Commentary on the Koran: Surah 54 (No. Q054)

Pickthall Translation; Bible Quotes are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Introduction

Al Qamr “The Moon” draws its name from verse 1 regarding “The hour drew nigh and the Moon was rent in twain.”

The text refers to the time when the companions of the Prophet were with him and when the time came for the Mission to the Arabs to begin the moon appeared to have been torn in two and was taken as a vision given for the mission, and the persecution of the church at Becca began. Thus this Early Beccan Surah had to be well prior to 613 CE and the First Hijrah to Abyssinia. It may have been among the first of the Early Beccan Surahs. Its thrust was at the worship of the Pagans and of Qamar as we see with the previous texts (SS 51-53).

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54.1. The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain.

54.2. And if they behold a portent they turn away and say: Prolonged illusion.

54.3. They denied (the Truth) and followed their own lusts. Yet everything will come to a decision

See Romans 2:8 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 45 at ayat 15.

Matthew 24:36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Luke 16:31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’

They may see a miracle yet they do not believe as it is not their time for salvation and their hearts have been hardened and their minds covered with a veil so they cannot understand.

2Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2Peter 3:3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Refer to 2Corinthians 3:14 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 17 (No. Q017) at ayat 72 and to Ephesians 4:18 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 39 (No. Q039) at ayat 22.

God does as He pleases according to the counsel of His own will. All differences and disputes of people during this current age will be settled during the White Throne Judgment period.

54.4. And surely there hath come unto them news whereof the purport should deter,

54.5. Effective wisdom; but warnings avail not.

Other versions will come to their minds of which they have been told. Like the magicians or wizards of old they will try to explain away the events occurring before their eyes. These narratives will prevent them from believing. The warnings of the prophets will not be heeded as in ancient times.

See 2Chronicles 36:16 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 10 (No. Q010) at ayat 39.

54.6. So withdraw from them (O Muhammad) on the day when the Summoner summoneth unto a painful thing.

54.7. With downcast eyes, they come forth from the graves as they were locusts spread abroad,

54.8. Hastening toward the summoner; the disbelievers say: This is a hard day.

See Daniel 12:2 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 50 (No. Q050) at ayat 3; Revelation 20:12 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 17 (No. Q017) at ayat 15 and also John 5:28-29 Commentary on the Koran: Surah 20 (No. Q020) at ayat 55.

54.9. The folk of Noah denied before them, yea, they denied Our slave and said: A madman; and he was repulsed.

54.10. So he cried unto his Lord, saying: I am vanquished, so give help.

54.11. Then opened We the gates of heaven with pouring water

54.12. And caused the earth to gush forth springs, so that the waters met for a predestined purpose.

54.13. And We carried him upon a thing of planks and nails,

54.14. That ran (upon the waters) in Our sight, as a reward for him who was rejected.

54.15. And verily We left it as a token; but is there any that remembereth?

54.16. Then see how (dreadful) was My punishment after My warnings!

This is a very brief summary of the biblical account of Genesis chapters 7 and 8.

1Peter 3:20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

2Peter 2:5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

54.17. And in truth We have made the Qur'an easy to remember; but is there any that remembereth?

Refer to 2Timothy 3:16 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 20 (No. Q020) at ayat 6.

Romans 3:11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.

Luke 8:10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’

Luke 8:14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

54.18. (The tribe of) A'ad rejected warnings. Then how (dreadful) was My punishment after My warnings.

54.19. Lo! We let loose on them a raging wind on a day of constant calamity,

54.20. Sweeping men away as though they were uprooted trunks of palm-trees.

54.21. Then see how (dreadful) was My punishment after My warnings!

The tribe of A'ad did not heed the warning of the messenger to repent of their evil ways and were destroyed by a fierce roaring wind which God imposed on them for seven long nights and eight long days.

54.22. And in truth We have made the Qur'an easy to remember; but is there any that remembereth?

Refer to 2Timothy 3:16 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 20 (No. Q020) at ayat 6, and also Romans 3:11 at ayat 17 above.

Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

The elect are able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to understand Scripture as they are guided by the Holy Spirit. To the rest it is just words.

54.23. (The tribe of) Thamud rejected warnings

54.24. For they said; Is it a mortal man, alone among us, that we are to follow? Then indeed we should fall into error and madness.

54.25. Hath the remembrance been given unto him alone among us? Nay, but he is a rash liar.

54.26. (Unto their warner it was said): To-morrow they will know who is the rash liar.

54.27. Lo! We are sending the she-camel as a test for them; so watch them and have patience;

54.28. And inform them that the water is to be shared between (her and) them. Every drinking will be witnessed.

54.29. But they call their comrade and he took and hamstrung (her).

54.30. Then see how (dreadful) was My punishment after My warnings!

54.31. Lo! We sent upon them one Shout, and they became as the dry twigs (rejected by) the builder of a cattle-fold.

See 2Chronicles 36:16 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 10 (No. Q010) at ayat 39.

