OCCASION OF THE REVELATION

      In the life time of our prophet there were two intimate friends whose name were, ``UQBA'' and ``ABI''.

      Whenever Ugba returned from a journey, it was his custom to hold a party and invite some of the neighbouring people to dinner.

      In one of such parties the prophet too, was invited. His holiness attended the party but refused to eat anything there! Ugba was an idolater declared as unclean by Qurän, and therefore the prophet could not dine with him. He asked the prophet why, and the prophet said that he would not serve anything until he would testify to the Oneness of God, and to admit his prophethood.

      Ugba uttered the word of testimony and the prophet ate with him.

      When ABI his intimate friend heard of Ugba's testimony, became cross with him and reproached him for his recantation.

      Uqba denied his recantation and said to ABI; ``An honourable man was my guest, and said that he would not have my dinner unless I testify to the Oneness of God and his prophethood. To please him I did that nominally and merely in pretence, and I believe not in my utterance and testimony!''

      ABI said to him:ِ ``If you want my friendship continued, you must go to Mohammad and abuse him somehow, and maltreat him.''

      Uqba did what his friend wanted to please him, and became an apostate!

      Later on, in the Battle of Badr, Uqba was killed, and then in the battle of Ohud, his friend Abi was also slayed.

      The above verse revealed about the above mentioned friends, but the words here are general, and we are interested in its general sense of meaning.

EVIL FRIEND STRAYED ME

    There are strange sceneries in the Resurrection Day, some of which have been pointed to in the previous verses.

      Here another sight of the scene has been referred to, and that is the pity and regret that the sinner has to suffer:ِ

      ``And the Day when the oppressor will bite his hands, saying; would that I had taken a way with the Messenger of God.''

      When the sinners and oppressors think of their past, and remember the opportunities that they had but took no care of them.

      They will be ashamed of themselves and their behaviour. This is why the Resurrection Day is also called the Day of Rue and Regret. The sinner blames himself for befriending those who caused his perversion and astray.

      Without any doubt, one of the important factors that makes up man's characteristic and personality is the company who keeps. He takes most of his moral characters, virtues, customs, and thoughts, from his associates and comrades. A Persian poem, very famous, is:ِ

      ``Tell me the company you keep;

      And I will tell you who you are.''

      As a matter of fact, friends are dangerous as enemies, because after their friendship there is nothing so dangerous as to have them for enemies.

      John Gay has among his Fables:ِ

      ``An open foe may prove a curse,

      But a pretended friend is worse.''

      Very often the role of friend in one's prosperity and progress is much more effective than any other factor. True that prosperity gives us friends, but adversity proves their friendship.

      The above occasion of revelation will show us how a man may reach the critical stage of beginning a prosperous life, when he is suddenly knocked down by the ignorance of a friend:ِ

      ``O, woe is me! Would that I had not taken so and so for a friend.''

      The first lesson that we may learn from this verse is to take care, not to choose an evil friend or comrade who may lead us astray from the path of truth. It is a tested proverb that, old friends are better than the new ones; and a friend in need is a friend indeed.