23-33 And the chiefs of his people who disbelieved and called the meeting of the Hereafter a lie, and whom We had given plenty to enjoy in this world’s life, said: This is only a mortal like you, eating of that whereof you eat and drinking of what you drink.
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَكَذَّبُوا۟ بِلِقَآءِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَأَتْرَفْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا مَا هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٌۭ مِّثْلُكُمْ يَأْكُلُ مِمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ مِنْهُ وَيَشْرَبُ مِمَّا تَشْرَبُونَ (۳۳)
23-34 And if you obey a mortal like yourselves, then surely you are losers.
وَلَئِنْ أَطَعْتُم بَشَرًۭا مِّثْلَكُمْ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًۭا لَّخَـٰسِرُونَ (۳۴)
23-35 Does he promise you that, when you are dead and become dust and bones, you will then be brought forth?
أَيَعِدُكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ إِذَا مِتُّمْ وَكُنتُمْ تُرَابًۭا وَعِظَـٰمًا أَنَّكُم مُّخْرَجُونَ (۳۵)
23-36 Far, very far, is that which you are promised:
هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ (۳۶)
23-36a: هَيْهَاتَ – is a word which is used to show how far removed something is (R). Sometimes the Arabs add “ل” prefixed to the noun which is considered far or impossible, as in this verse, but that is not always the case (IJ).
23-37 There is naught but our life in this world: we die and we live and we shall not be raised again:a
إِنْ هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ (۳۷)
23-37a: نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا – We die and we live, since the older generations pass away and newer generations are born. Some people have derived the concept of transmigration of the souls from the cycle of birth and death. Their belief is that when people die, they come back to life in another form, and there is no resurrection or continuing spiritual life.
23-38 He is naught but a man who has forged a lie against Allah, and we are not going to believe in him.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًۭا وَمَا نَحْنُ لَهُۥ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ (۳۸)
23-39 He said: My Lord, help me against their calling me a liar.
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱنصُرْنِى بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ (۳۹)
23-40 He said: In a little while they will certainly be repenting.a
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍۢ لَّيُصْبِحُنَّ نَـٰدِمِينَ (۴۰)
23-40a: عَمَّا قَلِيلٍۢ – Its expanded form is: عن زمان قلیل in a short period of time and ما is the صلہ governing word between the جار و مجرور prepositional phrase which is meant to emphasize the short period before the deniers would be repenting.
23-41 So the punishment overtook them in justice, and We made them as rubbish; so away with the unjust people!a
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ بِٱلْحَقِّ فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْ غُثَآءًۭ ۚ فَبُعْدًۭا لِّلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (۴۱)
23-41a: The غُثَآءًۭ scum of a flood or a boiling pot is what separates out and floats to the surface, such as dried vegetation that floats on flood water, or the froth in a pot. This is a metaphor for something that is considered worthless and is discarded.
Refer to 11-60a for the meaning of بُعد .
23-42 Then We raised after them other generations.
ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ قُرُونًا ءَاخَرِينَ (۴۲)
23-43 No people can hasten on their doom, nor can they postpone (it).
مَا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ (۴۳)
23-44 Then We sent Our messengers one after another. Whenever its messenger came to a people, they called him a liar, so We made them follow one another away with a people who believe not!a
ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَا ۖ كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ أُمَّةًۭ رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ ۚ فَأَتْبَعْنَا بَعْضَهُم بَعْضًۭا وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ ۚ فَبُعْدًۭا لِّقَوْمٍۢ لَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ (۴۴)
23-44a: تَتْری – Its morphological form follows the pattern fa‘lā from مُوَاتَرَہ whose root is وَتر. The meaning of مُوَاتَرَۃ is وتر which means bringing in singles one after another and its root is واؤ which has been altered to تا (R).
أَحَادِيثَ – Refer to 16-6a. In this verse, it means the opposing people are only remembered as a lesson to warn others (R).
23-45 Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron with Our messages and a clear authority
ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَىٰ وَأَخَاهُ هَـٰرُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَسُلْطَـٰنٍۢ مُّبِينٍ (۴۵)
23-46 To Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they behaved haughtily and they were an insolent people.
إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَإِي۟هِۦ فَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا عَالِينَ (۴۶)
23-47 So they said: Shall we believe in two mortals like ourselves while their people serve us?
فَقَالُوٓا۟ أَنُؤْمِنُ لِبَشَرَيْنِ مِثْلِنَا وَقَوْمُهُمَا لَنَا عَـٰبِدُونَ (۴۷)
23-47a: عَـبِدُونَ – means both a submissive servant and a worshipper but in the verse, simply a servant is meant. Another verse states: وَتِلْكَ نِعْمَةٌۭ تَمُنُّهَا عَلَىَّ أَنْ عَبَّدتَّ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ : And is it a favor of which thou remindest me that thou hast enslaved the Children of Israel? (26:22). The meaning of عَبَّدَ is enslaved him.
23-48 So they rejected them and became of those who were destroyed.
فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَكَانُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْمُهْلَكِينَ (۴۸)
23-49 And certainly We gave Moses the Book that they might go aright.
