47:13 Muhammad (Muhammad)

أي: وكم من قرية من قرى المكذبين، هي أشد قوة من قريتك، في الأموال والأولاد والأعوان، والأبنية والآلات.{ أهلكناهم } حين كذبوا رسلنا، ولم تفد فيهم المواعظ، فلا نجد لهم ناصرا، ولم تغن عنهم قوتهم من عذاب الله شيئا.فكيف حال هؤلاء الضعفاء، أهل قريتك، إذ أخرجوك عن وطنك وكذبوك، وعادوك، وأنت أفضل المرسلين، وخير الأولين والآخرين؟!أليسوا بأحق من غيرهم بالإهلاك والعقوبة، لولا أن الله تعالى بعث رسوله بالرحمة والتأني بكل كافر وجاحد؟

"وكأين من قرية هى أشد قوة من قريتك التي أخرجتك" يعني مكة "أهلكناهم فلا ناصر لهم" وهذا تهديد شديد ووعيد أكيد لأهل مكة في تكذيبهم لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو سيد الرسل وخاتم الأنبياء فإذا كان الله عز وجل قد أهلك الأمم الذين كذبوا الرسل قبله بسببهم وقد كانوا أشد قوة من هؤلاء فماذا ظن هؤلاء أن يفعل الله بهم في الدنيا والأخرى؟ فإن رفع عن كثير منهم العقوبة في الدنيا لبركة وجود الرسول نبي الرحمة فإن العذاب يوفر على الكافرين به في معادهم "يضاعف لهم العذاب ما كانوا يستطيعون السمع وما كانوا يبصرون" وقوله تعالى "من قريتك التي أخرجتك" أي الذين أخرجوك من بين أظهرهم وقال ابن أبي حاتم ذكر أبي عن محمد بن عبدالأعلى عن المعتمر بن سليمان عن أبيه عن حنش عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لما خرج من مكة إلى الغار وأتاه فالتفت إلى مكة وقال "أنت أحب بلاد الله إلى الله وأنت أحب بلاد الله إلي ولولا أن المشركين أخرجوني لم أخرج منك" فأعدى الأعداء من عدا على الله تعالى في حرمه أو قتل غير قاتله أو قتل بذحول الجاهلية فأنزل الله تعالى على نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم "وكأين من قرية هي أشد قوة من قريتك التي أخرجتك أهلكناهم فلا ناصر لهم".

Admonition and Fire for the Disbelievers; Paradise for Those Who have Taqwa

Allah says,

أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ

(Have they not traveled) meaning, those who associate partners with Allah and deny His Messenger .

فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ دَمَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ

(through the land and seen what happened in the end to those before them Allah destroyed them completely,) which means that Allah punished them because of their denial and disbelief, and saved the believers from among them. That is why He says,

وَلِلْكَـفِرِينَ أَمْثَـلُهَا

(and a similar (end awaits) the disbelievers.) Then Allah says,

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَوْلَى الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَأَنَّ الْكَـفِرِينَ لاَ مَوْلَى لَهُمْ

(That is because Allah is the Protector of all those who believe, whereas the disbelievers have no protector.) After the battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb, the commander of the idolators at that time, inquired about the Prophet , Abu Bakr, and `Umar, may Allah be pleased with them. When he heard no response, he announced: "Verily, those three have died!" `Umar then responded to him: "You lie, O enemy of Allah! Allah has indeed saved those who will displease you. Indeed, those whom you mentioned are all alive!" Abu Sufyan then said: "Well, today makes up for (the defeat on) the day of Badr, and the war has its ups and downs. And indeed, you are going to find mutilation (in the bodies of your dead) that I did not command, nor did I prohibit." Then he turned around chanting: "Glory to Hubal (their greatest idol), Glory to Hubal." Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

«أَلَا تُجِيبُوهُ؟»

(Aren't you going to respond to him) The Companions said: "What should we say, O Messenger of Allah" He said:

« قُولُوا: اللهُ أَعْلَى وَأَجَل»

(Say: "Allah is Most High and Most Glorious.") Then Abu Sufyan said: "We have Al-`Uzza (their second idol), and you have no `Uzza. (honor)." Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

«أَلَا تُجِيبُوهُ؟»

(Aren't you all going to respond to him) They said: "What should we say, O Messenger of Allah" He said:

«قُولُوا: اللهُ مَوْلَانَا وَلَا مَوْلَى لَكُم»

(Say: "Allah is our Protector, and you have no protector.") Allah then says,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ جَنَـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ

(Verily, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous good deeds into Gardens through which rivers flow.) meaning, on the Day of Resurrection.

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يَتَمَتَّعُونَ وَيَأْكُلُونَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ الاٌّنْعَـمُ

(Whereas those who disbelieve enjoy their life and eat as cattle eat. ) Which means that the disbelievers enjoy their worldly life and eat in it like animals, munching and gnawing (with greed). They have no concern other than that. Thus, it has been confirmed in the Sahih that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«الْمُؤْمِنُ يَأْكُلُ فِي مِعىً وَاحِدٍ، وَالْكَافِرُ يَأْكُلُ فِي سَبْعَةِ أَمْعَاء»

(A believer eats with one intestine, and a disbeliever eats with seven intestines.) Then Allah says,

وَالنَّارُ مَثْوًى لَّهُمْ

(but the Fire will be their abode.) meaning, on the Day of their Reckoning. Allah then says,

وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ هِىَ أَشَدُّ قُوَّةً مِّن قَرْيَتِكَ الَّتِى أَخْرَجَتْكَ

(And how many a town mightier than your town that has driven you out) meaning, Makkah.

