ভূমিকা

Underrating Divine Injunctions, and worse than that, mocking them all spring from neglect. Following the emphatic injunction as to repentance and compensation for the past wrong deeds, the blessed Verse in question is saying that these injunctions have been sent down lest on the Day of Resurrection one may say: “Woe to me that I failed to act upon Divine Command and I mocked His Verses and Messengers.” The word hasra is employed in the sense of sorrow and grief caused by past regrettable acts.

In his Mufradat, Raghib says that the word derives from hasr indicating pull way or remove garment but it figuratively connotes regret about and grieve for the past acts as if the veils of ignorance have been removed. When man is raised on the Day of Resurrection and perceives the consequences of his transgressions of bounds, neglects, sins, underrating serious affairs, will cry out “ Woe to me! ” A dire sense of grief and regret wraps up his heart and expresses himself with such interjections.

Exegets differ as to the meaning of janb Allah (“beside Allah”) and present many a suggestion. The word is literally employed in the sense of side and it applies to anything located at the side of something else, in the same manner that yamin and yasar signify right and left sides of the body respectively, but owing to generalization, they imply anything located at the left and right sides. The phrase: “beside Allah” also ad hoc designate all the affairs beside Him, e.g.