Az-Zukhruf 43:44–51

Good Fame is liked by Islam

وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكْرٌ‌ لَّكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ (And certainly this Qur'an is a word of honor for you and your people... 43:44) The original word used in the text is dhikr which here means 'good name' or 'fame'. The verse means that the Noble Qur'an is a matter of great honour and good fame for the Holy Prophet t and his people. Imam Razi has concluded from this verse that good fame is a desirable thing, because Allah Ta ala has stated this as a matter of favor and that is why Sayyidna Ibrahim' (علیہ السلام) had supplicated:

وَاجْعَل لِّي لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ فِي الْآخِرِ‌ينَ ﴿84﴾

(And destine for me a truthful description among the next generations) (26:84)

But one must keep in mind that the good fame is praiseworthy only when it is received as an automatic result of virtuous deeds, but when virtuous deeds are done for the sake of good fame, then it becomes riya' (ostentation) which not only nullifies all the rewards of good deeds, but also renders one guilty of a major sin.

In this verse the words 'your people' have been taken by some exegetes to mean the tribe of Quraish only, thereby proving the superiority of Quraish, whereas ` Allamah Qurtubi says that, according to the correct view, these words refer to the whole Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، irrespective of color or race, and the Noble Qur'an is a matter of honor and good fame for the whole Ummah. (Qurtubi)

وَاسْأَلْ مَنْ أَرْ‌سَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رُّ‌سُلِنَا (And ask Our messengers whom We sent before you...43:45) A question may arise here: Since all the earlier prophets (علیہم السلام) had expired at the time of the revelation of this verse, how could the Holy Prophet t ask any question from his predecessors? Some exegetes have taken the verse in the sense that if, as a miracle, Allah Ta` ala arranges for the Holy Prophet ﷺ to meet the earlier prophets (علیہم السلام) ، then he should ask them about it. And it is well-established that the Holy Prophet t met all the preceding prophets (علیہم السلام) during the Night of Ascension. ` Allamah Qurtubi quotes some narrations according to which the Holy Prophet ﷺ asked them this very thing after leading them in the prayers; but we could not discover the source of these narrations. Most exegetes have, therefore, explained that the verse does not mean to ask the prophets verbally. What is meant by the verse is to consult the divine Scriptures revealed to the earlier prophets, and to ask their learned scholars. And the scriptures of the prophets of Bani Isra'il which are available now, despite so many distortions, contain teachings about 'tauhid' (Oneness of Allah) and condemnation of 'shirk' (associating others with Allah) even today. For example, some excerpts from the Bible are quoted below:

Teachings about Oneness in the Scriptures of the earlier prophets (علیہم السلام)

Here are two quotations from the Scriptures claimed by Jews and Christians to be the 'Pentateuch' or 'Torah':

"The Lord has shown you this, to prove to you that he alone is God and that there is no other." (Deuteronomy, 4:35)

and

"Israel, remember this! The Lord-and the Lord alone-is our God. Love the Lord your God with all your heart." (Deuteronomy, 6:4)

The scripture of Shi` ya (علیہ السلام) (known as Isaiah) says,

"I am the Lord; there is no other god. I will give you the strength you need, although you do not know me. I do this so that everyone from one end of the world to the other may know that I am the Lord and that there is no other god." (Isaiah, 45:5, 6)

The books claimed by the Christians to be the Gospels contain this statement of Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) (Jesus Christ):

"Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark, 12:29, Matthew 22:36)

It is narrated that once Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) (Jesus Christ) said the following words during a supplication:

"And eternal life means knowing you, the only true God, and knowing Jesus Christ, whom you sent." (Yuhanna 17:3)[ 1]

[ 1] These excerpts are taken from Good News Bible, Today's English Version, Published by the Bible Societies in 1976. (Muhammad Tagi Usmani)

Commentary

Incidents related to Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) have been stated by the Qur'an at many places repeatedly, and the incidents referred to in the present verses have been described in detail in Surah Al-A` raf. The reason for reminding these incidents here is to show that the objection of the infidels of Makkah that the Holy Prophet ﷺ is not a wealthy man is not a new objection; Fir'aun had expressed the same doubt against Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) and his prophethood. His contention was that being the ruler of Egypt, and owner of the palaces and rivers flowing beneath them, how could Musa (علیہ السلام) claim to be a prophet against him. But just as Fir'aun's disbelief could be of no avail to him, and he got drowned along with his people, this objection of 'kuffar' of Makkah, too, will not save them from the divine punishment in this world, or in the Hereafter.