1. So says Allah, the All powerful, All listening, All knowing that;

2. These laws are from that code of life which is itself clear and  illuminating.

3. Herein, We narrate to you part of the story of (the tussle betwen) Moses and Pharaoh, which is based on truth and will benefit those who believe in the truthfulness of Our Laws.

4. The situation at that time was that the Pharaoh had adopted an extremely rebellious attitude in his kingdom. In order to strengthen his position he had divided his people into various factions. He was continuously weakening one of the factions (the Bani Israel).  In this regard, his policy was to render ineffective all men of merit and courage by humiliating them; and to honour and upgrade those who were devoid of these qualities.  In this way he was creating unevenness among the nation’s people and breaking their unity and strength. (2:49; 7:141; 40:25)

And this was not the strategy of Pharaoh alone.  It was adopted by all dictators and kings (27:34). Pharaoh was one of them.

5. Thus, in view of his rebellion and disturbance, Our Law of Mukafat decided that the people whom he had weakened and degraded so much should be favoured with Our bounties.  That is, to make them the leaders of a country and to make them owners of a piece of earth – 

6. Where they would establish their own state and thereby show Pharaoh and Haman, the leader of his priests, as well as all their hordes, the very things they were so afraid to see; and against which they sought to protect themselves from their own destruction.

7. In order to achieve this great objective, We prepared a programme.  Its first step was that through one of Our messengers, We conveyed to the mother of Moses (after the birth of Moses), to continue suckling him for the time being.  Also, that if and when she became afraid about him, to cast him in the river and have no fear or grief (about what might happen to him), for We shall revert him back to her.  (He will be completely safe and in fact one day rise to high position.) We will make him Our Rasool.

8. (So the mother of Moses put him in a casket and cast him in the river.)  It so happened that Pharaoh's own people picked him up from the river and thereby kept him safe; so that he would grow among them, as their enemy, and eventually be a great source of grief and anxiety to them. The fact is that the Pharaoh, Haman and all their hordes were outright criminals and offenders.  (Therefore, their doom or destruction was the natural consequence of their misdeeds, but it had to be manifested at the hands of Moses. Had they listened to Moses and abandoned their erroneous path, they could as well have remained safe from this destruction; but they did not do so and therefore were destroyed.)

9. (In this way this baby reached Pharaoh's palace). When Pharaoh's wife saw the child, she said to Pharaoh,  “(This child is very beautiful) I will bring him up, so that he would be a source of solace to my eyes and yours.  He should not be allowed to go to waste.  He may well be of use to us; or we may adopt him as a son.

They were consulting each other, but little did they know what the child whom they were trying to adopt, would hold for them!

 10. (Now, for the time being, leave aside the story of the child at the palace of Pharaoh; and let us see the plight of Moses's mother.)  No doubt she did cast the child in the river, but all the solace and patience had left her heart.  She became so upset that had We not endowed her heart with enough strength and comfort, and had she not trusted that it would happen the way We had told her, she would indeed have  disclosed all about him; to keep alive her faith in Our promise.

11. (However motherly love has no parallel and therefore inspite of all the assurances)  She asked her daughter, "Just follow the casket and keep an eye over him (like a stranger) and see what happens.  So she kept a watch from afar without letting the people of Pharaoh take any notice (that she was following the casket).

12. While this was going on, We caused the child to refuse to suckle from anyone else.  (They got concerned about what in such a situation, could be arranged for the nourishment of the child!  In the meanwhile Moses's sister reached there.) She said, "Should I guide you to a family that might rear him for you and take loving care of him, in every way?"

13. In this way We returned Moses to his mother, so that her eyes would be satisfied and she would grieve no more realizing how Allah's promise had been fulfilled.  (In fact all of Allah's promises always come true, however)  Most people do not try to utilize their wisdom and knowledge to understand this fact.

14. (Under these circumstances Moses started growing up in Pharaoh's palace and)  When he reached the age of maturity he turned out to be a perfectly balanced person in every way.  Then We bestowed on him knowledge and wisdom, which gave him the ability to judge.

In fact, we bless with such qualities whosoever leads his life in a graceful, dignified and balanced way.