A she camel was sent to the tribe of Thamud as a sign to test them. She was to be allowed to feed and to drink. She was not to be harmed. They did not heed the warnings of their messenger and killed the camel. They were destroyed by a thunderbolt which was followed by a massive earthquake that buried them and all their dwellings. They did not depart from their wicked deeds and suffered as a result. The sequence is explained in the Commentaries on Surahs 007, 015, 016 and 017

54.32. And in truth We have made the Qur'an easy to remember; but is there any that remembereth?

Matthew 13:11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

Psalm 53:3 They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

It was written in poetry and prose so it is easy to remember but it was not linked to the Scriptures in direct references and so it was able to be divorced by the Hadithic fraudsters to deny the Scriptures and evade the laws of God. So it was denied from before Noah and after the Flood everywhere.

54.33. The folk of Lot rejected warnings.

54.34. Lo! We sent a storm of stones upon them (all) save the family of Lot, whom We rescued in the last watch of the night,

54.35. As grace from Us. Thus We reward him who giveth thanks.

54.36. And he indeed had warned them of Our blow, but they did doubt the warnings.

54.37. They even asked of him his guests for an ill purpose. Then We blinded their eyes (and said): Taste now My punishment after My warnings!

54.38. And in truth the punishment decreed befell them early in the morning.

54.39. Now taste My punishment after My warnings!

Jude 1:7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Luke 17:29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all

Ayats 33 to 39 provide a brief summary of the biblical account of Genesis chapter19.

54.40. And in truth We have made the Qur'an easy to remember; but is there any that remembereth?

See Romans 3:11 and Luke 8:10 and 14 at verse 17 above.

54.41. And warnings came in truth unto the house of Pharaoh

54.42. Who denied Our revelations, every one. Therefore We grasped them with the grasp of the Mighty, the Powerful.

Exodus 7:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.

Exodus 14:28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.

Exodus 15:4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!

Refer to Psalm 147:5 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 33 (No. Q033) at ayat 2.

54.43. Are your disbelievers better than those, or have ye some immunity in the scriptures?

Romans 3:9-10 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, ¹⁰as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

The Arabs have no immunity in the Scriptures and so they invented the Hadith and the lie that the Scriptures were lost to evade the wrath of God. Their punishment will come soon.

54.44. Or say they: We are a host victorious?
54.45. The hosts will all be routed and will turn and flee.

Surah 41 ayat 15 states:

“As for A'ad, they were arrogant in the land without right, and they said: Who is mightier than us in power? Could they not see that Allah Who created them, He was mightier than them in power? And they denied Our revelations.”

They may have considered themselves as invincible but they had no clout against the power of the Almighty God

Proverbs 21:30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.

Acts 5:38-39 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; ³⁹but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,

54.46. Nay, but the Hour (of doom) is their appointed tryst, and the Hour will be more wretched and more bitter (than their earthly failure).

Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Isaiah 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.

54.47. Lo! the guilty are in error and madness.

Psalm 14:3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

54.48. On the day when they are dragged into the Fire upon their faces (it is said unto them): Feel the touch of hell.

Refer to Revelation 20:11-15 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 17 (No. Q017) at ayat 15.

54.49. Lo! We have created every thing by measure.

Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Psalm 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

54.50. And Our commandment is but one (commandment), as the twinkling of an eye.

Proverbs 6:15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

Proverbs 24:22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

1Thessalonians 5:3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

54.51. And verily We have destroyed your fellows; but is there any that remembereth?

54.52. And every thing they did is in the scriptures,

54.53. And every small and great thing is recorded.

This text shows beyond doubt that the acts and punishment were known by the Prophet and the Churches of God in the Seventh century and were contained in all the Scriptures and were never lost. To say they were is a lie against God and those that utter this blasphemy will never inherit the Kingdom of God until they repent in the Second Resurrection.

1Corinthians 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.

Isaiah 13:11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.

All those wicked generations were destroyed because they refused to repent of their wicked ways and return to the correct worship of the One True God after they were warned to do so by God’s messengers sent to them. Those who neglect to learn and reflect upon what happened to the generations of old will end up ruining their physical lives. They will be raised in the Second Resurrection to face corrective education and training to lead them to repentance.

Refer to Revelation 20:12 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 17 (No. Q017) at ayat 15.

54.54. Lo! the righteous will dwell among gardens and rivers,

54.55. Firmly established in the favour of a Mighty King.

Refer to Revelation 20:6 in Commentary on the Koran: Surah 30 (No. Q030) at ayat 15.

Revelation 1:6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 5:10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.

Daniel 7:18, 27 ¹⁸But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’

²⁷And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Jude 1:25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen

The two Resurrections of the Dead are Gardens of Paradise and the First is better and over which the Second Death has no power. The Mighty King is the Messiah.

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