Verses Perfectly Explained

The idol-worshippers are criticized for turning away from the truth, abusing the Quran, and rejecting the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

The deniers are warned that their own organs will speak against them on Judgment Day.

The people of 'Ad and Thamud were destroyed for being arrogant and ungrateful.

People should worship the Creator, not the creation.

The Quran is a revelation from Allah.

The amazing creation all around us should guide us to believe in the Master Creator.

They asked the faith leader if he wanted to say a final word, and he prayed, 'God! Save me!' Then they pulled the rope, and the blade fell, but it stopped halfway before reaching his neck. The crowd shouted, 'This is a sign from God. Let him go.' So, the faith leader was released.

Next, it was the scientist's turn. When they placed him on the machine, he started to argue, 'Guys! You should have never let that faith leader go. God doesn't exist; there is no miracle here.' They asked, 'How do you explain the fact that the blade stopped--' But he interrupted and continued to argue, 'Listen to me, you fools! I have a scientific explanation for this. If you look up, you will see the rope is tangled. That's all!'

They said, 'Are you sure?' And he replied with confidence, 'Of course! We don't need God. Science can explain everything.' They said, '`Sans problème` (no problem)!' They fixed the rope, then the blade fell with ease. The scientist won the argument, but lost his head!

The Makkan idol-worshippers were very angry because some important people started to accept Islam. They agreed to send one of their leaders, named 'Otbah, to the Prophet (ﷺ) to convince him to give up his mission. 'Otbah came to him while he was sitting alone by the Ka'bah and argued: 'My nephew! You know the high status of your family among us. But you have divided our community and made our idols look bad.'

He continued, 'I don't want the swords to come out and for us to start fighting each other. If you are doing this for money, we will make you the richest of us. If you are doing it for leadership, we will make you our king. And if you are doing it because the `jinn` have messed you up mentally, we will get you the best doctor!'

When he finished, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Are you done, O Abu Al-Walid?' He said, 'Yes.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Now, let me respond.' He said, 'I'm all ears!' then 'Otbah put his hands behind his back and started to listen carefully. The Prophet (ﷺ) recited from the beginning of this surah.

When he reached verse 13 that talks about the mighty blast that destroyed 'Ad and Thamud, 'Otbah freaked out and begged him to stop. He knew that the Prophet (ﷺ) always told the truth, so he was afraid the Makkan deniers would be destroyed by a similar blast. When he returned to the idol-worshippers, he advised them to leave Muhammad (ﷺ) alone. He argued, 'I'm sure his message will be something important one day. If this happens, then his success is your success. But if he fails, then you have nothing to lose.' However, they didn't like his advice, so he said, 'It's up to you.'

There are many things that we can learn from this dialogue when we debate with someone: first of all, the Prophet (ﷺ) and 'Otbah were debating something very important—the fact that Allah is One. So it wasn't just a random, meaningless debate.

Some of the lessons from this dialogue are: 'Otbah started off by saying something positive about the Prophet (ﷺ), calling him 'my nephew' and reminding him of his family's high status. The Prophet (ﷺ) never interrupted him, even though 'Otbah said things that he didn't agree with.

When 'Otbah finished talking, the Prophet (ﷺ) asked if he had anything else to say. He also made sure that 'Otbah wanted to listen to his response. The Prophet (ﷺ) called 'Otbah by his eldest son's name, 'Abu Al-Walid,' as a sign of respect. 'Otbah put his hands behind his back to show interest in what the Prophet (ﷺ) had to say. He didn't interrupt the Prophet (ﷺ).

The Prophet (ﷺ) didn't give a long speech. Instead, he chose to recite some powerful verses that impacted 'Otbah. The reason why people never reach an agreement when they debate is because they are not even listening to each other. They are either interrupting, shouting, or preparing an argument even without listening to the whole response.

It is very clear from the above story that the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up for his beliefs when 'Otbah (and other idol-worshippers) tried to bribe him. He was offered money and authority but he refused because he believed in his mission. We should learn from the Prophet (ﷺ) by standing up for our values and principles. If people don't sincerely stand up for something, they will easily fall for anything.