15. Once it so happened that Moses (who was living in royal palaces outside the city) came to the city for some work.  At that time (it was either early morning, or the afternoon or late at night, and) the streets were not busy.  He saw two persons fighting each other, one was from his own people (Bani-Israel) and the other of his enemy (Pharoah’s people).  The Bani-Israel cried out to Moses for help against his opponent.  (Moses noticed that the other person was becoming increasingly aggressive towards the person who had called for help; and may even kill him.)  Moses struck him to separate them; and the blow hit in a way that the man went down.  When Moses realized what a simple blow had done, he felt sorry and said to himself, "Alas! What have I done after being overcome by anger.”  Actually the one who is overpowered by rage becomes his own enemy and strays away from the right path.  However, once he analyses his actions coolly he would realize that whatever he had done was outrightly wrong.

16. Moses said, "O my Rabb, I have done tremendous zulm to myself, so make some arrangements whereby I may remain safe from its ill effects.  (I had no intention to kill him, I only wanted to help an oppressed person; all this happened by chance.)"  So the Almighty made his personality safe from the ill effects of this episode.  The fact is that there are provisions in the Divine Law of Mukafat that if some one commits a mistake or violates the law and then repents, not only would he be kept safe from its ill effects, but it would also keep his personality developing continuously.

17. Moses felt relieved and expressed his gratitude to the Almighty, and promised that he would never again help the criminal.

18. Next day, Moses came back again to the city, and in a state of fear kept  looking around carefully just to see if people were talking about this murder.  Suddenly he noticed that the same person who had sought his help yesterday (was again quarreling with someone else) and once again he cried out for his help.  Moses said to him, "(Before I did not know, but now I know that)  You really are a quarrelsome person and a wrong-doer."

19. However, when Moses looked more closely he noticed that the other person was also from Pharoah’s people (but because he was from the governing class, he was clearly exaggerating.  People from governing class always do that).  Hence he decided to hold back the aggressor and separate them.  (As Moses had scolded the Israelite, and had mentioned yesterday’s event, the other man realized that this was the same person who had killed the man from Pharoah.  So as soon as he saw Moses reaching out his hands towards him, the latter exclaimed), "O Moses! Do you want to kill me, like you killed the other man yesterday?  Your sole aim is to become a tyrant in this land and you do not want to be one of those who set things right."  (In his opinion the “right” meant to allow the people of the governing nation to do whatever they liked;  that there should be no restriction; rather the people from the slave nation should be scolded and crushed; and always be declared as criminals.)

20. It appears that the murder case had become the talk of the town and because the matter was not just the murder of one person, it was sort of political in nature.  Therefore it became important.  The result was that the elders of the city started taking interest in it and decided to give Moses the death penalty.  One of the persons who was Moses’s well-wisher (came running from the outskirts of the city, that is from the residential area of the leaders and governors and) said, "O Moses, the chiefs from Pharoah’s court are deliberating upon your murder case.  So you had better run away from this place at once.  I am advising you about this, as one of your well-wishers."

21. Moses became scared when he heard this and left the city, watching around carefully.  At the same time he prayed, "O my Rabb protect me from the excesses of these wicked people."

22. While travelling, he headed towards the land of Madiyan and hoped that after reaching there, he would find a way to protect himself from Pharaoh's reach, and to spend the rest of his life in peace and tranquility.

23. When he reached the wells of Madiyan, he found that while a group of people were watering (their herds and flocks), at some distance away from them, two girls were holding back their goats, stopping them from reaching the pond.   He asked them, "What is the matter?  Goats of others are drinking water; yet when your goats are trying to run towards the water, you are stopping them from going there!”  They answered, "We cannot water our goats till the shepherds finish watering their goats and drive them away.  (These people are very strong and powerful; and we do not have any man with us.)  We have only one father, who is old.  (Therefore we do not dare allow our cattle to go to where their herds are drinking water.  Once their herds have finished drinking, and if any water is left behind, we will give it to our goats!)

Moses remembered that he had left Egypt because, due to their sheer force, Pharoah and his people were making life difficult for the Israelites.  Here the situation was worse.  There one nation was disturbing the people from another nation.  Here, a stronger group from the same nation does not let the poor masses have access to the sources of nourishment.

