the verses prohibiting interest were revealed during the last period of the Holy prophet's life but have been inserted in this Surah. For the same reason, the last verses (284- 286) of this Surah which were revealed at Makkah before the migration of the Holy Prophet to AI-Madinah have also been included in it. Historical Background In order to understand the meaning of this Surah, we should know its historical background: 1. At Makkah the Quran generally addressed the mushrik Quraish who were ignorant of Islam, but at Al- Madinah it was also concerned with the Jews who were acquainted with the creed of the Unity of Allah, Prophethood, Revelation, the Hereafter and angels. They also professed to believe in the law which was revealed by Allah to their Prophet Moses (Allah's peace be upon him), and in principle, their way was the same (Islam) that was being taught by Prophet Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). But they had strayed away from it during the centuries of degeneration and had adopted many un-Islamic creeds, rites and customs of which there was no mention and for which there was no sanction in the Torah. Not only this : they had tampered with the Torah by inserting their own explanations and interpretations into its text. They had distorted even that part of the Word of God which had remained intact in their Scriptures and taken out of it the real spirit of true religion and were now clinging to a lifeless frame of rituals. Consequently their beliefs, their morals and their conduct had gone to the lowest depths of degeneration. The pity is that they were not only satisfied with their condition but loved to cling to it. Besides this, they had no intention or inclination to accept any kind of reform. So they became bitter enemies of those who came to teach them the Right Way and did their worst to defeat every such effort. Though they were originally Muslims, they had swerved from the real Islam and made innovations and alterations in it and had fallen victims to hair splitting and sectarianism. They had forgotten and forsaken Allah and begun to serve mammon. So much so that they had even given up their original name "Muslim" and adopted the name "Jew" instead, and made religion the sole monopoly of the children of Israel. This was their religious condition when the Holy Prophet went to Al-Madinah and invited the Jews to the true religion. That is why more than one third of this Surah has been addressed to the children of Israel. A critical review of their history, their moral degeneration and their religious perversions has been made; side by side with this the high standard of morality and the fundamental principles of the pure religion have been put forward in order to bring out clearly the nature of the degeneration of the community of a prophet when it goes astray and to draw clear lines of demarcation between real piety and formalism, and the essentials and non-essentials of the true religion. 2. At Makkah Islam was mainly concerned with the propagation of its fundamental principles and the moral training of its followers. But after the migration of the Holy Prophet to Al-Madinah, where Muslims had come to settle from all over Arabia and where a tiny Islamic State had been set up with the help of the Ansar (local supporters), naturally the Quran had to turn its attention to the social, cultural, economic, political and legal problems as well. This accounts for the difference between the themes of the surahs revealed at Makkah and those at Al-Madinah. Accordingly about half of this Surah deals with those principles and regulations which are essential for the integration and solidarity of a community and for the solution of its problems. 3. After the migration to Al-Madinah, the struggle between Islam and un-Islam had also entered a new phase. Before this the Believers, who propagated Islam among their own clans and tribes, had to face its opponents at their own risk. But the conditions had changed at Al-Madinah, where Muslims from all parts of Arabia had come and settled as one community, and had established an independent city state. Here it became a struggle for the' survival of the Community itself, for the whole of non- Muslim Arabia was bent upon and united in crushing it totally. Hence the following instructions, upon which depended not only its success but its very survival, were revealed in this Surah :-