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Quran & Hadith Qur’an commentaries

The translation of ayat given by you is wrong. It is translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali as: "Seeing that it is He that has created you in diverse stages".
Mir Ahmad Ali translates it as:- "While indeed He created you through regular stages".
And the meaning of "in diverse stages" or "through regular stages" is explained by Aimma (a.s.) as a reference to the various stages a foetus passes through, which has been shortly described in Qur'an (22:5) :-
"O people! if you be in doubt about (your) rising again (resurrection), then (reflect ye that) verily We created you from dust, then from sperm, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh,formed and (sometimes) partly unformed, that we may manifest (our power) unto you, and We cause to stay in the womb what We will until an appointed term, then bring ye forth as babes, then (foster you) that ye reach your maturity; and of you is he who is caused to die, and of you is he who is brought back to the feeblest (stage of) old age that he knoweth not aught after knowing (much)".
In another Ayat, it is described thus :-
"And indeed We created man, from an extract of clay. Then we made him sperm, in a firm resting place. Then made We the sperm a clot, then made We in the lump of flesh bones, then clothed We the bones with flesh; then We did grow it into another creation; so Blessed be God, the Best of the creators" (23:13-15).
"Sura Yasin'' is said to be 'the heart of the Qur'an'. It exhorts the faithful in many ways to abstain from Satanic schemes and to wholeheartedly follow the right Path shown by Allah through His last Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w.w.).
Only the people with weak psychology are affected by such things. As the belief in Allah assures a man that nothing can harm him without the will of Allah, he is not affected by witchcraft. If anyone is perturbed that someone may try to harm him through magic or witchcraft, the two suras mentioned by should be recited for protection. These suras remind Mumin that Allah is the protector and Guardian against ill-wishers and witches, and thus strengthening his belief in Allah and make him immune from ill-effects of witch-crafts etc.
Here is an Ayat of the Qur'an: -
"Lawful unto you for food are all four-footed animals, with the exception named: but nothing of animals are allowed to you while you are in the sacred boundry and of the pilgrim garb but when you are clear of the
sacred boundry and of the pilgrim garb, then you may hunt."
About fish: "Lawful to you is the pursuit of water animals and use for food".
(Quran, Sura 5,aya 99)
There are many ayats on this subject in the Quran. And such commands may easily be found in the scriptures of Jews, Christians and Hindus.
You cannot have any objection about singular pronouns. The plural is used to denote His Greatness, Honour and Power. It is the usual custom in many languages.
Compare this Ayat with Ayat 253 of the same Surah and you will find that there WAS grade and RANK among the Prophets and Messengers of Allah. That Ayat says:-
"These messengers, We have exalted some of them above the others'.

Then what is the meaning of the Ayat 285?

Its meaning is that we have to believe in all the Messengers of Allah, We should not be like Jews who do not believe in Hadhrat Isa (a.s.) and Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w.), nor like Christians who do not believe in Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w.).
The Prophet of Islam was in the cave of the mountain "Hira'' (3 miles from Mecca) when the following 5 Ayats were revealed:
"Proclaim! (or Read!) in the name of they Lord and Cherisher, Who created; created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He who taught (the use of) the pen, taught man that which he knew not".
Yes. Just as a teacher trains the students in writing an application addressed to himself, Allah teaches His creatures the necessary ways to show their submission to Him. And, by the way, it is mentioned 114 times, not "hundreds".
The correct translation is, "and the moon is cleft (or rent) asunder". It mentions the miracle of the Holy Prophet, when one night the moon was cleft asunder in the valley of Mecca within sight of the Holy Prophet, his companions and the unbelievers.

The next Ayat says: ''And if they see a sign, they turn away and say (that it is) a sorcery

continued". It clearly shows that unbelievers had seen that miracle and still refused to accept it, by pretending that it was a sorcery. Surely there had happened some thing which made the unbelievers use the word "sorcery".
Before I write anything let me point out that the Christian and Jewish scholars have not translated the Qur'an "utterly on the ground of neutrality and impartiality': as you have suggested.

First of all, their translations and commentaries are based on Sunni Books of "Tafseer" and "Hadith''. Shia books were not available to them; and, moreover, as the motive of the orientalists' translations was not a "search for truth" but to give some ammunition in the hands of the missionaries (many translators were themselves missionaries), they naturally looked into the books of the Sunnis who form the majority of Islamic community and amongst whom the missionaries were expected to preach Christianity in almost all Islamic place (except Iran and a part of Iraq).Therefore, they followed Sunni ideas.