24. How could Moses tolerate all this open injustice committed by the superiors; and the inability of the poor!  He got up, drove the goats to the watering place and watered  them.  Then he retreated to the shade under the tree and prayed, "O My Rabb I had left in search for a place where peace, justice and equality prevails but it appears that everywhere injustice and oppression are the order of the day.  (Even here I cannot expect any fair dealing)  So I am desperately in need of whatever good you may bestow on me."

25. (While Moses was lost in his thoughts, he saw that) One of the two girls walked up to him bashfully and said, "My father invites you so that he may reward you for watering our goats for us."  When Moses reached him and narrated the story of his life, the old man said,  “Have no fear, as you are now out of the reach of the wicked people.”

26. One of the daughters said, "O my father, why not employ him for our work.  Servants should have two qualities.  They should be strong and trustworthy!  I see both qualities in him.  We can see that he is strong and about him being honest, we have evidence of that in the way he watered our goats.”

27. (The old gentleman thought about it seriously and after having satisfied himself, put forward a suggestion to Moses.)  He said, "I would like to marry one of my daughters to you, on the understanding that you will remain in my service for eight years and it would be up to you if you want  to complete ten.  During this period I will pay you your wages.  I do not want to impose any hardship on you.

This is a matter of dealing, which should be settled like a deal.  Regarding my behaviour, `inshallah' you will find me a righteous man."

28. Answered Moses, "So the matter is settled like this between us.  If I want I will stay for ten years; and if I decide to leave after eight, I will be allowed to.  Let there be no compulsion on me. Whatever I say, Allah stands guarantee to our agreement."

29. When Moses completed his term, he left Madiyan with his family.  On his way (at night) he saw fire on the side of Mount Sinai.  He said to his family, "Wait here.  I have seen a fire (far away).  Perhaps I may bring you some news from there (about the way or the surroundings); or at least fetch a burning brand from the fire so that you may warm yourself (and pass the night peacefully).”

30. But when he came close to it, a call came from the tree at the blessed spot on the right side of the valley "O Moses!  Verify that you are getting this voice from your God.  I am Allah — the Rabb of all the worlds." (27:7-8)

31. (Then after giving various commandments and instructions to Moses, Allah directed him to present these before Pharaoh.)  "These directives will always be a  source of dependable strength for you, and the cause of unity among the people. When Moses assessed the mission before him and the directives, he felt as if it was a living python which he was ordered to handle.  Moses was scared of facing Pharaoh and wanted to get out of this mission.  Thereupon came the voice, 'Don't be afraid O Moses! Handle the mission with confidence.  No harm will come to you.” (7:107-108; 20:17-24; 26:32-33; 27:10-12)

32. The directives given to Moses were such that compliance with them and their execution were bound to produce very pleasant results.  Moreover very solid and convincing reasons were given to Moses in support of these directives. He was asked to present these directives with complete confidence; in that they would create a very pleasant and healthy effect on people and nothing therein would have any unpleasant or unwarranted outcome.  “If at any stage you are afraid, do not get upset.  Keep your senses calm and do not ever lose confidence.  Instead be ready for the tussle, and also organize and train your people in the best possible manner.” (15:88)

These two sets of directives from your Rabb (containing glad tidings as well as warnings) are clear reasons for Pharaoh and his people. (So present it before them as)  They have gone far astray.

33. Moses said, "O my Rabb, one of their people was killed by me.  Thus I am afraid they may arrest and kill me.”

34. (The other reason is that having spent a lot of time far away from the urban and civilized areas, I do not have the practice to speak fluently.  As such I will not be able to argue with confidence and effectively in Pharaoh's court.)  Send my brother Aaron who is more fluent/eloquent than I am, as my helper, so that he would be there to support me in whatever I do or say,. I am afraid that those people will certainly belie me."

35. Allah said, "Do not worry! We shall certainly strengthen your hand, through your brother and endow both of you with power and supremacy, so that none of them will be able to reach you.  Just proceed with Our directives; and you will see that both of you and all those who follow you would come out victorious over Pharoah’s people."

36. As soon as Moses went to them with Our clear Laws, they immediately retorted, "This is nothing but spell-binding eloquence, simply fabricated.  We have never heard these things from our forefathers (and therefore we are not going to accept them)!"

