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Name The word Fatir
of the first very verse is the title given to this Surah, which simply means that
it is a Surah in which the word Fatir has occurred. The other name is
Al Malaika, which also occurs in the first verse.
Period of Revelation The internal
evidence of the style shows that the period of the revelation of this Sarah is
probably the middle Makkan period, and especially that part of it, when antagonism
had grown quite strong and every sort of mischief was being adopted to frustrate
the mission of the Holy Prophet.
Subject Matter and Theme The
discourse is meant to warn and reprove the people of Makkah and their chiefs for
their antagonistic attitude that they had then adopted towards the Holy Prophet's
message of Tauhid, like a well wisher, and also to admonish them like
a teacher, as if to say:"O foolish people, the way to which this Prophet
is calling you is to your own advantage. Your anger, your tricks and machinations
against it and your conspiracies and designs to frustrate it are not directed
against him but against your own selves. If you do not listen to him, you will
be harming your own selves, not him. Just consider and ponder over what he says
: there is nothing wrong in it. He repudiates shirk. If you look around carefully,
you will yourself realize that there is no basis for shirk in the world. He presents
the doctrine of Tauhid. If you use your common sense, you will come to
the conclusion that there is no being, beside Allah, Creator of the Universe,
which might possess divine attributes and powers and authority. He tells you that
you have not been created to be irresponsible in this world, but you have to render
an account of your deeds before your God, and that there is life after the life
of this world when everyone will meet the consequences of what he has done here.
If you thing a little you will see that your doubts and your astonishment about
it are absolutely baseless. Don't you see the phenomenon of the reproduction of
creation day and night. How can then your own recreation be impossible for that
God Who created you from an insignificant sperm drop? Doesn't your own intellect
testify that the good and the evil cannot be alike? Then think and judge for yourselves
as to what is reasonable : should the good and the evil meet with the same fate
and end up in the dust, or should the good be requited with good and the evil
with evil? Now, if you do not admit and acknowledge these rational and reasonable
things and do not abandon your false gods, and wish to continue living only as
irresponsible people in the world, the Prophet will not lose anything. It is you
yourselves only who will suffer the consequences. The Prophet's only responsibility
was to make the truth plain to you, which be has done". In
this connection, the Holy Prophet has been consoled again and again, as if to
say :"When you are doing full justice to the preaching of your mission, you
do not incur any responsibility for those who persist in their error and do not
accept and follow the right way". Furthermore, he has also been consoled
to the effect "You should neither grieve on account of those who do not want
to believe, nor consume yourself with the thought of how to bring them to the
rights path. Instead of this, you should pay your full attention to those who
are inclined to listen to you". The
believers also, in this connection, have been given the good news so that they
may feel strengthened and encouraged and remain steadfast on the path of the truth
with full faith in the promises made by Allah. |