10:1 Yunus (Jonas)

يقول تعالى‏:‏ ‏{‏الر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْحَكِيمِ‏}‏ وهو هذا القرآن، المشتمل على الحكمة والأحكام، الدالة آياته على الحقائق الإيمانية والأوامر والنواهي الشرعية، الذي على جميع الأمة تلقيه بالرضا والقبول والانقياد‏.‏

أما الحروف المقطعة في أوائل السور فقد تقدم الكلام عليها في أوائل سورة البقرة وقال أبو الضحى عن ابن عباس في قوله تعالى "الر" أي أنا الله أرى. وكذلك قال الضحاك وغيره "تلك آيات الكتاب الحكيم" أي هذه آيات القرآن المحكم المبين وقال مجاهد "الر تلك آيات الكتاب الحكيم" وقال الحسن التوراة والزبور وقال قتادة "تلك آيات الكتاب" قال الكتب التي كانت قبل القرآن. وهذا القول لا أعرف وجهه ولا معناه.

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

تِلْكَ ءاَيَـتُ الْكِتَـبِ الْحَكِيمِ

(These are the verses of the Book (the Qur'an) Al-Hakim.) This indicates that these are verses of the Qur'an, in which the wisdom of judgment is clear.

The Messenger cannot be but a Human Being

Allah rebukes the attitude of the disbelievers with the words

أَكَانَ لِلنَّاسِ عَجَبًا

(Is it a wonder for mankind...) They have always found it strange that Allah would send Messengers to them from among mankind. Allah also tells us about other people from previous nations who said,

أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا

(Shall mere men guide us) (64:6) Hud and Salih said to their people:

أَوَ عَجِبْتُمْ أَن جَآءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِّنْكُمْ

(Do you wonder that there has come to you a reminder from your Lord through a man from among you.) (7:63) Allah also told us what the disbelievers from Quraysh said:

أَجَعَلَ الاٌّلِهَةَ إِلَـهاً وَحِداً إِنَّ هَـذَا لَشَىْءٌ عُجَابٌ

(Has he made the gods into one God Verily, this is a curious thing!) (38:5) Ad-Dahhak reported Ibn `Abbas that he said: "When Allah sent Muhammad ﷺ as a Messenger, most of the Arabs denied him and his message and said: Allah is greater than sending a human Messenger like Muhammad ﷺ. " Ibn `Abbas said, "So Allah revealed:

أَكَانَ لِلنَّاسِ عَجَبًا

(Is it a wonder for mankind...)" Allah's statement;

أَنَّ لَهُمْ قَدَمَ صِدْقٍ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ

(that they shall have with their Lord the rewards of their good deeds) Scholars have differed over the meaning of the reward for the good deeds in this Ayah:

وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ أَنَّ لَهُمْ قَدَمَ صِدْقٍ

(and give good news to those who believe that they shall have with their Lord the rewards of their good deeds.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said about this Ayah, "Eternal happiness has been written for them." Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "It is the good reward for what they have done." Mujahid said: "It is their good deeds -- their prayers, fasting, charity, and glorification." He then said, "And Muhammad will intercede for them." Allah said:

قَالَ الْكَـفِرُونَ إِنَّ هَـذَا لَسَـحِرٌ مُّبِينٌ

((But) the disbelievers say: "This is indeed an evident sorcerer!") This means that the disbelievers said this although Allah has sent a Messenger from among themselves to them, a man of their own race as a bearer of good news and as a warner. But they are the liars in saying that.

Alif lām rā’ God knows best what He means by these letters. Those namely these signs are the signs of the wise Book that is the Qur’ān the genitive annexation āyāt al-kitāb has the meaning of min sc. min āyāti’l-kitāb ‘from among the verses of the Book’ which has been made clear.

Commentary

Surah Yunus is among the Makki Surahs. Three of its verses revealed after the Hijrah to Madinah have been called Madani.

In this Surah too, the proof of the basic objectives of Qur'an, and Islam, such as the Oneness of Allah, the mission of His Messenger and the inevitability of the Hereafter, has been provided. Since it has been presented in the background of the universe of our experience and observation, it becomes easy to comprehend. Along with it, some lesson-oriented historical accounts and stories have been introduced to warn people who do not pay heed to the open signs of Allah Ta` ala. As a corollary, the text refutes shirk whereby heedless people start ascribing partners to the pristine divinity of Allah - and also answers some related doubts. This is a gist of the subjects taken up in the Surah. A careful look at these will help us understand the interconnection between the previous Surah, At-Taubah, and the present one. Surah At-Taubah was making a strong statement when it opted for breaking through the powerful cordon of kufr and shirk to achieve the same objectives through material means by waging Jihad against deniers and disbelievers. And since the present Surah was revealed in Makkah before the injunctions of Jihad came, these objectives have been explained and proved only by arguments and evidences very much in accordance with the law of the Makkan period.

The Surah opens with the letters: Alif, Lam, Ra الر‌). Known as ` isolated letters.' Many Surahs of the Qur'an begin with these. Debates on investigations made into the meaning of letter combinations like الم (Alif, Lam, Mim), حٰمٓ(Ha, Mim) and عٓسٓقٓ(Ain, Sin, Qaf) by commentators are lengthy. But, we also have the authentic verdict of the Sahabah, the Tabi'in and the righteous elders of the community (salaf سَلَف) about these ` isolated letters.' According to them, these are secret symbols or signs. In all likelihood, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was confided with their meaning but he elected to disclose to his community only those areas of knowledge and insight which their minds could bear by and which, if remained unknown, would impede the normal living of his people. Nothing that Muslims must do is dependent upon knowing the secrets of such 'isolated letters,' nor do they have to miss anything by not knowing them. Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ too did not tell his community about their meaning as being unnecessary for them. Therefore, we too should not go about digging into it - because, it is certain that had the knowing of their meaning been expedient for us, our master, who was mercy personified for the whole world, would have never hesitated in telling us about it.

In the first verse: تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْحَكِيمِ (These are verses of the Wise Book), the word: تِلکَ (tilka: these) points out to the 'ay at of this Surah which follow. 'The Book' refers to the Qur'an. To describe its attribute, the Qur'an has used the word: حَکِیم (hakim) at this place. It means the Book of Wisdom.