37. Moses said, "(You cannot argue that because you have not heard these things from your forefathers, that these are lies. As for your assertion that I have fabricated them myself and am then attributing them to Allah, you can test their worth yourself.  As for my claim that they are ordained by Allah) My Rabb knows fully well who comes from Him with His Divine Laws (and who wrongly attributes these to Him).  He also knows who ultimately will be victorious, because as per His Laws whoever rebels against them (or attributes wrong things unto Him) will never be successful."

38. Pharaoh then addressed his courtiers and said, "(Whatever Moses has said should not be taken merely as a religious sermon.  It reaches down to serious and deep politics. The gist of all he says is that the entire authority, power and supremacy belongs to God and to nobody else; but) I do not know of any other authority for all of you, except that of mine."

Thereafter he sarcastically asked Haman, "Kindle me a fire for baking bricks of clay and then build me a lofty tower, so that I may climb up and have a look at the God of Moses.  However, I consider him a liar in his claim (and therefore I am not ready to accept anything that he says)." (40:30)

39. In short, Pharaoh did not take what Moses had said seriously and with the help of his army, most arrogantly continued committing aggression.  They were so intoxicated with power that not even for a moment did they think that there is someone who can hold them accountable; although every step of theirs was bringing them closer to our Law of Mukafat (whose grip is very strong).

40. Accordingly, We seized him and his troops, as per Our Law of Mukafat, and drowned them into the sea.  Thus you can see what ultimately was the end of the people who were bent upon committing zulm.

41. And their Zulum was of such a heinous type that these people can in fact  be called the leaders of people who continue pushing humanity towards the hell of destruction.  (Ultimately they themselves fall into the Jahannum and) On the Day of Judgment there will be no one to help them.

42. The plight of these people is such that all sorts of deprivation continue chasing them in this life.  (Although they may gain temporary wordly comforts, they ultimately are deprived of all pleasant things of life and)  On the Day of judgment they will find themselves among those who are bereft of all good things in life (and live miserably).

43. (In human history, this was not the first nation which was destroyed due to its atrocities and untold aggression.)  There were so many nations which were destroyed before Moses had come to the people of Pharaoh.  We had given a Divine Code to Moses, which had clear, visible and solid arguments.  The objective was that through keeping the guidelines in view, people should remain on the right path, so that their human abilities would continue to develop.

44. (O Rasool! These things are being revealed to you through Wahi.)  You were not present on the western side of (Mount of Sinai), when We gave the commandments to Moses; and it just was not possible that you could have been there!

45. This is because so many generations have passed between Moses and your time, and the life span of each generation had been quite long.  Also, you were not present among the people of Madiyan, so that you could have conveyed Our messages to them (messages which We had sent through Moses and Shuaib).  Therefore you could never have learnt them, unless We revealed them to you through Wahi, like the way We revealed them to other Rusul -

46. You were also not present by the side of Mount Sinai when We called out to Moses.  However you have got all this information as an act of grace from your Rabb, so that you could caution this nation towards whom no Rasool had come before you (32:3; 36:6), about the destructive results of their erroneous deeds.  They can thus lead a righteous life in the light of Divine guidance.

47. Lest when disaster befalls them as an outcome of their own misdeeds, they will plea, "O our Rabb!  If you had sent a Rasool towards us also, we would have followed your messages.  We would have been among the ones who accepted their message, believed the education they gave and followed Your Laws."

48. (We have sent you as a Rasool towards them for this purpose.)  However, when the truth came to them from Us (instead of pondering over it), they said, "Why does a destruction like the one which befell Pharaoh's people for belying Moses, not come over us for belying this Rasool?  In this way we may recognize that he is also a truthful Rasool like Moses.”

But what answer can they have against this - is it the fact that Pharaoh’s nation did not believe Moses inspite of these destructions.  They had clearly said that both Moses and his brother were in delusion and wrongdoers.  The people had rejected all their teachings.  Hence how can they have faith (Eiman) after seeing such destruction now?

