The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 32
CH. 3 ĀL-E-‘IMRĀN PT. 3 disbelievers for friends لَا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَفِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاء Let not the believers take. 29 in مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ preference to believers and فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَنْ تَتَّقُوا مِنْهُمْ تُقَةً وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللهُ نَفْسَهُ وَإِلَى اللهِ الْمَصِيرُ whoever does that has no connection with Allah-except that you cautiously guard against them. And Allah cautions you against His punishment; and to Allah is the returning 319 3:119; 4:140, 145. living nation had suffered death and another, as good as dead, had arisen into life. The word (day) represents prosperity and power, and _ (night) signifies the loss of power combined with decline and decadence. By using this simile, the Quran draws attention to the fact that a people who wish that the night of woes and miseries should never overtake them and that they should ever continue to enjoy the day of prosperity and glory, should so place themselves in front of the Divine Sun as to continue to be illuminated by its ever-effulgent light. In this connection it may also be noted that the Quranic expression, Thou makest the night pass into the day and makest the day pass into the night, does not merely signify "the" alternate ending and beginning of day and: night, but also the conversion of part of the day into night and vice versa, thus hinting at the lengthening of the one at the cost of the other. The clause, And Thou givest to 472 whomsoever thou pleasest without measure, holds out a promise to Muslims that the glory of Islam will be unparalleled and will last forever. Islam will never be displaced as a religion and Muslims will always continue to be one of the most exalted peoples of the earth till the end of time. The appearance of Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, at a time when the temporal power of Islam was at its lowest ebb and Muslims had also become morally and spiritually degenerate, was in fulfilment of this very promise. Through him Islam has found a new life. It will now bloom and blossom till whole nations shall Muslims shall regain their pristine glory come under its spiritual sway, and and shall become the most dominant people on the face of the earth. 319. Important Words: is the نفس (His punishment) نفسه noun-infinitive from (nafusa) which literally means, it was or became loved and highly esteemed. به (nafisa) means, he was