The Majestic Quran

48 Wisdom is God’s gift to those who make the right choices, who make constant effort to better themselves by practicing moral, social and spiritual values. 49 Usury is the exploitation of the weak by charging interest on money borrowed. 50 Why two women witnesses giving witness is not a ‘right’ it’s a duty, real responsibility. The Quran here is not obliging women to take this duty; they can have another woman with them. So, a woman is not being deprived of a right. 51 All the Messengers are equal in their Prophethood but differ in ranks. 52 Some verses are more direct than others, the less direct ones are metaphorical. They convey multiple meanings or ambiguous meanings. A metaphor compares one aspect of an idea with another to illuminate the idea. So, a metaphor takes you beyond one meaning and opens the mind to many possible meanings. 53 Ubaidah ibn Samat a prominent disciple of the Prophet r had a treaty with the Jews of Madinah. At the battle of trenches, he said to the Prophet r “I have five hundred of the Jews who will fight alongside me against the enemy.” These verses were revealed on that occasion (al Sabuni). 54 ‘The male is not like the female’ is a parenthesis that explained to Mary's mother “the male child she had prayed for could not have been like the female she was granted.” This implies that Mary's excellence would go far beyond any hopes, which her mother had ever entertained (Asad). 55 Tabari said “this phrase is back to front, it means Jesus I will raise you up to Me then after your second coming let you die as fixed.” This reflects the belief Jesus will return before the world ends, he will establish Islamic guidance before his death. 56 This verse helps explain what was mentioned in verse 7, the question of the reason for all the friction and disunity. 57 Literally, the verse says “illiterate”, in the sense of having no scripture or revelation from God. 58 “The final Messenger” here is our Beloved Prophet Muhammad r . So, God took a pledge from all the Prophets to believe in him. This pledge was affirmed when all the Prophets prayed behind him in Masjid al Aqsa on the occasion of Ascension (Zia ul Quran). 59 Israel is a name which was given to Jacob later in life, so it is his sons who were the first of the twelve tribes, or the children, of Israel. 60 Islam means to surrender oneself, commit to the teachings of God; Religion of Islam. 61 Bakka is the old name of Makkah. 62 The early Muslims of Madinah were cautioned to befriend the People of the Book who could mislead them. 63 Compound interest is a type of usurious practice, where the borrower is forced to pay interest on any accumulated interest as well as on the capital. It is different from simple interest which is interest paid on the capital sum only. It was practised by rich Arabs before the advent of Islam to exploit the poor, who had to borrow money to survive. See Chapter Al-Baqarah 275‒278 for more on the prohibition of usury. 64 This alludes to the eagerness of some of the Muslims to go to battle. 65 Literally translated as: “bought disbelief instead of faith”. 66 “A burnt offering” refers to “conforming to the Mosaic Law, which prescribes burnt offerings as an essential part of Divine services.” (Asad). 67 Literally translated as: “threw it behind their backs”. 68 To serve God and to defend yourself, like a soldier who stands guard at a border post.