49. (Tell them that Moses's claim was that he had received a Divine Book from Almighty, which gave correct guidance in all aspects of life ~ 11:7.)  "My claim is exactly the same.  I too have received a Book from Almighty which has similar contents.  If you can also produce a book which is Divine and gives better guidance than Quran (which in other words means that it is even better than the one Moses had ~ 28:51), then I am ready to follow the same.  (The object is to follow the Divine guidance without any prejudice, wherever you find it in its original form.  However now it does not exist anywhere except in the Quran.) If you are truthful in your claim then come up with such a book."

50. And if they do not respond to your challenge (and what sort of reply can they give to your challenge ~ 2:23-24) it would become very clear that they are not in search of the truth and are merely following their own emotions and interests.

(Emotions are not something wrong, which should not be followed.  However, emotions should be kept subordinate to Divine Guidance.)  Who can be more misled than the one who follows his emotions, leaving aside Divine Guidance? Such people do not keep their emotions and Divine Guidance in their proper places.  They leave Divine Guidance aside and let their emotions run free and unchecked.  How can such people get guidance towards the right path?

51. (As mentioned afore, the Book revealed to Moses from Allah was also meant to give the correct guidance.)  Thus, right from the beginning to now (that is from the time of Noah to the present),  We have kept a special link in the teachings of Wahi.  Every new link is connected to the previous link (42:13). (Likewise, although the teaching of Quran was completed over a long period, a special kind of connection exists.  Its every link is connected to the other.  This is done so that in its light people should keep themselves on the right track.)

52. (This in reality is the feature of the Quran, in that it notarizes the true teachings of earlier Divine Books.)  Also, there is a special discipline in this Book and (on account of which) people who are believers of earlier Divine Books believe in its truthfulness (when they ponder over this Book with an open and sincere mind and continue doing so in future as well).

53. And when the Quran is presented before them, they declare its truthfulness and have conviction in the fact that it is an established truth which has been revealed from our Rabb.  Since we have already accepted the principle that  obedience should only be to the Divine Wahi (and since it has now become clear to us that Divine Guidance in its true form is only in the Quran), we therefore profess our Eiman on it.

54. These are the people who have received a double reward.  Firstly because till the Quran was revealed, they continued following the teachings of their books, which had remained safe from human interpolations.  Secondly because when the Quran was presented before them, they accepted it with an open heart and thence  remained steadfast.  (This was a difficult thing to do because it is comparatively easy for those who have never had a divine book to believe in a new book.  However, for those who follow a particular creed and consider it to be Divine, it is psychologically difficult to leave that book and creed which they generally consider Divine, and accept something new.  This can only be done by one who is broad minded; not biased; studies the other book without pre-convinced ideas; and thinks rationally.  When he is convinced of its correct guidance, than he can courageously believe in its truthfulness.  Naturally, all his previous colleagues

would oppose him and therefore he will have to stay steadfast in resisting the opposition)*.

These are the people who remove the unevenness of the wrong concepts created by man-made laws and replace them with correct (Quranic) teachings, in a most decent and pleasant manner (13:22).  Also, whatever means of sustenance We have bestowed on them, they keep open for the nourishment of mankind.

55. They always keep in mind that their time and energy is not to be wasted in useless and frivolous matters.  If per chance they pass by a place where such a conversation is going on, they just turn away quietly and gracefully (25:72), telling those people, "Unto us shall be accounted our deeds and unto you your deeds.  We cannot take part in what you are doing.  However our hope is that you should remain in peace; but after seeing and knowing what you all are doing, we cannot join a group of ignorant people.

56. O Rasool! Your mission is to keep on delivering the right message to these people.  As regards making the people adopt the right course, that is not your responsibility.  In fact it is not even within your reach that every one whom you would like to take the right path necessarily adopts it. (2:272.) The only person who would take the right path, is one who himself wishes to do so.  (How can one come to the right path when he does not want to utilize his human faculties of intellect and reason, and intead follows a path with his eyes closed. (10:99-100.) Allah knows very well who the people taking the right path, after thinking about it, are.

(This was a difficult thing to do because it is comparatively easy for those who never had a divine work to believe in a new book.  However, for those who follow a particular creed and consider it to be Divine, it is psychologically difficult to leave the book and the creed which they genuinely consider Divine, and accept another.  This can only be done by those who are broad minded and not biased; and who study the other book without pre-conceived ideas and think rationally.  When he is convinced of its correct guidance, then he can believe in its truthfulness courageously.  Naturally, all his previous colleagues would oppose him and therefore he will have to stay steadfast in resisting the opposition.)

