The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 68
PT. 26 CH. 49 14. O mankind, We AL-HUJURĀT created you from a male and a ياَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْتُكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ have وَ اُنْثَى وَجَعَلْنَكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَابِلَ female; and We have made you لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللهِ. you may know one another اتفيكُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ into tribes and subtribes that Verily, the most honourable among you, in the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All- Aware. 3851 Surah has laid the foundation of a firm and solid brotherhood of Islam. 3851. Important Words: (tribes) is the plural of (sha'bun) which is inf. noun from (sha 'ba) which means, he collected, brought together or united; or he separated, put asunder; divided or separated. means, a great tribe; the parent of the tribes called Jets, to which they refer their origin and which comprises them; a nation; a people; a cleft or crack (Lane & Aqrab). Js (subtribes) is the plural of al which is derived from s which means, he accepted; he took or received willingly. als means, a tribe; a subtribe; a family; a body of men from one father or mother (Lane & Aqrab). Commentary: From the subject of Islamic brotherhood to which reference has been made in the preceding two verses, the Surah proceeds to lay down, in the verse under comment, the basis of an all-comprehensive, all- 2964 pervading brotherhood of man. The verse, in fact, constitutes the Magna Carta of human fraternity and equality. It has firmly laid the axe at the false and foolish notions of superiority, born of racial arrogance or national conceit. All men having been "created from a male and a female" as human beings have been declared equal in the sight of God. The worth of a man is not to be judged by the pigment of his skin, the amount of wealth he possesses or by his rank or social status, descent or pedigree, but by his moral greatness and the way in which he discharges his obligations to God and man. The whole human race is but one family. Division into tribes, nations, and races is meant to give them a better knowledge of one another, in order that they might benefit from one another's national characteristics and good qualities. This, according to Islam, is the criterion of a person's greatness and this is the only true and real criterion. The Holy Prophet explained the beautiful idea of the