Shaytan said: 'Leave the tree alone. If they worship it, it is not going to harm you.' The man said: 'No. Allah is not happy with what they are doing.' Shaytan said, 'Let's fight.' The man easily knocked him down. Shaytan said to him with a broken voice: 'I'll make a deal with you: do not cut it, and you will find one golden `dinar` under your pillow every morning.' The man asked, 'Who will give it to me?' Shaytan said: 'I promise I will.' So the man accepted the deal and went home.

Sure enough, in the morning, the man found a `dinar` under his pillow. This went on for a month. But one day he woke up and didn't find anything. The man became angry and decided to cut the tree. Once again Shaytan came to him in the form of a man and asked him: 'What do you think you are doing?' The man said: 'I'm going to cut down this tree because people are worshipping it instead of Allah.' Shaytan said: 'No, you are not cutting it down. Let's fight.' This time Shaytan knocked the man down.

The man was in shock. He asked, 'How come you beat me this time, even though I defeated you last time?' Shaytan said, 'It's very simple. Last time you were angry for Allah, but this time you were angry for the `dinar`!'

Someone may ask, 'If the Quran always says that Allah created the heavens and the earth in six days, how come the total in the passage below is eight, not six days?' To answer this question, we need to understand that this `surah` gives some details that are not mentioned in any other `surah`, such as the process of creating the universe.

Allah doesn't need time to create—He creates everything in the blink of an eye with the word 'kun' (Be!). However, when the order came, the universe developed over six heavenly days (not our 24-hour days). The earth developed in two days, and then resources developed in four days from the beginning of the creation (including the first two days) to show us that the development was continuous, not interrupted.

On Judgment Day, when the wicked see their evil deeds in their books, they will protest that the angels have written things they didn't do! They already know they did these sins, but they just want to save themselves from the horrible punishment of the Fire.

Allah will ask them, 'Are you sure you didn't do these things?' The wicked will reply, 'Of course, we didn't!' Then Allah will ask them, 'Let's ask your neighbors.' The wicked will say, 'No, they are all liars.' Allah will ask again, 'What about your families and relatives?' They will say, 'They are liars too.' Allah will ask, 'Who then do you accept as witnesses?' They will reply, 'We only accept witnesses from ourselves.'

Then Allah will seal their mouths so they can't talk anymore. Then their own organs will speak against them, and the wicked will be thrown in the Fire.

Allah challenged the idol-worshippers to make something like the Quran or at least find a mistake in it. But they failed miserably. They knew that they couldn't challenge the Quran with logic. But they had a big problem: many people were touched by the Prophet's (ﷺ) recitation and ended up accepting Islam. To make sure his recitation didn't reach people's ears (and eventually, their hearts), they told each other not to listen to the Quran.

They used various tactics, such as making lots of noise so nobody could hear it, shouting at Muhammad (ﷺ) so he couldn't focus on what he was reciting, making fun of his recitation, clapping and whistling, and swearing at him and the Quran.

The Quran touches the heart. This is why there are many stories of people who accepted Islam after listening to some verses or even one verse. For example, 'Othman ibn Maz'oon (R.A.) said that Islam entered his heart when he heard verse 16:90 from the Prophet (ﷺ).

As we mentioned in Surah 52, Jubair ibn Mut'im (R.A.) was not a Muslim when he first heard the Prophet (ﷺ) recite verses 35-36 in `salah`. He said that he was so touched by these verses that his heart almost jumped out of his chest. Finally, he accepted Islam.

'Omar ibn Al-Khattab (R.A.) accepted Islam after reading a few verses from the beginning of Surah 20. At-Tufail ibn 'Amr (R.A.) accepted Islam because of Surahs 112, 113, and 114. Even a group of `jinn` accepted Islam as soon as they heard the Prophet (ﷺ) recite some verses of the Quran, according to Surah 72.

Allah tells us that if we want the Quran to touch our hearts, then we have to listen carefully and think about its great message and wisdom (50:37).

The brother gave him an English translation of the Quran. He started to read it with his wife and eventually they both accepted Islam, `alhamdulillah`. He sent me that message to say that the translation he got from the brother was The Clear Quran. He said that he and his wife were now teaching others about the beauty of Islam.