57. The Quraish also say that, “If we follow the new code by joining you, people will become our enemies and tear us.” 

Tell them, "Have We not resided them (in the vicinity of Kaaba) where peace and security prevails and all kinds of fruits and provisions continue coming in, as sustenance from Us.  So would the God who has even now made such provisions for you, put you in trouble or danger if you follow His Law?  This is something which is very clear and obvious; but most of them do not even understand such a clear message!”

58. (As for the apprehension that the group opposing Momineen is mighty, affluent and in a position to harm them, tell them just to have a look at the history of past nations.)  “How many habitations that once boasted of their wanton wealth and comforts of life, have We destroyed (as per Our Law of Mukafat)?  Now those habitations, except a few, stand deserted and no one has ever lived there after them.  Indeed, We became the owners. (So if they feel too proud of their possessions, their end will also be like this).”

59. (And in this respect, listen to this rule of Our’s carefully.) We do not destroy any nation unnecessarily.  First We send Our Rasool to its center, where he explains Our commandments to them.  But when these people rebel against these Laws, they are destroyed as per Our Law of Mukafat.

And We do not destroy a nation, unless it is unjust and is determined to cause aggression.

60. (Also tell these people) Whatever means of nourishment and comfort they have now, are just meant for fulfilling the needs of their physical life.  These cannot go beyond this life.  On the contrary, the nourishment that they get by following the Divine Laws is everlasting and far better compared to the present one.  Everlasting in the sense that it continues even after this worldly life ends.  (By living under the Divine System, one gets better means for life in this world, and in addition the human personality gets developed.  Worldly goods end with the physical life.  If you ponder over it rationally you will have no difficulty in understanding which of the two ways is better, namely worldly goods or the developed human personality.)

61. The matter is quite obvious - there is one group to whom We have made a promise; and this promise will be fulfilled soon.  They will have all the comforts and pleasantries in this world, and also in the world hereafter (24:55).  The second group is of those who will get all material wealth in their life of earth; but in the life hereafter they will be arraigned before us (like the guilty ones).

(Just think about which of the two groups is more happily placed!)

62. (One group would appear before us by themselves, as guilty ones. There will be no supporter with them.)  On that day, they will be asked, "Where, now are those leaders who you obeyed leaving aside Our Laws; and thus considering them as Our partners?"

63. On the other side, will be those leaders and priests against whom the charges of rebellion against our Laws would have been proved.  They will say, "O our Rabb, truly these are the people we led astray.  This happened because we ourselves had gone astray.  To this extent, we confess our crime.  (As for the assertion that they obeyed us on our request, this is factually incorrect.  They obeyed us because they thought it was in their interest to do so.  In other words, they followed their own selfish ends.  We therefore disavow them before you; and reject their claim that they followed us.

64. These followers would (however) be asked, "Call those (leaders and priests) whom you ascribed as partners to Allah.  They will call them, but the leaders will not be able to give any response.  How can they give any response, when they see their own suffering awaiting them; the suffering which could have been avoided if they had followed the right path?

65.  And then Almighty will ask them.  (There rests the case of your leaders, now you tell Us), “When Our messengers conveyed you Our message, how did you respond to their call?”

66. But (on that Day of Judgment they would be so confused with panic that) they will be unable to think clearly.  This condition will not be confined to any one of them.  All of them will be in this very state.  Thus, in this situation, it will not be possible for any of them to consult with others and reply.

67. (Therefore you can well imagine your plight on the Day of Judgment.  Accordingly you should consider this opportunity as a blessing; and still there is time.)  Whosoever amongst you leaves aside the erroneous path, comes on to the right course and acts in a righteous and constructive manner as proposed by the Divine guidance, should be hopeful of joining the people whose life will be prosperous and successful.

68. The success or failure in life takes place as per the Divine Law of Mashiyyat, according to which various things come into existence in the universe. (From amongst these, the beings which develop abilities for survival and further growth are selected for extended life and development, according to the 'Law of Natural Selection').   This selection takes place according to the Divine Law of Evolution and not according to man-made theories, for this Law is far above the possibility of human theories claiming a share in it.

