The Majestic Quran

say, “We believe!” How can they possibly receive faith now, 53 when previously they had denied it? They are stabbing in the dark from far awa y 10 , 54 and a barrier is put up between them and their desires, as happened with their type before; because they were deeply suspicious. 1 In Arabia, if a husband told his wife: “You are like my mother’s back to me,” that was a suspended divorce, it deprived her of sexual intimacy and the freedom to remarry. A cruel practice, also condemned in Chapter Al-Mujadilah 58: 2 . 2 “The eyes rolled, the hearts leapt and you had wild thoughts...” this is an idiom that expresses the serious life-threatening situation the disciples faced, it shook their faith. 3 When the Messenger r asked Zaynab, who was his cousin to marry Zayd ibn Harith she refused because she thought he was not her equal, however upon hearing this verse she agreed to marry him. The Messenger r had brought up Zayd like a son. 4 The waiting period before a divorcee or a widow can marry is three months, to ensure that a child born after the divorce will know its father. This doesn’t apply to an unconsummated marriage. 5 The jilbab is a loose outer garment, the overcoat draped around the body. See Chapter An-Nur 24: 31. 6 This verse is best understood in the context of Chapter An-Nur 24: 33, which refers to the practice of forcing slave women into prostitution, leading some young men to harass even free women as they left their homes to answer the call of nature in the open fields at night. 7 This Trust is comprehensive: including faith, prayers, moral character, caring for the environment, etc. Compare with the first assembly of prophets, Chapter Ale ʿ Imran 3: 81, and the first assembly of human souls, Chapter Al-A ʿ raf 7: 172 . 8 “Our signs” refers to the Quran (Suyuti). 9 This hints to Solomon’s death whilst sitting on his mighty throne, leaning on his staff. His death went unnoticed until his staff eaten by termites gave way and fell to the ground. An allusion to the fleeting and feeble nature of human life. 10 Literally: They were throwing arrows in the dark from a long distance.