The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 452
CH. 26 ASH-SHU'ARĀ' 131. And when you lay hands upon any one, you lay hands as tyrants;2774 132. So fear Allah, and obey me. 133. And fear Him Who has helped you with all that you know. 2775 134. He has helped you with cattle, and sons, 2776 Commentary: they This, the preceding, and the following verse show that the Adites were a powerful and cultured people. They had made great progress in science in their time. They built fortresses, palatial buildings and great reservoirs. They had their summer residences, their factories and mechanical works. They were specially advanced in architecture. They invented new weapons and implements of war and erected great monuments. In short, like the present- day nations of the west, possessed all the complicated paraphernalia of a highly advanced civilization. They made great strides in knowledge but they consigned to oblivion the one supreme lesson of history, viz. that nations derive their real strength not from material things but from high ideals and good morals. As they became morally corrupt and spiritually depraved and turned a deaf ear to the warning of their Prophet to mend their ways, so they fell a victim to that terrible doom which is the inevitable lot of those who ignore PT. 19 وَإِذَا بَطَشْتُمْ بَطَشْتُمْ جَبَّارِيْنَ ® فَاتَّقُوا اللهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي آمَدَّكُمْ بِمَا تَعْلَمُونَ آمَدَّكُمْ بِأَنْعَامِ وَبَنِينَ Divine warning. 2774. Commentary: This verse shows that the Adites were a highly powerful people of the time. They had developed imperialistic tendencies and had sought to subjugate weaker communities and destroy their cultures. This seems to be the significance of the words, "And when you lay hands upon anyone, you lay hands as tyrants. " 2366 2775. Commentary: The Adites are told in the verse that God has bestowed on them material blessings and benefits, that they might know that He is the real Source of all power and that they should be on their guard against defying His commandments. 2776. Commentary: In this and the next verse reference has been made to the three main sources and signs of the material power and pomp of a people, viz. their great numbers, their cattle and animals, and their gardens and springs.