(The law which is similar to the Law of Natural Selection in force in the outer world, is also applicable to human beings.  According to this law, successful people are those whose human abilities have been developed.  People who do not attain this condition remain unsuccessful.)

69. (This Law of your Rabb is so sagacious and all-embracing that)  Whatever they conceal in their hearts, or disclose, is equally known to Him. (Consider physical life.  It does not matter whether one eats poison in public or in seclusion, the effect is the same.)

70. All this happens according to Divine dictate and authority.  In the universe, no one else except Him wields that authority.  By following the Divine Laws, one obtains the worldly benefits, as well as the pleasantries in the life hereafter.  One gets this honour and the pleasures of life in such a nice and dignified manner, that sincere praise and appreciation come out spontaneously from the depth of one’s heart. For this purpose, He has retained the control and command of the universe in His own hands; and everything is decided according to His Law of Mukafat.  Nothing remains outside the ambit of His authority.  Everything approaches Him.

71. (The proof that everything works according to His Laws, can be given by just one example. For instance) If Allah had willed to permanently cover you up with night, until the Day of Judgment; was there any power or authority, other than Him, which could have brought you daylight?

Ask them, "Are you listening to what you are being told?"

72. (Or conversely) If there was the daylight around you continuously, is there any authority or power other than Him that could have brought you the night wherein you could take rest?

Ask them, "Why don't you reflect over the examples which are being cited before you; and then come to the conclusion that there is only one authority, that of Allah whose Law is in force in this universe."

73. It is out of His grace and benevolence that He has made day and night to rotate; so that you can take rest at night and work during the day.  Also, with this intermixture of work and rest, your efforts bring fruitful results.

74. After these parables, once again recall the scenario wherein it was narrated (28:62) that on the Day of Judgment, Allah will ask them, "Where are your leaders and priests whom you considered as my partners in Divinity?"

75. And then We will bring forth the leaders from every community and ask them to produce evidence in support of their claim.  At that time they shall realize and accept that the only Law, based on truth, was that of Allah.  Also, no one else had any share in it.  It is because all the theories or ideologies which they had devised were false, that they could not produce any concrete result.

76. (Another living example is that of Qaroon.)  Qaroon was one of the people of Moses, but intoxicated by immense wealth, he arrogantly exalted himself and started suppressing his own people (like a typical capitalist who exploits the poor). So much wealth was collected by him that a group of well-built strong men could hardly carry (or keep safe) his treasure-chests.

When his people perceived his arrogance they (those who were sensible and mature) said unto him, “Do not exult yourself on account of your wealth.  Its result could be very bad and as per the Divine Laws such an attitude is not praiseworthy.”

77. (No, We are not asking you to abandon your wealth and worldly pleasantries and become a monk.)  “What we ask of you is to enjoy and seek all benefit and happiness from this wealth, but at the same time to not forget that life does not end in this world, where the only object is to collect wealth.  Life continues in the hereafter as well.  Therefore, also make that life happy and enjoyable with this wealth. The best way to do this is to make other people happy by making up for their deficiencies, just as God has satisfied all your needs and made you happy.  Do not create unevenness (fasad) in the society.  (In that way you become richer every day, while others continue going down in poverty.   This is what is called fasad.)  Allah Almighty does not like those who create fasad.  It is quite obvious the resultant effects of anything which is not preferred in Allah's Laws, are nothing but chaos and destruction."

78. He replied, "You have no right to interfere in my affairs.  This wealth has been collected by me by virtue of my own knowledge, intelligence and craft.  I will spend it the way I like.  What has the Divine Law got to do with it?  Nobody has any right to question me in this regard.

Alas! Did he not know that as per Allah's Law of Mukafat, such an attitude had destroyed so many generations that preceded him? They possessed far more power than him and were wealthier; and the list of their crimes and atrocities was so long, that there was no necessity to even ask for their explanation.  (Their destruction was a natural consequence of these crimes.  The fact is that the foundations of capitalism have built-in problems.)

79. On the one hand there were people who continued to advise Qaroon to adopt the right course of action.  However, there were others who only thought of and cared for worldly gains.  Such was their condition that when Qaroon came out with all his pomp and show, they would exclaim, "Alas! If only we had the like of what Qaroon has been given!  What tremendous good fortune he has been endowed with!"

