The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 230
CH. 22 AL-HAJJ PT. 17 وَهُدُوا إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْحَمِيدِ guided to the path of the Praiseworthy God. 2456A اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيْلِ ,As to those who disbelieve. 26 and hinder men from the way of اللهِ وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَمِ الَّذِى جَعَلْتُهُ Allah, and from the Sacred لِلنَّاسِ سَوَاءَ الْعَاكِفُ فِيهِ وَالْبَادِ وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيْهِ بِالْحَادِ بِظُلْمٍ تُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ اليُرة Mosque, which We have appointed equally for all men, be they dwellers therein or visitors from the desert, and whoso seeks wrongfully to deviate therein from the right path-We shall cause to taste of a punishment. 2457 him grievous 1 "8:35; 16:89; 43:38; 48:26. 2456A. Commentary: The verse shows that Paradise will not be a place of inactivity or idleness. On the other hand it will be a place of continuous work. Only the nature of the work will be different and there will be no fear of failure or fall as in this life. The spiritual progress of the righteous will be uniform and uninterrupted. 2457. Important Words: 56 means, one who dwells in a place or dwells there permanently. Here it means one who dwells in Mecca or dwells in it constantly. See also 2:126 & 21:53. (visitor from the desert) is بدا القوم الى البادية. . بدا derived from i. e. people went forth to the desert, or they went forth from the region of the towns to the pasturing places in the desert. which means, life in the towns, is contrary to which 2144 means, life in the desert. > means, one who dwells in a i. e. desert or tents; not remaining in his place; one who comes from outside the town, i. e. a visitor or an occasional visitor (Lane & Aqrab). Commentary: This verse serves as an introduction to the subject of pilgrimage which is the central theme of this Surah. Circumambulation of the Sacred Mosque is the most important of the rituals and ceremonies of Pilgrimage, so a brief reference to the sacredness and importance of the Ka'bah forms a befitting introduction to the subject of Ḥajj. The reference in words "those who hinder men from the way of Allah and from the Sacred Mosque" may also be to a well-known incident connected with the Truce of Hudaibiyyah. In the 7th year of the