OCCASION OF THE REVELATION (VERSE NO. 115 - 116)

      Before some of the commandments that are incumbent upon the believers to perform, were sent down or preached; some of the believers had died. Some of the disciples asked the prophet after the fate of such a believer who had died before the issue- say, they died without any fasting, or abstained not from alcoholic drinks. The questioners thought that they would be punished for their shortcomings, and the above verses revealed to negate such ideas.

PUNISHMENT AFTER DISTINCTION

      The first of the two above verses points to a general law, that so far as God has not issued an order or a commandment, and it is not made clearly known, He will not punish His servants for not following it:ِ

      ``Allah is not going to lead a people astray and towards punishment; until He makes clean to them, what is to be done, and what is not to be done.''

      In other word; God holds no one responsible for a decree that it is not made known to him.

      Some may understand from this verse that, what the wisdom of man enjoins, must conform to the Divine Law in order to be valid; but this assertion is utterly wrong. The above verse has left the matter of validity of a commandment, to its being made known. Therefore it makes no difference whether it is made known to man by an apostle, or by wisdom,- in both cases the issue is legally and religiously acceptable, and it suffices the responsibility for performance.

      The second verse implies that the kingdom of heavens and earth and all things, even that of life and death, is laid in the hands of God, and therefore, you have better to put up your trust in him, that you have not any helper or protector other than Allah.