The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 628
CH. 7 AL-A'RĀF PT. 9 قُلْ لا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا Say, I have no power to. 189 do good or harm to myself, save إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللهُ وَلَوْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ as Allah pleases. And if I had الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ إِنْ أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُوْنَ 7807 knowledge of the unseen, I should have secured abundance of good; and evil should not have touched me. I am only a warner and a bearer of good tidings to a people who believe. '1075 R. 24. هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ He it is Who has created. 190 you from a single soul, and وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا فَلَمَّا made therefrom its mate, that تَغَشْهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلًا خَفِيْفًا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِ. he might find comfort in her فَلَمَّا أَثْقَلَتْ دَعَوَا اللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَبِنْ أَتَيْتَنَا صَالِحًا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّكِرِينَ And when he knows her, she bears a light burden, and goes about with it. And when she grows heavy, they both pray to "10:50; 72:22. 2:120; 5:20; 11:3. 4:2; 16:73; 39:7. d30:22. would come to pass nor was he very of Islam, which the Holy Prophet so solicitous about it. 1075. Commentary: By the word "good" in the sentence, I should have secured abundance of good, is meant no material good, but spiritual good. As for material good, it is well-known that it did come to the Holy Prophet, but he discarded it, praying to God in the words lolum i. e. "My God, make me live the life of a poor man and let death come to me when I am poor" (Tirmidhi). So by the word "good" is here meant, not worldly good or riches but spiritual good or the good ardently desired. The word "unseen" in the clause, If I had knowledge of the unseen, means the secret ways of purifying men's hearts which are known to God alone (16:10). The Holy Prophet is thus represented as saying: "If I had known the secret and hidden ways by which men's hearts are turned to truth, I would have certainly used them and would have made all of you accept the true Faith. " 1068 The expression, and evil should not have touched me, means that in the event of my having won over all men to Islam, there would have been no war.