(Revealed at Mecca)

8 Verses in 1 Section

Sections of Surah Al-Bayyinah

1. Qur’an, the Clear Evidence.

Al-Bayyinah - Qur’an, The Clear Evidence

Qur’an is clear evidence distinguishing Truth from falsehood, Qur’an contains the Pure and the Essential Words of God.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

“In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful”

لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ مُنْفَكِّينَ حَتَّىٰ تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ

“Those who disbelieved from among the people of the Book and the polytheists could not have separated themselves (from the falsehood) until came unto them the Clear Evidence” (98:1)

لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ مُنْفَكِّينَ حَتَّىٰ تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ

“(In the) Apostle from God reciting (unto them) the Purified Scripture1“ (98:2)

فِيهَا كُتُبٌ قَيِّمَةٌ 

“Wherein are the decrees (correct and) strong” (98:3)

وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ

“Nor were divided those who were given the Book but after had come unto them the Clear Evidence2“ (98:4)

وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ

“Yet Was not enjoined on them but that they should worship God (alone) in perfect sincerity, in religion (only) unto Him, and that they give away the poor-rate, and that3, is the religion (correct and) strong” (98:5)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ شَرُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ

“Verily, those who disbelieve from among the people of the Book and the polytheists shall be in the fire of hell, to abide therein. And it is they who are the worst of creatures” (98:6)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ

“Verily, those who believe and do good deeds, it is they who are the best of creatures” (98:7)

جَزَاؤُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۖ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُ

“Their recompense4unto their Lord shall be gardens everlasting, ‘neath which flow rivers, to abide therein for ever. Well pleased is God with them and they are well-pleased with Him; That is for him who feareth his Lord” (98:8)

Commentary

Verse 1

‘Munfakkeen’, i.e., separated, i.e., separated from falsehood.

It is a fact that the people of the Book, i.e., the Jews and the Christians of Arabia were relieved of their false dogma; the Jews about the false belief in Moses being the son of God and their rituals and the Christians of the inconceivable Trinity, i.e., of God being the one in three and three in one, by clear evidence the Holy Prophet presented through the Holy Qur’an.

The Jews and the Christians who are addressed here as the people of the Book (the Scripture) had already had clear prophecies in their Holy Books.

The scriptures given to Moses and Jesus, speak about the advent of the last Apostle from God5.

‘‘The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto thee; unto him ye shall hearken”

‘‘I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethern, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him”6 and the Spirit of Truth7 . But when the promised Apostle came from God, they rejected him. And if the Holy Prophet the promised Final Reformer from God had not brought the clear evidence through the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, the disbelievers would not have left their pagan thoughts and conduct. The Jews would not have been relieved of their false belief and their hypocritical rituals and the Christians would not have been informed of the misconception about Jesus and their mistaken belief in the Trinity and God having begotten a son.

Verse 2

The Holy Prophet was none else but the Apostle from God and what he recited, the Holy Qur’an, was not any collection of ancient tales or anything of the creation of his own mind but it was the Truth, the original Word of God in its purity without any corruption having polluted it8.

‘Sahof’ plural of ‘Safh’ literally mean pages - but Qur’an used this term for the collection of the divine revelation9 and the term ‘Mushaf’ was used for the complete collection of the Holy Qur’an. (A.P.).

Verse 3

What is contained in the Holy Qur’an is exactly the Word of God relating to His ordinance, meant for the human race. It (the Holy Qur’an) contains all the good or the truth mentioned in the previous scriptures with the necessary regulations to serve the purpose of its being the final code for a universal religion for the human race as a whole for all times.

‘Qaiyyim’ - Straight - Strong - Confirmed - Standardised - Definite and Permanent10. When the truth was revealed through the Holy Qur’an the disbelievers got themselves divided in two groups, one accepting Islam and the other rejecting it.

Verse 5

In the scriptures given to Moses and Jesus the Jews and the Christians were ordained only to worship the Only God exclusively to have their faith only in Him and none else - as ‘Hanifs’, i.e., as those devoted exclusively, to none but the One God11.

‘Deen al-Qaiyyim’ the Right Religion.

The passage may mean that mankind has not been ordered to do anything but to worship, which is in conformity with 16:36. It may also be interpreted that they have not been commanded for any reason hut to enable them to obey. It would be in conformity with the significance of 2:143 which asserts that the reason for the change of Qiblah is the test of obedience.

However, this passage has been quoted in favour of the view that in carrying out all the divine orders, the ‘Niyyat’ the divine motive is necessary. (A.P.).

Submission to God and service to mankind is the standing Religion12. (A.P.).

Verse 6

Those who disbelieve in their Creator Lord their true Benefactor and refuse to worship Him and believe in false deities and worship them and are devoted to falsehood rejecting the truth, are certainly the worst of the creatures.

Verse 7

Ibn Abbas says by the term ‘Khairal Bariyya’ is meant Ali Ibn Abu Talib and the Holy Ahl Al-Bayt. Hafiz Abu-Nayeem Isphahani in his book Holyat al-Aulia reports on the authority of Ibn-Abbas that the Holy Prophet said ‘‘O’ Ali, Thou and thy Shias (devotees’) will be in the heaven” (MS.)

It is narrated by Haskani in his work ‘Thawahidut Tanzeel’ - from Yazeed Ibn Sharaheel al- Ansari - Ali Askarani - from Ali - that the Holy Prophet told him at the time of his departure when, his head was lying on my breast quoting this verse and said: ‘‘Khair al-Bariyya’ ‘‘are thy Shias (followers) and the place for me to meet them is the ‘Houz’ the Cistern (of Kawthar) when the people will be gathered for accounting - and thy followers will be called ‘Ghorral-Mohajjaleen’ - and Haskani narrates from ‘Maqatil-Ibn Suleman’, one of the well-known earliest commentators on Qur’an from Ibn Abbas that ‘Khairal-Bariyya’ was revealed for Ali and those of his family. (A.P.)

Verse 8

The great quality mentioned to be of those who would be pleased with God and God being pleased with them, could be found only in those who would have led the life of perfect faith in God and complete submission to His will and there could be no other than the Holy Ahl Al-Bayt whose purity God Himself had affected 33:33 and whose faith and righteousness even the enemy would bear testimony to - under any case there can never be those who doubted in the apostleship of the Holy Prophet and who deserted him in times of danger to the very life of the Holy Prophet and the existence of Islam in the world.

Not restricted to any class of the believer of any particular age. (A.P.).

• 1. ‘Suhof’ plural of Sahf, i.e. page - Lit. Pages - See note.
• 2. Refer to: 3:19, 4:163-165.
• 3. Submission to God and service to mankind is the Standing Religion Refer to: 25:30-33.
• 4. Not restricted to any class of the believers of any particular age. (A.P.).
• 5. See Deut. 18/15 and 18.
• 6. See Deut. 18/15 and 18.
• 7. See John 16/13.
• 8. See 2:151, 80:13-16.
• 9. Refer to verses: 80:13-14, 53:36, 37, 87:18, 19, 20:133.
• 10. See 9:36, 12:40.
• 11. For Hanifs - See 2:135.
• 12. See 25:30-33.