The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 20
CH. 10 YŪNUS extravagant are given a fair appearance in their eyes. 1 1288 1288. Important Words: (the extravagant) is the plural of which is the active participle from which again is derived from meaning, he was ignorant; or he سرف الطعام. was unmindful or heedless means, the wheat or food became cankered or eaten away. means, he exceeded or transgressed the just or right limit or measure; he acted extravagantly or immoderately. They meaning, such a one فلان اسرف في ماله say was hasty in respect of his property i. e. he expended his property extravagantly without keeping within means, he اسرف في القتل. proper bounds exceeded the due bounds or just limits in slaying. , which is the اسرف also noun-infinitive from signifies the committing of many faults, offences, or crimes and sins. مسرف means, one exceeding or transgressing the right limit or measure; one acting extravagantly; one unmindful, negligent or heedless; one denying or disacknowledging the favours or benefits or the Unity or the Prophets or the Law of God; a disbeliever or an unbeliever (Lane & Aqrab). Commentary: This verse describes the different attitudes which a man assumes when he is stricken with distress. Sometimes the blow is so hard that he falls to the ground. This state is described in the words, lying on his side. Again, sometimes distress renders a man restless and uneasy. 1228 PT. 11 This state is described in the words, sitting or standing, because the constant changing of posture is a sure sign of restlessness. The verse means that, although disbelievers continue to demand that if the Prophet of Islam is really sent by God, they should be visited with punishment for their rejection of him, yet when Divine punishment actually overtakes them, they are seized with despair. It thus embodies two should not be hasty in attacking the important lessons. The first is that we motives of other people, because the verse clearly says that the disbelievers do not commit evil deeds deliberately, knowing them to be so, but only do what appears good in their eyes, i. e. their evil deeds are the result of faulty reasoning and defective vision. It may be asked here, why then will disbelievers be punished for doing what appears good in their eyes. The answer to that question is that the verse does not say that the evil deeds of each and every individual appear good in his sight but that it is only to the extravagant that they so appear. The offence of the disbelievers lies in the fact that they become extravagant, and so they justly deserve to suffer the consequences of an extravagant life. The second important lesson contained in this verse is that the plea of good motives is not always acceptable and therefore it cannot always save a person from the consequences of his actions. It is only