And it was because of this background that almost all of them dismissed Shia sect as a non-entity, a supposedly heretical group of Islam, which, according to them, came into being because of political differences and had no religious standing.

So these are your neutral and impartial translators!

The word "Imam'' means "Leader" or "Guide". And it is used for various meanings: Successor of the Prophet; Religious Guide, and hence the Prophet; Divine book; One who leads in prayer.

All the above meanings are based on the basic concept of "Guidance" and "Leadership" Also, it is used for the "Path'' (because it leads from one point to another).
In the Qur'an it has also been used for the "Books of deeds" in which our actions are recorded.
Now see the examples:
1.Qur'an, 2:124 - Here Imam has been used for "Leader" (in the sense of "prophet")

2.Qur'an, 25:74; 21:73; 32:24 - It is used for Leader, meaning "Religious Guides".

3.Qur'an: 9:12 and 28:4 - Here also it is used for Leaders' who lead people to Hell (or should we say, "Who mislead").

4.Qur'an: 17:71 - mentions of "Imam'' in the meaning of "Leader" and, of course, good and evil, both types.

5.In 15:79, this word has been used for "way" or "path''. "Imam-e-Mubin'' in this ayat cannot be translated in any other way.

Now before explaining the meanings of "Imamin Mubin" (in 36:11) let me explain one thing:

According to numerous 'Ahadith' of the Holy Prophet and Imams, "The Qur'an has been revealed..... and for each of its Ayats there an 'appearance' (apparent meaning) and a 'hidden' meaning..... "(This Hadith has been narrated by the Sunnis from the Holy Prophet s.a.w).

According to Shia faith, both types of meanings have to be believed, as both are from Allah; and both meanings are complementary to each other.

In this ayat of Sura "Yasin': the apparent meaning is the "Book of Deeds': which has been described in various ways by various translators.

And its "inner" meaning may be known from the tradition of the Holy Prophet, narrated by the famous Sunni Mufassir, and Muhaddith, Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti in his Tafseer Ad-Durrul Manthur (Vol. V, Page 261, Egypt edition):-
''Abd bin Hamid, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim have narrated from Quatadah that this ayat means that "everything is preserved in a "Leader" (The Arabic word implies a human being.)

And our 5th Imam (a.s.) has said that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) explaining this ayat before Hadhrat Abu Bakr and Umar said (in a long Hadith) turning towards Ali bin Abi Talib: "Verily, this is that (Imam Mubin) in whom Allah has contained the knowledge of everything".

I hope this explanation will satisfy you that neither the "outer" meaning given by our Sunni brethren is wrong, nor is the "inner" meaning described by our 5th Imam (as.) on the authority of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).

But I have not seen this "inner" meaning mentioned clearly in Sunni books; therefore, you cannot blame them if they do not accept it.

"Ya-Sin" is one of the titles of the Holy Prophet (s.aw) This short letter is not a place to give more details; but you may rest assured that there is no difference between the Sunnis and Shias in this matter
Here are 3 ayat which provide the answer-
"And when we said to the angels, "Bow down to Adam"; so they bowed down except Iblis. He was from the Jinns, and he broke the command of his Lord". (Qur'an, 18:50)

"He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery, and created Jinns from smokeless fire". (Qur'an, 55:14-15)
"Said He, "What prevented thee that thou did not bow down when I did command thee?" Said (Shaitan), "I am better than him; Thou hast created me of fire and Thou created him (Adam) of clay". (Qur'an, 7:12)

These ayat clearly show that Iblis was not from amongst the angels - he was a Jinn who was created from fire. Then why was he condemned for disobeying a command given to the angels? It was because he was amongst the group of the angels who had been ordered to bow down to Adam, and since he formed one of the members of the group, the order also pertained to him as the third 'aya clearly shows that he was 'ordered'. If in a group there are, let us say, more men than women (as in 'A.ya ofTat-hir), then the whole group is referred to in masculine gender and the women are automatically included in it, even if the pronouns etc. are masculine. This rule is called the Rule of "Taghlib" (Rule of Predominance). Likewise, in that group of angels there was only one Jinn (Shaitan); therefore, the order given to that group, even if it was addressed to the 'angels: covered the group collectively including Satan. That is why he was condemned by Allah for his disobedience. Even Satan understood it perfectly. That is why he did not argue that he had not prostrated because the order was addressed, not to him, but to the angels.
These 'ayat do not say that "even after accepting Islam some have no chance of entering the Garden of Bliss, as they are created of some very base matter".

