Salaat = Following God's commands closely 2:3. Wa in the middle of this verse merges with Salaat as indicated by 'God being with the steadfast', without mentioning Salaat in the end

Death is like a prolonged state of sleep until the Resurrection Day (36:52). However, those who lay their lives in the cause of God, themselves, undergo an emergent evolution, and instantly find themselves in a state of bliss of the Next Life. And they get honorable provision from their Sustainer. 3:169

9:59

33:43, 33:56

Abraham and Ishmael worked in the region of Mount Safa and Mount Marwah in Makkah, building the Ka'bah. There is nothing wrong in honoring such historical relics (2:177, 22:28). God has appointed the Ka'bah as the focal point for all humanity. And that is the real purpose behind the annual Hajj convention and, when announced by the Islamic Central authority, the 'Umrah conferences. 2:148, 2:196, 3:96, 22:27-28. Khair = Good things = Acts of benevolence = Community welfare = Peace and security = Betterment in both lives = Selfless service

God has defined the objectives of the Hajj in this Book 22:28. Those who conceal the sublime purpose of these assemblies by making them senseless rituals, deprive humanity of a phenomenal blessing. La'nah = Condemnation = Rejection = Curse = Deprivation from grace. Laa'inoon = Those endowed with the sense of distinguishing right from wrong, and thus able to condemn. Related non-Qur'anic word, 'Al-la'een' = Scare-crow repelling the birds

Taubah = Repentance = Turning to God = Returning to the right path. Salah = Corrective action = Reform = Making amends

Condemnation of God = Deprivation of His grace. Condemnation of angels = Harm incurred for violating universal laws. Condemnation of mankind = Suffering at the hands of other nations

When believers die, they are disconnected from this world; they continue their existence in another dimension. See 3:169.

We are tested on this planet whether we devote ourselves to God ALONE or not (29:2).

Lit., "with something".

Lit., "God's symbols". The space between the two low outcrops of rock called As-Safa and AI-Marwah, situated in Mecca in the immediate vicinity of the Ka`bah, is said to have been the scene of Hagar's suffering when Abraham, following God's command, abandoned her and their infant son Ishmael in the desert (see note 102 above). Distraught with thirst and fearing for the life of her child, Hagar ran to and fro between the two rocks and fervently prayed to God for succour: and, finally, her reliance on God and her patience were rewarded by the discovery of a spring-existing to this day and known as the Well of Zamzam - which saved the two from death through thirst. It was in remembrance of Hagar's extreme trial, and of her trust in God, that As-Safa and Al-Marwah had come to be regarded, even in pre-Islamic times, as symbols of faith and patience in adversity: and this explains their mention the context of the passages which deal with the virtues of patience and trust in God (Razi).

It is in commemoration of Hagar's running in distress between As-Safa and Al-Marwah that the Mecca pilgrims are expected to walk, at a fast pace, seven times between these two hillocks. Because of the fact that in pre-Islamic times certain idols had been standing there, some of the early Muslims were reluctant to perform a rite which seemed to them to be associated with recent idolatry (Razi, on the authority of Ibn `Abbas). The above verse served to reassure them on this score by pointing out that this symbolic act of remembrance was much older than the idolatry practiced by the pagan Quraysh.

From the phrase "if one does more good. than he is bound to do", read in conjunction with no wrong does he who..." (or, more literally, "there shall be no blame upon him who..."), some of the great Islamic scholars - e.g., Imam Abu Hanifah - conclude that the walking to and fro between As-Safa and Al-Marwah is not one of the obligatory rites of pilgrimage but rather a supererogatory act of piety (see Zamakhshari and Razi). Most scholars, however, hold the view that it is an integral part of the pilgrimage.

Lit., "whom all who reject will reject" - i.e., all righteous persons who are able to judge moral issues. God's rejection (la`nah) denotes "exclusion from His grace" (Manar II, 50). In classical Arabic usage, the primary meaning of la'nah is equivalent to ib'ad ("estrangement" or "banishment"); in the terminology of the Qur'an, it signifies "rejection from all that is good" (Lisan al-Arab). According to Ibn `Abbas and several outstanding scholars of the next generation, the divine writ mentioned here is the Bible; thus, the above verse refers to the Jews and the Christians.