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ (۴۹)
23-50 And We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign, and We gave them refuge on a lofty ground having meadows and springs.
وَجَعَلْنَا ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَأُمَّهُۥٓ ءَايَةًۭ وَءَاوَيْنَـٰهُمَآ إِلَىٰ رَبْوَةٍۢ ذَاتِ قَرَارٍۢ وَمَعِينٍۢ (۵۰)
23-50a: رَبْوَةۢ – کُلُّ ما ارتفع من الارض Everything elevated about ground level is called رَبْوَةۢ (LA) and it is an elevated land without mountains (RM), or a plateau مکان مرتفع من الارض علی ما حوله (IJ).
قَرَار – means to stop or stay and ذَاتِ قَرَارٍۢ means a place to stay (LA) or even and flat land (IJ) or a land with fruits (IJ).
مَعِينٍۢ – One of the meanings of ماء معین or ماء مَعۡیُون is what is manifest, or that which the eye can see flowing on the ground (LA) because عین means the eye.
Prophet Jesus and Hazrat Mary as a sign: In what way were Prophet Jesus and his mother a sign? Most commentators have leaned towards the virgin birth theory, but the narrative here is the deliverance of pious people and their salvation from the clutches of their tormentors. This is repeatedly called a sign: إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةًۭ in this there are signs. After the people of Prophet Noah were drowned, it is stated: وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ ءَايَةًۭ …and made them a sign for men (25:37). If the nation of Prophet Noah is a sign on account of their destruction, Prophet Jesus and Hazrat Mary are a sign on account of being delivered. Hence they are a sign by virtue of being delivered from the clutches of an unjust nation, and the Quran further substantiates this sign in the next verse.
Where did Prophet Jesus find refuge: Where was this place where Prophet Jesus and his mother found refuge? There is a vast difference of opinion among the commentators. Some declare it to be Palestine, some Jerusalem, some Damascus and others, Egypt. The main question is if the location fits the Quranic description of a lofty ground having meadows and springs. None of the places suggested by the commentators have the attributes the Quran mentions. رَبْوَةٍۢ requires a lofty ground, ذَاتِ قَرَارٍۢ requires flat land, the absence of a mountain, or plenteous fruits and ذَاتِ مَعِينٍۢ requires springs and rivers on the surface. The only place that has all these features is the valley of Kashmir. Palestine, Jerusalem, and Egypt are ruled out by this description. The elevation of the Kashmir Valley is over four thousand feet above sea level. It is ذَاتِ قَرَارٍۢ both with respect to its flat topography and being a land of plenteous fruits and it is ذَاتِ مَعِينٍۢ with an abundance of springs that are unmatched in any other place.
The other fact mentioned in the verse is giving refuge. The narrative of prophets in the Quran is centered after their preaching and their deliverance from their cruel opponents. So, the refuge mentioned here is from the opponents of Prophet Jesus and, as mentioned in 4-157a, Prophet Jesus was alive when he was taken down from the Cross. The Quran here has solved the enigma of what happened after he was taken down alive, and it is stated here that he and his mother were given refuge in another land. Furthermore, this land is described in such a manner that the description does not hold true for any other part of the world except the valley of Kashmir. Thus, Prophet Jesus migrated from Palestine to Kashmir.
The grave of Yūz Āsaf is the grave of Prophet Jesus: There is historical evidence to show that Prophet Jesus came to the valley of Kashmir. There is a tomb in Khān Yār street, Srinagar which is called the tomb of Yūz Āsaf and is also known as the tomb of Nabi Sahib. It appears, not only from word of mouth traditions, but also from a famous 18th century historical text, Tarikh-i-Azmi about Kashmir written in 1747, which states on page 86 that this tomb is generally regarded to be of a prince Yūz Āsaf who was a prophet and came from a foreign country. It is worth remembering that there has not been a prophet after the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) and neither can the tomb of a saint be called the tomb of a prophet. The word نبی prophet is common to both Arabic and Aramaic. So, necessarily this must be an Aramaic speaking prophet and the period in which he came to Kashmir according to traditions is about the same as the period in which Prophet Jesus lived. Furthermore, the name Yūz or Yūs (because the س in یوس is changed by ز in یوز) is like Yusū, the Aramaic name of Prophet Jesus. This evidence creates a very strong impression that the tomb in Khan Yar street is the tomb of the Prophet Jesus and not of any other prophet.
The Afghans and Kashmiris are of Israelite descent: There are other reasons why Prophet Jesus would have traveled eastward. The Afghans claim to be Israelites, and this is substantiated by their traditions, customs, and physical features. This also appears to be the case with Kashmiris. Many of the towns in Kashmir have the same names as towns in Palestine which clearly indicates that tribes of the Israelites, during the period of their exile, came and settled in Afghanistan and Kashmir. When Prophet Jesus was forced to migrate, as a result of the persecution by the Jews, he migrated towards the tribes of Israelites who had gotten cut off from their native land. There is a hadith: انّ عیسیٰ عاش مائة و عشرین سنة Jesus lived for one hundred and twenty years. This hadith makes it necessary to conclude that Prophet Jesus spent the rest of his life in a different land.
Bayan-ul-Quran 