THE WONDERFUL STORY OF ZELGHARNINE VERSE NO.83ِ91

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Quran,Translation and Commentary in Brief (Vol. 04)
Verses 92-98Verses 83-91

      The third question that the Jewish Arabs raised to test our prophet, was about Zelgharnine. The other two questions that he answered, were about the soul, and the seven sleepers. In all the three narrations, there are incidents which may take us out of this limited field of our present life and nature. They will show us that the world is not exactly as what we see it and feel it.

      The story of Zelgharnine has occupied the thought of our scholars and researchers for many centuries, in order to know who this faithful and righteous king really was!?

      In our commentary, we will begin to explain his personality and the lessons that we may learn from the three historical episodes of him, so as to illustrate how power and opportunities should be used in the service of God:ِ

      ``They ask you about Zelgharnine: Say; soon shall I recite to you a mention of him.''

      This verse implies that people were already acquainted with the story and history of Zelgharnine in our prophet's life time, but it must have had some ambiguities, that the people wanted to have it cleared.

      Zelgharnine was a powerful and righteous king, with all sorts of means and facilities, to do much of what he wanted. He had a good deal of knowledge and wisdom, correct management, and great armed forces, besides skilled man power, and whatever of physical and spiritual possibilities that he needed:ِ

      ``And he followed a way, until he reached the setting point of the sun, in a muddy dark spring of water with a people beside it.''

      Here, we ought to know that the sun will never set upon the earth. East and West of the sun are two relative terms. So we know from this verse that Zelgharnine's expedition to the west, terminated to a spring, with eruption of a kind of dark water, as if it was muddy; beside which lived a certain group of people:ِ

      ``We said; O, Zelgharnine! You may either punish them or treat them kindly.''

      Some commentators have understood the phrase; ``We said, O, Zelgharnine.'' To imply that, the king was an apostle too, whom God inspired with the commandments. There are also commentators who think otherwise. They believe that, the word of God was induced to them, rather than being inspired. God's word and intention can be easily induced to any one and to anything, at any time and place.

      After receiving the Divine instruction, Zelgharnine decided to protect the weak and the righteous people, by punishing the evildoers, and meanwhile he believed that the just and the true punishment would come in the Hereafter, in the God's Final Judgement. He therefore regulated his punishments so as to maintain a good order among the community of those semicivilized people, and left the rest for God's Final Judgement. In other word, he took it easy for them, and though his power was very great, he imposed no heavy task upon the people, so that his rules and orders for them was easy to follow.

      After that, Zelgharnine proceeded on another expedition, and this time towards the east:ِ

      ``He then followed another way, until he reached where it seemed to him to be the rising place of the sun.''

      His second expedition was towards the East, and he went on that way, until he met with some primitive people, who were nude, and exposed to sun rays!

 

 

 

 

Verses 92-98Verses 83-91
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20
Lotus
Mitra
Nazanin
Titr
Tahoma