80. Howeveeer those who had been bestowed with knowledge of the facts from God would tell them, "Woe unto you!  What sort of misconception do you have? (The pomp and glamour is all due to rhinestones.)  The real and everlasting happiness lies in the wealth that one gets in conformity with the Divine Laws.  These are the people who have explicit faith in the truthfulness of His Laws and do righteous deeds, and reform and set aright the disorderly society.  In this way their own selves become balanced and dignified.  But all this requires a lot of patience and steadfastness. (Human beings can easily fill their wealth if they leave the rules, regulations and are dishonest.  But to earn wealth legally and as per the rules requires time.  This latter results in success, and the former leads to destruction.)

81. Thus when the time came to show the end result of Qaroon’s misdeeds, We destroyed him, along with his dwellings that were full of goods.  At that time neither did any group come out to help him against the Divine Law, nor was he in a position to protect himself.  (When a capitalist is at peak, it appears that a lot of people will give sacrifices on his behalf.  But if he gets into difficulty, no one comes to help him, and his shrewdness cannot save him.)

82. Qaroon perished, and the people who just a day before were envious of his position, exclaimed, "Verily it was our incorrect assessment that we were envious of his wealth. The fact is that abundance or scarcity in wealth is all as per Divine Laws.  Everyone gets the reward according to the path he chooses. Had Allah not been gracious to us (and had we also followed the ways of Qaroon), we too would have been destroyed like him. Now we have seen with our own eyes that people who keep their wealth hidden and do not open it for the needy, can never attain to a happy state."

83. Only the person whose future is successful, both in this life as well as in the life hereafter, can be considered a success.  And the only people who achieve this are those who do not create disorder and unevenness in society by amassing wealth; and who do not try to be in such a high position in society that they are insulated from the reach of law.

Always keep in mind that ultimate success or prosperity comes only to those who remain conscious of the Divine Laws.

84. The Law is that people who create and maintain a healthy and just balance in society through their constructive deeds, will get more than their share.   On the other hand, those who create disorder or unevenness will see these very conditions before them, in the form of their own destruction.

85. These are Our unalterable Laws which are in force since the beginning, and which have now been explained in detail in the Quran.  Obedience to these Laws is made obligatory on you. (Under the circumstances, O Rasool, you should not be upset that the Pharaohs and Qaroons of Quraish have made your life miserable to the extent that you were forced to migrate from the vicinity of Kaaba.  The God whose Laws are so forceful and strong will bring you back to this place (and that too with a lot of dignity and grandeur).  (Therefore, maintain your peace and tranquility and keep on assuring your companions that) the Law of Mukafat of my Rabb knows fully well who is on the right path and who obviously is lost in error (and the results shall be compiled accordingly).

86. (Therefore there is no reason for you to get disheartened.  Just think) Did you ever expect that you would be elevated to the status of Nabi and that you would be bestowed with this Book? All this has happened due to the grace and 'Rahmat' of your Rabb.  As such, even under the present adverse circumstances, there appears to be no reason for your disappointment that you have to compromise with the kafireen and become helpful to them in any manner.

87. Keep in mind that these opponents will never be in a position to stop the establishment of the Divine Order, which will be set up according to the Laws revealed to you.  You should continue inviting these people to Allah's Nizam-e-Rabubiyyat and never ever think of any compromise with them. Compromise means a formula whereby some provisions are taken from the Quran and others from man-made laws.  This is called 'shirk',  and it is just not acceptable that Allah's Laws be adjusted or intermixed with man-made laws.

88. Therefore do not invite any worldly power to have a share in Divine authority.  All power and authority belongs to Allah; and you have to establish the system only according to His Laws.  Remember that man-made theories and concepts also continue changing like other things in the universe (55:26).  Only the Divine guidance provided by Wahi is beyond change; and it is this guidance which will ultimately take you to the destination determined by Allah.  Therefore the supremacy should only be that of Allah's Laws; and all judgments should be made according to them.  Your every effort and activity should revolve around this very axis, and every step you take should be in the direction of that destination.  Also bear in mind that you are accountable to Him for every action.  That is the everlasting way of life (12:40).