The doctor felt sorry for him and said, 'Let me examine your ear.' The doctor was surprised to see the three pills stuffed in the patient's ear! Even though the doctor had given the patient the right medicine, the patient used it the wrong way.

Someone may ask, 'You mentioned the stories of the people who accepted Islam because of one verse or a few verses. How can we connect with the Quran the way they did?' Now, you might have laughed when you read the story about the patient who used the medicine the wrong way. Believe it or not, many of us do the same thing with the Quran.

Allah says (17:82) that He revealed the Quran for `shifa` (healing). This means that the Quran can fix all of our problems. It covers all aspects of life for the individual, family, or society. The problem is that many people treat the Quran as a book of the dead, only reading or listening to it when someone dies, even though Allah says in Surah Ya-Sin that the Quran is for 'those who are truly alive' (36:70).

Some people put a copy of the Quran in their car, thinking it will protect them against theft and accidents. Some frame verses in calligraphy and hang them on the wall just to make their living rooms look nice. And some open random pages and make a decision based on the first verse they see.

But this is not the reason why Allah revealed the Quran to His final messenger (ﷺ). Our duty is to have a personal connection with the Book of Allah by reading and understanding it, memorizing it if we can, reflecting on it, and applying it to our lives.

The Prophet (ﷺ) knew and understood people, and he spoke to them in a way that was perfect for them. This must have required a lot of skill, wisdom, and patience. In his famous book, 'How to Win Friends and Influence People,' American educator Dale Carnegie offers a tip: when he goes fishing, he baits the hook with worms, not with strawberries and cream, offering the fish what they want, not what he himself wants. He then asks, 'Why not use the same common sense when fishing for people?'

In 2003, when I read this book for the first time, I immediately realized that the Prophet (ﷺ) did the same things 1,250 years before Carnegie was even born. For example, the Prophet (ﷺ) smiled, listened, and spoke with a positive attitude. He connected with people on a personal level and praised them. He understood their background and put himself in their shoes. He made it clear that he wanted the best for them, not his own personal gains.

He cared about others. They say, 'People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.' He spoke to them in a way they could understand and relate to, spoke to their hearts, not just their ears, led by example, was generous, responded to evil with good, stood up for what he believed in, was kind even when he corrected people, and gave people hope.

One of the great qualities of the Prophet (ﷺ) is that he turned many enemies into friends, but never turned a friend into an enemy. You will be amazed when you read the books of `sirah` (the Prophet's life story) and how those who tried to kill him ended up defending him with their lives after accepting his message!

'Omar ibn Al-Khattab (R.A.) wanted to kill the Prophet (ﷺ), but became one of the greatest Muslims. Abu Sufyan was one of the biggest enemies of the Prophet (ﷺ) for over 20 years, then he accepted Islam and lost his eyes in two different battles to defend Islam. 'Ikrimah (son of Abu Jahl, who was compared to Pharaoh) was another big enemy of the Prophet (ﷺ). Then he died a `shahid` at the Battle of Yarmouk.

Khalid (son of Al-Walid ibn Al-Mugheirah, another big enemy of the Prophet (ﷺ)), who led wars against the Muslims in Madinah, then ended up accepting Islam and leading the Muslim army for many years. As a military leader who never lost any battle, Khalid was the main reason why Muslims didn't win at Uhud. He accepted Islam because the Prophet (ﷺ) said something good about him, when he told Al-Walid (Khalid's Muslim brother): 'I'm really surprised that an intelligent person like Khalid hasn't been able to see the truth of Islam. If he comes to me, I'll honour him.' The same was also true for 'Amr ibn Al-'As, Suhail ibn 'Amr, and many others.

Eventually, when Steven couldn't take it anymore, he turned to that careless man and exploded: 'Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn't control them a little more?' The man opened his eyes and said softly, 'Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to do, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either.'

Can you imagine what Steven felt at that moment? He said he suddenly started to feel differently towards that man. His heart was quickly filled with that man's pain. His anger was replaced with sympathy. He no longer worried about how uncomfortable other people were because of those kids. He said gently, 'Your wife just died? Oh, I'm so sorry! Can you tell me about it? What can I do to help?' Everything changed in one second just because they spoke with each other.