The Qur'an uses the word "the unbelievers" الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا . It refers to those who had not accepted Islam. Therefore, your interpretation "even after accepting Islam'' is quite out of place. And it is not only "some" who have been created of some very base matter. Indeed every human being has been created of that very base matter, i.e. the sperm.
I think the cause of your misunderstanding is the words "they hasten on around you on the right hand and on the left hand, in groups". Perhaps you think that hastening on around the Prophet shows their love towards him. It is not so. The fact is that the unbelievers rejected the belief in the hereafter. When the blissful life of the hereafter was described to them in detail, they ridiculed it and further mocked at it by pretending to run a race for it.
There is a marked difference between the Makki and Madani Suras. For example:-
1.Makki suras, mostly, describe matters of basic faith - Refutation of paganistic beliefs, evidence of the oneness of Allah, His Attributes, proof of the resurrection on the Day of Judgment, prophethood of the Holy Prophet and that of previous prophets, building good character, removal of rust of evil from hearts of people etc. etc

Madani suras deal, mostly, with the code of life, rules of Shari'ah, like prayers, fast, zakah, khumus, etc.

2.Makki 'ayat and suras are mostly short; Madani 'ayat and suras are mostly long. For example the 28th part is mostly Madani and it has 137 'ayat while part 29 and 30 (mostly Makki) have 431 and 570 'ayat respectively
3.In Makki suras, whenever the audience has been addressed, the words (O People) or (O children of Adam) have mostly been used; in Madani suras on such occasions, mostly the words (0 ye who believe) have been used.

4.All the Suras in which one is ordered (or recommended) to do Sajdah were revealed at Mecca - thus emphasizing the worship of One and Only Allah
Some writers say that there are 6,666 'ayat in the Qur'an. A Sunni tradition mentions 6263 verses (It is not very far from your 6268). But I did not quote these sayings in my book as I had not checked whether any of them were true.

Self بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِیم is a part of every Sura (except Sura 9) according to Shi'a Ithna-'ashari Madh-hab. Counting بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِیم here are 6350 ayat. Some reciters have treated some 'ayat as being broken into more than one 'aya. For example, in the last Sura (Annas) some reciters treat the 4th 'aya as being 2 'ayat: according to them الوسواس is the 4th and الخناس is the 5th 'aya. Such controversial breaks are marked as O in the Qur'an. Just to satisfy my curiousity, I also counted such 'ayat. They are 107 in all. Even if we add this number to 6350, the total will be 6,457, and not 6,666. It seems that someone in old days counted the 'ayat carelessly and wrote in his book that the Qur'an contained 6,666 'ayat, and those who came after him just went on copying it without taking the trouble of verifying that statement.

In any case, there has been no deletion whatsoever from the Qur'an. It is the total number given by the writers which is wrong, not the Qur'an sent by Allah.
The 'ayat are as follows:-
"He has let loose two seas that they flow together meeting each other; between them is a barrier so that they encroach not. Which then of the bounties of your Lord will you two belie? Come forth out of the two (seas) pearl and coral. Which then of the bounties of your Lord will you two belie?'' (Ar-Rahman, 'Ayat19 - 23) According to the tradition of the Holy Prophet "The meeting of the two seas indicates the matrimonial union between Ali and Fatimah, and the "Barzakh': i.e., the barrier between the two seas is the Holy Prophet (so that they do not encroach upon the rights of each other), and the Pearl and Coral which come out of the two seas are Hasan and Husain''.

This tradition has been narrated by Ibn 'Abbas and Anas bin Malik and is quoted in the Sunni Tafsir, Ad-Durrul-Manthur.
It refers to variations in the duration of nights and days in various seasons. It means "Thou causest the night to enter into day (so that the night become longer and the day shorter), and thou causest the day to enter into night (so that the day becomes longer and the night shorter).

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