أَهْلَكْنَـهُمْ فَلاَ نَـصِرَ لَهُمْ

(We have destroyed, with none to help them!) gThis is a great threat and severe warning to the people of Makkah because they rejected Allah's Messenger ﷺ, who was the chief of the Messengers and the last of the Prophets. If Allah had destroyed the previous nations because of their denial of their Messengers, what then would those (people of Makkah) expect that Allah would do to them in the worldly life and the Hereafter And if the torment were to be lifted off some of them in this life by the blessing of the presence of the Messenger, the Prophet of Mercy, the torment will be stored for them in their next life, as Allah says,

يُضَاعَفُ لَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مَا كَانُواْ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ السَّمْعَ وَمَا كَانُواْ يُبْصِرُونَ

(Their torment will be doubled! They could not bear to hear (the preaching), and they used not to see (the truth).) (11:20) Concerning Allah's saying,

مِّن قَرْيَتِكَ الَّتِى أَخْرَجَتْكَ

(than Your town that has driven you out) This means, `its people who have driven you (Muhammad ﷺ ) out from amongst them (the people of Makkah).' Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that when Allah's Messenger ﷺ left Makkah (at the time of Hijrah -- migration), and he reached the cave and hid inside it, he looked back toward Makkah and said,

«أَنْتِ أَحَبُّ بِلَادِ اللهِ إِلَى اللهِ، وَأَنْتِ أَحَبُّ بِلَادِ اللهِ إِلَيَّ، وَلَوْلَا أَنَّ الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَخْرَجُونِي لَمْ أَخْرُجْ مِنْك»

(You are the most beloved to Allah among Allah's lands, and you are also the most beloved to me among Allah's lands. Were it not that the idolators have driven me out from you, I would never have left you.) Ibn `Abbas then said, "The worst of enemies is he who transgresses against Allah in His own sacred place, who kills a person who is not trying to kill him, or who kills because of Jahiliyyah vengeance. Allah then revealed to His Prophet ,

وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ هِىَ أَشَدُّ قُوَّةً مِّن قَرْيَتِكَ الَّتِى أَخْرَجَتْكَ أَهْلَكْنَـهُمْ فَلاَ نَـصِرَ لَهُمْ

(And how many a town mightier than your town that has driven you out have We destroyed, with none to help them!)"

And how many ka-ayyin means kam a town by which is meant the inhabitants thereof mightier in power than your town Mecca that is to say its inhabitants which expelled you akhrajatka is feminine despite the plural sense of inhabitants meant is because it takes into account the feminine form of qarya ‘town’ have We destroyed ahlaknāhum takes into account the former plural import of qarya ‘town’ and they had none to help them against Our destruction of them.

Commentary

Essential Characteristics of Paradise

Verse sixteen mentions four kinds of favours and blessings in the next world, that is, rivers of pure water, rivers of milk of which the taste does not change, rivers of wine which gives delight and rivers of purified honey which will be given to the righteous in plenty.

Worldly waters become polluted by getting mixed with earth, vegetation and other adulterating substances which make them stink. But in Paradise, there will be rivers having un-pollutable water. The river of pure, clean water that will not go bad in taste, smell or colour, (and will flow uninterruptedly without layers of dregs, scum or any other unpleasant- looking substances).

Milk, in this world, is secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals, such as the cow's udders or the breasts of the human female, and soon it starts to deteriorate. In Paradise it will flow in rivers and the Heavenly milk will never be spoilt. Its taste will be eternally delicious, relishing and delightful.

Worldly wine has a foul smell and a bitter taste, (though the ones addict to it do not feel its bitterness, being accustomed to it). But the Heavenly wine will give endless delight to the drinker. In Surah As-St [ 37:47] the Qur’ an describes the Heavenly wine as لَا فِيهَا غَوْلٌ وَلَا هُمْ عَنْهَا يُنزَفُونَ intoxicated: "which has no headache in it, nor from it will they be ."

Honey, in this world, is the secretion derived principally from the nectarines of flowers, from which it is extracted by bees in the form of nectar and deposited in their honey-sacs, where it undergoes a certain change prior to storage in the cells of the comb. When it is ripe, that is, it has become sufficiently thick by evaporation, it may now be extracted or thrown from the honey-comb by centrifugal force or by gravity. When it is so extracted, it needs to be clarified of the accompanying particles of wax, scum and other unwanted substances. However, the honey in Paradise will be pure and clean and will be available amply, as rivers of honey will flow uninterruptedly without layers of dregs, scum or any other unpleasant-looking substances.

All four kinds of rivers - of water, milk, wine and honey - are used in their primary senses. There is no need to apply them unnecessarily in their figurative sense. However, it is obvious that the bounties of Paradise cannot be compared to things of this world. The taste and quality of the bounties of Paradise will be unique and can only be experienced in the gardens of Paradise.