Verse 33 speaks highly of those who call others to believe in Allah. To be able to teach non-Muslims about Islam, keep the following points in mind: There is only One True God, one humanity, and one message that was delivered by all prophets. Every prophet said the same thing: have faith in One God and do good. This message is called 'Islam.'

So when someone asks me about 'pork,' I tell them about the purpose of my life first before I tell them why pork is `haram`. In other words, I give them the full picture, not just a small pixel. Otherwise, they will keep jumping from one question to another. Our actions and choices in this life will decide where we will be in the next life. We should show people what it means to be Muslim with our manners. Actions speak louder than words. Being nice is not enough for people to figure out the teachings of Islam on their own. It's important to share what Muslims believe.

There are four things that we need to focus on when we teach others about Islam: 1. The fact that God exists. This universe proves the existence of a Master Designer and Creator. In physics, we know that you can't get something from nothing or order from disorder. 2. The fact that God is One. As we mentioned in Surah 31, Allah proves that He is One and Unique in many different ways. 3. The fact that this God (Who has taken care of our physical needs by giving us water to drink and food to eat) takes care of our souls by sending us revelations. Those revelations teach us the purpose of our existence and how to live a good life. We need a higher authority to guide our decisions. 4. The fact that Allah doesn't talk to us directly, so He chose the best people to be His prophets and deliver His message to us. A total of 124,000 prophets were sent, from Adam (A.S.) to Muhammad (ﷺ). Every prophet came to his own people, but Muhammad (ﷺ) came as the final messenger to all of humanity. His teachings are based on wisdom, justice, and common sense.

They challenged him to make deadly chunks fall on them from the sky (17:92). They asked him to bring Allah and the angels down, so they could see them face-to-face (17:92). They challenged him to go up into heaven and bring them personal letters from Allah (17:93).

They said they wished the Quran had been revealed to someone more wealthy and important than the Prophet (ﷺ) (43:31). They challenged him to bring a different Quran or at least change the parts that criticize their idols (10:15).

They challenged him to bring the Quran in a different language, even though they said at the beginning of the `surah` (verse 5) that they couldn't understand it in their own language of Arabic, and told each other not to listen to it (verse 26). So verse 44 tells them, 'What is the point of revealing it in another language?' If the Quran was revealed in Japanese or Spanish, for example, they would have protested: 'How can Arabs understand this foreign revelation?'

Someone may ask, 'Why did Allah reveal the Quran in Arabic, not English or French?' Maybe Allah chose Arabic as the language of the Quran for the following reasons: Arabic is a very rich language, with over 12,302,912 words—that is 25 times the number of words in English and 82 times the number of words in French. There are hundreds of words in Arabic for 'lion' and dozens for 'camel,' 'sword,' and 'rain.'

Many Arabic words have more than one meaning. For example, the word '`yamin`' in 37:93 can be understood as 'right hand,' 'power,' or 'oath.' You can't find an English word that gives all three meanings. The Arabic language is brief and to the point. A single word in the Quran may require a whole English sentence to translate. For example, `fa-'as-qay-na-kumooh` (15:22) means 'Then We gave it to you to drink,' and `anul-zimu-kumoo-ha` (11:28) means 'Shall we force you to accept it?'

Arabic is very poetic and lovely to the ear. Arabic is by far the most beautiful written language. Because Arabic is very rich, it was used during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization as the language of learning, science, and art. So, if someone wanted to study the advanced science and medical technology at the time, they had to learn Arabic. In other words, Arabic used to be the English of today.

I thought about a way to make the Quran more accessible to my brothers and sisters. So, between 2017 and 2021, I worked day and night on a dictionary that makes it easy for everyone to understand the Quran in Arabic in four to six months. It's interesting to know that the Quran is made up of only 2,000 words (verbs, nouns, and particles), repeated in different forms. Now, `Alhamdu-lillah`, we have The Clear Quran Dictionary—the world's first picture dictionary of the Quran, with 2,000 images and illustrations. The book also features double rhymes of all the roots of the Quran in just nine pages.

Also, if someone is not able to connect with the Quran in Arabic, they still can read it in translation. We trust that Allah is generous and He will give them a big reward for doing their best, `in-sha-Allah`.