The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 553
their loyalty to God above the loyalty to their parents when the two loyalties clash and conflict. But it is to be regretted that fear of men and consideration of worldly connections and relationships are shown greater regard than the fear of God's displeasure. Then brief references are made to the life-stories of the Prophets Noah, Abraham, Lot and some other Divine Messengers, to show that persecution can never arrest or retard the progress of the true Faith and that compulsion in matters of religion never pays and a people cannot be compelled permanently to continue to subscribe to views forcibly imposed upon them. The Sūrah further says that polytheistic beliefs being as frail as a spider's web cannot stand intelligent and searching criticism, therefore the votaries of false gods have never been known to succeed in their evil designs to frustrate God's plan and purpose. Next, disbelievers are told that they have no reason or justification to continue to hold idolatrous beliefs when a Book like the Quran has been revealed which fully meets all the moral needs and requirements of man and is eminently fitted to raise him to the highest pinnacles of spiritual glory. The Surah further disposes of an oft-quoted objection of disbelievers that the Quran has been composed by the Holy Prophet. They say that it is unbelievable that a man who could neither read nor write and therefore legitimately was not expected to possess knowledge of the old revealed Scriptures, should have been able to produce a Book which not only contains what is of permanent value in earlier Books but comprises all those universal truths and teachings that are calculated to satisfy the moral and spiritual needs and requirements of humanity for all time to come. The Quran is then presented as the greatest divine miracle in answer to the disbelievers' demand for Signs and miracles, and after arraigning and reprimanding them for demanding punishment instead of accepting the Holy Prophet, it tells them that, while it is God alone Who decides when to send punishment, when punishment came, it "would overwhelm them from above them and from under their feet. " The Surah closes with the subject with which it had begun. The believers are consoled and comforted that if they remained steadfast under the persecution to which they are subjected a great and bright future lies in store for them. They will have wealth, comforts and honour far in excess of what they had to give up for the sake of God. The Surah ends on the note that the believers will have to take up the sword in defence of Islam and to conduct vigorous jihad against the forces of evil but the real Jihad, it says, does not consist in killing and being killed but in striving hard to win the pleasure of God and in preaching the Message of the Quran by peaceful means. 2467