The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 176
CH. 21 AL-ANBIYA' away from the remembrance of their Lord. 2383 PT. 17 معْرِضُونَ protect them beside Us? They أَمْ لَهُمْ أَلِهَةٌ تَمْنَعُهُمْ مِنْ دُونِنَا Have they any gods that can. 44 لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ cannot help themselves or an مِنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ they be befriended by any one against Us. 2384 2383. Important Words: (can protect you) is derived from 5 (kala'a). They say i. e. God guarded such a one or kept him safe. The Arabs say ui. e. go ye in the safe keeping of God. means, he acted as a scout for the the payment of thedebt was postponed or delayed (Lane & Aqrab). ,means كلا الدين. party The expression may mean: (a) against or from the Gracious God. The verse means, who can save you from the punishment of the Gracious God: or (b) the expression may mean, instead of the Gracious God i. e. who can save you instead of God if He does not save you. Commentary: signifies that when disbelievers are told that God has made every provision for their physical needs, they readily admit it. But when they are told that He has made similar provision for their spiritual needs they turn aside with disdain and refuse to admit that such a thing can happen. Spiritually speaking the verse implies that whenever a spiritual sun or moon makes its appearance, calamities and miseries overtake men to establish the truth of the claim of the Divine Reformer because it is rejected and the Reformer himself is persecuted. 2384. Important Words: be befriended) is derived يصحبون The verse purports to say that there are many calamities, catastrophes, diseases and afflictions that take their birth at night and there are others that are born in the daytime. Man is completely unaware of what misfortunes hang over his head. It is the Gracious God Who protects him from them and yet the ungrateful people deny and reject the Divine teachings that are sent down for their spiritual regeneration. The clause "yet they turn away from the remembrance of God," 2090 from. They say do i. e. he lived with him; he was or became his companion, friend means, he protected or guarded the man. means, may God protect you (Taj & Aqrab). Commentary: أصحب الرجل. etc Besides its general sense the allusion of the verse may be to the Fall of Mecca when the Ka'bah was cleared of the 360 idols which were kept in it. The verse purports to say that when those idols could not protect themselves from the terrible