The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 386
possessed the excellences and beauties possessed by it, but that is not the case. Next, another foolish plea of disbelievers is mentioned, viz. that the Holy Prophet is a mere mortal who eats and drinks and goes about as an ordinary man. "Why has not God," they say, "sent an angel with him to bear witness to the truth of his mission? Or why has he not been given treasures of wealth or gardens, or why at all should they follow a liar and an impostor?" Thus the disbelievers drift from one plea to another, but the Quran stigmatizes all this as confused and incoherent talk and condemns and reprimands the enemies of truth for not sticking to one point or line of argument, and proceeds to tell impatient disbelievers that God will certainly give the Holy Prophet and his followers better things than what they demand of him-much better gardens than those of their conception. But they should not get impatient and should wait for the time when all these things will come to pass. The Surah further says that when that time would actually arrive, they would be severely disappointed, but their disappointment would in no way benefit them; on the contrary, it would prove a source of growing and enduring mortification for them. The Surah then further elaborates and answers some of the worn out and hackneyed objections of disbelievers. One such objection, as mentioned above, is that the Holy Prophet is a mere mortal and is subject to the demands of the flesh. In answer to this objection the Surah asks the disbelievers whether the former Prophets were not humans and whether they were not subject to human needs and wants. If such is the case, then is not their objection foolish and flimsy? Another objection is, "why do not angels descend upon us and why does not God speak to us?" In answer to this objection disbelievers are told that angels will certainly descend, but only to punish them for their evil deeds. The day of punishment will be the Day of Decision and the Prophet will bear witness against them. Next, the Surah refers to some more objections of disbelievers and after answering them, passes on to warn them that they will meet with no better fate than the one with which the opponents of the Prophets of yore had met. Further on, the Holy Prophet is consoled and comforted that if he is held up to scorn and ridicule, it is only natural that it should have been so, because the enemies of truth had always rejected truth. His enemies were no exception; their hearts too had become devoid of all noble feelings. Then, a brief reference is made to the law of the rise and fall of nations and disbelievers are warned that the time of their decadence and downfall and that of the rise, progress and prosperity of Muslims has already arrived. They may not reconcile themselves to the fact that a Prophet could have been raised among them. But a Prophet must belong to some country, and the disbelievers are asked as to which country the Holy Prophet should have belonged so as to 2300